Have at it

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

NATIONAL - LAST POLL - DECEMBER 10, 2024
Rank   School   Prev   W-L-T
1   Amherst College   8   16-2-4
2   Connecticut College   RV   14-3-7
3   Middlebury College   3   17-2-4
4   Washington & Lee University   21   15-4-6
5   Babson College   11   17-1-7
6   Denison University   10   15-2-6
7   University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire   7   17-2-5
8   Dickinson College   6   17-4-3
9   University of Mary Washington   1   19-2-3
10   Williams College   20   12-4-4
11   Trinity University (Texas)   13   19-1-3
12   University of Wisconsin-Superior   NR   18-4-3
13   Kenyon College   14   13-3-5
14   University of Wisconsin-Platteville   NR   16-2-5
15   Tufts University   2   12-0-6
16   Buffalo State College   17   16-3-4
17   Claremont-McKenna-Harvey Mudd-Scripps Colleges   NR   16-4-3
18   Johns Hopkins University   15   13-3-5
19   Gustavus Adolphus College   4   16-2-3
20   Colorado College   5   16-3-3
21   Stevens Institute of Technology   RV   12-3-5
22   Franklin & Marshall College   19   10-3-7
23   Vassar College   NR   13-4-3
24   Ohio Northern University   22   14-4-4
25   Messiah University   NR   14-6-2
Records shown are final 2024 records
Also receiving votes: SUNY Cortland, Rowan University, St. Olaf College, Hope College, Ohio Wesleyan University, University of Lynchburg

FloSports picked up a few more conferences this year and I guess they have enough content to do something like this.  It probably should be labeled the top 5 goals on FloSports, but even that's debatable (some are just generally good goals, while others are great mostly because of the game context).  Still, it's nice that they do something extra.  Plus, this a decent amount of geographic diversity, ensuring that most people won't have seen all of these clips before.

Top 5 D3 Men's Soccer Goals from the 2024 Season

5. Brandon Trent: Springfield
4. Phillip Kostenko: Redlands
3. Maximilian De Anda: La Verne
2. Rafe Otero: CMS
And the number 1 goal of the 2024 season:
Kevin Martinez: Drew

Very interesting article, the trickle down could be substantial especially if the poorer colleges have to cut D1 programs which I think mens soccer programs could be on the chopping block. https://www.si.com/high-school/news/proposed-ncaa-settlement-threatens-non-revenue-sports-roster-caps-jeopardize-25-000-d1-roster-spots-01jfrmymg4m6

https://x.com/MenInBlazers/status/1880723041715675161

QuotePATRICK AGYEMANG SCORES IN HIS USMNT DEBUT. Amazing moment—and amazing journey—for the former D-III college soccer player, to climb all the way from Eastern Connecticut St. University to getting a goal to go with his first cap

Quote from: Kuiper on January 18, 2025, 04:12:56 PMhttps://x.com/MenInBlazers/status/1880723041715675161

QuotePATRICK AGYEMANG SCORES IN HIS USMNT DEBUT. Amazing moment—and amazing journey—for the former D-III college soccer player, to climb all the way from Eastern Connecticut St. University to getting a goal to go with his first cap

Agyemang scores again (a left footed blast) in the US victory over Costa Rica

QuoteFour years ago, Patrick Agyemang was playing D3 college ball.

Now he's the big winner from #USMNT January camp.

https://www.soccerjournal.com/patrick-agyemang-transfers-to-uri-from-eastern-connecticut-state/

Quote from: Kuiper on January 18, 2025, 04:12:56 PM

QuoteFour years ago, Patrick Agyemang was playing D3 college ball.

Now he's the big winner from #USMNT January camp.

https://www.soccerjournal.com/patrick-agyemang-transfers-to-uri-from-eastern-connecticut-state/

Not quite try 5 or 6 years ago. It appears that he played two years with ECU which ended in 2019. Yes, he scored 21 goals in 2019, but most of those were against not great D3 teams. COVID happened and he transferred to d1 Univ. of RI to finish his college. https://qcnerve.com/patrick-agyemang-charlotte-fc/  He did pretty well with URI where he played 2.5 season for good to mediocre D1 team. I bet he still owes some college loans.

Also it appears that he was around 5'8" as a junior in HS and finished growing to 6'4" in college. He also came from East Hartford which is a really tough part of of CT. Besides being smaller early, the other reason IMO it appears to be he was from a poor family. No big mystery, no big star in the rough. He's 24 now and has a few more years.

