11-18-09

www.stmurattlernews.com

CalendarMen’s Basketball:11/18 at Midwestern State 7 p.m.11/21 Southwestern College 12 p.m.11/24 Texas A&M - Kingsville 7:30 p.m.11/27 Texas A&M - Commerce 7:30 p.m.11/28 Midwestern State 7:30 p.m. 12/01 Huston-Tillotson 7:30 p.m.12/05 at Texas A&M - Kingsville 4 p.m.

Women’s Basketball:11/20 Northeastern State 7 p.m.11/21 Southeaster Okla. State 4 p.m. 11/24 Arkansas -Monticello 5:30 p.m. 11/27 at West Texas A&M 6 p.m.11/27 Angelo State 2 p.m. 12/01 Our Lady of the Lake 5:30 p.m. 12/05 Ouachita Baptist 7:30 p.m.11/27 Arkansas-Monticello 12 p.m.

Home Games in Bold

Sports Around the WorldSoccer:Diego Maradona appeared in front of a disciplinary committee for his outburst at Argentina’s victory against Uruguay last month. The outburst, which aired on a live TV broadcast, has resulted in his two-month ban from FIFA.

Source: www.espn.go.com

New Zealand, Cameroon and Nigeria qualify for the 2010 World Cup which will take place in South Africa. It is New Zealand’s first time to qualify since 1982 and this will be Cameroon’s sixth time to qualify.

Source: news.yahoo.com

Baseball:35-year-old, Matsui Hideki, former MVP of the World Series, may be playing for another team in 2010. Matsui claims “On the other hand it’s something to look forward to. It means that it’s going to be a new change and something different for me, a new challenge.”

Source: mlb.mlb.com

Basketball:One of basketball’s legendary players, 62-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabar has recently revealed that he is battling a rare form of leukemia. The all-time leading scorer in the NBA, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia last December but he maintains that his progress is going well.

Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Olympics:Caster Semenya, the biggest story in recent gender controversy, will find out on Nov. 20 if she will be able to continue competing as a woman. Semenya’s gender has been under dispute since before the World Championships. The possible outcomes include that she may no longer compete at all, she may have to undergo surgery or she will be cleared to compete again.

British long jumper Jade Johnson’s presence in next season’s Olympics may be questionable since the 29-year-old injured her knee on “Strictly Come Dancing”, the UK version of “Dancing with the Stars”.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Highlight Reel

The men’s basketball team won against St. Thomas with a final score of 74-65. It was the Rattler’s first game of the season.

Women’s Soccer Men’s Soccer Volleyball

Game Results

Nov. 7: St. Edward’s LOSS score: 0-3 [4-14-1]

Nov. 6: *St. Edward’sLOSS score: 1-2 [5-11-1]Nov. 8: *Incarnate Word LOSS score: 1-4 [5-12-1]

Nov. 5: at St. Edward’sWIN score: [7-20]Nov. 7: at Texas A&M - Int. LOSS score: 1-3 [7-22]

SportsThe Rattler22

Men’s soccer team reaches full time

After a heartbreaking loss to Eastern New Mexico University, the men’s soccer team advanced two games closer to the end of the season.

One out of the two games was against cross-town rivals University of the Incarnate Word. After a devastating 4-0 loss in the previous match, the Rattlers had more than just a win to play for. Going into the game, senior captain Adam Villanueva was determined to win

at home. “I had a lot to play for the first time,

but now its revenge, it’s determination, it’s pride,” Villanueva said.

This time around, the Rattlers would be playing alongside with returning midfielder Joe Diaz. Diaz said he was excited about being back.

“It was frustrating not being able to help my team out in the last game. I expect to win. I expect it to be really tough; I expect it to be a battle,” Diaz said.

At the start of the game, the Rattlers were performing completely different

from when they played UIW at home. They played with confidence and challenged every ball. The game was physical; it was fast-paced, and nothing short of a rivalry game. Both teams had chances in the first half, but the game was scoreless at halftime. Going into the second half, St. Mary’s looked to possess the ball and capitalize on the missed chances from the first half.

However, the game took a turn for the worse when UIW scored the first goal of the game in the fifty-ninth minute. After the goal, it continued to get worse.

Defender Daniel Sanguineti and midfielder Aaron Strother were issued red cards within five minutes of each other. St. Mary’s was left with nine men for the last twenty minutes of the game.

The Rattlers continued to play with heart and it paid off. In the seventy-second minute, St. Mary’s leveled up the scoring and lifted the spirits of the players with an amazing free kick from Villanueva. Even so, being down two players proved to be too much when UIW went ahead with a goal in the seventy-sixth minute.

St. Mary’s proved that they can challenge any team when they set their mind to it. The Rattlers rounded out their season two days later against St. Edward’s with a disappointing 4-1 loss.

