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D3soccer.com => Men's soccer => Topic started by: Jim Matson on June 09, 2006, 12:25:06 AM

Title: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on June 09, 2006, 12:25:06 AM
New England Soccer News and Chat.
Title: Re: NAC
Post by: WLCALUM83 on November 06, 2006, 08:51:18 AM
Lasell gets in as AQ.
Title: Re: GNAC
Post by: WLCALUM83 on November 06, 2006, 08:54:42 AM
Per NCAA Div III site:  Western New England gets in as AQ:
Title: Re: NESCAC
Post by: WLCALUM83 on November 06, 2006, 08:56:35 AM
Per NCAA Div III site:  Williams gets in as AQ. CT Wesleyan as an at large.
Title: Re: NEWMAC
Post by: WLCALUM83 on November 06, 2006, 08:57:37 AM
Per NCAA Div III site:  Wheaton, MA gets in as AQ.
Title: Re: NESCAC
Post by: JeffRookie2 on March 13, 2007, 02:22:24 AM
Any word on recruits for next year?
Title: NEAC
Post by: d3bballinboston on May 31, 2007, 06:46:04 PM
Bay Bath, Newbury, Lesley, Elms, Becker, Daniel Webster, Wheelock and Mitchell all have formed the NEAC.  They will start conference play in 08-09.
Official press release will come out on Tuesday.
Title: Re: NEAC
Post by: Ralph Turner on May 31, 2007, 08:04:15 PM
So, we have a new league of 8.

Pat has gone thru the combinaitons of upper and lower case letters to have a unique abbreviation...

New England Athletic Conference -- NAC - taken by North Atlantic Conference

New England Athletic Conference --  NEAC - taken by the North Eastern Athletic Conference

New England Athletic Conference -- NAthC - taken by the Northern Athletics Conference

...

That was tough.

NEnAC   ???

Title: Re: NEAC
Post by: Pat Coleman on May 31, 2007, 08:05:30 PM
New England Athletic Association would've been better.
Title: Re: NEAC
Post by: Ralph Turner on May 31, 2007, 08:06:34 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on May 31, 2007, 08:05:30 PM
New England Athletic Association would've been better.

I thought that Southern New England Athletic Conference had possibilities, myself.  ;)
Title: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on July 26, 2007, 11:46:14 PM
The NCAA post-season regional conference call participants will all need tutorials!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on November 25, 2007, 11:51:20 AM
Congrats to Middlebury from Pat Coleman!

School's press release:

The Middlebury men's soccer team won its first NCAA Championship with a 0-0 tie with Trinity of Texas in the title match in Florida. The Panthers won the crown on a shootout, edging the Tigers, 4-3. The national championship is the 28th for the College since '94, in eight different sports. The Panthers end the year with a school record 17 wins (17-2-3) and 17 shutouts. Trinity suffers its first loss and ends the season with a 23-0-1 mark.

The scoreless first half was controlled by Trinity, as the Tigers out-shot Middlebury 13-6 in the opening frame. Trinity's leading scorer Patrick Floeck had the first major opportunity, sailing a one-touch volley over the crossbar after a long throw-in from the left corner. Floeck went airborne later in the half, trying to put a head on a cross from the left sideline, but he collided with Bush and had to leave the game. Floeck would return to the field in the second half.

The Panthers kept fighting, and a surge towards the end of the half resulted in the team's best chance; Andrew Banadda chased down a loose ball in the box with just over a minute before halftime, and his one-touch blast rocketed off the left post and back into play. Casey Ftorek was in position for the rebound, but his shot was off the mark to the right.

The second half was a defensive battle, as both teams found it difficult to find quality shots; Trinity attempted eight to Middlebury's six. Midway through the half, Trinity came close to breaking the tie on a corner kick from the right side; Kyle Altman was open in the middle of the box, and his header bounced wide left.

With 15 minutes left in regulation, Middlebury found an opening to Ftorek streaking down the left side, but his shot from outside the penalty area bounced wide right.

With the clock counting down from 10 seconds, Trinity's Joseph DeCosta received a cross from the right side and had a one-touch shot blocked by Bush, saving Middlebury from a last second defeat.

Trinity nearly won the game three minutes into overtime period when Matt Beham sent in a cross from the right side, and Robert C'deBaca's header was saved on the far post by a Middlebury defender.

The Tigers finished the game with a shot advantage of 23-12. Bush stopped nine shots in goal for the Panthers, while Steinberg finished with two saves for Trinity.

In the shootout, Ftorek scored with a shot to the bottom left to tie it at one. Bush made a diving save in the second round before Andrew Germansky gave Middlebury a 2-1 lead. Trinity scored to start off the third round before Stephen Hart's shot was saved to tie it at two. Following a Tiger conversion, David LaRocca scored to knot it a three goals apiece. Trinity's fourth shooter hit the crossbar before Brandon Jackson scored to give the Panthers the national title.

"The foundation of a good team is defense," Middlebury Head Coach David Saward explained. "It's an incredible honor for us to do this, especially with the four teams that were here."

The Middlebury defense did not allow a goal through the entire tournament, and that mindset helped prepare them for the high-powered Trinity attack. Bush ended the season with a 623 minute scoreless streak.

"It feels great; it's a credit to our defense," Bush remarked. "To even play to a tie against a team like Trinity is great. They're a phenomenal team."

"I felt that we played good enough soccer to create enough chances to win in the first half, and again in the second half and overtime," Trinity Head Coach Paul McGinlay explained. "When it comes to penalty kicks, there's no more coaching."

"Over 400 teams started the year," McGinlay continued, "and on November 24 there were two left. We came as close as you can possible come to having the perfect season."

Andrew Germansky, Corey Moffat and Banadda were named to the NCAA All-Tournament, while Bush earned Tournament M.V.P. honors.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on December 10, 2007, 05:55:30 PM
So Middlebury is on a roll!  Based on their performance against Trinity, can anyone predict who wins the rematch?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on June 03, 2008, 09:59:40 PM
For 2008, Middlebury looks strong.  I see only 5 seniors graduating and I believe that only 2 of those seniors were starters (?).  I know that the conference is strong and that they have to play Williams on the last last match of the regular season (which is always a tough match), but I see an undefeated season - and lots of low scoring events as well.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: WLCALUM83 on June 15, 2008, 07:39:55 AM
The following NESCAC '08 Men's Soccer schedules are now up:

Wesleyan:
http://www.wesleyan.edu/athletics/msoccer/08msocschedule.html

Williams:
http://williams.prestosports.com/sports/msoc/2008-09/schedule

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: WLCALUM83 on June 15, 2008, 08:17:17 AM
WPI's '08 Men's schedule:
http://wpi.prestosports.com/sports/msoc/2008-09/schedule
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: pasoccerdave on June 22, 2008, 05:35:52 AM
Plymouth State University:

http://athletics.plymouth.edu/sports/msoc/2008-09/schedule
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: pabegg on July 16, 2008, 07:15:36 AM
Trinity
http://www.trincoll.edu/athletics/main.aspx?mode=schedule&t_id=7&year=0
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: WLCALUM83 on September 10, 2008, 08:54:16 PM
Final:  Coast Guard 5, Salve Regina 0.

  Per broadcaster account-Coast Guard's record is now 4-0, its' best start since 1994.)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: tjcummingsfan on September 21, 2008, 09:32:40 AM
Keene state got worked over by a very good southern Maine team yesterday 5-0.  All 5 goals were scored in the first half. In the second the huskies just packed it in on d and made centering pass after centering pass look like they were to no one.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on October 22, 2008, 06:18:53 PM
Eastern Conn is moving up in the polls...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 25, 2008, 11:29:31 PM
Quote from: Jim Matson on October 22, 2008, 06:18:53 PM
Eastern Conn is moving up in the polls...

Yes but they lost to Rhode Island College today 2-1 in OT

RIC has many good players, and by sounds of thier sir names most are Brazilian -American or kids from other  S. American country extractions
One note on the game ,( it was streamed live on RIC web site) is that Maxim Fantle, ECSU top scorer, was  tripped in P-box on a break away in last minutes of 2nd half, no P-Kick called. looked like a bad call!!!

Overall, it was an exciting match
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on October 26, 2008, 08:43:13 AM
Fantle is a strong player.  He is probably marked so closely that there was a lot of contact throughout the match - and the refs will sometimes let a lot of that stuff go as a result.  If he was really was tripped up, that is too bad.  Sounds like it was a great match.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 01, 2008, 08:34:13 PM
ECSU crushed U Mass Dartmouth today 7-0. USM I would say upset RIC 1-0.

Looking to be great LEC Tourney.

LEC could possibly have 2 teams in NCAA D-III  Regional!!!

CT teams, Trinity and  ECSU have a great shot
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 08, 2008, 03:16:13 PM
RIC over Plymouth St 1-0 to win LEC Soccer Championship and berth in NCAA Regional tournament

ECSU should have a shot at at large bid
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: owl on August 11, 2009, 10:10:44 PM
The new season is around the corner.  Any predictions this year for NESCAC?  Amherst appears to have been hit hard by graduation on the offensive and defense and Williams lost their starting midfield.  Middlebury didn't lose much scoring but lost their all-american goalie.  Trinity and Wesleyan will be back with a vengence after their late season slippage.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 11, 2009, 10:31:18 PM
Quote from: owl on August 11, 2009, 10:10:44 PM
The new season is around the corner.  Any predictions this year for NESCAC?  Amherst appears to have been hit hard by graduation on the offensive and defense and Williams lost their starting midfield.  Middlebury didn't lose much scoring but lost their all-american goalie.  Trinity and Wesleyan will be back with a vengence after their late season slippage.
2009 D3 Men's Soccer NSCAA Pre-Season Rankings 8/11/2009 and
Final NSCAA/Adidas Division III Rankings
(As of 12/09/2008)  
Rank School W-L Points Prev
1 Messiah  21-2-3 25 8
2 Stevens  19-2-5 24 NR
3 Amherst  15-4-3 23 NR
4 Loras  20-5-1 22 21
5 Trinity (Texas)  20-1-1 21 1
6 Middlebury  15-2-4 20 6
7 Montclair State  21-1-0 19 3
8 Christopher Newport  17-5-3 18 RV
9 Emory  16-2-1 17 5
10 York (Pa.)  18-0-2 16 2
11 Ohio Northern  20-5-1 15 NR
12 Hobart  18-1-3 14 4
13 Swarthmore  17-3-2 13 11
14 Carleton  17-2-3 12 7
15 Ohio Wesleyan  18-5-1 11 9
16 Johns Hopkins  13-5-5 10 NR
17 Augsburg  12-4-7 9 NR
18 Rochester  14-3-2 8 10
19 Dominican (Ill.)  19-3-1 7 13
20 Richard Stockton  16-6-1 6 15
21 Carnegie Mellon  15-3-1 5 20
22 Redlands  16-5-2 4 RV
23 Wheaton (Ill.)  15-4-3 3 17
24 North Carolina Wesleyan  16-3-2 2 NR
25 Western New England  16-1-6 1 12


OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Case Western Reserve (Ohio), Texas-Tyler, Wittenberg (Ohio), Carroll (Wis.), Salisbury (Md.), Norwich (Vt.), St. Lawrence (N.Y.), RPI (N.Y.).

DROPPED OUT: No. 14 Whitworth, No. 16 Case, No. 18 Calvin, No. 19 Salisbury, No. 22 William Patterson, No. 23 Ithaca, No. 24 Eastern Connecticut State, No. 25 RPI.

Middlebury seems to be the pick as they are the perennial power house
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on August 12, 2009, 01:24:31 PM
It certainly appears the NESCAC will be highly competitive again this coming season.  Last year's regular season results suggested that any team could beat any other on a given day. 

Middlebury and Amherst have to be among the favorites based on their regular season and NCAA tournament performances last year.  In addition to Williams and Wesleyan being strong performers in recent years, I'm guessing Trinity will be strong again after a great season last year.  And I wouldn't count out Bowdoin, who were very young last year and struggled to score goals, but were in position to grab 2nd in the NESCAC standings before suffering several upset losses late in the season.

Tufts, Colby, Bates and Conn College all had several big wins last year, and don't forget that Conn has brought in Kenny Murphy as new head coach, former top assistant coach at Brown.  It'll be interesting to see how the season plays out.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 12, 2009, 01:45:17 PM
Other considerstion is if top NESCAC teams, (Middlebury/Amherst), picked up any nationally watched recruits or foreign players who could start or bolster thier bench strength.  Historicallly, both teams seem to done an excellent job in this department
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: owl on August 15, 2009, 07:37:09 PM
Williams appears to need the most help and typically pulls in an international or two.  Amherest last year pulled in their leading scorer -Heo from Korea and a mid fielder from Conn College.  Rumor has it that the Korean player has to return to Korea which could really shake up their offense since they also lost Duker to graduation.  Midd generally recruits locally with a couple of aces from mid west and west.  Hard to draw a southern boy to upper Vermont.

Wesleyan, Trinity, Tufts and Bowdoin are only a couple of players out of the mix.  Any of these teams can win on any given day.  The key to survival in the very physical NESCAC is minimizing injuries and depth.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on August 15, 2009, 08:45:57 PM
Well said, Owl.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: nescac1 on August 18, 2009, 03:08:18 PM
Confirmed about Heo not being at Amherst this fall:
https://www.amherst.edu/athletics/teams/fall/soccer-m/jae_heo_blog

Tough blow for the Jeffs, with him, along with graduated Lynch and Duker leaving, that is the bulk of their offensive production gone.  Plus they lost two top notch defenders -- you'd have to think they slip back to the pack a little.  Of course, they will get Heo back in two years and you figure he will have a huge edge as a 24 year old playing against teenagers.  I would think Amherst has got to have some impact frosh coming in, given the ridiculous haul the new coach brought in last year. 

As for Williams, they actually haven't brought any high profile internationals in for many years; that basically was a short term experiment for the classes of 01-04 that led to a ton of individual accolades without concomitant team success.  Hopefully they do have a few badly-needed impact frosh ... Williams seems to have a very deep team of lots of solid players, but a shortage of any true superstars (especially star goal scorers) since the class of 07 graduated (not a total shock, as that is around the same time as Williams recruiting practices really changed, with the biggest impact on men's soccer and basketball).  I am guessing Coach Russo is nearing retirement, perhaps he is hoping for one more big run in the tourney before he bows out, as he has now coached for over 30 (!) years. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Giggs on August 18, 2009, 03:11:33 PM
I hear that Midd got a local All-American.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Rick Vaughn on August 19, 2009, 11:02:41 AM
You are correct Giggs...Rob Cole from South Burlington, VT is his name.  Very solid player.  Google him for more info.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: nescac1 on August 19, 2009, 04:52:10 PM
Williams likewise has a local kid coming in, Than Finan, goalie on the state champion Mt. Greylock squad. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: owl on August 19, 2009, 09:45:30 PM
Williams will have an experienced senior goalie this year.  What they really need is a true scoring threat.  They only scored 31 goals last year and the two leading scorers, Empson and Gordon, both graduated.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on August 20, 2009, 05:03:59 PM
I did learn in watching NESCAC soccer for the first time last year that most freshmen, no matter how talented, usually require some seasoning to make their full impact on the game--even in D3.  Quality recruits will help any and all of these programs, but are not the complete answer.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: owl on August 20, 2009, 10:33:09 PM
Most of the NESCAC teams find 0ne or two freshman break into a starting role after four or five games.  Their overall impact will be determined by the team around them.  A leading scorer last year for Amherst (Heo) and Middlebury (Macnee) were freshman and the teams were very successful.  Not necessarily because of the freshman but they certainly augmented an already strong team.  While very successful, Jones from Bowdoin couldn't carry Bowdoin alone.   
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: DIIIdad on August 21, 2009, 10:38:45 AM
While Heo was technically a freshman, wasn't he 21 or 22 years old?  That's significantly different than bringing in an 18 year old freshman in my opinion.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 24, 2009, 09:49:39 PM


NCAA D-III National Champions
Year   Champion   Record
1974 Brockport St. (12-2-2)
1975 Babson (17-0-1)
1976 Brandeis (15-2)
1977 Lock Haven (14-4)
1978 Lock Haven (18-2)
1979 Babson (13-2-4)
1980 Babson (16-3-1)
1981 Rowan (19-1-2)
1982 UNC Greensboro (19-3)
1983 UNC Greensboro (23-1-1)
1984 Wheaton (Ill.) (21-1-2)
1985 UNC Greensboro (20-5)
1986 UNC Greensboro (18-5)
1987 UNC Greensboro (17-7-1)
1988 UC San Diego (23-0-2)
1989 Elizabethtown (23-2)
1990 Rowan (20-3-2)
1991 UC San Diego (18-4-1)
1992 Kean (18-6-1)
1993 UC San Diego (20-2-2)
1994 Bethany (W.V.) (15-5-4)
1995 Williams (17-0-2)
1996 TCNJ (17-5-1)
1997 Wheaton (Ill.) (24-0-1)
1998 Ohio Wesleyan (18-6)
1999 St. Lawrence (22)
2000 Messiah (22-2-1)
2001 Richard Stockton (25-1-1)
2002 Messiah (23-2-1)
2003 Trinity (Tex.) (24-0-0)
2004 Messiah (23-2)
2005 Messiah (24-0)
2006 Messiah (21-1-2)
2007 Middlebury (18-2-2)
2008 Messiah (21-2-3)

One of the NESCAC teams need to knock Messiah out in 2009!!!!!!

Unbelievable record, re Messiah, so got to give them a LOT of credit!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: owl on August 24, 2009, 10:19:14 PM
Messiah will have a new coach this year so let's see if they will skip a beat or continue to roll.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on August 25, 2009, 08:20:36 AM
I've heard it said that Messiah is somewhat of a mecca (no pun intended) for student athletes from Catholic backgrounds, some of who are D1 caliber.  I would imagine they're deep and talented year after year.  But that makes it a fun challenge for NESCAC type programs to compete with that kind of depth.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on August 25, 2009, 02:50:43 PM
Actually, the backgrounds would be more like evangelical protestant versus Catholic, but yes, their players are quite often strong candidates for small/mid-level D1 programs.  With Brandt moving on to Navy, 2009 will be a good test these guys under a new leader.

It was few years back that Williams gave Messiah the best match they had ever seen in the quarter-finals.  Williams could very well have been the champ that season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: speedy on August 25, 2009, 09:09:45 PM
Don't think you's find a lot of Catholics at a college founded by the Mennonites and now affiliated with some other Protestant religion that looks to be evangelical in nature . . .
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 26, 2009, 12:24:15 PM
Correct re Messiah being evangelical Protestant, however whatever the religious connection, its an institution that produces wonderful D-III programs in both men and womens sports.

A lot of National Championships in thier pocket!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: d3fan1 on August 26, 2009, 06:49:04 PM
Messiah has proven to be the best team in D3 soccer in both men's and women's side. One team that could say they have been almost as competitive is Wheaton in Illinois, which is another strong Christian institution. I for one don't think it is a coincedence that the quality of individuals attracted by a Christian institution would produce the caliber of character necessary to achieve this level of success.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: nescac1 on August 26, 2009, 10:24:59 PM
Actually, I believe it is coincidence.  Amherst, Wash U., Emory, Middlebury, TCNJ, and Williams are all totally secular (and very diverse) institutions, and they have combined to dominate D-3 sports overall for the past decade, pretty much owning the top spots in the Director's Cup standings and all winning multiple national championships across a wide variety of sports.  I think being a Christian institution neither helps nor hinders athletic success -- rather, it comes down to coaching, recruiting, institutional support, etc.  If anything else, in D-III it seems like there is a strong correlation between strong academics and strong athletic success (Wheaton, mentioned below, I know to be a very strong academic school, as are all of the above listed schools). 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on August 26, 2009, 11:30:27 PM
Good point, nescac1.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 27, 2009, 04:26:03 PM
 Little East Conference
2009 Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll

Rank, Institution (1st Place votes)   Pts. 2008 Finish
1.   EASTERN CONN.       (3)             57      3rd
2.   Rhode Island College (2)*           55      2nd
3.   U. of Southern Maine (1)            40      1st
4.   Plymouth State U.     (1)             38     4th
5.   Keene State College                    37    t-6th
6.   Western Conn.                            26      5th
7.   Massachusetts Dartmouth           23    t-6th
8.   Massachusetts Boston                12      8th
*-2008 playoff champion

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: d3fan1 on August 27, 2009, 06:15:38 PM
I agree with you nescac1. There are any number of highly successful secular d3 institutions. My point was not that success is the exclusive domain of Christian institutions, but instead that, all other things being equal, the intangible characteristics brougt to the table in character traits may be enough to make the difference in winning consistantly rather than being close. If athletes are drinking and partying during the season it may be harder to get over the top when the competition gets tough. I realize that just because you attend a Christian institution it is no guarantee that  you won't drink and I'm sure there are many dedicated athletes from secular school who do take care of themselves, but I think there is a better chance that schools like Messiah and Wheaton are more disciplined. I may be wrong though.
Just so you know, I have one son who plays soccer at a Christian school and one who plays at a secular school and both teams are very dedicated and do a great job, but I think it may be harder to make good decisions at the secular school.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: owl on August 28, 2009, 10:36:21 PM
I have followed college soccer for some time and while I concurr that the stability and attitude of the institution are important, my personal opinion is the coach and AD in the institution is probably the singular most important factor.  There are many great institutions out there that have not been able to field a team and several less spectacular institutions that have success on the pitch.  Messiah, Williams, Middlebury, are teams that happen to have successful programs in no small part to very successful coaching.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: nescac1 on September 04, 2009, 08:17:44 PM
Williams preview is posted.  Doesn't sound like they have any impact goal scorers coming in so they will need to rely upon improved defense and gritty midfield play, because there are no proven big-time scoring threats on the roster. 

Amherst brings in what may be another loaded frosh class:

https://www.amherst.edu/athletics/teams/fall/soccer-m/roster

HUGE amount of new players, including three from South America, which sounds scary for the rest of NESCAC.  Noon and Rooks I heard are both good as well.  They lose almost their entire offense from last year so I imagine many of these frosh will play immediately.  Seems like the new Amherst coach really knows how to recruit. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: tjcummingsfan on September 05, 2009, 09:50:58 AM
Thanks for posting that ECSU, I went to the Keene State game against New England College on Tuesday and was actually really curious what Keene State was expected to do this season.  Granted it was their first match, but they didn't look great against a clearly inferior NEC team. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 05, 2009, 01:09:33 PM
TJ,

Yes, its good to look at the preseason polls, but on any given day, the top teams in the LEC can play even or win.  Keene has always had great athletic programs in general and historically been strong in soccer. They were always tops in soccer back when when I was @ ECSU, ( ECSC back then).  Good Luck to all the LEC teams this year.

Lets try to give the NESCAC teams a run this year!!!  It's going to be tough, but not impossible!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 05, 2009, 01:13:19 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on September 04, 2009, 08:17:44 PM
Williams preview is posted.  Doesn't sound like they have any impact goal scorers coming in so they will need to rely upon improved defense and gritty midfield play, because there are no proven big-time scoring threats on the roster. 

Amherst brings in what may be another loaded frosh class:

https://www.amherst.edu/athletics/teams/fall/soccer-m/roster

HUGE amount of new players, including three from South America, which sounds scary for the rest of NESCAC.  Noon and Rooks I heard are both good as well.  They lose almost their entire offense from last year so I imagine many of these frosh will play immediately.  Seems like the new Amherst coach really knows how to recruit. 


Unbelievable what Amherst has done re recruits this year!! It does look SCARY!!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 06, 2009, 05:13:49 PM
ECSU off to a good start with winning the Babson tourny, 3-1 over MIT yesterday, and 1-0 over Babson, today.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on September 07, 2009, 12:49:28 AM
...both of which were good wins.

Amherst was a speedy team last year, and it looks like that will continue. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: owl on September 07, 2009, 08:25:14 PM
Amherst did some intresting recruiting this year.  They got two boys -same last name, brothers?, from the agricultural school, United World College in Venezula.  They are both 6'5" and 195 and 200 pounds.  One is a mid fielder and one a defender.  Their third foregin entry is a mid-fielder from Bolivia.  Looking forward to seeing them on the pitch.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: frank uible on September 08, 2009, 08:42:33 PM
English as a second language at Amherst.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on September 09, 2009, 09:11:25 AM
Nice!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 10, 2009, 05:29:46 PM
NCAA Rankings Regional Men  New England
Division III  1st Poll  - September 08, 2009


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rank   School   Prev.                               W-   L-   T  
1  Amherst (Mass.)
No activity                                               0  -  0  -  0    
2  Middlebury (Vt.)
No activity                                               0  -  0  -  0    
3  Western New England (Mass.)
DH Westfield 2-0; DH Springfield 1-0               2  -  0  -  0    
4  Eastern Connecticut State
DN MIT 3-1; DA Babson 1-0                         2  -  0  -  0    
5  Trinity (Conn.)
No  Activity                                              0  -  0  -  0    
6  Wheaton (Mass.)
DH Brdgwtr 3-1; DH S. Maine 5-1; TH Rut.-Nwrk 0-0        2  -  0  -  1    
7  Plymouth State (Mass.)
DH Ithaca 1-0; DA R. Williams 1-0 (OT)          2  -  0  -  0    
8  Massachusetts Institute of Technology
DH Endicott 4-0; DH Salve Regina 2-0; LN E. Ct. St 1-3; DN Wentworth 2-0        3  -  1  -  0    
9  Salem State (Mass.)
DH Endicott 2-1                                        1  -  0  -  0    
10  Williams (Mass.)
No activity                                                0  -  0  -  0  
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: owl on September 10, 2009, 10:01:15 PM
Any predictions for the opening weekend of NESCAC play?
Bowdoin @ Amherst
Trinity @ Colby
Wesleyan @ Williams
Tufts @ Middlebury
Conn College @ Bates

Typical NESCAC, I don't see any "easy" games.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: newengland99 on September 11, 2009, 01:32:01 PM
soggy pitch, cooler temperatures, rainy skies
new england soccer   
priceless
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on September 11, 2009, 02:16:08 PM
My guesses:

Amherst 1, Bowdoin 1
Trinity 2, Colby 0
Wesleyan 1, Williams 1
Middlebury 2, Tufts 1
Bates 1, Conn College 0



Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on September 11, 2009, 05:13:00 PM
I'd give Amherst a 3-1 win.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: owl on September 11, 2009, 08:13:56 PM
My picks:
     
    Amherst 2 Bowdoin 0  @ Amherst probably on turf
    Trinity 2   Colby 1        @ Colby on a very slick grass
    Wesleyan 1  Williams 2  @ Williams on a well drained field
    Middlebury 2  Tufts 0   @ Middlebury on a cold turf
    Bates 0    Conn College 2  @ Bates on turf?

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 12, 2009, 10:28:07 PM
Ramapo-1,  ECSU-1 (2 OT).

Next Tufts Tues 9/15 ,
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 15, 2009, 10:31:58 AM
Pat Coleman et al,

GREAT JOB ON PUBLISHING THE NEW D-3 SOCCER NATIONAL POLL!!!!!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on September 15, 2009, 11:55:16 AM
Pat and I say you're welcome.  It was a lot of work, but worth it.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 15, 2009, 07:47:26 PM
Quote from: Jim Matson on September 15, 2009, 11:55:16 AM
Pat and I say you're welcome.  It was a lot of work, but worth it.


Nice job Jim, great site!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 15, 2009, 09:53:33 PM
ECSU 3, Tufts 2 (2ot)

Next WCSU Sat 9/19

First-team All-New England Region senior forward Maxim Fantl's early season Stats:

                                       
## Name                 GP-GS  Min   G   A  Pts  Sh Shot% SOG  SOG% 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13 Maxim Fantl           5-5   469   7   2  16   25  .280      18   .720   
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: bdublu on September 17, 2009, 12:03:53 PM
New the forum this year.  Really enjoy D3 soccer in New England.

How about Curry beating WNEC 2-0 yesterday!  And Middlebury just getting by Colby - Sawyer 1-0.!

Could there be be more parity this season?  Or was WNEC over rated.  They have had a tough start. 

And I believe that Colby - Sawyer was picked in the bottom half of  the TCCC.  Surprising that they were able to stay with Middlebury even though they were out shot 18-4 and corners were 12-2.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: owl on September 17, 2009, 10:37:20 PM
Last year Middlebury really had a hard time finding goals.  Their outstanding defense always keeps them in the game until the offense finds a way to score a goal.  Surprising that Amherst has not scored more goals.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on September 18, 2009, 08:07:07 AM
After a very evenly played first half where Bowdoin may have had a slight edge in shot quality, Amherst scored two second half goals at home vs. Bowdoin last Saturday.  The first was legit and the second came late in the game as the result of some sloppy defense by Bowdoin.  It's only the first game of the season, but Amherst's offense doesn't look as potent or multi-faceted as it did last year (as you'd expect given the loss of some key goal producers).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on September 18, 2009, 09:22:31 AM
Did Middlebury play that type of match against Maine?  They had to have had some offense in that match as Main is a fairly good program.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: amh63 on September 18, 2009, 04:51:57 PM
Amherst did lose many of its scorers from last year.  However the coach brought in his second class this year.  In the first game, it should be noted that the two goals by Amherst was by first-year Noon from Connedticut who was only inserted in the second half.  Noon was selected player of the week; in part due to the fact, no other conference team scored more than one goal in its game. In the second game, a hard fought game on turf at Amherst (broadcasted) with Bridgewater State, Amherst won 2-1.  Both goals was late in the first half by a junior.  It was a rough game with both teams called for a high number of fouls.  Amherst will need to find its way both offensively and defensively during the season...blending in the new players.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on September 18, 2009, 05:12:21 PM
Middlebury played UMaine Fort Kent, an obscure branch school of the UMaine system located in the very northern part of the state.  I live in Maine and just learned for the first time that UMFK has an NAIA program.  Hunted around online to discover that, remarkably, they have 10 Jamaicans and 3 South Africans on their roster.

The central land grant school, UMaine (Orono), terminated their D1 men's soccer program earlier this year--a travesty given that soccer is the biggest participation sport in the state.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: owl on September 18, 2009, 11:08:22 PM
UMaine @ Ft Kent vs Midd  was a very interesting game, it looked like men against boys.  UMaine started 7 Jamacians, 1 South American, 1 Croatian and 1 Trinadad Tobago.  They were very big, fast and technical.  In the three wins prior to Midd, UMaine had scored 15 goals and given up but 1.  They moved the ball very well through the midfield but the Midd defense stymied them.  Midd had a number of good opportunities but typically held the ball a little too long.  With about 10 min left in the game, Umaine drove deep into the corner and got off a nice cross that a player one-touched into the lower right corner for the only tally of the game.  With about two minutes left Midd took a corner that looked like it curved into the upper corner and bounced out.  The linesman said it bounced off the inside of the post while the home crowd was sure it bounce off the corner brace inside the goal.  It was a very well played game by both sides.   
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Giggs on September 19, 2009, 09:40:57 AM
Just as a side note, the former UMaine HC has landed on the staff at Brown. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 20, 2009, 04:28:14 PM
ECSU 4 WCSU 0 @ the ECSU sports complex

Next Weds 9/23, Trinity College in Hartford
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 22, 2009, 01:45:04 PM
ECSU moved up to 13th from 16th in NSCAA National poll.  Finally recieved votes in D-3 poll!!!

Here is NSCAA New England poll:


NSCAA National Rankings


NCAA Rankings Regional Men  New England
Division III  3rd Poll  - September 22, 2009


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rank   School         Prev.                                                                                              W-L-T  
1  Amherst (Mass.)
DH Bridgewater State 2-1; DA Tufts 4-0                                                                    3  -  0  -  0    
2  Eastern Connecticut State
DH Tufts 3-2 (OT); DH Western Connecticut State 4-0                                               5  -  0  -  1    
3  Williams (Mass.)
DH SUNY New Paltz 1-0; DH Connecticut College 4-0; DA Wiheaton (Mass.) 2-1        3  -  0  -  1    
4  Wheaton (Mass.)
DA Johnson & Wales 6-2; DA Springfield 1-0; LH Williams 1-2                                    7  -  1  -  1    
5  Middlebury (Vt.)
DH Colby-Sawyer 1-0; TA Trinity (Conn.) 2-2                                                              2  -  1  -  1    
5  Trinity (Conn.)
DA Worceter State 2-1; TH Middlebury 2-2                                                                 2  -  0  -  1    
7  Wesleyan (Conn.)
DH Springfield 1-0; DH COlby 4-1; TA Western New England 0-0                                 2  -  0  -  2    
8  Plymouth State (N.H.)
LA Keene State 0-2                                                                                                      4  -  1  -  0    
9  Curry (Mass.)
DH Western New England 2-0; DH NIchols 2-0                                                            4  -  2  -  0    
10  Massachusetts Institute of Technology
DA Emerson 5-2                                                                                                            4  -  2  -  0    

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

   For more information, visit the NSCAA website at
   www.NSCAA.com or call 800-458-0678
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 23, 2009, 06:30:06 PM
Trinity 1 ECSU 0 in a close match!!

WHILE THE VIDEO BROADCAST WAS MUCH APPRECIATED, THE CAMERA MAN NEEDS MORE EXPERIENCE, VIDEO WAS ALMOST UNWATCHABLE!

Next Keene State 9/26 in Mansfield
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: owl on September 27, 2009, 09:23:10 AM
Major upsets this weekend.  What's with Conn College?  Are they for real or was Amherst taking them too lightly.  Keene State woke up and thumped Eastern, and Middlebury still can't find the goal and lost in a tight one to Bowdoin.  Even Trinity just squeaked by Bates.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on September 27, 2009, 09:37:22 AM
Don't know about Conn College's "legitimacy".  I'm sure coach Kenny Murphy has brought a new attitude, but none of the players are his recruits.  Bowdoin's win over Middlebury was legit.  It easily could have been 2-0 or 3-0 at the half.  The Bowdoin keeper only had to make one save and was not severely tested.  Williams seems to be on a roll so far.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 27, 2009, 12:57:02 PM
Quote from: owl on September 27, 2009, 09:23:10 AM
Major upsets this weekend.  What's with Conn College?  Are they for real or was Amherst taking them too lightly.  Keene State woke up and thumped Eastern, and Middlebury still can't find the goal and lost in a tight one to Bowdoin.  Even Trinity just squeaked by Bates.

Yeah, I was in Mansfield for the Keene blowout vs ECSU.  Was not pretty!!.  The defense looked shaky, while Keene's Freshman striker Shawn Shand was fantastic. Keene D great, very fast/quick .  ECSU soccer has not beat Keene in many moons!!!!  Only positive was the Eastern goal off a free kick from 25 yards into right top corner of net

Hopefully the Warriors can re-group soon. as they have  Montclair St. coming up in a week or so.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on September 27, 2009, 10:51:05 PM
ESCU, yeah that score surprised me as well.  Sounds like it was just an off day for them - and that Keene came ready to play.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 28, 2009, 10:49:03 AM
Quote from: Jim Matson on September 27, 2009, 10:51:05 PM
ESCU, yeah that score surprised me as well.  Sounds like it was just an off day for them - and that Keene came ready to play.

Jim, Keene/Eastern a huge rivalry, with Keene dominating for a long time.  Keene, historically always has a pretty strong team and this Shand kid looks to be the real deal.

Hopefully the game thumping wakes up Eastern going forward!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 29, 2009, 09:36:12 PM

9/26 Keene 4 ECSU 1
9/29 Salem St 0 ECSU 3

next: 10/3 @ UMass Boston 
        10/4 @ #11/#6 (D3 poll) Montclair State 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on September 30, 2009, 07:58:26 AM
The NESCAC continues to appear strong.  All four NESCAC teams won out-of-conference games yesterday, including Wesleyan over nationally ranked Wheaton 1-0 and Conn College over UMass Dartmouth 2-0.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 30, 2009, 02:16:14 PM
truenorth,

NESCAC certainly comes up with tremendous talent every year! Great athletics, great acedemics!!

Will be rooting for the NESCAC in the NCAA tourny if LEC teams fail to attain.

Will it be Amherst, Williams, Trinity, Conn College or Middlebury to make the NCAA tournament, or multiple?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on October 01, 2009, 12:44:41 AM
That Wesleyan/Wheaton match was a good one.  I would have thought Wheaton was a 2 goal favorite, but obviously would have been wrong.  I agree that the NESCAC might be stronger top to bottom this year than in recent years.

I don't know if Middlebury will be there in the post-season, but traditionally, the NESCAC has had up to 3 teams in the Tourney - 1 as the AQ winner, and 2 as the Pool C choice.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 01, 2009, 10:34:59 AM
Sometimes difficult to predict results this year.  For example, Babson bomped Keene last night 3-1 while Keene domimated ECSU. Finally, ECSU beat Babson earlier this season!  Additionally, some major upsets this past weekend!!

However, I agree NESCAC conference teams are very strong and will be the teams that will have to be defeated to get into and advance in the up coming NCAA NE Regionals.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on October 01, 2009, 05:58:11 PM
Some forum contributors are far more savvy about the intricacies of NCAA tournament selection criteria than I am.  That said, it appears to me that the overall strength of the NESCAC programs cuts both ways. 

For starters, the NESCAC teams play a restricted schedule of 14 regular season games.  A team can have a very good season, win all of its out-of-conference games, win more than half of its in-conference games, and barely get to 10 wins.

Whereas the other D3 conferences in New England allow anywhere from 17 to 20 game schedules, making it far easier to get to 10+ wins.

I realize the tournament selection committees take strength of schedule into account, but I've still got to believe it's hard to ignore the overall W's and L's, regardless of true schedule strength.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: vabaseball on October 03, 2009, 03:20:48 PM
Connecticut College over Bowdoin today 1-0 in 2 OTs. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 03, 2009, 04:29:04 PM
Keene over RIC 3-2 in a swamp today 
Plymouth St over WCSU 2-0
ECSU/ UMass Bost ppt
UMass Dart/USM ppt     
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on October 03, 2009, 10:34:33 PM
The Plymouth win was expected but I thought Conn would have an easier time with Bowdoin.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 04, 2009, 01:04:26 PM
Huge game with ECSU vs Montclair St today at Montclair where they have recently set a new NCAA record for home wins (40)!!

Looking at Montclair roster they are a big team with a majority of thier starters over 6 feet.  Complete roster are NJ boys.  Great tribute to NJ soccer!!

Cullen Brothers are Red Hawk impact players with  8, 6, 22 ytd goals/assists/point respectively.  Larry Geraghty thier third goal scorer.

Maybe ECSU has an upset in mind 8)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 04, 2009, 04:21:24 PM
Montclair 2 ECSU 1

Larry Geraghty scores in  the 101 minute in double over time.

MS dominated in shots on goal 29-14.  Valiant effort by the Warriors, but Red Hawks just too strong.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on October 05, 2009, 12:16:20 AM
...plus they had that home winning streak on the line!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 07, 2009, 11:24:08 AM
ECSU 5 Becker 0

Next 10/10 @ U Southern Maine
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 10, 2009, 07:21:54 PM
ECSU 2 @ USM 0

Next 10/12 @ Kean NJ
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 01, 2009, 11:46:37 AM
LEC Tourney begins Wednesday.

2009 Little East Men's Soccer Tournament Championship           

Semifinals                                                                          Championship 

Wednesday, November 4                                          Saturday, November 7 

#4 UMass Dartmouth vs 
                                                                                    Winner UMD/KSC
#1 Keene State *
                                                                                                vs
#2 Eastern Connecticut vs 
                                                                                    Winner ECSU vs RIC
#3 RIC




                                          Reg Season  Final Standings
                                                    W-L-T
                                           -----------------
                                   
Eastern Connecticut              6-1, 14-4-1 
Keene State                          6-1,   13-6
Rhode Island College            5-2,  9-7-2
UMass Dartmouth                 3-3-1,  9-6-2



Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: owl on November 01, 2009, 08:31:19 PM
NESCAC tournament began today also.  #1 Wesleyan handled Colby #8 easily 5-0 while #2 Williams handled #7 Conn College 3-0.  #6 Middlebury had a battle with #3 Amherst and survived with a 2-1 victory.  #4 Bowdoin took #5 Trinity 3-0. 

Next week, Wesleyan hosts the semis and finals.  Wesleyan takes on Middlebury while Williams plays Bowdoin.  What happened to Middlebury?  In the past three days, they have beaten Williams and Amherst.  They get a well deserved rest before battling with Wesleyan.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 02, 2009, 12:15:41 PM
owl,

Really some wonderful teams in NESCAC this year!!!  Bowdoin, Middlebury, Wesleyan, Williams, all capable of beating anyone on any given day.

Good luck to all for NCAA NE regional bid

Will be some tough teams to beat in the National tournament, O Weslyan, Montclair St., Messiah, Hopkins etc
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on November 02, 2009, 08:35:01 PM
I wish I had seen Wesleyan play this year.  They may the New England region team to beat.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: nescac1 on November 03, 2009, 06:49:14 AM
So which NESCAC teams are likely to make the NCAA's at this point?  I'd say Wesleyan and Williams are a lock, Trinity may be on the outside looking in with only one high-quality win and a late season collapse, Midd probably needs to win the tourney although an upset of Wesleyan might squeeze them in.  Amherst and Bowdoin seem to be the real wildcards.  I would think beating Williams on Saturday would earn Bowdoin a spot, but perhaps they've earned it already?  With a Bowdoin loss, does Amherst squeeze in?  Or are they in already?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on November 03, 2009, 08:01:21 AM
I think Wesleyan and Williams are indeed a lock.  I'd give Bowdoin a strong chance as well.  Amherst may miss this year, but Middlebury, by winning their first NESCAC tourney match, has given themselves a chance.

But it could happen that due to the NCAA regional ranking system (which is the one used to pick post-season participants) would actually allow for 4-5 NESCAC teams to be playing after November 9th!  I really think Amherst is the team on the bubble here.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 03, 2009, 01:36:40 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on November 03, 2009, 06:49:14 AM
So which NESCAC teams are likely to make the NCAA's at this point?  I'd say Wesleyan and Williams are a lock, Trinity may be on the outside looking in with only one high-quality win and a late season collapse, Midd probably needs to win the tourney although an upset of Wesleyan might squeeze them in.  Amherst and Bowdoin seem to be the real wildcards.  I would think beating Williams on Saturday would earn Bowdoin a spot, but perhaps they've earned it already?  With a Bowdoin loss, does Amherst squeeze in?  Or are they in already?

I woulld say that Trinity had two high quality wins in reg season, one vs Williams and other vs ECSU, which by the way could have gone either way as ECSU hit two off the crossbar in that game in Hartford.

I like Williams, Wesleyan and Bowdoin to move through.

ECSU WILL PREVAIL OVER RIC AND KEENE.






Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 03, 2009, 01:51:16 PM
NSCAA National Rankings


NCAA Rankings  National  Men
Division III  National Poll  - November 03, 2009

Rank   School                  Prev.     W-L-T  
1  Ohio Wesleyan                1     17 -  0 -  2    
2  Messiah (Pa.)                   2     17 -  1 -  0    
3  Loras (Iowa)                    3     17 -  1 -  1    
4  Wesleyan (Conn.)            5     11 -  0 -  4    
5  Trinity (Texas)                  6     13 -  1 -  2    
6  Rensselaer P I(N.Y.)         7     13 -  1 -  2    
7  Christ. Newport (Va.)     10     16 -  2 -  0    
8  Dominican (Ill.)                 8     13 -  1 -  3    
9  Rochester (N.Y.), U         11     12 -  1 -  2    
10  Swarthmore (Pa.)         12     14 -  1 -  2    
11  Carnegie Mellon (Pa.)    9     14 -  2 -  0    
12  York (Pa.)                    17     13 -  1 -  4    
13  Carroll (Wis.)                 15     14 -  1 -  3    
14  Williams (Mass.)            14     12 -  2 -  1    
15  Whitworth (Wash.)       NR     12 -  2 -  3    
16  Salisbury (Md.)              24     14 -  2 -  1    
17  Wheaton (Ill.)                NR     13 -  3 -  2    
18  Muhlenberg (Pa.)           RV     11 -  3 -  2    
18  Wheaton (Mass.)           NR     16 -  3 -  1    
20  Ohio Northern                25     14 -  3 -  2    
20  Plattsburgh St. (N.Y.)     22     12 -  2 -  4    
22  UC Santa Cruz               19       13 -  3 -  2    
23  Elmhurst (Ill.)                NR         12 -  3 -  3    
24  St. Olaf (Minn.)              NR       13 -  3 -  2    
25  Montclair State (N.J.)      24     15 -  1 -  2
   


Also receiving votes: Principia (Ill.), Calvin (Mich.), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (N.Y.), Bowdoin (Maine), Capital (Ohio), Hobart (N.Y.)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 03, 2009, 02:04:22 PM
NSCAA National Rankings


NCAA Rankings Regional Men  New England
Division III  9th Poll  - November 03, 2009


Rank   School                                                                   W-L-T   
1  Wesleyan (Conn.)
DA Connecticut College 2-0; DH Colby 5-0                  11  -  0  -  4
   
2  Williams (Mass.)
LA Middlebury 0-1; DH Connecticut College 3-0          12  -  2  -  1
   
3  Wheaton (Mass.)
DH Worcetser Polytchnic Institute 2-0                        16  -  3  -  1
   
4  Bowdoin (Maine)
DH Tufts 2-1; DH Trinity (Conn.) 3-0                           11  -  3  -  1
   
5  Eastern Connecticut State
DA UMB 3-1; DH Fitch. St 3-0; DA Ply St 3-2 (OT)        14  -  4  -  1
   
6  Amherst (Mass.)
DA Trinity (Conn.) 2-1; LH MIddlebury 1-2                   11  -  3  -  1
   
7  Babson (Mass.)
DA MIT 4-2                                                                   13  -  5  -  1
   
8  Trinity (Conn.)
LH Amherst; LA Bowdoin 0-3                                       10  -  4  -  1
   
9  Keene State (N.H.)
DA Connecticut College 1-0; DA South. Maine 2-1        13  -  6  -  0
   
10  Western New England (Mass.)
DA New England 3-0; DH New Engtland 3-2                 14  -  5  -  2
   
10  Middlebury (Vt.)
DH Williams 1-0; DA Amherst 2-1                                    9  -  4  -  2

   
 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: owl on November 03, 2009, 11:12:23 PM
Interesting to see Middlebury back there at #10 after knocking off #2 Williams and #6 Amherst.  Who woke the sleeping giant.  Ought to be quite a match between #1 Wesleyan and #10 Middlebury.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 04, 2009, 10:53:55 PM
ECSU 2 RIC 0
UMD 2 Keene St 1

UMD @ ECSU Saturday for LEC Championship
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 07, 2009, 06:16:33 PM
ECSU LEC Champs with 1-0 win over UMD
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on November 08, 2009, 03:28:12 AM
ECSU will have two teams in, right?  Nice!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 08, 2009, 09:32:40 AM
Quote from: Jim Matson on November 08, 2009, 03:28:12 AM
ECSU will have two teams in, right?  Nice!

Jim,

Yes Sir, the mens and women soccer are in the NCAA tourney!

Lets see how far thay can progress.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Bucket on November 08, 2009, 01:07:45 PM
Midd beats Wesleyan, 2-0.

Do the Panthers need to beat Williams (for the second time in a little more than a week)? Or are they in regardless?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: owl on November 08, 2009, 04:56:44 PM
Midd battled Williams very even to a 1-1 tie at regulation and gave up an own goal about 6 min into the first ot.  In the past 12 days, Midd beat Williams at home, Amherst away Wesleyan away and then lost to Williams in ot.  Some very tired lads walked off the field today.  Koodos to both Williams and Middlebury on a very good game.  In light of their recent play, it would be a shame if Middlebury did not make the tournament.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 08, 2009, 07:50:41 PM
Agreed,

NESCAC teams have best shot at progressing deep into NCAA tournament
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on November 08, 2009, 11:21:33 PM
Interesting to see Bowdoin make it in over Middlebury.  Better record perhaps, but it seemed like Middlebury played up when they needed to.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on November 09, 2009, 08:17:30 AM
Here are the observations from LaPaz, as posted on the D3 Futbol site.  He saw both NESCAC semi-final games on Saturday.

"Saw the games this weekend and felt Williams deserved to win.  I thought Wesleyan looked the worst out of all 4 teams. Maybe they just had a bad day. They have no offensive firepower and rely to much on their defense and superb goalkeeping. That keeper plays like a senior not a frosh.  For all you Bowdoin haters they belong in the tournament, that kid Jones has some wheels and they are very organized defensively...Williams scored on a keeper mistake, but Bowdoin had some chances but could not finish them.  They looked like the 2nd best team in tournament..Midd played well got lucky to tie Williams on a 25yard cracker from Redmond but that was their only real legitimate shot of the game.  Still it was fun to hear those Williams fans all gulp when that went in..The way Midd has owned Williams recently you would think that Midd would have found a way to win after that goal..Coincidently they lose the game on an own goal.  You can compare all the nescac teams to e/o all you want but Bowdoin got in b/c they beat Babson,St.Joe's, and Husson all NCAA tournament teams...argue the system all you want but thats the way it is.  Having seen them a few times this year they deserve it anyway."
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 09, 2009, 02:35:10 PM
Four NESCAC teams in NCAA Tournament, nice job!!

NESCAC by far strongest Conference in the country!!

Lets see if one of them can bring it home.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on November 12, 2009, 12:18:27 PM
Bowdoin thoughts for today's match?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: DIIIdad on November 12, 2009, 12:28:53 PM
Plattsburgh, but only because I picked them in my bracket.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on November 12, 2009, 06:40:13 PM
I didn't participate in the bracket, but I'd have been 0-3...as you can see on the Daily Dose.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 14, 2009, 09:46:38 PM
ECSU season ends with 1-0 loss to RPI
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on July 09, 2010, 08:29:00 PM
Below find ECSU Mens Soccer Newsletter for Summer 2010, which provides 2010 schedule, and a preview for 2010 season, which includes returning players and freshmen recruits.

ECSU will miss Maxim Fantl's leadership and offense this year, but looks to have picked up  a great recruiting class.

http://www.easternct.edu/athletics/men_soccer/documents/2010SummerNewsletter.pdf
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on August 04, 2010, 11:51:33 PM
Thanks.  See the front page for another young team...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 06, 2010, 02:31:29 PM
Wow 21ish out of 28 players frosh or sophs!!!  If Guiliano recruited the right guys, this could lead to 2-3 great seasons for the Thunder.  Good Luck to them in 2010.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: amh63 on August 11, 2010, 03:19:24 PM
Mid-August news is slow.  Here in Montgomery county, Md., there is a star player that has attracted attention/interest/offers from two NESCAC schools.  Rising Sherwood high senior Mauricio Navarette is reported to hold offers and firm interest from seven colleges to date. The Air Force Academy, the Navy Academy, Loyola (Md.), Yale, Amherst and Wesleyan U. seems to be in the hunt.  Mt. St. Mary (Md.) is the seventh.  Broad range of schools.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 09, 2010, 07:40:47 PM
First 2010 NSCAA New England poll

http://www.nscaa.com/SeniorResReg.php?it=1217&dv=3&rg=New_England
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 14, 2010, 08:48:52 PM
Eastern Connecticut now ranked #16 nationally.  Now at 4-0 with 2-0 win over Ramapo College of NJ last week.

http://www.nscaa.com/seniorRes.php?it=1235

Next Wheaton College, 9/15, then Trinity College, 9/21
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 18, 2010, 04:55:34 PM
ECSU over WCSU in Danbury this afternooon on beautiful strike by Jon DeCasanova, from 25 yards out!!  Now 5-0-1, and should move into D3 soccer poll this week.  Currently #16 in last weeks NSCAA poll. and #2 in NE behind Williams College.

Noticed a number of starters out today, ie Smiles, Furman, who must have taken a few knocks in the Wheaton game.

Hopefully these guys are back for the Trinity game on Tues.!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on September 21, 2010, 09:17:14 PM
ECSU moves into the Top 25 poll as predicted by ECSUalum.  They came in at No. 23, but with the loss to Trinity (Conn.) today, they'll need to win on Saturday to stay in the poll.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 22, 2010, 10:50:34 AM
Thanks for the comments Jim.  Yes, Eastern lost to another very good Trinity College team last night, 1-0, on a own deflection off a set piece @ 21 minutes into first half.  It was third year in a row Trinity keep a clean sheet vs Eastern and has won 7 out of last 8 times the teams have met!!!  Eastern played without 3 starters, (Juniors Smiles, Collins, and Furman, the latter, their leading scorer), due to injuries, (concussions/broken bones) incurred during a very physical Wheaton MA match, however, that's life in the game of soccer!

Trinity dominated the first half, while Eastern the second.  ECSU missed 2-3 very good 2nd half scoring opportunities.  A positive, is that a lot of freshmen/sophmores are getting playing time this year.  ECSU has 1 Senior and 7 Juniors on 2010 squad of 24.

Absolutely correct, Jim, need to keep winning/tying to stay in top 25 polls.  
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on September 22, 2010, 10:20:39 PM
How long are these starters due to be out?  For the season?  I hope not.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 23, 2010, 04:26:35 PM
Smiles - Junior - mild concussion, should be back soon.  Key defensive player in the back , excellent with set pieces.
Furman - Junior - broken cheek bone return, :o ??????  Top scoring threat together with Tobler
Collins -Junior - leg/ankle?, return, ????  :'(   Best midfielder on team, rock solid defence, experienced.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on September 23, 2010, 06:09:54 PM
Thanks for the info.  Tough injuries on key guys...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 25, 2010, 05:05:54 PM
ECSU loses to Keene State 2-1 today and look bad in the process!!!! :o

No consistent passing, just lobbing the ball forward every possession they get ???

Defense looks bad on breakaway by Senecal.

ECSU now needs to regroup as they have droped 2 in a row!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: nescac1 on October 07, 2010, 04:53:35 PM
Wow, incredible:

http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/dirty-tackle/post/There-s-another-member-in-the-fastest-goal-club?urn=sow-275360
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 08, 2010, 07:19:29 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on October 07, 2010, 04:53:35 PM
Wow, incredible:

http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/blog/dirty-tackle/post/There-s-another-member-in-the-fastest-goal-club?urn=sow-275360

nescac1,

That is one COOL video!!! Thanks for posting
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 11, 2010, 11:29:18 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 23, 2010, 04:26:35 PM
Smiles - Junior - mild concussion, should be back soon.  Key defensive player in the back , excellent with set pieces.
Furman - Junior - broken cheek bone return, :o ??????  Top scoring threat together with Tobler
Collins -Junior - leg/ankle?, return, ????  :'(   Best midfielder on team, rock solid defence, experienced.

Everyone is now back!! (although Collins not playing full 90 minutes recently)  Furman in first game back scored a hat trick vs Kean U last night in 3-0 win.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: tjcummingsfan on November 03, 2010, 09:14:06 PM
Watched the Keene State - UMD game tonight in Keene.  I feel awful for the UMD players and fans.  They sure got a raw deal with officiating tonight.

UMD was dominated most of the game, looking crisper, smarter, and more skilled.  UMD went up 1-0 in the first half, and was looking like they could continue to put pressure on Keene State. 

At one point in the second half there was a lot going on in the box in front of the UMD goal, it was pretty clear that a whistle was blown (to me and most of the UMD fans/coaches) and many of the UMD players stopped, Keene continued play and put the ball in the goal.  To the shock of just about everyone in the stadium it was ruled a goal.  There was no explanation offered to the coaches as to what the whistle was, or why play didn't stop.  This tied the game at 1-1.  Later in the half Keene State put in another goal on a pretty shot from 25-30 yards out into the top left corner just beyond the outstretched hands of the diving UMD goalie. 

Try as they might UMD couldn't come back after that second goal.  There were questionable calls throughout the rest of the half, which felt all the more offensive after the ridiculous goal call earlier in the half. 

This was the second or third Keene State game I've watched and after every one I've walked out just appalled at the lack of sportsmanship of Keene State.  After the final whistle blew Keene States players were taunting the UMD players seeming to revel more in UMD's loss than the KSC win.  Had I been a Keene State supporter I would have been extremely embarrassed.  Is this something that is well known of Keene State, or am I just used to better sportsmanship from the CCIW in the Midwest?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: zcat68 on November 05, 2010, 01:51:42 AM
I'm not sure about the sportsmanship issues, but UMD filed a protest that was upheld, the game is going to be replayed Friday.

http://www.corsairathletics.com/sports/m-soccer/spec-rel/110410aaa.html
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 05, 2010, 12:22:55 PM
UMD/KSC rematch  :o

WOW, that very interesting!!!

I was watching the KSC/UMD video while listening to  the ECSU/RIC audio.  I did see the play but did not catch the commentary with it.  Also hard to see with video quality just what happened.

A rematch shows that something with officiating did go whacky!!  Kudos to LEC for fair play.

Better than those idiots who run FIFA ;)

Both ECSU men and undefeated women's soccer seasons end with losses on PKs :-[ 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 11, 2010, 09:20:55 PM
ECSU gets Pool C bid to NCAA Tournament and defeats Nichols College 1-0 on DeCasanova, (assisted by Furman), goal at 23 minutes.  Next Bowdoin College on Sunday at Brunswick ME.,
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on November 12, 2010, 12:27:35 AM
I was just looking back on that issue with Keene and UMD.  I don't think that I can ever recall a match being replayed in my 28 years of watching D3 soccer.  Obviously with video, it is so much easier to examine a situation like a an inadvertent whistle, but it is still a very rare occurrence.  I will say on the contested match that Cliff McCrath is a solid man and as honest as they come - so if it was he who lead the decision to replay, then it was the correct decision.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 14, 2010, 04:39:41 PM
ECSU Warrior Men lose to Bowdoin 2-1.

Good Luck to Polar Bears for rest of NCAA Tournament!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: nescac1 on February 02, 2011, 07:31:24 PM
Lots of future NESCAC players listed here:

http://rise.espn.go.com/boys-soccer/articles/Honors/verbal-commitment-list/2011-Division-III.aspx?pursuit=BoysSoccer
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 03, 2011, 04:12:17 PM
ECSU over Clarkson U 3-0 in Lotto Classic. This was the season opener for the Warriors way up in Canton NY.  Tobler had 2, Esposito 1, clean sheet for Carl Appel.

Today ECSU meets #22 St Lawrence U., which looks to have a big strong team and returning most of last years squad. Should be a great game.

Final SLU 1    ECSU 0
Shots      18          4 which sort of tells the story
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 7express on September 09, 2011, 04:28:19 PM
Western's new head coach is the brother that used to coach my sister in youth soccer, and their friends of my parents, so I'll be going to a lot of games this year.  Western is 1-1 so far winning George Kostellis's debut on the 1st with a 2-1 victory over Albertus, before losing 2-0 to Union College last Tuesday.  They go on the road to Rutgers-Newark tomorrow.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 10, 2011, 08:03:04 PM
ECSU soccer played on newly renovated Nevers Field for the first time since 2008, defeating Ramapo College of NJ 5-0.
Five players contributed goals in a balanced attack: Matt Esposito, Cory Tobler, Jon DeCasanova, Luke Capezzone and Sean Collins.


  Shots by period       1  2  Tot                          Saves by period       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------                         -------------------------------
Ramapo College......  4  3 -  7                           Ramapo College......  1  2 -  3
Eastern Connecticut.  6  9 - 15                       Eastern Connecticut.  1  0 -  1

  Corner kicks            1  2  Tot                              Fouls                 1  2  Tot
-------------------------------                         -------------------------------
  Ramapo College......  4  4 -  8                         Ramapo College......  2  3 -  5
Eastern Connecticut.  4  3 -  7                         Eastern Connecticut.  6  5 - 11




Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: LaPaz on September 11, 2011, 05:45:16 PM
Can u explain the renovations?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 12, 2011, 10:57:46 AM
Nevers Field was renovated for improved drainage, was crowned, new grass turf, concession stand, improved player seating and coverage, new ECSU Soccer signage, and I think they increased bleacher seating, (not sure). Prior to 2011 the team played at the ECSU's Mansfield Sports Complex on an artificial turf soccer/LAX facility. Nevers Field is on campus, (North) next to new parking garages. 
REALLY DID A NICE JOB!!  Must be nice for the team as well!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 14, 2011, 10:17:45 PM
Matt Furman strikes with 22 seconds left in the match (89:38) on great cross from Kyle Suprenant and holds on in 2OT for a 1-1 tie @ Wheaton College, Norton MA.  ECSU returns to action on Sat. @ Nevers Field, for their first LEConference match with RIC.


Shots                    1   2  OT1  OT2  Total
........................................................
Eastern Conn. St.   6   7    1       0    14

Wheaton (Mass.)    7  11   1       2    21
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 18, 2011, 05:51:08 PM
From easternct.edu and by Bob Molta ECSU SID

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - Senior  midfielder Sean Collins (Bristol)  set up junior forward Matt Furman (Montville) for the only goal of the match 11 minutes into overtime to lift the Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team to a 1-0, double-overtime victory over Rhode Island College in the 2011 Little East Conference opener for both schools Saturday afternoon at Thomas Nevers Field.

The game-winning goal came on Eastern's third shot of overtime and just 38 seconds into the second ten-minute sudden death OT period. The Warriors won the kickoff to start the second OT period and sent the ball back to senior keeper Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ). Appel played the ball to  senior defender Aaron Smiles (Bedford, MA), who boomed a long ball from Eastern's defensive third down the left wing.  Collins caught up to the pass in perfect stride and one-timed a cross from the left side to the far right post. Hustling down the right wing, Furman headed the ball from the right post to the right of RIC senior keeper Nick Clark, who was stationed at the near post to cut down Furman's angle. The game-winning goal was the ninth of Furman's three-year career.



Furman and Tobler are on their way to monster offensive years if they both stay healthy.  Matt Esposito, Jon DeCasanova, and Kyle Suprenant will also be significant scoring threats, all with excellent supply from the likes of Aaron Smiles , who is also ECSU's set piece artist!!

Stats through 6 games or 1/3 of regular season
No.  Name              GP-GS  Min   G   A   Pts  Sh   Shot%   SOG    SOG% 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21 Matt Furman         6-4   341   4   2   10   15    .267       11      .733   
9  Cory Tobler            6-6   433   3   2    8   11    .273         6      .545   
5  Sean Collins          6-0   259   1   2     4     4    .250         2      .500   
3  Kyle Surprenant     6-6   308   1   2    4     4    .250         1      .250 
11 Jon DeCasanova    5-5   461   1   1    3     8    .125         3       .375 
10 Aaron Smiles         6-6   449   0   3    3     7    .000         2       .286   
   



RIC always puts excellent teams on the pitch every year and when it comes to LEConference games anything goes as every team in the conference can be spoilers.

ECSU and Keene are picked to be at the top of the conference, but RIC, UMass-Boston and UMass-Dartmouth have some very good talent this year and I expect a knock down drag out fight for the LEC crown and again in the LEC tournament/automatic NCAA bid

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 18, 2011, 05:58:43 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 18, 2011, 05:51:08 PM
From easternct.edu and by Bob Molta ECSU SID

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - Senior  midfielder Sean Collins (Bristol)  set up junior forward Matt Furman (Montville) for the only goal of the match 11 minutes into overtime to lift the Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team to a 1-0, double-overtime victory over Rhode Island College in the 2011 Little East Conference opener for both schools Saturday afternoon at Thomas Nevers Field.

The game-winning goal came on Eastern's third shot of overtime and just 38 seconds into the second ten-minute sudden death OT period. The Warriors won the kickoff to start the second OT period and sent the ball back to senior keeper Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ). Appel played the ball to  senior defender Aaron Smiles (Bedford, MA), who boomed a long ball from Eastern's defensive third down the left wing.  Collins caught up to the pass in perfect stride and one-timed a cross from the left side to the far right post. Hustling down the right wing, Furman headed the ball from the right post to the right of RIC senior keeper Nick Clark, who was stationed at the near post to cut down Furman's angle. The game-winning goal was the ninth of Furman's three-year career.



Furman and Tobler are on their way to monster offensive years if they both stay healthy.  Matt Esposito, Jon DeCasanova, and Kyle Suprenant will also be significant scoring threats, all with excellent supply from the likes of Aaron Smiles , who is also ECSU's set piece artist!!

Stats through 6 games or 1/3 of regular season
No.  Name              GP-GS  Min   G   A   Pts  Sh   Shot%   SOG    SOG% 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21 Matt Furman         6-4   341   4   2   10   15    .267       11      .733   
9  Cory Tobler            6-6   433   3   2    8   11    .273         6      .545   
5  Sean Collins          6-0   259   1   2     4     4    .250         2      .500   
3  Kyle Surprenant     6-6   308   1   2    4     4    .250         1      .250 
11 Jon DeCasanova    5-5   461   1   1    3     8    .125         3       .375 
10 Aaron Smiles         6-6   449   0   3    3     7    .000         2       .286   
   



RIC always puts excellent teams on the pitch every year and when it comes to LEConference games anything goes as every team in the conference can be spoilers.

ECSU and Keene are picked to be at the top of the conference, but RIC, UMass-Boston and UMass-Dartmouth have some very good talent this year and I expect a knock down drag out fight for the LEC crown and again in the LEC tournament/automatic NCAA bid.

Eastern goes to Trinity College on Wednesday. Trinity has historically been a tough match for the Warriors, however, I have a good feeling about Wednesdays match.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 10, 2011, 04:03:37 PM
From Bob Molta ECSU SID
WILLIMANTIC, Conn. - Sophomores Mitch Power (Douglas, MA) , Tom Vear (Monson, MA) and Nathan Mozian (Southington) scored first-half goals and senior keeper Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ) tied the Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer record with his 25th career shutout as the Warriors remained atop the Little East Conference standings with a 3-0 win over Keene State College Saturday afternoon at Thomas Nevers Field.
Ranked sixth in New England, Eastern (8-3-1, 4-0-0 little east) posted its first victory and first regular-season shutout  over Keene State (5-6-1, 2-2-0 little east) in 41 years and recorded its sixth home shutout in seven outings this season.  In 14 previous seasons of LEC regular-season play against the Owls, the Warriors had lost 11 and tied three.


Watched this game and have to say that Keene is one of the most physical teams I have seen in a long time.  However, this year they do not have the scoring punch they have had in previous years, even with Senecal still on the roster!!

Below see current LEC standings:
Team                          LEC   Overall
-------------------------------------
Eastern Connecticut      4-0     8-3-1
Rhode Island College      3-1     7-5
UMass Dartmouth          2-1-1  7-3-1
Keene State                 2-2     5-6-1
Southern Maine             2-2     2-10
UMass Boston               1-3     7-4
Plymouth State             1-3     2-8
Western Connecticut     0-3-1  1-8-2


Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 14, 2011, 02:14:09 PM
ECSU remaining schedule predictions:

UMass Boston......win in 2 OTs
Babson................tie in 2 OTs
USCGA................win
U Southern Maine.win
Becker................win
UMass Dartmouth..win

13-3-2 end of schedule record
wins LEC tournament
2-1 in NCAA Northeast Regionals

Am I only New England College soccer fan on this thread???? Everyone else must be preoccupied by UConn ::)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: LaPaz on October 14, 2011, 03:54:07 PM
Dont underestimate UMASS Dartmouth..they can be a tough out
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 15, 2011, 06:00:46 PM
LaPaz,

Your right conference play can be unpredictable, but I think Eastern will prevail primarily due to UMD's goals allowed/game avg, 1.62, vs 0.50 for ECSU.  Additionally, taking Eastern's 2.33 Goals/game avg., together with their stingy defense put them as the favorites.  Eastern's Sr keeper, Carl Appel, set an ECSU program record with 26 clean sheets today vs high scoring UMB. 

In other LEC action, Keene beat RIC today, so ECSU is in the drivers seat with a 5-0 conference record with only lowly USM, (Conf. 2-3, overall 3-11), and UMD, (Conf. 3-1-1, overall 9-4-1) in the way to a perfect LEC record.  This should guarantee home field advantage for the LEC tourney, unless something goes really bad!!!

Eastern plays one of their toughest opponents of the season in # 20 Babson College in a match in Willimantic on Sunday.  Should be a great match, hoping for a draw.  ECSU defeated Babson their previous two meetings @ Babson's 2009 and 2010 Fall Classic Tourneys .
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 22, 2011, 04:15:42 PM
ECSU rolls over U Southern Maine 6-0 this afternoon with goals by Furman (2), Tobler, Collins (2), Stensland. With the win they have clinched home field advantage  for the LEC tourny and #1 seed.  They have one more LEC match with 3-2-1 UM Dartmouth.
Teams in LEC Tournament in Willimantic will be: Eastern, Keene, RIC and UMD, ECSU vs UMD and Keene vs RIC.

Current standing are:
                         Conference        Overall
                     GP Record Win%  GP Record 
Eastern Conn   6    6-0    1.000  16   11-4-1 
Keene State    6    4-2    0.667  16     9-6-1   
Rhode Isl Col    6    4-2    0.667  16     9-7   
UMass Dart      6    3-2-1 0.583  16     9-6-1   
Plymouth St     6    2-4    0.333  14     4-10 
Southern Me    6    2-4   0.333   16     3-13   
UMass Boston   5   1-4    0.200   13    8-5 
Western Conn  5    0-4-1 0.100    14   1-11-2


Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 05, 2011, 10:54:09 PM
ECSU (14-5-1) wins LEC tournament with a 4-0 revenge blowout of UMass Dartmouth in the semifinal match yesterday and a 1-0 win over Keene State in today's championship game.  In today's match, Senior Matt Esposito converted a PK given when Carl Stensland was pull down in the box @ the 5:30 mark.  Esposito could have iced the match at 29:01, but missed a second PK when Matt Furman was hauled down.
Esposito named Tourney MVP.
ECSU qualifies for its 3rd consecutive NCAA Tournament.
Shots by period       1  2  Tot                            Saves by period       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------                         -------------------------------
Keene State College.  2  3 -  5                         Keene State College.  2  3 -  5
Eastern Connecticut.  6  5 - 11                         Eastern Connecticut.  2  1 -  3

Corner kicks            1  2  Tot                                  Fouls                 1  2  Tot
-------------------------------                         -------------------------------
Keene State College.  3  2 -  5                         Keene State College. 10 10 - 20
Eastern Connecticut.  4  1 -  5                         Eastern Connecticut.  7  3 - 10


Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 14, 2012, 07:20:05 PM
New England Colleges (bolded) in the Soccer Preseason poll


NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division III Men's - National - Pre-Season Ranking - August 7, 2012

2011 final record and ranking shown.
Rank School Prev. W-L-T
1 Ohio Wesleyan  1 23-2-0
2 St. Lawrence  8 18-1-1
3 Messiah  15 18-1-1
4 Rutgers-Camden  5 19-3-2
4 Trinity (Texas)  17 14-2-2
6 Amherst  10 16-2-2
7 Stevens Institute Of Technology  6 17-3-1
8 SUNY Oneonta  3 18-3-2
9 Texas-Tyler  7 18-3-2
9 University of Redlands  12 20-3-2
11 Montclair State  4 19-4-3
12 Ohio Northern  11 20-3-2
13 Christopher Newport  20 17-1-1
13 Calvin  2 19-6-2
15 Loras  19 17-4-2
16 St. Olaf  20 17-4-1
17 Dominican (Ill.)  20 19-3-0
18 Babson  13 16-3-4
19 Luther  14 17-4-2
20 Hope  9 17-5-4
21 Washington (Mo.)  23 15-4-1
22 Neumann  NR 14-5-1
23 Western New England  24 16-4-1
24 Wesleyan  24 15-4-1
25 Pacific Lutheran  NR 15-4-0
Also receiving votes: Trinity (Conn.), Dickinson (Pa.), Case Western Reserve (Ohio), DeSales (Pa.), SUNY Brockport, Eastern Connecticut State, Whitworth (Wash.)

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 1970s NESCAC Player on August 17, 2012, 12:50:30 AM
In this poll, you missed Wesleyan (CT) at No. 24.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 18, 2012, 06:34:29 PM
Quote from: Colbyunion on August 17, 2012, 12:50:30 AM
In this poll, you missed Wesleyan (CT) at No. 24.

Sorry, Did not intend to overlook our good buddies in Middletown!!!
NESCAC looks to have another strong conference of teams.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 29, 2012, 07:21:45 PM
ECSU picked to win the LEC again and return a potent offensive team:

## Name                  GP-GS  Min     G  A  Pts Sh   Shot%
21 Matt Furman          21-19 1140   9   4  22  42   .214 
9  Cory Tobler            21-18 1254   5   6  16  21   .238 
13 Mitch Power          22-7   863    6   2  14   19   .316   
30 Carl Stensland       20-19 1228   5   3  13  12    .417   
22 Tom Vear              20-6   893    4   5  13   19   .211

However, Keeper Carl Appel has graduated.   He had excellent stats:

Sr, Jordan Munsell will have a shot this year to fill those shoes


                                     |---GOAL AVERAGE---| |--SAVES--| |----RECORD----| Shots
## Name                 GP-GS  Minutes   GA    Avg Saves   Pct   W   L   T  Sho Faced
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1  Jordan Munsell         5-2    206:39    0    0.00    10 1.000     2   0   0    1    18
12 Carl Appel           21-20   1804:31   14   0.70    82  .854    13   6   1   10   195

The Warriors' 2012 season gets under way Saturday against  perennial powerhouse, Western New England University in Springfield MA.  Their schedule  also includes tough opponents such as Trinity College, Springfield College, Wesleyan Univ., and Babson College.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 03, 2012, 10:45:44 AM
Eastern Connecticut wins the Soccer City Shootout @ Western New England College:
http://www.wnegoldenbears.com/news/2012/9/2/MSOC_0902122702.aspx?path=msoc

Next up, the Warriors look to defeat the Trinity College Bantams after 3 straight losses!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 04, 2012, 06:01:05 PM


Eastern gets votes in preseason poll, then goes 2-0 to start the season, then drops out of first NSCAA/Continental Tire Poll  ??? ??? :o

NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division III Men's - National - Poll 1 - September 4, 2012
Rank School Prev. W-L-T
1 Trinity (Texas)  4 2-0-0
2 York (Pa.)  NR 2-0-0
3 Loras  15 2-0-0
4 Ohio Northern  12 2-0-0
5 Amherst  6 0-0-0
6 University of Rochester  NR 2-0-0
7 Wheaton (Ill.)  NR 2-0-0
8 Franklin & Marshall  NR 2-0-0
9 St. Lawrence  2 2-0-0
10 Babson  18 2-0-0
11 Muhlenberg  NR 2-0-0
12 Salisbury  NR 2-0-0
13 Carnegie Mellon  NR 2-0-0
14 St. Olaf  16 1-0-0
15 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps  NR 1-0-0
16 Dominican (Ill.)  17 1-0-1
17 Messiah  3 1-0-1
18 Stevens Institute Of Technology  7 1-1-0
18 Calvin  13 1-0-0
18 DePauw  NR 2-0-0
21 Wisconsin-Whitewater  NR 2-0-0
22 William Paterson  NR 2-0-0
23 Brandeis  NR 2-0-0
24 Whitworth  NR 1-0-1
24 Rutgers-Camden  4 1-0-0

Records are as submitted by the regional rankers and reflect the current 2012 record through Sept. 2

Also receiving votes: Montclair State, Ohio Wesleyan, Washington (Mo.), Wesleyan, Nazareth, Dickinson

OUR PARTNERS
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 09, 2012, 10:53:02 AM
ECSU Warriors improve to 3-0 as they defeat Ramapo College of New Jersey 1-0, yesterday, in Mahwah NJ.  Only goal scored was an own goal on a misheader by a Roadrunner player at the 66th minute, 12 minutes after Ramapo went down a man on a second yellow card incident. Eastern defense shuts out Ramapo's all time leading scorer, Senior Ron Santaniello, (21 goals in 2010, 55 career goals), for the second year in a row
Eastern defeated Ramapo last year in Willimantic 5-0.
ECSU's game vs Trinity College on Wed. was postponed due to bad weather, (no reschedule as of today).  The Warriors entertain Mitchell College on Wed Sept. 12th, then play their first LEConference match vs RIC on Sat. Sept 15th

Shots by period           1  2  Tot                         Saves by period       1  2  Tot
-------------------------------                         -------------------------------
Eastern Connecticut. 10  8 - 18                         Eastern Connecticut.  2  2 -  4
Ramapo..................  6  6 - 12                         Ramapo..................  6  2 -  8

Corner kicks               1  2  Tot                         Fouls                      1  2  Tot
-------------------------------                         -------------------------------
Eastern Connecticut.  5  3 -  8                         Eastern Connecticut.  4  8 - 12
Ramapo..................  3  2 -  5                         Ramapo..................  8  5 - 13


Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: amh63 on September 09, 2012, 01:09:40 PM
ECSUAlum.....how are you on this bright cool Sunday here in MD.  See you are busy on this board supporting soccer.
Amherst opened its season yesterday in New Hampshire against Colby-Sawyer.  Amherst won 6-0...a huge spread in soccer. 
The first three goals were scored by Spencer Noon, a senior from "just up the street" from you...Farmington H.S..  Have been following him since his FY when I watched him at York, PA when Amherst lost to York in the NCAA. Noon was selected NESCAC player of the year last year and if he continues to score at this rate, he will hold all the school records.
Amherst's rating this year is based on their fine season of last year and the fact that they returned all their top attackers this year....49 out of 50 point producers.  Coach wants the team to be more efficient this year and to improve the defensive side this year.  Though Colby-Sawyer is not a strong team...they lost to Brandeis 7-0...and only had 2 shots vs. 20 plus for Amherst.  Still, maybe Amherst's defense will improve this year.
Awaiting for a 3PM game against Bridgewater State today....it will be on video broadcast....so you can catch some of the game, if interested.
Did want to see the came against Trinity vs ECSU...but the storms caused the reschedule.  Hope to post and chat with you again soon.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 09, 2012, 03:27:46 PM
Hello Professor amh63!!

Hope you had a great Spring and Summer!!  Well, when you speak of Amherst athletics, really no matter which sport, mens, womens, they are the class of D-3 sports nationally and of course in New England and the NESCAC.  I will be wonderful if Spencer can lead the Lord Jeffs to the National Championship this year.  With Heo, Sucre, and MacNamera also adding offensive punch, the scoring this year will be phenominal! Additionally, if Learner, Aoyama, Wie and Wirtz can stick it to opponents top scorers and keep a low goals allowed total, they will beat teams like Stevens and move to the D-III championships. 
I also see Amherst will put another great BB team on the court this year!!  Eastern will be rebuilding after losing Kohn, Nedwick and Levy, but I am hoping Garrow and Salzillo back fill the team this year.

Good luck to Amherst mens and womens teams in 2012/13, and I will be rooting for the boys to take the D-III soccer walnut and bronze, (except if they play Eastern of course) ;).  It should be another exciting year of NCAA D-III competition this year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 11, 2012, 10:00:40 PM
For those who might have missed the first 2012 D3 poll:
September 11, 2012
D3soccer.com Men's Top 25, Week 2
Through games of Sunday, Sept. 9

# School (1st votes) Rec Pts Prev.
1 Trinity (Texas) (18) 5-0 613 -
2 St. Lawrence (7) 4-0 560 -
3 Loras 4-0-1 508 -
4 Amherst 2-0 475 -
5 Messiah 3-0-1 460 -
6 Franklin and Marshall 4-0 373 -
7 Ohio Northern 4-1 367 -
8 Rutgers-Camden 4-0 320 -
9 York (Pa.) 3-1 318   
10 Montclair State 4-0 317   
11 Babson 4-0-1 283 -
12 Brandeis 5-0 262 -

13 Rochester 3-1 255 -
14 Susquehanna 5-0 212 -
15 Carnegie Mellon 3-1 210 -
16 DePauw 4-0-1 208 -
17 New York University 4-0 178 -
18 Whitworth 3-0-1 173 -
19 Salisbury 4-1 170 -
20 UW-Whitewater 3-0 163 -
21 Ohio Wesleyan 2-1-1 160 -
22 Wheaton (Ill.) 3-1 140 -
23 Hope 3-1 120 -
24 Christopher Newport 2-1-1 117 -
25 Washington U. 3-0-1 113 -



Others Receiving Votes: Swarthmore 107, Dominican 105, Calvin 102, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps  75, Medaille 67, Wesleyan (CT) 65, Plattsburgh State 63, Nazareth 48, Williams 48, Dickinson 43, Allegheny 42, Luther 42, Texas-Tyler 27, Augsburg 25, Castleton State 20, Frostburg State 18, Whitman 17, Eastern Conn. State 16, Carleton 13, Chicago 12, St. Olaf 10, Lebanon Valley 10, Alvernia 8, Gustavus Adolphus 7, Stevens 7, Illinois Wesleyan 5, Wisconsin-Plattville 5, Misericordia 5, Methodist 3, Hiram 2, Drew 2, Greenville 2

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 12, 2012, 12:20:32 PM
For lack of a better place to discuss this,  Eastern has put together a student run weekly sports talk show, Eastern Athletics Weekly ,which will discuss all ECSU athletics teams, mens and womens, conduct interviews with student athletes and coaches and also cover hot topics in MLB, the NFL and the NBA. The next edition of Eastern Athletics Weekly can be seen live on LECTV  this Friday Sept 14th @ 11:00 am.
Nice job on the first show hosted by Nicholas Aconfora, Nicholas Minutelli and Sean Harrison. The inaugural and future presentations can be found @ "Recent Archives" on LittleEast.tv immediately upon completion of its live airing. see below for more details
 
http://nutmeg.easternct.edu/mt-static/athletics/2012/09/sports-talk-comes-to-eastern.html
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 30, 2012, 09:37:41 AM

DANBURY, Conn. -  One of the top defensive teams in the Little East Conference over the last six years,  Eastern Connecticut State University's offense is keeping pace in 2012.
Saturday, active career scoring leaders Matt Furman (Montville) and Cory Tobler (Portland), both seniors, scored second-half goals and the defense posted its sixth straight  shutout of Western Connecticut State University in as many seasons under head coach Greg DeVito in a 2-0 Little East Conference triumph Saturday night at the Westside Athletic Conference.

Ranked fourth in New England, Eastern (9-0-0, 3-0 LEC) remains one of two unbeatens in the conference, along with UMass Dartmouth. The Corsairs pounded Rhode Island College, 4-1, Saturday. Keene fell from the ranks of the conference unbeatens with a 1-0 home loss to Plymouth State College.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 02, 2012, 06:11:33 PM
D3soccer.com Men's Top 25, Week 5
Through games of Sunday, September 30, 2012

# School (1st Pl. Votes) Record Pts. Prev.
1 Trinity (Texas) (18) 10-0-1 613 1
2 Messiah (2) 9-0-1 597 2
3 Amherst (4) 7-0-0 553 3
4 St. Lawrence 9-1-0 514 4
5 Carnegie Mellon 8-1-0 499 6
6 Loras 11-1-1 489 7
7 New York Univ. (1) 9-0-0 466 8
8 Brandeis 9-0-1 442 5 9 Montclair State 10-1-0 438 9
10 Ohio Northern 10-2-0 324 13
11 Whitworth 8-0-2 308 12
12 York (Pa.) 8-2-1 306 11
13 Susquehanna 9-1-0 290 14
14 Rutgers-Camden 8-2-0 269 10
15 Ohio Wesleyan 6-1-3 199 15
16 Williams 6-0-1 188 18
17 Olivet 10-0-1 164 24
18 Swarthmore 7-1-1 164 19
19 Dominican 7-1-1 146 21
20 Hiram 9-0-1 146 —
21 Plattsburgh State 11-1-0 143 17
22 UW-Platteville 10-1-1 120 25
23 Salisbury 7-2-1 119 16
24 Eastern Connecticut 9-0-0 75 —
25 Babson 8-2-1 66 —
Dropped out: No. 20 Franklin and Marshall, No. 22 Wheaton (Ill.), No. 23 Chicago

Receiving Votes: Carleton 64, Stevens 62, Frostburg State 45, Medaille 41, Christopher Newport 40, DePauw 30, Dickinson 30, Franklin and Marshall 19, Allegheny 17, Illinois Wesleyan 17, Scranton 17, Wheaton (Ill.) 17, Oberlin 14, Lasell 10, Carthage 8, Gustavus Adolphus 8, Mississippi College 7, North Carolina Wesleyan 7, Bowdoin 6, Chicago 5, MIT 5, Albertus Magnus 4, Puget Sound 4, Transylvania 3, Calvin 2, Centre 2, Colorado College 1, Penn State-Behrend 1

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 02, 2012, 07:54:13 PM
ECSU goes to 10-0 this evening with 2-1 win over Worcester St.  Now the tough part of the schedule with Keene St, Wesleyan, Trinity, Babson and UMAss Dart.

NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division III Men's - National - Poll 5 - October 2, 2012
Rank School Prev. W-L-T
1 Trinity (Texas)  1 10-0-1
2 Amherst  2 7-0-0
3 Messiah  3 9-0-1
4 Carnegie Mellon  4 8-1-0
5 Loras  5 11-1-1
6 New York University  6 9-0-0
7 Olivet  8 10-0-1
8 Montclair State  17 10-1-0
9 Brandeis  10 9-0-1
10 St. Lawrence  9 9-1-0
11 Whitworth  11 8-0-2
12 Dominican (Ill.)  13 7-1-1
13 Ohio Wesleyan  14 6-1-3
14 York (Pa.)  14 8-2-1
15 Susquehanna  16 9-1-0
16 Carleton  22 9-1-0
17 Williams  19 6-0-1
18 Rutgers-Camden  6 8-2-0
19 Wisconsin-Platteville  25 10-1-1
20 Dickinson  20 8-1-1
21 Hiram  RV 9-0-1
22 Stevens Institute Of Technology  RV 8-2-0
23 Carthage  NR 8-2-0
24 Eastern Connecticut State  NR 9-0-0
25 Ohio Northern  18 10-2-0
25 Colorado College  NR 8-3-0

Records are as submitted by the regional rankers and reflect the current 2012 record through Sept. 30

Also receiving votes: Swarthmore, Salisbury, Puget Sound, University of Rochester

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 04, 2012, 11:06:12 AM
A very interesting article, on Keene State's 15th anniversary in the Little East. Well written and informative re how a D-II school transitioned to D-III.

http://keeneowls.com/news/2012-13/20120913LECStory
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: LaPaz on October 05, 2012, 03:24:52 PM
Moat interesting part of article is how negative soccer coach Ron Butcher was/is to going to D3. Think it has anything to do with him not being as successful? I think it was a great move for the school and an interesting article. Buthcher comes off as negative, cynical and pushing himself out the door at Keene. He needs to retire.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 10, 2012, 06:36:26 PM
ECSU Warriors hold on to defeat the Wesleyan Cardinals 1-0 on a Matt Furman goal, (assist Cory Tobler) at the 7 min mark.     whew!!!  Wesleyan has some outstanding players and really pressured the ECSU defense all game!!!!

Goals by Period     1 2  Total
Wesleyan University   0 0 -   0
Eastern Connecticut  1 0 -   1

Shots by Period    1  2  Total
Wesleyan University  13 13 - 26
Eastern Connecticut  3    0 - 3

Saves by Period    1 2  Total
Wesleyan University  1 0 - 1
Eastern Connecticut  3 2 - 5

Fouls by Period    1 2  Total
Wesleyan University  4 3 - 7
Eastern Connecticut  3 6 - 9

Corners by Period  1 2  Total
Wesleyan University   1 7 - 8
Eastern Connecticut  0 2 - 2

Offsides by Period  1 2  Total
Wesleyan University   1 0 - 1
Eastern Connecticut  1 2 - 3
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jump4Joy on October 10, 2012, 06:45:50 PM
ECSUA, congrats on the 1-0 win. Who are the players to watch on Wesleyan? The ones who pressured the ECSU backs?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 10, 2012, 07:00:00 PM
Rory O'Neill a 6'4" midfielder who is very dangerous especially on set pieces, and Chris Kuehn another midfielder, who actually took 9 shots.  Kuehn and O'Niell, combined, took 13 of the 26 shots. ECSU actually had zero shots in period 2!!!
Eastern has a relatively tall team with defenseman Jordan Clark @ 6-5, and just about all of thier starting backs at 6 feet, so I think that helped to keep a clean sheet. 

We have Babson and UM Dartmouth coming up!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 10, 2012, 07:30:51 PM
NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division III Men's - National - Poll 6 - October 9, 2012
Rank School Prev. W-L-T
1 Trinity (Texas)  1 11-0-1
2 Amherst  2 8-0-1
3 Messiah  3 11-0-1
4 Loras  5 12-1-1
5 Carnegie Mellon  4 8-1-1
6 Olivet  7 12-0-1
7 St. Lawrence  10 11-1-0
8 Montclair State  8 12-1-0
9 Brandeis  9 11-0-1
10 Whitworth  11 9-0-2
11 Dominican (Ill.)  12 10-0-0
12 Hiram  21 11-0-1
13 Wisconsin-Platteville  19 11-1-1
14 York (Pa.)  14 10-2-1
15 Stevens Institute Of Technology  22 10-2-0
16 Swarthmore  NR 8-1-1
17 Williams  17 7-0-2 18 Calrleton  16 10-1-1
19 Rutgers-Camden  18 10-2-1
20 New York University  6 9-1-1
21 Ohio Northern  25 12-2-0
22 University Of Scranton  NR 9-0-1
23 Illinois Wesleyan  NR 10-1-0
24 Colorado College  25 10-3-0
25 Eastern Connecticut State  24 10-0-1
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: amh63 on October 11, 2012, 03:59:41 PM
ECSU....Nice work on this board.  It may be possible that Amherst will have a chance to meet your team this season in the post season.   Your women's team gave Amherst's women's team quite a game recently.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 11, 2012, 09:36:19 PM
amh63,
Thanks, ECSU will have to come up with a strategy to deal with Noon and the 6-5 Sucre brothers, (is one injured?), if they are going to be successful vs the Lord Jeffs.
Ladies did OK, but need to be more crisp in their passing and maintain better ball possession.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: amh63 on October 14, 2012, 12:23:36 PM
ECSU....In this weekend's game against Colby, at Amherst, both the brothers played.  Game injuries are hard to fine and never reported on by the school before and after the games.  Amherst won 2-0 and seemed to be letting younger players do the scoring.  Amherst is very deep and the FY goalie is progressing well it seems as he has another shut-out.
Sorry, I checked the writeup and one of the brothers did NOT play.  My bad as they say these days.  However, in Sunday's game....today...against Bowdoin at home, FY player, Singer was put in and scored his first goal near the end of the first half.  Singer is a 6'5" player from San Jose, CA being used up front as an attacker.  Score at the half is 1-0.  Amherst is using a large number of players today in a game that Bowdoin is still in and could surprise. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 14, 2012, 10:13:59 PM
amh63,

Thanks for the info, in fact I watched the match with Bowdoin on the Amherst stream this afternoon, (and BTW, the Williams vs Babson match).
Amherst mens soccer is #2 in the country because of Noon, Hoe, young, (6'5"), players like Singer, and the Lord Jeffs extraordinarily tough Defense.  I looked at the Amherst roster and height numbers and could not believe the number of players/starters who are above 6'2" foot!! They will go far this year in the NCAAs, good luck to them!!

I watched ECSU have their way with UMBoston this Sat in Willi defeating them 7-0.  They have Coast Guard, Babson, and UMD coming up, which should tell us if they really belong in the top 23
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jump4Joy on October 18, 2012, 04:59:09 PM
What do you all think of these NCAA regional rankings that just came out?
New England                           
1   Amherst      11-0-1   11-0-1            
2   Williams      9-0-2      9-0-2            
3   Brandeis      11-1-1   12-1-1            
4   ECSU              12-0-1   12-0-1            
5   Wesleyan (CT)   7-2-2      7-2-2            
6   Babson      11-3-1   11-3-1            
7   Tufts              6-2-3      6-2-3            
8   MIT              8-3-1      8-3-1            
9   Roger Williams   11-4-0   11-4-0            
10   Bowdoin      7-3-2      7-3-2            
11   UMass-Dart      10-3-0   10-3-0
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 19, 2012, 05:11:25 PM
Quote from: Jump4Joy on October 18, 2012, 04:59:09 PM
What do you all think of these NCAA regional rankings that just came out?
New England                           
1   Amherst      11-0-1   11-0-1            
2   Williams      9-0-2      9-0-2            
3   Brandeis      11-1-1   12-1-1            
4   ECSU              12-0-1   12-0-1            
5   Wesleyan (CT)   7-2-2      7-2-2            
6   Babson      11-3-1   11-3-1            
7   Tufts              6-2-3      6-2-3            
8   MIT              8-3-1      8-3-1            
9   Roger Williams   11-4-0   11-4-0            
10   Bowdoin      7-3-2      7-3-2            
11   UMass-Dart      10-3-0   10-3-0

NESCAC continues to dominate the region!!!!!

ECSU now 13-0 with 1-0 victory over US Coast Guard Acad.. Matt Furman's 12th goal this year and his 15th career game winner.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 20, 2012, 06:26:04 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on October 19, 2012, 05:11:25 PM
Quote from: Jump4Joy on October 18, 2012, 04:59:09 PM
What do you all think of these NCAA regional rankings that just came out?
New England                           
1   Amherst      11-0-1   11-0-1            
2   Williams      9-0-2      9-0-2            
3   Brandeis      11-1-1   12-1-1            
4   ECSU              12-0-1   12-0-1            
5   Wesleyan (CT)   7-2-2      7-2-2            
6   Babson      11-3-1   11-3-1            
7   Tufts              6-2-3      6-2-3            
8   MIT              8-3-1      8-3-1            
9   Roger Williams   11-4-0   11-4-0            
10   Bowdoin      7-3-2      7-3-2            
11   UMass-Dart      10-3-0   10-3-0

NESCAC continues to dominate the region!!!!!

ECSU now 13-0 with 1-0 victory over US Coast Guard Acad.. Matt Furman's 12th goal this year and his 15th career game winner.

Make that 14-0 with 3-0 win over University of Southern Maine.  Big out of conference game tomorrow with Babson, then hopefully ECSU will wrap up LEConference Championship and home field advantage with win over UMass Dartmouth next Sat. UMD lost to Keene St 1-0 today.


2012 Men's Standings    Conf   Overall
Eastern Connecticut      5-0-1 14-0-1
Mass-Dartmouth           5-1-0 11-4-0
Keene State                 4-1-1 9-6-1
Plymouth State             3-3-0 6-9-0
Rhode Island College      2-4-0 4-10-1
Western Connecticut     2-4-0 3-10-2
Mass-Boston                1-5-0 4-9-2
Southern Maine            1-5-0 4-12-0
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 21, 2012, 08:27:49 PM
First loss for the Warriors @ Babson 1-0 in 2OT goal scored @ the 101 minute mark!!!

Eastern Connecticut                                     Babson College
## Player                 MIN  GA Saves                 ## Player                 MIN  GA Saves
---------------------------------------                 ---------------------------------------
1  Jordan Munsell...... 101:09  1     3                 1  Jackson Klein....... 101:09  0     4
TM TEAM................   0:00  0     1

Shots by period       1  2 OT O2  Tot                   Saves by period       1  2 OT O2  Tot
-------------------------------------                   -------------------------------------
Eastern Connecticut.  5  5  1  1 - 12                   Eastern Connecticut.  2  2  0  0 -  4
Babson College......    5  7  1  1 - 14                      Babson College...... 1  2  1  0 -  4

Corner kicks             1  2 OT O2  Tot                   Fouls                     1  2 OT O2  Tot
-------------------------------------                   -------------------------------------
Eastern Connecticut.  2  1  0  0 -  3                   Eastern Connecticut.  0  6  1  0 -  7
Babson College......    3  2  0  0 -  5                       Babson College...... 5  5  2  0 - 12
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 27, 2012, 09:35:08 PM
Cory Tobler's 92:56 strike in OT for a 2-1 win clinches the LEC regular season title and home field advantage for the Warriors. They face Plymouth State in the first round of the LEC tourney. 

Final LEC standings:

2012 Men's Standings       LEC    Overall
Eastern Connecticut        6-0-1   15-1-1
Keene State                   5-1-1  11-6-1
Mass-Dartmouth              5-2-0  11-6-0
Plymouth State               4-3-0  7-10-0
Southern Maine               2-5-0  5-13-0
Rhode Island College        2-5-0   4-13-1
Western Connecticut       2-5-0   3-12-2
Mass-Boston                  1-6-0   5-10-2
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 03, 2012, 02:39:37 PM
Eastern wins LEC Tournament with 3-1 defeat of UMass Dartmouth.  Hopefully we will have a couple of NCAA games @ Nevers Field this upcoming week for the first time.  Congrats to Coach De Vito and the Warriors soccer team. 
BYW Cory Tober played a fantastic game even while being mugged by UMD all afternoon!!  Great job Cory!!!. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 05, 2012, 01:45:22 PM
Eastern Warriors get NCAA National Tournament first round matchup vs St Lawrence U!!  A very good team now and historically, (Overall Current Record 13-2-3 (5-2-1 Liberty League)), with team top scorer, Sam DeMello, (11 goals, -1 assists, -23 points).  Eastern lost to them last year (first game of season), 1-0 in Canton NY.

The Bracket is posted on NCAA.com and you can Watch a replay of NCAA.com D-III Mens Soccer Selection Show:  http://www.ncaa.com/video#!soccer-men/2012-11-05/diii-mens-soccer-2012-selection-show
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 1970s NESCAC Player on November 05, 2012, 01:50:17 PM
ECSU should have a good chance this time.  Per LaPaz, DeMello's hamstring injury will keep him out for the remainder of the year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 05, 2012, 02:04:24 PM
Thanks Colby,

Looks like ECSU will be travelling to Williams College, Williamstown MA, for the first round game with St Lawrence.
Williams College will play Thomas (ME) (15-2-3)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 07, 2012, 03:41:56 PM
Warrior striker Matt Furman named LEC offensive POY, and Bradley Fletcher defensive POY!!  Congrats to MAtt and Brad and all the players names to the All LEC Teams
http://www.littleeast.com/sports/msoc/2012/news/20121106-msoc-all-conference
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: magicman on November 10, 2012, 05:15:01 PM
St. Lawrence wins a hard fought battle against Eastern Connecticut 2-1 in double OT.

SUNYAC champion Oneonta State defeats MIT 4-2.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on January 04, 2013, 04:04:45 PM
 Eastern Soccer Programs Recognized For Sporting Behavior     
WILLIMANTIC, Conn. -- Eastern Connecticut State University is one of only four institutions nationwide – the only one from New England -- to have both its men's and women's soccer programs qualify for a 2012 National Soccer Coaches' Association of America (NSCAA) Ethics Award.

The Eastern men's and women's soccer team both qualified for a Bronze Team Ethics Award for accumulating ten or less yellow and no red cards over the course of the 2012 season. The Eastern men were issued eight yellow cards in 20 matches during a 17-2-1 season and the women's team was given three yellow cards in 18 matches during a 9-6-3 campaign.


Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jim Matson on January 08, 2013, 09:05:25 PM
Well deserved!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 30, 2014, 12:42:10 PM
Eastern defeats Castleton State @ Castleton, 1-0 on Freshman Adam Traxler's header (assist by So Konnor Scarponi). 
Eastern opens at home Tuesday against Wesleyan University at 4:30 p.m. at Thomas Nevers Field.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 03, 2014, 02:07:32 PM
A very young, (5 jr, the rest Freshman/So on a team of 23), ECSU squad was defeated by a veteran Wesleyan Cardinals team yesterday afternoon by a score of 1-0.   Freshman forward Adam Cowie-Haskell made his first career goal, (@74.57), a game-winner that lifted Wesleyan University men's soccer team over the Warriors.  The first half of play was relatively even under harsh weather condition of high humidity and 90 degree heat, and the Warriors had 2-3 legitimate scoring chances, however the Cardinals dominated play/possession the last quarter of the match, with Eastern seemingly running out of steam, (conditioning??). Senior Ben Bratt led a sensational Cardinal defense yesterday, breaking up numerous ECSU offensive drives.

ECSU returns to action vs MIT on Saturday in Cambridge MA.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: madzillagd on September 03, 2014, 07:03:23 PM
Watched some of the Thomas - St. Joe's (Maine) match today. St. Joes is 0-3 and have been outscored 13-2.  Lost 13 players and a new coach, going to be a looong year for the Monks.  Been tracking them because my nephew played hoops with their goalie Scott Benner.  Great kid and good goalie, but he's just outmatched with no help.  Had 42 saves in 16 starts last year; he's already got 18 in 3 games this year with 72 shots(!) by opponents so far.  All he needs is the blindfold and hands tied to make it a true firing squad.   I believe you file this one under character-building year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 07, 2014, 06:40:07 PM
from gowarriorathletics.com

Battle of NCAA Tourney Teams Ends in Draw
Scoring Summary
1st - 10:59 Sean Bingham (MIT) 
1st - 30:48 Konnor Scarponi (Eastern Conn. St.) 
1st - 38:21 Sean Bingham (MIT) 
2nd - 59:24 Gavin Neuendorf (Eastern Conn. St.) 

TEAM STATISTICS
                      ECSU  MIT
Shots (on goal) 8 (7) 14 (8)
Saves               5        4
Fouls                6        8
Corner Kicks     4        6
Offsides 0 0

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Junior back Gavin Neuendorf (Norwich) scored his second career goal in the 60th minute to give the Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team a 2-2 tie with MIT Saturday afternoon at Steinbrenner Stadium. The match was called prior to the start of overtime due to thunderstorms.
Junior All-America midfielder Sean Bingham – a 21-goal scorer least year -- scored his third and fourth goals of the year for MIT (1-0-1), giving the Engineers a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute and a 2-1 lead in the 39th minute. First-year sophomore transfer Konnor Scarponi (Brunswick, ME) tied the match with his first goal at Eastern (1-1-1) in the 31st minute, and Neuendorf scored an unassisted goal in the 60th minute to help Eastern tie the match for the second time.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 14, 2014, 12:21:26 PM
from gowarriorathletics.com
Warriors Continue Unbeaten Ways Vs. Ramapo
Eastern Conn. St. (1-1-2) 
Ramapo (3-2-1) 
Scoring Summary

1st - 34:43 Tyler Jones (Eastern Conn. St.) 
2nd - 69:45 Modou Sowe (Ramapo) 

MAHWAH,  N.J. – After experiencing little success against Ramapo College of New Jersey in the first eight years of this century, the Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team has come full circle. Saturday, first-year sophomore Tyler Jones (Vernon) scored his first goal at Eastern late in the first half and the Warriors extended their unbeaten streak against the Roadrunners to seven in a 1-1, double overtime draw Saturday afternoon at the Ramapo Athletic Center
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 16, 2014, 07:22:19 PM
ECSU mens soccer loses a heart breaker 1-0 to a 3-0-2 Albertus Magnus side with 2 minutes to go in 2nd OT after dominating most of the match!! (Box score not out yet).  Eastern had plenty of chances to win but just could not finish this afternoon. Sr John DeCasenova who has been struggling, and beat Lukemia, started his first game in 2 years.  IMO, ECSU played one of their best halves I have seen this year, with DeCasenova in the line-up, but frustratingly could not score!!  Unfortunately that's the way soccer games end sometimes. 
The Warriors begin conference play Saturday evening @ WestConn.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 18, 2014, 10:14:16 PM
ECSU men's soccer coach Greg DeVito, Jon Decasanova and rest of the men's soccer team will be honored this fall with the 2014 National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)/Be the Match Awareness Award.
The award will be presented Nov. 7 at the annual National Marrow Donor Program's Council Meeting in Minneapolis MN.

http://gowarriorathletics.com/sports/msoc/Awareness_Award
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 21, 2014, 08:25:40 AM
Viewed the ECSU @ WCSU live last night in Danbury.  Eastern started the match really well, with excellent ball movement via crisp passing in the midfield and took an 1-0 lead on a beautiful hookup by So Konor Scarponi off a Gavin Neuendorf cross @ 25'.  Then Western scored @ 41 ' and Eastern play deteriorated considerably there after.  Warrior defensive weakness has often been leading to opponent goals recently, case in point the last minute goal to Albertus Magnus on Tues, primarily as a result of failure to clear in the box due to giveaways.   
Eastern's second half was marginally better with So Tyler Jones slipping by Westconn's goalkeeper, (@ 75' mark), off a feed from Jr Cooper D'Ambrosio, for a very nice finish. However, play still resembled kickball.  Suffice it to say that the Warriors need to develop more consistency in the midfield and tighten up on D especially during the tense late stages of close games.  IMO, early in their matches, (first 25 min) they can look very dangerous, while later can be disorganized and uncomfortable on the ball.
Hopefully experience/playing time between the So newcomers and the many freshman will sort this situation out.

MAN of the MATCH was Sophomore Konnor Scaponi who gave Colonial defenders lots of trouble last night!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 23, 2014, 05:00:15 PM
ECSU vs Gordon 0-0 at halftime. Gordon, who takes a LOT of shots, so far most from 20 yards out, has been out played by Eastern in the first half. Eastern doing a pretty good job with ball possession and scoring chances, but nobody can finish.
The Eastern TV CAMERA work for this game is horrible, (ie the play is in one location on the field and the camera is pointed somewhere else), and on top of this someone needs to clean the lens!!!!  Sooo frustrating!!  As I have stated before and I'll state again, how difficult can this be!!!!!?????
I will give credit to Matt Bosse, he is doing an excellent job on the play by play!!

Hopefully the Warriors can finish in the 2nd half... they have come close 3 times so far!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 23, 2014, 07:54:41 PM
ECSU defeats Gordon 1-0
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 01, 2014, 11:11:47 AM
Write-up on ECSU's 6-0 victory over Salem State:
http://gowarriorathletics.com/sports/msoc/2014-15/releases/20140930y7lzbd
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: amh63 on October 01, 2014, 12:17:34 PM
ECSU.....nothing to say about a 6-0 game outcome I see.  Your posts here have been enjoyable for me...educational really. :)   I have posted that I do not understand the game...it's many nuances ... how one individual can often change a team game.  Very fustrating for me to watch...therefore..remain a poor student.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 01, 2014, 12:51:42 PM
Amh63,
Poor Salem State... everybody is beating on them this year.  It was a good game for the freshman Warriors to get some playing time, and obviously they did  very well!!
I think Coach DeVito will have a pretty good team in 2015-6 and 2016-7 if all these Fr. and So. players pan out.  I really like sophomore forwards Konnor Scarponi and Tyler Jones, both leading scorers this year.  Greg Walton our keeper is pretty solid and we have a very good defense.  Number 1 this year is to get the young players some experience in the college game and hope for bigger things next 2 years!!

BTW, looking forward to another NCAA tourney appearance from the Lord Jeffs this year. The team is just starting to rock and roll :)  Hope everyone stays healthy!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 11, 2014, 09:01:04 PM
Cancer survivor Jon DeCasanova scores his first goal this year and since 2011 to lead ECSU over U of Southern Maine 4-0
http://gowarriorathletics.com/sports/msoc/2014-15/releases/20141011d6edhf
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 16, 2014, 10:47:50 AM
Some observations about the Oct 14 NSCAA New England rankings:

#1 Brandeis - the Judges have played and beaten the #s 4, 5, 6, and 7 teams in New England. They have earned #1.

#2 Amherst - defeated #8, tied #s 5 and 9.

#3 Coast Guard - Defeated #7.  Still must play Wheaton and WPI, but seems overrated based on soft schedule to date.

#4 Wheaton - Defeated #6 and 7, lost to #1.  This is a dangerous team with a lot of talent and should be ranked #3.

#5 Tufts - lost to #1 and tied #s 2 and 9

#6 WPI - lost to #s 1 and 4

#7 Babson - defeated #8, lost to #s 1, 3 and 4 as well as nationally ranked #4 (Oneonta).  All 4 losses have been to nationally ranked teams.

#8 Williams - defeated #9, lost to #s 2 and 7.  This ranking seems about right.

#9 Middlebury - Tied #s 2 and 5, lost to #8

#10 Nichols - has not played any of the currently ranked teams

Brandeis and Babson have played the toughest schedules which should help for potential NCAA selection.  Babson does not have a huge margin for error and will likely have to beat WPI and possibly Bowdoin to be comfortable.  Tufts also looks well positioned with a probable win over Williams Saturday.  Brandeis last year (and also this year) swept New England competition and then seems to stumble in conference which leads me to believe that the UAA may for the moment be stronger than the NESCAC and NEWMAC.

Coast Guard and Nichols have not really been sufficiently tested, but this weekend's Coast Guard vs. WPI game should tell us more about each team.  Neither team has much offensive firepower, so I think WPI takes that one 1-0 if either can find the net.  Either Nichols or Gordon, but not both, gets into the NCAA tournament due to weak scheduling.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 18, 2014, 07:14:18 PM
from gowarriorathletics.com:
ECSU defeats Rhode Island College 2-0, but gets mugged in the process, losing two key players to injury.  Having been issued 12 yellow cards through its first 13 matches, Rhode Island accumulated two more in a span of less than three minutes in the first half. One minute later, RIC head coach John Mello was given a red-card ejection. Eastern lost sophomore scoring leader Tyler Jones and  starting sophomore midfielder Nicholas Warren – second on the team in assists – to injuries in the first half, neither of whom returned. Jones left the match in the 17th minute, and Warren followed five minutes later.
Rhode Island College players need to be disciplined, however I think Mello encourages these actions. As well, the referee for this game was A JOKE!!! On the other hand ECSU has the best record in the LEC with respect to fouls, yellow and red cards. This RIC style of play is frankly pathetic !!!!!!!!
This mugging may cost the Warriors a LE Conference title, if Jones and Warren are out for an extended period.   >:(  :o
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2014, 09:21:12 PM
RIC coach is known to be an absolute nightmare. What led up to him getting the red?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 19, 2014, 10:18:03 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 18, 2014, 09:21:12 PM
RIC coach is known to be an absolute nightmare. What led up to him getting the red?

Not sure, however he probably made a poor choice of words to the ref based on some play on the field he did not agree with ::)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 22, 2014, 04:05:52 PM
Regional rankings for 10/22:

1.  Brandeis - consensus best team in New England
2.  Coast Guard - will likely slide with ECSU tie and projected loss at Wheaton Saturday
3.  Tufts
4.  Amherst
5.  Wheaton
6.  Babson - must beat WPI and ECSU to rise
7.  Wesleyan - Trinity and Middlebury games this week put this ranking in jeopardy
8.  Gordon - this may be near their ceiling given the soft schedule
9.  Middlebury - must beat Wesleyan to partially offset loss to Castleton St.
10.  Williams - Middlebury and Wesleyan are best wins so also hurt by Middlebury loss
11.  WPI - must beat Babson to stick

Brandeis, Amherst, Tufts and Wheaton will be a solid top 4 with positions 5-11 up for grabs with some key games this weekend.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 24, 2014, 10:12:32 AM
Looking forward to the 10/29 rankings...

1. Brandeis - entrenched at #1, no games this week
2. Tufts - moves to #2 with win vs. Hamilton
3. Amherst - might they take Mt St Mary's lightly, should win and move up to #3
4. Wheaton - key NEWMAC game vs. Coast Guard.  Solidifies position in top 4 with win.
5. Coast Guard - could surprise naysayers with win vs Wheaton and stay at #2.  will slide to #5 with expected 2-1 loss
6. Babson - tough weekend vs WPI and ECSU.  SOS, already among the best in region, will improve.  Could climb with 2 wins or drop out entirely with 2 losses.  Prediction:  1-0 win over WPI, 0-0 tie to ECSU
7. Wesleyan - holds on to #7 with win at Middlebury, loss would drop them to 10 or 11
8. Gordon - holds position with win over Salve Regina
9. Williams - beats Bates and moves up 1 spot as Middlebury drops
10. Middlebury
11. WPI with win or tie vs Babson, OR ECSU with win vs Babson, OR Trinity with win vs. Conn
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 25, 2014, 05:34:14 PM
UMass Dartmouth outplayed Eastern today and deserved the win 1-0.  The Warriors played like the young team that they are today :-[
So, that is basically it for winning the conference and home field advantage, which is not an advantage this year, so maybe that a good thing. They better play a LOT better in the LEC tourney than today, or it will be a short season!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 26, 2014, 11:17:33 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 24, 2014, 10:12:32 AM
Looking forward to the 10/29 rankings ...

1. Brandeis - entrenched at #1, no games this week
2. Tufts - moves to #2 with win vs. Hamilton
3. Amherst - might they take Mt St Mary's lightly, should win and move up to #3
4. Wheaton - key NEWMAC game vs. Coast Guard.  Solidifies position in top 4 with win.
5. Coast Guard - could surprise naysayers with win vs Wheaton and stay at #2.  will slide to #5 with expected 2-1 loss
6. Babson - tough weekend vs WPI and ECSU.  SOS, already among the best in region, will improve.  Could climb with 2 wins or drop out entirely with 2 losses.  Prediction:  1-0 win over WPI, 0-0 tie to ECSU
7. Wesleyan - holds on to #7 with win at Middlebury, loss would drop them to 10 or 11
8. Gordon - holds position with win over Salve Regina
9. Williams - beats Bates and moves up 1 spot as Middlebury drops
10. Middlebury
11. WPI with win or tie vs Babson, OR ECSU with win vs Babson, OR Trinity with win vs. Conn

After the weekend, here are the rankings that will be released 10/29 (based on a spreadsheet updating last week's NE data sheet):

1. Brandies
2. Tufts
3. Coast Guard- won't hold the #2 spot with two ties
4. Amherst - win vs Mount St Mary would have moved them to #3
5. Wheaton - tied Coast Guard, can't make case for moving past them

2-5 are very closely bunched and all should be in relatively good shape for an at-large selection (if necessary)

6-11 will likely have to finish with a bang to have a shot.  I susptect we may not be happy with the number of teams selected from New England this year.

6. WPI - probably needs to beat MIT and make NEWMAC finals
7. Babson - needs to beat Lasell, Emerson, and make NEWMAC finals
8. Gordon - needs to beat Roger Williams and make CCC finals
9. Middlebury - needs to beat Plymouth St. and make NESCAC finals
10. Wesleyan - needs to beat Conn College and make NESCAC finals
11. Williams - needs to beat Hamilton and make NESCAC finals

It may be a tad difficult for Middlebury, Wesleyan and Williams to ALL make the NESCAC final.  At best, one of these teams may move into position to compete for an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament.  NEWMAC may be in a better position to get 3 in.

The only other teams within reach of the top 11 are UMass-Boston and New England College.  Neither has a prayer of receiving an at large bid.  Bowdoin, Western New England and Nichols are the next tier down.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 30, 2014, 09:10:53 AM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 26, 2014, 11:17:33 PM
After the weekend, here are the rankings that will be released 10/29 (based on a spreadsheet updating last week's NE data sheet):

1. Brandies
2. Tufts
3. Coast Guard- won't hold the #2 spot with two ties
4. Amherst - win vs Mount St Mary would have moved them to #3
5. Wheaton - tied Coast Guard, can't make case for moving past them

2-5 are very closely bunched and all should be in relatively good shape for an at-large selection (if necessary)

6-11 will likely have to finish with a bang to have a shot.  I susptect we may not be happy with the number of teams selected from New England this year.

6. WPI - probably needs to beat MIT and make NEWMAC finals
7. Babson - needs to beat Lasell, Emerson, and make NEWMAC finals
8. Gordon - needs to beat Roger Williams and make CCC finals
9. Middlebury - needs to beat Plymouth St. and make NESCAC finals
10. Wesleyan - needs to beat Conn College and make NESCAC finals
11. Williams - needs to beat Hamilton and make NESCAC finals

It may be a tad difficult for Middlebury, Wesleyan and Williams to ALL make the NESCAC final.  At best, one of these teams may move into position to compete for an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament.  NEWMAC may be in a better position to get 3 in.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 01, 2014, 02:56:19 PM
ECSU's mens soccer season continues to crash and burn, as they trail lowly Plymouth St 1-0 with 20 min left!  Absolutely dead from an offensive standpoint the last 4 games.  Unless they can score to tie, its lights out for this season ???. I guess they can chalk it up to experience for this year :-[.  On to basketball in two weeks :)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 01, 2014, 04:26:42 PM
ECSU squeaks into LEC tourney with 1-1 tie with Plymouth.

BTW, The broadcast from ECSU on Sidestream video was ridiculous today, freezing every couple of minutes especially during second half, made it impossible to watch.  Maybe EZ Stream should be revisited!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 01, 2014, 10:17:45 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 30, 2014, 09:10:53 AM
After the weekend, here are the rankings that will be released 10/29 (based on a spreadsheet updating last week's NE data sheet):

1. Brandies
2. Tufts
3. Coast Guard- won't hold the #2 spot with two ties
4. Amherst - win vs Mount St Mary would have moved them to #3
5. Wheaton - tied Coast Guard, can't make case for moving past them

2-5 are very closely bunched and all should be in relatively good shape for an at-large selection (if necessary)

6-11 will likely have to finish with a bang to have a shot.  I susptect we may not be happy with the number of teams selected from New England this year.

6. WPI - probably needs to beat MIT and make NEWMAC finals
7. Babson - needs to beat Lasell, Emerson, and make NEWMAC finals
8. Gordon - needs to beat Roger Williams and make CCC finals
9. Middlebury - needs to beat Plymouth St. and make NESCAC finals
10. Wesleyan - needs to beat Conn College and make NESCAC finals
11. Williams - needs to beat Hamilton and make NESCAC finals
It may be a tad difficult for Middlebury, Wesleyan and Williams to ALL make the NESCAC final.  At best, one of these teams may move into position to compete for an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament.  NEWMAC may be in a better position to get 3 in.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 01, 2014, 10:40:49 PM
Projected 11/5 NE rankings for the teams still with a shot at a pool C berth (with records and 11/29 SOS:
                           W-L ,   win %,    SOS 
1. Brandeis       (16-1  ,    0.941,    .638)
2. Wheaton      (16-2-2,   0.850     .598)
3. Amherst        (12-1-3,  0.844      .592)
4. Coast Guard (13-1-3,  0.853       .585)
5. Babson         (14-5  ,    0.737      .612)
6. Tufts             (10-2-4,   0.750      .589)
7. WPI              (13-4  ,    0.765      .525)
8 Middlebury     (9-3-4,    0.688      .544)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 02, 2014, 08:31:42 PM
Projected 11/5 NE rankings:

1. Brandeis
2. Wheaton
3. Amherst
4. Coast Guard

5. Babson - must beat MIT, probably would also have to beat or tie Wheaton to avoid dropping below Tufts
6. Tufts
7. Middlebury - would beating Bowdoin be enough?
8. WPI - must beat Coast Guard

Teams in bold should be safe for NCAA tournament selection. 
AQ is only chance for any of the teams below this point

9. Gordon
10. Wesleyan
11. Roger Williams

close behind include Williams, MIT and Bowdoin

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 02, 2014, 09:27:25 PM
As usual your rankings will be wrong. How does Wesleyan crack the top 11 after going 1-1-0 and Williams drops out going 1-1-0 and Bowdoin does not make it going 1-0-1. Both Wesleyan and Williams will drop and Bowdoin will crack it.

Babson moves on top of Tufts?      With wins over Lasell and Emerson...PLEASE

Your hatred for Nescac is beyond obvious.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 02, 2014, 09:49:22 PM
Except that my opinion did not enter into my projected rankings.  I based them on math only.   My spreadsheet's hatred has been exposed.  ;)

Wesleyan is ahead of Williams because they have a better winning % against a better schedule.  Bowdoin's winning % is under .600 against an even weaker schedule.  Babson is mathematcially slightly ahead of Tufts because of a similar winning % against a stronger schedule.

Mr. Right, it is sad that you equate objectivity with hatred.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 03, 2014, 05:36:32 PM
Your spreadsheet sucks. Roger Williams might crack it but I doubt it. Love that you left Gordon in there again. I am pretty sure they are not going to be ranked.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 03, 2014, 05:37:07 PM
My eye test is better than your spreadsheet any day.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 03, 2014, 05:52:58 PM
Any ranking below 8th is not worth getting too worked up about.  The spreadsheet approach does illustrate the eventual limitations of trying to be overly quantitative.  However, the committee does use winning % and SOS, so the spreadsheet does potentially show where they may start before making qualitative adjustments.

It is interesting that creating a spreadsheet and reporting the results is "hate speech" to some in NESCAC-land.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 03, 2014, 06:00:10 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 03, 2014, 05:37:07 PM
My eye test is better than your spreadsheet any day.

And it should be noted that your eye test is 0-2 regarding Gordon, whereas the spreadsheet had them in both time.   0-3 is a reasonable possibility.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 03, 2014, 06:03:26 PM
Lets remember all the missed teams you h ave had. My predictions have been more correct and I do not plug them into a spreadsheet. My experience and soccer IQ helps me more than your Nescac hate
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 03, 2014, 06:16:02 PM
Also #8 and below is not important to you but it IS VERY IMPORTANT to teams #1-#7 because of how it can affect their record vs ranked teams. In 2011, Williams was 9-4-3 and had the best SOS in the country but they were left out of a Pool C because they had a Record v Ranked of 1-4-3.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 03, 2014, 06:49:04 PM
Mr. Right, the only example available is where you even predicted the ranking was on 10/21 for the 10/22 rankings.  Let's compare them to my prediction made 10/18:

      Mr. Right                    Off Pitch                Actual
1.   Brandeis                 1.  Brandeis            1.  Brandeis
2.   Amherst                  2.  Amherst             2. Coast Guard
3.   Tufts                       3.  Wheaton            3. Tufts
4.   Wheaton                4.  Coast Guard       4. Amherst
5.   Wesleyan               5.  Tufts                   5. Wheaton
6.   Coast Guard           6.  Babson               6. Babson
7.   Babson                   7.  Middlebury          7. Wesleyan
8.   Middlebury              8.  WPI                     8. Gordon
9.   Williams                  9.  Wesleyan            9.  Middlebury
10.  Nichols                  10.  Gordon               10. Williams
11.  WPI                       11.  Bowdoin             11. WPI

You overrated Amherst, Wesleyan, Middlebury and Williams - notice a trend? 
I overrated Bowdoin, Middlebury, and Amherst - must be that NESCAC hatred.

My top 8 were still all in the top 8 on 10/29.  You did reasonably will with 7 or your top 8 still present 10/29, but you may have ranked #5 a bit too high.

You are convinced your soccer IQ and experience are demonstrably superior.  Apparently your rankings of the NESCAC schools are not the only things you overrate. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 03, 2014, 06:58:33 PM
I never compared what I ranked on 10-22 to still be there on 10-29. That makes no sense at all. Mr.Right has been more right than an off pitch
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 03, 2014, 07:25:23 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 03, 2014, 06:58:33 PM
IMr.Right has been more right than an off pitch

;D Just like you declaring that you won the "argument" as to whether the NESCAC was down a little this year, and less than a week later admitting that it is.  I guess it is better to evolve and be right eventually.  I will enjoy helping you down that path with my hateful numbers and facts.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 03, 2014, 07:59:15 PM
Do you guys even know what you are arguing about?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: GarbageGoals33 on November 03, 2014, 08:11:58 PM
These two would be great for a New England Soccer rendition of Grumpy Old Men.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 04, 2014, 01:41:33 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on November 02, 2014, 08:31:42 PM
Projected 11/5 NE rankings:

1. Brandeis
2. Wheaton
3. Amherst
4. Coast Guard

5. Babson - must beat MIT, probably would also have to beat or tie Wheaton to avoid dropping below Tufts
6. Tufts
7. Middlebury - would beating Bowdoin be enough?
8. WPI - must beat Coast Guard

Teams in bold should be safe for NCAA tournament selection. 
AQ is only chance for any of the teams below this point

9. Gordon
10. Wesleyan
11. Roger Williams

close behind include Williams, MIT and Bowdoin

The 11/4 NSCAA rankings are out for New England and match the above exactly with 2 exceptions.  First, Tufts and Babson are swapped.  Second, Nichols is deemed more deserving than Wesleyan (or Bowdoin or Roger Williams) in the top 10.   Tomorrow's real rankings will likely be similar.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 05, 2014, 07:59:22 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 02, 2014, 09:27:25 PM
As usual your rankings will be wrong. How does Wesleyan crack the top 11 after going 1-1-0 and Williams drops out going 1-1-0 and Bowdoin does not make it going 1-0-1. Both Wesleyan and Williams will drop and Bowdoin will crack it.

Babson moves on top of Tufts?      With wins over Lasell and Emerson...PLEASEYour hatred for Nescac is beyond obvious.

Well Mr. Right, despite your vast experience and soccer IQ, Wesleyan does crack the top 11 as I predicted, AND Babson does move past Tufts as I predicted.  You may now refer to me as MR. Off Pitch.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2014, 08:44:21 PM
You obviously are great at plugging numbers into a computer. HATS OFF. Maybe you should try watching a game or two. If you did you would see that Tufts is a much better team than Babson.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 05, 2014, 09:31:42 PM
It is your opinion that Tufts is better than Babson.  My opinion was simply that Babson would be ranked higher than Tufts.

I don't understand your utter disregard for anyone who has a different opinion or view.  Predicting rankings is not the same as expressing a personal opinion as to which team is actually better.  Predicting rankings simply requires having a basic understanding of how the ranking process works. 

For whatever reason, you took the time to call me out saying that I would be wrong specifically about Wesleyan and Babson/Tufts.  Despite your need to denigrate those with whom you disagree, it doesn't change the fact that I was actually right and you were quite wrong.   
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2014, 09:39:16 PM
You seem to think you are never wrong. Your rankings have usually been wrong. You got one right. Congrats.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2014, 09:41:21 PM
2 weeks ago you posted about 7 different times that Williams had to many losses to be ranked in the first rankings. I said they would be and I was RIGHT. You were WRONG as usual
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 05, 2014, 09:44:47 PM
For me being wrong "as usual", with all the recent posts it is surprising that you had to go back two weeks to find an example of where you were correct and I was not. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2014, 09:48:22 PM
That was one example I remembered. I could go back a couple days and find some nonsense you have spewed.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 05, 2014, 11:11:15 PM
Mr Right - That is real lazy of you to point out that there are more examples of you being right and me being wrong.  Why not give me 3 examples of this or are you too lazy
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2014, 11:12:10 PM
Im to lazy but I know I am right
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 05, 2014, 11:15:47 PM
at least you know who you are
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: GarbageGoals33 on November 05, 2014, 11:37:55 PM
Are you the same person?  ???
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: oldonionbag on November 06, 2014, 09:58:16 AM
Quote from: Off Pitch on November 05, 2014, 11:15:47 PM
at least you know who you are

Mind=blown.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 09, 2014, 08:34:30 PM
I've decided to share my secret spreadsheet results for New England inclusive of games through today.

1.  Brandeis
2.  Wheaton
3.  Babson
4.  Amherst
5.  Coast Guard
6.  Tufts
7.  WPI
8.  Nichols
9.  Gordon
10. Wesleyan
11. Middlebury

If New England gets 5 Pool C berths, Tufts should be safe.  WPI is in only if NE gets 6.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 09, 2014, 09:08:26 PM
By the way, the secret spreadsheet shows Brandeis very comfortably #1.  Wheaton, Babson and Amherst come out rated very close to one another.  Then there is a bit of a drop down to Coast Guard, and another clear drop down to Tufts. 

I think WPI may be in serious trouble unless their SOS increased more than I am projecting with this week's games with Coast Guard and Babson.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 10, 2014, 04:41:13 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on November 09, 2014, 08:34:30 PM
I've decided to share my secret spreadsheet results for New England inclusive of games through today.

1.  Brandeis
2.  Wheaton
3.  Babson
4.  Amherst
5.  Coast Guard
6.  Tufts
7.  WPI
8.  Nichols
9.  Gordon
10. Wesleyan
11. Middlebury

If New England gets 5 Pool C berths, Tufts should be safe.  WPI is in only if NE gets 6.

Brandeis, Wheaton and Babson rewarded with hosting first and second round games.  Good luck to all.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 11, 2014, 01:38:00 PM
New England teams' first round NCAA games:

Nichols (14-2-4) vs. UMass-Boston (14-5-2):  CCC vs Little East.  Massey and Bennett ratings both have these two teams ranked nationally within 3 spots of one another, so this should be a toss-up.  I will take Nichols 2-1.

Franklin & Marshall vs. Johnson & Wales: The RI side will be doing some wailing & gnashing.  F&M will be too much and take this one 3-1.

Brandeis vs. Husson:  In the NAC it was Husson first, Whatson 2nd, I don't know 3rd.  Brandeis coasts 4-0.

Brockport St. vs. Bowdoin: Bowdoin goes on an offensive surge and overcomes Brockport 1-0.

Amherst vs. Fitchburg St:  I'm bullish on Amherst's D in this one.  Amherst runs it up 5-0.

Rutgers-Newark vs. Babson: Babson is hot, but Rut-N is the kind of team that the Beavers have struggled with.  Too close to call, but Rutgers-Newark advances on PKs after a competitive 1-1 match.

Wheaton vs. Daniel Webster: Wheaton whacks woefully weak Webster winning wonderfully 5-0.

Tufts vs. Dickinson: Tufts shakes off the rust and advances 2-1.

Coast Guard vs. Catholic: Coast Guard brings Catholic to their knees 2-0.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jump4Joy on November 11, 2014, 03:07:35 PM
OffPitch, I'm loving it. So punny.  :D
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: oldonionbag on November 12, 2014, 09:20:32 AM
What can anyone tell me about Wheaton's field? Good, bad, fast, etc?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 12, 2014, 09:30:24 AM
Wheaton has a nice short cut grass field. Just short of 120 v 80 but it is big enough
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: oldonionbag on November 12, 2014, 09:41:31 AM
Great- thanks MR
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: D3Soceerfan on November 12, 2014, 12:26:49 PM
Watch out for Babson, Getting hot at the right time of year ( 7 in a row, 10 of last 11)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 12, 2014, 01:13:23 PM
If Babson can get past Rutgers-Newark, I think they will match up better against Cortland St.  Based on Babson's results against elite  caliber competition like Oneonta and Brandeis, playing a competitive game against Messiah is a dream.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 12, 2014, 03:04:55 PM
In the 40 years of the NCAA D3 national tournament, the New England region has been represented in the final game 8 times with 6 championships and 2 runner-up finishes.  The schools with final game history are:

Babson - 3 games, 3 championships
Brandeis - 2 games, 1 championship
Williams - 2 games, 1 championship
Middlebury - 1 game, 1 championship

With Middlebury and Williams sitting the 2014 tournament out, and Babson in a quadrant with Messiah, the region's hopes for a repeat final game appearance rest with Brandeis.

Of the region's other ranked teams, Amherst has a pair of Final 4 appearances and Wheaton has been to one Final 4.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 12, 2014, 03:48:51 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on November 12, 2014, 03:04:55 PM
In the 40 years of the NCAA D3 national tournament, the New England region has been represented in the final game 8 times with 6 championships and 2 runner-up finishes.  The schools with final game history are:

Babson - 3 games, 3 championships
Brandeis - 2 games, 1 championship
Williams - 2 games, 1 championship
Middlebury - 1 game, 1 championship

With Middlebury and Williams sitting the 2014 tournament out, and Babson in a quadrant with Messiah, the region's hopes for a repeat final game appearance rest with Brandeis.

Of the region's other ranked teams, Amherst has a pair of Final 4 appearances and Wheaton has been to one Final 4.


New England schools have been in 24 NCAA D3 Final 4s:

Williams - 6 times
Babson - 5
Brandeis - 3
Salem St  - 3
Amherst - 2
Bowdoin, Middlebury, Plymouth St, Wheaton, and Westfield St - 1 each

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 23, 2014, 07:58:47 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on November 12, 2014, 03:04:55 PM
In the 40 years of the NCAA D3 national tournament, the New England region has been represented in the final game 8 times with 6 championships and 2 runner-up finishes.  The schools with final game history are:

Babson - 3 games, 3 championships
Brandeis - 2 games, 1 championship
Williams - 2 games, 1 championship
Middlebury - 1 game, 1 championship

With Middlebury and Williams sitting the 2014 tournament out, and Babson in a quadrant with Messiah, the region's hopes for a repeat final game appearance rest with Brandeis.

Of the region's other ranked teams, Amherst has a pair of Final 4 appearances and Wheaton has been to one Final 4.

New England schools have been in 24 NCAA D3 Final 4s:

Williams - 6 times
Babson - 5
Brandeis - 3
Salem St  - 3
Amherst - 2
Bowdoin, Middlebury, Plymouth St, Wheaton, and Westfield St - 1 each

With Tufts major upset of Messiah today, NE schools will now have been represented in 25 Final 4s.  Records in NCAA semifinals:

Williams      1-4-1
Babson       3-1-1
Brandeis     2-1
Salem St     0-2-1
Amherst      0-2
Middlebury  0-0-1
Plymouth St 0-0-1
Wheaton     0-0-1
Bowdoin      0-1
Westfield St 0-1

NESCAC schools account for 11 of the 25 appearances.

Overall record by New England in the semis:  6-12-6  (0.375)
Overall record by NESCAC schools:                 1- 7- 2  (0.200)
Overall record by non-NESCAC schools:          5- 5- 4  (0.500)

Good luck to Tufts representing the New Enland region Dec 5.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on December 10, 2014, 06:28:23 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on November 12, 2014, 03:04:55 PM
In the 41 years of the NCAA D3 national tournament, the New England region has been represented in the final game 9 times with 7 championships and 2 runner-up finishes.  The schools with final game history are:

Babson - 3 games, 3 championships
Brandeis - 2 games, 1 championship
Williams - 2 games, 1 championship
Middlebury - 1 game, 1 championship
Tufts - 1 game, 1 championship

Congratulations to Tufts!  The Jumbos are New England's 5th team to win the national championship and they represent the region's 7th championship in 41 tournaments.  NESCAC schools now have 3 of the region's 7 championships.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on December 11, 2014, 03:52:24 PM
2014 NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division III Men's All-New England Region

http://www.nscaa.com/news/2014/12/2014-nscaa-continental-tire-ncaa-division-iii-men-s-all-new-england-region

First Team            
Pos. Player                Class                  School                                   Hometown
K Richard Burns          Sr.     United States Coast Guard Academy    Long Beach, Calif.
D Ben Bratt                Sr.                 Wesleyan                               Winchester, Mass.
D Brandon Currier       Sr.          New England College                    Merrimack, N.H.
D Conor Lanahan        Jr.                  Brandeis                              Avon, Conn.
D Sam Williams         Sr.                   Tufts                                  Thetford Center, Vt.
M Caleb Cole             So.                Gordon                                 Coatesville, Pa.
M Luke Finklestein      Sr.          Wheaton (Mass.)                         Peabody, Mass.
M Justin Laurenzo     Sr.                 Babson                                 Park Ridge, N.J.
F Travis Blair             Sr.           Wheaton (Mass.)                         Hastings, N.Y.
F Greg Conrad         So.                Middlebury                              Peabody, Mass.
F Alexis Garcia         So.           Albertus Magnus                          West Haven, Conn.
F Tyler Savonen       Sr.                  Brandeis                               Orleans, Mass.
             
Second Team                
Pos. Player   Class   School Hometown
K Greg Sydor          So.            Middlebury                     Madison, Conn.
D Kevin Davis         So.          Wheaton (Mass.)              Beacon, N.Y.
D Ryan Malone        Sr.          Springfield                      Chicopee, Mass.
D Gabriel Wirz        Sr.          Amherst                         New York, N.Y.
M Emmanuel Aseidu  Sr.     Rhode Island College            Lincoln, R.I.
M Rizy Misiri            So.     New England College            Concord, N.H.
M Josh Ocel            So.         Brandeis                        North Attleboro, Mass.
M Michael Perry        Sr.          Nichols                        Plainville, Mass.
F Dakota Duplissie     Sr.       Thomas                        Hampden, Maine
F Zach Grady             Sr.       Williams                       East Bridgewater, Mass.
F Nico Pascual-Leone  Jr.        Amherst                      Wayland, Mass.
             
Third Team             
Pos. Player   Class   School Hometown
K Greg Walton          So.       Eastern Connecticut State          Brunswick, Maine
D Christian Albrecht     Jr.        Norwich                            Albuquerque, N.M.
D Geoff Danilack       Jr.         Williams                               Rockville, Md.
D Nabil Odulate        Jr.         Bowdoin                               Ellicott City, Md.
M Eric Crevoiserat     Sr     Worcester Polytechnic Institute   Worcester, Mass.
M Pat Devlin            So.     Connecticut College                Washington Crossing, Pa.
M Charlie Gruner     So.        Wesleyan                             Stevenson, Md.
M Douglas Silveira     Sr.     Massachusetts-Boston              Revere, Mass.
F  Andrew Carlson     Sr.     Roger Williams                       Ridgefield, Conn.
F  Maxime Hoppenot  Sr.         Tufts                                  Princeton, N.J.
F  Michael Soboff     Sr.        Brandeis                                 Framingham, Mass.
                 
Fourth Team             
Pos. Player   Class   School Hometown
K Aidan McParland     Sr.     University of New England                Brockville, Ont.
D Cooper D'Ambrosio   Jr.     Eastern Connecticut State            Andover, Conn.
D Erik Holmquist        So.     University of New England              Gothenburg, Sweden
D Deklan Robinson     Jr.     Middlebury                               Gloucester, Mass.
M Tyler Carlos           Jr.       Babson                                  Prospect, Conn.
M Nick Gilman           Sr.       Curry                                 Longmeadow, Mass.
M Jake Picard           Jr.       Brandeis                                West Suffield, Conn.
F  Pedro Dasilva       Jr.     Massachusetts-Boston                  Fogo, Cape Verde
F  Phil Frost             Jr.         Husson                                    Bangor, Maine
F  Elton Teixeira       Jr.     Massachusetts-Boston                   Boston, Mass.
F  Alex Wasilewski     Sr.     Salve Regina                             San Juan Capistrano, Calif.

Congratulations to all players recognized for an outstanding season!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Brother Flounder on December 11, 2014, 04:17:53 PM
I think this voting occurs pretty early. Wish it took place after the NCAA tourney.  I would like to have seen a few more from Tufts since they won the NCAA, like Kayne, Santos, Kramer, Brown, or Pinheiro, etc......
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on December 11, 2014, 05:11:25 PM
BF, just curious.  Why are you posting the above in every thread? 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Brother Flounder on December 11, 2014, 07:10:33 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on December 11, 2014, 05:11:25 PM
BF, just curious.  Why are you posting the above in every thread?

Oh..because it was brought up in different threads and I responded
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on December 11, 2014, 09:14:08 PM
Brother Flounder do not respond to this. You can post whenever and wherever you want. He is a Nescac hater and is bothering you because of that.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Brother Flounder on December 12, 2014, 05:39:01 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 11, 2014, 09:14:08 PM
Brother Flounder do not respond to this. You can post whenever and wherever you want. He is a Nescac hater and is bothering you because of that.

That's too bad..... I don't bash on his conference.......
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on December 12, 2014, 06:36:39 PM
Quote from: Brother Flounder on December 12, 2014, 05:39:01 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 11, 2014, 09:14:08 PM
Brother Flounder do not respond to this. You can post whenever and wherever you want. He is a Nescac hater and is bothering you because of that.

That's too bad..... I don't bash on his conference.......

BF, I don't know if you are a 17 year old high school fan, a 50 year old alum, or something in between.  At any rate, let me correct the distortion you are responding to.

I am far from a NESCAC "hater" and I haven't "bashed" on the NESCAC.  I've admitted when I've been wrong which I've seen very few posters do on this site.   I've mostly defended Amherst all year and I have my NESCAC preferences like Wesleyan (mostly because I like the coach).  Even though I posted some negative-sounding posts about Tufts early on, I also noted early on how much talent they had and that if they put it together they would be very dangerous.  Again, easy to forget now, but no one, not even you, thought they were going to win the national title 3-4 weeks ago.  My own kid almost went to a NESCAC.  I've also consistently said, over two years here, that NESCAC is the #1 conference and at worst #2. 

What is true is that I don't idolize the NESCAC.  The regionalization does rub me a bit the wrong way, and as someone already very familiar with all of the NESCAC schools and many of the players, I like seeing some of the attention focused on other areas.  I like hearing stories about incredible kids from a Wartburg or Whitworth or Lynchburg.  This site tends to be dominated by the NESCAC and Messiah, and that was before the NESCAC mania went through the roof over the past couple of weeks.   And I find some of the cheerleading a bit over the top as well as the push to make Tufts the greatest team in history with the idea that they deserve their entire starting 11 as the First Team All-American squad.

The other fellow, most of the time, does provide great information.  He obviously is very knowledgeable and must be somebody in the business or wired in somehow to get some of his stuff.  We can agree to disagree about whether he should be publishing all of those details.  That said, he occasionally gets tweaked by something and never lets go.  His thing with me started with Corazon criticizing the recruiting at Williams and using Kenyon as an example. I actually defended Mr.Right's (then LaPaz) position on that, but he restarted a whole thread with that as half of his lead-in, and then ever since he has reacted to anything said about Kenyon and has gone out of his way to do so.  Case in point, when Calvin was on the ropes in their first game with Rose Hulman he very intentionally commented that OWU would have an easy road to the Elite 8 if Calvin lost which was all just do he could throw another diss out at Kenyon. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Brother Flounder on December 12, 2014, 06:53:13 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on December 12, 2014, 06:36:39 PM
Quote from: Brother Flounder on December 12, 2014, 05:39:01 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 11, 2014, 09:14:08 PM
Brother Flounder do not respond to this. You can post whenever and wherever you want. He is a Nescac hater and is bothering you because of that.

That's too bad..... I don't bash on his conference.......

BF, I don't know if you are a 17 year old high school fan, a 50 year old alum, or something in between.  At any rate, let me correct the distortion you are responding to.

I am far from a NESCAC "hater" and I haven't "bashed" on the NESCAC.  I've admitted when I've been wrong which I've seen very few posters do on this site.   I've mostly defended Amherst all year and I have my NESCAC preferences like Wesleyan (mostly because I like the coach).  Even though I posted some negative-sounding posts about Tufts early on, I also noted early on how much talent they had and that if they put it together they would be very dangerous.  Again, easy to forget now, but no one, not even you, thought they were going to win the national title 3-4 weeks ago.  My own kid almost went to a NESCAC.  I've also consistently said, over two years here, that NESCAC is the #1 conference and at worst #2. 

What is true is that I don't idolize the NESCAC.  The regionalization does rub me a bit the wrong way, and as someone already very familiar with all of the NESCAC schools and many of the players, I like seeing some of the attention focused on other areas.  I like hearing stories about incredible kids from a Wartburg or Whitworth or Lynchburg.  This site tends to be dominated by the NESCAC and Messiah, and that was before the NESCAC mania went through the roof over the past couple of weeks.   And I find some of the cheerleading a bit over the top as well as the push to make Tufts the greatest team in history with the idea that they deserve their entire starting 11 as the First Team All-American squad.

The other fellow, most of the time, does provide great information.  He obviously is very knowledgeable and must be somebody in the business or wired in somehow to get some of his stuff.  We can agree to disagree about whether he should be publishing all of those details.  That said, he occasionally gets tweaked by something and never lets go.  His thing with me started with Corazon criticizing the recruiting at Williams and using Kenyon as an example. I actually defended Mr.Right's (then LaPaz) position on that, but he restarted a whole thread with that as half of his lead-in, and then ever since he has reacted to anything said about Kenyon and has gone out of his way to do so.  Case in point, when Calvin was on the ropes in their first game with Rose Hulman he very intentionally commented that OWU would have an easy road to the Elite 8 if Calvin lost which was all just do he could throw another diss out at Kenyon.

I don't know your history and I really don't care. I was just responding to Mr. Right.  I, for one, did not say all Tufts 11 should be on the first team. I mentioned 2 or 3 more players, which I believe certain merit should be given because of their performance and the NCAA Championship, which is extremely hard to accomplish, especially the way Tufts did it.  Did anyone say more than  a few players deserved it.  I wasn't he only one mentioning these players...Look, I picked Tufts and Bowdoin as darkhorses a few weeks ago because of Tufts all around talent and Bowdoin's performance in the NESCAC playoffs. I was right on one. Maybe you can say I got lucky..but I was right about one of them. I recognized Tufts as an extremely balanced team having lived in Medford and watching them play a few times.  I saw how dangerous Santos was, how Kayne controlled the tempo, how Greenwood stopped shots, etc.....Not many picked Tufts. Sure, I noticed that you didn't think much of Tufts coach to vote him in your top 3.  I didn't respond to my feelings about your choices. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I respect them. I don't have to idolize the NESCAC. I watched the Tufts v Messiah game on computer. I know how good Messiah is.  I watched the final four games on computer. Tufts dominated OWU (emptying their bench..when was the last time you saw that so early in a game) and played well enough against Wheaton to win the Championship.

I don't know if you are 17 or 50 or where you exactly stand with the NESCAC or other conferences...and I don't really care...You are entitled to your own opinions.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on December 12, 2014, 07:04:08 PM
BF, before the Final Four I voted Shapiro #4, out of all of the coaches in the country and ahead of notables like the Brandeis and Kenyon coaches.  After the Final Four, I would vote him #1 by a landslide.  At the time I voted, Byrne, Guiliano and Martin weren't bad choices.

A darkhorse pick is different than someone's real #1 pick (unless we have a different understanding of what darkhorse means).  I you keep saying you were right.  What does that mean?  That you are prescient?

And you keep saying you watched the games on the computer.  Most of us did, so I'm not sure what that means either.  That your viewing skills are better?  Don't get it.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on December 12, 2014, 07:06:09 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on December 12, 2014, 06:36:39 PM
I am far from a NESCAC "hater" and I haven't "bashed" on the NESCAC.  I've admitted when I've been wrong which I've seen very few posters do on this site.   I've mostly defended Amherst all year and I have my NESCAC preferences like Wesleyan (mostly because I like the coach).  Even though I posted some negative-sounding posts about Tufts early on, I also noted early on how much talent they had and that if they put it together they would be very dangerous.  Again, easy to forget now, but no one, not even you, thought they were going to win the national title 3-4 weeks ago.  My own kid almost went to a NESCAC.  I've also consistently said, over two years here, that NESCAC is the #1 conference and at worst #2. 

Just gonna say that, in my opinion, NCAC is one of the most pragmatic members of this board. And—like myself—he did in fact say that Tufts could be very dangerous if they put it all together. I, too, doubted Tufts, but also recognized that they were a good team and could go on a run if they got it together, which obviously they did. Hindsight is 20/20.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Brother Flounder on December 12, 2014, 07:14:13 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on December 12, 2014, 07:04:08 PM
BF, before the Final Four I voted Shapiro #4, out of all of the coaches in the country and ahead of notables like the Brandeis and Kenyon coaches.  After the Final Four, I would vote him #1 by a landslide.  At the time I voted, Byrne, Guiliano and Martin weren't bad choices.

A darkhorse pick is different than someone's real #1 pick (unless we have a different understanding of what darkhorse means).  I you keep saying you were right.  What does that mean?  That you are prescient?

And you keep saying you watched the games on the computer.  Most of us did, so I'm not sure what that means either.  That your viewing skills are better?  Don't get it.

I am not going to get into a drawn out argument. It's not worth it to me.  Most everyone would have picked Messiah... I said Tufts was a dark horse, responding to the  thread topic. Not many did that. That is all I am saying. No one has to read anything more into it.  If it makes you feel better, I will say from now on that I saw or watched the games...and leave it at that.  Kind of irrelevant to me but I will now state it in a way that satisfies you...Kind of miniscule stuff but I will adhere.  Go ahead, give me another negative karma.....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Brother Flounder on December 12, 2014, 07:16:21 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 12, 2014, 07:06:09 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on December 12, 2014, 06:36:39 PM
I am far from a NESCAC "hater" and I haven't "bashed" on the NESCAC.  I've admitted when I've been wrong which I've seen very few posters do on this site.   I've mostly defended Amherst all year and I have my NESCAC preferences like Wesleyan (mostly because I like the coach).  Even though I posted some negative-sounding posts about Tufts early on, I also noted early on how much talent they had and that if they put it together they would be very dangerous.  Again, easy to forget now, but no one, not even you, thought they were going to win the national title 3-4 weeks ago.  My own kid almost went to a NESCAC.  I've also consistently said, over two years here, that NESCAC is the #1 conference and at worst #2. 

Just gonna say that, in my opinion, NCAC is one of the most pragmatic members of this board. And—like myself—he did in fact say that Tufts could be very dangerous if they put it all together. I, too, doubted Tufts, but also recognized that they were a good team and could go on a run if they got it together, which obviously they did. Hindsight is 20/20.

I can respect that he or she is pragmatic (and I do note some good things he or she says) but some of his or her comments to me have be a bit more aggressive or personal.... but, hey, I have thick skin...no sweat.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on December 12, 2014, 07:31:13 PM
My last post on this.

I see you added to your other post to say that Tufts beat OWU so bad they got to empty their bench.  Please go find my posts about that game.  I wrote that Tufts embarrassed OWU.  They annihilated them.  I also said Tufts was a very deserving champion, had gone through a tough draw, played great, truly impressive, etc, etc.  But do I think Tufts would annihilate OWU if they played 10 more times?  No, I don't, although I would guess Tufts would win 7 out of 10 with maybe a couple of draws thrown in.  If the tournament started from scratch, are you sure Tufts would win again?  I think I am reacting to you making statements that come across as some kind of proof of something or an eternal truth.  A lot of things are true.  Tufts tied MIT, lost to Brandeis, and lost to Conn College.  In the first game of the NCAAs, they were tied with Dickinson going into the last 14-15 minutes (a Dickinson team most thought didn't deserve a bid).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Nutmeg on December 12, 2014, 09:43:16 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on December 12, 2014, 07:31:13 PM
My last post on this.

I see you added to your other post to say that Tufts beat OWU so bad they got to empty their bench.  Please go find my posts about that game.  I wrote that Tufts embarrassed OWU.  They annihilated them.  I also said Tufts was a very deserving champion, had gone through a tough draw, played great, truly impressive, etc, etc.  But do I think Tufts would annihilate OWU if they played 10 more times?  No, I don't, although I would guess Tufts would win 7 out of 10 with maybe a couple of draws thrown in.  If the tournament started from scratch, are you sure Tufts would win again?  I think I am reacting to you making statements that come across as some kind of proof of something or an eternal truth.  A lot of things are true.  Tufts tied MIT, lost to Brandeis, and lost to Conn College.  In the first game of the NCAAs, they were tied with Dickinson going into the last 14-15 minutes (a Dickinson team most thought didn't deserve a bid).

NCAC, in all honesty, and with all due respect, none of that matters. Tufts IS the national champion. I think you may be reading too much into the Flounder's posts.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on December 13, 2014, 10:21:21 AM
Nutmeg, in pure candor, and with the utmost respect, I'm not sure where you are coming from.

Have you seen anyone question the legitimacy of Tufts' national title?  Their remarkable run through the tournament has been widely praised, including by all non-NESCAC posters.  And almost all posters, including myself, have gone out of their way to emphasize that winning the title was well-earned and not a fluke.

The rub, for me (to the extent there is one and my responses to you and BF are making the rub seem much bigger than it actually is), has to do with some of the logic I've seen and the amount of post-title Tufts hype, and when you suggest "none of that matters," that is what that information was about.  There was the argument that Tufts would beat OWU because of SOS, which made no sense.  OWU isn't some backwater program that has never played good competition, and on those measures OWU was by far the more experienced, tournament-tested squad.  Then there was suggesting a ton of credit should be given to a "darkhorse" prediction as though something very insightful happened, when, in all candor, a NESCAC fan picked the two NESCAC teams (as Amherst was off-the-table as not qualifying as a darkhorse type of team) available in the tournament.  I believe you chimed in or another of the NESCAC posters and followed up by suggesting you wouldn't be surprised if Tufts made a run to the Sweet 16 (very different than definitely predicting Tufts would win the title).

Now, on to the post-title hype.  It has seemed that some of the NESCAC faithful, after all agreed that Tufts was a very, very good team and very, very deserving, have wanted even more affirmations and confirmations of greatness.  With all due respect, I think you started a new thread within 24 hours titled something like "Where does Tufts rank in terms of Best Ever?"  BF was the first poster after you started the thread endorsing the same sentiment.  And then we've gotten the complaints and pleas about how many Tufts players should have made the All American teams (with one particular post pasted into multiple threads).

I'll put this another way.  IF my team had won the national title I can't imagine that it even would have occurred to me to wonder or be concerned about "best ever."  The title would have been more than enough to satiate me.  And, in all honesty, perhaps it is my envy about my team not winning a national title that has me sensitive to the "give us even more, more, more" after your team (is it team or conference?) did win it all.  I can assure you that the players from any of the tournament participants would gladly give up any of their individual accolades in exchange for having that championship trophy.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Brother Flounder on December 13, 2014, 11:54:32 AM
Quote from: NCAC New England on December 13, 2014, 10:21:21 AM
Nutmeg, in pure candor, and with the utmost respect, I'm not sure where you are coming from.

Have you seen anyone question the legitimacy of Tufts' national title?  Their remarkable run through the tournament has been widely praised, including by all non-NESCAC posters.  And almost all posters, including myself, have gone out of their way to emphasize that winning the title was well-earned and not a fluke.

The rub, for me (to the extent there is one and my responses to you and BF are making the rub seem much bigger than it actually is), has to do with some of the logic I've seen and the amount of post-title Tufts hype, and when you suggest "none of that matters," that is what that information was about.  There was the argument that Tufts would beat OWU because of SOS, which made no sense.  OWU isn't some backwater program that has never played good competition, and on those measures OWU was by far the more experienced, tournament-tested squad.  Then there was suggesting a ton of credit should be given to a "darkhorse" prediction as though something very insightful happened, when, in all candor, a NESCAC fan picked the two NESCAC teams (as Amherst was off-the-table as not qualifying as a darkhorse type of team) available in the tournament.  I believe you chimed in or another of the NESCAC posters and followed up by suggesting you wouldn't be surprised if Tufts made a run to the Sweet 16 (very different than definitely predicting Tufts would win the title).

Now, on to the post-title hype.  It has seemed that some of the NESCAC faithful, after all agreed that Tufts was a very, very good team and very, very deserving, have wanted even more affirmations and confirmations of greatness.  With all due respect, I think you started a new thread within 24 hours titled something like "Where does Tufts rank in terms of Best Ever?"  BF was the first poster after you started the thread endorsing the same sentiment.  And then we've gotten the complaints and pleas about how many Tufts players should have made the All American teams (with one particular post pasted into multiple threads).

I'll put this another way.  IF my team had won the national title I can't imagine that it even would have occurred to me to wonder or be concerned about "best ever."  The title would have been more than enough to satiate me.  And, in all honesty, perhaps it is my envy about my team not winning a national title that has me sensitive to the "give us even more, more, more" after your team (is it team or conference?) did win it all.  I can assure you that the players from any of the tournament participants would gladly give up any of their individual accolades in exchange for having that championship trophy.

okay..okay......and thanks for the negative karma once again...and u complain about Mr. right.........
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Nutmeg on December 13, 2014, 07:18:15 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on December 13, 2014, 10:21:21 AM
Nutmeg, in pure candor, and with the utmost respect, I'm not sure where you are coming from.

Have you seen anyone question the legitimacy of Tufts' national title?  Their remarkable run through the tournament has been widely praised, including by all non-NESCAC posters.  And almost all posters, including myself, have gone out of their way to emphasize that winning the title was well-earned and not a fluke.

The rub, for me (to the extent there is one and my responses to you and BF are making the rub seem much bigger than it actually is), has to do with some of the logic I've seen and the amount of post-title Tufts hype, and when you suggest "none of that matters," that is what that information was about.  There was the argument that Tufts would beat OWU because of SOS, which made no sense.  OWU isn't some backwater program that has never played good competition, and on those measures OWU was by far the more experienced, tournament-tested squad.  Then there was suggesting a ton of credit should be given to a "darkhorse" prediction as though something very insightful happened, when, in all candor, a NESCAC fan picked the two NESCAC teams (as Amherst was off-the-table as not qualifying as a darkhorse type of team) available in the tournament.  I believe you chimed in or another of the NESCAC posters and followed up by suggesting you wouldn't be surprised if Tufts made a run to the Sweet 16 (very different than definitely predicting Tufts would win the title).

Now, on to the post-title hype.  It has seemed that some of the NESCAC faithful, after all agreed that Tufts was a very, very good team and very, very deserving, have wanted even more affirmations and confirmations of greatness.  With all due respect, I think you started a new thread within 24 hours titled something like "Where does Tufts rank in terms of Best Ever?"  BF was the first poster after you started the thread endorsing the same sentiment.  And then we've gotten the complaints and pleas about how many Tufts players should have made the All American teams (with one particular post pasted into multiple threads).

I'll put this another way.  IF my team had won the national title I can't imagine that it even would have occurred to me to wonder or be concerned about "best ever."  The title would have been more than enough to satiate me.  And, in all honesty, perhaps it is my envy about my team not winning a national title that has me sensitive to the "give us even more, more, more" after your team (is it team or conference?) did win it all.  I can assure you that the players from any of the tournament participants would gladly give up any of their individual accolades in exchange for having that championship trophy.


