NESCAC

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

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deutschfan

Not to commit sacrilege, but do any of you on the NESCAC board really believe the league deserves 5 bids or that Williams that lost to the 6th place LL team should get in over Ithaca?  I only watched a few NESCAC games this year and that flip throw that Amherst used to win its quarter final match says a lot about overall league quality this year.  Joe Clarke has also drank the UAA Kool-Aid indicating his .500 team will be awaiting Monday's selection show.   

1970s NESCAC Player

Quote from: deutschfan on November 04, 2018, 06:52:17 PM
Not to commit sacrilege, but do any of you on the NESCAC board really believe the league deserves 5 bids or that Williams that lost to the 6th place LL team should get in over Ithaca?  I only watched a few NESCAC games this year and that flip throw that Amherst used to win its quarter final match says a lot about overall league quality this year.  Joe Clarke has also drank the UAA Kool-Aid indicating his .500 team will be awaiting Monday's selection show.

Not sure about how many bids the NESCAC deserves, but someone needs to work on his grammar: "has drank"?

Bobcat1

Quote from: deutschfan on November 04, 2018, 06:52:17 PM
Not to commit sacrilege, but do any of you on the NESCAC board really believe the league deserves 5 bids or that Williams that lost to the 6th place LL team should get in over Ithaca?  I only watched a few NESCAC games this year and that flip throw that Amherst used to win its quarter final match says a lot about overall league quality this year.  Joe Clarke has also drank the UAA Kool-Aid indicating his .500 team will be awaiting Monday's selection show.   

You are selecting a mid-week road game that went to double OT as your barometer for the level of strength of the league? Please. Williams also finished 6th in the league, then made a strong run through the tournament. They are on the bubble, but to answer your questions, yes I think the league deserves 5 bids.

Bobcat1

Also, I'm pretty sure Williams beat RPI 2-0 who finished second in the LL regular season...

PaulNewman

So, Tufts and Conn Coll seem like memories from a season ago.  Seriously, what are the advantages of losing in the NESCAC quarters?

Well, first of all, it's obviously only an advantage if you're going to make the tournament.

Secondly, it helps if you still are going to be a high seed and host the first weekend.

Third, assuming the first weekend is manageable and especially at home then the first weekend can be used to get any rust off before the big 2nd weekend.

The real advantages would seem to be a full extra week of rest so a full two weeks for any nagging injuries, more practice time, and an eagerness to get back out there and compete after such a long layoff.

One question is whether Tufts will be better prepared having been in this situation before compared to Conn College.  That said, Conn was faltering a bit there at the end, so a re-set for the Camels and some attention where they're going to get some offense from may be beneficial.

Ommadawn

Quote from: PaulNewman on November 04, 2018, 08:10:21 PM
So, Tufts and Conn Coll seem like memories from a season ago.  Seriously, what are the advantages of losing in the NESCAC quarters?

Well, first of all, it's obviously only an advantage if you're going to make the tournament.

Secondly, it helps if you still are going to be a high seed and host the first weekend.

Third, assuming the first weekend is manageable and especially at home then the first weekend can be used to get any rust off before the big 2nd weekend.

The real advantages would seem to be a full extra week of rest so a full two weeks for any nagging injuries, more practice time, and an eagerness to get back out there and compete after such a long layoff.

One important potential benefit of a weekend off for student-athletes is to get caught up (and maybe even get a little bit ahead) on school work.  Many weekends in a row of back-to-backs can put a wrench in the ol' GPA (and/or in the amount of time allotted for sleep).

nescac1

I very much hope Williams gets a shot at the NCAA tourney.  Making the NESCAC final, and the big wins over Babson, Amherst, and Middlebury, plus Hamilton x2, SHOULD be enough one would think.  I don't think it's possible to have worse luck as a soccer coach than Coach Sullivan had in his first four years as an Eph -- not only a ton of really key injuries over the years, but his squads have exited the NESCAC playoffs four times, three times (!) after PKs and the fourth on a goal with 2 seconds left in double OT.  Just bad beat after bad beat.  Hopefully he is saving up all his good fortune and the Ephs will get some karmic payback in the future ...

blooter442

Quote from: nescac1 on November 05, 2018, 09:50:10 AM
I very much hope Williams gets a shot at the NCAA tourney.  Making the NESCAC final, and the big wins over Babson, Amherst, and Middlebury, plus Hamilton x2, SHOULD be enough one would think.  I don't think it's possible to have worse luck as a soccer coach than Coach Sullivan had in his first four years as an Eph -- not only a ton of really key injuries over the years, but his squads have exited the NESCAC playoffs four times, three times (!) after PKs and the fourth on a goal with 2 seconds left in double OT.  Just bad beat after bad beat.  Hopefully he is saving up all his good fortune and the Ephs will get some karmic payback in the future ...

