Harvard Cancels Men's Season For Sexual Comments

The Boston Globe reported yesterday that Harvard University has cancelled its last two games of the men's soccer season for lewd comments about the women's team in 2012, that apparently continued into this year.  The Crimson were 10-3-2 with two Ivy League matches remaining.

On July 31, 2012, a sexually explicit "scouting report" on freshmen women players was distributed.  It was found that the practice of "scouting" continued into this season.

The Globe quoted athletic director Robert Scalise as saying that the suspension of the rest of the season is “absolutely necessary if we are to create an environment of mutual support, respect, and trust among our students and our teams.”  But according to the Globe, some students disagreed with the action.

“If it were the whole team, then the whole team should be suspended,” said Christopher Rios, 19, a freshman from Texas to the Globe. “If it were just some players, they should just be suspended. If the coaches knew, they should be suspended.”

A female sophomore, who asked not to be named, was quoted as saying  Harvard is scapegoating the soccer team. Harvard announced a new policy this year to discourage participation in so-called finals clubs and other single-sex organizations on campus.

“What the soccer team did was not isolated,” she said. “The college used them as an example. It’s not fair.”

I have never been a big fan of group penalties, punishing those who may have played no role in the offensive behavior.  As reprehensible as the conduct of at least some men's players was, is it fair to take the season - including a possible NCAA bid - from players who worked hard all year and had nothing to do with the offensive material?  Is it fair to Penn and Columbia, who will each see a forfeit win on their record but who will each miss out on a game?

The heroes in this are Brooke Dickens, Kelsey Clayman, Alika Keene, Emily Mosbacher, Lauren Varela and Haley Washburn, the Class of 2016 recruits who were the subject of the 2012 "scouting report." On October 29 they published a courageous and strong response to the actions of the men's players in the Harvard Crimson that is worth reading in its entirety.

The women wrote, "In all, we do not pity ourselves, nor do we ache most because of the personal nature of this attack. More than anything, we are frustrated that this is a reality that all women have faced in the past and will continue to face throughout their lives. We feel hopeless because men who are supposed to be our brothers degrade us like this. We are appalled that female athletes who are told to feel empowered and proud of their abilities are so regularly reduced to a physical appearance. We are distraught that mothers having daughters almost a half century after getting equal rights have to worry about men's entitlement to bodies that aren't theirs. We are concerned for the future, because we know that the only way we can truly move past this culture is for the very men who perpetrate it to stop it in its tracks."

The Crimson originally reported the story on October 25,

Yale tops UNC in shootout (not really)

This is a pretty funny video of a PK shootout in the men's College Cup final between the inept penalty kickers of Yale and the even more inept shooters from UNC.  It seems that after a perfect first shot the Bulldogs can't find the back of the net while the TarHeels have a knack of finding Yale's heroic goalie, Scott Sterling.  The clip was produced by Studio C, the comedy show on BYUtv.

Early College Recruiting: "It's Killing All Of Us"

Yesterday's New York Times ran a front page story that told readers what anyone involved with high level youth sports already knew: that colleges are reaching further and further down the grade levels in their recruiting.  It is must reading for any parent of a high school athlete who hopes wants to play at a high level in college.  Although the piece touched on a number of sports the focus was on soccer, and primarily girls soccer.

“It’s killing all of us,” said none other than University of North Carolina coach Anson Dorrance of the practice of committing scholarships to players as young as 9th grade. He is said that he is increasingly making early offers to players who do not pan out years later.  “If you can’t make a decision on one or two looks, they go to your competitor, and they make an offer,” Dorrance said. “You are under this huge pressure to make a scholarship offer on their first visit.”

While many are critical of the tend, an arms race mentality ensures it will continue.   Just as many big-time sports universities insist they have to pay their football coach more than the college president because if they don't their competition will, women's soccer coaches are afraid if they don't go after 8th graders - NCAA rules be damned - rival coaches will.

The Times piece features 15-year old Haley Berg of Celina, Texas, who committed to attend the University of Texas on a soccer scholarship before she started high school.  Ironically, Texas coach,“It’s detrimental to the whole development of the sport, and to the girls,” Haley’s future coach at Texas, Angela Kelly, who recruited Berg, said if they she did not do it, other coaches would, and would snap up all of the best players. Many parents and girls say that committing early ensures they do not miss out on scholarship money.  Virginia coach Steve Swanson said, “To me, it’s the singular biggest problem in college athletics.”

