Lakeland Community College 3    Notre Dame College 0
     The wind and the cold of the Lakers’ final regular season contest was hardly a deterrent as the home team took the contest from Notre Dame College by a 3-0 score.
     It was a physical game with no scoring threats in the early going.  In the tenth minute goalie John DiAntonio made a save, diving to his right, off of a Notre Dame free kick.
     The Falcons had another free kick in the twentieth minute, which DiAntonio saved off a Notre Dame player’s header.
     The action picked up after that with Tristan Watson scoring off a Kwesi Peterson assist.  The Lakers settled into their game at that point, with Peterson getting a solid shot off a Tryston Mahoney cross pass; however, it failed to hit its mark.
     The Lakers mounted a solid drive with Peterson, Watson, Damir Kuduzovic and Mario Pudja moving the ball down the field.  Although the Lakers failed to score, they were gaining momentum.
     Aldo Maiorano had a solid clear on a Notre Dame free kick in the 36^th minute.  Lakeland continued to get more shots on goal than their opponent, but failed to get in the back of the net.
     In the 41^st minute, the Falcon goalie had a nice save, punching Tim Scott’s shot over the crossbar.
     The Falcons came out a bit stronger in the second half, but still had problems getting off a solid shot. 
     In the 23^rd minute, the Lakers failed to score off a free kick that featured a shot by Manuel Conde, off a Miroslav Pezer assist.  In minute 38, Conde made a pass to Miro Pezer that finally hit home.
     The weather caused the game to be called with about seven minutes left; however, not before Peterson scored off a De-Angelo Anderson assist.
     This 3-0 victory is a great lead-in to this weekend’s regional tournament in University Center, Michigan.  The Lakers play Macomb Community College in the opening round at noon this Saturday.  The game is a rematch of the Lakers’ season opener, which was at a tournament on the same field.  That contest ended in a 2-2 tie.
     The winner will advance to the championship game on Sunday at noon.     

NJCAA Names Kwesi Peterson Player of the Week
     Kwesi Peterson is a central defender who is the Lakers’ leading scorer.  He is a strong team leader and verbally directs both the offense and defense.  “Kwesi is frequently playing hurt,” says coach Djuro Peric, “but when he is out there, everyone plays better.  As long as Kwesi is on the field, we have a chance to win.”
     On Saturday, October 18, Lakeland clinched the OCCAC title when Peterson scored with less than two minutes left in the game.  Earlier that week, in an independent contest against Mercyhurst NE, he tallied an goal and an assist in the Lakers' 6-1 victory.

October 22, 2008
Lakeland Community College 1   Owens Community College 0
     The Lakers wrapped up their conference schedule with a home victory over Owens Community College.  Kwesi Peterson scored the loan goal off a Manuel Conde assist.  John DiAntonio had four saves in goal for the Lakers.
     The Lakers final post season tune-up will take place at home on Tuesday, October 28, at 4 p.m. against Notre Dame College.
     On Novemer 1, the Lakers will play in the Regional Tournament in University Center, Michigan. Their opponent in the noon contest will be Macomb Community College.  Lakeland and Macomb played to a 2-2 tie in the Lakers' first match of the season, back in August.  The winner will advance to the championship game, to be played at noon on Sunday, November 2.
 
October 18, 2008
Lakeland Community College 2   Cincinnati Community College 1
     The Lakers remain undefeated in OCCAC play and clinched the league championship on Saturday with a solid win over Cincinnati Community College.
     Tim Scott scored on an assist from Mario Duvnjak and Kwesi Peterson scored on an assist from Nick Saintz.  John Di Antonio had seven saves in goal.
     At 4:00 on Wednesday, October 22, the Lakers will square off against the Express from Owens Community College.  The Express beat Delta College on Saturday by a score of 2-0, and enter the contest with a 2-2 record in OCCAC play.  The Lakers won the first match with Owens, back in September, by a 1-0 score.

October 15, 2008
Lakeland Community College 6   Mercyhurst NE 1
     The Lakers took control of this game early, moving the ball with ease and maintaining possession through most of the first half.
     Lakeland scored five goals in the first half, with Manuel Conde leading the charge with one goal and three assists.  Conde’s assists led to goals by Mario Duvnjak, Tristan Watson and Aldo Maiorano.

      Goalie John DiAntonio notched his second assist of the season when Kwesi Peterson scored, and Peterson also had an assist on a Tim Scott tally.
     The Lakers dropped into low gear in the second half, but Conde scored the team’s sixth goal on an assist from Watson.  DiAntonio had six saves for the afternoon.
     This Saturday, October 18, the Lakers host Cincinnati State at 2:30.  With a win or tie, Lakeland will clinch the OCCAC title.  The Surge from Cincinnati were the 2007 league champs, while Lakeland held the title in 2006.

