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Messages - EnmoreCat

#16
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
November 29, 2023, 09:06:21 PM
Quote from: paclassic89 on November 29, 2023, 08:05:55 PM
Quote from: camosfan on November 29, 2023, 07:50:40 PM
yet Amherst is the last one standing and will win it all.



Gotta say, I am comfortable with this, but hopefully my presence in Virginia won't be an unnecessary weight on the team.
#17
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
November 21, 2023, 01:27:26 PM
Quote from: SKUD on November 21, 2023, 11:00:07 AM
Good Luck to the teams, families and friends (other than Amherst ;)) headed to VA next week! Cherish the moments as they will be gone in a flash.

Thanks Skud, even if it's just bad luck, Mammoths will just have to make do with that.  I know everyone here will be most pleased to know that I will be there and am really looking forward to whatever comes.

Happy Thanksgiving to all the great personalities that keep this board so amusing!

And of course, Happy Thanksgiving to all.
#18
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
November 20, 2023, 04:13:20 AM
Probably time to bring this back:

The following is spectator colour and opinion, it is not substantive analysis and is based only on public information.  Amherst MSOC has not been involved in the preparation of this information and the contents may be contradictory to the official view of the programme.

Amherst 1 Middlebury 0

Firstly, Waltzy31, thanks for turning up.  I am confident that many here will not be satisfied by your response, but I think you have summarized things well. 

I have been fortunate to spend time with CSO and meet other Midd parents and enjoyed the discussion and perspective and am sure had I been at today's game, something similar would have taken place.  I am confident that I would have had much less engagement with what may have been Midd alumni in attendance.  My understanding is that these particular "fans" were to quote someone from earlier today, "giving the players the business".  One person's "banter" might be another's xenophobic commentary.  This line is a fine one and once crossed, is hard to come back from.  That doesn't justify a player over-reacting, but I think it verges on hysteria to attempt to sanction someone for waving.  Would there be any internal monitoring from this group if someone was maybe stepping over the line?  I can't imagine that happened and the fact that some players responded the way they did, whilst completely inappropriate, suggests it wasn't.  If I had been there and heard some of the stuff allegedly being said, I would have tried to maybe take some of the Amherst Ultras (only the more articulate ones – with a focus on  family values) and perhaps a few hockey players and go stand nearby.  I haven't heard any mention of the Occidental "fan" who blew a vuvuzela directly in the face of an Amherst player, but that doesn't fit with the narrative, so we can just move on instead.  I have been to enough games at Amherst and away and not witnessed anything like today's events at game's end, and observed the warm post-game reception from Stevens supporters only a week ago.  I think it takes two to tango.   

Onto the game...

Congratulations to Middlebury on what has been a fine season, equal third most wins in programme history is an outstanding achievement and a credit to a fine squad.  In St Louis and Grady, they are graduating two highly talented exponents of their respective positions, who I expect will go down in Panther folklore.  I was a lot happier watching them as a neutral than against Amherst, but admired them nonetheless.

My prevailing thought on the likely outcome was that both teams would feel very confident they could win it.  The fact that eight of the sixteen all first-NESCAC combine were on show, spoke to the talent spread across the two teams, plus three more Panthers chosen for the second group.  My other, completely wrong as it turned out, thought, was that the Mammoths would need at least three goals to win.  Instead, I should have re-read my previous description of Amherst's efficiency, as that was what we got to see, yet again.  It was a calm and confident display from the white shirts and probably no real surprise when continued pressure led to the first goal.  The fact there wasn't a second before half time was entirely due to a fine penalty save from Midd's keeper.  On another day, that might have lifted the Panthers at the Mammoths' expense, but those with purple in their hearts appeared to take it in their stride.  When I have seen Midd play well against Amherst, it has often been associated with forward drives from their midfield interacting with their talented forwards and bringing the ball into the penalty area.  Today, Amherst's midfield skilfully got in the way of that, which when combined with the forwards doing a great job of maintaining possession higher up the pitch, made the defenders' collective job that little bit easier. 

Making the final four is a real achievement and something that hand on heart, I wouldn't have thought possible after late losses to very good Babson and Conn teams, but the subsequent run the team has been on since, has been impressive.  Six clean sheets in the last eight games, of which five were in play-offs is a notable achievement, as are the seven 1-0 wins.  Serious credit must go to Coach Serpone and his staff, for what has been a stellar season, with hopefully more to come. I don't know lots about the other teams and will do my best to learn more over coming days, but each deserves high praise for getting to this stage. 

Foul Count: Amherst 15 Middlebury 17 – these are big games and neither team was going to back down.

