This is the first time Kelsey had earned a conference honor since her Rookie of the Week award in 2007.

She was a big part of a Bucknell defense that allowed only one goal in three contests in the second week of the season. The Bison allowed a first-half goal before rallying for a 2-1 victory over Saint Francis (Pa.), then posted 1-0 road shutouts over Mount St. Mary's and Iona.

Those three opponents managed only 15 shots on frame.

Kelsey is third-year starting defender and has never missed a match. Head coach Ben Landis said of her value to the team: "This is Kelsey's third year as a key member of our defense.

"She has played a variety of roles in the defense, and she has been very solid recently as a holding back center midfielder. Having played on the back for last year, she really understands what the backs are doing, and she gives them great support.

"Kelsey is a strong header and is a very good tackler. She has worked very hard on her fitness, and it hasn't compromised her style, which is to play full-out all the time. She is going to be a big factor in our Patriot League fortunes later on."

On Friday night, Bucknell had problems finding the ignition in a game with Marist, losing 3-2, after the Red Foxes scored three goals in the first 27 minutes. In the rally that followed, Kelsey had two shots on goal for the Bison.

* * *

Gettysburg College senior soccer tri-captain Tara Gaston (Newtown) scored her first goal of the season last Monday - and a game-winner, to boot - as the Bullets knocked off Eastern Mennonite University, 1-0.

The win was the third in the row for the Bullets - and all have been shutouts. The Mennonites didn't record a shot on goal against the Bullet defense.

Tara's goal was the fourth of her career at Gettysburg - and her second game-winner. It came at 19:41 in the game. She also led the team in shots on goal with four.

* * *

Penn State senior All-America goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher (Seymour/Christian Heritage) was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week last Monday, the second time she has won the award this year.

The Nittany Lions (3-4-0) went 1-1 with Alyssa allowing just one goal all in the prior weekend's UConn Soccer Classic. In total, she stopped 11 shots in 175 minutes of game action.

Alyssa made six saves against Number 8 Wake Forest in a 1-0 loss, keeping the Nittany Lions in the game until the very end. Next time out, she made five first-half saves stand up before Penn State went on to score three unanswered goals to beat Boston University, 3-0.

Overall, Alyssa has been so honored five times. She has upped her save percentage to .784, while lowering her goal-against average to 1.15 in the last week.

* * *

All-Little East Conference senior midfielder Sarah Swann (Oxford/Seymour) was a one-woman wrecking crew Saturday night as she scored her first two goals of the season and led Eastern Connecticut State over Western Connecticut State, 2-1.

She struck twice within ten minutes in the first half and the rest of the game the Colonials tried to catch up and couldn't.

The win for 3-2-1 Eastern is the first over WestConn in five years, and the first in Danbury in 14 years.

* * *

Babson College is 5-2 after a Thursday night 3-1 win over Emmanuel College. Junior keeper Sarah Macary (Woodbury/ Gunnery) made two saves for the Beavers.

* * *

Messiah College senior All-American striker Amanda Naeher (Seymour/Christian Heritage) scored a goal and assisted on three more as the Falcons dispatched Muhlenberg last Wednesday, 6-1. Messiah is unbeaten in six games and the top-ranked team in Division III.

* * *

Post University is still looking for its first win after working hard for a 2-2 tie with Bridgeport on Saturday. The Eagles are 0-3-2 and frustrated they can't punch one through.

Freshman midfielder Matt Luis (Naugatuck/Kaynor) is trying - he had two shots on goal against the Purple Knights.

* * *

Sacred Heart won its fourth game Friday, squeaking past Stony Brook, 1-0, in overtime. Shots on goal were hard to come by - the Pioneers had just six, and senior midfielder Ashley Testani (Masuk) had one of them. SHU is now 4-3.

Volleyball

Colby-Sawyer College senior Megan White (Masuk) made 13 kills and scooped 10 digs as the volleyball Chargers spotted Rivier College a win in the first game on Thursday, then claimed the match by storming back to win the next three games. Colby-Sawyer is 5-1.

