NESCAC

[northman]

At times like this, it feels good to be part of a wider community...even if it is usually D3 soccer related (as it should be).  The potentially encouraging news is that the local news channels are reporting that the authorities believe they have found the suspect in his home in the town of Bowdoin (two towns away from Brunswick and Bowdoin College).  As you can imagine, the place is being swarmed with SWAT teams, tanks, drones and helicopters.  We're hoping that a resolution may be within sight.

[Freddyfud]

Let's hope so, hang in there.  It was a year ago almost to the day when my sister sent me horrifying texts from my niece, a freshman at UVA locked in her dorm closet listening to police scanners as the shooter was nearby.  She is still scarred.  Three months ago it happened again at UNC Chapel Hill.  Our youth are paying a significant price.  The cover of the UNC campus newspaper the day after was powerful and says it all:

https://twitter.com/caitlyn_yaede/status/1696678904683970574

Sorry you are going through this.

[quicksilver]

The shooter was not at the location in the town of Bowdoin and remains at-large with his whereabouts unknown. These are sad and scary times for those of us in Maine.

[blooter442]

I think many of us felt like we were living in a pleasant bubble here in Maine.  By many measures, Maine is the first or second safest state in the union.  Not today.  If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.  Give your loved ones an extra hug today.  We all need support and reassurance in these moments.

Well said, northman. While Maine is an incredibly safe place writ large, I think statistically it was a question of when (not if) it would happen. And though I think many fellow Mainers shared a similar expectation to myself, I don't think any of us anticipated that Maine would have the country's worst mass shooting of the year so far (in October) and the 10th deadliest overall since 1949.

[northman]

As an FYI, Bowdoin and Bates have rearranged some of the games scheduled for this weekend.  The Bowdoin mens soccer team will play at Tufts as scheduled tomorrow.  The Bowdoin womens soccer team...who would have been hosting Conn tomorrow...will play Conn at Tufts on Sunday.  The Bowdoin field hockey team will play at Bates on Tuesday evening, rather than tomorrow.

Maine's emergency authorities have just (finally) rescinded the shelter-in-place requirements in Androscoggin County (which includes Lewiston and Bates College) and Sagadahoc County.  This won't affect the rescheduled athletic contests.

I have a friend who is the director of admissions at Bates.  He has been on speed dial with administrators, his staff, students, and high school applicants.  I learned that the Bates community had to literally shelter in place for both Wednesday and Thursday nights.  Some people had to spend the entire time in classrooms and administrative offices...and had to have food delivered to them with protection from armed security.  This is real world stuff...

[northman]

Also, I should mention that I'm the volunteer assistant coach for the Bowdoin Nordic ski team.  Collegiate skiing is actually a D1 sport at Bowdoin, Bates, Colby, Middlebury, Williams, and St. Lawrence.

I can share that...not surprisingly...no team training has been allowed for the past two days at Bowdoin or Bates.  This certainly is NOT going to help their sharpness or game readiness going into these upcoming NESCAC playoff games...

[EnmoreCat]

It's an interesting perspective Northman, but I also think all these young men have played a lot of games and whilst how this rest has resulted is horrible in the extreme, I would be surprised if missing a training or two now will dramatically impact, but of course, I could be wrong.  My best guess is that the absolute best thing for them and other Bates and Bowdoin teams playing this weekend, is to get back on the field.

[quicksilver]

Robert Card, the Lewiston mass shooter, was found dead of a self-inflicted wound at 7:45  pm Friday in Lisbon, ME, very close to his last place of employment (the Maine Recycling Center). His death at least brings to an end to the public safety emergency but obviously the pain will never end for the relatives of the 18 dead victims.

[northman]

It's an interesting perspective Northman, but I also think all these young men have played a lot of games and whilst how this rest has resulted is horrible in the extreme, I would be surprised if missing a training or two now will dramatically impact, but of course, I could be wrong.  My best guess is that the absolute best thing for them and other Bates and Bowdoin teams playing this weekend, is to get back on the field.

That's a nice thought, EnmoreCat, but the stress and anxiety of being in lockdown for several days and not being to get outside and train normally with your teammates has got to have a deleterious effect.

[northman]

Robert Card, the Lewiston mass shooter, was found dead of a self-inflicted wound at 7:45  pm Friday in Lisbon, ME, very close to his last place of employment (the Maine Recycling Center). His death at least brings to an end to the public safety emergency but obviously the pain will never end for the relatives of the 18 dead victims.

Everyone in the Lewiston area and throughout the state of Maine is finally breathing their first sigh of relief.  I do some advisory work with a state agency that provides a range of funding programs to innovative early-stage companies.  One of our portfolio companies is situated right next to Maine Recycling Center...so it's spooky to realize where Robert Card spent his final moments.

[PaulNewman]

It's an interesting perspective Northman, but I also think all these young men have played a lot of games and whilst how this rest has resulted is horrible in the extreme, I would be surprised if missing a training or two now will dramatically impact, but of course, I could be wrong.  My best guess is that the absolute best thing for them and other Bates and Bowdoin teams playing this weekend, is to get back on the field.

That's a nice thought, EnmoreCat, but the stress and anxiety of being in lockdown for several days and not being to get outside and train normally with your teammates has got to have a deleterious effect.

Agreed, northman.

I've thought about posting a couple of times about what's going on soccer-wise but the pall cast by the unimaginable/all-too-imaginable) horrific tragedy just made anything else trivial.  I imagine players/teams feel very unsettled...as you've put massive effort into your season and have a lot riding on the next game or two and yet the magnitude of the devastating mass killing is so sobering (and in some ways so defeating) that one can wonder what kind of mindset players will have individually and collectively.

