I have never seen anything like what I just watched on replay in the Hobart-Rochester game.  Rochester scores from half field on the 2nd half opening kick off.  Brutal.

Very solid win for Vassar today at Oneonta.  So far their offense is doing the work.  You can score on them but you can't make mistakes defensively or they will punish you.  Young season yet but the Brewers are carrying some good momentum heading into league play.

No real notable results today aside from maybe Ithaca's 6-0 win against Fredonia.  Haven't been able to pin down Ithaca yet as they usually have wild home and away splits, but a good start for them as well. 

SLU took care of business today which is another step in the right direction.  Outshot the Roos 36-1.  If not for the heroics of the North Country native freshman GK for Canton in the 2nd half that could have easily been another 9-0 affair.  Reddish looked good yet again for SLU, there could be something there.

Hard luck continues for Hobart, who is still winless in their first five games, but may be the team to beat in the LL. Vassar, Ithaca, and SLU are looking like the top four teams. SLU has a favorable LL schedule as they are home against all of these top teams and 5 of the 9 LL games they play are home.
SLU's defense continues to be strong. The offense is improving with Brown playing aggressively and  finding the net often. Ryan Campbell came off the bench with energy and scored as he did last week off the bench. 
I would still like to see more goals scored. We haven't seen many shots from distance. The midfield still needs to improve, however Petrone is looking strong. One bright spot was seeing Max Mogul running the attack.  He's been slowed down the first few games, being double and tripled teamed. He continues to play unselfishly, setting up his teammates and most of the goals against Canton. If the team continues to improve, the opposition will be forced to choose their poison.   

Might have to pare back on posting on here if SLU is going to be weekly fodder in the SC vids on YT. Seems that all the SLU posting is annoying folks.  It's ultimately not that serious and I don't mind the ribbing but if all our talk about the program irritates others I'd rather not prompt the wider discussions about the team through a negative prism.

Quote from: stlawus on September 16, 2024, 07:56:33 PMMight have to pare back on posting on here if SLU is going to be weekly fodder in the SC vids on YT. Seems that all the SLU posting is annoying folks.  It's ultimately not that serious and I don't mind the ribbing but if all our talk about the program irritates others I'd rather not prompt the wider discussions about the team through a negative prism.

No, no, no.  Don't stop.  Love it.  I also love to joke about things.  Not irritating at all.

Again, please dont stop posting @StLawus.  You are an invaluable source of information for me.

SC.

Wow shocker tonight with RIT beating Hobart 2-1 to open up league play.  I said it before the season, it's incredibly difficult playing with a target on your back being defending champs.

Assuming we are still posting about SLU games, the Saints dominated the first half vs Potsdam with a 9-1 advantage in shots but not able to put the ball in the net.  The offense seems to be coming alive the last couple of games, but they need to convert.  Quite a game from their senior winger so far.  A great save at the end of the first half kept him and the Saints off the board.

Route 11 derbys are always tough matchups, Potsdam has always played well against SLU most years.  They really turtled for about 75 minutes and were compact, much better than last year which is a testament to Adam Parker.  With that said, having seen most home/local away games in person the last several years I saw a much different SLU team today than last season.  Team was winning every aerial duel, every 50/50 ball and was physical for 90 minutes.  Ball was getting out of the back quick and the combo play on the wings was significantly better.   Ran into another hot goalie but SLU did enough for the win.  Things are going to get tougher with league play opening up @RPI but right now I'm seeing a team that is getting better.  Time will tell.

2 good draws today from Union and Clarkson against UAA opponents.  Clarkson scores early and survives a 21-2 shot disadvantage to secure the tie.  The Golden Knights undefeated thus far.

Vassar home crowd propels Montclair into a win in the last 5 minutes.  I think MSU players started taking the crowd jeering personally, ramped up the last 10 minutes or so as it crescendo'd and got the game winner.

Vassar x Montclair provided yet another great matchup with no dominant side throughout the 90 mins. Both teams had chances and missed calls. Obvious hand ball (only not to the ref) took a pen away from Vassar, but no VAR in D3 unfortunately. Long balls in both boxes led MSU to have a go ahead opportunity at goal which they put away with a great header. Great game overall. Can't wait for league play.

There actually is VAR in D3.  Teams can use it at their own discretion/limitation.  I believe penalty decisions/no decisions can be reviewed.  All depends on the video setup and if a team actually has anything field level for the officials to use.

VAR in D3 expanded this season to penalty decisions, offside calls, serious foul play. Either team (home or away doesn't matter) can provide the video, it doesn't say specifically what kind (doesn't have to be field level) but it should be able to replay and zoom in and out as well as access on the field from an IPad. Hudl or Veo is not great, but Spiideo is the best platform that is used much more in the Midwest/NCAC, but also more expensive. The main point is that either team have to let the referee know that they have the technology (there is no vote or veto, if the technology is there they are allowed to use it) and the referee has to initiate the VAR process, coaches are not allowed to challenge a call.

Really enjoyed watching SLU play Potsdam this weekend. They have some good pieces and it was nice to see improvements going forward. They were unlucky not to finish a few of the great chances they created. It is very difficult to play the kind of soccer that they aspire to play, it would be much easier to approach the game like many college programs do to sit in, be organized defensively, and to rely on counter attack, balls in behind and set pieces. But you have to respect those programs like SLU that play expansive attacking-possession soccer. I will be watching with intrigue to see if these young men can translate it into victories as they get into league play.

I am not annoyed by SLU fervor or posting by the SLU faithful, including two of my all time faves Saint of Old and St. Lawus.   What does annoy me is the blatant favoritism to SLU shown by the league in weekly and yearly awards to SLU players.  This week is prototypical.  Award is given to SLU forward for scoring a penalty kick in a 1-0 win over the Massey rated 277th strongest team in the country.  There were many other players who scored goals this week against much better teams including a killer volley by a Clarkson forward to tie the 21st ranked team in the country.  Given that the SLU player had won the award a couple of weeks previous should have been incentive to spread the wealth around.  But that assumes that the league wants to spread the wealth around which history suggests is not the case. 

Quote from: deutschfan on September 23, 2024, 06:02:09 PMI am not annoyed by SLU fervor or posting by the SLU faithful, including two of my all time faves Saint of Old and St. Lawus.   What does annoy me is the blatant favoritism to SLU shown by the league in weekly and yearly awards to SLU players.  This week is prototypical.  Award is given to SLU forward for scoring a penalty kick in a 1-0 win over the Massey rated 277th strongest team in the country.  There were many other players who scored goals this week against much better teams including a killer volley by a Clarkson forward to tie the 21st ranked team in the country.  Given that the SLU player had won the award a couple of weeks previous should have been incentive to spread the wealth around.  But that assumes that the league wants to spread the wealth around which history suggests is not the case. 

I'm a big SLU fan and was shocked by this award.  Brown was pretty silent on offensive in this game. He certainly wasn't the offensive star of the game with Mogul and Petrone giving the best chances. I really don't understand it. This has the potential to hurt another player on the team who may be deserved in the coming weeks. And it certainly took the award away from a more deserving player from another team.