NESCAC 2011

[2xfaux]

Interesting game Sunday. Obviously it was closer than the 3-1 final would suggest.  Two very solid teams with very different styles of play.  I am anxious to hear the NESCAC folks thoughts on the game.

[Jump4Joy]

Messiah's victory was not a surprise, but Amherst had a shot at it throughout the game. Having watched Messiah play an outclassed New Paltz the day before, I was not surprised to see them have so much energy left over when they really needed it. The 1-0 New Paltz score belies the dominance of Messiah in that match, especially in the first half when the ball rarely crossed into Messiah territory. Messiah was probably surprised to find themselves at a 0-0 deadlock almost halfway through the second half. New Paltz was better in the second half, but Messiah was not really tested except on one corner in the closing moments of the match.

Against Amherst, they exerted themselves early and often, winning numerous corners in the opening minutes. After scoring about 15 mins in, they lost their edge somewhat, and it looked like Amherst started to surge forward more and more often. It felt like the Jeffs would tie it up before the half, but they came close without scoring. The second half was more even, with Amherst winning contests in the middle and launching attacks. Pressing for an equalizer late in the game, Amherst left themselves vulnerable in the back and a long service to the star striker (they resorted to that tactic a lot against Amherst although not against NP) on a counterattack put Messiah up by 2. Undaunted, Amherst brought themselves within one again with about 8 mins to go (I think) and threatened again, but Messiah drove the dagger in with a quality finish off the inside of the far post just minutes later to regain the cushion. #12 is a quality striker and bagged the trick with three good ones.

IMO, Messiah has a few more quality players than Amherst and tries to play a disciplined game, but they weren't as good at possession against Amherst as they were against NP. Amherst played with more personality and heart than the other three teams at the venue (could be a biased observation, but I believe it anyway).

Congrats to Amherst for its successful season and a strong run in the post-season. Congrats to Messiah on the victory

[amh63]

Jump4Joy.....Well said!   I was at the match on Sat. but watched it on-line on Sunday and may have missed some things.  It is interesting in the Sunday match that Amherst's player rotation was different.  Chloe, the player that scored the goal for Amherst, did not seem to be in the game in the first half.  Also, after the injury to Amherst defensive star....Jill Kochanek...in the second half?, the Messiah players seemed to be more effective in their attack.  In short, Messiah had more depth and quality scorers.  You stop Messiah's top scorer and the  next scorer has a hat trick game.  It is possible that the game against JHU took a lot of energy out of the players. Playing two undefeated teams back to back will do that.  Hope Messiah goes all the way.

[amh63]

As a follow-up to my last post......Messiah won the national championship.  Congrats to them!
Also my belated congrats to the Amherst soccer team on their fine season.  There is some positive thoughts to know the undefeated team that prevented your march went on to win it all.  Maybe next year it will be your time.

[Ocean 1]

A quick shout out and congratulations to the Williams Women's Soccer Team. Was there a more determined and grittier team that faced incredible adveristy yet advanced so far this season? I think not.

And of course, congratulations to the senior class that posted a 66-11-6 mark in 4 seasons wearing the Purple & Gold...4 NESCAC Championship Final appearances, 3 consecutive NESCAC Championships, 4 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, 1 Final 4 appearance, 2 Elite 8 appearances and 1 Sweet 16 appearance.

Terrific job ladies!

[Becks]

Who's recruiting recruiting in Florida this winter and who's not.

D3 recruiting has historically been severely limited by budgetary constraints, but some NESCAC coaches have figured out how to get to Florida to do some recruiting. Perhaps as coaches for some of the participating teams?

NESCAC coaches registered for ECNL event in Sanford, FL:
Bowdoin - Maren Rojas
Conn - Norm Riker
Middlebury - Peter Kim
Williams - Michelyne Pinard

NESCAC coaches registered for Disney showcase:
Amherst - Jen Hughes
Bowdoin - Maren Rojas
Colby - Jennifer Holsten
Conn - Norm Riker
Middlebury - Peter Kim

No surprise to see Amherst, Williams and Middlebury attending one or both. Perhaps a bigger recruiting budget than others. Also perhaps their perennial success is at least partly due to more consistently active recruiting than some of the other schools.

Hats off to Bowdoin's coach for doing the leg work necessary to help rebuild the team. And to Conn's new coach -- I look for them to improve in future years - I guess there is only one direction for them to go, in any event. Or maybe they just have relatives down there . . .

Bates, Hamilton, Trinity, Tufts and Wesleyan had no coaches registered at either event. Perhaps a sign that those schools are not putting in the money and/or effort necessary to make a push for the top of the league.

[Ocean 1]

I would think some coaches travel and some don't depending on respective strategy and budget. Having said that, the coaches that do travel probably do so with a very specific group of target kid(s) in mind that have already been identified and will be playing at certain showcases in different parts of the country.

I'd say in most all cases, the kids have communicated their interest in the school to the coach in advance (via camps or mail) and are already pre-qualified with regard to soccer resume, academics and maybe a video that gains a coach's interest.

In NESCAC, clearly we see a difference in talent level and results on the field with the historically more successful teams consistently fielding a deeper player talent pool. It would seem that success breeds success and effective recruiting is all part of that game.

[2xfaux]

My New England relatives say you folks haven't seceded from the Union, so what's it look like for NESCAC teams for this year?