Since I cannot be engaged anymore by some of these eggheads, I will engage myself from time to time. Current D3 happenings, D3 history, Nescac, New England Soccer and all NCAA talk.
I miss the coaching carousel that this site used to do. Other sports do it so why not this site? There are some top jobs in D3 that need to be filled this offseason and this topic gets my blood moving.
Big news....interesting timing
http://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2014/11/24/MSOC_1124140757.aspx
Mr. Right, when do you think Williams will announce their new coach?
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 26, 2014, 11:37:50 AM
Since I cannot be engaged anymore by some of these eggheads, I will engage myself from time to time. Current D3 happenings, D3 history, Nescac, New England Soccer and all NCAA talk.
I look forward to the discussion, as well as you assigning yourself karma points. ;D
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 26, 2014, 11:40:06 AM
I miss the coaching carousel that this site used to do. Other sports do it so why not this site? There are some top jobs in D3 that need to be filled this offseason and this topic gets my blood moving.
Should I take that as you volunteering to join the D3soccer.com staff to head up the Coaching Carousel? ;)
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on November 26, 2014, 11:56:34 AM
Big news....interesting timing
http://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2014/11/24/MSOC_1124140757.aspx
Completely agree - WHY on earth would you announce a new coach when the outgoing coach just led the team to the Final 4? Shouldn't all of the focus be on the team and the coach? Why draw attention away from that accomplishment? I don't get it.
Yeah, the timing is nuts!
Timing is odd, but it will have no effect on the team and how they do in the Final Four. And maybe rather than sit on the news for 2 weeks asking everyone to keep a lid on it (knowing the word would probably get out anyway), it was better to put it out there early in the 2-week break between Sectionals and Final Four. Leaves plenty of time for the focus to return to this year's team. By Black Friday or Saturday this will be old news, and it's back to the Final Four run. I don't see it as a big deal, even if a little odd.
Corazon,
Williams will have the coach named I believe before Christmas break. I have heard they have whittled it down to 4 solid candidates. They will bring them in the first two weeks of December put them through the ringer and then decide. Should be interesting but with Rashid back next year and a very solid class that Russo brought in himself they will be all set. The one issue is they have 9 seniors graduating. That is quite a big number and all of them have played a part the past 4 years, some more than others. Unfortunately, most of the seniors besides Grady really struggled at times this year which is what led to the off year. Next years senior class is most likely 3 or 4 players as you would have Danilack, Grumann, Ritter and maybe Westling. Personally I feel this "cleaning house" of sorts of this years class will help move the transition along nicely.
Quote from: Christan Shirk on November 26, 2014, 01:00:43 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 26, 2014, 11:40:06 AM
I miss the coaching carousel that this site used to do. Other sports do it so why not this site? There are some top jobs in D3 that need to be filled this offseason and this topic gets my blood moving.
Should I take that as you volunteering to join the D3soccer.com staff to head up the Coaching Carousel? ;)
Haha I realize you guys are really busy with family and the like but that was a great feature to keep tabs on coaches and programs
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on November 26, 2014, 11:56:34 AM
Big news....interesting timing
http://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2014/11/24/MSOC_1124140757.aspx
This is an excellent hire for this program. Former player, D3 head coaching experience and a similar type school, D1 assistant, young and experience in recruiting this type of player. I am befuddled by the timing but I assume the head coach gave his ok and I would be willing to bet he is out there now or at the very least will be in KC. I remember talking to the Gordon AD a while back and praising this kid for turning this once dormant program into something worth talking about before the next guy built it even more.
Mr.Right, congrats on your latest new thread. Narcissism personified.
I do have a serious question for you that I hope you won't mind answering.
Why are you privy to private information about what student-athletes are admitted/not admitted and desired/not desired by certain colleges, and similarly why are you privy to highly confidential information and who and how many candidates are being interviewed for a coaching job?
Either you are posing and know nothing, OR, worse, you are hooked into such information via coaches, athletic directors, admissions directors, etc, and they have trusted you with such information, and you have then violated their trust by posting the information on a very public website. Which is it? Or would you maintain that they have no problem at all with you publicly posting such information?
Neither...I talk to a lot of people "in the know" in New England. Do I know the candidates? NO...I could guess a couple but I do not know specifics..If you do not like my posts I do not force you to read them. You were SO upset that I ruined YOUR conversation last time I decided to talk to myself or other non-eggheads that wish to talk. END OF STORY. I am done responding to these attacks
It's a very fair question, Mr.Right, and your reply was non-responsive.
You have presented yourself as knowing (for a fact) very confidential information about college admissions and who coaches wanted or did not want regarding specific student-athletes. You certainly did not present your information as rumor. No one outside of the coaches and admissions departments would know that type of information (as fact), so asking you to back up your claims is fair. Moreover, you have not explained how publishing such alleged accurate information of such a confidential nature on a public website like this is 1) not a violation of someone's trust on the one hand; and 2) aside from those violations of trust, not an ethical violation of the privacy of 18, 19, and 20 year old kids.
Not to mention that if anyone else had presented similar information you would be the first to demand accountability.
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 26, 2014, 10:49:23 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on November 26, 2014, 11:56:34 AM
Big news....interesting timing
http://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2014/11/24/MSOC_1124140757.aspx
This is an excellent hire for this program. Former player, D3 head coaching experience and a similar type school, D1 assistant, young and experience in recruiting this type of player. I am befuddled by the timing but I assume the head coach gave his ok and I would be willing to bet he is out there now or at the very least will be in KC. I remember talking to the Gordon AD a while back and praising this kid for turning this once dormant program into something worth talking about before the next guy built it even more.
Yeah I agree - great hire for Wheaton and not that unexpected. I suspect he will be at the final 4 as well ... although that was likely anyway given that he is an alumni. Interesting that he has been working as a volunteer assistant at Navy with Brandt. He may bring a bit of the Messiah approach to Wheaton now. Not a bad apprenticeship he has had ... assistant to Joe Bean for several years and now Dave Brandt.
Quote from: NCAC New England on November 27, 2014, 09:51:48 AM
It's a very fair question, Mr.Right, and your reply was non-responsive.
You have presented yourself as knowing (for a fact) very confidential information about college admissions and who coaches wanted or did not want regarding specific student-athletes. You certainly did not present your information as rumor. No one outside of the coaches and admissions departments would know that type of information (as fact), so asking you to back up your claims is fair. Moreover, you have not explained how publishing such alleged accurate information of such a confidential nature on a public website like this is 1) not a violation of someone's trust on the one hand; and 2) aside from those violations of trust, not an ethical violation of the privacy of 18, 19, and 20 year old kids.
Not to mention that if anyone else had presented similar information you would be the first to demand accountability.
How dare he speculate on the college decisions of high school athletes. Such disregard for their privacy is unheard of... or wait... https://www.rivals.com/
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 26, 2014, 10:43:12 PM
Quote from: Christan Shirk on November 26, 2014, 01:00:43 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 26, 2014, 11:40:06 AM
I miss the coaching carousel that this site used to do. Other sports do it so why not this site? There are some top jobs in D3 that need to be filled this offseason and this topic gets my blood moving.
Should I take that as you volunteering to join the D3soccer.com staff to head up the Coaching Carousel? ;)
Haha I realize you guys are really busy with family and the like but that was a great feature to keep tabs on coaches and programs
Thank you.
I think this experience will be better than San Antonio soccer wise but not hospitality wise.
http://www.sportingkc.com/swope-soccer-village
As much as we all thought Messiah's 2014 was their best team I really feel now that 2013 could have been. Josh Wood was a legit D3 / mid-major D1 striker. That kid could finish and I feel that Messiah did not miss his presence until the weather got colder and their opponents got tougher.
After taking a peak at Amherst roster they lose one solid player- Wirz. One long throw decent player-VanWie. One mainstay since 2008-Heo.
Wirz is a big loss but Amherst has shown year in and year out that they can replace central defenders consistently. I really would like Aoyama to move back to wingback but there is no way Serpone moves him back there after a year in the middle. They really bring back a VERY STRONG team next year and with a year more experience for the underclassman it is looking good.
I really enjoyed the Durocher article but if I was to be a bit picky I think it ended somewhat abruptly. The beginning was excellent and his personal history was excellent but I would have liked to have gotten a few more guys quoted from some of his other special teams. Off the top of my head guys like DeMello, Carruth, Watson, Gorman, Abernethy, Sutton and Crooker. Sorry if I missed a few studs but you get the idea
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 28, 2014, 02:44:18 PM
After taking a peak at Amherst roster they lose one solid player- Wirz. One long throw decent player-VanWie. One mainstay since 2008-Heo.
Wirz is a big loss but Amherst has shown year in and year out that they can replace central defenders consistently. I really would like Aoyama to move back to wingback but there is no way Serpone moves him back there after a year in the middle. They really bring back a VERY STRONG team next year and with a year more experience for the underclassman it is looking good.
Agree. Amherst will be loaded for bear. I have an urge to look ahead to next year's NESCAC rosters but I should be respectful of Tufts' ongoing season. I wish I had a better sense of the incoming recruiting classes. With the NESCACs not making such announcements, makes projecting much more difficult than D1s and other conferences.
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 28, 2014, 02:33:30 PM
I think this experience will be better than San Antonio soccer wise but not hospitality wise.
http://www.sportingkc.com/swope-soccer-village
Can't beat the hospitality of San Antonio. The scale of the venue will be more suitable to a D3 crowd than the Scorpions stadium was, but there is no comparison to the Riverwalk. Will be curious to see which team has the bigger following. I suspect Wheaton will get its share as it is but a 7-8 hour drive from their campus.
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 28, 2014, 02:36:47 PM
As much as we all thought Messiah's 2014 was their best team I really feel now that 2013 could have been. Josh Wood was a legit D3 / mid-major D1 striker. That kid could finish and I feel that Messiah did not miss his presence until the weather got colder and their opponents got tougher.
Yes - would have been interesting to see how Messiah would have attacked with Wood up top and Payne playing just behind him as they had done the previous 2 years (and 2 titles). My impression from 2012 was that their team really took off when they made the switch about 5-6 games into the season to start Wood up top, drop Payne behind him and move Thompson out wide. That lineup of 4 juniors and 6 sophomores pretty much stayed in tact for 2 full seasons and only one loss to York (1-0). And while there is plenty of talent at Messiah, the 4 starting seniors that they lost from last year were very key, cornerstone type players that provided a ton of leadership and complemented the bigger named players of this year's senior class. Will be interesting to see how they do next year after having lost a total of 10 starters from the prior 2 seasons. They will be young, but well-coached and ready come next fall I'm sure. Just will literally be a completely new team than the one that took the field against Camden in 2013 final. That said, with the way Messiah subs, most of the new starters actually played in that final albeit as substitutes.
Quote from: Corazon on November 28, 2014, 04:18:51 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 28, 2014, 02:44:18 PM
After taking a peak at Amherst roster they lose one solid player- Wirz. One long throw decent player-VanWie. One mainstay since 2008-Heo.
Wirz is a big loss but Amherst has shown year in and year out that they can replace central defenders consistently. I really would like Aoyama to move back to wingback but there is no way Serpone moves him back there after a year in the middle. They really bring back a VERY STRONG team next year and with a year more experience for the underclassman it is looking good.
Agree. Amherst will be loaded for bear. I have an urge to look ahead to next year's NESCAC rosters but I should be respectful of Tufts' ongoing season. I wish I had a better sense of the incoming recruiting classes. With the NESCACs not making such announcements, makes projecting much more difficult than D1s and other conferences.
Well this is still a good time to look ahead and follow Tufts. This off-week still has a lot of action on this board and why not use it to discuss other non-final 4 but I hear ya.
Quote from: KnightFalcon on November 28, 2014, 04:40:06 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 28, 2014, 02:36:47 PM
As much as we all thought Messiah's 2014 was their best team I really feel now that 2013 could have been. Josh Wood was a legit D3 / mid-major D1 striker. That kid could finish and I feel that Messiah did not miss his presence until the weather got colder and their opponents got tougher.
Yes - would have been interesting to see how Messiah would have attacked with Wood up top and Payne playing just behind him as they had done the previous 2 years (and 2 titles). My impression from 2012 was that their team really took off when they made the switch about 5-6 games into the season to start Wood up top, drop Payne behind him and move Thompson out wide. That lineup of 4 juniors and 6 sophomores pretty much stayed in tact for 2 full seasons and only one loss to York (1-0). And while there is plenty of talent at Messiah, the 4 starting seniors that they lost from last year were very key, cornerstone type players that provided a ton of leadership and complemented the bigger named players of this year's senior class. Will be interesting to see how they do next year after having lost a total of 10 starters from the prior 2 seasons. They will be young, but well-coached and ready come next fall I'm sure. Just will literally be a completely new team than the one that took the field against Camden in 2013 final. That said, with the way Messiah subs, most of the new starters actually played in that final albeit as substitutes.
Well done Knight. Could not agree more
Quote from: KnightFalcon on November 28, 2014, 04:20:32 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 28, 2014, 02:33:30 PM
I think this experience will be better than San Antonio soccer wise but not hospitality wise.
http://www.sportingkc.com/swope-soccer-village
Can't beat the hospitality of San Antonio. The scale of the venue will be more suitable to a D3 crowd than the Scorpions stadium was, but there is no comparison to the Riverwalk. Will be curious to see which team has the bigger following. I suspect Wheaton will get its share as it is but a 7-8 hour drive from their campus.
Good question to who will be well represented. I believe Wheaton as well but it makes me long for the days of the "Home field" Final 4. Crowds would be 1,500-2,000 deep sometimes and basically all students. It led to a great atmosphere but did create an unfair advantage for one team because it was not always rewarded to the best team but determined by geography and whether the school applied to host it. The Oneonta crowd last weekend reminded me of those days as that was fun to watch
yes - Oneonta would actually be a great site for the final 4 ... was out there last year watching Messiah, F&M, Claremont-M-S and Oneonta in a tournament. Student Body was out in force and the crowd was very enthusiastic and well-behaved. Nice venue and surface too. Seating might be a little light but plenty of standing room around much of the field. Only trouble is its a bit tough to get there ... had to fly into Albany and then drive 90 minutes.
Didn't SLU host about a decade ago only to have a snow storm hit?
2002 when SLU hosted. I was not up there but maybe one of our SLU friends could fill in some details
Speaking of Claremont-M-S-Williams grad Dan Calichman resigned in mid september to join Greg Vanney(former USMNT player) as his assistant for Toronto FC. Ironically, he replaces old Nescac coach Fran O'Leary. CMS gave the current assistant the interim tag but have opened the job up nationally. Nice location and good school it would be a nice gig to have
I was really hoping Calichman would return to Williams. Alas, it wasn't meant to be. I've heard the AD has narrowed it down to 4 candidates, all of whom are British. :).
Haha....Yes Calichman would have been a strong candidate with Sullivan to get it. One of those races where it would have been so close that one little thing during the interview process would have decided it. Also, interesting to me is Calichman maybe not considering the fact that his predecessor was a former D3 coach lasting 1 1/2 years before getting fired and is now currently looking for jobs. MLS is a volatile league but Calichman must be around 45 and figures he could get another coaching gig and maybe wanted to pursue his dream job. Also, he is a former MLS All-Star and will have more respect from pro players than O'Leary. O'Leary left a cushy secure Bowdoin job at age 53 in a move that is looking worse and worse as usually coaches have a hard time getting jobs after they hit 55.
Yes, we hosted in 2002. Snow storm came in and they had to move the games to the North Country Field, which is the turf field mainly used for lacrosse and field hockey. We lost to Messiah in the semifinal and they ended up beating Otterbein in the championship.
The front 6 of Messiah 2013 might have been the best I have seen at the d3 level... as far as the overall team... it would be 2013, 2003, 2005, 2010...
Hmm not 2006? I thought that JD Binger kid could have been one of the best defenders I have ever seen at this level. Also, the GK of that team in the game I saw at Williams made 2 saves that most GK's at any level would not have made
Tough lists, but that 03 team that had bills was phenomenal... the 04 team ran through the tourney without conceding a goal and I didn't put them in top 4... 05 was unbeaten untied...
your right it is almost ridiculous. I am by know means a Messiah expert but we heard a lot about this 2014 team this year being the best. I stated the 2013 team was better because of Wood but I will change my tune and agree with you that the 2013 teams front 6 was incredible.
That is too bad about O'Leary as Bowdoin indeed is a cushy job. Relatively easy school to recruit for located in a nice town without too much pressure to win.
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 28, 2014, 02:44:18 PM
After taking a peak at Amherst roster they lose one solid player- Wirz. One long throw decent player-VanWie. One mainstay since 2008-Heo.
Wirz is a big loss but Amherst has shown year in and year out that they can replace central defenders consistently. I really would like Aoyama to move back to wingback but there is no way Serpone moves him back there after a year in the middle. They really bring back a VERY STRONG team next year and with a year more experience for the underclassman it is looking good.
Aoyama played outside back this year on one side, with Sood on the other. Wirz and Bean played in the middle.
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 28, 2014, 02:36:47 PM
As much as we all thought Messiah's 2014 was their best team I really feel now that 2013 could have been. Josh Wood was a legit D3 / mid-major D1 striker. That kid could finish and I feel that Messiah did not miss his presence until the weather got colder and their opponents got tougher.
Not sure the basis for the part of your statement that I indicated.
No argument that Josh Wood was a goal machine in 2013 that made all Messiah's excellent build-up play pay off. And no argument that he provided something a little different from anything this year's edition had. Payne's best position is in the hole behind the striker but so is Danny Brandt's. Obviously the coaching staff decided that to maximize the combined contributions of the two was for both to start with Brandt in the hole and Payne up top. It sacrificed Payne's best to gain Brandt's inclusion in the starting line-up. But Payne was certainly no slouch as a striker and his 21 goals matched Wood's 21 goals last year, and in three less games played than Wood. So looking at the season as a whole, the problem wasn't so much the loss of Wood directly, but the removal of Payne from the midfield to fill Wood's spot. The midfield did not produce at the same level this year as it did in 2013.
So indirectly they did miss Wood this year, but that was a season-long thing that resulted in a little less dynamic of an attack producing .30 goals less per game. Not sure the basis for trying connect it with cold weather and tougher competition down the stretch. They seemed to do fine against Cortland St. in the cold without Wood. Losing to a very good Tufts team in the cold (wasn't really that cold Sunday, actually) does not make for a trend. Not to mention that Wood only scored one goal total in the four Sectional and Final Four games last year.
