NESCAC

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

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Mr.Right

Quote from: Mr.Right on June 11, 2018, 12:48:44 PM
So we have only 3 Nescac schedules posted as of now. Not many changes at all.

Williams- Same 5 Non-Conference teams from 2017. Skidmore, RPI, Babson, Curry and Coast Guard. Certainly not the non conference schedule strength of their dynasty days but it is solid. If Williams brings its "A" game and focuses for 90 minutes they should go 5-0-0 or 4-0-1 at the very least. Skidmore always gives them a solid game but unless they are bringing in a solid recruiting class they could drop a bit. RPI used to give Williams headaches but the past few years Williams has dominated them even when having trouble scoring against them. Unless RPI finds some attacking mojo against solid competition in 2018 I do not see that changing. Coast Guard is at Home so that will be a total unknown for Coast Guard especially on Williams 120x80 but one thing Coast Guard does do is run its ass off they are just usually playing on turf and lack a dynamic attack. Curry should be a W. Babson is bringing in a very good class and should be tops in NEWMAC in 2018 so they will be a challenge and could easily get a result v Williams.



Bates---Schedule is still incomplete on Nescac but I am not expecting any meaningful changes.
Hamilton--Same 5 Non-Conference teams from 2017. Oneonta, Ithaca, Utica, 2 SUNY schools. I expect good things from Hamilton in 2018 and I expect them to go 4-1-0 or 3-0-2 against those 5. They MUST beat Utica and the 2 weak SUNY schools. I was impressed with the 2 games I saw of Ithaca last year and they have a solid coach in former Midd player and Norwich Coach Kyle Dezotell. I still give Hamilton the edge in talent but if Hamilton is still inconsistent like they were in 2017 and come out in a midweek game sloppy and uninterested they will lose. The game against Oneonta has been moved from late October in 2017 to mid September in 2018. I think that favors Oneonta because they will have been out for a month already BUT I expect Hamilton to remember the trashing Oneonta gave them in 2017. This year it will be on Love Field so that will give Hamilton an edge on the grass. I fully expect Hamilton to be up for that game and will want to tune in.

Trinity---1 change from 2017 and 4 of the same Non-Conference teams. ECONN, WCONN, Endicott, Wheaton(MA) and WNEC. They dropped Rivier for WNEC. I gave up predicting Trinity under Pilger back in 2012. You just never know when they will show up. Their final game in 2017 against Amherst last year was a fantastic performance even though they lost the game they gave max effort and had plenty of chances to Win that game. If they gave that same effort in every game they would be a much better outfit. As it is, they lost a ton of talent in 2017 and will lose even more talent in 2018. Unless Trinity and Bates brings in a real solid Frosh class for 2018 every Nescac team MUST expect to get 6pts from Trinity and Bates in 2018. Will that happen? No of course not but teams getting draws against Trinity and Bates or even losses in 2018 are not only missing out on 3pts for themselves they are basically giving the other Nescac schools an extra 2-3pts in the standings. It is an absolute must to clear 6pts against them. Trinity and Bates will not be blown off the field but the talent both schools lost in 2017 will show. I will give Trinity a "B" for their schedule. They dropped their only true cupcake and now have 5 very solid teams Non-Conference. Endicott will be the best of the bunch and that is their 1st game of the season. I expect good things from Endicott in 2018 as I hear they are bringing in a decent class plus 2 solid transfers especially the GK from BC. He is a good GK and could start for most Nescac's. The other 4 games are complete toss-ups. I will only predict they will lose to Endicott so they could go 4-1-0 but I highly doubt it. I could see a 1-2-2 or 2-2-1. Trinity needs 2-3 really solid recruiting classes before they can sniff a Top 4 in Nescac or their first NCAA appearance since 2011. They had a solid outfit in 2011 with Mayernick , Buckley and El-Hachem and company.


Just to add to this as Nescac has posted every other teams schedule. With Trinity, Hamilton and Williams already recapped lets take a look at the rest of Nescac.



