Liberty League

kansas hokie · October 14, 2025, 09:35:16 AM

Hobart v. Vassar is a big league game. Vassar is right on the bubble today. Their next match against Middlebury is huge for those at-large chances as well. Right now, the easiest path to 2 bids is Hobart wins regular season game and Vassar wins tournament.

Bartman · October 14, 2025, 03:27:18 PM

Hobart at #11 is a pretty big jump and maybe too much based on the one goal wins in the last few games. Thankfully, the Vassar game on Saturday is at home. Lots of matches to play plus the tournament. Still early.

Bartman · October 20, 2025, 08:29:44 AM

Vassar looks strong and comes away with a 1-1 tie in Geneva.Hobart came alive in the last 45 minutes but couldn't get the go ahead goal. As the regular season winds down the LL tournament should be very entertaining.

StatesSoccerFan · October 22, 2025, 11:15:55 AM

Skidmore v Vassar this weekend is a key game in terms of LL regular season championship and home field in playoffs. Both trail Hobart but it's close with 1 or 2 league games remaining after this Saturday. Loser of this game probably also loses chance of semi-final home game.

stlawus · October 25, 2025, 06:34:20 PM

Hobart controls their own destiny but with a slip up against RPI Skidmore could vault ahead of them with a win against RIT. If Skidmore ties and Vassar wins on the last day Vassar will finish 2nd since they have the tiebreaker. A SLU win against Union guarantees them a home game in the playoffs and can finish no lower than 4th. A SLU tie and Clarkson win over Vassar drops them to 6th. A SLU loss, Clarkson win and RIT win drops SLU out of the playoffs. RIT has to win to have any hope, a tie eliminates them. A SLU tie guarantees them a playoff spot.

Union also has a chance to finish 2nd if they beat SLU and Skidmore loses to RIT since they have the tiebreaker with Skidmore by virtue of tying Hobart.

League tightened a bit down the stretch. I would say it's definitely Hobart/Vassar's to lose but a lot can happen next week. I was glad to see SLU get a road win in a place that isn't easy to play regardless of RPI's quality. Seems like they scored the first goal from 18 yards+ in like 5 years.

Very weird to see RPI down. Ithaca isn't too shocking given a coaching change but I thought they would still be up there.

StatesSoccerFan · October 28, 2025, 08:20:39 PM

Another tie for Hobart today in non-league game against Buffalo State. Hobart struggling to score goals (1 goal last three games) of late makes this weekends game much more interesting vs. RPI with the regular season championship on the line. Depending on how Vassar does in their last two this week makes Hobart needing to score some goals. Three ties in a row. Vassar could sneak in and win this thing.

stlawus · Reply #2886 - Re: Liberty League

Regular season final standings:

1-Hobart
2-Skidmore
3-Vassar
4-Union
5-Clarkson
6-SLU

Glad to finally see Clarkson break through to make the playoffs, with a resounding 3-0 win against Vassar no less. Not enough to get them a home game but just making that breakthrough is a big step.

You know, it's funny. Every time I watch a Simple Coach vid about the games of the week and the Liberty League is involved there's almost always several snide remarks about SLU fans on here (i.e. me) being dramatic about the program. Always a quip about SLU fans hyping a freshman (I researched the origin of this and found it to be based off a single comment I made about one player a year ago) as well as the comments about the back passing style of play. Well what do you know, SLU loses 1-0 today off a botched pass backwards in their own 3rd. Program used to win games before they started because of home field advantage, yet 4 losses this year on Sandy, 3 of them shutouts. But I guess I'm just being dramatic.

kevdog · Reply #2887 - Re: Liberty League

Quote from: stlawus on Yesterday at 04:12:44 PMRegular season final standings:

1-Hobart
2-Skidmore
3-Vassar
4-Union
5-Clarkson
6-SLU

Glad to finally see Clarkson break through to make the playoffs, with a resounding 3-0 win against Vassar no less. Not enough to get them a home game but just making that breakthrough is a big step.

