Babson's 2017 schedule is out - http://www.babsonathletics.com/sports/m-soccer/2017-18/schedule. They start with Saint Lawrence, Clarkson, Tufts, Brandeis and also play Williams, New England College, Endicott and Eastern Connecticut State.
Wheaton and Springfield have not yet released their 2017 schedules. Wheaton usually plays a schedule close to Babson in terms of strength. Springfield, on the other hand, played one of the weakest non-conference schedules possible last year.
Springfield's 2017 schedule - http://www.springfieldcollegepride.com/sports/msoc/2017-18/schedule
They have made major changes to upgrade their schedule replacing Western Connnecticut, Elms, Anna Maria, Keene St, Southern Vermont, Suffolk and Fitchburg St with: Gordon, Stevens, Eastern Nazarene, Wentworth, Framingham St, and UMass-Boston.
Wheaton's 2017 schedule is out - http://athletics.wheatoncollege.edu/sports/msoc/2017-18/schedule
Like Babson, they start with Clarkson and Saint Lawrence. Additionally, they play:Western New England, Keene St, New England College, Roger Williams, Brandeis, Keene St, Trinity and Wesleyan. Perhaps not quite as strong a SOS as Babson but still challenging.
Wheaton, coming off a 12-7-2 season, is losing only two regular startersand returns their top two goal scorers who netted more than half of the teams total goals last year.
2017 predictions:
1. Babson - the Beavers lose their leading goal scorer (Villari) from last year but return scorers 2-7. The defense will miss Abankroh but returns the other three starters. Outlook: with 8 starters returning including all-conference GK Takami, Babson is still the class of the NEWMAC. Non-conference games against Saint Lawrence, Tufts, Brandeis, Endicott and Williams help SOS, but hoping for more than a draw against these teams may be overly optimistic for a team that will have difficulty scoring goals. Early games to watch: Babson vs Saint Lawrence 9/1, at Tufts 9/6 and at Brandeis 9/9.
2. Springfield - the Pride is coming off and 18-2-1 season and has somewhat upgraded their horrifically weak non-conference schedule. They return 9 starters but lose leading scorer and best player Luke Alvaro. Although known for playing some downright ugly soccer, this is a team on the upswing that is capable of challenging Babson for conference honors. Early game to watch: Springfield vs. Gordon 9/6.
3. Clark - the Cougars were the surprise of the 2016 season starting the season 9-0 before fading to a 14-5 finish. Eight starters return, but of note is that 5 of their top 7 scorers (including leading scorer Sean Munrow) last year were freshmen. This is a program to keep an eye on, especially if Coach O'Toole can bring in another strong freshman class. Early game to watch: Clark vs Dean 9/9.
4. Wheaton - the 2016 Lyons were an enigma with plenty of talent but inconsistent performances. How can a team beat Brandeis and yet lose to Keene St 6-1 and yield 4 goals to Coast Guard? They return 8 starters including two of the conference's leading goal scorers Roni Diniz and dangerous Amara Sesay. This is a team with the potential to compete for the top spot, but for some reason things have not clicked for this side the past two seasons. Early game to watch: Wheaton vs. Saint Lawrence 9/2.
5. WPI - the Engineers finished 9-4-4 last year and gave up only 13 goals. The bad news is they scored a grand total of 1 goal against the organized defenses of Brandeis, Clark, Endicott, Wentworth and Babson. Although they return 9 starters, they lose second leading scorer Farrell and will likely continue to have difficulty scoring against quality competition. Early game to watch: WPI vs Wesleyan 9/6.
6. Coast Guard - the Bears finished a respectable 9-6-3 last year and return 9 starters. However, they graduate leading scorer Alex Lane. The scouting report for this side varies little from year to year - extraordinarily fit, great heart, not always the most technical players. They should not be an easy win for anyone in the conference. (no early games worth watching)
7. MIT - the Engineers returned to reality following the 2015 graduation of All-American Sean Bingham and recorded only a 6-10-1 season. To make matters worse, they graduate their leading scorer (Kareem Itani) from an anemic offense that managed to only score 13 goals all season. Whether the return of 9 other starters is a good thing remains to be seen. Early games to watch: MIT at Endicott 9/1 and at Gordon 9/3.
8. Emerson - the Lions change coaches after recording their first ever NEWMAC win over Coast Guard. New coach Bryan Harkin inherits a team that will be fortunate to duplicate a 1-6 conference record from last year. (no games worth watching)
Overall outlook: Virtually every team returns 8 or more starters. The emergence of Clark and Springfield as contenders makes for a much more competitive conference and makes the NEWMAC one of the top 2 or 3 conferences in New England. However, Babson and Wheaton continue to be the teams with the most upside potential.
Great stuff, OffPitch.
I'd tend to agree that Babson is the preseason favorite, but I also agree that they'll have difficulty scoring goals, and I don't think the Beavers are quite as strong as they used to be, particularly between 2009 and 2012. During that time, they were a New England power and a safe pick for at least getting an at-large tournament bid (if not winning the NEWMAC, which they did in '09 and '10). In more recent times, I'd say it'd have been unlikely they would have gotten bids in '14 and '15 if they hadn't won the NEWMAC (yes, they got an at-large bid last year, but they got bounced in the 1st Round, and they haven't won an NCAA game since 2011). They do return a decent spine, but I think the last five years have seen Babson be more of a "functional" side rather than one with any significant pace or firepower like the Babson of '09 to '12 was. I think Abankroh and Villari both had good seasons, particularly Villari in his first year playing up top, but I don't think either is "irreplaceable" in that their losses won't be felt in the same way Anderson's was, for example. Last fall, they did get their first victory in five years over Brandeis (in 2OT, at home). This year, the Beavers will travel to Brandeis, where they are 0-4-1 since the turf was laid in 2005. Two of those defeats were in 2OT (2012 and 2015), so I wouldn't be surprised to see the contest deadlocked after 90 minutes once again.
