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Messages - OldNed

#1
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
December 04, 2023, 09:24:41 PM
Quote from: Bucket on December 04, 2023, 02:01:28 PM
Quote from: camosfan on December 04, 2023, 01:50:52 PM
The refs in Vermont are the worst I have seen.

FWIW, 75 percent of the refs "in Vermont" you see for NESCAC games come up from Massachusetts.

I'm curious - do those same refs from MA get up to Burlington to ref the UVM games? I've watched a lot of their games recently and I can't say bad reffing as a whole has stood out to me. And I've reffed a bit, so I tend to give the benefit of the doubt to a ref, whether that's right or not
#2
Men's soccer / Re: New England Soccer Discussion
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.
#3
Quote from: PaulNewman on October 08, 2023, 10:34:13 AM
Quickest goal in NCAA history?  VWU scored directly off the opening kickoff against Roanoke and 2 seconds went off the clock.

As luck would have it, I was just looking at the D3 soccer record book regarding Niko Giantsopoulus and the post you made yesterday.  Xavier Carty from Johnson & Wales is in the record book for scoring in 3 seconds vs. Norwich, I'm pretty sure in 2015. 
#4
Men's soccer / Re: NEWMAC, GNAC, Skyline & CCC discussion?
September 15, 2023, 10:55:11 AM
I'd look in the New England Soccer discussion, but to be honest it isn't a very active discussion topic.
#5
Men's soccer / Re: New England Soccer Discussion
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.
#6
Men's soccer / Re: New England Soccer Discussion
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.
#7
Quote from: PaulNewman on September 01, 2023, 02:01:26 PM
No breaking news here, but Chicago @St Olaf is a massive game with multiple storylines.  Too bad this match isn't a few hours later as kickoff is just an hour away.  St Olaf last year was a PK shootout away from the Elite 8 (and a match with Chicago) and the Oles return their entire starting XI.  Of course they do not return their coach.  Chicago lost the dynamic CB duo that was considered the heart of their national title (and Final Four before that) teams.  Their coach also does not return.  That said, Chicago has almost everyone else and they are loaded with offensive talent all over the pitch.  Whoever loses could easily end up 2-3, 3-2, or even 1-4 in first five games.  My heart says St Olaf but my brain says Chicago wins 3-2.

Vassar @Western CT is another compelling one.  Vassar looks to avenge last season's loss and Western CT wants to keep their undefeated streak alive and gain a valuable likely ranked win for the NCAA resume.

Other pivotal clashes....NYU @Montclair with both squads perhaps a little fragile and each could benefit from an early confidence boost.  Cortland @Rochester.....well, maybe someone from inside Fauver Stadium can post updates throughout the game.

I haven't watched it, but just checked the score on Vassar @ Western CT and WestConn is up 2-0 at half.  Seems like they might be legit again this year.
#8
Quote from: PaulNewman on August 27, 2023, 04:59:00 PM
Trial run...wanna test out what happens if I allot 25 minutes or less to going around the horn...

The UAA kind of messes up reviews by region, so off the top let me say that the UAA has fallen further behind NESCAC.  Chicago has separated from the rest of the UAA...with imo considerable distance between the Maroons and then, who?  NYU?  Rochester?  NYU did hand Chicago it's only blemish of the 2022 season in the much ballyhooded battle of D3's women head coaches, but still don't trust them in huge spots.  The superstar for the Violets needs to be more of a leader, but can he do that?  I will say that the UAA is the conference most likely to see a team flip from the top to the cellar very quickly, and vice-versa.  Brandeis went to two Final Fours in the last decade and found itself alone in the basement last year.  Btw, how about that "dine and dash" move by Stich with the trophy packed in her luggage?

Region 1 and 2....NESCAC, NESCAC, NESCAC...I counted off five teams -- Amherst, Tufts, Williams, Bowdoin, Middlebury -- and realized I hadn't even gotten to the national champ from 2 years ago.  So also Conn Coll with a ton of talent looking to rebound, and then Wesleyan and Hamilton making big noise until stumbling towards the end.  Colby and Bates can get better each year and still find moving up a couple of spots formidable.  And finally, Trinity (CT).  Babson is the perhaps the biggest non-NESCAC name that sticks out.  Eyes will be on Western CT, a team that went undefeated and still couldn't make the tournament.  Western CT bolstered the schedule with Vassar, Wesleyan and Williams, but the Wolves would be better off losing a few and winning the conference AQ.  Will Emerson follow up on a surprisingly strong season?  Doubtful.  Maybe MIT, WPI, or Coast Guard stepping up?  What other "mid-major" will force themselves into the mix?  St Joe's (ME) or the Connecticut version.  Johnson and Wales appears to have a very soft schedule.  Endicott often seems like a sleeper.

