Newmac 2017

Started by Off Pitch, June 20, 2017, 07:55:37 PM

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PaulNewman

This Coven story is wild.

In other NEWMAC news, WPI first goal....Brendan Nemes scores assisted by Paul Beatty.  Former Silver Lake HS teammates when Silver Lake almost went undefeated.  Beatty went to D1 UMass-Lowell and obviously transferred, and now likely the fastest kid in D3.  Blazing fast and a clinical finisher.  WPI is a team to watch.  Seriously.

PaulNewman

And on cue Beatty scores his first tally for WPI.  Remember the name.  If healthy may be 1st team AA.

Mr.Right

Interesting...Will have to catch the kid play as Wesleyan is at WPI in a couple days. Game to remember

Saint of Old

Somewhere Coach Cush was smiling watching his Boys on Saturday.
Here was a Coach barely 50 and way over 300 wins at a winning percentage that proves his knowledge of the game and ability to teach what he knows.

One of his worse losses was to SLU a few years back in the NCAA's and man did Wheaton do a good job to get a measure of payback.

They were up 3-0 and then 5-3 and probably deserved to win that game, but hats off to these young men for channeling what must be crazy emotions to make their former and I'm sure current coach proud.

Also, how classy a guy is Coach Coven.
This shows why he is so respected by coaches who have seen his character over the decades.
The entire story is sad and inspiring at the same time, and shows that these men are so much bigger than themselves or even the schools they represent, but are teachers of life first and foremost before being soccer coaches.

RIP to a great coach.

Now the SLU game is out of the way, I really hope these boyz win all their remaining games and have a great run  ;)

Off Pitch

Week 1 recap (in order of 2017 predictions):

1.  Babson  - 2-0-0   Babson starts with wins over Liberty League foes Saint Lawrence and Clarkson.  The good news for the Beavers is that they scored 3 goals in each game.  Given their recent history of offensive impotence against strong competition, this may bode well for this season.  Additionally, they have played so far without expected starters Ventura and Fromhein.  Now comes the hard part with two contests against 2016 Final Four oppoents:  at National Champions Tufts 9/6 and at Brandeis 9/9.  Success might be 0-1-1.  Does any team in the country have a tougher week 2 schedule?

2.  Springfield  - 1-0-0    Springfield starts the year where they left off last season - dismantling an incredibly weak opponent.  The Pride beat Lasell 9-1.  Lasell is coming off a 1-17 season with its only victory against even more woeful Wheelock.   The 9/6 game against Gordon should tell us a lot more about this team.

3.  Clark  - 1-0-1    Clark starts 6 Sophs and 11 of the 16 players that played in both opening contests are Sophs or Freshmen.  This is a team on the rise.  The Cougars will be tested today at Rhode Island College and even more so 9/9 vs. Dean.

4.  Wheaton - 0-1-1    Wheaton experienced a nightmare week with the tragic loss of Coach Cushing.  Their weekend games went on as scheduled and the school brought in Mike Coven as interim coach.  Surrendering 8 goals in two game is certainly worrisome, but who can say whether this represented the real 2017 Wheaton side.  My guess is that the Lyons rally around Coach Coven and will benefit from the difficult part of their schedule beginning three weeks down the road.

5.  WPI  - 2-0-0    WPI starts with two shutout wins.  This is a defensive team, but poster PaulNewman reports that they have a new transfer who is a potential difference maker.  The Engineers 9/6 game vs Wesleyan will be interesting to watch and will provide a better read on this year's team.

6.  Coast Guard - 1-1-0   Coast Guard struggled through their opening weekend with a loss to a weak Westfield State side.  As only 5 teams qualify for the NEWMAC tournament, it is difficult to see the Bears as a legitimate challenger for one of the top 5 spots based on their unimpressive start.

7.  MIT - 0-1-1   MIT is scoreless for 2017 following netting only 13 goals in all of 2016.   It is shaping up to be a long year for the Engineers.

8.  Emerson - 1-0-1   Emerson doesn't play a team with a winning record from 2016 until game 6 vs Clark.  The Lions may win a game or two along the way with an extremely weak schedule.

Off Pitch

Springfield convincingly defeats a respectable Gordon team 3-0.  The stats make it look as one-sided as the score as Springfield also out-shot Gordon 22-6.  Gordon finished 12-5-2 last year including a win over Tufts.

Ommadawn

Springfield just notched a late Sunday road win in NJ over Stevens in the second game of a back-to-back to remain undefeated.  After watching snippets of Wheaton, Babson, and Springfield over the past week, my initial impression is that Springfield is going to be a tough out.  The soccer may not be attractive, but they play with intensity and seem to have a pretty deep bench.  As noted previously in this thread, scoring goals might be something of an issue against the stronger teams with Alvaro having graduated, but the Pride seem to have the resilience and resourcefulness to show well over a long season. 

