As a recently graduated player and longtime reader of these boards, I thought I would finally join in and share my thoughts on things in the UAA which I will be following closely this year. As previously pointed out, I think the league will be hotly contested as always with each team having a reasonable shot at the title if they can maintain consistency over the course of conference play. Here are the big storylines for each team as I see them:
Brandeis: By their recent standards, Brandeis had a very poor year last year finishing sub .500 for the first time since 2009. Based off of the comments from their fan base over the past year it sounds like this was kind of expected, but Margolis will no doubt be looking to put this season far behind them. With most of their starters returning I expect that they will return to their winning ways this year, but there are still some question marks in the lineup. Margolis rotated keepers last year, seemingly displeased with both of them at various points during the season so it remains to be seen if either one of them can convince him they deserve the starting job or maybe he brought in a freshman this year who he likes better than both. Additionally, I believe blooter mentioned in a different thread that Nardizzi was not going to be returning this year. If that is the case, then Brandeis will have lost 3 of their top 4 point earners from last year and so there will be concern about who is going to be scoring the goals this year.
Case: Case had a breakthrough season last year, reaching the Elite 8 for the first time in program history before losing to finalist Calvin. They also did it with a relatively young roster: only two regular starters were seniors. Despite losing UAA 1st Teamer Alex Besl up top, they return their two top point scorers from last year in Zachary Senft and Connor Weber. This bodes extremely well for them this season and I would peg them as the favorites for the title this year.
Carnegie: Carnegie had a strong season last year, earning a Pool C bid to the tournament and making it to the second round before losing a heartbreaker to Kenyon in OT after giving up the equalizer with 33 seconds remaining in regulation. They lose a lot of the core of that team, however, with 6 key players graduating. The top two points earners return, along with a raft of rising seniors who all got major minutes last year, but with very few underclassmen seeing time last year, depth and experience may be a concern.
Chicago: After another Final 4 run last year there are two big question marks heading into this season. How will the coaching change affect the team? And how will they replace their senior class which included 1st Team AA's Lopez and Koh? They are only losing four starters (Cappotosto, Lopez, Koh and Adeosun who graduated early it seems), but when three of those happen to be the past 3 POY for the UAA you have to think that their departure will have an outsized impact on the fortunes of the program. I think that the loss combined with the coaching change could mean that it takes a little while for UC to really gel as a team, leading to an inconsistency in results this year.
Emory: To say Emory fell apart down the stretch last year would be an understatement as they were 8-0-0 entering conference play and finished at 9-7-2. It's hard to say what exactly happened to them as they beat some quality sides in non-conference play, but for some reason struggled mightily in the UAA. They also lose some key players to graduation in Khattab, Datene, and Santee, so I don't see them doing much to improve their final record from the year prior, although I doubt they will once again go winless in conference play.
NYU: NYU fielded the youngest lineup by far last year in terms of minutes played by underclassmen and showed very well both in conference play and overall, falling to Montclair St on PK's in the second round of the tournament. Their top points earner, Oliver Kleban, was named UAA ROY last year and he will be one to keep an eye on going forward. Considering the youth heavy roster and the experience they gained playing in the NCAA's last year, I fully expect them to contend for the UAA title this year and make another run in the tournament.
Rochester: UR was another team to have a breakthrough year last year, reaching the Final 4 for the first time in school history before bowing out to eventual champions Tufts. They did this on the backs of an extremely strong and deep senior class, having the oldest lineup in terms of minutes played in the conference. (Un?)Luckily for UR, most of that experience was located in the back half of the field as they graduate their entire back 5 that took the field for the beginning of the season. The big question for the back 5 is going to be how quickly they gel, as playing as a cohesive defensive unit is something that takes a good deal of time to develop. The other major question for UR is how to replace the D3soccer Midfielder of the Year in Bryce Ikeda. Ikeda was the top points earner last year and was a workhorse in the middle of the park for the Yellow Jackets; replacing him will be a tall task. The same could've been said last year though when UR graduated points leader and AA Geoff Rouin, and UR went one step than the year before. I have no doubt that guys will step up for the Yellow Jackets and once they do, I expect UR to be making another run in the tournament as they have for the past two years.
Wash U: Another down year for Wash U as they finished exactly .500 for the second year in a row, despite posting a much better record in conference play. Given that they finished tied for third in the UAA, you would have expected them to be better overall, but they seemed to lack consistency throughout the season. They also lose points leader and AA Ryan Sproule to graduation, leaving them with no clear go to guy this year. Sproule's younger brother Will was second on the team in points last year and they will hope he can follow in his brother's footsteps this year. If Wash U can stay competitive in conference and find some more consistency out of it then they should have a solid year.
