Quote from: Kuiper on September 28, 2024, 01:25:44 AMSouthwestern 0 - Texas Lutheran 0

Very tight game.  TLU had most of the possession in the first half, but Southwestern came back strong in the second half.  Both teams are very good at 1-touch combination play in the midfield, but neither could get a foothold in their opponent's box to bother the GKs.  They each had only 6 shots and 1 shot on goal.  As the announcer (who is pretty decent) said, it was a lot of possession without a purpose.  Still, you can see why these are contenders in the SCAC.  TLU only really plays with 1 forward and it's very difficult to get by their CBs, especially 6'3" senior Noah Harris.  Diego Roman, who was 3rd team all Region X last year, is also really strong at outside back and brings the ball up well in their 5-4-1 formation.  Southwestern also had more shots from their own 6'3" CB Cooper Pero than from anyone else.  The difference in the game is that Southwestern appeared to be missing their 6'3" Forward, Greyson Pinto, who usually leads them in shots and can serve as a focal point on offense even when he's not scoring, which would have kept the TLU center backs busier and left room for others.  It may not be a coincidence that the one other time that Southwestern has been shutout this season, Pinto also did not play.

Centenary 1 - Ozarks 0

Fairly even game, with the teams virtually tied in most categories, but Centenary pulled out the win with a goal in the 57th minute.  Ozarks beat Centenary 8-0 last time these teams played, so this was quite a turnaround (or the Ozark's home field advantage is really epic, even for a team from Shreveport, LA).  The two teams played like they didn't like each other, each committing 17 fouls and there were 7 yellow cards issued in the game.  Centenary is now 5-2-1 on the season

 

I kept asking myself when either team is going to attack.  At time, it seemed like one big game of keep away.  Don't think either wanted to take any risks going forward.

SC.

HALF:  Pacific Lutheran 4 - Lewis & Clark 1

I think the L&C announcer deserves a raise for finding the sunshine amidst the rain.  In a game in which PLU is winning 4-1 and has outshot L&C 19-4, he points out that this is a big step up for L&C.  Last year, they only had 2 shots total over 2 games against PLU in which L&C lost 5-0 in both games and this year they have 4 shots in the first half!  Plus, they scored a goal.  Progress!

Probably the highest scoring start to a game I have seen in quite a while. St. Olaf is up 5-1 at St. Scholastica after just 22 minutes.

Some afternoon games in the NWC

Pacific Lutheran 4 - Lewis & Clark 1

This was the score at halftime and PLU just emptied the bench in the second half.  They outshot L&C 34 - 7 and 14-2 in shots on goal.  L&C scored a goal in NWC play though.  It's also the smallest margin of loss against PLU they've had.

George Fox 2 - Pacific 0

Good result for George Fox, which took the lead on a PK in the first half and then scored an insurance goal in the 68th minute.  Pacific outshot them, but mostly because they were chasing the tie in the second half, when they took 13 shots.  GF is now 5-1-1 and 1-1-1 in the NWC. 

Whitman 4 - Linfield 0

Whitman scored two goals each half, outshot Linfield 22-10 and cruised to victory.  As with the PLU victory, it doesn't really mean anything to beat up on the bottom of the NWC, but they are now 3-0-1 in conference and 6-1-1 overall.  Plus George Fox's victory over Pacific suggests that Whitman's one NWC tie against GF may not be such a bad sign (although it was at home).

Colorado College 1 - St Thomas (TX) 0

I'm sure Kuiper will have a much better summary, but the Tigers get a goal from Zeke Lubin in the 67th to ease past the Celts in Colorado Springs.  STT was on their best behaviour with "only" four yellows (to three for Colorado), all  commencing after the goal was scored. 

CC outshot STT 24-7 but the Celts had the advantage in shots on goal, 4-3. 

