Quote from: PaulNewman on November 07, 2018, 11:48:32 AM
Good to get info on Luther and Carleton.  Any further details appreciated, and also any insights into Southwestern, MHB, Augsburg, St Thomas, Pac Lutheran, Wisc-Superior, Wisc-Platteville and GAC.  And what about Knox?  Will Luther definitely get by the Prairie Fire (in running for best nickname/mascot)?

From what I've seen this year...

Southwestern lean heavily on forward Jake Swonke, who is a great finisher if given a chance. They're hard to break down and Goalkeeper Carr won Defensive MVP at the SCAC Tournament this Past weekend. Didn't concede from the run of play (kept two clean sheets, conceded on penalty against Trinity in the 110 mins, then four pens in the shootout) and defensively they're stout, but not very expansive with the ball. Set up to counter and get set pieces. Long throw causes problems too.

UMHB had a historic season last year, reaching the sweet 16. Upset Trinity in San Antonio - inspired by Their excellent head coach Brad Bankhead - in a wild game, but couldn't get past Emory. They're big and physical with a few skilful players up top. They won't be intimidated being back in SA, and won the ASC in a crazy game vs UTD 1-0 last weekend (lots of yellows and a red I believe). They'll be big and tough and a bit rough but will definitely fancy their chances vs southwestern.

The rest of that quad is intriguing too. Trinity beat Chapman 2-0 in the round of 32 in 2016, so it's a rematch there. Trinity fairly clear home favorite but Chapman won't be intimidated. Will say, Trinity vs Chicago in September was the best game I saw all year. Had everything. Two fantastic teams. I'd love to see Trinity vs Chicago in the Sweet 16, with the winner facing (probably) Luther in the Elite 8. That's three very good teams who play the right way. I'd expect one of those three to make the Final 4.

Following on from D3Grad, thought I'd drop some thoughts here also.

As a former player in the West Region I CANNOT believe that Southwestern were put in above Claremont. Somebody has already raised this, but I see absolutely no reason aside from saving money by not having to fly another team from California that Claremont missed out. Their defensive record this year speaks for itself and when you take into account everything else on their resume I can't  legislate for Southwestern jumping to #1 in the region. That's madness. But I will say its a huge moment for the southwestern program (who are vastly improved in recent years)  and a great opportunity for them to make a name for themselves. Though a team that will really hold a grudge on this will be Colorado College who have been overlooked in the past for a pool C bid with better candidacy than Southwestern has this year. Colorado's island status in the D3 landscape hurts them.

The D3 landscape is obviously heavily geographically slanted towards the eastern side of the country, but I will say that it was (and is) infuriating to constantly see the West overlooked year on year on the national scale. Largely, this comes down to strength of schedule which for me is considered WAY too highly in the selection process. Budgets are not endless. West region schools often can't fly across the country multiple times a season to challenge UAA or NESCAC schools and most are also hamstrung by double round robin formats, or single round robin conferences with too many teams. The West typically getting just one Pool C each year is very harsh on a number of talented teams in the region that suffers purely based on being on an island - relatively speaking.

BUT... most importantly, let's enjoy the Tournament.
Congrats to Calvin and John Carroll on advancing tonight.
Should be a good game tomorrow.

Hi, I'm a long time reader, first time poster, so please take it easy on me.
Felt I had to pipe up as there was a lot of misinformation being put forward in regards to Medaille and international students in D3 soccer.
I'm originally from London, England, and played four years of D3 Soccer.
I played in four NCAA tournaments. The experiences I had here were ones I will treasure for the rest of my life.

The NCAA system is unlike anything else in the world. It is one of a kind. I believe you should be proud - as Americans - that student athletes from across the globe want to come and play here. The top level of D3 is an elite standard that should not be disrespected. Many of the elite D3 programs have D1 talent, but add the focus on academics. For an international student, to get a 1st rate degree, AND be able to play competitive soccer at a good level is incredibly attractive.

As far as scholarships etc go, many international students have a base "international" scholarship, and then add additional merit based, depending on their grades. It is certainly not just "all the rich kids." I would guess that many of those Medaille players are former Premier League (or lower league) academy kids who were cut. At that age, they don't want to give up their dream of playing pro, but need an education too. The ability to come to the US and chase both dreams is a fantastic option.

In response to Mr Right - whose posts I usually find informative and entertaining - I'm not sure what "hoops" you are referring to in the UK that Americans have to jump through. From first hand experience, it was a lot harder for me to get over here to play at college, than it has been for some Americans I've known to go to the UK for pro trials and try outs.

An internationally diverse program and team is something I was proud to be a part of and something that should be treasured and protected.

So I'm not cheering for or against Medaille, but don't think they should be picked on for providing a life changing opportunity for kids from across the world to change their lives.