Check out our photo coverage of Saturday afternoon’s men’s football and women’s soccer by clicking through the gallery at the top of this page. Photos by Kylee McDaniel, Sarah Loehmer, and Jack Lugar.
The AU football team prevailed in a defensive battle Saturday afternoon, defeating Alfred State, 7-6, in its season opener played at Lapel High School.
Deadlocked in a scoreless tie for most of the first three quarters, the Ravens strung together a long scoring drive with an effective running game. The march was capped on a 2-yard burst by sophomore Albert Rabb, who totaled 90 yards on 23 carries for the afternoon. Sophomore Corey Layton kicked the extra point, which proved to be critical.
Alfred State mounted a scoring drive in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter with a 10-yard TD run. However, the extra point attempt missed wide left. The visitors had one last gasp in the closing seconds, but sophomore Khem Harris notched an interception to seal the victory.
In addition to Rabb’s productivity on the ground, senior quarterback Luke Manning rushed for 36 yards and was 14-of-23 passing for 94 yards and an interception. Troy Humphreys was the leading receiver with three grabs for 29 yards. Sophomore Jonathen Hayworth-Dupree led the defense with eight tackles and had a half-sack. Freshman Jaylen Hayes added seven tackles and one-and-a-half sacks.
The Ravens (1-0) will begin a three-game road stretch next Saturday with a trip to the New York City borough of the Bronx to play SUNY-Maritime.
Additionally, the Anderson University Ravens women’s soccer team had its first game against the Huntington Foresters on Saturday afternoon at Fridley Field. The team had been practicing to make the game fun for both the athletes and their families. The game lasted one hour and fifteen minutes in total and had a good turnout in the crowd as well.
As for the ending score, even though the Ravens lost 2-0, the team still had some outstanding performances. From senior Adrienne Weyers as the Ravens’ goalkeeper making 10 saves to senior Kyndall Ferguson, making 3 shots, 2 on goal. She created an aggressive defense for the Ravens and was one of the most threatening attackers. Just from the few attacks that were made by Anderson, the Ravens had a stronger second half than Huntington. In the end, it was a hard-fought match with both goalkeepers keeping a strong front throughout the entire game.
The women’s soccer team, now 2-1 on the year, will return to action Wednesday with a road game at IU-East.