Another in my series of previews of games involving Region X teams

#13/#18 (NPI) Southwestern v. #184 (NPI) Hardin-Simmons at Southwestern on Saturday 11/14 at 3 pm central

It is curious that this is the game in the Texas pod that does not involve a re-match.  Not only did Southwestern and Hardin-Simmons not play each other this season in a non-conference game, but they haven't played each other since 2023.  Before that, they played each other quite often, facing each other 18 times between 2000 and 2023.  Part of that is Southwestern's move to the SAA, which left them with more non-conference games to schedule, but all the SCAC teams as potential opponents along with hosting teams like Lynchburg and La Verne this season.  Hardin-Simmons also has fewer non-conference slots because of the ASC moving this season to a double round robin.

The teams do have some common opponents.  Hardin-Simmons lost to Texas Lutheran 5-1 on 9/18, lost to Trinity 4-0 on 9/20, and beat East Texas Baptist 3-1 on 10/8, 2-1 on 10/15, and 4-1 on 11/8, while Southwestern lost to East Texas Baptist 3-1 on 9/4, beat Texas Lutheran 2-0 on 9/11 and tied Trinity 0-0 on 10/6.  These are wildly different outcomes depending upon opponent, but I would chalk it up to timing.  Hardin-Simmons started out slow (when it was crushed by Texas Lutheran and Trinity) and finished strong (when it beat ETBU) and East Texas Baptist started out strong in September (when it beat Southwestern) and finished poorly in October/November (when it lost to H-S three times).

Hardin-Simmons is coming in hot, having gone unbeaten in 7 games with 5 wins in a row, but all of those games have been in-conference and the ASC is not particularly strong.  Southwestern had gone 15 games unbeaten before losing on a late goal to Rhodes in the SAA semifinals.  Southwestern once again struggled for lack of offense, offering only 3 shots on goal, including 0 shots of any kind in the first half. 

I expect Southwestern to be motivated as a result of its loss to Rhodes, but it might play into Hardin-Simmons' hands if they are overly aggressive on the offensive front.  Hardin-Simmons has kind of specialized in bunkering and launching counters as part of their mid-season turnaround.  They have given up 8 goals in the last 10 games after giving up 21 goals in the first 8 games of the season.  Against Mary Hardin-Baylor, they only took 6 shots, compared to 28 for UMHB, but scored on a goal by Jaxon Shaffer, who came back from injury right around when Hardin-Simmons started turning its season around.  He scored all 6 of his goals in those last 10 games, often providing a speedy outlet on the right wing for the counter attacks.

One interesting note is that H-S rotates its goalkeepers, with Joel McPherson typically starting and Joaquin Sanchez coming on in the second half.  I think more schools would be better served by doing that, but in this case when Sanchez comes on it will be interesting to see if Southwestern adjusts its offensive strategy at all.  Defender Cooper Pero is already Southwestern's second leading scorer with 6 goals, but at 6'4" against 5'8" Sanchez, the mismatch is obvious on set plays.  H-S doesn't have a lot of height on the back line to protect Sanchez either, with MF Noah Halpin the tallest regular starter at 6'3", but I'm not sure he can physically stay with Pero.  They have some big defenders on the bench, but they are freshmen.

Another in my series of previews of games involving Region X teams

#13/#18 (NPI) Southwestern v. #184 (NPI) Hardin-Simmons at Southwestern on Saturday 11/14 at 3 pm central

It is curious that this is the game in the Texas pod that does not involve a re-match.  Not only did Southwestern and Hardin-Simmons not play each other this season in a non-conference game, but they haven't played each other since 2023.  Before that, they played each other quite often, facing each other 18 times between 2000 and 2023.  Part of that is Southwestern's move to the SAA, which left them with more non-conference games to schedule, but all the SCAC teams as potential opponents along with hosting teams like Lynchburg and La Verne this season.  Hardin-Simmons also has fewer non-conference slots because of the ASC moving this season to a double round robin.

The teams do have some common opponents.  Hardin-Simmons lost to Texas Lutheran 5-1 on 9/18, lost to Trinity 4-0 on 9/20, and beat East Texas Baptist 3-1 on 10/8, 2-1 on 10/15, and 4-1 on 11/8, while Southwestern lost to East Texas Baptist 3-1 on 9/4, beat Texas Lutheran 2-0 on 9/11 and tied Trinity 0-0 on 10/6.  These are wildly different outcomes depending upon opponent, but I would chalk it up to timing.  Hardin-Simmons started out slow (when it was crushed by Texas Lutheran and Trinity) and finished strong (when it beat ETBU) and East Texas Baptist started out strong in September (when it beat Southwestern) and finished poorly in October/November (when it lost to H-S three times).

