New England Soccer Discussion

[Mr.Right]

Yes I would agree with you I just wanted to see what some would say. The bigger upset would be Mitchell over St.Joe's..Mitchell has not lost since a 2-0 loss to Babson where they got outshot 21-4. Babson only generated 9 SOG though. Conn College beat them 8-1 in the 1st game of the season but only outshot them 11-3 SOG with 8 goals?  The poor GK let in 8 of 11 SOG and was left in net for dead as he played 90 in that game. Montclair St beat them 2-0 and outshot them 40-5 but it was 0-0 at the Half. IDK....You never what you get from some of these teams from these conferences..They did beat Dean 2-0 which is not bad.

[NEFutbol90]

Im interested to see you agree as I think most would say St.Joes over tufts... That being said would either endicott or springfield have a better chance getting past Amherst than St.Joes does tufts?

[OldNed]

OldNed well done..+k and thanks that helps...Sounds like a solid outfit especially with a 6'7 GK which again is impressive and can be intimidating to opponents as the goal looks that much smaller. If they are really in a 4-1-3-2 than I am wondering if they play in a diamond. I am not questioning you just a different formation. Possibly a 4-1-4-1 especially defensively. Well you just got me feeling a little nervy for Tufts so I wonder what Tufts will feel when they see them on Saturday. An interesting situation you have with a team that gets a BYE or plays 1st on Saturday. As a coach do u want your players watching the team that you will play the next day? Some coaches do not care because usually players are half watching and talking anyway BUT some coaches do not like it and will not have their players watch as it can lead to over confidence and a bit of letting down your guard if you see a sloppy game.

After that scouting report what would be the bigger upset...St.Joe's over Tufts     or      Mitchell over St.Joe's?

In my experience, it's a mixed blessing to come into a national tournament riding a streak...in this case St. Joe's not having lost a game nor having given up a goal all season.  IF they give up a goal, particularly against Tufts, I think it will be an incredibly hard adjustment for them in the middle of a game under the highest pressure they will have seen all season.  If they get by Mitchell (very likely) and then Tufts (very unlikely), then more power to them.

Truenorth,
I think you're right - there is pressure with any kind of streak like that.  The other teams know about it too, and I think that gets them amped up a little bit more.  Maybe it's best for St. Joe's to give up a goal against Mitchell, perhaps if they're comfortably ahead?  Either way, beating Tufts is going to take a huge effort. I'm pretty sure Coach Dubois is going to have the team focus on Mitchell first and then if they win they can turn their attention to Tufts.

[OldNed]

Yes I would agree with you I just wanted to see what some would say. The bigger upset would be Mitchell over St.Joe's..Mitchell has not lost since a 2-0 loss to Babson where they got outshot 21-4. Babson only generated 9 SOG though. Conn College beat them 8-1 in the 1st game of the season but only outshot them 11-3 SOG with 8 goals?  The poor GK let in 8 of 11 SOG and was left in net for dead as he played 90 in that game. Montclair St beat them 2-0 and outshot them 40-5 but it was 0-0 at the Half. IDK....You never what you get from some of these teams from these conferences..They did beat Dean 2-0 which is not bad.

I know I'm biased, but I also think Mitchell over St. Joe's would be a bigger upset than St. Joe's over Tufts.  This St. Joe's team has been to the tournament last year and produced a PK win at Babson against Babson's home crowd, while this is the first time Mitchell has ever made the NCAAs.  St. Joe's also was able to beat Bowdoin at home in September, something that Tufts was unable to do this year.

Of course, anything can happen on game day so it's going to be up to St. Joe's to prove they can beat Mitchell so they do get a shot at Tufts.  I'm thinking 3-0, St. Joe's over Mitchell.

[Mr.Right]

Yea I do not know what the score will be but I think St.Joe's will beat Mitchell. Now looking at everything the committee did Tufts no favors with this type of matchup against a St.Joe's. Last year, Amherst got a 1st Round Bye and got the winner of Daniel Webster / Worcester St in the 2nd Round. Basically, a free pass to the Sweet 16. This looks to be more tenuous situation for Tufts with this match up looming.

1. The pressure is all on Tufts----Sure St.Joe's got a taste last year of the NCAA's and defeated Babson in PK'S and lost to a more seasoned Brandeis squad in the 2nd Round even though the stats suggest a more even game than the 3-0 scoreline. Surely no one expects St.Joe's to win this match on Tufts field. So St.Joe's should be able to play loose without any pressure.  They might be a bit nervous to start the game but they will grow into the game and the longer the game is still tied the more Tufts will feel the pressure.