St. Mary’s finishes with a 5-12-1 record. The Rattlers only lose four from their roster and still have promising talent with the underclassmen ranks. Next year’s season should not only prove exciting, but impressive.

By Daniel AguilarStaff Writer

The first game for the Rat-tlers women’s soccer team in the St. Mary’s Invitational looked to be a tough test.

First up was University of Central Oklahoma. Coming off of a three game win streak, UCO looked in-form and up to the task. The Rattlers, without a single season win, looked to start out strong in their open-ing match.

”Initially we wanted to look to posses the ball and get be-hind defensively,” said coach Corwin Ritch about his strat-egy to win. During the first 10 to 15 minutes, St. Mary’s did just that. The Rattlers dic-tated the pace of the game and kept possession. Their tactics seemed to frustrate UCO’s

players, forcing them out of their element.

Despite having a shot on goal early in the game from freshman Annia Olivares, St. Mary’s could not capitalize on their chances. Close to the 20 minute mark, St. Mary’s start-ed to play as if they took their foot off the gas pedal. UCO took their chances with a loose ball around the penalty area and opened up the scoring in the nineteenth minute.

The Rattlers continued to create chances with movement on the outside-wings and at-tempting to throw balls to forwards Carolina Hernandez and Melinda Gentry, but could not crack UCO’s defense. Af-ter almost 20 minutes of St. Mary’s strong backline keep-ing the opposition at bay, UCO

added to their tally with a goal in the forty-first minute, right before the half. Going into halftime, St. Mary’s had their work cut out for them.

But it was not all bad news for the Rattlers. They had al-ready proven the ability to control the game. The backline looked strong and capable of contributing to possession and making plays into the mid-field. The only thing left to do for the team was to come out the same way they started.

In the fifty-seventh minute UCO put in another goal. Af-ter the third goal, UCO outshot the Rattlers 5-1. The game end-ed in a 0-4 loss for the Rattlers; they were outshot 13-4.

Although the end results were disappointing, there are still good things to be taken

away from this game. When asked what the girls needed to improve on, Ritch said that it is important that the team stays consistent in their aggression and confidence throughout the game.

“You can’t let up,once you have someone against the ropes you have to finish them off. When our aggression is high, when our possession is high, and our confidence is high we need to keep it there. And when we have a team down, we need to keep them down.”

It is obvious that the Rat-tlers have what it takes to compete with whatever com-petition is thrown their way. The only thing the team seems to lack is the ability to bounce back from an early setback.

By Daniel AguilarStaff Writer

Women’s soccer team still looking for first win

Senior goalkeeper Brett Collier denies a goal against St. Edward’s, but the Rattlers were still unable to beat them. Photo by Analicia Perez

The Rattler23 11-18-09

www.stmurattlernews.com

Sports

Outdoor Cornerby Chris Filoteo

November brings a change of weather along with col-ored foliage, yet for others this month brings in one more fac-tor ─ hunting for whitetail deer.

Many different hunters have their own methods in the field, but everybody starts the season at the same level. The whitetail deer season opened Nov. 7 throughout the state and people flocked to head to the field in order to find that trophy deer.

Every hunter has his/her own definition of a “trophy” buck. I think if the hunter is pleased with their choice of a deer, then it is the hunter’s deci-sion to catch the buck that mat-ters. It shouldn’t matter how big the antlers are, or how old the deer is, what is important is how the hunter feels about the animal, the potential catch and the story behind the hunt.

After all, I believe the most important thing about spend-ing time outdoors are the sto-ries and time spent with family and friends.

Rattler Madness kicks off basketball season

Rattler Madness kicked off the basketball season with a bang on Nov. 11 at the Alumni

Athletics and Convocation Center. In previous years, the Student Government

Association held an event called Midnight Madness. This year, University Programming Council and SGA collaborated and organized

the new Rattler Madness. The fun-filled event was crammed with spirited students ready to cheer on their school and hype up the basketball players for a game winning season. An estimated 1500 students and staff attended the gym to pump up the basketball players.

At the event, students could participate in races which the crowd was prepared to participate in. Other activities took place and those who competed in the games were eligible to win prizes. Prizes including restaurant gift cards, bookstore credits and Oyster Bake Tickets were given away to the winners of the races. In addition, the first 300 people to get into the pep rally received a free t-shirt.

The Registered Student Organization office sponsored a ‘dance down’ dance competition. The battle was between the Black Student Union and the Delta Zeta sorority. Both organizations gave it their all while BSU hyped up the crowd with songs like ‘Stanky Leg’ and ‘You’re a Jerk.’ Delta Zeta danced to ‘Barbie Girl’ while resembling Barbie dolls on the basketball court complete with high heels and smiles. BSU danced their way to a win against Delta Zeta.