Mr.Right

God is Springfield UGLY to watch....They just do not even attempt to play futbol at all. Still a good start to their season

Off Pitch

Week 2 recap (in order of 2017 predictions):

1.  Babson  - 0-2-0  (2-2-0)   Babson loses twice by one goal to Tufts and Brandeis.  While this was not unexpected, a key stat is that the Beavers are only generating 8 shots per game.  That is a dismal number and is indicative of a failure of the midfield to possess, build, and create opportunities.  They have a chance to get well tomorrow vs Lesley and then have an early must win game at home Saturday vs. WPI in what will likely be a 1-0 game one way or the other.

2.  Springfield  - 2-0-0  (4-0-0)    Springfield squeaks by Westfield St 1-0 and bests a decent Stevens side 2-1 on the road.
As observers are noting, the Pride plays an incredibly (ugly) direct game.  If there is a lateral pass, it is only because that pass presented a better opportunity for the next guy to send the ball down the field.  Their athletes and numbers will likely continue to overwhelm weak opponents, but this style may not bother Coast Guard Saturday.  However, Springfield should prevail 3-1.

3.  Clark  - 0-1-1  (1-1-2)    Clark ties a rebuilding Rhode Island College and loses to Dean 1-0, a game in which the Cougars played only 13 players.  They now have a chance to build some positive momentum this week against Colby-Sawyer and Emerson.  Prediction:  Clark 3 - Emerson 0.    They will need more depth to compete for an upper half finish in the conference.

4.  Wheaton - 1-1-0  (1-2-1)    Wheaton wins on the road against a reasonable Western New England team, and then gives Keene State their first win of the season.  The Lyons are yielding 3.3 goals per game, and Coach Coven must put his stamp on his team's defense or my 4th place prediction may be accurate.  Make no mistake, this team has as much talent as any team in the conference.  The good news is two likely wins this week against New England College and MIT - two teams that do not score much.  Wheaton over MIT 3-1.

5.  WPI  - 1-1-0  (3-1-0)    WPI lost to Wesleyan 1-0 and won against Mass. Maritime.  The Engineers will not give up many goals, but it appears that their offense remains anemic.  This will be a tough week with games on the road vs. Brandeis and Babson.   

6.  Coast Guard - 1-0-0   (2-1-0)    Coast Guard beat Pine Manor.  The good news - the Bears have given up only one goal in three games.  The bad news - Westfield St. is the best team they have played.  Games this week against an improving Western Connecticut side and Springfield

7.  MIT - 1-0-0   (1-1-1)   MIT scored their first goals of the season defeating Framingham St.  Games this week against a decent Roger Williams team and Wheaton are probable losses.

8.  Emerson - 1-2-0  (2-2-1)    Emerson loses to Suffolk, gets crushed 6-0 by Salem St, and beats NAIA Fisher (a team that has been outscored 15-1 this season).  The Lions lose to Clark Saturday 9/16. 

Ommadawn

Quote from: Off Pitch on September 11, 2017, 10:14:05 PM
1.  Babson  - 0-2-0  (2-2-0)   Babson loses twice by one goal to Tufts and Brandeis.  While this was not unexpected, a key stat is that the Beavers are only generating 8 shots per game.  That is a dismal number and is indicative of a failure of the midfield to possess, build, and create opportunities.  They have a chance to get well tomorrow vs Lesley and then have an early must win game at home Saturday vs. WPI in what will likely be a 1-0 game one way or the other.

Thanks for the recap, Off Pitch!  Babson seems to be getting healthy indeed against Lesley, at least in terms of shots.  They are 0-0 at the half, but the Beavers have racked up 15 shots (3 on goal) so far (against only a single shot for Lesley).  I expect the barrage to continue in the second half, with at least one of the shots finding the back of the net.

blooter442

Beavers finally break the deadlock against Lesley, Crompton with a finish from close in. While it's good to see that Babson is creating chances (which it struggled with against Tufts and Brandeis), only 5 shots on goal out of 20 (or 1 goal out of 20 shots) won't make great reading for Anderson. Still, I would expect the game to open up now that Babson is in the driving seat.

blooter442

Babson pulls away for a commanding 4-0 win, with Parker and Ziad (2) adding goals. With 4 goals already this season, Ziad has done well in filling the void left by Villari (who netted 7 in the entirety of last year -- albeit 5 were game-winners vs. Ziad's 1 so far), and I was impressed with his pace -- he was a menace to the Lesley back line the whole game. This result matches the one Babson picked up last year against the same opposition. They face WPI on Saturday in what should be a more competitive encounter than this one, but Babson is now 3-0 on its home field, so you wouldn't bet against them.