2. Watching some of the interviews and highlights of this team from this year and last year St,Joe's looks to have a MASSIVE chip on their shoulder. They talk about being disrespected a ton. No matter if there is a massive talent difference between these 2 teams that CHIP can be a real factor. Beating Colby last year and Bowdoin this year while limiting Bowdoin to 3 SOG(to no one's surprise--honestly how many games has Bowdoin gotten more than 7 SOG this year) show that they get pumped and ready to go against the elite Maine Nescac's. This reminds me of the days when D3 schools would play D1's in the 80's and 90's when D3 schools would bring everything they had and sometimes they fell short but other times they beat D1's out of pure WILL. D1's kinda looked at it as just another game and kind of just showed up. I am not saying Tufts will do that BUT no matter how much Shapiro preaches about not taking anyone lightly and being ready to go and all that it still does not stick with some players.

3. Just like Tufts this St.joe's side seems to pride itself on all 11 on the field busting their butt all game. The results this year show that. They are not just winning but they are blowing teams out while keeping decent teams in check. So you have a Tufts side facing a team that will match their work rate and that just might be enough to frustrate Tufts.

4. Again for a team that sometimes has trouble scoring goals looking at a goal with a 6'7 GK in it makes your job seem even harder before the game even starts. That goal looks mighty small.

5. I cannot imagine Shapiro can get a great scout on either of these teams until he sees them in person on Saturday. I know both he and Wiercinski went to Midd but I have no idea how much Bowdoin will want to help out. Since you usually cannot ask anyone in the teams league for a scout you have to rely on out of conference coaches to give you something. Usually that something is not great with some of these part time coaches especially for the detail that Shapiro seems to thrive on. So OldNed a quick victory over Mitchell would be beneficial for resting guys and giving Shapiro nothin much to chew on.


OldNed am I onto something here or am I way off?

[PaulNewman]

Mr.Right, just to meet you halfway here, you've been saying all year that Tufts could or would lose in the 2nd round.  You were thinking Springfield but your research suggests St Joe's might be even trickier than Springfield.  St Joe's might be better off 0-0 at the half than ahead 1-0 as I don't think Tufts will panic if they go down a goal and may even respond better to that than staying in a tense scoreless game into the 2nd half.  St Joe's might be best served by 0-0 and then a late goal beyond the 80th minute or in OT.  The X factor is what happens if Tufts scores first.  How will St Joe's react to that?  Certainly interesting psychological set-up in this game, and very different than Tufts going on the road to prove itself against Montclair or Rowan.  This is a little more similar to what might have happened if Tufts had gotten UMass-Boston at full strength, although I imagine last year's UMass-Boston had a talent advantage over this St Joe's group.

On the other hand, looks like St. Joe's might be more composed than UMass and with a more poised, disciplined coach.

[Mr.Right]

I know I know...Like most people I can contradict myself sometimes. I was much more impressed with Tufts in person on Sunday than on the stream. That being said if you have some time go watch and read some of these Monk interviews and video and all that from this year and last year. Granted I have not seen them play BUT if they have the workrate of a Conn College surely they can do what Conn did to Tufts. 0-0 and Conn maybe had 2 SOG..Into Pk's and than flip a coin. This St.Joe's team seems to know who they are, what they are not and are willing to put any amount of work in to prove people wrong. Not every team has this. I am impressed with this CHIP they seem to have also.

[PaulNewman]

Actually I was agreeing with you.  St Joe's has a shot.  I read about the coach, and the players are determined.  I saw they outshot Bowdoin (not a big deal as you've said) but had a lot of 34 to 1 shot games against a lot of teams.  And I think Tufts would have been less in the dark and more prepared for Springfield or WPI than this St Joe's team so I think you are on to something.

[truenorth]

Yea I do not know what the score will be but I think St.Joe's will beat Mitchell. Now looking at everything the committee did Tufts no favors with this type of matchup against a St.Joe's. Last year, Amherst got a 1st Round Bye and got the winner of Daniel Webster / Worcester St in the 2nd Round. Basically, a free pass to the Sweet 16. This looks to be more tenuous situation for Tufts with this match up looming.

1. The pressure is all on Tufts----Sure St.Joe's got a taste last year of the NCAA's and defeated Babson in PK'S and lost to a more seasoned Brandeis squad in the 2nd Round even though the stats suggest a more even game than the 3-0 scoreline. Surely no one expects St.Joe's to win this match on Tufts field. So St.Joe's should be able to play loose without any pressure.  They might be a bit nervous to start the game but they will grow into the game and the longer the game is still tied the more Tufts will feel the pressure.

