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Messages - EnmoreCat

#1
Men's soccer / Enmore Theatre
March 16, 2024, 10:30:18 PM
Before EnmoreCat, there was and still is, Enmore Theatre. Given it's still the offseason, I thought some (okay maybe not that many) might be interested to learn more about what gives Enmore it's identity:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/mar/17/enmore-theatre-sydney-australias-best-concert-venue

#2
Men's soccer / Re: NESCAC
March 05, 2024, 04:15:06 AM
https://blakesilverman.com/blog/amherst-williams-biggest-little-game-america/

It's not soccer, but I enjoyed this piece about the Amherst/Williams football rivalry.
#3
Men's soccer / Re: NESCAC
February 28, 2024, 01:22:24 PM
Quote from: Newenglander on February 27, 2024, 09:56:22 AM
Quote from: smoova on February 26, 2024, 09:40:25 PM
Quote from: Newenglander on February 26, 2024, 05:09:54 PMQuick Spring question - of course having to be different does anyone know the official Spring rules for NESCAC vs all of D3?

I believe it is the same as lacrosse in fall 2023: 10 coach practices.
10 vs 24 practices for NESCAC as well as no scrimmage.....I would love to know what percentage of players like the "focus on academics" vs the ability to train......

I reckon I know how the parents like the balance...
#4
Men's soccer / Re: SimpleCoach D3 Soccer YouTube Channel
February 28, 2024, 02:54:25 AM
Quote from: SimpleCoach on February 27, 2024, 08:57:37 AM@Enmorecat.

It may surprise you, but Amherst is on my list.  I think in the final third they are very good.  I just don't necessarily like how they get there.

And of course, their press is outrageous.

Nothing surprises me SC and all is good in downtown Enmore. 

Hope all is well in Enmore!

SC.
#5
Men's soccer / Re: SimpleCoach D3 Soccer YouTube Channel
February 27, 2024, 04:20:20 AM
Quote from: SimpleCoach on February 26, 2024, 03:27:53 PMSo I put together a list of the best soccer playing programs.... at least in my mind.

The Best of the Best

Glad you said, "eye of the beholder", SC and I guess the great thing is that there are so many teams that meet the criteria you highlight, of course, to varying degrees.  If it's purely maximum joy, which really for me is what the game is about (not always experienced with Crystal Palace this season sadly) watching Amherst at a packed Hitchcock field in a big game against a NESCAC rival, is about as good as it gets in my view.  You will get the relentless attacking that was a quality you consistently noted, the ball moves fast and there's no shortage of effort.  These are the aesthetics I value.
#6
Men's soccer / Re: SimpleCoach D3 Soccer YouTube Channel
December 19, 2023, 03:43:33 PM
Observing from afar, professional sport in the US has always felt quite different to what takes place in the rest of the world.  In soccer at least, it's unusual in the extreme for professional clubs in Europe to uproot and move cities, mainly because the ties are such that it literally couldn't happen.  Supporters would go crazy, you only need to see the ruckus created by the European Super League to see what can be mobilized really fast.  Plus, it's tough to imagine a potential owner/investor stumping up a massive franchise fee for a US franchise knowing that they could potentially be relegated.

Of course, these countries all have a culture of pro/rel too.  It's interesting, in Australia we have had a similar system to the US, with A-League being at the top of the pyramid, but up until this year, whilst there has been pro/rel beneath it via the different state leagues, in 2025, there will be an official B League commencing, with the potential prospect of eventual pro/rel.  The teams that comprise this B League are just about all clubs that were members of the original National Soccer League here, where they were all mostly sponsored by different ethnic communities.  Whilst they have managed to survive and prosper in their state leagues, they are in the main, vanity projects, and whilst players can get paid quite well, attendances are really low, averaging maybe around the mid-hundreds.  These teams could probably get sponsored to survive for a year or two in A League, but ultimately, they are nowhere near being self-supporting.  We also have the experience here of youth football essentially helping fund these vanity projects by families being required to pay quite substantial amounts for their children to participate, which I have read here/heard regularly in my travels, is the US experience also.
#7
Men's soccer / Re: Coaching Carousel
December 08, 2023, 11:24:37 PM
And for comparison, 32 degrees Celsius in deepest, dark Enmore right now.  Quite a change from the 2 degrees C I was getting Tuesday evening in DC.
#8
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
December 05, 2023, 12:51:30 PM
Quote from: Hopkins92 on December 05, 2023, 11:40:31 AM
Quote from: Freddyfud on December 04, 2023, 08:40:12 PM
For me the Amherst hate is no longer interesting if it ever was.  Drilling down on coaches, recruiting, conference status, play style or practically anything else to get to the why will not change this.  They messed up after the Mid game.  They did not repeat that behavior during or after the remaining games, and it makes no difference whether or not they had to be told.  Their play style is cringe to watch--if anything the amount of dead balls and changes of possession inhibits a game flow and means less minutes of actual play.  But evidently we already know this so moving on.

