NESCAC

[laker4141]

From the outside looking in (UAA supporter), it is nice to see the NESCAC beating up on each other week 1 to set the table (excitedly) for the rest of their conference season. For my people in this circle:

Is Williams for real? Off to a 2-0 start. Has anyone seen them in person?



 

[LibbyMoore]

Josemourino, I don't think I've ever gotten into an Amhate conversation on this forum because I don't have Amhate, but this particular statement goes a bridge too far.

Perhaps not in your time, but I was present for a game in which I heard an Amherst player using an ugly homophobic slur directed at a rather small and slender opponent player. And I'm not a player or a ref, so if I heard it, plenty of others did as well. One can only hope this single, isolated incident of bigotry has been fully obliterated through the culture of inclusivity and tolerance you describe.

 

Profanity, racial, sexist, homophobic, or other derogatory comments, or other intimidating actions directed at officials, spectators, student-athletes, coaches or team representatives will not be tolerated and are grounds for removal from the site of competition.

I am actually glad you brought this up, because it is something I take very seriously, and it cuts to the core of what I think is actually a misconception about Amherst. Some of the actions you may see on camera may not be your cup of tea, but our program has NEVER crossed the line in terms of hateful/derogatory language. It is common knowledge around the league that the Middlebury team is homophobic, but no one ever brings it up because it does not fit the narrative. There have been a few instances of them even directing some of that homophobic language at players of our team. I won't go into specifics because this is not the place for it. I am proud to be a Mammoth because, although we might ruffle some feathers and leave a foot late into a challenge, I know none of our players would use discriminatory language towards others as a way to make people feel like they don't belong.

I feel the contempt that gets thrown at us misses some of the bigger/more pressing issues in our league. I'd rather be called "classless" by some middle-aged grumps than be known as an intolerant bigot by my peers.

[nescac1]

Is Williams for real? Off to a 2-0 start. Has anyone seen them in person?

Nice to see any sort of break from the annual conversation about Amherst's demeanor and antics (maybe we've gotten it out of the way early this year!). 

Williams definitely looks good in some areas but has room to improve in others. The biggest question coming into the season was GK and it appears that the Ephs have two capable (at worst) young goalies who have split time.  Perhaps one will emerge in time at the go-to keeper, how high their collective upside is remains to be seen. Both are massive, Diffley-sized players certainly, and both seem like good athletes, so the future seems bright there.  The Ephs defense has looked very stout, Caires, Labonski, Gibson, and frosh phenom Greer (who is also a threat with long throw-ins) form a very tough back-line, any of those guys could end up as all-league players.  The Ephs definitely have more finishing punch than they've had in recent years with the duo of Ruehlmann (who Hamilton seemed to be marking VERY tightly after his hot start) and Mitchell at target striker, plus some good set-up players led by Bethencourt.

What the Ephs' haven't been able to do yet is own the possession game in the middle of the field and it would be good to see them create more good chances with some more patient build-up rather than just scores off set-pieces and counter-attacks.  I believe Amherst usually plays a sort of similar style so we may see a lot of long balls back and forth on Saturday. Williams has a favorable schedule after that game with most remaining games at home (three road league games out of the way early, including Tufts and Amherst, is helpful).  Whichever team (if either) wins that game will be in a strong position going forward.   

Hamilton by the way is going to be very tough to score on this year.  But they also seemed to play very conservatively and I'm not sure they have a lot of firepower who can make an impact against the better teams in the league. 

[laker4141]

Is Williams for real? Off to a 2-0 start. Has anyone seen them in person?

Nice to see any sort of break from the annual conversation about Amherst's demeanor and antics (maybe we've gotten it out of the way early this year!). 

Williams definitely looks good in some areas but has room to improve in others. The biggest question coming into the season was GK and it appears that the Ephs have two capable (at worst) young goalies who have split time.  Perhaps one will emerge in time at the go-to keeper, how high their collective upside is remains to be seen. Both are massive, Diffley-sized players certainly, and both seem like good athletes, so the future seems bright there.  The Ephs defense has looked very stout, Caires, Labonski, Gibson, and frosh phenom Greer (who is also a threat with long throw-ins) form a very tough back-line, any of those guys could end up as all-league players.  The Ephs definitely have more finishing punch than they've had in recent years with the duo of Ruehlmann (who Hamilton seemed to be marking VERY tightly after his hot start) and Mitchell at target striker, plus some good set-up players led by Bethencourt.

What the Ephs' haven't been able to do yet is own the possession game in the middle of the field and it would be good to see them create more good chances with some more patient build-up rather than just scores off set-pieces and counter-attacks.  I believe Amherst usually plays a sort of similar style so we may see a lot of long balls back and forth on Saturday. Williams has a favorable schedule after that game with most remaining games at home (three road league games out of the way early, including Tufts and Amherst, is helpful).  Whichever team (if either) wins that game will be in a strong position going forward.   

Hamilton by the way is going to be very tough to score on this year.  But they also seemed to play very conservatively and I'm not sure they have a lot of firepower who can make an impact against the better teams in the league. 

Great insight! Sounds like the winner of Amherst/Williams will have an excellent spot moving forward in NPI and NESCAC. Exciting times!

[Ron Boerger]

After three matches, Trinity (2-0-1/0-0-1 NESCAC) has won as many matches as all last season (2-12) and has already broken their 14-match losing/non-tie streak in conference against Bates (who were the last team they defeated in 2023).  Will be interesting to see what they do the rest of the way.

[Camelparent]

After locking in their first victory of the season, due to goals from Elliot Spatz (The Spatzinator) and freshman Daniel Woodward (Woody),the Camels got the first W of the season.
Next up they head northward to Maine to face the formidable Polar Bears, a team that last year's graduating class never beat in 90 or 110 miniuts of action. This year's squad is determined to  finally beat our self called bogey team. With a promising new formation and a strong-looking freshman class, hopes are high.

Offensively, the key will be breaking down Bowdoin's disciplined mid-block. On the defensive end, expect someone new to be handed the Ji-Sung Park role, tasked with breathing down Tyler Huck neck all game long. Last year, that assignment was executed perfectly by a graduating senior who purposely didn't shower for 3 days just to become more effective.

While the past two results were 0-0 I am going with 1-0. With the the Spatzinator scoring again

[LibbyMoore]

Ha, now that is committment! (The lack of showering!)

[Yipper]

The fellow who embraced the strategy of not showering is going to have a long and happy married life.

[goamherst]

As a long-time Amherst alum and fan, I hate that my first post on these boards has to come under these circumstances. It's become clear that the men's soccer team culture has been nothing but trouble over the past few years. Whether that stems from Serpone or the players themselves, I can't say—but it's certainly different from when I was there, and it pains me to admit it.

Jose, I understand the instinct to defend Amherst, but there was no need for name-calling or insults. I've followed the boards for a few years now, and I almost feel accountable for the young Amherst supporter who has spoiled the friendly nature of this thread. We need more voices like EnmoreCat representing us here.

I hope this is the last post on the subject—it doesn't need or deserve any more stage time.

[Bret Clement]

We all know Amherst are masters at what the kids these days call "rage baiting", but I have personally enjoyed most of the antics whilst playing against Amherst on Hitchcock. It brings a lot of passion to a league that is followed by so few.

It has also been interesting to see their success against conn given their shaky start against Suffolk and losing so many players like fan favorite enmore kitten. It will be interesting to see how they lineup against an in form Williams who play a similar style of soccer. Id guess that there isn't 3 consecutive passes completed in that game. Not a matchup for the spectator. I'd also be curious to see if Williams can continue their form with such a lack of talent.