This weekend, the toughest conference in Div. III raises the curtain on the 2006 fall season. Soccer and field hockey matches across New England will pit athletes from the 11 NESCAC schools against each other, all aware of the crucial weight of each conference matchup and all gunning for the distant glory of the league title.
Seven schools won the eight league titles in the 2005 fall season, and this unprecedented level of postseason parity reinforces the toss-up nature of NESCAC competition. With the Sept. 9 conference opener just days away, here's a quick look at the league's fall season should-be's, could-be's and wannabes.
The race with the biggest hype on the Hill is likely women's soccer. Tufts is coming off an historic season that saw an undefeated home field record, a near-miss at the NESCAC title, and a postseason push to the national semifinals. With the loss of its top four scorers, including All-American and NESCAC Player of the Year Ariel Samuelson, the squad has some holes to fill in the stat box. But a nearly unchanged defensive unit that recorded a league-best nine shutouts in 21 games last year-should fend off some of the offensive firepower aimed at the Jumbos from around the league.
And plenty of teams have the Jumbos in their sights. Bates staged a 2-1 upset win in the 2005 NESCAC final, but the Bobcats found themselves on the short end of a 1-0 score just a week later in the NCAA Tournament's second round. The Bobcats return nine of 11 starters, including seniors Kim Alexander and Jesse Gargiulo, who were second and fourth in league scoring last season, respectively, and sophomore Second Team All-American defender Meg Coffin.
On the men's side, Wesleyan may have the most to prove this fall. After entering the tournament as the seventh seed with a 3-4-2 league mark last season, the Cardinals knocked off conference heavyweights Bowdoin, Williams and Amherst to claim their first-ever men's soccer title. Wesleyan will defend their NESCAC title - and Goeff Wheeler's Coach of the Year honors - as the team returns 16 of 18 regulars this season.
The Cardinals' underdog win broke Williams' four-year lock on the title, a stranglehold the Ephs looked poised to continue last year when they entered the NESCAC tourney at 9-0 in league play. A 1-0 loss to Wesleyan in the semifinals sent the Ephs packing, but they'll be back in 2006, returning leading scorers in seniors Patrick Huffer and John Hillman. Coach Mike Russo will have to navigate the loss of five seniors, including goalie Nick Armington and two-time All-American and NESCAC Player of the Year Josh Bolton,-who went on to sign professional contracts.
Field hockey, which opens this weekend as well, may be the NESCAC's most competitive and exciting fall sport. Three teams --Bowdoin, Middlebury, and Williams --earned bids to the NCAA Tournament last year and racked up eight All-Americans between them. The five meetings involving these three teams, including two NESCAC Tournament games, were all decided in overtime, two by penalty strokes.
With Saturday's openers just days away, the team to beat is black and white. Bowdoin is coming off its best season in school history, an 18-1 campaign that included a perfect sweep of league competition, three All-American nods, and the program's second conference championship. Bowdoin was the last remaining unbeaten team in the country, entering the NCAA Tournament at 14-0 and advancing to the semifinal round before falling 2-1 to national runner-up Messiah.
The Polar Bears return freshman phenom Lindsay McNamara whose 19 goals and 33 points were tied for best in the league, and junior Hillary Hoffman, who also added 19 tallies last season. The loss of All-American goalkeeper Kate Leonard to graduation, as well as the tragic offseason death of All-American Taryn King, are two hits to a Bowdoin squad looking for a repeat.
On Bowdoin's heels are a pair of perennial turf heavyweights that could easily put up a roadblock in the Polar Bears' quest for another title. Williams finished the 2005 season at 7-2 with a 1-0 loss to Bowdoin in the NESCAC finals on penalty strokes. The Ephs produced the most prolific offensive showing in school history, leading the league in goals per game average and producing two of the top five conference scorers in returning sophomore Meighan McGowan, a Third Team All-American and NESCAC Rookie of the Year, and senior Cathleen Clark.
After an 8-1 NESCAC mark last season, Middlebury will be looking to avenge an exit from the NESCAC tournament semifinals last season. The Panthers return a first-class offensive threat in junior Reid Berrien, a Second Team All-American last season and tied with Bowdoin's McNamara for the NESCAC points total.
News and Notes: As players take the field for the 2006 fall season, off-season personnel changes have put several new faces on the sidelines. Michael Morgan moved from Colby to Middlebury to take over the women's tennis and squash programs. Jared Beers, a 2001 Colby grad, was named interim head coach of the men's track and field and cross country programs at his alma mater after three years as an assistant coach. Following four straight NCAA appearances, and a varsity eight NCAA win in 2005, Trinity has brought up Wesley Ng, a two-year assistant coach of the men's rowing team, to head the women's program.