You know, it's funny. Every time I watch a Simple Coach vid about the games of the week and the Liberty League is involved there's almost always several snide remarks about SLU fans on here (i.e. me) being dramatic about the program. Always a quip about SLU fans hyping a freshman (I researched the origin of this and found it to be based off a single comment I made about one player a year ago) as well as the comments about the back passing style of play. Well what do you know, SLU loses 1-0 today off a botched pass backwards in their own 3rd. Program used to win games before they started because of home field advantage, yet 4 losses this year on Sandy, 3 of them shutouts. But I guess I'm just being dramatic.

Not being dramatic at all. Toshack needs to hit recruiting trail hard and find some goal scorers and guys who can take guys 1v1 around the corner. Preferably two big guys who can score while in the penalty box. Also need to find a guy in the midfield who can control the tempo of the game. I know every team wants this but SLU use to get these players every year. This passing back is very hard to watch especially when they are in their opposing attacking side and can turn with the ball. Union packed it in in the 2nd half but ways to loosen that up is to shoot from outside the box. It will loosen up the defense and you might get a deflection. I just don't think Tosh is recruiting that hard and is just settle for what he has through his own pipelines

Saint_Dad · Reply #2888 - Re: Liberty League

Quote from: stlawus on September 27, 2025, 04:51:06 PMI might have to start saying it, SLU is looking like it needs a complete reset. Toshack had a decent 10 year run all things considered, but with part of that being off the back of Durocher's final recruiting class and the program's current trajectory it's getting late early as they say. A few select players have kept things from spilling over like Sibanda and Mogul who really should be given more flowers in retrospect. But this is just not going to cut it. Another game where players clearly want to go forward and be creative but have obviously had all of these habits coached out of them to think that their first option should be to go backwards. I know the players like playing for him, but SLU soccer is bigger than any one person.

Agreed,
Backwards again today. I saw one midfielder play the ball backwards 95 percent of the time today. I don't know that he even thought about going forward. I don't see the wingers doing any one on one move, at least not with much success. I think we were spoiled the last few years watching Mogul terrorize right and left backs. Stlawus, you mentioned that Mogul should have been given more flowers. Opposing coaches all made a game plan to stop him, double and triple teaming him. Tosh, and therefore the SLU team, did not make a plan to play through Mogul.
SLU can possess the ball, it's in the final third where it stops. It's creativity. A good game plan. It's set pieces. Risk taking. I still see free kicks in the final third played back to midfield. A rematch in the playoffs vs Vassar will be a tough matchup, especially without Diaz.

stlawus · Reply #2889 - Re: Liberty League

Quote from: Saint_Dad on Yesterday at 09:54:17 PM
Quote from: stlawus on September 27, 2025, 04:51:06 PMI might have to start saying it, SLU is looking like it needs a complete reset. Toshack had a decent 10 year run all things considered, but with part of that being off the back of Durocher's final recruiting class and the program's current trajectory it's getting late early as they say. A few select players have kept things from spilling over like Sibanda and Mogul who really should be given more flowers in retrospect. But this is just not going to cut it. Another game where players clearly want to go forward and be creative but have obviously had all of these habits coached out of them to think that their first option should be to go backwards. I know the players like playing for him, but SLU soccer is bigger than any one person.
Agreed,
Backwards again today. I saw one midfielder play the ball backwards 95 percent of the time today. I don't know that he even thought about going forward. I don't see the wingers doing any one on one move, at least not with much success. I think we were spoiled the last few years watching Mogul terrorize right and left backs. Stlawus, you mentioned that Mogul should have been given more flowers. Opposing coaches all made a game plan to stop him, double and triple teaming him. Tosh, and therefore the SLU team, did not make a plan to play through Mogul.
SLU can possess the ball, it's in the final third where it stops. It's creativity. A good game plan. It's set pieces. Risk taking. I still see free kicks in the final third played back to midfield. A rematch in the playoffs vs Vassar will be a tough matchup, especially without Diaz.

If Mogul was around 10 years earlier that might have been enough to get SLU back on top in 2011 (injuries to all the players that year notwithstanding), that's the caliber of player he was. Imagine his link up with DeMello. In retrospect that was a recruiting coup getting Mogul to Canton, I'm sure he had all the usual blue bloods after him.