NESCAC

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

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 7 Guests are viewing this topic.

LaPaz

Tufts v Wesleyan-  2-0      I think Tufts will have more chances but not sure they will capitalize. Wesleyan is at the disadvantage with the mid-week road game but they will clamp down.  All said I feel Tufts is the better team and should win the game.

Conn v Amherst-    0-0      Conn has proven in the past they can win this game. Amherst has not looked as sharp and has been road weary lately. Amherst at the disadvantage with the road travel mid week. This game was a battle last year and ended 0-0, I am expecting more of the same.

madzillagd

Caught the 2nd half and OTs of the Bowdoin-Bates match up yesterday.  Not even sure how to describe this one other than to say that Bowdoin avoided what could have been a very painful loss, even a tie would have felt like a loss.  Not sure about the first half, but for the 2nd half and beyond Bowdoin had many more opportunities but they just didn't capitalize.  A couple open looks from inside the box that guys sent sailing over the crossbar even though they had time.  This game could have easily been 4-1 in regulation.  Both goalies made some nice saves near the end to stretch the game out as far as possible. 

As for Bates, I really didn't understand what they were trying to do.  With the exception of a few minutes here and there they just kept bombing the ball out of the back even when they had no intended target.  They'd relieve the pressure for 10 seconds and then Bowdoin would be right back on top of them.  I'd understand that a little bit if it was under duress but at least 30-40% of the time they didn't have anybody within 20-30 ft of them.  They didn't even look to move it out of the back and establish some ball control, they just kept bombing away.  Out of pure luck they happened to get one down the middle to Knoth who avoided the defenders and made a great chip over Safian. Their first goal of the year and if they keep giving it right back to the opposing team every time we might have to wait awhile to see #2. 

madzillagd

In a completely pedantic post, anybody know how the NESCAC scoreboard works?  Is it a feed sent in from schools?  Just asking because it was bizarre to see 3 games at halftime but each was different on how that was shown.  One was (1st Half - 00:00), another was (Half), and the other said (Halftime).  Seems odd that it wouldn't be consistent across games on the same site.   

CacCaptain

Caught the Tufts vs Wesleyan game. A hard fought battle on both sides but 1-0 in OT to Tufts a fair result. Wesleyan had their moments, creating 2 or 3 very dangerous opportunities but Tufts certainly had the better of the play with 21 shots and 5 or 6 clear goal-scoring opportunities.

A midfield battle for a large part of the game, but things opened up towards the end of the second half. Tufts pressed hard in the first OT and finally got one on a perfect corner to the back post from Pinheiro that Patel headed home.

Wesleyan could have stolen a point or even 3 here, but instead Tufts pushes the winning streak to 5. Will be interested to see if they can handle Brandeis on Saturday.

madzillagd

Not a great webcam view looking directly into the sun the 2nd half but looked like the Wes goalie made some great saves late in the match. Defintely would have gotten the game ball had they held on for the point.

amh63

Amherst wins in New London, CT...1-0.  No video  Believe the recap is on the Amherst website for those interested.

Brother Flounder

Quote from: CacCaptain on September 17, 2014, 06:56:32 PM
Caught the Tufts vs Wesleyan game. A hard fought battle on both sides but 1-0 in OT to Tufts a fair result. Wesleyan had their moments, creating 2 or 3 very dangerous opportunities but Tufts certainly had the better of the play with 21 shots and 5 or 6 clear goal-scoring opportunities.

A midfield battle for a large part of the game, but things opened up towards the end of the second half. Tufts pressed hard in the first OT and finally got one on a perfect corner to the back post from Pinheiro that Patel headed home.

Wesleyan could have stolen a point or even 3 here, but instead Tufts pushes the winning streak to 5. Will be interested to see if they can handle Brandeis on Saturday.

