NESCAC

[SimpleCoach]

Wesleyan with a huge victory against the Jumbos. 2-0 and Wes were the better side particularly in the 2nd half.   Wes was well organized and Adiutori in his first career start in goal was up to the moment commanding the box in the air.   The veteran Cardinal squad was poised, patient and disciplined.   Huge win that shows they are a real contender as they were last fall.  Wes has a lot of big bodies that complement quite a bit of skill that Saeed, Jennings and Cauvin bring.   

I said it last week when Tufts beat Trinity, I thought they looked of step and not the team that won it all.  Still time to turn it around, but they are looking disorganized on both sides of the ball.  And think Wesleyan's organization is what made the difference.

SC.

Still time to turn it around? LOL. You think?

Folks, chill. It's the 2nd game of the season. And as my friend nescac1 points out, there is plenty of (recent) precedent to suggest that jumping to a quick conclusion about what the season will portend is a fool's errand.

Congrats to Wes. Very nice early season win. And the Jumbos will be fine. That's a conclusion I have no problem jumping to.

An inartful use of words.  My apologies.

Blessings.

SC.

[Kuiper]

Hard to believe Conn lost to Middlebury 3-0!  Last time they gave up 3 goals in a NESCAC game may have been a 3-1 loss to Wesleyan in 2024.  They went on to make it to the National Championship game that year, though, so I wouldn't read too much into it.  Nevertheless, I would not want to be at practice on Monday (or be their next opponent, Clark, on Tuesday).

[Bucket]

Hard to believe Conn lost to Middlebury 3-0!  Last time they gave up 3 goals in a NESCAC game may have been a 3-1 loss to Wesleyan in 2024.  They went on to make it to the National Championship game that year, though, so I wouldn't read too much into it.  Nevertheless, I would not want to be at practice on Monday (or be their next opponent, Clark, on Tuesday).

Might say more about Middlebury than it does Conn. Panthers look clinical early in the season.

[LibbyMoore]

It appeared that the game stayed clean and not chippy, at least from the broadcast--after the Conn v Amherst wrestlefest the week previous, I was concerned it would be overly physical! Both teams kept it all about the soccer, which can be hard on the losing side of a scoreline like that, kudos to Conn!

Hard to believe Conn lost to Middlebury 3-0!  Last time they gave up 3 goals in a NESCAC game may have been a 3-1 loss to Wesleyan in 2024.  They went on to make it to the National Championship game that year, though, so I wouldn't read too much into it.  Nevertheless, I would not want to be at practice on Monday (or be their next opponent, Clark, on Tuesday).

[nescacfootyfan]

NESCAC: Early Takes, Big Questions, and a Few Cold Hard Truths

Wesleyan: Now this is a team. Wesleyan look absolutely phenomenal out of the gate - clean, organized, nasty on set pieces and downright dangerous when they get you on the counter. Credit to Wheeler: these boys look like they know exactly what they're doing. Saeed, Jennings, Clack and Longerman have all stepped up, and there's a real bite to this group.

So here's the question: are Wesleyan actually coming for the Cup? Because if they keep playing like this, somebody better start paying attention.

Tufts: A little early-season rust, sure. Nothing to panic about. Canfin looks sharp. Denby looks sharp. They're dangerous on set pieces. But something feels off. There's a little something missing from this Tufts side, and I can't quite put my finger on it yet.

And while we're here: Bijan is a great player. The guy just makes things happen. He's a massive reason Tufts continue to sit at the national contender table. Don't sleep on them.

Conn: I was ready to crown Conn after they went into Amherst and put three past them. Then I started wondering whether Conn are actually that good - or whether Amherst have simply fallen off a cliff.

Perugini looks sharp. Hoke looks sharp. There's plenty to like. But Burke has to change something. You can't keep doing the same thing and expect the rest of the league to politely sit there and let you do it.

