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D3soccer.com => Men's soccer => Topic started by: blooter442 on May 22, 2017, 09:32:58 PM

Title: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on May 22, 2017, 09:32:58 PM
Checked out the Brandeis Athletics website – the Judges have their schedule out: http://brandeisjudges.com/sports/msoc/2017-18/schedule

The Judges start the season at the Hobart Invitational, playing Hobart and Cortland State: the former, a perennial LL contender, and the latter a Sweet 16 team last year. The next big game is Babson home, and after that away tests against Tufts and Wheaton before the UAA schedule starts. Brandeis also plays in-state games against WPI, Elms, MA Maritime, and Clark.

At first glance, not quite as strong of a schedule as the past few years – no Trinity/Haverford/etc. in the opening weekend – but still a solid slew of tests nonetheless.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on May 24, 2017, 12:34:39 PM
That schedule is a pretty good schedule but you are correct the opening weekend is not quite as strong as the past few seasons BUT still a schedule that will garner an over .600 SOS and a high OWP. Cortland and Hobart is a very solid opening weekend and with all the players Brandeis has lost the past few seasons that schedule will be a buffer until Brandeis figures out their line-up and put players in the right positions. The great thing about Margolis is he was their for 10 years before taking over as Head Coach so the players will know exactly what to expect and since Margolis had his hands all over Coven's program the past 10 years I do not expect any major changes in formation or style of play. Hobart will have a very solid team coming back as they were inches away from the NCAA's. Cortland is always tough especially up there but they were a bit inconsistent IMO last year.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on May 24, 2017, 12:44:50 PM
Side Note:  Is it me or has Brandeis dropped a few teams from that schedule. Looks like they are only playing 17/18 games and if I remember correctly Coven used to play 20 games in a season.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on May 24, 2017, 02:05:20 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on May 24, 2017, 12:34:39 PM
That schedule is a pretty good schedule but you are correct the opening weekend is not quite as strong as the past few seasons BUT still a schedule that will garner an over .600 SOS and a high OWP. Cortland and Hobart is a very solid opening weekend and with all the players Brandeis has lost the past few seasons that schedule will be a buffer until Brandeis figures out their line-up and put players in the right positions. The great thing about Margolis is he was their for 10 years before taking over as Head Coach so the players will know exactly what to expect and since Margolis had his hands all over Coven's program the past 10 years I do not expect any major changes in formation or style of play. Hobart will have a very solid team coming back as they were inches away from the NCAA's. Cortland is always tough especially up there but they were a bit inconsistent IMO last year.

Good points. Ocel and I believe Berg are both returning this year so that's huge. Most of the front line and both CBs graduate but Woodhouse and both outside backs are back. Definitely going to require some experimenting, but I think they'll figure it out.

Quote from: Mr.Right on May 24, 2017, 12:44:50 PM
Side Note:  Is it me or has Brandeis dropped a few teams from that schedule. Looks like they are only playing 17/18 games and if I remember correctly Coven used to play 20 games in a season.
Depends on the year, I think. From 2012 to 2015, it was 19 games per season. Last year, it was 18.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: OldNed on June 12, 2017, 04:11:58 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on May 24, 2017, 02:05:20 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on May 24, 2017, 12:34:39 PM
That schedule is a pretty good schedule but you are correct the opening weekend is not quite as strong as the past few seasons BUT still a schedule that will garner an over .600 SOS and a high OWP. Cortland and Hobart is a very solid opening weekend and with all the players Brandeis has lost the past few seasons that schedule will be a buffer until Brandeis figures out their line-up and put players in the right positions. The great thing about Margolis is he was their for 10 years before taking over as Head Coach so the players will know exactly what to expect and since Margolis had his hands all over Coven's program the past 10 years I do not expect any major changes in formation or style of play. Hobart will have a very solid team coming back as they were inches away from the NCAA's. Cortland is always tough especially up there but they were a bit inconsistent IMO last year.

Good points. Ocel and I believe Berg are both returning this year so that's huge. Most of the front line and both CBs graduate but Woodhouse and both outside backs are back. Definitely going to require some experimenting, but I think they'll figure it out.

Quote from: Mr.Right on May 24, 2017, 12:44:50 PM
Side Note:  Is it me or has Brandeis dropped a few teams from that schedule. Looks like they are only playing 17/18 games and if I remember correctly Coven used to play 20 games in a season.
Depends on the year, I think. From 2012 to 2015, it was 19 games per season. Last year, it was 18.

Blooter,
I'm curious - the 2016 roster shows both Ocel and Berg as Seniors.  Do they still have eligibility and are they planning on using it?
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on June 13, 2017, 03:19:53 PM
Quote from: OldNed on June 12, 2017, 04:11:58 PM
Blooter,
I'm curious - the 2016 roster shows both Ocel and Berg as Seniors.  Do they still have eligibility and are they planning on using it?

Yes. Ocel broke his leg during preseason his freshman year, so missed that whole season, and Berg missed quite a bit of time (believe it was this past season) so both have a season of eligibility. They marched with their class at graduation this spring, but will be back for another season and I believe will be finishing up their classes this fall (Ocel's older brother, Sam, also an All-American selection, did the same in 2013).
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: OldNed on June 14, 2017, 08:11:30 AM
Thanks Blooter - nice to hear from somebody in the know.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: MUFC9 on July 17, 2017, 09:40:58 AM
New to forum. Interested in everyones outlook on next season in the UAA? Is Chicago the clear favorite?
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: UAA Insider on July 17, 2017, 12:25:37 PM
Quote from: MUFC9 on July 17, 2017, 09:40:58 AM
New to forum. Interested in everyones outlook on next season in the UAA? Is Chicago the clear favorite?

Yes they are the clear favorite. However, I would throw Carnegie Mellon in there, as well. They only graduated two starters with a majority of their team being sophomores (soon to be juniors), with Zack Masciopinto leading the team. Him, Ocel, Capotosto and Lopez have to be the favorites for UAA POY going into the season.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Buck O. on August 16, 2017, 09:28:49 PM
My son's a rising high school junior.  He's going to play soccer in college, and if he goes D3, I expect him to be interested in several UAA schools.  Would any of you who have been watching these teams for a few years mind providing me with some thoughts as to the different teams' styles of play?
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: deutschfan on August 17, 2017, 09:09:03 PM
This may sound like sacrilege on a soccer board but I believe you are seeking an answer to the wrong question.  The right question, imho, is what UAA school is the best academic school in my son's area of academic interest that my son can gain admission to?  With the UAA you are in luck since in most academic areas the University of Chicago is tops, and it is playing beautiful soccer right now with deep recruiting classes that have parents or coaches who have given the same advice that I have.  How does Cal Tech recruit USSDA players with its history of last place SCIAC finishes and permitting girl players on the team?  It is because these recruits want to help put a human on Mars and hack into the scoreboard at the Rose Bowl more than play in the dance.  There are so many great academic d3 schools that play tremendous soccer in the UAA, NESCAC, Centennial, SCIAC, and Liberty League.  Have your son concentrate on life after college soccer in making his college choice.       
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on August 18, 2017, 11:43:59 AM
Cal Tech has a girl on their roster? If true that should be a big feature on D3soccer.com along with the other story I have been interested since the winter about NYU's Men's Head Coach being a woman. Would love to hear from the players and how the transition has been.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: deutschfan on August 18, 2017, 12:27:47 PM
Check out the career of Sarah Wright, Cal Tech class of 2013.  Stud women's basketball player and men's soccer player.  Also check out the 2011 roster.  Sarah is probably in astronaut training about now.  A soccer ball probably travels pretty far in zero gravity. 
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: deutschfan on August 18, 2017, 12:35:06 PM
Oops.  Saw Sarah's Linked In page.  Looks like she is completing medical school before she goes into space.  Sarah is the epitome of a d3 sports success story.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Buck O. on August 18, 2017, 09:25:11 PM
Quote from: deutschfan on August 17, 2017, 09:09:03 PM
This may sound like sacrilege on a soccer board but I believe you are seeking an answer to the wrong question.  The right question, imho, is what UAA school is the best academic school in my son's area of academic interest that my son can gain admission to?  With the UAA you are in luck since in most academic areas the University of Chicago is tops, and it is playing beautiful soccer right now with deep recruiting classes that have parents or coaches who have given the same advice that I have.  How does Cal Tech recruit USSDA players with its history of last place SCIAC finishes and permitting girl players on the team?  It is because these recruits want to help put a human on Mars and hack into the scoreboard at the Rose Bowl more than play in the dance.  There are so many great academic d3 schools that play tremendous soccer in the UAA, NESCAC, Centennial, SCIAC, and Liberty League.  Have your son concentrate on life after college soccer in making his college choice.     

I understand that his college choice should not be primarily based on soccer.   In fact, that is one of the reasons that I think he will be interested in several schools in the UAA.  There are a lot of other schools he could go to if the sole consideration was soccer.

With that said, there are many factors that go into choosing a school, and it is reasonable for soccer to play some role in his decision, even if it is not the dominant criterion.  It's difficult to get information on styles of play, particularly in the case of a geographically dispersed conference such as the UAA.  We live in the Boston area, for example, so coaches around here are familiar with Brandeis soccer (and of course we can easily go watch them).   But people here are considerably less familiar with how Wash U or CMU or Rochester play soccer.  While I know about the academics at those places (I have degrees from two of them), I don't know anything about how they play soccer, either.  Hence my inquiry.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Caz Bombers on August 18, 2017, 09:52:38 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on August 18, 2017, 11:43:59 AM
Cal Tech has a girl on their roster? If true that should be a big feature on D3soccer.com along with the other story I have been interested since the winter about NYU's Men's Head Coach being a woman. Would love to hear from the players and how the transition has been.

according to their website roster, Caltech had several women on the men's team last year and presumably this was a regular occurrence in previous seasons. Caltech has added women's soccer as a varsity sport for 2017, but apparently not playing a full SCIAC schedule.

Here in New York, I have run across several small colleges (don't believe any of them were D3 or NCAA at all) that have done soccer as a co-ed endeavor. Same for basketball (one or two women on the men's team).
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: UAA Insider on September 04, 2017, 09:24:39 PM
Recap from the first weekend:

Brandeis - Lost 3-2 to Cortland and then beat Hobart 2-1. We saw them struggle early last year and turn it around, so this shouldn't be the worst thing that could happen to them.

Carnegie Mellon - 2-1 Loss to Kenyon and then a BIG 5-0 win over Denison. The loss obviously hurts but a good rebound by the Tartans.

Case Western - Won 1-0 over Mt. Union and then tied DePauw 0-0. Unconvincing win but a decent result on the road against a solid DePauw side.

Chicago - 2-1 win over Whitworth and 4-0 win over Knox. Heard they didn't look too good against Whitworth but still are heavy favorites this season.

Emory - Two wins over NC Wesleyan and Pacific Lutheran.

NYU - 0-0 tie with Brooklyn and 3-1 win over FDU. Anyone understand why NYU never schedules anyone tough for nonconference games? I feel like this hurts them come tournament time.

Rochester - Two wins over Misericordia and Illinois Wesleyan. Not big wins but can't complain about a 2-0 start.

Wash U - 1-1 tie to Wartburg followed by a big win at #23 Luther.

Big week for the UAA ahead as CMU plays Redlands, Brandeis plays Babson, CWRU plays Calvin, Emory plays W&L (not sure if W&L are as good as last year), and Chicago against Carthage (probably game of the weekend).
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on September 04, 2017, 09:46:23 PM
Chicago did not look all that good against Whitworth,  but I thought Whitworth played well.  Whitworth finished their road trip with a 2-1 2ot loss at #19 Benedictine and today beat a pretty good North Park squad 2-1, who had beat Benedictine 3-0 a few days earlier. Go figure, its college soccer.

All that being said, Chicago eviscerated a pretty decent knox team today, 4-0, and it realistically could have been 6 or 7. the second half was a dominant performance by Chicago pelting shot after shot, missing high, wide and off the post to a game shot advantage of 27-9.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on September 04, 2017, 11:55:31 PM
Quote from: UAA Insider on September 04, 2017, 09:24:39 PM
Recap from the first weekend:

Brandeis - Lost 3-2 to Cortland and then beat Hobart 2-1. We saw them struggle early last year and turn it around, so this shouldn't be the worst thing that could happen to them.

In terms of the opening game, I knew that Cortland was a good side, but it completely passed me by that they were a Sweet 16 team last year. Although it was disappointing to see the Judges concede 3 goals, no shame in that result considering the opposition.

The Hobart game was touch-and-go, and I feel that the Judges were lucky to get out of that one with a win. Yet considering Brandeis was 0-2-1 in 2OT last September, perhaps this team is better capable of grinding out results at an earlier stage.

Still a bit unsure of the team defensively -- Woodhouse returns, but both CBs graduated -- although it appears that Vinson is playing CB, so only one "new" player in the heart of defense as opposed to (what I thought would be) two. We'll see how they hold up against Babson at home. I think the Beavers will be dangerous, particularly after getting their first victory in five years over the Judges last season, although they are 0-4-1 at Brandeis since the turf was laid. Both teams will be hungry. Should be a great match.

Quote from: 4samuy on September 04, 2017, 09:46:23 PM
Chicago did not look all that good against Whitworth,  but I thought Whitworth played well.  Whitworth finished their road trip with a 2-1 2ot loss at #19 Benedictine and today beat a pretty good North Park squad 2-1, who had beat Benedictine 3-0 a few days earlier. Go figure, its college soccer.

All that being said, Chicago eviscerated a pretty decent knox team today, 4-0, and it realistically could have been 6 or 7. the second half was a dominant performance by Chicago pelting shot after shot, missing high, wide and off the post to a game shot advantage of 27-9.

I think Chicago has an excellent chance to repeat in the UAA this year. The big thing for me is whether they learned from last year's tournament loss -- particularly how to handle being down at critical points in critical games. It is plausible that not losing a regular season game all year made the Maroons a little unprepared for what happened against Redlands, and while they almost got back to 3-3 when Lopez hit the post, it did seem they were a bit flustered. I thought it was very unfortunate that such a good team had its season ended that way, but I think they have more than enough to make a deep run this year.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blue_jays on September 05, 2017, 01:07:10 AM
Now that Chicago has a target on its back after 2016's accomplishments, I'll be curious to see how teams game plan for them this year and which squads will try to take the fight to them. Frequently last season, teams seemed content to just pack it in behind the ball and rely on getting counter attacks for their best chances on goal. 3 of the 4 starters on the back line are freshmen/sophomores this year, with Capotosto as the midfield anchor to stop rushes and Bonin as the four-year starter in goal. Their defense was best in the nation last year, but there are new parts to incorporate this time around.
As stout as the defense has been, the relentless offensive pressure is what really sets the pace of the game. Max Lopez is one of the most dangerous forwards in the country, and the whole back line has to account for him, 1v1 is not an option. Matthew Koh is the quickest player on any pitch he steps on, and his straight-line speed bends the entire defense and allows for plenty of centering chances on goal. Dayo Adeosun has all the tools/skills to be elite as well, and he covers a ton of ground with good dribbling ability.
The Redlands disappointment from last year came down to two factors.
1.) All 3 goals allowed were preventable and derived from big mistakes (bad foul leads to set piece header that was unmarked, turnover on a potential Chicago counter that instantly turned into a 1v1 against them, mis-hit clearance that went straight in the air and was headed into open goal).
2.) Redlands did not allow Chicago freedom of movement in the attacking third. Every time an attacker tried to dribble into space, they were bodied and fouled. The middle became choked with bodies and stifled the build-up.
Will teams try to replicate that physical sort of game to slow them down? Or will they try to run with them? We shall see.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: LM3 on September 11, 2017, 11:27:45 AM
Quote from: 4samuy on September 04, 2017, 09:46:23 PM
Chicago did not look all that good against Whitworth,  but I thought Whitworth played well.  Whitworth finished their road trip with a 2-1 2ot loss at #19 Benedictine and today beat a pretty good North Park squad 2-1, who had beat Benedictine 3-0 a few days earlier. Go figure, its college soccer.

All that being said, Chicago eviscerated a pretty decent knox team today, 4-0, and it realistically could have been 6 or 7. the second half was a dominant performance by Chicago pelting shot after shot, missing high, wide and off the post to a game shot advantage of 27-9.

Late to this discussion, but Whitworth was a good opponent, and fine competition for all three Chicago area squads Labor Day Weekend. All that said, Chicago sure appears to be a top team...again.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: UAA Insider on September 13, 2017, 05:14:18 PM
Good 2 wins for CMU on the West Coast. Watched their game vs Redlands, Masciopinto is incredible.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Hoodedmelo on September 14, 2017, 09:32:37 PM
Chicago looks good and are clear favorites. I've heard a lot about them and Brandeis, but what about the likes of Emory, NYU (looks like they are on their way up), and washU almost not having a season after that scandal last year
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on September 14, 2017, 10:40:32 PM
 WashU always seems to be in the mix, and will probably make a little hay . IMHO the jury is still out on Emory.  NYU though, not buying it.  Although  they have started 3-0-1, it was the season opener 0-0 vs Brooklyn that can't be ignored. I believe that was the same team Case beat 10-0 a week ago .
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on September 15, 2017, 12:59:51 PM
Quote from: Hoodedmelo on September 14, 2017, 09:32:37 PM
Chicago looks good and are clear favorites. I've heard a lot about them and Brandeis, but what about the likes of Emory, NYU (looks like they are on their way up), and washU almost not having a season after that scandal last year

WashU is a good side, year-in, year-out. I don't think they've been quite as good as they were, say, between 2010 and 2012, in the last few years, but they've still made the tournament more often than not. Every year I've followed the UAA (since fall 2011), WashU has been a tough out for every team, not the least the one I follow.

I am not totally sure of NYU. They graduated Lucas Doucette, an All-UAA Honorable Mention GK the past two years, and a guy who I think really kept them in a lot of games. They do bring back Tristan Medios-Simon who was 2nd team All-UAA last year, a transfer from D1 Seattle, and he is very good, so I think he'll win them some games.

Emory has Jason McCartney, who is good, but I don't see any other all-star caliber players. Maybe that is on me for not being familiar enough with the Eagles, but I would say Matt Sherr was the last real All-American caliber player they had (graduated in 2015).

One team that I think might be turning the corner this year is Carnegie. Looking back at the last few years, I think they might have been slightly overrated -- they've gotten at-large bids 3 out of the last 4 years, but haven't advanced beyond the second round, and lost in the 1st Round to Gordon in 2015 -- and, during that timeframe, CMU (perhaps along with WashU and Rochester) has been the archetype for "UAA team that gets a bid and folds in the first two rounds of NCAAs." However, that win at Redlands (and taking Kenyon to OT away from home) has me think this year might be different, although Carnegie always plays Kenyon tough. Still, to go and win at Redlands is no small feat.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on September 16, 2017, 03:43:47 PM
Interesting,  No Lopez, Copotosto, Drablos, or Reiman in the starting lineup for Chicago today at Aurora.  Not sure if injuries, rest or just giving young guys some starting experience .  starting three freshman.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on September 16, 2017, 03:48:40 PM
Quote from: 4samuy on September 16, 2017, 03:43:47 PM
Interesting,  No Lopez, Copotosto, Drablos, or Reiman in the starting lineup for Chicago today at Aurora.  Not sure if injuries or rest.  starting three freshman.

Drablos didn't play against Loras, and Capotosto was taken off with 5 left. Not sure if injury or not, but Reimann and Lopez played the full 90, which leads me to believe both of the latter two are getting a rest, although not sure about the first two.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on September 16, 2017, 04:23:59 PM
Lopez enters the game in the 30th minute and scores in the 35 minute. That guy is a striker in every sense of the word. Excellent technical display and finish. Chicago up 1-0.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Hoodedmelo on September 18, 2017, 12:12:11 PM
Only one game on sunday with WashU coming from behind to win 2-1 against Illinois Wesleyan. Chicago Travels to Wheaton on Wednesday following their 6-0 win at Aurora. Wheaton then plays WashU on Saturday. Should be a win for Chicago. Will be interesting to see how WashU's performance on Saturday compares to Chicago's.
Brandeis also with a tough game on Friday against Tufts, lets see how they perform against a NESCAC side/defending national champs (one of tufts few out of conference games)
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on September 18, 2017, 10:16:34 PM
Quote from: Hoodedmelo on September 18, 2017, 12:12:11 PM
Brandeis also with a tough game on Friday against Tufts, lets see how they perform against a NESCAC side/defending national champs (one of tufts few out of conference games)

Brandeis has competed pretty well against the NESCACs the last few years, going 3-1-2 since the start of the 2014 season. That includes 2 wins over Tufts (2014 home and 2015 away), 1 win over Bowdoin (2014 home), 1 defeat to Tufts in 2OT (2016 home), and both draws being PK wins over Amherst in the NCAA Tournament (2014 neutral and 2016 away). Of those games, 3 have been on turf (where they're 2-1-0) and 3 on grass (where they're 1-0-2).

Prior to the first of those games, a 2-0 home win over Tufts in September 2014, Brandeis was 0-3 in its last 3 against NESCACs (all on grass), losing twice to Williams at Amherst (2012 and 2013) and once away to Tufts (2013). Of those three games, Brandeis was only comprehensively outplayed in one -- the Tufts game -- but in both games against Williams, the reason for the defeats was they got absolutely manhandled in terms of athleticism and physicality. The Brandeis teams that first started to emerge around the start of the 2010s were very good technically and in possession, but were found wanting against more physical, direct opponents.

The start of the 2014 season saw more physical and athletic players, such as Ocel and Hernandez, come in, and Conor Lanahan -- a physical center back who went on to be a two-time All-American -- started to emerge as a leader of the rearguard, which made Brandeis much more able to compete with physical opponents.

In the NESCAC forum, we've talked about how Tufts has become increasingly tall in recent years, perhaps getting sucked into a NESCAC "arms race" initiated by the size of Amherst's roster. Looking at the Judges roster, Brandeis has been pretty consistent with having between 7-12 guys on its roster (of about 30) being 6' or taller -- not nearly as high percentage-wise as teams like Amherst and Tufts. But size isn't the only indicator: Christian Hernandez is 5'10", but is a hard-nosed defensive midfielder who knows how to play the physical game -- think Javier Mascherano. Then you have other guys like Robbie Lynch, who was not the tallest but was very athletic and physical at outside back, who could get up and down the flanks and mix it up. Height may help on corner kicks, but it is not the end-all, be-all -- Sam White of Bowdoin, who I watched in high school, was a big guy at 6'4", but did not mix it up physically as much as I thought he might have. Still a good player, no doubt, but I did wonder what he was doing in a midfield 2 in a 4-2-3-1 when it wasn't like he was flying into tackles left and right.

I watched the aforementioned 2-0 win over Tufts in 2014. Tufts dominated the first half without creating any clear-cut chances. Brandeis moved Mike Soboff from striker to midfield for the second half, and the Judges started bodying up against the Jumbos in the middle of the park. For the first time, it genuinely looked like Brandeis could get a goal against a NESCAC team -- the previous year against Tufts, the Judges were totally dominated. Anyway, as a result, Brandeis started creating more and more chances, and eventually broke through with around 12 minutes left. After the game, Coven remarked that the difference was that, in that year, Brandeis was better able to compete against the physicality of Tufts than it was before, and that trend has continued the past few years.

