NESCAC

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

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Mr.Right

While waiting for Liverpool and Chelsea to begin the 2nd Half I might as well tackle some other Nescac's. Let's take a look at Wesleyan.

Wesleyan had never missed the Nescac Tournament in Wheeler's 18 years until 2016. You can now make that 2 years in a row after a really disappointing season in Middletown this past year. They had enough talent to make the 2017 Nescac Tournament in my estimation and did go 5-0-0 out of conference with some wins over WPI, Vassar and Swat. They did beat Conn and drew Williams but still finished 7-6-2 and 2-6-2 in Nescac. Besides lopsided losses to Tufts and Amherst they had four 1 goal losses which in years past would have been draws or maybe even wins. The past couple of years they just have not been as solid defensively and in net as they used to be. Surprising because this is usually Wheeler's bread and butter. They have enough young talent on this roster to turn this around as long as they can get another solid recruiting class and beef up defensively and in net. They might need some more size in the back to deal with some of these Nescac squads.

GK---Brian Harnett---I was not a big fan at all as when I tuned in I usually saw some GK errors that cost Wesleyan games and goals against. Might have been the smallest GK in Nescac this year. He was quick and could make some nice reactive saves but when I tuned in he was always bobbling distance shots that should have been easily caught. Also, he was weak on crosses that should have been dealt with or atleast punched out. Wheeler had confidence in him though as he started all but 2 games. He did get benched at Halftime at Bowdoin early in the year after giving up a soft goal. Their is only one other GK on the roster a 6'1 Frosh Chris Franklin from Maine. He won his 2 starts against some decent teams in Vassar and Wheaton(MA) that could score goals but he Shutout both teams. Still you have to wonder why he did not receive more playing time or given the chance to start some Nescac games. Maybe it was a Senior / Frosh thing but Wheeler has never had problems benching Seniors in the past. Either way I have not seen him play so i cannot really comment but with he being the only GK on the roster I am sure Wheeler will be bringing in another GK or two next season. A wait and see here but Harnett is definitely replaceable.

B---Nick Jackson---I was a big fan of this kid as he was quick and tough at CB for Wesleyan. He was a true competitor and worked his butt off every game. His Grandfather was legendary Wesleyan Men's Soccer and Lax Coach Terry Jackson who in the early 90's had some really great sides with a ton of talent. He also coached Bill Belichick at Wesleyan for Lax. He has started almost every game for Wesleyan since he was a Frosh. He was their undisputed leader and was pretty dangerous attacking set pieces. His biggest goal of his career had to be the header he scored at Tufts last season to beat the eventual NCAA Champs. That all being said I started to wonder if he organized Wesleyan's defense as well as he could because they did give up some soft goals to lose games the past 2 years. I really do not know for sure. I would like Wheeler to find some more size in the Back and hopefully not give up to much quickness. Jackson will be hard to replace right away especially his leadership and competitiveness but there are enough options on the roster and recruits coming in to do this. Still it might take a while for a new CB and GK to get on the same page.

M/F---Charlie Livingstone---This kid had some skill and was a technical player but just not quick enough with the ball at his feet. He was a lauded recruit that other Nescac's were looking at. Still he had 1 Goal in 4 years. With his talent I would have guessed he would rack up about 7-8 goals in his career so that 1 Career Goal is a massive disappointment. Worked hard but I am not sure if he was the fittest kid. A good player and a nice player off the bench for a good Nescac team but not a consistent starter. He can be replaced.

F----Adam Cowie Haskell---He came onto the scene right away and produced some serious goals for a side that is usually struggling to find a finisher. I think he might have had 5 goals his Frosh year and some GW Goals. He finished his career at Wesleyan with something like 20 goals and 6 GW Goals. That is fantastic production for a guy that was not the quickest or most skilled on the field but had a nose for the goal. He played at a good soccer power at Thayer Academy and not sure his club but he was not a heavily recruited kid IIRC. Also, those 20 Career goals were impressive because later in his time at Wesleyan he was oft-injured a ton. Only played 12 games his JR year and 7 his SR year. Wesleyan will miss this kids production but he finished his career on a real high note by grabbing the GW Goal in his last game at Conn. Since he was injured the past 2 seasons a ton he will be a little easier to replace but it will be tough to find a striker with his production. This could take some time.

