NESCAC

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

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LaPaz

another year begining way to late for Nescac but I digresss.
I didnt get to any games this wknd but will catch a few next wknd including a HUGE Mid at Amh Sunday game.  From what i have read seems like the most exciting game was the Wes 3-2ot win over Bowdoin. I heard Wes field was unplayable so they had to play on a real short field on campus. Bowdoin looks like the strongest team on paper this year except for a glaring weakness in goal. I noticed Eddie Jones didnt play, is he injured?  Big loss in net for Bowdoin, but other than that they return almost everyone plus an addition b/c Hunter Clark was out all year last year. They will be tough. Good win for Wes.  Williams seemingly had an easy road win at lowly Bates. I hear they have a very good freshman class.  Trinty and new(old) memeber Hamilton played to a 1-1 draw, I'm willing to guess hamilton will not match last years 9-3-3 record having to play 10 Nescac games now.  Conn with a good road win over Colby 2-0, could be a surprise team even with the loss of Prophet.  Who will score for them aganist tougher competition? Finally Tufts gets a great opening draw with Midd and with new freshman Santos plus all the returning guys this new coach for Tufts will have them competing at their best in maybe 5-7 years. 

LaPaz

Today the Nescac schedule takes shape.  Because of Hamilton's inclusion to the league you will start to see mid-week league games and tons of sat/sun back to backs. Basically in 50 days teams will play 14 games, on agvg of a little more than a game every 3 days if u include Nescac playoffs. Should be interesting. So Hamilton will travel to Williams and after a 2 1/2 hr ride will face off aganist one of the toughest Nescac Opponents.  I am predicting a 4-0 Williams win..Good bounce back wins for Bowdoin and Midd. A bit of a disappointing draw for Wes aganist an improved Springfield and a disappointing loss for Trinity aganist Woc.State. Why as a coach you would schedule a mid week night road game on turf aganist a physical hungrary team like Worc.STate is beyond me. I mean they should have gotten a result but you have to make your schedule work for you to

LaPaz

9/17 Predictions: Havent seen many teams yet but will give it a try and after the weekend will have seen more teams.
Williams v Trinity 2-0
Well my prediction almost ran true it was Williams 3-0 not 4-0, but I didn't realize they would have to play on the turf yesterday and possibly Saturday.  That takes some getting used to. I believe the 3 weakest teams in NESCAC are prob Bates, Hamilton and Trinity and maybe Colby. Since Williams opens with the first 3 they should be 3-0 after the wknd. However, Trinity does have weapons including Mayernick, Buckley and a cpl promising frosh. Their D-line is always decent maybe a tad bit slow but decent but I have always said there real weak link is in goal and maybe in not having a target striker to play with Mayernick. 
Midd v Colby  1-0
Havent seen either team yet but this seems like a usual score that holds true.  Colby long trip, early game time and prob not much scoring punch.
Bowdoin v WNEC 2-1
I love this game on the schedule. WNEC coming off a complete trashing of Keene St.  As always they will be extremely fit and running and subbing and running.  It will be curious to see the end result because if Bowdoin takes WNEC lightly they will have a rude awakening. However, I think Bowdoin has more talent and athleticism and will outlast the golden bears.
Amherst v Bates 2-0
This matchup has been heavily favored to Amherst since 2005. Bates had there share of great games against them, one win I remember at Middlesex School maybe 6-7 years ago. Since then all Amherst and really no contest. Last year I was all over Bates for laying down against Amherst in a mid-week home game against them losing 5-0. I was at that game and couldn't believe the lack of effort and purpose from Bates. They do seem to be a bit stronger this year and always solid defensively and I like their Midfielder Murphy, he can strike a good ball. Amherst coming off a disappointing OT win against Bridgewater St and are just more talented than Bates in every area.

