CUA Athletics Weekend Preview

­­WASHINGTON – Welcome to CUA Athletics Weekend Preview, your source for the latest happenings with the Cardinals. It’s a very busy weekend for the Cardinals with football, volleyball, and field hockey at home celebrating Homecoming and Senior Day, while men’s and women’s soccer, swimming, and cross country have big matchups on the road.

Volleyball (24-8, 5-1 Landmark Conference)
The Cardinals will battle Mary Washington on Thursday in Virginia and on Saturday, CUA will host a tri-match against Bridgewater and Frostburg State on Senior Day. Senior Claudia Jean has dominated the court since her freshman year totaling 1,265 career kills and 1,629 digs, along with fellow senior Kristina Purcell, who has totaled 2,125 career digs. The match against Mary Washington is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Virginia. On Saturday, CUA will play Bridgewater at 11 a.m. and then end the day with Frostburg State at 3 p.m. in the DuFour Center.

Football (3-4, 2-2 ODAC)
The Cardinals hope to capture their third ODAC win on Saturday when they play host to Washington & Lee on Homecoming. The Cardinals lost last week to Emory & Henry 15-14 after the Wasps kicked a 22-yard field goal in the final seconds.  CUA’s Mike Pitsenberger led the team with 80 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Greg Cordivari went 24-35 for 251 total yards and one interception.  Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p. m. inside Cardinal Stadium.

Men’s Soccer (12-5, 5-1 Landmark Conference)
The Cardinals hope to add to their four-game winning streak on Saturday when they end regular season play at Drew. On Wednesday, CUA picked up its third straight shutout with a 2-0 win against Salisbury. Kevin Romano tallied his second goal of the season, while lone senior Mike Brennan added his sixth goal.  The Cardinals enter the weekend tied for first in the Landmark Conference with Scranton and Susquehanna, with Drew right behind them with a 4-2 record. CUA has clinched a spot in the Landmark Conference tournament, but the final seeding will not be determined until after this weekend’s matches.  The game against Drew is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. in New Jersey.

Women’s Soccer (6-7-3, 2-1-2 Landmark Conference)
The women’s soccer team will end their regular season on the road this weekend against Drew.  The two teams are tied for third in the Landmark Conference. The Cardinals have tied their last two games against Scranton and York (Pa.) 0-0 and are hoping to come out with a big conference win against Drew. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. in New Jersey on Saturday.

Field Hockey (9-7, 4-1 Landmark Conference)
The Cardinals hope to end their three game losing streak on Friday when CUA hosts Landmark Conference foe Drew on Senior Day.  Last weekend, the Cardinals lost a tough 1-0 decision at Scranton in overtime, and on Tuesday CUA lost another hard-fought battle to Ursinus 3-2. If the Cardinals win this weekend and Scranton loses to Juniata, CUA will earn the top seed in the upcoming Landmark Conference Tournament. The game against Drew will begin at 4:30 p.m. inside Cardinal Stadium on Friday.

Men’s and Women’s Cross Country
The men’s and women’s cross country teams will compete in the Landmark Conference championship in Huntingdon, Pa. on Saturday. On October 13, the women’s team raced in the Christopher Newport Invitational while the men’s team competed in the Gettysburg College Invitational. On the women’s side, Keely Eckberg was CUA’s top finisher, crossing the line in fourth place with a time of 23:02.32.  Laura Kinley also had a top-10 finish with a time of 23:48.07.The men’s team placed 18th of 35 teams with freshman Matthias Arauco-Shapiro finishing first for the Cardinals with a 42nd place finish, with a time of 26:59. The Landmark Conference championship in Huntingdon, Pa. will begin with the men’s race at 11 a.m., followed by the women’s race at noon.

Men’s and Women’s Swimming
The men’s and women’s swim teams will compete in two meets this weekend. First, both teams will head to Maryland on Friday afternoon to compete against St. Mary’s and Marymount, and then finish the weekend against Landmark Conference foe Goucher on Saturday.  Both teams opened their season two weeks ago against Division I foes American and George Washington. Julia Wisler came in fourth place in the 50 free with a time of 26.09 on the women’s side, and Dominic Grillo finished third in the 50 free with a time of 22.16 for the men’s team.  Other top finisher were Caleb Capozella, who finished fourth in the 200 free and Joanna Ladas who came in fifth with a time of 5:01.28 in the 400 IM.  The race against St. Mary’s and Marymount will being at 3:30 p.m., and the meet against Goucher is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

CUA Athletics Extra, UPCOMING HOME EVENTS
Friday, October 26- Senior Day
Field Hockey vs. Drew (4:30 p.m.)

Saturday, October 27- Homecoming
Football vs. Washington & Lee (1 p.m.)
Volleyball vs. Bridgewater (11 a.m.)
vs. Frostburg State (3 p.m.) - Senior Day

UPCOMING ROAD EVENTS
Thursday, October 25
Volleyball vs. Mary Washington (7 p.m.)

Friday, October 25
Swimming at St. Mary’s with Marymount (3:30 p.m.)

Saturday, October 26
Cross Country at Landmark Conference Championships (11:45 a.m.)
Women’s Soccer at Drew (1 p.m.)
Men’s Soccer at Drew (3:30 p.m.)
Swimming at Goucher (1 p.m.)