SPORTS

MSU holds Off Savages 24-17 Despite Penalties
Iggy Cruz | Sports Editor

Of the 21 handoffs Ross Harrison got Saturday night, only one mattered the most.
With a Southeastern Oklahoma rally brewing late in the fourth quarter, the former Petrolia star had his number called and he savored the moment.
Harrison took the carry and steam-rolled his way 27 yards into the end zone, giving the Indians room to preserve a 24-17 win in front of 6,133 fans at Memorial Stadium.
The Indians also tied a school record by winning their fifth straight home game.
The Indians (2-1, 1-1 in LSC) wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Daniel Polk ran for a 6-yard touchdown with 9:29 in the first quarter, capping off a 65-yard opening drive for MSU. A 38-yard field goal by Kristian Foster at the end of the first would give the team a 10-0 lead all the way into halftime.
Great defensive play from the Indians kept the Savages out of the end zone in the first two quarters, as MSU held SEOSU to 44 total yards in the half.
But for the second consecutive week, the Indians struggled with penalties and turnovers. MSU was flagged 10 times for 95 yards and turned the ball over four times off fumbles and interceptions.
“Our offense moved the ball but they kept turning it over and making penalties. And when that happens, sometimes you lose your mental edge,” head coach Bill Maskill said.
Maskill had a point. The Indians almost amassed 400 yards of offense but failed to convert on a numerous of drives due to turnovers.
The second half offense looked sharp early on for MSU when Rahsaan Bell hooked up with Myron Cooper for a 40-yard reception in the third. But after driving to the SEOSU 5-yard line, the Savage defense took charge and stripped Harrison of the football.
Not to be outdone, the Indian defense responded by tipping a Justin Pitrucha pass on the following drive, leading to a Courtney Allen interception. The sophomore linebacker then wobbled three yards into the end zone to give MSU a 17-0 lead.
A 53-yard kickoff return by Jairus Martin to the MSU 30 set the Savages in good field position before suffering another setback. A Pitrucha fumble at the MSU 10 denied the Savages an opportunity to get their first points of the game. 
The Savages finally got on the board with 3:49 in the third when Pitrucha hit Barrett Fontenette on 56-yard screen pass to get within ten points.
The Indians would toss interceptions on their next two drives and punt on the other before SEOSU kicked a field goal to narrow the score 17-10.
But the Savages hopes of a comeback were dashed when Harrison scored his lone touchdown of the night with 2:50 left in the fourth.
“It was just a counter with good blocking. Marcus Davis sealed the corner, making it a pretty easy run for me,” Harrison said.
Harrison carried 21 times for 124 yards and has scored at least one touchdown in all three games.
The Indians nearly gave the Savages a shot to tie the game when Keith Flanagan fumbled an on-side kick following a SEOSU touchdown with 0:51 left in the game. Darrius Richard quickly recovered the ball and MSU ran out the clock to seal the victory. 
The Savages fell to 1-3 on the season and 1-2 in LSC play.
Maskill gave the Savages different looks at quarterback Saturday by playing Daniel Polk and redshirt freshman Ryan Roberts along with Bell. Bell completed 18 of 26 passes for 175 yards, while Polk and Roberts combined for 31 yards rushing and 19 through the air.
Myron Cooper hauled in two passes for 46 yards and Eddie Bell led the defense with six tackles. The defense also came up with three sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries.
The Indians will try to even their road record this Saturday when they go head-to-head with Angelo State University in their LSC south division opener. Kickoff is set at 7 p.m.


Volleyball off to Best Start
Iggy Cruz | Sports Editor

By sweeping their two matches Monday, the Lady Indians matched last year’s win total in just 16 games and have propelled MSU to its best start since the 1996 season.
The Lady Indians (12-4) took care of Paul Quinn College 30-8, 30-10, 30-10 and Southwest Assemblies of God 30-9, 30-24, 30-24 in Waxahachie, Texas to bring their three-game match record to 9-2.
Eleven of MSU’s 14 matches have resulted in 3-0 scores, including a school-record of 10 straight.
Kim Doolittle recorded 18 set assists, eight digs, and one block while hitting .500 for the Lady Indians in the victory over Paul Quinn. Telina Grayson contributed with eight kills and four digs while hitting .800 on the game.
“I’m excited,” Head coach Venera Flores said. “We practiced Sunday and went over some stuff and they executed it very well tonight.”
Against SW Assemblies, the Lady Indians continued their three game match dominance and downed the Lady Lions. Lacy Lanier hit .909 and totaled 10 kills followed by Shay Velasquez’s eight kills, nine digs, and two aces.
Senior Kate Pence and Windthorst freshman Allison Schreiber led the Lady Indians with eleven digs a piece. Schreiber also racked up 35 set assists.
The volleyball team will start conference play Thursday when they host Central Oklahoma in D.L. Ligon Coliseum at 7 p.m. and Cameron at 2 p.m. Saturday. 
“We’re in a very competitive conference,” Flores said. “At the last crossover tournament, UCO lost in three to Kingsville, then we beat Kingsville-so, it’s going to very tough. Hopefully, we’ll have a lot of fans out to cheer us on.”
MSU middle blocker Candice Main, and Schreiber, a setter, were recognized Monday for their performances last week by being named LSC North Offensive player of the week and North Setter of the week respectively.
Main, a junior from Fort Worth, Texas, helped MSU to a 2-2 record this past week, while hitting .330 and totaling 45 kills. Main also had four blocks and five aces.
Schreiber averaged 12.42 assists per game and contributed 42 digs, nine kills, three aces, and three blocks for the Lady Indians.


