2014 D3 Season: National Perspective

Started by PaulNewman, August 24, 2014, 02:13:42 PM

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PaulNewman

Centre just went up 2-1 on DePauw with under 20 to go.  Centre appears to be dominating shots.

PaulNewman

Centre beats DePauw 2-1.  Stats say Centre outshot DPU 21 to 5.  Not really understanding that. 

Denison actually is 4-2 in the conference along with DePauw, so if DePauw isn't careful they could miss out on a playoff spot entirely and therefore they indeed may be under pressure when they the Little Giants.

lastguyoffthebench


Jack Thompson sets the all-time assist mark at Messiah vs Hood.   Jeremy Payne ties Dave Brandt with 55 goals, good for 6th all time.   

lastguyoffthebench

#393
And don't look now, but PSU-Harrisburg win over Frostburg St pretttty much ends York's season.   Frostburg St sits in 6th place in the CAC with Southern Virginia and Marymount left.   York sits in 7th with Salisbury and St. Marys remaining.   

Will there be a post-season rematch between York and Rutgers-Camden (3rd in the last 4 years), this time in the ECAC?

Mr.Right

At one point Dave Brandt was a coaching genius. It was an excellent move to Navy financially and certainly for a new challenge. As he quickly realized you can have all the knowledge in the world and tactical acumen but without players you cannot win in any league in the world. He is a great coach and a legend at Messiah for turning the program into a D3 powerhouse. The one negative I hear is his failure to delegate the most simple of tasks to his assistants. An example being when he goes on the road to scout an opponent or maybe see a kid play he would rather cancel practice altogether than allow any of assistants to run practice.

All NESCAC

Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on October 23, 2014, 10:07:40 AM

Jack Thompson sets the all-time assist mark at Messiah vs Hood.   Jeremy Payne ties Dave Brandt with 55 goals, good for 6th all time.

55 goals....really I had to read that twice...amazing and congratulations.

4231CenterBack

Dave Brandt IS a coaching genius. What he has done at Navy has only continued his legacy of achievement. He has taken a mediocre team to the top of a competitive league. Last year Navy went to the second round of the tournament losing narrowly to perennial power house Wake Forest.  He did this while navigating the obvious recruiting challenges.... High entrance requirements and required military service.  Moreover, look at what his assistant coaches have done. McCarty has been smart enough to not break what Brandt built. Derek Potteiger has taken a Gordon program that was in the dumps and gone 32-6 in less than two seasons playing almost entirely freshmen and sophomores. 

Flying Weasel

#397
Quote from: Mr.Right on October 23, 2014, 10:20:48 AM
At one point Dave Brandt was a coaching genius. It was an excellent move to Navy financially and certainly for a new challenge. As he quickly realized you can have all the knowledge in the world and tactical acumen but without players you cannot win in any league in the world. He is a great coach and a legend at Messiah for turning the program into a D3 powerhouse. The one negative I hear is his failure to delegate the most simple of tasks to his assistants. An example being when he goes on the road to scout an opponent or maybe see a kid play he would rather cancel practice altogether than allow any of assistants to run practice.

Boy, where did these comments come from?  Someone mentions a current Messiah player matching Brandt's goal total as a Messiah player, and you make an assessment of his coaching style and ability.  Odd.  And I should probably simply ignore the non sequitur, but here goes anyways.

I'm sure Brandt knew well before moving to Navy that without the right players (skill/ability, tactical IQ, and attitude) you can't win regardless of the coach's knowledge, tactics, etc.  I'm sure that's not a realization he only came to after some time on the job in Annapolis.