October 10, 2008
Lakeland Community College 1    Schoolcraft Community College 2

     Lakeland controlled the first half and Mario Duvnjak scored after a missed free kick and a quick assist by Mario Pudja at the 15 minute mark.  Duvnjak had another opportunity shortly thereafter, but the shot went off the crossbar.

     Schoolcraft came out strong after the half and scored their first goal seven minutes in when Hunter Robinson scored off a header assist from Bim Ogunyemi.

     Schoolcraft took control of the last 15 minutes of the game, as the Lakers were plagued by injuries and fouls.  Younan Samra scored in the 87^th minute after a scramble in front of the Lakeland goal.

     Lakeland had its opportunity late in the game, but the shot went wide of the goalpost.

     The Lakers may have another opportunity to knock off Schoolcraft in regional tournament activity the first weekend in November, as both teams have qualified for post season play.

October 8, 2008
Manuel Conde was named OCCAC Player of the week for his outstanding play in last weekend's tournament at Cuyahoga Community College.

October 4 and 5, 2008
Lakeland Community College 2  Monroe Community College 1
Lakeland Community College 0  Mercyhurst North-East 0   Double Overtime
       The Lakers won a weekend tournament at Cuyahoga Community College.
         In Saturday’s contest, Kwesi Peterson scored a penalty kick and assisted Miro Pezer on the team’s second goal.
         On Sunday, the Lakers played a tough defensive contest that ended in a scoreless tie after two overtimes.
         Goalie John DiAntonio had eight saves on Saturday, and had another four saves in the scoreless tie.
         Manuel Conde, John DiAntonio, Aldo Maiorano, Luke McCullagh and Pedro Ribeiro were all named to the All-Tournament Team.

 September 28, 2008 

Lakeland Community College 0   Notre Dame JV 1

          Lakeland suffered its first home field loss of this season against the JV team from Notre Dame College in South Euclid.  Lakeland dominated the game in shots on goal and time of possession, but could not overcome an early defensive miscue that led to Notre Dame’s only goal in the first half.

            John DiAntonio posted seven saves for the Lakers whose record falls to 5-3-2, but remains a strong 3-0 in conference play.

            The Lakers take the field again on Wednesday, October 1, at 4:30 at Cuyahoga Community College.

 

September 24, 2008

Lakeland Community College 1  Owens Community College 0

          The Lakers survived a grueling game in Toledo against conference foe Owens Community College, with a 1-0 victory.

            Owens dominated the first half with more shots on goal.  However, due to some outstanding saves by goalie John DiAntonio, the teams ended the first half deadlocked at zeroes.

            The Lakers did a better job of controlling the ball in the second half, and in the 81st minute Tryston Mahoney set up Kwesi Peterson for the goal.  The goal was the team’s fifth in conference play, and Peterson’s fourth conference goal.

            DiAntonio finished the game with eight saves.

            The Lakers improved to 3-0 in the OCCAC and 5-2-2 overall.

 

 

September 20, 2008

Lakeland Community College 2  Cincinnati State Community College 1

            The Lakers scored on a first half penalty kick and second half free kick to take a conference victory at Cincinnati State Community College.

            At 34 minutes in the first half, Manuel Conde was brought down from behind on a break away that resulted in a penalty kick.  Kwesi Peterson made the kick, putting the Lakers ahead 1-0 at the half.

            The Lakers controlled the ball in the second half, but left a player unmarked at the back post at 88:06 and he scored with a header, tying the game.

            With less than two minutes left in the game, the Lakers were awarded a free kick just outside the penalty box.  Peterson again made sure that the ball found its mark, and the Lakers held on for the 2-1 victory.

            Goalkeeper John DiAntonio returned from a six week injury lay-off and posted three outstanding saves, according to Coach Peric; and finished with six saves.

            Lakeland improved to 2-0 in OCCAC play and 4-2-2 overall.

 

Lakers Capture Invitational

            The men’s soccer team won the 36^th annual Lakeland Soccer Invitational Tournament, posting a 2-1 win over conference rival Cuyahoga Community College and a 3-1 victory against Illinois Central Community College.  This is the third year in a row that the Lakers have won this tournament.

            Five players were named to the All-Tournament team including: Damir Kudovic, Kwesi Peterson, Manuel Conde, Mario Pudja and Tryston Mahoney.  Mario Pudja was also voted the tournament’s best halfback, while Kwesi Peterson was named the tournament MVP.  The Lakers record improved to 3-2-2 (1-0).