Middlebury----I did not think it was possible but First year Coach Alex Elias has dropped 3 teams from 2017 and added 3 new teams to amazingly make Midd's schedule even EASIER. This is an absolute disgrace for a program like Midd especially with the talent returning and is clearly a way to pad the Win column for Elias coaching resume. They kept longtime games with Castleton and Norwich from 2017 which is understandable because of the proximity of the schools. They dumped Plymouth State, Keene St and Colby-Sawyer. They added Utica, Mt. St. Mary(NY) and Maine Farmington. Just a complete joke but hey at least they will go 5-0-0 out of conference while making certain their overall SOS will probably sit at .535-.540 which will not get them a Pool C in 2018 unless they get results against the Top 4 of Nescac. As I have said for years this puts A TON of pressure on Midd to get results v Amherst / Tufts / Williams / Bowdoin to get quality Wins on their resume. So if they go say 1-2-1 against the Top 4 they will need to either win the Nescac League or Tournament to get to the NCAA's. I just do not understand this type of thinking as the more quality teams on your schedule gives you more opportunity to get quality Wins. The Maine Farmington game is on the Sunday after the Colby match in Maine so that is somewhat understandable. The 3 1/2 - 4 Hour Mid-Week Away matches that they added with Mt.St Mary and Utica makes absolutely no sense. If you are going to drive 4 hours mid-week why not play a Liberty League team(which in most cases would be closer) or Boston area team? This likely shows the inexperience of Elias. You never schedule 4 hour mid-week road games in Nescac unless you are in a pinch. Most teams love to get the opportunity to play Nescac schools so I find it hard to believe he could not find better games.



Tufts-----This is a solid schedule and is the toughest non-conference schedule in the league. They keep Brandeis, Babson and Keene St from 2017 and dump Mt.St. Vincent and Plymouth St. They add UMASS-Boston and Wheaton. I love the Friday night derby between Brandeis and Tufts that these two schools have started. They have played for the last 5 years and each year the game is one of the best in D3. If you told me in 2006 that Tufts and Brandeis were playing I would have yawned but that is how far BOTH programs have come. Credit to both coaches. Tufts finally dropped Plymouth State who they have played for years going back to Ferrigno's days of playing a weak non-conference schedule. The past few years though Tufts has absolutely dominated them and it was time to move on. Wondering if Plymouth St dropped Tufts or the other way around? Plymouth St might have said enough is enough and dropped Tufts before they had to return to Medford for 2018.  The addition of Wheaton and UMASS-Boston is fantastic and should provide solid competition. Tufts will be quite young next year but have plenty of returning talent to keep the program rolling. Not sure yet how far they will roll though. Predictions will come in August but based on what they have coming back and this schedule I will guess a 3-1-1 with Brandeis knocking them off and possibly Babson sitting deep in Wellesley with that high grass not being mowed for 2 weeks before Tufts comes in and grab a draw.




Wesleyan----This is another solid schedule and the 2nd toughest non-conference schedule in the league. I give props to Wheeler as he is never afraid to play tough games that are all winnable but also very easily could lose. Wesleyan has missed out on the Top 8 in Nescac for two straight years which is a first for Wheeler. They keep 3 solid games from 2017 in WPI, Vassar and Wheaton. They drop Swarthmore and Manhattanville. They add Haverford and ECONN. Interestingly, they played both Haverford and ECONN in 2015 with both games on the road, did not play them in 2017 and pick both teams back up in 2018 and will travel to both. I have never really seen something like that. I really like this Vassar / Wesleyan match which pits two similar styles and teams and is a great non-conference game. Hopefully, this match is more than a 2 year home and home.  Vassar will remember the 2-0 loss at Wesleyan in 2017 when they were missing their top goal scorer and that loss coupled with the Manhattanville and Stevens losses kept Vassar out of the 2017 NCAA's. Haverford is a nice game to add for 2018 and Wedsleyan did defeat a SOLID Haverford side in 2015 2-1 in 2OT. Problem is 2018 Haverford is not 2015/2016 Haverford. Still a good team but not quite as strong. They will travel 4 hours to Haverford and then play ECONN the next day in Willimantic. That is a difficult ask with all that travel and then seeing ECONN sit deep for 90 which will be tough to break them down. WPI will also be a tough game at Home on turf. Wheeler played Tufts in 2017 on the turf at Home which in my mind gave Tufts an unnecessary advantage and they will do the same for WPI in 2018. Looks like Wheeler is weaning the team off of that horrific grass field and playing Conn and Amherst on the turf as well. Solid grass fields are becoming non existent in College Soccer these days so Wesleyan might as well make the move BUT that sh*tty grass field can slow better teams down and frustrate other teams not used to the surface. I still am confused as to  why Wheeler played Tufts on turf in 2017 as before that game they were like 4-1-0 and after the 3-0 drubbing that Tufts handed them Wesleyan collapsed. Wesleyan will be an improved side in 2018 so I will say they go  2-2-1 out of conference.