I know we all want some great player to emerge from D3 purgatory/obscurity, but that does not appear to be here. He plays MLS and scored a goal against Venezuela. He had a decent season last year with splitting between starting and coming off the bench (19 starts 12 sub with 10 goals). I do hope it gets even better in the future, but don't think he'll end up in the EPL.  

Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on January 23, 2025, 09:34:38 AM

Quote from: Kuiper on January 18, 2025, 04:12:56 PM

QuoteFour years ago, Patrick Agyemang was playing D3 college ball.

Now he's the big winner from #USMNT January camp.

https://www.soccerjournal.com/patrick-agyemang-transfers-to-uri-from-eastern-connecticut-state/

Not quite try 5 or 6 years ago. It appears that he played two years with ECU which ended in 2019. Yes, he scored 21 goals in 2019, but most of those were against not great D3 teams. COVID happened and he transferred to d1 Univ. of RI to finish his college. https://qcnerve.com/patrick-agyemang-charlotte-fc/  He did pretty well with URI where he played 2.5 season for good to mediocre D1 team. I bet he still owes some college loans.

Also it appears that he was around 5'8" as a junior in HS and finished growing to 6'4" in college. He also came from East Hartford which is a really tough part of of CT. Besides being smaller early, the other reason IMO it appears to be he was from a poor family. No big mystery, no big star in the rough. He's 24 now and has a few more years.

I know we all want some great player to emerge from D3 purgatory/obscurity, but that does not appear to be here. He plays MLS and scored a goal against Venezuela. He had a decent season last year with splitting between starting and coming off the bench (19 starts 12 sub with 10 goals). I do hope it gets even better in the future, but don't think he'll end up in the EPL.   

This young man had many people who doubted he would end up Pro so I am sure some believing he won't go EPL  does not affect him in the slightest.
Football does not work going from 5 8 to 6 2, this is not basketball. The kid made it through hard work skill set and dedication to improvement. What does his school loans have to do with anything? This is a great story, an inspiring story for D3 as a whole, footballers individually and just a brilliant human story, but there will always be those who try to down play someone else's achievement and accomplishment. If you are a young athlete or a parent of one, this D3 to National story should inspire.
Ian Wright and Jamie Vardy were underrated as well and made the jump. This is Football.

Quote from: Saint of Old on January 23, 2025, 09:50:36 AM

Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on January 23, 2025, 09:34:38 AM

Quote from: Kuiper on January 18, 2025, 04:12:56 PM

QuoteFour years ago, Patrick Agyemang was playing D3 college ball.

Now he's the big winner from #USMNT January camp.

https://www.soccerjournal.com/patrick-agyemang-transfers-to-uri-from-eastern-connecticut-state/

Not quite try 5 or 6 years ago. It appears that he played two years with ECU which ended in 2019. Yes, he scored 21 goals in 2019, but most of those were against not great D3 teams. COVID happened and he transferred to d1 Univ. of RI to finish his college. https://qcnerve.com/patrick-agyemang-charlotte-fc/  He did pretty well with URI where he played 2.5 season for good to mediocre D1 team. I bet he still owes some college loans.

Also it appears that he was around 5'8" as a junior in HS and finished growing to 6'4" in college. He also came from East Hartford which is a really tough part of of CT. Besides being smaller early, the other reason IMO it appears to be he was from a poor family. No big mystery, no big star in the rough. He's 24 now and has a few more years.

I know we all want some great player to emerge from D3 purgatory/obscurity, but that does not appear to be here. He plays MLS and scored a goal against Venezuela. He had a decent season last year with splitting between starting and coming off the bench (19 starts 12 sub with 10 goals). I do hope it gets even better in the future, but don't think he'll end up in the EPL. 

This young man had many people who doubted he would end up Pro so I am sure some believing he won't go EPL  does not affect him in the slightest.
Football does not work going from 5 8 to 6 2, this is not basketball. The kid made it through hard work skill set and dedication to improvement. What does his school loans have to do with anything? This is a great story, an inspiring story for D3 as a whole, footballers individually and just a brilliant human story, but there will always be those who try to down play someone else's achievement and accomplishment. If you are a young athlete or a parent of one, this D3 to National story should inspire.
Ian Wright and Jamie Vardy were underrated as well and made the jump. This is Football.

All true, but what would it have been like if he was not raised poor? If we actually had a pathway forward from an early age in soccer that was not dependent on parents' incomes. Thankfully, he had a school near him that played d3 soccer that probably was in his price range (29k for on campus in state right now), plus he probably was not on a full ride his first season at URI or even his 2nd. Then his MLS salary appears to be $71k which is the base salary. So probably still paying off his school loans.