In Region 3 it's Oneonta, Cortland, Rochester, and SLU.  No disrespect to Vassar, who could win the LL, but going deep seems unlikely.  Another SUNYAC could emerge, but your guess is as good or better than mine in terms of who that might be.  Brockport and New Paltz had their moments and iirc some of us thought Brockport deserved a bid last year.

In Regions 4 and 5, Messiah is the biggest dog and should be a top 3-5 team nationally all season.  Otherwise, I think Stevens gets the nod over NYU and Montclair St mainly just because I trust Stevens more.  Rowan always seems to be in the mix.  F&M and Hopkins should duel in the Centennial and be right there with Stevens looking up at the Falcons.  Is Catholic closer to all of the above or to the rest of the pack?  Gotta see more from the Cardinals before I slot them at or near the top tier.  Another team or three will emerge but I've got no clue who they might be.

Region 6 is Washington & Lee's territory.  Can Mary Washington duplicate last year's stunning run?  Who could have predicted them getting through OWU, Amherst, and Bowdoin to reach the Final Four, especially with the last two played at Amherst?  Christopher Newport and Lynchburg will hover around the top 15-25 range most of the season.  Who else?  Would be great to see a Sewanee or Rhodes take another big step, or maybe Centre or Emory are rejuvenated.  I see VWU, Oglethorpe, and Covenant as spoilers more than sleepers.

Region 7 is basically the NCAC and OAC with a dash of CMU and RHIT/Hanover.  Kenyon, OWU, and Denison should lead the NCAC with one of the US-231 Indiana squads (DePauw and Wabash) looking to crash the party.  In the the OAC, it's JCU, ONU, and Otterbein.  CMU is hard to predict, but difficult to be too optimistic when they should not have made the tourney last year which was confirmed by a 1st round 5-0 shellacking at the hands of mighty Calvin. 

Speaking of Calvin, among Region 8 programs, the Knights should be right there with Chicago and North Park as threats to Messiah and NESCAC heavyweights.  North Central would appear to be the only other Region 8 outfit with a chance to displace of the Big Three.

In Region 9, I'm gonna give the nod to Gustavus Adolphus.  St Olaf with strong returning talent is a big wild card given an unexpected coaching change.  St John's might be a sleeper, and we're all on pins and needles waiting to see how the Blugolds of UWEC fare with a bigger target on their back.  Luther and Loras should dominate the American Rivers Conf but will either be good enough to trouble the star programs in Region 8.

For Region 10, see @kuiper.

And....I went 13 minutes over lol.

I love the idea to divide the regions among current users PN, but unfortunately I'm not going to be able to help.  My son is an assistant now at a D1 school, so most of my soccer watching will be at the D1 level now and I don't think i'm going to have much leftover time to watch D3 games. 
#9
Men's soccer / Re: New England Soccer Discussion
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. 
#10
Men's soccer / Re: Coaching Carousel
June 22, 2023, 08:10:49 PM
Quote from: Another Mom on June 22, 2023, 02:23:06 PM
Tyler Sheikh, former Bates Head Coach, is now Head Coach and college advisor at the Frederick Gunn School in Ct.
https://www.frederickgunn.org/athletics/our-teams/boys-varsity-soccer

Thanks for finding that. From the bio on the website, it appears that Sheikh left Bates in order to move closer to home, but that's 100% speculation.
#11
Men's soccer / Re: Coaching Carousel
May 24, 2023, 12:58:17 PM
Adam Pfeifer from Norwich University steps down, replaced by Staige Davis as interim head coach.

https://norwichathletics.com/news/2023/5/5/mens-soccer-coach-pfeifer-steps-down-and-coach-staige-davis-named-interim-head-coach.aspx
#12
Men's soccer / Re: Big Dance 2022 - Let's Go!
November 14, 2022, 05:59:57 PM
Quote from: regularguy on November 14, 2022, 05:43:38 PM
Quote from: JEFFFAN on November 14, 2022, 05:09:58 PM
New to the soccer boards after years on hoops and football, but curious ... does anyone not think that the referees know all about team reputations, good or bad?  One of my close friends - a NESCAC grad from many moons ago - can give me a full run-down of each team, each coach, and each player before he heads out to ref a game.   Let's give these refs some credit here - they know exactly who they are covering, for good or for bad!

can confirm this as a current NCAA D1-D3 referee, myself and my closest peers take every game like it's our last. we lurk on these boards especially during NCAA tournament to get valuable insights that people here can provide for teams that we may not normally see.

just some insight :)

