Athletics

Saints complete perfect regular season with shootout win

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:56:41 MST

By JEFF WINDMUELLER Independent Record

LA GRANDE, Ore. - Eastern Oregon wasn't about to let itself be counted out of the postseason scheme.

Fighting for their playoff lives and hoping to finish the regular season with a win, the No. 22 Mountaineers (7-4, 7-3 Frontier Conference) put up one of the best offensive performances against Carroll College during head coach Mike Van Diest's 11-year tenure.

But not even that could lift the Mountaineers over a Saints team that had already clinched its 10th straight Frontier Conference title and is seeking perfection on a season once more.

Carroll quarterback Gary Wagner threw four touchdown passes, including three to junior receiver Corey Peterson, and the No. 2 Saints (11-0, 10-0) outlasted the Mountaineers 48-43 Saturday at Community Stadium.

"With a team like Eastern Oregon, you expect a shootout," Wagner said. "Our defense played well today, they gave up just a couple of big plays, other than that they played well.

"Offensively, we knew we would have to come out and win field position."

With the pressure on the junior quarterback, Wagner produced. He completed 22-of-29 passing attempts for 391 yards, rallying his team back three times before pulling away in the fourth quarter.

Eastern Oregon quarterback Chris Ware, meanwhile, finished 23-of-53 for 292 yards through the air, and had 10 carries for 107 yards.

While he was able to orchestrate back-to-back scoring drives with 3:38 left in the game, it wasn't enough to pull his team back on top.

"We ran out of time," said Mountaineers head coach Tim Camp, in his second year at EOU. "We had a couple of missed opportunities; we ran by them and we didn't make the play."

No one took advantage of both team's mistakes more than the quarterbacks.

Wagner hit junior tight end Bubba Bartlett for a team-high 11 receptions and 123 yards. Meanwhile, Saturday was a day for Peterson, the junior receiver who returned to the gridiron after missing last week's 26-10 win over the University of Montana Western with the flu.

Peterson needed just four catches to rack up 132 yards and three touchdowns. His first came from 30 yards out and gave the Saints a seven-point lead on the first drive of the game.

His next two both came on 47-yard passes, and would help keep the Saints at a healthy enough lead in the second half.

"Today, the touchdowns that Corey scored were solely on him sticking his routes and being faster than the defensive backs, and wanting it more," Wagner said. "Corey created that touchdown for himself, throwing's the easy part."

While Peterson found an open spot in the middle of the field to give his team the early lead, the Mountaineers answered back two series later when Ware scrambled right, cut left and then ran away from the defense for a 65-yard touchdown run.

It was the first rushing touchdown the Saints have given up all season, but wouldn't be the last. The Mountaineers also completed the 2-point conversion to take the lead.

"To their credit they did a good job," Van Diest said about the opposition. "But I'm not pleased with our defense.

"Our guys got tired and we just made too many mistakes. We gave up three long touchdowns, two of them were assignment mistakes, one was a missed tackle."

After senior running back Gabe Le scored on a 4-yard touchdown run to give his team back the lead at 13-8 (Carroll would fail on the 2-point conversion), EOU's Kirk Miller scored on a 6-yard touchdown catch to put the Mountaineers up 15-13 with 7:25 left in the half.

The defenses picked up soon after as Wagner threw a pick to Jeff McNally over the middle of the field. The Mounties couldn't capitalize, however, going three-and-out on the next two possessions before giving the Saints offense one more chance to take the lead.

As he had done before, Wagner charged down the field and hit Bartlett twice as he was headed out of bounds, then tossed one more long bomb over the middle to an open Peterson, who only had to run to the end zone to give Carroll a 21-15 lead heading into the half.

Van Diest considered the touchdown a game-changer for the Saints, who would need the momentum to hold off the Mountaineers.

Ware came out of the intermission gunning, hitting Jordyn Jackson for what looked to be a short gain but then broke open. The senior wide receiver cut to the outside and raced along the sideline before getting into the end zone on a 74-yard play. It gave the Mountaineers a 22-21 lead with 10:30 left in the quarter.

That's when the Saints put together three unanswered touchdowns, the first on a 4-yard run by freshman Chance Demarais, the second a 1-yard punch by junior John Camino and, finally, Peterson's final touchdown of the game.

Peterson's catch put the team up 41-22 with 11:38 left, but as the clock started to wind down the action really started to heat up.

A blown Carroll assignment allowed Jackson to score another touchdown on the next series, this time on fourth-and-10. A blown tackle, meanwhile, allowed Saints sophomore receiver Matt Ritter to break away on a simple screen pass for a 68-yard touchdown reception.

