A “metaphorical water feature” of the Asian garden in the Bailey-Steinmetz courtyard.
A white gravel lake with green
islands of grass. A walkway of stones that draw the observer to the center. And
yards of mulch for plantings.
Students from Prof. Nixi Cura's
Asian Garden Design seminar this week were applying the final touches to an Asian
Garden they are installing in the
courtyard between Bailey and Steinmetz.
The unveiling is set for Friday,
Nov. 14, at 3:30 p.m. with a tea
ceremony led by Prof. Anna Kimura and a reception at 4 p.m. The rain location is Bailey 207.
The garden is the culmination of a
class in which the 12 students worked in two teams to design a garden for the
site. Just as in a real-life design competition, both teams made formal
presentations to a panel of impressed faculty members, who asked questions and
chose a design.
The 100- by 100-foot garden uses plantings,
trees, shrubs, and “metaphorical water features” like grass, gravel and
bluestone, according to Cura. “As the viewer, you can engage your imagination
to see that these are water features,” she said.
The class, which included majors
in art history, East Asian Studies, engineering and theater, studied garden
design throughout the term. They also visited gardens including the New York
Chinese Scholar's Garden on Staten Island and the Oriental
Garden at Peabody
Essex Museum
in Salem, Mass.
In keeping with the tradition of
Asian gardens, the sections have names: the “Area of Forbidden Pruning” (a nod
to landscape specialist Connie Schmitz who made it clear that some species are
off limits) and the “Path of Unseen Wealth” (pennies hidden beneath a flagstone
walkway).
And in keeping with tradition of
the ephemerality of gardens as aesthetic object in historical China,
the garden will be dismantled by next year's class, Cura said.
“Not only did we learn about Chinese and Japanese
gardens,” said senior Chris Wai, an East Asian Studies major who was fixing a
patch of grass on Wednesday. “We presented our designs in a formal program. You
just can't learn that in a class.”
Asked whether he might pursue a
career in creating Asian gardens, Wai said, “Maybe not, but when I look at them
I'll appreciate them a lot more.”
Junior forward Brittany Cressman and senior defender Lindsay Kroell were both selected as a UCAA Performer of the Week in recognition of their performances in last weekend's conference championship tournament. The selectionsof Cressman and Kroell gives the Dutchwomen eight players who were recognized for their efforts during the course of this year's 18-1-1 NCAA-qualifying team.
UCAA Soccer Offensive Performer of the Week
Brittany Cressman Union
Junior Forward (Duxbury, MA)
Cressman tallied three goals and one assist in a 4-1 victory over St. Lawrence in Union's semi-final game of the UCAA championship tournament. On Sunday, she recorded two assists on the first two goals of a 3-0 win over William Smith in the title game that gave Union a college-record fifth-straight bid to the NCAA tournament.
UCAA Soccer Defensive Performer of the Week
Lindsay Kroell Union
Senior Def (Baldwin, NY)
Kroell was a key part of a defensive unit that allowed St. Lawrence just two shots on goal and William Smith just two shots on goal in the UCAA championship tournament. The shutout over William Smith was the team's record-setting 12th of the year.
Junior midfielder Mike Carey (Westport, CT) was the only Dutchman selected to the men' soccer All-Conference team. He was a second-team selection. The volleyball team had three players voted to the All-Conference team. Senior Julie Moran (Nisswa, MN), junior Jess Meliosky (Amsterdam, NY) and junior Sue Gestwick (Charlton, NY) represented the Dutchwomen. The field hockey team did not have a player selected and the all-conference team for football will be released next week.
119-32-12 in nine seasons –
4 UCAA Titles –
5 NCAA Berths –
2 NYSWCAA Crowns
The Union women's soccer team, the No. 1-ranked team in the Region and the winner of the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association's postseason tournament championship, will host the four-team NCAA Regional on Saturday and Sunday, November 15 and 16 on Garis Field. This will be the Dutchwomen's Union-College record fifth consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament. Prior to this year the men's soccer team of the mid 1980s and the football team of the late 1980s were tied with the Dutchwomen with four-straight national tournament appearances each.
The 18-1-1 Dutchwomen, who earned the UCAA's automatic bid by defeating William Smith, 3-0, in the championship game of last week's conference's championship tournament, will play Stevens Tech and 14-6-1 on Saturday at 11 a.m. on Garis Field.
Oneonta, which is the New York Region's second-ranked team by virtue of its 17-1-2 overall record and its fifth consecutive SUNYAC championship, will meet 10-5-5 Ithaca College Saturday at 1:30 on Garis Field. The championship will be played on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. on Garis.
Stevens Tech, located in Hoboken, New Jersey, earned its bid by winning its fourth-straight Skyline Conference championship. The Ducks advanced to this weekend's regional by blanking Chestnut Hill, 5-0, in Wednesday's first-round game. Chestnut Hill went into the first-round showdown with a 16-1-1 record.
Ithaca, meanwhile, earned its 14th NCAA berth by capturing the Empire Eight Championship with a pair of shootout victories over No. 2 Elmira (4-2 after a 1-1 tie) and top-ranked Nazareth (4-3 after a 0-0 deadlock). The Bombers defeated Grove City, 2-0, to advance to the Regional with their 10-5-5 overall record.