As far as this game goes, I am excited to see what happens, as this fixture has lived up to the hype for the past four years. Tufts stole a victory in the last minute of 2OT at Brandeis last year, in a game where the Judges mis-managed the situation by throwing guys forward and leaving the back exposed that late in the extra period (it was a pretty even game, overall). Before that, Brandeis beat Tufts home and away in 2014 and 2015, while Tufts dominated at home in 2013. This year, I think Tufts will be slightly favored, but you can't count out the Judges, as the 2015 win at Tufts was when the Jumbos were 5-0 and defending national champions, so Brandeis won't be awed by the occasion. As far as predictions go, it's too close to call for me, but I think both teams will be going for the win, and I wouldn't be surprised by either team winning.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Laserpen123 on September 19, 2017, 10:07:16 AM
It will be interesting to see how Brandeis can deal with the "Friday Night Lights" of Tufts, a game which should see a lot of fans show up for. One of the biggest New England matches every year.

I think a factor in this one will be Brandeis's new look team. Their defense has looked shaky, while their offense has carried them through a couple of tough games early, which is unlike teams of old. It's time for their CB's and Woodhouse to step up and get a much needed shutout on the road.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Hoodedmelo on September 19, 2017, 12:14:42 PM
D3soccer Men's Top 25, Week 3

1   Calvin                6-0-0   
2   Chicago         6-0-0   
3   Lycoming            7-0-0      
4   Rutgers-Newark   6-0-0      
5   Tufts                   4-0-1      
6   John Carroll   6-0-0      
7   Johns Hopkins   6-0-0      
8   Oneonta State   4-0-1      
9   Messiah           5-1-0      
10   Trinity (Texas)   6-1-0      
11   Washington & Lee   5-0-1      
12   St. Thomas   6-1-0      
13   Carnegie Mellon   4-1-0      
14   Cortland State   6-1-0      
15   Haverford   4-1-1      
16   Amherst   1-1-0   
17   Kenyon   4-1-2      
18   Scranton   5-1-0   
19   Rowan   6-2-0      
20   Gettysburg   5-0-0      
21   Brandeis   4-1-0      
22   Washington U.   4-0-1      

23   Stockton   6-0-1      
24   Springfield   5-0-0   
25   Middlebury   4-1-0   

Four UAA Teams in the top 25 this week. Can't wait for UAA to start the weekend of Sep. 30. I'd like to see in depth power rankings/preview of each team that we can look forward to come UAA time.   
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ejay on September 19, 2017, 12:30:06 PM
Interesting that Calvin is 1 and Chicago is 2, while the Central Regional ranking have it reversed.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Flying Weasel on September 19, 2017, 02:33:34 PM
Quote from: EB2319 on September 19, 2017, 12:30:06 PM
Interesting that Calvin is 1 and Chicago is 2, while the Central Regional ranking have it reversed.

The rankings re-posted above are the D3soccer.com Top 25 (http://www.d3soccer.com/top25/men/2017/week3) rankings, not the United Soccer Coaches (USC, formerly NSCAA) poll.  The USC does regional polls and a national ranking.

So there is no reversal; you were comparing rankings done by two different entities.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on September 19, 2017, 03:09:17 PM
Yes, and the USC National Poll is now out along with the Regional Polls and Does Show Chicago #1 and Calvin #2.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on September 21, 2017, 01:04:44 PM
Case Western has put together the toughest schedule in the country BUT has not gotten any results so far against those solid teams. They sit 3-3-1 and with their schedule could lose 6-7 games and get a Pool C, BUT they must beat some of these ranked teams they have been playing especially on the road. Their next 4 are Lycoming, at Kenyon, Brandeis and Oberlin. The 3 big games they have lost who will be ranked in November are OWU, JCU and Calvin. They scored a combined total of 0 goals against those teams which is not going to cut it.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on September 21, 2017, 09:54:51 PM
Couldn't agree more on Case.  I have great respect for teams that go out and challenge themselves in the non conference slate.  However, as you stated mr right, you have to get some results.  The games you've mentioned, plus the tough UAA, still gives them the opportunity to get some of those quality results.  Haven't seen them play,  but it looks as if they struggle to score against quality sides.  If they did end up with six losses or so,  that would most likely mean that they would have 4 or 5 wins vs regionally ranked which would be a solid # for pool c consideration.  The question is do the have the talent to get it done.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on September 21, 2017, 10:50:30 PM
I had mentioned in an earlier post, I believe on the national perspective sight that the most recent Chicago road trip, at Carthage, at Loras, at Aurora and at Wheaton would really test the "grit" of Chicago.  They came away with 4 wins, but more importantly, IMHO gave up 1 goal against and were the first team to shut out Wheaton.  Chicago is starting to get its back line healthy, which will make them very dangerous.

Wheaton is very difficult to beat at home and really took it to Chicago and had great opportunity to knock them off.  They did a nice job of containing Chicagos counter by not moving their back line forward, and making it difficult for strikers to turn in space.  I guess it's pick your poison and because that they were unable to put one in the back of the net.  Wheaton is a young 3-4 team, but wouldn't be surprised to see them come tournament time.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: wemcap on September 22, 2017, 12:38:50 AM
Quote from: Laserpen123 on September 19, 2017, 10:07:16 AM
It will be interesting to see how Brandeis can deal with the "Friday Night Lights" of Tufts, a game which should see a lot of fans show up for. One of the biggest New England matches every year.

I think a factor in this one will be Brandeis's new look team. Their defense has looked shaky, while their offense has carried them through a couple of tough games early, which is unlike teams of old. It's time for their CB's and Woodhouse to step up and get a much needed shutout on the road.

I'm looking forward to this one, hoping to see some good soccer as both these teams have the ability to maintain possession and keep the ball on the ground. Obviously both sides have in the past shown themselves to be capable of deep tournament runs, and I would expect both to be in the mix again come November. Brandeis has rebounded nicely from their opening loss but this will be quite a step up in quality from any of the teams they've beaten since. Should be a good litmus test for both teams, I'm glad to see that this game seems to have been made a regular fixture on the schedule in recent years, it clearly benefits both sides come tournament time.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Go2Goal on September 22, 2017, 08:40:44 AM
Tufts doesn't play nice soccer. They sit in their 4-4-2 and kick balls. They are the number one defensive team in the country. Defensive teams win but don't play nice soccer.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ommadawn on September 22, 2017, 09:40:30 AM
Quote from: Go2Goal on September 22, 2017, 08:40:44 AM
Tufts doesn't play nice soccer. They sit in their 4-4-2 and kick balls. They are the number one defensive team in the country. Defensive teams win but don't play nice soccer.

Playing tough defense and nice soccer are not mutually exclusive.  From what I have seen of Tufts this season, they try to attack, but not have been too successful in doing so (at least in terms of scoring goals--they seem to have done okay in generating shots).  I haven't seen a 4-4-2.  It seems to be more of a 4-3-3 that collapses to a 4-5-1 in the defensive end.  Sit-and-counter doesn't seem to be their modus operandi, although they certainly throw a few long balls into the equation to mix things up and keep defenses honest.  All that aside, it will definitely be interesting to see how the Judge-Jumbo battle shakes out!
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: DagarmanSpartan on September 23, 2017, 06:38:29 PM
WOW!!! 

Case just knocked of #3/#4 Lycoming 1-0!!!

HUGE upset!!!
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on September 24, 2017, 05:13:05 PM
Another solid win last night against a game regionally ranked side Elmhurst 3-1.  Elmhurst has some good talent, but seemed to be a little frenetic and unorganized against chicagos disciplined, structured and well drilled side.  Chicago moved UAA center back and Last years UAA rookie of the year up front in the 35th minute and responded with a beautiful header of a long cross from freshman Carter Romero to put Chicago up 1-0 just before half. Drablos responded again early in the 2nd with another header off a save from Elmhurst keeper making it 2-0.

Elmhurst responded with a goal off a scramble in front, but Max Lopez put it away with toe poke past the keeper making it 3-1.  Of Chicagos 8 wins, 6 have been against regionally ranked opponents in the most recent rankings, however they have not played an "elite" team thus far this year.  They will get some opportunities against real good sides in the UAA, which should show the metal of this team. I have said and will continue to say that the the quick strike fire power of Lopez, Adeosun and Koh and the now healthy back line makes them very dangerous.  If this group stays healthy, they will be a tough out come tourney time.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on September 24, 2017, 07:10:46 PM
John Carroll continues its impressive start to the season with a 1-1 draw on the road at Carnegie. Blue Streaks (7-0-1) bagged the equalizer with one second left. (I will spare you all from reading another rant from me about how teams need to do a better job of managing games in the final minute of a half/regulation/overtime.)

Even so, CMU is looking pretty good thus far. 5-1-1, a pair of wins on the West Coast (including one at Redlands) and the only defeat being on the road to Kenyon in OT. Then again, they did start 6-0 last year and ended the regular season 11-3-2 -- not a bad record, by any means, but the part of the calendar with the UAA schedule certainly gave a more honest indication of their level.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Hoodedmelo on September 25, 2017, 10:41:50 AM
#18 Washu with a tight double overtime win at Wheaton (3-5) on Saturday night. The go ahead goal was scored by a freshman in his first collegiate game played. It looks like they got outplayed with 17 shots for Wheaton vs only 9 for Washu. Washu now 5-0-1, it's gonna be interesting how they hold up once UAA starts with their opener away at Emory on Saturday.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: WUPHF on September 25, 2017, 03:20:57 PM
Quote from: Hoodedmelo on September 25, 2017, 10:41:50 AM
#18 Washu with a tight double overtime win at Wheaton (3-5) on Saturday night. The go ahead goal was scored by a freshman in his first collegiate game played. It looks like they got outplayed with 17 shots for Wheaton vs only 9 for Washu. Washu now 5-0-1, it's gonna be interesting how they hold up once UAA starts with their opener away at Emory on Saturday.

You may have noticed, but there is an interesting reference from the WUSTL game recap about a play that almost ended in favor of Wheaton:

Senior goalkeeper Colin McCune (5-0-1) made six saves in the win, including a breakaway save in the 95th minute when Drew Shay was awarded a yellow card after swatting ball in net with his hand.


The keeper is a senior, but is basically playing on varsity for the first time in his career.  Four shutouts so far on the season.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: UAA Insider on September 26, 2017, 09:28:09 AM
Ahead of conference play starting this weekend, I am interested to see everyone's predictions for what the standings will look like at the end. My predictions:

1. Chicago - Only graduating Desai and returning Koh & Lopez up top is scary. Along with Drablos, Capatosto and Bonin, I don't see Chicago not winning the UAA outright.
2. Carnegie Mellon - Watched two of their games so far and they look impressive. Very young team but don't see them topping Chicago over 7 games. Make an alum proud  ;)
3. Brandeis - Ocel, Hernandez and Flahive should be able to show some leadership and lead the Judges into the tournament come November. Interested to see how their style of play will change with Coven gone.
4. Wash U - Have won some big games this season so far and have shown they can hang with the best. Watched their game (win) against Wheaton, a quality opponent, and was not impressed with their style of play. However, style of play doesn't win games, goals do.
5. Emory - Not much competition down south for out of conference games but they always seem to show up in the UAA.
6. CWRU - Similar to Wash U in the sense that have shown up for games against great teams, but differ in that they don't get results. That won't help against teams like Chicago, Brandeis and CMU.
7. Rochester - Haven't watched them yet, and at the same time, have not heard about them yet. Graduated a few good seniors so this may be a rebuilding year for the Yellow Jackets.
8. NYU - Haven't seem them either. But after seeing they tied a team CWRU beat 10-0, it's hard to not list them at the bottom.

Again, these are PREDICTIONS!!! Best of luck to the teams in one of the top conferences in the country! Please reply with your predictions!
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: truenorth on September 26, 2017, 01:20:23 PM
I am admittedly a biased NESCAC fan, but I just thought I'd rekindle the debate regarding quality of conferences.  All I did was to look at the D3 finalists for the past ten years, and didn't research the semi-finalists.  But among the finalists, the NESCAC has had three different schools in four finals, and each of those NESCAC teams won the national championship.  I don't think I saw a UAA school among the finalists during those ten years... 

That said, Messiah on its own has outperformed the NESCAC collectively with five national championships during that same stretch...pretty impressive!
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on September 26, 2017, 02:31:15 PM
As an observer for a long time I can promise you that this year the UAA will outperform Nescac in the NCAA's. Nescac is waaay down and even w/o 1 regular season UAA game being played yet I am confident they will be better.

I really cannot predict this league until I have seen some games so I will wait for the weekend and Brandeis at Case. After watching John Carroll I can tell you that CMU must have done a fantastic job defending in that game because I was really impressed by the explosiveness of JCU offensively.

I still think a profile on the woman in charge of the NYU Mens team would be a great read. Bloots, maybe you can take a few weeks off from work and go down and observe practice and a couple games and see how things are running....
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on September 26, 2017, 03:18:57 PM
Quote from: truenorth on September 26, 2017, 01:20:23 PM
I am admittedly a biased NESCAC fan, but I just thought I'd rekindle the debate regarding quality of conferences.  All I did was to look at the D3 finalists for the past ten years, and didn't research the semi-finalists.  But among the finalists, the NESCAC has had three different schools in four finals, and each of those NESCAC teams won the national championship.  I don't think I saw a UAA school among the finalists during those ten years... 

That said, Messiah on its own has outperformed the NESCAC collectively with five national championships during that same stretch...pretty impressive!

Truenorth, as a UAA fan I will be the first to say that the NESCAC has outperformed the UAA on the national stage. In fact, the only UAA school to have won a national title is Brandeis, back in 1976, and that was before they were in the UAA. Moreover, the UAA has only had two appearances in the Final 4 in recent memory -- 2006 (NYU) and 2016 (Brandeis). Since the turn of the century, many highly-touted UAA teams have simply failed to perform on the national stage.

That said, the one thing I will say about UAA teams is that they are geographically pretty spread out. So when you have three/four NESCAC sides in the same quadrant of the bracket, as sometimes happens, there is a decent chance that one of those teams "wins" the quadrant. If you have four teams spread out through each quadrant, the (theoretical) odds for any individual one getting to the Final 4 is 1/16. If you have four NESCAC teams in the same quadrant, those (theoretical odds) that one of those sides gets to the final are 1/4. Of course, this is highly hypothetical, and every game is different, but this perhaps explains why UAAs have not appeared in the Final 4 as often as some might have thought.

Now, in terms of NESCACs performing in the finals, there is absolutely no denying that they get the job done better than any other conference as a whole -- as you noted, Messiah has won somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 national titles while the NESCAC has five.

I myself would like to see more battles between UAA and NESCAC sides -- perhaps a non-conference opening weekend trip in the form of what Haverford did in coming to Brandeis (2016) or Brandeis did in going to Trinity in TX (2015). For its part, Brandeis is 3-2-2 against the NESCACs since the start of 2014, and those two draws were both PK shootout wins over Amherst, so the Judges have performed reasonably well in those matches.

Again, this isn't to make excuses for the UAA -- the conference as a whole has not performed on the national stage -- but rather to provide an explanation.

Quote from: Mr.Right on September 26, 2017, 02:31:15 PM
As an observer for a long time I can promise you that this year the UAA will outperform Nescac in the NCAA's. Nescac is waaay down and even w/o 1 regular season UAA game being played yet I am confident they will be better.

I really cannot predict this league until I have seen some games so I will wait for the weekend and Brandeis at Case. After watching John Carroll I can tell you that CMU must have done a fantastic job defending in that game because I was really impressed by the explosiveness of JCU offensively.

I still think a profile on the woman in charge of the NYU Mens team would be a great read. Bloots, maybe you can take a few weeks off from work and go down and observe practice and a couple games and see how things are running....

Hahaha well if you want to get that litany of excuses out then we should talk. I have some friends down there...would enjoy the upgrade in terms of quality of pizza and bagels!

I'd still put money on Chicago. I've watched them a number of times over the last few years, and they are as legit as any NESCAC side in my view -- they are really, really good. Even considering the bad luck they had in the game against Redlands, they really should have won that game, and I thought it was a farce they didn't make it to the Final 4 from that quadrant. Absolutely no question they underperformed. That said, I think that was a good lesson in managing the pressure of that stage. They return pretty much the same team minus Weis and Desai, and they have pace and skill all over the field, and seem to have picked up where they left off, so I think they'll repeat.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on September 26, 2017, 07:38:11 PM
Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think Rochester's non-conference games are up to their usual standards this year. They have Hobart and picked up Brockport, both good sides, but -- particularly in comparison to last year -- they dropped Vassar and RPI. Rochester has often had one of the best SoS in the country, and maybe it is still better than I think, but I was a little surprised when I looked at their schedule and didn't see heavy hitters like Oneonta/St Lawrence/etc. on the calendar like they have been in previous years.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: stlawus on September 26, 2017, 07:46:55 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 26, 2017, 07:38:11 PM
Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think Rochester's non-conference games are up to their usual standards this year. They have Hobart and picked up Brockport, both good sides, but -- particularly in comparison to last year -- they dropped Vassar and RPI. Rochester has often had one of the best SoS in the country, and maybe it is still better than I think, but I was a little surprised when I looked at their schedule and didn't see heavy hitters like Oneonta/St Lawrence/etc. on the calendar like they have been in previous years.

SLU wanted to keep Rochester on the schedule but they were the ones who didn't want to renew the matchup.  They didn't like playing back to back on weekends.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on September 26, 2017, 07:58:04 PM
Quote from: stlawus on September 26, 2017, 07:46:55 PM
SLU wanted to keep Rochester on the schedule but they were the ones who didn't want to renew the matchup.  They didn't like playing back to back on weekends.

On the one hand, I get that, but on the other hand the UAA schedule is pretty much playing back-to-back on weekends (albeit Friday night and Sunday midday), so it seems a little odd to use that reasoning as justification. Maybe they want to maximize recovery time before the conference schedule hits? Either way, I find that a bit odd, and it sounds to me like they knew they might not be as competitive in those matchups as in years past...but that is just an assumption that could well be incorrect.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: stlawus on September 26, 2017, 08:03:52 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 26, 2017, 07:58:04 PM
Quote from: stlawus on September 26, 2017, 07:46:55 PM
SLU wanted to keep Rochester on the schedule but they were the ones who didn't want to renew the matchup.  They didn't like playing back to back on weekends.

On the one hand, I get that, but on the other hand the UAA schedule is pretty much playing back-to-back on weekends (albeit Friday night and Sunday midday), so it seems a little odd to use that reasoning as justification. Maybe they want to maximize recovery time before the conference schedule hits? Either way, I find that a bit odd, and it sounds to me like they knew they might not be as competitive in those matchups as in years past...but that is just an assumption that could well be incorrect.

As to your first point that's actually the reasoning I heard.  They wanted a steady day of rest for recovery going into league play. As to your second point, Rochester beat SLU the last time they played in 2014.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on September 26, 2017, 08:09:39 PM
Quote from: stlawus on September 26, 2017, 08:03:52 PM
As to your first point that's actually the reasoning I heard.  They wanted a steady day of rest for recovery going into league play. As to your second point, Rochester beat SLU the last time they played in 2014.

I do remember that result. I just don't think Rochester is as strong as it was then -- the next year, the Yellowjackets went 6-5-5 and missed the tourney, the year after they squeaked into the tourney, going in a 7-0-1 in the first half of the season before 2-4-2 in the second half of the season (2-3-2 in conference plus a 3-0 hammering at Vassar). They have started decently enough this year, although the loss at Buffalo State would have raised some questions.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Laserpen123 on September 27, 2017, 02:03:02 PM
Quote from: UAA Insider on September 26, 2017, 09:28:09 AM
Ahead of conference play starting this weekend, I am interested to see everyone's predictions for what the standings will look like at the end. My predictions:

1. Chicago - Only graduating Desai and returning Koh & Lopez up top is scary. Along with Drablos, Capatosto and Bonin, I don't see Chicago not winning the UAA outright.
2. Carnegie Mellon - Watched two of their games so far and they look impressive. Very young team but don't see them topping Chicago over 7 games. Make an alum proud  ;)
3. Brandeis - Ocel, Hernandez and Flahive should be able to show some leadership and lead the Judges into the tournament come November. Interested to see how their style of play will change with Coven gone.
4. Wash U - Have won some big games this season so far and have shown they can hang with the best. Watched their game (win) against Wheaton, a quality opponent, and was not impressed with their style of play. However, style of play doesn't win games, goals do.
5. Emory - Not much competition down south for out of conference games but they always seem to show up in the UAA.
6. CWRU - Similar to Wash U in the sense that have shown up for games against great teams, but differ in that they don't get results. That won't help against teams like Chicago, Brandeis and CMU.
7. Rochester - Haven't watched them yet, and at the same time, have not heard about them yet. Graduated a few good seniors so this may be a rebuilding year for the Yellow Jackets.
8. NYU - Haven't seem them either. But after seeing they tied a team CWRU beat 10-0, it's hard to not list them at the bottom.

Again, these are PREDICTIONS!!! Best of luck to the teams in one of the top conferences in the country! Please reply with your predictions!

My Predictions:

1. Chicago: Unlike last year, when this team was ranked number 1, and got a bit nervous of the spotlight in their game against Brandeis, this team is older and has been here before. They are the clear favorites to hold the title, but it is very difficult to repeat as champions.
2. Brandeis: This team is doing well, and have won the games they should have. Have been tested by Cortland and Tufts, and played pretty well. This team is deep, and can play good soccer. I think they will challenge Chicago along with Wash U.
3. Wash U: This team faded along the homestretch last year, but they bring lots of talent to the table. Their biggest games are where they decide their place in this league, namely Chicago and Brandeis.
4. Carnegie Mellon: The Tartans are young, but promising. Again, their second game of the league @ Brandeis will be a big test for where they want to be.
5: Emory: They used to be a powerhouse, a team to be feared. Having dropped that part of them, can they reclaim it and not lose on their home field in league play? That will be a good goal for them.
6: CWRU: When I have seen them play, they seem lax on the ball, and not playing with a purpose. Haven't seen them play this year, but heard some good and some bad. They falter in the UAA usually, so they're down here.
7. Rochester: Rebuilding, and just don't have the firepower to be a contender.
8. NYU: With a last place finish this year, the coach could be on the hot seat. Petr gone, season gone.


