2006 MIAA Women's Soccer Composite Schedule (http://www.miaa.org/wso/wsosched.html)
Saturday, October 7 --- Calvin at Hope, noon
The big match of the regular season. With the new schedule, with each team playing only one match against each team, plus the regular season champ recieving the auto bid to the NCAA's, this one is huge.
Seems like the Lady Dutch on their home pitch will win this one on their way to the MIAA title.
The composite schedule is missing the Hope / Adrian game on Sep 23rd.
Noticed both Hope's and Calvin's women's teams received votes in the first national poll of rankings.
Found the poll you were referring to (d3kicks.com)- Calvin at 31st and Hope tied at 41st. Preseason polls are interesting, but not necessairly all that accurate. Oh well, the games begin shortly.
Albion 2, Saint Mary's 1 (non-league)
Adrian 1, Oberlin 0
Defiance 3, Tri-State 2
Alma 4, Heidelberg, Ohio 0
Final just in: Calvin 5, Ohio Wesleyan 0.
2005 NCAA -- First Round
Ohio Wesleyan 2, Calvin 2 (OW 6-5 PK)
How does a team go from losing in PKs to 5-0 blowout?
Ohio Wesleyan probably was caught flat--not sure if one of their starters got hurt or not. Hope gets that squad today. :-X
Saturday, Sept. 9
John Carroll, Ohio 1, Albion 0 (ot)
Baldwin-Wallace, Ohio 3, Adrian 2
Rowan 2, Alma 0
Kalamazoo 5, North Park 1
Olivet 3, La Roche, Pa. 1
Ohio Wesleyan 4, Hope 1
Sunday, Sept. 10
Albion 3, North Park 0
Alma 2, La Roche 1 (ot)
Rowan 4, Olivet 1
Anderson 2, Tri-State 0
Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week
Adrian freshman Lindsay Chitwood of St. Clair Shores (Lakeview HS) scored both of the Bulldogs' goals in a 3-2 loss to Baldwin-Wallace.
Defensive Player of the Week
Playing 78 consecutive minutes, Alma sophomore back Christine Wheatley of Plymouth (Salem HS) keyed a Scots defense that blanked Heidelberg 4-0. Had a career-best performance against Rowan, N.J. despite a 2-0 loss while playing 74 consecutive minutes.
Quote from: Bilk on September 10, 2006, 09:24:54 PM
Saturday, Sept. 9
John Carroll, Ohio 1, Albion 0 (ot)
Baldwin-Wallace, Ohio 3, Adrian 2
Rowan 2, Alma 0
Kalamazoo 5, North Park 1
Olivet 3, La Roche, Pa. 1
Ohio Wesleyan 4, Hope 1
Do you think comparing the Hope and Calvin games is a predictor?
Now you'll notice how the men's and women's schedules begin to differ. The MIAA men are going into their conference games while the women stay non-MIAA for a while.
This is due to the new scheduling policy .... women play everyone once, men play everyone twice.
Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week
Olivet sophomore Cori Barrea of East Lansing (East Lansing HS) scored a goal in each of the Comets' two games last week. She scored the team's only goal in a 4-1 loss to Rowan and kicked the game-winner in a 2-1 victory over Heidelberg.
Other Nominations: Aliza Caplan, Kalamazoo; Sarah Cochrane, Hope; Lindsay Chitwood, Adrian.
Defensive Player of the Week
Adrian sophomore sweeper Sandy Towler of Milan (Milan HS) was starting in a different position for the third time this season. She played a key role in limiting unbeaten Wilmington to a single goal.
Other Nominations: Ellen Molenaar, Hope.
MIAA's Calvin moves into the top-25
NSCAA/adidas® National Rankings Division III
01. Messiah (PA)
02. The College of New Jersey
03. University of Puget Sound (WA)
04. Trinity (TX)
05. (SUNY) Oneonta
06. (W) Eau Claire
07. Denison (Ohio)
08. DePauw (IN)
Western Connecticut State
10. University of Rochester (NY)
17. Calvin (MI)
D3kicks.com Week 3 Poll
01- Messiah College
02- University of Puget Sound
03- The College of New Jersey
04- Trinity University-TX
05- Denison University
06- University of Rochester
07- DePauw University
08- SUNY-Oneonta
09- Wheaton College-MA
10- Macalester College
11- Calvin College
MIAA's Calvin moves into the top-10
NSCAA/adidas® National Rankings Division III
01- Messiah (PA)
02- Trinity (TX)
03- (SUNY) Oneonta
04- College of New Jersey
05- (W) Eau Claire
06- Willamette (OR)
07- Calvin (MI)
08- Western Connecticut State
09- University of Rochester (NY)
10- Denison (OH)
D3kicks.com Week 4 Poll
Week 4 Poll: (Women)
01. Messiah College
02. Trinity University-TX
03. University of Rochester
04. The College of New Jersey
05. SUNY-Oneonta
06. Calvin College
07. Wheaton College-MA
08. University of Chicago
09. University of Puget Sound
10. Rowan University
Calvin v. Albion highlights:
-- 1st half shots: Calvin 8 (3 on goal) ... Albion 1 (0 on goal)
-- 2nd half shots: Calvin 9 (5 on goal) ... Albion 3 (1 on goal with 10:30 left in regulation time)
-- Calvin did not score until the 74th minute of play
-- second goal 84th minute
9/30
Albion 2, Olivet 2 (tie)
I'm very surprised to see Albion tie Olivet after giving Calvin a solid game mid-week. Seems like it should've been a blowout by the Britons.
A surprising season so far. Calvin is 12-0 and ranked #5/#6? Wow.
What happened to Hope? Last year they were 15-1 in the MIAA and 18-2-1 overall. Now it's 0-2-1 in the MIAA and 3-6-2 overall. As far as I can tell, Hope lost only one all-MIAA player in Erica Pagorek, a defender, with five returning. The coach's two honorable mention players also returned. So what is going wrong?
Quote from: Dark Knight on October 09, 2006, 04:24:49 PM
What happened to Hope? Last year they were 15-1 in the MIAA and 18-2-1 overall. Now it's 0-2-1 in the MIAA and 3-6-2 overall. As far as I can tell, Hope lost only one all-MIAA player in Erica Pagorek, a defender, with five returning. The coach's two honorable mention players also returned. So what is going wrong?
re Hope
How about injuries? Who scored big last season but not this year? It's tough to build depth in the MIAA. A couple key injuries can really put a team dwon.
Hmmm, glancing at Hope soccer stats...
| 2005 | 2006 |
| Keeper saves/game | 4.2 | 7.1 |
| Goals allowed | 0.3 | 2.1 |
This is the same keeper, so Hope's defense is ailing.
Offense also isn't as productive:
Shots on goal per game, 2005: 22.1. 2006:9.8.
Goals per game, 2005: 2.8 2006: 1.4.
Kristine Krcmar, who should be a senior this year, scored 9 goals last year but no goals or assists this year. Maybe she's not playing. Erin Dargas and Julia Fischer scored 5 apiece last year, but don't show up in this year's scoring stats.
But I'm not sure these stats really explain anything...
RESULTS
Wednesday, October 11
Calvin 1, Adrian 0 ???
Wow .... how does this happen? Sure it was raining, but did the Calvin women begin their bye a few days early?
Quote from: Cowman on October 11, 2006, 11:00:46 PM
RESULTS
Wednesday, October 11
Calvin 1, Adrian 0 ???
Wow .... how does this happen? Sure it was raining, but did the Calvin women begin their bye a few days early?
Could be as simple as playing on artificial turf. Calvin's not used to it and it may have thrown their rhythm off.
Id toss it up to the artificial turf and the weather conditions. I've seen Calvin play 2 times this year and I'd say they are as good or better than Albion's women in '01 that ran the table and lost to eventual champs Ohio Wesleyan. Only a few more games before the seeds are set for the MIAA tourney. You dont want to be in Calvin's side of the bracket.
Quote from: Stinger on October 12, 2006, 06:49:06 PM
Id toss it up to the artificial turf and the weather conditions. I've seen Calvin play 2 times this year and I'd say they are as good or better than Albion's women in '01 that ran the table and lost to eventual champs Ohio Wesleyan. Only a few more games before the seeds are set for the MIAA tourney. You dont want to be in Calvin's side of the bracket.
They look good, and their stats are good, but I don't think they've played any ranked teams yet. However, they play Chicago on Thursday, rated #22 by d3kicks.com. That should give us more information about how they compete with top teams.
