I know it's still super early and many schools are finishing up their recruiting classes, but I wanted to get a broader perspective and possibly some spotlights on the teams that you all expect to be either pretenders or legitimate Final 4 and National Championship contenders in 2016.
Nothing really bold in these predictions:
Amherst
Middlebury (Elite 8)
Pretenders: Tufts/Brandeis/MIT/Wesleyan/Bowdoin
Sleeper: ECSU/Gordon/MA Boston
--------------------
Haverford
Messiah/Lycoming
Pretenders: F&M/E-town/Dickinson/Eastern
Sleeper: Cabrini/Kings
--------------------
Oneonta St
SLU
Pretenders: Stevens Tech/Brockport St/Plattsburgh St
Sleeper: Hobart/Skidmore/RPI
--------------------
MSU
W&L
Pretenders: Stockton/Rowan/Camden/Salisbury
Sleeper: Roanoke/VWU/Kean
--------------------
Calvin (Elite 8)
Wheaton
Prentenders: Chicago/North Park/MSOE/Washington
Sleeper: K-zoo
--------------------
Trinity
Whitworth
Pretenders: Pacific Lutheran/Redlands/Texas-Dallas/Texas-Tyler/Colorado
Sleeper: tbd
--------------------
Kenyon (Elite 8)
OWU
Pretenders: CMU/CWRU/John Carroll/Thomas More/DePauw
Sleeper: Denison
--------------------
Loras (Elite 8)
Macalester/St. Olaf
Pretenders: CSS/GAC/Wartburg
Sleeper: Luther
2016 Tournament
Amherst over Middlebury
Haverford over Kenyon
Trinity over Loras
Oneonta St over Calvin
Unlikely that Oneonta and Calvin in the same region for tournament; would be a nice change from possibility of an Oneonta St vs a Haverford match-up. I'd have Kenyon over Calvin and Oneonta St over the Fords.
Oneonta St would be my choice for national champion.
"Whatever Man has Done Man Can Do"
This means every former Champ starts with the belief/knowledge that they can add a star to the crest!
I'm talking to you Amherst.
I was one of the firm believers that Amherst would not win a championship with their playing style.
I was wrong!!!
I made sure I was also one of the first to congratulate these deserved champions.
Amherst has a good chance to win again, if they do Division 3 will be in for a new dynasty I think.
The second one is always the hardest to get...
Ask Williams/SLU/Middlebury/Trinity/Rowan.
Better yet, ask Ohio Weslyan and Wheaton.
They stand as two of three truly elite programs because they were able to get that second chasmpionship.
Wheaton has been to the final 4 times since without getting over the hump.
Other teams poised to make a breakthrough in no particular order are:
Oneonta: Great team, most consistent over the last 5 years (with apologies to Loras)
Loras: They will get one I think, but they have to take the chance soon while they are on top.
Haverford: Big breakthrough year, but Messiah is coming and so are a few more to battle them for Kings of PA.
Messiah: First time in 16 years Messiah have gone more than 2 years as champions. If they fail to win it this year we can call it the end of an era
Kenyon: OWU's nemesis might have a big year nad finally climb the mountain.
What a year this will be!!!!!
Last Guy is pretty spot on in his picks. I will break my picks down to a smaller sample size ;D
I consider contenders to be the group of teams that have a REAL chance to reach a final 4 and make a run at the title. I think it's a selective group of who can realistically win a championship next season and I have picked 12 teams that, in my opinion, have the best chance to win it all. This is based off of this past year, recruits that we know of, how many kids graduated, upcoming schedule, league, some bias ;) etc...
Contenders:(no order)
Amherst
Kenyon
Rowan
Lycoming
Loras
Trinity
Calvin
Haverford
Brandeis
Tufts
F&M
OWU
My pretenders section is for the teams that I view as good quality teams that have the potential to make the tournament and maybe make some noise when they are their, but always seem to come up short and leave us disappointed. These are the teams for next year that I believe will get a lot of preseason hype and some will have great records and be favorites come tournament time but will then take a bow in the 1st or 2nd round of the tournament. So by no means are these teams bad...I just don't think they will have what it takes next season to make it to a final 4 and win it all. Obviously Messiah has not left us disappointed in the past but you can catch my gist of why they are on the pretender list...they have something left to prove after last season.
Pretenders: (no order)
Montclair St.
St. Lawrence
Middlebury
Rochester
Messiah
Etown
Dickinson
Wash. Lee
Salisbury
Stockton
MSOE
Texas-Dallas
Thomas More
DePauw
Dennison
Ohio Northern
Macalester
Kean
Newark
Plattsburgh St
Brockport St
Carnegie Mellon
Colorado
My sleeper section is for teams flying under the radar or getting under appreciated but have the opportunity to do well in their conference and surprise some people come tournament time. A good example from last year would be Scranton. Not favored to win their league but surprised Etown and made it to the second round of the tournament when they probably shouldn't have even made it. So here you go!
Sleepers: (no order)
Eastern
Catholic
MIT
Scranton
Hopkins
Camden
RPI
Stevens Tech
Chicago
Case Western
John Carroll
St. Olaf
Redlands
Wheaton
From my contenders section I would say the top 4 teams that have the best chance to reach the final 4 and make a run are Amherst, Loras, Lycoming, and Kenyon. I think you will see at least 2 of these teams in the final 4 next season.
My sleeper pick to make a sweet 16 run or better is RPI. I think they have real potential to do some damage come tournament time next fall.
And my pretender pick that could surprise us and have a good run would be either Rochester or Messiah...they are both on the pretender list because of poor showings a season ago but I think they can both get back to their winning ways and remove themselves from this list, but for now they find themselves stuck.
Good topic choice! Fun to think about.
A team that I think takes a big step this year is U Chicago. Barring any transfers they should still return:
GK Bonin JR (Second Team All-UAA)
D Voulgaris SR
D Reimann JR
D Weis SR (Honorable Mention UAA)
M Scofield SO (Honorable Mention UAA)
M Lopez SO (Third Team All-Region, First Team All-UAA)
M Abedian JR
M Mathis SR
F Desai SR (Second Team All-Region, Honorable Mention All-UAA)
F Koh SO (Second Team All-Region, First Team All-UAA, UAA Rookie of Year)
Despite playing in the tough UAA, if their young sophomores develop over the season I think they could make a run to a Final Four in 2016. We can't forget that they beat a solid Thomas More team 3-0 last year in the First Round and then took Kenyon to the wire in the Round of 32.
Mid-Atlantic I think you may have forgotten oneonta some where in there.
Just looking at their roster from last year they look to lose quite a bit due to graduation but they tend to reload year after year.
I think W&L definitely belongs in the Pretender category as several of you posted. They lost their best player and ODAC POY Ben Bayles to graduation. They also lose a 59 game starter in the defense. While those were the only seniors on a young team, they are parts that aren't easily replaced. I expect W&L to compete at least as well as they did last year, and they should have a shot at winning the ODAC again, but I would be surprised to see them advance too deep unless they have a hidden star to be the new focal point of the offense. I don't think they are quite ready to beat the big boys regularly, but I do think Coach Singleton has them going in the right direction and I don't think the big boys are going to be able to blow them off the field.
