NESCAC

[Earl2]

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.

Absolutely true MunnyTim. Incredibly soft call on the corner for what usually goes down in the NESCAC. In addition to Tufts and Bowdoin, Conn had a goal disallowed after the fact versus Bates. That is three potential game winners disallowed for the camels. I'm sure the humps will be fueled and ready for the NCAAs.

I watched the Tufts vs. Conn college game as well. #7 Perugini's quality is amongst the best in the NESCAC.

[Sandon Mibut]

No, they don't reset, but cutoff goes  up to 8.

I believe the cutoff already went up to 8 for NESCAC and any other teams that are already involved in conference tournaments. See bolded items below-

CAUTIONS (YELLOW CARD)
• Regular season accumulated cautions (Rule 12.5): 
o 5 cautions in one season = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game.
o 3 additional cautions in one season (8 total) = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game.
o Each 2 additional cautions (10 total, 12 total, etc.) = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game.
o Suspensions carry over to postseason (conference tournament/NCAA tournament) and/or the next season if the team doesn't participate in postseason.

• Postseason accumulated cautions (Rule 12.6):
o Regular season caution accumulation carries into postseason (conference tournament/NCAA tournament).
o 8 cautions = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game. (NOTE: If a player enters postseason with 4 or fewer cautions, they are not required to serve a suspension until they reach their 8th caution). 
o Each 2 additional cautions (10 total, 12 total, etc.) = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game.
o Suspensions carry over to the next season.

[stlawus]

No, they don't reset, but cutoff goes  up to 8.

I believe the cutoff already went up to 8 for NESCAC and any other teams that are already involved in conference tournaments. See bolded items below-

CAUTIONS (YELLOW CARD)
• Regular season accumulated cautions (Rule 12.5): 
o 5 cautions in one season = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game.
o 3 additional cautions in one season (8 total) = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game.
o Each 2 additional cautions (10 total, 12 total, etc.) = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game.
o Suspensions carry over to postseason (conference tournament/NCAA tournament) and/or the next season if the team doesn't participate in postseason.

• Postseason accumulated cautions (Rule 12.6):
o Regular season caution accumulation carries into postseason (conference tournament/NCAA tournament).
o 8 cautions = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game. (NOTE: If a player enters postseason with 4 or fewer cautions, they are not required to serve a suspension until they reach their 8th caution). 
o Each 2 additional cautions (10 total, 12 total, etc.) = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game.
o Suspensions carry over to the next season.

Yea it used to be that conference tournaments counted as regular season, but the 2025 and 2026 rules referenced here make a clear delineation between regular season and conference tournament/ncaa tournament which appears to have been a change.

[Bucket]

No, they don't reset, but cutoff goes  up to 8.

I believe the cutoff already went up to 8 for NESCAC and any other teams that are already involved in conference tournaments. See bolded items below-

CAUTIONS (YELLOW CARD)
• Regular season accumulated cautions (Rule 12.5): 
o 5 cautions in one season = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game.
o 3 additional cautions in one season (8 total) = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game.
o Each 2 additional cautions (10 total, 12 total, etc.) = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game.
o Suspensions carry over to postseason (conference tournament/NCAA tournament) and/or the next season if the team doesn't participate in postseason.

• Postseason accumulated cautions (Rule 12.6):
o Regular season caution accumulation carries into postseason (conference tournament/NCAA tournament).
o 8 cautions = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game. (NOTE: If a player enters postseason with 4 or fewer cautions, they are not required to serve a suspension until they reach their 8th caution). 
o Each 2 additional cautions (10 total, 12 total, etc.) = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game.
o Suspensions carry over to the next season.

Got it. Thx.

[camosfan]

Did the regular goalkeeper for Midd. played in the Amherst game or he was out injured, he got injured against Williams in the last regular season game and the team has conceded 5 goals since he came off?     Looks like he played the 90 minutes against Amherst.

[Sandon Mibut]

Did the regular goalkeeper for Midd. played in the Amherst game or he was out injured, he got injured against Williams in the last regular season game and the team has conceded 5 goals since he came off?     Looks like he played the 90 minutes against Amherst.

Midd had their normal starting GK (Leon Brody) play the full 90 vs Amherst.

It was their backup that gave up the two 2nd-half goals in the prior game vs Williams.

[LibbyMoore]

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. 

Whoa that is going to be interesting to spread them all out the first weekend--someone is flying to Minnesota!

[Kuiper]

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. 

Whoa that is going to be interesting to spread them all out the first weekend--someone is flying to Minnesota!

Or Texas with Southwestern moving from #13 to #7 in the latest NPI.  Bowdoin was sent down to Trinity in San Antonio a few years ago.

