Christina Carlis brings the ball up the court against Lees-McCrae College. Photo by Josh Landrum.

The 2011-2012 school year has been a year of firsts for the North Greenville University Athletic Department, a first berth into the playoffs for the football team, first time in a conference, to name a few.

The Crusader Women’s Basketball team is looking to continue this year of firsts. Led by Erin Gray, senior business,  Karly Stache, senior math and Christina Carlis, senior business, the lady Crusaders have battled through the 2011-2012 season so far and earned an impressive record of 13-4 with a conference record of 8-1.

The 2011-2012 team consists of much depth with three players averaging double figures in points and rebounds. Their offensive attack has been balanced and efficient with the rotation consisting of more than 8 players each game.

The lady Crusaders have seen one player, Crisceda Cotton, junior sport management, receive two player of the week nods this season and Carlis receive the honor once so far this season.

Though accolades are not the objective in their season, the Crusaders welcome the attention because it proves their relevance to those who doubted their abilities at the beginning of the season.
Statistics aside, this fast-paced start to the season comes as a surprise to many, for the Lady Crusaders were chosen to finish in the bottom of the conference according to a preseason poll.

Attempting to prove their toughness and ability to succeed, the Crusaders have purposefully committed to defense with their opponents shooting just below 36 and 25 percent from the floor and three-point line, respectively.

Furthermore, the lady Crusaders have also amassed more steals and forced more turnovers than their opponents this season, while moving the ball more effectively and having a more efficient assist-to-turnover ratio.
With three of their four losses coming by a margin of less than seven points, the lady Crusaders are well on their way to a great season, but they still have a long way to go.

On the road to the end of the season are a slew of sure to be physically and emotionally taxing battles between conference foes, including the conference’s East Division leader, Mount Olive, and an in-state rival in Limestone, who not only beat the Crusaders in heartbreaking fashion but also leads the West Division standings.
Needless to say, the Crusaders have a daunting task ahead but as the team’s motivatonal quote on the back of their t-shirts says, “Nothing great is ever achieved without sacrifice.”

The Lady Crusaders will travel to King College on Thursday and will host Coker College on Saturday Feb. 4, 2012 at 2 p.m.

New head football coach Carroll McCray speaks to members of the media at a press conference on January 18. Photo by Billy Watson.

After North Greenville’s breakout 2011 season and head coach Jamey Chadwell and several assistant coaches departed to take over at Delta State University (MS), to whom the Crusaders lost in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs, the NGU football program found itself where no program ever wants to be.

NGU was then in a full-fledged coaching search to try and fill the coaching vacancy as quickly as possible. After getting countless phone calls and emails from coaches around the country and conducting a full fledged coaching search NGU had found its man.

On Wednesday, Jan. 18, in front of a packed president’s boardroom President Jimmy Epting introduced Carroll McCray as the new head football coach.

“It is an exciting day for us at North Greenville,” Epting said. “We’re very proud of what our football team did this season, and this is another beginning for us.  Carroll McCray is a man of faith and a more than qualified football coach.”

McCray comes to NGU after being an assistant coach at numerous division I schools, including South Carolina, Mississippi State, Furman and most recently, Mercer. McCray also served as the head coach at Austin Peay from 2003 to 2006.

“I welcome the opportunity to come alongside President Epting and Jan McDonald and help the young men on the team continue to take steps forward in all areas of their lives,” McCray said. “I want to improve the guys on the team spiritually, mentally, physically and socially. I want them to grow in their walk with God. Walk across the stage and graduate after four years. Finally, be diverse socially so when they leave North Greenville, they can communicate with others in a job atmosphere and provide for their family,” added McCray.

When it comes to x’s and o’s, McCray has a plan in mind. “We are going to want to stretch the field horizontally and vertically, but we will always want to run the football. We’re not going to be a true option team but I think we need to have that threat,” said McCray. “On defense, I think a 3-4 is great, but we have to be sure that our personnel continues to lean toward that,” added McCray.

McCray’s first priority is to get on the recruiting trail and try to get as many men as possible before signing day. He will then begin assembling his staff.

“As I start looking, I’m going to ask people about their faith. Some won’t know how to answer, and I will know they’re not right for this job,” McCray said. “I want to see a transformation in the players that come in from the time they’re recruited until they graduate and I need a staff that will encourage that.”

It is an exciting time to be a fan of NGU football. With the Crusaders coming off one of the best seasons in school history and now with a coach who has the passion to have his players succeed, not only on the field but also off the field the Crusaders are poised to have another great season in 2012.

McCray has a wife, Angel, a son Trey and a daughter, Meredith.

Paul Harrison dunks over defenders from Fayetteville State University in a game last week in Hayes Gymnasuim. Photo by Josh Landrum.

Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012 is a day that Paul Harrison, senior sport management, will never forget. Harrison a fifth year senior from Alpharetta, Ga. did what few people that play basketball at the collegiate or pro level can say that they did. Harrison became the schools all time leading scorer just two minutes into the contest against Conference Carolinas foe Lees-McCrae University. The team honored Harrison with a commemorative ball during a timeout to a standing ovation from a packed Hayes Gymnasium.

Harrison finished the game with 16 points putting his total at 1,791 a number that continues to grow from game to game as he takes his place in NGU basketball history. Harrison is not only the all time leading scorer at North Greenville, but he also owns the record for the most rebounds in a career with 880.

“It’s really more of a shock than anything,” said Harrison. “It just shows you what hard work and dedication will get you.” Harrison is currently second on the teamin points per game (17.8) and leads the team in rebounds per game (10.8). Something that five years ago Harrison himself may not have expected.

The 6-8 forward has made his presence known on the court and will be remembered for the emphatic dunks and blocks he has made over his years as a Crusader, but Harrison also hopes that he has made an impact on people off the court.

“It would be nice to be remembered in the record books for sure,” Harrison acknowledged. “But it would mean a lot to me if I was remembered for who I was as a person rather than what I did on the court.”

As much as Harrison is honored to be the all-time leading scorer he is more worried about the next game and trying to help the team win its first ever conference championship in its first year in Conference Carolinas.

Quotes used with permission from ngcrusaders.com

The 2011-2012 North Greenville University men’s basketball team has reached the midpoint of its season and what a season it has been so far. The Crusaders are 10-6 at the halfway point; they are 4-4 within the conference and 6-2 out of conference.

The Crusaders have been almost unbeatable at home, winning seven of their nine games at home, while getting big wins against the likes of Toccoa Falls, Saint Andrews, and Fayetteville State. The Crusaders dominance at home has started on the defensive end where they have stymied opposing teams, giving up just 66 points a game.

The Crusaders are winning by an average of 15 points while at home and Chris Dean, sophomore sport management and Paul Harrison senior sport management, have been a key part of that success. Dean has been the team’s leading scorer this season averaging 18.5 points while shooting 56 percent from the field; Dean has also averaged 6.2 rebounds in 33 minutes of play. Harrison is making the most of his senior season. The reigning NCCAA Player of the Year is averaging 17.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, all while shooting 54 percent in an average of 32 minutes per game.

The one down side to the Crusaders’ season so far has been their inability to win on the road; The team is just 3-4 so far on the road and the defense that is so good at home has struggled on the road, giving up an average of 84 points a game.  The Crusaders will look to Luke Lattimore, senior sport management, Jonathan Bozymowski, senior sport management, Jason Wray, senior biology and Zack Shields senior sport management, to help turn it around on the road.

Lattimore has been averaging 8.1 points per game while shooting 42 percent this season but has only appeared in 10 of the teams’ 16 games. He’ll have to find a way to stay healthy and stay on the floor to help the team turn it around. Bozymowski, Wray, and Shields have made appearances in all the Crusaders’ 16 games this season and have played admirably, providing the team with much-needed depth and a variety of scoring and rebounding as well as providing leadership and experience.

The Crusaders seem primed for a tremendous second half and will look to build on their first half success at home and improve their play on the road to make a run in the conference tournament.

Christina Carlis, senior business administration, found herself in the zone as her 27-point night gave the Lady Crusaders their first win of the season last Friday, Nov. 11 in Spartanburg, S.C.

North Greenville cruised to a 75-57 win over Division I opponent USC Upstate behind a strong offensive effort.

“This was a great win and I am very proud of the girls and the way they responded,” said head coach Jayne Arledge in an interview with ngcrusaders.com “This should surely go down as one of our biggest wins in the last few years.”

A win did not come easy as the Lady Crusaders had to battle through a first half that saw five lead changes.

After leading by eight at one point during the first 20 minutes, North Greenville was only able to manage a single-point advantage going into halftime.

Both teams battled in the second half, but it was the Lady Crusaders that pulled away in the end behind a 26-6 run and a massive offensive night.

Four Lady Crusaders finished in double figures, including Carlis, Karly Stache, senior mathematics, Krisceda Cotton, junior sport management, and Erin Gray, senior business administration, who had 11, 12, and 10 points respectively.

Carlis, who led all scorers with 27 points, went six for nine from the field and buried 15 out of 18 free throws in the victory.

As a team, North Greenville shot an impressive 43 percent, and managed to out rebound Upstate 45-34.

Arledge says this is exactly the kind of night she wanted to see from her team to start a new season.

“I was very pleased with how we played,” she said. “The teamwork was awesome and we played together.”

North Greenville took on Johnson C. Smith College yesterday, and will return to Tigerville early next week with games against Emmanuel College and Southern Wesleyan University.

Tip off against Emmanuel is set for 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21 in Hayes Gymnasium.

A breakout season and some new faces are turning the cross-country teams into a force to be reckoned with.

A year full of firsts saw North Greenville finish on top in two of their six regular season meets, setting quite individual records along the way.

“We were very fortunate to bring in some strong runners to go with a good core group of kids that we already had at North Greenville,” said first year head coach Michael Bayne. “This season we were able to set several personal records and some school records as well. The fellowship of the team together is something I would not trade for anything.”

Many of the runners on both teams were able to set personal bests this season including John Shealy, sophomore undecided, who set a school record with an 8-Kilometer time of 27:07, and Brandon Southern, junior health and wellness, who recorded the school’s second fastest 8-kilometer time, finishing in 27:55.

Girl’s team member Kelly Knutson, freshman secondary education, was also able to set the schools best 5-kilometer time, finishing in 21:13.

Bayne says his team put in some serious work over the offseason, and it paid dividends over the course of the year.”

“Some of our runners were running 60-80 miles a week over the summer,” said Bayne. “As a coach, I always worry about messing up the chemistry from one team to another, but the chemistry was awesome this year

Not only did the Crusaders set some personal records, but the program reached some milestones as well. North Greenville hosted its first ever home meet in school history.

Bayne says he believes this was a big step for the University

“We were put in the most difficult cross country conference in the nation,” said Bayne. “There are some unbelievable teams in this conference and we were very excited about how well our kids did.”

For the first time in school history, the North Greenville football team has a chance to bring a NCAA Division II National Championship back to Tigerville.

The 23^rd ranked Crusaders received an at-large bid to the Division II tournament last Sunday, capping a historical day for the North Greenville athletic program.

“It was an emotional moment,” said head coach Jamey Chadwell. “At a place like ours, this is a once in a lifetime experience. Being able to see them [the players] realize some goals and dreams was pretty awesome.”

The Crusaders will face Albany State in the first round, hosting their first ever Division II playoff game in Younts Stadium. Although it is a time for excitement, Chadwell says his team will have their hands full.

“They’ve probably got the best program in Georgia,” said Chadwell of his first round opponent. “It’s going to be a huge challenge for us, but we’re excited about having it here.”

The way the brackets are set up, North Greenville could possibly face a rematch with Mars Hill in the second round. Both teams finished with identical South Atlantic Conference records, and Chadwell says a rematch would be enticing.

“I don’t think we could have drawn up [the seedings] any better,” said Chadwell. “I know if we can get to that game our guys will be excited about playing them [Mars Hill].”

Quarterback Willy Korn, senior broadcast media, says the team has been dreaming bigger this season, and the teams goals are finally within reach.

“Last year was a productive year with the Victory Bowl, but this year we’ve had our sights set on something bigger this year,” said Korn. “We set a goal to make the Division II playoffs. That’s something that’s unheard of around here, because the school’s never been there.”

President Jimmy Epting says he hopes to have support from the entire state going forward.

“I think the alliance with the South Atlantic Conference gave us some good credibility,” said Epting. “We’re the only school in South Carolina that’s in the NCAA Division II playoffs so its’ time for the community and the state to get behind us. Lets whip those Georgia boys.”

“We expect to be playing on December 17 in the Division II championship game,” said Korn. “We’re not overlooking the first round game, but we’re ready to win this thing. It’s not enough just to be in the playoffs, we want to win the whole thing.”

Kickoff for round one is set for 12 p.m. this Saturday in Tigerville.

Nick Rosamonda (29) and the Crusader defense held Notre Dame College to just 78 total yards in North Greenville's 62-0 victory on Saturday. With the win, the Crusaders secured themselves a spot in the Division II playoffs beginning on Saturday, Nov. 19 in Younts Stadium against Albany State (Ga.) at noon.

No, not that Notre Dame. North Greenville amassed a school record 720 yards of total offense and also set a scoring record as the Crusaders dominated Notre Dame College of South Euclid, Ohio 62-0 on Senior Day and Military Appreciation Day at Younts Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 5 in Tigerville.

The Crusaders finished the regular season with a 9-2 record and seven consecutive victories.

Quarterback Willy Korn, senior broadcast media, completed 20 of 23 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns, and NGU had eight different players score touchdowns.

North Greenville’s 720 yards were the most since the 2006 season and the 62 points were the most in school history as well. (NGU defeated Ohio State Newark last season 63-0, but Newark was a club program and the statistics did not count toward the NCAA marks).

Teryan Rucker, sophomore secondary education, rushed for 93 yards, Kyle Peck, sophomore mathematics, had a career best 91, Idris Anderson, sophomore undecided had 43 and Aaron Seigler, junior business administration, had 40 yards for NGU.

Freddie Martino, sophomore accounting, caught six passes for 165 yards. In a game that marked probably the most complete game in NGU’s short history as a Division II program, the Crusaders limited the Falcons to 78 total yards and dominated time of possession 36 minutes to 16.

North Greenville set the tone of the game immediately by scoring on a seven-play, 76 yard drive when Korn hit Harold Small, junior art, with a 12-yard touchdown. Anderson scored on a two yard run, and Martino caught a 27-yard touchdown pass to put NGU up 21-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The scoring parade continued when Justin Gravely, freshman business administration, kicked a 30-yard field goal, Sean Wright, junior secondary education, caught yet another circus-like touchdown catch and Gravely added a 24 yard field goal with 1:11 left to give North Greenville a 34-0 halftime lead.