W&L will reload. Playing in the ODAC, I think they will repeat...
Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on May 11, 2016, 09:40:10 AM
W&L will reload. Playing in the ODAC, I think they will repeat...
Agreed. My point isn't so much that they shouldn't be at least as good as last year, they should, my point is that I don't think they have the guns to take the final step.
Quote from: Mid-Atlantic Fan on May 10, 2016, 03:20:14 PM
Last Guy is pretty spot on in his picks. I will break my picks down to a smaller sample size ;D
I consider contenders to be the group of teams that have a REAL chance to reach a final 4 and make a run at the title. I think it's a selective group of who can realistically win a championship next season and I have picked 12 teams that, in my opinion, have the best chance to win it all. This is based off of this past year, recruits that we know of, how many kids graduated, upcoming schedule, league, some bias ;) etc...
Contenders:(no order)
Amherst
Kenyon
Rowan
Lycoming
Loras
Trinity
Calvin
Haverford
Brandeis
Tufts
F&M
OWU
My pretenders section is for the teams that I view as good quality teams that have the potential to make the tournament and maybe make some noise when they are their, but always seem to come up short and leave us disappointed. These are the teams for next year that I believe will get a lot of preseason hype and some will have great records and be favorites come tournament time but will then take a bow in the 1st or 2nd round of the tournament. So by no means are these teams bad...I just don't think they will have what it takes next season to make it to a final 4 and win it all. Obviously Messiah has not left us disappointed in the past but you can catch my gist of why they are on the pretender list...they have something left to prove after last season.
Pretenders: (no order)
Montclair St.
St. Lawrence
Middlebury
Rochester
Messiah
Etown
Dickinson
Wash. Lee
Salisbury
Stockton
MSOE
Texas-Dallas
Thomas More
DePauw
Dennison
Ohio Northern
Macalester
Kean
Newark
Plattsburgh St
Brockport St
Carnegie Mellon
Colorado
My sleeper section is for teams flying under the radar or getting under appreciated but have the opportunity to do well in their conference and surprise some people come tournament time. A good example from last year would be Scranton. Not favored to win their league but surprised Etown and made it to the second round of the tournament when they probably shouldn't have even made it. So here you go!
Sleepers: (no order)
Eastern
Catholic
MIT
Scranton
Hopkins
Camden
RPI
Stevens Tech
Chicago
Case Western
John Carroll
St. Olaf
Redlands
Wheaton
From my contenders section I would say the top 4 teams that have the best chance to reach the final 4 and make a run are Amherst, Loras, Lycoming, and Kenyon. I think you will see at least 2 of these teams in the final 4 next season.
My sleeper pick to make a sweet 16 run or better is RPI. I think they have real potential to do some damage come tournament time next fall.
And my pretender pick that could surprise us and have a good run would be either Rochester or Messiah...they are both on the pretender list because of poor showings a season ago but I think they can both get back to their winning ways and remove themselves from this list, but for now they find themselves stuck.
Good topic choice! Fun to think about.
Did I miss Oneonta? In my mind the best team both of last two seasons. One disallowed goal(2014) and a few post(2015) they are in two strait finals. No idea what they look like this year but they seem to have a pipeline........
Quote from: Golden_Fan on May 11, 2016, 08:08:46 AM
Mid-Atlantic I think you may have forgotten oneonta some where in there.
Just looking at their roster from last year they look to lose quite a bit due to graduation but they tend to reload year after year.
Yes looks like they slipped through the cracks! My mistake. I would actually put them as a pretender because of the large group they lost this past season, but by no means does that mean they won't reload and make another final 4. It will be difficult for them though...could even fall under the sleeper category. That's a tough one. I did not omit them purposely just forgot to add them to a list :)
Oneonta St was incredibly solid and unlucky to get to PKs vs Amherst. The Lord Jeffs just absorbed pressure for the last 75 minutes of the game and did what they needed to...
Oneonta St does lose some fire power, but as a whole they are always extremely organized and very technical.
As my name would indicate, I am from the Midwest and therefore partial to Midwest soccer. That being said, the NCAA tournament for D3 soccer is divided up into 4 quadrants, with each one USUALLY representing a region. I do not follow other regions as closely and thus do not feel justified making predictions for teams outside of the Midwest region. From what you all are saying, it looks like Amherst, Oneonta, Haverford, Trinity, and Loras are the favorites to reach the Final Four from the other regions. In my opinion, the strongest team in the Midwest this coming year will be Kenyon, making my predicted final four as of today: Amherst, Oneonta, Trinity, and Kenyon. Kenyon graduates one player on the entire roster (1st Team All-American Barnes) and barring any transfers, returns the following starters:
GK Clougher SR- (1st Team NSCAA AA, 1st Team All Great Lakes Region, 1st Team OCSA All-Ohio, 1st Team All NCAC, 2014 D3soccer.com Goalkeeper of the Year)
D Wynn JR- (2nd Team All NCAC)
D Myers JR- (2nd Team All Great Lakes, 1st Team All-Ohio)
D Lowry SO- (Honorable Mention NCAC)
D Resnakov SR
M Eudy SR- (2nd Team All-Ohio)
M Carmona SO- (2nd Team All NCAC, NCAC Newcomer of the Year)
M Lee SR- (Honorable Mention NCAC)
F Glassman SR
F Amolo SR- (1st Team NSCAA AA, 1st Team All Great Lakes, 1st Team All-Ohio, 1st Team All NCAC)
Kenyon brings back 10 starters with 6 of them seniors, making a very talented AND experienced group that has had success in recent years. They should not have the strength of schedule problems that they ran into last year as they now flip their schedule and have 11 away games in the regular season.
The three main pillars of building a championship (as showcased by past champions) are talent, cohesion, and experience. The Lords appear to be strong in all three categories this year and that is why I predict that they will represent the Midwest in the Final Four in 2016. (Not to mention I personally like them to win the NC as well ;) )
"The three main pillars of building a championship (as showcased by past champions) are talent, cohesion, and experience." - MW Grinder
I love it when a succinct and well stated truth pops up on this board!!!!
The Fourth (but still important) factor is Lady Luck.
But cannot happen without getting the three above right!
My Final 4 for next season will be Whitworth, Lycoming, Kenyon, and Tufts. Bold but I think it could happen. Amherst won't get back to the Final 4 especially after losing Bull and NPL. Loras will have a good shot but think Kenyon gets past them. Kenyon and Lycoming in similar situations...both top 10 nationally last season and combined the 2 teams lose 1 player. I would keep my eye on both squads throughout the year. Whitworth had a great record but fell off early in the tournament. I think with their stronger schedule they will be more competitive come tournament time and make a surprise run to the Final 4. Tufts will get back to the Final 4 after a tough exit from a season ago. Well coached, talented, and will be battled tested which will spark their run to another Final 4.
