Kasparek Heating Up
It was a quiet opening of the 2004 season for returning A-10 Player of the Year Melanie Kasparek. Through her first seven games, the junior midfielder produced just one goal and one assist. However, much to the delight of Rhode Island coach Lisa Cole and much to the chagrin of many coaches around the A-10, Kasparek caught fire this weekend. On Oct. 1, Kasparek torched Temple for three goals, en route to a 5-0 win over Temple. Incidentally, it was Kasparek’s twin sister Megan who provided the other two goals for the Rhody win. Then, on Oct. 3, Kasparek picked up right where she left off against Temple as she got the Rams on the board just six minutes into the game against St. Joe’s. Rhody would go on to win the game 2-1 in OT. This weekend put her season totals up to seven goals and two assists. Currently Kasparek ranks third in the league for goals and sixth in overall points with 16.
St. Bonaventure Struggling
After opening the season at 7-2, St. Bonaventure has fallen on tough times, dropping their last three contests. Even more damaging is that the three losses were against A-10 foes, so the Bonnies have found themselves in the cellar of the conference. The problems for St. Bonaventure appear to be two-fold. Goals seem to be at a premium as the Bonnies have produced just two in their last three games. In their first nine contests they averaged more than three goals per game. The defense has also been suspect as of late. Opponents have scored four goals in each of the last three games against a defense that shut out six of their first nine opponents.
On the offensive, St. Bonaventure must find someone other than Heather MacDougal to provide some offense. The A-10 leader in both goals and points, MacDougal has scored all three of the team’s goals in the last four games. Even more damaging is the loss of sophomore forward Kelly O’Malley. O’Malley, who shares the A-10 lead in points with MacDougal, suffered a season-ending knee injury just three minutes into their A-10 opener against Duquesne on Sept. 26.
Dayton Continues to Surge
Coaches around the A-10 knew that Dayton was going to be good, but nobody thought they’d be this good. After dropping a 3-2 decision to No. 12 Florida, the Flyers have won ten in a row and sit atop the A-10 standings at 3-0. So far, the offense has been relatively consistent averaging two goals per game, good for third in the Atlantic 10. It’s the defense however that’s been dominant.
The Flyer D ranks first in fewest goals allowed with 6 and has a .55 goals against average. It hasn’t just been a matter of tremendous goaltending either. While keeper Stacey DeLuca leads the league in shut outs and is second in goals against average, she doesn’t even place in the top 10 for saves. Bottom line, the Dayton backs and midfielders are preventing opponents from getting shots off. If the Flyers keep this up, they’ll be well on their way to yet another A-10 title and possibly a national ranking.
Double Trouble
Several A-10 teams have sets of twins making large contributions this season. As mentioned before, the Rhody Rams have been fortunate enough to have not one, but two very talented Kaspareks. Not only has Melanie been producing for Rhody, sister Megan has been excellent on offense, scoring five goals and dishing out assists on three others.
Temple is another team with a dynamic offensive duo, Samantha and Stephanie Vietry. The Cranston, RI natives share the team’s lead for goals with two apiece. Samantha is also second on the team in assists with two.
The Musketeers of Xavier are also beneficiaries of a dynamic twin billing. Amber Silvis, a 2003 All-Rookie team member is having a successful sophomore campaign, having scored two goals this season while appearing in all 11 Xavier games. Her sister Ashley, a defender, has played well for the Musketeers this season. She too has appeared in 11 games and has started in 10 of them.
