D3 soccer in Landmark conference

Started by sokermom, February 03, 2017, 10:12:19 PM

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sokermom

Hi everyone.  New to this board as my son was recruited to play in Landmark conference.  Can someone please tell me what the level of soccer is?  Do D1 players who want to focus on academics and thus chose D3 lose their level of play?  How do players keep up with soccer skills and touches on the ball in off season?  Most programs have fitness built into off season but how about soccer training?  I get the impression that from November (end of season) to February, players basically do not touch the ball unless they train on their own.  I appreciate any guidance you can provide.  Thanks.

midwest

I am a D3 parent -- from what I can see in my son's experience in the off season, they continue to lift, do speed work, play futsal, and depending on weather, play on the practice fields. It seems like the program cannot require the players to do ball work until the spring season begins, but players are certainly still getting time on the ball at their own initiative. 

Each conference has its own rules about the spring season, specifying how many practices and games are allowed.  I'm not familiar with Landmark as a conference, but E'town is an excellent program.  During recruiting, we generally heard that the higher D3 programs overlap with the lower D1 programs.  Congrats to your son. 

sokermom

@midwest, thank you for the response.  Do you know if college players are allowed to play in USDA?  My son graduating early and be still 17 in college.  So he will be eligible to play in Spring. Wondering if he can use that to stay fit and get better wrt soccer. 

Madared

My son plays in the Landmark and I can say the level of competition is high.  Each year there are several teams moving in and out of the top 25, most notably (the last 2-3 seasons): Elizabethtown, Scranton and Drew.  Susquehanna and Catholic have also had very good teams, but have been a bit "down" by the their lofty standards the past 2-3 years.  If you look at the Massey rankings, the Landmark is generally one of the top conferences each year; using that ranking system, it generally falls between 8-15 depending on the year.  Another strength to life in the Landmark is the proximity to other strong non-conference D3 teams such as teams from the Centennial, NJAC, MAC and, for some teams, SUNYAC.  So Landmark teams can choose to schedule some very strong non-conference competition.

My son was also a D1 recruit but wanted to be able to have the opportunity to study abroad for a semester as well as get playing time immediately. What he has found is that he needs to work hard for playing time - players are just as hungry and skilled at D3.  While his level of play has not slipped, the type of play has changed.  While he came form a program that liked to build from the back and retain possession, he has found that sometimes teams need to play a bit more direct.  He also encountered, what every coach said he would, a faster more physical game...and he learned to play accordingly. 

He has a lot of off-season training as they lift and do speed and agility work.   As the coach cannot directly train players during the off-season, the players get together to do specific ball work and small-sided play.  Generally the older players "coach" the younger players if needed; but all of these guys came from strong programs so the "coaching" is along the lines of pointers for how to improve certain aspects of play. Participating in  strength and conditioning work as well as individual work-outs and time on the ball are expectations of the program and all of the players participate in order to prepare for spring ball and take a high level of fitness into summer (where they also follow a rigorous training program of weights and ball work).

So if academics (and other curricular options) are more important to your son he will find a strong, physical conference in a geographical region surrounded by other strong teams.  He and his team will also have the legitimate opportunity to make it to the Landmark play-offs (top 4 teams) where the winner earns a berth to the NCAA tournament. This is an exciting opportunity (and the goal for most teams) for any soccer student-athlete.  I wish him luck in his college decisions.  Let us know where he commits.

luckylefty

The Landmark is a solid conference. As someone else mentioned it's a bit more direct then most conferences in the area.

You son will not meaningfully touch a ball from November to February/March (depending on when they start the spring season). He will play pickup relatively often. But it's unorganized and the level is usually just ok.

The spring season consists of 15 practices over 5 weeks and a play day. On the play day they are allowed to play 180 minutes of games.

If your son is currently an Academy Kid in a well respected Academy he will have a shot at finding playing time early on if he comes in shape.

You cannot play on an Academy team while in college. There is actually an NCAA rule that restricts when players can play for club teams. The Spring Season is one of those restrictions.

You should also understand all of the good Division 3 players could have been Division 1 players. The gap between good Division 3 programs and had D1 programs is very small.

sokermom

@madared and @luckylefty, thanks so much for your responses.  I think I have a better understanding now.  This decision making process is difficult and every bit of information helps.  I am pleased to hear you both vouch for the programs and conferences.  Thanks.

luckylefty

Quote from: sokermom on February 05, 2017, 11:03:57 AM
@madared and @luckylefty, thanks so much for your responses.  I think I have a better understanding now.  This decision making process is difficult and every bit of information helps.  I am pleased to hear you both vouch for the programs and conferences.  Thanks.

