After the abbreviated Dave Brandt era, looks like Hope College has gone with an alum and local guy. New to the college ranks.

https://www.hollandsentinel.com/story/sports/2022/02/01/john-conlon-hired-hope-college-mens-soccer-coach/9303511002/

After the abbreviated Dave Brandt era, looks like Hope College has gone with an alum and local guy. New to the college ranks.

https://www.hollandsentinel.com/story/sports/2022/02/01/john-conlon-hired-hope-college-mens-soccer-coach/9303511002/

Found this posted today on social media and Hope's website.


https://athletics.hope.edu/sports/msoc/2021-22/releases/20211217csu5p4

MEN'S SOCCER HEAD COACH DAVE BRANDT STEPS DOWN, NATIONAL SEARCH BEGINS FOR NEW COACH
Posted: Dec 17, 2021
by Eva Dean Folkert

Head men's soccer coach Dave Brandt, pictured left, recently announced that he will be stepping down from his position at Hope College to fill a similar role at Bucknell University, a NCAA Division I school in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

Athletic Director Tim Schoonveld says a national search for his replacement will begin immediately. Brandt's last day at Hope is Friday, Dec. 17.

"We want to thank Dave Brandt for his leadership and development of the men's soccer program. He has positioned this program for future, sustained success and for that we are grateful," Schoonveld said. "We are thankful for the impact he has had on the lives of our student-athletes and also within the athletic department. We wish him and his wife Diane all the best in this new and exciting opportunity. As we move forward we are confident that the best is ahead for our men's soccer program and the student-athletes within the program. The foundation is set for our program to take the next step towards MIAA and national success."

During his four-season tenure at Hope, Brandt accumulated a 44-14-6 record that included leading the Flying Dutchmen to an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III National Championship in 2019, when the team also finished second in the MIAA. His Flying Dutchmen won the MIAA Tournament title in the spring of 2021, and in the fall of this year went 11-4-3 and finished third in the league.

Prior to coming to Hope in 2018, Brandt had successful and lengthy head coaching careers at Messiah College (Pa.) and the United States Naval Academy (Md.)

"While I am excited about the opportunity I now have at Bucknell, I am also sad to leave Hope and go with a heavy heart," said Brandt. "This is a tremendous institution and as quality a group of people I have ever had the pleasure of working with.

"I want to particularly thank Tim Schoonveld, not only for the opportunity to have been at Hope for these three and a half years, but for being a strong and vision-oriented leader. The men's soccer program and entire athletic department is in good hands because Hope is filled with so many quality and sincere people. I've made many, many friends here and will be watching closely from afar."

Assistant coach Ryan Woodside, pictured right, will serve as the interim head coach until the search for the new coach is complete. Schoonveld says he values the young assistant's enthusiasm and commitment to the program.

"Ryan will provide a great transition for us as we search for the next leader of our program.  He has a deep connection to the program, great respect from the players and will provide consistency and familiarity as we search," Schoonveld said. "We are very confident that we will find an outstanding leader for our program who will provide competitive excellence and transform the lives of our student-athletes."

Here's a new one announced today.



https://athletics.hope.edu/sports/msoc/2021-22/releases/20211217csu5p4

MEN'S SOCCER HEAD COACH DAVE BRANDT STEPS DOWN, NATIONAL SEARCH BEGINS FOR NEW COACH
Posted: Dec 17, 2021 
by Eva Dean Folkert

Head men's soccer coach Dave Brandt, pictured left, recently announced that he will be stepping down from his position at Hope College to fill a similar role at Bucknell University, a NCAA Division I school in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania.

Athletic Director Tim Schoonveld says a national search for his replacement will begin immediately. Brandt's last day at Hope is Friday, Dec. 17.

"We want to thank Dave Brandt for his leadership and development of the men's soccer program. He has positioned this program for future, sustained success and for that we are grateful," Schoonveld said. "We are thankful for the impact he has had on the lives of our student-athletes and also within the athletic department. We wish him and his wife Diane all the best in this new and exciting opportunity. As we move forward we are confident that the best is ahead for our men's soccer program and the student-athletes within the program. The foundation is set for our program to take the next step towards MIAA and national success."

During his four-season tenure at Hope, Brandt accumulated a 44-14-6 record that included leading the Flying Dutchmen to an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III National Championship in 2019, when the team also finished second in the MIAA. His Flying Dutchmen won the MIAA Tournament title in the spring of 2021, and in the fall of this year went 11-4-3 and finished third in the league.

Prior to coming to Hope in 2018, Brandt had successful and lengthy head coaching careers at Messiah College (Pa.) and the United States Naval Academy (Md.)