Korn, who wrapped up his collegiate regular season by leading NGU to a school-best two-year 18-5 record, connected with Taylor Malphrus, junior business administration, for a 15-yard touchdown that put NGU up 41-0 with 11:24 left.

Korn gave way to Siegler, who scored his own touchdown on a five-yard run that made it 48-0. Marcus Wilson, sophomore biology, broke four tackles and scored on a 30 -ard run with 11 seconds left in the third to make it 55-0.

Troy Jones, junior sport management, completed North Greenville’s scoring parade with his first career touchdown on a 23-yard run after a pitch from freshman quarterback Joseph Carter, sophomore biology.

“This really added a big exclamation to a very good season,” said NGU head coach Jamey Chadwell. “I have to give all the credit to our seniors, who bought into what we threw at them three years ago. They stuck it out and have really been the true leaders who made this happen. The sophomores who were with us three years ago hung in there and made a major difference in our success. We added a few transfers like Willy [Korn] and Daniel Adderley, but you have to truly applaud the seniors.”

The Crusaders’ next game will be another first for the football program as North Greenville will host Albany State (Ga.) in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Division II playoffs in Younts Stadium at noon.

Guard Chris Dean goes up for a dunk during pre-game warm ups against Toccoa Falls on Saturday, Nov. 5. The Crusaders opened the 2011 season with a convincing 102-74 victory over the Eagles in Hayes Gymnasium.

The North Greenville University men’s basketball team began the 2011-2012 season on a high note with a 102-74 victory over Toccoa Falls College on Saturday night in Hayes Gymnasium.

The Crusaders’ home opener was an exciting one from the beginning as North Greenville and Toccoa Falls traded baskets until a three-pointer by Chris Dean, sophomore sport management, put the Crusaders ahead for good.

North Greenville built a commanding 21-point lead with 2:28 left in the first half and went into half time leading 59-40 after shooting 61.5 percent from the floor, including 50 percent from beyond the arc, while holding the Eagles to 45.8 percent shooting in the first half.

After intermission, head coach Chad Lister and the Crusaders continued to push and opened the second half with an 18-7 run. The second half was highlighted by a high-flying slam dunk by Jason Wray, senior biology.

The Crusaders shot a stellar 55.1 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent from three-point range, while the defense held Toccoa Falls to 41.5 percent shooting in the game and forced 17 total turnovers.

Dean led North Greenville with a career-high 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-5 from long range, with three rebounds in 24 minutes.

Paul Harrison, senior sport management, dominated in limited time on the floor as he finished the game with 19 points and a team-high seven rebounds in just 15 minutes of play, while Jonathan Bozymowski, senior sport management, was the only other Crusader to score in double-digits with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists.

The bench played a crucial role for Lister as the Crusader reserves outscored the bench players of Toccoa Falls 35-13 in the game.

Jimmy Ellis, junior biology, led all bench players with eight points in the game, while Zack Shields, senior sport management, finished the game with seven points and five rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench.

Jamaal Pryor, junior sport management, had the most complete game of any Crusader as he finished with four points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals in the contest.

The Crusaders (1-0, 0-0 in conference) will host their second straight home game tonight, Nov. 16 when they tip off against South Atlantic Conference member Brevard College at 7 p.m. in Hayes Gymnasium.

In last season’s game between the two schools, Brevard downed North Greenville 99-83 in Brevard, N.C.

In the game, Harrison recorded a double-double while leading the team with 25 points on 12-of-19 and 11 rebounds.

The volleyball team wrapped up their season with a strong weekend at home, improving their overall record to 16-18.

The Lady Crusaders picked up wins over Erskine College and Converse College last weekend, sending the seniors out in proper fashion. With the victories, North Greenville concluded its first season as a member of Conference Carolinas in a tie for ninth place.

A slow start to the week had the Lady Crusaders itching to get home, as they took a tough loss to King College on November 2. The trip to Bristol was all but memorable for North Greenville, and the Lady Crusaders departed with a 3-1 loss.

To no ones surprise, Rebekah Mayes, sophomore undecided, and Kaitlyn Pierce, senior health and wellness, led the offense with a combined 25 kills on the day. Abigail Frame, junior elementary education, recorded 39 assists in the contest.

A return to Tigerville seemed to remedy the problems for North Greenville. The Lady Crusaders managed to pull out two wins on senior night and alumni night last weekend.

The weekend opener against Erskine was a hard fought match, but the Lady Crusaders maintained composure and took home a 3-2 win.

Fittingly, Pierce led the Crusaders with 16 kills on the night, while fellow senior Kaitlyn Harris, senior sport management, added 32 digs to the defense effort for North Greenville.

After a gutsy performance on senior night, the Lady Crusaders wrapped up the season by dominating Converse College in a 3-0-shutout victory.

Everything was going right for North Greenville, and the ladies took all three sets by scores of 25-10, 25-17 and 25-12.

Pierce led the team with 11 kills in her final regular season game and Mayes also contributed eight of her own to the effort. Frame concluded her season with a solid 29 assists.

The weekend wins gave the Lady Crusaders a final conference record of 6-12, and a positive end to an up and down season.

Senior forward Paul Harrison, a two-time NCAA Division II Independent Player of the Year, needs just 243 points to become the school's all-time scoring leader. Harrison has already claimed the top spot as the school all-time career rebounds leader with 722 and is second in school history with 80 career blocks.

Cory Guinn
Sports Editor

After recording a 22-7 record in 2010, the best in team history, the North Greenville men’s basketball enters its first season as a member of Conference Carolinas ranked ninth overall in the pre season coaches poll and fourth in the Western Division with a renewed energy and great level of experience.

“As a team, we have a good nucleus returning,” said head coach Chad Lister. “We will lean heavily on our seniors for leadership on and off the floor.”

The Crusaders return five seniors from last year’s squad that finished second in the NCCAA South Regional Tournament.

Among the returning seniors is the reigning two-time NCAA Division II Independent Player of the Year, Paul Harrison, senior sport management, who led the team with 18.4 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game on 61.2 percent shooting from the field.

The other seniors returning for Coach Lister include Luke Lattimer, senior sport management, the team’s second-leading scorer in 2010 with 10.4 points per game, and Jonathan Bozymowski, senior sport management, who is the Crusaders most versatile player in terms of being involved of every area of play. In 2010, Bozymowski average 5.4 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the floor and 41.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc along with 2.8 rebounds per game and 2.2 assists per game.

Seniors Jason Wray, senior biology, and Zack Shields, senior sport management, will be relied on for production off the bench and with opportunities to be in the starting lineup. Wray, the Crusaders emotional leader, averaged 4.1 points per game on 51.1 percent shooting from the floor, while three-point specialist Shields overcame early season injuries to finish with 6.1 points per game on 42.7 percent shooting from long range.

“Obviously our seniors will dictate our success.  Paul is a tremendous post presence.  He has the potential to be one of the premier players in our conference.  I have been very impressed with his off-season work,” said Lister. “If Lattimer can stay healthy, he will have an opportunity to turn heads in our league.  Shields, Bozymowski, and Wray continue to be very steady for us.  Their effort and leadership is tremendous.”

Other returning players who will be counted on for immediate impact include starting point guard Tim Franklin, junior sport management, and reserves Jamaal Pryor, junior sport management, Jimmy Ellis, junior biology, and Chris Dean, sophomore sport management.

Franklin is the team’s unquestioned floor leader on offense and dictates the tempo of the defense on the majority of the possessions. During last season’s campaign, Franklin average 6.3 points per game and a team-high 4.1 assists per game. He also led the team with 1.6 steals per game, while pulling down 3.6 rebound per game.

Juniors Pryor and Ellis provide sparks for the Crusaders in two opposite areas of the floor. Pryor is a low post presence who has consistently improved in his first two years and in 2010 averaged 7.7 points per game and 4.3 rebounds per game while shooting a team-high 61.7 percent from the floor. Ellis is another long range shooter that will come off the bench and provide an energy boost on offense as he finished last season with a career-high 7.1 points per game on 41.4 percent shooting from three-point range.

Dean, a member of the 2010 NCAA Division II All-Freshman team, averaged 7 points per game on 48.8 percent shooting from the floor and 2.2 rebounds per game.

“Chris Dean really came on strong at the end of last season.  He will have an opportunity to be a major contributor this season.  Freshmen Vince Lewis and Wesley Armbrust are two new faces to our program that have a chance to make an early impact.  Both have done good things in the pre-season,” said Lister. “I would not trade any of our 16 roster spots.  They have all worked very hard to get to this point.  We would love to make a run at the conference title in our first year as a member of Conference Carolinas. “

As a team, the Crusaders will focus on making the most of their offensive opportunities and look to improve on the defensive end of the floor against much tougher competition in the new conference.

Quarterback Willy Korn (15) threw for 303 yards and rushed for 81 more totaling five touchdowns in the Crusaders 54-7 victory over Wingate College on Saturday Nov. 5 in Wingate, N.C. Photo by Cory Guinn.

After a year long search for respect, it would probably be safe to say the Crusaders have found it.

A demoralizing 54-7 win over Wingate College on Oct. 5 gave North Greenville a seat atop the South Atlantic Conference, with an overall conference record of 7-1 on the season.

Of course, North Greenville is technically not part of the SAC, but the Crusaders cruised through the first year of their “scheduling alliance,” and claimed top honors among conference’s most elite teams.

“We’ve gone through a lot [this season],” said wide receiver Sean Wright, junior secondary education. “We set a goal at the beginning of the season to earn some respect, and I think we’ve made a statement. We just want to keep playing and keep winning.”

The Crusaders certainly kept winning last Saturday, dominating Wingate on both sides of the ball and coming away with a lopsided victory to add to their resume. North Greenville used a 300-yard effort from quarterback Willy Korn, senior broadcast media, and an aggressive running game to get their offense going in a hurry.

Wright led the offense with two touchdown catches on the day, while Idris Anderson, sophomore undecided, and Marcus Wilson, sophomore biology, added scores of their own. Kyle Peck, sophomore mathematics, Harold Small, junior art, and Daniel Adderley, junior international business, each recorded touchdowns in the game.

The Crusader defense was the story in this game, however, forcing six total turnovers and five first half takeaways.

After a day where nothing could go wrong for North Greenville, head coach Jamey Chadwell said he could not be more proud of his group.

“You can now spell ‘respect,’ NGU,” said Chadwell in an interview with ngcrusaders.com. “Prior to this season, we had never beaten a South Atlantic Conference team. Now, we’ve beaten seven of the eight schools.”

Chadwell says his offense is now clicking on all cylinders and it has everything to do with his veteran quarterback.

“Willy Korn had a big time performance,” he said. “We were able to use about every offensive weapon we have today and that was a very significant victory for our football program.”

After a 2010 season that resulted in a Victory Bowl appearance, North Greenville players and coaches say they want to move on to bigger and better things. A strong performance against SAC schools has put the Crusaders in a position to reach the Division II playoffs for the first time in school history, and it has coach Chadwell on the edge of his seat.

“Our ultimate goal is still the NCAA Division II playoffs, and with this win, we’re still on track for that,” he said. “Right now, if they were to end the season today, we would be in.”

Wright, who has picked up five touchdowns in North Greenville’s last three games, says this team will reach the goals their head coach has set.

“We want to go to the Division II playoffs and we’re going to stop at nothing,” said Wright. “We get another win and we should be in.”

North Greenville will wrap up the regular season at home against Notre Dame College this Saturday. Kickoff at Younts Stadium is set for 1 p.m.

The North Greenville University men’s soccer team was downed 6-0 by Limestone College on Tuesday, Nov. 1in the first round of the Conference Carolinas Tournament.

The game got off to a rocky start early for North Greenville when Limestone scored its first goal just 28 seconds into the contest, as forward Jack Bailey received a through ball from midfielder Daniel Mohsen and put the shot into the back of the net.

After the lone first half goal, the Saints came out strong in the second half and the game became lopsided in favor of Limestone as four different players scored a goal.

Limestone scored goals in the 53rd, 58th, 74th, 76th and 83rd minutes of play as the Crusader defense was unable to stop the Saints’ potent offensive attack.

Keeper Justen Braddock, junior sport management, recorded 10 saves in the game as Limestone fired 16 shots on goal compared to just 7 by North Greenville.

The Crusaders end the 2011 season with a 8-8 record overall and a 6-5 record in conference, good enough to finish in fifth place in the Conference Carolinas’ standings

Alex Redding, sophomore sport management, finished the season as the team’s leader with six goals in 2011.

Mark Sterr, sophomore sport management, finished second on the team with four goals, while Jon Restrepo, senior international business, finished third on the team with three goals. Restrepo finished his tenure at North Greenville with 24 goals for his career and placing him second on the all-time scoring list.

Chandler Patterson, senior media ministry, led the team with five assists on the year, while Resrepo was a close second with four helpers of his own.

Braddock led the Crusaders in goal with 84 total saves and only 24 goals allowed with two shutouts.

The Lady Crusaders gathered their second win in a seven-game road stint, moving their overall record to 14-17 on the season.

North Greenville suffered losses to St. Augustine College and Mt. Olive College, before scoring a much-needed win over Barton College last weekend.

A trip to Raleigh, N.C. last Thursday, Oct. 27, did not give the Lady Crusaders the results they had hoped for going into a tough weekend.

North Greenville battled through four sets, but was unable to prevail in a 3-1 loss to St. Augustine.

The Lady Crusaders held a 24-22 advantage late in the first set, but gave up three straight kills and lost the first set by a score of 26-24.

North Greenville bounced back quickly, however, using a strong offensive attack to propel them to a 25-19 set two win.

St. Augustine proved to be the more durable team, however, gaining wins in the next two sets by scores of 31-27 and 25-21 and pulling out the match victory.

In the losing effort, Lauren Seeley, freshman undecided, led the attack with 12 kills, while Rebekah Mayes, sophomore undecided, was a close second with 11 kills. Mayes also recorded a team-high 19 digs in the contest, while Kaitlyn Harris, senior sport management, tallied 14 digs of her own.

Friday, Oct. 28 provided some relief as North Greenville was able to grind out a 3-2 match over Barton College and snag its fourth conference win of the season in Wilson, N.C.

The teams traded set wins, but it was the Lady Crusaders who came out victorious in the fifth and final set by a score of 15-13.

The team effort provided some impressive individual statistics for the box score.

Mayes and Kaitlyn Pierce, senior health promotion and wellness,  provided the offense with a combined 40 kills.

Abigail Frame, junior elementary education, continued her impressive distribution with 52 assists in the match. Harris also hustled her way onto the stat sheet with 23 digs.

The final game of the weekend was a tough one, and resulted in heartbreak for North Greenville.

The Lady Crusaders battled hard, but were unable to grab a decisive set five win in their 3-2 loss to Mount Olive College last Saturday, Oct. 29 in Mount Olive, N.C.

After trading points most of the night, the Lady Crusaders were edged out by a score of 15-10 in the final set.