"It was a fast-paced game - a lot of attempts, a lot of plays on both sides of the ball," said junior cornerback Pat Regan. "They were just as tired as we were, but that's when we've got to buckle it up and give whatever you have left."

Ritter's extra effort proved to be the winning play as EOU's Mike Corrall and Hayden Plocher both scored within the final four minutes of the game. Corral's touchdown came on a 46-yard pass, while Plocher ran the ball in for a 6-yard touchdown with 1:11 on the clock.

EOU attempted offside kicks after both scores, but the first was covered by Demarais and the second booted out of bounds to put the ball in Carroll's hands and end the game.

Le finished with 81 yards on 23 carries to lead the field.

Ware connected with Jackson eight times for 142 yards and hit seven total receivers.

While the Mountaineers' season comes to an end, the Saints will have two weeks before they face off with their next opponent in the first round of the playoffs.

"To their credit, they kept things alive, but we've got to find a way to play better," Van Diest said. "We'll watch film and see why players missed assignments. Is it my defense, is it my play-calling or is it a lack of focus or what? We've got to shore it up, because it's not the Frontier Conference anymore. It's playoff time."

Jeff Windmueller: 447-4065 or jeff.windmueller -is-at- helenair -dot- com.

Summary: Carroll College vs. Eastern Oregon

CARROLL 48, EASTERN OREGON 43

Carroll 7 14 7 20 -- 48

E. Oregon 8 7 7 21 -- 43

First Quarter

CC - Corey Peterson 30 pass from Gary Wagner (Connor Janhunen kick), 11:50.

EOU - Chris Ware 65 run (Howard McDonald rush), 2:00.

Second Quarter

CC- Gabe Le 4 run (pass attempt failed), 12:08.

EOU - Kirk Miller 5 pass from Ware (Thomas Akers kick), 7:25.

CC - Peterson 47 pass from Wagner (Lat Wipplinger pass from Wagner), 0:31.

Third Quarter

EOU - Jordyn Jackson 74 pass from Ware (Akers kick), 10:30.

CC - Chance Demarais 4 run (Janhunen kick), 6:04.

Fourth Quarter

CC - John Camino 1 run (pass attempt failed), 14:36.

CC - Peterson 47 pass from Wagner (Janhunen kick), 5:08.

EOU - Jackson 10 pass from Ware (Akers kick), 8:32.

CC - Matt Ritter 68 pass from Wagner (Janhunen kick), 5:08.

EOU - Mike Corrall 46 pass from Ware (Dillon Bedford pass from Ware), 3:48.

EOU - Hayden Plocher 6 run (Ware pass failed), 1:11.

CC EOU

First Downs 27 18

Rushing-yards 50-159 19-139

Passing yards 391 292

Att-Comp-Int 22-29-1 23-53-0

Total offense 550 431

Fumbles-Lost 1-0 0-0

Penalties 8-59 4-81

Punts-yds 5-34.0 7-41.0

Punt return 3-40 0-0

Time of possession 38:20 21:40

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING - CC, Le 23-81, Camino 14-53, Demarais 5-15, Wagner 8-10. EOU, Ware 10-107, Hayden Plocher 2-16, Joel Haran 4-11, Kevin Sampson 2-10, Jake Burroughs 1-(-5).

PASSING -CC, Wagner 22-29-1 391. EOU, Ware 23-53-0 292.

RECEIVING - CC, Bubba Bartlett 11-123, Peterson 4-138, Ritter 3-100, Demarais 2-19, Le 2-11. EOU, Jackson 8-142, Kevin Sampson 4-30, Mike Corral 3-57, Rick Copsey 3-22, Kirk Miller 3-17, Gavin Watson 1-19, Haran 1-5.

Grading the Saints vs Eastern Oregon

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:54:07 MST

Rush defense - Chris Ware can run. The Eastern Oregon sophomore quarterback led his squad with 107 yards on just 10 carries, finishing with a touchdown on a 65-yard run. In the final regular season game, the Saints allowed their first rushing touchdown of the year. They ended up giving up two as the Mounties averaged 7.3 yards per carry.

Grade: C

Pass defense - There was nobody around Mike Corral, who planted himself on the end zone and waited for the 46-yard pass from Ware, bringing the Mounties within 11 points late in the game. While an example of some bad coverage, the Saints defense held Ware to 23-of-53 passing (43 percent) for 292 yards. Carroll junior Pat Regan broke up many of those incompletions as he batted the ball away in the end zone, along the sidelines and everywhere around the field.

