New England Soccer Discussion

Started by Jim Matson, June 09, 2006, 12:25:06 AM

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Mid-Atlantic Fan

Quote from: blooter442 on September 27, 2016, 08:33:35 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 27, 2016, 07:53:59 PM
That said, they are looking more solid at the back, so it's possible that they're starting to become more cohesive.

Spoke too soon - it's a 4-4 game on 70 minutes after 'Deis had a 4-1 lead in the 60th. Oy vey.

Update: Wheaton wins it in OT. That is absolute capitulation from Brandeis, who - barring a miracle - is out of contention for an NCAA bid before the end of September. Coven will be furious.

:o

blooter442

Tufts still has to play Amherst and Williams (at home) and Middlebury and Bowdoin (away). If they were to go clean in that slate (even 2-0-2) then I think they'd be in decent shape for an at-large, but that might be a stretch given that Wesleyan, Gordon, Endicott, etc. are - and maybe Bowdoin is an exception - not near those team's levels. Should they lose one, even two, of those games, I think they're pretty much done as far as NCAAs are concerned, barring a win in the NESCAC tournament.

Looking at the goal last night, it was a fantastic ball in from Gruner, but Greenwood's set piece issues were once again evident - he didn't come for the ball until the shot was already going by him. To be fair to him, it was put into a tough place, but I think he would have saved the shot if he'd stayed on his line.

Brandeis is pretty much toast as far as I'm concerned. They have yet to play any conference games, and there are a number of UAA teams with superior records (including Chicago and WashU who are both perfect). And the fact that their conference championship is determined by a league table and not by a postseason tournament eliminates the possibility of them doing, for example, what Babson did last year by losing 6 games in the regular season and snagging an NCAA bid. Losing one OT game, I can understand, but when you lose three - one in the last minute of 2OT - then it's evident that there are issues with defensive leadership - mainly that not everyone is on the same page.

Excited for Amherst-MIT tonight - mainly because it's around the corner. I think the Jeffs will roll.

Mr.Right

I was watching a little of the Brandeis / Wheaton game but I went to Tufts / Wesleyan after Brandeis went up  4-1. I am utterly confused...How did Wheaton get 3 goals in 10 minutes? I mean they did not have that many chances in the 1st Half let alone 10 minutes...

Mr.Right

My upset special in this region tonight is Bridgewater St getting a draw v UMASS Boston tonight. I have not seen UMASS Boston yet either this year but Bridgewater can be a tough mid-week road game at night.

Mr.Right

University of New England does not have the players but if you watch them their coach tries to instill a positive influence of playing good futbol. They play on the ground, sometimes to a fault as their backs give the ball away alot but it is a pleasure to watch. They got a draw v Bates so let's see if they can spring an upset on Clark tonight.

Mr.Right

Quote from: blooter442 on September 28, 2016, 09:26:03 AM
Tufts still has to play Amherst and Williams (at home) and Middlebury and Bowdoin (away). If they were to go clean in that slate (even 2-0-2) then I think they'd be in decent shape for an at-large, but that might be a stretch given that Wesleyan, Gordon, Endicott, etc. are - and maybe Bowdoin is an exception - not near those team's levels. Should they lose one, even two, of those games, I think they're pretty much done as far as NCAAs are concerned, barring a win in the NESCAC tournament.

Looking at the goal last night, it was a fantastic ball in from Gruner, but Greenwood's set piece issues were once again evident - he didn't come for the ball until the shot was already going by him. To be fair to him, it was put into a tough place, but I think he would have saved the shot if he'd stayed on his line.

Brandeis is pretty much toast as far as I'm concerned. They have yet to play any conference games, and there are a number of UAA teams with superior records (including Chicago and WashU who are both perfect). And the fact that their conference championship is determined by a league table and not by a postseason tournament eliminates the possibility of them doing, for example, what Babson did last year by losing 6 games in the regular season and snagging an NCAA bid. Losing one OT game, I can understand, but when you lose three - one in the last minute of 2OT - then it's evident that there are issues with defensive leadership - mainly that not everyone is on the same page.

Excited for Amherst-MIT tonight - mainly because it's around the corner. I think the Jeffs will roll.


Remember Bloots that the committee loves to look at teams that have played a ton of regionally ranked teams. Brandeis by Novermber might have 10-11 games against Regionally ranked teams and losses to unranked teams are better than losses to ranked ones. Brandeis still has a realistic shot at a Pool C because of the Haverford win. However, they must beat some of these ranked and unbeaten UAA teams that are coming up on their schedule. A 9-10 win Brandeis side has a chance to get a Pool C as long as they can defeat the Chicago's, Wash U, Rochester's etc. I believe they can do this or at least get some draws against them starting this weekend at Carnegie Mellon. They have Chicago, Wash U and Rochester all at home this season. That might prove the difference.

blooter442

Quote from: Mr.Right on September 28, 2016, 01:21:49 PM
Remember Bloots that the committee loves to look at teams that have played a ton of regionally ranked teams. Brandeis by Novermber might have 10-11 games against Regionally ranked teams and losses to unranked teams are better than losses to ranked ones. Brandeis still has a realistic shot at a Pool C because of the Haverford win. However, they must beat some of these ranked and unbeaten UAA teams that are coming up on their schedule. A 9-10 win Brandeis side has a chance to get a Pool C as long as they can defeat the Chicago's, Wash U, Rochester's etc. I believe they can do this or at least get some draws against them starting this weekend at Carnegie Mellon. They have Chicago, Wash U and Rochester all at home this season. That might prove the difference.