Hardin-Simmons is coming in hot, having gone unbeaten in 7 games with 5 wins in a row, but all of those games have been in-conference and the ASC is not particularly strong.  Southwestern had gone 15 games unbeaten before losing on a late goal to Rhodes in the SAA semifinals.  Southwestern once again struggled for lack of offense, offering only 3 shots on goal, including 0 shots of any kind in the first half. 

I expect Southwestern to be motivated as a result of its loss to Rhodes, but it might play into Hardin-Simmons' hands if they are overly aggressive on the offensive front.  Hardin-Simmons has kind of specialized in bunkering and launching counters as part of their mid-season turnaround.  They have given up 8 goals in the last 10 games after giving up 21 goals in the first 8 games of the season.  Against Mary Hardin-Baylor, they only took 6 shots, compared to 28 for UMHB, but scored on a goal by Jaxon Shaffer, who came back from injury right around when Hardin-Simmons started turning its season around.  He scored all 6 of his goals in those last 10 games, often providing a speedy outlet on the right wing for the counter attacks.

One interesting note is that H-S rotates its goalkeepers, with Joel McPherson typically starting and Joaquin Sanchez coming on in the second half.  I think more schools would be better served by doing that, but in this case when Sanchez comes on it will be interesting to see if Southwestern adjusts its offensive strategy at all.  Defender Cooper Pero is already Southwestern's second leading scorer with 6 goals, but at 6'4" against 5'8" Sanchez, the mismatch is obvious on set plays.  H-S doesn't have a lot of height on the back line to protect Sanchez either, with MF Noah Halpin the tallest regular starter at 6'3", but I'm not sure he can physically stay with Pero.  They have some big defenders on the bench, but they are freshmen.

More Region X previews

#38 (NPI) Trinity v. #74 (NPI) La Verne, Saturday, 11/14, at 5:30 pm at Southwestern

This is the unusual case of a rematch between a SAA and SCIAC team.  Trinity and La Verne played each other back on 9/11 and tied 1-1.  Trinity had the better of possession in what was otherwise a pretty even game, but La Verne could have won it but for a PK that hit the post in the second half.  Trinity had a man advantage starting in the 77th minute when Aiden Tapia-Palacios was shown a red card for grabbing a Trinity player's neck, but La Verne stayed compact and held on.

Trinity is a very different team than it was against La Verne in the regular season. First, Gustav Moberg, who delivered the assist on Trinity's goal, hasn't played since Oct. 18 against Oglethorpe.  Second, Ethan Cowdrey, Trinity's 6'7" center back, who started and played a half that game, played 1 minute in the Millsaps game on November 1 and missed both games in the SCAC tournament.  I'm not sure the defense isn't better against a team like La Verne in the run of play with a quicker defender out there, but Cowdrey offers a dimension on corners and set plays that is valuable.  They will miss him if he isn't available.  Third, that was the last game Max Salinas has played for Trinity this season.  They really could use his creativity in the middle of the park.  Finally, Eduardo Parra, Trinity's leading scorer with 11 goals, didn't even get off the bench against La Verne that game.  He scored his first goal the next game against Texas A&M San Antonio and he has been on fire to end the season, scoring goals in 6 of the last 8 games.  He offers more than Joey Perryman, the starter the last La Verne game, does, and is the kind of player who can challenge La Verne's defense.

La Verne also has dealt with injuries, but they seem to be rounding back to health at the right time.  Hernan Sevilla, a defender who started and played 86 minutes the last game, missed the the last week of September and the whole month of October, but he came back for the SCIAC tournament, logging 34 and 27 minutes in the last two games.  His twin brother Uli Sevilla, however, who also started and played most of the game v. Trinity, continues to be out.  On the flip side, second leading scorer and playmaker Juan Manzano (5g/7a), who missed the Texas trip altogether and a chunk of October, came back and had a goal and an assist v. CMS in the SCIAC tournament.  The Colombian player will be a handful for the Trinity defense. Forward Josiah Barber, a DI transfer from UC Santa Barbara who has 4g/2a this season, also missed the Texas trip and came back in mid-October after being out a month.  Since he returned and got his fitness back, he has come alive, scoring in 3 of the last 5 games, including opening the scoring against CMS in the SCIAC tournament. Getting him, Manzano, and Hernan Sevilla back for the tournament was an underrated part of their success.

Trinity should be heavily favored given travel and coming into the game with a 16 game unbeaten streak that started after they returned from their SoCal washout trip and tied La Verne.  One advantage La Verne has in addition to being familiar with Trinity is that they played at Southwestern two days after playing at Trinity, so they are familiar with Southwestern's field and locker room setup.  Those little things can take the edge off the nerves of being in the NCAA tournament for the first time.