So, yes, sure, it will be good for players and teams to return to their pitches, fields, arenas, etc...but I don't see any way there wouldn't be a deleterious effect.  Maybe even more important than the lost training/preparation time might be the dramatic psychological switching of gears from the mindset before the tragedy/lockdown to a mental state dominated by some combination of being hyperalert, on guard, confused, devastated, enraged, drained/fatigued, etc, etc to now trying to get back to a pre-tragedy mind-set that is impossible to fully regain inside of just a couple of days.

None of us know how the distractions, motivations, and dynamics will play out today.  Maybe Bowdoin will rally around each other and have an excellent, inspiring performance.  Maybe Tufts will be off just a little because of some unconscious (or conscious) sympathy and/or because the Jumbos don't need the game as badly as Bowdoin.

I wouldn't go as far as to say that Bowdoin isn't safe for a Pool C, but the Polar Bears are certainly less safe than the other four NESCACs in the top five....as Midd, Conn, Amherst, and Tufts are all locks.  Bowdoin would feel far more secure with at least one more ranked win, as I believe they go into today's match with a RvR of 1-2-4.

The real wild card in the NESCAC I think is Williams.  if the Ephs can get a win over Midd that would take Williams to three ranked wins (RvR now sitting at 2-4-1).  A win would also nudge the Williams overall record into a more respectable range to go along with what will be a SoS that easily exceeds .600.  A Williams win coupled with a Bowdoin loss also could vault the Ephs above the Polar Bears in the regional rankings.  If they both win then one or both might need to win a semi to feel reasonably comfortable.


Extremely high probability that five NESCACs will make the NCAA field (inclusive of the AQ).  Could there be six?

[Yankeesoccerdad]

Like you PN, i held back from commenting this week for similar reasons.  An athletic contest seems trite and trivial compared to what families who lost loved ones are going through; I didn't want to be seen as creating excuses for Bowdoin or diminishing Tufts if they won (Tufts won 1-0 on the road just a few days ago and if they win today it shouldn't have an asterisk).  Despite the challenges of this week the team has a lot of grit and resilience as they showed coming back after being down to Midd 2-0.  I can't predict any outcome but I am confident Bowdoin will play hard as they did on Tuesday.

I feel guilty getting ready to enjoy a soccer game given the tragedy this week.  But I am eager to see my son and cheer him and his teammates.  Soccer has been a wonderful family-bonding experience for us and I am grateful we get to share that again today.  I've run into a few other parents this morning and it definitely feels a little different.

[PaulNewman]

Midd looks great...up 2-0.  Williams had some possession for the first 5-6 minutes but ever since then the Panthers have been dominant and consistently in the Ephs' final third.  Trying to pay more attention to Midd's individual players...a lot of talent across the board and Payne really is a stud...nifty pass to Chae for the 2nd goal.  When a team is dominating this is probably pretty easy to say, but Midd appears to have a lot of intentionality in what they do.  Bowdoin will be very pleased by Midd's two goal lead.

[EnmoreCat]

Amherst 1 Wesleyan 0

The first time for many games that Amherst had the full roster to select from and the early exchanges were positive for the Mammoths at TBTTIHF, which by the way, was looking pristine after a mow.  Eight minutes in, a well-hit corner was superbly headed in by one of the Amherst midfielders and my feeling was that that would get the ball rolling.  What it in fact did, was get the Cardinals up & running and I thought after that, for most of the remainder of the half, they just about looked the better team.  That was, until the final five minutes or so, when the Mammoths got back into the game. 

The second half was really about Wesleyan chances that weren't taken.  I counted three that were very close and in truth, it wouldn't have been unfair had they equalized, but of course, those with purple in their hearts, were happy they didn't.  Towards the end Amherst did start to close it out and eventually managed the game successfully, something which hasn't always been easy this season.  Clean sheets  also haven't been as regular as this correspondent would have liked this season, but suddenly Amherst has two in a row.  So, some definite positives out of what wasn't a vintage performance, but the good news is that this team can definitely do more.

As I write, Conn has won in OT over Hamilton, so that will be the semi-final match up in Middlebury next week.  Both teams will have revenge on their minds and I would expect it to be a pretty good encounter.  For those travelling there, I can recommend:

The Middlebury Inn for accommodation
Haymaker Bun Company for good coffee, a nice place to sit along the river and a deluxe cinnamon scroll
American Flatbread for pizza
Vermont Bookshop for books (surprisingly) - I bought, "The Secret Life of Groceries" there and whilst the title may not sound all that inspiring, it was an excellent read.  The shop itself was well-stocked, with really nice staff. 
Plus if you do go for a walk, the Congregational Church is a quite spectacular building, I thought it was magnificent and it really is a pretty town.

Foul Count: Amherst 13 Wesleyan 17 (another game against the popular narrative). 

[Bucket]

Midd looks great...up 2-0.  Williams had some possession for the first 5-6 minutes but ever since then the Panthers have been dominant and consistently in the Ephs' final third.  Trying to pay more attention to Midd's individual players...a lot of talent across the board and Payne really is a stud...nifty pass to Chae for the 2nd goal.  When a team is dominating this is probably pretty easy to say, but Midd appears to have a lot of intentionality in what they do.  Bowdoin will be very pleased by Midd's two goal lead.

I'll take partial credit for Tyler's stellar play, as he was no doubt extra fired up due to me accidentally skipping over him in the pre-game introductions.