NESCAC

Started by LaPaz, September 11, 2011, 05:54:52 PM

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1970s NESCAC Player

Excellent review of Colby and very fair.  I know many of the players personally, and it is apparent from your review that you had actually watched and accurately characterized the roster.  I think you nailed next year's prospects for success (or failure), and it will be interesting to see if the void from the losses of Smith and Heilbron can be filled.  +k

firstplaceloser

Me Right you will get endless +k for every single one of these you done. simply amazing job.

Mr.Right


SoccerMom_5

Quote from: Mr.Right on November 24, 2017, 02:49:10 PM
Since I did Tufts seniors I might as well do other Nescac's. I really hate to do Bowdoin because I do not want to start a 2 page rant and rave but here goes.



Lol.  Nah. They are done playing, so I am not watching anymore.  I just signed in to see if National Championship was over or how everyone did.   
You won't hear much from me til next year, if I get really interested in a team.  (I think Colby looks to be very interesting next year.) 

I saw  All Region was released last night.

Mr.Right

At some point I am going to have to go back and see which teams I have failed to recap and put a bow on. I know I have not done Conn College yet. Conn finished 9-4-4 and 4-2-4 Nescac. Conn surpassed all expectations with the year they had this past year. With the loss of a key graduating class last year I was not expecting much at all. I will say I probably saw Conn the least out of every Nescac squad just because of the ridiculous Stream angle, no commentators and sun blockage on the stream. I did catch them in enough games to see that they were a very hard working side. Everyone bought in this year on both ends of the field. Nescac ROY and 2nd Team All-Nescac GK AJ Marcucci was the best GK the Camels have had in years. He played especially well early in the year but maybe saved his worst game for the final game in the 1st Round of the NCAA's v UR when he came off a long throw and missed the ball completely. UR scored to tie the match off that horrific mistake in the 81st minute and won the game on a defensive breakdown and missed tackles. I did not think Conn deserved to get its NCAA bid with the  way they finished the season 0-2-1 against Bowdoin, Wesleyan and Midd. They lost in the Nescac Quarters and had 2 weeks off before their surprise NCAA bid. A 5th nescac bid especially this year was not warranted and they were the 5th Nescac team to get a bid. As usual Conn worked very hard under Murphy as his troops battled all year for him. Besides Lockwood up top who was injured for a while and Manoogian who snagged 8 goals half of which were against Nescac teams they were VERY limited on attack. They would possess some as Milhollen and Manoogian have skill but Milhollen is not a tough kid at all and if pressed hard will give the ball away a ton. They got some contribution this year from Highton and the Frosh Liam Noonan..A solid back 4 that did all the little things and really limited mistakes all year except for a couple games. Nothing that jumps off the screen though. This team needs IMO a big physical back to replace Sommers, a couple creative midfielders that could unseat Milhollen and a finisher that can score against solid competition like Lockwood. This team is VERY young as they only lose 3 seniors and 1 starter and only have 7 JR's on the roster.

Nate Sommers--There are a ton of former Berkshire School products playing in Nescac and this kid is one of the better ones. Very steady and looks a cool customer on the field. Whenever I tuned in he was their undisputed leader. He had a quick mind and decent feet but certainly was not the fastest kid but made up for it in other ways. His worst game if I remember was at Amherst as he scored an own goal for Amherst in a loss and right before that Amherst striker McMillian absolutely burned him..Lack of speed certainly hurt in that situation but other than that he was very reliable. He can be replaced though.

Brooks Clark---A tough back that was just constantly injured. Like Midd's Enzo Weiner he was probably injured every year he was at Conn..

Graham Koval---Worcester Academy product that usually do a PG year there and are well coached and prepared when they get to College. Bench player that gave Conn solid minutes and the occasional goal but nothing that cannot be replaced.