The one side that I am really intrigued by is Clark. As you mentioned they return a good amount of offensive firepower as well as a decent spine. They really turned a corner last year, going 14-5 after having not posted a winning record since 2011 (and 8-7-2 at that). Perhaps they ran out of gas toward the end of the season -- that kind of momentum can be extremely difficult to maintain for any side, particularly one with just 25 players as they had last year. Assuming they continue their upward trajectory, I'd think they're due a big result over a New England regional contender, one which will really make people start to take notice of this program.
Just heard thru a friend of a friend that legendary Wheaton Men's Soccer Coach Matt Cushing passed away a day or 2 ago. I have no idea what happened but that is a tremendous loss for Wheaton College and the New England Soccer Community. He took that Wheaton program and turned it into a regional powerhouse especially in the late 90's and early 2000's. They had some VERY good teams in the early to mid 2000's and culminated it with its first an only NCAA Final 4 appearance in 2003. Just a shock and a terrible loss as he was still a young guy.
Quote from: Mr.Right on August 30, 2017, 11:54:14 AM
Just heard thru a friend of a friend that legendary Wheaton Men's Soccer Coach Matt Cushing passed away a day or 2 ago. I have no idea what happened but that is a tremendous loss for Wheaton College and the New England Soccer Community. He took that Wheaton program and turned it into a regional powerhouse especially in the late 90's and early 2000's. They had some VERY good teams in the early to mid 2000's and culminated it with its first an only NCAA Final 4 appearance in 2003. Just a shock and a terrible loss as he was still a young guy.
Wow. How unfortunate and sad if true (and I have no reason to doubt what you've been told). Probably just under 50 years old. In addition to the 2003 Final Four team, there was the 2001 Elite 8 team that went 21-2-0, losing to Messiah 2-1 in the quarterfinals at Messiah. Reached 300 wins back in 2014.
Quote from: Mr.Right on August 30, 2017, 11:54:14 AM
Just heard thru a friend of a friend that legendary Wheaton Men's Soccer Coach Matt Cushing passed away a day or 2 ago. I have no idea what happened but that is a tremendous loss for Wheaton College and the New England Soccer Community. He took that Wheaton program and turned it into a regional powerhouse especially in the late 90's and early 2000's. They had some VERY good teams in the early to mid 2000's and culminated it with its first an only NCAA Final 4 appearance in 2003. Just a shock and a terrible loss as he was still a young guy.
Oh wow. What a terrible loss for the Wheaton and D3 soccer communities.
Wheaton Mourns the Loss of Head Men's Soccer Coach Matt Cushing
http://athletics.wheatoncollege.edu/sports/msoc/2017-18/releases/20170829lpzcms
Quote from: Mr.Right on August 30, 2017, 11:54:14 AM
He took that Wheaton program and turned it into a regional powerhouse especially in the late 90's and early 2000's. They had some VERY good teams in the early to mid 2000's and culminated it with its first an only NCAA Final 4 appearance in 2003.
That's terrible news - prayers are with the family and community.
BTW, that 2003 team should have gone to the NCAA Championship. They were playing Drew in teh Semi-Final and scored in the 88th minute to go up 1-0. It was the first goal Drew had conceded in 17 games (set NCAA record with 21 shutouts that year). Unfortunately Drew scored in the 89th minute to tie and then won in PKs. I was there - it was absolutely crazy.
RIP, Cush. Sending peace vibes to his family, friends, and program.
Do you think Wheaton will cancel their games this weekend or will they go on and play?
Wheaton named an interim coach today - Mike Coven!
http://athletics.wheatoncollege.edu/sports/msoc/2017-18/releases/20170901faa3jf
Quote from: Sandy on August 31, 2017, 11:48:14 AM
Do you think Wheaton will cancel their games this weekend or will they go on and play?
I'd imagine they might cancel the weekend's games, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the players have a better-than-expected season playing extra hard in their coach's memory.
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 01, 2017, 11:15:14 AM
Wheaton named an interim coach today - Mike Coven!
http://athletics.wheatoncollege.edu/sports/msoc/2017-18/releases/20170901faa3jf
NFW! I think the AD really nailed it -- this is a tough time for the Wheaton community but it's awesome that they found one of Cushing's best friends to help out. A great choice.
On an additional note, while I think it is commendable for Coven to step in on such short notice, I am not that surprised that he is still interested in being involved in D3 soccer. I know he's retired, but I don't think he'll be far away — even down the road. ;)
This Coven story is wild.
In other NEWMAC news, WPI first goal....Brendan Nemes scores assisted by Paul Beatty. Former Silver Lake HS teammates when Silver Lake almost went undefeated. Beatty went to D1 UMass-Lowell and obviously transferred, and now likely the fastest kid in D3. Blazing fast and a clinical finisher. WPI is a team to watch. Seriously.
And on cue Beatty scores his first tally for WPI. Remember the name. If healthy may be 1st team AA.
Interesting...Will have to catch the kid play as Wesleyan is at WPI in a couple days. Game to remember
Somewhere Coach Cush was smiling watching his Boys on Saturday.
Here was a Coach barely 50 and way over 300 wins at a winning percentage that proves his knowledge of the game and ability to teach what he knows.
One of his worse losses was to SLU a few years back in the NCAA's and man did Wheaton do a good job to get a measure of payback.
They were up 3-0 and then 5-3 and probably deserved to win that game, but hats off to these young men for channeling what must be crazy emotions to make their former and I'm sure current coach proud.
Also, how classy a guy is Coach Coven.
This shows why he is so respected by coaches who have seen his character over the decades.
The entire story is sad and inspiring at the same time, and shows that these men are so much bigger than themselves or even the schools they represent, but are teachers of life first and foremost before being soccer coaches.
