Sabre Scratch - Week 2 Recap

The Sabres are so back! The opening weekend of action saw the return of men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, field hockey, and men's and women's golf! Records were broken, goals were scored, and trophies were claimed, let's break down everything you may have missed!

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Don't forget to sign up for the Korbie Classic! The 14th Annual Korbie Classic will be held Friday, September 26 from Whispering Springs with registration available at:

 https://commerce.cashnet.com/cashneti/static/storefront/marianustore/catalog/KORBIE

You can also sign up for the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to be held the following evening!

Table of 1-7: https://commerce.cashnet.com/cashneti/static/storefront/marianustore/catalog/HOF/item-details/MAR-HOFDIN

Full Table of 8: https://commerce.cashnet.com/cashneti/static/storefront/marianustore/catalog/HOF/item-details/MAR-HOFTAB

What a start to the season it was for Marian men's soccer! The Sabres opened the season with a 0-0 draw against Carthage, the first result for the Sabres ever against the Firebirds.  Marian then claimed “The Cone” in the second installment of the Highway 23 Derby against Ripon with a 2-1 victory.  Junior Tyler Hall was the Man of the Match after making two saves including one a penalty kick late in the first half to keep the game tied at 1-1 going into halftime. Marian continues a six-game homestand to open the season so get out to Smith Field to support the men's soccer program!

History was made for the Sabres in a week where Marian defeated Beloit and tied UW-Whitewater!  Before the ball was even kicked off, though, we had our first NACC Player of the Week award!  Freshman Samantha Smith was named the NACC Defensive Player of the Week after her three-save shutout of Augustana (Ill.).  The week then kicked off with a 1-0 victory over Beloit to mark the first 3-0-0 start for the Sabres in program history.  That wasn't the only history, though, as Marian finished with a 1-1 draw against UW-Whitewater marking the first result for the Sabres against the Warhawks in program history!  

Marian hit the road for the first time this season and went on to earn their first victory over the season.  The Sabres opened the week with a triangular at Lawrence that included a sweep of Rockford for the first victory of the season.  Senior Harley Bartels had 22 kills between the two matches and hit .524 in the win over the Regents.  The Sabres then closed out the week with arguably the most difficult weekend in program history taking on No. 6 UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stevens Point, who was also receiving votes in the national poll, and No. 5 Emory.

The opening game of the season has never been a problem for the Sabres and this year was no different.  Marian improved to 4-0 all-time in its season opener with an 8-1 thumping of Transylvania at home.  Senior Allyson Nichols led the way with a pair of goals and assists, the fifth game of her career with multiple assists and goals.  Sadly, this was the last time we will see the Sabres at home until Sunday, October 12 when Marian opens CFHC play against Centre.

Marian women's golf opened the season with an eighth-place finish at the  Ives Grove Firebird Women's Fall Classic. Yinan Lu did it again! The junior opened the 2025-26 campaign making even more history carding an even-par 72 in the second round to reset her single-round record.  Her impressive second round included a pair of birdies and two bogeys.  She also had a birdie in the first round and finished the event in fifth place.  Olivia Schueller also had a strong showing finishing 31st and led the team in the first round with an 81.

History was made on the links for the Marian men's golf team as the Sabres had the 10th-best round in program history with a team score of 301 to finish third at the Judson Fall Invite! Leading the way was Wyatt Pfeiffer who had a two-under-par 79 to tie for first on the individual leader board.  It was the first round under 70 strokes for Marian since the 2017 NACC Championship! Tyler Bunkoske (75), Brendan Bottem (78), and Brett Ramme (79) closed out the scoring for Marian.

Marian competed for the first time this season and ran into a tough time with one of the top teams in the NACC in Edgewood.  We'll get our first look at the Sabres at home this weekend when they host a doubleheader against Concordia Chicago and Concordia Wisconsin!