Hamilton v Conn 0-1
Tough week for Hamilton. Lots of travel and not a great team. Keeper is weakness, there backs are ok middies ok and strikers are dreadful. They are going to have to get some secondary scoring from somewhere this season. I like CONN in this game and like them as an improved side this year. Well coached and the coach is starting to get his recruits in there and build a team that he desires. 
Tufts v Wes  2-2
Wild game of weekend. Tufts is much improved and can be dangerous offensively more than in past years. Wes is a solid team, lots of returning starters and Hazelett always seems to come up with big goals and of course MY #1 keeper in Nescac Purdy.  Always liked him since he was a frosh and took them to NCAA sweet 16.

NEsoccer

Prediction Game

Good that after this weekend well get to have seen every team play at least one NESCAC game.  I like adding Hamilton to the league, although its too bad it means we dont get to see every team in action each weekend.

Midd v Colby (1-0)

Still hard to get a real sense of the teams so early, but in a game between a team that traditionally struggles and one that usually is strong (especially in a game at Midd), i think Midd will come away.  The fact that they might be looking ahead to Amherst the following day will make this one close.

Amherst v Bates (3-0)
There doesnt seem to be too much to say one this one, Amherst usually handles Bates easily, even when they don't play well.

Trinity v Williams (1-1)
I'm not sure what to make of Williams yet.  I dont remember User form years past, but he seems to have come out of the gates firing.  There two wins so far have both been big but against weaker competition so I'm not confident they really represent how good Williams will be this year.  Trinity can be tough at home.  Ill say they play well enough to earn a draw.

Hamilton v Conn (2-1)
I think Hamilton will get its first NESCAC win in its first home conference game.  I like Conn's new coach, but where will the goals come from without Prophet?  In this game I think someone will put one in, but it wont be enough.

Tufts v Wesleyan (2-0)
I think Tufts can really surprise this year (maybe even host a NESCAC playoff game?)  Wesleyan isn't going to be bad either, as beating Bowdoin showed (is Jones hurt?) but I like Tufts, who like Conn seems to finally have a coach who'll make some noise in the league.

9/18
Trinity v Bates (2-0)
I have no idea, just not sure Bates has a road win in them, even against a team that probably is middle of the pack at best.

Amherst v Midd (2-1 in OT)
This is certainly the marquee game this weekend matching two of the top three NESCAC teams from recent years (not ready to put Bowdoin up there with these two and Williams yet).  I really like Amherst a lot this year, they didn't lose too much from and were really lucky to bring Tsatsimpe back for another year (one of the most underratedly talented players in the league).   They also have Jae Heo back who was a stud as freshman when Amherst won the league and went to the final four.  Him and Noon up top could be quite dynamic.  I noticed Mooney hasn't played at all, yet they are 2-0 (seems like they outplayed Bridgewater in the previous game but struggled to get one past their keeper).  Midd's tie at Tufts I dont believe, as I have let on, is as bad of a result as years past, and they handled Norwich easily.  Is Lyvers the boy who once played for Colby? I remember him being one of their better players.  Macnee, Redmond and Pitney are dangerous.  Should be a good one.


NEsoccer

Certainly some interesting scores.  Colby (v Midd) and Conn (v Hamilton) both getting road wins surprised me a little.  From the first game I think it might reflect more that  Midd might be in for some trouble this year rather then Colby about to shake things up.  We'll have to see how they respond on the road today against Amherst.  Conn might be for real this year.  I know their two conference wins are against Hamilton and Colby, but if you want be a top team you've got to take care of lesser teams even away from home.  Conn still hasn't let up a goal.  The mid-week game vs Wesleyan will be a good barometer of where each really is at.

From what I read it seems Wesleyan and Tufts weren't playing the prettiest game, but a good win for Wesleyan nonetheless against a team I expected to make at least a little noise.  Not surprised Williams and Trinity drew, tough place to play.  Williams lost a lot from last year.  They never drop off too much, but could be in for some ups and downs this year.

