What are your games to watch?

[kansas hokie]

impacts from today...

Mary Washington gets closer to at-large but still has work to do.

Mary Hardin Baylor, Wheaton (IL), Bridgewater and Wooster drop below the bubble, must win auto-bid.

W&L moves into good position tomorrow, but gets a poor draw in ODAC tourney (Randolph, low NPI points), win that and likely get Bridgewater again for a must-win game to stay in the tourney in ODAC semifinal.

[kansas hokie]

Didn't see this one coming, but Denison tying Wabash means that they are firmly on the bubble now after being #1 for many weeks earlier this year. They have John Carroll, a NCAC semi-final, and possibly a final left.

[kansas hokie]

So many important matchups on Wednesday and many teams will have their season ending this evening, here's some that catch my eye...

Rowan v. Stockton
Wooster v. Denison
Hampden Sydney v. Washington & Lee
Bridgewater v. Lynchburg
Cortland v. Oneonta
North Park v. Wheaton

[kansas hokie]

Thursday...MIAC semis...let's go!

Saint Johns v. Macalester
Gustavus Aldophus v. St. Olaf

[LibbyMoore]

Also big day in the NEWMAC: Worcester Polytech (WPI) vs NEWMAC #1 Wheaton (Mass), and Coast Guard vs Babson today in conference semis.

[Kuiper]

Cross-posting from the Go WEST thread

SCIAC preview of Thursday night games

Pomona-Pitzer @ Redlands 7 pm

The two teams played twice already this season, on Sept. 13 and Oct. 8, and tied 2-2 both games, which is telling since the first game they played P-P was 4-0-1 and Redlands was 1-3 after its long road trip, while the second game Redlands was in the midst of a 5 game winless streak.  The first game was also at Redlands at night, while the second game was at Pomona during the day on a slower grass field where Redlands often doesn't play as well.  So, the bottom line is the two teams match up pretty well regardless of the circumstances.  Right now, though, Redlands is probably the hotter team.  Zach Darmanyan is back and has been a difference maker and opened up space for Anders Beckton and others.  They are on a 7 game unbeaten streak and a 5 game winning streak.  They aren't as dominant as years past and they haven't had a single shutout all season, but they have played just enough defense to limit teams to a goal.  Pomona-Pitzer has been a little more up and down this year, but has won the last two games by identical 2-0 scores.  An interesting stat is that Pomona-Pitzer has scored first in both games the teams have played.  Redlands seems to play with more energy coming from behind and P-P has had trouble holding onto leads.

La Verne @ Occidental

Oxy is coming into this game on a three game winning streak, but the one loss before that streak began was a 1-0 loss to La Verne at Oxy on Oxy's Senior Night.  In the one other time the two teams played, they tied 3-3 after Oxy held a 2-0 lead from the 36th until the 73rd minutes, before allowing three ULV goals over an 8 minute stretch.  Oxy was bailed out by a Devin Bening tying goal with 13 seconds left in the game.  The key for Occidental is corner kicks.  They have both a height advantage and get strong service.  The problem is that when they don't hit on their offensive corners, they are vulnerable to counter attacks with their bigs in the opponent's box.  As in the Chapman game, La Verne's GK, Hector Duenas-Pena could be the deciding factor.  Oxy has had some good goalkeeping, but they've played four different keepers, with three of them starting at least three games as they searched for the right player.  Carlos Abram has taken the starting spot during Oxy's run to 1st in the SCIAC, but he doesn't have a ton of experience as he has only played 9 games over two years.

[Kuiper]

Now that Mary Hardin-Baylor isn't solidly within the At-Large line, this isn't a potential bid stealer conference.  Nevertheless, it would be a big upset if UMHB didn't win the ASC tournament

cross-posting from the Go WEST thread

ASC semifinals preview

Howard Payne @ Mary Hardin-Baylor at 7 pm central

If ASC wasn't down to a 4 team league this year before reinforcements arrive for 2026, Howard Payne (NPI #374) wouldn't be anywhere near a conference semifinals.  They are 1-12-3 and have been outscored 39-11 this season.  Plus, this game is being played at UMHB, where the Cru beat Howard Payne 6-0 on 9/27.  Having said that, HP has improved a little since then.  They beat Hardin-Simmons 2-0 the next game for their only win of the season and they only lost 2-1 to UMHB when the game was played at Howard Payne on 10/18.  If Howard Payne fans want any further straws to grasp, UMHB ended the regular season on a slight downturn, losing to Trinity 3-1 and tying Hardin-Simmons 2-2.  Still, it would take a monumental turn of events for Mary Hardin-Baylor to lose this game.  They know they need to win the ASC and can't rely on an at-large bid after falling to #60 in the NPI.  I expect UMHB will come out flying, bury HP early, and then rest up their starters for the ASC final.

