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Messages - jknezek

#31
Men's soccer / Re: Coaching Carousel
December 07, 2023, 12:05:35 PM
I think you really have to take these with a grain of salt. W&L's Singleton only has 2, and one of them says he doesn't know soccer and didn't make the team better. First off, you don't get an A license without knowing the game. Anyone who's taken the licensing classes above D these days knows they are comprehensive. The fact that Singleton helped design those courses, once upon a time, says something else.

https://www.2adays.com/coaches/michael-singleton-36240

I think a lot of times the people that come give these reviews are the ones with an axe to grind. One thing we've found helping out our local martial arts place is it's hard to get people who are satisfied to go give a review. It just doesn't really cross their mind and when it does, they feel awkward writing comments instead of just clicking buttons, which no one cares about. But the minute someone is upset, that's the first thing they do is go try and tell everyone about it.
#32
Well I'm late getting on here to do this, but to be fair I was tied up with W&L's run to the men's soccer Final Four, I want to congratulate the YellowJackets and wish them well this weekend. They are in the midst of an excellent run and I hope it continues first to the Stagg and then all the way to the Walnut and Bronze! Best of luck YellowJackets!
#33
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
December 04, 2023, 03:19:28 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on December 04, 2023, 03:13:31 PM
Quote from: jknezek on December 04, 2023, 03:07:15 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on December 04, 2023, 02:57:34 PM
Thanks, jknezek.  Not sure I buy #1 but I don't have more to say about it either.

Regarding #4, it is true that probably no coach gets more discussed than Serpone.  But there are coaches, including Singleton, who do get mentioned often.  And why does Serpone get more "credit" for reaching out to opposing players?  For me, that's all part of the rehabililation process wrt to him after he's been lambasted for several weeks in a row.  It's like stlawus' point about giving special credit for what most consider just normal, decent, expected behavior.

I don't feel like he gets "credit" for it, I just think people mention it because they've lambasted him for other things and sometimes you want to provide a little balance. Serpone isn't evil incarnate, he's a D3 soccer coach who I think allows his team more questionable behavior than most. I think he models that behavior by generally jawing at refs non-stop and encouraging a much more animated bench, turning a seeming blind eye when they go, what I consider, is too far.

So yeah, when you say something less than flattering, like I just did, it's not unusual to try and temper it. At least for me it is. It's not giving credit so much as it's just providing a bit of balance.

I stick by my game summary. I didn't see much from Amherst against W&L that seemed unusual other than their physical play, all of which I felt fell along the lines of fouls but not cheap or ugly. I think the ref should deal with it and disincentivize that style of play, but they don't seem to want to do that, so Amherst gets to play that way and they are very successful at doing so.

Do you think Singleton would have suspended players for very aggressive masturbation gestures to a crowd of fans?  I mean, maybe some of us made it too big of a deal.  Maybe it's not a big deal.

That's a question for someone with a player on the team. I don't know Coach Singleton or his discipline policy. I'd like to think so. I think it's a big deal.
#34
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
December 04, 2023, 03:07:15 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on December 04, 2023, 02:57:34 PM
Thanks, jknezek.  Not sure I buy #1 but I don't have more to say about it either.

Regarding #4, it is true that probably no coach gets more discussed than Serpone.  But there are coaches, including Singleton, who do get mentioned often.  And why does Serpone get more "credit" for reaching out to opposing players?  For me, that's all part of the rehabililation process wrt to him after he's been lambasted for several weeks in a row.  It's like stlawus' point about giving special credit for what most consider just normal, decent, expected behavior.

I don't feel like he gets "credit" for it, I just think people mention it because they've lambasted him for other things and sometimes you want to provide a little balance. Serpone isn't evil incarnate, he's a D3 soccer coach who I think allows his team more questionable behavior than most. I think he models that behavior by generally jawing at refs non-stop and encouraging a much more animated bench, turning a seeming blind eye when they go, what I consider, is too far.

So yeah, when you say something less than flattering, like I just did, it's not unusual to try and temper it. At least for me it is. It's not giving credit so much as it's just providing a bit of balance.