When all is said and done, I can see 5 teams making the tournament again. Chicago, Brandeis, Wash U, Carnegie, and Emory may just sneak in.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blue_jays on September 27, 2017, 03:01:48 PM
Quote from: Laserpen123 on September 27, 2017, 02:03:02 PM
Quote from: UAA Insider on September 26, 2017, 09:28:09 AM
Ahead of conference play starting this weekend, I am interested to see everyone's predictions for what the standings will look like at the end. My predictions:

1. Chicago - Only graduating Desai and returning Koh & Lopez up top is scary. Along with Drablos, Capatosto and Bonin, I don't see Chicago not winning the UAA outright.
2. Carnegie Mellon - Watched two of their games so far and they look impressive. Very young team but don't see them topping Chicago over 7 games. Make an alum proud  ;)
3. Brandeis - Ocel, Hernandez and Flahive should be able to show some leadership and lead the Judges into the tournament come November. Interested to see how their style of play will change with Coven gone.
4. Wash U - Have won some big games this season so far and have shown they can hang with the best. Watched their game (win) against Wheaton, a quality opponent, and was not impressed with their style of play. However, style of play doesn't win games, goals do.
5. Emory - Not much competition down south for out of conference games but they always seem to show up in the UAA.
6. CWRU - Similar to Wash U in the sense that have shown up for games against great teams, but differ in that they don't get results. That won't help against teams like Chicago, Brandeis and CMU.
7. Rochester - Haven't watched them yet, and at the same time, have not heard about them yet. Graduated a few good seniors so this may be a rebuilding year for the Yellow Jackets.
8. NYU - Haven't seem them either. But after seeing they tied a team CWRU beat 10-0, it's hard to not list them at the bottom.

Again, these are PREDICTIONS!!! Best of luck to the teams in one of the top conferences in the country! Please reply with your predictions!

My Predictions:

1. Chicago: Unlike last year, when this team was ranked number 1, and got a bit nervous of the spotlight in their game against Brandeis, this team is older and has been here before. They are the clear favorites to hold the title, but it is very difficult to repeat as champions.
2. Brandeis: This team is doing well, and have won the games they should have. Have been tested by Cortland and Tufts, and played pretty well. This team is deep, and can play good soccer. I think they will challenge Chicago along with Wash U.
3. Wash U: This team faded along the homestretch last year, but they bring lots of talent to the table. Their biggest games are where they decide their place in this league, namely Chicago and Brandeis.
4. Carnegie Mellon: The Tartans are young, but promising. Again, their second game of the league @ Brandeis will be a big test for where they want to be.
5: Emory: They used to be a powerhouse, a team to be feared. Having dropped that part of them, can they reclaim it and not lose on their home field in league play? That will be a good goal for them.
6: CWRU: When I have seen them play, they seem lax on the ball, and not playing with a purpose. Haven't seen them play this year, but heard some good and some bad. They falter in the UAA usually, so they're down here.
7. Rochester: Rebuilding, and just don't have the firepower to be a contender.
8. NYU: With a last place finish this year, the coach could be on the hot seat. Petr gone, season gone.


When all is said and done, I can see 5 teams making the tournament again. Chicago, Brandeis, Wash U, Carnegie, and Emory may just sneak in.

Prediction: CMU is the second-best team in the conference, mark it down now. I feel confident that this will be true in the final standings on Nov. 5.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: WUPHF on September 27, 2017, 03:12:36 PM
Quote from: blue_jays on September 27, 2017, 03:01:48 PM
Prediction: CMU is the second-best team in the conference, mark it down now. I feel confident that this will be true in the final standings on Nov. 5.

Brandeis, Chicago, and Washington University all on the road in sequence. 

You will have a pretty good idea by October 15th.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ommadawn on September 29, 2017, 04:41:30 PM
Quote from: Laserpen123 on September 27, 2017, 02:03:02 PM
3. Wash U: This team faded along the homestretch last year, but they bring lots of talent to the table. Their biggest games are where they decide their place in this league, namely Chicago and Brandeis.

It's interesting to see how well WUSTL has started off the year in comparison to Harvard after both teams experienced similar scandals last year (Harvard's definitely garnered more attention and occurred during--instead of after--the season).  If anything, WUSTL is doing better than last year, while Harvard is doing substantially worse.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: WUPHF on September 29, 2017, 07:09:46 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on September 29, 2017, 04:41:30 PM
It's interesting to see how well WUSTL has started off the year in comparison to Harvard after both teams experienced similar scandals last year (Harvard's definitely garnered more attention and occurred during--instead of after--the season).  If anything, WUSTL is doing better than last year, while Harvard is doing substantially worse.

One of the primary differences is that whatever the Washington University men did dates back to the Fall 2015.  The team was ultimately cleared by the community standards office.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ommadawn on September 29, 2017, 07:20:06 PM
Quote from: WUH on September 29, 2017, 07:09:46 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on September 29, 2017, 04:41:30 PM
It's interesting to see how well WUSTL has started off the year in comparison to Harvard after both teams experienced similar scandals last year (Harvard's definitely garnered more attention and occurred during--instead of after--the season).  If anything, WUSTL is doing better than last year, while Harvard is doing substantially worse.

One of the primary differences is that whatever the Washington University men did dates back to the Fall 2015.  The team was ultimately cleared by the community standards office.

That's good to know.  Exoneration usually generates less press than accusation.  Harvard's situation dated back even earlier, but was sustained over a number of years and resulted in at least one transfer.  Kudos to the WUSTL coaching staff for keeping the team focused.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: wemcap on September 30, 2017, 03:46:49 AM
As far as predictions go UC is the clear favorite this year, and it seems like the consensus next three are Brandeis, Carnegie, and WashU in some order. But one thing to point out is that it is very hard to win on the road in this league, and Brandeis hosts all three of these teams this year. If I had to pick anyone other than Chicago I'd have to go with Brandeis due to the home field advantage in these matchups as well as the experience factor of having many players who played key roles in both the final four run last year as well as the 2015 team that went 6-1 in UAA play.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Laserpen123 on September 30, 2017, 09:34:08 AM
Quote from: wemcap on September 30, 2017, 03:46:49 AM
As far as predictions go UC is the clear favorite this year, and it seems like the consensus next three are Brandeis, Carnegie, and WashU in some order. But one thing to point out is that it is very hard to win on the road in this league, and Brandeis hosts all three of these teams this year. If I had to pick anyone other than Chicago I'd have to go with Brandeis due to the home field advantage in these matchups as well as the experience factor of having many players who played key roles in both the final four run last year as well as the 2015 team that went 6-1 in UAA play.

This is true. That year when they won the UAA they dominated Carnegie and overwhelmed them from the start, they hung on against a Chicago team that pushed them to limit, but were able to win it in the dying minutes off a counter, and then lost to a strong Wash U team. Also a big road trip double against Emory and Rochester along the way.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on September 30, 2017, 11:51:29 AM
WOW! Chicago up 4-0 at Rochester at the half! Regardless of record, UR is usually a tough side to play against, and, last year, they actually led Chicago 1-0 at half (at Chicago) before losing 2-1. Today, it's two for Koh, and one each for Abedian and Lopez.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 01, 2017, 01:12:01 PM
Nice win for Brandeis over Case 1-0. I did not catch the game but am wondering what the reason was for the GK switch at halftime for Margolis?
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 01, 2017, 03:41:19 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 01, 2017, 01:12:01 PM
Nice win for Brandeis over Case 1-0. I did not catch the game but am wondering what the reason was for the GK switch at halftime for Margolis?

Don't know, but Woodhouse only had 1 save to make the whole game, and aside from the very end I felt that Brandeis was pretty well in control. Perhaps to get Irwin ready for next year? Woodhouse has been a three-year starter, so they probably want to make sure the next guy coming in has been somewhat battle-tested. I would have assumed injury had it not been made exactly at half-time, but thankfully that doesn't appear to be the case.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: WUPHF on October 02, 2017, 02:25:53 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on September 29, 2017, 07:20:06 PM
Exoneration usually generates less press than accusation.  Harvard's situation dated back even earlier, but was sustained over a number of years and resulted in at least one transfer.  Kudos to the WUSTL coaching staff for keeping the team focused.

I did not realize that about the Harvard story.  Thanks for the clarification.

Washington University has dropped two in Atlanta with a 2-1 loss at Emory and a 3-1 loss at Oglethorpe earlier today.  I thought Washington University outplayed Emory during the stretches I watched.  Not the case today as far as the stats are concerned.

Four home games for the Bears to get things back together before the final three games on the road.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 02, 2017, 02:33:23 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 01, 2017, 03:41:19 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 01, 2017, 01:12:01 PM
Nice win for Brandeis over Case 1-0. I did not catch the game but am wondering what the reason was for the GK switch at halftime for Margolis?

Don't know, but Woodhouse only had 1 save to make the whole game, and aside from the very end I felt that Brandeis was pretty well in control. Perhaps to get Irwin ready for next year? Woodhouse has been a three-year starter, so they probably want to make sure the next guy coming in has been somewhat battle-tested. I would have assumed injury had it not been made exactly at half-time, but thankfully that doesn't appear to be the case.


While I usually agree with your judgement I cannot possibly see this happening. So Margolis is going to put a GK in waiting in the 1st game of the UAA in the 2nd Half just to give him a look? Doubtful...Had to be injury or he actually benched him. Also, maybe in practice he really has been showing well and Margolis felt it was time to make a switch. A 1-0 lead as you know against anyone in soccer let alone a good team in your own league is not a comfortable lead.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 02, 2017, 02:45:55 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 02, 2017, 02:33:23 PM
While I usually agree with your judgement I cannot possibly see this happening. So Margolis is going to put a GK in waiting in the 1st game of the UAA in the 2nd Half just to give him a look? Doubtful...Had to be injury or he actually benched him. Also, maybe in practice he really has been showing well and Margolis felt it was time to make a switch. A 1-0 lead as you know against anyone in soccer let alone a good team in your own league is not a comfortable lead.

Yeah no idea, you are probably correct. Though if he was going to bench him though for performance reasons you think the other guy would have gotten the nod from the start? When Amherst swapped out Owen for Hope-Gund I thought it might have been because Owen was very late on the dive for Williams' goal, although in his defense it was a scrum close in so not much you can do. Even so I remember seeing him hesitate and react late when he got beat from 30 yards off a free kick at MIT last year so perhaps there is precedent. For what it's worth, I think Hope-Gund has done very well since coming in.

The reason I speculated about the experience bit was that I remember when Thales Brito was brought in to replace Lanahan at CB. He had 70 minutes of time in his first three years and he had a pretty rough first half of the season, making mistakes including giving away the PK in 2OT at Babson and getting caught out for Chicago's 2OT winner. Once he got his feet under him he looked much more solid, and Brandeis had a few key attackers struggling for fitness at the time (and they returned to fitness in the second half of the season), but the "bedding-in" process in terms of defense took longer than I think most anticipated. Not trying to start a conspiracy theory, but just my observations.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 02, 2017, 03:26:24 PM
I see your point but IMO field players and GK's are two different animals. Usually, unless the coach was a GK they can be pretty fickle with field players but not GK's. I will cede that replacing Lanahan took guts though
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on October 02, 2017, 05:22:32 PM
Interesting non conference result in the UAA this afternoon.

at Ogelthorpe

Ogelthorpe 3
WashU       1

From the box,  looks as if Ogelthorpe really took it to them.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 02, 2017, 07:07:19 PM
Quote from: 4samuy on October 02, 2017, 05:22:32 PM
Interesting non conference result in the UAA this afternoon.

at Ogelthorpe

Ogelthorpe 3
WashU       1

From the box,  looks as if Ogelthorpe really took it to them.

I saw that as well. Oglethorpe is 7-2-1 so, while I didn't see a ton of heavy hitters in their schedule, they seem to be a decent side.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: swibbles on October 06, 2017, 05:58:23 PM
UAA Oracle - matchup week 2
Carnegie 0-3 Brandeis
Case 2-2 NYU
Emory 0-2 Chicago
Wash 3-1 Rochester
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 06, 2017, 09:35:38 PM
Quote from: swibbles on October 06, 2017, 05:58:23 PM
UAA Oracle - matchup week 2
Carnegie 0-3 Brandeis
Case 2-2 NYU
Emory 0-2 Chicago
Wash 3-1 Rochester


Wow...I am not a UAA expert but Brandeis beating CMU 3-0? I will be tuning in tomorrow morning at 11am for that match but I thought CMU were very good defensively? I have not seen them play this year but will be interested to getting a look tomorrow
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Buck O. on October 07, 2017, 09:19:39 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 06, 2017, 09:35:38 PM
Quote from: swibbles on October 06, 2017, 05:58:23 PM
UAA Oracle - matchup week 2
Carnegie 0-3 Brandeis
Case 2-2 NYU
Emory 0-2 Chicago
Wash 3-1 Rochester


Wow...I am not a UAA expert but Brandeis beating CMU 3-0? I will be tuning in tomorrow morning at 11am for that match but I thought CMU were very good defensively? I have not seen them play this year but will be interested to getting a look tomorrow

I don't see that happening either.  Massey has CMU at #14 and Brandeis at #16.  CMU's only loss is at Kenyon and their only tie is against John Carroll.  They've won every other game, including at Redlands, and they haven't allowed more than one goal in any game.  Brandeis should be narrowly favored, but only because they're at home.  I'm going to the game, and I don't see any reason to expect a blowout.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 07, 2017, 11:15:04 AM
That is a fantastic goal for Brandeis striker off of great corner service...1-0 Brandeis 5 minutes in...At first glance, CMU is not an overly big side.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 07, 2017, 11:18:31 AM
CMU looks very sluggish to start this match.....not running hard, couple bad giveaway's..I understand these UAA 11am starts are not ideal for the visiting team because of the travel but no excuses
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 07, 2017, 11:30:48 AM
CMU gets its 1st corner and had a decent look...I will say I am surprised Brandeis is zoning on corners.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 07, 2017, 11:39:55 AM
Quote from: swibbles on October 06, 2017, 05:58:23 PM
UAA Oracle - matchup week 2
Carnegie 0-3 Brandeis
Case 2-2 NYU
Emory 0-2 Chicago
Wash 3-1 Rochester


Damn swibbles you might be spot on with your Brandeis prediction...2-0 Brandeis off the same play on the corner...Brandeis just bullying their way through CMU..Ocel scores off the corner..Horrible defending for CMU oncorners and very shaky GK'ing as the GK has to grab that ball...Brandeis looks very good today and are basically playing a half field scrimmage right now. Either this is a one off or CMU is highly overrated IMO so far..
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 07, 2017, 12:03:44 PM
2-0 Brandeis at the Half.  Brandeis working much harder than CMU and to be honest they look like they WANT it more. I would guess CMU has had about 10-15 giveaway's in the 1st Half and Hernandez had a lot to do with that. He works hard and while CMU does not hoof and they try to play futbol they are a step slow and not giving crisp passes. They remind me a bit of Wesleyan but Wesleyan plays with more bite. CMU playing very lackadaisically almost without any passion and fight. Quite frankly they look like they do not want to even be playing...As a coach this would be a good time for a serious tongue lashing and try to get his guys going and see if they can snag a goal back and get back into the game.


Side Note...Woodhouse back in net for Brandeis and has not had much to do
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: PaulNewman on October 07, 2017, 12:18:48 PM
Meanwhile, Emory up 2-0 on Chicago.

Mr.Right, obviously Margolis is key, but how do you understand Brandeis having such a strong program in the middle of NESCAC-land?  I could see Wheaton but Brandeis is a little bit more of a niche school, heavily Jewish, and known for very liberal leanings (e.g. Angela Davis).  Brandeis is a legit national power.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: mondomike on October 07, 2017, 12:39:13 PM
agreed, CMU came out very flat in the first half, with Brandeis hustling and often winning the balls that CMU typically doesn't give away.
2nd half CMU have had the bulk of possession with several very good opportunities, but haven't converted any yet
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 07, 2017, 12:39:46 PM
Just started watching. Looks like the game has settled a bit. The one thing I noticed was that Brandeis attacked its less-favored end in the first half (the Judges usually attack towards the train tracks in the first half and towards the school the second), so my guess is either CMU won the toss and knew that or one of the teams wanted the wind. Looks to be a pretty even game this second half, although it sounds like the first half was all Brandeis.

Elsewhere, Emory is now 3 up at Chicago. Absolute bananas.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 07, 2017, 12:43:53 PM
Quote from: mondomike on October 07, 2017, 12:39:13 PM
agreed, CMU came out very flat in the first half, with Brandeis hustling and often winning the balls that CMU typically doesn't give away.
2nd half CMU have had the bulk of possession with several very good opportunities, but haven't converted any yet


Yes...CMU has gotten a bit of a wake up call for sure...Again why can't these teams start games like this instead of going thru the motions 1st Half...To me that speaks of no on-field leadership as all I hear on the stream is Margolis and Brandeis players...CMU I hear no leader barking orders or getting the guys going..they do look like a different team 2nd Half but need to finish some of those.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on October 07, 2017, 12:44:33 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 07, 2017, 12:18:48 PM
Meanwhile, Emory up 2-0 on Chicago.

Mr.Right, obviously Margolis is key, but how do you understand Brandeis having such a strong program in the middle of NESCAC-land?  I could see Wheaton but Brandeis is a little bit more of a niche school, heavily Jewish, and known for very liberal leanings (e.g. Angela Davis).  Brandeis is a legit national power.

Emory up 3-0 on Chicago.  Emory of is showing a bigger more physical side than Chicago.  Giving the Maroons 0 space.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 07, 2017, 12:51:38 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 07, 2017, 12:18:48 PM
Meanwhile, Emory up 2-0 on Chicago.

Mr.Right, obviously Margolis is key, but how do you understand Brandeis having such a strong program in the middle of NESCAC-land?  I could see Wheaton but Brandeis is a little bit more of a niche school, heavily Jewish, and known for very liberal leanings (e.g. Angela Davis).  Brandeis is a legit national power.

You said it...Margolis is the KEY....He is a tireless worker...Did all Coven's recruiting and I heard he was everywhere. Not dissing Coven at all or do not mean to but the program was hanging by a thread around 2007-2008 having year after year of mediocre teams..I think the old stereotypes of Brandeis as a school do not ring true anymore. Bloots can speak to this but at least on the edges Brandeis is changing rapidly.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 07, 2017, 12:52:22 PM
Lots of CMU pressure but Brandeis keeping them off the board. Judges have looked mature this second half thus far.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 07, 2017, 01:04:16 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 07, 2017, 12:51:38 PM
You said it...Margolis is the KEY....He is a tireless worker...Did all Coven's recruiting and I heard he was everywhere. Not dissing Coven at all or do not mean to but the program was hanging by a thread around 2007-2008 having year after year of mediocre teams..I think the old stereotypes of Brandeis as a school do not ring true anymore. Bloots can speak to this but at least on the edges Brandeis is changing rapidly.

Margolis is indeed an excellent tactician and played an enormous role in the resurgence of the program after some years in the wilderness. Additionally, with the school being in Massachusetts, it's easy for a number of local, high-quality players to get over and watch.

As far as the school itself, Mr.Right is correct -- Brandeis has become considerably more cosmopolitan (both religiously and otherwise) in the last 10 years, and the athletics have definitely improved across the board during that timeframe as well. This is very much an opinion, but while I think Brandeis has always been well-respected in the academic community, I think the school has done a much better job in conveying the quality of the education to those outside the Jewish community in the last 10 years, as many of my friends aren't Jewish, and neither am I. Of course, the Jewish roots are very much still present, but one wouldn't feel ostracized not being a part of that community.

Also relevant: Brandeis doesn't have a football team, so the soccer teams are often the centerpiece of campus athletic events. Probably has a bigger positive effect on morale than one might think.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 07, 2017, 01:07:14 PM
Game getting a bit chippy at the end here...nothing like good conference rivalries an showing some true emotion and grit as long as it is not cheap and dirty
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 07, 2017, 01:11:39 PM
Brandeis 2-0 Carnegie Mellon is the final. Judges were outshot 22-8 but got two goals from corners Woodhouse made 11 saves. What a way for him to respond after being benched for a bit.

Much like the Brandeis of 2012 and 2013, CMU is a very good technical team but doesn't seem to have as much "bite" as in the past. As they often are in UAA games, where the margins are extremely fine, set pieces were the difference. Still, a great win for Margolis and company against a very good CMU side.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 07, 2017, 01:20:07 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 07, 2017, 01:11:39 PM
Brandeis 2-0 Carnegie Mellon is the final. Judges were outshot 22-8 but got two goals from corners Woodhouse made 11 saves. What a way for him to respond after being benched for a bit.

Much like the Brandeis of 2012 and 2013, CMU is a very good technical team but doesn't seem to have as much "bite" as in the past. As they often are in UAA games, where the margins are extremely fine, set pieces were the difference. Still, a great win for Margolis and company against a very good CMU side.


Big time win. We talked about this earlier in the week but that win is a win Brandeis needed for its resume.


Also, I know it is early but if Brandeis can play the way they played 1st Half they could win the conference outright. They only have 2 conference road games left at UR and Emory.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: PaulNewman on October 07, 2017, 02:25:58 PM
Hope I didn't give the wrong impression, as I think Brandeis always has had a strong academic reputation and one that indeed was on the intellectual side of things and a leader in progressive thought. It is certainly different, though, than the NESCACs, kind of like Holy Cross is different than the NESCACs, in a different way.  I'm curious if Margolis competes directly against NESCACs in recruiting or sort of works his way around them.

At any rate, with the Chicago loss (at Chicago, right?!), and Brandeis getting Chicago and Wash U at home, the Judges are in a very good position.  Impressive.  Always seem to be very efficient, too.  Why outshoot opponents 35-3 if you aren't gonna score lol?
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: CovensCorner on October 07, 2017, 02:36:53 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 07, 2017, 02:25:58 PM
Hope I didn't give the wrong impression, as I think Brandeis always has had a strong academic reputation and one that indeed was on the intellectual side of things and a leader in progressive thought. It is certainly different, though, than the NESCACs, kind of like Holy Cross is different than the NESCACs, in a different way.  I'm curious if Margolis competes directly against NESCACs in recruiting or sort of works his way around them.

At any rate, with the Chicago loss (at Chicago, right?!), and Brandeis getting Chicago and Wash U at home, the Judges are in a very good position.  Impressive.  Always seem to be very efficient, too.  Why outshoot opponents 35-3 if you aren't gonna score lol?

To answer your question I believe an advantage that allows Brandeis to compete for NESCAC recruits is its pristine location and proximity to Boston.  Say for instance, if Brandeis was in an isolated town in New England, it ability to attract high quality recruits would be significantly reduced, despite the offering of an excellent education and the impact in which Margolis brings.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Laserpen123 on October 07, 2017, 02:48:07 PM
I never really liked the Carnegie Mellon coach, and my opinion was proved right today. He refused to shake hands with the Brandeis players after the game today, and a couple of his players followed his lead, including number 18, who basically concussed Berg on the last play. Wonder if anyone else saw that, does not set a good example for the program
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 07, 2017, 03:07:34 PM
Quote from: Laserpen123 on October 07, 2017, 02:48:07 PM
I never really liked the Carnegie Mellon coach, and my opinion was proved right today. He refused to shake hands with the Brandeis players after the game today, and a couple of his players followed his lead, including number 18, who basically concussed Berg on the last play. Wonder if anyone else saw that, does not set a good example for the program

I was not at the game but watching on the stream...They kept turning the camera when any extra curricular stuff was going on which was quite often the last 10-15 minutes. I could tell the game was getting chippy. Must be some bad blood between the 2 teams but if what you say is true that is ridiculous. My guess is CMU thought they were dealing with a homer ref because he did make a couple questionable calls and no calls against CMU but that in no way affected the game or result. The coach should be more sporting and worry more about why his team failed to show until the 2nd half. My gut say's he knows that was a huge loss because they are now 8-2-1 with 1 solid win v Redlands and a good draw v John Carroll but the rest of his wins are not against any team that will be regionally ranked in a few weeks and they have Chicago next.



