Fanatics Weekend was a weekend full of opportunities for SNU fans to come out and support the Crimson Storm. All fall sports were played at home this weekend, starting with SNU Women’s Volleyball hosting the SNU/UCO tournament. They started their tournament with a matchup against Arkansas Fort-Smith. The Crimson Storm took the first set in a 25-20 victory, but proceeded to drop the next three sets, losing their tournament opener. They had great performances from freshman Kate Wright who tallied 14 kills, and sophomore Emma Grace Moddelmog who finished the game with 26 assists. The Crimson Storm won their next game against the Newman Jets in an exciting reverse sweep victory, with great performances from senior Whitney Bowie, who finished the match with 18 kills, Moddelmog, finishing the game with 45 assists, and sophomore Riley Richardson finishing the match with 13 kills. The Storm dropped their next matchup against Missouri Western, ending the weekend with a record of 1-2.
Next, SNU Men’s Soccer started their weekend with a shut-out against Eastern New Mexico, winning the game 4-0. Cesar Solis and Unaiz Shajani played large roles in bringing the Crimson Storm to victory. Crimson Storm ended their non-conference play against the 19th-ranked Midwestern State. With the help of two penalty kicks, Midwestern State left Bethany with a win over the Crimson Storm. The Storm will kick off their conference play next week with a match-up against the Newman Jets in Wichita, Kansas.
The SNU Men’s and Women’s Rugby team were dominant in their home matchups this weekend. The men’s team had a double-header against the Oklahoma Sooners, winning the first game 21-15 and then dominating the 2nd game 46-15 over the Sooners. The women’s team won in dominating fashion over the visiting Missouri S&T, shutting the Miners out 78-0.
The Crimson Storm played the NWOSU Rangers as their football matchup of the week. Both teams came into the game struggling to get their footing in the GAC and hoping for a win. The first quarter was defensively dominated as the score was tied at 0-0 after fifteen minutes. However, NWOSU was able to get their groove offensively in the second quarter; the Rangers went into halftime, up two touchdowns on the Crimson Storm. The score stood at 14-0 through the third quarter, and the pressure was on for the Crimson Storm to respond. With less than eleven minutes to go in the game, graduate student Rasheed Noel was able to find the endzone to bring the Storm back into the game, down 14-7. The defense was able to force the Rangers into a punt, giving the Storm a chance to go down and tie the game with less than two minutes to go. The Storm were able to move down the field to the NWOSU 23-yard line with one second left. The Rangers, however, were able to stop the Crimson Storm from finding the endzone, securing the 14-7 win in Bethany.
Redshirt junior Jamauri Johnson speaks on the game. “Defensively, we were solid. You can’t be mad about holding a team to fourteen points. Offensively, we just need to continue to learn, grow, and improve.”
Redshirt junior Donald May was also impressed with the defensive play and looks forward to next week. “Despite the loss, there were still good things that happened in the game that we can take to next week against SWOSU.”
To end Fanatics Weekend, the SNU Women’s Soccer team was able to bounce back from an early week loss in Edmond against UCO, with an impressive 3-0 shut-out on Senior Night against the Newman Jets. The Crimson Storm had impressive performances from sophomore Bella Morgas, senior Karla Ramirez, and graduate student Sam Smith, who all finished the game with a goal. Senior Gianna Bonnett was able to grab two saves to keep them off the scoreboard and complete the shut-out. They begin conference play next week against NWOSU in Alva.
Overall, the Crimson Storm put in a tough fight across athletic teams, resulting in wins and experiences to learn from. So, make sure to come cheer on the Crimson Storm through the rest of this season and participate in Fanatics Weekend in the future!
Photo by Kimalee Cook