Stature is everything, and at first glance the America East Conference appears rather short.
Sure, the Terriers are reigning national champions ‘-‘- in hockey, a sport the conference does not sponsor. For BU, the accomplishment’s importance cannot be understated, as it marks a return to national prominence in the hockey world, or at least national relevance.
However, a championship in a sport America East sponsors, such as soccer, would go a long way toward putting the conference in the national spotlight. At the very least, it would cause sportswriters to get the conference’s name right instead of writing eloquently about the ‘American East’ or a thousand other mythical leagues and associations.
America East’s particular brand of sports sm’ouml;rg’aring;sbord does little to aid Commissioner Patrick Nero in his quest to make the conference relevant on the national stage.
As mentioned previously, hockey is not an America East sport; the same is true for football. The mere presence of winter weather dooms any prospect of a true national contender in baseball ‘- how can Maine be expected to compete with teams from the South when half the season is spent shoveling snow?
This leaves basketball. While I make no apologies for the brand of basketball played by America East members, I also harbor no dreams of national titles or even national relevance. Hartford’s success on the women’s stage is impressive, but the Hawks’ accomplishments are magnified by their unlikely nature. Does anyone really think Jen’
Yet the Hawks, despite all the obstacles lying between them and a national title, are far closer to achieving said goal than any of the nine America East men’s basketball programs. America East’s best chance for national relevance lies with soccer and lacrosse, and while the conference may have had more success with lacrosse to date, that’s’
Soccer ‘- yes, that sport one can call football without it being a misnomer ‘- isn’t America’s pastime, no matter how many legions of schoolchildren play the game nationwide. Soccer pops up on the national ‘ stage every four years for the World Cup, only to inevitably recede to its resting place in the ambiguous space between major’
No, college soccer doesn’t have a stage the equal of March Madness or BCS bowls, but it does have a stage, and America East appears intent on making an appearance. The Terriers cracked the top 15 in the latest NSCAA/adidas men’s soccer national poll, with UMBC appearing in the ‘Also Receiving Votes’ category. Binghamton and Hartford also field quality sides. The America East Conference isn’t striving to become one of the strongest mid-major men’s soccer conferences in the country ‘-‘- it’s already there.
Being strong top to bottom is one thing. Having a quality team capable of turning heads in the NCAA Tournament is another thing entirely. Yet BU may be that team. Early returns are promising, to say the least. Ignore the rankings, strong though they may be, and focus on the results.
Following a draw at Massachusetts ‘-‘- not a stellar result, but nothing to be ashamed of either ‘-‘-‘ the Terriers went to Storrs, Conn. and dismantled the University of Connecticut Huskies, 3-0. Not satisfied with that result, the team then returned home and walked all over Providence College, winning by an identical 3-0 score.
Then, when a loss against an undefeated Harvard team appeared to be a setback, the Terriers were quick to rebound, and in dramatic fashion. What could be bigger than defeating the top team in the country? No. 1 St. John’s had all the accolades, but after 90 minutes of play no Red Storm shots had found the back of the net.
Sometimes early results can overinflate a team’s reputation. In those situations, however, there are usually easily recognizable red flags ‘-‘- a young team playing over its head, a team winning but not controlling the flow of the game, a number of wins accumulated against mediocre competition. None of these are the case.
The Terriers return ten starters from last year, including one in the most important position ‘-‘-‘ goalkeeper. Connecticut, Providence, and St. John’s are all strong teams from one of the toughest conferences in the country. Perhaps most importantly, the Terriers have shown the ability to dominate a game from start to finish.
It’s too early to say whether these Terriers are destined for greatness. As the clich’eacute; goes, that’s why they play the games. But it’s never too early to speculate, and this Terrier team certainly appears to be firing on all cylinders. If the rest of the conference can keep up, that will go a long way toward putting America East men’s soccer in the headlines.
As for spelling the conference’s name correctly? No guarantees.
Matt Whitrock, a senior in the College of Arts and Science, is a weekly columnist for The Daily Free Press. He can be reached at whitrock@bu.edu.
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