M-----Garrett Hardesty---Hybrid type player that could play midfield and up top or even wingback if asked. Contributed 5 goals last season with a big one in a tough loss to Amherst last year. Got 1 goal this year. He is a typical Wheeler type player coming off the bench or starting getting 45-50 minutes a game and working hard. Still these type guys are a dime a dozen and will be replaced with no problems.

M/F---Martino Barzaghi---A bench player that saw limited minutes. He had size but was not a big factor in his 4 years. I really do not remember him all that much so i have no opinion on this kid.

B---Taylor Chin----I was actually a big fan of this kid coming out of Andover. He was quick and very technical. Had a ton of skill but was certainly lacking in one important factor and that was toughness. Just was not a physically tough kid at all. That was his M-O coming out of Andover and that is why some Nescac's passed on him even with his skill. I felt he was more of a flank player or even an attacking midfielder but Wheeler used him at wingback for pretty much his entire career. He was not a good defender in my view and could be knocked off the ball rather easily and beaten 1v1 by good flank players. Shame because with his skill I thought he could have been more of a factor attacking goal for Wesleyan. He did overlap a ton at wingback and had the speed to track back but to me not a true defender. He can be replaced.

M---Aaron Stone---Another bench player that saw limited time. Like Barzaghi I have no real opinion on this kid as I did not see much of him.

The 2 biggest losses will be ACH and Jackson and they will miss both players. Still this side is still young and has talent so I am expecting much more next season. With only a couple JR's on the roster it will be interesting to see who will be their captain(s) next season. Komar Martinez-Paiz is by far their most gifted talent and will need to come up with some big goals next year. They will need him big time. The question will be is he a leader? Not so sure but he will likely be named Captain but I could see Wesleyan naming ever dependable Teddy Lyons as their lone Captain next season. Something to watch for.




1970s NESCAC Player

MR, regardless whether followers of this thread agree with your assessments of individual players, based on the sheer volume of work you put into these summaries, I have to give you a +k for each post.  Thanks for the effort!

blooter442

Quote from: 1970s NESCAC Player on November 25, 2017, 04:33:37 PM
MR, regardless whether followers of this thread agree with your assessments of individual players, based on the sheer volume of work you put into these summaries, I have to give you a +k for each post.  Thanks for the effort!

Seconded. Very impressive summaries that signifies an unparalleled breadth of knowledge.

(As an aside, 1970s NESCAC Player, I passed by Mayflower Hill today. Pretty impressive new field!)

1970s NESCAC Player

Quote from: blooter442 on November 25, 2017, 04:37:45 PM
(As an aside, 1970s NESCAC Player, I passed by Mayflower Hill today. Pretty impressive new field!)

I haven't been on the field since it was finished.  My son graduated a couple of years ago, so I rarely make it back during the season.  When I spoke to Seabrook after the Tufts game in September, he stated his belief that it is the best facility in the league.  Glad to hear some corroboration.

Colby slid into oblivion in their last three games, which was very disappointing after beating Amherst.  Hoping next year will be the year with all those returning seniors.

firstplaceloser

Quote from: blooter442 on November 25, 2017, 04:37:45 PM
Quote from: 1970s NESCAC Player on November 25, 2017, 04:33:37 PM
MR, regardless whether followers of this thread agree with your assessments of individual players, based on the sheer volume of work you put into these summaries, I have to give you a +k for each post.  Thanks for the effort!

Seconded. Very impressive summaries that signifies an unparalleled breadth of knowledge.

(As an aside, 1970s NESCAC Player, I passed by Mayflower Hill today. Pretty impressive new field!)

I thirded! excellent summaries. maybe have one person try to follow a conference every year and do this. i'm pretty sure I could do a few NJAC teams

Brother Flounder

Quote from: firstplaceloser on November 25, 2017, 06:12:00 PM
Quote from: blooter442 on November 25, 2017, 04:37:45 PM
Quote from: 1970s NESCAC Player on November 25, 2017, 04:33:37 PM
MR, regardless whether followers of this thread agree with your assessments of individual players, based on the sheer volume of work you put into these summaries, I have to give you a +k for each post.  Thanks for the effort!

Seconded. Very impressive summaries that signifies an unparalleled breadth of knowledge.

(As an aside, 1970s NESCAC Player, I passed by Mayflower Hill today. Pretty impressive new field!)

