NESCAC

[SierraFD3soccer]

Positive for Midds is that they get almost two weeks off??!! For them the tournament meant a lot less. Will obv be going into it with two home games and maybe rebuild its momentum. So while losing sucks, could be the best thing for them.

[Bucket]

Positive for Midds is that they get almost two weeks off??!! For them the tournament meant a lot less. Will obv be going into it with two home games and maybe rebuild its momentum. So while losing sucks, could be the best thing for them.

And the Panthers are going to need the two weeks to get healthy—the game concluded with 4 normal starters (Payne, Sawin, Dugan, and Federman) injured and on the sidelines. For those keeping track, Payne was dressed, but was held out. Sawin, Dugan, and Federman were all injured in the match. (Amherst lost their keeper to injury, as well.)

[Ejay]

Wesleyan should not be a tournament team. They only have 7 wins, of which only 3 are against teams above .500, and 2 of those are ranked outside the top 110. Complete joke if they get in.

1. Springfield (5-9-3)
2. Tufts (10-3-3)
3. Swarthmore (7-7-2)
4. W. New England (8-5-6)
5. W. Connecticut (12-3-5)
6. Colby (4-7-4)
7. Trinity (6-7-2)

[nescac1]

The formula is purely mathematical and Wesleyan will be in, easily, based on the numbers. 

[Ejay]

The formula is purely mathematical and Wesleyan will be in, easily, based on the numbers. 

Understood, but a travesty nonetheless. 

[stlawus]

If next year's formula applied to this year Wesleyan's position would be a lot dicier.  Thankfully this is the last year of the current dials. 

[Bucket]

The formula is purely mathematical and Wesleyan will be in, easily, based on the numbers. 

Understood, but a travesty nonetheless. 

Eh— Travesty? Really?

[Ejay]

The formula is purely mathematical and Wesleyan will be in, easily, based on the numbers. 

Understood, but a travesty nonetheless. 

Eh— Travesty? Really?

Yes. 100%. So many more deserving teams.Wesleyan has 1 win against a team in the top 110.

[nescac1]

The NESCAC NPIs are utterly nuts right now:

1. Williams
2. Middlebury
3. Conn College
5. Tufts
8. Bowdoin
10. Hamilton
11. Amherst
18. Wesleyan

All eight are locks for the tourney.  I think Williams is a lock to stay at number one unless they lose to Amherst, and Tufts wins two, in which case I think maybe Tufts could get there?  In all events, they can't all host for geographic reasons but with a win from Tufts Saturday, NESCAC could conceivably have all four top seeds and seven teams that are the highest-ranked team in a first round pod.  Wild. 

[MunnyTim]

Was 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.