Roger Federer, Switzerland are victorious in Davis Cup
Roger Federer helped Switzerland win their first ever Davis Cup title when he beat Richard Gasquet 6-4 6-2 6-2 in the fourth match of the tie, giving the Swiss an unassailable 3-1 lead. The Swiss were given a dream start when Stanislas Wawrinka defeated French No. 1 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-1 3-6 6-3 6-2. The French pulled even when Gael Monfils crushed Roger Federer in straight sets, 6-1 6-4 6-3. There were serious questions about Federer’s fitness, as less than a week earlier he had to give Novak Djokovic a walk-over in the season-ending Barclays ATP Tour Finals.
New England Revolution reach the MLS Cup final
The New England Revolutions reached their first MLS Cup final since 2007 after holding the New York Red Bulls to a 2-2 draw in the second leg of the Eastern Conference Championship game at Foxborough on Saturday. Coming into the second leg with a 2-1 advantage, the Revs came back from a goal deficit twice in the game, with Charlie Davies scoring both goals. This game might well have been the last time the former Arsenal and Barcelona forward Thierry Henry made an appearance in the MLS, although reports of his retirement are still unconfirmed.
Red Sox sign on Sandoval, Ramirez
Following a forgettable 2014 season in which the Red Sox went from first to worst, general manager Ben Cherington and the front office wasted no time in landing free agents Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. A big part of Boston’s struggles last season was the lack of offensive production, and following the trade-deadline day arrivals of right-handers Yoenis Cespedes and Allen Craig, the Red Sox were in need of a left-handed power bat.
United defeat Arsenal
Manchester United overcame a sluggish start and capitalized on Arsenal forwards’ profligacy to notch up their first away win of the season as an own goal from Kieran Gibbs and a clinical finish from Wayne Rooney was enough to see them past the Gunners 2-1 and jump to fourth in the Barclays Premier League table.
MIT taekwondo finishes in second place after Cornell
On Sunday, Nov. 2, the MIT Sport Taekwondo Club competed in the second Eastern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference (ECTC) tournament of the season. The tournament was hosted at Cornell University. MIT showed its strength across all divisions — 33 team members competed with strong performances in a long day of forms and sparring.
Patriots destroy Colts
Having comprehensively outplayed Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos in week 9, the Patriots continued their relentless onslaught by hammering Peyton’s former employers, the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts had come into the game with the league’s best offense lead by Andrew Luck and the best defensive record when it came to stopping opponents on 3rd down conversions. Despite having coughed up a mammoth 59 points in a 2012 regular season game and 43 points in last season’s divisional match-up against the Patriots (both at Foxborough), the Colts ought to have come into this match with confidence — after all this one was on their home turf at the Lucas Oil stadium in which even the great Bill Belichick had a 0-3 record.
Men’s basketball starts off new season with a big win
MIT placed three starters in double figures, led by 18 points from Justin M. Pedley ’16 and Ryan L. Frankel ’16, as it opened the 2014-15 men’s basketball season with a 64-51 victory on the road at Gordon College. The No. 16 Engineers held the Fighting Scots to 36 percent shooting while shooting 41 percent themselves.
SPORTS SHORT
After their first undefeated 9-0 season and New England Football Conference championship, the MIT football team was selected for the 2014 NCAA Division III Football Championships. Husson is coming off an 8-1 campaign, and they also were crowned champions of their conference, the Eastern Collegiate Football Conference. The teams will square off on Saturday, November 22 at 12 p.m.
MIT eclipses tourney at Brown
Over Veterans’ Day weekend, the MIT Ballroom Dance Team (MITBDT) again sent its dancers to the top of the finals at Brown University’s 20th Annual Ballroom Competition.
Djokovic wins ATP Finals
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London came to anti-climactic end as World No. 2 and six-time champion Roger Federer had to pull out of the final, as he wasn’t match-fit, giving Djokovic his third consecutive ATP Finals title.
MIT ends terrific season
This fall, at the yearly Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference Regional Championships, the MIT Mountain Bike team won the Division II Team Omnium trophy. The Team Omnium award is earned by winning the most points overall and demonstrates the combined strength of all members on the team. While the MIT Cycling Team has a long history of winning team omniums in each of the other three cycling disciplines (road, cyclocross, and track), this fall the team made history by winning in its traditionally weakest discipline — mountain biking
Football team earns historic 9–0 record
In front of an enthusiastic home crowd on Senior Night, the MIT football team completed its historic regular season with a 24-13 victory over the U.S. Coast Guard Academy on Saturday, Nov. 16 in a New England Football Conference (NEFC) contest. The win gave the Engineers the first, nine-game, undefeated regular season in school history. MIT scored all 24 points in the first half, including a pair of touchdown passes from senior Peter J. Williams ’15 to Nathan H. Varady ’16.
Women’s volleyball makes 16th trip to NCAA tournament
The MIT women’s volleyball team will be making the program’s 16th appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament after receiving an at-large bid on Monday morning. The Engineers will square off with Rivier University on Friday, November 14 at Williams College. The meeting will be the first between both squads in post-season action and sixth overall since the series began in 2009. In addition to the host Ephs, the rest of the regional bracket features Sage Colleges, Babson College, Colby-Sawyer College, Bowdoin College, and Regis College.
Women’s soccer team receives an at-large bid
For the fourth consecutive season, the MIT women’s soccer team will be competing in the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Tournament after receiving an at-large bid on Monday afternoon. MIT will be a host site for this weekend’s first and second round tournaments. First round games will occur on Saturday, November 15 at 11:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and the second round game will begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 16. MIT will begin postseason play against Colby-Sawyer.
Brady comes out on top against Peyton Manning
The New England Patriots routed the Denver Broncos 43-21 to claim the top spot in AFC as Tom Brady improved his record to 11-5 against longtime rival and reigning MVP, Peyton Manning. Manning-Brady encounters have always served up mouth-watering matchups, from the Manning-inspired Colts comeback in the 2006 playoff game, to Brady helping the Patriots overcome a 24–0 deficit at half time to win in overtime in Foxborough last season.