At one game I saw a throw-in by a Calvin player that was unlike anything I've seen before. She stood about 10 yards away from the sideline, holding the ball in both hands above her head. She ran toward the line and did a forward flip, bouncing the ball on the ground with her hands still on the ball, and then coming around and landing on her feet again. As she came forward again, she threw the ball with great speed toward the box. Amazing! :o It was almost as good as a corner kick.
It's an overrated use of the throw in, and I think done mostly for show. Ive seen this player do this about 4 times now, and there are more like a pop up in the box. I dont see the point.
Quote from: Stinger on October 13, 2006, 12:29:46 PM
It's an overrated use of the throw in, and I think done mostly for show. Ive seen this player do this about 4 times now, and there are more like a pop up in the box. I dont see the point.
What, no place on your scorecard for style points, Stinger? :'( ;)
Quote from: Stinger on October 13, 2006, 12:29:46 PM
It's an overrated use of the throw in, and I think done mostly for show. Ive seen this player do this about 4 times now, and there are more like a pop up in the box. I dont see the point.
I think the idea is greating the ball into the goal mouth, similar to a corner kick, which increases the scoring chances. Most women cannnot throw that far with a traditional throw-in technique.
Quote from: Dark Knight on October 13, 2006, 02:31:11 PM
Quote from: Stinger on October 13, 2006, 12:29:46 PM
It's an overrated use of the throw in, and I think done mostly for show. Ive seen this player do this about 4 times now, and there are more like a pop up in the box. I dont see the point.
What, no place on your scorecard for style points, Stinger? :'( ;)
If you take style of substance Dark Knight. The ball has no pace on it. Hence the chance to get your head on it with any pace to get past the keeper.
Lady Britons vs the Lady Hornets this afternoon. Two former K teammates coaching for that 2nd place seed. Good stuff
Quote from: Stinger on October 14, 2006, 09:16:36 AM
The ball has no pace on it. Hence the chance to get your head on it with any pace to get past the keeper.
All right.....good point.
Big day for both Dutch soccer squads.
WOMEN: Hope 1, Saint Mary's 0
MEN: Hope 2, Albion 1 in overtime
MIAA Women's score: Calvin 7, Alma 0--final.
Oct 18 rankings --
NSCAA/adidas® National Rankings Division III
01- Messiah (PA)
02- Trinity (TX)
03- (SUNY) Oneonta
04- College of New Jersey
05- Calvin (MI)
06- Western Connecticut State
07- (W) Eau Claire
08- UC Santa Cruz
09- Denison (OH)
10- University of Rochester (NY)
D3kicks.com Week 7 Poll
Week 7 Poll: (Women)
01. Messiah College
02. Trinity University-TX
03. Calvin College
04. Western Connecticut State University
05. SUNY-Oneonta
06. Wheaton College-MA
07. Johns Hopkins University
08. The College of New Jersey
09. Rowan University
10. Wheaton College-IL
The first NCAA regional rankings are out and posted in the Great Lakes Rankings area. This poll is the only one to use when wondering about Pool B and Pool C candidates.
U of Chicago vs. Calvin--just underway.
Calvin women 1, Chicago 0. 7 minutes left in 1st half. :)
Calvin 1, Chicago 0. Final.
As a comparison, Wheaton defeated Chicago 4-1.
Quote from: Hiker Jim on October 19, 2006, 07:19:21 PM
As a comparison, Wheaton defeated Chicago 4-1.
Seems like a down year for the Maroons. Too bad for the Knights, I think they were hoping for a battle.
Hope vs. Albion, on deck.
I was surprised to discover that there are computer ratings for DIII women's soccer -- Massey Ratings (http://mratings.com/rate.php?lg=csocw#Div%20III)
Team W L T Rating Power
1 Wheaton IL 14 2 0 1.116 3.76 ( 1) CCIW
2 SUNY Oneonta 17 1 0 0.952 2.95 ( 4) SUNY
3 Trinity TX 13 0 1 0.942 2.85 ( 6) SCAC
4 Calvin 16 0 0 0.924 2.80 ( 7) MIAA
5 Messiah 12 1 0 0.896 3.13 ( 2) Mid Atl
6 Washington MO 12 2 0 0.845 2.87 ( 5) UAA
7 College of NJ 11 1 2 0.829 2.97 ( 3) NJAC
8 WI Eau Claire 17 2 0 0.778 2.52 ( 9) WIAC
9 UC Santa Cruz 13 0 3 0.773 2.47 ( 11) D3 Ind
10 Macalester 11 0 5 0.770 2.59 ( 8 ) MIAC
.....
127 Albion 4 2 0 -0.177 -0.88 (143) MIAA
148 Hope 6 6 2 -0.262 -0.94 (146) MIAA
193 Alma 3 4 1 -0.530 -1.86 (196) MIAA
217 Adrian 4 9 0 -0.692 -2.32 (213) MIAA
259 Olivet MI 2 6 0 -0.990 -3.37 (253) MIAA
330 Tri-State IN 0 15 0 -1.861 -6.26 (327) MIAA
Some games appear to be missing for lower-ranked teams, so the numbers may be less accurate than if all games were represented. Some teams are missing from the ratings too, e.g. Kalamazoo, St. Mary's (IN).
I was pleased to see that Calvin really deserves their high ranking, according to Massey. Wheaton (IL) appears to be underranked. No doubt Hope is now playing better than their season average rating would indicate; I doubt they are really a 3.7 goal underdog to Calvin any longer.
Chicago is #21 and Calvin is an 0.8-goal favorite over Chi on neutral turf. Wheaton (IL) is about a 1.8-goal favorite over Chi on a neutral field. The home field advantage is 0.4 goals, and the standard deviation is almost 2 goals, so results can be expected to vary.
Albion 1, Hope 0. late 1st half.
Hope 1, Albion 1 10 minutes into the 2nd half.
Hope 2, Albion 1, 30 minutes left in regulation.
Albion and Hope are tied at 2 at end of regulation.
Albion, despite being outshot, 14-9, beats Hope in OT, 3-2.
Great performance from Albion freshman Ali Oatley who scored her 2nd collegiate hat trick. The goal in OT should have been picked up easily by Hope's keeper, but, ahem, she pulled a David James, or more recently a Paul Robinson. It slipped right through her hand. Albion dominated the final 15 minutes and OT period of the game to get back in it.
Calvin completes the 2006 regular season with a perfect 17-0 record. The last time that happened in the MIAA (and the only time in the last 10 years) appears to be 2001, when Albion's final record was 19-1-1, and their NCAA tournament record was 0-1-1.
That Albion team had 69 goals, with opponents scoring 18, compared to 57 for and 4 against for this Calvin team so far in 17 games. The smallest number of goals allowed by a MIAA team in the last 10 years is 7, by Hope last year.
No MIAA team in the last 10 years has gone further than the regional semifinals (Albion in 2001 and 2002, Hope in 2003). A chance to beat that this year?
Dark Knight, I know the women's coach at Albion fairly well, and she has mentioned to me that she thinks this year's Calvin team is as good and probably better than her 2001 team. That Albion team ran into Ohio Wesleyan who ended up winning the whole think. I do think Calvin will have a very difficult time getting out of the region. Calvin's schedule has not been very strong compared to others ranked toward the top of the region, namely Wittenberg, Otterbein, and Kenyon. It will be interesting to see how they compare against those teams. Although Calvin hasn't wrapped up the AQ yet, I would think they'd get a pool C.
As far as I can tell Calvin has been using two goalies in each match.....splitting halves. How long does a team do that? Do you think they'll continue it through the NCAA's? Is it too late to change?
Quote from: Oval on October 27, 2006, 11:01:17 PM
As far as I can tell Calvin has been using two goalies in each match.....splitting halves. How long does a team do that? Do you think they'll continue it through the NCAA's? Is it too late to change?
At times, Calvin has been splitting time among
three freshman goalies. But in a couple of tight games Bergsma played all 90 minutes.
Stinger, I agree that it will be interesting to see how they compare with the best regional teams. Calvin's ball control is good, and they have some very fast players who can beat their defenders with speed or get behind the opposing defense and score goals, but Chicago's one-on-one skills seemed a little better than Calvin's at times. Against another skilled team that is also fast, I'm not sure how it will all play out.
Kalamazoo vs. Calvin just underway.