I thirded! excellent summaries. maybe have one person try to follow a conference every year and do this. i'm pretty sure I could do a few NJAC teams

Fourth!, Mr. Right doing work!

Mr.Right

Quote from: 1970s NESCAC Player on November 25, 2017, 04:33:37 PM
MR, regardless whether followers of this thread agree with your assessments of individual players, based on the sheer volume of work you put into these summaries, I have to give you a +k for each post.  Thanks for the effort!

NP...I might as well do them while some of these teams are fresh in my head and a lot of dead time between now and Final 4. Usually a week or 2 after the Final 4 I am not on here as much so this is a good way to wrap up the seasons of Nescac teams. I will try to get to as many as I can.

Mr.Right

Middlebury had a nice bounce back season this year. After getting snubbed by the NCAA Committee the past 2 seasons they got one of the 19 Pool C Berths this year after a very solid run to the Nescac Final and a last minute loss to Tufts in that Final. I thought in late September / early October Middlebury looked about as bad as I have ever seen them look. They had lost 3 of 4 games with an unconvincing 1-0 win over Plymouth State sandwiched between shutout losses to Colby and Tufts and a loss to Bowdoin. In those 3 games they got smacked around giving up 3 to Bowdoin, 2 to Colby and 4 to Tufts. 9 goals let in over 3 Nescac games might be the worst Saward has ever done defensively in 3 Nescac games in his career. Not only that they looked AWFUL in all 3 games showing defensive mistakes and a lack of creativity on offense. Basically they sucked. However, after the Tufts smackdown they strung together 6 Wins in 7 games and all were 1-0 shutouts. That is impressive. They also started to look like a team again and were showing the talent they have on this roster. Goulart, Potter and O'Grady stuck out to me but certainly Moffat and Robinson were huge factors on that backline.  Also, the emergence of this Frosh Reid up top and they really started to look like one of the better teams in Nescac. The great news is ALL those guys will be back next year..ALL..I was a bit disappointed in their quick exit to Stevens at Cortland St in the NCAA's as I imagine they were also disappointed. They lost on a very questionable PK call by the ref in the 89th minute as IIRC it was a handball but it was a shame. Midd dominated Stevens IMO and I believe they hit the crossbar and post in the 2nd Half but just could not finish. They should of advanced and I would have given them a solid chance of beating Cortland to advance to play at Messiah the following weekend. That would have been an interesting match with two different styles. Either way a nice way for Saward to finish his career in the NCAA's. Midd will lose very little from this team.

GK---Jeremy Yeager--This kid rode the pine for 3 years backing up former GK Sydor until called upon his Senior year. He started every game and played every minute in 2017. That is impressive. He was a good GK IMO. Nothing great but good. Made some nice reactionary saves whenever I tuned in and came up with some big saves late in the year against Williams and Conn. You cannot really complain about him in net as he had a 0.93 GAA in 19 games PLUS 10 SHUTOUTS. Saward was a GK (We have a ton of coaches in Nescac who were former GK's which is strange) and he has ALWAYS had legit GK'ing except maybe in 2012-2013 before Sydor arrived. The new coach Elias was not a GK but a Captain of that fantastic team and NCAA Championship run in 2007. Midd has three other GK's on the roster besides Yeager so I would imagine they will all be given a chance to win the job. They are all mysteries to me so this is a wait and see.

M---Jed Sass----This kid was a solid player. Nothing flashy but I do remember 2 superbly hit free-kicks that hit the back of the net in Wins v Amherst and Hamilton this year. So he alone won two HUGE games for Midd this season. That is nothing to sneeze at. Still he kind of disappeared later in the year and really never contributed more than those 2 Goals for the rest of the year. He will be replaceable.

B/M--Enzo Weiner----He is a big boy and very capable in the air. He just had the injury bug his whole career. I could be wrong but I think he was injured all 4 years at Midd at one time or another. A big body and leadership guy but can be replaced.

B/M--Brad Willis---Another big body that was good in the air. He saw some significant minutes off the bench his last 2 years but again he is replaceable.

M---Trevor Schmitt---Saw 11 games in his 4 year career and I do not remember him at all. Enough said.


So that is it. If O'Grady can come back fully healthy and be injury free his senior year he will be the team's leader and I am assuming its Captain. With all the other guys returning like skill guys Goulart and Potter plus the whole backline Midd should be a very tough out in 2018. It will be interesting to see what kind of recruits Elias brings in and if he puts his own stamp on the program right away. Will he play the same system and style? He has enough talent to switch it up and will be something to watch for early next year.