The sad part of this story is those athletes who rush into such an important decision years before they know what they really want and then find they do not like the school, or they just cannot play at that level but have passed up an opportunity to play at a lower level program better suited to their ability.

And I Thought Forecasts of Snow Made People Crazy

Anyone who has lived in the Philadelphia region for a winter knows how insane people get when it might snow. If a TV weather forecaster hints at the white stuff, that's all people talk about for a week. Tonight, a college game was apparently postponed because it might RAIN! The sad part, for me at least, was that I didn't find out until I arrived at the field. My wife had a meeting tonight, so it was a perfect time to shoot down Rte. 55 to Glassboro to see my five former Xtreme girls play for Rowan University against Stockton. Even better, Rowan coach Scott Leacott and Stockton coach Nick Juengert are friends whom I have not see in awhile. And I looked forward to seeing the parents of the girls. I should have known it wasn't going to be my day when I was driving north on I-295 from Woodbury after a deposition and noticed southbound trafic - on the route I would be taking from home to Glassboro - at a standstill. KYW told me of an overturned tractor trailer where I-295 and Rte 42 come together - just above where I would get on Rte. 55 . After getting changed at home, I detoured over to Rte. 130 south towards 47, only to find 130 backed up in Brooklawn. And of course once on 47 I was behind a guy going no more than 5 mph below the speed limit at any given time. After nearly an hour on the road, I reached the Rte. 322 exit of Rte. 55 for Rowan and figured I would just about make the start of the game, only to find traffic on Rte 322 backed up. I finally pulled into the parking lot by the Rowan soccer stadium 5 minutes after start time, only to find it empty. The school's athletic website tonight says the game was postponed due to "inclement weather" meaning someone thought it might rain. Which it did not while I was there. I don't know if it rained in Camden, either, but less than 20 miles north of Glassboro, the TCNJ women played at Rutgers-Camden (and won, 4-0). The Rowan-Stockton game has been changed until tomorrow night, but I heard it might be windy.

NCAA Nixes Coed College Cup Weekend

March 9, 2011 -- After two years of study, the NCAA decided not to play the men's and women's Division I College Cups the same weekend afterall. As reported by the NSCAA today, the Men's and Women's Soccer Committees felt it was in the best interest of both genders to play the championships at different sites on different weekends.

The NSCAA applauded the move, and pointed to member surveys that showed little support for a combined mens/women's event, notwithstanding the appeal of a "mega soccer" weekend that might appeal to a broad fan base. Other concerns were the effect of two tournaments rather than one would have on the playing field, especially in bad weather; the effect on conference tournaments; and the possible perception that one gender's tournament had the "marquee" games of the weekend, to the detriment of the other.

While I've always liked "boy-girl" doubleheaders in high school soccer (and basketball), and while I recognize the advantages of a combined event, I tend to agree with the NCAA and the NSCAA that overall it's best to keep the Cups separate.

Florida State women's coach penalized for resting starters

Jere Longman's article about Florida State's women's team in today's Times raises a host of issues: is the coach's duty to the fans, to his own players, to the team's ultimate goal of winning the NCAA's? Are conference tournaments a good idea? If the conference does not crack down on resting starters during a tournament, could it spread to higher profile sports, namely men's basketball? Doesn't this happen in Europe all the time?

What we're talking about here is that Florida State's coach Mark Krikorian, who was the successful coach of the Philadelphia Charge, was suspended by the ACC for leaving seven starters home during the opener of the conference tournament against Wake Forest, which the Seminoles lost. The reason, Krikorian said, was they needed to rest up for the NCAA national tournament.

According to the article, coaches generally supported Krikorian. It was the ACC that had the problem - to the extent that it fined thee school $25,000 and denied it $15,000 in travel reimbursement and suspended Krikorian for the first game of the ACC.

Longman, as always does an excellent job of covering both sides of the issue.

I'm with Krikorian. He was doing what was best for the team. It is a dangerous precedent if a conference official can ell a coach whom to play. If he had brought the seven players along but had them sit on the bench to rest them, would the same sanctions have been imposed? “He should have them miss class and sit on the bench to appease the conference?”asked Ray Reid, the men's coach at Connecticut.

