This is the last column I’ll get to write before NESCAC tournament play begins, and I haven’t had a whole lot of time to follow the professional sports world lately between work and an unending array of illnesses, so I wanted to take the time to share some observations from the fall NESCAC season…
-Look at the NESCAC standings in any fall sport and you’ll see a familiar name: Williams. As of Thursday night, the Ephs’ football, field hockey, soccer, tennis, and volleyball teams had a combined 40-14-1 record, and both the men’s and women’s cross country teams placed first among NESCAC entrants at last weekend’s New England Open. After president Morty Schapiro—a longtime champion of NESCAC athletics—was named to the same position at Northwestern in December 2008, there was some concern about the effects of Schapiro’s departure on the Ephs’ athletic program. Looks like those concerns were unfounded.
-What’s up with Middlebury men’s soccer? The Panthers have dropped as many NESCAC games this season (two) as they did in 2007 and 2008 combined and sit at just 1-2-2 at the midway point of the conference season. A 3-0 loss at Amherst last weekend epitomized the Panthers’ woes: Middlebury allowed just eight goals all year in 2007 (22 games) and 2008 (21 games) but has given up nine through only 10 contests so far this fall. The Panthers proved that defense wins championships during their run to the ’07 title, in which they didn’t give up a single goal in five NCAA tournament games (and surrendered just one point—to Williams in the NESCAC tournament semifinals—in their last nine games). With visits from three of the NESCAC’s top four teams (Wesleyan, Conn. College, and Williams) remaining, the Panthers are looking at the prospect of opening postseason play on the road for the first time since ’06 if they don’t tighten up their backfield.
-Tufts field hockey, which currently sits at 6-0 in NESCAC play and 10-0 overall, has scored nine, seven, and eight goals in its last three games (including wins of 7-0 and 8-1 against Colby and Conn. College, respectively). Whom do the Jumbos play this weekend, you ask? Fellow unbeaten Trinity, which holds identical conference and overall records. The past two national championship games have featured two NESCAC teams (Bowdoin defeated Middlebury 4-3 in ’07 and Tufts 3-2 in overtime last fall), and it’s certainly not a stretch to call this weekend’s clash in Medford a potential national title game preview.
-Amherst football is off to its first 3-0 start since 2004, and it’s pretty easy to see why. The Lord Jeffs boast the NESCAC’s stingiest defense, allowing just 11.3 points per game, and also have the conference’s best turnover margin, at plus-eight. Amherst allowed 12 points each in a pair of wins over Hamilton and Bowdoin and then held offensive juggernaut Middlebury—which entered having scored a combined 80 points in its first two games—to just 10 in a 20-10 home win on Saturday, its first over the Panthers since 2005. There is a chink in the armor, however—the Lord Jeffs have allowed opponents to pass for over 320 yards on average, the worst in the conference. Amherst surrendered 438 yards to Middlebury QB Donald McKillop on Saturday but also picked off four passes, bringing its total on the season to eight. Amherst’s 10 takeaways ’09 rank second to Trinity in the conference.
-7 of the 11 NESCAC volleyball teams have winning records in conference play, in addition to 2-2 Middlebury (which stands at 11-4 overall). While Tufts (5-0 NESCAC, 19-1 overall) looks to be the team to beat this season, a look at some recent results shows how evenly matched the 2-8 teams are: Middlebury lost to Conn. 3-0 and then the previous day beat Wesleyan, which beat Williams, which beat Conn. 3-0; while Bates took Tufts to the wire, losing the first two sets by two point each and the third by four, then fell to Bowdoin 3-1, and Trinity was crushed by Middlebury and Williams 3-0 but trounced Bates just as easily. In short: We’re in for a really exciting tournament.
-And finally, don’t forget that the first Little Three title of 2009 will be decided this Saturday, when the Cardinal volleyball team takes on Amherst at Trinity. Wesleyan has already clinched at least a share of the title for the second straight year, but a win would give the Cardinals their first outright title since 1992. Five more titles—field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s cross country—will be decided next Saturday, all at Amherst.
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