While watching this tournament my interest piqued for the good things I saw.  Culminating in a tweet showing the return home of the champions.  Never heard of St. Olaf much less know anything about them.  Didn't matter.  Following them this weekend on their dream, the humility of their coach, and then seeing the pride as they walked off the bus was interesting.

Ohio Northern's knocking off Lynchburg on their home field and then Messiah on a march to the Sweet 16.  Their opponent, Colorado College, battling through 3 extra times including 2 PKs to get to the Elite 8.  That was interesting.

Washington College holding on against MWU and Conn to get to its first Final Four when no one expected it.  That was interesting.

Players like Morgan, Tuke, and Landa giving it their all while clearly being injured. That was interesting.

The Amherst freshman coming off the bench in the final and scoring a goal he will never forget.  That was interesting.

JHU's last minute effort to get to extra time vs Babson and then almost pulling off an identical feat the next game vs Middlebury.  That was very interesting.

And this is just the action I was able to watch--no doubt missed a bunch of others.  Personally these are the moments I will remember.  Not some hardly post-pubescent young man tugging on his wiener in a moment of poor judgement.

Like others I have a passion for soccer, but this was the first D3 tournament I watched.  Because of moments like these it won't be my last.

Well said, good sir. Nice highlight package.

And, yeah, it's easy for a non-NESCAC person to say this, but man I hope we can put the Amherst stuff to bed. I'm not an old-timer on this board, but I've been here a minute and man is getting redundant.

Amen to that
#9
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
December 04, 2023, 07:14:16 PM
Quote from: PaulNewman on December 04, 2023, 06:53:55 PM
EnmoreCat, safe travels and congrats to you and your son on another fantastic season.

Surely you do not believe that Amherst has the market cornered on providing a "life-changing" experience.

Thanks PN for the kind thoughts and wishes.  Did I say Amherst had cornered the life changing experience market?  It was more to make the point that my son's particular experience has been excellent.  These things sometimes get lost amidst all the "banter".  There are a number of schools where he could have had something similar I am sure.  I don't claim to know enough to say that Kenyon would be one of them however  :)
#10
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
December 04, 2023, 06:11:15 PM
Sitting on a train a little out of Roanoke, hopefully heading for DC, which I think must just about make me the last person vaguely connected with the Final Four tournament, still almost in town.  This has given me a fair bit of time to ruminate...

For those who are relatively new to these boards, the case of United States versus Coach Serpone has been repeatedly tried here and you can go back and review transcripts.  You will see the spectrum of opinions expressed and whilst I get the reasons, I strongly disagree with them, but I'm not writing to rehash that.

I would say it's most unfair to target one specific coach for how they might have interacted with your son or daughter in the recruitment phase.  Certainly, we had several experiences where trails went hot and then cold in separate processes (and have heard multiple stories about the same over the last few days), where we were none the wiser as to why.  I saw correspondence where coaches said I liked my son, but my assistants didn't.  It's a beauty contest at the end of the day and human nature is such that your son might be the number one and then suddenly someone else takes that mantle.  My forecast is that D3 will only become more attractive to D1 capable players and it makes sense.  Hardly any one is going to make a living actually playing, so the chance to focus on study, but still train & play at a good level should be enticing.