Here's the link to the Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/19/sports/soccer/19seminoles.html?pagewanted=2&_r=2&hpw

Brenna's Thoughts On the D-3 Final Four

I know. I know. I haven't written much here lately. Too much work on the house, which has been under construction in one form or another for the better part of two years.

Anyway, the NCAA tournament is upon us and I am happy to say that seven women from the Medford Strikers Xtreme played for four colleges in the tournament: four at Rowan, one at Virginia Wesleyan and one at The College of New Jersey in Division III, and one at Bloomsburg in D-2.

Now, after the first weekend of the tournament, only one is still playing. That would be Brenna Rubino, who had a banner year at TCNJ. While Rowan lost, 4-0 to Messiah in the 2nd round, Bloomsburg, 2-0 to West Chester in the 2nd round, and Virginia Wesleyan, 1-0 to Hamilton in the first round, the Lions roared past Christopher Newport, 4-0 and Ithaca, 3-0, to advance to this weekend's Sweet 16 match-up with Johns Hopkins at Messiah College. Brenna, the team's leading scorer, picked up a goal and two assists in the two matches.

With TCNJ aiming for another trip to the D-3 College Cup, it seemed like a good time to print Brenna's account of last year's journey to San Antonio where TCNJ lost, 1-0, to eventual champion Messiah in the national semi-final. The goal came with 24:24 left to play and was the only score the Lions' defense allowed the entire tournament.

Here's what Brenna wrote last year after returning to New Jersey following the heartbreaking defeat. The words are hers, although I've edited a bit to clean up some typos.

The experience of going to the NCAAs was awesome and unforgettable. From the first plane ride leaving NY to the last plane ride heading home, the trip was amazing. I feel so blessed to have been able to experience that amazing opportunity.

There were lots of different events that we went to as a team that the NCAA set up for us. They financed our air fare and lodging and some of our meals. However, TCNJ is lucky enough to afford to go out to the nice restaurants as a team in the surrounding beautiful city of San Antonio.

The hotel we stayed was the Menger, which is conveniently located right next to the Alamo. Each team got the opportunity to get their picture taken in front of the Alamo professionally and each player received a copy which was an awesome gift.

There was a final four banquet where head NCAA members were recognized and one player from each of the four women’s teams and men’s teams gave speeches and discussed their team.

After the banquet each team got their own boat and was able to experience what is known as the “Riverwalk.” It’s a huge tourist attraction there in San Antonio which is partially a man made river with lots of beautiful restaurants, shops, and buildings located along the water.

We were given a police escort from the hotel to the field for each prctice to ensure that we arrived on time. We felt like celebrities. Ha ha.

We got the opportunity of reaching out to their female youth soccer players from an inner city middle school where some aren't handed opportunities to go to college like we are. We got to play with the young and talk with them about the importance of prioritizing school and sports as well as friends family and coaches. As a result they came to the game and cheered us on.

Before each team’s first game we were able to do a walk through on the field and take pictures by all the signs which by the way was grass and was immaculately kept. On top of all of this each player on the team received a really nice book bag free with lots of cool NCAA stuff.

When it came to game time each team was allotted its own tent area which was heated due to the unusually inclement weather in San Antonio. The game started and ended like any other game would but the level of play was just amazing to see on both sides. Each team was displaying its peak performance and the game was clean, tough, fair, and highly skilled.

Even though my team happened to lose on a tough goal we each received an individual semi finalist trophy and as a team we received a big trophy. Being there and getting a taste of what its really like to be there gives each player on our team the motivation to work even harder in the off season and during the following season to make sure we get another shot at it next year.

For TCNJ not making it to the final and winning the championship was a disappointment because each year that is our number one goal. I don’t doubt that TCNJ can get back there next year and win it all.

Overall, the road to San Antonio was rough and tiring with all the traveling and long weekends but it was all worth it in the end to be there and be apart of something great. I feel so blessed to have just been able to contribute and be apart of a team that was able to make it to the final four. It was an amazing experience as a team and as an individual even outside of just practicing and playing the game. I pray that TCNJ gets the chance to go back there next year.

NCAA's on Web-TV

Pretty cool, watching girls from the Xtreme playing in the NCAA Sweet 16 on a webcast from Williams College.