Hardin-Simmons v. East Texas Baptist at 1 pm central


This should be a much more competitive match than the other ASC semifinal game.  The two teams tied 2-2 on 10/1 and then H-S won 3-2 on 10/17.  H-S edged out ETBU for second seed with a 2-2-2 conference record, compared to 2-3-1 for ETBU, but H-S was unbeaten the second time through the conference, while ETBU's only win in its second pass was against Howard Payne.  If H-S lets it turn into a shooting match, ETBU might have the edge.  They've scored 44 goals compared to 25 for H-S.  Hardin-Simmons relies upon CM Benny Lube (6 assists) to set up F James Webb (7 goals), while ETBU has a more diversified attack, with 6 players scoring 4 goals or more and 8 scoring at least 3 goals.  My guess is H-S will try to stay more organized and disciplined defensively and wait for opportunities to exploit ETBU on the counter and in transition.

[Kuiper]

Cross-posting from the Go WEST thread

SCAC quarterfinal games on Thursday

Hendrix v. Austin at 5 pm Central

Austin just beat Hendrix 3-1 on 10/24 in a game where Hendrix generally led on all offensive stats, but Austin was more clinical in front of goal.  It scored in the 8th minute, which allowed it to play the low block and counter attack/transition game that it uses to generate most of its offense.

LeTourneau v. Concordia TX at 8 pm Central

LeTourneau and Concordia tied 1-1 in their only meeting, but that was so early in the season (9/26) that I'm not sure it sheds much light on this matchup.  LeTourneau really turned it on toward the end of the season, going 4-2 the last six games, including a 1-0 loss to Colorado College.  Concordia comes in with a 4 game unbeaten streak and it ended the season with a tough 0-0 draw against Texas Lutheran.  Neither team scores a ton of goals and both teams have fairly stout defenses.  If it comes down to goalkeeper play, Concordia might have the advantage.  Concordia's Leonel Cuellar leads the SCAC in Saves and was second in save percentage at .829.

[mngopher]

Thursday...MIAC semis...let's go!

Saint Johns v. Macalester
Gustavus Aldophus v. St. Olaf

The MIAC re-seeds their tournament so it is:
St. Olaf vs St. John's
Macalester vs Gustavus

Should be some good ones.
A Johnnie win probably means 5 MIAC teams in the NCAA which I'm fairly certain would be the most the conference has ever gotten in. 4 might even be the most ever, and that's virtually guaranteed at this point.

 Might even have three (possibly 4 depending on many factors??) MIAC teams as 1st/2nd round hosts as well. Augsburg and Olaf are surely hosts, and I would think the winner of Macalester (currently NPI #18) vs Gustavus (#13) would have a decent chance as well. Though I'll admit I don't have a great grasp on the hosting selection process.

[kansas hokie]

There's a bonanza of great games on Saturday...edited to add viewing links

10:30 am -

NESCAC semi - Tufts v. Middlebury - https://www.nsnsports.net/conferences/nescac/

Brandeis / NYU - NYU could knock Brandeis out of NCAA.
Flosports - https://www.flocollege.com/live/184870

1:00 pm

NESCAC semi - Conn v. Wesleyan
https://www.nsnsports.net/conferences/nescac/

WIAC title - UW Eau Claire v. UW Stevens Point - UWSP could steal a bid.
https://www.wiacnetwork.com/uweauclaire/ (HUDL subscription required)

3:00 pm

SUNYAC title - Buffalo St. v. Oneonta - Oneonta can steal a bid -
https://sunyacsportsnetwork.com/

NCAC title - Denison v. Depauw - Depauw can steal
https://depauwtigers.com/sports/2022/8/5/depauw-video-player-2.aspx

Landmark title - Catholic v. Drew 3:30pm - Drew can steal
https://flosports.link/4lY5d9u

5:00 p.m.

UAA title - Chicago v. Wash U (Chicago needs tie or win to be champs) - https://flosports.link/44Y9fIR

Emory v. Rochester - https://flosports.link/45xxI7S

6:00 p.m.

ODAC title game - Lynchburg v. W&L - https://flosports.link/4m4hvNe

7:30 p.m.

NJAC title Rowan v. TCNJ - TCNJ can steal a bid - https://www.youtube.com/live/XDjxVa9gQPQ


Bubble list as of Saturday at 4pm EST....

1) VA Wesleyan
2) Denison if they lose final to Depauw
3) Amherst
4) W&L if they lose ODAC final
5) CNU if they lose C2C final
6) Edgewood
7) Hobart if they lose LL final
8) UW-Whitewater
9) Scranton

[Kuiper]

There's a bonanza of great games on Saturday...

10:30 am -

NESCAC semi - Tufts v. Middlebury,

Brandeis / NYU - NYU could knock Brandeis out of NCAA.

1:00 pm

NESCAC semi - Conn v. Wesleyan (a Conn win could seriously hurt Amherst's chances of getting an at-large bid as Amherst has 2 Wesleyan games in their numbers)

WIAC title - UW Eau Claire v. UW Stevens Point - UWSP could steal a bid.