The good news is that Conn will return basically everyone. Anything Murphy gets in his next class will be a bonus that is why I would take some chances on some skilled guys. Not all of them will work out but you might get a surprise. This team was tough on the eyes as they could be just as tedious as Half the league with their style but I was impressed with their work ethic all year. I just remember the match at Tufts where they got a 0-0 draw BUT did not have ONE solid chance all game..It was a half field scrimmage and they were chasing all game. They need to possess even better next year and play quicker to feet and get a guy or 2 that can beat guys 1v1 on the flanks and maybe a finisher along with Lockwood to bang home some crosses..One thing to watch for is who on the 2017 roster does not appear on the 2018 roster..usually a couple guys quit or Murphy boots them off..

Mr.Right

Amherst...I was not expecting that much from Amherst in 2017. I mean I knew they would not fall out of the Top 4 but they had graduated a ton the past 2 years. Just last year they graduated Martin, Aoyama, Bean, Orozco, Ciambella and Rohan Sood. While I was not  the biggest fan of a couple of those guys as players that is still 6 legit starters gone. I knew they had enough talent still returning and was confident a solid recruiting class coming in BUT with all the players lost the past 2 years plus the GK'ing question marks they had before the season I was not expecting a Championship run. They lost a ton defensively plus Orozco and it showed as they had more breakdowns defensively in 2017 than I have seen them have in a while. They had a young backline and it showed in some games. All that being said, their tremendous work ethic this year was impressive. They pressed and busted every game I saw and actually kept the ball on the floor more than years past. I am a big fan of Luke Nguyen as he has to be their most technical player. They got some excellent production from young guys like Bryce Johnson(long throw), Cutler Coleman(kid can hit a nasty free kick), McMillian( best natural athlete in Nescac),Derby,Kelly,Wu and Gitler. Amherst obvious issue this year was in net. They used all 4 GK's and none of them could stick. I can think off the top of my head of maybe EIGHT GK'ing errors that led to goals for the opposition this year. This position MUST be figured out in the off-season or Amherst will not be getting very far. To be fair though the defense had numerous breakdowns as well which led to goals. Just thinking of the NCAA Sweet 16 match v UR they had a couple breakdowns defensively in the 1st Half that UR could not finish. 2nd Half UR took advantage of a GK'ing error and then had a nice 2nd goal to finish off Amherst season. In years past Amherst would have seen that game off with a 1-0 lead with about 35 minutes left in the game. Instead of going for the 2nd goal they kind of sat back in a defensive shell to hold on. It did not work and UR took advantage. I will say even with all the issues they had this season in net and defensively I can promise you that Messiah was relieved to not see Amherst in the Elite 8. Amherst style and work rate would have totally disrupted Messiah's style IMO and I was hoping to see that match-up just to see which style of play would have won out. A pretty decent year and with a ton of returning talent and 1 more year of experience especially on the defensive end I expect Amherst to contend for the 2018 Nescac Title IF they can figure out their issues in net.



Lee Owen--I was very critical of him the past 2 years and for good reason as his judgement in net was not great. He made some very questionable decisions or was a step slow to react to a play that should have been read quicker. He was a decent GK and was kind of surprised he was benched at Halftime of the Williams game. He was a step slow on Williams goal but it was a quick hook. He never played again after that which also surprised me. I thought he should of been given the benefit of the doubt after Hope-Gund's meltdown against Hamilton in the Nescac Quarters. As a senior I thought he should of been in net starting the NCAA Tournament but Serpone went with the Frosh GK Stone. I will say this kid was a magician in PK's as he won Amherst a couple of games in PK's over his career. I was glad to see he was in net when Amherst defeated Springfield in the NCAA Round of 32 in PK's. A positive individual note to finish your career on.

Aziz Khan---He could be intimidating to opponents for his sheer size and athleticism. For a big guy he had decent feet and some skill. He had some good career numbers for Amherst appearing in 69 games with 7 goals and 33 SOG. Was primarily used off the bench in his career but not a bad player to bring off the bench. A solid player but can be replaced.

