Quote from: PaulNewman on October 07, 2017, 02:25:58 PM
Hope I didn't give the wrong impression, as I think Brandeis always has had a strong academic reputation and one that indeed was on the intellectual side of things and a leader in progressive thought. It is certainly different, though, than the NESCACs, kind of like Holy Cross is different than the NESCACs, in a different way.  I'm curious if Margolis competes directly against NESCACs in recruiting or sort of works his way around them.

At any rate, with the Chicago loss (at Chicago, right?!), and Brandeis getting Chicago and Wash U at home, the Judges are in a very good position.  Impressive.  Always seem to be very efficient, too.  Why outshoot opponents 35-3 if you aren't gonna score lol?

To answer your question I believe an advantage that allows Brandeis to compete for NESCAC recruits is its pristine location and proximity to Boston.  Say for instance, if Brandeis was in an isolated town in New England, it ability to attract high quality recruits would be significantly reduced, despite the offering of an excellent education and the impact in which Margolis brings.

Just an observation, as I looked at the Amherst roster after someone mentioned the name Fikayo Ajayi, and noticed his hometown is listed as London, UK.  Does anyone know if there is any relation to Jay Ajayi, the NFL running back for the Dolphins, whom is originally from London as well?

Quote from: firstplaceloser on December 03, 2016, 11:24:03 AM

Quote from: NEsoccerfan on December 02, 2016, 03:02:03 PM
Colorado College with 4 All Americans? Interesting.

exactly what i said. like who are half of these kids...

A question for the ages. If you have 4 all-americans and can't make the tourney, are they even all-americans.

Excellent game today, as Calvin had control for the majority of the first half, however, Brandeis was sitting deep and looking to play the ball over the top.  Calvin was able to exemplify its strong wing play a precision passing.  The second half was a different story, Brandeis adjusted and decided to press higher causing trouble for Calvins back line, who looked winded with about 23 mins to play in the second half.  Was the offsides called because Viera got a touch on the ball before Lynch put it in the back of the net? 

As for the Calvin vs Tufts matchup, I honestly believe Calvin had a tough time with the physicality of Brandeis and expect Tufts to play a physical game as well tomorrow breaking down Calvin.  Tufts wins 2-1.

Did Jackson Lehnhart get recruited while living in Juneau Alaska or is that just his hometown? I would be rather interested to hear the recruiting story behind him if anyone is familiar unless he just had to travel to California or Washington to get seen at a showcase. Either way, there can't be too many recruits coming from Alaska, especially to a top tier program such as Amherst.

In 2014, when Brandeis beat Amherst on penalties, I believe Lee Owen stepped in as goalie for the PK shootout.  Is he really a PK specialist or was Bull that poor at penalties. 

Nick Wigglesworth - Brandeis

Quote from: blooter442 on December 04, 2015, 02:52:42 PM

Quote from: CovensCorner on December 04, 2015, 09:40:33 AM
The fact Pascual-Leone is not first team, is puzzling to me.  He is/was arguably the best player in D3 soccer this year.

Seconded. Was happy to see Lanahan and Ocel get recognized - particularly the latter, he is an incredible talent. The word around Brandeis when he first came in was that "he could be even better than his brother." And while I would never make a comparison between the two, since they are two different players and his brother was an incredibly clutch player who was instrumental in the resurgence of Brandeis' program, I suppose the quote is true in terms of NSCAA All-American honors (Sam was a 3rd Team AA)!

Josh Ocel was being recruited to Boston College pretty heavily if I am not mistaken, however he and his family ultimately decided Brandeis because of his brother and experience at the school.

The fact Pascual-Leone is not first team, is puzzling to me.  He is/was arguably the best player in D3 soccer this year.

Brandeis is now 0-3 on the Amherst field since their resurgence in 2012.  Loss to Williams (2012), Loss to Williams (2013), Loss to Trinity (2015).  For whatever reason they can not get the job done.  In 2012 they were outplay by Williams but the goal scored was harsh, Joe Eisenbeis was pulled down from behind leaving Rashid one on one who slotted home the winner. the Following year Brandeis was again outplayed by Williams, but two crucial mistakes by the Brandeis keeper are what ultimately led to defeat and finally, 2015.  Brandeis played well today however when they fall behind they have no one to bring them back in the game after going down early.  Brandeis needs to find a way to host, so they don't have to play at Amherst.