Quote from: Shooter McGavin on May 16, 2016, 11:30:47 AM
My Final 4 for next season will be Whitworth, Lycoming, Kenyon, and Tufts. Bold but I think it could happen. Amherst won't get back to the Final 4 especially after losing Bull and NPL. Loras will have a good shot but think Kenyon gets past them. Kenyon and Lycoming in similar situations...both top 10 nationally last season and combined the 2 teams lose 1 player. I would keep my eye on both squads throughout the year. Whitworth had a great record but fell off early in the tournament. I think with their stronger schedule they will be more competitive come tournament time and make a surprise run to the Final 4. Tufts will get back to the Final 4 after a tough exit from a season ago. Well coached, talented, and will be battled tested which will spark their run to another Final 4.
Kenyon should be very strong next year. They beat Tufts last year in the Sweet 16 in a very even game on Kenyon's home field. I do believe Tufts would have made it to the final 4, and farther if they had they won that game. I think Tufts will come out slower next year but may gel later in the season. They are losing many starters, especially 3 attacking midfielders, and their left back.
Patel was very underrated and so steady. Kayne, a 4 year starter, was Tufts most consistent player the past 4 years, and best all-around player on the team. While his passing ability and vision are often talked about, it was his tenacious defense that was key. They'll also miss Pinheiro's consistency and Brown's pace, and Connor Schaible's experience. The 2016 class had the best record in Tufts' modern era and an NCAA championship. The coach is excellent and well liked by the players. They key will be to see how the new starters play together. There may be a shuffling process in the beginning of the season.
Quote from: Shooter McGavin on May 16, 2016, 11:30:47 AM
My Final 4 for next season will be Whitworth, Lycoming, Kenyon, and Tufts. Bold but I think it could happen. Amherst won't get back to the Final 4 especially after losing Bull and NPL. Loras will have a good shot but think Kenyon gets past them. Kenyon and Lycoming in similar situations...both top 10 nationally last season and combined the 2 teams lose 1 player. I would keep my eye on both squads throughout the year. Whitworth had a great record but fell off early in the tournament. I think with their stronger schedule they will be more competitive come tournament time and make a surprise run to the Final 4. Tufts will get back to the Final 4 after a tough exit from a season ago. Well coached, talented, and will be battled tested which will spark their run to another Final 4.
I like your thought process here -really well done. A few comments just from my perspective. I don't have great rationale for this but I just don't think Tufts makes it back to a Final 4 for some time - I could be wrong but that's just my guess. Lycoming, while very good at what they do will have to face Messiah on Messiah's very wide (and long) grass pitch. It's just been historically difficult to beat Messiah on their home pitch. And if the conference play-offs somehow end up at Messiah instead of on Lycoming's narrow turf field, well I'm just not sure how that will turn out for Lycoming. That environment at Messiah has to be one of the the most difficult away venues in D3 (especially in the play-offs) - wide grass pitch (Messiah seems to know how to use every inch of it), the Messiah tradition, and all those fans they reportedly seem to get at virtually every game. All that being said Lycoming was a very good team last year, and as you point out they return at virtually full strength for 2016. No doubt they will be very good again.
Quote from: D3soccerwatcher on July 12, 2016, 12:28:22 AM
Quote from: Shooter McGavin on May 16, 2016, 11:30:47 AM
My Final 4 for next season will be Whitworth, Lycoming, Kenyon, and Tufts. Bold but I think it could happen. Amherst won't get back to the Final 4 especially after losing Bull and NPL. Loras will have a good shot but think Kenyon gets past them. Kenyon and Lycoming in similar situations...both top 10 nationally last season and combined the 2 teams lose 1 player. I would keep my eye on both squads throughout the year. Whitworth had a great record but fell off early in the tournament. I think with their stronger schedule they will be more competitive come tournament time and make a surprise run to the Final 4. Tufts will get back to the Final 4 after a tough exit from a season ago. Well coached, talented, and will be battled tested which will spark their run to another Final 4.
I like your thought process here -really well done. A few comments just from my perspective. I don't have great rationale for this but I just don't think Tufts makes it back to a Final 4 for some time - I could be wrong but that's just my guess. Lycoming, while very good at what they do will have to face Messiah on Messiah's very wide (and long) grass pitch. It's just been historically difficult to beat Messiah on their home pitch. And if the conference play-offs somehow end up at Messiah instead of on Lycoming's narrow turf field, well I'm just not sure how that will turn out for Lycoming. That environment at Messiah has to be one of the the most difficult away venues in D3 (especially in the play-offs) - wide grass pitch (Messiah seems to know how to use every inch of it), the Messiah tradition, and all those fans they reportedly seem to get at virtually every game. All that being said Lycoming was a very good team last year, and as you point out they return at virtually full strength for 2016. No doubt they will be very good again.
I also agree with bits and pieces of both posts here. Whitworth would definitely be the "Cinderella" pick out of the four but I like the pick. Kenyon is a strong choice as is Loras as you narrowed it down. Lycoming is also a strong pick and any of the top teams from the Mid-Atlantic region can get to the final 4. It's that competitive! As for Tufts, I have to lean with D3SoccerWatcher and others in earlier posts. I just don't think they will be strong enough to get to the final 4. Will they make the tournament and possibly make a run? Sure. But the final 4 is a stretch for me right now. I would take someone like Oneonta St or Ohio Wesleyan if the bracket worked itself out as such.
As for the Lycoming vs Messiah hype, I agree that Messiah will be a difficult place to play for anybody. BUT even if, hypothetically, Lycoming loses at Messiah twice this season, their SOS would be easily good enough to get them an at-large bid and from there they can make a run in the tournament. They don't necessarily have to beat Messiah at all this coming season and they can still make a final 4 run. With all that being said, 2 losses to Messiah plus their brutal schedule will be tough to get an at-large. Lycoming has a difficult first 5 games. Once that stretch is over then we can discuss how good they really are. But playing Rowan, @F&M, @Susquehanna, @Eastern, and @Haverford should give us a good idea of where they stand.
As for my opinion on the matter, I think the Commonwealth will be a two bid league this season (I also thought this last year and Messiah was a win/tie away from making that happen). As D3SoccerWatcher mentioned, Messiah at home is one of, if not, the toughest venues to play at in the country. But this Lycoming team has already proved that they can beat Messiah home or away over the past 3 years and I do not think you will see any fear in that locker room when having to play vs Messiah, home or away. That was pretty evident last season as they handled Messiah's offensive efforts with ease. This has been a fun game to circle on the calendar the past few seasons and I think the curiosity and hype for this match will continue to grow over the next few years. From a neutral perspective, does anybody think that the mental aspect of this game favors Lycoming recently? It's got to be in Messiah's head before the game they they couldn't score last season and they play the exact same team, which is most likely going to be stronger than the previous year. That mental edge has to favor Lycoming going in to the game...but the home field advantage for Messiah or a quick goal can easily flip that in a second! Good topic for discussion D3SW and Shooter!
My final 4 at present day would be Trinity (Tx), OWU, Rowan, and Stevens. It changes every week ;)
MA Fan - Excellent post. Great perspective.
Calvin 42-3-4 the last 2 seasons. Lose 5 starters, but should be dangerous as the season progresses.