"While I am excited about the opportunity I now have at Bucknell, I am also sad to leave Hope and go with a heavy heart," said Brandt. "This is a tremendous institution and as quality a group of people I have ever had the pleasure of working with.

"I want to particularly thank Tim Schoonveld, not only for the opportunity to have been at Hope for these three and a half years, but for being a strong and vision-oriented leader. The men's soccer program and entire athletic department is in good hands because Hope is filled with so many quality and sincere people. I've made many, many friends here and will be watching closely from afar."

Assistant coach Ryan Woodside, pictured right, will serve as the interim head coach until the search for the new coach is complete. Schoonveld says he values the young assistant's enthusiasm and commitment to the program.

"Ryan will provide a great transition for us as we search for the next leader of our program.  He has a deep connection to the program, great respect from the players and will provide consistency and familiarity as we search," Schoonveld said. "We are very confident that we will find an outstanding leader for our program who will provide competitive excellence and transform the lives of our student-athletes."

Final MIAA Regular Season Standings

SCHOOLS   CONF   OVERALL
Calvin           7-0   15-2-2
Kalamazoo     5-1-1   10-3-3
Hope            4-1-2   10-3-3
Trine            4-2-1   9-7-1
Albion          2-4-1   4-8-2
Olivet          2-4-1   4-10-1
Alma            1-6        3-13
Adrian          0-7   2-14-2

Not too much has really changed in the past couple years. And compared to the pre-season poll, Hope underperformed and Olivet overperformed.

Quote from: PaulNewman on October 23, 2021, 07:59:03 PM
And here comes Calvin.  Classic Knights....up 2-0 at half on Hope on only 3 shots while Hope had 5 shots.

Calvin made Hope look pedestrian. While the stats looked pretty even, the general feel of game is that Calvin looked more dangerous than Hope. Hope seems disciplined and strong tactically. But they never seem to break through in the final third. On the other hand, Calvin seems as dangerous and strong as ever. And they can finish.

3-0 final. 2-0 most of the game and Calvin scored on a counter in the final few minutes while Hope was pressing. Hope missed a pk in the final minutes. Looks like there was a good crowd in the stands...nice to see a good rivalry.

+1 for reviews of

Calvin v Hope
North Point v Chicago

A bit early, which never stopped anyone from chiming in, but any surprises here? Calvin is the obvious missing team. It appears their SOS may be a bit low, but should get a boost with a game remaining vs Hope and then the MIAA tournament where they would likely face Kalamazoo and/or Hope again. But they also have Albion on their remaining schedule.

Teams on the "fan poll" that don't appear in the Regional Rankings:
Calvin
Wilmington (RV)

Teams on D3Soccer.com that don't appear in the Regional Rankings:
Calvin
Wilmington (RV)
Bowdoin (RV)

Quote from: Gregory Sager on October 20, 2021, 10:59:33 AM

Quote from: fishercats on October 19, 2021, 09:08:28 PM
My simple observations:
Calvin - not as good as past years, but still the top dog until proven otherwise. I feel like they are getting their high ranking in the various polls based mostly upon reputation and a few lopsided wins. Not scoring as much as in past years.

The numbers show otherwise, as far as your last point is concerned. Here's Calvin's scoring average this season and the decade previous:

2021: 3.76
2019: 2.96
2018: 4.00
2017: 3.70
2016: 2.96
2015: 3.12
2014: 2.91
2013: 3.20
2012: 2.81
2011: 2.19
2010: 1.88

In fact, Calvin is currently third in D3 in scoring average. Only PSU-Harrisburg (4.08) and Husson (3.94) have been more prolific.

You could argue that Calvin's two double-digit routs this season of opponents who never should've been scheduled in the first place by a program of Calvin's caliber (Grace Bible and Finlandia) have swollen the scoring stats of the Knights, although those games still count and therefore help to contradict your claim. But even if you replaced those 10-0 and 13-0 scores with two results in which the Knights scored their closest current round number (i.e., four goals), their season scoring average is still a 2.88 that's barely off of their 2019 mark and is more or less in line with what they've done over the past decade.

Point taken and good to see the data. But something still feels a bit off. Maybe it is about "how" they are scoring. While the average may hold, it appears there may be a bit more variance this year...i.e., the blowouts are bigger and the rest of the games are closer. For example, this season Calvin has scored 38 of 64 goals (59%) in 4 games. I took a quick look at the past couple of seasons and the scoring appeared more spread out. Also curious how their strength of schedule compares...not sure if there is a way to compare partial seasons. 

Regardless, they are prolific.