Does anyone have any insight on recruits for Brandeis?

Quote from: blooter442 on November 21, 2015, 11:46:37 AM
Lycoming GK shoves Pascual-Leone - about as clear of a daylight shove as you could find - off the ball when he was obstructing him from taking a free-kick. This could get ugly.

If the shove was worthy of a PK, then it should of been worthy of a yellow which I did not see given to the GK.  Then the GK for Lycoming wasn't even set when the PK was taken.  Just poor officiating all around.  That does not take away from Amherst's dominance so far.

Kenyon can not keep up with the physicality of Tufts. 

Quote from: blooter442 on November 19, 2015, 03:21:22 PM

Quote from: NEsoccerfan on November 19, 2015, 01:47:42 PM
Well done blooter. Regarding Brandeis, I'd actually venture to say that I don't think they'll miss a beat with the loss of the 3 seniors. Offensively, I think they are bound to improve with the likes of flahive, viera, Jastremski, and Lynch returning. Also, I think Freshman Joshua Handler and Andrew Allen will continue their growth and maturation and hopefully we will see one of them emerge as a goalscorer.

Regarding their losses, while I think Jake is an essential complement to the styles of hernandez and Ocel, I think Brandon Miskin is phenomenal and will fit into that roll perfectly.

Obviously, losing all american Lanahan and my favorite Robbie lynch will hurt. However, I think a large and often times overlooked factor in what makes Brandeis' defense (and many other staunch defenses) so good is the dominance and control in the midfield. Brandeis' style of constant possession and slow buildup helps to keep their defense spry and takes a lot of pressure off them since the mids and forwards keep the ball for tons of possession. While losing Lanahan and Lynch does hurt, Brandeis will not lose their style (and I'll venture to say they might be even more prolific in possession next year) so I don't think the loss of those two players will translate into that many more goals let up.Also, DePietto and Robinson have been spectacular all year and they just need to find a couple serviceable backs to compliment them. Hopefully Gabe and Coven are working hard to get some solid defensive commitments.

Good points. From what I understood, as far as defense goes, I think Josh Hacunda will be back for another year probably, as he was out all of this year with an ACL injury. Perhaps he can fill in on the left side of defense - IIRC he played RB last year. One possible replacement for Lanahan would be Hernandez (it is my understanding that he is a natural CB), but I see it more likely that they keep Hernandez in midfield and replace Lanahan with someone new, perhaps highly-touted freshman Julien Tremblay, or perhaps another newcomer.

In midfield, I think a consistent trio of Ocel, Miskin, and Hernandez is very functional - Ocel is the most attacking of the three but can defend well, Miskin is a mix of both, and Hernandez is your classic central midfield "destroyer" who just breaks up opposing attacks. And I actually think with another year under their belts they might be better than this year - Miskin is perhaps a bit technically cleaner than Picard, but Picard will be missed.

Handler really impressed off the bench, he got better as the season went on and served as an excellent replacement for Jastremski while he was out, and even kept Jastremski out of the starting lineup once he was fit again. Provided some excellent assists, too. I would imagine Coven and Gabe will be trying to bring in a true CF (Flahive was an outside mid turned CF) although asking a freshman to start up top for a competitive program is a lot, so it will be interesting to see what they do with the front three if anything at all.

I do not see Hernandez moving to CB.  If you have watched him play, he is a bit reckless with his challenges and plays more of an enforcer role who is more than happy to take a yellow to slow down the counter or to just play physical.  However Brandeis as whole defensively seems to be quite aggresive with tackles in the box or near.

It would not be a surprise however to see Coven/Gabe drop a DCM into the CB role as they did with Joe Einsenbies in 2012 (junior) and 2013 (senior) who had no prior history as a CB. 