Grade: C-

Rush offense - The Saints averaged 3.18 yards per carry and finished with 159, much less than they're used to, but more than most teams can rack up when everything is going to the air. Gabe Le, John Camino and Chance Demarais all scored a TD.

Grade: B+

Pass offense - Wagner completed 22-of-29 passes (76 percent) for 391 yards, four TDs and an interception. Peterson returned to the field to deliver three TDs on four catches, but some sort of award needs to be sent to Bubba Bartlett for silently destroying the Mountaineers defense. He had 11 catches for 123 yards and kept drives alive without getting much of the glory.

Grade: A.

Special teams - Matt Ritter is getting better each week when it comes to returns and Tom Yaremko returned to boot some big kickoffs, though it took a little while for him to warm up. One shanked punt hurts the Saints, who didn't have to worry about field goals, but did go perfect on PATs, which shouldn't be as surprising as it is.

Grade: B.

Players of the Game

Offensive Player of the Game

Gary Wagner: Junior quarterback from Havre completed 22 of 29 passes for 371 yards and four touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter. He also was intercepted once.

Defensive Player of the Game

Pat Regan: Junior cornerback from Miles City was credited with four tackles, two passes broken up and helped hold off EOU's explosive passing attack.

Back from the flu, Peterson delivers for Carroll

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:51:35 MST

By JEFF WINDMUELLER Independent Record

LA GRANDE, Ore. - Corey Peterson couldn't wait to get back on the field.

A week ago, the junior receiver was lying around his house, listening to the Carroll College game on the radio as the Saints rolled past the University of Montana Western, 26-10.

He wasn't injured, slacking on the job or out enjoying the Halloween festivities. Instead, he was one of a number of sick football players just trying to fight off the flu.

"I didn't get tested for it but they figured I had the swine flu," Peterson said. "It was nice to have a Saturday where you wake up and don't have to go through the routine that we usually go through. Then again, you miss not being able to compete on the field with your friends and brothers."

A high fever and some respiratory problems sidelined him for much of last week, and without one of their fastest receivers the Saints turned to sophomore Lat Wipplinger to make the big plays during their win over the Bulldogs.

Nothing against Wipplinger, but Peterson wasn't ready to let that happen two weeks in a row.

Peterson caught three touchdowns, all over 30 yards, to finish with a total of four catches and a team-high 138 yards in Saturday's 48-43 win over Eastern Oregon.

"We needed his speed," said Saints head coach Mike Van Diest. "Without Corey, we did a good job last week throwing the ball short and eating up the clock. But against this offense, it's not enough just to get first downs."

"Corey Peterson gave a lot to us today and we need him in here. This was a game that we couldn't come in short-handed."

Gary Wagner agreed. The Saints' junior quarterback said that Peterson was initially covered on all three touchdown catches - which went for 30, 47 and 47 yards - before tearing away from the defensive backs and finding open ground.

"I wasn't quite sure on a couple of them," Peterson said. "I did see a guy just vacate the area I was running to."

Breaking out of the gate, Peterson's first touchdown catch gave the Saints a 7-0 lead after running just 3:20 off the clock.

With a game that went back-and-forth, Peterson would need a few more bits of flash while junior tight end Bubba Bartlett, as usual, carved up the Mountaineers defense for 11 catches and 123 yards.

Trailing 15-13 toward the end of the first half, the pair of dynamic receivers kept the Saints drive alive.

Bartlett caught a quick hitch to his left out of bounds. Corey followed up with the same. Bartlett then caught a pass across field to the right sideline, and, with defenders looking to stop Wagner from another quick drop, Peterson went deep for his first 47-yarder. The touchdown gave the Saints a six-point lead with 31 seconds left in the second quarter.

Peterson's final touchdown came after a quick pump-fake by Wagner, who then turned downfield and found Peterson all alone.

While it wouldn't be the game-winner, the touchdown gave the Saints one more rung in their ladder as they fired away in one tough barn burner.

"Corey Peterson gave us a lot today," Van Diest said. "We needed him in here. This was a game we couldn't come in short-handed, so kudos for him coming back out and practicing this week.

"It was the best game of the season he's had."

Soccer team erupts, claims Frontier title with 5-0 win

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:49:58 MST

By CURT SYNNESS Independent Record

As the Carroll College soccer team celebrated its Frontier Conference championship on Nelson Stadium's pitch after a 5-0 victory over Westminster College, senior goalkeeper Katie Beall stated the team's next mission.

"We want to take Dallas," proclaimed Beall, a Capital High alum, referring to the upcoming unaffiliated regional tournament in Texas.