Well I am no Messiah expert but I just felt that in games where some of the best teams were clamping down on the middle of the field where Messiah likes to move the ball thru that the ball was not getting to the strikers in good positions. This led me to believe that Wood was a different kind of striker that could finish no matter where he received the ball inside the 18 or around the 18. My argument was that no matter how tough the conditions(cold weather, 1950's varsity field) or opponents I felt Wood would finish or indirectly take the opponents best defenders away from others to allow them to finish. Maybe that is why he only had one goal in 4 playoff games last year.
Quote from: 1970s NESCAC Player on November 28, 2014, 11:40:37 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 28, 2014, 02:44:18 PM
After taking a peak at Amherst roster they lose one solid player- Wirz. One long throw decent player-VanWie. One mainstay since 2008-Heo.
Wirz is a big loss but Amherst has shown year in and year out that they can replace central defenders consistently. I really would like Aoyama to move back to wingback but there is no way Serpone moves him back there after a year in the middle. They really bring back a VERY STRONG team next year and with a year more experience for the underclassman it is looking good.
Aoyama played outside back this year on one side, with Sood on the other. Wirz and Bean played in the middle.
Not until Serpone realized Forrest Sisk was not the answer at right back
Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on November 28, 2014, 07:52:46 PM
The front 6 of Messiah 2013 might have been the best I have seen at the d3 level... as far as the overall team... it would be 2013, 2003, 2005, 2010...
Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on November 28, 2014, 08:05:51 PM
Tough lists, but that 03 team that had bills was phenomenal... the 04 team ran through the tourney without conceding a goal and I didn't put them in top 4... 05 was unbeaten untied...
Are you sure you mean 2003? Bills best season was 2002 when the class of Woodworth, Sauer, Faro, Snavely, et. al. were seniors and Bills scored 29 goals including the game-winners against Hopkins, Salisbury, Greensboro, and Drew in the tournament to reach the Final Four. 2003 seemed like an inbetween year. Still a very good team and after a month to adapt to life without Woodworth and company they hit their stride winning 13 straight before the PK shutout elimination to Salisbury in the Regional Final (Sweet 16). By that point, perhaps that squad was playing as well as the previous year, but with the September road bumps, reduced scoring, and early tournament exit, it will always be the year between the 2000-2002 editions that won the first two titles and the 2004-2006 editions that made Messiah a dynasty. 2002 was the pinnacle for goal scoring with a program high 3.93 GSA that has never been threatened since. And defensively it is within a few hundreths of the program's other best GAA's making for the program's best ever +3.55 goal difference. Few players (maybe seniors Sam Casey and Aaron Casper) were at their peak in 2003--Bills in his senior year dealing with injuries wasn't as effective, and the underclassmen would get even better in subsequent years. It was over the course of the 2003 season the squad grew into team that would take the 2004 and 2005 titles in very impressive fashion with Dave McClellan exploding for goals and Kai Kasiguran's talents being added to the mix. No list of greatest Messiah squads is complete without the 2002 edition, in my opinion.
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 28, 2014, 08:02:10 PM
Hmm not 2006? I thought that JD Binger kid could have been one of the best defenders I have ever seen at this level. Also, the GK of that team in the game I saw at Williams made 2 saves that most GK's at any level would not have made
I think one reason 2006 doesn't stack up is the offense was down that year by Messiah standards. Defensively, despite the outside back positions being in flux, it measured up with any other Messiah edition with the centerback pairing of sophomore J.D. Binger and 5th-year senior Rosamilia in front of senior goalkeeper Dustin Shambach (probably Messiah's best ever). And junior Dan Visser was the defensive mid. But the attack produced the lowest GSA and only GSA below 3.00 from 1998 to 2006 (twice since Messiah has had lower GSA's). I think two first-year transfers were battling for the center forward position with neither really settling in and convincing (maybe even Patrick Lenehan was being tried there, I'm not sure as I wasn't around to see that season first-hand). Anyway, the attack didn't seem to click as well that year despite having some great weapons in Danny Wagner on the wing, Lenehan and Kai Kasiguran.
BTW, that Sectional at Williams was better than the Final Four. Hopkins and Williams were better than NYU and Wheaton who both were riding waves of emotion to reach the Final Four and were no match for Messiah. It was nice having three of the most storied D-III programs in the Final Four (OWU, Wheaton, Messiah), but it certainly didn't make for the best Final Four.
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 29, 2014, 11:22:52 AM
Well I am no Messiah expert but I just felt that in games where some of the best teams were clamping down on the middle of the field where Messiah likes to move the ball thru that the ball was not getting to the strikers in good positions. This led me to believe that Wood was a different kind of striker that could finish no matter where he received the ball inside the 18 or around the 18. My argument was that no matter how tough the conditions(cold weather, 1950's varsity field) or opponents I felt Wood would finish or indirectly take the opponents best defenders away from others to allow them to finish. Maybe that is why he only had one goal in 4 playoff games last year.
We'll never know if Wood would have made a difference in the Tufts game, but the most similar game (though far from identical) for Messiah was the Kenyon game in last year's Sweet 16 when they took away the middle of the fields and "forced" the Falcons wide basically conceding the wings. In that game, both Messiah goals came form midfielders taking shots from outside the box, neither involving the ball ever being passed into the box to Wood or space he created for a teammate. Wood was largely kept in check by Kenyon's size and collapsed defense only managing 3 shots, none on goal, and when Wood subbed out late in the game, Payne moved to the target position for the remainder of the game as Messiah searched for the winning goal to avoid OT. I don't say that to criticize Wood. Far from it. He was awesome that year and despite the multiple injuries and surgeries robbing him of the speed and mobility he had when he arrived at Messiah, he was the perfect target man for that attack. And you are right, beyond his goal-scoring and even his hold-up play and lay-offs, he also helped in ways that never get onto the score sheet by dragging multiple defenders with him and opening up space for others to exploit. I point out the Kenyon game simply to illustrate that Wood could be rendered (somewhat) ineffective by the right team executing the right game plan on a given day, and as such I'm not so sure the missing ingredient versus Tufts that would have made them victorious was Wood. I think Messiah had what it took to win and if you play that Tufts game ten times, I'm feeling good about Messiah taking home more wins than Tufts. But that's not how sports work, or at least not in single elimination tournaments. Both team played very well, but Tufts had that one moment of goal-scoring quality that just eluded Messiah by inches several times. Credit to Tufts.
Mr. Right...who besides the typical Tier 1 group (Amherst, Williams, Midd, Tufts, Wesleyan) in NESCAC could take the next step next year and actually have a legitimate shot at finishing in NESCAC top 4 and a possible NCAA berth? Bowdoin, Trinity, Conn, Colby, Bates, Hamilton? Bowdoin is the most likely pick given their tournament run. Are Conn, Trinity, Colby, Bates and Hamilton always going to be the bottom Tier?
BTW, that Sectional at Williams was better than the Final Four. Hopkins and Williams were better than NYU and Wheaton who both were riding waves of emotion to reach the Final Four and were no match for Messiah. It was nice having three of the most storied D-III programs in the Final Four (OWU, Wheaton, Messiah), but it certainly didn't make for the best Final Four.
[/quote]
I agree with this 100%. All the brackets were screwed up that year I think because Messiah dropped a game or two in the regular season so they did not host and got sent up to Williamstown. Messiah and Williams were the 2 best teams in the country that year. John Hopkins was 3rd. They had a great team that year. Both Williams and Hopkins gave Messiah fits and even the 4th team WNEC was very good. They were not as good as the other three but they had a couple players and I believe they only lost to Hopkins 2-1 and had chances to tie it up.
Quote from: All NESCAC on December 01, 2014, 01:14:05 PM
Mr. Right...who besides the typical Tier 1 group (Amherst, Williams, Midd, Tufts, Wesleyan) in NESCAC could take the next step next year and actually have a legitimate shot at finishing in NESCAC top 4 and a possible NCAA berth? Bowdoin, Trinity, Conn, Colby, Bates, Hamilton? Bowdoin is the most likely pick given their tournament run. Are Conn, Trinity, Colby, Bates and Hamilton always going to be the bottom Tier?
If Conn could find a decent GK they would be fine and a contender to crack the top 4. Bates and Hamilton need a major rebuild before they have a chance or in soccer's term of a rebuild a legit striker that can get 10-15 goals. Not going to happen. Even Colby, yes the coach is recruiting like crazy and yes I am interested to see what he pulls in the next 2 years but my money is for Colby to be outside the top 4 no matter what he rakes in. The wildcard is Trinity. If Pilger would really recruit hard for a year or two they could be really good. They are getting a brand new field either this year or next so that will help. Trinity and Conn can get players that other Nescac's cannot touch. The problem is that they begin to compete with other schools outside the region. Trinity has superior facilities to Conn so they should win any intrastate battles with them but Murphy out recruits Pilger year in and year out.
I agree with these comments. I've always wondered why Trinity doesn't do better.
Absolutely- I've always wondered the same...academically, Trinity and Conn should be able to squeeze more kids in. I think the hardest place to recruit in the NESCAC has to be Bates or Colby. Tougher admissions standards than Trin or Conn, but will struggle to get Midd/Bowdoin/Tufts/Amherst/Williams kids. Couple that with the fact that both are in less than desirable locations (cold, small towns, etc) and it's very hard for a coach to convince someone to go.
A few years ago Trinity was in the top 4, and was one of the best NESCAC teams. It really comes down to recruiting year in and year out. Once you have a good team for a couple of years, you can't slack- you have to seize the moment and build on the fleeting success to ensure it remains!
Trinity got into the top 4 in 2011 because of a legit sniper in Dan Mayerneck. They should have beaten Babson that year in the regional but let up a soft goal to Anderson's son in the 88th minute to tie it up and lost in PK's 3-0. A total lack of being prepared for PK's which stares right at Pilger. That was a good team. Also, in 2008 they had a top 4 finish with an equallly good team and got robbed of an NCAA Pool C. You must have a striker who can finish to get into the top 4 usually.
Bates is the hardest place to recruit not Colby. Waterville is pretty nice compared to that armpit Lewiston.
The coaches interviews were excellent. Thank you for all that. I think Byrne comes across as a tad over confident. We will see today
I enjoyed the interviews as well. Ver nice feature.
good game between Oneonta and Wheaton. Wheaton looks good going forward and are as good as advertised however they are shaky on the backline and their keeper is a question mark. Oneonta looks solid in net and are going at Wheaton's backline by hitting long balls over the top from midfield. 1-1 with 15 minutes left.
Oneonta sure can finish their chances. They do not look very dangerous but when they get their chances they finish them. Against Brandeis I thought the game was very even but Oneonta finished and Brandeis did not
2-1 Oneonta at the half. Wheaton came out like gangbusters but after Oneonta scored they have lost a step and are not playing like they did in the first 20 minutes. They have taken their foot off the gas a bit. Let's see if the 2nd half changes this
These keepers are killing their respective teams...STAY IN YOUR NET UNLESS YOU ARE 100% SURE. 2-2
I love Wheaton's unselfishness
Agree on both those last posts. Wheaton really looking good on moving the ball around.
Fortunately the weather and field surface don't look to be an issue so far. Hope the field can withstand 3 more games today
That looked like a goal to me. Very CONTROVERSIAL
What was the call on that - offside?
offside
Nice game winner for Wheaton in 2 OT giving Oneonta it's first loss. Oneonta is going to feel burned by that goal that was over turned with 5 minutes left.
Offside seems to be what the announcer is saying, but I do not see how that could be, since the centering ball appeared to come from the endline. Another D3 game decided by an incompetent AR? Either way, excellent contest between two evenly matched teams.
Looked to me like the Oneonta player may have kicked it out of the Wheaton keeper's hands? Wheaton wins, 3-2, on a sudden death goal in second overtime.
Quote from: coffeeshoptheologian on December 05, 2014, 02:25:54 PM
Looked to me like the Oneonta player may have kicked it out of the Wheaton keeper's hands? Wheaton wins, 3-2, on a sudden death goal in second overtime.
That's the only possible explanation I could come up with
Great college game - competitive, well played and both teams looked well prepared. Could have gone either way. I thought Wheaton had a slight edge for most of the game but oneonta looked stronger late and in OT. Great save by the Wheaton keeper in that 2nd OT
Quote from: Golden_Fan on December 05, 2014, 02:26:44 PM
Quote from: coffeeshoptheologian on December 05, 2014, 02:25:54 PM
Looked to me like the Oneonta player may have kicked it out of the Wheaton keeper's hands? Wheaton wins, 3-2, on a sudden death goal in second overtime.
That's the only possible explanation I could come up with
My reaction also watching in real time.
My reaction also watching in real time.
[/quote]
Same thing happened in one of the sunyac semis but the ref didn't have the balls to call it
Was that a foul that gave Wheaton the free kick which led to the GW goal? Couldn't tell from the feed, but looked a bit soft. Anyway, great game. Excited for the next one!
That was a definite foul. The kid tripped on his heel. The goal being over turned to me was more questionable. The keeper did not look to have the ball in his control yet. The AR had nothing to do with it as his view I think was compromised as was the center ref.
Wheaton looked the better side. Oneonta keeper error on the 2nd Wheaton goal and that is all she wrote.
It looked to me like the Wheaton keeper had two hands on the ball on the ground. Is there a specific rule about when that ball is "dead".
Wheaton looked better going forward but their backs and especially their GK are shaky
Quote from: 2xfaux on December 05, 2014, 03:06:33 PM
It looked to me like the Wheaton keeper had two hands on the ball on the ground. Is there a specific rule about when that ball is "dead".
as long as he has a hand on it, it is considered in his possession
Tufts go up 1-0 and had a chance for 2-0. OWU is whacking everything
Speaking of hands - looked like that was a handball on the tufts goal
Tufts definitely looks ready to play - clearly no letdown from the 2 week delay. o
OWU struggling with Tufts pace and pressure
This 2014 OWU side might be the worst Final 4 team in a while
Let's not get ahead of ourselves! Tufts really should have gotten at least one more during that opening spell. Can't let a team hang around. OWU looks a lot more comfortable now...
I didnt say OWU might not tie it up but they just do not look like a Final 4 team and cannot string 3 passes together. They were going into the wind so maybe this all turns around but right now they do not belong
I will reiterate OWU is the worst Final 4 team in years. This team looks very average
If I was Shapiro I would push for a 3rd and start resting starters
Tufts emptying the bench so deep that some players are playing that usually do not even play in Nescac games.
I think this puts a pretty decent stamp on which is the best d3 conference in the country...
Congrats to Tufts. And I think this answers all of the haters on NESCAC, forever. I mean, heck, Tufts is no better than the fourth, maybe fifth, best program, historically, in NESCAC (Williams, Midd, Amherst, and then Bowdoin/Tufts) and they will be playing for a national title tomorrow, and they earned that right in convincing fashion.
On another note, Mr. Right, any recruits coming into NESCAC (so far) next fall who are expected to make a major impact?? Any inside info on the Williams coaching search?
Congrats to the Jumbos! What a fantastic run.
I'm curious about next year's recruits as well. Unfortunately, the NESCAC doesn't do press releases announcing the recruits, so it is very difficult to predict.
I will say, with Tufts potentially being a national champion and the resurgent Bates and Colby programs recruiting better, there are literally no easy games left in the NESCAC. Can't wait for next year.
Tufts is playing with SOOO much confidence right now. With that defense, they know one goal is all they need. I give them the edge over Wheaton now just with that defense.
Well Tufts loses a ton. Santos, Hoppenot, Williams, Kramer to name a few.
Williams coaching candidates are 2 D1 assistants, Sullivan and Williams Assistant. I would guess Sullivan is the clear favorite being the only alum and significant head coaching experience.
I've heard Tufts has at least one Academy player coming in that I know of. He is a good player.
That is a loaded senior class, for sure.
I would like to see Sullivan make the move to Williams. He could retire there.
Congrats to Tufts. Great NESCAC representation.
Mr. Right - If the OWU we saw today played a whole season in the NESCAC, where do you think they would rank?
I should add that I'm not trying to be disrespectful to OWU, I actually missed almost all of the game and just trying to get a sense.
Quote from: Corazon on December 05, 2014, 05:22:23 PM
I would like to see Sullivan make the move to Williams. He could retire there.
From what admittedly little I have seen of WNEU, the style of play seems to differ markedly from that of Williams. How much of that is due to differences in the level of players that the two schools attract and how much is due to philosophical differences between Coach Sullivan and Coach Russo?
I have not seen WNE play. Are they a direct team?
WNEC tries to play a little but not a lot. WNEC subs like mad and tries to run you off the field. Sullivan would not have a spring season at Williams like he did at WNEC. Sullivan gets this style from Masur at St.John's who runs his guys to death and if he wants to get a scholarship back from a player he will run him to death in the spring hoping the kid transfers or quits. I think the differences will be Russo recruits speed and skill where as Sullivan might lean a little more to toughness. I could be wrong. He was a former GK and no doubt the keepers would benefit.
The OWU that played today would have not made the top 8.
The OWU I saw play CNU would have been 4th.
Interesting. Rumor is that Masur is in line to get the Rutgers job if Rutgers ends up firing their current coach. Thankfully, we won't see such shenanigans in the NESCAC.
Any chance of Peter McEvoy (from Randolph Macon) headed back to MA for the Williams job? The Randolph Macon job was just posted on Thursday but no articles about where McEvoy is headed.
Completely just guessing, but he has Massachusetts ties.
Quote from: Corazon on December 05, 2014, 09:18:07 PM
Interesting. Rumor is that Masur is in line to get the Rutgers job if Rutgers ends up firing their current coach. Thankfully, we won't see such shenanigans in the NESCAC.
Possible but it would be interesting since Masur declined it when Reasso got fired and Donigan got it instead. Masur played at Rutgers and might re consider it this time as he has struggled recently at St.Johns
Quote from: soccerfan111 on December 05, 2014, 09:51:26 PM
Any chance of Peter McEvoy (from Randolph Macon) headed back to MA for the Williams job? The Randolph Macon job was just posted on Thursday but no articles about where McEvoy is headed.
Completely just guessing, but he has Massachusetts ties.
No chance. He is a UMASS alum and knows Russo quite well but I do not think he had one winning season at RMU.
Let's go NESCAC!!! Let's go Tufts!!!
