I guess I'll get the party started for the NEWMAC. Calling Off Pitch for some predictions, in the mean time here is the coaches poll:
2019 NEWMAC Men's Soccer Preseason Poll
1. Babson (7)
2. WPI
3. Springfield (1)
4. Wheaton
5. MIT
6. Clark
7. Coast Guard
8. Emerson
I'm mostly in agreement with this, especially the top 3, although I may be rethinking Springfield after this weekend with their 0-2 start (In fairness it was against good competition in SLU & Clarkson). I think Clark will finish in the top 4.
2019 NEWMAC fearless predictions:
1. Babson - must replace All-New England players Jackson Greenspan and Noah Parker, and they are well positioned to do so. Start with having played nine freshman extensively in last year's 12-3-4 season, sprinkle in a handful of seasoned upperclassmen and a D1 transfer, add senior goalkeepers and the Beavers have the quality and depth to repeat as regular season champions. SOS should not be an issue this year with non-conference games with Amherst, Williams, Tufts, Connecticut College, Brandeis, Endicott and Eastern Conn St.
2. WPI - with 6 returning senior starters, a well organized defense, and a healthy Paul Beatty?, the Engineers should challenge Babson for the top spot. The non-conference schedule includes Middlebury, St Joseph's, Brandeis, E Conn St and Endicott.
3. Clark - has just about everyone back from last year's 10-5-2 squad including their top eight leading scorers. Senior forward Sean Munroe (All-New England 2nd team) led the team with 11 goals and 4 assists. The Cougars fizzled in conference play last year but should benefit from having a more experienced side this time around. Clark plays Brandeis, Trinity, and Wesleyan out of conference, but SOS may be an issue for them later.
4. Springfield - a rebuilding year having lost stalwarts Denkel and Schneider. The Pride have 5 goalkeepers on their roster - ALL freshman! If Wheaton or MIT unexpectedly gels, Springfield could slip further down the standings.
5. Wheaton - this will not be a Matt Cushing type of Wheaton team. The Lyons are transitioning to a more staid style of play, and with losing last year's leading scorer, they lack the firepower to compete for a championship and may even struggle to qualify for the conference tournament.
6. MIT - lost leading scorer Woo from an anemic offensive team and will struggle to score against the quality defenses in the upper echelon of the conference and region.
7. Coast Guard - crafty but stern coach Chris Parsons will try to help navigate the Bears through this season and keep them afloat. With little leeway, a winning season would be hard to fathom. OK, I've got nothing on Coast Guard. As always, they will be well coached, fit and play really hard. A successful season would be qualifying for the conference tournament.
8. Emerson - Coach Harkin, a former Tufts assistant, is trying to build something with 18 of the 26 players on the roster being freshmen or sophomores. Maybe next year?
Clark vs. Brandeis — Brandeis the better in the first 5 minutes, but Clark has had two big chances: one, a diving header that missed wide on a nice low cross, and two, Irwin comes out for the ball, gets nowhere near it, and the Clark kid has an open net but hits the side netting. Irwin was the better of the two Brandeis keepers last year in my opinion, but he has not inspired confidence in the last two games.
Brandeis over Clark, 2-1, in 2OT. Cougars equalized with 1:45 left in regulation...not sure how it happened since the camera work wasn't great but Irwin had just had a clanger before where he missed the ball and was bailed out by his defender on the line. Winning goal was nice, though, a good cross volleyed in one time by Breiter. A better result against the team who rallied from 2-0 down for a 2-2 draw which started the 0-4-1 stretch to end the season last year, but the Judges could use some more experience.
Have a sneaky feeling that Babson may win on the Brandeis turf for the first time ever tomorrow (the turf was installed in 2005). Since 2012 the Judges have gone 5-2 against the Beavers (4-0 at home) but Babson has won two out of the last three. Having seen both sides, the Beavers seem to be a bit more poised and from a quick glance they have a HUGE squad. While I think Brandeis' 2-1 win on the road on Wednesday was a good character marker after conceding with 1:45 left in regulation, they still seem to be sorting some things out defensively. That being said, they do look like they can cause Babson some problems going forward, so we shall see.
Just like that, 1-0 Babson. Brandeis had most of the opening possession and had a shot cleared off the line but Babson capitalized on a failed clear which they recycled and was finished off by the man at the back post. Judges totally switched off on that second ball.
1-1. Moments after being denied by a great save, DeNight bangs one in off the bar from 25 yards out. What a strike! What a player he seems to be.
Judges on top, 2-1, a scrappy goal following a set play. They are showing resilience after going 1-0 down and losing DeNight to injury just after the equalizer.