Cavin 1, Kzoo 0. 30 minutes into the 1st half (Kzoo own goal).
Calvin 2, Kzoo 0. Still first half.
Calvin 3, Kzoo 0. Half.
Per Calvin announcer: Hope 0. Albion 0. half.
Calvin 3, Kzoo 0. Final.
Per Calvin announcers: Hope 1, Albion 0. Final. ;)
Calvin is now ranked #2 in the d3kicks.com (http://www.d3kicks.com/top25.php) poll.
Calvin hasn't played as strong a schedule as some other top teams, and none of Calvin's opponents are rated at the moment. However, other top teams haven't played against many rated opponents either.
For example, #1 Trinity (TX) has only played #9 Hardin-Simmons, and tied. #3 Wheaton (MA) beat #13 and lost to #10. #4 Messiah only played #6, and lost.
I think Calvin is still a strong team that will do well in the post-season. Let's see how they do against Hope on Saturday.
Quote from: Oval on October 27, 2006, 11:01:17 PM
As far as I can tell Calvin has been using two goalies in each match.....splitting halves. How long does a team do that? Do you think they'll continue it through the NCAA's? Is it too late to change?
So how long would you split time with your goalies.....all the way through the NCAA tourney?
Quote from: Dark Knight on October 31, 2006, 05:55:39 PM
Calvin hasn't played as strong a schedule as some other top teams, and none of Calvin's opponents are rated at the moment.
I'll bet Calvin's non-conference schedule will get stronger in future years. Last year the conference played a double round-robin. That's 16 conference games, with room for only 4 non-conference games before the NCAA tournament.
This year, there are 8 conference games followed by 3 MIAA tournament games. That leaves room for 9 non-conference games. This year some of those were filled with non-conference games against MIAA opponents. It probably takes time to set up a good non-conference schedule.
Quote from: Dark Knight on November 01, 2006, 02:03:41 PM
Quote from: Dark Knight on October 31, 2006, 05:55:39 PM
Calvin hasn't played as strong a schedule as some other top teams, and none of Calvin's opponents are rated at the moment.
I'll bet Calvin's non-conference schedule will get stronger in future years. Last year the conference played a double round-robin. That's 16 conference games, with room for only 4 non-conference games before the NCAA tournament.
This year, there are 8 conference games followed by 3 MIAA tournament games. That leaves room for 9 non-conference games. This year some of those were filled with non-conference games against MIAA opponents. It probably takes time to set up a good non-conference schedule.
The addition of St. Mary's and Tri-State led to the 16 conference games. That was the main reason the women switched to the tournament format. They wanted more nonconference games to set up the league schedule.
Who would you rather play in your first match--Capital or Kenyon? (not that it matters that much to the team--they'll be ready no matter who anyway--just asking for your take). ;)
Quote from: WLCALUM83 on November 06, 2006, 09:38:21 AM
Who would you rather play in your first match--Capital or Kenyon? (not that it matters that much to the team--they'll be ready no matter who anyway--just asking for your take). ;)
I don't know much either team, but Massey has Capital at #65 and Kenyon at
#28, something like an 0.7-goal favorite over Capital. Calvin would be about a 2-goal favorite over Capital.
With the first round bye, Calvin only has to win two games to get out of sectionals and do better than any MIAA team has in recent history. The highest ranked team they might have to play is #17/#21 Otterbein, compared to Calvin's #2/#3 ranking. So if the polls are any good, they should have a good shot at it.
To get to the final four, Calvin could have to go through #3/#2 Messiah or #9/#6 Oneonta St. Massey's computer ranking has Calvin at #6, Messiah at #4, and Oneonta at #2, so the elite 8 game should be a tough one.
Calvin'll be busy with NCAA soccer and volleyball this weekend.
Women's Soccer playoff final: Kenyon 2, Capital 0.
Calvin women get Kenyon after the bye.
Almost an inch of rain last night, and a 40% chance of snow showers today -- could be interesting conditions for today's match between Calvin and Kenyon. Yesterday almost 1200 showed up for Calvin's NCAA regional semifinal volleyball game against Hope. How many will slog through the mud and brave the snow for soccer?
The Calvin won 1-0. Though the conditions were somewhat sloshy, the knights had quite a few good scoring opportunities.
Final just in: Denison 1, Wittenberg 1: Denison advances on PK's 4-3.
Denison gets Calvin next. :) ;) :D
So, Calvin gets a little screwed in having to travel to Rochester for the games this weekend. The NCAA didn't want Messiah to have to fly to GR because it was longer than 500 miles. GR to Rochester is less than 500 miles (not by much) if driven through Canada. However, the Calvin team couldn't get the necessary documentation together in time to be able to cross the border. So they have a much longer trip around the lake.
And, Rochester has an artificial surface. They are they only team in the regional that plays on the turf. The NCAA works in mysterious ways.
Quote from: Stinger on November 17, 2006, 08:51:41 AM
And, Rochester has an artificial surface. They are they only team in the regional that plays on the turf. The NCAA works in mysterious ways.
Aaargh! I hadn't heard about the artificial surface. Calvin didn't have the greatest game the last time they played on an artificial surface.
Calvin soccer match can be listened to at....
http://www.calvin.edu/sports/ram/calvinsports.ram
....on realplayer.
0-0....20:00 left in the second half
0-0....overtime
0-0....00:00 left in first overtime
1-0....CALVIN SCORES with 3:50 left in second overtime
Calvin plays Sat, Nov 17 at 1:00 pm. The game will be broadcast.
Quote from: Bushop on November 17, 2006, 03:43:33 PM
1-0....CALVIN SCORES with 3:50 left in second overtime
Woo-hoo!
Calvin has never before reached the elite 8.
Calvin is also the highest remaining seed in the tournament, though from now on their games are going to be extremely tough. Next up is Messiah, last year's national champion, ranked #6 by Massey, to Calvin's #4.
Sounds like that has the makings to be a classic match-up. ;)
Messiah (PA) pounded home standing Rochester 2 to 0. Looks like the Lady Knights are in trouble Saturday.
Calvin v. Messiah at 1 p.m. Listin on the internet at:
<http://www.calvin.edu/sports/ram/calvinsports.ram>
Messiah scores at 07:00 in first half.
Halftime -
Messiah 1
Calvin 0
Calvin ties it 1-1
36:00 to go.
Calvin v. Messiah goes to overtime
Calvin v. Messiah goes into 2nd overtime.
Messiah 1, Calvin 1 (2 OT)
Messiah wins the penalty kick shootout 5-3.
2007 MIAA Tournament
Saturday's First Round Games
Calvin 3, Olivet 1
Kalamazoo 3, Adrian 1
Albion 2, Alma 0
Hope 1, Saint Mary's 0
Tuesday's Semi-final Games
Hope at Calvin, 3:30 p.m.
Albion at Kalamazoo, 3:30 p.m.
The following 2008 MIAA Women's Soccer Schedules are now up:
Adrian:
http://adrianbulldogs.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/sched/adri-w-soccer-sched.html.
Albion:
http://www.albion.edu/sports/index.php?option=com_content&tsk=view&id=2350&Itemid=1094
Alma:
http://www.alma.edu/athletics/wsoccer/schedule
Calvin:
http://www.calvin.edu/sports/wsoccer/schedule.htm
Hope:
http://www.hope.edu/pr/athletics/wso/
Kzoo:
http://www.kzoo.edu/sports/ws/ws08/wsschd08.html
Olivet:
http://www.olivetcollege.edu/athletics/wsoccer/schedule.php
St. Mary's:
http://www3.saintmarys.edu/soccer-schedule
Tri-State/Trine:
http://www.tristate.edu/tsuathletics/womenssoccer/wsoc_schedule.cfm
IL Wesleyan at Kzoo just underway--5 minutes in, no score yet.
IL Wesleyan 0, Kzoo 0 Half (Stats indicate IL Wesleyan's shown more on offense.)
IL Wesleyan 1, Kzoo 0 2nd (Goal came in 62nd minute).
Final: IL Wesleyan 2, Kalamazoo 0.
Soccer season is underway! Calvin played Aquinas yesterday and won 4-0. A number of freshmen started and contributed, which was good to see.
Calvin has a remarkably difficult schedule before the conference games begin. More than half of their first nine games are against top-20 teams, including bouts with three of the top eight!
#2 Wheaton
#7 Otterbein
#8 Wash U
#16 U of Chicago
#20 Denison
I wonder if any other teams have such a difficult a schedule so early on.
