D3 mens soccer Massey ratings were cleaned up a bit today, some interesting ratings (Denison #1! Rowan #2!)....it's still way early for data points but fun to chat about who stands out.

https://masseyratings.com/csoc2025/ncaa-d3/ratings

UAA went 9-0 this weekend with one postponement, the whole conference should be happy about that! Chicago and CMU's wins likely the most impressive in terms of beating a quality opponent.

this week NYU gets a big test against Stockton Monday, Chicago plays a rising Wheaton (IL) team Wednesday, Then CMU hosts John Carroll (3-1, could be a good test) and Rochester gets tested with undefeated Hobart next Saturday.

All other UAA matches, the UAA team should be decent favorites. 

UAA this weekend (last season NPI in parentheses)

Friday

Emory (55) vs. NC Wesleyan (85)
Wash U (67) vs. Elmhurst (231)

Saturday

Rochester (53) @ Alvernia (112)
NYU (171) @ Rutgers-Camden (120)
Case Western (95) vs. PSU-Behrend (212)
CMU (61) vs. Otterbein (52)
Brandeis (54) vs. Regis (295)
Chicago (90) vs. MSOE (84)

Sunday

Emory (55) vs. Wisconsin Lutheran (264)
Wash U (67) vs. Illinois College (173)

What do you think is the overall weekend record for UAA? 10 matches. I'll go with 6-1-3, NYU with the loss, Rochester, Chicago, and CMU with ties, all on Saturday.

Quote from: jknezek on September 02, 2025, 05:02:55 PM

Quote from: FBALLISLIFE on September 02, 2025, 11:10:18 AMI thought I saw you there.  Were those your two boys?  I was in a conversation with someone when I saw you and then you were gone when I looked up again. 

W&L's diamond midfield and lack of width in the Emory game is hopefully a short-lived experiment.  Unfortunately, the lack of a quality striker for the first time since 2019 likely won't be. 

If I was the shortest and roundest of the three of us, then yes, that was likely me. W&L Tshirt and hat both days. I did meet Kansas Hokie, and partook of the wonderful Emory tailgate before/during the first game, but I didn't know you were there! Those Emory parents are very kind and the tailgate is wonderful.

We stayed at the tailgate in the first half of the Emory game then went down to the field. The second game we sat in the stands, or at least I did. My boys sought some shelter in the building when they were getting burnt alive since dad didn't not remember sunscreen.

I didn't find the formation that bad, I found the pace awful in the first game. I know you beat a high line by moving quickly, but when it just leads to constant turnovers you have to slow down a bit. I also much prefer #16 out wide as opposed to up top, but I think Coach is looking for anyone who can play up top right now. I wasn't a fan of playing Agbeyegbe up top last year either, as I thought he was better running at defenders as opposed to receiving with his back to goal, but I think he was the best option on the roster. This year I'm with you, I'm not sure there is an option on the roster.

Great to meet you and your boys! We have some local parents that make that tailgate such a wonderful experience, all credit to them! Great weekend for Emory, can easily say that they had the best of it in both games but many of those didn't go our way last year (most painful - colorado college at their place, we were better that day). Emory will be favored in every other out of conference match now so record could be something you need to make a long run at the end of the year, we'll see. Emory has the pieces up and down the team, we'll see if they gel into a special year or not, first weekend looked good though.

My apologies for using an old link and reporting incorrect NPI numbers from last year, thank you for correcting them. It's one of the data points that gives context about the results. UAA teams can win every game next weekend and might be favorites in each one of them, hope the results go as expected!

Thoughts on first weekend for UAA teams?

Numbers in parentheses are NPI rank at end of last year.

Chicago with quality loss against Gustavus Aldophus (6) and a tie with St. Olaf (23), top competition there.

NYU two losses, Rowan (38) and Vassar (43), but both were top teams last year. Still a result would have been good for the conference.

CMU win against Baldwin Wallace (214) is as exptected, tie to Allegheny (282), ugh.

Brandeis, two wins, good start, Coast Guard (51) and Suffolk (134).