Brandeis pulls out the win, 2-1, in a game quite frankly I did not see them winning. Kudos to them, this is a statement win. They were certainly the better side on the day, even after going 1-0 down, and DeNight's goal was a goal of the season contender. His injury was unfortunate and while he was able to get up and walk he needed some help. It looked bad but happened because of a foul and not an off-the-ball knee/hamstring/calf pull. He looks like the real deal. A bit of extracurriculars at the end with Hennessy going in with an elbow on Babson goalscorer Hanlon who then comes and flattens the former as time expired. Seemed like a (mild) brawl might surface for a bit but it played out without incident. Babson didn't play poorly, and they do look much better on turf after moving to it at the tail end of last year, but Brandeis was first to most of the 50/50s and dominated the shot and SOG counts. Irwin looked more assured than I have seen in a while, though he didn't have much to do, as possession seemed to be about 65/35 in favor of the hosts. I did think this year's team looked more competitive than last year's team but wasn't sure if they could win a grudge match like this...the W&L game, they should have at least gotten a draw...but they have come through adversity in their last two. Even with today's result, I think Babson will still be solid — they have good coaching and some really solid young talent. I am sure most of the Brandeis players have read the boards and know they have a lot to prove after last year, and today they rediscovered their mojo.
Clark with a big non-conference win at Trinity, 3-2.
NEWMAC weekend 1 predictions:
Emerson @ Clark: Emerson enters 1-4-1 having dropped four straight contests by a combined score of 2-14. Their closest game in that stretch was a 1-0 loss to Wesleyan Tuesday. Clark is 5-1 having only lost to Brandeis. Senior leader Sean Munroe has already racked up 5 goals and 3 assists. The Cougars easily tame the Lions. Clark 3 - Emerson 0.
Coast Guard @ Springfield: Coast Guard is 3-3 having won all three road games and lost all three games at home. More significantly, they have lost all games played against teams with winning records. Springfield surprisingly has opened the season only 1-5-1 with their only win coming in their only home game thus far to go along with the tie at Williams. Even though the Pride are rebuilding with only one senior starter, they should have more talent than Coast Guard and will break the Bears road winning streak. Springfield 1 - Coast Guard 0.
Wheaton @ MIT: Wheaton is 3-4 but has been shut out in two consecutive games (0-1 vs Endicott and a 0-6 shellacking vs Tufts). They are 1-3 against teams with winning records with a combined 3-14 score. MIT enters undefeated (2-0-3). The Engineers narrowly avoid a fourth tie. MIT 2 - Wheaton 1 (OT).
WPI @ Babson: The two strongest teams in the conference square off week 1. WPI (4-1-1) has surrendered only 2 goals on the season (0-1 vs. EConnSt and 1-1 vs Brandeis), but in four games against quality opponents have only scored 3 times. Oft-injured Paul Beatty has not played since the Brandeis game. Babson comes in 3-3 having dropped contests to regional/national powers Amherst, Brandeis and Williams. Soph Mitch Collins leads the Beavers with 5 goals. I give Babson a slight edge in this one as I believe it will be WPI's first game on grass. Babson 1 - WPI 0.
Babson and WPI finishes 0-0. Only saw the OTs but based on those WPI looked like the better side and had more of the ball.
Shout out to the announcers who did the Springfield/Endicott game last night. I watched part and was impressed, not only with their soccer commentary, but more importantly with the player information they provided such as internships they've completed, majors, etc.
Week 2 predictions
Babson @ Springfield: Springfield (2-6-1, 1-0) has only played two of their first nine games at home, and they won both those contests. However, they are winless against their four opponents with winning records having been outscored 7-1. Babson (4-3-1, 0-0-1), coming off a 6 goal explosion Wednesday against New England College, finds a way. Babson 1 - Springfield 0
Coast Guard @ Emerson: Emerson (2-5-1, 0-1) has amassed a 3-39-1 record since joining the NEWMAC in 2013. Two of the three wins have been 1-0 over Coast Guard in 2016 and 2018, and this game represents their best chance for a conference win again this year. The difference is that the Lions surrender 3 goals per game vs. only 1 goal per game for Coast Guard. With Emerson being very young, the toughness and maturity of the Bears should prevail. Coast Guard 2 - Emerson 1.
Clark @ Wheaton: Clark (6-2, 1-1) is the highest scoring team in the conference, and only Emerson gives up more goals than Wheaton. (Flashback to 2018 - Clark started 7-0 before finishing 3-5-2 when the level of competition picked up.) The Cougars are 1-2 vs teams with winning records so far this year. Clark's Sean Munroe leads the conference in goals (7) and points (18). Wheaton (3-5-1, 0-1) have scored only 1 goal in their last 4 games. Clark 2 - Wheaton 1.