Mr.Right

Lets take a look at Trinity now. They lost a ton to graduation last season but I still thought they would do a bit better this year. They finished a horrific 4-10-1 with an even worse 1-8-1 in Nescac. They did beat Wesleyan,WCONN and ECONN but still should of done better. With a new AD in place Pilger needs to be careful here as he really needs to hit the recruiting trail and turn this ship around IMO. There is no reason Trinity could not be competing for Top 4's every year with their admissions advantages and beautiful campus and facilities. Brand new field this year should help. Still the talent on this roster is very thin and will become even thinner with some key guys graduating.

GK---Mateo Zabala---This kid split time in net his first 3 years with graduated GK Domenic Quade but was named Captain and played every minute of every game in 2017. I gotta be honest I was not a fan. Another reactive type GK on the smaller size but not that small. He was consistent in the fact that if you watched him for 90 minutes you would probably see a couple things. 1. About 4-5 absolutely amazing reactive saves to keep his team in the game. 2. About 2-3 absolutely disastrous decisions and indecisiveness whether it was charging off his line or not coming fast enough off his line. 3. 1-2 GK errors that led to goals. His career finished with a Red Card against Amherst in what was an almost brawl near the end of their game v Amherst. In 33 Career games he had only 4 Shutouts and Trinity does not play the hardest of Out of Conference schedules. Trinity has 3 other GK's on the roster but who knows what kind of talents they are. The only one with any playing time is Soph Patrick Simpson who played against Amherst in 2016 and let up 3 goals on 4 shots in 14 minutes of relief. That sounds ominous but who knows. Zabala should be replaceable.

B---Alex Bednarek---Was impressed that he came back to play his Senior year after deciding to not play his Junior year. A very talented player with good athleticism and skill. Started basically every game since arriving in Hartford and was part of a fantastic side with Beachside SC in CT. A true competitor and leader there was only so much he could do with the lack of talent around him on Trinity's backline. I believe the rest of Trinity's backline were all Frosh and Soph so that was some rough sledding all year. This kid is just not replaceable next year IMO. He is that good a defender. For my money he is one of the top 3 defenders in Nescac.

M--Scott Brazina---This kid did a ton of dirty work for Trinity. He worked his butt off every game I saw him play in. Not a 90 minute player but a consistent starter for Pilger since his Soph year. A hard worker and had some skill but his biggest attribute was his work ethic. He left his best game of the year until his final game of his career with a Goal v Amherst off a Hope-Gund bobble of a long range shot. I remember the game as Brazina hustled to follow up Savonen's shot and was in the right place at the right time to finish off Hope-Gund's GK error on a rainy night in Hartford about 3 weeks ago. He kept the pressure up on Amherst as I believe he hit the post and crossbar in the 2nd Half but could not get the equalizer. Still a solid showing to end his career. Pilger should be able to replace him but they will miss his leadership.

F---Cody Savonen----This kid was a beast. In his 4(5) year career he finished with some really impressive numbers against some solid defenses. 61 Games, 29 Goals, 11 Assists and 103 SOG...More impressive was he got all those numbers without having sometimes the best of talent around him. A quick tough kid that had no problems creating his own shot. His All-Nescac Selection was warranted. I will say I think his brother was a better player but his brother was a stud. Along with Bednarek this kid is just not replaceable next year at all..Trinity struggles to score goals and his 8 goals will be impossible to replace..I will say 6 of his goals were against out of conference foes so that is a bit of a negative but that really is nitpicking. he had plenty of Nescac goals in his career. A competitive kid he was not going to finish his career quietly as he picked up a Red his final game v Amherst. Still he was a fun player to watch.

M--Tim Peng-----Was surprised to see him as one of the Captains of this bunch but maybe he was an off-field leader. Either way he had some skill and decent work ethic but nothing that jumped out at you. A good role player who probably got 45-55 minutes a game and did his job. Certainly replaceable.


