First and Ben

 By Ben Anderson Sichel Ming passes the ball. Photo Credit: Ben Anderson      Syracuse men's soccer snapped its three-game scoring drought but couldn't secure a victory on Senior Day, settling for a 1-1 draw against Virginia at SU Soccer Stadium on Saturday.      “I thought we deserved to win the game today,” Syracuse coach Ian McIntyre said. “I haven’t said that many times in ACC games. Virginia, who's a wonderful team, seven time national champions, not many times have they been hanging on at the end of the game.” Syracuse men's soccer huddles before kickoff. Photo Credit: Ben Anderson      The Orange entered the match aiming to end a three-game losing streak that included back-to-back shutout losses to then-No. 11 Louisville, 1-0, and then-No. 23 Wake Forest, 2-0. The Cavaliers were looking to bounce back from a 3-0 loss to Duke.      The match was expected to be a defensive showdown. Syracuse, led by goalkeeper Juan Ma...

By Ben Anderson     Instead of receiving an early Christmas gift, you can say that Syracuse volleyball received extra Halloween candy, as they picked up its first ACC win in over a year, defeating Virginia 3-1 at the Women’s Building Friday night.       The squad entered with the expectation to win, and finally met that expectation. “I think we’re gonna start with my expectations.” Kiernan Stamey said.       Virginia took momentum early with pinpoint attacks that the Orange was unable to respond to.      After taking an early 7-1 lead, the Cavaliers had all the momentum and getting that win was very much in doubt. until the Orange finally scored consecutive points to make it 8-3.       The Orange exploded on their best scoring run afterwards to cut the deficit to 8-5, by going on a four-point run Off a couple of bad plays by the Cavaliers.      Virginia however, did not back down, u...

 By Ben Anderson      The Syracuse men's soccer team will look to end its three-game losing streak and secure one final home victory when it hosts Virginia for Senior Day on Saturday at SU Soccer Stadium.      The Orange enter the match at 7-6-1 overall and 1-4-1 in ACC play. Virginia is also 7-6-1 overall but holds a 3-3 conference record after a 3-0 road loss to Duke.      Syracuse's biggest problem in recent weeks has been its inability to find the back of the net. Coach Ian McIntyre's Orange have not scored since Kristjan Fortier's goal against Akron on Oct. 6. Syracuse has suffered consecutive shutout losses to No. 11 Louisville, 1-0, and then-No. 23 Wake Forest, 2-0.      In its most recent loss against Wake Forest, goalkeeper Juan Martinez-Bastidas made a career-high eight saves. The Demon Deacons scored twice in the final 15 minutes, outshooting the Orange 21-7 and putting 11 shots on goal compared with Syracuse's ...

By Ben Anderson      Syracuse volleyball hopes to return to the win column when it welcomes Virginia to the Women's Building on Friday.      The Orange have struggled recently, losing their last nine matches and sitting at 5-12 overall and 0-8 in ACC play, placing them last in the conference. Syracuse has won just one set in ACC play, which came Oct. 9 on the road against NC State.      Syracuse last won a home conference match on Oct. 17, 2025, when the Orange swept Duke.      The struggles extend beyond the record for Syracuse. Since the start of ACC play, the Orange rank last in the conference in points per set (11.84), hitting percentage (.099), assists per set (8.84), kills per set (9.40) and blocks per set (1.44).      ACC opponents have posted higher hitting percentages (.332), assists per set (13.56), kills per set (15.20) and blocks per set (1.96) against Syracuse than against any other team in the confe...

 By Ben Anderson      Syracuse football makes its long-awaited return to the JMA Wireless Dome Saturday when it welcomes the Louisville Cardinals.      Syracuse spent 35 days between homes games, spanning September 12 through October 17. This stretch between home games is among the longest in the nation, trailing only Stanford (36) among Power Four teams.       The Orange enters at 2-3 (0-3), following a 28-25 loss on the road against the Virginia in a game that SU led by 10 at halftime.       In the contest against the Cavaliers, the Orange started its third different quarterback on the season, bringing in Malachi Nelson, after Omari Odom suffered an injury in SU’s victory over UConn.      Nelson had a solid performance for the Orange, going 16-29, 217 yards and 1 touchdown before going down with an injury in the fourth quarter. This resulted in Danny Lauter becoming the fifth QB to appear for SU ...