I also caught the game on video. Very good game but the angle of the sun into the camera made some viewing hard. It was a close score and game but Tufts had more chances. Santos and Kayne peppered the Wesleyan goaltender McConnell in OT but he made some great saves.  It was a beautiful header by Patel....A good game representative of the tough NESCAC competition.

All NESCAC

Quote from: amh63 on September 17, 2014, 08:54:01 PM
Amherst wins in New London, CT...1-0.  No video  Believe the recap is on the Amherst website for those interested.

Conn vs. Amherst game was a tale of two halves.  First half Conn looked awful and completely out of sorts and Amherst dominated, but Amherst's goal was the softest goal you will ever see.  Great long throw into the box which Conn's defense let hit the ground (why?) and then no one, and I mean no one on conn defense went to clear the ball and Amherst player easily took two  steps and easily kicked it in.  Amherst is not the  juggernaut of two years ago and not as good as last year as they are young and will get better each game, but they are still a very good team, big and fast and surprisingly playing the ball on the ground.  Conn in the first half tactically (why?) tried to play the long ball over the top which played right into Amherst's strength as they were much bigger than Conn and Conn had zero possession.   Amherst had only one other good scoring opportunity in 1st half and Conn's keeper made a great save.  He also made three great saves in the 2nd half to keep  them in the game.  2nd half Conn decided to play soccer and kept the ball on the ground and played much better, actually playing a possession game, but Amherst keeper Bull (tremendous player) came up big twice.  2nd half was pretty even with a slight edge to Conn as they put Amherst under a lot of pressure the last 20 minutes, but too little too late.  It could've been 0 to 0, but it also could have been 3-0 Amherst if not for the Conn goalie.  Don't know why Conn tried to play the long ball against a bigger team in the first half as that is not Conn's strength....they need to keep the ball on the ground and move it around because they will not be able to out physical a team like Amherst in the air.  Different Amherst team this year, but still very good and with Bull in net they will be in every game and likely win most.  Big game for Amherst coming up with Williams (if I read the schedule right).  Conn has to travel to Hamilton and will have their hands full if they play like they did in the first half.  If they play like they did vs Midd and 2nd half vs Amherst then perhaps they can get a win, but they need to keep the ball on the ground and somehow find a way to score a goal.

madzillagd

Quote from: arkman on September 17, 2014, 11:41:23 PM
Suprised to hear the high praise of McConnell, he looked VERY shaky when I saw him okay earlier in the season, giving up questionable rebounds and looking suspect on crosses. Glad to see he's coming around.

He played well.  Greenwood was the one that had a shaky play that almost cost Tufts the game.  Decided to charge a ball at the far edge of the box and came up about 5 ft short. Wes player got the shot off and directly on goal but didn't put enough on it and a Tufts player was able to clear it before it reached the goal line.

LaPaz

I thought Tufts was the better team on the day, but Wesleyan had one opportunity to steal the game and did not capitalize. The first half literally put me to sleep( Sometimes I wonder if that is Wesleyan's game plan) but the 2nd half and OT was exciting and Tufts could have won the game 3-0 if not for some stellar goalkeeping by McConnell. Great header to win it. Tufts deserved it. Sidenote---The ref Bahji Salmon who also does D1 games was a nightmare. He has gotten so out of shape and has such a ego and was barely keeping up with the play.

LaPaz

Predictions Sat 9-20-2014:

Amherst v Williams- 1-0   Amherst is not quite as dangerous as last year and is struggling to score goals, but so is the whole league. Amherst has an edge against Williams in the regular season and this is their home opener. Williams after a lackluster performance against Babson should be well rested. Amherst has been travelling for 2 weeks and at some point you figure this will hit them. I feel if Amherst can shut down Muralles, Williams will have a tough time scoring on Bull. Alcorn has still not been tested enough in goal for Williams for me to believe he will not be nervous in this game. Both teams will have there chances but I think Amherst gets a goal on a set piece and will win.

