NESCAC

[Mr.Right]

Did we do predictions? Predictions anyone? Don't tell me I missed them!


Group 1: The Favourite - Not much needs to be said here. This team should finish no lower than 2nd in the league and will feel disappointed without either a NESCAC title or a run to at least NCAA quarters. Expectations could not be higher for...
Tufts: The Jumbos have cemented themselves as perennial NESCAC, and to some extent national, powerhouses. Shapiro is an excellent coach, playing a well-defined style that makes it easy for players to step up year after year. He's obviously a great recruiter as well, and has brought in a lot of talent. Along with Kevin Halliday, look out for sophomore Gavin Tasker, who looked dangerous for most of last year but didn't put up that many points. There's concern over the loss of celebrated goalkeeper Greenwood who yours truly believes was good but overrated. That said, I didn't have the chance to watch many of their NCAA games where he apparently was at his best. But Tufts fans shouldn't be too worried - they add Freshman GK Will Harned out of a successful Beachside academy program. A quick glance at his old highlight tape shows a keeper with good size, positioning, and confidence, and solid technique for his age. I would be unsurprised to see him win the starting job at some point. Biggest question for me is cb pairing - the rest should figure itself out. A quick shoutout to junior Sterling Weatherbie for being my favorite D3 soccer name.

Group 2: The Contenders - I wouldn't be surprised to see either of these teams host the NESCAC regular season crown. But they couldn't care less about that - they've got just as good as a chance as Tufts at the real silverware, the NESCAC championship. Both these teams will look to pick up their 3rd conference championship in 5 years, but there are some questions about both.
Amherst: The big bad wolves of the NESCAC lose cb Bean, cm/tree Orozco, speed threat Martin, quality from Sood+ Aoyama+ Lenhard, and goalscoring midfielder Ciambella. That's a lot of talent gone from the returning NESCAC champions. There is absolutely no way they fall out the top 4 - Serpone is too good at running his system, and I'd expect at least 2 freshman to step up into main roles along with 2-3 more returners. I'd say they could fall out of top 3, but it seems highly unlikely unless one of Williams/Midd/Hamilton massively outperforms my expectation. The key players going forward will be returners Hlinomaz, Nyugen, and likely a freshman. I don't see the first two carrying the weight of the players they've lost. But I wouldn't worry too much about that - they'll bring in some trees maybe 6'5 fitzgerald and get the goals they need on set pieces. The big worry for me at Amherst is losing key defenders and Orozco in the midfield. I would expect Serpone to have a plan to replace them, but it's a big ask. Compounded with the fact that the goalie situation looked not-too-solid at times last year, and it's a real worry. Can they win NESCAC - yes. Are they the second-most likely to? - almost certainly. Will they dominate most of the league like they have in previous years - no.

Bowdoin: Popular pick to have a good year. Return all-around cm star and leading goalscorer Niang, who was the league's best offensive header of the ball last year. Van Siclen's return gives them the best keeper in the league, and Ward has been class throughout his career. The team loses 4-year starter and workhorse Dias Costa in the midfield, big body Charlier up top, and utility player Downing. Look for senior Ellsworth, tricky and creative on the ball, to step into a bigger attacking role. Junior Morant has quality and size, and should see an increased attacking role as well. The Bubb-Ward cb pairing was solid last year, but will need to be a bit better for the Polar Bears to become a top 4 team. But this team was a rather unfortunate OG from the NESCAC finals last year, and haven't lost all that much. Wiercisnki is a very good defensive coach, and though his team doesn't play pretty, they've had a fair bit of success. How many teams could boast a 3W 1D 0L record against Tufts over the past two years? This team will be athletic, defensively excellent, and probably the biggest set-piece threat in the league. If they can learn to find goals from open play, don't have their usual slow start, and see good years from 3/4 of Morant/Ellsworth, Bubb, Ward, and Stenquist, they should take the step and finally be a top 3 team no problem.

Group 4: The Question Marks - Stranger things have happened than one of these teams lifting the NESCAC finals trophy. 2014 and 2015 Bowdoin would have found itself in this group. But the teams here are unproven, young, and have major question marks going into the season. 2 have lost enough senior talent that the teams themselves are largely unknown. One was a surprising young upstart from last season that will look to continue to impress. One of these teams will host a first-round NESCAC game, and two wouldn't be overly surprising. If any of these teams can get a couple star freshman and see a couple veterans step up, they could easily take the step up to become contenders.
Hamilton: The darling underdogs of NESCAC 2016 return for the new season - older, wiser, and hopefully with a better goalkeeper. The lack of a quality netminder to organize and control their defensive area was a major flaw for Hamilton last year. Current soph Cadwell, a tall young man at 6'4, won the job late in the season and appears to have kept it (he gave up all three goals in tonight's draw to SUNY Oswego). I never had the chance to see him play, and I can't get last year's statistics to load so I can see how he did and against what competition. They also bring in 6'3 freshman Watkins. This team will be good regardless - the bring back young stars Morris, Wood, and another attacker whose name I forget. More importantly, they bring back a very impressive hustle, will to win, and athleticism that will help them compete and see them likely finish in the 4-6 range. But at tourney time, they will believe in themselves and be very dangerous. If they can add a little more talent, guile, and identity to last year's team, they could step up to the contenders tier.