It's nice to know refs like to be well informed about the teams that they have to ref for, but how do you account for the seeming lack of accountability for teams like an Amherst?  Is it simply a case of foul fatigue where a ref doesn't feel he or she can call every single infraction since there are so many of them?
#13
Men's soccer / Re: Big Dance 2022 - Let's Go!
November 14, 2022, 01:09:39 PM
Quote from: Saint_Dad on November 14, 2022, 12:09:02 PM
Quote from: LL_Alum on November 13, 2022, 08:35:48 PM
Quote from: EnmoreCat on November 13, 2022, 06:22:48 PM
St Lawrence 2 Amherst 4

Sadly work interfered with my viewing in part, but I came away with nothing but respect for the way Saints play and the pro-Saints posters have every reason to be proud of their team. Nevertheless, it's not the first time Amherst has started hot and on the first goal, there were two other players who were ready to score.  The 3-0 scoreline was as much about momentum and Saints really took over about 30 minutes in and at 3-1, I felt nervous, knowing the potency of their attack. The 4th Amherst goal calmed the nerves, but everyone knew it wasn't going to finish 4-1.

4-2 not long into the second half and the Saints' tails were up and the Mammoths were pushed back.  It wasn't always pretty, but ultimately in my clearly biased view it felt like there wasn't lots of dangerous play in Amherst's area.  But of course, it only takes a moment to change that and Saints clearly have players who can unlock that particular door.  Amherst did create chances too and ultimately were rewarded for the ones they did take

Not sure what comes next and it's hard to believe we have seen the last of the upsets. 

Foul count was 26/12 and 4/3 in yellows, well above pace for Amherst.


I was on the RPI team that played Amherst in the Elite 8 in 2019 and had an eerily similar experience. I had never really seen anything like the intensity that Amherst brought to every aspect of the game. My impression of Serpone was that he was kind of an a-hole but that he had his guys firing on all cylinders and operating at their most intimidating. When we played them it was like 40 degees, pouring down rain, their grass field as essentially an unplayable mudpit, but these guys were fired up and swaggering. They had this palpable arrogance about them, like they knew they were the #2 team in the country and they were going to put us down, it was unreal. They scored their first goal and the kid did like a 15 foot knee slide right in front of our bench, and it was just over at that point.

They actually moved the game to the turf at halftime (don't get me started) and we got a goal back and arguably had the run of play in our favor the last 55 minutes or so, but I've got firsthand experience of seeing how their mentality, reputation, and intensity can catch teams off guard and get you boat-raced before you even know what hit you, even in a massively important match. I'm assuming it's a NESCAC thing, that the rivalries there are so intense and the conference is so high-quality that a) the intensity is just at peak levels and b) the top NESCAC teams come out of that conference with a certainty that they're better than anything else in the country has to offer.

Yes LL_Alum. 
Very similar situation.  SLU seemed to be intimidated from the start (even the coach), with two starters from Saturday's game sitting, most likely because of their size, or lack of.  A tall freshman defender who had only played in 7 games all year, was sent to the wolves (mammoths)  because of his 6'3" frame.  The poor kid immediately got beat and made a desperate slide tackle and yellow card foul right outside the box which led to first goal just 1:20 seconds into the game.  His NCAA game lasted all of 80 seconds as he seemed to pull his hamstring (was on crutches from the sidelines the rest of the game) and was helped off the field by the fouled player and good sportsman Ada Okorogheye.
The intimidation, physical size, and constant fouling and some dirty play was not something that SLU was used to.  It took 30 minutes and a 3-0 scoreline to wake the SLU players, who could have been very sleepy from being woken up, and made to go outside from the 4am fire alarm at their hotel.  Amherst also led in fouls, 26-12.  They led 1-0 in kicking a player when on the ground (Laurens ten Cate).  The refs let them play and they still got 26 fouls, to SLU's 12.  A quicker whistle would certainly have helped SLU.  Multiple fouls by players don't seem to give yellow cards either.  When SLU finally did wake up it was a great game to watch.  SLU played their hearts out.  This was probably the worst matchup in the NCAAs they could have had.  Amherst on their narrow grass field.  I would have given SLU a great shot against any other team in the NCAAs and truly believed, with a little luck, that they could have gone to the final weekend.  Once SLU realized that their talent and technical stills can outplay the size and physicality of Amherst, they were able to outplay them but were not able to put enough goals in the net.  The shorter defender came in and played a great game.  Miles Levy eventually came in and got an assist on a beautiful SLU goal that involved about 6 link up passes until finally a beautiful finish by their Dutch striker.
I'm curious what others think about a style that seems to work for Amherst.  Take a narrow grass field.  Keep the grass long.  Foul constantly and physically intimidate as the refs won't give yellows for accumulation. I believe Amherst leads the county in fouls with 332.  The average for the rest of Nescac teams is just under 200. Of course this ends up in ugly soccer but the name of the game is winning right?  Is this a problem?  Is this a problem with soccer?  Is this a problem with how soccer is refereed?  Is this not a problem at all?  The Amherst coach plays within the rules and wins games.  He is rewarded with winning for using this style of play.  He uses his home field to his advantage.  So why wouldn't he continue?   
How I would have loved to watch the game on their turf field, or any wider field, with a faster whistle.  I actually thought the refs were ok. But with so many fouls and then walking over and kicking a player on the ground, there should be red. 
I hope I don't sound like a sore loser, as SLU knew what they were up against and the coach and players needed to be confident that their talent, toughness and style of play was good enough to beat a bigger, kick, run, and foul team.  Believe me, Amherst is very talented and could easily play a game that shows it off. 
Would love to hear some thoughts?