Not only did they make the NESCAC final, but their "defeat" there was a penalty shootout loss after a draw. I could be wrong, but I seem to recall it being preferable for a team to lose on PKs than outright lose in terms of bid likelihood. (That may well just be armchair punditry versus actual selection criteria.)

nescac1

Good point, Blooter442.  I hope both Midd and Williams get in, but if it comes down to the two of them for one bid, the tie to Colby as opposed to picking up a L may make all the difference.  Williams was one spot behind Midd in the regional rankings, and a 1-0-1 week in the NESCAC semis and finals would, I think, push Williams just barely past an idle Middlebury team.  The Ephs have stronger wins now with Midd, Hamilton x2, Amherst, and Babson vs. Midd with its only quality wins against Amherst, Williams and Hamilton. 

NEsoccerfan

Quote from: 1970s NESCAC Player on November 04, 2018, 07:50:03 PM
Quote from: deutschfan on November 04, 2018, 06:52:17 PM
Not to commit sacrilege, but do any of you on the NESCAC board really believe the league deserves 5 bids or that Williams that lost to the 6th place LL team should get in over Ithaca?  I only watched a few NESCAC games this year and that flip throw that Amherst used to win its quarter final match says a lot about overall league quality this year.  Joe Clarke has also drank the UAA Kool-Aid indicating his .500 team will be awaiting Monday's selection show.

Not sure about how many bids the NESCAC deserves, but someone needs to work on his grammar: "has drank"?

Unsolicited grammar lessons on a D3 soccer board. Come on now...

blooter442

#6775
Spoiler Alert Below:

Tufts (bye)
Stevens vs. Gordon @ Tufts

Amherst vs. Bridgewater State
Middlebury vs. St. Joseph's (ME) @ Amherst

Conn. College vs. Thomas (ME)
Ramapo vs. Springfield @ Conn.

Montclair State vs. Colby @ Montclair
Haverford vs. NYU @ Montclair

SUNY Cortland vs. Newbury
Williams vs. Etown @ SUNY Cortland

So NESCAC gets six bids (5 at-large, 1 AQ) but none for Bowdoin. That will make the Bowdoin loss to Tufts sting all the more for Polar Bear fans.

Other observations:

- That is a tough "play-in pod" for Tufts. I think they'll get out of it, of course, but Stevens and Gordon are no pushovers.

- St. Joe's vs. Middlebury should be a good one and (if SJC wins) SJC vs. Amherst would be good as well. As much pressure as Amherst put opponents under, I would like SJC in that one. Then again, I wouldn't be surprise to see Amherst win, either.

- Good for Williams making it back to the tournament.

- I think Conn. will find Thomas challenging. Still think the Camels will win, but the Terriers are a plucky side.

- Babson (not NESCAC but NE) gets the shaft after being 4th in the NE RRs the last week. To be fair while their winning % was good their SoS and RvR were not (SoS not "bad" per se, but certainly not as strong as Babson has been anecdotally).

- Colby @ Montclair...whew! That should be fun. If Colby can get by MSU I think they will have some serious momentum and potential to get to the Sweet 16.

Bucket

#6776
Six??!! Holy smokes.

FYI, blooter, Amherst is hosting that pod, not Midd.

blooter442

Quote from: Bucket on November 05, 2018, 01:18:57 PM
Six??!! Holy smokes.

Aside from SJC, I would guess that the NESCAC occupies most of the top positions in the fourth (secret) NE RRs. You've got the two top teams in the NE region who got knocked out of the NESCAC tournament. Colby is the AQ. Williams registered a (for purpose of record) draw in the final. And Middlebury was having a very good season up to the loss in the NESCAC quarters. As for other traditional NE powers, Babson no doubt dropped after losing to Springfield and having unstellar SoS and RvR metrics, and Brandeis just never really got going and went 0-4 down the stretch, finishing below .500 for the first time since 2009. A far cry from 2016, where NE only got three bids and they went to Babson, Brandeis, and Tufts.

blooter442

Quote from: Bucket on November 05, 2018, 01:18:57 PM
Six??!! Holy smokes.

FYI, blooter, Amherst is hosting that pod, not Midd.

Good catch; my bad. Fixed.

Bobcat1

Quote from: blooter442 on November 05, 2018, 01:24:22 PM
Quote from: Bucket on November 05, 2018, 01:18:57 PM
Six??!! Holy smokes.

Aside from SJC, I would guess that the NESCAC occupies most of the top positions in the fourth (secret) NE RRs. You've got the two top teams in the NE region who got knocked out of the NESCAC tournament. Colby is the AQ. Williams registered a (for purpose of record) draw in the final. And Middlebury was having a very good season up to the loss in the NESCAC quarters. As for other traditional NE powers, Babson no doubt dropped after losing to Springfield and having unstellar SoS and RvR metrics, and Brandeis just never really got going and went 0-4 down the stretch, finishing below .500 for the first time since 2009. A far cry from 2016, where NE only got three bids and they went to Babson, Brandeis, and Tufts.

Blooter, are you at all surprised Tufts got the bye?  I thought for sure Messiah would get it: no losses, conference champ, and defending national champ... Also, interesting to have the NESCAC teams grouped so tightly in the brackets. Travel clearly plays a significant role.