Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on November 09, 2026, 05:59:43 PMYes you can say that Amherst made it based on a great tourn run, but they were on the cusp to get in anyway before the tournament. In late Oct, they were 29th. So they were probably going to make it in anyway.

They (Amherst) will be tough to beat. I watched the game against Williams live. Previous posts imply their game is largely kick it long and be physically. They and Williams were much better technically than given credit for by many.

By the way, whoever is coaching Hamilton has done an incredible job. In fairness, they were never going to defeat the 5 national champs Tufts; but they are a more than capable team and could go deep in the tourney.

Any team from the NESCAC could win the Natty this year. The quality play and depth of talent in my humble opinion is materially different than in years past.

Quote from: Kuiper on November 09, 2026, 10:06:57 AM

Quote from: VASoccerDad on November 09, 2026, 06:22:47 AM

Quote from: 2Short2Slow on November 08, 2026, 10:23:17 PMT

My very "hot take" is that declining NCAA finances (or the split off of top football/basketball conferences) and a growing divergence between D3 school budgets may eventually push D3 in the other direction.  Eliminate the NCAA tournament and only hold conference tournaments.  Schools already form conferences with teams with which they can be competitive because of similar sizes and finances, often with geography and reduced travel prioritized.  The NCAA tournament, much like national tournaments in big time youth club soccer, has always been a myth, creating the illusion of being suitable for determining the "best" team in America, while at the same time excluding many top teams because they adhere to a universality principle that gives every conference, no matter how weak, one automatic spot. 

The national tournament is therefore expensive, takes kids away from school for extreme travel at the most difficult time in the semester academically, and creates perverse incentives to form far-flung conferences and to play schools far away during the non-conference game portion of the regular season.  This is all with an eye to increasing your school's chances of making the NCAA tournament and potentially being crowned "mythical" national champion in a tournament that tries to serve two goals (excellence and universality) and ends up serving neither.

While the logistical and academic challenges are real, conference tournaments add tremendous value to the college experience for student-athletes and their families. They create unforgettable memories, foster deep school spirit, and give players a well-earned stage to compete for something meaningful.

That said, the academic stress is definitely real. But student-athletes sign up for both school and sports, and learning to balance both is part of the deal. Colleges offer plenty of support like tutors and office hours when things get tough. If a student simply can't manage the workload, the answer isn't scaling back the experience for everyone else—it's taking advantage of those resources or reevaluating participation. Navigating that packed schedule builds real-world discipline that stays with them long after graduation.

Quote from: Cacfan1 on November 02, 2026, 09:40:31 PMCan we please acknowledge, for the moment, what Conn just did to top-5 nationally ranked and defending national champion Tufts Jumbos? Of course, what ultimately matters is the numbers on the final scoreboard. Conn couldn't get it done. Finishing, or lack thereof, can be the great equalizer in soccer, and Conn has been inconsistent with it all year. Credit to Tufts because Tufts defended.

But Tufts defended with their lives. Forget the fact that Conn outshot Tufts 25-4. (25 to 4? WHAT!?). Conn - in a league that plays for the long throw, set pieces, and counters - with the ball at its feet suffocated and pinned back Tufts deep in its own half for much of the game, forcing it to react to Conn's will. This was not empty possession; this was entertaining, chess-like, break-you-down-with-the-ball-on-the-ground shot-creation. Extremely difficult to do at this level against that opponent in a high-stakes atmosphere. If Conn can find a finishing touch in the NCAA's - watch out, world.

Perugini deserves the player of the year award. It's just obvious. His performance against Tufts may have been his best yet. He has all the attacking tools, and he does it without being a superior athlete - even more impressive. He terrorized Tufts with his dribbling, quick turning, shielding, change of speed, beating players with the ball down the wing, shots, and slipping runners through to goal. Definitely the league's most watchable player. He's shown the best all-around attacking quality, enough team-W's, a high national ranking, and the stats: leads the league in shots on goal, points, and NESCAC goals with 9. He's 5 for 5 on PKs, including two audacious shots that got the goalie to dive before the shot, both in the same playoff game. Kid oozes confidence. The league hasn't seen an attacking center-mid like him since Pat Devlin.

