Published: November 03, 2009 12:15 am         

Metro Roundup: Rose soccer teams earn top seeds for HCAC tournament

Rose-Hulman men’s and women’s soccer teams have each earned the top seed for the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournaments that will take place this week.

The men’s team completed its second consecutive undefeated conference season and the first unbeaten and untied campaign in league play. Rose-Hulman stands 12-5-1 overall, 8-0 in the HCAC. The Engineers play Hanover at 2 p.m. today in a semifinal match, and would host Saturday’s championship match by winning.

Rhys Evans leads the Engineers with eight goals this season, and Corbin Clow has added five goals and seven assists. Defensively, Rose-Hulman has allowed just 16 goals in 18 matches this season.

The women’s squad finished 7-1 in conference play and stands 8-9 overall entering the league tournament. The women’s team has secured its second league title in three years and earned the top seed for the league tournament in 2007.

Molly Richardson led the Engineer offense with nine goals, while Eli Baca has scored six times this season. Rose-Hulman will host Transylvania at 2 p.m. Wednesday; a win would enable the Engineers to host Saturday’s championship match.

Honors

• Eason, Eitel, Baca earn plaudits — A record-breaking day for the Rose-Hulman football team on Saturday helped Reed Eason be recognized this week by the Exchange Club of Terre Haute and Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

Eason was named the Exchange Club’s Athlete of the Week after establishing a school record with 225 yards on 15 receptions and two touchdown receptions (9 and 32 yards) in the Engineers’ 34-21 HCAC victory over Franklin. He will be recognized during the club’s weekly luncheon meeting today at the Holiday Inn.

Eason was also named the HCAC’s Special Teams Player of the Week after having six punts for a 34.7-yard average, with three landing inside the Grizzlies’ 20-yard line. His longest punt of the day was a 52-yard effort.

Quarterback Derek Eitel of the Engineers is the HCAC Offensive Player of the Week, while Eli Baca is women’s soccer Player of the Week.

Eitel completed 27 of 45 passes for 422 yards and three touchdowns against Franklin. It was just the second 400-yard passing game in school history and the second-most passing yards in a game at Rose-Hulman.

Eason’s performance ranked second in school history in terms of receptions in a game and was the first 200-yard receiving performance in more than 100 years of Rose-Hulman football history. For the season, Eason leads the team with 65 receptions for 834 yards, nine touchdowns and an average of 92.7 receiving yards per game. He also leads the team with 10 punt returns for 75 yards and 34 punts for an average of 35.7 yards per kick.

Rose-Hulman completes its football season Saturday at Anderson. The Engineers are currently 5-4 overall, 3-3 in league play.

Baca helped lead Rose-Hulman to a critical women’s soccer victory that allowed the Engineers to earn the top seed for this week’s HCAC Tournament.

With the Engineers trailing 2-0 to Mount St. Joseph in the second half, Baca scored twice to force an overtime session. Eight minutes later, Baca blasted home the game-winner to lead Rose-Hulman to its seventh conference win in eight matches

Golf

• Winners shoot 62 — At Hulman Links, two teams shot 62 to tie for first place in Flight A of Fast Eddie’s Backward Scramble played Sunday.

Mark Neaderhiser, Chris Keen, Dink Simonson and Ted Collins made up the team that was awarded first on the tiebreaker.

Winning teams shot 64 and 65 in the other two flights of the tourney with 26 teams in the field.

Geneva Hills will have a tournament this coming Sunday.



Fast Eddie’s Backward Scramble

Flight A

62 — Mark Neaderhiser, Chris Keen, Dink Simonson, Ted Collins (first), Josh Miley, Elliott Booe, Sam Pollock, Will Pollock

Flight B

64 — Tom Jones, Andy Jones, Lindsay Chandler, Ken Wooden

68 — Blayd Horrall, Joe Hayes, Stephanie Meyer, Sharon Horrall

Flight C

65 — Bob Beaver, Jeff Schmick, Jim Newburn, Nick Surber

69 — John Deardorff, Mike Barnes, Mike Priester, Bill Verdeyen

Skill awards

Long drive — B.Horrall

Closest to pin — Priester (7)

Long putts — Darrell Walker, Neaderhiser

Basketball

• Vincennes wins — At Hillsboro, Mo., sophomore Megan Craft of Terre Haute South had seven points, five assists and three steals as Vincennes University defeated Southeastern Illinois 84-61 on Sunday in the first game of the Jefferson College Tip-Off Classic.

Deanna Thompson had 29 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks while Ashley Buis added 15 points, four assists and two steals for the winners.



• Middle school results — The following results were reported from Vigo County middle school games.



Seventh-grade boys — West Vigo 50 (Alec West 13, Alec Blair 10), Crestwood 18 (Blue 8, Meister 6).

Eighth-grade boys — Crestwood 48 (Riley Spencer 19, Zack Lueken 11), West Vigo 26 (Braylon Fitzpatrick 10, Jimmy Maples 7, Tyler Mix 7).