Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on August 25, 2025, 08:40:10 AM

Quote from: Kuiper on August 22, 2025, 08:22:59 PMAlthough I hadn't planned to do a formal season preview of Washington & Lee (Region X and the UAA schools is a big enough task as it is), W&L published their own and its worth reading.

https://generalssports.com/news/2025/8/22/2025-w-l-mens-soccer-season-preview.aspx

Will be a big test for the new coach losing 5 starters who played substantial minutes last season.

A big failing grade so far.  Fortunately, the schedule offers some needed downtime over the next two weeks to regroup.  Catholic on Saturday looks like a surprisingly difficult test.

Quote from: jknezek on August 31, 2025, 11:19:04 AMSo I went to Atlanta for the W&L games. It wasn't good. Last year when I saw those first two games I said they had talent but no idea how to play the way a new coach wanted them to play. As the season went along, coach and team adjusted to each other and the talent shown through.

That was not the problem this weekend. This weekend they played the system fairly well, better against Ogelthorpe than Emory, but well enough. I just don't ont think they know where the goals will come from.

If they push the two in off the post and crossbar they likely tie Emory and beat Ogelthorpe, so it wasn't a disaster, just unlucky. They really controlled Ogelthorpe for all but about 20 minutes of the second half, a 20 minutes that W&L seemed to be deep into their bench, and the PK Ogelthorpe scored on was pretty soft.

But that game shouldn't have been 1-0. They need a scorer, and I'm just not sure who it could be.

The game against Emory was not great. Emory played a high line with a lot of pressure and W&L lacked patience. Every transition was pushed up as fast as possible and resulted in aton of lost possession and having to get back on defense. No midfield patience hurt and eventually conceded a goal Emory earned. Emory deserved the win, but W&L had chances.

Anyway, W&L will be dangerous to everyone. They have midfield and defensive talent, but unless someone steps up to score 10 goals or so, it's going to be a tough season with a lot of these "could have been" games slipping away.

I thought I saw you there.  Were those your two boys?  I was in a conversation with someone when I saw you and then you were gone when I looked up again. 

W&L's diamond midfield and lack of width in the Emory game is hopefully a short-lived experiment.  Unfortunately, the lack of a quality striker for the first time since 2019 likely won't be. 

Quote from: SKUD on December 01, 2024, 12:25:53 PMShort notice? I don't understand 3 weeks ago (when every team selected for tourney was known) there were plenty of rooms all over Vegas for reasonable prices. There are still
Rooms available for $261 a night.

Why didn't you book everything early, as it all can be cancelled?  What am I missing?

First, it's not accurate. Yes, the Motel 6 was available, but most the more mid-range chains were pretty outrageous when I was looking at hotels before the Elite Eight games were played. Flights from DC, ATL, CLT were also well in excess of $800 for red-eyes.

Second, it's the recent alums and wider communities that really miss out from this. At the Final Four in Greensboro, there were two W&L alums in their 80s who had played for a national championship in their day and made the trek, in addition to scores of young alums who made it work. (Most) parents will find a way, but the atmosphere will be more like an ECNL tourney than a college championship.

Third, the NCAA could have acted like any other convention and blocked rooms and made them available to travelers from the schools. They will do that for the revenue sports. I do recognize this would not be expected, but with the convention calendar very public and overbooked, it would have been appropriate foresight. There's also a large NCAA wrestling tourney the same weekend, and they blocked off hotels.

Finally, the idea that supporters are to be faulted for not booking in advance and cancelling is kind of absurd. As it is, my reservation is non-cancellable, but even if it were...

As far as giving feedback, don't hold your breath.

Quote from: jknezek on November 30, 2024, 11:11:41 AMHa. I've bemoaned this several times. If it was anywhere in the mid Atlantic I'd be on my way Friday. But there is no way I'm flying to Vegas. I suspect the crowd will be even sparser than usual for these games.

I hate when D3 does stuff like this.

You'd also be late.  Set your clock for 8 pm (central) on THURSDAY, not Friday.   I'll wave to you from the stands.

I know we covered from a competition perspective, but can we talk about what an absolutely boneheaded idea it was to host this tournament final in Las Vegas from a logistics point of view?  Everyone has to fly, and the hotels are nearly all sold out or in the $1000+ range for a single night.  It seems there is a 300k+ person convention/rodeo in town the same weekend (which is easily knowable) on top of Amazon, and others.  That's quite a commitment for families that want to see their kids play in the final four, not to mention the scores of young alums who otherwise would attend, but are being shut out by cost.

The NCAA also always had a travel rule that required the semi-final losers to vacate their hotels after their loss.  Are they enforcing that here, where everyone is required to fly?