#38 (NPI) Trinity v. #74 (NPI) La Verne

This is the unusual case of a rematch between a SAA and SCIAC team.  Trinity and La Verne played each other back on 9/11 and tied 1-1.  Trinity had the better of possession in what was otherwise a pretty even game, but La Verne could have won it but for a PK that hit the post in the second half.  Trinity had a man advantage starting in the 77th minute when Aiden Tapia-Palacios was shown a red card for grabbing a Trinity player's neck, but La Verne stayed compact and held on.

Trinity is a very different team than it was against La Verne in the regular season. First, Gustav Moberg, who delivered the assist on Trinity's goal, hasn't played since Oct. 18 against Oglethorpe.  Second, Ethan Cowdrey, Trinity's 6'7" center back, who started and played a half that game, played 1 minute in the Millsaps game on November 1 and missed both games in the SCAC tournament.  I'm not sure the defense isn't better against a team like La Verne in the run of play with a quicker defender out there, but Cowdrey offers a size dimension on corners and set plays that is valuable.  They will miss him if he isn't available.  Third, that was the last game Max Salinas played for Trinity this season.  They really could use his creativity in the middle of the park.  Finally, Eduardo Parra, Trinity's leading scorer with 11 goals, didn't even get off the bench against La Verne that game.  He scored his first goal the next game against Texas A&M San Antonio and he has been on fire to end the season, scoring goals in 6 of the last 8 games.  He offers more than Joey Perryman, the starter the last La Verne game, does, and is the kind of player who can challenge La Verne's defense.

La Verne also has dealt with injuries, but they seem to be rounding back to health at the right time.  Hernan Sevilla, a defender who started and played 86 minutes the last game, missed the the last week of September and the whole month of October, but he came back for the SCIAC tournament, logging 34 and 27 minutes in the last two games.  His twin brother Uli Sevilla, however, who also started and played most of the game v. Trinity, continues to be out.  On the flip side, second leading scorer and playmaker Juan Manzano (5g/7a), who missed the Texas trip altogether and a chunk of October, came back and had a goal and an assist v. CMS in the SCIAC tournament.  The Colombian player will be a handful for the Trinity defense. Forward Josiah Barber, a DI transfer from UC Santa Barbara who has 4g/2a this season, also missed the Texas trip and came back in mid-October after being out a month.  Since he returned and got his fitness back, he has come alive, scoring in 3 of the last 5 games, including opening the scoring against CMS in the SCIAC tournament. Getting him, Manzano, and Hernan Sevilla back for the tournament was an underrated part of their success.

Trinity should be heavily favored given travel and coming into the game with a 16 game unbeaten streak that started after they returned from their SoCal washout trip and tied La Verne.  One advantage La Verne has in addition to being familiar with Trinity is that they played at Southwestern two days after playing at Trinity, so they are familiar with Southwestern's field and locker room setup.  Those little things can take the edge off the nerves of being in the NCAA tournament for the first time.

Quote from: Sandon Mibut on Yesterday at 07:54:59 PMWe are talking about extremely fine margins here. I suspect the NPI changes will not move Hamilton or Wesleyan from #6 or 12(?) down to 50 or 60 nor will the Salisbury's jump from 43(?) to 20. It will still be a battle on the bubble and perhaps some different teams will make it. Nearly every team has ties so the 50% to 45% drop will affect everyone. Awesome. One of the interesting aspects, to me, of the NCAA tournament is seeing the diversity of match ups.

Good luck to all!

This isn't the right thread to really dig into the NCAA rule changes for the NPI next year, but it will be interesting to see if the changes to ties will alter the way some teams approach the game tactically.  Playing for ties against stronger teams in the conference may have been the recipe for keeping contention for both the NESCAC and NCAA tournament as long as they win their nonconference games (Bates, for example, may have lost out on an at large bid with its tie against Southern Maine).  If, however, teams start playing more for wins to keep pace, that will create a divergence of outcomes that would naturally reduce the number of teams that could qualify from a single conference.   

Quote from: Gregory Sager on Yesterday at 06:07:32 PM

Quote from: wesleyansuperfan20 on Yesterday at 03:29:55 PMBut seeing what I call the "annual west coast outrage" this past week has been a bit too much. There's always complaints about the NESCAC, east coast teams, etc. The NCAA Tournament is for the best teams in the country - at least, the at-large spots are for exactly that. If we make it about who's most deserving, I'd imagine there's 400+ opinions on what that means. And as others have poked at, we'd need a 400 team tournament to decide a national champion.

The NESCAC has, by far, the best teams in the country. This may upset you if your son doesn't play in the NESCAC, but this is just the truth. Learn from Babson: they prove they can compete with the best by scheduling NESCACs every year (where they usually tie games at best). But, to what extent is there a point to this? See you guys in November 2027 for our annual west coast outrage.