Five different Saints shook the net in the offensive onslaught Saturday, with their top two scorers kicking off the salvo. Sophomore Meghan O'Connell, who leads the conference with 14 goals, put one between the pipes in the sixth minute.

Senior Hannah Young assisted on the score, and then 25 minutes later, Young tallied a goal of her own. It was her 10th goal of the season and 35th of her career. She sits fourth on the Hilltoppers' all-time scoring list, just two behind Jenni Annicchiarico's 37.

Carroll led 2-0 at halftime, and then after the intermission it was Kristine Sowers' turn, when she put a bulge in the onion bag in the 61st minute.

When freshman Laura Maddock's tally extended the lead to 4-0 in the 76th minute, assisted by Molly Clark, CC coach Dave Thorvilson cleared his bench.

With all the Saints reserves on the pitch, sophomore Dominique Anduaga-Arias buried an unassisted goal at nine minutes left.

"That was an incredible feeling," said the sophomore forward from Spokane, Wash., describing the first goal of her career. "But I owe it to my teammates, because nobody can score alone. I'm really proud of the team, and I can't wait to keep going at regionals."

CC's eighth successive victory moved its record to 16-4-1.

Carroll midfielder Allison Jones had an extra reason to celebrate, adding a league crown among her birthday gifts. The fans also got to see another local athlete in action, besides Beall, when former Helena High standout Laura Beck played most of the final minutes.

"This is an awesome team, and we're not done yet," said Beall, after her final game at Nelson Stadium.

During 19 contests in goal this year, Beall has allowed just 16 goals, while posting 68 saves.

Westminster (9-10-1) needed a win in order to make the trip to Dallas.

"I didn't realize this would be my last home game until after we started playing," said an emotional Jordan Tipton, one of Carroll's departing seniors. "I first started playing soccer when I was five, so here I am 17 years later, and I still love the game.

"These girls are like family to me, it's sad that it's my last game (at Nelson) with them, but we went out with a win, so it's a great day to be a Saint," Tipton said, her voicing cracking.

Carroll leaves Monday for Dallas, with their first game at regionals taking place on Wednesday, according to Thorvilson.

Women's basketball team breaks century mark in win

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:06:14 MST

By TRENT MAKELA Independent Record

Maybe the Saints' shooters are going to be just fine after all.

A night after struggling in the first half against nonconference Simpson University, the Carroll College women's basketball team hit 18 3-pointers and easily surpassed the century mark in a 109-58 rematch victory Saturday at the P.E. Center.

"Obviously I'm happy with how we played," Carroll head coach Shawn Nelson said. "We were swinging the ball well and when we're unselfish we get open looks. The girls knew that if they kept swinging it, the ball would eventually come their way."

Senior guard Elley Bruursema led all scorers with 25 points after hitting on her first seven 3-point attempts of the night, finally missing her eighth and final try with just over six minutes remaining.

Three of Bruursema's 3-pointers came in the first half, when the Saints hit 8 of 13 bombs as a team. Bruursema combined with teammates Jill Jagelski, Nicole Leibach and Cassie Scheffelmaier in going 7-for-7 from behind the line before the break.

"(Scoring 100 points) was a big deal for us," Bruursema said. "I think we've done it once or twice since I've been here and it's just a fun deal for everybody when we can do something like that."

Seven different Saints connected from deep in the contest. Scheffelmaier and Kelsi Brekke followed Bruursema with three 3-pointers apiece. Scheffelmaier finished with 13 points, while Brekke added 10.

The Saints (2-0) were also successful in roping the Redhawks (1-3) into their game, as Simpson jacked up 21 bombs of their own in the first half alone, connecting on just four. They finished with eight hits from deep.

Simpson 28 30 - 58
Carroll 42 67 - 109

Men's basketball cranks up the defense in victory

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:05:03 MST

By TRENT MAKELA Independent Record

The Carroll College men's basketball team buckled down on defense in the second half and coasted to an easy 83-56 nonconference home win over Simpson University Saturday night at the P.E. Center.

The Saints (4-0) maintained a perfect early season start to their schedule, thanks to an active man-to-man defense that allowed the Redhawks (1-3) to hit on less than 29 percent of their field goal attempts in the second half.

"We really picked up our off-ball effort in the second half and closed out on their passing and driving lanes pretty well," Carroll head coach Brandon Veltri said. "Offensively, we were able to go inside effectively and that's why we were able to shoot 56 percent in the second half. We only shot eight three-pointers in the second half and that's right around where I would like us to stay. Eight is a good number."

