This past weekend, the Colgate women's hockey team secured its fifth and sixth ECAC Hockey wins of the season when it shut out Rensselaer 2-0 at home on Friday night and Union 1-0 on Saturday afternoon...
For the fourth straight grand slam tournament, Roger Federer failed to reach the final. Also, for the first time since 2003 the Swiss is not the titleholder in any of the four majors. That fact is leading...
Last Saturday, the Colgate track and field teams hosted the annual Class of '32 Invitational and performed particularly well in the process. The men's team cruised to a strong second place finish overall,...
This past week, Colgate swimming and diving traveled to West Point, NY to compete in a tri-meet with Lafayette and Army. The Colgate men's team earned its first Patriot League win against the Leopards...
This year's Super Bowl is one that has football fans foaming at the mouth and it undoubtedly features the two most balanced teams in the NFL. The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers share many similar factors that caused them to represent their respective conferences in the Super Bowl.
Both of these teams boast top five defenses that were both statistically ranked first and second in total sacks and total interceptions forced over the course of the regular season. Troy Polamalu was named defensive player of the year, followed closely by outstanding outside linebacker Clay Matthews of the Packers. Let's not forget last year's defensive player of the year was the Packers' Charles Woodson. Everyone can remember just a few, short years ago in Super Bowl XLV, when James Harrison's pick six at the end of the first half served as a catalyst in changing the momentum and determining the outcome of that game.
In addition, these teams feature two bright young coaches in Mike McCarthy, who only three years ago made the tough call to stick with Aaron Rodgers, and Mike Tomlin, who has already won himself one Super Bowl and is searching for another in his young, promising career.
Still, the quarterbacks may be the most important factors. The Packers' Aaron Rodgers had to wait three years behind Brett Favre, who once said that it was not his job to mentor his young backup. Who knew that Rodgers would become an instant success upon taking the starting role from Favre? Apparently Ted Thomson and Mike McCarthy did. His passer rating was over 100 in the regular season and is over 115 in his postseason starts, which is an absolutely staggering and almost incomprehensible number in the competitive NFL. On the other hand, he faces a man who has found Super Bowl success twice before in Ben Roethlisberger.
When considering a defense that is filed with savvy veterans and determined coaches in Mike Tomlin and incredible defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau, football fans can appreciate the daunting task that the Packers face when they come face to face with the Steelers.
Pittsburgh is looking to establish a dynasty by winning three Super Bowls over the past 6 seasons, all with Big Ben at the helm. They have a good shot, considering Roethlisberger is seemingly invincible both on and off the field. The Steelers also have an excellent running back in Rashard Mendenhall, who absolutely annihilated the loudmouth Jets in the AFC Championship game. Other than Aaron Rodgers, he might be the key to the big game when considering the Packers' only possible flaw defensively is stopping the run.
That being said, I like the Packers to leave Jerry Jones' new stadium victorious after Sunday's clash between these two teams. Rodgers and his receivers are on fire right now and even though the Steelers can pressure the passer and confuse any quarterback better than any other team in the league, I refuse to believe this team can be beaten until I see it. They are just that hot.
My mom has always told me there are no coincidences in life and I would like to believe it this year. This is the year Brett Favre finally takes himself out of the game because he has taken a beating for too long and it should be the same year that the Packers surmount his shadow and almost omnipotent presence and reward Ted Thomson and Mike McCarthy for sticking with an unproven Aaron Rodgers.
The Packers are the only team standing in the way of the Steelers from forming a dynasty, but it seems like they are well equipped to reward the cheese heads and Wisconsin with a Super Bowl title. In the midst of the end of Brett Favre's streak, career and the dynasty that the Steelers aspire to establish in Jerry Jones' new stadium in Dallas, Green Bay will prevail.
The climax of the soccer season for most fans is the UEFA Champions League tournament, which pits the most talented club teams from Europe against each other. Why? To see which club can lay claim to being the best team in Europe, of course.
The games offer some of the most intense sporting venues in the world and unlike the American definition of home field advantage, entire cities stop functioning when the local club is playing. Although the majority of us Americans prefer traditional American sports, I highly recommend viewing the Champions League games while we hit the doldrums of the sporting year. In the next two weeks, the tournament will kick off and here are my predictions on some of the highest profile matches in the first round.
Defending champion Internazionale de Milan has its work cut out after proving itself as the most dominant club in the world last year. Its victories over Barcelona and Bayern Munich capped off one of the franchise's best seasons ever. However, this season Inter has endured instability as its initial loss of world-renowned coach José Mourinho to Real Madrid and subsequent firing of Rafael Benitez this December resulted in the hiring of former AC Milan coach Leonardo. Also, despite the questionable antics of striker Mario Balotelli, his departure to Manchester City has caused Inter to increasingly rely on the phenomenal Samuel Eto'o for offensive fire power. With Diego Milito scoring a pedestrian five goals this season in Serie A play, Inter has struggled to generate goals in times of need and will need World Cup standout Wesley Sneijder to play at the level he did last year in order to contend for another UEFA title.
Hopefully, the recent signing of striker Giampaolo Pazzini provides a viable weapon for the Nerazurri to defeat first round opponent Bayern Munich. The immensely talented German powerhouse has had recent issues as teammates Arjen Robben and Thomas Muller were at each other's throats in a game against Werder Bremen.
Pick: Inter's experience on the big stage allows them to pass Bayern and move on to the next round. The teams play the first of their two game series in Giuseppe Meazza on Wednesday, February 23 at 2:45 p.m.
