LSC adjusts to NAC play

By Andrew R. Koch
Sports Editor

The Hornets make a smooth transition into a new conference.

Coming into this semester, the Hornets coaching staff knew that they were going to face a stiff challenge in the North Atlantic Conference. What they didn’t know was how well some of the teams would adjust to competing in a new conference.

The Hornets soccer teams each earned their first conference wins last weekend, with the men scoring a 2-0 win at UMaine-Farmington, while the women earned a closely contested 1-0 win at Thomas College.

Despite having sub-.500 records in the NAC, both soccer teams currently have .500 records overall, and are in good position to earn conference playoff bids. The women’s team is in fifth place of the eight teams in the conference, while the men are sixth.

Wins in their final two conference games could help the teams host first round playoff games. To do that, they first have to get through Johnson State on Saturday.

“These are important games this weekend,” Chris Ummer, director of athletics, said. “They’re both in the mix. It just depends on how they play down the stretch.”

Ummer said that since two of each soccer team’s final four games are conference play, they must win those games. He feels that each team has a good chance at finishing the year above .500.
The men’s team is coming off a huge win last week against Norwich, a 2-1 double-overtime thriller. Ummer says that win should be a big help to the team.

“It’s a big boost. It gives them a lot of momentum. They realized the level they can play at.”
Ummer says that while the soccer and volleyball teams may have struggled early on in NAC play, his cross-country teams have done very well against their conference competition. He said the men’s team has beaten both conference opponents they’ve faced so far, and the women’s team has only been beaten by Castleton up to this point in the season. Ummer is very confident about how his runners will do in the upcoming NAC Championships.

“I think the men will finish either first or second, and I fully expect Lyndsay (Calkins) to win the NAC championship,” Ummer said.

As for Lyndon’s coaching staff, opinions vary as to how well they’ll do in their respective inaugural seasons in the NAC. Some teams did very well against NAC competition last year, when Lyndon was still in the USCAA.

“The coaches feel different about their teams. Some feel they can come in and be competitive right away. Some feel that they’re going to have an uphill battle,” Ummer said, adding that baseball and softball both did very well last spring against NAC teams. The baseball team went 4-1 against the NAC on their way to the USCAA National Championship.

Ummer says that Lyndon State can’t wait to be good in the future. He feels the teams need to find ways to be competitive right away, because he believes the future is now.