CMU Sports Roundup: Football continues winning streak

Football
#18 Carnegie Mellon took on Westminster on Saturday night despite the day’s rain. The game didn’t get started until the end of the first quarter. Sophomore Nolan Pitsenberger intercepted the Titans with 1:40 left and returned the ball 64 yards for a touchdown.

For most of the game, it was a back-and-forth struggle between the Tartans and the Titans. It wasn’t until near the end of the game that graduate student Cole Hanna put the ball between the posts of the field goal, giving the Tartans a 10-0 victory over the Titans.
Westminster was the leader in offensive yards, totalling 212 total, while the Tartans only managed to get a total of 105 offensive yards. This was Carnegie Mellon’s fourth shutout in 15 years and extended their winning streak to 12 games — the longest active in Division III.
The Tartans will be heading to Waynesburg University next Saturday, Oct. 8 for a 1:00 p.m. kickoff.

Men’s Soccer
On Wednesday, Sept. 28, the #8 Carnegie Mellon men’s soccer team took on Juniata College at home. In the seventh minute of the game, sophomore Billy Boucuvalas sunk one into the net to open the scoring early for The Tartans. Twenty minutes later, sophomore Jake Kavan finished a shot from Boucuvalas, putting Carnegie Mellon ahead 2-0. Only three minutes later, first-year Brendan Schonwetter continued the Tartan’s scoring streak in the first half after he headed a ball from a Boucuvalas’ corner kick.
As the second half started, the Tartans’ scoring streak continued. Senior Kiran Sarvepalli picked up another goal for the team in the 49th minute, making it 4-0 Tartans. Not even five minutes later, the Tartans advanced to a 5-0 lead when sophomore Jake Slackman sunk another one into the net. While Juniata attempted to stage a last-second comeback with two goals in the final eight minutes of the game, Carnegie Mellon kept up their winning streak, advancing to 8-0-1 for the season.
The team would not find the same success when they took on New York University on Saturday, though. The Violets were able to score early in the eighth minute and again in the 68th minute, and the Tartans struggled to get on the board the entire game. As a result, the Tartans recorded a loss in their first University Athletic Association (UAA) game of the season, making their overall record 8-1-1.
The men’s soccer team will be traveling to Brandeis University on Saturday, Oct. 8 for their next match.

Women’s Soccer
The #8 Carnegie Mellon women’s soccer team also took on New York University this past Saturday at home for their first UAA game of the season. The Violets took to the board early with goals in the sixth and seventh minutes, putting them ahead 2-0 over the The Tartans.
Senior Alex Adams didn’t take long to respond; in the 16th minute, she converted a cross from first-year Jenna Hallbeck, making it 2-1 with the Violets still leading. Adams was once again able to convert in the 62nd minute after a cross from senior Helena Spencer, tying the game 2-2. Neither team was able to score again, ending the game in a 2-2 tie. This advanced the women’s soccer team to 6-1-2 on the season.
The team will be joining the men’s team when they travel to Brandeis University next Saturday, Oct. 8.

Men’s Tennis
The men’s tennis team wrapped up their fall play this past weekend when they traveled to Fredericksburg, Va. for the ITA Southeast Regional Tournament. In singles play, senior Matthew Poh was able to advance to the quarterfinals after winning three singles matches, but fell to the top seed, 6-2, 6-2.
In doubles, two Tartan pairs made it to the Round of 16. The pair of junior Arjan Bedi and first-year Akshay Joshi won their first two matches, but lost their third match 8-3. Poh and junior Derek Wong had a first-round bye and won in the Round of 32, 8-7 (7-5), but later lost in the third round 8-6.

Women’s Tennis
The women’s tennis team hosted West Liberty University this past Thursday and Friday, Sept. 29-30 for an invitational. In singles play, the Tartans won 10 of their 12 matches. Highlights include first-year Anika Joshi winning against two opponents 8-1, junior Danna Tayloe winning two matches 8-2 and 8-5, and first-year Divya Ventarama winning two matches 8-3 and 8-5.
The Tartans fared similarly in doubles play, winning 11 of the 14 matches. Notably, Venkatarama played and won three matches, pairing with Taylor, Joshi, and junior Julieta Ruiz; the pairs all won in one set. Taylor also took home four victories, pairing with four different players.
Members of the team will be heading to the ITA Cup in Rome, Ga. on Thursday, Oct. 13.