Williams: This team lost a ton of seniors, and whether they can replace them is not a question I can answer at this time. My guess is - kind of. Another recruiting class for Sullivan will help him mold the team to his liking, but they'll take time to mesh, and Sullivan hasn't really proven himself as a coach yet. This young Williams team I expect to be more physical in the midfield and creative but more direct offensively. The questions surround the lack of pace in the back line, the replacement in goal creation left by the numerous departing seniors, and the heir to Alcorn's surprisingly great year in goal. Also what style they'll play - last year Williams didn't have the defensive solidness of Bowdoin, the overbearing pressing and physicality of Amherst, the size and speed of Middlebury, or the pretty passing and solid defending of Tufts. This team has more questions than answers, but they are a historically successful program with a young, historically successful coach, and some quality returners. I see them as likely 5-6 finishers.

Middlebury: This team is in a very similar situation to Williams, having lost 4 of the best players in the league. It remains to be seen what is left behind and what freshman are brought in, but I think they'll be better off than Williams. I'm a big fan of O'Grady and Goulart, and I see they've brought in some large freshman. There's a big talent gap to be filled, but I think the two vets can carry the offensive load. Combined with their normal solid defending, the carpet at home, and set piece goals, I think they're in for a 3-5 place finish, likely fighting with Hamilton and Bowdoin for those spots. Depending on what kind of talent they bring in from the bench and freshmen, particularly up top, in goal, and at cb, they could be a real threat come tournament time.

Group 5: One of These Teams Won't Make Playoffs-These teams have some good pieces, but it would be a major surprise if they could pull a 2016 Hamilton and come out of nowhere as real competitors.
Trinity: Loses Gimand, the main man in midfield. Also big striker Milbury up top. This team is consistently inconsistent, but I don't see them putting it together this year. I'd expect a good year from Savonen, and they might push top 5, but they've never shown the cohesiveness and defense necessary to do better. Don't see any reason for that to change but you never know.

Welseyan: Highest ceiling of the teams here. Honestly they could finish anywhere from 3-10, and anywhere 4-10 wouldn't surprise me. Cowie-Haskell and Komar are fantastic offensive talents, and Wheeler's sides are usually well-organized defensively and competent passers going forward. They've lack a good netminder and a defensive presence outside of Gruner. Losing him could see them really struggle on the backend unless they get major contributions from freshman or veterans step up out of nowhere. Regardless, Wheeler's team has come up with quite a few surprises recently, and they could be a nice big banana peel in the first round of NESCACs.

Conn: Losing Pat Devlin is a big blow to this team, as well as to the league overall. He was an offensive force and all-around player like few other in recent memory (NPL I'd say is the other main one, Rashid pre-ACLs). Replacing his offensive threat will be hard, but they have a couple other quality players like the underrated Manoogian, the big man Lockwood, and ... not really sure who the last pieces are. Maybe Dieng, maybe yao. Maybe Butera. This team needs another mid/attacking piece and a big dose of defensive discipline to be competitive, but I can't see them turning it around too much. Like Trinity, they have a good striker and a couple other class players, but will struggle elsewhere and defensively. Looks to be a rebuilding year at Conn, but who knows -- Murphy has had decent success finding impact freshman in the past, and they could potentially add enough pieces to move up to the 4-6 range. More likely, they'll find themselves in the 6-9 spots.

Group 6: Relegation Candidates-We keep waiting for these teams to improve, but so far it just hasn't been there. Neither looks ready to turn the corner this year, though Colby seems slightly better poised after bringing in a big freshman class last year. The CBB championship will be fun as always, but only one Maine team should be in the top 8 at the end of the year.
Bates: Losing Knoth, their best attacker and goalscorer, and Martell, a leader and decent defender, is tough. Maybe Opoku can find some spark, and Merchant looks to be their best bet to bag goals. But I don't have much to say here. They've been rebuilding for years and don't show much signs of improvement.

Colby: The Camels, on the other hand, have cause for hope. They return a whole bunch of freshmen, and with Aoyama providing the spark next to the Tower, they've got a little more of a threat going forward than 1-dimensional bates. They also showed an ability to defend at times, giving up only 1 goal against Tufts and Amherst while shutting out Mid. They best bet is to get more consistent defensively and milk their home field up in Waterville for every point it's worth. I can see this team squeaking into NESCACs over lackluster Trinity/Conn teams, but it's less than likely. They're still very young and lacking talent, but some promise is there. I think they'll play some very entertaining games this year, mainly against Bowdoin, Bates, and maybe Trinity. But Seabrook is still a year or two away from pushing into the next category.