And Haberman? He's got to be better (if they do not want to lose 3-0 again). Ever since he sent Davis into low Earth orbit with that tackle against Amherst, he hasn't exactly been covering himself in glory.

Amherst: Oh boy.

This is bad. Really bad.

Amherst look like a shell of what they've been, and at some point you have to start asking serious questions. Serpone may want to consider hanging it up and taking a course in actually playing soccer rather than perfecting the dark arts of instructing players to hit others and taunting college-aged kids.

That said, there is at least one bright spot: first-year #15 Anuarbek looks like a legitimate player. There's something there.

Middlebury: The Panthers are cooking.

Zero goals conceded. Twelve scored. You don't need a degree in football economics to understand that's pretty damn good.

Elias looks like he's finally figured out the right pieces, and this team looks balanced from front to back. And then there's Dugan, who apparently woke up this year and decided he wants to take the #1 throne from Pertugini.

What. A. Player.

Sawin and Payne deserve plenty of love too. They've been excellent. Middlebury look like a team that knows exactly what it wants to be, and that's a dangerous thing this early in the season.

Williams: Look, the results are there. They've got the head start. Good for them.

But I'm not buying the hype. Not yet.

Kick-and-run can get you some wins. It can even get you pretty far. But eventually somebody good is going to make you play soccer, and then what?

Siebert needs to reconsider the approach.

The 2024 Amherst team got away with a similar style because they had an absolute rock of a defense and game-changers who could decide a match out of nowhere. Williams don't have that luxury — at least not from what I've seen so far.

So enjoy the early lead, boys. But the real tests are coming.

Bowdoin: No Huck, no party.

Feels like the Polar Bears are in a bit of a rebuild. Not a disaster, but certainly not the vintage Bowdoin we've come to expect. There are pieces, though. Sinicropi is a good little player in the midfield — tidy, competitive, and someone I'd keep an eye on as the season develops.

For now, though? Rebuilding.

Hamilton: Meh.

That's about all I've got. Nothing particularly offensive, nothing particularly inspiring. They're there. They play soccer. We move on.

Colby: Now the boys look good.

I'm a big fan of the Scott twins. Really good players, and they give Colby a serious punch. The problem is painfully obvious, though: there just isn't enough depth.

And in this league, that eventually catches up with you. You can have your stars, but once the legs get heavy and the injuries pile up, you need another guy who can step in and keep the level high.

I like Colby. I just don't think they have enough horses to actually get the job done.

Bates: Solid start. Results are pretty much what you'd expect, and there's nothing wrong with that.

They're organized, they compete, and they're getting what they should be getting. But I'm not sitting here pretending we've uncovered the next great NESCAC monster.

Good team. Good start. Carry on.

Trinity: Go Bants, boys.

Seriously, I want Trinity to do well. They're a fun school, the atmosphere is great, and frankly the league is better when they dont go 0-10 in the CAC.

But... it's just not there yet.

There are some decent pieces, and the first-years actually look pretty promising. That's the encouraging part. But this feels like a project rather than a contender.

Give them another five years. Maybe then we're talking.

For now, though: Go Bants.

[DBoy1004]

Wondering if anyone who watched the Conn Amherst game live can help me out, both game recaps say that Hoke scored the opener, but the live stats and the NESCAC article list Miles as the scorer, can anyone confirm which of those is right?

[nescac1]

So far, NESCAC is an insane 19-0-2 in non-conference play.  If something fairly close to that pace continues, NESCAC is practically a lock for seven NCAA bids again and will have a very good chance of getting eight in. 

The current NPI rankings reflect as much: 1. Williams, 3. Middlebury, 8. Tufts, 9. Wesleyan, 13. Conn, five elite national teams to start the season, and then there is a big gap but you have 42. Trinity, 57. Colby, 63. Hamilton, and 66. Bates all well positioned to move up quickly with any sort of results against the top five; these are all strong opponents who will only help each other's strength of schedule when they meet.  Bowdoin at 84 and especially Amherst at 127 (!) are obviously talented sides who are likely to move way up as well. There is a very good chance that this year all 11 NESCAC teams will end up in the top 100 in NPI which is just a huge SOS multiplier for the league.   