Earlier today, Brenna Rubino played for TCNJ as it upset host Williams, 1-0. Now I'm watching Rowan battle Ithaca. No score as the first half is nearing an end. Then I have to head up to TCNJ Stadium for the Haddonfield game - state Group 2 final.

This is not exactly ESPN, but the video quality, despite an occasional freeze-up, is surprisingly good, although the audio is not. The announcer is presumably a college student and not doing a bad job, although when TCNJ scored, he did not bother to tell us which team scored, what the score was or the time left. (It came in the 65th minute.)

There is one camera, on the teams' side, at midfield, so I'm seeing alot of my former players, Nina Fragoso and Linda Sierra, but they're in the play alot.

Halftime and it's 0-0. Gotta run up to the HS game.

Elizabeth Lambert's Side of the Story

While she says she has "so much regret," notorious collegiate soccer hatchet woman Elizabeth Lambert of University of New Mexico also claims that some of her actions were in the heat of the moment and/or shown out of context in the widely-viewed You Tube videos.
Today's New York Times carries the first interview with Lambert since her activities came to worldwide attention. As most people know by now, Lambert was seen kicking, tripping, pulling down and punching opponents throughout a 1-0 loss to Brigham Young in a Mountain West Conference tournament game on Nov. 5.

The interview with Jere Longman, is here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/sports/soccer/18soccer.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Lambert&st=cse. As always, Longman presents a superb and balanced account of the incident and gives Lambert every opportunity to tell her side of the story. Her coach, Kit Veltra, and the referee who allowed the mayhem to continue unabated, Joe Pimentel, have not been heard from, and I still would like to know what they were thinking. Interestingly, Lambert does not think Pimentel lost control of the game but said that if he had shown more yellow cards or a red car, it would have been a different game.

(Photo above by Rick Sobelli, Jr. for the New York Times)

More On the Lambert Incident

Good article in today's New York Times by Jere Longman, one of the country's best soccer writers in my opinion, about the infamous Liz Lambert of the University of Mexico in a play-off game against BYU. (See, post below.) To refresh your recollection, Lambert punched several opponents, tripped others and yanked one to the ground by her ponytail. Despite this uncontrolled mayhem, she received only a yellow card late in the game.

I was glad to see the comment by Tony DiCicco, who coached the U.S. women when they won the World Cup in '99 and now coaches the Boston Breakers of WPS, wondering where the referees were and what Lambert's coach was thinking. I raised the same questions. “I’m put off by what she did, I’m put off that the refereeing didn’t seem to recognize this, and I’m put off a little by the coaching,” said DiCicco in the article.

Longman's thoughtful piece explores deeper issues than the competence of the game officials or the New Mexico coach. It raises questions about women's soccer and women's sports in general and states that the Lambert incident and its Internet aftermath "has spurred a national debate about sportsmanship, gender roles, double standards regarding aggressiveness and news media coverage and the sexualized portrayal of female athletes."

UNM game: Where Were the Refs?

By now 95 % of the world has seen the video of University of New Mexico roughneck soccer player, Elizabeth Lambert run around the field like an out-of-control truck, taking down opponents with feet, legs and fists in full view of the referees in a conference tournament semifinal against BYU on November 5 in Provo, UT.

Just in case you missed it, here is one video clip of Ms. Lambert punching one opponent in the back (after getting an elbow from her) and taking down another by the ponytail.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMAtxuCpsMU&feature=popular

But there’s more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHPWDQw3J4Y

Once the mayhem hit the Internet – and this morning the networks as well on the Today Show - the principals did what anyone would expect: they clammed up and ducked behind flacks and press releases.

"I am deeply and wholeheartedly regretful for my actions," said Lambert. "My actions were uncalled for. I let my emotions get the best of me in a heated situation. I take full responsibility for my actions and accept any punishment felt necessary from the coaching staff and UNM administration. This is in no way indicative of my character or the soccer player that I am. I am sorry to my coaches and teammates for any and all damages I have brought upon them. I am especially sorry to BYU and the BYU women's soccer players that were personally affected by my actions. I have the utmost respect for the BYU women's soccer program and its players."

"Liz is a quality student-athlete, but in this instance her actions clearly crossed the line of fair play and good sportsmanship," said Coach Kit Vela, who still left her in the game for the full 90. Vela then took the courageous and tough action of suspending Lambert for the year – after the season had ended with the Lobos’ 1-0 loss to BYU.