Case, similar, two wins, Fransciscan (71) and Juniata (65), quality wins.

Rochester, terrible weekend, 4-0 and 4-1 losses, Cortland (31) and Nazareth (123), those scorelines are never good.

Wash U - 8-1 over Milliken (115) is quite impressive, 2-1 loss to Westminster (341) is equally shocking

Emory - wins over Washington & lee (42) and Covenant (34), great start against strongest out of conference games they will play.

Overall, don't think UAA did enough this weekend to give hope that it will be more than a one bid conference again this year. Case, Brandies, and Emory starting well; Chicago up there playing top teams; Wash u and CMU confounding; NYU next...then Rochester in the back.

Looking forward this week, there's a bunch of games that UAA teams should be winning, let's go 12-0 this week!

The shift in Emory's schedule certainly appears to be moving in the direction of more wins. There's four top 60 NPI OOC matches (once Oglethorpe is scheduled) and the rest of OOC opponents are under 150 (more wins, less ties/upsets). Gone are the 60-100 teams that are closer in strength. Overall, the UAA needs to do much better in OOC if there's a chance to go back to multiple at-large bids. Last year was first in 25 years with just one UAA team in NCAA, we'll see what this year brings.

The NPI dials also were set so that it doesn't matter at all if you win at home or win away. I know Emory's schedule the best so I'll use it as an example. Flew out west as usual, this time to Colorado College, played (now D2) UT-Dallas and won, then played CC at home in altitude the next day (dominated the match but still lost). The D2 win doesn't go into NPI and the loss is the same as losing at home. Back in the South, Emory had many more away matches than home matches. None of that travel helped the ranking at all. Unless the dials are changed, I am betting you will see teams that are in demand schedule a lot more home games.

Paul,

this year, most all of the UAA did poorly out of conference, this caused the Strength of schedule for UAA to fall across the board and then the in-conference games didn't carry any significance nationally.

the opposite was true for NESCAC, all did well out of conference so then they all are beating each other and getting bonuses for quality wins.

UAA needs to be better in the first part of the season if they hope to go another 20 years with getting multiple bids (last time with one bid was 2004).

Quote from: Kuiper on November 10, 2024, 07:14:20 PM

Quote from: kansas hokie on November 10, 2024, 07:07:24 PMPut a full bracket together...good luck to all tomorrow. Ended up with only 4 flights, but lots of 400-500 miles bus rides across the bracket. have fun, let me know how to make it better.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FFmaYk8mMaNjCnoyEG0-j1kaN0vF_-3E7uYYmTeNUI4/edit?usp=sharing

Pacific Lutheran will cry bloody murder if this bracketing becomes a reality.  It's one thing to fly.  It's quite another to fly and have to play with a three hour time difference.

Easy fix then, fly Pacific Lutheran to Trinity (San Antonio) and Bellhaven to Babson (Boston).

NESCAC with 8, Buffalo St. holds on, Mount Union out. Trinity in a top 8 protected seed.

Put a full bracket together...good luck to all tomorrow. Ended up with only 4 flights, but lots of 400-500 miles bus rides across the bracket. have fun, let me know how to make it better.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FFmaYk8mMaNjCnoyEG0-j1kaN0vF_-3E7uYYmTeNUI4/edit?usp=sharing

Making a bracket starts with putting the top 8 seeds so that they can make it to Elite 8 without meeting each other. That will make for some odd travel in the second weekend, 5 NESCAC in top 8, 2 Mid-Atlantic with JHU maybe dropping out (and adding another Northeast school, Babson), and one Midwest team (UW-Eau Claire).

Where do you put a Texas pod with Trinity? Seeds 8-16 have a bunch of midwest teams and not all will host so then you have some mid-atlantic teams next to be able to host.

What do you do with three Southern schools? fly Colorado College there again? make Emory and Oglethorpe play for a third time this year?

Depauw steals a bid in PK win over Denison. Mount Union projected out, Buffalo St. on the bubble.

oglethorpe won with 2:48 left, if it went to PK, Rhodes would have knocked Mount Union out.