RIP to a great coach.
Now the SLU game is out of the way, I really hope these boyz win all their remaining games and have a great run ;)
Week 1 recap (in order of 2017 predictions):
1. Babson - 2-0-0 Babson starts with wins over Liberty League foes Saint Lawrence and Clarkson. The good news for the Beavers is that they scored 3 goals in each game. Given their recent history of offensive impotence against strong competition, this may bode well for this season. Additionally, they have played so far without expected starters Ventura and Fromhein. Now comes the hard part with two contests against 2016 Final Four oppoents: at National Champions Tufts 9/6 and at Brandeis 9/9. Success might be 0-1-1. Does any team in the country have a tougher week 2 schedule?
2. Springfield - 1-0-0 Springfield starts the year where they left off last season - dismantling an incredibly weak opponent. The Pride beat Lasell 9-1. Lasell is coming off a 1-17 season with its only victory against even more woeful Wheelock. The 9/6 game against Gordon should tell us a lot more about this team.
3. Clark - 1-0-1 Clark starts 6 Sophs and 11 of the 16 players that played in both opening contests are Sophs or Freshmen. This is a team on the rise. The Cougars will be tested today at Rhode Island College and even more so 9/9 vs. Dean.
4. Wheaton - 0-1-1 Wheaton experienced a nightmare week with the tragic loss of Coach Cushing. Their weekend games went on as scheduled and the school brought in Mike Coven as interim coach. Surrendering 8 goals in two game is certainly worrisome, but who can say whether this represented the real 2017 Wheaton side. My guess is that the Lyons rally around Coach Coven and will benefit from the difficult part of their schedule beginning three weeks down the road.
5. WPI - 2-0-0 WPI starts with two shutout wins. This is a defensive team, but poster PaulNewman reports that they have a new transfer who is a potential difference maker. The Engineers 9/6 game vs Wesleyan will be interesting to watch and will provide a better read on this year's team.
6. Coast Guard - 1-1-0 Coast Guard struggled through their opening weekend with a loss to a weak Westfield State side. As only 5 teams qualify for the NEWMAC tournament, it is difficult to see the Bears as a legitimate challenger for one of the top 5 spots based on their unimpressive start.
7. MIT - 0-1-1 MIT is scoreless for 2017 following netting only 13 goals in all of 2016. It is shaping up to be a long year for the Engineers.
8. Emerson - 1-0-1 Emerson doesn't play a team with a winning record from 2016 until game 6 vs Clark. The Lions may win a game or two along the way with an extremely weak schedule.
Springfield convincingly defeats a respectable Gordon team 3-0. The stats make it look as one-sided as the score as Springfield also out-shot Gordon 22-6. Gordon finished 12-5-2 last year including a win over Tufts.
Springfield just notched a late Sunday road win in NJ over Stevens in the second game of a back-to-back to remain undefeated. After watching snippets of Wheaton, Babson, and Springfield over the past week, my initial impression is that Springfield is going to be a tough out. The soccer may not be attractive, but they play with intensity and seem to have a pretty deep bench. As noted previously in this thread, scoring goals might be something of an issue against the stronger teams with Alvaro having graduated, but the Pride seem to have the resilience and resourcefulness to show well over a long season.
God is Springfield UGLY to watch....They just do not even attempt to play futbol at all. Still a good start to their season
Week 2 recap (in order of 2017 predictions):
1. Babson - 0-2-0 (2-2-0) Babson loses twice by one goal to Tufts and Brandeis. While this was not unexpected, a key stat is that the Beavers are only generating 8 shots per game. That is a dismal number and is indicative of a failure of the midfield to possess, build, and create opportunities. They have a chance to get well tomorrow vs Lesley and then have an early must win game at home Saturday vs. WPI in what will likely be a 1-0 game one way or the other.
2. Springfield - 2-0-0 (4-0-0) Springfield squeaks by Westfield St 1-0 and bests a decent Stevens side 2-1 on the road.
As observers are noting, the Pride plays an incredibly (ugly) direct game. If there is a lateral pass, it is only because that pass presented a better opportunity for the next guy to send the ball down the field. Their athletes and numbers will likely continue to overwhelm weak opponents, but this style may not bother Coast Guard Saturday. However, Springfield should prevail 3-1.
3. Clark - 0-1-1 (1-1-2) Clark ties a rebuilding Rhode Island College and loses to Dean 1-0, a game in which the Cougars played only 13 players. They now have a chance to build some positive momentum this week against Colby-Sawyer and Emerson. Prediction: Clark 3 - Emerson 0. They will need more depth to compete for an upper half finish in the conference.
4. Wheaton - 1-1-0 (1-2-1) Wheaton wins on the road against a reasonable Western New England team, and then gives Keene State their first win of the season. The Lyons are yielding 3.3 goals per game, and Coach Coven must put his stamp on his team's defense or my 4th place prediction may be accurate. Make no mistake, this team has as much talent as any team in the conference. The good news is two likely wins this week against New England College and MIT - two teams that do not score much. Wheaton over MIT 3-1.
5. WPI - 1-1-0 (3-1-0) WPI lost to Wesleyan 1-0 and won against Mass. Maritime. The Engineers will not give up many goals, but it appears that their offense remains anemic. This will be a tough week with games on the road vs. Brandeis and Babson.
6. Coast Guard - 1-0-0 (2-1-0) Coast Guard beat Pine Manor. The good news - the Bears have given up only one goal in three games. The bad news - Westfield St. is the best team they have played. Games this week against an improving Western Connecticut side and Springfield
7. MIT - 1-0-0 (1-1-1) MIT scored their first goals of the season defeating Framingham St. Games this week against a decent Roger Williams team and Wheaton are probable losses.
8. Emerson - 1-2-0 (2-2-1) Emerson loses to Suffolk, gets crushed 6-0 by Salem St, and beats NAIA Fisher (a team that has been outscored 15-1 this season). The Lions lose to Clark Saturday 9/16.
