The Big Dance

Started by Falconer, November 05, 2018, 03:06:33 PM

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Mr.Right

Conn College GK AJ Marcucci goes down after getting kicked by Ramapo star striker I think in the head but not sure. He has to be taken out so maybe a concussion or something but now Conn is down 1-0 with 15 minutes left and they have a backup GK in there that has not played a minute all year....Pressure? Nah....Interestingly, during the huddle when Marcucci was being looked at Manoogian and Murphy were kind of talking in a heated fashion almost like Manoogian wants Murphy to change systems to find a goal and push numbers but Conn looks to be staying in their system for now. I think they gotta go now because Ramapo is wasting time on every dead ball...

Mr.Right

Tufts scores off a long throw into the box that bounced once and it looked like Tasker ripped it off the bounce just under the bar. 1-0 Tufts with about 6 minutes left. If this holds we will have a Amherst at Tufts rematch next weekend.

Mr.Right

Conn's GK Marcucci back in the game. That is a good sign BUT Conn is in a world of hurt as they are running out of time here..1-0 Ramapo with about 12 minutes left.

Mr.Right

In 1 minute Conn has hit the post, had an open goal without a GK and a defender cleared one off the line  BUT the heat has been turned up by Conn ever since Murphy changed and sending everyone but a couple guys forward...Had he done this with 20 minutes left Conn might have gotten one. 1-0 Ramapo about 6 left

PaulNewman

Gritty win for the Lords....

Mr.Right

Ramapo with a nice effort today sneaks past Conn 1-0 in New London. As the final whistle blew some Conn players fell to the ground but there was that little melee at midfield after the final whistle between Ramapo players and Conn players...Tough game for Conn they had about FIVE point blank opportunities to score and just could not finish. Also, the goal they let up in the first 10 minutes was soft as hell. I have not seen them let up a soft goal really all year but that was weak sauce. Still a great year for Conn in what had to be one of the best in Conn's history. They lose A TON of Seniors so this will be very hard to match in 2019 but man I feel for Manoogian who missed that PK early in the 1st Half. He is a gamer but that PK was weak sauce....What a career by Manoogian though...Absolute gamer....Now Ramapo will get the winner of MSU and NYU tonight....I wonder if they would want a rematch with MSU after they got hammered 5-0 in the NJAC Final. After seeing both teams the past 2 days I think MSU has a little more talent than Ramapo but nit by much and certainly not 5-0 worth. I also would not count out NYU maybe getting a result tonight...

Mr.Right

Calvin has an unfair advantage as they can scout the John Carroll match tonight because they will play the winner. That really is not right at all and I doubt those teams would have scouted Calvin yesterday before even playing their first games last night. Calvin has a tough draw next weekend. IMO Messiah might have the easiest path as they will face Cortland/Etown winner and then either F&M/Rochester/Brockport/Eastern in the Elite 8. All decent teams but F&M did not impress me last night against WCONN who should have beaten them. I know Cortland drew Messiah earlier in the year but they are not playing the same as they were earlier this year. IDK maybe I am wrong but to me that is the easiest Sweet 16 / Elite 8 pod right now because Chicago still has to possibly get by Trinity and Tufts/Amherst will battle in another with Calvin/Kenyon/Case/John Carroll in the last.

Dave 'd-mac' McHugh

Quote from: Mr.Right on November 11, 2018, 03:30:19 PM
Calvin has an unfair advantage as they can scout the John Carroll match tonight because they will play the winner. That really is not right at all and I doubt those teams would have scouted Calvin yesterday before even playing their first games last night. Calvin has a tough draw next weekend. IMO Messiah might have the easiest path as they will face Cortland/Etown winner and then either F&M/Rochester/Brockport/Eastern in the Elite 8. All decent teams but F&M did not impress me last night against WCONN who should have beaten them. I know Cortland drew Messiah earlier in the year but they are not playing the same as they were earlier this year. IDK maybe I am wrong but to me that is the easiest Sweet 16 / Elite 8 pod right now because Chicago still has to possibly get by Trinity and Tufts/Amherst will battle in another with Calvin/Kenyon/Case/John Carroll in the last.

That game won't be played until next weekend, right? Game tapes must be shared (even a certain number of those tapes) AND on-sight scouting is not allowed. So, while Calvin has an extra day, per se, I don't see how that's going to make a huge difference. Calvin, may even have restrictions on what they can do on Sundays staff-wise.
Host of Hoopsville. USBWA Executive Board member. Broadcast Director for D3sports.com. Broadcaster for NCAA.com & several colleges. PA Announcer for Gophers & Brigade. Follow me on Twitter: @davemchugh or @d3hoopsville.

PaulNewman

Excellent video quality at F&M but angle is off-putting making field look like it's at a 45 degree tilt...I don't understand how these turf fields can look so different on video....like the Rochester field looks dark and wet/splatchy...

And Eastern up 1-0 on a too wide open look and nice shot into side netting....