Calvin lost for the first time this season 3-0 to U of Chicago. The loss broke Calvin's 21 game unbeaten streak.
Calvin women lost yet again. They are putting themselves in a tough spot - and really need to focus on winning the MIAA.
10/17 finals:
Calvin 1, Adrian 0
Hope 3, Trine 0
Kzoo 4, Olivet 1
Albion 3, St. Mary's 0
MIAA 11/3 Championships
Albion 1, Adrian 0 Final (Beck got the goal with .56 left in the 1st OT)
Kzoo & Calvin are into a 2nd OT period as I post.
Calvin and Kzoo are going to penalty kicks!
Quote from: WLCALUM83 on November 03, 2009, 05:12:00 PM
Calvin and Kzoo are going to penalty kicks!
And Kzoo won 3-1 in the shootout. Astounding stat from the Calvin recap: The Knights are just 1-6-1 (how do you get a draw?) in shootouts. In fact, if Calvin doesn't make the tournament this year, they'll have lost their final game in a shootout their last FIVE years. Doesn't seem possible.
I'm curious as to how Calvin's move to the Central Region might have affected it this year. Certainly they couldn't pull it off against the region's best teams: They lost consecutive games to Chicago, Wheaton and Wash U. One of the biggest criticisms in the past has been that they have run away with an MIAA conference that didn't challenge them. Calvin certainly had the strength of schedule this year, but it looks like the Knights will be just a step below the postseason.
Quote from: sean-o on November 03, 2009, 08:25:29 PM
I'm curious as to how Calvin's move to the Central Region might have affected it this year. Certainly they couldn't pull it off against the region's best teams: They lost consecutive games to Chicago, Wheaton and Wash U. One of the biggest criticisms in the past has been that they have run away with an MIAA conference that didn't challenge them. Calvin certainly had the strength of schedule this year, but it looks like the Knights will be just a step below the postseason.
The Knight's surprising run continues today with a 7 p.m. Wash U rematch.
I don't think Calvin's deep NCAA run was surprising. They played a premier nonconference schedule (Otterbein, Denison, Ohio Northern, Washington U, Chicago, Wheaton - all ranked) They won over the 3 Ohio teams handily and although they lost the other 3 games, they outshot and outcornered (except Chicago on corners) in each of the losses - Wash U 7-5 shots & 5-1 corners, Chicago 17-13 shots & 2-3 corners, Wheaton 13-9 & 5-3 corners. In addition, Wheaton and Chicago were road games (at tough to win at places). Calvin had to overcome several injuries - Veurink and Schnabel; which although still hobbling at the end, probably made them better for it. Calvin outshot 12-6 and 6-1 on corners in the NCAA game also; but the game of inches went to Wash U. Either way, Calvin enjoyed a wonderful season and furthered their reputation as a premier soccer program (5 consecutive trips to NCAA and the Final 8 loss to Wash U this year was their 1st NCAA loss in those same 5 years). Calvin is graduating some their current talent, but has some wonderful young talent that gained a year or 2 of experience - 2010 should be another good year.
My vote is for Alma to win the MIAA this year. With the player that will take over as all-time points leader this year returning for Alma, along with another forward that is just as good, or even better, the Scots will make it very tough on Calvin. Unless of course they loose to Albion twice in one year again...
Quote from: sflzman on August 28, 2010, 04:16:58 PM
My vote is for Alma to win the MIAA this year. With the player that will take over as all-time points leader this year returning for Alma, along with another forward that is just as good, or even better, the Scots will make it very tough on Calvin. Unless of course they loose to Albion twice in one year again...
The MIAA is getting ever more competitive, and some other team such as Alma could definitely win. And Calvin is losing two all-MIAA first team players. And their keeper this year will be a freshman.
Still, Calvin has most of its elite-8 team returning and an amazingly strong incoming freshman class. 12 of the 24 players on the team this year are freshmen, and not because that many players graduated. What this means is that the weakest of those 12 freshmen was stronger, or had more potential, than some players on the elite-8 team last year, who didn't make the team this year.
I think how well Calvin does will depend on how quickly all the new players learn their roles, develop a team chemistry, etc.
The other thing about the MIAA is that everyone dislikes Calvin and Hope so much, that you never know who could pull off an upset and mess up the whole thing. Like KZOO/Albion last year.
Alma defeated Baldwin-wallace 4-3 last night. Jessica Swan looked great, scoring 2 goals. Alma did have to come back from a 3-1 2nd half deficent after scoring an own goal. Alma's Freshman, Taryn Handyside, scored the game winner.
Calvin won as well, 1-0, where freshman Danielle Carter, scored the only goal.
Wow, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to win is amazing.
Calvin started four freshmen including Carter, who scored the game's only goal in a header off a corner kick, and who is going to be a force to recon with. Several other freshmen also got playing time. Excellent play by Aquinas' keeper kept the score from being about 3-0. As a whole, the team looked a little rough and disorganized -- what you'd expect in a first game from a team that's half freshmen, I suppose.
Next up for the knights: #2 Washington University, who knocked them out of the playoffs last season. This game would be very tough at the end of the season, let alone now.
Scots head to Ohio for a set of two this weekend. Play Greenville (IL) at Neutral site, and then @Capital. Then down to St. Louis for games with Wash U and Webster...Alma droppped 2-0 against Washington last year.
Calvin defeated #10 Wheaton today at home for the first time since 1988, by a score of 1-0. Calvin had a couple more shots than Wheaton, but Wheaton had some mighty good chances too, maybe more than Calvin.
The first half was rough, and the knights were lucky to come out of it without having given up a goal. The knights made some adjustments in the second half--forwards pulling back a little to relieve pressure on the middies, middies containing more rather than trying to poke the ball away and getting beat-- that really changed the flow of the game. I thought the knights dominated most of the second half.
That's a great result for a team starting 5 freshmen, with about 3-4 others coming in off the bench.
This weekend the Scots lost a heartbreaker to #3 WashU. They were tied 0-0 with 8 minutes remaining (or 9...) when they got called for a foul (which wasn't) on washington's 40 yard line (imagine a fball field) the goalie stepped up to take the kick. On 4 bounces it popped over Alma's goalie's - who had picked up 13 saves already - head and into the goal.
On Sunday they beat webster on a header 1 minute into the game. It really should have been 3-0 or so Alma dominated the game.
Quote from: Dark Knight on September 11, 2010, 08:40:23 PM
Calvin defeated #10 Wheaton today at home for the first time since 1988, by a score of 1-0. Calvin had a couple more shots than Wheaton, but Wheaton had some mighty good chances too, maybe more than Calvin.
That's a great result for a team starting 5 freshmen, with about 3-4 others coming in off the bench.
Looking forward to the Sweet 16 rematch between Augie and Calvin on 9/18. Augie is having some trouble scoring (despite scoring 9 goals this past weekend), but they haven't allowed a goal against yet this season. This should be a good game regardless of who wins.
Quote from: DIIIdad on September 13, 2010, 11:40:30 AM
Quote from: Dark Knight on September 11, 2010, 08:40:23 PM
Calvin defeated #10 Wheaton today at home for the first time since 1988, by a score of 1-0. Calvin had a couple more shots than Wheaton, but Wheaton had some mighty good chances too, maybe more than Calvin.
That's a great result for a team starting 5 freshmen, with about 3-4 others coming in off the bench.
Looking forward to the Sweet 16 rematch between Augie and Calvin on 9/18. Augie is having some trouble scoring (despite scoring 9 goals this past weekend), but they haven't allowed a goal against yet this season. This should be a good game regardless of who wins.
I'm thinking low scoring. Calvin has only given up 1 goal so far this season. Wish I could be there.
What style of soccer does Augie play -- direct? Ball control?
Quote from: Dark Knight on September 13, 2010, 04:21:43 PM
I'm thinking low scoring. Calvin has only given up 1 goal so far this season. Wish I could be there.
What style of soccer does Augie play -- direct? Ball control?
I think they're still trying to figure it out. They seem to like to possess, but I think Coach Mejia would prefer to play more direct.
It seems strange to see my own comment about the team struggling to score - they are averaging 4.2 goals per game, while giving up 0 on the season. It's just that they've missed so many ducks inside the six. At times they try to be too perfect.
Augie should be tough with a week of practice before this game on Saturday night. Injuries may play a role though as several starters were hurt this past weekend.