My guess on the tiers this year (alphabetical in each tier):
Top: Case, NYU, UR
Mid: Brandeis, Chicago
Bottom: Carnegie, Emory, WashU
Brandeis: By their recent standards, Brandeis had a very poor year last year finishing sub .500 for the first time since 2009. Based off of the comments from their fan base over the past year it sounds like this was kind of expected, but Margolis will no doubt be looking to put this season far behind them. With most of their starters returning I expect that they will return to their winning ways this year, but there are still some question marks in the lineup. Margolis rotated keepers last year, seemingly displeased with both of them at various points during the season so it remains to be seen if either one of them can convince him they deserve the starting job or maybe he brought in a freshman this year who he likes better than both. Additionally, I believe blooter mentioned in a different thread that Nardizzi was not going to be returning this year. If that is the case, then Brandeis will have lost 3 of their top 4 point earners from last year and so there will be concern about who is going to be scoring the goals this year.
Case: Case had a breakthrough season last year, reaching the Elite 8 for the first time in program history before losing to finalist Calvin. They also did it with a relatively young roster: only two regular starters were seniors. Despite losing UAA 1st Teamer Alex Besl up top, they return their two top point scorers from last year in Zachary Senft and Connor Weber. This bodes extremely well for them this season and I would peg them as the favorites for the title this year.
Carnegie: Carnegie had a strong season last year, earning a Pool C bid to the tournament and making it to the second round before losing a heartbreaker to Kenyon in OT after giving up the equalizer with 33 seconds remaining in regulation. They lose a lot of the core of that team, however, with 6 key players graduating. The top two points earners return, along with a raft of rising seniors who all got major minutes last year, but with very few underclassmen seeing time last year, depth and experience may be a concern.
Chicago: After another Final 4 run last year there are two big question marks heading into this season. How will the coaching change affect the team? And how will they replace their senior class which included 1st Team AA's Lopez and Koh? They are only losing four starters (Cappotosto, Lopez, Koh and Adeosun who graduated early it seems), but when three of those happen to be the past 3 POY for the UAA you have to think that their departure will have an outsized impact on the fortunes of the program. I think that the loss combined with the coaching change could mean that it takes a little while for UC to really gel as a team, leading to an inconsistency in results this year.
Emory: To say Emory fell apart down the stretch last year would be an understatement as they were 8-0-0 entering conference play and finished at 9-7-2. It's hard to say what exactly happened to them as they beat some quality sides in non-conference play, but for some reason struggled mightily in the UAA. They also lose some key players to graduation in Khattab, Datene, and Santee, so I don't see them doing much to improve their final record from the year prior, although I doubt they will once again go winless in conference play.
NYU: NYU fielded the youngest lineup by far last year in terms of minutes played by underclassmen and showed very well both in conference play and overall, falling to Montclair St on PK's in the second round of the tournament. Their top points earner, Oliver Kleban, was named UAA ROY last year and he will be one to keep an eye on going forward. Considering the youth heavy roster and the experience they gained playing in the NCAA's last year, I fully expect them to contend for the UAA title this year and make another run in the tournament.
Rochester: UR was another team to have a breakthrough year last year, reaching the Final 4 for the first time in school history before bowing out to eventual champions Tufts. They did this on the backs of an extremely strong and deep senior class, having the oldest lineup in terms of minutes played in the conference. (Un?)Luckily for UR, most of that experience was located in the back half of the field as they graduate their entire back 5 that took the field for the beginning of the season. The big question for the back 5 is going to be how quickly they gel, as playing as a cohesive defensive unit is something that takes a good deal of time to develop. The other major question for UR is how to replace the D3soccer Midfielder of the Year in Bryce Ikeda. Ikeda was the top points earner last year and was a workhorse in the middle of the park for the Yellow Jackets; replacing him will be a tall task. The same could've been said last year though when UR graduated points leader and AA Geoff Rouin, and UR went one step than the year before. I have no doubt that guys will step up for the Yellow Jackets and once they do, I expect UR to be making another run in the tournament as they have for the past two years.
Wash U: Another down year for Wash U as they finished exactly .500 for the second year in a row, despite posting a much better record in conference play. Given that they finished tied for third in the UAA, you would have expected them to be better overall, but they seemed to lack consistency throughout the season. They also lose points leader and AA Ryan Sproule to graduation, leaving them with no clear go to guy this year. Sproule's younger brother Will was second on the team in points last year and they will hope he can follow in his brother's footsteps this year. If Wash U can stay competitive in conference and find some more consistency out of it then they should have a solid year.
My guess on the tiers this year (alphabetical in each tier):
Top: Case, NYU, UR
Mid: Brandeis, Chicago
Bottom: Carnegie, Emory, WashU