Cobb playing in soccer Senior Bowl

Globe West sports notebook

December 04, 2011|By Marvin Pave, Globe Correspondent

An archival view of Bob Fitzgerald as a Boston College senior. (Boston College/File 1951 )

Lindsey Cobb was sidelined with a torn quadricep muscle the first 13 games of the season for the women’s soccer team at Wheaton College.

But the senior captain from Shrewsbury put all her energy into her rehabilitation and supporting her teammates before returning to the Lyons lineup on Oct. 12. A week later, she played every minute of a 0-0 overtime tie against Babson. She was a starter the rest of the way, anchoring a stingy defense that fueled Wheaton’s run to the second round of the NCAA Division 3 tournament.

This afternoon, she will make what could be her final appearance as a collegian, suiting up in the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Soccer Association Senior Bowl at Merrimack College.

“Because of the time I missed, I was surprised to be chosen for the Senior Bowl, but it was a great honor and a great feeling to know I had one more game to play,’’ said Cobbs, a former captain at St. Peter-Marian High School in Worcester.

Cobb appeared in 10 matches, making eight starts at center back, and helped Wheaton post an 0.70 goals-against average with 14 shutouts.

“It is a testament to her that she did everything possible through her rehab to get back on the field,’’ said Wheaton coach Luis Reis, whose 16-4-3 squad earned a berth in the NCAA tournament for the 12th consecutive season. “Once we inserted her into the lineup, she brought leadership to the back four.’’

Cobb missed her sophomore season at the Norton college while battling mononucleosis, and received a hardship waiver that gives her a year of eligibility remaining. She hasn’t decided whether to play another season.

“I tried hard to be a good leader and a good role model for teammates who have had to come back from injury and know it’s not the end of the world. I also take a lot of pride in my one-on-one defense,’’ said Cobb, who started playing youth soccer in Shrewsbury at age 5 and was an all-state selection her senior year of high school.

Lexington, Bedford roots in 5-0 start

The Fitchburg State University men’s basketball team won just four games last season. But thanks to the contributions of a trio of area players - former Lexington High teammates Tom Henneberry and Sean Sullivan, and Bedford High graduate Mike Ingram-Rubin - the Falcons were off to a 5-0 start this year after Monday’s 77-74 win over Nichols.

Henneberry, a junior small forward who played eight games last season, was averaging 21.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game; Sullivan, a senior guard, was leading the team with 17 assists, and Ingram-Rubin, a sophomore guard, was averaging 14.2 points and 6 rebounds and had 19 steals.

The 6-foot-4 Henneberry, who played his first two seasons at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, is battling hamstring problems and is day to day.

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