Did CNU's goal beat the clock?

David Haas' kick came literally at the last second for Christopher Newport. CNU athletics photo

Sunday was full of UAA clashes, as teams in the volatile conference look to land the automatic bid into the national tournament. That and more follows below. You can check all the weekend scores on our scoreboard. And watch for the new week seven Top 25 due to be released on Tuesday morning. Here is the current Top 25. Finally, on Wednesday the NCAA will release their first of three all-important Regional Rankings. These rankings will rank teams based on the same criteria used in the post-season selection process, and will be available on our front page.

Before our wrap kicks off, did you read about that last second goal? While at Virginia Wesleyan today, No. 1 Christopher Newport was desperate to score as they saw the clock winding down on their 1-2 deficit to the Marlins. But the Captain's David Haas put a ball towards the net at the 90 minute mark, and scored, knotting the match at 2. Read about the match in the release from Virginia Wesleyan, and also from Christopher Newport. Wow.

In men's action, 7th-ranked Emory evaded further weekend misery as they salvaged a draw with Brandeis. Brandeis took an early lead in the 2nd minute through Luke Teece, but Emory responded early in the second half to draw level. Despite holding an advantage in shots, Emory was unable to break-down Brandeis' solid defense in two overtime periods. This concludes a weekend of poor form in the extremely competitive UAA, following their Friday loss - the first loss of their season - to New York University. Emory is now 11-1-2, and is fourth in the UAA behind New York University, Wash U, and Case Western. Brandeis endured their second overtime match, following their heartbreak at Carnegie Mellon on Friday. Brandeis outshot Carnegie Mellon, but could not seal the deal, and successively allowed Moni Sallam to head home from a corner to hand Carnegie Mellon their first conference win of the season. Carnegie Mellon failed to bolster their chance to win conference as they drew 0-0 with New York University. Carnegie Mellon currently sits 10th in the nation, but second to last in the UAA.

Earlier today, 14th ranked Rochester derailed a high-flying No.13 Washington University who has been forging the best season in school history. In a 2-1 match, Rochester put themselves back on track with their first win in four matches, while Wash U posted their first loss of the season. On Friday, Rochester drew at home to Chicago, while Dylan Roman chipped Case Western keeper in overtime for a hard-fought win. Wash U sits 2nd in the UAA, while Rochester, who has experienced a slide down the national rankings, struggles in mid-table.

A big weekend for No. 9 Trinity concludes with two wins, 13 goals scored, and only one yielded. Trinity continued their co-dominance of the SCAC along with DePauw this weekend, humiliating Millsaps 9-0, and then cruising past Birmingham Southern, 4-1. 13 minutes into the match with Millsaps and Trinity bagged their first through Michael Micheletti, and then proceeded to score evenly thoughout the match ending with 9, and nine different goal-scorers. No.16 DePauw kept pace with conference rivals Trinity following a successful weekend as well. A hard-fought win against Austin College kicked-off DePauw's weekend, where they concluded it with a 1-0 win against Colorado College. In their match with Austin, a 4th minute lead turned sour, as Austin scored at the end of the first and the beginning of the second to seemingly relegate DePauw to their first loss of the season, but two minutes of horror for Austin provided DePauw with the two goals necessary for the win, the winner coming from the boot of Matt Schoenfold.

On Saturday, No. 4 Dominican continued to impress with another large-margin victory, hammering Wartburg 3-nil. The win places Dominican in a prime position to take over as the nation's No. 1, especially after Christopher Newport and Swarthmore's falterings. Dominican now boasts the nation's best overall record at 13-0-1. Messiah, however, staked their claim as the nation's best following a stinging 5-0 victory over conference opponent Widener. In what seemed as not much of a competition for the holders, five different players bagged goals, as Messiah posted 22 shots. They are now 12-1, with 12 straight wins. Christopher Newport was able to recover from their first loss of the season and deal Methodist a 2-0 shut-out, before their 2-2 draw with Virginia Wesleyan. Two second half goals four minutes apart from one another ensured Methodist's strong defense would not be able to hold out against the top-ranked team in the nation.

No. 2 Swarthmore, looking to move their record to 12-0-1, stumbled away at conference opponent Franklin and Marshall, drawing 0-0. This is a disappointing result, especially following two lopsided wins. But more frustrating is their failure to seal their place at the top of the very competitive Centennial Conference, with matches yet to be played against undefeated Muhlenberg who occupies the number two spot. Swarthmore still occupies the No. 2 spot, nationally, and the top spot in conference, but their record is now 11-0-2. 17th ranked Muhlenberg on the other hand won again last night to move to 8-0-5, and stay hot on the tails of Swarthmore, and leap-frogging Haverford. Lughinbul was again the hero with a brace as their 2-0 defeat of Gettysburg enabled them to maintain their undefeated season, and close in on Centennial leaders. Muhlenberg versus Swarthmore on the 27th promises to be a thriller.

