NESCAC

[NESCAC11]

I'm trying to plan my weekend in New England and without Mr. Right's match preview post I am starting my drive without any clear game plan. Which matches are worth watching and which ones in person? I'm concerned that I might just be driving around the countryside aimlessly without his guidance. I saw that D3soccer.com picked the Williams-Babson game as their game of the week in the New England area because it might show if either of these storied programs are truly on the rebound. However, it seems to me that the Williams-Colby game the day before might be a better indicator for those two teams. Williams has crushed Babson in recent years and it hasn't shown us anything about either Williams or Babson. Maybe just spend time in Wtown this weekend? Although the Amherst game looks like a good one as well?

Glad someone reads it! I think that's a fair opinion, but Colby has one win against Williams in the last 27 years, so you could make the argument that Williams has dominated Colby for a number of years and that fixture hasn't really taught us much about either of those two sides during that period. I chose Babson over the Williams-Colby game because they got a solid first-year class, have started the season well, and only lost 1-0 on their last trip to Williamstown and did win two trips ago in Williamstown in 2014 (all of the Ephs' blowout wins against the Beavers have, ironically, come on the road). I think there will be some goals on Sunday.

That being said, I'd put those two Williams games above the others, if I had a free weekend and wanted to fit in good NESCAC games to watch.

Thanks for the feedback!! As a big Williams fan I think I will take your advice. I think the Williams defense should hold up well. They have been very strong the last few years and looked good last weekend with the new GK making a few very nice saves including a PK. Also, if they get their All American freshman back from injury this weekend it will help solidify the back line. Looking to see if Midd can score a goal or two this weekend.

[Mr.Right]

Nescac Predictions:


Colby at Williams------I was impressed with Williams 5-0 victory over Trinity last weekend BUT I am going to be cautious because I am not totally sold yet. Williams front 3 of Fabricant, Petrik and Gass plus attacking midfielder Fleischer were the stars of the game and just picked Trinity apart BUT Trinity is without question the worst team in Nescac. Trinity had 2 Frosh starting on the backline plus a GK with no experience AND IT SHOWED. They were making mistake after mistake and actually i was shocked when I saw the same GK start for Trinity against ECONN 3 days later. I expect Trinity to clean that up but that game was IMO more about how bad Trinity's defense and GK were than how good Williams was. I did notice that Williams was finally using the space on their 120x80 to their advantage and were spread out to the touches. That is what I was hoping to see and said as much in my season preview. For a moment it looked like the Williams of old. IMO there are still question marks on defense and in net. Williams has lost some speed on the backline with the graduation of Muellers and I know Macdonald and Bardong are good backs I will not be convinced until Williams shuts down more competitive teams that are not offensively challenged. Colby and Babson should provide more of a bite than Trinity but I do not think by much. Frankly, after seeing Messiah shred Dickinson's defense to pieces on Tuesday I am amazed that same Dickinson team shutout Babson. Colby had some chances v Tufts and plenty against Gordon but were shutout 1-0 in both games. To me that raises alarm bells for both teams being able to score goals against solid defenses let alone weaker ones(Dickinson \ Gordon). One thing Colby and Babson can and will do against Williams is defend. Both teams are very organized defensively and have enough of a mix of size, speed and athleticism to keep Williams off the scoreboard but do they have enough in attack? Colby's GK in 2017 Avery Gibson is not on the roster this year, but his replacement Dan Carlson came up with some impressive saves against Gordon. The 6'1 Carlson looks pretty solid. I have not seen Babson yet but obviously their 2-0 win over rival Brandeis was impressive last weekend. IDK I am not convinced either of these games are MUST SEE TV at all and it is VERY possible we might only see 1 goal all weekend....Williams 1-0 Colby.......Williams 0-0 Babson


