NESCAC

[Mr.Right]

Tufts is just rolling along at 6-0-0. They show each game the kind of depth they have as I would say they are a solid 16-17 players deep. Still Brandeis showed you can break Tufts down in certain areas that you would not have been able to the past few years. I thought Brandeis dictated the pace of play last night more than Tufts. Compare that to the 2017 NCAA Elite 8 game and Tufts completely dictated play in that match. My point is there are more question marks than in past years defensively in midfield. Don't get me wrong they are still a top D3 side but I have noticed teams like Colby had more time on the ball and had a few good looks before losing 1-0. It is just my opinion but it is something to watch for this upcoming week as Tufts will have 3 Home games. Wednesday v Wesleyan, Saturday v Amherst and Sunday v Hamilton. 3 games in 5 days will test their depth and fitness. Just looking at Tufts schedule for the rest of the regular season it is a bear. The only weak team left on the schedule is Trinity. They still have Amherst, Midd, Williams, Wesleyan, Hamilton, Babson, Bowdoin and Conn. There is no way they run the table IMO not this year.

[BendIt007]

Great breakdown of action/predictions today by Mr. Right!  Some good games ... I'll be watching Camels vs. Hamilton.  Then tomorrow may head to New London to see Camels vs. Colby... both with games today.   Williams vs. Amherst should be interesting and one I'd like to see.  Does anyone know if there is a way to see re-plays, or does that vary by school? 

[Mr.Right]

10 min in and Bowdoin takes a 1-0 lead over Midd on a sick hit by Drake Byrd off a set piece right outside the box. Nice left footed rip as Midd GK Hyer had no chance.

[BendIt007]

Camels jump out 1-0 at 25:29 nice header.

[BendIt007]

sorry goal at 19:29 entertaining game ... action at both ends ...

[Mr.Right]

Bowdoin defeats Midd 1-0 as Drake Byrd's free kick stands up as the GW'ing Goal. Wiercinski turned back to his cynical tactics of wasting time on throw-ins/subbing/set pieces. Bowdoin took their sweet old time the whole 2nd Half. Midd had a few good looks to even the score but could not finish. Bowdoin's starting Frosh GK Kingston left the game with an injury but their other Frosh GK Wolfson made a couple decent saves to finish the game out. Midd should be disappointed with that result as usually these are tight games but they had the better of the chances. Bowdoin wins it on a set piece and gets a huge 3pts while Midd falls to 1-2-0 in Nescac. Hate to say it but that is why you do not schedule a 4-5 hour midweek Away match. They won midweek but it gets your team out of a rhythm IMO. First year Head Coach Alex Elias learns the hard way. I am not saying that was the reason Midd lost but it is all about resting guys and keeping players in a structered rhythm.

[Jump4Joy]

Amherst stronger over Williams in the first 10 and final 10 of the half. Stone makes a great save on the game's best chance when Ephs struck on frame during a 10-minute stretch of strength.

[BendIt007]

Conn hangs on to beat Hamilton 1-0.  Hamilton pushed hard last 20 minutes, but couldn't convert.  Wide open game first half, got tighter and more physical in second.

[blooter442]

Nice serve by Fleischer but you'd think the GK has to do better. 2-0 Williams with 15 minutes left. #wowzah

[BendIt007]

Wow ... crazy finish... with Amherst goal with 5 minutes left to go to make it 1-2.  Then gets chance at a penalty kick that is saved at 2 minutes.  Williams holds on to win 2-1.   

[blooter442]

WOW...seemed like the same old story of Amherst saving their skins with the last kick of the game is going to be told again BUT Schein makes a nice save off the PK.

About 30 seconds after the controversial penalty decision -- it looked like the player fouled was right on the line which I do believe means "in the box" -- a big no-call in the Williams box, ref thought he got ball but it looked like a foul to me. I thought the second incident was more of a penalty than the first, but what do I know?

Two big let-offs for Williams. Even with those calls in mind I think Williams earned the win. Biggest result for the Ephs since...well, the last time they won on Hitchcock Field (in the 2013 Elite 8)!

[PaulNewman]

Blooter, are you reporting from Reykjavik, or just went there to grab some dinner and came back?

[jumpshot]

Watched in person an excellent win by Williams at the lord jeffs today ---look for lord jeff coach to switch goalies for their next game. Naturally took him quite a while to cool down after a bitter loss with lots of "direct"/chippy play (several elbows to the head drew warnings without cards) by lord jeffs who took 25 shots, missing several that could have been goals, including a breakaway down the center and the penalty kick at the end (which was extensively discussed by referee and linesman who reversed the initial call after the chalk mark had been made outside the box). Ephs held firm with good size and toughness .... Not convinced flip throw-ins for past several years are productive (certainly have distance) by lord jeffs ....

