By: Colin Albright ’18, staff writer
Homecoming is a weekend full of celebrations and reunions that unite past and present students and provides an exciting place to show pride for Lebanon Valley College.
To kick off the weekend, the Flying Dutchmen Ale was revealed on Friday, Oct. 13, with a tasting and presentation by the student “Brew Crew.” Cale Bruso, a senior neuroscience major, was involved as a member of the sales team.
“I had the opportunity to experience the satisfaction and adversity that becomes prevalent in the career of sales,” Bruso said. “Seeing the collective gathering of students, faculty and alumni at the reveal was amazing and really exemplified how rewarding it can be when a whole group can come together and work towards achieving a common goal.”
Celebrations were also happening across campus on Friday when six new members were inducted into LVC’s prestigious Athletic Hall of Fame. The College welcomed softball’s Amy Batz Brandt ’07, baseball and football’s Dan Kelly ’07, field hockey’s Steph Marguglio ’07, football’s former head coach Jim Monos, men’s basketball’s Dan Pfeil ’00 and volleyball’s Cat Roth ’06 into its 2017 class.
Later that evening, students, faculty, alumni, family and friends were invited to attend the campus pep rally. All fall sports teams were recognized, the dance team, marching band and cheerleaders performed and the 2017 Homecoming court was acknowledged.
The atmosphere on Saturday, Oct. 14 was energetic when the football team was in action against Stevenson, while the men’s and women’s soccer teams, as well as the field hockey team, took on Hood College. During halftime of the football game, the long-awaited crowning of LVC’s Homecoming Queen and King took place.
“It was a little stressful planning homecoming at times, but only because we had to balance planning around our class schedule and work load,” Megan Shaner, a junior physical therapy major and president of the junior class, said.
Although it is hard and stressful at times, Shaner found it rewarding to plan such a big event.
“The most rewarding part of this weekend was seeing all the alumni who came back for Homecoming and getting to hear some of their stories and the impact LVC has made on their lives,” Shaner said.
For many students, the highlight of the weekend was finding out who would take home the crown as Homecoming Queen and King. In the running for queen was Danielle Burns, Casey Dombroski, Theresa Messenger, Teanna Shutt and Jess Zeiner. The Homecoming court for the men featured Cam Avery, Ian Lloyd, Andrew Martz, Brandon McMinn and Javon ‘Trick’ Nelson.
Teanna Shutt, a senior physical therapy major, and Javon ‘Trick’ Nelson, a senior business administration and art and visual culture major, were voted 2017 Homecoming Queen and King by the student body. Shutt took a break from her soccer game and Nelson stayed on the football field instead of heading to the locker room with the rest of his team to attend the halftime ceremony.
“We talked it out and came up with a game plan to make sure that I wouldn’t miss too much of my game,” Shutt said. “Looking out into the stands and seeing my family, friends, the familiar faces of students, professors and staff left a remarkable impression that I will carry with me forever.”
Both Shutt and Nelson were fully supported by their teammates and coaches, which made their experiences even more rewarding.
“It was rough to have to stay on the field during halftime after we took a big lead in the second quarter,” Nelson said. “I really wanted to be with my brothers, but I knew they were behind me every moment of the ceremony.”
Shutt and Nelson compete on the track and field team together and were also floor partners on the resident assistant staff. The two are close friends and winning Homecoming King and Queen together was a special moment.
“Words can’t even explain the excitement I felt being crowned with a great friend like Teanna,” Nelson said. “Winning with her made the moment that much more memorable.”
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Football wins in exciting fashion over Stevenson
The Dutchmen, despite being down early, were able to battle back and take the win against the Stevenson Mustangs by a score of 31-24.
The Mustangs got on the board first with a first-quarter touchdown pass to take a 7-0 advantage. The second quarter belonged to the Dutchmen, as they scored 21 unanswered points going into the half.
After the half, the Mustangs made it a one-possession game by scoring a touchdown with 12 minutes remaining in the third quarter. The Dutchmen defense, which racked up three interceptions and recovered four fumbles, provided the necessary spark to get the team back on track. After an interception, the Dutchmen converted a 31-yard field goal to increase their lead to 24-14.
LVC was able to punch the ball into the end zone again from one yard out to go up 31-14. Stevenson fought hard late in the game, scoring a touchdown midway through the quarter and converting a field goal with 3:27 left.
The Dutchmen clung to a seven-point lead late in the game and put a halt on Stevenson’s final drive with an interception with 1:11 to go.
LVC travels to Misericordia on Saturday, Oct. 21 at 1 p.m. for another conference matchup.
Women’s soccer shuts out Blazers
The Dutchmen defeated conference foe Hood College by a score of 4-0 on Saturday, Oct. 14, improving to 7-2-3 overall and 3-1 in MAC Commonwealth play.
LVC wasted no time in the match by scoring a goal just four minutes into the match. The scoreboard was silent the remainder of the first half and the Dutchmen went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
After four minutes had ticked off the clock in the second half, LVC got things going again with a goal that was lofted over the head of the Hood goalie. Ten minutes later, the Dutchmen improved their advantage to 3-0 and scored again in the 65th minute to seal the deal against the Blazers.
The Dutchmen travel to Grantham, PA on Saturday, Oct. 21 to take on Messiah College at 3 p.m.
Late game heroics lift men’s soccer over Hood
LVC defeated the Blazers of Hood College on Saturday, Oct. 14 with a score of 3-2.
The Dutchmen got things going in the first half with a goal in minute 28 of play. It was scored when a corner kick led to a scrum in front of the net and the Blazer goalie was unable to react quickly enough. The defense for both teams held strong for the rest of the half and the score remained 1-0 going into halftime.
In the second half, both teams scored goals on penalty kicks after players were fouled inside the penalty box. Down 2-1, the Blazers fought to score another goal in the minute 67, making it an even game with 23 minutes of action remaining.
LVC scored what would become the winning goal when the ball found its way to the back of the net after hitting off the Blazer’s goalie’s fingers and the post.
The Dutchmen improved 8-2-1 overall and 1-3-1 in MAC Commonwealth action. LVC travels to Messiah College on Saturday, Oct. 21 to take on the conference champions at 6 p.m.
Field Hockey has strong outing against Hood
LVC put on a show in their 5-0 win against the Blazers to bring the Homecoming competitions to an end.
The Dutchmen got the scoring started in the first half when they ripped a shot past the Blazer’s goalkeeper. Not long after, LVC took a 2-0 advantage with 14:45 remaining in the first half. The Dutchmen added one more first half goal to make the score at halftime 3-0.
In the second half, the game continued to be a one-sided affair as LVC netted two more goals and did not allow a single Blazer shot on goal.
The Dutchmen were strong offensively and defensively in the win, which improved their record to 5-9 overall and 1-3 in MAC Commonwealth action.
LVC travels to Glenside, PA on Saturday, Oct. 21 to take on Arcadia University at 12 p.m.