Hmmmm
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on January 05, 2015, 10:30:08 PM
Not sure if these players have been recognized on this site, but the following were named to the Academic All-District team:

FIRST TEAM
Pos.         Name                   School                    Yr.        Hometown         GPA          Major
GK   Aidan McParland    U. OF NEW ENGLAND   Sr.   Brockville, Ontario   3.92   Medical biology
D   Jason Adler           MIT                           Sr.    Scarsdale, N.Y.         3.76   Mathematics
D   Andrew Gonzalez   BABSON                   Jr.   Durham, Conn.         3.62   Business Mgmt
D   Conor Lanahan           BRANDEIS                   Jr.   Avon, Conn.         3.41   Biochemistry
D   Gabriel Wirz           AMHERST                    Sr.   New York, N.Y.         3.65   Psychology
M   Chester Chambers   MIT                           Sr.   Columbia, Md.         4.00   Chemical Eng.
M   Justin Laurenzo           BABSON                   Sr.   Park Ridge, N.J.         3.80   Finance
M   Kurt Naugler          WPI                         Jr.   Westford, Mass.         3.96   Mechanical Eng
F   Adam Glaser          MIDDLEBURY           So.   Washington, D.C.     3.78   Undeclared
F   Tyler Savonen          BRANDEIS                   Sr.   Orleans, Mass.         3.60   Econ / business
F   Oscar Zapta          CLARK                   Sr.   Lima, Peru                 3.60   Mgmt / Econ


Congratulations to all of these fine student-athletes.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Brother Flounder on January 05, 2015, 10:46:28 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on January 05, 2015, 10:30:08 PM
Not sure if these players have been recognized on this site, but the following were named to the Academic All-District team:

FIRST TEAM
Pos.         Name                   School                    Yr.        Hometown         GPA          Major
GK   Aidan McParland    U. OF NEW ENGLAND   Sr.   Brockville, Ontario   3.92   Medical biology
D   Jason Adler           MIT                           Sr.    Scarsdale, N.Y.         3.76   Mathematics
D   Andrew Gonzalez   BABSON                   Jr.   Durham, Conn.         3.62   Business Mgmt
D   Conor Lanahan           BRANDEIS                   Jr.   Avon, Conn.         3.41   Biochemistry
D   Gabriel Wirz           AMHERST                    Sr.   New York, N.Y.         3.65   Psychology
M   Chester Chambers   MIT                           Sr.   Columbia, Md.         4.00   Chemical Eng.
M   Justin Laurenzo           BABSON                   Sr.   Park Ridge, N.J.         3.80   Finance
M   Kurt Naugler          WPI                         Jr.   Westford, Mass.         3.96   Mechanical Eng
F   Adam Glaser          MIDDLEBURY           So.   Washington, D.C.     3.78   Undeclared
F   Tyler Savonen          BRANDEIS                   Sr.   Orleans, Mass.         3.60   Econ / business
F   Oscar Zapta          CLARK                   Sr.   Lima, Peru                 3.60   Mgmt / Econ


Congratulations to all of these fine student-athletes.

Yes, congrats to all!!!
Title: /
Post by: Off Pitch on January 05, 2015, 11:09:09 PM
Also, McParland of U of New England and Laurenzo of Babson were named First Team Academic All-Americans!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on January 07, 2015, 09:34:31 AM
New England representation on the D3soccer.com All-American Team

Defender of the Year: Conor Lanahan (Jr.), Brandeis

FIRST TEAM
D Conor Lanahan Jr. Brandeis
D Sam Williams Sr. Tufts

SECOND TEAM
M Justin Laurenzo Sr. Babson
GK Joe Graffy Sr. Brandeis

THIRD TEAM
M Luke Finkelstein Sr. Wheaton (Mass.)
D Gabriel Wirz Sr. Amherst

2014 MEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR
Josh Shapiro, Tufts (16-2-4) - 2014 National Champions

Interesting representation: Brandeis 2, NESCAC 2, NEWMAC 2.  Congratulations to all those honored.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on January 11, 2015, 09:11:04 PM
With Russo's retirement with 428 wins in 36 seasons, who are the winningest active coaches in New England?  I can come up with five who have over 300 wins, but I'm probably missing someone.  Anyone else?

Coven (Brandeis) - 494 wins (42 years)
Anderson (Babson) - 358 wins (29 years)
Saward (Middlebury) - 324 wins (30 seasons)
Cushing (Wheaton) - 305 wins (21 years)
Cook (Roger Williams) - 304 wins (23 years)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on January 11, 2015, 09:20:02 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on January 11, 2015, 09:11:04 PM
With Russo's retirement with 428 wins in 36 seasons, who are the winningest active coaches in New England?  I can come up with five who have over 300 wins, but I'm probably missing someone.  Anyone else?

Coven (Brandeis) - 494 wins (42 years)
Anderson (Babson) - 358 wins (29 years)
Saward (Middlebury) - 324 wins (30 years)
Cushing (Wheaton) - 305 wins (21 years)
Cook (Roger Williams) - 304 wins (23 years)

Also, it is probably no coincidence that Babson, Brandeis, Williams and Middlebury have had all of New England's national championships until this season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on January 14, 2015, 12:53:52 AM
Active--- maybe Shaun Griffin at Hobart / Plymouth State might have 300 wins. I would be willing to bet he is at 250-300.
Recently retired / fired-----Ron Butcher at Keene State and Peter Haley at Springfield would most likely be in there if you are including there D2 days and even for Keene St NAIA
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on January 14, 2015, 12:57:06 AM
Quote from: Off Pitch on January 11, 2015, 09:20:02 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on January 11, 2015, 09:11:04 PM
With Russo's retirement with 428 wins in 36 seasons, who are the winningest active coaches in New England?  I can come up with five who have over 300 wins, but I'm probably missing someone.  Anyone else?

Coven (Brandeis) - 494 wins (42 years)
Anderson (Babson) - 358 wins (29 years)
Saward (Middlebury) - 324 wins (30 years)
Cushing (Wheaton) - 305 wins (21 years)
Cook (Roger Williams) - 304 wins (23 years)

Also, it is probably no coincidence that Babson, Brandeis, Williams and Middlebury have had all of New England's national championships until this season.






No coincidence that comparing Cushing and Saward that we are looking at SOS and games played putting asterisks next to most of these records for all this stuff
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: lastguyoffthebench on January 14, 2015, 09:58:09 AM


The only asterisk is Middlebury when they tied up that National Championship.    What formation did they play then; 5-4-1?  6-3-1?   Or was the GK a machine.  Didn't watch the game or even look up the box score but two 0-0 draws...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on January 14, 2015, 11:24:03 PM
Midd in 2007 was a very good team for a couple reasons. The GK Bush was phenomenal all year and they were VERY athletic which is their trademark. They played a standard 4-4-2 with the wing middies pinched defensively to clog everything up. They had Robbie Ftorek's(NHL) son Casey as their striker. He single handily helped Union College into the NCAA's in 2005 before transferring to Middlebury.Union is D1 Hockey and the hockey coach told Casey to forget about the cleats. Casey told him where to stick it and went to Midd and was actually a way more productive soccer player than hockey player. Shows how much Union cares about Soccer that Jeff Guinn can continually hold on to that job since I believe the late 1980's that has severely under performed recruiting in my opinion. Midd had some great team players with Banada,Germansky,Edwards, LaRocca,etc. I am probably missing some but they were a tough out and HARD to break down. I agree not scoring a goal and winning the championship is a disaster but if I am correct they did not LET UP A GOAL IN 6 NCAA GAMES. Honestly, that is unheard of. I know they played Williams,York,Trinity,Loras and maybe Amherst I cannot quite remember. Still impressive. They also had some tremendous luck which we all need
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: lastguyoffthebench on January 15, 2015, 09:49:09 AM

They beat Amherst on NESCAC final 1-0, Wheaton MA 2-0, Williams 3-0, York 2-0, Loras 0-0, Trinity 0-0.

In 2004 Messiah did it, and that might be the only other time it has happened. 
First Round - Bye -
Second Round Grantham, PA Westminster College (PA) Messiah 5-0
Sectional Semifinals Wilmington, OH Allegheny College Messiah 5-0
Sectional Finals Wilmington, OH Wartburg College Messiah 2-0
Semifinals Greensboro, NC Salisbury University Messiah 1-0
Finals Greensboro, NC University of California, Santa Cruz Messiah 4-0
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Alo35 on April 23, 2015, 03:57:20 PM
@ECSUalum Looks like your team lost a few players in the offseason to transfers. What do you think of the two players decisions to leave?

Nic Warren transferring to Cal Lutheran.
Greg Walton transferring to The University of Vermont.

Are there transfer situations happening that could impact other teams in New England next season?!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on June 20, 2015, 06:27:09 PM
Quote from: Alo35 on April 23, 2015, 03:57:20 PM
@ECSUalum Looks like your team lost a few players in the offseason to transfers. What do you think of the two players decisions to leave?

Nic Warren transferring to Cal Lutheran.
Greg Walton transferring to The University of Vermont.

Are there transfer situations happening that could impact other teams in New England next season?!
alo35,
Both these guys were key starters for ECSU last season.  Walton was from Maine and I suppose wanted to be closer to home, but did a tremendous job in his sophomore year averaging just 0.61 goals per game. As Eastern was not a good goal scoring team they will miss their excellent goal tender.  Warren another sophomore last year  will be missed in the mid field!!  Cal Lutheran, Huh, have no clue why he would go out there.  Looks like they may have lost Connor Scarponi, a soph transfer from Maine Maritime last year, also from Maine who was a quick winger and had a couple of goals last year.
Thanks for the heads up I really did not see these guys leaving.  Where did you see this info?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ishmael55 on June 21, 2015, 02:47:10 PM
Cal Lutheran, Huh, have no clue why he would go out there

With all respect to Willamantic, CT, many would view Thousand Oaks CA a preferable destination.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on June 22, 2015, 08:30:41 AM
Quote from: Ishmael55 on June 21, 2015, 02:47:10 PM
Cal Lutheran, Huh, have no clue why he would go out there

With all respect to Willamantic, CT, many would view Thousand Oaks CA a preferable destination.
Really was not referring to the geographic location, more like the soccer program!! Perhaps his family moved out there, puzzling!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: amh63 on June 22, 2015, 11:28:26 AM
ECSU....my friend...hope you are well.  There is a poster on the boards...primarily on the Nescac MBB board...that is a Cal Lutheran alum.  He has a nephew on the Williams MBB team...a senior, I believe.  His "handle" is Madzillagd.  I hope that is correct.  I refer to him as Madz...since I tend to forget things.
I am aware of Cal Lutheran's tennis team since several CAC schools play them and the cited poster is a former Tennis player.
Anyway, if interested, he may provide an alum's assessment of the soccer program.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on June 24, 2015, 03:41:45 PM
Quote from: amh63 on June 22, 2015, 11:28:26 AM
ECSU....my friend...hope you are well.  There is a poster on the boards...primarily on the Nescac MBB board...that is a Cal Lutheran alum.  He has a nephew on the Williams MBB team...a senior, I believe.  His "handle" is Madzillagd.  I hope that is correct.  I refer to him as Madz...since I tend to forget things.
I am aware of Cal Lutheran's tennis team since several CAC schools play them and the cited poster is a former Tennis player.
Anyway, if interested, he may provide an alum's assessment of the soccer program.
Hello amh63
Boy the seasons just fly by don't they? Soccer next then back to Basketball!!
Hope your well and talk to you later on in the fall
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on June 26, 2015, 10:50:14 AM
Brandeis has released their 2015 schedule - http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/msoc/2015-16/schedule

Non-conference games of note:

Sept 4 - (n) Hardin-Simmons
Sept 5 - at Trinity TX
Sept 12 - Babson
Sept 26 - at Tufts
Sept 29 - at Wheaton MA
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on June 26, 2015, 01:56:16 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on June 26, 2015, 10:50:14 AM
Brandeis has released their 2015 schedule - http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/msoc/2015-16/schedule

Non-conference games of note:

Sept 4 - (n) Hardin-Simmons
Sept 5 - at Trinity TX
Sept 12 - Babson
Sept 26 - at Tufts
Sept 29 - at Wheaton MA

Wow! That non-conference slate on top of the UAA schedule makes for a vey tough season (with a ton of travel).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on June 26, 2015, 07:46:16 PM
What Brandeis has done over the last few years, and I assume Coven is to be credited (especially with such a revival very late on in his career), really is phenomenal.  The magical Tufts run in some ways ended up overshadowing how good Brandeis was last year.  All the way up to the NCAA tourney Brandeis arguably was THE story in New England in D3.  Will be interesting to see how the next couple of years go.  And kudos on going to play Trinity.  The programs who take their allowed overseas trips and schedule great early season challenges always seem to benefit.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on June 27, 2015, 12:32:17 PM
I would have to say without question this is the toughest schedule of any team in the country. They might lose home field advantage in the NCAA's with this challenging slate but they will be battle tested for sure.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on July 02, 2015, 03:27:35 PM
Babson has released their 2015 schedule - http://www.babsonathletics.com/sports/m-soccer/2015-16/schedule

Non-conference games of note:
Sept 1 -   at Eastern Conn St
Sept 6 -   Ohio Northern
Sept 12 - at Brandeis
Sept 27 - RPI
Oct 12 -   at Bowdoin
Oct 18 -   Williams

Also includes 2014 NCAA tournament participants Husson, UMass-Boston, Fitchburg St

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Nutmeg on July 02, 2015, 07:39:10 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on July 02, 2015, 03:27:35 PM
Babson has released their 2015 schedule - http://www.babsonathletics.com/sports/m-soccer/2015-16/schedule

Non-conference games of note:
Sept 1 -   at Eastern Conn St
Sept 6 -   Ohio Northern
Sept 12 - at Brandeis
Sept 27 - RPI
Oct 12 -   at Bowdoin
Oct 18 -   Williams

Also includes 2014 NCAA tournament participants Husson, UMass-Boston, Fitchburg St
A good tough non-conference schedule....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on July 03, 2015, 11:03:07 AM
Wheaton (MA) has not put their schedule on their website yet, but here are their non-conference games of note:

Sept 5 -   Ohio Northern
Sept 13 -  Colby
Sept 29 - Brandeis
Oct 6  -    Trinity (CT)

They also play 2014 NCAA participant Husson.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Nutmeg on July 06, 2015, 07:13:14 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on June 26, 2015, 07:46:16 PM
What Brandeis has done over the last few years, and I assume Coven is to be credited (especially with such a revival very late on in his career), really is phenomenal.  The magical Tufts run in some ways ended up overshadowing how good Brandeis was last year.  All the way up to the NCAA tourney Brandeis arguably was THE story in New England in D3.  Will be interesting to see how the next couple of years go.  And kudos on going to play Trinity.  The programs who take their allowed overseas trips and schedule great early season challenges always seem to benefit.

Yes, good points. The Judges had a great season and are underrated nationally...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on July 13, 2015, 12:57:27 PM
Certainly of secondary importance relative to soccer, MONEY just released their 2015 rankings of best colleges (best value for tuition dollar).  Here are the New England schools with men's D3 athletic programs that appeared in the top 100 of the rankings:

2.    Babson
3.    MIT
8.    Maine Maritime Academy
9.    Amherst
28.  Williams
48.  WPI
56.  Bowdoin
59.  Mass Maritime Academy
71.  Tufts
85.  Colby
96.  Middlebury
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on July 14, 2015, 09:04:49 AM
I know this has been discussed, but these rankings have to be a blessing and a curse for some of these schools.  They have the academic draw but low acceptance rates making it more difficult to recruit many good players. 

New England schools with men's D3 athletic programs in the top 100 of lowest admission acceptance rates:

MIT
Amherst
Bowdoin
Coast Guard
Middlebury
Williams
Tufts
Wesleyan
Bates
Colby
Hamilton
Babson
Trinity

All the NESCACs, with the exception of Connecticut College, are on this list.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: All NESCAC on July 14, 2015, 09:29:19 AM
Quote from: Off Pitch on July 14, 2015, 09:04:49 AM
I know this has been discussed, but these rankings have to be a blessing and a curse for some of these schools.  They have the academic draw but low acceptance rates making it more difficult to recruit many good players. 

New England schools with men's D3 athletic programs in the top 100 of lowest admission acceptance rates:

MIT
Amherst
Bowdoin
Coast Guard
Middlebury
Williams
Tufts
Wesleyan
Bates
Colby
Hamilton
Babson
Trinity

All the NESCACs, with the exception of Connecticut College, are on this list.

Question:  If above is true why aren't the Conn College Men challenging for NESCAC title each year if admission is much easier than the rest of the league?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: nescac1 on July 14, 2015, 09:51:07 AM
It's a two-way street.  Admission may be (marginally, these schools are all very competitive) easier at Conn, but any top recruit, given the opportunity, is likely to choose Williams, Amherst, Midd, Bowdoin, Tufts or Wesleyan over Conn ... hence it is unsurprising they attract more of them.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: All NESCAC on July 14, 2015, 12:21:43 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on July 14, 2015, 09:51:07 AM
It's a two-way street.  Admission may be (marginally, these schools are all very competitive) easier at Conn, but any top recruit, given the opportunity, is likely to choose Williams, Amherst, Midd, Bowdoin, Tufts or Wesleyan over Conn ... hence it is unsurprising they attract more of them.

True, but you would think that Conn could get in a few more difference makers (forwards) which Williams/Amherst/Midd couldn't, thus giving them some small advantage for certain players....seems like Conn has had some talent the last few years, but for some reason they can't put it together. Is it the talent or coaching/scheme?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: FourMoreYears on July 14, 2015, 03:28:44 PM
Quote from: All NESCAC on July 14, 2015, 12:21:43 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on July 14, 2015, 09:51:07 AM
It's a two-way street.  Admission may be (marginally, these schools are all very competitive) easier at Conn, but any top recruit, given the opportunity, is likely to choose Williams, Amherst, Midd, Bowdoin, Tufts or Wesleyan over Conn ... hence it is unsurprising they attract more of them.

True, but you would think that Conn could get in a few more difference makers (forwards) which Williams/Amherst/Midd couldn't, thus giving them some small advantage for certain players....seems like Conn has had some talent the last few years, but for some reason they can't put it together. Is it the talent or coaching/scheme?

In this day and age of social media, texting, etc ... word spreads quickly among the younger generation as to the plusses and minuses of coaches.  In the case of Conn College, the coach is not enjoying positive ratings with his potential recruiting base.  This is not an indictment of his style, merely an observation of the situation he currently finds himself in ...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on July 15, 2015, 07:58:09 AM
It really does not come down to what potential incoming players hear about Murphy. When comparing Conn, Trinity and Bates the 3 "weakest academic schools" in Nescac. Trinity offers some of the best athletic facilities in Nescac. They can get kids in that other Nescac's can not. Trinity's issue in my opinion is Pilger. He may be one of the laziest recruiters in Nescac. Look at other Trinity sports teams and they dominate Nescac. Bates is a slightly better academic school but is the toughest to recruit to. The campus is ok at best and no one wants to be in Lewiston, Maine. One of the uglier cities in New England and in the middle of nowhere. Conn is in one of the best locations and scenic areas in Nescac. Conn's issue is endowment and $$$. Just take a quick tour of the campus and you feel like you have walked right back into the 80's. Murphy recruits exceptionally well and is one of the hardest working recruiters Nescac has. You need to "'wow" these kids these days and Conn has absolutely no "Wows" on campus. So they are actually competing with more schools outside of Nescac than in Nescac.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Corazon on July 15, 2015, 09:51:06 AM
I agree Murphy is a good recruiter and his staff is one of the more proactive ones I see in the NESCAC.  He's pulled in some D1 talent for sure - this is a result of the coaching staff's work ethic.

Also agree with the lack of "wow" factor on the campus.  Another minor issue that I see with Conn is getting to the soccer field from the campus.  Having to walk over a bridge over a very busy road which feels like a freeway kills the vibe when comparing to the many idlyllic campuses in the NESCAC.  This is a minor issue but you're dealing with impressionable 17 year olds.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: letsGOswans! on July 15, 2015, 11:40:52 AM
This is wrong. Conn plays their games on a beautiful field right in the middle of campus. The turf field is located at the athletic center which is across the bridge, and is only used during bad weather conditions.

Quote from: Corazon on July 15, 2015, 09:51:06 AM
I agree Murphy is a good recruiter and his staff is one of the more proactive ones I see in the NESCAC.  He's pulled in some D1 talent for sure - this is a result of the coaching staff's work ethic.

Also agree with the lack of "wow" factor on the campus.  Another minor issue that I see with Conn is getting to the soccer field from the campus.  Having to walk over a bridge over a very busy road which feels like a freeway kills the vibe when comparing to the many idlyllic campuses in the NESCAC.  This is a minor issue but you're dealing with impressionable 17 year olds.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Corazon on July 15, 2015, 12:18:21 PM
Thanks for the correction - You're right. I forgot that they play the actual games right in the middle of campus. I suppose the turf is for practice then. I was just passing along what a recruit's dad told me (who I was suggesting NESCAC to) as he was frustrated at his son's reaction. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on July 15, 2015, 03:37:20 PM
I have to agree with Mr.Right here.

Conn is a very nice school, but it's sort of like the non-descript, faceless "quintessential liberal arts college."  Compared to other NESCACs and similar schools both in region and out, Conn seems to be lacking a strong identity or character to the place.  I don't think Trinity is a "better" school, but Trinity definitely has a certain identity, with strong ties to NYC, and a lot of money.  Bates has the struggles Mr.Right mentioned, but when I think of someone who likely goes to Bates I have a particular picture on my head.  Bates also benefits from the longstanding association with the other 2 Maine NESCACs.  Union strikes me as a great example of a peer school to Conn that also has real character and a stunning campus (albeit with the same downside as Trinity directly adjacent to a sketchy urban area).  Same with strong LACs in other regions.  Mention Haverford, Carleton, Macalester, Grinnell, Oberlin, the school that will not be named, Whitman, etc and a certain feeling or vibe is evoked.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: FourMoreYears on July 15, 2015, 08:37:10 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on July 15, 2015, 03:37:20 PM
I have to agree with Mr.Right here.

Conn is a very nice school, but it's sort of like the non-descript, faceless "quintessential liberal arts college."  Compared to other NESCACs and similar schools both in region and out, Conn seems to be lacking a strong identity or character to the place.  I don't think Trinity is a "better" school, but Trinity definitely has a certain identity, with strong ties to NYC, and a lot of money.  Bates has the struggles Mr.Right mentioned, but when I think of someone who likely goes to Bates I have a particular picture on my head.  Bates also benefits from the longstanding association with the other 2 Maine NESCACs.  Union strikes me as a great example of a peer school to Conn that also has real character and a stunning campus (albeit with the same downside as Trinity directly adjacent to a sketchy urban area).  Same with strong LACs in other regions.  Mention Haverford, Carleton, Macalester, Grinnell, Oberlin, the school that will not be named, Whitman, etc and a certain feeling or vibe is evoked.

Actually, I agree with everything Senor Correcto said about Conn College too ... and to be clear I was not suggesting that Murphy and his staff are not excellent recruiters.  If you think about it, they HAVE to be, since they have to overcome some obstacles the school presents. My only point was that he is developing a reputation with more than a few kids and that reputation is not helping him.  Garnered from multiple first hand accounts over the past three recruiting cycles.  Hey, not every coach is going to hit it off with every recruit.  And no coach is perfect.  But it's not isolated.  There continue to be rumors swirling that more than a few players have left the Conn College program and will not return in 2015.  Perhaps they are just rumors ... time will tell. 

Regardless, I'm anxious for the season to start. :-)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: nescac1 on July 15, 2015, 09:19:04 PM
Speaking of wow factor, a bit off topic but since it has come up, what Williams has done to the center of its campus (at tremendous cost) is absolutely incredible.  The new library is not only the best library in NESCAC, but the best overall (in terms of form meeting function) college or university library I've ever seen.  I encourage anyone who goes to campus to visit the library -- it's beyond spectacular, both the historic older portion and the sleek moden section are simply perfect.

The newish student center is almost as spectacular, especially the dramatic main hall, and now with Sawyer demolished it boasts incredible mountain views.  There will be a massive central green space on campus right in between them (still under development), a combined geographic / conceptual central campus quad / gathering space that Williams had always been sorely lacking (as opposed to say Amherst, which has always had a clear center to its campus).  Surrounding that forthcoming green space (in addition to the student center and the library) is Chapin, the most iconic building on campus (with the large columns), two understated-but-attractive new humanities buildings, and the new environmental center, which is the first "living building" in the country and will wow a lot of kids interested in environmental issues.  Williams' academic and student life facilities right now blow the rest of the NESCAC away (especially Amherst, which has far inferior dining hall, library, student center, and academic facilities, at least until its long-overdue new science center is constructed in three more years). 

Interestingly, the one area where Williams could use some improvement is about 50 percent of its athletic facilities, which pale in comparison to the newer facilities around the conference -- Williams has a killer golf course (no surprise that the women won the national title in golf this year) the new football / lacrosse / field hockey and outdoor track facility is the best in NESCAC, and Chandler is still a really nice, pleasant, very functional place to watch and play hoops, with huge capacity, although lacking in the character of some of the other NESCAC gyms.  The squash courts are also great.  But Williams' weight room / fitness center lags far behind most of the conference, as does its main set of locker rooms.  The hockey arena needs a serious upgrade, and the main Fieldhouse is truly godawful.  Also, there just isn't enough space in Chandler to accommodate both volleyball and both basketball teams during the period their seasons overlap, which has become a a problem. 

I imagine in the next wave of campus construction, the field house will be replaced and the ice hockey/Chandler/Lasell complex will get a big upgrade -- considering nearly every other academic or student life facility is either brand new or recently renovated, there's not much left to raise funds for!  But I do wonder if all the snazzy new facilities completed over the past decade will have an overall impact on recruiting, after years in which the campus was a bit of a mess from all the construction.  You can't help but be impressed when you see not only the library and student center, but also the science facilities, theater and studio art facilities, and so on.  At the very least, football, field hockey and lacrosse, several programs which have not been very strong in recent years, should all benefit from the HUGE upgrade to Weston Field. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Nutmeg on July 15, 2015, 09:36:56 PM
Quote from: nescac1 on July 15, 2015, 09:19:04 PM
Speaking of wow factor, a bit off topic but since it has come up, what Williams has done to the center of its campus (at tremendous cost) is absolutely incredible.  The new library is not only the best library in NESCAC, but the best overall (in terms of form meeting function) college or university library I've ever seen.  I encourage anyone who goes to campus to visit the library -- it's beyond spectacular, both the historic older portion and the sleek moden section are simply perfect.

The newish student center is almost as spectacular, especially the dramatic main hall, and now with Sawyer demolished it boasts incredible mountain views.  There will be a massive central green space on campus right in between them (still under development), a combined geographic / conceptual central campus quad / gathering space that Williams had always been sorely lacking (as opposed to say Amherst, which has always had a clear center to its campus).  Surrounding that forthcoming green space (in addition to the student center and the library) is Chapin, the most iconic building on campus (with the large columns), two understated-but-attractive new humanities buildings, and the new environmental center, which is the first "living building" in the country and will wow a lot of kids interested in environmental issues.  Williams' academic and student life facilities right now blow the rest of the NESCAC away (especially Amherst, which has far inferior dining hall, library, student center, and academic facilities, at least until its long-overdue new science center is constructed in three more years). 

Interestingly, the one area where Williams could use some improvement is about 50 percent of its athletic facilities, which pale in comparison to the newer facilities around the conference -- Williams has a killer golf course (no surprise that the women won the national title in golf this year) the new football / lacrosse / field hockey and outdoor track facility is the best in NESCAC, and Chandler is still a really nice, pleasant, very functional place to watch and play hoops, with huge capacity, although lacking in the character of some of the other NESCAC gyms.  The squash courts are also great.  But Williams' weight room / fitness center lags far behind most of the conference, as does its main set of locker rooms.  The hockey arena needs a serious upgrade, and the main Fieldhouse is truly godawful.  Also, there just isn't enough space in Chandler to accommodate both volleyball and both basketball teams during the period their seasons overlap, which has become a a problem. 

I imagine in the next wave of campus construction, the field house will be replaced and the ice hockey/Chandler/Lasell complex will get a big upgrade -- considering nearly every other academic or student life facility is either brand new or recently renovated, there's not much left to raise funds for!  But I do wonder if all the snazzy new facilities completed over the past decade will have an overall impact on recruiting, after years in which the campus was a bit of a mess from all the construction.  You can't help but be impressed when you see not only the library and student center, but also the science facilities, theater and studio art facilities, and so on.  At the very least, football, field hockey and lacrosse, several programs which have not been very strong in recent years, should all benefit from the HUGE upgrade to Weston Field.

Nescac1, sounds like you work in the Williams admission dept. 😎
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: letsGOswans! on July 15, 2015, 09:44:35 PM
It is true that a number of players will not be returning for Conn in the fall due to various reasons. Let me assure you that many of these kids who are "left" were not going to be on the team in the fall even if they stayed. Murphy has high expectations for his team and he makes it clear from the get go. A few of thise  who "left" the team did not meet these expectations. As expected, the natural reaction to these changes is to pin the blame on the coach. . A few others left the team for reasons,  unrelated to soccer, that I'm not at liberty to disclose.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: frank uible on July 16, 2015, 06:32:02 AM
nescac1: Yeh, but does Williams have a soul?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: amh63 on July 16, 2015, 10:03:37 AM
Nescac1.....seems that you had a reunion?  Always nice to refresh your memories and open your wallet to your alma mater! :). Did I get the Latin correct, Frank?
Must point out that the other members of the "little Three" have organic "farms" to provide the fresh food....to attract recruits.  Just kidding here, but true.
I also feel that coaches help bring the recruits more than buildings.  Soul can help too :).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: nescac1 on July 16, 2015, 10:18:00 AM
To answer Frank's question: if it ever had one, it certainly still does! 

Not a reunion, just happened to be in the Berkshires ... and I definitely agree that coaches (as well as admissions directors, who probably matter most :)) matter far more than anything else.  But nice facilities certainly don't hurt.  Williams certainly had no trouble bringing in football talent, despite a pretty awful football complex, under previous admissions / coaching regimes ... and Williams' previous admissions regime didn't exactly hurt Russo's recruiting efforts during the Stephenson/Blake era. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: All NESCAC on July 16, 2015, 10:34:05 AM
Quote from: letsGOswans! on July 15, 2015, 09:44:35 PM
It is true that a number of players will not be returning for Conn in the fall due to various reasons. Let me assure you that many of these kids who are "left" were not going to be on the team in the fall even if they stayed. Murphy has high expectations for his team and he makes it clear from the get go. A few of thise  who "left" the team did not meet these expectations. As expected, the natural reaction to these changes is to pin the blame on the coach. . A few others left the team for reasons,  unrelated to soccer, that I'm not at liberty to disclose.

Above is true, as has been mentioned before, hopefully the result of such numerous changes (and it could be up to 6 or 7 non-returning players in addition to the 7 seniors they graduated) will create a better atmosphere all around for the team to reboot, but they will likely take their lumps this coming Fall with a very very young team.  Murphy's style of coaching and soccer is not for everyone, but over the last 5 years he did produce teams that gave the rest of the NESCAC a lot of concern. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: FourMoreYears on July 16, 2015, 11:46:47 AM
Quote from: All NESCAC on July 16, 2015, 10:34:05 AM
Quote from: letsGOswans! on July 15, 2015, 09:44:35 PM
It is true that a number of players will not be returning for Conn in the fall due to various reasons. Let me assure you that many of these kids who are "left" were not going to be on the team in the fall even if they stayed. Murphy has high expectations for his team and he makes it clear from the get go. A few of thise  who "left" the team did not meet these expectations. As expected, the natural reaction to these changes is to pin the blame on the coach. . A few others left the team for reasons,  unrelated to soccer, that I'm not at liberty to disclose.

Above is true, as has been mentioned before, hopefully the result of such numerous changes (and it could be up to 6 or 7 non-returning players in addition to the 7 seniors they graduated) will create a better atmosphere all around for the team to reboot, but they will likely take their lumps this coming Fall with a very very young team.  Murphy's style of coaching and soccer is not for everyone, but over the last 5 years he did produce teams that gave the rest of the NESCAC a lot of concern.

Thank you to both letsGOswans and All NESCAC for the clarifying information, very much appreciated. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: jumpshot on July 17, 2015, 09:47:00 AM
There is no question that Williams has done a superb job of investing resources in a spectacular, functional, and well-integrated campus, thereby providing optimal facilities as the platform for educating and developing young men and women as one element of the total enterprise.

Williams College's world-wide impact for generations evidences abundant soul --- and character.

Talk among yourselves ....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NewEngland on August 02, 2015, 04:54:06 PM
Players quitting is nothing new. It is much easier to say the coach isn't good and doesn't know what he's doing than a player admitting that they weren't good enough or didn't have the requisite desire. When an all conference player quits a program should be concerned.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: All NESCAC on August 03, 2015, 09:31:34 AM
Quote from: NewEngland on August 02, 2015, 04:54:06 PM
Players quitting is nothing new. It is much easier to say the coach isn't good and doesn't know what he's doing than a player admitting that they weren't good enough or didn't have the requisite desire. When an all conference player quits a program should be concerned.

Very true and in the rumblings at Conn all these players (non-returning eligible players) were given many chances to show their worth, but for whatever reason in the Coach's opinion others were better....right or wrong the only opinion that matters is the Coach's....some players can deal with this and some cannot.  When no scholarship $$ is a factor it is very easy to leave the team.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on August 28, 2015, 11:38:51 AM
New England preseason predictions:

NESCAC
1. Amherst
2. Wesleyan
3. Tufts
4. Middlebury
5. Williams
6. Bowdoin
7. Colby
8. Trinity
9. Conn
10. Bates
11. Hamilton

NEWMAC
1. Babson
2. WPI
3. MIT
4. Wheaton
5. Coast Guard
6. Springfield
7. Clark
8. Emerson

Best of the rest
1. Brandeis - should still be one of the top couple of teams in New England
2. Gordon
3. UMass-Boston
4. Roger Williams
5. Endicott



Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 01, 2015, 07:17:45 PM
Goals by freshman Justin Jensen, Sophomore Alex Fazzino, and a penalty kick by So. Xavier Doran provided ECSU with a 3-0 victory over Babson College this afternoon.  A VG win over an excellent Babson team!!!  Eastern has 7 freshman, 8 Soph, 5 Juniors and 1 Senior on the squad this year.  Freshman Mike Murphy maintained a clean sheet for the Warriors blocking 9 SOG.  He took over the goalkeeping responsibilities this year after All LEC GK Greg Walton transferred to Univ. of Vermont.  ECSU was in the top 15 nationally last year in defense, and have all their backfield back in 2015, however their offence was really lacking, so today's result was a positive sign for this season hitting on 3 of 5 SOG. 

SHOTS                1   2     TOTAL
Babson                2   7       9
Eastern Conn. St. 1   4       5

SAVES                1    2    TOTAL
Babson                0   2       2
Eastern Conn. St. 0   6       6

CORNER KICKS     1      2     TOTAL
Babson                 5      2       7
Eastern Conn. St.  0      3       3




Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 02, 2015, 12:45:11 PM
That is a great result for ECSU which may pay dividends down the road for both teams. Babson might be rebuilding a bit this year as they lost a deep senior class.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 02, 2015, 01:21:54 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 02, 2015, 12:45:11 PM
That is a great result for ECSU which may pay dividends down the road for both teams. Babson might be rebuilding a bit this year as they lost a deep senior class.

The NEWMAC overall may be in for a down year.  Babson, Wheaton and Coast Guard will all be weaker than last year.  WPI can't score, and MIT has a terrific nucleus but not much depth.  Hard to see any of these teams competing with the likes of Brandeis, Tufts or Amherst.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 02, 2015, 01:37:15 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 02, 2015, 01:21:54 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 02, 2015, 12:45:11 PM
That is a great result for ECSU which may pay dividends down the road for both teams. Babson might be rebuilding a bit this year as they lost a deep senior class.

The NEWMAC overall may be in for a down year.  Babson, Wheaton and Coast Guard will all be weaker than last year.  WPI can't score, and MIT has a terrific nucleus but not much depth.  Hard to see any of these teams competing with the likes of Brandeis, Tufts or Amherst.

I like Wheaton's roster a lot.  They may need 5-6 games under their belt but I think they will be very good again.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 02, 2015, 02:08:42 PM
Wheaton has some talent on the current roster, but they lost 7 usual starters from last year's team.  Finklestein was the glue and they also lost 3 of their 4 leading scorers including Blair.  They may end up being decent, but Wheaton rarely plays up to the potential of their individual talent.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on September 02, 2015, 02:18:28 PM
Wheaton is definitely not what they were last year. They scrimmaged Gordon last week and although it was a 1-1 tie Gordon was the better team. The Wheaton keeper made some great saves otherwise it wouldn't have been close.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: All NESCAC on September 02, 2015, 02:36:04 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 02, 2015, 12:45:11 PM
That is a great result for ECSU which may pay dividends down the road for both teams. Babson might be rebuilding a bit this year as they lost a deep senior class.

Agree.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 02, 2015, 03:07:45 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on September 02, 2015, 02:18:28 PM
Wheaton is definitely not what they were last year. They scrimmaged Gordon last week and although it was a 1-1 tie Gordon was the better team. The Wheaton keeper made some great saves otherwise it wouldn't have been close.

We'll see.  I would expect them to need some time but on the other hand sometimes new blood and a new mix of leading players are good.  Might go see them play Ohio Northern this weekend.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 02, 2015, 09:13:54 PM
And Wheaton loses the opener to Wentworth, 2-1.  Got a 1-0 lead with less than 20 to go and gave up 2 goals late.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 03, 2015, 11:55:53 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 01, 2015, 07:17:45 PM
Goals by freshman Justin Jensen, Sophomore Alex Fazzino, and a penalty kick by So. Xavier Doran provided ECSU with a 3-0 victory over Babson College this afternoon.  A VG win over an excellent Babson team!!!   ECSU was in the top 15 nationally last year in defense, and have all their backfield back in 2015, however their offence was really lacking, so today's result was a positive sign for this season hitting on 3 of 5 SOG. 

SHOTS                1   2     TOTAL
Babson                2   7       9
Eastern Conn. St. 1   4       5

Good result for ECSU, but I would be more than a little concerned about managing only 5 shots against a young Babson team.  Looking at the box score, it looks like Babson was without a couple of the expected starters (Mandel, Ventura) and played quite a few freshmen.  Could be a rough start for Babson with Ohio Northern and Brandies coming up in the next 10 days.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 03, 2015, 11:57:53 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 02, 2015, 12:45:11 PM
That is a great result for ECSU which may pay dividends down the road for both teams. Babson might be rebuilding a bit this year as they lost a deep senior class.

Thanks Mr Right, I hope Coach DeVito can hold on to the young players he has recruited this year.  For some reason, some of last years young recruits bolted on him!  Not sure what the reason was.  You always like to see Freshman/Sophomore players who are good enough to play significant minutes, play the 4 years and see them reach maturity with the same team!
I saw Babson lost their top offensive player, so I knew they would not be as strong.  Never the less, the ECSU win will give this young team some confidence going into, what will be a tough match vs Muhlenberg College.
Hoping your favorite team has a good year!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 03, 2015, 12:02:16 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 03, 2015, 11:55:53 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 01, 2015, 07:17:45 PM
Goals by freshman Justin Jensen, Sophomore Alex Fazzino, and a penalty kick by So. Xavier Doran provided ECSU with a 3-0 victory over Babson College this afternoon.  A VG win over an excellent Babson team!!!   ECSU was in the top 15 nationally last year in defense, and have all their backfield back in 2015, however their offence was really lacking, so today's result was a positive sign for this season hitting on 3 of 5 SOG. 

SHOTS                1   2     TOTAL
Babson                2   7       9
Eastern Conn. St. 1   4       5

Good result for ECSU, but I would be more than a little concerned about managing only 5 shots against a young Babson team.  Looking at the box score, it looks like Babson was without a couple of the expected starters (Mandel, Ventura) and played quite a few freshmen.  Could be a rough start for Babson with Ohio Northern and Brandies coming up in the next 10 days.

Not too concerned seeing it was the first game of the season.  Optimistic in that although they did not create a lot of chances, they converted on the ones they saw, which to me is a good sign for young players.  Will see how they perform vs Muhlenberg on Saturday, still early!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 03, 2015, 05:32:32 PM
--Winningest active D3 coaches in New England:

1.  Mike Coven - Brandeis     42 years     494-259-50   (0.646)
2.  Jon Anderson - Babson    29 years     358-159-62   (0.671)

These were the only 2 listed with more than 348 wins to make the top 30 nationally for all divisions.

Source:  2015 College Almanac
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 04, 2015, 09:13:09 AM
WOW...42 years and counting for Coven..The question is how much longer will he go. His top Lieutenant Gabe Margolis has been basically promised the gig when Coven retires, but I think he thought he would have taken over by now. It was just about 5 years ago when Brandeis had been in a decade long funk and the AD was trying to push Coven out. Margolis is an exceptional recruiter and has had as much influence if not more for Brandeis resurgence.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: All NESCAC on September 04, 2015, 10:12:18 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 04, 2015, 09:13:09 AM
WOW...42 years and counting for Coven..The question is how much longer will he go. His top Lieutenant Gabe Margolis has been basically promised the gig when Coven retires, but I think he thought he would have taken over by now. It was just about 5 years ago when Brandeis had been in a decade long funk and the AD was trying to push Coven out. Margolis is an exceptional recruiter and has had as much influence if not more for Brandeis resurgence.

Coven and Margolis at Brandeis are a very good tandem.  Agree Margolis is a tremendous recruiter (first hand experience) and they have brought in some very good talent to Brandeis over the last 5 years....it will be interesting to see how they do this year because they did lose some significant firepower with Savonen's graduation.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 04, 2015, 10:38:47 AM
Highlights of ECSU-Babson game!  Glad the Eastern Athl Dept put these out as the video feed for the game was poor with sun/shade on the pitch the camera exposure could not be controlled well.

Soph. Alex Fazzino gave Babson all kinds of problems for the Beaver D, his goal was a beauty and was about to score #2 when he was pulled of the ball in the penalty area!!  Xavier Doran was successfully finished on the PK

http://gowarriorathletics.com/sports/msoc/index
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 04, 2015, 03:03:56 PM
WOW....Those highlights for ECONN and lowlights for Babson tell a whole different story. First of all those are absolutely TWO horrible lazy back passes by the Right Back that got picked off by ECONN and led to the first 2 goals. The 3rd goal looked like a disaster of a throw by the Babson GK which led to a "soft" penalty being called and ECONN capitalized. Those type of lethargic plays will drive coaches nuts.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: All NESCAC on September 04, 2015, 03:51:34 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 04, 2015, 03:03:56 PM
WOW....Those highlights for ECONN and lowlights for Babson tell a whole different story. First of all those are absolutely TWO horrible lazy back passes by the Right Back that got picked off by ECONN and led to the first 2 goals. The 3rd goal looked like a disaster of a throw by the Babson GK which led to a "soft" penalty being called and ECONN capitalized. Those type of lethargic plays will drive coaches nuts.

you're right WOW...back line of Babson looked pretty bad on those goals....unbelievable LAZY passes....Babson has some work to do.  Kudos to ECSU for capitalizing.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 04, 2015, 10:27:23 PM
Endicott ties Calvin.  They may be able to challenge Gordon in the CCC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 05, 2015, 09:24:00 PM
Cooper D'Ambrosio strikes with 5 sec left in 2OT to defeat Muhlenberg College 1-0.  EVERYBODY on the pitch was gassed.  Fortunately it was not a humid evening and the temp was +/- 70.  Both GK made great saves to maintain the scoreless match to the very last minute!!  Congrats to ECSU on a well fought game against an excellent opponent!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 05, 2015, 09:46:20 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 04, 2015, 10:27:23 PM
Endicott ties Calvin.  They may be able to challenge Gordon in the CCC.

...and Calvin edges Gordon 1-0.  From what I saw of both games, Calvin seemed the better team, but was not able to break down either opponent effectively. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 07, 2015, 06:41:16 PM
Just noticed UMASS Boston playing 2 West coast games at Puget Sound and at Pacific Lutheran...This would have NEVER happened even 5 years ago. Looks like the endowment is rising and the new dorms on campus will be bringing in more money for the school and more money for athletics..Like I said a couple years ago this job when it went from part-time to full time was a job that alot of people wanted. To bad MIT with a much bigger endowment and athletic budget could not take a cue from this
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 07, 2015, 08:40:37 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 07, 2015, 06:41:16 PM
Just noticed UMASS Boston playing 2 West coast games at Puget Sound and at Pacific Lutheran...This would have NEVER happened even 5 years ago. Looks like the endowment is rising and the new dorms on campus will be bringing in more money for the school and more money for athletics..Like I said a couple years ago this job when it went from part-time to full time was a job that alot of people wanted. To bad MIT with a much bigger endowment and athletic budget could not take a cue from this

In addition 17 of the 30 players on the roster are from places like Cape Verde Islands, Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, and Spain!!  So, somebody has a budget to do some recruiting travel in the offseason!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 07, 2015, 09:13:13 PM
Well they usually get those type of kids because of Boston. Usually they are the first to matriculate in college within the family..Like I mentioned last year with their run into the NCAA's with a win over Keene St in the Little East finals they are a great team to root for. They are undersized but have some flair and skill and are just a fun team to follow and root for.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 08, 2015, 05:08:44 PM
Two of the new UMass-Boston players are longtime Bolts players who had been committed to Northeastern, but didn't end up going there for whatever reasons. This dynamic duo should elevate the squad right away!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 08, 2015, 09:35:11 PM
ECSU defeats Wesleyan 1-0 on another D'Ambrosio goal at around the 50 min mark.  The Warriors return home to play Ramapo on Sat.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 09, 2015, 09:58:46 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 08, 2015, 09:35:11 PM
ECSU defeats Wesleyan 1-0 on another D'Ambrosio goal at around the 50 min mark.  The Warriors return home to play Ramapo on Sat.

ECSU is the story of the season so far. A 3-0 win against Babson is impressive for any side, and I certainly took notice after that, but then two road victories against good opponents. Wesleyan certainly had most of the ball/pressure after the goal but the ECSU defense and goalkeeper were excellent. It will be interesting to see how their regular season unfolds, I'd love to see them make a run in the tournament.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Brother Flounder on September 09, 2015, 11:01:53 AM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 09, 2015, 09:58:46 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 08, 2015, 09:35:11 PM
ECSU defeats Wesleyan 1-0 on another D'Ambrosio goal at around the 50 min mark.  The Warriors return home to play Ramapo on Sat.

ECSU is the story of the season so far. A 3-0 win against Babson is impressive for any side, and I certainly took notice after that, but then two road victories against good opponents. Wesleyan certainly had most of the ball/pressure after the goal but the ECSU defense and goalkeeper were excellent. It will be interesting to see how their regular season unfolds, I'd love to see them make a run in the tournament.

Yes, they have been impressive.  Their confidence has to be good now....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: lastguyoffthebench on September 09, 2015, 11:56:25 AM

They will be squaring up against a Ramapo team that has just 3 conference wins in the NJAC the previous two seasons.  I'd expect a DRAW in this one.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 09, 2015, 03:43:43 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 09, 2015, 09:58:46 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 08, 2015, 09:35:11 PM
ECSU defeats Wesleyan 1-0 on another D'Ambrosio goal at around the 50 min mark.  The Warriors return home to play Ramapo on Sat.

ECSU is the story of the season so far. A 3-0 win against Babson is impressive for any side, and I certainly took notice after that, but then two road victories against good opponents. Wesleyan certainly had most of the ball/pressure after the goal but the ECSU defense and goalkeeper were excellent. It will be interesting to see how their regular season unfolds, I'd love to see them make a run in the tournament.

Thanks blooter 442
I also hope they make a run.  They will need to do well vs UM Boston with their roster of expatriots!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 09, 2015, 04:11:40 PM
Wheaton goes 1-0 up against WNE on an absolute screamer by Fromhein. Shot while on the run outside the 18, top left corner, 'keeper no chance.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 09, 2015, 05:52:47 PM
Coast Guard have really taken a dive.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 10, 2015, 07:45:01 AM
Cooper D'Ambrosio last second goal vs Mulhlenberg:

http://www.d3soccer.com/greatgoals/2015/Cooper-DAmbrosio_Eastern-Conn_09-05-2015
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 12, 2015, 06:27:49 PM
ECSU defeats Ramapo College of NJ 4-0 powered byFreshman Justin Jensen's hat trick.  The match was close in the first half with Eastern going in with a late 1-0 lead, with shots, corners etc pretty even.  Second half was all Warriors especially when they scored the second goal on a Ramapo GK mishandle, (low line drive that bounced out from under the keeper. Freshman, Ryan Murphy recored his 4th straight clean sheet!! Next up, Roger Williams tomorr ow@ 2pm .
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 13, 2015, 04:00:20 PM
ECSU 2 Roger Williams 1.  RW scored first on a beautiful Charlie Mader  header off a corner by Trevor Sparda , Murphy had no chance but was his first goal-against this season.  JD Stearns and Andres Villars got markers for ECSU.  The Warriors take on Albertus Magnus next week Tues.  Freshman Justen Jensen who had 3 goals yesterday just missed on a couple of opportunities today.  This kid will be a star for Eastern going forward!!!

UMass Boston leading Puget Sound 2-0 with 7 minutes left in the match!!

UMB 2 PS 0 Final

Tufts breaks through with goal @ 55 min mark vs Plymouth State.  Tufts with what looks looks to be 80% of possession and a "millon" corner kicks.  Tufts blew a PK at the 20 min mark in the first half!!  This match is basically over for Plymouth as they just cannot maintain possession!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 13, 2015, 05:16:03 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 13, 2015, 04:00:20 PM
UMass Boston leading Puget Sound 2-0 with 7 minutes left in the match!!

UMB 2 PS 0 Final

Both goals by former YNT and current first-year player Kenawy.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 14, 2015, 02:01:09 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on September 13, 2015, 05:16:03 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 13, 2015, 04:00:20 PM
UMass Boston leading Puget Sound 2-0 with 7 minutes left in the match!!

UMB 2 PS 0 Final

Both goals by former YNT and current first-year player Kenawy.



Kenawy was a former FC Bolts player, but I had no idea he was a YNT...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Corazon on September 14, 2015, 02:04:55 PM
Yes, I believe he had a call-up at some point.  I thought he had gone to Northeastern.  Surprised to see him on UMB roster.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 14, 2015, 02:19:52 PM
Quote from: Corazon on September 14, 2015, 02:04:55 PM
Yes, I believe he had a call-up at some point.  I thought he had gone to Northeastern.  Surprised to see him on UMB roster.





He probably heard that Head coach Ainscough formerly of Bowdoin is an absolute nightmare to play for...Rumors had it that the players at Northeastern after the 2014 season marched into the AD's office to request a change at Head Coach. Ainscough is a good coach but wears out his welcome after 5-6 years usually. Happened at Providence and Bowdoin where he basically got fired
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Corazon on September 14, 2015, 02:44:48 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 14, 2015, 02:19:52 PM
Quote from: Corazon on September 14, 2015, 02:04:55 PM
Yes, I believe he had a call-up at some point.  I thought he had gone to Northeastern.  Surprised to see him on UMB roster.





He probably heard that Head coach Ainscough formerly of Bowdoin is an absolute nightmare to play for...Rumors had it that the players at Northeastern after the 2014 season marched into the AD's office to request a change at Head Coach. Ainscough is a good coach but wears out his welcome after 5-6 years usually. Happened at Providence and Bowdoin where he basically got fired

Interesting intel (esp that he coached Bowdoin, as I didn't know) and I've also heard Ainscough can be a demanding coach.  However, he ran the Bolts Academy, so I doubt that was the reason.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 14, 2015, 03:12:49 PM
Ainscough played for Ed Kelly(BC Head Coach) at Fairly Ridiculous University when Ed Kelly coached there. Then he was Kelly's assistant at BC for a couple years then got the Providence College Head coaching gig from 1996-2000 I believe. He turned that program around pretty fast but then an incident happened which caused him to resign. He immediately got the Bowdoin Head Coaching gig from 2000-2005 and immediately turned them around. Bowdoin WAS VERY GOOD from 2000-2004 and had a GREAT side in 2003. He then has a couple run-ins with parents with the club he started(Seacoast) and another issue and was forced out in July 2005. Luckily there was still an opening at Northeastern and he got the job immediately. He managed to trun that program around also and got an NCAA bid I believe in 2012.

That is why he has a shelf life of about 6-7 years at a school before he starts to wear out his welcome...He does have a knack of turning programs around and is a very good coach. At Bowdoin he would be coaching every play but I think he has calmed some since then
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 14, 2015, 04:59:14 PM
Keene St has taken a horrific NOSEDIVE...0-4-0 with 1 Goal in 4 games. Wheaton, MIT and Springfield is good competition but a 2-0 loss to Castleton St at home and 6-1 pounding from Springfield does not look good....Possible injuries that I do not know about but this program was one of New England's best just 6-7 years ago
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 14, 2015, 10:16:28 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 14, 2015, 04:59:14 PM
Keene St has taken a horrific NOSEDIVE...0-4-0 with 1 Goal in 4 games. Wheaton, MIT and Springfield is good competition but a 2-0 loss to Castleton St at home and 6-1 pounding from Springfield does not look good....Possible injuries that I do not know about but this program was one of New England's best just 6-7 years ago

Keene has a habit of looking terrible early in the season, as they started slow last year and then came on strong.  They definitely are not the team of old though, and it remains to be seen if they can come back!!  The always play ECSU tough, match being a longtime LEC Conference rivalry!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: lastguyoffthebench on September 15, 2015, 08:56:07 AM

1. Tufts
2. Amherst
3. ECSU
4. Williams (could see Amherst and Williams flipped)
5. Brandeis (only loss to Trinity should still have them in top 5 in region)
6. Wentworth
7. WPI
8. MA-Boston
9. Middlebury
10. Curry, MIT, or Springfield
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 15, 2015, 12:06:52 PM
Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on September 15, 2015, 08:56:07 AM

1. Tufts
2. Amherst
3. ECSU
4. Williams (could see Amherst and Williams flipped)
5. Brandeis (only loss to Trinity should still have them in top 5 in region)
6. Wentworth
7. WPI
8. MA-Boston
9. Middlebury
10. Curry, MIT, or Springfield





Very accurate.+karma
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 15, 2015, 03:14:44 PM
Off topic but I am starting to notice a really bad trend at Westfield St since Matt Noyes left the coaching job in 2011. They usually competed in the MASCAC very well and won the league a couple times getting to the NCAA's. Granted this is a part-time job but John Evans has put NO EFFORT into recruiting. There are some good soccer players in that Western MA/ Hartford CT area and Westfield can get most kids in plus in-state tuition is low. Noyes recruited well and the program has taken a significant drop. Might be time to get some fresh blood and a eager beaver young guy to take a stab at it.



Of course after I post all this Westfield draws Trinity CT...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Corazon on September 15, 2015, 03:43:34 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 14, 2015, 10:16:28 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 14, 2015, 04:59:14 PM
Keene St has taken a horrific NOSEDIVE...0-4-0 with 1 Goal in 4 games. Wheaton, MIT and Springfield is good competition but a 2-0 loss to Castleton St at home and 6-1 pounding from Springfield does not look good....Possible injuries that I do not know about but this program was one of New England's best just 6-7 years ago

Keene has a habit of looking terrible early in the season, as they started slow last year and then came on strong.  They definitely are not the team of old though, and it remains to be seen if they can come back!!  The always play ECSU tough, match being a longtime LEC Conference rivalry!

I did not realize how poorly Keene State had started until I read these comments. I've only seen them once ever - last year vs Brandeis - and thought they were a good team.  They even almost made the NCAAs and returned almost everyone, including their big striker.  Not sure what is going on there because looking just at the scores and stats, you would think they were one of the worst teams in D3.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 15, 2015, 06:07:37 PM
2-1 Eastern over Albertus Magnus @ 92 min in first OT.  AM played well for first 35 min scoring first. however ECSU dominated the rest of the game 21-5 SOG, 7-0 corners for totals.

BYW that's 3 wins in 3, 4 days, which gives an indication of the Warrior fitness, backs Emmanual Caisedo, D'Ambrosio, Neuendorf and Lombardo playing 300 straight minutes!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Soccer Balls on September 16, 2015, 09:30:41 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 14, 2015, 03:12:49 PM
Ainscough played for Ed Kelly(BC Head Coach) at Fairly Ridiculous University when Ed Kelly coached there.  True Then he was Kelly's assistant at BC for a couple years then got the Providence College Head coaching gig from 1996-2000 I believe. He turned that program around pretty fast but then an incident happened which caused him to resign. False-He was a part time coach and was selling insurance as well as coaching. He was offered a full time job at Bowdoin. He immediately got the Bowdoin Head Coaching gig from 2000-2005 and immediately turned them around. Bowdoin WAS VERY GOOD from 2000-2004 and had a GREAT side in 2003. He then has a couple run-ins with parents with the club he started(Seacoast) and another issue and was forced out in July 2005. False-No run ins with parents. His family (wife)wanted to move back to Boston to be closer to other family. And he did not start Seacoast. Luckily there was still an opening at Northeastern and he got the job immediately. He managed to turn that program around also and got an NCAA bid I believe in 2012.

That is why he has a shelf life of about 6-7 years at a school before he starts to wear out his welcome False. Mr Right this is the dbag post of the year. Don't post what you don't know...He does have a knack of turning programs around and is a very good coach. At Bowdoin he would be coaching every play but I think he has calmed some since then
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 16, 2015, 10:09:16 AM
It is all true...I might have got a few minor details wrong but the major details are true...He was FIRED OR ABOUT TO BE FIRED FROM BOWDOIN...The wife might of wanted to leave but he was going to have to leave anyway...Providence was part-time you are right but that is a MINOR detail in all this.  I thought he was one of the people that started Seacoast AGAIN ANOTHER MINOR DETAIL...My MAIN points ARE ALL TRUE...Thanks for your post though
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Soccer Balls on September 16, 2015, 10:49:29 AM
I am not going to get into a back and forth on this.
Suffice it to say that you are wrong on all accounts. I don't know where you get your information. You should be known as Mr. Wrong.
True, Ainscough has a temper, but he is an EXCELLENT coach who cares deeply for his players success both on and off the field.
Oh btw, nice result for Williams yesterday. :o ;D ;D
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 16, 2015, 11:53:25 AM
Thanks...I actually did not lose any sleep over the Williams loss, so no worries there.

I understand the truth hurts and sometimes makes people react the way you are presently. Also, if you actually read my post I stated Ainscough turned every program around that he has been at. I also think he is an excellent coach but he gets himself into HOT WATER with his ANTICS sometimes. Just ask Ray Reid over at UCONN after they played Northeastern in the 2nd round of the NCAA's in 2012. Aisncough had such a tantrum after the game they had to call UCONN security. He is an excellent coach just has some BAGGAGE..

Since he is no longer at Bowdoin and in D3 he does not need to be mentioned on these boards and I will leave it alone now.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 16, 2015, 12:03:36 PM
Also,

Thanks for adding Ainscough sold insurance part-time. That gave me a chuckle picturing Ainscough selling insurance.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 19, 2015, 05:33:52 PM
ECSU plays Plymouth St to a 1-1 draw!  I think Plymouth goal was off a penalty kick based on the Live Stats, the game did not have  a streamed video today ???
Seemed like more that normal off sides and penalty's for Eastern today?!  PS had slight SOG advantage.  Adam Traxler's name showed up today which is a good thing.  4.5 hr bus ride to Plymouth NH always fun for a team!!  Next up Gordon College 9/22 in Wendham MA.

In UMass Boston/RIC game, RIC played short handed for most of the second half after two yellows on one of the Anchormen.  UMB looked a little lethargic in this game but dominated none the less.  Nice HD stream from RIC this afternoon as well as WConn in their 2-2 draw with UMDartmouth in Danbury and Amherst in their 1-0 win over Middlebury.  Watched these games as I watched paint dry on Plym. St Live Stats ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 22, 2015, 01:14:54 PM
Sept 22 New England rankings

1.  Tufts        5-0
2.  Amherst   5-0
3.  Brandeis   6-1
4.  Eastern Connecticut State   6-0-1
5.  UMass - Boston   6-0
6.  Wentworth    6-1
7.  Wheaton   6-2
8.  WPI          6-1-1
9.  Endicott   4-1-1
10. Babson    5-2

http://www.nscaa.com/rankings/4398/NCAADivisionIII/men/NewEngland/Poll2
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 22, 2015, 01:31:39 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 22, 2015, 01:14:54 PM
Sept 22 New England rankings

1.  Tufts        5-0
2.  Amherst   5-0
3.  Brandeis   6-1
4.  Eastern Connecticut State   6-0-1
5.  UMass - Boston   6-0
6.  Wentworth    6-1
7.  Wheaton   6-2
8.  WPI          6-1-1
9.  Endicott   4-1-1
10. Babson    5-2

http://www.nscaa.com/rankings/4398/NCAADivisionIII/men/NewEngland/Poll2

Not a Wentworth believer yet and expect them to drop out after playing Gordon and Mass-Boston this week.  Wheaton is overrated and will likely lose at WPI Saturday.  So, two of the teams below should move into the rankings next week including the winner of the Middlebury-Bowdoin game.

Other teams whose records should have warranted some consideration:
Middlebury   3-1
MIT             4-1
Bates          4-0
Springfield   6-1
Bridgewater St    5-1
Curry          8-0

Other quality teams lurking:
Bowdoin      2-2
Conn           3-2
Wesleyan    2-2
Williams      3-2
Gordon       4-2
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 22, 2015, 01:40:47 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on July 02, 2015, 03:27:35 PM
Babson has released their 2015 schedule - http://www.babsonathletics.com/sports/m-soccer/2015-16/schedule

Non-conference games of note:
Sept 1 -   at Eastern Conn St
Sept 6 -   Ohio Northern
Sept 12 - at Brandeis
Sept 27 - RPI
Oct 12 -   at Bowdoin
Oct 18 -   Williams

Also includes 2014 NCAA tournament participants Husson, UMass-Boston, Fitchburg St

Looking back at this, ECSU (#24 nationally), Ohio Northern (#9 Great Lakes), Brandeis (#16 nationally), RPI (#15 nationally), UMass-Boston (#5 New England), conference games against #s 7 and 8 in New England and then lesser games vs. Bowdoin and Williams.  The Babson SOS should be among the highest in the country.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 22, 2015, 02:33:49 PM
Babson might have a strong SOS but it will not matter in the end because IMO they will have 6-7 losses by the time November rolls around
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 22, 2015, 02:54:01 PM
WPI is better than I thought when I saw them play this year but I still think Wheaton is just as good and can win that game if they work hard enough.

Expect by mid-October to start seeing the New England region dominated by 5 Nescac teams. Amherst, Tufts, Midd, and 2 of either Wesleyan, Williams, Bowdoin and Conn. Bowdoin's schedule really softens to their advantage after they play Midd on Saturday and they could roll until they play Conn and Tufts at the end of October.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 22, 2015, 03:02:10 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 22, 2015, 02:33:49 PM
Babson might have a strong SOS but it will not matter in the end because IMO they will have 6-7 losses by the time November rolls around

You are correct that it won't matter if they lose 6-7 times (or more) which is very possible unless they figure out a way to score goals.  However, the way SOS has been rewarded in recent years' selections, it could make all the difference with even as many as 5 losses.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 22, 2015, 03:14:32 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 22, 2015, 02:54:01 PM
WPI is better than I thought when I saw them play this year but I still think Wheaton is just as good and can win that game if they work hard enough.

Expect by mid-October to start seeing the New England region dominated by 5 Nescac teams. Amherst, Tufts, Midd, and 2 of either Wesleyan, Williams, Bowdoin and Conn. Bowdoin's schedule really softens to their advantage after they play Midd on Saturday and they could roll until they play Conn and Tufts at the end of October.

I think Wheaton fades with losses in at least 3 of their next five (at WPI, Brandeis, at Babson, Trinity, MIT).  With two losses already, they will have to avoid any other losses and still probably have to win the NEWMAC to make this year's NCAAs.  They have talent, but they are not the most disciplined/organized of teams and will give up goals they should not that will cost them against quality opponents.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 22, 2015, 03:20:06 PM
Wheaton could go 1-4 in the next five or 4-1.  Either seems very possible.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 22, 2015, 03:23:53 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 22, 2015, 03:02:10 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 22, 2015, 02:33:49 PM
Babson might have a strong SOS but it will not matter in the end because IMO they will have 6-7 losses by the time November rolls around

You are correct that it won't matter if they lose 6-7 times (or more) which is very possible unless they figure out a way to score goals.  However, the way SOS has been rewarded in recent years' selections, it could make all the difference with even as many as 5 losses.


2013 Was one of few years that teams like Brandeis and Williams got in with 5 and even 6 losses because everyone was beating each other up. Teams were not budging much in the regional rankings and were only dropping or rising 1 or 2 spots in the New England region that year. Brandeis and Williams had a very favorable Record v ranked that year and that is what got them in. They both actually hosted in the 1st round. That was the year of the CCC garnering 3 bids and almost 4 which was getting under Nescac fans skin that year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 22, 2015, 03:24:26 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 22, 2015, 02:54:01 PM
WPI is better than I thought when I saw them play this year but I still think Wheaton is just as good and can win that game if they work hard enough.

Expect by mid-October to start seeing the New England region dominated by 5 Nescac teams. Amherst, Tufts, Midd, and 2 of either Wesleyan, Williams, Bowdoin and Conn. Bowdoin's schedule really softens to their advantage after they play Midd on Saturday and they could roll until they play Conn and Tufts at the end of October.

I tend to agree. The prevailing impression seems to be that NESCAC is very strong this year, and since there isn't some real surprise team like Coast Guard taking a spot from NESCAC, I could see them getting 4 teams in and arguing for 5.

Last year Tufts was too low in the last ranking at #6.  They should NOT have been in a position to be "on the bubble" even though those were the facts going into last year's tournament.  Should have been Brandeis, Amherst, and Wheaton (MA) and Tufts tied at #3.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 22, 2015, 03:26:05 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 22, 2015, 03:14:32 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 22, 2015, 02:54:01 PM
WPI is better than I thought when I saw them play this year but I still think Wheaton is just as good and can win that game if they work hard enough.

Expect by mid-October to start seeing the New England region dominated by 5 Nescac teams. Amherst, Tufts, Midd, and 2 of either Wesleyan, Williams, Bowdoin and Conn. Bowdoin's schedule really softens to their advantage after they play Midd on Saturday and they could roll until they play Conn and Tufts at the end of October.

I think Wheaton fades with losses in at least 3 of their next five (at WPI, Brandeis, at Babson, Trinity, MIT).  With two losses already, they will have to avoid any other losses and still probably have to win the NEWMAC to make this year's NCAAs.  They have talent, but they are not the most disciplined/organized of teams and will give up goals they should not that will cost them against quality opponents.



I disagree as Cushing has Wheaton very organized and is a very good coach. They might look from a distance as dis-organized but they are not. Now undisciplined they can be but that is generally because of a few "problem" players that goods senior leadership like they had last year took care of.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 22, 2015, 05:06:17 PM
ECSU getting their asses handed to them this afternoon, 2-0 Gordon at halftime!!  Painful and embarrassing to watch!  Being completely out played, out shot, out hustled, I don't even recognize what they are doing.  Hopefully DeVito talks some sense into them otherwise your looking 4+-0 final!

Not anywhere close to a top 100 team today.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on September 22, 2015, 06:17:16 PM
3-1 is actually kind to ECONN.  Could have been much worse.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 22, 2015, 07:03:48 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on September 22, 2015, 06:17:16 PM
3-1 is actually kind to ECONN.  Could have been much worse.
Not really, Eastern had more chances as well in the second half, probably should have been tied 20 min in !!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 22, 2015, 07:14:13 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 22, 2015, 03:23:53 PM
That was the year of the CCC garnering 3 bids and almost 4 which was getting under Nescac fans skin that year.

That boiled me. Seeing RWU, where I spent a year before transferring, completely derp its way into an at-large bid on the back of some veeeeery fortunate wins (Wheaton, Babson in 2OT, Gordon in the CCC game in which they scored on two defensive mistakes) and then winning in the first round against Rutgers-Newark in a game where they were dominated and scored three fluky goals was ridiculous. I will admit that Hoxsie was deserving of All-American, but his team absolutely did not deserve a bid and its victory over Rutgers-Newark has to go down as one of the great smash-and-grab raids. Thankfully Brandeis beat them in the NCAA second round at home and ended their season, which I found to be extra sweet. ;D
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on September 22, 2015, 07:18:09 PM
I was at the match.  Gordon 33 shots. ECONN keeper was fantastic....15 saves most of them point blank. Gordon played really well and Econn looked shell shocked.  It had to have be an off day for Econn.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 22, 2015, 07:26:35 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on September 22, 2015, 07:18:09 PM
I was at the match.  Gordon 33 shots. ECONN keeper was fantastic....15 saves most of them point blank. Gordon played really well and Econn looked shell shocked.  It had to have be an off day for Econn.
I also watched the match, lots of pressure on the Gordon goalkeeper in the second half, ECSU could have easily tied the match irrespective of the total shots!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on September 22, 2015, 07:35:31 PM
Yeah they definitely pumped a lot of long balls into the box and were a bit dangerous. Other than that there wasn't a lot of soccer going on from Eastern Connecticut. That being said, I have a lot of respect for Eastern Connecticut....the last two times we played them they were great matches. Again it had to be an off day. The coach was reduced to yelling at his players telling them what to do on every play and screaming at the officials.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 22, 2015, 08:17:21 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on September 22, 2015, 07:35:31 PM
Yeah they definitely pumped a lot of long balls into the box and were a bit dangerous. Other than that there wasn't a lot of soccer going on from Eastern Connecticut. That being said, I have a lot of respect for Eastern Connecticut....the last two times we played them they were great matches. Again it had to be an off day. The coach was reduced to yelling at his players telling them what to do on every play and screaming at the officials.



DeVito drives opposing coaches NUTS...Some do not trust him and others refuse to play him. He must say "man" 50 times a game. For what I believe is still a part-time gig he does one hell of a job in my book
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 22, 2015, 08:23:01 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 22, 2015, 07:14:13 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 22, 2015, 03:23:53 PM
That was the year of the CCC garnering 3 bids and almost 4 which was getting under Nescac fans skin that year.

That boiled me. Seeing RWU, where I spent a year before transferring, completely derp its way into an at-large bid on the back of some veeeeery fortunate wins (Wheaton, Babson in 2OT, Gordon in the CCC game in which they scored on two defensive mistakes) and then winning in the first round against Rutgers-Newark in a game where they were dominated and scored three fluky goals was ridiculous. I will admit that Hoxsie was deserving of All-American, but his team absolutely did not deserve a bid and its victory over Rutgers-Newark has to go down as one of the great smash-and-grab raids. Thankfully Brandeis beat them in the NCAA second round at home and ended their season, which I found to be extra sweet. ;D




Yes I remember thinking to myself after the 1st round on Saturday night how did WNEC , RWU and Gordon all just win 1st round matches. They played MIT, Rutgers Newark and ECONN respectively. The Rutgers Newark result surprised me the most losing to RWU. What did you think of the old timer who just retired Jim Cook. I actually posted this summer that I thought the job would be a good start for a young coach and that there is talent in the area if you look and can squeeze thru admissions.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 22, 2015, 08:51:12 PM
UMass Boston has now handed Wentworth their first L of the season, in a 3-1 victory.  Elton Teixeira, assisted by Mohamed Kenawy (times 2), was all the Beacons needed in a well played relatively even match.  UMB will be very dangerous this season with excellent D and a whole host of skillful forwards serviced by competent midfielders. I predict UMB will likely appear in the top 25 next week.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 22, 2015, 09:15:44 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 22, 2015, 08:23:01 PM
Yes I remember thinking to myself after the 1st round on Saturday night how did WNEC , RWU and Gordon all just win 1st round matches. They played MIT, Rutgers Newark and ECONN respectively. The Rutgers Newark result surprised me the most losing to RWU. What did you think of the old timer who just retired Jim Cook. I actually posted this summer that I thought the job would be a good start for a young coach and that there is talent in the area if you look and can squeeze thru admissions.

Never impressed with him. An OK guy from my limited interaction with him, but I observed no real tactical plan during my year there - they aspired to be a possesion team but most of it was aimless possession that never really resulted in anything.

Since I left, which was incidentally the fall that Hoxsie arrived, their strategy essentially became "give the ball to Hoxsie and hope he bails us out." It worked for them a couple of times, as in 2013 he scored both goals each time in big away victories over Wheaton and Babson, and RWU managed to pick up lucky wins away at Gordon and then Rutgers-Newark (a game where they were outshot 28-9, Rutgers-Newark should have been 4-0 up at the half.) However, when they played Brandeis, Cook got completely out-coached by Coven and Margolis, who set up the Brandeis CBs to double-mark Hoxsie and completely shut off his service from midfield. Hoxsie was in their pocket all night, I think he got one shot off the whole game. Part of that was that the Judges' CBs Lanahan and Brondoli both played very well, but a lot of it came down to that Cook was out-coached and had no Plan B in the event that Hoxsie got shut down.

Greenslit, the former Wheaton assistant, actually took over this summer. I think he will do a good job, he coaches the Bolts and he has a pretty extensive pedigree so I would expect that they will improve tactically and perhaps recruiting-wise. They beat MIT at home, but at the same time got hammered by Vassar and lost at ECSU and Wentworth, so I think they are a work in progress.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 22, 2015, 09:33:30 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 22, 2015, 08:51:12 PM
UMass Boston has now handed Wentworth their first L of the season, in a 3-1 victory.  Elton Teixeira, assisted by Mohamed Kenawy (times 2), was all the Beacons needed in a well played relatively even match.  UMB will be very dangerous this season with excellent D and a whole host of skillful forwards serviced by competent midfielders. I predict UMB will likely appear in the top 25 next week.

2nd loss for Wentworth.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 22, 2015, 10:11:47 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on September 22, 2015, 09:33:30 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 22, 2015, 08:51:12 PM
UMass Boston has now handed Wentworth their first L of the season, in a 3-1 victory.  Elton Teixeira, assisted by Mohamed Kenawy (times 2), was all the Beacons needed in a well played relatively even match.  UMB will be very dangerous this season with excellent D and a whole host of skillful forwards serviced by competent midfielders. I predict UMB will likely appear in the top 25 next week.

2nd loss for Wentworth.
Correct, the other L WNEU  :-[
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 22, 2015, 10:14:07 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 22, 2015, 08:17:21 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on September 22, 2015, 07:35:31 PM
Yeah they definitely pumped a lot of long balls into the box and were a bit dangerous. Other than that there wasn't a lot of soccer going on from Eastern Connecticut. That being said, I have a lot of respect for Eastern Connecticut....the last two times we played them they were great matches. Again it had to be an off day. The coach was reduced to yelling at his players telling them what to do on every play and screaming at the officials.



DeVito drives opposing coaches NUTS...Some do not trust him and others refuse to play him. He must say "man" 50 times a game. For what I believe is still a part-time gig he does one hell of a job in my book
Thanks Mr Right BTW +k for all your insightful posts
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 22, 2015, 11:49:59 PM
Curry quietly at 9-0. Gordon looms on October 3rd.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 23, 2015, 12:13:12 PM
Curry is 9-0-0 with 10 games remaining and not one of the 19 games will be against a regionally ranked team in my estimation unless Gordon gets ranked. What happens if they finish 19-0-0 and lose in the CCC tournament? They will most likely have a SOS of .510-.520 if lucky.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on September 23, 2015, 02:25:02 PM
Endicott is already regionally ranked and they're pretty good....at least it's the best Endicott team that I've ever seen. Gordon should be regionally ranked next week after easily beating #4 Eastern Connecticut, and then if all goes according to plan, beating number #6 Wentworth this Saturday.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 23, 2015, 02:52:06 PM
I am not talking NSCAA ranked I am talking the committee rankings the last 3 weeks of the year. Anytime I mention regionally ranked that is what I am referring to
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 27, 2015, 09:12:49 AM
ECSU comes back after the disaster at Gordon with a win over conference rival WCSU 4-1 in Willimantic, Xavier Doran with a hat trick, Tyler Jones with another. 

UM Boston destroys U Southern Maine, Pedro DaSilva with 4 goals, USM had back-up GK in goal and had major problems, a couple just slipping through his hands!  Anyone up against UMB will have to deal with the special technical skills of forwards Sr. DaSilva, Sr. Teixiera, Jr. Barros, and midfielders So. Kang and Fr. Kenaway.  29 goals scored to date.
A solid defense centered around Juniors 6'2"Pedro De Carvalho, and  6'1"Arlindo Goncalves will be tough to score against, giving up just 3 goals in 8 games.
ECSU will have to play a superior game to beat the Beacons on Oct 10 and for the LEConference
see highlights below:
http://www.beaconsathletics.com/sports/m-soccer/2015-16/releases/20150926vpp5hj
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: lastguyoffthebench on September 29, 2015, 09:27:51 AM

New England Region Week 3 Projections:

1. Amherst (4)     6-0
2. Brandeis (15)    7-1
3. Tufts      (19)    5-1
4. MA-Boston (RV) 7-0
5. ECSU                7-1-1
6. WPI                  8-1-1
7. Gordon             6-2
8. MIT                  6-1
9. Endicott            6-1-1
10.Wheaton          7-3
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 29, 2015, 09:55:49 AM
Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on September 29, 2015, 09:27:51 AM

New England Region Week 3 Projections:

1. Amherst (4)     6-0
2. Brandeis (15)    7-1
3. Tufts      (19)    5-1
4. MA-Boston (RV) 7-0
5. ECSU                7-1-1
6. WPI                  8-1-1
7. Gordon             6-2
8. MIT                  6-1
9. Endicott            6-1-1
10.Wheaton          7-3

Not bad.  Gordon and Wheaton will not make it and the bottom couple of spots will be teams with fewer losses or stronger schedules --- two of Bates (5-1-1), Springfield (7-1), Wesleyan (4-2) or Conn (5-2).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: lastguyoffthebench on September 29, 2015, 10:33:30 AM

Definitely could see Bates cracking the top 10.  I could be overvaluing Gordon's W over ECSU, but I still see them getting ranked.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: lastguyoffthebench on September 29, 2015, 10:35:09 AM

Ranking Tufts 19th nationally is also a little harsh, just not sure how they will be slotted nationally if they are 3rd in the region.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 29, 2015, 01:58:10 PM
Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on September 29, 2015, 10:33:30 AM

Definitely could see Bates cracking the top 10.  I could be overvaluing Gordon's W over ECSU, but I still see them getting ranked.

Kudos.  I was wrong about both Gordon and Wheaton (though I am much more surprised about Wheaton with 3 losses already).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Medicated Pete on September 29, 2015, 04:12:51 PM
 ??? anyone watching the Brandeis - Wheaton(MA) match...Is it a choppy stream or is my dial-up causing me issues :)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 29, 2015, 06:37:05 PM
ECSU with easy 2-0 win over Salem State!  Gibbs abd Jones with goals
Tufts extremely lucky to tie Wesleyan in Middletown!  2 Open goals attempts  missed by the Cardinals and a no call Tufts handball in the box !!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 30, 2015, 09:30:17 PM
UMass Boston finally scores with 5' left in 2OT to defeat Bridgewater St and keep an unblemished record!!   Defenses were key on both sides and keepers made outstanding saves, however UMB had most of possession and corners.

Nice game going on in Worcester with Amherst and WPI locked in 1-1 tie with 15' left in regulation
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 01, 2015, 09:11:11 AM
I have my spreadsheet from last year that closely replicated the "real" regional rankings at the end of the season.  For what its worth, here is the spreadsheet rankings with results through yesterday:

1.  Amherst
2.  Brandeis
3.  Tufts
4.  UMass-Boston
5.  Eastern Connecticut State
6.  MIT
7.  WPI
8.  Endicott
9.  Connecticut
10. Bates
11. Middlebury
12. Gordon
13. Babson
14. Wesleyan
15. Wheaton
16. Curry
17. Springfield

The major flaw in this analysis is that it assumes the same SOS as for last year for each team.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 01, 2015, 12:37:36 PM
Pretty accurate except the SOS will play a huge factor. MIT's schedule is pretty weak. I would bump everyone from Bates up a slot and stick MIT after Bates.

On another note, After watching WPI play its heart out against Amherst last night that team is the best team in NEWMAC and deserves to be in the NCAA's. I am impressed in how that Muhlenberg grad has improved this program. Malcom McPherson the former Part-time coach is still on the bench as his assistant. I am curious if WPI made this a Full time gig. Either way that team can compete with anyone in New England if it works like it did last night.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 01, 2015, 12:43:11 PM
After watching a good portion of UMass-Bos last night I think they may well prevail over ECSU but will struggle if and when they get to the real New England powerhouses....Amherst, Tufts, Brandeis, or an Oneonta or SLU-type team.  I'm guessing that their stars will get marked out and grow increasingly frustrated and eventually capitulate.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 01, 2015, 12:54:30 PM
I only caught about 10 minutes of that game but UMASS Boston has some very technical players but you are correct that against the top level New England teams like Amherst, Brandeis,Tufts and Midd they would be at a disadvantage with the physicality of those teams. The UMASS Boston v Babson game might give us a better idea but Babson is not a top 10 New England side this year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 01, 2015, 08:02:56 PM
I watched both the Amherst-WPI and UMass Boston -Bridgewater games, concurrently, catching 90% of the latter.  Mr Right is correct in that UMB saw some big physical backs at BS who limited the degree of penetration of UMB forwards.  However, first year players Kenawy and Martinez teamed up on a drive where the BS keeper came out to far and Kenawy brilliantly chipped the ball over his head, in the box, only to have it bounce off the crossbar.  This combo together with  combos which includes Teixeira, Barbosa and Dasilva will be dangerous and will have to be marked closely and often, as they not only have the technical skill but are fast and quick. In addition these guys are not shy at taking a drive from 20-30 yrds out and do well on set pieces.  BS did a good job of muscling these guys off the ball w/o fouling most of the match!!

Lastly, I agree that UMB has the edge over ECSU after watching both teams most of the season. If Eastern can take a tip from the way BS played defense, (I am sure Coach DeVito was watching and ECSU does have good size in the back), they may have enough offense to slip in the winning goal.  BS forwards Filipe Gomes and Connor Murtaugh each had excellent chances last night, but were rejected after fantastic saves by UMB keeper Rosales.

I also think Bridgewater may surprise some people this year!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Soccer Balls on October 02, 2015, 09:48:23 AM
UMB first year players Kenawy and Martinez-D1 Northeastern recruits/commits who enrolled at UMB. Most likely to get grades/scores up, though I don't know that for a fact
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 02, 2015, 11:32:59 AM
Quote from: Soccer Balls on October 02, 2015, 09:48:23 AM
UMB first year players Kenawy and Martinez-D1 Northeastern recruits/commits who enrolled at UMB. Most likely to get grades/scores up, though I don't know that for a fact
Coach Beverlin has done some magic with his recruiting over the past couple of years!  Do you think Kenawy and Martinez will stay with the program for the next 3 yrs?  If so, and with the rest of the youngsters on this team, UMB is going to be nasty good for the foreseeable future!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 02, 2015, 12:19:15 PM
At 0-6-2 Ainscough needs more help than these 2 players. I would bet 200 bananas Ainscough is not at Northeastern after this year and just focuses on the Bolts
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 03, 2015, 12:03:14 PM
WOW...I was watching Midd v Colby and I tuned into the Bridgewater St v Framingham St match late in the second half. The minute I tune in Bridgewater st with its keeper in the box scores to tie the match 3-3 with about 30 seconds left. Great header goal but the defending by Framingham was horrendous
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 03, 2015, 12:59:12 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on October 01, 2015, 08:02:56 PM

I also think Bridgewater may surprise some people this year!!




I agree. They look to have some size and athleticism. Not a highly skilled team but they can possibly stay with good teams by sitting deep and countering. They lost 1-0 to Brandeis and still have to play Babson and Wheaton. The MASCAC is a one bid league but Bridgewater is clearly the best team in the league. If they do not get upset in the conference tournament and get into the NCAA's, they could be one of those mid-week play in games with the #1 or #2 overall seeds waiting for them. Hopefully, they can avoid that situation and get into a week-end pod. If they do they could cause a team some problems especially if they come ready to play and stay organized defensively.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 04, 2015, 05:35:47 PM
Keene State drops a Little East Conference game to ECSU 2-0. 6'2"So Xavier Doran had a beautiful header off the Danny Manfeddi corner for one goal and JD Stearns scored the first goal off a breakaway and clinical finish.  Doran had a 30 yrd wonder goal, (see below), rocket off the dribble into the upper 90 in the hat trick with WestConn and is really stepping up big in these important conference games.

http://easternct.prestosports.com/sports/msoc/2015-16/videos/Xavier_Doran_Hat_Trick_Goal
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 05, 2015, 10:17:52 AM
Updated New England rankings from the spreadsheet that closely replicated last year's "real" rankings.

1.  Amherst     8-0
2.  Brandeis     9-1
3.  UMass-Boston    10-0
4.  Eastern Connecticut State    9-1-1
5.  MIT           8-1
6.  Middlebury   6-1-1
7.  WPI           9-2-1
8.  Endicott     8-1-1
9.  Gordon      8-2
10.  Wesleyan   5-2-1
11.  Conn         6-2-1
12.  Wheaton    8-4
13.  Tufts          5-3-1
14.  Springfield   8-2

Note:  I can't duplicate the actual SOS without investing a lot of time to come up with OOWP data, but I have updated the spreadsheet with 2015 OWP numbers.

The real Strength-of-Schedule (SOS):

The weighted OWP-OOWP, never specified but deduced to be
2/3 OWP + 1/3 OOWP
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 06, 2015, 10:26:10 AM
Beating a dead horse, but there's a ton of parity this year not just nationally but also in New England, as evidenced by this week's regional rankings (http://www.nscaa.com/rankings/4557). Who would have guessed, for example, that CCC teams Gordon and Endicott would both be in the regional top 10 ahead of Middlebury and Tufts?

CCC: While I'm a little unsure that either of the two CCC sides mentioned are indeed better than Midd or Tufts, I do think that the CCC teams are perhaps finally getting equal footing in regional rankings. Aside from the absolute farce of a year, 2013, when three CCC teams made the Tournament and were all knocked out in the first two rounds - Gordon by Amherst, WNE by Williams, and Roger Williams by Brandeis - I think the CCC actually hasn't been given its due. But with Endicott picking up a good point against Calvin and Gordon beating ECSU, I think they are in about the right place. Drop another conference game or two, though, and I think their places might become untenable.

NESCAC: While Midd has only lost one game, and plays an admittedly much more difficult conference schedule than anyone in the CCC, its absolute joke of a non-conference schedule means that it hasn't really been tested yet. I think we'll have a much better idea about Midd after this weekend - once they play Tufts and Wesleyan. Tufts, meanwhile, started the year #1 and garnered much praise from all corners, who possibly considered them the team to beat not just in the NESCAC but nationally - myself included. However, an 0-3-1 stretch has the Jumbos looking like half of the team they were before. A mid-season blip, or showing of its true colors? I imagine the former, as two of those losses were hard-luck and came in 2OT, but you never know.

Bottom line: If you're talking a one-loss CCC team vs. a one-loss NESCAC team in a tie for a certain spot, I would hands down give it to the NESCAC side. That said, when the NESCAC teams are racking up three, four losses, and ties to go with it, and the CCC team only has one loss, I think you've got to give the lesser-blemished side its due.

UMASS-Boston is another interesting one that I haven't quite decided how I feel about. The Beacons are 10-0, which is admittedly impressive. However, it is worth remembering that while last year's side finished with 14 wins and got to the NCAA Tournament, they got hammered 8-0 by Tufts. Their game against ECSU this weekend will be a great indicator of where they are. While I'm selfishly disappointed they didn't schedule Brandeis or Tufts, as both games would have been great matches as well as being super convenient for me, I have to give them kudos for putting Babson away and MIT away on the schedule, as those are both programs with good pedigrees and will be good tests for the Beacons.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 06, 2015, 11:01:02 AM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 06, 2015, 10:26:10 AM
Beating a dead horse, but there's a ton of parity this year not just nationally but also in New England, as evidenced by this week's regional rankings (http://www.nscaa.com/rankings/4557). Who would have guessed, for example, that CCC teams Gordon and Endicott would both be in the regional top 10 ahead of Middlebury and Tufts?

CCC: While I'm a little unsure that either of the two CCC sides mentioned are indeed better than Midd or Tufts, I do think that the CCC teams are perhaps finally getting equal footing in regional rankings. Aside from the absolute farce of a year, 2013, when three CCC teams made the Tournament and were all knocked out in the first two rounds - Gordon by Amherst, WNE by Williams, and Roger Williams by Brandeis - I think the CCC actually hasn't been given its due. But with Endicott picking up a good point against Calvin and Gordon beating ECSU, I think they are in about the right place. Drop another conference game or two, though, and I think their places might become untenable.

NESCAC: While Midd has only lost one game, and plays an admittedly much more difficult conference schedule than anyone in the CCC, its absolute joke of a non-conference schedule means that it hasn't really been tested yet. I think we'll have a much better idea about Midd after this weekend - once they play Tufts and Wesleyan. Tufts, meanwhile, started the year #1 and garnered much praise from all corners, who possibly considered them the team to beat not just in the NESCAC but nationally - myself included. However, an 0-3-1 stretch has the Jumbos looking like half of the team they were before. A mid-season blip, or showing of its true colors? I imagine the former, as two of those losses were hard-luck and came in 2OT, but you never know.

Bottom line: If you're talking a one-loss CCC team vs. a one-loss NESCAC team in a tie for a certain spot, I would hands down give it to the NESCAC side. That said, when the NESCAC teams are racking up three, four losses, and ties to go with it, and the CCC team only has one loss, I think you've got to give the lesser-blemished side its due.

UMASS-Boston is another interesting one that I haven't quite decided how I feel about. The Beacons are 10-0, which is admittedly impressive. However, it is worth remembering that while last year's side finished with 14 wins and got to the NCAA Tournament, they got hammered 8-0 by Tufts. Their game against ECSU this weekend will be a great indicator of where they are. While I'm selfishly disappointed they didn't schedule Brandeis or Tufts, as both games would have been great matches as well as being super convenient for me, I have to give them kudos for putting Babson away and MIT away on the schedule, as those are both programs with good pedigrees and will be good tests for the Beacons.

Blooter,
Excellent commentary.  +k.  After watching UM Boston a number of times, I have noticed, while they have talented players, there is a bit of arrogance in the way they play.  Perhaps I use the wrong terminology, as it is a bit hard to explain, but hopefully Coach Beverlin nudges them out of this "attitude" on the pitch, before they get to the NCAA tournament, or they will get a rude awakening when they play top ranked NESCAC, NJAC, or SUNYAC sides. 
As I stated before, ECSU will have to play strong physical D vs the Beacons and have an A+ game from the scoring side if they want to have a chance at winning the conference and the auto bid.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 06, 2015, 11:15:55 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on October 06, 2015, 11:01:02 AM
Blooter,
Excellent commentary.  +k.  After watching UM Boston a number of times, I have noticed, while they have talented players, there is a bit of arrogance in the way they play.  Perhaps I use the wrong terminology, as it is a bit hard to explain, but hopefully Coach Beverlin nudges them out of this "attitude" on the pitch, before they get to the NCAA tournament, or they will get a rude awakening when they play top ranked NESCAC, NJAC, or SUNYAC sides. 
As I stated before, ECSU will have to play strong physical D vs the Beacons and have an A+ game from the scoring side if they want to have a chance at winning the conference and the auto bid.

Much appreciated. As I said, not sure how I feel about UMASS-Boston, but Gordon and PSU aside I have been impressed with what I've seen so far from ECSU. Really don't think there's much between the two teams, and like I said, UMB hasn't really had any significant tests yet, while ECSU has gone on the road and done well this year. I'd say the Warriors have a very good chance on Saturday, as well as in the conference tourney.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 06, 2015, 12:13:31 PM
This is exactly what happened in 2013 as Nescac teams were beating each other up. The difference this year is that Newmac teams are doing the same. I believe the regional rankings in a couple weeks will look a BIT different than the coaches poll. Gordon still has Tufts and Endicott has Williams. If those 2 CCC sides win those games then I will agree with you that they deserve my praise
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 06, 2015, 12:35:28 PM
That is interesting, and you're correct Mr.Right, the NEWMAC has really beat up on each other this year, unlike in 2013 when MIT and Wheaton were the clear favorites. WPI seems to be the favorite in the NEWMAC - three-horse race between MIT, Wheaton, and Babson for second. I'd pick MIT out of the three of them thus far, but MIT has played mostly weak competition, although if they were able to get a result at Brandeis tonight I think that would get people talking.

Did not know that Gordon scheduled Tufts. Kudos to them. I remember Endicott had Williams on the schedule last year but didn't know they were playing this year. That one should be a very even game. I think CCC schools scheduling a NESCAC game or two during the year not only behooves them in the sense that they're "battle-tested," but also allows us to really get a sense for where they are in the NE region. If you just run train and go 11-1 or something like that and win your conference tournament, but then stumble in the first two rounds of NCAAs then that doesn't make for a great narrative. It's worth mentioning that the three CCC teams that made it in 2013 all did make it out of the first round, but then promptly fell in the second round. A game or two against a NESCAC team might have helped them be more ready.

That said, it would really behoove other CCC teams like RWU to consistently schedule either a nearby NESCAC - perhaps Tufts, Conn, or Wesleyan - or Brandeis. I know Roger Williams has had Wheaton and MIT this season, handing MIT its only loss so far, and they usually have Babson on the schedule, but no Beavers this year, and I think playing Wesleyan last year was a one-off. I know the Brandeis and Roger Williams women used to play pretty much every year up until 2014, but from what I remember the men had not played at all in recent history until the 2013 Tournament 2nd Round. Obviously schedules are dependent on a number of factors, but Brandeis and Roger Williams would be a no-brainer: it's literally an hour up 95, both schools have lights so either could host, and they could easily pull it off in a weeknight. Then again, RWU isn't so competitive this year, so perhaps it makes sense that they took Babson off and didn't replace them with another opponent of similar caliber.

Update: I stand corrected - WNE in particular actually has had a NESCAC (mostly Wesleyan) on the schedule most years. That said, nobody - not even Amherst - could stop Williams in '13 (or '12, for that matter.)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 06, 2015, 01:01:28 PM
Well it is tough because Nescac's only have 5 out of conference games. Hamilton will stay strictly in Upstate NY. The 3 Maine schools will stay mostly in Maine except Bowdoin has always played Babson and used to usually play Wheaton. Colby surprisingly took on Wheaton this year. Middlebury stays in Vermont. Amherst has gradually gotten better with WNEC and WPI. So it might be more Nescac's fault than anyone else's. I know at the past Nescac coaches meeting they discussed out of conference scheduling because they were disappointed only Tufts and Amherst got At-large bids.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 06, 2015, 03:06:44 PM
Nice update on UMass Boston from D3Soccer!!
http://www.d3soccer.com/seasons/men/2015/contrib/20151006l3tm0d
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 06, 2015, 04:12:33 PM
Wheaton vs. Trinity is shaping up nicely so far...Lyons went up 1-0 in the first 10 minutes but Trinity has responded well and only an excellent point-blank save from the Wheaton GK has kept them off the board. Finely poised.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 06, 2015, 09:16:53 PM
Brandeis 0 MIT 0
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 07, 2015, 02:01:43 PM
Strength-of-Schedule (SOS):

The weighted OWP-OOWP, never specified but deduced to be
2/3 OWP + 1/3 OOWP

Samples of some current OWPs (Opponents winning %):
Babson        78-34-5   0.688
Brandeis      72-38-6   0.646
Amherst      44-33-6    0.566
Middlebury   38-34-4   0.526
Mass-Boston 56-55-2  0.504
ECSU           50-52-7   0.491
MIT             42-62-2   0.406

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 07, 2015, 02:36:19 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 07, 2015, 02:01:43 PM
Strength-of-Schedule (SOS):

The weighted OWP-OOWP, never specified but deduced to be
2/3 OWP + 1/3 OOWP

Samples of some current OWPs (Opponents winning %):
Babson        78-34-5   0.688
Brandeis      72-38-6   0.646
Amherst      44-33-6    0.566
Middlebury   38-34-4   0.526
Mass-Boston 56-55-2  0.504
ECSU           50-52-7   0.491
MIT             42-62-2   0.406



That does not bode well for Little East teams and MIT, which frankly is shocking. Brandeis is looking at hosting if they can go pretty clean rest of the way...

What about Wesleyan and Conn and WPI?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 07, 2015, 03:37:01 PM
Wesleyan     44-37-6   0.540
Conn           44-45-8   0.499
WPI             61-67-8   0.449

Note that these opponent's winning percentages are through games scheduled including today, but they do not include games yet to be played beyond 10/7.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: TennesseeJed on October 07, 2015, 04:06:41 PM
Babson just goes up 1-0 on UMass-Boston in about 30'.  Live stats crediting Mandel for shot, w/ assist by Parker.  Ball clearly hit off defender and then snuck by GK into the goal.  Some question whether it will be considered an own goal or not.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 07, 2015, 04:14:29 PM
Martinez on UMASS-Boston has the most outrageous hair. I'm genuinely impressed.

Babson is such an enigma. They got a good draw against RPI a couple of weeks back and now have UMB facing their first deficit all season if I am not mistaken, but have lost at home to Wheaton and MIT. They have a tough schedule, but four losses at this point doesn't make for great reading.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: TennesseeJed on October 07, 2015, 04:27:34 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 07, 2015, 04:14:29 PM
Martinez on UMASS-Boston has the most outrageous hair. I'm genuinely impressed.

Babson is such an enigma. They got a good draw against RPI a couple of weeks back and now have UMB facing their first deficit all season if I am not mistaken, but have lost at home to Wheaton and MIT. They have a tough schedule, but four losses at this point doesn't make for great reading.

Martinez's hair is awesome!  Agreed on the Beavers, but a big upset for UMB if Babson holds the 1-0 lead or better through 2H.  I didn't see any real brilliance on either side from what I saw of 1H (which was not all of it).  Putting aside their NCAA chances this year and their record, I give them high marks for playing a tough schedule all the way through the season.  At least their losses are to Eastern CT, Brandeis, Wheaton and MIT, all of whom are legit match-ups and all 1 pt games except ECT.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: TennesseeJed on October 07, 2015, 05:16:40 PM
Babson takes a W vs. UMASS Boston 1-0 after a scoreless 2H.  Hope that Mandel gets credit for the goal, even if a deflected goal, rather than it being an own goal on UMB. 

Normally agree a bit more closely w/ some Massey rankings, but surprised that UMB was second in Massey. 

Congrats to the Beavers for a good W at home.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 07, 2015, 05:21:51 PM
While I've gotta give credit to UMASS-Boston for playing Babson straight up, and while they did get a little unlucky on the goal, Babson did seem to much more "know-how" in terms of slowing the game down, particularly in the second half. They never looked flashy or electric, but they definitely looked the more "solid" of the two sides and never seemed to lose control of the game.

I didn't see the first 40 mins, but I got the impression that Babson were worthy winners. Sure, UMB definitely had more shots and some decent chances, but their athleticism was outdone by composure. Babson would have been battle-tested playing Brandeis, Wheaton, MIT, etc., while UMB was coming in without a real legit win (despite their trip out west.) Just goes to show that playing a tough schedule does help to prepare you for the big games.

I like Beverlin, I think he's done a great job turning that program around, but it just goes to show that UMB has a ways to go, particularly when facing established programs that have the know-how of controlling games - which, while an intangible, is an important factor I think.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 07, 2015, 05:25:32 PM
Babson 1 UMB 0

SHOTS             1   2   TOTAL
Mass-Boston     9   7     16
Babson             8   4     12

SAVES             1   2   TOTAL
Mass-Boston    4   2      6
Babson           4    5      9

CORNER KICKS 1   2  TOTAL
Mass-Boston     0   1    1
Babson             3   2    5

FOULS              1   2   TOTAL
Mass-Boston    1    6     7
Babson            5   10   15
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 07, 2015, 05:30:04 PM
ECSU 0 CT College 1..... final
No video or Live stats so will wait for box score

Does not look like a good day for the LEC!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NERevs127 on October 07, 2015, 06:53:20 PM
Box Score of Conn - ECSU is up. Conn scored in the 53rd minute and handled the game on paper:

SHOTS
Eastern Connecticut   2   4   6
Connecticut College  10   3   13

SAVES
Eastern Connecticut   3   1   4
Connecticut College   1   3   4

CORNER KICKS
Eastern Connecticut   3   1   4
Connecticut College   3   4   7

FOULS
Eastern Connecticut   3   0   3
Connecticut College   8   6   14
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 07, 2015, 07:26:57 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 07, 2015, 05:21:51 PM
While I've gotta give credit to UMASS-Boston for playing Babson straight up, and while they did get a little unlucky on the goal, Babson did seem to much more "know-how" in terms of slowing the game down, particularly in the second half. They never looked flashy or electric, but they definitely looked the more "solid" of the two sides and never seemed to lose control of the game.

I didn't see the first 40 mins, but I got the impression that Babson were worthy winners. Sure, UMB definitely had more shots and some decent chances, but their athleticism was outdone by composure. Babson would have been battle-tested playing Brandeis, Wheaton, MIT, etc., while UMB was coming in without a real legit win (despite their trip out west.) Just goes to show that playing a tough schedule does help to prepare you for the big games.

I like Beverlin, I think he's done a great job turning that program around, but it just goes to show that UMB has a ways to go, particularly when facing established programs that have the know-how of controlling games - which, while an intangible, is an important factor I think.



From what I saw I love the "flair" of UMASS Boston and would much rather watch them than a stoic Babson side for entertainment reasons. I think MIT will physically beat them down as they just need some more physicality with all that skill.

Beverlin has done a nice turn around job but let's not forget this program was elevated to full time status for the coach when they hired him. Obviously, money is pouring into the school like they have not seen before and with more and more boarders more money will be coming in. I mean a trip to the northwest for UMASS Boston would have been unthinkable just 5 years ago. Just pray they do add a cash greedy football program that will suck all resources from every other athletic team. i.e UMASS AMHERST...That is a bit different as that sucks money and scholarships but still
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 08, 2015, 09:57:58 AM
SOS (opponent's winning percentage) thru 10/7 for top NE teams:

                                         OWP      Current record       Still to play:
1.  Tufts             56-23-9    0.687       5-3-1                  Middlebury, Gordon, Bates, Williams, Bowdoin
2.  Babson          78-35-5    0.682       6-4-1                  Bowdoin, Springfield, Williams, WPI
3.  Brandeis        72-38-6    0.646       9-1-1                  Case Western, Chicago, Washington U, Emory, Rochester
4.  Wheaton        85-51-9    0.617       8-5-0                  MIT
5.  Wesleyan       44-37-6    0.540       6-2-1                  Middlebury, Williams, Amherst, Conn
6.  Amherst         48-41-7    0.536       9-0-0                 Conn, Bates, Wesleyan
7.  Wentworth     69-61-3    0.530       9-3-0                  Endicott
8.  Middlebury     38-34-4    0.526       6-1-1                  Tufts, Wesleyan, Bates, Williams
9.  Gordon          56-53-1    0.514       8-2-0                  Tufts, Endicott
10. Mass-Boston  57-55-2    0.509      10-1-0                 ECSU, MIT
11. Bowdoin        36-35-5    0.507       4-2-2                  Babson, Conn, Tufts
12. Conn             45-45-8    0.500       7-2-1                  Bates, Amherst, Bowdoin, Wesleyan
---------------------------------------
13. ECSU             50-52-7   0.491       9-2-1                  Mass-Boston
14. Bates             39-43-7   0.478       6-2-1                  Conn, Tufts, Amherst, Middlebury
15. WPI               61-67-8   0.449       9-3-1                  Springfield, Babson, MIT
16. Endicott         48-68-4   0.417       9-1-1                  Williams, Wentworth, Gordon
17. MIT               42-62-2    0.406      8-1-1                   Wheaton, Mass-Boston, Springfield, WPI
18. Springfield      41-69-4   0.377      9-2-0                   WPI, Babson, MIT

No team with a SOS below 0.500 received a Pool C bid last year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 08, 2015, 03:12:44 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 08, 2015, 09:57:58 AM
SOS (opponent's winning percentage) thru 10/7 for top NE teams:

I know that Off Pitch understands this (at least I think he does), but just for people new to all this . . . SOS does not equal OWP.  SOS  = 2/3 OWP + 1/3 OOWP.

QuoteNo team with a SOS below 0.500 received a Pool C bid last year.

Just to reiterate, hardly ever has a team with a sub .500 SOS been ranked, nevermind been selected for an at-large berth. 

In fact, in 2010 the committee had a .500 SOS threshhold in order to be ranked, but that created such a backlash after the first two weekly rankings were released (high flying Dominican having been the most glaring omission) that they relented in the third week of the rankings.
 
Last year Luther dropped from #2 in the first North Region rankings to unranked the very next week despite winning both their games and only one team below them in the first rankings getting a quality win and two actually losing or tying. But Luther's SOS dropped from .519 to .493 due to numerous of their previous opponents having had bad weeks, so draw your own conclusions.

The point is a team with a SOS below .500 can forget about being ranked and thus selected.  And an SOS below .550 means very slim chance of being selected (gonna need a very high win pct. and multiple wins versus ranked teams).  Last year Cortland St. (14-4-1) and Dominican (14-5-2) got in with the lowest two SOS's, which were at .547 and .545 going into the final week, but probably climbed over .500 with their conference semifinal and final opponents being added to the calculation.

P.S.  People tend to point to Salisbury, Dickinson and Rochester when questioning the omission of John Carroll, Brockport St., etc. from last year tournament, but Dominican with five losses, only one win vs. a ranked team, and the lowest SOS of the at-large selections is was questionable as any.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 08, 2015, 03:43:59 PM
I presented the SOS formula in replies #236 and #246 in this thread.  It is not that difficult to come up with the OWP data, however the OOWP data is not possible with my simple spreadsheet without literally spending hours (and then it would all change again after the weekend).  Consequently, I just presented the part that I have for informational (not necessarily predictive) and recreational use.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 08, 2015, 03:52:22 PM
Understood, Off Pitch.  Just thought that someone new to the thread/discussion (who wasn't following along earlier) could get the wrong idea they way you wrote SOS (opponent's winning percentage).  No intent to give you a hard time.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Christan Shirk on October 08, 2015, 04:44:25 PM
Just a word of caution and clarification.  Obviously it's next to impossible to do the full SOS calculation on your own.  So, yes, just considering the OWP gives you a ball park feel that's pretty useful.  But (and I'm stealing my own thunder for an article I'm preparing for the website) there's a few other wrinkles in the calculations that effect the OWP that I don't believe anyone is accounting for (and maybe not remembering or even aware of).

So, it's not even "as simple" as just SOS = 2/3 OWP + 1/3 OOWP.

(1) A team's result against each opponent is removed from each opponents W-L-T record before computing their winning percentage.  Now this is relatively minor, so again, for ease and simplicity can be neglected.  (The same thing is done for computing each opponent's opponents' winning percentage, the OOWP).

(2) There are multipliers for home and away games that factor each opponent's winning pct. up (away game) or down (home game).  (The same thing is done for computing each OOWP).  And these factors are not insignificant.

          Factored OWP = opponent's winning pct. x SOS multiplier

          Multipliers:
          0.85 for home games (or -15%)
          1.25 for away games (or +25%)

So there's a 40% value difference between home and away games.  That means that playing a team a little over .500 away is as helpful to your SOS as playing a team a little under .800 at home as can be illustrated as follows:

          Away game: .543 win pct.  x  1.25 home/away multiplier  =  .677 factored OWP

          Home game: .792 win pct.  x  0.85 home/away multiplier  =  .673 factored OWP

Interesting, isn't it?  Two teams with a difference in winning percentages of .249 contribute the same to a team's SOS if the better team is played at home and the lesser team is played on the road.  What does everyone think about that?  The multipliers are pretty drastic, aren't they?  And it can really affect a team's SOS if in a given year by happenstance they host most of the top teams in their conference versus playing them away, or vice versa.

So, I do not want to discourage the simple method of collecting the straight OWP (without removing the head-to-head result and without applying the home/away multiplier), but everyone should be aware that these components of the calculations can make the actual numbers somewhat different that the quick and dirty ones being thrown out there.  How much different will vary of course.  And there's usually going to be some balancing out within each team's calculations.  But it certainly could change who has a better SOS among a group of teams. 

So things to keep in mind.  Maybe the home/away multipliers could be accounted for in the OWP calculations to be a little more accurate without getting too burdemsome.  And I hope you'll all still read my upcoming article on D3soccer.com even though I just gave a good chuck of it away!  ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 08, 2015, 04:51:28 PM
My Day, Month, and maybe year has been made today as the Boys in Green, Republic of Ireland just upset Germany 1-0 on a Shane Long break away and clinical finish at the 65' mark.  This puts them tied for second place in point in Group D of the UEFA Euro qualifiers!!!!!!!!!!!  Poland and Scotland played to a 2-2 draw  ;D  Poland on Sunday in Poland!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 08, 2015, 04:55:33 PM
I like it as it gives you more "points" for road wins. Maybe just a little to much as Home should be 1.00 and Away 1.25
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 08, 2015, 05:47:11 PM
Well, you get the extra "points" for your SOS win or lose.   By the way, Mass-Boston has 14 of their 18 games AWAY this season. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 08, 2015, 06:06:27 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on October 08, 2015, 04:51:28 PM
My Day, Month, and maybe year has been made today as the Boys in Green, Republic of Ireland just upset Germany 1-0 on a Shane Long break away and clinical finish at the 65' mark.  This puts them tied for second place in point in Group D of the UEFA Euro qualifiers!!!!!!!!!!!  Poland and Scotland played to a 2-2 draw  ;D  Poland on Sunday in Poland!!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2577319-shane-long-puts-ireland-in-front-against-world-champs-germany-in-euro-qualifying?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=web-des-art-top-20
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 09, 2015, 02:14:22 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 08, 2015, 05:47:11 PM
Well, you get the extra "points" for your SOS win or lose.   By the way, Mass-Boston has 14 of their 18 games AWAY this season.





So since I am not a #'s guy and more of a guesser what type of impact will this have?

They are 9-1-0 on the road now against some decent teams with better records than they really are and some really bad teams with bad records. If they finish 13-1-0 on the road was is the estimated impact as far as OWP and OOWP and SOS and all that?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: TennesseeJed on October 09, 2015, 02:58:45 PM
Quote from: Christan Shirk on October 08, 2015, 04:44:25 PM
Just a word of caution and clarification.  Obviously it's next to impossible to do the full SOS calculation on your own.  So, yes, just considering the OWP gives you a ball park feel that's pretty useful.  But (and I'm stealing my own thunder for an article I'm preparing for the website) there's a few other wrinkles in the calculations that effect the OWP that I don't believe anyone is accounting for (and maybe not remembering or even aware of).

So, it's not even "as simple" as just SOS = 2/3 OWP + 1/3 OOWP.

(1) A team's result against each opponent is removed from each opponents W-L-T record before computing their winning percentage.  Now this is relatively minor, so again, for ease and simplicity can be neglected.  (The same thing is done for computing each opponent's opponents' winning percentage, the OOWP).

(2) There are multipliers for home and away games that factor each opponent's winning pct. up (away game) or down (home game).  (The same thing is done for computing each OOWP).  And these factors are not insignificant.

          Factored OWP = opponent's winning pct. x SOS multiplier

          Multipliers:
          0.85 for home games (or -15%)
          1.25 for away games (or +25%)

So there's a 40% value difference between home and away games.  That means that playing a team a little over .500 away is as helpful to your SOS as playing a team a little under .800 at home as can be illustrated as follows:

          Away game: .543 win pct.  x  1.25 home/away multiplier  =  .677 factored OWP

          Home game: .792 win pct.  x  0.85 home/away multiplier  =  .673 factored OWP

Interesting, isn't it?  Two teams with a difference in winning percentages of .249 contribute the same to a team's SOS if the better team is played at home and the lesser team is played on the road.  What does everyone think about that?  The multipliers are pretty drastic, aren't they?  And it can really affect a team's SOS if in a given year by happenstance they host most of the top teams in their conference versus playing them away, or vice versa.

So, I do not want to discourage the simple method of collecting the straight OWP (without removing the head-to-head result and without applying the home/away multiplier), but everyone should be aware that these components of the calculations can make the actual numbers somewhat different that the quick and dirty ones being thrown out there.  How much different will vary of course.  And there's usually going to be some balancing out within each team's calculations.  But it certainly could change who has a better SOS among a group of teams. 

So things to keep in mind.  Maybe the home/away multipliers could be accounted for in the OWP calculations to be a little more accurate without getting too burdemsome.  And I hope you'll all still read my upcoming article on D3soccer.com even though I just gave a good chuck of it away!  ;)

This is really helpful in trying to understand at least some of what the NCAA does for Pool C.  Thanks!

Quote from: Mr.Right on October 09, 2015, 02:14:22 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 08, 2015, 05:47:11 PM
Well, you get the extra "points" for your SOS win or lose.   By the way, Mass-Boston has 14 of their 18 games AWAY this season.

So since I am not a #'s guy and more of a guesser what type of impact will this have?

They are 9-1-0 on the road now against some decent teams with better records than they really are and some really bad teams with bad records. If they finish 13-1-0 on the road was is the estimated impact as far as OWP and OOWP and SOS and all that?


Quote from: Christan Shirk on October 08, 2015, 04:44:25 PM
So there's a 40% value difference between home and away games.  That means that playing a team a little over .500 away is as helpful to your SOS as playing a team a little under .800 at home as can be illustrated as follows:

          Away game: .543 win pct.  x  1.25 home/away multiplier  =  .677 factored OWP

          Home game: .792 win pct.  x  0.85 home/away multiplier  =  .673 factored OWP

Based on Christian's great post above, they get a big boost from the number of away games they've played vs. other teams who will play more games at home.  Impossible to say exactly what the specific/exact/actual impact is (without a pretty sophisticated computer model) because it depends on opponents and opponents' opponents schedules and records...and it'll change every time any of the teams plays a game...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 09, 2015, 03:21:53 PM
Yes but it can be done and is very impactful in the New England region if UMASS Boston does not win the Little East. It's getting to be mid-October and I was curious to throw it out there. We have seen numerous models, tables, spread sheets, crack math and guesses..I just figured one could figure the impact this will have on the rest of New England. Seeing they will have a very limited Record v Ranked I imagine it will soften the blow for other New England schools
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: TennesseeJed on October 09, 2015, 04:56:21 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 09, 2015, 03:21:53 PM
Yes but it can be done and is very impactful in the New England region if UMASS Boston does not win the Little East. It's getting to be mid-October and I was curious to throw it out there. We have seen numerous models, tables, spread sheets, crack math and guesses..I just figured one could figure the impact this will have on the rest of New England. Seeing they will have a very limited Record v Ranked I imagine it will soften the blow for other New England schools

Totally agree...I can definitely handle the math, but just not the time it would take to do it...and keep it current.  Love to see it if someone else does the work!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 09, 2015, 06:56:49 PM
Yeah, it's not the level of math required that's the problem.  It's the volume of math to be done.  To do the full SOS calculation for just one team is a massive undertaking. It involves at the moment, assuming a 10-match average per team, a total of 1000* results . . . for just one team's SOS!  And that keeps growing as the season progresses.  Trying to do it for just the top 20 or so teams in a region is already getting beyond what can reasonably be done in a spreadsheet, nevermind trying to do it for the entire region or for the top 20 in all eight regions. 

* calculated as follows:

[10 matches of the team of interest] + [the 10 matches of each of the 10 opponents of the team of interest, minus the matches versus the team of interest] + [the 10 matches of the 10 opponents of the 10 opponents of the team of interest, minus the matches versus the opponents of the team of interest]
= [10] + [(10 x 10) - 10] + [(10 x 10 x 10) - (10 x 10)]  =  [10] + [100 - 10] + [1000 - 100]  =  10 + 90 + 900  =  1000

OR, more simply, . . .

103  =  1000
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 11, 2015, 07:56:09 PM
Mr.Right, do you know the history of how the NEWMAC was formed?  Someone asked me a few days ago how and why MIT is in the NEWMAC instead of perhaps the UAA.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on October 11, 2015, 08:13:53 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on October 11, 2015, 07:56:09 PM
Mr.Right, do you know the history of how the NEWMAC was formed?  Someone asked me a few days ago how and why MIT is in the NEWMAC instead of perhaps the UAA.

I don't want to step on Mr. Right's toes and I hope he'll correct any of the mistakes in my foggy recollection, but I think that the NEWMAC was formed by combining schools from the Constitution Athletic Conference (a men's conference that consisted of Babson, Clark, MIT, Springfield, Coast Guard, WPI, and Wheaton) with the NEW 8 women's conference.  I'm not sure why MIT either chose not to join the UAA or was not invited to do so.

The NEWMAC website says:

"About the NEWMAC

The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) is an association of 11 selective academic institutions that are committed to providing high quality competitive athletic opportunities for student-athletes within an educational and respectful environment that embodies the NCAA Division III philosophy.

The NEWMAC was established in 1998, when the former New England Women's 8 Conference (NEW 8) voted to begin sponsoring conference play and championships for men.  At this time, the conference expanded its membership to include Springfield College and the United States Coast Guard Academy. Emerson College became the 11th full-time member of the conference on July 1, 2013.

The NEW 8 began play in 1985-86 as the New England Women's 6 Conference (NEW 6).  Charter members were Babson College, Brandeis University, MIT, Smith College, Wellesley College and Wheaton College. Mount Holyoke College and WPI joined in 1988 and the name was changed to the NEW 8 Conference.  At the conclusion of the 1994-95 academic year, Brandeis University withdrew from the NEW 8 to join the University Athletic Association and Clark University accepted membership, keeping the NEW 8's membership at eight institutions."
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 11, 2015, 09:39:33 PM
Ommadawn, much appreciated.

The Brandeis move is interesting and now in 2015 seems very savvy.  I wonder if that happened simultaneous with Johns Hopkins leaving the UAA.  I got interested a couple of weeks ago in how the UAA schools make it work and discovered that other than soccer, basketball may be the only other sport where they travel the same way.  In sports like swimming, track, tennis, etc they play an in-region schedule and then have a weekend or two for a sort of a conference jamboree with all the UAA teams.  Smart stuff.

Think about the seismic shifts in conference re-alignments in D1 over the past 5-10 years.  Now that is revenue driven as much as prestige driven, but if you think about it just under the general concept of marketing, one can come up with some interesting arrangements.  The NESCAC as an idea is pure brilliance.  Think about how much Trinity and Conn College benefit from being NESCAC members.  Think about the draw being strong enough to attract Hamilton that already was with a very attractive set of schools in the Liberty.  NESCAC isn't just brand-name, it's a brand, and a brand that plays off of the Ivy brand.

If I could be NCAA D3 commissioner for a day....

Imagine Messiah, Wheaton (Ill), Calvin, Hope, and Gordon as the foundation of a new conference, and imagine all of those schools playing each other in soccer every single year.

Imagine MIT in the UAA instead of the NEWMAC.

Imagine a midwest "NESCAC" with Carleton, Macalester, Grinnell, Oberlin, Kenyon, DePauw, Denison, St Olaf, and maybe Centre and even W&L.

Cost obviously would be a huge consideration, and I'd be curious to know how much cost-difference there is in operating the UAA vs other conferences. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Nutmeg on October 11, 2015, 09:43:55 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on October 11, 2015, 09:39:33 PM
Ommadawn, much appreciated.

The Brandeis move is interesting and now in 2015 seems very savvy.  I wonder if that happened simultaneous with Johns Hopkins leaving the UAA.  I got interested a couple of weeks ago in how the UAA schools make it work and discovered that other than soccer, basketball may be the only other sport where they travel the same way.  In sports like swimming, track, tennis, etc they play an in-region schedule and then have a weekend or two for a sort of a conference jamboree with all the UAA teams.  Smart stuff.

Think about the seismic shifts in conference re-alignments in D1 over the past 5-10 years.  Now that is revenue driven as much as prestige driven, but if you think about it just under the general concept of marketing, one can come up with some interesting arrangements.  The NESCAC as an idea is pure brilliance.  Think about how much Trinity and Conn College benefit from being NESCAC members.  Think about the draw being strong enough to attract Hamilton that already was with a very attractive set of schools in the Liberty.  NESCAC isn't just brand-name, it's a brand, and a brand that plays off of the Ivy brand.

If I could be NCAA D3 commissioner for a day....

Imagine Messiah, Wheaton (Ill), Calvin, Hope, and Gordon as the foundation of a new conference, and imagine all of those schools playing each other in soccer every single year.

Imagine MIT in the UAA instead of the NEWMAC.

Imagine a midwest "NESCAC" with Carleton, Macalester, Grinnell, Oberlin, Kenyon, DePauw, Denison, St Olaf, and maybe Centre and even W&L.

Cost obviously would be a huge consideration, and I'd be curious to know how much cost-difference there is in operating the UAA vs other conferences.

That Messiah, Wheaton, Hope, etc. conference would be most excellent!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 12, 2015, 01:08:12 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on October 11, 2015, 09:39:33 PM
Ommadawn, much appreciated.

The Brandeis move is interesting and now in 2015 seems very savvy.  I wonder if that happened simultaneous with Johns Hopkins leaving the UAA.  I got interested a couple of weeks ago in how the UAA schools make it work and discovered that other than soccer, basketball may be the only other sport where they travel the same way.  In sports like swimming, track, tennis, etc they play an in-region schedule and then have a weekend or two for a sort of a conference jamboree with all the UAA teams.  Smart stuff.

Think about the seismic shifts in conference re-alignments in D1 over the past 5-10 years.  Now that is revenue driven as much as prestige driven, but if you think about it just under the general concept of marketing, one can come up with some interesting arrangements.  The NESCAC as an idea is pure brilliance.  Think about how much Trinity and Conn College benefit from being NESCAC members.  Think about the draw being strong enough to attract Hamilton that already was with a very attractive set of schools in the Liberty.  NESCAC isn't just brand-name, it's a brand, and a brand that plays off of the Ivy brand.

If I could be NCAA D3 commissioner for a day....

Imagine Messiah, Wheaton (Ill), Calvin, Hope, and Gordon as the foundation of a new conference, and imagine all of those schools playing each other in soccer every single year.

Imagine MIT in the UAA instead of the NEWMAC.

Imagine a midwest "NESCAC" with Carleton, Macalester, Grinnell, Oberlin, Kenyon, DePauw, Denison, St Olaf, and maybe Centre and even W&L.

Cost obviously would be a huge consideration, and I'd be curious to know how much cost-difference there is in operating the UAA vs other conferences.







So there are a ton of variables that play into this answer, all of which I either remember correctly or might miss a detail or 2.

I will be blunt, so if I offend oh well....Some of this is opinion not fact but opinion and good opinion. Also, I tend to get off topic on these long answers because I lose concentration so I have that going for me.



1. MIT does not need the UAA because well MIT is MIT. You yourself praised the UAA schools for joining together in the mid-80's to give deserved recognition to their schools to a more national and international audience rather than a regional one. That was done for the usual reasons $$$$$ and prestige, better students make for better alums that make for more endowment, etc...

2. I have no idea why Johns Hopkins backed out but I would guess it is because well Johns Hopkins is Johns Hopkins and also did not need the UAA. Hopkins and MIT already had national and international recognition.

3. My guess is Brandeis NEEDED the UAA more than the UAA needed Brandeis. By the mid-80's Brandeis' endowment was not good and they were in need of like most of these schools more recognition. The great thing about the UAA is that all these schools need each other and like most leagues there are some that need them more than others. My guess is Brandeis is one that needed the UAA more than most.

Some schools make decisions for one reason or another that I have no answer for. In 1982 when the Nescac schools told Union to either drop D1 Hockey or leave Nescac, Union chose D1 Hockey.

In the mid to late 80's when Williams and Amherst alums were pressuring their respective presidents to consider to allow their student athletes to participate in the highest level of their respective sports, FACULTY balked and so did 2 Maine Presidents at Bates and especially Colby. Eventually, Alums and their $$$ won and to temper faculty's concerns they said the biggest sport Football would remain an 8 game schedule and No NCAA's. Colby's President in the late 80's and early 90's for whatever reason was 100% against this move and he fought it valiantly for about 3 years but he knew he was fighting a losing battle. WHY? Because Amherst and Williams do not need Nescac, they MAKE Nescac. Nescac does not need Colby but most certainly Colby needs Nescac.

Is it elitist? YES Is it true? YES....

Also, in 2009-2010 after the financial crisis hit when Hamilton's president for whatever reason(most likely $$$$) wanted to be more associated with that Nescac prestige instead of quite frankly Liberty League schools that besides RPI and Union had very lax admissions standards and decent but weak endowments. Because Hamilton was a previous member and still a member in Football they were allowed back into the league. She wanted that prestige even if it meant for all athletic teams to travel 8-9 hours to Maine for athletic events. $$$ talks..

Back to the question..in the 90's D2 schools began fizzling out for whatever reason. Springfield, Coast Guard and Clark were all D2 schools. I imagine they all merged because it made sense. I forgot what I was answering but anyway the real interesting thing was when the financial crisis hit in 2008-09 ALL colleges and Universities FELT it including Williams, Amherst, MIT, Harvard, etc..
but Brandeis FELT IT the MOST. They were HIT hard for whatever reason. So they needed to make cuts and slash budgets and all that good stuff. Now you would think the 1st thing they would look into was why were they spending hundreds of thousands of dollars flying sub-standard athletic teams across the East and Midwest to get lit up in most sports. BUT NO....They needed the UAA more than anything else and even if I remember correctly they were considering selling off $40 Million in Art or whatever and letting great faculty and staff go because they were high earners. Never once did I read about Brandeis ever thinking about leaving the prestigious UAA.

Back to the answer...MIT is MIT and I do not know if they were asked to join the UAA but my guess is that even if they were they didn't need to.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 12, 2015, 01:28:18 PM
Mr.Right.....with all due respect....that is GREAT STUFF!

Agree with your points about Brandeis and even Colby needing the UAA and NESCAC, and Williams, Amherst, MIT, Hopkins not needing anything.  And in that vein, the move to go UAA looks brilliant for Brandeis, a really good school but without a real sistership in New England that needed a place to "fit in."  I sometimes think of Holy Cross the same way, as an always highly ranked school that never really gets discussed in the same breath as the NESCACs (and I don't think it's just because HC is D1).

The point about Union is VERY interesting.  I've always thought of Union as a close cousin to Trinity and Conn.  The D1 hockey makes sense, especially since they recently have been going to Frozen Fours and won a national title.  Union also is so close to RPI and Skidmore that the 3 of those together make sense.

In your other Hamilton analysis and best schools in Liberty, you forgot about Vassar, but hey, loved the post.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 12, 2015, 02:03:38 PM
Well done Mr.Right.

I just think it's interesting that, with all due respect to the rest of the conference which does boast some great schools, MIT is above all other NEWMAC schools in terms of prestige and academics, so I myself would think that they might look elsewhere. But you're right, they really don't "need" to be part of any particular conference because they have their tradition and prestige. I don't want to start a big discussion about it, but I think that Bates could be added to the list of schools that "need" the NESCAC - it's very similar to Colby in terms of selectivity, academics, prestige, endowment, etc...and geography.

I didn't start at Brandeis until after the financial crisis, but I think you're absolutely right that it has a strong interest in maintaining its UAA membership. The UAA is a prestigious group, and sharing a conference with UChicago, WashU, etc. certainly is good for its reputation. What's interesting, though, is that while Brandeis is well-known nationally and is academically on the same level as some of the NESCACs - I picked Brandeis over two NESCACs - it's not as well known as some of the NESCACs by casual NE college searchers, particularly outside MA. That said, many top employers and grad schools are well aware of Brandeis, so while in casual NE college conversation it's not as oft-mentioned, in more academically-inclined circles Brandeis is well-known. Enough about my alma mater, but I just wanted to draw a parallel to what my thoughts have been.

What is pretty interesting, though, is that a lot of NE folks rate UAA schools highly without knowing what conference they belong to. For example, New Englanders would go "Oh, Chicago, WashU, Carnegie, those are fantastic schools," yet have not the slightest idea which athletic conference they belong to. I've been guilty of this as well - before I researched Hopkins leaving the UAA, I had no idea they were in the Centennial. Same thing with top west coast schools like Pomona and Pizter, which are far more selective than the majority of NESCACs (12-13% acceptance rates), but couldn't begin to tell you what "conference" they were in. Meanwhile, everyone knows that Williams and Amherst are NESCACs - that speaks to the point you made before about Williams and Amherst "making" the NESCAC.

Either way, you've provided some great points and interesting stuff.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 13, 2015, 03:09:39 PM
So far this looks like a controlled scrimmage for Tufts.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Nutmeg on October 13, 2015, 03:17:52 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on October 13, 2015, 03:09:39 PM
So far this looks like a controlled scrimmage for Tufts.

Yes, tufts absolutely dominating play. Kayne slicing thru them..only a matter of time
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on October 13, 2015, 03:20:22 PM
WNEU up 1-0 early on UMass Boston.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 13, 2015, 03:54:09 PM
Interesting to see Pinheiro getting on the scoresheet. He often does the dirty work that goes unnoticed, but IMHO he's not as dominant as last year — he's had a pretty quiet season up to this point. To be fair to him, Kayne is often the star of that Tufts midfield that everyone seems to notice, so I'm probably not giving him enough credit, but just my candid observations.

Regardless, a good team has to be able to spread its scoring around, and Tufts certainly does that (even with Majumder's six goals.) Tufts dominating, but to Gordon's credit the SOG count is even at 2-2.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 13, 2015, 04:20:47 PM
What is going on in that UMASS Boston v WNEC game? 3 goals in 5 minutes?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 13, 2015, 09:23:54 PM
Endicott is pretty good.  They will not be a pushover in the tournament and they could take a Pool C if they don't get the AQ.  They shouldn't be awed when they get to the tournament having played Calvin, Tufts and Williams.

That said, Endicott does have a tricky stretch coming with WNEC, Wentworth, Salve, and Gordon.  Winning the CCC tournament will not be a breeze, and Endicott needs to go 3-0-1 or at least 3-1 in those last 4 to feel fairly confident about a Pool C.  I'm gonna guess that Gordon needs the AQ.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 13, 2015, 09:25:35 PM
Eastern defeats Fitchburg St 4-0 tonight in Fitchburg MA.  However, I thought ECSU played poorly tonight, ie they rarely connected on more than a couple of passes at any one time, and turned the ball over too many times, hoofing the ball up field for most of the match.  Xavier Doran had a nice set piece goal, just outside the 18 and lined it through a hole in the wall, and almost stuck another liner like the one vs WCSU from 30 yrds off the dribble, but 2 others by Justen Jensen and JD Sterns were more catching the GK out of position on long passes vs working short passes, then creating space in the box for decent shots, ( a la UM Boston)!!  A lot of the match reminded me of  high school level play.  ECSU got called for 10 off sides in the first half!  I don't know if that was Eastern timing or a line ref who raised his flag when a shoe lace was off side, probably a little of both.  The Warriors really need to practice their technical skills, if they want to defeat the best in D-III. 
Anyway, the positives were another clean sheet for Ryan Murphy who really wasn't bothered tonight, the opportunity for some of the lesser used players getting some action, and Eastern backs, DeAmbrosio, Casiedo, Neuendorf an Lombardo having another solid performance frustrating just about all Falcon attacks.



SHOTS                  1   2   TOTAL
Eastern Conn. St.   11 6     17
Fitchburg St.           4  9     13

SAVES                   1   2  TOTAL
Eastern Conn. St.   0   3      3
Fitchburg St.          4   1      5 

CORNER KICKS     1   2  TOTAL
Eastern Conn. St.  3   1     4
Fitchburg St.         1   2     3

FOULS                 1   2  TOTAL
Eastern Conn. St. 3   4      7
Fitchburg St.        8   8     16
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 13, 2015, 09:41:39 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on October 13, 2015, 09:23:54 PM
Endicott is pretty good.  They will not be a pushover in the tournament and they could take a Pool C if they don't get the AQ.  They shouldn't be awed when they get to the tournament having played Calvin, Tufts and Williams. ... I'm gonna guess that Gordon needs the AQ.

Endicott is, IMO, far and away the strongest side in the CCC. That said, they do have some tough games still to come. Would be the first CCC title for the Gulls in a while, I believe. They have Gordon at home which could be crucial to home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and they'll be playing with confidence at home after getting a very good point against Williams, in a game in which the stats seemed pretty even (EC actually outshot Williams 16-14, with SOG at 4-4.)

My guess is Gordon definitely needs the AQ. It's not so much about playing good teams as getting results against good teams, and they're currently 0-3 against ranked opponents. I admire them for putting them on the schedule, and hey, better to lose to a ranked opponent than to lose to an unranked opponent, but the rest of their schedule doesn't make for great reading.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Sandy on October 14, 2015, 10:28:21 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on October 13, 2015, 09:25:35 PM
The Warriors really need to practice their technical skills, if they want to defeat the best in D-III. 

Which I don't think is gonna happen. They're too reliant on the long ball and this game plan is the reason some of their players are in the position they're in.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 14, 2015, 10:44:10 AM
Blooter's Beliefs

I figured I'd start a quasi-weekly informal wrap-up of happenings and thoughts in the NE region. I'm obviously not as well versed on the Midwest, South, etc., so I'll keep it to NE for now, but I am working to educate myself more on other regions all the time.

First, a correction to my previous post on this thread - Gordon is 1-2 against ranked opponents, as they did beat ECSU when they were ranked #19. Still think they need that AQ.

Slipping under the radar yesterday was Trinity's 0-0 tie with WCSU, who is now 4-6-2. The Bantams can really be a threatening outfit on their day, but - much like Bates - can't seem to put a good run together (ironically, in Bates' case, it followed up a big win at Williams with a 2-1 loss at home to Trinity.) It's great that they have Savonen back, as he is an excellent player and has often made the difference for Trinity in the past couple of years. That said, he's got to put those performances together on a more consistent basis - there seem to be a significant number of one-offs. I think he is due for a big senior year, as I think he has the talent to be just as good as his brother on an individual level (his brother did have the benefit of playing with and learning from teammates like S. Ocel and Russo, while I don't think Trinity has the same level of talent.) He just needs to stay focused, but I think he could be one of the standout players in the NESCAC next year.

Still not sold on UMass-Boston, even with their OT win away to WNE yesterday. I really do like the way they attack with some good flair and skill, and they have some exciting players, but they really need to work on their composure. You could see it in the Babson game last week. Once UMB went down 1-0 in the 30th minute or so, there was no way back for them. Babson looked firmly in the driving seat the rest of the game, and they honestly never looked like losing - part of that is probably because Babson knows how to close out games against good opposition (although that trend was perhaps bucked on Monday against Bowdoin.) Anyway, UMass-Boston had 0 composure. Zero. They attacked with numbers the rest of the game, but they never looked like scoring because they were too frantic and couldn't string anything together. They were hard done by against ECSU and may well win the LEC, but I would bet money (just kidding) that they wouldn't make it to the second round of the Tournament, let alone out of the second round.

Two days after beating then-No. 16 Case on the road, Brandeis labored to a 1-0 victory over Mass. Maritime at home last night. Mind you, this is a squad that the Judges beat 6-3 at home in 2013 (many second-stringers in) and 3-0 away last year. However, unlike the MIT game last week, Brandeis looked firmly in control the whole game, and the low-scoring nature can perhaps be partially attributed to the fact that Mass. Maritime parked the bus and played 10 men behind the ball the whole game. Brandeis made tons of changes to keep players fresh for the weekend, and a good number of reserves got significant minutes. Goal came from a great delivery from Ocel that was finished off by Flahive, and Ocel himself hit the post later. The only chance that MMA actually had was when the Brandeis reserve keeper came for a loose ball and was beaten to it, but Lanahan was there to boot the ball off the line - it was never threatening enough to go in. Anyway, another W for the Judges and a good tune-up for this weekend's big games against Chicago and WashU, which thankfully for the Judges are at home.

Many of us - myself included - looked a bit foolish after predicting that Amherst-Conn. would be a 1-0 game. I thought that, Tufts aside, Conn. had the best chance to give Amherst fits. Well, as the Jeffs proved first against Middlebury and then yesterday, you cannot fall asleep against them, even in the first minute and especially on a corner kick. I don't like their style - it is direct and ugly in my opinion - but boy is it effective. The front three of NPL, Martin, and Singer may be the best front three that the NESCAC has seen in quite some time, and I would even put it above Tufts' attacking trio of last year in Santos, Hoppenot, and Brown (although I'd make a case for Santos being on the same level as NPL.) Earlier, I said that I thought Amherst would have to learn to play with more finesse if they expected to compete for a national championship, but I think with the amount of parity this year and the fact that they've won all of their cliffhangers, that this very well could be their year. One thing's for sure - there is a new NESCAC favorite in town.

I said that I liked Endicott against Williams last night, and while I didn't know that they would walk away with a win I did think that they'd be good enough to get the draw. They did. While Williams has had its own issues this year, it is still a proud program with a very good coach capable of picking up big wins like at RPI last week, so there's no doubt that they came looking for the win. I'm not saying that Endicott is Sweet Sixteen material or anything, but I think that if there was any doubt whether they were an NCAA-capable team or not, it has been eliminated. I'd say Round of 32 is very realistic, and at 10-1-2, they look far and away the best team in the CCC. That said, I'm sure Gordon will have something to say about that. Regarding Williams, I think that Sullivan is an excellent coach and - even with the talent of Rashid and his understanding of the NESCAC - it was always going to be difficult to come in and implement his philosophy in the first year. I firmly believe that he'll have Williams right back in the hunt for the NESCAC title within the next couple of years.

Having beaten Middlebury in a huge game on Saturday, Tufts did well to keep things going yesterday with a good 1-0 result at home to Gordon in a game where the Jumbos never really looked threatened. To be fair to Gordon, they did well to stifle the Jumbos' creativity, and even threatened once or twice on the counter; if my memory serves me right, they had a ball cleared off the line in the first half, although Tufts dominated the statistics. Anyway, I think Gordon is a very good squad that has put together some good records in recent times, but its still looking for that marquee result to announce their "arrival" as a true contender in the NE region. In my observations, I see a lot of parallels between where Gordon is and where Brandeis was back in 2011 or so, before the Judges announced themselves with a 2OT victory over Babson in 2012 and then cemented their status as an NE power by beating Tufts at home last year 2-0. I've watched Gordon a few times and I think they're almost there. Bring in another really solid recruiting class, get them to buy into the system, and they'll be a side that nobody will look forward to.

Lastly, Babson and Bowdoin. When Babson went up 1-0 against the run of play, I thought that it was going to be just like last year's NEWMAC win over Wheaton, where the Beavers went to Keefe Field and stole the NEWMAC title away from the Lyons. However, Bowdoin rattled off four goals in the second half to win 4-1. Babson has just about the same squad that it did last year, but without Laurenzo to bail them out they look much more average, like the 2013 side that went 11-8-1. I think Kaplan will come good, as he's scored some big goals and is still a sophomore. Bowdoin is an unspectacular 4-3-2, and while I don't think they're as good as last year, I think they've been hard-done by - losing away to Amherst in the last 10 mins, dropping a 1-0 game home against Williams, etc. I always maintained that Bowdoin, even in its down years, was a good team that just never played to its potential - potential that was finally realized in last year's NESCAC playoffs. If they can get back to the NESCAC playoffs, I think they'll be a threat. Wiercinski is a good coach, both tactically and in terms of man-management, and he'll always have his team set up to do well.

That's all for this week, folks. Stay tuned for next week (or, if not then, whenever I can remember.)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 14, 2015, 10:44:43 AM
Nice job, blootster!

Just so there is no confusion, and as Mr.Right has pointed out a couple of times, the only "versus ranked teams" that matters comes in another couple of weeks or so with the official regional rankings.  Whether an opponent was ranked in a top 25 or NSCAA regional poll earlier in the season, now, or even later won't matter in terms of crediting a team with wins and draws versus "ranked" when the selection cmte goes about selecting the Pool Cs.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mid-Atlantic Fan on October 14, 2015, 10:48:13 AM
Quote from: NCAC New England on October 14, 2015, 10:44:43 AM
Nice job, blootster!

Just so there is no confusion, and as Mr.Right has pointed out a couple of times, the only "versus ranked teams" that matters comes in another couple of weeks or so with the official regional rankings.  Whether an opponent was ranked in a top 25 or NSCAA regional poll earlier in the season, now, or even later won't matter in terms of crediting a team with wins and draws versus "ranked" when the selection cmte goes about selecting the Pool Cs.

Yes I have a question about that. So lets say Team A plays Team B. Team B is regionally ranked 7/10. Team A wins. Team B then spirals and loses out to finish season unranked regionally in the final 2 polls. Does this still count as a win vs. a ranked opponent since they were regionally ranked in the first NCAA poll that mattered? Thanks in advance for any helpful response to this!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 14, 2015, 10:48:52 AM
Quote from: NCAC New England on October 14, 2015, 10:44:43 AM
Nice job, blootster!

Just so there is no confusion, and as Mr.Right has pointed out a couple of times, the only "versus ranked teams" that matters comes in another couple of weeks or so with the official regional rankings.  Whether an opponent was ranked in a top 25 or NSCAA regional poll earlier in the season, now, or even later won't matter in terms of crediting a team with wins and draws versus "ranked" when the selection cmte goes about selecting the Pool Cs.

Thank you, and thanks for the clarification. I'm just referring to them informally as "ranked teams" because they were ranked at the time the two teams played, but I did not know the official definition. That said, what you said makes total sense - after all, it really doesn't matter what you were ranked in September when it comes to November!  ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 14, 2015, 10:54:54 AM
Quote from: Mid-Atlantic Fan on October 14, 2015, 10:48:13 AM
Quote from: NCAC New England on October 14, 2015, 10:44:43 AM
Nice job, blootster!

Just so there is no confusion, and as Mr.Right has pointed out a couple of times, the only "versus ranked teams" that matters comes in another couple of weeks or so with the official regional rankings.  Whether an opponent was ranked in a top 25 or NSCAA regional poll earlier in the season, now, or even later won't matter in terms of crediting a team with wins and draws versus "ranked" when the selection cmte goes about selecting the Pool Cs.

Yes I have a question about that. So lets say Team A plays Team B. Team B is regionally ranked 7/10. Team A wins. Team B then spirals and loses out to finish season unranked regionally in the final 2 polls. Does this still count as a win vs. a ranked opponent since they were regionally ranked in the first NCAA poll that mattered? Thanks in advance for any helpful response to this!

FW is the expert on these matters.  There are 3 official regional rankings published and then 1 unpublished, and they don't start for another couple of weeks or so.  If a team is ranked in the first of the published 3 rankings but not the last 2 I believe that still counts as a result with a "ranked" team.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 14, 2015, 11:01:15 AM
There is no relationship or certainly no binding relationship between the NSCAA regional rankings that we've seen getting posting in threads the last few weeks and the regional rankings to come from the NCAA.  The only ones that really matter are the latter.  And it's not just that being ranked in a national poll earlier in the season doesn't matter, as, although very unlikely, a team could be ranked top 5 in one of the two national polls and not be ranked (or ranked highly) in the all-important NCAA regional rankings.  A couple of years ago I believe Randolph wsa ranked top 15 most of the season in national polls and ended up unranked or lowly ranked when the NCAA regional rankings finally came out...and Randolph ended up not getting a bid.  Luther may have been a bit similar last year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mid-Atlantic Fan on October 14, 2015, 11:02:45 AM
Right. The 3 dates I believe are the next 3 Wednesdays. Oct 21, 28, and Nov. 4 for NCAA regional rankings.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 14, 2015, 11:05:00 AM
Quote from: Mid-Atlantic Fan on October 14, 2015, 11:02:45 AM
Right. The 3 dates I believe are the next 3 Wednesdays. Oct 21, 28, and Nov. 4 for NCAA regional rankings.

Yep, I'm sure FW will post a link to an exhaustive explanation about how the whole thing works.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 14, 2015, 11:57:08 AM
blooter442
I figured I'd start a quasi-weekly informal wrap-up of happenings and thoughts in the NE region. I'm obviously not as well versed on the Midwest, South, etc., so I'll keep it to NE for now, but I am working to educate myself more on other regions all the time.

EXCELLENT JOB!!! +k
Re UMBoston, I think you are right in that the Beacons tend to lose composure when they fall behind.  I think they have a few too many players who think they can win every game and this does not serve them well.  Coach Berverlin will have to get their heads cleared if they he expects his team to advance deep into NCAA post season play.  However, if they can get their act together, they can be dangerous.  ECSU's win in regular season might not have been the best for the Warriors as now they will most likely will have to beat them twice to get the LEC title, (assuming they don't get knocked out).  All things considered,  I am not sure the Warriors are better than the Beacons!  WE WILL SEE!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 14, 2015, 12:16:00 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 13, 2015, 09:41:39 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on October 13, 2015, 09:23:54 PM
Endicott is pretty good.  They will not be a pushover in the tournament and they could take a Pool C if they don't get the AQ.  They shouldn't be awed when they get to the tournament having played Calvin, Tufts and Williams. ... I'm gonna guess that Gordon needs the AQ.


My guess is Gordon definitely needs the AQ. It's not so much about playing good teams as getting results against good teams, and they're currently 0-3 against ranked opponents. I admire them for putting them on the schedule, and hey, better to lose to a ranked opponent than to lose to an unranked opponent, but the rest of their schedule doesn't make for great reading.


It is actually more beneficial to lose to unranked teams than ranked ones. You must beat the ranked teams to get noticed especially Gordon who maybe plays 2-3 a year. With an under .550 SOS and a 1-2-0 record v ranked you can expect Gordon to sit at the #9,#10 and #11 spots in the New England Regional Rankings. If they lose again they will just drop off the board but you will not see them move up many spots if they keep winning the games on their schedule. The only exception will be Endicott who might be sitting at #7 or #8. This is also one of those situations where it would be beneficial for Gordon to beat Endicott once and then maybe get a draw against them and lose in PK's in the tournament final. That way Gordon gets 2 good results against a ranked team but also doesn't drop them off the rankings by beating them twice. This is why I liked it when you had the once ranked , always ranked because you would not find these type of situations.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 14, 2015, 12:17:54 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 14, 2015, 10:44:10 AM
Blooter's Beliefs

I figured I'd start a quasi-weekly informal wrap-up of happenings and thoughts in the NE region. I'm obviously not as well versed on the Midwest, South, etc., so I'll keep it to NE for now, but I am working to educate myself more on other regions all the time.




Well done bloots.....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 14, 2015, 05:02:46 PM
Projected "real" New England rankings based on games through 10/13 and modelled SOS:

1.  Amherst
2.  Brandeis
3.  Tufts
4.  Mass-Boston
5.  MIT
6.  Middlebury
7.  ECSU
8.  Endicott
9.  Gordon
10.  Conn
11.  Wesleyan
-------------------
12.  Wentworth
13.  Springfield
14.  Bowdoin
15.  Babson
16.  Wheaton
17.  WPI
18.  Williams
19.  Bridgewater St.
20.  Bates
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 14, 2015, 10:04:54 PM
Oh dear. Wheaton's season goes from bad to worse with a 2-0 home loss to Bridgewater State. Currently sitting with 7 losses. Losing the two opening games to Wentworth and Ohio Northern was ominous, but they rebounded well enough. However, five losses in their last six - all by a goal - is brutal. Certainly a campaign to forget for Cushing's men given their normally high standards, but I expect that - like Babson did after their eight-loss campaign in 2013 - they'll bounce back.

Speaking of the Bears, they've quietly gone 10-2-1, and their only losses were to Brandeis and UMass-Boston. I saw them when they played Brandeis - nothing extraordinary but a good solid side nonetheless, and seeing their record now I'm not quite as frustrated as I was that night. They have to be the favorites in the MASCAC, right? I'm not super familiar with the league, but from what I know it's Fitchburg State, MCLA, Mass. Maritime, etc. and Fitchburg who won it last year I believe is 5-7 as it stands.

Elsewhere, Bates picks up a 2-1 win over Curry, who is a solid 10-5. Still, I think a 7-3-1 Bates should be winning more dominantly away from home against a CCC opponent. Nonetheless, Bates has 7 wins for the first time in as long as I can remember, so props to the Bobcats for giving us something to talk about this year.

Middlebury eking out a win over Castleton doesn't surprise me - they seem to play to the level of their opposition. When you match a good opponent, it's great, but when you get dragged down to playing like a mid-table side, it can be problematic and can cost you games in the long run. I like Conrad as he is a true CF and a good finisher, but I can't quite say I understand the hype about him as I think he gets taken out of games way too easily. He reminds me of Trevor Hoxsie of Roger Williams a couple of years ago (who, in case you forgot, was a second-team All-American) - brilliant and often makes the difference for his team, but double-mark him and shut off his supply, and he's essentially out of the game. That said, when you are the reigning NESCAC POY, you're going to be double-marked by pretty much every team you play. Still, he doesn't create enough for himself, and despite having many similarities as Amherst in terms of team size, style of play, etc. Middlebury not nearly as efficient as the Lord Jeffs.

One for the future: Thomas College. They're a good 9-4 so far this year, and while they've got one in-conference loss to Colby-Sawyer they did beat Colby away and took Bates to OT before falling. As I mentioned somewhere before, they got a real coup in landing Adam LaBrie and DJ Nicholas, two of the best players in Maine. LaBrie set the single-season scoring record at Yarmouth High School, which is currently the best program in Maine IMHO and has produced some talented players like Luke Pierce and Johnny Murphy, as well as Murphy's brother David. For his part, Nicholas scored more goals than Peabo Knoth despite being two years Knoth's junior and being on an NYA team that was far less potent than Knoth's Waynflete. Either way, Nicholas and LaBrie lead Thomas in scoring with 10 and 8 goals, respectively. Even as freshmen, I think they'd be good enough to start for a NESCAC team, perhaps a Bates or a Colby, and they'll only get better as they get older. Thomas was in NCAAs in 2012 and 2013, getting eliminated in the first round by Williams and St. Lawrence, respectively but even with losing Tre Ming after this year I think they could - with the right draw - make it out of the first round if they get back to the Tournament.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mid-Atlantic Fan on October 15, 2015, 08:25:47 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 14, 2015, 12:16:00 PM

It is actually more beneficial to lose to unranked teams than ranked ones. You must beat the ranked teams to get noticed especially Gordon who maybe plays 2-3 a year. With an under .550 SOS and a 1-2-0 record v ranked you can expect Gordon to sit at the #9,#10 and #11 spots in the New England Regional Rankings. If they lose again they will just drop off the board but you will not see them move up many spots if they keep winning the games on their schedule. The only exception will be Endicott who might be sitting at #7 or #8. This is also one of those situations where it would be beneficial for Gordon to beat Endicott once and then maybe get a draw against them and lose in PK's in the tournament final. That way Gordon gets 2 good results against a ranked team but also doesn't drop them off the rankings by beating them twice. This is why I liked it when you had the once ranked , always ranked because you would not find these type of situations.

I wouldn't necessarily say it's more beneficial to lose to an unranked team because the more blemishes on your record the harder it will be to get an at-large bid. Goes back to a team like Haverford where they might end up playing 6 ranked teams and if they go 2-4 and 14-4 overall (just made up #s) they will most likely get a nod over a team who plays 2 ranked teams and goes 1-1 but loses 3 other times to average teams and finishes say 14-4. It might come down to an eyeball test but they will say hey the Fords played against 6 ranked teams and won twice with no slip ups against weaker teams as this other team played 2 and won once but lost three others to weaker teams. I guess it's all opinion but I feel that's how the process works. One loss against a bad team can crush any hope at an at-large as to where if you lose to a ranked team the committee is at least happy you played them. I'm done rambling now  ;D
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 15, 2015, 08:53:48 AM
Mr. Right's point though is if you are going to lose, it's better that those loses come against unranked teams.  In other words, if two teams have the same overall 14-4-0 record, same .585 SOS, and same number of ranked opponents, who is going to be selected first?  The one with a 3-1-0 record versus ranked teams (with 3 losses to unranked teams) or the team with a 1-3-0 versus ranked teams (with just one loss to unranked teams)?  That's a no brainer for those of us who have followed the committee's rankings and at-large selections closely for a number of years.  Three wins versus ranked opponents impresses the committee who wants to know that a team can win against other top teams.  The committee doesn't seem to focus on the losses and who they came to as much as they want to see that a team has demonstrated they can beat top-level competition, the likes of which they will face in the NCAA tournament if selected.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mid-Atlantic Fan on October 15, 2015, 09:00:37 AM
I get what you are saying. That definitely makes more sense now. Thanks for the clarification!  :)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 15, 2015, 09:16:42 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 14, 2015, 12:16:00 PM
This is also one of those situations where it would be beneficial for Gordon to beat Endicott once and then maybe get a draw against them and lose in PK's in the tournament final. That way Gordon gets 2 good results against a ranked team but also doesn't drop them off the rankings by beating them twice.

But if getting to the Tournament is the sole aim, wouldn't it be better for them to beat Endicott on PK's in the CCC final? Or is there some kind of exterior bonus that comes with getting an at-large bid versus an AQ from a lesser conference?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2015, 01:25:46 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 15, 2015, 09:16:42 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 14, 2015, 12:16:00 PM
This is also one of those situations where it would be beneficial for Gordon to beat Endicott once and then maybe get a draw against them and lose in PK's in the tournament final. That way Gordon gets 2 good results against a ranked team but also doesn't drop them off the rankings by beating them twice.

But if getting to the Tournament is the sole aim, wouldn't it be better for them to beat Endicott on PK's in the CCC final? Or is there some kind of exterior bonus that comes with getting an at-large bid versus an AQ from a lesser conference?


Yes of course....I was just pointing out the fact that if they beat Endicott twice that will most certainly drop Endicott out especially if Endicott stumbles in other games
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 16, 2015, 07:17:55 PM
UMass-B is a real roller-coaster of a team.  I saw they were up 3-1 and then refreshed the scores a few minutes and now they're 3-3 with Western CT.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 16, 2015, 08:51:58 PM
Wow.  UMass-Bos goes down 4-3 after leading 3-1 and then Kenawy gets 2 goals late and UMass wins 5-4.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 16, 2015, 10:03:22 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on October 16, 2015, 08:51:58 PM
Wow.  UMass-Bos goes down 4-3 after leading 3-1 and then Kenawy gets 2 goals late and UMass wins 5-4.

I'll take the anxiety of grinding out a 1-0 over that kind of stuff! ;)

As I said before, they have great talent but no composure. Since going down for the first time last week at Babo, they've either been down in or lost all of their games. As ECSUalum pointed out, they seem to have a few players who think they're going to win every game. And while that's a good mentality to have, it's hardly realistic and you don't get the W just by showing up.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 17, 2015, 09:13:14 AM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 16, 2015, 10:03:22 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on October 16, 2015, 08:51:58 PM
Wow.  UMass-Bos goes down 4-3 after leading 3-1 and then Kenawy gets 2 goals late and UMass wins 5-4.

I'll take the anxiety of grinding out a 1-0 over that kind of stuff! ;)

As I said before, they have great talent but no composure. Since going down for the first time last week at Babo, they've either been down in or lost all of their games. As ECSUalum pointed out, they seem to have a few players who think they're going to win every game. And while that's a good mentality to have, it's hardly realistic and you don't get the W just by showing up.

It is funny I watched most of the WCSU-UMB game, but saw none of the Westconn goals, bad timing I guess. ;D  UMB has soo much creativity on the attack and Kenawy and DaSilva are master ball handlers, it looked like a blowout was coming, but Western hung in and started to play physical with the Beacons and then broke through with a goal!!  This was not a good performance re the Beacons defense, which I had praised last month, but now looks a bit suspect!  As has been said on these threads many times, the excellent teams always rise to the top as the season progresses, so it will likely be NESCAC, NCAC NJCAC, UAA teams in the finals rounds of this year's NCAA tourney.  However, let's wait and see.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 17, 2015, 11:58:58 AM
UMASS Boston has great skill, flair and creativity. If was Beverlin I would start recruiting a GK and 2-3 Defenders who are big and physical. They do not need to be the most technical but they need leaders, size and toughness in the back that they do not have at the moment.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 17, 2015, 03:41:10 PM
So frustrating trying to watch ECSU vs USM, when the camera is pointed everywhere but at the action. Sadly Camera person just is not paying attention/ incompetent.  Either get someone who knows what they are doing or just provide the Live Stats my goodness!!!!!!! ???

ECSU 4-0 USM  Soph Xavier Doran with another hat trick.  ECSU in sole possession of 1st place in LEC with RIC and UM Dartmouth left.  RIC over Plymouth St 1-0

Eastern committed 1 foul in the match!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 17, 2015, 05:02:55 PM
Has Babson clinched a NEWMAC playoff spot? If not that 1-1 draw will bite. I do not think Babson has ever missed NEWMAC playoffs
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2015, 02:45:46 PM
Story of the Year (possibly): WILLIAMS IS BEATING BABSON 7-2!

Elsewhere Brandeis is losing to WashU 1-0 at half. Bears scored 5' in on a miscommunication, Judges hit the post shortly after. Exciting second half to come.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 19, 2015, 10:34:11 AM
Blooter's Beliefs

This weekend was an eventful one for sure. Not quite as exciting as conference tournament/NCAA time, but with some good matchups across NE I think we saw some good soccer. I've decided to focus on a selection of different teams rather than recap the whole weekend, but either way hopefully it'll provide some food for thought.

First, let's start with Amherst. I think this is the week that they move into the #1 spot. A weekend roadtrip to Maine is never easy despite the caliber of opposition, but they got it done both days with an aggregate margin of 5-0 - NPL bagged four of them. He is absolutely on fire. Despite my longtime aversion to their style, what I like about Amherst this year is that they're not just scoring on corner kicks, throw-ins, or scrums in the box - they are creating goals from open play and keeping the ball on the ground. Martin and NPL on the outside are in phenomenal form, and Singer as I've said a million times is vastly underrated. Bull has started to look significantly more confident as time has gone on, and he hasn't given up a goal since WPI I believe. The fact that Amherst is 13-0 is a double-edged sword - on the one hand, it gives us as observers more confidence that they're just going to keep rolling and winning every game that they play. On the other hand, it can create an untold pressure - I once heard a high school soccer coach whose team hadn't lost 60+ games (equivalent to three high school seasons) say that an undefeated streak is like a balloon whose pressure increases until it bursts. And while I think Amherst has enough know-how to continue to win those close games, we have seen them fall at the critical stages before - 2012 and 2013 need no introduction, while 2014 was perhaps justified as they weren't nearly as dominant as they had been in years' past. However, with NPL in the form that he's in and Martin and Singer alongside him - as well as an excellent foundation behind them in midfield, defense, and net - this could be the year. Stay tuned.

It's pretty incredible how, in the space of 10 days, a team can go from never being behind all season to being down in all four of its games and losing two of those contests. Such is the tale of UMass-Boston. The Beacons were being hailed as a potential power within the NE region, but have since been brought back down to Earth. After going 10-0 to start the seaosn, they suffered a hard-luck loss to Babson, followed that up with another loss to ECSU, got a 4-3 OT victory at WNE, and barely escaped WCSU 5-4. For perspective, the Beacons gave up four goals in their first 10 games, but have give up 10 in their last four. What's the issue? I can't say definitively, but I - and I apologize for beating a dead horse - think it's a lack of composure. They've got some talent and I like the way they attack with flair and skill, but their discipline is not nearly on the same level as that of their offensive potency. You've got to have both if you have any ambition of being successful, and it only becomes more and more important as the season goes on.