Someone asked why players might gloto Amherst, well for me, it's pretty simple, it's a top class program and when you combine that with the academic side, my question would be, why wouldn't you?  I know some people are uncomfortable with the differences between the game and post-game, but I don't even understand why that has to be a thing.  In Australia, we have a term, "White Line Fever" and it refers to the difference once the game is over and being entirely collegiate with and about the opposition team afterwards.  Perhaps it might be an Australian thing, but having known Coach for a while now and chatted to him regularly, I have no doubt that he is 100pct genuine.  I can't truly see why shouting at a ref doesn't mean you also don't respect the opposition.  I shouted at a lot of referee decisions over the last few days and I felt a bit sorry for the AR on the spectator side of the field as he got a lot of advice, but none of that diminished my respect for two fine teams in W&L and St Olaf.  I congratulated several Saints supporters on the way out and meant it. 

For regulars here this will come as no surprise, but there is no way in the world we would change the original decision to commit to Amherst.  It has been life changing in so many ways and Coach and his staff are a super important part of that.  The intent of this is to not change existing opinion here as I understand it's long held, but I appreciate the opportunity to reiterate my position.
#11
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
December 04, 2023, 04:21:01 PM
Quote from: d4_Pace on December 04, 2023, 03:58:19 PM
Quote from: Freddyfud on December 04, 2023, 03:45:51 PM
After the final during the awards I heard an announcement of what I thought was an All Final Four team.  I believe 4 players from each team were recognized because they were there.  I'm curious about the full team (if it indeed does exist) but can't seem to final any info.  Does anyone know where this list might be?


Yep every year the announce what is technically an All tournament team but it usually consist of just players from the final four that is weighted more heavily towards the team that won, runner up over the semifinalist. Additionally, they announce an offensive and defensive MVP for the tournament. For whatever reason I don't think the list is ever published anywhere.

I have a photo which suggests that EnmoreKitten made it.  He won't thank me for mentioning that I am sure.
#12
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
December 03, 2023, 08:14:40 PM
St Olaf 2 Amherst 1

Not the game report I was hoping to write, but in a final it is the big risk.  Congratulations to St Olaf, they executed very well when they were called on and managed to hold out what was a typical Amherst effort. Winning six games in a row is a phenomenal achievement and I bet they wish it was a bus trip back to Northfield as they would have a lot of fun

The first half was a see saw, both teams had their moments, but I felt it was even. When Amherst scored via a superb effort from one of the freshmen in the second half, who I think officially became a player today, by the way, for those with purple in their hearts,  it was a genuinely exciting moment. The Saints equalized a little easily for my liking, but they were one of the rare teams I have seen this season that could find a way behind the Amherst back four. The Amherst back four does scramble better than most, I hasten to add.

In Operating Thetan time, St Olaf managed a nice move, catching Amherst off guard and it was 2-1.  Credit to the Saints, they executed well when called on.  On another day, Amherst might have equalised, but it wasn't to be and St Olaf held on with a degree of comfort. I did think in particular, that their keeper was excellent, but in general, they had confidence in moving the ball up the field and are an attractive team to watch.

For Amherst, it's another tough last day of the season. Whilst the departing senior class has enjoyed two NESCAC triumphs, the experience of losing three finals isn't great for the soul and whilst i know the vast majority in here won't shed a tear for that, they definitely have my compassion. They are an awesome group of young men and I look forward to their future endeavours.

I have to confess that over the last few weeks I was wondering whether had we been aware of the presence of D3 Boards prior to EnmoreKitten's eventual commitment to Amherst, whether the final decision might have been different.  I concluded by thinking, imagine if that had been the case and there was, purely hypothetically (and not bearing any resemblance to any character real or fictional) posters named, Tom Cruise, St Alex Jones and TucketCarlson, providing their contributions and if they could have possibly changed our minds, based on their insight and opinion.  My conclusion was a definite no, as I couldn't truthfully say they have a proper understanding of the programme, but of course, it's only hypothetical, maybe they might.

