justakidfromakron what are you waffling about? Its time to realize that Hopkins has elevated itself over the past 5/6 seasons to a national powerhouse. Its only a matter of time until they reach a final four. With that being said, I am predicting Red over Blue in the Centennial Conference Matchup.

Centennial Playoff Predictions

If Dickinson is able to replicate the brilliance that they displayed against WAC I can see them running over Hopkins tonight. Then again, it is easy to get carried away with their hype and forget the poise and experience Hop brings to the table in these games. This will be an incredibly exciting game that will have lots to show. My prediction is that Dickinson barely edges past Hop based off of their run of form and momentum.

F&M v Muhlenburg will play out much like this fixture has in the past. These two teams have met now for three consecutive post-seasons!! I see this game going to F&M based off of their home form and the drop off that the Mules have seen in their offensive output.

Is there a consesus best player in the Centennial this year?

USC polls always a bit interesting. Once again, can't buy the Dickinson hype and won't until they beat one of Hopkins or F&M.

Interesting to see Rowan as #1 in their region with a pretty shaky record, but their recent win over Montclair definitely helped them.

The F&M v Hopkins game definitely proved to be a defining moment for Hop as they did end up changing their approach for this game. This game in particular they notably made use of how many players they have who are phenomenal ball carriers. The way some of the Hop players attacked the open space F&M left them was impressive to watch. Despite that, I thought F&M played fairly well and I am sure will look to seek revenge in the weeks to come.


The final few games of the Centennial are going to end up deciding the outlook of the playoffs and is going to be incredibly exciting to see how it plays out as a neutral.

I think its too harsh to rule this game against F&M as a must win, but there is a lot riding on this result. A combination of how other Centennial teams are performing, and the point in time of the season adds a really nasty layer of complexity for them in terms of how they might approach this match. F&M should be well aware of the fact that a win against Hop could hurt and help them as I absolutely see Hop making the playoffs, and if F&M beats them then I imagine there is a good chance they will be on the same side of the bracket come playoff time.

I have no problem with their style of play and I imagine coach Appleby doesn't either. I touched upon it in the past, but Hopkins has the luxury of recruiting pretty high caliber players due to their academic strength and program prestige. No matter the year they will have the talent to play good soccer, and its respectable that the coach is so adamant on playing a unique brand of soccer within the d3 space. However, their lack of adaptability is what hinders them the most. Their approach against a team like Swat should not be the same as an approach to face F&M/GBurg. Their stubbornness to not change their approach is naïve at best and arrogant at worst. While I do believe they have one of the most talented rosters in the Centennial, I don't think they are that much better than the rest to justify keeping possession in their own 18/high risk areas.

In regards to Meyer, in my opinion, he is one of if not the best pure midfielder in the Centennial. Kaliebe and Ethan Jarden I see more as forwards with how advanced they get and where they operate best.  Meyer, as a deep lying playmaker/regista is excellent in possession and is a fundamental component to Hopkins' success. Sure he lacks the traditional d3 size, but he walks into any starting 11 on any centennial team and probably the entire region.

F&M v Hopkins will have the same flavor to the game as it has for the past 10 years. F&M will look to capitalize on errors from Hopkins, and will be sure to target their goalie who looks shakey in possession. Hopkins will look to keep possession and work to build up their chances. As for a prediction, I am hesitant to pick one over the other as I see this game playing out as a draw. This game will resemble the old Liverpool vs Man City games when they were both battling for the title. A gegenpressing team vs a overly possession based team.

Updated Centennial Conference Playoff Predictions:

6th) Swarthmore

Since my last prediction, Swat crumbled against two tough opponents in WAC and JHU. While I will make no comment on their style of play as I do believe they offer a good brand of soccer, it is hard to ignore the results. Inevitably, a couple of weeks ago I had said that Swat fails to rise up to the occasion against big name conference opponents and as we have seen they failed once again. Fortunately, I believe the lower half of the Centennial will not produce any more notable results with the only exception being Gburg offering a potential sneak in into the playoffs. Swat is a solid 6th place team and I don't see them moving up or down more than one position.