Kieran Bellow--This kid was a little dynamo off the bench for Amherst. I think he had some injury problems or might have seen more time. Worked his butt off and had skill. I would think he would have been WAY more productive at say a Trinity who would of allowed him freedom to play a more creative role. Still had some big goals for Amherst during his career but another player that can be replaced.

Weller Hlinomaz---When I saw him as a Frosh at Conn I was impressed by his speed and skill. After a dirty play in a game at Williams in 2013 I do not think he played for Conn again after concussion issues. He ended up at Amherst and was a key cog for them up top in his 2 years. Had 12 goals for them in 37 games which is fantastic production especially in 2016 when he had 6 goals against Nescac opponents. His goal production slowed this year but he really worked his butt off pressing this year as in years past he would kind of drift in and out of games you really noticed him when he was on the field in 2017. From a distance he looked to have matured a ton since 2013. Still he was not the toughest of kids and could be knocked off the ball by stronger defenders that could catch him. I think Amherst has enough talent up top to replace him especially if McMillian improves technically. McMillian has the athleticism to be the best player in Nescac he just needs to improve his skill and composure. He is even faster than Weller so all the tools are there it is really up to him to work on his skill.

Sam Malnik---Was either injured a ton or lacked the talent to get significant minutes during his career. Still was named a Captain for 2017 which means he must have been a tremendous off field leader because Captains are rarely guys who play so infrequently.

Cameron Hardington---A pretty good player for Serpone. Not my type of player as he certainly did not have much skill but you could see he was a leader for Amherst on the field. A tough kid that was not afraid to get stuck in and worked very hard. Still made some questionable decisions sometimes on the field that were perplexing. Was a consistent starter this year for Amherst until I think after the Colby match when i noticed he was missing from the lineup. Certainly replaceable with the talent Amherst has coming back.

Alden Von Ziegesar---A big physical player that saw some minutes off the bench for Amherst. Intimidating type that quite possibly was the slowest player in Nescac.


So that is it. Like I said Amherst will have 1 year more experience next year and will only lose Nguyen after next season. This is a VERY young team with a ton of athleticism and talent. I imagine Nguyen will be named Captain for 2018 but not sure how much of a vocal leader he is. I am sure Serpone will be bringing in another talented Frosh class to fight for minutes and keep returning players on their toes and make practice that much more competitive. IF they can find a legitimate GK and get more organized in the back then this team can contend for a National Championship and win Nescac in 2018. If I was predicting the finishes of Nescac teams for 2018 today I would pick Amherst to win the league EVEN with their GK'ing issues because of what Tufts is graduating and the confidence I have in the talent that is on this Amherst side. Will be interesting to follow...



BTW do we have any updates on Krit McClean...If I need to jog your memories here he is at his finest....


http://heavy.com/news/2016/06/krit-mclean-naked-nude-man-model-times-square-video-trump-name-instagram-facebook-youtube-new-york/


And we do have an update as he admitted to some mental illness which I can sympathize with...here is a piece he wrote after the incident and being shackled at Bellevue

https://nypost.com/2016/08/06/a-manic-episode-led-me-to-strip-naked-in-times-square/





d4_Pace

With all the minutes given to young players this season, Amherst should be back competing for a NESCAC championship next year.  Tuft's while losing a lot also gave a ton of minutes to young players with 5 Sophomores and 3 freshman starting in big games at various points in the season.  Middlebury also returns a lot with the biggest question mark the coaching shift. 

The nine month wait can't go fast enough, but I am glad I don't have to be running a fitness packet in between anymore. 

truenorth

Quote from: blooter442 on November 29, 2017, 10:23:01 AM
Quote from: Nescacpro on November 29, 2017, 02:09:50 AM
Hello all,
I'm new to this forum, but have had much enjoyment reading it. Although i have been able to follow the nescac closely, i never found a place where people discuss this until now. I enjoyed reading what people have to say and how in depth these articles are on players and teams. Did anyone happen to catch the NEISL all star game . I was there and thought the nescac players had the strongest showing by far compared to the other guys. Thoughts ?