Nick Groenewold --- NSCAA 1st team AA, D3Soccer 1st team AA, MIAA MVP
Taylor Pruis ----------D3soccer Third Team AA, 2nd team NSCAA All-Central
Niko Giantsopoulos - 1st team All-MIAA, 2014 AA
Sam Hanover ------ 26GP 26GS 11G 1A
John Fillipini --------2nd team All-MIAA 26GP 26GS
Oneonta St is getting stripped from the spine... They lose, 6-7 starters;
Jake Sutherland 8G 4A
Dylan Williams 6G 3A
Cory Santangelo 7G 2A RETURNING
Jared Van Brunt 6G 3A
Greg Silvestro 3G 9A
Hans Purtell 3G 6A RETURNING
Zef Saljanin 4G 0A
Anthony Passiatore 3G RETURNING
Lose Matteo in the back and Pellegrino between the pipes... I'll rescind my statement for them to win it this year.
Leaning Calvin at the moment. Looking forward to KICKIN or Puerto Espin preview of Loras. Not sure what pieces they lose, but the Duhawks are always in the mix.
Things are aligning for SLU... could this be the year they reach the FINAL FOUR
All things NESCAC, it was Tufts turn then Amherst... what are the chances Middlebury goes deepest in the tournament this year?
South Atlantic looks to be wide open with the depth of the NJAC, resurgence of the ODAC, and CNU/Salisbury...
Messiah should be ready to come out of the Mid-Atlantic and push for the FINAL FOUR again.
I think you will find that Oneonta has reloaded. Their class from last year was very strong. Hard to get time on that team. It wouldn't surprise me if there is no drop off at all. Another team that has a deep bench and could be even better this year is SLU. I don't know much about the young players outside the northeast, so that's my focus. Conn College could also surprise some people.........
Loras loses 7 starters and 14 players overall
Calvin loses 5 starters, as lastguy mentioned, specifically Nick Groenewold (arguably the best CB in the nation last year), a third team AA in Taylor Pruis, and a nationally top 5 keeper in Niko Giantsopoulos.
OWU loses 5 starters and 12 players overall
Wheaton lose 5 starters including Hollingsworth, Golz and starting GK Paprocki.
I realize that these 4 teams are some of the historically strongest programs in D3 soccer, but this would not be the year I would peg any of them for the Final Four.
Middlebury will contend to win Nescac in 2016 and to go deep in the NCAA's... NCAA Final 4 would be a stretch unless things align their way...i.e Home field advantage, good bracket, couple upsets, etc....
Reason-----After last season's NCAA snub and their season ending in PK's in the Nescac Semi's at home to Wesleyan should have this team FOCUSED all year and for every game...They return almost everyone important except for Deklan Robinson and a couple role players but honestly they are all replaceable. Robinson will be missed in the air but they have plenty of replacements chomping at the bit. Conrad will be back along with Glasst and their GK..The biggest problem I have had with this team in recent years is they lack a true playmaker in midfield..As long as they keep hoofing it, which they will, then they can get away with it up to a point but against better teams they will not be able to keep possession for long periods and therefore will have fewer SOG. However, they will feast as usual on set pieces and defensive miscues.
Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on July 13, 2016, 12:16:15 PM
Oneonta St is getting stripped from the spine... They lose, 6-7 starters;
Leaning Calvin at the moment. Looking forward to KICKIN or Puerto Espin preview of Loras. Not sure what pieces they lose, but the Duhawks are always in the mix.
Things are aligning for SLU... could this be the year they reach the FINAL FOUR
All things NESCAC, it was Tufts turn then Amherst... what are the chances Middlebury goes deepest in the tournament this year?
South Atlantic looks to be wide open with the depth of the NJAC, resurgence of the ODAC, and CNU/Salisbury...
Messiah should be ready to come out of the Mid-Atlantic and push for the FINAL FOUR again.
I cannot see Messiah making the final 4 this upcoming season. I believe they will make the tournament, but with their GK issues I just don't see it happening for them.
Quote from: Mid-Atlantic Fan on July 21, 2016, 01:38:49 PM
Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on July 13, 2016, 12:16:15 PM
Oneonta St is getting stripped from the spine... They lose, 6-7 starters;
Leaning Calvin at the moment. Looking forward to KICKIN or Puerto Espin preview of Loras. Not sure what pieces they lose, but the Duhawks are always in the mix.
Things are aligning for SLU... could this be the year they reach the FINAL FOUR
All things NESCAC, it was Tufts turn then Amherst... what are the chances Middlebury goes deepest in the tournament this year?
South Atlantic looks to be wide open with the depth of the NJAC, resurgence of the ODAC, and CNU/Salisbury...
Messiah should be ready to come out of the Mid-Atlantic and push for the FINAL FOUR again.
I cannot see Messiah making the final 4 this upcoming season. I believe they will make the tournament, but with their GK issues I just don't see it happening for them.
Middlebury has a chance if they brought in some possession and smart midfielders...
Quote from: Mr.Right on July 14, 2016, 07:08:18 PM
Middlebury will contend to win Nescac in 2016 and to go deep in the NCAA's... NCAA Final 4 would be a stretch unless things align their way...
The biggest problem I have had with this team in recent years is they lack a true playmaker in midfield..As long as they keep hoofing it, which they will, then they can get away with it up to a point but against better teams they will not be able to keep possession for long periods and therefore will have fewer SOG. However, they will feast as usual on set pieces and defensive miscues.
100% agree. They seem to be quite good on both sides of the ball (offense and defense) but there is the missing link "between the lines" of midfield and attack.
Quote from: Mr.Right on July 14, 2016, 07:08:18 PM
Middlebury will contend to win Nescac in 2016 and to go deep in the NCAA's... NCAA Final 4 would be a stretch unless things align their way...i.e Home field advantage, good bracket, couple upsets, etc....
Reason-----After last season's NCAA snub and their season ending in PK's in the Nescac Semi's at home to Wesleyan should have this team FOCUSED all year and for every game...They return almost everyone important except for Deklan Robinson and a couple role players but honestly they are all replaceable. Robinson will be missed in the air but they have plenty of replacements chomping at the bit. Conrad will be back along with Glasst and their GK..The biggest problem I have had with this team in recent years is they lack a true playmaker in midfield..As long as they keep hoofing it, which they will, then they can get away with it up to a point but against better teams they will not be able to keep possession for long periods and therefore will have fewer SOG. However, they will feast as usual on set pieces and defensive miscues.
Spot on and in agreement with Mr Right.
Can't remember if I posted one in earlier threads but since it is the opening week of play I wanted to have a little fun and do a top 25 poll based off of last years performance, this years recruiting classes, a little bit of bias ;) and just gut feeling. Feel free to agree or disagree! That's why polls are always fun.
1.) Kenyon
2.) Haverford
3.) Loras
4.) Oneonta St.
5.) Amherst
6.) Calvin
7.) Trinity (Tx)
8.) Lycoming
9.) F&M
10.) Whitworth
11.) Montclair St.
12.) Rowan
13.) St. Lawrence
14.) Wheaton (Ill.)