[Sandon Mibut]

Looks like Hamilton was doing goalie by committee early in the season but favoring their senior captain Peter Montesano Scheibe until he gave up 10 goals in his first 4 NESCAC games (4 at Williams, 2 at Trinity, 0 vs Wesleyan and 4 vs Tufts). Sophomore Tobin Walsh has been the starter in their most recent 4 NESCAC games in which he has given up 2 goals (1 apiece in 2 games at Bowdoin and shutouts vs Amherst and vs Colby). Walsh has given up 5 total goals on the season across 7.5 games which included the 0-0 tie at Midd and 0-2 loss at Conn late September.

Troy Miller has been hot lately with 7 goals in his last 8 matches and 9 on the season to put him 3rd in overall points amongst NESCAC players. However, when you narrow the stats down to conference-only play, he only had 2 goals (and 0 assists) in 10 regular-season NESCAC games (1 goal vs Wesleyan and 1 at Bowdoin) followed by another 2 goals in their tournament win over Bowdoin this past weekend.

Interestingly, Hamilton are 1-4-4 in games when Miller doesn't score and 6-0-0 when he does! They only scored 2 goals in their first 8 NESCAC games this year before defeating Bowdoin 2-1 and Colby 3-0 to close out the NESCAC regular season with a goal differential of negative 6 (7-13).

Hamilton started 6 underclassmen at Bowdoin and it is hard to believe that their young back line will be able to hold off Tuft's more potent offense and stingier defense.

[Cacfan1]

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.

[Earl2]

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.

Conn played really well and agree with nearly everything you said about Perugini. The young man can just plain play. I would add Saeed from Wesleyan to your list of top attacking center-mid players.

Your observations regarding on-goal shot total makes me wonder if Nikola Antic should be in the conversation for player of the year. Conn took 25 shots and none of them got past Antic?! Now I wonder who was really being "terrorized?"

[Bucket]

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.

That's a lot of "ink" spilled for a team that lost.

More impressive, to me, is Tufts emerging with the win, despite being outshot 25-4.

And if you want to acknowledge a season-defining moment, look no further than Amherst against Middlebury. (And it pains me to a great degree to write these words.)

Amherst went on the road, against the top-ranked team in the country, perhaps needing a win to extend their season, and they did just that. Far more impressive than anything Conn did last weekend.

And you can have Perugini. Will Sawin is my player of the year.

[nescac_cc]

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.

That's a lot of "ink" spilled for a team that lost.

More impressive, to me, is Tufts emerging with the win, despite being outshot 25-4.

And if you want to acknowledge a season-defining moment, look no further than Amherst against Middlebury. (And it pains me to a great degree to write these words.)

Amherst went on the road, against the top-ranked team in the country, perhaps needing a win to extend their season, and they did just that. Far more impressive than anything Conn did last weekend.

And you can have Perugini. Will Sawin is my player of the year.

Sawin just doesn't pass the eye test.

[Sandon Mibut]

CAUTIONS (YELLOW CARD)
• Regular season accumulated cautions (Rule 12.5): 
o 5 cautions in one season = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game.
o 3 additional cautions in one season (8 total) = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game.
o Each 2 additional cautions (10 total, 12 total, etc.) = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game.
o Suspensions carry over to postseason (conference tournament/NCAA tournament) and/or the next season if the team doesn't participate in postseason.

• Postseason accumulated cautions (Rule 12.6):
o Regular season caution accumulation carries into postseason (conference tournament/NCAA tournament).
o 8 cautions = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game. (NOTE: If a player enters postseason with 4 or fewer cautions, they are not required to serve a suspension until they reach their 8th caution). 
o Each 2 additional cautions (10 total, 12 total, etc.) = suspension from the next regularly scheduled game.
o Suspensions carry over to the next season.

If Amherst were to make a run in the NCAA tourney they could have issues with cards, especially if they get through Williams on Saturday. Anyone know which type of red cards these guys have?

Judelson, Wilder Amherst 4Y
Dinzeo, Jacob Amherst 4Y/1R
Nuhu, Mohammed Amherst 4Y
Anuarbek, Dimash Amherst 4Y
Chow, Timothy Amherst 4Y
Akanbo, Vincent Amherst 1R
Stanger, Danny Amherst 1R
Curran, Sean Hamilton 5Y
Fauth, William Hamilton 5Y
Cornog, William   Tufts 4Y
Feldman, Zach Wesleyan 4Y

[Bucket]

I'm not sure I see any of those on 4 yellows reaching 8 cards, not unless they advance to the final weekend of the tournament.