Quote from: SimpleCoach on November 16, 2023, 06:50:44 AM

Quote from: stlawus on November 15, 2023, 08:17:52 PM
Is Joe Bergin the current title holder for most SC interviews right now?  Good stuff, always like the post season recap interviews.  Hope they keep coming!

Actually at this moment, he probably is.  Simply because he is the first coach I have spoke with to go over the season.  I always do enjoy speaking with him regardless.

SC.

I like Joe B. My son played for Marietta for two seasons, I met him a few times, he was always friendly and approachable.

I can't speak for other conferences but I watched a lot of OAC games this season. Apart from Ruple at  BW, I don't recall seeing another predatory consistent goal scorer, which may explain why a lot of goals came from set pieces rather than open play.

I can't get the Calvin video up, anyone else having problems?

Kenyon are a big step up in quality for what PSB are used too in the AMCC. Scoreline is no surprise to me.

Re PS-B am I right to assume they have to win the AQ otherwise they don't make the big dance despite having 18/19 wins? Their SOS was under 0.500 last time I looked, do teams ever get a pool C berth at that level?

It's Marietta at JCU and MTU at Bein. 

Marietta takes down Case 2-1 in last minute. They are better than their results to date suggest.

Yeah, Calvin scored after like 2 mins and that was it. I watched frustrated from across the pond like I did for many games.

Agreed. My son was in that title winning Mt Aloysius team who lost 1-0 to Calvin in the NCAA.
Behrend almost always win the title and AQ berth, but when they don't they and no other AMCC team will get a bid selection as their respective SOS struggles to make .500.

Quote from: PaulNewman on September 07, 2019, 10:58:27 AM
I elected to post on this thread because the OAC deserves some national attention.  The early results are impressive....JCU over Kenyon, Capital over CWRU, Mt Union over CMU (at CMU), ONU over Hope (at Hope), Otterbein over SLU.  I may be missing a couple.  Two seasons ago the OAC had a tremendous season but this edition of the conference may have the potential to exceed those results.  Stay hungry, though, as it appears most of the results noted so far this year easily could have gone the other way or ended in draws.  JCU, Capital, ONU and Mt Union (based on early returns) appear to be the class of the OAC and will be interesting to see how those four shake out.  I'm guessing Otterbein and Marietta are a full step below those but still decent and competitive.  JCU appears to be the leader in the clubhouse in Great Lakes right now with the wins over Rochester and Kenyon looming large as two likely ranked wins which gives those wins extra significance (for Kenyon as a rival Great Lakes team the loss was almost like a double loss when thinking about what would be required to land over JCU when it comes time for the truly meaningful regional rankings the last 3 weeks of the season).  At any rate, we will have an better sense of JCU after a few more games and when we see how the OAC shakes out for JCU with Capital, ONU and Mt Union looking like real challengers.  The JCU-OWU match will be big for Great Lakes too.

I'm curious from anyone who knows whether there has been a sea change in recruiting in Ohio with attractive recruits being spread out more.  Kenyon historically hasn't relied heavily on Ohio for recruiting but they have snagged at least a few good ones the last couple of years.  I always assumed that OWU had the pick of the litter every year (after any D1-bound kids peeled off), and that other Ohio NCAC and OAC schools fought over whoever was left after OWU (and perhaps ONU to some extent).  The Battling Bishops seem to still fill their cupboard pretty nicely but I'm wondering if there is more of a distribution among Ohio colleges than 5 to 10 years ago.  OWU of course also always gets a good to very good out-of-state haul.