By Ben Anderson       The Syracuse Orange Women’s Ice Hockey team pulled off a major upset to the young season under first year head coach Brian Idalski, upsetting No. 4 Penn State 5-4 in overtime at Tennity Ice Skating Stadium Friday night. First Period  SYRACUSE SHOWS EARLY MOMENTUM      The first period saw high flying action between the Orange and the fourth ranked Nittany Lions.  The Orange entered aiming for its first win in eleven tries against the Nittany Lions.      Penn State had an early power play. SU’s Stella Costabile was called for tripping, allowing for the 2-minute opportunity for Penn State.      The Orange defense held up though, holding the Nittany Lions to just 1 shot on goal during the power-play.       Minutes later, SU fired the exclamation point with senior Jackson Kinsler scoring her fifth goal of the season off a cross from Emma Gnade at the 11:27 mark to give the Or...

 By Ben Anderson      Syracuse Women’s Soccer broke cold streaks and made history Thursday night defeating the Pitt Panthers 2-1 at SU Soccer Stadium. Syracuse Women's Soccer Lineup      The Orange entered with a five-match scoring drought as well as knocking off the Panthers for the first time in nine years and the first time in the 315 in nearly a decade.       Abby Incorvaia found the back of the net on a redemption shot after being called offsides on an initial goal to give the Orange the advantage four minutes into the match.       “I’m really sick of heartbreaking moments,” Syracuse head coach Nicky Thrasher Adams talking about her mentality entering the contest. “I'm ready for something to go on our side. What a response. Two goals in the five minutes like that could have totally brought us down. But that was an energizer that we can do it." Abby Incorvaia attempting a throw in       Th...

By Ben Anderson      Jack Frost has been making his rounds around Syracuse earlier than expected. That is for the Syracuse Orange women’s soccer team.      The Orange have been held scoreless through its last five matches, being outscored 6-0 on its track to a four-game losing streak.      Syracuse aims to put an end to the ice-cold scoring drought when it welcomes the Pitt Panthers to SU Soccer Stadium on Thursday night.       The Orange enter the contest with a record of 3-5-2 (0-3 ACC) following a 1-0 loss to Virginia Tech at home on Sunday.       The Hokies scored the game-winning goal with Hannah Pachan finding the back of the net with 5:23 remaining in the match. Offensively, the Hokies created a strong advantage against the Orange, outshooting SU 23-10 and 6-4 in shots on goal.       Despite the shot differential, the Orange were able to find opportunities after switching to a...

 By Ben Anderson      Syracuse men’s soccer returns home when it welcomes the Le Moyne Dolphins at the Syracuse Soccer Complex on Saturday night.      Both teams are going through paths thus far in the season, the Orange sit 14th out of 15 in the ACC with a 5-3 record, 0-2 in conference play. The Dolphins are off to its best start through seven games since the 2021 season, sitting in second place in the NEC at 4-1-2.       Both teams are coming off dominating 3-0 victories, with SU taking down Colgate, and Le Moyne defeating Lafayette.       This marks the second matchup all-time between the crosstown rivalry. The Dolphins took the lone matchup in 2024, defeating the Orange 1-0.      The Orange last time out against Colgate, jumped ahead in the second half, outshooting the Raiders 15-9 including 9-4 in shots on goal.       In the Dolphins 3-0 victory over the Leopards, Felix Lud...

