Quote from: blue_jays on November 25, 2022, 09:06:37 PM

Quote from: PaulNewman on November 25, 2022, 08:21:20 PM
Sincere congrats to Mary Washington and Williams...

Seems like a week ago that we were talking about whether an embarrassing loss to Salisbury would be fatal for MW...and like a week ago that most of us felt like our sensibilities had been insulted by Williams even getting a bid.

MW started with an unassuming 1-0 win over Marymount, followed by defeating the D3 with the most NCAA tourney appearances by far, Ohio Wesleyan, to being viewed as the only team in a sectional to have literally no shot, and proceeding to knock out Amherst, at Amherst...and then another NESCAC top-dog, very highly rated Bowdoin.

Williams arguably was fortunate to get by NYU in Rd 1, with the reward being facing the impossible task of surviving #1 huge favorite Messiah on Messiah's home field which they somehow pulled off with the slimmest of margins.  Then avoided a major letdown to stay steady through Ohio Northern, and topped all that off by beating a favored Kenyon squad (that had just beaten Calvin and W&L) on their home field when Kenyon as the country's most overdue program to win an Elite 8 game absolutely had to win that game.

Stunning achievements and very well earned spots in the Final 4 where neither seemed imaginable and both doing it was beyond unimaginable. 

And one of them will be in the national final.

IMO, Williams should be favored to win it all. Smells like a team of destiny. They've taken on the best teams in the nation and shut them down.

Maybe I'm just the last holdout, but I'm still not a Williams believer. Mary Washington feels like the perfect team to end their run. MW's ability to score on both Amherst (and their infamous antics) as well as a defensive Bowdoin shows, in my mind, that they have the tools to deal with the Ephs. For the sake of the NESCAC, I hope Williams wins. But every team gets found out eventually. How long can Williams sustain shutouts and set pieces? Two more games? Fewer? It seems like one lucky goal and some game planning for long throws could be enough for MW to play one last Saturday.

And as a closer, I'll say that I've never believed in destiny.

Anyone know the tiebreak rules for NESCAC seeding? Wouldn't surprise me to see the likes of Bowdoin and Middlebury tied on points and am curious on how it all shakes out.

Amherst 0 - Williams 0

For Williams:

The Good: They contained Amherst to a few mediocre efforts, save a couple of magic dribbling moments from what looked to be a limping #23 Okorogheye. Defensively, the Ephs have looked solid all year and haven't allowed much in the way of legitimate SOG. GK #30 Diffley had little to do as has seemed to be the case throughout the season. As an old coach of mine used to say, "you can't lose if you don't concede."

The Bad: Once again, the Ephs struggled to find the back of the net. After scoring 10 goals over their first 5 games, Coach Siebert's men have only mustered 1 in the last three. Though still undefeated, 5 ties (3 of which ended 0-0) will leave a bitter taste in the mouth of a team hoping to improve from a historically bad 8th in 2021

The Ugly: #13 Felitto went down late in the first half holding what looked to be his knee and had to be helped off the field. He didn't return to the game. If out for any length of time, he will be missed sorely by Williams, who often seems to create chances by kicking it long and letting their re-converted striker get a knockdown. A Felitto-less Williams will test their coaching staff and players' ability to earn some wins in a challenging rest-of-season schedule.

For Amherst:

The Good: Though they won't be happy to admit it, a tie against a ranked Williams side (especially after going down to 10 men early in the second half) is a solid result. Even while under pressure for much of the game, Amherst still managed to create chances that, on a different day, could have won them a NESCAC-trademarked smash and grab victory. Serpone's system still creates chaos, even when his squad isn't as talented as in years past. GK #1 White also had probably his best game of the conference season so far which should bode well going forward for the Mammoths.

The Bad: Compared to years past, Serpone's team looked toothless. Their once dynamic game plan around a host of decorated goal-scorers has been reduced to a similar tactic to Williams: kick it long to your best player and see what happens. Another week without a statement win will have Amherst feeling out uncomfortable territory. Nothing is guaranteed this year for a historically strong squad.

The Ugly: Amherst is getting themselves in more trouble than their opponents this year. Without a stout defense and lethal offense, their intense fouling and sideline antics seemed to unsettle themselves instead of Williams. Though the Ephs failed to convert on their many set pieces, Amherst cannot count on such a streak continuing. They need to find their mojo again- sooner rather than later.

Hi all,

I'm a parent of an incoming freshman and was delighted to find this forum. Looking forward to following what will hopefully be a great season!