Mayes led the effort for North Greenville, recording 18 kills and 15 digs in the contest. Frame also racked up some big numbers, adding 39 assists to her season total.

The Lady Crusaders have just one game left on their seven-game road trip, as they take on King College in Bristol, TN today at 7 p.m. North Greenville will wrap up their regular season with two home games this weekend.

The North Greenville men’s soccer team’s two-game winning streak came to an end on Tuesday, Oct. 25 as the Crusaders dropped their final contest of 2011 regular season 1-0 to Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, N.C.

The Falcons (3-12-1, 2-7-1 in conference) broke through with the game’s only goal in the 8th minute of play as forward Fahret Salihovic scored on a ball played to him by defender Kris Jaggers.

The Crusaders had plenty of opportunities on goal as they outshot the Falcons 15-11 in the contest but were unable to put any shots into the back of the net.

Keeper Justen Braddock, junior sport management, recorded four saves in the game as Pfeiffer totaled five shots on goal.

With the regular season coming to an end, the Crusaders (8-7, 6-5) have turned to the postseason for at least one more game as North Greenville has made the Conference Carolinas playoffs at a six seed. The Crusaders opened up tournament play with a game against Limestone College last night in Gaffney, S.C.

JV Soccer

In a rematch with Anderson University, the North Greenville JV soccer team was downed by the Trojans 3-1 on Monday, Oct. 24 in Anderson, S.C.

The Crusaders first goal was scored early in the game as Corey Tillinghast, junior secondary education, scored his fourth goal of the season in the fourth minute of play.

The goal was scored on an assist from Thomas McGill, junior secondary education, to give the Crusaders a 1-0 halftime lead.

The second half was all Anderson as the Trojans scored three goals to secure the win.

Anderson’s first goal came in the 47th minute off a header into the net. The second goal of the game was scored when an Anderson forward received a through ball and beat keeper Nick Williams, senior print media, one-on-one in the 67th minute. The Trojans third and final goal came off a free kick in the 88th minute.

Williams recorded two saves as the Crusaders were outshot 13-9 in the contest.

“It was a tough loss but we battled hard the whole game,” said head coach Kyle Walden.

Despite a few ups and downs, the JV soccer team finished its 2011 regular season in winning fashion with a 5-0 victory over Belmont Abbey in Pepsi Stadium.

The Crusaders’ first goal came just 12 minutes into the game as Tillinghast scored his fifth goal of the season after placing a strong shot into the upper corner on an assist from Nate Brown, junior psychology.

Brown recorded his second assist of the game as Cameron Neal, junior elementary education, scored his first goal of the season in the 28th minute to put the Crusaders up 2-0 at the half.

North Greenville’s attack did not let up in the second half as the Crusaders put three more goals on the scoreboard.

James Lobbestael, junior secondary education, began the second half on the right foot as he scored his first goal of the season on an unassisted goal in the 52nd minute of play.

Brad Loftis, junior sport management, recorded his third goal of 2011 in the 61st minute on an assist from Jonathon Cleary, freshman sport management, while Cleary tallied his first goal of the season and final goal of the match in the 85th minute on an assist by Morgan Bylo, senior international business.

The Crusaders outshot Belmont Abbey 17-3 in the contest as Williams recorded just one save thanks to a stellar defensive effort.

“This was great way to end the season,” said Walden. “We had our ups and downs but the guys finished strong.”

Senior guard Karly Stache needs just 17 points to become the school's all-time leading scorer among women's basketball. She will begin her quest for the record in the Lady Crusader's season opener on Nov. 11 against USC-Upstate in Spartanburg, S.C. Photo courtesy of NGU Sports Information.

A veteran squad led by seniors is hoping to reach the big dance for the first time ever this season.

The North Greenville women’s basketball team is getting set for their first season as a member of Conference Carolinas, and head coach Jayne Arledge says she is excited to see what her team can do.

“We’ve got great athletes that are going to be on the floor,” said Arledge. “We’ll have a high scoring attack and we should be very good on the offensive and defensive end.”

Arledge anticipates  most of the team’s success will come from the upperclassmen.

“I’m really pleased with the seniors we have,” said Arledge. “We’ve got Karly Stache, who is our leading scorer returning, Christina Carlis, who led in assists and was one of the second or third leading scorers, Erin Gray, who is a big post player coming back, and Krisceda Cotton, who will also be a big key for us.”

Stache, senior mathematics, who is known for her lights out shooting, averaged just over 15 points per game last season.

“We’ve got a good group of leaders this year. We’ve got a lot of talent coming back that have played together for two or three years,” said Arledge. “That’s going to be a huge benefit for us.”

Arledge says she is happy that the seniors will have the opportunity to go deeper in the postseason than ever before.

“It’s great for our seniors to finally get to compete in a conference,” said Arledge. “They’re going to have to play hard game in and game out, but I know this group and I think they will respond very well.”

Although the Lady Crusaders are itching to get underway, the coach says her team is going to have to learn to take care of the ball a little bit better, after turning the ball over 596 times last season.

“We need to make our game a little bit smoother,” said Arledge. “We need to make the better pass and avoid turnovers. Last year turnovers and not rebounding were keys and that is also going to be a big key this year.”

Managing turnovers and grabbing rebounds will help North Greenville reach its goals, which are set pretty high.

“Our goal is to win the division and make it to the tournament,” said Arledge. “We would love to win the tournament and go to Nationals. We’d really like to be in the big dance.”

The Lady Crusaders will get their season underway on November 3 with their home-opening scrimmage against Truett McConnell College. North Greenville will then travel to Raleigh, N.C. where they will take on ACC powerhouse N.C. State University in an exhibition game on November 6.

Billy Cannada
Senior Writer

The North Greenville "Black Swarm" defense held Catawba College to just 216 total yards of offense, including 36 yards on the ground in the Crusaders' 25-7 win over the Indians on Saturday, Oct. 29 in Tigerville. Photo by Cory Guinn.

A stingy defense and relentless running game fueled the Crusaders to their fourth home win of the season.

A Homecoming crowd provided the boost North Greenville needed to slide past a feisty Catawba College last Saturday, Oct. 29 in a 25-7 victory.
The win gives North Greenville a 7-2 record on the season, with six of those wins coming against South Atlantic Conference opponents.

“Week by week we’re gaining more respect,” said running back Idris Anderson, sophomore undecided, who tallied two touchdowns on the afternoon. “By the end of the season these teams will figure out that we are the real deal.”

Earning respect didn’t seem to be to hard for the Crusaders in this one, however, as North Greenville’s defense pitched a shutout for 56 minutes of the ball game.

Isaiah Johnson, junior sport management, jump started the Crusader attack with a 63-yard punt return to open the second drive for North Greenville. Anderson then punched in his first score of the game, giving the Crusaders a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter.

Both offenses remained quiet for the majority of the half, but Sean Wright, junior history, broke the silence with an acrobatic one-handed grab that moved North Greenville 56 yards down field, and set up a 19-yard field goal by Justin Gravely, freshman business administration.

Wright said his catch, which was described by head coach Jamey Chadwell as “unbelievable”, was even harder than it looked.

“The sun was really in my eyes and I couldn’t see the ball,” said Wright with a smile on his face. “I just threw my right hand up and caught it. It kind of surprised me when I caught it. I forgot I had to run afterwards.”

The 10-0 cushion gave the Crusaders the momentum coming out of halftime, as the defense forced a safety just five minutes into the third quarter. Gravely added another field goal with 14 minutes left in the game that put his team on top by 15.

After Anderson added his second score of the game to make it 22-0, Teryan Rucker, sophomore sport management, got into the action by reeling off a 41-yard run that set up another Gravely field goal.

Although the score may not have reflected it, Chadwell says his team struggled to figure out what to do with this Catawba squad.

“[Catawba] got after us,” said Chadwell. “They played a defense that they haven’t shown all year, and it threw us off. I’m really glad we were able to finish it and run the clock out there at the end.”

Anderson, who has had quite a few multiple touchdown games this season, says the Crusaders are hard to stop when the team is running well.

“The offense is very hard to stop when the line is blocking,” said Anderson. “You saw what happens today, we put up 25 points and get wins.”

The team says they believe it has been a long journey to earn respect around the SAC, and coach Chadwell says it comes one game at a time.

“The only thing you can do is beat the guys in front of you,” said Chadwell of the conference alliance. “Afterwards, when we look back I think people will say ‘we’ve got to give those guys some respect.’”

With one more SAC win, the Crusaders would be tied for first place in the conference. Chadwell says although his team can’t actually win the conference, they will still treat it like a championship

“If we win I’m going to fly a flag that says ‘South Atlantic Conference Scheduling Alliance Champions’,” said Chadwell. “We can’t technically play for a conference championship, but in our mind that is what we’re shooting for.”

The Crusaders have two games remaining on the schedule with the next contest coming on Saturday, Nov. 5 in Wingate, N.C. as North Greenville travels to take on Wingate University at 1:30 p.m.

The North Greenville women’s soccer team’s season came to an abrupt end as the Lady Crusaders lost their final match of the 2011 regular season 6-0 to Pfeiffer University on Tuesday afternoon.

The Lady Falcons (8-8-1, 7-3-1 in conference) used four first half goals to build an early lead they would never relinquish.

Pfeiffer’s first goal of the game came just 30 seconds after the kickoff, spelling a long day for the Lady Crusader defense.

The Lady Falcons continued their attack as Megan Weston and Alyssa Wombell scored goals in the 12th and 31st minutes respectively. Defender Serae Mele assisted on each goal.

The final goal of the first half came in the 37th minute at Sheena Regan scored on a ball played to her by Wombell.

After halftime, the Lady Falcons scored two more goals, one each in the 55th and 84th minutes, to make the final score 6-0 in favor of the home team.

Keeper Regina Ibanga, senior accounting, recorded six saves as the Lady Crusaders were outshot 25-7 in the game.

With the loss, North Greenville officially ends the season with a 5-8-2 overall record and a 4-6-2 record in conference and a ninth place finish in Conference Carolinas standings.

Jade Salle, junior sport management, finished as the team leader with seven goals, while Noelle Beasley, freshman psychology, was the best all-around performer with six goals and a team-high three assists.

Ibanga finishes her final season with 69 total saves.

The volleyball team is struggling to find a rhythm in the early stages of their seven-game road stint.

The Lady Crusaders gathered losses to Southern Wesleyan University and Lees-McCrae last week, but found redemption with a win over Brenau University during a tri-match last Saturday.

A week full of traveling led the Lady Crusaders to Banner Elk, N.C. where they fell short in a 3-1 decision against Lees-McCrae on October 19.

North Greenville held a 22-20 lead late in the first set against the undefeated Bobcats, but the Lady Crusaders were unable to hold on, falling behind 0-1 early in the match.

North Greenville fought back, however, as the Lady Crusaders used a strong offensive attack to swarm Lees-McCrae in a 26-24 set two win. After tying the game at one set apiece, North Greenville was unable to hold off an overpowering Bobcats squad and dropped the next two sets by scores of 25-22 and 25-14.

Abigail Frame, junior elementary education, continued to distribute the ball with precise accuracy, as she racked up 26 more assists on the night.

Rebekah Mayes, sophomore mathematics education, and Lauren Seeley, freshman health and wellness, led the offensive push with nine kills apiece,while Kaitlyn Pierce, senior health promotion and wellness, tallied six kills. Kaitlyn Harris, senior sport management, was the top defensive performer as she recorded 12 digs in the contest. Mayes finished with nine digs while Frame and Pierce recorded seven digs apiece.

The Lady Crusaders had an opportunity to move their record back to .500 last Saturday, but ended up splitting games with Southern Wesleyan and Brenau.

North Greenville battled in game one against Southern Wesleyan in another match that required five sets.

After trading victories all match long, SWU took the fifth set by a score of 15-12, handing the Lady Crusaders their 15th loss of the season.

Mayes was the top performer in the loss, hustling for 21 digs and pounding home 11 kills in the match. Pierce led the offense wtih 17 kils, while Seeley had her best performance of the season with 12 kills. Harris finished second on the team with 17 digs in the contest.

North Greenville grabbed their first win of the day in a closely contested battle with Brenau. It took five sets, but the Lady Crusaders pulled out a 3-2 win by a score of 15-12 in the final set.

Frame came up with a staggering 58 assists in the win, while Pierce led the offense with 19 kills, while Mayes finished with 17 kills. Seeley once again totaled 12 kills, while four Lady Crusaders finished with double-digit digs. Frame led the effort with 18 digs followed by Harris with 17. Madison Allen, sophomore psychology, had her best game with 16 digs and Mayes finished with 13 digs of her own.

More of the same lies ahead for North Greenville, as the long road trip will continue this week.

The Lady Crusaders will take on St. Augustine College in Raleigh, N.C. on Thursday, Oct. 27 in their fourth straight road game. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

Two second half goals propelled the North Greenville women’s soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Converse College on Wednesday, Oct. 19 in Pepsi Stadium.

The first goal of the game came in the 24th minute as Converse (1-13-1, 1-7-1 in conference) midfielder Samantha Barron scored on an assist from midfielder Jessica Bosak.

North Greenville broke through with its first goal in the 64th minute as forward Noelle Beasley, freshman psychology, scored an unassisted goal, her fifth of the season, to tie the game.

As the Lady Crusaders continued to push forward, defender Danielle Smith, freshman health  and wellness, scored her first career goal in the 88th minute of play. Forward Jade Salle, junior sport management, recorded the assist as she drove a corner kick in the box that was put into the back of the net by Smith.

In a late-season contest with one of Conference Carolinas’ top teams, the North Greenville women’s soccer team tied Mount Olive College 1-1 on Saturday afternoon in Pepsi Stadium.

The Trojans (9-3-2, 7-2 in conference) scored their only goal of the game in the 2nd minute of play as forward Lindsey Stanley scored on a penalty kick.

North Greenville and Mount Olive traded possessions for much of the game until Beasley scored her sixth goal of the season after finishing a ball played to her by Salle.

After the tying goal, the two teams went into overtime with neither squad able to gain an edge.

The Lady Crusaders (5-7-2, 4-5-2) final game of the  season was on Tuesday, Oct. 25 as they traveled to Misenheimer, N.C. to take on Pfeiffer College.

Wide receiver Sean Wright leaps for his third touchdown of the game in the Crusaders' 36 to 6 victory over Brevard College on Saturday. Wright finished the game with five catches for 97 yards and three touchdowns. Photo by Cory Guinn.

North Greenville wide out Sean Wright, junior secondary education, snagged three touchdown passes, and led his team to a fourth straight win against Brevard College last Saturday in Brevard, N.C.

The visiting Crusaders continued to ride their high scoring offense, and put together a dominating 36-6 showing in Brevard Memorial Stadium.