In what is to be the most entertaining first-round matchup, Arsenal will have a chance to seek retribution for last year's Champions League loss to Barcelona. Time and time again, Arsenal has proven itself as one of the preeminent programs in the Premier League and the trio of Samir Nasri, Cesc Fábregas and Andrei Arshavin will be the catalysts of the dangerously talented Gunners. However, Arsenal will have to play flawlessly if it intends on knocking out the gold standard of football clubs in the world, Barcelona. As Barcelona seems to be on its way to yet another La Liga title, the majority of its players have ceaselessly pursued their quest for perfection. A large portion of Barcelona's roster won a World Cup this summer and would love to cap off an incredible year with a Champions League title.
The defense, anchored by defender Carles Puyol and goalie Victor Valdés, has been impenetrable in the few occasions that the talented Barcelona offense loses the ball. Although Andrés Iniesta, Pedro and David Villa were all able to hoist a World Cup trophy this summer, while one vital member of Barcelona's attack was not as fortunate, Lionel Messi.
Pick: Pep Guardiola's squad plays at a level no team in the world can match, which makes Barcelona a hands-down favorite to win the tournament. Arsenal and Barcelona face-off on Wednesday, February 15 at 2:45 p.m. at Arsenal's home, Emirates Stadium.
The last matchup worth noting in the first round is between Real Madrid and Lyon. To say that Real Madrid has underachieved yet again this year would be an understatement. Madrid was bombarded with injuries of superstars Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuaín throughout the season and the star-studded cast never seemed to gel. The recent acquisition of striker Emmanuel Adebayor to repair the hole left by Higuaín , who underwent back surgery, will look to jumpstart the Madrid offense and Adebayor's career after a disappointing stay in Manchester City.
Los Galacticos were knocked out of the tournament last year by Lyon. Their tandem of Yoann Gourcuff and Michel Bastos will look to continue their dominant play this season in order to redeem themselves for Lyon's sub-par play in the French League.
Pick: Madrid unites to avenge their loss last year, but do not expect them to advance much further. Madrid travels to Stade de Gerland on Tuesday, February 22 at 2:45 p.m. to face Lyon.
While the aforementioned match-ups are the most interesting in the first round, make sure to keep a close watch on Wayne Rooney's Manchester United (vs. Marsielle), Zlatan Ibrahimovic's AC Milan (vs. Tottenham) and Chelsea (vs. FC Copenhagen). Chelsea's recent signing, Fernando Torres, when paired with Didier Drogba could be the deadliest duo of forwards in the world, but Chelsea must come together quickly if it hopes to dethrone the Red Devils from their position as the top team in the Premiership. No matter the outcomes, this year's first round matchups are much more competitive than in recent years and all gamess should prove to be entertaining.
This week, the Colgate women's basketball team split its games against a pair of Patriot League foes, falling to Holy Cross 62-51 and toppling Navy 59-55. This was the first conference loss for the Navy Midshipmen. Overall, the Colgate team has a 7-14 record and is 2-5 in conference play.
On Wednesday, the Raiders quickly found themselves on the bottom of a 6-0 score as Holy Cross jumped to an early lead. The first half was a constant back-and-forth of momentum shifts and aggressive offensive drives. Colgate first got on the board at 15:25 on a two-point shot by junior Tricia Oakes. Oakes had 11 points on the day and recorded four rebounds. Also scoring 11 was senior Tayler Wejnert, who had team-high of seven rebounds during the game. Within 20 seconds of its first score, Colgate had tied the game at six. On the very next play, Colgate took the lead. That lead would not last, however, as Holy Cross fought back to tie the score at 14 at the 10:29 mark. Holy Cross had found its stride and pushed eight more points across the board, taking a 22-14 lead with six minutes left until the half. Holy Cross would hold its lead going into half time, remaining ahead 33-25.
In the second half, the Raiders put together a 9-2 run, taking the score to 35-34. For the next five minutes, both teams fought to break the other's rhythm as they traded baskets. The scoring differential hovered around one basket until, with eight minutes left on the clock, Holy Cross found an edge and extended its lead to nine. The Crusaders would go on to win 62-51.
Against Navy, Wejnert had another spectacular night earning her first double-double as she scored 19, rebounded 11 and stole three. Sophomore Jhazmine Lynch racked up 14 points and three steals while senior Sami Kozlowski achieved the 1,000 career-point mark on her eight points during the game. After three minutes, Colgate had a 5-2 advantage, but Navy quickly bounced back to the tune of a 6-4 run and an 11-7 lead at 12:52. Although Colgate tied the score only a minute later, the Midshipmen were able to regain the lead. The game entered half time with Navy up 27-19.
"The entire team did great in preparing for Navy," Head Coach Pam Bass said. "In the first half we got the open shots we wanted and they simply didn't fall. In the second half we got those same great looks and hit the shots. In addition, we reduced our unforced turnovers. The first five minutes of the second half were huge for us. We set the tone and put Navy on their heels for the remainder of the half."
"This was a tremendous win for the team," Coach Bass added. "The confidence that comes with beating the first place team on their home court is priceless. At this stage of the year as we enter the second round of round robin play, every team knows each other (personnel, offensive-defensive strengths, etc). Each game comes down to who wants it more, who believes and demonstrates with their play that they will win more, and who executes game plans better. To have proven to ourselves that we can beat the best in the league is irreplaceable. To have the mental edge of confidence is awesome."
In a similar scene to the first half, Colgate struck first early in the second. The Raiders, however, did not relinquish their momentum, leading throughout the half. Despite several surges by the Midshipmen, Colgate held a 33-31 lead at 12:06, and an eight-point advantage with three minutes remaining. Navy closed the deficit to three, but Colgate outlasted its drive, winning 59-55.
This upcoming Saturday the Raiders will travel to West Point, New York to take on Army at 1 p.m. Next Wednesday, Colgate will visit Lafayette for a 7 p.m. contest.