Next up, Brandeis. NCAC jokingly said that - were the Judges to win yesterday - the odds of them winning the UAA would be at 97 percent. I can't say I would have agreed even if it had been the case, as - while I have my own biases - I'm a very pragmatic sports fan, and with that comes the practice of knowing and over-considering my own team's vulnerabilities and perhaps under-considering it's strengths. As it was, the Judges lost at home to WashU 2-0 - their first home loss in more than two years - and it was more the case that they played poor than WashU played well. Two days before, on Friday, they got a big slice of revenge for one of last year's two regular-season losses by beating UChicago 1-0. Even sweeter for the Judges was that they were outplayed but still got the victory, as it was the reverse of last year's meeting where Chicago was on the back foot but nicked a goal. No doubt that Chicago was a fixture marked on the calendar this year, and the Judges came out with the victory. However, Brandeis is not playing well as of late - they've been outplayed in midfield, are having trouble scoring, and their defense has not looked nearly as watertight as before. They've got two tough road games against Emory, which is a tough place to go, and Rochester, who nobody would have predicted to be 0-1-3 in league play but will be tough as always, before closing at home against NYU. That said, all is not bad, as they're 12-2-1 and still joint-top of the UAA w/Case. I think they'll be OK in terms of a bid to NCAAs, but those problems could well plague them when the Tournament comes around if they're not addressed soon.

Maybe I'm putting too much weight into the fact that they play a pretty weak schedule, but I'm still not sold on MIT. Aside from an impressive draw against Brandeis in a game they could easily have won, it is my opinion that MIT is not as talented as its 11-1-1 record suggests. It took them almost a full OT period to get past Clark, who is 4-9-1, at home. Not on the road, at home. Granted, every team has those days where they battle past a weak opponent, but it was still a less-than-impressive reference of their firepower. They got a nice 3-2 OT win at Wheaton and beat Babson on the road, but they also lost to Roger Williams who is below .500. If you want to be considered one of the best programs in NE, you have to be winning or at least not losing games against teams below .500. They also took Tufts off the schedule this year, which is a real head-scratcher especially considering MIT's surprisingly good record against the Jumbos (2-0-1 against Tufts in the last 3 years), so maybe I'm reading too much into it. Anyway, Bingham is a very good forward and pretty much all their offense runs through him - the fact that he has 14 goals in mid-October suggests that he could well be in the running for 2nd team or even 1st All-American, especially if "Tech" gets an NCAA bid and he scores in the Tournament. That said, Bingham, Freel, and perhaps Itani aside, the team is decidedly average IMHO, and relies largely on the brilliance of Bingham to bail them out. The last time MIT went to the Tourney, they lost in the first round to Western New England 2-0. They might be better than that this year, but I'd still have trouble seeing them making it past the second round in any case.

The NESCAC playoffs are posing a more interesting spectacle as the season continues on. We don't need to talk more about Amherst, but you've got teams like Middlebury, who - aside from an opportunistic victory at Wesleyan - have flattered to deceive IMHO. Despite their 9-2-1 record, they looked absolutely listless in their defeat to Tufts, and once Tufts went up 1-0 there was no way that they were ever going to lose that game. They'll pose teams problems on set pieces, but from open play I just don't see it, although I'll agree that Conrad is a dangerous player and perhaps I was too harsh on him to start with. That said, they've got the two seed pretty much locked up, so they'll be happy with that. Moving down the list, there's Tufts, who started the season as No. 1, stayed there for a while, came crashing back down to Earth with losses at home to Brandeis and away at Amherst and Hamilton, seemed to have rebounded after beating Midd., but then went on the road to Bates and tied 0-0. Prior to their miracle run last year, we often found ourselves asking "which Tufts team is going to show up today?" The question has resurfaced this year, and will better be answered this weekend when they travel to Williams (a game which Majumder will no doubt be up for) before closing home at Bowdoin. Perhaps the most exciting race is the race for 4th place between Conn., Williams, and Wesleyan. Conn. was off this weekend, but aside from getting blown out by Amherst on the road they've looked very good this year. That said, the result against the Lord Jeffs may well have shaken their confidence. Williams has woken up as the season has gone along, and came alive with a 7-2 win yesterday at Babson - a result I didn't believe when I first saw the score on my phone, but then looked at the scoresheet and there were all legitimate goals and assists listed. Wesleyan has been on the wrong end of some tough one-goal losses, and that tie against Tufts is looking more and more costly - I still blame whoever was scheduling and didn't foresee that game going to 2OT, as it was called b/c of darkness. Then there's teams like Bates and Bowdoin, currently tied for 7th, who began their seasons in opposing fashions - Bowdoin started horribly while Bates started well, but now the Bobcats - despite picking up a fortunate point against Tufts - have suffered home losses to Trinity and Amherst, and still have yet to play Midd. Bowdoin, meanwhile, picked up a whopping victory against Babson, 4-1, and beat Hamilton in what in my opinion was a trap game. Bowdoin has tough road tests against Conn. and Tufts, while Bates only has a road trip to Colby, so expect the fight for spots 7 & 8 to be exciting. Anyway, I think homefield advantage in the quarterfinals is HUGE, and - given the possibility that the NESCAC could be a four-bid league this year - could be very telling for who gets to NCAAs ultimately. We'll have to see.

That's all, folks. Stay tuned for next week (these will probably start coming on Monday, as I find they're the best diversion of me having to accept that another work week is upon us.)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 19, 2015, 01:31:22 PM
Well done Bloots again....This site should be talking to you about doing a regular New England column, since we do not have anyone as of yet...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 19, 2015, 07:34:48 PM
I want to give a shout out to the ECSU Defense in general and FYear GK Ryan Murphy in particular!!  Great Job Ryan and Gavin Neuendorf, Zane Lombardo, Emmanuel Caicedo, and Cooper D'Ambrosio

ECSU W/L record 12-2-1

NCAA.com stats/national rankings:
Team Goal Against Average- #25 0.58 (9 Goals Against)
Team Shut Outs- #38 8 Shut outs  0.53

Ryan Murphy Stats/national ranking
Goals Against #29 0.595 (9 Goals Against)
Save % #12 1360 minutes 0.890 73 Saves
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 19, 2015, 09:28:27 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 19, 2015, 01:31:22 PM
Well done Bloots again....This site should be talking to you about doing a regular New England column, since we do not have anyone as of yet...

YES.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: TennesseeJed on October 19, 2015, 09:54:27 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on October 19, 2015, 09:28:27 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 19, 2015, 01:31:22 PM
Well done Bloots again....This site should be talking to you about doing a regular New England column, since we do not have anyone as of yet...

YES.

Yes squared!  Great write-up!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 20, 2015, 09:35:25 AM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 14, 2015, 05:02:46 PM
Projected "real" New England rankings based on games through 10/13 and modelled SOS:

1.  Amherst                   
2.  Brandeis                   
3.  Tufts                         
4.  Mass-Boston
5.  MIT
6.  Middlebury
7.  ECSU
8.  Endicott
9.  Gordon
10.  Conn
11.  Wesleyan
-------------------
12.  Wentworth
13.  Springfield
14.  Bowdoin
15.  Babson
16.  Wheaton
17.  WPI
18.  Williams
19.  Bridgewater St.
20.  Bates

Spreadsheet updated with games through 10/18:

                                                 remaining teams of note on schedule         Pool C chances
1.  Amherst               13-0-0         Wesleyan                                                        Lock
2.  Brandeis               12-2-1         Emory                                                             Lock
3.  Mass-Boston         12-2-0          MIT                                                                virtual lock with SOS
4.  MIT                      11-1-1          Mass-Boston, Springfield, Stevens, WPI             must win 3 of noted games to be safe
5.  Middlebury             9-2-1          Williams                                                          safe with win over Williams
6.  ECSU                   12-2-1                                                                                safe with no upset losses, advance to conf final
7.  Tufts                      7-3-2          Williams, Bowdoin                                            probably safe with one more loss
8.  Endicott                11-1-2           Wentworth, Gordon                                         bubble w/SOS concerns
9.  Gordon                 10-3-0           Endicott                                                          bubble w/SOS concerns
10.  Conn                    8-3-1           Bowdoin, Wesleyan                                          must beat Bowdoin OR Wesleyan, reach final
11.  Springfield          11-2-1           MIT                                                                 possible with win over MIT and reach conf final
12.  Williams               6-4-2           Tufts, Middlebury                                              great SOS, in with one more loss, out with two
13.  Wentworth          11-3-0           Endicott                                                           NO
14.  Bowdoin               6-3-2           Conn, Tufts                                                       in with one more loss, out with two or more
15.  Bridgewater St.    11-2-1                                                                                 NO
16.  Wesleyan              7-4-1           Amherst, Conn                                                  probably not, must win out and reach final
17.  WPI                      9-4-2           MIT                                                                  NO


Pool C bids:

New England got 5 Pool C bids in 2014, if that holds for 2015, the probable recipients are:

NESCAC (2 or 3):  There are some key NESCAC games the next two weeks that will knock at least two of the contenders out while improving the ratings of the winners.  It is doubtful that Wesleyan beats Amherst, Bowdoin probably loses at Tufts, and Williams will probably not beat both Tufts and Middlebury.  NESCAC probably gets Amherst, Middlebury and Tufts with Conn with little margin for error.

NEWMAC (0-1):  If MIT beats Springfield (and they should) and wins the AQ, this could be a one bid league this year.

LEC (1):  Mass-Boston and ECSU should get in.  What happens if neither wins the conference tournament?

CCC (0-1):  The non-AQ (Endicott or Gordon) squarely on the bubble
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 20, 2015, 01:29:58 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 20, 2015, 09:35:25 AM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 14, 2015, 05:02:46 PM
Projected "real" New England rankings based on games through 10/13 and modelled SOS:

1.  Amherst                   
2.  Brandeis                   
3.  Tufts                         
4.  Mass-Boston
5.  MIT
6.  Middlebury
7.  ECSU
8.  Endicott
9.  Gordon
10.  Conn
11.  Wesleyan
-------------------
12.  Wentworth
13.  Springfield
14.  Bowdoin
15.  Babson
16.  Wheaton
17.  WPI
18.  Williams
19.  Bridgewater St.
20.  Bates

Spreadsheet updated with games through 10/18:

                                                 remaining teams of note on schedule         Pool C chances
1.  Amherst               13-0-0         Wesleyan                                                        Lock
2.  Brandeis               12-2-1         Emory                                                             Lock
3.  Mass-Boston         12-2-0          MIT                                                                virtual lock with SOS
4.  MIT                      11-1-1          Mass-Boston, Springfield, Stevens, WPI             must win 3 of noted games to be safe
5.  Middlebury             9-2-1          Williams                                                          safe with win over Williams
6.  ECSU                   12-2-1                                                                                safe with no upset losses, advance to conf final
7.  Tufts                      7-3-2          Williams, Bowdoin                                            probably safe with one more loss
8.  Endicott                11-1-2           Wentworth, Gordon                                         bubble w/SOS concerns
9.  Gordon                 10-3-0           Endicott                                                          bubble w/SOS concerns
10.  Conn                    8-3-1           Bowdoin, Wesleyan                                          must beat Bowdoin OR Wesleyan, reach final
11.  Springfield          11-2-1           MIT                                                                 possible with win over MIT and reach conf final
12.  Williams               6-4-2           Tufts, Middlebury                                              great SOS, in with one more loss, out with two
13.  Wentworth          11-3-0           Endicott                                                           NO
14.  Bowdoin               6-3-2           Conn, Tufts                                                       in with one more loss, out with two or more
15.  Bridgewater St.    11-2-1                                                                                 NO
16.  Wesleyan              7-4-1           Amherst, Conn                                                  probably not, must win out and reach final
17.  WPI                      9-4-2           MIT                                                                  NO


Pool C bids:

New England got 5 Pool C bids in 2014, if that holds for 2015, the probable recipients are:

NESCAC (2 or 3):  There are some key NESCAC games the next two weeks that will knock at least two of the contenders out while improving the ratings of the winners.  It is doubtful that Wesleyan beats Amherst, Bowdoin probably loses at Tufts, and Williams will probably not beat both Tufts and Middlebury.  NESCAC probably gets Amherst, Middlebury and Tufts with Conn with little margin for error.

NEWMAC (0-1):  If MIT beats Springfield (and they should) and wins the AQ, this could be a one bid league this year.

LEC (1):  Mass-Boston and ECSU should get in.  What happens if neither wins the conference tournament?

CCC (0-1):  The non-AQ (Endicott or Gordon) squarely on the bubble





I HAVE TO DISAGREE A BIT...

Middlebury....Please give me 2 Good wins on their resume?   Conn College and Wesleyan are it. They better hope both are ranked because their SOS will be close to .550

Gordon will not be ranked ahead of Wesleyan and Conn. Their only good win is against ECONN, their schedule is weak at best.

Williams has some good non-conference wins and their SOS will be high. I believe they would be ahead of Springfield and Wentworth, they will not be ranked but they will be close.

In the past New England has received upto 7 Bids, so 5 is not a definite # especially with the addition of 12 teams being ranked this year compared to 11 in years prior. I am not saying 7 bids
will happen but just acknowledging the point.


Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 20, 2015, 02:59:54 PM
Oct 20 NSCAA rankings for New England:

1.  Amherst
2.  Brandeis
3.  MIT
4.  Endicott
5.  ECSU
6.  Tufts
7.  Gordon
8.  Mass-Boston
9.  Middlebury
10. Wentworth
11. Conn
12. Springfield
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Corazon on October 20, 2015, 03:45:08 PM
Mr. Right, just heard Ainscough's been let go at Northeastern. Wonder if any D3 coaches will get a shot?  Wild guess here, but Shapiro?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 20, 2015, 03:55:02 PM
Quote from: Corazon on October 20, 2015, 03:45:08 PM
Mr. Right, just heard Ainscough's been let go at Northeastern. Wonder if any D3 coaches will get a shot?  Wild guess here, but Shapiro?




I knew Ainscough was in trouble over there. I went into detail about a month ago about his struggles in every stop he has been at. We had ONE poster disputing my claims and disparaging my opinions and FACTS....Well I love patting myself on the back but I WAS RIGHT.....I had heard the players revolted back in the Winter to the AD to get him out of there and apparently he was given one more shot. I believe his record this season was 1-8-2 or something dismal like that. Still to be let go or to resign mid-season IS VERY STRANGE. I am guessing SOMETHING had to have happened. He is done in college soccer and will be lucky to hold onto  his Bolts gig.


No way Shapiro goes for Northeastern. The pay is weak and Northeastern does not support soccer like other D1 schools. even without Football, Northeastern does not support Soccer. Shapiro would not touch that gig. One coach that I would guess might be interested is Matt Cushing at Wheaton MA....I doubt the pay would be comparable but he might want a fresh start as he has done as well as he can at Wheaton...Just a guess though
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Corazon on October 20, 2015, 05:24:04 PM
I actually liked him, got to know him a bit as he coached one of my kids years ago. He definitely knows his soccer.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 20, 2015, 05:30:41 PM
Nice guy off the field but a massive Headcase on it...Numerous issues I could count on 2 hands...Finally caught up to him...No wonder you and your son have no issues with Serpone....LOL j/k
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 21, 2015, 01:52:28 PM
REAL 10/21 rankings for New England are out:

1.  Amherst              13-0-0 
2.  Brandeis              12-2-1   
3.  Tufts                     7-3-2   
4.  Eastern Conn. St. 12-2-1   
5.  Mass Boston         12-2-0 
6.  Middlebury             9-2-1
7.  Conn College          8-3-1   
8.  Gordon                 10-3-0 
9.  Wesleyan (CT)        7-4-1   
10. MIT                     11-1-1   
11. Wentworth           11-3-0   
12. Bridgewater St.    11-2-1   
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 21, 2015, 01:52:36 PM
 New England  In-Division Record  Overall Record
1. Amherst  13-0-0  13-0-0
2. Brandeis  12-2-1  12-2-1
3. Tufts  7-3-2  7-3-2
4. Eastern Conn. St.  12-2-1  12-2-1
5. UMass Boston  12-2-0  12-2-0
6. Middlebury  9-2-1  9-2-1
7. Connecticut College  8-3-1  8-3-1
8. Gordon  10-3-0  10-3-0
9. Wesleyan (CT)  7-4-1  7-4-1
10. MIT  11-1-1  11-1-1
11. Wentworth  11-3-0  11-3-0
12. Bridgewater St.  11-2-1  11-2-1
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 21, 2015, 01:53:16 PM
Looks like MIT's SOS and OWP killing them
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 21, 2015, 01:55:21 PM
However, Midd' SOS does not hurt them and Wesleyan and Conn College seem to be in good shape if they WIN out.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 21, 2015, 01:56:52 PM
WHERE IS ENDICOTT???????


AND YET GORDON OF OCURSE IS RANKED #8....


That is a complete DISGRACE....

Luckily Endicott plays Gordon still this year...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on October 21, 2015, 02:23:48 PM
Endicott absolutely deserves to be in.  Shocking..... Gordon is right where they should be.  They are 2-1 against other regionally ranked opponents - EConn st was a pretty easy win. Tough match win against a good Wentworth side and a close 1-0 loss to the defending champs.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mid-Atlantic Fan on October 21, 2015, 02:35:40 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on October 21, 2015, 02:23:48 PM
Endicott absolutely deserves to be in.  Shocking..... Gordon is right where they should be.  They are 2-1 against other regionally ranked opponents - EConn st was a pretty easy win. Tough match win against a good Wentworth side and a close 1-0 loss to the defending champs.

The 2-1 vs regionally ranked teams doesn't count until next week so that would not factor in for this ranking.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 21, 2015, 02:42:14 PM
Gordon and Wentworth have no reason to even be in the top 12....ECONN is ranked way to high most likely because of their wins over UMASS Boston and Wesleyan. Gordon will not move up the rankings even if they keep winning. One more loss to Endicott and they will be off the map...The MIT ranking is very surprising most likely due to their horrible SOS but they did draw Brandeis
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on October 21, 2015, 02:42:37 PM
Quote from: Mid-Atlantic Fan on October 21, 2015, 02:35:40 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on October 21, 2015, 02:23:48 PM
Endicott absolutely deserves to be in.  Shocking..... Gordon is right where they should be.  They are 2-1 against other regionally ranked opponents - EConn st was a pretty easy win. Tough match win against a good Wentworth side and a close 1-0 loss to the defending champs.

The 2-1 vs regionally ranked teams doesn't count until next week so that would not factor in for this ranking.

I understand. I'm just stating it as evidence that they deserve inclusion in the rankings.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 21, 2015, 02:56:45 PM
Endicott has a sub .500 SOS at .487.  I'm not convinced anything else matters so long as a team's SOS is under .500 which seems to be a deal breaker.

EDIT:  I notice that MIT got in with a sub .500 SOS at .497.  So, there is no .500 SOS threshhold, but it is extremely hard to overcome.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 1970s NESCAC Player on October 21, 2015, 03:47:25 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 21, 2015, 01:55:21 PM
However, Midd' SOS does not hurt them and Wesleyan and Conn College seem to be in good shape if they WIN out.

Midd SOS not bad . . . . 586.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ihidebehindtheinternet on October 21, 2015, 03:54:23 PM
Quote from: 1970s NESCAC Player on October 21, 2015, 03:47:25 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 21, 2015, 01:55:21 PM
However, Midd' SOS does not hurt them and Wesleyan and Conn College seem to be in good shape if they WIN out.

Midd SOS not bad . . . . 586.

I wish calculating this was easier cause I would have pounded the under if that was the vegas line given that they faced a team that is 1-14. it was a road game so that helps with the multiplier. just goes to show you that you can easily manipulate you SOS to make it appear you play better teams than you actually do.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mid-Atlantic Fan on October 21, 2015, 03:59:31 PM
Quote from: ihidebehindtheinternet on October 21, 2015, 03:54:23 PM
Quote from: 1970s NESCAC Player on October 21, 2015, 03:47:25 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 21, 2015, 01:55:21 PM
However, Midd' SOS does not hurt them and Wesleyan and Conn College seem to be in good shape if they WIN out.

Midd SOS not bad . . . . 586.

I wish calculating this was easier cause I would have pounded the under if that was the vegas line given that they faced a team that is 1-14. it was a road game so that helps with the multiplier. just goes to show you that you can easily manipulate you SOS to make it appear you play better teams than you actually do.

Playing a 1-14 team doesn't help with or without a multiplier. Still hurts a team's SOS either way. It's when you play a good team on the road that you get "extra" points.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 21, 2015, 06:13:05 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 21, 2015, 01:52:28 PM
REAL 10/21 rankings for New England are out:

1.  Amherst              13-0-0 
2.  Brandeis              12-2-1   
3.  Tufts                     7-3-2   
4.  Eastern Conn. St. 12-2-1   
5.  Mass Boston         12-2-0 
6.  Middlebury             9-2-1
7.  Conn College          8-3-1   
8.  Gordon                 10-3-0 
9.  Wesleyan (CT)        7-4-1   
10. MIT                     11-1-1   
11. Wentworth           11-3-0   
12. Bridgewater St.    11-2-1

Wesleyan and Wentworth most likely eliminated from Pool C consideration with today's losses.  As they drop out of the top 12, Endicott and Williams should move in.  Endicott's SOS should have been brought up over 0.500 with today's game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 21, 2015, 06:18:36 PM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on October 21, 2015, 02:56:45 PM
Endicott has a sub .500 SOS at .487.  I'm not convinced anything else matters so long as a team's SOS is under .500 which seems to be a deal breaker.

EDIT:  I notice that MIT got in with a sub .500 SOS at .497.  So, there is no .500 SOS threshhold, but it is extremely hard to overcome.

Still don't understand why MIT took Tufts off the schedule. Automatic boost to their SOS and they have a surprisingly good record against the Jumbos - away win in '12, home win in '13, away draw last year. Obviously they made it in to the RRs this week but still they're living on the edge with such a weak SOS.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 21, 2015, 07:35:12 PM
MIT - UMass-Boston still 0-0. Good game between two teams that have taken a lot of flak from many - including myself - on these boards for their various perceived shortcomings. Interestingly enough, it's MIT who has looked to attack consistently, while UMB has been compact at the back, playing 10 behind the ball. Ironically, they're pretty much playing each other's game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2015, 05:16:18 PM
It will be very interesting to see next week's rankings because with that defeat UMAASS Boston even with all those road games will HAVE to DROP...There Record v Ranked is 1-2-0 but now Wentworth is going to drop out so it will be 0-2-0....They will drop to #10 at best IMO....Also, lets watch MIT who I think with that SOS is in serious trouble even though they are deserving of a NCAA bid. With the win v UMASS Boston and games against Springfield and Stevens left their SOS will rise considerably and OWP also...That MIT v Stevens game is very interesting..The winner could knock the other one out of the NCAA's.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 24, 2015, 12:36:29 PM
Babson up 2-0 at WPI....Looks like they want to avoid that #4 v #5 seed Newmac playoff match-up...Do not look now but since WPI played that magnificent game and loss in 2OT to Amherst they have fallen off the cliff. Wondering if they had maybe some injuries that we do not know about? We have few if any Newmac posters so I have no idea bout injuries.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 24, 2015, 09:05:02 PM
Xavier Doran header with 1:50 left in 2 OT to defeat RIC this afternoon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaaCUcbUYR8
Eastern really did not play well today, however the D kept RIC off the scoreboard again and Ryan Murphy made some critical saves for his 9th clean sheet!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 24, 2015, 10:06:57 PM
updated spreadsheet New England rankings thru 10/24 (using real SOS)

1   Amherst
2   Brandeis
3   Tufts
4   Middlebury
5   MIT
6   ECSU
7   MassBoston
8   Gordon
9   Conn
10   Bridgewater St.
11   Endicott
12   Williams
13   Wheaton
14   Bowdoin
15   Babson
16   Wesleyan
17   Wentworth
18   Bates
19   Springfield
20   Plymouth St.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 26, 2015, 11:21:45 AM
Blooter's Beliefs

This week was a big week for the NESCAC, not just in terms of matchups but also jostling for playoff spots - hence the disproportionate amount of coverage.

Amherst continued to roll, this time home to Wesleyan, pounding the Cardinals 5-0. If any team had a chance of getting points off the Jeffs, you had to feel that - besides Williams (for historical reasons) or Tufts (for being the 2nd- best team in the NESCAC IMHO) - it would be Wesleyan. Well, that theory was blown out of the water just a few minutes in, and Amherst . Like I said last week, I really like that the Jeffs are starting to play the ball on the ground, using the speed of Martin and the skill of NPL. Of course, they're still threatening from set pieces and crosses, but the fact that they've learned to keep the ball on the ground instead of primarily playing long balls suggests that they've added a new element to their game. They're the consensus number one team for a reason, and I'm becoming more and more convinced every week that they have what it takes to go all the way - just three weeks ago, I said that I thought there was little chance that they could win a national title, but as they continue to roll and the rest of the nation's teams continue to pick up blemishes, you have to think that they might just be better than the rest. I can't make comparisons to the 2012 Amherst team that infamously didn't make it to the Final Four, but this one is certainly up there, that's for sure.*

Every year, there are always a couple of cases where teams are perhaps one result away from achieving self-belief and taking that next step, only to fall in a crucial time and start their downward spirals. In my book, those teams are WPI and UMass-Boston. WPI was less than four minutes from something that no one has been able to do thus far this year - take points off of Amherst. As it were, Singer scored in 2OT and Amherst picked up yet another road victory, while WPI hasn't been the same since, going 2-3-1, the most recent of which was a home loss to Babson. Before losing to Babson, UMass-Boston was on a hot streak, winning 10 straight. Since that loss, they're 3-3, and were thumped by an enigmatic MIT side last week 3-0. It's worth mentioning that WPI lost at Brandeis in 2OT prior to the Amherst game, so it wasn't like they were unbeaten, but had they been able to hold the consensus No. 1 team to a draw - something that no team has been able to do this year - it would have likely galvanized them with further self-belief. Still, records of 13-3 and 10-5-2 are by no means the end of the world, and both teams are fully capable of winning their respective conference tournaments, but you have to wonder how much better they could have then had they managed to come out unbeaten from both of those big tests.

Next, MIT. The Engineers passed two big tests this week, winning away to Springfield 3-2 and home against UMB 3-0. Their defense is admittedly stingy, only allowing 7 goals the entire season. Still, the worrying trend for "Tech" is that, when they give up goals, they tend to give up two or three at a time. While Saturday's concession of two goals included the first goal of the game and a tally when the score was already 3-1, it does suggest that MIT is prone to a lack of concentration. And though they are the clear favorites in the NEWMAC, history tells us to be wary. Last year, Wheaton - who was a seemingly unassailable 16-2-2 entering last year's NEWMAC tournament - was the clear favorite, only to fall at home to Babson in the semis. Additionally, MIT's home field is not necessarily a sanctuary for the Engineers, as they fell to Wheaton in the 2013 conference final, while its 2012 conference win came on the road. Their test at home against WPI will be huge, and if WPI were to steal a victory it would turn the whole season on its head - right before the NEWMAC tourney. Will this be the year that the Engineers turn the tables and make a run? Personally, I don't see them going beyond the second round of the NCAA tourney, but that's why they play the games and if the Engineers were to go on a run I'd be the first to admit that I was wrong.

Tufts winning 3-0 at Williams has to go down as one of the legendary scorelines of the season. I predicted a draw, but once Tufts went 1-0 up you had a feeling that there would be more goals. Majumder showed up for this one, getting himself a brace, and Kayne capped the scoring with an excellent finish. Since its 0-1-3 stretch in the middle of the season, Tufts has rebounded nicely with big wins over Middlebury and now Williams - the only blemish was a 0-0 tie at Bates, which just leaves a sliver of doubt about which Tufts team is going to show up each game. Williams is now 2-4-1 at home, significantly better on the road, and you have to feel that the pressure of playing at home has gotten to them. I also don't think that Rashid is the same player that he was before the injury - he seems to have lost a step of pace, but then again he also doesn't have the talent of Ebobisse and co that he had in 2012. When you're coming in as the new guy and other good players can often make space for you, there's a lot of opportunity, but when you become a marked man it gets a whole lot tougher. I think the Jumbos are in for another good postseason, and I certainly don't think they'll get knocked out in the first round of the NESCAC like they did last year. That said, I don't think they'll be bringing home title #2, because as much as their miracle run was down to form, it was also down to the fact that they had some very special players. This year, while the Jumbos are an incredibly functional and effective side, they're missing their virtuoso in Santos, their defensive leadership and composure in Williams, their physical presence and set piece weapon in Lee-Kramer, and their target man in Hoppenot. And while the latter's presence up top has been replaced - and exceeded in the goals department - by Majumder, I don't think there's the same element of magic and steeliness that there was last year.

Saturday brought me to give Middlebury credit, something I haven't done much of this season. I've continually said that the Panthers are a hot-and-cold, set-piece reliant side that has a penchant of getting lucky when they're being outplayed. And while they went down 1-0 to Bates on Saturday, they responded in great fashion, scoring four unanswered second-half goals to win 4-1 on the road. Their victory at Wesleyan was certainly fortunate, and I think they were fortunate to get out of last weekend's Trinity game with a win, but the fact that the Panthers not only beat but smoked the Bobcats after going 1-0 down suggests that they have a steeliness to them and are perhaps a better side than I thought. Conrad has come through in the big moments, and suggests that he is rated for a reason - again proving me wrong from a couple of weeks ago. Maybe I'm giving them too much credit, but I was impressed by the way they responded to adversity in emphatic fashion. Well done, Middlebury, you've got my attention.

Towards the end of September, we were talking about Bates as a possible Pool C candidate. Now, they're in grave danger of missing out on the NESCAC playoffs. Sure, the Bobcats will likely finish with a winning season for the first time since 2008, but they have remained much like their predecessors in a number of ways - mainly, their lack of consistency. I think the hype started when they won at Hamilton, which - despite the Continentals' form - is never an easy place to go. Then they tied Bowdoin, last year's NESCAC champion, and picked up a win at Williams for the first time in who knows how long. But for all the big wins, Bates has also been less competitive than you'd expect - losing by five goals at Wesleyan, falling at home to Trinity the week after beating Williams, and going 1-3-1 in their last five. And while they had the luxury (questionable word choice) of playing the three toughest teams - Tufts, Amherst, and Midd - at home, I said that the most I thought Bates would get out of any of those games was a point (I was right - a solitary point from Tufts.) The Bobcats have some solid players in Knoth, Merchant, and Murphy, but none of those three are 1st Team All-NESCAC material IMHO, although Knoth was a 2nd Team selection last year. Ultimately, Bates has shown promise in flashes, but they need to be much more consistent if they are to worry the powers of the NESCAC.

Bowdoin and Conn. Next to Tufts' big win, this was the shock of the weekend for me. Conn hadn't lost a home game all year - all of its blemishes had come on the road - while Bowdoin has been inconsistent offensively. And while I feel like Conn is the better team, Bowdoin came and pulled a smash-and-grab raid. We were talking last week about how Conn is the feel-good story of this year, and they certainly have some great players - Devlin needs no introduction, and I really like the workrate of Bitchell. That said, in order to be a top team in the NESCAC, you've got to win (the vast majority of) your games at home, particularly against sides #4-11: a close home loss to an Amherst, Tufts, or Midd is understandable, but you've got to take care of business against the lesser teams at home. Bowdoin probably would have been happy with a point on the road, but they were opportunistic and took their chances. The Polar Bears are 7-3-3 and are coming into good form, and while I doubt they'll repeat their Cinderella run of last year I think that they could surprise some teams. Barring a run to the NESCAC final, Conn is pretty much done in terms of Pool C chances, and even then they're probably on the wrong side of the bubble. I think the NESCAC has become a three-bid league, as the potential fourth teams - Conn and Wesleyan - have too many blemishes at this point. But hey, who knows?

CCC watch: Endicott is still the clear favorite in my book, even though it picked up a tie this weekend at Salve Regina in a game that will feel like two points dropped. However, Gordon could well change our minds when the two teams play tomorrow night in what should be a great game. Endicott was not in this week's RRs due to its .487 SOS, whereas Gordon (.528) and Wentworth (.512) were, but if the Gulls win the CCC as they are very well set up to then that could all be proved irrelevant. Remember, Endicott picked up ties against Williams and Calvin, and its only loss this season was to Tufts, so even if they're not a threat to an Amherst or a Tufts they could well pose a challenge to other more highly-touted sides in the postseason. Provided they make NCAAs, I think they're a solid Round of 32 team, which if I'm not mistaken is the furthest a CCC team has ever made it, but if there is a team to buck that trend and get to the Sweet 16 then this year's Endicott has as good of a chance as any IMHO.

* Side note: I'm tired of hearing about Amherst's physical play - both the Amherst homers defending the Jeffs' style, and opposing fans continually implying that the Jeffs are the root of all evil. (I myself am by no means exempt of guilt, but I dropped it a while ago.) We all know that Amherst is an aggressive, physical team, and pointing out the # of yellow cards that they get or anything else like that isn't going to change it. That said, arguing that "Amherst games are extremely intense, so they're often refereed differently than most other NESCAC games" is laughable, and is an incredibly weak attempted defense of the Jeffs' aggressive style of play. Additionally, calling the cards "laughable" can only take away credibility. But regardless of whether you think their style of play is excessive, if Amherst goes and wins a national title, you absolutely can't say the Jeffs won't have deserved it based on their excellent form. Come on, guys - we're better than this. ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 26, 2015, 04:52:58 PM
Has anyone seen Bridgewater St. play?  They sit 13-2-1 (SOS 0.505) with losses only to Brandeis (0-1) and Mass-Boston (0-1).  They also won at Wheaton 2-0, so they must be pretty decent.  Their only remaining test is Wednesday hosting Babson.   Are they legit?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 26, 2015, 04:58:26 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 26, 2015, 04:52:58 PM
Has anyone seen Bridgewater St. play?  They sit 13-2-1 (SOS 0.505) with losses only to Brandeis (0-1) and Mass-Boston (0-1).  They also won at Wheaton 2-0, so they must be pretty decent.  Their only remaining test is Wednesday hosting Babson.   Are they legit?

I saw them when they played Brandeis, but the Wheaton result was what caught my eye. I wouldn't say "legit" in the way you might describe an NSCAA Top 25 team, but I think they're a good, solid team that is capable of pulling an upset on their day. From my observations, they're well-organized side and have their moments offensively. My guess is that - assuming they make it to NCAAs - they get an unfavorable draw due to SOS/etc., but I think they'd be tough to beat and would pose a threat to most tournament teams.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 26, 2015, 05:02:01 PM
They are a decent team that is athletic, organized defensively and physical. I think they will easily win their league the MASCAC but Bloots is correct they will get a bad draw. Most likely one of the 2 mid-week "play-in" games with the winner going to Amherst.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 26, 2015, 05:08:25 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 24, 2015, 10:06:57 PM
updated spreadsheet New England rankings thru 10/24 (using real SOS)

1   Amherst
2   Brandeis
3   Tufts
4   Middlebury
5   MIT
6   ECSU
7   MassBoston
8   Gordon
9   Conn
10   Bridgewater St.
11   Endicott
12   Williams
13   Wheaton
14   Bowdoin
15   Babson
16   Wesleyan
17   Wentworth
18   Bates
19   Springfield
20   Plymouth St.



My Regional Ranking Projections based on years of seeing these things. No actual numbers have been computed.

1. Amherst
2. Brandeis
3. Tufts

Those top 3 are easy but I am telling you the next 9 are very difficult because of varying SOS and Record v Ranked

4. MIT
5. MIDD
6. ECONN
7. UMASS Boston
8. Gordon
9. Conn
10. Williams
11. Bridgewater St
12. Bowdoin
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 26, 2015, 05:11:08 PM
Now I know you all will say NO WAY to Williams but they had the same records last year and were ranked #9 the 2nd week I believe.

For New England I believe the whole region is DOWN this year and they will not go below #5 or #6 depending on AQ's.

The East and South Atlantic could benefit from this or even the West
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 27, 2015, 01:17:03 PM
Oct 27 NSCAA NE rankings:

1.  Amherst
2.  Brandeis
3.  MIT
4.  ECSU
5.  Tufts
6.  Endicott
7.  Gordon
8.  Middlebury
9.  Mass-Boston
10. Bridgewater St.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 27, 2015, 09:10:35 PM
Brandeis squeaks by a 3-12 Lasell 1-0. That's the 10th 1-0 win and 12th one-goal win for the Judges this season - I genuinely think that might be a record for 1-0 or one-goal wins - any stats mavens want to check it out? The Judges played a couple of reserves from the start but many starters were in the majority of the game. Poor offensive showing - the team didn't connect passed well and they needed a 73rd minute goal to get by. The one positive was the Judges were much more threatening - one of the reasons Brandeis has struggled to score is because they just don't shoot enough. Once they started shooting in the second half, it was only a matter of time. Can't see them winning the UAA, although I couldn't see them beating Tufts or Case on the road, so who knows. However, they'll need to be much better if they hope to get a result against Emory or Rochester this weekend.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 27, 2015, 09:28:46 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 27, 2015, 09:10:35 PM
Brandeis squeaks by a 3-12 Lasell 1-0. That's the 10th 1-0 win and 12th 1-0 win for the Judges this season - I genuinely think that might be a record for 1-0 or one-goal wins - any stats mavens want to check it out? The Judges played a couple of reserves from the start but many starters were in the majority of the game. Poor offensive showing - the team didn't connect passed well and they needed a 73rd minute goal to get by. The one positive was the Judges were much more threatening - one of the reasons Brandeis has struggled to score is because they just don't shoot enough. Once they started shooting in the second half, it was only a matter of time. Can't see them winning the UAA, although I couldn't see them beating Tufts or Case on the road, so who knows. However, they'll need to be much better if they hope to get a result against Emory or Rochester this weekend.

Blooter, I thought the exact same thing when they didn't score until 2nd half to beat Mt Ida 1-0 last year, and then they went on to the Elite 8.  Seems like a dangerous way to keep winning but apparently they just know how to win games.

I was impressed with Endicott and Gordon also.  Looked at Endicott's roster and they have several foreign players, including two from Mexico who linked up together for the goal, and a kid from Bahrain whose club team is listed as "Manchester United Soccer School" or something like that.  Also a bunch of players from strong New England club teams.  Endicott's only loss was to Tufts and they drew with Calvin and Williams.  Will not be an easy team to beat in a 1st or 2nd round NCAA game IF they get in.  Currently 13-1-3, would be a shame if they don't make the tournament.  Will not be easy to win their conference tourney, especially if there is a re-match with Gordon.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 27, 2015, 09:42:51 PM
Actually, I think the game you're thinking about was Lasell as well! ;-) Judges thumped Mt. Ida last year, but needed a second-half goal to get by Lasell on the road. However, two years ago, Brandeis did struggle with Mt. Ida and only a late winner from Soboff gave them the victory.  Regardless, your message remains true and I agree -  but I doubt they make a postseason run like last year.  They sure do miss Savonen and Soboff, but then again any team would.

I've been a big fan of Endicott but it would be tough playing Gordon again.  They'll have a target on their backs,  and it will be interesting to see whether they can cope. They are a good side, though, and say whatever you want about Williams this year, but it's still Williams and they are a proud program that goes in to every game capable of winning, so to get a draw against Sullivan's team is a good result.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 27, 2015, 10:37:00 PM
One of the ironies of how SOS works is that Endicott suffers with a SOS that stood at .487 last week while Tufts, Williams, Calvin, Gordon benefit significantly from Endicott's 13-1-3 record, especially since all of those were road games for those teams.  A cruel irony, or just an irony?  Endicott of course gets to count the records of those teams but with the negative differential.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 28, 2015, 11:47:08 AM
Blooter's Tactical Tantrum

By no means a proper feature, just wanted to air some thoughts on tactics I've been having. Brandeis' lack of goals has been perplexing, but they sit at 13-2-1 and No. 12 in the NSCAA. That said, their lack of scoring could catch up with them, and needs to be addressed in my book.

Heading home last night, I was scratching my head about why Brandeis can seemingly only manage one-goal wins regardless of the competition.  Despite laboring to a 1-0 win two weeks ago against Mass. Maritime, who was well below .500 at the time, I showed up for the Lasell game thinking that this would finally be the game where Brandeis, playing a 3-11 team, would start pouring on the goals. It wasn't to be, and for the ninth time this season, Brandeis got out with a 1-0 win. I had a bad hunch that they might have trouble scoring when the first game against Bridgewater State - a team that the Judges would have blown away in recent years - finished just 1-0, and while I can't complain about them being 13-2-1 and top 20 in the NSCAA, I am a bit concerned with the sheer lack of goals. A win is a win, but I think the main issue is that while I'd expect a 1-0 against a Chicago or a Case, I'd think a multi-goal win against a Lasell or Mass. Maritime would be in order. And while those teams often play 10 behind the ball when they play Brandeis - and I've got to say that's probably the correct tactic in that case - you'd still expect Brandeis to do better given its stature and players.

So I decided to have a look at the stats. And while I've said many times that Brandeis misses Savonen and Soboff, the conclusion that I came to is symptomatic of a bigger problem - Brandeis doesn't have a true central striker, and the other players are suffering as a result.

An overlooked fact, and one that I totally missed, is that the other players benefited offensively from having Savonen and Soboff. Look at Zach Vieira. Six goals last season and just two this year, although one was the winner away to Tufts and the other was in a huge UAA clash with Carnegie. Josh Ocel had four goals last year but this year he also has two. Ironically, Bradley and Picard - Brandeis' joint-leading scorers - are the only two players who have scored equal to or more this year than they did last year. Additionally, Brandeis can't seem to settle on a true lone striker. After persisting with Bradley for a while, they're now playing Flahive up top. A wide forward by trade, Flahive has just one goal this year, yet ironically Bradley has three. And while some might argue that Bradley should start due to the fact that he has more goals, I would still put Flahive out there - he's overall a better player IMHO. Either way, asking a kid who has played mostly out wide to come in and be the main CF is a daunting task.

My observations in the earlier part of the year were twofold: 1. that the guys being trusted to play at CF kept dropping too wide and too deep, so that when the balls came into the box there was nobody to finish them off 2. Brandeis wasn't shooting enough, and was always trying to find the perfect shot when simply pulling the trigger might've been better. And while the CFs have begun staying in the middle in recent weeks, the new issue is that the interplay in the box isn't good enough, and the Judges are being let down by the final ball and poor shooting. (Ironically, Brandeis' 1.9 goals/game last year came from an average of 15.8 shots/game, while the Judges' 1.2 goals/game this year is from an average of 16.8 shots/game - 50 percent fewer goals with one more shot, on average.)

My solution: play two up top.

Now before you call me crazy, hear me out. There seems to be an obsession in the modern age with playing one true CF up front, and while I do like 4-3-3 a lot I think that 4-4-2 diamond or 4-3-1-2 can be just as effective. (Don't even get me started on 4-2-3-1 - can't stand it, just my personal opinion.) For about half of last year, Brandeis played a 3-5-2. And while they went to 4-3-3 towards the end of the season, that was a move with defensive solidity in mind - you can't play three at the back against Amherst, etc. - and not because the two up top wasn't working. In fact, Brandeis scored 50% more goals with two up top than they did one. My belief is that, when you have one guy up top, he has to be able to physically impose himself on the opposing CBs. And while Savonen was an excellent finisher that was big enough physically to hold his own, Brandeis doesn't have a guy like that this year. By playing two up front, perhaps Vieira and Jastremski, they can work off each other and have enough pace to burn the opposing center backs. Think about it: two guys with blazing speed in the center is better than one. And when you don't have the physicality to hold it on your own up there, that speed and interplay to keep the opponents on their toes is all the more important. Both of these guys were prolific goalscorers who played in the center in high school, and both of them have the speed and finishing to do so, so why wouldn't you partner them for the benefit of the team?

The counterargument: playing two in the middle and no wingers would make them lose width. In the sense of having "wide forwards" it would - but I don't think it would be a drastic reduction of width, as DePietto and Lynch are very good at providing width from the outside back spots (while being able to track back.) The Judges' players are tactically smart enough to know when to go up and when to cover - I've seen Josh Berg cover for Lanahan at CB when Lanahan goes forward on numerous occasions - so playing two up top and getting the wingbacks forward would provide better interplay.

Now obviously I'm not the one making the calls, and I would only consider myself an amateur observer of the game with a decent tactical mind. However, I think two up front is what the Judges need right now, especially considering how difficult it is to score in UAA games. That said, Brandeis has been winning games through defensive solidity and professionalism, so they may be content to keep doing what's worked this weekend against Emory and Rochester, looking to hit the two teams on the break with the lone decisive goal. And if that were the case and they keep on winning, I can't say I blame them.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 28, 2015, 12:23:25 PM
Blooter, re: Brandeis....

"They are who we thought they were!"

Jim Mora?
Dennis Green?
Bill Parcells?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z62L035dQ6Q

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 28, 2015, 12:39:27 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on October 28, 2015, 12:23:25 PM
Blooter, re: Brandeis....

"They are who we thought they were!"

Jim Mora?
Dennis Green?
Bill Parcells?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z62L035dQ6Q

Too good. "Playoffs?! ...I just hope we can win a game!" Also, how's your blood pressure (re: this afternoon's impending game)?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 28, 2015, 12:44:53 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 28, 2015, 12:39:27 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on October 28, 2015, 12:23:25 PM
Blooter, re: Brandeis....

"They are who we thought they were!"

Jim Mora?
Dennis Green?
Bill Parcells?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z62L035dQ6Q

Too good. "Playoffs?! ...I just hope we can win a game!" Also, how's your blood pressure (re: this afternoon's impending game)?

The/my mind works in mysterious ways.  That's what popped in my head as I was reading your thing and not really a clue as to why.

And I've got my Xanax at the ready.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 28, 2015, 01:53:20 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 24, 2015, 10:06:57 PM
updated spreadsheet New England rankings thru 10/24 (using real SOS)

1   Amherst
2   Brandeis
3   Tufts
4   Middlebury
5   MIT
6   ECSU
7   MassBoston
8   Gordon
9   Conn
10   Bridgewater St.
11   Endicott
12   Williams
13   Wheaton
14   Bowdoin
15   Babson
16   Wesleyan
17   Wentworth

The real NE rankings for Oct 28 are out:

1   Amherst
2   Brandeis
3   Tufts
4   Middlebury
5   ECSU
6   MIT
7   MassBoston
8   Conn
9   Gordon
10   Bowdoin
11   Wentworth
12   Endicott

The only surprises for me are Bowdoin at 10 and the inclusion of Wentworth at 11 especially with an RvR of 0-2.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on October 28, 2015, 03:31:38 PM
Wow, Brandeis with by far the highest SOS in the nation, with their only two losses against Wash U (#1 in the central region) and Trinity (#1 in the west region). Scoring difficulties or not, the Judges will be tried and tested come tourney time. I hope to see them face Amherst again in a rematch of last year's round of 16 battle.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 28, 2015, 04:34:37 PM
I like Brandeis I really do but I think Amherst would physically wear them down. Lat year's Brandeis team YES they deserved it, this year's team I am not so sure.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on October 28, 2015, 05:00:16 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 28, 2015, 04:34:37 PM
I like Brandeis I really do but I think Amherst would physically wear them down. Lat year's Brandeis team YES they deserved it, this year's team I am not so sure.

I agree, especially since the game is likely to be played on grass at Amherst, which favors their style of play. I think on turf it might be a different story. I would like to see Brandeis try to add one or more NESCAC teams to their schedule besides tufts, especially a side like Amherst or Williams.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 28, 2015, 05:06:13 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on October 28, 2015, 05:00:16 PM
I agree, especially since the game is likely to be played on grass at Amherst, which favors their style of play. I think on turf it might be a different story. I would like to see Brandeis try to add one or more NESCAC teams to their schedule besides tufts, especially a side like Amherst or Williams.

Williams or Amherst would be great, but I can't see that happening, mostly because Williams is 3+ hours and Serpone usually likes his non-conference games to be away games at teams that have winning records that aren't as strong. From speaking with Coven a couple of years ago, and asking him directly "why don't you play NESCACs more often?" Brandeis doesn't usually get to play them because - aside from Tufts - all of them are a decent drive, further than a normal weekday trip, and Brandeis' weekends are taken up mostly by UAA trips.

That said, I'm really glad Brandeis started playing Tufts. However, Brandeis usually plays Tufts on a Saturday, so maybe if they were to move Tufts to a mid-week game they could schedule another NESCAC for the weekend? I'd love to see the Judges play perhaps Wesleyan, two veteran coaches in Coven and Wheeler and two great storied programs. Can you believe they've only ever met once? (A 1-0 win for Wesleyan in 1990.) Would be a fantastic matchup.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 28, 2015, 06:36:07 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 28, 2015, 05:06:13 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on October 28, 2015, 05:00:16 PM
I agree, especially since the game is likely to be played on grass at Amherst, which favors their style of play. I think on turf it might be a different story. I would like to see Brandeis try to add one or more NESCAC teams to their schedule besides tufts, especially a side like Amherst or Williams.

Williams or Amherst would be great, but I can't see that happening, mostly because Williams is 3+ hours and Serpone usually likes his non-conference games to be away games at teams that have winning records that aren't as strong. From speaking with Coven a couple of years ago, and asking him directly "why don't you play NESCACs more often?" Brandeis doesn't usually get to play them because - aside from Tufts - all of them are a decent drive, further than a normal weekday trip, and Brandeis' weekends are taken up mostly by UAA trips.

That said, I'm really glad Brandeis started playing Tufts. However, Brandeis usually plays Tufts on a Saturday, so maybe if they were to move Tufts to a mid-week game they could schedule another NESCAC for the weekend? I'd love to see the Judges play perhaps Wesleyan, two veteran coaches in Coven and Wheeler and two great storied programs. Can you believe they've only ever met once? (A 1-0 win for Wesleyan in 1990.) Would be a fantastic matchup.



That was a fantastic 1990 Wesleyan side that I believe won the ECAC that year and that is when they faced Brandeis. Terry Jackson was the famous Mens Soccer and Lax Coach which their field is named after and coached Bill B in lax. Jackson's grandson starts on this current Wesleyan side.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 28, 2015, 07:18:52 PM
Well then. MIT comes back from 3-0 down to beat Stevens 4-3 in OT at home. Great resiliency by the Engineers but I'm sorry Stevens absolutely threw away that game. That is horrendous mismanagement by Stevens. I know that MIT scored to make it 3-1 right at the end of the first, which is obviously big in terms of momentum, but even then 3-1 is not nearly as much of a momentum-builder as making it 2-1 in the final minute of the half. (Remember, they still have to get two back, not just one.) Stevens giving up an own goal in the last minute of regulation and then having Bingham score on them again in the last five seconds of the first OT is terrible composure. I don't care who you are, the last 10 seconds of each half, nobody should be scoring on you, but MIT - Bingham in particular - did it twice to Stevens today. Easier said than done, but Stevens absolutely threw that game away.

Stevens is a good side, but MIT has shown it has lapses in concentration. Still think they're the best side in the NEWMAC, but other teams - WPI, etc. - must feel they have a fighting chance with the Engineers leaking goals.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 28, 2015, 07:27:27 PM
Well after my Stevens rant on another topic I saw they were beating MIT 3-1 and just assumed they would win with 20 minutes left...Their SOS goes up but RvR down...MIT might have just bought themselves hosting rights in the RD64/32 NCAA's...Even if MIT loses in NEWMAC they just got themselves a bid tonight with the SOS movement and RvR
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 28, 2015, 07:42:28 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 28, 2015, 07:27:27 PM
Well after my Stevens rant on another topic I saw they were beating MIT 3-1 and just assumed they would win with 20 minutes left...Their SOS goes up but RvR down...MIT might have just bought themselves hosting rights in the RD64/32 NCAA's...Even if MIT loses in NEWMAC they just got themselves a bid tonight with the SOS movement and RvR

Interesting point about round of 64/32...assuming Brandeis makes it (which even if they were to throw their last three games there's still a good chance they'd get in) you'd think they might host as well depending on how they'd end up, and it would be pretty wild if the NCAA decided to have two pods going within 8 miles of each other. Do you think they would do that? Then again, Brandeis would potentially go to MIT, but the Judges did win there last year, so they wouldn't be afraid.

Edit: I very much suppose they would, as Brandeis and Babson have both hosted separate NCAA pods twice in the last three years (and according to Google Maps Distance Calculator, Babson is 4.6 miles from Brandeis to MIT's 8.4. Guess I'll give myself a pat on the back for that estimation of 8 miles. :) )
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Sandy on October 31, 2015, 06:03:44 PM
Well ECSU and UMass-Boston just lost. ECSU wins the LEC. UMB comes in 3rd behind Plymouth St. who they played tonight and ahead of RIC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 31, 2015, 07:00:35 PM
Quote from: Sandy on October 31, 2015, 06:03:44 PM
Well ECSU and UMass-Boston just lost. ECSU wins the LEC. UMB comes in 3rd behind Plymouth St. who they played tonight and ahead of RIC.

You have to wonder if that will cost ECSU a Pool C if they don't get AQ.  I'm guessing another loss does cost UMass-Bos.  Both are at 2-2 for RvR so a win against the other will get one of them to 3-2.

Then there's Endicott.  I assume the consensus is that Endicott if they fail on the AQ could not overtake ECSU or Tufts.  MIT might be a different story.

Of course I posted about MIT before checking their score.  They were in OT but just won over WPI.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 02, 2015, 09:32:42 AM
Blooter's Beliefs

Wow! What a weekend. I wasn't able to make it to any games since I was in D.C. visiting some friends, but kept tabs on the action as always. Three teams conceded tying goals with less than a minute left in regulation, the No. 1 team in the country suffered its first loss of the season, and a third team emerged from a difficult two-game road trip with its first outright conference crown. Tons to recap, but definitely the most exciting the weekend of the season so far.

Brandeis won the UAA for the second time in three years, beating Rochester 2-1 away on a late winner from center back Kyle Robinson, who scored his first collegiate goal in the process. This title was the Judges' first outright championship – having tied with Carnegie, Emory, and WashU for the conference crown in 2012 – and it also means that the Judges clinched the UAA's NCAA AQ bid, freeing up a Pool C slot for someone else. Playing Emory and Rochester away, who are two, proud, respectable sides, they went on a road trip that very well could have ended 0-2. Instead, they came up with two wins on the road, and that – combined with hard-fought wins over Carnegie, Case, and Chicago – means that they deserve the conference crown. Additionally, Brandeis would have been seeking revenge against Rochester yesterday, as they've had two tough losses to them in the last two years – the Judges led leads of 1-0 and 2-1 slip in the 3-2 home defeat in 2013, while the Yellowjackets scored fluke goals on a shanked cross and direct from a corner kick in last year's match. This year, the Judges took a 1-0 lead, weathered the storm after Rochester tied it 1-1, and got the late winner they deserved. Brandeis has had well-documented trouble scoring this season, but they've won 14 one-goal matches and that's no accident. I felt that they were robbed of a conference title last year, given Chicago's non-conference play was nowhere near the same level as Brandeis, but this year makes up for it. This team might not be as talented as last year's Elite Eight squad, or the 2012 team that also won the title, but Brandeis' composure, defensive solidity, and overall play has been excellent, and has more than made up for a lack of offense, and it will be nice for them to play NYU at home next weekend having clinched the UAA title with a game to spare. Winning the UAA title in 2012 was nice, but winning the crown outright this year – in a very tough conference and with a game to spare, no less – will do wonders for their confidence, and has the potential to take them to the next level.

Holy cow. NESCAC playoffs. Where to start? Well, perhaps with the Wesleyan upset of Amherst. From what I understood in following the game, Wesleyan more than had their own, and given that they missed a PK probably deserved the victory anyway. The players should come in for major credit, as they worked their socks off and pulled off an upset over the No. 1 team in the nation. I have to say, though, that is an absolute masterclass of a coaching performance by Wheeler. His team was on a five-game losing skid, didn't even look like it would make its conference tournament, and had to go to the same field and play the same opposition where his team lost by five goals the week before. Somehow, he got the guys to believe in themselves and beat the No. 1 team in the country on the road. That is absolutely unbelievable, and he deserves major kudos for that. Well done, Wheeler. A classy guy and an excellent coach who got his team to come through when it mattered. Granted they've "won nothing" yet in the sense of the NESCAC title, which seems to be their only shot at an NCAA bid, but given they had just been hammered by the No. 1 team in the nation yet beat them at their place the next weekend is incredible, and Wheeler deserves major credit for that. For Amherst, who also let a second-half lead slip in a 1-1 draw at Trinity midweek, it will be slightly concerning that their only two blemishes of the year have come in a one-week stretch. However, I still think the Lord Jeffs are the best team in the country, and are my bet to still go on to win NCAAs. Maybe – in reference to Tufts' NESCAC quarters loss last year – this is their "Conn College at home" moment? Time will tell.

I had a sense that Williams would prove a tough out for Conn, and the game was an excellent spectacle. Conn went 2-0 up, Williams rallied to make it 3-2, and then Conn tied the game with six seconds left. You can't concede a goal in the last minute of a game and win games, and while this has been a problem for Sullivan's teams all year they were not alone this weekend. Regardless, Williams regrouped to take Conn to PKs, before DaCunha came up big and the Camels advanced to the NESCAC semis. Conn has rebounded nicely since losing to Bowdoin 2-0, and even though Middlebury, Wesleyan, and Bowdoin would be difficult opponents, the chance is as good as ever for them to go all the way with Tufts and Amherst out of the picture. Devlin is a great player, Bitchell has done well, Koval scored probably the biggest goal of his life this weekend, and DaCunha came up big in the shootout, so Conn will be ready for any team. I always maintain that – no matter Williams' quality in any particular year – they're a proud program that knows how to win, and I still maintain that Sullivan is an excellent coach with proven success who will no doubt come good at his alma mater. Don't forget that last year Williams had a rough season, and Sullivan had nothing to do with that, so the program is perhaps in a time of transition, but they'll rebound.

Bowdoin vs. Tufts. While predicting Tufts to win, I had a feeling that Bowdoin might well sneak this one at Kraft Field. In the end, Bowdoin made a first-half goal stand up and advanced to its third NESCAC semi-final in three years. Tufts has looked a good side all year, but there is cause for concern with their offensive inconsistency. In fact, I thought the opposite would be the problem this year, as Sullivan and Coleman looked pretty suspect in the middle of defense for a while, but they've grown into their roles and have done well in the latter part of the season. Greenwood, despite his well-documented weakness on set plays, has been excellent in net, making big saves for his team when games are in the balance. When Tufts is on, it is an impressive side – last year's title run was incredible, and the 3-0 beating of Williams at Cole Field was as professional as it was unexpected – but then they go and fail to score against Bates and Bowdoin. Majumder is a better striker than Hoppnenot was IMHO, and certainly scores more goals, but his positional play is sometimes questionable. Should Tufts get another crack at NCAAs, which I think they will, they'll be fired up, but I don't think they have the same quality that they had as last year, with Santos and Williams in particular. Stay tuned.

Middlebury keeps on winning. I thought it was harsh that they missed NCAAs last year, especially considering they were bounced from the NESCAC tournament by Bowdoin on PKs, but although they've looked underwhelming at times this year they've managed to get results. Williams got caught with far too many men forward in midweek, and the Panthers punished them on the counter. There were grumblings about Midd's schedule, criticisms of their playing style, and overall skepticism about the team in general, but the Panthers have begun to answer those questions. They were anemic against Tufts a few weeks back, but looked the opposite on Saturday: Conrad is coming into good form, Glaser is playing well, and Sydor provides an ever-solid last line of defense, so the Panthers are right where they would have wanted to be at this point in the year. Three days after holding then-perfect Amherst to a 1-1 draw, Trinity was flattened on the road. We've always wondered "what Trinity team will show up this year?" and the squad this weekend could not have been more different than the one that played the Lord Jeffs on Wednesday. An unfortunate end to the season for Trinity, who have some incredibly talented players but just can't seem to get them on the same page.

Going into next week's NEWMAC tournament, MIT has to be the clear favorite. I have been quite critical of the Engineers this year for their over-reliance on Bingham and weak schedule, but he came up huge for them with his team down 3-0 in the first half to Stevens; scoring one with 5 seconds left in the half to make it 3-1, before winning it with 5 seconds left in the first OT. Regardless of Stevens' collapse, coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3 is absolutely commendable. However, there will be plenty of improvements that need to be made for the Engineers – particularly on defense. Carrying a 1-0 lead into the last minute against WPI, MIT did the same that Stevens did against them – conceded a goal with less than a minute left in regulation. Only this time, MIT did so with one second left on the clock. One second. I understand there was a corner, but given the probability that the attacking team scores on a corner (very low %), you have to do better than that. Again, with a 7-0 conference record, MIT is definitely the favorite, but the Engineers have conceded two or more goals on four occasions this year. With all that in mind, the team's potential opponents – and I think particularly Wheaton and WPI - will definitely be smelling blood given the lapses in concentration MIT has suffered, and will believe that they can have a good crack at them.

Gordon exacted a major slice of revenge for 2013's OT defeat against Roger Williams with a 2-1 2OT triumph of their own this year. That year, Roger Williams benefited from many fortunate bounces – perhaps none more famous than two goals that took serendipitous deflections off of then-No. 11 Gordon defenders and to the feet of Hawks attackers – and made a surprise run to the NCAA Round of 32 before falling to Brandeis. That year, Roger Williams had All-American Trevor Hoxsie finishing the chances; this year, they don't have someone on that level. And while Roger Williams catapulted itself into an early lead, it couldn't hold on, conceding a heartbreaking goal with 25 seconds to play before losing in 2OT. Again, you can't concede in the last minute – easier said than done, I know, but still. Great win for Gordon and its fervent fans, who were out in droves at the field. The Scots now have to go to #2 WNE, who has won four straight since falling at Endicott. Either way, the road to the CCC title will go through Endicott, but as much as I think the Gulls have been dominant this year I think Gordon or WNE will prove a formidable opponent.

Thanks for reading, all. Next weekend is the conclusion of the NESCAC, NEWMAC, LEC, and CCC tournaments, among many others, so I hope we're all excited for some fantastic matchups.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 02, 2015, 10:08:27 AM
Updated spreadsheet rankings for games through 11/1:

1.   Brandeis               AQ
2.   Amherst               Pool C
3.   Middlebury
4.   MIT
5.   Tufts
6.   ECSU
7.   Conn
8.   Bowdoin
9.   Mass-Boston
10. Wentworth
11. Endicott
12. Gordon
13. Wheaton
14. Williams
15. Babson
16. Bridgewater St.
17. Wesleyan
18. Western NE
19. Bates
20. Plymouth St.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 02, 2015, 12:21:30 PM
hmm after that total debacle where Bridgewater St had to give up 4 wins for NCAA violations I do not think they will be in the picture. I am shocked they are not disqualified from NCAA participation this year. Mistakes happen but that mistake is very well known to coaches and players. Big NO NO. Coach should be disciplined as well
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mid-Atlantic Fan on November 02, 2015, 01:52:56 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on November 02, 2015, 10:08:27 AM
Updated spreadsheet rankings for games through 11/1:

1.   Brandeis   AQ
2.   Amherst
3.   Middlebury
4.   MIT
5.   Tufts
6.   ECSU
7.   Conn
8.   Bowdoin
9.   Mass-Boston
10. Wentworth
11. Endicott
12. Gordon
13. Wheaton
14. Williams
15. Babson
16. Bridgewater St.
17. Wesleyan
18. Western NE
19. Bates
20. Plymouth St.

Pretty sure you can bold in Amherst as one of the 18 Pool C's....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 02, 2015, 10:38:14 PM
A couple weeks back Amherst seemed like a near lock for a first round bye. Given the last two games I think they've lost that opportunity. Do you all think any other NE team has a chance at a bye? In my opinion, the only two teams that have a chance would be MIT or Brandeis, assuming they both win out. What other teams (including outside of NE) do you think are deserving of a bye if they were to win out? (Tossing out a few guesses: Calvin, Haverford, Montclair St., Oneonta, Thomas Moore, Trinity)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 02, 2015, 10:48:18 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on November 02, 2015, 10:38:14 PM
A couple weeks back Amherst seemed like a near lock for a first round bye. Given the last two games I think they've lost that opportunity. Do you all think any other NE team has a chance at a bye? In my opinion, the only two teams that have a chance would be MIT or Brandeis, assuming they both win out. What other teams (including outside of NE) do you think are deserving of a bye if they were to win out? (Tossing out a few guesses: Calvin, Haverford, Montclair St., Oneonta, Thomas Moore, Trinity)

Unless the first-round bye is based solely on momentum and not losing in your conference tournament, I would still say Amherst is in the best position at 14-1-1. Even if MIT or Brandeis were to win out, Amherst's one loss and one draw would still be equal to or better than both Brandeis and MIT. Add in the fact that Amherst will likely still be ranked higher than both Brandeis and MIT, and I can't see - other than the bye being based on your conference title - why they would lose it. And even if that is a criteria, I think Amherst is an exception, given their rank and the fact that they have one draw and one loss. MIT still has some work to do to climb, and could get into the top 10 if they win the NEWMAC, but with their weak SOS and having played just three ranked teams (2-0-1 record) it is debatable - none of their potential NEWMAC tourney opponents are ranked. Brandeis has perhaps a better chance with its big wins this weekend and six wins versus ranked opponents, but would still be surprised if they usurped Amherst for the first-round bye.

Put it this way: I would be very surprised if MIT with one loss and one draw got the bye over an Amherst side with one loss and one draw.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 02, 2015, 11:28:06 PM
I would say it's really up for grabs.  Amherst had it but maybe gave it up.  Same with F&M.  Now there is no clear #1 and #2, so pretty wide open.  Calvin is the easiest answer.   Haverford?  Kenyon?  Montclair?  Brandeis?  We'll know a lot more by the end of next Saturday.  When you consider all the candidates Amherst still has as good as chance as anyone.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NERevs127 on November 03, 2015, 09:51:46 AM
You will also have to take into consideration of the fact that Brandeis plays 3 more games than Amherst. Also on paper the blemishes for Brandeis look much better than Amherst's.

Brandeis: two losses against #1 ranked regional teams in Wash U and Trinity TX. Then a tie against MIT.

Amherst: two blemishes against unranked regional opponents. A loss against a team they beat 5-0 prior

One or maybe both of the teams will host until the final 4 but if only 1 then it's a toss up for me. Both have great resumes and strong cases as to why they should host over the other
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 03, 2015, 12:19:54 PM
Quote from: NERevs127 on November 03, 2015, 09:51:46 AM
You will also have to take into consideration of the fact that Brandeis plays 3 more games than Amherst. Also on paper the blemishes for Brandeis look much better than Amherst's.

Brandeis: two losses against #1 ranked regional teams in Wash U and Trinity TX. Then a tie against MIT.

Amherst: two blemishes against unranked regional opponents. A loss against a team they beat 5-0 prior

One or maybe both of the teams will host until the final 4 but if only 1 then it's a toss up for me. Both have great resumes and strong cases as to why they should host over the other

I couldn't agree more. After watching a good amount of the games both teams have played I am inclined to think that Amherst is the better and more dominating side. However comparing the two schedules is quite glaring. I give amherst all the credit in the world for utterly dominating up until their final two games, but when it comes to blemishes (as NERevs alluded to above), playing 3 more games, and quality wins, I think Brandeis has the edge:

Brandeis: 0.644 SOS, RvR 5-2-1 (wins over #3 tufts (away), #4 Chicago (home), #6 Carnegie Mellon (home) , #7 Emory (away), #8 Case Western Reserve (away)) (losses against #1 Wash U, #1 trinity) (Tie against #6 MIT)
Amherst: 0.573 SOS, RvR 4-0 (wins over #3 Tufts (home), #4 Middlebury (home), #8 Connecticut College (home), #10 Bowdowin (home))

Also, taking a look at the teams away schedules also sheds light on Brandeis' much more difficult path to achieving the record that they have, as everyone can agree that going on the road (and in brandeis' case all across the country) and getting wins against quality opponents is a huge testament to the quality of a team:

Amherst away: new england college (12-7-1), western new england (11-7), elms (8-10), williams (7-6-3), (WPI (11-6-2) Mount st. mary (5-10-4), Hamilton (6-9), Colby (3-8-4), bates (7-4-3), Trinity (6-6-4)

4 teams above 500, 4 teams below 500, 2 teams at 500..... not a single win against a ranked/tournament team with the best win coming against a mediocre williams squad

Brandeis away: hardin simmons (8-5-2), Trinity (17-2), Clark (6-10-1), Tufts (9-4-3), Wheaton (11-7), Case Western (12-4-1), Emory (8-6-2), Rochester (6-4-5)

7 teams above 500, 1 team below 500...... wins against ranked tufts, case, and emory. Although it is unsure whether any of those teams (or Wheaton) will make the tournament.

Overall on paper Brandeis seems to have a more impressive resume: much higher SOS, 4 more ranked opponents, more difficult away schedule, much better blemishes, 3 more overall games played

But as i said to begin with I think Amherst appears to be the better team when watching the two sides. If the committee decides byes and seeds objectively I think Brandeis deserves it, if the committee decides byes and seeds subjectively I think Amherst deserves it. Only time will tell. 

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 03, 2015, 01:48:52 PM
Nov 3 NSCAA rankings for New England:

1.   Brandeis
2.   Amherst
3.   MIT
4.   Endicott
5.   Middlebury
6.   ECSU
7.   Tufts
8.   Gordon
9.   Bowdoin
10. Conn
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 03, 2015, 01:54:44 PM
God that is so much worse than what the NSCAA did in the East region.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on November 03, 2015, 02:02:45 PM
NEsoccerfan, you present a very thorough comparison.  One thing to keep in mind.  There's a good chance that Emory and Case Western are no longer ranked this week (we'll know for sure tomorrow afternoon), so Brandeis' RvR will likely lose 2 wins for the all important final unpublished rankings.  Amherst on the other hand shouldn't lose any of their wins.  So the RvR comparison might swing more in Amherst's favor when it counts most.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 03, 2015, 02:04:00 PM
Gordon up 1-0 on WNE at half.

Pretty odd that Gordon is at WNE, especially considering the consensus is that Gordon is the superior team and is 13-4 while WNE is 11-7. However, it appears that Gordon is 7-2 in the CCC while WNE is 8-1. Is WNE's non-conference schedule that much stronger?

Update: Gordon goes 2-0 up early second half, stole the ball in the WNE half and finished well.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 03, 2015, 08:25:20 PM
Endicott - Wentworth is 1-0 in the second half. Diego Slobotsky made a really nice move down the side to beat his man with speed and cut inside, before feeding the ball to Al Khalifa into the middle who finished it. Wentworth is still in this one and is testing the hosts down the flanks. Gulls still a bit stronger overall, and created a really good chance that the Wentworth 'keeper did really well to save.

I'm very impressed with Endicott's speed of play. I've seen them before on occasion, and they aren't necessarily the cleanest side in terms of passing accuracy, off-the-ball movement, etc. but they definitely know how to play quick passes. Gordon is more of a "solid" side that is organized and has the know-how in terms of winning games, but assuming that it makes it to the final Endicott might have the edge - especially being on its turf.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 03, 2015, 09:19:12 PM
Bridgewater kid just hit a rocket into far corner for the win in double OT vs Mass Maritime.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 04, 2015, 04:06:50 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on November 02, 2015, 10:08:27 AM
Updated spreadsheet rankings for games through 11/1:

                                        Actual 11/4 "Real" ranking
1.   Brandeis          AQ              1
2.   Amherst         Pool C           2
3.   Middlebury                          4
4.   MIT                                   3
5.   Tufts                                   5
6.   ECSU                                  9
7.   Conn                                  8
8.   Bowdoin                             7
9.   Mass-Boston                       6
10. Wentworth                        12
11. Endicott                             11
12. Gordon                              10
13. Wheaton
14. Williams
15. Babson
16. Bridgewater St.
17. Wesleyan
18. Western NE
19. Bates
20. Plymouth St.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2015, 04:07:32 PM
Methinks Brandeis, Amherst, and MIT are your three hosting sites for Rounds 1&2.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 04, 2015, 04:07:59 PM
ECSU is defeated by RIC 1-0.  Eastern has just looked very poor over the last 4 or so games and has proven they are not a top tier team over this time span.  Making the match even more frustrating to watch, was another inexperienced person running the camera, ridiculous!!!!!  ::)
Eastern has been playing kick ball for the last 4-5 games and has not even tried to maintain any kind of possession.  DeVito needs get his players to develop a more technical game, (or get players who can), otherwise will never get any farther than a first round loss in the LEC tournament.  Credit goes to RIC who out hustled Eastern on every ball and kept most of the possession!  RIC probably should have won the last time they played Eastern a couple of weeks ago!  This game just confirmed which team was better.  UMass Boston vs RIC should make an excellent LEC final.
Better luck next year for the Warriors.... now on to Basketball!!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2015, 04:13:05 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on November 04, 2015, 04:07:59 PM
UMass Boston vs RIC should make an excellent LEC final.

That will be a spectacle. RIC is quietly 8-2 in its last 10, and UMass-Boston doesn't look the same team that it was a month ago. Finely poised.

Quote from: ECSUalum on November 04, 2015, 04:07:59 PM
Better luck next year for the Warriors.... now on to Basketball!!!!

I like that spirit. ;D
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 04, 2015, 05:23:02 PM
I think i may have found an error in the regional rankings spreadsheet. It lists Brandeis' RVR at 5-2-1, but by my count they are 3-2-1.

I hope that the error is just in the spreadsheet and not one that resulted in the Judges leaping past Amherst (even though I am a former deis player and alum ;) I want them to have that number 1 spot fairly). Either way, I'm not reporting it to the committee. :)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2015, 05:34:00 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on November 04, 2015, 05:23:02 PM
I think i may have found an error in the regional rankings spreadsheet. It lists Brandeis' RVR at 5-2-1, but by my count they are 3-2-1.

I hope that the error is just in the spreadsheet and not one that resulted in the Judges leaping past Amherst (even though I am a former deis player and alum ;) I want them to have that number 1 spot fairly). Either way, I'm not reporting it to the committee. :)

I think last week they were 5-2-1 RvR, but Emory and Case dropped out. Either way, welcome fellow 'Deis alum! ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2015, 08:28:31 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 04, 2015, 04:13:05 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on November 04, 2015, 04:07:59 PM
UMass Boston vs RIC should make an excellent LEC final.

That will be a spectacle. RIC is quietly 8-2 in its last 10, and UMass-Boston doesn't look the same team that it was a month ago. Finely poised.

Quote from: ECSUalum on November 04, 2015, 04:07:59 PM
Better luck next year for the Warriors.... now on to Basketball!!!!

I like that spirit. ;D




This game will be as chippy as they come. We all know how UMASS Boston can get but for those who have not seen RIC they will match the intensity. Good luck to the unlucky bastard reffing that one
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Brother Flounder on November 04, 2015, 08:29:07 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 04, 2015, 08:28:31 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 04, 2015, 04:13:05 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on November 04, 2015, 04:07:59 PM
UMass Boston vs RIC should make an excellent LEC final.

That will be a spectacle. RIC is quietly 8-2 in its last 10, and UMass-Boston doesn't look the same team that it was a month ago. Finely poised.

Quote from: ECSUalum on November 04, 2015, 04:07:59 PM
Better luck next year for the Warriors.... now on to Basketball!!!!

I like that spirit. ;D




This game will be as chippy as they come. We all know how UMASS Boston can get but for those who have not seen RIC they will match the intensity. Good luck to the unlucky bastard reffing that one

;) ;) ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2015, 09:04:18 PM
WPI drops a close one to Springfield, 2-1. After losing to Amherst in 2OT, WPI went 3-5-1. I can only imagine how their season might have turned out had they held out another four minutes...would have been huge for their confidence. Another team that I'm bummed didn't do better, as they've been consistent for a while and I was looking forward to them making a run at the NEWMAC crown. Oh well.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2015, 09:05:34 PM
Yeah what happened there? Must have been injuries..I thought they looked excellent on their carpet against Amherst that night about a month ago.

Are the Newmac games same time as Nescac this wknd? 11am and 1:30 are usually Nescac but some years Newmac has done 12pm and 2:30pm. I would like to catch a couple halves of the Newmac as I got a hunch someone other than MIT wins it.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2015, 09:20:08 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 04, 2015, 09:05:34 PM
Yeah what happened there? Must have been injuries..I thought they looked excellent on their carpet against Amherst that night about a month ago.

Are the Newmac games same time as Nescac this wknd? 11am and 1:30 are usually Nescac but some years Newmac has done 12pm and 2:30pm. I would like to catch a couple halves of the Newmac as I got a hunch someone other than MIT wins it.

Don't know. The losses at Wentworth and Springfield did them in, but the final nail in the Coffin was losing at home against Babson. You could say they had about the same hard luck as Williams and Wesleyan did this year - just seemed like nothing went their way, and every mistake ended up being a crucial one.

First NEWMAC game kicks off at 10:30, MIT vs. Springfield. Babson and Wheaton go at 1:30.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 04, 2015, 09:23:04 PM
Agree that very strong possibility MIT will not win NEWMAC just as I thought TMC would not win their tourney.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2015, 09:26:10 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on November 04, 2015, 09:23:04 PM
Agree that very strong possibility MIT will not win NEWMAC just as I thought TMC would not win their tourney.

Who would you say otherwise? I'd say best bet to knock them off would be Springfield. Can't see Wheaton or Babson doing it on this year's form, although neither would be an easy opponent in the finals.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 04, 2015, 09:32:16 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 04, 2015, 09:26:10 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on November 04, 2015, 09:23:04 PM
Agree that very strong possibility MIT will not win NEWMAC just as I thought TMC would not win their tourney.

Who would you say otherwise? I'd say best bet to knock them off would be Springfield. Can't see Wheaton or Babson doing it on this year's form, although neither would be an easy opponent in the finals.

Well, there will be at least 2 chances (2 games) for one of those very solid but not great teams to get a 1 goal lead and those can be tough to overcome in a playoff environment.  Look at this way.  MIT already by going undefeated in regular conference play has exceeded what anyone would have expected.  Now they are being asked to win 2 more.  That's a lot to ask.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2015, 09:35:45 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on November 04, 2015, 09:32:16 PM
Well, there will be at least 2 chances (2 games) for one of those very solid but not great teams to get a 1 goal lead and those can be tough to overcome in a playoff environment.  Look at this way.  MIT already by going undefeated in regular conference play has exceeded what anyone would have expected.  Now they are being asked to win 2 more.  That's a lot to ask.

Very true. My guess is they will host the first two rounds of the tourney regardless given their national ranking and the fact that they're now #3 in NE. Think an MIT - Wheaton final would be a great spectacle. And Wheaton got the W the last time those two squared off in the NEWMAC final, and it was at MIT's place, so Cushing would be fired up if those were the last two.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2015, 09:43:56 PM
NCAC, you predicted that UR would come back to tie Carnegie 2-2, and then 24 hours later predicted that another match would finish 2-2 after being down 2-0. Then TMC happened this afternoon, and you had a hunch for that, and now this prediction. Is there something you'd like to tell us? ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 04, 2015, 09:47:52 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 04, 2015, 09:43:56 PM
NCAC, you predicted that UR would come back to tie Carnegie 2-2, and then 24 hours later predicted that another match would finish 2-2 after being down 2-0. Then TMC happened this afternoon, and you had a hunch for that, and now this prediction. Is there something you'd like to tell us? ;)

Now why would I disclose that  ;)?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on November 04, 2015, 11:24:16 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on November 04, 2015, 05:23:02 PM
I think i may have found an error in the regional rankings spreadsheet. It lists Brandeis' RVR at 5-2-1, but by my count they are 3-2-1.

I hope that the error is just in the spreadsheet and not one that resulted in the Judges leaping past Amherst (even though I am a former deis player and alum ;) I want them to have that number 1 spot fairly). Either way, I'm not reporting it to the committee. :)

The record versus ranked teams used by the committee to ranked the teams this week is based upon who was ranked last week.  How could they know a team's record versus teams ranked this week before they did this week's rankings?  They can't.  The record versus ranked teams used for the third rankings is based upon who was ranked in the second rankings.  So . . . Brandeis' RvR is correct at 5-2-1 for this week.  But they will lose the wins over Case and Emory for the all-important final unpublished rankings to be done Sunday which serve as the basis for the at-large selections.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: lastguyoffthebench on November 05, 2015, 12:53:17 PM
SOS NE REGION (STUPID PDFs)...

637   Williams
623   Tufts
619   Brandeis
618   Wesleyan (CT)
604   Babson
585   Hamilton
582   Roger Williams
579   Middlebury
579   Wheaton (MA)
578   Coast Guard
575   MA-Boston
574   Plymouth St
573   Amherst
573   Trinity (CT)
567   Bowdoin
566   Connecticut
563   Colby
561   Keene St
561   Lasell
557   Bates
550   Salve Regina
549   WNEC
543   MIT
540   Rhode Island Col
529   Southern Maine
527   Wentworth
526   ECSU
526   Gordon
526   Western Conn St
523   WPI
520   Framingham St
517   Curry
517   U New England
515   Nichols
512   Clark (MA)
509   MA-Dartmouth
504   Endicott
502   Emmanuel (MA)
500   Emerson
499   Colby-Sawyer
499   Salem St
497   Bridgewater St
497   Suffolk
494   MCLA
491   Rivier
489   New Eng College
488   Johnson&Wales
484   Elms
483   Albertus Magnus
483   Castleton
477   Fitchburg St
476   Eastern Nazarene
476   Worcester St
471   Johnson St
471   Mass Maritime
471   Norwich
469   Lyndon St
467   Mitchell
463   Thomas (ME)
462   Springfield
461   Anna Maria
460   ME-Farmington
459   Westfield
457   Husson
455   Green Mountain
455   Lesley
455   Maine Maritime
447   Southern Vermont
442   Wheelock
439   Daniel Webster
432   Newbury
429   Mount Ida
420   Becker
418   Regis
416   St. Josephs (ME)
405   Pine Manor
371   ME-Presque Isle
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 06, 2015, 07:44:02 PM
Just tuned into this Framingham St v Worcester St semi in the MASCAC. 15 minutes left and ref absolutely losing control of this heated battle. Cards flying, couple nasty tackles and almost a fight to boot. Plus no announcer and we get to hear the barbaric fans of each school. Game is heated for sure
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 06, 2015, 07:47:01 PM
Ref just called a phantom PK for Framingham St to go up 1-0 with about 10 minutes left. Called that PK to get outta dodge after 90.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 07, 2015, 12:26:00 PM
Looks like MIT ends Springfield's season 1-0 with a goal with about 2 minutes left..I did not catch any of the game but would be curious how the game went if anyone saw it. MIT gets to the NEWMAC Final and some bubble teams can breathe a sigh of relief for now.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 07, 2015, 12:26:49 PM
Looks like Gordon snags a quick goal and leads Endicott 1-0 10 minutes in.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 07, 2015, 12:31:45 PM
MIT is the new Brandeis...clutch winning games late.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 07, 2015, 12:40:55 PM
Endicott in deep trouble.  Cole scores again 2-0.  Had to see this coming.

Correction:  think some freshman had both goals.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 07, 2015, 02:04:24 PM
Gordon beats Endicott 2-0 to get the AQ. Endicott a disappointing loss after such a great season. They will now most definitely get the #1 seed in the ECAC's. Their goal can be to win that tournament and keep progressing for next year. Bloots pointed out earlier that the same thing happened to Brandeis about 5 years ago and they went out and won the ECAC's and it was a spark for the Brandeis program and really helped them get to where they are today. Endicott needs to think that way also.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 07, 2015, 03:14:16 PM
Babson nursing a 1-0 lead over Wheaton MA with about 10 minutes remaining.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on November 07, 2015, 03:24:54 PM
Babson holds on and will face MIT in the NEWMAC final.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on November 07, 2015, 04:39:57 PM
Even has a Gordon supporter I have to feel a little bit bad for Endicott. They've beaten Gordon twice in 20 years but this was the year they scared me the most. This had to be the year for them. They're losing their three best attacking players and almost all of their goals. They return a solid back four and an excellent goalkeeper but unless they find goals somewhere they will fall back to the pack.

That being said, they should be very proud of their season. Great results against some very good teams. Tufts and Gordon are the only two teams that were able to open up their defense. 13 shutouts for their keeper and defense is impressive.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 07, 2015, 05:40:32 PM
At 16-1-1, MIT is definitely legit. My view of them has evolved significantly, and like NCAC said, they've been winning clutch games the Brandeis way - 1-0 and late (or in OT.) The way they came back against Stevens from 3-0 down to win 4-3 in OT was impressive, although part of that was due to Stevens' capitulation. Bingham will almost certainly be an All-American, and Freel and Itani have really come through. However, regardless of whether they beat Babson tomorrow (I think they will), the one thing that I would be concerned about if I were an MIT supporter is that - despite playing some close games - they aren't really battle-tested against top competition besides Stevens and Brandeis. Granted, they didn't lose to either, but the fact of the matter is that the quality of the teams in the NCAA Tournament is much greater than those in the NEWMAC - and the further you get into the tourney, the better the teams are, both offensively and defensively. That's where playing a tough schedule comes in; you're ready for those battles, both handling the situations mentally and knowing how to out-maneuver top teams in terms of gameplay. No doubt they've had a fantastic season, probably their best in school history, and they deserve their accolades, but I think their minimal preparation against top teams might hurt them.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 07, 2015, 05:46:07 PM
Endicott, I definitely feel for, and I've been a big supporter of them all year, but I kind of saw this coming. Granted, Gordon almost threw a bid away in 2013 when they were 18-1 and lost to Roger Williams, but they've grown since then and are a more experienced squad in those situations. Had a feeling that Gordon would handle the pressure better and once they got the early goal it was a tough road back for the Gulls. Unfortunate that they didn't have a stronger SOS, but c'est la vie. Ties against Calvin and Williams could definitely be cataclysmic in terms of belief for the future. Regardless, congrats Fighting Scots on your CCC title!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 07, 2015, 07:07:34 PM
UMASS Boston and RIC heading to OT..
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 07, 2015, 07:13:22 PM
I learned today that unless Brandeis gets the bye they might not host any NCAA games. The Brandeis women are 14-2-3 and will likely host the first two rounds, and the Brandeis men have hosted the first two rounds the last three years, so it is quite plausible that they will be on the road for the whole thing. That said, as much as I feel the turf of Gordon Field is a home-field advantage, and a bye would be great, I'd almost rather they play on the road - it's less pressure in some ways, and they've proven they can go win big games away from home.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 07, 2015, 07:18:08 PM
UMASS Boston wins it in OT 2-1 over RIC...They get the AQ and are heading to the NCAA's for the 2nd year in a row. Well done.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 07, 2015, 07:19:40 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 07, 2015, 07:13:22 PM
I learned today that unless Brandeis gets the bye they might not host any NCAA games. The Brandeis women are 14-2-3 and will likely host the first two rounds, and the Brandeis men have hosted the first two rounds the last three years, so it is quite plausible that they will be on the road for the whole thing. That said, as much as I feel the turf of Gordon Field is a home-field advantage, and a bye would be great, I'd almost rather they play on the road - it's less pressure in some ways, and they've proven they can go win big games away from home.




That would have to be a major letdown for Coven and Margolis. They play so well at home and to think they would be sent on the road aftre such a great season is disappointing and I promise you the players and coaches will not be happy about it
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 07, 2015, 07:23:27 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 07, 2015, 07:19:40 PM
That would have to be a major letdown for Coven and Margolis. They play so well at home and to think they would be sent on the road aftre such a great season is disappointing and I promise you the players and coaches will not be happy about it

Oh believe me, I know. Would be a slap in the face. But if they were to keep getting results then I don't mind either way.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 08, 2015, 06:19:57 PM
WOW. MIT loses for the first time in 15 games. Tech scored first with 11 left, but it looks like Babson hit them in the mouth, then got them with a sucker punch while they were still bleeding with two goals in less than two minutes.

To be honest, I don't really know what to think of MIT. I said they were overrated for a while, but my impression of them got better as the season went on, and yesterday I even went as far as saying they're legit. However, what I also said is that I didn't think they were battle-tested enough in pressure situations for a team of their record, and so it proved - losing at home in a playoff final against a so-so team, after having not lost in a while, is sure to raise alarm bells. They were impressive against Brandeis and unlucky not to win, but they have been fortunate with several of their wins, were outplayed by Springfield, and they did today as they've done several times this season – conceded multiple goals in quick fashion. They'll get another crack in NCAAs, no doubt, but the teams are going to be better than Babson and Springfield, and that will prove an even bigger challenge for Tech.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 08, 2015, 09:08:41 PM
Hey, how about Bridgewater State?  Still don't really understand what happened there with giving up a bunch of wins but went on road for 3 games and won the MASCAC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 09, 2015, 09:09:01 AM
What happened is they used an ineligible player. They should not be eligible for NCAA's. Major infraction.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Interested Third Party on November 09, 2015, 12:36:27 PM
Bridgewater State men's soccer team vacates four victories
http://www.wickedlocal.com/article/20151101/SPORTS/151109550

The Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference punished the Bears, who went 7-0 against conference foes, because a freshman player took part in two games with another amateur team during the BSU season, violating an NCAA rule.

•   By Jim Fenton
The Enterprise

Posted Nov. 1, 2015 at 8:56 PM
Updated Nov 1, 2015 at 9:01 PM


BRIDGEWATER – The Bridgewater State University men's soccer team put together one of the program's best regular seasons ever this fall.
The Bears went 14-3-1 and defeated all seven of their Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference opponents.
When the conference tournament begins on Tuesday night, though, BSU will be on the road as the No. 5 seed instead of the top seed in the six-team field.
Four of the Bears' MASCAC victories have been vacated by the conference because a BSU player violated an NCAA rule (14.7.1) by taking part in two games in another amateur league during the college season.
The Bears reported the infraction to the NCAA in mid-October after learning that the freshman had played games on Sept. 13 and Oct. 11 for a team other than BSU.
The NCAA gave the player a two-game suspension, but the MASCAC added its own penalty and vacated the Bears' wins over the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Framingham State and Salem State.
The 12 points from those wins were taken away from BSU in the conference standings, but its overall and MASCAC records remain the same.
By winning its final three conference games after the ruling, the Bears earned the fifth seed in the tournament and will play a quarterfinal-round game at Mass. Maritime on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
BSU coach Brendan Adams felt the punishment handed down by the MASCAC was too severe. The school appealed the executive board's decision to the conference's athletics directors, but lost in a 5-2 vote.
"We felt like it was the right thing to do to turn ourselves in to the NCAA,'' said Adams, "not thinking it would be too big of a penalty to the school because this kid wasn't paid or got any benefits. He was just playing in the league.
"We thought it was going to be a two-game suspension from the NCAA because that's what they said they were good with and he'd regain his eligibility by being reinstated. Unfortunately, the MASCAC decided they wanted to add on to the penalty.''
The player who violated the rule returned for the regular-season finale on Saturday after sitting out four conference games.
The league that he played the two Sunday games in during the college season is one he has been associated with while in high school and last summer as well.
"It's an honest mistake,'' said Adams. "The day before he played on those Sundays, he didn't really get to play that much (for BSU). He wanted a little more playing (time). You learn from it and move on.
"It's a tough penalty, but we'll have to deal with it. I didn't think it was going to be that serious. I thought maybe he'd sit out a few games. I thought individually, we'd get in trouble, not the team getting into trouble. That's a lesson for me.''
BSU lost in the conference championship game last season and had a strong nucleus returning this fall. The Bears bounced back from that defeat and put together an impressive regular season.
"It's just kind of tough for seniors,'' said Adams. "The guys worked very hard after they lost in the finals last year. They came back very motivated.
"A lot of them had a goal to go 7-0 in the conference and win the tournament title. Unfortunately, we just have to win the tournament title the hard way, I guess. We have to play one extra game and we don't get to play at home. We've done very well on the road so far (8-1), and hopefully that continues.''

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 09, 2015, 07:51:44 PM
Blooter's Beliefs

This is super long, but that's only because this weekend and today's draw had plenty of talking points. I've already made my feelings known on Tufts being picked over Middlebury elsewhere, so I'll keep that to a minimum - more importantly, there's much more exciting news to talk about otherwise!

Let's start with the NEWMAC final. Just as it did last year, Babson won the crown seemingly out of nowhere, beating MIT in the final 2-1. In a wild game, MIT scored first to break a second-half deadlock, but Babson punched them in the mouth with an 83rd minute goal, and then hit them while they were still bleeding 93 seconds later to make it 2-1. The Beavers have been hot and cold this season, beating UMass-Boston and tying RPI while falling to Williams 7-2 and giving up a goal to Springfield with 10 seconds left in regulation in a 1-1 draw, but they played well when it mattered most and got a deserved victory. Jon Anderson is a great coach and a class act, and his interview after the game respected MIT but showed that they were up for the occasion. They have a daunting First Round matchup at No. 14 Franklin & Marshall, and despite losing to Dickinson in the Centennial Conference semifinals I think F&M will be a big challenge for Babson. However, if the Beavers were to win, they'd be pitted against either Carnegie Mellon or Gordon. And while Carnegie Mellon does ship goals (GAA 1.12), that is just slightly worse than Babson (GAA 1.05), and CMU boasts a far superior attack to Babson IMHO. Gordon, meanwhile, would be a great matchup I think, and despite having more "NCAA know-how" than Babson I think that the Fighting Scots could give Babson a real game - the team's only common opponent was ECSU, who Gordon beat 3-1 at home and Babson lost 3-0 to away. Either way, the Beavers will be happy after their - perhaps unexpected - run to the tourney. MIT, meanwhile, hadn't lost a game in 15 games, and had used a combination of impressive attacking and defensive solidity to win a bunch of close games, the most impressive of which was a 4-3 OT win over Stevens, where the hosts came back from 3-0 down in the first half. However, as much as I had come around to praising MIT, and predicted that they would end up hosting a pod for the first two rounds, I also said that I didn't think they were battle-tested enough for a 16-2-1 (then 15-1-1) team, and that it could come back to haunt them in pressure situations. Furthermore, while they have a great attacking talent in Sean Bingham, who has 19 goals this season, as well as Freel and Itani, as well as some decent backs and a good GK in Amereno, I don't find MIT a particularly skilled or deep team. I think MIT should be able to get past Bridgewater State, but assuming it wins against Plattsburgh State, Bowdoin will prove a test for them in the second round - they gave Brandeis a tough game in last year's Second Round before Brandeis prevailed 1-0. Much like its team last year, Bowdoin is big, athletic, and difficult to break down, and can get forward as well. MIT will likely have the ball a lot in that game, but the Engineers have shown a nasty habit of conceding multiple goals in quick fashion - perhaps none more famously than giving up two goals in 93 seconds against Babson - and Bowdoin would no doubt look to exploit that.

The NESCAC final featured another exciting conclusion. Having stayed 0-0 through regulation, Bowdoin and Wesleyan headed to OT, where it took just 2:36 for the Polar Bears' Andrew Jones to score. Great finish into the far corner from a Stevie Van Siclen set piece, and Bowdoin won it 1-0. I was a big fan of the way Wesleyan, the eighth seed, rebounded from a five-game losing streak by beating Amherst - then No. 1 in the country - on the road, as well as getting by highly-touted Middlebury in PKs (albeit in controversial circumstances.) But it seemed that the clock struck midnight for the Cardinals, and in the most brutal fashion. Still, for a team that was one Bates goal away from not making the NESCAC tournament, the way they rebounded - and, as I've said multiple times, credit must go to Wheeler - from a losing streak, and particularly the 5-0 Amherst defeat, to go on the road and beat the #1 team in the country was impressive. Bowdoin, meanwhile, is my favorite NESCAC school, and I was happy to see the Polar Bears get another NESCAC title, even if it was about as improbable as last year's triumph. Wiercinski has his teams set up hard to beat, but they can certainly score goals as well. Jones, Miller, and Keefe are all dangerous going forward, and form a dynamic attack in front of Van Siclen, who I think is one of the best goalkeepers in the NESCAC. Lightning struck twice against Conn. College on Saturday, as the Polar Bears had their way 2-0, before gutting out a victory on Sunday in the final. And unlike last year, they managed to score in both the semi-final and the final! Bowdoin will certainly have their hands full in the First Round against Plattsburgh State, who has regular-season victories over Oneonta, Skidmore, and Hobart on its resume, but I think that fate could repeat itself for the second year in a row and Bowdoin could emerge victorious against its SUNY opponent for the second year running. If it advances, it could face MIT, and even though it'd be away from home Bowdoin would fancy its chances in that potential matchup given its ability to stay tight at the back as well as score goals.

Brandeis beat NYU 3-0 at home on Saturday. Evan Jastremski opened the scoring in the first half, before Zach Vieira and Josh Ocel added late tallies to account for the final score. This was the first occasion this season that the Judges have scored more than once and simultaneously shut out the opposition - the win over Carnegie was 4-2, and while they did score twice in victories over Hardin-Simmons, Wheaton (MA), Case Western, and Rochester, all of those games ended 2-1. Brandeis seemed to be using the flanks much more effectively than before, and in my observation created more clear-cut opportunities than they have in a while. Thomas (ME) will be the Judges' first-round opponent, and while Thomas isn't coming in highly-touted they do have two very good freshmen in Adam LaBrie and DJ Nicholas leading the line, while Tre Ming pulls the strings from his midfield position. While Thomas has scored an average of 3.4 goals per game this season, that figure is inflated by their 15-1 victory over Green Mountain - excluding that, it equals out to 2.76; furthermore, Thomas has also given up an average of 1.3 goals per game. Brandeis won't take the Terriers lightly and the match could be close, but I'd expect the Judges to have most of the ball in this one and be the more threatening team. The other side of the pod features two very good programs - Stevens and RPI. Stevens has an excellent offense led by a 1-2 punch of Carson Pryor and Colin Phillips, who have scored impressive tallies of 16 and 14 goals this year, respectively. However, Stevens threw away a 3-0 lead en route to a 4-3 OT loss at MIT, and while the Engineers have to be commended for coming back that is horrible game mismanagement by Stevens, and their defense has a GAA of 0.9, so that is a potential weak spot for Stevens. RPI, meanwhile, started the season in great form, endured a six-game winless streak, failed to qualify for their conference tournament, but managed to snag an NCAA bid in controversial fashion - I personally would have taken this year's Middlebury over this year's RPI 99 times out of 100. Regardless, the Engineers are a good team, and I think their match with Stevens will be a great spectacle. As I said elsewhere, I'm personally glad that Brandeis doesn't have to face any of Babson, MIT, or Tufts in the first two rounds, or indeed before the Final Four potentially, as all three teams gave the Judges fits this season regardless of the final score. That said, no opponent can be taken lightly at this point in the year, and Brandeis will be ready.

Whether the label "defending national champion" was what got Tufts into the tournament or not, we'll never know. What we do know is that they have the know-how to get things done in NCAAs on the road. And they'll no doubt be tested, traveling to Montclair State to face Salisbury. While I'd expect them to win their First Round matchup, the Second Round would - in all likelihood - pit them against Montclair State. Make no mistake, Montclair State is legit. They lost this weekend on PKs to Rutgers-Camden, but I think the MSU offense could cause Tufts major problems. No doubt, Sullivan and Coleman have improved in the center of defense from their early-season wobbles, and Greenwood is a good goalkeeper, but Amherst and Brandeis aside Tufts hasn't faced a team like Montclair State. They're by no means perfect - they fell on PKs to Rutgers-Camden in the NJAC Final, and lost 3-0 at home to Kean last month - but they have a dynamic offense and incredible athleticism. Tufts, for its part, has Majumder up front scoring goals, and Kayne is an excellent central midfielder who I'd personally tab as an All-American, but they can be poor offensively at times - their draw at Bates was an example of this. Furthermore, despite its shutout streak, Tufts' defense can be a little shaky from time to time, and despite his excellent shot-stopping abilities Greenwood is poor on set pieces - he continuously looks unsure whether to come for the ball or stay home, and often results to just "slapping" the ball away instead of catching it - so MSU will look to exploit that. Furthermore, MSU will have the Jumbos on turf in front of a rowdy home crowd, so home-field advantage will be evident. That being said, Tufts has the best SOS in the country, won all its NCAA games on the road last year, and will be battle-tested coming into this one, but Montclair State will throw everything at them. No doubt that this one would be a great game.

You have to feel for Endicott. After so impressively going 14-1-3 throughout the regular season, they fell at the wrong time against Gordon, in the CCC final. The Gulls had already beaten the Scots this year, a 1-0 victory at home, but this time was different, as Gordon scored 3 minutes in and got another first-half tally for the 2-0 win. I had been a big Endicott supporter throughout the season, and their ties against Calvin and Williams were undoubtedly impressive, particularly the latter. But when Gordon scored early on Saturday, you had a feeling that Endicott didn't have the know-how of dealing with the pressure situation. Gordon, for its part, hasn't been too shabby, and the way that it dispatched WNE 3-0 on the road in the semis of the CCC tournament was impressive having lost to the same team earlier in the season at home. Endicott graduates a lot, but hopefully the Gulls returning can use the experience of getting to the conference final in the future. I'd love to see Endicott get a CCC crown.

Finally, Bridgewater State and UMass-Boston. The Bears made hard work of the MASCAC Tournament, winning 3-2 twice (once in overtime), but they got it done and all on the road after the whole "ineligible player" debacle. BSU will go to MIT for the First Round, and while the Bears are organized and athletic I think MIT has too much offensive firepower for them. That said, they've played well this season - 17-3-1 isn't an accident, regardless of your schedule - and they held Brandeis scoreless for 80+ minutes in their 1-0 away defeat the first game of the season. The Beacons, meanwhile, rebounded from a 1-0 loss against Plymouth State to beat the Panthers 2-0 on the road in the LEC semis. They then defeated a plucky RIC side, who had them facing a 1-0 deficit in the second half, 2-1 in overtime. UMB will have to go to St. Lawrence to face Scranton - who beat Elizabethtown for the Landmark Conference crown - and if they were to win that they'd in all likelihood have to face St. Lawrence on their home field, which is a daunting task for any side. That said, if UMB somehow gets out of that pod, I will eat a gallon of ice cream in one sitting. (Win-win for me. ;))

That's all, folks! Get excited for this weekend!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Nutmeg on November 09, 2015, 11:39:38 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 09, 2015, 07:51:44 PM
Blooter's Beliefs

This is super long, but that's only because this weekend and today's draw had plenty of talking points. I've already made my feelings known on Tufts being picked over Middlebury elsewhere, so I'll keep that to a minimum - more importantly, there's much more exciting news to talk about otherwise!

Let's start with the NEWMAC final. Just as it did last year, Babson won the crown seemingly out of nowhere, beating MIT in the final 2-1. In a wild game, MIT scored first to break a second-half deadlock, but Babson punched them in the mouth with an 83rd minute goal, and then hit them while they were still bleeding 93 seconds later to make it 2-1. The Beavers have been hot and cold this season, beating UMass-Boston and tying RPI while falling to Williams 7-2 and giving up a goal to Springfield with 10 seconds left in regulation in a 1-1 draw, but they played well when it mattered most and got a deserved victory. Jon Anderson is a great coach and a class act, and his interview after the game respected MIT but showed that they were up for the occasion. They have a daunting First Round matchup at No. 14 Franklin & Marshall, and despite losing to Dickinson in the Centennial Conference semifinals I think F&M will be a big challenge for Babson. However, if the Beavers were to win, they'd be pitted against either Carnegie Mellon or Gordon. And while Carnegie Mellon does ship goals (GAA 1.12), that is just slightly worse than Babson (GAA 1.05), and CMU boasts a far superior attack to Babson IMHO. Gordon, meanwhile, would be a great matchup I think, and despite having more "NCAA know-how" than Babson I think that the Fighting Scots could give Babson a real game - the team's only common opponent was ECSU, who Gordon beat 3-1 at home and Babson lost 3-0 to away. Either way, the Beavers will be happy after their - perhaps unexpected - run to the tourney. MIT, meanwhile, hadn't lost a game in 15 games, and had used a combination of impressive attacking and defensive solidity to win a bunch of close games, the most impressive of which was a 4-3 OT win over Stevens, where the hosts came back from 3-0 down in the first half. However, as much as I had come around to praising MIT, and predicted that they would end up hosting a pod for the first two rounds, I also said that I didn't think they were battle-tested enough for a 16-2-1 (then 15-1-1) team, and that it could come back to haunt them in pressure situations. Furthermore, while they have a great attacking talent in Sean Bingham, who has 19 goals this season, as well as Freel and Itani, as well as some decent backs and a good GK in Amereno, I don't find MIT a particularly skilled or deep team. I think MIT should be able to get past Bridgewater State, but assuming it wins against Plattsburgh State, Bowdoin will prove a test for them in the second round - they gave Brandeis a tough game in last year's Second Round before Brandeis prevailed 1-0. Much like its team last year, Bowdoin is big, athletic, and difficult to break down, and can get forward as well. MIT will likely have the ball a lot in that game, but the Engineers have shown a nasty habit of conceding multiple goals in quick fashion - perhaps none more famously than giving up two goals in 93 seconds against Babson - and Bowdoin would no doubt look to exploit that.

The NESCAC final featured another exciting conclusion. Having stayed 0-0 through regulation, Bowdoin and Wesleyan headed to OT, where it took just 2:36 for the Polar Bears' Andrew Jones to score. Great finish into the far corner from a Stevie Van Siclen set piece, and Bowdoin won it 1-0. I was a big fan of the way Wesleyan, the eighth seed, rebounded from a five-game losing streak by beating Amherst - then No. 1 in the country - on the road, as well as getting by highly-touted Middlebury in PKs (albeit in controversial circumstances.) But it seemed that the clock struck midnight for the Cardinals, and in the most brutal fashion. Still, for a team that was one Bates goal away from not making the NESCAC tournament, the way they rebounded - and, as I've said multiple times, credit must go to Wheeler - from a losing streak, and particularly the 5-0 Amherst defeat, to go on the road and beat the #1 team in the country was impressive. Bowdoin, meanwhile, is my favorite NESCAC school, and I was happy to see the Polar Bears get another NESCAC title, even if it was about as improbable as last year's triumph. Wiercinski has his teams set up hard to beat, but they can certainly score goals as well. Jones, Miller, and Keefe are all dangerous going forward, and form a dynamic attack in front of Van Siclen, who I think is one of the best goalkeepers in the NESCAC. Lightning struck twice against Conn. College on Saturday, as the Polar Bears had their way 2-0, before gutting out a victory on Sunday in the final. And unlike last year, they managed to score in both the semi-final and the final! Bowdoin will certainly have their hands full in the First Round against Plattsburgh State, who has regular-season victories over Oneonta, Skidmore, and Hobart on its resume, but I think that fate could repeat itself for the second year in a row and Bowdoin could emerge victorious against its SUNY opponent for the second year running. If it advances, it could face MIT, and even though it'd be away from home Bowdoin would fancy its chances in that potential matchup given its ability to stay tight at the back as well as score goals.

Brandeis beat NYU 3-0 at home on Saturday. Evan Jastremski opened the scoring in the first half, before Zach Vieira and Josh Ocel added late tallies to account for the final score. This was the first occasion this season that the Judges have scored more than once and simultaneously shut out the opposition - the win over Carnegie was 4-2, and while they did score twice in victories over Hardin-Simmons, Wheaton (MA), Case Western, and Rochester, all of those games ended 2-1. Brandeis seemed to be using the flanks much more effectively than before, and in my observation created more clear-cut opportunities than they have in a while. Thomas (ME) will be the Judges' first-round opponent, and while Thomas isn't coming in highly-touted they do have two very good freshmen in Adam LaBrie and DJ Nicholas leading the line, while Tre Ming pulls the strings from his midfield position. While Thomas has scored an average of 3.4 goals per game this season, that figure is inflated by their 15-1 victory over Green Mountain - excluding that, it equals out to 2.76; furthermore, Thomas has also given up an average of 1.3 goals per game. Brandeis won't take the Terriers lightly and the match could be close, but I'd expect the Judges to have most of the ball in this one and be the more threatening team. The other side of the pod features two very good programs - Stevens and RPI. Stevens has an excellent offense led by a 1-2 punch of Carson Pryor and Colin Phillips, who have scored impressive tallies of 16 and 14 goals this year, respectively. However, Stevens threw away a 3-0 lead en route to a 4-3 OT loss at MIT, and while the Engineers have to be commended for coming back that is horrible game mismanagement by Stevens, and their defense has a GAA of 0.9, so that is a potential weak spot for Stevens. RPI, meanwhile, started the season in great form, endured a six-game winless streak, failed to qualify for their conference tournament, but managed to snag an NCAA bid in controversial fashion - I personally would have taken this year's Middlebury over this year's RPI 99 times out of 100. Regardless, the Engineers are a good team, and I think their match with Stevens will be a great spectacle. As I said elsewhere, I'm personally glad that Brandeis doesn't have to face any of Babson, MIT, or Tufts in the first two rounds, or indeed before the Final Four potentially, as all three teams gave the Judges fits this season regardless of the final score. That said, no opponent can be taken lightly at this point in the year, and Brandeis will be ready.

Whether the label "defending national champion" was what got Tufts into the tournament or not, we'll never know. What we do know is that they have the know-how to get things done in NCAAs on the road. And they'll no doubt be tested, traveling to Montclair State to face Salisbury. While I'd expect them to win their First Round matchup, the Second Round would - in all likelihood - pit them against Montclair State. Make no mistake, Montclair State is legit. They lost this weekend on PKs to Rutgers-Camden, but I think the MSU offense could cause Tufts major problems. No doubt, Sullivan and Coleman have improved in the center of defense from their early-season wobbles, and Greenwood is a good goalkeeper, but Amherst and Brandeis aside Tufts hasn't faced a team like Montclair State. They're by no means perfect - they fell on PKs to Rutgers-Camden in the NJAC Final, and lost 3-0 at home to Kean last month - but they have a dynamic offense and incredible athleticism. Tufts, for its part, has Majumder up front scoring goals, and Kayne is an excellent central midfielder who I'd personally tab as an All-American, but they can be poor offensively at times - their draw at Bates was an example of this. Furthermore, despite its shutout streak, Tufts' defense can be a little shaky from time to time, and despite his excellent shot-stopping abilities Greenwood is poor on set pieces - he continuously looks unsure whether to come for the ball or stay home, and often results to just "slapping" the ball away instead of catching it - so MSU will look to exploit that. Furthermore, MSU will have the Jumbos on turf in front of a rowdy home crowd, so home-field advantage will be evident. That being said, Tufts has the best SOS in the country, won all its NCAA games on the road last year, and will be battle-tested coming into this one, but Montclair State will throw everything at them. No doubt that this one would be a great game.

You have to feel for Endicott. After so impressively going 14-1-3 throughout the regular season, they fell at the wrong time against Gordon, in the CCC final. The Gulls had already beaten the Scots this year, a 1-0 victory at home, but this time was different, as Gordon scored 3 minutes in and got another first-half tally for the 2-0 win. I had been a big Endicott supporter throughout the season, and their ties against Calvin and Williams were undoubtedly impressive, particularly the latter. But when Gordon scored early on Saturday, you had a feeling that Endicott didn't have the know-how of dealing with the pressure situation. Gordon, for its part, hasn't been too shabby, and the way that it dispatched WNE 3-0 on the road in the semis of the CCC tournament was impressive having lost to the same team earlier in the season at home. Endicott graduates a lot, but hopefully the Gulls returning can use the experience of getting to the conference final in the future. I'd love to see Endicott get a CCC crown.

Finally, Bridgewater State and UMass-Boston. The Bears made hard work of the MASCAC Tournament, winning 3-2 twice (once in overtime), but they got it done and all on the road after the whole "ineligible player" debacle. BSU will go to MIT for the First Round, and while the Bears are organized and athletic I think MIT has too much offensive firepower for them. That said, they've played well this season - 17-3-1 isn't an accident, regardless of your schedule - and they held Brandeis scoreless for 80+ minutes in their 1-0 away defeat the first game of the season. The Beacons, meanwhile, rebounded from a 1-0 loss against Plymouth State to beat the Panthers 2-0 on the road in the LEC semis. They then defeated a plucky RIC side, who had them facing a 1-0 deficit in the second half, 2-1 in overtime. UMB will have to go to St. Lawrence to face Scranton - who beat Elizabethtown for the Landmark Conference crown - and if they were to win that they'd in all likelihood have to face St. Lawrence on their home field, which is a daunting task for any side. That said, if UMB somehow gets out of that pod, I will eat a gallon of ice cream in one sitting. (Win-win for me. ;))

That's all, folks! Get excited for this weekend!

Nice work Bloots!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 12, 2015, 03:54:41 PM
NCAA first round predictions for the 13 NE teams:

Lycoming 3 - Johnson & Wales 1

J&W comes into this game on a 12 game winning streak in which they have outscored their opponents 46-6.  Unfortunately, Lycoming is not a GNAC caliber team.  Lycoming brushes the Wildcats aside.

Brandeis 2 - Thomas 0

Thomas is undefeated in their last 8 games and has outscored their opponents 34-7.  It should be noted that 15 of those goals came against Green Mountain in a classy display of Thomas dominance.  They will now be Judged by a superior foe, and I am doubting Thomas will score. 

Mass-Boston  2 - Scranton 1

Mass-Boston started the season like gangbusters but went 6-4 in their last 10 games.  Scranton won only 4 of their last 8.   The Beacons prevail in competitive match.

MIT 1 - Bridgewater St 0

Fun fact: the average SAT score for Bridgewater St (reading + math) is 990 and for MIT is 1515.  MIT will figure out a way to win.   Bridgewater State (17-3-1) is 0-3 versus NCAA tournament team (Brandeis, Babson, Mass-Boston).  It will be 0-4 after Saturday.   

Bowdoin 1 - Plattsburgh St 0

Plattsburgh stumbles into this contest just 2-3 in their last five and was shutout twice.  The Polar Bears score early and put this one on ice.

Montclair St. 5 - Daniel Webster 0

The good news -- Daniel Webster is on a 16-game winning streak.  The bad news -- the wins have been over the likes of Newbury, Wheelock, Becker and Elms.  This one is no contest.

Tufts 1 - Salisbury 0

The Jumbos avoid making a Salisbury mistake.

Franklin & Marshall 2 - Babson 0

The Diplomats have dropped 3 of their last 4, but Babson lacks the firepower to pull off the upset.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on December 03, 2015, 10:15:54 AM
NSCAA All New England selections


First Team                       
Pos.   Player       Class       School   Hometown
K   Thomas Bull          Sr.         Amherst   Montgomery, N.J.
D   Cooper D'Ambrosio      Sr.         Eastern Connecticut State    Andover, Conn.
D   Conor Lanahan     Sr.         Brandeis   Avon, Conn.
D   Carter Ocko         Jr.         Endicott   Danvers, Mass.
D   Nabil Odulate          Sr.         Bowdoin   Ellicott City, Md.
D   Deklan RobInson     Sr.         Middlebury   Gloucester, Mass.
M   Sean Bingham         Sr.         Massachusetts Insititute of Technology   Garden City, N.Y.
M   Tyler Carlos         Sr.         Babson   Prospect, Conn.
M   Xavier Carty         Jr.         Johnson & Wales (R.I.)   Mount Vernon, N.Y.
M   Caleb Cole          Jr.         Gordon   Coatesville, Pa.
M   Patrik Devlin          Jr.         Connecticut College   Washington Crossing, Pa.
M   Tre Ming                 Sr.         Thomas (Maine)   Devonshire, Bermuda
M   Josh Ocel        Jr.       Brandeis   North Attleboro, Mass.
F   Greg Conrad        Jr.       Middlebury   Peabody, Mass.
F   Conor Murtagh       Sr.       Bridgewater State   Walpole, Mass.
F   Nico Pascuel-Leone     Sr.       Amherst   Wayland, Mass.
                   
Second Team                           
Pos.   Player       Class       School   Hometown
K   Nick Weinstein         Jr.         Endicott   Trumball, Conn.
D   Christian Albrecht    Sr.         Norwich   Albuquerque, N.M.
D   Kevin Davis          Jr.         Wheaton (Mass.)   Beacon, N.Y.
D   Ben Gradert         So.         Gordon   Hudson, Ohio
M   Shintaroh Itoh         Sr         Endicott   Tokyo, Japan
M   Mohamed Kenawy   Fr         Massachusetts-Boston   Revere, Mass.
M   Jake Picard          Sr.         Brandeis   West Suffield, Conn.
M   Jake Tietgens         Sr.         Castleton   Stamford, Vt.
F   Abdulla Al Khalifa   Sr.         Endicott   Riffa, Bahrain
F   Luke Alvaro         Jr.         Springfield   Chicopee, Mass.
F   Pedro Dasilva          Sr         Massachusetts-Boston   Fogo, Cape Verde
F   Komla Dogbey       So.       Rhode Island College   Providence, R.I.
F   Adam Glaser        Jr.       Middlebury   Washington D.C.
F   Kareem Itani       Jr.       Massachusetts Insititute Of Technology   Dallas, Texas
F   Nathan Majumder    Jr.       Tufts   Williamstown, Mass.
F   Michael Skarbelis    So.       New England College   North Andover, Mass

Third Team                       
Pos.   Player       Class       School   Hometown
K   Gregory Sydor          Jr.         Middlebury   Madison, Conn.
D   Justin Aoyama         Jr.         Amherst   Narberth, Pa.
D   Geoff Danilack          Sr.         Williams College   Rockville, Md.
D   Andrew Gonzalez   Sr.         Babson   Durham, Conn.
D   Charlie Gruner          Jr.         Wesleyan   Stevenson, Md.
D   Robbie Lynch         Sr.         Brandeis   Weymouth, Mass.
D   Monil Patel         Sr.         Tufts   Niskayuna, N.Y.
M   Emmett Basaca   So.         Wentworth Institute of Technology   San Diego, Calif.
M   Austin Freel         Sr.         Massachusetts Insititute Of Technology   San Diego, Calif.
M   Tobias Gimand         Jr.         Trinity (Conn.)   Fairfield, Conn.
M   Noah Kossoff         Sr.         Wheaton (Mass.)   New York, N.Y.
F   Ian Hutchinson         Jr.         Daniel Webster   Litchfield, N.H.
F   Christopher Martin   Jr.       Amherst   Philadelphia, Pa.
F   Carlos Martinez   Sr.         Mount Ida    Newton, Mass.
F   Amarah Sesay         So.         Wheaton (Mass.)   New York, N.Y.
F   Denali Sexton         So.         Colby-Sawyer    Barrington, R.I.
F   Jacob Zimmerman    Jr.         Norwich   Litchfield, N.H.


Thoughts?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jump4Joy on December 04, 2015, 08:21:03 AM
Endicott gets lots of love here. Why?
Congrats to all award winners.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on December 04, 2015, 08:32:27 AM
Given the talk on this message board, it's shocking that Jason Payne wasn't 1st Team All-Region (and in the mix for All-American), so completely unsure what to think that he didn't even make any of the three teams.  Anyone have a theory?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on December 04, 2015, 12:02:33 PM
Jump4Joy-

Having seen Endicott play multiple times I am not surprised.
Ocko was Co -defensive POY in the conference.
Weinstein transferred in from Bryant last spring and set all new school records and had the longest shutout streak in the nation going on 8 games. As well as ranking in top 20 in every GK category.

Al Khalifa scored 12 goals as well as some of the best I've seen at the collegiate level.

Itoh had 10 assists and 5 goals I believe.

Agree heavily on the first three selections for them, Itoh deserved it but also others could have been in.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jump4Joy on December 04, 2015, 02:28:39 PM
NESF20: suggests they underperformed in NCAAs?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on December 06, 2015, 01:52:38 AM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on December 04, 2015, 08:32:27 AM
Given the talk on this message board, it's shocking that Jason Payne wasn't 1st Team All-Region (and in the mix for All-American), so completely unsure what to think that he didn't even make any of the three teams.  Anyone have a theory?

Just did not have a good enough season statistically. No matter how you spin it - and no doubt his teammates were guilty of fluffing chances when Kayne put them in good positions - 1 goal and 2 assists is not good enough, especially when you have All-American guys like Josh Ocel putting up 4 goals and 10 assists, and scoring three game-winners and assisting on six others. Kayne is the most attacking of the Tufts midfield three, but even Pinheiro's numbers were significantly better at 2 goals and 6 assists.

Personally, I like Kayne a lot as a player, and thought he could very well have been the best player in the NESCAC this fall, and at season's end I would have had him in my top three (only edged by NPL and Majumder), so was a bit surprised that he didn't get more recognition. However, I understand why he was perhaps overlooked.

Quote from: Jump4Joy on December 04, 2015, 02:28:39 PM
NESF20: suggests they underperformed in NCAAs?

They did not make NCAAs due to their poor SOS, but they were an NCAA-caliber team IMHO. Al Khalifa and Weinstein are legit.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on December 07, 2015, 11:05:32 AM
Another interesting note I just found out... with the New England goalies... Sydor, Dacuhna and Weinstein all trained and played together at the same club in CT
All d1 keepers that transferred... pretty cool!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on December 07, 2015, 11:43:57 AM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan20 on December 04, 2015, 12:02:33 PM
Jump4Joy-

Having seen Endicott play multiple times I am not surprised.
Ocko was Co -defensive POY in the conference.
Weinstein transferred in from Bryant last spring and set all new school records and had the longest shutout streak in the nation going on 8 games. As well as ranking in top 20 in every GK category.

Al Khalifa scored 12 goals as well as some of the best I've seen at the collegiate level.

Itoh had 10 assists and 5 goals I believe.

Agree heavily on the first three selections for them, Itoh deserved it but also others could have been in.

I just don't see how that team deserves as many players on all NE as national champ Amherst or regional powerhouse Brandeis (4) and twice as many as Tufts (2).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on December 08, 2015, 10:13:16 AM
NEsoccerfan

Agreed completely, the four chosen all were very deserving selections but it is weird to see Endicott have as many selections as other big dogs in the region who made runs in the NCAA tournament.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on December 08, 2015, 10:15:31 AM
Where did DaCahuna transfer from?  He is nowhere near a D1 goalie. Same with Endicott's GK. They are good D3 keepers but not D1's. I would like to see Conn improve their GK situation next year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on December 08, 2015, 10:18:13 AM
Mr. Right

Dacuhna from Fairfield U

Weinstein spent two seasons at Bryant

Both are quality GK's, what held them back big time was size at the D1 level.

Haven't seen much of Dacuhna at all but have watched Weinstein a fair amount this season.
Impressed me with distribution, communication, quickness and shot stopping, just being 5' 11 (generously) hurts him big time with aerial stuff.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on December 08, 2015, 10:25:06 AM
Yes the lack of size on those 2 GK'ers are the reason. The question being these days are these kids getting bad info in one ear about where they can play and contribute. Also, an ego thing kids WANT to play D1 even if it is lowly D1 Fairfield and Bryant are far from the Top 20. Someone needs to better advise these kids coming out that NO THEY ARE NOT GOOD enough to START at D1 Programs. Personally, I think Conn can do much better in net. They need a bigger GK
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on December 08, 2015, 10:29:37 AM
Seems like you've seen a lot of Dacuhna... what are main issues with him?
Have you seen Weinstein at all?

As I said have only seen Dacuhna once and Weinstein a few times but agree with the size factor. Both these kids came from a very good club in Beachside where a lot of D1 players came out of. Could be a bad trend and a force to go d1 on their behalves.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on December 08, 2015, 10:57:46 AM
Beachside is a GOOD club not a SUPERIOR club. I believe Trinity's Bednarik came from Beachside. I saw Weinstein once v Williams and he mad one superior save and was a quality GK in that game. He also seemed to have a solid back 4 in front of him. Endicott IMO was anemic up front and created next to nothing against Williams so that was my beef with them. They were certainly athletic at the back.

Conn's DaCahuna is a generous 5'11 and to me just does not command his box well enough. He makes great saves and then gives up soft goals. He did have an inexperienced backline infront of him in 2015 but had a very experienced one in 2014 and he was awful IMO in 2014. A 5'11 GK better be quick like a cat and athletic, agile and have good hops. He also better have great reaction reflex..Think Alcorn or Greenwood. DaCahuna to me is a step slow in all those regards. He would not be a GK I would recruit. Just my opinion
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on December 08, 2015, 11:04:33 AM
Beachside had Bednarik, Gimand from Trinity
Sydor, Weinstein and Dacuhna

Agreed on Endicott... Had an excellent athletic back line, not big guys but bulldogs in the back, returning everyone for next season so they will be tough to break down.

Agree with Dacuhna makes some incredible saves but gives up some softies.

How is Amherst GK situation for next season?

Overall I thought the three all-region selections were well deserved Bull a no brainer first team and all american, Weinstein deserved it and so did Sydor.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on December 08, 2015, 11:23:02 AM
Amherst will reload...NPL and Bull are losses they will not be able to replace right away. Singer and Rico can be replaced and the rest were bit pieces at best. I think the GK in waiting is a good GK just does not have experience yet.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: All NESCAC on December 08, 2015, 03:59:07 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 08, 2015, 10:57:46 AM
Beachside is a GOOD club not a SUPERIOR club. I believe Trinity's Bednarik came from Beachside. I saw Weinstein once v Williams and he mad one superior save and was a quality GK in that game. He also seemed to have a solid back 4 in front of him. Endicott IMO was anemic up front and created next to nothing against Williams so that was my beef with them. They were certainly athletic at the back.

Conn's DaCahuna is a generous 5'11 and to me just does not command his box well enough. He makes great saves and then gives up soft goals. He did have an inexperienced backline infront of him in 2015 but had a very experienced one in 2014 and he was awful IMO in 2014. A 5'11 GK better be quick like a cat and athletic, agile and have good hops. He also better have great reaction reflex..Think Alcorn or Greenwood. DaCahuna to me is a step slow in all those regards. He would not be a GK I would recruit. Just my opinion

Agree with your assessments Mr Right
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on December 09, 2015, 03:04:25 PM
Blooter's Beliefs

Just thought I would offer some thoughts on the NE teams in the final NSCAA Top 25: Amherst (#1), Brandeis (#9), MIT (#13), and Tufts (#16).

Amherst: The best team in the country this year, and now they have the title to prove it. Huge monkey off of Serpone's back, and you can bet that Amherst will enjoy that even more after cruel exits the past three years, particularly in 2012 and 2013. NPL and Bull will be huge losses for them next year, and both were worthy of their AA selections, although I thought NPL should have been 1st Team no question. Singer still a big loss, but not as much — a good target man that is key to the way Amherst plays and can hold up and hit a ball very well, but not a particularly incredible CF in the vein of say Bingham or Majumder in terms of speed, skill, or agility. Never really been impressed by Rico and I think he can be replaced, but he was a solid player who did his job. I think if they're going to stick with 4-3-3 that moving Martin into the middle could be a good move, he is that rare combination of big and fast and a good finisher as well. However, they might want to keep his speed on the outside. Anyway, Amherst will re-load, but the big questions are on offense and in goal, and those will need to be answered, but I think Martin and Owen will fill the voids. Still think they're the best team in the NESCAC, although Tufts and Majumder and Midd and Conrad might have something to say about that.

Brandeis: I think No. 9 was correct for Brandeis, as while they weren't Elite 8 level this season I objectively think they were better than any of the other Sweet 16 teams. Not as talented as last year's team, but won the University Athletic Association, beat then-No.1 Tufts away, and finished a very impressive 18-3-1, which is just one win less than they managed last year. They lose Lanahan at CB which will be huge considering he was D3soccer.com DPOY and a two-time NSCAA All-American — 1st Team in 2015, 2nd Team in 2014 —  as well as Picard at CM who is huge for Brandeis' midfield rhythm and Lynch at LB who was an incredible talent wherever he played, and was AA-worthy in my homer opinion. However, they bring back Josh Ocel, who was a 2nd Team All-American this year and was for me Brandeis' best player: scored 4 goals, had 10 assists, and either scored or assisted half of Brandeis' game-winners. Carried on the family legacy that his brother Sam, who was also an AA selection at striker for Brandeis, admirably. They might get Josh back for another year if he takes a medical hardship year like his brother, as he missed FY with a broken leg, and I assume he will. Also GK Woodhouse comes back and they'll likely get back outside back Josh Hacunda, who tore his ACL this summer, for a medical hardship year, as well as Vieira and Jastremski, so I think Brandeis will be competitive.

MIT: The Engineers had a heck of a season, their second-best ever next to the Elite 8 appearance in 2003. They certainly silenced the doubters, including myself, and Bingham was well worthy of his 1st Team AA honor by putting up a crazy total of 21g & 12a, including 2g & 1a in the NCAA Tournament. No. 13 is a bit high personally for me, I would have had them behind MSU and Tufts, but between the former's 2nd Round exit and the latter's sub-par regular season, I can see the logic. Their season was interesting: Bovell is a defensive coach, and while they pitched shutouts in 9 of their first 10 games they conceded goals in 6 of their last 10, including two or more on four occasions. They relied a ton on their offense, particularly Bingham, Freel, and Itani, and while they delivered MIT was absolutely no match for SUNY Oneonta in the Sweet 16. Also interesting was that MIT's other two losses were against Roger Williams and Babson: not great this year & they need to start winning those games if they want to be considered a regional power. Losing Bingham could be crippling, as he scored or assisted 52% of their goals, and losing Freel and GK Amereno will be big, but I think they'll take this experience moving forward. If nothing else, they had a great season this year.

Tufts: Ended up pretty much exactly where I expected they would at No. 16 — a good team, an NCAA team, but not quite on the level as last year. Were No. 1 for a while but fell in their first real test at home to Brandeis, although I don't think they deserved to lose that game — then again, they didn't really deserve to win, either. Lost a tough one away to Amherst in 2OT and the Hamilton 2OT loss was a farce, but they went undefeated from that point until their NESCAC loss to Bowdoin. But Tufts did as Tufts does in NCAAs and pulled one of the upsets of the season by beating Montclair State in the Round of 32. However, even last year when they had an "underachieving" regular season you always had the feeling that they could turn it on. This year, I never really had that feeling. They lose Kayne, who would be an AA player in my book but didn't have a good enough season statistically with only 1g&2a, Patel, Pinheiro, Schiable, and Brown, whose loss I think could be the biggest, but Majumder will be back and will be a year more experienced, Greenwood returns and will hopefully work on commanding his area better in the offseason, and the defensive pair of Sullivan and Coleman will have a better grasp of CB after being thrown into the fire this year, so I think they'll be fine.

Quick mentions for Bowdoin and Gordon, who both made it into the RV category. Bowdoin loses a ton of offensive production and pace in Miller, Jones, and Keefe, among others, but Dias Costa will be back and I think they have some good talent throughout the roster. They also lose Odulate but bring back Van Siclen, who is key to Bowdoin's defensive game, so while I don't think they'll win the NESCAC for the third time I think they'll be competitive. Gordon did well for themselves and beat Carnegie Mellon in the 1st Round, which has got to be the program's biggest victory. Initially, I was a bit surprised to see Caleb Cole's name on the 1st Team All-American sheet, but he was AA last year and his 8g & 8a were huge this year and he led his team in both categories, so in hindsight I think it was deserved. Very good CM. Gordon returns a ton of talent, including Spoonhour in goal and 82% of the team's goals, and next year could well be the year that they make that jump from New England also-rans into a legit regional powerhouse. We shall wait and see.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Brother Flounder on December 09, 2015, 03:43:44 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 09, 2015, 03:04:25 PM
Blooter's Beliefs

Just thought I would offer some thoughts on the NE teams in the final NSCAA Top 25: Amherst (#1), Brandeis (#9), MIT (#13), and Tufts (#16).

Amherst: The best team in the country this year, and now they have the title to prove it. Huge monkey off of Serpone's back, and you can bet that Amherst will enjoy that even more after cruel exits the past three years, particularly in 2012 and 2013. NPL and Bull will be huge losses for them next year, and both were worthy of their AA selections, although I thought NPL should have been 1st Team no question. Singer still a big loss, but not as much — a good target man that is key to the way Amherst plays and can hold up and hit a ball very well, but not a particularly incredible CF in the vein of say Bingham or Majumder in terms of speed, skill, or agility. Never really been impressed by Rico and I think he can be replaced, but he was a solid player who did his job. I think if they're going to stick with 4-3-3 that moving Martin into the middle could be a good move, he is that rare combination of big and fast and a good finisher as well. However, they might want to keep his speed on the outside. Anyway, Amherst will re-load, but the big questions are on offense and in goal, and those will need to be answered, but I think Martin and Owen will fill the voids. Still think they're the best team in the NESCAC, although Tufts and Majumder and Midd and Conrad might have something to say about that.

Brandeis: I think No. 9 was correct for Brandeis, as while they weren't Elite 8 level this season I objectively think they were better than any of the other Sweet 16 teams. Not as talented as last year's team, but won the University Athletic Association, beat then-No.1 Tufts away, and finished a very impressive 18-3-1, which is just one win less than they managed last year. They lose Lanahan at CB which will be huge considering he was D3soccer.com DPOY and a two-time NSCAA All-American — 1st Team in 2015, 2nd Team in 2014 —  as well as Picard at CM who is huge for Brandeis' midfield rhythm and Lynch at LB who was an incredible talent wherever he played, and was AA-worthy in my homer opinion. However, they bring back Josh Ocel, who was a 2nd Team All-American this year and was for me Brandeis' best player: scored 4 goals, had 10 assists, and either scored or assisted half of Brandeis' game-winners. Carried on the family legacy that his brother Sam, who was also an AA selection at striker for Brandeis, admirably. They might get Josh back for another year if he takes a medical hardship year like his brother, as he missed FY with a broken leg, and I assume he will. Also GK Woodhouse comes back and they'll likely get back outside back Josh Hacunda, who tore his ACL this summer, for a medical hardship year, as well as Vieira and Jastremski, so I think Brandeis will be competitive.

MIT: The Engineers had a heck of a season, their second-best ever next to the Elite 8 appearance in 2003. They certainly silenced the doubters, including myself, and Bingham was well worthy of his 1st Team AA honor by putting up a crazy total of 21g & 12a, including 2g & 1a in the NCAA Tournament. No. 13 is a bit high personally for me, I would have had them behind MSU and Tufts, but between the former's 2nd Round exit and the latter's sub-par regular season, I can see the logic. Their season was interesting: Bovell is a defensive coach, and while they pitched shutouts in 9 of their first 10 games they conceded goals in 6 of their last 10, including two or more on four occasions. They relied a ton on their offense, particularly Bingham, Freel, and Itani, and while they delivered MIT was absolutely no match for SUNY Oneonta in the Sweet 16. Also interesting was that MIT's other two losses were against Roger Williams and Babson: not great this year & they need to start winning those games if they want to be considered a regional power. Losing Bingham could be crippling, as he scored or assisted 52% of their goals, and losing Freel and GK Amereno will be big, but I think they'll take this experience moving forward. If nothing else, they had a great season this year.

Tufts: Ended up pretty much exactly where I expected they would at No. 16 — a good team, an NCAA team, but not quite on the level as last year. Were No. 1 for a while but fell in their first real test at home to Brandeis, although I don't think they deserved to lose that game — then again, they didn't really deserve to win, either. Lost a tough one away to Amherst in 2OT and the Hamilton 2OT loss was a farce, but they went undefeated from that point until their NESCAC loss to Bowdoin. But Tufts did as Tufts does in NCAAs and pulled one of the upsets of the season by beating Montclair State in the Round of 32. However, even last year when they had an "underachieving" regular season you always had the feeling that they could turn it on. This year, I never really had that feeling. They lose Kayne, who would be an AA player in my book but didn't have a good enough season statistically with only 1g&2a, Patel, Pinheiro, Schiable, and Brown, whose loss I think could be the biggest, but Majumder will be back and will be a year more experienced, Greenwood returns and will hopefully work on commanding his area better in the offseason, and the defensive pair of Sullivan and Coleman will have a better grasp of CB after being thrown into the fire this year, so I think they'll be fine.

Quick mentions for Bowdoin and Gordon, who both made it into the RV category. Bowdoin loses a ton of offensive production and pace in Miller, Jones, and Keefe, among others, but Dias Costa will be back and I think they have some good talent throughout the roster. They also lose Odulate but bring back Van Siclen, who is key to Bowdoin's defensive game, so while I don't think they'll win the NESCAC for the third time I think they'll be competitive. Gordon did well for themselves and beat Carnegie Mellon in the 1st Round, which has got to be the program's biggest victory. Initially, I was a bit surprised to see Caleb Cole's name on the 1st Team All-American sheet, but he was AA last year and his 8g & 8a were huge this year and he led his team in both categories, so in hindsight I think it was deserved. Very good CM. Gordon returns a ton of talent, including Spoonhour in goal and 82% of the team's goals, and next year could well be the year that they make that jump from New England also-rans into a legit regional powerhouse. We shall wait and see.

Well done, Bloots!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on December 10, 2015, 12:48:12 PM
Bloots,

Excellent stuff as usual as that had to be at least a 45 minute post. Well done. My thoughts on your comments.

Amherst- Points I agree on----1. Amherst best team in country this year.  2. Bull and NPL are huge losses, however I was quite shocked in 2013 after Amherst graduated a monster class from that 2012 team how well they did. There was a drop off but not as much as I expected. Singer may not be replaced s easily as we both think as he was a good target man, had sneaky speed and a knack for getting "big" goals. I will be interested to see the GK situation play out next year as Bull is a monster loss. He has been starting in net since he arrived on campus and the in-experience in college matches of the other capable GK'ers will be fun to watch play out. I disagree with moving Martin to the middle. His speed is to valuable on the flank plus he is a better athlete than soccer player IMO. He does not "beat" guys as much as just completely blow by them. I thought the Loras and Oneonta backs matched his speed and took him out of the game pretty well. 

Brandeis-IMO they lose a ton of leadership and besides the starting RB how many other frosh contributed? You know better than I but I am sensing Margolis and Coven need a monster class this year. BTW it was great that Coven complimented Margolis when he won the regional COY. Margolis has his hands all over this program and while Coven is very well respected it is no secret that Margolis has been the mastermind behind all the recruiting and the style of play. If you ever saw Brandeis before Margolis arrived you would not even recognize them. He MUST be itching at the chance to take over but Coven seems to be having fun and not ready to give it up yet but he has to be nearing 70. Is it crazy for me to think that Picard will be just as big a loss as Lanahan? Just my opinion.

MIT---Honestly I only saw them 3 times this year. v Brandeis v Bowdoin and v Bridgewater St... They were athletic in the back and had a good GK but I was not impressed with them going forward. Bingham's #'s are greatly inflated from a weak schedule..Would like to know his goals against NEWMAC teams minus Emerson and other top regional teams. He was sneaky and scored a stinger to knock Bowdoin out of the NCAA's. Bowdoin should have won that game and I really would have been interested to see them try to frustrate Oneonta down at Haverford. It was not to be.

Tufts has some MAJOR player losses the past 2 years and will be VERY young next year. They do have from what I have heard a VERY good class coming in so Shapiro is reloading but it might take a year or 2. The kid Rojas coming from New Jersey is the real deal and will contribute immediately. Defensively you are correct the 2 CB's will be improved and Greenwood is a good GK so they need to find more help for Majumder scoring wise.

Bowdoin's losses of Miller, Jones and Keefe will hurt but to be honest they are replaceable. Odulate's leadership in the back will be missed the most but I am confident in what that coaching staff is doing up there. They are extremely organized defensively and I believe will continue to be that way. They need, like most teams, a striker who can score. They will be young next year but they have some solid young players on that bench. Stenquist got some major playing time against MIT and I thought he played well. He will be key in midfield and Masterson will only continue to get better on the flank. He is just as quick if not quicker than Jones.



Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on December 10, 2015, 02:31:06 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 10, 2015, 12:48:12 PM

In hindsight, would agree with Martin staying out wide. You're right that he just blows guys away, and what is so impressive about him to me is that he is a huge guy but has the wheels that anyone would take. Big question is either way who goes into the middle at CF because Singer started there for three years if I'm not mistaken. Then again, I would be more worried if Amherst was the kind of team whose system was completely built around the abilities of a creative forward who made runs off the backs of defenders, rather than a target man whose main job it is to hold the ball up for his winger teammates and finish chances. I think the former is much harder to find than the latter, and perhaps is why Amherst has an approach year after year that relies more on the forwards being able to hold up the ball rather than a skilled, speedy striker. What will also be interesting to see is how CB Bean plays with a new goalkeeper behind him, as Bull's presence and calming presence. Was not impressed by FY Ajayi when he played at CB, literally hoofed it whenever he got it. Even if that fits Amherst's approach, he needs to relax if he wants to be a top player. He's got potential, though. Anyway, Amherst's biggest holes are at either end of the pitch.

Lanahan will be a big loss no doubt, and Picard and Lynch will be big losses whose full extent probably won't be realized until next year. Both Picard and Lynch are two players who do all the little things that go unnoticed. I think Miskin and Hernandez are capable of replacing Picard - Miskin is a bit cleaner technically and faster, and Hernandez is a better destroyer in terms of breaking up play - although Picard was probably the most well-rounded out of that group of three. However, Ocel was Brandeis' standout midfielder, both offensively and defensively, and his leadership will be huge next year. You're right that Brandeis was a "rock-em, sock-em" type of team before Margolis started, and he was initially met with resistance when he tried to change the style, but Coven realizes now that Margolis was the best thing to happen to that program in a long time and will be fine when Coven decides to call it a day. As far as FYs go, Josh Handler saw lots of time at outside forward - very good player, quick, skilled, and provided some very deft no-look touches. The frosh classes have gotten better every year for the last 5 years or so, and I would imagine that'd continue. But you're right, next year's FY class has to be ready.

Bingham was one of those players that I couldn't really make my mind up about until he broke the 20-goal barrier. Also 21 goals in 22 games is crazy, and the fact that he scored or assisted 52% of their goals, well, that is just impressive. However, he was completely missing against Brandeis - 0 shots - but he did get two against Stevens, one against Bridgewater (NCAAs) and the OT winner against Bowdoin (NCAAs), so he has delivered when it matters. Then again - and he admitted much in an interview with his student newspaper - that all of their offense is pretty much fed through him. Would be curious to see how he would have done in the NESCAC. I have to admit they were the better team against Brandeis and I wondered if MIT was going to go on a Cinderella run in NCAAs; however, they barely deserved to beat Bowdoin & Oneonta put them in their place. They bring back some talent but much like Amherst they lose big players at either end of the pitch and that could hurt. They had a similar problem when they lost Ben Lewis (1st Team AA) back in 2012, and while they made it back to the tourney they lost to WNEC in the first round. In my opinion, I don't see them doing anywhere near as well as this year based on the talent that they lose.

The biggest problem for Tufts I think is they lose two of their three midfielders. That kid Halliday can play, but filling the boots of Kayne and Pinheiro who were both four-year starters is going to be a big issue. Tufts has a lot of offensive weapons and styles that it can pull out at any point - they can go down the wing, through the middle, or straight over the top to Majumder - but losing pretty much all of their offensive production through the midfield on top of losing Connor Brown is massive. Even if Kayne didn't have a great season statistically he does all the little things that makes a great player, and he will be missed. The other big issue for Tufts is that everyone has Majumder's number now.  He was definitely kept more in check as the season went on - he scored 5 in his first 5, but 6 in his last 13 (although 2 were against Kenyon in NCAAs, so he is clearly made for the big stage.) However, I think he was able to come into this year and do so well partially because he was (relatively) unknown - I mean, granted the kid scored twice in the NCAA Final last year, but he was still a very much unknown quantity because Hoppenot was Tufts' starter up top. Either way, I think he'll do well, but he has a target on his back now.

What has impressed me about Bowdoin has been Wiercinski's ability to work well with what he's got. He's not a defensive coach by nature, as his teams at UChicago were pretty good attacking sides, but that maybe had something to do with the attacking/possession-based nature that UAA teams seem to have in general (how many UAA teams are like Middlebury, Bowdoin, or Amherst in terms of defense-first? Zero. Maybe that's why they don't get very far in NCAAs, but that's another story.) However, he realized that he had a very good goalkeeper and if they could just stay compact that they could more often than not get things down the other end of the pitch. Granted, both years they were massively helped by having the #1 seed knocked out in the QFs, but they got the job done. They were outplayed by Brandeis last year in the NCAA 2nd Round and Brandeis was deserved winners, but I thought they were the better team against MIT this year and were massively unlucky not to win. Either way, they have a good system in place and a good goalkeeper who will keep them in games, and with their organized nature I think they'll be alright.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on December 10, 2015, 04:19:18 PM
Completely agree with all of this. Very valid points on all teams mentioned.

-If MIT would make that job a Full time gig and give them the resources that Brandeis gave Coven(A full-time assistant like Margolis) they could be a regional power year in, year out. No question 2 Full-time coaches non stop recruiting for MIT and with a little help from admissions sneaking a player or 2 in that has no business being at MIT they would be a powerhouse. I just do not understand why MIT does not put more resources into some of their athletic teams and why big time alums would not put pressure on them to do so.

-You are correct I think Ocel will have to be a monster next year. I was very impressed with the work ethic of Brandeis. Guys like Lynch, Pickard and Viera are just fun to watch because they keep battling and leave everything out on the field. You cannot underestimate what type of leadership and models that is for incoming Frosh. I mean Viera works his ass off and they all should be commended for it. I think a couple top level Nescac sides made a huge mistake passing on Viera for other players but there were some question marks when he was coming out of the ISL. I believe he led the league in scoring or was 2nd his senior year. I just think as a college coach watching him play only a couple times you might be misled by what he has to offer. Kudos to margolis for not missing that.

-Bowdoin will also be fine and they might be the most compact team in Nescac and that is saying alot. Sometimes I would get frustrated with them the past few years by dropping SO DEEP after taking 1-0 leads but it is what it is.

-Everything you said about Tufts is correct. Again I will re-iterate how young they will be next year. They will be fun to watch and see how Shapiro plays his hand next year, especially in the beginning of the season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on June 20, 2016, 12:55:57 PM
Just found out that MIT's Austin Freel, whom just graduated but was an NSCAA All-New England player and Academic All-American during his time with the Engineers, was one of the two creators of Facebook's "Pride" (http://www.chicagotribune.com/bluesky/technology/ct-rainbow-facebook-photos-activism-20150702-story.html) filter in support of the LGBTQ+ community that has been seemingly ubiquitous in the last year.

In no way is this post intended to spark a political discussion — instead, I'm simply saying that I think that it's pretty interesting to think that a D3 soccer player was the (co-)creator of something that many of us have seen.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on July 09, 2016, 08:47:15 AM
ECSU with a pretty tough schedule this year!!
http://gowarriorathletics.com/sports/msoc/2016-17/schedule
Hopefully they had a good recruiting year!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: amh63 on July 13, 2016, 05:32:43 PM
ECSUalum...hope you have been having a nice Summer to date.  Any insight why Amherst was not on the schedule?  Understand Trinity and Conn being on it wrt CT Nescac schools.  Based on our school's history in other sports, Amherst should be picked over Williams! :). Understand Wesleyan over Amherst.  Me think it is the scare your MBB team gave Amherst that the soccer coach avoided your Warriors.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on July 13, 2016, 08:31:57 PM
Quote from: amh63 on July 13, 2016, 05:32:43 PM
ECSUalum...hope you have been having a nice Summer to date.  Any insight why Amherst was not on the schedule?  Understand Trinity and Conn being on it wrt CT Nescac schools.  Based on our school's history in other sports, Amherst should be picked over Williams! :). Understand Wesleyan over Amherst.  Me think it is the scare your MBB team gave Amherst that the soccer coach avoided your Warriors.
Ha Ha amh63  We are having a nice summer, besides doing Meals on Wheels, we decided to volunteer at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, (site of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Arts Fair), in Bethel NY this year!!  Its a wonderful place that now has a Museum dedicated to the Festival, the Vietnam War and the 60's and is a great venue for concerts!!
I really like that the Warrior coaches have the NESCAC schools on the various sports schedules.  It gives the teams a chance to hone their skills vs some of the best in D-III sports.  Surprised that Amherst, (what did they decide on the new name to replace the LFs?), is not on the soccer schedule , as you know, they  routinely show up on ECSU Baseball and Basketball schedules.  I see, (D3 Soccer Mens Recruiting Classes), Coach DeVito recruited a top midfielder named George Spanos, (Waterford, CT Waterford CT H.S. Club: Oakwood SC).   Assuming he enrolls, he should be a good addition to the team.  They will need more scoring punch this year if they want to be successful vs UMass Boston, with all their foreign players.
Hope your summer is proving enjoyable as well!!  BTW, ECSU dedicated their new Fine Arts Instructional Center this spring.  I had a chance to say hello to  Richard.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: amh63 on July 14, 2016, 01:20:43 PM
ECSUalum....hope Richard and your Prez are well.  The new center is quite impressive....I saw it online awhile back.
WRT the new "mascot "....a committee of alums, students and staff are pondering the chore as it has stirred up alums a bit including myself.
With respect to Woodstock....my brother in law " attended" the event in Bethel NY. :). My best man who now lives near Chapel Hill NC .....moved from East Lyme CT last year...has an older sister that lives in Woodstock, NY.  She had a room in her house for Bob Dylan...aka Zimmerman.  Her husband was the manager of many singers of that era...Ian & Silvia, Peter, Paul, & Mary, Janis Joplin, etc. Will chat with him about Bethel Woods for the Arts.
On a more personal note, my youngest son and his wife just recently moved to Patterson NY from Brooklyn Heights, NY.  They shop in near by Danbury, Ct.  Gives me an option to catch an ECSU vs WCSU MBB game.  Since my wife is from Easton, Ct....it could be a family event ;D
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on July 14, 2016, 03:32:45 PM
amh63,
I am pretty sure Amherst plays Eastern MBB in Willi this year.  If so let me know if your in the area, I'll buy you a home brew at Willimantic Brewery!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on July 14, 2016, 06:56:27 PM
Serpone would never schedule ECONN...DeVito would play them in a heartbeat...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on July 15, 2016, 10:20:57 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on July 14, 2016, 06:56:27 PM
Serpone would never schedule ECONN...DeVito would play them in a heartbeat...
Why do you suppose he scheduled RIC?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on July 18, 2016, 12:52:48 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on July 15, 2016, 10:20:57 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on July 14, 2016, 06:56:27 PM
Serpone would never schedule ECONN...DeVito would play them in a heartbeat...
Why do you suppose he scheduled RIC?



Amherst has played RIC in the past during Serpone's tenure and have handled them with relative ease. RIC has historically been an average team that has a history of being average athletically but usually an undisciplined mess. They usually do not sit in 10 deep and will play their opponents straight up in a 4-4-2.  ECONN has no problem sitting 10 deep against better competition and are a much better coached side than RIC. So basically it is much less of a risk to play them.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on July 20, 2016, 10:51:58 AM
Mr R.  Thanks, Looking forward to more of your keen insights on D-III Soccer this year!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: amh63 on July 20, 2016, 04:57:16 PM
Amherst graduated an all-American GK that was a 4- year starter in Bull.  There is a new GK for this season.  RIC is a " better" team to check out new GKs in the first game of the season than a stronger ECSU team. ;D.....see I told you ECSUalum.  Amherst has two conference games following in the early part of the schedule.
See that the Wiilimantic Brewery is in the Old post office building!  Maybe a bucket list candidate.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on July 21, 2016, 08:58:53 PM

See that the Wiilimantic Brewery is in the Old post office building!  Maybe a bucket list candidate.
The beer is very good as well.  The owner also schedules Beer and Beer and Wine dinners, pairing wines and the home brews with excellent dishes by the restaurant's superb chef!!




Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 09, 2016, 11:21:06 AM
http://www.beaconsathletics.com/sports/m-soccer/2015-16/releases/20160727mcf6z3
http://www.beaconsathletics.com/sports/m-soccer/2016-17/releases/20160715luyvly
UMass Boston looks to have graduated high scorer Pedro DaSilva, (Goals, Points 15,34); Elton Teixeira 8,24, and Goalkeeper Alfonso Rosales, 0.88 GAA, but returns So Forward playmaker Mohammed Kenaway 9,25; Sr Forward Edmilson Barros 9, 23, So Midfielder Guilherme Barbosa 7, 16; and So Midfielder Denis Martinez.
I think the 2016 team could be even better than last years team, especially if they play a more disciplined team approach, maintain their Excellent defense and can reload a good GK.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on August 16, 2016, 05:07:23 PM
Season predictions

LEC
1.  UMass-Boston 
2.  ECSU
3.  UMass-Dartmouth
4.  Rhode Island
5.  Plymouth St.
6.  Western Conn
7.  Keene St
8.  Southern Maine

NEWMAC
1.  Wheaton - best in class of a down year in the NEWMAC
2.  Babson - less quality depth returning than in recent years
3.  Springfield - play ugly soccer but have some athletes
4.  MIT - lose four starters including two most dynamic offensive players
5.  WPI  - lose two leading scorers from an offensively challenged side
6.  Coast Guard - they play hard and are ultra-fit
7.  Clark - thankful to have Emerson in the conference
8.  Emerson - have never won a NEWMAC game

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on August 16, 2016, 06:43:42 PM
CCC
1.  Gordon
2.  Western New England
3.  Endicott - lose 60% of their offense to graduation
4.  Wentworth - started eight Fr and Soph last year
5.  Roger Williams
6.  Nichols
7.  Salve Regina
8.  Curry
9.  U of NE
10. Eastern Nazarene
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 19, 2016, 09:55:45 PM
Eastern Connecticut State University's 2015/16 men's soccer roster posted today:
http://gowarriorathletics.com/sports/msoc/2016-17/roster
6ft 1 in Fr MF George Spanos (Waterford HS) was listed in d3soccer 2016 recruits
6 ft 0 in So MF Kuba Kazmierczak (New Britain HS) is transfer from U of Hartford
5' 9" Fr Midfielder Dimitrios Dalardha is a transfer from Loyola Univ. MD but did not play
Need to research the rest of the freshmen.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on August 27, 2016, 01:27:32 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on August 16, 2016, 05:07:23 PM
Season predictions

NEWMAC   (Revised)
1.  Babson - two projected starters for Wheaton have apparently transferred to Babson (O'Rourke and Fromhein) shoring up Babson's midfiled depth issues.  Will need freshman forwards to make an impact.
2.  Wheaton - transfers tip the scale to Babson
3.  Springfield - play ugly soccer but have some athletes
4.  MIT - lose four starters including two most dynamic offensive players
5.  WPI  - lose two leading scorers from an offensively challenged side
6.  Coast Guard - they play hard and are ultra-fit
7.  Clark - thankful to have Emerson in the conference
8.  Emerson - have never won a NEWMAC game
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 30, 2016, 01:11:44 PM
Umass Boston picked as #1 Team in LEC Preseason Poll:
http://www.littleeast.com/sports/msoc/2016-17/releases/20160830_MSOC-PreseasonPoll
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on August 30, 2016, 03:35:38 PM
More shocking is Keens St picked to finish 3rd to bottom. This was once a storied program and a top New England contender. I am not sure what has happened the past 5-6 years but I do not think it was Ron Butcher retiring as his final 3 years were not very good either.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on August 30, 2016, 04:33:26 PM
Keene St lost 7 of their last 9 games last fall.  Their current roster of 26 has 11 freshmen, 7 Sophs, 6 Juniors and only 1 Senior.  This season looks like a rebuilding year at best.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 30, 2016, 05:02:16 PM
7 of 11 UMB 2016 freshman recruits from overseas, ie Cape Verde Isl, Brazil, Netherlands, etc
http://www.beaconsathletics.com/sports/m-soccer/2016-17/roster
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 31, 2016, 05:11:08 PM
Here is ECSU Sports Information Staff Greg Hyman's report on Eastern Mens Soccer for 2016:
http://gowarriorathletics.com/sports/msoc/2016-17/releases/msoc_preview-2016
Key word for the 2016 Warriors will be depth!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 01, 2016, 01:28:56 PM
Interesting that Western Conn made longtime successful Women's Head Coach Joe Mingachos as its Men's Coach. He took WCONN's womens soccer to great heights including a NCAA Final 4. He has the pedigree to really turn the Men's program around. It will be interesting to follow and they are playing a decent out of conference schedule as well with Trinity(CT), Union, Vassar and Springfield on the docket along with league games against UMASS Boston and Eastern Conn.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 01, 2016, 04:32:15 PM
Babson goes 1-0 up on ECONN. Beavers much stronger in the opening stages, but the visitors had some decent chances before Babson struck first.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 01, 2016, 04:59:42 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 01, 2016, 04:32:15 PM
Babson goes 1-0 up on ECONN. Beavers much stronger in the opening stages, but the visitors had some decent chances before Babson struck first.
Yeah Blooter,  a lot of ECSU freshmen and upperclassmen playing kickball, while Babson technically sound with possession. Goal on mistake by Eastern D!!  Also frustrating as Babson must have a freshman handling the camera work, with camera pointed else where vs on the ball a lot of the time, as well as a lot of blind spots on the field!! ??? :o  Very disappointed!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 01, 2016, 05:32:36 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 01, 2016, 04:59:42 PM
Yeah Blooter,  a lot of ECSU freshmen and upperclassmen playing kickball, while Babson technically sound with possession. Goal on mistake by Eastern D!!  Also frustrating as Babson must have a freshman handling the camera work, with camera pointed else where vs on the ball a lot of the time, as well as a lot of blind spots on the field!! ??? :o  Very disappointed!

It certainly hasn't been great, that's for sure! I did see that ECSU knotted things up, but missed the goal. Could be huge for momentum given that it was at the start of the second half. Eastern has hit the wall twice from direct kicks, those free attempts have been poor.

Update: Really poor camera work. A near-shot for ECSU that went wide was completely missed!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 01, 2016, 05:57:40 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 01, 2016, 05:32:36 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 01, 2016, 04:59:42 PM
Yeah Blooter,  a lot of ECSU freshmen and upperclassmen playing kickball, while Babson technically sound with possession. Goal on mistake by Eastern D!!  Also frustrating as Babson must have a freshman handling the camera work, with camera pointed else where vs on the ball a lot of the time, as well as a lot of blind spots on the field!! ??? :o  Very disappointed!