2. Watching some of the interviews and highlights of this team from this year and last year St,Joe's looks to have a MASSIVE chip on their shoulder. They talk about being disrespected a ton. No matter if there is a massive talent difference between these 2 teams that CHIP can be a real factor. Beating Colby last year and Bowdoin this year while limiting Bowdoin to 3 SOG(to no one's surprise--honestly how many games has Bowdoin gotten more than 7 SOG this year) show that they get pumped and ready to go against the elite Maine Nescac's. This reminds me of the days when D3 schools would play D1's in the 80's and 90's when D3 schools would bring everything they had and sometimes they fell short but other times they beat D1's out of pure WILL. D1's kinda looked at it as just another game and kind of just showed up. I am not saying Tufts will do that BUT no matter how much Shapiro preaches about not taking anyone lightly and being ready to go and all that it still does not stick with some players.

3. Just like Tufts this St.joe's side seems to pride itself on all 11 on the field busting their butt all game. The results this year show that. They are not just winning but they are blowing teams out while keeping decent teams in check. So you have a Tufts side facing a team that will match their work rate and that just might be enough to frustrate Tufts.

4. Again for a team that sometimes has trouble scoring goals looking at a goal with a 6'7 GK in it makes your job seem even harder before the game even starts. That goal looks mighty small.

5. I cannot imagine Shapiro can get a great scout on either of these teams until he sees them in person on Saturday. I know both he and Wiercinski went to Midd but I have no idea how much Bowdoin will want to help out. Since you usually cannot ask anyone in the teams league for a scout you have to rely on out of conference coaches to give you something. Usually that something is not great with some of these part time coaches especially for the detail that Shapiro seems to thrive on. So OldNed a quick victory over Mitchell would be beneficial for resting guys and giving Shapiro nothin much to chew on.


OldNed am I onto something here or am I way off?

St. Joe's absolutely deserves the NCAA tournament bid they received, and they would have deserved a bid in my view even if they hadn't been the AQ from their league.  That said, they played a weak schedule and their highest quality win was at home vs. Bowdoin.  I watched the second half of that game online and I thought St. Joe's was a solid team, but I also didn't think Bowdoin played particularly well that night on St. Joe's turf field.  St. Joe's lone goal was a little fluky as it came off an outside foot from an acute angle.

Now they have to travel to Medford and start playing in a real tournament.  They should dispatch Mitchell with little trouble for all the reasons cited.  If they face Tufts in the second round, in my mind it doesn't matter how heroic they have been this season, they will be up against their first serious challenge of the entire season facing a battle tested Tufts on their home field.  Tufts will not take St. Joe's or anyone else for granted and would be highly likely to beat St. Joe's straight up.

[Mr.Right]

Actually I was agreeing with you.  St Joe's has a shot.  I read about the coach, and the players are determined.  I saw they outshot Bowdoin (not a big deal as you've said) but had a lot of 34 to 1 shot games against a lot of teams.  And I think Tufts would have been less in the dark and more prepared for Springfield or WPI than this St Joe's team so I think you are on to something.

I am guessing the St.Joe's supporters want us to stop talking about them now as we just might wake up a sleeping bear BUT I am looking forward to watching the match.+k

[Mr.Right]

Yea I do not know what the score will be but I think St.Joe's will beat Mitchell. Now looking at everything the committee did Tufts no favors with this type of matchup against a St.Joe's. Last year, Amherst got a 1st Round Bye and got the winner of Daniel Webster / Worcester St in the 2nd Round. Basically, a free pass to the Sweet 16. This looks to be more tenuous situation for Tufts with this match up looming.

1. The pressure is all on Tufts----Sure St.Joe's got a taste last year of the NCAA's and defeated Babson in PK'S and lost to a more seasoned Brandeis squad in the 2nd Round even though the stats suggest a more even game than the 3-0 scoreline. Surely no one expects St.Joe's to win this match on Tufts field. So St.Joe's should be able to play loose without any pressure.  They might be a bit nervous to start the game but they will grow into the game and the longer the game is still tied the more Tufts will feel the pressure.

2. Watching some of the interviews and highlights of this team from this year and last year St,Joe's looks to have a MASSIVE chip on their shoulder. They talk about being disrespected a ton. No matter if there is a massive talent difference between these 2 teams that CHIP can be a real factor. Beating Colby last year and Bowdoin this year while limiting Bowdoin to 3 SOG(to no one's surprise--honestly how many games has Bowdoin gotten more than 7 SOG this year) show that they get pumped and ready to go against the elite Maine Nescac's. This reminds me of the days when D3 schools would play D1's in the 80's and 90's when D3 schools would bring everything they had and sometimes they fell short but other times they beat D1's out of pure WILL. D1's kinda looked at it as just another game and kind of just showed up. I am not saying Tufts will do that BUT no matter how much Shapiro preaches about not taking anyone lightly and being ready to go and all that it still does not stick with some players.