Truthfully the score that surprised me most was Bates getting two goals on Amherst.  Don't think of Bates as particularly potent, although one did come on a PK.  Two of Amherst's four captain didn't play at all, not sure if they're hurt.

11 teams means more games, so right back at it today. I like that.

LaPaz

           What an incredible weekend of soccer, concluding with a performance by Amherst as dominant as some of those Williams' Jamaican teams.  I was so impressed by Amherst weapons all day. They are by far the most athletic team in Nescac and also have the most depth in the league.  #19 Heo is the difference maker from last year to this year.  He is the complete player up front and is so composed in front of the net(4 goals).  The third goal in the Amherst trashing of Midd by Heo was a beauty.  The most athletic player by far is #15 Tebs, he looks like a man amongst boys out there.  I wasn't as impressed with #24 Caslin or #27 Fikke but he has the long throw.  They are most dangerous up front with #9 Noon and #19 Heo with #4 Sucre behind them winning absolutely every ball in the air.  He takes the spot of Rothkopf for sure.  I liked the wing back #6 Aoyama as he is a skilled playe, not as impressed with other wing back #20 Lerner, but he is ok. #12 Kaplan played well but on set pieces he can be seen by everyone except the ref for holding and basically hugging players and not letting them get to where they need to go. I mean some good players barely saw any action #8 Gooden #11 Rooks #7 McNamara played a bit.  They have enough weapons to withstand 2-3 injuries throughout a season, and I didn't even see Mooney.

  Midd wasn't all that bad on the day and took it to them 2nd half a bit and had a couple real good scoring chances but couldn't finish. Mcanee was injured? #5 Pitney had an extremely good game for Midd creating some opportunities for himself and others. I thought the transfer from Seton Hall #3 was skilled and served a good left footed ball.  The rest were just ok #4 Redmond did not have a good day and neither did #7 Brazier or the transfer from Colby #11 Lyvers. I thought the frosh #8 played ok. #2 Colluci is a decent wingback but Heo turned him in knots before his 3rd goal. You can see Midd is struggling to finish their chances so far this year. I wouldn't write them off yet (never do) but they have to get on a roll and a visit to Bowdoin next weekend wont help that cause.

Jim Matson

Heo is a special player and Amherst has a team this season. Maybe better than 2008?
Managing Editor, D3soccer.com

truenorth

The start of this NESCAC season seems typical--whacky and highly competitive.  There will be some great games this year, as well as some unexpected results.

Amherst sounds like they've started out on quite a roll, helped by the return of Heo.  That said, I'll predict right now that no team is likely to get through the NESCAC schedule 9-0-0.

I'm the parent of a Bowdoin senior, and it's bittersweet for me to realize I'm nearing the end of a 4 year collegiate soccer journey that's been a lot of fun.  I know that a number of coaches and players are not entirely happy with the schedule this year.  With the addition of Hamilton to the schedule (welcomed by everyone), the NESCAC college presidents naturally decided not to extend the season on the front end by a week. 

The result is that there are several weekends of tough back-to-back games with long travel in between.  Bowdoin, for example, hosts Middlebury on Saturday and then boards a bus for Williamstown to play Williams on Sunday.  Not ideal circumstances under which to play two of your biggest league rivals.

All the teams have some version of this at some point in the season.  It puts a lot of strain on tired and injured bodies.

In contrast, my older son played D1 for an Ivy team and, other than an opening season tournament, they typically played all of their games on Wednesdays and Saturdays, allowing the body at least some chance of rest and recovery between games.

dacac

I know it's early, but how about some predictions for the the final nescac standings.

NEsoccer

I agree with TrueNorth that the NESCAC will probably have some refining to do as far as make the 11 team schedule work.  I believe the NESCAC is built on the ideal that academics come first, but is having games Sat/Sun really better for a student than Wed/Sat?  Also it's one thing for a Mass team to play back to back games away to Maine teams to reduce travel, but a lot of these weekend a team is home early on Saturday and then away on Sunday.  I think Amherst is better than Midd, but could Midd having to play home/away in back-to-back days contributed to their sluggish first half?  On the whole though I'm don't think it matters too much, each team seems to have some tough weekend (Bowdoin and Wesleyan are the victims this weekend).

