Quote from: EnmoreCat on January 29, 2025, 04:19:32 AM

Quote from: stlawus on January 29, 2025, 01:49:14 AMI missed it at the time but Jeremy Ogango from SLU was in the transfer portal in early December. Don't know what came of it, if anything as he's still on campus. Though that doesn't necessarily mean anything for next year. I believe it is/was an attempt to level up.

The Portal Whisperer!

I like Jeremy.
He is a class player.
Honestly, can't say I blame him for attempting to improve his football enviornment and perhaps playing football in a more diverse team. Not the same vibe/talent level that existed between 94-2015.

Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on January 23, 2025, 09:34:38 AM

Quote from: Kuiper on January 18, 2025, 04:12:56 PM

QuoteFour years ago, Patrick Agyemang was playing D3 college ball.

Now he's the big winner from #USMNT January camp.

https://www.soccerjournal.com/patrick-agyemang-transfers-to-uri-from-eastern-connecticut-state/

Not quite try 5 or 6 years ago. It appears that he played two years with ECU which ended in 2019. Yes, he scored 21 goals in 2019, but most of those were against not great D3 teams. COVID happened and he transferred to d1 Univ. of RI to finish his college. https://qcnerve.com/patrick-agyemang-charlotte-fc/  He did pretty well with URI where he played 2.5 season for good to mediocre D1 team. I bet he still owes some college loans.

Also it appears that he was around 5'8" as a junior in HS and finished growing to 6'4" in college. He also came from East Hartford which is a really tough part of of CT. Besides being smaller early, the other reason IMO it appears to be he was from a poor family. No big mystery, no big star in the rough. He's 24 now and has a few more years.

I know we all want some great player to emerge from D3 purgatory/obscurity, but that does not appear to be here. He plays MLS and scored a goal against Venezuela. He had a decent season last year with splitting between starting and coming off the bench (19 starts 12 sub with 10 goals). I do hope it gets even better in the future, but don't think he'll end up in the EPL.   

This young man had many people who doubted he would end up Pro so I am sure some believing he won't go EPL  does not affect him in the slightest.
Football does not work going from 5 8 to 6 2, this is not basketball. The kid made it through hard work skill set and dedication to improvement. What does his school loans have to do with anything? This is a great story, an inspiring story for D3 as a whole, footballers individually and just a brilliant human story, but there will always be those who try to down play someone else's achievement and accomplishment. If you are a young athlete or a parent of one, this D3 to National story should inspire.
Ian Wright and Jamie Vardy were underrated as well and made the jump. This is Football.

Quote from: Mr_November on December 06, 2024, 12:32:17 PM

Quote from: PaulNewman on December 06, 2024, 12:23:58 PMTo no one in particular...

So you're saying I don't have to feel bad about myself?

I don't have to ingest repeated failures to reach the F4 or win a title as a personal narcissistic injury?

Same for fans/parents/alums of Midd, W&L, Hopkins, F&M, Cortland, Rowan, GAC, Babson, JCU, ONU, etc, etc?

There are many quality clubs that compete for the Champions League that have never won it. Needless to say, they are still widely regarded as a world powerhouses.

Some clubs have title winning dynasties from past or present (Real Madrid, Bayern, Liverpool, AC Milan) and others are still hoping that one year will be the special year they clinch their first UCL title (Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, PSG).

*Please excuse this somewhat sorry analogy. D3 soccer is obviously different than the UCL

No, but football is football and the analogy applies.
It is like Jose Mourinho said. Football Tradition.
"Whatever man has done Man can do" - Marcus Garvey.
The reason that Liverpool or Tufts players can put on a jersey and know they are competing for the entire thing is because of football tradition.
The blood sweat and tears don't wash out of the jerseys... they stay there and give the future players a quality you cannot quantify.
What the Conn boys did a few years ago is giving CC confidence going into the season and the game.
There are many great programs that have not won yet. Oneonta/U of R Ithaca to name a few from my neck of the woods. They are great programs but I guarantee that once they win that first chip the future players will use it as a confidence boost going forward... Just like the Ajax/Man U/Chelsea boys.