Amherst----Not a bad schedule for Serpone compared to years past. Slowly but surely Amherst has been improving their non-conference schedule every year. Not sure if that is because the Committee is tracking Non-Conference SOS or if the players asked for more challenging games or whatever. They keep New England College and drop Farmingdale St, Mt.St. Mary, Rutgers Newark and Pine Manor. They add Wentworth, Gordon, Brandeis and Staten Island. Wentworth is a decent pick up and Gordon a solid addition that should help their SOS out of conference. Obviously, the Brandeis game is fantastic and will be played on a Monday night in late October 48 hours before Amherst final regular season game at Home v Trinity. Kind of a slight to Trinity as Amherst is basically saying we are good enough to battle for 90 or 110 against Brandeis on Monday and will be able to handle Trinity less than 48 hours later at Home that could determine seeding in the Nescac Tournament. They have a stretch in late September with 4 games in 8 days against Williams, Tufts, Bates and Gordon. They also have a difficult ask with 3 games in 5 days to end their regular season with games at Wesleyan, at Brandeis and Trinity. The Wesleyan game will be played on Wesleyan's turf which should help Amherst get used to the turf before the Brandeis match. A loss to Brandeis in late October would not surprise anyone but I think Amherst will sneak out of Waltham with a draw. Should be an interesting game with different styles and pure entertainment for the neutral with Brandeis stream behind both benches.



Bowdoin---No changes from 2017. Thomas, Husson, St.Joe's(ME), Univ of New England and Southern Maine. As I said in 2017 this schedule is SOFT. Bowdoin will open the season with 3 games in 6 days with UNE, Amherst and St.Joe's on a back to back.  That is a good break for St.Joe's to catch Bowdoin on the back end of a back to back after Bowdoin battles Amherst on Saturday. Both games are Home for Bowdoin. You can bet Bowdoin will remember the loss to St.Joe's in 2017 that I thought should have kept them from getting a Pool C last year. Luckily, the 2017 season nationally was down a bit from years past and for the first year in a while it felt like we were having a hard time finding 3 teams that deserved to get the final 3 Pool C bids last year. The draw at Tufts to end the regular season probably got Bowdoin in.  St.Joe's has toughened their schedule a bit for 2018 but they NEED quality wins if they were to ever lose in their conference tournament and need a Pool C and Bowdoin would be a quality win. I predict St. Joe's will come out flying and pumped and Bowdoin will be sluggish from a battle with Amherst. If there was ever a day not to schedule St.Joe's it would be after playing Amherst. Not sure why you would not play them mid-week at Home. I think they go 4-1-0 out of conference and drop their SOS to around .550 and Non-conference SOS to about .515.


Conn College----Solid non-conference schedule. I would say middle of the pack. They keep Mitchell, Endicott and ECONN from 2017 and drop Swat and Salem St while picking up UMASS Boston and Rhode Island College. Mitchell is usually a local walk over but they impressed me in the NCAA opening round in 2017 last year especially their GK. Watch out if Conn takes them lightly. ECONN another short drive and a tough game for Conn. They will get Endicott and UMASS Boston at Home but both schools could pose problems for Conn and RIC is no push over mid-week. I like the schedule and Conn is bringing back basically everyone except Sommers on defense so they should be an improved bunch and will look to make it back to the NCAA's in 2018 after a disappointing loss to Rochester in 2017 late in the match. I expect them to go 3-1-1 with a loss and draw to Endicott and either ECONN or UMASS Boston getting a result v Conn in 2018. Still wondering why Coast Guard is not on this schedule. It is a 5 minute walk down the road, a rival, and they have played every year since both teams began playing Men's Soccer. They did not play in 2017 and I am sure there was a falling out between the 2 coaches as it makes no sense why they would not play.