Senior political science major Tania Ramirez, president of SGA, assisted with providing information on Rattler Madness. It takes a lot of effort from many different people to put together Rattler Madness, Ramirez said.

“In collaboration with UPC and different departments on campus, it took a lot of dedication and money as well as time and energy,” Ramirez said.

By Pamela AlvaradoContributing Writer

A “mecca for burger lovers.”

1900 Blanco Road Phone: (210) 735-3552 www.chrismadrids.com

Activities at Rattler Madness, held by the University Programming Council and Student Govern-ment Association, included a dance contest and money grab. Photo by Davilin Hamel

START OF A NEW SEASON11-18-09

www.stmurattlernews.com

Sports The Rattler 24TH

EHOTSEAT

Photo by Analicia Perez

Featuring: Kevin KotzurSport: Men’s BasketballPosition: CenterClassification: SophomoreMajor: Exercise and Sports Science

How long have you been playing basketball?

“[I have been playing basketball] since I was three.”

What sparked your interest in this sport?

“I like the competition and the chance to compete and win.”

What do you think is the most challenging aspect of this sport?

“Probably everyone working as a team. If we do not work together we cannot win.”

What is the best advice anyone ever gave you about basketball?

“Keep working and play hard.”

What are your personal career goals for the future?

“I want to become a basketball coach.” The 6’8’’ La Vernia, TX, native is a freshman team member and helped the Rattlers score a winning game this Sunday, Nov. 15, against St. Thomas University.

Compiled by Denice Hernandez

As another men’s basketball season begins, sophomore Aaron Thomas is mesmerized by his teammates’ abilities.

“Everyone has the potential to be a break-through player,” exclaimed Thomas. Everyone does, including the 6-foot-4inch guard him-self, who played 24 games last season along-side stars Nick Morey, Ronald Tata and Mar-lon Smith.

This season, the team has undergone a sig-nificant facelift. Morey and Tata graduated and Smith transferred, which left the Rattlers searching to fill their shoes over the offseason. They acquired freshmen guards David Clark and Keith Hartle from San Antonio area high schools, and added forwards sophomore Jer-emy Fontenaux, junior Jonathon Murphy and junior Gordon Ward as transfers. Thomas is impressed with the adaptability of these new teammates.

“All of the new guys are fitting in well,” Thomas said “and as the season progresses they will continue growing and learning. They will all make great contributions to the team.”

Fontenaux, a McDonald’s All-American from DeSoto, Texas, transferred from Mc-Clennan College. He is enjoying his stay at St. Mary’s and hopes his defensive prowess, rebounding and shot blocking ability will ben-efit the team. For Fontenaux, a 6-foot-7-inch forward, the Rattlers have an atmosphere dif-ferent than other teams he has contributed to:

“In the past I played on teams where play-ers sometimes played outside their role” said

Fontenaux, “I don’t think we will have that problem on this team. We have the opportu-nity to do something really special this year.”

Many players have returned as well. For-wards freshman Kevin Kotzur, freshman Brad Hubenak and freshman guard John Roberts were all red-shirts last season and saw no ac-tion. But according to Coach Zeleznak, that decision “will play dividends in the years to come” since these players now have one year of experience with three more to go.

Zeleznak praised Kotzur and Hubenak on their development, explaining that last season, despite their absences; they were probably the second and third best post players on the team by the year’s end. And that’s not to discount Roberts, whose efforts “pleasantly surprised” the coach after the team’s exhibition in Tulsa.

Of the remaining players, 6-foot-11-inch se-nior Center Luiz Moreira of Brazil has the most experience with the team, having red-shirted the 2008 Heartland Conference Championship season. No other player has more than one year of experience with St. Mary’s.

Standing at 6-feet-2-inches is guard senior Darren Lee, a cousin of Dallas Mavericks for-ward Shawn Marion, and he is expected to el-evate his output from last season, as is point guard senior Curtis Mitchell whose scoring explosion from the last 15 games of the 2009 season earned him a spot on the All-Heartland Conference team.

For Zeleznak, the key to success lies with the team’s work ethic, which at the moment he maintains, is “good.” But the coach intends to keep working. In practice, he has tediously worked with the players to compose countless

lineups in an effort to mesh the players. His efforts seem to have affected his play-

er’s outlook. Thomas put the team’s capacity for success in similar terms.

“There is no limit to what [we] can do; we just have to be ready to play,” Thomas said.

By Chris ChildreeSenior Staff Writer

Forward Brad Hubenak tries to clear a path for guard Darren Lee in the team’s first game of the season against St. Thomas University. Photo by Analicia Perez

Forward Jeremy Fonteneaux goes for a two-point shot. The Rattlers won the game against St. Edwards with a final score of 74-65. Photo by Analicia Perez