“We are very proud to be just one of three New York State teams to be invited to the NCAA tournament,” said Union head coach Brian Speck. “Our players have worked extremely hard to achieve the lofty goals they set for themselves and for the team this year.
“This is the closest knit group that I have ever coach,” continued Speck, who has guided the Dutchwomen to a nine-year record of 119-32-12, four UCAA championships, two New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association crowns, and five consecutive berths in the NCAA Tournament. “It is always nice to play at home and it is a deserving reward for the accomplishments our team,” Speck continued.
While it certainly is a nice reward for the players and their fans, there is another bigger aspect to the Dutchwomen being home this weekend…they haven't lost on Garis Field in over two years and are 21-2-1 since the start of the 2001 season.
Union brings a solid game into Saturday's regional semi-final as the Dutchwomen outscored its 21 opponents by a 72-9 margin. Junior Brittany Cressman, who had three goals and three assists in last weekend's UCAA Championship Tournament wins over St. Lawrence (4-1) and William Smith, leads the team with 14 goals, a team-record 17 assists and 45 points. Sophomore Erika Eisenhut is next with 42 points on 18 goals and six assists while sophomore Cassanddra Mariani (12-5-29), senior Corinne Hennessy (7-5-19), senior Stephanie Mole' (4-4-12) and sophomore Marissa VanWoeart (3-4-10) are Union's other double digit scorer.
Sophomore goaltender Julie Gawronski has started all 20 games for the Dutchwomen and enters the weekend with a goals against average of 0.51 and a save percentage of .836. She has a lot of help in front of her as Union's defense has allowed just 64 shots on goal forcing Gawronski to make an average of just over three saves a game. Union's defense registered a program-record 12 shutouts this season.
Starters, seniors Lindsay Kroell, Katie Ryan and Erin Holmes have teamed with junior Brianna Bailey and sophomore Linsey Capecelatro have teamed with Gawronski to produce a program-record shutouts this season.
“This has been a total team effort throughout the the entire season,” said ninth-year head coach Brian Speck, who has led the Dutchwomen to an overall record of 119-22-12 and four UCAA championships, two New York State tournament championships and all five NCAA berths. “People look at all the goals we've scored and are impressed with that total. For me, I look at the fact that we've given up just nine goals all season long and I am proud of how hard all of the players have worked, not only throughout the season, but during the off-season as well.”
The Dutchwomen played their only home NCAA game against Western Connecticut in 2000, losing 1-0 in four overtimes despite enjoying a 14-1 shot on goal advantage. The 1999 Dutchwomen were invited to the program's first national tournament. Down 3-0, Union rallied to defeat homestanding Ithaca, 4-3, in three overtimes in the opening round only to lose at William Smith, 4-1, in the second round. The 2001 team held a 1-0 lead at William Smith in the NCAAs only to have the Herons tie the game with 49 seconds remaining in regulation. , William Smith won the game, 4-3, on penalty kicks at the completion of four scoreless overtimes. Last year the Dutchwomen rallied from a 2-0 deficit at the hands of NYU (the game was played at William Smith) to tie the game before losing in a shootout, 4-1.
Juniors Kim Mirra and Valerie Barnhart scored two goals each to lead Stevens Institute of Technology to its a 5-0 win over Chestnut Hill. The victory not only propelled the Ducks into the regional, it extended their unbeaten streak to nine games (8-0-1). Stevens won its NCAA opener for the second straight season as it earned a 1-0 win over Johns Hopkins at home last year. The Duckswho held a 28-4 advantage in shots. Freshman goaltenders Rommy Guevara and Erica Midttveit each played a half and combined for three saves.
Barnhart leads the team in scoring with her 21 goals and 50 points. Dean Heather (7-10-24) and Mirra (6-20-22) are among the six players in double digits. Stevens comes into the weekend having outscored its opponents 59-23 with a shot on goal advantage of 218 to 107. Guevara and Midttveit have combined for goals against average of 1.08 and a save percentage of .785 with five shutouts.
Junior Rachel Thau scored a pair of goals in the game's first 11 minutes and the Bomber defense, spearheaded by sophomore goalkeeper Kurstin Meehann eeded, who needed to make just two saves, made those tallies stand up. It was Meehann's seventh shutout of the year and the team's ninth of the season.
Ithaca, which has outscored the opposition by a 31-15 margin, are led by Rebecca Berry (10-1-27), Christine Dorney (5-1-11) and Dawn Rathbone (3-5-11). Meehan own a goals against average of 0.83 and a save percentage of .850.
Oneonta, whose only loss of the season was a 2-1 decision at the hands of visiting Ithaca on October 25, has outscored its opponents, 54-6. Brooke Davis (8-6) and Sanada Mujanovic (7-8) are among the Bombers' six double digit scorers and lead the team with 22 points.
On the other side of the field, sophomore Laura Morcone has posted eight shutouts and sports an 0.34 goals against average.
“We are very proud to be just one of three New York State teams to be invited to the NCAA tournament,” said Speck. “Our players have worked extremely hard to achieve the lofty goals they set for themselves and for the team this year.”
Union hasn't lost on Garis Field in over two years and are 21-2-1 since the start of the 2001 season.