Hamilton v Conn-  1-2   Hamilton has played well to start the year, but has not played anyone of significance yet. They play well at home and will try to come out and score against Conn. Conn needs a win and cannot afford to sit in a shell and whack long balls( Someone said they did this against Amherst). They are skilled enough with O'Brien, Mutala and Weller Himenez( noticed he played against Amherst) to build a quality attack.

Bates v Wesleyan- 0-2     Wesleyan is struggling offensively and are a road weary team right now. Perfect time to play Bates. Wesleyan should be able to break that scoreless streak here and get rolling again. I feel like Wesleyan has about 13-15 of the same type of players, which allows for depth and subbing but does not allow for dangerous chances throughout the game. They need to capitalize on the chances that they get and will do so at Bates. I see Issiroff and Bravo getting goals.

Trinity v Colby- 1-0      I think Colby is playing much more organized defensively then I have seen them play in years. The problem is they are still anemic on offense. Trinity is better than there 0-1-1 conference record suggests. They have a mix of skill, toughness and speed. I like this team as a sleeper later on in the season.

Brandeis v Tufts- 1-2    Tufts is for real and for some reason I feel they will play exceptionally well on Brandeis' turf. Brandeis is a bit overrated and has beaten no one yet. 5-0 against Hobart is impressive but Tufts will give them a game. Tufts will get up for this one and if they get by them and MIT later on the week, we will have a HUGE showdown with Tufts v Amherst next weekend that could decide the league. 

Midd v Bowdoin-  0-0   Ping-pong match. More goals or injuries in this one?

ECSUalum

Quote from: LaPaz on September 18, 2014, 01:41:51 PM
Predictions Sat 9-20-2014:

Amherst v Williams- 1-0   Amherst is not quite as dangerous as last year and is struggling to score goals, but so is the whole league. Amherst has an edge against Williams in the regular season and this is their home opener. Williams after a lackluster performance against Babson should be well rested. Amherst has been travelling for 2 weeks and at some point you figure this will hit them. I feel if Amherst can shut down Muralles, Williams will have a tough time scoring on Bull. Alcorn has still not been tested enough in goal for Williams for me to believe he will not be nervous in this game. Both teams will have there chances but I think Amherst gets a goal on a set piece and will win.

Hamilton v Conn-  1-2   Hamilton has played well to start the year, but has not played anyone of significance yet. They play well at home and will try to come out and score against Conn. Conn needs a win and cannot afford to sit in a shell and whack long balls( Someone said they did this against Amherst). They are skilled enough with O'Brien, Mutala and Weller Himenez( noticed he played against Amherst) to build a quality attack.

Bates v Wesleyan- 0-2     Wesleyan is struggling offensively and are a road weary team right now. Perfect time to play Bates. Wesleyan should be able to break that scoreless streak here and get rolling again. I feel like Wesleyan has about 13-15 of the same type of players, which allows for depth and subbing but does not allow for dangerous chances throughout the game. They need to capitalize on the chances that they get and will do so at Bates. I see Issiroff and Bravo getting goals.

Trinity v Colby- 1-0      I think Colby is playing much more organized defensively then I have seen them play in years. The problem is they are still anemic on offense. Trinity is better than there 0-1-1 conference record suggests. They have a mix of skill, toughness and speed. I like this team as a sleeper later on in the season.

Brandeis v Tufts- 1-2    Tufts is for real and for some reason I feel they will play exceptionally well on Brandeis' turf. Brandeis is a bit overrated and has beaten no one yet. 5-0 against Hobart is impressive but Tufts will give them a game. Tufts will get up for this one and if they get by them and MIT later on the week, we will have a HUGE showdown with Tufts v Amherst next weekend that could decide the league. 

Midd v Bowdoin-  0-0   Ping-pong match. More goals or injuries in this one?
LaPaz,
Great job with these forecasts, always with a keen insight into NESCAC soccer and IMHO always objective on both positive and negatives WRT this conference +k !!!