I stick by my game summary. I didn't see much from Amherst against W&L that seemed unusual other than their physical play, all of which I felt fell along the lines of fouls but not cheap or ugly. I think the ref should deal with it and disincentivize that style of play, but they don't seem to want to do that, so Amherst gets to play that way and they are very successful at doing so.
#35
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
December 04, 2023, 02:48:51 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on December 04, 2023, 02:27:13 PM
I lost my best post of the year in the latest outage so I'll do an abbreviated version.

I'm sure, whether pro or con, we're pretty much done with Amherst talk, but as we tidy things up I have an observation and a question.

I agree with jknezek about Amherst's sustained, remarkable success for at least a decade and a half making sense.  My observation is about what seems like the pattern dynamics on the board...Allowing for significant carryover effect, every year the antipathy towards the Mammoths grows as the season progresses and reaches peak crescendo level over the last two to three weeks until there is close to a unanimous verdict about the program and a desire for Amherst to get knocked out (excluding of course Mammoths Nation and some NESCAC diehards).  Then some of us (like me in some previous years) see a couple of press conferences with Serpone dripping in charisma combined with direct witness observations of gracious, empathic encounters with players on the opposing teams, and especially players on other teams that were in some degree of a recruitment process with him.  And then there's a feeling in the air of maybe we (and I mean a collective we) went a little far and we conclude with a bit of a correction.  Until the next year verifies everything again and rinse/repeat.

The question is about exactly how expansive Serpone's recruiting goes and how many prospects believe they are truly in the mix to get a spot at Amherst (and I'm raising this with no intent for anyone to go into the weeds on 'tips' and such).  Now I assume that Serpone gets most of what he wants (again, aside from any major admissions issues), but he may miss on some.  One of the announcers noted during the W&L game that he has a neighbor who picked W&L over Princeton (no athletics aspect was implied).  In any case, I would guess Serpone receives inquiries well into the hundreds (or more).  How many does he seriously get involved with, pursue, keep the mutual interest going, etc?  100?  50?  25?  And is there a point when he releases the ones under heavy consideration who he does not offer in the end?
Notwithstanding what I just wrote above, his yield has got to be very high.  Nevertheless, I've heard too many opponent parents publicly and/or privately make a point of noting Serpone's positive embrace and interactions with their sons after games to just discount that.  How does the process unfold concluding with his final selection of 6-8 players each year?  And he can't be the only coach in D3 who recruits hard and who would embrace a recruit who went elsewhere, right?  What's his hook or pitch?  How does he convince a kid that the combo of Amherst athletics and academics won't be too much?

Charisma often is confused with and/or masquerades as character....and is incredibly addictive and difficult to resist.

Lastly, anyone have insight they can share about the Nuhu injury?  In live action on video it did not look like much at all and the announcers surmised that he was milking it and/or trying to draw a card on the St Olaf player, but then they would pan over to the trainer seeming to work with him and he never returned.  Some odd substitutions for Amherst in that final game...and of course one that paid off handsomely.  Curious about ten Cate being relegated to a minor role and also Cubeddu who is so dangerous (but the latter did seem like he was a little banged up).

There's a bunch of different questions in there, so I'm going to give it a shot.

1) We tend to vilify Amherst most when they play rivalries, right? Most of the antics we were distressed about took place against fellow NESCAC schools and especially Mid. So while it's possible (even likely) they may meet a fellow NESCAC in the Elite 8, Final 4, and even Finals, it gets progressively less likely. So the behavior that is most annoying tails off as they go deeper most years. And since they tend to go deep into the playoffs most years, the last game or two is more likely a team without the kind of history that leads to the worst behavior.

I'd also say that by the time you reach the Final Four or Finals, the neutral site makes the crowds much less of an issue for riling players. This year might have been a little different with the proximity to W&L leading to a lot of students lining the fence at the bottom of the stands. But with less crowd, there's generally less provocation. Also, at Kerr Stadium, there are no fans close to the benches, as all seating is across the field and college security moved along anyone who stopped to close to the team benches on that side of the field. So that would also temper the antics and effect of heckling as the benches are not accessible to the crowd at all. It's a good setup in my opinion.