Then we learned that Coach Vela, who is paid to lead young student athletes, would also hide behind the paper of a press release. Mark Smith reported in the Journal that UNM sports information director Greg Remington said Vela was unavailable for further interviews. When asked why Vela didn't address Lambert's actions after the game - which was telecast on the Mtn. on Thursday - Remington said "I don't believe she was aware (of the incidents) … It was only when the video was brought to her attention (that she became aware of it)."

Hmm … I thought coaches were supposed to be watching the game they were coaching. If Vela had been doing so, she would have seen at least one of the five hard fouls committed by Lambert. Any one of them could have brought a red card.

The top Lobo, the athletic director, joined the rush to hide from the media.

"Liz's conduct on the field against BYU was completely inappropriate," said UNM Vice President for Athletics Paul Krebs. "There is no way to defend her actions."

Of course not. But that was all we heard from Mr. Krebs. The Albuquerque Journal reported on Nov. 7 that he refused to comment. Of course he did. A reporter can ask questions. A press release can’t be questioned. Besides, apparently Krebs was busy mishandling a scandal involving the school’s head football coach.

After watching the ESPN story (link above) and seeing the flagrant fouls, my thought was, “Where on earth were the referees?” Lambert was finally shown a yellow card late in the game. How one of the three officials could not have seen these fouls, most of which were in the midst of play (as opposed to off the ball).

The best coverage of the incident I read was from Randy Hollis of the Deseret News in Salt Lake city, excerpts of which are quoted below:

So who's the meanest, dirtiest, nastiest, cheap-shot-waitin'-to-happen athlete you ever saw? Former NBA bad boy Dennis Rodman, who once kicked a sideline cameraman, had a well-deserved reputation for committing all sorts of on-the-court (and occasionally off-the-court) crimes. His one-time Detroit Pistons partner in crime, Bill Laimbeer, was a renowned thug at times, too.
There have been some truly bad characters in the NFL, guys like Bill Romanowski, Conrad Dobler and Jack "The Assassin" Tatum, whose vicious hit paralyzed Patriots' receiver Darryl Stingley — a hit which Tatum never apologized for — and turned Stingley into a quadriplegic. Pro hockey has its share of tough-guy-wannabe goons like Marty McSorley and Todd Bertuzzi, who were each suspended for assaulting opposing players.
But this week, my vote goes to ... yes, you guessed it ... Elizabeth Lambert.
Who? You know, Lizzy "Tizzy" Lambert, that mean little University of New Mexico soccer player who put on such a distasteful display during the Lobos' loss to BYU in the Mountain West women's championship tournament a few days ago.
Lambert's overly aggressive antics have been all over the airwaves and watched by thousands on YouTube the last couple of days, and for good reason.
During the course of the game, Lambert yanked BYU's Kassidy Shumway down from behind by the hair, violently elbowed another BYU player in the back — in all fairness, that one was in retaliation for the Cougar player's own elbow contact moments earlier — and proceeded to kick, slap, shove, push, trip, tackle, punch and generally wreak havoc and commit all kinds of mayhem on her opponents throughout the game.
This is not to say that BYU's players were completely blameless in all this. After all, soccer is an intense sport in which there's plenty of physical contact, so players' emotions often come to the surface. But they have to know where to draw that line.
Lambert, though, crossed the line — by, oh, about a hundred miles or more — and did so repeatedly.
Amazingly, despite all her dirty deeds, all Lambert got for her efforts was a yellow card, which begs the question: What in the world were the officials watching during this fierce match? How did she get away with all this unnecessary roughness?

