Yellow Jackets Sports Weekly Recap (Sept. 19- Sept. 25)

By: Brandon Unverferth 

Photography: Hanna Young

Men’s Soccer: Tues. Sept. 20, Thurs. Sept. 22, and Sat. Sept. 24

9/20: Case Western Reserve 4 (4-1-2), Defiance 0 (1-4-3)

The Defiance College men’s soccer team hosted the Case Western Reserve Spartans Tuesday afternoon for a non-conference matchup at Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field. The Spartans started off “hot” scoring two goals in the opening 21 minutes. Senior Matt Vatne put up the first point on the scoreboard for Case Western Reserve with a goal at the 15-minute mark, while junior Alex Lippiatt scored at the 21-minute mark. Freshman Shreas Settles knocked one through the net at the end of the 40th minute, to give Case Western Reserve a 3-0 advantage at halftime. The Spartans scored their fourth goal of the contest in the 49th minute, as senior Sean Atwater scored from the left hash. Case Western Reserve held the Yellow Jackets scoreless for the entire 90-minute contest. The Spartans had eight opportunities at corner kicks, while Defiance had one. Defiance senior Joshua Maurer and sophomore Zak Klopfenstein led the Yellow Jackets with one shot attempt on goal.

9/22: Olivet College 3 (1-5-1), Defiance 0 (1-5-3)

The Yellow Jackets men’s soccer team hosted the Olivet Comets Thursday evening at Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field for a cross-state (Ohio-Michigan) matchup. The Comets made their way onto the scoreboard first, with a goal by freshman Braden Abbott near the 18-minute mark. Olivet stretched their lead to 2-0 at the 35-minute mark of the first half, as sophomore Carter Scheel punched one through the net. While the Yellow Jackets trailed 2-0 on the scoreboard at the half, they managed to hold a 5-2 advantage on shots on goal. The Comets extended their lead to 3-0 in the middle of the second half, with a goal by senior Kjeil Dickinson at the 62-minute mark. Olivet kept the Yellow Jackets scoreless throughout the entire 90-minute contest. Junior Erdwin Quintana led the way in the shots on goal category for the Yellow Jackets with three, while seniors Darrien Brooks, Chase Stiner, Joshua Maurer, and Armando Campos-Ortiz each had one. Freshman Jeremy Fuller also recorded a shot on goal for Defiance.

When senior Jeremy Jimenez was asked by The Defender about the teams’ mindset as they begin thinking about opening up conference play next week, he expressed, “Right now the mindset is to continue to stay rooted to our core values which are unity and trust. If we stick together and trust the grind I have high hopes for the future.”

9/24: (Tie) Defiance 0 (1-5-4), Asbury University 0 (2-3-3)

The Defiance College men’s soccer team welcomed the Asbury Eagles to Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field Saturday afternoon for a non-conference matchup. Each team had about a dozen opportunities to score throughout the 90-minute contest, but neither squad was able to find the back of the net. Sophomore Austin Dunlap attempted five shot attempts for the Eagles, with one on goal. Senior goalkeeper Orry Killam posted his first clean sheet of the season for the Yellow Jackets, as he was 8 for 8 in save opportunities. Senior team captain Jeremy Jimenez led Defiance with five shot attempts.

Women’s Soccer: Sat. Sept. 24 and Sun. Sept. 25

9/24: Asbury University 5 (2-6-1), Defiance 0 (2-5)

The Defiance College women’s soccer team hosted the Asbury Eagles Saturday afternoon at Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field. The Eagles “turned on” the scoreboard at the 33-minute mark of the first half, as senior Maryah Jones knocked in a goal from the right hash mark, to give Asbury a 1-0 lead going into halftime. The Eagles’ momentum from the first half, “soared” into the second half as they scored an additional four unanswered goals (49th minute, 60th minute, 63rd minute, and 77th minute) to take a 5-0 victory. Asbury outshot Defiance, 35-2 in the contest. A pair of juniors, Melissa Bixler and Hallie Webb, recorded one shot each for Defiance.

9/25: Defiance 3 (3-5), Mount Mary University 2 (0-7-1)

The Yellow Jackets women’s soccer team welcomed the Mount Mary Blue Angels from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field for a Sunday afternoon matchup. Freshman Paige Drusback got the scoring started for the Yellow Jackets at the 17-minute mark, giving Defiance an early 1-0 lead. The Yellow Jackets and Blue Angels would exchange shots for the remainder of the first half, but neither could find a way to score. Just one minute into the second half (46-minute mark), the Mount Mary Blue Angels found their way onto the scoreboard with a goal from freshman Sam Reyes to tie the game at 1. Junior Sarah O’Shea did not like looking up to the score of 1-1, so she knocked in a pair of goals within a five-minute span (53-minute mark and 58-minute mark) to give Defiance a 3-1 lead. Mount Mary freshman Sam Reyes returned to the score sheet with a goal at the 74-minute mark, to cut the deficit to 3-2. The Blue Angels tried numerous times to tie the game, but in the end, Defiance came out on top 3-2.