2) Most of the teams that go deep in the NCAAs are probably pulling from similar recruiting files, so it's not unusual that Serpone would have interacted with many of the players at one point or another. Of the people that I talked with who had kids recruited by him, they didn't say how long it went on, but I imagine some were brief encounters at events and camps and some exchanged emails, and some went the distance before the player either chose somewhere else or didn't get through the pipeline.

3) I think the number Serpone "recruits", by the generous definition of "recruits" essentially as talks to at an event or camp, or emails or calls, is probably very, very large starting with sophomores and finally culminating 2 years later with just a few that matriculate. But over that period, I'm sure he speaks with hundreds in each class, if not more. So if some casual contact or just a face to face or two constitutes recruiting, I'd say most players at the top 2/3rds of NESCAC schools, and a significant number of others that end up at the more elite Liberal Art schools with a chance to go deep in the tournament in D3, were "recruited" at one point or another by Serpone.

I suspect he remembers them, especially the ones good enough to end up on teams that he faces in the Sweet Sixteen and beyond, and he seems to make sure to get in touch with them after games.

4) We don't usually talk about coaches too much, or watch their behavior as closely as we watch Serpone's, but I saw Singleton talk to and congratulate many of the Amherst players after the game as well. I think this is pretty common behavior, we just don't much remark on it because we don't much remark on any other coach's behavior.

5) No idea on the last as I did not watch the final.

#36
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
December 04, 2023, 01:56:38 PM
Quote from: Kuiper on December 04, 2023, 01:42:06 PM

The last time the final four was held anywhere as far west as Las Vegas was in 1991 at UC San Diego, so if 33 years is too frequent for you than you might as well just bar holding the final four in the far west altogether (and perhaps give up on the idea that DIII can have a real "national" championship).  If your concern is about holding the final four in a city without D3 programs, then the last time that happened was in 2015 in Kansas City, so it's been almost a decade.  There is one school a little over 2 hours (Westminster) and a few others within a 3-4 hour radius, but none in Kansas City, MO itself or anywhere closer.  The closest DIII to Las Vegas is Redlands at 3 hours and 17 minutes (and that's if you aren't pushing the speed limit  ;)), and La Verne is 3 hours and 23 minutes, so it's not that much different than Kansas City.  If your concern is cost, Las Vegas is probably a cheaper flight and hotels than a lot of locations, especially Roanoke.  It's also easier to get non-stop flights that don't require you to take a long bus ride.  It might even be cheaper to fly all four teams there than many locations where only three teams needed to fly.

It would be more expensive for parents and fans from other parts of the country to get to Vegas than somewhere on the east coast, but Occidental fans traveled to San Antonio and to Amherst(!) in large numbers, St. Olaf fans were in Salem, and Cal Lutheran women's fans even made it to Salem, which is a pretty significant trip.  After all, if EnmoreCat could travel from Australia to Salem, VA, I'm sure he would come next year to Vegas!  My guess is more than a few of these parents and college students have made trips to Las Vegas voluntarily before (purely for educational purposes, of course).

The reality is that DIII schools are part of the college ecosystem that has been the most financially vulnerable and, while schools have been closing everywhere, the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, the traditional base of DIII schools, have had more than their fair share.  The one possible avenue to shore up membership is from NAIA schools in the midwest and far west.  I know some Arizona schools that have been toying with idea of moving to DIII and this is the kind of thing that helps them to demonstrate their commitment to the area.  It's good for DIII's survival to grow in the west and this is probably worth a shot to see how it goes.