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 11, 2017, 10:14:05 PM
1. Babson - 0-2-0 (2-2-0) Babson loses twice by one goal to Tufts and Brandeis. While this was not unexpected, a key stat is that the Beavers are only generating 8 shots per game. That is a dismal number and is indicative of a failure of the midfield to possess, build, and create opportunities. They have a chance to get well tomorrow vs Lesley and then have an early must win game at home Saturday vs. WPI in what will likely be a 1-0 game one way or the other.
Thanks for the recap, Off Pitch! Babson seems to be getting healthy indeed against Lesley, at least in terms of shots. They are 0-0 at the half, but the Beavers have racked up 15 shots (3 on goal) so far (against only a single shot for Lesley). I expect the barrage to continue in the second half, with at least one of the shots finding the back of the net.
Beavers finally break the deadlock against Lesley, Crompton with a finish from close in. While it's good to see that Babson is creating chances (which it struggled with against Tufts and Brandeis), only 5 shots on goal out of 20 (or 1 goal out of 20 shots) won't make great reading for Anderson. Still, I would expect the game to open up now that Babson is in the driving seat.
Babson pulls away for a commanding 4-0 win, with Parker and Ziad (2) adding goals. With 4 goals already this season, Ziad has done well in filling the void left by Villari (who netted 7 in the entirety of last year -- albeit 5 were game-winners vs. Ziad's 1 so far), and I was impressed with his pace -- he was a menace to the Lesley back line the whole game. This result matches the one Babson picked up last year against the same opposition. They face WPI on Saturday in what should be a more competitive encounter than this one, but Babson is now 3-0 on its home field, so you wouldn't bet against them.
I was surprised to see Clark fall 3-2 on the road to previously winless Colby-Sawyer tonight. That, along with the fact that they were outshot 17 (5OG) to 11 (4OG), would seem not to bode well for their chances in the NEWMAC.
Week 3 recap:
Springfield - 1-0-0 (5-0-0) Springfield blanked Coast Guard 3-0 to remain undefeated. They have now outscored their opponents 18-2 on the season. Junior Brad Deckel (listed on the roster as a defender) has emerged as the leading goal scorer with 6 already through the opening 5 games. A win over Babson at home Saturday would make the Pride the conference favorite.
WPI - 1-0-0 (4-2-0) WPI beat Babson 2-1 behind two unassisted goals by transfer Paul Beatty. The Engineers had been disappointed earlier in the week by letting a 1-goal lead slip away and losing to Brandeis in OT. WPI is solid defensively and with GK Hoeckele, and Beatty has sufficient speed and strength to be dangerous. The combination makes this side a serious competitor for the conference title. Weekend prediction: WPI 1 - MIT 0.
MIT - 1-0-0 (2-1-2) MIT exploded for 4 goals against Wheaton. Freshman Loukas Carayannopoulos has 3 goals to lead the Engineers who are quietly having a very solid start to their season. A win at home over WPI Saturday would unexpectedly propel MIT into championship contention.
Clark - 1-0-0 (2-2-2) Clark dropped a 1 goal decision to Colby-Sawyer before unimpressively downing Emerson 1-0. This young squad (6 Soph starters) does not appear to have the horses needed to successfully compete with Springfield, WPI and Babson this year.
Babson - 0-1-0 (3-3-0) Babson eased past Lesley before losing the conference opener at home to WPI 2-1. I watched most of this game, and as they did at the beginning of last season, Babson was playing only 3 in the back (3-5-2). Even still, the Beavers were only able to generate 8 shots, and the defensive alignment created gaps for WPI (Beatty) to exploit. Babson has been traditionally a 4-4-2 team under Anderson. The game this Saturday at Springfield will go a long way in determining if Babson has what it takes to compete for the conference title. Predition: Springfield 2 - Babson 1.
Coast Guard - 0-1-0 (3-2-0) Coast Guard was shutout by Springfield, but will do better at Emerson Saturday. Coach Parsons always does a good job with the talent that he has, and they will beat Emerson 3-1.
Wheaton - 0-1-0 (2-3-1) Wheaton's defensive woes continued in a 4-1 loss to MIT. The Lyons have given up 19 goals on the season and at least 2 in every game. Senior Amara Sesay is carrying the load offensively with 7 goals through the 6 games. Saturday's game vs Clark is now a must win as the schedule gets more difficult from this point on.
Emerson - 0-1-0 (3-3-1) Emerson played Clark close losing only 1-0 but were out-shot 26-8. The Lions were able to beat winless Fisher and Newbury (2-5) to stay at .500 for the year. Coast Guard comes to town Saturday and may give Emerson a reasonable chance at their second ever NEWMAC victory, however I am picking the the Bears 3-1.
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 19, 2017, 01:13:00 PMSpringfield - 1-0-0 (5-0-0) Springfield blanked Coast Guard 3-0 to remain undefeated. They have now outscored their opponents 18-2 on the season. Junior Brad Deckel (listed on the roster as a defender) has emerged as the leading goal scorer with 6 already through the opening 5 games. A win over Babson at home Saturday would make the Pride the conference favorite.
Babson - 0-1-0 (3-3-0) Babson eased past Lesley before losing the conference opener at home to WPI 2-1. I watched most of this game, and as they did at the beginning of last season, Babson was playing only 3 in the back (3-5-2). Even still, the Beavers were only able to generate 8 shots, and the defensive alignment created gaps for WPI (Beatty) to exploit. Babson has been traditionally a 4-4-2 team under Anderson. The game this Saturday at Springfield will go a long way in determining if Babson has what it takes to compete for the conference title. Predition: Springfield 2 - Babson 1.
Your projection was right on target. Springfield won 1-0, but outshot the Beavers 24 (8 OG) to 5(2 OG). Springfield and WPI seem to be getting some separation from the rest of the pack.