PaulNewman

LaPaz, I understand your instinct on Tufts @ Brandeis and you may well be right.  This is an interesting one to me.  Brandeis needs to win this one (more than Tufts does), mostly to get them over a psychological hurdle if they find themselves vs NESCAC teams at the round of 32, sweet 16 and/or elite 8 stages.  In theory one would think playing all of the UAA teams would be good prep for going against top NESCAC foes in the tournament, but I think there is something about clearing the mental hurdle against noted rivals in your own region, so for that reason getting a result or results against Rochester, Emory, Wash U, etc may not entirely translate.  And from a fan's point of view, I don't think we really know how a Williams would do vs a OWU or a Tufts or Brandeis against a Kenyon, Amherst vs a Loras, Wesleyan or Midd vs a Wheaton (Ill) or Hope, and also why I wish we saw these kind of matchups occasionally in the early season when many teams tend to travel a bit....or like some Centennials vs NESCACs or some Liberty League's vs a few NCAC's, etc.

BTW, I think Wheaton (MA) has a similar dynamic to Brandeis in terms of getting over hurdles in anticipation of a tourney run.  I could see Wheaton getting a huge win against some out of region power but having a harder psychological time getting past an Amherst or Williams.  It just takes one or two breakthrough games, though, to get past that.

All NESCAC

Quote from: NCAC New England on September 19, 2014, 01:02:10 PM
LaPaz, I understand your instinct on Tufts @ Brandeis and you may well be right.  This is an interesting one to me.  Brandeis needs to win this one (more than Tufts does), mostly to get them over a psychological hurdle if they find themselves vs NESCAC teams at the round of 32, sweet 16 and/or elite 8 stages.  In theory one would think playing all of the UAA teams would be good prep for going against top NESCAC foes in the tournament, but I think there is something about clearing the mental hurdle against noted rivals in your own region, so for that reason getting a result or results against Rochester, Emory, Wash U, etc may not entirely translate.  And from a fan's point of view, I don't think we really know how a Williams would do vs a OWU or a Tufts or Brandeis against a Kenyon, Amherst vs a Loras, Wesleyan or Midd vs a Wheaton (Ill) or Hope, and also why I wish we saw these kind of matchups occasionally in the early season when many teams tend to travel a bit....or like some Centennials vs NESCACs or some Liberty League's vs a few NCAC's, etc.

BTW, I think Wheaton (MA) has a similar dynamic to Brandeis in terms of getting over hurdles in anticipation of a tourney run.  I could see Wheaton getting a huge win against some out of region power but having a harder psychological time getting past an Amherst or Williams.  It just takes one or two breakthrough games, though, to get past that.

Good point regarding Brandeis and Wheaton.  I believe you are spot on, however this may be the year both Brandeis and Wheaton break through as they both have talented teams this year who have been in the mix and tournament the past few years and may be ready to make their mark against the NESCAC and others.

ihidebehindtheinternet

Bowdoin 0 Midd 1

Bowdoin has been struggling as of late (OT against Bates). Midd's sophomore's do not appear to be in any sort of slump. This game is going to be very direct on a field that is way too big for that. It's going to be ugly.

Conn 1 Hamilton 0

Conn seems to be a legit 4th or 5th this year. Hamilton hasn't proven anything yet to me.

Wesleyan 2 Bates 0

Bates, you had your chance in the middle of the week to get a lucky point against a sleepy Bowdoin team. Doubt they sniff the goal here.

Colby 1 Trinity 1

Haven't seen or heard much about either team so far.  So just going off that each team has been fairly easily beaten by Williams, I'll call it a tie.

Williams 0 Amherst 0

The million door question: is the ball in the air or on the ground more? Any of the NESCAC bball commentators want to make a line? Think Amherst dictates the play here but will continue their offensive struggles. Williams will get their chances but Bull is too good to let in anymore shaky goals this year.