Quote from: Saint of Old on November 18, 2015, 01:20:39 PM

Quote from: Shooter McGavin on November 18, 2015, 01:14:29 PM
D3Soccer Rankings:

Northeast Sectional:
#2,4,5,12------------------Avg. Rank=5.75

Mid-Atlantic Sectional:
#1,3,11,RV----------------Avg. Rank=11.75

East Sectional:
#7,8,19,20-----------------Avg. Rank=13.5

Central Sectional:
#17, RV, RV, NR-----------Avg. Rank=26.75 (Note that St. Olaf was given a ranking of 35)


NSCAA Rankings:

Northeast Sectional:
#2,3,6,15-----------------Avg. Rank=6.5

Mid-Atlantic Sectional:
#1,5,RV,NR---------------Avg. Rank=18 (Tufts NR=35th)

East Sectional:
#7,8,13,18----------------Avg. Rank=11.5

Central Sectional:
#11,12,NR,NR------------Avg. Rank=23.25(DePauw and St. Olaf=35th)

Total Average Ranking By Sectional:

Northeast=6.125
Mid-Atlantic=14.5
East=12.5
Central=25

And a King shall rise from the East!

Or live long enough to become the villian.

Quote from: NEsoccerfan on November 11, 2015, 04:49:58 PM

Quote from: CovensCorner on November 11, 2015, 03:43:13 PM

Quote from: Mr.Right on November 11, 2015, 02:24:20 PM
I actually think the UAA is going to have their best year in the NCAA's this year in the early rounds.

4 teams all with a legit chance to make the Sweet 16.

CMU can dispatch of Gordon and F&M

Brandies can handle Thomas and Stevens

Chicago can upset Thomas More and Kenyon.

Wash U can certainly almost walk into the sweet 16 with wins over Millsaps and Depauw.

Chicago has the toughest road but I believe they are a better team than Wash U and CMU.


The question is can 1 of them get to the Final 4? The answer is NO

All three of the favorites for the Amherst pod; Amherst, Trinity, and Brandeis (A UAA Team) are known for their unsuccessful post seasons despite having impressive regular seasons. 

-Amherst's failure to reach the final four;
-Trinity's failure to make a deep run in the final four; and
-Brandeis, a UAA still can not crack the final four.

Good news for one of these teams is they may end their drought.

I really don't think its fair to say that Brandeis is "known for their unsuccessful post season". Lets be clear, prior to 2012 Brandeis had not been in the tournament for decades. So to go through the last 3 years in the tournament:

2012: Lost to williams in the sweet 16
Brandeis: 18-3-1; #10 in the final d3 rankings; #3 in the final NE rankings
Williams: 16-2-4; #4 in the final d3 rankings; #2 in the final NE rankings
Overall: Williams was the "favorite" so I would not consider 2012 an unsuccessful post season

2013: Lost to Williams in the sweet 16
Brandeis: 14-4-1; #20 in the final d3 rankings; #2 in the final NE rankings
Williams: 12-6-0; RV in the final d3; #5 in the final NE rankings
Overall: Tough to say who was the favorite in this matchup, you could possibly say Brandeis, but given that both teams had nearly the same amount of blemishes and the game was played on a neutral field, I would say this game was a pickem' and I would not consider 2013 an unsuccessful post season

2014: lost to Oneonta state in the elite 8
Brandeis: 17-2-0; #5 in the final d3 ranking
Oneonta state: 18-0-02; #3 in the final d3 ranking
Overall: Oneonta was the "favorite" in terms of their ranking, their record; and their receipt of the bye in the quadrant, so I would not consider 2014 an unsuccessful post season

Taking a look at these last 3 years after decades of absence from the tournament, and i could hardly say that Brandeis is "known for their unsuccesful post season". They are 6-0 in the last 3 years hosting when hosting the first 2 rounds, and have never truly been "upset". Sure, teams must win games they are not a favorite in in order to go as deep in the tournament as possible, but just because they failed to do so the last 3 years does not mean that they have developed a reputation for being unsuccessful. Instead, I would say that they met all realistic expectations for those 3 years, and would like to see them build on their success in the years to come.

The inclusion of Brandeis was not for their lack of tournament success but rather the lack of success among UAA teams and failure to reach the final four.  I tried to emphasis the UAA in my post.