No.6 Calvin also dropped vital MIAA points after a draw with Adrian. Kalamazoo maintains their lead, while Calvin is second, and just one point above Adrian in the conference standings.

No. 8 Williams floundered on their attempt to remain undefeated, after a shocking 2-0 loss to conference opponents, Bowdoin. Perhaps not so shocking when one considers Bowdoin's astounding form, losing only one match-to-date, and their current no.2-ranking in the NESCAC, arguably the nation's toughest conference. Williams failed twice in clearing long balls into their box, where Denton-Schneider and Danssaert capitalized to slam home two goals in a span of 3 minutes. Williams is now 8-1-2, while Bowdoin improved to 7-1-2.

William Paterson found their way into the Top 25 for the first time this season, but did little to validate their place among the best, as they lost both of their matches this week. As if their early season loss to Scranton wasn't enough to keep them from any rankings, William Paterson lost to a talented, and resurgent College of New Jersey on Wednesday, and then yesterday to Rutgers-Camden, who is struggling this season. Rutgers-Camden managed a season-high four goals against 25th ranked William Paterson, as Paterson deflates to 9-3-2.

No. 5 Stevens Tech remains one of the last undefeated teams in the nation following a 5-0 pounding of Empire 8 opponent Elmira, which suffered its first conference loss in bleak fashion. While Stevens yielded its first goal of the season this past week, their defense was again performing at its miserly best, posting yet another shutout on the season. Stevens is now 9-0-3.

York dominated throughout their match with Wesley, but maintained just a one-goal margin until the last ten minutes where they buried Wesley with two late goals. No.20 York improved to 12-4 overall, but 6-0 in the Capital Athletic where they await the regular season showdown with Salisbury, with whom they co-occupy the top spot in conference. No.18 Salisbury also cruised to a 3-nil win. Mary Washington was hardly in the game that Salisbury dominated, but it would take 56 minutes for the deadlock to be broken. Stafford Chipanigu bagged the opener on a break-away, and the rest was downhill for Mary Washington. Salisbury is second in the Capital Athletic Conference at 6-1, following their loss to Stevenson. Next weekend's conference match with York will be highly anticipated, as both are nationally ranked, and both sit atop the conference.

Ohio Wesleyan and Johns Hopkins both posted big 3-0 wins on Saturday, as Ohio Wesleyan pounded Hiram, and Hopkins defeated Ursinus. A brace from John Stegner, the first coming in the 4th minute, sunk Hiram, as No.11 Ohio Wesleyan improves to 10-1-2, while No.15 Johns Hopkins found their form yesterday following some disappointing results. Although dominant throughout the match - Hopkins out-shot Ursinus 25-3, Johns Hopkins used a ten minute period in the second half to kill off Ursinus with all three goals. Although they are 15th in the nation, they currently sit 3rd in the highly competitive Centennial Conference.

No.19 Macalester defeated a tough St. Olaf team 1-0 yesterday to move to third in the MIAC. Concordia (Minn.) sits first with Carleton trailing on goal differential, while Macalester trails by a win. And No.22 Middlebury continued to impress with a 1-0 victory over Connecticut College. Despite their lower national ranking, they sit above conference rival Williams at the top of the NESCAC table.

No.24 Brockport made easy work from their match with Cortland after two second half goals from Christian Tychostup put them in cruise control to a 3-0 win. Brockport now commands the top spot in the conference with the win, claiming their first regular season title in over 30 years. The win concluded a successful and high-scoring weekend after Friday's 5-0 win against Oswego.

In Wisconsin, both UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater maintained their excellent form, as Oshkosh hammered Finlandia 9-0, and Whitewater defeated Gustavus Adolphus 1-0 in a defensive battle. No.21 Oshkosh's win over Finlandia proved to be a cake walk as they drew first blood in less than a minute. By the 7th minute, the score was 3-nil. The win improves Oshkosh to 14-0-2. 12th ranked Whitewater's win at Gustavus Adolphus saw Trevor Swetnik bag the winner in the 73rd minute. Whitewater is also undefeated at 10-0-2. The big contest comes later this month as Oshkosh and Whitewater on the 30th, as both are nationally-ranked, and each are vying for a Pool B berth at season's end.

Women's wrap-up

In today's top 25 action, No.11 Trinity ended their successful weekend with a solid 3-1 win over Birmingham Southern. Trinity established their dominance from the get-go with a 4th minute goal from Kelly Watts, and minutes later jumped two goals-to-the-good. Their stamp on the result was jeopardized however, when Alicia Plotkey pulled a goal back for the visitors just before the break. Not about to subject themselves to a nervy second half, Trinity buried a resilient Birmingham with a goal four minutes into the second half. This win comes just after Friday's 9-0 win over Millsaps. Trinity is now 12-1 and in second place in the SCAC with a game-in-hand.