Colby----Colby has UMASS Boston and Maine Maritime on its schedule on the same day. Other than that they will play the same teams as in 2017. Husson, Thomas, UNE and Gordon. Hopefully, they are playing UMASS Boston and not Maine Maritime. Credit UMASS Boston for playing half of Nescac if that game is happening. Colby as described in my recap of their 2017 had a roller coaster year with a massive crash at the end. They lose 2 key players from 2017 in Heilbron and Chandler Smith. They return everyone else with 1 more year of experience and if they can find leaders to step in for those 2 lost players I am expecting Colby to have their best season since the early 90's. They have enough talent now to compete and with wins in 2017 over Midd and Amherst they now believe they deserve and belong to be one of the better teams in Nescac. A top 4 is a reasonable goal. This schedule is weak but because of Colby's location it is understandable up to a point. Certainly they are more isolated than Bowdoin but I wanted to see Seabrook pick up 1 more decent non-conference game and drop one of the Maine schools. Also, looks like the St.Joe's game never got back on the schedule which is a shame as they are a solid Maine school that would be a good game. Maybe there was a falling out between the 2 coaches. Colby MUST go 5-0-0 and I believe they will but Colby needs to be focused on winning as many games in Nescac as possible.  Colby's Nescac schedule is in their favor this year. They leave the state of Maine ONCE(at Amherst) after September 23rd. That is very favorable. They have Hamilton at Home and besides a back to back in Connecticut and games at Williams and Amherst they will have minimal travel.

BigEast

Seems like Stewart Flaherty is out at Bates. Bates head coach job posted on NCAA job site, news is he has another opportunity.

https://ncaamarket.ncaa.org/jobs/11171183/head-men-s-soccer-coach


Mr.Right

Quote from: BigEast on June 23, 2018, 12:09:31 AM
Seems like Stewart Flaherty is out at Bates. Bates head coach job posted on NCAA job site, news is he has another opportunity.

https://ncaamarket.ncaa.org/jobs/11171183/head-men-s-soccer-coach


Yea I just heard about this the other day. Apparently, this had been in the works since the Spring. No idea why Bates waited so long to post the opening or announce the parting of ways with Flaherty. Make no mistake this was not because Flaherty got another opportunity. I am not quite sure the exact reasoning but there must have been some off field issues. I have heard he was getting some brutal reviews by some players. Not sure that would be enough to get him fired so there must have been some sort of "incident". It is also possible like I predicted years ago he was just not a good fit at Bates. With him probably knowing of his departure by the Spring when Bates did not renew his contract this will disrupt Bates recruiting for the following year as they will be well behind other schools for rising seniors. I am sure he had this years class pretty much committed by March so I do not think it will hurt for 2018 but who knows. Either way Bates was going to struggle in 2018 no matter.

This is a solid job and I think would be a great fit for a young guy willing to work hard and sell the school and the program to kids. Bates is the toughest school in Nescac to recruit to but not impossible. They have had success in other sports so if you can find the right fit this is a good gig. Pay is probably the weakest in Nescac but as long as you get support from Admissions and you know how to coach and recruit this is a good opportunity. Just off the top of my head Dubois would be the obvious choice. Not sure if he would be interested but I am sure Bates administration is aware of the turn around he has achieved at St.Joes..

Besides the late announcement, I think Bates made the right move.

midwest

Not surprised about Flaherty. Flaherty was one of the few coaches my kid said he would not want to play for, no matter how much he liked the school. Flaherty was snarky and mocking, plus the training facilities were aging and playing both turf and grass because the soccer field didn't have lights was a turn off. My kid thought the assistants were great, but most have moved on already.

Mr.Right

Quote from: midwest on June 23, 2018, 09:30:33 AM
Not surprised about Flaherty. Flaherty was one of the few coaches my kid said he would not want to play for, no matter how much he liked the school. Flaherty was snarky and mocking, plus the training facilities were aging and playing both turf and grass because the soccer field didn't have lights was a turn off. My kid thought the assistants were great, but most have moved on already.

Out of curiosity could you explain why he thought he was snarky and mocking?

