Tigers Fall to Crusaders in OT of Highest Scoring Game of the Season, 53-57

WASHINGTON D.C.—Trinity Washington University’s basketball team traveled to the small town of Front Royal, Va to take on the Christendom Crusaders on December 2nd. The windy roads and sharp turns encountered on the way to the small college were but a small indicator of the nail-biting game  played that night, where the Tigers fell to the Crusaders, 53-57 in OT, while still setting a triplet of school bests: 3 double digit scorers (Jemini S., Davia C., Mazia D.), 2 Tigers with double doubles (Jemini S., Davia C.), and most points scored since the 2017-2018 season.

When arriving to the Christendom unexpectedly early, while some coaches may have used the ample time to relax before competition, head coach, Isaiah Johnson and assistant coach, Myesha Green capitalized on the extra hour to walk through plays and refresh player’s minds after a seemingly long Thanksgiving break. “Tonight’s a big game,” Coach Johnson stated while peering through the bay window overlooking the basketball court that the ladies would play on in just 2-3 hours.

The game was indeed, a big one, being that both teams shared a loss against Central Penn by a large margin and although Christendom was stronger in numbers, it seemed to be the perfect match up: the Tigers and the Crusaders.

Coach Johnson giving the game plan when the Tigers were up 48-44 with 1:12 left int he game

Freshman starter, Jemini Sensabaugh, scored the first point of the game with a jumper at 19:36. The Tigers struggled to find a rhythm for the next seven minutes with fellow starters, Mazia Donald, Kiera Thomas, Esther Nyarko, and Andrea Golli. The Crusaders quickly took the lead in the first half of the game extending their gap to 15 points over the Tigers,22-7, with 9:58 left in the half. Freshman guard, Donald brought the heat with a pair of 3 pointers, a jumper, and a free throw shot to push the Tigers back into the game with only a 6 point trail by halftime, 24-30.

The Tigers, led by Sensabaugh with 12 points in the second half, both out-scored, 25-19, and out-rebounded the Crusaders. The Tigers opened up a four point lead on the Crusaders at 4:00 and 1:12, but made 4 turnovers and 5 fouls that allowed the Crusaders to come back and tie with the Tigers, 49-49.

The five minutes of overtime left the Crusaders with the advantage with 2/3 of the highest scorers for the Tigers fouling out of the game, and the Tigers only managing to put up half of the 8 points the Crusaders did to win the game.

Inside the Numbers:

Score: 53-57 – Highest team score since 2017-2018 season

Game Leaders

Jemini Sensabaugh: 17 points, 14 rebounds

Davia Cain: 16 points, 13 rebounds

Mazia Donald: 16 points, 3 rebounds

Freshmen, Andrea Golli, Kiera Thomas, and Esther Nyarko also contributed with 4 points and 4 rebounds.

To take a further look inside the numbers, visit the link below.

Trinity Vs Christendom 12-2-19

The Tigers look to carry their momentum forward to Elizabeth City, NC as they take on MACU on Friday, December 6, 2019 at 6:00 PM.

Tigers drop match against Marymount

Arlington, Va- Trinity Washington University’s soccer team traveled to Marymount University on Saturday morning, October 26th, falling 7-0.

Marymount found the back of the goal very early, scoring the first goal within the sixth minute mark. This was the first of the early and often 4 goals scored by Marymount, going into the break with a score 0f 4-0.

The second half mirrored the first in that the Tigers were not able to match Marymount defensively, allowing 3 more goals to be scored. The Saints capped the game with a score of 7-0.

Sophomore, Emily Andino, played the entire 90 minutes and had 21 saves for the Tigers.

Trinity will travel to Mary Baldwin University on Wednesday, October 30th to round up their season. Start time is 11:30 AM.

Tigers fall to Gallaudet on Senior Night

Head Coach, Jason Gross and senior, Vanessa Ramirez

Washington, DC – The Trinity Washington University soccer team hosted Gallaudet University on Thursday, October 24th, a postponed game from October 22nd due to weather. The Tigers fell, 7-0. The game was also the last home game as well as senior night, where the Trinity Tigers honored their lone senior, Vanessa Ramirez.

In honor of it being Ramirez’s last home game of her career, while injured, she was allowed to kick off, before subbing out of the game.

Gallaudet went on the offensive early with one shot in the first 10 minutes of play, but it was saved by goalie, Emily Andino, her first save of seven in only the first half. Shots by Brittany Smith, Ana Guervara, and Maribel Ramirez were also saved. Both teams held each other at bay into halftime with score of 0-0.

Gallaudet pressured the Tigers in the second half and went on the attack early, scoring their first goal at the 46.40 mark. They were met with a shot by Smith that was saved and returned with three more goals by Gallaudet capping the game with a score of 0-4.

Sophomore, Emily Andino, played all 90 minutes for the Tigers, making 9 saves.

Trinity will travel to Marymount University on October 26, 2019 for their next game.

The Three Seniors are Honored at the Dig Pink Senior Night.