Mr.Right

Hamilton now....They finished 8-7-2 and 4-5-1 in Nescac. I hate to say it because they lost some VERY key seniors last year but I thought they would do a bit better especially in Nescac because the league was down. They had such a great year in 2016 with a ton of promise making it to the Nescac Final that I just assumed that would continue no matter the players that graduated because they had plenty of talent returning. Instead what we got was a truly inconsistent side in 2017. You really never knew what you were going to get when you tuned in. Would it be the absolute lackluster and unacceptable performances at Williams (1-2), at Oneonta (1-4) and at Tufts (0-4) or some of the better performances like 1st Half at Bowdoin, a fantastic 4-3 gut check win at Amherst, the 0-0 draw at Home v Amherst where they were the better team and an unlucky 0-1 loss at home to Tufts where they played VERY well. Those 3 losses to Williams, Oneonta and to end their season at Tufts were BAD..Came out of the gates uninterested, not focused and not giving 100%. I will say 2nd Half at Williams they played much better after I am sure a tongue lashing by Nizzi at Halftime and 1st Half at Tufts they played with energy and purpose but were just over matched. I was disappointed in their approach at Tufts in the Nescac Semi-Final. They tried to play it the same way they did at Home v Tufts and were pretty compact defensively to begin the match but gave up an early goal and had to change their approach. They then tried to attack Tufts thru the middle of the field which was a disaster as they were giving the ball away at will. They had a couple decent chances in the first few minutes of the 2nd Half but could not finish. Once they gave up the 2nd goal they threw in the towel. They never had a decent look again and gave up two soft goals that led to the Tufts rout and ended Hamilton's season on a real bad note. Must have left a real bad taste to end your season like that and maybe that will stick in their mind all off-season.

Pete Calleri--Backup GK his entire 4 year career at Hamilton. Got into 8 games and started 3. I never saw him play so I have no real opinion. Backup GK's are a dime a dozen and I would like to see Nizzi bring in a solid GK to compete with Soph Cadwell as he had some inconsistent performances in 2017.

Jack Temko---Interesting story here as he played a ton of games as a Frosh and Soph up top and out wide with decent production. Had some speed and skill but never saw the field again as a JR and SR because of injuries. He could of helped this side off the bench in 2017 but an unfortunate situation due to injury problems.

Eli Lichtman--An integral part of Hamilton's backline the past 2 years. A solid defender but when I tuned in sometimes was making careless errors that could have been avoided. Was not the biggest of guys but had decent speed and skill. Kind of a poor man's Sam Ward. From a distance it looked like he would lose focus for a split second sometimes on set pieces or losing track of his man that would cost Hamilton a goal or 2. I think he is replaceable especially if Nizzi can find a bit more size and not lose any quickness. I would like to see more like a Jacob Frost type player in this position who played for Hamilton a couple years ago and was an exceptionally hard worker and a real tough kid.

Eli Morris---This kid from a distance looked to be one of Hamilton's on and off field leaders. He played significant minutes in midfield his whole 4 year career. Not the most skilled but an extremely hard worker and you could see would get the boys pumped before and during games. A field general type. I was a bit surprised he was rewarded with an All-Nescac selection as I thought he was a good player but not a great player. A physical type player that was not afraid to mix it up with opponents and was a good tackler. Also, could thread the needle on occasion to spring Wood or Schmidt. He will be missed but certainly can be replaced with the talent returning for Hamilton. Will be interesting to see who Nizzi puts in this position though.

Matt Kastilahn---Played wingback for Hamilton this year and was a solid player. I do not really remember him his JR year but maybe that was due to injury. Had speed and skill and also got an absolutely key goal at Amherst in the Nescac Quarters to cut Amherst lead to 2-1 at the time. That was his lone goal of his career but he got it when it counted most and started what was to be an amazing comeback for Hamilton in that game. To be honest the goal was a bit lucky as Hope-Gund should of been able to get at it but you cannot score if you do not shoot and Kastilahn did just that. Again though whenever I tuned in he did not look to be the best 1v1 defender but had enough speed to track and stay with guys. Made a horrific mistake in the Williams game when he made a lackadaisical back pass to his GK that was picked off by Williams and finished. That mistake and another defensive mistake cost them the game. I just do not know how focused he was for 90 minutes as a defender. Still a solid player that will be missed but can be replaced right away.

Killian Clancy---A decent bench player for Hamilton that would give them some energy when he came onto the field. Made a couple starts in his career and did get 3 goals in 2016 so he was productive off the bench. From a distance seemed like a good team guy that knew his role and accepted it.