Oh and it's K A L I N A U S K AS  -  I know that guarantees more of the same, but Don Quixote did have a Lithuanian/Australian counterpart. 


#19
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
November 18, 2023, 02:19:51 PM
Amherst 1 Occidental 0

One of the Amherst Ultras described today's weather in Western MA as, "balmy", but I didn't see many in attendance who weren't dressed warmly.  The curator had done some wonderful work and TBTTIHF looked an absolute picture and of course, provided a super surface for a sweet sixteen epic.  Occidental didn't just bring a big support, they brought noise (oh those vuvezelas – they ruined a world cup in South Africa) and most importantly a very good team.  The Tigers play with serious confidence and their keeper naturally drops the ball at his defender's feet and they do their stuff.  I was curious how that would hold up in the face of what can be a rugged Mammoths press, but for much of the first half, it wasn't quite as co-ordinated as I have seen it and Oxxy was able to bring the ball out without too much trouble.  That didn't translate into many chances, but there was one very good save by the Amherst keeper and also one from the Tiger's.  Net net, at half time, I would have thought the Oxxy coach would have been the happier as they had largely handled what the Mammoths had thrown at them.  From an Amherst perspective, the positive was that it was a clean sheet (that's a central defender's dad talking) and that the team could play better.  There were a couple of penalty claims from Amherst for which I couldn't make an obvious case for, but it was just a reminder that the Mammoths have a number of players who are difficult to contain in the box.

That felt more relevant as Amherst started the second half with a more active press and more energy in general, but without an end product.  Occidental then proceeded to get back into the game and had a run of at least three consecutive corners, but the Mammoths defence held up pretty well and whilst there were nervous moments, that's all they were.  Towards the end, Amherst had a couple of gilt-edged chances after some good quality set up play, but sadly, they weren't converted.  With the game going into Operating Thetan time, there was always that fear that maybe those might come back to haunt.

Operating Thetan time seemed to pass very quickly and I was already mentally preparing myself for a penalty shoot out.  For those wondering what that involves, it's basically me hiding under a blanket and hoping for the best.  Fortunately, with just four minutes to go in the second half of Operating Thetan time, the Amherst captain, keen to prolong his career for another day, found sufficient energy in his leg to propel a free kick to the other side of the penalty area.  It's well documented that Amherst uses set pieces, EnmoreKitten was given something to work with and arrowed a header back in adjacent to the right hand post.  I woke up most of downtown (and probably uptown) Enmore with my shriek of delight.  Cue absolute mayhem and with a couple of minutes to see out, Amherst eventually moved on to the elite eight.

On balance, albeit one with a purple heart still pumping hard, I think Amherst deserved the win, but it must be said that Occidental  were excellent and their travelling band of supporters should feel justifiably proud of how the team played today.  I don't think I have seen too many teams, NESCAC or otherwise, prepared to play the ball out from so deeply and whilst there are invariably some hairy moments attached to that, once past the first line, there was space to work with.  The Tigers didn't seem to be phased by much at all and are a credit to all associated with them.

It goes without saying that my theme of Amherst "Efficiency" continues on and a sixth 1-0 win and a fifth clean sheet in seven tells you how difficult the white shirts are to beat.  At this stage of the season, aesthetics do go out of the window to a degree and it becomes about finding a way to win.  Whatever comes next, it's one step further than last year, with the door open for more, but irrespective, this correspondent is very proud of what this group of young men has achieved.

All week I have been trying to work out how to put a reference from Kim Wilde's "Kids In America" into this summary, but of course, "East California" is a long way away from Occidental.  I will keep working on it...

Foul Count: Amherst 13 Occidental 14


#20
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
November 17, 2023, 07:03:35 PM
Watched the second half of both games today, so observations are based purely on what I saw.  Chicago/Calvin looked to me to be about as even as it could get and was a good quality 45 minutes and then Operating Thetan time, to watch.  I couldn't really separate them and whilst penalty kicks are, as earlier described, a "brutal" way of arriving at a winner, I feel either side could have justifiably progressed.

Given how good St Olaf looked from the commencement of the second half against the BluGolds, up until the time they scored, I was surprised that the score had in fact been 2-2.  However, after they went 3-2 up, whilst I wouldn't exactly say they relaxed, perhaps they just lost a bit of their desire and they gave UWEC a way back in.  The one thing I had noted about UWEC's record this year was that they scored goals and whilst they didn't always come against top ranked opposition, they still scored them, so it wasn't a complete surprise they managed to make it 3-3.  A nice set play saw St Olaf finish winners in normal time, on balance, more obvious than the other game's outcome.  Worth noting too, the Oles have an Australian player, albeit from the other side of Sydney from downtown Enmore.