It certainly hasn't been great, that's for sure! I did see that ECSU knotted things up, but missed the goal. Could be huge for momentum given that it was at the start of the second half. Eastern has hit the wall twice from direct kicks, those free attempts have been poor.

Update: Really poor camera work. A near-shot for ECSU that went wide was completely missed!

2-1 Babson in 88th min on another ECSU goof in the back.  Too many poor passes into turnovers by Eastern giving Babson too many chances.  ECSU missing their all LEC defenseman Cooper D'Ambrosio.  Babson the superior technicians and deserved the win!!

PS I realized yesterday that ECSU second leading scorer Tyler Jones is a no show this year   Another key player that does not return after a bunch in previous 2 years!!  DeVito ??? ???
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 02, 2016, 09:52:12 AM
From UMB Athletics: BRISTOL, R.I.—Freshman Ocane Williamson (Spanish Town, Jamaica) and junior Marcelo Cunha (Goiania, Brazil) each scored to lead UMass Boston men's soccer to a 2-0 shutout of host Roger Williams University in Thursday night's season opener.
Ocane Wiliamson 6'3" 200lb freshman! BTW he is considerably older than most freshman.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 02, 2016, 12:11:55 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 02, 2016, 09:52:12 AM
From UMB Athletics: BRISTOL, R.I.—Freshman Ocane Williamson (Spanish Town, Jamaica) and junior Marcelo Cunha (Goiania, Brazil) each scored to lead UMass Boston men's soccer to a 2-0 shutout of host Roger Williams University in Thursday night's season opener.
Ocane Wiliamson 6'3" 200lb freshman! BTW he is considerably older than most freshman.



We all knew this was a talented bunch and will be in the NCAA's IMO again this year and possibly make some noise. They have a good non-conference schedule. Let's see if they can remain focused and keep their heads on straight this year. Last year they would self destruct in some games
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 03, 2016, 11:43:35 AM
UMass-Boston looking good. Easily handling a pretty good Wentworth squad. Skilled at all positions. Maybe last year's relative success and experience are going to yield a more mature team. Definitely one to watch.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 03, 2016, 03:05:41 PM
Brandeis 3-1 up on John Carroll after the visitors equalized. Surprisingly, all four goals have come from set pieces.

Elsewhere, Babson fell to Rutgers-Newark 3-2. Perhaps some consolation is that they scored two goals for the second straight game, but as good as R-N is it's never good to give up 3 goals at home.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 03, 2016, 06:56:50 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on September 03, 2016, 11:43:35 AM
UMass-Boston looking good. Easily handling a pretty good Wentworth squad. Skilled at all positions. Maybe last year's relative success and experience are going to yield a more mature team. Definitely one to watch.

Agreed, They looked excellent, however I did not se Mohammed Kenaway on the pitch today.  Wonder if you has fitness issues!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 03, 2016, 07:00:52 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 03, 2016, 06:56:50 PM
Agreed, They looked excellent, however I did not se Mohammed Kenaway on the pitch today.  Wonder if you has fitness issues!

He has a long history of battling back from injury.  I know he had a successful PDL season this summer, but haven't heard anything of his current status.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on September 03, 2016, 10:04:11 PM
Supposedly Kenawy hasn't been at any scrimmages, games... interesting... on another note UMB's Jamaican forward is the real deal... he is also a freshman born in 1988... yes you read that right.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: rudy on September 04, 2016, 12:11:33 PM
Anyone going to the Brandeis game today? That should be a telling game for both sides
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 04, 2016, 03:53:34 PM
Quote from: rudy on September 04, 2016, 12:11:33 PM
Anyone going to the Brandeis game today? That should be a telling game for both sides

I am. I think Haverford has the slight edge but home field could be beneficial for Brandeis. I'd say a score draw is possible, although if one team is to win it I'd think it'd be Haverford.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 04, 2016, 04:07:36 PM
Just a pathetic performance by Eastern in Mahwah NJ this afternoon vs Ramapo College.  DeVito better teach his players how to string three passes together and shore up the porous defense or it is going to be a long season for this team :-[ All they seem to know how to do is kick the ball up field.  They beat Ramapo 4-0 last year and this year was dominated by them!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 04, 2016, 06:43:19 PM
Nice response from Wheaton (MA) after opening day loss to Wentworth, picking up a pair of wins against two NJAC foes.  Babson goes in the other direction, losing a pair to the NJAC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 07, 2016, 07:49:25 PM
If this first half is any indication, MIT may struggle for goals this year. Won Saturday 1-0 at Stevens but now drawing at home 0-0 with Newbury at half. (Yes, you read that correctly Mr.Right.)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 07, 2016, 09:01:52 PM
Player for RIC who scored on a PK versus Amherst is a Revs academy product who apparently has been at several different schools (and divisions) and must be 24-25 years old.  UMass-Dartmouth has a similar player, who actually used to play at RIC.  So we've got a star player at Trinity (CT) deciding enough is enough, and then some who will move around and drain every ounce of eligibility even at the D3 level.

Amherst of course racked up 3 yellows and 18 fouls in the first 70 minutes.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 07, 2016, 09:28:48 PM
Newbury 1, MIT 0.

No, that's not a typo! I thought that Endicott over Tufts last night was perhaps the biggest upset in the New England region so far this year, but this may well have eclipsed it. Did not see that coming at all.

Honestly, I half-expected it to be 4-0 by the time I got there towards the end of the first half. However, MIT, while dominating play, looked incredibly disjointed and seemed to mess up the fundamentals. Newbury put together a couple of solid moves, but they seemed to resemble a side that my intramural team would have been competitive with. Regardless, I was very surprised that they got into half level, but I was certain that MIT - the same team who beat them 7-0 last year - would win going away in the second half.

Second half comes, and MIT did look the superior side, but aside from a couple of shots they didn't manage to generate any great looks. What's more, Newbury wasn't parking the bus: they weren't necessarily trying to attack all-out, either, but they played a direct style that seemed to work for them, and started to retain possession better than in the first half. MIT, meanwhile, looked sloppier and sloppier as the game went on. Whether it was due to the wet turf or not, I don't know, but I had a hard time believing that this was the same team that beat Stevens away on Saturday.

12 minutes left, and Newbury puts in a nice ball from the right flank. Kid gets a head on it 6 yards out, seems ticketed for the net, the MIT goalkeeper makes a great diving save. Ball was loose, Newbury kid sent it towards an empty net, MIT defender hacks it off the line. 'Wow, Newbury almost stole it,' I thought.

While it might sound like I was perhaps underestimating Newbury, who did post a winning record last year, this is the same team that lost 7-0 to MIT last year. (Both team's 2014-15 schedules incorrectly show the final result that year as a 1-0 Newbury away win, but a look at the box score and recap shows that it was in fact a 1-1 draw.) Regardless, Newbury had a losing record every year between 2008 and 2014, and I know that Brandeis - mind you, pre-NCAA caliber Brandeis - beat them 13-0 in 2010, so you might understand my shock that Newbury had almost scored.

Regardless, a minute later, Newbury gets a free kick around 25 yards out, central. Kid hits a great shot, over the wall, into the left corner. Goalkeeper had no chance. And Newbury held out for the rest of the game, limiting MIT to half-chances. What an upset.

The thing that was crazy to me is that it wasn't like MIT was foiled by a fantastic goalkeeper - although Newbury's GK did play well - or hit the post 20 times. Sure, they outshot Newbury, but most of those were half-chances, and the couple of clear chances that they did get they completely blew. In one instance, an MIT player dribbled around the GK and put it wide. Even losing players like Sean Bingham, Austin Freel, and Jake Amereno, I thought that MIT would still put forth a good showing tonight like they did by winning at Stevens on Saturday. However, I was appalled at how out of sorts they were.

Hey, every team will have a bad game every once in a while, and perhaps lose even when they should win. However, I didn't think that it would be this game of all games for MIT. Even so, Newbury played hard, they have a couple of kids who can play, is now 4-0 on the year, and fully earned the win.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 07, 2016, 09:52:57 PM
What an absolute disaster. We all and I mean ALL figured MIT would struggle this year with the players they lost not to mention Singleton recruits starting to graduate but a 1-0 home loss to Newbury is bad. What makes the whole MIT situation even more stomach churning is the Stevens result. Futbol can be a strange game but that is why we all love it. It is interesting how wind and downpour rain can really keep weaker teams in games they have no business being in....Good report Bloots and good to see we have a trusted hand and someone finally giving us Northeast breakdowns every week. +1




















=
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 07, 2016, 10:49:40 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 07, 2016, 09:52:57 PM
What an absolute disaster. We all and I mean ALL figured MIT would struggle this year with the players they lost not to mention Singleton recruits starting to graduate but a 1-0 home loss to Newbury is bad. What makes the whole MIT situation even more stomach churning is the Stevens result. Futbol can be a strange game but that is why we all love it. It is interesting how wind and downpour rain can really keep weaker teams in games they have no business being in....Good report Bloots and good to see we have a trusted hand and someone finally giving us Northeast breakdowns every week. +1

Cheers Mr.Right, and I suppose you might have figured out that Blooter's Beliefs is now Nor'easter News on D3soccer.com. :)

Anyway, what really puzzled me about the whole MIT thing was the Engineers' tactics. They were playing a 4-2-3-1 tonight, only going to 4-4-2 at the end when they were down. I know Bovell is a relatively defensive coach, as he pretty much parked the bus against Brandeis last year - although MIT did perhaps deserve to win that game - but that was a match-up of two nationally-ranked teams; this was a game where, had they attacked well, I think MIT would have won going away. Part of it was that MIT just did not play well, but I found myself scratching my head at the way the hosts were lining up.

Of course, a 4-2-3-1 can be somewhat attacking if played well, and a lot of teams do play it, but it is mainly a defensive lineup in my experience and is usually used in competitive games where the teams are pretty evenly matched. I was rather perplexed as to why MIT was playing a defensive formation against an opponent who they should've beaten by multiple goals in my opinion. Stevens away, sure, I can get it, but Newbury home is the game for 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 methinks.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 07, 2016, 11:06:01 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on September 07, 2016, 09:01:52 PM
Player for RIC who scored on a PK versus Amherst is a Revs academy product who apparently has been at several different schools (and divisions) and must be 24-25 years old.  UMass-Dartmouth has a similar player, who actually used to play at RIC.  So we've got a star player at Trinity (CT) deciding enough is enough, and then some who will move around and drain every ounce of eligibility even at the D3 level.

Your comment about Revs academy products brought to mind Dean College, which is transitioning from NJCAA to NCAA D3 and has been racking up lopsided wins so far this season.  Their current lineup features at least 4 former Revs academy players.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 10, 2016, 03:16:12 PM
I only saw the last 30 min of the second half of the ECSU-Muhlenburg College match, but it was like looking at a completely different Warrior team this afternoon!!  In the 2-0 Eastern victory, last year scoring leader Xavier Doran, who was absolutely inconsequential is the 3 previous games got on the end of some beautiful pass work by the Warrior midfield and winger Justen Jensen and struck a bomb into the top left corner from 15 yards out.  The second goal by Freshman Griffen Luczek came off a breakaway where Luczek got a head and foot on the ball, but was tripped just outside the box, no call, and then the Muhlenberg GK mishandled the ball and fell over the goal line.

Much better hustle on 50/50 balls, better pressure on the Mule midfielders, and MUCH MUCH better ball control, passing and possession today, and ECSU did not fall back into their prevent D today, but continued to put pressure on the Mulenburgh defense. Almost made it 3-0 with 5 min left.   Not sure how good the Mules are this year as I see they lost to Lebanon Valley and Scranton but beat Centenary (NJ).  If ECSU can play like today going forward, it will give me confidence that they can compete for the LEC championship.  If they play like the first 3 games it will be a lost season.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 10, 2016, 04:26:30 PM
How in the world can Keene St be up 5-0 on Wheaton at the half?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 10, 2016, 05:07:06 PM
From Wellesley: Babson pulls the upset over Brandeis, 1-0 in 2OT on a PK. Judges were outshot, and defeated by Babson for the first time since 2011 (had been 4-0 against their rivals in the last 4 years - 3 wins at 'Deis, 1 at Babo.) Even if it wasn't a PK - I haven't seen the handball - the fact that they kept a shutout against an offense that had scored a number of goals against them is commendable, and while I think Brandeis will be disappointed to lose to their rivals - a big upset from the Beavers' point of view - you have to give Babson credit.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Brother Flounder on September 10, 2016, 05:18:13 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 10, 2016, 05:07:06 PM
From Wellesley: Babson pulls the upset over Brandeis, 1-0 in 2OT on a PK. Judges were outshot, and defeated by Babson for the first time since 2011 (had been 4-0 against their rivals in the last 4 years - 3 wins at 'Deis, 1 at Babo.) Even if it wasn't a PK - I haven't seen the handball - the fact that they kept a shutout against an offense that had scored a number of goals against them is commendable, and while I think Brandeis will be disappointed to lose to their rivals - a big upset from the Beavers' point of view - you have to give Babson credit.

Yes, credit is deserved!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 10, 2016, 06:27:10 PM
Kenawy is back for the UMBoston Beacons in 3-0 win over Union today!!  Freshman Ocane Williamson (Spanish Town, Jamaica), sophomore Mohamed Kenawy (Revere, Mass.) and Edmilson Barros (Praia, Cape Verde) all scored in the win for the Beacons. Williamson also added an assist, to add to his team-leading total of 11 points.

It will be interesting to see if UMB can run their schedule!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 10, 2016, 06:47:25 PM
Attended Babson v Brandeis today.  A couple of Babson parents confirmed that they had been playing 3 in the back to date, but Babson returned to a 4-4-2 look today.  Brandeis looked very solid.  However they never seemed particularly dangerous and did certainly not play to the level of the team of the past two seasons.   The Judges will probably play a number of 1-0 games again this year.  The handball resulting in the PK looked legit.  Overall, Babson was the slightly better side, at least for today.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 10, 2016, 08:01:21 PM
Where does Brandeis practice for grass fields?

The Wheaton 6-1 loss to Keene St is a sign that Wheaton threw in the towel early and did not take Keene seriously.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 10, 2016, 09:08:47 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 10, 2016, 06:47:25 PM
Attended Babson v Brandeis today.  A couple of Babson parents confirmed that they had been playing 3 in the back to date, but Babson returned to a 4-4-2 look today.  Brandeis looked very solid.  However they never seemed particularly dangerous and did certainly not play to the level of the team of the past two seasons.   The Judges will probably play a number of 1-0 games again this year.  The handball resulting in the PK looked legit.  Overall, Babson was the slightly better side, at least for today.

Just going by the stats, it looked like Babson played Brandeis well, and while reverting to 4 at the back is being more pragmatic, it wasn't like Babson parked the bus based on the shot count. Good to know the handball at least wasn't a blatantly blown call - my view is that if it's legit, it's still rough, but at least you didn't get hosed.

Quote from: Mr.Right on September 10, 2016, 08:01:21 PM
Where does Brandeis practice for grass fields?

Good question, and genuinely no idea. Possibly the rugby practice field adjacent to the turf, but I doubt it.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 13, 2016, 08:43:24 PM
Colby scores in the 79th minute to go 1-0 up at crosstown rival Thomas. Colby was upset by Thomas last year at home in OT, so this could be a slight measure of revenge.

Fantastic finish by the Colby player, banged a loose ball off a restart into the top corner.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 14, 2016, 09:21:44 PM
Four days after their rivalry match, both Babson and Brandeis tie 0-0 away to Massachusetts opponents. Brandeis to WPI, Babson to Fitchburg.

Brandeis was missing Josh Ocel, not sure why. They looked genuinely poor in the first half, couldn't get anything going, but grew into the game. No Flahive starting either, Allen was up top, and he had a couple of decent chances.

Didn't see much of the Babson game but considering the hosts were 1-2 and the 2 losses came by scores of 5-0 you have to think that Babson - especially riding the high of the grudge match win - would have had enough to get the W. They have blown hot and cold so far this season, but they won't care too much about their record as long as they have the NEWMAC tourney as a road to NCAAs.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 17, 2016, 03:06:49 PM
Eastern Connecticut pull out a 1-0 win over UMass Dartmouth on a nifty header in the box by defenseman Emmanuel Caicedo, off a free kick by JD Stearns.  BTW Caicedo has been the only solid defenseman this year and has saved ESCU from being routed this year. 
However UMD hit the woodwork at least 3 times as ECSU continues to play a very poor possession game!!  When 90% of Warrior passes either go out of bounds of to an opposing player, you will never score many goals, provide too many opportunities to the opposition, and lose matches.  Eastern was extremely luck to pull this one out.  It will be interesting when UMass Boston comes to town, (they slammed Plymouth St 5-0 today)! 

I have a feeling it is going to be a loooong season :'(
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 18, 2016, 08:59:12 PM
ECSUalum, I noticed that Derek Parker, who started last year for ECSU, is now a regular starter at Quinnipiac.   If I recall correctly, Mark Richards left last year to play at UConn.  Is this a regular thing there at ECSU?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 18, 2016, 10:26:19 PM
Projected week 2 (Sept 20) New England rankings:

1.  Amherst (3-0-1)
2.  UMass- Boston  (6-0)
3.  Middlebury (2-0-1)
4.  Williams (4-0-1)
5.  Clark (6-0)
6.  Brandeis (3-1-1)
7.  Coast Guard (5-0-1)
8.  Endicott (4-1-1)
9.  Bowdoin (3-1)
10. (tie) Conn (3-1)
10.(tie) Springfield (5-0-1)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 18, 2016, 10:56:02 PM
Although they are feasting on less-than-stellar opponents (a 5-0 win against MIT-conquering Newbury notwithstanding), Dean College is now 7-0-0 with a clean sheet for the season (48 GF, 0 GA).  The question seems to be less whether they will run the table than whether they will be scored upon.  Does anyone know to which conference, if any, they might be headed once they complete the transition to D3 from NJCAA?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 19, 2016, 06:45:22 AM
Quote from: Ommadawn on September 18, 2016, 10:56:02 PM
Although they are feasting on less-than-stellar opponents (a 5-0 win against MIT-conquering Newbury notwithstanding), Dean College is now 7-0-0 with a clean sheet for the season (48 GF, 0 GA).  The question seems to be less whether they will run the table than whether they will be scored upon.  Does anyone know to which conference, if any, they might be headed once they complete the transition to D3 from NJCAA?



No idea but I can guarantee you they will not be able to get these JUCO type players thru admissions when they do officially join D3.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 19, 2016, 07:02:39 AM
After watching a bunch of games within New England / New York, I must say there is a lack of firepower up front for a lot of teams. Teams like Colby, ECONN, Babson, RPI for example are all very organized, work very hard, defend well and can build play thru midfield but have NOTHING up front to finish. These teams will get results but are not a threat to score. After watching Babson yesterday, They are a solid side, work hard, have some creativity in midfield(that Parker kid is good and Arrojo is decent) and they play on the ground but once they hit the final 3rd they had no one to FINISH. Bloots mentioned this yesterday and I totally agree and as a coach what do you do? They still almost got out of Williamstown with a draw but Parker hit a weak PK. He showed his hips before shooting and Alcorn either read his eyes or hips. It was a bit to casual. So you have those teams who can beat anyone on the day but things must go their way and they will not generate many chances against top opposition.

Then you have the Bowdoin, Wesleyan, Wheaton, Conn teams that are similar to the ones I mentioned above although Wheaton is a bit weak defensively who have the athletes to score against better competition and some skill going forward but still are missing a serious striker. These teams will rely on their midfield for goals and in November that will get shut down.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Sandy on September 19, 2016, 11:42:39 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 17, 2016, 03:06:49 PM
ECSU continues to play a very poor possession game!! 

That's because they don't play one. It's more of a soak pressure, play ball high and wide and whip it in for the cross with midfielders and forwards streaking in to get on the end of it type of system.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 19, 2016, 04:18:03 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 18, 2016, 08:59:12 PM
ECSUalum, I noticed that Derek Parker, who started last year for ECSU, is now a regular starter at Quinnipiac.   If I recall correctly, Mark Richards left last year to play at UConn.  Is this a regular thing there at ECSU?
You are correct and as mentioned earlier on this thread, Tyler Jones, a big fast forward, who scored 7 goals last year did not return.  The year mark Richards left they lost Nicolas Warren to Cal Lutheran and their So GK Greg Walton (0.62 GAA) to University of Vermont. Another promising player Konnor Scarponi also left the team Do not know if or where Tyler Jones is playing, but there seems to be a trend where some excellent, (many top LEC players), come to Eastern and then leave to other schools  ???.  A bit frustrating as most these guys should have been seniors this year or last year and would have made a huge difference in ECSU's results
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 19, 2016, 04:25:19 PM
Quote from: Sandy on September 19, 2016, 11:42:39 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 17, 2016, 03:06:49 PM
ECSU continues to play a very poor possession game!! 

That's because they don't play one. It's more of a soak pressure, play ball high and wide and whip it in for the cross with midfielders and forwards streaking in to get on the end of it type of system.
Yeah... so tell me something I do not already know!?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Sandy on September 19, 2016, 07:49:40 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 19, 2016, 04:25:19 PM
Quote from: Sandy on September 19, 2016, 11:42:39 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 17, 2016, 03:06:49 PM
ECSU continues to play a very poor possession game!! 

That's because they don't play one. It's more of a soak pressure, play ball high and wide and whip it in for the cross with midfielders and forwards streaking in to get on the end of it type of system.
Yeah... so tell me something I do not already know!?

Your posts make it seem like you expect them to keep possession when they're explicitly told not to play that way by DeVito, that's all. While it would be better if they do that, he doesn't put in the players necessary for that to happen. He'll leave more technically sound players who can keep possession and hold it up in favor of players who can run around a lot, even if it means leaving the defense exposed. It's very much a work hard and play rather than a work smart, work hard, and play type system.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 19, 2016, 07:50:53 PM
Quote from: Sandy on September 19, 2016, 07:49:40 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 19, 2016, 04:25:19 PM
Quote from: Sandy on September 19, 2016, 11:42:39 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 17, 2016, 03:06:49 PM
ECSU continues to play a very poor possession game!! 

That's because they don't play one. It's more of a soak pressure, play ball high and wide and whip it in for the cross with midfielders and forwards streaking in to get on the end of it type of system.
Yeah... so tell me something I do not already know!?

Your posts make it seem like you expect them to keep possession when they're explicitly told not to play that way by DeVito, that's all. While it would be better if they do that, he doesn't put in the players necessary for that to happen. He'll leave more technically sound players who can keep possession and hold it up in favor of players who can run around a lot, even if it means leaving the defense exposed. It's very much a work hard and play rather than a work smart, work hard, and play type system.


I'm sniffing a bitter parent.....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 19, 2016, 09:35:33 PM
Good for Trinity but feel bad for Endicott.  I enjoy watching Endicott play, even on turf which I usually can't say.  An entertaining team.  Unfortunately they'll no doubt have to beat Gordon in the tourney final to get a bid.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 19, 2016, 09:41:17 PM
Quote from: NCAC New England on September 19, 2016, 09:35:33 PM
Good for Trinity but feel bad for Endicott.  I enjoy watching Endicott play, even on turf which I usually can't say.  An entertaining team.  Unfortunately they'll no doubt have to beat Gordon in the tourney final to get a bid.


I am not so sure yet. The draw at Williams and the win v Tufts certainly will come in handy in November as I believe when all is said and done both Williams and Tufts will be regionally ranked. Losing to Trinity will sting but Trinity will not be ranked in November, so the loss will not hurt them. They still have Gordon and WPI coming up and both could possibly be regionally ranked when all is said and done. They also could go clean the rest of the way as besides Gordon , WPI and Babson they have all winnable games left.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 19, 2016, 09:51:21 PM
Carthage will probably be regionally ranked too.  I went back to see what happened in that 4-1 loss and it is 1-1 into the 78th minute.  Stats fairly even.  Carthage has beaten some other good teams.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Sandy on September 20, 2016, 02:34:17 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 19, 2016, 07:50:53 PM
Quote from: Sandy on September 19, 2016, 07:49:40 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 19, 2016, 04:25:19 PM
Quote from: Sandy on September 19, 2016, 11:42:39 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 17, 2016, 03:06:49 PM
ECSU continues to play a very poor possession game!! 

That's because they don't play one. It's more of a soak pressure, play ball high and wide and whip it in for the cross with midfielders and forwards streaking in to get on the end of it type of system.
Yeah... so tell me something I do not already know!?

Your posts make it seem like you expect them to keep possession when they're explicitly told not to play that way by DeVito, that's all. While it would be better if they do that, he doesn't put in the players necessary for that to happen. He'll leave more technically sound players who can keep possession and hold it up in favor of players who can run around a lot, even if it means leaving the defense exposed. It's very much a work hard and play rather than a work smart, work hard, and play type system.


I'm sniffing a bitter parent.....

Nah. Just a brother that happened to play for SLU, which instilled a much different, and even antithetical, play style. While fitness was important it wasn't the main thing that would get us on the field of play. I don't think I'm spouting any untruths though, especially considering I've seen them in person and have heard first hand about the instructions they're given.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 20, 2016, 03:14:18 PM
Sandy, I think you may have misinterpreted him.  I think he meant by his post that he was literally sniffing a bitter parent.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 20, 2016, 08:13:16 PM
Gordon over ECSU 1-0 in Willimantic.  ECSU only managed to get 4 shots.   

Gordon moves to 5-1-1 with a win over Tufts on their resume and the lone loss coming to Carthage (5-2, #4 in Central region).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 21, 2016, 09:19:49 PM
Wentworth hammers MIT 5-3 in Cambridge.

Most of the talk for the CCC crown has centered around Endicott and Gordon, but the Leopards definitely have a strong case. They went up 1-0 less than 10 minutes in on a nice finish after a great save by the MIT keeper and increased it to 2-0 before half. MIT pulled one back early in the second but then Wentworth hit them on the break for 3-1. MIT scored late to make it 3-2 before Wentworth counterpunched a few minutes later. They then iced the victory with a marker for 5-2 with less than 3 minutes left. MIT got another back right after, but it was too little too late.

I wouldn't say that MIT was that inferior in terms of play, as they had an equal amount of the ball and were far more effective going forward than they were against Newbury, but Wentworth was far more clinical. MIT seemed to go back and forth between a 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 in the first half, but then went with a much more attack-minded 4-4-2 in the second. Wentworth seemed to press high, and caught MIT on the counter a few times, and finished all of their big chances, whereas MIT wasn't nearly as efficient in front of goal.

MIT seemed to have a case of Babson-itis, where they play solidly as a team and do well in the back part of the pitch (except for the 5 goals) and in the midfield but simply can't finish the moves. That's the difference between having a freshman up top and Sean Bingham up top, although Perper did make some good runs and good plays - definitely one to watch for the future.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on September 26, 2016, 11:09:12 AM
As a neutral and a big New England region fan what are the games to watch this week?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 26, 2016, 01:03:57 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan20 on September 26, 2016, 11:09:12 AM
As a neutral and a big New England region fan what are the games to watch this week?

Here's two in Greater Boston:

Wheaton @ Brandeis - Tuesday, 7pm: After starting 3-0, Brandeis is 0-2-1 in its last three, so needs a win and fast. Wheaton has blown hot and cold this year. Should be a good one.

Amherst @ MIT - Wednesday, 7pm: Bovell is a defensive coach and will no doubt have men behind the ball for this under-the-lights encounter. I think Amherst will roll, but MIT could well make it interesting.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 26, 2016, 01:38:19 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan20 on September 26, 2016, 11:09:12 AM
As a neutral and a big New England region fan what are the games to watch this week?

Saturday's battle of the unbeaten between Clark and Springfield may also hold some interest.  Neither team has played an overly difficult schedule so far and this game might help establish which team is "for real."
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 26, 2016, 03:06:29 PM
Two more of potential interest:

Tuesday:  Endicott @ WPI
Wednesday:  Bowdoin @ Babson
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 27, 2016, 01:24:11 PM
That is a big game for Endicott. WPI has a small chance at possible being regionally ranked in November. If Endicott wants to keep its small Pool C chances alive they must win tonight.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 27, 2016, 01:27:46 PM
Wheaton at Brandeis tonight is another interesting one. Brandeis might come out of the gates storming the field and Wheaton will have to be ready to bend and not break. Wheaton's Frosh from Brockton is a very talented player and I also like #9 Sesay. They can score against good teams the problem is they are not good defensively. It will be interesting to see what kind of formation Cushing plays tonight at Brandeis. Historically, they are usually in a 4-3-3 but maybe a 4-2-3-1 tonight to help their GK
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 27, 2016, 01:45:26 PM
Rank      School                                Prev.   W-L-T
1   Amherst College                                    1   5-0-1
2   University Of Massachusetts-Boston      2   8-0-0
3   Middlebury College                                  3   4-0-1
4   Williams College                                      4   6-1-1
5   Clark University                                       6   8-0-0
6   Gordon College                                      NR   6-1-1
7   Springfield College                                  9   7-0-1
8   Worcester Polytechnic Institute             10   6-1-1
9   Endicott College                                      5   5-2-1
10   Tufts University                                      NR   3-2-1
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 27, 2016, 02:58:34 PM
Comments on the 9/27 regional rankings:

I have not seen Mass-Boston play this year, but their start is reminiscent of last season when they started 10-0 until losing to Babson at home.  They were not ready for prime time and finished 16-5.   They should be 10-0 again this year when they travel to Babson on 10/4.

It would have been difficult to intentionally schedule a weaker schedule than Springfield's to date.  We will get a better idea about both Springfield and Clark when they play in Worcester Saturday.

Best of the unranked New England teams:  Brandeis, Conn, Wentworth, Bowdoin.   Would anyone pick Springfield to beat any of these teams on a neutral field?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 27, 2016, 03:41:54 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 27, 2016, 02:58:34 PM
Comments on the 9/27 regional rankings:

I have not seen Mass-Boston play this year, but their start is reminiscent of last season when they started 10-0 until losing to Babson at home.  They were not ready for prime time and finished 16-5.   They should be 10-0 again this year when they travel to Babson on 10/4.

It would have been difficult to intentionally schedule a weaker schedule than Springfield's to date.  We will get a better idea about both Springfield and Clark when they play in Worcester Saturday.

Best of the unranked New England teams:  Brandeis, Conn, Wentworth, Bowdoin.   Would anyone pick Springfield to beat any of these teams on a neutral field?

To be fair, Babson was actually at home. But your point remains valid.

There are still four teams in the New England region with no losses. I would expect that to change within the next 10 days to 2 weeks.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 27, 2016, 07:53:59 PM
Already three games without a win - its worst stretch since 2010 - Brandeis went 1-0 down to Wheaton in the first half off a PK. However, the Judges hit the Lyons back with 2 goals in 42 seconds before tacking on a third. 3-1 at half. Obviously Wheaton isn't top 25 opposition, but they are capable of the big results.

Biggest thing besides scoring that Brandeis needs is defensive leadership, something which has been lacking since Lanahan graduated, as evidenced by the 0-2-1 stretch recently. That said, they are looking more solid at the back, so it's possible that they're starting to become more cohesive.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 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.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mid-Atlantic Fan on September 28, 2016, 08:24:45 AM
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
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 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.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 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...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 28, 2016, 01:11:45 PM
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.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 28, 2016, 01:13:33 PM
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.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 28, 2016, 01:21:49 PM
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.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 28, 2016, 03:00:56 PM
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.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 28, 2016, 05:14:05 PM
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.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 28, 2016, 06:02:39 PM
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.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 04, 2016, 10:27:05 AM
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
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on October 04, 2016, 02:11:58 PM
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.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 04, 2016, 03:38:47 PM
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.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 04, 2016, 04:01:29 PM
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?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 04, 2016, 04:12:28 PM
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)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 04, 2016, 04:39:52 PM
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.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 1970s NESCAC Player on October 04, 2016, 04:46:33 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 04, 2016, 04:12:28 PM
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)

Conn obviously too low in this ranking . . .
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 04, 2016, 05:10:08 PM
UMASS-Boston really has no composure. It may get them by lesser opponents but Babson has just been sitting in and inviting them to break them down and despite having chance after chance they have not had enough composure to do so. Make no mistake, Babson has played well, but they are not an Amherst/Williams/etc. and have lost three times at home this year. I thought UMB looked much more dynamic this year and overall better but just like last year's game they lost their heads once again the second they went down 1-0.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 04, 2016, 05:11:31 PM
Just as I say that, UMB ties it 1-1 on an indirect kick. Great shot, absolute blast that zoomed by the 'keeper.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 04, 2016, 05:46:58 PM
1-1 is the final. A result that both teams will likely be happy with: Babson gets a key result against a ranked opponent, while UMASS-Boston (partially) laid their Babson demons of last year to rest. Despite being outshot, Babson had several chances to go 2-0 up, and if it wasn't for the indirect kick UMB didn't look like scoring, so perhaps they'll be a bit disappointed in conceding an equalizer in the 84th minute. Either way, a good, competitive game that lived up to billing.

Side note: Babson's pitch looked awful from the feed.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 05, 2016, 09:40:16 PM
Brandeis gets its first win in a month, 2-1 at MIT. Judges went 1-0 up in the 7th minute on a goal from Jastremski - I was in the same place (and the shot was on the same goal) as Amherst's goal last week, and from my view it did appear as if he was possibly offsides, but no call. MIT tied it through Itani on a rebound after set piece shortly later. MIT was slightly the stronger in the first half without creating anything significant.

MIT kid put a really nice volley in the net midway through the second half, but the goal was waved back for offsides. Judges got a PK with 13 minutes later, definite pen, frosh GK Hoffer made a nice save on Jastremski's blast, but the player put it at a nice height, although it did have some good power. Then with 47 seconds left Flahive put in a really nice blast from 25 yards out, caught it really well, 2-1 and game. It did appear that Hoffer may have been beaten near post but the shot was very well struck so I will give him the benefit of the doubt. Judges bossed the second half for the most part and deserved the win IMHO, although it was a well-contested and competitive game. It remains to be seen if the Judges will take some confidence from this, their first win since starting the year 3-0.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 06, 2016, 11:54:06 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 04, 2016, 05:46:58 PM
1-1 is the final. A result that both teams will likely be happy with: Babson gets a key result against a ranked opponent, while UMASS-Boston (partially) laid their Babson demons of last year to rest. Despite being outshot, Babson had several chances to go 2-0 up, and if it wasn't for the indirect kick UMB didn't look like scoring, so perhaps they'll be a bit disappointed in conceding an equalizer in the 84th minute. Either way, a good, competitive game that lived up to billing.

Side note: Babson's pitch looked awful from the feed.


I did not catch the game Bloots but the Shots and SOG and Corner stats really SURPRISED me. Based on the box score which I know is not easy to judge how the game really was but based on the box score I was shocked that UMASS Boston DOMINATED Babson all over the field in stats. I am going to watch on Saturday them play UMASS Dartmouth so I can see for my own eyes what they have this year. 7pm start
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 07, 2016, 01:38:05 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 06, 2016, 11:54:06 PM
I did not catch the game Bloots but the Shots and SOG and Corner stats really SURPRISED me. Based on the box score which I know is not easy to judge how the game really was but based on the box score I was shocked that UMASS Boston DOMINATED Babson all over the field in stats. I am going to watch on Saturday them play UMASS Dartmouth so I can see for my own eyes what they have this year. 7pm start

Yeah UMB was all over Babson especially when pushing for the equalizer. The one thing that Babson had was composure and they scored with their first shot; UMB already had 9 by that point - 1 hit the bar and 1 was hacked off the line. Babson also had some periods where they had the ball and put some pressure on but UMB started to throw everything and they deserved the tie. Didn't see the foul which gave them the indirect which they scored from, it was in the box so I am guessing a backpass? Either way I think UMASS-Boston is better than last year, will be fun to see them play at MIT on the 19th.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 08, 2016, 01:52:22 PM
Wheaton up 3-0 at half over MIT. Apart from a couple of chances for MIT, Wheaton has been totally dominant. They have a few kids who can really play: Sesay is a big, physical striker who is quick too. Defense hasn't really been tested so can't tell if they've improved since losing 6-1 at Keene State, so should be a good second half.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 08, 2016, 01:54:33 PM
I like their #9 Frosh up top for Wheaton. They need a win bad for Newmac purposes and it looks like they will get one.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 08, 2016, 07:58:04 PM
0-0 Umass Boston v Umass Dartmouth....This game is pleasure to watch. Some nice skill from both team really, chippy as usual, and just some great flair on the field. I am just waiting for this ref to lose control and a fight to break out...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 08, 2016, 08:04:56 PM
1-0 Umass Boston on a left-footed RIP from 6'3 Frosh Williamson from Jamaica. He is a beast in the middle of the field, looks a tad over weight but what a strike.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 08, 2016, 08:51:08 PM
28 year old true Frosh Williamsom nets his 2nd goal and UMASS Boston up 2-0 on UMASS Dartmouth. 2nd Half has been sloppily played by both teams. UMASS Boston backs are very fast and skilled but not the mist physical and that could be a problem in the NCAA's.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 08, 2016, 08:57:26 PM
UMASS Dartmouth snags one back off a set piece header. GK needed to make that save...2-1 UMASS Boston
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 08, 2016, 09:00:40 PM
Chaos finally erupts on the field as predicted the ref has lost control. UMASS Boston Williamson took his huge elbow and whacked a Dartnouth player in the mouth. Complete chaos on the field..Gotta love it
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 08, 2016, 09:13:55 PM
Dartmouth ties it up 2-2 on a sick half-volley..UMASS Dartmouth has outplayed Boston in the 2nd Half. Now a UMASS Dartmouth player gets a straight RED for something off camera and are down to 10 men. Chippy game as predicted. You have to figure Boston will get a winner up a man but Dartmouth has outplayed them in the 2nd Half
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 08, 2016, 09:25:29 PM
This Jamaican 28 year old striker for UMASS Boston is a beast. He favors his left foot but it is extremely hard to knock him off the ball. He snags a Hat-trick to give UMASS Boston a 3-2 lead on a quick turn and strike.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 09, 2016, 01:21:11 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 08, 2016, 07:58:04 PM
0-0 Umass Boston v Umass Dartmouth....This game is pleasure to watch. Some nice skill from both team really, chippy as usual, and just some great flair on the field. I am just waiting for this ref to lose control and a fight to break out...
Absolutely agree with you on above statement, UMB pinpoint passing and creativeness, especially Kenaway, who not only is a technically skilled player, but has such great instincts.  It was like watching a game in Portugal yesterday with all the Fogo Cape Verde players and other international stars.  However, UMB STILL has to work on composure if they are going to compete with the best of NESCAC, NJAC and other conferences!!  Bottom line a wonderful passionate match to watch!!!  :)  8-)

PS Williamson looks like a linebacker in the NFL on the field!!  I think he is  6'3" 220lbs ???  VERY difficult to move him off the ball, great strength and power to his strikes!!

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on October 09, 2016, 02:59:35 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 19, 2016, 06:45:22 AM
Quote from: Ommadawn on September 18, 2016, 10:56:02 PM
Although they are feasting on less-than-stellar opponents (a 5-0 win against MIT-conquering Newbury notwithstanding), Dean College is now 7-0-0 with a clean sheet for the season (48 GF, 0 GA).  The question seems to be less whether they will run the table than whether they will be scored upon.  Does anyone know to which conference, if any, they might be headed once they complete the transition to D3 from NJCAA?



No idea but I can guarantee you they will not be able to get these JUCO type players thru admissions when they do officially join D3.

After a 2-0 loss yesterday to Maine-Fort Kent, the Dean bubble has burst.  They are now 11-1.  It will nevertheless be interesting to see where this group is headed in the ongoing transition to D3 that lies ahead.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 09, 2016, 06:05:21 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 08, 2016, 09:25:29 PM
This Jamaican 28 year old striker for UMASS Boston is a beast. He favors his left foot but it is extremely hard to knock him off the ball. He snags a Hat-trick to give UMASS Boston a 3-2 lead on a quick turn and strike.

Valeo FC lists Ocane Williamson as a former collegiate player.  He is listed as a freshman for Mass- Boston.  Does college in another country impact NCAA eligibility?  For example, if he had played one year for a college in Jamaica, would he only have 3 years of eligibility remaining here?

http://www.valeofc.com/layout_container/show_layout_tab?layout_container_id=16925486&page_node_id=1623327&tab_element_id=54984


Ocane Williamson
Former collegiate player for Kingston College in Jamaica. Also played for Rivoli United F.C. in the Jamaican premiere league in 2011. Williamson won the MSSL with Mass United in 2013. Competing with Middlesex F.C in the BSSL, Williamson led his team to the Division I title, scoring 26 goals that season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 11, 2016, 02:39:10 PM
NSCAA New England rankings (10/11/16):

1   Mass-Boston                    11-0-1
2   Amherst College                 9-1-1
3   Middlebury College             6-1-2
4   Gordon College                  9-1-1
5   Springfield College            11-0-1
6   Tufts University                   5-3-2
7   Connecticut College            8-2-0
8   Williams College                  6-2-1
9   Endicott College                  7-3-2
10   Babson College                   6-4-3

Best of the rest (no particular order):  Trinity (6-4), Clark (10-2), WPI (7-2-3), Brandeis (5-3-3), Wentworth (8-2-4)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 12, 2016, 09:21:37 PM
MIT outshot Bridgewater State 38-7 but could not score. They can't hit a barn door.  It was appalling, there were about four or five shots on which they should've scored, but they didn't even work the keeper. They were 16 shots on goal but the kid made one good save in 110 minutes - even on the gimmes they shot right at him. Boy, do they miss Bingham.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 15, 2016, 05:05:55 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 11, 2016, 02:39:10 PM
NSCAA New England rankings (10/11/16):

1   Mass-Boston                    11-0-1       L  - ECSU 1-2
2   Amherst College                 9-1-1      W - Colby 1-0
3   Middlebury College             6-1-2      T - Trinity 0-0   W - Wesleyan 2-0
4   Gordon College                  9-1-1       L - Wentworth 1-3
5   Springfield College            11-0-1      L - Babson 1-2
6   Tufts University                   5-3-2       W - Conn 1-0    W - Trinity 2-0
7   Connecticut College            8-2-0        L - Tufts 0-1
8   Williams College                  6-2-1       W - Wesleyan 2-1
9   Endicott College                  7-3-2       W - West New England 2-0   L - Babson 0-1
10   Babson College                   6-4-3        W - Springfield 2-1    W - Endicott 1-0

Best of the rest (no particular order):  Trinity (6-4), Clark (10-2), WPI (7-2-3), Brandeis (5-3-3), Wentworth (8-2-4)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 16, 2016, 08:41:16 PM
Mr.Right's Projected NCAA New England Regional Rankings on Wednesday taking into account SOS, OWP,OOWP, Road results, etc.....

This year reminds me of 2013 with a ton of parity and with most teams with multiple losses. Historically, when this happens, Nescac and UAA teams benefit because of their SOS. UMASS Boston benefits from all the road wins, Tufts with big wins, Babson with high SOS, Clark and Springfield with weak SOS, etc, etc


1.     Amherst                           11-1-0
2.     UMASS Boston                 12-1-1
3,     Middlebury                        8-1-3
4.     Tufts                                 7-3-2
5.     Babson                             8-4-3
6.     Springfield                       12-1-1
7.     Williams                            7-2-3
8.     Brandeis                           6-4-3
9.     Rhode Island College      10-3-1
10.   Bowdoin                           7-3-3
11.   Wentworth                       9-2-4
12.   Clark                                12-2-0


On the immediate cusp: Gordon, Conn College
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 17, 2016, 09:48:59 AM
Dusting off the old spreadsheet, I have also projected the first real rankings for New England.  Although they are similar to Mr. Right's projection, the major guesstimate at this point is SOS. The accuracy of the projection will increase dramatically with the first round of real SOS data.

According to the spreadsheet:

                         Winning %    Record vs ranked
1.  Amherst            0.885          3-1-1
2.  Mass-Boston      0.893        2-0-1
3.  Middlebury        0.792          1-1-1
4.  Williams             0.708          1-1-1
5.  Tufts                  0.667          3-0-0
6.  Clark                 0.857           1-2-0
7.  Wentworth        0.733          0-1-0
8.  Springfield        0.893          1-1-0
9.  Babson             0.633          3-2-2
10.  Rhode Island   0.750         0-3-0
11.  Brandeis         0.577          0-2-0 (NE only)
12.  Bowdoin         0.644          0-2-2

Next 3:  Conn, Wheaton, Gordon
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 17, 2016, 01:35:02 PM
I must say that with the committee adding some teams to each region is not helpful. 12 teams in New England is a bit much over inflated. Teams RvR are going to get over-inflated and with that being said 2-3 wins v ranked might not be enough this year. All of the predicted ranked teams are going to have multiple wins and losses for RvR. Something to watch for.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 18, 2016, 11:11:19 AM
Computer rankings 10/16

               Massey            HERO
1.  Amherst                   1.  Mass-Boston
2.  Mass-Boston           2.  Amherst
3.  Middlebury               3.  Middlebury
4.  Springfield               4.  Tufts
5.  Tufts                        5.  Springfield
6.  Williams                   6.  Rhode Island
7.  Rhode Island           7.  Bowdoin
8.  Clark                        8.  Conn
9.  Bowdoin                  9.  Gordon
10.  Conn                    10.  Brandeis
11.  Brandeis               11.  Williams
12.  Babson                 12.  Clark
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 18, 2016, 01:14:50 PM
And now the unreal NSCAA New England rankings as of 10/18/2016

1   Amherst           11-1-1
2   Middlebury         8-1-3
3   Mass-Boston    12-1-1
4   Tufts                  7-3-2
5   Williams              7-2-3
6   Babson               8-4-3
7   Springfield         12-1-1
8   Clark                  12-2-0
9   Rhode Island     10-3-1
10   Wentworth          9-2-4

It will be interesting to see if Springfield's SOS is over 0.500 and they appear in tomorrow's real rankings.

Best of the rest:  Conn, Brandeis, Gordon, WPI
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 19, 2016, 02:50:46 PM
Top NE SOS from today's data sheet:

Brandeis   0.628
Babson     0.606
Tufts         0.596
Rhode I     0.594 !
Colby        0.594
MIT          0.584
WPI          0.584
Williams    0.582
Amherst   0.577
WConn     0.576

Others:
Middlebury    0.564
Bowdoin      0.555
Conn           0.554
Mass-Boston  0.549
Clark            0.544
Gordon        0.517
Wentworth  0.502
Springfield  0.499
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 19, 2016, 03:08:14 PM
REAL rankings for New England 10/19/2016
                                     W-L          SOS
1.   Amherst                11-1-1      .577
2.   UMass Boston        12-1-1      .549
3.   Clark (MA)             12-2-0      .544
4.   Middlebury             8-1-3      .564
5.   Rhode Island         10-3-1      .594
6.   Williams                 7-2-3      .582
7.   Babson                  8-4-3      .606
8.   Tufts                     7-3-2     .596
9.   WPI                       7-2-4     .584
10.   Conn                   8-4-0     .554
11.   Coast Guard        8-3-2     .545
12.   Bowdoin              7-3-3     .555


No Springfield with their .499 SOS.   Also missing is Wentworth  (9-2-4, .502) and Brandeis (6-4-3, .628)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on October 19, 2016, 03:33:50 PM
I'm not saying that I think this will happen, but if Brandeis can win out against against Clark (#3 in New England), Lasell, Emory (#6 in South Atlantic), Rochester (#1 in East), and NYU, they will end the season at 11-4-3 overall, a potential 5-1-3 against regionally ranked opponents, and one of the highest SOS in the country.

Is there a chance that will be enough for a Pool C birth? Asking for a friend :-\
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 19, 2016, 03:49:53 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on October 19, 2016, 03:33:50 PM
I'm not saying that I think this will happen, but if Brandeis can win out against against Clark (#3 in New England), Lasell, Emory (#6 in South Atlantic), Rochester (#1 in East), and NYU, they will end the season at 11-4-3 overall, a potential 5-1-3 against regionally ranked opponents, and one of the highest SOS in the country.

Is there a chance that will be enough for a Pool C birth? Asking for a friend :-\

YES, but that also presumes teams like Clark and Emory STAY regionally ranked into the 3rd and 4th weeks.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 19, 2016, 05:49:35 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 19, 2016, 03:08:14 PM
REAL rankings for New England 10/19/2016
                                  W-L       SOS  W%*SOS
1.   Amherst                11-1-1      .577        .510
2.   UMass Boston        12-1-1      .549        .490
3.   Clark (MA)             12-2-0      .544        .466
4.   Middlebury             8-1-3      .564        .447
5.   Rhode Island         10-3-1      .594        .446
6.   Williams                 7-2-3      .582        .412
7.   Babson                  8-4-3      .606        .384
8.   Tufts                     7-3-2     .596        .397
9.   WPI                       7-2-4     .584        .404
10.   Conn                   8-4-0     .554        .369
11.   Coast Guard        8-3-2     .545        .377
12.   Bowdoin              7-3-3     .555        .363


No Springfield with their .499 SOS.   Also missing is Wentworth  (9-2-4, .502,  .368) and Brandeis (6-4-3, .628,  .362)

Multiplying the  winning % by the SOS comes close to reproducing the first rankings.   I suspect this will be less true going forward as RvR is introduced and head to head and R v Common opponents are more carefully considered.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on October 19, 2016, 08:16:32 PM
Fun game so far between Brandeis and Clark. Deis is really taking it to them, but as has been the theme all year they are lacking creativity in the offensive 3rd and just CANNOT finish. Clark is working very hard and putting up a strong defensive front.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on October 19, 2016, 08:31:14 PM
1-0 Brandeis on a pretty questionable PK, miss, and then follow up.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 19, 2016, 08:32:41 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on October 19, 2016, 08:31:14 PM
1-0 Brandeis on a pretty questionable PK, miss, and then follow up.

Tuned in about 30 seconds prior to the PK award. Good timing on my part, I guess. :)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 21, 2016, 06:20:04 PM
Trying to figure out how Babson is ahead of Tufts in the RRs. They are 6-0-2 in their last 8 which is impressive but they are 1-3-2 vs. ranked teams, the best result of which was a 1-1 with NE #2 UMB. They also downed Brandeis but while a good win they are not ranked. Tufts meanwhile has a 3-0 RvR with wins over NE #1 and NE #4. Sure they dropped a couple of games at the start of the year but they are 5-0-1 in the last 6.

I will say that Babson plays the toughest non-conference schedule of the NEWMACs IMHO but their conference opposition is not nearly as difficult, illustrating the NESCACs superiority to other NE conferences (I'm not a NESCAC supporter - just stating facts.) The funny thing is that I think they are more likely to win the NEWMAC if they are on the road rather than hosting, as they've won the last two times they've traveled (2014 @ Wheaton and 2015 @ MIT) while losing at home in 2011 and 2012.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 21, 2016, 08:31:07 PM
RvR is not a criteria for the first week of Regional Rankings (no previous rankings = no ranked opponents).  Something to keep in mind when looking at this first week of rankings and trying to think through why teams are ordered as they are.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 1970s NESCAC Player on October 21, 2016, 08:39:14 PM
Bloots nevertheless raises a good point.  Yes, the regional committee is not looking at RvR in Week 1, but Tufts' recent performances alone would suggest that they belong ahead of Babson . . .
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 22, 2016, 10:40:41 AM
You guys mention "recent performance", but that is not a criteria by default.  The manual says:
Quote"Should a committee find that evaluation of a team's won-lost percentage during the last 25 percent of the season is applicable (i.e., end of season performance), it may adopt such criteria with approval from the championships committee."
I don't know if men's soccer committee has requested and gotten approval for looking at the last 25% of the season.  And even if they have approval for this, I'm not sure if it can be construed to mean the last 25% at the season to date, versus the plain interpretation of it being the last 25% of the full season at the time of at-large selections (i.e. at the time of the final rankings).

So RvR didn't factor in and I don't think recent performance factored in either.  I know that my impression from following this stuff for the last decade plus is that recent performance is not given extra weight, at least not significantly so.  Of course, my impression may be wrong.

Now I'm not arguing who is better or deserves to be ranked higher, just trying to say that given the criteria the committee does and does not use, Babson being ahead of Tufts might be "correct".  The introduction of RvR criteria next week could very well change that.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2016, 11:12:02 AM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on October 22, 2016, 10:40:41 AM
Now I'm not arguing who is better or deserves to be ranked higher, just trying to say that given the criteria the committee does and does not use, Babson being ahead of Tufts might be "correct".  The introduction of RvR criteria next week could very well change that.

Certainly I don't know the criteria exactly, and they may well have been "correct" for whatever reason - Babson does have more wins than Tufts at this moment. All I'm saying is that I found it to be a bit counterintuitive (to me personally) that a team with high-quality wins over nationally ranked opponents (one home and one away) was ranked below a team whose "best" result this year versus a nationally ranked team was a draw at home.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 22, 2016, 12:04:44 PM
In the eyes of the NCAA committee, there are no nationally ranked teams, because other polls and rankings are not taken into consideration.  So forget about wins over nationally ranked opponents if you want to understand the NCAA regional rankings.

Here are the primary criteria from page 22 of the 2016 Division III Soccer Pre-Championships Manual (http://www.d3soccer.com/ncaa-publications/2016/2016-NCAA-Division-III-Soccer_Pre-Championships-Manual.pdf):
Quote● Won-lost percentage against Division III opponents
● Division III head-to-head competition
● Results versus common Division III opponents
● Results versus ranked Division III teams as established by the rankings at the time of selection
● Division III strength of schedule (SOS = 2/3 OWP + 1/3 OOWP)

Going through that list:
● Tufts had a better winning pct. .667 to .633
● Tufts and Babson did not play head-to-head
● They had two common opponents: Brandeis and Endicott.  Both defeated Brandeis 1-0, but Babson defeated Endicott 1-0 while Tufts lost to Endicott 0-1. (Now Tuft's games were both away while both were home games for Babson, but nothing in the criteria says that gets taken into consideration.)
● As already mentioned, results versus ranked teams (RvR) isn't in play for the first weekly rankings. 
● Babson had a slightly better SOS, .606 to .596

Since recent performance isn't a criterion, it comes down to winning pct. (advantage Tufts), results vs. common opponents (advantage Babson), and SOS (slight advantage Babson).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 22, 2016, 12:28:15 PM
The NCAA committee publishes their criteria in each year's Pre-Championship Manual (http://www.d3soccer.com/ncaa-publications/2016/2016-NCAA-Division-III-Soccer_Pre-Championships-Manual.pdf), D3soccer.com shares that criteria each year here (http://www.d3soccer.com/columns/christan-shirk/2016/the-rankings-that-matter) and here (http://www.d3soccer.com/rankings/2016/about).  So if you want to understand the NCAA regional rankings, the most important thing to do is familiarize yourself with the criteria that the committee is charged with applying. My impression is that the committee applies the criteria rather literally and strictly, avoiding subjectivity/discernment as much as possible so that they have an iron-clad objective justification for their rankings and at-large selections. So, if you want to understand their regional rankings and eventual at-large selections, you really need to put out of mind all other factors that are not listed as primary criteria (recent performance, national rank in the D3soccer.com and NSCAA polls, results versus teams ranked nationally by D3soccer.com or NSCAA, etc.,).

We all to one degree or another probably disagree with the criteria being used and/or how it seems like SOS and wins vs. ranked teams are too heavily weighted.  And so we will all have disagreements with the committee about who should be ranked and where, about who we think is most deserving of a shot at the NCAA tournament, etc.  I'm right there with you all.  But if you know and understand the criteria being used by the committee, on the whole, it's usually not too difficult to see how their rankings come out as they do.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2016, 12:37:20 PM
I agree with all this but am I correct in saying that the Week 2 RR usually see some big changes because of the RVR?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 1970s NESCAC Player on October 22, 2016, 01:31:28 PM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on October 22, 2016, 12:28:15 PM
The NCAA committee publishes their criteria in each year's Pre-Championship Manual (http://www.d3soccer.com/ncaa-publications/2016/2016-NCAA-Division-III-Soccer_Pre-Championships-Manual.pdf), D3soccer.com shares that criteria each year here (http://www.d3soccer.com/columns/christan-shirk/2016/the-rankings-that-matter) and here (http://www.d3soccer.com/rankings/2016/about).  So if you want to understand the NCAA regional rankings, the most important thing to do is familiarize yourself with the criteria that the committee is charged with applying. My impression is that the committee applies the criteria rather literally and strictly, avoiding subjectivity/discernment as much as possible so that they have an iron-clad objective justification for their rankings and at-large selections. So, if you want to understand their regional rankings and eventual at-large selections, you really need to put out of mind all other factors that are not listed as primary criteria (recent performance, national rank in the D3soccer.com and NSCAA polls, results versus teams ranked nationally by D3soccer.com or NSCAA, etc.,).

We all to one degree or another probably disagree with the criteria being used and/or how it seems like SOS and wins vs. ranked teams are too heavily weighted.  And so we will all have disagreements with the committee about who should be ranked and where, about who we think is most deserving of a shot at the NCAA tournament, etc.  I'm right there with you all.  But if you know and understand the criteria being used by the committee, on the whole, it's usually not too difficult to see how their rankings come out as they do.

FW, no one here is arguing with you or suggesting that the NCAA is misapplying their own criteria.  We only suggest based on personal observation that Tufts appears to be a better team than Babson.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 22, 2016, 04:47:43 PM
My apologies if that was the intended suggestion.  When blooter442 wrote that he is "trying to figure out how Babson is ahead of Tufts in the RRs" combined with throwing out RvR's (that don't yet exist), I took as (1) a question about how the committee arrived at the relative ranking of the two teams, and (2) potentially less than a full understanding of the criteria being used by the committee. I would probably also opine that Tufts is better than Babson at the moment, and if I had understood that to be the ascertain I wouldn't have had anything to interject here. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 1970s NESCAC Player on October 22, 2016, 07:57:31 PM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on October 22, 2016, 04:47:43 PM
My apologies if that was the intended suggestion.  When blooter442 wrote that he is "trying to figure out how Babson is ahead of Tufts in the RRs" combined with throwing out RvR's (that don't yet exist), I took as (1) a question about how the committee arrived at the relative ranking of the two teams, and (2) potentially less than a full understanding of the criteria being used by the committee. I would probably also opine that Tufts is better than Babson at the moment, and if I had understood that to be the ascertain I wouldn't have had anything to interject here.

Understood.  We know and respect you. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2016, 08:16:06 PM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on October 22, 2016, 04:47:43 PM
My apologies if that was the intended suggestion.  When blooter442 wrote that he is "trying to figure out how Babson is ahead of Tufts in the RRs" combined with throwing out RvR's (that don't yet exist), I took as (1) a question about how the committee arrived at the relative ranking of the two teams, and (2) potentially less than a full understanding of the criteria being used by the committee. I would probably also opine that Tufts is better than Babson at the moment, and if I had understood that to be the ascertain I wouldn't have had anything to interject here.

FW you are definitely correct that I wanted to know and did not understand the process fully, but as 1970s NESCAC Player stated ultimately my comment was a tongue-in-cheek reference to how I would have done things if I had control of the rules/process. Regardless, I do appreciate the explanation! It certainly clears up my confusion.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2016, 08:35:42 PM
On the subject of Babson, for what it's worth, they won again today against WPI, 2–0. They have not lost since September 18, which is impressive, and may well be in for a shout for a Pool C should they failed to win the NEWMAC. That said, I do think that Tufts would be chosen over them in a "one bid left" situation, especially with RvR coming into play for this week's (and subsequent) RRs, as while Babson beat a ranked opponent today Tufts did too and is 4–0 RvR.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 23, 2016, 03:17:53 PM
Projected week 2 "REAL" rankings for New England. (spreadsheet updated using SOS numbers from first data sheet)

1.  Amherst
2.  Mass-Boston
3.  Tufts
4.  Rhode Island
5.  Williams
6.  Babson
7.  Brandeis
8.  Clark
9.  Middlebury
10.  Conn
11.  Coast Guard
12.  WPI

next 3:  Bowdoin, Gordon, Endicott

Springfield (14-1-1) does not appear in the top 15 due to sub .500 SOS.  If their SOS was .510, the spreadsheet would have them in position #10.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 23, 2016, 04:09:15 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 23, 2016, 03:17:53 PM
Projected week 2 "REAL" rankings for New England. (spreadsheet updated using SOS numbers from first data sheet)

1.  Amherst
2.  Mass-Boston
3.  Tufts
4.  Rhode Island
5.  Williams
6.  Babson
7.  Brandeis
8.  Clark
9.  Middlebury
10.  Conn
11.  Coast Guard
12.  WPI

next 3:  Bowdoin, Gordon, Endicott

Springfield (14-1-1) does not appear in the top 15 due to sub .500 SOS.  If their SOS was .510, the spreadsheet would have them in position #10.





Mr.Right's Projected Week 2 New England Rankings:

1. Amherst
2. UMASS Boston
3. Tufts
4. Babson
5. Rhode Island College
6. Middlebury
7. Williams
8. Brandeis
9. Clark
10. Conn
11. Bowdoin
12. Endicott


No way Midd drops from #4 to #9 because of 1 unranked loss. Unranked losses do not matter as much as ranked ones. Williams will not jump a spot because of a 1-1-0 record for the week plus a horrific RvR. Brandeis better hope Wash U stays ranked because after losing today I do not see a legit win on Wash U's resume. Babson with a high SOS will keep moving up. Bowdoin will not drop off the rankings because they of a draw with a ranked team. Coast Guard for me should never be there and they will drop off along with WPI. Endicott sneaks on after a big win over Wentworth and a pretty good SOS.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on October 23, 2016, 07:08:39 PM
Looking forward to the Endicott v Gordon game on Tuesday... As a close follower of the CCC I have to say these two are still the favorites... Gordon's loss to Wentworth last week was mind boggling to me but Wentworth pressed smartly and scored two set piece goals... Endicott then goes on to beat Wentworth 2-0 with their defense looking rock solid and very athletic... The leopards wanted no part of the game... Im giving Gordon the slight edge Tuesday because of offensive talent but the Gulls back line and keeper definitely have a chance to shut them down... This game is big for playoff seeding as EC needs a result to clinch the one seed...
Thoughts on the CCC?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 23, 2016, 08:34:25 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan20 on October 23, 2016, 07:08:39 PM
Looking forward to the Endicott v Gordon game on Tuesday... As a close follower of the CCC I have to say these two are still the favorites... Gordon's loss to Wentworth last week was mind boggling to me but Wentworth pressed smartly and scored two set piece goals... Endicott then goes on to beat Wentworth 2-0 with their defense looking rock solid and very athletic... The leopards wanted no part of the game... Im giving Gordon the slight edge Tuesday because of offensive talent but the Gulls back line and keeper definitely have a chance to shut them down... This game is big for playoff seeding as EC needs a result to clinch the one seed...
Thoughts on the CCC?

Should be exciting. I personally thought Gordon would roll this year, as they brought back 80% of their goals and Spoonhour, who is a good GK. I know Wentworth had a good year last year but didn't think they would be challenging for the CCC, but they are impressive and have some good pace. Endicott though was perhaps underrated going into this year and has done reasonably well.

Based on sheer experience and overall talent, I'd give Gordon a slight edge as favorites for the CCC. That said, they have two teams right on their heels ready to punish them if they slip up.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: oldonionbag on October 24, 2016, 02:40:51 PM
Unrelated to the conversation above (sorry Bloots), but take a look at the ball put into the box at the minute mark by UMass Boston.  An absolutely beautiful ball and passage of play all around. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7pg_pMN2TA
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 24, 2016, 11:33:48 PM
Also, in the highlights notice how HARD it is to take Williamson off the ball...He is a beast just not totally fit IMO but UMASS Boston is going to get a good pod on the 1st Weekend of the NCAA's. The question is will they host? Because they do not technically have a home field. They better pray whoever is hosting will be on turf as I feel UMASS Boston is a total turf team.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on October 26, 2016, 01:34:41 PM
With the second week of NCAA rankings looming, who do we think has a shot in the NE region for an at-large? Assuming the likes of Amherst, Umass Boston, Babson win their conference. How many teams from this region will be selected, 4/5? Any teams under the radar that could sneak into the tournament that aren't necessarily talked about enough?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 26, 2016, 01:50:05 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan20 on October 26, 2016, 01:34:41 PM
With the second week of NCAA rankings looming, who do we think has a shot in the NE region for an at-large? Assuming the likes of Amherst, Umass Boston, Babson win their conference. How many teams from this region will be selected, 4/5? Any teams under the radar that could sneak into the tournament that aren't necessarily talked about enough?

I think the one that sticks out right now is RIC because of the decent to good SoS..  And will be interesting to see what happens with Springfield.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 26, 2016, 03:25:42 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 23, 2016, 03:17:53 PM
Projected week 2 "REAL" rankings for New England. (spreadsheet updated using SOS numbers from first data sheet)

     Projected                   Actual 10/26    SOS
1.  Amherst                1.  Amherst               .565
2.  Mass-Boston          2.  Tufts                     .604
3.  Tufts                      3.  Mass-Boston         .537
4.  Rhode Island         4.  Clark                    .541
5.  Williams                 5.  Middlebury           .566
6.  Babson                  6.  Rhode Island        .579
7.  Brandeis                7.  Babson                 .614
8.  Clark                     8.  Brandeis               .637
9.  Middlebury            9.  Williams               .595
10.  Conn                  10.  Conn                   .558
11.  Coast Guard       11.  Coast Guard       .547
12.  WPI                    12.  WPI                     .574

next 3:  Bowdoin, Gordon, Endicott

Springfield (14-1-1) does not appear in the top 15 due to sub .500 SOS.  If their SOS was .510, the spreadsheet would have them in position #10.

Observations:
-  Bowdoin dropped out of the rankings after ties with ranked Williams and ranked Conn
-  Clark remains ranked ahead of Babson and Brandeis despite losing to both
-  Williams beats Hamilton but loses to #2 Tufts and drops 3 spots - below Babson who they beat head to head
-  Middlebury beats Colby-Sawyer and loses to unranked Bates and drops only 1 spot

Clark and Middlebury appear to be ranked too highly.  Of course Midd followed their loss to Bates with a loss to Williams, so they will drop.   Clark is 4-3 in their last 7 games during which time they have not beaten anyone with a winning record.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 27, 2016, 12:18:23 AM
Well Midd only dropped to #5 because of the unranked loss to Bates. After the ranked loss to Williams and if they lose again to Williams on Saturday they are "cooked"...In fact the loser of the Williams v Midd game on Saturday will be definitely OUT. Williams still has work to do as I think they must get to the Nescac Final to get a Pool C. Midd might have a slight chance if they draw Williams and lose in PK's but I really doubt it.

Clark is a total mystery. They lose to Babson and Brandeis but with WPI and Coast Guard still MYSTERIOUSLY ranked Clark's RvR looks good. Their SOS does not and if I were them I would make sure to beat Springfield which also at 14-1-1 will really boost Clark's SOS and OWP.

Brandeis gets a well deserved #8 ranking and their season has PLENTY OF LIFE LEFT...They really need 2 wins v Emory and UR this weekend. That is a HUGE ASK but doable. Even 1-0-1 against them really helps their already impressive SOS and OWP and RvR. I really think they are on the bubble but control their own destiny.  Ah if only they could have held onto that 1-0 lead at Chicago with 15 minutes left 2 weeks ago....They would be a lock

The LEC is getting 2 teams into the dance IMO. UMASS Boston's SOS and RvR is weak but even if they lose in their conference tournament they are IN. RIC, I think needs to win that #2 v #3 game and get into the LEC Finals to get a bid but they should be all set.

Both Amherst and Tufts are locks in Nescac. Williams and Midd are on the bubble and Conn would need to get to the Nescac Final to get on the bubble. You have to figure Bowdoin will once again be ranked next Wednesday with that big Win v Tufts yesterday but somehow they will have to win at Tufts on the turf Saturday or their season is over. To bad because they are playing VERY WELL IMO right now.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: maineman on October 27, 2016, 11:12:45 AM
Is Glaser going to be available for Midd against Williams in the playoff game?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 27, 2016, 11:53:07 AM
Quote from: maineman on October 27, 2016, 11:12:45 AM
Is Glaser going to be available for Midd against Williams in the playoff game?




That is the BIG QUESTION MARK......It could be his final game and he is a decently tough kid so I would imagine he will want to play even if he is 85%....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 29, 2016, 04:35:14 PM
Oct 26 regional rankings and blemishes since 10/23:

1.  Amherst             
2.  Tufts                   - two L's to Bowdoin, now 9-5-2
3.  Mass- Boston      - T Keene St
4.  Clark                  -  L to Wheaton
5.  Middlebury         -  L to Williams
6.  Rhode Island
7.  Babson
8.  Brandeis
9.  Williams             -  L to Midd, now 9-4-3
10.  Conn                -  L vs Hamilton, now 10-5-1
11.  Coast Guard     -  L to Springfield and L to Mass-Dartmouth now 9-5-3
12.  WPI                  - L to MIT
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 29, 2016, 09:44:17 PM
Projected New England rankings based on games through today:

                                W-L        %       SOS
1.  Amherst           14-1-1    .906     .565
2.  Mass-Boston     15-1-2    .889     .537
3.  Rhode Island    14-3-1    .806     .579
4.  Babson             11-4-3    .694     .614
5.  Brandeis             9-4-3    .656     .637
6.  Middlebury       10-3-3    .719     .566
7.  Bowdoin             9-3-4    .688     .557
8.  Tufts                   9-5-2    .625     .604
9.  Williams             9-4-3     .656     .595
10.  Clark              14-4-0     .788    .541
11.  Springfield     16-1-1     .917    .480
12.  Conn              10-5-1     .656    .558

Next 3:  Endicott, WPI, Wheaton
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 30, 2016, 05:28:04 PM
Mr.Right's Project New England Regional Rankings:

1. Amherst
2. UMASS Boston
3. Brandeis
4. Babson
5. Rhode Island College
6. Tufts
7. Bowdoin
8. Midd
9. Williams
10. Clark
11. Endicott
12. Conn




FW,

Remember when the committee used to say if your SOS is under .500 you cannot get a Pool C? Is that still going on? Also, I forget ir you are under .500 SOS can you even be Regionally Ranked?  What are the 2016 rules on this and what are the future rules going to be on this? I remember about 5 years ago this was the rule.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 30, 2016, 05:40:20 PM
Heat to head competition is one of the five primary critera used for rankings.  Consequently:

I would be quite surprised if Tufts is ranked directly ahead of Bowdoin given that they lost to Bowdoin in head to head play TWICE in the last week.

Similarly, Brandeis and Babson should be very close, BUT Babson beat Brandeis in their only meeting.

Lastly, when considering Middlebury and Bowdoin:
   - Middlebury has a better won-loss %
   - Middlebury has a better SOS
   - Middlebury beat Bowdoin
Middlebury should be ranked ahead of Bowdoin.

One more thought, I was tempted to also drop Rhode Island because of their RvR, but that hasn't changed since last week and the committee did not drop them then.  Otherwise, I would agree that they should be below both Brandesi and Babson.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 30, 2016, 05:58:49 PM
Hard to keep up with the  R v R with teams dropping out and teams coming in but by my count Brandeis has 6 wins (John Carroll got ranked last week).  By the 4th week Babson will lose Coast Guard and WPI.  UMass-Boston also only 1-0-1.  And Brandeis has an enormous SoS.

Wonder if the order of the NESCACs will go Midd, Bowdoin, Tufts.  Very, very close and Tufts has the 4 ranked wins.  And are they above or below RIC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 30, 2016, 06:00:30 PM
You could be right but they are looking at the FULL season not just the past week. For that, I think Tufts does stay ahead of Bowdoin but it will be very interesting who the Top 8 in New England will be and more importantly the order of the Top 8. I think we can AGREE on one thing the committee will surprise us with something that makes no sense at all.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 30, 2016, 06:43:17 PM
With Midd at 10-3-3 and 3-2-1 R V R I'm gonna predict it goes Midd, Tufts, Bowdoin.  I think Bowdoin has to get a result vs Amherst. And I think Midd may have to beat Hamilton to stay ahead of Tufts.  And RIC probably needs another ranked win which they aren't gonna get unless they win the AQ which makes that moot.  Babson could use another ranked win as well.  Will be interesting to see who the last couple of ranked teams are this week.  Endicott seems like a strong possibility.  Maybe Wheaton?  Would hope for Springfield but don't think that is going to happen unless SoS gets over .510 which seems unlikely.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 30, 2016, 06:50:26 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 30, 2016, 05:40:20 PM
Similarly, Brandeis and Babson should be very close, BUT Babson beat Brandeis in their only meeting.

It is interesting to wonder what will happen. Babson did defeat Brandeis and has a slightly better WP, but Brandeis' RvR was better than Babson last week (3-3-2 vs. 2-3-2, and that's without the Emory or Rochester wins) and their SoS was significantly superior (.614 vs. .637), so you have to wonder what weight the committee gives each piece of primary criteria. I personally would guess that WP would reign supreme, and that - combined with the H2H win - would mean that Babson would be ranked above Brandeis, but it is evident that teams with good RvR and SoS have been rewarded in the past, so I can't say for sure.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 30, 2016, 07:04:12 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 30, 2016, 05:28:04 PMFW,

Remember when the committee used to say if your SOS is under .500 you cannot get a Pool C? Is that still going on? Also, I forget ir you are under .500 SOS can you even be Regionally Ranked?  What are the 2016 rules on this and what are the future rules going to be on this? I remember about 5 years ago this was the rule.

It was 2010 when they implemented a .500 SOS threshold for the regional rankings (on what basis was never clear), but it created such a reaction when an undefeated Dominican and undefeated Swarthmore were left out of the first weekly rankings.   A week later they had already abandoned the threshold and Dominican and Swarthmore, despite ironically both picking up their first losses that week, were ranked #3 in the Mid-Atlantic and #2 in the Central regions.  As far as I know, they didn't try that again until possibly two years ago in 2014 when it seemed very suspiscious that Luther went from #2 in the North region in week 1 with a.518 SOS to unranked in Week 2 after winning a pair of games by shutout but seeing their SOS drop just below .500.  It was posted that the committee denied any threshhold was being used.  So officially, there is no .500 SOS threshold.  Now whether there is an unwritten, unspoken one at work, . . . . .
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 31, 2016, 12:19:34 PM
NOTE:  It could be quite possible that the Little East gets 3 teams into the NCAA's. If ECONN or WCONN win the LEC tournament they would steal the AQ. UMASS Boston and RIC who I have seen about 2-3 times are dangerous sides and IMO will get Pool C's. However, an organized side like ECONN and a up and coming WCONN have the potential to win 2 games and grab the AQ. Bubble teams should be keeping an eye on this league and hope for no upsets. I think RIC will get by WCONN but ECONN and UMASS Boston will be an interesting one. UMASS Boston has more talent, skill and a nasty striker and nasty CM. That being said, ECONN can be extremely organized  and very hard to break down. They have already beaten UMASS Boston 2-1 this year and are a tremendously FIT team. They will run all day. My issue from a distance is Coach DeVito seems to be overly negative and can get really down on his players. He is a good coach but I think needs to be a bit more positive with his players and he might get even more from them. Hence all the transfers, etc... Conn's Murphy has the same reputation.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 31, 2016, 08:04:53 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 31, 2016, 12:19:34 PM
NOTE:  It could be quite possible that the Little East gets 3 teams into the NCAA's. If ECONN or WCONN win the LEC tournament they would steal the AQ. UMASS Boston and RIC who I have seen about 2-3 times are dangerous sides and IMO will get Pool C's. However, an organized side like ECONN and a up and coming WCONN have the potential to win 2 games and grab the AQ. Bubble teams should be keeping an eye on this league and hope for no upsets. I think RIC will get by WCONN but ECONN and UMASS Boston will be an interesting one. UMASS Boston has more talent, skill and a nasty striker and nasty CM. That being said, ECONN can be extremely organized  and very hard to break down. They have already beaten UMASS Boston 2-1 this year and are a tremendously FIT team. They will run all day. My issue from a distance is Coach DeVito seems to be overly negative and can get really down on his players. He is a good coach but I think needs to be a bit more positive with his players and he might get even more from them. Hence all the transfers, etc... Conn's Murphy has the same reputation.
Well stated Mr Right!!  ECSU has an uphill battle, playing away, (much better team on their home grass field) and the fact that UMB's coach and players will want to atone for the early season loss!  In addition ECSU is not a particularly good post season performer and just does not have anybody that can finish this year.  I would be more concerned with RIC as they would like to dump UMB after last years exit in the LEC finals.  My prediction RIC for LEC champs!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 01, 2016, 12:47:38 PM
the NSCAA unReal rankings for 11/1/16:

1   Amherst            14-1-1
2   Mass-Boston      15-1-2
3   Middlebury         10-3-3
4   Babson               11-4-3
5   Brandeis             10-4-3
6   Springfield          16-1-1
7   Williams                9-4-3
8   Rhode Island      14-3-1
9   Bowdoin               9-3-4
10   Endicott           12-5-2

Also receiving votes: Tufts (1)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 02, 2016, 03:16:17 PM
They're here.  The real 11/2 New England rankings

1.  Amherst
2.  Mass- Boston
3.  Babson
4.  Brandeis
5.  Tufts
6.  Middlebury
7.  Rhode Island
8.  Clark
9.  Williams
10.  Bowdoin
11.  Endicott
12.  Wheaton

Surprises:  Tufts only fell to #5 and Clark only to #8.

Rhode Island dropped due to 1-3 RvR and Springfield (16-1-1) is still absent due to their awful .493 SOS.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 02, 2016, 03:30:11 PM
One question - when they say a team's record vs. ranked, that is derived using the previous week's statistics, correct?

By my count Brandeis is 5-4-1 against teams ranked this week but the data sheet on D3soccer.com shows 6-3-2 RvR. All of Brandeis' (10-4-3) four losses have been to ranked teams this week (Babson, Chicago, Tufts, Wheaton) as well as 1 draw (Carnegie Mellon) but they have 5 ranked wins (Clark, Emory, Haverford, Rochester, WashU). Can someone clarify?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on November 02, 2016, 03:33:21 PM
The RvR is based on teams ranked last week.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 02, 2016, 04:20:25 PM
Here is a cut and paste from http://www.d3soccer.com/rankings/2016/regional-rankings-Nov-2

NEW ENGLAND REGION (data sheet)
Rank      School      Division III   Overall    SOS     RvR    Prev.
1.   Amherst              14-1-1        14-1-1        0.570     3-1-1     1
2.   Mass-Boston       15-1-2        15-1-2        0.534      1-0-1      3
3.   Babson              11-4-3        11-4-3        0.599      3-3-1      7
4.   Brandeis              10-4-3        10-4-3        0.604      6-3-2      8
5.   Tufts                    9-5-2           9-5-2       0.605       5-0-0      2
6.   Middlebury            10-3-3       10-3-3       0.578       2-2-1      5
7.   Rhode Island        14-3-1        14-3-1        0.570      1-3-0      6
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
8.   Clark                    14-4-0        14-4-0        0.545      3-2-0      4
9.   Williams                 9-4-3            9-4-3         0.604      2-4-0      9
10.   Bowdoin                 9-3-4          9-3-4        0.571      2-2-3      --
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.   Endicott               12-5-2        12-5-2        0.554      1-2-2       --
12.   Wheaton                10-6-2          10-6-2      0.576      3-2-1      --

I have arbitrarily added a "no chance of a Pool C bid" double line and a "Pool C chances are remote" single line to the rankings.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on November 02, 2016, 04:46:05 PM
The data sheets are compiled Monday after the deadline for teams posting their scores to the NCAA database.  The new rankings obviously aren't out yet, so they can't compute a RvR based on rankings that do not exist yet.  So, it is based on the rankings at the time.


Base on last week's rankings, Brandeis' RvR is 6-3-2 as follows:

WINS: John Carrol (#8 Great Lakes), Haverford (#4 Mid-Atlantic), Wash. U. (#3 Central), Clark (#4 New Eng.), Emory (#6 So. Atl.), Rochester (#3 East)

LOSSES: Babson (#7 New Eng.), Tufts (#2 New Eng.), Chicago (#1 Central)

TIES: WPI (#12  New Eng.), Carnegie Mellon (#7 Great Lakes)


However the WPI tie drops off for the final rankings replaced by the loss to Wheaton, and the win vs. John Carroll goes away. So their RvR for at-large berth discussions will become 5-4-1 as follows:

WINS: Haverford (#4 Mid-Atlantic), Wash. U. (#3 Central), Clark (#8 New Eng.), Emory (#7 So. Atl.), Rochester (#3 East)

LOSSES: Babson (#3 New Eng.), Wheaton (#12 New Eng.), Tufts (#5 New Eng.), Chicago (#1 Central)

TIES: Carnegie Mellon (#2 Great Lakes)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 02, 2016, 04:49:27 PM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on November 02, 2016, 04:46:05 PM
The data sheets are compiled Monday after the deadline for teams posting their scores to the NCAA database.  The new rankings obviously aren't out yet, so they can't compute a RvR based on rankings that do not exist yet.  So, it is based on the rankings at the time.


Base on last week's rankings, Brandeis' RvR is 6-3-2 as follows:

WINS: John Carrol (#8 Great Lakes), Haverford (#4 Mid-Atlantic), Wash. U. (#3 Central), Clark (#4 New Eng.), Emory (#6 So. Atl.), Rochester (#3 East)

LOSSES: Babson (#7 New Eng.), Tufts (#2 New Eng.), Chicago (#1 Central)

TIES: WPI (#12  New Eng.), Carnegie Mellon (#7 Great Lakes)


However the WPI tie drops off for the final rankings replaced by the loss to Wheaton, and the win vs. John Carroll goes away. So their RvR for at-large berth discussions will become 5-4-1 as follows:

WINS: Haverford (#4 Mid-Atlantic), Wash. U. (#3 Central), Clark (#8 New Eng.), Emory (#7 So. Atl.), Rochester (#3 East)

LOSSES: Babson (#3 New Eng.), Wheaton (#12 New Eng.), Tufts (#5 New Eng.), Chicago (#1 Central)

TIES: Carnegie Mellon (#2 Great Lakes)

Thanks for the clarification, FW. While 4 ranked defeats seems like a lot, 5 ranked wins is pretty solid, so - given that the Judges were 5-4-3 in mid-October - things seem to look better for them at this point, if nothing else.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 02, 2016, 07:36:37 PM
Another tough ending for Endicott, losing in PKs.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 02, 2016, 09:12:36 PM
Wow.  What a play by Wentworth late in 2OT.  Wentworth knocks off Gordon.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 02, 2016, 11:51:12 PM
Didn't see the game but I guess UMASS Boston means business winning 7-2 over ECONN....They will play RIC in the LEC Final who being ranked #7 in New England is most definitely a BUBBLE team. A draw will see them into the NCAA's, a loss and they will be sweating. Should be a great final
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 03, 2016, 01:09:31 AM
After watching the highlights of the UMASS Boston v ECONN match I was impressed. The 3rd goal by Wiliiamson was an absolute beauty of a one-timer and UMASS Boston dominated the whole game. ECONN did not show up and frankly their GK was a complete DISASTER.  Morales who scored the 2nd goal from 30 yards out was a shot that a GK must save and it looked like ECONN caved and kind of gave up as they realized they were just no match tonight for UMASS Boston. I wonder if UMASS Boston applied to host or if they are allowed to considering they are not playing on "their" home field. If they can stay on Boston College's carpet they are going to be a tough out for anyone including any Nescac side. Williamson is a man among boys and it showed in this game. He looks a lot more fit than he did a month ago and still favors that cannon of a left foot but is also ok with his right foot. It will be interesting to see what kind of pod they get and when they play better offensive teams how their GK and defense holds up. Their defense is skilled but not overly physical.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 03, 2016, 01:32:56 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on November 02, 2016, 04:20:25 PM

                                                         Starters lost
1.   Amherst              14-1-1               8            Lose 4 of their top 6 scorers
2.     Mass-Boston        16-1-2             2            Return their top 3 scorers
3.   Babson              11-4-3                 3           Lose their leading scorer but return the rest of their top 6.
4.   Brandeis              10-4-3               5           Lose 4 of their top 6 scorers.
5.   Tufts                    9-5-2                  6           Lose their top scorer (42% of goals)
6.   Middlebury            10-3-3             7          Lose 3 of their 5 top scorers
7.   Rhode Island        14-3-1               5           Lose only 1 of their top 6 scorers but lose 5 starters (mainly backs and GK)
8.   Clark                    14-4-0               3           Return 4 their top 6 scorers.
9.   Williams                 9-4-3               7           Lose 3 of their top 5 scorers
10.   Bowdoin                 9-3-4             3           Return 5 of their top 6 scorers
11.   Endicott               12-5-2              2            Return their top 13 scorers
12.   Wheaton                10-6-2             2          Return 5 of their 6 top scorers

Since its never to early to look ahead to next year. 

It looks like UMass-Boston, Babson, Rhode Island, Clark, Endicott and Wheaton all return a lot of strength.  Bowdoin looks good to compete with Amherst for NESCAC supremacy.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 05, 2016, 09:25:50 AM
The Wheaton-Babson game due to start in about an hour should be a good one.  If you look at Wheaton's overall resume they may be under-ranked regionally.  Good SOS and RvR of 3-1 (as of today with chance to go to 4-1).  Wins over RUN, Brandeis and Clark.  6 losses is high but overall blemishes of 7 is very much in line with the throng of Pool C contenders in New England and elsewhere.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2016, 10:48:02 AM
Just tuned in....1-1 Babson v Wheaton...Not sure what I missed but a 10:30am start is a bit much. No reason not to start this game at 11am.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2016, 10:51:04 AM
Looks like Babson scored 3 minutes in when everyone was still asleep. One of Wheaton's best players #15 Sesay gets a goal back to make it 1-1. Bubble teams better hope Babson wins the AQ because they will be getting a Pool C either way.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2016, 11:18:29 AM
Looks like it will go into halftime 1-1 Babson v Wheaton. I have seen Babson with a dangerous chance off a ste piece that Wheaton's GK coughed up right in front of him and were lucky to clear it out. Wheaton's GK looks suspect 1st half. Otherwise, seems like a pretty even game so far from what I have seen
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2016, 12:28:12 PM
Babson and Wheaton heading to OT at 1-1. wheaton had the better of the play 2nd Half and have had numerous set pieces to try to snag a goal but they do not look threatening on set pieces.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2016, 12:53:32 PM
Wheaton(MA) defeats Babson in 2 OT on a nice rebound finish. Honestly, they deserved to win the game and I thought played much better than Babson on the day. Wheaton just has more dangerous weapons offensively. Babosn will still get a Pool C but just BURST someone's bubble. Wheaton all of a sudden has 4 ranked wins and will play the winner of Clark / Springfield tomorrow.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2016, 03:44:55 PM
WOW.....Brandeis losing to NYU 1-0 with about 10 minutes left....They are ranked #4 in New England with an over .600 SOS and 5-6 ranked wins should be good enough if the score holds but this is one result I would not have predicted. Brandeis has been playing so well and controlled their own destiny and NYU has nothing to play for. Now if they lose they might be on the bubble depending upon how far they drop in the rankings
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2016, 03:47:12 PM
Springfield and CLark in the 2nd Newmac Semi-Final are knotted up at 2-2 heading to OT. The stats tell me Springfield has dominated the game but I have not watched any of it yet. will be catching the OT...Both teams MUST advance and trying to advance for the right to play Wheaton(MA) in the Newmac Final.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2016, 07:11:17 PM
Springfield ends Clark's fairy tale season and will meet Wheaton in the Newmac final tomorrow. It should be a very good and even match. Clark kind of imploded to end the season and really should not have been regionally ranked this past week.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2016, 07:13:21 PM
Big game just tarted for RIC at UMASS Boston. With all the upsets around the country RIC might need the AQ...Still being #7 in New England is usually very ,uch on the bubble so a draw and loss in PK's might work..UMASS Boston has a bud wrapped up either way and this game has turned into a rivalry game the past 3-4 years. Should be a good one
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2016, 07:17:13 PM
Barros scores on a header off a great Kenawy feed and UMASS Boston takes an early 1-0 lead over RIC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2016, 07:21:03 PM
RIC lets UMASS Boston know they are going nowhere as Dogbey equalizes for RIC...Both these teams can score but can they be disciplined enough to defend especially against the better teams in the region.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 06, 2016, 12:57:25 PM
Springfield and Wheaton(MA) about to get under way at Babson for the Newmac AQ. Should be a good even game as these two sides drew 2-2 in the regular season at Springfield. If Wheaton can stay organized and disciplined defensively they will have a great chance to win the game. Springfield also has some dangerous weapons going forward like Wheaton so whichever team makes the fewest mental mistakes will win the game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 06, 2016, 01:21:32 PM
Springfield goes up 1-0 off a Pk...Plenty of time left
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 06, 2016, 01:44:17 PM
Wheaton ties up the game 1-1 v Sprinfield almost Halftime. Wheaton scores on a own goal. They are dominating the game and possessing nicely since the Springfield goal. Should be a great finish
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 06, 2016, 01:48:43 PM
Springfield up 2-1 now after a fluke goal. Wheaton really needs to bear down and FOCUS. To many mental mistakes defensively. Still they have the talent offensively to make it a game 2nd Half
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 06, 2016, 02:28:36 PM
Springfield still holding onto its 2-1 leadd with about 30 minutes left  in the game. Springfield starting to time waste and their backs are WHACKING everything in sight. Very ugly..Wheaton startin to push but have not had anything dangerous as of yet to knot the game up. WOW...Wheaton Head Coach Matt Cushing gets a 2nd yellow and is now escorted out of the game on a RED....He is not happy with the ref and possibly did it to ENERGIZE his team to get the tying goal..
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 06, 2016, 02:50:09 PM
Springfield still holding on with a 2-1 lead over Wheaton with about 10 minutes to go. If Wheaton cannot get it done today they should feel VERY good for 2017 as they only have 4 seniors on the roster and only 1 if them is a significant loss. They are very young and with a few new recruits brought into the program they would have to be considered the favorites for Newmac in 2017.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 06, 2016, 02:57:19 PM
Springfield now up 3-1 with 8 minutes left and that should do it as Wheaton is down to 10 men. Springfield lets the committee know that hey you might not rank us because of a poor SOS but we are 18-1-1 and  we will just go ahead and win the AQ. They have some offensive weapon but are an ugly team to watch as they really do not try to possess much and their backs hoof everything. They might cause some problems for a better team in the 1st Round of the NCAA's but depending on who they play they should not be to much of a problem for a better side.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: soccer_603_207 on November 06, 2016, 03:04:52 PM
Is it looking like Umass Boston and Saint Joseph's College of Maine are going to face off? interesting with their Head Coach being a former Asst. at UMB before heading up to Maine.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 06, 2016, 03:15:12 PM
Quote from: soccer_603_207 on November 06, 2016, 03:04:52 PM
Is it looking like Umass Boston and Saint Joseph's College of Maine are going to face off? interesting with their Head Coach being a former Asst. at UMB before heading up to Maine.

We have no idea if they will face off....Possibly but not definite. St.Joseph's(ME) had a very nice quiet good season and won the league by beating a decent Norwich side in PK's. UMASS Boston should have a very favorable pod in the NCAA 1st/2nd Round but again the question remains did they apply to host in the NCAA's on BC's field which they used for their 4-5 home games.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 07, 2016, 02:04:18 PM
New England Pool C selections:

Babson
Brandeis
Tufts

NOT selected:

Middlebury
Rhode Island
Wheaton
Bowdoin
Williams
Clark

First round games of note:

Tufts vs. Springfield   (winner likely plays Rowan)
Mass-Boston vs. Kean   (winner likely plays Haverford)

Daniel Webster vs Worcester St (winner plays Amherst)

Babson vs. St Joes (Maine)
Brandeis vs.  Western New England   (setting up rematch with Babson)

Amherst and Babson host first weekend games
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 07, 2016, 02:49:32 PM
Tufts vs. Springfield
   Common opponents:  Tufts 5 - Keene St 1,   Springfield 4 - Keene St 0
   Springfield is a difficult team to play.  I have compared them to Amherst in terms of style, and Tufts handled Amherst 3-0 this year, so this might be a match-up favorable to the Jumbos.

Daniel Webster vs. Worcester St
   Common opponents:   DW 2 - Mithcell 0,     WS 4 - Mitchell 2
                                      DW 2 - Elms 0,          WS 6 - Elms 0
                                      DW 0 - Nichols 0,       WS 1 - Nichols 2
                                      DW 3 - Pine Manor 2,  WS 2 - Pine Manner 0
                                      DW 6 - Becker 0,        WS 4 - Becker 1
   Daniel Webster signature win:  DW 2 - Endicott 0
   Daniel Webster should be a slight favorite in this one.

Babson vs. St. Josephs (Me)
   Common opponents:  none
    St. Josephs has only given up 7 goals in 21 games.  Signature win:  St Joes 1 - Colby 0

Brandeis vs. Western New England
   Common opponents:  Brandeis 4 - Wheaton 5,  WNE 1 - Wheaton 2
                                     Brandeis 1 - Clark 0,        WNE 1 - Clark 2
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Brother Flounder on November 07, 2016, 04:03:21 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on November 07, 2016, 02:49:32 PM
Tufts vs. Springfield
   Common opponents:  Tufts 5 - Keene St 1,   Springfield 4 - Keene St 0
   Springfield is a difficult team to play.  I have compared them to Amherst in terms of style, and Tufts handled Amherst 3-0 this year, so this might be a match-up favorable to the Jumbos.

Daniel Webster vs. Worcester St
   Common opponents:   DW 2 - Mithcell 0,     WS 4 - Mitchell 2
                                      DW 2 - Elms 0,          WS 6 - Elms 0
                                      DW 0 - Nichols 0,       WS 1 - Nichols 2
                                      DW 3 - Pine Manor 2,  WS 2 - Pine Manner 0
                                      DW 6 - Becker 0,        WS 4 - Becker 1
   Daniel Webster signature win:  DW 2 - Endicott 0
   Daniel Webster should be a slight favorite in this one.

Babson vs. St. Josephs (Me)
   Common opponents:  none
    St. Josephs has only given up 7 goals in 21 games.  Signature win:  St Joes 1 - Colby 0

Brandeis vs. Western New England
   Common opponents:  Brandeis 4 - Wheaton 5,  WNE 1 - Wheaton 2
                                     Brandeis 1 - Clark 0,        WNE 1 - Clark 2

Is the Tufts game on turf or grass?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 08, 2016, 07:43:57 PM
Prediction time for New England teams:

Daniel Webster 2 - Worcester St 1

DW is 8-1 in their last 9 games (outscoring opponents 29-6) including a win over Endicott.  Howerver, DW plays in one of the weakest conferences in the country.  DW is #221 in the Massey and #217 in the Hero Sports rankings while WS is #157 in Massey and #156 in Hero (who knew the rankings were so consistent?).   I am picking the Eagles of Daniel Webster to prove a point against the Lancers.

Babson 1 - St Josephs (Maine) 0

St. Josephs enters the game with a 19 game unbeaten streak - they have only lost once all year while outscoring their opponents 40-7.  St. Josephs has not surrendered a goal in the first half of any game all season and have given up only 1 goal in their last 10 games.  They are numbers #134 and # 116 in the Massey and Hero rankings.     Babson is #37 and #39.  The Beavers are not a dynamic offensive team but are very cohesive defensively.   Babson scores early and holds on to silence the Monks.

Brandeis 2 - Western New England 1

Brandeis surged late winning 5 of the last 6 outscoring the opposition 10-2.  Brandeis is #40 in both the Massey and Hero rankings, while Western New England is #124 in both.  WNE put up 35 goals on the year, but they surrendered 34.  Remillard is dangerous for WNE, but Brandeis is too strong.  The Judges lock up the Golden Bears attack.

Tufts 2 - Springfield 2 (Tufts advances on PKs)

Tufts finished the season with a pair of 1-2 losses to Bowdoin.   Of course Tufts also finished the 2014 season with two blemishes before running the table and wining the national championship, but they had better not take Springfield lightly.  Springfield scored an impressive 69 goals on the season and play an aggressive, attacking style that is ugly most of the time.  They are not out to win a possession game, and Alvaro is dangerous from anywhere.  Tufts is #16 and #10 respectively on Massey and Hero.  Springfield is #8 on Massey and #16 on Hero.   This could be an entertaining early game that, based on rankings, maybe should have been a sweet 16 match.   

Mass- Boston 3  - Kean  1

Mass-Boston is the real deal.  They scored 68 goals on the season, and have a premier forward in Ocane Williamson (17 goals) supported by Mohamed Kenawy (16 goals).  Mass-Boston is #12 in Massey and #4 in Hero.   Kean is #36 and #43, but they stumble into the tournament with only 1 win in their last 4 games having surrendered 12 goals in that stretch.  The Beacons will be just peachy v. Kean.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 08, 2016, 08:46:08 PM
Mr.Right's New England Predictions:

Worcester St v Daniel Webster----As Off Pitch said Daniel Webster plays in a very weak league. Worcester State should have better athletes and I think they get the job done rather easily....2-0 Worcester St

Babson v St.Josephs(ME)-------I have not seen St.Joseph's(ME) play this year but they did beat Nescac foe Colby 1-0 an impressive win for their program. If Babson plays like they did against Wheaton(MA) in the Newmac Semi's they will be in trouble. I think Babson can be an offensively challenged team so if St.Joseph's plays compact and deep all game they can get a goal maybe on the counter or take the game to PK's. In years past, before Anderson's son who was a stud striker they have gotten upset by weaker teams at home when hosting. This is another one of those IMO...0-0 Draw St.Joe's in PK's.

Brandeis v WNEC--------Brandeis has been playing very well lately besides a one off loss to NYU. The biggest shock in New England circles was WNEC winning the CCC League. They beat out better sides in Endicott, Gordon and Wentworth and they won the Final 4-1. Still, WNEC is not the WNEC of old and not a good enough side to hang with a re-focused Brandeis side.  Brandeis 3-1

Tufts v Springfield--------I cannot agree with Off Pitch that this game has 4 goals in it. Springfield will sit deep and whack everything in sight. Again, they are a poor man's Amherst. They do have enough quality in midfield and forward to snag a goal but it would need to be off the counter. Tufts will dominate possession but will struggle to score in this game but I do not see Springfield breaking down a quality Tufts workmanlike defensive side.Tufts 1-0

UMASS Boston v Kean--------Toughest game to predict for me because I have not seen Kean play this year and I am not familiar with how they play. UMASS Boston has definite talent but Kean has been battle tested in the NJAC. UMASS Boston's conference just does compare to Kean's in quality but it does compare in chippy play. This is UMASS Boston's 3rd straight trip to the NCAA's so they know what they are getting into. Kean most likely thought their season was finished a week ago and would be surprised if they practiced last week more than twice. I think this game is a toss-up and if Kean is a physical side with physical strikers then UMASS Boston's defense will be in trouble because they are fast and skilled but not physical an their GK is average at best. Kean 3-2
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 09, 2016, 09:38:50 AM
Quote from: Off Pitch on November 08, 2016, 07:43:57 PM
Prediction time for New England teams:

Daniel Webster 2 - Worcester St 1

DW is 8-1 in their last 9 games (outscoring opponents 29-6) including a win over Endicott.  Howerver, DW plays in one of the weakest conferences in the country.  DW is #221 in the Massey and #217 in the Hero Sports rankings while WS is #157 in Massey and #156 in Hero (who knew the rankings were so consistent?).   I am picking the Eagles of Daniel Webster to prove a point against the Lancers.


I didn't know much about the Daniel Webster program, so I looked it up and this could be their last game ever as the school is closing at the end of the school year.  Given that, it would be pretty cool for Daniel Webster to advance to the second round.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on November 09, 2016, 12:47:48 PM
One of Daniel Webster's top players is Kevin Herrera, former NE Revolution Academy and USYNT pool player.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 1970s NESCAC Player on November 09, 2016, 03:27:16 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on November 09, 2016, 12:47:48 PM
One of Daniel Webster's top players is Kevin Herrera, former NE Revolution Academy and USYNT pool player.

Noticed that he is their leading scorer as a freshman.  Hopefully will find a good landing spot for next year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 09, 2016, 04:22:34 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on November 09, 2016, 12:47:48 PM
One of Daniel Webster's top players is Kevin Herrera, former NE Revolution Academy and USYNT pool player.

Is he the same Kevin Herrera that was a freshman at UMass Lowell in 2015?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on November 09, 2016, 05:50:49 PM
Quote from: OldNed on November 09, 2016, 04:22:34 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on November 09, 2016, 12:47:48 PM
One of Daniel Webster's top players is Kevin Herrera, former NE Revolution Academy and USYNT pool player.

Is he the same Kevin Herrera that was a freshman at UMass Lowell in 2015?

Yes, one and the same.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 2xfaux on November 09, 2016, 06:32:28 PM
So this kid is a hired gun being used by a D-3 school and a failed for profit school.  Please tell me that I am wrong.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: oldonionbag on November 11, 2016, 09:36:26 AM
Tufts University interview with captains and Shapiro -- note Shapiro's comments re: the Nescac getting snubbed. Couldn't agree more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi1_3unYseE
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Brother Flounder on November 11, 2016, 09:49:34 AM
Quote from: oldonionbag on November 11, 2016, 09:36:26 AM
Tufts University interview with captains and Shapiro -- note Shapiro's comments re: the Nescac getting snubbed. Couldn't agree more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bi1_3unYseE

Bag, thanks for the link. Shapiro is spot on.  Class act.   It is pretty surprising that 2 teams only got in.  One way to look at it is to look at the top 6 teams in each conference.  That will show you how tough and deep the NESCAC is....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 11, 2016, 10:59:46 AM
Quote from: 2xfaux on November 09, 2016, 06:32:28 PM
So this kid is a hired gun being used by a D-3 school and a failed for profit school.  Please tell me that I am wrong.


LOL..."hired gun" is a bit much but this for profit school is closing its doors soon. To be Honest I thought they would cancel all athletics immediately followin their announcement of closing..
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: onetouch on November 11, 2016, 04:44:48 PM
Thanks for sharing the Shapiro link.  What a great  job he has done with that program.

I certainly think Nescac should have had another bid (the women got 5!), but I do find myself longing for the Nescac soccer of 5+ years ago.  The league is more defensive and less entertaining to watch.  While the players are fine with plenty of talent, it has been hard to watch programs like Williams, with a history of creative, dynamic attacking play, evolve into playing grind it out, defensive soccer.

Nothing wrong with it, I just don't feel  compelled to rearrange my weekends around it, and I think the league's reputation suffers as a result.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 12, 2016, 11:07:58 AM
Babson and St.Joseph's(ME) about 15 minutes in and it is a pretty even game with Babson having a chance or 2 to score. I must say St.Joseph's is a decent t eam that Babson might have trouble scoring against today. Congrats to their 2nd year Head Coach Adrian Dubois for turning this once dormant program around with apparently a couple good recruiting classes. It says he played at UNH and was an assistant coach at UC San Diego and UMASS Boston before getting the job.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 12, 2016, 03:00:41 PM
Just landed at Logan, the Babson result was one I absolutely didn't see coming...props to Mr.Right for calling that, spot on!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 12, 2016, 03:47:10 PM
UMass Boston 3-0 over Kean in Haverford PA.  Ed Barros with 2 and Kenawy with one.  Shot/shots on goal/CK pretty even.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 13, 2016, 09:57:48 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on November 12, 2016, 03:47:10 PM
UMass Boston 3-0 over Kean in Haverford PA.  Ed Barros with 2 and Kenawy with one.  Shot/shots on goal/CK pretty even.


Great win for UMASS Boston and they deserved it. UMASS Boston played well but Kean disappointed me but this game was closer than the scoreline suggests. They will have their hands full at Haverford today but like I said a week ago it is doable if they play their "A" game and if Williamson / Kenawy can get the 1st goal of the game it would make a HUGE difference. UMASS Boston play best when teams are chasing the lead and sending players forward to try to score. They really take advantage with numbers going forward and have done this all year. The only game they really chased was the Babson and ECSU games. The Babson game they chased and equalized but in the ECSU game they failed to finish. If they have to chase this game they will be in trouble IMO. 1ST GOAL IS KEY IN THIS GAME TODAY
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on December 08, 2016, 01:30:48 PM
A look at this year's NE teams in the final NSCAA top 25.

1. Tufts: I don't think many of us saw the Jumbos making a second run to the NCAA title this year, as the team didn't have headliners like Santos, Williams, Hoppenot, etc. when they won in 2014. What they did prove, however, was their ability to get results, and that is a testament to both Shapiro and his coaching ability as well as the players' desire and hunger. Thinking about next year, Tufts doesn't lose a ton in terms of numbers, but the graduation losses are big: Greenwood in net, who has been the best goalkeeper the program has ever seen; Sullivan, who developed from an initially shaky defender into a solid CB who did well in this year's postseason run; Zach Halliday, who has been a four-year starter if I'm correct; Lawson, who started this year in midfield and did well enough; Becherano, the surprise-AA who supported the squad while Majumder was out; and Majumder, who first made his name as a sophomore scoring in the 4-2 win over Wheaton in the national final and became one of the best strikers in the NESCAC. Even so, the Jumbos do return a decent amount, including Weatherbie, Coleman, McMillian, Kevin Halliday, and a number of other players who I'm sure I'm forgetting. The one Jumbo I think will be one to watch is Tasker. Everyone was talking about Rojas coming into this year as the Tufts freshman to watch, and he did well, but Tasker really shone throughout the year and I think will be a force to be reckoned with as he adjusts to the college game. Braun is also an imposing player and I think he'll continue to progress as he gets older. What's impressive about the Jumbos is that, in addition to having a very deep team this year, they bring in these guys who, in my observation, didn't have a lot of fanfare – guys like Becherano, Lawson, Najjar, etc. – and get them to develop into solid players who are integral parts of the team. It will be tough to repeat next year considering the sheer magnitude of graduation losses, but if there's anything we've learned these past three years, it's that you can never count out the Jumbos.

4. Brandeis: The first UAA team to get to the Final 4 since 2006, the Judges lose a decent amount to graduation, including both CBs in Brito and Robinson, as well as wingers Jastremski and Vieira. Those are big losses but the one coup for Brandeis is that – much like his brother and fellow All-American – Josh Ocel will return in 2017 for a medical hardship season, as he missed the entirety of his freshman year. He has been the engine that has driven the Judges the past two years, and having him back will be huge. Additionally, Brandeis returns its two other center mids in Hernandez and Miskin, and that midfield is – I think – as good as you'll find in New England. There will certainly be holes defensively and up top, as losing both wingers and both CBs will be tough, but strikers Allen and Flahive and wing backs Sam Vinson and Stephen DePietto have proven capable, and will surely help lead whomever comes in for the Judges. In the past few years, Brandeis has transformed from solely playing an aesthetically-pleasing style to basing its game on a possession style but being able to grind out results, and I think that trend might continue next year.

10. Amherst: The Jeffs won the NESCAC title this year, and looked to be primed to make a run to the Final 4 before being bounced by Brandeis in the NCAA Sweet 16 on PKs. I do think it's fair to say that this year's Amherst team was not quite as strong as the 2015 National Champion side, so perhaps it isn't that surprising that they came back to earth a bit this year. Much like Tufts and Brandeis, Amherst's sheer number of graduation losses isn't that huge, but they do lose key players: Aoyama, Bean, Lehnhart, Ciambella, Orozco, and Martin, as well as guys like Sisk and Sood who didn't get all the press but were key contributors to Amherst's success. I think having Hlinomaz back will be huge for Amherst, as he gives the Jeffs a target man who is quick and agile. Zojaji and Lind both had good freshman years, and Amherst returns a good amount of talent elsewhere, so I expect them to be strong once again.

15. UMASS-Boston: It is unfortunate that the Haverford debacle happened to UMB, because the Beacons were really starting to gather some credibility as a top New England team. Kenawy had a good year and I like Cunha and Martinez a lot. The biggest issue I see for UMASS-Boston has nothing to do with graduation, as they only lose 7 players out of 32, but the collateral resulting from the frankly inexcusable behavior that was encapsulated at Haverford that calls into question the Beacons' credibility as a program, which could certainly hurt recruiting/etc. I assume Williamson will never be allowed to play in the NCAA again, and would be disappointed to find out otherwise. To rehash a point I made earlier, while I do respect the work he's done in getting in "non-traditional" students, I do not think Beverlin is mature enough to be an NCAA head coach. From a talent perspective, though, I think there's no telling what UMB can achieve if they stay healthy and keep their composure.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: letsGOswans! on December 08, 2016, 06:44:17 PM
How is Amherst's number of graduation losses not big? They lose their whole starting midfield and defense, + Martin. Don't underestimate the loss of Tuft's Halliday. He will be VERY hard to replace.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on December 08, 2016, 06:50:47 PM
Quote from: letsGOswans! on December 08, 2016, 06:44:17 PM
How is Amherst's number of graduation losses not big? They lose their whole starting midfield and defense, + Martin. Don't underestimate the loss of Tuft's Halliday. He will be VERY hard to replace.

I said they lose a number of key players; I think that speaks more to your point re: the two banks of four than losing 9 seniors. Agree about Halliday, he was the only returner in the Tufts midfield this year and I think they will miss him a lot.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on December 08, 2016, 08:53:09 PM
After an illustrious career at Brandeis that spanned 44 yearsr, it was announced today that Coven is retiring (http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/msoc/2016-17/releases/CovenRetires).

Obviously I am biased, but I have nothing but good things to say about this man. Moreover, I never played for him, as I was never more than a rec league player, but he treated me like one of his own. A class act. From the day I met him - I was out shooting on the Brandeis turf when he came over and introduced himself - I could tell that he had special relationships with his players. They genuinely loved playing for him and he genuinely loved coming to practice. I'd thought that maybe he was retiring based on the gossip, and that belief was strengthened by how emotional he was during his post-game Final 4 presser - you got the sense that it was the last time he'd do it.

1976 National Champions, four Final 4s, and five consecutive NCAA appearances in his last five years. Most importantly, the impact he's had on his players and the friendships he's forged with his fellow coaches, even those of his rivals - a few weeks ago  I saw him joking with Anderson, a guy whom he considers a good friend - are unique. I think Margolis will do a great job as head coach, as he has been the tactical mind for the last 10 years and is an excellent coach and recruiter, and I'm excited to see how the Judges do with him at the helm.

So long, Mike Coven. You will be missed.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 1970s NESCAC Player on December 09, 2016, 09:39:00 AM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 08, 2016, 08:53:09 PM
After an illustrious career at Brandeis that spanned 44 yearsr, it was announced today that Coven is retiring (http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/msoc/2016-17/releases/CovenRetires).

Obviously I am biased, but I have nothing but good things to say about this man. Moreover, I never played for him, as I was never more than a rec league player, but he treated me like one of his own. A class act. From the day I met him - I was out shooting on the Brandeis turf when he came over and introduced himself - I could tell that he had special relationships with his players. They genuinely loved playing for him and he genuinely loved coming to practice. I'd thought that maybe he was retiring based on the gossip, and that belief was strengthened by how emotional he was during his post-game Final 4 presser - you got the sense that it was the last time he'd do it.

1976 National Champions, four Final 4s, and five consecutive NCAA appearances in his last five years. Most importantly, the impact he's had on his players and the friendships he's forged with his fellow coaches, even those of his rivals - a few weeks ago  I saw him joking with Anderson, a guy whom he considers a good friend - are unique. I think Margolis will do a great job as head coach, as he has been the tactical mind for the last 10 years and is an excellent coach and recruiter, and I'm excited to see how the Judges do with him at the helm.

So long, Mike Coven. You will be missed.

I've known Mike since 1971 when he was the coach at Newton South High School (I went to Newton North).  I played for him in the old BAYS leagues and then he recruited me at Brandeis.  I ultimately decided to go to Colby, but I worked at his soccer camps throughout college.  I would have played on his 1976 national championship team, and I became friendly with some of his players who worked at the camp, including Cleveland Lewis (Carl's older brother), who was a terrific player.  Mike and I have remained friends over the years, and we would run into each other regularly at recruiting events where my kids were playing.  Fortunately, I had a chance to congratulate him recently at Amherst after Brandeis advanced on PKs, where he once again reminded me that I should have gone to Brandeis.  Congratulations on a legendary career Mike, and I hope we can catch up again on some pitch in the future!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Brother Flounder on December 09, 2016, 09:39:16 AM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 08, 2016, 08:53:09 PM
After an illustrious career at Brandeis that spanned 44 yearsr, it was announced today that Coven is retiring (http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/msoc/2016-17/releases/CovenRetires).

Obviously I am biased, but I have nothing but good things to say about this man. Moreover, I never played for him, as I was never more than a rec league player, but he treated me like one of his own. A class act. From the day I met him - I was out shooting on the Brandeis turf when he came over and introduced himself - I could tell that he had special relationships with his players. They genuinely loved playing for him and he genuinely loved coming to practice. I'd thought that maybe he was retiring based on the gossip, and that belief was strengthened by how emotional he was during his post-game Final 4 presser - you got the sense that it was the last time he'd do it.

1976 National Champions, four Final 4s, and five consecutive NCAA appearances in his last five years. Most importantly, the impact he's had on his players and the friendships he's forged with his fellow coaches, even those of his rivals - a few weeks ago  I saw him joking with Anderson, a guy whom he considers a good friend - are unique. I think Margolis will do a great job as head coach, as he has been the tactical mind for the last 10 years and is an excellent coach and recruiter, and I'm excited to see how the Judges do with him at the helm.

So long, Mike Coven. You will be missed.
Congrats on a great career!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on December 09, 2016, 10:11:17 AM
Yes Coven was very well respected in all coaching circles. He is actually better known for being an absolutely hilarious character and also it is very well known that I would bet 90% of his players LOVED playing for him which you do not find these days. He was one of the last remaining New England legends of coaching from the old days to hang on. This list includes Coven, Gooding, Russo, Saward, Butcher, Serdjinian, Haley, etc. The press release makes me laugh because that is the same AD that wanted him OUT about 10 years ago and nearly did oust him. With the help of all his peers and the pressure they put on Brandeis to keep him he stayed and was actually given a full time assistant. That full time assistant was Gabe Margolis and he has his fingerprints all over that program now. He basically saved the program with his tireless recruiting because this was something Coven needed big time help with. The job will open up publicly but it has to be a given it will go to Margolis. If it doesn't that would be a terrible mistake but we all know there can be administrators that can be completely clueless and AD's that think they know best. Nothing is a given but this I think will be.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on December 09, 2016, 11:07:10 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 09, 2016, 10:11:17 AM
Yes Coven was very well respected in all coaching circles. He is actually better known for being an absolutely hilarious character and also it is very well known that I would bet 90% of his players LOVED playing for him which you do not find these days. He was one of the last remaining New England legends of coaching from the old days to hang on. This list includes Coven, Gooding, Russo, Saward, Butcher, Serdjinian, Haley, etc. The press release makes me laugh because that is the same AD that wanted him OUT about 10 years ago and nearly did oust him. With the help of all his peers and the pressure they put on Brandeis to keep him he stayed and was actually given a full time assistant. That full time assistant was Gabe Margolis and he has his fingerprints all over that program now. He basically saved the program with his tireless recruiting because this was something Coven needed big time help with. The job will open up publicly but it has to be a given it will go to Margolis. If it doesn't that would be a terrible mistake but we all know there can be administrators that can be completely clueless and AD's that think they know best. Nothing is a given but this I think will be.

He is hilarious. As the sports editor of the newspaper I got many great one liners and sound bites from him, some of which shouldn't be reproduced here. ;) Regardless, in my experience he was always respectful of his opponents, and never let the result of any one game get to him too much. I know that regardless of how this season went results-wise he also really enjoyed (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdg0I5lCsi4) having a kid from Team IMPACT this year, and they brought him along for the ride for the NCAA run through the Final 4 (https://www.instagram.com/p/BNiJcLFh7PC/?taken-by=brandeisjudges), which I thought was awesome, so I think this season was a great way for him to go out. (The first link I shared is a video which features a number of great Coven soundbites, including the end where he asks the kid "You hungry? Let's eat!")

My favorite memory was from a BBQ he was having in the parking lot with the Brandeis parents before the Rochester game a few years back. He was eating a cheeseburger and some chips and I said "hey coach, that doesn't seem like a very nutritious pre-game meal."

He turns and looks at me and goes "hey [bloots], f*** you!"

My friends laughed, and I did too – it was hilarious.

Technically the AD at the time 10 years ago is no longer the AD, as she was promoted and Lynne Dempsey, who was the Associate AD, became AD earlier this year. I have interacted with her much more than former AD Sheryl Sousa so I can't speak to her directly but I don't disagree with you that he was under some heat 10 years ago.

Coven himself has said publicly that Margolis would take over when he retires, so I think it's about as close to being a given as can be.

Quote from: 1970s NESCAC Player on December 09, 2016, 09:39:00 AM
I've known Mike since 1971 when he was the coach at Newton South High School (I went to Newton North).  I played for him in the old BAYS leagues and then he recruited me at Brandeis.  I ultimately decided to go to Colby, but I worked at his soccer camps throughout college.  I would have played on his 1976 national championship team, and I became friendly with some of his players who worked at the camp, including Cleveland Lewis (Carl's older brother), who was a terrific player.  Mike and I have remained friends over the years, and we would run into each other regularly at recruiting events where my kids were playing.  Fortunately, I had a chance to congratulate him recently at Amherst after Brandeis advanced on PKs, where he once again reminded me that I should have gone to Brandeis.  Congratulations on a legendary career Mike, and I hope we can catch up again on some pitch in the future!

That's a great story – thanks for sharing. It seems like he remembers every player's name, hometown, what their parents did for work, what their cousin was famous for in the 1980s, etc. Apparently he wrote handwritten letters to his recruits as recently as 2012, which is pretty incredible given how seldom most of us (perhaps I'm a bad example as a millennial) handwrite things these days.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on December 09, 2016, 11:56:05 AM
I'll chime in as well.  Kind of hard to wrap one's head around how special and unique it is to have a 44 year career at one place, whether in D3 soccer or really in any area in life.  This last half-decade or so at Brandeis really could not have gone any better in terms of Coven putting his final signature on his career.  And he always as far as I can tell has given Margolis tremendous credit for the program resurgence and for re-energizing and influencing him.  It does seem that he is beloved by his players and that he does not take that for granted.  And to have Brandeis now among the most elite soccer programs in the country is quite the accomplishment.  Brandeis obviously is right smack in the middle of NESCAC-land.  In general, I wouldn't consider Brandeis a competitor with NESCAC schools as Brandeis would seem to attract a different kind of student.  I think of Brandeis (and Holy Cross) as the two New England schools similar in academic reputation to the NESCACs but not necessarily big overlaps with them.  Brandeis is well-known for being 50% or more Jewish and also for having a proud history of focusing on social justice.  I've always thought of Brandeis as a place that attracts and nurtures students who truly want to make a difference in the world.  All that said, I think in recent years Coven and Margolis have been able to get some players that either could have gone to NESCACs or where NESCACs have dropped the ball and missed out.  At any rate, a huge congratulations to Coach Coven. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on December 09, 2016, 12:48:35 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on December 09, 2016, 11:56:05 AM
I'll chime in as well.  Kind of hard to wrap one's head around how special and unique it is to have a 44 year career at one place, whether in D3 soccer or really in any area in life.  This last half-decade or so at Brandeis really could not have gone any better in terms of Coven putting his final signature on his career.  And he always as far as I can tell has given Margolis tremendous credit for the program resurgence and for re-energizing and influencing him.  It does seem that he is beloved by his players and that he does not take that for granted.  And to have Brandeis now among the most elite soccer programs in the country is quite the accomplishment.  Brandeis obviously is right smack in the middle of NESCAC-land.  In general, I wouldn't consider Brandeis a competitor with NESCAC schools as Brandeis would seem to attract a different kind of student.  I think of Brandeis (and Holy Cross) as the two New England schools similar in academic reputation to the NESCACs but not necessarily big overlaps with them.  Brandeis is well-known for being 50% or more Jewish and also for having a proud history of focusing on social justice.  I've always thought of Brandeis as a place that attracts and nurtures students who truly want to make a difference in the world.  All that said, I think in recent years Coven and Margolis have been able to get some players that either could have gone to NESCACs or where NESCACs have dropped the ball and missed out.  At any rate, a huge congratulations to Coach Coven.

Well said. In my opinion, the Holy Cross parallel is a very good one, and one I had never thought of before. One interesting thing is that – while the 50%+ Jewish student body was true historically – it is now less than 50% if I am correct. It's certainly getting more diverse every year.

In terms of non-athletic admissions, Brandeis competes with a few NESCACs, mostly Colby, Bates, Conn. etc. I don't think that Brandeis is competitive with Williams/Amherst/Middlebury/Bowdoin/etc., but I would say it is quite competitive with the other NESCACs: I myself chose Brandeis over Conn. College, although I think I would have been happy at Conn., and I know of at least two kids off the top of my head who chose Brandeis over Colby. I even know one kid who chose Brandeis over Bowdoin, although I think that is certainly the exception and not the norm. This is not meant to be a brag piece, but just to illustrate a bit about Brandeis' admissions alongside those of the NESCACs.

Most importantly, I think you do well to recognize that Coven has indeed credited Margolis time and time again with transforming the program. He even said after his 500 win that he would "not be standing here today if it wasn't for Gabe Margolis." Whether that means particularly that Margolis helped save his job or he wouldn't have reached 500 wins, I don't know, but he certainly recognizes the role that Gabe has had in Brandeis soccer this past decade.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on December 09, 2016, 12:49:51 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on December 09, 2016, 11:56:05 AM. . . .  With the help of all his peers and the pressure they put on Brandeis to keep him he stayed and was actually given a full time assistant. That full time assistant was Gabe Margolis and he has his fingerprints all over that program now.  . . . .

Quote from: PaulNewman on December 09, 2016, 11:56:05 AM
. . . .  This last half-decade or so at Brandeis really could not have gone any better in terms of Coven putting his final signature on his career.  And he always as far as I can tell has given Margolis tremendous credit for the program resurgence and for re-energizing and influencing him.  . . . .

In Ryan Harmanis' interview with Coven, he fully credits Margolis for convincing him to change from a long ball, direct style of play to a possession style and for the success that bred.  Here's the excerpt:

I've been here 44 years, and it's so different. When I started playing, any success a team had was based on athleticism, speed, getting after the ball, aggression. That was just common, that was just how you played in the United States. And when I started coaching back in the early 70s, it was just the same thing. Team success, no matter Division I, II, or III, was very similar to teams in England, where you just get after it. Ball over the top, get it to goal. Crush people in the tackle, pressure in the midfield, and then get rid of it. That was the name of the game. Then it started changing. When kids started getting good coaching, playing twelve months out of the year, when the club scene started growing. When I was playing everyone played two or three sports, soccer was just another one. Now kids are getting great coaching, they're on academy teams, they're playing high level soccer.

I was reluctant to change my style. We'd been so successful in the 70s and 80s and early 90s playing that long ball, direct style of play. And then I started seeing that some really good teams were keeping the ball, possessing it. But I was still reluctant, until Gabe came in eleven years ago, and his philosophy was always to keep the ball, to possess it. He converted me. It took a little arm twisting [laughs], but he changed my whole concept of how the game was played. I credit so much of our success the last ten years to Gabe, because he was the one who showed me, yes, we can be successful playing an attractive, possession style of soccer. Still using our athleticism and speed, but keeping the ball, sometimes slowing things down, being calmer on the ball. I believe in it, I adjusted my philosophy, and that's the way we play here. But Gabe's been a huge influence on me.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on December 09, 2016, 01:09:19 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 09, 2016, 12:48:35 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on December 09, 2016, 11:56:05 AM
I'll chime in as well.  Kind of hard to wrap one's head around how special and unique it is to have a 44 year career at one place, whether in D3 soccer or really in any area in life.  This last half-decade or so at Brandeis really could not have gone any better in terms of Coven putting his final signature on his career.  And he always as far as I can tell has given Margolis tremendous credit for the program resurgence and for re-energizing and influencing him.  It does seem that he is beloved by his players and that he does not take that for granted.  And to have Brandeis now among the most elite soccer programs in the country is quite the accomplishment.  Brandeis obviously is right smack in the middle of NESCAC-land.  In general, I wouldn't consider Brandeis a competitor with NESCAC schools as Brandeis would seem to attract a different kind of student.  I think of Brandeis (and Holy Cross) as the two New England schools similar in academic reputation to the NESCACs but not necessarily big overlaps with them.  Brandeis is well-known for being 50% or more Jewish and also for having a proud history of focusing on social justice.  I've always thought of Brandeis as a place that attracts and nurtures students who truly want to make a difference in the world.  All that said, I think in recent years Coven and Margolis have been able to get some players that either could have gone to NESCACs or where NESCACs have dropped the ball and missed out.  At any rate, a huge congratulations to Coach Coven.

Well said. In my opinion, the Holy Cross parallel is a very good one, and one I had never thought of before. One interesting thing is that – while the 50%+ Jewish student body was true historically – it is now less than 50% if I am correct. It's certainly getting more diverse every year.

In terms of non-athletic admissions, Brandeis competes with a few NESCACs, mostly Colby, Bates, Conn. etc. I don't think that Brandeis is competitive with Williams/Amherst/Middlebury/Bowdoin/etc., but I would say it is quite competitive with the other NESCACs: I myself chose Brandeis over Conn. College, although I think I would have been happy at Conn., and I know of at least two kids off the top of my head who chose Brandeis over Colby. I even know one kid who chose Brandeis over Bowdoin, although I think that is certainly the exception and not the norm. This is not meant to be a brag piece, but just to illustrate a bit about Brandeis' admissions alongside those of the NESCACs.

Most importantly, I think you do well to recognize that Coven has indeed credited Margolis time and time again with transforming the program. He even said after his 500 win that he would "not be standing here today if it wasn't for Gabe Margolis." Whether that means particularly that Margolis helped save his job or he wouldn't have reached 500 wins, I don't know, but he certainly recognizes the role that Gabe has had in Brandeis soccer this past decade.

Yep, Brandeis can compete academically with a good portion of the NESCAC.  Was just trying to say (and I know these are big generalizations) that when you think of the overall vibes NESCACs tend to attract the "preppier" really smart kids in your high school with the more social activist smart kids leaning towards a Brandeis.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on December 09, 2016, 01:49:31 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on December 09, 2016, 01:09:19 PM
Yep, Brandeis can compete academically with a good portion of the NESCAC.  Was just trying to say (and I know these are big generalizations) that when you think of the overall vibes NESCACs tend to attract the "preppier" really smart kids in your high school with the more social activist smart kids leaning towards a Brandeis.

Certainly fair. I still want to call you by your former name, but PN will have to do.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Jump4Joy on December 09, 2016, 02:27:16 PM
One of my favorite Coven stories speaks to his absolute and deep commitment to his program. Word has it that back in the day, after a loss at Babson (storied rivals in the 70s and 80s), he was too upset to get on the bus. He walked all the way back to Brandeis! He's no saint--and would probably not want to be remembered as such. Has always been a fun guy to watch a game with.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: All NESCAC on December 09, 2016, 02:30:58 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 09, 2016, 12:48:35 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on December 09, 2016, 11:56:05 AM
I'll chime in as well.  Kind of hard to wrap one's head around how special and unique it is to have a 44 year career at one place, whether in D3 soccer or really in any area in life.  This last half-decade or so at Brandeis really could not have gone any better in terms of Coven putting his final signature on his career.  And he always as far as I can tell has given Margolis tremendous credit for the program resurgence and for re-energizing and influencing him.  It does seem that he is beloved by his players and that he does not take that for granted.  And to have Brandeis now among the most elite soccer programs in the country is quite the accomplishment.  Brandeis obviously is right smack in the middle of NESCAC-land.  In general, I wouldn't consider Brandeis a competitor with NESCAC schools as Brandeis would seem to attract a different kind of student.  I think of Brandeis (and Holy Cross) as the two New England schools similar in academic reputation to the NESCACs but not necessarily big overlaps with them.  Brandeis is well-known for being 50% or more Jewish and also for having a proud history of focusing on social justice.  I've always thought of Brandeis as a place that attracts and nurtures students who truly want to make a difference in the world.  All that said, I think in recent years Coven and Margolis have been able to get some players that either could have gone to NESCACs or where NESCACs have dropped the ball and missed out.  At any rate, a huge congratulations to Coach Coven.

Well said. In my opinion, the Holy Cross parallel is a very good one, and one I had never thought of before. One interesting thing is that – while the 50%+ Jewish student body was true historically – it is now less than 50% if I am correct. It's certainly getting more diverse every year.

In terms of non-athletic admissions, Brandeis competes with a few NESCACs, mostly Colby, Bates, Conn. etc. I don't think that Brandeis is competitive with Williams/Amherst/Middlebury/Bowdoin/etc., but I would say it is quite competitive with the other NESCACs: I myself chose Brandeis over Conn. College, although I think I would have been happy at Conn., and I know of at least two kids off the top of my head who chose Brandeis over Colby. I even know one kid who chose Brandeis over Bowdoin, although I think that is certainly the exception and not the norm. This is not meant to be a brag piece, but just to illustrate a bit about Brandeis' admissions alongside those of the NESCACs.

Most importantly, I think you do well to recognize that Coven has indeed credited Margolis time and time again with transforming the program. He even said after his 500 win that he would "not be standing here today if it wasn't for Gabe Margolis." Whether that means particularly that Margolis helped save his job or he wouldn't have reached 500 wins, I don't know, but he certainly recognizes the role that Gabe has had in Brandeis soccer this past decade.

Congratulations Coach Coven on an absolutely tremendous career.  I got to know him first through club soccer and then when he recruited my son....yes he was still writing those hand written notes to recruits back in 2010 and 2011.  Great guy who told it like it was...no bs...his former players love him...he and Coach Margolis have done a tremendous job with the Brandeis program over the last 8 years both on the field and especially recruiting in Massachusetts...congratulations and good luck with your next adventure!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on December 09, 2016, 02:46:39 PM
Quote from: Jump4Joy on December 09, 2016, 02:27:16 PM
One of my favorite Coven stories speaks to his absolute and deep commitment to his program. Word has it that back in the day, after a loss at Babson (storied rivals in the 70s and 80s), he was too upset to get on the bus. He walked all the way back to Brandeis! He's no saint--and would probably not want to be remembered as such. Has always been a fun guy to watch a game with.

I have heard that as well! Agree with the rest of the sentiment: he is a kind, well-liked, and jovial guy, but isn't afraid to tell it like it is. Apparently he was too mad to even speak to his team after the Wheaton debacle this year, and according to a newspaper article featuring Ocel, that moment had an impact on the players. Of course, I don't think this was the only thing that led to Brandeis' surge in the second half of the season – the defense gelled and improved, injured players came back, etc. – but it certainly was a moment that made the guys realize that they had to get their act together quick, and they did.

Another Coven moment: 2013, a home game against WPI. Brandeis got a penalty and the WPI coach said "so just cause I don't know the ref means that I can't get a call?"

Coven turns to him and goes: "his name is Cyrus...with a C!"
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on December 22, 2016, 10:23:17 AM
It's official: Margolis will take over as Brandeis head coach next year. http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/msoc/2016-17/releases/MargolisCoach
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on December 22, 2016, 12:57:08 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 22, 2016, 10:23:17 AM
It's official: Margolis will take over as Brandeis head coach next year. http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/msoc/2016-17/releases/MargolisCoach

Zero surprise there. Gabe has been running that team for over 5 years, and I can't wait to see him bring deis back to the final 4.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on June 30, 2017, 11:44:31 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on December 08, 2016, 01:30:48 PM
A look at this year's NE teams in the final NSCAA top 25.


15. UMASS-Boston: It is unfortunate that the Haverford debacle happened to UMB, because the Beacons were really starting to gather some credibility as a top New England team. Kenawy had a good year and I like Cunha and Martinez a lot. The biggest issue I see for UMASS-Boston has nothing to do with graduation, as they only lose 7 players out of 32, but the collateral resulting from the frankly inexcusable behavior that was encapsulated at Haverford that calls into question the Beacons' credibility as a program, which could certainly hurt recruiting/etc. I assume Williamson will never be allowed to play in the NCAA again, and would be disappointed to find out otherwise. To rehash a point I made earlier, while I do respect the work he's done in getting in "non-traditional" students, I do not think Beverlin is mature enough to be an NCAA head coach. From a talent perspective, though, I think there's no telling what UMB can achieve if they stay healthy and keep their composure.

http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/massachusetts-boston-men-s-soccer-receives-public-reprimand

I didn't see this at the time of the announcement (March), but the NCAA decided on a "slap on the wrist" penalty for Williamson.  It will be interesting to see if he is back as 29-year old soph for UMass-Boston this year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on July 01, 2017, 12:27:36 PM
A 1 year suspension is interesting as I suppose that is better than a life suspension and do not forget the public reprimand
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on July 01, 2017, 01:11:12 PM
If I read it correctly, the suspension is only from the NCAA tournament.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on July 01, 2017, 02:45:31 PM
What a joke.  Among other things, he head-butts a referee who is half his size.  Nothing happens to Beverlin either... Also curious if Williamson escaped a battery charge with the local Haverford PD.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Clotpoll on July 01, 2017, 04:12:40 PM
The really horrible thing was that UMB parlayed that fracas into a long break for the players not sent off.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on July 07, 2017, 04:15:53 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on June 30, 2017, 11:44:31 PM

http://www.ncaa.org/about/resources/media-center/news/massachusetts-boston-men-s-soccer-receives-public-reprimand

I didn't see this at the time of the announcement (March), but the NCAA decided on a "slap on the wrist" penalty for Williamson.  It will be interesting to see if he is back as 29-year old soph for UMass-Boston this year.

That is absurd. Absolutely ridiculous.

Yes, people make mistakes, particularly in the heat of the moment, but that doesn't mean that people shouldn't be held accountable for their actions. The bans on Williamson and Khang are laughable at best – akin to Jara getting a yellow card for a clear elbow in the Chile-Germany game this past Sunday.

What's more, the comments from UMB players and parents on the YouTube video – including Khang's mother – revealed that the community had learned virtually nothing from the whole ordeal. I cannot judge her as a parent based on one isolated incident, but I found it absurd that she would serve as an apologist for her son. Sure, love your kid unconditionally, but you shouldn't be afraid to condemn them when they do something completely unacceptable – much less seek to minimize his behavior.

>:(
Title: Why is Hamilton College considered in New England?
Post by: OldNed on July 07, 2017, 04:25:37 PM
Not sure if this is the right place for this question, but I was looking at last year's NSCAA D3 All New England team, and there's a player from Hamilton on the team.  Does anyone have any idea why Hamilton is considered a New England region team?

http://www.nscaa.com/web/Awards/Recipients/2016_NSCAA_NCAA_Division_III_Men_s_All-New_England_Region_Teams.aspx
Title: Re: Why is Hamilton College considered in New England?
Post by: Ommadawn on July 07, 2017, 04:29:14 PM
Quote from: OldNed on July 07, 2017, 04:25:37 PM
Not sure if this is the right place for this question, but I was looking at last year's NSCAA D3 All New England team, and there's a player from Hamilton on the team.  Does anyone have any idea why Hamilton is considered a New England region team?

http://www.nscaa.com/web/Awards/Recipients/2016_NSCAA_NCAA_Division_III_Men_s_All-New_England_Region_Teams.aspx

I can only guess that it's because Hamilton is in the NESCAC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Pat Coleman on July 07, 2017, 04:50:46 PM
That's correct -- generally the NCAA sports committees like to keep all of a conference's teams in the same region. Obviously that's not always feasible (UAA) but it is the goal.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on July 08, 2017, 02:03:14 PM
Eastern Connecticut's schedule is posted and they will have tough teams to compete with:  Courtland St at the Hobart Tournament to kick thing off, Rhode Island College, nescac teams Trinity and Conn College, Babson, and UMass Boston.  ECSU coming off a real down year in 2016.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on July 10, 2017, 11:59:41 PM
Quote from: Pat Coleman on July 07, 2017, 04:50:46 PM
That's correct -- generally the NCAA sports committees like to keep all of a conference's teams in the same region. Obviously that's not always feasible (UAA) but it is the goal.

Just for kicks, I checked out the NSCAA all-region teams for Division I, and, as you noted, the NSCAA groups conference-mates together.  In so doing, they create some amusing products of the geographically-dispersed superconferences, with Syracuse in the South region with the rest of the ACC schools and Providence in the Great Lakes region with the rest of the Big East schools, for example.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on July 18, 2017, 02:16:51 PM
I did not realize Castleton St made a major announcement to join the Little East in all sports except football starting in 2018. Very shrewd move by Castleton's President as the league they are leaving(North Atlantic Conference or NAC) is one of the worst in the country in terms of Men's Soccer. This move will give the Little East 9 teams with a representative from every New England state. It never made sense to me for Castleton to be in a league with predominately Maine schools and eastern New Hampshire and western Vermont schools except that they had one of the bigger enrollments in that league. Now they will have the lowest enrollment in the Little East by a LARGE margin but for sure much more visibility and should give them a chance to compete at a higher level in all sports and possibly give them a wider net in recruiting for all sports as 10-20 years ago Castleton State was really struggling to get kids and basically begging students to enroll. Not sure if they now will decide to build dorms, hire faculty and increase enrollment slowly
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Dog Face on July 18, 2017, 02:41:01 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on July 18, 2017, 02:16:51 PM
I did not realize Castleton St made a major announcement to join the Little East in all sports except football starting in 2018. Very shrewd move by Castleton's President as the league they are leaving(North Atlantic Conference or NAC) is one of the worst in the country in terms of Men's Soccer. This move will give the Little East 9 teams with a representative from every New England state. It never made sense to me for Castleton to be in a league with predominately Maine schools and eastern New Hampshire and western Vermont schools except that they had one of the bigger enrollments in that league. Now they will have the lowest enrollment in the Little East by a LARGE margin but for sure much more visibility and should give them a chance to compete at a higher level in all sports and possibly give them a wider net in recruiting for all sports as 10-20 years ago Castleton State was really struggling to get kids and basically begging students to enroll. Not sure if they now will decide to build dorms, hire faculty and increase enrollment slowly

What are your thoughts about the situation at Saint Anslem?  Announced they were moving down to D3, got rejected by NEWMAC, now the whole move to D3 may be off because they can't seem to find a conference.  Meanwhile, they struggle to compete in mens soccer in the NE-10, and I'd imagine the uncertainty is just making matters worse from a recruiting perspective. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on July 18, 2017, 04:09:53 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on July 18, 2017, 02:16:51 PM
I did not realize Castleton St made a major announcement to join the Little East in all sports except football starting in 2018. Very shrewd move by Castleton's President as the league they are leaving(North Atlantic Conference or NAC) is one of the worst in the country in terms of Men's Soccer. This move will give the Little East 9 teams with a representative from every New England state. It never made sense to me for Castleton to be in a league with predominately Maine schools and eastern New Hampshire and western Vermont schools except that they had one of the bigger enrollments in that league. Now they will have the lowest enrollment in the Little East by a LARGE margin but for sure much more visibility and should give them a chance to compete at a higher level in all sports and possibly give them a wider net in recruiting for all sports as 10-20 years ago Castleton State was really struggling to get kids and basically begging students to enroll. Not sure if they now will decide to build dorms, hire faculty and increase enrollment slowly

Interesting.  The NAC is actually going to be losing 2 schools then, as Colby-Sawyer is joining the GNAC conference (St. Joe's of Maine, Norwich, Johnson & Wales among others) in 2018. Losing Castleton and Colby-Sawyer makes a very weak conference even weaker top-to-bottom.  Thomas is still a pretty good soccer program, but that's about it for the NAC.

Kudos to Castleton for getting themselves into a much better conference all-around.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on July 19, 2017, 10:34:12 AM
Quote from: Dog Face on July 18, 2017, 02:41:01 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on July 18, 2017, 02:16:51 PM
I did not realize Castleton St made a major announcement to join the Little East in all sports except football starting in 2018. Very shrewd move by Castleton's President as the league they are leaving(North Atlantic Conference or NAC) is one of the worst in the country in terms of Men's Soccer. This move will give the Little East 9 teams with a representative from every New England state. It never made sense to me for Castleton to be in a league with predominately Maine schools and eastern New Hampshire and western Vermont schools except that they had one of the bigger enrollments in that league. Now they will have the lowest enrollment in the Little East by a LARGE margin but for sure much more visibility and should give them a chance to compete at a higher level in all sports and possibly give them a wider net in recruiting for all sports as 10-20 years ago Castleton State was really struggling to get kids and basically begging students to enroll. Not sure if they now will decide to build dorms, hire faculty and increase enrollment slowly

What are your thoughts about the situation at Saint Anslem?  Announced they were moving down to D3, got rejected by NEWMAC, now the whole move to D3 may be off because they can't seem to find a conference.  Meanwhile, they struggle to compete in mens soccer in the NE-10, and I'd imagine the uncertainty is just making matters worse from a recruiting perspective.

I did not know that NEWMAC rejected St.Anslem but I can see why they did as they really do not fit into NEWMAC's mission and standards IMO. You would think the school would have made sure to get ino a conference before committing to leave D2. I DO believe that St.A's have the right idea by going D3. I would say most of the NE-10 schols should and could move to D3 and be its own conference. There are 4 schools that would really not fit into the D3 landscape like Southern CT State, Pace Univ, Southern NH and Univ of New Haven but the other schools in that conference like St.Anslem's, St.Michael's, Stonehill, AIC, Assumption, etc would be better off in D3 an could keep their own conference. We have talked about this before in other threads but about 20 years ago D2 began to dissolve and quickly. Schools like Keene St, Springfield and others made the right choice to go from D2 to D3. The problem for some of these schools is they would have to raise their admissions standards and decrease enrollment a bit which I am not sure they are willing to do. To me, Stonehill is a classic D3 school with high admissions standards, beautiful campus, good endowment, etc but for whatever reason have stayed in D2. Now Bryant went the other direction and left the league for D1 and have raised there national recognition impressively by doing it but they invested a ton of money to do that. These other schools do not have the money to do that.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on August 17, 2017, 07:27:52 PM
UMass Boston is taking on St. Joseph's of Maine in a scrimmage on Monday, August 21 in Boston. Should be an interesting test for both teams.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on August 22, 2017, 09:29:06 AM
Quote from: OldNed on August 17, 2017, 07:27:52 PM
UMass Boston is taking on St. Joseph's of Maine in a scrimmage on Monday, August 21 in Boston. Should be an interesting test for both teams.

I was at the UMass Boston - St. Joe's of Maine scrimmage (full disclosure - my son plays for St. Joe's) and it ended in a 2-2 tie.  UMass Boston scored twice in the early going and those were really the only 2 chances they had in the first half - very efficient.  Their second goal was a beautiful strike from just outside the box and either it took the St. Joe's goalie by surprise or he was screened because it didn't look like he moved at all for the shot.  Most of the first half was played in midfield area and there weren't a lot of shots.  St. Joe's had a good chance on a through ball from a midfielder to a foward, but the UMass goalie came out on it and made a nice save.  The half ended with UMass up 2-0 and for the most part it seemed like both teams mostly played their starters as there was not a lot of subbing. It was difficult to tell with UMass's uniforms because the numbers were so small (I think maybe they were practice jerseys) that this old guy couldn't see the UMass Boston numbers unless the players were close to me.

There was more subbing in the second half and the game opened up quite a bit.  Both teams had a number of chances and St. Joe's got 2 goals in the middle of the second half from one of their incoming freshmen.

I have to say that despite the furor surrounding the behavior of several of the UMass Boston playsers during the tournament last year, I saw nothing like that during the scrimmage. It did not look like Occane Williamson was on the sideline and he didn't play - I'm not so sure about the other guy either.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on August 22, 2017, 01:45:54 PM
Quote from: OldNed on August 22, 2017, 09:29:06 AM


I have to say that despite the furor surrounding the behavior of several of the UMass Boston playsers during the tournament last year, I saw nothing like that during the scrimmage. It did not look like Ocane Williamson was on the sideline and he didn't play - I'm not so sure about the other guy either.

I didn't see the UMass Boston 2017 roster yesterday, but it looks like they just put it out and Ocane Williamson is not on the roster this year but Joshua Khang is.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: stillwatching on August 23, 2017, 09:44:51 AM
Quote from: OldNed on August 22, 2017, 01:45:54 PM
Quote from: OldNed on August 22, 2017, 09:29:06 AM


I have to say that despite the furor surrounding the behavior of several of the UMass Boston playsers during the tournament last year, I saw nothing like that during the scrimmage. It did not look like Ocane Williamson was on the sideline and he didn't play - I'm not so sure about the other guy either.

I didn't see the UMass Boston 2017 roster yesterday, but it looks like they just put it out and Ocane Williamson is not on the roster this year but Joshua Khang is.

I think Williamson got a 1 year ban, and Khang only got a 1 game ban
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Domino1195 on August 23, 2017, 01:52:30 PM
Quote from: stillwatching on August 23, 2017, 09:44:51 AM
Quote from: OldNed on August 22, 2017, 01:45:54 PM
Quote from: OldNed on August 22, 2017, 09:29:06 AM


I have to say that despite the furor surrounding the behavior of several of the UMass Boston playsers during the tournament last year, I saw nothing like that during the scrimmage. It did not look like Ocane Williamson was on the sideline and he didn't play - I'm not so sure about the other guy either.

I didn't see the UMass Boston 2017 roster yesterday, but it looks like they just put it out and Ocane Williamson is not on the roster this year but Joshua Khang is.

I think Williamson got a 1 year ban, and Khang only got a 1 game ban

Won't that make Williamson something like 35 when he returns??? ;) ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on August 23, 2017, 03:00:44 PM
Quote from: stillwatching on August 23, 2017, 09:44:51 AM
I think Williamson got a 1 year ban, and Khang only got a 1 game ban

The penalties:

A public reprimand, a fine of all travel and per diem and a one-year suspension for Ocane Williamson to be served during the next NCAA tournament appearance in which he would be participating, regardless of the institution he is representing. Williamson demonstrated physical unsportsmanlike behavior toward an opposing player and an official, including contact to the head and excessive actions.

A public reprimand, a fine of all travel and per diem and a one-game suspension for Joshua Khang to be served during the next NCAA tournament appearance in which he would be participating, regardless of the institution he is representing. Khang demonstrated physical unsportsmanlike behavior toward an opposing player, including contact to the head.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on August 23, 2017, 04:39:55 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on August 23, 2017, 03:00:44 PM
Quote from: stillwatching on August 23, 2017, 09:44:51 AM
I think Williamson got a 1 year ban, and Khang only got a 1 game ban

The penalties:

A public reprimand, a fine of all travel and per diem and a one-year suspension for Ocane Williamson to be served during the next NCAA tournament appearance in which he would be participating, regardless of the institution he is representing. Williamson demonstrated physical unsportsmanlike behavior toward an opposing player and an official, including contact to the head and excessive actions.

A public reprimand, a fine of all travel and per diem and a one-game suspension for Joshua Khang to be served during the next NCAA tournament appearance in which he would be participating, regardless of the institution he is representing. Khang demonstrated physical unsportsmanlike behavior toward an opposing player, including contact to the head.

As that reads, it has no effect on the regular season and conference championship.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on August 27, 2017, 07:26:41 PM
St. Joseph's of Maine and AIC (Division 2) tied 0-0 yesterday at AIC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on August 28, 2017, 01:25:08 AM
Quote from: OldNed on August 27, 2017, 07:26:41 PM
St. Joseph's of Maine and AIC (Division 2) tied 0-0 yesterday at AIC.

Intrigued to see how the Monks do this season. They stifled Babson in the NCAA first round last year and held their nerve in the shootout, which is tough to do against a team with the tourney know-how like the Beavers (granted Babson can be anemic offensively at times, but they are still a good, experienced side). The next game, they ran into a Brandeis side who was on a tear at the time they played, but I think they competed well in that game, too, and I think they would have given the Judges fits if they had played a few weeks earlier (hadn't caught them at a time when the latter was in a rich vein of form).

As far as personnel, I'm not that familiar with the team, since I live in MA (but grew up in ME) but from what I've seen Mullen is a solid keeper and evidently St. Joseph's has enough at the other end of the field as well. It would be very interesting to see them emerge as a New England contender as Gordon/Endicott/et al have in the last few years.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on August 28, 2017, 09:55:20 AM
Quote from: blooter442 on August 28, 2017, 01:25:08 AM
Quote from: OldNed on August 27, 2017, 07:26:41 PM
St. Joseph's of Maine and AIC (Division 2) tied 0-0 yesterday at AIC.

Intrigued to see how the Monks do this season. They stifled Babson in the NCAA first round last year and held their nerve in the shootout, which is tough to do against a team with the tourney know-how like the Beavers (granted Babson can be anemic offensively at times, but they are still a good, experienced side). The next game, they ran into a Brandeis side who was on a tear at the time they played, but I think they competed well in that game, too, and I think they would have given the Judges fits if they had played a few weeks earlier (hadn't caught them at a time when the latter was in a rich vein of form).

As far as personnel, I'm not that familiar with the team, since I live in MA (but grew up in ME) but from what I've seen Mullen is a solid keeper and evidently St. Joseph's has enough at the other end of the field as well. It would be very interesting to see them emerge as a New England contender as Gordon/Endicott/et al have in the last few years.

Blooter,
you're spot on about their tournament experience last year.  St. Joe's played really well and composed against Babson but Brandeis really outclassed them.  The difference to me was that Brandeis seemed like they were stronger, faster, and they played a very tight and coherent game.  Every kick was with intent, every pass was precise, most of the 50/50 balls Brandeis won, and they just seemed like they wanted that game and they were not going to concede to an upstart team like St. Joe's.

Regarding personnel, you're right that Mullen is a very solid keeper.  Being 6 foot 7 is a huge advantage for any keeper, and he's pretty athletic too so he can get to a lot of balls, even the low hard shots that a lot of taller keepers might have trouble with.  The strength of St. Joe's is their defense - their D is really solid and is led by Dalton Gaumer, and their defensive midfielder Twomey does a great job of cleaning up a lot of the balls that opponents send into the midfield area.  That being said, it's hard to win a lot of games if you don't score goals. so they're going to need to get better in that area.  Brett Mattos is a pretty good forward and St. Joe's is looking to some of their incoming freshmen to give a scoring spark.  Noah Elmore is one of those kids - he brings speed to the wings and he's already shown in the preseason that he can finish against UMass Boston.

If you want to see them play, they've got a number of games in the Boston area this season, so check out their schedule.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 01, 2017, 02:35:44 PM
The first two games of the season are in the books, and if these games are any indication, its going to be an interesting season in New England.

Southern Maine 2 - Castleton 1

Southern Maine is coming off a 1-13-3 season - last place in the LEC.  They were 2-14-1 in 2015.  They won 2 games in 2014 and were winless in 2013.   Castleton, on the other hand, was 8-9-2 last year (2nd in the NAC) and won the NAC in 2015.  Any win is a big win for the Southern Maine program.

Framingham St 4 - Mass-Dartmouth 2

Framingham St has won 5, 7 and 8 games the last three years, so the trend is positive.   Mass-Dartmouth was 11-6-1 last year and was respectable in the LEC.  Mass-Dartmouth was also tough at home last year (7-2-1), so this was a good win for Framingham St.

Two games down, and two "upsets" already.   Let the fun begin!

 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 02, 2017, 12:40:14 PM
Clark scores on the counter to jump ahead of Keene State 3-2 with about 15 minutes left at Roger Williams. Keene State has had some good chances but could not finish.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 02, 2017, 01:14:05 PM
Keene St grabs a goal back from a 35 yard bullet and knots it 3-3. Clark GK way off his line. I must say Keene St looks very good on the turf today. They looked to be a much improved side from the past few years. They have 2-3 dangerous players in midfield and up top and are trying to knock the ball around a bit. They look to be the better side in this match from the little I have seen 2nd Half / OT.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 02, 2017, 01:47:52 PM
Final---Keene St v Clark ends 3-3.. Just taking a quick glance at Keene State's schedule. They have some decent non-conference games

at Wheaton
v Middlebury
at RPI
v Tufts
v St.Joe's (ME)
v WNEC


Plus ECONN and UMASS Boston in conference.

Possible .580 SOS
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 02, 2017, 03:26:29 PM
ECSU's So Max Parent gets only goal of the match over Hobart at their tournament today.  Video was not operating but audio and stats indicated Hobart had the statistics and possession advantage.  However, Eastern's D prevented the Statesmen from putting anything on the back of the net. They got highly regarded defenseman Nicholas Warren back from Cal Lutheran this year after a year layoff due to injury.
Tomorrow will be the real test vs nationally ranked Cortland Red Dragons! 
I hope ECSU picked up some scoring power this year as their offense was pretty poor last year.  I know hey picked up a Ukranian kid from Stamford HS and got a 6'2" goalkeeper who was highly regarded, but he will not play infont of Murphy who has done well for the Warriors

BTW saw UMB lost Mohammed Kenawy.  Did he go pro?  I know about Williamson's yr suspension for the head butt in the NCAAs, and I assume they lost Barros to graduation.  That's a lot of scoring to backfill and besides a couple of good defensemen lost to graduation!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 02, 2017, 03:46:44 PM
Babson scores 3 for the second time in as many days against Clarkson. Perhaps this team is capable of more than I've been giving them credit for.

That said, as I said elsewhere, they have two big away games at Tufts and Brandeis next week. I think those will be the matches that really show what they're made of.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 02, 2017, 03:57:12 PM
Haven't seen the game, but I saw via the live stats that Brandeis is down 2-0 to Cortland State in the second half. Even at 9-9 in shots, but Cortland has hit the bar twice in addition to scoring two goals (SOG is 4-2 Brandeis). Looks like the backup GK is in for the Judges -- wonder if Woodhouse is injured.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 02, 2017, 05:31:57 PM
Looks like Brandeis wen down 3-0 before getting 2 late goals to make it 3-2. I didn't catch the game either but did notice Brandeis only has 4 Frosh on their roster. That is an unusually low # of Frosh..
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 03, 2017, 06:52:25 PM
Brandeis rebounds from yesterday's loss to Cortland with a 2-1 2OT win at Hobart. Hobart scored a couple minutes into the second half before the Judges equalized. Hobart had a man sent off in regulation — didn't see the challenge — and held firm with 10 men before Brandeis won it in the 109th minute.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Part_Bart on September 05, 2017, 06:03:24 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 03, 2017, 06:52:25 PM
Brandeis rebounds from yesterday's loss to Cortland with a 2-1 2OT win at Hobart. Hobart scored a couple minutes into the second half before the Judges equalized. Hobart had a man sent off in regulation — didn't see the challenge — and held firm with 10 men before Brandeis won it in the 109th minute.

Was at game and with my albeit "homer" eyes, thought that Hobart was the better of the two teams through the game, and still quite firm playing 10 v. 11. 
Had they not chosen to go forward with 2:15 left in 2OT, would have earned that tie: the Brandeis counter-attack scored at 1:36 to play in 2OT.
Brandeis fans may rightly note that the red was deserved and one of five cards (four to defenders) issued to Hobart that game.

On the Saturday game, Cortland was dominant for much of the game v. Brandeis.  It was a great early season game to watch for its intensity.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 07, 2017, 08:57:03 PM
Good win for Wesleyan.  Bad loss for WPI.  Didn't see first 20 min or how Wes scored.  WPI seemed to dominate from what I saw but continually gave the ball away with poor touches or too many before releasing, and did not get Beatty in space often enough with the ball. WPI really needs wins or a win and a draw versus Brandeis and Endicott.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on September 07, 2017, 09:01:51 PM
Endicott blanks Thomas 4-0.
First time I've seen the Gulls but they looked very good tonight. Four different goal scorers and seem to have an extremely young team. New freshman goalkeeper also looks good from what I saw. Good start to the season with their W over Montclair St Sunday as well.

Definitely a team to watch this season. Should be favorites to win the league.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 07, 2017, 10:02:42 PM
This may have been covered previously, but I just checked UMASS-Boston's roster and did not see Ocane Williamson listed (ECSU mentioned his one-year suspension from NCAA competition above, but not him being omitted from the team, as that suspension only covers NCAA tourney games if I'm not mistaken). Anyone know what's up there? Can't say I disagree with him not being back, as that punishment was an absolute joke, but ultimately I don't make the decisions.

Quote from: Part_Bart on September 05, 2017, 06:03:24 PM
Was at game and with my albeit "homer" eyes, thought that Hobart was the better of the two teams through the game, and still quite firm playing 10 v. 11. 
Had they not chosen to go forward with 2:15 left in 2OT, would have earned that tie: the Brandeis counter-attack scored at 1:36 to play in 2OT.
Brandeis fans may rightly note that the red was deserved and one of five cards (four to defenders) issued to Hobart that game.

On the Saturday game, Cortland was dominant for much of the game v. Brandeis.  It was a great early season game to watch for its intensity.

Thanks for the perspective. I knew Cortland was a good NCAA-caliber team but didn't realize they went to the Sweet 16 last year, so as far as losses go that's not a bad one in my opinion. From a Brandeis perspective it is good that the Judges made it a game, although it was too little, too late by then.

As for the Hobart game, I would tend to agree with you that Brandeis was lucky based on the stats, and Hobart hit the pipe a few times if I'm not mistaken. Still, the Judges had real problems with overtime last year in September, so it's good to see that trend hasn't continued (for now).

Quote from: NEsoccerfan20 on September 07, 2017, 09:01:51 PM
Endicott blanks Thomas 4-0.
First time I've seen the Gulls but they looked very good tonight. Four different goal scorers and seem to have an extremely young team. New freshman goalkeeper also looks good from what I saw. Good start to the season with their W over Montclair St Sunday as well.

Definitely a team to watch this season. Should be favorites to win the league.

Wow. When Endicott lost to Gordon in the CCC final a couple of years back, a lot of us thought they wouldn't be competitive for a while, as they lost a ton of goals. They did well enough last fall, and, two years later, they're arguably stronger than in 2015. In addition to the 4-0 scoreline tonight, they held Thomas, who is a solid side, to one SOG, and neither LaBrie nor Nicholas had a single shot the entire game. Impressive.