There's apparently some bad blood from the last time between Masur and Rutgers as he was the lead but he wasn't moving quickly enough so they pulled the offer and hired Donigan instead. At least that's what I've been told, but I'm not at all close to that situation and couldn't care less. I do have a close friend wired into the NY/NJ soccer scene.
Interestingly, he tells me Colby has recruited an academy player From NJ.
Reasso won at Rutgers in the late 80's and early 90's. He rode that out until 2009 and at the end was in dire straits. Masur won it all in 1995 and plays on a rooftop in Queens which used to be a great home field advantage. The reality now is neither program can compete with their competition for the best players because of facilities
After watching both games yesterday I am having trouble predicting this final. Wheaton's attacking players will cause Tufts defense havoc all day. Tufts wingbacks are where you need to attack. You need to beat them 1v1 and draw one of their CB over and play some nice thru balls on the pitch having guys running on to them and finishing. On the flip side, Wheaton's keeper looks suspect at best and Tufts needs to shoot as much as they can and follow their shots for rebounds. My prediction is a ref decides this game with a horrible call or non call. This game has OT written all over it
Wheaton doing a nice job defending Kayne. Santos is off abit so far and Connor Brown looks dangerous on the right flank.
1-0 Tufts. Horrible GK mistake. I knew that GK might hurt them. I am shocked how they have gotten this far with that GK
What we talked about in the beginning of the year on the Nescac thread was Williams and Amherst. We had Conn as an upstart and Tufts with some of the best talent but in the 4 years these seniors have been together the results should have been better. They cam back to school very fit and had so much hunger the whole year. In the middle of October they had a 2 GA in 8 Nescac games which is beyond incredible. They are now a half away from letting 1 GA in 6 NCAA games, ALL on the road. They won their first regular season Nescac title and why not their first NCAA title.
Tufts started bunkering in to early and now are fighting their confidence. The good news is hey can score against this team again
Wheaton with a lot of kick and run - ugly soccer. First goal was very soft, that ball didn't look playable. Should be an interesting last 15
Well I have to admit when Wheaton starting breaking Tufts down better was thru the air and getting to 2nd balls
These Wheaton kids going down like flies. They are looking quite "soft". Tufts used to this every week in Nescac
That's uncalled for
did you just give me a -karma for that?
You must hate the truth also. Not forcing you to read my stuff
yes i did
That's what he does. Juvenile temper tantrums galore.
Sure buddy
See Falcon, he just hit me up with some more karma too. Gives me some even when it is someone else giving him some and he assumes it's me. Bad actor. A punk, really.
Egghead get off my thread and go back to spewing about Kenyon..
I always wondered what a hissy fit was and I never imagined I would learn here.
keep it coming...Pile it on..wasting my time...
The best part of all this is Justin Serpone somewhere scratching his head on how or if he can ever win one of these. If Serpone cannot see what Tufts did here and change Amherst style and try to play even just a little he might just might feel what Shapiro is feeling.
The next question is will Shapiro stay where he is? He loves Boston but when you win these things your name gets hot. He was a D1 assistant for a long time. Yale is open.......
The most interesting thing about Tufts and Shapiro as he was not even Tufts first choice in 2010 to replace Ferrigno. Carl Junot got the job in the summer of 2010 and left after a week to accept Harvard's job. He was so bad at Harvard and so out of place as a head coach he was FIRED AFTER ONLY 2 YEARS. Talk about someone acing interviews and not being able to handle the job.
Tufts has won a National Championship and still has yet to win a Nescac tournament. They did not even make the conference semi-finals. This is most likely a first for both
Just a matter of time before Serpone wins one too
Shapiro and Yale would be a good fit. His star will never be brighter. I wonder if the Ivys would pay much more than NESCAC. I'm guessing yes.
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 06, 2014, 05:03:41 PM
The most interesting thing about Tufts and Shapiro as he was not even Tufts first choice in 2010 to replace Ferrigno. Carl Junot got the job in the summer of 2010 and left after a week to accept Harvard's job. He was so bad at Harvard and so out of place as a head coach he was FIRED AFTER ONLY 2 YEARS. Talk about someone acing interviews and not being able to handle the job.
I remember that. I think Junot was at Tufts for a couple of weeks, when Jamie Clark left Harvard.
Quote from: St. Larry on December 06, 2014, 04:12:37 PM
Wheaton with a lot of kick and run - ugly soccer. First goal was very soft, that ball didn't look playable. Should be an interesting last 15
Wheaton played a lot of long ball. Tufts midfield moved the ball nicely. It was only when Tufts parked the bus that Wheaton got some midfield momentum. I credit Tufts and messiah with playing the nicest brand of soccer this year....
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 06, 2014, 04:59:38 PM
The best part of all this is Justin Serpone somewhere scratching his head on how or if he can ever win one of these. If Serpone cannot see what Tufts did here and change Amherst style and try to play even just a little he might just might feel what Shapiro is feeling.
Great point Mr Right. Congratulations Tufts. How do you think Murphy and the Camels feel?
Quote from: All NESCAC on December 07, 2014, 08:31:45 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 06, 2014, 04:59:38 PM
The best part of all this is Justin Serpone somewhere scratching his head on how or if he can ever win one of these. If Serpone cannot see what Tufts did here and change Amherst style and try to play even just a little he might just might feel what Shapiro is feeling.
Great point Mr Right. Congratulations Tufts. How do you think Murphy and the Camels feel?
Things change every year but the Jumbos certainly played one of the nicest styles of pure soccer this year and as people have said, it's nuclear was the strong and smart midfield play..and a tough defense
2014 Tufts differs from the past few years because of 10 reasons.
1. The seniors stepped up to the plate and ALL busted their ass when they were on the field.
2. No injuries
3. Jayson Kayne has REALLY improved.
4. Bench had more depth than usual. Majumder, Schiable, etc
5. Finishing chances when they needed to
6. Defending as a unit
7. Connor Brown on the flank gave Tufts two very dangerous weapons wide
8. Patel and Zinner were better defensively than wingbacks last couple years.
9. Luck
10. Confidence
Greenwood was always a good GK. Williams and Kramer were always a formidable duo. Skill was always there with Santos, Hoppenot, Nakamura etc but sometimes the toughness was not in midfield. The benching of Nakamura might have helped this but man he was skilled.
That all being said Tufts loses four key guys in Williams, Kramer, Hoppenot and Santos. Not to mention two decent guys off the bench in Miele and Volpe. Volpe was heavily recruited by Brandeis and Williams but chose Tufts to be close to his family. He never really panned out to be the player some thought he would be. He was a legit striker in the preps. Anyway, replacing two central defenders will prove to be very difficult. Majumder could replace Hoppenot. Santos is irreplacable. Kayne, Greenwood, Pinheiro, Halliday,Brown,Patel,Zinner are coming back but some are going to need to step up even more. I really do not know who will fill the CB roles.
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 07, 2014, 01:09:04 PM
That all being said Tufts loses four key guys in Williams, Kramer, Hoppenot and Santos. Not to mention two decent guys off the bench in Miele and Volpe. Volpe was heavily recruited by Brandeis and Williams but chose Tufts to be close to his family. He never really panned out to be the player some thought he would be. He was a legit striker in the preps. Anyway, replacing two central defenders will prove to be very difficult. Majumder could replace Hoppenot. Santos is irreplacable. Kayne, Greenwood, Pinheiro, Halliday,Brown,Patel,Zinner are coming back but some are going to need to step up even more. I really do not know who will fill the CB roles.
Yep, pretty good analysis...Kayne started the last 3 years and has improved each year. Last year, he and several others had some injuries and most were healthy this year. I don't know the status on Kramer. I think he was hurt for a year and may be able to play if he doesn't graduate. Someone at Tufts may know more.
I have to also agree with Mr. Right's analysis except that I would put Confidence ahead of Luck......and we all know its better to be lucky than good.....
Quote from: Corazon on December 06, 2014, 06:59:04 PM
Shapiro and Yale would be a good fit. His star will never be brighter. I wonder if the Ivys would pay much more than NESCAC. I'm guessing yes.
Actually the Ivies do not pay that much more than say Williams, Amherst (they went way down in pay when Goodings left however Serpone has made hundreds of thousands with his Peak Performance camps) Bowdoin, Midd etc..
You are correct that Kramer does have another year of eligibility but he would of had to fill out proper papers by now to be able to use that extra year. I have no information on if he has done this.
Lycoming would have a record similar to Bates and Hamilton in Nescac. Let us not forget that this is Hamilton's 4th year in Nescac and they have failed to qualify for the 8 team playoffs 3 of 4 years. The year they did qualify they were the #8 seed and got smoked by Amherst in the quarters. In the Liberty League they had the same admission standards and would win LL titles here and there and qualify for NCAA tournaments. Saying all that I really believe the travel issues are very real and take about 1.5 wins away from them each year. The travel issue also benefits them to with road teams players legs crunched in a bus for 4 to 5 hours.
I am sorry you cannot compare 2014 OWU with 2013 Williams, 2012 Ohio Northern or even 2011 MSU.
Williams- They got smoked by Messiah but two of the goals were bad GK errors and 18 to 18 they played quite well but Messiah of 2013 was a machine. In the first 10 minutes Williams' Muralles had two very good chances to give Williams the lead but he could not finish. I did not see ONE legitimate chance by OWU and just guessing I would say MAYBE they had 2 SOG and they just did not look good even 18 to 18. The 2013 Final Four was maybe the three best teams in the Final 4 I have seen in sometime in D3. RUC, Messiah and Loras were much better than Williams but stick the 2014 OWu team in there and they might have lost 6-0 to any of those teams.
Ohio Northern- First of all they won a semi-final game so they should not even be in this discussion. They had a great striker Bascom(brother a current star for Brandnt at Navy) who played very well against Williams and Ohio Northern had some good team speed and were excellent going forward. In the final against Messiah they were beaten badly but the game was a bit closer than the scoreline as Ohio Northern gave up 3 Very SOFT goals. 2 or 3-1 would of been a fair scoreline.
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 08, 2014, 03:24:45 PM
You are correct that Kramer does have another year of eligibility but he would of had to fill out proper papers by now to be able to use that extra year. I have no information on if he has done this.
Question: Why would any athlete (or student) spend an additional year (5th) at a NESCAC....to play a sport.....at a cost of $60K? Makes zero sen$e. If the cost is $0/scholarship, then OK put off the real world take some classes and play one final season, but when there are no scholarships and you've already have your BA Degree?
Quote from: All NESCAC on December 08, 2014, 04:20:18 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 08, 2014, 03:24:45 PM
You are correct that Kramer does have another year of eligibility but he would of had to fill out proper papers by now to be able to use that extra year. I have no information on if he has done this.
Question: Why would any athlete (or student) spend an additional year (5th) at a NESCAC....to play a sport.....at a cost of $60K? Makes zero sen$e. If the cost is $0/scholarship, then OK put off the real world take some classes and play one final season, but when there are no scholarships and you've already have your BA Degree?
What if you are short some credits of graduating...ie....less tuition????
It is not 60k it would be only a semester $$. Some kids like to play and want that added year to do it. Usually parents of these kids have $$$ and really want to enjoy watching their kid play another year so they would support him. Some kids do want to enter the real world but usually athletes tend to lean toward the former
How can 2011 MSU not be in that discussion? They did not remotely belong in the final 4 and were dismissed as promptly, if not in worse fashion, then 2014 OWU.
2008 Loras also got smashed by arguably the weakest Messiah championship team (but most entertaining run to watch from my perspective) and Amherst got smashed 4-1 by Stevens. Those teams belong in the same conversation.
I'm in complete agreement that 2014 OWU was beaten handily and Tufts gets all the credit for that.
2012 ONU in the final can be put in that same category though, they lost 5-1. Whether they were soft goals or not, they were given up and are on the scoreboard for eternity. 1st goal Tufts scored on OWU was a blatant hand ball that wasn't called before the ball went in...and the scoreline will always read 3-0 and no one will argue that because it wasn't called. So just because a team let in a soft goal doesn't mean they should be dismissed from giving it up, they let it in so it counts.
And 2014 OWU would not have lost 6-0 to any of those teams, that's a crazy statement. If Williams only got spanked 4-0, OWU wouldn't have been any worse. Williams was as lifeless in that game as OWU was vs Tufts.
I guess. It really is pointless to argue who sucked the most. For whatever reasons (injuries, stage fright, etc) they all under performed
That's a very valid point. It really is taking a lot away from teams who went through a lot to get there. Whether you get spanked or not in the final 4, you had to go through some ugly games and grind out impressive wins to get there.
2003 Trinity going 24-0 has to in conversation for best team ever with a title
The point is, if you even make it to the final 4 you are in good standing because you are able to see how close you came :)
This makes the hungry teams even hungrier!!!
In '99 many would say that the Richard Stockton boyz were the weakest of the final 4 teams.
They got spanked 4-0 by Wheaton but even after the game they boldly said "We are winning this next year".
It took them 2 years to do it, but the fact is they understood that it is just a couple wins to eternity and went for it.
Programs like OWU already know this as does Oneonta (before this season), but for hungry squads knowing how easy it is makes a big difference.
This is why we all have to watch out for Tufts the next couple seasons, with the knowledge they now have... They will be dangerous.
Tufts now gets that "Whatever man has done, man can do".
Winning big games is something a team has to learn to do, and understanding that you are close to the top makes it easier to climb the mountain.
This is why I think Loras is likely to break through sooner than later...
Russo rakes in one final recruit who is a game changer.
Harrison Fyke-USDA Empire Revolution
Canadian kid who is very skilled and fast. Frosh that will contribute next year in midfield
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 08, 2014, 07:07:29 PM
Russo rakes in one final recruit who is a game changer.
Harrison Fyke-USDA Empire Revolution
Canadian kid who is very skilled and fast. Frosh that will contribute next year in midfield
Where is he playing this year? Although he was on the Empire Revolution U16 squad last year, he does not seem to be listed on this year's U18 roster.
https://home.gotsoccer.com/rankings/team.aspx?TeamID=139313
Mr. Right,
With the ED1 notification coming up soon for the NESCACs, do you know what % of Williams' recruits actually get admitted? I'm talking about the players which Russo has earmarked as his recruits with the admissions office and who have passed the early admission read in July. I'd be curious to hear others' thoughts on other NESCACs as well. Thanks.
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 08, 2014, 07:42:43 PM
https://home.gotsoccer.com/rankings/team.aspx?TeamID=139313
Thank you for the scoop. He must have wanted to play high school in his senior year.
Well as other's have commented on different sports on these boards I will comment on Mens Soccer from what I have understood over the years
3 Tips with the opportunity to bank one for the next year or use 2 for 1 on a special special player.
2 Ice
2 Protect
1 Academic Admit
I should add that admissions will let you barter for a possible 4th tip by trading off your Ice and Protect
Thanks. Tips and academic admits, I understand. Not sure I understand the nuances of the ice and protects.
I've heard of the banding system - A, B, C. The "A"s are basically the same as the regular student body (academic admits). The Cs are the 1800+ SAT guys who would not have a chance if not for soccer. The Bs are the fuzzy ones, and vary by school.
Quote from: Ommadawn on December 08, 2014, 09:57:32 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 08, 2014, 07:42:43 PM
https://home.gotsoccer.com/rankings/team.aspx?TeamID=139313
Thank you for the scoop. He must have wanted to play high school in his senior year.
Yeah, I was also guessing that since he knew he was going to Williams, he probably decided to play high school.
Yes.
Tips are guys that have absolutely no chance of getting into the school without the coaches support. A coach must be careful and see these kids as much as possible because these players can determine how your program does for the next 3 to 4 years. You better get an injury history, and well you get it just be very thorough. Admissions sometimes follows your tips both academically and athletically so you do not want to continually strike out here.
2 for 1 tips are like I said for the very very best players. Admissions looks at these kids as being unable to handle the schools workload so if they see anything in the kids academic body of work that sends off alarms( a couple of C's) they will tell the coach to pass. The coach can have some flexibility depending upon the coach's liason in admissions but usually these guys are being looked at by the director of admissions.
Ice are guys that also would not get into the school without the coaches support but are less risky academically than tips. This can be a win win for the coach because if they have a really good player and he is an ICE than he saves a tip. This is why you can barter your ICE and PROTECT's for an additional TIP in some years.
You can only bank one tip and cannot bank the tip in 2 consecutive years.
Protect is the next step from ICE and is borderline getting in on his own but most likely will not.
Academic Admit is basically a kid that is qualified but at schools like Amherst and Williams they are being thrown into a pool with all really qualified applicants. If the coach supports this one kid then the kid will get in over regular applicants
Excellent summary
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 08, 2014, 09:59:04 PM
Well as other's have commented on different sports on these boards I will comment on Mens Soccer from what I have understood over the years
3 Tips with the opportunity to bank one for the next year or use 2 for 1 on a special special player.
2 Ice
2 Protect
1 Academic Admit
I should add that admissions will let you barter for a possible 4th tip by trading off your Ice and Protect
What about "slots?"
Nescac coaches are getting very frustrated with the lack of Pool C bids they are getting. It came out today that Tufts was the LAST team to get a Pool C. Basically the national champion almost did not make it.
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 09, 2014, 07:14:56 PM
Nescac coaches are getting very frustrated with the lack of Pool C bids they are getting. It came out today that Tufts was the LAST team to get a Pool C. Basically the national champion almost did not make it.
That is believable, since they were drawn into the same quadrant as the No. 1 seed. Perhaps the tournament committee members were following threads that proclaimed the demise of NESCAC! But after another successful run through D3, will NESCAC will get an extra slot next year? The league should be as good/competitive as ever next year from top to bottom.
A great example of the 2 for 1 tip. Williams and Russo desperately wanted Sam DeMello as he was Russo's prototype player but admissions told him that he could not get in. This was disappointing for coach and player. DeMello was from Western MA and played for Western United who at the time was coached by current Amherst assistant Derek Shea. This was a pretty good team and fun to watch. DeMello was the star in central midfield but this team worked their ass off and had great technical ability for Western Mass standards. DeMello after getting the bad news about Williams but was heading to Trinity when Russo told Durocher about him because he thought SLU was a better program for DeMello's style and most likely he did not want to face him for the next four years at Trinity. That would have been a dominant Trinity side with DeMello, Myernick, Buckley, etc. It worked out well for DeMello and I felt so bad for him when he got injured his senior year by a reckless Union player's tackle.