What outrage? There are a grand total of three of us here talking about this topic, and our beef has gone no further than me saying that I'm not going to shed any tears about the Jumbos having to fly to the midwest if and when Tufts wins its quad. Also, stlawus, who posted after you, has pointed out that numerous NCAA sports have mandated that only teams with winning records can receive at-large bids to postseason tournaments, but that point is only tangential to the larger topic of NESCAC hegemony in D3 men's soccer.

And the three of us who are bandying this about consist of myself (a Chicagoan who supports a Chicago-based team), mngopher (whose name is a dead giveaway that he's a MIAC fan from the Land of 10,000 Lakes), and stlawus (whose name indicates that he's right in your backyard across Lake Champlain). You might want to check a map, because it's kinda hard to generate an "annual west coast outrage" from Chicago, Minnesota, and upstate New York. Oh, wait a minute ... Ron Boerger has checked in as well. But he's a Texan, and, while Texas is many things both good and bad, like Chicago, Minnesota, and upstate NY it is in no way, shape, or form a part of the West Coast.

This isn't about an "annual west coast outrage." This is some guy so eager to climb back on his hobby horse that he both pulled the trigger too early and misread his audience.

I can assure you no one out here is outraged.  Heck, very few people besides me in the SoCal soccer world know this Board exists, only slightly more have heard of the NESCAC (we have to persuade the kids that they shouldn't ignore interest from Williams and Bowdoin just because they are D3 schools they have never heard of and not local D2 schools like Westmont or Cal State San Marcos), and I can't think of a single D3 men's soccer team that feels hard-done by this year's NCAA tournament selections.   

The one SoCal school that is thinking about the NCAA tournament right now is La Verne, which qualified for the first time in its history.  They are just happy to be going back to Texas for a re-match against Trinity (TX).  Those kids have no idea that there is a Trinity in Connecticut too.       

Reposted from NCAA Tournament Thread for those Region X fans who aren't following that thread

First Preview of games involving Region X teams:

RV/#47 NPI Colorado College v. #23/#24 NPI Washington & Lee @ Rowan on Saturday, 11/14 at 2:30 pm eastern

The last time these two teams faced each other was in the 4th round of the NCAA tournament in 2023 @ Tufts, when W&L won in PKs 5-4.

Colorado College is the SCAC champion, having gone undefeated in conference play and beating LeTourneau in the SCAC finals 1-0.  I don't think this Colorado College team is as strong as its 2023 squad, but a few contributors from that game remain, including Jack Hilliard, Zeke Lubin, and Wyatt Linggi.  There are also a few players who watched from the bench including Dylan Rich, Dylan Stapley, Alex Wolter, and Spencer Besselaar, (plus Alex Meyerhoff's little brother Rocco might have been watching from the stands).

It has a 15-2-2 overall record, but only an NPI rank of 47, which is in large part because the SCAC is not particularly strong, especially after Trinity and Southwestern departed.  The second highest SCAC team in the NPI is Concordia, which is #136 and the conference has 5 teams ranked in the 300s. Coupled with a victory over Whitworth, which they probably thought would be a decent Region X opponent after finishing 4th in the NWC last season, the NPI formula dropped Colorado College's full complement of 6 "bad wins" from its NPI score and it still would have come up short without the AQ.  Its best results were a 2-1 win at Redlands, which faded at the end of the season and finished #57 and a tie in Waukesha, Wisconsin against Wisconsin-Eau Claire, which finished #61. It also played #20 Saint John's, losing 2-0 in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Notwithstanding Colorado College's middling strength of schedule, its only bad loss was 3-1 to Cal Lutheran on its opening trip to SoCal on 9/11 on a weekend that was the high point for Cal Lu, which also tied Emory 1-1 on the same weekend.

Colorado College's engine on offense is Teddy Opler, who has 13 goals and 10 assists, and Jack Hilliard, who has 8 goals and 6 assists.  Freshman F Arlo Sollinger has been a revelation, scoring 7 goals and 7 assists.  Spencer Besselaar is solid in goal, but he and current backup Alex Wolter have alternated over their college careers depending on health and form and I think both are good GKs who have benefitted from strong defenses over their years.

Washington & Lee is a very different team from 2023 when it faced Colorado College, as that was the last season Mike Singleton and his staff manned the helm for the Generals.  It is still strong, though, finishing 12-3-3 this season before falling to Lynchburg in the ODAC semifinals.  The ODAC is better than the SCAC, especially at the top with Lynchburg at #12 and a group of decent opponents in the 70s and 80s, but it does have its share of weaker opponents at the bottom of the conference.  W&L, though, is well-positioned geographically to supplement its schedule with quality opponents and it beat fellow NCAA qualifiers like Johns Hopkins and Christopher Newport in non-conference play, as well as CCS AQ Covenant.