15.) Ohio Wesleyan
16.) Tufts
17.) Middlebury
18.) Dickinson
19.) Brandeis
20.) Chicago
21.) RPI
22.) Wash. & Lee
23.) Stevens
24.) Redlands
25.) MIT
RV: UW-W, DePauw, Eastern, CMU, Thomas More, RUC, Scranton, CWR, Wash. U, Ohio Northern, Plattsburgh St., Messiah, Gordon, Colorado College
Quote from: D3soccerwatcher on July 12, 2016, 12:28:22 AM
Quote from: Shooter McGavin on May 16, 2016, 11:30:47 AM
My Final 4 for next season will be Whitworth, Lycoming, Kenyon, and Tufts. Bold but I think it could happen. Amherst won't get back to the Final 4 especially after losing Bull and NPL. Loras will have a good shot but think Kenyon gets past them. Kenyon and Lycoming in similar situations...both top 10 nationally last season and combined the 2 teams lose 1 player. I would keep my eye on both squads throughout the year. Whitworth had a great record but fell off early in the tournament. I think with their stronger schedule they will be more competitive come tournament time and make a surprise run to the Final 4. Tufts will get back to the Final 4 after a tough exit from a season ago. Well coached, talented, and will be battled tested which will spark their run to another Final 4.
I like your thought process here -really well done. A few comments just from my perspective. I don't have great rationale for this but I just don't think Tufts makes it back to a Final 4 for some time - I could be wrong but that's just my guess. Lycoming, while very good at what they do will have to face Messiah on Messiah's very wide (and long) grass pitch. It's just been historically difficult to beat Messiah on their home pitch. And if the conference play-offs somehow end up at Messiah instead of on Lycoming's narrow turf field, well I'm just not sure how that will turn out for Lycoming. That environment at Messiah has to be one of the the most difficult away venues in D3 (especially in the play-offs) - wide grass pitch (Messiah seems to know how to use every inch of it), the Messiah tradition, and all those fans they reportedly seem to get at virtually every game. All that being said Lycoming was a very good team last year, and as you point out they return at virtually full strength for 2016. No doubt they will be very good again.
Don't know how I missed this last month! Sorry about that D3SW! I definitely think it will be tough for anyone to have to go thru Messiah at Shoemaker Field. With that being said I don't see Lycoming losing a conference game this year. Messiah on the other hand will probably not lose either so it will come down to that match-up with Lycoming. That is a long ways away but the thought of that game is already exciting.
Personally, I think Lycoming has too much firepower and experience returning and if their incoming class is as good as advertised as in other posts then they will be even better than last season. Also, Lycoming has proven they can win at Messiah in the last 3 years which is more than others can say. I don't think they will be fearful of travelling to Messiah but we will find out soon enough. I imagine the Falcon faithful will be out in full for that game!
Lycoming did not face Messiah in Grantham, PA in 2015. But in the three years prior to that I believe Lycoming is 0-4-1(tie - advanced via PK's) at Grantham. None-the-less the game this year @ Messiah is one to circle on the schedule.
With over a third of the season gone and conference play just starting up I think it's time for everyone's thoughts on pretenders, contenders, in-betweeners, sleepers, and dark horses. Think we did something similar last season so add to what it was like because I forget the formatting of it all...old age ;)
Contenders:
Rowan, Chicago, Amherst, Oneonta St, St. Lawrence, Trinity (Tx), Calvin, Washington & Lee
Pretenders:
Christoper Newport, Etown, Carnegie Mellon, Centre, Redlands, OWU, Rochester, Whitworth, Carthage, Wheaton (Ill.)
In-Betweeners:
Kenyon, F&M, Fords, Mass-Boston, ONU, Macalester, Plattsburgh St, Scranton, Wash. U, Montclair, Williams, Lycoming, RUC, Cortland St, Brandeis, Loras, Tufts, Capital
Sleepers:
Eastern, RUN, Kean, Leb Val, Bowdoin, Clark, Springfield, Lynchburg, Dubuque, St. Norbert, Colorado College, Ramapo, Gettysburg, Grove City, Gordon, Buffalo St., Luther, North Park, Potsdam St,
Dark Horses:
St. Thomas, Oberlin, Union, Vassar, Morrisville St, Alfred, WPI, UW-Platteville, Concordia (Wisc&Tx), Mary Washington, Hood, St. Mary's (Md), Randolph, Endicott, St. Olaf, Misericordia, Bard
Interested in hearing your thoughts on Carthage being a pretender? Starting line up consists of 2 seniors, 3 soph, and 6 freshman, including a freshman GK.
There has been a lot of banter on these forums about teams playing their youth. I haven't seen another team with this kind of a line up. Correct me if I am wrong but need to give credit where credit is due. Of course I am a bit biased but if you have watched Carthage play this year you will see some very exciting soccer.
As a W&L alum I think you have them too high. Yes they have 2 good wins, and yes Oneonta is looking better because they have picked up the pace. But W&L hasn't been there. It's pretty rare for a team to come from nowhere and push through that tournament grind. Had they gotten past the Fords last year and gotten a little run, I'd be more on board.
Either way, I think we'll get a good view in a few weeks when Messiah and Lynchburg come to town in the same week. That is the kind of competition they'd need to beat a few games in a row to make a tournament run. Beating up on Shenandoah isn't worth much other than it shows W&L can do what they are supposed to do, and they have a long ODAC schedule. Very few of the ODAC teams qualify as an "acceptable blemish" for a good team, and yet we all know there are days the ball just won't go in the net.
We'll see. I'm proud of them. Can't remember the kind of wins we've had early this year. Huge fan of Coach Singleton who has breathed serious strength into a program that spent a long time content in simply being ODAC good.
Favorites -- Chicago, Rowan, Amherst, Kenyon, Oneonta St, Trinity TX (because of likelihood of favorable quadrant)
Serious Contenders -- Middlebury, Calvin, SLU, F&M, Messiah, Montclair St, OWU
Darkhorses -- Ohio Northern, Lycoming, W&L, Haverford, Wash U, Brandeis, Tufts, Rochester, Christopher Newport, UMass-Bos, Loras, Williams, Macalester, Gordon, Plattsburgh St, Wheaton Ill (if ever get back to full strength with likelihood of still getting AQ)
Pretenders -- Everyone else
P.S. Loras easily could move into "serious contender" category if they get on a roll with likelihood of favorable quadrant with teams like Macalester and then only Trinity to beat.
Quote from: SuperSub15 on September 26, 2016, 10:49:19 AM
Interested in hearing your thoughts on Carthage being a pretender? Starting line up consists of 2 seniors, 3 soph, and 6 freshman, including a freshman GK.
Actually, Carthage coach Steve Domin has put more experience into his starting lineups than you've indicated. He's done a lot of juggling with his lineups -- 20 different players have started at least three matches, and 15 have started four or more -- but in Carthage's last two matches he started a senior, a junior, five sophomores, and four freshmen. In the match prior to that he had three more juniors in the starting lineup.
Quote from: SuperSub15 on September 26, 2016, 10:49:19 AMThere has been a lot of banter on these forums about teams playing their youth. I haven't seen another team with this kind of a line up. Correct me if I am wrong but need to give credit where credit is due. Of course I am a bit biased but if you have watched Carthage play this year you will see some very exciting soccer.
Carthage isn't the only CCIW contender that's fielding a young team. North Park starts two seniors, a junior, six sophomores, and two freshmen. The top four scorers are all sophomores.