Didn't see the game, although looking at the rosters there were not that many NESCAC players there. How is the selection for the game done? I would imagine many players have conflicts re: Thanksgiving and not getting back to school until late Sunday/Monday...do they choose people and then bring in alternates based on who can/cannot come?

(In no way am I suggesting that the non-NESCAC players weren't worthy...I am glad that guys like Remillard, Cunha, and Sesay -- very good players in their own right -- achieved recognition.  I am just curious as to what the process is, as I'm sure there are other players who would be deserving but were unable to attend for whatever reason.)

On another note, I was happy to see van Siclen get All-Region 1st Team honors (and I think that van Siclen, Mullen, and Woodhouse were all deserving goalkeeper choices). Based on my calculations from his stats each season, he set Bowdoin career records for minutes played, goals against average, and shutouts. I think, even with how good Dan Hicks was when I saw him, van Siclen was better...perhaps someone who has followed Bowdoin longer than I have can chime in.

Blooter, sorry for the delayed response to your question, but I haven't checked in on this thread for a couple of weeks.  My son was an outside back for Bowdoin during the Dan Hicks era.  Dan came to Bowdoin from a NYC prep school primarily as a baseball player and secondarily as a soccer player.  He was a year ahead of my son, but I'm thinking he may have been a walk-on for Fran O'Leary in his freshman year.  He was big enough and a good enough athlete such that he improved as a goal keeper throughout his four years.  He was outstanding his senior year when Bowdoin advanced to the final four.

That said, Van Siclen was a more polished goal keeper throughout his four year career and is without a doubt the best Bowdoin keeper I witnessed during my 15 years or so of following Bowdoin.  He deserves any accolades that come his way.

nescac1

Man, with Williams winning two of the last three women's national titles, it would be nice to see the men amp things up to rejoin the ranks of NESCAC contenders.  Seems like Williams, which has sort of been treading water being competitive but not quite being able to get over the hump, has a long way to go to get there, in terms of the talent returning on the roster, especially up front.  I believe that last year's top recruit Oberg (who took a gap year) will be coming on board to help out the defense, which should be pretty solid once again, but hopefully Sullivan brings in some big time playmakers and goal-scorers to jump start the attack ... this recruiting year is critical for the Ephs. 

Mr.Right

Quote from: nescac1 on December 07, 2017, 04:50:27 PM
Man, with Williams winning two of the last three women's national titles, it would be nice to see the men amp things up to rejoin the ranks of NESCAC contenders.  Seems like Williams, which has sort of been treading water being competitive but not quite being able to get over the hump, has a long way to go to get there, in terms of the talent returning on the roster, especially up front.  I believe that last year's top recruit Oberg (who took a gap year) will be coming on board to help out the defense, which should be pretty solid once again, but hopefully Sullivan brings in some big time playmakers and goal-scorers to jump start the attack ... this recruiting year is critical for the Ephs. 


I believe it was you or maybe someone else that posted a link back in October to a striker from the Chicago area that Williams was bringing in. He looks to be a big tough kid which is what they need up top. He is however a Frosh and you really cannot rely or put your hopes into incoming Frosh as sometimes they just do not pan out. I really liked the kid Harrison Fyke but for whatever reason he never returned to Williams. I guess you just never know. I really feel though they need to go back to getting skill / speed guys and not play so conservative. To many of these Nescac sides played so conservatively this year that the games would just bog down into a 18 to 18 slog. Very few dangerous chances and teams more concerned with their defensive shape which in turn led to some of the more tedious games that I can remember. If you watched the UAA almost every side came out and kept the ball on the floor and were not afraid to lose. They relied on their skill guys to create chances and get goals. The way Brandeis approached that Semi-Final with Messiah was fantastic to see. We would have never seen a Nescac side in 2017 approach that game the same way. Obviously, they failed to win the match but the 2nd Half I watched like 3 times because it was so entertaining. That should be the objective. That being said they should have seen that game out with a 2-1 lead and 10 minutes left but that was not due to their style it was due to their loss of concentration especially defensively from their midfielders. Yes Tufts would have slammed the door shut with a 2-1 lead with 10 minutes left but I really do not think Tufts would of had a 2-1 lead with 10 minutes left. They would have approached the game a little more conservatively EVEN with the space Messiah would have given them to attack.

