Football and Men’s Soccer Both Beat Averett

West Earns SecondTeam All-Dixie Honors in Cross Country

For More Information Contact: Scott Musa 540.665.5417

Football

DANVILLE, Va. – The football team snapped its two-game losing streak with a 35-20 Dixie Conference victory over fellow second year program Averett University Saturday afternoon.

Shenandoah (3-5, 2-3) led 35-0 after a Richard Hodge ( Pearisburg , Va. / Narrows ) 47-yard touchdown run at the 12:36 mark of the fourth quarter. It represents both the longest run of Hodge’s career and his first touchdown. A reserve, he had only appeared in one game this season prior to this afternoon.

With the game well in hand, SU coach Walter Barr began to substitute liberally on defense. Averett (2-5, 0-4) then came alive offensively.

Held to just two first downs and 49 total yards (48 rushing) up to this point, the Cougars struck for three scores in the final 10 minutes of the contest. Wide receiver Aduela Dawes sandwiched touchdown catches of 33 and 29 yards around a 6-yard touchdown run by Trace Smithers. Dawes second score came with just five seconds remaining in the contest.

Barr’s club took control of the game with two scores in both the second and third quarters. After a first period that saw the Hornets drive deep into Averett territory twice without being able to dent the scoreboard, the visitors took a lead it would never relinquish with 5:01 to play in the half. Quarterback Wayne Hogwood ( Arlington , Va. /Wakefield) capped a nine play, 88 yard drive with a six yard rollout around right end to give SU the 7-0 lead. It would be the first of two touchdowns Hogwood would score on the afternoon.

Two plays later, the defense got the ball right back for the Hornets. Linebacker Eddie Freeman (Ruther Glen, Va./Caroline), who had a team high nine tackles, dropped into coverage and snagged his second interception of the season. Freeman’s pick gave Shenandoah the ball on the Averett 26.

The offense didn’t disappoint; they took just three plays to drive those 26 yards and make the score 14-0. Sophomore Anthony McGhee (Reston, Va./South Lakes) finished the drive off with a 14 yard scamper.

The visitors then turned the game into a rout with touchdowns in the first and last possessions of the third. Dennis Robart (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/Potomac State) made it 21-0 with a 5-yard run at the 11:41 mark and then Hogwood snuck over from the 1 with 40 seconds remaining in the period.

McGhee led SU with 94 yards rushing on 18 carries while Hodge added 65 yards on just six attempts. Hogwood was 5 for 7 for a school record 104 yards through the air.

Dawes had seven catches for 109 yards and the two touchdowns for the hosts. All of those yards came in the final 12 minutes of the contest.

A complete box score can be found at http://www.su.edu/athletics/fb/2001/102701.htm

The Hornets host Utica (NY) in the squad’s final home game of the 2001 season next Saturday at 12:00 noon .

Cross Country

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Freshman Erin West (Alexandria, Va./West Potomac) earned second team All-Dixie Conference honors Saturday afternoon as she led the SU women’s cross country team to a 5^th place finish at the conference championships.

West ran a 22:57 to finish ninth overall at the meet, held at the Methodist College Golf Course in Fayetteville, N.C. The top seven runners earn 1^st team honors and the 8^th through 14^th place finishers are designated as second team All-Dixie.

Fellow freshman Shea Riemenschneider (Winchester, Va./James Wood) just missed joining West on the 2^nd team with a 23:57, 15^th place showing. She was beaten for the final All-Dixie spot by just over eight seconds.

James Hernandez (Blue Ridge Summit, Pa./Waynesburg) led the men with a 36:43, 27^th  place showing. The men finished sixth at the meet.

Christopher Newport University won both the men’s and women’s meets.

Complete team and individual results can be at http://www.dixieconference.com

This completes the season for both the men and women.

Individual Results

Women – 5000 meters

Men – 8000 meters

Men’s Soccer

WINCHESTER , Va. – The men’s soccer team completed its regular season Saturday afternoon with a 3-2 Dixie Conference victory over Averett University .

Freshman Luis Collantes (Alexandria, Va./TC Williams) led Shenandoah (12-4-1, 5-2) to the victory with his first career Dixie Conference hat trick. Collantes had previously scored three goals in a game on September 9 versus Gallaudet.

After Averett (5-12, 2-5) tied the game at one on a Tarmo Laaksonen goal in the 58^th minute, Collantes tallied twice within a five minute span to give SU a 3-1 lead with just over 20 minutes to play. His game winner in the 75^th minute was unassisted while sophomore Stefan Hasson (Herndon, Va./Oakton) fed him four minutes later.

The win also gives SU a school record five Dixie Conference victories. This breaks the record of four set in 1997.

The Cougars cut the deficit in half with a goal from Michael Zamora in the 88^th minute.

A complete box score can be found at http://www.su.edu/athletics/msoc/2001/102701.htm

Shenandoah is now off until beginning play at the Dixie Conference Tournament next weekend in Greensboro.  The No. 3 seeded Hornets will face No. 2 seed Christopher Newport in the second semi-final on Friday afternoon. Game time will be approximately 3:00.  

Women’s Volleyball

MURFREESBORO , N.C. – The women’s volleyball team capped an outstanding day for Shenandoah with a pair of wins in their final two Dixie Conference regular season contests of the season.

Shenandoah (7-17, 4-10) defeated Chowan 3-1 (26-30, 30-28, 30-28, 30-25) and NC Wesleyan 3-1 (32-30, 30-27, 19-30, 30-21) to clinch at least a tie for sixth place in league play.

Freshman Jenny Gray ( Sumerduck , Va. / Liberty ) led the Hornets in the two victories with a combined 21 kills. She had 10 in the Chowan win and added another 11 in defeating the Lady Bishops. Gray was also outstanding defensively; she had a team high 20 digs in the NCWC match.

Complete SU stats are available at http://www.su.edu/athletics/vb/2001/1027011.htm  and http://www.su.edu/athletics/vb/2001/1027012.htm

The Hornets will complete regular season play on Tuesday at Randolph Macon Woman’s College. SU will then compete in the Dixie Tournament at CNU over the weekend.