I agree with some of this and disagree with some. I agree Colby has shown an ability to defend and Chandler Smith has shown his ability in taking out some of his opponents best players out of games. That is not the issue. The issue is they are stuck in a defensive shell for the whole game against most teams and have shown little to anything in a counter attack to scare their opponents. Aoyama is a good player as is Smith and a couple others but I cannot possibly agree that this Colby team will "entertain " anyone until Seabrook takes more chances offensively. They have had some great draws and 1-2 great wins in his 3 years in Waterville but draws only get them 1 point while other teams are going for 3.

Williams has its problems but 1 of them is not speed in the backline. Muellers, Macdonald and Andreou are all blazing fast. The frosh Ranieri is a legit defender also. Their issue is toughness. Hopefully, they have all gotten stronger in the off season. I agree a big question mark for Williams is in net and who will score goals? If they stay in a 4-3-3 I see Sean Dory holding but have no clue who will be attacking. I can see Sisco up top with Tommy Young and Singleton wide. That would give them tons of speed and skill but lacking in height and bigger defenders knocking them off the ball easily.

I totally agree with your assessment of Hamilton. I was impressed last year with the frosh up top and some other pieces Nizzi brought in. They were a very hard working team last year and need to continue that to compete with the big boys. Looks like the big Alaskan tree Cerveny got 2 goals v Oswego St midweek so if he comes around his senior year they will be a tough out. Cerveny showed a ton of promise to other Nescac's but they all passed and Hamilton snagged him. He has not done much 3 years prior but at 6'5 he has a ton of potential up top.

I have already said my piece on Trinity and agree they are consistently inconsistent. I just wish Pilger would not keep such a huge bench and not substitute so freely. It gets kids confused and out of any rhythm. With Savonen and Bednarek back they will get some wins and while Gimand is a tough loss in midfield but he was way to passive for my liking. His skill will be missed but not his lack of toughness.

Middlebury lost a ton in Glazer and Conrad but frankly they didn't have 1 NCAA appearance in 4 years. They will struggle a bit but they looked decent last night and maybe need a change in team leadership to get them going. They will be playing for Saward in his last year.

Bowdoin is my pick to win it all. Charlier is easily replaceable as is Downing. Dias-Costa not so much as his skill will be missed on the flank. They return everyone else. Niang is a beast. Van Siclien the best GK in Nescac and a system and style of play that could put an insomniac to sleep. However, it is very successful especially against better teams.

Tufts and Amherst both lose a ton but I see Rojas for Tufts took the #10 and led the team in shots last night v Babson. That is a good sign. I am eager to see them live to see what they got. I think Greenwood is replaceable and have to agree with your assessment that Shapiro's style of play and system allows for easier transitions for younger players.

Amherst has lost a ton the past 2 years. They will not fall out of the Top 4 but they will not be so dominant as they have been the past 7 years.

with that I will go

1. Bowdoin
2. Tufts
3. Amherst
4. Williams
5. Wesleyan
6. Hamilton
7. Midd
8. Trinity
9. Conn
10. Colby
11. Bates

[oldonionbag]

Tufts soccer has an Instagram, apparently. Here is the game winner - nice build up! Judging by the stats it was well deserved. https://www.instagram.com/p/BYv8f7hgHvI/?taken-by=tuftsmenssoccer

[Ejay]

Tufts soccer has an Instagram, apparently. Here is the game winner - nice build up! Judging by the stats it was well deserved. https://www.instagram.com/p/BYv8f7hgHvI/?taken-by=tuftsmenssoccer

A little sloppy, but great decision making and nice composure. Well deserved.

[blooter442]

Tufts soccer has an Instagram, apparently. Here is the game winner - nice build up! Judging by the stats it was well deserved. https://www.instagram.com/p/BYv8f7hgHvI/?taken-by=tuftsmenssoccer

Good work in keeping the pressure on, which eventually resulted in the finish. Apparently Tufts had a goal ruled out for offside with 23 seconds left in regulation, so they were clearly knocking at the door. In watching the video, Babson showed good resolve in the early part, but the Beavers couldn't clear the ball, and Tasker was able to lose his man at the back post. A tap-in, but that's great positioning and composure on his part, and a fitting way to cap a deserved win.

[letsGOswans!]

Macdonald on Williams is fast? You've got to be kidding me.

Did we do predictions? Predictions anyone? Don't tell me I missed them!