 

Week of October 20, 2008
     Lakeland put in a solid effort, but dropped a contest with the perennial OCCAC championship and nationally ranked team from Owens Community College by scores of 25-27, 17-25 and 20-25.  Sonya Dominick and Melissa Eck led the charge with ten and eight kills respectively.
     Over the weekend Lakeland dropped their final two contests against Edison State Community College (25-20, 24-26, 25-19, 23-25 and 13-15) and Sinclair Community College (11-25, 25-23, 21-25 and 21-25).  However, Morena Zilic put in a solid performance with 20 kills and six blocks for the weekend.  Alexa Kendig contributed 16 kills, 25 digs and two blocks, while Karisca Chambers had 33 assists, 22 points and eight aces.

October 17 and 18, 2008
     The Lady Lakers split a pair this weekend, taking the home match against Notre Dame College by scores of 25-17, 25-18, 19-25, 25-22 and dropping an away contest at Hiram by scores of 25-23, 23-25, 21-25, 11-25.
     Against Notre Dame, Karisca Chambers had twenty assists, eight digs and tallied seventeen points, with three aces.  Amethyst Brigham chipped in eleven assists; Melissa Eck had thirteen kills and four blocks while Alexa Kendig and Sonya Dominick each had seven kills.
     In the Hiram contest Eck put down fifteen kills and had two blocks and Dominick chipped in with nine kills and a block.  Chambers had eight assists and ten points with three aces.
     Chambers had a strong week.  In three matches she had forty-two assists, two blocks, eight digs, thirty-seven points and eight aces.
     The Lady Lakers wrap up their schedule this week with three home conference matches.  They face first place Owens Community College on Wednesday at 5:00.  On Friday their 6:00 opponent is Edison Community College.  Edison is currently sitting directly in front of the Lakers in the league standings.  The final contest of the season takes place on Saturday at 11:00 against Sinclair Community College.

DIG PINK

     The Lakeland Community College Volley Ball Team is hosting a Dig Pink game against Notre Dame College on Friday, October 17, 2008 at 6 pm in the Athletic Fitness Center.

     Dig Pink is a benefit for Breast Cancer and is part of the Side-Out Foundation.

     The Side-Out Foundation will support health care professionals and researchers who help women and men with cancer maintain/regain control of their lives.  The goal is to improve awareness, education, detection, treatment, and help find a cure so as to enable them to live life to the fullest.

     The Lady Lakers are soliciting donations for this cause.  They have set a goal of $500.

     To help support the Lady Lakers, either give a check to assistant coach Jessica Van Horn or go to the following website to make your donation.  http://www.sideoutvolleyball.org/mainevent/minievent/LakelandCommuni/

     Everyone who attends this game is encouraged to wear pink in support of breast cancer awareness.

October 15, 2008
     Lakeland Community College downed the team from Cuyahoga Community College on Wednesday by scores of 25-12, 25-10 and 25-17.
     It has been quite a week for the Lakers as they took two of their last three matches.
     Melissa Eck and Sonya Dominick led the charge with seven and nine kills respectively.  They served a combined eighteen points, and Eck had four aces and Dominick three.  Defensively, Eck had ten digs and Dominick nine.
     Karisca Chambers and Amethyst Brigham set things up well, with fourteen and seven assists respectively.

October 15, 2008
     Today Sonya Dominick was named Player of the Week by the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference.
     Lakeland Community College is only the second OCCAC team to have two players awarded this honor this season.  Teammate Melissa Eck received the honor on September 15.
     Sonya is the daughter of Gregg and Stephanie Dominick and played her high school ball at Geneva High School where she was her team’s MVP.
     Last week Sonya put up some pretty impressive numbers.
     Against Lorain Community College she had fourteen kills, served up three points and had two aces.  On the defensive end she had twenty-two digs and four blocks.
     Against a strong Columbus State Community College team, which is currently in second place in the OCCAC, Dominick continued her strong performance.  She had seven kills, with a 23.5% kill efficiency.  She also had four service points and seventeen digs.