Sophomore post Andy Garland led three Carroll players in double figures with 18 points, while adding five rebounds. Garland went 3-of-4 from behind the arc in the game, pacing a Saints offense that hit on 11 of their 26 attempts from deep.

Garland and sophomore Chase Godecke were able to punish the smaller Redhawks inside for a second straight night. Godecke racked up a game-high 10 rebounds, while chipping in eight points.

Freshman point guard Casey Rodgers added 13 points, while junior wing Sam Cartmell had 11 for the Saints.

"This team improving is just a matter of executing our stuff at a higher level," Veltri said. "The teams in (the Frontier Conference) are getting better and better every year. If we want to score when our conference schedule comes around, we need to execute better."

Carroll surrendered 17 turnovers against a motivated Simpson team Saturday, compared to 13 in Friday's game.

Justin Chapel, the Redhawks' mobile power forward, was once again able to pull the taller Carroll posts out onto the perimeter and finish with jumpers and driving layups. He paced Simpson with 14 points in the game, hitting all six of his attempts.

Shooting guard Jason Stubbs was able to avoid the foul trouble that plagued him Friday and added 13 points, including a pair of deep 3-pointers.

The Saints next head to the Lewis-Clark State College tournament in Lewiston, Idaho next weekend. Their first opponent will be a Warner Pacific team that was ranked 18th in the NAIA Division II preseason coach's poll.

Carroll will not return home until Jan. 7 when they host Montana Tech to open their Frontier Schedule.

"I guess we're going to be road warriors for the next eight weeks," Veltri said. "This is just the first big trip of many."

Boxscore

Simpson (56)

Pat Magno 1-5 0-0 2, Andrew Schritter 3-8 1-2 9, Justin Sparks 3-11 2-2 8, Jason Stubbs 5-12 2-4 13, Dwight Bond 0-4 3-4 3, Josh Sidener 1-2 2-2 5, Nate King 1-1 0-0 2, Daniel Bartow 0-1 0-0 0, Justin Chapel 6-6 2-4 14, Jake Jackson 0-2 0-0 0.

Carroll (83)

Casey Rodgers 4-9 3-4 13, Sam Cartmell 4-7 0-0 11, Chase Godecke 3-5 2-2 8, Andy Garland 6-11 3-4 18, Chris Medina 2-7 2-2 8, Jordan Reyes 1-3 4-8 6, Gerad Moser 1-2 0-0 2, Ben Cutler 3-6 0-0 6, Daniel Pearson 1-2 0-0 3, Jim Mee 0-1 0-0 0, Travis Vanderwaal 0-0 1-2 1, Brett Hornung 0-2 0-1 0, James MacIntyre 3-4 1-1 7.

Simpson 35 21 - 56

Carroll 42 41 -83

3-pointers - Simpson 4-21 (Magno 0-2, Schritter 2-6, Sparks 0-5, Stubbs 1-2, Bond 0-2, Sidener 1-1, Bartow 0-1, Jackson 0-2), Carroll 11-26 (Rodgers 2-5, Cartmell 3-5, Garland 3-4, Medina 2-6, Reyes 0-1, Cutler 0-2, Pearson 1-2, Mee 0-1); Fouled out - Sidener. Rebounds - Simpson 25 (Sparks 6, Chapel 6), Carroll 36 (Godecke 10); Assists - Simpson 5 (Magno, Stubbs, Bond, Sidener, Chapel), Carroll 16 (Rodgers 5); Total fouls - Simpson 21, Carroll 19; Technicals - None.

LCSC volleyball sweeps Carroll, ties for Frontier title

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 07:02:57 MST

LEWISTON, Idaho - The little things paid off in a big way for the Lewis-Clark State College women's volleyball team because the Warriors earned a share of the Frontier Conference regular season title with a 25-19, 25-21, 25-20 win over Carroll College in the regular-season finale for both teams at the LCSC Activity Center on Saturday.

LCSC made the key blocks, small adjustments during the match, and played solid overall in the sweep. The victory means Carroll and LCSC share the conference title with 11-3 records.

It's the third straight year LCSC has either won outright or shared the conference title and also marks the third straight season LCSC has reached the 20-win plateau. The 24th-ranked Warriors are now 20-7 on the season.

"It was awesome today," said senior right-side hitter Dana Christiansen, who led the Warriors with 11 kills. "We were playing a good team and we were on a mission out there."

The Warriors only trailed 2-0 and 2-1 in the second set and were able to set the tone for most of the match.

