European soccer continues
The Champions League resumed earlier this week with some great matchups including Juventus-Real Madrid, Dortmund-Arsenal and Barcelona-Milan, but now fans have to wait until November 26 to watch Champions League soccer once again. In the meantime, the domestic European leagues will showcase some very interesting match-ups that will definitely delight soccer fans. Here are some matches to look forward to this weekend:
MIT takes down WPI
Nov. 2, 2013 was a beautiful day to play soccer as the players of MIT and WPI came onto the pitch to play the last regular season conference match. MIT had high stakes in the match. With a win, they would finish the first in the conference and host the playoffs. The match started off slowly as both teams tested each other and seemed evenly matched. As halftime drew near, Sean D. Bingham ’16 connected with a wonderful through ball and beat the keeper to pull MIT up 1-0. The first half didn’t see any more goals and MIT took the lead into halftime.
Water polo comes home
With the 2013 season slowly coming to a close, the MIT water polo team returned home for the first time since mid-October to host a weekend of games. On the first day of the three-game weekend, the Engineers defeated Fordham University in a low-scoring game by a score of 9-7. They then fell to St. Francis College later that day, 12-5. Tech is now 10-12 on the season.
Volleyball beats Emerson
Playing for only the second time in program history and first as NEWMAC rivals, the MIT women’s volleyball team defeated Emerson College, 25-16, 25-11, 25-18, on Tuesday night. Kristine A. Bunker ’14 paced the Engineers’ (20-10, 6-3 NEWMAC) balanced attack with nine kills and a .643 hitting percentage to go along with two blocks. Kat Rice led the way for the Lions (15-11, 3-6 NEWMAC) with four kills to go along with two digs, an ace, and a block.
Champions League soccer play resumes Nov. 5
The Champions League has kicked off and we are halfway through the group stages. The first three match weeks should have pleased soccer fans all over the world with all the great soccer played and the many goals scored. Before the second half of the group stages start on November 5, it is best to take a look at how the groups are shaping up so far:
Spurs expected to repeat as Southwest Champs
After falling to the Miami Heat in the 2013 NBA Finals, the San Antonio Spurs enter this upcoming season with much of the same team. Stalwarts Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili all return to try and win yet another title before their seemingly endless window of opportunity finally closes.
MIT falls to nationally ranked Mount Holyoke
Facing its second straight nationally-ranked opponent this week, the No. 19 MIT field hockey team fell to No. 18 Mount Holyoke College, 6-2, in a NEWMAC game on Saturday afternoon. Charlotte Wagner produced one goal and three assists as Diana Banmann registered a hat-trick for the Lyons (14-1, 6-1 NEWMAC). Madeline L. Wharton ’13 and Molly K. Duffy ’13 provided the scoring for the Engineers (12-4, 5-2 NEWMAC).
Wellesley tops MIT, 4-1
In a battle of undefeated NEWMAC rivals, No. 13 Wellesley College tallied three second-half goals en route to a 4-1 victory over No. 19 MIT in field hockey action on Tuesday afternoon. Michelle H. Teplensky ’14 posted the lone marker for the Engineers as their ledger moved to 12-3 overall and 5-1 in conference action.
Babson edges out MIT
In a back-and-forth affair, host Babson College emerged with a 20-25, 18-25, 21-25, 25-22, 15-10 victory over MIT in a NEWMAC women’s volleyball match on Tuesday night. Megan E. Gebhard ’17 generated a match-high 17 kills to go along with 10 digs and two aces for the Engineers (18-8, 5-3 NEWMAC).
Los Angeles Clippers expected to take Pacific
The Los Angeles Clippers had another busy offseason this year, dealing backup point guard Eric Bledsoe and aging small forward Caron Butler to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for swingmen Jared Dudley and J.J. Redick.
Bingham scores twice in win
In a New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) game on a uncharacteristically warm late October afternoon, Sean D. Bingham ’16 netted two goals to lead the MIT men’s soccer team to a 2-0 win over Clark University. Bingham’s NEWMAC-leading 14 goals on the season puts him sixth in the country for goals per game and tied for seventh for total goals. Tech is now 9-3-1 for the season and remains undefeated in conference action with a record of 4-0-1. The Cougars dipped to 3-10-2 and 0-4-1 in league play.
Senior heads to weightlifting worlds
Massachusetts Institute of Technology student, Michael A. Nackoul ’14, a Pittsburgh native, has been selected by USA Weightlifting (USAW) to represent the United States at the International Weightlifting Federation’s (IWF) World Weightlifting Championships in Wroclaw, Poland, Oct. 16–27. Nackoul was named to the USA World Weightlifting Team, an elite group of the country’s 15 top male and female weightlifters, who will compete in Poland against athletes from 62 different countries.
Brooklyn Nets to win NBA Atlantic Division
Brooklyn is absolutely in win-now mode. This offseason, they added to their already mega-talented starting line-up consisting of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez with a mega-trade with the Boston Celtics. They acquired future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, while also adding bench scorer Jason Terry. They have arguably the best starting five in the league, but it remains to be seen if their bench can be effective enough to make a significant push in the Eastern Conference. There have been plenty of outstanding starting line-ups over the years, but it’s been proven time and time again that a championship team needs a bench to succeed. Another question going into the season is how new coach Jason Kidd will handle his first coaching experience, especially with a team full of veterans. The Nets will have an interesting year, but they should win the East handily.