Rowan Sellers is the top scorer, with 10 goals, and Matthew Jenkins leads in assists with 6.  It hasn't scored nearly as many goals as Colorado College (36 v. 52), though, which has been a year-long struggle for the team against better opponents, but it has conceded fewer of them (14 v. 18) and I think its GK, Miles Furman, is a commanding presence along with Miles' brother Spencer and Anthony Careccia, who both offer senior experience in central defense.  W&L's loss to Lynchburg in the ODAC tournament, when it allowed two goals in the last six minutes to give Lynchburg the lead, had to sting and likely will be a point of emphasis coming into the tourney.

W&L has a few players remaining from its 2023 game against Colorado College as well, with Spencer Furman starting and playing the full 110 minutes, while Nick Apostolu getting a cameo off the bench.  Anthony Careccia, Aaron Cordova, Taha Kaba, Matthew Jenkins, Trian Kechagias, Nati Seife, and Jack Travis watched from the bench.

With the longer travel, different time zones, and weaker overall resume, it would be an upset for Colorado College to win this game.  Nevertheless, Colorado College is on an 11 game unbeaten streak, while W&L hasn't been quite as dominant down the stretch, going winless for a four game stretch before beating ODAC cellar dwellers Guilford and Averett and narrowly defeating Randolph Macon in the ODAC quarterfinals.

First Preview of games involving Region X teams:

RV/#47 NPI Colorado College v. #23/#24 NPI Washington & Lee @ Rowan on Saturday, 11/14 at 2:30 pm eastern

The last time these two teams faced each other was in the 4th round of the NCAA tournament in 2023 @ Tufts, when W&L won in PKs 5-4.

Colorado College is the SCAC champion, having gone undefeated in conference play and beating LeTourneau in the SCAC finals 1-0.  I don't think this Colorado College team is as strong as its 2023 squad, but a few contributors from that game remain, including Jack Hilliard, Zeke Lubin, and Wyatt Linggi.  There are also a few players who watched from the bench including Dylan Rich, Dylan Stapley, Alex Wolter, and Spencer Besselaar, (plus Alex Meyerhoff's little brother Rocco might have been watching from the stands).

It has a 15-2-2 overall record, but only an NPI rank of 47, which is in large part because the SCAC is not particularly strong, especially after Trinity and Southwestern departed.  The second highest SCAC team in the NPI is Concordia, which is #136 and the conference has 5 teams ranked in the 300s. Coupled with a victory over Whitworth, which they probably thought would be a decent Region X opponent after finishing 4th in the NWC last season, the NPI formula dropped Colorado College's full complement of 6 "bad wins" from its NPI score and it still would have come up short without the AQ.  Its best results were a 2-1 win at Redlands, which faded at the end of the season and finished #57 and a tie in Waukesha, Wisconsin against Wisconsin-Eau Claire, which finished #61. It also played #20 Saint John's, losing 2-0 in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Notwithstanding Colorado College's middling strength of schedule, its only bad loss was 3-1 to Cal Lutheran on its opening trip to SoCal on 9/11 on a weekend that was the high point for Cal Lu, which also tied Emory 1-1 on the same weekend.

Colorado College's engine on offense is Teddy Opler, who has 13 goals and 10 assists, and Jack Hilliard, who has 8 goals and 6 assists.  Freshman F Arlo Sollinger has been a revelation, scoring 7 goals and 7 assists.  Spencer Besselaar is solid in goal, but he and current backup Alex Wolter have alternated over their college careers depending on health and form and I think both are good GKs who have benefitted from strong defenses over their years.

Washington & Lee is a very different team from 2023 when it faced Colorado College, as that was the last season Mike Singleton and his staff manned the helm for the Generals.  It is still strong, though, finishing 12-3-3 this season before falling to Lynchburg in the ODAC semifinals.  The ODAC is better than the SCAC, especially at the top with Lynchburg at #12 and a group of decent opponents in the 70s and 80s, but it does have its share of weaker opponents at the bottom of the conference.  W&L, though, is well-positioned geographically to supplement its schedule with quality opponents and it beat fellow NCAA qualifiers like Johns Hopkins and Christopher Newport in non-conference play, as well as CCS AQ Covenant.

Rowan Sellers is the top scorer, with 10 goals, and Matthew Jenkins leads in assists with 6.  It hasn't scored nearly as many goals as Colorado College (36 v. 52), though, which has been a year-long struggle for the team against better opponents, but it has conceded fewer of them (14 v. 18) and I think its GK, Miles Furman, is a commanding presence along with Miles' brother Spencer and Anthony Careccia, who both offer senior experience in central defense.  W&L's loss to Lynchburg in the ODAC tournament, when it allowed two goals in the last six minutes to give Lynchburg the lead, had to sting and likely will be a point of emphasis coming into the tourney.