Head coach Jamey Chadwell says he believes his team is beginning to hit their stride.

“I can’t emphasize enough how big this win was,” said Chadwell in an interview with ngcrusaders.com. “This program has never had back to back winning seasons and we’ve achieved another of our big goals.”

The first half was all offense for the Crusaders as Wright got his team going early in the contest, catching a 27-yard touchdown pass from Willy Korn, senior broadcast media, that gave the Crusaders a 6-0 lead. Idris Anderson, sophomore sport management, who rushed for 100 yards on the day, pounded in a 12-yard score to give North Greenville a 13 point advantage. Wright then caught a 20-yard touchdown pass, and the Crusaders went into the break up by 20 points.

Wright found the end zone one last time off a nine-yard pass from Korn late in the third quarter. North Greenville would have no trouble holding off Brevard, and the offense ended their day with a successful 26-yard touchdown run from Kyle Peck, sophomore mathematics.

The junior wide receiver made himself very comfortable in the end zone against Brevard, and Chadwell says he believes it has a lot to do with Korn’s passing, who threw for 214 yards on 18 completed passes.

“We didn’t run a ton of option because they see that a lot,” said Chadwell. “We threw a few different things into the offense today and I think Willy [Korn] had one of his best days throwing the ball.”

Other top performers for North Greenville included Teryan Rucker, sophomore sport management, who rushed for 45 yards on just eight carries, and Freddie Martino, sophomore accounting, who caught five passes for 53 yards.

The Crusaders continue to thrive in the first year of their scheduling alliance with the South Atlantic Conference. North Greenville would be 5-1 in the conference so far, and would be tied for first place with only three games left on the schedule.

“Our team is focusing on its goals,” said Chadwell. “We finally almost put together four complete quarters, and that bodes well for us the rest of the way.”

Looking forward, the Crusaders’ schedule certainly looks like a favorable one as two of their final three regular season games are in Tigerville and they are riding a four-game win streak.

North Greenville will try and capture a homecoming win this Saturday, Oct. 29 when they take on Catawba College at home in Younts Stadium. An afternoon kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.

The North Greenville men’s soccer team broke out of its two-game slump with a 1-0 victory over Toccoa Falls College on Wednesday, Oct. 19 in Toccoa Falls, Ga.

Crusader forward Alex Redding, sophomore sport management, scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season in the 31st minute of play on an assist by midfielder Julian Sanchez, freshman sport management.

In his third start of the season, reserve keeper Stephen Arneson, sophomore psychology, recorded four saves in route to his first career shutout as North Greenville outshot Toccoa Falls 34-7 in the game.

The North Greenville men’s soccer team won its second game in a row after defeating Mount Olive College 1-0 on Saturday, Oct. 22 in Pepsi Stadium.

The Crusaders lone goal came in the 39th minute of play as Jonathan Restrepo, senior international business, scored an unassisted goal, his third of the season.

North Greenville outshot Mount Olive 14-10 in the game as keepers Justen Braddock, junior sport management, (1) and Nick Williams, senior print media, (1) combined for two saves.

The Crusaders (8-6, 6-4 in conference) will take to the road for their final game of 2011 with a conference playoff spot of the line. North Greenville played in to Misenheimer, N.C. on Tuesday, Oct. 25 to against conference foe Pfieffer College.

JV Soccer

The North Greenville JV soccer team claimed its second victory of the season with a 4-1 victory over Wofford Club on Tuesday  in Pepsi Stadium

Wofford Club held a 1-0 half time lead after scoring its only goal in the 39th minute of play.

After trailing for much of the second half, the Crusader offense attacked with intensity and scored four goals in the final 16 minutes of action.

North Greenville’s first goal of the game came in the 76th minute as Brad Loftis, junior sport management, scored on a cross from Jaimie Jahuey, sophomore mathematics.

Jahuey had his best game in a Crusader uniform as he recorded his first career goal in the 73rd minute to put North Greenville up for good. Cody Puck,freshman biology, assisted on the game-winning goal.

The Crusaders continued to pile on the goals as Cameron Porter, sophomore business, scored his first goal of the season in the 82nd minute as he put a corner kick by Loftis into the back of the net.

Bryan Worley, junior healthpromotion and wellness, scored the final goal for North Greenville in the 86th minute on a cross from Daniel Kelly, sophomore outdoor leadership.

The Crusaders outshot Wofford Club 19-4 as Williams recorded three saves in the game.

“We got down by a goal and were able to score four goals in the final 16 minutes,” said head coach Kyle Walden. “The guys played hard and found a way to win.”

After securing its second win of the season, the North Greenville JV soccer team lost a tough-fought match to Truett McConnell College 2-1 on Thursday, Oct. 27 Pepsi Stadium.

Truett McConnell scored goals in the eighth and 21st minutes of play to build an early 2-0 advantage.

The Crusaders lone goal came in the 26th minute of play as Corey Tillinghast, junior secondary education, finished a penalty kick into the back of the net. Tillinghast’s third goal of 2011 came after Loftis was fouled in the box.

The Crusaders (2-5-2) had a few days to prepare for a rematch with Anderson University on Monday, Oct. 24 in Anderson, S.C.

In a high scoring affair, the North Greenville University men’s soccer team earned its fourth straight win after defeating St. Andrews College 5-2 on Thursday, Oct. 6 in Laurinburg, N.C.

Midfielder Ben Allen, senior international business, began the scoring for North Greenville with an unassisted goal in the 12th minute to score his second goal of the season.

Luis Mattei, junior international business, scored his first goal as a Crusader in the 24th minute on an assist from Jonathan Restrepo, senior international business, to put North Greenville up two goals before Alex Redding, sophomore sport management, recorded an unassisted goal in the 27th minute to give the Crusaders a 3-0 advantage.

Restrepo was in the giving mood all game as he assisted on David Frazao’s, junior sport management, first goal of the season in the 82nd minute.

Redding scored his second goal of the game and fourth of the season just minutes later to make the final score 5-2.

In the third game of a five-game road trip, the North Greenville men’s soccer team lost 3-2 to Limestone College in overtime on Saturday, Oct. 8 ending the Crusaders winning streak.

The Crusaders jumped on the scoreboard early after midfielder Chandler Patterson, senior media ministry, scored his second goal of the season in the 26th minute of play.

North Greenville’s second goal of the game came from the foot of Redding and gave the Crusaders a 2-0 advantage in the 32nd minute.

The Saints made a few crucial halftime adjustments and scored their second goal of the game in the 56th minute to tie the game at two goals apiece.

After the game was sent into overtime, Limestone broke through in the 92nd minute as forward Jorge MacKenna scored the game-winning goal on a header to end the game.

Justen Braddock, junior sport management, had a stellar game in goal as he recorded a career-high 17 goals while Limestone outshot North Greenville 41-8 in the match.

The men’s soccer team dropped its second straight road game in conference after a 4-0 loss to King College on Wednesday, Oct. 12 in Britol, Tenn.

King dominated on both sides of the ball with four goals during the first half and outshooting the Crusaders 24-12 on the night.

The Crusaders (6-6, 5-4) will end their five-game road trip in Taccoa Falls, Ga. against Taccoa Falls College today at 7 p.m.

In North Greenville's last two games, quarterback Willy Korn has accumulated 543 total yards and six total touchdowns as the Crusaders have recorded two straight wins against Central State Ohio and Carson Newman University.

A hot offense has lead the North Greenville football team to consecutive wins, and an overall record of 5-2.

The Crusaders, who managed to put up 83 points in their wins against Central State Ohio and Carson Newman University, are beginning to find a rhythm going into the home stretch of the season.

“I’m proud of where we are,” said head coach Jamey Chadwell. “You look back and think ‘we should be 7-0,’ but other people might think you should be 0-7.  We’re never satisfied, but I’m pleased with where we’re at.”

North Greenville was all business during its trip to Ohio on October 8, as the Crusaders reeled off 28 second-quarter points in their 49-20 victory over Central State Ohio.

The offense, which combined for 579 yards on the afternoon, was lead by quarterback Willy Korn, senior broadcast media, who threw for three touchdowns in the first half alone. Korn finished the game with a total of 323 passing yards. Teryan Rucker, sophomore secondary education, added another two scores for the Crusaders, and lead the running attack with 53 yards on eight carries.

Despite the fast start in Ohio, the Crusaders found themselves in a hole early against Carson Newman in Tigerville on October 5.

After a closely contested first quarter, Korn found Idris Anderson, sophomore undecided, for a 16-yard touchdown pass that gave North Greenville a 10-7 lead early in the second. The Crusader defense then gave up two scores, and it looked as if Carson Newman would be headed to halftime with a ten point lead. Korn, however, found the end zone on a quarterback keeper just two seconds before halftime.

With the momentum shifted in their direction, the Crusaders took control in the second half, scoring three times and securing a 34-27 win.

Korn ended the game with three total touchdowns, and received help from Anderson, who added two scores of his own. Justin Gravely, freshman business administration, gave the Crusaders a much-needed boost as well, tacking on two field goals during crucial periods of the game.

Although the offense was able to put together some scoring drives in the second half, Chadwell says he believes his defense deserves credit for this win.

“I can’t say enough about what the defense has been doing all year long,” said Chadwell. “We got some stops, and forced some turnovers. That’s the second home game in a row that our defense has come out and got some stops.”

Chadwell says turnover issues are still lingering in the offense, and it is a problem that is going to have to be fixed.

“We keep turning the ball over in the first half and letting these teams get ahead of us,” said Chadwell. “If we’ll stop doing that we’ll be tough to beat.”

With a schedule that includes two home games in their final four competitiions, The Crusaders are hoping for a few more wins this season.

“What I’ve learned about this league is that you can’t take a week off,” said Chadwell. “Anybody can beat you on any given Saturday, so it’s going to be a challenge each week.”

North Greenville will travel to Brevard, N.C. this weekend in search of their sixth win of the season against South Atlantic Conference member Brevard College. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is favored to win the Heisman Award. AP photo.

With the 2011 NCAA football season just past its halfway point, the Heisman trophy race is heating up with the nation’s top players separating themselves and finding their place on the list.

The Heisman trophy, an award every college football player hopes to one day achieve as the country’s top athlete, will be given out at season’s end. Below are the players who have moved themselves to the top of the watch list and have the best chance of ‘doing the Heisman’ when the 2011 football season comes to an end.

1.  Andrew Luck, quarterback, Stanford University

In 2010, Luck finished second in Heisman voting behind winner Cam Newton. Entering 2011, Luck was picked as the favorite to take home the award and has done all but secure his spot as the top player in college football. With a completion percentage of 73. 5 to go along with 1,719 yards and 18 touchdowns, Luck is the one of the nation’s most accurate and effective quarterbacks, while leading the Cardinal to a perfect 6-0 record as well as being ranked #7 in polls.

2.  Trent Richardson, running back, University of Alabama

Richardson finally got his chance to be the Crimson Tide’s starting running back and has shown that he was worth the wait. Alabama is ranked as the nation’s second best team with a 7-0 record as Richardson has recorded 912 rushing yards on just 132 attempts, good enough for an outstanding 6.9 yards per carry and 15 touchdowns on the ground. If the Tide continues to roll and Richardson is the key to the engine, he may find himself as the 2011 Heisman winner.

3.  Robert Griffin III, quarterback, Baylor University

The little-known Griffin III came on to the scene in the Bears’ first game against TCU and has continued to impress with quality performances. With Baylor at 4-2, Griffin has thrown for 1, 950 yards and 22 touchdowns while completing 78 percent of his pass attempts compared to just two interceptions. He has also shown his athleticism on the ground, rushing for 295 yards and two touchdowns.

4.  Denard Robinson, quarterback, University of Michigan

Arguably the NCAA’s most electrifying player, Robinson is the top dual-threat quarterback in the country. The Wolverines currently sit at 6-1 while Robinson has thrown for 1, 215 yards and 11 touchdowns. The diverse quarterback has also rushed for 762 yards on the ground and nine touchdowns. While Robinson has accounted for 1, 977 total yards and 20 touchdowns, he does have problems with turnovers as he has thrown 10 interceptions.

5. Sammy Watkins, wide receiver, Clemson University

The freshman wide out has brought life to the Tigers, leading them to a #8 ranking and their first 7-0 start since 2000. Watkins, a true freshman, is Clemson’s most versatile player as he has accounted for 1, 205 all-purpose yards and nine touchdowns including 728 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Being so young, Watkins is a long shot to take home the Heisman but if he continues making big plays the NCAA committee will have no choice but to take a look at him as a serious candidate.

As many players continue to improve, these candidates will have to step up their games in order to stay on top of the list.

A back and forth couple of weeks has the volleyball team sitting on the edge of a .500 record, as they have now moved to 12-13 on the season.

The Lady Crusaders managed to win three and lose three in their last six games, giving them a sub-par 3-9 record in conference play.

The Lady Crusaders capped a four-game win streak with a victory over Converse College on October 5 in Spartanburg, S.C.

The match was not an easy win, however, as the Valkyries forced a determining fifth set.

North Greenville prevailed behind performances from Rebekah Mayes, sophomore mathematics education, and Kaitlyn Peirce, senior health promotion and wellness, who lead the offense with 22 kills and 17 kills respectively.

A two-game road trip was not what North Greenville needed to keep their streak alive, as the Lady Crusaders suffered losses to Limestone College and Belmont Abbey to wrap up the week.

After a disappointing shutout loss to Limestone, North Greenville tried to rebound, forcing a fourth set against Belmont Abbey on October 11 in Belmont, N.C.  The Lady Crusaders lost a five-point lead late in the fourth set and Belmont Abbey secured a 3-1 win.

Bouncing back from a tough road trip, North Greenville found success at home with a dominating 3-0 win over St. Andrews College on October 14.

Mayes and Peirce lead the attack once again for North Greenville, as they both registered 11 kills in the contest. Abigail Frame, junior elementary education, also had an impressive offensive showing with 25 assists.

North Greenville ended the week by splitting home games against Coker College and Clark Atlanta on October 15.  A devastating five-set loss to Coker College began the day on a sour note for the Lady Crusaders.

After a back and forth contest, Coker took the final set by a score of 15-13.  Mayes added 23 more kills to her resume during the loss, and Lindsey Elswick, sophomore print media, was also impressive with four service aces.

The second game of the day provided the desired results for North Greenville.

The Lady Crusaders followed up their disappointing loss to Coker College with an impressive 4-1 win over Clark Atlanta.

Peirce powered home 16 kills in the win, while Kendra Meek, freshman health promotion and wellness, added five of North Greenville’s 10 service aces in the contest.

The Lady Crusaders are in for a tough road ahead, as the team is getting ready to begin a seven-game road trip.

North Greenville will begin the trip today, as they travel to Banner Elk, N.C. to take on Lees-McRae College. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

The North Greenville University women’s soccer team exploded for four goals, two in each half, to down Conference Carolinas opponent St. Andrews College 4-0 on Thursday, Oct. 6 in Laurinburg, N.C.