Springfield and Babson was an interesting team. In my opinion, Springfield was stronger and more athletic. When Babson kept the ball on the floor, looked like the better team. Boy does Springfield like to kick the ball!
Week 4 recap:
Springfield - 2-0-0 (6-0-0) Springfield bested Babson at home 1-0 to remain undefeated. As the previous poster observed, the Pride must be seen to be appreciated (or not). They try to overwhelm opponents with size, athleticism and numbers. The ball is rarely on the ground, but they are clearly having some success with this approach. This will continue with a 3-1 victory Saturday at Clark.
WPI - 2-0-0 (6-2-0) WPI held on at MIT for a 2-1 win. Paul Beatty is now leading the team with 4 goals. The Engineers have an interesting mid-week test at 5-1-1 Endicott before facing Emerson at home. Endicott prediction 1-1. Weekend prediction: WPI 4 - Emerson 0.
Clark - 1-0-1 (3-2-3) Clark traveled to Wheaton and escaped with a 3-3 draw and surprisingly sits third in the standings. Soph Forward Sean Munroe leads the team with 7 goals, but this is a team that has surrendered 3 goals to three different opponents already. They should get by the U. of New England before falling to Springfield Saturday.
MIT - 1-1-0 (3-2-2) MIT fell to WPI 2-1 and should fall back to earth with games at Babson and against Springfield the next two Saturdays. Prediction for this weekend: Babson 1 - MIT 0.
Coast Guard - 1-1-0 (4-2-1) Coast Guard shut out Emerson 2-0, but they do not have the firepower to outscore next foe Wheaton. Prediction: Wheaton 4 - Coast Guard 2.
Wheaton - 0-1-1 (3-3-2) Wheaton's defensive woes continue in a 3-3 tie with Clark. The Lyons have now given up 25 goals on the season (compared to Springfield giving up only 2) and at least 2 goals in every game. Unfortunately, the trend is not positive as they have surrendered at least 3 goals in each of their last 3 games. Senior Amara Sesay is putting up big numbers with 11 goals and 3 assists. Even with their defensive shortcomings, Wheaton should be able to overcome Coast Guard (prediction: 4-2).
Babson - 0-2-0 (3-4-0) Babson lost 1-0 at Springfield. Three of their losses are single-goal decisions to ranked teams (Tufts, Brandeis, Springfield). Despite these seemingly close losses, they were out-shot in those three games 55-18. The Beavers simply are too anemic offensively to prevail over quality teams, and their schedule if full of quality opponents. Prediction: Babson ekes out a goal to take MIT 1-0.
Emerson - 0-2-0 (3-4-1) Emerson remains scoreless in the NEWMAC losing to Coast Guard 2-0. They are very likely to remain scoreless in the conference after visiting WPI. (Interesting team stat - they are 0-3 on the season for PKs.) Prediction: WPI 4 - Emerson 0.
Weekly recap:
Springfield 3-0-0 (8-0-0) The Pride march on dispatching Wentworth 6-2 and Clark 2-0 (shots 27-5). Junior Forward Christian Schneider was the conference offensive player of the week with two goals and two assists. Springfield will advance to a 10-0 start after this week's road wins over Framingham State (3-0) and MIT (2-0).
WPI 3-0-0 (7-3-0) WPI dropped a mid-week game at Endicott but rebounded with a 4-0 win over Emerson. Endicott prevailed 2-1 despite being outshot by the Engineers 12-6. This week WPI has Wentworth (2-1 win) and Wheaton. Prediction: WPI 3 - Wheaton 2.
Coast Guard 2-1-0 (6-2-1) The Bears upended Wheaton 1-0 which was a surprising score. First, Wheaton had given up at least 2 goals in every game played this season. Second, this was the first time in their last 21 games that Wheaton had been shut-out. This week Coast Guard should have an easy time with CCNY (0-8-0) and a tougher time at Clark. Prediction: Coast Guard 1 - Clark 1.
MIT 2-1-0 (4-3-2) MIT lost to a weak Suffolk side 1-0 and turned around to beat Babson by the same 1-0 score. This coming week will not be kind to the Engineers with probable scoreless losses at Brandeis and at home to Springfield.
Clark 1-1-1 (4-3-3) Clark was good enough to get by an overmatched U of New England side before falling to Springfield. The Cougars currently hold the last conference tournament qualifying position, but may face a winless week with predicted loss to Western New England and a draw with Coast Guard.
----------------------------------------------------
Wheaton 0-2-1 (3-5-2) The Lyons continue to confound. They went up early on Brandeis 1-0 on Amara Sesay's 12th goal of the season, but then surrendered 5 goals to the Judges over the next 45 minutes. Then at Coast Guard, they had their best defensive game of the season giving up only a single goal, but their offense went AWOL producing only 7 shots. Can Coach Coven help his squad gel for an October run? Or is this a team still grieving and going through the motions to complete their season. Games this week with Trinity and WPI should tell. A loss to WPI makes qualifying for the conference tournament a long-shot with Springfield still to be played. Trivia question: When was the last time Wheaton failed to qualify for the NEWMAC tournament? A: never
Babson 0-3-0 (4-5-0) The Beavers hit the half way point of the season tied for last place in the conference and with a losing overall record thanks to a truly woeful attack. Babson has played five teams that currently have winning records (Tufts, Brandeis, Springfield, WPI, MIT) and have managed only two goals in those games on 35 shots. They are organized enough defensively to stay close to good teams, but it is always difficult to win games without scoring. This week has games at Endicott and at Emerson. Could the the Lions knock Babson out of any remaining chance at making the conference tournament? Not so fast - Babson 2 - Emerson 0. Trivia question: When was the last time Babson failed to qualify for the NEWMAC tournament? A: never
Emerson 0-3-0 (3-6-1) Emerson stumbled to two losses last week to very weak Lesley and WPI. They should rebound against winless Eastern Nazarene, but it is hard to imagine Emerson beating Babson in a battle to avoid the conference basement.
