As competition heats up, most are looking beyond Plymouth State
A casual Keene State College sports fan probably wouldn’t hesitate when asked who KSC’s biggest rival is. Plymouth State, an hour and a half north of Keene, has been the school’s de facto rival for as long as anyone can remember.
But a closer look at rivalries revealed that they might change more often than people think.
“For us, it would have to be Eastern Connecticut State. When we play them it’s always a very intense affair,” Men’s Soccer coach Ron Butcher said.
“Sometimes you have to have new rivalries. [The Plymouth State rivalry] was tremendous in the past, we used to draw fans like you wouldn’t believe.”
Butcher has a lot of experience with KSC rivalries as he has been here since 1970. In that time he’s seen the school move to Division II in 1985 and then back to Division III 11 years later.
Butcher said the rivalry hasn’t been the same since.
“When we went back to Division Three, everybody wanted to make it feel like the Plymouth State rivalry was a big deal again,” Butcher said, “which makes sense, it’s an in-state rival. I don’t consider them a rival like they were in the past.”
Brian Cantore / Photo Editor: A confrontation between members of the KSC and Plymouth State men’s soccer teams cleared both benches during a game on September 21 at the Owls Soccer Field.
Butcher’s response may have also been influenced by a particularly close game at Eastern Connecticut this year.
On September 28, the teams were scoreless going into the final ten minutes of the game when Eastern Connecticut scored on its only shot of the half, securing a 1-0 victory over the Owls.
People in other sports seemed to have a different perspective on KSC’s rivals.
“Plymouth State is definitely still our rival, but I think we consider University of Massachusetts Dartmouth our biggest rival,” sophomore volleyball player Madeleine Nossiff said. “U-Mass Dartmouth has always been a really good team.”
Even within the team, there is disagreement over KSC’s rivals. Nossiff’s coach, Bob Weiner, sees the most animosity between KSC and U-Mass Boston.
“We don’t like [U-Mass Boston] and they don’t like us,” Weiner said. “They’re always surprised when our coaching staff is polite to them. I respect the hell out of them, they’re good, but that doesn’t mean we have to like them.”
Weiner’s resentment of U-Mass Boston has built over time. After winning the Little East Conference Championship in 2008, he has watched U-Mass Boston win four consecutive LEC titles. Making matters even more personal, in all four of those years U-Mass Boston has ended KSC’s season (twice in the LEC finals and twice in the LEC semifinals).
This season, the Lady Owls played U-Mass Boston even through two sets before Weiner said they “let the game slip away.”
It shouldn’t bother the team for too long, however. If history is any indication the teams should meet again in tournament play.
Still, other teams have other answers to the rivalry question.
“For baseball it’s probably Eastern Conn. and the University of Southern Maine,” senior baseball player Andrew Gummow said. “[Eastern Connecticut] has always had a couple kids who tend to run their mouths, but coach Howe doesn’t like that stuff so we usually don’t.”
Gummow’s rivalry reasoning also seemed to be based on teams’ recent success.
“When I first got here our biggest rival was probably Eastern [Connecticut], but Southern Maine has won the last two conference championships.” Gummow said.
Gummow may have unknowingly revealed the reason why rivalries are constantly changing for KSC.
As different teams take hold of the conference, they put targets on their backs. In situations like the one the volleyball team finds itself in, playing the same team year after year in a playoff atmosphere is bound to breed animosity.
Weiner offered another reason why rivalries change.
“The great thing about college sports is that the teams change,” Weiner said. “We graduated six seniors in 2011, and [U-Mass Boston] graduated an all-American this year, so they’re a completely different group, too.”
Regardless of who each team’s rivalry is with, everyone agreed that rivalries are good for team development.
“[Against rivals] we always try our hardest and try to play our best game,” Nossiff said. “That’s how you become a good team.”
With Fall tournament play nearing, teams have all eyes on their respective foes.
But before assuming the playoffs will simply cement existing rivalries, consider that they also may create new ones.
Zach Winn can be contacted at zwinn@keene-equinox.com