Quote from: PaulNewman on December 06, 2024, 10:57:05 AMjknezek, I certainly try to milk numerous Sweet 16s and a couple of Elite 8s as far as I can, but from my vantage point the gulf between the Elite 8 and making a F4 is huge. Would be curious to hear Hop92's take here. The F4 is its own breakthrough. No one cares that you lost the Elite 8 in PKs or on a 109th minute fluky, defensive flub.

For me the multiple F4s are more impressive than one title...and imo much harder to achieve.

As someone who lost the elite 8 (to Williams) at home in penalties, yes you are right. That was an amazing team we had that was technically undefeated that season, but no one really remembers besides the men you battled with.

Final 4 is a different animal.
A bigger deal.

What Final 4 and Elite 8 losses do though is get a team pissed enough to come back with even more potent venom for a title run.
Richard Stocton boys did this after their finL 4 loss and became a Championship team not long after.

Amherst is in a strange position of being a champion but also failing to climb the hill several years.
Many programs have 1 title... when you get that second star is when you are in that next level company of Wheaton/Messiah/Tufts.
This is what is at stake for both finalists this weekend.

Quote from: PaulNewman on December 05, 2024, 11:25:32 PMW&L is outstanding.  Played very, very well...and deserved to get at least one and probably more.  I was surprised to what degree they dominated, especially being quicker to the ball and winning 50/50s.  W&L is not short on physicality either.  But, yes, dominant and Conn struggled to keep the ball beyond 3 passes because of the W&L pressure and then W&L's ability to move the ball around the pitch.  Conn usually is very good in possession but W&L did not let them breathe and were a nearly constant threat.  Now, all that said, I never had a feeling Conn was gonna lose that game.  Maybe must biased towards Conn after these past few years, but even though they knew they were getting overwhelmed they somehow remained resilient, got a goal, and gutted it out.  As as aside, a much more pleasureable game to watch.  Not always beautiful but it felt like a real soccer match.  Congrats to both teams.

Hats off to W&L for an amazing season and a good run over the past few years. The competetion at the top is extreme and when you have a chance to win it you have to win it. I am sure W&L will be back, but they have to focus on winning because no program is on top forever but when you win the program will always be a champion.

Amherst can attest to the confidence one gets when you climb that hill.
There is a lot of pressure on Amherst in the final.
They have lost 3 finals in the past 5 years.
Amherst has been the dominant team in NESCAC for the past 20 years.
More so than Tufts with 4 rings and more than Williams who had the iconic coach Russo and his 400 wins and Championship in mid 90s still is seen as  next level program nationally.

Conn can make it 2 championships and twice as much as Williams, Amuerst and  Middlebury despite being a relatively new kid on the block Nationally atleast.

May the best team win.
All these boys playing in the final 4 are winners.
You don't make it to this level as a Coach or player unless you have that something special. That bond that makes teammates become brothers.

Midd has won a title before
Amherst has won one as well and maybe has the most pressure on them because honestly, Amherst could have 3 or 4 titles now if they just had a few more clutch moments like Tuffts had with less time on top.
Conn won a title very recently and going for their second.

W+L has been coming and I am sure maybe has loads of neutrals pulling for them.
Any Champion 🏆 who survives will be a worthy champion and more importantly will set up their program for more titles to come.

Many of us don't have teams in it anymore but we are all so proud of these great athletes... especially the seniors.
This is a culmination of great preparation... not 4 years ago, but when since they were 4.

Vassar does deserve credit.
Some of us were playing when they entered the league in 00 and steadily kept working to build up.their program year after year.
An all-time coach left but the D3 Arne Slott seems to have picked up the torch and taken the team to an even higher level.
I see Vassar being a top teamnin the league for some time to come.