Quote from: Ron Boerger on September 28, 2024, 08:36:20 PMColorado College 1 - St Thomas (TX) 0

I'm sure Kuiper will have a much better summary, but the Tigers get a goal from Zeke Lubin in the 67th to ease past the Celts in Colorado Springs.  STT was on their best behaviour with "only" four yellows (to three for Colorado), all  commencing after the goal was scored. 

CC outshot STT 24-7 but the Celts had the advantage in shots on goal, 4-3. 

Your summary was as good as I could have given.  I tried to watch the game, but the CC FloSports feed kept saying it was over when the game had just started.  So, my summary would have been primarily from the box score.  I will say that it's a little odd to have fewer shots on goal than the other team when you outshoot them 24-7.  CC sounds like they were either pretty wasteful with their opportunities or way too ambitious with their shots.  The other noteworthy item I gleaned from the box score is that St. Thomas starting freshman forward Hani Ahmadie, who is the co-leading scorer for the team, was taken out after 18 minutes and never returned.  That sounds like he may have suffered an injury, which couldn't have helped St. Thomas' offense.

HALF:  Occidental 2 - Redlands 1

Oxy looked like it was going to run away with this game after scoring about 10 minutes into the game off a botched header clearance in the Redlands box and then on a PK, but Redlands clawed back into the game and scored on a rebound of a Riley Nyhan punching clearance that went right to a Redlands player who put it back into the net.

UPDATE:  Occidental 2 - Redlands 2

Redlands ties it up on a header off a corner kick in the 62nd minute.  Once again, Oxy's defense is proving leaky.  Redlands hasn't scored more than 1 goal in a game since the Whitman game on 9/12.  In both goals, Oxy has been vulnerable to chaos in the box.

FINAL:  Occidental 2 - Redlands 2

Pretty fair result, although both teams had chances to get the winning score.  It was a pretty even game overall.

Redlands gets the monkey off its back, although not exactly a win.  It still feels like a win most likely, especially after being down 2-0.  Oxy has to feel like it let this game slip from its grasp.

Redlands is now 4-2-2 and 1-1-1 in the SCIAC and Oxy is 5-1-2 and 3-0-1 in the SCIAC

Some games of note in Texas

Hardin-Simmons 5 - East Texas Baptist 0

ETBU may have fancied themselves a contender in the ASC after going 5-3 in non-conference games and beating Howard Payne 2-0 in the ASC opener.  H-S quickly put an end to that notion, scoring in the 10th minute and pouring it on from there.  H-S goes to 6-2-1 overall and 2-0 in conference

Concordia TX 6 - McMurry 1

The only surprise here is that McMurry scored in the first half after Concordia scored 5 straight goals in the first 32 minutes, starting in minute 2.  Concordia was very efficient too, scoring 6 goals on 11 shots, 9 of which were on goal.

LeTourneau 4 - Howard Payne 0

After losing to Hardin-Simmons 4-0, LeTourneau metes out similar punishment to Howard Payne, scoring 3 in the first half and cruising to victory.

UT Dallas 2 - Mary Hardin-Baylor

UTD scored two goals in the first 30 minutes and then cruised to victory in a game that didn't involve a lot of offense other than the shots that ended up in the back of the net.  UMHB played down a man for the final 11 minutes as one of their players got a second yellow card.

Trinity 5 - Schreiner 0

Trinity made short work of overmatched Schreiner, outshooting them 24-2 and playing 33 players, which I assume was every healthy non-GK on the roster and they played the two backup GKs in this game, giving the starter the night off.

It was SCIAC After Dark tonight

Occidental 2 - Redlands 2

(see the post up-thread for some description)

Whittier 2 - CMS 0

Major upset!  Whittier entered the night 1-2 in the conference, having beaten Pomona-Pitzer and lost to Oxy and LaVerne.  CMS looked like they might be conference title contenders, with its only blemish a 4-2 loss to Cal Lutheran.  The game was at Whittier, but I wouldn't have predicted that would matter.  The game was pretty even statistically.  Whittier just took better advantage of its shots, scoring a goal in each half.  CMS now looks like a team that has consistency problems, beating the strong teams and losing focus against the weaker teams.

