Women’s Soccer Off To Rough Start

By Owen Russell

The Bulldogs took the field for the first time in nearly two years on Sept. 8, facing St. Joseph’s College (LI). The game was the first action BC’s athletic field has seen since the 2019 CUNYAC Championship. Despite the home court advantage, Brooklyn College was unable to keep up with the Golden Eagles, losing 11-0.  

“It was great to see the team out there competing today,” said new Head Coach Jose Castillo in the game recap. “We gave a great effort and showed many qualities that will serve us well in the future.”

After the tough loss to start the season, the Bulldogs hosted the Gryphons from Sarah Lawrence College. The team was able to play better defense this time around, allowing only three goals. Unfortunately, the Bulldogs were held scoreless, and ended up losing their second straight. Brooklyn was only able to fire off three shots, two of which were on goal. Comparing that to the Gryphons’ 26 shots with 15 on goal, it is easy to see where the Bulldogs were outmatched.

Brooklyn will play their third straight home game against Rutgers (Newark) this Wednesday, Sept. 15.

Men’s Soccer Struggles Despite Strong Defense

By Owen Russell

The Men’s Soccer team opened their season in Union, NJ, playing in Kean University’s Tony Ochrimenko Classic on Sept. 4. The Bulldogs dropped their first game against the Kean Cougars. The Bulldogs were held scoreless, allowing 3 goals to the home team.The next day, Brooklyn College played the Pioneers from William Patterson. The Bulldogs had seven saves on eight goals, allowing only one goal. Despite the strong defensive effort, the Bulldogs lost 1-0. 

On Saturday, Sept. 11, Brooklyn played their home opener against Old Westbury. Prior to the game’s start, a moment of silence was held for Joseph Real Andre, the team’s former coach who passed away in Dec. 2020. The game saw Brooklyn’s first goal of the year scored by freshman Angel Godinez. The goal gave Brooklyn an early lead, but Old Westbury came back firing. The Panthers scored four goals after Brooklyn’s first, while Brooklyn only notched one more. The loss was Brooklyn’s third in a row.

The Bulldogs’ most recent contest came on Sept. 13 against Farmingdale, which also ended in defeat, totaling four losses in the new season so far. Despite nine attempts, the Bulldogs could not get any of their shots on goal. Defensively, Brooklyn had four saves but allowed two goals. The Rams won 2-0 and sent the Bulldogs home still searching for their first win.

Brooklyn’s next game will be home against SUNY Purchase on Sept. 15.

Women’s Volleyball Starts Off Strong

By Owen Russell

The women’s volleyball team was Brooklyn’s first team to return to competition after nearly two years away. On Sept. 3, the Bulldogs kicked off the season on the road against the US Merchant Marine Academy. The future Marines swept the Bulldogs 3-0, dishing the Bulldogs a loss in their first game. Brooklyn was held to under 20 points in each of the three sets.

The initial loss lit a fire under the Bulldogs as they have won three in a row since then, the first of which came on Sept. 7 against Sarah Lawrence. The Bulldogs swept the Gryphons. The sets went 25-17, 25-19, and 27-25. Freshman outside hitter Aleah Rafat led the Bulldogs with 15 kills.

The second win came two days later at SUNY Purchase. The Bulldogs dominated in all three sets, going 25-12, 25-11, and 25-17. The win gave the Bulldogs not only their second straight win but also their second straight sweep. Sophomore outside hitter Ashley Fung led the team with 9 kills, helping the Bulldogs outmatch the Panthers 35 kills to just 15.

The third and most recent win came up in Throggs Neck against Maritime. If the Bulldogs were dominant against Purchase then they were out of this world against the Privateers. Brooklyn College won all three sets in easy fashion, going 25-9, 25-6, and 25-13. The Bulldogs scored 23 aces compared to Maritime’s five. Junior setter Ezri Shor led the way with six aces and 15 assists. Brooklyn’s win against Maritime marked three consecutive sweeps for the Bulldogs, putting them at three wins and one loss.

As of press time, the Bulldogs were set to play next on Sept. 14 against St. Joseph’s College. 

Women’s Tennis Season Opener Postponed

By Elijah Hamilton

The Brooklyn College Women’s Tennis team is coming off an up-and-down week, one that saw two of their first three games of the season get postponed.

Their season opener on the road against Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, NJ was postponed due to bad weather conditions, according to Brooklyn College Athletics.

In the one game played last week, the Bulldogs suffered a 3-6 loss at home against the visiting Sarah Lawerence College Gryphons.

Though it ended in a loss, it was an admirable performance from BC who was able to win one of three doubles matches against the Gryphons behind the strong play of sophomore Monica Prado Capon and freshman Kamilla Shualanova. 

Brooklyn also picked up a win in singles competition against the Gryphons with senior Kamilla Shulanova. Although a losing effort, this game marked the first for the Bulldogs since fall 2019.

The Bulldogs will look to get their first win of the season when they play on the road in a two-game slate against SUNY Purchase and Kean University.