Amherst at Midd----This game could come down to which teams GK doesn't F*ck up first. Amherst GK Stone I am basing my opinion from 2017 as Bowdoin did not test him at all. Midd's GK Hyer(If he is starting tomorrow) absolutely cost Midd the game against Conn.  There was 30 seconds left in the game and Conn had a dangerous set piece but the rip was weak and RIGHT AT Hyer. Should have been an easy catch BUT Hyer coughed up the ball and Conn's Butera finished off the juicy rebound. Was that Hyer not being able to deal with the situation? It was a tense moment of the game....dying seconds, obnoxious Conn students behind his net, everyone in motion, coaches yelling and it was almost like he froze. A GK cannot melt under pressure or he should not be on the field. My guess is they might go with someone else against Amherst but maybe they do not have anyone better. Other than the GK Midd has played very well. They have tons of talent, athleticism and depth. I like their midfield and backs but it would be a shame if they waste this season and all the experience on their roster with shoddy GK'ing. On paper Amherst has some serious talent but they did not look very dominant against Bowdoin. It was a fairly even game as they did not control the game like I thought they might and had few chances to score. Besides a cheeky play by Nescac POW Dane Lind and Luke Nguyen this game most likely would have finished scoreless. The Frosh Giammattei had a very quiet game and Amherst's other stud Jimmy McMillian must be injured because he has not played yet this season. If McMillian is out for a long period of time than Amherst will not be as dominant as I thought but if he is back tomorrow or for the Williams match next Saturday I think they will be extremely hard to defend. Another tight game as both teams will be cautious and again it will come down to whichever team does not make a bonehead play. Both teams will be pumped but Midd should have an advantage at Home and if they can protect Hyer from seeing to many SOG they can win this game. Midd 2-1


Bowdoin at Wesleyan-----Another game that should be very tight. I have not seen Wesleyan play yet but they have started 1-2-0 which is a bit of a disappointment. WPI, Haverford and Eastern are 3 solid games to start the year off with but I would have liked to see a 2-1-0 start or 1-1-1. Wesleyan has scored 2 goals in 3 games and are starting to consistently show year to year the struggle they have scoring goals. Things will not get any easier against a pretty stingy defense that Bowdoin has. With McColl, Niang and the Frosh Reid Bowdoin looked pretty solid defensively against Amherst besides the confusion on Amherst set piece goal. See if you had a veteran GK back there he would have immediately barked at his team and got them organized before Amherst kicked the ball as there was a definite lack of communication on that goal. Wesleyan is starting two Frosh and have a ton of JR and SR leadership plus they have one of the more talented attacking players in the league so I am still projecting them in the Top 8 but Martinez-Paiz has not scored a goal yet and HE MUST get goals this year for Wesleyan to be successful. Alec Haas is also quite capable of scoring and does already have a goal but these guys plus a couple others must score goals for Wesleyan to be successful this year.  Wheeler started a ton of Frosh against Eastern but that might have been because of the back to back or maybe he was frustrated at his 0-2-0 start he wanted to send a message. Bowdoin is not exactly lighting the scoreboard up either as they have been shutout in the 2 games against competitive teams(Amherst and St.Joe's). With the spunky 5'5 Alex Chaban and Drake Byrd they have plenty of speed on the flanks but Wesleyan usually have very quick wingbacks so that might neutralize their speed.  Wesleyan has recruited a little more size this year but Bowdoin still should have a significant advantage in the air. Bowdoin has the edge with their size to take advantage on a set piece. They have excelled at scoring goals off of set pieces the past couple years and its a good thing because that has really been the only way they can score goals against top competition. Wesleyan has the Home field advantage but Bowdoin could neutralize that by playing in the air. I just have a hunch that even with these advantages Bowdoin will muck this up and Wesleyan scores a 70th minute goal and hangs on. BTW, it might be time for Wesleyan to make that a turf field and just lose the grass. That is one of the worst grass fields and I am usually against all these games on turf but Wesleyan is one field that needs a major upgrade. Also, if they did that they could have a nice little Soccer park right on campus there which in turn could open some potential recruits eyes. Basically, do what Trinity did. That new field that Trinity has should be able to attract a couple players that might have otherwise overlooked the school / Men's Soccer program....Wesleyan 1-0