WPI @ MIT: This contest features my guaranteed pick of the week - the Engineers will not lose. MIT enters undefeated (4-0-3, 1-0) surprisingly scoring a couple of goals per game. But, they have not played a team as strong defensively as WPI who enters with 5 clean sheets in 8 games allowing a paltry 7 shots per game. WPI 1 - MIT 0.
Quote from: Off Pitch on September 27, 2019, 01:45:55 PM
Week 2 predictions
Babson @ Springfield: Springfield (2-6-1, 1-0) has only played two of their first nine games at home, and they won both those contests. However, they are winless against their four opponents with winning records having been outscored 7-1. Babson (4-3-1, 0-0-1), coming off a 6 goal explosion Wednesday against New England College, finds a way. Babson 1 - Springfield 0
Coast Guard @ Emerson: Emerson (2-5-1, 0-1) has amassed a 3-39-1 record since joining the NEWMAC in 2013. Two of the three wins have been 1-0 over Coast Guard in 2016 and 2018, and this game represents their best chance for a conference win again this year. The difference is that the Lions surrender 3 goals per game vs. only 1 goal per game for Coast Guard. With Emerson being very young, the toughness and maturity of the Bears should prevail. Coast Guard 2 - Emerson 1.
Clark @ Wheaton: Clark (6-2, 1-1) is the highest scoring team in the conference, and only Emerson gives up more goals than Wheaton. (Flashback to 2018 - Clark started 7-0 before finishing 3-5-2 when the level of competition picked up.) The Cougars are 1-2 vs teams with winning records so far this year. Clark's Sean Munroe leads the conference in goals (7) and points (18). Wheaton (3-5-1, 0-1) have scored only 1 goal in their last 4 games. Clark 2 - Wheaton 1.
WPI @ MIT: This contest features my guaranteed pick of the week - the Engineers will not lose. MIT enters undefeated (4-0-3, 1-0) surprisingly scoring a couple of goals per game. But, they have not played a team as strong defensively as WPI who enters with 5 clean sheets in 8 games allowing a paltry 7 shots per game. WPI 1 - MIT 0.
Well played (even if there is the chance that one set of Engineers lose). +K
week 3 predictions
With the exception of Emerson, all teams still remain in serious contention for the conference title. This is great for parity and competitive games, but it also means that none of the teams currently deserve a New England ranking.
Emerson @ WPI: The Engineers (5-2-3, 0-0-2) will take out some frustration on Emerson (2-7-1, 0-2) and notch their first conference win. WPI 4 - Emerson 0
Wheaton @ Coast Guard: Wheaton (5-5-1, 1-1) is playing better in their last three games with victories over Clark and Gordon and a tie with Brandeis. Coast Guard (6-4, 1-1) has won three straight against decidedly weaker competition (combined record 5-20-2). Wheaton 1 - Coast Guard 1
Springfield @ Clark: Springfield (3-7-1, 1-1) has won only once in eight road games. Clark (7-4, 1-1) had dropped three games in a row, reminiscent of last year's second half collapse, before rebounding with a solid 4-2 win over a decent Western New England side. Clark 2 - Springfield 1
MIT @ Babson: The winner of this contest would emerge with sole possession of first place. Surprising MIT (4-1-4, 1-0-1) suffered their first loss of the season Tuesday at Brandeis, but they are likely to have a SOS issues for a potential regional ranking. Babson (5-4-1, 1-0-1) also lost Tuesday in OT vs Endicott. The Beavers will not have any problem with SOS (and still have Tufts, Conn College and EConn St to play) and enter better prepared for this matchup. Babson 2 - MIT 1
NEWMAC update:
1. Clark 4-1-0 (11-4-0): The Cougars current hold on the top spot in the conference standings is tenuous as they have not yet played the two teams tied for second - at Babson and WPI. Also, they do not appear in the 10/23 Regional Rankings - presumably due to their .509 SOS. It is very likely that Clark finishes 0-2 or 0-1-1 and falls to 3rd in the final standings.
2. Babson 3-0-2 (9-5-2): Babson's SOS of .553 in the Regional Rankings is baffling. The Beavers have played the teams ranked 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 12, yet they only have the 13th toughest schedule in New England. They close conference play with Clark and at Coast Guard and have a good chance of securing at least a tie for the regular season championship. And the future is bright as 8 of Babson's normal starters are Freshmen or Sophomores.
3. WPI 3-0-2 (9-2-4): The Engineers were ranked #6 in New England in the 10/23 Regional Rankings - the highest ranked team in the NEWMAC. Since then, they traveled to St. Josephs (Maine) and handed St Joes their first regular season loss in 3 years ending their 65 game unbeaten streak. WPI has surrendered only 4 goals on the season, and their defensive strength makes every game competitive. Interestingly, they have played only 4 ranked teams (RvsR 0-0-4) with #3 Middlebury the highest ranked, but WPI's SOS of .576 is significantly higher than Babson's.