The Warriors, led by Jenika Bird, jumped out early on the Saints in the opening set with some big blocks. LCSC outblocked Carroll 7-2 on the day, including 4-0 in the first set. That helped the Warriors grab an 11-3 advantage.

Carroll managed to cut the lead to four twice at 17-13 and against at 22-18, but the Warriors used some timely kills and some hitting errors by the Saints to close out the set.

The Saints went to quicker sets in the second game, but the Warriors were able to adjust to overcome the early deficit. LCSC went on a 10-3 run to open up a 10-5 lead, and although Carroll rallied twice to tie the score at 18 and again at 21, the Warriors responded with kills by Demi Dlouhy and Anile Clemente before Kelli Tikker closed out the set with a service ace.

The conference tournament begins Thursday night in Lewiston.

Soccer team reaches Frontier final

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:52:03 MST

By CURT SYNNESS Independent Record

Friday's win at Nelson Stadium by the Carroll College soccer team guaranteed the Saints an at-large berth in the upcoming unaffiliated regional tournament in Dallas. But Carroll has one more game left in the Frontier Conference tournament, and the team would like to win that one, too, which would ensure an automatic berth to regionals.

Either way, CC is headed to Texas, and the Hilltoppers would prefer to leave as conference tourney champions, to go along with their season league crown.

The Saints put the game away early in a windy 2-0 victory over the University of Great Falls, with the goals by sophomore Meghan O'Connell and senior Hannah Young both coming before the contest was even six minutes old.

It was Carroll's seventh victory in a row.

O'Connell, who leads the conference in scoring with 13 goals and seven assists, shook the net at the 3:31 mark, with an assist by Young.

"I got a great ball from Hannah, took a run to the net, saw the open corner and put it in," O'Connell explained.

A prep All-American, the former Flathead High Bravette has strong ties to Helena, since her father is Capital High alum Kelly O'Connell.

Two minutes later, it was Young's turn to score, when she tallied CC's second marker.

Then it was up to the defense, which blanked the Argonauts the rest of the way for the Hilltopper's eighth shutout of the season. Coach Dave Thorvilson, whose kickers improved to 14-4-1, emphasized the back row play of senior defender Katie Martin.

"I thought we played well as a unit, considering the wind. Sometimes the elements can be a factor in these types of games, so I'm proud that we got the shutout," Martin said.

The Boise, Idaho native added, "I'm excited that we got our first win of the post season, and am looking forward to the next game, to carry on with that success."

"I thought our front line was really connected today, we did a good job of keeping the ball on the ground," O'Connell said. "And the midfield play was great, especially Kellyi Benson."

Young and Sophie Johnson each had shots on goal which narrowly missed, and teammate Abby Coburn had a nice game up front, as well.

UGF's Selena Longoria and Amanda Haynes produced fine efforts for the Argos.

"Our play was really crisp today, and it was nice to get that two-goal cushion so early in the game," said coach Thorvilson. "Now we want to win our next one, to keep some momentum going into regionals."

The Saints meet Westminster at 2 p.m. today, with the Frontier title on the line.

Great Falls 0 0 - 0

Carroll College 2 0 - 2

CC - Meghan O'Connell (Hannah Young), 3:31

CC - Young (unassisted), 5:37

Shots on goal - UGF 1, CC 4; Corner kicks - UGF 1, CC 3; Saves - UGF 2 (DJ Ellis), CC 1 (Katie Beall 1, Erin Volz 0); Yellow cards - none.

Westminster 1, RMC 0

Westminster College (9-9-1) edged Rocky Mountain College (7-10), in the first round of the Frontier Conference Tournament at Nelson Stadium. Sarah Swenson bulged the onion bag at 47-minutes, propelling Westminster to the tourney finals. Rachel Watson assisted on the play.

Rocky Mountain out-shot the Griffins 8-6, but Salt Lake City goalie Dayna Winter-Nolte preserved the shutout, with six saves. Katherine Moody had three saves for the Bears.

Former Helena High great Lauren Brophy, a freshman midfielder for Rocky, attempted a pair of shots on goal.

Westminster now meets Carroll in the title game today at 2 p.m.

Rocky Mountain 0 0 -0

Westminster 0 1-1

Westminster - Sarah Swenson (RachelWatson), 47:00

Shots on goal - Rocky 8, Westminster 6; Corner kicks - Rocky 5, Westminster 3; Saves - Rocky 3 (Katherine Moody), Westminster 6 (Dayna Winter-Nolte); Yellow cards - Rocky 1, Westminster 1.