I think the committee might need to add another secondary criteria of looking at historical success of conferences in the NCAA tournament maybe for the past 3-5 years if two teams are vying for one spot or 3 teams for 2 etc. Also, I wish that the committee would go back to the once ranked always ranked premise. This gives teams credit for beating teams when they were playing well enough to be ranked and conversely discrediting them when they lose.
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 09, 2014, 07:14:56 PM
Nescac coaches are getting very frustrated with the lack of Pool C bids they are getting. It came out today that Tufts was the LAST team to get a Pool C. Basically the national champion almost did not make it.
With only 2 losses also..top seed in conference...and a strong SOS... We would have missed such a fantastic and historic run.....
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 09, 2014, 07:14:56 PM
Nescac coaches are getting very frustrated with the lack of Pool C bids they are getting. It came out today that Tufts was the LAST team to get a Pool C. Basically the national champion almost did not make it.
This was going through my head last week. I would have thought that Tufts would have been maybe at worst the 3rd to last team in. As you mentioned a few posts later, Mr. Right, SOS is one thing... but recent history/runs should be more of a factor. There is no reason for the NEWMAC to get 3 teams in... I'd rather see the NESCAC get a 4th, NJAC a 3rd, IIAC a 3rd, or even a 2nd LL team (RPI). The NE must have it figured out... how good is WP% and OWP% when the incredibly watered down NE region has teams with strong records but couldn't hold a candle to the middle half of the East, Mid-Atlantic or South.
Mr. Right,
Just to be clear this is not an attack, it's a simple question...why do you feel the need to share that story about Sam Demello not having grades to get into Williams? Whether that's true or not (you would know though), it just doesn't make sense to me to drag his name through the mud and tell everyone who reads these boards that 1 of SLU's best players of all time actually wanted to go to Williams but didn't have grades to get in.
That is my opinion though and we obviously share different views on many things, I'm just curious your rationale.
Quote from: Nutmeg on December 09, 2014, 10:43:16 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 09, 2014, 07:14:56 PM
Nescac coaches are getting very frustrated with the lack of Pool C bids they are getting. It came out today that Tufts was the LAST team to get a Pool C. Basically the national champion almost did not make it.
With only 2 losses also..top seed in conference...and a strong SOS... We would have missed such a fantastic and historic run.....
DITTO that one!!!
Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on December 10, 2014, 03:08:39 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 09, 2014, 07:14:56 PM
Nescac coaches are getting very frustrated with the lack of Pool C bids they are getting. It came out today that Tufts was the LAST team to get a Pool C. Basically the national champion almost did not make it.
This was going through my head last week. I would have thought that Tufts would have been maybe at worst the 3rd to last team in. As you mentioned a few posts later, Mr. Right, SOS is one thing... but recent history/runs should be more of a factor. There is no reason for the NEWMAC to get 3 teams in... I'd rather see the NESCAC get a 4th, NJAC a 3rd, IIAC a 3rd, or even a 2nd LL team (RPI). The NE must have it figured out... how good is WP% and OWP% when the incredibly watered down NE region has teams with strong records but couldn't hold a candle to the middle half of the East, Mid-Atlantic or South.
So you are suggesting that it would be appropriate to overlook a team with a better record and stronger SOS in favor of another because of the success some other team had in a prior season?
I have a much simpler suggestion. If the NESCAC wants more teams in the tournament, they just need to have better out of conference results in the regular season.
Quote from: Midwest Soccer on December 10, 2014, 10:05:12 AM
Mr. Right,
Just to be clear this is not an attack, it's a simple question...why do you feel the need to share that story about Sam Demello not having grades to get into Williams? Whether that's true or not (you would know though), it just doesn't make sense to me to drag his name through the mud and tell everyone who reads these boards that 1 of SLU's best players of all time actually wanted to go to Williams but didn't have grades to get in.
That is my opinion though and we obviously share different views on many things, I'm just curious your rationale.
I am not dragging his name thru the mud. It is true and I shared it. DeMello had really good grades just not quite enough to get into Williams. I really liked him as a player and this is complimenting him because of how he could of impacted Trinity and Williams but instead impacted SLU. What is your rationale for commenting on New England soccer issues for which you know nothing about.
It has nothing to do with a comment on New England soccer issues and everything to do with, just because it's a true story, doesn't mean it needs to be shared. If these were 2 West/Southern region schools, I would argue the same point. Agree to disagree on this issue I guess.
First Team
Pos. Player Class School Hometown
K Richard Burns Sr. United States Coast Guard Academy Long Beach, Calif.
D Ben Bratt Sr. Wesleyan Winchester, Mass.
D Brandon Currier Sr. New England College Merrimack, N.H.
D Conor Lanahan Jr. Brandeis Avon, Conn.
D Sam Williams Sr. Tufts Thetford Center, Vt.
M Caleb Cole So. Gordon Coatesville, Pa.
M Luke Finklestein Sr. Wheaton (Mass.) Peabody, Mass.
M Justin Laurenzo Sr. Babson Park Ridge, N.J.
F Travis Blair Sr. Wheaton (Mass.) Hastings, N.Y.
F Greg Conrad So. Middlebury Peabody, Mass.
F Alexis Garcia So. Albertus Magnus West Haven, Conn.
F Tyler Savonen Sr. Brandeis Orleans, Mass.
Second Team
Pos. Player Class School Hometown
K Greg Sydor So. Middlebury Madison, Conn.
D Kevin Davis So. Wheaton (Mass.) Beacon, N.Y.
D Ryan Malone Sr. Springfield Chicopee, Mass.
D Gabriel Wirz Sr. Amherst New York, N.Y.
M Emmanuel Aseidu Sr. Rhode Island College Lincoln, R.I.
M Rizy Misiri So. New England College Concord, N.H.
M Josh Ocel So. Brandeis North Attleboro, Mass.
M Michael Perry Sr. Nichols Plainville, Mass.
F Dakota Duplissie Sr. Thomas Hampden, Maine
F Zach Grady Sr. Williams East Bridgewater, Mass.
F Nico Pascual-Leone Jr. Amherst Wayland, Mass.
Third Team
Pos. Player Class School Hometown
K Greg Walton So. Eastern Connecticut State Brunswick, Maine
D Christian Albrecht Jr. Norwich Albuquerque, N.M.
D Geoff Danilack Jr. Williams Rockville, Md.
D Nabil Odulate Jr. Bowdoin Ellicott City, Md.
M Eric Crevoiserat Sr Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, Mass.
M Pat Devlin So. Connecticut College Washington Crossing, Pa.
M Charlie Gruner So. Wesleyan Stevenson, Md.
M Douglas Silveira Sr. Massachusetts-Boston Revere, Mass.
F Andrew Carlson Sr. Roger Williams Ridgefield, Conn.
F Maxime Hoppenot Sr. Tufts Princeton, N.J.
F Michael Soboff Sr. Brandeis Framingham, Mass.
Fourth Team
Pos. Player Class School Hometown
K Aidan McParland Sr. University of New England Brockville, Ont.
D Cooper D'Ambrosio Jr. Eastern Connecticut State Andover, Conn.
D Erik Holmquist So. University of New England Gothenburg, Sweden
D Deklan Robinson Jr. Middlebury Gloucester, Mass.
M Tyler Carlos Jr. Babson Prospect, Conn.
M Nick Gilman Sr. Curry Longmeadow, Mass.
M Jake Picard Jr. Brandeis West Suffield, Conn.
F Pedro Dasilva Jr. Massachusetts-Boston Fogo, Cape Verde
F Phil Frost Jr. Husson Bangor, Maine
F Elton Teixeira Jr. Massachusetts-Boston Boston, Mass.
F Alex Wasilewski Sr. Salve Regina San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
WOW...
Only first teamers can be considered for All American.
-Coast Guard, NEC, Gordon and Albertus Magnus should not have a player on 1st or 2nd team in New England this year or usually in any year.
-Wheaton MA Finkelstein and Blair are good players but not 1st teamers. Sorry
-Laurenzo is a decent pick but since Jon Anderson runs the whole operation for New England these Babson picks are getting all to familiar.
Amherst gets screwed again. No NPL or Wirz on first-team?
Nescac getting screwed in favor of the CCC and Newmac..
There are so many injustices just forget it as it is not worth it
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 11, 2014, 09:56:09 PM
Amherst gets screwed again. No NPL or Wirz on first-team?
Nescac getting screwed in favor of the CCC and Newmac..
There are so many injustices just forget it as it is not worth it
would tend to agree.....
I wonder to what degree the general dislike of Serpone, the behavior of the players and style of play, affected the voting?
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 11, 2014, 09:56:09 PM
Amherst gets screwed again. No NPL or Wirz on first-team?
Nescac getting screwed in favor of the CCC and Newmac..
There are so many injustices just forget it as it is not worth it
I know their road to winning the NCAA title was unlikely in the eyes of many (including myself), but I think it is maddening that more Tufts players besides Sam Williams aren't on the table for All-American. However, I would have picked Williams and Conor Lanahan of Brandeis as my first team All-NE CB pairing, so I agree with that.
Don't understand no NPL on the first team. Do not agree with Laurenzo being a first-team selection; however, with his impressive goal return this season I can understand how he was picked. Also probably would have had Greenwood as third- or fourth-team at least; he is an impressive goaltender and will only get better.
As far as my earlier point, I think that Santos (and maybe even Jason Kayne) was a worthy contender for All-American, and, regardless, should have been be picked for All-NE way ahead of Hoppenot. Maybe I'm biased, but Hoppenot doesn't do it for me, particularly this year, while Santos showed his class, particularly towards the tail end of the season and was key to Tufts' run to the title. Maybe it was skewed due to the timeline of voting? I can only hope.
Quote from: blooter442 on December 12, 2014, 11:30:27 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 11, 2014, 09:56:09 PM
Amherst gets screwed again. No NPL or Wirz on first-team?
Nescac getting screwed in favor of the CCC and Newmac..
There are so many injustices just forget it as it is not worth it
I know their road to winning the NCAA title was unlikely in the eyes of many (including myself), but I think it is maddening that more Tufts players besides Sam Williams aren't on the table for All-American. However, I would have picked Williams and Conor Lanahan of Brandeis as my first team All-NE CB pairing, so I agree with that.
Don't understand no NPL on the first team. Do not agree with Laurenzo being a first-team selection; however, with his impressive goal return this season I can understand how he was picked. Also probably would have had Greenwood as third- or fourth-team at least; he is an impressive goaltender and will only get better.
As far as my earlier point, I think that Santos (and maybe even Jason Kayne) was a worthy contender for All-American, and, regardless, should have been be picked for All-NE way ahead of Hoppenot. Maybe I'm biased, but Hoppenot doesn't do it for me, particularly this year, while Santos showed his class, particularly towards the tail end of the season and was key to Tufts' run to the title. Maybe it was skewed due to the timeline of voting? I can only hope.
Funny, I basically said the same thing and received negative Karma from someone......Don't understand....
Quote from: Brother Flounder on December 12, 2014, 11:38:36 AM
Funny, I basically said the same thing and received negative Karma from someone......Don't understand....
I was in England (and saw games at White Hart Lane and Anfield while there :) ), so this is my first time on the board since the Elite 8 games. Regardless, my sympathies.
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on December 12, 2014, 09:28:35 AM
I wonder to what degree the general dislike of Serpone, the behavior of the players and style of play, affected the voting?
Not this time as it was not just Amherst that got robbed. I really believe that a lot of coaches just fail to vote for whatever reason. Middlebury was over represented in the Nescac first and second team but not here. Maybe there were 2 or 3 Nescac coaches that failed to vote. 2 or 3 votes can swing things for sure.
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 12, 2014, 01:39:24 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on December 12, 2014, 09:28:35 AM
I wonder to what degree the general dislike of Serpone, the behavior of the players and style of play, affected the voting?
Not this time as it was not just Amherst that got robbed. I really believe that a lot of coaches just fail to vote for whatever reason. Middlebury was over represented in the Nescac first and second team but not here. Maybe there were 2 or 3 Nescac coaches that failed to vote. 2 or 3 votes can swing things for sure.
This could be right..What do u think of the shortage of Tufts players?
It is very unfortunate but the reality is this is a flawed system. Just add it to Regional Rankings and Pool C flaws as well. Welcome to D3 soccer. NSCAA or NCAA
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 12, 2014, 05:26:04 PM
It is very unfortunate but the reality is this is a flawed system. Just add it to Regional Rankings and Pool C flaws as well. Welcome to D3 soccer. NSCAA or NCAA
I hear you...How bout those Bennett Rankings favoring Tufrs???? lol....
Flounder what is your situation regarding Tufts? You seem to have some kind of a connection.
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 12, 2014, 05:38:18 PM
Flounder what is your situation regarding Tufts? You seem to have some kind of a connection.
I lived around Medford and went to a few games. I also watched all of the playoff games on the computer.......Wish I could have been at the Messiah game!!!...and the Final Four for that matter.....but that Messiah game was the one for me....
Mr. Right... How long you been following the NESCAC? You have some good info!
Thanks...I have followed it for a long time...Also have tried to post solid honest and informational stuff for a long while on sites like D3kicks,D3Soccer.net,Big Soccer Forum and this one..I love following it
I looked at that Big Soccer one and it seems to do a better job with high school and USSDA players...not so good with D3 unless I am missing something...
You are correct, BF. Big Soccer is good for following D1. This site is the one I follow for D3.
yes Big Soccer for D1 but it is a great site with D1 knowledge from each region. You are correct a good way to track players and programs.
Williams to announce coach tomorrow or day after. Williams alums and most likely Russo want Erin Sullivan to get the offer and accept it. The word is there is a surprise candidate who had a very good interview. We will see but that would be almost an injustice if Sullivan does not get the job.
Do you think the surprise candidate is a D1 assistant?
What will this mean for Russo's assistant coaches?
Rumor that I heard is that Sullivan was offered the position (actually a few days ago). I haven't heard yet if he gave them a yes or no.
Sullivan would be good......
Quote from: Corazon on December 15, 2014, 06:24:32 AM
Do you think the surprise candidate is a D1 assistant?
The surprise candidate was an SMU assistant so yes D1. I heard he did very well.
Quote from: soccerfan111 on December 15, 2014, 09:58:50 AM
Rumor that I heard is that Sullivan was offered the position (actually a few days ago). I haven't heard yet if he gave them a yes or no.
I hope this is the case as I have not heard who got the job offer. If it is taking this long for him to mull it over than there must be a money issue. I predicted this might come up back in September as I know WNEC pays him pretty decently. I would imagine he could negotiate a little if this is the case
Hey right - what about Huffman at Williams? Surely he is a candidate. And cece? He seemed like the head coach this past year.
Honestly I have no idea. Demeo has been with Russo for 20 years so he probably goes out with Russo and will not return. Not sure why you think Cece was the head coach this past year. He was given more responsibility from Russo to help him mature into a head coach. He wants to be a head coach somewhere but if he cannot get a job and Sullivan gets the Williams gig he might keep Cece around as he is a very capable coach. Interestingly, I think he would be a great fit to replace Sullivan at WNEC. Huffman I believe will not return but honestly have no idea.
Why are you so interested in the assistants? Are you one of them?
2015 D3 National Champion odds
Messiah 2/1
Nescac 12/1
Trinity TX 25/1
Wheaton ILL 25/1
NJAC 35/1
Oneonta 35/1
Loras 35/1
Whitworth 50/1
Calvin 50/1
OWU 75/1
Field 300/1
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 15, 2014, 05:01:29 PM
2015 D3 National Champion odds
Messiah 2/1
Nescac 12/1
Trinity TX 25/1
Wheaton ILL 25/1
NJAC 35/1
Oneonta 35/1
Loras 35/1
Whitworth 50/1
Calvin 50/1
OWU 75/1
Field 300/1
UAA 500/1
lol worse than the field but funny nevertheless
I'd give Amherst the edge to win the NESCAC in a 4 team race...
MSU or RUC to win the NJAC in a two horse race. (Rutgers-Newark could fall off after losing Araujo, Abreu, Holiday, and Moraes). Kean is probably higher in voting, leaving a team like WPU as a dark horse...
1 MSU, 2 RUC, 3 Stockton, 4 Kean, 5 RUN, 6 TCNJ...
Loras loses a strong core in Pizello, Fluegel, Burgmeier. I would assume that Rummelhart will RS as he only played 5 games? Still return Bradley and Simon... true coinflip here for me vs Wartburg who loses Nadeau.
Probably giving Dickinson the edge in the Centennial. Mules are losing a solid core, but the program is heading in the right direction... F&M loses Rosenfeld, Bomba, Watson, Lane, and Scott.
Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on December 15, 2014, 05:13:08 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 15, 2014, 05:01:29 PM
2015 D3 National Champion odds
Messiah 2/1
Nescac 12/1
Trinity TX 25/1
Wheaton ILL 25/1
NJAC 35/1
Oneonta 35/1
Loras 35/1
Whitworth 50/1
Calvin 50/1
OWU 75/1
Field 300/1
UAA 500/1
LOL... like the NESCAC and Messiah odds! Wheaton will contend again...
and your UAA pick?
Mr. Right,
I'd love to see your NESCAC predictions for '15.
And by the way, the SMU assistant appears to have a very impressive pedigree. I believe Williams will be in good hands either way.
I have confirmation that Sullivan was offered the job on Friday and is taking his time with his decision. I would guess its 95% that he leaves WNEC for Williams but stranger things have happened.
In other news......rumor has it that Messiah stud Danny Brandt has requested a transfer to a D1. With an already huge graduating class this loss would sting a bit and we could start to see the empire cracking just a bit
Quote from: Corazon on December 15, 2014, 07:15:15 PM
Mr. Right,
I'd love to see your NESCAC predictions for '15.
Me too! ;)
How would you rate the conferences in the New England Region, Mr.Right?
1) NESCAC
2) NEWMAC
3) CCC
4) LEC
5) GNAC
6) MASCAC
7) NECC
Thanks for the info re: Erin Sullivan. A good guy and I hope he takes it. Williams is not exactly financially overly generous with coaches across the board (see football situation, for example) but I imagine this is Sullivan's dream job and hopefully in light of his long tenure as a coach, Williams will pay him a fair amount. If they do, I'd be stunned if he didn't make the move -- he's brought WNEC as far as they can go but the recruiting base for Williams is dramatically different and he will have a chance to win a national title there, plus the appeal of leading his alma mater.