Caltech 4 - LaVerne 1

Caltech dominated this match, scoring 2 goals in each half and preserving the shutout until LaVerne got a consolation goal in the 84th minute after Caltech had emptied its bench.  Etienne Casanova scored a brace in the second half to raise his team-leading goal total to 8.  Caltech played 28 players in this game and the ULV goal was scored against the 3rd string keeper.  Some of those kids were probably writing computer code on the bench when they got the call to play. Caltech is now 6-2-1, which matches their win total from last season and their highest number of wins Caltech has had in the last 50+ years!

Chapman 2 - Pomona-Pitzer 0

Big win for Chapman, only their second of the season and first against a D3 team, and big loss for P-P, which looked like it was still feeling the emotional letdown of the last second goal scored by Oxy to win that game in mid-week.  Neither Chapman goal, which occurred in the 28th and 78th minutes, were particularly special.  The first was on a wide run in the corner where the striker just put the ball to the opposite corner past the P-P GK's oustretched arm and the second was a scramble in the box.  Chapman was just better in shutting down P-P's passing lanes and preventing them from getting a head of steam.  Chapman moves to 1-3 in conference and P-P is still looking for its first SCIAC win at 0-3-1.

Just to put into perspective how much better some of Cal Tech's players are then they were in years past, Junior Etienne Casanova's two goals last night against LaVerne gives him 23 for his career, which makes him Cal Tech's all-time leading scorer, besting the record of 21 held by someone from the Class of 1971.  Fellow junior Ishaan Mantripragada, who also scored last night, now has 21 goals. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DAgX5q3v7In/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

QuoteWith his two goals last night, junior Etienne Casanova becomes Caltech Men's Soccer's all time leading goalscorer. ET currently has 23 goals, surpassing the previous career record of Gerald Eisman, class of 1971, with 21 goals. Well done to ET and the whole team for helping him get here. Don't get too comfortable though! Junior Ishaan Mantripragada bagged his 21st career Caltech goal last night, tying the previous record, and will be looking to keep this friendly competition going!

I'm not positive whether Coach Gillis, who was named head coach in June 2021, initially recruited Casanova and Mantripragada, who both started in the Fall of 2022, but he would have been the one to offer them and get them to say yes.  And, of course, he was the one who built a team to support these guys and help them develop.

It was twinsies day in the NWC.  Three games, three identical 2-0 results

Puget Sound 2 - Lewis & Clark 0

Puget Sounds scored two goals 6 minutes apart in the 17th and 23rd minutes and that was all the scoring they needed against woeful L&C.  PS didn't empty the benches either, unlike L&C, whose coaches appear to understand their situation and just give a lot of players an opportunity to play, hoping they will stick with it.  L&C's players do appear to be getting frustrated, though, as one of their players got two yellow cards less than a minute apart in the 87th and 88th minutes.

Whitworth 2 - Linfield 0

Whitworth scored 2 goals in the first 10 minutes and that was all the scoring they needed to put away Linfield.  Unlike other NWC teams playing woeful Linfield (1-9, 0-6 in the NWC), though, Whitworth only used 5 subs and played more than half its starters all 90 minutes.  Maybe they have been hit by injuries or illness, but it struck me as a sign of a team that knew it really needed this game after tying Pacific and losing to Whitman.  Two goals is also the most it has scored in a game against a non-NAIA team.  Linfield at least kept it closer than its last two games against Whitman (0-4) and Pacific Lutheran (0-5).  Maybe they were saving energy for the big game on Wednesday against fellow NWC basement-dweller Lewis & Clark. 