I have to say I didn't see the kick, so I can't comment on that.  I was also surprised that the grass field wasn't in the really bad shape that I assumed it would be, although there was some amount of slipping and sliding by players on both teams.  The fouling and the general antagonistic play by Amherst, though - makes me respect that team and coach less.

Case in point is a play from Saturday I'm surprised nobody has mentioned yet - the yellow card on Amherst #17.  #17 got the ball on the wing and controlled it with his hand, the sideline ref immediately signaled a hand ball and the whistle blew and a good 3-4 seconds after the whistle #17 absolutely blasted a shot at the Husson goalie.  And then #17 ran into the goalie and roughed him up - yellow card for #17.  Complete bush league play, but that kind of play seems to be almost accepted by the Amherst coach. 
#14
Men's soccer / Re: Game of the week for D3 men's soccer
November 11, 2022, 04:10:18 PM
Amherst lists their game at 11:00 tomorrow at Gooding Field, which is their turf field.  I can't find any mention of a field for Roger Williams/Saint Lawrence, but it should be the same field. 
#15
Men's soccer / Re: Game of the week for D3 men's soccer
November 11, 2022, 02:53:49 PM
Quote from: coach analytics on November 10, 2022, 10:38:13 PM
Quote from: Dustin_Patrón on November 10, 2022, 01:07:05 AM
No, Amherst is not afraid of Husson nor are they  afraid of your SLU boys. Anyone who is familiar with coach Serpone knows that he tries to instill the utmost confidence in his squad before every match, however, this doesn't mean that they think they can't be beaten.

To answer your question regarding the "unplayable field"... yes... Amherst is more than willing to play in a mud pit if it means that the other team will have a harder time possessing the ball. Possession heavy soccer is not Amherst's game at all. They would rather have 20% of the ball and score a gritty goal off of a long throw or defensive error caused by their unwavering pressure. If  Amherst really want to "show how good they are" they'll be praying that the refs don't move this game to artificial turf. It's not the prettiest style to play but you have to respect their ability to get it done. Not sure how many consecutive sweet sixteens that Amherst has been to, but I highly doubt that SLU will be the group to end that streak, respectfully. To be fair, I know very little about SLU but follow Amherst more closely—not a fan of either.

For those who will be watching the Amherst game (especially those who will see it in person), keep an eye out for Amtics (Amherst antics) on any dead balls. Multiple teams have complained to officials this year that Amherst players are pinching/biting/stepping on opposing players' feet before corners and long throws. I find it pretty hilarious that they're getting away with this. I had the opportunity to watch the nescac semifinals in person this year and there was a point during the second half where a middlebury player yelled toward the ref "he just bit me!" while proceeding to pull up his sleeve to show him teeth marks. In short, Amherst is willing to do just about anything to throw the opponent out of focus and off their game. This does not exclude playing on a shell of a pitch or, apparently, biting the opponent. And if the SLU boys think they'll be taking  hot showers in the Amherst locker rooms, well, they've got no idea who they're up against.



It kind of shocking to me that the NCAA does not set any standards regarding the fields.  Why do they leave it up to the host and then the refs.  If Amherst wants to host they should have to play on their turf field after a rain storm.

Here what I expect to happen - tomorrow's games will be on the turf, but Sundays games will be on the grass field.  This is deja vu for me because this could be very similar to what happened to my son's St. Joseph's (ME) team in 2018, also at Amherst.  There was rain on Friday so Saturday's games were on Amherst's turf field.  St. Joe's was able to overcome Middlebury 2-1 with a late goal and we were cautiously optimistic about Sunday's game against Amherst.  Until we found out that Sunday was going to be on the grass.  Honestly, I don't know how that field in 2018 was deemed playable because it was awful.  There was no standing water, but there was mud and combined with the long grass it made the pitch a nightmare.  That doesn't bother Amherst, though, because they play the ball in the air and count on their superior height to overcome smaller teams that might be able to advance the ball on a turf field but can't do that on Amherst's wet and muddy grass pitch.

Now my son is a grad assistant coach at SLU and I would be shocked if Amherst won't insist that Sunday's game be played on their grass field.