Quote from: Off Pitch on October 02, 2017, 03:45:03 PM
Weekly recap:
Springfield 3-0-0 (8-0-0) The Pride march on dispatching Wentworth 6-2 and Clark 2-0 (shots 27-5). Junior Forward Christian Schneider was the conference offensive player of the week with two goals and two assists. Springfield will advance to a 10-0 start after this week's road wins over Framingham State (3-0) and MIT (2-0).
WPI 3-0-0 (7-3-0) WPI dropped a mid-week game at Endicott but rebounded with a 4-0 win over Emerson. Endicott prevailed 2-1 despite being outshot by the Engineers 12-6. This week WPI has Wentworth (2-1 win) and Wheaton. Prediction: WPI 3 - Wheaton 2.
Coast Guard 2-1-0 (6-2-1) The Bears upended Wheaton 1-0 which was a surprising score. First, Wheaton had given up at least 2 goals in every game played this season. Second, this was the first time in their last 21 games that Wheaton had been shut-out. This week Coast Guard should have an easy time with CCNY (0-8-0) and a tougher time at Clark. Prediction: Coast Guard 1 - Clark 1.
MIT 2-1-0 (4-3-2) MIT lost to a weak Suffolk side 1-0 and turned around to beat Babson by the same 1-0 score. This coming week will not be kind to the Engineers with probable scoreless losses at Brandeis and at home to Springfield.
Clark 1-1-1 (4-3-3) Clark was good enough to get by an overmatched U of New England side before falling to Springfield. The Cougars currently hold the last conference tournament qualifying position, but may face a winless week with predicted loss to Western New England and a draw with Coast Guard.
----------------------------------------------------
Wheaton 0-2-1 (3-5-2) The Lyons continue to confound. They went up early on Brandeis 1-0 on Amara Sesay's 12th goal of the season, but then surrendered 5 goals to the Judges over the next 45 minutes. Then at Coast Guard, they had their best defensive game of the season giving up only a single goal, but their offense went AWOL producing only 7 shots. Can Coach Coven help his squad gel for an October run? Or is this a team still grieving and going through the motions to complete their season. Games this week with Trinity and WPI should tell. A loss to WPI makes qualifying for the conference tournament a long-shot with Springfield still to be played. Trivia question: When was the last time Wheaton failed to qualify for the NEWMAC tournament? A: never
Babson 0-3-0 (4-5-0) The Beavers hit the half way point of the season tied for last place in the conference and with a losing overall record thanks to a truly woeful attack. Babson has played five teams that currently have winning records (Tufts, Brandeis, Springfield, WPI, MIT) and have managed only two goals in those games on 35 shots. They are organized enough defensively to stay close to good teams, but it is always difficult to win games without scoring. This week has games at Endicott and at Emerson. Could the the Lions knock Babson out of any remaining chance at making the conference tournament? Not so fast - Babson 2 - Emerson 0. Trivia question: When was the last time Babson failed to qualify for the NEWMAC tournament? A: never
Emerson 0-3-0 (3-6-1) Emerson stumbled to two losses last week to very weak Lesley and WPI. They should rebound against winless Eastern Nazarene, but it is hard to imagine Emerson beating Babson in a battle to avoid the conference basement.
As always, great stuff, Off Pitch.
Freshman Loukas Carayannopolous leads MIT with five goals, but he has been injured since the Wentworth game (when he scored two first-half goals but was taken out shortly after with an injury). If Carayannopolous is able to return tomorrow I think he could cause some problems, as he is a pretty dynamic player and his shot conversion pct. is a very good .455. That said, he wasn't dressed for their game on Wednesday (against Suffolk) and didn't play Saturday at Babson, either, so who knows how close he is to a return.
As a team overall, MIT has looked decent at times, albeit not as good as the 2015-16 side, and average at other times. They try to get down the sides a lot to varying degrees of success. I can imagine that Bovell will go to Brandeis and try to park the bus, as he did successfully two years ago in getting a 0-0 draw the year the Judges won the UAA. MIT executed that game plan very well, and was unlucky not to escape with a win in that game as I thought they were the better team and disrupted the Judges' game very well. Then again, last year, Brandeis stole a 2-1 win in the last minute of regulation at MIT, and that proved to be a big win in the context of the Judges season, as it snapped a 28-day winless streak (including 3 defeats and 2 ties). Four of the last five Brandeis-MIT games have been decided by one goal (and all four of those have been won by Brandeis, including two in overtime), so I think it will be a close game.
Would be pretty crazy if Babson fails to make the NEWMAC tournament. Aside from Villari -- who was their leading scorer, but only notched 7 goals on the year -- and Abankroh they really didn't lose much from last year. And after starting well against SLU and Clarkson I really didn't see them racking up five losses during the regular season, let alone in September. I wonder what has gone wrong offensively? Czarnecki and Ziad have had flashes of brilliance but it doesn't appear the Babson offense has really got going aside from the first two games (and Lesley).
Springfield eases past Framingham St 2-0 to improve to 9-0-0. The Pride also had the shot advantage 31-10.
Wheaton trips Trinity 4-3 in what is a fairly normal game for the Lyons. They give up a ton of goals but still hope to have sufficient firepower to outscore their opponents. Savonen scored twice for Trinity and Sesay notched his 13th goal for Wheaton. Trinity held 23-17 and 8-2 advantages in shots and corners.
Weekly recap:
Springfield 4-0-0 (11-0-0) - The Pride have won their last 4 games by identical 2-0 scores including last night's win over UMass-Boston. In a game that saw 6 yellow cards, Springfield impressively outshot the Beacons 20-7. Additionally, they have outscored (33-4) and outshot (251-82) all opponents on the season and have not yielded a single goal in conference play. The Pride will defeat Emerson Saturday (prediction: Springfield 6 - Emerson 0) before travelling to Western New England (8-4-1) Sunday night.