Saying he "was" a coaching genius suggests he isn't anymore.  Did he get "dumber" at Navy?  Forgetting the genious label, I'm sure he is every bit as astute a coach today as in his Messiah days, if not more so with the additional experience.  Everyone is entitlted to their assessment of the job he's done at Navy, but given the recruiting challenges that come with an "institution" like Navy added to the elevated difficulty of breaking into the upper echelons of Division I soccer with it's established heavyweights and power conferences, expectations were never that he would transform Navy into a Top 25 team overnight nor that Navy would ever become a preennial title contender.  So success or failure shouldn't be measured against unrealistic expectations, some absolute standards, or what he accomplished in D-III at Messiah, but rather contextually.  I don't know Dave Brandt, never really met him or spoke with him, and I can't speak to his coaching style and any micro-managing issues and whatnot.  And he certainly doesn't need anyone to defend him as his record can speak for itself.  That record at Navy, so others can make their own asessment, is as follows:

Overall
2002-2008 (7 yrs. prior to arrival): six losing seasons, one winning season, 37-64-17 (.386)
2009-present (5-1/2 years since arrival): three* winning seasons, two .500 seasons, one losing season (2009), 54-38-16 (.574)
(* - assumes 2014 will be winning season)

Conference
2002-2008 (7 years prior): no conference playoff appearance
2009-present (5-1/2 years): made conference playoff in 2009 (third season), 2013 and will again in 2014
Prior to arrival:
● 7 years without a conference tournament appearance (last in 2001)
● 9 years without a conference tournament win (last in 1999)
● 20 years without a 1st-place finish (regular season) in conference (last in 1988)
● never conference champions via conference tournament (since 1990, the CAA's first year with a post-season tournament, Navy moved to Patriot League in 1991)
Since arrival:
● Made conference tournament in 2011 (third season), ending 9-year drought
● Won conference tournament game in 2013 (fifth season), ending 13-year drought
● Finished in 1st-place (regular season) in 2013 (fifth season), ending 24-year drought
● Won first-ever conference championship via tournament in 2013 (fifth season), ending 23-year drought

NCAA Tournament
Prior to arrival:
● 20 years without NCAA tournament appearance (last in 1988)
● 38 years without NCAA tournament win (last in 1970)
Since arrival:
● Tournament appearance in 2013 (5th year in charge), ending 24-year droughts
● Tournament win in 2013 (5th year in charge), ending 42-year drought

If looking back five years from now, 2013 proves to be a one-off success, there maybe reason to give Brandt less than full marks for the job he's done at Navy, but at this point in time that seems to be a pretty good start and turn-around that he's managed at Navy.

Now let's get back to D-III discussions, can we?

jknezek

+k.  Well researched. Well written. Interesting. Outstanding post. I have no connection to Messiah, Navy and only a limited interest in D3 soccer, but I thoroughly enjoyed that post.

Saint of Old

The dream of everyone on this board is to win NCAA championships and one day watch your son win one.
Nuff said.
Brandt is a genius.

P.S not connected to Messiah at all, actually played them in the Tourney way back... but game recognize game, as the poet once said.

PaulNewman

The Weekend Ahead

Friday

Birmingham-Southern @ Centre -- These two, along with Rhodes and Millsaps are battling for the top spot in the conference and positioning to get their first AQ.  Centre is coming off a big result and went 1-1-1 with OWU, Kenyon and DePauw.  Centre needs to finish strong, and sometimes they seem flat after a big non-conference affair when they return to league play.

Saturday

In the NCAC Hiram is at Kenyon, Oberlin is at OWU, and Wabash is at Denison.  Kenyon needs a convincing win (and some goals), but Hiram is pretty good.  I would not be shocked if Oberlin pulled out a result against OWU, although would have been more likely at home.  Oberlin has had a disappointing season, but they still have most of the squad they had last year with some good talent and nothing would console them more than getting a result against OWU and/or Kenyon.  Don't look now but Denison is 28 seconds away form being a 1 loss NCAC team and at 4-2 are still very much alive for a playoff spot.  Another good challenge for Wabash, and a tricky one as the critical rivalry clash with DePauw looms.