Joe Harrington---Another bench player that would give Hamilton some energy when he came onto the field. Was a physical player that had the size to deal with Nescac teams. He really only started to play this year but I thought he deserved more minutes when i tuned in. Nizzi apparently did not agree with me as he only started 1 game but I thought he dealt with the more physical big Nescac players much better than some of his teammates.

Quinn O'Malley--A consistent starter for Hamilton the past 2 years. His competitiveness and leadership will be sorely missed. Had plenty of size to deal with opposing teams long throws and monsters up top. I think Hamilton will miss this kid more than some of the others just for his size and consistency. He never jumped off the screen to me but more importantly he did not make many mistakes when I tuned in. I would have liked to seen him get on the end of more set pieces though as with his size he could have given Hamilton a couple more goals. Will be missed but replaceable.

Matt Cerveny---The big Alaskan tree...Just about every Nescac was interested at first because of his size and possible potential up top. Eventually landed at Hamilton and played in 32 games mostly off the bench and finished with 3 goals. Obviously not the quickest or most skilled but an interesting and dangerous weapon just for his size up top. Nizzi kind of used him sparingly as he could be a liability if you were not generating any set pieces and frankly had issues as a striker holding the ball on his feet and giving solid layoffs to his teammates. Good kid but can be replaced.

Hamilton returns a ton of talent and if Nizzi can get another solid recruiting class in here they will all have one more year of experience. I do give Hamilton credit as they were one of the few teams in Nescac that tried to play some futbol. They would keep the ball on the ground as much as they could and props have to be given to Nizzi for that. Will be expecting much more next season though as I think they could contend as they have certainly gotten used to Nescac now after 7 years.

Nescacpro

Hello all,
I'm new to this forum, but have had much enjoyment reading it. Although i have been able to follow the nescac closely, i never found a place where people discuss this until now. I enjoyed reading what people have to say and how in depth these articles are on players and teams. Did anyone happen to catch the NEISL all star game . I was there and thought the nescac players had the strongest showing by far compared to the other guys. Thoughts ?

blooter442

Quote from: Nescacpro on November 29, 2017, 02:09:50 AM
Hello all,
I'm new to this forum, but have had much enjoyment reading it. Although i have been able to follow the nescac closely, i never found a place where people discuss this until now. I enjoyed reading what people have to say and how in depth these articles are on players and teams. Did anyone happen to catch the NEISL all star game . I was there and thought the nescac players had the strongest showing by far compared to the other guys. Thoughts ?

Didn't see the game, although looking at the rosters there were not that many NESCAC players there. How is the selection for the game done? I would imagine many players have conflicts re: Thanksgiving and not getting back to school until late Sunday/Monday...do they choose people and then bring in alternates based on who can/cannot come?

(In no way am I suggesting that the non-NESCAC players weren't worthy...I am glad that guys like Remillard, Cunha, and Sesay -- very good players in their own right -- achieved recognition.  I am just curious as to what the process is, as I'm sure there are other players who would be deserving but were unable to attend for whatever reason.)

On another note, I was happy to see van Siclen get All-Region 1st Team honors (and I think that van Siclen, Mullen, and Woodhouse were all deserving goalkeeper choices). Based on my calculations from his stats each season, he set Bowdoin career records for minutes played, goals against average, and shutouts. I think, even with how good Dan Hicks was when I saw him, van Siclen was better...perhaps someone who has followed Bowdoin longer than I have can chime in.

Nescacpro

Awesome to see Van Slicklen receive the recognition! Is there a link you can post to these awards, I'd love to see the other rosters. I'm not sure how these teams are selected as for the all star game but I'm assuming most 1st team all conference guys are offered spots as well as other stand out players in the region. I  was able to catch the game and thought it was exciting to see some talented players on the same field. I hadn't caught a lot of trinity/Bates this year but the guys who represented were phenomenal IMO. Mate merchant played very well , and Scott Brazina of trinity assisted savonen on both their teams goals. Wish some tufts or Amherst guys had been present