George Fox 2 - Willamette 0

GF completes a banner weekend, sweeping Pacific and Willamette with identical 2-0 scores.  GF scored on a PK in the 29th minute and then added an insurance goal in the 76th minute.  Willamette had offensive chances, outshooting GF 22-12 and 8-5 in shots on goal, but never broke through. Willamette is in free-fall at 1-4-3 and 1-1-2 in the NWC.  They know how to keep games close, as evidenced by their 1-1 tie with PLU and 1-0 loss to Calvin, but they don't appear to have many players who can score.  It looks like this will be a rebuilding year for their new coach as he tries to bring in an influx of talent for next season.

Weekday games of note in Region X (9/30 - 10/4)

Wed 10/2

Whittier @ Caltech 4 pm PDT

If Caltech wins, it will have 7 wins on the season, which would be an all-time program record.  Whittier is coming off a big 2-0 win over CMS.  Given how up and down most teams have been in the SCIAC and how Cal Lu and Chapman have been more down than up this season, either of these teams could sneak into 4th place and make the conference playoffs.

Redlands @ Pomona-Pitzer 4 pm PDT

Redlands tied Oxy in an emotional game this past weekend after losing decisively to CMS, while Pomona-Pitzer suffered a bad defeat to Chapman.  Both need to win - Redlands to keep its head above water in the SCIAC, even if it is behind CMS/Oxy, and P-P just to stay alive after starting SCIAC play 0-3-1.  While Redlands is the clear favorite, mid-week afternoon games on Pomona-Pitzer's grass field with virtually no fans in attendance have a way of working against the favorites, especially if they rely at least in part upon hustle, which is a little harder to generate in this environment, especially on a day when the predicted high at the 4 pm kickoff is 100 degrees on Wednesday.

Linfield @ Lewis & Clark 5 pm PDT

Linfield is 1-9 and 0-6 in conference and L&C is 0-7 and 0-3 in conference.  Linfield has only scored 9 goals all season and none in the last three games, while conceding 31 goals.  L&C has only scored 2 goals all season, while conceding 23.  It's the resistible force against the moveable object.  If Lewis & Clark is going to win its first game since the program re-started in 2022 and end three straight winless seasons, this is its chance.  For Linfield, the L&C game is like the elixir for a bad season.  Losing means crashing through the bottom to the sub-basement of the NWC.

Occidental @ Cal Lutheran 7 pm PDT

Oxy beat P-P and tied Redlands, but it let in two goals in each game and didn't look convincing in either.  Coach Rod has been messing with the lineup in an attempt to solidify the team, but I don't think he's gotten it quite right yet.  They can score when they need to, but they sleepwalk through games and give up goals in bunches.  Cal Lu had the weekend off and should be well-rested.  They've been maddeningly inconsistent though.  They crushed CMS 4-2, but then lost to LaVerne 2-0 before beating Chapman 2-0.  I tend to think they get up for big games, especially under the lights at their beautiful new turf in Thousand Oaks, which is where they beat CMS.

Thursday 10/3

Mary Hardin-Baylor @ Hardin-Simmons 7:30 pm

These seem to be the two contenders for the ASC title this year, which puts pressure on defending home field for H-S.  It's UMHB's conference opener because its game against UTD doesn't count for the ASC standings as they transition to DII.  H-S is 2-0 in the ASC, having crushed Letourneau 4-0 and East Texas Baptist 5-0 - two of the better of the rest of the ASC teams - this weekend.  If UMHB wants to assert itself in conference, this is the game to do so.  It has lost three games in a row though, including to SCAC contenders Trinity and St. Thomas.

USC Regional Rankings for Region X

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/rankings/college-rankings/ncaa-diii-men-x/

Region X - Poll 4 - October 1, 2024
Rank    School    Prev    W-L-T
1    Colorado College    1    6-1-2
2    Southwestern University    2    5-0-2
3    Trinity University (Texas)    3    6-0-2
4    Occidental College    8    5-1-2
5    Claremont-McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps Colleges    4    6-2-1
6    Texas Lutheran University    7    4-0-2
7    University of California Santa Cruz    6    4-1-5
8    University of Redlands    5    4-2-2