“I’m not crying you are,” has been a common thread in pop culture this year. You may have said it a few times, during the Tigers volleyball senior night on October 16th, 2019. Trinity Athletics honored our three seniors and pivotal players on the volleyball team, senior captain, Kenna Brooks, Naysha Carasquillo, and Alyssa King.

The three ladies were given a few heart-felt words on behalf of head coach, Shinicka Spears, and the Trinity athletic staff before the start of their game.

Naysha Carrasquillo (far left) has been a pivotal player for the Tigers, being able to play any position on the court. Carrasquillo has been a member of the volleyball program for two seasons. She is the President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and a Dean’s List inductee. After graduating in 2020 with her bachelor’s in criminal justice, Carrasquillo plans to serve as a police officer for the Metropolitan Police Department. Carrasquillo finished the 2019-20 season with 15 kills, 59 digs, 4 blocks, and a team leading, 30 service aces.

Alyssa King (middle), the primary setter for the Tigers has been an asset to the program as well. King has been a member of the Tigers volleyball program for 2 seasons. She is also a valuable member of the basketball team at Trinity. In 2020, King will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in General Studies from Trinity. After, she will pursue a master’s degree in social work and occupational therapy. King finished the 2019-20 season with 7 kills, 8 aces, 36 digs, and a team-lead of 55 assists.

Kenna Brooks (far right), captain, has been a valuable player of the Tiger volleyball program her entire four years at Trinity. Brooks is also the Vice President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and the former mascot for Trinity Athletics. After graduating in 2020, Brooks plans to embark upon a career in the FBI or Military. Brooks led the Trinity Tigers in kills (53), digs (94), and blocks (11) for the 2019-20 season.

We would like to thank our seniors for their dedication and hard work over the years. Go Tigers!!!

The Tigers Record First Win of the Season Against Central Penn.

On October 17th, the Tigers defeated Central Penn 5-1, and both teams supported to fight against breast cancer in their pink jerseys.

Here’s a look inside the numbers:

The Tigers started early, with freshman, Maribel Ramirez scoring the first goal within five minutes of the first half. Central Penn tried to respond right away, but nationally ranked goalie, Emily Andino, saved both attempts. Freshman striker, Brittany Smith then scored for the Tigers, increasing the lead to 2-0 over Central Penn. Mari Ramirez wasn’t too far behind with yet another goal scored, 3-0, but was quickly answered with a goal scored by Central Penn, 3-1, just before the half ended.

The second half on the pitch was a complete shutdown by the Tigers with them allowing no goals and Emily Andino having 4 saves. In the last 15 minutes Ramirez scored her 3rd goal, and Nikolay Mckennis also got a goal in, finishing off their Central Penn defeat with a score of 5-1.

We caught up with freshman, Maribel Ramirez, who finished the game with 3 goals, after the game. Here’s what she had to say:

Trinity Athletics What was your mindset coming into this game?

Maribel Ramirez I have to get to the ball! That was my mindset. I knew it was a winnable game, so I had to run and be first [to the ball].

TA How did getting your first win feel?

MR Honestly it felt GREAT! It’s an incredible sensation when you realize WE WON! The hard work pays off. I felt amazing.

TA What did you all do differently that may have put you all in a better position during the game?

MR We, as a team, came together as family on the field which put us in a better position when it came to communication and getting things done together. We came into the game, [saying] “this is a winnable game, we have to get it, it’s ours!”

TA What did you execute to score those 3 goals for your team?

MR Personally, in this game I was put as a winger, so I feel that that gave us an advantage, having some speed at the top of the field to lead the ball up and give the rest of the team time to close in to our opponent which led us to score and get our first W.

TA What should be the focus to win your next game?

MR We just need to come up with the same positive attitude and determination as we did with Central Penn!

The Tigers play their final home game against Gallaudet on October 24th, 2019 at 4:45 for senior night at the Trinity Soccer field.

Soccer Falls to Mary Baldwin but Ties with Sweet Briar.

Earlier this week, the Tigers did not get the victory against Mary Baldwin, falling 0–5. On October 14, 2019, the Tigers returned to the pitch with a vengeance against Sweet Briar. Going scoreless in the first half of the game, the Tigers trailed Sweet Briar by one goal, 0- 1. In the second half, freshman, Nikolay Mckennis scored for the Tigers, and recorded her second goal of the season. The game then went into double overtime.

Senior, Vanessa Ramirez, said that the focus was to attack and set their strikers up for a goal. Before the game, she says that the energy was positive, and that “we had time to relax and bond as a team. We were energized and ready to go and everyone was hungry to get our first win.”  

Ramirez also said that their change in formation may be their secret key to more success: “That formation change really helped us and everyone fought harder.”

Neither of the two teams were letting up in overtime; goalie, Emily Andino, had 2 saves for the Tigers in overtime, and 9 saves throughout the entire game. The Tigers ended the game with a tied score of 1-1. On October 17, 2019 at 4:30 PM, the Tigers will play they’re Kickin’ it for Cancer game at home against Central Penn at 4:30.

“We didn’t get the win, but this definitely made us hungry,” says lone senior, Vanessa Ramirez.