I don't have a problem playing it in LA, there are plenty of D3 schools in the area and the SCIAC would be a fine host conference. Similarly there are some locations even in the Northwest Conference I think could host, certainly the weather wouldn't be that much different to Salem so long as you stayed coastal. I have a problem with Vegas. I also didn't much care for Kansas City as a venue. I think D3 should play in D3 supported areas. LA is fine, I think teams out west should catch a break now and then and it's good to waive the flag around the country. I have no problem with championships moving around. Salem, as we both pointed out, has it's own problems. I met some St. Olaf and Cal Lutheran parents in my hotel and had coffee with EnmoreCat. It was great to meet those folks, and I have no problem with the tournament being anywhere there is some support for D3. Las Vegas, and KC, simply aren't it in my opinion.
#37
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
December 04, 2023, 01:18:40 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on December 04, 2023, 12:40:43 PM
The announcers during the W&L-Amherst game commented that there were a lot of "extracurriculars" behind the play that video viewers could not see.  Anyone have any insight about this or know what they may be been talking about?

Having been there it was a very physical game both on and off the ball. On all deadball situations, throws, penalties, corners, there was an incredible amount of pushing and shoving and grabbing and grappling. W&L players were just being trucked over every time the ball was played into the Amherst box, whether they were the ball target or not. So if that is what the announcers were talking about I'd agree.

If they were talking about extracurriculars after the play was over, I did not see anything significant. I didn't see anything I'd call unsportsmanlike on the field. No pushing or shoving over tackles, no groups of players confronting an opponent, no purposely late kicks or punches if they thought the ref wasn't looking. It was physical, but I didn't see anything I'd consider a cheap shot type play if you get my meaning.

I'd just say the ref was very permissive in what he allowed Amherst to do deep in their territory. He was much less permissive about it on goal kicks and punts and 50/50s out toward midfield, and I have to believe this was his compromise to keep the game under control, but to try to affect the outcome as little as possible.
#38
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
December 04, 2023, 10:52:24 AM
Quote from: soccerpapa on December 04, 2023, 10:46:00 AM
Having finally watched a full Amherst game, along with some of the comments/sentiments expressed on this board a couple questions/comments:

1.  What is the draw for this program?  They do not play a good brand of soccer.  They play the type of soccer perpetuated at the youth level.  Big/aggressive kids that lack technical/tactical skills using size/aggression to win games.   (not saying the Amherst players aren't good players but the style of play does not showcase this if they are indeed technical/tactical)

2.  Their coach has multiple masters degrees in leadership yet his team lacks leadership as noted by antics, lack of self discipline/control. 

3.  Why do refs allow the players to get away with the repeated fouls?  One plater in natty had 2 hard fouls early on - easy yellow yet not given.  Refs could put an easy end to this behavior by controlling the game (and I am not just saying for this team - seems like refs are hesitant to give yellows in general this past year)

1) It's a program that wins at a top tier academic school in a top tier soccer conference with a coach who is one of the best recruiters in D3

2) I think the team has leadership, I think it's just more permissive than most posters on this board think is appropriate. The behavior that we find over the top is modeled by the leaders, and with a very animated coach who is often found bending the ref's ear all game long. The bench is encouraged to be loud and active all game long. That is leadership, it's just not the leadership I prefer. However, all the Amherst parents I spoke with in Salem say their kids love Serpone. And even a few players/parents from opposing teams loved being recruited by him and respected him.

3) This is the one that gets me. If the refs would crack down on the physical play it would become a detriment. As I said in the W&L/Amherst game, the ref was very consistent and seemed not to want to make the game about him. So a lot of fouls were called out by the midfield circle, but the same infraction was not called in and around the penalty box. It's frustrating.
#39
Quote from: crufootball on December 04, 2023, 10:11:50 AM
Quote from: BSCpanthers on December 03, 2023, 11:37:37 PM
Quote from: Cowboy2 on December 03, 2023, 05:24:17 PM
Quote from: BSCpanthers on December 02, 2023, 04:03:09 PM
Trinity ended the season with 2 losses, one to North Central to who everyone is losing this year.  The other to a non-playoff team in St Johns.  R-MC has destroyed everyone up until today, and finally proved they can win a game when it gets tough.  To me, R-MC now has a better resume then Trinity ended with.  Trinity's best win was against Berry, who didn't even get a sniff as a Pool C, even though I thought they should have.  Everyone here was quick to tell me nope, wasn't going to happen.  All you Trinity folks needed to get on the Vikings bandwagon and get them into that Pool C slot.