As to height, yes, that could be, but if you watch his goals, it is about physicality matching most defenders who start at 6'2" on most clubs. IMO, he would not have been in this position, but for his height and size.

One can always dream and my son did at the D3 level, but if we did not have some resources, he might have never even had a chance. However, while the Charlotte striker started his career at ESU (IMO because he was poor) he ended up at D1 URI. Suggesting that he is not a D3 miracle, but rather a D1 player all the time who didn't have the resources to go to college ID camps. Also being smaller in HS when your playing style ends up being physicality, played a role.

All this talk seems to suggest that he jumped directly from D3 to MLS to a friendly against Ven. Sounds like a great story. Without doing a little research, you would find that that was not the case.

As to loans, we are asking kids, who are not in great fin. situations and playing HS or club, to make a jump into world of hurt just to play D3 soccer. Financially, the loans can ruin a kid's life for a long, long time just to play d3 soccer. They may graduate (ESU right now has 57% 6 year grad rate), but they will always have the loans. Debby downer here, but for almost all it is almost a crime IMO saying that somehow D3 is going to lead to a situation where a kid will play at a high level and make money.

My son could have caught on at some lower level team, and, maybe, maybe make a USL team on a way to MLS team (most likely not), but he figured after we discussed that he was sacrificing a whole lot of time/life where he could be competing in the job area so that by the time he was 30 he would be on his way to a career and way to make a living without loans. Same age as Agyemang right now and making over 80k in a long term career that will most likely lead to much more money than Agyemang may make. He also had some club teammates which chased the dream and are trying to start to compete for jobs right now with little or no idea what to do (only so many can make a living with soccer workouts on TikTok).

Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on January 23, 2025, 09:34:38 AM

Quote from: Kuiper on January 18, 2025, 04:12:56 PM

QuoteFour years ago, Patrick Agyemang was playing D3 college ball.

Now he's the big winner from #USMNT January camp.

https://www.soccerjournal.com/patrick-agyemang-transfers-to-uri-from-eastern-connecticut-state/

Not quite try 5 or 6 years ago. It appears that he played two years with ECU which ended in 2019. Yes, he scored 21 goals in 2019, but most of those were against not great D3 teams. COVID happened and he transferred to d1 Univ. of RI to finish his college. https://qcnerve.com/patrick-agyemang-charlotte-fc/  He did pretty well with URI where he played 2.5 season for good to mediocre D1 team. I bet he still owes some college loans.

Also it appears that he was around 5'8" as a junior in HS and finished growing to 6'4" in college. He also came from East Hartford which is a really tough part of of CT. Besides being smaller early, the other reason IMO it appears to be he was from a poor family. No big mystery, no big star in the rough. He's 24 now and has a few more years.

I know we all want some great player to emerge from D3 purgatory/obscurity, but that does not appear to be here. He plays MLS and scored a goal against Venezuela. He had a decent season last year with splitting between starting and coming off the bench (19 starts 12 sub with 10 goals). I do hope it gets even better in the future, but don't think he'll end up in the EPL. 

I have to admit, I think he is a great player. World Class? No. But anyone who pulls on the shirt for the U.S. at this stage is a great player. Even if it's only the January camp. You just don't get that invite if you aren't playing great at the moment.

I'm not going to hold it to great = world class. There are only a scant few Americans who have ever been even close to World Class, and usually just for a season or two. Dempsey and Howard for some seasons, Pulisic is consistently there when given a chance. Otherwise? Donovan, Friedel, Keller, Claudio Reyna? Harkes? Bahr? World class? No. 

Come on, that's not the bar for a great player. There are 2.5 million youth soccer players in the U.S. In any given year, about 50 players, counting the January camp, get a cap for the Men's U.S. National Team. You have to be pretty great to beat those odds.

Give the man his due. He may never play in a competitive National Team match. But he pulled on the Senior National Team shirt and that's a pretty great outcome for a kid who came out of an under privileged area, played D3 soccer, jumped to D1, pushed on to MLS and was called up to the National Team.

99.99999% and probably a bunch more 9s fail at one of those stops, he didn't. We see every year where outstanding D3 players transfer to D1 and struggle to make an impact. He found a way. And then found a way at the next step, and the next. That's great.

I don't care if he was a D1 caliber player who was under-recruited. He played D3 and he kept on going. It's a great story.

Maybe one last point, a coach, whose team was competing on a national level eventually getting into final 4s and who my son like a whole lot, said to me and him - this decision will affect the next 40-45 years of his life if you don't pick my school. Paraphrasing a bit, but that was the sense.  He also said that, since we did not get any fin. aid from the school, he could apply for outside scholarships and that other players' parents paid (really meant got thousands of $ in loans) for their kids to be on his team.