5th) WAC

WAC has been on a great run of form in the past four games, but their upcoming conference games will prove to be the true test of their strength. GBurg (H), JHU (A), Muhlenburg (H), and F&M (A) are all very tough matchups and that is the main reason behind giving them such a low rank. However, I do feel as if their form will help them and offer them the chance to upset a higher ranked team. The most crucial and important time of their season is right now.

4th) Dickinson

Unfortunately, still not able to buy the Dickinson hype. You can throw Massey, NPI, and any other metric at me, but I will stand to make the prediction that they take losses against F&M (A) and JHU (A). 6 points in their final four conference games is how I view their conference campaign ending thus putting them at a fourth position.

3rd) Muhlenburg

The past couple results have been fairly disappointing for Muhlenburg as they have not shown the same offensive prestige compared to years past. They lost two pivotal players in Chris Richards and Taylan Akdag that has almost certainly impacted their squad. However, unlike their Centennial competitors, they have a fairly simple road ahead. Ursinus (H), Swat (A), WAC (A), and Mcdaniel (H) is a far easier schedule compared to a WAC or Dickinson. I can see them getting 7-9 points out the next four games and see them as a surprising 3rd place pick.

2nd) JHU

Unfortunately, I have JHU dropping for two main reasons. Their tie against Salisbury, who notably has lost to both Dickinson and WAC, and defeat to Gburg has been a gut punch to their midseason form. Beyond that, I believe F&M who is ahead of them is salivating at the opportunity to put them in the rear view mirror following their next game. I see JHU placing second after their final four games, BUT if they beat F&M then I can see them mounting pressure on the dips to maintain their top spot.

1st) F&M

The dips have come to play and their Centennial record thus far has been impressive. Their lopsided schedule has allowed them to gain momentum and establish a good run of form heading into their most important part of their season. Their most recent result against Muhlenburg was most impressive as they scored four in the first half and established a style of play. The dips play a brand of fluid counter-attacking soccer that relies on the individual brilliance of Koa Kaliebe, hold up play of striker Nathan Schlessinger, and most importantly a resilient defense. A couple of weeks ago I named them as an "at best 3rd place team", but it is hard to ignore their results. Their next games against JHU (A), Dickinson (H), GBurg (A), and WAC (H) can act as the ribbon to place atop of their season or the catalyst for their dismantling. Bear in mind they are still notably missing their All-American striker in Oscar Horowitz.

Fragility in the sense that they are more beatable than most believe. Perhaps saying the NESCAC teams were fragile was hyperbole, and I will not deny the fact that the NESCAC is by far the best conference in D3 yet I don't believe they are invincible. Last two years has shown that. It goes without saying though that this year the best teams in the country, not only on paper, but based off the level they show are NESCAC squads. Additionally, I do believe there was a distinct shift from the pre to post covid era of D3 soccer, that is likely to normalize in the near future. NESCACS could win the next 25 national titles, or as we have seen thus far, some of the smaller programs step up and show that, while improbable, it is more than possible to win on the national stage. Still early days though...

I wouldn't say that Hopkins' style is the sole reason why they consistently produce results. I think the talent of their recruits, and more importantly their ability to bring in graduate students distinguishes themselves from the rest of the Centennial. Their style of play comes to back to bite them when they inevitably play a team who is on par with them in terms of footballing ability, but far more athletic. Their loss to Middlebury last year could have gone either way, and they put up a more traditional D3 fight in that game. I think if they developed a secondary playstyle similar to more high intensity D3 games they would more easily compete on the national stage and against Centennial teams that exploit Hopkins' stubbornness.

In regards to the national stage, I think last year more than ever showed the fragility of the NESCAC teams. WAC, St. Olaf, UMW all hit recruiting out of the park and played a convincing game without fear of the big names on a national stage. I believe it takes double the work and effort from smaller programs, but it does not mean it's not possible. Just a matter of striking the right balance of recruiting right and installing a system of play suitable to the players and the competition a team expects to face. 