Edit: Took a look back in the forum, and it appears that OldNed made the observation about Williamson being missing from the UMB roster as well. Still curious to hear what happened if anyone knows.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 08, 2017, 12:35:48 AM
Ocane Williamson is playing for Middlesex FC in the Bay State Soccer League.  He is one of the leading goal scorers in Division 2 according to this link:  http://www.bssl.com/b_topscorers.php

No idea if he is still enrolled on college.

According to their website:
Based in Boston, the BSSL is a premier adult amateur league with 40 teams in four divisions. The league is governed by the Massachusetts Adult State Soccer Association (MASS) and affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 09, 2017, 11:10:27 AM
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 08, 2017, 12:35:48 AM
Ocane Williamson is playing for Middlesex FC in the Bay State Soccer League.  He is one of the leading goal scorers in Division 2 according to this link:  http://www.bssl.com/b_topscorers.php

No idea if he is still enrolled on college.

According to their website:
Based in Boston, the BSSL is a premier adult amateur league with 40 teams in four divisions. The league is governed by the Massachusetts Adult State Soccer Association (MASS) and affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation.

Looks like Mohammed Kenawy played for FC Boston this year according to their roster!  Not sure where he is playing this fall!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 09, 2017, 02:02:02 PM
ECSU over Ramapo 2-0 in Mansfield CT, Soph Sam Hurlbert gets both in a real physical game.  Again Road runners win on S/SOG but cannot beat Murphy and ECSU D!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on September 09, 2017, 03:44:29 PM
From what I've heard Kenaway is playing professional futsal.... not sure where.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 09, 2017, 03:49:20 PM
Troy Remillard of WNEU is off to a fast start with 10 goals in 4 games.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 09, 2017, 04:52:56 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan20 on September 09, 2017, 03:44:29 PM
From what I've heard Kenaway is playing professional futsal.... not sure where.
Thanks NEsoccer, I saw a few videos of Mohammed playing and I wondered if that was it! +k
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 09, 2017, 09:40:49 PM
Brandeis got the win over Babson, 2-1, at home. A pretty cagey first half, but Brandeis probably shaded general play, and they jumped out to a 1-0 advantage when Casey pounced on a bad turnover by a Beavers CB in his own half. Babson looked fresh out of ideas after Brandeis scored through the rest of the time the stream was up (it was taken down with around 20 minutes left due to the rain), but the Beavers equalized through Czarnecki in the 83rd minute off a corner kick. Brandeis got the winner 46 seconds later, as after a Babson CB was sent off, Ocel put home the resulting free kick. Babson hit the bar with 13 seconds left and had a shot deflected wide with 5 seconds left, but Brandeis held on for the win.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 10, 2017, 01:27:16 AM
Had to run to a party right after the game ended (I promise my social life is really not that exciting), but now that I am back home, I figured I would collect my thoughts on the game and the teams. Obviously I am somewhat of a homer, but I do try to watch things objectively and relay those observations.

Brandeis is starting to look like the Brandeis of old on its turf, although I think the team is far from the finished product. The Judges moved the ball around with ease, getting runners forward and pinning Babson back for most of the game. Ocel ran the show from central midfield, and the outside backs were getting forward well while also tending to their defensive duties. The center backs were not forced to make many last-ditch interventions, as their positioning was pretty good on the whole, and they kept the Babson attack in check, although Babson did make it a nervy finish down the stretch. After falling in its opener to Cortland and perhaps getting lucky against Hobart, this will definitely provide some confidence to a team that is still finding its feet. Defensively, the Judges looked much better than I would have anticipated (after conceding 3 against Cortland), especially with the integration of new personnel (in terms of positions) into the back line. Margolis has been running the team tactically for the last several years, and it seems that the players understand the system, as well as their individual roles within it.

As I've said before, I think Babson is a very solid side, but also one that has lacked any real offensive dynamism. When I've seen the Beavers play on their grass, they move the ball well, but when I've seen them on turf, they have looked off the pace, and they looked slow compared to Brandeis last night. Personally, I can't help but think the rain played a role in them getting back into the game, as they looked fresh out of ideas from when Brandeis scored until the stream was suspended (around 15 mins left.) When they beat SLU and Clarkson and scored 3 in each game, I thought 'maybe I haven't given this team enough credit,' but -- as OffPitch noted -- the two consecutive away tests against Tufts and Brandeis were arguably the toughest games any D3 side played last week. They did not get clobbered in the stats against the Judges like they did against Tufts (outshot 15-2), but Brandeis was still the deserved winner.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2017, 07:13:34 PM
Decided to come out to UMASS-Boston vs. Wentworth. 10 mins in and already a heck of a game. Even without Williamson and Kenawy UMB is still as indisciplined as ever, and Martinez should already have at least a yellow, as he's full-on grabbed at least two guys. Wentworth with the better of the chances, including a header from a corner that went just over.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2017, 07:36:33 PM
UMB goes 1-0 up after Martins missed just wide for Wentworth. Martinez hit a rocket from about 30 out that the substitute keeper should have saved, but still a nice hit nonetheless (Wentworth keeper got taken out by UMB #9 after a 1v1.)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2017, 07:50:23 PM
Wentworth ties it up in the 41st  on a rebound after they hit the post. No more than they deserved. They are physical, fast, and skilled, and have been every bit UMB's equal in my observation.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2017, 08:18:21 PM
UMB back in front. An absolute clanger. Goalkeeper and defender got mixed up, defender hastily cleared it right to UMB player who had an easy finish. As much as I think Wentworth has an upside, they've given up two really bad goals tonight.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2017, 08:41:36 PM
UMB up 4-1 now, two goals in four minutes. Unfortunate for Wentworth, because they were playing really well up until the second goal.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 11, 2017, 10:04:44 PM
good reporting Bloots...I also caught a bit of Wentworth this year and thought they looked ok. I am guessing Head Coach and Wheaton alum Connor Erickson will be applying for the Wheaton gig. If Endicott were not in the CCC I would have given Wentworth a solid chance at winning the league with Gordon, WNEC and RWU but this has got to be Endicott's year as they seem to be clickin to start the year.

The undisciplined mess of UMB continues and still intrigues me. I have not seen them this year but they are getting such a bad reputation that teams are not scheduling them(i.e Babson who owed them a game). I will say that Keene St is much improved from last year and ECONN always a tough out so that league could be a toss up.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2017, 11:23:27 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 11, 2017, 10:04:44 PM
The undisciplined mess of UMB continues and still intrigues me. I have not seen them this year but they are getting such a bad reputation that teams are not scheduling them(i.e Babson who owed them a game). I will say that Keene St is much improved from last year and ECONN always a tough out so that league could be a toss up.

Yeah I have to say UMB didn't look all that great until they got the fluke goal to go 2-1 up. They have some nice players -- I was particularly impressed with #21 the left back, Martinez, and #9 who is playing CF -- and those guys have some trickery and skill, but the team as a whole does not seem to be as solid front-to-back as last year. Khang, he of the drop-kicking the ball at the Haverford player's head, is apparently injured.

Didn't know that Babson owed them a game, but I think Anderson is a classy guy and I'd imagine he doesn't want to get near a program like that after their indiscretions. I'm still floored that Beverlin is still in charge of that program, as he clearly doesn't have the maturity to handle a college soccer team, and the fact that he oversaw a team which got a public reprimand from the NCAA (which I haven't seen the likes of before), even if he wasn't the one headbutting the ref or kicking the ball at the player's head, is pretty embarrassing.

On another note, I asked some UMB fans what the deal with Williamson not playing was. They said that, in addition to getting a "six game ban" from the NCAA (that's assuming they make the tournament and get to the final), UMB was apparently going to ban him for an additional six games. How true that is, I don't know, as I think he full well knew he'd be on every ref's s**t list, but they said that he just didn't think it was worth it to play since he'd be banned for approximately half the season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 11, 2017, 11:31:09 PM
So does anyone know if the kid err adult has left the school? Or is he enrolled and planning on playing nest year. I still do not understand banning a player from just the NCAA's and not the regular season. Maybe I am misunderstanding the ruling but i will admit total confusion
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 13, 2017, 07:45:37 PM
WPI 1-0 up on Brandeis. Free kick headed on target, a good shot. Judges got sucked into playing direct with WPI but have started to settle the ball a bit more. 4:50 left in half.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 13, 2017, 07:47:27 PM
PaulNewman's buddy Beatty has been pretty quiet. Seems he is being played out wide mostly, which I would suppose makes sense given his speed.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 13, 2017, 08:10:35 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 13, 2017, 07:47:27 PM
PaulNewman's buddy Beatty has been pretty quiet. Seems he is being played out wide mostly, which I would suppose makes sense given his speed.

Makes sense except not when they can't get him any service and the sideline provides an extra superb defender against him.  It's also possible he is not the same after one or two serious knee injuries.

P.S. Schools like Brandeis and Wheaton also know him very well as they recruited him hard before he ended up going to UMass-Lowell, which I never understood and wondered if UMass-Amherst would have been a a better choice.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 13, 2017, 08:20:31 PM
WPI is no doubt physical, but that's not why they're ahead — Brandeis has been getting sucked into the trap of playing high balls, which WPI will win all day. Judges need to get the ball on the ground which is where they excel.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 13, 2017, 08:41:56 PM
Brandeis ties it up with 11 left, 1-1. Josh Berg. WPI had parked the bus second half while Deis had a couple cleared off the line and one just missed wide. New game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 13, 2017, 08:56:41 PM
Really eventful last few minutes. WPI kid has a really nice hit, looked like it went top bins but it hit the outside of the goal instead. Then Deis goes down the other end and hits the post. OT beckons.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 13, 2017, 09:10:03 PM
Brandeis takes it 2-1 with 56 left in the first OT — Mike Lynch. No less than the Judges deserved after a 22-8 shot advantage (10-5 SOG). WPI a worthy opponent who, on this evidence, will contend in the NEWMAC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 16, 2017, 01:20:18 PM
Well, that's more like it...Beatty gets two within two minutes to put WPI up 2-1 on Babson. WPI prob needs to win NEWMAC to get bid after disappointing losses.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 16, 2017, 01:31:43 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on September 16, 2017, 01:20:18 PM
Well, that's more like it...Beatty gets two within two minutes to put WPI up 2-1 on Babson. WPI prob needs to win NEWMAC to get bid after disappointing losses.

I was just about to post this -- but you beat me to it!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 16, 2017, 01:51:02 PM
Final from Wellesley -- WPI improves to 4-2 with 2-1 win over Babson. Beavers fall to 3-3. Engineers bossed the stats and (from what I watched) the play as well.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 16, 2017, 02:09:26 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 16, 2017, 01:31:43 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on September 16, 2017, 01:20:18 PM
Well, that's more like it...Beatty gets two within two minutes to put WPI up 2-1 on Babson. WPI prob needs to win NEWMAC to get bid after disappointing losses.

I was just about to post this -- but you beat me to it!

I wonder if they moved him after the half...imho he is most dangerous splitting the CBs on end of thru balls to right up the middle...also didn't realize that according to box score he is sitting on 7 goals already (as he was scoreless versus Wesleyan and 'Deis).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 16, 2017, 02:22:37 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on September 16, 2017, 02:09:26 PM
I wonder if they moved him after the half...imho he is most dangerous splitting the CBs on end of thru balls to right up the middle...also didn't realize that according to box score he is sitting on 7 goals already (as he was scoreless versus Wesleyan and 'Deis).

Yeah pace is good out wide especially getting down the side and cutting in but as you said the sideline obviously impedes the available area and it doesn't help if you aren't being given the ball. Sometimes when you're fast like that it's easier to just have someone give you through balls that you can run onto even if the middle is more congested.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 16, 2017, 05:56:32 PM
Keene St at UM Boston going into OT at 0-0.  UMB has pressurized KSC most of 2nd half and hit the cross bar and post in the 1st half on shots from 20-30 yds out by backs.  UMB a technically talented team, but Keene has some good big defensive players and has denied UMB.
ECSU loses to RIC 1-0 in a late 2nd half goal.  was not streamed today ???. 
UMB match on nice HD stream with excellent play by play from Boston College HS turf field!!

Donovan Harris off assist from Riley Steele with 1 min left in 2OT for the win.  KSC had just 2 SOG the whole game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 17, 2017, 02:51:40 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 16, 2017, 05:56:32 PM
Donovan Harris off assist from Riley Steele with 1 min left in 2OT for the win.  KSC had just 2 SOG the whole game.

Wow! On the one hand, I'd say "didn't see that coming," as I watched UMB blow Wentworth away 4-1 on the road even after being outplayed in the first half. On the other hand, while they have some good speed and skill, I don't think they are the outfit they were last year, and their lack of composure is well-documented. I do appreciate, though, that the UMB athletics department puts up the complete highlights (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQdP_P-1XjU) of every game, even opposing goals, and love that they set this game's video to Flavor of the Weak by American Hi-Fi. 😂

In other action, Brandeis beat Elms 6-0 and Ocel bent in the first goal directly from a corner. Of the six goals that were scored, I saw just one live -- the fourth -- and had to consult the replays for the other five, a clear failure of multitasking.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Clotpoll on September 17, 2017, 08:06:24 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on September 13, 2017, 08:10:35 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 13, 2017, 07:47:27 PM
PaulNewman's buddy Beatty has been pretty quiet. Seems he is being played out wide mostly, which I would suppose makes sense given his speed.

Makes sense except not when they can't get him any service and the sideline provides an extra superb defender against him.  It's also possible he is not the same after one or two serious knee injuries.

P.S. Schools like Brandeis and Wheaton also know him very well as they recruited him hard before he ended up going to UMass-Lowell, which I never understood and wondered if UMass-Amherst would have been a a better choice.

Grip it & rip it. D3 full of ex D1 sprinters (actual and allegorical) who can't ball. My kid has one on his team. The guy is a blur- even with a lingering track injury that requires daily acupuncture- and utterly useless on the pitch.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 18, 2017, 10:23:42 PM
The CCC might not be as strong or get as much attention as the NESCAC or NEWMAC, but there are five solid contenders for the title. Endicott lost at home to JWU on Wednesday night, but I would still think there's a slight favorites. That said, Gordon, Wentworth, WNE, and Roger Williams (current leader) are all making strong cases.

The NEWMAC looks similarly open, and I still think it's possible that Wheaton comes on strong if they get their defensive issues sorted out. MIT has also looked decent the last few games in addition to WPI — whose new addition Beatty bagged a brace in the Engineers' road win Saturday — and usual suspects Babson and Springfield.

Surprised that UMB lost on Saturday, although as I've said before I don't think that they're at the same level they were last year. We shall see.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 19, 2017, 05:47:54 PM
ECSU cannot maintain ball possession today, ie poor and intercepted passes, Gordon clearly the superior side, therefore Gordon looks to win this one 2-0 @7 min mark 2nd half. ::)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 19, 2017, 07:26:10 PM
Bowdoin and Saint Joe's of Maine 0-0 with 21 left in first half. Pretty even so far, not a lot of chances for either side.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 19, 2017, 07:30:36 PM
Saint Joe's goes up 1-0 on Bowdoin at the 27 minute mark.  Nice rush down the left side by Noah Robinson and a goal from an odd angle - nice finish.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 19, 2017, 07:47:26 PM
Quote from: OldNed on September 19, 2017, 07:30:36 PM
Saint Joe's goes up 1-0 on Bowdoin at the 27 minute mark.  Nice rush down the left side by Noah Robinson and a goal from an odd angle - nice finish.

OldNed, how is that new turf? Looks pretty nice!

Interested to see how Bowdoin approaches the second half – usually they are content to get a goal and shut up shop, but being down they won't want to give any more away, so I'm curious at what point they start throwing bodies forward
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 19, 2017, 07:52:00 PM
Looks like SJC has dominated the stats.  They are pretty defensively sound and don't give up a lot of goals — they held Babson in NCAAs to a 0-0 last year and won the shootout — and while this Bowdoin side has some offensive talent I imagine it'll take quite a bit to break them down.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 19, 2017, 07:53:47 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 19, 2017, 07:47:26 PM
Quote from: OldNed on September 19, 2017, 07:30:36 PM
Saint Joe's goes up 1-0 on Bowdoin at the 27 minute mark.  Nice rush down the left side by Noah Robinson and a goal from an odd angle - nice finish.

OldNed, how is that new turf? Looks pretty nice!

Interested to see how Bowdoin approaches the second half – usually they are content to get a goal and shut up shop, but being down they won't want to give any more away, so I'm curious at what point they start throwing bodies forward

Blooter,
the new turf field is beautiful - I was there on Saturday and I was impressed.  I, too, am interested to see how Bowdoin comes out in the 2nd half - they are physically a bigger team and I think if they move bodies forward it may pay off for them.  If they do that, they need to be careful on the counter, especially with Noah Robinson or the freshman Noah Elmore, as both are capable of taking it the length of the pitch and finishing.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 19, 2017, 08:39:43 PM
Bowdoin really pressuring St. Joe's now. 10 minutes left in regular time.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 19, 2017, 08:52:12 PM
Bowdoin pressured hard at the end, but St. Joe's of Maine held on for the 1-0 win. BIG win for the Monks.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 19, 2017, 09:02:41 PM
Quote from: OldNed on September 19, 2017, 08:52:12 PM
Bowdoin pressured hard at the end, but St. Joe's of Maine held on for the 1-0 win. BIG win for the Monks.

Big win for St. Joseph's, and it seemed like a deserved one, too. This is probably the toughest test of their regular season, or at least is up there with Keene State and Norwich, and they passed. Certainly a good pick-me-up after drawing with the latter.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 19, 2017, 09:37:54 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 19, 2017, 09:02:41 PM
Quote from: OldNed on September 19, 2017, 08:52:12 PM
Bowdoin pressured hard at the end, but St. Joe's of Maine held on for the 1-0 win. BIG win for the Monks.

Big win for St. Joseph's, and it seemed like a deserved one, too. This is probably the toughest test of their regular season, or at least is up there with Keene State and Norwich, and they passed. Certainly a good pick-me-up after drawing with the latter.

You're right about it being probably the toughest of the regular season matches, Blooter.  I'm not sure there's another team on their schedule (and yes, they need to beef up their out-of-conference schedule in the future) that can beat St. Joe's until the Keene State game.  Last regular season game, so I might just have to make the trek to Keene for that one.

I'm hoping that if St. Joe's meets Norwich in the GNAC tournament, they can at least score a goal or two.  Last 3 games vs. Norwich have been 0-0 ties. Norwich doesn't get a lot of love, but they're a tough team and they know how to defend - they have my respect.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 20, 2017, 10:54:34 AM
Excluding their 3-0 loss to Brandeis in last year's NCAA tournament, St Josephs has only given up one (1) goal in their last 17 games.  They are pitching a shut-out for 2017 having outscored this season's opponents 12-0 through 6 games.

Maybe there are more, but Tufts is the only other team that I am aware of that has not permitted a single goal on the season thus far.  They hold an 8-0 scoring advantage through 5 games, and have only surrendered one goal in their last 11 games.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 20, 2017, 11:08:57 AM
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 20, 2017, 10:54:34 AM
Excluding their 3-0 loss to Brandeis in last year's NCAA tournament, St Josephs has only given up one (1) goal in their last 17 games.  They are pitching a shut-out for 2017 having outscored this season's opponents 12-0 through 6 games.

Maybe there are more, but Tufts is the only other team that I am aware of that has not permitted a single goal on the season thus far.  They hold an 8-0 scoring advantage through 5 games, and have only surrendered one goal in their last 11 games.

According to the NCAA stats, the only other team that has not permitted a single goal on the season is Heidelberg and they get tested tonight at Kenyon.

St. Joe's defense is tough led by CB Dalton Gaumer, and it's really difficult to deal with a keeper as big as Mullen at 6 foot 7.  I'm sure they'll give up some goals sooner or later, but their schedule is almost all weaker GNAC teams until they play Keene State for the last game of the regular season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 20, 2017, 08:20:21 PM
MIT leads Wentworth 2-0 at Wentworth. Freshman Carayannopolous, who leads the team with five goals, scored two first half goals which are the difference. Both teams are fast down the wings but lack a high level of skill and composure in the final third. MIT has probably shaded it but I'm not sure 2-0 is an indication of the balance of play.

Regarding the aforementioned player, whose shot conversion rate is pretty impressive (slightly below .500), I am curious as to whether he will continue to score at the same rate as teams figure him out. It is easy to sneak on the scene as a frosh and have people not know who you are/how to mark you/etc., but once teams are aware and you become a marked man things can get more difficult. That said, 5 goals at this point in the season is impressive.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 20, 2017, 08:26:48 PM
One thing about Wentworth is that they don't seem to have great team cohesion or mutual understanding. When Martins gets the ball he can make things happen, but he is very much a marked man and I think his effectiveness is diminished by being out wide. When the ball is with the other players, they tend to go on good runs, but there is not a whole lot of interplay or good ball movement particularly in the final third. They have a lot of raw ingredients like speed and physicality, but they do lack some cohesion.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 20, 2017, 10:41:47 PM
Good win for Wheaton today against a Roger Williams side that was undefeated. Lyons now move to 3-3-1, but will need to shore up their defense for the visit of Clark on Saturday.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: maineman on September 21, 2017, 10:57:22 AM
Quote from: OldNed on September 20, 2017, 11:08:57 AM
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 20, 2017, 10:54:34 AM
Excluding their 3-0 loss to Brandeis in last year's NCAA tournament, St Josephs has only given up one (1) goal in their last 17 games.  They are pitching a shut-out for 2017 having outscored this season's opponents 12-0 through 6 games.

Maybe there are more, but Tufts is the only other team that I am aware of that has not permitted a single goal on the season thus far.  They hold an 8-0 scoring advantage through 5 games, and have only surrendered one goal in their last 11 games.

According to the NCAA stats, the only other team that has not permitted a single goal on the season is Heidelberg and they get tested tonight at Kenyon.

St. Joe's defense is tough led by CB Dalton Gaumer, and it's really difficult to deal with a keeper as big as Mullen at 6 foot 7.  I'm sure they'll give up some goals sooner or later, but their schedule is almost all weaker GNAC teams until they play Keene State for the last game of the regular season.
Keene State was blanked at home by Middlebury 2-0 last night.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on September 21, 2017, 12:07:27 PM
Endicott took down Trinity 2-1 on the road. The Gulls started their third different goalkeeper of the season... another freshman who played pretty well. Very open game and both teams had a ton of chances. Savonen is super dangerous... but the rest of that team needs help.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 21, 2017, 12:47:45 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan20 on September 21, 2017, 12:07:27 PM
Endicott took down Trinity 2-1 on the road. The Gulls started their third different goalkeeper of the season... another freshman who played pretty well. Very open game and both teams had a ton of chances. Savonen is super dangerous... but the rest of that team needs help.

That's a good win for Endicott after being upset by JWU at home last week (although Dave Kulik has done a really nice job with the JWU program since arriving). I was curious to see how they'd respond after that, so good for them.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Laserpen123 on September 22, 2017, 12:36:49 PM
Brandeis v. Tufts tonight... Big game that will likely decide who is number 1 in New England, and who will probably host all the way until the Final Four, as it has in the past.

I think the big matchup in this one is Tufts defense against the Brandeis offense. Brandeis has scored at least 2 goals in every game this year, and they will put the Jumbos under more pressure offensively than they have all year. Bruce in goal will be tested, and I think he will be beat for the first time this year tonight.

I'm predicting a tough game tonight, if it starts to rain hard, it will favor the Jumbos and their relentless pressure defensively, but I think they drop their first one tonight.

Brandeis 2, Tufts 1
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 22, 2017, 09:16:53 PM
Tufts takes it 1-0. Brandeis started strong and had a decent set of chances, but Tufts grew into it and took the lead early in the second half through Rojas. Brandeis had a couple half chances down the stretch, one that was hacked off the line, but nothing too clear cut. Pretty even game overall and definitely both teams hardest game of the year to this point, both sides have testing games ahead, with Tufts on the road for three straight and Brandeis starting its UAA calendar soon.

As an aside, the game featured probably the funniest experience I've had at a D3 soccer game. A gaggle of former Tufts players recognized and started heckling me after Tufts scored — I had no idea I was a (Z-list) celebrity. I did manage to fool some of them that I had no idea who blooter was for longer than I'd expect, although I eventually came clean. The heckling was all in good fun. They were friendly, and we had a good chat.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 22, 2017, 09:26:12 PM
You've hit the bigtime, Bloots! It's only a matter of time before the D3soccer.com columnist/poster trading cards hit the market. A 2014 LaPaz in mint condition will fetch you a bundle!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 22, 2017, 09:45:28 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on September 22, 2017, 09:26:12 PM
You've hit the bigtime, Bloots! It's only a matter of time before the D3soccer.com columnist/poster trading cards hit the market. A 2014 LaPaz in mint condition will fetch you a bundle!

The day they start making trading cards of me is the day I quit my job and get a Swiss Bank account. ;) Alas, I think I'll be working for a while.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Buck O. on September 22, 2017, 10:01:39 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 22, 2017, 09:16:53 PM
Tufts takes it 1-0. Brandeis started strong and had a decent set of chances, but Tufts grew into it and took the lead early in the second half through Rojas. Brandeis had a couple half chances down the stretch, one that was hacked off the line, but nothing too clear cut. Pretty even game overall and definitely both teams hardest game of the year to this point, both sides have testing games ahead, with Tufts on the road for three straight and Brandeis starting its UAA calendar soon.

As an aside, the game featured probably the funniest experience I've had at a D3 soccer game. A gaggle of former Tufts players recognized and started heckling me after Tufts scored — I had no idea I was a (Z-list) celebrity. I did manage to fool some of them that I had no idea who blooter was for longer than I'd expect, although I eventually came clean. The heckling was all in good fun. They were friendly, and we had a good chat.

Out of curiosity, since I was also at the game, where were you in the stands?  I'm just wondering how clueless I was, since I didn't notice anything.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 22, 2017, 10:18:53 PM
Quote from: Buck O. on September 22, 2017, 10:01:39 PM
Out of curiosity, since I was also at the game, where were you in the stands?  I'm just wondering how clueless I was, since I didn't notice anything.

Left of the bleachers — I was only there for the second half. As far as fans/attendance goes, I think Tufts definitely made a smart move switching to Bello and enabling night games, although they did have good attendance at Saturday games, when Tufts was having a two-game football/soccer event going on.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Buck O. on September 22, 2017, 10:38:53 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 22, 2017, 10:18:53 PM
Quote from: Buck O. on September 22, 2017, 10:01:39 PM
Out of curiosity, since I was also at the game, where were you in the stands?  I'm just wondering how clueless I was, since I didn't notice anything.

Left of the bleachers — I was only there for the second half. As far as fans/attendance goes, I think Tufts definitely made a smart move switching to Bello and enabling night games, although they did have good attendance at Saturday games, when Tufts was having a two-game football/soccer event going on.

I was on the left side too, but standing up front, next to the fence.  Didn't notice a thing.

I like this environment much better.  When they were next to the football field, everything was overshadowed by whatever was happening at the football game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 23, 2017, 01:58:17 PM
Beatty rings the bell again with the GW for WPI over MIT.  Stats show he got subbed at 90th minute so hope that wasn't an end of game injury as a MIT player also picked up a yellow in the 90th.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 23, 2017, 02:06:13 PM
Beatty scores the winner for the second week in a row as WPI gets another big road win, this time 2-1 at MIT. WPI has been the surprise of the season so far in the NEWMAC, improving to 6-2.

Roger Williams comes back down to Earth, getting thumped 4-0 at home by Endicott for its second defeat in as many games. Hawks still sit at 5-2-2, but this is an impressive show of the Gulls' credentials, particularly a 2g&1a performance from Couchot.

Clark went 3-0 up at Wheaton in the first half, but the host Lyons pulled one back with 31 seconds left in the half. 3-1 at the break. Wheaton has some real talent going forward but has not been able to figure things out at the other end. I don't doubt that some of the players are (likely) still shaken from the horrible loss they suffered, but I do think the defensive issues have been mounting for the past couple of years. From a neutral perspective, I hope they make a run in the second half of the season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 23, 2017, 04:07:51 PM
Wow. Wheaton comes back from 3-0 down to tie things up at 3-3, which ended up being the final score. The equalizer was the 11th of the year for Sesay, which is good for joint-3rd in the nation (Remillard of WNE leads with 14). Wheaton now 3-3-2, which isn't fantastic, but Brandeis was also 3-3-2 at one point last year and made it to the Final 4 -- it's all about October and November. Better for the Lyons to be coming back from a three-goal deficit (as they did today) than to give up a 3-0 lead en route to a draw (as they did against SLU).

In checking out the stats, St. Joseph's of Maine and Tufts are the only two teams to have still not conceded a goal yet. Will be interesting to see if they can both keep those streaks going into October.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 23, 2017, 04:15:52 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 23, 2017, 04:07:51 PM
(Remillard of WNE leads with 14).

He got his 15th goal today against Salve Regina.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 26, 2017, 04:11:14 PM
Wheaton-Brandeis is 1-1 less than five minutes in. Judges got caught on the break 2 minutes in, defender was forced to foul, Sesay put the free kick away -- really nice hit. Judges counter 137 seconds later through Allen with a nice shot from the top of the box. Good game thus far.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 26, 2017, 04:48:26 PM
3-1 Brandeis at the half. Wheaton again proving to be Jekyll and Hyde -- great going forward, disorganized at the back.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 26, 2017, 06:01:04 PM
Final from Norton, Brandeis 5-1 over Wheaton. 28 shots for the victorious Judges.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 26, 2017, 07:29:30 PM
Endicott up early on WPI.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 26, 2017, 07:36:09 PM
I don't know anything about Springfield other than what I read here, and I know many or most are not fans of their style of play...but they are quietly undefeated and seem to be winning comfortably in each outing.  The schedule hasn't been daunting, but still...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 26, 2017, 07:40:40 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on September 26, 2017, 07:36:09 PM
I don't know anything about Springfield other than what I read here, and I know many or most are not fans of their style of play...but they are quietly undefeated and seem to be winning comfortably in each outing.  The schedule hasn't been daunting, but still...

They look better than last year. Will be curious to see them play UMASS-Boston...methinks there could be fireworks (not because Springfield is chippy, but because those are two teams whose schedules aren't that challenging yet could quietly be good this year).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 26, 2017, 08:33:11 PM
Bridgewater State up 2-0 mid 2nd half versus UMass-Boston???
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on September 26, 2017, 09:02:42 PM
Very good win for Endicott....2-1 at home over WPI.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 26, 2017, 10:39:03 PM
ECSU comes back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2 over Salem State in OT on goal by Freshman Lucas Chaude.  Max Parent off a Nicholas Warren feed and Nicholas Warren (unassisted) @ 76.44 brought ECSU level and sent the match into OT.  Nice gutsy win for the Warriors!!



Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 27, 2017, 02:54:19 AM
A lot going on here!

Quote from: PaulNewman on September 26, 2017, 08:33:11 PM
Bridgewater State up 2-0 mid 2nd half versus UMass-Boston???

That result held up. Pretty crazy considering the two teams' differing plights: BSU is now 2-6, UMB is 4-2-2. Have the two losses just been blips, or are the wheels coming off for UMB?

Quote from: NEsoccerfan20 on September 26, 2017, 09:02:42 PM
Very good win for Endicott....2-1 at home over WPI.

Very good win for the Gulls. WPI is a solid side whose only other losses are to Brandeis and Wesleyan, and it looks like they'll compete for the NEWMAC title.

Quote from: ECSUalum on September 26, 2017, 10:39:03 PM
ECSU comes back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2 over Salem State in OT on goal by Freshman Lucas Chaude.  Max Parent off a Nicholas Warren feed and Nicholas Warren (unassisted) @ 76.44 brought ECSU level and sent the match into OT.  Nice gutsy win for the Warriors!!

I did see that ECSU was down 2-0, so you can imagine my surprise when I saw they won 3-2 in 2OT. Well done!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 27, 2017, 10:11:32 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 26, 2017, 10:39:03 PM
ECSU comes back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2 over Salem State in OT on goal by Freshman Lucas Chaude.  Max Parent off a Nicholas Warren feed and Nicholas Warren (unassisted) @ 76.44 brought ECSU level and sent the match into OT.  Nice gutsy win for the Warriors!!

I've always had a soft spot for ECSU as my older son went there for a few years and a friend of my other son played soccer there until a severe concussion ended his soccer career.  Nice to see them come through with a comeback win.

On another note, I thought of replying to the posts in the NESCAC thread about D1 recruits playing for D3 teams but since this doesn't apply to NESCAC I thought it might be more appropriate here.  Albertus Magnus has a freshman, Salah Oumorou, who was initially a UConn commit.  This article sheds a little more light on why he ended up at Albertus rather than UConn: http://www.gametimect.com/2017/07/boys-soccer-west-havens-oumorou-will-playing-albertus-magnus-instead-uconn/

Interesting read, and it makes me think that if Ray Reid was that high on Oumorou then he would have found the money somehow to get him to Storrs. I've seen him play and IMO he might be a little undersized to play D1 soccer, but at the D3 level his athleticism does stand out. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 27, 2017, 10:16:08 AM
Quote from: OldNed on September 27, 2017, 10:11:32 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 26, 2017, 10:39:03 PM
ECSU comes back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2 over Salem State in OT on goal by Freshman Lucas Chaude.  Max Parent off a Nicholas Warren feed and Nicholas Warren (unassisted) @ 76.44 brought ECSU level and sent the match into OT.  Nice gutsy win for the Warriors!!

I've always had a soft spot for ECSU as my older son went there for a few years and a friend of my other son played soccer there until a severe concussion ended his soccer career.  Nice to see them come through with a comeback win.

On another note, I thought of replying to the posts in the NESCAC thread about D1 recruits playing for D3 teams but since this doesn't apply to NESCAC I thought it might be more appropriate here.  Albertus Magnus has a freshman, Salah Oumorou, who was initially a UConn commit.  This article sheds a little more light on why he ended up at Albertus rather than UConn: http://www.gametimect.com/2017/07/boys-soccer-west-havens-oumorou-will-playing-albertus-magnus-instead-uconn/

Interesting read, and it makes me think that if Ray Reid was that high on Oumorou then he would have found the money somehow to get him to Storrs. I've seen him play and IMO he might be a little undersized to play D1 soccer, but at the D3 level his athleticism does stand out.


EXACTLY...Thank you....If he WAS that good Ray Reid would have gotten him to UCONN...Go on UCONN's website they have 7 assistants..He has plenty of funding...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 27, 2017, 09:04:19 PM
Unheralded Suffolk pulls the upset at MIT, who was 3-1-2 a week ago and coming off two wins, 4-1 over Wheaton and 2-0 over Wentworth. Now they have dropped two straight at home. Suffolk's #9 can really play, I'd never heard of him before but definitely an All–New England caliber player based on what I saw tonight. MIT got a bit unlucky with the goal ruled out for outside before Suffolk struck the dagger. Freshman Carayannopolous, who  scored both goals against Wentworth and five on the season in total is injured, and on this evidence he is definitely missed.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 27, 2017, 10:19:21 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 27, 2017, 09:04:19 PM
Unheralded Suffolk pulls the upset at MIT, who was 3-1-2 a week ago and coming off two wins, 4-1 over Wheaton and 2-0 over Wentworth. Now they have dropped two straight at home. Suffolk's #9 can really play, I'd never heard of him before but definitely an All–New England caliber player based on what I saw tonight. MIT got a bit unlucky with the goal ruled out for outside before Suffolk struck the dagger. Freshman Carayannopolous, who  scored both goals against Wentworth and five on the season in total is injured, and on this evidence he is definitely missed.

A quick Blooter-induced peek at the Suffolk roster revealed that the #11 player is the son of Babson legend Jim Fisher:

http://www.babsonathletics.com/information/halloffame/jimfisher
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 27, 2017, 11:26:22 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 26, 2017, 07:40:40 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on September 26, 2017, 07:36:09 PM
I don't know anything about Springfield other than what I read here, and I know many or most are not fans of their style of play...but they are quietly undefeated and seem to be winning comfortably in each outing.  The schedule hasn't been daunting, but still...

They look better than last year. Will be curious to see them play UMASS-Boston...methinks there could be fireworks (not because Springfield is chippy, but because those are two teams whose schedules aren't that challenging yet could quietly be good this year).

Apart from perhaps the UMass-Boston match, I don't see a game on their schedule in which Springfield won't be favored.  I expect them to continue to climb in the rankings, using their Loras-like intensity to overwhelm their opponents.  They don't have a scorer like last year (Luke Alvaro), but their recent successes have resulted in an increase in overall roster quality. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 27, 2017, 11:29:27 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on September 27, 2017, 10:19:21 PM
A quick Blooter-induced peek at the Suffolk roster revealed that the #11 player is the son of Babson legend Jim Fisher:

http://www.babsonathletics.com/information/halloffame/jimfisher

Interesting! If I am correct, Jim Fisher's older son, Mike, played at Babson as well, graduating in 2014.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 28, 2017, 05:29:54 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 27, 2017, 11:29:27 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on September 27, 2017, 10:19:21 PM
A quick Blooter-induced peek at the Suffolk roster revealed that the #11 player is the son of Babson legend Jim Fisher:

http://www.babsonathletics.com/information/halloffame/jimfisher

Interesting! If I am correct, Jim Fisher's older son, Mike, played at Babson as well, graduating in 2014.

You are correct, sir!  (And still another son played at Curry a few years earlier.)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 30, 2017, 09:37:51 PM
In a battle of CCC unbeatens, WNEU draws Endicott 1-1.  Troy Remillard scored his 16th goal of the season, but the Golden Bears failed to capitalize on a one-goal and one-man advantage (early 2nd half red card on Endicott) after giving up a PK equalizer.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 01, 2017, 05:50:25 PM
Quote from: OldNed on September 27, 2017, 10:11:32 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 26, 2017, 10:39:03 PM
ECSU comes back from a 0-2 deficit to win 3-2 over Salem State in OT on goal by Freshman Lucas Chaude.  Max Parent off a Nicholas Warren feed and Nicholas Warren (unassisted) @ 76.44 brought ECSU level and sent the match into OT.  Nice gutsy win for the Warriors!!

I've always had a soft spot for ECSU as my older son went there for a few years and a friend of my other son played soccer there until a severe concussion ended his soccer career.  Nice to see them come through with a comeback win.

On another note, I thought of replying to the posts in the NESCAC thread about D1 recruits playing for D3 teams but since this doesn't apply to NESCAC I thought it might be more appropriate here.  Albertus Magnus has a freshman, Salah Oumorou, who was initially a UConn commit.  This article sheds a little more light on why he ended up at Albertus rather than UConn: http://www.gametimect.com/2017/07/boys-soccer-west-havens-oumorou-will-playing-albertus-magnus-instead-uconn/

Interesting read, and it makes me think that if Ray Reid was that high on Oumorou then he would have found the money somehow to get him to Storrs. I've seen him play and IMO he might be a little undersized to play D1 soccer, but at the D3 level his athleticism does stand out.

I have a soft side for Eastern too Old Ned, and thanks for your comments, however, ECSU looked horrible yesterday in their 4-1 loss to Plymouth, missing point blank opportunities in front of goal and then late in the game the D crashes and burns!  Defense has always been ECSU's strength but, the back looked bad against a below average Plymouth State side in New Hampshire!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Laserpen123 on October 03, 2017, 04:53:27 PM
   NEW rankings for New England teams
1   Amherst College
DH Tufts University 1-0; DH Rutgers University-Newark 2-1;   5   4-1-1
2   Tufts University
DA Wesleyan University 3-0; LA Amherst College 0-1; DA Hamilton College 1-0;   1   7-1-1
3   Brandeis University
DA Wheaton College (Mass.) 5-1; DA Case Western Reserve University 1-0;   2   7-2-0
4   Springfield College
DH Wentworth Institute of Technolgy 6-2; DA Clark University 2-0;   3   8-0-0
5   Connecticut College
DH Trinity College 2-0; TA Williams College 0-0;   4   6-0-3
6   Bowdoin College   7   6-2-0
7   Williams College
DH Skidmore College 1-0; TH Connecticut College 0-0;   NR   4-1-3
8   Endicott College
DH Worcester Polytechnic Institute 2-1;

Thoughts?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 05:00:40 PM
Ok I was going to watch Trinity and Wheaton when I got home from work BUT I will give Springfield my full attention 2nd half at Framingham State..Why do I have this funny feeling Springfield and Tufts are going to have a NCAA rematch this year...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 06:05:42 PM
Hmmm...Glad I tuned in. Springfield is to be quite frank just like another Nescac school. They are athletic, pacey, defensively organized, have no striker, hoof everything in sight and have what looks to be a decent GK. They are a poor man's Amherst. However, they are good enough on the day to beat any Nescac team this year if the chips fall in place so yes they will pose a danger in the NCAA's and most likely in the 2nd Round.  Interestingly, Framingham had some physical specimens on the field but they were mixed in with below average players which brought everyone's level down. Not sure who is favored in the MASCAC this year but I would guess they have as good a chance as any other team in the league.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 07:08:19 PM
Woodhouse still not in net for Brandeis tonight v MIT..MIT with a solid look off a corner to almost go up.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 07:14:49 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 07:08:19 PM
Woodhouse still not in net for Brandeis tonight v MIT..MIT with a solid look off a corner to almost go up.

Yeah I saw that, good save. Freshman Carayannopolous is back starting for MIT. MIT tends to come out hard particularly at Brandeis...they did so a few years ago and went 1-0 up only to fall in 2OT. Then again that was under the previous coach.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 07:15:50 PM
MIT with 11 behind the ball every time Brandeis gets into their half. Not saying I blame them, just an interesting observation this early in the game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 07:17:16 PM
Brandeis moving the ball very well and look to be in a 4-2-3-1..2 solid chances that should have been finished
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 07:20:06 PM
Great hit by MIT kid from 25 yards out...even better save by Irwin.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 07:21:48 PM
You are correct sir...I like this #14 CB for MIT and #16 from Andover
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 07:22:13 PM
MIT better than I thought
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 07:23:46 PM
Brandeis interchanging VERY WELL...Everyone is always moving..I really like that
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 07:24:59 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 07:22:13 PM
MIT better than I thought

They look really good at times and they look very average at times. All depends on the night.

Apparently I hadn't done my homework on Irwin -- a sophomore transfer from Rutgers, although he wasn't on the '15 or '16 rosters. Played at Seton Hall Prep, a very legit high school program, with Rojas. He has played well thus far.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 07:26:13 PM
MIT does seem to lack a little size. Wilson is a big kid and Nate Johnson is over 6 foot but not a lot of team size. Then again Brandeis isn't the biggest, either, although Hernandez makes up for it with his intensity and aggressiveness.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 07:44:30 PM
Brandeis goes up 1-0 on an own goal off a free kick. Nice looping header from #16 -- just in the wrong direction. Though happy that Brandeis is up, I think it's objectively a bummer that it was #16, too, as he has been one of their better players tonight.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 07:48:26 PM
Brandeis gets a second 3:37 later through left-back Hennessey. Nice one-two in the box and finished off.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 07:52:01 PM
Brandeis with a third before the half -- MIT caught on the break throwing too many men forward and Handler finishes it off.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 07:53:51 PM
Ok jumped the gun on MIT....now I see why they have the record they have...They just completely fell apart in the span of 15 minutes...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 07:55:49 PM
I think #14 the Frosh makes frosh mistakes but he has the build and athleticism to be a stud if he works on his game...#16 with a horrific own goal and is a bit slow afoot but he is a bug athletic guy in midfield that has some skill. Other than that they are very average and almost below average up top with a small flea running around
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 07:58:31 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 07:53:51 PM
Ok jumped the gun on MIT....now I see why they have the record they have...They just completely fell apart in the span of 15 minutes...

They have some talent but consistency is the big word.

Quote from: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 07:55:49 PM
I think #14 the Frosh makes frosh mistakes but he has the build and athleticism to be a stud if he works on his game...#16 with a horrific own goal and is a bit slow afoot but he is a bug athletic guy in midfield that has some skill. Other than that they are very average and almost below average up top with a small flea running around

I think #3 is pretty good myself, but he has been out for two weeks and this is his first game back. His shot conversion percentage is excellent but you have to be able to get shots off and he hasn't so far.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 08:04:36 PM
I just think this #10 for MIT is not a striker..He keeps losing the ball
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 08:06:03 PM
I do not see #3..where is he playing?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 08:12:53 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 08:06:03 PM
I do not see #3..where is he playing?

He was playing RF in a 4-3-3. Looks like they took him off at half.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 08:37:57 PM
Fittingly enough, Carayannopolous puts one in the top right. Great hit. Nothing Irwin could have done about that.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 08:38:48 PM
Pretty solid performance for Brandeis tonight. Fantastic strike by MIT to get within 2 with 10 minutes left. Brandeis game v CMU this weekend is huge
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 08:40:51 PM
Yes that was a fantastic strike...Margolis puts a couple starters back in after the goal. This MIT v Springfield match on Saturday could be big if MIT can focus for 90 minutes they have a shot..
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 08:47:10 PM
Carayannopolous has another hit, this time a great save by Irwin. I saw Margolis last week, and I did tell him MIT had a frosh that was good. ;) (pats self on back)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 08:48:16 PM
Brandeis 3-1 MIT. A deserved victory for the Judges and, though the OG was cruel on MIT, the margin of victory was probably fair.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 08:52:28 PM
For sure...Looking at Brandeis schedule though they need a a couple more wins v Ranked opponents to secure that Pool C. This game on Saturday would be 1 for sure v CMU at 11am..
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 08:55:01 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 03, 2017, 08:52:28 PM
For sure...Looking at Brandeis schedule though they need a a couple more wins v Ranked opponents to secure that Pool C. This game on Saturday would be 1 for sure v CMU at 11am..

Yes they are not home and dry yet. The UAA games should provide them with opportunities, but they need to take advantage of them.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 08:56:16 PM
Babson gets a big W at Endicott, probably the Beavers' best result since putting 3 past SLU on the opening day. They have 5 losses but whether this could be a turning point in their season remains to be seen.

On Endicott's end, while they did pick up a couple good road victories at Trinity and Roger Williams recently, these are the games they need to be winning. Babson is a good side, no doubt, but this was a winnable game at home, no less. Their SoS at least in the past has not left them much margin for error, so I imagine they'll be banking on the CCC again.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on October 03, 2017, 08:58:42 PM
Endicott seems to be missing Couchot a lot up front. He is injured, Gulls were more dangerous but Babson solid in the back as usual.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 09:00:16 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan20 on October 03, 2017, 08:58:42 PM
Endicott seems to be missing Couchot a lot up front. He is injured, Gulls were more dangerous but Babson solid in the back as usual.

They play a system that's hard to break down. I don't think they have any superstar defenders, but they have a solid goalie, and Anderson is a very good coach, particularly at working with what he has.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on October 03, 2017, 09:28:43 PM
Agreed Blooter, one more big non- conference match against Conn College but it looks like CCC it is for their NCAA hopes.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 09:59:57 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan20 on October 03, 2017, 09:28:43 PM
Agreed Blooter, one more big non- conference match against Conn College but it looks like CCC it is for their NCAA hopes.

I still think they can very much win the CCC -- they just have to be able to finish off teams at home. But they have looked good when I've seen them! I did see that Couchot played...perhaps he is not back to full fitness yet. I know Brandeis struggled when a few key front runners were out last year and didn't get back to their normal levels as quick as hoped, but once they did the second half of the season was very different from the first. Maybe it just takes some time.

In other news, the Brandeis match report pays tribute to the untimely death of Tom Petty in surprisingly topical fashion: http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/msoc/2017-18/releases/20171003wojkcw
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: mondomike on October 04, 2017, 09:03:43 AM
nice!

Quote from: blooter442 on October 03, 2017, 09:59:57 PM
In other news, the Brandeis match report pays tribute to the untimely death of Tom Petty in surprisingly topical fashion: http://www.brandeisjudges.com/sports/msoc/2017-18/releases/20171003wojkcw
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 04, 2017, 09:08:17 PM
Southern Maine gets a 1-0 win at Thomas on a PK after a counterattack. USM also played Bowdoin close in a 1-0 OT loss. The Huskies are 5-5-1 which, while no means suggesting world-beater status, is as many wins as they'd racked up in the four years previous, so they've definitely made progress this season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on October 04, 2017, 10:14:28 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 04, 2017, 09:08:17 PM
Southern Maine gets a 1-0 win at Thomas on a PK after a counterattack. USM also played Bowdoin close in a 1-0 OT loss. The Huskies are 5-5-1 which, while no means suggesting world-beater status, is as many wins as they'd racked up in the four years previous, so they've definitely made progress this season.

The first-year GK from South Kent has had a big role in USM's success this year.  He has kept them in games that they otherwise might not have been in previously.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 04, 2017, 11:41:16 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on October 04, 2017, 10:14:28 PM
The first-year GK from South Kent has had a big role in USM's success this year.  He has kept them in games that they otherwise might not have been in previously.

You know, that was my suspicion. SoccerMom mentioned that he played quite well against Bowdoin. Following today's game (compared with NCAA stats -- updated yesterday) he's ranked 27th in the country in save percentage (10th in New England) at .851, quite good especially for a first-year. If they can keep him fit and healthy they could I think they could well continue to improve.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 05, 2017, 08:11:35 AM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 04, 2017, 11:41:16 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on October 04, 2017, 10:14:28 PM
The first-year GK from South Kent has had a big role in USM's success this year.  He has kept them in games that they otherwise might not have been in previously.

You know, that was my suspicion. SoccerMom mentioned that he played quite well against Bowdoin. Following today's game (compared with NCAA stats -- updated yesterday) he's ranked 27th in the country in save percentage (10th in New England) at .851, quite good especially for a first-year. If they can keep him fit and healthy they could I think they could well continue to improve.

I've also been noticing Southern Maine as St. Joe's has them on the schedule for 10/18 at St. Joe's.  Southern Maine always seems to play St. Joe's tough, so this will be an interesting matchup. 

I was at Regis College yesterday to watch the Regis/St. Joe's game.  In their first year in the GNAC, Regis has maybe caught some teams off guard as they were 4-1 going into yesterday's game.  St. Joe's came away with a 3-0 victory and St. Joe's still has not given up a goal through their first 10 games.  I thought St. Joe's dominated the game, but they had some trouble scoring and some of that was due to the Regis goalie as he played really well.  The Regis offense is centered (at least if yesterday is any indication) around MF Litchie Barbosa sending long balls up to F Derek Triana and it's been effective as Barbosa has 10 assists and Triana has 10 goals.  That just didn't work against the tight defense that St. Joe's employs.  I was impressed with Triana and I can see why he's got 10 goals, but he wasn't able to do anything all game as he never had much space, and the few times he did have space, St. Joe's was on him almost immediately. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 07, 2017, 02:39:24 PM
The Silver Lake boys have WPI up 3-0 on Wheaton in 1st half. Might end something like 8-5.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on October 07, 2017, 09:42:31 PM
Troy Remillard of WNEU scored his 17th and 18th goals of the season today against Nichols.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 08, 2017, 12:49:10 AM
Quote from: OldNed on October 05, 2017, 08:11:35 AM
I've also been noticing Southern Maine as St. Joe's has them on the schedule for 10/18 at St. Joe's.  Southern Maine always seems to play St. Joe's tough, so this will be an interesting matchup. 

OldNed, I still have not seen SJC play in-person this year. I am in Maine for the long weekend, but was bouncing around yesterday afternoon and wasn't able to get over to see the game. I would like to try to get to the SJC-Emmanuel game, particularly to see how they are offensively since I did not get a good read on them up front last year.

FWIW, while I don't think Emmanuel is likely to win, they did get a 0-0 draw against Norwich at Norwich, so they may pack it in to try to get the point. Then again, they are 1-5-6, and they drew against Albertus Magnus, the team that SJC thumped yesterday. Hopefully there will be some goals!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 09, 2017, 09:03:27 AM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 08, 2017, 12:49:10 AM
Quote from: OldNed on October 05, 2017, 08:11:35 AM
I've also been noticing Southern Maine as St. Joe's has them on the schedule for 10/18 at St. Joe's.  Southern Maine always seems to play St. Joe's tough, so this will be an interesting matchup. 

OldNed, I still have not seen SJC play in-person this year. I am in Maine for the long weekend, but was bouncing around yesterday afternoon and wasn't able to get over to see the game. I would like to try to get to the SJC-Emmanuel game, particularly to see how they are offensively since I did not get a good read on them up front last year.

FWIW, while I don't think Emmanuel is likely to win, they did get a 0-0 draw against Norwich at Norwich, so they may pack it in to try to get the point. Then again, they are 1-5-6, and they drew against Albertus Magnus, the team that SJC thumped yesterday. Hopefully there will be some goals!

Blooter,
I'll be at the SJC-Emmanuel game, so let me know if you're going to be there.  It would be nice to meet you in person.

Emmanuel does seem to have a pretty good defense when looking at their results, but they also have problems scoring goals which isn't going to bode well for them against Saint Joe's defense.  As for the Saint Joe's offense, they tend to start out a little slowly in the first half and then they really wear down opponents and pile on goals in the second half.  If Saint Joe's can get an early goal, I think they will relax and score a few more, but if Emmanuel can keep it at 0-0 going into halftime then that will make things interesting in the second half.

The good thing about Saint Joe's recent offensive prowess is that Coach Dubois is able to substitute freely in the second half and he's really trying to integrate some of the freshmen players to get them decent amounts of PT.  This will help long-term as Dubois tries to bring Saint Joe's into the conversation as one of the better D3 teams in New England. What I'd really like to see next year is Dubois getting Saint Joe's into some good non-conference games, other than with other Maine teams like Bowdoin or Colby.  Have them schedule UMass Boston, Endicott, some of the other NESCAC schools, Brandeis, etc rather than Husson and Maine Maritime and Maine Farmington.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 10, 2017, 09:11:56 PM
Springfield just went up 2-0 on UM Boston with +/-15 min to go!  First Springfield goal on a penalty kick just before first half, as a result of chippieness (sp) on the part of some UMB players off a free kick!!  I think the referees are not taking any UMB crap after last year's NCAA antics and its hurting them.  Credit to Springfield as they have  big strong defensive backs, are frustrating UMB, and look like a top 25 team!!

2-0 final
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 10, 2017, 09:45:33 PM
Good Win....This Springfield at WPI match will determine a ton next weekend...If WPI could knock them off the NEWMAC could be looking at 2 bids..I have seen Springfield a couple times now, I gotta check out WPI as I have not seen them yet
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 11, 2017, 10:47:46 AM
OldNed, I still plan on getting over there. Sent you a PM. Fully agree that Dubois should start looking at some more difficult non-conference tests, although I think scheduling Bowdoin (and the result) is definitely a step in the right direction and shows that the Monks can compete in New England.

On a similar vein -- but instead talking about Springfield -- I really would like to see them schedule some more difficult non-conference tests. They used to play Brandeis back in 2011 and 2012, but I don't think they've played the Judges since. Pretty safe to say the Pride are favorites for the NEWMAC, but it would be great for them to go test themselves against other in-region powers -- and hey, if they pulled out wins, it would only augment their status as an in-region contender.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 11, 2017, 10:52:21 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 10, 2017, 09:45:33 PM
I have seen Springfield a couple times now, I gotta check out WPI as I have not seen them yet

WPI is definitely a solid side. Fairly big and athletic, and have some nice speed up top with Beatty. Not the most skilled and can be a bit direct at times, but a solid team and difficult to break down. GK Hoeckle is good. I was a little surprised that they lost to Wentworth, who I thought would be better this year, but maybe it's just that the Leopards are turning a corner after winning three in a row this past week. Either way, I think WPI is the most likely in the NEWMAC to give Springfield a run for its money this year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 11, 2017, 01:06:10 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 11, 2017, 10:47:46 AM
OldNed, I still plan on getting over there. Sent you a PM. Fully agree that Dubois should start looking at some more difficult non-conference tests, although I think scheduling Bowdoin (and the result) is definitely a step in the right direction and shows that the Monks can compete in New England.

On a similar vein -- but instead talking about Springfield -- I really would like to see them schedule some more difficult non-conference tests. They used to play Brandeis back in 2011 and 2012, but I don't think they've played the Judges since. Pretty safe to say the Pride are favorites for the NEWMAC, but it would be great for them to go test themselves against other in-region powers -- and hey, if they pulled out wins, it would only augment their status as an in-region contender.


Yea the old coach Peter Haley used to schedule one of the toughest schedules in New England. Go back and look at the archives in say 2007 or 2008 and you will see they played 4 Nescac's( Played the Little 3 of Williams, Amherst and Wesleyan for years), Brandeis, Western Conn, Keene St when those schools were good, etc , etc....The problem was they were not a good team and would lose almost all those games. I think they got a new AD but Haley eventually retired or was forced upstairs and ever since the new coach has played a weaker schedule. However, the team has really improved the last couple years at least talent wise. Also, I would be willing to bet there would not be a ton of schools in Nescac or elsewhere that are volunteering to play Springfield right now. Their style of play and tactics would not get me as an opposing coach out of my chair to play them on my non-conference slate.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 11, 2017, 01:09:32 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 11, 2017, 10:52:21 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 10, 2017, 09:45:33 PM
I have seen Springfield a couple times now, I gotta check out WPI as I have not seen them yet

WPI is definitely a solid side. Fairly big and athletic, and have some nice speed up top with Beatty. Not the most skilled and can be a bit direct at times, but a solid team and difficult to break down. GK Hoeckle is good. I was a little surprised that they lost to Wentworth, who I thought would be better this year, but maybe it's just that the Leopards are turning a corner after winning three in a row this past week. Either way, I think WPI is the most likely in the NEWMAC to give Springfield a run for its money this year.


Yea i am going to watch their match next weekend v Springfield. +k Bloots for the constant update in regards to Bates v Bowdoin on Sunday. I really appreciated that because I was not able to catch the game but was checking updates on the play. Your quick one hitters are much better than live stats
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 11, 2017, 04:31:30 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 11, 2017, 01:09:32 PM
Yea i am going to watch their match next weekend v Springfield. +k Bloots for the constant update in regards to Bates v Bowdoin on Sunday. I really appreciated that because I was not able to catch the game but was checking updates on the play. Your quick one hitters are much better than live stats

No problem! Now I just have to see if the Guardian will want new folks to help expand its minute-by-minute sports coverage into the D3 soccer world...if so I'm on board. ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 12, 2017, 08:43:12 AM
St. Joe's with another good offensive game, beating Emmanuel 6-0.  I had the pleasure of meeting Blooter and watching the game with him.

One thing I'm curious about re: St. Joe's and the Herosports ranking for them.  Hero has St. Joe's at 43 and that seems about right to me.  In looking at it further, though, they have St. Joe's with the #1 offense and the #222 ranked defense.  How is it possible that a team that hasn't given up a goal all season is ranked #222 on defense?  Baffling.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 12, 2017, 10:30:08 AM
Quote from: OldNed on October 12, 2017, 08:43:12 AM
St. Joe's with another good offensive game, beating Emmanuel 6-0.  I had the pleasure of meeting Blooter and watching the game with him.

One thing I'm curious about re: St. Joe's and the Herosports ranking for them.  Hero has St. Joe's at 43 and that seems about right to me.  In looking at it further, though, they have St. Joe's with the #1 offense and the #222 ranked defense.  How is it possible that a team that hasn't given up a goal all season is ranked #222 on defense?  Baffling.

Tufts is ranked 378th in offense and 412th in defense.  So something is not functioning correctly.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 12, 2017, 10:50:44 AM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on October 12, 2017, 10:30:08 AM
Quote from: OldNed on October 12, 2017, 08:43:12 AM
St. Joe's with another good offensive game, beating Emmanuel 6-0.  I had the pleasure of meeting Blooter and watching the game with him.

One thing I'm curious about re: St. Joe's and the Herosports ranking for them.  Hero has St. Joe's at 43 and that seems about right to me.  In looking at it further, though, they have St. Joe's with the #1 offense and the #222 ranked defense.  How is it possible that a team that hasn't given up a goal all season is ranked #222 on defense?  Baffling.

Tufts is ranked 378th in offense and 412th in defense.  So something is not functioning correctly.

Thanks for point that out, Flying Weasel.  Yep, clearly something isn't working correctly with those offensive/defensive rankings, although I'd say they have Tufts ranked overall pretty much where I would think they would be.

Also, just want to note that I wasn't complaining that St. Joe's wasn't ranked higher. I think HeroSports and Massey have them ranked pretty well considering their awful SOS.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 14, 2017, 02:00:14 PM
In the shortest turnaround in D3 History Endicott loses to Conn on Friday night at 6pm 2-0. Then 18 hours later they defeat Curry 3-0 with the same lineup..Well done.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 14, 2017, 02:58:21 PM
Wow -- Babson puts 5 past Wheaton to win 5-1. You have to wonder whether that was Babson being that prolific offensively or Wheaton being that poor defensively. Considering Wheaton outshot Babson 18-17 and had a 10-8 advantage in SOG, seems to be mostly the latter.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 14, 2017, 03:05:38 PM
Do not forget to mention that Babson has something like 30 fouls in the game....That is a ridiculous #...Babson must have gotten to rest players in the 2nd Half as they play Williams tomorrow
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on October 15, 2017, 02:05:56 AM
Quote from: Ommadawn on October 07, 2017, 09:42:31 PM
Troy Remillard of WNEU scored his 17th and 18th goals of the season today against Nichols.

Remillard bagged two more Saturday afternoon against Eastern Nazarene to up his total to 21.  WNEU squares off tonight against Springfield in a derby at Ludlow's Lusitano Stadium.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 12:42:24 PM
I think the most impressive stat for Springfield is in 5 Newmac games they are 5-0-0 with 5 Shutouts. They do have a weak out of conference schedule but the Newmac is a decent league. In fact on the year Springfield is 12-0-0 with 9 Shutouts. They have not allowed a goal in 3 weeks and only have allowed 2 goals(both by Wentworth) since their Sept 10th 2-1 victory at Stevens. My point is that something has to give tonight v WNEC with Remillard being that much of a poacher v Springfield's stingy defense 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 15, 2017, 02:22:11 PM
Wheelock gets what I think is their first win in program history today 2-0 over Maine-Presque Isle.  Before today, Wheelock was 0-88.  Congratulations to the Wildcats!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on October 15, 2017, 02:27:19 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 15, 2017, 02:22:11 PM
Wheelock gets what I think is their first win in program history today 2-0 over Maine-Presque Isle.  Before today, Wheelock was 0-88.  Congratulations to the Wildcats!

And just in time, too, as I just saw that Wheelock is becoming part of BU in 2018.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 15, 2017, 02:32:21 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 15, 2017, 02:22:11 PM
Wheelock gets what I think is their first win in program history today 2-0 over Maine-Presque Isle.  Before today, Wheelock was 0-88.  Congratulations to the Wildcats!

Awesome. As much as winning is a big part of sports, achievement (in a relative sense) is important, too. I imagine they'll enjoy this one tonight.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 16, 2017, 12:50:10 AM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 15, 2017, 02:22:11 PM
Wheelock gets what I think is their first win in program history today 2-0 over Maine-Presque Isle.  Before today, Wheelock was 0-88.  Congratulations to the Wildcats!

By my count, their first win came in exactly their 100th game.

2009: 0-12-0
2010: 0-16-0
2011: 0-13-0
2012: 0-3-0
2013: D.N.P.
2014: 0-13-0
2015: 0-14-0
2016: 0-18-0
2017: 1-10-0

Total: 1-99-0
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on October 16, 2017, 01:15:40 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 15, 2017, 12:42:24 PM
I think the most impressive stat for Springfield is in 5 Newmac games they are 5-0-0 with 5 Shutouts. They do have a weak out of conference schedule but the Newmac is a decent league. In fact on the year Springfield is 12-0-0 with 9 Shutouts. They have not allowed a goal in 3 weeks and only have allowed 2 goals(both by Wentworth) since their Sept 10th 2-1 victory at Stevens. My point is that something has to give tonight v WNEC with Remillard being that much of a poacher v Springfield's stingy defense

Springfield's stingy defense pitched another shutout last night, prevailing 1-0 over WNEU.  Remillard had two close chances, but that was about it.  Springfield dominated the shot tally 22 (6 OG) to 7 (2 OG). Although the game was on turf, the ball didn't hit the ground a lot.  There was one sequence of mostly headers where the ball was in the air for 8 straight volleys.  I did find myself wondering sometimes why players not under pressure would boot the ball down the field to an area where only opposing players were located, but, hey, what do I know?!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 17, 2017, 10:26:16 PM
Projected 10/18 regional rankings for New England:

1.    Amherst
2.    Tufts
3.    Brandeis
4.    Conn
5.    Middlebury
6.    Williams
7.    Springfield
8.    St. Josephs
9.    Mass-Boston
10.  Bowdoin
11.  Coast Guard
12.  Johnson & Wales

Springfield and St Josephs may not be ranked as their SOS may fall below .500

Next in line:
Colby
Endicott
WPI
Gordon
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 08:08:39 AM
Interesting TV spot on St. Joseph's (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wlbz2.com%2Fsports%2Fso-far-no-one-has-scored-on-st-josephs%2F484135976&h=ATMZS88yXaE53aKqseVD42D2Y3eB3DJl1RLtBjbYcJn3QaaXnh7iDic2ezB3VOwob8x3ZUqEPRsX-GTOeNbWV7UZ5QXclg9G6tTdy29Y_xLjNKG_p6WBcQ&s=1&enc=AZP-8jCxaG_spmrBi9b4RPrREAKe6SvI8z0xrwiGENYqeHb8vADlmiD7dxU8Zh8gTWMYBf5sl2Ln9NYDenumqaA1) and its 0.00 GAA, currently the only perfect GAA in men's or women's soccer, any division. Full disclosure: I'm a native Mainer who likes to see Maine schools do well. As coach Dubois said, they're not giving it much attention, and rightly so — the real tests have yet to come, although I do fancy SJC to reclaim the GNAC title. Go Monks!

As an aside, in meeting OldNed last week, I discovered that SJC has its t-shirts (and I would guess other apparel) printed by a local vendor named Bob the Screenprinter, of whom the proprietor is a guy who my dad — a longtime silkscreener and graphic artist — taught to print some 26 years ago (right before he left that gig because yours truly came along — I'm the elder of
two). It's a small world indeed.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEFutbol90 on October 18, 2017, 09:21:01 AM
St. Joes has done a really good job getting some of the local business involved with the evolution of their athletic dept. in the past few years, and undoubtedly Bob's has benefited from the countless t-shirt orders from all parts of the college community as they are always a hit on campus.

Something Im interested in hearing what people think is their opinion on the outcome of the little east... with UMB getting all the talk out of that conference Keene St. has battled them every year including a win this year. (Since 2012 Keene is 1W-1L-2T vs UMB) Since moving #3 Salta out of the back he has had an immediate impact in terms of goals and could decide their fate with 2 conference games remaining to dictate their post season (URI & UM Dartmouth). If they find they're way in I reckon UMB will be uneasy facing them in the first round.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 09:43:33 AM
Quote from: NEFutbol90 on October 18, 2017, 09:21:01 AM
Something Im interested in hearing what people think is their opinion on the outcome of the little east... with UMB getting all the talk out of that conference Keene St. has battled them every year including a win this year. (Since 2012 Keene is 1W-1L-2T vs UMB) Since moving #3 Salta out of the back he has had an immediate impact in terms of goals and could decide their fate with 2 conference games remaining to dictate their post season (URI & UM Dartmouth). If they find they're way in I reckon UMB will be uneasy facing them in the first round.

To be honest, I haven't watched much of the LEC this year, but I do think that UMB aren't as dominant as they were last year, which makes the LEC somewhat open for me. I saw that Keene beat them last month, and I did get to watch them in person against Wentworth, and they looked good in patches and have some nice skill, but they don't have the same level of power that they have had in years past. What's more, I think they've had some issues with composure – not just talking about the Haverford incident last year, but what I mean is when they go 1-0 down they seem to lose their heads a bit. As such, I think Keene — and perhaps others — could cause them some problems, although I do think they're still the favorite at this time.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 12:55:29 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 17, 2017, 10:26:16 PM
Projected 10/18 regional rankings for New England:

1.    Amherst
2.    Tufts
3.    Brandeis
4.    Conn
5.    Middlebury
6.    Williams
7.    Springfield
8.    St. Josephs
9.    Mass-Boston
10.  Bowdoin
11.  Coast Guard
12.  Johnson & Wales

Springfield and St Josephs may not be ranked as their SOS may fall below .500

Next in line:
Colby
Endicott
WPI
Gordon



I am not so sure Nescac will dominate all the top spots this year. At least I do not think they deserve to. I think Amherst, Tufts and Brandeis will be 1,2 and 3 but I do not know which order. I agree Conn will be 4 but I do not think Midd and Williams will be ahead of Bowdoin as Bowdoin beat both of them. You are correct that St.Joe's and Springfield might find problems getting ranked especially St.Joe's as their SOS will be awful. I just do not see a legit win on their schedule except for Bowdoin and maybe Johnson and Wales. Keene St will be a challenge at Keene to finish the year but they need to upgrade the schedule in the offseason. At least play all 3 Maine Nescac's(If they will agree to play) and it seems like Endicott will play anyone anywhere so give them a call. ECONN will play anyone anywhere. Maybe Babson will want a rematch from last year's NCAA exit? I remember last year Springfield was like 15-1-0 and did not get ranked because of their schedule. I think WPI gets ranked and even Endicott has a chance. Honestly I am grasping at straws here as it seems the whole region is WAY down.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 01:04:07 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 12:55:29 PM
I am not so sure Nescac will dominate all the top spots this year. At least I do not think they deserve to. I think Amherst, Tufts and Brandeis will be 1,2 and 3 but I do not know which order. I agree Conn will be 4 but I do not think Midd and Williams will be ahead of Bowdoin as Bowdoin beat both of them. You are correct that St.Joe's and Springfield might find problems getting ranked especially St.Joe's as their SOS will be awful. I just do not see a legit win on their schedule except for Bowdoin and maybe Johnson and Wales. Keene St will be a challenge at Keene to finish the year but they need to upgrade the schedule in the offseason. At least play all 3 Maine Nescac's(If they will agree to play) and it seems like Endicott will play anyone anywhere so give them a call. ECONN will play anyone anywhere. Maybe Babson will want a rematch from last year's NCAA exit? I remember last year Springfield was like 15-1-0 and did not get ranked because of their schedule. I think WPI gets ranked and even Endicott has a chance. Honestly I am grasping at straws here as it seems the whole region is WAY down.

Certainly don't disagree that St. Joseph's should beef up its schedule, but apparently they were scheduled to play Colby this year but Colby pulled out because SJC was finishing up its turf, wouldn't have it ready for an early September game (as had been scheduled), and wanted to instead play on one of the local turf fields (Colby declined). That would have been 2 of 3 Maine NESCACs, but alas it's only one (albeit a good win for SJC).

I might speculate that Colby perhaps didn't want to lose to SJC as it did last year, and saw an "out." That's just me, though, and this year's Colby is better than last year's Colby (although the same could be said for SJC being better this year). If they can get Bates in there and keep all three those would be good additions to the SoS and -- get a win or two out of those three -- a decent boost in credibility as well to the neutrals.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 01:47:00 PM
Ahh..I did not realize Colby pulled out of the game. I mean what is the difference playing on St.Joe's turf or another turf field close by. Unless the field was not to Colby's liking dimension wise or just not up to snuff. Seems hard to imagine though. I am guessing that when St.Joe's called to say their field would not be ready back in the late spring that Colby might have suggested to play the game in Waterville. If St.Joe's balked at that then I would have a bit of a problem. Yes it is unfair to have to go back to Waterville for the 2nd year in a row but certainly not unheard of. St.Joe's is not in a position to balk they NEEDED that game for their SOS. They should have done everything possible to play the game. If Colby actually was looking for a reason not to play the game they would have simply dropped St.Joe's back in December. Also, looking at past year's schedules when they were not so good you see teams like Wheaton,  Babson, ECONN, Endicott, Ro ger Williams, etc on their schedule so that is something also to consider. All I am saying is that when you play in one of the weakest conferences in the country you MUST go out of your way to get solid games non-conference.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 1970s NESCAC Player on October 18, 2017, 01:51:43 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 01:04:07 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 12:55:29 PM
I am not so sure Nescac will dominate all the top spots this year. At least I do not think they deserve to. I think Amherst, Tufts and Brandeis will be 1,2 and 3 but I do not know which order. I agree Conn will be 4 but I do not think Midd and Williams will be ahead of Bowdoin as Bowdoin beat both of them. You are correct that St.Joe's and Springfield might find problems getting ranked especially St.Joe's as their SOS will be awful. I just do not see a legit win on their schedule except for Bowdoin and maybe Johnson and Wales. Keene St will be a challenge at Keene to finish the year but they need to upgrade the schedule in the offseason. At least play all 3 Maine Nescac's(If they will agree to play) and it seems like Endicott will play anyone anywhere so give them a call. ECONN will play anyone anywhere. Maybe Babson will want a rematch from last year's NCAA exit? I remember last year Springfield was like 15-1-0 and did not get ranked because of their schedule. I think WPI gets ranked and even Endicott has a chance. Honestly I am grasping at straws here as it seems the whole region is WAY down.

Certainly don't disagree that St. Joseph's should beef up its schedule, but apparently they were scheduled to play Colby this year but Colby pulled out because SJC was finishing up its turf, wouldn't have it ready for an early September game (as had been scheduled), and wanted to instead play on one of the local turf fields (Colby declined). That would have been 2 of 3 Maine NESCACs, but alas it's only one (albeit a good win for SJC).

I might speculate that Colby perhaps didn't want to lose to SJC as it did last year, and saw an "out." That's just me, though, and this year's Colby is better than last year's Colby (although the same could be said for SJC being better this year). If they can get Bates in there and keep all three those would be good additions to the SoS and -- get a win or two out of those three -- a decent boost in credibility as well to the neutrals.

Even assuming that you are correct, blooter, about the SJC field issue (which I had not previously heard, but can't dispute either), Colby recognizes that SJC is currently a solid program and would gladly play them (as long as there was a suitable college field to play on).  Colby's non-conference schedule is generally dictated by geography, which means they are typically going to stay in state (given the extensive travel (with multiple overnights) they already do in NESCAC).  [The exceptions would be where a good program is willing to travel to Waterville (see Gordon 2017), or where they would be able to combine a weekend trip to an away NESCAC location with a game in proximity the next day -- e.g., Wheaton following Tufts in 2015.]  As such, they want to play the best available schools in Maine whenever possible.  [The only exception is Thomas, which is a local rivalry for the Elm City Bowl, whom they will play every year, regardless of any imbalance in quality of the teams.]  To this end, Colby in recent years has dropped noncompetitive historical opponents such as USM and Farmington, and were originally scheduled to drop Me. Maritime this year (until the apparent issue with the SJC field).

At this point in time, Colby doesn't care about possibly losing to SJC (or any non-conference foe), although they would naturally prefer to win.  As can be seen from their non-conference box scores this year (including Gordon), Coach Seabrook generally uses those games as an opportunity to give lots of players game time, and to play the back up GKs.  I'm sure the coach realizes that his path to the postseason is to focus on the NESCAC games.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 02:57:50 PM
Quote from: 1970s NESCAC Player on October 18, 2017, 01:51:43 PM
Even assuming that you are correct, blooter, about the SJC field issue (which I had not previously heard, but can't dispute either), Colby recognizes that SJC is currently a solid program and would gladly play them (as long as there was a suitable college field to play on).  Colby's non-conference schedule is generally dictated by geography, which means they are typically going to stay in state (given the extensive travel (with multiple overnights) they already do in NESCAC).  [The exceptions would be where a good program is willing to travel to Waterville (see Gordon 2017), or where they would be able to combine a weekend trip to an away NESCAC location with a game in proximity the next day -- e.g., Wheaton following Tufts in 2015.]  As such, they want to play the best available schools in Maine whenever possible.  [The only exception is Thomas, which is a local rivalry for the Elm City Bowl, whom they will play every year, regardless of any imbalance in quality of the teams.]  To this end, Colby in recent years has dropped noncompetitive historical opponents such as USM and Farmington, and were originally scheduled to drop Me. Maritime this year (until the apparent issue with the SJC field).

At this point in time, Colby doesn't care about possibly losing to SJC (or any non-conference foe), although they would naturally prefer to win.  As can be seen from their non-conference box scores this year (including Gordon), Coach Seabrook generally uses those games as an opportunity to give lots of players game time, and to play the back up GKs.  I'm sure the coach realizes that his path to the postseason is to focus on the NESCAC games.

Fair enough, and I didn't mean to "stir the pot" in hypothesizing, although in hindsight that's probably how it came across. I just was a little confused as to why they wouldn't want to play them when there were (are) suitable turf fields in the Greater Portland area, particularly considering Colby itself now has a turf.

In Colby's defense, I can see how it might be a bit undesirable to have to go out of the way to accommodate special requests of your host opponent, though I did wonder why Colby didn't offer to host (thereby eliminating travel for a game). That said, your point about using the NESCAC games as focus does make sense -- that is (generally) where the toughest tests will come and so non-conference games are usually good places to try new things. I think SJC would do well to pick up all three Maine NESCACs, as all three have shown to be competitive -- particularly Colby with its impressive win on Saturday.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEFutbol90 on October 18, 2017, 03:17:53 PM
You are correct that the postponed opening of the new complex was the issue behind the cancellation, although it wasn't until just before the season that it was announced because they had been training on it all pre season. Why Deering/Portland/Falmouth where St.Joes played a lot of games (due to rain) and even the opening round of GNAC playoffs weren't good enough is the real question. With the obvious need for a better SOS it was certainly a tough spot for St.Joes, Although losing to St.Joes I don't think was the issue either because the loss last year was on a  final second deflection off a half volley.

About years past in terms of scheduling for SJC, Roger williams and ECONN was in a year that they had a strong group of OLD, but very talented old men finishing up their eligibility so that certainly could've played a part, and then the following year with Babson, wheaton, endicott, etc. the old coach, Babineau, had scheduled those with no apparent "real" talent coming in, and left coach Dubois with his toughest schedule to date, and at most 15 field players.

But undoubtedly, SJC should've done anything in their power to play Colby, just seems like on both ends they could've afforded to be a bit more flexible. Another note, hard to believe babson wouldn't have jumped on the chance to battle St.Joes again after the NCAA loss last year, maybe a missed opportunity for Dubois and the monks.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 18, 2017, 05:12:55 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 17, 2017, 10:26:16 PM
Projected 10/18 regional rankings for New England:

1.    Amherst
2.    Tufts
3.    Brandeis
4.    Conn
5.    Middlebury
6.    Williams
7.    Springfield
8.    St. Josephs
9.    Mass-Boston
10.  Bowdoin
11.  Coast Guard
12.  Johnson & Wales

Springfield and St Josephs may not be ranked as their SOS may fall below .500

Next in line:
Colby
Endicott
WPI
Gordon

Actual rankings with winning % and SOS

1.     Tufts             0.875        .605
2.     Amherst        0.727        .679
3.     Conn             0.808        .605
4.     Brandeis        0.769        .618
5.     Williams        0.750        .601
6.     Springfield     1.000        .556
7.     Middlebury     0.692        .614
8.     Mass-Boston  0.692        .578
9.     Bowdoin        0.750        .554
10.   J&Wales         0.893        .530
11.   Gordon          0.679        .555
12.   Colby            0.636         .584

Not ranked (winning % over .600 and SOS over .500)
        St Josephs     0.964        .474
        Coast Guard   0.654        .549
        Endicott         0.679        .546
        WPI              0.692         .535
        Clark             0.654         .507
        Colby-Sawyer 0.615         .534
        Keene St        0.615         .556
        WConnSt       0.625          .515
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 05:15:45 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 18, 2017, 05:12:55 PM
Actual rankings with winning % and SOS


1.     Tufts             0.875        .605
2.     Amherst        0.727        .679
3.     Conn             0.808        .605
4.     Brandeis        0.769        .618
5.     Williams        0.750        .601
6.     Springfield     1.000        .556
7.     Middlebury     0.692        .614
8.     Mass-Boston  0.692        .578
9.     Bowdoin        0.750        .554
10.   J&Wales         0.893        .530
11.   Gordon          0.679        .555
12.   Colby            0.636         .584

Not ranked
        St Josephs     0.964        .474
        Coast Guard
        Endicott

Wow...Amherst with .679 SoS? That's absurd.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 05:21:09 PM
Good call Offpitch...Bowdoin is ranked behind Williams and Midd even though they beat both of them...Bowdoin's out of conference schedule kills them BUT Midd has an equally bad out of conference schedule but they did beat Amherst.


Nescac gets 7 teams ranked...That is how down New England is this year...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 05:28:25 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 05:15:45 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 18, 2017, 05:12:55 PM
Actual rankings with winning % and SOS


1.     Tufts             0.875        .605
2.     Amherst        0.727        .679
3.     Conn             0.808        .605
4.     Brandeis        0.769        .618
5.     Williams        0.750        .601
6.     Springfield     1.000        .556
7.     Middlebury     0.692        .614
8.     Mass-Boston  0.692        .578
9.     Bowdoin        0.750        .554
10.   J&Wales         0.893        .530
11.   Gordon          0.679        .555
12.   Colby            0.636         .584

Not ranked
        St Josephs     0.964        .474
        Coast Guard
        Endicott

Wow...Amherst with .679 SoS? That's absurd.


That will plummet after upcoming games against Mt.St Mary and Farmingdale but still will be about .620 my guess. The Eastern Nazarene cancellation and the RUN addition has helped big time
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 07:09:01 PM
Makes sense re: RUN and Eastern Nazarene. I was going to say that seemed a bit high given Amherst's tendency to schedule easier non-conference games in years past. Did seem a bit inflated but I'd guess they'll be over .600?

Not even 10 mins into MIT-UMB and Beverlin is already working the refs. His behavior is embarrassing.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 07:17:57 PM
No Martinez for UMB tonight and I don't see his poofy hair on the bench (which is awesome I must say). Injured? Suspended? Did I miss him? He is their live wire and everything goes through him.

As an aside, Dropkick Khang is back playing after a lengthy injury lay-off.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 07:35:10 PM
One interesting thing about UMB that just dawned on me is that they seem to play like they're playing small-sided pickup games. They do have good skill and speed but their play can be very frantic and disjointed.

Even with the absences of Williamson and Khang, I can very much see how Tufts ground them down and eventually got the winner last year; in Tufts' system, the team cohesion is very evident. Everyone knows their job, everyone is aware of where others are, what runs will be made, etc. UMB seems to win games through "moments" and sheer talent rather than systemic pressure (of course it could be argued that cohesive teams win games this way as well, but those are often a result of the game plan, in my observation. Perhaps this explains the lack of composure from UMB I've harped on.

Just as I write this, UMB guy makes a great individual run down the right and pulls it back only for the man in the middle to be on a totally different page.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 07:38:31 PM
MIT goes up 1-0 on a back header from a long throw, keeper no chance. Really nice flick. 6 left in the half.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 08:01:20 PM
Game is already a bit chippy but this ref is managing it very well. No. 9 tried to talk back and got a yellow.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 08:04:17 PM
I switched games to the UMB at MIT game as Tufts is in control over Keene St. I have seen MIT 2 times this year but have ye to see UMB..
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 08:23:23 PM
Lol UMB kid tries a scissor kick on a high serve — predictable result.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 08:24:06 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 07:35:10 PM
One interesting thing about UMB that just dawned on me is that they seem to play like they're playing small-sided pickup games. They do have good skill and speed but their play can be very frantic and disjointed.

Even with the absences of Williamson and Khang, I can very much see how Tufts ground them down and eventually got the winner last year; in Tufts' system, the team cohesion is very evident. Everyone knows their job, everyone is aware of where others are, what runs will be made, etc. UMB seems to win games through "moments" and sheer talent rather than systemic pressure (of course it could be argued that cohesive teams win games this way as well, but those are often a result of the game plan, in my observation. Perhaps this explains the lack of composure from UMB I've harped on.

Just as I write this, UMB guy makes a great individual run down the right and pulls it back only for the man in the middle to be on a totally different page.


I completely agree. They still have tons of skill and just in the 2nd Half they have made about 4-5 great thru ball passes to guys who have made impressive individual runs. They do rely on "moments" for sure..They are definitely missing a finisher though.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 08:28:35 PM
#3 Cunha the CB is their field general for sure..I remember him from last year..


whoever made the comment a few weeks back about the refs giving UMB absolutely no leeway was correct. This ref is putting up with nothing that comes out of their mouths. The word definitely has gotten around at least in New England
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 08:35:24 PM
Khang is a good all-round midfielder but has major fitness issues. Maybe it's the injury, but he looks gassed.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 08:40:52 PM
Less than 10 left. Still 1-0 MIT.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 08:46:59 PM
MIT gets a second with 5 left. Really nice one two finished off by #3. 2-0.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 08:48:51 PM
I feel like UMB is decent until the final 3rd then it all falls apart. Either giving the ball away or giving the ball to players in bad position and MIT is doing a good job of giving them nothing in front of the net...Ballgame 2-0 MIT on a nice cross and finish. defender forgot to stay with his man..Yea UMB is definitely not quite the same team but as a coach I would not want to face a team like this in the 1st Round of the NCAA's because they do have the skill to generate chances and "moments" that could possibly be problematic. Most likely though this team fades rather quietly in November.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on October 18, 2017, 09:00:02 PM
Endicott with a huge 2-1 win over Wentworth... freshman Becker scored the first... Wentworth tied it up in the second half.... Cohane of Endicott got sent off and the Gulls scored a second with 5 minutes left and a man down... brilliant scissor kick finish by Becker to keep the Gulls atop the CCC with only UNE and Salve left to play.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2017, 09:01:13 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 18, 2017, 08:48:51 PM
I feel like UMB is decent until the final 3rd then it all falls apart. Either giving the ball away or giving the ball to players in bad position and MIT is doing a good job of giving them nothing in front of the net...Ballgame 2-0 MIT on a nice cross and finish. defender forgot to stay with his man..Yea UMB is definitely not quite the same team but as a coach I would not want to face a team like this in the 1st Round of the NCAA's because they do have the skill to generate chances and "moments" that could possibly be problematic. Most likely though this team fades rather quietly in November.

Yeah generating highlight-reel plays and "moments" can definitely win you games, so I don't mean to discount the value of that because in the tourney that can be the difference. I think what we agree on is that it comes down to consistency over the course of a season, and they don't seem to have that. On the whole, I think it was a pretty even game, although I do think MIT created more in the final third than UMB, and I'd say MIT were deserved winners.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 19, 2017, 07:48:52 AM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 04, 2017, 11:41:16 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on October 04, 2017, 10:14:28 PM
The first-year GK from South Kent has had a big role in USM's success this year.  He has kept them in games that they otherwise might not have been in previously.

You know, that was my suspicion. SoccerMom mentioned that he played quite well against Bowdoin. Following today's game (compared with NCAA stats -- updated yesterday) he's ranked 27th in the country in save percentage (10th in New England) at .851, quite good especially for a first-year. If they can keep him fit and healthy they could I think they could well continue to improve.

St. Joe's narrowly beat USM last night 1-0, and Glemawu the USM goalie did a terrific job to keep USM in the game.  He made several really nice saves and he did a great job coming out of the net on long balls into the 18.  USM really played St. Joe's tough - I think their game plan was to play physical and they did just that and it looked like it threw St. Joe's off their game a little bit.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 19, 2017, 08:53:25 AM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 18, 2017, 05:12:55 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 17, 2017, 10:26:16 PM
Projected 10/18 regional rankings for New England:

1.    Amherst
2.    Tufts
3.    Brandeis
4.    Conn
5.    Middlebury
6.    Williams
7.    Springfield
8.    St. Josephs
9.    Mass-Boston
10.  Bowdoin
11.  Coast Guard
12.  Johnson & Wales

Springfield and St Josephs may not be ranked as their SOS may fall below .500

Next in line:
Colby
Endicott
WPI
Gordon

Actual rankings with winning % and SOS

1.     Tufts             0.875        .605
2.     Amherst        0.727        .679
3.     Conn             0.808        .605
4.     Brandeis        0.769        .618
5.     Williams        0.750        .601
6.     Springfield     1.000        .556
7.     Middlebury     0.692        .614
8.     Mass-Boston  0.692        .578
9.     Bowdoin        0.750        .554
10.   J&Wales         0.893        .530
11.   Gordon          0.679        .555
12.   Colby            0.636         .584

Not ranked (winning % over .600 and SOS over .500)
        St Josephs     0.964        .474
        Coast Guard   0.654        .549
        Endicott         0.679        .546
        WPI              0.692         .535
        Clark             0.654         .507
        Colby-Sawyer 0.615         .534
        Keene St        0.615         .556
        WConnSt       0.625          .515

It pains me to not see St. Joe's among the 12 here, but as has been noted elsewhere, SOS is EVERYTHING.  St. Joe's has good wins over ranked teams Bowdoin and Johnson & Wales, but it's not enough to balance all the other weak teams on the schedule. I'm guessing even if Saint Joe's beats Keene St next week, that won't be enough to raise their SOS enough either.  Losing the result from the cancelled Colby game really hurts this year, so it's looking like Saint Joe's is going to need the AQ from the GNAC conference tournament to get into the NCAA tournament.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Bobcat1 on October 19, 2017, 09:51:38 AM
Some good local publicity for St. Joe's in the Portland paper today...

http://www.pressherald.com/2017/10/18/shutouts-keep-piling-up-for-st-josephs-mens-soccer/
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEFutbol90 on October 19, 2017, 09:57:14 AM
I think its safe to say regardless of the colby game and keene result the chance of an At Large Bid was never there, and likely will never be there until St.Joes schedule top to bottom is filled with contending programs and that likely only happens with a unlikely switch in conference. For the foreseeable future and like years past the only way you reach the NCAA Tournament in conferences like the GNAC, MASCAC, NAC, is through winning the conference championship. Having to play every team in such a poor conference takes far to much of the schedule to match any of these other schools resumes.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 19, 2017, 10:06:03 PM
Quote from: NEFutbol90 on October 19, 2017, 09:57:14 AM
I think its safe to say regardless of the colby game and keene result the chance of an At Large Bid was never there, and likely will never be there until St.Joes schedule top to bottom is filled with contending programs and that likely only happens with a unlikely switch in conference. For the foreseeable future and like years past the only way you reach the NCAA Tournament in conferences like the GNAC, MASCAC, NAC, is through winning the conference championship. Having to play every team in such a poor conference takes far to much of the schedule to match any of these other schools resumes.

I agree, and you -- coupled with OldNed's point above about SoS being everything -- made me think of an interesting point (albeit one that might seem obvious): Ultimately, the SoS of a given team has a lot to do with what conference that school is in.

Many on this board (myself included) have remarked about given cases of a good team having a less-than-stellar SoS. It has been wondered why Springfield, at 13-0-0, has not tested itself against stronger opposition given that it has rolled through the NEWMAC teams pretty easily, and I certainly would like to see the Pride test themselves against, say, a Tufts or an Amherst. Mr.Right remarked that they used to play each of the NESCAC Little Three under the old coach, and they used to play Brandeis through 2012. Yet there is not a single NESCAC on Springfield's schedule this year. If Springfield goes 24-0 and wins a national title, I don't think there will be any argument they deserved it. At this point, though, the natural question is "well they roll over all the NEWMAC teams, so why can't they play a more competitive out of conference schedule (particularly when teams like WPI, Babson, and Wheaton are playing NESCACs)?" I wondered similarly about UMASS-Boston last year, who IMHO only really tested itself out-of-conference with a single game against Babson.

Regardless of whether a team is at the top or bottom of its conference, its SoS has a large chunk to do with the competitiveness of the schools in that conference. Of course, if a team beats all the schools in its conference, it will decrease its own SoS figure, but not by as much as one might think.

Take the UAA for example. As a conference, it has an average winning percentage of .689 (I do recognize SoS is 2/3 OWP + 1/3 OOWP, but don't have the time nor the interest to go that in-depth). 7 out of 8 teams are above .500, with the top four teams' average winning percentage being .783. The NESCAC has an average winning percentage of .653, with 10 out of 11 teams above .500, and the top five teams have an average winning percentage of .796. Granted NESCACs tend to play less total games than UAAs, but as far as average winning percentage goes, the two are fairly similar.

Looking at various conferences in New England, it is little wonder why some good teams have a very poor SoS. The GNAC has an average winning percentage of .503; take St. Joseph's and Johnson and Wales out, and the average winning percentage of the remaining nine teams is .408. The CCC has an average winning percentage of .498; take the top two out, it's .446. Take the top two out of the NESCAC and UAA, and those conferences still are at .615 and .644.

Obviously if we are to follow this logic to the end we'd have to eliminate the teams from all results (thus changing OWP and OOWP), but you can see that a top team in a strong conference will generally still have a good SoS, while a top team in a weak conference will generally have a poor SoS.

Now, I think it's fair to say that -- regardless of conference -- it behooves a school to play competitive teams in order to strengthen its case for an NCAA bid (albeit it's important to win those games when it comes down to RvR as a selection criteria). And it is interesting to see that some schools, Amherst being an example in past years, have played some weak non-conference opposition, as they know they'll have opportunity to get ranked wins in conference. I might take a different approach myself, but I very much understand the thought process.

Ultimately, every team in a conference is obligated to play every other team in a given conference. For those in competitive conferences, this enables more discretion in the quality of non-conference opposition while still keeping a strong SoS. For those in weak conferences, however, the margin is far smaller. So while it would be admirable for SJC to go out and schedule all the Maine NESCACs and a couple of NEWMACs/UAAs/etc., and I do think its win over Bowdoin was a good result and a step in the right direction, as long as it stays in the GNAC its schedule would have to be chock-full of competitive teams to have its SoS even be near what a school in another, more competitive conference would have, regardless of how well it does.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 21, 2017, 04:45:55 PM
Clark defeats Babson 2-1 in OT and Babson must beat Coast Guard next weekend or the Beavers will be missing in the Newmac Playoffs for the 1st time..
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 21, 2017, 05:06:09 PM
Noticed Kulik at Johnson and Wales has brought in a couple transfers from Bryant, Siena and Franklin Pierce...Their GK who has been solid all year came from Siena...Johnson and Wales and / or Norwich should give St.Joseph's a run for their money in the GNAC tourney
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 21, 2017, 05:38:18 PM
Looking forward to this Newmac heavyweight battle tonight between WPI and Springfield..Have not seen WPI this year
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 21, 2017, 05:46:03 PM
In a must win for ECONN to make the Little East tourney they are scoreless 0-0 at UMASS Boston....Announcer just mention that ECONN have lost 6 straight games on the road with their last win a solid victory at Hobart on the opening weekend
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 21, 2017, 06:26:57 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 21, 2017, 04:45:55 PM
Clark defeats Babson 2-1 in OT and Babson must beat Coast Guard next weekend or the Beavers will be missing in the Newmac Playoffs for the 1st time..

Babson is probably out.  They must beat Coast Guard AND MIT must lose to Emerson.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 21, 2017, 07:04:07 PM
Yea that is not going to happen..Babson misses out as Anderson needs to bring in a decent class next year as they struggled all year except for their opening weekend wins v SLU and Clarkson.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 21, 2017, 08:05:10 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 21, 2017, 05:46:03 PM
In a must win for ECONN to make the Little East tourney they are scoreless 0-0 at UMASS Boston....Announcer just mention that ECONN have lost 6 straight games on the road with their last win a solid victory at Hobart on the opening weekend
Last time ECSU missed LEC tournament was 2006 before DeVito came to Eastern.  Killer was loss to UM Dartmouth, a match they should have never lost!  There was a certain lack of focus/intensity to the team this year, which exacerbated the fact that the team could not hold possession and had no goal scorers!  A young team which should be better next year, however, they desperately need to recruit some offense!! :-[
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 21, 2017, 09:16:10 PM
Been watching Springfield-WPI for about 5 minutes, and the ball has been in the air for about 3.5 of those. WPI with the two best chances of the second OT...still time to play.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 21, 2017, 09:18:01 PM
This is like watching Tony Pulis Stoke City vs. Tony Pulis West Brom.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 21, 2017, 09:19:11 PM
Either the Springfield fans are much more numerous than the home supporters, or they are simply closer to the camera -- all the noise coming from the away fans. No commentary, so you hear it all.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 21, 2017, 09:25:21 PM
Oooooooooffff...WPI kid goes on a break (probably Beatty) and a bad touch off the long serve JUST puts it through to the goalkeeper. Big let off for the Pride, whose perfect season almost ended right there.

With about 10 seconds left, Springfield gets a free kick. WPI clears, and it ends 0-0...Springfield's first dropped points on the year, and this means that there is no perfect (unbeaten and untied) team left in D3 men's soccer. The Pride are now 15-0-1.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on October 21, 2017, 09:26:50 PM
Blooter, I watched the last 30 minutes of regulation and both overtime periods and it was all as you called it.  It looked like both teams were playing with a one goal lead, lumping the ball down the field in hope of getting a lucky second goal when, in actuality, neither team had scored a first goal.  I'm not sure what the NEWMAC tiebreakers are (maybe your GD will figure in here after all!), but there did not seem to be any separation between these two teams.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 21, 2017, 09:31:31 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on October 21, 2017, 09:26:50 PM
I'm not sure what the NEWMAC tiebreakers are (maybe your GD will figure in here after all!), but there did not seem to be any separation between these two teams.

Agreed, and I have no idea, either. I don't see much between either of them (it is worth noting Springfield was away tonight) but on this evidence -- as well as everything that's come so far this season -- I would have to guess it'll be one of these two winning the conference title.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 22, 2017, 03:06:52 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 21, 2017, 09:25:21 PM
Oooooooooffff...WPI kid goes on a break (probably Beatty) and a bad touch off the long serve JUST puts it through to the goalkeeper. Big let off for the Pride, whose perfect season almost ended right there.

With about 10 seconds left, Springfield gets a free kick. WPI clears, and it ends 0-0...Springfield's first dropped points on the year, and this means that there is no perfect (unbeaten and untied) team left in D3 men's soccer. The Pride are now 15-0-1.

I don't think it was Beatty as didn't look like he played at all in the OTs.  Also noticed he did not play today versus hapless Anna Maria.  Hopefully it's not a serious injury but seemingly was serious enough to keep him out of OTs in a huge game last night.

Springfield is tough to watch but obviously having a wonderful season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Laserpen123 on October 24, 2017, 01:36:34 PM
New England Rankings for the United Soccer Coaches


1   Tufts University                                   
DA Keene State College 3-0; DA Williams College 1-0;   PR: 1    12-1-1   

2   Amherst College
DH Wesleyan University 4-1;   PR: 3   8-2-2

3   Brandeis University
DA Clark University 5-1;   PR: 4   11-3-0

4   Springfield College
TA Worcester Polytechnic Institute 0-0;   PR: 2   13-0-1

5   Connecticut College
TH Bowdoin College 0-0;   PR: 5   9-1-4

6   Bowdoin College
DH Colby College 1-0; TA Connecticut College 0-0;   PR: 7   10-3-1

7   Williams College
DH Hamilton College 2-1; LH Tufts University 0-1;   PR: 6   8-2-4

8   Saint Joseph's College of Maine
DH University Of Southern Maine 1-0; DH Mount Ida College 4-0;   PR: 8   15-0-1

9   Johnson & Wales University
DA Albertus Magnus College 4-0; DH Lasell College 1-0;   PR: 10   14-1-1

10   Worcester Polytechnic Institute
DH Fitchburg State University 2-0; TH Springfield College 0-0; DH Anna Maria College 9-1;   NR   11-4-1
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 24, 2017, 02:04:31 PM
I would imagine with a week of 2-0-1 WPI gets into the Regional Rankings this week at possibly #9 or #10 but would still need the AQ
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEFutbol90 on October 24, 2017, 02:09:05 PM
Unfortunately St.Joes loses another game on their schedule as their match @ Keene St tomorrow has been cancelled as I can only assume its due to impending weather and Keene's desire to protect its home field (Grass) for a massive game saturday vs UM Dartmouth to at least give them at shot at facing UMB in the first round. Certainly a bigger loss for St.Joes as they could use a game to give them a bit more meat to their resume for respect purposes, but if all goes to plan a rematch with Norwich or Johnson and Whales will certainly be a tough matchup to earn another NCAA birth. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 24, 2017, 02:33:34 PM
Without the Keene St and Colby matches this year it is AQ or bust for St.Joe's
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 24, 2017, 03:56:52 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 24, 2017, 02:33:34 PM
Without the Keene St and Colby matches this year it is AQ or bust for St.Joe's

Right on - it's take care of business or go home for St. Joe's.  If they can't beat J&W (assuming they make the final), then they don't deserve to be in the NCAAs.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 24, 2017, 11:38:31 PM
Projected regional rankings for 10/25 (only includes games through 10/22):

1.    Tufts
2.    Amherst
3.    Brandeis
4.    Conn
5.    Springfield
6.    Bowdoin
7.    Middlebury
8.    Williams
9.    Johnson&Wales
10.  WPI
11.  Gordon
12.  Mass-Boston

Best of the rest:
St. Josephs  (SOS too weak to be ranked)
Endicott
Coast Guard
Hamilton
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 25, 2017, 07:23:57 AM
What could help the NESCAC get an extra bid or two this year is the relative lack of non-NESCAC superb seasons with also decent enough SoS's. There is Springfield and little else. St Joes and J&W are the feel good stories but presumably they are AQ or best. No stellar seasons from a Wheaton, MIT, Gordon, RWU, RIC, ECSU, etc. There also do not seem to be a large number of really strong Pool C candidates around the country. Some conferences that typically might get 2-3 bids are looking like 1 or 1-2 at best, and some like the OAC have had Pool C challengers falter of late.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 25, 2017, 02:05:26 PM
Yes....but other conferences like the UAA have IMO 4 Pool C's almost locked up depending on results this weekend.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 25, 2017, 02:07:18 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 24, 2017, 03:56:52 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 24, 2017, 02:33:34 PM
Without the Keene St and Colby matches this year it is AQ or bust for St.Joe's

Right on - it's take care of business or go home for St. Joe's.  If they can't beat J&W (assuming they make the final), then they don't deserve to be in the NCAAs.


Old Ned--Out of curiosity why was the Keene St v St.Joe's match cancelled? I mean they cancelled the game yesterday which was odd.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEFutbol90 on October 25, 2017, 04:00:07 PM
From what I've heard Keene has injuries there looking to shore up for the weekend and I imagine the weather played a factor even though the weather in Keene looked as if it held off. It was certainly from the Keene side as St.Joes had all the reasons in the world to play this game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 25, 2017, 05:17:37 PM
NEW ENGLAND REGION - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - October 25, 2017

Rank

School
. Div. III .
Record
. Div. III .
SOS

 . R-v-R .
. Non-Conf. .
SOS
. Overall .
Record
. Prev. .
Rank
1.
Tufts
12-1-1
0.609
4-1-1
0.590
12-1-1
1
2.
Amherst
10-2-2
0.642
4-2-1
0.604
10-2-2
2
3.
Brandeis
11-3-0
0.620
3-3-0
0.600
11-3-0
4
4.
Springfield
13-0-1
0.559
3-0-0
0.565
13-0-1
6
5.
Bowdoin
10-3-1
0.580
3-1-1
0.528
10-3-1
9
6.
Connecticut College
9-1-4
0.603
1-1-4
0.544
9-1-4
3
7.
Williams
8-2-4
0.608
1-2-2
0.569
8-2-4
5
8.
Middlebury
9-5-0
0.611
1-4-0
0.601
9-5-0
7
9.
Mass-Boston
9-4-3
0.561
0-1-1
0.617
9-4-3
8
10.
Johnson and Wales
14-1-1
0.517
--
0.593
14-1-1
10
11.
Gordon
10-5-1
0.528
1-2-0
0.585
10-5-1
11
12.
WPI
11-4-1
0.521
0-1-1
0.490
11-4-1
--
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 25, 2017, 05:29:58 PM
Bowdoin's RvR gives them almost a Pool C lock with a win on Saturday...Not sure where Williams is getting a ranked win at 1-2-2 I do not see a ranked win on their schedule...That loss to Midd will sting more as Midd will jump them next week
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 25, 2017, 05:34:44 PM
Williams beat Colby.  Colby was ranked last week.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 25, 2017, 05:37:26 PM
Ok now I remember that RvR is against teams ranked last week BUT the only thing that will matter is the RvrR against teams ranked in the 3rd and Final weeks..correct?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 25, 2017, 05:40:01 PM
Yes, come selection time, the RvR data used by the selection committee to assess at-large candidates will be results versus teams ranked in either the 3rd or 4th/Final rankings.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 28, 2017, 04:35:28 PM
Emerson gets what I believe is its first NEWMAC win ever over MIT. Babson needed that to happen to have a chance, but the Beavers couldn't do their part and lost to Coast Guard 1-0, marking the first ever time they've missed the NEWMAC tournament. I was pretty confident that they would be a solid side, even if unspectacular, after their opening weekend of results, but they had a rough couple of games against Tufts and Brandeis the next week and never really recovered.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 28, 2017, 04:48:49 PM
Yea that is crazy..You never know in soccer..Babson probably assumed MIT would win...Springfield loses and WPI cannot take an advantage as they lose to Clark..Crazy day
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 30, 2017, 10:29:14 PM
Projected regional rankings for 11/1 (only includes games through 10/29):

1.    Tufts
2.    Brandeis
3.    Amherst
4.    Middlebury
5.    Springfield
6.    Bowdoin
7.    Conn
8.    Williams
9.    Hamilton
10.   Johnson&Wales
11.  Mass-Boston
12.  Gordon

Best of the rest:
St. Josephs  (SOS too weak to be ranked)
Coast Guard
Endicott
WPI
Clark
WConn St
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 31, 2017, 08:04:02 AM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on October 25, 2017, 05:17:37 PM
NEW ENGLAND REGION - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - October 25, 2017

Rank

School
. Div. III .
Record
. Div. III .
SOS

 . R-v-R .
. Non-Conf. .
SOS
. Overall .
Record
. Prev. .
Rank
1.
Tufts
12-1-1
0.609
4-1-1
0.590
12-1-1
1
2.
Amherst
10-2-2
0.642
4-2-1
0.604
10-2-2
2
3.
Brandeis
11-3-0
0.620
3-3-0
0.600
11-3-0
4
4.
Springfield
13-0-1
0.559
3-0-0
0.565
13-0-1
6
5.
Bowdoin
10-3-1
0.580
3-1-1
0.528
10-3-1
9
6.
Connecticut College
9-1-4
0.603
1-1-4
0.544
9-1-4
3
7.
Williams
8-2-4
0.608
1-2-2
0.569
8-2-4
5
8.
Middlebury
9-5-0
0.611
1-4-0
0.601
9-5-0
7
9.
Mass-Boston
9-4-3
0.561
0-1-1
0.617
9-4-3
8
10.
Johnson and Wales
14-1-1
0.517
--
0.593
14-1-1
10
11.
Gordon
10-5-1
0.528
1-2-0
0.585
10-5-1
11
12.
WPI
11-4-1
0.521
0-1-1
0.490
11-4-1
--

Question for all you smart soccer guys out there - why is SOS more important than RvR?  Seems to me that a team like St. Joe's with a 2-0 RvR record should get a bump from that which might even out a poor SOS. No team other than the top 5 regionally ranked teams in New England have more than 2 wins RvR - except St. Joe's. Ok, enough of my grumbling...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Wisco21 on October 31, 2017, 08:32:00 AM
Quote from: OldNed on October 31, 2017, 08:04:02 AM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on October 25, 2017, 05:17:37 PM
NEW ENGLAND REGION - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - October 25, 2017

Rank

School
. Div. III .
Record
. Div. III .
SOS

 . R-v-R .
. Non-Conf. .
SOS
. Overall .
Record
. Prev. .
Rank
1.
Tufts
12-1-1
0.609
4-1-1
0.590
12-1-1
1
2.
Amherst
10-2-2
0.642
4-2-1
0.604
10-2-2
2
3.
Brandeis
11-3-0
0.620
3-3-0
0.600
11-3-0
4
4.
Springfield
13-0-1
0.559
3-0-0
0.565
13-0-1
6
5.
Bowdoin
10-3-1
0.580
3-1-1
0.528
10-3-1
9
6.
Connecticut College
9-1-4
0.603
1-1-4
0.544
9-1-4
3
7.
Williams
8-2-4
0.608
1-2-2
0.569
8-2-4
5
8.
Middlebury
9-5-0
0.611
1-4-0
0.601
9-5-0
7
9.
Mass-Boston
9-4-3
0.561
0-1-1
0.617
9-4-3
8
10.
Johnson and Wales
14-1-1
0.517
--
0.593
14-1-1
10
11.
Gordon
10-5-1
0.528
1-2-0
0.585
10-5-1
11
12.
WPI
11-4-1
0.521
0-1-1
0.490
11-4-1
--

Question for all you smart soccer guys out there - why is SOS more important than RvR?  Seems to me that a team like St. Joe's with a 2-0 RvR record should get a bump from that which might even out a poor SOS. No team other than the top 5 regionally ranked teams in New England have more than 2 wins RvR - except St. Joe's. Ok, enough of my grumbling...

Old Ned, IIRC a team's SOS must be above .500 to be considered in the regional rankings. A couple years ago in the North Region, Luther College found themselves in a similar position- they were regionally ranked in the first and/or second week, played a couple cupcakes, and found that they were bounced from the third rankings. Their SOS had fallen below the .500 threshold.

Someone please correct me if this information is false.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 31, 2017, 09:13:09 AM
OldNed, I think it has a lot to do with establishing a threshold that limits the number of teams that can be ranked within a given week. Since the top 1/6 of teams within a given region end up being ranked, there needs to be a certain cutoff that keeps everyone and their brother from being considered for ranking. (It certainly seems imperfect, as there are situations like St. Joe's and the aforementioned Luther.) Could be wrong, but that's my armchair (swivel chair, actually) punditry.

Now, how SoS and RvR comparatively stack up in terms of importance in compiling the actual rankings, I am not sure. I know they are both listed as "primary criteria," but it does not appear there's any delineation in terms of which is more (or less) important.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 31, 2017, 09:20:23 AM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 31, 2017, 09:13:09 AM
OldNed, I think it has a lot to do with establishing a threshold that limits the number of teams that can be ranked within a given week. Since the top 1/6 of teams within a given region end up being ranked, there needs to be a certain cutoff that keeps everyone and their brother from being considered for ranking. (It certainly seems imperfect, as there are situations like St. Joe's and the aforementioned Luther.) Could be wrong, but that's my armchair (swivel chair, actually) punditry.

Now, how SoS and RvR comparatively stack up in terms of importance in compiling the actual rankings, I am not sure. I know they are both listed as "primary criteria," but it does not appear there's any delineation in terms of which is more (or less) important.

Thanks blooter- your first paragraph makes sense to me.  And I promise I'm done grumbling about this now.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 31, 2017, 09:29:09 AM
Quote from: Wisco21 on October 31, 2017, 08:32:00 AM
Quote from: OldNed on October 31, 2017, 08:04:02 AM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on October 25, 2017, 05:17:37 PM
NEW ENGLAND REGION - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - October 25, 2017

Rank

School
. Div. III .
Record
. Div. III .
SOS

 . R-v-R .
. Non-Conf. .
SOS
. Overall .
Record
. Prev. .
Rank
1.
Tufts
12-1-1
0.609
4-1-1
0.590
12-1-1
1
2.
Amherst
10-2-2
0.642
4-2-1
0.604
10-2-2
2
3.
Brandeis
11-3-0
0.620
3-3-0
0.600
11-3-0
4
4.
Springfield
13-0-1
0.559
3-0-0
0.565
13-0-1
6
5.
Bowdoin
10-3-1
0.580
3-1-1
0.528
10-3-1
9
6.
Connecticut College
9-1-4
0.603
1-1-4
0.544
9-1-4
3
7.
Williams
8-2-4
0.608
1-2-2
0.569
8-2-4
5
8.
Middlebury
9-5-0
0.611
1-4-0
0.601
9-5-0
7
9.
Mass-Boston
9-4-3
0.561
0-1-1
0.617
9-4-3
8
10.
Johnson and Wales
14-1-1
0.517
--
0.593
14-1-1
10
11.
Gordon
10-5-1
0.528
1-2-0
0.585
10-5-1
11
12.
WPI
11-4-1
0.521
0-1-1
0.490
11-4-1
--

Question for all you smart soccer guys out there - why is SOS more important than RvR?  Seems to me that a team like St. Joe's with a 2-0 RvR record should get a bump from that which might even out a poor SOS. No team other than the top 5 regionally ranked teams in New England have more than 2 wins RvR - except St. Joe's. Ok, enough of my grumbling...

Old Ned, IIRC a team's SOS must be above .500 to be considered in the regional rankings. A couple years ago in the North Region, Luther College found themselves in a similar position- they were regionally ranked in the first and/or second week, played a couple cupcakes, and found that they were bounced from the third rankings. Their SOS had fallen below the .500 threshold.

Someone please correct me if this information is false.

Wisco,

I don't know enough about this subject personally, but I did see in last week's regional ranking in the West that University of Dallas has a 0.492 SOS and they got the last slot.  Perhaps there just aren't that many good teams in that region so they had to slot in UDallas there. I'm not really sure, but that one stood out to me.

6.    University of Dallas    11-2-2    0.492    1-1-1    0.340    12-2-2    5

http://www.d3soccer.com/rankings/2017/Men/regional-rankings-2
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 31, 2017, 11:45:50 AM
Quote from: OldNed on October 31, 2017, 09:29:09 AM
Quote from: Wisco21 on October 31, 2017, 08:32:00 AM
Quote from: OldNed on October 31, 2017, 08:04:02 AM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on October 25, 2017, 05:17:37 PM
NEW ENGLAND REGION - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - October 25, 2017


Rank

School

. Div. III .
Record

. Div. III .
SOS


 . R-v-R .

. Non-Conf. .
SOS

. Overall .
Record

. Prev. .
Rank

1.
Tufts
12-1-1

0.609

4-1-1

0.590

12-1-1

1

2.
Amherst
10-2-2

0.642

4-2-1

0.604

10-2-2

2

3.
Brandeis
11-3-0

0.620

3-3-0

0.600

11-3-0

4

4.
Springfield
13-0-1

0.559

3-0-0

0.565

13-0-1

6

5.
Bowdoin
10-3-1

0.580

3-1-1

0.528

10-3-1

9

6.
Connecticut College
9-1-4

0.603

1-1-4

0.544

9-1-4

3

7.
Williams
8-2-4

0.608

1-2-2

0.569

8-2-4

5

8.
Middlebury
9-5-0

0.611

1-4-0

0.601

9-5-0

7

9.
Mass-Boston
9-4-3

0.561

0-1-1

0.617

9-4-3

8

10.
Johnson and Wales
14-1-1

0.517

--

0.593

14-1-1

10

11.
Gordon
10-5-1

0.528

1-2-0

0.585

10-5-1

11

12.
WPI
11-4-1

0.521

0-1-1

0.490

11-4-1

--

Question for all you smart soccer guys out there - why is SOS more important than RvR?  Seems to me that a team like St. Joe's with a 2-0 RvR record should get a bump from that which might even out a poor SOS. No team other than the top 5 regionally ranked teams in New England have more than 2 wins RvR - except St. Joe's. Ok, enough of my grumbling...

Old Ned, IIRC a team's SOS must be above .500 to be considered in the regional rankings. A couple years ago in the North Region, Luther College found themselves in a similar position- they were regionally ranked in the first and/or second week, played a couple cupcakes, and found that they were bounced from the third rankings. Their SOS had fallen below the .500 threshold.

Someone please correct me if this information is false.

Wisco,

I don't know enough about this subject personally, but I did see in last week's regional ranking in the West that University of Dallas has a 0.492 SOS and they got the last slot.  Perhaps there just aren't that many good teams in that region so they had to slot in UDallas there. I'm not really sure, but that one stood out to me.

6.    University of Dallas    11-2-2    0.492    1-1-1    0.340    12-2-2    5

http://www.d3soccer.com/rankings/2017/Men/regional-rankings-2 (http://www.d3soccer.com/rankings/2017/Men/regional-rankings-2)


In both the first and second regional rankings this year there has been one team with a sub-.500 overall SOS.  So that indicates that there is no hard-and-fast .500 SOS threshold to be ranked.

It was in 2014 that Luther went from #2 in the North region in the first rankings to unranked the next week with their SOS going from a little above to a little below .500.  When asked by D3soccer.com, the NCAA committee denied there was any .500 SOS threshold to be ranked, but that was hard to accept because there was no other reasonable explanation for why Luther had dropped out from #2 when they had won both their games by shutout that week while several of the teams that moved ahead of them had lost.

The only time the committee seemed to acknowledge the use of a .500 SOS threshold to be ranked was in 2010.  The basis for doing so was never clear, because it most certainly was not stipulated in the Championship Manual.  The implementation of the threshold that season created quite the negative reaction when an undefeated Dominican and undefeated Swarthmore were left out of the first weekly rankings.  A week later they had already abandoned the threshold and Dominican and Swarthmore, despite ironically both picking up their first losses that week, were ranked #3 in the Mid-Atlantic and #2 in the Central regions.

The committee has no basis for a hard-and-fast threshold, and have been called out when it has seemed they were using one. So I doubt they are openly using any threshold at the present, but there may still be an unspoken understanding to try to avoid ranking teams with a sub-.500 SOS. There's no doubt a sub-.500 SOS is a huge strike against a team.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 31, 2017, 12:51:54 PM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on October 31, 2017, 11:45:50 AM

In both the first and second regional rankings this year there has been one team with a sub-.500 overall SOS.  So that indicates that there is no hard-and-fast .500 SOS threshold to be ranked.

It was in 2014 that Luther went from #2 in the North region in the first rankings to unranked the next week with their SOS going from a little above to a little below .500.  When asked by D3soccer.com, the NCAA committee denied there was any .500 SOS threshold to be ranked, but that was hard to accept because there was no other reasonable explanation for why Luther had dropped out from #2 when they had won both their games by shutout that week while several of the teams that moved ahead of them had lost.

The only time the committee seemed to acknowledge the use of a .500 SOS threshold to be ranked was in 2010.  The basis for doing so was never clear, because it most certainly was not stipulated in the Championship Manual.  The implementation of the threshold that season created quite the negative reaction when an undefeated Dominican and undefeated Swarthmore were left out of the first weekly rankings.  A week later they had already abandoned the threshold and Dominican and Swarthmore, despite ironically both picking up their first losses that week, were ranked #3 in the Mid-Atlantic and #2 in the Central regions.

The committee has no basis for a hard-and-fast threshold, and have been called out when it has seemed they were using one. So I doubt they are openly using any threshold at the present, but there may still be an unspoken understanding to try to avoid ranking teams with a sub-.500 SOS. There's no doubt a sub-.500 SOS is a huge strike against a team.

Agreed - it's pretty clear this is the case.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 31, 2017, 01:06:12 PM
I actually kind of see your point that a 2-0-0 RvR is legitimate. I mean you can only play the teams on your schedule BUT their SOS in Conference is a horrific .482 and SOS out of conference not much better at .492. That is why when they did not play the Keene St or Colby matches it hurt their SOS a bit. I mean even Norwich has an Out of Conference schedule of .516 and while not great it is still way higher than St.Joe's. Johnson and Wales has no ranked wins but a .593 out of conference SOS which is legit. Now either way St.Joe's and Johnson and Wales both need the AQ so in the end it is just the plain weakness of the league that is dragging the top teams #'s way down. I suppose coaches could put pressure on the bottom feeders to pump their schedules up but coaches of those schools are not going to play a match where the final score could be 8-0 just so the top teams SOS rise. Makes no sense. Basically, your stuck until St.Joe's and frankly Johnson and Wales find a stronger conference that will take them.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 31, 2017, 01:56:34 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 31, 2017, 01:06:12 PM
I actually kind of see your point that a 2-0-0 RvR is legitimate. I mean you can only play the teams on your schedule BUT their SOS in Conference is a horrific .482 and SOS out of conference not much better at .492. That is why when they did not play the Keene St or Colby matches it hurt their SOS a bit. I mean even Norwich has an Out of Conference schedule of .516 and while not great it is still way higher than St.Joe's. Johnson and Wales has no ranked wins but a .593 out of conference SOS which is legit. Now either way St.Joe's and Johnson and Wales both need the AQ so in the end it is just the plain weakness of the league that is dragging the top teams #'s way down. I suppose coaches could put pressure on the bottom feeders to pump their schedules up but coaches of those schools are not going to play a match where the final score could be 8-0 just so the top teams SOS rise. Makes no sense. Basically, your stuck until St.Joe's and frankly Johnson and Wales find a stronger conference that will take them.

I'm not able to give karma yet (when does one pass that threshold?), but if I were I would give you some here, Mr. Right. Interesting idea about getting to a better conference, but it may be easier in the short term to just schedule better out-of-conference opponents.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 1970s NESCAC Player on October 31, 2017, 03:19:51 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 31, 2017, 01:56:34 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 31, 2017, 01:06:12 PM
I actually kind of see your point that a 2-0-0 RvR is legitimate. I mean you can only play the teams on your schedule BUT their SOS in Conference is a horrific .482 and SOS out of conference not much better at .492. That is why when they did not play the Keene St or Colby matches it hurt their SOS a bit. I mean even Norwich has an Out of Conference schedule of .516 and while not great it is still way higher than St.Joe's. Johnson and Wales has no ranked wins but a .593 out of conference SOS which is legit. Now either way St.Joe's and Johnson and Wales both need the AQ so in the end it is just the plain weakness of the league that is dragging the top teams #'s way down. I suppose coaches could put pressure on the bottom feeders to pump their schedules up but coaches of those schools are not going to play a match where the final score could be 8-0 just so the top teams SOS rise. Makes no sense. Basically, your stuck until St.Joe's and frankly Johnson and Wales find a stronger conference that will take them.

I'm not able to give karma yet (when does one pass that threshold?), but if I were I would give you some here, Mr. Right. Interesting idea about getting to a better conference, but it may be easier in the short term to just schedule better out-of-conference opponents.

Need to get to 200 posts.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 31, 2017, 08:09:51 PM
Gordon up on WNEC early 2nd Half 1-0...That loss WNEC had to Gordon earlier has really hurt them as they would of rather hosted this game. Gordon's field just plain sucks because it is so narrow
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 31, 2017, 10:41:20 PM
Well well well...two years later and we again have Gordon at Endicott in the CCC final. The last time this happened, Endicott won the regular season meeting (at home) but then visiting Gordon came out and hit EC for two quick first half goals in the championship game and the Gulls never recovered. This year the regular season game was a 0-0 draw in which Endicott probably shaded general play. Let's see if Endicott can put the demons to rest and win its first CCC title.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on November 01, 2017, 11:19:07 AM
I thought we went over this :)   Gordon's field is completely standard width for a turf soccer field.  Its slightly wider than Endicott's field and much wider than the comical Wentworth field.  Its almost indentical to the turf at Tufts.  There is a 4 yard spread between the 10 yard mark for corners and the 18 yrd box. 

Quote from: Mr.Right on October 31, 2017, 08:09:51 PM
Gordon up on WNEC early 2nd Half 1-0...That loss WNEC had to Gordon earlier has really hurt them as they would of rather hosted this game. Gordon's field just plain sucks because it is so narrow
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2017, 11:29:15 AM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on November 01, 2017, 11:19:07 AM
I thought we went over this :)   Gordon's field is completely standard width for a turf soccer field.  Its slightly wider than Endicott's field and much wider than the comical Wentworth field.  Its almost indentical to the turf at Tufts.  There is a 4 yard spread between the 10 yard mark for corners and the 18 yrd box.

Is it possible he is referencing the grass field? FWIW, I thought the grass field was somewhat narrow, and I assumed that was where most games were played, although clearly not the case if it was a 7:00 night game. I've run around the Gordon track before (assuming we're talking about that turf field), and the field seemed pretty standard, although there was no soccer game going on. Agree that Wentworth's field is hilarious in terms of width.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on November 01, 2017, 11:35:38 AM
No he's talking about the turf.  Must look small on camera.  The grass field is even bigger. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Bobcat1 on November 01, 2017, 04:39:56 PM
Updated Regional Rankings:
NEW ENGLAND               
1.   Tufts     13-1-2   13-1-2      
2.   Amherst   11-3-2   11-3-2      
3.   Brandeis   12-4-0   12-4-0      
4.   Springfield   13-1-1   13-1-1      
5.   Bowdoin   10-3-3   10-3-3      
6.   Middlebury   11-5-0   11-5-0      
7.   Connecticut College   9-3-4   9-3-4      
8.   Williams   8-3-5   8-3-5      
9.   Clark (MA)   9-4-3   9-5-3      
10.   Endicott   11-4-3   11-4-3      
11.   UMass Boston   9-5-3   9-5-3      
12.   Gordon   12-5-1   12-5-1
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on November 01, 2017, 04:53:36 PM
NEW ENGLAND REGION - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - November 01, 2017

Rank

School
. Div. III .
Record
. Div. III .
SOS

 . R-v-R .
. Overall .
Record
. Prev. .
Rank
1.
Tufts
13-1-2
0.607
3-1-2
13-1-2
1
2.
Amherst
11-3-2
0.619
4-1-1
11-3-2
2
3.
Brandeis
12-4-0
0.630
5-4-0
12-4-0
3
4.
Springfield
13-1-1
0.554
3-0-1
13-1-1
4
5.
Bowdoin
10-3-3
0.585
2-1-3
10-3-3
5
6.
Middlebury
11-5-0
0.613
3-3-0
11-5-0
8
7.
Connecticut College
9-3-4
0.602
1-2-3
9-3-4
6
8.
Williams
8-3-5
0.605
0-3-3
8-3-5
7
9.
Clark
9-4-3
0.531
1-2-0
9-5-3
--
10.
Endicott
11-4-3
0.521
1-2-1
11-4-3
--
11.
Mass-Boston
9-5-3
0.556
0-1-1
9-5-3
9
12.
Gordon
12-5-1
0.531
0-2-0
12-5-1
11
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 08:16:54 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on November 01, 2017, 11:19:07 AM
I thought we went over this :)   Gordon's field is completely standard width for a turf soccer field.  Its slightly wider than Endicott's field and much wider than the comical Wentworth field.  Its almost indentical to the turf at Tufts.  There is a 4 yard spread between the 10 yard mark for corners and the 18 yrd box. 

Quote from: Mr.Right on October 31, 2017, 08:09:51 PM
Gordon up on WNEC early 2nd Half 1-0...That loss WNEC had to Gordon earlier has really hurt them as they would of rather hosted this game. Gordon's field just plain sucks because it is so narrow



It looks narrow on the stream and when I am invited up to do the keynote at this far right leaning Christian school I will walk the field step by step..70 yards tops would be my guess
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 08:18:21 PM
WCONN and Keene St 1-1 going into 2 OT....WCONN looks like they have some skill up top...This is some turnaround by the current Head Coach as this program was in a dark hole about 5 years ago
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2017, 08:19:22 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 08:16:54 PM
It looks narrow on the stream and when I am invited up to do the keynote at this far right leaning Christian school I will walk the field step by step..70 yards tops would be my guess

We need to get a laughing emoji on these forums.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 08:30:07 PM
WCONN trying their best to avoid PK's as they are all over Keene St...They look to be a dangerous side but very chippy..A final with them and UMASS Boston should bring some fireworks...WCONN cannot do it and off to PK's we go...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 08:34:09 PM
Interesting show of sporting behavior as Keene and WCONN hugging and congratualting before PK's...Never seen that one before but nice to see..
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2017, 08:36:59 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 08:34:09 PM
Interesting show of sporting behavior as Keene and WCONN hugging and congratualting before PK's...Never seen that one before but nice to see..

Certainly a bit different than this entertaining passage of play (Maine HS girls) that came up on my Twitter just now (sound on): https://twitter.com/TLee_WMTW/status/925472256628805633
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 08:40:39 PM
Jesus..that girl got body checked..lol...

WCONN gets it done...should be a good LEC Final..
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Laserpen123 on November 01, 2017, 09:14:01 PM
How is Amherst still in front of Brandeis in the rankings? Wouldn't a big loss to Hamilton drop them down to at least third, considering Brandeis is unblemished in NE? Or does RvR have a bigger role than I think, considering Brandeis's SOS is better than Amherst's.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 09:28:42 PM
I noticed that as well but I wouldn't worry about it..Both will be hosting in the 1st / 2nd round...The 4-1-1 RvR v 5-4-0 RvR is what did that...Both SOS's are very high...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 09:29:46 PM
Might also be the result v 1 common opponent(Tufts)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Laserpen123 on November 01, 2017, 09:38:56 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 09:29:46 PM
Might also be the result v 1 common opponent(Tufts)

That makes sense, I just wasn't sure what the whole reason was. Thought the loss to Hamilton would've really dropped them
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 09:51:10 PM
Looking around at other regions I do not think New England goes beyond #6 and maybe not even #5...That Bowdoin / Midd matchup is huge on Saturday
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Laserpen123 on November 01, 2017, 09:58:44 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 09:51:10 PM
Looking around at other regions I do not think New England goes beyond #6 and maybe not even #5...That Bowdoin / Midd matchup is huge on Saturday

Either a down year in terms of teams, or a very even year, where no teams can break away from the pack after #4.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2017, 10:35:58 PM
Quote from: Laserpen123 on November 01, 2017, 09:14:01 PM
How is Amherst still in front of Brandeis in the rankings? Wouldn't a big loss to Hamilton drop them down to at least third, considering Brandeis is unblemished in NE? Or does RvR have a bigger role than I think, considering Brandeis's SOS is better than Amherst's.

I would guess Mr.Right's answer about the common opponent might be a factor, but I also think the RvR pct. difference might play a role (.750 vs .555). And while Brandeis will "lose" WashU as a ranked win, as they were in the Week 2 rankings but dropped out of Week 3 rankings, a minimum of 4 ranked wins (since this year's RvR takes into account teams ranked in both Week 3 and 4) for the Judges (Clark, Hobart, Carnegie, Emory) is very good.

Shout out to SJC goalkeeper Blake Mullen and the Monks, who -- as NEFutbol90 pointed out this morning they were on course to do -- set the NCAA men's soccer records for consecutive shutout minutes and consecutive shutouts, respectively.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Bobcat1 on November 02, 2017, 11:17:43 AM
Speaking of St. Joe's...  If Mr. Right is correct and Tufts, Amherst, and Brandeis all host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament you have to expect the Monks (assuming they get past Norwich) are going to one of those three locations.  That could make for a very interesting second round (?) game.  Or would St. Joe's have to play one of those three teams in the first round?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Shooter McGavin on November 02, 2017, 11:20:26 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 09:51:10 PM
Looking around at other regions I do not think New England goes beyond #6 and maybe not even #5...That Bowdoin / Midd matchup is huge on Saturday

The first 6 will get in. 7-12 are done unless they win an AQ.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on November 02, 2017, 01:06:21 PM
Assuming either Tufts, Bowdoin or Middlebury win the NESCAC tournament and thus the AQ (which is highly probable unless Hamilton springs two upsets), and assuming Springfield wins the NEWMAC tournament (which would seem to be reasonably doable) and gets the AQ, would that open up spots for any of the teams currently ranked below the top 6?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 02, 2017, 01:37:19 PM
Quote from: truenorth on November 02, 2017, 01:06:21 PM
Assuming either Tufts, Bowdoin or Middlebury win the NESCAC tournament and thus the AQ (which is highly probable unless Hamilton springs two upsets), and assuming Springfield wins the NEWMAC tournament (which would seem to be reasonably doable) and gets the AQ, would that open up spots for any of the teams currently ranked below the top 6?

15% for Conn but doubtful. Had they had 2 more ranked wins than yes they would be in the hunt BUT to many draws against the top of Nescac and wasted games v Mitchell and Swarthmore that meant nothing but less SOS and 2 less games to get ranked wins. With Endicott sneaking into the rankings they will get 1 more ranked win but I do not think it is enough. There are only 19 Pool C's and the UAA will gobble 4, Nescac another 2-3, Sunyac 2, etc etc an that is not even counting all the upsets that could happen this weekend around each region. That does not mean they have stopped practicing. Legally, you can practice until you are officially eliminated. In fact Murphy did that his 1st year at Conn in 2009 when they were obviously eliminated and players and trainers and everyone including the dining hall dish washer WENT NUTS...That was his intro to D3 and just a friendly reminder this is not D1. Last time he did that.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on November 02, 2017, 03:08:20 PM
Yeah, that's an interesting Murph story.  He was the assistant coach at Brown when one of my sons played there.  It doesn't surprise me at all that he initially had an "aggressive" approach when he first arrived in D3...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2017, 12:45:57 PM
Hmm Clark and Springfield 1-1 close to the end of the 1st Half. I was not sure Clark could hang with Springfield today.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2017, 01:33:40 PM
Well, Norwich's park the bus plan is out the window — St. Joe's scores 3 mins in.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2017, 01:35:31 PM
Springfield taking control now up 3-1 with about 15 minutes left.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2017, 02:47:12 PM
And the Monks go marching on for the second year running. Congrats OldNed!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2017, 03:15:06 PM
Endicott in OT! Congrats to the Gulls. They've been knocking at the CCC door for a while and I'm really happy to see them finally win it. The program's first NCAA appearance awaits.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 04, 2017, 07:55:06 PM
Of all the titles won today (many are still on the table for tomorrow), I think perhaps the most impressive victory was by Endicott. They had some serious demons, having never won a CCC title nor advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and having lost in the 2015 conference final in what seemed to be the best opportunity for a conference title for some time, but they shed them. I've been impressed by Endicott the past few years, they've been a program on the rise, but they needed to get over the hill and finally win the CCC in order to be considered a legit NE team -- and now, they have done that.

This is a team that many, myself included, thought would have its best shot at a conference title two years ago, but lost. Last year they had a better-than-expected year, but lost on PKs in the semis to WNE. This year, as top seed, they won all three playoff games in OT -- the quarters in 2OT, and the semis and final in OT. When you have your backs up against the wall like that, it's nerve-wracking, but instead of folding and letting the past get to them they pulled through. They have had some good results in the last few years -- they beat Trinity, a NESCAC team, this year, beat Tufts last year, got a draw against Williams two years ago, but this year they dropped a couple of close home games against Conn. and Babson and I wondered if they would have the mental strength to pull through those tough games. We have the answer.

Good vantage point of the winner by Neukom, which -- I'm sure for Endicott fans -- seemed like it took forever to hit the back of the net. Cool to have the action captured in the moment. https://twitter.com/ECGulls/status/926936089637597193
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Domino1195 on November 05, 2017, 01:23:36 PM
Over/under for the Springfield fan yelling "c'mon white" is now 500. . . .
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 05, 2017, 01:26:44 PM
Quote from: Domino1195 on November 05, 2017, 01:23:36 PM
Over/under for the Springfield fan yelling "c'mon white" is now 500. . . .

Still probably less than the Tufts mother and her bird call. So annoying I had to mute it.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Domino1195 on November 05, 2017, 01:33:39 PM
He's now started to double up now with rapid "c'mon white - c'mon white".  It seems to having an effect because white is coming on.


Just want to write for The Onion one day . . .
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 05, 2017, 02:16:31 PM
WOW...Westfield State with a huge chance to win the MASCAC title with less than a minute left in 2OT, but the Salem State 'keeper makes the save. PKs in Salem it is.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 05, 2017, 02:23:11 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 04, 2017, 02:47:12 PM
And the Monks go marching on for the second year running. Congrats OldNed!

Thanks blooter.  The early goal really helped, that's for sure.  Kudos to the Norwich defense and goalie as they were really tough to get good shots on. I can't tell you how many chances St. Joe's had and then to see the shot blocked by one of the Norwich defenders or mids - must have happened about 15 times.  St. Joe's defense was even better, though and Norwich couldn't even get a shot on goal.  I just didn't want the game to go to PKs (again).

I'm really interested to see where the committee puts St. Joe's and I hope they good a decent draw.  Worst case scenario for me would be to put St. Joe's at Tufts next weekend, but I suppose that is a definite possibility.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 05, 2017, 02:26:46 PM
Salem State wins the MASCAC shootout over Westfield in PKs. Sounds like a big crowd out there for both sides.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 05, 2017, 03:10:28 PM
Springfield and WPI going to 2OT. Pride own a 29-8 advantage in shots (8-2 SOG) but WPI has held firm.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 05, 2017, 03:25:04 PM
For the second time this year (one on each team's field) WPI and Springfield draw 0-0. PKs coming up.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 05, 2017, 03:38:25 PM
WPI takes down Springfield on PKs. Hoeckle with 2 huge saves.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 05, 2017, 03:53:57 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 05, 2017, 03:38:25 PM
WPI takes down Springfield on PKs. Hoeckle with 2 huge saves.

So is Springfield going to get a Pool C bid now? I've seen other posters say the top 5-6 New England ranked teams are locks for the tournament, so the question is how far will Springfield drop from last week's rankings? I think they make it, but there are probably a few nervous Springfield College supporters hoping I'm right.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 05, 2017, 05:07:34 PM
Quote from: OldNed on November 05, 2017, 03:53:57 PM
So is Springfield going to get a Pool C bid now? I've seen other posters say the top 5-6 New England ranked teams are locks for the tournament, so the question is how far will Springfield drop from last week's rankings? I think they make it, but there are probably a few nervous Springfield College supporters hoping I'm right.

Good question. You'd think Midd. overtakes Bowdoin with the H2H result yesterday, although I don't know if that means Midd. overtakes Springfield (worth noting that Midd.'s SoS was .613 last week vs. Springfield's .554).

Personally, I think they'll get in, although I recall Etown getting snubbed a few years ago with something like 17-2-1 overall, and while Springfield is 14-1-2 (a superior winning percentage) it looks to be far from straightforward for them. Looking at NE, it certainly helps them that Tufts won today.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 05, 2017, 05:48:40 PM
Given previous talk about Springfield's perceived less-than-stellar SoS, it's somewhat surprising to see that Springfield has a better SoS than WPI. Even so, and while being sure to add that PKs are a total lottery, I'd still venture to say that WPI's out-of-conference tests against Brandeis, Endicott, and Wesleyan may have had the Engineers more battle-tested for the NEWMAC championship, particularly handling the onslaught of pressure Springfield provided (shots were 29-10 Pride, 8-2 SOG).

Springfield has gotten a lot of attention, and rightly so given 14-1-2 is a great record, but while not setting the world on fire WPI has done well this year. 13-5-2, and I was impressed when I saw them -- leading with 12 minutes left, they certainly gave Brandeis a game on the Judges' home pitch before falling in OT. They are solid defensively and have some nice offense at times. PaulNewman remarked that Beatty has been out with an injury, and thought I don't know when/if he'll be back, he was an impressive player when I saw him against MIT. I think they have the potential to make a run. Oh, and this was the first NEWMAC title for WPI, so big ups to them.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2017, 10:25:35 PM
Nah Springfield is all set if they have a RvR of 4-0-0. I mean if you start going thru each region u can kind of pick the 19 minus 1 or 2. Really there are only 18 Pool C's because the West usually gets an automatic Pool C even when not deserved like this year to help out geography wise.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on November 07, 2017, 01:35:03 PM
NEW ENGLAND REGION - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - November 06, 2017

Rank

School
. Div. III .
Record
. Div. III .
SOS

 . R-v-R .
. Overall .
Record
. Prev. .
Rank
1.
Tufts
15-1-2
0.613
4-1-2
15-1-2
1
2.
Amherst
11-3-2
0.621
4-1-1
11-3-2
2
3.
Brandeis
13-4-0
0.622
4-4-0
13-4-0
3
4.
Springfield
14-1-2
0.566
5-0-0
14-1-2
4
5.
Middlebury
12-6-0
0.627
4-4-0
12-6-0
6
6.
Connecticut College
9-3-4
0.605
2-2-3
9-3-4
7
7.
Bowdoin
10-4-3
0.593
2-3-3
10-4-3
5
8.
Johnson and Wales
15-2-2
0.524
1-1-0
15-2-2
--
9.
Williams
8-3-5
0.600
0-3-3
8-3-5
8
10.
Endicott
13-4-3
0.533
1-2-1
13-4-3
10
11.
St. Joseph's (Maine)
18-0-1
0.499
2-0-0
18-0-1
--
12.
Gordon
13-6-1
0.544
0-3-1
13-6-1
12
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 07, 2017, 02:02:56 PM
Salem State with an interesting turnaround this year under 1st year Head Coach Matt Correia. Former Babson Assistant and son of legendary SLU coach Don Goodwin was fired after the end of last season after averaging 6 wins a year for 8 seasons. Salem State used to be a regional power in the 80's and 90's because of really lax admissions and the former coach bring over 25-28 year old European players. That all changed around the turn of the century and he was fired for a number of reason one being recruiting violations. Since then Salem State has not been the same and Goodwin did not do much to change that. 2 quick NCAA exits coming from a weak conference was not enough in 8 years. Now the 1st year Head Coach Correia comes in and gets this team into the NCAA's with Goodwin's players and ONLY 5 Seniors and 2 Juniors out of 25 players. 18 Frosh and Soph is a very young squad. Will be interesting to see what they bring to Amherst and how they handle the situation but either way a good learning experience for Coach and Players.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 07, 2017, 02:40:32 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 07, 2017, 02:02:56 PM
Salem State with an interesting turnaround this year under 1st year Head Coach Matt Correia. Former Babson Assistant and son of legendary SLU coach Don Goodwin was fired after the end of last season after averaging 6 wins a year for 8 seasons. Salem State used to be a regional power in the 80's and 90's because of really lax admissions and the former coach bring over 25-28 year old European players. That all changed around the turn of the century and he was fired for a number of reason one being recruiting violations. Since then Salem State has not been the same and Goodwin did not do much to change that. 2 quick NCAA exits coming from a weak conference was not enough in 8 years. Now the 1st year Head Coach Correia comes in and gets this team into the NCAA's with Goodwin's players and ONLY 5 Seniors and 2 Juniors out of 25 players. 18 Frosh and Soph is a very young squad. Will be interesting to see what they bring to Amherst and how they handle the situation but either way a good learning experience for Coach and Players.

It's interesting to see who comes out of the MASCAC each year. You'd certainly know more than I do, but I don't feel like there has been an "established" MASCAC power year-in, year-out in the last five or six years -- the last few champions (prior to this year) have been Worcester State, Bridgewater, and Fitchburg State. Kind of seems like a coin flip, and perhaps that makes sense given Salem St. and Westfield St. went to PKs in the conference final, although that happens in other conferences as well. BSU actually looked pretty good a couple of years ago before the whole ineligible player kerfuffle and even managed to win the conference tournament as a low seed, but I might imagine that it's hard to stay consistently at the top, with a lot of it being about how much talent you are able to keep in-state. (Also, why is UMASS-Boston not in the MASCAC?) Of course, I recognize that state schools can be a very good option for a number of kids, and there are a number of very good players who will go to a state school for any number of reasons, but there are also a number of reasons that a kid might want to leave the state and try something new.

Edit: Ah, I see why UMB isn't in the MASCAC -- I (incorrectly) thought that other UMASS schools like UMASS-Dartmouth was MASCAC, when it is in fact in LEC for most sports.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 07, 2017, 04:34:21 PM
Predictions of NCAA first round games involving New England schools:

St Joseph's 2 - Mitchell 0     The Monks have not surrendered a single goal in 19 games this year (making them a clear favorite to win the national championship).  This will set up an intriguing shootout with Tufts (yielded only 1 goal all season) on Sunday.

Brandeis 2 - Western Connecticut 0    The WConnSt Colonials, undefeated in their last 8 games, lost 1-0 in three non-conference contests against competition from quality conferences (Union, Coast Guard, Trinity).  They will make their best case against the Judges Saturday, but that case will be dismissed.

Rutgers-Newark 2 - Bowdoin 1      Bowdoin limps into the tournament with only 1 win in their last 6 games, while the RUN Raiders have won 5 straight and are coming off a huge win at Rowan.   Based on momentum alone, the Polar Bears would have to be considered endangered.  RUN (De Sousa) will score in the first half to open this game up a little for an entertaining 2nd half. 

Middlebury 1 - Stevens 0      The Middlebury Panthers have won 7 of their last 10 by identical 1-0 scores, and 2 of the losses were to Tufts.  Incredibly, Midd has won 12 games despite only scoring 18 goals all season.  However, they are capable of beating many teams 1-0, even Stevens.

Oneonta St 2 - WPI 0         WPI got a very tough draw facing Oneonta St in the opening round.  The Engineers are sound defensively but will get burned by the Red Dragons for a goal or two.   Additionally, if Beatty is still out, WPI does not have the firepower to come from behind. 

Amherst 4 - Salem St 0      Amherst will overwhelm Salem St. similar to the Vikings 4-1 loss to Conn earlier in the season.   Salem St will need mammoth efforts from two Freshmen Mayele Malango (17 G, 9 A) and Nahuel Aligbay (8 G, 13 A) who may not be ready for this trial by fire.

Rochester 2 - Conn 1           The Camels made the tournament despite going 1-3-1 in their last 5 games and won't be able to get over the hump against a solid Rochester side.

Springfield 2 - Endicott 1      The Pride started the season running off 13 straight victories but went 1-1-2 in their last 4 outings.  They will overcome Endicott because a potential Springfield - Amherst stylistic match-up is too good not to happen (with the appropriate warnings to low flying aircraft).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 07, 2017, 04:46:44 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on November 07, 2017, 04:34:21 PM
Brandeis 2 - Western Connecticut 0    The WConnSt Colonials, undefeated in their last 8 games, lost 1-0 in three non-conference contests against competition from quality conferences (Union, Coast Guard, Trinity).  They will make their best case against the Judges Saturday, but that case will be dismissed.

Nice pun.

Quote from: Off Pitch on November 07, 2017, 04:34:21 PM
Springfield 2 - Endicott 1      The Pride started the season running off 13 straight victories but went 1-1-2 in their last 4 outings.  They will overcome Endicott because a potential Springfield - Amherst stylistic match-up is too good not to happen (with the appropriate warnings to low flying aircraft).

😂 😂 My guess is the FAA puts up a TFR below 10,000 feet within 10 miles of the Quabbin Reservoir (known as QUABN in the aviation world). In addition to the impending amount of hoofball, a bad PK can gain more altitude than you think, and can travel a long way (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2HeICNySi8).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 07, 2017, 05:13:39 PM
Off Pitch, well done. This tournament really is a blast...even though only one family leaves the party happy.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on November 07, 2017, 05:33:51 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 07, 2017, 04:46:44 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on November 07, 2017, 04:34:21 PM
Springfield 2 - Endicott 1      The Pride started the season running off 13 straight victories but went 1-1-2 in their last 4 outings.  They will overcome Endicott because a potential Springfield - Amherst stylistic match-up is too good not to happen (with the appropriate warnings to low flying aircraft).

😂 😂 My guess is the FAA puts up a TFR below 10,000 feet within 10 miles of the Quabbin Reservoir (known as QUABN in the aviation world). In addition to the impending amount of hoofball, a bad PK can gain more altitude than you think, and can travel a long way (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2HeICNySi8).

What would be the over/under for number of times the ball hits the ground if that match-up comes to pass?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 07, 2017, 05:43:28 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on November 07, 2017, 05:33:51 PM
What would be the over/under for number of times the ball hits the ground if that match-up comes to pass?

Since Amherst will win 2-1, three: once for each time it hits the back of the net. ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 07, 2017, 07:12:51 PM
I have not seen Endicott since losing to Conn College a couple weeks ago but certainly they have enough to compete and defeat a Springfield team that has gone cold scoring goals lately. I am more interested to see Amherst starting lineup on Saturday TBH.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 07, 2017, 08:37:29 PM
Interesting to look at this Western CT side. I admittedly only saw them for about 20-25 minutes in the LEC Semi-Final when they drew Keene St and won in PK's but they are 14-6-1. Of those 6 losses, 5 were by only 1 goal and if you look at the stats in those games they were extremely even with an interestingly low SOG tally for both them and opponent. They lose to Union 1-0 but outshoot them 18-5. The one bad loss was the 1st game of the season to Vassar 4-0 but again the stats were something I really have never seen. WCONN outshoots Vassar 7-4 but Vassar bests WCONN 4-0 SOG with 4 goals.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 07, 2017, 09:19:39 PM
George Kostelis was the coach at Western CT for 4 or 5 seasons until last year.  He was an "old school" type coach and had previously been an assistant at Yale for many years.  I really thought he would build the Western CT program more quickly.  He did go from 1 win in 2011 to 7 wins in 2014, but they never really turned the corner under his leadership.  However, he had brought in a good nucleus of players prior to his departure.  These players are now Juniors and Seniors, and 8 of them are regular starters. 

Joe Mingachos, the successful coach of the women's teams, took over the team last year and has apparently done a good job.  I'm not sure how many women's college soccer coaches have successfully made the transition to men's soccer, but he was a really good coach on the women's side (298-88-27).

By the way, more than half of their roster is composed of freshmen - 16 freshmen and only 4 sophs to go with the remaining 10 Jrs and Srs.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 08, 2017, 09:53:26 AM
It's nice to see a little attention paid to some of the lesser known sides, like Western Connecticut.  I've been following them a little bit this year because one of my son's former club teammates plays for them, and I'm happy they've been able to advance to the tournament.  With such a young team, it bodes well for the future of the program and perhaps they can get some experience that may help them if they wind up in the tournament again next year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 11:02:30 AM
OldNed, still waitin for a scouting report on St.Joe's...I have not seen them at all this year
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 11:20:21 AM
Cmon OldNed I am not looking for any advantages(I have no skin in the game) maybe just a formation or how they play..A player or 2 to watch?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 08, 2017, 11:28:43 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 11:20:21 AM
Cmon OldNed I am not looking for any advantages(I have no skin in the game) maybe just a formation or how they play..A player or 2 to watch?

Mr. Right,
I'm reasonably sure that whatever I say, Mitchell or Tufts may already know about.  Give me a little bit and I'll have something for you and everyone else re: St. Joe's.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 08, 2017, 12:18:23 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 11:20:21 AM
Cmon OldNed I am not looking for any advantages(I have no skin in the game) maybe just a formation or how they play..A player or 2 to watch?

Mr. Right,
You asked about formations, and St. Joe's plays a sort of 4-1-3-2.  The 4 defenders in the back are all solid defenders, but among them I think Dalton Gaumer and JT Taylor stand out defensively.  Gaumer won the GNAC defensive POY award and he's just so smooth and unruffled back there.  Taylor has come into his own as a soph RB and he rarely gets beaten, and he's a certified weapon on offense as he's got a terrific long throw that makes most throw-ins beyond midfield more like corner kicks.  Sean Baker is a 5th year senior (lost a season to injury) and he usually plays CB next to Gaumer.  LB is Noah Robinson and he's maybe the most athletic player for the Monks.  His role is a little bit of a hybrid as he's often called on to become more of an outside mid and attack the opponent up the left touch line.  I think he could be an x-factor for the Monks as he's just rounding into form again after he lost a number of games to injury in the middle of the season.

Then there's the St. Joe's GK, Blake Mullen.  His size at 6-7 is a huge asset and he can get to almost any ball that's floated into the box, which can be very frustrating for opposing teams. He hasn't been tested a whole lot this year due to how well the back line has played, but he's a very good keeper and he's had some tournament success with PKs as St. Joe's beat Norwich in PKs in the GNAC final in 2016, and then he came up big against Babson with a couple of really nice PK saves.

Midfield is led defensively by Rory Twomey and JoJo Strobino.  Twomey is the primary defensive mid and he generally gets to just about everything in the air and although Strobino is only 5-5, he's as tough as nails and is built like a tank and between the two of them they're able to mostly control the midfield and start counterattacks by linking up with the other mids, Cody Elliott and Mitch Duncan.  Elliott and Duncan have played really well this year, but they too are a little bit undersized and I'm hoping they don't get swallowed up by the size of Tufts (assuming that St. Joe's can advance against Mitchell). Striker is Brett Mattos and he's had an outstanding year, as has RF Trevor Lopes.  Mattos in particular is very good in the air and he's capable of getting his head onto many of the balls swung into the box either from the right by Lopes or on the left by Noah Robinson.
Offensively, St. Joe's likes to work the ball to the outside to see if Lopes can turn the corner on the right and cross into the box, and if that doesn't work they will try the left side with Robinson.  If teams stretch things out to play wide defensively to match this, then that leaves some space in the middle for Elliott, Duncan, and Mattos to operate.

Defensively, St. Joe's has smothered most of the teams they've faced.  Balls sent up from the opposing back line or from goal kicks usually get met by a Twomey header, and the mids are relentless if teams are moving the ball on the ground instead. 
Against Mitchell, I think St. Joe's will come out flying to try to get a couple of quick goals and then let their defense do its thing so they can rest some players for Sunday's match. St. Joe's has some very capable subs, led by Jesse Ramirez, Noah Elmore, and Ryan Buonaiuto.  If St. Joe's makes it past Mitchell, the size of Tufts will be difficult to deal with, although St. Joe's did well playing against Bowdoin's big lineup, too. It will be fun to see if either side can put any decent pressure on the other, and it would not surprise me to see a 0-0 tie with the winner decided on PKs. It would be ironic if St. Joe's doesn't give up a goal all year long during regulation or OT, but gets eliminated in PKs. Nobody is really sure how St. Joe's will react if they end up going down 1-0 to Mitchell or Tufts because they simply haven't been in that position all year.  I'd like to think they have enough in them to come back if they give up a goal or two, but it would be very difficult to do that against a team the caliber of Tufts.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEFutbol90 on November 08, 2017, 12:33:55 PM
totally agree old ned. The organization of St.Joes is of elite status in my opinion as Coach Dubois has created a formation and a style that will make St.Joes tough to breakdown or keep the ball for anyone, even with Tufts looming. That I think will turn out to be the game to watch this weekend should they get by mitchell. Agreed that the players to watch are certainly Mattos #32 there prolific striker that is insanely efficient with 19 goals on just 38 shots. #8 Gaumer, #22 Twomey and #6 Strobino the two midfielders who are quite honestly the most important part to their incredible shutout streak as they dominate the midfield.  With other players such as #19 Robinson, #00 Mullen, and #2 Duncan to watch for as they all contribute massively to the monks effort. With an obvious bias towards the monks, I have to say they seem primed to upset a powerhouse like tufts as they are desperate to make their mark and solidify a spot among NE's best or at least atop this list of upcoming programs should Dubois stays long enough to see that through...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 12:34:58 PM
OldNed well done..+k and thanks that helps...Sounds like a solid outfit especially with a 6'7 GK which again is impressive and can be intimidating to opponents as the goal looks that much smaller. If they are really in a 4-1-3-2 than I am wondering if they play in a diamond. I am not questioning you just a different formation. Possibly a 4-1-4-1 especially defensively. Well you just got me feeling a little nervy for Tufts so I wonder what Tufts will feel when they see them on Saturday. An interesting situation you have with a team that gets a BYE or plays 1st on Saturday. As a coach do u want your players watching the team that you will play the next day? Some coaches do not care because usually players are half watching and talking anyway BUT some coaches do not like it and will not have their players watch as it can lead to over confidence and a bit of letting down your guard if you see a sloppy game.

After that scouting report what would be the bigger upset...St.Joe's over Tufts     or      Mitchell over St.Joe's?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 12:39:14 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on November 07, 2017, 09:19:39 PM
George Kostelis was the coach at Western CT for 4 or 5 seasons until last year.  He was an "old school" type coach and had previously been an assistant at Yale for many years.  I really thought he would build the Western CT program more quickly.  He did go from 1 win in 2011 to 7 wins in 2014, but they never really turned the corner under his leadership.  However, he had brought in a good nucleus of players prior to his departure.  These players are now Juniors and Seniors, and 8 of them are regular starters. 

Joe Mingachos, the successful coach of the women's teams, took over the team last year and has apparently done a good job.  I'm not sure how many women's college soccer coaches have successfully made the transition to men's soccer, but he was a really good coach on the women's side (298-88-27).

By the way, more than half of their roster is composed of freshmen - 16 freshmen and only 4 sophs to go with the remaining 10 Jrs and Srs.


Yes. Kostelis was a longtime assistant at Yale under Brian Tompkins. Under Tompkins Yale continually underperformed until he was"bumped upstairs". Yale, Harvard and Princeton should be winning Ivy league titles every year. The other teams should never even get a sniff of an Ivy Title. If you cannot win at Harvard, Yale and Princeton with all the advantages they have over the other Ivies than you probably are doing something wrong. I believe Kostelis resigned at WCONN because his wife got a job near Hartford. Could be wrong but I believe he was on Pilger's staff this year as a GK coach.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on November 08, 2017, 12:58:13 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 12:34:58 PM
OldNed well done..+k and thanks that helps...Sounds like a solid outfit especially with a 6'7 GK which again is impressive and can be intimidating to opponents as the goal looks that much smaller. If they are really in a 4-1-3-2 than I am wondering if they play in a diamond. I am not questioning you just a different formation. Possibly a 4-1-4-1 especially defensively. Well you just got me feeling a little nervy for Tufts so I wonder what Tufts will feel when they see them on Saturday. An interesting situation you have with a team that gets a BYE or plays 1st on Saturday. As a coach do u want your players watching the team that you will play the next day? Some coaches do not care because usually players are half watching and talking anyway BUT some coaches do not like it and will not have their players watch as it can lead to over confidence and a bit of letting down your guard if you see a sloppy game.

After that scouting report what would be the bigger upset...St.Joe's over Tufts     or      Mitchell over St.Joe's?

