By Jordan Mamorsky

There is no doubt that if the university wanted to retain the men's soccer team, it could have. Creating a larger women's sport such as crew or danceline would have certainly protected the university from unwanted lawsuits and maintained the harmonious balance between male and female athletes.

Instead, the university angered most of its students. In just three days, 3,330 of Vanderbilt's 6,000 students signed a petition calling for the reinstatement of the team.

Perhaps most disturbing was the timing of the decision and the lack of respect it showed to some of the best student athletes. Sadly, the administration chose to abandon players who had turned down scholarships at other schools for the opportunity to play soccer at academically-rigorous Vanderbilt.

By notifying the team of their decision two months after the season ended, the university essentially handcuffed its coaches and players, who were unable to transfer.

Usually worried about opposing defenses, McClements is now unemployed and wondering how he will support his family. For one of the classiest and hard working coaches on campus, the decision was a bitter pill to swallow.

"He was distraught, I've never seen coach that sad before," said freshman all-conference midfielder Brian Mascarenhas. "He was just like the guys. Honestly, I don't know what my family's going to do right now. He was scared for his family. They didn't give him any advance notice. He found out the same time we did."

In 2007, Vanderbilt will add women's swimming. The team will not compete on campus (there are no adequate facilities) and, as a result, will attract sparse crowds. However, the team will generate a good deal of revenue due to the fact that it is an SEC sport. Like other schools in the conference, a sizeable amount of Vanderbilt's athletic revenue is derived from allocations from the SEC. (Because the SEC doesn't sanction soccer, Vandy was forced to play in the Missouri Valley Conference, which doesn't generate nearly as much money as the SEC.)

"We really regret the fact that we had to make this decision," said David Williams, the acting athletic director, Vice Chancellor for Student Life and University Affairs, and General Counsel and Secretary to the University. "Anytime you eliminate an activity, it is tough and hard on the players. It is a complex decision, but we had to make it. It's a financial issue, it's a facility issue, it's a Title IX issue, and it's an SEC issue."

Apologies simply won't do for players and coaches who fought to forge a successful men's soccer program, only to see their efforts washed away by an incorrect interpretation of Title IX.

"I think we all came here to bring Vanderbilt (soccer) national prominence," said senior all-conference forward John Krause. "We weren't able to do that. We built a program this year to be a legit team and all of it is ruined. Ten to 20 years from now, we're going to want to bring our kids and show them where we played. We won't be able to do that."