It really is crazy what NESCAC soccer has become, nationally.  It was always a strong league but from 1993 (first year of eligibility) through 2013, the conference had only two total national titles (Williams and Midd) and one runner-up (Williams) in around a 20-year stretch.  Williams did make it to another four Final Fours during that time period, and Amherst made one as well. 

From 2014 through 2025, in only 11 national tournaments, NESCAC has won eight titles (Tufts 5, Amherst 2, Conn 1) with five runners-up (Amherst 3, Williams 1, Conn 1).  Midd also made a final four and Bowdoin has come close.  I can think of a few things that account for the change: Messiah's big decline from a completely dominant national powerhouse, which opened things up for others to step into the void, and Conn and especially Tufts making great hires who completely changed those programs.  But going the other way, Williams hasn't been the dominant national program it was through most of the Russo era. 

I'm curious what folks think NESCAC as a league has done to become so dominant during the past ten years relative to its previous more measured strength?

[Hopkins92]

Popping in to pontificate.

Little Ivies - A lot of D1-caliber athletes want what these 11 schools have to offer. Extremely strong academics, combined with each school's commitment to providing top-notch facilities and amenities. Players who might not quite be Ivy League-caliber or just want a slightly less rigorous or deep commitment that D1 requires are gravitating to NESCAC.

Iron Sharpens Iron - If the respective athletic departments didn't give a hoot about recruiting in this tight regional hotbed for soccer, NESCAC would just be an OK conference. But the competitive spirit in overall student recruiting has clearly bled into the athletic departments.

Overall brand and marketing pull means they can recruit nationally and internationally. I can't remember which NESCAC school it was, but the daughter on Shrinking was being recruited by one of them. That's the kind of name recognition these 11 schools can lean on to build their rosters.

I also think, as mentioned, a handful of key coaching hires has spurred the conference to its current heights.

[Hopkins92]

Wesleyan.

And, not to get too wildly off-topic, but... It bugged me a great deal that they had the daughter leave for the East Coast directly after graduating to join the soccer team. Made zero sense. As Bill Simmons gripes repeatedly, a lot of shows/movies would do well to have a sports ombudsman around. Incoming freshmen aren't permitted to join until the fall season in D3 sports.

Unless they changed the rules very recently.

[SierraFD3soccer]

Bill Belichick's alma mater where he played football and lacrosse. Yeah, the plot part as to the daughter on Shrinking is def. stretched and not believable. 

[kevdog]

Wondering if anyone who watched the Conn Amherst game live can help me out, both game recaps say that Hoke scored the opener, but the live stats and the NESCAC article list Miles as the scorer, can anyone confirm which of those is right?

Williams was dominate team in the late 80's and early 90's but was not allowed to participate in the tournament until as you said in 93.  I would wonder how those teams would fair against the RIT teams, UNC-Greensboro teams of that era.  Those teams were just as dominate and nationally ranked in the top 10 alot.

[nescac1]

Yeah considering those Williams teams had two high-level professional players (Mike Masters and Dan Calichman) playing together, I imagine they certainly would have been in the mix for national titles.  As with the loaded Colby men's hoops teams circa 1990, alas, they never got the chance to show what they could do on a national stage. 

[kevdog]

Yeah considering those Williams teams had two high-level professional players (Mike Masters and Dan Calichman) playing together, I imagine they certainly would have been in the mix for national titles.  As with the loaded Colby men's hoops teams circa 1990, alas, they never got the chance to show what they could do on a national stage. 

It was a shame that they couldn't compete but you also understood that before you chose to go there.  I know that academics was big for them back the as it is today but at least they can compete against other teams throughout the nation now.

[Ejay]

It's not just soccer but Lax too, especially on the women's side.