R-MC is my Region 3 #1 team.

Well RMC is playing good ball that's for sure!

However, until it's over and there is a common opponent, not at a neutral field, I'll still have Trinity at #1. I mean Trinity did beat HSU who beat UWL. They had a bad game against NCC. It happens, but that team is legit.

Your take is about like Trinity losing to UMHB in the first round (3-13) the year they won a natty and BSC losing to them the second round. So was BSC better than Trinity that year because they beat Huntingdon the first round and Trinity lost?

Each game has different game plans. Some players are healthy. Some teams match up better. I also think Trinity fans were on the bandwagon for Berry to get a Pool C just like they all were the last couple of years for BSC getting in the discussion.

No, because unfortunately, we all saw Trinity beat BSC on the last play of the game both years.  Once with defense the other on offense.  Also, those UMHB games were back to back and Trinity had a much better showing then we did, we got run off the field in the rain. 

I'm saying R-MC is now 13-0 and still playing while Trinity is 10-2 and sitting at home.  R-MC boat raced everyone during the regular season, and won their second round 46-0.  I'm not saying Trinity isn't a very good team, I'm just saying that I'd put R-MC as the #1 team in Region 3 for the final poll.

Maybe this is implied by your ranking but do you think RMC beats Trinity more often than not if they played this year

A few weeks ago I'd say Trinity would have won 8 of 10. Now I'm not so sure. We don't have a very good comparison, and I'm not sure NCC will be one if it comes to that as Stagg Bowls have added pressure second round games don't.

Here's the thing, Endicott boat-raced Hardin-Simmons, much to my surprise. Cortland St squeezed past Endicott. Trinity securely beat Hardin-Simmons. We will see how R-MC does against Cortland St, but at this point, I'd have to say R-MC and Trinity would end up somewhere around splitting games.

You can go back and look at my post from Trinity at B-SC. I was pretty clear Trinity didn't look like the dominant South Region teams I've seen in the past. UMHB and Wesley when I saw them in person looked on a different level than D3 teams. Trinity didn't to me. They looked very good, but not like an different level national title contender. What NCC did to them kind of proves that out. NCC is that dominant level, and we can clearly see what a team that is really National Championship worthy did to Trinity. It wasn't pretty.

I don't imagine NCC would beat R-MC any worse, which would still make for a pretty crappy Stagg if it comes to it. But I hope we will get a chance to find out.
#40
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
December 04, 2023, 10:16:13 AM
So next year the Final 4 is in Las Vegas. I'm going to go on record as saying I hate when the NCAA does this. Closest D3 school to Las Vegas? One of the SCIAC schools at 3.5 to 4 hours. I don't have a problem with moving it around the country, but I do have a problem moving it to areas that simply have no interest in D3. I get weather in late Nov/early Dec is an issue. Even Salem was not very nice weather-wise. But I just don't understand giving it to an area that forces just about everyone onto a plane. Salem may not be the easiest place to get to, but it's driving distance for most teams in the lower midwest, mid-atlantic, even parts of the northeast and south. The areas with overwhelming D3 support.

Sure Salem is far for St. Olaf and Colorado College, but you aren't choosing to play out toward them in December anyway. Las Vegas??? Uggh for everything except weather and, hopefully, facilities.
#41
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
December 03, 2023, 02:31:50 PM
So I finally got home really late last night, and I'm sure very few people will care about my thoughts on Amherst-W&L at this point, but I'd rather get them out.

First, Amherst was dominant in the first half. They won almost every 50/50 ball, controlled the midfield, especially from circle edge to edge, and the only thing that kept W&L in the game was a great save by Joseph and another very good save by Joseph.

Second, once the second goal went in, W&L changed. They went from playing tight to realizing that it no longer mattered and they just needed to go for it. All of a sudden they started to win the 50/50s, they started to control the midfield. For example, McCarty in the second half and both OTs was everywhere breaking up plays and starting combinations, where in the first half he was harder to find. W&L simply imposed themselves on Amherst and the goals felt inevitable. Frankly, a third goal in overtime felt inevitable as W&L put the wood to Amherst.