In the NESCAC, Wesleyan at Midd was already huge and now probably bigger with Wesleyan losing a stunner at home to Trinity (who we should remember also handed Wheaton MA a loss).  Bowdoin is hanging on to some hope but Colby will be thinking Bowdoin is a good chance to get another result at home.  Surprisingly, Williams at Bates may be the most intriguing.  For some reason, I think Williams could be in some trouble in this one.  Bates has been playing well and given all the tough times there nothing would feel better than sending the proud Williams side back home with a loss.

In the NEWMAC the top four are all playing each other.  Wheaton travels to Coast Guard.  Good chance for Wheaton to prove they are the class of the league and still a candidate for a good NCAA run, and Coast Guard gets a great opportunity to prove they better than some think.  WPI is at Babson.  WPI needs a strong win, and Babson can get a step closer to a bid with another solid victory.

In the OAC, frontrunner John Carroll is at closely challenging Capital.  Ohio Northern has climbed into 3rd place and will still be a worry in the OAC tourney if John Carroll stumbles out of the at large picture.

In the Liberty, RPI is at Vassar and SLU travels to Skidmore.  These matchups could be a preview of the Liberty semis.

The Centennial features Haverford at F&M and Muhlenberg at Hopkins.  Haverford has been a little up and downs but with some big wins should be confident, while F&M impressively keeps taking care of business.  Wagner, the F&M coach (yeah, another Messiah guy) has got to be a strong candidate for national coach of the year.  Muhlenberg wants to keep pace near the top with F&M and Dickinson, but Hopkins away won't be easy.

The IIAC showdown with Wartburg at Loras in the Rock Bowl is must see video streaming.  Put the kids to bed, send the spouse out with her friends, plug your computer into your Smart TV, go full screen, and enjoy.  8:30 EST.

The NJAC treats us to the Rutgers derby...Newark at Camden.  For me this one is too close to call, as Rutgers-Camden seems to be getting primed for a run in the NJAC playoffs.

I can't figure out the MIAC except that St Olaf clearly is in the driver's seat and GAC is teetering on the bubble with Carleton trying to climb back into relevance.  St Olaf is at St Thomas and GAC travels to Augsburg.

And in a pair of notable non-conference clashes that may impact bids, Rochester travels to Kean, and Chicago makes their way to UW-Whitewater.

Sunday

With the UAA not playing Sunday looks even lighter than usual.

ECSU at Babson could be tough for Babson the day after a big match with WPI.

Millsaps at Centre is another key SAA tilt.

Finally, University of Dallas is at Trinity (TX).  Trinity's only loss was very early to Texas-Dallas.  Can the other Dallas squad pull an upset?  I don't think Tony Romo is walking through that door.

repete

Couple of decent games in the CAC: York may be down but they get Salisbury at home and the Gulls have struggled a bit to find the net. PSU-Harrisburg gets a chance to show if it's legit when it hosts CNU.

Domino1195

Going to Cap-JCU at 2 and OWU at 8.  Couple HS district finals that I just might have to stop in and see.
Cap lost at home to JCU last year 2-1; missed a late penalty that would have tied it. Senior Day at Cap (only three seniors on the team - two that normally start).

There hasn't been any more rain in Central Ohio but grass fields still provide for loose footing (shame for the Kenyon-OWU game): the OWU game could see more slipping and sliding.

lastguyoffthebench

Quote from: Saint of Old on October 23, 2014, 05:23:59 PM
The dream of everyone on this board is to win NCAA championships and one day watch your son win one.
Nuff said.
Brandt is a genius.

P.S not connected to Messiah at all, actually played them in the Tourney way back... but game recognize game, as the poet once said.


Yes, there are only so many words that come to mind when thinking of Brandt.   Genius. Mastermind. Mustache. Winner. Legend.


Mr.Right

Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on October 24, 2014, 01:18:58 PM



Yes, there are only so many words that come to mind when thinking of Brandt.   Genius. Mastermind. Mustache. Winner. Legend.


Ok now go have your cigarette