It has been awhile, so here is the latest in the MIAA:

             Conf      Overall
Calvin      5-0      13-2-2
Hope        4-0-1   10-2-2
Kzoo       4-1       9-3-2
Trine        2-2-1   7-7-1
Albion      2-2      4-6-1
Olivet      1-3       3-9
Adrian      0-5      2-12-2
Alma        0-5      2-12

This coming week will tell quite a bit. Kzoo at Calvin tonight (Calvin wins in OT 2-1), Calvin at Hope on Sat, Hope at Kzoo next weekend. in 2019, all three made it to the NCAAs.

Some notable results so far:
Calvin: Win vs Emory, Kzoo; Tie vs Ohio Wesleyan; Loss to Chicago
Hope: Wins vs North Park, Wash U; Loss to Ohio Wesleyan, Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo: Win vs Hope; Losses vs Wilmington, Chicago

My simple observations:
Calvin - not as good as past years, but still the top dog until proven otherwise. I feel like they are getting their high ranking in the various polls based mostly upon reputation and a few lopsided wins. Not scoring as much as in past years.
Hope - very disciplined, well organized and fit. But no matter how many successful passes and dribbles, they still need to put the ball in the net. Hope and Kzoo have very similar goals scored and goals against.
Kzoo - they just seem like a tough team. Don't score much, but have a very stingy defense. I don't believe that they are as technically skilled as Calvin and Hope, but they always play a close game.

My predictions:
1. Calvin league and tournament champs, NCAA bid
2. Hope league and tournament runnerup, NCAA bid
3. Kalamazoo 3rd, no NCAA bid

I also watched a bit of this game. Hope had big advantage in shots (22v4) and corners (9v1), but simply can't put the ball in the net. Hope is skilled and well coached, but hasn't exactly lit up the scoreboard all season.

For the first goal, Alma basically caught the Hope defense sleeping. No reason a player should be that wide open on the back post. Even on the counterstrike, the play took a couple of seconds to develop.

Hope had two scrappy goals inside the 6 yd box.

Funny moment - at the end of the game, they announced a crowd of over 800. Then a hot mic caught the press box staff say "800...my ass".

Quote from: SimpleCoach on October 19, 2021, 04:22:12 PM
Hope v Alma
Alma
Bias? – None.  First time watching one.
Link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjry6yRcWDU

   Windy Michigan day.
   Another team that when someone heads the ball all you hear is "SECOND!"
   Alma has to endure 3 consecutive corners at the very start of the game.
   Alma creeping back deeper and deeper defensively and resorting to long balls. 
   Hope has been playing in Alma's half since the start.
   Hope with the first real chance of the game with a nicely placed ball into space between two defenders and a well-timed run by the forward.  Went mano a mano with the keeper and the Alma keeper won.
   And remarkably Alma goes ahead in their first real chance at goal.  Nice switch by the center mid who finds his winger Alma#23 isolated 1 on 1.  Does a step over and takes it to the line and crosses it far post where Alma#4 heads it into the  back of the net from six yards out.
   Definitely against the run of play, Alma catches Hope.  The man back post looked wide open.  Where was the defender? 
   Alma is pressing now, with a little more urgency.  Plenty of time on the clock.
   And like that we are even.  Hope, going down the left side again, puts the ball across on the ground.  Keeper makes the save on the initial shot but leaves the rebound to be drilled into the back of the net.
   Clearly, Hope is liking going down the left side nearly as much as Johns Hopkins does on the right.
   32 minutes left in the half.
   Hope moving the ball much better than they had been.  As if the goal has calmed them down.
   I like Hope#7 in the midfield.
   Defensively Hope seems to fall into disorganization quite easily.  Think Alma could take advantage of it.
   Alma sitting very deep trying to defend Hope who is just doing a very good job holding the ball and shifting the point of attack.
   I like the way Hope plays, but think they need a more active front line if they want to score more goals.  Seems a bit predictable.  If I am the coach for any team playing against them, I would double up on my right.
   Halftime.  Think that's it for me.  Think Hope is talented and their regional ranking is justified.

big MIAA game tonight if you have time to watch - Kalamazoo at Calvin https://vimeo.com/event/804816

Quote from: npbaseball40 on September 23, 2021, 09:34:47 AM

Thanks for the notes, fishercats. I'm in charge of broadcast production for NPU Athletics (the graphics and video switcher guy) so I'll take blame for that one. After watching the film back, I do agree with you - need to stay wider at times. I also stat the game, so sometimes I get carried away with the immersive view... actually took a break to fix something in stats when that ball was played back - thinking that there would be some dead time - and kind of spazzed out when I realized a goal was upcoming. One thing I will note is we don't have a "preview" mode, meaning fans at home are seeing the exact same thing I'm seeing, without knowing what shot our camera people have. So when there's a bit of quick switching, it's because they haven't quite steadied the shot yet. Still pretty green with some of this stuff, but I'm trying to improve each day.