Carroll women's basketball team starts strong

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:50:38 MST

By TRENT MAKELA Independent Record

The Carroll College women's basketball team trailed for all of three minutes in their season opener, ripping off a 23-5 run in the first-half to run away with a 85-49 blowout of nonconference foe Simpson University Friday night at the P.E. Center.

JuCo transfer and junior point guard Alex Dunn showed why she had her coaches buzzing before the season opened, spearheading the fullcourt man-to-man pressure and attacking offense that left the the Redhawks scattering in the first half.

Dunn led the Saints with 15 points and six assists, most of which came before the break while her team's lineup of outside shooters struggled to shake off the summer rust.

"Our main scorers really had a hard time shooting in that first half," Carroll head coach Shawn Nelson said. "We're pretty deep, though, and we had some players step up ... We moved the ball pretty well most of the night."

The Saints (1-0) fell behind almost immediately when Simpson wing Paige Barrett hit a tough over-the-shoulder hook off the left block in the opening minute. The Redhawks eventually pushed that lead to 4-1.

Junior Cassie Scheffelmaier powered a tough offensive board up and in just seconds later, though, and had an opportunity for a three-point play to tie it. Scheffelmaier failed to convert, but junior center Sara Meyer grabbed the offensive board and layed it in for a 5-4 Saints advantage.

Carroll would not surrender the lead again.

Meyer, starting for the first time since last season's nonconference schedule, finished with a double-double for Carroll with 14 points and a game-high 10 boards.

Meyer was also part of an effective high-low connection from her perch at the top of the key, that kept the Saints rolling when the shots weren't falling.

"I had a lot more confidence than our first scrimmage," Meyer said. "We kind of shook the nerves out."

Meyer pointed to the Saints' 23 turnovers as a major area of concern, as they struggled at times adjusting to a more up-tempo system than the team has played in past seasons.

"Sometimes we were forcing things and probably going too fast," Meyers said. "We've been playing at this pace since summer, so I think we'll get better tomorrow."

Senior shooting guard Elly Bruursema, the Frontier Conference's leading scorer last season, was one of the gunners that struggled in the first half - finishing scoreless at the break.

She bounced back in a big way in the second half, though, hitting a trio of 3-pointers on her way to 13 points.

The Saints finished just 8 of 24 from behind the arc, and many of those attempts came wide open against a tired Redhawks defense that struggled to cover the perimeter in the second half.

Aside from their shooters getting back in the groove, Nelson said he was most excited about the positve news he received about injured forward - and projected starter - Jeni Guertin. The transfer from Division I Idaho State hurt her knee in practice Wednesday, but Nelson said he is hoping she could see minutes in today's rematch with Simpson.

Trent Makela: 447-4085 or trent.makela -is-at- helenair -dot- com

Boxscore: Carroll vs. Simpson

Simpson (49)

Kayla Rackley 1-9 4-4 7, Alyssa Foster 3-4 0-0 6, Elizabeth Thomas 0-4 0-0 0, Paige Barrett 1-6 2-2 4, Kylie Shaw 1-4 0-0 2, Solvanga Slay 4-12 1-1 9, Leslie Hirschfield 1-5 0-0 2, Chelsea Engstrom 0-1 1-2 1, Kaila Smith 3-5 3-6 9, Dominique Simmons 4-11 1-2 9.

Carroll (85)

Alex Dunn 5-12 4-4 15, Cassie Scheffelmaier 4-9 2-5 12, Elly Bruursema 5-9 0-0 13, Nikki Mills 0-3 1-2 1, Sara Meyer 7-10 0-1 14, Kelsi Brekke 2-7 4-6 8, Alysha Green 2-12 2-2 7, Jackie Gebhardt 0-1 2-3 2, Jill Jagelski 1-3 0-0 2, Nicole Leibach 1-2 0-1 3, Amy Allen 2-2 0-0 4, Hannah Heidenreich 2-4 0-0 4.

Simpson 17 32 -49

Carroll 39 46 -85

3-pointers - Simpson 1-10 (Rackley 1-5, Barrett 0-3, Slay 0-1, Hirschfield 0-1), Carroll 8-26 (Dunn 1-1, Scheffelmaier 2-4, Bruursema 3-6, Brekke 0-5, Green 1-6, Gebhardt 0-1, Jagelski 0-1, Leibach 1-2); Fouled out - None. Rebounds - Simpson 25 (Shaw 6), Carroll 58 (Meyer 10); Assists - Simpson 9 (Shaw 3), Carroll 21 (Dunn 6); Total fouls - Simpson 25, Carroll 25; Technicals - None.