Lady Indians' woes Continue
Iggy Cruz | Sports Editor

The Lady Indians suffered another painful loss Sunday afternoon, falling to St. Edwards’s University 1-0 in the 87th minute at SEU soccer field.
MSU lost on a game-winning goal by SEU’s Kristen Gascoyne, last season’s Heartland Conference rookie of the year, to fall to 1-4-1 on the season. The shot was only the third attempt by SEU, while the Lady Indians attempted four in the game.
“We’re at the point right now where we’re playing at the level of our competition,” Head coach Jeff Trimble said. “We’re not taking advantage of our chances to score.”
SEU goal keepers, Alexis Adams and Heather Koudelka, worked together for the shutout without making a save, while Lady Indian keeper Eli O’Dwyer managed two saves on the day after facing 14 shots.
Sunday’s loss comes on the heels of another disappoint outing on Friday as the Lady Indians fell short against St. Mary’s University, 4-3.
MSU had to play from behind most of the game after St. Mary’s scored in the fourth and 14th minute of the game to take a 2-0 lead.
Sara Dvorak would knock in the Lady Indian’s first goal in the 33rd minute before allowing another St. Mary’s goal.
MSU countered with Lauren Sierra’s goal in the 60th minute followed by a Michelle Harris score in the 75th but that would be all the offense for the team.
Lady Indians will host No. 17 Texas A&M-Commerce today at the MSU soccer field. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m.


Buffs shut out Indians
Iggy Cruz | Sports Editor

The fifth-ranked men’s soccer team had hoped to successfully defend their highest ranking Sunday afternoon since entering the Division II level.
Instead, they were shocked as No.21 West Texas A&M blanked the Indians 3-0 in a Southwest Soccer Conference meeting at the MSU soccer field.  
The upset drops the Indians to 5-1-0 on the season, while the Buffs (5-0-0), who swept last year’s meetings, have won four of the last five matches against MSU. 
“Credit to West Texas, they came prepared and wanting to win,” MSU head coach Doug Elder said. “They got the job done.”
The Buffs got the game rolling early, scoring their first goal in the 18th minute when Ivan Vargus intercepted a goal kick. Vargus booted the ball over to fellow forward Josh Fender before getting it back on a give-and-go inside the 18-yard box and knocking in a shot to take a 1-0 lead. 
Six minutes later Fender got in the action again, but this time he did the scoring as he headed a Tom Nutter corner kick to take a 2-0.
Offensively, the Indians were shut out by an aggressive Buffs defense that limited leading goal scorer Jimmy Krueger and Brandon Swartzendruber to three shots. Krueger and Swartzendruber had a combined 12 goals going into the match. 
“We had chances to possess the ball and we gave it away,” Elder said. “We have too many guys that need to be able to rise it up in big games.”
Elder decided to replace MSU keeper Sean Gill in the second half with Raul Herrera, but the change didn’t fare much better when the Buffs scored again in the 68th minute.
Nutter finally put the finishing touch on the game when he knocked in a free kick just outside of the penalty area to take a 3-0 advantage.
The Buffs have outscored their opponents 16-1 in their first five games of the season. 
The Indians did manage to pick up a win before Sunday’s loss, edging out Eastern New Mexico Friday at the MSU soccer field, 2-1.
It took a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute by ENMU to wake up the Indians as senior Chad Rakestraw found Brandon Swartzendruber at the top of the 18-yard box for the score.
 The game stayed at a 1-1 tie despite the Indians out-shooting ENMU 15-5 in the second half. Gill had four saves while facing 12 shots.
ENMU would shoot themselves in the foot by committing a penalty at the 70:15 mark, allowing Keegan Hudson to kick in a game-winning goal.
The men’s soccer team will be on the road for Friday’s match-up with St. Mary’s and Sunday’s afternoon battle with Incarnate Word.