The men's soccer team posted a stellar 11-3-1 record this season, but failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament. After a heartbreaking 4-1 loss to Wesleyan (10-5-3) in the NESCAC quarterfinals, the team was forced to wait for the NCAA tournament pairings, which were announced last Sunday.
Yet Wesleyan once again played the role of spoiler for the Polar Bears, becoming the first seventh seed in any sport to win the NESCAC Championship, by edging Amherst out 3-2 in an exciting final. After losing to Bowdoin 0-1 in the Polar Bears' final match of the regular season, Wesleyan rolled through tournament play, downing Bowdoin and Williams (13-2-0) before dispatching Amherst (9-5-3) for the crown.
NESCAC Champion Wesleyan was awarded the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, and Williams received an at-large bid.
Had Wesleyan lost to Williams in the tournament semi-final?and had Williams won the NESCAC title?the Polar Bears would have stood in prime position to receive an at-large bid.
Another scenario could have panned out favorably for the Polar Bears involving Keene State (Little East Conference, 12-3-3) and Western New England College (Great Northeast Athletic Conference, 19-2). If either of the two powerhouses?both ranked first in their respective conference tournaments?had won their conference championships, then Bowdoin may have gotten an at-large bid. Unfortunately for the Polar Bears both Keene State and WNEC failed to live up to their number-one seeds, but stole at-large bids nonetheless.
Despite the disappointment in failing to qualify for the NCAA tournament, the men's team looks forward to posting another successful campaign next fall. Gritty midfielder John Hollis '07 remains confident in the team's returning core.
"Our work ethic has improved a lot. We have good direction in Fran O'Leary and with his second year as coach we have a lot to look forward to. Team chemistry is excellent, and though we're losing a lot of talent we hear that we've got some good talent and athleticism coming in to make an immediate impact," Hollis said.