NESCACsoccerguy

Quote from: Mr.Right on June 23, 2018, 08:54:05 AM
Quote from: BigEast on June 23, 2018, 12:09:31 AM
Seems like Stewart Flaherty is out at Bates. Bates head coach job posted on NCAA job site, news is he has another opportunity.

https://ncaamarket.ncaa.org/jobs/11171183/head-men-s-soccer-coach


Yea I just heard about this the other day. Apparently, this had been in the works since the Spring. No idea why Bates waited so long to post the opening or announce the parting of ways with Flaherty. Make no mistake this was not because Flaherty got another opportunity. I am not quite sure the exact reasoning but there must have been some off field issues. I have heard he was getting some brutal reviews by some players. Not sure that would be enough to get him fired so there must have been some sort of "incident". It is also possible like I predicted years ago he was just not a good fit at Bates. With him probably knowing of his departure by the Spring when Bates did not renew his contract this will disrupt Bates recruiting for the following year as they will be well behind other schools for rising seniors. I am sure he had this years class pretty much committed by March so I do not think it will hurt for 2018 but who knows. Either way Bates was going to struggle in 2018 no matter.

This is a solid job and I think would be a great fit for a young guy willing to work hard and sell the school and the program to kids. Bates is the toughest school in Nescac to recruit to but not impossible. They have had success in other sports so if you can find the right fit this is a good gig. Pay is probably the weakest in Nescac but as long as you get support from Admissions and you know how to coach and recruit this is a good opportunity. Just off the top of my head Dubois would be the obvious choice. Not sure if he would be interested but I am sure Bates administration is aware of the turn around he has achieved at St.Joes..

Besides the late announcement, I think Bates made the right move.

Heard he was recently offered and accepted a job at Dartmouth, so resigned. Also heard the Bates AD was not at all happy with his move. Not sure Dartmouth hire people who were fired from Bates as you say. If he did get fired, not sure how he managed to get a job instantly after, and accept that job before Bates could even post his.


Mr.Right

Quote from: NESCACsoccerguy on June 23, 2018, 10:51:06 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on June 23, 2018, 08:54:05 AM
Quote from: BigEast on June 23, 2018, 12:09:31 AM
Seems like Stewart Flaherty is out at Bates. Bates head coach job posted on NCAA job site, news is he has another opportunity.

https://ncaamarket.ncaa.org/jobs/11171183/head-men-s-soccer-coach


Yea I just heard about this the other day. Apparently, this had been in the works since the Spring. No idea why Bates waited so long to post the opening or announce the parting of ways with Flaherty. Make no mistake this was not because Flaherty got another opportunity. I am not quite sure the exact reasoning but there must have been some off field issues. I have heard he was getting some brutal reviews by some players. Not sure that would be enough to get him fired so there must have been some sort of "incident". It is also possible like I predicted years ago he was just not a good fit at Bates. With him probably knowing of his departure by the Spring when Bates did not renew his contract this will disrupt Bates recruiting for the following year as they will be well behind other schools for rising seniors. I am sure he had this years class pretty much committed by March so I do not think it will hurt for 2018 but who knows. Either way Bates was going to struggle in 2018 no matter.

This is a solid job and I think would be a great fit for a young guy willing to work hard and sell the school and the program to kids. Bates is the toughest school in Nescac to recruit to but not impossible. They have had success in other sports so if you can find the right fit this is a good gig. Pay is probably the weakest in Nescac but as long as you get support from Admissions and you know how to coach and recruit this is a good opportunity. Just off the top of my head Dubois would be the obvious choice. Not sure if he would be interested but I am sure Bates administration is aware of the turn around he has achieved at St.Joes..

Besides the late announcement, I think Bates made the right move.

Heard he was recently offered and accepted a job at Dartmouth, so resigned. Also heard the Bates AD was not at all happy with his move. Not sure Dartmouth hire people who were fired from Bates as you say. If he did get fired, not sure how he managed to get a job instantly after, and accept that job before Bates could even post his.