Great insight Greg. Exciting to see 2 CCIW teams with a ton of youth and a ton of potential! Great NP win against a strong Dubuque team. Carthage vs North Park have been exciting matches in the past few years.
Quote from: SuperSub15 on September 26, 2016, 12:54:54 PM
Great insight Greg. Exciting to see 2 CCIW teams with a ton of youth and a ton of potential! Great NP win against a strong Dubuque team. Carthage vs North Park have been exciting matches in the past few years.
NPU is a different outfit than it's been throughout most of this decade. The Vikings had been very dependent upon one extremely talented scorer, first Jonas Pettersson, who was CCIW POY three seasons ago, and then his fellow Swedish import Pedram Tahmi-Masoleh over the past two seasons. This season's NPU side lacks that big gun, but it looks to come at you with a lot of different people. The midfield is still a work in progress, but the Vikings are backstopped by two-time All-CCIW selection Wesley Woodley in goal (who missed all of last season due to a knee injury), and they've got more size on the pitch this season than they've had in recent years as well, which helps in terms of the air game and set pieces.
Nevertheless, I think that Carthage is the side to beat this season in the CCIW. Wheaton is always dangerous, but the Sonic Atmospheric Disturbance appear to be down in terms of talent from what they were over the past few years, even when they're healthy. Elmhurst scares me as well, because the Bluejays are so physical and do such a good job of suppressing the score and keeping matches to one-goal decisions. The fact that Chicago, which impressed the heck out of me when I saw the South Siders here on the North Side a couple of weeks ago -- they are a legit Final Four contender this season -- erupted for four goals against Elmhurst speaks volumes about how good the Maroons are. If you can put four in the net against Elmhurst, you are loaded. As far as NPU is concerned, if the Park can find itself and gain some consistency in terms of midfield possession and getting the young forwards to finish, the Vikings can make themselves heard. North Park also has the advantage of hosting the three other top sides this season.
But I still think it's Carthage's league to win in 2016.
Quote from: Gregory Sager on September 26, 2016, 01:16:06 PMSonic Atmospheric Disturbance
I can't give karma yet, but I would certainly give you positive karma for that if I could :)
Quote from: Mid-Atlantic Fan on September 26, 2016, 10:38:44 AMContenders:
Rowan, Chicago, Amherst, Oneonta St, St. Lawrence, Trinity (Tx), Calvin, Washington & Lee
Pretenders:
Christoper Newport, Etown, Carnegie Mellon, Centre, Redlands, OWU, Rochester, Whitworth, Carthage, Wheaton (Ill.)
In-Betweeners:
Kenyon, F&M, Fords, Mass-Boston, ONU, Macalester, Plattsburgh St, Scranton, Wash. U, Montclair, Williams, Lycoming, RUC, Cortland St, Brandeis, Loras, Tufts, Capital
Sleepers:
Eastern, RUN, Kean, Leb Val, Bowdoin, Clark, Springfield, Lynchburg, Dubuque, St. Norbert, Colorado College, Ramapo, Gettysburg, Grove City, Gordon, Buffalo St., Luther, North Park, Potsdam St,
Dark Horses:
St. Thomas, Oberlin, Union, Vassar, Morrisville St, Alfred, WPI, UW-Platteville, Concordia (Wisc&Tx), Mary Washington, Hood, St. Mary's (Md), Randolph, Endicott, St. Olaf, Misericordia, Bard
Left off Messiah. Pretender? In-Betweener? or what?
Also left off Middlebury...
I'd put them both in the "in-betweener" category. Sorry guys it's a Monday ???
Quote from: SuperSub15 on September 26, 2016, 10:49:19 AM
Interested in hearing your thoughts on Carthage being a pretender? Starting line up consists of 2 seniors, 3 soph, and 6 freshman, including a freshman GK.
There has been a lot of banter on these forums about teams playing their youth. I haven't seen another team with this kind of a line up. Correct me if I am wrong but need to give credit where credit is due. Of course I am a bit biased but if you have watched Carthage play this year you will see some very exciting soccer.
4 solid wins over Gordon, Endicott, Loras, and UW-Platteville but 2 ugly losses to Wabash and Hanover correct? Which team will show up? For me they are a pretender come tournament time if they even make it.
Quote from: Mid-Atlantic Fan on September 26, 2016, 10:38:44 AM
With over a third of the season gone and conference play just starting up I think it's time for everyone's thoughts on pretenders, contenders, in-betweeners, sleepers, and dark horses. Think we did something similar last season so add to what it was like because I forget the formatting of it all...old age ;)
Contenders:
Rowan, Chicago, Amherst, Oneonta St, St. Lawrence, Trinity (Tx), Calvin, Washington & Lee
Pretenders:
Christoper Newport, Etown, Carnegie Mellon, Centre, Redlands, OWU, Rochester, Whitworth, Carthage, Wheaton (Ill.)
In-Betweeners:
Kenyon, F&M, Fords, Mass-Boston, ONU, Macalester, Plattsburgh St, Scranton, Wash. U, Montclair, Williams, Lycoming, RUC, Cortland St, Brandeis, Loras, Tufts, Capital
Sleepers:
Eastern, RUN, Kean, Leb Val, Bowdoin, Clark, Springfield, Lynchburg, Dubuque, St. Norbert, Colorado College, Ramapo, Gettysburg, Grove City, Gordon, Buffalo St., Luther, North Park, Potsdam St,
Dark Horses:
St. Thomas, Oberlin, Union, Vassar, Morrisville St, Alfred, WPI, UW-Platteville, Concordia (Wisc&Tx), Mary Washington, Hood, St. Mary's (Md), Randolph, Endicott, St. Olaf, Misericordia, Bard
MAF, could you explain your categories? Is 'Pretenders' the 2nd best category? What is difference between a 'Sleeper' and a 'Darkhorse'? Wouldn't you agree that a sleeper or darkhorse has to have at least a puncher's chance of winning the national title? With the topic being National Title Contenders I'm curious about your inclusion of most of the schools in your last two categories.
Quote from: NCAC New England on September 27, 2016, 10:18:01 AM
Quote from: Mid-Atlantic Fan on September 26, 2016, 10:38:44 AM
With over a third of the season gone and conference play just starting up I think it's time for everyone's thoughts on pretenders, contenders, in-betweeners, sleepers, and dark horses. Think we did something similar last season so add to what it was like because I forget the formatting of it all...old age ;)
Contenders:
Rowan, Chicago, Amherst, Oneonta St, St. Lawrence, Trinity (Tx), Calvin, Washington & Lee
Pretenders:
Christoper Newport, Etown, Carnegie Mellon, Centre, Redlands, OWU, Rochester, Whitworth, Carthage, Wheaton (Ill.)