Certainly valid - the committee definitely focuses on regionally ranked opponents, and for that reason the Haverford win could be big (as well as the fact that, of the teams they've lost to, Tufts is likely to be the only one that could be regionally ranked. Chicago and WashU are actually away, but you are correct that Rochester is home. I think Chicago will win the UAA, but then again I thought Brandeis would win it in 2014 (Chicago won) and Chicago would win it in 2015 (Brandeis won), so you never know.

Bottom line: If they were to go, say, 9-1-1 through the regular season and finish 12-4-2, then they'd look pretty good for a Pool C. However, for that to happen, they'd have to beat ranked/unbeaten UAA teams which - given that they've dropped points against WPI, Wheaton, and Babson - doesn't appear to be likely. The issues Brandeis is having are obviously related to defense and composure, and while I can see past a one-game hiccup, as I thought Babson might have been, the fact that they've lost 3 times in 4 games - all in OT - makes me think that these issues will be tough to get rid of.

Quote from: Mr.Right on September 28, 2016, 11:25:08 AM
I was watching a little of the Brandeis / Wheaton game but I went to Tufts / Wesleyan after Brandeis went up  4-1. I am utterly confused...How did Wheaton get 3 goals in 10 minutes? I mean they did not have that many chances in the 1st Half let alone 10 minutes...

I actually didn't see any of the goals that got them from 4-1 to 4-4, but 4-2 was an own goal, the second a cross, and the third a shot that rolled over the line. I did hear the audio, though, of Margolis telling them not to get complacent after Wheaton made it 4-2, but evidently that warning went unheeded.

blooter442

Babson and Bowdoin at 1-1. Babson scored first with about 22 mins left through Villari after Bowdoin failed to clear its lines; Bowdoin tied it 4 minutes later. A minute or so after scoring the goal, Villari hit the bar off a free kick before Bowdoin equalized through Dias Costa. Finely poised. Babson looking a bit more threatening but Bowdoin has pegged them back.

blooter442

Babson-Bowdoin finishes 1-1. A decent result on the road for Bowdoin, as Babson slightly edged it in terms of overall play, but I don't think Babson will be particularly unhappy with the result.

Mr.Right

Big game today for UMASS Boston at Babson. Babson can play free flow if they want as their Pool C chances are done but UMASS Boston needs a result and frankly if they run the table they will be hosting a NCAA pod with a decent matchup or 2. I have not seen them play yet this year so I am interested in seeing how they have changed or if they have changed from last year. Curious to see that they are going to Babson again in year 2 of this fixture as usually you do a Home and Away. either way a win here would really boost UMASS Boston confidence and a loss will prove to the doubters that they haven't really played anyone yet. Babson has been playing better of late and their midfield is their strong suit. Watch to see who controls midfield today and you will find the winner of this game

NEsoccerfan20

Watched Endicott v Nichols yesterday.... huge huge loss for the Gulls. One of their defenders received a red card at the beginning of the second half on a very iffy call. Set the tone and they couldn't stay compact for 42 minutes. Weinstein made 3 stellar saves to keep them in it but the Gulls just don't seem to have the offensive production. Also, I noticed their All American CB Ocko has been out the majority of the season. This loss surely kills any chance of a pool C bid. Still think they have an outside shot at CCC title but will be tough to beat Gordon and even Wentworth.

blooter442

A few minutes in and UMASS-Boston already has a shot cleared off the line. UMB looking faster and more sharp than Babson. Beavers well and truly on the back foot.

blooter442

I spoke too soon - after being dominated for the first 20-25 minutes, Babson gets a goal on the counter with its first shot. Let's see how UMASS-Boston responds: do they capitulate like last year, or do they rebound?

Off Pitch

NEW ENGLAND rankings 10/4/16
1   U Massachusetts-Boston          10-0-0
2   Middlebury College                      5-0-2
3   Amherst College                          7-1-1
4   Gordon College                            7-1-1
5   Springfield College                       9-0-1
6   Williams College                           6-2-1
7   Connecticut College                     6-2-0
8   Clark University                            9-1-0
9   Endicott College                           5-2-2
10   Tufts University                            4-3-2

Best of the rest (in no particular order):  Bowdoin (5-2-2), WPI (7-1-2), Coast Guard (7-2-1), Babson (5-4-2), Wentworth (7-2-3)

blooter442

Urgency is good, but UMB is just whacking at balls and hoping they go in. They are better than Babson in terms of skill, speed, and possession, but the Beavers have shown more composure, even if they were on the back foot to start with.