In my experience, it's a mixed blessing to come into a national tournament riding a streak...in this case St. Joe's not having lost a game nor having given up a goal all season.  IF they give up a goal, particularly against Tufts, I think it will be an incredibly hard adjustment for them in the middle of a game under the highest pressure they will have seen all season.  If they get by Mitchell (very likely) and then Tufts (very unlikely), then more power to them.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 01:00:32 PM
But my question is what would be the bigger upset?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEFutbol90 on November 08, 2017, 01:10:19 PM
Mr. Right, I believe the biggest question to that is can St.Joes get an early lead or substantial lead to rest a bit going into sunday. Being this whole team returns from last years NCAA they know just how quick a turnaround it is therefore I think the only way we see a Tufts upset is if the Monks can take care of business early and often against Mitchell. But answering your question, I think without a doubt it'd be mitchell... just because of the season the monks have put together this year and last. With a defeat over Tufts yes its a massive upset, but I believe it'd be more of an official coming out party for the program where as with the Mitchell upset it would certainly knock St.Joes wayy back down to earth for this year and even in the future. This is a team ready for adversity based on the coaches mentality. While they haven't faced the toughest of conditions, the level coach Dubois holds them at for practice, in the weight room, during film, etc. is incredibly high and one that has them ready to compete.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 01:19:49 PM
Yes I would agree with you I just wanted to see what some would say. The bigger upset would be Mitchell over St.Joe's..Mitchell has not lost since a 2-0 loss to Babson where they got outshot 21-4. Babson only generated 9 SOG though. Conn College beat them 8-1 in the 1st game of the season but only outshot them 11-3 SOG with 8 goals?  The poor GK let in 8 of 11 SOG and was left in net for dead as he played 90 in that game. Montclair St beat them 2-0 and outshot them 40-5 but it was 0-0 at the Half. IDK....You never what you get from some of these teams from these conferences..They did beat Dean 2-0 which is not bad.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEFutbol90 on November 08, 2017, 01:30:34 PM
Im interested to see you agree as I think most would say St.Joes over tufts... That being said would either endicott or springfield have a better chance getting past Amherst than St.Joes does tufts?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 08, 2017, 01:45:12 PM
Quote from: truenorth on November 08, 2017, 12:58:13 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 12:34:58 PM
OldNed well done..+k and thanks that helps...Sounds like a solid outfit especially with a 6'7 GK which again is impressive and can be intimidating to opponents as the goal looks that much smaller. If they are really in a 4-1-3-2 than I am wondering if they play in a diamond. I am not questioning you just a different formation. Possibly a 4-1-4-1 especially defensively. Well you just got me feeling a little nervy for Tufts so I wonder what Tufts will feel when they see them on Saturday. An interesting situation you have with a team that gets a BYE or plays 1st on Saturday. As a coach do u want your players watching the team that you will play the next day? Some coaches do not care because usually players are half watching and talking anyway BUT some coaches do not like it and will not have their players watch as it can lead to over confidence and a bit of letting down your guard if you see a sloppy game.

After that scouting report what would be the bigger upset...St.Joe's over Tufts     or      Mitchell over St.Joe's?

In my experience, it's a mixed blessing to come into a national tournament riding a streak...in this case St. Joe's not having lost a game nor having given up a goal all season.  IF they give up a goal, particularly against Tufts, I think it will be an incredibly hard adjustment for them in the middle of a game under the highest pressure they will have seen all season.  If they get by Mitchell (very likely) and then Tufts (very unlikely), then more power to them.

Truenorth,
I think you're right - there is pressure with any kind of streak like that.  The other teams know about it too, and I think that gets them amped up a little bit more.  Maybe it's best for St. Joe's to give up a goal against Mitchell, perhaps if they're comfortably ahead?  Either way, beating Tufts is going to take a huge effort. I'm pretty sure Coach Dubois is going to have the team focus on Mitchell first and then if they win they can turn their attention to Tufts.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 08, 2017, 01:58:41 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 01:19:49 PM
Yes I would agree with you I just wanted to see what some would say. The bigger upset would be Mitchell over St.Joe's..Mitchell has not lost since a 2-0 loss to Babson where they got outshot 21-4. Babson only generated 9 SOG though. Conn College beat them 8-1 in the 1st game of the season but only outshot them 11-3 SOG with 8 goals?  The poor GK let in 8 of 11 SOG and was left in net for dead as he played 90 in that game. Montclair St beat them 2-0 and outshot them 40-5 but it was 0-0 at the Half. IDK....You never what you get from some of these teams from these conferences..They did beat Dean 2-0 which is not bad.

I know I'm biased, but I also think Mitchell over St. Joe's would be a bigger upset than St. Joe's over Tufts.  This St. Joe's team has been to the tournament last year and produced a PK win at Babson against Babson's home crowd, while this is the first time Mitchell has ever made the NCAAs.  St. Joe's also was able to beat Bowdoin at home in September, something that Tufts was unable to do this year.

Of course, anything can happen on game day so it's going to be up to St. Joe's to prove they can beat Mitchell so they do get a shot at Tufts.  I'm thinking 3-0, St. Joe's over Mitchell.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 05:13:03 PM
Yea I do not know what the score will be but I think St.Joe's will beat Mitchell. Now looking at everything the committee did Tufts no favors with this type of matchup against a St.Joe's. Last year, Amherst got a 1st Round Bye and got the winner of Daniel Webster / Worcester St in the 2nd Round. Basically, a free pass to the Sweet 16. This looks to be more tenuous situation for Tufts with this match up looming.

1. The pressure is all on Tufts----Sure St.Joe's got a taste last year of the NCAA's and defeated Babson in PK'S and lost to a more seasoned Brandeis squad in the 2nd Round even though the stats suggest a more even game than the 3-0 scoreline. Surely no one expects St.Joe's to win this match on Tufts field. So St.Joe's should be able to play loose without any pressure.  They might be a bit nervous to start the game but they will grow into the game and the longer the game is still tied the more Tufts will feel the pressure.

2. Watching some of the interviews and highlights of this team from this year and last year St,Joe's looks to have a MASSIVE chip on their shoulder. They talk about being disrespected a ton. No matter if there is a massive talent difference between these 2 teams that CHIP can be a real factor. Beating Colby last year and Bowdoin this year while limiting Bowdoin to 3 SOG(to no one's surprise--honestly how many games has Bowdoin gotten more than 7 SOG this year) show that they get pumped and ready to go against the elite Maine Nescac's. This reminds me of the days when D3 schools would play D1's in the 80's and 90's when D3 schools would bring everything they had and sometimes they fell short but other times they beat D1's out of pure WILL. D1's kinda looked at it as just another game and kind of just showed up. I am not saying Tufts will do that BUT no matter how much Shapiro preaches about not taking anyone lightly and being ready to go and all that it still does not stick with some players.

3. Just like Tufts this St.joe's side seems to pride itself on all 11 on the field busting their butt all game. The results this year show that. They are not just winning but they are blowing teams out while keeping decent teams in check. So you have a Tufts side facing a team that will match their work rate and that just might be enough to frustrate Tufts.

4. Again for a team that sometimes has trouble scoring goals looking at a goal with a 6'7 GK in it makes your job seem even harder before the game even starts. That goal looks mighty small.

5. I cannot imagine Shapiro can get a great scout on either of these teams until he sees them in person on Saturday. I know both he and Wiercinski went to Midd but I have no idea how much Bowdoin will want to help out. Since you usually cannot ask anyone in the teams league for a scout you have to rely on out of conference coaches to give you something. Usually that something is not great with some of these part time coaches especially for the detail that Shapiro seems to thrive on. So OldNed a quick victory over Mitchell would be beneficial for resting guys and giving Shapiro nothin much to chew on.


OldNed am I onto something here or am I way off?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 08, 2017, 05:47:39 PM
Mr.Right, just to meet you halfway here, you've been saying all year that Tufts could or would lose in the 2nd round.  You were thinking Springfield but your research suggests St Joe's might be even trickier than Springfield.  St Joe's might be better off 0-0 at the half than ahead 1-0 as I don't think Tufts will panic if they go down a goal and may even respond better to that than staying in a tense scoreless game into the 2nd half.  St Joe's might be best served by 0-0 and then a late goal beyond the 80th minute or in OT.  The X factor is what happens if Tufts scores first.  How will St Joe's react to that?  Certainly interesting psychological set-up in this game, and very different than Tufts going on the road to prove itself against Montclair or Rowan.  This is a little more similar to what might have happened if Tufts had gotten UMass-Boston at full strength, although I imagine last year's UMass-Boston had a talent advantage over this St Joe's group.

On the other hand, looks like St. Joe's might be more composed than UMass and with a more poised, disciplined coach.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 05:57:29 PM
I know I know...Like most people I can contradict myself sometimes. I was much more impressed with Tufts in person on Sunday than on the stream. That being said if you have some time go watch and read some of these Monk interviews and video and all that from this year and last year. Granted I have not seen them play BUT if they have the workrate of a Conn College surely they can do what Conn did to Tufts. 0-0 and Conn maybe had 2 SOG..Into Pk's and than flip a coin. This St.Joe's team seems to know who they are, what they are not and are willing to put any amount of work in to prove people wrong. Not every team has this. I am impressed with this CHIP they seem to have also.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 08, 2017, 06:01:58 PM
Actually I was agreeing with you.  St Joe's has a shot.  I read about the coach, and the players are determined.  I saw they outshot Bowdoin (not a big deal as you've said) but had a lot of 34 to 1 shot games against a lot of teams.  And I think Tufts would have been less in the dark and more prepared for Springfield or WPI than this St Joe's team so I think you are on to something.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on November 08, 2017, 06:11:07 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 05:13:03 PM
Yea I do not know what the score will be but I think St.Joe's will beat Mitchell. Now looking at everything the committee did Tufts no favors with this type of matchup against a St.Joe's. Last year, Amherst got a 1st Round Bye and got the winner of Daniel Webster / Worcester St in the 2nd Round. Basically, a free pass to the Sweet 16. This looks to be more tenuous situation for Tufts with this match up looming.

1. The pressure is all on Tufts----Sure St.Joe's got a taste last year of the NCAA's and defeated Babson in PK'S and lost to a more seasoned Brandeis squad in the 2nd Round even though the stats suggest a more even game than the 3-0 scoreline. Surely no one expects St.Joe's to win this match on Tufts field. So St.Joe's should be able to play loose without any pressure.  They might be a bit nervous to start the game but they will grow into the game and the longer the game is still tied the more Tufts will feel the pressure.

2. Watching some of the interviews and highlights of this team from this year and last year St,Joe's looks to have a MASSIVE chip on their shoulder. They talk about being disrespected a ton. No matter if there is a massive talent difference between these 2 teams that CHIP can be a real factor. Beating Colby last year and Bowdoin this year while limiting Bowdoin to 3 SOG(to no one's surprise--honestly how many games has Bowdoin gotten more than 7 SOG this year) show that they get pumped and ready to go against the elite Maine Nescac's. This reminds me of the days when D3 schools would play D1's in the 80's and 90's when D3 schools would bring everything they had and sometimes they fell short but other times they beat D1's out of pure WILL. D1's kinda looked at it as just another game and kind of just showed up. I am not saying Tufts will do that BUT no matter how much Shapiro preaches about not taking anyone lightly and being ready to go and all that it still does not stick with some players.

3. Just like Tufts this St.joe's side seems to pride itself on all 11 on the field busting their butt all game. The results this year show that. They are not just winning but they are blowing teams out while keeping decent teams in check. So you have a Tufts side facing a team that will match their work rate and that just might be enough to frustrate Tufts.

4. Again for a team that sometimes has trouble scoring goals looking at a goal with a 6'7 GK in it makes your job seem even harder before the game even starts. That goal looks mighty small.

5. I cannot imagine Shapiro can get a great scout on either of these teams until he sees them in person on Saturday. I know both he and Wiercinski went to Midd but I have no idea how much Bowdoin will want to help out. Since you usually cannot ask anyone in the teams league for a scout you have to rely on out of conference coaches to give you something. Usually that something is not great with some of these part time coaches especially for the detail that Shapiro seems to thrive on. So OldNed a quick victory over Mitchell would be beneficial for resting guys and giving Shapiro nothin much to chew on.


OldNed am I onto something here or am I way off?

St. Joe's absolutely deserves the NCAA tournament bid they received, and they would have deserved a bid in my view even if they hadn't been the AQ from their league.  That said, they played a weak schedule and their highest quality win was at home vs. Bowdoin.  I watched the second half of that game online and I thought St. Joe's was a solid team, but I also didn't think Bowdoin played particularly well that night on St. Joe's turf field.  St. Joe's lone goal was a little fluky as it came off an outside foot from an acute angle.

Now they have to travel to Medford and start playing in a real tournament.  They should dispatch Mitchell with little trouble for all the reasons cited.  If they face Tufts in the second round, in my mind it doesn't matter how heroic they have been this season, they will be up against their first serious challenge of the entire season facing a battle tested Tufts on their home field.  Tufts will not take St. Joe's or anyone else for granted and would be highly likely to beat St. Joe's straight up.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 06:15:32 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on November 08, 2017, 06:01:58 PM
Actually I was agreeing with you.  St Joe's has a shot.  I read about the coach, and the players are determined.  I saw they outshot Bowdoin (not a big deal as you've said) but had a lot of 34 to 1 shot games against a lot of teams.  And I think Tufts would have been less in the dark and more prepared for Springfield or WPI than this St Joe's team so I think you are on to something.


I am guessing the St.Joe's supporters want us to stop talking about them now as we just might wake up a sleeping bear BUT I am looking forward to watching the match.+k
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 06:18:54 PM
Quote from: truenorth on November 08, 2017, 06:11:07 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 05:13:03 PM
Yea I do not know what the score will be but I think St.Joe's will beat Mitchell. Now looking at everything the committee did Tufts no favors with this type of matchup against a St.Joe's. Last year, Amherst got a 1st Round Bye and got the winner of Daniel Webster / Worcester St in the 2nd Round. Basically, a free pass to the Sweet 16. This looks to be more tenuous situation for Tufts with this match up looming.

1. The pressure is all on Tufts----Sure St.Joe's got a taste last year of the NCAA's and defeated Babson in PK'S and lost to a more seasoned Brandeis squad in the 2nd Round even though the stats suggest a more even game than the 3-0 scoreline. Surely no one expects St.Joe's to win this match on Tufts field. So St.Joe's should be able to play loose without any pressure.  They might be a bit nervous to start the game but they will grow into the game and the longer the game is still tied the more Tufts will feel the pressure.

2. Watching some of the interviews and highlights of this team from this year and last year St,Joe's looks to have a MASSIVE chip on their shoulder. They talk about being disrespected a ton. No matter if there is a massive talent difference between these 2 teams that CHIP can be a real factor. Beating Colby last year and Bowdoin this year while limiting Bowdoin to 3 SOG(to no one's surprise--honestly how many games has Bowdoin gotten more than 7 SOG this year) show that they get pumped and ready to go against the elite Maine Nescac's. This reminds me of the days when D3 schools would play D1's in the 80's and 90's when D3 schools would bring everything they had and sometimes they fell short but other times they beat D1's out of pure WILL. D1's kinda looked at it as just another game and kind of just showed up. I am not saying Tufts will do that BUT no matter how much Shapiro preaches about not taking anyone lightly and being ready to go and all that it still does not stick with some players.

3. Just like Tufts this St.joe's side seems to pride itself on all 11 on the field busting their butt all game. The results this year show that. They are not just winning but they are blowing teams out while keeping decent teams in check. So you have a Tufts side facing a team that will match their work rate and that just might be enough to frustrate Tufts.

4. Again for a team that sometimes has trouble scoring goals looking at a goal with a 6'7 GK in it makes your job seem even harder before the game even starts. That goal looks mighty small.

5. I cannot imagine Shapiro can get a great scout on either of these teams until he sees them in person on Saturday. I know both he and Wiercinski went to Midd but I have no idea how much Bowdoin will want to help out. Since you usually cannot ask anyone in the teams league for a scout you have to rely on out of conference coaches to give you something. Usually that something is not great with some of these part time coaches especially for the detail that Shapiro seems to thrive on. So OldNed a quick victory over Mitchell would be beneficial for resting guys and giving Shapiro nothin much to chew on.


OldNed am I onto something here or am I way off?

St. Joe's absolutely deserves the NCAA tournament bid they received, and they would have deserved a bid in my view even if they hadn't been the AQ from their league.  That said, they played a weak schedule and their highest quality win was at home vs. Bowdoin.  I watched the second half of that game online and I thought St. Joe's was a solid team, but I also didn't think Bowdoin played particularly well that night on St. Joe's turf field.  St. Joe's lone goal was a little fluky as it came off an outside foot from an acute angle.

Now they have to travel to Medford and start playing in a real tournament.  They should dispatch Mitchell with little trouble for all the reasons cited.  If they face Tufts in the second round, in my mind it doesn't matter how heroic they have been this season, they will be up against their first serious challenge of the entire season facing a battle tested Tufts on their home field.  Tufts will not take St. Joe's or anyone else for granted and would be highly likely to beat St. Joe's straight up.


This is the tyoe of fluff that should get the Monks going. So are you admitting that Bowdoin was not a serious challenge? Having watched Bowdoin at Thomas they were lucky to escape that game with a Win.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on November 08, 2017, 06:44:34 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 06:15:32 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on November 08, 2017, 06:01:58 PM
Actually I was agreeing with you.  St Joe's has a shot.  I read about the coach, and the players are determined.  I saw they outshot Bowdoin (not a big deal as you've said) but had a lot of 34 to 1 shot games against a lot of teams.  And I think Tufts would have been less in the dark and more prepared for Springfield or WPI than this St Joe's team so I think you are on to something.


I am guessing the St.Joe's supporters want us to stop talking about them now as we just might wake up a sleeping bear BUT I am looking forward to watching the match.+k

St. Joe's is not a sleeping bear.  They are a solid team heading back to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.  They know what they're doing, and none of their higher quality opponents will take them for granted.  They're going to have to sink or swim on their own merits, no matter how much our online chatter might agitate their fanbase.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on November 08, 2017, 07:14:01 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 05:13:03 PM

This is the tyoe of fluff that should get the Monks going. So are you admitting that Bowdoin was not a serious challenge? Having watched Bowdoin at Thomas they were lucky to escape that game with a Win.

I reckon you can call it "fluff" and I reckon you're just trying to be provocative.  I hope my comments have been so influential as to inflame the St. Joe's players and fans to the point that they'll be inspired to ever greater heights...Tufts, the Final Four and beyond!  :)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 08, 2017, 07:18:48 PM
LOL.  Let's talk some more about the intricacies of the Bowdoin attack from defensive positions laced with references to Ivy League schools.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 08, 2017, 08:26:22 PM
Quote from: truenorth on November 08, 2017, 06:44:34 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 08, 2017, 06:15:32 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on November 08, 2017, 06:01:58 PM
Actually I was agreeing with you.  St Joe's has a shot.  I read about the coach, and the players are determined.  I saw they outshot Bowdoin (not a big deal as you've said) but had a lot of 34 to 1 shot games against a lot of teams.  And I think Tufts would have been less in the dark and more prepared for Springfield or WPI than this St Joe's team so I think you are on to something.


I am guessing the St.Joe's supporters want us to stop talking about them now as we just might wake up a sleeping bear BUT I am looking forward to watching the match.+k

St. Joe's is not a sleeping bear.  They are a solid team heading back to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.  They know what they're doing, and none of their higher quality opponents will take them for granted.  They're going to have to sink or swim on their own merits, no matter how much our online chatter might agitate their fanbase.

This is pretty much how I see it, too.  St. Joe's is capable of beating Tufts, but they need to be on the top of their game to pull it off.  I do think they have a little bit of a chip on their shoulders and they're looking forward to the opportunity to show the rest of the field what they can do. Can't wait for game time on Saturday and hopefully on Sunday.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 09, 2017, 11:19:16 AM
The sleeping bear would be Tufts but anyway.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 09, 2017, 11:34:21 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 09, 2017, 11:19:16 AM
The sleeping bear would be Tufts but anyway.

Agreed, Mr. Right.  I guess we St. Joe's supporters would be thinking more along the lines of don't wake the sleeping underdog. I'm pretty sure the bear will be awake no matter what. First things first, though - Mitchell on Saturday.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Bobcat1 on November 09, 2017, 11:38:04 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 09, 2017, 11:19:16 AM
The sleeping bear would be Tufts but anyway.

That's how I read it as well. Lots of love for the Monks and deservedly so.  That being said, I would be shocked if Tufts did not have game film and a full scouting report on St. Joe's. You don't go 14-1 in the NCAA Tournament in the last three years without doing a lot of homework and being fully prepared for your opponents.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 09, 2017, 11:47:32 AM
Quote from: Bobcat1 on November 09, 2017, 11:38:04 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 09, 2017, 11:19:16 AM
The sleeping bear would be Tufts but anyway.

That's how I read it as well. Lots of love for the Monks and deservedly so.  That being said, I would be shocked if Tufts did not have game film and a full scouting report on St. Joe's. You don't go 14-1 in the NCAA Tournament in the last three years without doing a lot of homework and being fully prepared for your opponents.


Oh I am not saying they are not fully prepared. Not at all. In fact they might be the most prepared team in Nescac BUT when playing teams from these unknown leagues you must rely on shabby scouting reports from TBH coaches that do not know much or remember less. You cannot ask anyone in St.Joe's league for a report so you are relying on who they played out of conference. Looking at the teams they played I am not sure what kind of scout Shapiro would get from some of those coaches. I could be wrong. Either way he will get a good look on Saturday.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 09, 2017, 01:13:25 PM
Public service announcement to my fellow Eastern Massachusetts folks (and those in close proximity) -- the Tufts pod is running a day game schedule (1:00 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday) while the Brandeis pod is running a night game schedule (5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, 7 p.m. on Sunday). In past year, the pod final (winner of the two Saturday games) has been held Sunday at 5 p.m., but per the NCAA manual it seems that 7 p.m. is the set time for that game at "three-game sites." Anyway, just wanted to put it out there that -- should you have the time -- getting to both pods is plausible.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 12:19:46 PM
WPI still holding Oneonta. As an aside, I think the MIT-Castleton women's game (600 yards from my place so I'm there) has eight times the number of goals that all the NE men's teams have scored thus far today (currently 6-2 MIT with 35 to play). I missed the first 20 and have still seen five goals. 😂
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 01:08:22 PM
5 minutes in and SJC looks miles better than Mitchell. An early chance goes begging with the wrong ball being played.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 01:21:49 PM
Wow...out of nowhere, an 70-odd yard drop kick by the Mitchell keeper finds their striker in on goal, but he can only put a tame effort at Mullen.

Moments later, SJC with its first good look, but nice save.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 01:25:44 PM
WOW!!! SJC kid tries a bicycle kick, hits it really well from about 6 out, but the Mitchell keeper makes a FANTASTIC save.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 01:29:48 PM
SJC with wave after wave of pressure which finally results in a goal from Mattos off the corner. 1-0 Monks.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on November 11, 2017, 01:32:19 PM
Oneonta 6-5 over WPI in PKs after 0-0 game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 01:33:31 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on November 11, 2017, 01:32:19 PM
Oneonta 6-5 over WPI in PKs after 0-0 game.
Admirable effort by the Engineers. They did well this year.

As for Mitchell-SJC, that save off the bike was as good as I've see at the D3 level. Incredibly impressive.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 01:33:39 PM
WPI and Oneonta hit 5 perfect PK's each but WPI's #23 hits a very lackadaisical 6th PK with his left peg and it is easily gobbled up. Ball game..Oneonta advances but will not be fully rested tomorrow. Nice effort by WPI but a fair result
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 11, 2017, 01:35:26 PM
Gutsy PKs from the overwhelming favorite Oneonta as they had to match each round.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 01:49:07 PM
Twomey with a great hit off the free kick 35 out, but the Mitchell 'keeper makes a diving save to tip it onto the bar and over. Great save. This kid is keeping them in it.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 02:26:31 PM
SJC with a number of shots from inside the box but the Mitchell keeper makes a number of impressive saves, including a one-handed tip off a half-volley. I haven't watched him before but he has been very impressive today.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 02:28:50 PM
Mitchell just cannot get the ball though from the little I have seen. Wondering how they can get a goal here?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 02:29:39 PM
Nice finish there....kid a free run
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 02:30:15 PM
St. Joseph's finally with a second — one timer off a low free kick serve. 20 left, 2-0 Monks.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 02:43:03 PM
Bit sloppy of St.Joe's on that Mitchell goal.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 02:51:15 PM
Mitchell has an apparent equalizer but waved off for offsides. Tough call and I was standing right next to the linesman.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 02:53:20 PM
SJC wins it 2-1.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 03:07:22 PM
You know, I almost think it is better for SJC to have given up a goal today than tomorrow.  They would have been underdogs against Tufts anyway, but now they can go into it with nothing to lose.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 03:11:38 PM
Agreed..Curious if Tufts players were watching that game?  If so what do you think they saw today?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 03:15:20 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 03:11:38 PM
Agreed..Curious if Tufts players were watching that game?  If so what do you think they saw today?

They were there, although most of them left after the first SJC goal. I think SJC was in the ascendancy at that point, bossing the game, so I don't think they'll be taken lightly.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 03:53:51 PM
Stoke City, erm, Springfield, gets a 1-0 victory over Endicott. Congrats to the Gulls on a great season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on November 11, 2017, 04:20:31 PM
I think Springfield might be able to "out ugly" Amherst this year.  And that's saying something....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 04:26:52 PM
Where is Bloots now? Red line? Green Line?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 04:28:49 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 04:26:52 PM
Where is Bloots now? Red line? Green Line?

Commuter rail. Runs a bit faster but smells like burnt rubber.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 04:31:41 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 04:28:49 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 04:26:52 PM
Where is Bloots now? Red line? Green Line?

Commuter rail. Runs a bit faster but smells like burnt rubber.

lol man..I give u credit..ur a man on a mission tonight
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 04:38:55 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 04:31:41 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 04:28:49 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 04:26:52 PM
Where is Bloots now? Red line? Green Line?

Commuter rail. Runs a bit faster but smells like burnt rubber.

lol man..I give u credit..ur a man on a mission tonight

If it wasn't at Brandeis I probably wouldn't go, but I have no real excuse not to. Plus he new pizza place across the tracks is a good halftime diversion. My parents keep telling me to have fun while I am able. ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 04:59:05 PM
Woodhouse is back for Brandeis! Figured he was out for the season, but guess not.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 05:04:06 PM
WConn has to hack one off the line a minute in. Judges pressuring in the opening stages.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 05:05:16 PM
#15 Has to finish that....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 05:07:17 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 05:05:16 PM
#15 Has to finish that....

Yeah...in his defense he is a CB (no pun intended.) But I agree.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 05:19:30 PM
Fantastic Goal BUT a NASTY foul by WCONN on Ocel
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 11, 2017, 05:22:09 PM
Brandeis looks to be in complete control of this one early on. I can see this one getting chippy...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 05:25:50 PM
Still early...WCONN does not look that bad to me but obviously Brandeis the better team. If #24 keeps giving the ball away then there might be a problem
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 05:27:56 PM
This ref is such a poser...So bad...Can someone explain to the Deis SID that half the fun is seeing the cards and fouls..keep the stream on the field
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 05:29:05 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 05:27:56 PM
This ref is such a poser...So bad...Can someone explain to the Deis SID that half the fun is seeing the cards and fouls..keep the stream on the field

Haha I know him, I'll let him know. Agree it could get chippy. WCSU isn't lying down.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 05:54:43 PM
Deis up one at half. Definitely been the better side thus far, but it is still very much an open game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 05:58:37 PM
Yes...Brandeis in control but will want 1 or 2 more to feel comfortable..
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 06:18:33 PM
Brandeis stream going haywire....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 06:24:19 PM
Ahh now we are back
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 06:32:10 PM
Brandeis gets a second, Hennessy off a header. 2-0 Judges, 25 left.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 11, 2017, 06:37:15 PM
Ill take your word for it Bloots...Feed getting overloaded
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 06:39:53 PM
Brandeis goes 3-0 up, Allen finishes a through ball from Gans. 18 left.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 11, 2017, 07:02:14 PM
Brandeis 3-0 WCONN is the final. Judges will face the winner of Bowdoin-RUN.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 07:07:54 PM
If this Brandeis stream doesn't cooperate say goodbye to any future alumni donations ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 07:11:05 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 07:07:54 PM
If this Brandeis stream doesn't cooperate say goodbye to any future alumni donations ;)

I shouldn't have jinxed it :(
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 07:20:05 PM
Great game so far. Deis with the lion's share of possession, but RNU has already shown how dangerous they can be with 2 great shots. Brandeis had a sick rip from 25 yards out that the tiny RNU GK made an INCREDIBLE save on. What he lacks in size he certainly makes up for in agility.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 07:22:55 PM
RUN GK has been an animal. Great agility and hops.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 07:24:22 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 07:20:05 PM
Great game so far. Deis with the lion's share of possession, but RNU has already shown how dangerous they can be with 2 great shots. Brandeis had a sick rip from 25 yards out that the tiny RNU GK made an INCREDIBLE save on. What he lacks in size he certainly makes up for in agility.

And another miraculous save by the RNU keeper off a bomb from O'cel that looked to be headed upper 90. 9-2 shots in favor of Brandeis, 6-1 SOG...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 07:25:28 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 07:22:55 PM
RUN GK has been an animal. Great agility and hops.

Seriously. Wow.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 07:40:17 PM
Brandeis has seriously dropped off with their 2nd unit in.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 07:41:57 PM
RUN has had a bit of the ball in the last 10 but it's been mostly Brandeis. The GK has done very well on long shots but hadn't had much to deal with from close range.  I suspect they'll start flooding the box with high balls in the second half as RUN doesn't have much height.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 07:49:12 PM
Blooter are you at the game? Was that a handball there?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 07:54:44 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 07:49:12 PM
Blooter are you at the game? Was that a handball there?

I am —  couldn't tell from the other end of the field. At least I made it to the free pizza at halftime. ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 08:09:11 PM
PK to RUN — Woodhouse saves.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 08:11:16 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 08:09:11 PM
PK to RUN — Woodhouse saves.

Woodhouse the PK god!!! Although it was VERY obvious 11 was blasting it right corner with his left...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: firstplaceloser on November 12, 2017, 08:11:23 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 08:09:11 PM
PK to RUN — Woodhouse saves.

great save. what happened after with the keeper
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 08:12:40 PM
Quote from: firstplaceloser on November 12, 2017, 08:11:23 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 08:09:11 PM
PK to RUN — Woodhouse saves.

great save. what happened after with the keeper

Broke his hand a few weeks ago and he might have dinged it but seems OK for now.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 08:22:33 PM
brandeis with a great chance off the fing post ughhhhh
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 08:25:08 PM
Brandeis goes up 1-0, Mike Lynch off a scrum on a corner.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 08:26:58 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 08:25:08 PM
Brandeis goes up 1-0, Mike Lynch off a scrum on a corner.

What a gamer lynch is. I wonder how many tournament goals this is for him compared to regular season goals. CLUTCH!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 08:27:39 PM
RUN goes back the other end, fantastic save from Woodhouse.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on November 12, 2017, 08:28:35 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 08:27:39 PM
RUN goes back the other end, fantastic save from Woodhouse.

Good lord what a save. These two goalies are the MVPs so far this game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 08:33:42 PM
Another great save from Woodhouse!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 12, 2017, 08:53:05 PM
Brandeis closes out the 1-0 win.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 12, 2017, 08:53:48 PM
I have been watching the Brandeis v RUN game on-line.  Congrats to Deis on making it to the sweet 16.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 12, 2017, 09:02:01 PM
Brandeis plays Drew in the round of 16, and the regional rankings point to this match most likely to be played at Tufts.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: firstplaceloser on November 12, 2017, 09:06:21 PM
are you guys sure it's over ? my feed is saying it's half time .. lol really confused
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: firstplaceloser on November 12, 2017, 09:07:38 PM
Quote from: firstplaceloser on November 12, 2017, 09:06:21 PM
are you guys sure it's over ? my feed is saying it's half time .. lol really confused

never mind it's my feed that's wrong. weird
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 13, 2017, 12:24:35 AM
Both goalkeepers played absolutely out of their minds.

Medina had two phenomenal saves on great shots from Gans and Ocel, both of which I was pretty sure were going to be in. Granted, both were from quite a ways out, but when you hit the efforts as well as those two did and they're headed for the top corner, it's going to be difficult for any goalkeeper to save them, regardless of the distance. He is extremely quick and jumps very well. As NEsoccerfan said, what he lacks in size he certainly makes up for in quickness and agility. Nothing he could have done about the goal.

Woodhouse didn't have much to do in the first half, but that PK save right after halftime was huge. RUN had started to grow into the game, and the PK was absolutely the right call. That said, although the shot was well-struck by Da Souza, I think Woodhouse knew where he was going. He then made a number of other saves, including a really nice one to protect the lead, and was instrumental down the stretch.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 13, 2017, 12:26:41 AM
As for Lynch, the Brandeis recap said 5 of his 11 career goals have been in the last two NCAA Tournaments, and three of those have been game-winners -- the other two were the first two in the 4-2 Elite 8 win over RUN last year. He has struggled with injuries but is a hard-working kid who can really play. He is fun to watch.

Incidentally, I was standing next to his dad when he scored tonight, and have been standing next to him when Mike has scored at other points this season, including the OT winner against WPI. Perhaps I've been the good luck charm. ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 14, 2017, 11:34:43 AM
I have to say I am still quite confounded as to how Babson had such a poor season by its own high standards, and think it may be a culmination of a few years of structural issues within the squad going unaddressed. The Beavers won their opening two games against St. Lawrence (3-2) and Clarkson (3-1), and seemed to have found a way to remedy their offensive woes of the past two years. Even one-goal losses to Tufts (1-0 OT) and Brandeis (2-1) were excusable, as both were on the road, but Babson just could not score. They finished 9-9, .500, the worst winning percentage since Anderson's first season (.441). Even so, the fact that he has been at .500 or over for 30-some-odd years is incredibly impressive, and speaks to his longevity and impressive ability to build a program that is consistently contending.

While I've mentioned that the Beavers have been missing a dominant goalscorer since Anderson graduated several years ago, they have had others fill the void, including Laurenzo and Villari last year. Laurenzo was fairly dynamic and had a great senior year, but wasn't the same class as Anderson was, and Villari was an outside back-turned-striker who was a fairly good poacher but not much of a dynamic attacker. Scoring 7 goals in his lone season up top, Villari had 5 game winners in clutch situations, including two in the final minute of regulation and one with five seconds left in 2OT, but he wasn't the kind of guy you'd expect to put the team on his back – he was usually just finishing whatever came his way. Of course, it's important to be able to do that, but it's not the same as having people give you the ball at midfield and expect that you're going to take it forward and make something happen.

The one thing that perhaps has hurt Babson is that – and this has been an issue for a few years now – it doesn't seem to have much team speed and they're not super dynamic. When the Babson of old used to attack with guys like Anderson (who wasn't the fastest, but was big and skilled), Iuwagwu, and Walker coming down the field, you really had the sense that they were going to make something happen, and that if you gave them any space they'd punish you (and Anderson was deadly with headers, so you couldn't foul them in their attacking half of the field). When they get the ball now, you kind of expect them to keep it in tidy fashion, do some stuff down the wing maybe, and try to cross it into the box. They aren't going to get at you with pace down the side, or have a guy pull a couple of moves in the box, or try to spring the striker with a through ball. If they're going to score, it's going to be on a set piece or through a (generally preventable) passage of play.

They are also a different team home and away. On their grass surface, they seem pretty comfortable, but that's because they can slow the ball down, although I have seen them under duress a few times there: Brandeis won there 2-0 in 2014, UMASS-Boston outplayed them in a 1-1 draw last year, and Williams' 3-0 win there this year and 7-2 in 2015 were absolute domination. On turf, however, they seem like a fish out of water, and it seems that they are always a bit behind the speed of the ball. Couple that with a dearth of team speed as it is, and you're going to have problems. Obviously, speed isn't the only way that you can win games. That said, the saying "speed kills" does have some merit, and it seems like Babson has been suffering from a lack of it lately, as well as a lack of offensive chemistry and playmaking talent.

Defensively, Abankroh was a very good defender, and was fairly physical for his size, but when you're playing a 5'8" kid at CB you might run into some trouble. He was able to compensate for that with his positional awareness, but struggled against bigger strikers. Still, he did well enough. I did kind of feel for their goalie Takami because I thought he was fairly good, particularly last year, but I don't think he got much help from his defenders this year. Even so, they haven't had a top, top goalkeeper since All-American Peter Crowley graduated in 2012: he was very quick, particularly for his size. Moreover, they're not giving up an alarming amount of goals -- eight of their nine losses were one-goal losses, but they went 0-3 in OT this year as opposed to 3-1-4 in OT last year, so maybe the loss of Abankroh and his leadership left the Beavers unable to deal with those situations successfully.

As a program, Babson has always been in and around the top teams in the region, but the last few years have had varying levels of success. The year after Anderson graduated, in 2013, they went 11-8-1, getting thumped by Wheaton in the NEWMAC semis (5-1). The next year, they had a solid, if unspectacular, regular season, before really turning it on in the NEWMAC tournament, beating Wheaton (who was hot at the time) at their place and WPI en route to the conference title. They probably would've gotten an at-large bid anyway, but ended up getting the AQ. The next year, they had a pretty poor regular season (I think there were 6 or 7 losses) but derped their way into an NCAA bid with two goals in 90 seconds against MIT. And while that performance was impressive, particularly since MIT had taken the lead in the 80th minute or so, they got flattened by F&M 5-1 in the 1st Round of the Tourney. Last year, they had a solid regular season, pulling out some cliffhangers, but were poor in the NEWMAC semis and 1st Round of NCAAs, and while I think they deserved a bid given their regular season it did seem interesting that they went off the boil at the most crucial time. With three 1st Round games at home every other year ('12, '14, '16, albeit '14 was originally scheduled for Cortland), you think they'd win at least one of them, although I guess Colorado College, RUN, and SJC are tough 1st Round games. Still, a bit surprised that they didn't do more once getting to the tournament; it's been six years since Babson advanced past the 1st Round.

It seems to me like the fact that they got to the Tournament three years in a row (14-16) may have papered over the cracks a bit, even though the performances (and I have watched a number of Babo games over the years) weren't very good. Moreover, every program has its down years, so this doesn't mean the future is grim, and I think they will be back once again next year. Perhaps it took an aberration like this season -- one in which it had no chance at NCAAs and, for the first time ever, didn't make the NEWMAC tournament -- to expose long-standing structural problems.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 14, 2017, 01:13:45 PM
Just saw Brandeis 2nd goal v WCONN. That was a sweet header.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 15, 2017, 02:31:50 PM
Just out of curiosity, I checked HeroSports rankings to see where St. Joe's ended up (I know, I know there are still games going on...).

https://herosports.com/rankings/college-d3-mens-soccer

I knew their ranking formula was screwed up before this, but look at what tying Tufts has done for St. Joe's - it vaulted them 45 spots to #6, and meanwhile Tufts fell 7 spots to #12.  Completely ridiculous.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: firstplaceloser on November 15, 2017, 09:02:06 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 14, 2017, 11:34:43 AM
I have to say I am still quite confounded as to how Babson had such a poor season by its own high standards, and think it may be a culmination of a few years of structural issues within the squad going unaddressed. The Beavers won their opening two games against St. Lawrence (3-2) and Clarkson (3-1), and seemed to have found a way to remedy their offensive woes of the past two years. Even one-goal losses to Tufts (1-0 OT) and Brandeis (2-1) were excusable, as both were on the road, but Babson just could not score. They finished 9-9, .500, the worst winning percentage since Anderson's first season (.441). Even so, the fact that he has been at .500 or over for 30-some-odd years is incredibly impressive, and speaks to his longevity and impressive ability to build a program that is consistently contending.

While I've mentioned that the Beavers have been missing a dominant goalscorer since Anderson graduated several years ago, they have had others fill the void, including Laurenzo and Villari last year. Laurenzo was fairly dynamic and had a great senior year, but wasn't the same class as Anderson was, and Villari was an outside back-turned-striker who was a fairly good poacher but not much of a dynamic attacker. Scoring 7 goals in his lone season up top, Villari had 5 game winners in clutch situations, including two in the final minute of regulation and one with five seconds left in 2OT, but he wasn't the kind of guy you'd expect to put the team on his back – he was usually just finishing whatever came his way. Of course, it's important to be able to do that, but it's not the same as having people give you the ball at midfield and expect that you're going to take it forward and make something happen.

The one thing that perhaps has hurt Babson is that – and this has been an issue for a few years now – it doesn't seem to have much team speed and they're not super dynamic. When the Babson of old used to attack with guys like Anderson (who wasn't the fastest, but was big and skilled), Iuwagwu, and Walker coming down the field, you really had the sense that they were going to make something happen, and that if you gave them any space they'd punish you (and Anderson was deadly with headers, so you couldn't foul them in their attacking half of the field). When they get the ball now, you kind of expect them to keep it in tidy fashion, do some stuff down the wing maybe, and try to cross it into the box. They aren't going to get at you with pace down the side, or have a guy pull a couple of moves in the box, or try to spring the striker with a through ball. If they're going to score, it's going to be on a set piece or through a (generally preventable) passage of play.

They are also a different team home and away. On their grass surface, they seem pretty comfortable, but that's because they can slow the ball down, although I have seen them under duress a few times there: Brandeis won there 2-0 in 2014, UMASS-Boston outplayed them in a 1-1 draw last year, and Williams' 3-0 win there this year and 7-2 in 2015 were absolute domination. On turf, however, they seem like a fish out of water, and it seems that they are always a bit behind the speed of the ball. Couple that with a dearth of team speed as it is, and you're going to have problems. Obviously, speed isn't the only way that you can win games. That said, the saying "speed kills" does have some merit, and it seems like Babson has been suffering from a lack of it lately, as well as a lack of offensive chemistry and playmaking talent.

Defensively, Abankroh was a very good defender, and was fairly physical for his size, but when you're playing a 5'8" kid at CB you might run into some trouble. He was able to compensate for that with his positional awareness, but struggled against bigger strikers. Still, he did well enough. I did kind of feel for their goalie Takami because I thought he was fairly good, particularly last year, but I don't think he got much help from his defenders this year. Even so, they haven't had a top, top goalkeeper since All-American Peter Crowley graduated in 2012: he was very quick, particularly for his size. Moreover, they're not giving up an alarming amount of goals -- eight of their nine losses were one-goal losses, but they went 0-3 in OT this year as opposed to 3-1-4 in OT last year, so maybe the loss of Abankroh and his leadership left the Beavers unable to deal with those situations successfully.

As a program, Babson has always been in and around the top teams in the region, but the last few years have had varying levels of success. The year after Anderson graduated, in 2013, they went 11-8-1, getting thumped by Wheaton in the NEWMAC semis (5-1). The next year, they had a solid, if unspectacular, regular season, before really turning it on in the NEWMAC tournament, beating Wheaton (who was hot at the time) at their place and WPI en route to the conference title. They probably would've gotten an at-large bid anyway, but ended up getting the AQ. The next year, they had a pretty poor regular season (I think there were 6 or 7 losses) but derped their way into an NCAA bid with two goals in 90 seconds against MIT. And while that performance was impressive, particularly since MIT had taken the lead in the 80th minute or so, they got flattened by F&M 5-1 in the 1st Round of the Tourney. Last year, they had a solid regular season, pulling out some cliffhangers, but were poor in the NEWMAC semis and 1st Round of NCAAs, and while I think they deserved a bid given their regular season it did seem interesting that they went off the boil at the most crucial time. With three 1st Round games at home every other year ('12, '14, '16, albeit '14 was originally scheduled for Cortland), you think they'd win at least one of them, although I guess Colorado College, RUN, and SJC are tough 1st Round games. Still, a bit surprised that they didn't do more once getting to the tournament; it's been six years since Babson advanced past the 1st Round.

It seems to me like the fact that they got to the Tournament three years in a row (14-16) may have papered over the cracks a bit, even though the performances (and I have watched a number of Babo games over the years) weren't very good. Moreover, every program has its down years, so this doesn't mean the future is grim, and I think they will be back once again next year. Perhaps it took an aberration like this season -- one in which it had no chance at NCAAs and, for the first time ever, didn't make the NEWMAC tournament -- to expose long-standing structural problems.


i'm giving you +++++++KKKKKK bc you just killed that with a 5 paragraph essay with very good supporting ideas lol
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 15, 2017, 10:04:06 PM
Quote from: firstplaceloser on November 15, 2017, 09:02:06 PM
i'm giving you +++++++KKKKKK bc you just killed that with a 5 paragraph essay with very good supporting ideas lol

I appreciate it. It was a slow day at work. ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: firstplaceloser on November 15, 2017, 11:11:51 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 15, 2017, 10:04:06 PM
Quote from: firstplaceloser on November 15, 2017, 09:02:06 PM
i'm giving you +++++++KKKKKK bc you just killed that with a 5 paragraph essay with very good supporting ideas lol

I appreciate it. It was a slow day at work. ;)


i'm not looking too good at +19 -15 LOL. I mean I know my logic is sometimes flawed but I hope you guys don't take anything I say personally. you guys are all great peoples and I enjoy conversating with you all. so again it's all love here from jersey
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 16, 2017, 08:15:08 AM
Quote from: firstplaceloser on November 15, 2017, 11:11:51 PM
i'm not looking too good at +19 -15 LOL. I mean I know my logic is sometimes flawed but I hope you guys don't take anything I say personally. you guys are all great peoples and I enjoy conversating with you all. so again it's all love here from jersey

Nah man, all in good fun. ;D
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEFutbol90 on November 28, 2017, 07:04:43 PM
United Soccer Coaches released their coaching staffs of the year today, and it is great to see St.Joes (Maine) coaching staff recognized for the incredible season they put together. Seeing first hand as I'm sure is consistent among all our favorite programs is a head coach that is uniquely driven to create an environment that is supportive, competitive, and most importantly professional. The way Coach Adrian Dubois has flipped this program is incredible as seen in the dramatic increase in wins, accolades, etc., but what he's done to provide an incredible support system for his players goes unnoticed. It is truly a family environment that is set up to support every player academically, socially, and athletically and this award for the entire staff stretches far beyond their guidance on the field. Congrats Coach Dubois and the rest of the Monks coaching staff!


Here is the press release by the Monks SID: http://www.gomonks.com/sports/msoc/2017-18/releases/20171128q5dy9n
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 29, 2017, 09:52:04 AM
Quote from: NEFutbol90 on November 28, 2017, 07:04:43 PM
United Soccer Coaches released their coaching staffs of the year today, and it is great to see St.Joes (Maine) coaching staff recognized for the incredible season they put together. Seeing first hand as I'm sure is consistent among all our favorite programs is a head coach that is uniquely driven to create an environment that is supportive, competitive, and most importantly professional. The way Coach Adrian Dubois has flipped this program is incredible as seen in the dramatic increase in wins, accolades, etc., but what he's done to provide an incredible support system for his players goes unnoticed. It is truly a family environment that is set up to support every player academically, socially, and athletically and this award for the entire staff stretches far beyond their guidance on the field. Congrats Coach Dubois and the rest of the Monks coaching staff!


Here is the press release by the Monks SID: http://www.gomonks.com/sports/msoc/2017-18/releases/20171128q5dy9n

Certainly well-deserved, I think -- Dubois has done a fantastic job with that program. I was also happy to see Gaumer, Mattos, and Mullen get some recognition, Mullen in particular. I think taking Tufts to PKs proved -- if the deserved win over Bowdoin hadn't already -- that SJC is for real. If they can schedule some tough out-of-conference games next year, I think they'll continue to gain recognition.

(Just FYI, many of us read multiple threads, so one posting is usually fine. :))
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEFutbol90 on November 29, 2017, 12:26:13 PM
Blooter, Thanks for that haha Think I just got  little over excited  ;D Enjoy the final four I know I can't wait to watch some great soccer!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 30, 2017, 09:47:46 PM
United Soccer Coaches All-America Teams (http://uaasports.info/sports/msoc/2017-18/releases/2017_NCAA_DIII_All-America_Teams.pdf)

First Team:
D Conor Coleman Sr. Tufts University Phoenix, Ariz.
M Josh Ocel ** Sr. Brandeis University North Attleboro, Mass.

Third Team:
D Dalton Gaumer Jr. Saint Joseph's College of Maine Corona, Calif.
M Tyler Kulcsar Sr. Tufts University Peabody, Mass.
F Troy Remillard Sr. Western New England University Palmer, Mass.

Congrats to all the All-America selections from New England. Particularly impressive that Ocel got the third USC (formerly NSCAA) honor of his career, and I am not surprised he was on the 1st Team after a year each on the 2nd team and 3rd teams the year before and last year, respectively. Also think Coleman was a deserved 1st Team honoree with Tufts' 2 GA this year.

Glad to see Kulcsar (Tufts' unsung hero this year IMHO), Gaumer (who led the SJC back line to new records this year), and Remillard (who I believe is 2nd in the nation in scoring) honored, as I didn't think any of those three got the accolades they deserved...until now.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on December 01, 2017, 04:32:48 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 14, 2017, 11:34:43 AM
I have to say I am still quite confounded as to how Babson had such a poor season by its own high standards, and think it may be a culmination of a few years of structural issues within the squad going unaddressed.

Blooter - I enjoyed reading your analysis of Babson.  They are one of a handful of New England teams that I have watched with particular interest over the past several years.  A couple of other factors to consider regarding Babson.  John O'Reilly was an assistant coach from 2009-2012 and was a talented recruiter.  When he moved on to Georgetown, he was replaced by Sam Groves (now an assistant at Brown).  Groves was a terrific training/practice coach, but he did not have the charisma of O'Reilly when it came to recruiting.   While Coach Anderson is a decent recruiter and a straight shooter, Babson did have better recruiting classes during O'Reilly's tenure.  With Groves' departure Babson has brought back Bill Lawlor, and I really don't have any idea whether he will be a recruiting asset.

Also, it was with Groves that Babson began to depart from their traditional 4-4-2 and experiment with other formations.  As an outside observer who has watched multiple Babson games in the last 10 years, I think they lost their identity a little. 

That being said, Babson should be improved next year.  They graduate only Takami, injury-prone Ventura and Wheaton transfer O'Rourke, and they return all of their top 8 scorers plus contributors Hilger, Araujo, and Holman.   The big questions are how much longer Coach Anderson stays on and who is the heir apparent?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on December 01, 2017, 05:10:13 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on December 01, 2017, 04:32:48 PM
Blooter - I enjoyed reading your analysis of Babson.  They are one of a handful of New England teams that I have watched with particular interest over the past several years.  A couple of other factors to consider regarding Babson.  John O'Reilly was an assistant coach from 2009-2012 and was a talented recruiter.  When he moved on to Georgetown, he was replaced by Sam Groves (now an assistant at Brown).  Groves was a terrific training/practice coach, but he did not have the charisma of O'Reilly when it came to recruiting.   While Coach Anderson is a decent recruiter and a straight shooter, Babson did have better recruiting classes during O'Reilly's tenure.  With Groves' departure Babson has brought back Bill Lawlor, and I really don't have any idea whether he will be a recruiting asset.

Also, it was with Groves that Babson began to depart from their traditional 4-4-2 and experiment with other formations.  As an outside observer who has watched multiple Babson games in the last 10 years, I think they lost their identity a little. 

That being said, Babson should be improved next year.  They graduate only Takami, injury-prone Ventura and Wheaton transfer O'Rourke, and they return all of their top 8 scorers plus contributors Hilger, Araujo, and Holman.   The big questions are how much longer Coach Anderson stays on and who is the heir apparent?

Much appreciated, and I appreciate the unique insight -- definitely didn't know that. Babson is a rival of Brandeis but they are a proud program and I have great respect for them, so it was really quite surprising to see them go off the boil so much this past year. That said, I did feel that they had papered over the cracks the past few years, so perhaps this year was the result of all of those issues coming to the head.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on December 05, 2017, 01:24:36 PM
The Final USC Rankings (http://unitedsoccercoaches.org/web/Rankings/College_Rankings/NCAA_DIII_MEN/web/rankings/ncaa/diii_men.aspx) are in, with 4 New England teams in the top 25. Special shout-out to St. Joseph's College of Maine, who finally got some long-awaited (and well-deserved IMHO) national recognition.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on December 11, 2017, 11:10:17 AM
A look at Babson's seniors. I have voiced my opinion on the Beavers' offensive shortcomings this year, but, at least on paper, they should be solid coming back next year. However, it is obvious that they will have to score more goals. Last year, they put together a solid-if-unspectacular campaign that got them a bid and hosting for the first two rounds, but only scored 29 goals in 20 games. This year, they looked to have rectified their scoring woes after putting three each past SLU and Clarkson on the first weekend, but that proved to be a red herring, as they scored 23 goals in their last 16 games and missed the NEWMAC tournament for the first time ever. They have some solid players -- Noah Parker in midfield is a handful, a good passer of the ball who can run for the full 90 minutes -- and we have seen some flashes of brilliance from Czarnecki and Ziad up top, but they will need more than just those three to be on-song in order to return to their old heights.

Takami: Solid goalkeeper even if not in the same class as Peter Crowley. The starter for the last two years, he had a good year last year, and his mid-season form certainly played a role in Babson getting the top seed in the NEWMAC and an at-large bid to the Tourney (I think most of his 7 shutouts came in the month of October). This year was a struggle for him. Last year, he made 75 saves (3.75/game) en route to 14 wins vs. 64 this year (3.5/game) en route to 6 wins. However, I don't think the team's defensive downturn was down to a Takami dip in form, as his other stats were relatively consistent with last year (.833 sv. pct. in 2016 vs. .790 this year). Ultimately, I think the Babson defense suffered from a depravity of leadership with the loss of Abankroh, who was quite undersized for a center back (5'8") but made up for it with his positional awareness. Eight of Babson's nine losses came by a goal -- the only exception being a 3-0 defeat at home to Williams -- so it wasn't like they were getting blown out. However, at least concerning the goals I saw them concede, Takami usually had very little chance. A tough ending to his career, but he did well in his two years in net.

Ventura: Much like his brother did, missed a significant amount of time (full year in '15) due to injury. Maybe he will do the same and come back for a fifth year. Solid performer at outside back, and I remember his game-winner against Bowdoin from 2014 when he beat something like three defenders en route to scoring an OT winner. One of the few Beavers on the roster whom I could see getting into the first XI of a NESCAC team.

O'Rourke: Started and played every game for the Beavers at midfield. Did well enough after transferring from Wheaton following his sophomore year, although I am not sure what was behind the move. Not the kind of guy to grab a game by the scruff of the neck, but could do a solid job.

Cicalis: Another player who could do a job in the defensive half of the field and get forward at times. Scored the game-winner against MIT when Babson stole the NEWMAC title from the clutch of the Engineers in 2015.

Jung: Was mostly a bit-part player who suffered from a number of injuries during his five (six?) year career in Wellesley. Did not see enough of him to have a comprehensive assessment, although he did look solid in his time on the pitch during the season opener against St. Lawrence.

McGuinness: Scored a few goals as a sophomore, but couldn't replicate that form as a senior despite starting the last seven matches. Got a nice goal against a solid RPI side in a 1-1 draw back in 2015.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on January 12, 2018, 03:59:49 PM
New England D3soccer.com All-Americans:

First Team
D Conor Coleman Sr. Tufts
M Tyler Kulscar Sr. Tufts
M Josh Ocel Sr. Brandeis

Second Team
GK Blake Mullen Jr. St. Joseph's (Maine)
D Riley Bubb Sr. Bowdoin

Third Team
GK Ben Woodhouse Sr. Brandeis
D Dalton Gaumer St. Joseph's (Maine)

Although Brandeis and Tufts deservedly got a lot of press this year, and I think the four players from those programs deserved their honors, nice to see Bubb and the two SJC players honored. (To be fair, we (I) did talk about SJC quite a bit this year. Regardless, I also think the three selections from those programs were deserved honorees.)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on March 20, 2018, 03:34:35 PM
I wondered where Mohamed Kenawy from UMass Boston went after the 2016 season, and it looks like he's been playing in the Major Arena Soccer League.

http://www.cedarrapidsrampage.com/news/hauss-kenawy-recognized-as-elite-masl-rookies
Title: Springfield Interim Coach
Post by: OldNed on April 04, 2018, 02:02:20 PM
I'm curious to see how Springfield's 2018 season plays out considering the interim coach they named is a 2016 Springfield grad, Billy Schmid.  He's got to be one of the youngest coaches in the country.

http://springfieldcollegepride.com/sports/msoc/2017-18/releases/20180214evtl3o
Title: Re: Springfield Interim Coach
Post by: Ommadawn on April 04, 2018, 04:08:22 PM
Quote from: OldNed on April 04, 2018, 02:02:20 PM
I'm curious to see how Springfield's 2018 season plays out considering the interim coach they named is a 2016 Springfield grad, Billy Schmid.  He's got to be one of the youngest coaches in the country.

http://springfieldcollegepride.com/sports/msoc/2017-18/releases/20180214evtl3o

I think they're doing a national search for the full-time position.  Schmid will be an assistant at Amherst in the fall.
Title: Re: Springfield Interim Coach
Post by: OldNed on April 04, 2018, 04:24:18 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on April 04, 2018, 04:08:22 PM
Quote from: OldNed on April 04, 2018, 02:02:20 PM
I'm curious to see how Springfield's 2018 season plays out considering the interim coach they named is a 2016 Springfield grad, Billy Schmid.  He's got to be one of the youngest coaches in the country.

http://springfieldcollegepride.com/sports/msoc/2017-18/releases/20180214evtl3o

I think they're doing a national search for the full-time position.  Schmid will be an assistant at Amherst in the fall.

Thanks for point that out, Ommadawn. 
Title: New England Cup - Spring tournament
Post by: OldNed on April 19, 2018, 09:09:35 AM
St. Joe's of Maine will be hosting the New England Cup tournament on Sunday with local rivals Thomas, Husson, and University of New England. 

https://www.sjcme.edu/about-us/news-and-events/events-listing/2018-new-england-cup/

For anyone who is interested, there is a livestream on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4QBXiV47T0
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on April 26, 2018, 01:06:57 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 31, 2017, 01:56:34 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 31, 2017, 01:06:12 PM
I actually kind of see your point that a 2-0-0 RvR is legitimate. I mean you can only play the teams on your schedule BUT their SOS in Conference is a horrific .482 and SOS out of conference not much better at .492. That is why when they did not play the Keene St or Colby matches it hurt their SOS a bit. I mean even Norwich has an Out of Conference schedule of .516 and while not great it is still way higher than St.Joe's. Johnson and Wales has no ranked wins but a .593 out of conference SOS which is legit. Now either way St.Joe's and Johnson and Wales both need the AQ so in the end it is just the plain weakness of the league that is dragging the top teams #'s way down. I suppose coaches could put pressure on the bottom feeders to pump their schedules up but coaches of those schools are not going to play a match where the final score could be 8-0 just so the top teams SOS rise. Makes no sense. Basically, your stuck until St.Joe's and frankly Johnson and Wales find a stronger conference that will take them.

I'm not able to give karma yet (when does one pass that threshold?), but if I were I would give you some here, Mr. Right. Interesting idea about getting to a better conference, but it may be easier in the short term to just schedule better out-of-conference opponents.

St. Joe's tentative schedule is out and they have scheduled better out-of-conference opponents in 2018: Gordon, Endicott, Bowdoin, and Salem State are all on the schedule, which is nice to see.  They're also looking to fill in a slot where they had scheduled Mt. Ida, but Mt. Ida is being swallowed up by the UMass system at the end of the this semester. Hopefully they can get another good out-of-conference game in place of Mt. Ida.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ejay on April 27, 2018, 09:15:33 AM
I believe Hartwick is still looking for opponents. That would be a nice game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on April 28, 2018, 06:08:58 PM
Brandeis with a good D1 transfer pickup in Bryant Nardizzi from UNC-Wilmington. Will be a junior; spent his first year at NC State. Apparently played at Framingham High School and was part of the NE Revolution Academy.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on April 29, 2018, 04:34:25 PM
From NC State to UNC Wilmington to Brandeis...interesting academic progression...he must be a good student despite the D1 school hopping he's done...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ejay on April 30, 2018, 09:24:05 AM
Probably should have gone D3 from the get-go as he's played the equivalent of 5 games in two years.
Freshman @ NC STATE - 7 GP, 208 total minutes
Soph @ UNC-Wilmington - 14 GP, 272 total minutes

With that said, he has a nice resume and on paper should do well for the Judges.  I wish him luck.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on May 02, 2018, 11:56:28 AM
According to the Eastern Connecticut Men's Soccer twitter feed, the team played in the McCully Tournament on Cape Cod where they defeated Wheaton and Bentley (D2) and tied Brandeis.

Scores were not mentioned and it's just spring soccer, but that's still a good solid weekend of soccer for ECSU.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on May 04, 2018, 12:53:22 PM
Endicott seems to have landed a few transfers as well.... they broadcasted one of their spring games against Umass Boston a few weeks back on Facebook in which they won 1-0. Jack Bacon...goalkeeper from Boston College transferred over as well as Jon Breed a midfielder who played at Clemson. Those two should help massively.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on May 04, 2018, 01:23:25 PM
Those reported transfers may indeed bolster Endicott's men's D3 soccer team, but in all candor that's a big step down for the players.  BC is usually a reasonably solid D1 program and a very good academic school.  Clemson is a perennial ACC soccer contender coached by Mike Noonan, who was a highly successful coach at Brown when my son played there.  Endicott is a decent academic institution, but has historically not been among the D3 soccer elite.  It just strikes me as a curious move for each of these student athletes...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on May 04, 2018, 01:35:48 PM
Maybe they are from the area or have friends that go there and most importantly they WANT TO PLAY. I agree it is a decision I probably would not make but everyone is different and frankly no matter where the kid goes to school if he his solid in the classroom and has a few connections to boot he will get the smae type of job if he had graduated from a BC or Clemson. They factor this stuff in and honestly we are seeing more and more of this every year because kids want to play. It's just to bad some of the clubs / academy teams give the kid / parent a much bigger head than they should have. The only shame is they did not start their careers at the D3 level.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ejay on May 04, 2018, 01:44:56 PM
Breed redshirted at Clemson in 2016 and never saw the field in 2017.  Not sure it's really a "step-down" if he never played a single minute of D1 soccer.  Bacon on the other hand is more interesting.  Not only because of his name, but he did log some minutes.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on May 06, 2018, 02:16:41 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on April 28, 2018, 06:08:58 PM
Brandeis with a good D1 transfer pickup in Bryant Nardizzi from UNC-Wilmington. Will be a junior; spent his first year at NC State. Apparently played at Framingham High School and was part of the NE Revolution Academy.

Brandeis has done a great job recruiting transfers the last few years: Michael Soboff from Rutgers, San Vinson from UIC, Colin Panera from St. Johns, Greg Irwin from Rutgers, and now Bryant Nardizzi from UNC-Wilmington. These are all quality D1 programs as well. Having 3 former D1 players on the roster at the same time must be one of the highest figures in D3 soccer.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on May 06, 2018, 08:29:18 PM
Of course, this point of view presumes that an academically reputable D3 school should be focused on recruiting unfulfilled D1 players...  For an alternative point-of-view, I'm aware that a leading NESCAC school was not particularly encouraging about the prospects of a D1 Ivy player considering transferring from that Ivy to that NESCAC.  Just sayin'...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on May 07, 2018, 08:22:49 AM
Certainly a fair point, truenorth, but I think it really comes down to how much room a given school has for incoming transfers (both for the soccer program and as part of transfer admissions decisions overall). Brandeis' regular admission acceptance rate is around 34%, while the transfer acceptance rate has been around 30 historically — I believe it was 28.1% the fall I transferred in. Still, with around 150 transfer spots in a given year, there is some more wiggle room, and some athletic teams may benefit as a result. Contrast that with Bowdoin, for example, where I believe one fall they had 165 applicants for 2 (two!) slots, and perhaps it makes more sense why you'd see less transfers into programs at small, selective schools as opposed to a larger school which is still selective but not to the degree that the majority of NESCACs are, at least in terms of acceptance rates.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on May 07, 2018, 01:49:28 PM
That's helpful and reasonable background info Blooter...thanks!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on May 12, 2018, 09:26:19 PM
Having been named a D3soccer.com All-American and CoSIDA Academic All-American this past season, Brandeis 'keeper Ben Woodhouse graduated Phi Beta Kappa a semester early. There are a lot of smart soccer players in New England, and indeed throughout D3, but I found this balance of academics and athletics particularly impressive.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on May 18, 2018, 03:02:11 PM
Well, it's finally here. A fellow alum passed along the documentary of Brandeis' season (https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pT2HpCaDWC7G28qm62NdcBMu2OQ7n68g). Was to be released earlier, but my understanding is that it was held for a bit in respect to Rutgers-Newark, who is featured in the documentary, after their tragedy earlier this year. Objectively really well done. Honest, raw, and great cinematography. Big ups to Andrew Allen, who was the master behind the project, as well as the University, which funded it according to the credits. Around 1:50:00 in length, and I haven't watched the full thing yet, but plenty to enjoy and what I have seen I have to say is very well done.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4samuy on May 18, 2018, 09:36:07 PM
WELL DONE!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on May 18, 2018, 11:25:50 PM
Also passed on to me, for those who are interested — the index with time stamps. Lots of funny stuff, and the Coven bit with the Wheaton game I found to be particularly good. Also, great narration from Ira Thor, the color commentator from the Final 4 who is around on these boards.

2016 loss to Calvin and build up to next year (0:00)
2017 Preseason (4:40)
Hobart Invitational Intro (15:48)
Brandeis vs Cortland (17:45) LOSS 2-3
Brandeis vs Hobart (18:30) WIN 2-1 OT
Brandeis vs Babson (20:57) WIN 2-1
Brandeis vs WPI (23:40) WIN 2-1 OT
Brandeis vs MMA and Elms (25:03) WIN 3-0 WIN 6-0
Brandeis vs Tufts Round 1 (25:30) LOSS 0-1
Brandeis vs Wheaton (Mike Coven Tribute) (28:16) WIN 5-1
Brandeis vs Case (33:26) WIN 1-0
Brandeis vs MIT (38:39) WIN 3-1
Brandeis vs Carnegie (40:52) WIN 2-0
Brandeis vs Rochester (44:46) LOSS 0-1
Brandeis vs Emory (46:17) WIN 1-0
Brandeis vs Clark *Woodhouse Injury* (50:00) WIN 5-1
Training sequence (51:00)
Brandeis vs Wash U (1:00:45) WIN 2-1 OT
Brandeis vs Chicago (1:03:39) LOSS 0-1
Brandeis vs NYU (1:04:50) WIN 1-0
Selection Show (1:08:03)
Brandeis vs West Conn *NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUND 1* (1:11:13) WIN 3-0
Brandeis vs RUN *NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUND 2* (1:12:52) WIN 1-0
Brandeis vs Drew *NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUND 3* (1:17:06) WIN 1-0
Brandeis vs Tufts Round 2 *NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUND 4*  (1:20:50) WIN 1-0
Final Four Experience (1:26:06)
Brandeis vs Messiah *NCAA TOURNAMENT ROUND 5* (1:32:46) L 2-3
Senior Tribute (1:38:34)
Season Highlights (1:43:27)
Credits (1:47:46)
Unfinished Business (1:49:04)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ejay on May 19, 2018, 09:49:24 AM
Great stuff.  Will be sharing with my HS-aged son.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on May 20, 2018, 07:26:07 PM
My biggest takeaway: notwithstanding the profanities, Christian Hernandez is a FANTASTIC leader and motivator. Some of those pregame speeches (Emory, in particular) gave me goosebumps. Hearing speeches like those would make me want to run through a brick wall for him. It's no wonder the team voted him captain. I wouldn't be surprised if he found his way into coaching.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on May 20, 2018, 10:40:35 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on May 20, 2018, 07:26:07 PM
My biggest takeaway: notwithstanding the profanities, Christian Hernandez is a FANTASTIC leader and motivator. Some of those pregame speeches (Emory, in particular) gave me goosebumps. Hearing speeches like those would make me want to run through a brick wall for him. It's no wonder the team voted him captain. I wouldn't be surprised if he found his way into coaching.

He is definitely a great motivator and leader. I think you said it well in terms of you would run through a wall for him. When someone speaks like that, it definitely would seem to make you way more confident than if a mediocre leader was giving a pre-game speech. I thought that he was what Brandeis was missing for a number of years in terms of a defensive midfield destroyer and a physical player, although the Judges seem to be a bigger, more athletic bunch overall now than they were when I was watching them in person week-in, week-out, so hopefully his loss doesn't have much of an impact on their physicality and toughness even if it is rough on their midfield (particularly with losing Ocel as well). Still, they've got some good personnel coming back, and they may well have some fifth-year seniors using their extra year of eligibility. As for guys taking the mantle in the middle, I really liked what I saw of Gans. Came in as a freshman and played well in the middle three alongside two seniors, and I thought Evan Glass did well in the middle of the park as well. Definitely some talent there.

One thing I found funny, if not surprising: the younger Russo (who is featured extensively around halfway through the video) sounds just like his eldest brother did when I knew him. Same way of speaking, tone of voice, etc.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on May 23, 2018, 03:11:04 PM
Brandeis' 2019 schedule (http://brandeisjudges.com/sports/msoc/2018-19/schedule) is out, and boy does it seem tough (at least on paper) with six consecutive away games to start the season. I believed someone in the video said the field is getting re-laid, which would explain the number of away games to start the season and would make sense given the turf was first laid in 2005, but I could be imagining things. Either way, wow.

An opening-day trip to NCAA team Endicott, followed by visits to Gordon, local rival Babson, and another NCAA team in WPI. Oof. Game #7, Wheaton (MA) comes to town for the first home game, followed by Case to start the UAA schedule. Mid-season NEWMAC games against Clark and MIT, home and away, respectively. Tufts is off the schedule this year, which is unfortunate considering I always found Brandeis-Tufts games to be fun to watch, but in its place is Amherst at home. The Judges have gotten the better of Amherst in PKs their last two meetings — one of which was in Amherst — and the Mammoths do not play on turf, but I fully expect Amherst to give Brandeis one of its toughest tests (if not the toughest test) of the season. Three UAA games on the road to finish the regular season at WashU, Chicago, and NYU. Certainly a daunting slate, but recent years have shown that the program is keen on playing tough regular-season games.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ejay on May 23, 2018, 04:57:37 PM
Fri. 21    Tufts
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on May 23, 2018, 07:15:02 PM
Quote from: EB2319 on May 23, 2018, 04:57:37 PM
Fri. 21    Tufts

Interesting — the schedule must have changed just after I posted. This past season's schedule is still currently showing when you click "Schedule/Results" under the men's soccer section of the Brandeis Athletics website — to get to the new schedule, I plugged in "2018-19" into the URL in place of 2017-18 — so it must have just been posted if they haven't even updated the front-end links (I had been plugging in the new season's numbers every week or so to see when it would come up). At first, it read that the MA Maritime game was that Friday. Was curious as to why 'Deis and Tufts wouldn't play — they've played each of the last five regular seasons, and I know that both sets of players and coaches look forward to that matchup — so glad to see it back on the schedule.

Fun fact(s): All three of Brandeis' wins against Tufts in recent memory came when the Judges were outshot, while both of Tufts' last two wins came when the teams registered the same number of shots. The other result — a 2-0 Tufts win back in 2013 — saw the Jumbos dominate the Judges in every area, including a 17-7 shot advantage.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on May 24, 2018, 01:07:48 PM
Ya Bloots that is a beast of a schedule for Brandeis. My guess is since Mt.Ida closed shop maybe Amherst had to find a game quickly like last year when Merchant Marine cancelled their season and they had to pick up RUN. I believe Mt.Ida was consistently on Amherst schedule but could be wrong. Either way a great game for both schools. Site TBA is also interesting. I would rather see them play on the turf at Brandeis as the game would be much more entertaining than on Amherst grass field for numerous reasons. What I like about Brandeis schedule is they are playing the best schools from each conference. Tufts and Amherst, Endicott and Gordon, Top half of the Newmac, etc etc. To me I would guess a .620-.625 SOS by November. I do not see any schools that would really drag the SOS down as Elms and Mass Maritime will be around .500. My only question is what happened to the Wheaton game? That was a constant on both schools schedule for the last 20 years. I cant imagine Margolis dropped Wheaton so my guess is Wheaton dropped Brandeis. Will be interested to see Wheaton's schedule and then all of the Nescac's especially Middlebury with the coaching change.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on May 24, 2018, 02:44:23 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on May 24, 2018, 01:07:48 PM
Ya Bloots that is a beast of a schedule for Brandeis. My guess is since Mt.Ida closed shop maybe Amherst had to find a game quickly like last year when Merchant Marine cancelled their season and they had to pick up RUN. I believe Mt.Ida was consistently on Amherst schedule but could be wrong. Either way a great game for both schools. Site TBA is also interesting. I would rather see them play on the turf at Brandeis as the game would be much more entertaining than on Amherst grass field for numerous reasons. What I like about Brandeis schedule is they are playing the best schools from each conference. Tufts and Amherst, Endicott and Gordon, Top half of the Newmac, etc etc. To me I would guess a .620-.625 SOS by November. I do not see any schools that would really drag the SOS down as Elms and Mass Maritime will be around .500. My only question is what happened to the Wheaton game? That was a constant on both schools schedule for the last 20 years. I cant imagine Margolis dropped Wheaton so my guess is Wheaton dropped Brandeis. Will be interested to see Wheaton's schedule and then all of the Nescac's especially Middlebury with the coaching change.

Wheaton is still there — Tuesday after the Tufts game. Barring an apocalypse (which doesn't seem totally off the table with today's news involving our friend in La Casa Blanca and his pal Rocket Man) I think Brandeis and Wheaton play every year and will continue to do so. Jokes aside, interesting insight in terms of why Amherst would schedule Brandeis with Mt. Ida's "situation." When the schedule first came out (the iteration without Tufts listed) it said Amherst at home at 7:00 p.m. on Monday the 22nd and considering it is a weekday afternoon I am guessing it may end up being at Brandeis. Can't imagine they will be driving out to Amherst for a weekday game since — while I know that Hitchcock doesn't have lights — I do not believe Amherst has a soccer-lined turf field with lights (like Bates, where most games are on Russell but a few are on turf under the lights). Either way don't be surprised to see it at Brandeis.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Buck O. on May 24, 2018, 07:34:56 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on May 23, 2018, 03:11:04 PM
Brandeis' 2019 schedule (http://brandeisjudges.com/sports/msoc/2018-19/schedule) is out, and boy does it seem tough (at least on paper) with six consecutive away games to start the season. I believed someone in the video said the field is getting re-laid, which would explain the number of away games to start the season and would make sense given the turf was first laid in 2005, but I could be imagining things. Either way, wow.

The field is definitely being re-laid.  Just drove by it earlier this evening.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on May 24, 2018, 09:12:49 PM
Quote from: Buck O. on May 24, 2018, 07:34:56 PM
The field is definitely being re-laid.  Just drove by it earlier this evening.

A-ha! Good to know I wasn't imagining things.

It definitely needed it — it was wearing even five or six years ago. Wonder if they are going to re-lay the track as well, as it, too, has been wearing for a while, though I don't believe Brandeis has held an outdoor track meet since at least 2011 — it is pretty much just used for practices (it is solely an eight-lane track with long jump and steeple pits; throws and javelin are done on the grass field by the RR tracks).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on May 25, 2018, 05:52:36 PM
Tobias Muellers of Williams just won the Decathlon at the NCAA Outdoor Track Championships (http://results.deltatiming.com/ncaa/tf/2018-ncaa-d3-outdoor-championships/180524F042). He looked absolutely gassed (as did all of his competitors) in the last event, the 1500m, but — for perspective — his time of 4:29.86 still converts to a 4:51 mile. Very impressive all across the board!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on May 26, 2018, 01:58:26 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on May 20, 2018, 10:40:35 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on May 20, 2018, 07:26:07 PM
My biggest takeaway: notwithstanding the profanities, Christian Hernandez is a FANTASTIC leader and motivator. Some of those pregame speeches (Emory, in particular) gave me goosebumps. Hearing speeches like those would make me want to run through a brick wall for him. It's no wonder the team voted him captain. I wouldn't be surprised if he found his way into coaching.

One thing I found funny, if not surprising: the younger Russo (who is featured extensively around halfway through the video) sounds just like his eldest brother did when I knew him. Same way of speaking, tone of voice, etc.

I played with Lee and you are totally right their tone of voice (i.e., sarcasm) and cheeky smirks are identical. I find it interesting that when Lee came in he tried to please all the upperclassmen, whereas it sounds like the younger Russo has ruffled some feathers (in a benign way, of course). I guess we can chalk that up to youngest v. eldest dynamic differences.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Buck O. on June 03, 2018, 02:32:47 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on May 18, 2018, 03:02:11 PM
Well, it's finally here. A fellow alum passed along the documentary of Brandeis' season (https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pT2HpCaDWC7G28qm62NdcBMu2OQ7n68g). Was to be released earlier, but my understanding is that it was held for a bit in respect to Rutgers-Newark, who is featured in the documentary, after their tragedy earlier this year. Objectively really well done. Honest, raw, and great cinematography. Big ups to Andrew Allen, who was the master behind the project, as well as the University, which funded it according to the credits. Around 1:50:00 in length, and I haven't watched the full thing yet, but plenty to enjoy and what I have seen I have to say is very well done.


So I was going to watch this ... and when I clicked upon the link, I found out that it's been taken down for violating Google's terms of service.  Blooter, any idea as to what's up and where it might be available?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on June 03, 2018, 05:31:04 PM
Quote from: Buck O. on June 03, 2018, 02:32:47 PM
So I was going to watch this ... and when I clicked upon the link, I found out that it's been taken down for violating Google's terms of service.  Blooter, any idea as to what's up and where it might be available?

No idea. My guess is some kind of copyright thing with all the music, although usually those kind of things only happen with Facebook/YouTube rather than Drive. Usually just a slap on the wrist in the form of the video being taken down. I'll let you know if I hear anything about it being available elsewhere.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on June 15, 2018, 11:54:05 AM
Since I  have been commenting on schedules I have to give props to UMASS Boston for their 2018 Non-Conference schedule.

v MIT
at Tufts
Plattsburgh St(at Oneonta)
at Oneonta St
at Conn College
at Colby


They are playing a TON of games. I think 19 or 20 games. No true cupcakes on the schedule except maybe Emerson and Worcester St.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEFutbol90 on June 20, 2018, 09:56:04 AM
UMASS Boston will also be playing St.Joes (ME) in a friendly on 8/24 as St.Joes first test after their pre-season trip to Bermuda.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on June 20, 2018, 10:46:38 AM
Quote from: NEFutbol90 on June 20, 2018, 09:56:04 AM
UMASS Boston will also be playing St.Joes (ME) in a friendly on 8/24 as St.Joes first test after their pre-season trip to Bermuda.

Just looked at the SJC schedule. I was happy to see they picked up Gordon and Endicott (dumping Maine Maritime and Farmington in the process). Those are two very good CCC teams and two of the better teams in the NE region which — coupled with games against Bowdoin and last year's MASCAC champion Salem State — makes for a solid non-conference slate (Husson and USM being the other two non-conference games). You have to remember that St. Joseph's isn't "close" to schools like Brandeis, Tufts, and Wheaton (whether it's the ME or MA school traveling, Gordon and Endicott's North Shore locations likely make them preferable to having to wrangle extensively with 93 or the 128 belt) so I think they did well to get those two schools on the schedule.

I was a bit disappointed that SJC did not get Colby back on there after last year's cancellation. I think that could be a good game, especially with Colby's emergence over the last couple of years (it really was a shame they ended October like they did, because 11 days before that last-minute 2OT loss to Bates they had beaten Amherst). Ah well, water under the bridge.

Given the strength of SJC's conference (and the 11 games it is obligated to play in-conference), any complaints about their SoS have to be made in the right context. 11 of the 17 games on their schedule are in-conference, and, of the six non-conference games, they have 3 NCAA teams and the CCC runner-up. Sure, it's not the nation's strongest schedule, but it is certainly a step in the right direction compared to last year (although I think they were hard done by in terms of getting the Colby game pulled and having the Keene State game cancelled). And with SJC returning quite a bit of talent this year they have to be in with a shout to improve on last year's 2nd Round appearance.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 1970s NESCAC Player on June 20, 2018, 11:24:32 AM
Quote from: blooter442 on June 20, 2018, 10:46:38 AM

I was a bit disappointed that SJC did not get Colby back on there after last year's cancellation. I think that could be a good game, especially with Colby's emergence over the last couple of years (it really was a shame they ended October like they did, because 11 days before that last-minute 2OT loss to Bates they had beaten Amherst). Ah well, water under the bridge.


Next time I speak to the Colby coach, I will see if I can get an explanation as to why Colby and SJC have not rescheduled after last year's cancellation.  Colby really only has 4 non-conference games, as the Thomas game is an annual Waterville rivalry for the Elm City Bowl, and will not be dropped from the schedule.  With two strong teams in Gordon and UMB on the 2018 schedule, it would have necessary for Colby to drop Husson (whom Colby has played forever and who is a perennial contender in their conference) or UNE (who is coached by a former Colby assistant) to pick up SJC, so there probably wasn't much flexibility for this year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on June 20, 2018, 12:51:54 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on May 18, 2018, 03:02:11 PM
Well, it's finally here. A fellow alum passed along the documentary of Brandeis' season (https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pT2HpCaDWC7G28qm62NdcBMu2OQ7n68g). Was to be released earlier, but my understanding is that it was held for a bit in respect to Rutgers-Newark, who is featured in the documentary, after their tragedy earlier this year. Objectively really well done. Honest, raw, and great cinematography. Big ups to Andrew Allen, who was the master behind the project, as well as the University, which funded it according to the credits. Around 1:50:00 in length, and I haven't watched the full thing yet, but plenty to enjoy and what I have seen I have to say is very well done.


I got a chance to watch the documentary and really enjoyed it. Fantastic cinematography and a great look at the whole 2017 season game to game. It gave me a chance to see what a UAA schedule can do to a team on the road. I think it allows for more team bonding than most D3 teams get because of the travel but I realized because of cost that they probably can only take I am guessing 18-19 players on each trip so the Coach of these UAA schools(especially deep teams like Brandeis) must make difficult decisions on who to take and who to leave off. Not with this squad but I imagine it could become problematic with team chemistry sometimes. However, I am guessing it can also makes things much more competitive in practice and what not. So some positives and negatives I guess.

Funniest thing:  On community service day before the Final 4 when the kid from the elementary school randomly does a cartwheel and smacks his classmate in the face with his foot. The reaction from the Brandeis player is priceless.

Unnecessary Drama:  The athletic trainer having a "moment" on the hill before getting on the bus after the Elite 8 win at Tufts. Not trying to be snarky or anything but that was a bit much for me. Yes yes I know ONE-TWO-THREE FAMILY but still it made me cringe a bit. BTW I have never seen an athletic trainer so involved in a program. I guess I am just used to underpaid over-worked athletic trainers complaining about pampered kids and taping ankles all day. He is a definite plus for the program and gets the guys in prime physical shape which is VERY KEY. I am confused does he work for the Brandeis Athletic Dept or is he just under the Men's Soccer budget? If it's the latter than Brandeis certainly have an advantage over many D3 programs. Of course to me he looks like a Strength and Conditioning Coach which is normal at most schools but in the documentary they have him listed as an Athletic Trainer so maybe they had his title wrong. IDK.

I had heard that Ocel was a bit of an introvert years ago but was surprised that Flahive looked to be a bit camera shy as well. Maybe it was just the editing that made him seem a bit quiet. If I had never seen the documentary and had to guess both their personalities by watching them play I would have thought the opposite. It is always interesting to see a players personality both on and off the field because they can vary a ton. I really enjoyed watching Flahive and Ocel play and both their passion and work ethic were fantastic.

Obviously, Hernandez was the team's vocal leader and got the guys pumped on and off the field. I agree his passionate pre-game speeches were very motivating and inspiring for the guys. I always liked him as a player as he was tough as nails and played with a passion that cannot be replaced easily. I was a bit disappointed in one of his speeches where he said he never reads the scouts before games. At least that is what I think he said as someone correct me if I am wrong. I think it was before the Elite 8 match at Tufts. I have seen plenty of players over the years that play, like Hernandez, with pure passion and emotion and do not give a damn what team or individual is on the other side of the field. I actually LOVE players like that BUT to be fully prepared you must know the other teams tendencies especially individual player scouts. While players like Hernandez will win you games just on pure emotion I have seen over the years that same player make a fatal mistake that can lose you a key game as well because they were not fully prepared and aware of the tendency of the player they are marking. Little things can get magnified in a hurry especially in Soccer. Still just a fantastic player that Brandies will miss.

LOL I still have not seen the goal that Brandeis scored on Meith in the 109th minute in the Elite 8 as the highlight of the goal was the same one we have seen on here kind of behind the play but you get the idea of what happened. I was interested to see the Rochester goal that beat Brandeis 1-0 as I never saw that one and that was off a long throw and poor marking in the back that left a UR player a free look on net. Could not tell if Woodhouse got a hand to it but that was a defensive breakdown for sure. I had watched the Emory game on the stream but it reminded me of how well Woodhouse played in that game. He stood on his head and kept Brandeis in the game until Flahive finished Emory off late in OT. A great win. I was never able to see the Chicago goal because Brandeis stream went haywire that day but it looked like a failed clearance and a Chicago player getting the ball back with Irwin making the initial save but another Chicago player putting the rebound home. Another tough loss that gave Chicago the UAA Title that day.

Anyway, like I said I really enjoyed the whole documentary and getting an inside look at how hard these guys worked before and during the season. Fantastic job.  Also, You have to respect the way Brandeis plays the game as they play the right way and keep the ball on the carpet for the most part. It will be tough to replace all those productive seniors but they have a ton of talent coming back, a few injured players that should be healthy, very solid GK in Irwin and I think a very solid backline. I think in 2018 Brandies strength will be their back 4 and GK. I still say Walter played well filling in last year and he is a tremendous athlete and should stay as a starting CB plus you have Hennessy and DePietto and Handler all coming back. I believe Vinson has eligibility so that would be a massive bonus but not a necessity. My worry will be scoring goals as they lose a ton in midfield and up top. Lynch, Flahive and Ocel are all big losses but Brandeis has proven under Margolis they reload very quickly with some great recruiting classes. I liked the 1 kid I saw on the Hot Stove but he looked to be a back so guys like Andrew Allen and Gans and a whole boatload of midfielders and forwards are going to have to all contribute and help with the scoring in 2018.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Buck O. on June 21, 2018, 11:14:23 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on June 20, 2018, 12:51:54 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on May 18, 2018, 03:02:11 PM
Well, it's finally here. A fellow alum passed along the documentary of Brandeis' season (https://drive.google.com/open?id=1pT2HpCaDWC7G28qm62NdcBMu2OQ7n68g). Was to be released earlier, but my understanding is that it was held for a bit in respect to Rutgers-Newark, who is featured in the documentary, after their tragedy earlier this year. Objectively really well done. Honest, raw, and great cinematography. Big ups to Andrew Allen, who was the master behind the project, as well as the University, which funded it according to the credits. Around 1:50:00 in length, and I haven't watched the full thing yet, but plenty to enjoy and what I have seen I have to say is very well done.


I got a chance to watch the documentary and really enjoyed it. Fantastic cinematography and a great look at the whole 2017 season game to game. It gave me a chance to see what a UAA schedule can do to a team on the road. I think it allows for more team bonding than most D3 teams get because of the travel but I realized because of cost that they probably can only take I am guessing 18-19 players on each trip so the Coach of these UAA schools(especially deep teams like Brandeis) must make difficult decisions on who to take and who to leave off. Not with this squad but I imagine it could become problematic with team chemistry sometimes. However, I am guessing it can also makes things much more competitive in practice and what not. So some positives and negatives I guess.

Funniest thing:  On community service day before the Final 4 when the kid from the elementary school randomly does a cartwheel and smacks his classmate in the face with his foot. The reaction from the Brandeis player is priceless.

Unnecessary Drama:  The athletic trainer having a "moment" on the hill before getting on the bus after the Elite 8 win at Tufts. Not trying to be snarky or anything but that was a bit much for me. Yes yes I know ONE-TWO-THREE FAMILY but still it made me cringe a bit. BTW I have never seen an athletic trainer so involved in a program. I guess I am just used to underpaid over-worked athletic trainers complaining about pampered kids and taping ankles all day. He is a definite plus for the program and gets the guys in prime physical shape which is VERY KEY. I am confused does he work for the Brandeis Athletic Dept or is he just under the Men's Soccer budget? If it's the latter than Brandeis certainly have an advantage over many D3 programs. Of course to me he looks like a Strength and Conditioning Coach which is normal at most schools but in the documentary they have him listed as an Athletic Trainer so maybe they had his title wrong. IDK.

I had heard that Ocel was a bit of an introvert years ago but was surprised that Flahive looked to be a bit camera shy as well. Maybe it was just the editing that made him seem a bit quiet. If I had never seen the documentary and had to guess both their personalities by watching them play I would have thought the opposite. It is always interesting to see a players personality both on and off the field because they can vary a ton. I really enjoyed watching Flahive and Ocel play and both their passion and work ethic were fantastic.

Obviously, Hernandez was the team's vocal leader and got the guys pumped on and off the field. I agree his passionate pre-game speeches were very motivating and inspiring for the guys. I always liked him as a player as he was tough as nails and played with a passion that cannot be replaced easily. I was a bit disappointed in one of his speeches where he said he never reads the scouts before games. At least that is what I think he said as someone correct me if I am wrong. I think it was before the Elite 8 match at Tufts. I have seen plenty of players over the years that play, like Hernandez, with pure passion and emotion and do not give a damn what team or individual is on the other side of the field. I actually LOVE players like that BUT to be fully prepared you must know the other teams tendencies especially individual player scouts. While players like Hernandez will win you games just on pure emotion I have seen over the years that same player make a fatal mistake that can lose you a key game as well because they were not fully prepared and aware of the tendency of the player they are marking. Little things can get magnified in a hurry especially in Soccer. Still just a fantastic player that Brandies will miss.

LOL I still have not seen the goal that Brandeis scored on Meith in the 109th minute in the Elite 8 as the highlight of the goal was the same one we have seen on here kind of behind the play but you get the idea of what happened. I was interested to see the Rochester goal that beat Brandeis 1-0 as I never saw that one and that was off a long throw and poor marking in the back that left a UR player a free look on net. Could not tell if Woodhouse got a hand to it but that was a defensive breakdown for sure. I had watched the Emory game on the stream but it reminded me of how well Woodhouse played in that game. He stood on his head and kept Brandeis in the game until Flahive finished Emory off late in OT. A great win. I was never able to see the Chicago goal because Brandeis stream went haywire that day but it looked like a failed clearance and a Chicago player getting the ball back with Irwin making the initial save but another Chicago player putting the rebound home. Another tough loss that gave Chicago the UAA Title that day.

Anyway, like I said I really enjoyed the whole documentary and getting an inside look at how hard these guys worked before and during the season. Fantastic job.  Also, You have to respect the way Brandeis plays the game as they play the right way and keep the ball on the carpet for the most part. It will be tough to replace all those productive seniors but they have a ton of talent coming back, a few injured players that should be healthy, very solid GK in Irwin and I think a very solid backline. I think in 2018 Brandies strength will be their back 4 and GK. I still say Walter played well filling in last year and he is a tremendous athlete and should stay as a starting CB plus you have Hennessy and DePietto and Handler all coming back. I believe Vinson has eligibility so that would be a massive bonus but not a necessity. My worry will be scoring goals as they lose a ton in midfield and up top. Lynch, Flahive and Ocel are all big losses but Brandeis has proven under Margolis they reload very quickly with some great recruiting classes. I liked the 1 kid I saw on the Hot Stove but he looked to be a back so guys like Andrew Allen and Gans and a whole boatload of midfielders and forwards are going to have to all contribute and help with the scoring in 2018.

Where did you find the documentary?  I'd love to watch it, but as I noted a few weeks ago, when I clicked on the link that Blooter provided, I got the following message from Google Drive: "We're sorry. You can't access this item because it is in violation of our Terms of Service."  I just checked again and I still get that same message.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on June 21, 2018, 01:00:29 PM
Buck, I sent you a PM. Go up to "my messages" and click on that.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on June 21, 2018, 04:27:57 PM
I wasn't quite sure where to put this, but for anyone interested in the history of soccer in the US and New England in particular, there's a terrific article about the Fall River Marksmen on the Boston.com website.  Enjoy!

https://www.boston.com/sports/soccer/2018/06/21/american-soccer-history-fall-river-world-cup
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 1970s NESCAC Player on June 21, 2018, 06:56:51 PM
Quote from: OldNed on June 21, 2018, 04:27:57 PM
I wasn't quite sure where to put this, but for anyone interested in the history of soccer in the US and New England in particular, there's a terrific article about the Fall River Marksmen on the Boston.com website.  Enjoy!

https://www.boston.com/sports/soccer/2018/06/21/american-soccer-history-fall-river-world-cup

Great story Ned!  I live just a few miles away in Barrington, RI, and the region, including Pawtucket and Central Falls, is still a hotbed for producing talent. After disappearance of the ASL, the LASA (Luso-American Soccer Association) League eventually sprung up and became a premier semi-pro league until about 2000, with teams in Southeastern Mass. and RI.
Title: 2017 Final Regional Rankings - statistical analysis
Post by: OldNed on July 30, 2018, 09:54:46 AM
So I was bored this weekend and I did a little bit of statistical analysis of the teams included in the final 2017 New England Regional Rankings. Those teams are as follows:

1   Tufts
2   Amherst
3   Brandeis
4   Springfield
5   Middlebury
6   Connecticut College
7   Bowdoin
8   Johnson & Wales (RI)
9   Williams
10   Endicott
11   St. Joseph's (ME)
12   Gordon

I was curious to see which team(s) might be most affected by graduations/other players leaving the program.  I looked at jst the rosters from last year and looked at seniors who are leaving, or other players who are known to be leaving.  The table that follows shows the total # of goals each team scored in 2017 and the percentage of that scoring lost. Seems logical to think that those teams that lost more scoring might struggle to score more than those teams that lost fewer goals. 

             % Goals lost   Total goals
Williams     36.84%           19
Gordon     33.33%           24
Springfield     31.11%           45
Brandeis     31.11%           45
Endicott     29.73%           37
Tufts             27.50%           40
Bowdoin     26.32%           19
Amherst     23.68%           38
SJC             16.42%           67
Middlebury  11.11%           18
Conn           6.25%           32
J&W            2.94%           34

So SJC, Middlebury, Connecticut College and Johnson & Wales all lost less than 20% of their goals scored from 2017, with Johnson & Wales losing only 1 goal scored out of 34.  Pretty impressive and they should give SJC a tough time in the GNAC in 2018.  On the other hand, Williams, Gordon, Springfield, and Brandeis all lost over 30% of their goals scored, so theoretically they may be in for tougher years in 2018. 

It's stunning to me that Williams, Bowdoin, and Middlebury all scored less than 20 goals during the entire 2018 season. To me that shows 2 things - defense seems to king in the NESCAC and there is a definite lack of creativity for some NESCAC teams.

Can't wait to see some actual games played...


Title: Re: 2017 Final Regional Rankings - statistical analysis
Post by: rangerfan on July 30, 2018, 11:30:55 AM
Quote from: OldNed on July 30, 2018, 09:54:46 AM
So I was bored this weekend and I did a little bit of statistical analysis of the teams included in the final 2017 New England Regional Rankings. Those teams are as follows:

1   Tufts
2   Amherst
3   Brandeis
4   Springfield
5   Middlebury
6   Connecticut College
7   Bowdoin
8   Johnson & Wales (RI)
9   Williams
10   Endicott
11   St. Joseph's (ME)
12   Gordon

I was curious to see which team(s) might be most affected by graduations/other players leaving the program.  I looked at jst the rosters from last year and looked at seniors who are leaving, or other players who are known to be leaving.  The table that follows shows the total # of goals each team scored in 2017 and the percentage of that scoring lost. Seems logical to think that those teams that lost more scoring might struggle to score more than those teams that lost fewer goals. 

             % Goals lost   Total goals
Williams     36.84%           19
Gordon     33.33%           24
Springfield     31.11%           45
Brandeis     31.11%           45
Endicott     29.73%           37
Tufts             27.50%           40
Bowdoin     26.32%           19
Amherst     23.68%           38
SJC             16.42%           67
Middlebury  11.11%           18
Conn           6.25%           32
J&W            2.94%           34

So SJC, Middlebury, Connecticut College and Johnson & Wales all lost less than 20% of their goals scored from 2017, with Johnson & Wales losing only 1 goal scored out of 34.  Pretty impressive and they should give SJC a tough time in the GNAC in 2018.  On the other hand, Williams, Gordon, Springfield, and Brandeis all lost over 30% of their goals scored, so theoretically they may be in for tougher years in 2018. 

It's stunning to me that Williams, Bowdoin, and Middlebury all scored less than 20 goals during the entire 2018 season. To me that shows 2 things - defense seems to king in the NESCAC and there is a definite lack of creativity for some NESCAC teams.

Can't wait to see some actual games played...

Interesting analysis. IMHO I wouldn't get too caught up in what a team loses, I'd look further at what they have moving forward.

My son is a committed 2019 NESCAC recruit and the coach said he was looking for 3 things in his 2019 class--an outside back, a midfielder, and goals. Coach said he doesn't care what position the goals come from--he wants chances, because chances lead to goals. And he wants goals! It was a very interesting conversation.
Title: Re: 2017 Final Regional Rankings - statistical analysis
Post by: OldNed on July 30, 2018, 06:56:23 PM
Quote from: rangerfan on July 30, 2018, 11:30:55 AM
Quote from: OldNed on July 30, 2018, 09:54:46 AM
So I was bored this weekend and I did a little bit of statistical analysis of the teams included in the final 2017 New England Regional Rankings. Those teams are as follows:

1   Tufts
2   Amherst
3   Brandeis
4   Springfield
5   Middlebury
6   Connecticut College
7   Bowdoin
8   Johnson & Wales (RI)
9   Williams
10   Endicott
11   St. Joseph's (ME)
12   Gordon

I was curious to see which team(s) might be most affected by graduations/other players leaving the program.  I looked at jst the rosters from last year and looked at seniors who are leaving, or other players who are known to be leaving.  The table that follows shows the total # of goals each team scored in 2017 and the percentage of that scoring lost. Seems logical to think that those teams that lost more scoring might struggle to score more than those teams that lost fewer goals. 

             % Goals lost   Total goals
Williams     36.84%           19
Gordon     33.33%           24
Springfield     31.11%           45
Brandeis     31.11%           45
Endicott     29.73%           37
Tufts             27.50%           40
Bowdoin     26.32%           19
Amherst     23.68%           38
SJC             16.42%           67
Middlebury  11.11%           18
Conn           6.25%           32
J&W            2.94%           34

So SJC, Middlebury, Connecticut College and Johnson & Wales all lost less than 20% of their goals scored from 2017, with Johnson & Wales losing only 1 goal scored out of 34.  Pretty impressive and they should give SJC a tough time in the GNAC in 2018.  On the other hand, Williams, Gordon, Springfield, and Brandeis all lost over 30% of their goals scored, so theoretically they may be in for tougher years in 2018. 

It's stunning to me that Williams, Bowdoin, and Middlebury all scored less than 20 goals during the entire 2018 season. To me that shows 2 things - defense seems to king in the NESCAC and there is a definite lack of creativity for some NESCAC teams.

Can't wait to see some actual games played...

Interesting analysis. IMHO I wouldn't get too caught up in what a team loses, I'd look further at what they have moving forward.

My son is a committed 2019 NESCAC recruit and the coach said he was looking for 3 things in his 2019 class--an outside back, a midfielder, and goals. Coach said he doesn't care what position the goals come from--he wants chances, because chances lead to goals. And he wants goals! It was a very interesting conversation.

Rangerfan,
good luck to your son in 2019 in the NESCAC. I hope he gets a lot of playing time and can provide some of those goals his coach is looking for, and I'm sure he'll love his college experiences, too.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on August 02, 2018, 03:36:02 PM
Endicott's schedule announced as well... another good out of conference string of games for the Gulls who have a good chance to be among the top teams in New England this year.

http://www.ecgulls.com/sports/msoc/index
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on August 08, 2018, 12:33:36 PM
That is a real solid schedule for Endicott. Picking up Brandeis and Rochester plus some Nescac and Newmac games. Joey must be confident in his team for the next 2 years. The 2 transfers should help along with a nice Freshman class. Maybe he feels they have a real solid chance at winning the CCC every year so why not beef up the non conference schedule to get a high SOS and plenty of chances to get results against ranked teams. This gives you a back up plan if you get upset in the conference tournament. I love this approach. I will be interested to see it all play out especially to start the season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on August 10, 2018, 09:56:50 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on August 08, 2018, 12:33:36 PM
That is a real solid schedule for Endicott. Picking up Brandeis and Rochester plus some Nescac and Newmac games. Joey must be confident in his team for the next 2 years. The 2 transfers should help along with a nice Freshman class. Maybe he feels they have a real solid chance at winning the CCC every year so why not beef up the non conference schedule to get a high SOS and plenty of chances to get results against ranked teams. This gives you a back up plan if you get upset in the conference tournament. I love this approach. I will be interested to see it all play out especially to start the season.

Where are the transfers from?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on August 10, 2018, 10:57:31 AM
GK from Boston College Jack Bacon and a midfielder from Clemson Jon Breed.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on August 29, 2018, 12:38:09 PM
I'm looking forward to the start of the season - will be going to SJC/Gordon on Friday and SJC/Endicott on Sunday, two good early season tests for both sides. 

Here's a clip of incoming SJC freshman Chukwudi Onyejose scoring in a scrimmage from Monday against UNE and celebrating afterwards.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnEaj_kgjx5/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=nujwxppwnhw5
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on August 29, 2018, 01:59:02 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on August 08, 2018, 12:33:36 PM
That is a real solid schedule for Endicott. Picking up Brandeis and Rochester plus some Nescac and Newmac games. Joey must be confident in his team for the next 2 years. The 2 transfers should help along with a nice Freshman class. Maybe he feels they have a real solid chance at winning the CCC every year so why not beef up the non conference schedule to get a high SOS and plenty of chances to get results against ranked teams. This gives you a back up plan if you get upset in the conference tournament. I love this approach. I will be interested to see it all play out especially to start the season.

Didn't notice the Rochester game until now. That's a very good add for both teams in terms of SoS (moreso for Endicott, I think, given Rochester's conference schedule) but I was quite intrigued to see that the Yellowjackets will be coming out here for just one Saturday game, particularly considering they're visiting Brandeis the previous Friday.

Of course, when playing Brandeis away on any weekend except for the final one, Rochester will also generally travel to NYU, per UAA scheduling, so I get why they couldn't swing both schools in one trip. Moreover, it falls between two UAA weekends (away then home), so perhaps they saw this as a good opportunity to go on the road and only have to play one Saturday afternoon game.

Either way, good addition for the schedule, and definitely one to check out.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on August 29, 2018, 02:06:12 PM
On Brandeis-Endicott, that will be one of the New England (non-conference) games of the season IMHO on the opening night. The two teams scrimmaged last year in pre-season with Brandeis winning 1-0. I genuinely think it's too close to call — I think Brandeis is the favorite on paper due to pedigree, but as previously mentioned Endicott picked up two good transfers, returns a strong cast, and upset eventual national champion Tufts early in the season two years ago. The Gulls will be fired up for this one, particularly with it being at home, and I have a sneaky feeling they could spring an upset. Will be fun to watch.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on August 31, 2018, 12:26:11 PM
Agreed the game tonight between Endicott and Brandeis should be one of the better non conference D3 games. It will be interesting to watch it play out but I am not sure Endicott will have enough to actually defeat Brandeis which is coming off back to back NCAA Final 4's. I know Brandeis has graduated a ton and Endicott has brought in some talent but I think Brandeis takes care of businees. Another interesting game or 2 will be St. Joe's and Gordon plus Babson at Dickinson which kicks off at 5.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on August 31, 2018, 07:07:40 PM
Endicott with the game's first couple of shots, but Brandeis seems to be settling down now. Some nice combinations.

Elsewhere, Babson led Dickinson for much of the game before the Red Devils tied things up 1-1 with about 20 left in the game. Now in OT.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on August 31, 2018, 07:11:00 PM
Looks like Brandeis is playing Nardizzi at No. 9. From what I've heard he's gelled quite well. Would be great for the Judges if he could mark his debut with a goal.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on August 31, 2018, 07:12:49 PM
Endicott with the better of the play in the first 10. They've showed up.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on August 31, 2018, 07:14:50 PM
Brandeis with its first real chance, but decent save by BC transfer Bacon. Good first 15.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on August 31, 2018, 07:27:15 PM
Dickinson holds Babson to a 1-1 draw. Not a bad result for the Beavers in PA but they will be disappointed to not get the W after leading for so much of the game.

Brandeis starting two freshmen tonight. Brandeis has probably just shaded overall play to this point but the Couchot brothers can certainly play. Gulls having the most joy down the flanks without really getting into any dangerous areas.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on August 31, 2018, 07:54:33 PM
Endicott-Brandeis 0-0 at the half. Gulls actually boast a significant shot advantage and had a pretty good opportunity with about 5 left in the half. Btw, really well done halftime promo of the school, talking about academics/internships/study abroad and the athletics program.

Got to grab an Uber to Logan, so depending on how the Logan Wi-Fi is feeling perhaps I'll get to see the second half before I get down to ATL.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on August 31, 2018, 08:45:43 PM
Missed both goals, but Brandeis gets 2 in 10 minutes to go up 2-0. Nardizzi gets his first Judges goal.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on August 31, 2018, 08:59:54 PM
Brandeis outshot by multiples of 2 in both total shots and SOG (20-8 and 10-4, respectively) but gets out of town with the 2-0 win. I saw the first 55 minutes or so and they looked pretty sloppy at times — misplaced passes and needless fouls — but they did have some bright moments and evidently they did what they needed to do to win. Endicott put forth a very solid effort and ran with their opponents as best I could tell. The announcer (who did a great job by himself, btw) said it mainly came down to the difference in finishing. Either way, decent game to watch even if I missed both goals. Judges will have another tough test at nearby Gordon on Sunday. I also see Gordon putting up a good, spirited fight.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 02, 2018, 02:49:32 PM
I was interested to note that WNEU has added legendary coach Dave Saward to the staff, presumably as a volunteer assistant coach (http://www.wnegoldenbears.com/sports/msoc/coaches/index).  Coach O'Neill played for Coach Saward back in the day.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 02, 2018, 09:04:36 PM
Host Gordon pulls the upset 3-2 over Brandeis. I caught about the first 20 minutes before hopping on a plane. The Scots went 1-0 up early, Brandeis tied it 1-1 on a PK, then Gordon scored twice in 48 seconds on a 30 yarder and a PK. Judges pulled one back in the first half and had numerous chances second including a post hit but couldn't equalize again. Worth noting that a GK who had played 40 mins in two years was in net. The first goal he gave up a rebound but I didn't see the other two goals so can't say whether the 30 yarder was one he should have saved or a wondergoal. I heard each GK is going to get a fair shake, and Friday's starter Irwin came in for the second half so I am wondering if he will continue to start. He did well in his cameos last year. Not the end of the world for the Judges who lost in the opening weekend last year (the opener no less) but they will surely want to avoid making a habit of these setbacks.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEFutbol90 on September 02, 2018, 10:10:46 PM
St.Josephs(ME) picks right back up where they left off last year beating Gordon on Friday 3-0 and a late winner to top Endicott 1-0. Endicott attack was very direct and had no real intent to change their attack even as Blake Mullen soared to grab every aerial ball they put into the box. They return to action Tuesday vs in state rival Husson at 7PM for their home opener. If Endicott can't find a more fluid dynamic attack the high aspirations attatched to this years team seem unattainable.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on September 02, 2018, 10:27:17 PM
I was at the St. Joe's/Gordon match and Brandeis/Gordon match.  St. Joe's is the real deal.  I have not seen a more well organized team in college soccer.  The sit at the halfway line and let you come then they close you down immediately.  They counter with speed and #s but regain their shape very quickly.  IMO they can play with anyone in NE.

Brandeis was good and enjoyable to watch.  They are surprisingly small....even smaller than Gordon.  The goal keeper was a hot mess.  Fumbled the first goal right to the Gordon attacker.  Got beat from 40 on the second because he's short and was off his line too far.  Gordon had the better of the play in the first half but Brandeis pressed hard in the second.  Gordon was a bit fortunate to avoid the equalizer.  Both teams play good soccer so it was a pleasure to watch.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: nhfan on September 03, 2018, 09:33:02 AM
The Beavers seem to be in some sort of rebuilding or reorg situation.  A new coach last year and a lot of freshman starting and playing this year over established players. Hopefully they figure it out before it's too late.

Quote from: blooter442 on August 31, 2018, 07:27:15 PM
Dickinson holds Babson to a 1-1 draw. Not a bad result for the Beavers in PA but they will be disappointed to not get the W after leading for so much of the game.

Brandeis starting two freshmen tonight. Brandeis has probably just shaded overall play to this point but the Couchot brothers can certainly play. Gulls having the most joy down the flanks without really getting into any dangerous areas.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 03, 2018, 01:24:38 PM
Just got home from a long weekend and have not seen a D3 game yet this season. Just looking at some of the New England regions scores / bpxes and recaps, I am left with more questions than when the prior to the season to beginning.

Brandeis----I cannot remember ever questioning Margolis and his player decisions and tactics. Let me start now. WHY on earth would the GK position "be up for grabs" going into this season? I had just assumed Irwin was their man and based on last nights recap he now should be. However, that is 1 game to late. Irwin stepped in last year BIGTIME in the middle of the 2017 season when Woodhouse got injured. He started I think 5 consecutive games in October against Chicago, Wash U and a couple others and MORE THAN HELD HIS OWN. This other kid Cohen played in 2 career games all in mop up duty against Elms and Clark off the bench when the game was easily in hand. If Margolis was so unsure last year of these 2 GK's than why didn't Cohen get a run last season along with Irwin? Probably because he knew Irwin was the better GK and gave them a better chance to win some very tough games. So what changed? Why are we all of a sudden going into "job up for grabs" situation. This is not 2017 Tufts with Johnson and Mieth. Is it? This should have been Irwin's job TO LOSE from the get go. He showed well enough last year to be given the benefit of the doubt. Now Margoils and Cohen have cost Brandeis a key game. Yes we are only 2 games and yes it is only 1 loss but Brandeis cannot play around like other schools with Conference Tournaments. EVERY GAME MATTERS. This loss to an average Gordon side might not matter in the end because they probably will not be good enough in late October to be ranked but then again if they go real well in conference(a distinct possibility) and get a result v Amherst then they will be ranked. That will be already 1 Ranked loss for Brandeis that could have been avoided.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 03, 2018, 01:48:27 PM
Newmac---This league has been mediocre the past few seasons. From the looks of it this season could be different. We have 4 legit teams fighting for the title and another 1 or 2 question marks in the hunt. Springfield surprised me this weekend getting 2 wins over average teams on the road up at Plattsburgh. While neither opponent was a Top 25 team it impressed me that the new Head Coach Tommy Crabill started his tenure 2-0-0. They will be tested BIGTIME in 2 days on the turf against a really angry Brandeis side. If Springfield shows well in that game then I will admit I was wrong to have taken them out of NEWMAC Title contention. WPI has started off nicely and are 2-0-0 after wins against decent teams in UMASS Dartmouth and Worcester St(who with Bridgewater St should win MASCAC). WPI's roster looks like the real deal with tons of experience coming back from 2017. Their true test will also come in 2 days at Wesleyan on the turf at night and then a week later at Home v Brandeis. Babson has started the year of 0-0-2 and as predicted should be an improved side. ETOWN and Dickinson are 2 teams that are usually ranked in the Mid-Atlantic and while it sounds like Babson could have won both games they atleast did not lose. They also play Brandeis in 5 days at Home along with games against WPI, Williams and Springfield in the next 2-3 weeks. We will know what they are made of after that. Sounds like they are going young which is fine with me as they needed to make changes and it seems they have tidy up'd their D but will still have problems getting the ball into the back of the net. 2 question marks are both MIT and Clark. Both have also started 2-0-0 with Clark lighting up Castleton St(the team in 2017 that scared Messiah in the NCAA 1st Round) with 8 goals. They also beat Rivier 6-0 and have no challenges on that schedule until late September so we will really not know what they are made of for a few weeks. MIT beat UMASS BOSTON and Newbury to go 2-0-0 on the weekend. In 2 weeks they have a stretch of games v Babson, WPI, Brandeis and Springfield. After that 4 game stretch we will know all about MIT. I will say early indications are the NEWMAC has improved with 3 Top Dogs and 2 chasers along with a young Wheaton side with new coaches that will get them pumped to defeat the top dogs. Coast Guard can always be a tough out down in New London. One team that has looked like they have gotten worse is Emerson. They have opened the season 0-2-0 with losses to Pine Maonr and Emmanuel. NOT GOOD..I am always mentioning how coaches need to pick their next jobs carefully and the former Tufts assistant who jumped ship 2 years ago for the Emerson job might have made a disastrous decision. Being Shapiro's assistant on a National Title team he could have gotten a much better job if he had stayed patient. He did not.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 03, 2018, 02:29:45 PM
I have to say it is WAY to early to sound the alarm bells on Endicott. Yes they might struggle in midfield a bit and yes they might not have a legit striker but two losses to St.Joe's and Brandeis is not worrisome to me. Those are 2 legit Top 25 teams. Yes Endicott sits at 0-2-0 and might have lost some confidence but Joey put this massive schedule together for a reason. I really think he believes his guys are a Top 10 team in New England and who am I to disagree with that so far. They have Trinity on Wednesday night and as long as they are not leg heavy they should be able to get back on track in that game. After that they have a battle at Conn College and a match v WPI and have some very winnable games in between. They finish the year off with Rochester and Springfield. Remember this is a side that should be able to win the CCC this year so this monster out of conference schedule should only serve to help them. I will say that the CCC looks to be a tougher league than expected. Nichols, Gordon and Roger Williams have all started strong and WNEC is no picnic so Endicott will need to get the train back on the tracks rather quickly.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 03, 2018, 02:39:32 PM
A couple last minute notes here on Brandeis..Looks like Andrew Allen has decided this will be his breakout year and the transfer Nardizzi is the real deal so Brandeis looks to be much better off up top than expected. Looks like Miskin is back and being used off the bench. Is Gans injured? I did not see him in either boxscore. I am glad Handler is in midfield it looks like so the back 4 is DePietto, Hennessy, Walter and Burch. Burch is a 5'9 Frosh who I am assuming is playing wingback. Is Glass holding or did I get my back 4 wrong?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 03, 2018, 02:49:18 PM
I was at the Gordon/St. Joe's game as well as the Endicott/St. Joe's game, and they were really good early season tests for all sides. I agree with Mr. Right that Endicott looks to be a top 10 NE team, and I expect them to be there at the end of the season.

Gordon vs. St. Joe's

Gordon is clearly a well-coached team, as the offense moved methodically up and down the sides and occasionally into the middle.  Although Gordon was the winner of the possession battle in the first half, they couldn't seem to generate any chances at all on St. Joe's.  Things turned around in the second half for St. Joe's as they dominated possession as it appeared that Gordon tired when St. Joe's substituted often and kept the pressure on the Scots.  Jesse Ramirez hit a terrific free kick for a goal late in the 2nd half to give St. Joe's some breathing room, and they hit the post once and missed another chip where the St. Joe's forward was in behind Gordon defense off a Blake Mullen kick, so the final score could have been worse.  For Gordon, I thought the freshman midfielder Micah Craig played well after he calmed down from some early game rambunctiousness that earned him two discussions with the ref, but no yellow card. Gordon keeper Wesley Craig also did a nice job for the Scots.

Endicott vs. St. Joe's

Endicott was in my view a better and more dangerous team than Gordon, but as someone else mentioned they were very direct.  I think they thought they could play over the top against St. Joe's and while they did generate some good chances, the St. Joe's midfield and defense was up to the task. Endicott definitely played with a little bit of an edge and they have good size so it looked to me like they tried to bully St. Joe's a little bit.  This kind of surprised me a bit, because if you look at their roster they have a number of academy players and D1 transfers who can surely play more of a technical game, but they tried to go long from the back line almost every time the ball made it to the Endicott defense.  They will be able to win a lot of games this way as they have good ability, but I think against the top NESCAC teams and teams like St. Joe's, they might do well to try a different approach.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Falconer on September 03, 2018, 04:48:34 PM
Quote from: OldNed on September 03, 2018, 02:49:18 PM
For Gordon, I thought the freshman midfielder Micah Craig played well after he calmed down from some early game rambunctiousness that earned him two discussions with the ref, but no yellow card.

Micah Craig played HS soccer at Mishawka, Ind, not far from Notre Dame. That information is here: https://athletics.gordon.edu/roster.aspx?rp_id=4916

BJ Craig just joined the coaching staff at Oregon State, after spending 10 years at Notre Dame. He's a Gordon alum, and one of his sons is named Micah. That information is here: https://osubeavers.com/news/2018/7/31/mens-soccer-bj-craig-joins-oregon-state-staff-as-associate-head-coach.aspx

I think we can bet the ranch on connecting those two dots.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 03, 2018, 09:04:46 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 03, 2018, 02:39:32 PM
A couple last minute notes here on Brandeis..Looks like Andrew Allen has decided this will be his breakout year and the transfer Nardizzi is the real deal so Brandeis looks to be much better off up top than expected. Looks like Miskin is back and being used off the bench. Is Gans injured? I did not see him in either boxscore. I am glad Handler is in midfield it looks like so the back 4 is DePietto, Hennessy, Walter and Burch. Burch is a 5'9 Frosh who I am assuming is playing wingback. Is Glass holding or did I get my back 4 wrong?

Allen has had a great start to the year and the Judges will hope he keeps firing. Agree that Nardizzi looks legit and I have heard he's settling well, and getting a goal on his debut certainly helps. The other forward is Jared Panson, who played for Pennington School in NJ and was apparently "down to Georgetown and UPenn (https://www.topdrawersoccer.com/high-school-soccer-article/hs:-penn-pennington-start-no-1-in-fab-50s_aid42175)" per an article last summer. Obviously that did not happen, but it still appears that he was quite highly-touted as a recruit. Either way it seems the Judges are happy to have him and he and Burch are right in the starting lineup, Burch as RB.

Midfield is playing two 6s and one 8, Handler is holding with Glass. Breiter is the top of the triangle. Miskin was nursing an injury but played second half. I think Gans is out for a while but may return before season's end. I would imagine that Irwin returns to starting in net after last night's game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on September 04, 2018, 01:53:32 PM
Yes, BJ Craig's sons Noah(Jr.) and Micah(Fr.) both play at Gordon.  Not surprisingly they have high soccer IQs  :)

Quote from: Falconer on September 03, 2018, 04:48:34 PM
Quote from: OldNed on September 03, 2018, 02:49:18 PM
For Gordon, I thought the freshman midfielder Micah Craig played well after he calmed down from some early game rambunctiousness that earned him two discussions with the ref, but no yellow card.

Micah Craig played HS soccer at Mishawka, Ind, not far from Notre Dame. That information is here: https://athletics.gordon.edu/roster.aspx?rp_id=4916

BJ Craig just joined the coaching staff at Oregon State, after spending 10 years at Notre Dame. He's a Gordon alum, and one of his sons is named Micah. That information is here: https://osubeavers.com/news/2018/7/31/mens-soccer-bj-craig-joins-oregon-state-staff-as-associate-head-coach.aspx

I think we can bet the ranch on connecting those two dots.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on September 05, 2018, 10:06:47 AM
I'm not sure what is going on at Babson, but they have already started 9 different freshmen in the first two games.  Youcef Ziad, the team's most dangerous offensive weapon, has played only sparingly.  Two significant returnees have not played at all - Senior Ted Hilger, who has been a regular starter the past 2 seasons, and Soph Andrew Josephs who was the best newcomer on last year's team.

If Ziad, Hilger and Josephs are dealing with injuries, their return will surely bolster a young lineup that competed evenly on the road at Dickinson and Elizabethtown.    With September contests remaining with Brandeis, WPI, Williams, Springfield and MIT, Babson will need to be at full strength to be a factor in New England and the NEWMAC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 05, 2018, 12:43:17 PM
I have no problem with Anderson benching his upperclassman after the disaster of 2017. Babson looked about as poor as I have ever seen them last year and lack talent, creativity , mental toughness, a goal scorer and leaders. So as far as I am concerned let Anderson rebuild the program and get significant minutes to some of these deserving Frosh. Honestly. he has a talented Frosh class and one of his better classes in a couple years. Ask Colby if eventually that will pay off. However, if Colby doesn't succeed this year than scrap that last comment. Also, playing Frosh and benching upperclassman can be a touchy thing sometimes. It can cause chaos in certain situations as you can imagine upperclassman that put in all the effort in the off-season and then find themselves on the bench when the season starts. You need GOOD captains sometimes in situations like this to calm the troops. Frankly, after barely sneaking into the NEWMAC Playoffs last season the upperclassman have no leg to stand on.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: TyWebb on September 05, 2018, 12:59:43 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 05, 2018, 10:06:47 AM
I'm not sure what is going on at Babson, but they have already started 9 different freshmen in the first two games.  Youcef Ziad, the team's most dangerous offensive weapon, has played only sparingly.  Two significant returnees have not played at all - Senior Ted Hilger, who has been a regular starter the past 2 seasons, and Soph Andrew Josephs who was the best newcomer on last year's team.

If Ziad, Hilger and Josephs are dealing with injuries, their return will surely bolster a young lineup that competed evenly on the road at Dickinson and Elizabethtown.    With September contests remaining with Brandeis, WPI, Williams, Springfield and MIT, Babson will need to be at full strength to be a factor in New England and the NEWMAC.

Yes, Babson is dealing with the injury bug. Ziad looks to be nursing a hamstring injury. Played some against Dickinson but only a few minutes at Elizabethtown before coming out.  Not sure what's going on with Hilger, Josephs got banged up a little in the Bentley scrimmage a couple of weeks ago but should return soon. Obviously, from the scores, both games in PA were winnable. In OT against Elizabethtown, they hit the post and the keeper also came up big for the Blue Jays.

Noah Parker, in particular, looks very strong for the Beavers even though he didn't score this past weekend. The defense was rock solid. Heintzelman played very well in goal and seems to be seizing the opportunity of winning the open keeper job.

To Mr. Right's point. It's not so much he is benching upperclassmen. The upperclassmen who are expected to play are injured. Many are gone. Anderson has cleaned house. One correction on your comment about "barely sneaking into the NEWMAC Playoffs". Babson actually missed the playoffs last year. I think without a doubt that was the impetus to bring in 15 freshmen to mix in with the remaining productive upperclassmen.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 05, 2018, 01:05:25 PM
Random Topic:

Pine Manor---The only thing I know about this school is that their mission is to serve low income students and give kids a real chance at a 4 year private liberal arts education for a fraction of the cost. If you look at their Men's Soccer roster they have 27 players on it. ONLY 1 PLAYER is from MASS while 16 players are from Texas and half of those are from El Paso. Can anyone explain this or what am I missing here? Is there some connection to Texas that this school has?


http://www.pmcathletics.com/sports/msoc/2018-19/roster

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 05, 2018, 01:10:29 PM
Quote from: TyWebb on September 05, 2018, 12:59:43 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 05, 2018, 10:06:47 AM
I'm not sure what is going on at Babson, but they have already started 9 different freshmen in the first two games.  Youcef Ziad, the team's most dangerous offensive weapon, has played only sparingly.  Two significant returnees have not played at all - Senior Ted Hilger, who has been a regular starter the past 2 seasons, and Soph Andrew Josephs who was the best newcomer on last year's team.

If Ziad, Hilger and Josephs are dealing with injuries, their return will surely bolster a young lineup that competed evenly on the road at Dickinson and Elizabethtown.    With September contests remaining with Brandeis, WPI, Williams, Springfield and MIT, Babson will need to be at full strength to be a factor in New England and the NEWMAC.

Yes, Babson is dealing with the injury bug. Ziad looks to be nursing a hamstring injury. Played some against Dickinson but only a few minutes at Elizabethtown before coming out.  Not sure what's going on with Hilger, Josephs got banged up a little in the Bentley scrimmage a couple of weeks ago but should return soon. Obviously, from the scores, both games in PA were winnable. In OT against Elizabethtown, they hit the post and the keeper also came up big for the Blue Jays.

Noah Parker, in particular, looks very strong for the Beavers even though he didn't score this past weekend. The defense was rock solid. Heintzelman played very well in goal and seems to be seizing the opportunity of winning the open keeper job.

To Mr. Right's point. It's not so much he is benching upperclassmen. The upperclassmen who are expected to play are injured. Many are gone. Anderson has cleaned house. One correction on your comment about "barely sneaking into the NEWMAC Playoffs". Babson actually missed the playoffs last year. I think without a doubt that was the impetus to bring in 15 freshmen to mix in with the remaining productive upperclassmen.

Yes I forgot I knew they struggled last year but forgot they missed NEWMAC Playoffs which is obviously even worse. Noah Parker is a legit player. Yes injuries are different than being benched but I am sure there has to be a couple players from last year that have been benched. If Anderson cleaned house that is a good thing. This program has been faltering since Anderson's son graduated. I know they brought in a decent class this year so even if these guys are injured if these Frosh play well here then these injured players might find it more difficult to get back on the field. Also, Anderson has always carried a MONSTER roster so if he cleaned house he must have cut a ton of kids? Info on this?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: TyWebb on September 05, 2018, 01:38:52 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 05, 2018, 01:10:29 PM
Yes I forgot I knew they struggled last year but forgot they missed NEWMAC Playoffs which is obviously even worse. Noah Parker is a legit player. Yes injuries are different than being benched but I am sure there has to be a couple players from last year that have been benched. If Anderson cleaned house that is a good thing. This program has been faltering since Anderson's son graduated. I know they brought in a decent class this year so even if these guys are injured if these Frosh play well here then these injured players might find it more difficult to get back on the field. Also, Anderson has always carried a MONSTER roster so if he cleaned house he must have cut a ton of kids? Info on this?

There were eleven non-senior players from last year who are not on this year's squad. I think their departure was a mixture of personal choice, told their playing time would be limited or cut. I honestly don't know which players fell into what category. I don't believe any upperclassmen who return with significant experience are playing behind a freshman. Fromhein a senior played a decent amount as the backup forward this past weekend behind Crompton who is a junior who also played a lot last year. One other player with a fair amount of experience is Beaulieu (M/outside back) who is injured and was not dressed for the two PA matches.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 05, 2018, 07:21:37 PM
Brandeis with Irwin in goal, Miskin for Glass, and Panarra for Panson. Judges looking OK going forward and good defensively in the first 15 — Walter has assumed the role of on-field general. Really like him as a CB, picked up where he left off last year when replacing DePietto after his ACL injury. The latter is looking solid, too.

Springfield with some joy down the sides but nothing of note yet aside from a shot wide.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 05, 2018, 07:54:09 PM
0-0 at half. Judges starting to get forward but no real end product yet.

Irwin came off his line to make a nice save midway through the period, Springfield (and the game)'s only SOG thus far.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 05, 2018, 08:15:29 PM
Nardizzi puts the Judges up 1-0 on a low cross with 35 left. 2nd in 3 games for the transfer.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 05, 2018, 09:08:34 PM
DePietto slams home a rebound with about 4 left for the 2-0 final. Judges don't totally looked the finished article but they played very well second half. Great combinations and movement and the front 3 was very fluid — they switch positions on the fly which will be tough for opposing defenses. Irwin did well in net and looked good with DePietto and Walter. Springfield was organized and hard working and hung tough.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 05, 2018, 10:11:34 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 03, 2018, 01:24:38 PM
WHY on earth would the GK position "be up for grabs" going into this season? I had just assumed Irwin was their man and based on last nights recap he now should be. However, that is 1 game to late. Irwin stepped in last year BIGTIME in the middle of the 2017 season when Woodhouse got injured. He started I think 5 consecutive games in October against Chicago, Wash U and a couple others and MORE THAN HELD HIS OWN. This other kid Cohen played in 2 career games all in mop up duty against Elms and Clark off the bench when the game was easily in hand. If Margolis was so unsure last year of these 2 GK's than why didn't Cohen get a run last season along with Irwin? Probably because he knew Irwin was the better GK and gave them a better chance to win some very tough games. So what changed? Why are we all of a sudden going into "job up for grabs" situation. This is not 2017 Tufts with Johnson and Mieth. Is it? This should have been Irwin's job TO LOSE from the get go. He showed well enough last year to be given the benefit of the doubt.

I'm not sure if the job is still (or ever was) "up for grabs," but (counterintuitively) the Johnson/Mieth combo seemed to work pretty well for Tufts last year (only 2 goals conceded all season).  ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 06, 2018, 02:29:45 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on September 05, 2018, 10:11:34 PM
I'm not sure if the job is still (or ever was) "up for grabs," but (counterintuitively) the Johnson/Mieth combo seemed to work pretty well for Tufts last year (only 2 goals conceded all season).  ;)

From what I understood, they were inclined to let other 'keepers have a shot, but given Sunday's result and Irwin's strong performance last night I would bet that he stays starter going forward.

Second goal from last night, outside of the right boot. Audio on (but not too loud): https://www.instagram.com/p/BnXfPrXHuwM/?taken-by=brandeisjudges
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: nhfan on September 07, 2018, 07:09:27 AM
I think two of the biggest problems for the Beavers are the loss of the head assistant Groves(went to Brown) and their direct style of play. It appears that possession style players were recruited and are being forced to play a different way. It really looks like glorified high school soccer.  Maybe the new assistant coach recruited players that like to play a direct boom-ball style.

Quote from: TyWebb on September 05, 2018, 01:38:52 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 05, 2018, 01:10:29 PM
Yes I forgot I knew they struggled last year but forgot they missed NEWMAC Playoffs which is obviously even worse. Noah Parker is a legit player. Yes injuries are different than being benched but I am sure there has to be a couple players from last year that have been benched. If Anderson cleaned house that is a good thing. This program has been faltering since Anderson's son graduated. I know they brought in a decent class this year so even if these guys are injured if these Frosh play well here then these injured players might find it more difficult to get back on the field. Also, Anderson has always carried a MONSTER roster so if he cleaned house he must have cut a ton of kids? Info on this?

There were eleven non-senior players from last year who are not on this year's squad. I think their departure was a mixture of personal choice, told their playing time would be limited or cut. I honestly don't know which players fell into what category. I don't believe any upperclassmen who return with significant experience are playing behind a freshman. Fromhein a senior played a decent amount as the backup forward this past weekend behind Crompton who is a junior who also played a lot last year. One other player with a fair amount of experience is Beaulieu (M/outside back) who is injured and was not dressed for the two PA matches.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 07, 2018, 09:37:09 AM
Quote from: nhfan on September 07, 2018, 07:09:27 AM
I think two of the biggest problems for the Beavers are the loss of the head assistant Groves(went to Brown) and their direct style of play. It appears that possession style players were recruited and are being forced to play a different way. It really looks like glorified high school soccer.  Maybe the new assistant coach recruited players that like to play a direct boom-ball style.

My observation when watching them over the last few years is that they have lacked any real pace or — regardless of their direct style — a "direct threat" in the form of a top No. 9. They can keep the ball down the side and be tidy but they do not have any guys who I get really worried by when he gets on the shoulder of the last defender, either to out-sprint the back line and get on a through-ball or to bludgeon the opposing CB in the air. Moreover, I don't get the sense that they overpower teams through central midfield, although I do think fellow Maine native Noah Parker is a legit player and one of the better CMs in New England.

They had the direct threat of Anderson and a solid supporting cast (Walker, Iwaguwu, etc.) from 2009-2012. While they got bounced from NCAAs in the 1st Round in the first and last of those years, I still felt they were a quality side. Anderson was not the fastest but was great in the air and very good technically. Teams couldn't give away free kicks in the attacking half because Walker's service and Anderson's finishing were likely to punish them.

Since then, though, I don't think they've been of the same standard: 2013, they went 11-8-1, humbled 5-1 by Wheaton in NEWMAC semis; 2014, had a decent regular season on the back of Laurenzo's great year (14-5) but again bounced first round of NCAAs by RUN; 2015, had an unspectacular regular season (10-6-2) then fell backwards into a NEWMAC championship before getting thumped 5-1 by F&M in the NCAA 1st Round; 2016, had a solid regular season (10-4-3, beat Brandeis, 6-1 NEWMAC record and top seed in conference) but then got bounced from the NEWMAC and NCAA tournaments at home, by Wheaton (2-1, 2OT) and on PKs after a 0-0 by SJC, respectively. Last year, we all know the story (9-9, no postseason).

Despite all of this, I wouldn't be surprised to see them get a W against Brandeis tomorrow (although, of course, I hope they don't). They're at home, and those games are always close, regardless of who is in better form: eight of the last nine of those games have been one-goal games and four have gone to 2OT.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 07, 2018, 10:42:08 PM
ECSU pulls off the upset of Gordon College this afternoon 2-0 at Nevers Field in Wili this afternoon! Gordon upset Brandies U 3-2 last week.  The Warriors have recruited a bunch of very talented freshman who look technically sound as 4 started the game this afternoon.  Both goals were scored by freshmen today.   Forward Patrick Agyemang (East Hartford) and midfielder Will Toomey (Willington).  Agyemang recorded his second career goal when he knocked in a header with just under 14 minutes gone on a right-side from freshman midfielder Jackson Trierweiler (Framingham, MA), who was credited with his first career point. Five minutes later, team scoring leader Griffin Luczek (Lee, NH) sent a pass from the end line through the goal mouth to the far post, where Toomey beat Gordon (2-2-0) sophomore keeper Wesley Sprague (Naperville, IL) from close range to make it 2-0. The point was the team-leading tenth this year for Luczek.
Eastern played a technically superb match today holding a majority of possession and causing all sorts of trouble for the Gordon backs.  Match stats were as follows:
                       GORDON                   EASTERN CONN. ST.
Shots (on goal) 11 (3)                                 17 (7)
Saves                 5                                        3
Fouls                12                                        5
Corner Kicks       5                                        5
Offsides              1                                        1

Trinity College (Ct) comes to Willimantic next Tues to take on the Warriors
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 08, 2018, 03:03:03 PM
Babson picks up a 2-0 home victory over Brandeis, the first time since 2014 (a 2-0 Brandeis win in Wellesley) that this game has been decided by more than one goal. Babson came out vastly stronger in the first half, although Brandeis FY Panson put a free kick just wide right from 22 yards. Second half, Babson gets a free kick, Parker sends it in, Brandeis defender gets outjumped on the flick on and Crompton finishes from 2 yards. Looked like Panarra got cleaned out in the box at 1-0 but I am not sure that it was a foul. Either way, Babson's second goal was a close-range finish after some slack defending. Not a great day for the Judges, who -- despite being even in terms of shots (12-12) and having more SOG (7-6) -- really only started to turn up after going behind by two (7 of Brandeis' 12 shots came after going 2-0 down). Sunday against Gordon they were unfortunate; today they were outplayed. Fair play to the host Beavers.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: stillwatching on September 09, 2018, 10:52:53 AM
Really good result for Framingham State yesterday.  They beat MIT 1-0 on a goal with about 15 minutes to go.  MIT absolutely dominated possession, but Framingham did just enough.  First time FSU has ever beaten MIT. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 09, 2018, 02:05:42 PM
Bowdoin v St. Joe's is underway at https://www.nsnsports.net/colleges/bowdoin-college/
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 09, 2018, 03:35:39 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on September 09, 2018, 02:05:42 PM
Bowdoin v St. Joe's is underway at https://www.nsnsports.net/colleges/bowdoin-college/

St. Joe's goes up 1-0 on a Brett Mattos goal.  I think Bowdoin has been better so far this game, or at least St. Joe's hasn't played as well as they can. Or maybe a little of both.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 09, 2018, 03:36:58 PM
The video feed from Bowdoin is terrible - herky jerky.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 09, 2018, 03:42:51 PM
The video feed doesn't disguise the fact that the ref is card-happy today.  5 on Bowdoin and 2 on St. Joe's, and most of those were questionable, from what I saw.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 09, 2018, 03:45:49 PM
The announcer says, "giving out yellow cards like Santa gives out candy on Christmas day"... as another card goes to St. Joe's. 15 minutes left still 1-0 St. Joe's.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 09, 2018, 04:01:46 PM
St. Joe's holds off Bowdoin 1-0-  A good result for St. Joe's.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 09, 2018, 05:40:14 PM
Quote from: OldNed on September 09, 2018, 04:01:46 PM
St. Joe's holds off Bowdoin 1-0-  A good result for St. Joe's.

I have to admit that -- while beating Bowdoin last year was impressive -- this year's result was perhaps even more impressive for SJC given that they were on the road (and on grass). The Monks mean business.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 02:51:07 PM
Well it looks like St.Joe's has gotten through the hardest part of their schedule beating Bowdoin, Endicott and Gordon all on the road. They are 5-0-0 and have 0 GA to start the year. They also beat St.Joseph's(CT) 5-0 which is in their inaugural season and should be a force to be reckoned with for St.Joe's of Maine in coming years in their conference. Common sense tells me that St.Joe's(CT) has just about the same mission as St.Joe's(ME) except they are in a much more desirable location in New England. Since a ton of St.Joe's(ME) roster is from Rhode Island and Connecticut logic is eventually those kids will be enrolling in St.Joe's(CT) in the future. Am I over simplifying it? Possibly, considering I have never stepped foot on either schools campus or seen their facilities. Anyway, that recruiting battle is a couple years away. As for now, St.Joe's(ME) is 5-0-0 with 0 GA and have 12 games left. The 12 games left on their schedule would be considered cupcakes on any Nescac teams schedule except for maybe Johnson and Wales and Norwich which incidentally could be the only 2 teams left that have a chance to get a result against them. Is it possible St.Joe's(ME) finishes the regular season 17-0-0 with 0 GA? I would give that a 50/50 chance but maybe fair or not even with that record I believe they would still have to win their Conference Championship because of the weak SOS and OWP they will carry into the post-season. I give that a 35/65 because you may find some sympathetic members of that committee that would feel like St.Joe's would deserve a Pool C. That would really be a tough call if St.Joe's were to lose in their Conference tournament. Since St.Joe's has beaten Bowdoin 1-0 the past 2 years I give Wiercinski a 60/40 that he drops them next season..Just a hunch an could be wrong.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 03:08:32 PM
Big game tonight in Worcester with WPI hosting Brandeis. WPI is 4-0-0 and a win here would elevate their confidence even higher before they start their NEWMAC schedule. Brandeis is in a way more precarious situation. Brandies is 2-2-0 with a full UAA slate left plus Tufts, Amherst, MIT, Clark and Wheaton. There is little to no breathing room left. Brandeis might end up with one of the highest SOS and OWP in the country but it might not matter if they do not get going soon. Gordon IMO is not a strong team this year and at worst should have been a draw and the Babson game IMO I think Brandeis might have had tired legs being their 4th game in 8 days. Somehow they have to gut thru tonight because this will be their 5th game in 11 days and then will have a full week off. They MUST get a result tonight preferably a Win but a Draw will also work because I am confident WPI will be ranked in November. In 2016, Brandeis really struggled out of the gate in their first 12 games they were 5-4-3 and then ripped off 5 in a row to finish 10-5-3 and while they still hosted a 1st/2nd Round pod I think they were sweating until the very end especially after losing to NYU to finish the year. Of course that was Coven's final season and Brandeis kicked it up a gear advancing all the way to the NCAA Final 4. Still, IIRC New England was down that year and Brandeis obviously had a strong resume but still had only 5 losses. They have 2 already in games that somehow they needed to dig deep and if the could have they could have gotten draws. So tonight is big because a loss tonight and all of a sudden it could come down to having to win the UAA which is going to be very difficult.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2018, 03:08:59 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 02:51:07 PM
Common sense tells me that St.Joe's(CT) has just about the same mission as St.Joe's(ME) except they are in a much more desirable location in New England

Whether you find West Hartford desirable or not, I'll have you know that St. Joseph's (ME) is located just a few miles from (by Maine standards) the bustling metropolis of Windham, which has — among other things — a movie theater, Walmart Supercenter, and Pizza Hut. We used to have to drive a half-hour for any of those things.

(Written in jest. I suppose a better endorsement would be that the school is on Sebago Lake.)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 03:12:14 PM
I hear ya. I know the setting and how beautiful it is and what just a 1/2 hour to the ocean...IDK...I am just guessing these type of Catholic families might want their son closer to home. A total generalization I realize but just a hunch
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2018, 03:20:13 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 03:08:32 PM
Big game tonight in Worcester with WPI hosting Brandeis. WPI is 4-0-0 and a win here would elevate their confidence even higher before they start their NEWMAC schedule. Brandeis is in a way more precarious situation. Brandies is 2-2-0 with a full UAA slate left plus Tufts, Amherst, MIT, Clark and Wheaton. There is little to no breathing room left. Brandeis might end up with one of the highest SOS and OWP in the country but it might not matter if they do not get going soon. Gordon IMO is not a strong team this year and at worst should have been a draw and the Babson game IMO I think Brandeis might have had tired legs being their 4th game in 8 days. Somehow they have to gut thru tonight because this will be their 5th game in 11 days and then will have a full week off. They MUST get a result tonight preferably a Win but a Draw will also work because I am confident WPI will be ranked in November. In 2016, Brandeis really struggled out of the gate in their first 12 games they were 5-4-3 and then ripped off 5 in a row to finish 10-5-3 and while they still hosted a 1st/2nd Round pod I think they were sweating until the very end especially after losing to NYU to finish the year. Of course that was Coven's final season and Brandeis kicked it up a gear advancing all the way to the NCAA Final 4. Still, IIRC New England was down that year and Brandeis obviously had a strong resume but still had only 5 losses. They have 2 already in games that somehow they needed to dig deep and if the could have they could have gotten draws. So tonight is big because a loss tonight and all of a sudden it could come down to having to win the UAA which is going to be very difficult.

Yeah things are not looking great for the Judges. After getting in by the skin of their teeth in 2016 (after I'd said they were toast in terms of an NCAA bid in mid-October) I am not ruling anything out but it does look a lot more ominous. I said when this year's schedule was released that it was a monster non-conference schedule, and while I was confident of the Judges being able to get a result in each of the games, I was wary that they may well drop some of them. That being said, I didn't expect them to drop two in the first 9 days. The Gordon loss was unlucky, but they looked out-hustled and out-fought by Babson. Maybe fatigue played a role. As Case has proven the past couple of years, it doesn't matter how good your SOS/OWP is if you can't get results. They need at least a few ranked wins, and at this point neither Endicott nor Springfield look like they'd be ranked, although it is early in the season and I think Endicott in particular will turn things around and perhaps will be ranked come season's end. Brandeis has surprised me with its ability to get out of jail (no pun intended) in both 2016 and 2013 (both years they had four losses by mid-October) because they got results in the UAA homestretch but that is playing with fire and you don't want to get in the situation where those become must-win games.

One thing: while they struggled out of the gate in 2016 (3-3-1 at the end of September, losing to Tufts, Wheaton, and Babson) they did not host a pod in 2016; Babson hosted but got knocked out by St. Joe's, while Brandeis beat WNE and St. Joe's to get out of that pod. Regardless, they were for sure sweating, particularly after the NYU game. I certainly didn't think they would get in at that point, and was quite surprised that they did.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 03:23:29 PM
Ahh...That's right now I remember..The pod was at Babson...That was the year I predicted Babson to go down to St.Joe's not because I knew anything about St.Joe's but because I knew Babson would crash and burn in the 1st Round..Still after that game we were like who St.Joe's? Little did we realize what they were building...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2018, 03:30:48 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 03:23:29 PM
Ahh...That's right now I remember..The pod was at Babson...That was the year I predicted Babson to go down to St.Joe's not because I knew anything about St.Joe's but because I knew Babson would crash and burn in the 1st Round..Still after that game we were like who St.Joe's? Little did we realize what they were building...

I was floored. Got off a plane from China at around 2 in the afternoon and was shocked. Can't say I was unhappy about it. Thought about going to the Brandeis vs. WNE game but was too jetlagged although I did stream it. Brandeis beat them convincingly the next day 3-0 but it was closer than the score indicated, two of the goals were rebounds IIRC. I was happy for them beating Babson and competing well but certainly didn't see them taking off like they have. Not trying to jinx them but I think they are a Sweet 16 team or better.

Getting ahead of myself here, but a lot of it depends on how the other teams in the region look. It's a lot easier to take, say, a five- or six-loss team if the region is full of five- and six-loss teams and you have a good SOS and ranked wins. I remember 2013 Brandeis was 2nd in New England with an 11-4 and hosting a pod but there were a bunch of teams right behind with five losses. If you're a four- or five-loss team and the region has six teams with three losses or less then you're in trouble. Last year Capital got an at-large with I think 7 losses but I think that was more about Pool C teams having a bunch of blemishes than anything.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NESCAC11 on September 11, 2018, 04:13:49 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 03:08:32 PM
Big game tonight in Worcester with WPI hosting Brandeis. WPI is 4-0-0 and a win here would elevate their confidence even higher before they start their NEWMAC schedule. Brandeis is in a way more precarious situation. Brandies is 2-2-0 with a full UAA slate left plus Tufts, Amherst, MIT, Clark and Wheaton. There is little to no breathing room left. Brandeis might end up with one of the highest SOS and OWP in the country but it might not matter if they do not get going soon. Gordon IMO is not a strong team this year and at worst should have been a draw and the Babson game IMO I think Brandeis might have had tired legs being their 4th game in 8 days. Somehow they have to gut thru tonight because this will be their 5th game in 11 days and then will have a full week off. They MUST get a result tonight preferably a Win but a Draw will also work because I am confident WPI will be ranked in November. In 2016, Brandeis really struggled out of the gate in their first 12 games they were 5-4-3 and then ripped off 5 in a row to finish 10-5-3 and while they still hosted a 1st/2nd Round pod I think they were sweating until the very end especially after losing to NYU to finish the year. Of course that was Coven's final season and Brandeis kicked it up a gear advancing all the way to the NCAA Final 4. Still, IIRC New England was down that year and Brandeis obviously had a strong resume but still had only 5 losses. They have 2 already in games that somehow they needed to dig deep and if the could have they could have gotten draws. So tonight is big because a loss tonight and all of a sudden it could come down to having to win the UAA which is going to be very difficult.

On the topic of multiple games in a short time period. If you watch All or Nothing Man City on Amazon Prime it's a terrific 8 part series following Man City last year with great inside access to locker rooms and conversations. Pep spends a lot of time talking about the fact that it takes 3 or 4 days to recover from a match and with the team playing in 4 tournaments in the winter they are playing every 3 days or so at some points and it just wears them down. There's no question that Brandeis is putting themselves at a disadvantage and opening themselves up to injury as well.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 05:20:29 PM
Ya unfortunately Brandeis and Margolis does not have 500 million laying around to field alternate line-ups in different games and competitions but I hear ya....agreed it was a great documentary and also agreed that athletes need 3 days to fully recover
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 11, 2018, 06:23:32 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 02:51:07 PM
Well it looks like St.Joe's has gotten through the hardest part of their schedule beating Bowdoin, Endicott and Gordon all on the road. They are 5-0-0 and have 0 GA to start the year. They also beat St.Joseph's(CT) 5-0 which is in their inaugural season and should be a force to be reckoned with for St.Joe's of Maine in coming years in their conference. Common sense tells me that St.Joe's(CT) has just about the same mission as St.Joe's(ME) except they are in a much more desirable location in New England. Since a ton of St.Joe's(ME) roster is from Rhode Island and Connecticut logic is eventually those kids will be enrolling in St.Joe's(CT) in the future. Am I over simplifying it? Possibly, considering I have never stepped foot on either schools campus or seen their facilities. Anyway, that recruiting battle is a couple years away. As for now, St.Joe's(ME) is 5-0-0 with 0 GA and have 12 games left. The 12 games left on their schedule would be considered cupcakes on any Nescac teams schedule except for maybe Johnson and Wales and Norwich which incidentally could be the only 2 teams left that have a chance to get a result against them. Is it possible St.Joe's(ME) finishes the regular season 17-0-0 with 0 GA? I would give that a 50/50 chance but maybe fair or not even with that record I believe they would still have to win their Conference Championship because of the weak SOS and OWP they will carry into the post-season. I give that a 35/65 because you may find some sympathetic members of that committee that would feel like St.Joe's would deserve a Pool C. That would really be a tough call if St.Joe's were to lose in their Conference tournament. Since St.Joe's has beaten Bowdoin 1-0 the past 2 years I give Wiercinski a 60/40 that he drops them next season..Just a hunch an could be wrong.

Mr. Right,
you're right on that outside of Johnson and Wales (Norwich is a little bit down this year from where they've been the past few years), St. Joe's doesn't have a lot of challenges ahead of them.  Johnson and Wales is a quality team - they flew under the radar a little bit last year and they haven't lost any significant players from 2017, so they're going to be a tough win for anybody.

I don't think St. Joe's goes another year with 0 GA - there are just too many things that can happen, like a handball in the box,  breakaway goal, or anything else fluky.  I'd love to see it, but I think it would be better for them  to give up a goal sometime soon so the pressure of trying to stay perfect doesn't affect them adversely.

As far as recruiting advantages for St. Joe's (CT), I'm not sure I see it - at least not yet.  Coach Dubois has done a really good job getting better and better recruiting classes since his first one.  I think for this year's seniors, they've turned out to be really good players over the last 3+ years, but as far as I know none of them were very highly recruited.  Contrast that with the current freshman class which has a number of all-state players and even a couple of all-New England high school players, and most of them have a more impressive club team pedigree, too.  Time will tell if success breeds success in recruiting with the Monks, and time will also tell with St. Joe's (CT) as their young program develops.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 06:42:51 PM
You could be right on the recruiting front. However, I did see Norwich play Midd and while Midd had numerous chances to win that game it still ended 0-0. If Norwich can go up to Midd and hold them scoreless I think they would have a chance against St.Joe's. Morwich really did not have to many chances but they had two very athletic strikers who have skill and speed. They are pretty organized also and well coached. You are correct that they might be a little down from 2016 and 2017 but I would not count them out just yet.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 07:23:09 PM
Bloots,

Hard time seeing Brandeis numbers on this stream...I see the Frosh Mukala at LB and Walter at CB with Miskin in midfield but I swear the Frosh Panson is also in midfield...Help me out when u get a chance..Looks like a few changes by Margolis
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 11, 2018, 07:26:49 PM
I think you're right that Panson is playing in the middle.

Is Paul Beatty injured? I don't see him on the WPI starting lineup.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2018, 07:27:27 PM
Honestly I can't make heads or tails of it with neither DePietto nor Hennessy starting. If I had to guess the front 3 is Warren/Nardizzi/Panarra with Panson in midfield alongside Miskin and Breiter...but that would mean Handler at CB (unless they moved Burch there)? I dunno man. Still think Panson is at CM which I believe is his real position.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 11, 2018, 07:32:08 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 06:42:51 PM
You could be right on the recruiting front. However, I did see Norwich play Midd and while Midd had numerous chances to win that game it still ended 0-0. If Norwich can go up to Midd and hold them scoreless I think they would have a chance against St.Joe's. Morwich really did not have to many chances but they had two very athletic strikers who have skill and speed. They are pretty organized also and well coached. You are correct that they might be a little down from 2016 and 2017 but I would not count them out just yet.

Yeah, that 0-0 game with Middlebury was Norwich's best game so far this season.  They have bad ties to Lasell and Maine Maritime - that's why I think they're down a little bit this season.  That being said, Norwich always plays St. Joe's tough, so you're probably right it's too early to write them off.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 11, 2018, 07:32:22 PM
Quote from: OldNed on September 11, 2018, 07:26:49 PM
I think you're right that Panson is playing in the middle.

Is Paul Beatty injured? I don't see him on the WPI starting lineup.

As far as I can tell Beatty hasn't played yet this year.  Must be injured.  A very injury-prone career.  More impressive that WPI is 4-0 without a contribution from him.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 07:32:52 PM
Looks like he benched Andrew Allen which is odd since he has been scoring goals this year but maybe other stuff goin on
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2018, 07:40:40 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 07:32:52 PM
Looks like he benched Andrew Allen which is odd since he has been scoring goals this year but maybe other stuff goin on

I would guess fatigue. He started 4 games in 9 days out wide.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 07:53:34 PM
Brandeis has had the better of play but 0-0 at the Half. Brandeis looks more athletic and skilled but WPI has some weapons. I think Brandeis needs to dig deep and get a goal to win this one.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 08:25:19 PM
WPI is not the most skilled team but they have really impressed me with their work ethic. They are closing Brandeis attacking players very well tonight.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 08:30:25 PM
Margolis brings in Panson, Warren and Breiter with about 20 left..Brandeis looking for energy from anyone tonight. You can see they are working hard but have heavy legs and need to dig deep to win this game. Honestly, I have no idea why you would schedule 5 games in 11 days this early in September.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2018, 08:48:16 PM
Well then I saw the ball hit what I thought was the crossbar and go in...but it looked like it hit the football crossbar and dropped behind the goal. Woooooooooof.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2018, 08:49:54 PM
Oh my days, just saw the WPI bench prematurely half-celebrating as their guy broke in on goal...rolled it wide left.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 08:51:33 PM
WPI with a 2v1 on the far side after a nice ball by the central midfielder but WPI player just misses wide..That was a dangerous chance and should have been game over. 0-0 heading to OT...WPI Head Coach is an animated one...he wants that goal
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2018, 09:02:17 PM
Well, after OT and 2OT wins against WPI in the last 3 years, I guess cosmic balance had to restore itself somehow. Great hit from the kid from a ways out. Playing a tough schedule giveth, and it taketh away.

2 years ago, when the Judges started off with 3 losses in September, they took until Sept. 27th to register #3. Barring a miracle that could be NCAA hopes done in September.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 09:02:26 PM
Damn I missed the goal...what happened? WPI scored a minute in?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2018, 09:03:23 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 09:02:26 PM
Damn I missed the goal...what happened? WPI scored a minute in?

Bar down free kick.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 09:09:11 PM
So Brandeis 2-3-0. ya that is a tough start but they are just going to have to win some big games starting with Tufts. Pressure will be alot tighter now as they just have less room for mistakes but they are good enough to do this especially after a week off. Margolis needs to rework that schedule in 2019..Way to many games bunched up.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2018, 09:19:50 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 09:09:11 PM
So Brandeis 2-3-0. ya that is a tough start but they are just going to have to win some big games starting with Tufts. Pressure will be alot tighter now as they just have less room for mistakes but they are good enough to do this especially after a week off. Margolis needs to rework that schedule in 2019..Way to many games bunched up.

It's not over, for sure, but they have veeeeeeeeeery little margin for error and it's not even two weeks into the season. I mean I've seen crazier things happen, like in 2016 going on a 3 game UAA win streak after being at 5-4-3 in mid-October, but definitely not too optimistic.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 12, 2018, 10:14:52 AM
I see you, person who gave St. Joseph's (ME) a first place vote in the D3socccer.com top 25.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 12, 2018, 10:17:50 AM
from gowarriorathletics.com
MANSFIELD, Conn. – Freshman Patrick Agyemang (East Hartford) knocked in a head ball off a cross from freshman Jackson Trierweiler (Framingham, MA) 13 minutes into sudden-death overtime to lift the Eastern Connecticut State University men's soccer team to its first win over Trinity College since 2007, 4-3, Tuesday night in a non-conference match at the Mansfield Outdoor Complex.

Trinity (1-2-0) scored three times in a span of 16 minutes early in the second half to erase a two-goal halftime deficit and move into its only lead in the 64th minute, but the Warriors (4-0-0) forced overtime when freshman Joel Richards (Bridgeport) connected for the tying goal off an assist from Agyemang with 18 minutes left in regulation, and Agyemang's second goal of the match – fourth this year – game the Warriors the win with 6:58 left in overtime.

On the winning goal, Eastern had possession in its offensive third. The Warriors tried to make a run through the box but the ball was deflected by a Trinity defender and headed out of bounds. Trierweiler tracked it down, teed it up, and sent a long cross to Agyemang, stationed in the middle of the box, six yards away from the goal. The athletic 6-foot-3 inch player leaped above two defenders and headed it to the far right corner of the box, where sophomore keeper Andrew Clark leaped in vain as the ball eluded his outstretched left hand and settle into the back of the net as the Warriors' bench exploded.

Trinity had beaten Eastern the last six times the clubs had met – the last five times by one goal. The victory is Eastern's first at home over the Bantams since posting an identical 4-3 overtime win in 2002.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 12, 2018, 09:27:04 PM
Roger Williams over MIT in OT, 1-0...MIT with way more shots but couldn't solve the hosts. Engineers were 3-0, now 3-2.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 15, 2018, 04:02:22 PM
ECSU loses to Keene st 1-0 on an own goal!! Defenseman makes a errant pass back to the GK and into the net  ???  However, Eastern was lucky not to lose by 3 or more as Keene missed 3 open goal shots!  Now Eastern's defense is suspect!!  Bad game for the Warriors all around!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on September 16, 2018, 02:45:07 PM
Blooter, do you know what's up with DePietto? Saw he went down a few games ago and looks like he hasn't played since.

Hoping he didn't re-tear his ACL...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 16, 2018, 06:58:49 PM
Quote from: OldNed on September 11, 2018, 06:23:32 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 11, 2018, 02:51:07 PM
Well it looks like St.Joe's has gotten through the hardest part of their schedule beating Bowdoin, Endicott and Gordon all on the road. They are 5-0-0 and have 0 GA to start the year. They also beat St.Joseph's(CT) 5-0 which is in their inaugural season and should be a force to be reckoned with for St.Joe's of Maine in coming years in their conference. Common sense tells me that St.Joe's(CT) has just about the same mission as St.Joe's(ME) except they are in a much more desirable location in New England. Since a ton of St.Joe's(ME) roster is from Rhode Island and Connecticut logic is eventually those kids will be enrolling in St.Joe's(CT) in the future. Am I over simplifying it? Possibly, considering I have never stepped foot on either schools campus or seen their facilities. Anyway, that recruiting battle is a couple years away. As for now, St.Joe's(ME) is 5-0-0 with 0 GA and have 12 games left. The 12 games left on their schedule would be considered cupcakes on any Nescac teams schedule except for maybe Johnson and Wales and Norwich which incidentally could be the only 2 teams left that have a chance to get a result against them. Is it possible St.Joe's(ME) finishes the regular season 17-0-0 with 0 GA? I would give that a 50/50 chance but maybe fair or not even with that record I believe they would still have to win their Conference Championship because of the weak SOS and OWP they will carry into the post-season. I give that a 35/65 because you may find some sympathetic members of that committee that would feel like St.Joe's would deserve a Pool C. That would really be a tough call if St.Joe's were to lose in their Conference tournament. Since St.Joe's has beaten Bowdoin 1-0 the past 2 years I give Wiercinski a 60/40 that he drops them next season..Just a hunch an could be wrong.