[Kuiper]

So far, NESCAC is an insane 19-0-2 in non-conference play.  If something fairly close to that pace continues, NESCAC is practically a lock for seven NCAA bids again and will have a very good chance of getting eight in. 

The current NPI rankings reflect as much: 1. Williams, 3. Middlebury, 8. Tufts, 9. Wesleyan, 13. Conn, five elite national teams to start the season, and then there is a big gap but you have 42. Trinity, 57. Colby, 63. Hamilton, and 66. Bates all well positioned to move up quickly with any sort of results against the top five; these are all strong opponents who will only help each other's strength of schedule when they meet.  Bowdoin at 84 and especially Amherst at 127 (!) are obviously talented sides who are likely to move way up as well. There is a very good chance that this year all 11 NESCAC teams will end up in the top 100 in NPI which is just a huge SOS multiplier for the league. 

It really is crazy what NESCAC soccer has become, nationally.  It was always a strong league but from 1993 (first year of eligibility) through 2013, the conference had only two total national titles (Williams and Midd) and one runner-up (Williams) in around a 20-year stretch.  Williams did make it to another four Final Fours during that time period, and Amherst made one as well. 

From 2014 through 2025, in only 11 national tournaments, NESCAC has won eight titles (Tufts 5, Amherst 2, Conn 1) with five runners-up (Amherst 3, Williams 1, Conn 1).  Midd also made a final four and Bowdoin has come close.  I can think of a few things that account for the change: Messiah's big decline from a completely dominant national powerhouse, which opened things up for others to step into the void, and Conn and especially Tufts making great hires who completely changed those programs.  But going the other way, Williams hasn't been the dominant national program it was through most of the Russo era. 

I'm curious what folks think NESCAC as a league has done to become so dominant during the past ten years relative to its previous more measured strength?

This early in the season, it's pretty easy to see what is driving NPI rankings, especially at the margins, in the NESCAC.  It's not record, per se.  It's sequencing of conference opponents and quality of non-conference opponents.

Trinity College is 2-2, with wins against non-conference University of St. Joseph and University of Hartford and losses against Tufts and Williams and is ranked #42 in the NPI Simulator and would make the At Large cut.  Amherst is 2-1-1 with wins against Albertus Magnus and Westfield State a loss against Conn College and a tie against Bowdoin and is ranked #127 in the NPI simulator and would miss the cut.  Bowdoin is 2-0-2 (undefeated!) with wins against University of New England and University of Southern Maine and ties against Salve Regina and Amherst and is ranked #84 in the NPI simulator and would miss the cut.

So, Trinity has the worst record of the three, but is ranked highest on the NPI simulator and is ranked significantly higher than other NESCAC teams with similar or better records - Colby (2-1-1 record, but ranked #57 and doesn't make the At Large cut), Hamilton (1-1-1 record, but ranked #63 and doesn't make the At Large cut) and Bates (2-1-1 record, but ranked #66 and doesn't make the At Large cut).

The difference is almost entirely about the SoS, which is comprised of their opponents NPI scores.  Amherst has the lowest avg Opponent NPI score in the NESCAC (48.942) after playing 0-6 Westfield State (#381 and 39.541 NPI) and Albertus Magnus (#273 and 46.604 NPI).  That's also a function of opening NESCAC play against Bowdoin, which has a weaker NPI than the top NESCAC teams.   

Trinity, by contrast, currently has one of the highest, if not the highest SoS in the country (opponents NPI of 55.310) because they lost to Tufts and Williams and their two wins were against Hartford (Ranked #62 and NPI of 53.619) and St. Joseph's (CT) (Ranked #191 and NPI of 49.189).  Those numbers are orders of magnitude higher than Amherst's current opponents. 

Amherst's problem is that it's going to likely have multiple non-conference games it wants to drop and I'm not sure it has an easy pathway to 11-12 wins (which they need to drop 1-2 games) at this point.