Way too early predictions for the Centennial Conference Playoffs:

4th) Washington College
Thus far, WAC has had shoddy results and hasn't lived up to the F4 hype that was going to be difficult to replicate following the loss of key players. However, I think that this is my most contentious pick as I fully believe they can the turn the season around due to their offensive talent and identity. Over the past 3-4 seasons, WAC has proved to be a formidable opponent that has shown mental resilience, offensive explosiveness, and more than anything the grit to win games. Their upcoming games against Swart and Rowan should shed light on how they will fair up towards the latter end of the season.

5th) Swarthmore
Swart has always been a team that has confused me as they possess a team that are technically gifted but slightly small physically. Moreover, they are JHU lite of the conference as they do attempt at playing a very possession oriented style. Their results thus far have been impressive yet their loss against F&M was eyebrow raising. Although possessing the talent and style they have struggled time and time again to rise up to the occasion against the other elite teams of the conference. Despite outplaying the dips they self-destructed on their first goal conceded, and got unlucky on the second. These are games that need to be won in order to be considered a top contender in the Centennial. To me, they are 4th/5th place team, but based off their recent loss I put them 5th.

4th) Dickinson
After coming off a red hot start to the season and an impressive national ranking, Dickinson has shown that they may have the turned the corner in their program rebuild. I am still very skeptical of their ability to replicate their results against tougher opponents mainly due to their 4-2 dismantling at home against Muhlenburg. By all means, Muhlenburg are a tough team to beat and have the versatility to go up against any Centennial team, but to concede four goals at home is never a good sign. In my opinion, their national ranking was a bit inflated due to their victory over a historically poor Messiah thus putting pressure on a squad that has never really seen it before. As of now, I feel it's safe to say they are a solid 4th place pick.

3rd) F&M
After retaining much of their previous years talent, it has been a shakey start from the dips. I, along with most other Centennial fans, expected more out of this squad and it has been difficult to understand what has been going on. Their 5 ties were against tough opponents, but perhaps exposed what they are struggling most with this season. Their offensive output hasn't been anywhere near where it once was, but beyond that they seem to lack a distinct tactical identity. Their victory over Swart was incredibly lucky, and at no point in the game could you put your finger on a playstyle they imposed. Their upcoming schedule of LVC (A), Muhlenburg (A), JHU (A), and Dickinson (H) will show what this team is made of. Despite the undefeated start, I think they are a 3rd place team at best and may drop depending on their upcoming results.


2nd) Muhlenburg
Year after year Muhlenburg continues to shock the conference, and this time I won't be betting against them. Their poor performances out of conference always stump most Centennial conference enthusiasts, but the reality is that they have a formidable squad and a mentality that is difficult to go up against. Their results against elite Centennial foes has shown the potential within this squad and I believe that their schedule is lined up well over the next few weeks in order to gain momentum. In my opinion, as I mentioned before, they can go up against any team in the entire Centennial and perform well. They can play a JHU, F&M, WAC, or Swart and come out with a result due to their versatility and experience. I believe they are a solid 2nd/3rd place team.

1st) Johns Hopkins University
A team that is coming off of a Centennial Championship and an impressive NCAA run was poised to do well. Thus far, this season's results have been underwhelming, but based off of last year it is always important to be patient when judging JHU. They tend to figure things out in the latter half of the season, and an important test against Swart should prove indicative of whether my pick to put them first will come back to bite me. My prediction is that they will build off their performance against Ursinus and Mary Wash to pick up momentum. However, there is one main way I can see hurting them this season and its their stubborn commitment to their system. It's brilliant watching them play, but at times they shoot themselves in the foot while in possession. At times, I feel as if their system shackles their players down to a system that limits their ability to create individual brilliance. (kind of like what people say Pep's system does)

These are all VERY VERY VERY early predictions and there is much to change. I hope the teams I left off this list prove me wrong, and the teams I ranked lower than others do as well. This is an exciting time for the Centennial with two teams outside of the JHU,F&M,WAC,Muhlenburg group that are nationally ranked. Would be interested in hearing everyone's thoughts