Group 1: The Favourite - Not much needs to be said here. This team should finish no lower than 2nd in the league and will feel disappointed without either a NESCAC title or a run to at least NCAA quarters. Expectations could not be higher for...
Tufts: The Jumbos have cemented themselves as perennial NESCAC, and to some extent national, powerhouses. Shapiro is an excellent coach, playing a well-defined style that makes it easy for players to step up year after year. He's obviously a great recruiter as well, and has brought in a lot of talent. Along with Kevin Halliday, look out for sophomore Gavin Tasker, who looked dangerous for most of last year but didn't put up that many points. There's concern over the loss of celebrated goalkeeper Greenwood who yours truly believes was good but overrated. That said, I didn't have the chance to watch many of their NCAA games where he apparently was at his best. But Tufts fans shouldn't be too worried - they add Freshman GK Will Harned out of a successful Beachside academy program. A quick glance at his old highlight tape shows a keeper with good size, positioning, and confidence, and solid technique for his age. I would be unsurprised to see him win the starting job at some point. Biggest question for me is cb pairing - the rest should figure itself out. A quick shoutout to junior Sterling Weatherbie for being my favorite D3 soccer name.

Group 2: The Contenders - I wouldn't be surprised to see either of these teams host the NESCAC regular season crown. But they couldn't care less about that - they've got just as good as a chance as Tufts at the real silverware, the NESCAC championship. Both these teams will look to pick up their 3rd conference championship in 5 years, but there are some questions about both.
Amherst: The big bad wolves of the NESCAC lose cb Bean, cm/tree Orozco, speed threat Martin, quality from Sood+ Aoyama+ Lenhard, and goalscoring midfielder Ciambella. That's a lot of talent gone from the returning NESCAC champions. There is absolutely no way they fall out the top 4 - Serpone is too good at running his system, and I'd expect at least 2 freshman to step up into main roles along with 2-3 more returners. I'd say they could fall out of top 3, but it seems highly unlikely unless one of Williams/Midd/Hamilton massively outperforms my expectation. The key players going forward will be returners Hlinomaz, Nyugen, and likely a freshman. I don't see the first two carrying the weight of the players they've lost. But I wouldn't worry too much about that - they'll bring in some trees maybe 6'5 fitzgerald and get the goals they need on set pieces. The big worry for me at Amherst is losing key defenders and Orozco in the midfield. I would expect Serpone to have a plan to replace them, but it's a big ask. Compounded with the fact that the goalie situation looked not-too-solid at times last year, and it's a real worry. Can they win NESCAC - yes. Are they the second-most likely to? - almost certainly. Will they dominate most of the league like they have in previous years - no.

Bowdoin: Popular pick to have a good year. Return all-around cm star and leading goalscorer Niang, who was the league's best offensive header of the ball last year. Van Siclen's return gives them the best keeper in the league, and Ward has been class throughout his career. The team loses 4-year starter and workhorse Dias Costa in the midfield, big body Charlier up top, and utility player Downing. Look for senior Ellsworth, tricky and creative on the ball, to step into a bigger attacking role. Junior Morant has quality and size, and should see an increased attacking role as well. The Bubb-Ward cb pairing was solid last year, but will need to be a bit better for the Polar Bears to become a top 4 team. But this team was a rather unfortunate OG from the NESCAC finals last year, and haven't lost all that much. Wiercisnki is a very good defensive coach, and though his team doesn't play pretty, they've had a fair bit of success. How many teams could boast a 3W 1D 0L record against Tufts over the past two years? This team will be athletic, defensively excellent, and probably the biggest set-piece threat in the league. If they can learn to find goals from open play, don't have their usual slow start, and see good years from 3/4 of Morant/Ellsworth, Bubb, Ward, and Stenquist, they should take the step and finally be a top 3 team no problem.

Group 4: The Question Marks - Stranger things have happened than one of these teams lifting the NESCAC finals trophy. 2014 and 2015 Bowdoin would have found itself in this group. But the teams here are unproven, young, and have major question marks going into the season. 2 have lost enough senior talent that the teams themselves are largely unknown. One was a surprising young upstart from last season that will look to continue to impress. One of these teams will host a first-round NESCAC game, and two wouldn't be overly surprising. If any of these teams can get a couple star freshman and see a couple veterans step up, they could easily take the step up to become contenders.
Hamilton: The darling underdogs of NESCAC 2016 return for the new season - older, wiser, and hopefully with a better goalkeeper. The lack of a quality netminder to organize and control their defensive area was a major flaw for Hamilton last year. Current soph Cadwell, a tall young man at 6'4, won the job late in the season and appears to have kept it (he gave up all three goals in tonight's draw to SUNY Oswego). I never had the chance to see him play, and I can't get last year's statistics to load so I can see how he did and against what competition. They also bring in 6'3 freshman Watkins. This team will be good regardless - the bring back young stars Morris, Wood, and another attacker whose name I forget. More importantly, they bring back a very impressive hustle, will to win, and athleticism that will help them compete and see them likely finish in the 4-6 range. But at tourney time, they will believe in themselves and be very dangerous. If they can add a little more talent, guile, and identity to last year's team, they could step up to the contenders tier.