Third, the change in the game was helped by Amherst starting to lay back a little more after the second goal and then visibly tightening up after W&L's first goal. While they still had chances, thanks to their style which I'll get to in a minute, they were being pushed harder and harder and they did not respond well at all in my opinion.

Fourth, Amherst's style makes my eyes bleed. It combines the worst of all aspects of American soccer historically. The fact that it works is a constant reminder of why American soccer continues to be played this way. I remember being pulled from games at 12 years old by my father, who learned about soccer watching VHS tapes and barely knew the difference between a soccer ball and a beach ball, for simply hoofing the ball down the field for strikers and wings to chase. What makes it even worse is they clearly have plenty of extremely talented players who can string passes together and make short runs and combinations, they just have zero interest in playing that way.

Fifth, W&L tried to out ugly Amherst in the first half. Or they just were so tight they couldn't string any passes together and constantly kicked short balls into or off of defenders. It was not pretty.

Sixth, Amherst is big, strong, fast and physical. The ref was extremely consistent in the game he called, and that game allowed Amherst to just plow through players way more than I would have liked. W&L's McCarty's yellow for simulation (edited: I thought  it was him but his yellow was for something else) was deserved, but it made me laugh given the 6 or 8 times W&L players were actually plowed or tossed or wrestled and were not given a call. But the ref set that tone early and he kept it pretty much through the whole game, so it was up to W&L to adapt. The ref seemed to me determined to not make the game about him, and I think he did a very, very good job of it, at the expense of allowing Amherst to play how they wanted to play.

Seven, I have criticized Amherst's antics in the past. I'm going to applaud them for this game. I saw very, very few. The celebration after both goals was fine in my opinion, and after the penalty kicks, and after the game, and I saw very little from the bench or coaches like I have seen in other games. I know a poster or two has commented about things, but I truly did not see it. The first goal was an absolute banger. That player should be proud of the strike he put on the ball.

There was a huge contingent of W&L students there and they were vocal. 60% of it was positive for the Generals, 40% of it seemed like heckling. Of the heckling, I only heard a few things from the W&L crowd I thought was over MY line, and it usually involved a curse word. It also was only a couple people, and other students near them usually told them to chill and pipe down. So for the size of the crowd, I thought it was ok.

I thought the Amherst team handled the heckling as they are supposed to. They simply didn't react in any appreciable manner. The only reaction I saw was after one PK make who turned to the crowd. And I'll simply say this, the PKs were taken at the W&L end. You either turned to the crowd or you turned to W&L's bench. He had to turn one way or the other. He celebrated as he turned and I wouldn't begrudge him that celebration as the crowd had been on him all night when he was on that end calling him short and other mild taunts. He earned his rather muted reaction and I have no problems with it.

After celebrating, at their end in front of their fans, many Amherst players consoled the W&L players they knew or marked. Frankly I give them high marks for sportsmanship. So while I've criticized them in the past, I am willing to applaud them today. As for Amherst fans, I heard some stuff from them I thought was borderline just like I heard from W&L's fans, but none of it on either side touched on the major no-nos of race or sexual preference. I talked with several Amherst fans and parents before and during the game and had nothing but positive interactions.

Eight, the PKs. There just isn't much to say. They were ugly. I ran bleachers the one time I ever sent a PK high and, even though I made it, my h.s. coach was furious when any of us did it. It was automatic bleachers. I never had a single coach who thought attempting to send a PK high was a good idea. So I don't know if it was nerves, or weather, or just something that seemed a good idea at the time, it was a very bad set of PKs pretty much all-around. Just way more bad for W&L.

Finally, it wasn't the prettiest soccer game I've ever seen. I'm not sure I could ever say that about a game Amherst plays with their current style. But it was hard fought and fun to watch. Amherst had the better of the first 50 minutes, W&L had the better of the rest, and while I wish the Generals had progressed, a tie was a fair result.