Garland paces men's basketball to win over Simpson

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:45:49 MST

By TRENT MAKELA Independent Record

Doh. The Simpson University men's basketball team spotted Carroll College a 2-0 lead before the teams ever even tipped off Friday night, and the Saints went on to scrap out a tough 80-68 victory in their home opener at the P.E. Center.

Sophomore post Andy Garland sunk a pair of free throws just prior to tipping off for the Saints, thanks to a technical foul assessed to the Redhawks for a failure to report their lineup prior to the game. Garland later converted another pair of free throws after an additional Simpson technical for substituting an unrecorded player less than five minutes into the game, putting his team up 20-13.

The second-year big man did plenty between the whistles as well, muscling through the Redhawks frontline for game-highs of 23 points and 19 rebounds.

Garland's totals included nine offensive rebounds, as he and the rest of the Saints' bigs outmuscled and just plain out-sized their visitors.

Carroll recorded 24 offensive rebounds in the game, exceding their own 19 defensive boards and Simpson's total of just 20 rebounds.

Freshman center James MacIntyre chipped in his own eight boards and eight points for the Saints.

Redshirt freshman point guard Casey Rogers and senior wing Chris Medina chipped in 13 points apiece behind Garland, combining for five of their team's eight 3-pointers.

Despite the size advantage, the Saints never led by more than seven points prior to the break, and Simpson knotted the score twice - once in the first minute of the game, and then again in the final minute of the half.

"I thought we took too many threes in that first half and just settled for bad shots," Carroll head coach Brandon Veltri said. "We shot 38 percent in the first half and 51 percent in the second half, so that tells you a lot."

Rogers dropped in a high-arching 3-pointer from the left corner to break the first tie. Garland later slapped a drop-off pass from a driving Medina off the glass to secure a 40-38 Caroll lead at the break.

The Redhawks finally took their first lead of the night three minutes into the second half, when Dwight Bond was hacked while converting on a drive down the right baseline. Bond converted his free throw to put his team up 45-42, and the Simpson lead ballooned to 49-42 after a pair of Carroll turnovers.

The Saints quickly called timeout with 16 minutes remaining, and freshman wing Ben Cutler then converted hard drive off the left wing to kick off a 7-0 run to knot the score yet again.

The teams fought to six more lead changes, before Cutler gave his team the advantage for good with a floater from the middle of the key with 11 minutes remaining.

Carroll outscored the Redhawks 23-12 the rest of the way, behind a balanced scoring effort.

"I thought we did a much better job running our stuff in the second half," Veltri said. "They don't have a lot of size, so our bigs had to step out and cover them. I think we did a better job with that as the game wore on, as well."

Andrew Schritter led Simpson with 17 points. Guard Jason Stubbs did the most damage between driving and scoring for the Redhawks, but battled foul trouble throughout the game before fouling out with four minutes remaining. He finished with 13 points.

Trent Makela: 447-4085 or trent.makela -is-at- helenair -dot- com

Boxscore: Carroll vs. Simpson

Simpson (68)

Pat Magno 0-3 0-0 0, Andrew Schritter 7-11 2-4 17, Justin Sparks 6-12 4-4 16, Jason Stubbs 5-9 3-3 13, Dwight Bond 5-7 1-1 13, Josh Sidener 2-7 0-1 4, Nate King 0-1 2-2 2, Daniel Bartow 0-0 0-0 0, Justin Chapel 1-1 1-2 3, Jake Jackson 0-1 0-0 0.

Carroll (80)

Casey Rodgers 5-11 1-2 13, Sam Cartmell 1-6 0-0 3, Andy Garland 8-16 6-7 23, James MacIntyre 4-6 0-0 8, Chris Medina 4-11 2-2 13, Jordan Reyes 1-2 1-2 3, Gerad Moser 0-1 0-0 0, Ben Cutler 4-6 1-1 10, Daniel Pearson 0-1 0-0 0, Chase Godecke 0-3 4-7 4, Travis Vanderwaal 1-2 1-2 3, Brett Hornung 0-1 0-0 0.

Simpson 38 30 -68

Carroll 40 40 - 80

3-pointers - Simpson 3-10 (Magno 0-1, Schritter 1-4, Sparks 0-1, Bond 2-3, Jackson 0-1), Carroll 8-31 (Rodgers 2-7, Cartmell 1-5, Garland 1-4, MacIntyre 0-1, Medina 3-9, Reyes 0-1, Moser 0-1, Cutler 1-3); Fouled out - Stubbs. Rebounds - Simpson 20 (Sparks 5), Carroll 43 (Garland 19); Assists - Simpson 6 (Magno 2), Carroll 13 (Rodgers 6);