NESCAC 2015

Started by Giggs, August 30, 2015, 01:13:12 PM

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Giggs


All NESCAC

Quote from: Giggs on August 30, 2015, 01:13:12 PM
What the heck.

So who are the teams to beat in 2015 in the NESCAC?  My votes go to Williams and Conn.

nescac1

Considering that Williams dominated most of its games last season (especially during its NCAA run), came within a shootout of a national championship, and returns nearly all of its offensive firepower, they certainly are a safe bet as the favorite.  The Ephs lose a lot of talent in the backline and at goalie, but they do have strong players, and strong recruits, waiting in the wings to step up.  Still, to equal last year's success the pressure will be on the defense.  With two of the best (if not the best) forwards in the country returning for their junior years in Kirshe and Thomas, excellent depth up front including a few rising sophomores who should improve their contributions after last year's deep tourney run, and a slew of talented playmakers in the mid-field led by Mitsuyama, Lewin and Swarr (plus potentially Albaneze, who was one of the leading point scorers prior to a season-ending injury), the Ephs will be nearly impossible to keep off the score sheet. 

All NESCAC

Quote from: nescac1 on September 02, 2015, 03:17:30 PM
Considering that Williams dominated most of its games last season (especially during its NCAA run), came within a shootout of a national championship, and returns nearly all of its offensive firepower, they certainly are a safe bet as the favorite.  The Ephs lose a lot of talent in the backline and at goalie, but they do have strong players, and strong recruits, waiting in the wings to step up.  Still, to equal last year's success the pressure will be on the defense.  With two of the best (if not the best) forwards in the country returning for their junior years in Kirshe and Thomas, excellent depth up front including a few rising sophomores who should improve their contributions after last year's deep tourney run, and a slew of talented playmakers in the mid-field led by Mitsuyama, Lewin and Swarr (plus potentially Albaneze, who was one of the leading point scorers prior to a season-ending injury), the Ephs will be nearly impossible to keep off the score sheet.

Agree the Lady Ephs look good again and probably the team to beat.  They were very good last year in the 3 games I saw them play. Who are your other top 4 NESCAC teams for the 2015 season?

amh63

Amherst's roster is out...sort of.  Large FY class is joined by a SR athlete...member of the WBB team.  Info wrt heights and positions not shown for the new comers! ;).


Becks

#6
Wes wins opening game against UMass-Boston 2-0. With the win, Wes equals their win total for their ENTIRE SEASON last year (1-12-2). Definitely more offense with several upperclassmen returning who were absent last fall, as well as some good freshmen. Last year Wes was outshot 9-11, this year they outshot UMB 32-7 (with admittedly lenient stats keeping).

Giggs


2xfaux

Amazing come back by Williams today in what must have been a very strange game, if I read the stats right.  Are they still the team to beat?

jumpshot

A tremendous comeback from a two goal deficit, once again showing the mental discipline and character displayed by Williams women and Michelin Pinard's teams.

Ocean 1

When Williams tied the game after coming back from a 0-2 deficit, you could just sense the inevitable was going to happen. Their depth and fresh legs in both halves has become a hallmark of the program.

Becks

Quote from: jumpshot on September 13, 2015, 06:54:20 PM
A tremendous comeback from a two goal deficit, once again showing the mental discipline and character displayed by Williams women and Michelin Pinard's teams.
Where can I find a barf emoticon?

All NESCAC

Quote from: Becks on September 14, 2015, 09:57:31 AM
Quote from: jumpshot on September 13, 2015, 06:54:20 PM
A tremendous comeback from a two goal deficit, once again showing the mental discipline and character displayed by Williams women and Michelin Pinard's teams.
Where can I find a barf emoticon?

I love the Lady Ephs, but I'm in agreement with Becks...LOL

Becks

#13
Quote from: Becks on September 14, 2015, 09:57:31 AM
Quote from: jumpshot on September 13, 2015, 06:54:20 PM
A tremendous comeback from a two goal deficit, once again showing the mental discipline and character displayed by Williams women and Michelin Pinard's teams.
Where can I find a barf emoticon?
Just to elaborate a bit. On paper, Castleton is by far the weakest team Williams will play this year. Going into the game, most people would have made Williams a 4+ goal favorite, so even after spotting Castleton 2 goals in the first 20 minutes, it was still highly likely that they would win as a result of their vastly superior talent. What is surprising in not that Williams won after being 2 goals down, but that they needed overtime to do so. They came dangerously close to choking their way to what would have been one of the biggest upset loses ever.

nescac1

Weird things happen in soccer, sometimes.  Williams' men's teams have been both the beneficiary (beating a superior Amherst team who just bombarded the goal the entire game in the 2012 elite eight, but the most talented Eph team EVER -- even more talented than the title squad -- lost to a far inferior Worcester State team in a first-round NCAA game about a decade back) of soccer weirdness.  The Castleton game was just one of those games ... the Eph defenders had two early random miscues, both of which led to Castleton goals -- Castleton maybe threatened once or twice more the entire game, whereas Williams had about a zillion near-miss chances, none of which resulted in a goal until very late.  Williams could easily have scored 7-8 goals in this one by all accounts, on the ridiculous FORTY FIVE shot attempts they had. 

I note that the Ephs had their back-up (frosh) goalie in for this game (again, expecting an easy win I imagine), but I don't think either goal was fairly attributable to her.  Rather, the Ephs need to come out with focus and sharpness vs. EVERY team they play, in particular the young Eph defenders.  I think this will be a learning experience for the defenders, a wake-up call to play with more precision on every single play, vs. every single opponent.  I am less worried about the Eph offense -- early in the season, it often takes a bit of time for the finishing to click, but even so, Williams has managed 8 goals in three games, and won all three, which is certainly respectable.  We know the Ephs have two nationally-elite finishers in Thomas and Kirsche plus a host of other very capable offensive players, including a few frosh who are already playing big minutes.  I think as the team finds its offensive rhythm (remember, they've only been practicing for a few weeks) they will turn a much higher percentage of golden opportunities into goals.  It's the defense that is far more inexperienced (only one returning full-time starter in the back) and where the Ephs will need to focus on improving in the coming weeks. 

In the end, Williams is one of only two teams in NESCAC with a spotless record, so while the team has plenty of work to do, they received the best kind of early wake-up call: one that didn't hurt them in the standings.  Still, as others have noted, squeaking out a win over Castleton is not something they should be patting themselves on the back about, and I think the coach's post-game comments reflected the appropriate degree of frustration with her team's overall effort.  I would not want to be the next team to play them.