Fall Sports for the Mount
Blair Garrett
With fall sports now in full swing, there is a lot to look forward to for Mount St. Mary’s athletics.
Men’s Soccer
Improving on last season’s 2-10-4 record is imminent for the Mount this season, who have already surpassed their win total over the 2018 campaign. The team won its first three games of the season, scoring seven goals over that streak.
Scoring woes plagued Mount St. Mary’s last season, clipping at .81 goals per game in 2018, but the team has increased that average drastically through the first five games of the season, sitting at 1.4 GPG through the team’s first five games.
The men have in-conference matches against key opponents Robert Morris University and St. Francis Brooklyn in the coming weeks that is sure to have a major impact on the seeding in the Northeast Conference.
Women’s Soccer
The women’s side struggled toward the beginning of its 2018 run, but a strong finish kept the team competitive and in the hunt in the Northeast Conference through the majority of the season. The team’s start in its 2019 season leaves plenty of room for improvement, currently sitting at 1-8, so a similar turning of the tides may be in store for Mount St. Mary’s.
Offense has been a major issue for the Mount, with the team scoring in just two games through the team’s first nine games. The fix is easier said than done, but with plenty of time left in the season and the bulk of the team’s conference matchups ahead, a complete turnaround is entirely possible.
Cross Country
Mount St. Mary’s Cross Country has just a handful of invitationals left, and with a much more active schedule over the month of October, the crew has the opportunity to put a season’s worth of hard work to the test.
The Mount has competed in two meets thus far, with several strong individual performances coming out of the men’s and women’s sides. Will Merritt had a stellar performance, finishing second place in the Mount St. Mary’s 5K Duals with a time of 15:36.99, just five seconds off of first place. Other top finishers included the Mount’s Isaac Kole (eleventh), and Maddie Kole (nineteenth).
Mount St. Mary’s is back in action once again at the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on October 5.
Golf
Mount Golf is more than halfway through its season, and with a number of strong performances in regional tournaments, the team is putting the pieces together to finish out the season on the right foot.
The depth of the Mount’s roster has shown someone new to step up at each tournament to lead the team on the scorecard. Just this season, Michael Robinson, Nacho Gomez, and Mitchell Gallo have all taken the reigns to lead the Mount at different tournaments over the past month.
The team sports a young crew with plenty of time for improvement, with six freshmen and just two upperclassmen.
The women for the Mount have two key performers who have contributed heavily to the team all season. Michaila Cheung and Olivia Gardenhour have competed all season long for the Mount, leading the squad at different events over the course of September.
Cheung (So.), Gardenhour (Jr.), and Taylor Woodward (Fr.) all have at least another year together, so there is time for growth between the trio as they continue the push through the final few tournaments of the season.
This has been your mid-season recap. For more information, check out the Mount St. Mary’s athletics site at www.mountathletics.com.