But success probably won't come right away. The Ephs lose a big and pretty talented senior class, albeit one that didn't really perform to expectations this past season. The Ephs struggled to score goals outside of Grady, and he is gone. Rashid if healthy (a big if) should essentially replace that production up front, but who else will score for the Ephs? They will need one of this year's frosh to really step up, unless a big-time scorer joins the program. Danilak is top-tier talent in the back but unclear who will start around him besides Muellers. It seems like Russo didn't bring in his usual talent over his last few recruiting classes; the rising sophomore and junior classes at Williams don't have any all-American types. Moutenot could break out as an upperclassman but unclear who will even be all-NESCAC guys from that group.
Good to hear from Mr. Right that they are bringing in a top-notch MF as they need to generate more offense from that area, and maybe Sullivan can recruit hard over the next few months and add another strong recruit or two. Still, it will likely take him a few years to rebuild the talent base. A younger coach with new energy should really help as given the soccer legacy at Williams, it should be pretty easy to attract top-notch players, but maybe that was a bit tougher since everyone knew they wouldn't be coached by Russo going forward over the past few years, and I imagine he didn't have the same energy to devote to recruiting which increasingly has become a long off-season slog.
As for NESCAC next year, Tufts as defending national champion and Amherst as perennially dominant in NESCAC play have to be the co-favorites (although Tufts does lose a ton), but Midd should be primed for a really big year with four returning all-NESCAC players, including the goalie and the POY. They were a young team this year but now are a veteran squad. It seems like it will be difficult for any coach at Williams to break into the top three next season ...
Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on December 16, 2014, 09:41:22 AM
How would you rate the conferences in the New England Region, Mr.Right?
1) NESCAC
2) NEWMAC
3) CCC
4) LEC
5) GNAC
6) MASCAC
7) NECC
This is correct for the most part. Mascac might be better than GNAC but not this year. LEC used to be #3 but has fallen off a bit in recent years.
Quote from: nescac1 on December 16, 2014, 09:43:50 AM
Thanks for the info re: Erin Sullivan. A good guy and I hope he takes it. Williams is not exactly financially overly generous with coaches across the board (see football situation, for example) but I imagine this is Sullivan's dream job and hopefully in light of his long tenure as a coach, Williams will pay him a fair amount. If they do, I'd be stunned if he didn't make the move -- he's brought WNEC as far as they can go but the recruiting base for Williams is dramatically different and he will have a chance to win a national title there, plus the appeal of leading his alma mater.
But success probably won't come right away. The Ephs lose a big and pretty talented senior class, albeit one that didn't really perform to expectations this past season. The Ephs struggled to score goals outside of Grady, and he is gone. Rashid if healthy (a big if) should essentially replace that production up front, but who else will score for the Ephs? They will need one of this year's frosh to really step up, unless a big-time scorer joins the program. Danilak is top-tier talent in the back but unclear who will start around him besides Muellers. It seems like Russo didn't bring in his usual talent over his last few recruiting classes; the rising sophomore and junior classes at Williams don't have any all-American types. Moutenot could break out as an upperclassman but unclear who will even be all-NESCAC guys from that group.
Good to hear from Mr. Right that they are bringing in a top-notch MF as they need to generate more offense from that area, and maybe Sullivan can recruit hard over the next few months and add another strong recruit or two. Still, it will likely take him a few years to rebuild the talent base. A younger coach with new energy should really help as given the soccer legacy at Williams, it should be pretty easy to attract top-notch players, but maybe that was a bit tougher since everyone knew they wouldn't be coached by Russo going forward over the past few years, and I imagine he didn't have the same energy to devote to recruiting which increasingly has become a long off-season slog.
As for NESCAC next year, Tufts as defending national champion and Amherst as perennially dominant in NESCAC play have to be the co-favorites (although Tufts does lose a ton), but Midd should be primed for a really big year with four returning all-NESCAC players, including the goalie and the POY. They were a young team this year but now are a veteran squad. It seems like it will be difficult for any coach at Williams to break into the top three next season ...
Williams has plenty of talent to contend nest year. Williams coaches get paid very well. Russo built the legacy you are talking about. You certainly have no clue about Williams but keep pretending. Reality is a .....
Russo absolutely built the tremendous Williams legacy, he is the greatest coach in any sport in Williams history, in my view, and certainly the greatest soccer coach in NESCAC history. But that doesn't mean that a dose of fresh energy at THIS point is necessarily entirely a bad thing ... recruiting has only gotten more and more competitive and more and more national over time, and it seems like in recent years Amherst (in particular) and Tufts have brought the most talent overall in, and Middlebury has also had a big infusion of talent the past two years. For years Russo brought an all-American or two in every year, like clockwork. I'm just saying that hasn't really been the case over the past few recruiting classes. Would you contend otherwise? Part of that, of course, is probably due to uncertainty -- if you were a recruit and knew that Russo was leaving and didn't know who your coach would be for 2-3 of your 4 years at Williams, wouldn't you hesitate if you have other great offers?
As for resources, at least in football, there is a reason that Williams has bled coaching talent and part of that is financial. Look at the assistant coaches Wesleyan has hired, for example, let alone the head coach. I know less about soccer, but some other prominent coaches also made surprisingly little in light of their level of success. For a school with the most resources overall in NESCAC, Williams spends surprisingly little on its athletic budget, among the lower on a per-athlete basis in the conference. Coaches at Williams (especially assistants, who make almost nothing) are not getting rich, believe me, and constantly have to make due with less than some peer schools. Same deal for the athletics facilties at Williams, which outside of the spectacular new football / track facility, are in need of a SERIOUS upgrade.
Quote from: nescac1 on December 16, 2014, 10:21:03 AM
Russo absolutely built the tremendous Williams legacy, he is the greatest coach in any sport in Williams history, in my view, and certainly the greatest soccer coach in NESCAC history. But that doesn't mean that a dose of fresh energy at THIS point is necessarily entirely a bad thing ... recruiting has only gotten more and more competitive and more and more national over time, and it seems like in recent years Amherst (in particular) and Tufts have brought the most talent overall in, and Middlebury has also had a big infusion of talent the past two years. For years Russo brought an all-American or two in every year, like clockwork. I'm just saying that hasn't really been the case over the past few recruiting classes. Would you contend otherwise? Part of that, of course, is probably due to uncertainty -- if you were a recruit and knew that Russo was leaving and didn't know who your coach would be for 2-3 of your 4 years at Williams, wouldn't you hesitate if you have other great offers?
As for resources, at least in football, there is a reason that Williams has bled coaching talent and part of that is financial. Look at the assistant coaches Wesleyan has hired, for example, let alone the head coach. I know less about soccer, but some other prominent coaches also made surprisingly little in light of their level of success. For a school with the most resources overall in NESCAC, Williams spends surprisingly little on its athletic budget, among the lower on a per-athlete basis in the conference. Coaches at Williams (especially assistants, who make almost nothing) are not getting rich, believe me, and constantly have to make due with less than some peer schools. Same deal for the athletics facilties at Williams, which outside of the spectacular new football / track facility, are in need of a SERIOUS upgrade.
Mr. Right, I believe Rashid has had knee injuries the last 2 years. How is his health? Is he fully recovered? A healthy Rashid should really help Williams.....
Quote from: nescac1 on December 16, 2014, 09:43:50 AM
Thanks for the info re: Erin Sullivan. A good guy and I hope he takes it. Williams is not exactly financially overly generous with coaches across the board (see football situation, for example) but I imagine this is Sullivan's dream job and hopefully in light of his long tenure as a coach, Williams will pay him a fair amount. If they do, I'd be stunned if he didn't make the move -- he's brought WNEC as far as they can go but the recruiting base for Williams is dramatically different and he will have a chance to win a national title there, plus the appeal of leading his alma mater.
But success probably won't come right away. The Ephs lose a big and pretty talented senior class, albeit one that didn't really perform to expectations this past season. The Ephs struggled to score goals outside of Grady, and he is gone. Rashid if healthy (a big if) should essentially replace that production up front, but who else will score for the Ephs? They will need one of this year's frosh to really step up, unless a big-time scorer joins the program. Danilak is top-tier talent in the back but unclear who will start around him besides Muellers. It seems like Russo didn't bring in his usual talent over his last few recruiting classes; the rising sophomore and junior classes at Williams don't have any all-American types. Moutenot could break out as an upperclassman but unclear who will even be all-NESCAC guys from that group.
Good to hear from Mr. Right that they are bringing in a top-notch MF as they need to generate more offense from that area, and maybe Sullivan can recruit hard over the next few months and add another strong recruit or two. Still, it will likely take him a few years to rebuild the talent base. A younger coach with new energy should really help as given the soccer legacy at Williams, it should be pretty easy to attract top-notch players, but maybe that was a bit tougher since everyone knew they wouldn't be coached by Russo going forward over the past few years, and I imagine he didn't have the same energy to devote to recruiting which increasingly has become a long off-season slog.
As for NESCAC next year, Tufts as defending national champion and Amherst as perennially dominant in NESCAC play have to be the co-favorites (although Tufts does lose a ton), but Midd should be primed for a really big year with four returning all-NESCAC players, including the goalie and the POY. They were a young team this year but now are a veteran squad. It seems like it will be difficult for any coach at Williams to break into the top three next season ...
As far as next year goes, Tufts loses some exceptional talent (don't know if Kramer is coming back and maybe someone from Tufts can confirm), and everyone will be gunning for them. They will have to enjoy their championship now, and work hard next year to defend their title. They do have some excellent talent coming back so should be in the upper end of the pack or even at the top. Once we see the recruiting classes for the colleges we will have some better ideas.
I am already looking forward to next year!
Middlebury and Amherst will be the teams to beat next year in NESCAC. My early pick is Middlebury based on returning players. Tufts and Williams are losing too many to graduation (and Williams will have a new coach which may or may not help initially). the rest are the rest. Two team race next year.
I wouldn't dismiss Tufts chances completely, though. They are returning Kayne, Brown, Pinhiero, Patel, Greenwood, Majumder, and possibly Kramer. They obviously will be hurt by the losses of Santos, Williams, and Hoppenot. Still, I think they will be solid all around.
Additionally, if Shapiro's track record of recruiting continues, there's no reason to think that some of the freshmen and sophomores (Halliday in particular), who didn't play that much this year won't be ready to fill in, especially seeing what it's like to win on the biggest stage. In my opinion, I think it's Amherst, Midd, and Tufts in a three team race, with Wesleyan/Bowdoin in the 4th.
Quote from: oldonionbag on December 16, 2014, 03:00:50 PM
I wouldn't dismiss Tufts chances completely, though. They are returning Kayne, Brown, Pinhiero, Patel, Greenwood, Majumder, and possibly Kramer. They obviously will be hurt by the losses of Santos, Williams, and Hoppenot. Still, I think they will be solid all around.
Additionally, if Shapiro's track record of recruiting continues, there's no reason to think that some of the freshmen and sophomores (Halliday in particular), who didn't play that much this year won't be ready to fill in, especially seeing what it's like to win on the biggest stage. In my opinion, I think it's Amherst, Midd, and Tufts in a three team race, with Wesleyan/Bowdoin in the 4th.
Tufts losing Santos, Williams and Hoppenot is a killer, and Kramer won't be back he'll graduate with his class. Thus, losing 4 of your top 6 players and all difference makers. Too much to overcome and will have the hangover from NCAA Championship. I believe next year is Middlebury's year. Everyone is basically coming back from a team which was very very good this past season.
Quote from: All NESCAC on December 16, 2014, 03:11:16 PM
Quote from: oldonionbag on December 16, 2014, 03:00:50 PM
I wouldn't dismiss Tufts chances completely, though. They are returning Kayne, Brown, Pinhiero, Patel, Greenwood, Majumder, and possibly Kramer. They obviously will be hurt by the losses of Santos, Williams, and Hoppenot. Still, I think they will be solid all around.
Additionally, if Shapiro's track record of recruiting continues, there's no reason to think that some of the freshmen and sophomores (Halliday in particular), who didn't play that much this year won't be ready to fill in, especially seeing what it's like to win on the biggest stage. In my opinion, I think it's Amherst, Midd, and Tufts in a three team race, with Wesleyan/Bowdoin in the 4th.
Tufts losing Santos, Williams and Hoppenot is a killer, and Kramer won't be back he'll graduate with his class. Thus, losing 4 of your top 6 players and all difference makers. Too much to overcome and will have the hangover from NCAA Championship. I believe next year is Middlebury's year. Everyone is basically coming back from a team which was very very good this past season.
I still wouldn't count out Williams at this point. As far as Tufts goes, Kayne and Brown were the second and third leading scorers. They return. The goalie returns. Yes, some others will have to step up and fill some gaps, but Tufts can certainly be there. Did you confirm the Kramer graduation issue? I would like someone from Tufts to confirm, if possible. His return would no doubt help Tufts next year.
I think 5-6 teams could be in the mix.... I also don't think Tufts should be discounted at this point.
Quote from: nescac1 on December 16, 2014, 10:21:03 AM
Russo absolutely built the tremendous Williams legacy, he is the greatest coach in any sport in Williams history, in my view, and certainly the greatest soccer coach in NESCAC history. But that doesn't mean that a dose of fresh energy at THIS point is necessarily entirely a bad thing ... recruiting has only gotten more and more competitive and more and more national over time, and it seems like in recent years Amherst (in particular) and Tufts have brought the most talent overall in, and Middlebury has also had a big infusion of talent the past two years. For years Russo brought an all-American or two in every year, like clockwork. I'm just saying that hasn't really been the case over the past few recruiting classes. Would you contend otherwise? Part of that, of course, is probably due to uncertainty -- if you were a recruit and knew that Russo was leaving and didn't know who your coach would be for 2-3 of your 4 years at Williams, wouldn't you hesitate if you have other great offers?
As for resources, at least in football, there is a reason that Williams has bled coaching talent and part of that is financial. Look at the assistant coaches Wesleyan has hired, for example, let alone the head coach. I know less about soccer, but some other prominent coaches also made surprisingly little in light of their level of success. For a school with the most resources overall in NESCAC, Williams spends surprisingly little on its athletic budget, among the lower on a per-athlete basis in the conference. Coaches at Williams (especially assistants, who make almost nothing) are not getting rich, believe me, and constantly have to make due with less than some peer schools. Same deal for the athletics facilties at Williams, which outside of the spectacular new football / track facility, are in need of a SERIOUS upgrade.
Not sure how you can argue Russo falling off in recruiting and motivation when they had 2012 and 2013 Final 4 teams and would have been 11-4-1 or 12-3-1 with Rashid all year and Murralles and Madding playing to their potential. Muellers and Tom Young are VERY good players and might have a chance at All-American down the road. Mark Sisco was disappointing but I think he will improve greatly as he has to much drive and talent not to improve. The Sophomore class is a bit weak but Moutenot is legit and Alcorn is turning into a good keeper. That class would have been top notch but two things happened. Greg Conrad and Adam Glaser were heading to Williams ED but I have heard when Midd was recruiting them the players told them to avoid Williams because it was "way more work and a hell of a lot tougher than Midd" In reality this is total BS and the schools are basically even in toughness depending on what you major in. It was a cheap move by former assistant McCabe who now is the head man at Bard. So that would of been a very solid class. Conrad also most likely chose Midd because of its superb hockey facilities which Williams does not compare because he plays Hockey. Russo stole Rashid and convinced him to come to Williams over D1 Villinova and a couple of others. It is harder and harder to recruit in Nescac these days anyway. Admissions at Williams is getting harder to get some 6 and 7 academic band players in. FYI Alex Blake was an 8 band which would not even be touched now. Sullivan will be good but that doesnt mean he will improve the recruiting but he may and I was most annoyed with your saying it will take 3 years to rebuild. That is nonsense and Sullivan does not need a "pass" to be average for the next few years. The one thing I think he will improve is the players fitness which is what Tufts had. Tufts was VERY fit. Sullivan will run them for sure. Shapiro snuck Santos in when BC could not support him and took his NMH teammate Medina-Mendez instead. He also has an incredible Princeton NJ connection from his days at Georgetown and that has really helped. To be honest Amherst recruits are getting worse each year.2009-2012 was very legit but it is quite possible Amherst faculty and admissions is making it tougher for atheletes with questionable academics becuase of all the recent sexual assault incidents on campus recently
Hmm...interesting insights. I must say the "way more work and a hell of a lot tougher" sure sounds familiar. When you're dealing with the decision making process of 17 year old kids, those types of comments do matter, especially if their academic prowess does not quite match their skills on the soccer field. I was hoping mine would go to Williams but he instead chose another precisely due to that type of a comment (though I think he heard it from his peers and not from an assistant at his school) and academic insecurity. I have another younger player coming up. I Plan to emphasize the academic side more.
As for next year's NESCAC predictions, I do think Williams will still be in the mix as despite their under achievement this year, they are still talented. Keys to me are how they will gel under their new coach/Sullivan and whether or not Rashid can recover to near pre-injury levels.
Of course, talent injection from the freshmen class will also go a long ways. To me it is the most difficult part in projecting the rosters for next year as NESCAC does not do press releases of incoming recruits like many of the other conferences and D1. I kind of wish they would, but doubt it will ever happen due to preserving the NESCAC academic emphasis, so we're left with rumors and conjecture in projecting recruiting classes.
I'm pretty close to the Northeastern USSDA circuit due to connections as well as personal experiences. I haven't heard of too many commitments to NESCACs yet, but will do some digging. FWIW, I've heard Tufts is recruiting well. Sounds based on your previous post that Williams also has a solid class coming in.
I'm hoping, Mr. Right, that your pipeline into Williams and NESCAC inside Intel will not dry up with the coaching change. You are controversial but very interesting.
Fair enough, Mr. Right. I don't know how you can know those sort of details about Midd recruits. Either one of them would have really helped Williams, too bad. I know Young was highly regarded so hopefully he breaks out as a sophomore. He, Mountenot, and Rashid will need to be the main men in terms of generating offense for the Ephs next year, and hopefully Tolomeo steps up to give them another finisher up front.
To no one's surprise, Erin Sullivan was just officially named head coach of the Ephs. A no-brainer, really.
A Program cannot beat having a National Champion Player/Captain return as Coach.
That gives you instant love and respect from the players.
The strength of the era in which Sullivan played also says a lot.
Great teams, and Williams definitely qualifies, understand that Tradition and Talent are equal ingredients in success.
Williams' new coach embodies and will carry on both!
Quote from: Saint of Old on December 18, 2014, 11:41:18 AM
A Program cannot beat having a National Champion Player/Captain return as Coach.
That gives you instant love and respect from the players.
The strength of the era in which Sullivan played also says a lot.
