By WILL RICHARDSON
Staff Writer
 

IM soccer had an outstanding year, as eight teams participated in the league. Games were played three days a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. All eight teams had great regular seasons, and every game was fought hard . Unfortunately, only the top four squads were able to advance to the championship round under the intramural format. The championship teams included "Bates United" captained by His-Yun Hsiung '98, "The Amazing Soccerball Whacker Guys" captained by Aaron Seubert '99, "Flying Squirrels" captained by Matt Dow '99, and "Shaw's Faithful" captained by Rick Brown '00. After the semifinals, the two teams left standing were "Shaw's Faithful," consisting mainly of crew players and "Whacker Guys," which was made up of former soccer players. It seemed as if the "Whacker Guys" would have a slight edge in the final game because of their experience.

The championship was set for the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 23. Despite the cold, wet weather, the players were ready for the challenge ahead of them. The weather contributed to sloppy play in the first half, and it ended in a 1-1 tie. Early in the second half, the crew players scored the go-ahead goal and led for the majority of the second half. Late in the second half, as time was running out, "Shaw's Faithful" tied up the score at two apiece with a clutch goal. The game ended tied after regulation, and sudden death overtime loomed ahead. During overtime, Seubert scored the game winner from midfield, and the "Whackers" were crowned as the best team in Intramural soccer. "Shaw's Faithful" played a good game, but not good enough to hold off the "Whackers"

Members of Seubert's team were presented IM championship T-shirts that contain the new Bates Bobcats logo, and a team photo was taken. The dramatic finish to the final IM soccer game typified the season for the Intramural league.

Although the IM soccer season is over, basketball and ice hockey are just around the corner.

The intramural program at Bates has improved from a year ago with the help of Renee Marchant '99 and Seth Thompson '98, in conjunction with their new faculty advisor, Joe Reilly.

Other changes have been made also most being with the Basketball intramural program. These changes include tournaments between seasons. The first of these tourneys will be a three on three basketball tournament beginning Nov. 4. There will be a referee clinic this year and shirts will be given to those who officiate consistently. Championship t-shirts will be given to all IM winners this year.

A few stricter rules will also be applied to help make IM an enjoyable experience for all involved. The soccer season is over, but now is the time to get ready for the hockey and basketball seasons.