Trinity at Hamilton----Hamilton should be extremely disappointed with their effort in a 3-2 loss to Ithaca on Tuesday. All 3 goals conceded could and should have been avoided. IMO 2 goals were GK Lins Cadwell mistakes and one goal was the LB's fault. Just careless stuff as they could be sitting 3-0-0 right now instead they are 2-1-0. Luckily, Trinity is rolling into town and they are leaking goals like crazy. 9 GA in the past 2 games should have Hamilton's attacking players licking their chops. However, Trinity is not going to just roll over and Hamilton is not good enough to just show up and think they can win. If Hamilton is overlooking Trinity because Oneonta is on Sunday then forget it. They will get beat. Hamilton should only think about getting a couple early goals against Trinity and then playing smart futbol and limiting Trinity to minimum looks at net. Hamilton has more talent up top unless Aidan Wood is injured which is a possibility because he did not start Tuesday. They have a decent backline that has size(except RB), athleticism and toughness. I like Luke Eckels at CB this season. It might be time to give the Frosh GK a chance or maybe Nizzi wants to give Lins Cadwell more time as he definitely has his moments(Good and Bad). If Hamilton comes out with 100% focus and work ethic they will get a Win. I am hoping we see some player changes on Trinity's backline and in net. I think Pilger had Burns and Steel on the backline v Williams and those 2 are solid veterans that should probably stay there but the two Frosh Mastroianni and Velez-Perez were a nightmare in that game and need more time to develop before you throw them to the wolves. Williams strikers welcomed those 2 Frosh to the college game with a NFL style blitz wave after wave 1st Half. Before they knew what had happened they were down 4-0 after 25 minutes. With Baker, Belt and Farr Trinity should be able to score some goals this year but they must clean this defense up before anything....... 2-1 Hamilton

Bates at Tufts-------Tufts is 3-0-0 but they needed OT to beat Colby 1-0 last weekend. Colby continues to play these games tight and aggressive but still lose in OT. Tufts did not look as sharp as I expected against Colby. IMO they were not closing fast enough or as fast as I am used to because at some points in the game Colby had plenty of time on the ball in Tufts Half. I like the CB Paoletta as he is a player and Najjar is a good defender but he gives the ball away WAY to much and good teams will exploit that. I need to watch a few more games with Aroh holding before forming an opinion but based on the stream he and Najjar look to be a half step slower than I would like. Tasker and Lane are always steady out wide and this kid Max Jacobs is a player.  Jacobs looks to be another one of these Jersey kids that Shapiro gets that also improve year to year. He looks like a kid with a ton of confidence and also looks stronger on the ball. He has the pace and athleticism and already has 2 Goals in 3 Games. Hell if he was playing like this last year he should have been starting over Eichhorst.  Bates has been playing well for their new Head Coach and he has them looking more focused and organized. Unfortunately they do not have enough talent to hang with Tufts just yet. I like what he is doing with his attacking players as I am expecting Bates to be scoring goals this year. The defense still needs some work but I like the GK. Bates just does not have the depth to match Tufts tomorrow. They might have a chip on their shoulder from Tufts blowing them out of the Nescac Quarters rather easily and they just might fight and claw and keep this game close for 65-70 minutes BUT that is when Tufts will most likely take over and win tomorrow........Tufts 2-0

[ECSUalum]

As usual, amazing review of today's NESCAC games Mr Right!! +k

[BendIt007]

Any predictions on Conn vs. UMass-Boston today?

[Mr.Right]

Thanks....I have seen UMB play in bits and pieces(not a full 90). They are struggling at 2-5-0 but have played a tough schedule. They beat a decent Plattsburgh St but got smoked by Tufts and Oneonta St...They are certainly not as dangerous as they were in 2016 but they still have a couple skilled players with speed. The kid DaSilva has netted 4 goals in 7 games. They are still undisciplined as hell with 14 YC and 2 Reds in 7 games. No clue how they are defensively or in net but I am guessing it could be a weakness as in years past. They are capable of beating Conn if they show up focused and want to work hard. The question is if they give up an early goal r 2 will they throw in the towel? If UMB scores first they will be more interested in the game and psyched. Conn should win this game. Just a shout out to the Little East as I think it is an improved league in 2018. WCONN I watched play Vassar and Coast Guard and they are a legitimate outfit. They might be the best team in the LEC along with an improved ECONN. #27 ECONN Frosh Agyemang is a legit player. Devito has really found a dangerous finisher that has been missing the past 2-3 years. Also, Castleton State is a team to watch for in the future. They are very young and are maybe a year or 2 away but Coach John O'Connor has recruited about 7 players from Burlington, VT that were all refugees from either Somalia or Sudan. They have serious skill but need time to get adjusted to the College game. I am betting Castleton will be a fun team to watch in the next few years.