In-Betweeners:
Kenyon, F&M, Fords, Mass-Boston, ONU, Macalester, Plattsburgh St, Scranton, Wash. U, Montclair, Williams, Lycoming, RUC, Cortland St, Brandeis, Loras, Tufts, Capital
Sleepers:
Eastern, RUN, Kean, Leb Val, Bowdoin, Clark, Springfield, Lynchburg, Dubuque, St. Norbert, Colorado College, Ramapo, Gettysburg, Grove City, Gordon, Buffalo St., Luther, North Park, Potsdam St,
Dark Horses:
St. Thomas, Oberlin, Union, Vassar, Morrisville St, Alfred, WPI, UW-Platteville, Concordia (Wisc&Tx), Mary Washington, Hood, St. Mary's (Md), Randolph, Endicott, St. Olaf, Misericordia, Bard
MAF, could you explain your categories? Is 'Pretenders' the 2nd best category? What is difference between a 'Sleeper' and a 'Darkhorse'? Wouldn't you agree that a sleeper or darkhorse has to have at least a puncher's chance of winning the national title? With the topic being National Title Contenders I'm curious about your inclusion of most of the schools in your last two categories.
No problem! I think you started a similar topic last year so I did my best to replicate that since I enjoyed it, but know some of the headings are probably a bit off. For me, the Contenders are the few that I think have a real chance at winning it this year. The heavyweights as some might say. The In-Betweeners are the next best category in that I don't think they have reached contender level but they also haven't fallen off as a pretender or a wanna be. They are in that gray area of pushing for a contender spot but haven't done enough to put themselves in that category yet or they are hanging on to an in-betweener but could be lurking as a pretender if results don't change in their favor. Pretender I briefly touched on but they are the teams that I had high hopes for out of the gate but have fallen off recently or teams that I think will fall off here soon. The wanna be or fake category. Almost an "overrated" category would be a better phrase for this? I think sleepers and dark horses are different. Sleepers, to me, are the teams that no one is really talking about to succeed and can sneak up on you quickly. I wouldn't be shocked to see a sleeper go far in the tournament. This could be the "underrated" category. Dark horses are the longshots. These teams are new to the party. You would win a lot of money with a Vegas bet on any of the teams to win it all and that's why they are dark horses.
Hope this helps clarify my thoughts. If there are any teams you want rationale on let me know! I am going to narrow this list down further and further as the season goes on but with it being still early I didn't want to omit anybody, which was hard to do considering I somehow missed putting Messiah and Middlebury in a category! ::)
Favorites
Rowan, Chicago, Amherst, Kenyon, St. Lawrence, Calvin, Trinity
Contenders
ONU, W&L, Fords, F&M, Lyco, Messiah, Brandeis, Loras, Oneonta, Middlebury, OWU, Mass-Boston, Plattsburgh, Montclair
Darkhorses
Carnegie Mellon, Scranton, Etown, Grove City, Wash U, CNU, Redlands, Rochester, Williams, Gordon, Cortland St
Favorites: Chicago, Messiah, Rowan, Amherst, Trinity, Kenyon, Calvin, Ohio Northern
Can Make A Run: Newark, F&M, Fords, Mass-Boston, W&L, Loras, Oneonta St, Carthage
Too Much Hype?: Etown, CNU, CMU, Brandeis, Tufts, Colorado College, Lynchburg, Middlebury, Hopkins, Rochester
Not Enough Hype? Scranton, Vassar, Whitworth, Capital, Cortland St, Babson, Hobart, Wash U, Macalester, UW-Whitewater
Cinderella!: St. Joe's, St. Thomas, PSU Behrend, Springfield, Morrisville St
Bubble Watch: St. Lawrence, Ohio Wesleyan, Tufts, Williams, Montclair
Quote from: Mid-Atlantic Fan on November 04, 2016, 08:47:05 AM
Favorites: Chicago, Messiah, Rowan, Amherst, Trinity, Kenyon, Calvin, Ohio Northern
Can Make A Run: Newark, F&M, Fords, Mass-Boston, W&L, Loras, Oneonta St, Carthage
Too Much Hype?: Etown, CNU, CMU, Brandeis, Tufts, Colorado College, Lynchburg, Middlebury, Hopkins, Rochester
Not Enough Hype? Scranton, Vassar, Whitworth, Capital, Cortland St, Babson, Hobart, Wash U, Macalester, UW-Whitewater
Cinderella!: St. Joe's, St. Thomas, PSU Behrend, Springfield, Morrisville St
Bubble Watch: St. Lawrence, Ohio Wesleyan, Tufts, Williams, Montclair
Don't know what to make of the Fords, E-town and Hopkins. I don't see too many quality wins for the Fords so think they may be a little over projected here. Same goes for E-town although taking Messiah to OT is positive as well as beating Scranton. Lastly, Hopkins record looks good but think their weak non-conference schedule is going to hurt them.
I guess we'll see if the Fords and Hopkins are legit this weekend because they'll both likely come up against F&M if the seeds hold in the semifinals.
Quote from: phillyfan12 on November 04, 2016, 09:44:50 AM
Quote from: Mid-Atlantic Fan on November 04, 2016, 08:47:05 AM
Favorites: Chicago, Messiah, Rowan, Amherst, Trinity, Kenyon, Calvin, Ohio Northern
Can Make A Run: Newark, F&M, Fords, Mass-Boston, W&L, Loras, Oneonta St, Carthage
Too Much Hype?: Etown, CNU, CMU, Brandeis, Tufts, Colorado College, Lynchburg, Middlebury, Hopkins, Rochester
Not Enough Hype? Scranton, Vassar, Whitworth, Capital, Cortland St, Babson, Hobart, Wash U, Macalester, UW-Whitewater
Cinderella!: St. Joe's, St. Thomas, PSU Behrend, Springfield, Morrisville St
Bubble Watch: St. Lawrence, Ohio Wesleyan, Tufts, Williams, Montclair
Don't know what to make of the Fords, E-town and Hopkins. I don't see too many quality wins for the Fords so think they may be a little over projected here. Same goes for E-town although taking Messiah to OT is positive as well as beating Scranton. Lastly, Hopkins record looks good but think their weak non-conference schedule is going to hurt them.
I guess we'll see if the Fords and Hopkins are legit this weekend because they'll both likely come up against F&M if the seeds hold in the semifinals.
I am unsure of what you are disagreeing with then for Etown and JHU? Too much hype seems fitting based off your description and uncertainty for them don't you think???
It's hard to discredit Haverford or Oneonta St. or Loras as "making a run" since they all were Elite 8 or Final 4 teams a year ago. Come tournament time I tend to lean with experience and it usually pans out in my favor.
Quote from: Mid-Atlantic Fan on November 04, 2016, 10:50:05 AM
Quote from: phillyfan12 on November 04, 2016, 09:44:50 AM
Quote from: Mid-Atlantic Fan on November 04, 2016, 08:47:05 AM
Favorites: Chicago, Messiah, Rowan, Amherst, Trinity, Kenyon, Calvin, Ohio Northern
Can Make A Run: Newark, F&M, Fords, Mass-Boston, W&L, Loras, Oneonta St, Carthage
Too Much Hype?: Etown, CNU, CMU, Brandeis, Tufts, Colorado College, Lynchburg, Middlebury, Hopkins, Rochester
Not Enough Hype? Scranton, Vassar, Whitworth, Capital, Cortland St, Babson, Hobart, Wash U, Macalester, UW-Whitewater
Cinderella!: St. Joe's, St. Thomas, PSU Behrend, Springfield, Morrisville St
Bubble Watch: St. Lawrence, Ohio Wesleyan, Tufts, Williams, Montclair
Don't know what to make of the Fords, E-town and Hopkins. I don't see too many quality wins for the Fords so think they may be a little over projected here. Same goes for E-town although taking Messiah to OT is positive as well as beating Scranton. Lastly, Hopkins record looks good but think their weak non-conference schedule is going to hurt them.
