NEWMAC 2019

[Off Pitch]

week 3 predictions

With the exception of Emerson, all teams still remain in serious contention for the conference title.  This is great for parity and competitive games, but it also means that none of the teams currently deserve a New England ranking.

Emerson @ WPI:  The Engineers (5-2-3, 0-0-2) will take out some frustration on Emerson (2-7-1, 0-2) and notch their first conference win.  WPI 4 - Emerson 0

Wheaton @ Coast Guard:  Wheaton (5-5-1, 1-1) is playing better in their last three games with victories over Clark and Gordon and a tie with Brandeis.  Coast Guard (6-4, 1-1) has won three straight against decidedly weaker competition (combined record 5-20-2).  Wheaton 1 - Coast Guard 1

Springfield @ Clark:  Springfield (3-7-1, 1-1) has won only once in eight road games.  Clark (7-4, 1-1) had dropped three games in a row, reminiscent of last year's second half collapse, before rebounding with a solid 4-2 win over a decent Western New England side.  Clark 2 - Springfield 1

MIT @ Babson:  The winner of this contest would emerge with sole possession of first place.  Surprising MIT (4-1-4, 1-0-1) suffered their first loss of the season Tuesday at Brandeis, but they are likely to have a SOS issues for a potential regional ranking.  Babson (5-4-1, 1-0-1) also lost Tuesday in OT vs Endicott.  The Beavers will not have any problem with SOS (and still have Tufts, Conn College and EConn St to play) and enter better prepared for this matchup.   Babson 2 - MIT 1

[Off Pitch]

NEWMAC update:

1.  Clark 4-1-0  (11-4-0):  The Cougars current hold on the top spot in the conference standings is tenuous as they have not yet played the two teams tied for second - at Babson and WPI.  Also, they do not appear in the 10/23 Regional Rankings - presumably due to their .509 SOS.  It is very likely that Clark finishes 0-2 or 0-1-1 and falls to 3rd in the final standings.

2.  Babson 3-0-2  (9-5-2):  Babson's SOS of .553 in the Regional Rankings is baffling.  The Beavers have played the teams ranked 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 12, yet they only have the 13th toughest schedule in New England.  They close conference play with Clark and at Coast Guard and have a good chance of securing at least a tie for the regular season championship.  And the future is bright as 8 of Babson's normal starters are Freshmen or Sophomores.

3.  WPI  3-0-2  (9-2-4):  The Engineers were ranked #6 in New England in the 10/23 Regional Rankings - the highest ranked team in the NEWMAC.  Since then, they traveled to St. Josephs (Maine) and handed St Joes their first regular season loss in 3 years ending their 65 game unbeaten streak.  WPI has surrendered only 4 goals on the season, and their defensive strength makes every game competitive.  Interestingly, they have played only 4 ranked teams (RvsR  0-0-4) with #3 Middlebury the highest ranked, but WPI's SOS of .576 is significantly higher than Babson's.

4.  MIT  2-1-2  (7-2-6):  MIT finishes conference play with Emerson and Coast Guard and could realistically end up in 2nd place.  They have only been shut out once all season but are 0-2-1 against ranked teams.
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Wheaton  2-3-0  (7-7-1) and Springfield 2-3-0 (4-10-1) will be battling for the 5th and final conference tournament slot.  They play each other in the final game of the season, but Wheaton has a leg up as they get Emerson this weekend while Springfield visits WPI.

[Christan Shirk]

NEW ENGLAND REGION - NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS - October 30, 2019

Rank	School	. Div. III . Record	. Div. III . SOS	. R-v-R .	. Overall . Record	. Prev. . Rank
1.	Amherst	12-0-2	0.608	5-0-2	12-0-2	1
2.	Tufts	10-2-2	0.611	6-2-1	10-2-2	2
3.	Connecticut College	9-3-2	0.606	2-3-2	9-3-2	4
4.	Middlebury	7-2-5	0.609	2-2-2	7-2-5	3
5.	Brandeis	9-3-4	0.585	2-3-1	9-3-4	5
6.	Williams	7-3-4	0.577	4-3-1	7-3-4	9
7.	Babson	10-5-2	0.570	2-3-2	10-5-2	7
8.	WPI	10-2-4	0.577	0-0-4	10-2-4	6
9.	Bates	8-5-1	0.567	2-4-0	8-5-1	10
10.	Keene State	12-5-0	0.564	0-2-0	12-5-0	8
11.	Endicott	9-5-2	0.553	1-2-0	9-5-2	--
12.	Eastern Connecticut	14-2-0	0.494	3-1-0	14-2-0	--

[TyWebb]

What a finish for Babson last night at WPI! With roughly 4 seconds left in the 2nd OT, senior Alex Crompton strikes a perfect
bicycle kick from a cross by senior Youcef Ziad to give the Beavers the NEWMAC Championship 1-0. Beavers head into the NCAA tournament winners of 9 out of their last 10.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1193329934237913099

[PaulNewman]

What a finish for Babson last night at WPI! With roughly 4 seconds left in the 2nd OT, senior Alex Crompton strikes a perfect
bicycle kick from a cross by senior Youcef Ziad to give the Beavers the NEWMAC Championship 1-0. Beavers head into the NCAA tournament winners of 9 out of their last 10.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1193329934237913099

Wow.  Thanks.  Doesn't get any better than that.  Surprised no one said anything about this game before now.  Imagine if WPI doesn't get a bid because of that goal.  Blooter must be off the grid because he would have been all over this one.

[blooter442]

Blooter must be off the grid because he would have been all over this one.

Aye, busy weekend. Only game I saw in real-time this weekend was LFC-MCFC. Heard about this goal but did not see it. I know people use the term "bicycle" liberally but this lived up to it. Great finish.

[TyWebb]

Oh, what a difference a year makes! Babson, which won the NEWMAC regular season last year then lost to Springfield in the championship game on a last-minute goal in regulation came up short on a Pool C bid after the loss. 
WPI the NEWMAC regular season co-champion this year loses to Babson in the last minute of the 2nd OT but gets a Pool C selection (which I feel they deserve).

(2018) Babson   12-3-4     0.583      1-3-3    12-3-4   
(2019) WPI        12-3-4     0.584      2-2-3    12-3-4

Obviously, every year is a different set of circumstances but I still found it interesting how close these two squads looked on paper (albeit WPI with the slightest edge).

[blooter442]

Obviously, every year is a different set of circumstances but I still found it interesting how close these two squads looked on paper (albeit WPI with the slightest edge).

Maybe that second ranked win did it? A lot of that has to do with the relative positions of fellow Pool C candidates in that year, as you pointed out. Interestingly, I think the consensus this year was that WPI was "solidly" in (not a lock in the form of Tufts, but not on the bubble, either) whereas Babson last year was "in trouble" (wrong side of the bubble). Personally, I felt their schedule was a bit soft last year, but I guess they learned their lesson — they beefed it up this year in adding Amherst, Conn., and Endicott. I think they would have made it in via Pool C this year, but they probably would have been the last one in from New England. Either way, moot point.