Looking forward to the game.
Calvin has an extremely tough schedule before the conference season starts. Calvin plays 5 teams that are in the top 25 or receiving votes and is 3-1 against these teams so far. All of the teams Calvin has played are in the top 100 of D3 or equivalent according to Massey's ratings of last year.
All of Augie's opponents so far have been below average, i.e. below #200, according to Massey, with the exception of Kalamazoo, rated #68 last year. And that's the game Augie didn't win--at home. With no wins and one tie against above-average teams, I think Augie remains basically untested. This will be a good test for Augie. Also a good test for Calvin as Augie is currently the highest-rated opponent Calvin is scheduled to face this year.
No question that Augie hasn't been challenged yet this season. Even in the draw with Kalamazoo, Augie held Kzoo shotless for a 72 minute stretch. Augie outshot Kzoo 26-8 for the game, but just couldn't finish. Thus my concern about their scoring (despite a 4.2 goals per game average).
The scoring average is also somewhat diluted by the fact that in the last two games, Augie played 29 and 34 players respectively.
The next two games will be telling as they host #13 Calvin on 9/18 and undefeated #18 Loras on 9/22.
Well, it doesn't get much more low-scoring than that. The stats looked pretty similar for both teams. How did it look in person?
Alma steam-rolled a less-than-impressive North Park team today 4-0. Jessica Swan took a few more steps towards becoming Alma's all-time points leader, cumulating 1 goal and 2 assists
Quote from: Dark Knight on September 19, 2010, 10:43:53 AM
Well, it doesn't get much more low-scoring than that. The stats looked pretty similar for both teams. How did it look in person?
This game was a track meet from the opening whistle. I thought Calvin controlled play for the first 5 minutes or so, but that Augie really took the run of play from that point. I was actually surprised to see that the shots were only 11-9 in favor of Augie. I recall two shots by Calvin early in the first few minutes, but I don't think they really had any opportunities other than a couple of corners the rest of the game.
The Calvin goalie came up huge in the second half and made an incredible save when she stopped a beautiful give and go play by Augie. I'm still not sure how she made the save. She made another huge save in OT when she stopped a direct kick from just outside the 18.
Augie definitely had the better chances, but couldn't finish. Even though it was a 0-0 draw, it was an exciting well-played game.
Calvin scored 20 goals in the first 8 games of last year and gave up 5. This year they've scored 9 and given up 1, and they have a slightly better record.
Scoring less than half the goals so far this year isn't too surprising, given that 46% of goal scoring didn't return this year and the team is half freshmen.
More surprising is having given up 1 goal this year compared to 5 last year, despite an equal number of shots on goal.
Last year Calvin's goalie saved a respectable 80.3% of shots on goal. This year freshman goalie Ashton Hearn has saved an amazing 97% of shots on goal so far. For comparison, the goalie with the best save percentage in DIII last year saved 95.5% of shots on goal.
Trine has really stepped up their game this year. Last year's team didn't have any wins and gave up 87 goals to 9 scored. This year's model is just under .500 at 3-4-1. Way to go Trine!
Olivet is looking good at 6-1-1. Last year they were 4-5-1 in non-conference games.
Adrian was 9-4-1 in non-conference play last year. This year they are also looking strong at 5-1-2.
Alma also has a better non-conference record than last year so far.
It should be a competetive conference season.
I still don't think there will be any question that it will be Adrian, Alma or Calvin (Im leaning to one of the two latter) as the #1 seed. It will just come down to who can A) beat the other and B) avoid the upset (alma's loss to Albion last year)
With three more saves last week, Calvin's freshman goalie Ashton Hearn moved up to #6 nationally in save percentage, at .971, as 5 goalies around the nation gave up their first goals. Four remaining goalies have given up no goals, and one has 40 saves, to Hearn's 33.
Good job Ashton!
Well with Calvin's loss today, and Alma's win, Tuesday's game will decide where the "road to the miaa championship" goes through. If Calvin win's, teams will be tied, Calvin having the tiebreaker. If Alma wins, Alma has a 2 game lead, and the tiebreaker....
With the Calvin/Alma tie, the league tourney should go through Alma....
Quite a bit of time and some big games left in the season, I don't think anyone can guess where the league tourny will go through
Quote from: Knight2Day on October 13, 2010, 10:44:37 AM
Quite a bit of time and some big games left in the season, I don't think anyone can guess where the league tourny will go through
Actually, I think it's pretty safe to say Alma will host (#1 seed is what I'm saying), the Scots are a game up on Calvin, and have Albion, Kzoo, and Hope left on the schedule....not very scary.
MIAA title will come down to Wednesday....Alma controls their own destiny...
If Alma wins or ties on Wednesday at Albion, or Calvin loses, Alma will be #1 seed in the MIAA tourney.
If Alma loses, and Calvin wins, it will go to the 4th/5 tiebreakers....
The young knights seem to be finding their stride offensively. They scored only 17 goals in their first 12 games, but they have have scored 20 in their last 5 games.
Have to think that if Calvin even makes it to the MIAA championship game they will receive a big to the NCAA tourny especially with big wins against in region opponents earlier in the year, something I don't think Alma did early in the year.
Calvin is ranked fifth in the new regional rankings (http://www.ncaa.com/graphics/d3wsoccer102710.pdf), so they have a shot at a bid if they don't win the MIAA tournament. It would depend on how many of the teams ahead of them (Wheaton, Illinois Wesleyan, Augustana, Wash U) get upset in their conference tournaments.
Interestingly, the 6th team is Chicago. Calvin played 4 of the 5 regionally ranked teams (besides themselves) and ended up with a 2-1-1 record.
And, of course, congratulations to Alma for winning the conference (and breaking Calvin's 5-year streak :'( ).
Quote from: Dark Knight on October 28, 2010, 07:01:30 AM
Calvin is ranked fifth in the new regional rankings (http://www.ncaa.com/graphics/d3wsoccer102710.pdf), so they have a shot at a bid if they don't win the MIAA tournament. It would depend on how many of the teams ahead of them (Wheaton, Illinois Wesleyan, Augustana, Wash U) get upset in their conference tournaments.
Interestingly, the 6th team is Chicago. Calvin played 4 of the 5 regionally ranked teams (besides themselves) and ended up with a 2-1-1 record.
Wheaton, IWU, and Augy will get 2 at-large bids (other getting an AQ)...
WashU is in the UAA, which doesn't have enough teams to get an AQ, so they will get one of the 2-3 non-AQ bids reserved for independant schools.
The general assumption right now is that the MIAA will only get 1 school in.....
Quote from: sflzman on October 28, 2010, 06:04:07 PM
Quote from: Dark Knight on October 28, 2010, 07:01:30 AM
Calvin is ranked fifth in the new regional rankings (http://www.ncaa.com/graphics/d3wsoccer102710.pdf), so they have a shot at a bid if they don't win the MIAA tournament. It would depend on how many of the teams ahead of them (Wheaton, Illinois Wesleyan, Augustana, Wash U) get upset in their conference tournaments.
Interestingly, the 6th team is Chicago. Calvin played 4 of the 5 regionally ranked teams (besides themselves) and ended up with a 2-1-1 record.
Wheaton, IWU, and Augy will get 2 at-large bids (other getting an AQ)...
WashU is in the UAA, which doesn't have enough teams to get an AQ, so they will get one of the 2-3 non-AQ bids reserved for independant schools.
The general assumption right now is that the MIAA will only get 1 school in.....
Does the CCIW not have a conference tourny? If they do, Millikin is in the top 4 of that conference and could easily knock off one of the other 3 which would help Calvin's cause if they make it to the MIAA tourny final, even if they don't win it. Granted the general assumption is that only one MIAA team will get in, but due to the fact that Calvin has a stronger in region record than last season, and picked up a big win at Olivet (due to the fact that they are an over .500 team, in region, and as an away game,) I think that for anyone to assume anything at this point would be pretty nonsensical. Do I need to bring up last years Calvin women's soccer team as a refresher to those who assume a team may or may not be in the tourny....you know what they say happens when you assume things....
Yes, Millikin is the fourth team in the CCIW tourney, but to say they could 'easily' beat one of the big three is a stretch. They are the 'best of the rest', but there appears to be a huge drop from Augie to them.
