A-K Valley Campus Clippings: Pitt's Braylon Lovelace breaks out vs. Cal

Pitt’s Braylan Lovelace heard his name called several times in Saturday’s 17-15 victory over California in an ACC game at Acrisure Stadium.

The Leechburg graduate and Panthers sophomore linebacker, making his fourth start of the season, recorded a season-high seven tackles, including two sacks, as Pitt improved to 6-0 and 2-0 in ACC play.

Five of Lovelace’s tackles came in the second quarter. He sacked Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza on third-and-12 from the Pitt 31 in the final seconds of the stanza and also got to Mendoza in the third quarter.

The seven stops give him 20 (nine solo, 11 assisted) for the season. His previous high in tackles for 2024 — five — came in the opener against Kent State. The pair of sacks were his first two of the season.

Grove City: Scott Fraser (Knoch) was held out of the end zone for the first time this season in the undefeated Wolverines’ 17-10 victory Saturday at home against No. 10 Carnegie Mellon, but he still helped his team’s cause with five catches for 67 yards. He now has 30 catches for 634 yards and seven touchdowns for a Grove City team that sits at 5-0 overall and in the PAC. Fraser earned D3football.com and conference honors after setting Grove City’s single-game receiving record with 242 yards and two TDs on 10 catches in a 56-7 win over St. Vincent on Sept. 24.

Edinboro: Reed Martin (Plum) continues to be a special teams weapon for the Fighting Scots in and out of PSAC play. The 2023 All-America selection earned his second PSAC West Player of the Week honor Sept. 30 for his efforts in Edinboro’s 28-23 loss to nationally ranked Slippery Rock on Sept. 28. He averaged 49.2 yards on five punts and pinned The Rock offense inside the 20 three times, including one that was downed at the 1. Two of his five punts were for more than 50 yards with a long of 62.

Men’s soccer

Pitt: Michael Sullivan (Deer Lakes) tallied his first goal of the season for the Panthers in a 2-0 victory over Denver on Oct. 7. The senior midfielder scored what turned out to be the game winner, maneuvering through the Denver defense in the 39th minute before firing a shot beyond the outstretched arms of the keeper for a 1-0 Pitt lead. Sullivan finished with two of the Panthers’ 13 shots. The score was Sullivan’s sixth of his three-plus seasons at Pitt.

Slippery Rock: Colton Spence (Deer Lakes) was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week on Oct. 7 for his play in a pair of conference ties the previous week. He helped The Rock tie No. 15 Gannon, 1-1, at home before a 2-2 draw at Cal (Pa.). He bolstered the SRU defense, which held a potent Gannon offense to just seven shots. Spence took his first two shots of the season and scored his first goal against the Vulcans. He converted a corner kick in the 51st minute that gave The Rock a 2-1 lead. Cal recorded just five shots.

Lock Haven: Billy Lawrence (Springdale) scored his first collegiate goal Sept. 21 in a 3-0 victory over Millersville. The Eagles freshman, the Valley News Dispatch Player of the Year in 2023, has appeared in all 10 games with starts in four of the last five through a 1-0 win at Slippery Rock on Oct. 9. Lawrence owns nine shots on the season, including six on goal. The Eagles were 5-4-1 overall.

Women’s soccer

Robert Morris: Emmerson Johngarlo (Kiski Area) has been an ironwoman for the Colonials. The junior defender and regular starter played all 90 minutes in 12 of her team’s first 13 games. She was out for just four minutes in a game against Indiana State on Aug. 25. In addition to her defensive prowess for RMU, 4-4-2 overall and 3-1-2 in Horizon League play, Johngarlo tallied four shots and scored twice in a 5-0 victory over LeMoyne to open the 2024 season. Last year, she appeared in 13 games, starting 12, and played all 90 minutes in 10 of the 13 games.

Penn State-Altoona: Adeline Baustert (Apollo-Ridge) was named the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 7. The Lions starting goalkeeper posted a pair of shutouts during the week of Sept. 29 as PSU-Altoona added a win and a tie to its record. Baustert made three saves in a 1-0 win over conference foe La Roche on Oct. 1 and six saves against Alfred State in an AMCC game Oct. 5.

Pitt-Greensburg: Emily Bonelli (Apollo-Ridge) is the second-leading scorer for the Bobcats (5-3-3) with five goals through 11 games. Bonelli, who started seven of those games, including the last six, recorded two goals on a season-best six shots in a victory over Pitt-Bradford on Sept. 28. She scored the only goal in a 1-0 win at Washington & Jefferson on Sept. 21 and the lone goal in a 1-0 triumph over Saint Vincent on Sept. 4.

Saint Vincent: Jordan Kirkwood (Valley) broke a 2-2 tie with a goal in the 81st minute to lift the Bearcats to a 3-2 victory over Waynesburg on Saturday and extend their unbeaten streak to 10 games and their winning streak to seven (11-1-1, 5-0). Both are school records. For her efforts, the sophomore forward was named to the latest Presidents Athletic Conference Honor Roll released Monday. The goal was her third of the season and eighth of her career.