The Lady Crusaders scored their first goal just minutes into the game after Noelle Beasley, freshman psychology, put North Greenville up 1-0 in the third minute.

Junior forward Jade Salle, junior sport management, scored her first goal of the game in the 42nd minute to give the Lady Crusaders a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.

Beasley’s second goal of the game, and fourth of the season, came in the 68th minute of play.

Salle scored her second goal of the game and team-leading seventh goal of the season to give the Lady Crusaders a four-goal advantage in the 76th minute on an assist from Noelle Gould, freshman health promotion and wellness.

Keeper Regina Ibanga, senior accounting, recorded her second shutout of the season with five saves as North Greenville outshot St. Andrews 31-8.

After securing their third conference victory against St. Andrews, the Lady Crusader soccer team dropped its matchup with conference foe Limestone College 5-0 on Saturday, Oct. 8 in Gaffney, S.C.

The Lady Crusader soccer team lost the final game of its four-game road trip 2-0 to King College on Wednesday, Oct. 12.

The Lady Crusaders (4-7-1, 3-5-1) will look to end their two-game losing skid when they host Converse College today at 7 p.m. in Pepsi Stadium.

Four years of sheer dominance on the volleyball court have led Kaitlyn Pierce, senior health promotion and wellness, into the record books. Pierce became North Greenville’s all-time kills leader last Saturday, wrapping up the weekend with 870 career kills and counting.

The senior from Winston-Salem, N.C. is having a monster season so far, racking up 212 kills with over 15 games still left to play. Pierce has averaged 219 kills each season since her freshman year, and she appears to be well on her way to racking up over 1,000 career kills.

The senior still has work to do, however, as her team sits at 9-10 coming down the home stretch of the season. As for now, Pierce can enjoy having her name mentioned among the universities finest all-time athletes.

The North Greenville volleyball team picked up three much-needed wins last week, moving their record overall record to a more manageable 9-10.

A slow start to the week had North Greenville desperately seeking a win, as they completed the final game of their six-game losing skid with a loss to Erskine College on Sept. 27 in Due West, S.C.

The Lady Crusaders were outmatched from the very beginning, and held little hope to grab a win against the Flying Fleet after dropping the first two sets by scores of 25-15 and 25-14. Erskine then capped their shutout win with a 25-21 final set victory.

A trip to Atlanta, however, allowed the Lady Crusaders to find exactly what they have been looking for: a win.

North Greenville took out its frustrations on Clark Atlanta, as they swept the Panthers in three straight sets giving the Lady Crusaders their first victory in two weeks.

The Lady Crusaders had to fight for the first set, but managed to secure a 27-25 win after a back-and-forth battle. North Greenville then put their foot on the gas, winning sets two and three by scores of 25-15 and 25-19.

North Greenville capped the week with a strong showing last Saturday, grabbing wins over Pfeiffer University and Benedict College.

The Lady Crusaders opened the day by edging out Pfeiffer in a back-and-forth contest. North Greenville took advantage of an early lead in the first set, and dominated the Falcons in a 25-13 win.

Pfieffer managed to even the score with a win in the second set, but North Greenville was able to bounce back with victories in the final two sets of the match.

The Lady Crusaders breezed through the second match of the day, downing Benedict College in three straight sets by scores of 25-22, 25-13 and 25-6.

With newfound momentum, North Greenville will head to Spartanburg tonight, where they will try to keep their winning streak alive against Converse College. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

The Lady Crusader soccer team used two second half goals to defeat Erskine College 2-1 on Wednesday, Sept. 28 in Pepsi Stadium.

The win was North Greenville’s third of the season and second in Conference Carolinas.

After a first half that saw neither team record a goal, the Lady Crusaders finally broke through with the game’s first goal in the 70th minute of play. Forward Noelle Beasley, freshman psychology, scored her second goal of the season after receiving an assist from midfielder Brooke Domingo, freshman health promotion and wellness.

Rebecca Stidham, senior health promotion and wellness, recorded her first goal of 2011 in the 71st minute off an assist from defender Erin McLure, freshman biology, to give North Greenville a 2-0 lead.

The Flying Fleet tried to mount an unsuccessful comeback with a goal in the 84th minute but the Lady Crusader defense shut the door on any possible rally.

Keeper Regina Ibanga, senior accounting, totaled five saves in the game as North Greenville outshot Erskine 23-16 on the night.

After a three-game home stand, the North Greenville University women’s soccer team took to the road on Saturday, Oct. 1 in Charlotte, N.C. The Lady Crusaders returned  home with a 1-1 tie against the Royals of Queens University of Charlotte.

North Greenville scored the game’s first goal in the 16th minute after Jade Salle, junior sport management, scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season. Midfielder Cara Cecil, sophomore secondary education, recorded her second assist of the year after she played a ball into the box that was finished by Salle go give the Lady Crusaders a 1-0 advantage.

After some halftime adjustments, the Royals evened the score at 1-1 with a goal in the 46th minute by Sami Striano.

The game proceeded to go into double overtime with neither team gaining an edge and ending in the Lady Crusaders first tie of 2011.

North Greenville recorded just seven shots in the game compared to 16 by Queens as Ibanga totaled five saves in the contest.

“Overall, it was another game where we took some steps forward,” said head coach Jesse McCormick. “Even in overtime I felt like we continued to grow and just never finished the opportunities we were given.”

The Lady Crusaders (3-5-1, 2-3-1 in conference) will continue their four-game road trip with a game against St. Andrews College on Thursday, Oct. 6 in Laurinburg, N.C. at 2 p.m.

Freshmen golfer Tucker MacDonald opened his collegiate golf career with a win in the Cherokee Valley Golf Classic on Sept. 19-20 with back-to-back rounds under par.

The transition to college has been much easier for golfer Tucker Macdonald, freshman sport management. After all, not many freshmen can say they won their first golf tournament and were named conference player of the month in their first semester.

The freshman standout recently took first place at the Cherokee Valley Fall Classic, and proved he will be making a huge impact on the team throughout the remainder of his career.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming in. I really just have to give credit to God,” said Macdonald. “I just stuck to my game and I was kind of surprised by my score at the end. It was all kind of a blur.”

Macdonald says he really didn’t make many changes to his game in order to have success on the colligate level, but he believes his recent hard work may be paying off.

“I had been working on my game, and I’m really glad it all came together,” said Macdonald. “I’m hitting really well right now and I just hope to continue this success as the season goes on.”

Macdonald says coming to North Greenville was a pretty easy choice for him, and it can be safe to say that head coach Jeff Pittillo is glad he recruited the freshman.

“I met with coach Pittillo and it just seemed like a good opportunity,” said Macdonald. “It’s just great to be able to play some golf and get an education at a school that is Christ-centered.”

As the newest member of Conference Carolinas, North Greenville is simply trying to make a name for itself and earn respect in conference play.

Having Macdonald named as one of the “Players of the Month” will without a doubt have the rest of the conference keeping an eye on the Crusaders.

“I was really excited when I found out,” said Macdonald. “Just being in a new conference and being named player of the month. It was pretty cool.”

Macdonald is one of nine freshmen on North Greenville’s golf team this season, but he believes that talent is the only thing that matters in these tournaments.

“We’ve got a young team,” said MacDonald. “If we can work and get better as a team I think the future is bright, not only this year, but in years to come for the golf team,” said MacDonald.

In the Cherokee Valley Fall Classic, MacDonald shot a two-day total score of 71-69-140 to secure the tournament victory.

With the lowest overall score among individuals, he also led the North Greenville men’s golf team to a second place finish in the tournament, just 11 shots behind team champion King College.

In the Crusaders’ second tournament of the season on Sept. 26-27 in Greenville, TN, the Crusaders finished seventh out of 12 teams in attendance at the Tusculum Fall Classic.

The team was led by Josh O’Neal, sophomore Christian studies, who brought home a third place finish after a two-round total of 72-67-139. O’Neal was just five shots behind individual champion Jamie Chapman from Lincoln Memoiral University.

MacDonald struggled in the first round of play but bounced back on the second day to finish in a tie for 41st with teammate Sam Goodnight, freshman sport management, after a total score of 76-74-150.

MacDonald and the Crusaders will be on the links again on Oct. 10-11 as they compete in the King College Collegiate in Bristol, TN.

The North Greenville men's soccer team recorded two more conference victories with wins over Erskine and Queens University to move into second place in Conference Carolinas. Photo courtesy of NGU Sports Information Department.

The North Greenville men’s soccer team secured its second straight victory over a Conference Carolinas opponent as the Crusaders defeated Erskine College 2-1 on Wednesday, Sept. 28 in Pepsi Stadium.

After a first half that saw much back-and-forth action, the Crusaders were given a 1-0 halftime lead after forward Alex Redding, sophomore business administration, scored his second goal of the season in the 40th minute.

The Flying Fleet quickly evened the score after halftime as forward Andrew Settlemire scored Erskine’s first goal of the night.

The Crusaders continued their attack and finally broke through as captain Chandler Patterson, senior media ministry, scored his first goal in the 54th minute off an assist by defender Ben Allen, senior international business to claim the victory.

The Crusaders extended theirwinning streak to three games in a row and won their first road game of 2011 with a 2-1 overtime victory over Queens University of Charlotte on Saturday, Oct. 1 in Charlotte, N.C.

The Royals gained an early 1-0 lead after Felipe Netto scored a goal in the 26th minute.

Julian Sanchez, freshman sport management, scored his first career goal in the 44th minute to even the score.

After a scoreless second half, North Greenville and Queens took the game into overtime. Jonathan Restrepo, senior international business, scored the game-winning goal, his second goal of the season, in the 105th minute to give the Crusaders their fifth win of the season.

The Crusaders (5-4, 4-2 in conference) continue their four-game road trip on Thursday, Oct. 6 in Laurinburg, N.C. against St. Andrews College at 4 p.m.

The North Greenville defense held a prominent Lenior-Rhyne offense to just 273 total yards including 100 yards on the ground. The Bear had previously averaged 215 yards per game before being shut down in Tigerville.

The Crusaders used a late-game go-ahead touchdown to cruise past Lenoir Rhyne for the team’s second home win of the season.

North Greenville quarterback Willy Korn, senior broadcast media, hooked up with Sean Wright, junior secondary education, on a huge fourth down score that broke a 21-21 tie and helped propel the Crusaders to a 35-28 win.

“That was a huge momentum play for us,” Korn said of the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter. “It was fourth and five and Coach [Jamey] Chadwell decided to take a shot. I just put it up where Sean [Wright] could get it and he made a great play.”

The Crusaders found themselves in a dogfight early, as the two teams traded touchdowns throughout the majority of the first half. Marcus Wilson, sophomore biology, found the end zone on a four-yard rush that gave North Greenville its first lead of the game.

Lenoir Rhyne answered with two scores of their own, before Teryan Rucker, sophomore secondary education, knotted the game up at 14 a piece on a four-yard rush late in the first half.

North Greenville’s defense allowed a 40 yard touchdown just before the half, however, and the Crusaders found themselves in a 21-14 hole at the break.

The Crusaders turned things around in the second half as they reeled off three unanswered scores and secured another home win.

“After last week a lot of us were down in the dumps because we felt like we didn’t play as good as we are capable of playing,” said Chadwell. “When we click, we’re pretty good.”

Chadwell’s team had a two-touchdown lead late in the game, but North Greenville’s defense gave Lenoir Rhyne a chance at the end, allowing a touchdown and a recovered onside kick with less than two minutes to go in the fourth.

“When you do have [the other team] down you can’t let them breathe,” said Chadwell. “We’ve got to work on having that killer instinct and there is definitely room to grow in that area.”

Rucker may have possessed a little bit of that killer instinct, as he rushed for two scores on the night and broke a number of tackles in his 103-yard performance.

“I’m a little back, so I play with a big heart,” said Rucker. “My motto is to never let the first guy bring me down.”

“You could sit there and say we should be 5-0. We believe that, but we’re not,” said Chadwell. “This was a great win for us and now we can move forward and hopefully keep it going.”

The Crusaders (3-2) will have to regroup for their trip to Ohio this week, where they will take on Central State Ohio at 1:30 p.m.

The Lady Crusader soccer team fell short in its bid for a second conference win as the Cobras of Coker College used two late goals to down North Greenville2-1 in overtime on Tuesday, Sept.20 in Pepsi Stadium.

North Greenville and Coker were knotted in a scoreless tie until Cobra defender Carrie Stokes scored the game’s first goal just 17 seconds into the second half give her team a 1-0 advantage.

The Lady Crusaders continued to attack and finally broke through in the 61st minute as forward Jade Salle, junior sport management, scored an unassisted goal, her fourth of the season,  to tie the game at one goal apiece.

The game-winning goal came from Cobra defender Sarah Rountree as she scored an unassisted goal in the 95th minute to hand North Greenville its third loss in a row.

On the night, the Lady Crusaders out shot Coker 27-5 as Cobra keeper Haley Gibson recorded 10 saves in the game compared to one save by North Greenville keeper Krista Young, junior political science.

The Lady Crusader soccer team was halted in its attempt to win its second Conference Carolinas match as Belmont Abbey routed North Greenville 4-2 on Saturday, Sept. 24 in Pepsi Stadium.

Belmont scored the game’s first goal in the 36th minute to gain the early 1-0 advantage.

North Greenville scored its first goal just minutes later in the 38th minute after a goal by Brooke Domingo, freshman health promotion and wellness, her second of the season.

Belmont scored again in the 52nd minute before the Lady Crusaders tied the game once again after Noelle Beasley, freshman psychology, crossed a ball into the box and Laney McGarity, freshman art, finished with a header for her second goal of the season in the 56th minute.

Belmont scored two goals in the closing minutes to finish the game and secure the victory on the road.

Despite allowing four goals, keeper Regina Ibanga, senior accounting, recorded eight saves in the match as Belmont outshot North Greenville 32-7.

“Belmont Abbey is one of the top teams in our conference,” said head coach Jesse McCormick. “Hopefully today’s performance will give the girls confidence that they can compete with any team we are matched up against.”

North Greenville (2-5, 1-3 in conference) will continue its three game homestand with a match against Conference Carolinas opponent Erskine on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 5 p.m. in Tigerville.

Crusader defender Ben Allen rises above a member of the Belmont Abbey squad to win a header. North Greenville recorded its second Conference Carolinas win with a 1-0 victory over Belmont on Saturday night. Photo by Cory Guinn.

The North Greenville men’s soccer team was handed its third straight loss on Tuesday, Sept. 20 as the Cobras of Coker College downed the Crusaders 2-1 in Pepsi Stadium.