Not sure if anyone else is likely to mention this, but apparently St Olaf is the patron saint of not just Norway and the Faroe Islands, but also of carvers and difficult marriages.

On balance, I just favour Chicago in the quarter final, but of course, it's based off a terribly limited sample size.  But, I just wonder if St Olaf has the full 90 minute (and potentially plus) intensity in its locker to get past a team that appears to have re-discovered its mojo (if it in fact had actually lost it) at the right time of the season.

#21
Amhate I can deal with (sort of), whilst not Austhate specifically, this is another thing entirely.  I view this as at least partially cultural exchange, with benefits for both of our countries.
#22
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
November 13, 2023, 06:31:44 PM
NESCACs are no good, now someone has said it  :)
#23
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
November 13, 2023, 02:49:26 AM
Stevens 0 Amherst 1

Having spent a lot of my Sunday watching other national tournament matches, it was hard not to admire the quality of all the teams that did make the final cut.  Equally, having watched a number of teams that rankings suggest are very good teams, find the going less than easy, I was happy to own up to some trepidation ahead of this game.  Whilst Massey had The Ducks outside of the top 50, I could see in their regular season a win against Babson, a lead against F&M for a fair period of that game and also, success in the MAC Freedom Championship.  In addition, an absolutely stellar season last year when they only lost deep in Operating Thetan time to eventual winners Chicago, was more than enough for me to know this game would be tough. 

I possibly would have been the wrong person to give the Mammoths team talk on that basis, other than to exhort the group of young men wearing white shirts, to strive for better things and perhaps starting to work through a Readers Digest version of my much coveted thirty two bullet points.

Stevens started the better of the two teams, which tended to validate my sense of wariness.  The encouraging thing was that the game suddenly changed.  I am sure the respective coaching staffs probably could identify a reason or two, sadly I was on my way to work and also trying to think about my day ahead and not scare anyone on the bus whilst gasping at near misses.  It did feel like Amherst finished the half the stronger and I was subsequently advised that one of the white shirts did hit the post right on half time.

The commentator continued to observe into the second half that whilst Amherst had dominated play, as well as shots on goal, that that wasn't the statistic that mattered most and that sat comfortably with my view of potential catastrophe should there be a moment for The Ducks which changes the game similarly to what had happened to the Mammoths a couple of times during the regular season.  Fortunately, it didn't, but as the referee blew the whistle for full time, I was already wishing my life away, thinking about who the Amherst penalty takers would be and making my very amateurish psychological assessments of their likely success.  I should have paid a bit more attention to the actual game in extra time, as the Mammoths actually looked in control, albeit, without scoring.  Half way through the first half of Operating Thetan time, after a period of intense Amherst pressure, one of the seniors scored with a well hit drive from somewhere just inside the box it looked like.  I am not a student of Chinese history and along with being a poor speller, I think there is sufficient scope to describe that moment as, "The Sung Dynasty". 

The efficiency I have previously noted about Amherst's play after a couple of late dramas, was revealed yet again and the Mammoths were actually pushing down the other end, keen to make it two.  I was hugely inconsistent in my response to this, as part of me thought it was best to play a low block and absorb Ducks pressure, but equally, trying to win, even with a less resourced effort, is also a pretty good way to do things.  Of course, Stevens found it hard to get into the Amherst area, but right at the end of Operating Thetan time, they did get a chance which fortunately for purple hearts, was put wide.  I find it interesting that Amherst has now won five games 1-0, speaking to their efficiency. 

I saw the Stevens team go in at full time looking quietly confident, knowing they had absorbed a lot of Amherst pressure, having been, as the commentator noted, "bent, but not broken" and they would have surely felt a chance would come their way.  I can only have admiration for the way they hung in there.  Also, I don't know if there are any Ducks fans in here, but I was specifically told that their players and supporters alike were most gracious after the game and wished the Amherst team all the best for whatever comes next.  That gets what is known in some social media circles, as The EnmoreCat Tick of Approval and I can only hope I am that gracious in similar circumstances.

Making the Sweet Sixteen is a definite achievement, but like for many of the programmes Amherst will be accompanied by at this stage, the sights are set a lot higher.  Having watched Occidental, I am left in no doubt that it will be another epic encounter and of course, aside from the fact that all players need some downtime, can't really wait for it.