Great teams, and Williams definitely qualifies, understand that Tradition and Talent are equal ingredients in success.
Williams' new coach embodies and will carry on both!
Well said Saint!
Quote from: Brother Flounder on December 16, 2014, 10:53:00 AM
Quote from: nescac1 on December 16, 2014, 10:21:03 AM
Russo absolutely built the tremendous Williams legacy, he is the greatest coach in any sport in Williams history, in my view, and certainly the greatest soccer coach in NESCAC history. But that doesn't mean that a dose of fresh energy at THIS point is necessarily entirely a bad thing ... recruiting has only gotten more and more competitive and more and more national over time, and it seems like in recent years Amherst (in particular) and Tufts have brought the most talent overall in, and Middlebury has also had a big infusion of talent the past two years. For years Russo brought an all-American or two in every year, like clockwork. I'm just saying that hasn't really been the case over the past few recruiting classes. Would you contend otherwise? Part of that, of course, is probably due to uncertainty -- if you were a recruit and knew that Russo was leaving and didn't know who your coach would be for 2-3 of your 4 years at Williams, wouldn't you hesitate if you have other great offers?
As for resources, at least in football, there is a reason that Williams has bled coaching talent and part of that is financial. Look at the assistant coaches Wesleyan has hired, for example, let alone the head coach. I know less about soccer, but some other prominent coaches also made surprisingly little in light of their level of success. For a school with the most resources overall in NESCAC, Williams spends surprisingly little on its athletic budget, among the lower on a per-athlete basis in the conference. Coaches at Williams (especially assistants, who make almost nothing) are not getting rich, believe me, and constantly have to make due with less than some peer schools. Same deal for the athletics facilties at Williams, which outside of the spectacular new football / track facility, are in need of a SERIOUS upgrade.
Mr. Right, I believe Rashid has had knee injuries the last 2 years. How is his health? Is he fully recovered? A healthy Rashid should really help Williams.....
Rashid did his ACL this fall and had ankle issues his Sophomore year. His Frosh year he had shin splints. He should be fine come next year. It is a long rehab however
Quote from: Corazon on December 17, 2014, 06:22:00 AM
I'm hoping, Mr. Right, that your pipeline into Williams and NESCAC inside Intel will not dry up with the coaching change. You are controversial but very interesting.
Not at all as I still have all my connections either way. I try not to be controversial but sometimes its inevitable.
Anyone have the inside scoop to where Brandt is transferring to?
December 2014 Nescac Predictions for Fall of 2015.....These will change by the Spring / Summer when we get an idea of commitments. I will base this on who is coming back.
1. Tufts- They still have a lot of players coming back. If Kramer decides to come back than they will finish #1. They lose Hoppenot, Santos and Williams. Majumder can begin to replace Hoppenot if he keeps improving. Williams and Santos are not going to be replaced right away. Is it possible Conor Coleman from CA replaces Williams. He has the size but he is very SLOW and needs to work on his skill.
2. Amherst- They lose Gabe Wirz in the middle of their D and Bubba VanWie who started from time to time and had a very long throw. Amherst has a knack of replacing CB's rather quickly so I think they will do this rather smoothly. I am hoping for an impact frosh class as the past couple years have not had the same impact of 3-5 years ago. Another year of improvement under their belt will only help the likes of Martin and NPL.
3. Williams- They lose a huge senior class but one that really disappointed last season. Madding and Murralles did not play well all year. Seitz and Condor were up and down. Pierce and Burbank-Crump were to quiet to be captains. Grady was superb and they will miss his goals. I think this "cleaning house" of these seniors will help Sullivan get acclimated and let him find his own way. Alcorn is improving in net and Danilack is as silky smooth as they come out of the back. This team lacked toughness all year and with superstar Rashid coming back I am expecting big things.
4. Bowdoin- This team really came on at the end of the year last year starting with Van Siclen in net. They lose Sam White, Henshall and Goita. Goita will be missed especially with his service / shots on free kicks. I was really down on this team in the middle of the year but they surprised me and came on late. These seniors can and will be replaced and they have a physical and technical midfielder coming in. Jake Stenquist will be arriving next year and Wiercinski seems to be on the right track with this program.
5. Middlebury- Midd returns most of its players and what they lose they can replace. Robinson, Skayne and Harper Williams are all replaceable. They have size and they can score goals but I am still left wondering if they have enough talent all over the field to contend. They must stop relying on Conrad and Glazer for everything and others need to start contributing.
6. Conn College- They lose O'Brien, Punt, Flippin and Garabedian. 4 good athletes. Conn can only improve next year if they stay injury free and please please find a GK.
7. Wesleyan- They lose 8 key seniors and might flip Trinity and Wesleyan in the Spring. This is going to be a very young team and will have some growing pains. They awill always be very organized defensively because of Wheeler but they are going to struggle scoring goals even against some of the weaker teams. They lose Bratt, Bravo,McConnell,Issiroff,Lynch,Rice,Tanaka and Hertgen. Rice and Tanaka did not play as much this year but after seeing their backup GK when McConnell had to sit against Midd they need some help in net.
8. Trinity
9. Colby
10.Hamilton
11.Bates
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 19, 2014, 03:15:31 PM
December 2014 Nescac Predictions for Fall of 2015.....These will change by the Spring / Summer when we get an idea of commitments. I will base this on who is coming back.
1. Tufts- They still have a lot of players coming back. If Kramer decides to come back than they will finish #1. They lose Hoppenot, Santos and Williams. Majumder can begin to replace Hoppenot if he keeps improving. Williams and Santos are not going to be replaced right away. Is it possible Conor Coleman from CA replaces Williams. He has the size but he is very SLOW and needs to work on his skill.
2. Amherst- They lose Gabe Wirz in the middle of their D and Bubba VanWie who started from time to time and had a very long throw. Amherst has a knack of replacing CB's rather quickly so I think they will do this rather smoothly. I am hoping for an impact frosh class as the past couple years have not had the same impact of 3-5 years ago. Another year of improvement under their belt will only help the likes of Martin and NPL.
3. Williams- They lose a huge senior class but one that really disappointed last season. Madding and Murralles did not play well all year. Seitz and Condor were up and down. Pierce and Burbank-Crump were to quiet to be captains. Grady was superb and they will miss his goals. I think this "cleaning house" of these seniors will help Sullivan get acclimated and let him find his own way. Alcorn is improving in net and Danilack is as silky smooth as they come out of the back. This team lacked toughness all year and with superstar Rashid coming back I am expecting big things.
4. Bowdoin- This team really came on at the end of the year last year starting with Van Siclen in net. They lose Sam White, Henshall and Goita. Goita will be missed especially with his service / shots on free kicks. I was really down on this team in the middle of the year but they surprised me and came on late. These seniors can and will be replaced and they have a physical and technical midfielder coming in. Jake Stenquist will be arriving next year and Wiercinski seems to be on the right track with this program.
5. Middlebury- Midd returns most of its players and what they lose they can replace. Robinson, Skayne and Harper Williams are all replaceable. They have size and they can score goals but I am still left wondering if they have enough talent all over the field to contend. They must stop relying on Conrad and Glazer for everything and others need to start contributing.
6. Conn College- They lose O'Brien, Punt, Flippin and Garabedian. 4 good athletes. Conn can only improve next year if they stay injury free and please please find a GK.
7. Wesleyan- They lose 8 key seniors and might flip Trinity and Wesleyan in the Spring. This is going to be a very young team and will have some growing pains. They awill always be very organized defensively because of Wheeler but they are going to struggle scoring goals even against some of the weaker teams. They lose Bratt, Bravo,McConnell,Issiroff,Lynch,Rice,Tanaka and Hertgen. Rice and Tanaka did not play as much this year but after seeing their backup GK when McConnell had to sit against Midd they need some help in net.
8. Trinity
9. Colby
10.Hamilton
11.Bates
I like the analysis but would probably move Middlebury ahead of Bowdoin. Someone mentioned in a post that Kramer from Tufts was not coming back. I asked for confirmation from Tufts people but nothing has been posted....
Middlebury is still stuck with the same situation. If you shut down Conrad and Glazer and you can sneak a goal thru Sydor you can beat Midd. They need some creative players in midfield as they have enough size. If they can get 2 skilled CM then they can contend with anyone. Right now the game gets stuck in midfield a lot of times when you play them
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 26, 2014, 10:49:23 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on November 26, 2014, 11:56:34 AM
Big news....interesting timing
http://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2014/11/24/MSOC_1124140757.aspx
This is an excellent hire for this program. Former player, D3 head coaching experience and a similar type school, D1 assistant, young and experience in recruiting this type of player. I am befuddled by the timing but I assume the head coach gave his ok and I would be willing to bet he is out there now or at the very least will be in KC. I remember talking to the Gordon AD a while back and praising this kid for turning this once dormant program into something worth talking about before the next guy built it even more.
Mr.Right,
The facts seem to contradict your comments...
GORDON COLLEGE SOCCER:
5 Years Prior to DeClute: 59-29-10 (60%)
5 Years of DeClute: 46-36-13 (48%)
3 Years since DeClute: 39-20-3 (63%)
However, it is intriguing that he was recently a volunteer assistant under Coach D. Brandt at Navy (that has to be an excellent training ground for young coaches). And I would think that Coach Brandt only brings in quality people for his staff.
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 19, 2014, 04:03:54 PM
Middlebury is still stuck with the same situation. If you shut down Conrad and Glazer and you can sneak a goal thru Sydor you can beat Midd. They need some creative players in midfield as they have enough size. If they can get 2 skilled CM then they can contend with anyone. Right now the game gets stuck in midfield a lot of times when you play them
Mr. Right, what, if anything do you know about Middlebury's recruits? Any top middies?
Quote from: D3soccerwatcher on December 21, 2014, 06:57:36 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 26, 2014, 10:49:23 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on November 26, 2014, 11:56:34 AM
Big news....interesting timing
http://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2014/11/24/MSOC_1124140757.aspx
This is an excellent hire for this program. Former player, D3 head coaching experience and a similar type school, D1 assistant, young and experience in recruiting this type of player. I am befuddled by the timing but I assume the head coach gave his ok and I would be willing to bet he is out there now or at the very least will be in KC. I remember talking to the Gordon AD a while back and praising this kid for turning this once dormant program into something worth talking about before the next guy built it even more.
Mr.Right,
The facts seem to contradict your comments...
GORDON COLLEGE SOCCER:
5 Years Prior to DeClute: 59-29-10 (60%)
5 Years of DeClute: 46-36-13 (48%)
3 Years since DeClute: 39-20-3 (63%)
However, it is intriguing that he was recently a volunteer assistant under Coach D. Brandt at Navy (that has to be an excellent training ground for young coaches). And I would think that Coach Brandt only brings in quality people for his staff.
Facts never contradict my comments...You really need to dig deeper and see the SOS for Gordon before DeClute. WP% will not tell the whole story. Also, I wonder if the team manager on Navy's bench would be a great Head coach. Just being next to Brandt on the sidelines would rub off on him. Maybe even the scorekeeper and timekeeper
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 26, 2014, 04:15:53 PM
Quote from: D3soccerwatcher on December 21, 2014, 06:57:36 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 26, 2014, 10:49:23 PM
Quote from: 4231CenterBack on November 26, 2014, 11:56:34 AM
Big news....interesting timing
http://athletics.wheaton.edu/news/2014/11/24/MSOC_1124140757.aspx
This is an excellent hire for this program. Former player, D3 head coaching experience and a similar type school, D1 assistant, young and experience in recruiting this type of player. I am befuddled by the timing but I assume the head coach gave his ok and I would be willing to bet he is out there now or at the very least will be in KC. I remember talking to the Gordon AD a while back and praising this kid for turning this once dormant program into something worth talking about before the next guy built it even more.
Mr.Right,
The facts seem to contradict your comments...
GORDON COLLEGE SOCCER:
5 Years Prior to DeClute: 59-29-10 (60%)
5 Years of DeClute: 46-36-13 (48%)
3 Years since DeClute: 39-20-3 (63%)
However, it is intriguing that he was recently a volunteer assistant under Coach D. Brandt at Navy (that has to be an excellent training ground for young coaches). And I would think that Coach Brandt only brings in quality people for his staff.
Facts never contradict my comments...You really need to dig deeper and see the SOS for Gordon before DeClute. WP% will not tell the whole story. Also, I wonder if the team manager on Navy's bench would be a great Head coach. Just being next to Brandt on the sidelines would rub off on him. Maybe even the scorekeeper and timekeeper
Mr.Right,
Back to your old tricks again. I presented real hard data on Gordon's records under the different coaching staffs. And the data support my position. You on the other hand purport that there are data (out there somewhere) that support your position that there were five years of a weak SOS, then suddenly 5 years of a strong SOS, and then suddenly another 3 years of a weak SOS. Show me the data.
Massey SOS data:
2014 - 142
2013 - 203
2012 - 243
--------------------
2011 - 206
2010 - 252
2009 - 230
2008 - 286
2007 - 249
---------------------
2006 - 292
2005 - 269
Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on December 27, 2014, 12:35:45 PM
Massey SOS data:
2014 - 142
2013 - 203
2012 - 243
--------------------
2011 - 206
2010 - 252
2009 - 230
2008 - 286
2007 - 249
---------------------
2006 - 292
2005 - 269
The body of data does not support Mr.Right's position.
What do you think is Midd's weakest position going into next season?
Quote from: Harley47 on December 27, 2014, 06:24:50 PM
What do you think is Midd's weakest position going into next season?
If I was to say one area it would probably be midfield...
Quote from: D3soccerwatcher on December 27, 2014, 03:51:36 PM
Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on December 27, 2014, 12:35:45 PM
Massey SOS data:
2014 - 142
2013 - 203
2012 - 243
--------------------
2011 - 206
2010 - 252
2009 - 230
2008 - 286
2007 - 249
---------------------
2006 - 292
2005 - 269
The body of data does not support Mr.Right's position.
I concur, but he may be privy to the SOS database that truly matters, The regional rankings as calculated by the NCAA. I was just posting numbers that were already out there.
More amazing than all these stats and records is that we have discussed Gordon Men's soccer continually all fall on this board.
I have not heard much for Midd recruits but I have said this before and I will repeat it. Based on what is coming back for 2015 Midd has the opportunity to be very good and also the possibility of being very average. They are solid up front and in goal. They have size and speed and athleticism but they are missing that skilled CM that can connect with his strikers. They need to salvage some of the size and get more skilled in midfield to take the pressure off of Conrad and Glaser. I have also said this all year but Glaser must work on his left foot. Defenders are constantly shutting him down if they stay on his right. He will beat them with his speed but if he had a decent left foot he could score more goals against Nescac competition. Midd will go 5-0-0 against there out of conference foes in 2015 because they will remember the loss at Castleton St this year. If they can go 6-3-1 or 6-2-2 or even 5-3-2 against Nescac plus a 1st round win that should be enough. They might play the weakest out of conference schedule in Nescac an award that usually goes to Amherst but lately Trinity CT is vying for it
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 28, 2014, 12:18:30 PM
More amazing than all these stats and records is that we have discussed Gordon Men's soccer continually all fall on this board.
Don't be too amazed if the trend continues. Potteiger has signed some pretty impressive recruits, a kid who was first team all-state in NY and a local product who turned down an offer from BU....among others.
He's the real deal and this is just his second recruiting class. Just keep an open mind......we'll have more evidence after next year's clash with a local Nescac power.
I assume they will be playing Bowdoin or Tufts as their Nescac team. They will lose either.
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 28, 2014, 12:18:30 PM
More amazing than all these stats and records is that we have discussed Gordon Men's soccer continually all fall on this board.
Mr.Right,
Since all you can do is ignore the data and try to change the subject...I'll take this as an admission that your comments about Coach Declute turning around Gordon soccer were WRONG.
I spoke to the AD at Gordon a while back and he said that DeClute turned Gordon into a relevant program. Sometimes numbers do not give you 100% of the story and everything is not always so black and white. To be honest with you I do not care either way anymore. There are way more interesting items to be discussing than a historic dormant program that may or may not be turning into something of relevance
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 28, 2014, 12:37:12 PM
I have not heard much for Midd recruits but I have said this before and I will repeat it. Based on what is coming back for 2015 Midd has the opportunity to be very good and also the possibility of being very average. They are solid up front and in goal. They have size and speed and athleticism but they are missing that skilled CM that can connect with his strikers. They need to salvage some of the size and get more skilled in midfield to take the pressure off of Conrad and Glaser. I have also said this all year but Glaser must work on his left foot. Defenders are constantly shutting him down if they stay on his right. He will beat them with his speed but if he had a decent left foot he could score more goals against Nescac competition. Midd will go 5-0-0 against there out of conference foes in 2015 because they will remember the loss at Castleton St this year. If they can go 6-3-1 or 6-2-2 or even 5-3-2 against Nescac plus a 1st round win that should be enough. They might play the weakest out of conference schedule in Nescac an award that usually goes to Amherst but lately Trinity CT is vying for it
Thanks.... Yes that terrible turf field at Middlebury would benefit from skilled midfielders.....
Indeed. I remember when Midd actually had a grass field there about 10 years ago. The had to go to turf because the field is at the bottom of that hill and would always collect all the rain after a storm. It really did not drain well
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 28, 2014, 03:55:34 PM
Indeed. I remember when Midd actually had a grass field there about 10 years ago. The had to go to turf because the field is at the bottom of that hill and would always collect all the rain after a storm. It really did not drain well
How is the women's field there? Could they improve that field?
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 28, 2014, 02:51:40 PM
I spoke to the AD at Gordon a while back and he said that DeClute turned Gordon into a relevant program. Sometimes numbers do not give you 100% of the story and everything is not always so black and white. To be honest with you I do not care either way anymore. There are way more interesting items to be discussing than a historic dormant program that may or may not be turning into something of relevance
To quote W. Edwards Deming...
"WITHOUT DATA YOU'RE JUST ANOTHER PERSON WITH AN OPINION."
your data is skewed.
Quote from: Brother Flounder on December 28, 2014, 04:27:52 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 28, 2014, 03:55:34 PM
Indeed. I remember when Midd actually had a grass field there about 10 years ago. The had to go to turf because the field is at the bottom of that hill and would always collect all the rain after a storm. It really did not drain well
How is the women's field there? Could they improve that field?
The women's field is extremely narrow as it plays inside a track.
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 28, 2014, 08:56:24 PM
your data is skewed.
