Do You Believe in Miracles? NESCAC’s Top 5 Moments so far of the 2017-18 season
I know that sometimes we get pretty focussed on the three main sports in the NESCAC, but there are so many other successful teams in our conference worth mentioning. Obviously, here at NbN, we love football, basketball, and baseball, but after seeing a tweet by @Middathletics after their Women’s Tennis team knocked off Division I playoff bound Quinnipiac University, I thought that we could give some other shout outs. I pride myself on being an unbiased writer, and there’s definitely a lot of Middlebury here, so if I forgot a player, team, coach, or great moment, DM us so I can do another article later!
1. Colby Men’s Hockey: Jack Kelley, a United States Hockey Hall of Famer, former member of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Redwings front offices, and collegiate and professional coach, called the Mules “a team of destiny.” He was the head coach at Boston University for 10 years and won two national championships with them and still referred in such a way about the team from Waterville after they advanced to the Frozen Four on a last second goal.
Your 2018 NESCAC Champions, the Colby College Mules
After a hard fought regular season, no hockey fanatic could’ve expected what was on the way for the Mules. Entering the NESCAC tournament as the #6 seed, they made an incredible underdog run to take the conference title for the first time in school history, capturing an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. They came back from a 4-2 deficit in their opening round game against University of New England, won on a last second goal 2-1 against SUNY Geneseo in their second round game, and then found themselves as the only unranked team in the Frozen Four. Although they ended losing to the eventual national champion, St. Norbert 4-3 in the national semifinal, they clearly had an incredible run, rivaling that of the Miracle on Ice, and even got to play at the historic rink at Lake Placid, NY.
2. Amherst Women’s Basketball: Completing a second straight undefeated season is pretty awesome. A 66 game win streak and two national championships later, and the Amherst Mammoths are still standing.
Amherst women’s basketball just wrapped up another historic season.
Who can beat them? Probably nobody. Coach Gromacki and his team are a national force to be reckoned with and are now comparable to the UConn women, maybe even surpassing them after two straight Final Four losses for the Huskies. For more information on this incredible run and awesome streak, check out Cam’s recent article.
3. Middlebury Field Hockey: I’m not even going to pretend I know a single thing about field hockey. Before I went from California to the East Coast for college, I though this sport was just cross-training for ice hockey. While that was pretty ignorant, I can still recognize the greatness of this Panthers program. They went 20-2 this season, winning their second national championship in three years. Coach DeLorenzo really knows how to coach and got her women two rings in the same season. Unlike the 2015 national championship Panthers, this team won both the NESCAC and the NCAA tournaments, basically completing their perfect season. After two straight NESCAC finals losses to Bowdoin and Tufts, their seniors are really able to ride off high. Also, it is safe to say that the NESCAC is by far the best field hockey conference in the nation (just like women’s and men’s basketball, women’s and men’s lacrosse, women’s and men’s tennis while hockey and soccer are up there too).
4. Willaims Women’s Soccer: The Ephs collected their second national championship in three years by beating UNC Greensboro 1-0 on December 2nd, 2017. They were led all season by Dani Sim, both the NESCAC POY and the United Soccer Coaches DIII Player of the Year. Sim was the first defender ever to win the NESCAC POY, showing how dominant their team was all season. They had the NESCAC’s leading goal scorer in Sophomore Alison Lu and also the best back line—basically making scoring easy and scoring on them impossible. GK Olivia Barnhill was even named to Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” section for her performance in the 1-0 shutout of Chicago to take the National Crown.
The celebration after ending the season with a win.
As a result, their season record was 21-1-1 which is just ridiculous. What’s more is that just four of their starters were seniors and they have plenty of depth to back it up, so look for them to continue this kind of purple reign.
5. Shams Mohajerani:
Shams Mohajerani ’20
Earlier this year, Middlebury soccer’s own Shams Mohajerani was #3 on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10 for the night of September 6th, 2017. As you can see, this is a super D3 highlight tape as it was shot on a janky camera at a soccer game played on a football field. But, hey, it made the SC Top 10 and deservedly so. Shams gets around the defender and has a look from 30 yards out and fires a top corner hooking shot. David Beckham couldn’t have done it better himself. Not even in this video.