3:00 pm

SUNYAC title - Buffalo St. v. Oneonta - Oneonta can steal a bid
NCAC title - Denison v. Depauw - Depauw can steal
Landmark title - Catholic v. Drew 3:30pm - Drew can steal

5:00 p.m.

UAA title - Chicago v. Wash U (Chicago needs tie or win to be champs)

Emory v. Rochester - can Rochester win to get on the bubble?

6:00 p.m.

ODAC title game - Lynchburg v. W&L

7:30 p.m.

NJAC title Rowan v. TCNJ - TCNJ can steal a bid


Bubble teams who fall out if upsets happen...

1) VA Wesleyan
2) Amherst
3) W&L if they lose ODAC final
4) Edgewood
5) UW-Whitewater
6) Scranton
7) Hampden Sydney

A little context for the possibility of upsets:

Denison's one loss this season was 10/15 to DePauw by a 1-0 score
Buffalo State and Oneonta tied 1-1 on 10/15
TCNJ was up 1-0 at the half and for a good portion of the second half against Rowan on 10/29 until Rowan scored goals in the 73rd and 77th minutes

[WUPHF]

I normally do not get excited about the rivalry, but the men playing in Holland and the women playing in Grand Rapids, both with 12:00 / 1:00 start times.  These are games of the day quality games.

[pioneer27]

Two other games that should be fun.

Luther vs Wartburg - Luthers last ever game as a member of the American Rivers.

Lake Forest vs Grinnell - Can Lake Forest sweep the Midwest Conference or does Grinnell pull off an upset to give the Midwest Conference 2 bids.   

[Kuiper]

Cross-posting from the Go WEST thread

SCIAC Championship game preview

Redlands @ Occidental at 7:30 PM Pacific

Two traditional SCIAC powers that started out the season poorly turn things around and end up back in the championship game for a re-match of the 2023 Championship game where Oxy beat Redlands 3-0.  According to the box score, that match had 4,200 in attendance.  Redlands fans typically travel well and Occidental has an all out push to get people to come to the game.  They even filmed a promo for the game on Instagram with Oxy President Tim Stritikus out at the stadium encouring fans/students to attend.  I doubt they will get anywhere close to the attendance of the 2023 game, but it still should be a good atmosphere.

The last time these two faced each other this season was over a month ago on 10/4 at Oxy when Occidental beat Redlands 3-0.  That was a different Redlands team though.  Redlands was coming off a loss to CMS and a tie to Cal Lutheran - the two teams that finished at the bottom of the SCIAC table - and Zach Darmanyan, who had scored in the Bulldogs last victory before going down with injury, was not available for the Oxy game.  Redlands only had 1 shot on goal the whole game against Oxy and that was credited to the Redlands goalkeeper. I've found that Darmnayan has been the difference maker for the team this year.  They simply didn't have a balanced offensive attack or room for the offense to maneuver while he was out of the lineup in the middle of the season.  Since he's been back, the team has gone on a 7 game unbeaten streak and 6 game winning streak (6-0-1) to close out the season and start the SCIAC tournament, partly because of Darmanyan's return and partly because younger players got experience while he was out and now provide more quality depth.

It's also not the same Oxy team, though.  The last time the two teams played Oxy was pretty inconsistent. You didn't know what team you were going to get from game to game.  They blew out some teams and were powerless against others.  Oxy is now on a 4 game winning streak where they have averaged 3 goals per game and they are coming off a 4-1 thrashing of La Verne.  SCIAC Offensive Player of the Year Devin Bening has had 3 goals and 3 assists during that stretch. 

The one worrying sign is the Oxy goalkeepers.  The starter for the first seven games of the season isn't even on the roster anymore. His replacement, Carlos Abram, who was a SCIAC Defensive Player of the Week in early October, is either injured or was benched.  Abram's replacement, Sammy Gramlich (Jr), who played his first collegiate games this season and did pretty well in two starts, was then replaced by another Junior, Casey Scott, who had only played 15 minutes before this season and was given a start against CMS where he gave up 3 goals, before heading to the bench again in favor of Gramlich.  Then, Scott started again in the SCIAC semifinals against La Verne, gave up a goal, and was pulled at halftime for Gramlich.  I'm a fan of giving more than 1 goalkeeper legit game action during the season so you aren't caught playing someone for the first time in a high importance situation, but Oxy seems just plain unsure about who is their starting goalkeeper.  I don't know if its because of injury/personal situations or form, but it's not ideal to be that unsettled at such an important spot this late in the year.  On the other hand, if Oxy keeps scoring 3-4 goals a game, it might not matter much.

[kansas hokie]

Sunday games with NCAA seeding/bubble implications...every game on Sunday is a title game, so all are fun, good luck to all...

11am - NESCAC final - Tufts vs. Conn
https://www.nsnsports.net/conferences/nescac/

Noon - C2C title - CNU v. Salisbury
https://www.cnusports.com/showcase?Live=1496

1pm - Dickinson v. Johns Hopkins
http://www.centennialconference.tv/

1:30 - Liberty title Hobart v. Vassar
https://hwsathletics.com/watch/