W&L has a few players remaining from its 2023 game against Colorado College as well, with Spencer Furman starting and playing the full 110 minutes, while Nick Apostolu getting a cameo off the bench.  Anthony Careccia, Aaron Cordova, Taha Kaba, Matthew Jenkins, Trian Kechagias, Nati Seife, and Jack Travis watched from the bench.

With the longer travel, different time zones, and weaker overall resume, it would be an upset for Colorado College to win this game.  Nevertheless, Colorado College is on an 11 game unbeaten streak, while W&L hasn't been quite as dominant down the stretch, going winless for a four game stretch before beating ODAC cellar dwellers Guilford and Averett and narrowly defeating Randolph Macon in the ODAC quarterfinals.

Quote from: CollegeSoccerFan on Yesterday at 09:12:36 AMI've always found this tournament fascinating but I have always wondered 1) what's the purpose? 2) What is the selection criteria? 3) Why other regions haven't thought/wanted to do something similar?

Genuinely curious.

I'll play along.

1.  Purpose is the same as the NCAA tournament - offer schools the opportunity to play more soccer after their conference tournaments are over.  That's it.  Much like the NCAA tournament, winning the ECAC tournament does not come with riches, pro prospects or even fame except among a very, very limited circle of people and in an extremely ephemeral sense.  It's just a chance to maximize games under NCAA rules, which allow schools to play through this period.

2.  You have to be a member of the Association and any member can seek to participate in the tournament. If they had more participants than available hosts and slots, they would weed out, but most members are either in the NCAA tournament or their players are too beaten up and are ready for the season to end.  They seed the teams who do participate and Rutgers-Newark, for instance, the top seed, was a bubble team for the NCAA tournament, which means it was higher ranked under the NPI than a significant number of teams that made the NCAA tournament.  But, in general, it is less selective than the NCAA tournament, which is less selective than a tournament that was actually designed to determine the best team in D3 men's soccer because it invites teams based on winning conferences rather than just taking the top X teams in the NPI rankings.

3.  I think other regions should offer it.  The ECAC happens to have a long history and therefore has the administrative apparatus to make it work.  Other regions would have to create something and find schools willing to pay membership fees or individual schools would have to host tournaments and other schools would have to be willing to pay travel costs.  It works better in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast because so many schools are nearby and those costs are minimal.  Doing it in the West, for example, would involve airline flights. 

If the NCAA stopped covering travel costs because the basketball tournaments no longer shared their revenue with D3 (a very foreseeable event), I expect the NCAA tournament would become like the ECAC - lots of teams would not participate because of cost and regional tournaments would develop in areas with a critical mass of teams from different conferences.

The NCAA tournament may not have started, but the Coaching Carousel is up and running again

East Texas Baptist Head Coach Chris Crawford Retires and Associate Head Coach Jordan Burke Promoted

QuoteEast Texas Baptist University Head Men's Soccer Coach Chris Crawford has announced his retirement from collegiate coaching but will continue serving as Assistant Vice President for University Operations at ETBU.  Jordan Burke, who has served as Associate Head Men's Soccer Coach for the past three seasons, has been named the new head coach effective immediately.
 
"I am beyond thankful to Coach Crawford and his commitment to building and maintaining a Christ-centered culture within the ETBU Soccer program over the past three years.  His unwavering pursuit of integrating athletics, faith, and academics with his student-athletes is exactly what we desire from our coaching staff at ETBU," Senior Vice President for Campus Life Ryan Erwin said. 
 
Crawford has served as head coach for six years, coaching 2016-18 and 2024-26, earning 51 wins and leading the program to its first two NCAA Division III postseason victories. He has produced 31 All-ASC players, including three ASC Freshmen of the Year and two Offensive Players of the Year.  One of the top seasons in program history in the NCAA Division III era came in 2018 with 10 wins. ETBU's success in the past three years has included two ASC Offensive Players of the Year, Junior Lopez and Joshua Daley.
 
"I am beyond grateful to have been given the opportunity to lead this program twice at ETBU.  The bonds that were created with current players, former players, and all the coaches in my time will be something I cherish forever.  Stepping down from coaching is something that is extremely hard and painful, but when the Lord calls you to go where you need to go you must follow.  I am looking forward to being a dad and husband and spending time with my family," says Crawford. "I am excited about the future of ETBU Men's Soccer under Coach Burke's leadership and can't wait to cheer them on.  Go Tigers."
 