No.14 Emory is now on a three game win streak after winning away at Brandeis in a tricky UAA conference battle. Emory maintained full control throughout the match, outshooting Brandeis 21-7, while Kelly Costopolous proved the hero with a goal in each half. Emory experienced a successful weekend as they claimed a major victory over conference opponent New York University on Friday. Following a dreadful start to the conference campaign, Emory has emerged with a handful of wins to climb the table to third, and they are 11-1-2 overall.

On the West Coast, the two lone Top 25 teams maintained their great form with big wins. No.17 Puget Sound rounded off a tough weekend with two enormous back-to-back wins. Puget Sound, who has won seven straight matches, defeated conference opponents Whitman 1-0 yesterday, and then took revenge on Whitworth this afternoon with a 2-1 win, just 3 weeks after their devastating 4-0 loss to Whitworth on the road. These wins will be crucial as Puget Sound looks to continue their form into the Northwest Conference tournament. Puget Sound is 12-1-1 overall, and sit atop the conference. 19th ranked Cal Lutheran won on Saturday to progress to a 13-1-1 overall record. The 1-0 win over Pomona-Pitzer places them at the top of the SCIAC, tied with Occidental.

Other top 25 winners were No.18 Lynchburg, No.21 Centre, while No.23 UW-Eau Claire rounded off a poor weekend as they lost away to Carleton. Lynchburg posted two massive back-to-back wins as they demoralized Randolph Macon 12-0 on Saturday, and then proceeded to annihilate Methodist 7-1 this afternoon. These wins progress to 12-2-1 as they look to repeat their past seasons' runs into the Final Four. Centre spent their Friday evening heaping the problems on University of Dallas with a 4-1 win, and then defeated Austin College in a hard-fought win, where Brittany Garr scored on the stroke of the half hour for the lone goal of the game. They are now 14-1 overall, and are currently at the summit of the SCAC, ahead of Trinity. Trinity still undefeated has a game-in-hand. Eau Claire forged their way into the top 25 this week, but quickly demonstrated their flaws, as they drew and lost in the successive matches. After drawing with UW-La Crosse last night, Eau Claire lost 2-0 to Carleton.

On Saturday, Messiah held nothing back as they dismantled Widener yesterday. Messiah's 7-nil win ensures they maintain their perfect record, while yielding just two goals on the season. Naeher and Corinne Wulf both bagged braces in the route, as the No. 1 Falcons look to retain their title as national champions.

No.2 Hardin Simmons were also big winners in their match with Mary Hardin-Baylor. Amy Kuykendall demonstrated her on-field prowess again with a brace, while Katie Kuykendall posted a goal and an assist. Friday's match with Howard Payne was no different, where they won 4-0, and Amy Kuykendall bagged another brace. Hardin Simmons progresses to a 13-0 overall record.

No. 3 TCNJ rebounded from their poor form which saw them draw and lose in the last two matches after an undefeated run. A 2-0 victory over Kean helps them improve to a 12-1-1 overall record, but it is fellow natioally ranked NJAC opponents William Paterson and Rowan who claim the one and two spot on the conference table, respectively.

The CCIW remained the most competitive conference this weekend after Illinois Wesleyan, Augustana, and Wheaton put together dominant performances. No. 4 Illinois Wesleyan put Elmhurst away early after Molly O'brien fired home within the first 10 minutes of play. Illinois Wesleyan is now 15-0. No. 5 Augustana won by the same scoreline against North Park, but the match was much more lop-sided as Augustana blasted 22 shots. Two first half goals proved all that was necessary for Augustana to move to 12-0-2. No. 8 Wheaton posted the most-devastating of scorelines between the three, hammering a defenseless North Central 6-0, as Wheaton improves to a 13-2 record. Neither team has played each other, but that is due to change as the next few games promise thrilling showdowns between these stellar teams.

7th ranked Loras won in a narrow contest with Coe College. Their 1-0 victory moves them to 14-1 overall. No.10 Rowan continued to stamp their dominance on the NJAC with a demoralizing thrashing of Rutgers-Newark. Evynn Wright, Jess Babice, and Audrey Gagnon each bagged braces as they cruised past Rutgers-Newark to close in on the NJAC leader, William Paterson. Rowan has recovered very well from their midseason setback against William Paterson, posting big wins since. No. 12 UW-Stevens Point continues to recover from their midseason setback as well, as they won in a hard-fought win over St. Thomas. After 97 minutes of Pointers' control on the match, the heroics fell to Mary Jean Cornelius, who hammered home from 20 yards out to give Stevens Point a vital win. They improve to 12-1.

Johns Hopkins fell victim to Muhlenberg, as this is the first that Hopkins was beaten by the Mules twice in a row. Muhlenberg opened the scoring when CJ Graetzer floated a beautiful shot over the keeper from range, but Hopkins responded within 8 minutes when Allie Zazzali converted a penalty kick following a foul in the box. However, just ten minutes following Hopkins' goal, Muhlenberg was awarded a penalty kick, where Nicolette Miller coolly slotted home the winner. Johns Hopkins falls to a record of 11-3.