Mr.Right

#5894
Colby.....What a roller coaster ride this team had..Problem was it crashed at the end..Before the season began I thought of Colby as a well coached outfit and very organized defensively. I still was not ready to believe they could be somewhat dynamic in attack. I knew I was wrong the first game I watched them play this year against Williams. They lost the game but they showed pretty well in attack and had enough weapons to be dangerous. They finally had the speed(Rosenberg), long throw(Clouse), worker bees(Smith and Heilbron), size and decent GK to put a solid season together. They might have been the unluckiest team in Nescac this year but also showed what can happen to an inexperienced and young team. They finished the year 6-6-2 and 3-5-2 in Nescac. They lost a heart breaker to Tufts in OT on a very questionable PK call from a ref that was at the center circle when he called it. They lost to Williams 1-0 in a game that at worst should have been a draw as Williams had 1 decent chance all game and scored on it. Had a 2-1 lead on Conn in the 88th minute and let up a great goal by Lockwood to even the game up at 2-2 but should have been able to hold on and finish that game out. Finally the complete meltdown to end their season v Bates with 24 seconds left in 2 OT. Add up all those results and had the ball bounced their way or had they not lost focus for split seconds here and there you are talking about a possible Top 4 in Nescac and a solid regional ranking. Instead they completely crashed and burned at the end of the year losing their last 3 games at Bowdoin(0-1), at Hamilton(0-2) and v Bates(0-1) all while being shutout in all 3 for a combined 290 minutes of scoreless soccer to end the season. Who would have thought after such an electric performance in a Win v Amherst(2-1) in 2OT that Aoyama's goal in the 105th minute would be the final goal they would score all season. After that win v Amherst and even after all their unlucky results they sat at 6-3-2. Had they played like they did v Amherst they could have won their final 3 games or at least finished 2-0-1. It was not meant to be as they absolutely sucked at Bowdoin as they came out flat and had only two dangerous chances all game. Against Hamilton, they got outshot 20-3 and let up 2 SOFT goals. 1st goal was a GK error as Gibson got screened and Hamilton finished off a relatively weak shot. Defender could have closed him faster or at least blocked the shot. Still a ball Gibson had to have. 2nd goal was off a corner and a free header. Complete loss of concentration on defense as someone got picked or lost their man. The Bates game was a much better effort but it was to little to late. On October 15th they sat at 6-3-2 and were regionally ranked in New England and NINE days later their season was over. It is a shame because they would have given Tufts a serious match in the Nescac Q-Final. They matched up very well against Tufts and that would have been a very tight game. They did accomplish quite a bit this season with wins over Midd and Amherst and will be returning a ton of talent next season with another year of experience under their belt. Believe me they will remember the way this season ended all off-season and will be that more prepared next year. Seabrook's first year at Colby was 2014 and IIRC he did not get hired until early 2014 which means this years senior class was basically Serdjenian's. With only 4 seniors(minus the Heilbron transfer) on this years roster you can tell the recruiting might have gone missing a bit in between the coaching change.

Chandler Smith----Was a big fan of this kid from the get go. He played in about 55 games and started all but one. Seabrook used him right away as a Frosh as a holding midfielder and he effectively took the opponents best player out of the game as he was in his mug all game. Later would play defense and hold but he was a tenacious player. His athleticism and mentality were apparent right away. After watching him for 90 minutes you could tell he was almost indefatigable. Very fit and also a solid tackler. What he lacked in skill he plenty made up for in these areas. This will be a big loss but can be replaced with new leaders and players that are willing to work just as hard.

Aidan Black---Solid bench player with good work rate and athleticism. Nothing that cannot be replaced. He did have one of Colby's two dangerous chances against Bowdoin. Off a long throw and flick the ball was on his right foot about 6 feet from the net with Van Siclen on the floor and defenders lunging at him but he was not quick enough and his shot was blocked. A legit chance that could have tied that game up.

Andrew D'Anieri--Saw very limited minutes in his career and I do not remember seeing him play so I have no real opinion here.

Evan Dwyer----Solid player on defense for Colby in his career. For whatever reason he did not play nearly as much as he did earlier in his career whether due to injury or better players brought into the system.

Avery Heilbron----See Chandler Smith and add a couple inches and more skill. This will be their biggest loss this off-season. He can be replaced but again they really need a couple of these rising Seniors to take on the leadership roles that he and Smith had. Very solid player.

I am expecting Colby to be a very hungry bunch next year. Expectations will and should be very high. If Seabrook brings in a solid recruiting class then this teams goals should be a Top 4 in Nescac and competing for an NCAA berth. They have plenty of talent returning to accomplish this. It is on Seabrook IMO to beef up the non-conference schedule and get this teams SOS's above .600.