Here is a weekly wrap-up of University of Scranton athletic events during the period of Monday, Nov. 1, through Sunday, Nov. 7. To see the full link to the Royal Review, visit http://matrix.scranton.edu/athletics/gnnov82010.shtml.

Women’s Soccer (15-4-1/6-0 Landmark Conference)
The Royals won their second Landmark Conference title in four seasons with a pair of victories at Fitzpatrick Field during the period. It was also the 17th conference championship in the program’s 28-year history.

On Wednesday, Nov. 3, the Royals posted their 13th shutout of the season and used goals by first-year forwards Samantha Russo (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) and Rebecca Hextall (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Marymount) to defeat Moravian College, 2-0, in the semifinals of the Landmark tournament.  Senior Chelsea Paskman (Chalfont/Central Bucks South) and first-year forward Kaitlyn Greeley (Bardonia, N.Y./Clarkstown South) assisted on Russo and Hextall’s goals, respectively, and senior goalkeeper Caitlin Byrne (Rutherford, N.J./IHA) made five saves to pick up her 11th shutout of the season.

Byrne preserved Scranton’s 2-1 victory over Drew University in the championship match on Saturday, Nov. 6, by making a leaping save on a potential match-tying shot attempt for a goal with 21 seconds remaining.  Paskman and Russo provided the offense with goals in 32nd minute of the first half and the 46th minute of the second half, respectively.  With the win, the Royals earned an automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Division III championships.

Men’s Swimming (1-2)
The men’s swim team suffered its second straight loss of the season with a 104-101 defeat to Dickinson College on Saturday, Nov. 6, in Carlisle.

Junior Marc Dezii (Cherry Hill, N.J./Cherry Hill West) won two individual events—the 200 free (1:48.86) and the 500 free (5:11.44)—and swam the third leg on the Royals’s 400 freestyle relay that finished first in 3:17.12.  Joining him on the 400 free were sophomore Andrew Urban (Ambler/Lansdale Catholic), junior Joseph Clifford (Nesconset, N.Y./Smithtown East), and junior Paul Vignati (West Simsbury, Conn./Northwest Catholic).  Clifford and Vignati recorded Scranton’s other two first-place finishes in the 1000 free (10:43.99) and 100 free (:49.31), respectively.  

Women’s Swimming (1-2)
Dickinson College finished first in seven of 11 events to pull out a 105.5-99.5 victory over The University of Scranton on Saturday, Nov. 6, in Carlisle. The loss was the second straight for the Royals.

Sophomore Colleen Logan (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) won the 500 (5:37.97) and 1000 (11:23.80) free and seniors Allison Sampson (Sugarloaf/Hazleton Area) and Amie Leonard (Sparta, N.J./Pope John Paul XXIII) recorded the Royals’s other first-place individual finishes in the 200 fly (2:23.22) and 200 breaststroke (2:36.29), respectively.  The quartet of junior Christine Gorge (Harleysville/Lansdale Catholic), Leonard, senior Brittany Reyes (Westfield, N.J./Westfield), and first-year swimmer Jessica Merino (N. Hyde Park, N.Y./Holy Trinity Diocesan) opened the meet by winning the 400 medley relay in 4:15.99. 

Wrestling (3-1)
Sophomore Vinny Signoriello (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) finished second in the 133-pound weight class to pace the Royals at the Monarch Invitational at King’s College on Saturday, Nov. 6.

Signoriello, the number two seed, went 3-1 to improve his season record to 7-1 and 27-12 in his career.  He opened the tournament with a pin of Michael LaPorta of King’s College at the 2:37 mark of the first period.  In the quarterfinals, he pulled out an 11-7 decision over Shaun Wagner of York College of Pennsylvania before pinning sixth-seeded Mark Uliano of Wilkes University in the first period in the semifinals. Signoriello suffered his first loss of the season with a 6-5 decision to top-seeded Mike McInally of Rochester Institute of Technology in the finals.

Sophomore Michael Murcia (Matawan, N.J./St. John Vianney) posted a 2-2 record for the Royals in the 125-pound weight class.  After dropping a 5-3 decision to Matt Spano of Gettysburg, he came back to post a 2-0 decision over Mike Nguyen of R.I.T. and a 10-1 major decision against David Bailen of Oneonta St. He suffered a 3-2 decision in his final match to Sergo Grigorian of York.

Here is the upcoming schedule for The University of Scranton's athletic teams:

This Week in Royal Athletics

Wednesday, Nov. 10
Wrestling – GETTYSBURG (7 p.m., LONG CENTER)

Saturday, Nov. 13
Cross-Country – NCAA Mideast Regionals 
(Cooper’s Lake Campground, Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, Men’s Race: 11 a.m./Women’s Race: noon)

Women’s Soccer – NCAA 1st Round Matches (Geneva, N.Y)
Royals vs. Plattsburgh St. (1:30 p.m.)
Keuka College vs. William Smith College (11 a.m.)

Men’s & Women’s Swimming – JUNIATA/GOUCHER (1 p.m.)

Sunday, Nov. 14
Women’s Soccer – NCAA 2nd Round Match (Geneva, N.Y.)
Royals/Plattsburgh St. winner vs. Keuka/William Smith winner (1 p.m.)