Quote from: flyingdutchman on November 12, 2024, 09:49:06 AMI understand the frustration with 8 NESCAC teams in the tournament, but the whole point of the NPI system is to get the "best" teams into the tournament. Yes, some of the NESCAC teams like Bowdoin or Wesleyan have a 7-5-5 record and 7-4-5 record, but they have quality results that prove they can compete with the best. Bowdoin has tied Tufts twice, Conn, and Williams. Those are ties against the 2nd, 5th, and 6th best ranked teams. Whether or not NPI is weighing a quality tie too much in the calculation is one thing, but it shows they can compete on any given day with the best. Wesleyan on the other hand has a tie vs Babson(#10), a tie vs Bowdoin, a tie against Williams, and a win over #5 Conn. Again, showing that a team like Wesleyan who is the 6th or 7th NESCAC team into the tournament is deserving of being a top 32 team in the country. It's difficult when teams like St Lawerence don't make the tournament given their recent results and run but you have to understand that in order to make the tournament, especially with the new NPI system you can't lose or tie bad teams. ST Law loss to SUNY Geneso the 161st ranked team. Tied Ithaca the 163rd ranked team, tied Clarkson the 108th ranked team. Tied Hobart the 172nd ranked team. I truly believe that a lot of teams ranked ahead of teams such as Ithaca aren't as good as them but it doesn't help when your conference doesn't get results outside of your conference. Take a look at the NESCAC out of conference record, and you'll realize one of the reasons they are all ranked so high. 

Saints do not deserve a bid.
If you cannot win double digits with the schedule they had then you stay home when the big boys are playing.
Some of us said early this seasons and seasons past that this type of football will jot be successful. You do not play 14 people all season with a negative style of football and win titles.
First season in 30 years the team has back to back single win seasons.
Team went from one of the most diverse teams in country to the whitest in the land.

The flair and creativity went with the diversity.
Pipelines that produced all-americans yearly were cut off.

SLU is still a good side, but certain decisions has changed the program from a National Contender to a Conference contender. No shame in that, but expectations have to be curtailed.

I will save my assessment of the team playing style and lack of diversity in recruiting for another day.
For now I want to give great props to the Dutchman, who signed off his career at Canton in style with a wicked goal that will go down in SLU history.
He can leave knowing he wrote his page very well in the Book of Saints.
Another great Saint was  Saint Maxima.
I met him as ayoung freshman playing beyond his years in the NCAA quite a while ago!
He improved each and every single year and was a joy to watch.
He has great talent and also great work ethic. A combination used by the greats in this game to great effect.
Besides another winger from a Saint team in the days of old... he was maybe the first man to wear the #7 shirt all 4 years.
My hat is off to you kid. You are a great Saint.
Dutchman and Max can leave knowing the program is in great hands.
Henry Scarlet and  Brown is here to keep this thing going.
Amazing job boys.
You should all be proud of an amazing season.

Quote from: Sandy on November 02, 2024, 10:11:47 PM

Quote from: Saint of Old on November 02, 2024, 06:26:43 PMFirst time in 30 years SLU has had single digit wins in a season.

What? There were single digit wins in 2007, 2009, 2017, 2019, and 2023.

I meant to say consecutive years. Thank you for your point that this is  4th single win season in 8 years... but carry on

Quote from: Saint of Old on November 02, 2024, 07:15:54 PM

Quote from: kevdog on November 02, 2024, 06:58:45 PM

Quote from: Saint of Old on November 02, 2024, 06:26:43 PMFirst time in 30 years SLU has had single digit wins in a season.
Also the least diverse team since 1993.
Not sure this is a coincidence.
Love the effort of the boys.
Good on Brown for scoring 11 goals (so far) and all these players should be proud of what they have accomplished. An undefeated league season is nothing to snif at... but the style of play won't get you dancing and progressing. Have to play more fluid football. But hey, guys will tell us that this is how you have to play because the game has evolved.
The eye test does not lie. Even more than wins and losses, the football needs some more individualism more magic injected into it.
Team recruiting won't change and neither will style of play.

Let's see how the post season plays out.

That 1993 team was pretty diverse. We had players from CA, FL, Jamaica, Cape Verdes, NJ, MA, NY, CT, etc. It was the team that started to change the program around as it was the first winning season in years and they were invited to the ECAC tournament but the administration was not going to pay for the trip.