Football: Sat. Sept. 24

Alfred State College 42 (2-2), Defiance 33 (0-3)

The Defiance College football team traveled to Alfred, New York, Saturday afternoon to take on the Alfred State Pioneers. The Yellow Jackets quickly made their way onto the scoreboard with a 27-yard touchdown pass from senior Jordan Ambrose to sophomore Tawann Rome, to make it an early 7-0 Defiance lead (12:07 left in the 1st). Alfred State followed suit in their first offensive drive of the game, as they found their way into the end zone with a 20-yard touchdown rush from freshman Rafael Class, to tie the game at 7 (9:13 left in the 1st). Junior Tyshaun Freeman pushed his way into the end zone from one yard out to start the second quarter (14:55 left in 2nd) to give Defiance a 13-7 lead. Sophomore kicker Zeke Sanchez was unable to knock in the extra point. The Pioneers once again responded with a touchdown of their own and an extra point, to take the lead 14-13 (10;45 left in 2nd). Yellow Jackets junior kicker Zeke Sanchez was able to come back from his missed extra point, by knocking in a pair of field goals from 28 yards in the second quarter and 29 yards out in the third quarter, to give Defiance a 19-14 lead (8:48 left in 3rd). Alfred State responded late in the third quarter (2:59 left in 3rd) with a 50-yard passing touchdown strike (freshman Justin Horvath to senior Roman Napoleon) to give the Pioneers a 21-19 lead. The Pioneers went on a 21-14 point scoring run in the fourth quarter, to give Alfred State the victory 42-33. Senior quarterback Jordan Ambrose threw two touchdown passes and added one rushing touchdown, giving him three total for the game. Junior Tyshaun Freeman rushed for 96 yards on 24 carries and one touchdown. Sophomore Tawann Rome (2 touchdowns) and senior Machari Bighams each had a team-high 112 receiving yards for the Yellow Jackets. Defensively, senior Rigo Villa recorded the only sack during the game for Defiance, while a pair of seniors Thomas Coltrain and V’Sean Palmer each had six total tackles.

Volleyball: Thurs. Sept. 22 and Fri. Sept. 23

9/22: Defiance 3 (3-9), Kalamazoo College 2 (3-8)

The Defiance College volleyball team traveled to Kalamazoo, Michigan, Thursday evening to take on the Kalamazoo Hornets. The Yellow Jackets started off strong as they took the opening set victory 25-17. The Hornets came out “swinging” in the second set as they tied the match series at 1-1, with a set victory 25-11. The third set went back and forth, but in the end, Kalamazoo came out on top 25-23, to take a 2-1 match series lead. The fourth set was much of the same, but Defiance came out on top this time, with a 25-22 set victory, to tie the match series at 2. The match would come down to the fifth and final set, where the Yellow Jackets pulled off a tight 15-13 victory. Sophomore Kaylynn Wellman led the Yellow Jackets with 13 kills, while sophomore Jamia Murray had 10.

“We knew going into the game that tonight would be a battle. Our coach always encourages us to play our game, and in the end, that’s what got us the victory. We worked together as a team and utilized our pin hitters. We had great energy and came together as a team to secure the win. Hoping to battle again tomorrow night!” – Junior Hope Yost

9/23: Wilmington 3 (6-11), Defiance 0 (3-10)

The Yellow Jackets volleyball team traveled to Wilmington, Ohio, Friday evening to take on the Wilmington Quakers. The Quakers started off “hot” and never looked back, as they swept the Yellow Jackets 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, and 25-21). Sophomore Jamia Murray led Defiance with 10 kills on the matchup, while sophomore Kaylynn Wellman recorded 9. Junior Hope Yost had a team-high 23 digs for Defiance.

Home

Wednesday, Sept. 28

Men’s Soccer (1-5-4) vs Manchester University (1-5-2)

Location: Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field

(3:00 pm)

Saturday, Oct. 1

Men’s Golf (Yellow Jacket Fall Invitational)

Location: Eagle Rocks Golf Course

(10:00 am)

Volleyball (3-10) vs Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (7-7)

Location: Karl H. Weaner Center

(11:00 am)

Women’s Soccer (3-5) vs Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (3-2-2)

Location: Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field

(1:00 pm)

Football (0-3) vs Hanover College (0-3) (Homecoming)

Location: Justin F. Coressel Stadium

(1:30 pm)

Men’s Soccer (1-5-4) vs Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (4-1-2)

Location: Winsper-Knobel Memorial Field

(3:00 pm)

Sunday, Oct. 2

Men’s Golf (Yellow Jacket Fall Invitational)

Location: Eagle Rocks Golf Course

(9:00 am)

Away

Wednesday, Sept. 28

Women’s Soccer (3-5) at Manchester University (1-7)

(4:30 pm)

Friday, Sept. 30

Women’s Cross Country at Wisconsin-Parkside University

(12:15 pm)

Men’s Cross Country at Wisconsin-Parkside University

(12:55 pm)

Saturday, Oct. 1

Women’s Golf at Wooster College (Eva Shorb Weiskopf Memorial)

(9:00 am)

Sunday, Oct. 1

Women’s Golf at Wooster College (Eva Shorb Weiskopf Memorial)

(9:00 am)