* * *

Rivier College is the defending Great Northeast Athletic Conference volleyball champion, so a lot of teams are gunning for the Lady Raiders. After Colby-Sawyer got the best of them on Thursday night, Emmanuel College took up the chase on Saturday.

The Saints promptly dropped the first two games and looked down for the count, but then won the next three in close, nail-biting fashion to score a 3-2 upset.

Senior Diana Grimaldi (Newtown) had six kills, a service ace, eight digs and two blocks for Emmanuel in the win. The Saints are now 3-4 overall, 1-0 in the GNAC.

* * *

Lasell College is struggling to find a groove. On Thursday, the Lasers were able to get just one win in four games against Westfield State, dropping Lasell's record to 2-6. Senior libero Amanda Major (Pomperaug) led the Lasers with 20 digs.

* * *

When you look at the roster of just about any Division I volleyball team, you're impressed by the number of players from California - no matter where the DI school is.

The Dickinson College women decided to go west to see what the competition is like in the Golden State and got their clocks cleaned - a 3-0 loss to Pomona-Pitzer College and another 3-0 shellacking by Chapman College.

The only stats we have are from the Pomona-Pitzer match. Sophomore Liz Norris (Southbury/Hotchkiss) played in two games and had one kill.

* * *

In a double-dual Commonwealth Coast Conference match on Saturday, Endicott College lost to Roger Williams, 0-3, and beat Western New England College, 4-1.

Sophomore Courtney Harris (Pomperaug) collected three digs versus WNEC and two more against RWU. The Gulls are now 6-5 overall (1-1 CCC).

Field Hockey

Junior attack Sarah Fredlund (Shepaug) got an assist on the lone Babson goal last Tuesday as the Beaver field hockey team yielded a 2-1 win to third-ranked Tufts University, which hasn't lost a game in two years.

Sophomore Courtney Weaving (Shepaug) had the best chance to tie the score in the second half, smashing a long drive from the left side of the cage that Jumbos keeper Marianna Zak kicked away for her lone save of the gave.

* * *

Bowdoin College sophomore midfielder Ella Curren (Shepaug) looks like she might become a force for the seventh-ranked Polar Bear field hockey team. Bowdoin lost its opener to Amherst, but rebounded to whack Wellesley last Tuesday, 7-0. Ella took five shots in that game.

* * *

Castleton State junior forward Stephanie Paproski (Newtown) got a goal and assist and helped the Lady Spartans gain their first win of the season, 10-3 over Lasell College on Saturday.

She scored the fifth goal for Castleton and assisted on the first (by Courtney Nolan). The Spartans are now 1-5.

* * *

Merrimack College won its sixth straight on Saturday, surviving a strong second-half rally from Adelphi to maintain the upper hand, 4-3.

Sophomore defender Caitlin Kamide (Pomperaug) got an assist on the third Warrior goal (by April Daugherty) and Merrimack is now 6-3 (1-0 in the Northeast-10).

Football

Becker College freshman quarterback Robert Baker (Masuk) had a rough football outing Saturday as Worcester Polytechnic Institute scored early and scored often, putting the pressure on Baker to make something happen.

The result? Robert was 3-for-15 in completions with three picks, was sacked five times and lost 17 yards, and the Hawks were skunked, 52-0. Becker is 0-3.

* * *

Hobart College won its home opener for the eighth consecutive season on Saturday, blowing past Carnegie-Mellon, 24-6. Sophomores Nick Bianchi (Gunnery) and Larry Gregorek (Gunnery) each made one tackle for the Statesmen, who are now 1-1.

* * *

Brian Dean (Seymour) caught his first career touchdown for Nichols College on Friday night, getting the Bison onto the scoreboard in the first quarter on the way to a 21-20 win over Worcester State.