I was really hopeful that IWU had finally taken over the top spot in the conference (and have not totally abandoned hope that they still will), but Wheaton seems to have reasserted their accustomed dominance, handily defeating (in fact, dominating) both IWU and Augie in a week's time. I wouldn't bet seriously against them winning another national title (though Messiah seems to be on another level lately).
Quote from: sflzman on October 28, 2010, 06:04:07 PM
WashU is in the UAA, which doesn't have enough teams to get an AQ, so they will get one of the 2-3 non-AQ bids reserved for independent schools.
Say what? Are you sure about that?
Quote from: WUH on October 29, 2010, 08:38:13 AM
Quote from: sflzman on October 28, 2010, 06:04:07 PM
WashU is in the UAA, which doesn't have enough teams to get an AQ, so they will get one of the 2-3 non-AQ bids reserved for independent schools.
Say what? Are you sure about that?
Yea. That's what I was told, but now you saying that has forced me to look at the UAA site, which clearly shows 8 teams - which is oblivously 'greater than or equal to' the 7 that is needed to get an AQ....
I don't know what that person was talking about - I apologize for any misinformation.....
Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on October 28, 2010, 11:25:59 PM
Yes, Millikin is the fourth team in the CCIW tourney, but to say they could 'easily' beat one of the big three is a stretch. They are the 'best of the rest', but there appears to be a huge drop from Augie to them.
I was really hopeful that IWU had finally taken over the top spot in the conference (and have not totally abandoned hope that they still will), but Wheaton seems to have reasserted their accustomed dominance, handily defeating (in fact, dominating) both IWU and Augie in a week's time. I wouldn't bet seriously against them winning another national title (though Messiah seems to be on another level lately).
I hope you don't think I meant that defeating any of those 3 would be "easy", just that any team on any given night can lose and it's not outside the realm of possibilities. On the subject of Wheaton, it's interesting to see how well they are doing especially in the national polls compared to Calvin. Calvin showed in beating the Thunder earlier this season that they can play with anybody, it's just a matter of which team shows up, the one who beats Wheaton, or the one who out shoots K-zoo 14-7 and loses 1-0.
On a different subject, I have to say, and this will probably ruffle feathers, Calvin is still the standard of the MIAA on the women's side despite losing the conference to Alma this year. Calvin outplayed every one of their opponents (thoroughly handling Alma itself), it was just a matter of being efficient on the multiple opportunities given to them, something I think they will be doing a better job of in the conference tourny after watching their last few games.
Quote from: sflzman on October 29, 2010, 09:49:37 AM
I don't know what that person was talking about - I apologize for any misinformation.....
No worries. Washington University trails Chicago by one point in the standings with a few teams behind by two. The Bears play the Maroons in the last game of the season. It could come down to the very end.
Quote from: sflzman on October 29, 2010, 09:49:37 AM
Quote from: WUH on October 29, 2010, 08:38:13 AM
Quote from: sflzman on October 28, 2010, 06:04:07 PM
WashU is in the UAA, which doesn't have enough teams to get an AQ, so they will get one of the 2-3 non-AQ bids reserved for independent schools.
Say what? Are you sure about that?
Yea. That's what I was told, but now you saying that has forced me to look at the UAA site, which clearly shows 8 teams - which is oblivously 'greater than or equal to' the 7 that is needed to get an AQ....
I don't know what that person was talking about - I apologize for any misinformation.....
You were probably talking to a football fan - the UAA does not have an AQ in football.
Quote from: Mr. Ypsi on October 29, 2010, 02:45:55 PM
Quote from: sflzman on October 29, 2010, 09:49:37 AM
Quote from: WUH on October 29, 2010, 08:38:13 AM
Quote from: sflzman on October 28, 2010, 06:04:07 PM
WashU is in the UAA, which doesn't have enough teams to get an AQ, so they will get one of the 2-3 non-AQ bids reserved for independent schools.
Say what? Are you sure about that?
Yea. That's what I was told, but now you saying that has forced me to look at the UAA site, which clearly shows 8 teams - which is oblivously 'greater than or equal to' the 7 that is needed to get an AQ....
I don't know what that person was talking about - I apologize for any misinformation.....
You were probably talking to a football fan - the UAA does not have an AQ in football.
Maybe....but it was at the Albion/Alma soccer game the other day in the brutal win because at that point it was clear we would win and we were talking about the chance of the MIAA getting two teams....
I continue to hope that the selection commitee will give the MIAA more respect with the Sectional Championship appearance by Calvin, but I just don't think we'll get there....
Quote from: Knight2Day on October 29, 2010, 11:15:29 AM
On the subject of Wheaton, it's interesting to see how well they are doing especially in the national polls compared to Calvin. Calvin showed in beating the Thunder earlier this season that they can play with anybody, it's just a matter of which team shows up, the one who beats Wheaton, or the one who out shoots K-zoo 14-7 and loses 1-0.
Having seen Wheaton play several times this year, early on and of late, I can safely say that they certainly figured "it" out as the season progressed.
I have seen Augie play Kzoo, Calvin, Loras, Wheaton and Illinois Wesleyan this year. IWU, Wheaton, Loras and Augie are all in the top 8 in this site's top 25 poll, but Wheaton is clearly the cream of this crop as of right now. Augie only gave up 8 goals all season, and 4 of those were to Wheaton in one game. I'm not saying they're unbeatable, but I wouldn't want to play them in the NCAA's.
Semi-Final games tomorrow at 3:00....
Adrian @ Alma - Radio@http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/alma.portal# (http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/alma.portal#)
Calvin trying to avoid upsets by Kalamazoo in 2 straight meetings - Radio@http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/Calvin.portal# (http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/Calvin.portal#)
Calvin @ Alma for the big show on Saturday!
Quote from: sflzman on November 02, 2010, 08:55:18 PM
Calvin @ Alma for the big show on Saturday!
Have to say after being at that game, Calvin is still the standard of the league. Despite what the Alma Sports Info website says, Calvin was in the offensive end of the field for all but maybe 5 minutes of the game and probably should have won it 5-0.
Quote from: Knight2Day on November 07, 2010, 10:34:11 AM
Quote from: sflzman on November 02, 2010, 08:55:18 PM
Calvin @ Alma for the big show on Saturday!
Have to say after being at that game, Calvin is still the standard of the league. Despite what the Alma Sports Info website says, Calvin was in the offensive end of the field for all but maybe 5 minutes of the game and probably should have won it 5-0.
Actually - being at that game - Calvin controlled the first half, but when Alma came out in the 2nd half Calvin couldn't do annything against them. The Scots scored the early goal, and then got a PK.
If the PK had gone in, it definately would have been a different ending. When Reising missed the PK (she topped the ball) it just deflated the energy from the strong second half start. Had the shot gone in, it would have been a 3-2 Calvin lead, 35 minutes left, and
ALL the momentum for the Scots...
You could also tell the Scots were missing their two senior leaders who were out with injuries - one of which injured her knee one goal short of tying the Alma All-time goal-scoring record. In the first half, the Scots had two situations where they had wide-open attacking opportunities, but one our stud Freshman, Taryn Handyside shot too high, and the other, Jr. Alli Meurer had an open lane, but passed instead of shot and we ended up getting the ball cleared out by Calvin. Either one of those could have been a goal with Swan their (who usually started for Meurer) instead.
The other senior definately could have shut down Prins, who is an
amazing player btw...
Quote from: sflzman on November 07, 2010, 08:31:30 PM
Quote from: Knight2Day on November 07, 2010, 10:34:11 AM
Quote from: sflzman on November 02, 2010, 08:55:18 PM
Calvin @ Alma for the big show on Saturday!
Have to say after being at that game, Calvin is still the standard of the league. Despite what the Alma Sports Info website says, Calvin was in the offensive end of the field for all but maybe 5 minutes of the game and probably should have won it 5-0.
Actually - being at that game - Calvin controlled the first half, but when Alma came out in the 2nd half Calvin couldn't do annything against them. The Scots scored the early goal, and then got a PK.
If the PK had gone in, it definately would have been a different ending. When Reising missed the PK (she topped the ball) it just deflated the energy from the strong second half start. Had the shot gone in, it would have been a 3-2 Calvin lead, 35 minutes left, and ALL the momentum for the Scots...
You could also tell the Scots were missing their two senior leaders who were out with injuries - one of which injured her knee one goal short of tying the Alma All-time goal-scoring record. In the first half, the Scots had two situations where they had wide-open attacking opportunities, but one our stud Freshman, Taryn Handyside shot too high, and the other, Jr. Alli Meurer had an open lane, but passed instead of shot and we ended up getting the ball cleared out by Calvin. Either one of those could have been a goal with Swan their (who usually started for Meurer) instead.