I'll be better this Saturday, thanks for following!

-TW

I appreciate the response...always worried about how comments will be received. I also realize that sometimes feedback is never offered. Again, your production team is really on the leading edge - graphics, interviews, and one of the best live stats pages out there (I like the "minutes played" stat). And you probably have multiple types of audiences to accommodate. My perspective is more along the lines of a coach/parent who wants to see the tactical set up and how plays evolve. Thanks.

I watched this one online. A few observations:

- Both of the first two goals were the result of defensive miscues. The first started with a poor pass from Hope's center back that NPU pounced on. Then on the subsequent break it appeared the second Hope cb tried to shield the ball instead of clearing it into the stands. Then the original cb appeared to make a poor recovery and was late to the rebound off the keeper. Good all around pressure by NPU that forced Hope into the miscues. The Hope goal was just a flub by the NPU defense as he missed a pass from his partner at the top of the box. The Hope forward was there and put it in the back of the net. Again, partially the result of high pressure.

- I noticed in the box score that NPU only used 4 bench players. Is this the norm? 7 players went the full 90. Hope used almost the whole bench, which may have helped them maintain a fairly high level of intensity throughout the game. With NPUs brutal schedule, and long roster, I would have thought they'd rotate more to get ready for the next phase of the season.

- Fun game to watch and the box score is almost exactly even. Except for Hope committing more fouls 13-5. 5 fouls seems pretty low for a game this competitive.

- Tough loss for NPU, but they are still among the top in this part of the country. Very good win for Hope, especially hanging in there after being down a goal. They will likely be getting a bit more attention, but their season still pivots on the Hope v Calvin game.

- Notes on the broadcast: Gregory - your broadcast team is the best in the nation by far. I appreciated the graphics and the pre and post game dialogue. It feels like a professional broadcast, but with tons of local flavor. And has been mentioned, the visit by the past player is fun, informative and real. Loved hearing him pause mid sentence to root his team on. The video quality is very good as well. However, here is some friendly feedback you can take or leave - the switching between camera angles made the game very difficult to follow and I was not able to get a sense of the overall flow of the game and the tactical positioning. The camera angles switched very frequently, often in the middle of play, interrupting the sense of what was happening. In on instance, on the first goal by Hope, the camera switched between all three angles between the time just before the Hope player struck the ball to the time it hit the back of the net. My suggestion would be to limit the use of the field level cameras to unique situations, and lean on the main camera that shows up to half the field. That  would also allow the viewer to be more in line with your commentary. However, in the end, your efforts are very much appreciated.

Quote from: Gregory Sager on September 22, 2021, 11:27:57 PM
Hope 2
North Park 1

Another heartbreaker for NPU in which the Vikings just couldn't find a way to get the equalizer goal.

Chicago was under a gale warning this afternoon and evening, with a steady 25-30 mph wind stiffening the flags. The wind was out of the north, and since Hedstrand Field is oriented along a N-S axis the game was set askew, with one side playing with a strong wind at their backs and the other going into the teeth of the wind in one half, and of course the two teams trading roles after halftime. NPU always defends the north goal in the first half by tradition, and (although I didn't say it on the air) it was really incumbent upon the Vikings to make hay with that advantage in the first half. However, in spite of the fact that Hope's GK Daniel Hasselbein dispensed with long kicks in favor of short dispersals to his defenders, several of which the Vikings nearly jumped, the Dutch played well enough to prevent the Vikings from scoring until the 42nd minute. NPU went into the half up 1-0, and I was thinking to myself, "That's not enough in these conditions, against this team."

Sometimes I hate being right.

Hope took advantage of a backline miscue to get the game level within the first few minutes of the second stanza, and then eight minutes later took the lead on a perfect cross to a perfect one-touch strike that was set up by just plain sheer hustle on the part of the Dutch winger who sent in the cross. NPU didn't have as many chances as it probably needed from that point on to get the equalizer, as Hope just plain outplayed the Vikings in the second half, gale winds or no gale winds, although the Vikings did get some really good chances at the end of the game that just didn't find the back of the net.

Even though the stat sheet for the most part was dead even (shots, SOG, corners), I thought that the Vikings got outworked by a Hope team that made fewer mistakes, and which took better advantage of the opposing mistakes presented to them.

The Park stumbles into CCIW play with an unsatisfactory (tough schedule or not) 5-3 record and the knowledge that, more than ever, the Vikings are really going to have to parlay that tough early schedule into dominant league performances.

North Park hosting Hope tonight 7:30 central -
https://athletics.northpark.edu/sports/mens-soccer/schedule
https://boxcast.tv/channel/dmfutowrtlmndztdlxrk

Should be an interesting one and telling in terms of where these teams belong in the rankings.