I might have dropped CMS farther after losing to Whittier, perhaps below Texas Lutheran since TLU tied Southwestern.  Redlands probably sticks in the top 8 because there aren't a lot of other teams knocking on the door, but Hardin-Simmons might have a case for jumping into the rankings if they can beat UMHB this Thursday

Quote from: Kuiper on September 30, 2024, 04:40:36 PMUSC Regional Rankings for Region X

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/rankings/college-rankings/ncaa-diii-men-x/

Region X - Poll 4 - October 1, 2024
Rank    School    Prev    W-L-T
1    Colorado College    1    6-1-2
2    Southwestern University    2    5-0-2
3    Trinity University (Texas)    3    6-0-2
4    Occidental College    8    5-1-2
5    Claremont-McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps Colleges    4    6-2-1
6    Texas Lutheran University    7    4-0-2
7    University of California Santa Cruz    6    4-1-5
8    University of Redlands    5    4-2-2

I might have dropped CMS farther after losing to Whittier, perhaps below Texas Lutheran since TLU tied Southwestern.  Redlands probably sticks in the top 8 because there aren't a lot of other teams knocking on the door, but Hardin-Simmons might have a case for jumping into the rankings if they can beat UMHB this Thursday

"West" portion of the national poll:
6    Colorado College    7    6-1-2
18    Southwestern University    19    5-0-2
24    Trinity University (Texas)    RV    6-0-2

Wednesday results in Region X were mostly true to form

Linfield 2 - Lewis & Clark 1

Linfield is having a bad season, but Lewis & Clark remains a reliable salve for what ails you in the NWC.  Linfield went up in the 3rd minute on a PK, depriving L&C of the dignity of packing it in and hoping for a 0-0 tie, but L&C made a game of it in the second half, scoring in the 85th minute, but also managing several shots and a few shots on goal.

Occidental 3 - Cal Lutheran 0

The final score probably flatters Oxy, but they got the job done.  They scored in the 17th minute and held the 1-0 lead until late in the game when Oxy knocked in two insurance goals in the 82nd and the 84th minutes as Cal Lu was pressing for the equalizer.  Cal Lu tried to muck up the game and just succeeded in making it ugly.  Not only did they commit 15 fouls to Oxy's 8, but Cal Lu earned three red cards, although they didn't impact the final score.  All three were given after Oxy scored its third goal in the 84th minute as part of a dust-up between the goal scorer Oury Diane and several of Cal Lu's players, plus the bench (I think it was a player for entering into the fight from the bench).  Diane got a yellow, Maxi Schelotto got a double yellow (I think the second was for saying something to the ref after the yellow) and Justin Nishimoto got a straight red. Cal Lu seems determined to establish itself as the St. Thomas of the SCIAC.

Redlands 4 - Pomona-Pitzer 1

After falling short against CMS and Oxy, Redlands took out its frustrations on an overmatched Pomona-Pitzer team.  Redlands was up 2-1 in the first, but it wasn't that close as P-P was outshot 10-1 in the first half and the goal was a PK.  Then Redlands proceeded to break the game open with two more in the 2nd half.

Chapman 1 - La Verne 0

After winning two straight against Cal Lutheran and Whittier, La Verne has lost two straight against Caltech and Chapman.  Chapman pretty well dominated all game, outshooting La Verne 20-8 and 10-2 in the first half, but couldn't find the back of the net until the 75th minute.

Whittier 2 - Caltech 1

Whittier follows up its 2-0 upset of CMS with a win against Caltech in a mostly even game.  Whittier went up early in the 5th minute and carried that 1-0 lead to halftime, but Etienne Casanova scored his 9th goal in the 59th minute to equalize.  Alas, Caltech couldn't find the winner and it's record-setting 7th win, as Whittier scored in the 77th minute.  Whittier is now 6-2-2 and 4-2 in conference. If the season ended today, they would be one of the SCIAC conference tournament qualifiers, a big step up from finishing last and 1-10-1 in conference last season.