I didn't realize he hadn't made his decision. Here is the last piece of advice I will give. If at any point any of the coaches stiff armed you guys or have gone radio silent run as fast as you can. If they are not offering a guaranteed roster spot also run as fast as you can. So many kids get caught in the "try out" or "walk on" conversation. That is code word for "we don't care if you come."

sokermom

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[/quote]

I didn't realize he hadn't made his decision. Here is the last piece of advice I will give. If at any point any of the coaches stiff armed you guys or have gone radio silent run as fast as you can. If they are not offering a guaranteed roster spot also run as fast as you can. So many kids get caught in the "try out" or "walk on" conversation. That is code word for "we don't care if you come."
[/quote]

Thanks. 

Mid-Atlantic Fan

The Landmark, like many others, is a solid conference. If you break it into tiers, the first class tier would be with 2 teams that tend to be NCAA caliber every year. Keep in mind that these 2 teams are usually different every year. The past 2 seasons its been Etown and Scranton. before that it was Catholic and Susquehanna. It all depends on the year. The next tier would be 2-3 teams that are good and competitive and have a shot at winning the league and upsetting one of those top 2 teams from tier 1. For tier 3, like any league from season to season, the bottom 3-4 teams playing level tends to drop off, BUT they are usually competitive and rarely get blown out. So top to bottom the league is solid. Recently Etown, Scranton, Catholic, and Susquehanna have been the cream of the crop in the Landmark and every year those schools are projected and capable of pushing for a conference title. Drew has been a solid team as well but seem to lose steam come mid October the past few years and Moravian, Goucher, and Juniata are all trying to establish themselves and push for conference playoffs. What schools in the Landmark is your son considering? Hopefully he is enjoying the process and I wish him the best of luck with his decision! Let us know where he ends up and hope this assessment helps!   :)

NEPAFAN

A school without football is in danger of deteriorating into a medieval study hall.
Vince Lombardi

franklyspeaking

Is there a way to determine which Landmark Conference team had the strongest recruit class for fall 2017?  Does this type of information exist?

sokermom

Quote from: franklyspeaking on August 01, 2017, 04:59:01 PM
Is there a way to determine which Landmark Conference team had the strongest recruit class for fall 2017?  Does this type of information exist?

Based on my knowledge of local players from academy/top club programs, Catholic I think has the best recruiting class. 

luckylefty

Quote from: franklyspeaking on August 01, 2017, 04:59:01 PM
Is there a way to determine which Landmark Conference team had the strongest recruit class for fall 2017?  Does this type of information exist?

This is an incredibly hard thing to answer.  Nobody really knows for sure, and in conferences like the Landmark where schools are somewhat spread out it becomes even more difficult.  It wont really be discovered until the fall.

Mid-Atlantic Fan

It's hard to tell unless the school releases their recruiting class. Some have done this and others have not. Many of the Landmark teams look like they haven't announced their incoming class yet which makes it difficult to say. Etown always brings in a ton of players and ends up with a solid class every year. Scranton has had some nice classes over the last few seasons and has shown by their record and championships. Catholic from what we can tell has a strong group coming in this fall and should be able to turn the ship in the right direction from the past two down years. Susquehanna tends to bring in a decent amount of players as well. Goucher, Drew, Juniata, and Moravian also don't release their incoming recruits as of just yet. Maybe this is a Landmark trend? Does anyone know why these teams don't announce their class over the summer like Messiah, Lycoming, Eastern etc.?

Mid-Atlantic Fan

#14
Here is last season's poll for reference when this year's poll comes out and how they actually finished the season. I imagine you will see something similar this season. Slots 3-6 will most likely shuffle.

2016 Landmark Conference Men's Soccer Preseason Poll

Teams   Points
1. Scranton   68 (6)
2. Elizabethtown   58 (2)
3. Catholic   43
4. Drew   35
5. Susquehanna   29
6. Moravian   16
7. Goucher   13
8. Juniata   10

2016 Final Standings

Teams      Points
1. Elizabethtown (17pts)
2. Scranton (15pts)
3. Drew (14pts)
4. Susquehanna (12pts)
5. Moravian (9pts)
6. Goucher (5pts)
7. Catholic (3pts)
8. Juniata (3pts)

*Scranton beat Etown in the final*