By: Draven Dabrowski
Sports Columnist
The Owls are heating up as October begins. The university put together another impressive week, with big wins, standout individual performances and plenty of momentum building as teams move deeper into their seasons.
The football team continued its strong start Saturday, Oct. 4 with a dominant 40-10 road victory over Saint Anselm College. The win improved the university to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the NE10 Conference.
The university has now scored at least 30 points in three straight games for the first time since 2017.
Running back John Amaning, a graduate, helped lead the offense with 92 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Quarterback Brandon Jorgensen, a graduate, also had one of his best performances of the season, completing 18 of 29 passes for a season high 258 yards and a touchdown.
Wide receiver Seth Westover, a graduate, was Jorgensen’s biggest target, catching four passes for 111 yards. His biggest play came early in the second quarter when he connected with Jorgensen for a 65-yard touchdown that gave the Owls a 20-0 lead.
Kicker Daniel Benzi, a senior, was another major part of the win. Benzi went a perfect four for four on field goals and made all three of his extra-point attempts, finishing with 15 points.
The Owls finished with 518 yards of offense while holding Saint Anselm to 295. The defense also recorded a season high four sacks and intercepted two passes.
The team will now turn their attention toward Homecoming, when they host Monroe University on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 2 p.m. at Jess Dow Field.
Back at Jess Dow, women’s soccer earned a 1-0 win over Southern New Hampshire University behind an early goal and a strong defensive performance.
Forward Bella LaPerle, a senior, scored just over six minutes into the game for her third goal of the season. That was all the offense the team needed.
Goalkeeper Makenzi Pastreck, a sophomore, made sure the lead held up, recording seven saves. Five of those saves came in the second half as Southern New Hampshire increased the pressure.
The Owls outshot the Penmen 16-11 and picked up its second straight home victory. The Owls returned to Jess Dow on Tuesday, Oct. 6, against American International College.
Away from the campus, the universities swimming and diving teams competed at the Fairfield Invite on Friday, Oct. 2 and Saturday, Oct. 3.
The men finished third out of four teams with 491 points. Swimmer Alex Kim, a junior, provided the biggest highlight by winning the 50-meter butterfly with a time of 25.96 seconds.
Swimmer Luke Newcomb, a freshman, nearly added another victory, placing second in the 50-meter breaststroke with a time of 30.08 seconds, just .04 seconds behind the winner.
Diver Nathan Ivans, a sophomore, also contributed by placing fourth in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events.
On the women’s side, the Owls finished fourth out of five teams with 365 points.
Swimmer Molly Kennedy, a senior, led the team with a fourth place finish in the 400-meter freestyle and a seventh place finish in the 100-meter butterfly.
Swimmer Ellie Baker, a freshman, added another fourth-place finish in the 50-meter breaststroke. Swimmer Julia Tejeda, junior, also had a strong weekend, finishing fifth in the 800-meter freestyle and as the top Division II swimmer in the event.
From a dominant football victory to a shutout at Jess Dow and strong performances in the pool, the university has given itself plenty to build on. Now the challenge for the Owls is carrying that momentum further into October.
The fall season continues for the university as teams move further into their schedules. With conference play underway, the next few weeks will be important for the Owls.
