Can 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.
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.