Don't mind me, I'm just salty for having to spend my Christmas budget on red-eye flights and hotels.

Very very sorry to hear this, SC. 

Cheering for W&L today.  Must say, I've been really down on this side all year, mostly because due to a lack of faith in the coach and his new style of play, but the seniors have a winners mentality and can go out in style by putting together some wins in the tourney.

Deserves its own thread, I think...


Hearing some shocking news out of Lexington that Singleton has resigned for family reasons. W&L will be looking to replace one of the best coaches in the country on short notice.

Quote from: JEFFFAN on December 03, 2023, 02:06:09 PM
Anyone care to comment on Amherst getting absolutely screwed by that non-call on the goalie grabbing the ball outside of the box?

Sure, I'll have a go.  The lines are part of the areas that they mark, so unless you can definitively say that ball was entirely over the line, it is considered inside the area.  As a neutral... ok, semi-neutral... I'm not sure we have the angle to say that.  The goalkeeper's feel were outside, but the ball seemed less certainly out in the brief look I had at it.   The referee was accidentally in the right position to see it, so I'm going with him.  I'll also say, as a referee, that you don't make that call unless you are 100% sure of it. 

WOW, what a goal.  Let's go Olafs!

Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on December 03, 2023, 11:39:26 AM

especially the clear hand ball in or near the penalty area in the second half.

Not that it was a guarantee W&L converts that PK.

No one has said this, so I will.

I thought Amherst's postgame behavior was exemplary.  Most of the team briefly met in an expected celebratory huddle between the keeper and final kicker after the end.  Others immediately found W&L players who they'd battled against for 110+ minutes to console them, congratulate them on a hard-fought game, and offer words of support.  Even Nuhu, who earlier in the match had a few things to say to the General faithful was quite restrained in his celebration and did not address them afterward.  I was there among the W&L army, and was looking for something to happen.  It didn't.

One relevant note about the lists of "Colleges Attending..."   A healthy number of schools register and don't attend, so they can get the emails from players and send invites to camps.  And others attend, but don't register.  Admittedly far more in the first camp, but lots of both.

Bottom line for recruits, don't depend on the registration list as indicative of who is watching and when.

Quote from: southsidejet on November 29, 2023, 11:20:44 AM

Quote from: PaulNewman on November 23, 2023, 10:56:14 PM
I thought it was a 50/50 deal with Amherst, but I thought Midd was going to get it done...exactly as I felt a few times with Kenyon, including last year after beating Calvin and W&L (7-1 on aggregate) back to back and only needing to get by Williams at home.  That Kenyon team last year was really, really good...like "best Kenyon team ever" and national title good...but unfortunately they just didn't get to what clearly seemed in reach.  It's a testament to how good Middlebury was to presume without any doubt that they are experiencing massive disappointment.

There is more to being the 'best X team ever' than just winning games. How your players & coaches carry themselves before, during, and after games are part of the equation. Kenyon might have had some skill last year, but they didn't have the other 'stuff'. I know of a son of a Kenyon alum who ended up playing for Tufts this year (his freshman year) because his father was appalled at how the Kenyon soccer program carried itself in seasons prior. I'm sure we can say similar things about Amherst in recent years. They may have enough skill to win the title, but I would never consider a program like that 'the best ever' regardless of the results on the field. There is so much more to this sport (like many others) than simply putting the ball into the back of the net, or preventing it from happening. My two cents.

I don't know, Southside, this seems a little out of left field to me.   When my (senior) son's team was beaten by Kenyon in the tournament last year, he was the next to last player to leave the field, no doubt finding it hard to swallow the emotion of a career suddenly ending on that Ohio pitch.  The last player to leave?  One of the Kenyon kids who stayed well past everyone else to console him.  It was quite a show of compassion and sportsmanship.

When we are talking about a "best [school] team ever," I think we are invariably talking about wins and championships.  If this year's W&L team were to win the tourney, we will very clearly be talking about them as the "best W&L team ever," but I have have always thought the 2020 version had the very best talent.  Difference is, this team is still winning.

As for whether I would want my kid to attend X school or play for Y coach, that's an entirely different matter.   

Quote from: Bucket on November 20, 2023, 01:37:40 PM

Quote


Curious... who was the gentleman with the beard in the YouTube clip also waiving to the Midd fans?  He's not dressed to play, and he's out in front of the players at 1:32, taunting the parents.  Is that Asst Coach Ortega?

Yes.

If true, then you have a coach on film not only failing to get his boys in check, but actually leading the effort out front to taunt an opponent's fans.  Classless, indeed.

Kudos to the one kid who was pulling Nuhu and Kalinauskas back.  Wish his coach had the same integrity.