College Soccer in Maine

Two of my favorite activities are watching soccer (hence this blog) and being in Maine, so what could be better than soccer in Maine, especially in the fall? And no, there is no snow on the ground in Maine just yet.

In just a few hours Debbie and I will be flying to Portland and then tomorrow traveling to Brunswick to watch two of my favorite colleges, Wheaton and Bowdoin, play women's soccer for the first time since 1994. These are the two schools for which I have done some scouting over the years.

My daughter, Kirsten, graduated from Bowdoin in 2001. She did not play varsity soccer there, but during her time in Brunswick I became friendly with long-time coach, John Cullen, who has since retired. My ties to Wheaton date back to the fall of 2004 when a dear friend whom I often call an "honorary daughter," Lauren Konopka, began at Wheaton.

A former player for my friend Dave Rauer's Medford Strikers Freedom team, Lauren was the NEWMAC (New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference) rookie of the year in 2004 as the Lyons advanced to the national quarterfinals before losing to the "other" Wheaton from Illinois, 3-1. Lauren graduated in 2008 and at the beginning of this year was tied for fouth on the college's career list for games played with 96, fifth for points with 118 (42 goals and 34 assists), tied for fifth in career goals, and 6th in career assists. I had the opportunity to see Lauren play several times each season and became acquainted with Wheaton head coach, Luis Reis, and have kept in touch.

Bowdoin holds a 14-1 edge in the series, but the Wheaton Lyons come in undefeated at 6-0 and ranked 24th in the country among D-III schools. The Polar Bears, meanwhile, split their first two games, losing to nationally-ranked Amherst, 3-0, and shutting out Bates (my son Scott's alma mater), 4-0, Both were conference matches in NESCAC, New England Small College Athletic Conference.

People ask for whom I'll be rooting. Let's just say I'm packing a Wheaton hat and a Bowdoin hat. But I am looking forward to some good soccer from two colleges who give real meaning to the term "student athlete" (as do all the other colleges in both conferences) in all their sports. And the lobster should be pretty good, as well.