Heo definitely makes Amherst far more prolific than the last two years (a little off subject, but his action shot on the NESCAC site is tremendous).  Noon has been a good up top for Amherst the last two years, always seemingly in the right spot, but Heo's skill and imagination are rare for DIII.  On top of all that, as LaPaz said Thebe in the midfield is huge.  I think he is remarkably underrated and brings a lot to the table.  I remember him being listed as a senior last year, so fortune seems to be shining bright on Amherst for him and Jae Heo to be together for this year.

ECSUalum

Dan 's Mayernick two goals were too much for ECSU this afternoon as the Trinity Bantams defeated the Warriors 2-1 in Hartford CT.
This is the third straight loss for Eastern against Trinity.  :-[  Eastern scored 23 min into the first half on a penalty kick by Matt Esposito after he was pull down in the box.

Trinity really needs to find some one who is capable to operate a video camera.  Most of the game the camera was pointed away from where the ball was being played!!!!  It was soo bad I gave up watching at half time and went to live stats.  :'(

LaPaz

Wasn't there but sounds like from the report Wesleyan controlled the game vs Conn and is now 3-0 in Nescac.  Maybe I overrated Conn a bit and it might take them a little longer to build a solid program. The loss of Prophet is going to be to much by the end of the year as they will not be able to score goals against the top 5 of the league.

9/24 Predictions:

Midd at Bowdoin  1-1

I like Midd to bounce back from that drubbing by Amherst and at least get a draw in this game.  Bowdoin is very tough at home, but I am still not convinced of their goalkeeping. Midd finds a way to get a goal and some kind of result in this one. Bowdoin's season could swing either way with this game and Williams up on Sunday. 2 wins and they could roll all season. Midd needs a result more than any team in league right now.

Williams at Wes   1-1

I have seen Wes twice this year and am impressed.  They have the same team as last year but the players are one year older now and they understand what they need to do to win games. #6 Hazelett and #8 Paresi come to mind. Purdy has 3 shutouts already this year. Williams is missing Romero and his goals. The kid User has 3 goals but he is not a goal scorer and they lack that finishing touch that Amherst has with Heo.  They seem solid in the back but I am unconvinced of there 3 CM's when they play a 4-3-3. They give the ball away to much for my liking. #13 Angus Kennedy is improved but the other 2 need to step it up a little. Williams has been lucky the last few years at Wes to win but they may have revenge on their minds since Wes knocked them out of the Nescac's last year.

Trinity at Conn    2-0

I hate this game prediction. Trinity is the most unpredictable team in Nescac.  They have the talent to contend for the top 4, but sometimes they do not get motivated against certain teams.  Whether that is the players or coaching or lack of focus, I have no idea.  A 1-1 tie with Williams and if not for a late goal almost a victory shows that Trinity can hang with the big boys. Mayernick is now coming into his own and starting to rack up goals. Solid defensively and in midfield but they need better goaltending.  They would have won the game at Willliams if not for a horrible keeper mistake, coming to get a ball proceeding to drop it and then Williams player knocks it in. He is a good keeper just makes some dumb mistakes occasionally that costs his teams points. Conn I think I made a mistake on and just is not ready to contend. Conn's field is the worst in Nescac and can be a home advantage but they don't have the firepower to keep up.

Amherst at Hamilton 4-1

I went into Amherst in great detail in my last post so I will skip that this time.  I do not think there will be a let down game here. Hamilton just does not have the weapons that Amherst has. 

Tufts at Colby  1-0

Colby coming off a huge win against Midd.  Still think Tufts has more talent and will sneak a late goal to win this.