Tough One For Rowan

GLASSBORO, Nov. 3, 2009 – A #4 national ranking and half of the starting team being named first team all conference did not help Rowan tonight as it dropped a tough 1-0 decision to Stockton in the semi-finals of the NJAC tournament.
The Profs outshot Stockton, 25-5, and dominated corner kicks, 9-1, with 8 in the 2nd half. But the only stat that matter was goals scored and that went to the Ospreys on a low shot inside the right post by Laura O’Shea in the 59th minute.
It was a great night for soccer: crisp fall evening with a full moon and a nice crowd. Most of the first 15 minutes was played in the midfield and neither team had a real goal-scoring opportunity. In the 2nd half Rowan began to dominate and just three minutes in Stockton keeper Maria Dorris dove to her left to make a save. She couldn’t hold the ball, but no one from Rowan followed the shot and Dorris easily recovered.
After the Ospreys scored, Rowan picked it up, but couldn’t solve Stockton’s tactic of packing the box. There were a number of opportunities in the air but the Rowan women kept heading the ball up instead of down. Dorris was forced to make a number of tough saves, tipping over a shot by Linda Sierra with 24:45 to play and making a diving grab on a shot by Evynn Wright with 1:48 left. Perhaps the best chance was by Rowan’s top scorer, Jess Babice, who worked her way from the touchline into the box and took a clear shot from about 15 yards but over the bar.
Stockton moves on to play TCNJ in the conference final Friday night. Rowan waits until Monday to learn if it will receive an at-large NCAA bid, almost a certainty given its national ranking.
Tonight Rowan won every statistical category except the one that counts the most.

Exciting Game on Hawk Hill: St. Joe's Edge's Bonnies

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 11, 2009 -- When I was in high school we would often go to watch Big Five basketball at the Palestra and I always loved the spirit of the St. Joe's fans, who would sing:

Glory, glory what a helluva way to fly
The Hawk will never die.

It's many years later and a different sport, but they were still singing after today's women's soccer victory over St. Bonaventure, 1-0, in an exciting and well-played game.

The St. Joe's campus on City Line Avenue is a great place to watch a soccer game: the bleachers are high up overlooking a nice turf field with a backdrop of stately stone buildings. On this fall day in front of a nice crowd, I watched former Medford Strikers Xtreme player, Kayleigh Summers and her teammates defeat the first place team.

Kayleigh plays a central defender and they did such a good job that keeper Kat Kelble did not make a single save. At the other end of the field, Nicole Markert, played an excellent game with 11 saves, including one in which she dove and tipped what appeared to be a goal over the crossbar. The Hawks outshot St. Bonnie, 21-4.

Jen Pfeiffer, whom I saw play often during the club soccer wars when she was with Mt. Laurel United, scored the only goal St. Joe's needed in the 24th minute when she headed in a ball from Kaitlyn Grimes after a corner kick.

St. Joe's in was even more impressive when one considers they were missing five starters, including leading scorer, Maggie Lupinski from Haddonfield. Maggie suffered a concussion against GW but told me she will be back in action next weekend. Coach Jess Reynolds was happy with her team's play, and with good reason. She felt the team showed it had depth by stepping up with so many players injured.

The win kept the Hawks in the play-off mix: tied for the sixth and final tournament spot with five games to go.

Stockton No Match for Profs

GLASSBORO, NJ, Sept. 30, 2009 -- Former MS Xtreme player Evynn Wright nailed the door shut on any hope of a Stockton comeback when she drilled a rebound home with 24:35 left to play to give Rowan a 3-0 lead. A Stockton goal as time expired made no difference - a 3-1 win counts the same as 3-0 and the Profs had made an impressive statement against a good conference opponent for the second time in a week.

It was a crisp night with a nice crowd in the stands. The boxscore said 212. I would have guessed more than that. Some Rowan men serenaded the fans during the match and they weren't bad.

If Coach Scott Leacott worried about a letdown after his team shot up to # 11 in the national rankings this week following shut-outs of then #6 TCNJ a week ago followed by William Patterson last Saturday, he needn't have worried. Rowan was already on the board when I arrived at the parking lot, thanks to a goal in the 6th minute by high scoring Jess Babice, with an assist from former MSX player, Ronnie Rhea. Fourteen minutes later, as I was settling into a seat next to my former coaching colleague Joe Dadura, and his daughter Kacy (a former Rowan player), Babice set up Krista Verzi for a 2-0 led at the half.

The Ospreys settled down after that but did not seriously challenge. But a 2-0 lead is dangerous -- the other team scores and they have a one goal deficit and momentum. But they give up a goal and the three point hole looks insurmountable. Wright's goal dug that hole and Rowan is 7-1-1 and 4-0 in the conference.

Profs on a Roll

GLASSBORO, Sept. 26, 2009 – The P.A. can be heard as I walk from the parking lot towards the stadium entrance: “Starting for Rowan, Linda Sierra at fullback, Nina Fragoso at midfield, Ronnie Rhea at midfield, Evynn Wright at midfield.”