W&L is now 1-2-1 against the NESCAC (yes the game is officially a tie), and I hope they will continue to progress in the tournament and get chances to even that record up. I appreciate the season from the Generals, and I very much appreciate all the posters, parents, players, and fans I got to meet on this trip. Finally, I want to thank the student athletes, without their sweat and effort and love for the game we wouldn't have this unique little corner of the internet to play in.

Edited to correct the yellow card for simulation
#42
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
November 28, 2023, 08:24:25 AM
While I don't like turf for soccer, Kerr Stadium is quite nice for a D3 facility. Given the weather, playing on a natural grass field could be very messy this weekend. I'd prefer that not to be a factor in these games, especially since, given the remaining teams in the field and what I know of their styles of play, I suspect Amherst would have the biggest advantage on a sloppy field.
#43
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
November 27, 2023, 10:45:31 AM
Nice to see the board is back up again. Sadly the weekend weather is looking less than cooperative.

Friday high 40s/low50s degrees with a 70% chance of rain
Sunday 50s with a 60% chance of rain.

The temps are fine, that chance of rain though. Cold drizzle is less than optimal.
#44
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
November 18, 2023, 04:33:56 PM
Quote from: flyingdutchman on November 18, 2023, 03:55:35 PM
Quote from: stlawus on November 18, 2023, 12:54:35 PM
Phenomenal no call by the ref at the end of the Tufts-WL game.   Tufts wanted a penalty and he sold it well, but on the replay he wasn't even touched.

Please get your eyes checked. I am not sure what game you were watching but that penalty was clear as day. I saw it live on the stream and rewatched it multiple times. He gets zero ball, if he had gotten any of the ball it would have changed direction. His cleat does not go under 11's leg, it goes right into him.

https://tuftsjumbocast.com/. Minute 3:17 of the game or 1:45:15 of youtube video, if you want to see it yourself.

I watched it more than a dozen times on YouTube but just can't get a clear frame of the defender touching the offensive player.

I definitely don't see him getting the front foot, it's very clear between 145:19-20 that the front foot is up and over the defender. There was no chance for contact on the front foot.

In that same time period the ball is past the defender's foot, so it's also clear to me he doesn't get the ball as I agree the trajectory doesn't change. I did get a frame on a lucky pause where the foot looks like it hits the ball, but the camera angle would lead to that conclusion as well, as would the Ref's positioning looking straight down the line at ball and defender's foot, so you'd have to go by trajectory from the angle and by how quick the ref makes the signal, I don't think he looked at where the ball went.

I can't tell if the defender touched the offensive player's back foot or not. There was no lucky pause that showed me that split second. A little before, a little after, nothing spot on despite multiple attempts. But the fall, which is essentially a face plant, is exactly what I'd expect to see if the back foot is touched while the body continues on. No coincidentally, it's also how I would sell a dive as an offensive player on that play.

Heck of a call not to make at that point in the game, heck of a call to make at that point of the game. If you aren't sure, you don't call it. It's also worth noting the assistant ref also makes no move with his flag like he's intending to call a foul. It stays completely down and he just continues on running with the ball as it is cleared. To be fair, the ref made the no-call motion really fast, so maybe the assistant would have had more reaction given a bit more time, but the ref was very definitive very quickly.

I'm not sure I'd describe a penalty as "clear as day", but even as a W&L fan, I'd say the video evidence points to the Generals getting a favorable call. On the balance, not touching the ball is kind of a key factor, even if I'm not positive there was player to player contact, though I'd say the evidence favors it.

Again, I suspect from the position of the ref, and the camera, with foot coming straight at the ball, it may have looked like the defender got it and the ref made his decision based on an angle that was imperfect.

Tough call in a split second.
#45
Glad RMC won. More of a squeaker than I felt it should have been.

As for the Chesapeake Bowls, the ODAC teams laid an egg. W&L won everywhere but on the scoreboard, as an inability to convert decent drives to points did them in. A pair of fumbles gifted Lycoming short fields for 10 of their 20 points.

Wilkes rolled over Bridgewater. I don't know if the ODAC teams didn't take the games as seriously or if the Landmark teams, neither of which had great seasons, are just showing the ODAC still has a ways to go.

Either way, not a great look for the ODAC.