Williams: This team lost a ton of seniors, and whether they can replace them is not a question I can answer at this time. My guess is - kind of. Another recruiting class for Sullivan will help him mold the team to his liking, but they'll take time to mesh, and Sullivan hasn't really proven himself as a coach yet. This young Williams team I expect to be more physical in the midfield and creative but more direct offensively. The questions surround the lack of pace in the back line, the replacement in goal creation left by the numerous departing seniors, and the heir to Alcorn's surprisingly great year in goal. Also what style they'll play - last year Williams didn't have the defensive solidness of Bowdoin, the overbearing pressing and physicality of Amherst, the size and speed of Middlebury, or the pretty passing and solid defending of Tufts. This team has more questions than answers, but they are a historically successful program with a young, historically successful coach, and some quality returners. I see them as likely 5-6 finishers.

Middlebury: This team is in a very similar situation to Williams, having lost 4 of the best players in the league. It remains to be seen what is left behind and what freshman are brought in, but I think they'll be better off than Williams. I'm a big fan of O'Grady and Goulart, and I see they've brought in some large freshman. There's a big talent gap to be filled, but I think the two vets can carry the offensive load. Combined with their normal solid defending, the carpet at home, and set piece goals, I think they're in for a 3-5 place finish, likely fighting with Hamilton and Bowdoin for those spots. Depending on what kind of talent they bring in from the bench and freshmen, particularly up top, in goal, and at cb, they could be a real threat come tournament time.

Group 5: One of These Teams Won't Make Playoffs-These teams have some good pieces, but it would be a major surprise if they could pull a 2016 Hamilton and come out of nowhere as real competitors.
Trinity: Loses Gimand, the main man in midfield. Also big striker Milbury up top. This team is consistently inconsistent, but I don't see them putting it together this year. I'd expect a good year from Savonen, and they might push top 5, but they've never shown the cohesiveness and defense necessary to do better. Don't see any reason for that to change but you never know.

Welseyan: Highest ceiling of the teams here. Honestly they could finish anywhere from 3-10, and anywhere 4-10 wouldn't surprise me. Cowie-Haskell and Komar are fantastic offensive talents, and Wheeler's sides are usually well-organized defensively and competent passers going forward. They've lack a good netminder and a defensive presence outside of Gruner. Losing him could see them really struggle on the backend unless they get major contributions from freshman or veterans step up out of nowhere. Regardless, Wheeler's team has come up with quite a few surprises recently, and they could be a nice big banana peel in the first round of NESCACs.

Conn: Losing Pat Devlin is a big blow to this team, as well as to the league overall. He was an offensive force and all-around player like few other in recent memory (NPL I'd say is the other main one, Rashid pre-ACLs). Replacing his offensive threat will be hard, but they have a couple other quality players like the underrated Manoogian, the big man Lockwood, and ... not really sure who the last pieces are. Maybe Dieng, maybe yao. Maybe Butera. This team needs another mid/attacking piece and a big dose of defensive discipline to be competitive, but I can't see them turning it around too much. Like Trinity, they have a good striker and a couple other class players, but will struggle elsewhere and defensively. Looks to be a rebuilding year at Conn, but who knows -- Murphy has had decent success finding impact freshman in the past, and they could potentially add enough pieces to move up to the 4-6 range. More likely, they'll find themselves in the 6-9 spots.

Group 6: Relegation Candidates-We keep waiting for these teams to improve, but so far it just hasn't been there. Neither looks ready to turn the corner this year, though Colby seems slightly better poised after bringing in a big freshman class last year. The CBB championship will be fun as always, but only one Maine team should be in the top 8 at the end of the year.
Bates: Losing Knoth, their best attacker and goalscorer, and Martell, a leader and decent defender, is tough. Maybe Opoku can find some spark, and Merchant looks to be their best bet to bag goals. But I don't have much to say here. They've been rebuilding for years and don't show much signs of improvement.

Colby: The Camels, on the other hand, have cause for hope. They return a whole bunch of freshmen, and with Aoyama providing the spark next to the Tower, they've got a little more of a threat going forward than 1-dimensional bates. They also showed an ability to defend at times, giving up only 1 goal against Tufts and Amherst while shutting out Mid. They best bet is to get more consistent defensively and milk their home field up in Waterville for every point it's worth. I can see this team squeaking into NESCACs over lackluster Trinity/Conn teams, but it's less than likely. They're still very young and lacking talent, but some promise is there. I think they'll play some very entertaining games this year, mainly against Bowdoin, Bates, and maybe Trinity. But Seabrook is still a year or two away from pushing into the next category.

I agree with some of this and disagree with some. I agree Colby has shown an ability to defend and Chandler Smith has shown his ability in taking out some of his opponents best players out of games. That is not the issue. The issue is they are stuck in a defensive shell for the whole game against most teams and have shown little to anything in a counter attack to scare their opponents. Aoyama is a good player as is Smith and a couple others but I cannot possibly agree that this Colby team will "entertain " anyone until Seabrook takes more chances offensively. They have had some great draws and 1-2 great wins in his 3 years in Waterville but draws only get them 1 point while other teams are going for 3.