Taking over for ETBU is a familiar face in Burke, who has been on the sideline as the Associate Head Coach for the past three years.  His recruiting efforts have helped ETBU to 26 wins over the past three years, along with numerous ASC awards.  In addition, he served as an assistant coach at ETBU from 2020-2022.  Burke played for the Tigers from 2014-2018 starting in 63 games and serving as a three-year captain for ETBU.  He was also a three-time ASC All-Academic honoree, a three-time All-ASC award winner, and was ETBU's nominee for the ASC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award in 2018.  Burke and his wife, Kennedy, who serves as the Head Girls' Soccer Coach at Marshall High School, reside in Marshall and attend New Beginnings Baptist Church.

SCAC All Conference Awards

2026 SCAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player-of-the-Year
Teddy Opler Colorado College Jr. F Wilson, Wyoming

2026 SCAC Men's Soccer Defensive Player-of-the-Year
Leonel Cuellar Concordia (Texas) Sr. GK Midlothian, Texas

2026 SCAC Men's Soccer First-Year Player-of-the-Year
Joseph Aziz University of Dallas Fy. F Keller, Texas

2026 SCAC Men's Soccer Coaching Staff-of-the-Year
Colorado College Scott Palguta, Head Coach 8-0-1 SCAC / 13-2-2 Overall
SCAC Regular Season Champion

2026 All-SCAC Men's Soccer First Team

JT Newbury Colorado College Fy. D Tiverton, Rhode Island
Enoch Morebise Concordia (Texas) Jr. D Houston, Texas
Steven Dolan Concordia (Texas) Sr. D Georgetown, Texas
Kristian Princ LeTourneau Univ. Sr. D Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Teddy Opler Colorado College Jr. F Wilson, Wyoming
Joseph Aziz University of Dallas Fy. F Keller, Texas
Bridge Mwambukiri LeTourneau Univ. So. F Houston, Texas
Jack Hilliard Colorado College Sr. M San Antonio, Texas
Leandro Ferreira LeTourneau Univ. So. M San Antonio, Texas
Joseph Perez Concordia (Texas) So. M College Station, Texas
Arlo Sollinger Colorado College Fy. M Fairfield, Connecticut
Leonel Cuellar Concordia (Texas) Sr. GK Midlothian, Texas
Spencer Besselaar Colorado College Sr. GK Seattle, Washington

2026 All-SCAC Men's Soccer Second Team

Carson Alldredge Texas Lutheran Univ. Sr. D Spring, Texas
Dylan Stapley Colorado College Sr. D San Diego, California
Jesse Garfias Concordia (Texas) Sr. D Waxahachie, Texas
Colton Chalker LeTourneau Univ. Fy. F Denver, Colorado
Hani Ahmadie Univ. of St. Thomas Jr. F Glendale, California
Evan Pacheco Texas Lutheran Univ. Jr. F San Antonio, Texas
Thomas Saylae Concordia (Texas) Sr. F Richardson, Texas
Luis Briseno Texas Lutheran Univ. So. M San Antonio, Texas
Emmanuel Rodriguez Univ. of St. Thomas Sr. M Houston, Texas
Tripp Ortega III Hendrix College Jr. M Little Rock, Arkansas
Jesus Carrillo Texas Lutheran Univ. So. M San Antonio, Texas
Edson Camara Martinez LeTourneau Univ. So. GK Houston, Texas

ASC All Conference Awards

2026 ASC Men's Soccer Individual Awards
Offensive Player of the Year: Joshua Daley, East Texas Baptist
Defensive Player of the Year: Rhett Rapuzzi, Mary Hardin-Baylor
Goalkeeper of the Year: Mason Miller, Schreiner
Freshman of the Year: Mason Miller, Schreiner
Coach of the Year: Ben Allen, Mary Hardin-Baylor
Fred Jacoby Sportsmanship Team:
Preston McLean, East Texas Baptist
Gabriel Anderson, Hardin-Simmons
Andrew Womack, Howard Payne
Zach Verbeck, Mary Hardin-Baylor
Nick Munoz, McMurry
Gabe Zagastizabal, Schreiner

First Team All-Conference
Name    Class    Position    School
Rhett Rapuzzi*    Sr.    D    Mary Hardin-Baylor
Jesus Vasquez    Fr.    D    Mary Hardin-Baylor
Jacob Wenzel*    Sr.    D    East Texas Baptist
Gabriel Anderson    So.    D    Hardin-Simmons
Billy Yonce    So.    F    Mary Hardin-Baylor
Gabriel Rodriguez    So.    F    Hardin-Simmons
Cody Smith    So.    F    Schreiner
Martin Valdes    So.    F    Mary Hardin-Baylor
Grayson Bowler    So.    MF    Mary Hardin-Baylor
Joshua Daley*    Jr.    MF    East Texas Baptist
Xzavier Saldana*    Sr.    MF    Howard Payne
Mason Miller    Fr.    GK    Schreiner