3. Just like Tufts this St.joe's side seems to pride itself on all 11 on the field busting their butt all game. The results this year show that. They are not just winning but they are blowing teams out while keeping decent teams in check. So you have a Tufts side facing a team that will match their work rate and that just might be enough to frustrate Tufts.

4. Again for a team that sometimes has trouble scoring goals looking at a goal with a 6'7 GK in it makes your job seem even harder before the game even starts. That goal looks mighty small.

5. I cannot imagine Shapiro can get a great scout on either of these teams until he sees them in person on Saturday. I know both he and Wiercinski went to Midd but I have no idea how much Bowdoin will want to help out. Since you usually cannot ask anyone in the teams league for a scout you have to rely on out of conference coaches to give you something. Usually that something is not great with some of these part time coaches especially for the detail that Shapiro seems to thrive on. So OldNed a quick victory over Mitchell would be beneficial for resting guys and giving Shapiro nothin much to chew on.


OldNed am I onto something here or am I way off?

St. Joe's absolutely deserves the NCAA tournament bid they received, and they would have deserved a bid in my view even if they hadn't been the AQ from their league.  That said, they played a weak schedule and their highest quality win was at home vs. Bowdoin.  I watched the second half of that game online and I thought St. Joe's was a solid team, but I also didn't think Bowdoin played particularly well that night on St. Joe's turf field.  St. Joe's lone goal was a little fluky as it came off an outside foot from an acute angle.

Now they have to travel to Medford and start playing in a real tournament.  They should dispatch Mitchell with little trouble for all the reasons cited.  If they face Tufts in the second round, in my mind it doesn't matter how heroic they have been this season, they will be up against their first serious challenge of the entire season facing a battle tested Tufts on their home field.  Tufts will not take St. Joe's or anyone else for granted and would be highly likely to beat St. Joe's straight up.

This is the tyoe of fluff that should get the Monks going. So are you admitting that Bowdoin was not a serious challenge? Having watched Bowdoin at Thomas they were lucky to escape that game with a Win.

[truenorth]

Actually I was agreeing with you.  St Joe's has a shot.  I read about the coach, and the players are determined.  I saw they outshot Bowdoin (not a big deal as you've said) but had a lot of 34 to 1 shot games against a lot of teams.  And I think Tufts would have been less in the dark and more prepared for Springfield or WPI than this St Joe's team so I think you are on to something.

I am guessing the St.Joe's supporters want us to stop talking about them now as we just might wake up a sleeping bear BUT I am looking forward to watching the match.+k

St. Joe's is not a sleeping bear.  They are a solid team heading back to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.  They know what they're doing, and none of their higher quality opponents will take them for granted.  They're going to have to sink or swim on their own merits, no matter how much our online chatter might agitate their fanbase.

[truenorth]

This is the tyoe of fluff that should get the Monks going. So are you admitting that Bowdoin was not a serious challenge? Having watched Bowdoin at Thomas they were lucky to escape that game with a Win.

I reckon you can call it "fluff" and I reckon you're just trying to be provocative.  I hope my comments have been so influential as to inflame the St. Joe's players and fans to the point that they'll be inspired to ever greater heights...Tufts, the Final Four and beyond! 

[PaulNewman]

LOL.  Let's talk some more about the intricacies of the Bowdoin attack from defensive positions laced with references to Ivy League schools.

[OldNed]

Actually I was agreeing with you.  St Joe's has a shot.  I read about the coach, and the players are determined.  I saw they outshot Bowdoin (not a big deal as you've said) but had a lot of 34 to 1 shot games against a lot of teams.  And I think Tufts would have been less in the dark and more prepared for Springfield or WPI than this St Joe's team so I think you are on to something.

I am guessing the St.Joe's supporters want us to stop talking about them now as we just might wake up a sleeping bear BUT I am looking forward to watching the match.+k

St. Joe's is not a sleeping bear.  They are a solid team heading back to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.  They know what they're doing, and none of their higher quality opponents will take them for granted.  They're going to have to sink or swim on their own merits, no matter how much our online chatter might agitate their fanbase.

This is pretty much how I see it, too.  St. Joe's is capable of beating Tufts, but they need to be on the top of their game to pull it off.  I do think they have a little bit of a chip on their shoulders and they're looking forward to the opportunity to show the rest of the field what they can do. Can't wait for game time on Saturday and hopefully on Sunday.