 By Ben Anderson      Morgantown athletics has the number for Cabell Midland on the diamond, whether it's softball or baseball. The No. 2 Mohigans baseball team brought the fire defense to take down No. 7 Cabell Midland Knights 2-0 Wednesday evening at the WVSSAC State Baseball Tournament Class AAAA Quarterfinals.      The Mohigans held the Knights to just five hits, and stranded five runners on base.       “Looks like we have three shortstops out on the infield.” Morgantown head coach Pat Sherald said. "I think athletically, our guys went and made some plays with Koa Silvers, Kai Higgins, and Brandon Gorby. And in the outfield, we went and got some balls in the gaps. It's a big ballpark for a high school game. So we don't typically play on big ball parts or big gaps like this and our outfielders are able to go get some balls in those situations."      Maddox Boggs was electric on the bump for Morgantown, going the di...

 By Ben Anderson      In the fourth meeting between No. 1 George Washington and No. 8 Huntington on the season, the Patriots defeated the Highlanders 6-1 behind the arm of senior Ty Nettles in the WVSSAC State Baseball Tournament Class AAAA Quarterfinals Wednesday afternoon.       The southpaw went 5 ⅔ innings of hitless baseball, allowing seven walks, and 10 strikeouts. The majority of his strikeouts came the first time through the order, striking out six of the first nine batters he faced.       “Kept working on the curveball,” Nettles said. “Got a lot of swings and misses and it was awesome.”      The win did not come easy for the Patriots, as it found itself in several jams with Huntington having runners on base, but the defense was always able to find a way to shut down the Highlanders, and strand 11 runners.       “I couldn't have done it without my defense,” Nettles said. “We provided s...

 By Ben Anderson      The Winfield Generals softball team launched its dynasty, winning its fourth consecutive WVSSAC State Softball title, defeating John Marshall 7-3 in 8 innings on Thursday afternoon in the WVSSAC Class AAA Softball State Championship game.      John Marshall entered the contest as the No. 1 seed, needing to defeat the No. 2 seeded Generals twice to capture the title, after defeating Herbert Hoover 7-4 earlier in the day.        The Lady Monarchs dominated the early portion of the game, especially in the circle with starting pitcher Ella Finley having a perfect game through the first 4.2 innings.       John Marshall exploded on offense in the bottom of the third, scoring all three of its runs on four hits. The party started with four straight base hits, including back-to-back singles from lead-off hitter Emma King at the nine spot to right field, and Nora Shock with an infield base hit an...

 By Ben Anderson      University senior Maddie Campbell delivered at the plate and in the circle, leading No. 2 University over No. 3 George Washington 3-0 on Thursday afternoon in the WVSSAC Class AAAA State Softball Tournament Semi-Finals.       Campbell went 2-3 at the plate with two runs scored and an RBI. She continued her strong performance in the circle going the full seven with four strikeouts while allowing seven hits.       Campbell started the offense for the Hawks in the bottom of the first, knocking an infield single. The Hawks then added the pressure onto George Washington starting pitcher Kynzi Bellamy, by getting a hit by pitch and two straight walks to bring home Campbell to take a 1-0 lead.       George Washington, despite outhitting University 7-3, was ice cold once it got runners on base. The Patriots had a base hit in every inning but stranded five on board including going 0-6 with runne...

 By Ben Anderson      No. 6 seeded Parkersburg South kept its season alive, eliminating the defending Class AAAA champion, Cabell Midland Knights 3-0, at Little Creek Park in Charleston, W. Va in an elimination game on Wednesday evening.       The Knights were coming off a 3-0 loss to Morgantown earlier in the morning.       Anniston Shelton delivered big for the Patriots starting at the plate. In the top of the first inning, she crushed a two-run moonshot into right field to give Parkersburg South a 2-0 lead.       She continued her dominance in the circle as well, going the distance allowing just one hit, with 11 strikeouts.       “Any pitcher that gets a couple of runs and you know that your stuff’s on and you know that you’re moving it and you’re hitting your spots, that gives huge confidence,” Parkersburg South head coach Tim Burch said. “Annie (Shelton) is definitely a bulldog when ...