Conn played really well and agree with nearly everything you said about Perugini. The young man can just plain play. I would add Saeed from Wesleyan to your list of top attacking center-mid players.

Your observations regarding on-goal shot total makes me wonder if Nikola Antic should be in the conversation for player of the year. Conn took 25 shots and none of them got past Antic?! Now I wonder who was really being "terrorized?"

Quote from: nescac_cc on November 01, 2026, 02:10:02 PM

Quote from: MunnyTim on November 01, 2026, 08:36:28 AMWas debating whether to jump in this morning.  Took in the Tufts Conn game yesterday - frustrating affair.  Camels outshot the Jumbos 25-4 after going down a goal (more on that in a bit) about 4 minutes into the game.  I am not sure I have ever seen a Jumbos team sit back like that and present so little offensive threat.  Protecting a lead for 85 minutes is a tough task for any team.

A note regarding the officiating over the last few weeks - and I will admit this is from a biased perspective.  This is the second time in a few weeks (Bowdoin one week ago and then yesterday) where the Camels have had a late goal ruled out for a foul in the box.  After re-watching both the day after, both calls were give-able, but awfully soft.  Yesterday's was off a corner with 6 min to go in the second overtime on a foul committed on the keeper.  I get that these are tough, judgment calls, but could we at least find some consistency with them?  After watching NESCAC soccer for over a decade now and witnessing the evolution toward more direct soccer with tons of set pieces, Camel keepers have been roughed up regularly over the years without much protection from the officials.  The goal ruled out yesterday happens almost every game - three players going for the ball and a rebound going into the net.

Ok, rant over.  Just hoping for a tad more consistency.  Oh, the the Tufts goal occurred off a set piece, right after the official declined to protect a Conn centerback as he was undercut on a long clearance ball header.  Watch the film and see for yourself.

In the end, lots of story lines for this weekend coming up and TONS of questions/possibilities for the NCAA site deliberations for the following weekend.

Absolutely true MunnyTim. Incredibly soft call on the corner for what usually goes down in the NESCAC. In addition to Tufts and Bowdoin, Conn had a goal disallowed after the fact versus Bates. That is three potential game winners disallowed for the camels. I'm sure the humps will be fueled and ready for the NCAAs.

I watched the Tufts vs. Conn college game as well. #7 Perugini's quality is amongst the best in the NESCAC.

Quote from: CACtion on October 28, 2026, 01:53:25 PMConn-Tufts: Definitely the toughest matchup to call. 7 on Conn does whatever he wants, video game player. The boys at Conn also don't have to waste energy doing work or going to class so that definitely helps. Tufts is obviously stacked and just seem to find a way to win. However, I think the Jumbos might have spent too much time showing off their rings to the 'cac 8s at mixers and not enough getting into a groove going into tournament play. 2-1 Conn in OT

A yellow card is being show to CACtion as a result of the shade being present to the young men at Conn and their perceived lack of academic prowess. Further, whether or not the 5 time national champion tufts Jumbos took a little longer to start peaking due other outside interests (summer IB internships, research projects with PIs, Medical School apps) I suspect they are prepared to play for the bigger prize which is a deep run in the NCAAs. Williams was on the receiving end of a focused Jumbos team. Its war time...

Williams has talent, which makes their style of play all the more baffling. The coaching staff seems to have decided that passing is an unnecessary complication of soccer. Why string together three passes when you can simply launch the ball 40 yards and hope for the best? Full-grown kickball, with the occasional football throw-in for good measure. Maybe they'll nick a few wins in the tournament, but watching a team with that much talent play so little actual football is quite the achievement in itself.


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They (Ephs) are not alone in this approach. Clearly it is intentional because they have the talent and coaching to play differently. It is hard to argue with their results. When I watched the Williams vs Tufts game it made me think and wonder about the emphasis that is placed by the MLS academies and some top tier club programs on playing out of the backfield. Only to have some of the top programs in the NESCAC play kick ball and win. It is entertaining and maddening at the same time. I saw the Ephs goalie (who is elite by the way) literally boot the ball nearly to the opposing goal.(smile) He doesn't have to because he can play with his feet as well.