North Greenville forward Jonathan Restrepo, senior international business, scored the game’s first goal in the 13th minute before Coker answered back with a goal of its own in the 14th minute. The Cobras’ goal was scored by Atticus Lurn.

The Cobras scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 26th minute as Stephen Scrivens received a pass from Carlos Recinos and put the ball in the back of the net.

North Greenville outshot Coker 13-12 but continued to commit one too many fouls as the team committed 13 fouls compared to 11 by the Cobras.

On the season, the Crusaders have committed 80 total fouls compare to just 70 by opposing teams. Of the 80 fouls, 12 have resulted in yellow cards, including three apiece by Restrepo and defender Wil Pickel, sophomore sport management.

The North Greenville University men’s soccer team recorded its second Conference Carolinas victory as the Crusaders defeated Belmont Abbey 1-0 on Saturday, Sept. 24 in Pepsi Stadium.

The Crusaders lone goal came early in the first half as Paul Stuebs, freshman youth ministry, scored his first career goal on an assist from Chandler Patterson, senior media ministry, to seal the win for North Greenville.

Keeper Justen Braddock, junior sport management, recorded three saves en route to his first shutout of the season as North Greenville outshot Belmont 21-10 in the game.

“I’m proud of the persistence of our guys tonight,” said head coach Chad Gfeller. “They did what they needed to do to get the win in a well-fought game.” The Crusaders (3-4, 2-2 in conference) will host conference opponent Erskine College on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. in Pepsi Stadium.

JV Soccer

The North Greenville JV Soccer team hosted Anderson University in its first home game of the season, but the Trojans outshot the Crusaders 8-5 en route to a 3-1 victory on Monday night in Pepsi Stadium.

North Greenville got on the board first as Corey Tillinghast, junior secondary education, scored his first goal of the season in the 23rd minute to give the Crusaders a 1-0 advantage.

Forward Bryce Harrison, sophomore Christain studies, played a through ball to the feet of Tillinghast who struck the ball and placed it safely in the back of the net.

After the early North Greenville goal, the Trojans picked up their game scoring goals in the 33rd, 54th and 62nd minutes to hand the Crusaders their second loss in a row.

North Greenville keeper Justin King, junior mathematics, recorded three saves in the game. “Our boys played well tonight but they were just unlucky in a couple of situations,” said head coach Kyle Walden. “We missed some good opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net and Anderson’s keeper made some good saves.”

The Crusaders (0-2-2) hosted Tri-County Technical College on Tuesday, Sept. 27 and will travel Black Mountain, NC on Thursday, Sept. 29 to take on rival Montreat College at 4:30 p.m.

Running back Idris Anderson (3) makes a move on Mars Hill defenders. Anderson finished the contest with eight carries for 76 yards and a touchdown. Photo by Cory Guinn.

A third straight win against a South Atlantic Conference opponent was within reach for the Crusaders, but the North Greenville defense was not able to protect a double-digit second half lead on Saturday, Sept. 24 in Mars Hill, N.C.

The Crusaders led Mars Hill College by a score of 28-18 in the third quarter, but a late-game rally sent the Mountain Lions cruising ahead for a 38-28 victory.

“It was really disappointing,” said Jamarius Robinson, senior business administration, who put the Crusaders ahead by ten points late in the game after taking an interception all the way back for a score. “We didn’t play our best game defensively. We could have done more to stop their running game and make more plays.”

The game was back and forth from the beginning, as Mars Hill scored a touchdown on their opening drive, only to have their extra point attempt blocked by Tyran Melvin, senior business administration, and run back for a score by North Greenville’s Isaiah Johnson, junior sport management.

The two teams traded punches throughout the remainder of the first half, and went into the break tied at 18 apiece.

Defensive back Isaiah Johnson lines up to defend a Mars Hill receiver on Saturday afternoon. Johnson finished the game with eight total tackles. Photo by Cory Guinn.

Justin Gravely, freshman business administration, gave North Greenville a three-point advantage after the break, sending a field goal through the uprights early in the third quarter.  Robinson scored the final points of the day for the Crusaders as he snagged an interception and ran it in for a score late in the third quarter.

“He [Robinson] made a great play,” said head coach Jamey Chadwell. “If you would have told me we were going to be up ten going into the fourth quarter I would have felt pretty good about it, but the fourth quarter was just our demise.”

Mars Hill managed to real off 20 unanswered points in the final minutes, shocking the Crusader defense and giving them their first conference loss of the season.

North Greenville’s rushing attack continued to play a big part in the offense for the Crusaders. Teryan Rucker, sophomore secondary education, continued his success on the ground, rushing for 111 yards on 16 attempts and a score.

Idris Anderson, sophomore undecided, tallied his fourth touchdown in two games, and rushed for 76 yards on the day, while Marcus Wilson, sophomore biology, finished the game with 40 yards on the ground

On the defensive side of the ball, Robinson had one of his best games as a Crusader totaling 10tackles, one interception and one touchdown.

Nick Rosamonda, senior sport management, continued to be the team’s top defensive player as he recorded nine tackles, one tackle for a loss and one pass breakup, while Michael Klein, sophomore mathematics, was in the opponent backfield all day and finished the contest with four tackles, two tackles for a loss and one sack.

“We’re going to go back and fix some things,” said Robinson. “We’re going to focus, get back to the basics, and work on making big plays when we need them.”

The Crusaders will host Lenoir-Rhyne University in their second home game of the season on Saturday, Oct. 1 at Younts Stadium. The game will be broadcast on WMYA 40 beginning at 7 p.m.

The North Greenville volleyball team found no redemption last weekend, dropping two matches against conference opponents and moving their losing streak to five games.

The Lady Crusaders opened the weekend with a tough loss to Lees-McRae College in Hayes Gymnasium on Sept. 23.

North Greenville struggled to find a rhythm all night, dropping three straight sets to the visiting Bobcats. Lees-McRae gained a significant amount of momentum early on in the match, edging out the Lady Crusaders in three sets by scores of 25-18, 25-19 and 25-20 and moving their conference record to 0-4.

Rebekah Mayes, sophomore mathematics education, led the team with eight kills in the losing effort. Abigail Frame, junior early childhood education, also put her mark on the contest, registering 16 assists on the night. On defense, Kaitlyn Harris, senior sport management led the team with 11 digs, while Mayes recorded eight.

The Lady Crusaders suffered another punishing loss at the hands of Belmont Abbey on Saturday, Sept. 24 in Hayes Gymnasium.

Despite tough battles in each set, North Greenville was unable to secure a win, dropping three more sets to a visiting conference opponent by scores of 25-22, 25-22 and 25-15.

Mayes contributed eight more kills, while Frame continued her success on offense with 25 assists. Kaitlyn Pierce, senior health promotion and wellness, also added 12 kills to the effort. Mayes was the top defensive player as she totaled 10 digs in the game, while Harris finished with nine.

After the two conference losses over the weekend, the Lady Crusader volleyball team currently sits in last place among the Conference Carolinas standings.

However, a few of the Lady Crusaders are among the league leaders in individual statistics.Pierce, a middle hitter for the squad, ranks sixth in kills per set with a 3.16 mark and fifth with 158 total kills. Mayes, ranks seventh in kills per set with 3.06 and seventh in kills with 144.

The Lady Crusaders will now hit the road in search of their next win, as they face a two-game road trip this week.

North Greenville took on Erskine College on Tuesday, Sept. 27 in Due West, S.C. and they will face off against Clark Atlanta on Thursday, Sept. 29 in Atlanta, Ga. at 6 p.m.

Safety Nick Rosamonda (29) stops a Tusculum running back from advancing past the line of scrimmage. Rosamonda finished the game with eight tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and one interception, while the Crusader defense held the Pioneers to just seven yards on the ground while picking off three passes and forcing a fumble. Photo courtesy of Cory Guinn.

An electric crowd and a gassed up running game gave the Crusaders the boost they needed to pick up their first home win of the season.

The North Greenville football team tallied its second South Atlantic Conference win of the season last Saturday night, outlasting Tusculum College for a 27-7 victory.

“The atmosphere tonight was unbelievable,” said head coach Jamey Chadwell. “We had a great team in here, and we wanted to get off to a great start.”

The Crusaders’ game plan seemed to be evident from the very first drive, as the offense drove 56 yards for a touchdown on 11 rushing plays. Running back Idris Anderson, sophomore undecided, punched in a 14-yard score halfway through the first quarter and recorded his first of three rushing touchdowns on the night.

“We like running the ball,” said Anderson. “We’re going to run until you stop us. You’re going to have to stop our line and our running backs, and if you can’t do that, you’re not going to beat us.”

Although the Pioneers put together some threatening drives in the first half, North Greenville’s defense stood strong in the red zone and maintained a 7-0 lead at halftime.

“I can’t give our defense enough credit,” said Chadwell. “They bent and bent, but when they got in the red zone our defense made some plays that were huge.”

Running back Marcus Wilson, sophomore biology, who was the only other Crusader to find the end zone, scored the first points coming out of halftime and gave North Greenville a 14-0 cushion. Anderson, however, put the game away with two more unanswered touchdowns.

The Crusader defense was on the top of its game as the Pioneers were held to just seven yards rushing, while being forced into four turnovers.

Isaiah Johnson, junior sport management, led the North Greenville defense with a career-high nine tackles in the game. He also recorded three pass breakups and one interception.

Nick Rosamonda, senior sport managment, was second on the team with eight tackles in the game, including 1.5 tackles for loss and one interception. He currently leads the Crusaders with 18 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions in 2011.

Johnathan Sharpe, junior elementary education, also recorded an interception of the game to go along with five tackles, while Jamarius Robinson, senior business, totaled five tackles of his own. Linebackers Nathan Batchelor, senior business, and Tyran Melvin, senior business, had identical statistical numbers as each player finished the game with three tackles, one tackle for a loss and one sack on the night.

Running back Teryan Rucker ran for a career-high 196 yards on 22 carries in the Crusaders' 27-7 victory over Tusculum College on Saturday.

On offense, the Crusaders totaled 347 yards of total offense, including 270 yards on the ground. The rushing attack was lead by Teryan Rucker, sophomore secondary education, who carried the ball 22 times for a career-high 169 yards. Anderson rushed for 72 yards and three touchdowns on 11 carries, while Wilson recorded 30 yards and one touchdown on nine carries in the game.

Quarterback Willy Korn, senior broadcast media, did a good job avoiding turnovers and managing the game as he completed six of 14 pass attempts for 77 yards. Freddie Martino, sophomore accounting, was the leading receiver as he caught three passes for 46 yards, while Harold Small, junior art, hauled in two passes for 14 yards. Sean Wright, junior secondary education, caught the only other pass for 17 yards.

North Greenville will travel to Mars Hill on Saturday, Sept. 24, putting their undefeated SAC record on the line once again.

“Our guys will be ready and it gives us an opportunity to be 3-0 in the SAC,” said Chadwell.

The game against Mars Hill is slated to kick off at 1 p.m.

A monumental move has the North Greenville Crusaders dreaming bigger and setting their goals higher.

As the newest member of Conference Carolinas, North Greenville University’s athletic program is beginning its first ever season as a non-independent school. This change has North Greenville coaches and officials expressing excitement about the programs future.

“It certainly means a lot to our athletic program,” said Athletic Director Jan McDonald. “We know we are going to have to raise our level of play. Our coaches know that and I think we are up to the challenge.”

“As an independent, it is extremely difficult to get into the NCAA Division II tournament,” said McDonald. “Our student athletes can now have the feeling of playing for a conference championship.”

With the exception of the football team, which has agreed to a scheduling alliance with the South Atlantic Conference, all North Greenville programs are making the jump to Conference Carolinas. McDonald, however, says the four-year alliance could lead to some big possibilities for the football program.

“If we could go in and beat those teams in the South Atlantic Conference, then the people who give the at-large berths for Division II football are going to have to take a look at North Greenville,” she said. “I know that is what they are shooting for.”

Coaches at North Greenville say they are itching to get started in conference play.

“Conference Carolinas is good in all athletics, but I believe it is a conference where baseball really thrives,” said baseball head coach Travis Henson. “We’ve competed against a lot of them already, and we’re very excited about it. It’s going to give us something more to play for.”

Henson is not the only coach on campus eager for the upcoming season. Men’s Basketball head coach Chad Lister, who will be returning five seniors this season, said he is happy that his upperclassman will get to experience the change first hand.

“I’m thrilled for them,” said Lister of his seniors. “In the recruiting process we talked about the opportunities that we might have to join a conference. We wish it could have happened earlier, but we’re certainly pleased that it happened now to give our seniors one year to compete for a conference championship.”

With the hard part finally out of the way, the Crusaders will be trying to adjust their focus towards having success in their new territory.

“It was a goal that we’ve always had,” said Henson of joining a conference. “Now that we’ve realized that goal, we have got to compete strong within the conference.”

The Lander women’s soccer team used strong play from Christina Barbour to down the North Greenville women’s soccer team 3-0 at the Jeff May Complex in Greenwood, S.C. on Sept. 14

The first half was all Lander as the Bearcats outshot North Greenville 13-0, but the two teams were still knotted in a scoreless tie at the half.

Lander made the necessary adjustments at the half and Barbour scored her first goal in the 47th minute. Her second goal in the 54th minutes gave the Bearcats a 2-0 lead.

Lander’s Kimberly Kesler scored the game’s final goal in the 80th minute to seal the victory.

The Lady Crusader defense had a tough night as Lander fired 28 shots compared to just four by North Greenville.

Despite the onslaught of shots, keeper Regina Ibanga, senior accounting, tallied five saves in the game, bringing her season total to 20 in four games, while backup keeper Krista Young, junior political science, recorded four saves on the night.

“Lander came out strong and we were a little flat footed to begin the game,” said assistant coach Rachael Baer.

The North Greenville women’s soccer team fell short in its bid for a second conference win as the Lady Crusaders fell to Lees-McRae 5-0 on Saturday, Sept 14 in Banner Elk, N.C.

The Bobcats scored three first half goals and two second half goals to down North Greenville.

The Lady Crusaders were outshot 34-1 as Young, making her first start of the season, recorded 14 saves in the game.

North Greenville (2-3, 1-1) hosted conference opponent Coker College on Tuesday, Sept. 20 and will play host to another conference member, Belmont Abbey on Saturday, Sept. 24 in Pepsi Stadium at 4 p.m.

A tough week has the Lady Crusader volleyball team starting off at the bottom of the pack in conference play.

North Greenville picked up three losses and moved its overall record to 6-7, 1-3 in Conference Carolinas.

The Lady Crusaders had Limestone College buried under a two-game deficit on Sept. 13 in Hayes Gymnasium, but could not hold off a late-game rally that gave the Saints a 3-2 win.

North Greenville was only two points away from securing a sweep over the Saints, but a few clutch kills by Limestone forced a fourth set. The Saints did not look back from then, beating North Greenville with set wins of 25-23 and 15-8.

