I Bleed Blue and White

A glorious Labor Day weekend. I was lucky enough to be up at Lake Sabego in Maine (many thanks to our hosts Tom and Jackie) where a great weekend with absolutely picturesque weather ensued. Alas, we’re no longer labor free. So for me, back to obsessing over ‘Nova sports. I hope everyone’s weekend was great!

Yako won it for 'Nova as time expired.

Here’s a look at how the ‘Nova programs fared over the weekend.

Football (1-0)

• WR Brandyn Harvey and K Nick Yako earned CAA honors following the team’s 27-24 victory over Temple. Harvey was named the Offensive Player of the Week while Yako got the nod as Special Teams Player of the Week. The team returns to action this Saturday when they host Lehigh at 7:00 p.m.
• Following their win to start the season the football team moved up 2 spots to #3 in the country in the latest FCS poll.
• Darrel Young was cut by the Washington Redskins, but then later reassigned to their practice squad.

Field Hockey (2-1)

• Junior Meg Ryan scored two goals as the Wildcats defeated Ball State 4-1 on Friday in a tournament at Fairfield University. Senior Captain Emily Donaldson and junior Dana Ramsden also scored for ‘Nova.
• In their 2nd game of the weekend, the team picked up its second win by beating Fairfield 3-1 on the strength of goals from Lauren Wuzzardo, Sam Haas and Dana Ramsden.

Women’s Volleyball (5-2)

• The girls started out the weekend by winning their 5th straight to start the season over LaSalle in The Big 5 Tournament. Maggie Mergen and Morgan Petkovich led the way with 19 and 15 kills, respectively.
• In their 2nd match of the weekend they fell to Temple 3-2, and they also dropped the weekend finale 3-2 to Penn. Kim Maroon picked up a consolation by being named to the All-Tournament Team.

Women’s Soccer (4-0-1)

• The girls started the weekend off right by crushing Davidson 4-1 as Erin Byrnes, Megan Verdeur, Heidi Sabatura and Katie Ryan all found the net.
• On Sunday the team found itself in a dogfight as Charlotte came back to tie the game twice before Amy Greco sent ‘Nova into the lead on 70 minutes for a 3-2 victory. Goals from Grace Hawkins and Rachel Breton helped ensure the women’s soccer team (4-0-1) remained undefeated in the young season.

Men’s Soccer (1-1-1)

• Against Temple on Friday, the team went down 2 goals early before Matt Margiotta took one back on 76 minutes, but it wasn’t enough as the team fell 2-1.
• Sunday gave a better result as the team drew Penn 0-0. Adam Amann almost won it for ‘Nova with 4 minutes left in regulation, but his shot rattled the bar.

Brian Westbrook may be Villanova’s claim to fame in football (no disrespect to you Howie Long) but another Villanova football player may be on the verge of making the Washington Redskins 53-man roster. Darrel Young was a linebacker for Villanova last season, and had his senior year cut short by injury. But that hasn’t stopped the rookie from impressing down in D.C., according to Redskins insider Jason Reid.

“First, however, it’s time to reveal my “sleeper pick” to make the team: linebacker Darrel Young. An undrafted rookie free agent from Villanova, Young has impressed at times on special teams. Several people I trust mentioned his name to me, saying he has received good internal reviews and is among the leading candidates for the final roster spot.”

It’s great to hear that Young is making an impression in the NFL. Guys who are special teams aces generally find a spot on an NFL roster, even if it is not the team they go through training camp with. You might remember David Tyree of the New York Giants. He was a consistent special teams Pro-Bowler before engraving his name in history books everywhere with his famous catch in Super Bowl XLII.

…Mark is a huge ‘Skins fan and I’m sure is uncontrollably excited about these developments…