Mr. Right,
you're right on that outside of Johnson and Wales (Norwich is a little bit down this year from where they've been the past few years), St. Joe's doesn't have a lot of challenges ahead of them.  Johnson and Wales is a quality team - they flew under the radar a little bit last year and they haven't lost any significant players from 2017, so they're going to be a tough win for anybody.

I don't think St. Joe's goes another year with 0 GA - there are just too many things that can happen, like a handball in the box,  breakaway goal, or anything else fluky.  I'd love to see it, but I think it would be better for them  to give up a goal sometime soon so the pressure of trying to stay perfect doesn't affect them adversely.

As far as recruiting advantages for St. Joe's (CT), I'm not sure I see it - at least not yet.  Coach Dubois has done a really good job getting better and better recruiting classes since his first one.  I think for this year's seniors, they've turned out to be really good players over the last 3+ years, but as far as I know none of them were very highly recruited.  Contrast that with the current freshman class which has a number of all-state players and even a couple of all-New England high school players, and most of them have a more impressive club team pedigree, too.  Time will tell if success breeds success in recruiting with the Monks, and time will also tell with St. Joe's (CT) as their young program develops.

So Johnson and Wales scored on St. Joe's on Saturday at the 11 minute mark of the first half and they took a 1-0 lead over the Monks. According to the game recap, it's the first time St. Joe's was trailing since the 2016 NCAA game vs. Brandeis which they lost 3-0. St. Joe's was a little stunned for maybe 15 minutes but then they really showed their character and they poured it on.  They had a number of really good chances and finally broke through and scored the equalizer with 5 minutes left in the half and they scored the game winner 2 minutes later.  The second half was more of the same for St. Joe's and they were able to tack on another goal to finish it 3-1.

The goal Johnson and Wales scored was from a free kick on the left side maybe 20-25 feet out from the penalty area.  I'm not sure if it was a set play or not, but JWU kicked long and from where I was sitting in the stands it looked like the ball was clearly going to go out of bounds past right side of the SJC goal, but a JWU player must have been right on the end line and he headed the ball back into play.  I think Blake Mullen and the SJC defense gave up a little bit on it and they were slow to react when the ball was headed back into the box where Nick Gutekunst fired it the left side past a sprawling Mullen. Good goal for JWU.

I was a little nervous to see how SJC would react after giving up that goal, but they acquitted themselves well after that. I'm actually a little relieved they got scored on now, so the pressure of giving up no goals isn't going to be an issue now.  Just play and take care of business and see what happens from here on out.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 16, 2018, 09:46:20 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on September 16, 2018, 02:45:07 PM
Blooter, do you know what's up with DePietto? Saw he went down a few games ago and looks like he hasn't played since.

Hoping he didn't re-tear his ACL...

No idea. I was a little confused about how they were setting up but his absence perhaps explains some things.

I think this break the Judges are in will help. They've quite frankly looked gassed the last two games. 5 in 11 days willl do that to you.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 18, 2018, 04:01:47 PM
Looks like Margolis giving Cohen another shot in Net v Mass Maritime. Probably a good move to restore his confidence. Other than that switch it looks to be pretty much the regular starters except maybe for 1 or 2 field players.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 18, 2018, 04:07:57 PM
Brandeis stream is back behind the benches...This is good news...


Ahhh 1-0 Brandeis 3rd minute....Mass Maritime is facing a well rested, pissed off Brandeis team so this might be a blowout fast plus Brandeis will want to get their bench on the field ASAP with Tufts on Friday night.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 18, 2018, 04:44:55 PM
Springfield nursing a 1-0 lead over Gordon with 5 minutes left. This would be an important road victory for Springfield especially with Babson on the schedule Saturday.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on September 18, 2018, 08:53:02 PM
Good come from behind win for Endicott... beating WPI 2-1. Evan Couchot with both goals.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 18, 2018, 09:56:05 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan20 on September 18, 2018, 08:53:02 PM
Good come from behind win for Endicott... beating WPI 2-1. Evan Couchot with both goals.

Didn't see that one coming! Good for the Gulls.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: rudy on September 19, 2018, 09:10:09 PM
This isn't exactly new England d3 soccer but I thought some of you New England soccer fans might enjoy this behind the scenes look at the 2015 Milton Academy soccer season. Many of these players are playing or were playing in college now at schools like Babson, Hamilton, Harvard, Amherst, Boston University...while others went out of New England...Maryland, Lafayette, Messiah, and one is in Poland playing professional club.

https://youtu.be/kPXcadJFzHc
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 21, 2018, 08:03:36 PM
Tufts 2-0 Brandeis almost Halftime. Very sloppy start for Brandeis and it cost them. Tough to see on the stream but the 1st goal looked like Tufts got behind the defense and almost a backheel back to Tasker who easily tapped it in. Brandeis RB looked to be at fault for a misplay or failed clearance. 2nd goal was very lucky but no communication between GK Cohen and RB who slotted a nice ball into his own net while Cohen was going other direction. RB was involved in both goals and it just looked sloppy. By the time Brandeis woke up they were down 2-0. Honestly Tufts has not looked much better but they take advantage of 2 misplays. Brandeis has looked better since and have time but need to get a goal in the first 15 minutes of 2nd Half. RB was not ready for primetime tonight.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 25, 2018, 07:10:01 PM
Rainy night in Waltham. Only my second time seeing the Judges live this year but their work rate is very good. Their precarious situation is what it is but has not come about due to a lack of effort. Game is barely five minutes old but Brandeis is having a lot of joy down Wheaton's right side. Warren looks very dangerous with his pace.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 25, 2018, 07:23:36 PM
Game has even itself out a bit, the visitors had a good chance that Irwin came off his line to snuff, then I think it was Gans that fired a dipper just over. Then Wheaton broke, Irwin made a nice save and Brandeis scrambled the resulting corner away. 0-0 @ 20 in.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 25, 2018, 07:33:29 PM
I will say that the one thing I notice is that Brandeis midfield is a bit light in terms of physicality, at least compared to the last few years. They don't have an enforcer like Hernandez, or Ocel to a lesser degree (in terms of physical presence). Miskin is a tidy player who keeps the ball well but isn't an enforcer, and Gans is similar. Handler and Breiter are both attackers by trade. Panson is the one I see being one for the future.

Brandeis with two decent chances but saved and held by the GK. 30' in, 0-0.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 25, 2018, 08:14:08 PM
Less than a minute after halftime and Wheaton hits the post and kid shanks the rebound from close range. Still 0-0.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 25, 2018, 08:16:30 PM
Brandeis strikes first, Nardizzi finishes off a dead run. Nice first time flick by Panson to play him in. 37 left.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 25, 2018, 08:48:13 PM
Irwin makes a fantastic save off a 20 yarder from #7, tips it on to the post. Still 1-0.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 25, 2018, 09:02:27 PM
Judges close out a gritty 1-0 win. CWRU comes to town Saturday for the UAA opener.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 26, 2018, 08:33:05 AM
 Did not catch the Brandeis v Wheaton match but with the weather last night in Boston it does sound like a gritty win. CWRU match on Saturday at Home with kickoff at 11am. This IMO gives Brandeis an advantage even before a ball is kicked. Case is hosting Kenyon tonight at 730pm. That will be a grueling match and then most likely get tomorrow off b4 travelling to Boston on Friday for an early morning kick on Saturday.  These UAA sides are all used to this but if Brandeis can come out of the gates pumped and focused and pressing the first 20 minutes I think they can get a quick goal. Brandeis has an opening to take advantage of a team that might be sleepwalking in the first 20 minutes. Kind of like what Tufts did inexplicably to Brandeis last Friday.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 26, 2018, 07:39:10 PM
Eastern Connecticut holds on to defeat Western Connecticut 4-3 at the Mansfield Sports Complex this afternoon.  Eastern's defense spotted WestConn two goals in the first 15 minutes before freshman Pat Agyemang slammed home his first goal though the open legs of the WCSU GK.  Jr Justen Jensen scored the next one on a brilliant 25 yard strike into the upper left corner!  Pat responded with a header off a Westconn GK miscue and Jensen finished with the 4th.   Top scorers Darion Richemi had 2 and Chauncey Allers had one for the Colonials!  It is becoming increasingly clear that the ECSU defense has got some improvement work to do this year!  The last 10 minutes of this one was a nail biter as the Colonials really hassled the Eastern backfield. If it wasn't for Pat Agyemang dropping back to win some tackles, I dont know what the outcome would have been.   A number of poor clearances almost turned into Western getting level at the 80 min mark after scoring at 78'!!!  Eastern's midfield/forward technical play has gotten much better, but a young backfield is going to need to step up if the Warriors want to be competitive with the top teams in Nescac and other top conference.

6'3" forward Pat Agyemang is the real deal and will compete for a top 5 total career goals mark at the University his senior year assuming he stays healthy. ECSU record of 77 career goals mark by John Fitzgerald, (1966-69) will be difficult to break.

Plymouth St is up next this Saturday.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 26, 2018, 10:48:14 PM
Time to give Roger Williams some love at 10-0-0 James Greenslit has finally started to show what is possible at RWU. They have 6 Shutouts and have given up 4 Goals all year. They are not playing cupcakes either with Shutout Wins over Wheaton, WPI and MIT. Yes some of those sides are either rebuilding or falling off it is still almost half the Newmac they have beaten. They are in a CCC that is improved this year with 8-0-1 Salve Regina, Gordon, Endicott(who has won 2 in a row with 2 shutouts) and WNEC. WNEC did fall at Trinity tonight 2-0 but I thought they were decent when I saw them earlier in the year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 27, 2018, 08:39:46 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 26, 2018, 10:48:14 PM
Time to give Roger Williams some love at 10-0-0 James Greenslit has finally started to show what is possible at RWU.

You beat me to it. Probably the WPI win is the most impressive, particularly considering it was on the road. I watched them at home against MIT and they were probably the better side but not convincing by any stretch. Regardless, this is an even better start than the year Trevor Hoxsie carried them into the tournament with winners over MIT, Wheaton, and Babson among others in the regular season and then they derped their way to a win against nationally ranked Gordon in the CCC semis. They lost in the final to WNE but got an at-large bid and even sprung an upset over Rutgers-Newark in the 1st Round before bowing out to Brandeis in the 2nd Round. On record alone, looks like they might be even better this year — and that's reinforced with the three quality NEWMAC wins.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 27, 2018, 10:39:57 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 26, 2018, 07:39:10 PM
Eastern Connecticut holds on to defeat Western Connecticut 4-3 at the Mansfield Sports Complex this afternoon.  Eastern's defense spotted WestConn two goals in the first 15 minutes before freshman Pat Agyemang slammed home his first goal though the open legs of the WCSU GK.  Jr Justen Jensen scored the next one on a brilliant 25 yard strike into the upper left corner!  Pat responded with a header off a Westconn GK miscue and Jensen finished with the 4th.   Top scorers Darion Richemi had 2 and Chauncey Allers had one for the Colonials!  It is becoming increasingly clear that the ECSU defense has got some improvement work to do this year!  The last 10 minutes of this one was a nail biter as the Colonials really hassled the Eastern backfield. If it wasn't for Pat Agyemang dropping back to win some tackles, I dont know what the outcome would have been.   A number of poor clearances almost turned into Western getting level at the 80 min mark after scoring at 78'!!!  Eastern's midfield/forward technical play has gotten much better, but a young backfield is going to need to step up if the Warriors want to be competitive with the top teams in Nescac and other top conference.

6'3" forward Pat Agyemang is the real deal and will compete for a top 5 total career goals mark at the University his senior year assuming he stays healthy. ECSU record of 77 career goals mark by John Fitzgerald, (1966-69) will be difficult to break.

Plymouth St is up next this Saturday.


ECSUalum you are correct. ECONN striker Pat Agyemang is an absolute stud and a complete difference maker on this team. He is making ECONN real fun to watch and DeVito has some solid pieces around him as well. There is nothing more in demand in D3 Mens Soccer than a legitimate striker that can finish and put a team on his back when they need a goal in November. I agree ECONN is leaking goals at an alarming rate and I have not seen them play since defeating Trinity a couple weeks back BUT I would rather have the situation you are in now than the other way around. DeVito has some time to find the right lineups and personnel on defense but it is much harder to find a goalscorer on a team that does not have one. Agyemang is an absolute danger man and while I do not think he will break the ECONN goal scoring record of 77 Goals, he will get his fair share. The only concern I would have is that some D1's are sniffing around looking for him to transfer and offering a full ride. That to me would be my biggest fear but enjoy it because ECONN could make some noise in November.

I really like WCONN as well. They have some talent and skilled players. They also need to get organized defensively and it sounds like based on your report their GK had a nightmare game last night. They are 5-2-1 or something like that but are struggling to start their conference slate at 0-1-2. They have played the toughest 3 teams in the league against ECONN, UMASS Boston, and Castleton Univ. However, since the Little East only has the Top 4 qualify for their Conference Tournament WCONN MUST get going to get in the Top 4. I think they will be battling it out with those 3 teams and Keene St and possibly RIC. They can be dynamic in attack and it would be a shame for them not to take advantage of that and build on their 2017 NCAA Tournamen appearance because of GK'ing issues. The Little East is usually a 1 bid league but ECONN is 7-1-0 with 2 matches at Home v Conn College and at Babson. Those 2 sides should be Regionally Ranked in November and if they can get a result or two against those sides than the Little East could be a 2 bid league this year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 27, 2018, 10:49:39 AM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 27, 2018, 08:39:46 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 26, 2018, 10:48:14 PM
Time to give Roger Williams some love at 10-0-0 James Greenslit has finally started to show what is possible at RWU.

You beat me to it. Probably the WPI win is the most impressive, particularly considering it was on the road. I watched them at home against MIT and they were probably the better side but not convincing by any stretch. Regardless, this is an even better start than the year Trevor Hoxsie carried them into the tournament with winners over MIT, Wheaton, and Babson among others in the regular season and then they derped their way to a win against nationally ranked Gordon in the CCC semis. They lost in the final to WNE but got an at-large bid and even sprung an upset over Rutgers-Newark in the 1st Round before bowing out to Brandeis in the 2nd Round. On record alone, looks like they might be even better this year — and that's reinforced with the three quality NEWMAC wins.


How did I know that the minute I hit send on my laptop after posting Bloots would find a way to get into the 2013 RWU side with Hoxsie and how lucky they were that year. With Hoxsie originally being from Scarborough, ME maybe he and Bloots had some history? In all seriousness RWU was a bit lucky that season but Hoxsie was a stud for them and actually was recruited by Joey Calabrese when he was Head Coach at Utica. Calabrese left Utica in 2011 for Endicott and Hoxsie bolted as well to RWU.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 27, 2018, 11:00:43 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 27, 2018, 10:49:39 AM
How did I know that the minute I hit send on my laptop after posting Bloots would find a way to get into the 2013 RWU side with Hoxsie and how lucky they were that year. With Hoxsie originally being from Scarborough, ME maybe he and Bloots had some history? In all seriousness RWU was a bit lucky that season but Hoxsie was a stud for them and actually was recruited by Joey Calabrese when he was Head Coach at Utica. Calabrese left Utica in 2011 for Endicott and Hoxsie bolted as well to RWU.

Haha nope, never met him — he played in a different class than my high school team (and his team was much better). It was more the fact that they stumbled ass-backwards into an at-large bid after sliding past Salve in the CCC quarters on PKs and beating Gordon with two lucky bounces in the semis. He was definitely a stud but that team had luck at a level I'd never seen before. The Babson win also came about thanks to a worldie from Hoxsie with 4 seconds left in 2OT after being completely outplayed, and the 1st Round win they should have been about 4-0 down at half (it was only 1-0) before they got three fortunate bounces second half (RUN had a 28-9 shot advantage and had like 3 or 4 cleared off the line). Even in the Brandeis game they should have been about 3 or 4 down at half...the longer it stayed 1-0 the more I thought they'd get another bounce but the Judges saw it out. They had no real plan but "give the ball to Hoxsie" so Brandeis double-marked him (one CB would drop if they tried to play him through) and pushed the wingbacks up to shut off his service from the wings. And you think I'm salty — just think about how insufferable I would have been if they'd won that 2nd Round game.

This year, though...they've been impressive. Good to see it start working out for Greenslit.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 27, 2018, 03:08:26 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on September 27, 2018, 10:39:57 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 26, 2018, 07:39:10 PM
Eastern Connecticut holds on to defeat Western Connecticut 4-3 at the Mansfield Sports Complex this afternoon.  Eastern's defense spotted WestConn two goals in the first 15 minutes before freshman Pat Agyemang slammed home his first goal though the open legs of the WCSU GK.  Jr Justen Jensen scored the next one on a brilliant 25 yard strike into the upper left corner!  Pat responded with a header off a Westconn GK miscue and Jensen finished with the 4th.   Top scorers Darion Richemi had 2 and Chauncey Allers had one for the Colonials!  It is becoming increasingly clear that the ECSU defense has got some improvement work to do this year!  The last 10 minutes of this one was a nail biter as the Colonials really hassled the Eastern backfield. If it wasn't for Pat Agyemang dropping back to win some tackles, I dont know what the outcome would have been.   A number of poor clearances almost turned into Western getting level at the 80 min mark after scoring at 78'!!!  Eastern's midfield/forward technical play has gotten much better, but a young backfield is going to need to step up if the Warriors want to be competitive with the top teams in Nescac and other top conference.

6'3" forward Pat Agyemang is the real deal and will compete for a top 5 total career goals mark at the University his senior year assuming he stays healthy. ECSU record of 77 career goals mark by John Fitzgerald, (1966-69) will be difficult to break.

Plymouth St is up next this Saturday.


ECSUalum you are correct. ECONN striker Pat Agyemang is an absolute stud and a complete difference maker on this team. He is making ECONN real fun to watch and DeVito has some solid pieces around him as well. There is nothing more in demand in D3 Mens Soccer than a legitimate striker that can finish and put a team on his back when they need a goal in November. I agree ECONN is leaking goals at an alarming rate and I have not seen them play since defeating Trinity a couple weeks back BUT I would rather have the situation you are in now than the other way around. DeVito has some time to find the right lineups and personnel on defense but it is much harder to find a goalscorer on a team that does not have one. Agyemang is an absolute danger man and while I do not think he will break the ECONN goal scoring record of 77 Goals, he will get his fair share. The only concern I would have is that some D1's are sniffing around looking for him to transfer and offering a full ride. That to me would be my biggest fear but enjoy it because ECONN could make some noise in November.

I really like WCONN as well. They have some talent and skilled players. They also need to get organized defensively and it sounds like based on your report their GK had a nightmare game last night. They are 5-2-1 or something like that but are struggling to start their conference slate at 0-1-2. They have played the toughest 3 teams in the league against ECONN, UMASS Boston, and Castleton Univ. However, since the Little East only has the Top 4 qualify for their Conference Tournament WCONN MUST get going to get in the Top 4. I think they will be battling it out with those 3 teams and Keene St and possibly RIC. They can be dynamic in attack and it would be a shame for them not to take advantage of that and build on their 2017 NCAA Tournamen appearance because of GK'ing issues. The Little East is usually a 1 bid league but ECONN is 7-1-0 with 2 matches at Home v Conn College and at Babson. Those 2 sides should be Regionally Ranked in November and if they can get a result or two against those sides than the Little East could be a 2 bid league this year.
Mr Right, As usual you articulate the ECSU status much better than I could!  Thanks for your thoughts and always look forward to your keen observations on D3 Soccer and its participating teams!  +k
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: AllStar on September 30, 2018, 02:15:26 AM
Hi ECSUalum, I hope you are doing well!  I don't usually venture over here obviously (though maybe I should?), but I was reading through some comments.  I'm not completely positive...but I think with the addition of Castleton the LEC has gone to a six-team tournament format for most all of the sports.  The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds will get byes, No. 3 will play No. 6 and No. 4 will play No. 5 in the first round.  Also, I think they are all shifting to a singular site (top seed) for the semis and finals.  I do believe, as well, that basketball will also have the six-team tournament format.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 30, 2018, 11:13:24 AM
Hello Allstar, All is well here!  Hope you and yours are the same!  Frankly, I am not sure how the championship format will work out, I suppose we can look for the format of another 9 team conference to compare!  However it works out, it will still be exciting!  Looks like Keene's 2018 soccer team is pretty good and gave Easter a run for their money.  It was unfortunate that we had an own goal, but that's the game, you try to minimize mistakes as much as possible!  Looking forward to another great fall and winter season of LEC sports and the matchups with Keene!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on October 06, 2018, 10:51:14 PM
Endicott keeps their hot streak going and beats Roger Williams 3-1. Evan Couchot scored a hattrick for the Gulls... this kid is a special player. Here's a link to his second and third goal: https://twitter.com/ECGulls/status/1048720558056267778.

EC really dominated the game and have turned the corner since their rough start to the year, going to be interesting to see how things pan out in the CCC down the road.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ejay on October 06, 2018, 11:08:12 PM
Couchot is listed as a sophomore, yet he has 3 years of statistics.  What's the story there? Regardless, he's got 34 goals in 50 games.  Impressive.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 08, 2018, 01:33:06 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan20 on October 06, 2018, 10:51:14 PM
Endicott keeps their hot streak going and beats Roger Williams 3-1. Evan Couchot scored a hattrick for the Gulls... this kid is a special player. Here's a link to his second and third goal: https://twitter.com/ECGulls/status/1048720558056267778.

EC really dominated the game and have turned the corner since their rough start to the year, going to be interesting to see how things pan out in the CCC down the road.


Agreed...Calabrese must have sorted out the porous defense as Endicott is 5-0-2 in their last 7 Games since getting blown off the field at Conn College 4-1. In that 7 Game run they have only conceded 5 Goals while scoring 12. Evan Couchot has gotten red hot as that Goal v RWU was UNREAL....That was a wicked strike off his own volley. They would have to be considered favorites to repeat in the CCC even with Gordon, RWU and Salve having solid seasons. CCC could be a 2 bid league this year. 3 bids is also possible but I think a long shot because there are some squads in the New England Region with equally good seasons going. Interesting tidbit is former SLU stud Sam DeMello's brother is a Junior Captain for University of New England in the CCC. It say's he transferred from Endicott but I have no recollection of him ever playing for them.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 09, 2018, 07:06:19 PM
Careless turnover by Babson and Tufts gets the jump 2 minutes in. 1-0 Jumbos.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 09, 2018, 07:11:17 PM
Tasker would be my choice for NESCAC PoY.  Fast, skillful, and can make things happen even when double-covered. He is absolutely central to have his team operates.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 09, 2018, 07:23:34 PM
Tufts gets EVERY ball that's in the air.  This is what I remember from the St. Joe's/Tufts game last year, and it's hard to deal with that if you're not used to it.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 09, 2018, 07:25:43 PM
Once again Babson looks like a fish out of water on turf. They can look solid on their own grass patch, but they seem to lack any real speed or technical acumen. Parker is their biggest threat by far.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 09, 2018, 07:26:53 PM
I will say Greenspan is a solid presence at CB. Really like him as their leader back there.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 09, 2018, 07:27:30 PM
Oh wow, as I say that Babson equalizes out of nowhere. 1-1. Appeals for offsides but Parker with a nice first time finish.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 09, 2018, 07:31:40 PM
The Babson fans in attendance seem about as surprised as I was with that goal. They certainly didn't see it coming.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 09, 2018, 07:37:58 PM
In the first 10 minutes or so Tufts was absolutely ripping apart Babson down the sides, but the Beavers seem to be holding the ball a bit better in the last 10 or so.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 09, 2018, 07:42:21 PM
THUMPING header off the corner from Rojas by Raphael. Tufts back on top 2-1.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 09, 2018, 07:49:07 PM
2-1 Tufts at half. Apart from about a 10 minute spell after the tying goal, the Jumbos have absolutely dominated.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 09, 2018, 08:11:55 PM
The more I watch Tufts the more I realize Braun is actually a perfect striker for Tufts. They work to have their striker hold up the ball and create opportunities for the wide men and runners from midfield, as makes sense in a 4-1-4-1 system. He does that very well and he has some good speed as well. Maybe not at the Hoppenot/Majumder/Becherano level yet but he has the potential.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 09, 2018, 08:41:35 PM
Lane dangles around a few defenders off a nice through ball from Rojas I think, who has really done well threading the needle with a number of through balls tonight. 3-1 with less than 10 left, and that's the ballgame.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on October 09, 2018, 09:07:21 PM
Endicott stays hot and knocks off Gordon in OT 3-2.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 09, 2018, 09:14:02 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan20 on October 09, 2018, 09:07:21 PM
Endicott stays hot and knocks off Gordon in OT 3-2.

And the Gulls resurgence continues!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on October 09, 2018, 09:29:54 PM
Gordon dominated for most of the match.  Endicott keeper came up huge and Endicott defenders cleared multiple balls off the line.  Winning goal was a GREAT finish but their first two were Gordon miscues.  A big 3 points for Endicott but Gordon is quite capable of running through the rest of the conference slate. Again, major kudos to Jack Bacon, without him it would have been 5-2 in regulation.  The Gordon attack ran riot over the Endicott Defense.  Was a totally different match from last years defensive battle.  My guess is they will see each other again in an elimination match
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 09, 2018, 09:53:13 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on October 09, 2018, 09:29:54 PM
Again, major kudos to Jack Bacon, without him it would have been 5-2 in regulation.

Endicott could say he "saved their Bacon."  ;D

As for Gordon, I don't disagree they could run the table the rest of the way, but I think Roger Williams will put up a good fight this weekend. They did lose their first game of the season on Saturday, and I imagine they will still be smarting from that setback. Should be a good one.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on October 09, 2018, 10:24:54 PM
Agreed.  I watched the Endicott/Roger Williams match and RW is much improved.  They could certainly pull an upset.  But as far as overall quality, after having seen them all play in person, its a 2 horse race with RW or Salve maybe crashing the party.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 09, 2018, 10:35:41 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on October 09, 2018, 10:24:54 PM
Agreed.  I watched the Endicott/Roger Williams match and RW is much improved.  They could certainly pull an upset.  But as far as overall quality, after having seen them all play in person, its a 2 horse race with RW or Salve maybe crashing the party.

Good call -- I do wonder about Salve. I have seen a bit of Endicott, Gordon, and RWU, but not Salve. They did get a nice 0-0 on the road at Endicott, as well as an OT win at WNE, so clearly they can pull out solid results.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on October 10, 2018, 08:15:25 AM
Salve can score goals which is useful! They have some pacey guys up front...especially #9 Donald Igo.  They are super dangerous on the counter as a result.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 10, 2018, 09:58:33 AM
A ton of talk about how competitive the CCC is this year and for good reason as Endicott, Gordon, Salve and RWU are bringing the league up a notch. Curry, Wentworth and UNE are all well behind those 4 programs and I doubt will make any noise in the CCC Playoffs. I believe the Top 7 qualify instead of the Top 8 because Eastern Nazarene bolted. The one team that is down this year is Nichols BUT they are capable of possibly knocking off one of those Top 4 sides in the CCC Tournament. Capable not probable but something to watch for.

Shout out to another Top heavy league that has come back to life is the Little East. ECONN, WCONN and Keene St are all solid sides and while UMB is down a bit this year if you catch them on a weeknight or when they are playing some decent futbol they can beat anyone in this league. WCONN defeated Trinity last night in a wild game 5-3. WCONN is the defending champion and they will not go down easy as they are extremely potent in attack. Senior Chauncey Allers is well on his way to becoming an All-American this year as he has racked up 14 Goals and 6 Assists. He scored 4 GOALS IN 11 MINUTES LAST NIGHT at Trinity. Trinity is a bad team and horrible defensively but they are certainly not Green Mountain bad. With Allers and Della Penna plus Allers brother and Richeme, WCONN reminds me of maybe a poor man's 2017 RUN...They have tons of skill and speed but are undersized. They also have a MONSTER problem in net and leak goals like crazy. If Head Coach Joe Mingachos can somehow get more stable in the back and hope his GK can figure it out WCONN could make the Little East a 2 bid league. Its a big if......Mingachos should be credited with this amazing turnaround even though the former Head Coach brought in this fantastic Senior class. 5 years ago WCONN I think was almost winless. They have 2 huge games coming up an imprtant league clash at Keene St and then a great non-conference match at Ramapo.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Buck O. on October 10, 2018, 03:13:00 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on October 10, 2018, 08:15:25 AM
Salve can score goals which is useful! They have some pacey guys up front...especially #9 Donald Igo.  They are super dangerous on the counter as a result.

THAT'S where he went!  He was a UMass commit a couple of years ago but never actually materialized on the roster, and I always wondered where he wound up.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Bobcat1 on October 10, 2018, 09:05:03 PM
Bates up on Thomas 1-0 at the half.

How about St. Joe's! Many thought this would be their toughest test to date this season.  Robinson and Matos help each other score as the Monks jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first half and were able to tack on another early in the second half to beat Norwich 3-0. That's a strong road win!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 10, 2018, 09:45:45 PM
Thomas kid gets a red with about 10 minutes left. Ran out of steam with juke moves and then came in from behind with no attempt to win the ball, as it had already been played. Super late. One of the contenders for worst tackle of the season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Bobcat1 on October 10, 2018, 10:15:06 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 10, 2018, 09:45:45 PM
Thomas kid gets a red with about 10 minutes left. Ran out of steam with juke moves and then came in from behind with no attempt to win the ball, as it had already been played. Super late. One of the contenders for worst tackle of the season.

Agreed! Bates is able to see it out. 1-0 final. Three big NESCAC games left with a full week to get ready for Bowdoin.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 11, 2018, 08:28:59 AM
Quote from: Bobcat1 on October 10, 2018, 09:05:03 PM
Bates up on Thomas 1-0 at the half.

How about St. Joe's! Many thought this would be their toughest test to date this season.  Robinson and Matos help each other score as the Monks jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first half and were able to tack on another early in the second half to beat Norwich 3-0. That's a strong road win!

I was at Norwich for the game and I think St. Joe's played their most complete game of the year as of this point. It looked like St. Joe's had a gameplan of attacking up the sides and they were effective early with the first two goals by Robinson and Mattos.  Despite the 3-0 score, I came away impressed with Norwich after seeing how they played.  I thought going into this year that they had lost too much senior leadership and talent, but Coach Pfeifer brought in a  stellar class of freshmen and many of those freshmen played important parts in the game - center mid Nemeye, and the Badibanga brothers at outside mid and forward, in particular.  Norwich is a team that can play with some of the better New England teams right now, and they will be formidable when those freshmen get more experience.

As for St. Joe's, I've been concerned about their lack of offense against some of the poorer GNAC teams, but I think that is a product of those teams packing it in and making it difficult to execute anything other than set pieces.  Norwich played to win, but in doing so that allowed St. Joe's more space to operate between the 18s and they really took advantage.  In addition to Robinson and Mattos, Cody Elliott played really well and Dalton Gaumer on defense was masterful all night as Norwich continually pressed high and Gaumer was easily able to dribble around the press and get the ball safely to the midfield.  Blake Mullen also had some really nice saves on several long range shots from Norwich that would have been goals against a lot of other keepers..  If St. Joe's plays like they did last night, they can do some damage in the NCAAs.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on October 11, 2018, 10:22:31 AM
I've seen Gordon play St. Joe's, Brandeis, Colby, Springfield, Amherst and Endicott.   St. Joe's was the most impressive of that group.  They are athletic, organized, and technical enough.  Until I saw them in person I naturally discounted their success because of their weak conference. I have no doubts anymore.  With very few exceptions (Tufts, ?) they are the New England team I would least like to see in a first round match.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 11, 2018, 11:21:49 AM
Salve beat RWU last night, 2-0, in Bristol. With the Hawks dropping 2 matches in a row after a 12-0 start, it will be interesting to see how the battle for the CCC top seed shakes up.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on October 11, 2018, 11:29:43 AM
I watched a bit of it online and Salve definitely looked better on RW's home pitch.  Looks like Roger William's wings are beginning to melt.  IMO - Salve can now be considered a legitimate 3rd horse in the CCC race.  If Gordon takes care of business at home vs. RW this Saturday, the top 3 should be confirmed.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 14, 2018, 09:41:48 AM
Well then...RWU beats Gordon in OT. Second straight home OT loss for the Scots. They are 3-2 in conference but 7-6 overall. Looks like AQ or bust for the Wenham side. They got that nice win over Brandeis back in September but other than that I don't see any marquee results on their CV. Maybe I need to look again. Roger Williams and maybe now Salve look the most likely to get an at-large bid but even they probably have to win the conference to get in. Could the CCC be a two-bid League this year? Who knows. Endicott looks good, even if they've had to grind out some results. They started 1-4 but have roared back and are sitting at 8-4-2. They too probably have to bank on the tournament for a bid but they are in a solid position nonetheless.

Regardless of their result today I think it's safe to say Brandeis is out. Injuries have hurt the Judges and they have lost their composure at critical overtime junctures but I also wonder about the tough scheduling particularly with a team that lost a bunch and with no conference tournament to provide a road to redemption. 5 losses in mid-October with Amherst, Chicago et al still to come. You can't fall ass-backwards into an NCAA bid a la 7-loss Babson did in 2015 in the UAA. As much as I hate the Amherst approach of mostly playing a bunch of non-conference cupcakes (there are exceptions but they are exceptions rather than the norm) knowing that the NESCAC schedule has plenty of potential ranked wins, it seems that could have helped the Judges this year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 17, 2018, 12:31:37 PM
Should be interesting to see how the New England Regional Rankings shape up later today. The Coaches poll(which means nothing but still interesting to look at) have given no love to the Little East. They have 5 Nescac's, 2 CCC, 2 Newmac and St.Joe's. ECONN is 12-2-0 and while they do not have any great Wins on their resume they have won against the same type of competition as Salve Regina and RWU for the most part. Regional Rankings will rank 12 teams so I assume 1 or 2 Little East teams get in. I mean WCONN went down to Ramapo and got a 3-3 draw this week(that game will not count for this week) but you have 3 teams in the Little East that could be Regionally Ranked in ECONN, WCONN and Keene St. I would say today's matchup of Babson hosting ECONN is massive for both teams especially ECONN. The winner should be ranked and even if Babson loses or draws they still have some legitimate results. I will say Babson already has 4 Draws and today and/or this weekend could be 5 and even 6 and that is waaay to many Draws to get in the Top 8 of the New England Regional Rankings IMO.

Another little "tell" will be how Nescac is ranked today. The top 3 will be Tufts/Conn/St.Joe's in any order. I then expect Middlebury to be the next Nescac ranked in the Top 6. We then have a monster question with Amherst. They are 8-3-1 and have not beaten ANY ranked teams this year unless Bowdoin sneaks in. Williams and Bowdoin are both at 7-3-2 and I expect both to be ranked. The question is will Amherst be ranked ahead of Williams? Serpone is the HEAD of the committee and while he cannot be on the conversation regarding his team he still will have more influence than you would think. Coaches are only human and they "might" give Amherst a bit of a boost. Not saying this will or does happen but still a reasonable question..Williams defeated Amherst at Amherst earlier this year and while that is Williams only significant Win except maybe the Win over Babson it still beats Amherst quality of Wins. I think wherever Williams and Amherst are ranked today will answer my question. Of course Williams still have games today at Hamilton then at Tufts and v Midd so they basically control their own destiny.

I expect St.Joe's to be ranked #3 and would be rather shocked if they jumped Conn and Tufts. Conn and Tufts have almost similar resumes so who gets #1? How does the committee rate Newmac and CCC? Springfield is a hot team right now but they do not have the quality of Wins that WPI and even Babson have. RWU and Salve should be ranked between #8-#12 IMO. Even Endicott could sneak in but doubtful.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 17, 2018, 12:39:37 PM
While RvR doesn't factor in for this week, SoS does, correct?  Will be interesting to see how much that impacts where St Joe's is placed, and that also could be the determining factor in how the NESCACs shake out in terms of order.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 17, 2018, 01:07:01 PM
Correct so SOS is and obviously RvR is not. That is why Week 1 Rankings will and should change quite a bit going into Week 2. I still think Nescac will grab 5 out of the 12 spots with Bowdoin being left out because of their weak schedule.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 17, 2018, 01:41:38 PM
It is highly likely that St. Joe's will not be ranked at all.  Their SOS may fall below 0.500 which historically has been a minimum requirement for recognition.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 17, 2018, 01:49:44 PM
Just checked....St Joe's did not get ranked last year until the final, final wee #4 ranking, and then only came in at #11 with record of 18-0-1.  Will be interesting to see if they get any break based on reputation now or maybe their SoS is higher this year.  If for some reason needed a Pool C they will hope Bowdoin gets ranked by the end and/or Endicott/Gordon.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 17, 2018, 02:07:40 PM
I thought the committee got rid of the .500 threshold???
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 17, 2018, 02:07:51 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 17, 2018, 01:49:44 PM
Just checked....St Joe's did not get ranked last year until the final, final wee #4 ranking, and then only came in at #11 with record of 18-0-1.  Will be interesting to see if they get any break based on reputation now or maybe their SoS is higher this year.  If for some reason needed a Pool C they will hope Bowdoin gets ranked by the end and/or Endicott/Gordon.

If St. Joe's takes care of business in the GNAC (and they should), then they have nothing to worry about.  If they falter in the GNAC conference, then they're at risk of not getting a Pool C, so they can't take anything for granted. I'm not sure if their reputation will be enough to overcome a crappy SOS.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 17, 2018, 02:19:24 PM
I would not want to be relying on winning a conference tournament to get a bid as even in the weak GNAC it still can be a crapshoot especially in the Semi's/Final. I still say Norwich is quite capable in 1 random game to knock off St.Joe's. That being said I think St.Joe's should be ranked today as they have proven to me atleast they should be ranked and are deserving a Pool C if they do not Win the GNAC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 17, 2018, 02:20:27 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 17, 2018, 02:07:40 PM
I thought the committee got rid of the .500 threshold???

I think they must have gotten rid of the .500 threshold.  When St. Joe's was ranked for the November 6 2017 Regional Rankings, they were 11 of 12 in New England and their SOS was 0.499.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Bobcat1 on October 17, 2018, 02:26:08 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 17, 2018, 02:07:51 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 17, 2018, 01:49:44 PM
Just checked....St Joe's did not get ranked last year until the final, final wee #4 ranking, and then only came in at #11 with record of 18-0-1.  Will be interesting to see if they get any break based on reputation now or maybe their SoS is higher this year.  If for some reason needed a Pool C they will hope Bowdoin gets ranked by the end and/or Endicott/Gordon.

If St. Joe's takes care of business in the GNAC (and they should), then they have nothing to worry about.  If they falter in the GNAC conference, then they're at risk of not getting a Pool C, so they can't take anything for granted. I'm not sure if their reputation will be enough to overcome a crappy SOS.

Let's hope this does not become an issue.  Is there anyone out there who does not believe they should be in the Tournament? They did beat Gordon, Endicott and Bowdoin all on the road. And their convincing road win at Norwich last week was impressive as well.

As for the top of the initial rankings I think Tufts will be 1 and Conn 2. The computer models have Tufts with a very slim SOS margin over Conn (Keene St.'s winning streak has likely helped the Jumbos) and Tufts draw's were on the road vs. Conn whose draw's were at home.  At this point I don't think it really matters.  Both teams have big games ahead plus the conference tournament.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 17, 2018, 02:38:29 PM
Quote from: Bobcat1 on October 17, 2018, 02:26:08 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 17, 2018, 02:07:51 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 17, 2018, 01:49:44 PM
Just checked....St Joe's did not get ranked last year until the final, final wee #4 ranking, and then only came in at #11 with record of 18-0-1.  Will be interesting to see if they get any break based on reputation now or maybe their SoS is higher this year.  If for some reason needed a Pool C they will hope Bowdoin gets ranked by the end and/or Endicott/Gordon.

If St. Joe's takes care of business in the GNAC (and they should), then they have nothing to worry about.  If they falter in the GNAC conference, then they're at risk of not getting a Pool C, so they can't take anything for granted. I'm not sure if their reputation will be enough to overcome a crappy SOS.

Let's hope this does not become an issue.  Is there anyone out there who does not believe they should be in the Tournament? They did beat Gordon, Endicott and Bowdoin all on the road. And their convincing road win at Norwich last week was impressive as well.

As for the top of the initial rankings I think Tufts will be 1 and Conn 2. The computer models have Tufts with a very slim SOS margin over Conn (Keene St.'s winning streak has likely helped the Jumbos) and Tufts draw's were on the road vs. Conn whose draw's were at home.  At this point I don't think it really matters.  Both teams have big games ahead plus the conference tournament.

Totally agree about St Joe's and that's why IMO the cmtes should have some leeway or at least one pick that is a wildcard for situations like this.  It's not unheard of, though.  2-3 years ago Kenyon was ranked like #3 in the country and like 16-0-1 and they were only getting like the very last Great Lakes slot because of SoS.

St Joes should get the AQ but I agree with Mr.Right that in these tournaments all kinds of fluky things can happen.

P.S.  The past couple of years I think there were times when Calvin was ranked #1 in the country but came in regionally ranked in Central around #4 or #5, all because of SoS.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 17, 2018, 02:49:48 PM
St. Joe's is listed as 11 of 12 in the regional rankings.  The NCAA page still says "Through Games NOV. 7, 2017" but they are this year's records listed.

https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/soccer-men/d3/regional-rankings

And that's with a SOS of .513 which is higher than anything they had in 2017.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 17, 2018, 02:51:34 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 17, 2018, 02:49:48 PM
St. Joe's is listed as 11 of 12 in the regional rankings.  The NCAA page still says "Through Games NOV. 7, 2017" but they are this year's records listed.

https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/soccer-men/d3/regional-rankings

Correct....just saw it....just misdated.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Bobcat1 on October 17, 2018, 03:00:00 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 17, 2018, 02:49:48 PM
St. Joe's is listed as 11 of 12 in the regional rankings.  The NCAA page still says "Through Games NOV. 7, 2017" but they are this year's records listed.

https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/soccer-men/d3/regional-rankings

And that's with a SOS of .513 which is higher than anything they had in 2017.


Glad to see St. Joe's ranked.  They should jump next week.  I was wrong on Tufts/Conn, pretty much a coin flip though.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 17, 2018, 03:03:39 PM
Yea those Week 1 rankings are a bit crazy...Week 2 should be much different...Endicott and RWU are VERY high...Brandeis has a lifeline still and Williams/Bowdoin/Midd have work to do
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Christan Shirk on October 17, 2018, 04:01:39 PM
NEW ENGLAND REGION - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - October 17, 2018

Rank

School
. Div. III .
Record
. Div. III .
SOS

 . R-v-R .
. Overall .
Record
. Prev. .
Rank
1.
Connecticut College
10-0-2
0.623
--
10-0-2
--
2.
Tufts
11-0-2
0.602
--
11-0-2
--
3.
Roger Williams
13-2-0
0.576
--
13-2-0
--
4.
Amherst
8-3-1
0.623
--
8-3-1
--
5.
Endicott
8-4-2
0.620
--
8-4-2
--
6.
Springfield
10-3-0
0.550
--
10-3-0
--
7.
Middlebury
7-2-3
0.565
--
7-2-3
--
8.
Babson
7-2-4
0.568
--
7-2-4
--
9.
Brandeis
7-5-1
0.650
--
7-5-1
--
10.
Williams
7-3-2
0.549
--
7-3-2
--
11.
St. Joseph's (Maine)
14-0-0
0.513
--
14-0-0
--
12.
Hamilton
7-5-1
0.586
--
7-5-1
--
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on October 17, 2018, 04:03:05 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 17, 2018, 03:03:39 PM
Yea those Week 1 rankings are a bit crazy...Week 2 should be much different...Endicott and RWU are VERY high...Brandeis has a lifeline still and Williams/Bowdoin/Midd have work to do

Brandeis with a 4-3-1 RVR. Not too shabby with upcoming ranked match ups v. Amherst and Chicago. Would be good for them if either Wash U and/or NYU could make the rankings and Brandeis can pull off a result v. those sides.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 17, 2018, 04:05:19 PM
Endicott's SoS much better than last year IIRC. Think Conn.'s superior SoS put them over Tufts, but they appear to be the clear 1-2 in NE. Surprised that Babson's SoS is so low, although a 7-2-4 record is solid.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 17, 2018, 04:14:26 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on October 17, 2018, 04:03:05 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 17, 2018, 03:03:39 PM
Yea those Week 1 rankings are a bit crazy...Week 2 should be much different...Endicott and RWU are VERY high...Brandeis has a lifeline still and Williams/Bowdoin/Midd have work to do

Brandeis with a 4-3-1 RVR. Not too shabby with upcoming ranked match ups v. Amherst and Chicago. Would be good for them if either Wash U and/or NYU could make the rankings and Brandeis can pull off a result v. those sides.

NYU is ranked.  #3 in the East.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on October 17, 2018, 04:36:18 PM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on October 17, 2018, 04:14:26 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on October 17, 2018, 04:03:05 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 17, 2018, 03:03:39 PM
Yea those Week 1 rankings are a bit crazy...Week 2 should be much different...Endicott and RWU are VERY high...Brandeis has a lifeline still and Williams/Bowdoin/Midd have work to do

Brandeis with a 4-3-1 RVR. Not too shabby with upcoming ranked match ups v. Amherst and Chicago. Would be good for them if either Wash U and/or NYU could make the rankings and Brandeis can pull off a result v. those sides.

NYU is ranked.  #3 in the East.

Whoops - Brandeis with a 4-3-1 RVR. Not too shabby with upcoming ranked match ups v. Amherst, Chicago, and NYU. Would be good for them if WashU could make the rankings and Brandeis can pull off a result v. them.

Assuming the rankings all remain the same (they won't, but for purposes of this hypothetical), If Brandeis can go 2-1 in those ranked match-ups that would put them at 6-4-1, which, combined with their SOS should put them on the right side of the bubble for a pool C birth.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Flying Weasel on October 17, 2018, 04:52:34 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on October 17, 2018, 04:36:18 PM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on October 17, 2018, 04:14:26 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on October 17, 2018, 04:03:05 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 17, 2018, 03:03:39 PM
Yea those Week 1 rankings are a bit crazy...Week 2 should be much different...Endicott and RWU are VERY high...Brandeis has a lifeline still and Williams/Bowdoin/Midd have work to do

Brandeis with a 4-3-1 RVR. Not too shabby with upcoming ranked match ups v. Amherst and Chicago. Would be good for them if either Wash U and/or NYU could make the rankings and Brandeis can pull off a result v. those sides.

NYU is ranked.  #3 in the East.

Whoops - Brandeis with a 4-3-1 RVR. Not too shabby with upcoming ranked match ups v. Amherst, Chicago, and NYU. Would be good for them if WashU could make the rankings and Brandeis can pull off a result v. them.

Assuming the rankings all remain the same (they won't, but for purposes of this hypothetical), If Brandeis can go 2-1 in those ranked match-ups that would put them at 6-4-1, which, combined with their SOS should put them on the right side of the bubble for a pool C birth.

Last year, Capital got in with 7 losses because they had a high SOS, played over 10 ranked opponents and had 4 wins and 2 ties against those ranked opponents.  To be exact, Capital was 12-7-2 with 0.606 SOS and 4-5-2 RvR.  So depending on the competition for at-large berths this year, it's certainly possible for Brandeis to get in just as Capital did.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 17, 2018, 04:55:55 PM
Ya but Capital's competition was weak..I mean we could not find 3 teams to fill the last 3 Pool C's when we were all looking at it...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 17, 2018, 04:58:16 PM
How is Babson hosting a night game tonight?  Please do not tell me on that crap Field Hockey turf
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 17, 2018, 06:20:20 PM
Yea whoever commented on Babson's weak SOS I have to agree. After taking a look at the worksheet I now see why teams are ranked where they are. Williams has a .549 SOS barely above Bates and Bowdoin and well below everyone else in Nescac. The one year where they have a chance under Sullivan to possibly make the NCAA's their SOS is going to absolutely kill them. I mean Trinity has a .629 even Colby is at .586 and I do not EVER remember a year when Midd had a higher SOS than Williams. Just ridiculous as Sullivan picked up Coast Guard and Curry and now might pay a price. Babson and Williams usually had some of the highest SOS #'s in New England for years as Anderson has definitely gone soft on his schedule the past few years. I mean he has New England College, Lesley, Mitchell plus league foes Emerson and Coast Guard.

I also see why the Little East has no shot at getting a team ranked. There top 3 teams ECONN, WCONN and Keene St are hovering around .500 which is a bit shocking as WCONN plays Vassar, Union, Ramapo and ECONN used to schedule anyone anywhere.

Endicott and RWU are legitimately ranked as they have high SOS and if Endicott can defeat UR this weekend they are well on their way to a Pool C.

Brandeis at 7-5-1 has a .650 SOS with some serious ranked Wins. They have 5 games left including tonight and 4/5 are against Ranked opponents so maybe Margolis schedule will save him. I will say that they have an opportunity to do this but they need to buckle down as they have Clark tonight and cannot afford a slip up then Amherst Monday who will be looking for a ranked Win, at Chicago Friday and at Wash U Sunday then at NYU the following Saturday.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 17, 2018, 06:56:36 PM
One big question now for Margolis....Who will be in net?  Does he go back to the veteran Irwin who looked shaky v UR but is battle tested especially against the top teams coming up in the schedule or does he ride it out with the untested Cohen?

Just looked...Cohen in net tonight
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 17, 2018, 08:59:02 PM
Brandeis all of a sudden has a serious issue in net....For the 2nd game in their last 3 a complete bonehead play this time by Cohen gives Clark an equalizer with about 5 minutes left. Cohen inexplicably comes charging out of his net outside the box to go for a loose ball that his defender should of cleared but instead both Cohen and the defender miss the ball on a big bounce and a Clark striker gets a foot to it and hits a looper into the net....Crazy stuff...Actually Clark has been better than I expected but should not have scored even the 1st Goal. The 1st goal was a defensive mistake by I think Walter who gave the Clark attacking player WAY to much space and then when he decided to finally go into tackle he was to late as by that time the Clark player hit a nice shot into the net that went whizzing by Cohen. Maybe Cohen was to far off his line but that was a tough shot...Let's see if Brandeis can win this game in OT..
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on October 17, 2018, 10:40:43 PM
I am a bit surprised at the CCC teams being ranked so high.... I don't believe Roger is as good as their record indicates, and Endicott (while being extremely hot over the last month) probably should be around 8/9/10. I guess Calabrese did well setting up this schedule, and was smart to schedule two games at the end of his season to possibly help the Gulls establish an at-large if they can't win the CCC. In Springfield on saturday will be interesting and so will Rochester ( which is a bizarre midweek game for them on a long trip) next Tuesday in Beverly.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2018, 09:23:17 AM
Watched the last 30 mins or so of the Brandeis-Clark game.

The first goal could have been dealt with better, but I will give the Clark guy the benefit of the doubt as it was a nice shot to the far corner. The whole situation for the second goal, however, seemed wholly avoidable — it looked like Walter was getting ready to play the ball back to Cohen until Cohen came flying out of his net (outside the box), whiffed on the clearance, and the Clark player had an empty net in which to finish. My initial thought was "did he not see his defender had the situation under control?" You could say that Walter could have sent it back to Cohen quicker, but perhaps he had second thoughts after watching Irwin (the Judges' other 'keeper) pass the ball straight to the UR player last Friday which resulted in UR's winner.

Either way, it's stunning that the Judges have had so many blemishes (Gordon/WPI/Tufts/Rochester/Clark) where defensive mistakes have cost them results. You could understand if it was one or two occasions, but that it's been so many makes you think it's a systemic issue. Having DePietto out has hurt them, and while I think Irwin has been the better 'keeper of the two thus far (Cohen did get the W over Emory on Sunday) it's obvious that he is not infallible, either.

The one positive for the Judges: Clark is not likely to be ranked, although that could change (the Cougars are now 10-3-2).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2018, 11:30:11 AM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 18, 2018, 09:23:17 AM
Watched the last 30 mins or so of the Brandeis-Clark game.

The first goal could have been dealt with better, but I will give the Clark guy the benefit of the doubt as it was a nice shot to the far corner. The whole situation for the second goal, however, seemed wholly avoidable — it looked like Walter was getting ready to play the ball back to Cohen until Cohen came flying out of his net (outside the box), whiffed on the clearance, and the Clark player had an empty net in which to finish. My initial thought was "did he not see his defender had the situation under control?" You could say that Walter could have sent it back to Cohen quicker, but perhaps he had second thoughts after watching Irwin (the Judges' other 'keeper) pass the ball straight to the UR player last Friday which resulted in UR's winner.

Either way, it's stunning that the Judges have had so many blemishes (Gordon/WPI/Tufts/Rochester/Clark) where defensive mistakes have cost them results. You could understand if it was one or two occasions, but that it's been so many makes you think it's a systemic issue. Having DePietto out has hurt them, and while I think Irwin has been the better 'keeper of the two thus far (Cohen did get the W over Emory on Sunday) it's obvious that he is not infallible, either.

The one positive for the Judges: Clark is not likely to be ranked, although that could change (the Cougars are now 10-3-2).


That Draw really does not hurt Brandeis even if Clark gets ranked IMO. However, you are correct about all the mistakes by the backline. I think Brandeis has 2 issues right now

1. GK-----Both GK'ers have cost Brandeis games this year but after last night I would go with Irwin the rest of the way. He makes some really solid saves throughout a game but I was a bit shocked especially against UR how shaky he was with crosses and long throws. His timing looked a bit off in that game but IMO he is the more experienced GK and should be given the benefit of the doubt. Both GK'ers are Juniors so they will be back next year and Margolis has 2 other GK'ers on the roster who have not seen the field. If those other GK'ers cannot get on the field throughout all these GK debacles then he must not have much confidence in them to begin with unless they are injured. My point is I am really hoping he is bringing in a solid GK for 2019 even with 4 GK'ers on the roster.

2. Lack of physical players------Basically out of nowhere Brandeis has become a "soft" team especially in midfield. Obviously, we all new the loss of Hernandez etc would hurt but I had no idea Brandeis would look so unwilling to stick and body up. Their backline is not so bad but in midfield they are all skill(which is fine) but there is no physical presence holding in front of the back 4. Teams are finding all kinds of ways to get thru and create chances that they would not have even had a chance the past 4-5 years. Margolis might need to make a change. I doubt he will do it this late but Alex Walter who is a physically tough, athletic kid and a solid CB BUT he does make some careless mental mistakes on the backline that need to be cleaned up. I would maybe move Walter into midfield as a holder. Margolis has tons of kids that have athleticism and speed that could be tried at CB. It really is to late in the season to break up your backline BUT with Amherst coming into town on Monday they will have their way physically if some changes are not made. Also, up top no one is willing to really bust and get physical with opponents defenders like say a Zach Viera or even Flahive. Nardizzi is a skilled player but I am shocked he was starting D1 because he is not a tough kid. I guess to summarize Brandeis spine from GK to striker needs to get much more physical if they are going to be successful the next 2 weeks.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on October 18, 2018, 11:55:56 AM
Regarding your 2nd point, I couldn't have said it better, Mr. Right.

I think part of the reason for the lack of physicality is the type of players that Gabe recruits. Gabe has always had a soft spot (no pun intended) for the smaller, creative players. Players that remind him of himself (Gabe lead Wheaton to a final 4 appearance as a 5'6 150lb midfielder). Obviously, he is recruiting to put his team in the best position to succeed, but I suspect his bias towards the smaller, craftier players leads to him overlooking some of the more physical, less talented individuals. Coven was the opposite - he valued physicality and size a lot, and I suspect the Flahive and Hernandez types you allude to above were remnants of Coven's recruiting and predilections.

Gabe is a smart guy, and a great coach. I know he is seeing the deficiencies that what we are, so hopefully that leads to an adjustment in his recruiting principles.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 18, 2018, 12:20:50 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on October 18, 2018, 11:55:56 AM
Regarding your 2nd point, I couldn't have said it better, Mr. Right.

I think part of the reason for the lack of physicality is the type of players that Gabe recruits. Gabe has always had a soft spot (no pun intended) for the smaller, creative players. Players that remind him of himself (Gabe lead Wheaton to a final 4 appearance as a 5'6 150lb midfielder). Obviously, he is recruiting to put his team in the best position to succeed, but I suspect his bias towards the smaller, craftier players leads to him overlooking some of the more physical, less talented individuals. Coven was the opposite - he valued physicality and size a lot, and I suspect the Flahive and Hernandez types you allude to above were remnants of Coven's recruiting and predilections.

Gabe is a smart guy, and a great coach. I know he is seeing the deficiencies that what we are, so hopefully that leads to an adjustment in his recruiting principles.

The irony of this is that, after losing three times in a row to NESCACs in 2012 and 2013, Brandeis started having success against NESCACs and other physical sides because of players like Hernandez/Flahive/Ocel/etc. who started in the 2014-15 season. That in mind, you'd think that — given their previous struggles in those games — they would have realized that (given the newfound success in those games) players like that are necessary.

I have previously opined that the midfield looks a bit light and lacks a destroyer. I do like Panson as a player but I think he needs to get stuck in more. He seems a bit hesitant to go into challenges. He is just a freshman so perhaps still adjusting but I think he could put himself about more. Regardless, there is very clearly an arms race occurring, and given the parity even at the top of D3 soccer (there's no team like Barcelona 09-11 who is tiny but that much better than everyone else) physicality can win the day more often than not.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2018, 12:23:03 PM
Agreed....+k...recruiting plays a huge part in all this and you are correct as it seems Brandeis has a ton of the same type of skilled players but not really tough kids so as long as he starts mixing it up a bit in the future Brandeis will return to its dominant ways. The only thing that surprises me about this at least in regards to recruiting is that Brandeis went thru all this before in 2010/2011/2012 when they realized they needed to get more physical to match up with Nescac teams. They changed and started bringin in a mix of kids SO I would have thought the lesson had already been learned but IDK maybe Margolis misjudged the # of players on his returning roster that were tough kids....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: paclassic89 on October 19, 2018, 01:20:04 AM
Top 15 regional ranking if the committee used an RPI system

NEW-ENGLAND REGION (PACLASSIC89 RPI) RANKINGS
Rank  School                RPI
1       Conn College       .697   
2       Tufts                   .682
3       Roger Williams     .649
4       Amherst              .644
5       St. Joseph's         .635
6       Brandeis              .632
7       Endicott               .626
8       Salve Regina        .610
9       Springfield           .605
10     Middlebury          .601
11     Babson                .599
12     Eastern Conn St.  .593
13     Gordon                .593
14     Hamilton              .584
15     Williams               .579
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 19, 2018, 04:13:12 PM
Quote from: paclassic89 on October 19, 2018, 01:20:04 AM
Top 15 regional ranking if the committee used an RPI system

NEW-ENGLAND REGION (PACLASSIC89 RPI) RANKINGS
Rank  School                RPI
1       Conn College       .697   
2       Tufts                   .682
3       Roger Williams     .649
4       Amherst              .644
5       St. Joseph's         .635
6       Brandeis              .632
7       Endicott               .626
8       Salve Regina        .610
9       Springfield           .605
10     Middlebury          .601
11     Babson                .599
12     Eastern Conn St.  .593
13     Gordon                .593
14     Hamilton              .584
15     Williams               .579


NIce....appreciate it...+k
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 20, 2018, 12:58:22 PM
Endicott and Rochester 0-0 at the Half. This would be a massive result if Endicott could sneak a Goal but even a Draw with Endicott's SOS which will certainly rise after this game would be a solid result as well. Endicott GK Jack Bacon has not been playing the past few games as he last played the 1st Half at Wentworth and am curious if he got injured or if Calabrese sacked him after giving up a possibly a soft goal to Wentworth. Probably the latter since he came out at halftime and has not played since.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 21, 2018, 09:38:06 AM
So much for my concerns about St. Joe's offense.  13-0 vs. Lasell, admittedly not a very good team.  The last 3 games have been 10-0, 4-0, and 13-0.

I've heard Coach Dubois is getting fed up with the rankings committee, as no matter how many games St. Joe's wins, their low SOS means a lower ranking.  Maybe these offense onslaughts are a pointed dig at the rankings committee.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 21, 2018, 10:37:01 AM
Quote from: OldNed on October 21, 2018, 09:38:06 AM
So much for my concerns about St. Joe's offense.  13-0 vs. Lasell, admittedly not a very good team.  The last 3 games have been 10-0, 4-0, and 13-0.

I've heard Coach Dubois is getting fed up with the rankings committee, as no matter how many games St. Joe's wins, their low SOS means a lower ranking.  Maybe these offense onslaughts are a pointed dig at the rankings committee.

Yes, running up the score against really bad teams is always impressive.  And getting goals from starters late in the game with a 10 goal lead is a lot more fun than actually scheduling better competition.  I'm sure the committee will be inspired to reward this.  Kudos to Coach Dubois.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 21, 2018, 01:01:58 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 21, 2018, 10:37:01 AM
Quote from: OldNed on October 21, 2018, 09:38:06 AM
So much for my concerns about St. Joe's offense.  13-0 vs. Lasell, admittedly not a very good team.  The last 3 games have been 10-0, 4-0, and 13-0.

I've heard Coach Dubois is getting fed up with the rankings committee, as no matter how many games St. Joe's wins, their low SOS means a lower ranking.  Maybe these offense onslaughts are a pointed dig at the rankings committee.

Yes, running up the score against really bad teams is always impressive.  And getting goals from starters late in the game with a 10 goal lead is a lot more fun than actually scheduling better competition.  I'm sure the committee will be inspired to reward this.  Kudos to Coach Dubois.

So Dubois did exactly what the committee told him to do - he scheduled better teams this year.  Gordon, Endicott, Bowdoin, and Salem State (NCAA team last year and until a recent loss and a tie were leading their conference this year).  How much good has that done? Not much at all, in my opinion, if you go by the first NCAA regional rankings.

I suppose he could replace all non-conference games with better teams, but that would only be 2 additional games (Husson and Southern Maine), and those are old local rivalries that perhaps St. Joe's doesn't want to do away with completely.  The real killer to the SOS is the weak GNAC and there's not a bloody thing that Dubois can do about that. 

As for your comment about goals from starters late in the game, that just isn't true.  The last goal scored by a starter was at the 62:08 mark.  I get your point about not piling on, and I actually agree with that.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 21, 2018, 02:04:39 PM
Have to agree with Ned here. Aside from moving to a different conference there really isn't a whole lot more that Dubois can do — although I do think his scheduling this year has helped SJC into the USC top 25 for most of this year (versus last year when they were ranked 25 in the final but not in any others IIRC) even if not having the impact in the NCAA RRs like he'd hope for. I can understand his frustration.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 21, 2018, 05:54:33 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 21, 2018, 02:04:39 PM
Have to agree with Ned here. Aside from moving to a different conference there really isn't a whole lot more that Dubois can do — although I do think his scheduling this year has helped SJC into the USC top 25 for most of this year (versus last year when they were ranked 25 in the final but not in any others IIRC) even if not having the impact in the NCAA RRs like he'd hope for. I can understand his frustration.

I also understand the frustration.  I simply think that frustration is not sufficient justification for running up the score on hapless opponents as Ned suggests is the case with Dubois.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 21, 2018, 06:02:58 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 21, 2018, 05:54:33 PM
I also understand the frustration.  I simply think that frustration is not sufficient justification for running up the score on hapless opponents as Ned suggests is the case with Dubois.

Also don't disagree with that. Not a whole lot to be gained from a blowout.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 21, 2018, 06:21:46 PM
I've dusted off the old spreadsheet and have updated results through today's games.  Here is what it suggests the regional rankings for New England will be Wednesday:

1.   Tufts
2.   Conn
3.   Amherst
4.   St. Joes
5.   Babson
6.   Middlebury
7.   Brandeis
8.   Roger Williams
9.   Springfield
10. Bowdoin
11. Williams
12  Endicott

13. WPI
14. Gordon
15. EConnST
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 21, 2018, 07:05:35 PM
I shouldn't comment because I get frustrated every year by the rankings (and that's not counting the 2-3 years it took me to kind of understand them).  What I disagreed with in Ned's post is the idea of the coach running up the score to teach the cmte some kind of lesson (although perhaps that was jest).  I'm sure the coach knows how the rankings work so he has no reason to be "fed up,"  as the cmte doesn't do that much other than plug in the inputs that they are saddled with....in other words, these cmtes might wish they could place teams differently on occasion but can't.  The other thing is that the better schedule may indeed help with St Joe's ranking this coming week and thereafter because RvR comes in the picture.  Now there's no guarantee with that, as teams you thought might tend to get regionally ranked might not in a particular year or might not still be ranked for the critical final ranking (which is why some of us clamor for the "once ranked, always ranked" standard).  So St Joe's might end up with as many as 3 ranked wins, as Bowdoin no doubt will come in (but won't count for this coming week) and then Endicott and Gordon.  I don't see both of the latter ending up ranked, but St Joe's can hope that Endicott will remain.  AND, although not equivalent with what most think should be St. Joe's ranking, the Monks DID get ranked in the first week this year whereas last year they didn't crack the rankings at all until week 4.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 21, 2018, 07:48:31 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 21, 2018, 07:05:35 PM
I shouldn't comment because I get frustrated every year by the rankings (and that's not counting the 2-3 years it took me to kind of understand them).  What I disagreed with in Ned's post is the idea of the coach running up the score to teach the cmte some kind of lesson (although perhaps that was jest).  I'm sure the coach knows how the rankings work so he has no reason to be "fed up,"  as the cmte doesn't do that much other than plug in the inputs that they are saddled with....in other words, these cmtes might wish they could place teams differently on occasion but can't.  The other thing is that the better schedule may indeed help with St Joe's ranking this coming week and thereafter because RvR comes in the picture.  Now there's no guarantee with that, as teams you thought might tend to get regionally ranked might not in a particular year or might not still be ranked for the critical final ranking (which is why some of us clamor for the "once ranked, always ranked" standard).  So St Joe's might end up with as many as 3 ranked wins, as Bowdoin no doubt will come in (but won't count for this coming week) and then Endicott and Gordon.  I don't see both of the latter ending up ranked, but St Joe's can hope that Endicott will remain.  AND, although not equivalent with what most think should be St. Joe's ranking, the Monks DID get ranked in the first week this year whereas last year they didn't crack the rankings at all until week 4.

Let me be clear - I have no knowledge that Coach Dubois purposefully ran up the score on Lasell.  Any insinuation thereof on my part is complete and total speculation.  I should have worded things differently, or perhaps not mentioned anything along these lines whatsoever, and for that I apologize.

The only thing I know to be true is that Coach Dubois has been frustrated with the way the ranking committee ranks his team.  End of comment.

And thank you, PaulNewman, for being the voice of reason here regarding this subject.  You're absolutely right that St. Joe's didn't get ranked last year until the very end of the rankings, so perhaps the schedule this year actually HAS had an effect on the ranking committee.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Christan Shirk on October 22, 2018, 12:13:17 AM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 21, 2018, 07:05:35 PMI'm sure the coach knows how the rankings work . . .

Not specific to St. Joseph's coach, but merely in general, I would not assume all coaches do fully understand how the rankings/at-large selections work.  Over the years, D3soccer.com has received a number of e-mails from coaches or assistants either questioning or asking something about the regional rankings/at-large selections or commenting that the information on the website was helpful for understanding the process and having realistic expectations.  And not just from coaches of little-known, small-time programs.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 09:39:41 AM
Quote from: Christan Shirk on October 22, 2018, 12:13:17 AM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 21, 2018, 07:05:35 PMI'm sure the coach knows how the rankings work . . .

Not specific to St. Joseph's coach, but merely in general, I would not assume all coaches do fully understand how the rankings/at-large selections work.  Over the years, D3soccer.com has received a number of e-mails from coaches or assistants either questioning or asking something about the regional rankings/at-large selections or commenting that the information on the website was helpful for understanding the process and having realistic expectations.  And not just from coaches of little-known, small-time programs.

Good information to know.  I just wanted to underscore the point that the cmtes of each region must follow strict guidelines and don't necessarily have any wiggle room to treat any one team more favorably or more unfavorably, and that the outcomes yielded might even conflict with what they would hope the outcomes would be.  The St Joe's story is a great story...probably THE story of the year in D3 soccer so far along with Nick West....but in terms of these rankings their situation is not unique.  Just in the last couple of years Calvin has been ranked #1 or #2 in the country with records like 16-0 or 17-1 and has found itself ranked 4th or 5th out of 6 spots in the Central region.  And the feeling of "getting screwed" makes perfectly good sense and is not unfamiliar to me personally as a fan, as a very similar dynamic has happened with Kenyon a couple of times in recent years due to SoS.  One final point....there are benefits as well as downsides to being a very strong team in a weak conference, and we can probably all agree that St. Joe's incredible record over the past couple of years has been aided by their conference.  That said, this team has proven that it is formidable -- full stop --  and I will be rooting for them to make the Final Four which would truly be a great story.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 02:39:27 PM
I will be waiting AGAIN this week to see how the committee ranks Amherst...This to me is of great interest. Amherst had a high SOS at .623 the 1st week and were ranked 4th. This week I expect that SOS to go down after playing Wesleyan at 3-10-0. Nest week even further after Brandeis at 7-5-2 and Trinity at 2-13-0 and who knows who they will play Saturday. I still do not see more than 1 Ranked team that they have beaten(Bowdoin) and they are 9-3-1. If they are still ranked 4th that is a total travesty. Now next week that SOS should be down into the .575 range and they will have the Brandeis game and Saturday 1st Round Nescac game on their resume. So tonight's game with Brandeis is HUGE. However, if they beat Brandeis and Brandeis falls to 7-6-2 and then loses to Wash U and even Chicago on the weekend they will not stay ranked either. POINT-----Amherst should not be anywhere NEAR the Top 5 in this week's poll IMO and if they happen to lose a Nescac Quarter Final and say Draw Brandeis tonight they should not be near the Top 8 next week or get a Pool C. Now Justin is the New England Chair so this will be interesting to follow. Of course if they go clean right into the Nescac Semi's then I could possibly see how they would get a Pool C but IMO they still have work to do if this whole process os to be considered legitimate.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 03:03:59 PM
Amherst should be 1-3-1 on RvR for this week's ranking, with the W being Hamilton, not Bowdoin.  Bowdoin should count the following week.  If one wanted to be suspicious one could question Hamilton sneaking into the last spot but that only benefits Amherst ultimately if Hamilton is ranked at the end.

Of course if Hamilton hadn't been ranked then Bowdoin probably was next in line.

Amherst would do itself a huge favor by knocking off Brandeis (although the Judges could slip out of the rankings) and winning a QF game preferaby versus a ranked team like Midd, Bowdoin or Williams.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 03:30:35 PM
Fine....Hamilton or Bowdoin same deal still 1-3-1 RvR with so many teams around the country let alone in new England with more than 1 Win v Ranked. How can 1-3-1 and say a .605 SOS this week be in the Top 5 in New England on Wednesday? I am just not seeing it especially with teams like Babson / Bowdoin / Midd  etc that will have better RvR and possibly SOS...Now personally Endicott is also not deserving as yes Calabrese played some tough tough teams but the loss to UR on Saturday and without looking I am guessing they also will have only 1 Ranked Win over RWU. I am expecting them at 8-5-2 to drop down to 9th or worse. Again, it is great they are playing all these great teams and have a real high SOS but you have to Win some of them to be considered IMO
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 03:37:31 PM
Once you get past Tufts, Conn and the enigmatic St. Joe's there's a log-jam of teams that look pretty much even (all the other NESCACs, Babson, maybe Springfield), unless one highly values RWU and/or Salve.  I would probably pick Bowdoin as the next best team after those first 3, and they weren't even ranked a week ago.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 07:28:01 PM
Beautiful.....Brandeis v Amherst game being streamed behind the benches....Should be fantastic viewing....

Irwin back in net for Deis

Amherst striker McMillan out of lineup again and back is German Giamattei...Derby also back inlineup
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 07:30:14 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 07:28:01 PM
Beautiful.....Brandeis v Amherst game being streamed behind the benches....Should be fantastic viewing....

;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 07:31:03 PM
OK, I have to admit, that was one of the most obnoxious things I've seen.  I think I'll cheer for Brandeis.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 07:32:31 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 07:31:03 PM
OK, I have to admit, that was one of the most obnoxious things I've seen.  I think I'll cheer for Brandeis.

That is choirboy stuff...just wait until we get a good listen to Amherst bench all game
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 07:40:28 PM
Which one is Serpone?  They look like twins....and one of them looks like he's on meth.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 07:41:10 PM
Heard more about "Bernie" in 2 minutes than 2016.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/794596124686487552/kqpbolIc_400x400.jpg)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 07:44:16 PM
Dare I call them "Bernie Bros"?  ;D
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 07:45:59 PM
Serpone purple sweatshirt...Derek Shea is the other one and btw is a Principal in some school district...god help those kids
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 07:48:13 PM
Don't think I can listen to this for 90 minutes. I'd even rather listen to the Tufts mother's bird call.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 07:48:27 PM
Can someone wake Brandeis UP???  They were not ready to play this game at all....No focus..No leadership...Plenty of time left but they need to get one back this half and keep them off the board
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 07:49:06 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 07:48:27 PM
Can someone wake Brandeis UP???  They were not ready to play this game at all....No focus..No leadership...Plenty of time left but they need to get one back this half and keep them off the board

There's been an alarming lack of focus at times. First 2 minutes of the Tufts game, same thing.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 07:50:47 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 07:45:59 PM
Serpone purple sweatshirt...Derek Shea is the other one and btw is a Principal in some school district...god help those kids

So Shea is the calmer one....holding the little book?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 07:52:32 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 07:50:47 PM
So Shea is the calmer one....holding the little book?

"Calmer" is relative.

As for the Judges, it's hard enough to play against Amherst even when you don't gift-wrap them two goals in the first 15 minutes.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 07:55:10 PM
An Amherst player backed into the Judges' dugout to give a throw. At first I thought it was Johnson using the space to do a flip and I said out loud "oh you gotta be joking" but it was #15 (not Johnson) doing a normal throw. Still, thought it was odd he needed all that room.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 07:55:28 PM
Brandeis bench politely steps back so another Amherst long thrower #15 Shahmirzadi can launch a long throw into their box....DONT GIVE HIM THAT LUXURY......
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 07:56:37 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 07:52:32 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 07:50:47 PM
So Shea is the calmer one....holding the little book?

"Calmer" is relative.

As for the Judges, it's hard enough to play against Amherst even when you don't gift-wrap them two goals in the first 15 minutes.

Right....but still the maniac who's not on meth....or maybe just a lower dose?

Brandeis did not appear ready tonight.  Amherst came out like it was the Alabama-Auburn game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 07:58:27 PM
"What does no mean?!" - Philosophy with Justin
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 08:02:48 PM
Brandeis MUST settle down and play their game....quick passing on the carpet..Amherst is not that good but if you let them dictate play they will destroy you. Braneis keeps rushing and hitting long balls and not winning very many of them...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 08:03:55 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 07:56:37 PM
Brandeis did not appear ready tonight.  Amherst came out like it was the Alabama-Auburn game.

Question is will the finish be like that (https://www.facebook.com/deadspin/videos/10159717525895072/)? (Also a timely reminder that early voting started in MA today). #DougJones
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 08:10:14 PM
Now Brandeis playing much better....offsides negated that goal and it looked close but Brandeis controlling possession..now they need to find one
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 08:19:04 PM
Evan Glass showing well tonight...Panson to soft for this game.....NPL's brother shows his only true addition to the team...dirty plays...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on October 22, 2018, 08:22:47 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 07:31:03 PM
OK, I have to admit, that was one of the most obnoxious things I've seen.  I think I'll cheer for Brandeis.

What happened?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 08:29:07 PM
2-0 Amherst with the lead over Brandeis at the Half...First 15 minutes all Amherst and they converted 2 chances while Brandeis I think was still warming up..Did they know the whistle was blown to start the game? After the first 15-20 minutes Brandeis started to settle down and penetrate Amherst defense actually pretty well..Brandeis final pass and toughness up top were lacking but they had a couple good looks...They are still in this game BUT they have to work even harder especially up top and find a goal...Even if they could get to 2-1 with 10 minutes left they would have a chance...I think this would have been a really entertaining match any of the past 5 years but the more I watch this Brandeis side the more I see they are in the middle of a minor rebuild as they are just not quite as talented as the past 5-6 years. To many balls bouncing off guys up top where in years past they would have deft touch and to many guys rushing with the ball at their feet BUT they still are a dangerous side. They were just not ready to play an Amherst tonight.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 08:34:32 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 08:03:55 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 07:56:37 PM
Brandeis did not appear ready tonight.  Amherst came out like it was the Alabama-Auburn game.

Question is will the finish be like that (https://www.facebook.com/deadspin/videos/10159717525895072/)? (Also a timely reminder that early voting started in MA today). #DougJones


Ill never forget that game...That was 2013 I believe...great game...Ill also never forget Roy Moore riding his horse to go cast his vote....and his wife claiming to the press how dare they insinuate that her husband was am anti-Semite "I mean our lawyer is a Jew"......only in Alabama
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 08:43:04 PM
Amherst's Luke Nguyen limps off the field...NOT GOOD...that would be a HUGE loss
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 08:45:19 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on October 22, 2018, 08:22:47 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 07:31:03 PM
OK, I have to admit, that was one of the most obnoxious things I've seen.  I think I'll cheer for Brandeis.

What happened?

I can't describe as well as others....when both teams out on the field for intros and national anthem Amherst players started repeatedly taking turns running through their own line hooping and hollering....with at least one of the coaches halfway out on the field goading them on.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 08:55:26 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 08:29:07 PM
I think this would have been a really entertaining match any of the past 5 years but the more I watch this Brandeis side the more I see they are in the middle of a minor rebuild as they are just not quite as talented as the past 5-6 years. To many balls bouncing off guys up top where in years past they would have deft touch and to many guys rushing with the ball at their feet BUT they still are a dangerous side. They were just not ready to play an Amherst tonight.

Hate to say I agree. I think the first couple of years ('12/'13) Brandeis would have struggled with Amherst both in terms of talent and physicality. '14-'17 though I think this would have been an entertaining regular-season spectacle...both NCAA games were not great theater but were certainly competitive.

Amherst #7 with a blatant shove on Brandeis' Handler who threatened to break...didn't even try for the ball...Amherst bench still contested the call...ref has none of it and brandishes a yellow.

Serpone keeps referring to the ref as "Carlos."
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 08:59:50 PM
Panson needs to get stuck in more. He is of decent height and is a solid player but seems to shy away from sticking his nose into physical challenges. Again, still a freshman, but while experience takes time to acquire you can control how physical you are from the outset.

Miskin needs to be more physical, too. I am a bit surprised he doesn't use his physicality more.

You may not have a destroyer in Hernandez but you have to figure out how to have some physicality in there. Brandeis hasn't done that yet.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on October 22, 2018, 09:06:13 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 08:45:19 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan on October 22, 2018, 08:22:47 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 22, 2018, 07:31:03 PM
OK, I have to admit, that was one of the most obnoxious things I've seen.  I think I'll cheer for Brandeis.

What happened?

I can't describe as well as others....when both teams out on the field for intros and national anthem Amherst players started repeatedly taking turns running through their own line hooping and hollering....with at least one of the coaches halfway out on the field goading them on.

Classic. Scumbags. Bring on the negative Karma, per usual.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 09:08:36 PM
Did...did Amherst just play a triangle? On the ground?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan on October 22, 2018, 09:12:29 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 08:55:26 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 08:29:07 PM
I think this would have been a really entertaining match any of the past 5 years but the more I watch this Brandeis side the more I see they are in the middle of a minor rebuild as they are just not quite as talented as the past 5-6 years. To many balls bouncing off guys up top where in years past they would have deft touch and to many guys rushing with the ball at their feet BUT they still are a dangerous side. They were just not ready to play an Amherst tonight.

Hate to say I agree. I think the first couple of years ('12/'13) Brandeis would have struggled with Amherst both in terms of talent and physicality. '14-'17 though I think this would have been an entertaining regular-season spectacle...both NCAA games were not great theater but were certainly competitive.

Amherst #7 with a blatant shove on Brandeis' Handler who threatened to break...didn't even try for the ball...Amherst bench still contested the call...ref has none of it and brandishes a yellow.

Serpone keeps referring to the ref as "Carlos."

Agreed on all fronts. The lack of physicality we've (Blooter, Mr. Right, Paul) alluded to over the last couple weeks has really hurt Brandeis tonight. Amherst has been the better side, as frustrating as it is for me to admit that.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 09:14:08 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 08:59:50 PM
Panson needs to get stuck in more. He is of decent height and is a solid player but seems to shy away from sticking his nose into physical challenges. Again, still a freshman, but while experience takes time to acquire you can control how physical you are from the outset.

Miskin needs to be more physical, too. I am a bit surprised he doesn't use his physicality more.

You may not have a destroyer in Hernandez but you have to figure out how to have some physicality in there. Brandeis hasn't done that yet.


Its called heart....It is not an acquired talent...Panson is very skilled and will have to play out wide the rest of his career...Miskin is gone...Allen and Nardizzi are not the most physical either...Gans is also soft....Walter and Glass have courage...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 09:17:41 PM
Any chance Margolis returns to Amherst in 2019? Now he can sympathize with what every Nescac Coach deals with every year...


I think the ref is Carlos hernandez not sure though..if it is he lets them play...


Nardizzi with a ROCKET....2-1 10 minutes left
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 09:21:33 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 22, 2018, 09:14:08 PM
Walter and Glass have courage...

GLASS is one I'd like to see more of. Put him at holding mid -- IIRC that's where he played last year as the first guy off the bench. He is not the biggest but puts himself about and really gets after it.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2018, 09:36:34 PM
Nardizzi hit a banger but it's not enough for the Judges. Almost an identical game as Tufts -- visitors go 1-0 up in the 2nd minute, 2-0 up about 10 minutes later, Brandeis pulls one back second half but the early hole proves telling.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 23, 2018, 10:57:35 AM
What game has better chance for today's Upset Special?

Conn Coll at Wesleyan OR Salem State at St Joseph's (ME)..........
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 23, 2018, 11:32:37 AM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 23, 2018, 10:57:35 AM
What game has better chance for today's Upset Special?

Conn Coll at Wesleyan OR Salem State at St Joseph's (ME)..........

Salem State at St. Joe's, I think.  Salem State is 11-2-2, whereas Wesleyan is an abysmal 3-10.  The forecast is for rain tonight in Maine, so that could affect St. Joe's.  In the other game they played in the rain, St. Joe's beat Emmanuel 1-0, but it wasn't easy.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 23, 2018, 11:34:16 AM
Salem State over St.Joe's......Wesleyan is absolutely AWFUL and Conn is a pissed off team and playing for 2nd Place today as if they lose and Bowdoin wins they will fall to 3rd. Since Hamilton is definitely going to finish 7th and one of Williams/Midd will finish 6th it would behoove Conn to stay 2nd as Hamilton is a tough opponent but they have had real issues scoring goals all season. That is not to say Salem State has a great chance against St.Joe's but I would give them a better chance...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 23, 2018, 11:41:41 AM
I'm going to go with Wesleyan....last game of season...home game....they somehow played Haverford, Tufts, etc close, and they beat Bowdoin.  Of course they haven't scored in their last 7 or so NESCAC games except for Trinity.  And I don't see St Joe's blowing their perfect season, especially in final home game of regular season.

Actually just kind of bored waiting for the D3soccer poll for this week.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 23, 2018, 05:28:08 PM
RWU blowing a tire to finish the season here as they are down 2-0 to WNEC after losing to Wentworth Saturday....Salve Regina has not lost a game and barely RV in D3 Poll....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on October 23, 2018, 09:22:34 PM
Endicott over Springfield 2-1 in 2OT.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 23, 2018, 11:13:20 PM
Coach Anderson with win #400 as Babson beats Bridgewater St  3-1
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 24, 2018, 08:19:30 AM
Quote from: OldNed on October 23, 2018, 11:32:37 AM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 23, 2018, 10:57:35 AM
What game has better chance for today's Upset Special?

Conn Coll at Wesleyan OR Salem State at St Joseph's (ME)..........

Salem State at St. Joe's, I think.  Salem State is 11-2-2, whereas Wesleyan is an abysmal 3-10.  The forecast is for rain tonight in Maine, so that could affect St. Joe's.  In the other game they played in the rain, St. Joe's beat Emmanuel 1-0, but it wasn't easy.

OK, last night was a little too close for comfort for St. Joe's, winning 1-0 on a PK in the last 2 minutes.  First off, let me say that I was impressed with the way Salem State played.  They did pack it in and make it difficult for St. Joe's to score, but they played intelligently and were impressive defensively.  I didn't see a whole lot from Salem State offensively, but I understand their top goal scorer Meireles is an NC State commit who didn't have the grades to get in right away, so they do have some firepower.  The rain held off in Standish until the start of the second half, and that made the second half miserable for the players and spectators, as it was 45 degrees, pouring, and windy, too.

I've done some reffing in the past, so I'm usually sympathetic to the refs, but the crew last night had a bad night all around.  Missed calls on what should be easy-to-make out of bounds plays, non calls for a number of clear fouls, and they were bad all across the board, so both teams were affected by the refereeing. On the late PK call, I think the call was correct as one of the St. Joe's players was hauled down in the box, but that same kind of play was made throughout the game by Salem State on most corner kicks or free kicks into the box, so the Salem State players (I couldn't tell if the coaches were doing the same) went ballistic after the PK call was made.  I've never seen anything quite like it at the D3 level, with multiple f-bombs flying, and bunches of Salem State players belligerently surrounding the center ref, who to his credit ignored all of the language and bad behavior.  I have to admit I felt bad for the Salem State players simply because that type of call wasn't being made all night long until that point, and they were feeling like they could take the game to OT where anything could happen.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: stillwatching on October 24, 2018, 09:24:31 AM
Quote from: OldNed on October 24, 2018, 08:19:30 AM
Quote from: OldNed on October 23, 2018, 11:32:37 AM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 23, 2018, 10:57:35 AM
What game has better chance for today's Upset Special?

Conn Coll at Wesleyan OR Salem State at St Joseph's (ME)..........

Salem State at St. Joe's, I think.  Salem State is 11-2-2, whereas Wesleyan is an abysmal 3-10.  The forecast is for rain tonight in Maine, so that could affect St. Joe's.  In the other game they played in the rain, St. Joe's beat Emmanuel 1-0, but it wasn't easy.

OK, last night was a little too close for comfort for St. Joe's, winning 1-0 on a PK in the last 2 minutes.  First off, let me say that I was impressed with the way Salem State played.  They did pack it in and make it difficult for St. Joe's to score, but they played intelligently and were impressive defensively.  I didn't see a whole lot from Salem State offensively, but I understand their top goal scorer Meireles is an NC State commit who didn't have the grades to get in right away, so they do have some firepower.  The rain held off in Standish until the start of the second half, and that made the second half miserable for the players and spectators, as it was 45 degrees, pouring, and windy, too.

I've done some reffing in the past, so I'm usually sympathetic to the refs, but the crew last night had a bad night all around.  Missed calls on what should be easy-to-make out of bounds plays, non calls for a number of clear fouls, and they were bad all across the board, so both teams were affected by the refereeing. On the late PK call, I think the call was correct as one of the St. Joe's players was hauled down in the box, but that same kind of play was made throughout the game by Salem State on most corner kicks or free kicks into the box, so the Salem State players (I couldn't tell if the coaches were doing the same) went ballistic after the PK call was made.  I've never seen anything quite like it at the D3 level, with multiple f-bombs flying, and bunches of Salem State players belligerently surrounding the center ref, who to his credit ignored all of the language and bad behavior.  I have to admit I felt bad for the Salem State players simply because that type of call wasn't being made all night long until that point, and they were feeling like they could take the game to OT where anything could happen.

My son plays at another MASCAC school, and their game with Salem State was also VERY contentious.  Lots of extra curricular activities (to be fair on both sides), Salem players waiting in the parking lot, Salem parents egging them on, and verbally abusing our players who were just trying to get to their cars.  VERY strange all the way around.  The refs at our game had a hard time keeping things under control, and the game had very little flow.  I have to admit, I was definitely pulling for St. Joe's  :-)  last night. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 24, 2018, 09:38:49 AM
I watched most of the 2nd half of St. Joe's....loved the NCAA D3 scoreboard banner at the top...would have liked a camera angle a bit higher with better zoom.

St. Joe's was impressive and fully deserved to win as the game mostly looked like a controlled scrimmage for them.  Salem St was valiant and could have stolen the game on the one or two chance they had, and then they did lose their cool in a way reminiscent of UMass-Boston Haverford, although thankfully things did not appear to escalate to a really, really place.  All that said, and hard to tell because the video of the play was so far away, I thought that was a harsh PK call with under 2 minutes left off a set piece or corner or whatever it was.  It was not a typical kind of play for a PK call, and the players (rightly or wrongly) were indeed incensed.

I do hope the fate of St Joe's in the NCAA tourney is not determined by PKs.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 24, 2018, 09:50:19 AM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 24, 2018, 09:38:49 AM
Salem St was valiant and could have stolen the game on the one or two chance they had, and then they did lose their cool in a way reminiscent of UMass-Boston Haverford, although thankfully things did not appear to escalate to a really, really place.


As long as they didn't headbutt the referee or dropkick a ball at a player's head...

Half-joking...probably not the best scene for the U12 girls from Windham who were at the game to see.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 24, 2018, 09:56:16 AM
Quote from: stillwatching on October 24, 2018, 09:24:31 AM
Quote from: OldNed on October 24, 2018, 08:19:30 AM
Quote from: OldNed on October 23, 2018, 11:32:37 AM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 23, 2018, 10:57:35 AM
What game has better chance for today's Upset Special?

Conn Coll at Wesleyan OR Salem State at St Joseph's (ME)..........

Salem State at St. Joe's, I think.  Salem State is 11-2-2, whereas Wesleyan is an abysmal 3-10.  The forecast is for rain tonight in Maine, so that could affect St. Joe's.  In the other game they played in the rain, St. Joe's beat Emmanuel 1-0, but it wasn't easy.

OK, last night was a little too close for comfort for St. Joe's, winning 1-0 on a PK in the last 2 minutes.  First off, let me say that I was impressed with the way Salem State played.  They did pack it in and make it difficult for St. Joe's to score, but they played intelligently and were impressive defensively.  I didn't see a whole lot from Salem State offensively, but I understand their top goal scorer Meireles is an NC State commit who didn't have the grades to get in right away, so they do have some firepower.  The rain held off in Standish until the start of the second half, and that made the second half miserable for the players and spectators, as it was 45 degrees, pouring, and windy, too.

I've done some reffing in the past, so I'm usually sympathetic to the refs, but the crew last night had a bad night all around.  Missed calls on what should be easy-to-make out of bounds plays, non calls for a number of clear fouls, and they were bad all across the board, so both teams were affected by the refereeing. On the late PK call, I think the call was correct as one of the St. Joe's players was hauled down in the box, but that same kind of play was made throughout the game by Salem State on most corner kicks or free kicks into the box, so the Salem State players (I couldn't tell if the coaches were doing the same) went ballistic after the PK call was made.  I've never seen anything quite like it at the D3 level, with multiple f-bombs flying, and bunches of Salem State players belligerently surrounding the center ref, who to his credit ignored all of the language and bad behavior.  I have to admit I felt bad for the Salem State players simply because that type of call wasn't being made all night long until that point, and they were feeling like they could take the game to OT where anything could happen.

My son plays at another MASCAC school, and their game with Salem State was also VERY contentious.  Lots of extra curricular activities (to be fair on both sides), Salem players waiting in the parking lot, Salem parents egging them on, and verbally abusing our players who were just trying to get to their cars.  VERY strange all the way around.  The refs at our game had a hard time keeping things under control, and the game had very little flow.  I have to admit, I was definitely pulling for St. Joe's  :-)  last night.

That is some bad, bad stuff.  I hope those details were reported to the league.  Waiting in the parking lot?  That's how stuff happens that can ruin lives forever.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 24, 2018, 11:04:35 AM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 24, 2018, 09:38:49 AM
I watched most of the 2nd half of St. Joe's....loved the NCAA D3 scoreboard banner at the top...would have liked a camera angle a bit higher with better zoom.

St. Joe's was impressive and fully deserved to win as the game mostly looked like a controlled scrimmage for them.  Salem St was valiant and could have stolen the game on the one or two chance they had, and then they did lose their cool in a way reminiscent of UMass-Boston Haverford, although thankfully things did not appear to escalate to a really, really place.  All that said, and hard to tell because the video of the play was so far away, I thought that was a harsh PK call with under 2 minutes left off a set piece or corner or whatever it was.  It was not a typical kind of play for a PK call, and the players (rightly or wrongly) were indeed incensed.

I do hope the fate of St Joe's in the NCAA tourney is not determined by PKs.

I'm guessing the feed cut off once the game ended, but things were still a little contentious once time expired.  There was a lot of negative emotion from some of the Salem State players right after the game, but most of them calmed down after a couple of minutes.  I was actually very impressed with one of the Salem State players - as he was walking off the field ahead of a couple of his teammates, those teammates were still yelling and gesturing at the refs who were huddled around midfield discussing things, and this player turned around and basically yelled at his teammates to not be talking at all to the referees like they were.  Those players listened to him and subsided after that.

It crossed my mind that the Salem State bus was parked right next to the referee's cars and that the refs would have to pass right by the bus to leave.  I made a joke to another parent that we might need to escort the refs to their cars, but fortunately nothing like that was needed.

Regarding the PK call, I was surprised the ref made it at that time, and at first I thought he was calling the play to go against the St. Joe's player.  IMO, if the ref had made some earlier calls in similar situations (and there were some where St. Joe's got away with too much without a call), then perhaps things wouldn't have played out like they did.  It seemed a little bit to me like a yellow card to one player for persistent infringement, but rather in this instance it was the whole Salem State team was being charged with persistent infringement.   
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: stillwatching on October 24, 2018, 11:31:19 AM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 24, 2018, 09:56:16 AM


My son plays at another MASCAC school, and their game with Salem State was also VERY contentious.  Lots of extra curricular activities (to be fair on both sides), Salem players waiting in the parking lot, Salem parents egging them on, and verbally abusing our players who were just trying to get to their cars.  VERY strange all the way around.  The refs at our game had a hard time keeping things under control, and the game had very little flow.  I have to admit, I was definitely pulling for St. Joe's  :-)  last night.

That is some bad, bad stuff.  I hope those details were reported to the league.  Waiting in the parking lot?  That's how stuff happens that can ruin lives forever.
[/quote]

According to my son, our coach did report it to the league, and has asked if the two teams meet in the tournament, that they assign a VERY strong reffing crew to try and keep a lid on things. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Bobcat1 on October 24, 2018, 02:11:20 PM
Any thoughts on Regional Rankings being released in the next couple hours. Tufts and Conn top 2, but who is third? Amherst, Midd, St. Joe's?? Where do Babson and Brandies land? I expect Bowdoin will be ranked and Hamilton will fall off.  Certainly will be interesting.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 24, 2018, 02:29:43 PM
Here's my stab at it...

Tufts
Conn College
Amherst
Middlebury
Babson
Endicott
Roger Williams
St. Joe's
Springfield
WPI
Bowdoin
Salve Regina
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Bobcat1 on October 24, 2018, 02:45:47 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 24, 2018, 02:29:43 PM
Here's my stab at it...

Tufts
Conn College
Amherst
Middlebury
Babson
Endicott
Roger Williams
St. Joe's
Springfield
WPI
Bowdoin
Salve Regina

I hope St. Joe's is higher than 8th.  I know their SOS hurts them, but this week they will be 2-0-0 against ranked teams.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 24, 2018, 02:56:05 PM
Quote from: Bobcat1 on October 24, 2018, 02:45:47 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 24, 2018, 02:29:43 PM
Here's my stab at it...

Tufts
Conn College
Amherst
Middlebury
Babson
Endicott
Roger Williams
St. Joe's
Springfield
WPI
Bowdoin
Salve Regina

I hope St. Joe's is higher than 8th.  I know their SOS hurts them, but this week they will be 2-0-0 against ranked teams.

Not if you're counting Bowdoin, which will likely count next week.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 24, 2018, 03:04:16 PM
Well, the RRs are out, and SJC is 12th of 12. 🙃 I get the SoS but I would still have them much higher. Again, I can very much understand Dubois' frustration.

https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/soccer-men/d3/regional-rankings
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 24, 2018, 03:06:07 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 24, 2018, 03:04:16 PM
Well, the RRs are out, and SJC is 12th of 12. 🙃

https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/soccer-men/d3/regional-rankings

Yup - St. Joe's SOS is now .495 after being .513 last week.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Falconer on October 24, 2018, 03:07:43 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 24, 2018, 11:04:35 AM

Regarding the PK call, I was surprised the ref made it at that time, and at first I thought he was calling the play to go against the St. Joe's player.  IMO, if the ref had made some earlier calls in similar situations (and there were some where St. Joe's got away with too much without a call), then perhaps things wouldn't have played out like they did.  It seemed a little bit to me like a yellow card to one player for persistent infringement, but rather in this instance it was the whole Salem State team was being charged with persistent infringement.

This is the very reason why I make a fuss when I see officials simply ignoring hard, often intentional, fouling. IMO, the right approach is to card first, ask questions later, and very quickly the cheap shots and other over-the-top stuff stops. Better to err on that side, then to "let them play." Often one team, or both teams, will respond to "letting them play" with increasing levels of physicality that are simply outside the rules. That's when men get hurt--and, so do some teams' chances of winning games that they really haven't an honest right to win, simply b/c they are more strongly favored when rules aren't being enforced.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on October 24, 2018, 03:09:13 PM
These rankings don't include last nights results correct?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 24, 2018, 03:11:12 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan20 on October 24, 2018, 03:09:13 PM
These rankings don't include last nights results correct?

No. It says "through games Oct. 24th, 2018" but a quick look at Amherst/Brandeis/Bowdoin/Tufts records shows that neither Monday nor Tuesday games made it in there.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Bobcat1 on October 24, 2018, 03:13:37 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 24, 2018, 03:11:12 PM
Quote from: NEsoccerfan20 on October 24, 2018, 03:09:13 PM
These rankings don't include last nights results correct?

No. It says "through games Oct. 24th, 2018" but a quick look at Amherst/Brandeis/Bowdoin/Tufts records shows that neither Monday nor Tuesday games made it in there.

Its now changed to games through Oct 21st
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on October 24, 2018, 03:19:15 PM
Yeah, Endicott/Springfield result isn't included as well.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Bobcat1 on October 24, 2018, 03:21:58 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 24, 2018, 02:56:05 PM
Quote from: Bobcat1 on October 24, 2018, 02:45:47 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 24, 2018, 02:29:43 PM
Here's my stab at it...

Tufts
Conn College
Amherst
Middlebury
Babson
Endicott
Roger Williams
St. Joe's
Springfield
WPI
Bowdoin
Salve Regina

I hope St. Joe's is higher than 8th.  I know their SOS hurts them, but this week they will be 2-0-0 against ranked teams.

Not if you're counting Bowdoin, which will likely count next week.

I agree. So, St. Joe's will pick up another ranked win next week.
Quote from: blooter442 on October 24, 2018, 03:04:16 PM
Well, the RRs are out, and SJC is 12th of 12. 🙃 I get the SoS but I would still have them much higher. Again, I can very much understand Dubois' frustration.

https://www.ncaa.com/rankings/soccer-men/d3/regional-rankings

I agree. At least they should pick up another ranked win for next week's rankings (Bowdoin), but it looks like they are going to have to get the AQ to get in to the tournament.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: lastguyoffthebench on October 24, 2018, 03:32:12 PM

St. Joe's SOS is .495, so I am surprised they are ranked.  Sitting at #12 in the region, it's win GNAC or bust.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Bobcat1 on October 24, 2018, 03:59:10 PM
Looking at the rankings, how big is the Bowdoin/Amherst NESCAC quarterfinal this weekend?? Amherst may still have a Pool C shot with a loss assuming Tufts, Conn, or Midd get the AQ.  I think Bowdoin has to win this game or their season is over. Bowdoin usually responds well to these situations...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Christan Shirk on October 24, 2018, 08:32:21 PM
NEW ENGLAND REGION - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - October 24, 2018

Rank

School
. Div. III .
Record
. Div. III .
SOS

 . R-v-R .
. Overall .
Record
. Prev. .
Rank
1.
Tufts
12-0-2
0.599
5-0-2
12-0-2
2
2.
Connecticut College
11-1-2
0.596
4-0-2
11-1-2
1
3.
Babson
9-2-4
0.592
2-2-1
9-2-4
8
4.
Amherst
9-3-1
0.609
1-3-1
9-3-1
4
5.
Middlebury
9-2-3
0.568
2-1-1
9-2-3
7
6.
Bowdoin
9-3-2
0.564
2-2-2
9-3-2
--
7.
Williams
8-4-2
0.573
3-2-0
8-4-2
10
8.
Brandeis
7-5-2
0.652
4-3-1
7-5-2
9
9.
Endicott
9-5-2
0.608
1-4-0
9-5-2
5
10.
Roger Williams
14-3-0
0.555
0-1-0
14-3-0
3
11.
Springfield
11-3-1
0.567
0-2-0
11-3-1
6
12.
St. Joseph's (Maine)
16-0-0
0.495
1-0-0
16-0-0
11
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 26, 2018, 10:14:10 PM
ECSU defeats RIC 2-0 and Keene St loses to UMB in OT 2-1 to win LEC Tournament home field advantage.  Keene St unraveled in the waning minutes of the second half and gave up a penalty kick after the referee cleared the pitch due to roughing and fighting and then the winning goal 2 minutes unto the OT.  Keene a large and physical team, occasionally commits some stupid fouls.  UMB not nearly the team it was a couple of years ago, but still has a way of getting on opponents nerves!
Patrick Agyemang and Nick Starkowski does the damage against the Anchorman.  Key player and Sr MF Justin Jensen may be out for the remainder in what looked to be a serious ankle injury.  Both games played tonight to avoid the Nor'easter tomorrow!

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Christan Shirk on October 31, 2018, 02:44:58 PM
NEW ENGLAND REGION - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - October 31, 2018

Rank

School
. Div. III .
Record
. Div. III .
SOS

 . R-v-R .
. Overall .
Record
. Prev. .
Rank
1.
Tufts
13-0-3
0.596
5-0-2
13-0-3
1
2.
Connecticut College
12-2-2
0.588
3-1-2
12-2-2
2
3.
Amherst
12-3-1
0.590
3-3-1
12-3-1
4
4.
Babson
11-2-4
0.581
2-2-1
11-2-4
3
5.
Middlebury
10-3-3
0.571
2-3-1
10-3-3
5
6.
Williams
9-5-2
0.590
3-3-1
9-5-2
7
7.
Endicott
10-5-2
0.605
2-4-0
10-5-2
9
8.
Bowdoin
9-5-2
0.588
2-4-1
9-5-2
6
9.
Hamilton
9-6-1
0.589
2-5-1
9-6-1
--
10.
St. Joseph's (Maine)
18-0-0
0.498
2-0-0
18-0-0
12
11.
Gordon
10-6-1
0.583
1-5-0
10-6-1
--
12.
WPI
12-2-3
0.514
1-2-2
12-2-3
--
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 31, 2018, 02:49:38 PM
I was questioning the Gordon addition but if you look at the data sheet there is really no one else to rank...Maybe Colby has a better resume than Gordon but not really and plus there are 7 Nescac's ranked. It also looks like the winner of Williams and Hamilton will get a Pool C as long as conference tournaments around the country do not see to many upsets. There have been a couple already.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 31, 2018, 02:51:38 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 31, 2018, 02:49:38 PM
I was questioning the Gordon addition but if you look at the data sheet there is really no one else to rank...Maybe Colby has a better resume than Gordon but not really and plus there are 7 Nescac's ranked. It also looks like the winner of Williams and Hamilton will get a Pool C as long as conference tournaments around the country do not see to many upsets. There have been a couple already.

Gordon won the H2H this year IIRC.

With two Pool Cs going to Tufts and Conn., the rest of the teams in the rankings will have to bank on Amherst and Babson winning their conference tournaments. Should that happen, Midd. and Williams will be right in the thick of it, and I would like to see the Ephs get a bid. That Tufts result is extra-crushing for Bowdoin, whom I'd have to imagine would be at least a spot higher had they held out for the win.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 31, 2018, 03:00:34 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 31, 2018, 02:49:38 PM
I was questioning the Gordon addition but if you look at the data sheet there is really no one else to rank...Maybe Colby has a better resume than Gordon but not really and plus there are 7 Nescac's ranked. It also looks like the winner of Williams and Hamilton will get a Pool C as long as conference tournaments around the country do not see to many upsets. There have been a couple already.

I think Colby's 0-4-3 RVR is what's keeping them out of the rankings.  If you can't even pull off one victory in 7 decisions over a ranked team, in my opinion you don't belong in the regional rankings.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 31, 2018, 03:03:18 PM
I kind of am rootin for Endicott who has really righted the ship and has a chance to get a bid here especially with Couchot graduating it would be a solid story.


Also, WCONN defeated Castleton last night to qualify for the Little East Semi's going against rival ECONN on Saturday. Chauncey Allers is one smooth poacher as he is just racking up some serious First Team All-American stats as he scored the winning goal last night with 3 seconds left in OT. Chauncey Allers has 23 Goals, 9 Assists for 55 Points. He has 104 Shots with 56 of them on net. 23 Goals and 56 SOG is almost 1 Goal for every 2 SOG which is deadly. He has 5 GW'ers and is 2-2 on PK's....Kid is a player but can his GK and defense hold up to get their second straight ticket to the NCAA's?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 31, 2018, 03:07:57 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 31, 2018, 03:00:34 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 31, 2018, 02:49:38 PM
I was questioning the Gordon addition but if you look at the data sheet there is really no one else to rank...Maybe Colby has a better resume than Gordon but not really and plus there are 7 Nescac's ranked. It also looks like the winner of Williams and Hamilton will get a Pool C as long as conference tournaments around the country do not see to many upsets. There have been a couple already.

I think Colby's 0-4-3 RVR is what's keeping them out of the rankings.  If you can't even pull off one victory in 7 decisions over a ranked team, in my opinion you don't belong in the regional rankings.


Gordon's 1-5-0 is not much better. I think there should be a limit of ten teams a region being ranked no matter the # of teams in that region. OR a .475 SOS should be the new .500 SOS.....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 31, 2018, 03:13:53 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 31, 2018, 03:07:57 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 31, 2018, 03:00:34 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 31, 2018, 02:49:38 PM
I was questioning the Gordon addition but if you look at the data sheet there is really no one else to rank...Maybe Colby has a better resume than Gordon but not really and plus there are 7 Nescac's ranked. It also looks like the winner of Williams and Hamilton will get a Pool C as long as conference tournaments around the country do not see to many upsets. There have been a couple already.

I think Colby's 0-4-3 RVR is what's keeping them out of the rankings.  If you can't even pull off one victory in 7 decisions over a ranked team, in my opinion you don't belong in the regional rankings.


Gordon's 1-5-0 is not much better. I think there should be a limit of ten teams a region being ranked no matter the # of teams in that region. OR a .475 SOS should be the new .500 SOS.....

Mr. Right, I agree that there should only be 10 teams ranked in New England.  When you have to choose the best of flawed teams to round out the top 12, it's a bad scenario.  Besides, it's likely none of those #10-#12 ranked teams are going to get a sniff of a Pool C.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 31, 2018, 03:16:12 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 31, 2018, 03:13:53 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 31, 2018, 03:07:57 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 31, 2018, 03:00:34 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 31, 2018, 02:49:38 PM
I was questioning the Gordon addition but if you look at the data sheet there is really no one else to rank...Maybe Colby has a better resume than Gordon but not really and plus there are 7 Nescac's ranked. It also looks like the winner of Williams and Hamilton will get a Pool C as long as conference tournaments around the country do not see to many upsets. There have been a couple already.

I think Colby's 0-4-3 RVR is what's keeping them out of the rankings.  If you can't even pull off one victory in 7 decisions over a ranked team, in my opinion you don't belong in the regional rankings.


Gordon's 1-5-0 is not much better. I think there should be a limit of ten teams a region being ranked no matter the # of teams in that region. OR a .475 SOS should be the new .500 SOS.....

Mr. Right, I agree that there should only be 10 teams ranked in New England.  When you have to choose the best of flawed teams to round out the top 12, it's a bad scenario.  Besides, it's likely none of those #10-#12 ranked teams are going to get a sniff of a Pool C.


Right BUT it can factor bigtime into the top teams RvR and therefore it really does effect teams NCAA Pool C bids....It is definitely an issue
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 31, 2018, 03:42:36 PM
Salve Regina should be in the top 12.  Their SOS had kept them out previously, but it is 0.505 which is better than St. Joes.

                                              RvR                SOS
      Salve Regina   16-0-3        1-0-1              0.505
12.  WPI                12-2-3       1-2-2              0.514
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 31, 2018, 04:00:07 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 31, 2018, 03:42:36 PM
12.  WPI                12-2-3       1-2-2              0.514

Wow...WPI at .514?! I mean Brandeis and Wesleyan have had down years which brings the SoS down but I guess I thought WPI played a much tougher slate.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 31, 2018, 05:17:58 PM
Gordon hits Salve for two quick ones in 30 seconds. WOW! Salve has a big 30 minutes coming up.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 31, 2018, 05:24:30 PM
Gordon kid with an absolute banger for 3-0. Great goal on the half-volley from about 35 yards out. This is something.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 31, 2018, 05:35:14 PM
One back for Salve, now 3-1 with 18 left.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 31, 2018, 05:37:36 PM
3-2 now! 16 left. Thought the Gordon 'keeper could have done a little better on that one, but not a bad finish nonetheless.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 31, 2018, 05:44:51 PM
4-2 Gordon now with 10 left.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 31, 2018, 06:06:20 PM
Roger Williams steals it against Endicott in the first OT. Hawks-Scots final on Saturday — 3 vs. 4! — in Wenham.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 06:51:37 PM
Babson about ready to kickoff the 2nd Newmac Semifinal on their FH field against Wheaton. Wheaton does not have the talent that Babson has but their coaching staff has really done a fine job with this team in October and should be back contending for titles in the Newmac soon. Winner gets Springfield...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 07:06:02 PM
Any reason the NEWMAC semis are tonight? IIRC I thought they did those semis Saturday and the Final on Sunday...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 07:08:03 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 07:06:02 PM
Any reason the NEWMAC semis are tonight? IIRC I thought they did those semis Saturday and the Final on Sunday...

No idea but I like it....Give teams rest in between games rather than all the back to backs....Wheaton has come out of the gates PUMPED as they look like the #4 team in New England not Babson...Let's see if they can keep this up.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 07:10:59 PM
Babson has settled down now and in the regular season Babson did defeat Wheaton 1-0 and outshot them 17-3 so I wonder if Wheaton can improve on that.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 07:16:05 PM
Have to say I'm not totally convinced by this Babson team. They have no doubt been better than their rival Judges this year -- as evidenced not only by their record but their H2H win -- and they do appear to be superior to Wheaton, but while solid defensively they do not seem to have much creativity outside of Parker. I was not impressed with their display against Tufts -- obviously, not many teams look good against Tufts -- but as far as playing against a top team it does not seem to bode well to advancing past the NCAA 1st Round for the first time since 2011 (they have hosted the first 2 rounds in 3 of 4 tournament appearances since 2011 but haven't won an NCAA game in that time). I will say that they seem to have improved their speed of play since moving to turf halfway through the season (is that a permanent move?) but I don't find them to be setting off the alarm bells every time they come forward. Maybe I'm not giving them enough credit. The FY Collins does look like a player I must say and Heintzelman has done a nice job between the sticks.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 07:21:42 PM
I will say that Parker would be my choice for NEWMAC PoY. The numbers he's put up this year as a center mid (7g, 6a) are very good, particularly the goals figure.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 07:22:02 PM
Collins with the effort that clanks off the post.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 07:22:19 PM
Wheaton playing very conservative which is understandable because they just do not have the talent especially in attack. Their backs immediately are hoofing the ball not taking any chances with stupid giveaways but their GK looks solid. In attack they have their Captain Curran Wait and not much else that I can see. Still if they can keep Babson off the board and try to steal one on the counter they are trying to find feet once they cross midfield but the problem is under the Babson pressure Wheaton is rushing a bit and forcing the ball and giving it away....Still 0-0 halfway thru 1st Half.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 07:23:31 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 07:21:42 PM
I will say that Parker would be my choice for NEWMAC PoY. The numbers he's put up this year as a center mid (7g, 6a) are very good, particularly the goals figure.

Parker is a stud and would be putting up numbers in the UAA or Nescac....The kid is very cagey....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 07:24:08 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 07:22:02 PM
Collins with the effort that clanks off the post.

Collins is a legit Frosh with skill who is undersized but has some fight..Nice technical player though
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 07:28:49 PM
Greenspan is the other Babson player who I think is very legit. Reminds me of Conor Lanahan in terms of physical presence and composure. He's for sure the leader back there.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 07:30:12 PM
Babo does not have its shooting boots on today...a few efforts from distance in space that have gone way high and wide.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 07:34:44 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 07:16:05 PM
Have to say I'm not totally convinced by this Babson team. They have no doubt been better than their rival Judges this year -- as evidenced not only by their record but their H2H win -- and they do appear to be superior to Wheaton, but while solid defensively they do not seem to have much creativity outside of Parker. I was not impressed with their display against Tufts -- obviously, not many teams look good against Tufts -- but as far as playing against a top team it does not seem to bode well to advancing past the NCAA 1st Round for the first time since 2011 (they have hosted the first 2 rounds in 3 of 4 tournament appearances since 2011 but haven't won an NCAA game in that time). I will say that they seem to have improved their speed of play since moving to turf halfway through the season (is that a permanent move?) but I don't find them to be setting off the alarm bells every time they come forward. Maybe I'm not giving them enough credit. The FY Collins does look like a player I must say and Heintzelman has done a nice job between the sticks.



Well we also have to put the bigger picture into consideration. This Babson team was AWFUL last season with some of the same talent they have now but for whatever reason just could not put it together. So I am just excited/interested because I like the class Anderson brought in and I think this Babson side could possibly make a little noise in the NCAA's depending on the draw. To the naked eye they do not look like much but with a solid GK and a stud CB and Parker plus a ton of role players that are capable you can sneak an upset or two on over confident opponents. They also look quite adjusted to turf now which could come in handy.

Bubble teams should be rooting for Babson as they are a virtual lock for the NCAA's no matter what. However, if Babson could win the Newmac they might get a chance to host a 1st/2nd round pod.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 07:39:31 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 07:34:44 PM
Well we also have to put the bigger picture into consideration. This Babson team was AWFUL last season with some of the same talent they have now but for whatever reason just could not put it together. So I am just excited/interested because I like the class Anderson brought in and I think this Babson side could possibly make a little noise in the NCAA's depending on the draw. To the naked eye they do not look like much but with a solid GK and a stud CB and Parker plus a ton of role players that are capable you can sneak an upset or two on over confident opponents. They also look quite adjusted to turf now which could come in handy.

Bubble teams should be rooting for Wheaton as Babson is a virtual lock for the NCAA's no matter what. However, if Babson could win the Newmac they might get a chance to host a 1st/2nd round pod.

I don't disagree with that, I think they do have some potential. I just haven't been totally sold by them in terms of if they face a NESCAC or another strong Northeast team in the opening weekend of NCAAs, because they are a virtual lock. I could well be wrong -- I have certainly been wrong before -- and wouldn't be entirely surprised if they sprung an upset. I do agree that it is interesting that they were poor last year while playing a relatively "meh" schedule but have looked much more solid this year with most of the same cast. To be fair 8 of their 9 losses last year were by one goal so they were definitely "in" games but just couldn't finish.

Ooooof just over by Fromhein with the Wheaton 'keeper off his line. That's better.

The freshman class is strong. The other FY I think could be legit is Shellow. He has size and athleticism to be Parker's heir apparent as CAM but does make the wrong pass occasionally. That will lessen with experience.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 07:52:35 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 07:39:31 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 07:34:44 PM
Well we also have to put the bigger picture into consideration. This Babson team was AWFUL last season with some of the same talent they have now but for whatever reason just could not put it together. So I am just excited/interested because I like the class Anderson brought in and I think this Babson side could possibly make a little noise in the NCAA's depending on the draw. To the naked eye they do not look like much but with a solid GK and a stud CB and Parker plus a ton of role players that are capable you can sneak an upset or two on over confident opponents. They also look quite adjusted to turf now which could come in handy.

Bubble teams should be rooting for Wheaton as Babson is a virtual lock for the NCAA's no matter what. However, if Babson could win the Newmac they might get a chance to host a 1st/2nd round pod.

I don't disagree with that, I think they do have some potential. I just haven't been totally sold by them in terms of if they face a NESCAC or another strong Northeast team in the opening weekend of NCAAs, because they are a virtual lock. I could well be wrong -- I have certainly been wrong before -- and wouldn't be entirely surprised if they sprung an upset. I do agree that it is interesting that they were poor last year while playing a relatively "meh" schedule but have looked much more solid this year with most of the same cast. To be fair 8 of their 9 losses last year were by one goal so they were definitely "in" games but just couldn't finish.

Ooooof just over by Fromhein with the Wheaton 'keeper off his line. That's better.

The freshman class is strong. The other FY I think could be legit is Shellow. He has size and athleticism to be Parker's heir apparent as CAM but does make the wrong pass occasionally. That will lessen with experience.


Yes I can definitely sniff ur skepticism BUT when they played at Williams in September I was sold because they took a nice 1-0 lead in the 1st Half and easily could have added to it but just could not finish. Williams equalized and then took control in the 70th minute and won the game but Babson proved to me on that day they were not only improved but could play with a Nescac. I think they would be shell shocked against an Amherst but they can hang with a Midd/Williams and should feel comfortable enough against Tufts. I do think Amherst would dominate them as that would not be a great matchup for them at all.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 07:58:49 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 07:52:35 PM
Yes I can definitely sniff ur skepticism BUT when they played at Williams in September I was sold because they took a nice 1-0 lead in the 1st Half and easily could have added to it but just could not finish. Williams equalized and then took control in the 70th minute and won the game but Babson proved to me on that day they were not only improved but could play with a Nescac. I think they would be shell shocked against an Amherst but they can hang with a Midd/Williams and should feel comfortable enough against Tufts. I do think Amherst would dominate them as that would not be a great matchup for them at all.

Fair 'nuff. I didn't see the early part of the Williams game but I can believe it, so perhaps they are able to hang around.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 08:06:25 PM
Babo gets the first one off a scrum off a rebound.

Right, don't you mean that other bubble teams would be rooting for Babson, not Wheaton?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 08:07:47 PM
Jeez.....Wheaton caught flat-footed on that goal.....1-0 Babson......Wheaton MUST attack now....This could either go to a gametying goal or more likely Babson adding to its lead with Wheaton pushing numbers...Question will be when does Wheaton Head Coach decide to push?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 08:13:04 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 08:06:25 PM
Babo gets the first one off a scrum off a rebound.

Right, don't you mean that other bubble teams would be rooting for Babson, not Wheaton?


FWIW Just a reminder Right is always Right....

Also we need to have a sir down on the Nor'easter News.....Not to play editor but there was a WPI/Springfield paragraph that made 2 appearances in the piece AND you mentioned 7 of the last 8 Nescac Championships have been played at Amherst but off the top of my head IIRC it would go:

2010--Bowdoin
2011--Amherst
2012--Williams
2013--Amherst
2014--Amherst
2015--Midd
2016--Amherst
2017--Tufts


Either way your the man no matter what so keep up the good work....However, since you corrected me like a month ago and noted how you hated to be that guy I decided to get involved on this one....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 08:18:37 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 08:13:04 PM
FWIW Just a reminder Right is always Right....

Also we need to have a sir down on the Nor'easter News.....Not to play editor but there was a WPI/Springfield paragraph that made 2 appearances in the piece AND you mentioned 7 of the last 8 Nescac Championships have been played at Amherst but off the top of my head IIRC it would go:

2010--Bowdoin
2011--Amherst
2012--Williams
2013--Amherst
2014--Amherst
2015--Midd
2016--Amherst
2017--Tufts


Either way your the man no matter what so keep up the good work....However, since you corrected me like a month ago and noted how you hated to be that guy I decided to get involved on this one....

Ha fair enough. The first part is my bad, I was pasting it from my phone into an email and I guess I selected that one twice. I knew 2011 was there as well as '13 '14 and '17 for sure and I guess I figured '15 was there since they were the top seed (forgot they got knocked out at the QF stage) as well as '12 since they were the top-ranked side in NE but forgot that Williams actually hosted that year. The other one (the 7th) will be this weekend so I believe I meant going back as far as '11 including this year. Should have been clearer.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 08:21:04 PM
"He saves Medina's a...bacon."
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 08:21:56 PM
I'll chalk it up to you still being a little salty about the way Brandeis finished the year....I feel ya as I watched a bunch of their games in October and was one frustrated neutral fan...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 08:25:08 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 08:21:56 PM
I'll chalk it up to you still being a little salty about the way Brandeis finished the year....I feel ya as I watched a bunch of their games in October and was one frustrated neutral fan...

Yep, definitely a bunch of salt. What was most frustrating in addition to the lack of steeliness was that the nature of the defeats were based on mistakes. I get that every team makes mistakes. However, when it's similar mistakes in similar situations again and again it's frustrating.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 08:29:51 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 08:25:08 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 08:21:56 PM
I'll chalk it up to you still being a little salty about the way Brandeis finished the year....I feel ya as I watched a bunch of their games in October and was one frustrated neutral fan...

Yep, definitely a bunch of salt. What was most frustrating in addition to the lack of steeliness was that the nature of the defeats were based on mistakes. I get that every team makes mistakes. However, when it's similar mistakes in similar situations again and again it's frustrating.


Agreed...Also, the early goals given up were killers....Almost like Brandeis was not ready to PLAY...I really started to pay attention to Brandeis in 2012 and DO NOT remember them ever coming out of the gates listless and unprepared like that..I used to watch them occasionally before 2012 especially when they had Ben Premo up top as he was a special player who I would guess might have scored 30-40 Goals in his career at Brandeis.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 08:32:31 PM
Wheaton just had its best chance to get an equalizer....Wheaton Head Coach Waggoner knows he must push now...its advance or bust because I doubt Wheaton will be playing in the ECAC's but you never know as sometimes a Coach will accept the ECAC invitation especially with a young and new team for Waggoner
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 01, 2018, 08:33:10 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 08:29:51 PM
Agreed...Also, the early goals given up were killers....Almost like Brandeis was not ready to PLAY...I really started to pay attention to Brandeis in 2012 and DO NOT remember them ever coming out of the gates listless and unprepared like that..I used to watch them occasionally before 2012 especially when they had Ben Premo up top as he was a special player who I would guess might have scored 30-40 Goals in his career at Brandeis.

Yeah those were frustrating because they were playing against two good teams and you have to be switched on from the first minute. The other thing was all those overtime goals where the Brandeis of the past would have been in that situation a few years back -- under pressure -- and at least seen it out for the draw and maybe even have countered and won.

Great save by Heintzelman off the Wheaton header.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 01, 2018, 08:50:50 PM
Babson finishes off Wheaton rather handily and will now face Springfield in the Newmac Final. I think that game is a complete tossup but again bubble teams should be rooting for Babson.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 03, 2018, 10:39:49 AM
Some HUGE matches in New England today but one has my attention....Two of the best strikers in New England will be going at each other when WCONN travels to ECONN today in the Little East Semi's. ECONN's Patrick Agyemang has 9 Goals and 3 assists while WCONN's Chauncey Allers could be playing his final game with a grand total of 23 Goals and 9 Assists. Allers is well on his way to being named an All-American and deservedly so. ECONN won a barn burner at Home 4-3 in the regular season but WCONN outshot them 16-9 and had an early 2-0 lead before ECONN ripped off 4 goals to take the game over. WCONN has more bite in attack BUT they have had issues defensively and in net all season so they will need to clean that up if they want to win today.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 03, 2018, 10:56:17 AM
Little East Semi's moved from ECONN's grass field to the turf.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 03, 2018, 11:50:00 AM
WCONN up 2-0 on ECONN limiting ECONN to 1 SOG so far.


Brandeis and NYU locked up 0-0. Only change in Brandeis lineup looks to be Mukala for Glass.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 03, 2018, 12:57:36 PM
WOW.....ECONN gets one goal back late to make it 2-1 and then in the final seconds whipped in a dangerous ball into the box that was headed beautifully but an amazing save by WCONN GK and then ECONN collected the rebound with 4 seconds left and looked to have finished it but another UNREAL save by WCONN GK to preserve the Win for WCONN....What a finish and ECONN players absolutely dejected....That is tough stuff for ECONN but a fantastic bounce back year for them...Congrats...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 03, 2018, 02:57:17 PM
Gordon and RWU heading to OT in the CCC Final.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 03, 2018, 03:06:36 PM
Gordon was outplayed most of the second half and into the OT period, but they managed to put one in on Roger Williams to win it.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 03, 2018, 07:26:47 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 03, 2018, 12:57:36 PM
WOW.....ECONN gets one goal back late to make it 2-1 and then in the final seconds whipped in a dangerous ball into the box that was headed beautifully but an amazing save by WCONN GK and then ECONN collected the rebound with 4 seconds left and looked to have finished it but another UNREAL save by WCONN GK to preserve the Win for WCONN....What a finish and ECONN players absolutely dejected....That is tough stuff for ECONN but a fantastic bounce back year for them...Congrats...

Thanks Mr Right for your comments!  Another fantastic season of commentary on this thread.  ECSU had some injuries to a couple of key players, but no excuse, the Warrior defense was just up to the task against the Colonial front line giving up 2 early goals!  Still a young ECSU team and will learn from this season!  Best of luck to your NESCAC favorite!  PS Colby has done an amazing job in the tourney! +1k
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2018, 11:59:21 AM
Keene St v WCONN at ECONN today will give us a Little East Champion. WCONN looking to repeat and I think the winner of this game will be a team that can sneak an upset or two in the NCAA's. Something to watch for. Keene St beat WCONN in the regular season in a tight match.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2018, 01:51:59 PM
WCONN stud Senior Chauncey Allers gets his 24th Goal of the year late to equalize Keene St 1-1 with about 7 minutes left...Allers has been a stud all year long for WCONN.

Keene St has a Frosh GK and real solid defense but WCONN looks a bit more dynamic in attack. Classic battle to see who will represent the Little East in the NCAA's.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2018, 02:21:17 PM
WCONN finishes off Keene St in OT 2-1 with a Goal by another key Senior Darien Richeme. 2nd straight LEC Title for WCONN and I expect them to be a tough out for whomever faces them next weekend. Last season Brandeis dispatched them rather easily but now WCONN have the experience from last season under their belts. With their location they could be sent anywhere from New England to Upstate NY or NJ/PA....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2018, 03:49:42 PM
Johnson & Wales holding St.Joe's 0-0 at Halftime...Looks like J&W is without a shot still in the game....St.Joe's usually comes out of Halftime guns a blazin so let's see it play out...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2018, 04:20:24 PM
St.Joe's got an early goal 2nd Half to take a 1-0 lead on J&W...Good news for J&W is they finally registered their first shot...

St.Joe's Senior stud Brett Mattos who has over 50 Goals in his career looks to me like he got even stronger as he is a beast...6'1 200 and all muscle...Almost impossible to knock him off the ball...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2018, 04:29:32 PM
J&W showing decently in attack as they are getting into the final 3rd bit either their final pass or shot has been lacking but they do have some skill....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2018, 04:33:22 PM
Interestingly, J&W have had all the possesion the last 10-15 minutes as St.Joe's looks more interested in absorbing pressure and countering...Even with all the possession by J&W they have not had any dangerous sniffs yet...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2018, 04:38:38 PM
Now St,Joe's in control with about 15 minutes left....still 1-0 so anything can happen but I am not seeing it....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2018, 04:54:26 PM
St.Joe's gets it done 1-0 to win its 3rd straight GNAC title and 3rd straight NCAA appearance...Nice effort by J&W....NIce crowd for St.Joe's as I would guess a solid 300....Now who will they be playing and where will they be going...Certainly no one is going to want to face them in a 1st/2nd Round Pod. Let's hope they do not go back to Tufts along with Colby as that would be a bit stale as I would like to see some different match-ups....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Bobcat1 on November 04, 2018, 05:03:45 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 04, 2018, 04:54:26 PM
St.Joe's gets it done 1-0 to win its 3rd straight GNAC title and 3rd straight NCAA appearance...Nice effort by J&W....NIce crowd for St.Joe's as I would guess a solid 300....Now who will they be playing and where will they be going...Certainly no one is going to want to face them in a 1st/2nd Round Pod. Let's hope they do not go back to Tufts along with Colby as that would be a bit stale as I would like to see some different match-ups....

Who do you think will host in NE other than Tufts?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 05, 2018, 09:27:03 AM
Quote from: Bobcat1 on November 04, 2018, 05:03:45 PM
Who do you think will host in NE other than Tufts?

Based on rankings alone, one would think Conn. would be in with a shout. That being said, I don't know whether or not they've bid for it.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 05, 2018, 09:58:51 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 04, 2018, 04:54:26 PM
St.Joe's gets it done 1-0 to win its 3rd straight GNAC title and 3rd straight NCAA appearance...Nice effort by J&W....NIce crowd for St.Joe's as I would guess a solid 300....Now who will they be playing and where will they be going...Certainly no one is going to want to face them in a 1st/2nd Round Pod. Let's hope they do not go back to Tufts along with Colby as that would be a bit stale as I would like to see some different match-ups....

Mr. Right, you're correct that the crowd was pretty good in Standish for the game.  The box score lists the size of the crowd as 547, but I'm not sure how they calculate that number.  I can tell you there were people everywhere, standing around the fences and in the stands, and even standing on top of picnic tables nearby to get a better view.  It was definitely a good turnout for the game.

Despite the close score, once St. Joe's scored (great play turning the corner around the right back by Noah Robinson) I never felt that J&W was really in it.  I wish St. Joe's had pressed a little bit more to score another goal rather than sitting back and defending, but I guess that's just falling back on what they're really good at and it worked out fine. 

Johnson & Wales is a good team, with a bunch of really good players who are very well coached.  My hat is off to them as they competed until the final seconds, and it will be interesting to see what kind of players Coach Kulik can recruit to replace some of his seniors.  Keeper Nick Mancini did a really good job yesterday for J&W, notably on an early header from Brett Mattos that was going in until Mancini got a hand on it and then on a 2 on 1 with Brett Mattos and Mitch Duncan where Mancini came out to break up the pass and shot from Mattos to Duncan.  J&W is really going to miss him next year, I think.

Now it's on to the NCAAs and speaking as a parent I'm just happy St. Joe's made it that far.  And I'll keep being happy as long as the selection committee doesn't put us in the weekend bracket with Tufts again...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 05, 2018, 07:10:31 PM
I feel real bad for Babson. They did not get screwed as in the end their resume just did not stack up as they had no ranked wins BUT they were a NCAA team IMO and I feel for them and Senior studs Greenspan and Parker. Babson will bring basically everyone else back as they were quite young but the loss of Greenspan and Parker will be felt BIGTIME...You just cannot replace players like that with the snap of a finger. However, other players are going to have to step up and pick up where those two left off. They are both All-Americans IMO and it is just a shame they cannot end their careers in the NCAA Tournament. The way Babson lost in the NEWMAC Championship was just ruthless as well as Springfield scored on a nice volley with about 2 minutes left. I will say recently Babson Head Coach Jon Anderson has weakened his schedule and it really hurt them this year. Anderson has picked up Lesley(4-9-4), New England College(7-8-4), Mitchell(9-9-0) to go along with Emerson(3-13-1) in their own league. I mean its not that bad but in the past those 3 games would have been against stronger opponents giving them more opportunity to find ranked Wins. I totally understand that they cannot control their opponents records. The one year they beat rival Brandeis it just does nothing for them. It is not their fault that other NEWMAC sides like WPI could not stick in the rankings. It is a bit confounding how the Final rankings shaped up and in one game Springfield jumped what like 8 spots and Babson dropped 6 spots. No doubt Springfield deserved to finish ranked #4 as the Newmac Championship basically got them two extra Wins and had Springfield dropped that game to Babson they still might have snuck in. BUT Springfield PLAYED Endicott, Stevens, Gordon etc and ended up with 3 ranked Wins. Babson did play Brandeis/ Williams/ Tufts/ ECONN/Dickinson/ETOWN bit either failed to beat those teams or unluckily beat the teams that had off years while Springfield beat the teams that had solid years. IT IS THAT CLOSE.....

Still Congrats to Babson/Anderson on such a great year and he should be COY in NEWMAC for the quick turnaround his team made this season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 05, 2018, 10:50:21 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 05, 2018, 07:10:31 PM
I feel real bad for Babson. They did not get screwed as in the end their resume just did not stack up as they had no ranked wins BUT they were a NCAA team IMO and I feel for them and Senior studs Greenspan and Parker. Babson will bring basically everyone else back as they were quite young but the loss of Greenspan and Parker will be felt BIGTIME...You just cannot replace players like that with the snap of a finger. However, other players are going to have to step up and pick up where those two left off. They are both All-Americans IMO and it is just a shame they cannot end their careers in the NCAA Tournament. The way Babson lost in the NEWMAC Championship was just ruthless as well as Springfield scored on a nice volley with about 2 minutes left. I will say recently Babson Head Coach Jon Anderson has weakened his schedule and it really hurt them this year. Anderson has picked up Lesley(4-9-4), New England College(7-8-4), Mitchell(9-9-0) to go along with Emerson(3-13-1) in their own league. I mean its not that bad but in the past those 3 games would have been against stronger opponents giving them more opportunity to find ranked Wins. I totally understand that they cannot control their opponents records. The one year they beat rival Brandeis it just does nothing for them. It is not their fault that other NEWMAC sides like WPI could not stick in the rankings. It is a bit confounding how the Final rankings shaped up and in one game Springfield jumped what like 8 spots and Babson dropped 6 spots. No doubt Springfield deserved to finish ranked #4 as the Newmac Championship basically got them two extra Wins and had Springfield dropped that game to Babson they still might have snuck in. BUT Springfield PLAYED Endicott, Stevens, Gordon etc and ended up with 3 ranked Wins. Babson did play Brandeis/ Williams/ Tufts/ ECONN/Dickinson/ETOWN bit either failed to beat those teams or unluckily beat the teams that had off years while Springfield beat the teams that had solid years. IT IS THAT CLOSE.....

Still Congrats to Babson/Anderson on such a great year and he should be COY in NEWMAC for the quick turnaround his team made this season.

I would certainly give Anderson CoY for righting the ship well. On the one hand I do feel bad for them, as objectively 12-3-4 is very solid. They also rolled through the NEWMAC, putting together a 5-0-2 record. And Parker would be my pick for NEWMAC PoY, with Greenspan defensive MVP. It's interesting, though, as we were saying last Thursday that they were #4 in NE, seemingly pretty much a lock, and that was before/during the NEWMAC semifinal (which they won). I figured getting to the NEWMAC final would see them in, regardless of result (either AQ or Pool C). However, on closer reflection, they did not have any real "statement" results, and the 1-3-3 RvR exemplifies that. In the past few years a win over Brandeis would have been solid, but the Judges' underperforming rendered it useless (and it certainly didn't help their SoS). Moreover, going unbeaten against conference foes like Springfield/WPI/Wheaton during the NEWMAC regular season would traditionally be seen as a sign of strength, but not this year.

I agree that the SoS was not fantastic. I seem to remember Babson having a SoS around or above .600 most years. And while I would cut them slack on Emerson considering they are a NEWMAC team, I look at that list of non-conference games in New England and see Mitchell, Lesley, New England College and I go "hm." Even two of the other teams in their New England non-conference schedule (ECSU and Bridgewater State) are, with all due respect, not like playing a St. Joe's/Endicott/Gordon/RWU/etc. (e.g. a non-NESCAC, non-conference game that will be a tough out). They also have dropped Bowdoin from the schedule, which confuses me because that was a good New England regional matchup. Of course Babson did have Tufts and Williams on the schedule, as well as (a sub-.500) Brandeis, and their SoS of .583 is not bad by any means -- last year's SoS was .582 -- but it's certainly not as strong as it was in 2016 (.597), 2015 (.604), or 2014 (.602) at the time of the final rankings. In the recent past -- since winning the NEWMAC title as the top seed in 2010 -- and excluding their tournament omissions in 2013 and 2017, they've either had somewhat-unspectacular regular seasons and fallen ass-backwards into the conference title (2014 and 2015, although I guess the former's 14-5 was better than the latter mark of 10-6-2) or lost in the NEWMAC tourney and gotten a Pool C (2011, 2012, and 2016). This year, after losing in the NEWMAC tourney, they did not have the SoS or RvR for the latter path.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: TyWebb on November 06, 2018, 09:38:04 AM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 05, 2018, 10:50:21 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 05, 2018, 07:10:31 PM
I feel real bad for Babson. They did not get screwed as in the end their resume just did not stack up as they had no ranked wins BUT they were a NCAA team IMO and I feel for them and Senior studs Greenspan and Parker. Babson will bring basically everyone else back as they were quite young but the loss of Greenspan and Parker will be felt BIGTIME...You just cannot replace players like that with the snap of a finger. However, other players are going to have to step up and pick up where those two left off. They are both All-Americans IMO and it is just a shame they cannot end their careers in the NCAA Tournament. The way Babson lost in the NEWMAC Championship was just ruthless as well as Springfield scored on a nice volley with about 2 minutes left. I will say recently Babson Head Coach Jon Anderson has weakened his schedule and it really hurt them this year. Anderson has picked up Lesley(4-9-4), New England College(7-8-4), Mitchell(9-9-0) to go along with Emerson(3-13-1) in their own league. I mean its not that bad but in the past those 3 games would have been against stronger opponents giving them more opportunity to find ranked Wins. I totally understand that they cannot control their opponents records. The one year they beat rival Brandeis it just does nothing for them. It is not their fault that other NEWMAC sides like WPI could not stick in the rankings. It is a bit confounding how the Final rankings shaped up and in one game Springfield jumped what like 8 spots and Babson dropped 6 spots. No doubt Springfield deserved to finish ranked #4 as the Newmac Championship basically got them two extra Wins and had Springfield dropped that game to Babson they still might have snuck in. BUT Springfield PLAYED Endicott, Stevens, Gordon etc and ended up with 3 ranked Wins. Babson did play Brandeis/ Williams/ Tufts/ ECONN/Dickinson/ETOWN bit either failed to beat those teams or unluckily beat the teams that had off years while Springfield beat the teams that had solid years. IT IS THAT CLOSE.....

Still Congrats to Babson/Anderson on such a great year and he should be COY in NEWMAC for the quick turnaround his team made this season.

I would certainly give Anderson CoY for righting the ship well. On the one hand I do feel bad for them, as objectively 12-3-4 is very solid. They also rolled through the NEWMAC, putting together a 5-0-2 record. And Parker would be my pick for NEWMAC PoY, with Greenspan defensive MVP. It's interesting, though, as we were saying last Thursday that they were #4 in NE, seemingly pretty much a lock, and that was before/during the NEWMAC semifinal (which they won). I figured getting to the NEWMAC final would see them in, regardless of result (either AQ or Pool C). However, on closer reflection, they did not have any real "statement" results, and the 1-3-3 RvR exemplifies that. In the past few years a win over Brandeis would have been solid, but the Judges' underperforming rendered it useless (and it certainly didn't help their SoS). Moreover, going unbeaten against conference foes like Springfield/WPI/Wheaton during the NEWMAC regular season would traditionally be seen as a sign of strength, but not this year.

I agree that the SoS was not fantastic. I seem to remember Babson having a SoS around or above .600 most years. And while I would cut them slack on Emerson considering they are a NEWMAC team, I look at that list of non-conference games in New England and see Mitchell, Lesley, New England College and I go "hm." Even two of the other teams in their New England non-conference schedule (ECSU and Bridgewater State) are, with all due respect, not like playing a St. Joe's/Endicott/Gordon/RWU/etc. (e.g. a non-NESCAC, non-conference game that will be a tough out). They also have dropped Bowdoin from the schedule, which confuses me because that was a good New England regional matchup. Of course Babson did have Tufts and Williams on the schedule, as well as (a sub-.500) Brandeis, and their SoS of .583 is not bad by any means -- last year's SoS was .582 -- but it's certainly not as strong as it was in 2016 (.597), 2015 (.604), or 2014 (.602) at the time of the final rankings. In the recent past -- since winning the NEWMAC title as the top seed in 2010 -- and excluding their tournament omissions in 2013 and 2017, they've either had somewhat-unspectacular regular seasons and fallen ass-backwards into the conference title (2014 and 2015, although I guess the former's 14-5 was better than the latter mark of 10-6-2) or lost in the NEWMAC tourney and gotten a Pool C (2011, 2012, and 2016). This year, after losing in the NEWMAC tourney, they did not have the SoS or RvR for the latter path.

Both Mr. Right and Blooter have summed it up pretty well in regards to Babson. I would just add that I think it all came down to R-v-R. 1-3-3 was just not going to cut it. A .357 winning percentage against ranked teams is just too low. Babson needed to find a way to win at least one of those three ties (all road games;Dickinson, ETOWN & WPI). If Babson turns just one of those ties into a win and now the R-v-R is 2-3-2 I think they're in. That has them taking points in 4 out of 7 ranked games. Additionally, they were ranked as high as 3rd in the region with a similar R-v-R (2-2-1) when they still had the Brandeis win.

A final point: I think the NCAA is missing the mark with conference winners that lose in their tournament and then lose out on Pool C. Basically, the NCAA is saying your conference and conference games really didn't matter (Unless you're NESCAC and then you get to host and draw a first-round bye). I have some suggestions to add value to a regular season conference title. Add a component to the R-v-R. Add a C for conference winner and assign it a value. So in Babson's case their R-v-R-C would have been 1-3-3-1. Or better yet, make it part of the primary selection criteria along with R-v-R & SOS etc,. Is Springfield's last-minute goal worth more than 7 hard fought games that Babson took to win the conference? Personally, I don't think so.

I realize that there are teams smarting even more than Babson today. St. Norbert, NPU, Oglethorpe, and CMS. all have beefs that are every bit as strong as Babson's.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Falconer on November 06, 2018, 09:57:56 AM
Quote from: TyWebb on November 06, 2018, 09:38:04 AM
A final point: I think the NCAA is missing the mark with conference winners that lose in their tournament and then lose out on Pool C. Basically, the NCAA is saying your conference and conference games really didn't matter (Unless you're NESCAC and then you get to host and draw a first-round bye). I have one suggestion. Add a component to the R-v-R. Add a C for conference winner and assign it a value. So in Babson's case their R-v-R-C would have been 1-3-3-1. Or better yet, make it part of the primary selection criteria along with R-v-R & SOS etc,. Is Springfield's last-minute goal worth more than 7 hard fought games that Babson took to win the conference? Personally, I don't think so.

An alternative suggestion: get rid of the conference tournament, and assign the AQ to the regular season champion. That's what the UAA does, and I fail to see a problem with it. Why not take that route? If most conferences did this, there would be more Pool C bids available for other worthy teams.

I certainly wish the MAC conferences would do this. (But, I'm old fashioned enough to believe that MLB should eliminate all of their playoffs, too. I still regard the Detroit Tigers as the last true World Series champion, defeating the Cardinals in 7 games in 1968.) The regular season is supposed to matter--and matter a whole lot. Otherwise, what's the point?

Let's get real: D3 soccer conferences typically have fewer than 10 teams, and if you have just 7 (correct?) you get an AQ. What's the point of allowing the possibility that a 5th-place team somehow runs the table in the conference tournament and gets a bid? Suppose freak circumstances combine to produce that result? We all know it can happen--and it shouldn't IMO be even on the table as a possibility. Everyone knows that a team finished in 5th, not 1st, for good reasons. Why give them life after death?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 06, 2018, 02:00:58 PM
Quote from: Falconer on November 06, 2018, 09:57:56 AM
An alternative suggestion: get rid of the conference tournament, and assign the AQ to the regular season champion. That's what the UAA does, and I fail to see a problem with it. Why not take that route? If most conferences did this, there would be more Pool C bids available for other worthy teams.

I certainly wish the MAC conferences would do this. (But, I'm old fashioned enough to believe that MLB should eliminate all of their playoffs, too. I still regard the Detroit Tigers as the last true World Series champion, defeating the Cardinals in 7 games in 1968.) The regular season is supposed to matter--and matter a whole lot. Otherwise, what's the point?

Let's get real: D3 soccer conferences typically have fewer than 10 teams, and if you have just 7 (correct?) you get an AQ. What's the point of allowing the possibility that a 5th-place team somehow runs the table in the conference tournament and gets a bid? Suppose freak circumstances combine to produce that result? We all know it can happen--and it shouldn't IMO be even on the table as a possibility. Everyone knows that a team finished in 5th, not 1st, for good reasons. Why give them life after death?

As someone who supports a team that plays in the UAA, I would support the idea of all conferences adopting that model if only to make the competition for an AQ more similar. However, I can see staunch opposition from most teams outside the top of any given conference (who would perhaps feel disenfranchised that their one "chance" at an AQ is all but gone). Not saying that the regular season champion isn't the most deserving — just that other teams might not buy in.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 15, 2018, 09:16:39 AM
Cool feature in the NESJ about Rochester goalkeeper Patrick Conway of Acton, MA (behind a paywall but you can sign up for the first month for $0.99): https://www.nesoccerjournal.com/patrick-conway-rochester-goalkeeper-ncaa-tournament/

Anecdotally speaking, it seems like a lot of D3 New England players stay in the area. And given it's an incredibly strong region with numerous teams and great schools, it makes sense (think about how few top English players play in La Liga/Serie A/Bundesliga). However, I think it's cool when NE kids go and prove themselves elsewhere, as PaulNewman knows a thing or two about. I used to really not like Rochester but their run to the Elite 8 last year was impressive, and I'd love for them to get to the Final 4 (while fully recognizing they will have their hands full this weekend).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: TyWebb on November 27, 2018, 05:34:45 PM
United Soccer Coaches 2018 All-New England Region Teams:

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/web/Awards/Recipients/2018_United_Soccer_Coaches_NCAA_Division_III_Men_s_All-New_England_Region_Teams.aspx
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: TyWebb on December 16, 2018, 02:38:36 PM
Sorry to see that Newbury College in Brookline, MA will be closing its doors after this spring semester (https://www.wbur.org/edify/2018/12/14/newbury-college-brookline-shuts-down). Newbury's men's team was coming off a NECC conference title and their first ever NCAA appearance (3-1 loss to Cortland St.). Tough news to get before the holidays for all involved I'm sure.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on March 27, 2019, 02:14:32 PM
Keene State picks up a big transfer, as James McCully from UNH is heading to Keene.

https://www.sentinelsource.com/sports/local_sports/coming-home-mccully-s-transfer-brings-a-familiar-name-back/article_a337fd94-3419-5e00-8fbf-8a8ee31c921c.html
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on April 11, 2019, 11:25:23 AM
Quote from: TyWebb on December 16, 2018, 02:38:36 PM
Sorry to see that Newbury College in Brookline, MA will be closing its doors after this spring semester (https://www.wbur.org/edify/2018/12/14/newbury-college-brookline-shuts-down). Newbury's men's team was coming off a NECC conference title and their first ever NCAA appearance (3-1 loss to Cortland St.). Tough news to get before the holidays for all involved I'm sure.



I have been saying this for the past 5 years...There are so many of these type of schools that will be closing in the next 10-20 years...People just cannot afford it anymore and unless the system changes drastically we could be seeing schools like these(Mt.Ida, Daniel Webster)and maybe even Conn College in trouble in 20 years if they do not start building their endowment and getting their campus into the 21st century...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Viking on April 12, 2019, 10:21:37 AM
You're right, Mr. Right. The recent challenges that have bubbled to the surface at many different types of relatively small institutions in recent years -- Newbury, Hampshire, Sweet Briar, St. Joseph's (IN), Virginia Intermont, Green Mountain, even some publics in states like Pennsylvania, such as Lincoln and the smaller State System schools -- haven't always led to closures, but there are certainly more to come. What's notable when you look at the schools that have closed or come close to closing is the range of types of smaller schools, including single-sex privates, denominational privates, non-traditional privates, tiny schools (<1K), schools that range larger than most small colleges (>4K), public HBCUs, regional publics, rural schools, urban schools, you name it. Families need to be more mindful than they used to be and information can be hard to find. It's worth scouting industry publications like the Chronicle of Higher Education and Insider Higher Ed as you're making your choices.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: nesoccerfan10 on June 03, 2019, 12:56:24 PM
Summer can be a huge time of development for these players. It is a time to get fit or, if the player is good enough, train and play with NPSL or USL 2 teams. It would be interesting if there was some sort of list that could be compiled of players playing in these leagues as it could be very telling on which colleges succeed and dont. Obviously this isnt going to be the only factor but it seems like it could be a factor nonetheless.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on June 03, 2019, 04:24:18 PM
Quote from: nesoccerfan10 on June 03, 2019, 12:56:24 PM
It is a time to get fit or, if the player is good enough, train and play with NPSL or USL 2 teams. It would be interesting if there was some sort of list that could be compiled of players playing in these leagues as it could be very telling on which colleges succeed and dont.

I took a cursory look at the rosters of the New England (broadly defined) NPSL and USL2 teams.  I recognized the names of more former D3 players than current D3 players (and more among the USL2 teams than among the NPSL teams, which makes sense given the age restrictions of USL2). 

Here's who stood out to me among NPSL teams:

Boston City - a former Conn College player (Manoogian), a former Dean College player (Cardona, who transferred to D1 SIUE), and a current Springfield College player (Dixon)

Hartford City - a former Springfield College player (Alvaro) and a former Babson College player (Carlos)

Kingston Stockade - a former RPI player (Koziol)

Here's who stood out to me among USL2 teams:

AC Connecticut - a former WCSU player (Allers)

Black Rock - a D3 dream team of former Kenyon players (Clougher and Amolo), a former SLU player (Dede), and a former Wesleyan player (Martinez-Paiz)

Boston Bolts - a former UMass Boston player (Kenawy) and three current Tufts players (Harned, Tasker, and Van Brewer)

Manhattan - a current Williams player (Oberg), a former Middlebury player (O'Grady), and a former Tufts player (Coleman)

Seacoast - a current Messiah player (Quintin) and a current Brandeis player (Nardizzi)

Western Mass - a former Bowdoin player (Brewster), a former St. Joe's player (Mullen), and a former Springfield player (Schneider)

I'm sure I missed a bunch of players (and every nonrostered player training with the teams).  It's nice to see D3 represented in these leagues, but I'm not sure how well involvement in NPSL or USL2 translates on the field in the Fall.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: nesoccerfan10 on June 03, 2019, 04:49:45 PM
Quote from: Ommadawn on June 03, 2019, 04:24:18 PM
Quote from: nesoccerfan10 on June 03, 2019, 12:56:24 PM
It is a time to get fit or, if the player is good enough, train and play with NPSL or USL 2 teams. It would be interesting if there was some sort of list that could be compiled of players playing in these leagues as it could be very telling on which colleges succeed and dont.

I took a cursory look at the rosters of the New England (broadly defined) NPSL and USL2 teams.  I recognized the names of more former D3 players than current D3 players (and more among the USL2 teams than among the NPSL teams, which makes sense given the age restrictions of USL2). 

Here's who stood out to me among NPSL teams:

Boston City - a former Conn College player (Manoogian), a former Dean College player (Cardona, who transferred to D1 SIUE), and a current Springfield College player (Dixon)

Hartford City - a former Springfield College player (Alvaro) and a former Babson College player (Carlos)

Kingston Stockade - a former RPI player (Koziol)

Here's who stood out to me among USL2 teams:

AC Connecticut - a former WCSU player (Allers)

Black Rock - a D3 dream team of former Kenyon players (Clougher and Amolo), a former SLU player (Dede), and a former Wesleyan player (Martinez-Paiz)

Boston Bolts - a former UMass Boston player (Kenawy) and three current Tufts players (Harned, Tasker, and Van Brewer)

Manhattan - a current Williams player (Oberg), a former Middlebury player (O'Grady), and a former Tufts player (Coleman)

Seacoast - a current Messiah player (Quintin) and a current Brandeis player (Nardizzi)

Western Mass - a former Bowdoin player (Brewster), a former St. Joe's player (Mullen), and a former Springfield player (Schneider)

I'm sure I missed a bunch of players (and every nonrostered player training with the teams).  It's nice to see D3 represented in these leagues, but I'm not sure how well involvement in NPSL or USL2 translates on the field in the Fall.

Of course, I think I misspoke and made it seem like those specific leagues are big factors. I meant summer leagues and playing in the summer in general but it is interesting to see who is in those upper leagues.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: SlideTackle on June 03, 2019, 07:03:19 PM
Dan Sullivan, former Tufts players, is with Manhattan Soccer Club.  There are likely others throughout.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: nesoccerfan10 on June 05, 2019, 11:47:00 AM
Any guesses on top 10/top 5 in New England this upcoming year?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: nescacfan94 on June 05, 2019, 12:28:35 PM
There's a whole lot of current and future NE college players either playing with, or practicing with, various U23 teams, including Manhattan SC. Depending on the club, these are not the most organized / structured leagues, especially with the limited number of games over the summer, so you might not see names you recognize (or names you will soon recognize).  Some guys might only be practicing. That doesn't mean guys aren't working hard and aren't improving.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: truenorth on June 05, 2019, 04:16:57 PM
As a casual fan, and one who focuses primarily on the NESCAC and Bowdoin in particular, I don't do the depth of analysis that other contributors to this post do.

I did get curious enough to pull up the end-of-season regional rankings from the NCAA site.

New England      In-Division Record   Overall Record
1.   Tufts   13-0-3   13-0-3
2.   Connecticut College   12-2-2   12-2-2
3.   Amherst   12-4-1   12-4-1
4.   Springfield   14-4-1   14-4-1
5.   Williams   10-5-3   10-5-3
6.   Middlebury   10-3-3   10-3-3
7.   Roger Williams   16-5-0   16-5-0
8.   Endicott   10-6-2   10-6-2
9.   St. Joseph's (Maine)   20-0-0   20-0-0
10.   Babson   12-3-4   12-3-4
11.   Bowdoin   9-5-2   9-5-2
12.   Gordon   12-6-1   12-6-1

Based on what little I know or have heard, I would guess that Conn College and St. Joe's will drop a little.  The NESCAC in general will be strong as usual, because most of those programs just keep reloading due to the desirability of those schools as a landing place for "student athletes".  Babson's usually a consistent performer.  I really don't know enough about Springfield, Roger Williams, Endicott or Gordon to provide any insight...other than there seem to be frequent mentions of Endicott pulling in D1 caliber transfers each year...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on August 08, 2019, 08:04:01 AM
New England Soccer Journal just released their preseason top 20 for New England:

1. Tufts
2018 record: 18-0-3 | Coach: Josh Shapiro (1oth year)

2. Amherst
2018 record: 14-5-1 | Coach: Justin Serpone (13th year)

3. Connecticut College
2018 record: 13-3-2 | Coach: Reuben Burk (first year)

4. Middlebury
2018 record: 10-4-3 | Coach: Alex Elias (second year)

5. Williams
2018 record: 10-6-3 | Coach: Erin Sullivan (fifth year)

6. Springfield
2018 record: 14-5-1 | Coach: Tommy Crabill (second year)

7. Saint Joseph's (Maine)
2018 record: 21-1 | Coach: Will Pike (first year)

8. Babson
2018 record: 12-3-4 | Coach: Jon Anderson (34th year)

9. Endicott
2018 record: 10-6-2 | Coach: Joe Calabrese (ninth year)

10. Bowdoin
2018 record: 9-5-2 | Coach: Scott Wiercinski (seventh year)

11. Brandeis
2018 record: 7-9-2 | Coach: Gabe Margolis (third year)

12. Roger Williams
2018 record: 16-5 | Coach: James Greenslit (fifth year)

13. UMass Boston
2018 record: 9-10-2 | Coach: Jake Beverlin (eighth year)

14. Gordon
2018 record: 12-6-2 | Coach: Matt Horth (third year)

15. Eastern Connecticut State
2018 record: 15-4 | Coach: Greg DeVito (13th year)

16. Western Connecticut State
2018 record: 17-4-3 | Coach: Joe Mingachos (third year)

17. WPI
2018 record: 12-3-3 | Coach: Brian Kelley (seventh year)

18. Colby
2018 record: 8-6-5 | Coach: Ewan Seabrook (sixth year)

19. Wheaton
2018 record: 9-10-1 | Coach: Bryan Waggoner (second year)

20. Bates
2018 record: 8-7 | Coach: Tyler Sheikh (second year)

Also receiving votes: Framingham State, Salve Regina, Trinity, Clark, Bridgewater State, Western New England, Norwich
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ejay on August 08, 2019, 02:32:18 PM
I'd keep a close eye on Springfield.  Crabill is an excellent coach. Last year they could have easily gone 18-2 instead of 14-5-1.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Buck O. on August 08, 2019, 04:07:34 PM
A few thoughts:
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on August 08, 2019, 05:17:11 PM
Quote from: Buck O. on August 08, 2019, 04:07:34 PM
  • I thought Deis would be higher.  But I'll let Blooter weigh in on that.

I would have had them higher, but can't say who they'd supplant. There's not a whole lot to go off in terms of judging this year's potential besides last season, and they definitely underperformed — even with a brutally tough schedule in a rebuilding year, I think they would have expected to be above .500. So, while they have had a really successful run since the turn of the decade, they'll have to get back to winning ways to prove that last season was a one-off and thus climb back up the rankings in short order. I think the FY class will be solid and it looks like some size is being added, which is good because the team (midfield in particular) last year lacked it big time. All told, I am optimistic, but adopting a "wait and see" viewpoint.