 By Ben Anderson      People always say that “defense” is the name of the game in softball, for the Morgantown Mohigans, that proved to be true in its 3-0 victory over top-seeded Cabell Midland Knights in the winner’s bracket game of the 2026 WVSSAC Class AAAA State Softball Tournament on Wednesday morning.       The Mohigans’ defensive spectacle started in the top of the second, when third baseman Carolina Mallow made a diving catch behind home plate on a bunt attempt to strand two Knights runners. The Mohigans also added another amazing diving catch from second baseman Grace Robinson.      “I told them that proves to you right there that you’re one of the best teams in the state,” Mohigans head coach Lorrie Lipscomb said. “You deserve to be here, and you can win a state championship.”      Morgantown broke the scoreless tie in the top of the third when Carper Messerly scored on an aggressive, heads-up play, by taggi...

   By Ben Anderson           Late rock singer Tom Petty’s famous hit “I Won’t Back Down” was the motto for the Hurricane Redskins, as it refused to back down in an elimination game, defeating the Jefferson Cougars 9-5 on Tuesday night at the WVSSAC Class AAAA State Softball Tournament.      The Redskins were coming off falling to Morgantown, 1-0 earlier in the day, while Jefferson aimed to bounce back from a 9-0, five-inning walloping from Cabell Midland.       Hurricane attack with aggression at the plate early on, knocking in three runs in the first inning. Josie Shamblin brought home Layla Hodges. Sophie Dunlap knocked an RBI single into shallow center field to score Kiley Jones. Shaylen Scott would also find her way to home plate on the same play.        The Cougars responded with three runs in the second and third innings, before Hurricane tacked on a run in the bottom of the third to mak...

 By Ben Anderson      In the fifth battle of the Patriots, George Washington reigned supreme over Parkersburg South 6-1 in the first round of the WVSSAC State Softball Class AAAA Tournament on Tuesday afternoon.      “We executed early,” George Washington head coach Bub Hobbs said. “We were able to score some runs early in the game. Defensively, energy. I’m pleased. To have a young, relatively younger group like we have, to have the poise that they did was pretty impressive.”      George Washington, a team that is not known for strong starts, fired on all cylinders at the plate, scoring four runs in the first three innings.      “You can pull any of the girls aside and they’ll tell you what my thing is, energy,” Hobbs said. “If you have good energy, that stuff spreads like wildfire. It always does. I told my girls, if we come out flat, that’s how we’re going to play. And we’ve never been able to start fast because our ener...

 By Ben Anderson      It turns out that the Cabell Midland Knights did not need a sword to go into battle to defend its state championship, but rather the lightning arm of Drea Watts.      Watts achieved the rarest feat for a pitcher in the circle, in the Knights 9-0, five-inning run-rule victory over the Jefferson Cougars in the WVSSAC Class AAAA State Tournament.       Watts was electric at the beginning, after retiring the first batter of the game via a line-drive to third base, struck out the next eight with the first seven via going down swinging. Watts only retired four batters not via strikeout.      “I wouldn’t say that there was that much pressure.” Watts said. “Going into it, I didn’t really know what we were getting into, but after that first inning, I feel like we set the tone, and I feel like we were pretty good.”       “She’s a workhorse,” Knights assistant coach Jason Harris said. “I...

 By Ben Anderson      The 2026 NCAA Softball Tournament is just three days away and the Marshall Thundering Herd will be competing in the Durham Regional.      The other three teams in the regional will be the Arizona Wildcats, the Herd’s first day opponent, the Howard Bison, and host The Duke Blue Devils.      Let’s take a deep dive into the Durham regional, starting with the Arizona Wildcats of the Big 12 conference.      The Wildcats' postseason appearance marks Arizona's 38th selection all-time and is the 11th time in program history that Arizona will be on the road for a regional. Arizona swept the last two road regionals that the Wildcats have played in – the 2024 Fayetteville Regional and the 2022 Columbia Regional.        The Wildcats are heading into the big dance with a 35-16 (16-8 Big 12) record and ranked No. 21 in the ESPN/USA Softball Top 25 Rankings. Arizona has one of the most domin...