[BendIt007]

Thanks for the predictions and insights Mr. Right.  I am a Camel soccer alum (from way back) and planning to head up to UMass-Boston game in New London so will report in.  If Camels do well, will go into details. If not, report may be very, very brief!  Thanks again.

[BendIt007]

Camels up 1-0 at half against UMass Boston with a few other  very close chances.  UMB had a few direct kicks but handled.

[blooter442]

Middlebury with the upset over Amherst.

[Once_A_Metro_Always_A_Red]

2-0 Wesleyan. Think Wheeler and co. will feel good about the result. His team got the shutout and was pretty organized in that flat 4-4-2. Though I imagine Bowdoin will feel like they should've taken more from this game. They gave up effectively an own goal and a goal off a long throw, but Wesleyan didn't create too many big chances otherwise. I think Bowdoin controlled most of the game through possession, though that possession was often non-threatening. It wasn't until later in the game when the game-state changed and Bowdoin started forcing the issue that Bowdoin figured out how to use their possession to unlock the defense a little. Specifically, playing between the lines of Wesleyan's defense and midfield into the feet of their strikers in Zone 14 and then combining from there.

I thought Bowdoin was a bit better on the day, but it's the wins and losses that matter

[Bucket]

Middlebury with the upset over Amherst.

Middlebury-Amherst contests are always physical—and this was one of the more intense games in recent memory.

6 cards. Two or three post-whistle scuffles that seemed to teeter on the verge of brawls. Bodies all over the pitch due to aggressive play and cramping in very hot conditions.

And a Henry Wilhelm goal w/ about 18:00 to play being the difference maker.

[Falconer]

Been watching the 2nd half of Bates at Tufts. Tough to watch most of it. Tufts is the superior side, for sure, and they have the vast majority of possession, yet seem chronically unable to finish. Bates is well-organized defensively, but with one exception (in the time I've been viewing) they aren't taking shots and they seem unacquainted with the concept of possessing the ball. Perhaps if Tufts eventually scores, Bates will find inspiration on the offensive end. Maybe the first half was different. Certainly 2 OTs would qualify as mild torture for spectators, unless something big happens.

[Falconer]

Bates somehow possesses long enough to get a corner, with which they promptly did nothing. Tufts unable to do anything with the final 30 seconds, so sudden death OT is coming (this is what a voice in the background just said). Wake me up if anyone scores. Perhaps there will be a winner in the technical sense (someone will eventually score), but so far neither team seems worthy of winning this one.

[Falconer]

Tufts now playing with more focus in the first OT. Note to Bates: dump and run is not a good idea when most of the guys who can run play for Tufts. 

[Falconer]

Tuft's intensity (in OT) is rewarded, as they finally connect on a corner. Bates was obviously playing for a tie, but there's only so much possession time you can hand the other guys if you want to have a chance. Perhaps if they had really tried to possess, they'd just have worn themselves out. (Perhaps they did that in the first half, which I didn't see.) But, I never actually saw Bates even try to possess for more than 10-15 seconds. Not sure what I was seeing, but it didn't resemble soccer.

[NESCAC11]

Williams ties Colby 0-0. First 30 minutes was Colby in the Williams end of the field. No great opportunities but a lot of pressure. When Williams does counter this year they are explosive unlike recent memory. Williams played better last 15 minutes of first half. Fleischer inbthe midfield brought some energy. Second half was mostly Williams with a few real opportunities that forwards and midfielders put over cross bar. OT was mostly Williams as well with a couple of really scoring opportunities in the box. Colby was clearly tiring. Williams defense was strong and forwards explosive but midfield did not control the ball at all. The back line with Ranieri, Macdonald, Bardong and Matthew were very strong. The GK wasn't overly busy but made about 2 or 3 huge saves in 2nd half and OT. The freshman left back looked terrific when he got into the game.