Side Note: The situation reminds me of when Pep was at Bayern and they were playing the MLS All-Stars and he dissed Caleb Porter because he thought the All-Stars were getting a little to physical for his pre season "tune-up"..I always love Pep but that even left a bad taste in my mouth
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Laserpen123 on October 07, 2017, 03:12:41 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 07, 2017, 03:07:34 PM
Quote from: Laserpen123 on October 07, 2017, 02:48:07 PM
I never really liked the Carnegie Mellon coach, and my opinion was proved right today. He refused to shake hands with the Brandeis players after the game today, and a couple of his players followed his lead, including number 18, who basically concussed Berg on the last play. Wonder if anyone else saw that, does not set a good example for the program

I was not at the game but watching on the stream...They kept turning the camera when any extra curricular stuff was going on which was quite often the last 10-15 minutes. I could tell the game was getting chippy. Must be some bad blood between the 2 teams but if what you say is true that is ridiculous. My guess is CMU thought they were dealing with a homer ref because he did make a couple questionable calls and no calls against CMU but that in no way affected the game or result. The coach should be more sporting and worry more about why his team failed to show until the 2nd half. My gut say's he knows that was a huge loss because they are now 8-2-1 with 1 solid win v Redlands and a good draw v John Carroll but the rest of his wins are not against any team that will be regionally ranked in a few weeks and they have Chicago next.

It is true, and it was really quite shocking. Never had someone do that before. A bunch of chippy play both ways, but usually teams can get it together and shake hands after the game. Big win for Brandeis as they have Wash U and Chicago at home.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 07, 2017, 03:16:48 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 07, 2017, 02:25:58 PM
Hope I didn't give the wrong impression, as I think Brandeis always has had a strong academic reputation and one that indeed was on the intellectual side of things and a leader in progressive thought. It is certainly different, though, than the NESCACs, kind of like Holy Cross is different than the NESCACs, in a different way.  I'm curious if Margolis competes directly against NESCACs in recruiting or sort of works his way around them.

Nope, you definitely didn't, and I think the Holy Cross parallel is definitely fair — I was just suggesting that it has become more mainstream in recent years. I'm sure there is some competition, although I do think Margolis and Coven are quite visible in the MA club/academy soccer scene, so I imagine that helps.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: PaulNewman on October 07, 2017, 03:36:03 PM
The CMU coach is a disgrace...he screamed for 90+ minutes at Kenyon, at Redlands, basically every game...few years ago Rochester was begging for someone to go get the CMU AD...He is a horrible fit for a school like CMU. 
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ommadawn on October 07, 2017, 10:31:08 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 07, 2017, 03:36:03 PM
The CMU coach is a disgrace...he screamed for 90+ minutes at Kenyon, at Redlands, basically every game...few years ago Rochester was begging for someone to go get the CMU AD...He is a horrible fit for a school like CMU.

I know a (then high school) player who heard him on the stream and crossed CMU off his list right then and there. 
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ommadawn on October 07, 2017, 10:36:34 PM
Quote from: CovensCorner on October 07, 2017, 02:36:53 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 07, 2017, 02:25:58 PM
Hope I didn't give the wrong impression, as I think Brandeis always has had a strong academic reputation and one that indeed was on the intellectual side of things and a leader in progressive thought. It is certainly different, though, than the NESCACs, kind of like Holy Cross is different than the NESCACs, in a different way.  I'm curious if Margolis competes directly against NESCACs in recruiting or sort of works his way around them.

At any rate, with the Chicago loss (at Chicago, right?!), and Brandeis getting Chicago and Wash U at home, the Judges are in a very good position.  Impressive.  Always seem to be very efficient, too.  Why outshoot opponents 35-3 if you aren't gonna score lol?

To answer your question I believe an advantage that allows Brandeis to compete for NESCAC recruits is its pristine location and proximity to Boston.  Say for instance, if Brandeis was in an isolated town in New England, it ability to attract high quality recruits would be significantly reduced, despite the offering of an excellent education and the impact in which Margolis brings.

Brandeis draws from the same USSDA and prep school pools that NESCACs do, but Margolis' longtime affiliation with the Bolts has to help.  Another factor is the league itself.  The UAA has a strong appeal to some recruits due to the classy schools and the D1-like aspect of flying to league games.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: mjan on October 07, 2017, 11:51:07 PM
Quote from: Laserpen123 on October 07, 2017, 03:12:41 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 07, 2017, 03:07:34 PM
Quote from: Laserpen123 on October 07, 2017, 02:48:07 PM
I never really liked the Carnegie Mellon coach, and my opinion was proved right today. He refused to shake hands with the Brandeis players after the game today, and a couple of his players followed his lead, including number 18, who basically concussed Berg on the last play. Wonder if anyone else saw that, does not set a good example for the program

I was not at the game but watching on the stream...They kept turning the camera when any extra curricular stuff was going on which was quite often the last 10-15 minutes. I could tell the game was getting chippy. Must be some bad blood between the 2 teams but if what you say is true that is ridiculous. My guess is CMU thought they were dealing with a homer ref because he did make a couple questionable calls and no calls against CMU but that in no way affected the game or result. The coach should be more sporting and worry more about why his team failed to show until the 2nd half. My gut say's he knows that was a huge loss because they are now 8-2-1 with 1 solid win v Redlands and a good draw v John Carroll but the rest of his wins are not against any team that will be regionally ranked in a few weeks and they have Chicago next.

It is true, and it was really quite shocking. Never had someone do that before. A bunch of chippy play both ways, but usually teams can get it together and shake hands after the game. Big win for Brandeis as they have Wash U and Chicago at home.


Those two home games don't mean much if they lose next Sunday.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 08, 2017, 12:38:41 AM
Quote from: mjan on October 07, 2017, 11:51:07 PM
Those two home games don't mean much if they lose next Sunday.

True, although it does seem like you're assuming Brandeis is likely to lose, when the Judges did beat Emory in Atlanta two years back, so there is precedent for Brandeis to potentially get the road win (although admittedly Emory is 14-1 in this fixture at home, so I do think -- combined with both teams' comparable starts to the season -- the Eagles will be slightly favored).

Regardless, I don't think any team goes 7-0 in UAA play this year -- Brandeis was 6-1 two years back and Chicago 5-0-2 in conference both last year and 2014 -- so I think, particularly with Chicago being upset yesterday, the race will stay wide open until the end.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 08, 2017, 01:07:35 PM
WashU announcer talking about the Chicago game yesterday: "Not sure if someone gave the Maroons some ex-lax brownies or what."

0-0 between WUSTL and Rochester thus far. Rochester with the better opportunities to start, but WashU got into the game towards the end of the first.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 08, 2017, 01:23:53 PM
Consistent with years past, Rochester's athleticism and workrate is impressive. They do not have any stars offensively but their approach does lead to a number of good chances. Yellowjackets with the two best opportunities so far in the second half -- one well-saved by the WashU GK, the other a shot from inside the box deflected to the GK. Still 0-0.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 08, 2017, 01:39:14 PM
I like the WashU commentator. Fairly objective and relateable and does a good job of keeping viewers interested in a game that is still scoreless.

Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ommadawn on October 08, 2017, 01:49:58 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 08, 2017, 01:39:14 PM
I like the WashU commentator. Fairly objective and relateable and does a good job of keeping viewers interested in a game that is still scoreless.

Agreed.  Good camera work, too, and a super clear picture.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 08, 2017, 02:08:41 PM
On the whole, Rochester has probably had the better chances, but WashU has looked more and more dangerous, particularly late in the second half. Now in OT.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 08, 2017, 02:09:28 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on October 08, 2017, 01:49:58 PM
Agreed.  Good camera work, too, and a super clear picture.

Did you hear the interaction re: a potential NCAA record for corner kicks in a match? (There is none, but the announcer joked they want to lay claim to it.) Pretty funny that someone looked it up.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 08, 2017, 02:11:57 PM
WashU looks to be very good on the counter. Some pace down the sides pluce the size of Sproule in the middle makes them an intimidating outfit to defend against.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 08, 2017, 02:20:49 PM
Rochester wins it in the 2nd OT. A long ball that wasn't dealt with by the WashU defense, forcing the freshman backup GK to come out to try to chest it. WashU defender couldn't clear it, ball got tapped to Rouin who finished. Perhaps a bit of inexperience showing on that play from the GK, but it wasn't an easy situation, and he certainly wasn't helped by his teammates who left him out cold.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ommadawn on October 08, 2017, 02:26:03 PM
Not a lot of possession in this game.  Rochester seemed pretty lumpy, particularly in the second half.  For a 2OT game in warm weather, the pace was pretty frantic throughout.  Wash U definitely seemed to carry play toward the end of the second half and in the OT periods.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ommadawn on October 08, 2017, 02:30:15 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 08, 2017, 02:09:28 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on October 08, 2017, 01:49:58 PM
Agreed.  Good camera work, too, and a super clear picture.

Did you hear the interaction re: a potential NCAA record for corner kicks in a match? (There is none, but the announcer joked they want to lay claim to it.) Pretty funny that someone looked it up.

I think the announcer has been at it a few years, and it's cool that he had an associate scouring the NCAA record book during the webcast.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 08, 2017, 02:31:14 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on October 08, 2017, 02:26:03 PM
Not a lot of possession in this game.  Rochester seemed pretty lumpy, particularly in the second half.  For a 2OT game in warm weather, the pace was pretty frantic throughout.  Wash U definitely seemed to carry play toward the end of the second half and in the OT periods.

Yup, and it seemed pretty fitting it was decided by a defensive breakdown. I think Rochester is very athletic and can put together things in spurts, but their play does seem a bit frantic at times. Also I think they tend to come out hard but fade a bit towards the end, as happened today. As far as WashU goes, they just lacked a bit of composure in the final third -- I'd say Rochester had the better of the opportunities throughout the game but WashU had an extensive series of chances late in regulation that could have been put away with better finishing.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 12, 2017, 02:20:51 AM
Earlier this week, I said that Rochester didn't have any stars offensively. After looking closer at their team stats, I realized that I was wrong: Rouin leads the team with 8 goals and is 2nd in the UAA in that category, so he has definitely stepped up in the goalscoring department for the Yellowjackets.

Those are definitely good numbers, and a drastic improvement over 2 goals last year. However, 6 of those 8 have been against teams below .500 -- 3 against 3-5-2 RIT, 2 against 3-7-1 Alfred, and 1 against a Misericordia side that is 0-12-1. I am not suggesting he is a flat-track bully, but I am curious as to whether he can keep up his goalscoring form as UR gets further into its UAA schedule. (He did get the winner against WashU in 2OT, so there's that.)

As for Rochester, they have looked decent, even if not as talented as in years past. The Buffalo State loss didn't look good at the time, but given the Bengals' season thus far (most recently a win over Cortland State) it doesn't look as bad now, although a 4-1 thumping at home against Chicago definitely would have raised some questions. I thought they might struggle with the losses of Ben Swanger and Greblick, but 7-2-2 isn't bad at all. Then again, last year I thought they were a bit overrated in the early part of the year despite going 7-0-1, and that proved to be as they went 2-3-2 in the UAA and got hammered 3-0 by Vassar in October, so I'll be curious to see where they finish up. Brandeis has beaten them the last two years, including winning the UAA at Rochester in 2015, but I have no doubt UR will come out fired up and be out for revenge. Should be a good battle.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Shooter McGavin on October 12, 2017, 12:13:11 PM
How many teams will be coming out of the UAA this year? 4? 5? 3?

Most likely: Chicago, Brandeis, Emory, CMU

Maybe: Rochester

Stretch: Wash U, NYU

Out: Case Western
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 12, 2017, 10:50:23 PM
I have seen Brandeis about 4 times and I caught CMU when they played at Brandeis this past weekend. I really need to catch Chicago and Emory. These Friday night games tomorrow will give me that chance. Once I see more of these teams I can predict a little better. Am I correct or will the UR game v Brandeis tomorrow be pay to watch? Hope not.

Brandeis has a very tough trip here at UR and at Emory..If I remember correctly these 2 games really tripped them up in 2013 when they lost both of them and went from #2 in New England to i think #5. I think they are playing some really great futbol as of late and really looked good at home v MIT and CMU as I caught both those games. 1st Half v CMU was really well played but the 2nd half CMU showed why they are a good team. Brandeis was holding on a bit but they did not concede and have not conceded in the league yet.

I am surprised that CMU is on the road again this weekend at Chicago and Wash U....I am going to watch that game at Chicago tomorrow night as that could be the game of the night. My guess is CMU will not come out flat as they did at Brandeis and if they play like they did in the 2nd Half they will have a good chance to steal that game. I said it last weekend but CMU does not have more than a win or 2 v a refionally ranked team IMO...Maybe Redlands..and the draw with JCU is helpful but they are going to need a BIG victory for their resume and if you look at their schedule this is really the only game to give them that chance unless Wash U turns it around fast.

I will be shocked if UR is regionally ranked as their SOS like Bloots said looks to be waaay down this year. If they lose to Brandeis they will be 7-3-2 with a SOS of about I would guess .545-.555. If they get ranked in the East that will raise some eyebrows. Has anyone seen them play this year? will they sit in v Brandeis? or will they play them straight up?

The other team to catch is Emory as I enjoy their home stream as it has a nice perfect angle to watch futbol..At least it used to...That win over Chicago gives them what CMU will be looking for. Other than that I do not see much but at 9-2-0 and if they go 1-0-1 this weekend v NYU and Brandeis they are going to be in very good shape..

Wash U has lost 3 in a row and their schedule does not get any easier. You have to figure Case is going to snag a win or 2 in the UAA and with the best SOS in the country even with a 5-5-1 record they are not out of the conversation yet especially with that huge win over Lycoming. Maybe the 5 they posted on NYU will get them going and from reading on here it sounds like they blew a 2-0 lead v Oberlin but maybe they are starting to come around getting goals
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 12, 2017, 11:08:45 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 12, 2017, 10:50:23 PM
I have seen Brandeis about 4 times and I caught CMU when they played at Brandeis this past weekend. I really need to catch Chicago and Emory. These Friday night games tomorrow will give me that chance. Once I see more of these teams I can predict a little better. Am I correct or will the UR game v Brandeis tomorrow be pay to watch? Hope not.

Brandeis has a very tough trip here at UR and at Emory..If I remember correctly these 2 games really tripped them up in 2013 when they lost both of them and went from #2 in New England to i think #5. I think they are playing some really great futbol as of late and really looked good at home v MIT and CMU as I caught both those games. 1st Half v CMU was really well played but the 2nd half CMU showed why they are a good team. Brandeis was holding on a bit but they did not concede and have not conceded in the league yet.

I am surprised that CMU is on the road again this weekend at Chicago and Wash U....I am going to watch that game at Chicago tomorrow night as that could be the game of the night. My guess is CMU will not come out flat as they did at Brandeis and if they play like they did in the 2nd Half they will have a good chance to steal that game. I said it last weekend but CMU does not have more than a win or 2 v a refionally ranked team IMO...Maybe Redlands..and the draw with JCU is helpful but they are going to need a BIG victory for their resume and if you look at their schedule this is really the only game to give them that chance unless Wash U turns it around fast.

I will be shocked if UR is regionally ranked as their SOS like Bloots said looks to be waaay down this year. If they lose to Brandeis they will be 7-3-2 with a SOS of about I would guess .545-.555. If they get ranked in the East that will raise some eyebrows. Has anyone seen them play this year? will they sit in v Brandeis? or will they play them straight up?

The other team to catch is Emory as I enjoy their home stream as it has a nice perfect angle to watch futbol..At least it used to...That win over Chicago gives them what CMU will be looking for. Other than that I do not see much but at 9-2-0 and if they go 1-0-1 this weekend v NYU and Brandeis they are going to be in very good shape..

Wash U has lost 3 in a row and their schedule does not get any easier. You have to figure Case is going to snag a win or 2 in the UAA and with the best SOS in the country even with a 5-5-1 record they are not out of the conversation yet especially with that huge win over Lycoming. Maybe the 5 they posted on NYU will get them going and from reading on here it sounds like they blew a 2-0 lead v Oberlin but maybe they are starting to come around getting goals

Great stuff, Mr.Right. You are correct that Brandeis lost in 2013 to UR and Emory, although UR was at home. However, they did beat both Emory and Rochester on the road to win the UAA in 2015, and I'll admit I was pretty sure they'd go 0-2 during that trip, so what do I know? I'm guessing UR plays Brandeis straight up, particularly at home -- what I respect about Rochester is that they are athletic and fight for everything and also that they don't seem like a "park the bus" type of team (that said, the latter could also be their downfall against stronger opposition -- I feel like they are the type who tends to come out guns blazing no matter the opposition, which can be costly). As for Emory, curious to see how they play, particularly after an impressive result last weekend.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 13, 2017, 05:41:31 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 12, 2017, 02:20:51 AM
I am not suggesting he is a flat-track bully, but I am curious as to whether he can keep up his goalscoring form as UR gets further into its UAA schedule. (He did get the winner against WashU in 2OT, so there's that.)

Just like that, Rouin scores again for Rochester. Fair enough answer! That's 2 in 2 UAA games and 9 on the season. A good total for the year and there's still half of October left.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 13, 2017, 05:44:49 PM
As an aside, I refuse to pay to watch Rochester's stream (out of principle, after I paid two years ago and Brandeis won the UAA title there, but I didn't get to see the game because apparently ad blockers invalidate the player -- something I only found out after). Regardless, Rochester seems to be dominating stats-wise -- 7-1 shots, 2-0 SOG.

If Brandeis can get into halftime only one goal adrift, I think they'd be happy with that given the strength of the UR performance thus far. Perhaps this performance is Judgement for poking the Yellowjacket nest two years in a row (terrible pun, don't you dare laugh at that).
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 13, 2017, 05:47:28 PM
Yea I was looking forward to watching Brandeis to see how they would play but am not paying that fee either.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on October 13, 2017, 06:24:13 PM
Quote from: Shooter McGavin on October 12, 2017, 12:13:11 PM
How many teams will be coming out of the UAA this year? 4? 5? 3?

Most likely: Chicago, Brandeis, Emory, CMU

Maybe: Rochester

Stretch: Wash U, NYU

Out: Case Western

I caught the Emory game at Chicago last week.  Although Chicago didn't seem to play all that well, in my opinion it was a loss that was probably good for them in the long run.  That being said Emory looked absolutely legit.  Big, strong and pretty athletic with upper class men at important spots on the pitch.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 13, 2017, 06:27:16 PM
Emory pounding NYU 5-0 in the 2nd Half....I am interested in checking out this Chicago v CMU match now.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 13, 2017, 06:31:13 PM
Case up 1-0 at Wash U in the 1st Half
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 13, 2017, 06:37:52 PM
I did not realize how young Chicago is..Only 2 seniors and 1 of them gets very little action...Bright future in Chicago...
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 13, 2017, 06:39:37 PM
Chicago's #9 Lopez is very active...Kid looks like a player for sure
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 13, 2017, 06:51:36 PM
Chicago all over CMU and have a couple dangerous looks..This is how CMU looked at Brandeis last weekend to start the match as well...Flat, not working very hard, and uninterested. I will say Chicago looks to have more talent but CMU looked pretty good 2nd half at Brandeis..I like this #17 Adeosun as he is quite an athlete will skill...
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 13, 2017, 07:02:08 PM
Ok now CMU starting to pick it up as they have had a couple good chances now. 0-0 about 25 minutes in.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 13, 2017, 07:31:28 PM
Chicago v CMU is 0-0 at the Half..First 20 minutes Chicago was all over CMU and had a couple decent chances but nothing really dangerous. The last 25 minutes have been relatively even. Game does not have a ton of flow right now because there have been a ton of fouls as both teams playing physically. When Chicago went to its bench their play dropped off a bit. Both teams look a bit thin on their benches. Chicago is a legit team with tons of athleticism and a couple guys like Lopez and Adeosun with legit skill. Lopez looks like a natural striker with athleticism, speed and looks like a finisher. They are solid and athletic in the back and have decent size. Not sure how skilled some of the backs are as a couple times they just whacked it when a short diagonal ball would have worked. Their GK came out of net to stop a 1/2 breakaway of sorts but other than that he has not been tested so I cannot tell if he is a strong GK. Chicago is a legit team but if they had maybe 1 more creative midfielder or a 1v1 guy on the flank they would be that much better. Let's see what the 2nd half brings and if CMU picks it up a bit.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 13, 2017, 07:44:16 PM
Chicago goes up 1-0 w minutes into the 2nd Half. Maybe I was wrong as #10 Koh looks like that other creative midfielder I was looking for..Off a giveaway by CMU Koh gives a great thru ball to #13 Holquist who finishes nicely with his left foot..Let's see if Chicago can keep its foot on the gas. Koh is playing well to start the half as he did not do much 1st half.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 13, 2017, 07:47:25 PM
CMU's #18 Gulli with a dangerous free kick that was heading into the net but a nice save by Chicago's GK
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 13, 2017, 07:54:11 PM
Horrible foul by CMU in the box off a set piece and it gives Chicago a PK.  #10 Koh rips it right down the middle which takes guts and buries it...2-0 Chicago 35 minutes left and Chicago oin total control right now. CMU will start to have to push numbers forward to get back into this game. Chicago is the better team and frankly if CMU plays like this they are not an NCAA team IMO and do not have the resume to get in.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 13, 2017, 08:01:39 PM
Man Chicago;s Lopez has some legit skill..he looks like 1 of the best D3 players in the country especially with his skill, speed, athleticism. If he is finishing his chances than you would have to say he is one of the best players in D3.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 13, 2017, 08:12:44 PM
CMU goes down to 10 men when #6 Bellwoar gets his 2nd yellow. Pretty dirty challenge and CMU is starting to get more chippy as they know they are not winning this game. 2-0 Chicago about 15 minutes left
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 13, 2017, 08:42:54 PM
Chicago beats CMU 3-0 in total domination.

Chicago tacks on another as #10 Koh gets his 2nd goal of the game with a nice finish on his left peg..Also, a nice dummy by #12 Scofield for Koh to then finish. Chicago has really dominated this game and I am very impressed with this Chicago side as with Lopez, Adeosun, Koh and Scofield they have plenty of skill. I would like to watch them again as I want to get another look before I predict a deep NCAA run. I would love to see them against a side that would press their backs more and see how they handle that. CMU a disappointing showing and their season at 8-3-1 (1-2-0) is hanging by a thread. They did not look particularly good tonight. Looking forward to the Chicago at Brandeis game in 2 weeks in Waltham.

In other UAA action:

Emory rolls over NYU 5-0.

UR gets a big win over Brandeis 1-0. UR at 8-2-2(2-1-0) are right back in the conversation with a win against a regionally ranked team. However, after their game v NYU on Sunday they do finish with 4 difficult road games at Brockport, at CMU, at Case and at Emory.

