The Nor'easters turn around and pick up a stranded Monks' women's soccer team.

CLICK HERE to read original article, written by Portland Press Herald Staff Writer Mike Lowe

The University of New England sports teams are known as the Nor'easters. Last Saturday they could have been known as the Good Samaritans.

The UNE women's soccer team, on its way home from a game at Nichols College in Dudley, Massachusetts, turned around and picked up the members of the Saint Joseph's College women's soccer team, which was stranded on the Massachusetts Turnpike after its bus broke down returning from a game at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven, Connecticut.

"If you were in their position, you would want someone to come to your aid," said UNE Coach Heather Davis. "It's not like they were just 15 minutes from home, they were a long way away. It kind of seemed the right thing to do."

It was certainly appreciated. St. Joe's day was already glum after a 4-3 loss to Albertus Magnus in double overtime. Then, just after they passed the Charlton rest area – about 20 minutes west of Worcester – the bus had to pull over to the breakdown lane. St. Joe's Coach Jenelle Harris said the driver contacted a mechanic, but the bus couldn't be repaired. There was a severe coolant leak.

All the time, the bus company officials were seeking another option. That's where UNE came in.

The Nor'easters were just passing through Worcester when their bus driver got a call about the breakdown. After talking with Davis, it was decided that they would turn around. The alternative included sending another bus from Maine to pick up St. Joe's. That would have taken about three hours.

"It was actually a little funny," said Harris. "Heather called me on my cell and I'm thinking, 'Why is she calling me?'

"Then she says, 'This is your friendly bus rescue service.' "

Davis and Harris are friends. And many of the players on the two teams knew each other in high school, either as teammates or opponents.

UNE's bus eventually pulled behind the St. Joe's bus – "Maybe 45 minutes after we stopped," said Harris – and the Monks players filed onto the bus. Then their equipment was loaded on as well.

"It was nice, they had already moved to the front of the bus," said Harris. "We had the back half and it was a smooth transition. And then we enjoyed a movie on the ride home with UNE."

UNE was dropped off first, then St. Joe's. Their days were extended by about 90 minutes.

"It could have been worse, a lot worse," said Harris. "And we would have done the same had the roles been flipped, we would have helped them out."

UNE AD Jack McDonald was more pleased with the team's response to St. Joe's dilemma than he was with the Monks' 2-0 win over Nichols that day.

"I say it all the time, in sports someone wins and someone loses, but in community service, everybody wins," he said. "We have a good friend and neighbor in St. Joe's and I couldn't be prouder of our coach and team. And the bus company too."

"It was also nice that the (UNE) bus driver was able to accommodate them as well," said Davis. "It made for a longer day. I think everybody involved sort of chipped in."

Davis said there were many factors involved that made the "rescue" possible: the game's starting time (delayed 20 minutes because of a late-arriving official who was caught in traffic), the proximity of the busses and the size of UNE's bus.

"Typically we take a 34-passenger bus," she said. "For whatever reason, we had a 54-passenger bus that day. So a lot of stars had to be aligned for that to happen."

#GOMONKS

Follow Saint Joseph's Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram!

Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.