Williams has its problems but 1 of them is not speed in the backline. Muellers, Macdonald and Andreou are all blazing fast. The frosh Ranieri is a legit defender also. Their issue is toughness. Hopefully, they have all gotten stronger in the off season. I agree a big question mark for Williams is in net and who will score goals? If they stay in a 4-3-3 I see Sean Dory holding but have no clue who will be attacking. I can see Sisco up top with Tommy Young and Singleton wide. That would give them tons of speed and skill but lacking in height and bigger defenders knocking them off the ball easily.

I totally agree with your assessment of Hamilton. I was impressed last year with the frosh up top and some other pieces Nizzi brought in. They were a very hard working team last year and need to continue that to compete with the big boys. Looks like the big Alaskan tree Cerveny got 2 goals v Oswego St midweek so if he comes around his senior year they will be a tough out. Cerveny showed a ton of promise to other Nescac's but they all passed and Hamilton snagged him. He has not done much 3 years prior but at 6'5 he has a ton of potential up top.

I have already said my piece on Trinity and agree they are consistently inconsistent. I just wish Pilger would not keep such a huge bench and not substitute so freely. It gets kids confused and out of any rhythm. With Savonen and Bednarek back they will get some wins and while Gimand is a tough loss in midfield but he was way to passive for my liking. His skill will be missed but not his lack of toughness.

Middlebury lost a ton in Glazer and Conrad but frankly they didn't have 1 NCAA appearance in 4 years. They will struggle a bit but they looked decent last night and maybe need a change in team leadership to get them going. They will be playing for Saward in his last year.

Bowdoin is my pick to win it all. Charlier is easily replaceable as is Downing. Dias-Costa not so much as his skill will be missed on the flank. They return everyone else. Niang is a beast. Van Siclien the best GK in Nescac and a system and style of play that could put an insomniac to sleep. However, it is very successful especially against better teams.

Tufts and Amherst both lose a ton but I see Rojas for Tufts took the #10 and led the team in shots last night v Babson. That is a good sign. I am eager to see them live to see what they got. I think Greenwood is replaceable and have to agree with your assessment that Shapiro's style of play and system allows for easier transitions for younger players.

Amherst has lost a ton the past 2 years. They will not fall out of the Top 4 but they will not be so dominant as they have been the past 7 years.

with that I will go

1. Bowdoin
2. Tufts
3. Amherst
4. Williams
5. Wesleyan
6. Hamilton
7. Midd
8. Trinity
9. Conn
10. Colby
11. Bates

[SoccerMom_5]

Just saw on twitter that Tufts and Bowdoin played a "preseason" game today. Anyone have any more info about this game and how the 2 teams looked?? It might have been at Tufts but am not sure about the location . .

It was at Bowdoin.   They tied 1-1.  It was one of those "everybody plays" games where they were trying things out and seeing where the first year students fit in and all, so... hard to get a real idea of how they will play this year. Have to wait a while. Tufts beat Babson last night in OT. Bowdoin dominated in their game tonight, but it was not a NESCAC game, so...   we will have to wait a while to see how they play under pressure.  They play Amherst (at Amherst) on Saturday, so that should be a good chance to see where things stand.   

[Mr.Right]

Yes Macdonald  is fast enough to be a starting wingback in Nescac and more importantly he is an intelligent and tough defender. He went down with an early season injury last year which hurt Williams a bit defensively. I like him as a player as he plays with no fear and is not afraid to actually tackle which is something alot of players these days do not do. I do understand with your Conn blinders on it is hard to spot decent speed when watching games on one of the more narrow and sh*tty fields in Nescac so i will give you a pass.

[Mr.Right]

A great opening day win for Wesleyan over WPI which will help them in November. Now they need to beat Swat at home Saturday and take care of business against  their other non-conference games which they have struggled with the past couple of years. A good choice to make Nick Jackson captain as I think he is a real leader on the field. Looks like they started 1 frosh but had basically the same starting line-up as last season. Looks like no injuries and all the guys have 1 more year of experience playing with each other. If they can get solid GK'ing they will be getting some W's this year against the top teams in Nescac.

Bowdoin dismantles U of New England 2-0 today but I did not see Niang in the starting line-up which is concerning. They travel to Amherst on Saturday and really need him v Amherst. Not sure what the injury status is but hopefully he is not out long. Looks like Morant scored an early goal as I am guessing it was a header.

[blooter442]

It was at Bowdoin.   They tied 1-1.  It was one of those "everybody plays" games where they were trying things out and seeing where the first year students fit in and all, so... hard to get a real idea of how they will play this year. Have to wait a while. Tufts beat Babson last night in OT. Bowdoin dominated in their game tonight, but it was not a NESCAC game, so...   we will have to wait a while to see how they play under pressure.  They play Amherst (at Amherst) on Saturday, so that should be a good chance to see where things stand.