Brian snagged a one-yard pass from quarterback Sean Smith-Vaughn with 6:46 left in the first quarter, putting the lid on a 10-play, 59-yard drive.

Brian ended the day with four catches, good for 26 yards, and one punt return for six yards. Nichols is now 1-2.

* * *

Muhlenberg College returned the opening kickoff of the second half 87 yards for a go-ahead touchdown and the Mule defense held Union college to just 50 yards of offense in the final two quarters as Muhlenberg engineered a 17-7 upset of the 22nd-ranked Dutchmen in the home opener for the Mules.

Senior defensive end Ewan Wright (Gunnery) had three tackles and one quarterback hurry in the win.

* * *

Norwich University is winless in three tries after getting drubbed by Hartwick on Saturday, 28-7. Sophomore Cadet linebacker Joe Gumberwicz (Oxford/Seymour) had three tackles.

* * *

Pace University is in the same boat as Norwich - off to an 0-3 start. The Setters fell victim to St. Anselm on Saturday, 17-13, in a game in which Pace never led.

Senior strong safety Marvin Taylor (Newtown) made nine tackles, one for a four-yard loss. He's the team leader in solo tackles (15).

* * *

Penn State smothered Temple on Saturday afternoon, 31-6. Graduate student tight end Brennan Coakley (Newtown) got into the game but did not register any stats.

Tennis

Colby College sophomore Tommy Kimball (Washington) played in the Middlebury College Invitational on Saturday, losing in the first round of the A-flight singles to Middlebury's Andrew Lee (2,1) and then in the consolation round to Matt Bettles of Bates (3.3).

Cross-Country

Colgate University sophomore Elise DeRoo (Newtown) did it again on Saturday - she led the Raiders to a third-place finish in their own Colgate Cross-Country Invitational.

Elise finished ninth overall but her time for the 6K distance (22:24) broke the old Colgate record for the course by more than a minute. Syracuse won the event.

* * *

The Dartmouth College men's cross-country team won its own invitational season opener a week ago Saturday. Sophomore Graham Keggi (Middlebury/Phillips Exeter) finished 41st (28.38.20).

* * *

Sacred Heat University finished second in the women's competition at the Quinnipiac University Invitational on Saturday.

Sophomore Sara Pollock (Newtown) came in 59th (20:44.6) and senior Cristina Soares (Naugatuck) was 82nd (21:36.7), finishing as the sixth and seventh runners for the Lady Pioneers.

* * *

Eastern Connecticut State's women finished 28th out of 42 college teams on Saturday at the UMass/Dartmouth Shriners Cross-Country Invitational. Junior Becky Knapp (Naugatuck) finished 216th (22:15), the fifth Lady Warrior to cross the line.

Keene State won the men's event, with junior Eric MacKnight (Newtown) the third Owl into the chute, and eighth overall (25:09). Sophomore Kevin Hoyt (Newtown) came in 33rd (25:41).

* * *

Franklin & Marshall College finished third of three teams in the Little 3 event at Gettysburg College last Tuesday. Freshman Lauren Dever (Shepaug) ran to a 39th place in the event (22:37.00) for the Diplomats.

* * *

Juniata College junior Kevin Donahue (Newtown) finished 110th (30:13.2) in the Dickinson College Long/Short Invitational on Saturday, running in the long (8.1K) race. The Eagles ended up 12th of 30 teams.

Golf

Holy Cross College junior James Widman (Pomperaug) shot a two-round 147 to help lead the Crusaders to a fourth-place finish at the Army Mulekicker Fall Classic a week ago Sunday. That 147 was the second-best score for Holy Cross. Army won the outing.

* * *

Franklin Pierce College sophomore William Powers (Pomperaug) carded a 79 and ended up tied for eighth place at the Elms College Blazers Invitational earlier this month. The Ravens finished second overall in the tournament.

* * *

Have news about a local athlete who now plays a college sport? Please send me a note at john.addyman@yahoo.com.