Mr.Right

The last team that I need to review is Bates. They finished the year at 8-6-2 and 3-5-2 in Nescac. They had a successful year in the fact that they made their 1st Nescac Tournament appearance and Top 8 since 2010. They defeated a very solid Middlebury side 3-0 in the regular season and picked up big wins at Hamilton and at Colby along the way. Still one Top 8 every 7 years just will not cut it and they were 20 seconds away from missing out as it is. They need to build on this season's momentum for next year. 5 of their 8 wins were against some very WEAK competition including Newbury and Fisher. Flaherty has enough talent to challenge themselves with a couple more difficult games out of conference. When I tuned in to watch Bates this year I felt they had spurts in every game of a ton of possession and would look dangerous going forward. The problem was it was only in spurts not the full 90. The other problem was I think they had one of the weaker defenses in Nescac this year. They were not physically imposing and did not have the greatest speed and skill. They also let up quite a few goals off of set pieces with players either losing their mark or losing concentration. There defense needs to be addressed in the off-season along with finding a replacement for Merchant which will be extremely difficult. Opoku is a very good player but I would rather see him on the flank as he could be way more dangerous in Nescac out wide. They need a big target up top. They do return some talent especially going forward and in net. I like Montanaro in net as he is quick and makes some fantastic saves. He is a plus back there for sure. Bates will lose only 4 seniors but they are 4 losses that a program like Bates will certainly feel especially Merchant.

PJ DiBenedetto---When I tuned in he looked to be one of their holding midfielders but also would not be afraid to attack when Bates was going forward. Just looking at his stats he was a very dependable player as he looked to have played and started every game Bates played since he was a Frosh. That either speaks to his level as a player or Bates lack of talent when he arrived. Still 60 Games Played and 60 Games Started is impressive. He had 3 Career goals with 2 coming in Bates biggest victory of their season a 3-0 win over Midd. 1 was a PK but a goal is a goal. From a distance he looked to be real fit kid that could run and track. Not afraid to mix it up as he would get stuck in and also could thread the needle to Merchant or Opoku but he did lack size especially as a holding mid and I think other Nescac teams took advantage of this especially on set pieces. Also, not the fastest of guys but will leave a leadership hole that Flaherty must fill right away.

Max Watson---A stalwart in the back for Bates the past 2 years. From a distance looked like their on-field leader..Would come up and attack set pieces and was a pretty decent weapon on them. Not the biggest or fastest of guys but was a good 1v1 defender. My issue with him is he would lose his mark defensively and my last memory of him was against Tufts in the Nescac Quarters on Tufts 3rd goal when he got caught ball watching a ball on the flank that was served in and finished as Watson lost his man and gave him a free header. A good 1v1 defender but would lose focus on occasion that would cost his teams goals. It was not just him on defense that would lose focus BUT he was the leader back there and it was his responsibility to keep himself and his teammates focused for 90. When I tuned in on occasion that would not happen. In the Wesleyan game I remember a couple defensive breakdowns that led to goals. Wesleyan was certainly not known as an offensive powerhouse and Bates spotted them 4 goals which was unacceptable. To their credit they bounced back and earned a well fought draw at Williams the next day. Watson was a solid defender but should be replaceable. I think Bates must focus on getting a SOLID Back 4 next year in front of Montanaro and they need more size and speed back there.