All that is insane!! He was asking our son and us to go into at least 150k-200k in debt so that our son can play 4 yrs of D3 soccer. We actually considered it, because our son had worked so hard. However, we also had 2 other kids to put through college and it would have wrecked us financially and our son as well for most of our lives and probably for our son's next 20-30 years. Just to play d3 soccer. Next 40-45 years - but in the direct opposite way.

Son graduated after playing d1 and after COVID d3 with about 10k or so in loans. He now has the rest of his life (as well as our daughters) to pick and choose what he wants to pursue.

One can dream and point to the D3 miracle which is awesome, but let's talk downsides.

Quote from: jknezek on January 23, 2025, 10:40:55 AM

Quote from: SierraFD3soccer on January 23, 2025, 09:34:38 AM

Quote from: Kuiper on January 18, 2025, 04:12:56 PM

QuoteFour years ago, Patrick Agyemang was playing D3 college ball.

Now he's the big winner from #USMNT January camp.

https://www.soccerjournal.com/patrick-agyemang-transfers-to-uri-from-eastern-connecticut-state/

Not quite try 5 or 6 years ago. It appears that he played two years with ECU which ended in 2019. Yes, he scored 21 goals in 2019, but most of those were against not great D3 teams. COVID happened and he transferred to d1 Univ. of RI to finish his college. https://qcnerve.com/patrick-agyemang-charlotte-fc/  He did pretty well with URI where he played 2.5 season for good to mediocre D1 team. I bet he still owes some college loans.

Also it appears that he was around 5'8" as a junior in HS and finished growing to 6'4" in college. He also came from East Hartford which is a really tough part of of CT. Besides being smaller early, the other reason IMO it appears to be he was from a poor family. No big mystery, no big star in the rough. He's 24 now and has a few more years.

I know we all want some great player to emerge from D3 purgatory/obscurity, but that does not appear to be here. He plays MLS and scored a goal against Venezuela. He had a decent season last year with splitting between starting and coming off the bench (19 starts 12 sub with 10 goals). I do hope it gets even better in the future, but don't think he'll end up in the EPL. 

I have to admit, I think he is a great player. World Class? No. But anyone who pulls on the shirt for the U.S. at this stage is a great player. Even if it's only the January camp. You just don't get that invite if you aren't playing great at the moment.

I'm not going to hold it to great = world class. There are only a scant few Americans who have ever been even close to World Class, and usually just for a season or two. Dempsey and Howard for some seasons, Pulisic is consistently there when given a chance. Otherwise? Donovan, Friedel, Keller, Claudio Reyna? Harkes? Bahr? World class? No. 

Come on, that's not the bar for a great player. There are 2.5 million youth soccer players in the U.S. In any given year, about 50 players, counting the January camp, get a cap for the Men's U.S. National Team. You have to be pretty great to beat those odds.

Give the man his due. He may never play in a competitive National Team match. But he pulled on the Senior National Team shirt and that's a pretty great outcome for a kid who came out of an under privileged area, played D3 soccer, jumped to D1, pushed on to MLS and was called up to the National Team.

99.99999% and probably a bunch more 9s fail at one of those stops, he didn't. We see every year where outstanding D3 players transfer to D1 and struggle to make an impact. He found a way. And then found a way at the next step, and the next. That's great.

I don't care if he was a D1 caliber player who was under-recruited. He played D3 and he kept on going. It's a great story.

All true and all great. Not taking anything away from him scoring in friendly late against Ven. He may go on to play in Europe?? He may get called up again to the USMNT? Hopefully so.

He obv. beat all the odds to be paid $71k a year (probably a little more) for the next two years unless Charlotte sells him (Charlotte has his option for the next two years) until he is 26/27 years old.

Some D3 coaches can now go out and say - take these loans, because you could be the next Agyemang and play for the USMNT!!

Dark maybe, extreme maybe, but we did hear that if we don't pick his school we will endanger his future over the next 40 yrs. Further, when my son asked about maybe making it to the pros from this high level d3 program, the coach did tell him that it was a possibility and pointed to player graduating who was going to play USL (he lasted a season). Fortunately, my son came from a club that could probably beat 90% of the d3 teams and had a head coach who was the assoc head coach at the Univ. of Maryland (son had several teammates who went to play for MD and won a nat'l champ in 2018 nearly the last hurrah for American d1 players). In other words, took as a grain of salt coming from this D3 coach.

Interjecting to say that a great, but poor, player would get 100% financial aid at a "meets need" school they are recruited to. And some of these schools meet need with zero loans in their aid package. So they graduate debt free.