Add to those four Leah Carney, who’s just coming back from a nagging injury and gives a rugged presence in the back or up top, and there are five players from the Medford Strikers Xtreme playing significant roles for 23rd-ranked Rowan University.

Today was the first chance I had to see the Profs in action this year as they faced William Paterson at home. It was sunny but windy, not unlike last week up in Brunswick, ME.

There may have been a bit of a let-down after Wednesday’s huge 4-0 win over #6 ranked TCNJ (“a whuppin’” as Ronnie’s dad, George Rhea called it) and Rowan seemed a bit out of sync in the first half.

I could see early on that Christie Fink, a sophomore transfer from DePaul who played against the Xtreme for Hibernians, was a positive addition to the roster. Elsewhere around the field, no on was playing poorly, they just couldn’t sustain an attack. And Paterson almost took the lead with a low hard shot in the 21st minute, but Sierra was standing on the line and saved a goal.

Rowan had more chances by far in the first half, including a break-away by high scoring Jess Babice, whose point blank shot was blocked with 12:40 to play, but the half ended scoreless.

Whatever Coach Scott Leacott said at halftime must have worked and it took Babich all of 32 seconds to break down the Paterson defense and put Rowan on the board. In the next 15 minutes Fragoso was denied twice – once when a defender knocked one of her shots off the line and then by a diving save by the keeper. But Rhea scored on a rebound of a shot by Babich with 29:22 left and it was 2-0.

With two wins, including one over a top-10 team, look for the Profs to move up in this week’s rankings.

Coach P with Wheaton Coach Luis Reis after Bowdoin match

BRUNSWICK, ME, Sept. 19, 2009 -- It was one of those picture perfect fall days in Maine - breezy, crystal clear sky - and everyone knew that winter is not too far off. But on this day all that mattered was that there was a good college soccer game going on. The Bowdoin women were playing nationally-ranked Wheaton of Massachusetts and Wheaton had their hands full.

Not long before the game started, the Bowdoin men knocked off cross-state conference rival, Bates, 4-0 on the adjacent field, and now the Polar Bear women were trying to make their own statement by knocking off a perennial NCAA team. And they almost did.

"We could've been down, 3-0 at the half," said Wheaton coach, Luis Reis, after a goal by Jessica Stuart in the 82nd minute enabled the Lyons to escape with a 1-0 victory and remain undefeated at 7-0-0.

Wheaton had the wind at its back the first half, but it was Bowdoin who seemed to have more chances - a shot wide right in the 8th minute, one over the crossbar in the 41st, another wide left in 43rd and yet another over the bar just 44 seconds before intermission. Yet it was 0-0 when the halftime whistle blew.

Bowdoin had applied the pressure in the last five minutes of the first half, but the intensity did not carry over to the second and the Lyons picked up the play. Midway through the half it took a diving save by the keeper to prevent Wheaton from taking the lead. But the Lyons kept coming and Stuart scored with 8:31 to play when she eluded a tackle and shot from 15 yards out.

It was an entertaining game, well-played by both sides. There are worse ways to spend a fall afternoon. (Raking leaves would be one of them.)

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.

Colleges Off and Running

Another college season is upon us as Division 1 teams kicked off this past weekend. Among the Medford Strikers Xtreme alumnae, Dana Grimes scored in St. Peter's 2-0 win over Wagner, Kasey Makowski started both games for Canisius as the Golden Griffs went 1-0-1 on the opening weekend and Kayleigh Summers also started both matches for the St. Joe's Hawks, a 2-1 loss to Providence and 1-0 win over Bunghamton. In Division 3, Virginia Wesleyan is ranked #12 in the pre-season poll, Rowan #14 and TCNJ #22.

Looking ahead to '11

Mark this name on your calendar for Fall, 2011: Courtney Proctor. Sports Illustrated named the rising high school junior from Santa Clarita, California, as one of its teen sensations. The magazine compares her to Landon Donovan and says she can be a playmaker or a finisher. As the youngest player on her club team, the Santa Clarita United Blazers, she scored a team-high 28 goals. She has already played for the U-17 national team.
In March Courtney verbally committed to UCLA for the Fall of '11. So check back in two years and a few months and see if she lives up to her promise.