October 1, 2008
     The Lakers swept the Lady Challengers of Cuyahoga Community College in three games at home by scores of 25-16, 25-9 and 25-15.
     The visitors came out strong, jumping out to a 10-5 lead in the first game. 
     The Lakers gained some momentum when Alexa Kendig stepped to the service line and the home team picked up four points to pull within one.  The Lakers took the lead for good when the team scored six points with Melissa Eck at the line to pull it out to 15-10.
     The Lakers found their rhythm at that point and played a steady match to the 25-16 final.
     In the second game the Lakers came out strong and pulled out to a 12-2 lead, on the strength of the serving of Alexis Young.  The Lakers put eleven points on the board when Young was at the line.
     The game lasted only one rotation.  When lead server Karisca Chambers returned to the line, with the score at 21-9, the Lady Challengers were done. 
     The Lakers took the next three rallies, and the game ended when the Tri-C squad was unable to return Chambers’ final serve.
     The Lady Challengers came out strong in the third game, and the score was tied at 8-8 before the Lakers ran off six straight points to pull out to a 14-8 lead on Sonya Dominick’s serve.
     As the Lakers regained momentum, more rallies went their way until they took the game to 23-15 on a strong dig by Young and yet another kill by Eck.
     Tri-C hit the ball into the net to make it 24-15 and the match was clinched on a final ace served by Dominick.
     For the match, Young was strong at the service line, including three aces; she also had six digs and 15 points.  Eck was strong at the net with seven kills and three blocks.  Eck also served up two aces and had eight digs.
     Chambers had twelve assists for the night and Kendig and Dominick had six and four kills respectively.
     The Lakers’ record moves to 11-15 overall, and 2-2 in the conference.  The team takes to the road for six straight conference battles.  They will be at Sinclair Community College on Friday, October 3 and Edison Community College on Saturday, October 4.
     The Lakers’ next home contest is an independent match against Notre Dame College, of South Euclid, at 6 p.m. on Friday, October 17.

SubRegional Baseball Tournament Final Recap 
     It is tough to pick the most interesting aspect of this weekend’s SubRegional Tournament.  Was it the dominate performances of Vincennes’ pitching staff?  The surprising elimination of nationally ranked Owens Community College?  Or the solid performance of the host Lakers and their right fielder Brian Laznik?
     Tournament action was delayed one hour as the Lakeland grounds crew worked to repair the damage done by the previous day’s rain.  Action finally got under way at 10:30 a.m. under threatening skies.
    The host Lakers (2-25) took on the Vincennes Blazers (26-11) in the opener that was won by Vincennes 6-0.  The Blazers Michael Son, gave up his only hit of the game in the first inning, a double to Brian Laznik.  He then went on to strike out thirteen.
     Cuyahoga Community College stopped an Owens Community College seventh inning rally to hold on for a 5-4 victory in their first round game.  Owens had been ranked as high as seventh in the national polls and had a 10-2 record in the OCCAC and were 34-10 overall.  Tri-C was 1-9 in the OCCAC and 5-26 overall.
     Second baseman Garrett Mayers hit a three run homer in the bottom of the fourth to stake the Challengers to a 4-0 lead.  CCC pitcher Alex Smith walked two in the bottom of the fourth and Owens’ Brian Shafer advanced both on a sacrifice bunt.  A run scored on a ground out to the second baseman and another on a Jared Gibbons’ double.
     Owens’ Shafer reached on a sixth inning triple and scored on an error by the Tri-C shortstop.  Owens’ right fielder Casey Winckowski led off the seventh with a walk and advanced on an error by the center fielder.  Winckowski scored on a Josh Newman sacrifice fly to center.  Smith walked catcher Adam Brentlinger to set up a potential come-from-behind victory; however, Smith struck the next batter for the final out.
     The Owens’ Express was forced back on the field for the loser’s bracket showdown with the Lakers.  It was a scoreless game into the fifth inning when left fielder Tim Decant reached on an error by shortstop John Durastante; however, Decant was thrown out trying to score on Bryan Daniel’s double to right field.  Daniel later scored on a single by Joe Engle to make it a 1-0 ballgame.
     The Express tacked on two more runs in the top of the seventh on a Winckowski home run to make it 3-0.
     Durastante led off the Lakers’ half of the final inning with a single and moved to third on a Dan Sherrick double.  Durastante scored on a Shawn Pelo ground out and Sherrick scored on a Michael Rivera ground out.
     The Lakers were down to their final out when Adrian Kaplan reached on a base hit, setting the stage for the Lakers’ leading hitter.  Brian Laznik did not disappoint.  He parked one over the fence for the walk-off home run that sent the Owens Express packing.
     Mike Heus was the winning pitcher for the Lakers.
     In the winner’s bracket final, Vincennes’ Cy Fraker gave up a two run home run in the first to Jeremy Rowerstein, but then settled in for twelve strike-outs to carry Vincennes to the 8-3 victory over Cuyahoga Community College.
     In the semi-final game, Cuyahoga Community College held a 4-3 lead against the Lakers going into the bottom of the seventh when their pitcher walked the bases loaded and Brayan Cacique hit a ground ball through the left side to tie the game. 
     CCC pulled ahead in the ninth on a Travis Danner home run, but Rivera reached on an error and Laznik hit a double off CCC reliever Danner.  Cacique followed that with a double, scoring Rivera and Laznik, to clinch the game 6-5.  Tim McConnoughy was the Lakers’ winning pitcher.
     Vincennes deep pitching staff was too much for the Lakers’ injury-depleted staff, and Lakeland dropped the championship game 12-2.
     Right fielder Brian Laznik came in to pitch five and third innings of relief.  He finished the tournament with a .500 average, three home runs (including a walk-off), two doubles, three walks and four RBI.