Kaitlyn Pierce, senior health promotion and wellness, led the attack for North Greenville, racking up 21 kills on the night, while Kendra Meek, sophomore health promotion and wellness, Lacey Gardner, sophomore elementary education, and Rebekah Mayes, sophomore mathematics education , each registred 10 kills in the contest. Abigail Frame, junior early childhood education, contributed with 42 assists and on defense Kailtyn Harris, senior sport management, led the way with 24 digs.

The Lady Crusaders, however, could not find any comfort in their next match against Queens University on Sept. 16 in Charlotte, N.C. After dropping a tough contest to Limestone, North Greenville fell in three straight sets to Queens by scores of 25-15, 25-16, and 25-18.

Pierce was again the team leader in kills with nine, while Meek was close behind with six kills of her own. Frame registered 16 assists, while Mayes and Harris each recorded eight digs.

Hoping to recover from back-to-back losses, North Greenville wrapped up the week at home against King College on Sept. 17.

After fighting back from a 2-0 deficit, the Lady Crusaders forced a fifth set but King proved to be too much in the end as the Lady Crusaders were defeated in the final set by a score of 15-8.

Pierce was the team leader with 18 kills and Mayes earned 16 kills for her team in the losing effort. Frame had an outstanding 45 assists in the game and Kaitlyn Harris hustled for 17 digs in the match, followed closely by Lauren Burns, freshman elementary education, who totaled 15 digs of her own.

North Greenville will be looking for vindication this weekend, as they take on Lees-McRae on Friday, Sept. 23 in Tigerville at 7 p.m. and Belmont Abbey on Saturday, Sept. 24 in Hayes Gymnasium at 2 p.m.

Despite winning two of their first three games, the North Greenville men’s soccer team lost to Lander University 3-2 on Sept. 14 in Greenwood, S.C.

The Bearcats jumped on the board early with a goal in the sixth minute by Zach Acree to gain the 1-0 advantage. Acree scored his second goal of the game just minutes later in the 14th minute to put Lander up 2-0.

After a foul by North Greenville that set up a penalty shot, Lander’s Chris Hobbs put the ball in the back of the net to make the halftime score 3-0.

Lander possessed the ball for much of the second half until North Greenville forward Alex Redding, sophomore business, scored his first goal of the season in the 65th minute for the Crusaders’ first goal of the match. Ben Montry, sophomore undecided, sent a corner kick into the box and Chandler Patterson, senior media ministry, recorded the assist after Redding headed the ball past the Lander keeper.

The Crusaders got on the board again in the 86th minute after Patterson recorded his second assist of the game with a corner kick into the box was headed in by Todd Johnston, sophomore studio art, who recorded his first career goal.

Keeper Stephen Arneson, sophomore psychology, in his first career start, had a rough night as he recorded just two saves and allowed three goals on 14 shots by the Bearcats.

The men’s soccer team was unable to gain its second conference win as it lost its second overtime game of the season 1-0 to Lees-McRae on Sept. 17 in Banner Elk, N.C.

The Crusaders outshot the Bobcats 20-16, but Lees-McRae midfielder Preston Shahdad scored the game-winning goal in the 99th minute on a header to seal the win.

North Greenville keeper Justen Braddock, junior sport management, recorded seven saves in the game.

The Crusaders (2-3, 1-1 in conference) played host to conference foe Coker College on Tuesday, Sept. 20 and will continue its home stand with a matchup against another Conference Carolinas member, Belmont Abbey on Saturday, Sept. 24 in Pepsi Stadium.

JV Soccer

After opening the season with two straight ties, the JV Soccer team dropped its third game of the season to Truett-McConnell 3-0 on Sept. 15 in Cleveland, Ga.

The Bears scored goals in the 14th and 20th minutes to build an early 2-0 lead before scoring their final goal in the 59th minute to seal the win.

The Crusaders were outshot 11-7, while keepers Justin King, junior mathematics, (2) and Caleb Mitchell, sophomore political science, (1) combined for three saves in the game.

The Crusaders (0-1-2) tried for their first win of the 2011 season on Monday, Sept. 19 as they hosted Anderson University. Their next game will be on the road in Belmont, N.C. as they take on Belmont Abbey at 4 p.m.

North Greenville defender Wil Pickel sets up to stop the attack of a Virginia Intermont forward on Sept. 7. In the Crusaders' 2-1 victory, the defense held the Cobras to just one goal on four shots. Photo by Dustin Fuls.

In 2011, the North Greenville University men’s soccer team will face a challenge they’ve never had, playing against top-tier talent and competing in a NCAA Division II conference. This season marks the Crusaders first season as a member of Conference Carolinas, a conference known for strong competition on the pitch.

The Crusaders mounted a valiant comeback against Montreat but fell to the Cavaliers 3-2 in overtime in the first game of the 2011 season on Sept. 1 in Black Mountain, N.C.
Montreat scored the first goal in the 13th minute and the second goal in the 40th minute, both by Maximiliano Viera, to give the Cavaliers a two-goal advantage.

After being down 2-0 at the half, the Crusaders adjusted and scored their first goal in the 48th minute to close the gap to one. After firing multiple shots at the Montreat goalkeeper, North Greenville broke through just 10 minutes later with a goal in the 58th minute to even the score at 2-2.

Mark Sterr, sophomore sport management, a forward playing in his first collegiate game, scored both goals for the Crusaders. Sterr was assisted on his first goal by defender Michael Prevett, senior Christian Studies, and forward Jon Restrepo, senior international business, while defender Wil Pickel, sophomore sport management, assisted on the game-tying goal.

Viera completed his hat trick after scoring the game-winning goal just five minutes into the overtime period.

After losing the season opener to Montreat in overtme, the North Greenville men’s soccer team won its 2011 home opener, defeating Virginia Intermont 2-1 on Sept. 7 in Pepsi Stadium in Tigerville.

The Cobras struck first with an early goal in the fifth minute to build a 1-0 lead. However, after the quick goal, North Greenville controlled the game and cruised to the victory.

The Crusaders quickly answered the Virginia Intermont goal with a goal of their own in the eighth minute by Sterr, who scored his third goal of the season, after receiving a through ball from Luis Mattei, junior international business, and beat the keeper to tie the game at one goal apiece.

North Greenville’s second and final goal came from the foot of Paul Stuebs, freshman youth ministry, who received a cross and put the ball into the back of the net for the eventual game-winner. The goal was the first of Stuebs young career.

The game was controlled by the Crusaders on both sides of the field as the offense fired 16 shots at the Cobra defense while the North Greenville defense held Virginia Intermont to just four shots in the game.

The team opened its Conference Carolinas’ portion of the schedule with a 3-1 victory over Barton College on Sept. 10 in Pepsi Stadium.

Barton began the scoring by netting its only goal of the game in the 32nd minute to gain a one goal advantage^.

The Crusaders answered back quickly after Ben Allen, senior international business, scored his first goal of the season on a penalty kick after Alex Redding, sophomore business administration, was fouled in the box.

After halftime, the game was all North Greenville as the Crusaders scored two more goals in the final 45 minutes to pull away and capture their first ever win in Conference Carolinas competition.

North Greenville’s second goal of the game came from the foot of Ben Montry, sophomore undecided, who received a cross from Chandler Patterson, senior media ministry, and put the ball into the back of the net to go up 2-1 in the 54th minute. Sterr added an extra goal in the 61st minute to clinch the victory for North Greenville. Sterr scored his fourth goal of the season on an assist from Montry.

The Bulldogs offense outshot the Crusaders 21-15 but keeper Justen Braddock, sophomore sport management, kept North Greenville in the game with seven saves.

“Our guys played with a true team effort,” said head coach Chad Gfeller. “It was their goal to make a statement and prove their ability to play with a quality team in our new conference.”

The Crusaders (2-1, 1-0) will be on the field again in Greenwood, S.C. as they travel to take on Lander University on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.

After losing a number of key players to graduation following the 2010 season, the North Greenville women’s soccer team knows the 2011 campaign will be a tough one, especially because the Lady Crusaders are beginning their first season as a member of Conference Carolinas.

In front of a crowd of over 200 fans in Pepsi Stadium, the Lady Crusader soccer team controlled the game for almost the full 90 minutes as North Greenville defeated in-state rival Southern Wesleyan 2-0 in their first game of the 2011 season on Sept. 1 in Pepsi Stadium in Tigerville.

In the inaugural game of the season, head coach Jesse McCormick had three of his 11 new freshmen step up and make an immediate impact in the outcome of the game.

North Greenville scored the game’s first goal in the 81st minute after Noelle Beasley, freshman psychology, and Danielle Simmons, freshman health and wellness, combined to put the Lady Crusaders up by one.

Brooke Domingo, freshman health and wellness, put the game away for North Greenville as she scored her first career goal in the 86th minute of play.

“We had a lot of returning players step up and play well and our freshmen played strong as well,” said head coach Jesse McCormick.

After winning the 2011 season opener, the Lady Crusader soccer team dropped a hard-fought battle against Montreat College 4-3 in overtime on Sept. 7 in Black Mountain, N.C.

After Montreat scored an early goal to go up by one, North Greenville defender Erin McLure, freshman biology, scored her first career goal.

Laney McGarity, freshman undecided, put the Crusaders up 2-1 when she scored her first career game in the 44th minute off an assist by Domingo.

The Lady Cavaliers made necessary adjustment at half time and scored two quick goals in 52nd and 60th minute to go up 3-2.

As the Lady Crusaders continued to attack the Montreat defense, Montreat slipped up and knocked in an own goal to tie the game at 3-3, forcing overtime.

In the 99th minute, Montreat’s Lauren Cantin scored her third goal of the game and the game-winning goal to send North Greenville home with a loss.

North Greenville forward Jade Salle, junior undecided, scored three goals as the Lady Crusaders downed Barton College 4-2 on Sept. 10 in Pepsi Stadium.

Barton got on the board early with a goal in 27th minute to gain an early one goal advantage.

North Greenville evened the score just before the half as Salle recorded her first goal of the game in the 44th minute on an assist from Cara Cecil, sophomore secondary education.

Shortly after the second half began, Beasley scored her second goal of the season to put the Lady Crusaders up 2-1.

North Greenville continued its second half domination as Salle scored two more goals in the 65th and 67th minute on assists from Beasley and Smith to put the game away for the Lady Crusaders and secure the team’s first ever win in Conference Carolinas.

Barton scored its second goal in the 85th minute.

The Lady Crusaders (2-1, 1-0) travel to Greenwood, S.C. on Wednesday, Sept. 14 to play against Lander University at 4:30 p.m.

Receiver Sean Wright (88) catches a pass from his quarterback in the Sept. 10 game against Presbyterian College. Wright led all North Greenville receivers with four catches for 72 yards. In the season's first two games, Wright ranks second on the team with five catches for 111 yards and one touchdown. Photo by Cory Guinn.

The reigning 2010 NCCAA National Champions split their first two away games of the season, leaving any “undefeated” talk in the rear view mirror.

The North Greenville football team opened its season with a dominating win over Newberry College on Sept. 3 in Newberry, S.C. but could not hang on in a tough road battle with NCAA Division I opponent Presbyterian College on Sept. 10 in Clinton, S.C.

Beginning the first season of their scheduling alliance with the South Atlantic Conference, the Crusaders made sure to impress in their first road game of the season. North Greenville got off to a quick start, dominating Newberry College in a 46-17 win.

Nick Rosamanda, senior sport management, gave the Crusaders a huge momentum boost in the first minute of the game, picking off the first pass of the game from the Wolves and taking it all the way in for a score.

North Greenville did not look back from there, taking anything they wanted from the Newberry defense and scoring five more touchdowns on the afternoon.

“Our goal was to beat a SAC team,” said head coach Jamey Chadwell.  “We told our players to make sure they go to church and give thanks for being a Crusader.  I told them we needed to build on this victory.  We’ll gain some confidence from it; this was an outstanding win.”

Quarterback Willy Korn, senior broadcast media, finished the game 12 of 19 for 186 yards and three touchdowns in his season debut. He also ran the ball15 times for 38 yards in the game.

Idris Anderson, sophomore undecided led the rushing attack with 12 carries for 81 yards, while Marcus Wilson, sophomore biology,  carried the ball eight times for 75 yards and a touchdown. Teryan Rucker, sophomore secondary education, joined in on the action with five carries for 44 yards and a touchdown, while Kyle Peck, sophomore mathematics, carried the ball five times for 21 yards.

Freddie Martino Jr., sophomore accounting, gave the Crusaders a boost through the air with 95 receiving yards and a score. Harold Small, junior art, and Sean Wright, junior secondary education each hauled in a touchdown as well.

Rosamonda led the defense with four tackles, one tackle for a loss and an interception, while linebacker Carl Dukes, early childhood education, totaled six tackles in the game. Jereme Green, senior print media, also recorded four tackles and an interception in the game.

Running back Idris Anderson stiff arms a Presbyterian defender on Sept. 10 in Clinton, S.C. Anderson carried the ball 13 times for just 30 yards. On the season, Anderson is second on the team with 25 carries for 111 yards. Photo by Cory Guinn.

“I am extremely proud of our team,” Chadwell added. “They believe in each other and it is vital for them to make a stand for our program.”

The Crusaders were unable to ride the momentum of their first win for very long.

A back and forth shootout nearly gave North Greenville their second straight win over Presbyterian College, but the Crusaders could not hold off a late game rally and were handed their first loss of the season by a score of 38-21.

North Greenville was a field goal away from knotting the game up at 24 apiece late in the fourth quarter. Instead, the kick was blocked and taken 65 yards the other way for a score by CeeJay Harris.

Presbyterian took control from that point on, scoring another fourth quarter touchdown, and sealing the win.

All three Crusader touchdowns came from Korn, as he passed for two and rushed for one after completing 11 of 30 pass attempts for 159 yards and rushing nine times for 33 yards.

Small and Martino caught the two touchdown heaves from Korn, giving North Greenville a shot at tying the game late. Small finished the game with just one catch for 26 yards, while Martino caught three passes for 45 yards. Wright led all receivers with four receptions for 72 yards.

On the ground, the Crusaders accumulated 207 yards as Wilson led the attack with nine carries for 57 yards, while Rucker carried five times for 44 yards.

Johnathan Sharpe, junior elementary education, led the Crusader defense with seven tackles and two tackles for a loss. Rosamonda had another strong game as he finished with six tackles, three tackles for a loss and one pass break up, while Braelen Meredith, sophomore business administration, was in the Blue Hose backfield all day and finished the game with five tackles, one tackle for a loss and one sack.

Although they would have liked to be 2-0 at this point, the Crusaders will be making their way back home next week looking for redemption.

North Greenville will make their season debut in Younts Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 17 taking on Tusculum College at 7 p.m.

