Alle-Kiski Valley Campus Clippings: Fox Chapel's DeBaldo wins again
Deena DeBaldo enjoyed receiving last week’s Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week honor so much she decided to go out and win the award again this week.
The Fox Chapel graduate and junior on the Duquesne women’s soccer team solidified the accomplishment Sunday in the conference opener against Virginia Commonwealth.
DeBaldo recorded the tying goal in the 73rd minute and provided the assist on the winner in the 83rd minute as Duquesne picked up the 2-1 win at Rooney Field. Both goals came off corner kicks.
She is the first in program history to earn back-to-back player-of-the-week honors.
DeBaldo entered Thursday’s A-10 matchup at Davidson as the conference leader in goals (six), and she was tied for the lead in points (13).
She delivered a hat trick in the second half of a 6-0 rout of Youngstown State on Sept. 15 and tallied the only goal in a pair of 1-1 ties against Loyola Marymount and Appalachian State on Aug. 25 and 30, respectively.
DeBaldo’s six goals has her tied for 10th in program history for goals in a season. The school record for a single season is 10. Including Thursday, there are nine games left in the regular season.
Football
W&J: Highlands graduate Mitch DeZort had a big game last Saturday.
In the 20-13 loss to Presidents Athletic Conference foe Carnegie Mellon, DeZort recorded a team-best 11 tackles, four of them for a loss, and 31/2 sacks. For his efforts, he was named the school’s football athlete of the week.
Through three games, the sophomore linebacker has 18 tackles, six tackles for a loss and 41/2 total sacks.
DeZort and the Presidents (2-1, 1-1) hope to bounce back Saturday with a PAC matchup at Grove City.
Men’s soccer
Allegheny: The Gators picked up a 1-0 victory over Geneva on Wednesday, and Eddie Opalko delivered the golden goal in the second overtime.
It was the Springdale resident and Pittsburgh Central Catholic graduate’s third goal of the season in his sixth start.
The midfield/forward added scores in setbacks to Keystone and Baldwin Wallace.
Allegheny, 2-6 overall, begins North Coast Athletic Conference play Saturday at home against Kenyon (Ohio).
Grove City: Freshman goalkeeper Jesse Greyshock (Deer Lakes) earned his first collegiate victory Wednesday as the Wolverines rallied to defeat Baldwin Wallace.
Greyshock made three saves in the nonconference matchup.
The Wolverines improved to 2-6-1 overall, and they open Presidents Athletic Conference play Friday at Thiel.
Women’s soccer
Geneva: Freeport graduate Lexi Dell had a big game Wednesday in the Golden Tornadoes’ 3-0 nonconference victory over Hilbert.
Dell, a sophomore starting midfielder, was a factor in all three scores with a goal and two assists. They were her first points of the season. She scored three goals as a freshman.
Her first career goal also came against Hilbert.
Women’s golf
Allegheny: Freshman Kelsi Zik (Plum) helped the Gators win their home invitational at the Country Club of Meadville for the first time since 2012.
Zik led her team and tied for third out of 34 with rounds of 86 and 78 for a 164 total.
It was her lowest two-round total of the season.
Allegheny returns to action Oct. 7 and 8 at the Tartan Invitational at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier.
Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.
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