Editor’s Note: I’m VERY excited to have two welcomes to make in this note. First, we have to welcome Peter Delalio to the NbN. Peter is a rising junior on the Wesleyan baseball team, and enjoys moonlit strolls and peanut butter. Secondly, we get to welcome men’s soccer to the list of sports to which we give that special NbN shine. We’re very excited to be a step closer to our ultimate goal of covering every sport in the CAC, but the main obstacle to that is writers. So if you want to start covering soccer (or any other sport,) email nothingbutnescac@gmail.com. Alright let’s get to the article.
Fall is back, and it’s time for the World’s most popular sport to return to NESCAC play, and make its debut on NbN. NESCAC has become one of the better soccer leagues in the country, consistently sending multiple teams to the NCAA tournament, so we should be geared up for an entertaining 2017 in the soccer world.
Amherst
Weller Hlinomaz ’18 (Courtesy of Amherst Athletics)
A nationally ranked team and defending champion of the league. Amherst has certainly proven its moxie with its impactful play over the past few years. In conference games last year, the Mammoths led the league in goals in what developed into a display of offensive prowess and sheer dominance, averaging 2.3 goals per game in conference. Leading the attack this year will be Weller Hlinomaz ’18 and midfielder Dane Lind ’20; both will be in charge of filling in for some key losses due to graduation. On the defensive side of the ball, Amherst will be returning senior goalkeeper Lee Owen ’18. The Mammoths will have an early test of their defensive ability seeing as they return only two of their defenders from last year. The defending champs will seek to prove that their young guns can get the job done as they open up play against Bowdoin at home.
Bates
Nate Merchant ’18 (9) will look to give the Bobcats a boost this year.
The Bobcats squad will need to strengthen their play against NESCAC opponents for a successful campaign this season. First things first, they will look to bolster their less than adequate defense from last season to combat the offensive powerhouses throughout the conference. Bates ranked last in conference play last year in goals against, coming in at an average of 1.72 goals per game. This makes their attack that much less effective knowing that other teams will be pressuring their defense constantly. Luckily for Bates, they return experienced defenders in Antonio Heredia Soto ’20, Max Watson ’18, Julien Williamson ’20, and goalkeeper Robbie Montanaro ’19. Hopefully these four will be able to provide the backbone that this Bobcats team needs. Offensively, Bates will rely on Nate Merchant ‘18 and Eric Opuku ’20. We will see if these two can get the Bobcats off on the right foot when they take on Hamilton in the opening weekend.
Bowdoin
Moctar Niang ’19 (Courtesy of Bowdoin Athletics)
One of Bowdoin’s biggest strengths in the 2016 season was their ability to score. Fortunately for the Polar Bears, and unfortunately for their opponents, they are returning their top goal scorer Moctar Niang ’19. He tallied a total of 13 points, scoring 6 goals to go along with 1 assist. Speaking of assists, the Bowdoin squad also brings back leadership in Ethan Ellsworth ‘18, who tallied a team high 6 assists; when coupled with his 4 goals for the season, he also led the team in points. Leadership will be a crucial ingredient for a successful team this year. Along with Ellsworth, the Polar Bears return midfielders Wilson MacMillan ’19, Sam Ward ’19, and goalie Stevie Van Siclen ’19. Hopefully this senior group has what it takes to get their team to that next level, as they will look to improve on their NESCAC semifinal finish last season.
Colby
The Colby team definitely had their struggles last year, finishing second to last in conference. The Mules are hoping for a bounce back year, and hopefully their resurgence can be fueled by offense. Out of the 11 conference teams, Colby finished tied for last in goals scored versus its NESCAC opponents. Kyle Douglas ’19 led the Mules last year in goals scored with 3, so he and the rest of the team need to find a way to break through their low ceiling and exceed their competitions’ expectations. Colby has the majority of their roster returning this year, losing only two players to graduation. This experience will serve only to benefit the Mules, and they perhaps might even surprise a few teams.
Conn
Ben Manoogian ’19 (courtesy of Connecticut College Athletics)
The Camels had a solid season last year, finishing tied for 4th in conference play. However, they will be losing their top goal threat and points leader, so the younger forwards will have to carry the burden of filling some gaps. Juniors Chris Lockwood ’19 and Ben Manoogian ‘19 will seek to lead the Camel offense. Scoring a combined 13 goals a season ago, these two need to remain productive on the attack. Leading assist man Ousmane Dieng ’18 will add a much-needed balance to the offense, and might even add a couple more goals himself. Defensively, the Camels will look to replace a graduated goalie, but will return defensive stalwarts Nate Summers ’18 and Tyler Hoadley ’19 to help make that transition all that much more smooth for the new keeper.