I missed the first part of the Kenyon-Colorado College game but apparently the Lords came out flying but then sputtered and found themselves down 1-0 in the 2nd half (and easily could have been down 2-0).  Credit to Kenyon for hanging in and getting a solid win but they have a very long way to go.  Colorado looked good but not great.  The Lords need to be much stronger and effective in the midfield.  They are really missing John Penas and I might have missed it but I haven't heard the voice of the Lords, Clayton Coffman, say if he is injured or how badly.  He would help them play quicker and with better possession.  They are not a big or muscular team and they must play faster and more cleanly with better chances created in the final third.  So far way too many long balls and too many glaring defensive lapses.  The GK is undersized and athletic...generally solid but occasionally seems to lose his mind and get caught way out of position.  Tempered expectations are in order, but in fairness I've never seen Brown have so many players that he's trying to figure out.  They are playing a ton of kids, but as long as they stick together, they will be better once a lineup and sub pattern crystallizes.  Speaking of Clayton Coffman, he does a great job calling the games imho.  One correction....he said Kenyon had not lost two games in a row since 2014.  Not true as that squad was 18-2-2 (and ranked #2 in the country for a good part of the season).  You have to go back to 2011 to find consecutive losses. 

Great slate of games today....

Centre @ Haverford (intriguing matchup especially for Centre who I can't recall playing anyone that far East)

Babson @ Brandeis (a New England staple and one where D3soccer.com's own Blooter will be providing on-scene commentary (assuming he isn't in a layover in Reykjavik)

W&L @ Hopkins (great game and a frontrunner for game of the day)

Cortland @ Rowan (oh well, there's another contender for game of day)

North Park @ Chicago (enough said)

Mary Washington @ Montclair

SLU @ Oneonta

Gettysburg @ Christopher Newport

Maryville @ Lynchburg (are the Hornets already in trouble?)

Transy @ Hope

Wheaton (Ill) @ Kenyon

Colorado Coll @ OWU

York @ E'town

Ohio Northern @ Calvin (intriguing after ONU's win at Hope)

Vassar @ Stevens

C-M-S @ Texas-Dallas (C-M-S trying to consolidate huge win over Trinity (TX))

Bonus games for Mid-Atlantic folks....NYU @ Drew and Dickinson @ Lebanon Valley

And of course, opening weekend in the good 'ol NESCAC....

Bates @ Hamilton (tough first game travel-wise for the Bobcats but Bates is my sleeper team in NESCAC this year)

Conn Coll @ Colby (can the Mules build off last year's miracle run into the NCAA tourney?)

Tufts @ Williams (I reiterate that I don't see anyone other than perhaps Amherst getting 3 points versus the Jumbos)

Bowdoin @ Amherst

Middlebury @ Wesleyan (Wesleyan needs and/or is due for a good season but I don't see that happening)

Hi I'm new here as a poster but have followed posts here on and off for a while as my son (Thomas Sloan) played soccer for Mount Aloysius for two seasons in the AMCC then another two seasons for Marietta in the OAC where he graduated this year. He also had the chance to move to a NCAC side but chose Marietta.

On the point of recruitment strategy in Ohio, I know for a fact that Marietta are looking to the UK. My son was the first ever in their soccer program but it seemed to work well and they have since brought in another three British players.

I'm also aware Heidelberg are looking to the UK also as I met both Heidelberg and Marietta coaches when they travelled to St George's Park in the UK last year for a series of soccer trials organised by international sports recruiters.

This isn't new of course, in the AMCC Mt Aloysius and Medaille have brought over players in recent years. I also recall a couple of the season ago the North Park starting line up in the NCAA final sounded like a Scandinavian touring team.

I think international players and UK players especially bring a different dynamic to the game, specifically in areas around aggression, mentality and soccer "savviness". The amount of times I've screamed "put it in row Z!" at the TV screen while watching a game, only to groan as someone has been caught in possession in a really dangerous area of the pitch and a goal has ensued.

Technically, I've been impressed with american players and I would suggest that they are generally better than their UK teammates in this respect and are also fitter, but sometimes lack the right decision making ability and would rather try a Cruyf turn, a hollywood pass or a 35 yard shot than a simple pass or a punt upfield. It may not be pretty but sometimes the best option imho.

I can't vouch for other teams in Ohio in terms of their recruitment but suspect they don't look internationally to the same degree and I haven't come across many British players in the OAC at least.

It's early in the season but the OAC looks to have a decent number of competitive teams again, like a couple of seasons ago, with JCU and Capital currently having the edge in my opinion over Mt Union, then ONU, Marietta, Heidelberg and Otterbein at roughly the same level.

Anyway, looking forward to watching the season unfold even without my son's involvement 🙂

Chris