Justin Yacovino---He was a decent flank player. Had more weaknesses than strengths IMO..Had good speed and was an average 1v1 player. He certainly did not scare any outside backs with his 1v1 ability. My issue was he was a huge liability defensively as he would come in late sometimes and also would not track back defensively. He did not look like he bought in defensively and was not good enough offensively to have that kind of M-O..I could be wrong and/ or Flaherty did not want him tracking but I would be surprised at that. Like I said earlier I would like to see Opoku moved out wide and use his fantastic 1v1 skills on the flank.

Nate Merchant---This kid was a little dynamo..Had a great career at Bates with 18 goals in 53 career games. Of course Bates plays a very weak out of conference schedule so some of his goals came against weak opponents but whenever I tuned into a Nescac match involving Bates he was either scoring, dishing, or creating a ton of havoc that would free up his teammates. For a kid that lacked the size to go up against some of these Nescac monsters on defense he would get to air balls on set pieces better than you would think..he had good hops..The most important thing was he would cause defenses havoc with his skill and speed. Like I said before defenses would have to focus on him a ton and he still managed to be very productive which is a sign of a real good player. He would create chances for his teammates as much as he finished them and most importantly he could create his own shot which very if any other Bates players could consistently. For a program like Bates IMO he is not replaceable right away. He was just to productive for this program in attack that Bates will struggle matching


Bates finished at 8-6-2 and had 3 Nescac wins which if I am correct is their most Nescac wins since 2008 when Purgavie led them to their only Nescac Semi-Final appearance and had 4 Nescac Wins. I suppose you could call this year a successful one for Bates but they need to build on that. It will be difficult as the losses of  those 4 seniors will really hurt a program that has struggled like Bates the past 10 years. It is by far the hardest Nescac school to recruit to for numerous reasons. Their grass field has to be the worst in Nescac with a close second being Wesleyan's grass field. Just a very poor surface. Also, unlike Seabrook at Colby, I do not know how organized Flaherty is defensively. Colby you can tell from a distance is very organized and well coached. Bates does not seem nearly as organized in the back. For a program that looked to sit with 6 they were broken down to often IMO. They must get more organized back there and especially be focused on set pieces defensively. They still have some talent coming back in attack and have a solid GK but I am not sure that will be enough to get back into the Top 8 in 2018.

PaulNewman

^^^^^^^^Wow.  That is good stuff.  There might not be many outside of the NESCAC that care much, but congrats on the stamina to see that through and the level of detail.  You very obviously tried hard to be honest AND fair.  Impressed.

Mr.Right

Quote from: PaulNewman on December 08, 2017, 08:45:09 PM
^^^^^^^^Wow.  That is good stuff.  There might not be many outside of the NESCAC that care much, but congrats on the stamina to see that through and the level of detail.  You very obviously tried hard to be honest AND fair.  Impressed.



Thanks...Some teams I saw more than others but I felt like I saw all 11 teams enough to do it. I feel like in 2017 I saw more Nescac games than I have ever seen. For that matter more D3 games than I have ever seen but like I said before it is a good solid safe addiction. I thought I could do some good with all that "streaming"...Obviously some players or fans will not fully agree with everything but for someone that is not in any huddle I thought I did a decent job working with what I could.

blooter442

Quote from: PaulNewman on December 08, 2017, 08:45:09 PM
^^^^^^^^Wow.  That is good stuff.  There might not be many outside of the NESCAC that care much, but congrats on the stamina to see that through and the level of detail.  You very obviously tried hard to be honest AND fair.  Impressed.

Very impressive indeed. +K

Jump4Joy

Yes, Mr.R's wrap-ups are thorough. But can't give him +K until he resists his primal urges to ruin la paz ( ;)) by posting spiteful links!

Watch out for Amherst next year: If they made it to Sweet 16 with a shaky, young squad, they'll be a handful come the next chapter.