Wash U comes back from 1-0 down to beat Case 2-1 to end their 3 game losing streak and keep their season alive. That might just have put the nail in Case's season at 5-6-2 and 1-2-0 unless they win their last 5 games starting with Chicago on Sunday their final 5 games will be against teams that will all be regionally ranked. I seriously doubt they can accomplish that as the team that I predict will have the best SOS at the end of the season will not get a Pool C as they could not win enough games.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blue_jays on October 13, 2017, 09:31:45 PM
Quote from: blue_jays on September 27, 2017, 03:01:48 PM
Quote from: Laserpen123 on September 27, 2017, 02:03:02 PM
Quote from: UAA Insider on September 26, 2017, 09:28:09 AM
Ahead of conference play starting this weekend, I am interested to see everyone's predictions for what the standings will look like at the end. My predictions:

1. Chicago - Only graduating Desai and returning Koh & Lopez up top is scary. Along with Drablos, Capatosto and Bonin, I don't see Chicago not winning the UAA outright.
2. Carnegie Mellon - Watched two of their games so far and they look impressive. Very young team but don't see them topping Chicago over 7 games. Make an alum proud  ;)
3. Brandeis - Ocel, Hernandez and Flahive should be able to show some leadership and lead the Judges into the tournament come November. Interested to see how their style of play will change with Coven gone.
4. Wash U - Have won some big games this season so far and have shown they can hang with the best. Watched their game (win) against Wheaton, a quality opponent, and was not impressed with their style of play. However, style of play doesn't win games, goals do.
5. Emory - Not much competition down south for out of conference games but they always seem to show up in the UAA.
6. CWRU - Similar to Wash U in the sense that have shown up for games against great teams, but differ in that they don't get results. That won't help against teams like Chicago, Brandeis and CMU.
7. Rochester - Haven't watched them yet, and at the same time, have not heard about them yet. Graduated a few good seniors so this may be a rebuilding year for the Yellow Jackets.
8. NYU - Haven't seem them either. But after seeing they tied a team CWRU beat 10-0, it's hard to not list them at the bottom.

Again, these are PREDICTIONS!!! Best of luck to the teams in one of the top conferences in the country! Please reply with your predictions!

My Predictions:

1. Chicago: Unlike last year, when this team was ranked number 1, and got a bit nervous of the spotlight in their game against Brandeis, this team is older and has been here before. They are the clear favorites to hold the title, but it is very difficult to repeat as champions.
2. Brandeis: This team is doing well, and have won the games they should have. Have been tested by Cortland and Tufts, and played pretty well. This team is deep, and can play good soccer. I think they will challenge Chicago along with Wash U.
3. Wash U: This team faded along the homestretch last year, but they bring lots of talent to the table. Their biggest games are where they decide their place in this league, namely Chicago and Brandeis.
4. Carnegie Mellon: The Tartans are young, but promising. Again, their second game of the league @ Brandeis will be a big test for where they want to be.
5: Emory: They used to be a powerhouse, a team to be feared. Having dropped that part of them, can they reclaim it and not lose on their home field in league play? That will be a good goal for them.
6: CWRU: When I have seen them play, they seem lax on the ball, and not playing with a purpose. Haven't seen them play this year, but heard some good and some bad. They falter in the UAA usually, so they're down here.
7. Rochester: Rebuilding, and just don't have the firepower to be a contender.
8. NYU: With a last place finish this year, the coach could be on the hot seat. Petr gone, season gone.


When all is said and done, I can see 5 teams making the tournament again. Chicago, Brandeis, Wash U, Carnegie, and Emory may just sneak in.

Prediction: CMU is the second-best team in the conference, mark it down now. I feel confident that this will be true in the final standings on Nov. 5.

After tonight's result, taking this one back...
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 11:06:42 AM
Brandeis looks to be in a 4-2-3-1 with Flahive up top...Where has the back DePietto been? I have not seen him in the starting lineup
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 11:14:27 AM
Emory looks to be dangerous on the counter with #10 Khattab,#2 Meyer and #31 McCartny. Brandeis again zoning on defensive corners with everyone in the box and picking up a man or 2 in man to man..
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 11:22:16 AM
0-0 about 20 minutes in. Brandeis controlling possession until the final 3rd where Flahive is going to have problems all day against 2 CB's holding the ball up. Personally, I liked when they used to play in the 4-3-3.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 11:35:50 AM
Again because Brandeis attacks with numbers, Emory has had some good looking counters but have not been able to convert. I really like Emory's #10 Khattab and #2 Meyer as they are legit players with skill.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 11:50:03 AM
0-0 at the Half between Emory v Brandeis..Very good game. Both teams are NCAA teams and have weapons. Neither team has a ton of depth as when Margolis went to his bench the play dropped off significantly when Brandeis was attacking. Brandeis dominated the first 20 minutes but Emory grew into the game well and while dangerous on the counter all Half they were controlling possession better the last 10 minutes. I do not expect any changes at Halftime but I do believe we will see a goal or 2. Emory is 6-0-0 at Home and 3-0-0 in the conference so I think Brandeis needs this Win more but obviously both teams could use a win v a ranked opponent
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 12:15:44 PM
Emory has come out blazing to start the 2nd Half. #Ferguson rips a 35 yard Free Kick that was heading into the goal but a fantastic save by Brandeis' Woodhouse. On the following corner Emory got to a loose ball that was not cleared by Brandeis and Woodhouse with another save. Emory on the next corner gets a fantastic header that Woodhouse made another brilliant save on. 3 dangerous chances by Emory to start the 2nd Half but woodhouse comes up BIG as he snuffed them all out.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 12:26:28 PM
Emory all over Brandeis now. They are attacking wave after wave and Brandeis and especially Woodhouse are holding strong. Emory scored off a set piece but the player was a step offside...Still 0-0 with about 25 minutes left
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 12:54:20 PM
Brandeis at Emory heading to OT stuck at 0-0. Emory came out of Halftime blitzing Brandeis but they have crashed a bit in the last 20 minutes as Brandeis has started to re-settle back into the game. Emory probably deserves to win this game but Woodhouse has stood on his head to keep the game level. Brandeis with one significant look with a minute left in regulation but Flahive did not shoot and passed to his teammate on the 6 and he fluffed it a bit as Emory GK was out of his net.  Let's see what OT brings but Brandeis might try to play a little conservative as a draw will help their Pool C chances but a loss would take them to 9-4-0 (2-2-0) and squarely on the bubble.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 01:16:26 PM
Not sure who just took a 30 yard rocket for Brandeis..Maybe Ocel? but it was a screamer that beat Emory GK but hit the post...Fantastic strike...Still 0-0 in the 102nd minute
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 01:20:55 PM
Emory's #6 Ferguson gets his own bullet from 35 yards out that just skims wide..Ferguson strikes the ball VERY well...He has power and more importantly accuracy. A ton of guys at this level(too many IMO) have no accuracy when ripping shots as half of them go sky high
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 15, 2017, 01:24:46 PM
Brandeis steals it 1-0, 2:26 left in 2OT. A bit of a scrappy play that Flahive finished off.

Mr.Right, it was Lynch, according to the live stats. This is a huge road win for the Judges, especially after losing Friday, and considering they were on the ropes much of the game against a very good Emory side.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ommadawn on October 15, 2017, 01:26:25 PM
Chicago and Case scoreless with 25' to play.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 01:28:03 PM
WOW...1-0 Brandeis wins it in the 107th minute..That is a heart breaker for Emory as a fair result would have been a draw but what a finish...Brandeis got a throw deep into Emory's end and Ocel had been throwing bombs into the box all day but he decided to throw short to #5 Hennessey and with no one from Emory marking him he gets great service into the box and Flahive with an excellent header past Emory GK. What a goal...Emory got caught sleeping(Again loss of concentration for a split second) and Flahive went totally unmarked on his run and got his head to it....1-0 Brandeis Final and Brandeis at 10-3-0 get the BIG win they needed against a regionally ranked team. That flight home will feel a ton better now.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ommadawn on October 15, 2017, 01:30:34 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on October 15, 2017, 01:26:25 PM
Chicago and Case scoreless with 25' to play.

Enthusiastic commentary at:

https://uchicago.prestosports.com/sports/msoc/live-video
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 01:31:53 PM
Man of the Match IMO----Woodhouse...I know Flahive got the winner but Woodhouse kept them in the game early in the 2nd Half with some fantastic saves.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 01:34:13 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on October 15, 2017, 01:30:34 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on October 15, 2017, 01:26:25 PM
Chicago and Case scoreless with 25' to play.

Enthusiastic commentary at:

https://uchicago.prestosports.com/sports/msoc/live-video


LOL....Ahh Maybe these guys have midweek games off because against CMU on Friday we had a nice CALM voice..I do love the passion though...
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 01:38:14 PM
What the hell are these nuts talking about? We might need to get the straitjackets called in for these 2....Well anyway we do have a game going on and Chicago v Case 0-0 about 20 minutes left. I am surprised because Chicago looked so goof Friday v CMU..
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ommadawn on October 15, 2017, 01:40:58 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 01:38:14 PM
What the hell are these nuts talking about? We might need to get the straitjackets called in for these 2....Well anyway we do have a game going on and Chicago v Case 0-0 about 20 minutes left. I am surprised because Chicago looked so goof Friday v CMU..

;) I thought you might get a kick out of these guys.  Case has some HUGE players out there!  They've been holding their own against the Maroons for the portion of the second half that I've been watching.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 15, 2017, 01:41:34 PM
Wow...Case goes 1-0 up on Chicago with around 20 left. Great, out-of-the-sky hit by #25, who looked to have been lucky to avoid a booking moments earlier.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ommadawn on October 15, 2017, 01:42:25 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 15, 2017, 01:41:34 PM
Wow...Case goes 1-0 up on Chicago with around 20 left. Great, out-of-the-sky hit by #25, who looked to have been lucky to avoid a booking moments earlier.

He's a 6'6" freshman!
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 01:45:09 PM
OMG....What a strike BUT HELLO where was the Chicago GK? That is a horrific mistake to be off your line that much to not get to that ball...Brandeis having quite the day as a win and a Chicago loss and you will all of a sudden have a 3 way tie at the top of the UAA with a Chicago at Brandeis match in 2 weeks...Meanwhile if Case wins this game that would keep their season alive even with 5 losses as their remaining schedule is all against ranked teams..

WOW Chicago gets burned by the ref...THAT WAS A PK
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: paclassic89 on October 15, 2017, 01:45:47 PM
These are the best D3 commentators ive ever heard lol
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 15, 2017, 01:46:44 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on October 15, 2017, 01:42:25 PM
He's a 6'6" freshman!

I saw that. Certainly a big target man. Still don't know how he got out of a yellow earlier, as it appeared he shoved the Chicago kid to the floor, but what a goal. I think the wind probably had a factor in the dip, but a great hit.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 15, 2017, 01:49:26 PM
Looking at the stats, Chicago has outshot case 16-9 (4-2 SOG) and hit the woodwork twice. If Chicago doesn't have bad (some) luck then I don't know what bad luck is. Then again, it often happens that the best team doesn't win -- you have to take advantage of your opportunities.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 15, 2017, 01:50:05 PM
Just as I was about to say Chicago choked for the second week in a row, the Maroons are level. Lopez with 4:56 left. 1-1.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ommadawn on October 15, 2017, 01:51:03 PM
Quote from: paclassic89 on October 15, 2017, 01:45:47 PM
These are the best D3 commentators ive ever heard lol

I always wondered what happened to Alvin after his Chipmunks career...
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 15, 2017, 01:52:32 PM
These guys are awesome. At first I thought "wow this is a bit much" but they've grown on me.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 15, 2017, 01:54:57 PM
This ref is terrible, he has no control over the game. Just saw the PK incident over again -- that was as clear-as-day pen as you'll see.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Buck O. on October 15, 2017, 01:57:29 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on October 15, 2017, 01:51:03 PM
Quote from: paclassic89 on October 15, 2017, 01:45:47 PM
These are the best D3 commentators ive ever heard lol

I always wondered what happened to Alvin after his Chipmunks career...

I think it's Urkel.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 01:58:19 PM
What a fantastic goal by Lopez on fantastic service by Adeosun...Chicago is such a legit team..Lopez has to be the best striker in D3 from what I have seen...What a header...
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 02:08:16 PM
Chicago is going to need much better GK'ing if they want to make a deep run in the NCAA's. Ttheir GK is making some terrible decisions...

On another note: I would love to bring these 2 to Thanksgiving as with all the tension in my family they deserve to be forced to sit and listen for 3 hours to these 2.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 15, 2017, 02:10:08 PM
WOW...moments after Case has one cleared off the line, Chicago wins it off a corner kick...Maroons go short and Abedian finds the net. Unreal.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 02:10:34 PM
Good teams win games like that...Nice win for Chicago off the corner...2-1 Chicago over Case...Case's season is finished
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 15, 2017, 02:11:37 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 02:08:16 PM
Chicago is going to need much better GK'ing if they want to make a deep run in the NCAA's. Ttheir GK is making some terrible decisions...

Yeah he's made some questionable choices. Having watched him for three years, though, I do think he's pretty good.

Quote from: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 02:08:16 PM
On another note: I would love to bring these 2 to Thanksgiving as with all the tension in my family they deserve to be forced to sit and listen for 3 hours to these 2.

https://media.tenor.com/images/d3276249a978c7d76bb681435efddfda/tenor.gif

Comment of the year.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 15, 2017, 02:14:15 PM
Did anyone else find it a bit smug that Case took off the goalscorer right after he scored (and had him put on his jacket)? Maybe he was subbed off before and I am reading way too much into this, but it was certainly interesting timing.

Heartbreaker for Case, though, especially after taking the lead so late. But at a time when people would've been questioning Chicago's mettle, they responded very well.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ommadawn on October 15, 2017, 02:24:55 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 15, 2017, 02:14:15 PM
Did anyone else find it a bit smug that Case took off the goalscorer right after he scored (and had him put on his jacket)? Maybe he was subbed off before and I am reading way too much into this, but it was certainly interesting timing.

The guy who scored is not a starter and hasn't even played in every game, so I suspect that he was taken out in favor of a stronger defensive presence.  Coach Bianco is not someone I would ever consider to be smug.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 15, 2017, 02:30:48 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on October 15, 2017, 02:24:55 PM
The guy who scored is not a starter and hasn't even played in every game, so I suspect that he was taken out in favor of a stronger defensive presence.  Coach Bianco is not someone I would ever consider to be smug.

Fair enough. I don't think Bianco is, either, so that's why I raised my own over-analysis as a possible source (of which I am frequently guilty). ;)
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blue_jays on October 15, 2017, 10:12:40 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 01:58:19 PM
What a fantastic goal by Lopez on fantastic service by Adeosun...Chicago is such a legit team..Lopez has to be the best striker in D3 from what I have seen...What a header...
Lopez in the air = money. Kid has a ton of header goals in his career. He was snakebit the previous few games, but keeps coming up with creative and audacious plays regardless.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 04:55:01 PM
Big game for Chicago tonight..#1 in the Central Chicago will be playing #2 in the Central North Park. Is this game also considered a rivalry because of the proximity of the schools?
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blue_jays on October 18, 2017, 05:23:18 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 04:55:01 PM
Big game for Chicago tonight..#1 in the Central Chicago will be playing #2 in the Central North Park. Is this game also considered a rivalry because of the proximity of the schools?
Not really, they've only played 4 times since 1999.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 05:26:27 PM
UAA shows very well as they get 6 teams ranked and more importantly all 6 are ranked very high. I hate to say it but they might get 5 Pool C's...I do question how high Wash U and UR are ranked
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 09:13:56 PM
I have seen like 3 Half Volley goals today..Nice strike by North Park to go up on Chicago 1-0. GK had no chance. North Park player lost his defender as Chicago defender was watchin the ball and not his man.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 09:25:42 PM
North Park generating some dangerous chances here 2nd Half..They look to be a decent side
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 09:43:23 PM
Chicago turning up the heat big time in this game..An equalizer seems inevitable..Still 1-0 North Park with about 15 minutes left
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 09:55:57 PM
5 minutes left North Park holding steady and they still lead 1-0. Game is getting very chippy as North Park wasting a ton of time and have some physical players that foul hard
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 10:07:03 PM
North Park beats Chicago 1-0. Chicago looked the better side but did not play their best game at least from what I saw in the 2nd Half. That loss really will not hurt them at all as it might affect hosting in later NCAA rounds but that North Park side can be beaten and I assume will be beaten within the next two weeks in conference or out. Chicago might of had tired legs as that was their 3rd game in 6 days. Meanwhile Chicago has 10 days off until their jaunt east to play NYU and Brandeis. Looking forward to that match..
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Gotberg on October 18, 2017, 10:10:53 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 10:07:03 PM
North Park beats Chicago 1-0. Chicago looked the better side but did not play their best game at least from what I saw in the 2nd Half. That loss really will not hurt them at all as it might affect hosting in later NCAA rounds but that North Park side can be beaten and I assume will be beaten within the next two weeks in conference or out. Chicago might of had tired legs as that was their 3rd game in 6 days. Meanwhile Chicago has 10 days off until their jaunt east to play NYU and Brandeis. Looking forward to that match..

North Park was the better first half team (including a missed sitter) and Chicago played better in the second. 
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blue_jays on October 18, 2017, 10:37:20 PM
Quote from: Gotberg on October 18, 2017, 10:10:53 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 10:07:03 PM
North Park beats Chicago 1-0. Chicago looked the better side but did not play their best game at least from what I saw in the 2nd Half. That loss really will not hurt them at all as it might affect hosting in later NCAA rounds but that North Park side can be beaten and I assume will be beaten within the next two weeks in conference or out. Chicago might of had tired legs as that was their 3rd game in 6 days. Meanwhile Chicago has 10 days off until their jaunt east to play NYU and Brandeis. Looking forward to that match..

North Park was the better first half team (including a missed sitter) and Chicago played better in the second.
Chicago was saving their legs in the first half and didn't push the pace, and NPU took advantage and possessed and attacked more effectively than Chicago thought they would. NPU has tons of athletes and speed going forward, and their defenders held the line sitting back and cleared the ball effectively all game. The missed sitter was also just a great play by goalie to throw his body in front at perfect time.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 10:43:56 PM
Chicago also had 2 very nice chances in the 2nd Half one off a set piece and another a sweet header that just missed the net. North Park does look athletic and physical. I would have to see them more than 1 half to give my impressions of North Park.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blue_jays on October 18, 2017, 10:46:06 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 10:43:56 PM
Chicago also had 2 very nice chances in the 2nd Half one off a set piece and another a sweet header that just missed the net. North Park does look athletic and physical. I would have to see them more than 1 half to give my impressions of North Park.
IMO they're the best side Chicago has played so far this year. Their organization gave Chicago no room to really create in the attacking third. The Maroons really missed Adeosun this game.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on October 21, 2017, 03:30:59 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 15, 2017, 02:10:08 PM
WOW...moments after Case has one cleared off the line, Chicago wins it off a corner kick...Maroons go short and Abedian finds the net. Unreal.

Just catching up after being out after hip surgery.  That goal by Abedian I don't believe was off a set piece corner.  I think Koh used his excellent pace to get by defender and take ball to end line and cut it back to the near post for the goal.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 21, 2017, 03:43:50 PM
Quote from: 4samuy on October 21, 2017, 03:30:59 PM
Just catching up after being out after hip surgery.  That goal by Abedian I don't believe was off a set piece corner.  I think Koh used his excellent pace to get by defender and take ball to end line and cut it back to the near post for the goal.

Based on my recollection I can't say I agree. IIRC the ball was played short off a corner and a low ball came in from the side. Can't remember whether it was Abedian who cut in from the side or whether he touched it in (more likely), but I'm fairly certain the play started from a corner.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on October 21, 2017, 04:14:37 PM
Ok could've started as a corner but I thought I remember koh taking it to end line. In the fact me a goal is a goal.  Thx for clarification bloots.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 21, 2017, 04:29:45 PM
Quote from: 4samuy on October 21, 2017, 04:14:37 PM
Ok could've started as a corner but I thought I remember koh taking it to end line. In the fact me a goal is a goal.  Thx for clarification bloots.

Agree with that, and along with the earlier equalizer it was certainly a good response to Chicago going down that late in the game. I was pretty sure they were looking at their second UAA loss but was impressed at how they pulled through.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Buck O. on October 21, 2017, 08:02:32 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 21, 2017, 03:43:50 PM
Quote from: 4samuy on October 21, 2017, 03:30:59 PM
Just catching up after being out after hip surgery.  That goal by Abedian I don't believe was off a set piece corner.  I think Koh used his excellent pace to get by defender and take ball to end line and cut it back to the near post for the goal.

Based on my recollection I can't say I agree. IIRC the ball was played short off a corner and a low ball came in from the side. Can't remember whether it was Abedian who cut in from the side or whether he touched it in (more likely), but I'm fairly certain the play started from a corner.

I was also watching. You're correct that it started off a corner.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 24, 2017, 12:30:42 PM
This has to be the biggest upcoming weekend for the UAA. Right now you have a 4 way tie for AQ as Chicago, Brandeis, UR and Emory all sit at 3-1-0. CMU still in the hunt at 2-2-0. It is looking like the UAA will get 4 Pool C's. League doormat NYU is finished and Case at 5-8-2 is also done. Case with the best schedule of any team in D3 but it did them no favors as they might have taken on a bit more than they could chew. Wash U at 7-5-1 has got to be on the wrong side of the bubble because there is no way the UAA gets 5 Pool C's. However, with games at Brandeis and at Chicago plus a tilt at NYU if they finish 3-0-0 to go to 10-5-1 than they are a possibility of sneaking in. CMU could find itself on the wrong side of the bubble if they lose 2 HUGE games this weekend v Emory and v UR. Emory also has work to do as they sit at 11-4-0 but travel to CMU and Case this weekend plus finish v UR. They lose all 3 and they would be toast. If they go 1-1-1 than they would be on the bubble but they do have a superior SOS...STILL a ton to be decided..I have seen CMU twice this year and have not been all that impressed. I like Brandeis and Emory better than CMU.

Match of the weekend will be Sunday morning with Chicago at Brandeis.

Why do I have the feeling with 8 league games this weekend we will see 4 draws and 2 NYU losses. Just a hunch

Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ommadawn on October 27, 2017, 06:06:10 PM
Scores at the half:

WUSTL 1 - Brandeis 1

CMU 2 - Emory 0

Rochester 1 - CWRU 0
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 27, 2017, 07:49:44 PM
Huge win for Brandeis in 2OT over WashU. Bears struck first through Sproule, who is an absolute handful of a forward — big, physical, fast. Scored pretty much a carbon copy (at the same end, too) of his goal against Brandeis two years ago. Judges tied it up at 1-1 around 15 minutes later through Max Breiter after an nice through ball from Hennessy. Pretty even rest of the game, as regulation ended with shots at 10-10. First overtime was pretty cagey, although Brandeis had more chances, but the second OT the Judges dominated and eventually got the winner with 1:59 left. Even if WashU doesn't stay ranked (they were 5th of 6 this week), really big win for the Judges, who — despite winning at WashU on its last 3 visits to St. Louis — were 0-2-1 at home against the Bears in their last 3 meetings.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mid-Atlantic Fan on October 29, 2017, 10:27:23 AM
Looking at the UAA going into final day it looks like they have 3 teams locked and 2 on the bubble and 3 that have no chance. CMU needs any kind of result today and Emory needs a win or else it is going to be over a week of nail biting although I think both are on the right side if the bubble. 