WPI 4-0-0 (8-4-0) - The Engineers defeated Wheaton on the road by a surprising 4-0 margin. Despite being undefeated in conference play, WPI's Pool C bona fides are suspect with 3 consecutive 2-1 out of conference losses (Brandeis, Endicott, Wentworth). Transfer Paul Beatty continues to lead the team in scoring with 6 goals (5 goals in the last 7 games) and 3 assists. Weekend prediction: WPI 2 - Coast Guard 1.
Coast Guard 3-1-0 (8-3-1) - The Bears blanked Clark 3-0 and lost to Williams 2-1 despite outshooting the Ephs 12-8. Williams scored two 2nd half goals 31 seconds apart and held on for the win and to break Coast Guard's string of 5 consecutive shut-outs. Chris Parsons has done a terrific job with this team that started this season inauspiciously with a loss to Westfield State. Coast Guard travels to WPI Saturday for a predicted 2-1 loss.
MIT 2-2-0 (4-5-2) - The Engineers fell at home to Springfield 2-0. This week's game with Clark represents a significant opportunity toward qualifying for the conference tournament. Assuming a win later at Emerson the last game of the season (strange things can happen when playing last place teams with tournament bids on the line), a victory over Clark would be enough to virtually secure a spot. Prediction: MIT 2 - Clark 1.
Clark 1-2-1 (5-4-3) - The Cougars dropped a 3-0 loss at home to Coast Guard. With conference games remaining at MIT, at Babson and vs WPI, their hold on the 5th and final qualifying position for the conference tournament is tenuous.
---------------------
Babson 1-3-0 (6-6-0) - The Beavers have 6 1-goal losses, but they did prevail at Emerson 2-0. The fifth conference tournament qualifying position is up for grabs, and the winner of Saturdays game at home against Wheaton will be best positioned to secure that spot. Babson has only had 7 players score a goal this season, but all will be back next year with their 3 leading scorers being Sophs. Weekend prediction: Babson 3 - Wheaton 2.
Wheaton 0-3-1 (5-6-2) - Wheaton defeated Trinity 4-3 before surrendering to WPI in a 4-0 loss. The Lyons have given up an astonishing 39 goals on the season. With Springfield looming on their schedule, they must beat Babson Saturday to have any reasonable shot at making the conference tournament. However, they are 0-2 and scoreless on the road in conference play. They will score this weekend but still lose to Babson 3-2.
Emerson 0-4-0 (4-7-1) - The Lions lost to Babson 2-0 and have been outscored in conference play 0-9. They play Springfield Saturday who has outscored conference opponents 8-0. Either of those might be possible scores for this game, but I am going with Springfield 6 - Emerson 0.
Weekly recap:
Springfield 5-0-0 (13-0-0) - The Pride have not given up a goal since Sept 26 and have now shut out six consecutive opponents. Junior forward Christian Schneider leads the team in scoring with 7 goals and 6 assists. Five of those goals and 4 assists have come in the last 6 games, however he did not play last night against Western New England. This is an experienced team with 5 seniors, 5 juniors and 1 soph typically starting. Springfield finishes the season on the road at WPI and at Wheaton. An unblemished regular season is very possible. Prediction: Springfield 2 - WPI 0.
WPI 5-0-0 (9-4-0) - The Engineers survived Coast Guard 2-1 in a game with five second half yellow cards. Senior Brendan Nemes scored both goals and has tied Paul Beatty for the team lead with 6 for the season. I just don't think WPI has enough offense to upset Springfield Saturday.
The above two teams have clinched spots in the NEWMAC tournament
---------------------------------
Coast Guard 3-2-0 (8-4-1) - The Bears fell to WPI and finish the season with MIT and Babson. A win in either of those games would secure a Tournament spot. Weekend prediction: Coast Guard 1 - MIT 0.
Clark 2-2-1 (7-4-3) - The Cougars have won 3 of their last 4 games, but they have a tough week ahead vs. Brandeis and at Babson. A win over the Beavers would qualify Clark for the NEWMAC tournament, but Clark hasn't beaten Babson since 2006. Babson 1 - Clark 0.
Babson 2-3-0 (7-7-0) - The Beavers defeated rival Wheaton 5-1 and then fell quietly to Williams 3-0. Babson finishes conference play with Clark and at Coast Guard needing two wins to guarantee tournament qualification. Center back Logan Ventura may be injured having not played in either game this past weekend.
MIT 2-3-0 (4-6-3) - The Engineers were blanked by Clark 1-0 and have not scored in their last 3 games. That trend continues this weekend at Coast Guard. MIT will need some help to finish in the top 5.
4/5 matchup going on tonight to see who advances to this weekend's semis...MIT and Clark in Worcester 0-0 about 20 minutes in but MIT seems hungrier. Clark won the regular season battle between these two 1-0 in Cambridge, but MIT has been much more threatening this opening stretch.
Clark on the back foot for most of the first half but then goes on the break. Kid looks prepared to pull the trigger from the top of the 18 but a brilliant slide tackle from MIT's #22 gets the ball away just in time, making the Clark kid whiff.
WOW! Carayannopolous with a left-footed banger from 25 yards off the crossbar, down on the line, and into the roof of the net with less than 3 to play in the half. That had some serious pace on it. MIT now up 1-0. 8 goals and 3 assists as a freshman (from 28 shots, a shot conversion % of .285) is very impressive. He has to be the NEWMAC rookie of the year.
Clark's GK looks small...is their volume on this game
Bloots How did Clark tie the game up...MIT looks much more athletic and had more skill from the little I have seen...
