MISSING, I REPEAT MISSING: Mohammed Nuhu. Description: 5'7 167 pound forward on the Amherst Men's Soccer team. Last seen: in the pocket of every player on Bello Field.

WANTED: Justin Serpone. Last seen: harassing a young man on the Tufts Mens Soccer Team during a.. throw-in... Also last seen: doing everything other than coaching his team to at least a subpar performance

You just can't make this stuff up                   

ALSO, WHERE IS ENMORE CAT AND ENMORE KITTEN?

Predictions for the NESCAC classico tonight as Amherst travel to Tufts?

MASSIVE Nescac weekend ahead of us. My predictions:

Bowdoin 2-1 Trinity
Wesleyan 0-0 Williams
Tufts 3-1 Bates
Amherst 4-0 Penn State Harrisburg (really Amherst? is that what your scheduling has come to??)
Conn College 2-2 Hamilton
Middlebury 2-1 Colby (Midd doesn't have a choice but to win here)

As we move through October, the main questions left to be unanswered:

- Are Middlebury washed?
- Can Wesleyan hold on to this form?
- Are Williams now a NESCAC powerhouse after a few years of growing success?
- Is Tyler "Huck Tua" the best player in the league?
- Who has the best defense in the league?
- Is this the most open the league has been in recent years?

Big game today in Wellesley, MA as the Jumbos travel to take on the Beavers. In my opinion this is a must win game for Tufts. My prediction is 2-0 to Tufts with #18 and #20 on the scoresheet as well.

Also wondering if Tufts will have #16 Feinberg back. He is the rock of that back line and the inexperience without him showed this past Saturday as they dropped points to Wesleyan.

3-0... At Home...on the day of their "Pride game"...Terrible day to be a Mammoth! One of the worst results I have seen in my last 6 years following the NESCAC. This might cancel out last year's National Championship!

Also, I do NOT want to hear any Dezotell slander. Taking over a team with that level of success is no easy task. Winning a NESCAC title in his first season is a testament to his capabilities. Now, in his fifth year, he finally has a full team recruited by himself and, in my opinion, is ready for some real judgment. How has he responded? A 5-1-1 record and second place in the NESCAC. Yes, they had an embarrassing home loss to Williams, but I wouldn't be surprised if that ends up being more of a blessing than a reflection of how the team will shape up.

Like I mentioned before, Conn College losing Jake Creus was the worst thing that could have happened to the program. That kid had some sort of dark arts working for him and the program. Whenever he was on the field, all bets were off, as they always just found a way to win.

I think the NESCAC this year is an open race, as it doesn't seem like there are three to five powerhouses with the rest fighting for scraps. With Trinity already having two wins this season, Amherst and Middlebury already dropping points twice, and Conn being an utter disappointment, we're seeing more of an even playing field.

The two questions I'm asking myself are: Can Williams keep it up? And what are the "big dogs" (Tufts, Amherst, Midd) going to do about it? Tufts is facing a serious injury problem but still has quite a bit of depth. As I said before, if Xavier Canfin can get hot, there's no stopping that team from winning it all.

I think a lot of this comes down to the fact that the players and general program of "Amherst Men's Soccer" simply don't have anything better to do.

Real quick, I completely respect what Amherst have going on. Clearly Serpone has built a culture based on results (National championship as well as multiple visits to the game, constant NESCAC success)... as well as the students having a clear path for success in the real world. HOWEVER, WHILE THEY ARE STUDENTS AT AMHERST, they don't really have anything else going for them..

I mean think about it, less than 2000 students at a liberal arts college in a small town. The school is 2 hours from Boston and 3 from NYC. I mean I don't blame them for playing like a bunch of buffoons. They have nothing else going on in their lives during the soccer season. No fun social life, certainly can't expect an abundance of exciting women in that town.. heck, is there even a McDonalds nearby?

My point is, that school is incredibly secluded and it seems that it must just be an incredibly boring place to go to school. If you're a player there, you might as well join in on the tomfoolery that is "Amhersts style of play" because really and truly, what else are you going to do with your life as an Amherst Soccer Player? You either join the cult or live in insanity knowing you're trapped in a small town in the middle of nowhere, with nothing else to do.

Not surprised with the tufts result at all.. seems they have found the goals already!! Hope the form continues but two rookies both grabbing two goals is no joke!! I expect Dezotell's troops to continue the form into the weekend

NESCAC 2025 Season Predictions

I think Tufts is my choice to win the league this year. They've been right there the last few years, defending as well as anyone in the country, but they just haven't had the goals in the big moments. If they can find a true #9 or just a couple guys who step up and finish chances when it matters, I don't see anyone stopping them. Tufts has to be asking themselves right now, "are we going to keep falling short, or are we going to step up and be the top dogs this year." This all comes down to goal-scoring and if their players are going to grab goals when it matters. 

Defensive player of the year for me is without a doubt Taylor Feinberg from Tufts. Rock solid and the kind of guy you build a back line around. The kid is going into his 5th year and is a brick wall but also grabs goals when they seem to matter. He will be the focal point of a tufts defensive looking to keep up the form they've had the last few years.

Offensive player of the year I'll go with either Keagan Harder from Middlebury or Xavier Canfin from Tufts. Harder was on fire at the end of last season and if he keeps that form he'll be tough to beat. But if Xavier stays healthy and locks in, it's his award. He has to stay away from the Boston nightclub scene and the distraction of all the beautiful girls at Tufts! Xavier if you are reading this, 8 hours of sleep every night, 3-5 fully balanced meals a day, and lots of water young lad!!! He's got the talent, it's just about focus and having the confidence to take defenders 1v1 and FINISH.

Tufts has the depth, and Dezotell finally has four full years of his own recruits. He's settled into the job and I think he's ready to take a team all the way. They'll miss a few of the guys who left but with the returners and some freshmen who can make an impact, I'm backing them.

Player to watch is sophomore Will Nicholas. Scored a worldie last season and had some big games. The question is, is he going to be happy being good or does he want to be great? Especially when you see a guy like Harder exploding as a freshman at Middlebury. Nicholas has to decide if he's going to let another man outshine him. Mr. Nicholas, go be GREAT!

For the title race, I've got Tufts, Middlebury, and Amherst as the big three. Conn can't totally be ignored but Jake Creus is retired now and whatever voodoo or weird rituals he had working for them is gone.

I'm pumped for this season. Tufts is hungry, Middlebury has firepower, Amherst is Amherst, and the whole thing is wide open.