March 25, 2009
     Conference Carolinas has announced its All-Conference Academic Team for Spring 2009.  Student athletes must have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 to be named to the team.
     Congratulations to former Lakers Tom Oschip and Rick Deleandro for receiving this prestigious honor.  Oschip and Deleandro are members of the baseball team at Coker College.

     The basketball teams have concluded the independent portion of their schedules and are beginning league competition.  The Ohio Community College Athletic Conference schedule is demanding; however, Lakeland’s two basketball coaches felt that their independent games would prepare their teams for the rigors of league competition.
     The men’s team finished their independent slate at 7-9.  The Lakers are young, entering league competition with a squad comprised of all freshmen.
     The OCCAC men’s pre-season favorite is Columbus State CC, whose independent record is 13-1.  The Cougars have been ranked second in the NJCAA Division II poll for two weeks.  Another team expected to do well in conference competition is Sinclair CC, who is 11-3 going into league play, and has received some votes in the polls.
     The Lakers will host Columbus State on Saturday, January 31, at 3 p.m. and Sinclair the following week on February 7, also at 3 p.m.
     The Lakers women’s team wrapped up its independent schedule at 12-6, with three of those losses coming to squads ranked as Top Ten teams by the NJCAA.
     The OCCAC favorite on the women’s side is Cincinnati State Technical and Community College.  The Surge has spent three weeks in the number four spot on the NJCAA Top Ten list and enters league play at 10-3.  Another team to watch in league competition is Owens Community College.  The Express received notice in the NJCAA polls and finishes its independent slate at 9-6.
     The Lady Lakers travel to Cincinnati on Saturday, January 24 for their first meeting with the Surge and will host Owens on Wednesday, January 28 at 5:30.

     Some of the young Lakers have been getting noticed when traveling to early season tournaments.  Freshmen Nate Barnes, Louis Hinson and Aslea Williams each collected spots on all-tournament teams while traveling out of town early this season.
     Nate Barnes, a graduate of Villa Angela – St. Joseph High School has been lighting it up for the young Lakers.  Barnes spent most of the first half of the season ranked in the top ten of all NJCAA Div. II scorers, averaging over 20 points per game.
     Barnes was named to the all-tournament team at the Three Rivers Tournament in Poplar Bluff, Missouri earlier this season.  The prestigious tournament featured primarily NJCAA Div. I schools.
     He is no stranger to success, as his VA-SJ team made three trips to Columbus to play in the state semi-finals and finals.
     Barnes prides himself on being a solid student and a team leader.  He strives to make his teammates better.  He enjoys watching basketball and football, and his favorite junk food is Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
     Freshman Louis Hinson was a league rival of Barnes while in high school, but the two guards are now key contributors to the young Lakers.
     Hinson is a graduate of Cleveland Central Catholic High School, where he received a laundry list of conference, district and team honors.  He was named to the all-tournament team at the Genesee Tournament.
     Coming out of the team’s independent schedule, Hinson trailed only Barnes for team leader in points (11.3) assists (1.5) and steals (1.27) per game.
     Hinson’s favorite basketball team is Team USA 2008, and his second favorite sport to play is baseball.  He is a Red Sox fan.
     Freshman Aslea Williams is a graduate of Akron East High School where she was a two year MVP and garnered all-city and all-state honors.
     Williams was named to the all-tournament team at the very competitive Illinois Central Basketball Tournament that featured several nationally ranked teams.  Over three games she averaged 17.3 points and 12 rebounds per contest.
     Heading into conference play she leads the Lakers in blocked shots with eleven, and is second on the team in points and rebounds per game at 12 and 9.7 respectively.
     Her favorite basketball team is the Suns and her favorite player is Amari Staudemire.  Broccoli is her favorite healthy food, and Skittles is her favorite junk food.
     Come check out these outstanding young Lakers, and their teammates.  Both teams’ games are played on Wednesdays and Saturdays, in back to back contests.  Wednesday games usually start at 5:30 and Saturday’s at 1:00.