Middlebury
The big story for the Panthers this season is the announcement of long-time coach David Saward’s retirement at the conclusion of this season (assistant Alex Elias ’08 will take over). He will have spent 33 years at the helm of the men’s soccer program, but hopefully this will not distract the players from the goal at hand (Editor’s second Note: nice one Pete.) Middlebury seeks to return to their former glory days as national champions just under a decade ago, but seeing how they finished 6th in the conference last season, they certainly have their work cut out for them. A key for the Panthers this year will be maintaining their high level of play against conference opponents. They averaged 1.8 goals per game outside of NESCAC games, and just .9 in them. Middlebury has shown that they can create chances with returners like Daniel O’Grady ’19 and Drew Goulart ’20, so they are definitely capable of finding the back of the net. Peter Davis ’19 will lead their defense, and will attempt to stymie Conn in the opening weekend.
(Editor’s Final Note: Look at this sweet goal from Middlebury sophomore Shams Mohajerani. #3 on the Sportscenter Top Ten!)
Tufts
Gavin Tasker ’20 netted the game winner in Tuft’s opener against Babson. (Courtesy of Tufts Athletics)
The defending national champs have a huge target on their back coming into this season. They received the #1 overall ranking in the country, so they definitely have a lot to live up to. In conference play last season, the Jumbos managed to score 16 goals while giving up only 6. Tufts returns playmakers Dexter Eichhorst ’18 and Kevin Halliday ’18, who will aim to facilitate scorer Gavin Tasker ’20. It is worth noting that the Jumbos will be losing their top point scorer and their reliable barrier of a keeper, but they certainly have the means to fill in those gaps. The Jumbos are expected to have another strong campaign, and will aim to give their home fans plenty to cheer about in their first conference matchup against Colby.
Wesleyan
The Cardinals’ 2016 season was certainly not up to their usual standards. They finished last in conference, and let too many games get away from them. Wesleyan has shown they are capable of beating the best, however, as they defeated Amherst in 2015 and Tufts last season, both of whom went on to win the national championship. Their defense will surely need to improve, which becomes much easier when you have lockdown players like Teddy Lyons ’19, Nick Jackson ’18, and Camden McCusker ’19 to help out. These guys will be the key to starting the offense. Up front for the Cardinals, seniors Adam Cowie-Haskell ’18 and Garrett Hardesty ’18 will lead the attack, while junior Komar Martinez-Paiz ’19 will return from injury and prove why he was so sorely missed a season ago. The Cardinals get their season started at Bowdoin a week from this Saturday.
Williams
Mark Cisco-Tolomeo ’18 (23) is the key to the Williams offense this season.
The Ephs had a pleasant 2016 season. They finished 3rd in the conference, scoring 17 goals and letting up only 11 against NESCAC opponents. Williams now wants to jump to the next level, and to do so, they must strengthen their defense. The Ephs are losing 6 of their starting 11 from last year, meaning that the younger guys must step up. Tobias Muellers ‘18 and Sean Dory ’19 must remain reliable on the back end of the squad. These two will be responsible for setting the tone against opponents, and will give confidence to their offense. One man on the offensive side of the ball, who will be huge for the success of this team, is senior striker Mark Sisco-Tolomeo ’18. He was tied for the lead in goals scored from last season, and will hope to progress even more.
Hamilton
After a deep run into the playoffs a season ago, the Continentals will look to build on their success as they start conference play against Bates in the opening weekend. Hamilton will depend on senior Matt Cerveny ’18 to carry the load, who will be thrust into a leadership position after having lost key players to graduation. As a team that has lost goal threats, the Continentals will need to be strong defensively; this burden will be taken on by senior Eli Lichtman ’18, a seasoned vet who will provide much needed experience to this young squad. Hamilton has a great foundation to build upon, allowing only 10 goals while scoring 13. If they wish to repeat another far run into the playoffs, the Continentals must keep up their gritty play this season.
Trinity
This season, the Bantams are going to need to find a way to generate offense. Having scored the 3rdleast goals in conference play a year ago, and also losing their top 3 points scorers to graduation, Trinity will have to rely on sophomore Henry Farr ’20 to create the chances. Having started in only 7 of the Bantams’ 17 games, Farr was still able to grab 7 points coming off the bench. On defense, Trinity will look to Alex Steel ’19 and Michael Burns ’20 to turn the tide and be the reliable backs this Bantams team so desperately need. Trinity opens up NESCAC play against Williams in the opening weekend.
