The Mariners dropped to 2-6 overall and 2-3 in the FFC on Midtown Campus Field as the Blue and Gray fell to the Colonials of Western Connecticut by a 47-22 final score. Western Conn. improved to 8-1 overall and 4-1 in FFC action.

The Colonials got on the board early, striking on their first possession on a three-play drive to take a 7-0 edge. On the ensuing kick-off, senior Tori Fredericks returned the ball 23 yards, setting up Kings Point on their 37-yard line. On the Mariners seventh play from scrimmage, freshman quarterback Dan Circelli hit junior wideout Jay DeBruhl on a 27-yard strike in the endzone. Following sophomore Erik Hedval's PAT, the score was tied at 7-7. Western retaliated with a 61-yard pass deep over the middle for a touchdown to take a lead they would never lose. After two more Colonial TDs, the halftime score was 28-7.

In the third quarter, Western added another touchdown before Kings Point tallied their second score of the day at 4:24 on a four-yard run by Circelli and PAT by Hedval, making the score 35-14. Late in the third, the Colonials added a 24-yard field goal. The Mariners again pieced together a score on an 11 play, 77-yard drive that lasted 4:26. Senior fullback Shawn Johnson ran seven yards for the touchdown at 12:18 of the fourth. Kings Point tried for two points and was successful when Circelli connected with DeBruhl to cut the edge to 38-22. In the late fourth quarter Western Connecticut then added two points on a safety and seven points on a TD to make the final score 47-22.

Kings Point's offense gained 322 yards in 77 plays and tallied 21 first downs. The Blue and Gray also held onto the ball for 36:13. Tori Fredericks led the ground game with 75 yards (19 attempts) while Johnson added 50 yards in 14 carries, including the touchdown. Circelli was 17-31 for 189 yards and a score. The Mariners trio of junior receivers all had quality games. Will Felch had six catches for 51 yards, DeBruhl had five grabs for 77 yards, and Julien Maurel had four catches (53 yards).

Defensively, Kings Point was paced by junior Luke Wisniewski with 13 tackles and a forced fumble, freshman David McNeal with nine tackles, and junior Mike Mancini with nine tackles. Freshman linebacker Sam Steele had seven tackles and two sacks (nine yards). Six stops were credited to both sophomore linebacker Jason Rowland and senior lineman Ryan Titmas. Junior lineman Walt Wagner and senior lineman Chris Lopez had five tackles apiece and combined on a sack (seven yards).

Kings Point offense has found more success in the air than on the ground during the 2000 campaign. Quarterback Dan Circelli is completing 57.1 percent of his passes (125-219) and has thrown for 1570 yards and nine touchdowns. Circelli is first in the FFC in total offense (186.4 yards per game) and fourth in the FFC in pass efficiency. His favorite targets have been the trio of wideouts Jay DeBruhl and Will Felch and tailback Tori Fredericks. Jay DeBruhl leads the receiving corps with 41 catches for 678 yards (16.5 yard average) and six touchdowns. He currently ranks first in the FFC in receiving yards per game (84.8). Felch has 28 catches for 383 yards (13.7 yard average) and a touchdown, while Tori Fredericks has 22 receptions (141 yards). Junior Julien Maurel has caught 17 passes for 234 yards (13.8 yard average). In the FFC, Felch is fifth in receiving yards. Fredericks also leads the ground game with 409 yards on 114 carries (51.1 yards per game) and five scores. He is tenth in the FFC in rushing. Senior Shawn Johnson adds 27.0 yards per game.

Defensively, senior Chris Lopez leads the team with 65 stops while junior linebacker Paul Boulos and junior defensive back Mike Mancini have tallied 63 tackles apiece. Senior defensive back Doug Oldham has 62 tackles and junior Luke Wisniewski has 60 stops. Rounding out the top 10 defensemen are: sophomore linebacker Jason Rowland (56 tackles), freshman linebacker David McIlravy (42 tackles), senior defensive lineman Ryan Titmas (42 tackles), junior defensive lineman Walt Wagner (41 tackles), and sophomore linebacker Matt Tomo (33 tackles). Lopez also leads Kings Point in sacks with four solo and one assisted sack (43 yards). Warren Wright has three and a half sacks and Rowland has accumulated three sacks. Oldham has a team-high three interceptions and seven pass deflections, second in the FFC in passes defended. Freshman David McNeal also has seven pass break-ups, ranking 11th in the FFC. Leading the squad in forced fumbles is Luke Wisniewski, Jason Rowland, and Warren Wright each with two.