NEsoccer

I thought Conn might have be a serious threat to finish in the top four with both Bowdoin and Midd seemingly struggling (granted it is still really early) but losing at home to Wesleyan in their first real test might indicate otherwise, especially if the game is as LaPaz noted.  Are Amherst, Wesleyan, and Williams going to be the class of the league this year?  Bowdoin clearly has played one league game so its hard to get a real gauge, but I hope so. Even though Amherst/Williams is obviously the best rivalry I always get the impression that the mutual respect between the two keeps those games civil, whereas with Wesleyan, for whatever reason, that doesn't exist making Wesleyan/Amherst and Wesleyan/Williams games a little more heated.  When the teams are good...all the better. 

9/24
Bowdoin v Midd (2-1)
I think both teams are going to come into this game desperate for a win.  Midd's desperation, with its terrible start, is clear.  For Bowdoin I think having to see themselves at the bottom of the standings (even though its meaningless since they've only played one game) will add some fire.  Really hard to sit around for two weeks with the taste of a NESCAC loss swishing around in your month.  I don't think Midd is as good.

Wesleyan v Williams (1-0)
These teams are probably pretty even, I'm giving a slight advantage to Wesleyan because they are home, on their small field, and have a better goalie.

Amherst v Hamilton (3-0)
Does this game feature the largest talent gap in the league?  Doesn't mean Hamilton can't win, I just don't think they will.

Don't really have anything to say about the other two games.  They could really go in any direction. 

9/25
Bowdoin v Williams (2-1)
I think this is the most interesting game of the weekend by far. This is a massive weekend for both the Polar Bears and Ephs. First off, each will have a played a tough game the day before and both will have to travel (Bowdoin a bit further) for this game.  Not sure if that sort of nullifies some of Williams' benefits of having this on at home.  Eddie Jones has been back for two games now but hasn't started in each.  TrueNorth probably knows more about his status then anyone else.  I know I said earlier I like when Williams is part of the top tier (as they pretty much always are) but i think they could take a serious hit this weekend.  Nick Powell is off to a fantastic start, albeit against some non-NESCAC competition, games in which players have historically been able to rack of the stats. They also appear to have two freshman who have been getting on the score sheet, to go along with the always stout defense anchored by Bishop.  I like Bowdoin a lot and think they will be back up near the top of standings after coming away with their second big victory of the weekend.




truenorth

It's always fun, and of course highly speculative to predict NESCAC game results.  With the crowded 11 team NESCAC schedule this year (crammed into a ridiculously short period from Sep. 10 to Oct. 26) and many back-to-back weekend games, I believe surprise results will abound.

Just because Amherst and Wesleyan have won their first several games does not mean they will remain hot all season.  Likewise, just because Middlebury has struggled early (but have outshot their opponents) and Bowdoin dropped an OT decision to Wes, doesn't necessarily mean they'll struggle all season.  Both Midd and Bowdoin have a lot of experienced talent back from last year's NCAA Elite Eight teams and will have an impact before its all said and done.

Lapaz commented that Trinity has the talent to threaten for the top four.  That may be true, but I suspect when the dust has settled, we may find that last year's clear top four (Amherst, Bowdoin, Middlebury, Williams in alphabetical order) will be tough to displace, even by a spirited Wes side that is off to a great start.


NEsoccer

A week with some serious dramatics. From the reports, Wesleyan slid one in with just under two minutes left in the second OT to knock off Williams and Bowdoin tied it up with just seconds left in regulation.  Was anyone at either game?  I love to hear how those goals happened.

Hamilton looked to play Amherst better yesterday than they have been playing other teams.  Maybe that will translate into their first conference win against Wesleyan today.

I'm really impressed with both Amherst and Wesleyan (if Trinity can beat a quality team they might become part of the discussion).  They seem to be on the verge of distancing themselves a little from the pack.  It might be a little tougher for Amherst though. I was looking ahead at some of the schedules, in a span of 8 days Amherst is away to Williams, Trinity, Colby and Bowdoin.  I can't recall any stretch in that difficult.