I guess we'll see if the Fords and Hopkins are legit this weekend because they'll both likely come up against F&M if the seeds hold in the semifinals.
I am unsure of what you are disagreeing with then for Etown and JHU? Too much hype seems fitting based off your description and uncertainty for them don't you think???
It's hard to discredit Haverford or Oneonta St. or Loras as "making a run" since they all were Elite 8 or Final 4 teams a year ago. Come tournament time I tend to lean with experience and it usually pans out in my favor.
Apologies for the confusion, I was agreeing with the E-town and JHU assessment and saying I may add the Fords into that category based on no real quality wins. I was just including other Mid-Atlantic teams in a similar position. While they do have experience from last year, they certainly lost a ton of firepower that carried them on their run. Time will tell I guess!
2016 Tournament Edition
Favorites
Chicago, Amherst, Rowan, Messiah, Newark, Trinity
Contenders
DePauw, Carthage, Tufts, Fords, UMass-Boston, Kenyon, Brandeis, Oneonta, Montclair, Calvin, Ohio Northern, Cortland, F&M, SLU/W&L winner
Darkhorse/Cinderella
Redlands, UWW, Luther, Whitworth, Springfield, Lynchburg/JC winner, Vassar, UR/Eastern winner, CNU, CMU/OWU winner, Morrisville, PSU-Behrend/Scranton winner
Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on July 13, 2016, 12:16:15 PM
Oneonta St is getting stripped from the spine... They lose, 6-7 starters;
Jake Sutherland 8G 4A
Dylan Williams 6G 3A
Cory Santangelo 7G 2A RETURNING
Jared Van Brunt 6G 3A
Greg Silvestro 3G 9A
Hans Purtell 3G 6A RETURNING
Zef Saljanin 4G 0A
Anthony Passiatore 3G RETURNING
Lose Matteo in the back and Pellegrino between the pipes... I'll rescind my statement for them to win it this year.
Leaning Calvin at the moment. Looking forward to KICKIN or Puerto Espin preview of Loras. Not sure what pieces they lose, but the Duhawks are always in the mix.
Things are aligning for SLU... could this be the year they reach the FINAL FOUR
All things NESCAC, it was Tufts turn then Amherst... what are the chances Middlebury goes deepest in the tournament this year?
South Atlantic looks to be wide open with the depth of the NJAC, resurgence of the ODAC, and CNU/Salisbury...
Messiah should be ready to come out of the Mid-Atlantic and push for the FINAL FOUR again.
A few random statements from July...
Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on November 28, 2016, 04:36:15 PM
Quote from: lastguyoffthebench on July 13, 2016, 12:16:15 PM
Oneonta St is getting stripped from the spine... They lose, 6-7 starters;
Jake Sutherland 8G 4A
Dylan Williams 6G 3A
Cory Santangelo 7G 2A RETURNING
Jared Van Brunt 6G 3A
Greg Silvestro 3G 9A
Hans Purtell 3G 6A RETURNING
Zef Saljanin 4G 0A
Anthony Passiatore 3G RETURNING
Lose Matteo in the back and Pellegrino between the pipes... I'll rescind my statement for them to win it this year.
Leaning Calvin at the moment. Looking forward to KICKIN or Puerto Espin preview of Loras. Not sure what pieces they lose, but the Duhawks are always in the mix.
Things are aligning for SLU... could this be the year they reach the FINAL FOUR
All things NESCAC, it was Tufts turn then Amherst... what are the chances Middlebury goes deepest in the tournament this year?
South Atlantic looks to be wide open with the depth of the NJAC, resurgence of the ODAC, and CNU/Salisbury...
Messiah should be ready to come out of the Mid-Atlantic and push for the FINAL FOUR again.
A few random statements from July...
Brilliant.
I think the best part of this site is guys who have a deep knowledge of the game and D3 soccer.
There are many alums who once wore the shoes and have their fingers on the pulse of D3 soccer.
Looking forward to a great Final 4.
It is such a wonderful experience that these boyz will never ever forget.
The thing is they cannot enjoy it.
Even when they win, it will feel more like relief than accomplish... That is until they look back with great pride for being a part of a great history.
Do we know what the facilities are like at this Final 4? Or the surface? etc
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 29, 2016, 11:58:54 AM
Do we know what the facilities are like at this Final 4? Or the surface? etc
There are pics of the Roanoke facility available on the school's Athletics website. It is a field turf surface.
Dimensions?
Quote from: 1970s NESCAC Player on November 29, 2016, 12:06:08 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 29, 2016, 11:58:54 AM
Do we know what the facilities are like at this Final 4? Or the surface? etc
There are pics of the Roanoke facility available on the school's Athletics website. It is a field turf surface.
A national championship being contended on field turf is criminal.
Quote from: SandyMac on November 29, 2016, 12:35:49 PM
Quote from: 1970s NESCAC Player on November 29, 2016, 12:06:08 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 29, 2016, 11:58:54 AM
Do we know what the facilities are like at this Final 4? Or the surface? etc
There are pics of the Roanoke facility available on the school's Athletics website. It is a field turf surface.
A national championship being contended on field turf is criminal.
I made this point when it was first selected, just like the Women's World Cup. That being said, the field is large, though I haven't found the exact dimensions it is also their lacrosse and field hockey field but not a football field since they don't offer it, and the field turf and lighting is very good. I'm not a huge fan of the stands, which can block a small part of the field depending on where you sit, but you are close to the action with no track surrounding the field. It's a good place to watch a game. Shame about the turf.
Quote from: SandyMac on November 29, 2016, 12:35:49 PM
Quote from: 1970s NESCAC Player on November 29, 2016, 12:06:08 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 29, 2016, 11:58:54 AM
Do we know what the facilities are like at this Final 4? Or the surface? etc
There are pics of the Roanoke facility available on the school's Athletics website. It is a field turf surface.
A national championship being contended on field turf is criminal.
i think turf provides teams with a perfect surface for soccer. you can't
blame the grass and it speeds the games up. i may just be a big believer in turf
unless there is a grass field that is flat and
not choppy. but that's very hard to find in december
Quote from: firstplaceloser on November 29, 2016, 01:58:06 PM
unless there is a grass field that is flat and
not choppy. but that's very hard to find in december
This is the trick. Good grass is better than great turf. Good turf is better than bad grass. Somewhere in the middle i have a point of indifference.
Quote from: jknezek on November 29, 2016, 02:11:59 PM
Quote from: firstplaceloser on November 29, 2016, 01:58:06 PM
unless there is a grass field that is flat and
not choppy. but that's very hard to find in december
This is the trick. Good grass is better than great turf. Good turf is better than bad grass. Somewhere in the middle i have a point of indifference.
exactly. Toyota Field in San antonio was horrible. i think a final four appearance deserves a
field that is exceptional