The other senior definately could have shut down Prins, who is an amazing player btw...
I have to completely disagree with you. The PK was the result of poor officiating and there was no swing in momentum (in basketball terms, 'ball doesn't lie'). The Knights could have scored another 3 goals during that game if you want to talk about scoring opportunities, and unless you were watching a different game, there wasn't a player in the same area code who was going to stop Prins, let alone at that game. You're entitled to your opinion but we must have been watching two very different games if you think that Alma was competing with Calvin in that game. But I guess that's why they play the game instead of letting people like us talk, to prove which team is truly better.
Quote from: Knight2Day on November 07, 2010, 11:01:36 PM
Quote from: sflzman on November 07, 2010, 08:31:30 PM
Quote from: Knight2Day on November 07, 2010, 10:34:11 AM
Quote from: sflzman on November 02, 2010, 08:55:18 PM
Calvin @ Alma for the big show on Saturday!
Have to say after being at that game, Calvin is still the standard of the league. Despite what the Alma Sports Info website says, Calvin was in the offensive end of the field for all but maybe 5 minutes of the game and probably should have won it 5-0.
Actually - being at that game - Calvin controlled the first half, but when Alma came out in the 2nd half Calvin couldn't do annything against them. The Scots scored the early goal, and then got a PK.
If the PK had gone in, it definately would have been a different ending. When Reising missed the PK (she topped the ball) it just deflated the energy from the strong second half start. Had the shot gone in, it would have been a 3-2 Calvin lead, 35 minutes left, and ALL the momentum for the Scots...
You could also tell the Scots were missing their two senior leaders who were out with injuries - one of which injured her knee one goal short of tying the Alma All-time goal-scoring record. In the first half, the Scots had two situations where they had wide-open attacking opportunities, but one our stud Freshman, Taryn Handyside shot too high, and the other, Jr. Alli Meurer had an open lane, but passed instead of shot and we ended up getting the ball cleared out by Calvin. Either one of those could have been a goal with Swan their (who usually started for Meurer) instead.
The other senior definately could have shut down Prins, who is an amazing player btw...
I have to completely disagree with you. The PK was the result of poor officiating and there was no swing in momentum (in basketball terms, 'ball doesn't lie'). The Knights could have scored another 3 goals during that game if you want to talk about scoring opportunities, and unless you were watching a different game, there wasn't a player in the same area code who was going to stop Prins, let alone at that game. You're entitled to your opinion but we must have been watching two very different games if you think that Alma was competing with Calvin in that game. But I guess that's why they play the game instead of letting people like us talk, to prove which team is truly better.
Yes you're true about that.
Prins could not be "shut down", that was a bad choice of words, slowed down, would have been better. The PK was bad officiating, but to that point in the 2nd half the game was being played in the mid to Alma attacking thirds....
But, either way it doesn't matter, either team had to "win to get in" anyways, because two teams below Alma in the Central got AQs, and 1 team (I believe on the East Coast) got an AQ with a record of 4-14-3....
The Central has to get 9 teams if Alma and Calvin plan on being in the NCAAs together....
Sad to see a 1-0 Calvin loss, at least the men are pulling through! Up 2-0 80+ minute
Quote from: sflzman on November 12, 2010, 03:47:47 PM
Sad to see a 1-0 Calvin loss, at least the men are pulling through! Up 2-0 80+ minute
Yeah, too bad. The women had a close game against #3 Otterbein, though, as far as I can tell from the stats, and gave up a goal with less than 5 minutes left. I'm sure they're frustrated and disappointed, but they did well to play Otterbein so close.
The men's game felt closer than the score would suggest -- ONU had a potent attack in the first half that left Calvin's defense in disarray on a number of occasions. The second half was closer to being all Calvin.
And, with that loss, it's not going to help my Scots get an at-large bid (although this year it truly was our fault. Had we not lost ot WashU on that 60 yard goalie freekick that bounced 4 times, we would have a had a much better chance on getting that at-large)
Not to sound like a broken record but the Knights outplayed Otterbein from start to finish in their game yesterday. I was in attendance and had Otterbein fans tell me that we deserved the W in that game. A lot of chances inside the 18 that the Knights just couldn't put away...It's too bad for that senior class but to anyone in attendance, they most certainly showed the class of the Knights soccer program. Congrats on a good season Calvin.
Congrats to Prins on the 3rd team All-american in both NSCAA and d3soccer.com
It shows the complete disrespect for our conference that Prins is only 3rd team and Alma didn't even get taste of an All-American...
Quote from: sflzman on January 10, 2011, 07:57:28 PM
Congrats to Prins on the 3rd team All-american in both NSCAA and d3soccer.com
It shows the complete disrespect for our conference that Prins is only 3rd team and Alma didn't even get taste of an All-American...
Congrats to Carly who is a wonderful soccer player and a teriffic young lady. Carly, a great all around athlete, was a pretty good high school basketball player who played with Hope's Carrie Snikkers and who shared a prep back court with Jill Flietstra, a first team All-Big Ten player at Michigan State. In her prep career Carly played in six state final games in two sports, winning the state championship four times.
The new double-round-robin format for the MIAA season means that Calvin's schedule has only four non-MIAA teams on it, all at the beginning of the season. I assume other teams are about the same.
I don't like that at all. How will teams prepare for the national tournament and stay on the national radar with such a small number of non-MIAA games, all packed into the first nine days of the season?
thats what i think too. it will hurt our SOS.
Alma Tabbed To Repeat as MIAA Women's Soccer Champs
Last fall, Alma won its first MIAA championship in women's soccer in school history.
The Scots have been picked to repeat as champions in the MIAA this fall in the first-ever conference preseason women's soccer coaches poll. Alma received six of a possible nine first place votes in the poll, with defending MIAA tournament champion Calvin receiving the other three first-place tallies.
Calvin was picked to finish second, followed by Kalamazoo, Adrian, Hope, Olivet, Saint Mary's, Albion and Trine.
Poll Results (first-place votes in parenthesis): 1. Alma (6) 10 pts. 2. Calvin (3) 13. 3. Kalamazoo 22. 4. Adrian 34. 5. Hope 36. 6. Olivet 40. 7. Saint Mary's 53. 8. Albion 56. 9. Trine 60.
MIAA teams will begin non-conference action Thursday, Sept. 1, with the first conference games set for Wednesday, Sept. 14.
The knights finally posted their roster. Maybe they didn't want anyone to know just how young the knights' squad is this year!
On a team of 22 there are two juniors and one senior.
The knights lost 6 seniors including league MVP Carly Prins. In addition, all-MIAA first-team freshman Liz Drennan transferred to U. of Illinois and about 5 sophomores and juniors from last year's team didn't return. All told 7 or 8 of the usual starters are not back. If I counted right, there are 8 players back who played in the majority of games last year.
I suspect there will be some serious learning going on for the first part of this season at least.
This could be a "down" year for Calvin. Alma loses a lot too thought, with Jessica Swan graduating and Alli Meurer leaving. I think it'll be another battle for the top spot in the conference!
Quote from: Dark Knight on August 31, 2011, 12:28:50 PM
The knights finally posted their roster. Maybe they didn't want anyone to know just how young the knights' squad is this year!
On a team of 22 there are two juniors and one senior.
The knights lost 6 seniors including league MVP Carly Prins. In addition, all-MIAA first-team freshman Liz Drennan transferred to U. of Illinois and about 5 sophomores and juniors from last year's team didn't return. All told 7 or 8 of the usual starters are not back. If I counted right, there are 8 players back who played in the majority of games last year.
I suspect there will be some serious learning going on for the first part of this season at least.
For as much as the Knights are going to miss Prins and Kellie Honderd, the losses of the returners from last years team are going to hurt them the most I believe. Either way, Coach Recker has done a fine job of building a program and does a quality job of recruiting the right talent. Let's h*pe that the success continues.....
Calvin crushed in season opener against, WashU, 8-1.
Adrian Hope and Saint Mary's win season opener,
Kalamazoo and Trine lose.
Alma starts today at North Park
Alma leads 1-0 in a lightning delay
NSCAA/Adidas Poll has Alma at 31 (ORV catagory)
The Scots are 5th in the region, and Kalamazoo is 7th.