Ommadawn

I was surprised to see Clark fall 3-2 on the road to previously winless Colby-Sawyer tonight.  That, along with the fact that they were outshot 17 (5OG) to 11 (4OG), would seem not to bode well for their chances in the NEWMAC.

Off Pitch

Week 3 recap:

Springfield  - 1-0-0  (5-0-0)    Springfield blanked Coast Guard 3-0 to remain undefeated.  They have now outscored their opponents 18-2 on the season.  Junior Brad Deckel (listed on the roster as a defender) has emerged as the leading goal scorer with 6 already through the opening 5 games.  A win over Babson at home Saturday would make the Pride the conference favorite.

WPI  - 1-0-0  (4-2-0)    WPI beat Babson 2-1 behind two unassisted goals by transfer Paul Beatty.  The Engineers had been disappointed earlier in the week by letting a 1-goal lead slip away and losing to Brandeis in OT.  WPI is solid defensively and with GK Hoeckele, and Beatty has sufficient speed and strength to be dangerous.  The combination makes this side a serious competitor for the conference title.  Weekend prediction:  WPI 1 - MIT 0.

MIT - 1-0-0   (2-1-2)   MIT exploded for 4 goals against Wheaton.  Freshman Loukas Carayannopoulos has 3 goals to lead the Engineers who are quietly having a very solid start to their season.  A win at home over WPI Saturday would unexpectedly propel MIT into championship contention. 

Clark  - 1-0-0  (2-2-2)    Clark dropped a 1 goal decision to Colby-Sawyer before unimpressively downing Emerson 1-0.  This young squad (6 Soph starters) does not appear to have the horses needed to successfully compete with Springfield, WPI and Babson this year.

Babson  - 0-1-0  (3-3-0)   Babson eased past Lesley before losing the conference opener at home to WPI 2-1.  I watched most of this game, and as they did at the beginning of last season, Babson was playing only 3 in the back (3-5-2).  Even still, the Beavers were only able to generate 8 shots, and the defensive alignment created gaps for WPI (Beatty) to exploit.  Babson has been traditionally a 4-4-2 team under Anderson.  The game this Saturday at Springfield will go a long way in determining if Babson has what it takes to compete for the conference title.  Predition:  Springfield 2 - Babson 1.

Coast Guard - 0-1-0   (3-2-0)    Coast Guard was shutout by Springfield, but will do better at Emerson Saturday.  Coach Parsons always does a good job with the talent that he has, and they will beat Emerson 3-1.

Wheaton - 0-1-0  (2-3-1)    Wheaton's defensive woes continued in a 4-1 loss to MIT.  The Lyons have given up 19 goals on the season and at least 2 in every game.  Senior Amara Sesay is carrying the load offensively with 7 goals through the 6 games.  Saturday's game vs Clark is now a must win as the schedule gets more difficult from this point on.

Emerson - 0-1-0  (3-3-1)    Emerson played Clark close losing only 1-0 but were out-shot 26-8.  The Lions were able to beat winless Fisher and Newbury (2-5) to stay at .500 for the year.  Coast Guard comes to town Saturday and may give Emerson a reasonable chance at their second ever NEWMAC victory, however I am picking the the Bears 3-1.

Ommadawn

Quote from: Off Pitch on September 19, 2017, 01:13:00 PMSpringfield  - 1-0-0  (5-0-0)    Springfield blanked Coast Guard 3-0 to remain undefeated.  They have now outscored their opponents 18-2 on the season.  Junior Brad Deckel (listed on the roster as a defender) has emerged as the leading goal scorer with 6 already through the opening 5 games.  A win over Babson at home Saturday would make the Pride the conference favorite.

Babson  - 0-1-0  (3-3-0)   Babson eased past Lesley before losing the conference opener at home to WPI 2-1.  I watched most of this game, and as they did at the beginning of last season, Babson was playing only 3 in the back (3-5-2).  Even still, the Beavers were only able to generate 8 shots, and the defensive alignment created gaps for WPI (Beatty) to exploit.  Babson has been traditionally a 4-4-2 team under Anderson.  The game this Saturday at Springfield will go a long way in determining if Babson has what it takes to compete for the conference title.  Predition:  Springfield 2 - Babson 1.

Your projection was right on target.  Springfield won 1-0, but outshot the Beavers 24 (8 OG) to 5(2 OG).  Springfield and WPI seem to be getting some separation from the rest of the pack.