My data is accurate...and you have no data.
My opinion is better than your data
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 28, 2014, 09:56:26 PM
My opinion is better than your data
Sounds like something a 60 year old friend of mine would say while we're betting the ponies and drinking cheap beer and whiskey
LOL....I like that one
Hmmmmm....2014 Player of the year voting poll has a FAITH BASED whiff to it. 7 of 20 players.....
I voted for big ole Sam Williams but I would have like to see : ****other
Tufts and Nescac get the shaft. When Nescac teams play about 6 or 7 games less than the others your stats will not be comparable. Disappointed to say the least.
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 30, 2014, 10:55:36 PM
Hmmmmm....2014 Player of the year voting poll has a FAITH BASED whiff to it. 7 of 20 players.....
I voted for big ole Sam Williams but I would have like to see : ****other
Tufts and Nescac get the shaft. When Nescac teams play about 6 or 7 games less than the others your stats will not be comparable. Disappointed to say the least.
Yep, numbers will not look good to the rest due to the lower number of games. I wonder how many coaches outside of New England are even aware of that fact.....
Quote from: Brother Flounder on December 31, 2014, 08:05:40 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 30, 2014, 10:55:36 PM
Hmmmmm....2014 Player of the year voting poll has a FAITH BASED whiff to it. 7 of 20 players.....
I voted for big ole Sam Williams but I would have like to see : ****other
Tufts and Nescac get the shaft. When Nescac teams play about 6 or 7 games less than the others your stats will not be comparable. Disappointed to say the least.
Yep, numbers will not look good to the rest due to the lower number of games. I wonder how many coaches outside of New England are even aware of that fact.....
They play 6 or 7 games less?!?! Really?!? Exaggerate much?
| ● | 9 of the 11 NESCAC schools began play on Tuesday (9/2) or Wednesday (9/3) of the first week of the season, only half a week after most other Division III teams. |
| ● | Through 11/9/2014 (prior to the NCAA tournament), the average number of games played by the 11 NESACAC teams was 16.27 and the average for the remaining 393 Division III teams was 18.73 games. That's a 2.46 game difference. |
| ● | For the full season (incl. the NCAA tournament), the average number of games played by the 11 NESACAC teams was 17.27 and the average for the remaining 393 Division III teams was 19.14 games. That's a 1.86 game difference. |
| ● | Of the NCAA tournament participants, the average number of games played by the 3 NESACAC participants was 21.00 and the average for the remaining 58 participants was 21.69 games. That's a 0.69 game difference. |
| ● | Of the teams ranked in the final D3soccer.com Top 25, the average number of games played by the 2 ranked NESACAC teams was 21.50 and the average for the remaining 23 ranked teams was 22.48 games. That's a 0.98 game difference. |
6 or 7 games less? Try 1 to 2, maybe 3 games less.
So let's look at five of the top forwards from the NESCAC and proportion their stats for having played three additional games.
Greg Conrad (Middlebury) 8g, 6a --> 10g, 7a
Zach Grady (Williams) 10g, 0 a --> 12g, 0a
Nico Pascual-Leone (Amherst) 7g, 8a --> 8g, 9a
Maxime Hoppenot (Tufts) 3g, 3a --> 4g, 4a
Gus Santos (Tufts) 10g, 2a --> 12g, 2a
Do you think those players would have garnered more national recognition with those increased totals?
Quote from: Flying Weasel on January 02, 2015, 01:36:30 AM
Quote from: Brother Flounder on December 31, 2014, 08:05:40 AM
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 30, 2014, 10:55:36 PM
Hmmmmm....2014 Player of the year voting poll has a FAITH BASED whiff to it. 7 of 20 players.....
I voted for big ole Sam Williams but I would have like to see : ****other
Tufts and Nescac get the shaft. When Nescac teams play about 6 or 7 games less than the others your stats will not be comparable. Disappointed to say the least.
Well thought out...what are the numbers if you don't include the NCAA tourney games???
Yep, numbers will not look good to the rest due to the lower number of games. I wonder how many coaches outside of New England are even aware of that fact.....
They play 6 or 7 games less?!?! Really?!? Exaggerate much?
| ● | 9 of the 11 NESCAC schools began play on Tuesday (9/2) or Wednesday (9/3) of the first week of the season, only half a week after most other Division III teams. |
| ● | Through 11/9/2014 (prior to the NCAA tournament), the average number of games played by the 11 NESACAC teams was 16.27 and the average for the remaining 393 Division III teams was 18.73 games. That's a 2.46 game difference. |
| ● | For the full season (incl. the NCAA tournament), the average number of games played by the 11 NESACAC teams was 17.27 and the average for the remaining 393 Division III teams was 19.14 games. That's a 1.86 game difference. |
| ● | Of the NCAA tournament participants, the average number of games played by the 3 NESACAC participants was 21.00 and the average for the remaining 58 participants was 21.69 games. That's a 0.69 game difference. |
| ● | Of the teams ranked in the final D3soccer.com Top 25, the average number of games played by the 2 ranked NESACAC teams was 21.50 and the average for the remaining 23 ranked teams was 22.48 games. That's a 0.98 game difference. |
6 or 7 games less? Try 1 to 2, maybe 3 games less.
So let's look at five of the top forwards from the NESCAC and proportion their stats for having played three additional games.
Greg Conrad (Middlebury) 8g, 6a --> 10g, 7a
Zach Grady (Williams) 10g, 0 a --> 12g, 0a
Nico Pascual-Leone (Amherst) 7g, 8a --> 8g, 9a
Maxime Hoppenot (Tufts) 3g, 3a --> 4g, 4a
Gus Santos (Tufts) 10g, 2a --> 12g, 2a
Do you think those players would have garnered more national recognition with those increased totals?
Quote from: Brother Flounder on January 02, 2015, 08:48:59 AM
Well thought out...what are the numbers if you don't include the NCAA tourney games???
Look at my second bullet item.
Now granted, Tufts' run to the final skews the NESCAC averages some, so for that reason I rounded UP from the 2.46 game difference in the regular season and chose to use an increase of 3 games for bumping up the stats of the top forwards. If voters were going solely based on numbers (and we don't how many of them are, if any), I don't see how three more games would have made any difference this year for the NESCAC players. Forget about games played, their GPG and PPG are low relative to many other forwards in the running for All-American honors, and for all we know the voters are looking at "per game" stats like GPG, APG, and PPG instead of the raw totals.
I don't point this out to say none of the NESCAC players are deserving of All-American honors, just to say that (a) they don't play that many fewer games than other teams and (b) even if they had a few more games they still would need voters to look past the numbers.
Quote from: Flying Weasel on January 02, 2015, 09:11:53 AM
Quote from: Brother Flounder on January 02, 2015, 08:48:59 AM
Well thought out...what are the numbers if you don't include the NCAA tourney games???
Look at my second bullet item.
Now granted, Tufts' run to the final skews the NESCAC averages some, so for that reason I rounded UP from the 2.46 game difference in the regular season and chose to use an increase of 3 games for bumping up the stats of the top forwards. If voters were going solely based on numbers (and we don't how many of them are, if any), I don't see how three more games would have made any difference this year for the NESCAC players. Forget about games played, their GPG and PPG are low relative to many other forwards in the running for All-American honors, and for all we know the voters are looking at "per game" stats like GPG, APG, and PPG instead of the raw totals.
I don't point this out to say none of the NESCAC players are deserving of All-American honors, just to say that (a) they don't play that many fewer games than other teams and (b) even if they had a few more games they still would need voters to look past the numbers.
I said in an earlier post that POY often favors forwards due to the tangible scoring numbers. Unfortunately, this prejudices defenders and midfielders to a degree.....
Quote from: Brother Flounder on January 02, 2015, 09:29:11 AM
I said in an earlier post that POY often favors forwards due to the tangible scoring numbers. Unfortunately, this prejudices defenders and midfielders to a degree.....
No doubt. It's unfortunate, but the reality and I don't see that changing. Even if Division III sports got more exposure and voters cold see more games/players beyond their schedule and their region, I still don't know if it would change. This is an issue in sports in general. In football, QB's especially and RB's and WR's are going to be MVP 90% of the time. Increased exposure and coverage would help the situation. But that needs to be much more than just the availability of live streaming video of games. Coaches (and/or SIDs) are not going to have time (they have their own games and practices and scouting and game prep) to be watching games just for the sake of finding out about teams and players they otherwise would not see play.
Just thinking of All-Conference, All-Region, and All-American honors in general, I think defensive midfielders are the most overlooked players. As a voter, how would you even know who was a defensive midfielder when you see names from other regions and from teams you never saw play? And so you have all midfielders (attacking central mids, outside mids, central mids, holding mids, defensive mids, etc...) lumped into one pot, and some of those employed in a more attacking role have these great stats (goals and assists) while a defensive mid has little or nothing that can be quantified into a list or table for the voter.
Quote from: Flying Weasel on January 02, 2015, 10:27:52 AM
Quote from: Brother Flounder on January 02, 2015, 09:29:11 AM
I said in an earlier post that POY often favors forwards due to the tangible scoring numbers. Unfortunately, this prejudices defenders and midfielders to a degree.....
No doubt. It's unfortunate, but the reality and I don't see that changing. Even if Division III sports got more exposure and voters cold see more games/players beyond their schedule and their region, I still don't know if it would change. This is an issue in sports in general. In football, QB's especially and RB's and WR's are going to be MVP 90% of the time. Increased exposure and coverage would help the situation. But that needs to be much more than just the availability of live streaming video of games. Coaches (and/or SIDs) are not going to have time (they have their own games and practices and scouting and game prep) to be watching games just for the sake of finding out about teams and players they otherwise would not see play.
Just thinking of All-Conference, All-Region, and All-American honors in general, I think defensive midfielders are the most overlooked players. As a voter, how would you even know who was a defensive midfielder when you see names from other regions and from teams you never saw play? And so you have all midfielders (attacking central mids, outside mids, central mids, holding mids, defensive mids, etc...) lumped into one pot, and some of those employed in a more attacking role have these great stats (goals and assists) while a defensive mid has little or nothing that can be quantified into a list or table for the voter.
Yes, that is so true.....
Quote from: Brother Flounder on January 02, 2015, 10:54:57 AM
Quote from: Flying Weasel on January 02, 2015, 10:27:52 AM
Quote from: Brother Flounder on January 02, 2015, 09:29:11 AM
I said in an earlier post that POY often favors forwards due to the tangible scoring numbers. Unfortunately, this prejudices defenders and midfielders to a degree.....
No doubt. It's unfortunate, but the reality and I don't see that changing. Even if Division III sports got more exposure and voters cold see more games/players beyond their schedule and their region, I still don't know if it would change. This is an issue in sports in general. In football, QB's especially and RB's and WR's are going to be MVP 90% of the time. Increased exposure and coverage would help the situation. But that needs to be much more than just the availability of live streaming video of games. Coaches (and/or SIDs) are not going to have time (they have their own games and practices and scouting and game prep) to be watching games just for the sake of finding out about teams and players they otherwise would not see play.
Just thinking of All-Conference, All-Region, and All-American honors in general, I think defensive midfielders are the most overlooked players. As a voter, how would you even know who was a defensive midfielder when you see names from other regions and from teams you never saw play? And so you have all midfielders (attacking central mids, outside mids, central mids, holding mids, defensive mids, etc...) lumped into one pot, and some of those employed in a more attacking role have these great stats (goals and assists) while a defensive mid has little or nothing that can be quantified into a list or table for the voter.
I thought POY was based on how many 1st team All-Region votes you get with SOS, record, and coach's nomination included.
First of all 2 important points about Nescac compared to the other conferences and schools
1. NO SPRING SEASON
2. 4 DAY PRESEASON WITH 1 SCRIMMAGE
Nescac play 15 games total. 10 in conference and 5 out of conference. Nescac is the toughest league in the country and I would say 90% of their games are BATTLES. Lets compare 3 schools without NCAA's or conference tournaments....Messiah, Wheaton MA and Williams
Wheaton MA
Overall: 17-4-2 - Conference: 6-0-1
8/29 vs. Illinois Wesleyan • W, 4-1 BX
8/30 vs. St. Joseph's (Maine) • W, 6-0 BX
9/3 vs. Western New England • W, 2-0 BX
9/6 at Keene State • W, 7-0 BX
9/9 vs. Emmanuel • W, 4-0 BX
9/13 vs. Wesleyan • T, 0-0 BX
9/16 vs. New England College • W, 5-1 BX
9/20 at Springfield * • W, 2-1 BX
9/24 at Roger Williams • W, 3-2 BX
9/27 vs. WPI * • W, 1-0 BX
9/30 at Brandeis • L, 1-0 BX
10/4 vs. Babson * • W, 3-1 BX
10/7 at Trinity (Conn.) • L, 4-3 BX
10/11 at MIT * • W, 1-0 BX
10/15 at Bridgewater State • W, 4-0 BX
10/18 vs. Emerson * • W, 5-2 BX
10/19 at Husson • W, 2-0 BX
10/25 at Coast Guard * • T, 0-0 BX
10/28 vs. Colby-Sawyer • W, 5-0 BX
11/1 vs. Clark * • W, 5-0 BX
Messiah
Overall: 21-1-1 - Conference: 7-0-1
8/29 vs. TCNJ • W, 2-1 BX
8/30 at Rowan • W, 3-0 BX
9/5 vs. Redlands W, 4-0 BX
9/6 vs. Neumann • W, 2-0
9/10 at Gettysburg • W, 3-0 BX
9/13 vs. Catholic • W, 4-0 BX
9/16 vs. Dickinson • W, 4-2 BX
9/20 at Montclair State • W, 3-1
9/24 vs. York (Pa.) • W, 5-0 BX
9/27 at Misericordia • W, 3-0
9/30 vs. Elizabethtown • Cancelled LS V
10/4 vs. Widener * • W, 3-0
10/8 vs. Lycoming * • W, 3-0
10/11 at Lebanon Valley * • W, 3-2
10/14 at Stevenson * • T, 0-0 BX
10/18 vs. Albright * • W, 7-0
10/22 vs. Hood * • W, 5-0 BX
10/28 at Alvernia * • W, 1-0
11/1 at Arcadia * • W, 3-0
Williams
Overall: 8-6-2 - Conference: 6-3-1
9/7 vs. Colby * • W, 2-0 BX
9/9 at Westfield State • W, 4-0 BX
9/13 vs. Trinity (Conn.) * • W, 3-1 BX
9/14 vs. Babson • L, 1-0 BX
9/20 at Amherst * • L, 4-1 BX
9/23 vs. RPI • T, 1-1 BX
9/27 at Connecticut College * • L, 2-1 BX
10/1 vs. Middlebury * • W, 2-1 BX
10/4 at Skidmore • L, 2-1 BX
10/5 vs. Endicott • W, 1-0 BX
10/11 vs. Wesleyan * • W, 2-1 BX
10/12 vs. Bowdoin * • W, 2-0 BX
10/18 at Tufts * • L, 1-0 BX
10/25 at Bates * • T, 1-1 BX
10/29 at Hamilton * • W, 1-0 BX
Just in the regular season Wheaton has played 20 games. Messiah has played(including ETOWN) 19 games and Williams 15 games. First off that is more than the 2 or maybe 3 games you claimed. So I was not exaggerating MUCH. The biggest point is the CUPCAKE games in between that Wheaton and Messiah play compared to Williams.
Williams has 3 CUPCAKES Westfield St, Bates and Endicott.
Wheaton has 12 CUPCAKES. I will not even bother naming them all but legit games were against Brandeis, Babson, MIT, Trinity CT and Wesleyan.
Messiah has 8-9 CUPCAKES.
Point is SOS and Stats have a #1 HUGE impact. I could compare schools for days but only when schools play similar schedules can we actually vote on ALL American and POY. Until then and basically never will this voting be legit.
MR, you are correct in your analysis, but I'm sure you will never convince any of the non-NESCAC readers . . .
First off, I'm not saying the voting is well done or that voters are able to fairly and accurately compare players from all different conference and regions playing different number of games in varying SOS. So there is a genuine difficulty for the voters to select the best players from a division of 400+ teams of which most voters will have only seen a game or two of a small percentage of teams. On top of that, it appears to me that the NSCAA is certainly trying to achieve a certain level of regional balance with their national AA teams and a certain level of conference and team balance with their All-Region teams (i.e. sometimes spreading the honors around at the expense of honoring the most deserving). So I largely agree with your closing statements.
And I also don't disagree that playing a tougher schedule will hold your stats down, and there's no doubt the NESCAC is either the toughest conference or one of the top 2 or 3 year-in, year-out. On top of that I imagine if the NESCAC school could add a few more non-conference games to their schedule, they for the most part would be inferior teams that would help players boost their stats and put them on a more even playing field with a lot of other players who have those extra few games. So I'm with you for the most part on those points.
But the thing is that you claimed the NESCAC players are disadvantaged because they play 6 or 7 less games. In response to my questioning of your assertion, you diverted the topic to emphasize SOS, toughest conference, less cupcakes on the schedule, etc. (items I don't much disagree with) while only admitting to a slight exaggeration. Even with this small concession on your part, I still think you overstate the difference in games played.
If a NESCAC team reaches the NESCAC final they will have played 18 games. For the great majority of teams, if they reach their conference final, they will have played 19 to 21 games. That is a difference of 1 to 3 games. For example, here's the number of games played prior to the NCAA tournament by the teams with NSCAA All-American forwards this year (except for the NESCAC's Middlebury):
| Messiah | 20 | reached conf. final |
| Whitworth | 19 | n/a |
| Brandeis | 19 | n/a |
| Calvin | 21 | reached conf. final |
| Chris. Newport | 23 | reached conf. final |
| Eastern | 19 | reached conf. final |
| Birmingham-So. | 18 | reached conf. final |
| SUNY Oneonta | 20 | reached conf. final |
| Montclair St. | 21 | reached conf. final |
| Kenyon | 19 | reached conf. final |
| Wheaton (Mass.) | 21 | conf. semifinals |
| Wheaton (Ill.) | 21 | reached conf. final |
| Wartburg | 20 | reached conf. final |
| average | 20.08 | |
If you remove the two teams without a conference tournament, add in Messiah's cancelled game against E-town, and add in the NEWMAC final that Wheaton (Mass.) missed, the average is 20.45 games for teams reaching their conference final. So 20.45 games versus the 18 games a NESCAC finalist would have played is a 2.45 game difference.