The game will mark the first ever meeting between the Crusaders and Pioneers, another member of the SAC. Tusculum boasts a 1-1 record after defeating West Georgia 20-10 and dropping last week’s game against Georgia Southern 62-21.

The game will also be broadcast on television. Fans can tune in to WMYA channel 40 for the action.

Chandler Patterson (8) and the men's soccer team will face tough opponents in the fall 2011 season. Photo by Cory Guinn.

With a new season and a fresh start as a member of Conference Carolinas on the horizon, the North Greenville soccer program is hoping to establish itself as a tough contender in the near future.

“We definitely anticipate hitting the ground running next season,” women’s soccer head coach Jesse McCormick said of the new season. “We are looking forward to jumping into Conference Carolinas.”

The fourth year head coach has enjoyed three seasons above .500 during his tenure, acquiring over thirty wins as head coach. Despite his early success, however, McCormick realizes that there is more work to be done if he wants to have success in conference play.

“Having three winning seasons has been fantastic,” said McCormick “We’ve got a strong core group of players returning, and we have a strong incoming class as well.”

Although the men’s soccer team has only experienced one winning season in the past three years, head coach Chad Gfeller says he believes his team is poised to make a successful run in 2011.

“Hopefully we’ll take a step forward this year and knock off some teams that are top 25 caliber,” said Gfeller. “Our ultimate goal is making it to the national tournament and having success on that stage.”

Gfeller, who is in his sixth season with the Crusaders, initially took on the difficult task of managing both the men and women’s soccer programs in 2008. Coach McCormick says he credits the success of both programs to Gfeller’s hard work.

“Chad [Gfeller] really laid a lot of the foundation for this program before I came in,” said McCormick. “He just really set a lot of things in place where they needed to be.”

Gfeller has also been able to see the program expand as a whole. The JV soccer program, which just wrapped up its first season, was a big success from the start. Gfeller says he wants to use the program, which finished the season with an impressive 5-2 record, as a developmental tool for varsity soccer.

“It’s [the JV program] something that I’ve really been pushing for a couple of years and it has worked out,” said Gfeller. “It really gives us more depth and it gives us the ability to develop more players.”

Off the field, members of the soccer program have been doing their part in giving back to the community around them, something McCormick believes is what the program is all about.

“We’ve had some free clinics here during the off season, bringing some kids in here from the community. We’ve also started up soccer camps during the summer,” said McCormick. “The soccer culture around this area has really shot up [as a result].”

Head Coach Jamey Chadwell and the Crusader football team are coming off an impressive 9-3 season and a 2010 NCCAA Victory Bowl Championship. Photo by Cory Guinn.

On Saturday afternoons in the fall there is no better place to find yourself than in the stands at Melvin and Dollie Younts Stadium cheering on the North Greenville University football team.

The Crusaders have been playing football since 1988 and have called Younts Stadium their home since 2005. In 2001, the Crusaders made the move from NAIA to NCAA Division II, the Crusaders also compete in the National Christian Collegiate Athletic Association. Since then, the Crusaders have entertained crowds with great play and have hosted two NCCAA Victory Bowls.

In 2006, the Crusaders defeated Malone College 56-28 to win their first Victory Bowl championship. Just one year ago, in 2010, the Crusaders once again hosted the Victory Bowl and once again came out on top in the game. This time they defeated the Campbellsville University Tigers 42-16.

In 2011 the Crusaders will take another step to their goal of becoming a NCAA Division II football power as they begin a schedule alliance with the South Atlantic Conference (SAC). Although the Crusaders will not be eligible for league championships or league awards, it will give the Crusaders the required number of games to be considered for the NCAA Division II football playoffs.

The Crusaders are coached by Jamey Chadwell, who is in his third year as the Crusaders head coach. In his first year, the Crusaders struggled to a 2-8 record. In his second year, after a good recruiting class and adding transfer Willy Korn, senior broadcast media, the Crusaders posted a 9-3 record and a NCCAA Victory Bowl Championship, but the big turnaround on the field is not the only thing that the Crusaders have going for them.

“I believe we have made significant strides in all areas since February 2009. What people see is the turnaround on the field from 2-8 to 9-3 which is great, but what people don’t see are the strides we have made in academics and the community,” said Chadwell. “We have 33 current players with a GPA of 3.0 or higher and have a cumulative team GPA of 2.6. Over the past two years we have also had more than 160 players involved with school mentoring, blood drives, and have had involvement in local churches. Those are the things we are most proud of.”

The Crusaders ask for the support of all students and alumni. “This football team is your team. We are playing for this school and to instill pride in our students through our actions on and off the field,” said Chadwell. “We want you to make Younts Stadium the best homefield advantage in Division II football.”

On Saturdays in the fall , make sure to find yourself in Younts Stadium and remember to do three things: wear red, stand up and be loud as you cheer the Crusaders to victory.

The first home football game is on Sept. 17 against Tusculum College.

The North Greenville University baseball team improved its overall record to 28-11 last week after winning four out of five games. The Crusaders opened the week by traveling to Franklin Springs, Ga. to take on Emmanuel College on Tuesday, April 12. The Crusaders split a doubleheader against the Lions, winning game one 9-1 and falling in game two 4-0.

The Crusaders held a 1-0 lead in the first inning of game one until Taylor Hollifield, freshman secondary education, blasted a three-run home run over the left field fence to give the Crusaders a 4-0 lead. The Crusaders scored a run in the fifth and three in the sixth. The Crusaders tallied 11 total hits in game one. The pitching staff was stellar in game one, giving up just one run on three hits.

In game two the Crusaders could not get the offense rolling to its potential. Although the Crusaders tallied eight hits on the day and were walked six times, they left 12 runners on base. Defense hurt the Crusaders as they made three errors, helping the Lions to victory.

The Crusaders were back on the field on Friday, April 15, for a doubleheader in Bristol, Tenn. at King College, a team that will join Conference Carolinas next year with the Crusaders.

In game one of the doubleheader, ace right-hander Drew Provence, junior marketing, got the start on the mound for the Crusaders. Provence stifled the Tornadoes, going seven innings, giving up no runs on four hits while striking out seven on the day. Nate Richards, senior interdisciplinary studies, replaced Provence on the mound going the final two innings and giving up no runs on one hit.

The Crusader offense broke a scoreless tie in the third inning when they loaded the bases. A run was scored on a Derek Fulmer, junior business administration, groundball that was misplayed by the Tornadoes. David Frazier, junior sport management, followed with an RBI single. Tyler Callicutt, senior accounting, followed with a sacrifice fly to score the Crusaders’ third run of the inning. The Crusaders scored their final run of the game on an Andrew Lawrence, sophomore accounting, bunt scoring Fulmer in the eighth inning.

Frazier led the Crusaders at the plate going 3-for-4 with a run batted in, while John Reinholz, sophomore broadcast media, went 2-for-4 with a run scored on the day.

The 4-0 win in game one was the first shutout thrown against King College in 87 games.

In game two the Tornadoes struck early, scoring two runs in the first off of a wild pitch and a ground ball. After a shaky first inning, Fulmer calmed down and threw an incredible game. Fulmer went six innings, giving up two runs on no hits; he did walk five (four in the first inning) and struck out eight. Brian Giles, senior sport management, threw the final inning for the Crusaders, allowing one hit while striking out two.

Trailing 2-0 going into the fourth inning, the Crusaders turned on the switch at the plate scoring six runs in the inning. Callicutt got the Crusaders on the board with a single scoring Fulmer. Frazier then scored on a throwing error before Giles singled in Callicutt. Anthony Foulk, junior sport mangament, followed with a sacrifice fly scoring Reinholz. Adam Taylor, sophomore business administration, ended the scoring for the Crusaders with a two-RBI double to secure a 6-2 victory.

Callicutt and Giles led the Crusaders at the plate going 2-for-3 with a run scored and run batted in each. Frazier also had a good day going 2-for-4 with a run scored.

After taking the first two games of the weekend series the Crusaders looked to sweep the Tornadoes on Saturday, April 16.

The Crusaders struck early once again, scoring a run in the first after Taylor singled and was knocked in by a Fulmer double and fielding error by the Tornadoes. The Crusaders trailed 2-1, going into the third inning when Fulmer doubled in two more runs giving the Crusaders a 3-2 lead. The Tornadoes retook the lead 4-3 in the sixth and added another run in the seventh.

Going to the eighth trailing 5-3, the Crusaders began their comeback. Reinholz hit his first collegiate home run to bring the Crusaders within one run of King. In the ninth inning, the Crusaders reclaimed the lead as Foulk led the inning off with his second home run of the year to tie the game at five runs apiece. Taylor then doubled and scored on Frazier’s sacrifice fly to secure the 6-5 victory for North Greenville.

Sean Willingham, sophomore sport management, started on the mound for the Crusaders. Willingham gave up four runs on five hits and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings of work. Richards pitched 1 2/3 innings of relief, giving up one run on three hits. Richards was replaced by Giles, who threw the final 1 2/3 innings for the Crusaders. Giles picked up the win after giving up no runs on two hits.

The Crusaders now find themselves sitting at 28-11 on the season with seven games remaining on the schedule.

The Crusaders traveled to Anderson University on April 18 and hosted King College on April 19. The Crusaders will play Limestone College tonight at 7 p.m. at Fluor Field, home of the Greenville Drive. Tickets are $8. The Crusaders will then travel to Barton College for a three-game series this weekend.

The Lady Crusader softball team continued its success against future Conference Carolinas opponents as they split a doubleheader with Limestone College on Monday, April 11, losing game one 4-3 in eight innings but winning game two 2-1 in Tigerville.

In game one, North Greenville held a two-run advantage until Limestone evened the score in the top of the seventh and pushed across the eventual winning run in the top of the eighth inning to secure the victory.

Taylor Roof, junior early childhood education, picked up the loss for the Lady Crusaders after pitching a complete game, allowing four runs on five hits while striking out eight batters.

Karli Taylor, junior sport management, led the offense going 1-for-2 at the plate with a home run, her second of the season, one run scored and one RBI. Marielena Santos, sophomore business, and Sarah Griffith, junior mathematics, also finished the game 1-for-2 each.

The Lady Crusaders turned the tide in game two as North Greenville and Limestone were tied at one run apiece until Laura Hopper, sophomore intercultural studies, scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning after Courtney Campbell, sophomore biology, was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in the game-winning run.

Campbell started game two on the mound but lasted just two innings, giving up one run on three hits. Hopper picked up the win for North Greenville as she pitched five innings of scoreless relief, allowing only five hits while recording one strikeout.

Campbell led the Lady Crusaders at the plate, finishing 1-for-3 with a double and one RBI. Santos was 1-for-2 at the plate with a run scored, while Kansas Wofford, sophomore early childhood education, also finished 1-for-2 at the plate.

The North Greenville softball team continued its push toward the postseason as the Lady Crusaders split a doubleheader with in-state rival Southern Wesleyan, dropping game one 5-4 but winning game two 1-0 on Tuesday, April 12 in Central, S.C.

The Lady Crusaders got on the scoreboard first in game one with three runs in the second inning. The Lady Warriors quickly answered with four runs of their own in the third inning to take a one-run lead. North Greenville tied the game at four runs apiece in the fourth inning before Southern Wesleyan knocked in the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Roof started game one for the Lady Crusaders and pitched three innings, allowing four runs on three hits while striking out three batters. Hopper picked up the loss for North Greenville as she pitched three innings of relief, allowing one run on four hits.

Roof led the offense as she finished the day 1-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored. Roof hit her team-leading sixth homerun of the season to lead off the second inning.

Griffith had a solid game as she finished 1-for-1 at the plate with a home run, one RBI and two runs scored, while Santos was 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBI and Rachel Holeman, sophomore biology, finished a perfect 3-for-3 with a run scored.

The Lady Crusaders used a stellar pitching performance by Campbell to secure the one-run victory in game two. With the win in game two, the Lady Crusaders won the season series with the Lady Warriors 3-1.

Campbell picked up her first win of the season as she pitched a complete game, allowing only seven hits to the Lady Warriors.

North Greenville scored its only run of the game in the fourth inning off back-to-back doubles by Taylor and Liz Pitts, freshman undecided. With two outs in the top of the inning, Taylor roped a double to right center field. Pitts also doubled to right field to drive in Taylor as the eventual game winning run.

Pitts led the offense, going 1-for-3 at the plate with a double and one RBI. Taylor also finished the game 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored.

Santos, Campbell and Holeman each finished the game with two hits apiece as the Lady Crusaders recorded 10 hits in the game.

With only six games remaining, the Lady Crusaders (15-18) hit the road again on Monday, April 18 for a doubleheader against Milligan College in Milligan, Tenn., and Tuesday, April 19 in Tusculum Tenn., for a doubleheader against Tusculum College.

North Greenville’s final game before the postseason will be a doubleheader against future Conference Carolinas foe King College on Tuesday, April 26 in Bristol, Tenn.

Laura Hopper delivers a pitch in the third inning of the Lady Crusaders second game against King College in a doubleheader on April 9 in Tigerville. Hopper pitched four innings of relief against the Lady Tornadoes. Photo by Sarah Crescenzi.

Cory Guinn
Sports Editor

After more than a week off, the Lady Crusader softball team split a doubleheader with future Conference Carolinas opponent King College on Saturday, April 9, in Tigerville, winning game one 3-1 but dropping game two 12-3.

In the first game, Taylor Roof, junior early childhood education, continued her recent hot streak as she pitched a complete game, allowing one run on four hits while striking out eight batters.

At the plate, Marielena Santos, sophomore business, had a strong game, finishing 1-for-2 with a double and one RBI. Kimberly Robertson, sophomore health and wellness, also finished the game 1-for-2 with an RBI, while Karli Taylor, junior sport management, recorded an RBI of her own.

In game two, the Lady Tornados recorded 12 runs on 13 hits to down North Greenville and end the Lady Crusaders’ five-game winning streak.

Robertson (3-1) got the start in the second game but lasted just 1 2/3 innings after giving up three runs on three hits while recording only one strikeout. Laura Hopper, sophomore intercultural studies, came on to pitch four innings of relief, giving up eight runs on nine hits while striking out two. Roof pitched the final 1/3 inning, allowing one hit and recording her team-leading 86th strikeout to end the game.

On offense, Roof and Taylor both finished the game 1-for-2 with one RBI apiece, while Courtney Campbell, sophomore biology, scored two runs in the game.

The Lady Crusaders (13-16) have 10 games remaining on their schedule and played host to future Conference Carolinas opponent Limestone College on Monday, April 11 in Tigerville. North Greenville traveled to Central, S.C. on Tuesday, April 12 to play against in-state rival Southern Wesleyan University.

They will be on the road again to Milligan, Tenn. to take on Milligan College in a doubleheader on Monday, April 18, beginning at 2 p.m.