SoccerMom, sounds like you know a fair amount about the Bowdoin program (my mom and a lot of family are Bowdoin alums, so I do have a soft spot for the Polar Bears). I was pleased to see that Van Siclen was back playing...I thought he tore his ACL last year (something he had trouble with in high school) so figured he was done, but glad to see that is not the case. He may well be the best goalkeeper in the NESCAC this year, and played a huge role in Bowdoin's NESCAC wins in '14 and '15.

Intrigued to see how they do this weekend, as Amherst aren't the dominant side they used to be, although I do think Serpone's system will ensure that they stay competitive. Should be a good game.

[cac.aholic1]

Mr. Right:

Agree about Colby not entertaining going forward, but I really enjoyed a couple of their matches last year - particularly how they played in a 2-0 loss to Bowdoin and a 2-1 loss to Williams where I first started to taking a liking to little Aoyama. But yeah they manage to attack even less than recent Bowdoin sides.

I didn't look particularly closely at the back 4 williams will start this year, just remember it as a consistent problem from previous years. Williams was a particularly slow rb and when Dory plays cb he takes a while to get from place you place. I did forget about Andreou, who is a decent player with solid pace. And I actually wanted to dispute you on Muellers, but then noticed that he runs track. They call you Mr. Right for a reason I guess. Do you think they'd play Young out wide? Iirc he's a solid attacking midfielder but maybe not as strong as he needs to be at times.

Agree on Hamilton, having the ability to play a tree up top like Cerveny is a big advantage, even if it isn't necessarily your plan A. Though it looks like it might be their main tactic now. A good sign for them is that (according to the recap on their website) he scored both goals with his feet, one of which  was from outside the box.

Rojas on Tufts somehow slipped my mind. He will be one of the best creative players in the league this year. I especially like the toughness and strength he shows along with technique and awareness to get the game winning hockey assist against Babson.

One more thing about Wesleyan - current sophomore Alec Haas was really impressive late in the season last year. An absolute workhorse and all-around threat. I think a front three of Haas, ACH, and Komar will be extremely dangerous. I don't really remember new captain Jackson, but if he can step up and lead a stingy defense I don't think they'll lack in scoring and will end up a very good team.

My End-Of-Regular-Season Ranking Prediction:
1. Tufts
2. Bowdoin
3. Amherst
4. Hamilton
5. Williams
6. Midd
7. Wesleyan
8. Conn
9. Trinity
10. Colby
11. Bates

I think it'll be verrrry close from 4-7. I want to put Wesleyan higher, but I'm not sold that they can defend as well as the teams above them. In a week I could have a very different opinion.

Far-too early awards predictions:
Shortlist for NESCAC POY: Niang, O'Grady, Rojas, Tasker - Niang wins
COY: Wiercinski
FOY: Lol I can't name a freshman on any team. Mr. Right probably has some ideas about this though.
Best GK: Van Siclen

Really looking forward to the Amherst-Bowdoin game on Saturday. Will probably be the only one I watch. If I had to pick another I'd probably go Tufts-Colby and then Williams-Trin

[truenorth]

SoccerMom and Blooter, I'm a Polar Bear fan as well--given that my son played for Bowdoin a few years back and we now live in Brunswick.  I watched a bit of the second half of their game vs. UNE online and also noticed that Niang didn't play.  I hope it's not a serious injury.

As you both indicated, one can't draw any conclusions from a non-league game against a weaker side.  In the brief time I watched, two first year players were fairly prominent...Houlgate who is listed as a 6'4" back and Byrd who was on the left wing and seemed pretty quick.  I concur that it was great to see Van Siclen back in goal.  He is a top goalkeeper and very much a leader from the back of the pitch.

Things will begin to sort out when they travel to face off against Amherst in Amherst after less than 48 hours.  It won't be an easy task.

[letsGOswans!]

You usually have a lot of good things to say, but if you think he's fast you're delusional. Objectively, Macdonald is the farthest thing from fast. Yes he plays with a bite , but he is slow.

Yes Macdonald  is fast enough to be a starting wingback in Nescac and more importantly he is an intelligent and tough defender. He went down with an early season injury last year which hurt Williams a bit defensively. I like him as a player as he plays with no fear and is not afraid to actually tackle which is something alot of players these days do not do. I do understand with your Conn blinders on it is hard to spot decent speed when watching games on one of the more narrow and sh*tty fields in Nescac so i will give you a pass.

[EasyGoer27]

Having watched many many many Williams games Andreou might not be "slow" but lightning?  Good player, like his size+skill but a quick wing can beat him with pace.  However the big monster in the middle might close off most those.  When he gets going not sure anyone covers ground like TM

But this is a pointless exercise.  Williams has a pretty good incoming class and enough pieces to compete for league 1-2-3.  Should be fun heading down 91 to see them Sat.  I could put a stop watch on the back line if that would help anyone....

Nice to get the season going.