The approach has to be a net negative for most players who will not be going pro. It's also doubtful that it improves the financial model for most if not all universities. Having a full semester off
to allow their bodies to recover (soccer is a contact sport) and engage in other academic and social enrichment activities is important.

Football has a similar cadence where the student athletes are required to train and practice in the spring. The material difference is that they are on full scholarships. Rarely the case for soccer players.

There will no doubt be more mental and physical fatigue and thus injuries. They will need to expand the rosters a bit.

I get where you're coming from—expectations are high in the NESCAC. But as much as I'm not an Amherst fan (unapologetic fan here of the defending national champions...you know the guys who won one for the thumb last year), it's hard to argue with Justin Serpone's overall track record. He's brought them a National Championship, multiple title game runs, and years of top-tier consistency.

Honestly, calling for his—or almost any D3 coach's head at this point feels pretty premature.
Respectfully, I submit that the post graduation outcomes for his players are likely stellar given Amherst's academic profile, which puts win/loss records in perspective. I'm fine with one too many yellow cards here and there as long as they are sportsman for the most part on and off the field.

Middlebury looked really good. I am looking forward to the match-up against Williams.

I always look forward to the D3 Games of the week video.

Respectfully disagreeing with Simple Coach's prediction here though as an objective observer, I'll admit to having a slight (actually strong) bias toward the quality and composure of the defending national champions.

Tufts comes into this match in lethal attacking form, having poured in 7 goals over their last two contests. Combine that offensive rhythm with the added intensity of Senior Day, and the environment at Bello Field is going to be a huge challenge for Middlebury.

That said, tremendous respect for Middlebury. They are consistently well-organized, disciplined, and tough to crack in NESCAC play. Given the Jumbos' current scoring spree, expect Midd to line up in a compact low block and essentially park the bus to frustrate Tufts and take away space behind their backline. As mentioned before I predict Mid will be in the hunt for the Natty this season.

Because Midd will likely sit deep and pack the final third, look for the gifted Coach Dez to be creative with the lineup and tactical structure to unlock their defense. Finding unique passing angles and building overloads wide will be key.

If Tufts gets an early breakthrough and forces Middlebury out of their shape, a 2 to 3 goal victory differential for the Jumbos feels like a strong prediction today. Should be a great tactical battle to analyze!

I think Tufts played two signature games this weekend; not necessarily because of who they played or where those teams are ranked, but because of how the Jumbos responded.

Coming from behind to earn a draw against a rival showed resilience. Then turning around and putting four goals on Hamilton scored by four different players showed just how dangerous and balanced this team can be when things start clicking.

And that makes next weekend against Middlebury really interesting.

There's no question Middlebury is one of the best teams in Division III. They haven't even conceded a goal all season. They deserve all the respect that comes with that.

But styles make fights.

Tufts will probably enter that game as the underdog, but let's not forget who they are: the defending national champions, with a roster that knows how to win big games and respond when challenged.

Middlebury's defense versus Tufts' depth, athleticism and ability to attack from different places on the field should make for a fascinating matchup.

I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Tufts walk out of there with a win.

Next weekend feels like one of those games that tells us a lot about both teams.

I love this stuff!

Agree! Great call out!

I generally agree with the validity of the coaches poll sentiment . However, I respectfully think they got at least the top two teams correct.

For example, it's unclear to me how Babson, which is a very good team, could possibly ranked so much higher than Tufts.

I do think one or both St.Olaf / Midd will be playing for a natty.

Would be happy to wager a cup of coffee on this prediction.

I saw the game. Jett (senior right winger) scored a header but it was unfortunately/wrongly disallowed. Tufts had numerous other chances but was not able to finish. WPI smartly parked the bus. I suspect many of the NESCAC teams will not peak until the final few games of the season. Tufts is no different.