4. MIT 2-1-2 (7-2-6): MIT finishes conference play with Emerson and Coast Guard and could realistically end up in 2nd place. They have only been shut out once all season but are 0-2-1 against ranked teams.
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Wheaton 2-3-0 (7-7-1) and Springfield 2-3-0 (4-10-1) will be battling for the 5th and final conference tournament slot. They play each other in the final game of the season, but Wheaton has a leg up as they get Emerson this weekend while Springfield visits WPI.
NEW ENGLAND REGION - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - October 30, 2019
Rank
|
School | . Div. III .
Record | . Div. III .
SOS |
. R-v-R .
| . Overall .
Record | . Prev. .
Rank |
1. | Amherst | 12-0-2 | 0.608 | 5-0-2 | 12-0-2 | 1 |
2. | Tufts | 10-2-2 | 0.611 | 6-2-1 | 10-2-2 | 2 |
3. | Connecticut College | 9-3-2 | 0.606 | 2-3-2 | 9-3-2 | 4 |
4. | Middlebury | 7-2-5 | 0.609 | 2-2-2 | 7-2-5 | 3 |
5. | Brandeis | 9-3-4 | 0.585 | 2-3-1 | 9-3-4 | 5 |
6. | Williams | 7-3-4 | 0.577 | 4-3-1 | 7-3-4 | 9 |
7. | Babson | 10-5-2 | 0.570 | 2-3-2 | 10-5-2 | 7 |
8. | WPI | 10-2-4 | 0.577 | 0-0-4 | 10-2-4 | 6 |
9. | Bates | 8-5-1 | 0.567 | 2-4-0 | 8-5-1 | 10 |
10. | Keene State | 12-5-0 | 0.564 | 0-2-0 | 12-5-0 | 8 |
11. | Endicott | 9-5-2 | 0.553 | 1-2-0 | 9-5-2 | -- |
12. | Eastern Connecticut | 14-2-0 | 0.494 | 3-1-0 | 14-2-0 | -- |
What a finish for Babson last night at WPI! With roughly 4 seconds left in the 2nd OT, senior Alex Crompton strikes a perfect
bicycle kick from a cross by senior Youcef Ziad to give the Beavers the NEWMAC Championship 1-0. Beavers head into the NCAA tournament winners of 9 out of their last 10.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1193329934237913099
Quote from: TyWebb on November 10, 2019, 09:44:57 PM
What a finish for Babson last night at WPI! With roughly 4 seconds left in the 2nd OT, senior Alex Crompton strikes a perfect
bicycle kick from a cross by senior Youcef Ziad to give the Beavers the NEWMAC Championship 1-0. Beavers head into the NCAA tournament winners of 9 out of their last 10.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1193329934237913099
Wow. Thanks. Doesn't get any better than that. Surprised no one said anything about this game before now. Imagine if WPI doesn't get a bid because of that goal. Blooter must be off the grid because he would have been all over this one.
Quote from: PaulNewman on November 10, 2019, 09:53:58 PM
Blooter must be off the grid because he would have been all over this one.
Aye, busy weekend. Only game I saw in real-time this weekend was LFC-MCFC. Heard about this goal but did not see it. I know people use the term "bicycle" liberally but this lived up to it. Great finish.
Oh, what a difference a year makes! Babson, which won the NEWMAC regular season last year then lost to Springfield in the championship game on a last-minute goal in regulation came up short on a Pool C bid after the loss.
WPI the NEWMAC regular season co-champion this year loses to Babson in the last minute of the 2nd OT but gets a Pool C selection (which I feel they deserve).
(2018) Babson 12-3-4 0.583 1-3-3 12-3-4
(2019) WPI 12-3-4 0.584 2-2-3 12-3-4
Obviously, every year is a different set of circumstances but I still found it interesting how close these two squads looked on paper (albeit WPI with the slightest edge).
Quote from: TyWebb on November 12, 2019, 02:19:42 PM
Obviously, every year is a different set of circumstances but I still found it interesting how close these two squads looked on paper (albeit WPI with the slightest edge).
Maybe that second ranked win did it? A lot of that has to do with the relative positions of fellow Pool C candidates in that year, as you pointed out. Interestingly, I think the consensus this year was that WPI was "solidly" in (not a lock in the form of Tufts, but not on the bubble, either) whereas Babson last year was "in trouble" (wrong side of the bubble). Personally, I felt their schedule was a bit soft last year, but I guess they learned their lesson — they beefed it up this year in adding Amherst, Conn., and Endicott. I think they would have made it in via Pool C this year, but they probably would have been the last one in from New England. Either way, moot point.