For the record, Williams 2 Trinity 1

[Mr.Right]

Fine maybe using the term "lightning" was misleading BUT Macdonald is not the farthest thing from fast and neither is Andreou.  Any coach worth his salt would NEVER put "slow" players at wingback. Usually, they are some of your fastest players because of the fact that you have to keep up with your opponents speedier players on the flank. I am not going to get dragged into a back and forth on such a subject. As far as Easy Goer27 comments on Williams frosh class I just cannot agree. Ranieri is legit and should compete for a spot on the backline and 1 other Frosh has promise but none of them will be a game changer right away. In fact they only have 6 Frosh on the roster and 1 of them is a GK that will be behind Schneiderman and Schein.  Anyhow....

My Predictions:

Swat at Wesleyan---I have not seen Swat play since they got trounced in the Sweet 16 at Amherst in 2012. Wesleyan should be able to prevail at home and frankly needs to take care of business out of conference this year. 1-0 Wesleyan

Conn at Midd---Conn has not had alot of success at Midd since Murphy took over in 2009. Conn was not as sharp last year in net and on defense and I do not see that changing to begin the year. Who will be Midd's leading scorer this year? I'm guessing it will be by committee. Both teams will get some chances but this game will be stuck in the air and in midfield and who has the better set piece opportunities. 0-0

Colby at Tufts---Why do I have  feeling Tufts will be over confident in this one? I think Tufts might struggle breaking down Colby and will find itself in another frustrating match, like the Babson game, where they will dominate shots but might need a late winner. Doesn't happen today 0-0

Bowdoin at Amherst---Since the 1st week of games are so hard to predict because of injuries / Frosh / fitness etc I will say Bowdoin exacts revenge on Amherst from last year when Amherst ended Bowdoin's season late in the game in the Nescac Semi's. If I remember correctly Bowdoin scored in the 80th minute to take a 1-0 lead but coughed it up very late. What is the injury status on Niang? Even without Niang, I do not see this Amherst side scaring Bowdoin as in years past as they do not have a Martin or NPL or Orozco etc that Bowdoin needs to be careful of. Hlinomaz is a good player but he tends to drift in and out of games and Bowdoin's backline should be able to handle him. Bowdoin can match Amherst's size and speed and have the better GK. 2-1 Bowdoin

Bates at Hamilton---Hamilton MUST get 3 pts out of this game especially at home. They have the better players, work ethic and skill. I am concerned with Hamilton's GK situation as that could be a liability for them this year. Also, their backline is not quite the same as last year. Still they can score goals in this game and should handle Bates today. 3-1 Hamilton

Williams at Trinity---Ton's of question marks for both teams all over the field. Trinity should be pumped to play their 1st game on their new field. However, Williams lack of size up top should not be a problem today as Trinity is not the biggest team in Nescac. Can Trinity stay focused for 90 minutes? Can either GK for both sides keep the mistakes to a minimum? I think Muellers can handle Savonen and shut him down today. I think the duo of Sisco and Tommy Young cause Trinity's backline with problems today. Coin flip 3-2 Williams

[cac.aholic1]

Predictions:

Swat at Wes: I know nothing about Swat. Will say 2-1 Wes but this is a shot in the dark.

Conn at Midd: 1-0 Midd on a late goal after wearing down the Conn back line all game. Likely a set piece.

Colby at Tufts: Colby got off to a decent start last season in NESCAC play, winning 1, drawing 2, and losing 1. Tufts got out to a slow start last year, and is an easy pick to do so because their style takes more time and coaching to develop. They may be a bit overconfident after the winner at Babson. That said, they should have far more class than Colby, especially on their home field, and I'd guess Shapiro will have them fired up to avenge the disappointing result from last year. They score a nice goal at the end of the first half, and grab a second late as Colby pushes to equalize. 2-0 Tufts.

Bowdoin at Amherst: Match of the week. Amherst has generally beaten Bowdoin in recent years, but is losing a ton this year, and face off against a Bowdoin team where many of the players have lots of experience against the Amherst style. I'd expect a messy game. Later in the season, I might call it 0-0, but in the first NESCAC match both teams will make mistakes. Only one of the teams has Van Siclen to clean up in goal. Ellsworth scores for Bowdoin, but Amherst gets one of a set piece. Neither team willing to lose. 1-1 draw.

Bates at Hamilton: Not sure if Hamilton will like having an "easier" game to start the season. But I think Bates will be anemic offensively this year, and I think Hamilton back line does well enough to protect whoever is in goal. Bates sits deep, but Hamilton has enough hustle and talent to produce a moment of class, and take the game. 1-0 Hamilton.

Williams at Trinity: Will probably be the most even game other than Bowdoin-Amherst. Game could shape up just about any way. I'm not sold on Sisco and the other attacking options for Williams, but I'm less sold on a solid Trinity defense. This will be a good barometer for Williams - how do they deal with the size, speed, and skill of Savonen? Can they produce against one of the poorer defensive teams in the conference? How do they play against them? I think it's very even, but Williams puts in a solid defensive effort and shut out Trinity. May come down to if the Wiliams keeper can make the couple big saves he's asked of. 1-0 Williams.