Foul Count: Stevens 13 Amherst 15 (there have been some preliminary sponsorship discussions with a poultry company – Australian humour at its finest)
#24
Men's soccer / Re: NESCAC
November 12, 2023, 08:46:56 PM
Never ever been a Vegimite fan, Bucket.  I think EnmoreKitten doesn't mind it.  All my Turkish toast needs is olive oil spread, or failing that, some amalgam that looks yellow, coats easily and hopefully won't kill me some day.
#25
Men's soccer / Re: NESCAC
November 12, 2023, 06:07:09 PM
Four NESCACs in the Sweet 16  :)
#26
Men's soccer / Re: Go WEST young man (and NORTH)
November 11, 2023, 11:49:34 PM
Enjoyed the game and I know a lot of schools don't have much choice, but a more intimate area like Trinity's makes for good viewing.  Enjoyed the commentary too, balanced and even handed.  The comment made after a number of fire engines went past that it was hard to believe anything could be on fire after the rain there, was a classic.
#27
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
November 11, 2023, 10:44:52 PM
Gotta say Falconer, if I was a fish, you would have had me in your boat a few times already today  :) 
#28
Men's soccer / Re: Go WEST young man (and NORTH)
November 11, 2023, 10:40:35 PM
Almost rope-a-dope from the Celts after Occidental looked the much better team early in the game.  Castro is a classic, "old school" type 9 and he knew exactly what he wanted to do and executed with surgical precision.  Despite a fair bit of rain, Paul McGinlay Field is holding up quite well.  The field is known to EnmoreKitten and I after we spent time there in 2018 and named of course, after Trinity's legendary coach. 
#29
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
November 11, 2023, 08:50:01 PM
Franklin & Marshall 1 Connecticut College 1 Camels Advance

This was a game where the teams looked pretty evenly matched to me.  I assessed the ECPCC (EnmoreCat Proper Chance Count), 5-4 in favour of Conn for the 90 minutes, but it is of course, goals that count and after normal time it was 1-1.  I liked the commentator's choice of phrasing in the final minute when things got a little tasty and, "exchange of pleasantries" was definitely a good way to describe what was taking place.

In extra time (I find it hard to call it "OT" as that also stands for "Operating Thetan") the ECPCC had it as 2-1 to F&M and I was impressed with the defensive scrambling from both sides at a stage of the game where the bodies must feel heavy.  Complete respect to everyone who took a penalty, they are ultra stressful situations.  Ultimately, this is what it took to separate two teams that as I mentioned at the outset, were evenly matched.   

Foul Count: F&M 13  Conn 6 (so it's not just a NESCAC thing? – this is an Australian humour attempt – apologies if it failed)

#30
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
November 11, 2023, 01:40:32 PM
SUNY Poly 1 Amherst 2

Whilst the D3 cognoscenti had already given this game to the Mammoths, for this correspondent at least, the uncertainty of knock out football means that there will be a feeling on unease.  Player management at this time of the year is important and Amherst started the game with a different look, rotating more than a few players in, with a view to an undoubtedly difficult game in prospect against either WPI or Stevens.  This meant a slightly disjointed game by the Mammoths, where they took time to get going.  The Wildcats had a couple of lively forwards that needed watching and there was one skilful shot executed which required a save from the purple shirted keeper.  The Amherst goal was the end result of what had been a tidy move by the white shirts, with one of the freshmen finishing from a quite acute angle. 

For the second half, the Amherst line up had a more familiar look to it and whilst there was the feel of assurance about their play, the reality was that the Wildcats continued to play their game and had every right to feel right in it.  Where the game did change a bit was that the Mammoths midfield started to take more control and a few opportunities started to be created, one of which was converted by one of the seniors, who perhaps could have been more judicious in his manner of celebration. 

At this stage, I am sure the Amherst game plan was to get another goal and then hopefully start to rotate a few players, but to the Wildcats' credit, they weren't going away.  The livestream didn't keep up with the play, so we couldn't see the own goal.  It ironically was probably at this stage where Amherst did actually start to take proper control of the game and make it difficult for the Wildcats to get inside their penalty area and in the end, there weren't too many stressful moments for Mammoths coaches, players and supporters alike.

All credit to the Wildcats, they looked a lot better than what their Massey rating would suggest and had a couple of forwards who with the right service could be pretty dangerous.  For Amherst, it's a case of move on and get ready for tomorrow, which of course, is what tournament football is all about.  The commentator did well, particularly with EnmoreKittten's name, but also had a couple of nice one liners, I particularly liked the one about it being time to SUNY Poly to unbolt the kitchen sink.

Fouls: SUNY Poly 12 Amherst 13 (still looking for a naming sponsor for this section)