On special teams, sophomore kicker Erik Hedval has made 7-12 PAT attempts and has missed one 40-yard field goal attempt. Senior punter Shawn Johnson has kicked 51 times for 1707 yards and a 33.5 yard average. Sophomore Eric Pickett ranks eighth in the FFC in kick returns with 12 for 207 yards (17.3-yard average).

The cross country team raced at the ECAC Championships this morning, earning a fifth-place overall finish. The top four teams at the event were Tufts, Amherst, Williams, and Colby. Sophomore Kris Houghton (Beaverton, OR) placed third overall in a time of 26:28 while freshman Chris Kapfer (Tualatin, OR) was seventh in 27:04. Both runners were named to the All-ECAC Team.

Junior Sasha Voight (East Lansing, MI) and senior captain Dave Thompson (Appleton, MN) placed 20th and 28th respectively in times of 27:50 and 28:15.

This race concluded a week of training on Cape Cod. The Mariners enjoyed day trips to Martha's Vineyard, Fanueil Hall in Boston, Harvard, and Mass Maritime over the fall break.

Kings Point will return to action next Saturday at the NCAA Regional competition in Rochester, hosted by the University of Rochester.

The Kings Point intercollegiate sailing team raced at the MAISA Freshman regatta. The top six teams qualified for the Freshman Atlantic Coast Championships this coming weekend at St. Mary's. Kings Point raced fairly well, and after a very strong start, held on for fifth place. David Wright (Oakville, Ontario) sailed in A-division for the Mariners along with Kim Palmer (Elmer, LA) and Mike Parsons (Ft. Lauderdale, FL). They finished second in their division. Jake Mehl (Cape May CT House, NJ) and Jesse Shedden (Sarasota, FL) split time in B-division sailing with Alison Martins (Annapolis, MD). Wright, the Mariners top young skipper, will not be going to St. Mary's as he will be staying home to compete in the Dinghy ACC's. The MAISA Freshman regatta was won by Georgetown.

Kings Point played in the Skyline Conference Tournament this week. The Mariners had to get past two opponents to secure their first NCAA bid in almost 30 years. The USMMA men's soccer team advanced to the championship game of the Skyline Conference Tournament with a 4-0 victory over Mt. St. Mary on Lower Roosevelt Field on Wednesday.

Junior Kevin Piotrowski (Londonderry, NH) and Stephen Nation (Apopka, FL) stole the show for the Blue and Gray. Piotrowski scored the game's first two goals and then added an assist. Nation kicked in the Mariners third strike and assisted on Piotrowski's two efforts. Piotrowski and Nation have volleyed the team scoring title since the first game of the season. Junior Chris Hill (Hauppauge, NY) netted his first goal of the season to cap off the scoring in the 86th minute of play. Hill split two defenders and made a tremendous individual effort in notching his third career tally.

The Blue and Gray defense was gritty as usual. The defense settled down after a tumultuous first 25 minutes and prevented the Blue Knights from registering a goal the rest of the match. Senior Kyle Miller (Denton, TX) grabbed three saves in his eighth shutout of the year. It was the team's 14th shutout in 18 games.

Kings Point improved to 16-2 on the season and 8-0 in Skyline Conference play. Kings Point put their perfect home ledger on the line Saturday when they hosted St. Joseph's (16-3-1) at 11:00 am. for the Skyline Conference Championship. St. Joseph's downed Stevens Tech, 2-0, in the other semifinal match.

Kings Point soccer had not seen the NCAA Tournament since 1973. Obviously, that didn't matter this season as a group of young and gritty players pounded out an impressive 17-2 record. The season just got sweeter, as the Mariners defeated St. Joseph's, 2-1, in overtime, in a thrilling Skyline Conference Championship. The victory gave the Mariners an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

At 1:45 into the match, a mental lapse gave St. Joseph's the early lead. The game was very physical and no real advantage could be mustered by either team when the halftime whistle sounded.