Lol...You are correct he was offered a job at Dartmouth as a 2ND ASSISTANT... You know the jobs usually reserved for recently graduated players or in extreme cases total retreads....The latter fits in this case and do not even start telling me this is a "career move"...He was finished either way it just was not a good fit in Lewiston

NESCACsoccerguy

Completely agree it is not a career move whatsoever if you want to stay in Division 3. However, if you want to go to Division 1 it seems to be a good move. A quick bit of research on the most recent former Dartmouth 2nd Assistants shows:

Ryan Fahey - Top Assistant at Notre Dame
Chase Wileman - Top Assistant at Kentucky
Emmett Rutkowski (was a volunteer or third assistant at Dartmouth) - Top Assistant at Stetson (was previously top assistant at Mercer)
Trevor Gorman - Head Coach at Albany

I'm not seeing a record for 2nd assistants prior to Gorman so there may be more. The list of where top assistants have gone on to is even more impressive.

Not sure if Flaherty wants to Coach Division 1 or not, and if this is why he made the move. Not sure if you think it is a good idea/good move or not, but all this might be worth considering.

I also agree that 5-10 years ago and beyond, 2nd assistant was for recent graduates with little/no experience. However, now with much more funding going into athletics, I believe there are many more qualified 2nd assistants at a lot of colleges. At times, experienced coaches are even going into volunteer roles at some colleges.


midwest

For context, Ryan Fahey went with Chad Riley from Dartmouth to ND, so that was not a job he competed for "cold."

Mr. Right -- Flaherty was pretty jerky in his prospect meeting with my kid. By that point in time, my kid had done plenty of those meetings and could handle himself pretty well, but Flaherty seemed to look for ways to mock him. My kid was competitive academically and soccer-wise for Bates, so there was no apparent reason for Flaherty to be disrespectful. I understand guys are competing for a spot and for playing time, so I'm not expecting sweetness and roses from a coach. But he didn't strike us as someone who created a program with a culture of respect. Maybe he was just having a particularly bad day.

Ejay

Oh, now I'm intrigued.  A coach was mocking a recruit? I would be shocked if a coach mocked a recruit with ill intent. Can you cite an example of what he was saying/doing?

Sir.MixALotz

"They add Haverford and ECONN."

Mr. Right love you input on this board, its incredibly substantive and thought.

One item to correct. Wesleyan will play Eastern University the day after Haverford not ECONN. As per the Eastern University website.http://www.goeasterneagles.com/schedule.aspx?path=msoc

Cheers

OldNed

Quote from: Sir.MixALotz on June 23, 2018, 04:52:41 PM
"They add Haverford and ECONN."

Mr. Right love you input on this board, its incredibly substantive and thought.

One item to correct. Wesleyan will play Eastern University the day after Haverford not ECONN. As per the Eastern University website.http://www.goeasterneagles.com/schedule.aspx?path=msoc

Cheers

Interesting - it appears the game is on both school's schedules: http://www.gowarriorathletics.com/sports/msoc/2018-19/schedule

midwest

EB23193 -- he made fun of kid's answers to questions, in a mocking, snarky way. Whether it was with "ill intent" or being a jerk or a bad day that bled into that meeting, it turned kid off a school he was otherwise excited about.

Flying Weasel

Quote from: OldNed on June 23, 2018, 05:08:58 PM
Quote from: Sir.MixALotz on June 23, 2018, 04:52:41 PM
"They add Haverford and ECONN."

Mr. Right love you input on this board, its incredibly substantive and thought.

One item to correct. Wesleyan will play Eastern University the day after Haverford not ECONN. As per the Eastern University website.http://www.goeasterneagles.com/schedule.aspx?path=msoc

Cheers

Interesting - it appears the game is on both school's schedules: http://www.gowarriorathletics.com/sports/msoc/2018-19/schedule

I believe someone got the game input incorrectly in the PrestoSports system that powers Wesleyan's and Eastern Connecticut's websites.  Eastern's website is on the Sidearm system.

Haverford and Eastern have been co-hosting the Jimmy Hill in recent years and the best I can gather, the schedule for this year has Wesleyan and William Paterson coming in for a pair of games as follows:

Saturday, September 8
William Paterson at Eastern 12:00 pm
Wesleyan at Haverford 12:00 pm

Sunday, September 9
William Paterson at Haverford 12:30 pm
Wesleyan vs. Eastern (at Haverford) 3:00 pm


Sir.MixALotz

Thanks for clearing up that scheduling confusion.