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 08:23:05 PM
Bloots How did Clark tie the game up...MIT looks much more athletic and had more skill from the little I have seen...
Long throw right after half.
15 minutes later, MIT's Nate Johnson finds himself alone in the box and finishes for 2-1.
I just do not get how this MIT side lost to Emerson...They look talented enough to hang with Springfield on Saturday and looked solid when I saw them 1st half at Brandeis..
yea I just got my answer...2-2 Clark on a horrific GK'ing error..feet in quicksand there...now i remember him against Brandeis
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 08:44:53 PM
yea I just got my answer...2-2 Clark on a horrific GK'ing error..feet in quicksand there...now i remember him against Brandeis
You think that was an error? Looked like a deflection to me which is why he was backpedaling. Pretty nuts that MIT hacked it off the line, but they gave the goal.
It was a deflection but the ball was in the air for 3 seconds on a deflection from about 10 yards...IMO GK must have that
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 08:48:49 PM
It was a deflection but the ball was in the air for 3 seconds on a deflection from about 10 yards...IMO GK must have that
Fair enough.
Maybe you are on to something...MIT GK came for the ball, missed it, looked like it was going in and a defender hacks off the line.
Keeper down on the play...game stops for a few minutes.
And we're on to OT.
I mean he looks very athletic...Why do I have a feeling someone is winning this in OT...BTW what in gods name does O'Toole have wrapped around his leg
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 08:55:21 PM
Why do I have a feeling someone is winning this in OT
SOG is 13-10 Clark, meaning both teams have created a lot. I don't see either as able to keep out the other, so it just depends who gets the first one.
Clark misses a great chance....that was basically a sitter....So Springfield beat both these teams 2-0 out shooting Clark 27-5 and MIT 20-8
Both teams with some very good looks in 2OT...MIT with maybe 1 more
Pk's it is...
MIT gets the jump in the shootout, 1-0.
Great pen by Clark to bottom right, 1-1.
WOW...excellent hit by Wilson, 2-1 MIT.
2-2.
McLaughlin saved! Clark takes advantage, 3-2.
Woo...composed to bottom left. 3-3.
Clark on the brink, 4-3.
MIT still alive...juuuuuuust beats the keeper for 4-4. Clark to win it...
...and the 'keeper of all people steps up and scores! 5-4 in the shootout to Clark, who will face Springfield on Saturday.
That's a gutsy move sending your 'keeper up to take the #5 kick. If he misses it looks absolutely foolish (although I suppose that's true of any GK going up to take a PK), but particularly in that #5 slot.
MIT's #12 the goat of the night with the only miss and had the arrogance to turn his back before hitting it...Stupid move...I just do not think Clark has enough physical bodies to deal with Springfield..They will have to play them differently and sit in compared to tonight..will be interesting hopefully those games are at night
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 09:39:13 PM
MIT's #12 the goat of the night with the only miss and had the arrogance to turn his back before hitting it...Stupid move...I just do not think Clark has enough physical bodies to deal with Springfield..They will have to play them differently and sit in compared to tonight..will be interesting hopefully those games are at night
I just watched it again...that was the stupidest thing. Goalkeepers do that sometimes, but that's to throw off the kicker. When you are the kicker and you have to turn around and re-orient yourself you probably sell where you're going.
Not that I ever played in PK shootouts, but my understanding is the best thing to do is just look at the ball when you're placing it, don't make eye contact with the 'keeper at all, and hit it. The more variables you insert into it, the greater the chance of missing.
correct..GK'ers either will read eyes 1st than hips...Also, VERY RISKY to have your GK hit #5...you are correct on that..I would never have my GK hit one and also would never use a cold player off the bench that barely played to hit one...
Quote from: blooter442 on November 01, 2017, 09:42:43 PM
Quote from: Mr.Right on November 01, 2017, 09:39:13 PM
MIT's #12 the goat of the night with the only miss and had the arrogance to turn his back before hitting it...Stupid move...I just do not think Clark has enough physical bodies to deal with Springfield..They will have to play them differently and sit in compared to tonight..will be interesting hopefully those games are at night
I just watched it again...that was the stupidest thing. Goalkeepers do that sometimes, but that's to throw off the kicker. When you are the kicker and you have to turn around and re-orient yourself you probably sell where you're going.
Not that I ever played in PK shootouts, but my understanding is the best thing to do is just look at the ball when you're placing it, don't make eye contact with the 'keeper at all, and hit it. The more variables you insert into it, the greater the chance of missing.
If my son is in line to take a PK in a shootout, he doesn't watch any of his teammates take their kick. He doesn't want to get pysched out by the GK or overthink what he's going to do. Coaches have tried to tell him he might pick something up, but this is what he says works for him. ::) :)
He has a friend on Clark's team, so I was watching the 2nd OT and the kicks. SO nerve wracking, and I wasn't even there, and had absolutely no vested interest.
Congrats to Clark, I think they'll have tough sledding against Springfield on Saturday.
Quote from: stillwatching on November 01, 2017, 09:50:31 PM
If my son is in line to take a PK in a shootout, he doesn't watch any of his teammates take their kick. He doesn't want to get pysched out by the GK or overthink what he's going to do. Coaches have tried to tell him he might pick something up, but this is what he says works for him. ::) :)
Honestly I would tend to agree with his approach. Sure, it does sometimes (rarely at the college level in my observations) happen that a GK can be picking one side, but just when you think he's only going that way and you put it the opposite way, he matches you. IMHO it's better to have a plan and stick to it regardless of what others are doing -- as a former competitive runner, the phrase "run your own race" comes to mind (although I did at times stray from that advice...and occasionally it was beneficial!).
If I was sent up to take a PK, went where I decided I was going to go, and it got saved, oh well. That happens. If I was to waffle and try to do it last minute, or went against my initial plan, and it ended up being saved, I'd be much more disappointed.