The second half saw an increase in the physical play, however it also signaled a resurgence of the Blue and Gray. Kings Point looked strong in the second half. The Mariners frustrated St. Joseph's and forced them to commit 30 fouls, while the Blue and Gray dominated possession and outshot the Golden Eagles, 12-3. In the 76th minute, Kings Point kept their NCAA hopes alive, when senior captain Justin Facciolo (Tampa, FL) made a tremendous individual effort and scored the unassisted equalizer. Kings Point continued their dominance through the end of regulation, but were unable to slide one past St. Joseph's freshman net minder, Matt Mason. Mason was phenomenal, grabbing 19 saves in the loss.

In sudden-death overtime, the Mariners pounded the Golden Eagles into submission. Kings Point outshot St. Joseph's, 7-0, in the extra frame. In the 103rd minute, the Mariners extended their season by at least one game. Junior Stephen Nation made a great feed to sophomore Suni Sukduang (Rochester, NH), who promptly buried the ball in the back of the net for the game winning strike.

Stephen Nation is leading the Mariners with 28 points this season (9 G, 10 A). Piotrowski is following closely with 27 points and a team-high 11 goals. The defensive trio of senior Kenny Graff (Dix Hills, NY) and sophomores Devin Burgess (Tyler, TX) and Seamus Hunt (Collegeville, PA) maintain their team lead in minutes played. Kyle Miller continues to shine during his senior outing. Miller owns a .50 GAA and has recorded 88 saves and eight shutouts.

Kings Point players were honored this week for their outstanding play in 2000. Seniors Justin Facciolo and Kyle Miller, along with junior Stephen Nation, and sophomores Devin Burgess and Seamus Hunt were all named to the Skyline Conference All-star First-Team. Hunt received special recognition by being named the Skyline Conference Player of the Year.

The USMMA Mariners hosted the Skyline Conference Championship Tournament Saturday in Liebertz Gymnasium. Kings Point won the Skyline Conference Title for the second consecutive year and will advance on the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament. The Mariners defeated the Manhattanville College Valiants in the Championship Match, 3-0, with scores 15-8, 15-11, and 15-7.

The Mariners now own a 27-8 record while the Valiants fell to 21-11 overall. Kings Point remained undefeated in Skyline action, wrapping up the season with a 9-0 Conference record. Manhattanville stands at 7-2 in Skyline play with both losses coming at the hands of the Blue and Gray.

Earlier in the day, the Semifinal Round paired #1 seed Kings Point against #4 seed Mt. St. Vincent on Court #1. On Court #2, Manhattanville, #2 seed, squared off against #3 St. Joseph's College. Kings Point defeated Mt. St. Vincent by scores of 15-8, 15-4, and 15-4 while the Valiants defeated St. Joseph's, 15-3, 15-1, 15-8.

Leading the Blue and Gray to victory in the Championship round was junior middle Lael Nicholls (Selah, WA) with 20 kills, five aces, five blocks and three digs. Junior middle Kelly Glanding (Newark, DE) tallied 10 kills and a team-high 11 blocks while freshman hitter Rachel Marrion (Scottsdale, AZ) had four kills in the final match. Senior setter Andrea Peer (Colorado Springs, CO) had 29 assists and senior Angelina Fuschetto (Muncie, IN) paced the defense with 12 digs.

This past week over fall break, the Blue and Gray made two long road trips. On Halloween, the Mariners headed to Hartford, CT to face the Trinity College Bantams. The Mariners won by a 3-1 score (10-15, 16-14, 15-11, 15-5). The Mariners were led by junior middle Lael Nicholls who led the squad in most statistical categories with 15 kills, 10 digs, and two blocks. Junior middle Kelly Glanding had 10 kills while senior setter AJ Peer had 30 assists.

In the second match, the Mariners wrapped up the regular season with a 15-8, 15-7, 15-3 win over Mt. St. Mary on Nov. 1. Nicholls was again the catalyst with 14 kills and six blocks. Senior Angie Fuschetto registered a team-high nine digs and Peer had five aces to go along with her 36 assists.