Hall of Fame
After four straight winning seasons, Norwich University men's soccer coach Lefty Lyford was excited when his team gathered for its first practice session in the fall of 1968. With 10 lettermen back from a team that lost just twice in nine games the previous year, Lyford knew his club had the potential for an outstanding fall.
The season got off to an inauspicious start with a 3-3 tie at Colby. NU came back to beat St. Michael's and Lowell before losing to a tough University of Vermont team. Buoyed by a tremendous group of seniors, the Cadets responded with a 13-0 win over A.I.C. and Norwich did not lose again that fall.
Among the team's victories was a 6-2 triumph over perennial national power Trenton State before the largest crowd ever to watch a soccer game at Howard Field. The win was described at the time as possibly the biggest in the history of Norwich soccer.
In all, NU finished the season with six consecutive victories including a season-ending triumph over arch-rival Middlebury. Norwich concluded the fall with an 8-1-1 mark including a 6-0-1 record in College Division play. The team set 12 scoring records that fall.
For the seniors, it marked the end of three great years of varsity competition. The group compiled a 22-4-2 mark in their three college seasons and never lost a game to a team from outside the state of Vermont.
Shortly after the season ended, the New England Intercollegiate Soccer League presented the team with the James Sampson trophy in a ceremony before the Corps of Cadets. With the trophy, Norwich was officially recognized as New England champions for the College Division. It was a fitting conclusion to one of the greatest seasons any Norwich team has ever enjoyed.