Locks:
Chicago
Brandeis
UR

Bubble:
CMU
Emory

Done:
Wash U
CWRU
NYU
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 29, 2017, 11:06:48 AM
ahh fantastic...technical difficulties in Waltham..
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 29, 2017, 11:19:08 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 29, 2017, 11:06:48 AM
ahh fantastic...technical difficulties in Waltham..

So this is where my donations are going...can't even get a waterproof camera... ::)
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 29, 2017, 11:23:49 AM
lol...its not even raining...bloots you got the connects call the sid and tell them to give it another go...audio is a tough listen but decent....meanwhile a nice header goal in the Emory at Case goal but with jersey changes I have no idea which team finished it...
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on October 29, 2017, 11:26:34 AM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 29, 2017, 11:19:08 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 29, 2017, 11:06:48 AM
ahh fantastic...technical difficulties in Waltham..

So this is where my donations are going...can't even get a waterproof camera... ::)

Not good
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 29, 2017, 11:28:15 AM
"UPDATE 11:20 AM: The issue with the LiveStream has been diagnose, but we will be unable to repair until halftime. In the meantime, please check out www.wbrs.org for audio commentary."
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 29, 2017, 11:28:57 AM
ok i can live with that
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 29, 2017, 11:32:46 AM
Bloots did you bring these two on the audio back from Freetown Christiania? These guys are way 2 much...
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 29, 2017, 11:36:19 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 29, 2017, 11:32:46 AM
Bloots did you bring these two on the audio back from Freetown Christiania? These guys are way 2 much...

LOL...+k...yeah this is interesting. Although I do recall doing a couple of these broadcasts...I guess it's college-aged maturity (or lack thereof)...maybe they belong to the same guild as the Chicago guys from the Case game.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on October 29, 2017, 11:40:38 AM
Emory with a quick hitter about 25 yards out...1-1 right before the Half...

Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on October 29, 2017, 11:51:50 AM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 29, 2017, 11:36:19 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 29, 2017, 11:32:46 AM
Bloots did you bring these two on the audio back from Freetown Christiania? These guys are way 2 much...

LOL...+k...yeah this is interesting. Although I do recall doing a couple of these broadcasts...I guess it's college-aged maturity (or lack thereof)...maybe they belong to the same guild as the Chicago guys from the Case game.

Chicago usually has a quality broadcast, but that Case game had a couple of fill ins without a clue other than they seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 29, 2017, 12:16:21 PM
"UPDATE 12:15 PM: Unfortunately, we have not been able to fix the issue with today's stream. Continue to visit www.wbrs.org for audio coverage." ::)
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 29, 2017, 12:24:41 PM
NYU has a player named Maxi Rodriguez who scored the first goal of their game against WashU...so that's where he ended up going after leaving Liverpool.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on October 29, 2017, 12:56:52 PM
Chicago takes it late over Brandeis, 1-0. Seemed that the Maroons had more chances, particularly after half, but tough to elaborate on the game with no video broadcast.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 03, 2017, 06:21:03 PM
Last regular-season UAA games tomorrow.

I think Brandeis has enough to get by NYU, particularly at home, and will be smarting after losing to Chicago this past Sunday. That said, the Violets have been more competitive than in recent years, even if they're currently 0-5-1 in conference. Brandeis has beaten NYU 5 out of the last 6 years, but the Violets beat the Judges 1-0 in NY last year, putting Brandeis' already-slim chances at a Pool C bid in real jeopardy, but the Judges made the tournament and got to the Final 4. Still, that result certainly caused some anxiety in the interim. Compared with Brandeis going 4-2 in conference, NYU's conference record, particularly the 5-1 home loss to Case, would suggest Brandeis is favored, but there are no easy games in the UAA.

Emory vs. Rochester should really be a good one. Rochester has quietly had a good year on the back of 12 goals from Rouin, although I do get the sense that his numbers are particularly high since it seems that UR feeds most of its offense through him, much like MIT did with Sean Bingham a few years back. Regardless, he has proven himself as a reliable goalscorer in the UAA, which I was skeptical that he would, so fair play. That said, I do not think Rochester is the same outfit on the road as they are at home. They are feisty and never give up, but I don't know that they have the firepower to get by Emory, who, like UR, also tied CMU on the road, and I don't think UR performs particularly well on grass, which Emory's field is.

Case vs. Carnegie is a good one, too, but while I think CMU has more firepower I think Case being at home will be particularly tough. They just beat Emory in 2OT on their carpet and I am not sure Carnegie will be able to cope. CMU is a good side capable of scoring goals, and Masciopinto is excellent, but seem a bit lightweight.

Chicago vs. WashU is probably the biggest match of the weekend in terms of sentiment, even if not being pivotal to bids. Big rivals, in Chicago, and the Bears do have the potential to cause some problems to a Chicago defense that has switched off at times this year. Even so, Chicago is just too good, and Lopez is unplayable on his day, and the Maroons should be able to see it through.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2017, 12:58:54 PM
Probably the worst half I've seen Brandeis play this year (didn't see the first half of Cortland), level at 0-0 with NYU. Judges' work rate has been poor and the passes have been super off, though they have been having the better chances. Need to step it up.

On the other hand, I rarely complain about officiating, but this ref has been awful. Missed two blatant PKs, one for each team, and several other calls around the box, but he's not afraid to give the silly fouls at midfield.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on November 04, 2017, 01:05:11 PM
Chicago up 1-0 on WashU 15 minutes in.  Another beautiful header by Lopez off a cross in the run of play just outside the box.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2017, 01:12:27 PM
Brandeis gets one in the 47th minute, Allen on a break finishes 1v1. 1-0 Judges.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2017, 01:15:57 PM
Emory comes back from one goal down twice to win 3-2 in OT over Rochester.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2017, 01:16:21 PM
Quote from: 4samuy on November 04, 2017, 01:05:11 PM
Chicago up 1-0 on WashU 15 minutes in.  Another beautiful header by Lopez off a cross in the run of play just outside the box.


That kid is an old school striker. He almost glides out there.  Really fun to watch along with the skill of Koh and Adeosun.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2017, 01:17:16 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 04, 2017, 01:15:57 PM
Emory comes back from one goal down twice to win 3-2 in OT over Rochester.

That is a MONSTER win and Emory will snag a Pool C IMO. A draw and I am not sure
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on November 04, 2017, 01:19:27 PM
Chicago up 2-0 32 mins in strike by koh from 18 yds out.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on November 04, 2017, 01:30:44 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 04, 2017, 01:16:21 PM
Quote from: 4samuy on November 04, 2017, 01:05:11 PM
Chicago up 1-0 on WashU 15 minutes in.  Another beautiful header by Lopez off a cross in the run of play just outside the box.


That kid is an old school striker. He almost glides out there.  Really fun to watch along with the skill of Koh and Adeosun.

Yeah

He sure has a nose for the ball and his technical skills at 6'1 are pretty impressive.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2017, 02:01:37 PM
Brandeis over NYU, final is 1-0.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on November 04, 2017, 02:34:53 PM
WashU has had the run of play in the second half and gets one back with 5 mins left.  2-1 chicago
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2017, 06:49:02 PM
Well, the Emory announcer might win the award for commentator of the year after his excited (albeit unintelligible) commentary from Emory's winner today. (Joking about the award, but I did enjoy it.) Really nice hit from the Emory kid, who put enough power on it to beat the UR goalkeeper at his near post.

Goal is at 2:12:39 from today's broadcast. https://emory.prestosports.com/sports/msoc/live
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2017, 06:58:11 PM
That was a rip..and so very important as a win by Emory I think makes them the 4th UAA school to get in especially if RUN loses to Rowan tonight..Yea that Emory announcer must be an SID guy cause he has been doing that for a couple years now. I liked Emory when they played Brandeis earlier this year even though they lost they had some players
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blue_jays on November 04, 2017, 07:29:29 PM
Quote from: 4samuy on November 04, 2017, 01:30:44 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 04, 2017, 01:16:21 PM
Quote from: 4samuy on November 04, 2017, 01:05:11 PM
Chicago up 1-0 on WashU 15 minutes in.  Another beautiful header by Lopez off a cross in the run of play just outside the box.


That kid is an old school striker. He almost glides out there.  Really fun to watch along with the skill of Koh and Adeosun.

Yeah

He sure has a nose for the ball and his technical skills at 6'1 are pretty impressive.

His headers are peerless, IMO. UAA MVP for sure and First Team All-American again likely.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2017, 08:57:31 PM
Well well well...Case beats CMU 2-1 with two goals in the last 15 minutes. I saw CMU was winning 1-0 over Case with around 20 left and figured it was over, as Case hadn't created much. The Tartans could be in big trouble.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: 4samuy on November 04, 2017, 09:16:05 PM
You could be right with some of the upsets that have taken place and pool c's at a definite premium. Something tells me that sos and 5 results vs ranked may get them in.  It'll be nail biting time for the tartans:
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2017, 09:23:29 PM
Quote from: 4samuy on November 04, 2017, 09:16:05 PM
You could be right with some of the upsets that have taken place and pool c's at a definite premium. Something tells me that sos and 5 results vs ranked may get them in.  It'll be nail biting time for the tartans:

I think you're right, but I also think that tie against JCU could have been costly (maybe I'm saying that because of circumstance). Congrats to your Maroons on the UAA title, btw, well-deserved.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Shooter McGavin on November 06, 2017, 09:44:04 AM
Quote from: 4samuy on November 04, 2017, 09:16:05 PM
You could be right with some of the upsets that have taken place and pool c's at a definite premium. Something tells me that sos and 5 results vs ranked may get them in.  It'll be nail biting time for the tartans:

Yeah 5 results but only 1 win. CMU is DONE!
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 06, 2017, 10:25:35 AM
Quote from: Shooter McGavin on November 06, 2017, 09:44:04 AM
Yeah 5 results but only 1 win. CMU is DONE!

You know, I used to respect CMU, but after their antics this year at the Brandeis game I view them much more negatively. Not to say the Judges are saints, of course, but the fact that the CMU coach and two of his players refused to shake hands with their opponents after the game was unexpected and deplorable. As it is, I am indifferent as to whether they get a bid, which it seems like they're in trouble now.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 06, 2017, 01:56:28 PM
UAA matchups in the NCAA Tournament:

Chicago vs. Lake Forest
Dominican (IL) vs. Capital @ Chicago

Emory vs. Dickinson @ Lynchburg
Lynchburg vs. Penn-Abington

Brandeis vs. WCONN
RUN vs. Bowdoin @ Brandeis

Rochester vs. Conn. College @ Oneonta
Oneonta vs. WPI
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 06, 2017, 02:15:52 PM
In hindsight, that Emory win against Rochester on Saturday was HUGE. At the time, I figured Emory was done, but that win plus the Chicago win might just have been what did it for them.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: stancoville on November 07, 2017, 12:03:06 PM
Chicago alum here... any idea what happened to Hill Bonin? Is he injured?
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 07, 2017, 02:47:39 PM
Quote from: stancoville on November 07, 2017, 12:03:06 PM
Chicago alum here... any idea what happened to Hill Bonin? Is he injured?

No idea, but -- having been very good his first three years -- he did look a bit shaky this year, as Mr.Right can attest to. Maybe he was pulled? Note that this is very much a guess, so take it for what it's worth.

I was a big fan of Bonin. He came in his first year and played very well from the start. Sophomore year he was similarly impressive. Junior year I think he was a top 3 goalkeeper in D3. He did lose DJ Weis at CB in front of him to graduation this past spring, and Weis was a very good defender, so that might have something to do with it.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on November 07, 2017, 07:07:01 PM
I certainly am no expert on Chicago but in the games I saw against CMU and Case which were both Wins for Chicago he made some real questionable decisions in both games. Very indecisive and flying off his line. Looks like his last start was Chicago's last loss which was to North Park. So the other GK has started 3 games and given up 1 goal including a shutout at Brandeis. Bloots guess might be right. With the talent on the field that Chicago has you better have a GK you can trust behind them.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 09, 2017, 03:23:50 PM
All-UAA teams up: http://uaa.prestosports.com/sports/msoc/2017-18/releases/2017alluaam

POY: Lopez (Chicago)
ROY: Romero (Chicago)
Coaching Staff: Rochester
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 08:21:37 PM
UAA results after the first day:

Rochester 2-1 Conn. College (OT)
Emory 3-1 Dickinson
Brandeis 3-0 WCONN
Chicago 5-2 Lake Forest

Can't remember the last time all the UAA teams won their opening matchups -- I feel like there's always one or two losses in the 1st Round, so props to these teams for bucking the trend (even though I was rooting against UR ;)). Would be great to have all of them in the Sweet 16 (a big ask and incredibly unlikely, but a guy can dream).
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Buck O. on November 12, 2017, 09:33:57 PM
Switched over to the UC match just in time to see Koh score from 25 yards out... and Urkel is calling the game again, just like the Case match!
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 09:45:22 PM
Looks like the UAA will get all 4 of their tourney teams into the sweet 16. Top conference in the country this year.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 09:49:42 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 08:21:37 PM
UAA results after the first day:

Rochester 2-1 Conn. College (OT)
Emory 3-1 Dickinson
Brandeis 3-0 WCONN
Chicago 5-2 Lake Forest

Can't remember the last time all the UAA teams won their opening matchups -- I feel like there's always one or two losses in the 1st Round, so props to these teams for bucking the trend (even though I was rooting against UR ;)). Would be great to have all of them in the Sweet 16 (a big ask and incredibly unlikely, but a guy can dream).

Dreams come true. Top conference in the country!
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 09:54:48 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 09:49:42 PM
Dreams come true. Top conference in the country!

Not sure about that — need more than just Brandeis (1976) to win national titles. ;) (Though if that is the metric, the MAC Commonwealth has twice as many as the next closest, even if just one team.)
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 10:01:17 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 09:54:48 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 09:49:42 PM
Dreams come true. Top conference in the country!

Not sure about that — need more than just Brandeis (1976) to win national titles. ;) (Though if that is the metric, the MAC Commonwealth has twice as many as the next closest, even if just one team.)

I meant this year.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 10:03:40 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 10:01:17 PM

I meant this year.

Ah — I could understand that. 4 Sweet 16 teams is very good, wonder when the last time that happened was. NESCAC had 3 in 2010 with Amherst, Middlebury, and Bowdoin, and the Polar Bears went to the Final 4.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Gregory Sager on November 12, 2017, 10:05:12 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 09:54:48 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 09:49:42 PM
Dreams come true. Top conference in the country!

Not sure about that — need more than just Brandeis (1976) to win national titles. ;)

That's not a national title to which the UAA can lay claim. The UAA wasn't founded until a decade later.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Buck O. on November 12, 2017, 10:08:46 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 10:03:40 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 10:01:17 PM

I meant this year.

Ah — I could understand that. 4 Sweet 16 teams is very good, wonder when the last time that happened was. NESCAC had 3 in 2010 with Amherst, Middlebury, and Bowdoin, and the Polar Bears went to the Final 4.

Of course, Hopkins used to be in the UAA, so that would have made five.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 10:14:38 PM
Quote from: Gregory Sager on November 12, 2017, 10:05:12 PM
That's not a national title to which the UAA can lay claim. The UAA wasn't founded until a decade later.

That is true, and I have pointed that exact point out elsewhere – but it still counts as a team (currently) in the UAA having won a national title. Regardless, that augments my position that the UAA needs to be more successful on the national stage.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 13, 2017, 07:37:20 PM
Interesting to note that, while Lopez has (rightly) gathered a number of individual accolades over the past year or so, Koh -- who got both goals for Chicago last night -- is excellent in his own right. Both he and Lopez were All-UAA First Team their freshman years, and Koh actually got UAA Rookie of the Year that season. Last year, he was a bit quieter, but still notched very respectable totals of 5 goals and 6 assists, so he is still a game-changer for the Maroons (as he reminded us last night).
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on November 13, 2017, 08:19:56 PM
2 very dangerous players and 2 of the more exciting players to watch in D3. Along with Adeosun, Romero and the other kid(cannot think of his name) they are a real formidable outfit. That being said I truly cannot wait for this match v Calvin. After watching Calvin destroy TMC and then dispatch of a very quality JCU side was extremely impressive this past weekend. Any other year and that JCU side with all those talented seniors would be in the Elite 8 / Final 4 and Calvin just took their best and most talented players completely out of the game. Marinaro who had a ton of space against OWU the day prior had about 1 second when he received the ball before a Calvin defender was right in his mug. They man marked him and took him right out the game and it killed JCU's fluidity in the match. You can bet Koh will be receiving the same treatment as Marinaro got and that will immediately impact the whole game. I will be interested to see if Koh and his teammates can deal with that pressure more than JCU did. My hunch is they will not but they have an even better striker in Lopez. JCU's Lombardo while a fantastic player is not as dangerous as Lopez is in the air. On the carpet he is faster and just as skilled but Lopez is much better in the air. Chicago will be more threatening than JCU was in the air which could be the difference in a tight game on a set piece. Again, just another type of matchup to watch for this weekend.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 17, 2017, 10:29:22 PM
Khattab of Emory has to be in with a shout for All-American. 8 goals and 4 assists, including 4 UAA goals (one in the win at Chicago) and the winner against Lynchburg. Regardless, he has really had a breakout year.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on November 19, 2017, 10:00:29 PM
While I'm fully aware that this is hypothetical, as both teams have very tough tests ahead of them, imagine a Brandeis-Chicago final. That would be an excellent game. Moreover, if this year's winner is to come from the UAA, it'd be the first title the UAA could lay claim to -- as Gregory Sager and I have said, Brandeis' 1976 triumph was well before the UAA was formed. As of right now, though, Brandeis is still the only UAA school to have won the whole thing. ;)

Regardless, I'm happy that the UAA has started to improve its showings in the NCAA Tournament. In particular, Chicago's exit last year was unexpected, but the Maroons have responded well and shown that they belong in the discussion of national powerhouses. For its part, Brandeis has emerged from being a Sweet 16 ('12, '13, '15) and Elite 8 ('14) team to being well and truly among the mix in the national discussion in the Final 4 ('16, '17). Of course, nothing is a given, and Brandeis' run of success is by no means guaranteed to continue, but the Judges have certainly put themselves on the map. Additionally, the fact that Rochester and Emory both had better-than-expected runs certainly speaks to the depth of the conference as well. I will now agree with NEsoccerfan that it is the strongest conference this year. ;)
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 03:14:22 PM
I'm not sure that this will be up to the standards of Mr.Right's overviews of seniors, but I figured that -- now that their season is over -- it might be worth looking at the seniors on the Judges' roster.

Ocel: What can I say that hasn't already been said? Undoubtedly the team's best player the past two years, and filled the leadership role very well after Lanahan graduated. Broke his leg freshman year during pre-season but came in well as a sophomore, played a huge role in Brandeis winning the UAA his junior year, and making its first Final 4 in 32 years his senior year. This fifth year, he was even better -- 4 goals and 12 assists, the latter of which shattered the career school assists record which had stood for 40+ years. He could do it all: pass, dribble, defend, take set pieces, and score. Had the physical side of his game as well and didn't get bullied off the ball very often, and you always had the sense he would make something happen when he got the ball. I have recounted the anecdote of the time I was told he would be better than his brother, who had just been named All-American by both D3soccer.com (1st Team) and the NSCAA (3rd Team) at CF. I thought there was no way that could be true, and even now I can say that his brother had an excellent career and was a huge part of the program's resurgence from a mid-table side into a regional power. However, as a three-time NSCAA All-American (1st Team this year) and two D3soccer.com AA honors in his career thus far, Josh was, in my opinion, the best player I've seen come through the Judges' ranks since I started watching them 6 years ago.

Hernandez: Probably my favorite Brandeis player to watch. Gritty, passionate, physical, and had a very good workrate. Up until his arrival, Brandeis had struggled physically and athletically in big games, and while they often had the ball they would get bullied by bigger, more athletic sides (e.g. NESCACs, Rochester). During that time, I remember seeing a number of NESCAC fans discounting Brandeis, and I can't say I blamed them based on the Judges' results in those games: 0-3 against Tufts and Williams (2) in 2012 and 2013, and 0-2 in the Tournament. Since the start of 2014, however, Brandeis has gone 4-2-2 against the NESCAC, 2-0-2 in NCAAs (both ties were PK victories over Amherst) and 2-2 against Rochester vs. no wins between 2011 and 2013. Hernandez is a huge part of that change. As a freshman, he came in and played in some big games in midfield. I remember the Tufts game in 2014, a 2-0 win for the Judges, I showed up around halfway through the first half and it was 0-0, but Tufts had most of the ball. Hernandez was in the game, running about, and I remember thinking 'this is a big game for a freshman to be playing in.' I then remember thinking, 'wow, this kid can battle.' He wasn't necessarily the star that day, but what I did see was that the team looked different with him in it, and while he didn't have the same numbers or accolades as Ocel, he will be an equally big loss.

Vinson: A heck of a player. He transferred in last year from D1 Loyola-Chicago, and saw some time at LB, although he was a bit short of match fitness from what I knew, which is understandable, as I believe he sat out the year previous. Either way, he started at LB pretty much all of last year, and was excellent. Physical, skilled, and had great positional sense. Barely put a foot wrong, and made some big tackles in the match last night, as well as scoring a goal to give the Judges the lead on the hour mark. When the year started, I honestly wasn't that confident that Brandeis would even make the NCAA Tournament, as the Judges lost both starting CBs and outside forwards to graduation. However, it was a very astute move to bring both outside backs, Vinson and DePietto, into the middle, and they both did very well (DePietto did his ACL halfway through the season, and I believe he was just early enough to have another year of eligibility). As for Vinson, he did fantastic alongside new partner Alex Walter, who as a sophomore stepped up very well, but Vinson was the real leader back there. Not much got past him and Hennessy on that left side. I believe he has another year of eligibility, although I am not sure if he plans to use it. It would be great to have him back for another year.

Flahive: When Flahive was a freshman and was getting time at outside forward, I thought, 'this kid has some potential.' However, I wasn't sure that he could step up and be the "main man" in terms of shouldering the scoring responsibility. Some kids can come in as freshmen, play really well alongside talented upperclassmen, but really struggle when they are the ones who have to provide the goods. Flahive did not have that problem. As a sophomore, he took over up top, and had some big goals, including two in NCAA play. The Judges had trouble scoring that year, but Flahive was certainly reliable for the big goal. Last year, he had some big goals, too, and his winner against MIT with 47 seconds left ended the Judges' 28-day winless run and proved a turning point in their season. His numbers were never All-American caliber, but he played wherever he needed to help the team, worked his butt off, and scored some big, big goals, none bigger than the 2OT winner against Tufts in the Elite 8.

