College Beat: Brooklyn’s ‘Brawl’-birds off to rough start
Having inherited the reigning two-time defending Northeast Conference champions from Jim Ferry, who moved on to Duquesne after leading the Blackbirds to their second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in March, Perri was already on the hook for delivering a third straight NEC title to Downtown Brooklyn.
But in the wake of an on-campus brawl, allegedly involving four of his players, including reigning NEC Player of the Year Julian Boyd, and members of the LIU track team, Perri is under the gun a good six weeks before the Blackbirds open their 2012-13 campaign against Morehead State at the Barclays Center on Nov. 9.
Perri’s crew will try to extend its home dominance at the Wellness Center against Columbia on Nov. 28, Lafayette on Dec. 1 and Hofstra on Dec. 8 before visiting Rice University in Houston on Dec. 12. The Blackbirds will host Manhattan (Dec. 16) and visit Jersey City’s St. Peter’s (Dec. 19) before participating in the inaugural Brooklyn Hoops Holiday Invitational at Barclays on Dec. 22 against Seton Hall.
LIU wraps up the non-conference slate against Lamar in Beaumont, Texas on Dec. 29.
“I feel that our non-conference schedule is one of the toughest we’ve had since I have been here,” Perri said. “The two trips to Texas are great for our Texas kids and playing against opponents such as Seton Hall, Maryland and defending national champion Kentucky can only help prepare us for conference play. I know our guys are excited and up for the challenge that lies ahead.”
Soto found the back of the net in the third minute against the Lions, taking a pass from senior Jakeem Johnson before unleashing a left-footed shot from about 18 yards that gave LIU an early 1-0 advantage. Soto has played in all eight matches for the struggling Blackbirds (1-6-1), who will open NEC play Friday night against Fairleigh Dickinson in Teaneck, N.J.
Vinas Joy recorded 41 total digs over the weekend for an average of 5.12 per set. The first-year libero had 23 digs in a tough five-set win over defending NEC champion Sacred Heart, and 18 digs in the Blackbirds’ 3-0 win against Quinnipiac.
The Blackbirds were scheduled to visit Stony Brook on Tuesday night.
The native of Lille, France will lead his teammates back into action Friday night at Brooklyn’s Aviator Sports Complex when the Terriers host NEC rival Mount St. Mary’s for their conference opener.
BC will return to the pitch looking to climb above the .500 mark on Oct. 1 against visiting College of Staten Island.
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