Second Team All-Conference
Name    Class    Position    School
Diego Saenz    Jr.    D    Schreiner
Lewis Patterson*    Sr.    D    Schreiner
Cameron Phipps    Gr.    D    Howard Payne
Philip Nathans    Sr.    D    Hardin-Simmons
Braxton Ladwig    So.    F    East Texas Baptist
Cameron Hoschar    Fr.    F    Schreiner
Connor Parker    Fr.    F    Howard Payne
Justyn Judie    So.    F    McMurry
Gabe Zagastizabal    Jr.    MF    Schreiner
Francisco Perez    So.    MF    Howard Payne
Edwin Macias    Sr.    MF    Hardin-Simmons
Hughston Taggart*    So.    GK    Mary Hardin-Baylor
2025 All-Conference Selection*

National - Poll 9 - November 10, 2026
Rank    School    Prev    W-L-T
1    Tufts University    4    10-3-5
2    St. Olaf College    1    17-0-4
3    Williams College    2    11-2-3
4    Case Western Reserve University    3    11-0-5
5    Middlebury College    10    10-2-3
6    Rowan University    13    13-1-4
7    University of Lynchburg    11    15-1-4
8    University of Scranton    8    15-1-3
9    University of Chicago    6    12-3-2
10    Connecticut College    12    10-2-4
11    Montclair State University    9    16-2-3
12    St. Lawrence University    7    11-2-4
13    Southwestern University    5    15-2-1
14    Amherst College    RV    8-4-6
15    Hamilton College    24    7-4-5
16    Bowdoin College    25    8-3-5
17    Messiah University    14    16-2-2
18    SUNY Cortland    RV    13-3-2
19    Denison University    16    12-1-6
20    Wesleyan University    RV    7-5-4
21    Saint John's University    22    17-2-3
22    Calvin University    15    15-2-2
23    Washington & Lee University    17    12-3-3
24    Roger Williams University    19    14-1-5
25    Carnegie Mellon University    RV    11-3-4

Records shown are through games of November 8, 2026.

Also receiving votes: Trinity University (Texas), Kenyon College, Wheaton College (Mass.), Johns Hopkins University, Colorado College, North Park University, Rutgers University-Newark, Ohio Northern University, Babson College

The ECAC tournament may not be the NCAA tournament, but the boys get to play more soccer and I'm all for that!   

ECAC Announcements 2026 DIII Men's Soccer Championship Selections

DANBURY, Conn. - The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has announced Rutgers Newark will be the overall top-seed of the 2026 ECAC Division III Men's Soccer Championship. McDaniel College and Juniata College will be the sites of the first weekend of play. The first round will begin on Saturday, November 14.

In pod 1 hosted by McDaniel College, top seed Rutgers Newark will receive a first round bye. They await the winner of McDaniel College against Franciscan University.

In pod 2 hosted by Juniata College, the no. 2 seeded Eagles will also receive a bye. Delaware Valley University and Pitt-Greensburg will do battle for the right to advance to play Juniata.

The winners of each pod will go on to compete in the championship final on Saturday, November 21. The host of the championship game will be determined after play on Sunday, November 15 is concluded, with the highest seeded team advancing being offered the first opportunity to host.

All times are TBD. Hosting schools will coordinate with their traveling institutions to determine game times.

Pod 1: First Round and Semifinals - Saturday, Nov. 14 & Sunday, Nov. 15 at McDaniel College
Game 1: (Sat.): No. 4 McDaniel College vs. No. 5 Franciscan University at TBD
Game 2: (Sun.): No. 1 Rutgers Newark vs. Winner Game 1 at TBD

Pod 2: First Round and Semifinals - Saturday, Nov. 14 & Sunday, Nov. 15 at Juniata College
Game 1: (Sat.): No. 3 Delaware Valley University vs. No. 6 Pitt-Greensburg at 1:00 pm
Game 2: (Sun.): No. 2 Juniata College vs. Winner Game 1 at TBD

Final - Saturday, Nov. 21 at TBD
Game 3: (Sat.): Winner Pod 1 vs. Winner Pod 2 at TBD

Region I - Poll 9 - November 10, 2026
Rank    School    Prev    W-L-T
1    Tufts University    NR    10-3-5
2    Williams College    NR    11-2-3
3    Middlebury College    NR    10-2-3
4    Connecticut College    NR    10-2-4
5    Amherst College    NR    8-4-6
6    Hamilton College    NR    7-4-5
7    Bowdoin College    NR    8-3-5
8    Wesleyan University    NR    7-5-4