Lynch: A lot like Flahive in that he could play all across the front. He had some really bad luck with injuries, I can't remember in particular, although I do know he missed big parts of (at least) 2 seasons. He had a 5th-year campaign to remember, getting some big winners, including an OT victory against WPI, the first in a 3-0 win over WCONN, and the winners in 1-0 NCAA games against RUN and Drew. A lot like the elder Ocel in the respect that he wasn't necessarily the fastest or most skilled but he had a killer eye for goal and wasn't afraid to put his body on the line to score some big goals. As an aside, Brandeis soccer will be hit with another big loss from that family: his dad. I stood next to him at quite a few games, he is a riot, and it would be awesome to see him at a game or two in the future (I myself only got to around half of the Judges' games this year). Better yet, in 4 of the 5 home games I stood next to him, Mikey scored.

Berg: Often the first man off the bench for the Judges, Berg worked his butt off for the Judges wherever he was needed, usually in the defensive half of the field. A real utility player. Scored some big goals, too. I did not know Berg personally at all, and he seemed a quiet kid when I did see him. What I will remember Berg most for, though, is the relationship he formed with Brandeis' TEAM Impact player, Austin Flateau, a 10-year-old with epilepsy who was drafted by the Judges before last year's run to the Final 4. I guess Berg was injured in the first part of last year, and he and Austin spent a ton of time together on the bench, and while everyone on the team enjoyed Austin, Berg and Austin became particularly close. When Austin got drafted (there is a YouTube video somewhere), he was one of the people who gave speeches and his remarks were very sincere and heartfelt, and he mentioned him in his Final 4 speech as well. I have to be honest that he wasn't the kind of kid who I necessarily thought would be good with those types of kids, but it is genuinely heartening when you see someone surprise you like that, and it is evident that both he and Austin provided an equally positive influence in the other's life. I'd give him a +K if I was able.

Miskin: Hasn't played a ton over the last few years due to injuries, but very good in possession when he is healthy. Very technically sound. Scored a nice header against Bowdoin in the 1-0 win in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, his first collegiate goal, and the only goal in last year's win over Haverford. Not sure if he will be back for a 5th year, or even if he is eligible, although I think he might well be.

Espiga: Didn't play much, but I don't think it was due to a lack of talent -- I just think he had some really good players in the spots where he played up top. Provided a spark off the bench.

Ibas: Technically proficient but perhaps undersized compared to Ocel and Hernandez in the middle of the park. Reliable when called upon, though.

Ponte: Much like Ibas, although taller, a pretty reliable performer when in the game. Usually was brought in to give Ocel or Hernandez a rest. Solid in possession.

Woodhouse: Last but not least, the goalkeeper. A shame to see his career end in such heartbreaking fashion, but it's pretty clear the Judges would never have been in the Final 4 without him. He stepped in his sophomore year, won the starting job, and never looked back. I was initially somewhat hesitant about him in net, as he used to have a bit of trouble commanding his area and was pretty eager in coming off his line, but he improved massively in both of those areas. As a sophomore, he overcame a somewhat uncertain start and had a really good second half of the year, including big saves in the crucial UAA road game against Emory. Last year, he had a fantastic year, and stood on his head against Calvin in the semis, and kept his team in the game. This year, after a strong start to the year, he broke his hand halfway through the season, and while Greg Irwin did well I was somewhat uncertain about how the Judges would do in the postseason. When I walked down to the field for the 1st Round against WCONN and saw Woodhouse out there, I was almost convinced I was seeing things. As it was, he had his biggest game of the Tournament the next night against RUN, saving a PK and making two other jaw-dropping saves on seemingly sure goals. Every bit the equal of Minchoff and Graffy during their tenures between the pipes for Brandeis (I did not see Bracken, but he also had a good career for the Judges). A big loss, but seeing that Irwin did well in net this year in his few appearances, I am somewhat optimistic.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on December 02, 2017, 03:15:23 PM
Fantastic Work Bloots...I will digest at Halftime of the Women's Final
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on December 02, 2017, 03:25:42 PM
Digested...Really well done Bloots..I would have to agree with most of it..I thought your comments on Berg were fantastic and will have to find the youtube video as that would be great to watch..I am really surprised though that you thought Ocel was the best of the best that you have seen play for Brandeis..I meanyou are talking about a ton of talent the last 6-7 years come through the program..That is a real compliment and would be curious if Margolis agrees with you..real curious
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 03:52:53 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 02, 2017, 03:25:42 PM
Digested...Really well done Bloots..I would have to agree with most of it..I thought your comments on Berg were fantastic and will have to find the youtube video as that would be great to watch..I am really surprised though that you thought Ocel was the best of the best that you have seen play for Brandeis..I meanyou are talking about a ton of talent the last 6-7 years come through the program..That is a real compliment and would be curious if Margolis agrees with you..real curious

Certainly a fair point in that they have had a ton of talent in the last 6-7 years, both with guys like S. Ocel, Applefield, Russo, Lanahan, and Savonen who were the headliners, as well as guys like R. Lynch, Eisenbies, and Brondoli who didn't necessarily get the same press as the others but were equally important. That said, in terms of four-year contribution and performance levels, I think J. Ocel is in his own class. A starter from Day 1, a leader, and 3xAA and 4xAll-UAA 1st Team. Wouldn't be surprised if Margolis had a different opinion — often times, coaches have a better appreciation for talent than the casual observer like myself.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 04:00:30 PM
As an aside, the three guys I would say came the closest to J. Ocel in terms of performance are Lanahan, Theo Terris who was a CM and graduated in 2012, and Savonen. R. Lynch and Applefield were certainly excellent players, too, but unselfishly went from being high school CMs to wingbacks in college. I think both could have done equally well at CM, but they put the needs of the team above themselves.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 04:02:51 PM
And here's the video of Berg. (https://youtu.be/Qdg0I5lCsi4) Great speech by Coven, too.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on December 02, 2017, 04:24:34 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 04:00:30 PM
As an aside, the three guys I would say came the closest to J. Ocel in terms of performance are Lanahan, Theo Terris who was a CM and graduated in 2012, and Savonen. R. Lynch and Applefield were certainly excellent players, too, but unselfishly went from being high school CMs to wingbacks in college. I think both could have done equally well at CM, but they put the needs of the team above themselves.

As an infrequent Brandeis viewer I would go with Soboff in my Top 3...He was a fun player to watch...
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on December 02, 2017, 04:25:00 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 04:02:51 PM
And here's the video of Berg. (https://youtu.be/Qdg0I5lCsi4) Great speech by Coven, too.


That is fantastic..Great stuff
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 04:27:20 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 02, 2017, 04:24:34 PM
As an infrequent Brandeis viewer I would go with Soboff in my Top 3...He was a fun player to watch...

Ah, yes, Soboff! How did I forget him?! Must be getting old. He belongs in there, too, for sure, but I'd still pick Ocel.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 04:38:22 PM
I think I forgot about Soboff because he made me bang my head against a wall so many times when he would miss a seemingly easy goal. ;) There were times he couldn't hit a barn door in terms of finishing. That said, he was an excellent player — big, physical, skilled, and scored some huge goals — and a former Tufts player said he'd never seen Sam Williams get handled like that by a striker.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: NEsoccerfan on December 02, 2017, 06:14:29 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 03:52:53 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 02, 2017, 03:25:42 PM
Digested...Really well done Bloots..I would have to agree with most of it..I thought your comments on Berg were fantastic and will have to find the youtube video as that would be great to watch..I am really surprised though that you thought Ocel was the best of the best that you have seen play for Brandeis..I meanyou are talking about a ton of talent the last 6-7 years come through the program..That is a real compliment and would be curious if Margolis agrees with you..real curious

Certainly a fair point in that they have had a ton of talent in the last 6-7 years, both with guys like S. Ocel, Applefield, Russo, Lanahan, and Savonen who were the headliners, as well as guys like R. Lynch, Eisenbies, and Brondoli who didn't necessarily get the same press as the others but were equally important. That said, in terms of four-year contribution and performance levels, I think J. Ocel is in his own class. A starter from Day 1, a leader, and 3xAA and 4xAll-UAA 1st Team. Wouldn't be surprised if Margolis had a different opinion — often times, coaches have a better appreciation for talent than the casual observer like myself.

Let's not forget Kyle Feather and going back further, Ben Premo.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on December 02, 2017, 06:17:56 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on December 02, 2017, 06:14:29 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 03:52:53 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 02, 2017, 03:25:42 PM
Digested...Really well done Bloots..I would have to agree with most of it..I thought your comments on Berg were fantastic and will have to find the youtube video as that would be great to watch..I am really surprised though that you thought Ocel was the best of the best that you have seen play for Brandeis..I meanyou are talking about a ton of talent the last 6-7 years come through the program..That is a real compliment and would be curious if Margolis agrees with you..real curious

Certainly a fair point in that they have had a ton of talent in the last 6-7 years, both with guys like S. Ocel, Applefield, Russo, Lanahan, and Savonen who were the headliners, as well as guys like R. Lynch, Eisenbies, and Brondoli who didn't necessarily get the same press as the others but were equally important. That said, in terms of four-year contribution and performance levels, I think J. Ocel is in his own class. A starter from Day 1, a leader, and 3xAA and 4xAll-UAA 1st Team. Wouldn't be surprised if Margolis had a different opinion — often times, coaches have a better appreciation for talent than the casual observer like myself.

Let's not forget Kyle Feather and going back further, Ben Premo.


Wow you are going back pretty far...I remember Ben Premo..He was a LEGIT striker for Brandeis...I remember catchin a couple Brandeis games during his time and kind of like Cody Savonen at Trinity he was not working with much around him..Those were very lean years talent wise right when Margolis arrived and really helped Coven get it goin....Brandeis used to do ok playing some average New England sides but once they hit the UAA they were overmatched to say the last...Premo was a legit striker though..Very fun player to watch
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 06:26:17 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on December 02, 2017, 06:14:29 PM
Let's not forget Kyle Feather and going back further, Ben Premo.

Feather was very good, but I don't know that he had the same, consistent impact that those other guys did, which is why I didn't think of him initially. However, I think based on his four years he certainly belongs in the conversation. An All-UAA player at least once if I remember correctly.

Premo was well before my time, although I have read quite a bit about him. I have to imagine that he didn't get as many accolades as some of the other Brandeis guys not because of his own talent but because they had a bit of a lull in the late 2000s (6-10-2 in 2009 comes to mind).
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on December 02, 2017, 06:31:52 PM
I think Brandeis just begun to turn the corner after like Margolis' 3rd or 4th year...I remember they won consecutive ECAC's and by 2011 or 2012 they just took off and have not looked back since...Premo had anedge to him that made him fun to watch long with his talent BUT he would CLEARLY get frustrated with the lack of talent around him...Put Premo on those sides after 2012 and you are talking about a National Champion
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 06:37:10 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 02, 2017, 06:31:52 PM
I think Brandeis just begun to turn the corner after like Margolis' 3rd or 4th year...I remember they won consecutive ECAC's and by 2011 or 2012 they just took off and have not looked back since...Premo had anedge to him that made him fun to watch long with his talent BUT he would CLEARLY get frustrated with the lack of talent around him...Put Premo on those sides after 2012 and you are talking about a National Champion

That is a good observation. I think Terris would have done similarly well in those later sides. He was Boston Globe MA High School Player of the Year his senior year at Concord-Carlisle and won a state title there, and then went to GWU and BU. Didn't work out at those places for whatever reason but he ended up at Brandeis and was really good, and was unlucky to not be named All-American his senior year. That year was the second of the two consecutive ECAC titles, and I remember the players being bummed but they were firmly wrong side of the bubble so they could have no real complaints. However, they romped the other ECAC teams though and won the title 8-0 over Albertus Magnus, and I think that was the sign that things were starting to come together, and so it proved with the NCAA bid next year.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on December 02, 2017, 06:44:46 PM
Blast from the past since we are talking about Brandeis...2012 NCAA Sweet 16 Brandeis v Williams at Amherst...

Like Where's Waldo...Where is Bloots?

Coven's Corner

http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/msoc/2012-13/photos/0005/index#PhotoSwipe1512257962025

Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 06:51:15 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 02, 2017, 06:44:46 PM
Blast from the past since we are talking about Brandeis...2012 NCAA Sweet 16 Brandeis v Williams at Amherst...

Like Where's Waldo...Where is Bloots?

Coven's Corner

http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/msoc/2012-13/photos/0005/index#PhotoSwipe1512257962025

Ah, I wasn't there! Was visiting family in NJ that weekend. Pah.

The next year, though, I was there, and was very much in this picture (http://isiphotos.photoshelter.com/image/I0000D2.4fU9ES7Q), sans beard, so maybe you can find me. I shared this with my friend, who is standing right next to me, earlier this week. That was a "meh" game -- despite losing the year before I was pretty optimistic under Conder scored that fluke goal top left three minutes in, that killed any and every ounce of momentum Brandeis had in my view. Drove out with three other friends, and we had a fun time even with the result.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on December 02, 2017, 06:54:54 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 06:51:15 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 02, 2017, 06:44:46 PM
Blast from the past since we are talking about Brandeis...2012 NCAA Sweet 16 Brandeis v Williams at Amherst...

Like Where's Waldo...Where is Bloots?

Coven's Corner

http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/msoc/2012-13/photos/0005/index#PhotoSwipe1512257962025

Ah, I wasn't there! Was visiting family in NJ that weekend. Pah.

The next year, though, I was there, and was very much in this picture (http://isiphotos.photoshelter.com/image/I0000D2.4fU9ES7Q), sans beard, so maybe you can find me. I was pretty optimistic under Conder scored that fluke goal top left three minutes in, that killed any and every ounce of momentum Brandeis had in my view. Drove out with three other friends, and we had a fun time even with the result.


Haha..Yea buddy there you are....Bein a Williams fan I can and will admit Conder's goal was a COMPLETE joke...He did MORE than make up for that fluke goal with a SICK strike to beat Amherst in the 2013 Elite 8 with 8 minutes remaining in a game played in possibly BELOW ZERO temps and a whipping wind...
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 07:07:58 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 02, 2017, 06:54:54 PM
Haha..Yea buddy there you are....Bein a Williams fan I can and will admit Conder's goal was a COMPLETE joke...He did MORE than make up for that fluke goal with a SICK strike to beat Amherst in the 2013 Elite 8 with 8 minutes remaining in a game played in possibly BELOW ZERO temps and a whipping wind...

I saw that on video. That was a really nice hit with excellent pace and curl. I was convinced particularly after the previous year's disappointment and with Williams' regular season that Amherst would roll, but lightning struck twice (and the second time was as a result of a great hit).
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ole Ollie on December 02, 2017, 10:23:38 PM
Cleve Lewis (brother of Carl) was the best soccer player in Brandeis history -- hand's down. 
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Jump4Joy on December 03, 2017, 09:48:35 AM
Ole Ollie, Lewis was a force to be reckoned with. Saw Babson man mark him out of a game back in the day. Babbo knew they couldn't allow him free range. That was back in the Babson-Brandeis hay-day!
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on December 03, 2017, 10:26:40 AM
Funny story about Lewis -- Cleve was a good bit older than Carl. When Cleve was at Brandeis, Coven, I guess, had a conversation with Carl, basically saying "don't pursue track and field, go for soccer, track is a waste of time." When Cleve got inducted into the Brandeis Athletics Hall of Fame, Carl was at the dinner, found Coven, and said "hey coach, remember that conversation we had?" Coven smiled and said jokingly "no, I have no idea what you are talking about."
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Buck O. on December 03, 2017, 08:49:20 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 03:14:22 PM
I'm not sure that this will be up to the standards of Mr.Right's overviews of seniors, but I figured that -- now that their season is over -- it might be worth looking at the seniors on the Judges' roster.

Ocel: What can I say that hasn't already been said? Undoubtedly the team's best player the past two years, and filled the leadership role very well after Lanahan graduated. Broke his leg freshman year during pre-season but came in well as a sophomore, played a huge role in Brandeis winning the UAA his junior year, and making its first Final 4 in 32 years his senior year. This fifth year, he was even better -- 4 goals and 12 assists, the latter of which shattered the career school assists record which had stood for 40+ years. He could do it all: pass, dribble, defend, take set pieces, and score. Had the physical side of his game as well and didn't get bullied off the ball very often, and you always had the sense he would make something happen when he got the ball. I have recounted the anecdote of the time I was told he would be better than his brother, who had just been named All-American by both D3soccer.com (1st Team) and the NSCAA (3rd Team) at CF. I thought there was no way that could be true, and even now I can say that his brother had an excellent career and was a huge part of the program's resurgence from a mid-table side into a regional power. However, as a three-time NSCAA All-American (1st Team this year) and two D3soccer.com AA honors in his career thus far, Josh was, in my opinion, the best player I've seen come through the Judges' ranks since I started watching them 6 years ago.

Hernandez: Probably my favorite Brandeis player to watch. Gritty, passionate, physical, and had a very good workrate. Up until his arrival, Brandeis had struggled physically and athletically in big games, and while they often had the ball they would get bullied by bigger, more athletic sides (e.g. NESCACs, Rochester). During that time, I remember seeing a number of NESCAC fans discounting Brandeis, and I can't say I blamed them based on the Judges' results in those games: 0-3 against Tufts and Williams (2) in 2012 and 2013, and 0-2 in the Tournament. Since the start of 2014, however, Brandeis has gone 4-2-2 against the NESCAC, 2-0-2 in NCAAs (both ties were PK victories over Amherst) and 2-2 against Rochester vs. no wins between 2011 and 2013. Hernandez is a huge part of that change. As a freshman, he came in and played in some big games in midfield. I remember the Tufts game in 2014, a 2-0 win for the Judges, I showed up around halfway through the first half and it was 0-0, but Tufts had most of the ball. Hernandez was in the game, running about, and I remember thinking 'this is a big game for a freshman to be playing in.' I then remember thinking, 'wow, this kid can battle.' He wasn't necessarily the star that day, but what I did see was that the team looked different with him in it, and while he didn't have the same numbers or accolades as Ocel, he will be an equally big loss.

Vinson: A heck of a player. He transferred in last year from D1 Loyola-Chicago, and saw some time at LB, although he was a bit short of match fitness from what I knew, which is understandable, as I believe he sat out the year previous. Either way, he started at LB pretty much all of last year, and was excellent. Physical, skilled, and had great positional sense. Barely put a foot wrong, and made some big tackles in the match last night, as well as scoring a goal to give the Judges the lead on the hour mark. When the year started, I honestly wasn't that confident that Brandeis would even make the NCAA Tournament, as the Judges lost both starting CBs and outside forwards to graduation. However, it was a very astute move to bring both outside backs, Vinson and DePietto, into the middle, and they both did very well (DePietto did his ACL halfway through the season, and I believe he was just early enough to have another year of eligibility). As for Vinson, he did fantastic alongside new partner Alex Walter, who as a sophomore stepped up very well, but Vinson was the real leader back there. Not much got past him and Hennessy on that left side. I believe he has another year of eligibility, although I am not sure if he plans to use it. It would be great to have him back for another year.

Flahive: When Flahive was a freshman and was getting time at outside forward, I thought, 'this kid has some potential.' However, I wasn't sure that he could step up and be the "main man" in terms of shouldering the scoring responsibility. Some kids can come in as freshmen, play really well alongside talented upperclassmen, but really struggle when they are the ones who have to provide the goods. Flahive did not have that problem. As a sophomore, he took over up top, and had some big goals, including two in NCAA play. The Judges had trouble scoring that year, but Flahive was certainly reliable for the big goal. Last year, he had some big goals, too, and his winner against MIT with 47 seconds left ended the Judges' 28-day winless run and proved a turning point in their season. His numbers were never All-American caliber, but he played wherever he needed to help the team, worked his butt off, and scored some big, big goals, none bigger than the 2OT winner against Tufts in the Elite 8.

Lynch: A lot like Flahive in that he could play all across the front. He had some really bad luck with injuries, I can't remember in particular, although I do know he missed big parts of (at least) 2 seasons. He had a 5th-year campaign to remember, getting some big winners, including an OT victory against WPI, the first in a 3-0 win over WCONN, and the winners in 1-0 NCAA games against RUN and Drew. A lot like the elder Ocel in the respect that he wasn't necessarily the fastest or most skilled but he had a killer eye for goal and wasn't afraid to put his body on the line to score some big goals. As an aside, Brandeis soccer will be hit with another big loss from that family: his dad. I stood next to him at quite a few games, he is a riot, and it would be awesome to see him at a game or two in the future (I myself only got to around half of the Judges' games this year). Better yet, in 4 of the 5 home games I stood next to him, Mikey scored.

Berg: Often the first man off the bench for the Judges, Berg worked his butt off for the Judges wherever he was needed, usually in the defensive half of the field. A real utility player. Scored some big goals, too. I did not know Berg personally at all, and he seemed a quiet kid when I did see him. What I will remember Berg most for, though, is the relationship he formed with Brandeis' TEAM Impact player, Austin Flateau, a 10-year-old with epilepsy who was drafted by the Judges before last year's run to the Final 4. I guess Berg was injured in the first part of last year, and he and Austin spent a ton of time together on the bench, and while everyone on the team enjoyed Austin, Berg and Austin became particularly close. When Austin got drafted (there is a YouTube video somewhere), he was one of the people who gave speeches and his remarks were very sincere and heartfelt, and he mentioned him in his Final 4 speech as well. I have to be honest that he wasn't the kind of kid who I necessarily thought would be good with those types of kids, but it is genuinely heartening when you see someone surprise you like that, and it is evident that both he and Austin provided an equally positive influence in the other's life. I'd give him a +K if I was able.

Miskin: Hasn't played a ton over the last few years due to injuries, but very good in possession when he is healthy. Very technically sound. Scored a nice header against Bowdoin in the 1-0 win in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, his first collegiate goal, and the only goal in last year's win over Haverford. Not sure if he will be back for a 5th year, or even if he is eligible, although I think he might well be.

Espiga: Didn't play much, but I don't think it was due to a lack of talent -- I just think he had some really good players in the spots where he played up top. Provided a spark off the bench.

Ibas: Technically proficient but perhaps undersized compared to Ocel and Hernandez in the middle of the park. Reliable when called upon, though.

Ponte: Much like Ibas, although taller, a pretty reliable performer when in the game. Usually was brought in to give Ocel or Hernandez a rest. Solid in possession.

Woodhouse: Last but not least, the goalkeeper. A shame to see his career end in such heartbreaking fashion, but it's pretty clear the Judges would never have been in the Final 4 without him. He stepped in his sophomore year, won the starting job, and never looked back. I was initially somewhat hesitant about him in net, as he used to have a bit of trouble commanding his area and was pretty eager in coming off his line, but he improved massively in both of those areas. As a sophomore, he overcame a somewhat uncertain start and had a really good second half of the year, including big saves in the crucial UAA road game against Emory. Last year, he had a fantastic year, and stood on his head against Calvin in the semis, and kept his team in the game. This year, after a strong start to the year, he broke his hand halfway through the season, and while Greg Irwin did well I was somewhat uncertain about how the Judges would do in the postseason. When I walked down to the field for the 1st Round against WCONN and saw Woodhouse out there, I was almost convinced I was seeing things. As it was, he had his biggest game of the Tournament the next night against RUN, saving a PK and making two other jaw-dropping saves on seemingly sure goals. Every bit the equal of Minchoff and Graffy during their tenures between the pipes for Brandeis (I did not see Bracken, but he also had a good career for the Judges). A big loss, but seeing that Irwin did well in net this year in his few appearances, I am somewhat optimistic.