Foul Count: Amherst 20 St Olaf 12
#13
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
December 02, 2023, 12:34:17 AM
Washington & Lee 2 Amherst 2 - Amherst progresses on penalties

Firstly, the Roanoke field is a pretty impressive set up, great viewing height and the backdrop of what I guess are residential colleges makes for a real occasion.  Myself and one of the Amherst Ultras had the very good fortune to meet both Another Mom and JKnezek and compare notes on respective college experiences.  Really nice people and a pleasure to make their acquaintance.  Amherst was definitely outnumbered by W&L support, but we did pick up a few Roanoke people who have their own W&L rivalry.  The Generals' support certainly made lots of noise and I would say when it got to 2-2, almost managed to drag the team over the line.  I thought it was quite cute how they were addressing Amherst players by their first names.  I have been to a lot of games and it was the first time I have ever heard that.  The announcer said Kalinauskas perfectly, definitely not in a low brow sort of way.

The first Amherst goal has already been described and was a thunderbolt and to me at least, felt fair on the play.  In truth, had Amherst been up 2-0 at half time, I just about think that would have been fair.  That was rectified quickly after half time and as best I can tell, it wasn't scored off a set piece, which is apparently the ONLY way Amherst can score.  It was a superb piece of opportunism by Amherst's highly successful freshman and certainly those with purple in their hearts went just a little crazy. 

As much as the Mammoths might have owned the first half, the dynamic changed pretty quickly and the Generals started to get more ball around Amherst's penalty area.  Having seen the Mammoths successfully maintain slender leads, it was the hope this would be more of the same.  Unfortunately, that wasn't to be the case and a finely placed shot found the far corner and it was suddenly game on.  The Generals' support justifiably sensed their moment had arrived and their team took control.  It's not exaggerating to say they had taken control and Amherst was just hanging on.  There was a sense of inevitability about W&L scoring, but nevertheless, it was disappointing to give it up so late

Operating Thetan time was more of the same, aside from one or two Amherst moments and a draw in the aggregate play, felt quite fair.

Penalties are stressful full stop and both teams found it a task to score.  Eventually Amherst did, which led this correspondent to say to the Amherst Ultra that one goal might be enough.  One of the Seniors strode confidently to the spot and proceeded to smash it in.  The W&L support knew his name also (but might have been unfamiliar with the spelling) and had offered him quite a lot of suggestions on how to improve his game during proceedings.  They were particularly concerned that his height might have been impeding his performance.  Hopefully they enjoyed the drive home.

Congratulations to W&L, they are a seriously good team and moved the ball with confidence in high pressure situations. All concerned with the team should feel very proud of their achievement.this season.

For Amherst, those with purple in their hearts are also proud and also a little relieved that the team got through.  It was a really tough game and exactly what you would expect in a semi final.  I am glad they get two sleeps before taking on what is a clearly outstanding St Olaf team. I think for the neutral, which I guess statistically is an Amhater, it will be a pretty entertaining contest

Foul count: W&L 14 Amherst 26

#14
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 NCAA Tournament
November 30, 2023, 08:29:27 PM
Quote from: camosfan on November 30, 2023, 05:58:44 PM
but hopefully my presence in Virginia won't be an unnecessary weight on the team.

Today I was thinking about you not posting for sometime and said to myself, is he on that 16 hours flight from Sydney! ;D

Of course Camosfan, it's tragic in the extreme.  I had to explain a bemused immigration official at SFO that I was coming to watch my son play soccer.  I think it just didn't make sense to her.

I did have a funny incident today in Georgetown also.  Now, they aren't sponsoring my foul count, but I am a fan of Vineyard Vines and visited the shop there today.  I was chatting to the young man (makes me sound old) assisting me and when we established I was here for the soccer, supporting Amherst (and PN there is no way there is a 5pct support for The Mammoths on this board!) he suddenly showed me his belt which had a W&L logo on it and advised me he was a 2021 alum and knew one or two soccer players.  It's a small world.

Separately, I know there is an Australian on the St Olaf team, not sure if any of his family are here, but if they are, would love to try and catch up.
#15
Men's soccer / Re: 2023 USC All America Teams
November 30, 2023, 08:17:10 PM
I understand the focus on stats, but I get rather bemused by the ones for keepers as it seems to me like the numbers published are a lot more than what I ever notice in the game.  Happy to hear from CSO & SC for their views, but I don't really care how many shots someone stops, but thinking about how they command their area, co-ordinate with the defence and actually repel dangerous shots, i.e. ones where the keeper is taken out of his comfort zone.  I don't think the stats help in any of those regards.