My apologies.
I should have gone with 92.
Around the time when Chris Rose came in with the Jamaican pipeline and Brito began the African pipeline.
Either way, let's say least amount of diversity and resulting diversity of playing style in over 3 decades.

Kevdog.
Props to you and that entire 93 team BTW.
Program was on a downward trend for a good 15 years before that team began the turn around. Guys like Scott Wiley/Wycall/the best goalie footballer in program history Colin Lennon. What a team.
3 of my favorite ever all time Saint seasons have always been 93/94/2011

Quote from: kevdog on November 02, 2024, 06:58:45 PM

Quote from: Saint of Old on November 02, 2024, 06:26:43 PMFirst time in 30 years SLU has had single digit wins in a season.
Also the least diverse team since 1993.
Not sure this is a coincidence.
Love the effort of the boys.
Good on Brown for scoring 11 goals (so far) and all these players should be proud of what they have accomplished. An undefeated league season is nothing to snif at... but the style of play won't get you dancing and progressing. Have to play more fluid football. But hey, guys will tell us that this is how you have to play because the game has evolved.
The eye test does not lie. Even more than wins and losses, the football needs some more individualism more magic injected into it.
Team recruiting won't change and neither will style of play.

Let's see how the post season plays out.

That 1993 team was pretty diverse. We had players from CA, FL, Jamaica, Cape Verdes, NJ, MA, NY, CT, etc. It was the team that started to change the program around as it was the first winning season in years and they were invited to the ECAC tournament but the administration was not going to pay for the trip.

My apologies.
I should have gone with 92.
Around the time when Chris Rose came in with the Jamaican pipeline and Brito began the African pipeline.
Either way, let's say least amount of diversity and resulting diversity of playing style in over 3 decades.

First time in 30 years SLU has had single digit wins in a season.
Also the least diverse team since 1993.
Not sure this is a coincidence.
Love the effort of the boys.
Good on Brown for scoring 11 goals (so far) and all these players should be proud of what they have accomplished. An undefeated league season is nothing to snif at... but the style of play won't get you dancing and progressing. Have to play more fluid football. But hey, guys will tell us that this is how you have to play because the game has evolved.
The eye test does not lie. Even more than wins and losses, the football needs some more individualism more magic injected into it.
Team recruiting won't change and neither will style of play.

Let's see how the post season plays out.

Quote from: Saint of Old on October 14, 2023, 11:43:21 PMSomething about this Henry Brown lad really has me thinking he will do BIG things for the Scarlet and Brown.
He comes from a solid program. Has a good work rate and is young and hungry. He needs to keep that hunger and he will be an all-time Saint.
Boys had a good weekend.
I can understand the frustration with back passes, even if we have a quarter back playing goalie, but this is not your Daddy's Saints.
The Tosh Saints do not wear you out with flair and speed, not as quick  from defense to attack as the old school, but he builds his teams for the post season. Boys get stronger as the year goes. SLU beats teams that beat them early in the year because by November it is a different team. They play a possesion and are a team that is hard to beat when the temperature drops.

There is a reason why Tosh is maybe the only Coach to win a LL Championship by winning 3 tourney games as underdog.

I said this about Harry Brown almost a year to the day. I have never missed on a great Saint since the 90s.
I saw an awkward skinny kid that didn't do many special things and knew he was a star. Turned out to be the program's only 3time AllAmerican.
People must understand the love some of us have for the program and the boys. There's no disappointment without expectation.

Quote from: Freddyfud on October 18, 2024, 08:01:04 PM

Quote from: Saint of Old on October 18, 2024, 07:05:49 PMYou are absolutely 💯 correct.
SLU got lucky but as you said above, that type of football (pass around the back slowly and without penetration) will never bring success.

I don't follow.  Scoring 2 goals in 20 minutes to level the score is not success?  Was it just luck?

No,
I mean success as in scoring more goals than the other team more often than not.