Calvin received no votes not surprisingly with the disapointing week they had.
Calvin loses again by big numbers!
6-1 against Wheaton. Calvin has given up 18 goals in 3 games this season. They allowed 7 all of last year
Quote from: sflzman on September 08, 2011, 08:53:44 PM
Calvin loses again by big numbers!
6-1 against Wheaton. Calvin has given up 18 goals in 3 games this season. They allowed 7 all of last year
[/quote
Was at the game, Calvin played poorly in the first half but they actually came together a bit in the second half, especially in the final 20 minutes. Still a very young team but the good news for them is that they have played 2 top 10 teams and the #16 team in the country with an entirely different team essentially. I would be surprised to not see Calvin in the top 4 in the conference and, come conf. tourny time, making a move towards the NCAA's/
Looks like Olivet lost a lot of players to graduation. Watched the JCU game tonight and Olivet had a rough go. However, for any Olivet fans out there looking for a silver lining they had some nice Freshmen on the pitch and their freshman keeper is excellent. They will get better.
The knights pick up their first win of the season and give up "only" two goals -- the lowest opponent score of the season by two!
The knights played the 6th-toughest schedule nationally in their first three games according to Massey. It will be interesting to see how much of a difference the easier MIAA schedule and/or additional experience for the freshmen will make.
Massey ratings for MIAA soccer:
Alma #69
Adrian #85
Hope #110
Calvin #139
Kalamazoo #189
St Mary's #191
Olivet #289
Albion #307
Trine #312
Notes:
- Calvin's schedule so far is the 20th most difficult nationally
- Calvin's defense was only weaker than the offense by "1" -- offense #24, defense #241.
Alma defeats Calvin 2-1 on goals by Elaine Cunningham and Carly Reising. Calvins goal was by Liz Cancel
Very nice result for Kalamazoo yesterday, tying D3hoops.com #3 Wheaton 0-0 at Joe Bean stadium. Massey had predicted a 3-0 outcome for Wheaton.
Wheaton beat Calvin 6-1 earlier this season.
Kalamazoo had moved up to 4th in Massey's ranking of the MIAA, just ahead of Calvin, even before this result.
Calvin plays at Kalamazoo on Thursday.
Quote from: Dark Knight on October 04, 2011, 12:07:21 PM
Very nice result for Kalamazoo yesterday, tying D3hoops.com #3 Wheaton 0-0 at Joe Bean stadium. Massey had predicted a 3-0 outcome for Wheaton.
Wheaton beat Calvin 6-1 earlier this season.
Kalamazoo had moved up to 4th in Massey's ranking of the MIAA, just ahead of Calvin, even before this result.
Calvin plays at Kalamazoo on Thursday.
Hmmm basketball seems to have started a little early this year ;) :P ;D
Alma falls to Capital 1-0 at Wheaton. Wheaton then defeated Capital 2-0 to move on to the sweet 16.
The scots were definately a better team than Capital, they just couldn't find the back of the net.
May I respectfully disagree with your comments on Alma and Capitol? The Capitol keeper is the OAC keeper of the year and it's very much a part of Capitol's game to rely on her to make saves. Capitol's strength was on the counter-attack and they rely on opportunism. A team can dominate possession and shots and still not be "a better team". JCU found that out two weeks ago. That's decided by the score; and Capitol's strength was knowing their strengths. I am not taking anything from Alma, but you do Capitol a disservice by not giving them credit due.
Wheaton was the better team and deserved the win.
after watching the alma/capital game i would have to also respectfully disagree with your assessment of friday night's game. capital was one of the better team's i've seen all season at defending as a unit and the movement in their defensive lines was beautiful to watch. alma's attack seemed to hinge on reising's ability to make plays and individual play alone isn't going to beat a well-organized defense such as capital's. alma also refused to commit many players to the attack for the first 75-80 minutes of the game and seemed to be constantly outnumbered on the attack. maggie donnellan for capital was one of the most athletic keepers wheaton has seen all year as you could see by coach felske calling her aside as she came out to compliment her play.
congrats to the scots on a fine season and making your tournament debut.
Okay I take back the comment of "better team" and will use "dominating team" Alma had possession most of the game and had capitals d scrambling. The keeper is very talented indeed but honestly take away her I don't think capitals a tournament team. But keepers r such a large part in the game. Monica Witt was a HUGE part to almas success this year and I don't think capitals one goal finds net with Witt in her normal spot. But injuries happen that's part of the game.
Congrats to capital they are a very solid team. And congrats to Wheaton for the sweet 16 birth. I really was hoping alma could get a win last Friday as I have a huge spot in my heart for this senior class.
Anyways, good luck to Wheaton.
And go scots
I thought the first half was pretty even, but Capital absorbed a little more pressure in the second half (and seemed to be fine with doing so). Reising was the best player on the field by far IMO, and she'll be missed. Which brings me to the question...
MIAA predictions for 2012?
Interesting that Baldwin-Wallace announces an all-sport post-season ban today:
http://d3hoops.com/notables/2012/10/baldwin-wallace-postseason-ban
Then tonight Saint Mary's women's soccer vacates their bid in this year's MIAA tournament after they take down K-zoo in a must-win for them this afternoon.
(miaa.org for the "extent" of the details for that one)
Also anybody have details on the WOS saying Sam Barker has been kicked off of Adrian's squad?
Wow, hadn't heard about the BW situation, that's a big deal with possibly more to come from the NCAA. Too bad for St. Mary's, they had a great year this year, very organized and difficult to score on... set up perfectly for a shootout or two. WOS on Sam Barker is that she was suspended for the rest of the season for violation of team rules. Gutsy move, but they seem to be doing fine without her all things considered. Tournament this weekend should be a great one, seedings are practically irrelevant.
Calvin Women defeat Hope 2-1 in overtime to win the MIAA tournament!
Any thoughts on who looks good for the coming season and if any team scored well recruiting? It's difficult to learn about recruits for DIII.
Alma has a great looking class coming in. See the below releases:
http://goalmascots.com/sports/wsoc/2012-13/2013commits
http://goalmascots.com/sports/wsoc/2012-13/releases/20130515exk0ds
I know a couple of those girls going to Alma. Any likelihood of any of them starting do you think?
I suspect the real question for the Div IIIs is how many Div I level kids can you get for whatever reason(s). I know some pretty solid players going to Hope, Adrian and Kzoo from the East side of the State. The Crew had a very good u18 team this past year. I would guess that some of them must have ended up at an MIAA school. It would be nice if all of the schools did a recruitment update like Alma's.
Any thoughts on how things are going this year?
It seemed to me that Kzoo was going strong, but then, surprisingly to me, lost to Olivet one-nil. Hope obviously has jumped out to a good start as has Alma. Alma beating Calvin 3-2 was a solid win.
So 2 or 3 games in -- who looks like they will make the round-robin tournament.
Alma just beat Hope 1-0 and they are definitely looking to be the dominant team in the league table. Their non-conference slate was absolutely brutal though, but held very tough in the games. If Alma wins this weekend at Adrian I think it's safe to say that they'll make their first trip through the table undefeated.
It looks like there is no real dominate team in the league. Adrian beats Alma 1-0 but has lost to Hope and Calvin. It would seem that the top 4 are pretty clear as Kalamazoo has had some injuries and looks to have fallen off of late.
Quote from: newsocdad on September 30, 2013, 11:07:33 AM
It looks like there is no real dominate team in the league. Adrian beats Alma 1-0 but has lost to Hope and Calvin. It would seem that the top 4 are pretty clear as Kalamazoo has had some injuries and looks to have fallen off of late.
There's a logjam atop the MIAA, according to Massey. Calvin #21, Alma #43, Hope #44, Adrian #47.
Quote from: Dark Knight on October 04, 2013, 03:56:33 PM
Quote from: newsocdad on September 30, 2013, 11:07:33 AM
It looks like there is no real dominate team in the league. Adrian beats Alma 1-0 but has lost to Hope and Calvin. It would seem that the top 4 are pretty clear as Kalamazoo has had some injuries and looks to have fallen off of late.
There's a logjam atop the MIAA, according to Massey. Calvin #21, Alma #43, Hope #44, Adrian #47.
Huge win for the Calvin women yesterday, beating Hope in Holland 2-1. I was delighted to see the daughter of my best man score two second half goals to fuel the come from behind win and keep Calvin two points back of Alma.
GO GOPE BEATH THE KNIGH S TONIGHT