I'm not saying that's insignificant, especially since most of those 2.45 extra games will have been against weak opponents allowing for the chance of stats being padded, but "6 to 7 games less" is a big exaggeration.
And how do we know the voters base their vote entirely on stats, and how do we know they base them on raw totals versus "per game" averages? How do we know they don't factor SOS into their evaluation of the stats?
Finally, didn't the NESCAC play fewer games than the rest of Division III back 10 to 20 years ago? Yet from 2000 to 2003, the NESCAC (mainly Williams) averaged 3 NSCAA First Team All-Americans per year! Was the NSCAA doing a better job of taking the NESCAC's fewer games and tougher SOS into account back then, but somehow in the past 10 or so years have lost that ability?
Agreed. You are correct with the schedules evening out. Also, we both can agree that 85% of voters take nothing into account. Yes Williams did dominate those First team AA for about 4 years when they had some incredible teams that were loaded with talent. They just never won a title during those years. Think 2014 Messiah. Those AA included about 2 Legit MLSers and 4-5 USLers. Anyway, I will cede this one as your point was well made
Quote from: Flying Weasel on January 02, 2015, 06:01:21 PM
First off, I'm not saying the voting is well done or that voters are able to fairly and accurately compare players from all different conference and regions playing different number of games in varying SOS. So there is a genuine difficulty for the voters to select the best players from a division of 400+ teams of which most voters will have only seen a game or two of a small percentage of teams. On top of that, it appears to me that the NSCAA is certainly trying to achieve a certain level of regional balance with their national AA teams and a certain level of conference and team balance with their All-Region teams (i.e. sometimes spreading the honors around at the expense of honoring the most deserving). So I largely agree with your closing statements.
And I also don't disagree that playing a tougher schedule will hold your stats down, and there's no doubt the NESCAC is either the toughest conference or one of the top 2 or 3 year-in, year-out. On top of that I imagine if the NESCAC school could add a few more non-conference games to their schedule, they for the most part would be inferior teams that would help players boost their stats and put them on a more even playing field with a lot of other players who have those extra few games. So I'm with you for the most part on those points.
But the thing is that you claimed the NESCAC players are disadvantaged because they play 6 or 7 less games. In response to my questioning of your assertion, you diverted the topic to emphasize SOS, toughest conference, less cupcakes on the schedule, etc. (items I don't much disagree with) while only admitting to a slight exaggeration. Even with this small concession on your part, I still think you overstate the difference in games played.
If a NESCAC team reaches the NESCAC final they will have played 18 games. For the great majority of teams, if they reach their conference final, they will have played 19 to 21 games. That is a difference of 1 to 3 games. For example, here's the number of games played prior to the NCAA tournament by the teams with NSCAA All-American forwards this year (except for the NESCAC's Middlebury):
| Messiah | 20 | reached conf. final |
| Whitworth | 19 | n/a |
| Brandeis | 19 | n/a |
| Calvin | 21 | reached conf. final |
| Chris. Newport | 23 | reached conf. final |
| Eastern | 19 | reached conf. final |
| Birmingham-So. | 18 | reached conf. final |
| SUNY Oneonta | 20 | reached conf. final |
| Montclair St. | 21 | reached conf. final |
| Kenyon | 19 | reached conf. final |
| Wheaton (Mass.) | 21 | conf. semifinals |
| Wheaton (Ill.) | 21 | reached conf. final |
| Wartburg | 20 | reached conf. final |
| average | 20.08 | |
I'm not saying that's insignificant, especially since most of those 2.45 extra games will have been against weak opponents allowing for the chance of stats being padded, but "6 to 7 games less" is a big exaggeration.
And how do we know the voters base their vote entirely on stats, and how do we know they base them on raw totals versus "per game" averages? How do we know they don't factor SOS into their evaluation of the stats?
Finally, didn't the NESCAC play fewer games than the rest of Division III back 10 to 20 years ago? Yet from 2000 to 2003, the NESCAC (mainly Williams) averaged 3 NSCAA First Team All-Americans per year! Was the NSCAA doing a better job of taking the NESCAC's fewer games and tougher SOS into account back then, but somehow in the past 10 or so years have lost that ability?
Flying Weasel - this is an absolutely fantastic post - well researched and very well presented.
Quote from: Mr.Right on December 30, 2014, 10:55:36 PM
Hmmmmm....2014 Player of the year voting poll has a FAITH BASED whiff to it. 7 of 20 players.....
I voted for big ole Sam Williams but I would have like to see : ****other
Tufts and Nescac get the shaft. When Nescac teams play about 6 or 7 games less than the others your stats will not be comparable. Disappointed to say the least.
Sam Williams gets my vote....
Last guy you seem to know the NJAC better than anyone I forgot about this game but is there any other explanation? 6 goals in 16 minutes. 5 goals in 10 minutes. Maybe just one of those games. Haverford's Rineer is a former Serpone / Amherst assistant and Villinova assistant so I was curious to how they have been playing. I caught them once on Muhlenberg's CCC Final video which was like watching 22 ants moving in different directions
http://haverfordathletics.com/sports/msoc/2014-15/releases/2014100605znwf
I think your "just one of those games" hypothesis is right on target. This game was an aberration for Haverford from an offensive standpoint. They never scored more than 3 goals in any other game. The game was also somewhat atypical defensively for Haverford, as they gave up as many as 3 goals in only four other games against top teams (Rutgers-Newark, Dickinson, Muhlenberg, and F&M). Coach Rineer is quite active as a recruiter despite the admissions challenges he faces. From what I've seen of the Haverford games online, the style of play is similar to that of Amherst.
and the tree keeps on growing...thanks ommadawn
Rineer is indeed a good recruiter and a hustler. I think the 'ford admissions office gives less lee way to athletes than NESCAC schools as I don't think they have a tipping system (I don't know this for sure). I do know one good freshman starter at a comparable school who had planned to go there but was turned away by their admissions.
Rutgers Camden looked like two different teams at times throughout the season; passive or aggressive, and completely inconsistent (which they thrived on from 2011-2014). They lost more games this year (8) than they did from 2011-13.
On to the Haverford game... I expected a win, given their phenomenal home record and Haverford early results in season vs other NJAC teams. Camden went with a different look than their traditional 4.2.3.1; deciding to open up the game and play with only one holding mid in a 4.1.4.1. In addition, the starting RB and CB were suspended and I'm not sure why. .
For the most part the 4.1.4.1 worked (first 35 min), which I will address later, as they went up a goal on two occassions but could not maintain. Six subs were made with 10 min left in 1H and Haverford was able to capitalize, finding the net twice.
The wide open play led to several chances for Haverford in transition and multiple set pieces which Haverford finished
(4 or 5 of the goals). Once Camden went down 4-2 the obvious guess is they had to chase the game. After a 62nd min red card...game went to 5-3 near the last 15 and Rutgers pushed everyone forward to make 5-4 (as they did from around 65 min on)....thus paying the piper 7-3. No difference in losing 5-3, 5-4 or 7-3 as its a big fat LOSS either way.
Haverford lost to Newark and Kean earlier in season and tied Swat with a second left in the game; 3 teams that Camden went 4-0 against. I think it was just one of those nights, as they beat Haverford 2 of the last 3 years. I think they will be playing again next season, so we'll see.
Going back to the 4.1.4.1 they wanted to see what they could get away with having Auleta and Hurff as ACMs. vs bigger and stronger teams, but it failed (letting up 15 goals between Haverford and MSU). Had Camden won that game, they probably would have been the last team in, but losses to Cabrini and Rowan pretty much sealed their fate. They still closed out the year 9-2-1 with two road losses to MSU.
In a funny tree that keeps growing...Oz and Rineer were both Tom Carlin's asst (Oz at Arcadia and Rineer at Nova). As far as the recruiting comment that was made comparing Haverford and Camden, it's pretty fair to say Coach Oz has 2 strikes against him, being that his position is only PART TIME, and the school is in the fine streets of Camden! However, the admissions process is easier in comparison.
Not even sure what SJ guys are looking into Camden at this point for 2015... I will try and find out.
Thanks Last Guy for the commentary
Are there any coaches that you are aware of in the NE region that are only part time?
I was browsing the web and the Stockton position was posted with starting salary of $51k but could be higher based on experience... My guess is that Stockton will follow suit to Rowan and promote Greg Rutter (assistant coach). Seems like a great gig near the beach and with decent facilities which could possibly have some DI assistants apply, but who knows...
$51k seems really light to me for a head coaching job, especially when you factor in NJ's high tax rates and cost of living. How does this salary compare to other D3 coaching jobs, including the NESCAC? Making a living with a sport you love can be a great way to live, but these guys are under quite a bit of pressure too. I believe soccer coaches are considerably underpaid.
Separately, I was reading an article about basketball and UConn's Geno Aureiemma said that there are basically 2 types of coaches. "Ones who can recruit and ones who get fired." Thought it was interesting.
Not all areas in NJ are that expensive, relative to national norms. Stockton is located in Galloway Twp, NJ, and here's what the numbers there look like: http://www.cityrating.com/cost-of-living/new-jersey/galloway.html
Tons of jobs in New England are part time only. Some schools surprisingly so..MIT is part time and pays about 35,000 yr. That is why their most recent coach left for Washington and Lee or something like that and why Milton Gooding lasted only 5 years there. A bunch of the smaller NE schools all are part time. I believe the MASCAC league is all part time. WPI used to be part time. IT is pathetic.
Long serving Nescac coaches like Russo and Saward earn 100k-120k / year. Gooding at Amherst earned that but was also AD. Serpone earns maybe half of that but earns a fortune with his peak performance camps. Most of the other coaches are quite young and I would be surprised if they hit 50k. Pilger and Murphy possibly but I doubt Conn pays its coaches very well.
Even D1 coaches do not make much more..They make up their money in camps in the summer but even that is getting very saturated.
51,000k for a young D1 assistant or promoted assistant from within for Stockton would be excellent money for a guy in his 30's coaching soccer. Your coaching for god's sake. You have some headaches but this is not Wall Street. You are usually enjoying heading to the office / field every day and are just so happy to be doing something you love every day. To me the biggest disaster is dealing with parents and recruiting. MONSTER HEADACHE for some of these coaches. Parents these days just believe their kids are better players than they really are and it can become a problem sometimes
Thanks for the response, Mr. Right. As usual, you are full of interesting information that is vey difficult to obtain.
I think I would enjoy the recruiting part but would hate to have to deal with parents. Maybe it is just me, but do parents still try to meddle, even at the collegiate level? These boys are adults. That is not cool.
Having anonymous people critiquing your work on Internet message boards wouldn't be too appealing either :)
I think I would rather be a soccer coach making $50k than work on Wall Street or be a corporate lawyer. I have relatives who did both and they hit $750k/year in their early 30s. Both hate job and the Wall Street one ended up with divorce as he was rarely home. Corporate law is mind numbing boredom. I think once you have your basics covered (food, rent, etc), money is of lesser importance.
I guess the best of both worlds is to go make the serious bucks on Wall Street, then switch gears and coach soccer in the NESCAC. I believe the NESCAC has such a coach. Any guesses?
I'd definitely take the pay cut from the government job to be a FT college coach... I'm awesome at setting up tactics in FIFA, but as far as training sessions and developing real players... ehhh that's lacking. I'll stick to reffing for the side job.
Mr.Right... always loves your "I don't give a sh!t, tell it like it is posts". You're definitely in that 55-64 age range because you sound exactly like one of my drinking buddies. I hope you didn't lose your shirt on that Manchester City vs Everton draw like I did. I might be the worst, because Manchester United also crushed me at Stoke and at home vs Southampton... It's those trap near pick'ems that you know will be draws, but you say "ehhhh I'll take it anyway" and bury you.
Saw in your BPL predictions...
Arsenal is my squad... they must have the worst trainers because guys are always getting banged up. I'm thinking they still play a 4-1-4-1 vs City and try to win a fast paced race here. Walcott and Ozil coming back makes it that much harder to try and piece a lineup together. Can't see Clichy and Zabaleta streaking that much down the flanks because Arsenal will counter the ****e out em. With no Yaya it will certainly make for an entertaining game. I'd say Vegas has City set at -120 and the draw at +250, but I'll have to check
Speaking of Wenger... had a pretty futures play on France to win the WC. Thought they had all the pieces of the puzzle to get it done for a semi longshot. That game vs Germany was a snoozefest.
Germany cost me a ton with the draws vs Ghana and Algeria. Hate them. Especially for drawing vs Algeria. At the same time, Algeria played 'em perfectly and should have won that game.
Quote from: Corazon on January 14, 2015, 05:52:25 AM
I think I would rather be a soccer coach making $50k than work on Wall Street or be a corporate lawyer. I have relatives who did both and they hit $750k/year in their early 30s. Both hate job and the Wall Street one ended up with divorce as he was rarely home. Corporate law is mind numbing boredom. I think once you have your basics covered (food, rent, etc), money is of lesser importance.
I guess the best of both worlds is to go make the serious bucks on Wall Street, then switch gears and coach soccer in the NESCAC. I believe the NESCAC has such a coach. Any guesses?
Corazon: Ken Murphy went this route. His buddy, Mike Noonan, talked him back into assistant coaching at Brown and Bruno United, and now he's the head man at Conn.
Very good, 1970s NESCAC Player.
haha....soccer and gambling can be a conundrum. For instance Arsenal v ManCity will look like this
Manchester City -130
Arsenal +350
Draw +275
Usually I would cover my bet with a bet for Arsenal and the draw.So $200 for $700 and $200 for $550. You root for Arsenal but still can live with a late draw.With a 66% chance of winning to me it is better than 50%. Of course you also run the risk of doubling your losses for no reason.
This line however seems suspect a bit to me and I would have to go Man City for $300 for $231. Why are Arsenal such dogs and even the draw such a dog. SUSPECT.
This type of betting is best in WC and Europa which I swear is HEAVILY FIXED. EPL and Champions League not so much except for meaningless group stage games with eliminated teams.
As far as Man City -130. I think that's a gift. They always play much better at the Etihad. Arsenal have players returning, but Aguero should terrorize that banged up backline. Then again a front 6 of Sanchez Giroud Walcott (if ready) or Welbeck. Cazorla Flamini Ozil or the Ox could give City fits.
Spread
Arsenal +.5 +110
Man City -.5 -130
The lock of the weekend should be Man Utd -165 over QPR. Shouldn't have a problem attacking vs a weak QPR team and this will be the game that they can finally be more dynamic in the final third. RVP doubtful, but you still get Falcao off the bench to replace him.
Had Chelsea at 10/1 for Champions League last year and again for this year, although I think it's Bayern's to lose. With the final being in Germany, I still give them an
edge over Real Madrid.
In the instance of Leicester vs Stoke... where both teams are plus money, I'd usually go with the home team on the spread line. No need to hedge the bet, just lay the small juice instead and if it draws you don't lose anything.
Money Line
Stoke City +185
Leicester +160
Draw +225
Spread
Stoke City pk -105
Leicester pk -115
Kevin Hudson, who I presume was the SMU assistant who almost got the Williams job, has been named head coach at ... SMU. The AD fired head coach Tim McClements, who has been one of the most underachieving coaches in all of D1 in my opinion.
nah it was the other assistant that interviewed at Williams
Really? The other guys didn't seem like they had the pedigree to get considered for a job like Williams.
This guy absolutely enamored the Williams committee on his interview day.
http://www.smumustangs.com/sports/m-soccer/mtt/alex_aldaz_845175.html
Remember this is Williams. When you get a candidate that WOW's you during the interview but does not have the resume to stack up against some candidates that did not even get interviewed you have to wonder why. Well, he is Hispanic, spoke 4 languages, good looking young guy that new his stuff. Supposedly the players liked him because they figured he would continue the futbol style at Williams that they are used to playing. The faculty liked him because he was smooth and intelligent.
Rumor of the week. Fran O'Leary has resurfaced as a serious candidate at UMASS. I am hoping he gets that job and STAYS there until he retires. In 25 years he has jumped from Elmira, Kenyon, Dartmouth, George Mason, Bowdoin, Toronto FC. I am most likely missing a few but time to settle down.
I agree, and hope that Fran O'Leary sticks around a while at his next gig. When I saw that he resigned from Bowdoin, I figured he'd last a year or two max at TFC. Turned out it was 6 months. Unreal how little job security professional soccer coaches have. Seems it is even worse than other pro sports.
well he lasted 1.5 years but I agree. It did not help that the GM that hired him and the head coach got fired after season 1 and they were put on a short leash.
My bad. I thought it was only 6 months. The new TFC GM is very young (early 30s) and inexperiened. Wonder how long Calichman and the other coaches last. Calichman is a class act, so hopefully a long time.
Mr.Right got his posts cut from 900 to 100 for no reason. He obviously upset the right wing majority on this site. BTW NCAC New NewEngland has been giving negative karma to us for the past 2 months for those of you that care. Personally, this site is regulated by a darker side of god's will and I have finally have had enough. You will not hear from me again and I wish all my supporters the best of luck in life.
Quote from: Mr.Right on January 21, 2015, 04:47:23 AM
Mr.Right got his posts cut from 900 to 100 for no reason. He obviously upset the right wing majority on this site. BTW NCAC New NewEngland has been giving negative karma to us for the past 2 months for those of you that care. Personally, this site is regulated by a darker side of god's will and I have finally have had enough. You will not hear from me again and I wish all my supporters the best of luck in life.
That's too bad. Yes, I have received negative karma everyday. Same with others, when our posts generally were not offensive. Too bad, I will miss your insight, and some of your controversy!!!!
Quote from: Mr.Right on January 21, 2015, 04:47:23 AM
Mr.Right got his posts cut from 900 to 100 for no reason. He obviously upset the right wing majority on this site. BTW NCAC New NewEngland has been giving negative karma to us for the past 2 months for those of you that care. Personally, this site is regulated by a darker side of god's will and I have finally have had enough. You will not hear from me again and I wish all my supporters the best of luck in life.
Ah hah, found his post.
As a journalist living in Minnesota, I'm pretty much the opposite of what you describe. :)
Quote from: Mr.Right on January 21, 2015, 04:47:23 AM
Mr.Right got his posts cut from 900 to 100 for no reason. He obviously upset the right wing majority on this site. BTW NCAC New NewEngland has been giving negative karma to us for the past 2 months for those of you that care. Personally, this site is regulated by a darker side of god's will and I have finally have had enough. You will not hear from me again and I wish all my supporters the best of luck in life.
Mr. Right... U alive?