Sid bounces back with pair of wins

By Ryan Glassman     10/22/09 7:00pm

Following fall break and a weekend washout, powderpuff was set for a full slate of weekend games as the regular season nears the final stretch. And while a few teams seem destined to clinch a spot in the semifinals, there are still plenty of teams in the running to reach the illustrious final four. The Game of the Week highlights two teams who have had up-and-down seasons to this point. Sid Richardson College, a consistent powderpuff force in recent history, suffered a pair of close losses after an opening-game victory. Lovett College, on the other hand, has erased last year's struggles with strong performances on a weekly basis but still has work to do if the team hopes to secure a playoff spot.

Game of the Week Sid Rich 7, Lovett 0

Despite coming off a pair of tough losses, Sid entered the weekend with their hopes up and their expectations high for their weekend doubleheader.

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Sid coach Mike Hart spoke on the team's mindset entering the game.

"Because of the weather and having to reschedule the [Will Rice College-McMurtry College] game, coupled with fall break, we had not played a game in almost four weeks," Hart, a senior, said. "We were just excited to finally get to play again."

However, after a win on Saturday over Will Rice, the task for Sid in the Game of the Week would not be an easy one. The opponent was Lovett, the upstart squad whose speedy offensive attack has caught opponents off guard all season. Anchored by a dominant defense and a dynamic passing attack, Sid pulled out the 7-0 contest.

With the ball on their own 35, Sid threw deep on first-and-10 but had the pass intercepted and returned into their own territory. However, the pick was nullified by a pass interference penalty on the defense, with the 15-yard infraction moving the ball to midfield.

On the very next play, Thompson connected with senior receiver Salome Vanwoerden (five catches, 88 yards) on a 28-yard passing play down the left sideline, placing the ball near the red zone. After an incompletion and a six-yard toss, Sid converted a third-and-four through the air to bring the ball down to Lovett's 10-yard line. Thompson then lofted a pass into the endzone to junior receiver Bianca Santos, who hauled in the throw for a touchdown. After a successful conversion on the extra point, Sid had a 7-0 lead with six minutes left in the first half.

On the next drive, Lovett's backfield tandem of junior running backs Claire Pawlik and Boahemma Adu-Oppong marched the team downfield with multiple running plays to the outside. Lovett ran for six yards on first down but saw a pair of passes fall incomplete and was forced to take a timeout with 13 seconds left in the half. On a fourth-and-four at Sid's 10-yard line, a pass to the endzone was knocked down by the defensive secondary, and the game went to the half with Sid Rich holding a 7-0 lead.

Expressing confidence in the passing game, Sid looked to move the ball on the next drive through the air. However, the offense could not find its rhythm and had to punt after just three plays, giving Lovett one last chance to tie the game. Starting at its own 26, Lovett ran the ball on its first two plays, but Sid's defensive line contained the outside well and forced a third-and-16. Lovett completed a pass on third down for 12 yards, and on fourth-and-four they ran for 10 yards to the 42.

With under two minutes left, Lovett again ran to the outside, this time picking up 15 yards and moving into Sid territory with time winding down. Yet again, though, Sid's defense stood up to the task with Lovett showing signs of progress on the offensive end. On first-and-10, the Lovett pass was intercepted by Sid freshman cornerback Leticia Comin, handing the ball back to Sid with under a minute and sealing the game.

Sid 20, Brown 0

Coming off a three-week layoff, Sid showed no signs of fatigue in their shutout win over Brown College. Freshman running back Libby Ulman scored on an option running play, giving Sid a 6-0 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Salome Vanwoerden caught a fumbled snap out of the air and ran it in for the score, giving Sid a 13-0 advantage. The game was put out of reach in the fourth, when senior quarterback Ashley Thompson threw a touchdown pass to make it 20-0.

Martel 24, Wiess 0

Martel College entered the game looking to continue their four-game win streak against Wiess, which is currently sitting at 1-2. On the first drive of the game, the Violent Femmes had a third-down 50-yard quarterback sneak for a touchdown. After two failed Battlesow series, Martel came back to score again on a downfield pass to senior receiver Devin McCauley. Later in the first half, McCauley intercepted Wiess junior quarterback Rachel Jackson to return another touchdown. Martel entered halftime with an 18-0 lead, as the Wiess defense stopped all three of the Martel extra-point attempts.

After Wiess failed to score on their first possession of the second half, Martel scored again with a run up the middle on their first drive of the third quarter, giving them a 24-0 lead that they would not surrender for the rest of the game.

McWill 7, Hanszen 0

After nearly three quarters of scoreless football, McWill set up its scoring drive with a long sweep run by junior running back Alex Espinoza. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, junior quarterback Jessi Scully and freshman tight end Sharae Robinson connected for the next two passes, resulting in the only score of the game. After McWill's offense converted the extra point, their defense held strong and ended the game with an interception by junior safety Alli Scully.

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