As for Williams, I am not sure they will end the year 5th in the region, but they do appear to be back on the upswing after a few years on the fringes but below their traditional standards. And, with Brandeis and Babson (who generally take at least one, if not two, Pool Cs) absent from NCAA competition last year, they were one of the higher-ranked teams in the region, perhaps explaining their preseason ranking.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: TyWebb on August 09, 2019, 10:38:42 AM
Quote from: EB2319 on August 08, 2019, 02:32:18 PM
I'd keep a close eye on Springfield.  Crabill is an excellent coach. Last year they could have easily gone 18-2 instead of 14-5-1.

Springfield graduated their top two scorers and one heck of a goal keeper so they have some holes to fill, but they've been a top program in
the NEWMAC for awhile now so I am not counting them out.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on August 09, 2019, 01:39:23 PM
Quote from: TyWebb on August 09, 2019, 10:38:42 AM
Quote from: EB2319 on August 08, 2019, 02:32:18 PM
I'd keep a close eye on Springfield.  Crabill is an excellent coach. Last year they could have easily gone 18-2 instead of 14-5-1.

Springfield graduated their top two scorers and one heck of a goal keeper so they have some holes to fill, but they've been a top program in
the NEWMAC for awhile now so I am not counting them out.

I got bored last night so I did a little number crunching on the NESJ top 10 to see which teams lost the most offensive firepower, and TyWebb is correct that Springfield is losing a lot.  The other team that stands out to me is Bowdoin graduating a lot of their goals and assists, so look for them to struggle scoring early on.























Team2018 Record     2018 Goals Scored     2018 Assists     % Goals Returning     % Assists Returning     
1. Tufts18-0-3463989.13%89.74
2. Amherst14-5-1423661.90%63.89%
3. Connecticut College13-3-2313161.29%35.38%
4. Middlebury10-4-3302779.31%81.48%
5. Williams10-6-3261973.08%73.68%
6. Springfield14-5-1282542.86%60.00%
7. St. Joseph's (Maine)21-1806465.00%81.25%
8. Babson12-3-4263169.23%67.74%
9. Endicott *10-6-2282185.71%71.43%
10. Bowdoin9-5-2281957.14%57.80%

Endicott gets an asterisk here because they're gaining an All-New England First Teamer in Donald Igo who transferred from Salve Regina, where he scored 14 goals and added 10 assists.  He's really going to help Endicott this year, so I think they're a team to watch in New England.  Really looking forward to the Endicott-St. Joseph's (Maine) game on August 30 to start off the season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on August 09, 2019, 04:05:31 PM
Quote from: OldNed on August 09, 2019, 01:39:23 PM
Endicott gets an asterisk here because they're gaining an All-New England First Teamer in Donald Igo who transferred from Salve Regina, where he scored 14 goals and added 10 assists. 

Thank you for the number crunching, OldNed!  It's a pleasure to see the data all laid out like that.  Donnie Igo is a big addition for Endicott.  He was highly regarded coming out of high school and committed to Providence in the fall of 2015.  By the winter of 2016, he had decommitted to Providence (I don't know what transpired there) and committed to UMass.  He didn't end up playing for UMass in 2016, but went to Salve Regina in 2017 and had a great debut year there (11G, 3A).  I, too, am looking forward to the August 30 St. Joe's v Endicott match!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ejay on August 09, 2019, 04:46:09 PM
Igo wasn't just All-NE, but was an All-American.  That's a huge pick-up, alhough I don't see him listed in the Endicott recruiting class:

The Gulls will also bring in two transfer student-athletes in Connor Ross (Atkinson, N.H./Clark University) and Kobe Barnes (Hartford, Conn./Newbury College).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on August 09, 2019, 07:14:30 PM
Quote from: EB2319 on August 09, 2019, 04:46:09 PM
Igo wasn't just All-NE, but was an All-American.  That's a huge pick-up, alhough I don't see him listed in the Endicott recruiting class:

The Gulls will also bring in two transfer student-athletes in Connor Ross (Atkinson, N.H./Clark University) and Kobe Barnes (Hartford, Conn./Newbury College).

Thanks for setting me straight, EB2319  - I wasn't aware he was an All American, too.  New England Soccer Journal has reported in two recent articles that Igo is an Endicott transfer.  Apparently Connor Ross from Clark has 9 goals and 2 assists as a freshman, so Endicott is getting a couple of skilled offensive players.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on August 22, 2019, 09:44:03 AM
Christian Schneider from Springfield is playing for the Philadelphia Fury of the new National Independent Soccer Association (NISA).  Nice to see a former New England standout progress to a bigger stage.

https://www.nesoccerjournal.com/christian-schneider-lands-with-nisas-philadelphia-fury/

There are a couple of other former D3 players on the roster for the Fury as well.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 25, 2019, 10:38:48 AM
Here is review of ECSU's team for 2019:

https://gowarriorathletics.com/sports/msoc/2019-20/releases/lec_pre-season_soc_poll-aug24

Keep an eye on 2 newcomers: Springfield College junior transfer defender 6'3' defender Emmanuel Agyemang (East Hartford) (Patricks older brother), and sophomore forward 6'3' forward Harvey Lipman (South Glastonbury) who played in the UK at the Richmond International Academic and Soccer Academy.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on August 30, 2019, 03:27:25 PM
The 5:30 p.m. matchup in Waltham will be fun, particularly for me as far as season openers go. First time 'Deis and RWU have battled since the 2013 Sweet 16 matchup, which Mr.Right heckles me for obsessing about (he's "correct") that happened my senior year at Brandeis — as many of you know, I spent freshman year at Roger but have been 100% in the 'Deis camp since I met Coven and Gabe back in Fall 2011. Not out of work until kickoff time but current commute is short (15 minutes!) so hopefully I won't miss too much. RWU has improved the last couple years after dropping off after Cook left and looked pretty good most of last year before their CCC exit. 'Deis will be eager to get off on the right foot after a disappointing year last year. Looking forward to it.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on August 30, 2019, 07:30:18 PM
And like 2013, Brandeis wins it 1-0. FY Will DeNight got the goal off a failed clear and looked solid up top. Judges solid in possession and created some nice opportunities. Roger Williams had a few dangerous looks but were limited to the minority of possession and chances. Good start to the season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on August 30, 2019, 08:54:58 PM
St. Joe's goes up 2-1 on Endicott with 3 minutes left.  A botched clearance from an Endicott defender fell directly to soph defender Michael Wildes who buried it.  A pretty even game all night - Endicott is looking good, and St. Joe's has been opportunistic with their chances.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on August 30, 2019, 09:00:08 PM
Quote from: OldNed on August 30, 2019, 08:54:58 PM
St. Joe's goes up 2-1 on Endicott with 3 minutes left.  A botched clearance from an Endicott defender fell directly to soph defender Michael Wildes who buried it.  A pretty even game all night - Endicott is looking good, and St. Joe's has been opportunistic with their chances.

It appears that Donnie Igo did not end up at Endicott after all.  He did not play and isn't listed on the roster.  A good start for St. Joe's in the post-Blake Mullen era.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 10, 2019, 08:43:05 AM
Speaking of Blake Mullen, he's now a volunteer assistant with Virginia Tech: https://hokiesports.com/news/2019/9/4/mens-soccer-adds-blake-mullen-to-staff-wishes-kyle-renfro-good-luck-in-his-new-position.aspx
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 10, 2019, 09:30:06 PM
I watched a little bit of the Trinity/Eastern CT game online and I thought it was fairly evenly matched.  I didn't see the first goal as I tuned in after that, but both teams were able to move the ball and get a few chances.  I was impressed with ECSU's second goal, as Max Parent weaved his way through the midfield from left to right and then sent a shot back towards the far post once he had moved to the right side just outside the 18 yard box.  Nice goal to cap the night off for ECSU.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Skipper on September 11, 2019, 10:38:05 AM
Suffolk coaching position abruptly open. With their impending move to the CCC, could be a good growth opportunity.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 11, 2019, 10:59:32 AM
Quote from: OldNed on September 10, 2019, 09:30:06 PM
I watched a little bit of the Trinity/Eastern CT game online and I thought it was fairly evenly matched.  I didn't see the first goal as I tuned in after that, but both teams were able to move the ball and get a few chances.  I was impressed with ECSU's second goal, as Max Parent weaved his way through the midfield from left to right and then sent a shot back towards the far post once he had moved to the right side just outside the 18 yard box.  Nice goal to cap the night off for ECSU.

Ned, Sam Hurlburt's scored the first goal on a low drive from about the same spot as Parent's!  Trinity almost scored a goal to take the lead, but it was rejected by an ECSU defenseman, (Jared Caroline I think), as Butout was beaten!  BTW the NSN guy doing the game was excellent and made the match exciting to watch!  Overall, an entertaining match last night in Hartford.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: rolldeisroll on September 11, 2019, 03:25:50 PM
Brandeis has a big NE game against WPI tonight, but looking forward to this weekends matchup against Tufts, it's interesting to note that over the past 4 years, Brandeis is 2-1 on Bello field, including the NCAA Elite 8 win. And both wins came in the year AFTER Tufts won the national championship. Which 2019 is as well. One to watch for sure!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 11, 2019, 04:24:22 PM
A handful of very good games this afternoon and tonight but I'm curious to tune in for a bit of Tufts versus Keene State as James McCully, the legendary, record-breaking Nauset HS (Cape Cod) player features for Keene State after transferring from D1 UNH.  James' father, the longstanding coach of Nauset HS, club teams, and a summer league men's team in the Cape Cod Amateur League (where a decent number of college and especially D3 players play in the summer) was a star at Keene back in the day and I believe still holds most of Keene's scoring records.  James the father coached both Savonen brothers (Brandeis and Trinity) for high school and club, and also for club Robbie Lynch (Brandeis), Andrew Sheridan (Rochester), Ben Altneu (UVM and then Wheaton), Adam Cowie-Haskell (Wesleyan and I think NESCAC rookie of the year), Brendan Nemes and Paul Beatty (WPI), Sean Hurlburt (Wheaton), my own kid (Kenyon), Trevor Gleason (current Kenyon frosh who scored versus the other Wheaton), and a slew of other players over the past decade plus.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2019, 04:59:09 PM
Quote from: rolldeisroll on September 11, 2019, 03:25:50 PM
Brandeis has a big NE game against WPI tonight, but looking forward to this weekends matchup against Tufts, it's interesting to note that over the past 4 years, Brandeis is 2-1 on Bello field, including the NCAA Elite 8 win. And both wins came in the year AFTER Tufts won the national championship. Which 2019 is as well. One to watch for sure!

Hate to be that guy, but technically the 2015 win was on Kraft Field — they moved to Bello in 2016. :P It's also worth pointing out that Tufts did win in the regular season before losing the 2OT Elite 8 game. Still, should be a good one — and will be a good benchmark on which to Judge (heh) Brandeis' potential "top 25" credentials.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 11, 2019, 08:19:46 PM
Keene St vs Tufts 1-1  James McCully just scored the equalizer for Keene second half at 32 min mrk!   Ratzan scores two goals in 30 seconds at 82 minutes!!
3-1 Tufts full time!  Keene was taking it to the Jumbos until Ratzan exploded for the two goals!! 

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 11, 2019, 09:35:53 PM
Brandeis and WPI draw 1-1. Engineers struck first in the 6th minute and then Brandeis equalized later in the half. Brandeis looked decent through the second half (I missed the first) but WPI definitely had the better of the opportunities, and Irwin made a nice 1-v-1 save in 2OT. WPI dominated shots and SOG so I think in the end Brandeis would have been happier with a draw because the visitors looked much more dangerous on the attack in overtime, although they may feel it's an opportunity missed given home field. If you can't win, don't lose.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: soccerfanatic on September 11, 2019, 09:58:33 PM
Springfield hung tough with Wesleyan today, falling 2-0.
Would have thought they would have been maybe more competitive since they drew 1-1 with Williams earlier this year
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: AllStar on September 11, 2019, 11:12:41 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 11, 2019, 08:19:46 PM
Keene St vs Tufts 1-1  James McCully just scored the equalizer for Keene second half at 32 min mrk!   Ratzan scores two goals in 30 seconds at 82 minutes!!
3-1 Tufts full time!  Keene was taking it to the Jumbos until Ratzan exploded for the two goals!!

Tough loss for the Owls.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 21, 2019, 04:48:13 PM
WNE holds visiting Brandeis to a 2-2 tie. Hosts struck first, Judges went up 2-1, but conceded a second-half equalizer off a set piece which was admittedly a great header. Brandeis had the ball in the net in OT but an offside flag. The visitors looked solid and had more of the play, but the final ball was really poor and a number of decent opportunities completely dashed by the wrong ball or bad execution. They play some nice stuff and they show some good fight, but the ruthlessness of previous Brandeis sides isn't quite there.

One player that did catch the eye was #5 Michael Burch...it was opined by someone close to the program that he would get regular playing time (probably not start, but one of the first off the bench) in any of the 2012-17 seasons. Can play the DM role well but isn't afraid to get forward.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 25, 2019, 08:38:36 PM
Keene State is a team to monitor.  I don't think they are going to storm into a Sweet 16 but they might knock a good team out.  Good win over Clark today.  I watched much of Keene's game versus Tufts and they were competitive with the game still in doubt fairly late when Tufts got two scrum goals.  Once Emmanuel Smith figures out and accepts how good McCully is they will be even better, and McCully will get Smith more goals. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Futball on September 25, 2019, 08:54:03 PM
Agree Keene is dangerous and their forwards will give most defenders a tough time. Some credit to Clark who almost came back from a two-goal deficit. Hit the crossbar and had a goal disallowed. Not sure what happened at the end as Clark players seemed upset about something. I think the commentators called a goal and then said offsides. If that is the case Clark had two goals disallowed.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 28, 2019, 08:29:26 PM
ECSU wins their 9th straight with a 3-2 victory over UMass Boston,  What was disconcerting was that the Warriors allowed 2 goals while UMB was playing down a man off a Rafael De Souza red card. :o  This raises some serious defense questions!!
Soph striker, Patrick Agyemang tallied his 10 goal of the season, in the 88 min to seal the victory!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 29, 2019, 01:57:52 PM
Interesting to note how hard it is to keep winning year after year at any school. Endicott / Gordon /WNEC / aforementioned Keene St, ECONN(although they are coming back the past few years), Williams, SLU, on and on...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on October 01, 2019, 05:54:12 PM
Endicott takes down Babson 3-2 in 2OT. Pretty back and forth game, but that's a big win for the Gulls who started the year slow but seem to be picking it up a bit.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 01, 2019, 07:06:34 PM
Wow.  Gordon has really fallen on hard times.  Seems like just 2-3 years ago they were on pace to become a poor man's Messiah or Calvin.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 01, 2019, 07:35:21 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 01, 2019, 07:06:34 PM
Wow.  Gordon has really fallen on hard times.  Seems like just 2-3 years ago they were on pace to become a poor man's Messiah or Calvin.

To be fair they did win the CCC last year and were about 2 inches away from playing Tufts in the 2nd Round (hit the bar in the 109th minute off a free kick). That said, that 18-2 (?) season was pretty remarkable and did perhaps suggest more than has come for them.

EDIT: Did NOT realize that they were 1-7-1...I knew they were middling along but, wow, I guess they are falling on hard times.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 01, 2019, 07:36:27 PM
DeNight — who missed every game in the Judges' 0-1-3 run — scores yet again and Brandeis leads MIT 1-0.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 01, 2019, 08:15:26 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 01, 2019, 07:35:21 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 01, 2019, 07:06:34 PM
Wow.  Gordon has really fallen on hard times.  Seems like just 2-3 years ago they were on pace to become a poor man's Messiah or Calvin.

To be fair they did win the CCC last year and were about 2 inches away from playing Tufts in the 2nd Round last year (hit the bar in the 109th minute off a free kick). That said, that 18-2 (?) season was pretty remarkable and did perhaps suggest more than has come for them.

LOL.  That's why you are a D3soccer.com stud columnist and I'm not!

2012 -- 6-12-1
2013 - 19-3 (the one you were thinking of I assume)
2014 --14-5-2
2015 -- 16-5
2016 -- 12-5-1
2017 -- 13-6-1
2018 -- 12-6-2
2019 -- 1-7-1

Yeah, I guess the stark drop-off is only this year...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 01, 2019, 08:36:09 PM
DeNight with another, this one a banger after he cut in from the left and curled it into the far corner with pace on his right. I guess he kind of flew under the radar in Florida but one of the assistants found him at a camp. Five goals so far as a freshman, all before the UAA starts. If he can stay fit, he's gonna be a hell of a player.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 01, 2019, 08:47:03 PM
Appreciate it, but you are correct that there is a major "down year" going on. I assumed they were like .500, I didn't think it was this bad. Crazy because I usually look at the NESCAC/NEWMAC/CCC standings every week or so. Guess I haven't paid enough attention.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Falconer on October 01, 2019, 09:04:13 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 01, 2019, 08:15:26 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 01, 2019, 07:35:21 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 01, 2019, 07:06:34 PM
Wow.  Gordon has really fallen on hard times.  Seems like just 2-3 years ago they were on pace to become a poor man's Messiah or Calvin.

To be fair they did win the CCC last year and were about 2 inches away from playing Tufts in the 2nd Round last year (hit the bar in the 109th minute off a free kick). That said, that 18-2 (?) season was pretty remarkable and did perhaps suggest more than has come for them.

LOL.  That's why you are a D3soccer.com stud columnist and I'm not!

2012 -- 6-12-1
2013 - 19-3 (the one you were thinking of I assume)
2014 --14-5-2
2015 -- 16-5
2016 -- 12-5-1
2017 -- 13-6-1
2018 -- 12-6-2
2019 -- 1-7-1

Yeah, I guess the stark drop-off is only this year...
Gordon's coach in those big seasons (2013-16) was Derek Potteiger, now the head coach at D2 Lee University: https://leeuflames.com/coaches.aspx?rc=328. One of the best players central PA has produced, he did actually visit Messiah before choosing to play at Penn State--and obviously he learned much when he worked under Brandt at Annapolis. His recruits are of course now all gone. Quite a few of them were from central PA, including D3soccer.com AA Caleb Cole, now with Chattanooga FC. Cole graduated from the same HS (Lancaster Mennonite) that has produced several Falcons, including current players FR Ben Lefever (currently 3 goals scored) and SR GK Nate Flanders--not to mention Georgetown University and MSL player Keegan Rosenberry, Cole's teammate on a PA state championship team. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 02, 2019, 08:08:01 PM
Rhode Island College hands ECSU their first loss of the season with a 3-2 victory.     Sa-Leem Kamarah scores the hat trick with three drives taken inside the box ::) Eastern defense again seemed helpless to clear the area and/or challenge RIC's forwards allowing penetration into the box!  Devito needs to figure his defense out as they have given up 5 goals in 2 games!!!

Whoever took over the camera at halftime was asleep most of the period, however the play by play was excellent.

Bad loss for the Warriors as they should not have lost to RIC!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 07, 2019, 10:40:54 AM
One league to keep an eye on is the top heavy Little East. Looks like you have 5 teams battling for position. Econn,Wconn,Keene,UMB and RIC. Any of those sides could pose a tough 1st round NCAA matchup as WCONN showed F&M last year. Wconn does seem to have Keene's number beating them over the wknd in what sounds like a wild game and in last years LEC Final.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 07, 2019, 10:45:09 AM
 Brandeis quietly are now 6-2-3 and look like they will be right in the thick of the UAA hunt with a solid home opener in the UAA beating CMU 2-0. I would say they need to find at least a Draw next weekend at Case and then they have their biggest wknd of the year with Home matches v Chicago and Wash U. That NYU/Case result was one result that caught my attention this past wknd.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 07, 2019, 10:54:49 AM
Interesting tidbit.  Brandeis @ CWRU is going to be played at Oberlin.  Can't find a reason why unless football team has field in same time slot.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 07, 2019, 09:54:04 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 07, 2019, 10:40:54 AM
One league to keep an eye on is the top heavy Little East. Looks like you have 5 teams battling for position. Econn,Wconn,Keene,UMB and RIC. Any of those sides could pose a tough 1st round NCAA matchup as WCONN showed F&M last year. Wconn does seem to have Keene's number beating them over the wknd in what sounds like a wild game and in last years LEC Final.
Mr Right, One note is that Keene St has played a relatively strong schedule thus far while Eastern has played a weak schedule.  ECSU's  upcoming schedule vs Conn College, WCSU, and Keene St will provide insight as to how good ECSU is this season in light of the weak schedule. 
Pat Agyemang will always a threat and freshman mf Andrés Mayuri has been a pleasant surprise thus far with his excellent technical skills and offensive contribution of 5 goals and 16 points.  6'1" 200 lb All LEC defenseman Nick Starkowski is back (from injury?), so hopefully he will bolster the defense.  Eastern finally seems to be much better technically this year vs the past which gives me some encouragement that they will continue to maintain possession, field position, and thus scoring opportunities .
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 08, 2019, 11:05:04 AM
Quote from: ECSUalum on October 07, 2019, 09:54:04 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 07, 2019, 10:40:54 AM
One league to keep an eye on is the top heavy Little East. Looks like you have 5 teams battling for position. Econn,Wconn,Keene,UMB and RIC. Any of those sides could pose a tough 1st round NCAA matchup as WCONN showed F&M last year. Wconn does seem to have Keene's number beating them over the wknd in what sounds like a wild game and in last years LEC Final.
Mr Right, One note is that Keene St has played a relatively strong schedule thus far while Eastern has played a weak schedule.  ECSU's  upcoming schedule vs Conn College, WCSU, and Keene St will provide insight as to how good ECSU is this season in light of the weak schedule. 
Pat Agyemang will always a threat and freshman mf Andrés Mayuri has been a pleasant surprise thus far with his excellent technical skills and offensive contribution of 5 goals and 16 points.  6'1" 200 lb All LEC defenseman Nick Starkowski is back (from injury?), so hopefully he will bolster the defense.  Eastern finally seems to be much better technically this year vs the past which gives me some encouragement that they will continue to maintain possession, field position, and thus scoring opportunities .


You are correct. DeVito has really weakened his schedule over the past few seasons as Econn has not been as strong as they were at the beginning of the decade. STill they have defeated WPI and UMB plus they did lose to RIC 3-2 in what looks to be a very even game. I think RIC, Keene and Econn are a step above UMB and Wconn but all 5 have weapons in attack.

Today's game at Conn is a big one for Econn. A win at Conn would give them a much needed WvR but more importantly a shot of confidence. They have a striker that can certainly beat Conn all by himself in a flash of brilliance or Econn could get smoked by a fluid Conn attack that is itching to get back on the field. I certainly expect Econn to bunker in but they will be dangerous on the counter especially if Conn gets greedy looking for a goal.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 08, 2019, 01:53:54 PM
Mr Right, Thanks for your insight, spot on!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 08, 2019, 05:02:11 PM
Eastern plays Conn College even in the first half, then a questionable call in the box goes against the Warriors for a penalty kick, which kick starts the Camels who then dominate the second half.  A penalty kick by Emmanual Agyemang off a take down of his brother in the box is Eastern's only score.  A tale of two halves and as Mr Right commented a "fluid Camel attack" smoked the Eastern defense with 2 goals by Matt Butera.  I thought we had a chance in this one but it was not to be.  Congrats to Conn College for a nice non-conference win.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEsoccerfan20 on October 09, 2019, 10:31:39 AM
Endicott's Evan Couchot scored his 15th goal of the season yesterday for the Gulls. Has been a consistent goal scorer every year since he arrived in Beverly but this year seems to be taking his game up a notch. Going to be interesting to see how far he can take this young team this season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 09, 2019, 01:11:41 PM
Eastern Nazarene receiving 2 votes for this weeks Top 25 is beyond baffling
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 09, 2019, 01:48:06 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 09, 2019, 01:11:41 PM
Eastern Nazarene receiving 2 votes for this weeks Top 25 is beyond baffling

I saw that and I was thinking the same thing.  Good record and all for Eastern Nazarene, but really poor SOS (367 per Massey).  I wonder if maybe some of the voters confused Eastern Nazarene with another school - maybe ECSU?

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 12, 2019, 02:29:02 PM
Quick shout out to MCLA for getting its first MASCAC conference Win in OVER 2 YEARS. One more and they might get into their tournament.


Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 12, 2019, 07:50:56 PM
I would have guessed the ECSU vs Keene St game would have been much closer, however Eastern plays very well at home and it looks like the defense shut down Keene's big scorers!  Pat Agyemang scored his 14th and 15 goals of the season.  I have never seen a 6' 3" guy with such acceleration, pace, ball control and finishing as Agyemang has!!  Excellent win over a usually tough LEC competitor!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 14, 2019, 08:05:43 AM
Once again, St. Joseph's of Maine has another good season going.

- a regular-season undefeated streak at 64 games, since a 2-0 loss to University of New England on September 4, 2016

- St. Joe's has not allowed a goal in the last 808:11 minutes of play with eight-consecutive shutouts

- St. Joe's is one of just three NCAA DIII Men's Soccer teams to have not suffered a loss this fall – Roanoke (11-0-2) and Amherst (9-0-2) are the others

My son graduated in May from St. Joe's so I've been a little quiet about this year's team, but it's time to keep them in the conversation with many of the other good New England teams.  I don't think St. Joe's can hang with Amherst or Tufts, but I think they can hold their own against most other area teams.  I'll be looking forward to the St. Joe's-WPI game a week from today.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 15, 2019, 12:46:10 PM
Mr. Blooter...fantastic column (per usual but you seemed to outdo yourself this time).  Loved "...year before maiden title."  It's almost like a scoring a goal when the mind yields just the right word.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 15, 2019, 03:54:36 PM
I watched the WPI - Middlebury game online and it ended in a 0-0 tie. I thought both teams were fairly even in the first half, but Middlebury had a few chances where WPI didn't.  Middlebury looked better in the 2nd half and they were consistently able to pass the ball around and get to the top of the 18 yard box but they had trouble moving the ball past the WPI defense. 

In the second OT, the only really good chance by WPI's Bazzini was negated by a really nice save by Middlebury keeper Grady.

Paul Beatty didn't play for WPI so maybe he's injured again?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 15, 2019, 08:27:11 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 15, 2019, 12:46:10 PM
Mr. Blooter...fantastic column (per usual but you seemed to outdo yourself this time).  Loved "...year before maiden title."  It's almost like a scoring a goal when the mind yields just the right word.

Much appreciated — funny that you say that because I didn't have any thought about using it at the time I wrote it, but in hindsight seems to work.

Babson with another big NESCAC scalp — this time of Conn., 2-1 at home in which the Beavers rallied from a 1-0 deficit with just over 10 minutes left. They are 8-4-2 and with two very good ranked wins after being 3-3 following losses to Brandeis, Amherst, and Williams. After that, they also lost 3-2 at home to Endicott two weeks ago. That's how quick perception can change in 14 days.

As far as the game, looked like it might have been a bit smash-and-grab given that Conn. had a 9-4 SOG advantage (and two of Babson's four came in the last 10:01.). Didn't see them getting better than a draw out of either Tufts or Conn. but that's why the games are played on the pitch instead of the minds of the prognosticators. The next big step for them I think in terms of getting back to regional power status — and by that I mean their 2009-2012 Eric Anderson heyday level — is to pull out a win of that magnitude on the road, as they have gone 0-2 in "big" away games this year. That said, you can only beat people where they are on your schedule, and Babson has proved its ability to do that (at home, at least) with two invaluable wins.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 15, 2019, 08:38:32 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 15, 2019, 08:27:11 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 15, 2019, 12:46:10 PM
Mr. Blooter...fantastic column (per usual but you seemed to outdo yourself this time).  Loved "...year before maiden title."  It's almost like a scoring a goal when the mind yields just the right word.

Much appreciated — funny that you say that because I didn't have any thought about using it at the time I wrote it, but in hindsight seems to work.


Hey, I'm from the South so things don't come quite so easily for me.  To borrow a couple of your faves, that said or either way, I learned something.  I was only familiar with "maiden voyage."   Now I can do maiden marriage, maiden blank experience, maiden car purchasing ordeal, etc, etc.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 16, 2019, 04:29:56 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 15, 2019, 08:38:32 PM
Hey, I'm from the South so things don't come quite so easily for me.  To borrow a couple of your faves, that said or either way, I learned something.  I was only familiar with "maiden voyage."   Now I can do maiden marriage, maiden blank experience, maiden car purchasing ordeal, etc, etc.

Oh man, this is all reminding me of how much I overuse certain phrases. I used to give my friend in college a ton of grief for overusing cliches — in hindsight, I guess you could call that "projection."
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 16, 2019, 06:00:20 PM
ECSU over WCSU in Danbury 1-0 on a Justin Jensen goal.  Eastern possession was great before the goal, but after the goal they just could not connect 2 passes in a row and WCSU dominated with 3 or 4 close calls  ???   It amazes me the difference in Eastern's play... like night and day 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2019, 07:29:13 PM
Hmmm...Brandeis starting 3 Frosh tonight v Chicago. Have these 3 been starting?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2019, 08:26:58 PM
Very even game with both teams a couple good looks. Deis look good 1st Half. I see guys busting all over the field...Chicago almost got on the board before the Half ended but Irwin got his paw on it and pushed it over the bar. 0-0 Halftime but a very entertaining game
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 18, 2019, 08:51:30 PM
How the hell did Chicagp midfielder split Brandeis CB's on that Chicago goal?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blue_jays on October 18, 2019, 09:53:32 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 18, 2019, 08:51:30 PM
How the hell did Chicagp midfielder split Brandeis CB's on that Chicago goal?

Mateus and Modi are legit, lots of technical skill with that duo.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: From away on October 19, 2019, 08:36:39 AM
So I'm making my debut on these boards and can't help but find myself agreeing with Old Ned.

SJC is pretty much disregarded in all the polls but they are putting together another fine season. They are in the top 3 in the nation in a trio of defensive statistical categories and #1 presently in shut out percentage. Additionally, they are then in the top 15 (of 410 teams) in four others.

I am sure the strength of their schedule counts against them, but that isn't for the want of trying to get traditionally strong teams on their docket. Isn't it telling that NESCAC schools wont add them since they have consistently lost to SJC in the regular season in recent years!!

How interesting that Maine Maritime Academy all the way out in Castine can get Colby, Bates and particularly Middlebury to travel to "East Gish" but none of the NESCAC schools will even host SJC!!!

By the way, in case you missed it, MMA deservedly beat Bates (ranked above SJC) 2-1 this week, so congrats to Billy Shannon and his team.

Monday night should be very informative as the top two teams in the nation in goals against per game (as of today) go head to head in Standish Maine, when SJC host WPI.

What are the odds this game make me look silly again and end up being a seven goal thriller!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 19, 2019, 10:32:00 PM
Pat Agyemang's hat trick vs Castleton ties him with Max Busch for the national lead in goals.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 20, 2019, 08:32:30 PM
Projected 10/23/19 Regional Rankings for New England:

1.   Amherst      11-0-2
2.   Tufts             9-2-2
3.   Brandeis       8-3-4
4.   Middlebury    7-1-5
5.   Babson         9-4-2
6.   Conn            7-3-2
7.   St Josephs   12-0-2
8.   Bowdoin        6-2-4
9.   EConnSt       13-2-0
10. WPI               8-2-4
11. Endicott         8-4-2
12. UMass-Boston   10-2-2

next 3
Williams             5-3-4
MIT                    7-2-5
Clark                 11-4-0
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: From away on October 21, 2019, 10:50:23 AM
What more can be said about Amherst? No fewer than 5 overtime wins this season and sophomore Giammattei is just consistently amazing! 17 goals and 37 points already and points in 12 of the 13 games.
I'm betting they learned a lot from their tournament loss to Tufts last season and they surely must be a heavy favorite to get out of the always tough New England bracket.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 21, 2019, 06:49:39 PM
WPI and St. Joe's scoreless at the half.  4 SOG for WPI and 2 for SJC.  WPI using a high press for most of the first half with St. Joe's content to pass the ball around in the back.  A few direct balls for St. Joe's that didn't amount to much, trying to use the speed of Kuma Onyejose to get behind the WPI defense.  WPI had the better of the chances in the first half, helped by some sloppy passing by St. Joe's towards the end of the half.  I have to say I'm impressed with WPI's high press and defense - they're making it very difficult for St. Joe's to move the ball effectively. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 21, 2019, 07:15:37 PM
Interesting - Paul Beatty started the first half for WPI and played most of the half but he's not starting the second half for WPI.  He's got a serious looking brace on his knee, so I hope he hasn't reinjured himself.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 21, 2019, 07:20:12 PM
Yellow card for WPI bench - commentator said it's on Coach Kelly.  I saw the aftermath of the play where a WPI player was sent sprawling, but I didn't see what led up to it.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 21, 2019, 07:23:01 PM
One timer from Setterlund on a long cross - 1-0, WPI
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 21, 2019, 08:05:12 PM
Quote from: From away on October 21, 2019, 10:50:23 AM
What more can be said about Amherst? No fewer than 5 overtime wins this season and sophomore Giammattei is just consistently amazing! 17 goals and 37 points already and points in 12 of the 13 games.
I'm betting they learned a lot from their tournament loss to Tufts last season and they surely must be a heavy favorite to get out of the always tough New England bracket.

Tell you what — Amherst is probably going to host in the New England region to the Final 4 this year, and if Tufts can go there and win I will be VERY impressed (a little bit because of their record there, but also because of how unassailable the Mammoths currently look).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on October 21, 2019, 08:57:42 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on October 21, 2019, 08:05:12 PM
Tell you what — Amherst is probably going to host in the New England region to the Final 4 this year, and if Tufts can go there and win I will be VERY impressed (a little bit because of their record there, but also because of how unassailable the Mammoths currently look).

I agree with everything you say with the exception that winning 2-1 in OT in two of the past three games doesn't exactly scream unassailability  ;)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2019, 09:30:33 AM
Quote from: Ommadawn on October 21, 2019, 08:57:42 PM
I agree with everything you say with the exception that winning 2-1 in OT in two of the past three games doesn't exactly scream unassailability  ;)

Fair, but what I think I meant more (but didn't express, obviously) was that they are getting results with more regularity than any of their NESCAC foes. The home-field advantage against Tufts was probably big, but you can only beat people where they are on your schedule. Either way, they've won 2 NESCAC games after being down, and gotten points from two others (Conn. and Midd.) where they were trailing inside the final 10 minutes. They also beat Babson after being behind for a while and getting pegged back late. That is a strong mentality — one of a team on a mission. It's gonna take a hell of an effort to stop them.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on October 22, 2019, 07:49:55 PM
ECSU up 2-0 on Babson at the half...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on October 22, 2019, 08:57:04 PM
After a nice stretch with two monster non-conference wins against NESCAC teams Tufts and Conn., Babson falls 2-0 tonight to Eastern Conn. Since winning there in 2013 the Beavers have struggled in Willimantic, losing all three. The Warriors are quietly 14-2 and still seemingly the favorites in the LEC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 23, 2019, 08:17:46 AM
Here is the recap of last night's Eastern 2-0 win over Babson:
https://gowarriorathletics.com/sports/msoc/2019-20/releases/20191022wsi1o5
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 23, 2019, 01:15:31 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on October 23, 2019, 08:17:46 AM
Here is the recap of last night's Eastern 2-0 win over Babson:
https://gowarriorathletics.com/sports/msoc/2019-20/releases/20191022wsi1o5


Congrats ECSU.....That is a monster WIN for Econn and with one of the best strikers in New England(he had a goal last night) they can beat anyone on any given day...I will day I was disappointed in RIC's effort at CC yesterday and even Wconn should have beaten Trinity but the stats for RIC were UGLY against Conn. RIC sometimes will just throw in the towel but they had been playing well along with Econn, Wconn and Keene
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 23, 2019, 03:13:08 PM
Thanks Mr Right,
ECSU really took the game to Babson in the first half, and was lucky they got a couple of goals early. Pat Agyemang is truely a unique stricker.   Second half the Warriors always retreat into their clam shell and defend against the onslaught of Babson offense.  ie the 14-1 corner kick differential.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on October 23, 2019, 03:32:13 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on October 23, 2019, 03:13:08 PM
Thanks Mr Right,
ECSU really took the game to Babson in the first half, and was lucky they got a couple of goals early. Pat Agyemang is truely a unique stricker.   Second half the Warriors always retreat into their clam shell and defend against the onslaught of Babson offense.  ie the 14-1 corner kick differential.


Yea really shocked ECSU was not ranked this week in the RR BUT that Babson Win should get them in there...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Christan Shirk on October 23, 2019, 04:16:34 PM
NEW ENGLAND REGION - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - October 23, 2019

Rank

School
. Div. III .
Record
. Div. III .
SOS

 . R-v-R .
. Overall .
Record
. Prev. .
Rank
1.
Amherst
11-0-2
0.614
--
11-0-2
--
2.
Tufts
9-2-2
0.605
--
9-2-2
--
3.
Middlebury
7-1-5
0.602
--
7-1-5
--
4.
Connecticut College
7-3-2
0.616
--
7-3-2
--
5.
Brandeis
8-3-4
0.601
--
8-3-4
--
6.
WPI
8-2-4
0.576
--
8-2-4
--
7.
Babson
9-4-2
0.553
--
9-4-2
--
8.
Keene State
10-5-0
0.572
--
10-5-0
--
9.
Williams
5-3-4
0.585
--
5-3-4
--
10.
Bates
8-4-1
0.556
--
8-4-1
--
11.
Hamilton
6-5-2
0.639
--
6-5-2
--
12.
MIT
7-2-5
0.542
--
7-2-5
--
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 24, 2019, 06:06:58 PM
Random observations on the 10/23 Regional Rankings:

* Middlebury is currently in 5th place in the NESCAC, but they are #3 in all of New England

* Keene St has the same winning % as Babson (0.667) and a stronger schedule, yet they are ranked behind the Beavers

* Babson's SOS of .553 in the Reg. Rankings is baffling.  They have played the teams ranked 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 12, yet they only have the 13th toughest schedule in New England?

* Rankings reward the strongest SOS and punish those with below average SOS - the following teams all have winning % over 0.750 but were not ranked presumably due to SOS below .500 (St. Joes 12-0-2, ECSU 13-2, Eastern Nazarene 13-1, Johnson & Wales 13-2, Maine Maritime 9-2-1, Norwich 10-3-1, Pine Manor 9-2-2, UMass-Boston 10-2-2)

* Endicott, Clark and Roger Williams must be the next three teams in the rankings given their records and SOS over .500
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: TyWebb on October 24, 2019, 07:30:31 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 24, 2019, 06:06:58 PM
Random observations on the 10/23 Regional Rankings:

* Middlebury is currently in 5th place in the NESCAC, but they are #3 in all of New England

* Keene St has the same winning % as Babson (0.667) and a stronger schedule, yet they are ranked behind the Beavers

* Babson's SOS of .553 in the Reg. Rankings is baffling.  They have played the teams ranked 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 12, yet they only have the 13th toughest schedule in New England?

* Rankings reward the strongest SOS and punish those with below average SOS - the following teams all have winning % over 0.750 but were not ranked presumably due to SOS below .500 (St. Joes 12-0-2, ECSU 13-2, Eastern Nazarene 13-1, Johnson & Wales 13-2, Maine Maritime 9-2-1, Norwich 10-3-1, Pine Manor 9-2-2, UMass-Boston 10-2-2)

* Endicott, Clark and Roger Williams must be the next three teams in the rankings given their records and SOS over .500

Off Pitch, I agree when I saw Babson's SOS of .553, it was baffling. I expected it to be much higher based on the ranked teams they had played. After a quick glance at their schedule, I think it's due to the combined record of Southern Maine, Regis, Springfield & Emerson who are 10-44-6 with a winning percentage of .216 (if I did my math correctly). While I know the formula for SOS is a combination of both OWP (Opponents winning percentage) & OOWP (Opponents opponents winning percentage), I'm guessing those four teams are dragging down Babson's SOS. Fortunately for the Beavers they got some marquee wins if they end up in Pool C.

I agree teams are being punished by low SOS's and maybe rightfully so, but on the flip side the rankings are favoring Hamilton (currently #11) way too much for their strong SOS. You need to actually win some of those games against top teams, not just play them. Their best win is against Colby (#77 in the Massey rankings). 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 24, 2019, 07:42:16 PM
I had mentioned ECSU's poor SOS in a previous post and understand why they are not ranked.  I think Coach De Vito should have scheduled some much better teams this year which would have served the team much better IMHO!  The likes of Medgar Evers , Mitchell, and St Joe's LI  should be replaced with NESCAC or NEWMAC teams in the future.  You don't get better playing pushovers.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on October 28, 2019, 08:44:04 PM
Projected 10/30 Regional Rankings

1.  Amherst
2.  Tufts
3.  Middlebury
4.  Conn
5.  WPI
6.  Brandeis
7.  Williams
8.  ECSU
9.  Babson
10. Keene St.
11. St Josephs
12. Endicott
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Christan Shirk on October 30, 2019, 02:37:22 PM
NEW ENGLAND REGION - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - October 30, 2019

Rank

School
. Div. III .
Record
. Div. III .
SOS

 . R-v-R .
. Overall .
Record
. Prev. .
Rank
1.
Amherst
12-0-2
0.608
5-0-2
12-0-2
1
2.
Tufts
10-2-2
0.611
6-2-1
10-2-2
2
3.
Connecticut College
9-3-2
0.606
2-3-2
9-3-2
4
4.
Middlebury
7-2-5
0.609
2-2-2
7-2-5
3
5.
Brandeis
9-3-4
0.585
2-3-1
9-3-4
5
6.
Williams
7-3-4
0.577
4-3-1
7-3-4
9
7.
Babson
10-5-2
0.570
2-3-2
10-5-2
7
8.
WPI
10-2-4
0.577
0-0-4
10-2-4
6
9.
Bates
8-5-1
0.567
2-4-0
8-5-1
10
10.
Keene State
12-5-0
0.564
0-2-0
12-5-0
8
11.
Endicott
9-5-2
0.553
1-2-0
9-5-2
--
12.
Eastern Connecticut
14-2-0
0.494
3-1-0
14-2-0
--
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 05, 2019, 09:28:56 PM
projected 11/6 Regional Rankings

1.  Amherst
2.  Tufts
3.  Conn
4.  WPI
5.  Middlebury
6.  Williams
7.  ECSU
8.  Brandeis
9.  Babson
10. Keene St
11. St. Josephs
12. Bates

Last 2 out:  Endicott, Wheaton

Notes:
- WPI and Williams each have 9 game unbeaten streaks
- Middlebury might slide to #6 as they have won only 2 of their last 9 games (2-2-5)
- ECSU may drop out of the rankings due to their sub-.500 SOS falling even farther below .500 after playing Plymouth St (1-11-3)
- Babson has played 7 of the top 8 ranked teams (2-4-1)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 05, 2019, 11:05:39 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on November 05, 2019, 09:28:56 PM
projected 11/6 Regional Rankings

1.  Amherst
2.  Tufts
3.  Conn
4.  WPI
5.  Middlebury
6.  Williams
7.  ECSU
8.  Brandeis
9.  Babson
10. Keene St
11. St. Josephs
12. Bates

Last 2 out:  Endicott, Wheaton

Notes:
- WPI and Williams each have 9 game unbeaten streaks
- Middlebury might slide to #6 as they have won only 2 of their last 9 games (2-2-5)
- ECSU may drop out of the rankings due to their sub-.500 SOS falling even farther below .500 after playing Plymouth St (1-11-3)
- Babson has played 7 of the top 8 ranked teams (2-4-1)

Good job on these projections, Off Pitch.  I've got no issues with the top of your rankings, although maybe WPI is perhaps a spot or two  too high.  I think St. Joe's doesn't have a good enough SOS to make it into the rankings, and I'd put Endicott in there instead of St. Joe's, much as it pains me to say that as a St. Joe's homer.  If St. Joe's wins out in the GNAC tournament maybe they sneak into the last Regional rankings, but at that point it won't much matter if they win the automatic qualifier.  I had high hopes for St. Joe's early in the year, but they're frankly not as good as they were last year and I don't see them making any noise in the NCAAs if they make it in. St. Joe's needs to play Norwich, whom they tied earlier in the year, and then if they win they'd presumably play Johnson & Wales and they tied J&W, too. 

I'd love to see some of the other New England teams outside of the NESCAC do well in the tournament, and that's not a knock on the NESCAC.  I know how good the top tier of the NESCAC is and even below that if other NESCAC teams get into the tourney, they have the ability to get a win or two also. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Middlebury Dad on November 06, 2019, 12:13:25 AM
I get that Middlebury has not won many recently, but they also have only lost 2 all year.  They will have played everyone ranked above them with the following results:
1-1 @ Amherst
1-2 (OT) @ Tufts
2-1 (OT) Conn
0-0 (4-3 PKs) @ Conn
0-0 WPI

That is a total of five games against the top squads in New England and only 1 loss.

By comparison, Amherst has tied Midd and Conn and defeated Tufts.
Tufts has lost to Amherst and defeated Conn and Midd.
Conn has tied Amherst, lost to Midd, lost to Tufts, and tied Midd (lost on PKs)
WPI has tied Midd.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: d4_Pace on November 06, 2019, 07:04:01 AM
I think it would be ridiculous if middlbury gets into the tournament with 7 games. The point of sports is to win but they have played to not lose all year. If you win less than half your games you have no argument if things don't go your way. This team is certainly one of the top 5 most talented teams in New England but they chose to play the most negative soccer in the region and the record is the consequence. I hope they get punished for it and have to adjust moving forward.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Shooter McGavin on November 06, 2019, 09:30:04 AM
Quote from: d4_Pace on November 06, 2019, 07:04:01 AM
I think it would be ridiculous if middlbury gets into the tournament with 7 games. The point of sports is to win but they have played to not lose all year. If you win less than half your games you have no argument if things don't go your way. This team is certainly one of the top 5 most talented teams in New England but they chose to play the most negative soccer in the region and the record is the consequence. I hope they get punished for it and have to adjust moving forward.

This situation is similar to what Haverford may be facing down the stretch in the Mid-Atlantic. If the Fords lose the play in game or even tie they will be 9-6-3/9-5-4 having equal wins to blemishes. I just don't see how a team can stay ranked so high or even have a chance to get in with that kind of win percentage. Props to Middlebury for finding ways to not lose but I don't know if I have ever seen a team get into the tournament with an at-large bid with less than 9 wins. I have seen a few 9 win teams but 7 or 8 seems too low to D4pace's point. With that said, I think Middlebury is a strong side and only losing twice all year is impressive and a similar W-L-T as to Chicago but at least Chicago has gotten to double digit wins recently.  I am not sure how the committee will view it though.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Christan Shirk on November 06, 2019, 02:14:01 PM
NEW ENGLAND REGION - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - November 06, 2019

Rank

School
. Div. III .
Record
. Div. III .
SOS

 . R-v-R .
. Overall .
Record
. Prev. .
Rank
1.
Amherst
14-0-2
0.582
4-0-2
14-0-2
1
2.
Tufts
12-2-2
0.595
6-2-0
12-2-2
2
3.
Connecticut College
10-3-3
0.603
3-3-3
10-3-3
3
4.
Williams
8-3-5
0.580
4-3-2
8-3-5
6
5.
WPI
11-2-4
0.576
1-1-3
11-2-4
8
6.
Middlebury
7-2-7
0.614
1-2-4
7-2-7
4
7.
Babson
12-5-2
0.557
2-5-1
12-5-2
7
8.
Brandeis
9-5-4
0.581
1-4-1
9-5-4
5
9.
Endicott
11-5-2
0.545
1-3-0
11-5-2
11
10.
Bates
9-6-1
0.565
1-5-0
9-6-1
9
11.
Eastern Connecticut
16-2-0
0.493
3-1-0
16-2-0
12
12.
Keene State
13-6-0
0.540
0-3-0
13-6-0
10
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 07, 2019, 05:37:59 PM
Clark is holding on against WPI as it is 0-0 about 10 minutes left for the right to reach NEWMAC Final. WPI is probably in the NCAA's no matter what but Clark is already playing do or die here.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 07, 2019, 05:51:44 PM
WPI wins it with about 1 minute left. Is it just me or do they score a ton of late goals? Devastating loss for Clark and Munroe who is a skilled player. WPI just has more talent than Clark as the winner was a bullet from 25 yards off a broken play from a corner. Valagussa was the player who ripped it and looks to be a formidable player. WPI at Babson in the Final. I am thinking Babson is on the bubble unless they can get a Draw in this game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 08, 2019, 09:38:45 PM
WCSU walked into a buzz saw at the Mansfield Sports Complex tonight, with not too much going right for them.  A 5-0 loss, with Sr Griffin Luczek getting 2, and goals from So. Will Toomey, and Pat Agyemang, (almost had another but was called off sides ??? ), and FY Ryan Sirois, all but one in the first half.  One of the best games I have seen by ECSU this year  with respect to possession , pressing the WCSU backs and finishing on a cold cold evening.  Keene State will have their hands full when they come to Mansfield on Sunday for the final after a 1-0 victory this evening, off an RIC own goal.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 10, 2019, 02:08:37 PM
ECSU does not survive the Keene St mugging and the ridiculous referee, (Cassio Ribeiro), for a 1-0 loss in the LEC final.  Patrick Agyemang and others dragged down all game and all this pathetic referee does is swallow his whistle.  There is a time to let the teams play but the Keene St "rugby" team was allowed to get away with murder. ??? ??? ???
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Off Pitch on November 13, 2019, 03:03:36 PM
first round predictions for New England teams

Amherst 4 - Thomas 0
Keene St  1 - Ithica 0
Salve Regina 2 - Rowan 1
RPI  3 - Eastern Nazarene 0
Middlebury 2 - Johnson and Wales 0
Messiah 4 - Framingham St 0
Oneonta St 2 - Babson 1
Conn 3 - Catholic 2
Tufts 5 - SUNY Maritime 0
WPI  1 - Nazareth 0
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 14, 2019, 05:59:32 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on November 10, 2019, 02:08:37 PM
ECSU does not survive the Keene St mugging and the ridiculous referee, (Cassio Ribeiro), for a 1-0 loss in the LEC final.  Patrick Agyemang and others dragged down all game and all this pathetic referee does is swallow his whistle.  There is a time to let the teams play but the Keene St "rugby" team was allowed to get away with murder. ??? ??? ???


This is to bad ECSU...They deserve to be in the NCAA field this year but I am confident DeVito will fix his schedule to get some of the dead weight off of it that kept them out.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 16, 2019, 12:16:05 PM
Quote from: Off Pitch on November 13, 2019, 03:03:36 PM
first round predictions for New England teams

Amherst 4 - Thomas 0
Keene St  1 - Ithica 0
Salve Regina 2 - Rowan 1
RPI  3 - Eastern Nazarene 0
Middlebury 2 - Johnson and Wales 0
Messiah 4 - Framingham St 0
Oneonta St 2 - Babson 1
Conn 3 - Catholic 2
Tufts 5 - SUNY Maritime 0
WPI  1 - Nazareth 0


I agree I think Salve and Keene have a solid chance at upsets. I have no clue how Catholic plays but CC has not played in 2 weeks and will be very rusty me thinks
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on May 26, 2020, 02:23:05 PM
St. Joe's of Maine released their schedule today: https://www.gomonks.com/sports/msoc/2020-21/schedule

I'm really pleased to see 2 NESCAC games on the schedule (Colby, Amherst) as well as WPI, Endicott, and Gordon as non conference games.  There are still a couple of fluffy local Maine games with Thomas and Southern Maine, but I think this is a step in the right direction for SJC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on May 27, 2020, 06:57:28 PM
Quote from: OldNed on May 26, 2020, 02:23:05 PM
St. Joe's of Maine released their schedule today: https://www.gomonks.com/sports/msoc/2020-21/schedule

I'm really pleased to see 2 NESCAC games on the schedule (Colby, Amherst) as well as WPI, Endicott, and Gordon as non conference games.  There are still a couple of fluffy local Maine games with Thomas and Southern Maine, but I think this is a step in the right direction for SJC.

Great to see!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Another Mom on May 28, 2020, 07:14:22 AM
What is the liklihood of a fall season, though? Seems up in the air at this point to me.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on June 18, 2020, 08:15:57 AM
positive thinking from St.Joe's with a 2020 Fall schedule up on its website...I would give a Fall season about a 2% chance right now but I like the positivity of the program. BTW Amherst is on the schedule at Home midweek at 8:30pm. Odd start time but the site of Amherst on campus with all the possible grievances St.Joe's has had the past few seasons in the NCAA's will surely bring out the best in quality and focus from the St.Joe's players and will be a must watch game. Credit also to Amherst and Serpone for putting his boys right into the lions den to see how his players deal with it. Also on the schedule are two mid-weeks at WPI and hosting Colby at 7pm with the rest of the schedule a scattering of cupcakes and possible trap games.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on June 19, 2020, 12:12:16 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on June 18, 2020, 08:15:57 AM
positive thinking from St.Joe's with a 2020 Fall schedule up on its website...I would give a Fall season about a 2% chance right now but I like the positivity of the program. BTW Amherst is on the schedule at Home midweek at 8:30pm. Odd start time but the site of Amherst on campus with all the possible grievances St.Joe's has had the past few seasons in the NCAA's will surely bring out the best in quality and focus from the St.Joe's players and will be a must watch game. Credit also to Amherst and Serpone for putting his boys right into the lions den to see how his players deal with it. Also on the schedule are two mid-weeks at WPI and hosting Colby at 7pm with the rest of the schedule a scattering of cupcakes and possible trap games.

Mr. Right, I hope you're actually wrong on your thoughts about the Fall season.  Can't say I really disagree, though, as there's still too much up in the air. 

I didn't pick up at first that Amherst was scheduled to be at SJC at 8:30 at night - that really is an odd timing for a mid-week game.  As for the rest of SJC's schedule, I agree there are too many cupcakes.  I'd like to see them get rid of the local games against Thomas and Southern ME and pick up some other good opponents, like Eastern CT, UMass-Boston, Clark, or other teams like that.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on January 08, 2021, 09:02:51 PM
Wow - it's been a while. I hope everyone is doing OK and I hope to see some D3 soccer before too long.  I no longer have a NE Soccer Journal subscription, but they just posted an article saying that Patrick Agyemang from Eastern Connecticut is transferring to Rhode Island.  Best of luck to him at Rhode Island and ECSU is definitely going to miss him.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on March 13, 2021, 12:43:07 PM
Just another of a number of impact players that decide to leave ECSU for other schools or just do not return.  URi certainly got themselves a guy who can score!  Good luck to Pat in D-1
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on April 14, 2021, 08:31:58 PM
Caught a couple of New England games on video.  Babson crushed D2 Stonehill today 6-0. As the score indicates, Babson completely outclassed Stonehill. 

I also saw the St. Joseph's of Maine win over Maine-Fort Kent 3-2 on a late PK.  For those who aren't familiar with Maine-Fort Kent, they played in the USCAA 2019 National Championship game and they're usually a tough team with many players from the Caribbean and elsewhere.  This was a good win for St. Joe's.

It was sooo nice to be able to watch actual competitive D3 games again.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on May 07, 2021, 07:45:43 AM
D1 University of Hartford is transitioning to D3 Athletics by 2025:

https://www.fox61.com/article/sports/ncaa/university-of-hartford-to-transition-to-division-iii/520-e654f541-872a-416f-82f2-733b5c18f218

My wife got her Masters at UH and she still has a lot of contacts there, and she's been told this is mainly due to the shaky financial standing of UH.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Buck O. on May 07, 2021, 04:01:06 PM
Quote from: OldNed on May 07, 2021, 07:45:43 AM
D1 University of Hartford is transitioning to D3 Athletics by 2025:

https://www.fox61.com/article/sports/ncaa/university-of-hartford-to-transition-to-division-iii/520-e654f541-872a-416f-82f2-733b5c18f218

My wife got her Masters at UH and she still has a lot of contacts there, and she's been told this is mainly due to the shaky financial standing of UH.

Yeah, I was wondering which conference they would join. I'd think that the NEWMAC would make the most sense, even though it primarily consists of MA schools.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Stryker on May 10, 2021, 01:28:10 PM

[/quote]

Yeah, I was wondering which conference they would join. I'd think that the NEWMAC would make the most sense, even though it primarily consists of MA schools.
[/quote]

It would seem to me that NESCAC might be a better fit for Hartford with some local CT rivalries such as Trinity, Wesleyan and Connecticut College. Currently 11 schools in the conference so adding Hartford would even out the divisions in some of the sports.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: d4_Pace on May 10, 2021, 03:42:50 PM
Zero chance the NESCAC would add them.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on May 10, 2021, 04:07:10 PM
I'll place a large bet on the LEC or CCC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on May 11, 2021, 08:26:09 AM
Quote from: d4_Pace on May 10, 2021, 03:42:50 PM
Zero chance the NESCAC would add them.

I have to agree- UH isn't a fit for the NESCAC.  I think maybe the CCC as another poster mentioned.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Gregory Sager on May 11, 2021, 10:58:34 AM
I think it'll be the CCC, but I also think that it may only be a temporary home for Hartford. The northeastern corner of D3 is going to undergo a lot of conference shakeup over the next few years as more and more schools close or merge.

I don't see Hartford joining the LEC; I can't think of a single instance in D3 history in which a private school has joined a league that has always consisted of nothing but state schools.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on May 12, 2021, 10:06:49 AM
You're right, Greg.  Makes sense.  Thanks for catching that for me.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on August 20, 2021, 05:18:15 PM
Maybe UH goes independent!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on August 21, 2021, 02:07:29 AM
Quote from: OldNed on January 08, 2021, 09:02:51 PM
Wow - it's been a while. I hope everyone is doing OK and I hope to see some D3 soccer before too long.  I no longer have a NE Soccer Journal subscription, but they just posted an article saying that Patrick Agyemang from Eastern Connecticut is transferring to Rhode Island.  Best of luck to him at Rhode Island and ECSU is definitely going to miss him.

I knew a D1 would poach the striker . That's another problem for another day but really too bad because he has a nose for the goal. His fitness now must get better as he would get tired and less active as the game got older but A10 is a weak soccer league so he should still put some in the back of the net.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on August 27, 2021, 12:42:51 PM
St. Joseph's (ME) tied Division 2 St. Anselm's 2-2 in preseason action.  Highlights available on the St. Joe's instagram account.  Looks like several of the St. Joe's players are taking advantage of their additional year of Covid-related eligibility, including GNAC 1st Team GK David Wallbridge.

The GNAC Preseason poll has defending conference champion Johnson & Wales as the preseason #1, closely followed by St. Joe's and Norwich.  I think Norwich may be a team to watch this year in the GNAC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on August 28, 2021, 07:47:02 AM
Glad to hear OldNed...Always a sign of a strong program mentality to see players wanting to play if financially possible and making that sacrifice and commitment. Not an easy decision for anyone
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Falconer on August 28, 2021, 09:55:16 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on August 21, 2021, 02:07:29 AM
Quote from: OldNed on January 08, 2021, 09:02:51 PM
Wow - it's been a while. I hope everyone is doing OK and I hope to see some D3 soccer before too long.  I no longer have a NE Soccer Journal subscription, but they just posted an article saying that Patrick Agyemang from Eastern Connecticut is transferring to Rhode Island.  Best of luck to him at Rhode Island and ECSU is definitely going to miss him.

I knew a D1 would poach the striker . That's another problem for another day but really too bad because he has a nose for the goal. His fitness now must get better as he would get tired and less active as the game got older but A10 is a weak soccer league so he should still put some in the back of the net.


EC is on Messiah's schedule this year, for I think the first time. Obviously that was scheduled while Agyemang was still on the roster.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 01, 2021, 11:55:41 AM
Brandeis lost Will DeNight, an All-UAA 1st Team selection as a FY, as a transfer to Columbia. Bummer for the Judges but can't fault him — he did look like a prodigious talent — but from what I heard he was barely even recruited out of high school. Combine that with a disjointed past year-and-a-half due to COVID and I could see him re-evaluating his options.

That said, I am encouraged that the Judges do seem to have gone for some more height, with almost half the team (14 players) 6' or taller (versus 9 in the 2018-19 season). I'm not suggesting a team full of trees guarantees winning, but they did seem to be a bit small and lacking in steel as a team after Ocel and co graduated in 2018, so it's good to see they're working to address that. I won't be able to watch live, but will be curious to see how they perform in tonight's season opener.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 08, 2021, 08:25:21 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on August 21, 2021, 02:07:29 AM
Quote from: OldNed on January 08, 2021, 09:02:51 PM
Wow - it's been a while. I hope everyone is doing OK and I hope to see some D3 soccer before too long.  I no longer have a NE Soccer Journal subscription, but they just posted an article saying that Patrick Agyemang from Eastern Connecticut is transferring to Rhode Island.  Best of luck to him at Rhode Island and ECSU is definitely going to miss him.

I knew a D1 would poach the striker . That's another problem for another day but really too bad because he has a nose for the goal. His fitness now must get better as he would get tired and less active as the game got older but A10 is a weak soccer league so he should still put some in the back of the net.

Pat Agyemang leads URI in scoring.  They have beaten Uconn and CCSU while losing to Hofstra and tying Providence.  Pat has played most team min (355) YTD!
PA's Stat YTD:
# Player                   gp g a pts sh  sh%   sog sog%    gw     pk-att
27 Agyemang, Patrick 4 2 0  4  20  . 1       10 . 5          0      0 - 1

Goals were vs CCSU and Providence College
looks like he is fit!!


Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 09, 2021, 10:15:48 AM
Brandeis falls to 1-2-1 on the year with another 1-0 loss, this time in OT at WPI. With one goal scored in the entire season thus far, it's fair to say that the increased roster height hasn't paid immediate dividends, but the Judges appear very young, starting five freshmen against Keene State (and two sophomores, meaning seven of the starting XI had never played college soccer before this fall). This year might be a grind, but those kids will be better for it — reminds me of the two seasons the Judges had the fall before I arrived, when a number of freshmen were thrown into the fire and emerged as really solid players and leaders in their upperclassmen seasons.

No shame in losing to Hobart and WPI, two solid Northeast programs in their own rights, but NCAAs appear a stretch this year. The Babson game this weekend will be huge and is probably a good opportunity for the Beavers to win on the Brandeis turf for the first time, but both teams will be motivated. That said, I am excited to see how this team develops throughout the year.

It feels like a long time ago, but it's worth remembering that Margolis took Brandeis to the Final 4 as head coach less than four years ago and was the associate head coach during the NCAA stretch from 2012-17, and he's shown a knack of getting the best out of his players, so I still back him 100% to make them competitive, even if it takes a bit of time for them to gel.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on September 09, 2021, 03:55:39 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on September 09, 2021, 10:15:48 AM
Brandeis falls to 1-2-1 on the year with another 1-0 loss, this time in OT at WPI. With one goal scored in the entire season thus far, it's fair to say that the increased roster height hasn't paid immediate dividends, but the Judges appear very young, starting five freshmen against Keene State (and two sophomores, meaning seven of the starting XI had never played college soccer before this fall). This year might be a grind, but those kids will be better for it — reminds me of the two seasons the Judges had the fall before I arrived, when a number of freshmen were thrown into the fire and emerged as really solid players and leaders in their upperclassmen seasons.

No shame in losing to Hobart and WPI, two solid Northeast programs in their own rights, but NCAAs appear a stretch this year. The Babson game this weekend will be huge and is probably a good opportunity for the Beavers to win on the Brandeis turf for the first time, but both teams will be motivated. That said, I am excited to see how this team develops throughout the year.

It feels like a long time ago, but it's worth remembering that Margolis took Brandeis to the Final 4 as head coach less than four years ago and was the associate head coach during the NCAA stretch from 2012-17, and he's shown a knack of getting the best out of his players, so I still back him 100% to make them competitive, even if it takes a bit of time for them to gel.

Blooter 442, both the Brandeis men's and women's soccer teams are playing away at Babson this season for those matches.  Babson men host Brandeis on Saturday, and the Babson women host Brandeis this upcoming Tuesday. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on September 10, 2021, 08:47:41 AM
Quote from: deiscanton on September 09, 2021, 03:55:39 PM
Blooter 442, both the Brandeis men's and women's soccer teams are playing away at Babson this season for those matches.  Babson men host Brandeis on Saturday, and the Babson women host Brandeis this upcoming Tuesday.

Ah! It appears you're right...I think I didn't see the "at" in the schedule and assumed they were back on hosting in the odd years.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 15, 2021, 03:52:21 PM
St. Joseph's (ME) and WPI played to a 1-1 tie last night at WPI.  I watched the game off an on and I thought both teams played well.  Initially St. Joe's played a possession type game trying to work the ball out of the back patiently passing back and forth until they could break WPIs high press.  This was mostly successful in the first half and less successful in the 2nd half, particularly when WPI turned up the pressure towards the end of the 2nd half when they were still down 1-0.  WPI's pressure finally paid off in the 85th minute and they put a goal past St. Joe's and they continued to press their advantage in the final few minutes and into the 1st overtime period.  St. Joe's had the better of the 2nd overtime period, but neither team could find a winner.

This is a good result for St. Joe's as they started off a stretch of 4 tough games, with 3 remaining against Norwich, Colby, and Amherst.  Only the Colby game is a home game for St. Joes.  I'd like to see them win 2 of those 3 games, but that's going to be a challenge.  It's entirely possible they lose all 3, too.  I'm very pleased that St. Joe's has started scheduling more regional powers rather than the old schedules with most of the Maine-based schools like University of New England, Husson, Southern Maine, etc. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: NEFutbol90 on September 15, 2021, 05:31:20 PM
ST. Joes Goal scored by Gus Ford a 2020 USC All American and Maine's Gatorade player of the year! An important class  for the monks to regain the top spot in the GNAC
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 17, 2021, 03:00:49 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 08, 2021, 08:25:21 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on August 21, 2021, 02:07:29 AM
Quote from: OldNed on January 08, 2021, 09:02:51 PM
Wow - it's been a while. I hope everyone is doing OK and I hope to see some D3 soccer before too long.  I no longer have a NE Soccer Journal subscription, but they just posted an article saying that Patrick Agyemang from Eastern Connecticut is transferring to Rhode Island.  Best of luck to him at Rhode Island and ECSU is definitely going to miss him.

I knew a D1 would poach the striker . That's another problem for another day but really too bad because he has a nose for the goal. His fitness now must get better as he would get tired and less active as the game got older but A10 is a weak soccer league so he should still put some in the back of the net.

Pat Agyemang leads URI in scoring.  They have beaten Uconn and CCSU while losing to Hofstra and tying Providence.  Pat has played most team min (355) YTD!
PA's Stat YTD:
# Player                   gp g a pts sh  sh%   sog sog%    gw     pk-att
27 Agyemang, Patrick 4 2 0  4  20  . 1       10 . 5          0      0 - 1

Goals were vs CCSU and Providence College
looks like he is fit!!
Pat had the hat trick for URI as they defeated Brown 3-1 last Wed.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 17, 2021, 03:36:01 PM
Quote from: OldNed on September 15, 2021, 03:52:21 PM
St. Joseph's (ME) and WPI played to a 1-1 tie last night at WPI.  I watched the game off an on and I thought both teams played well.  Initially St. Joe's played a possession type game trying to work the ball out of the back patiently passing back and forth until they could break WPIs high press.  This was mostly successful in the first half and less successful in the 2nd half, particularly when WPI turned up the pressure towards the end of the 2nd half when they were still down 1-0.  WPI's pressure finally paid off in the 85th minute and they put a goal past St. Joe's and they continued to press their advantage in the final few minutes and into the 1st overtime period.  St. Joe's had the better of the 2nd overtime period, but neither team could find a winner.

This is a good result for St. Joe's as they started off a stretch of 4 tough games, with 3 remaining against Norwich, Colby, and Amherst.  Only the Colby game is a home game for St. Joes.  I'd like to see them win 2 of those 3 games, but that's going to be a challenge.  It's entirely possible they lose all 3, too.  I'm very pleased that St. Joe's has started scheduling more regional powers rather than the old schedules with most of the Maine-based schools like University of New England, Husson, Southern Maine, etc.


OldNed I see UVM brought on former St.Joe's player Rory Twomey as he joins his former coach Adrian Dubois....good for him and almost did not recognize him with a shaved head...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on September 17, 2021, 03:39:16 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 17, 2021, 03:00:49 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 08, 2021, 08:25:21 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on August 21, 2021, 02:07:29 AM
Quote from: OldNed on January 08, 2021, 09:02:51 PM
Wow - it's been a while. I hope everyone is doing OK and I hope to see some D3 soccer before too long.  I no longer have a NE Soccer Journal subscription, but they just posted an article saying that Patrick Agyemang from Eastern Connecticut is transferring to Rhode Island.  Best of luck to him at Rhode Island and ECSU is definitely going to miss him.

I knew a D1 would poach the striker . That's another problem for another day but really too bad because he has a nose for the goal. His fitness now must get better as he would get tired and less active as the game got older but A10 is a weak soccer league so he should still put some in the back of the net.

Pat Agyemang leads URI in scoring.  They have beaten Uconn and CCSU while losing to Hofstra and tying Providence.  Pat has played most team min (355) YTD!
PA's Stat YTD:
# Player                   gp g a pts sh  sh%   sog sog%    gw     pk-att
27 Agyemang, Patrick 4 2 0  4  20  . 1       10 . 5          0      0 - 1

Goals were vs CCSU and Providence College
looks like he is fit!!
Pat had the hat trick for URI as they defeated Brown 3-1 last Wed.


Jesus...the kid is ripping it apart and he missed a PK so should be 6 goals...URI is 4-1-1 with some dubious attendance stats but hey they have a great home field advantage as there is always a 15mph wind

https://gorhody.com/documents/2021/9/15/2021_rhody_msoc_combined.pdf

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 18, 2021, 06:17:15 PM
Eastern Connecticut survives a last 20 min onslaught by UMass Boston to defeat the Beacons 1-0 on a 45 yard defenseman Larson Richards wondergoal.  Richards looks to have noticed Beacon keeper Devine out of position and delivered a bullseye strike from just over the midfield stripe. 
In addition to his goal Richards was a stone wall on defense breaking up numerous Beacon attempts at penetration at the Eastern end.

The referee today was terrible and was an obvious homey stopping the clock on every Warrior set piece and missing a ton of Beacon pulldowns on Eastern players.

At good broadcast by UMAss today with good play by play!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on September 18, 2021, 10:35:47 PM
I picked up a few fun facts while perusing the box scores tonight:

1.  Noted by Mr. Right for racking up 5 goals against Trinity, DeAnte Anderson of St. Joe's (CT) added 4 more goals today against Dean to bring his goal total to 11 on the season.  The opposition hasn't been the strongest, but still....

2.  With 3 D1 transfers (from Merrimack, I believe), Western New England is off to a solid 4-1-1 start and should be a contender for the CCC title.

3.  Fidel Castro is alive and well and playing in the midfield for Worcester State.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 21, 2021, 05:29:48 PM
When you can't keep possession, give up 16 corner kick and have a referee who is blind, you lose to RPI 1-0.  RPI score in the 80th minute off the 16th corner!!
Eastern plays on a grass field and need to at least practice on their turf field because their passing was terrible today!!!

Eastern seems to handle the MASCAC LEC teams OK but when it comes to top 20-30 teams they just cannot execute a goal!!  Loss of Pat Aygemang is looking huge this season  ???  Oh well one more so so season coming up ::)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 21, 2021, 06:52:22 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 21, 2021, 05:29:48 PM
When you can't keep possession, give up 16 corner kick and have a referee who is blind, you lose to RPI 1-0.  RPI score in the 80th minute off the 16th corner!!
Eastern plays on a grass field and need to at least practice on their turf field because their passing was terrible today!!!

Eastern seems to handle the MASCAC LEC teams OK but when it comes to top 20-30 teams they just cannot execute a goal!!  Loss of Pat Aygemang is looking huge this season  ???  Oh well one more so so season coming up ::)

ECSU,
I watched some of the game and I thought your guys were just about on par with RPI, but I have to agree with you about the ref. And yes, I'm from CT and I'm likely biased, but when the hometown announcers for RPI note that the ref isn't calling anything, that tells you something.  That being said, it wasn't the refs that lost the game for Eastern - they couldn't do much of anything once they got the ball past the center line.  If they can develop a goal scorer in the next 5-6 games, they might be able to compete with the top 50 teams.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 21, 2021, 07:08:12 PM
Quote from: OldNed on September 21, 2021, 06:52:22 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on September 21, 2021, 05:29:48 PM
When you can't keep possession, give up 16 corner kick and have a referee who is blind, you lose to RPI 1-0.  RPI score in the 80th minute off the 16th corner!!
Eastern plays on a grass field and need to at least practice on their turf field because their passing was terrible today!!!

Eastern seems to handle the MASCAC LEC teams OK but when it comes to top 20-30 teams they just cannot execute a goal!!  Loss of Pat Aygemang is looking huge this season  ???  Oh well one more so so season coming up ::)

ECSU,
I watched some of the game and I thought your guys were just about on par with RPI, but I have to agree with you about the ref. And yes, I'm from CT and I'm likely biased, but when the hometown announcers for RPI note that the ref isn't calling anything, that tells you something.  That being said, it wasn't the refs that lost the game for Eastern - they couldn't do much of anything once they got the ball past the center line.  If they can develop a goal scorer in the next 5-6 games, they might be able to compete with the top 50 teams.
Well stated Old Ned +1
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on September 30, 2021, 09:55:37 AM
ECSU scores an early goal then collapses for the rest of the match and loses 2-1 on a WCSU goal with 2 min left in 2nd OT at the Western Athletic Complex.  Eastern looked gassed, tired whatever, and could not connect 3 passes in a row for most of the last half and OT. They had chances off a few set pieces and when the backs banged the ball upfield but failed to finish on a one on one opportunity and a header hit just over the bar!. WestConn has very tall and physically aggressive center forwards and midfielders, the likes of which Eastern never handles well, (see 1-0 loss to Keene in 2019 LEC championship),.therefore Western dominated possession.   
Also, I don't know were the LEC is getting these referees, but they have been horrible this year!!!!!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 04, 2021, 02:33:39 PM
Question - not sure this is the right forum for this, but here goes.  I was looking at the Region I standings on this site and while the NESCAC is included in Region I, none of the NESCAC teams show up in the standings. Is that just an oversight?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: d3commentr on October 04, 2021, 04:35:32 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 04, 2021, 02:33:39 PM
Question - not sure this is the right forum for this, but here goes.  I was looking at the Region I standings on this site and while the NESCAC is included in Region I, none of the NESCAC teams show up in the standings. Is that just an oversight?

Looks like an oversight as on United Soccer Coaches, they are included. https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/rankings/college-rankings/ncaa-diii-men-i/

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 19, 2021, 04:29:52 PM
Babson College leading ECSU at half 1-0, should be 4-0.  Painful to watch Eastern play. I don't know what DeVito is doing!!!  no possession, no pressure by the forwards, allowing Babson acres of room to penetrate Warrior half, poor passing, Babson take a ways, anemic offense. Really a mediocre team this year.  Why do I watch ???  ???
2-0 Babson and I quit!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ommadawn on October 22, 2021, 12:19:36 AM
How it started...

Quote from: Ommadawn on September 18, 2021, 10:35:47 PM
I picked up a few fun facts while perusing the box scores tonight:

1.  Noted by Mr. Right for racking up 5 goals against Trinity, DeAnte Anderson of St. Joe's (CT) added 4 more goals today against Dean to bring his goal total to 11 on the season.  The opposition hasn't been the strongest, but still....

2.  With 3 D1 transfers (from Merrimack, I believe), Western New England is off to a solid 4-1-1 start and should be a contender for the CCC title.

3.  Fidel Castro is alive and well and playing in the midfield for Worcester State.

How it's going...

1.  Anderson just broke his own single-season scoring record with his 18th goal, a game-winner against Emmanuel.

2.  Western New England is mired in the middle of the pack of the CCC.

3.  Castro is having a "revolutionary" first season, with a goal and an assist so far. Not to be outdone by hoops star-turned-collegiate golfer J.R. Smith, the Worcester State roster has another famously named midfielder--a certain Manny (Being Manny) Ramirez (2 assists so far this season).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 30, 2021, 02:31:00 PM
Trying to watch the RIC @ Keene match!!!!!!!!!!!  If Keene can't find someone who is not sleeping at the camera, they might as well just show live stats!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 30, 2021, 09:05:56 PM
LEC Men's Soccer Tournament:

Looks Like WCSU#3 will play UMD #6 and RIC#4 will Play Keene St#5 again.
WCSU/UMD winner at UMB#2  Prediction WCSU plays UMB   UMB wins
RIC/Keene winner at ECSU#1  Prediction Keene St plays ECSU  ECSU wins (Eastern CAN NOT lose to Keene State again after the 2019 ECSU mugging in the LEC final!!!!)

UMB @ ECSU  ECSU wins LEC Tournament!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on October 30, 2021, 10:35:56 PM
Update on Patrick Agyemang... still leads URI in goal (7) and (18) points!
https://atlantic10.com/news/2021/10/25/patrick-agyemang-dorchin-wrobel-tabbed-for-weekly-a-10-mens-soccer-honors.aspx
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 03, 2021, 04:58:06 AM
Random match of the day:

Watched the CCC Semi Gordon at Endicott.

Crazy game...1-0 Endicott at Halftime. First Half Endicott were playing well. They were moving the ball on the carpet expeditiously and with purpose. They got a goal out of it and seemed to be in control. They looked to have shored up their defensive woes since the last time I saw them in 2019. Endicott had #14 Charles Badji at CB running the show. I remember watching his brother scoring goals at Nickerson(BU). 2nd Half begins and the game falls on its head with Badji getting red carded for a ruthless foul to prevent a 1v1 with his GK. Gordon scored on the set piece anyway from the top of the box. Might have been the goal of the season along with Amherst #9 set piece v WPI last week. Gordon looks to have a transfer #12 Chase Gwynn who is a 6'1 striker and has 19 Goals this season. Endicott retakes the lead 2-1 on a great individual effort by Endicott's striker to muscle home a goal. However, Endicott just could not lock it down with 10 men. Gordon got 2 more goals and advance to play at Salve Regina for the title on Saturday. Salve won the CCC in 2019 and the NCAA committee decide to send them from Newport RI to Fredericksburg VA to play Rowan. Salve took Rowan to PK's but failed to advance. Certainly a sleeper team to watch in the NCAA's if they get by Gordon.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 03, 2021, 05:47:32 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 03, 2021, 04:58:06 AM
Random match of the day:

Watched the CCC Semi Gordon at Endicott.

Crazy game...1-0 Endicott at Halftime. First Half Endicott were playing well. They were moving the ball on the carpet expeditiously and with purpose. They got a goal out of it and seemed to be in control. They looked to have shored up their defensive woes since the last time I saw them in 2019. Endicott had #14 Charles Badji at CB running the show. I remember watching his brother scoring goals at Nickerson(BU). 2nd Half begins and the game falls on its head with Badji getting red carded for a ruthless foul to prevent a 1v1 with his GK. Gordon scored on the set piece anyway from the top of the box. Might have been the goal of the season along with Amherst #9 set piece v WPI last week. Gordon looks to have a transfer #12 Chase Gwynn who is a 6'1 striker and has 19 Goals this season. Endicott retakes the lead 2-1 on a great individual effort by Endicott's striker to muscle home a goal. However, Endicott just could not lock it down with 10 men. Gordon got 2 more goals and advance to play at Salve Regina for the title on Saturday. Salve won the CCC in 2019 and the NCAA committee decide to send them from Newport RI to Fredericksburg VA to play Rowan. Salve took Rowan to PK's but failed to advance. Certainly a sleeper team to watch in the NCAA's if they get by Gordon.

I was watching the second half as well, and I posted on National Perspective on this game.   Charles Badji is a senior at Endicott, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic cancelling a season last year, he is still eligible to play college soccer next season as a graduate student at either Endicott or another institution, if I recall the current transfer rules correctly.  However, if he returns, he has to sit out the first regular season game next season as a result of getting that red card.  Badji had 2 yellows on the season prior to getting the red card.  I don't think that Endicott has the highlights on demand, but I would like to watch it again if that is the case.  It is highly likely that the red card had to be awarded because the foul denied Gwynn an obvious goal scoring opportunity.  The Endicott commentators did agree that Gwynn's resulting goal is defiinitely a highlight of the DIII season so far.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 03, 2021, 05:57:34 AM
Endicott play by play guy was excellent. Passion, knowledge and knew his team and what the players could and could not do. The worst part of the Badji Red was that Gordon scored on the set piece anyway. Had Badji just let him go 1v1 they would have still been at 11 players and probably Win that game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 01:59:28 PM
Newmac Semi's Today:

Springfield at Babson 2pm

Coast Guard at MIT 4pm

-WPI eliminated by Coast Guard but are ranked #1 ahead of MIT. They should be rooting for Coast Guard to Win this tournament if they are to have a chance.

Little East Semi's Today:

RIC(Rhode Island College) at ECONN  2pm
WCONN at UMB(UMASS Boston)   8:30pm

I think this is UMB's tournament to lose but the LEC always has upsets in the conference tournament. WCONN represented them well in 2019 going down and losing in the final minute at a top ranked F&M.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 02:07:52 PM
Did you just catch that first minute goal in tHe NEWMAC semifinal that just started between Springfield and Babson?

Giancarlo Arguello with the goal for Babson-- his 2nd goal of the season.  Babson up, 1-0, early.

So far, early on, Babson leading on shots 2-0, and both shots were on target.  The match just started a few minutes ago....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 02:24:44 PM
Quote from: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 02:07:52 PM
Did you just catch that first minute goal in tHe NEWMAC semifinal that just started between Springfield and Babson?

Giancarlo Arguello with the goal for Babson-- his 2nd goal of the season.  Babson up, 1-0, early.

So far, early on, Babson leading on shots 2-0, and both shots were on target.  The match just started a few minutes ago....


Yes "before the ice in our drinks has melted the Beavers have grabbed the lead"....My guess is that is not the first time the announcer has used that one....Springfield RB #4 poor poor defending. Babo looks good so far.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 02:32:41 PM
Springfield Frosh and Williamstown local #9 Finn Welch with 8 goals and 2 Assists for 18pts out for the season with his 2nd ACL...just tough luck for a good kid.  Newmac leading goal scorer went he went down...This is the time of season when injuries are prevalent on every team. It is real important for other guys on the field and bench to step it up.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 02:37:46 PM
Babo has some key injuries as well especially Senior Captain #23 Liam Hanlon who was their best defender this season and maybe in 2019. A-B kid
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 02:42:04 PM
Ryan Goss, who has missed most of this season for Babson due to an injury, has just entered the game in the 35th minute.  It is great that he has recovered well enough to play in this playoff game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 02:49:02 PM
Interesting-- the commentator on the Babson/Springfield game has credited Rodrigo Madeiro with the assist on the first minute goal, but the live stats do not credit Madeiro with the assist.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 02:51:06 PM
Well I think he was the kid that ripped the initial shot that was saved and coughed up to the goal scorer.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 02:54:15 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 02:51:06 PM
Well I think he was the kid that ripped the initial shot that was saved and coughed up to the goal scorer.

The live stats have now been corrected as of halftime, and Rodrigo Madeiro is indeed credited with the assist on that first minute goal.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 03:31:53 PM
1-0 Babson over Springfield about 20 minutes left...1st minute goal is standing up..
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 03:47:14 PM
Springfield's Maitoe Suppasuenaguan has gotten his 6th yellow card of the season in the 76th minute.  He has already served a 1 game suspension for yellow card accumulation on Oct. 26 against Castleton, a game in which Springfield won 7-1.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: College Soccer Observer on November 04, 2021, 03:55:52 PM
He is not suspended again until he accumulates his 8th of the season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: College Soccer Observer on November 04, 2021, 03:56:40 PM
He is not suspended again until he accumulates his 8th of the season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 03:57:15 PM
Babson just more athletic than Springfield. Springfield plays much snappier on its turf but today really showed nothing in attack.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 04:00:07 PM
FINAL: Babo 1-0 Springfield

Coast Guard at MIT 4pm....I have not seen MIT play this year
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 04:00:57 PM
Quote from: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 03:47:14 PM
Springfield's Maitoe Suppasuenaguan has gotten his 6th yellow card of the season in the 76th minute.  He has already served a 1 game suspension for yellow card accumulation on Oct. 26 against Castleton, a game in which Springfield won 7-1.

I didn't understand that card. Was watching w the sound off. It was an odd sequence where he kind of clattered into a guy, was on the ground and kind of got incidentally kneed in the head (not malicious.) I wonder if it was for dissent on not getting a call?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 04:03:14 PM
Quote from: College Soccer Observer on November 04, 2021, 03:56:40 PM
He is not suspended again until he accumulates his 8th of the season.

That is correct, and that is why I did not say anything further than the fact that he had already served his 1 game suspension for getting 5 yellow cards.  Of course, Springfield's season has most likely come to an end today, so his yellow card situation gets cleared for the start of next season.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 04:04:10 PM
MIT's JR #7 Rami Bikdash giving everyone the "wake up / get up" pepper in the pregame circle. These little things can make a difference in keeping all players focused.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 04:07:21 PM
Coast Guard gets an early PK on the best dive of the year...Swan dive...PK blasted over the goal clanging off the Football upright....#Karma
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 04:08:31 PM
No rest today for us fans....

The MIT vs Coast Guard NEWMAC final started just about a few minutes after Babson advanced to the NEWMAC Championship game, and MIT has already saved a penalty kick situation in the 4th minute....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 04:08:39 PM
And they miss!

And, hoo boy, this PbP guy... bless his heart, as they say down south.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 04:10:17 PM
Quote from: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 04:08:39 PM
And they miss!

And, hoo boy, this PbP guy... bless his heart, as they say down south.

It is so hard when the live stats give a spoiler alert about a minute before the live stream on TV catches up......
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 04:12:03 PM
Quote from: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 04:10:17 PM
Quote from: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 04:08:39 PM
And they miss!

And, hoo boy, this PbP guy... bless his heart, as they say down south.

It is so hard when the live stats give a spoiler alert about a minute before the live stream on TV catches up......

Yeah, so, I didn't want to be pedantic, but CGA kicker put it off the crossbar and OB. As opposed to the GK actually saving it.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 04:27:05 PM
If you get a chance go back and slow motion that PK. How the ref missed that dive is beyond me..

LEC Semi:

ECONN eliminates RIC 3-1 and will face UMB or WCONN in Final. Maybe ECSUalum caught the game and will give us a report..
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 04:32:54 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 04:27:05 PM
If you get a chance go back and slow motion that PK. How the ref missed that dive is beyond me..



What's strange is that the MIT guy doesn't protest at all. Can't say the ref was out of position on that. Just bought into the dive.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 04:47:00 PM
Quote from: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 04:32:54 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 04:27:05 PM
If you get a chance go back and slow motion that PK. How the ref missed that dive is beyond me..



What's strange is that the MIT guy doesn't protest at all. Can't say the ref was out of position on that. Just bought into the dive.

The MIT guy did make contact on the Coast Guard player in the box before he went down.   I can't really conclude on the replay on the video at regular speed that there was a "Cristiano Ronaldo" type acting dive on the play.  Apparently, most of you watching it think that it was a "Ronaldo" type dive...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 04:51:24 PM
Quote from: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 04:47:00 PM
Quote from: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 04:32:54 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 04:27:05 PM
If you get a chance go back and slow motion that PK. How the ref missed that dive is beyond me..



What's strange is that the MIT guy doesn't protest at all. Can't say the ref was out of position on that. Just bought into the dive.

The MIT guy did make contact on the Coast Guard player in the box before he went down.   I can't really conclude on the replay on the video at regular speed that there was a "Cristiano Ronaldo" type acting dive on the play.  Apparently, most of you watching it think that it was a "Ronaldo" type dive...


True but slow it down to the slowest speed and you can see the "bump" and then a full swan dive leaping off his feet
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 04:58:08 PM
Just something of note for the second NEWMAC semifinal--

The commentator for the Coast Guard/MIT game on the NEWMAC Sports Network is Jonah White from the Brandeis commentary team, who is on loan today to call this one.

I thought that I was hearing a familiar voice on commentary from MIT on this game....
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 05:07:58 PM
Quote from: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 04:08:39 PM
And they miss!

And, hoo boy, this PbP guy... bless his heart, as they say down south.

And if you notice how the call of that dramatic moment was very similar to the call of dramatic moments from the Brandeis game over the past weekend vs Emory, the PbP guy today is indeed Jonah White, 1/2 of the Brandeis commentary team, who is on loan to the NEWMAC Sports Network this week, as Brandeis does not have any home games until next Monday's women's basketball opener.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 05:43:29 PM
Quote from: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 04:58:08 PM
Just something of note for the second NEWMAC semifinal--

The commentator for the Coast Guard/MIT game on the NEWMAC Sports Network is Jonah White from the Brandeis commentary team, who is on loan today to call this one.

I thought that I was hearing a familiar voice on commentary from MIT on this game....

Yea he is growing on me. He knows both rosters and the game. Gets amped up for chances...not bad
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 05:46:06 PM
Quote from: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 05:07:58 PM
Quote from: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 04:08:39 PM
And they miss!

And, hoo boy, this PbP guy... bless his heart, as they say down south.

And if you notice how the call of that dramatic moment was very similar to the call of dramatic moments from the Brandeis game over the past weekend vs Emory, the PbP guy today is indeed Jonah White, 1/2 of the Brandeis commentary team, who is on loan to the NEWMAC Sports Network this week, as Brandeis does not have any home games until next Monday's women's basketball opener.


So the Newmac have its own Sports network? I notice other leagues doing this as well except Nescac and a few others.  Is it just a control thing or are they saving money ?  Deis will know this
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 05:59:40 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 05:46:06 PM
Quote from: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 05:07:58 PM
Quote from: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 04:08:39 PM
And they miss!

And, hoo boy, this PbP guy... bless his heart, as they say down south.

And if you notice how the call of that dramatic moment was very similar to the call of dramatic moments from the Brandeis game over the past weekend vs Emory, the PbP guy today is indeed Jonah White, 1/2 of the Brandeis commentary team, who is on loan to the NEWMAC Sports Network this week, as Brandeis does not have any home games until next Monday's women's basketball opener.


So the Newmac have its own Sports network? I notice other leagues doing this as well except Nescac and a few others.  Is it just a control thing or are they saving money ?  Deis will know this

The NEWMAC does have its own streaming sports network, which they mostly use for coverage of their conference tournament games.  NESCAC uses the Northeast Sports Network (NSN.com) to do their conference semifinals and championship games in all sports.   I do not know the details of how or why NEWMAC created this network, as it is not like the Northwest Conference, Landmark Conference, or Little East networks where you can get the streaming of all of their regular season and postseason games of all of their teams.  NEWMAC tends to use this network for playoff games as well as for their football games, where there are a lot of associate football members who in most sports are in other leagues. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 06:04:54 PM
Thank goodness that I am following this Coast Guard v MIT game on live stats as well, as there are indeed technical difficulties with the live streaming of the game.   The game will come out fine on the on demand replay.

We are in golden goal extra time in the first extra time period.  The score is still 0-0 as of the 94th minute.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 06:06:09 PM
96th minute yellow card issued to Coast Guard's Steve Ferrandino.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 06:07:22 PM
Quote from: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 06:04:54 PM
Thank goodness that I am following this Coast Guard v MIT game on live stats as well, as there are indeed technical difficulties with the live streaming of the game.   The game will come out fine on the on demand replay.

We are in golden goal extra time in the first extra time period.  The score is still 0-0 as of the 94th minute.

Good to know it's not just me. Driving me a little crazy, tbh.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 06:11:22 PM
After 1 extra time period, it is still 0-0 between MIT and Coast Guard.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Mr.Right on November 04, 2021, 06:12:23 PM
Quote from: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 06:06:09 PM
96th minute yellow card issued to Coast Guard's Steve Ferrandino.

He seems to be one of Coast Guard's better attacking options. Yea the stream is basically frozen for me
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 06:14:24 PM
Quote from: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 06:07:22 PM
Quote from: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 06:04:54 PM
Thank goodness that I am following this Coast Guard v MIT game on live stats as well, as there are indeed technical difficulties with the live streaming of the game.   The game will come out fine on the on demand replay.

We are in golden goal extra time in the first extra time period.  The score is still 0-0 as of the 94th minute.

Good to know it's not just me. Driving me a little crazy, tbh.

Jonah White knows and has already acknowledged on the commentary that there are technical difficulties with the live streaming of this game, so it is not just you.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 06:20:27 PM
At this point, I think we can just call him Jonah. :D
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 04, 2021, 06:22:41 PM
How is it possible that MIT has horrible video?  What a crap school.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: SimpleCoach on November 04, 2021, 06:25:08 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on November 04, 2021, 06:22:41 PM
How is it possible that MIT has horrible video?  What a crap school.

Was going to watch and do my thing, but the video kept stopping on me, not to mention I think the video quality is low grade.  I gave up.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 06:25:35 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on November 04, 2021, 06:22:41 PM
How is it possible that MIT has horrible video?  What a crap school.

It is not MIT streaming this game.  The problem is with the NEWMAC Sports Network.

Anyway, we are heading to kicks from the mark, as MIT and Coast Guard finish with a 0-0 draw after extra time.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 04, 2021, 06:31:59 PM
Quote from: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 06:25:35 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on November 04, 2021, 06:22:41 PM
How is it possible that MIT has horrible video?  What a crap school.

It is not MIT streaming this game.  The problem is with the NEWMAC Sports Network.

Anyway, we are heading to kicks from the mark, as MIT and Coast Guard finish with a 0-0 draw after extra time.

Well, maybe MIT could donate two freshmen sitting in the library picking their faces for just half an hour or less to help the NEWMAC Sports Network out.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 06:37:28 PM
Paul coming strong to the mic. :D
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 04, 2021, 06:38:06 PM
MIT has just advanced to the NEWMAC championship game, 4-3, on kicks from the mark after 5 rounds.

Adam Snowdon for MiT made the final kick from the mark at the end of the fifth round to clinch it.

MIT will host Babson on Saturday for the NEWMAC title and the AQ.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 04, 2021, 06:41:33 PM
Quote from: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 06:37:28 PM
Paul coming strong to the mic. :D

No, seriously, you could pick out any random MIT freshman or freshwoman out of the dining hall and they could fix the video inside of 30 seconds.  Most of them could own the NEWMAC Sports Network by tomorrow morning if they wanted to.

Anybody sticking around for the women's game up next???
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 06:44:39 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on November 04, 2021, 06:41:33 PM
Quote from: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 06:37:28 PM
Paul coming strong to the mic. :D

No, seriously, you could pick out any random MIT freshman or freshwoman out of the dining hall and they could fix the video inside of 30 seconds.  Most of them could own the NEWMAC Sports Network by tomorrow morning if they wanted to.

Anybody sticking around for the women's game up next???

I was more referring to the "picking their face" aspect of that post.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 04, 2021, 06:46:47 PM
Quote from: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 06:44:39 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on November 04, 2021, 06:41:33 PM
Quote from: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2021, 06:37:28 PM
Paul coming strong to the mic. :D

No, seriously, you could pick out any random MIT freshman or freshwoman out of the dining hall and they could fix the video inside of 30 seconds.  Most of them could own the NEWMAC Sports Network by tomorrow morning if they wanted to.

Anybody sticking around for the women's game up next???

I was more referring to the "picking their face" aspect of that post.

Well, they're freshmen...that's what they do...all across America lol.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 04, 2021, 10:40:04 PM
WCSU over UMB 1-0 in Boston!  ECSU vs WCSU in Willimantic on Saturday for LEC Championship
Ton of Yellow cards in this match, more like a Rugby game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on November 05, 2021, 08:26:52 AM
NEWMAC men's title game Babson at MIT has a start time of 3 PM Eastern tomorrow, as the NEWMAC women's title game between Springfield and MIT will go first at noon.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 06, 2021, 03:26:54 PM
Congratulations to the ECSU men's soccer team for their 2-1 upset win over WCSU.  Larson Richards PK in the 84th min propelled the Warriors to victory.  The Colonials again with numerous yellow cards threw the momentum over to Eastern and their large home crown at Thomas Nevers Field. Logan Brennan with initial goal for Eastern 1 min after Harrison Allers header in the 64th min.  ECSU awaits their NCAA tournament auto bid matchup.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 06, 2021, 03:32:17 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on November 06, 2021, 03:26:54 PM
Congratulations to the ECSU men's soccer team for their 2-1 upset win over WCSU.  Larson Richards PK in the 84th min propelled the Warriors to victory.  The Colonials again with numerous yellow cards threw the momentum over to Eastern and their large home crown at Thomas Nevers Field. Logan Brennan with initial goal for Eastern 1 min after Harrison Allers header in the 64th min.  ECSU awaits their NCAA tournament auto bid matchup.

Happy for you, ECSUalum.  It's nice to see ECSU in the tournament this year.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 06, 2021, 03:38:59 PM
Quote from: OldNed on November 06, 2021, 03:32:17 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on November 06, 2021, 03:26:54 PM
Congratulations to the ECSU men's soccer team for their 2-1 upset win over WCSU.  Larson Richards PK in the 84th min propelled the Warriors to victory.  The Colonials again with numerous yellow cards threw the momentum over to Eastern and their large home crown at Thomas Nevers Field. Logan Brennan with initial goal for Eastern 1 min after Harrison Allers header in the 64th min.  ECSU awaits their NCAA tournament auto bid matchup.

Happy for you, ECSUalum.  It's nice to see ECSU in the tournament this year.

Thank You Sir, If they can get a couple of wins in the tournament I will be happy!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 06, 2021, 03:44:09 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on November 06, 2021, 03:38:59 PM
Quote from: OldNed on November 06, 2021, 03:32:17 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on November 06, 2021, 03:26:54 PM
Congratulations to the ECSU men's soccer team for their 2-1 upset win over WCSU.  Larson Richards PK in the 84th min propelled the Warriors to victory.  The Colonials again with numerous yellow cards threw the momentum over to Eastern and their large home crown at Thomas Nevers Field. Logan Brennan with initial goal for Eastern 1 min after Harrison Allers header in the 64th min.  ECSU awaits their NCAA tournament auto bid matchup.

Happy for you, ECSUalum.  It's nice to see ECSU in the tournament this year.

I'd like to see that, too.  My oldest son went to ECSU (didn't play soccer there), I'm 25 minutes from the campus, and one of the ECSU defenders is the brother of a good friend of another son of mine, so I'm definitely wishing them the best.

Thank You Sir, If they can get a couple of wins in the tournament I will be happy!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 06, 2021, 03:58:28 PM
Quote from: OldNed on November 06, 2021, 03:44:09 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on November 06, 2021, 03:38:59 PM
Quote from: OldNed on November 06, 2021, 03:32:17 PM
Quote from: ECSUalum on November 06, 2021, 03:26:54 PM
Congratulations to the ECSU men's soccer team for their 2-1 upset win over WCSU.  Larson Richards PK in the 84th min propelled the Warriors to victory.  The Colonials again with numerous yellow cards threw the momentum over to Eastern and their large home crown at Thomas Nevers Field. Logan Brennan with initial goal for Eastern 1 min after Harrison Allers header in the 64th min.  ECSU awaits their NCAA tournament auto bid matchup.

Happy for you, ECSUalum.  It's nice to see ECSU in the tournament this year.

I'd like to see that, too.  My oldest son went to ECSU (didn't play soccer there), I'm 25 minutes from the campus, and one of the ECSU defenders is the brother of a good friend of another son of mine, so I'm definitely wishing them the best.

Thank You Sir, If they can get a couple of wins in the tournament I will be happy!!

;D
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 08, 2021, 10:03:31 AM
Kind of stunned to see that Babson beat MIT, 4-1, in the NEWMAC final on MIT's home field. The Engineers had beaten the Beavers 1-0 late in the regular season, but Babson struck first and then MIT seemed to capitulate — halftime was 1-0, but they were 4-0 down in the second before pulling a consolation back. Worth noting that in the last decade Babson has been much better on the road in the NEWMAC tournament than at home — they've hosted in 2012, 2016, and 2018 and lost each time, while winning on the road in 2014, 2015, 2019, and now 2021. Obviously anything can happen, and MIT did outshoot their opponents, but losing 4-1, I didn't expect that.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 08, 2021, 10:16:05 AM
Couple of other observations in NE. Gordon won the CCC 2-1 over Salve Regina with six seconds left in 2OT. Not quite as dramatic as the Babson bicycle kick with 3 seconds left in the 2019 NEWMAC final, but that is a hell of a way to finish a conference final.

St. Joseph's (ME) picks up its third GNAC title in 4 seasons with a 2OT win over Norwich. I saw a bit of the game online — hard luck on Norwich who dominated shots 24-7 and carried play for the vast majority of the time I saw. Anyway, the GWG was scored by Gus Ford, a product of the Falmouth (ME) program which has produced (among others) Roger Levesque, formerly of the Seattle Sounders. He was Maine's sole All-American and Gatorade Player of the Year — the Monks may have pulled off a coup in landing him.

Also worth noting: the SJC recap of the game was titled "Ford Fiesta." 😂
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ejay on November 08, 2021, 10:48:31 AM
Just watched that Gordon goal.  I don't think enough good things could be said about that perfectly weighted 35 yard pass that sent in their goal scorer. https://youtu.be/mM3xkSrQKN0?t=9239
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: College Soccer Observer on December 20, 2021, 04:51:02 PM
New England Soccer Journal D3 Best XI https://www.nesoccerjournal.com/best-xi-who-were-new-englands-top-d3-mens-players-in-2021/
GK--Ryan Grady, Middlebury
D--Ian Daly, Tufts
D--Emelson Barbosa, U-Mass Boston
D--Biagio Paoletta, Tufts
M--Calvin Aroh, Tufts
M--Augie Djerdjaj, Conn
M--Peter Novoa, MIT
M--Steve Yeonas, Conn
F--German Giammattei, Amherst
F--Nilton de Andrade, U-Mass Boston
F--Drake Byrd, Bowdoin

Also considered:
GK:  Liam Devanny, Wesleyan and Itai Rubin, Babson
D:  Liam Hanlon, Babson; Casey Kelly, Salve Regina; Bryce Johnson, Amherst; Michael McFarlane, Middlebury
M:  Travis Van Brewer, Tufts; William Toomey, Eastern Connecticut; Alex Shahmirzahdi, Amherst; Ignaccio Cubeddu, Amherst; Javier Beltran, Roger Williams
F:  Chase Gwynn, Gordon; Joey Songthysavong, Norwich; Jordan Saint-Louis, Middlebury
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Christan Shirk on December 21, 2021, 01:14:47 PM
It's basically the USC Region I All-Region First Team with MIT's Peter Novoa swapped in for Van Brewer and Ryan Grady taken over Devanny at GK. 

It's funny to see Steve Yeonas listed as a midfielder on this team, as a defender on the USC All-Region team, and as a forward on the NESCAC All-Conference First Team.  Connecticut College's website still lists Yeonas as a defender on the roster page, but refers to him as a forward in their articles.  We have this headache at D3soccer.com each year trying to make sure players are placed in the most accurate category for consideration/balloting/voting/comparison/selection and there are always dozens of players who the team's roster, the team's news articles, the all-conference team, and the USC teams assign different positions.  Obviously the lines are blurred between midfielder and forward at times depending on formation, playing style. etc. (not to mention the great variances between types of midfielders and forwards--positionally, responsibility-wise, etc.).  Ideally, you don't get too hung up on positions.  Or . . . oppositely (and more complicatedly) you differentiate a lot more (defensive mid, holding mid, center mid, attacking mid, outside mid, etc...).  But it's a huge process that is hard to make efficient and straightforward without categorizing each field player simply as either forward, midfielder, or defender.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ejay on December 21, 2021, 04:07:23 PM
One of my pet peeves is an all-whatever team that only uses CM's as their midfielders and/or CBs as their defenders.  The outside midfielder and outside backs are much different positions than their center brethren. Ideally I'd love to see the all-whatever team be 4-4-2 (2 CBs, 2 OBs, 1 CDM, 1 CAM, 1 LM, 1 RM, 2 FWs) and I don't even like playing a 4-4-2 diamond, but in my eyes it gives you a true Best XI.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: SimpleCoach on December 21, 2021, 04:11:10 PM
Quote from: Ejay on December 21, 2021, 04:07:23 PM
One of my pet peeves is an all-whatever team that only uses CM's as their midfielders and/or CBs as their defenders.  The outside midfielder and outside backs are much different positions than their center brethren. Ideally I'd love to see the all-whatever team be 4-4-2 (2 CBs, 2 OBs, 1 CDM, 1 CAM, 1 LM, 1 RM, 2 FWs) and I don't even like playing a 4-4-2 diamond, but in my eyes it gives you a true Best XI.

Truth.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: camosfan on December 21, 2021, 05:51:51 PM
Quote from: Ejay on December 21, 2021, 04:07:23 PM
One of my pet peeves is an all-whatever team that only uses CM's as their midfielders and/or CBs as their defenders.  The outside midfielder and outside backs are much different positions than their center brethren. Ideally I'd love to see the all-whatever team be 4-4-2 (2 CBs, 2 OBs, 1 CDM, 1 CAM, 1 LM, 1 RM, 2 FWs) and I don't even like playing a 4-4-2 diamond, but in my eyes it gives you a true Best XI.

I think it comes down to the talent you have and then the formation that best serves that talent pool.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: College Soccer Observer on December 27, 2021, 08:09:17 PM
New England Soccer Journal All-Freshman Team

https://www.nesoccerjournal.com/d3-men-who-were-new-englands-top-freshmen-in-2021/

GK--Erik Lauta, Tufts
D--Ben Clark-Eden, Amherst
D--Andres Gonzalez, Brandeis
D--Jack Kelesoglu, Conn
D--Will O'Brien, Middlebury
D--Jude Sargent, Coast Guard
M--Shane Farrell, Middlebury
M--Mamadi Jiana, Norwich
M--Lucas Ruehlemann, Wesleyan
M--Laurens ten Cate, Amherst
F--Kendy Prince, Salem State

Also considered:
GK--J.J. Devine, UMass Boston
D--Camden Rigney, Endicott
M--Walter Scudder, Eastern Connecticut State
M--Rion Dos Santos, Saint Joseph's
F--Filippo Marcantoni, WPI
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: maineman on January 14, 2022, 11:47:44 AM
Did anybody notice that on the Nescac scoreboard Middlebury plays Plymouth State in soccer just about every Saturday?  I wonder what indoor facility they use?  Great website, huh?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on June 22, 2022, 01:53:48 PM
Quote from: Gregory Sager on May 11, 2021, 10:58:34 AM
I think it'll be the CCC, but I also think that it may only be a temporary home for Hartford. The northeastern corner of D3 is going to undergo a lot of conference shakeup over the next few years as more and more schools close or merge.

I don't see Hartford joining the LEC; I can't think of a single instance in D3 history in which a private school has joined a league that has always consisted of nothing but state schools.

Right on the money, Greg. 
https://hartfordhawks.com/news/2022/6/21/general-university-of-hartford-athletics-joins-commonwealth-coast-conference-ccc.aspx
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on July 14, 2022, 07:58:58 AM
Salve Regina is moving to the NEWMAC:  https://www.newmacsports.com/general/2022-23/releases/20220711mug5jb

I don't know much about their other programs but from a soccer perspective they are going to have to get a lot better to compete.  The men's program is third best in the CCC behind Gordon and Endicott and CCC teams typically suffer against NEWMAC sides.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ejay on July 14, 2022, 08:27:05 AM
Looking at my handy-dandy cheat sheet, Salve actually has the best record in the CCC over the previous 5 years (no results for 2020) at 57-28-14 overall, including an undefeated run through the conference in both 2018 and 2019.

2016 - 4-12-1
2017 - 11-5-3
2018 - 16-1-3
2019 - 14-4-4
2021 - 12-6-3
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on July 14, 2022, 08:40:00 AM
Yes, they are not bad.  However, if you factor in a terrible SOS and frequent failures in big matches (except 2019 when they were quite good), I believe they will struggle in the NEWMAC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on July 19, 2022, 11:48:33 AM
Random CCC question: What is the furthest a CCC men's team has made it in the NCAA tournament? I know Gordon and RWU have both made it to the 2nd Round (both in 2013) and I'm sure there are more, but didn't know if someone knew off-hand. I believe in 2013 the maximum was the 2nd Round, but can't be sure — if that is still true, probabilistically it's only a matter of time that they go further.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on July 19, 2022, 12:20:09 PM
Gordon also made it to the second round in 2015.  Losing to F&M.  I believe WNE made it to the sweet 16 a couple of times under Erin Sullivan.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on July 19, 2022, 12:56:29 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on July 19, 2022, 12:20:09 PM
Gordon also made it to the second round in 2015.  Losing to F&M. I believe WNE made it to the sweet 16 a couple of times under Erin Sullivan.

Those late 2000s-early 2010s WNE teams were quite good, as I recall! Now that you mention it I remember Gordon knocking out CMU in 2015. I think with a kinder draw in 2013 they were good enough to make the Sweet 16 but came up against the buzzsaw of Amherst (losing 5-0 but admirably they played them straight up).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: BigSoccerFan on August 05, 2022, 11:00:26 AM
https://masseyratings.com/csoc2022/ncaa-d3/ratings

Here are the Massey rankings.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: 4231CenterBack on August 25, 2022, 10:09:54 AM
The admissions folks must love the Endicott coaches.  They appear to have 51 players on their roster which includes 26 Freshmen.  Imagine the training sessions!  2 full field scrimmages with subs  :D


https://www.ecgulls.com/sports/msoc/2022-23/roster
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: camosfan on August 25, 2022, 10:14:44 AM
 :)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 21, 2022, 12:26:24 PM
As I am scouring through the national records of all D3 teams I noticed that Emerson is 4-0-3....must be best start in years and maybe ever?  Recently beat Springfield for first time in program history.

Anyway, Emerson's new 1st year HC is Dan Toulson, who was a senior captain at Kenyon in 2011 for my son's frosh year.  Iirc he may have been a couple of years older than a usual senior and found his way to Kenyon via New Zealand.  Apparently spent the past few years as an asst at Catholic.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 21, 2022, 02:43:13 PM
Nice story, PaulNewman - it's always nice to find a connection to a new program.

That being said, while Emerson does have a win over Springfield, this is not the Springfield team of the last 4-5 years or so.  Springfield is 1-3-2, although one of their ties is a 0-0 draw with Williams.  Springfield does also have a 1-1 tie with Worcester State, not traditionally one of the better state schools for soccer in MA.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on September 21, 2022, 03:27:49 PM
Quote from: OldNed on September 21, 2022, 02:43:13 PM
Nice story, PaulNewman - it's always nice to find a connection to a new program.

That being said, while Emerson does have a win over Springfield, this is not the Springfield team of the last 4-5 years or so.  Springfield is 1-3-2, although one of their ties is a 0-0 draw with Williams.  Springfield does also have a 1-1 tie with Worcester State, not traditionally one of the better state schools for soccer in MA.

Understood.  I've followed Springfield's struggles as ironically a transfer from Kenyon is there and I feel bad for him because he was outstanding as a frosh at Kenyon.

But as for Emerson, 4-0-3 looks and sounds a lot better than the prior 3 years of 3-13-1, 3-11-2, and 3-11-2 with a combined conference record of 2-19.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 11, 2022, 10:11:25 AM
Quote from: PaulNewman on September 21, 2022, 12:26:24 PM
As I am scouring through the national records of all D3 teams I noticed that Emerson is 4-0-3....must be best start in years and maybe ever?  Recently beat Springfield for first time in program history.

Anyway, Emerson's new 1st year HC is Dan Toulson, who was a senior captain at Kenyon in 2011 for my son's frosh year.  Iirc he may have been a couple of years older than a usual senior and found his way to Kenyon via New Zealand.  Apparently spent the past few years as an asst at Catholic.

Another shout out for Emerson.  We sometimes miss these stories because of the focus on the tournament and who is gonna make or not make the tournament, and even with some of their opponents having down years, I'm guessing Emerson is on their way to maybe their best season in....well, maybe ever.  Sitting at 7-1-5.  Won 3 games total in 2021, 2019, and 2018, and 5 games in 2017, 2016, and 2015.  That's as far back as I went.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 11, 2022, 01:28:25 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 11, 2022, 10:11:25 AM
Quote from: PaulNewman on September 21, 2022, 12:26:24 PM
As I am scouring through the national records of all D3 teams I noticed that Emerson is 4-0-3....must be best start in years and maybe ever?  Recently beat Springfield for first time in program history.

Anyway, Emerson's new 1st year HC is Dan Toulson, who was a senior captain at Kenyon in 2011 for my son's frosh year.  Iirc he may have been a couple of years older than a usual senior and found his way to Kenyon via New Zealand.  Apparently spent the past few years as an asst at Catholic.

Another shout out for Emerson.  We sometimes miss these stories because of the focus on the tournament and who is gonna make or not make the tournament, and even with some of their opponents having down years, I'm guessing Emerson is on their way to maybe their best season in....well, maybe ever.  Sitting at 7-1-5.  Won 3 games total in 2021, 2019, and 2018, and 5 games in 2017, 2016, and 2015.  That's as far back as I went.

Emerson is knocking on the door, I think.  Massey has them today at #92 in the poll, just behind Brandeis which came in at #7 in the United Soccer Coaches Region II poll today.  They have WPI and Coast Guard for their last 2 games of the season and I'd like to see them win one of those two games.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 20, 2022, 08:02:52 AM
Big result in the GNAC last night as St. Joseph's (CT) ties regionally ranked Johnson & Wales 2-2.  More importantly for the GNAC conference tournament, the tie keeps St. Joseph's (Maine) in the driver's seat for the top spot and homefield advantage.  If things play out the way I would expect in the tournament, then Norwich would play Johnson & Wales to reach the final, likely against St. Joseph's (Maine). 

Out of those 3 teams, I still think Norwich is the most dangerous and it would not surprise me to see them win the GNAC and the automatic qualifier.  On the other hand, Johnson & Wales beat both Norwich and St. Joseph's (Maine) in the regular season so they are certainly capable of winning the GNAC tournament.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Kuiper on October 24, 2022, 02:04:20 PM
Interesting game on tap in the New England area, as Endicott visits D1 Boston College at 5:30 EDT.  I imagine Boston College scheduled Endicott for some kind of senior night or to give some of its bench players a chance to play, but Endicott is having a decent season at 11-3-4.  They haven't lost a game in a month.  I'm sure their players will be up to battle to show they belong, although with the conference tournament looming, Endicott's coaches probably don't want to risk injury in what is effectively a meaningless game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: paclassic89 on October 24, 2022, 02:21:02 PM
That's a baffling scheduling decision as they have a game Tuesday against U of NE as well.  Seems to be little upside to playing BC the day before a conference game.  I could understand it maybe if they didn't play again until Saturday  ???
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 24, 2022, 03:04:15 PM
Quote from: paclassic89 on October 24, 2022, 02:21:02 PM
That's a baffling scheduling decision as they have a game Tuesday against U of NE as well.  Seems to be little upside to playing BC the day before a conference game.  I could understand it maybe if they didn't play again until Saturday  ???

Well, they do have 50 players on their roster so they should be able to keep their starters fresh for Tuesday's game.  And UNE is 0-8 in conference (0-15-2 overall), so Endicott may not have as tough a time against a top of the table CCC team.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Maine Soccer Fan on October 24, 2022, 03:22:58 PM
Quote from: OldNed on October 24, 2022, 03:04:15 PM
Quote from: paclassic89 on October 24, 2022, 02:21:02 PM
That's a baffling scheduling decision as they have a game Tuesday against U of NE as well.  Seems to be little upside to playing BC the day before a conference game.  I could understand it maybe if they didn't play again until Saturday  ???

Well, they do have 50 players on their roster so they should be able to keep their starters fresh for Tuesday's game.  And UNE is 0-8 in conference (0-15-2 overall), so Endicott may not have as tough a time against a top of the table CCC team.

The number of subs on the Endicott bench resembles a Div 1 football team in numbers. I think they had to go to the college's endowment to afford enough uniforms...
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Hopkins92 on October 24, 2022, 03:26:37 PM
I know this is a D3 board, but from BC's perspective... WHY??

We used to play (and lose to) Towson State for many years in a row. They finally stopped that series my soph. year (I think?) and I never understood why they wanted that game on anything other than a scrimmage basis.

I just see zero upside for D1-D3 match-up, particularly from the D1 teams perspective. I know this game was discussed earlier this year, but I'm not remembering if anyone figured out the connection or rationale behind this game. And that's without bringing up the fact that it's forcing a back-to-back game with a conference foe. Record independent... That's just a weird scheduling move.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: SimpleCoach on October 24, 2022, 05:48:54 PM
Quote from: Hopkins92 on October 24, 2022, 03:26:37 PM
I know this is a D3 board, but from BC's perspective... WHY??

We used to play (and lose to) Towson State for many years in a row. They finally stopped that series my soph. year (I think?) and I never understood why they wanted that game on anything other than a scrimmage basis.

I just see zero upside for D1-D3 match-up, particularly from the D1 teams perspective. I know this game was discussed earlier this year, but I'm not remembering if anyone figured out the connection or rationale behind this game. And that's without bringing up the fact that it's forcing a back-to-back game with a conference foe. Record independent... That's just a weird scheduling move.

Will say, with 10 minutes gone, I find BC to be tremendously average.  No movement.  Individual players are man for man better, but together they are terribly unimpressive.

SC.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Kuiper on October 24, 2022, 05:49:56 PM
Quote from: Hopkins92 on October 24, 2022, 03:26:37 PM
I know this is a D3 board, but from BC's perspective... WHY??

We used to play (and lose to) Towson State for many years in a row. They finally stopped that series my soph. year (I think?) and I never understood why they wanted that game on anything other than a scrimmage basis.

I just see zero upside for D1-D3 match-up, particularly from the D1 teams perspective. I know this game was discussed earlier this year, but I'm not remembering if anyone figured out the connection or rationale behind this game. And that's without bringing up the fact that it's forcing a back-to-back game with a conference foe. Record independent... That's just a weird scheduling move.

Out of curiosity, I turned the game on and the announcer mentioned that the D1 rules allow a team to count one non-D1 game toward their win total and it's not counted for RPI purposes.  So, I suppose with BC being 3-6-4 on the season, a win could at least help their optics (not that they've had a horrible season - they've had a lot of close games).  Maybe Davidson was thinking the same thing.  Their win against Averett was their first of the season, although they are currently 5-8-3.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: camosfan on October 24, 2022, 06:02:56 PM
You can see the class difference easily and this early in the game where the underdog is usually highly motivated.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Kuiper on October 24, 2022, 06:20:29 PM
Well, I thought Endicott might make it to halftime with a 0-0 tie, which would be quite the victory.  My guess is that BC, especially given their record, isn't used to playing against a low block.  Their goal  on one of the few Endicott attacks suggested that they prefer the counter attack.

I will say that I had doubts about whether Endicott's GK would survive this game, between losing his concussion head gear and constantly adjusting his knee brace.  At this point in the season, he seems to be running low on parts!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: camosfan on October 24, 2022, 06:28:34 PM
Endicott did well to hang with an ACC team for a full half with only 1 goal behind.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Coach Jeff on October 24, 2022, 06:47:59 PM
Quote from: camosfan on October 24, 2022, 06:28:34 PM
Endicott did well to hang with an ACC team for a full half with only 1 goal behind.

3-0 5 minutes into the second half maybe the starters for BC are in now  :)
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Hopkins92 on October 24, 2022, 10:11:12 PM
Quote from: Kuiper on October 24, 2022, 06:20:29 PM
Well, I thought Endicott might make it to halftime with a 0-0 tie, which would be quite the victory.  My guess is that BC, especially given their record, isn't used to playing against a low block.  Their goal  on one of the few Endicott attacks suggested that they prefer the counter attack.

I will say that I had doubts about whether Endicott's GK would survive this game, between losing his concussion head gear and constantly adjusting his knee brace.  At this point in the season, he seems to be running low on parts!

Chuckling over here.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 29, 2022, 05:52:45 PM

https://emersonlions.com/sports/msoc/2022-23/releases/20221026g0pv03

Emerson finishes regular season 10-2-5 in what must be the best season in program history.  The Lions also appear headed to finishing 2nd in the NEWMAC, a big achievement even if it is a down year for the conference.  WPI leads MIT 3-0 in 2nd half which will leave the Lions in sole possession of 2nd place.

Dan Toulson at a minimum should probably be NEWMAC COY.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: BaboNation on October 29, 2022, 07:40:19 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 29, 2022, 05:52:45 PM

https://emersonlions.com/sports/msoc/2022-23/releases/20221026g0pv03

Emerson finishes regular season 10-2-5 in what must be the best season in program history.  The Lions also appear headed to finishing 2nd in the NEWMAC, a big achievement even if it is a down year for the conference.  WPI leads MIT 3-0 in 2nd half which will leave the Lions in sole possession of 2nd place.

Dan Toulson at a minimum should probably be NEWMAC COY.

A remarkable job.  I understand the NEWMAC is not among the elite conferences for men's soccer, but consider Emerson's history since joining the conference in 2013, making it the 8th team:

2013 0-7    8th  (first year in NEWMAC)
2014 0-6-1 8th
2015 0-7    8th
2016 1-6    8th
2017 1-6    8th
2018 1-6    8th
2019 1-6    8th
2020 covid
2021 0-7    8th

That's right.  Before this year they'd never finished better than dead last.  Had never sniffed the postseason tournament.  Hadn't ever won more than 1 game.   Hadn't scored a goal against my squad since 2014.
This year they finish 2nd at 4-2-1, make the tournament, and get a home game.  Unreal.  Absolutely COY, and should get recognition beyond the conference.

It almost makes me root for them in the NEWMAC tournament.

Almost.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: ECSUalum on November 03, 2022, 03:27:28 PM
Eastern Conn had multiple chances to win the semi final vs UMB, but porous Warrior defense allows the Beacons, (who were playing with a short bench), to comeback twice with less than 5 min left and defeat ECSU.  WestConn would have destroyed them in the LEC finals anyway!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 03, 2022, 03:41:33 PM
Just catching the last 15 minutes of Babson/Wheaton regulation time.  Does anyone know why Alasdair Ferrier isn't playing for Wheaton?  I'm assuming he's injured, but Wheaton could sure use the offense from the 13 goal scorer.  Looks like he played in the Oct 29 win over Clark, but didn't play in the NEWMAC opening round win for Wheaton over WPI on Nov 1.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: BaboNation on November 03, 2022, 04:06:14 PM
Quote from: OldNed on November 03, 2022, 03:41:33 PM
Just catching the last 15 minutes of Babson/Wheaton regulation time.  Does anyone know why Alasdair Ferrier isn't playing for Wheaton?  I'm assuming he's injured, but Wheaton could sure use the offense from the 13 goal scorer.  Looks like he played in the Oct 29 win over Clark, but didn't play in the NEWMAC opening round win for Wheaton over WPI on Nov 1.

Yes, injury wasn't reported.

Gazo substituted in for Babson in the 88th, and scores in the 90th for the win, with a rocket to the upper left from ~20.
Wheaton gave a great showing and looked to have fresher legs in the 2nd half, due in part to more liberal subbing (and probably greater trust in 2nd level).
Disappointing showing in set pieces for Babson needs to be improved going forward.

EDIT:  Meant to say injury *was* reported.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on November 03, 2022, 05:03:57 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on November 03, 2022, 04:06:14 PM
Quote from: OldNed on November 03, 2022, 03:41:33 PM
Just catching the last 15 minutes of Babson/Wheaton regulation time.  Does anyone know why Alasdair Ferrier isn't playing for Wheaton?  I'm assuming he's injured, but Wheaton could sure use the offense from the 13 goal scorer.  Looks like he played in the Oct 29 win over Clark, but didn't play in the NEWMAC opening round win for Wheaton over WPI on Nov 1.

Yes, injury wasn't reported.

Gazo substituted in for Babson in the 88th, and scores in the 90th for the win, with a rocket to the upper left from ~20.
Wheaton gave a great showing and looked to have fresher legs in the 2nd half, due in part to more liberal subbing (and probably greater trust in 2nd level).
Disappointing showing in set pieces for Babson needs to be improved going forward.

I saw the game winner, and you're right it was a complete rocket.  Nice goal.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 03, 2022, 09:14:05 PM
Emerson was 4+ minutes from advancing in the NEWMAC and MIT leveled at 2-2.  And worse, Emerson now playing with 10 men for OT for what looked like a vague 2nd yellow with about 8 minutes left.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Hopkins92 on November 03, 2022, 09:18:08 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on November 03, 2022, 09:14:05 PM
Emerson was 4+ minutes from advancing in the NEWMAC and MIT leveled at 2-2.  And worse, Emerson now playing with 10 men for OT for what looked like a vague 2nd yellow with about 8 minutes left.

OH! Thanks PN... I mentioned earlier, I'm rooting for Emerson for vague reasons. Tuning in now.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Hopkins92 on November 03, 2022, 09:23:33 PM
Sweet Mother of Pearl. I forgot how gnarly the Emerson field is aesthetically. YIKES.

I don't understand... AT ALL... the gk's positioning on that goal. At all.

You don't cover the near post because the danger is what you can't see (back post.)

just... ew.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: BaboNation on November 03, 2022, 09:35:11 PM
This is similar to the Emerson women's quarterfinal against Wheaton on the same pitch.  They fell behind on a 1OT goal, but rallied to score TWICE in the final minute of 2OT.

Deja Vu?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Hopkins92 on November 03, 2022, 09:37:56 PM
EMERSON LEVELS!!!!!!!!!!!

That was awesome.

Fans going berserk. Absolutely awesome. Man, I love this stuff.

=-=--

Loving the Emerson fans. Very engaged and the type of roller coaster emotions that make this game fun.

MIT is really in control of this game. Emerson needs to buckle-down and spring something or hope for PKs.

=-=-=

Ok.. Pks.

Gonna need notepad as the production her is beyond bare bones. :D

I'm not complaining! We get to watch EVERYTHING now.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 03, 2022, 10:02:52 PM
Did not see that coming when MIT went up 3-2 and Emerson playing with 10 men for 30 minutes.  Wow.  Go Lions!!!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Hopkins92 on November 03, 2022, 10:07:32 PM
Wow. Emerson through on PKs.

I have to say, at this level, I'd still be able to guess the right way on a significant percentage of PK takers. Last guy is a great example. You're a big dude and probably 200 pounds. If watched you all night. You're not going to all of a sudden open your hips and push the ball right, you're going to slam the ball across your body to the left (keeper's right).

Just clear as day stuff that still happens at the D3 level. It's endearing.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: BaboNation on November 03, 2022, 10:10:27 PM
Emerson men and women both in NEWMAC Finals.

I think I felt the planet wobble.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 03, 2022, 10:16:41 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on November 03, 2022, 10:10:27 PM
Emerson men and women both in NEWMAC Finals.

I think I felt the planet wobble.

That was a really gutsy effort by Emerson....lose the lead late..very soon after going to down to 10 men.  MIT already had much more of the possession, then up a man with even more possession, MIT scores in 1st OT, Emerson somehow gets goal in the 2nd OT, holds off MIT again the last five minutes.  Also relinquished advantage in the PK shootout and needed an extra save just to pull even, and prevail.  Those kinds must be ecstatic, and their families.  Remember the two preceding seasons...3-13-1 (x2).
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Hopkins92 on November 03, 2022, 10:19:38 PM
It was just incredible to watch, and... again... thanks PN... That was bonkers.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 04, 2022, 05:26:25 AM
https://twitter.com/EmersonMSOC/status/1588376740769898497?s=20&t=8BBxIbaQIgipKihGfVVFYw

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 04, 2022, 10:27:58 AM
More under the radar history making...

https://www.usjbluejays.com/sports/msoc/2022-23/releases/20221102v8ccnl

If I researched correctly the St Joseph's (CT) Bluejays in their five year history had not scored a goal off of St Joseph's (ME), the mid-major regional powerhouse for at least half a decade.  5-0 losses, 3-0 losses, including a 3-0 loss earlier this season.

The CT version scored in the 79th and 89th minutes to take down the Monks on the Monks' home pitch.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 04, 2022, 10:40:16 AM
St Joe's (CT) will now try to take down another 2022 darling, the 15-1-3 Johnson & Wales "Miracle Grow" Wildcats, for a NCAA bid.

Best of luck to St Joe's, who drew with J&W two weeks ago 2-2, but I'm rooting for J&W and Western CT to win their AQs as a just reward for their stellar seasons.  J&W has no shot for a Pool C, and Western CT has a half-court heave shot.

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on November 04, 2022, 10:41:59 AM
Quote from: PaulNewman on November 04, 2022, 05:26:25 AM
https://twitter.com/EmersonMSOC/status/1588376740769898497?s=20&t=8BBxIbaQIgipKihGfVVFYw

There may be a few things that D3 soccer is really all about.....this is one of them.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Hopkins92 on November 04, 2022, 11:01:56 AM
Quote from: PaulNewman on November 04, 2022, 10:41:59 AM
Quote from: PaulNewman on November 04, 2022, 05:26:25 AM
https://twitter.com/EmersonMSOC/status/1588376740769898497?s=20&t=8BBxIbaQIgipKihGfVVFYw

There may be a few things that D3 soccer is really all about.....this is one of them.

I mean... The American flag waving in the background? Just an amazing scene.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: futbolfan on November 05, 2022, 08:57:06 AM
D3soccer.com Championship Central page shows all the conferences and the AQs.  For CCC they show the AQ goes to the regular season winner, Endicott.  Is that accurate or does the playoff winner get the AQ?  Followup question, if the AQ goes to the tournament winner, would Endicott get an at-large bid?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: blooter442 on November 05, 2022, 09:02:48 AM
Quote from: futbolfan on November 05, 2022, 08:57:06 AM
D3soccer.com Championship Central page shows all the conferences and the AQs.  For CCC they show the AQ goes to the regular season winner, Endicott.  Is that accurate or does the playoff winner get the AQ?  Followup question, if the AQ goes to the tournament winner, would Endicott get an at-large bid?

95% sure the CCC still has a tournament. Probably a placeholder.

EDIT: Yep, it's Roger Williams vs. Suffolk in the final today. I like RWU in that one given a slightly superior record but Suffolk knocked out Endicott as #1 seed so maybe they have the mojo.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Christan Shirk on November 05, 2022, 02:49:14 PM
The AQ doesn't always go to the conference champion.  Some conferences name their champions based on the regular season and then award their AQ via their conference tournament.  Other conferences name their champion and award the AQ both via the conference tournament with the regular season just being a means to determine seeding.  And then you have a lot that seem to have two champions (some aren't crystal clear on the issue): a regular season champion and a tournament champions (their record books sometimes log both), with the AQ going to the tournament champion.

Our Conference Championship Central (https://d3soccer.prestosports.com/playoffs/2022-conference-championship-central) page has two tables.  The one at the top is for conference champions and beside each conference a (R) for regular season or a (T) for tournament indicates how that conference names its champions.  The second table at the bottom of the page is for the automatic NCAA tournament berths with he same indicators.  We try to be as accurate as possible on this, but with reduced time to invest this year and last we might have missed some changes in how a conference operates.  We are always welcoming to correction so the website is as accurate and thus helpful/informative as possible.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: BaboNation on November 05, 2022, 03:11:58 PM
Happy with the 1-0 win and another NEWMAC championship for Babson, but for too long the play was uninspired.

The goal off a nice cross from Kim to the far post and headed back to the left to Williams by LaBelle was beautiful, but otherwise they didn't seem to have a plan for penetrating the final 25 yards.

Up to then the best chance for Babson was Kim wide open 20 yards out at the top of the box on the left, with nothing but green grass between he and the keeper and rather than cross to 2 runners off the right or moving closer he fired one near side that the keeper handled easily.

On the positive side, White is much more assertive and aggressive off his line as Babson's keeper.  And after getting injured a few weeks ago Kalishman is back in form and did a great job at midfield today. 

The lack of team speed and players able to take on a defender with the ball will be a concern in the playoffs.  A 1st round exit would be a disappointment, particularly after winning that round last year and with this year's roster loaded with upperclassmen.  Advancing to the round of 16 would satisfy me.  Anything beyond that will require the team to be capitalizing on all scoring opportunities.

Emerson has something to build on going forward.  Their entire athletic program seems to be on the rise.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Nextgoal on November 06, 2022, 07:55:59 AM
Quote from: PaulNewman on November 04, 2022, 10:27:58 AM
More under the radar history making...

https://www.usjbluejays.com/sports/msoc/2022-23/releases/20221102v8ccnl

If I researched correctly the St Joseph's (CT) Bluejays in their five year history had not scored a goal off of St Joseph's (ME), the mid-major regional powerhouse for at least half a decade.  5-0 losses, 3-0 losses, including a 3-0 loss earlier this season.

The CT version scored in the 79th and 89th minutes to take down the Monks on the Monks' home pitch.

ST Joseph's (ME) was down 2 key players (#19 J Greenleaf on D and top scorer #7 A Ward (F)went out early 2nd half with twisted ankle.
Monks were plagued by minor injuries this season. #11 Gus Ford (F) missed 4 games and still managed 7 tallies (16 pts overall). Regular season record 11-1 conference.

ST Joes (Conn) did execute a perfect game plan and I predicted if they play that game in R.I against JWU they would win their first conference championship. And they did! Congratulations to ST Joseph's Conn on the win such a great season end run.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Nextgoal on November 06, 2022, 08:19:24 AM
 GNAC ST Joseph's (Conn) wins its first conference championship at JWU in Providence. 2-1

Although I was itching to see ST Joseph's (ME.) vs JWU season rematch for the championship, the regular season match went to JWU after some horrible RI ref calls (game ended with coaches pulling players apart). Very glad to see Blue Jays take their first conference championship. Well deserved for their efforts. And honestly (Bias yes) JWU did not deserve to be there. I follow the GNAC and JWU wins were all gifted PK's or set pc goals.

Not sure SJC will fair well in NCAA tourney but they did end their season the best in their teams history. Kudos!
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on August 24, 2023, 02:52:43 PM
In the GNAC conference, it will be interesting to see if St. Joseph's CT will be able to carry over their terrific season from 2022 to 2023 and stay at the top of the conference table.  Now that the GNAC has expanded to 15 teams (!!), conference members will have little chance of scheduling enough quality non-conference opponents to qualify for an at large NCAA berth so teams will have to win the conference tournament to go to the NCAAs.

Of the other top 3 teams from the last 3 years, I expect Johnson & Wales and St. Joe's ME to have good years and if their website is any indication Norwich will have a down year.  Norwich has a new coach and the website lists only 3 freshmen on the roster and no grad students so there will be a big dropoff in my opinion.  Johnson & Wales has 7 grad students on their 2023 roster so I think they may be one of the teams to beat in conference.  If exhibitions are any indication, St. Joe's ME should be tough as they beat D2 St. Anselm's 1-0 in an exhibition a couple of days ago. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on August 26, 2023, 07:21:23 PM
The long national search is finally over...

Dan Toulson is now the Associate Director of Athletics at St Paul's School in Concord, NH...and also the Boys Varsity Soccer Coach.

The Director of Athletics at St Paul's (and former Varsity Soccer Coach) is Richard Muther....yes, father of now graduated Kenyon AA, Luke Muther.  Luke's mother also is on the faculty at St Paul's. 

St Paul's has the nation's 3rd largest endowment for a boarding school at 631 million.  Tuition is 62K per year.  Alums include Hobey Baker (namesake of college hockey's top individual award), James Bond (yes, that James Bond), Archibald Cox, James Garfield (son of President), William Randolph Hearst, John Kerry, JP Morgan, Robert Mueller (yes, that Mueller), Judd Nelson, Catherine Oxenberg, Charles Scribner, Don Sweeney (GM of Boston Bruins), Garry Trudeau, and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr, among others.


Addendum:  This situation reminded of my surprise when a previous Haverford coach left for Haverford School, an elite prep school right down the street from Haverford College, to fill some similar role.  Iirc, the coach left before the season just after my son and I had sat in his office and he basically blew us off as he pointed to a whiteboard with probably 50-60 prospect names already on it.  I could not understand the move at all, but I now feel foolish as at the time I had no clue about the pay limitations even at the higher ends of D3 soccer.

I do wonder how money gets allocated at various schools.  Some of the more elite programs only have 1 or maybe 2 assts (and if a second one often it's a GK coach or volunteer kind of deal).  And then others list as many as 5 or 6 assts.  I think I counted 5 assts on the F&M website today.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on August 27, 2023, 01:53:26 PM
https://twitter.com/kenyonmsoc/status/1690405877344296960?s=20

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Kuiper on August 27, 2023, 04:38:41 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on August 26, 2023, 07:21:23 PM
The long national search is finally over...

Dan Toulson is now the Associate Director of Athletics at St Paul's School in Concord, NH...and also the Boys Varsity Soccer Coach.

The Director of Athletics at St Paul's (and former Varsity Soccer Coach) is Richard Muther....yes, father of now graduated Kenyon AA, Luke Muther.  Luke's mother also is on the faculty at St Paul's. 

St Paul's has the nation's 3rd largest endowment for a boarding school at 631 million.  Tuition is 62K per year.  Alums include Hobey Baker (namesake of college hockey's top individual award), James Bond (yes, that James Bond), Archibald Cox, James Garfield (son of President), William Randolph Hearst, John Kerry, JP Morgan, Robert Mueller (yes, that Mueller), Judd Nelson, Catherine Oxenberg, Charles Scribner, Don Sweeney (GM of Boston Bruins), Garry Trudeau, and Efrem Zimbalist, Jr, among others.


Addendum:  This situation reminded of my surprise when a previous Haverford coach left for Haverford School, an elite prep school right down the street from Haverford College, to fill some similar role.  Iirc, the coach left before the season just after my son and I had sat in his office and he basically blew us off as he pointed to a whiteboard with probably 50-60 prospect names already on it.  I could not understand the move at all, but I now feel foolish as at the time I had no clue about the pay limitations even at the higher ends of D3 soccer.

I do wonder how money gets allocated at various schools.  Some of the more elite programs only have 1 or maybe 2 assts (and if a second one often it's a GK coach or volunteer kind of deal).  And then others list as many as 5 or 6 assts.  I think I counted 5 assts on the F&M website today.

It is becoming more and more common for college soccer coaches at all levels to leave for prep school soccer positions.  They generally get paid more (especially if it comes with teaching and/or administrative responsibilities), have a lot less travel and recruiting responsibilities, and the job is more stable and sustainable for family.

A few examples that caught my eye in the last couple of years:

At the end of July 2023, Michael Marchiano, head coach at Drexel (D1) left for Loyola Blakefield in Baltimore, despite putting together three of the top seasons in Drexel men's soccer.

https://www.loyolablakefield.org/news-detail?pk=1445859

In 2022, Keith Cappo, head coach for 6 years at Ursinus College (D3), left a year after winning Centennial Conference coach of the year to take over the boys soccer program (and teach Math) at the Haverford School

https://www.haverford.org/athletics/teams/team-details/~athletics-team-id/160

In 2021, Mike Osegura, a long-time assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Loyola Marymount University (D1) left to take over the boys soccer program at Orange Lutheran in Orange County

https://oluathletics.org/news/mike-oseguera-named-boys-soccer-head-coach#:~:text=Oseguera%20comes%20to%20Orange%20Lutheran,and%20goalkeeper%20coach%20since%202015.

As to the number of coaches on a college soccer team's website, the vast majority of schools with a long list of assistant coaches are just including the unpaid volunteer assistants who come back and help out when they are available (often just for training and home games and not on the road).  DIII doesn't have the limitations that exists in DI (which just changed their rules to eliminate the voluntary coach designation and instead increase the number of "countable" coaches to accommodate some of those voluntary asst coaches).

Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: SierraFD3soccer on August 28, 2023, 10:44:16 AM
Quote from: PaulNewman on August 26, 2023, 07:21:23 PM

I do wonder how money gets allocated at various schools.  Some of the more elite programs only have 1 or maybe 2 assts (and if a second one often it's a GK coach or volunteer kind of deal).  And then others list as many as 5 or 6 assts.  I think I counted 5 assts on the F&M website today.

Son just played and graduated from F&M. Yes, they do at times have several assts, but not every year.  I would say that Coach Wagner has worked hard to develop a special situation that many programs have not been able to stand up.  Therefore this might be unique in D3 soccer. From what I understand only one is really a paid asst and he is full time HS teacher.  He is also an amazing recruiter and organizer. I think he could coach anywhere D3, but has decided to not take that step, but chooses not to because his family and his situation at F&M. One person was a grad. asst. last year so no or very little compensation last year and probably not much this year.  However, F&M has put out some coaches for other programs (not even close to Messiah), so that might be a draw for him.  One other asst. coach is the coach's brother who was a successful head coach for many, many years and now runs a very good soccer business,  Future 500 ID Camps. The last two are definitely new to the program and probably local guys.  F&M's coach has a lot of local connections and can draw from these individuals.  The keeper coach is new and F&M did not have one last year.  FYI, if a program does not have a decent keeper coach and your kid is a keeper, I would definitely recommend you consider this factor when deciding what school your kid is might go to. I am only guessing, but the last two coaches plus the coach's brother are not substantially (full time or even part time) compensated for their time like a D1 staff.  Coach Wagner has been doing this for over 20 years and his teams have had success.  Further, he had deep local ties (Messiah grad and coaches/assists local teams) along with having a reputation of developing coaches. 
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on August 28, 2023, 01:30:24 PM
Just did a quick browse of Babson roster...

Reaction? The Beavers are gonna be a problem.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: BaboNation on August 28, 2023, 03:13:19 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on August 28, 2023, 01:30:24 PM
Just did a quick browse of Babson roster...

Reaction? The Beavers are gonna be a problem.

A problem for other teams?  I sure hope so.  Yes, there are 3 D1 xfers coming in (Stone looks like the best), but they also lose their best scorer from last season (Ben Williams 13 goals - next highest 6) to graduation.  The buildup will probably be solid, but the last 20 yards is where the lack of speed and creativity has ended too many seasons.
Gazo probably their best returning striker.  I foresee a lot of 1-0 and 2-1 games,  Coach Anderson, while building a solid program, is a little too conservative for my liking.  I'm probably being too harsh, given the difficulty for recruiting in the Northeast with so many powerhouses around,
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: northman on August 29, 2023, 08:29:15 AM
I was intrigued at the thought of D1 transfers at Babson.  It appears there are no fewer than 5 transfers from the likes of West Virginia, UVM, Davidson, UMass, and UConn.  Some quick research suggests that none of them enjoyed huge playing time at their former institutions.  Although Justin Stone appears to have had a couple of impact seasons at Davidson before tailing off.  His bio indicates his dad is Rob Stone.  I wonder if it's the same Rob Stone who broadcasts World Cup matches?  That Rob Stone was a 4-year starter in his day at Colgate.

I assume these transfers are largely Covid-eligibility driven?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: BaboNation on August 29, 2023, 09:14:11 AM
Quote from: northman on August 29, 2023, 08:29:15 AM
I was intrigued at the thought of D1 transfers at Babson.  It appears there are no fewer than 5 transfers from the likes of West Virginia, UVM, Davidson, UMass, and UConn.  Some quick research suggests that none of them enjoyed huge playing time at their former institutions.  Although Justin Stone appears to have had a couple of impact seasons at Davidson before tailing off.  His bio indicates his dad is Rob Stone.  I wonder if it's the same Rob Stone who broadcasts World Cup matches?  That Rob Stone was a 4-year starter in his day at Colgate.

I assume these transfers are largely Covid-eligibility driven?

2 of the 5 you mentioned were on the team last year:  Gazo (UVM) and Kim (UMass) are starters and key pieces.  The other 3 are wild cards, because as you say, they didn't play a lot while at the D1 level.

Some other players on the team I really like are midfielder Kalishman (who also plays lacrosse) and Araujo B/M who started as a freshman.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Another Mom on August 29, 2023, 09:35:30 AM
As I recall, Louis Gazo played center back in high school/club. He may have been an All American in high school?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Kuiper on August 29, 2023, 10:00:16 AM
Quote from: northman on August 29, 2023, 08:29:15 AM
I was intrigued at the thought of D1 transfers at Babson.  It appears there are no fewer than 5 transfers from the likes of West Virginia, UVM, Davidson, UMass, and UConn.  Some quick research suggests that none of them enjoyed huge playing time at their former institutions.  Although Justin Stone appears to have had a couple of impact seasons at Davidson before tailing off.  His bio indicates his dad is Rob Stone.  I wonder if it's the same Rob Stone who broadcasts World Cup matches?  That Rob Stone was a 4-year starter in his day at Colgate.

I assume these transfers are largely Covid-eligibility driven?

Rob Stone of Fox Sports did play at Colgate, but he lives in the South Bay in SoCal.  Justin Stone appears to be from Cary, NC.  I think the name of his father is just a coincidence.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: BaboNation on September 03, 2023, 06:30:13 PM
Babson overcomes a lackluster, uninspired, sloppy effort to eke out another way-too-close 1-0 win.
UT-Dallas impressed me more than St. Joe's on Friday.  They caused havoc on the Babson back line with their high press and overall quickness and defensive recovery.  Maybe better conditioned too to the outside observer.
Every Beaver starter seemed to be in a generous mood with giveaways.  Better teams will capitalize on this if it isn't cleaned up.  Quickly.
Thankfully, two of the new D1 transfers combined on a corner liner from Morgan, headed in by Stone.  Beautiful thing that.
Kalishman went down in the opening 90 seconds and didn't return (hammy?).  Key piece.  FY center forward "Sasha" Yablonovskiy, who has shown good early form also left the match with a leg injury.
And leading returning scorer Gazo has not appeared yet this season.
The schedule gets real next weekend.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: SKUD on September 03, 2023, 07:32:20 PM
Babo where were you watching from the basketball court?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: BaboNation on September 03, 2023, 09:06:02 PM
Quote from: SKUD on September 03, 2023, 07:32:20 PM
Babo where were you watching from the basketball court?

If you are suggesting my observations are off the mark I'd welcome other views.  I thought the team played far better against St. Joe's, although the offense couldn't convert more than once.
There were far too many bad turnovers in their own end against UT-D.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: SKUD on September 03, 2023, 10:17:16 PM
Was more a reference to your primary sport.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 04, 2023, 05:02:39 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on September 03, 2023, 06:30:13 PM
Babson overcomes a lackluster, uninspired, sloppy effort to eke out another way-too-close 1-0 win.
UT-Dallas impressed me more than St. Joe's on Friday.  They caused havoc on the Babson back line with their high press and overall quickness and defensive recovery.  Maybe better conditioned too to the outside observer.
Every Beaver starter seemed to be in a generous mood with giveaways.  Better teams will capitalize on this if it isn't cleaned up.  Quickly.
Thankfully, two of the new D1 transfers combined on a corner liner from Morgan, headed in by Stone.  Beautiful thing that.
Kalishman went down in the opening 90 seconds and didn't return (hammy?).  Key piece.  FY center forward "Sasha" Yablonovskiy, who has shown good early form also left the match with a leg injury.
And leading returning scorer Gazo has not appeared yet this season.
The schedule gets real next weekend.

I watched the 1st half of the Babson/St. Joe's game and I didn't see the UT Dallas game so I can't compare the 2 games, but I think I agree with your take on the St. Joe's game.  I thought Babson was clearly the better team during the part of the game I watched and coming from a St. Joe's perspective I was disappointed with the Babson goal because it came from a takeaway on St. Joe's part.  That being said, I think you have to give credit to Babson for taking advantage of the error.  I'd be curious to hear what you thought of the 2nd half.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on September 04, 2023, 05:21:53 PM
Just a few random thoughts on the little pieces I saw over the weekend.

- Babson was better than St. Joe's in the first half - no question.
- I saw a little bit of the UMass Boston/Salve game and UMass Boston really looked good offensively. I had no idea they smoked WPI until I just looked at their results.  Gabriel Meireles from UMB was really good in the Salve game, and I knew I heard his name before.  I looked him up and he had a terrific freshman year at Salem State in 2018, then if I'm not mistaken I thought I read he was going to transfer to a D1 somewhere down south when Covid hit. He spent some time at UMass Lowell after that but I don't think he played because he's still listed as a sophomore at UMB. They should be fun to watch this year.
- Despite the loss to Babson and a tie vs. Wheaton, I think St. Joe's ME is going to be one of the top teams in the GNAC again.  Norwich tied Russell Sage in their first game, so I think they may be looking at a down year compared to the last few years.  Johnson & Wales struggled with Bridgewater State and ended up tying them and then lost to Salve.  St. Joseph's of CT started off with a 5-3 win vs. Suny Poly, but that's a team that Massey has at #296.  With the league expanding to 15 teams, the only team going to the NCAAs out of the GNAC is going to be the automatic qualifier from the conference tourney as no team has enough non-conference games to make any headway in the SOS game.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: BaboNation on September 05, 2023, 11:53:02 AM
Quote from: OldNed on September 04, 2023, 05:02:39 PM
Quote from: BaboNation on September 03, 2023, 06:30:13 PM
Babson overcomes a lackluster, uninspired, sloppy effort to eke out another way-too-close 1-0 win.
UT-Dallas impressed me more than St. Joe's on Friday.  They caused havoc on the Babson back line with their high press and overall quickness and defensive recovery.  Maybe better conditioned too to the outside observer.
Every Beaver starter seemed to be in a generous mood with giveaways.  Better teams will capitalize on this if it isn't cleaned up.  Quickly.
Thankfully, two of the new D1 transfers combined on a corner liner from Morgan, headed in by Stone.  Beautiful thing that.
Kalishman went down in the opening 90 seconds and didn't return (hammy?).  Key piece.  FY center forward "Sasha" Yablonovskiy, who has shown good early form also left the match with a leg injury.
And leading returning scorer Gazo has not appeared yet this season.
The schedule gets real next weekend.

I watched the 1st half of the Babson/St. Joe's game and I didn't see the UT Dallas game so I can't compare the 2 games, but I think I agree with your take on the St. Joe's game.  I thought Babson was clearly the better team during the part of the game I watched and coming from a St. Joe's perspective I was disappointed with the Babson goal because it came from a takeaway on St. Joe's part.  That being said, I think you have to give credit to Babson for taking advantage of the error.  I'd be curious to hear what you thought of the 2nd half.

It's risky to read too much into the 2nd half of a game with the circumstances being what they were.
Nursing a 1-0 lead Babson has a tendency to play more conservatively than I'd like.
I don't know how deep the STJ roster is, but they weren't as aggressive as UT-D with its high trapping style and closer marking.  Babson's passing and build-up was far better against STJ than UT-D, but that again may be in part due to less defensive pressure applied by STJ.  Hard for me to know the STJ strategy and how much is dictated by personnel/depth/trust.  Babson substituted much more freely.
Neither game was relaxing for a Babson fan.  Even in the 89th minute STJ had a free kick from a dangerous location that could have resulted in a heartbreaking tie.
I think STJ will be fine in the GNAC going forward.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: SKUD on September 05, 2023, 01:26:29 PM
@Babonation are you headed to NJ for MSU and Stevens this week?
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: deiscanton on September 05, 2023, 03:44:29 PM
I guess UHartford is trying to find out what it means to be a DIII institution.    It is not helping matters that UHartford is placing all of their home games for all of their teams behind a paywall at $9.99 for a single game and no affordable monthly rate.  UHartford is charging $49.99 for all of their home games for the fall season, $99.99 for an early bird rate for all home games for the full academic year (if paid before September 15) and $129.99 for all of the home games for all seasons of the 2023-24 academic year (if paid after September 15)   I wanted to see Conn College men's soccer at UHart this afternoon, but I guess that I am going to have to follow the game on live stats. The worst part about it is, you are not aware that there is a paywall up until you start attempting to watch the UHartford video livestream.  I am only going to pay for Univ. of Rochester content this year on a regular basis, if I do decide to pay for DIII content.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: SKUD on September 05, 2023, 03:51:51 PM
I feel your pain.  Sorry that U HA has joined the $$ club.  IMO the parents who fund those student should rise up and grab that AD by the €&\\$ and get that changed.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Kuiper on September 05, 2023, 05:13:43 PM
I haven't been able to watch the game, but the fact that Conn is up 3-0 in the 67th minute, has already rotated its GK, and played a large number of players off the bench, suggests that Hartford hasn't retained many, if any, of its better players from its D1 years.  Since they lost every game their last year in D1, they probably lost most of the legit D1 players before last year.

The game ends 6-0.  I'm sure Conn is good, but it's pretty clear that Hartford is not.  Conn emptied the bench (27 Conn players played in all) and still poured on three more goals.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ted Lasso on September 05, 2023, 09:23:44 PM
TTTD (Ted's thoughts of the day)
-Babson vs Suffolk ends in a 0-0 draw. Pretty even game with Suffolk having the clearest chance in my opinion. Could Suffolk be on the come up? Or did they just catch Babson on an off day.

-Midd dominates in an 11-1 win but GK Grady must be a bit salty letting one in to ruin the clean sheet. When I played, the goalies would always complain about letting one in no matter how much we won by, so I know that stings for Grady.

-Amherst up 2-1 at the half after a slow start. They conceded a goal that came from a good finish, but then scored fairly quickly after with their usual set pieces. Seems as though some of their "main guys" from last year came off the bench (not sure why that is but you never know with Serpone and his antics). The game has gone in their favor since they've been on the field with Okorogheye scoring the goal to put them in the lead. However, Yeshiva is surprising me though as I thought Amherst would have a much easier time against them. They move the ball well at times. Lets see what happens in the second half.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: stlawus on September 05, 2023, 09:34:39 PM
Do you have a source there or are you at the game or something?  Yeshiva broadcast never went up as far as I can tell.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Ted Lasso on September 05, 2023, 09:43:20 PM
Took me a while to find the link. https://live.veo.co/stream/adf92514-881c-4645-9ab8-ccdb5d5161bc@1693956560468/
You have to make an account but it's free.

Amherst up 4-1 now with two solid goals
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: EnmoreCat on September 06, 2023, 04:01:18 AM
Quote from: Ted Lasso on September 05, 2023, 09:23:44 PM
TTTD (Ted's thoughts of the day)
-Babson vs Suffolk ends in a 0-0 draw. Pretty even game with Suffolk having the clearest chance in my opinion. Could Suffolk be on the come up? Or did they just catch Babson on an off day.

-Midd dominates in an 11-1 win but GK Grady must be a bit salty letting one in to ruin the clean sheet. When I played, the goalies would always complain about letting one in no matter how much we won by, so I know that stings for Grady.

-Amherst up 2-1 at the half after a slow start. They conceded a goal that came from a good finish, but then scored fairly quickly after with their usual set pieces. Seems as though some of their "main guys" from last year came off the bench (not sure why that is but you never know with Serpone and his antics). The game has gone in their favor since they've been on the field with Okorogheye scoring the goal to put them in the lead. However, Yeshiva is surprising me though as I thought Amherst would have a much easier time against them. They move the ball well at times. Lets see what happens in the second half.

So squad rotation becomes an "antic"!  Gotta love the early Amhate (like it ever truly goes away). If one of the venerated Ohio coaches did it, it would be clever man management.  I am yet to watch the stream, but will offer some thoughts after doing so.

One thing I would say is the Amherst/Middlebury game is one of the epic NESCAc fixtures, and I am sure both coaches would have been very careful in their game management leading up to it.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 08, 2023, 02:14:18 PM
USMMA pulls off a major mid-major upset over West Conn 1-0 in Kings Point, NY.  USMMA announcer was solid and also ecstatic at the end, suggesting the victory was perhaps the biggest win in USMMA soccer history.  West Conn just beat Wesleyan mid-week.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Kuiper on October 27, 2023, 12:34:18 PM
Are they still planning to play the GNAC quarterfinal game involving #1 St. Joseph's (ME) hosting Regis #8 on Saturday?

The GNAC announced today that they were postponing the GNAC Cross Country Championships that were scheduled to be run at St. Joseph's (ME) on Sunday

https://thegnac.com/sports/mxc/2023-24/releases/2023XCChampPostponed
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: OldNed on October 27, 2023, 07:32:30 PM
Quote from: Kuiper on October 27, 2023, 12:34:18 PM
Are they still planning to play the GNAC quarterfinal game involving #1 St. Joseph's (ME) hosting Regis #8 on Saturday?

The GNAC announced today that they were postponing the GNAC Cross Country Championships that were scheduled to be run at St. Joseph's (ME) on Sunday

https://thegnac.com/sports/mxc/2023-24/releases/2023XCChampPostponed

I'm not seeing any indication they are postponing the SJC/Regis game tomorrow. I hope if it goes off as scheduled they have some extra police presence there.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: paclassic89 on October 27, 2023, 09:45:08 PM
They finally found the guy.  Killed himself in the woods
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: PaulNewman on October 31, 2023, 06:42:59 PM
If the NCAA site can be trusted, either J&W (Providence) or Norwich will be in the NCAA tournament, as they knock off the two St Joseph's by identical 1-0 scores.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: SKUD on October 31, 2023, 07:19:09 PM
 Verified on the GMAC website.
Title: Re: New England Soccer Discussion
Post by: Christan Shirk on November 01, 2023, 04:34:13 PM
REGION I - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - November 01, 2023

Rank

School
. Div. III .
Record
. Div. III .
SOS

 . R-v-R .
. Overall .
Record
. Prev. .
Rank
1.
Connecticut College
10-0-5
0.588
4-0-4
11-0-5
1
2.
Middlebury
12-0-4
0.581
4-0-3
12-0-4
3
3.
Amherst
11-2-3
0.623
5-2-2
11-2-3
2
4.
Tufts
11-2-3
0.605
6-2-2
11-2-3
4
5.
Bowdoin
9-3-4
0.572
1-3-4
9-3-4
5
6.
Williams
8-6-2
0.609
2-5-1
8-6-2
6
7.
St. Joseph (Conn.)
13-1-3
0.519
-0
13-1-3
--

REGION II - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - November 01, 2023

Rank

School
. Div. III .
Record
. Div. III .
SOS

 . R-v-R .
. Overall .
Record
. Prev. .
Rank
1.
Babson
10-3-6
0.579
5-3-2
10-3-6
1
2.
Wheaton (Mass.)
7-4-6
0.548
2-2-2
7-4-6
2
3.
Suffolk
9-4-3
0.504
1-1-1
10-5-3
5
4.
WPI
8-3-6
0.510
2-2-1
8-3-6
6
5.
Endicott
7-7-4
0.552
1-5-1
8-7-4
--
6.
Salem State
11-4-2
0.495
1-2-0
11-4-3
--