Falconer

Quote from: Mr.Right on November 11, 2018, 01:21:33 PM
Ramapo takes a 1-0 lead on Conn off a horrible defensive miscue. Long free kick from behind midfield was allowed to bounce by Conn defenders and it bounced right to Ramapo's big striker who headed it over Marcucci. Conn defenders HAVE TO CLEAR that ball out before it bounces..Unacceptable...Conn has already had a few solid chances and this game should be the most competitive today for Nescac teams.
To see that goal, go here https://www.nsnsports.net/colleges/connecticut-college/ and then "On Demand" to find the video. Start watching about 28:30. Joseph Fala is 6'7", and I gather that goals such as this are a huge part of his repertoire. Why not? On set plays he might be virtually unstoppable. Of his NCAA leading 27 goals, 3 are PKs. He puts 56% of his shots on goal--which is not hard to believe, given his size and where he seems to plant himself. The man has just over half of his team's 53 goals.

Chewy Gordon's season ended last week, and his team's season ended this week, so the only other challenger for Fala is Nick West, who got a brace today vs JHU. If Ramapo keeps playing, Fala will probably keep scoring...

blooter442

Wowzah...Carleton takes a 1-0 lead over Chicago. Free kick off the underside of the bar which hit the Chicago 'keeper and went into the net for an own goal.

D3Grad

Carleton with the 1-0 lead off a decent free kick that bounced down off the crossbar hitting the diving goalkeeper in the back and goes in.  Carleton playing stingy defense with high numbers making it hard for Chicago. 

Falconer

West's 2 goals are now up as highlights here: https://gomessiah.com/news/2018/11/11/mens-soccer-messiah-clips-blue-jays-in-ncaa-second-round-at-home.aspx. The second one is just lovely to behold: be sure to see it. Hopkins is no slouch defensively. All season they gave up just 18 goals, less than one per game--but 4 of them to West.

That second goal broke up a tight game. Hopkins dominated possession and got some great looks in the first 20 minutes, but the Falcons had the better of the remainder. After that second goal, however, the Jays started to tire (they played 2 OTs last night) and never really had a chance. Luke Groothoff again looked great in the back, and so did Shay Quintin.

Hopkins92

Quote from: Mr.Right on November 11, 2018, 02:06:02 PM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on November 11, 2018, 01:50:14 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 11, 2018, 12:56:37 PM
I think Hopkins gives them a game today....Surprised Falcon fans are so confident right now...Actually this game could be harder for Messiah then the Sweet 16 IMO.

Which Falcon fans are so confident?

There was a post that was deleted by a Falcon fan that I was responding to. Anyhow, Hopkins came out flying but have settled down a bit and Messiah got the lead from a Nick West Goal.

I made the 90 minute drive up to Messiah to catch this game and was glad I did. Quality soccer for pretty much the entire game. Nick West, unsurprisingly, was the difference. Potted the first goal on a kind of funky deflection header on a set piece. But the second... Brilliant. Nice ball sprung him down the left flank, he used his speed and patience to beat the Hop defender and then just juked the life of the keeper for an easy knock in.

Hopkins was a MUCH better version of themselves this weekend from what I saw last weekend in Haverford. Their lone striker was just better all around, and they utilized #7 a lot more today than what I (frustratingly) observed against F&M.

The first half, really, the game was pretty much a toss up. But the goal was a dagger and a little deflating because while not against the run of play, it didn't really come with Messiah bossing the game. You guys know, as an underdog, when you're holding you're own, that first goal can be a killer.

And I know I don't post enough to be a broken record on here, but... (!!!)

Appleby never switched his formation. Never pushed two or even three forwards forward. I know you can't curse here, but wow is he a frustrating coach. There's over 35 minutes when West potted that second goal. PUSH THE FORMATION FORWARD!

The only reason I didn't leave early is due to the fact that JHU's field hockey team was locked in an epic battle with Messiah in the 3rd round of the playoffs. Hop wound up winning in ET on a sudden victory goal. Tons of fans for both teams and the atmosphere was excellent, so, kind of made the drive worth it. (I love US15 anyways, so...)

Hopkins92

Quote from: Falconer on November 11, 2018, 06:39:51 PM
West's 2 goals are now up as highlights here: https://gomessiah.com/news/2018/11/11/mens-soccer-messiah-clips-blue-jays-in-ncaa-second-round-at-home.aspx. The second one is just lovely to behold: be sure to see it. Hopkins is no slouch defensively. All season they gave up just 18 goals, less than one per game--but 4 of them to West.

That second goal broke up a tight game. Hopkins dominated possession and got some great looks in the first 20 minutes, but the Falcons had the better of the remainder. After that second goal, however, the Jays started to tire (they played 2 OTs last night) and never really had a chance. Luke Groothoff again looked great in the back, and so did Shay Quintin.

That was a fair result, to be sure. Messiah is really freaking good and the quality on both sides was just fun to watch. I will say, I was surprised by how often the Falcons turned the ball over, especially in the first half.

Hopkins really struggles to score against quality opponents. They want to pass the ball into the back of the net, or rely on really difficult ticky-tacky touches at the top of the box to spring a goal. They took a few decent shots from 20 yards today, but in general it's way too much E-W.

I don't have the depth of knowledge you guys do, but this Messiah team is extremely solid. Very good in the back, lots of speed out wide, Nick West = Nick West.

I have to say, not super impressed with the goalie. (No offense if a relative is here reading.) He coughed up a few weird rebounds on fairly pedestrian shots. He's not a "problem," but I just found it a little odd. (I'm a goalie, so I'm not just talking mess here.)

But their backline is solid, nice structure in their formation. I'll be pulling for them the rest of the way.