League's Best Are Not Enough To Beat Bible In Field Hockey

Posted: October 29, 1996

It wasn't enough that Philadelphia Bible dominated in Pennsylvania Intercollegiate Athletic Women's league field hockey again this season, going 3-0 and winning its ninth straight championship.

On Thursday, even a team of the PIAW's best players found out how tough Philadelphia Bible is. They were shut out, 1-0, in the first-ever showdown between the league's all-stars and champions.

``Each team has three or four really good players, so it was really an exciting game,'' Philadelphia Bible coach Bertie Landes said.

Heather Hand scored the winner on an assist from Michelle Lynch. Freshman goaltender Jessa Storer recorded the shutout.

Storer ``did well all year,'' Landes said. ``She hurt her wrists during the season, but she hung in there, got really aggressive, and became a talker back there.''

Missing from the all-star team were Bible's own Lynch, Veronica Freeman and Carrie Painter. Painter, a sweep, ``was a solid rock,'' Landes said. ``She had a phenomenal year. Nothing got past her.''

Though rather inexperienced, Philadelphia Bible finished the year 10-4. ``My defense was young, but they really came on at the end,'' Landes said.

Also at Philadelphia Bible, women's volleyball coach Kevin Skaer was named National Christian Collegiate Association District 1 coach of the year. Skaer's team finished the season 15-4.

URSINUS FOOTBALL. In a battle of Division III powers Saturday, Ursinus finally fell from the ranks of the unbeaten, losing to Kings Point, 37-27. The loss ended the Bears' seven-game winning streak.

Kings Point was ranked third in the Division III Eastern Region, while Ursinus was third in the Southern Region. ``We knew it was going to be a tough game,'' Ursinus coach Steve Gilbert said.

Ursinus won last year's game, but Kings Point presented a new look this season. ``They were real balanced, running and passing,'' Gilbert said. ``They threw the ball real well. That was the difference.''

Kings Point quarterback Bob Brown threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair of 70-yard-plus touchdowns.

Not to be outdone, Ursinus quarterback Chris Orlando passed for 302 yards and three touchdowns on completions to Ben Mills, Ron Floyd and Bob Hagenberg. ``We threw the ball as well as we've thrown all year,'' Gilbert said.

While the nonleague loss snapped the winning streak, it did nothing to damage first-place Ursinus' hopes for at least a share of the Centennial Conference crown. The Bears have never won a Centennial Conference title; their last league championship was a 1969 Middle Atlantic Conference title.

``That's always been our goal - to win the conference championship,'' Gilbert said. ``Certainly we're disappointed with our loss, but we still have a chance to get our ultimate goal.''

A defeat of Muhlenberg on Saturday would give the Bears at least a share of the crown. Franklin and Marshall and Johns Hopkins each have one loss, and they still have to play each other.

DELAWARE VALLEY FOOTBALL. Coach Chris Bockrath continues to see signs of improvement from his young team, despite its 17-13 loss to King's College on Saturday.

King's rallied from a 13-10 deficit with 1 minute, 31 seconds left to drive 70 yards for the winning score. Ricky Henderson caught a 7-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds to go for the win.

``It's a tough loss, but I've gotten past wins and losses from a personal standpoint,'' Bockrath said. ``It's tough because you know how hard the kids have worked, and it's tough to see the disappointment in their eyes.''

For Del Val (1-6 overall, 1-2 MAC), Brian Hearn scored on a 4-yard run and Joey Shenko added a touchdown on a 12-yard quarterback keeper.

``I just think a lot of things are going to happen that will be good for our program, but they just won't always show up on the scoreboard,'' Bockrath said.

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