What you are talking about is a middle class family -- not poor -- who makes too much for financial aid, but not enough to pay now going on $400,000. And that is definitely an issue.

Quote from: Another Mom on January 23, 2025, 03:40:34 PMInterjecting to say that a great, but poor, player would get 100% financial aid at a "meets need" school they are recruited to. And some of these schools meet need with zero loans in their aid package. So they graduate debt free.

What you are talking about is a middle class family -- not poor -- who makes too much for financial aid, but not enough to pay now going on $400,000. And that is definitely an issue.

True - not sure where academically Agyemang fell. Immigrant family growing up in tough situation where they could not afford to get the exposure from things like college ID camps. Many top, top D3 schools do have zero loans for kids, but they also have to meet academic requirements which are much higher than ESU and similar schools. He may have not the academic opportunities which means his only chance was a D3 lower level schools like ESU. So while there are PELL grants and similar opp, he would have had to come up with 10-15k a year most likely. So back to loans. Take the loan, play soccer. He goes to college incurs 25-40k in loans possibly graduates (remember only 57% do in 6 years at ESU) with what sort of degree (remember he may have had a tough academic background)?

As to URI, he was out of state, and, if they were fully funded which some D1 programs are not, the team had to share 9.9 scholarships for 28 plus players. Probably had to some other resources to help pay, but still had to come up with 15k a year and he went an extra semester at least.

Instead, if he was in Europe growing up and showed promise, he could actually work through a youth system where many rise to the top while working and/or an apprentice. Generally, and not always so, if a player who showed promise does not work out or gets injured, he has something he can do post soccer. No debt or very little incurred. That kid can go on to a long productive life. Also just think where he could have been at 20 or 21 with the some of the best coaches/training opportunities.

FYI, my German uncle had some skills, but had a gruesome injury as a 19-20 year old. He was projected to go far, maybe not make the Bundesliga level but a possibility. As a teen, he went the apprentice route (still nobody goes to college in Europe to play soccer) where he learned a trade, went to school part time and trained. Kind of like a VoTech for soccer. Once healed, he did his mandatory 2 yr service with the German Army, but had a trade. While in, he applied for a customs position (he was a border guard on the West German side which is a great story) and eventually rose to high level as a customs official (he was responsible for Mercedes Benz plant at one point) all without a college degree. None of my German uncles went to college and all had incredibly good paying jobs - city planner and a great sales job.

 

Well, this was an interesting catch-up.

One item that really jumps out is how much this kid grew from high school through college. That is a remarkable growth spurt, and kind of makes me think that even if he had luck-boxed into some club giving him a tryout when he was younger, he likely wouldn't have stood out all that much. As has been mentioned, he's sort of in the Dike mold of using his considerable size, power and speed to beat his opponents. Maybe he was super fast as a youth?

Quote from: Hopkins92 on January 24, 2025, 01:01:40 PMWell, this was an interesting catch-up.

One item that really jumps out is how much this kid grew from high school through college. That is a remarkable growth spurt, and kind of makes me think that even if he had luck-boxed into some club giving him a tryout when he was younger, he likely wouldn't have stood out all that much. As has been mentioned, he's sort of in the Dike mold of using his considerable size, power and speed to beat his opponents. Maybe he was super fast as a youth?

Was definitely going to make the comparison. Dike has been a down hill striker. Not much subtly to his game. Pure physicality. Son played against during Daryl Dike's freshman year at UVA (he left after his soph year in 2019) He gave up a tough goal which he could not have done much more unfortunately in the 2nd half. They lost to UVA 2-1. Tough game.

Now that Dike is almost fit (ruptured achilles), he might crack the lineup for EFL Championship West Brom soon. He has had a lot of injuries unfortunately and has stalled his rise.

From his UVA roster bio where it appears that he had notoriety at least in OK and grades for UVA. He also appears to be Nigerian

PREP
• Served as the Edmond North team captain since his sophomore season
• Named the Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year in 2018
• A three-time Oklahoma Offensive Player of the Year
• Four-time All-City, All-District and team MVP
• Scored 70 career goals in high school, the Oklahoma 6A state record
• Helped his team win a state championship during his sophomore campaign
• Graduated in the top 5% of his high school class of 650 students

PERSONAL
• Son of Vincent and Jacinta Dike
• Youngest of five siblings
• His brother Bright played at Notre Dame from 2005-09. He totaled 66 career points (27g, 12a) and was named the 2009 Big East Player of the Year. He was later selected in the 1st round of 2010 MLS SuperDraft by the Columbus Crew, played for Portland Timbers and also earned two caps on the Nigerian National Team.