As someone who attended several Judges games myself this year, I thought this was an excellent review.  Thanks for writing it.

I'm assuming that, in order to match what Mr. Right did for NESCAC, you'll be writing a similar review for the other seven UAA squads.  Right??   ;D
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Ommadawn on December 03, 2017, 09:23:35 PM
Quote from: Buck O. on December 03, 2017, 08:49:20 PM
I'm assuming that, in order to match what Mr. Right did for NESCAC, you'll be writing a similar review for the other seven UAA squads.  Right??   ;D

And then, of course, they (or other correspondents) will be picking up the remaining conferences after that.  At the rate of a little more than a team per day, we'll all be up to speed a few days before preseason begins.   ;)  The off-season is WAY too long!
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on December 03, 2017, 09:41:34 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on December 03, 2017, 09:23:35 PM
Quote from: Buck O. on December 03, 2017, 08:49:20 PM
I'm assuming that, in order to match what Mr. Right did for NESCAC, you'll be writing a similar review for the other seven UAA squads.  Right??   ;D

And then, of course, they (or other correspondents) will be picking up the remaining conferences after that.  At the rate of a little more than a team per day, we'll all be up to speed a few days before preseason begins.   ;)  The off-season is WAY too long!

Appreciate it, but I'll be honest with you, while I can probably do a basic overview of those other teams, no way I can get into the depth that Mr.Right can across the board. I try to watch games here and there, but the geographic nature of the UAA means my knowledge is much more confined to New England. That said, I definitely will get after it during some down time...agree that the offseason is far too long!
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on December 06, 2017, 01:41:37 PM
Quick look at Rochester's seniors. Along with Chicago I probably watched UR the most out of the other UAA teams. I didn't expect them to do much this year, as they lost two integral players in Swanger and Greblick, and I did not see any difference-makers in their lineup in the form of a Lopez, Koh, or Ocel -- guys who can take a game by the scruff of the neck and put the team on their back. Certainly didn't see them getting to the Elite 8. Despite a lack of big names, Rouin emerged from nowhere to bag 14 goals and end up as a 3rd Team All-American. He was a big part of the reason that UR did so well, but the Yellowjackets had a number of kids emerge across the board this year. They will lose a lot of goals from Rouin and Di Perna and some experience in net in Brown but the rest were reserves who seem replaceable.

Rouin: It is very rare to see a kid have as much of a breakout year as Rouin did. In my observation, when someone scores 14 goals as a senior, it usually follows two or three solid seasons of 5+ goals. Rouin did not score at all as a FY, once as a sophomore, and twice as a junior, so he had three goals to his name at the start of this year. He got two in the first two games (Ill. Wesleyan and Misericordia) but even after getting a hat-trick against RIT I figured he might be somewhat of a flat-track bully, as that came after he didn't score once against St. John Fisher, Hobart, or Buff. State (a 0-1-2 stretch for UR). I was curious as to whether he could keep up his production in UR's UAA schedule. To his credit, he scored winners against WashU (2OT) and Brandeis in UAA action, as well as bagging a goal over Case, before he was kept pretty quiet in the Yellowjackets' last two games against CU and Emory. He snapped a four-game drought (which I am guessing came about after coaches realized he was the main UR dangerman and man-marked him) against Amherst with both goals in the come-from-behind 2-1 victory, before the Yellowjackets finally met their match against Messiah. Interestingly enough, Rouin's career progression was vastly different than Rochester's CF from last year, Greblick, who was UAA ROY his freshman year with 9 goals and 9 assists, but did not put up numbers anywhere near those marks in his last few years. Perhaps Greblick suffered from the issue I spoke about earlier in that he played very well with good players but struggled when the team needed him to be the main scorer. But, I digress. Anyway, when I first realized Rouin was coming on to the scene, I figured his numbers were so good because his team's entire offensive scheme was being fed through him, as I witnessed with Sean Bingham and MIT two years ago. That may have been true for Rouin, too, but I have to give Rochester credit that they found ways to win games even when Rouin was the marked man, although Rouin scored the game-winner in half of UR's 14 wins. Moreover, in looking at his career stats, Rouin's SOG percentage improved dramatically from .050 as a junior (2 goals on 40 shots) to .222 this year (14 goals on 63 shots). That is a very impressive improvement, and credit to him.

Di Perna: Another kid who put together an impressive year after being somewhat of a bit-part player in his first three years (worth noting that he missed half the season last year through injury). Not the biggest kid but wasn't afraid to get stuck in, and the Rochester characteristics of grit and athleticism were certainly evident in his DNA. Got the game-winner against Oneonta in the 2nd Round after missing a penalty in the first half (following a re-take).

Brown: Saw him first a couple of years ago when he was UR's starter in the 15-16 season. Solid if not a fantastic goalkeeper. His numbers weren't stellar, but he led a cohesive Rochester back line to 14 wins this season. Certainly did his job.

Martin: Reserve who got a few minutes here and there, but wasn't on the pitch that often for the Yellowjackets.

Dombrowski: Another reserve, albeit he played more than Martin. Seemed to be a guy who came off the bench to give Rouin et al a rest at the end of the half.

Sarkovich: Much like Dombrowski, was mainly on board to give the front runners a break. Got one goal against Ill. Wesleyan in the first game of the season, but didn't score again.

Morgan: Came from the land Down Under. Joined the team as a junior, played one game, played five as a senior. One shot on the year, which turned out to be a goal against Wells.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on December 07, 2017, 10:35:49 AM
Now for a look at Chicago. When you are the consensus No. 1 like Chicago was for much of last year and then lose your first game in the Sweet 16, at home, it's obvious that the season was a disappointment. This year, Chicago's season went much better, as -- despite losing two regular season games at home -- the Maroons made it to the Final 4, where they were very unlucky not to avenge this season's earlier defeat to North Park. And, unfortunately for the rest of the UAA, Chicago will only lose four seniors to graduation, albeit three of whom were key contributors in the defensive half of the field. That said, they should be well and truly back among the national mix next year.

Bonin: Won the starting job in goal as a freshman midway through September, and played a crucial role in Chicago's unexpected UAA title. That year, Chicago was a measly 6-5 out-of-conference. In conference, though, Chicago went 5-0-2 to win the UAA and conceded just one goal, and a large part of that was due to Bonin. He was named UAA RoY that year with a save pct. of .840. The next year, Chicago looked primed to repeat, but the wheels somewhat came off after an early defeat to Loras, and the Maroons went five games without winning mid-season, sneaking into the tournament with a final day 3-2 win in 2OT over WashU where the Maroons came back from 2-0 down. Bonin's .802 save pct. was a big part of that. Junior year, he had another very good year, notching a career-best save pct. of .852, and was named an All-American. This year, he didn't quite hit the heights of his first few years, and there were rumors that he was pulled for his poor decision-making on a few particular plays, although this seems untrue given that a UC interview indicated he was injured during the middle of the season. Regardless, he still set school records in career shutouts, GAA, and minutes played, as well as season shutouts and GAA. Moreover, he was still consistent enough to get his team to the Final 4, so he can certainly look back on his career as being successful. Didn't see much of Katsimpalis this year aside from Chicago's shootouts, so tough to say how the two compare.

Abedian: Came in as a freshman and started pretty much right away. An unheralded player compared to his teammates up front, but very important to Chicago at both ends of the pitch, especially in the defensive half, and he also managed to contribute offensively this year. Good athleticism and intelligence who managed five goals and four assists this year, including two UAA game-winners and two goals against Lake Forest in NCAAs. Will be tough to replace.

Reimann: Another guy who came in as a freshman and played pretty much from the start at right-back. A cool, experienced head who was perhaps underrated and provided good leadership and organization to the defense but could also move the ball forward. Technically sound and very good in terms of positioning and tackling. A "ball-playing" defender that was crucial to Chicago's UAA success and NCAA runs.

Huang: Played eight games as a FY, and seven as a sophomore (started three) and junior (started one). Didn't see much time this year, playing six and starting one, although he did appear in some big matches against NYU, WashU, and Lake Forest. Mostly used coming off the bench to give the front-runners some rest.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on December 08, 2017, 01:37:38 PM
Good work Bloots...+k...Seems like Chicago will get basically everyone back but might have some issues in the beginning of the year replacing a couple defenders and in net. Still with the pieces they return up top and in midfield they will have to be one of the favorites for the UAA and NCAA titles next year. They are a fun side to watch. Will be interesting to see what they bring in for Frosh to go with their returning players. Just looking on paper it seems Emory,UR and Wash U will be losing the most talent but that Emory GK was very impressive in the NCAA tournament and I believe is only a Frosh. Will also be interesting to see what Emory does with their coaching situation.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blue_jays on December 08, 2017, 05:26:15 PM
Abedian had a career year and was a great glue guy for the team with a big leadership role. It seemed all the goals in his career were clutch scores at key junctures, and he did a lot of the grunt work on the pitch that doesn't always get noticed.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on December 08, 2017, 06:19:30 PM
Quote from: blue_jays on December 08, 2017, 05:26:15 PM
Abedian had a career year and was a great glue guy for the team with a big leadership role. It seemed all the goals in his career were clutch scores at key junctures, and he did a lot of the grunt work on the pitch that doesn't always get noticed.


Very true but it is much easier to replace a "glue guy" dirty work player than it is to replace a midfielder like Koh and a striker like Lopez...Not to say it is easier to replace a guy like Abedian but it is much harder to replace talent than workers / leaders...hopefully out of all those key JR's moving into their SR years they will grow into leaders themselves.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: rolldeisroll on December 11, 2017, 01:44:28 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 03:14:22 PM
I'm not sure that this will be up to the standards of Mr.Right's overviews of seniors, but I figured that -- now that their season is over -- it might be worth looking at the seniors on the Judges' roster.


Vinson: A heck of a player. He transferred in last year from D1 Loyola-Chicago, and saw some time at LB, although he was a bit short of match fitness from what I knew, which is understandable, as I believe he sat out the year previous. Either way, he started at LB pretty much all of last year, and was excellent. Physical, skilled, and had great positional sense. Barely put a foot wrong, and made some big tackles in the match last night, as well as scoring a goal to give the Judges the lead on the hour mark. When the year started, I honestly wasn't that confident that Brandeis would even make the NCAA Tournament, as the Judges lost both starting CBs and outside forwards to graduation. However, it was a very astute move to bring both outside backs, Vinson and DePietto, into the middle, and they both did very well (DePietto did his ACL halfway through the season, and I believe he was just early enough to have another year of eligibility). As for Vinson, he did fantastic alongside new partner Alex Walter, who as a sophomore stepped up very well, but Vinson was the real leader back there. Not much got past him and Hennessy on that left side. I believe he has another year of eligibility, although I am not sure if he plans to use it. It would be great to have him back for another year.


Miskin: Hasn't played a ton over the last few years due to injuries, but very good in possession when he is healthy. Very technically sound. Scored a nice header against Bowdoin in the 1-0 win in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, his first collegiate goal, and the only goal in last year's win over Haverford. Not sure if he will be back for a 5th year, or even if he is eligible, although I think he might well be.



If Vinson and Miskin come back, what do you think of the Judges chances next year? They will return a whole back line that gave up no goals in the first 4 games of the tournament, and a total of 3 goals in 7 league games, to some stacked forward lines. They also have some promising talent up top, that may well struggle with creativity gone in Ocel, but I feel Gans and Glass can help cover it
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: NESCAC43 on December 11, 2017, 02:08:32 PM
Quote from: rolldeisroll on December 11, 2017, 01:44:28 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 03:14:22 PM
I'm not sure that this will be up to the standards of Mr.Right's overviews of seniors, but I figured that -- now that their season is over -- it might be worth looking at the seniors on the Judges' roster.


Vinson: A heck of a player. He transferred in last year from D1 Loyola-Chicago, and saw some time at LB, although he was a bit short of match fitness from what I knew, which is understandable, as I believe he sat out the year previous. Either way, he started at LB pretty much all of last year, and was excellent. Physical, skilled, and had great positional sense. Barely put a foot wrong, and made some big tackles in the match last night, as well as scoring a goal to give the Judges the lead on the hour mark. When the year started, I honestly wasn't that confident that Brandeis would even make the NCAA Tournament, as the Judges lost both starting CBs and outside forwards to graduation. However, it was a very astute move to bring both outside backs, Vinson and DePietto, into the middle, and they both did very well (DePietto did his ACL halfway through the season, and I believe he was just early enough to have another year of eligibility). As for Vinson, he did fantastic alongside new partner Alex Walter, who as a sophomore stepped up very well, but Vinson was the real leader back there. Not much got past him and Hennessy on that left side. I believe he has another year of eligibility, although I am not sure if he plans to use it. It would be great to have him back for another year.


Miskin: Hasn't played a ton over the last few years due to injuries, but very good in possession when he is healthy. Very technically sound. Scored a nice header against Bowdoin in the 1-0 win in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, his first collegiate goal, and the only goal in last year's win over Haverford. Not sure if he will be back for a 5th year, or even if he is eligible, although I think he might well be.



If Vinson and Miskin come back, what do you think of the Judges chances next year? They will return a whole back line that gave up no goals in the first 4 games of the tournament, and a total of 3 goals in 7 league games, to some stacked forward lines. They also have some promising talent up top, that may well struggle with creativity gone in Ocel, but I feel Gans and Glass can help cover it

I know this question is directed towards Bloots but hopefully you don't mind if I chime in. I get to watch a few Brandeis games per year due to geographical convenience and I am always impressed with them. Even when they lost Savonen, Sobhoff, Lanahan, among others, they still put together a solid season. They graduate a strong core this year, but there is no reason why the Judges won't be back in the Sweet 16/Elite 8 mix. I may be wrong on this, but I'm assuming Margolis did the majority of recruiting in Coven's later years so I think their incoming class will be no different than in recent years. Gans and Glass both had good seasons but losing a 3X AA in Ocel will be hard to replace. But, as you mentioned in your post, Brandeis' defense is always sound and organized, regardless of personnel. Definitely rooting for Brandeis as it is good to see the UAA performing in the tournament when they necessarily hadn't done so in the last 5-10 years. One would assume that the 7 games all against quality opponents would prepare UAA teams for the tournament, just as it did this year.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: blooter442 on December 11, 2017, 03:16:47 PM
Quote from: rolldeisroll on December 11, 2017, 01:44:28 PM
If Vinson and Miskin come back, what do you think of the Judges chances next year? They will return a whole back line that gave up no goals in the first 4 games of the tournament, and a total of 3 goals in 7 league games, to some stacked forward lines. They also have some promising talent up top, that may well struggle with creativity gone in Ocel, but I feel Gans and Glass can help cover it

I certainly think that their chances would be much improved with those two in the lineup. Walter did well alongside Vinson after DePietto got hurt, and I think he would do well alongside DePietto in a hypothetical situation, but Vinson is a former D1 talent who certainly plays like it. Even better, they bring back both outside backs in Handler and Hennessy, and I think those two had solid seasons. One thing I have always noticed about the Brandeis outside backs is that they are very good going forward but don't get caught out of position much. Handler did a couple of times here and there but thankfully it didn't turn out to be that catastrophic in terms of costing his team goals, and I think Handler has done very well to acclimate to right back after being a winger in his first two years. Hennessy really emerged this year on the left side -- he showed some promise last year but got hurt halfway through the year, but he played like a veteran both offensively and defensively this year. A potential All-American at LB if he keeps up that form. The one concern is losing Woodhouse, but I think Irwin did well in his appearances this year. He is not the biggest guy but he's a good shot stopper -- I don't think there's a significant drop-off between Woodhouse and him -- and if he can work on commanding his area a bit I think he will be even better.

I also think the front runners did much better than I'd have expected this year, particularly after losing Jastremski and Vieira, although Lynch and Flahive will be big losses. Still, they return Allen, Breiter, and Colin Panarra, a transfer from D1 St. John's, who got two assists in big games coming off the bench, and I think Panarra in particular could really emerge -- he has some silky skill and speed that reminds me of Ocel going down the wing and cutting in. Allen is a solid target man who can hold the ball up and finish. He has emerged as a reliable leader after playing a bit-part role his first year or so. Ocel will be a big loss, but Gans showed some promise this year, and I was particularly impressed with Glass coming off the bench, and Glass has a long throw that is very good. They were very much adept to handling those big game situations, particularly impressive as freshmen, and I think both have the potential to be top players. Moreover, I agree that those two can help fill the void, but another thing about creativity, I think, is that you don't always need a top-class playmaker to play a killer through-ball to create chances. It certainly helps, but the Judges' pass-and-move scheme relies a lot on team chemistry, finding the right man making the right run and playing a quick pass, and it's evident that it's replicable from year to year with the ability of the variety of players that have come through the system to adopt it.

Quote from: NESCAC43 on December 11, 2017, 02:08:32 PM
I know this question is directed towards Bloots but hopefully you don't mind if I chime in. I get to watch a few Brandeis games per year due to geographical convenience and I am always impressed with them. Even when they lost Savonen, Sobhoff, Lanahan, among others, they still put together a solid season. They graduate a strong core this year, but there is no reason why the Judges won't be back in the Sweet 16/Elite 8 mix. I may be wrong on this, but I'm assuming Margolis did the majority of recruiting in Coven's later years so I think their incoming class will be no different than in recent years. Gans and Glass both had good seasons but losing a 3X AA in Ocel will be hard to replace. But, as you mentioned in your post, Brandeis' defense is always sound and organized, regardless of personnel. Definitely rooting for Brandeis as it is good to see the UAA performing in the tournament when they necessarily hadn't done so in the last 5-10 years. One would assume that the 7 games all against quality opponents would prepare UAA teams for the tournament, just as it did this year.

I think this is really on-point. The UAA games are similar to NESCAC games in terms of parity -- most are very tight. Blowouts are very rare, and I think Coven put it really well in his Final 4 interview last year in that having a tough conference schedule has you battle-tested and makes you a better team. Moreover, Brandeis' out-of-conference schedule has been pretty good in recent years, with national powers like Tufts, Trinity (TX), and Haverford, as well as NCAA teams in Hobart and Cortland State, so there are very few games where Judges fans can go in confident of coming out with a victory.

From what I understand, you are correct that Margolis did most of the recruiting and tactics, at least as long as I've known the program. That's not to say that Coven wasn't involved -- it's well-known that he used to send handwritten letters to recruits -- but having a guy like Margolis who has been involved with the Bolts and the academy scene certainly helps. It was really nice to see him have such a great season in his first year in charge, particularly considering how much he has been involved behind the scenes for the last 10+ years.

That said, even with the Judges' recent run of good form in the NCAA Tournament, no team has a divine right to be in NCAAs; lose a couple of bad games here and there and you're firmly on the bubble. However, the Brandeis system and team chemistry has enabled the Judges to win games in tight situations, even after losing very good players. I was not convinced they would make the tournament last year after a bad start, but they pulled it together and made a run. This year, I certainly wasn't optimistic after the first couple of games, particularly the opening loss, but -- even if they weren't as highly-rated as Chicago -- they seemed to be firing on all cylinders by the end of October. You want to start peaking at that point, and they have been able to do so the past couple of years, and that -- to me -- is very much down to the quality of the coaching, both from Margolis and Coven.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: rolldeisroll on December 11, 2017, 03:34:11 PM
Quote from: NESCAC43 on December 11, 2017, 02:08:32 PM
Quote from: rolldeisroll on December 11, 2017, 01:44:28 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 02, 2017, 03:14:22 PM
I'm not sure that this will be up to the standards of Mr.Right's overviews of seniors, but I figured that -- now that their season is over -- it might be worth looking at the seniors on the Judges' roster.


Vinson: A heck of a player. He transferred in last year from D1 Loyola-Chicago, and saw some time at LB, although he was a bit short of match fitness from what I knew, which is understandable, as I believe he sat out the year previous. Either way, he started at LB pretty much all of last year, and was excellent. Physical, skilled, and had great positional sense. Barely put a foot wrong, and made some big tackles in the match last night, as well as scoring a goal to give the Judges the lead on the hour mark. When the year started, I honestly wasn't that confident that Brandeis would even make the NCAA Tournament, as the Judges lost both starting CBs and outside forwards to graduation. However, it was a very astute move to bring both outside backs, Vinson and DePietto, into the middle, and they both did very well (DePietto did his ACL halfway through the season, and I believe he was just early enough to have another year of eligibility). As for Vinson, he did fantastic alongside new partner Alex Walter, who as a sophomore stepped up very well, but Vinson was the real leader back there. Not much got past him and Hennessy on that left side. I believe he has another year of eligibility, although I am not sure if he plans to use it. It would be great to have him back for another year.


Miskin: Hasn't played a ton over the last few years due to injuries, but very good in possession when he is healthy. Very technically sound. Scored a nice header against Bowdoin in the 1-0 win in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, his first collegiate goal, and the only goal in last year's win over Haverford. Not sure if he will be back for a 5th year, or even if he is eligible, although I think he might well be.



If Vinson and Miskin come back, what do you think of the Judges chances next year? They will return a whole back line that gave up no goals in the first 4 games of the tournament, and a total of 3 goals in 7 league games, to some stacked forward lines. They also have some promising talent up top, that may well struggle with creativity gone in Ocel, but I feel Gans and Glass can help cover it

but losing a 3X AA in Ocel will be hard to replace.

I think in some sense they'll be fine in that sometimes it takes a big name player who runs the offense to leave in order for others to flourish. Ocel's fingerprints are all over the season's success, as it has been for 4 years, but once he is gone, it'll be interesting to see how they play. Now that they don't have someone they can force the ball to if they need a big play, who will step up? I immediately think to Ronaldo when he got injured in the Euro Final, and how Portugal played better without him, since they didn't force the ball to him as much. Now comparing Ocel to Ronaldo may seem a bit much, but the metaphor is there. Like you said bloots, it'll be interesting how the returning forward line will play without him. Can one of Breiter or Allen or Panarra step up, and be "the guy"? Who would it be?
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: Mr.Right on December 11, 2017, 04:51:16 PM
I am no Deis expert but from the few games I tuned into I actually liked Walter at CB. He is a tough kid and is very athletic. I was not as impressed with Handler especially against Messiah he was giving the ball away almost every other time he touched it. Maybe that was a one off but he did not have a great Final 4 game IMO.
Title: Re: UAA 2017
Post by: rolldeisroll on December 11, 2017, 05:10:31 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 11, 2017, 04:51:16 PM
I am no Deis expert but from the few games I tuned into I actually liked Walter at CB. He is a tough kid and is very athletic. I was not as impressed with Handler especially against Messiah he was giving the ball away almost every other time he touched it. Maybe that was a one off but he did not have a great Final 4 game IMO.

If I remember correctly, Handler was a midfielder in high school, played winger freshman and soph year because of no space in the midfield with Ocel Picard and Miskin to name a few. I don't know why he was moved to RB this year, but he had a good year from what I saw for a winger turned RB. I know deis likes to have their outside backs good going forward, and he certainly is creative. Didn't really get beat 1v1 that much against Messiah either.

Walter got a chance because DePietto dropped with an ACL. Interesting who will play once depietto comes back,if Vinson returns as well. Maybe move one to a CDM role for hernandez