Volleyball Records Their First Win of the Season Against Medgar Evers!

The Tigers volleyball team served as the highlight of the week after winning their first match of the season with a three-set sweep over Medgar Evers college on 10/09/19: 25-18, 25-20, 25-18. Both Davia Cain, freshman, and Naysha Carasquillo, senior who also leads the team in aces, scored eight points each for the Tigers in service aces. Senior, Alyssa King was also a key component in the esteemed victory with her 12 digs, 4 assists, 1 kill, and 1 ace. Team captain and senior, Kenna Brooks lead her team to victory with 6 kills, 1 ace, 16 digs, and 2 blocks to further her team lead in blocks, kills, and digs.

Brooks did not only lead her team statistically, but as captain she felt a responsibility to embody the role as a leader both mentally and emotionally for her teammates: “They look to me for guidance and support; whether it be to help fix mistakes or to commend them on a good hustle [for the ball]. All I care about is the hustle and giving our all on the court whether we win or lose.”

At their games, during many “Ball’s up!” and “Mine!” and the cheers of the fans, you may hear   a few of the ladies’ yell “CHP!” from the bench or in a team huddle

This win was primarily due to those three, seemingly, ordinary words, but they mean everything to Tiger Volleyball: “CHP,” Brooks said, “means communication, hustle, and positivity.”

Brooks says that head coach, Shinicka Spears, has instilled in them, “hustling the entire time, communication being key, and being accountable for each other’s mistakes while keeping the energy up.”

 

Trinity Takes Tough Loss to Notre Dame of Maryland, 0-4.

WAHINGTON, DC— On Saturday, September 7, 2019, despite a great effort, the Trinity Washington University Tigers (0-4) fell to the undefeated, Notre Dame of Maryland Gators (4-0).

What happened: In just over the first 20 minutes of the game, both the Tigers and the Gators were playing excellent defense on the pitch with Tigers Senior, Vanessa Ramiriez, having five saves in the first half alone. It wasn’t until the 28-minute mark that the Gators decided to set a new tone. Gator, Kayla Grube scored the first of four goals in their spree to pull away from the Tigers, who only took one shot in the first half that was slightly off target.

With the second half greatly resembling the first, the Tigers were unable to answer to the Gators. On the defensive side, Ramiriez picked up another 3 saves which was overall, twice as much as the number of saves racked up by Notre Dame. Although the tigers did not score, they increased their shots by two in the second half.

Up Next: The Tigers will have a week of practices and recovery with their game against Central Penn College being postponed, and they will look to take them on Saturday, September 14, 2019 at Adams-Ricci Park.

Tiger Pride!

 

Things are Looking Up in the Midst of Tigers Fall to The Christendom Crusaders

WASHINGTON, DC — Despite having more saves, the Tigers fell to the Christendom Crusaders on the cloudy evening of September 5th with a score of 7-1.

Here’s what happened: In the first three minutes of the first half, the Crusaders set the tone with freshman, Christine McLaughlin scoring her first goal of four.

The pace picked up on the pitch as they neared the end of the first quarter: Luring the Crusaders goalie out of her box, the Tigers got within striking distance, and freshman forward, Brittany Smith, scored her first goal of the season for the Tigers. The Crusaders quickly responded with another goal scored by McLaughlin within the next minute, breaking the short-lived tie between the two teams. This was followed by two more goals scored by the Crusaders. Goalie, Vanessa Ramirez, had five saves and was assisted by defenders Kylie Kemp, Andrea Golli, Abigail Castro Castillo, and Nikolay McKennis in holding the Crusaders to four goals in the first half.

The Tigers, while taking 5 shots, went scoreless in the second half. Goalie, Kiera Thomas, only allowed three goals in the second half, while she had four saves, closing the game out with a score of 7-1.

While the Tigers suffered a loss, they chose to focus on the positive. The ladies have already begun to rewrite history for Trinity Women’s soccer by scoring their first goal in two years.

“I’m excited! I had no idea that we were even on a streak of no goals,” freshman, forward, Smith humbly stated after receiving several “Good job, Brittany (s)!” from her fellow teammates after the game.

And with a long season ahead, Head Coach, Jason Gross, expects huge improvements from his very young team with over half of the women being freshmen. “This is the first year that we’ve had a recruiting class, so we came into this season with an understanding that we’re rebuilding. We understand that it’s going to be an uphill battle,” Coach Gross confidently states. Coach Gross looks to improve each player individually, many of whom have never played soccer in the collegiate circuit, with the goal of collectively becoming a better team.

With the Tigers taking on the Notre Dame of Maryland University on September 7, 2019, Coach Gross says that “offensively, we have to play to our strengths. When we play closer together, we are a better squad, so keeping possession is critical,” when asked what the key focus points are to secure a win.

Come out and support your Tigers as they take on Notre Dame of Maryland at the Trinity Soccer Field on Saturday, September 7, 2019. Can’t make it?  The Tigers will also have another home game on Monday, September 9, 2019 against Central Penn College.

Tiger Pride!