Several warnings by the head referee to the lord jeffs' coaching staff, players, and bench ....

[Mr.Right]

Amherst v Williams Notes:

Quick Summary:

This was an ugly game to watch. Nothing pretty about this game except for the last 10 minutes which was entertaining. Amherst dictated the play in this game as both teams were hitting long balls all day. The field is so narrow it is an absolute disgrace to the game and is the reason why neither team could play anything that resembled futbol. The ref was AWFUL all game. In fairness that was a tough game to ref but man he had a bad day.  The ref screwed Amherst on Williams 1st Goal as a Williams player pushed an Amherst defender right into Amherst GK Stone which caused him to lose his balance otherwise I think he would have gotten to that ball before it bounced into the goal. The ref almost screwed Williams with the Amherst PK which was a blatant foul by Williams LB Ranieri but looked to be JUST outside the box. The ref was not sure at all and did not have the guts to make the call himself so he relied on his linesman to decide. Cutler Coleman, who I thought had a great game in midfield for Amherst, did not make great contact and I think telegraphed where he was going but a nice save by Williams GK Schein. I have no clue what scorekeeper counted 25 Shots for Amherst but unless he was including 30 yard blasts nowhere near the goal there is no way Amherst had 25 Shots. Luckily, the SOG stat is a more reliable stat to go off of and as expected it was very even at 8-7 Williams. I think Williams deserved the win and must be absolutely jacked that they got it. Bloots is correct that it is Williams most important victory in 5 years since the 2013 NCAA Elite 8 match when Chris Conder bended a left footed ball into the back of the net to send Williams to the NCAA Final 4 in San Antonio.  That is Sullivan's first victory over Serpone since he took the reins at Williams in 2015. I am guessing this is the first time Serpone has ever been under .500 in Nescac play at 1-2-0 since arriving at Amherst in 2007 and with Tufts up next for Amherst in Medford next weekend it does not get any easier for a team that has really underperformed to start 2018.

Williams:

---The back 4 of LB Ranieri, CB's Scatt Macdonald, CB Liam Bardong and RB Andrew Mathew were the stars for me today for Williams. All 4 of them played a fantastic game and battled all day with grit and toughness. Ranieri is a serious player and a fantastic defender. Scatt and Bardong are just workhorses and yes they were whacking the ball long more than I would like to see but they just showed incredible grit all day. All 4 defenders just shut Amherst strikers down all day. With the help of Dory, Oberg and Andreou they all dealt with Amherst long throws into the box very efficiently. Amherst #5 Byrce Johnson must have hucked about 30 bombs into the box and they were dealt with very well.

---Williams front 3 of Fabricant, Gass and Petrik had their moments as well. Gass had a pretty good game until he left with a mysterious injury but his speed was causing Amherst defenders problems and Fabricant showed he is a tough kid as he was not going to back down to Amherst physicality. I never liked Fabricant's lack of speed but he has gotten much stronger during the off-season and has plenty of skill that causes defenders problems. I do not like how sometimes he loses the ball dribbling up the field and than stands and watches the play unfold after. That is lazy as he needs to track back and help his teammates out. He is not good enough to just stand and watch. Unless you are an All-Star in this league as a striker you should never not track back especially if it was you who lost the ball.  Petrik was quiet on the day as I think he can get lost sometimes in these physical games and especially on such a narrow field he has less room to open up. I have no idea why Sullivan left Petrik in the game when Williams had a 2-0 lead in the last 10 minutes. He should have come out for a defender that could help out in the air.

----Credit where credit is due. Williams GK Aaron Schein had a fantastic game today. He has always been strong in the air but he proved me wrong by making a fine save on the PK which was hit low and to his left. he also made a fantastic save about 2 minutes before that on a header off a scrum when Amherst was turning up the pressure in the last 10 minutes. He also did a great job on Amherst long throws all day. I still am not totally sold but I feel a ton better about his play in net after today.

---Sullivan stuck with the same starting lineup today as he has all year and it worked out well. Oberg came off the bench for Andreou as a holding midfielder and did ok but nothing special today. Sullivan only used 4 subs which does not bode well for a match tomorrow up at Bates. The Frosh Felitto from Chicago who was being discussed on these boards this Spring is not quite ready but I think he will be a force in the next couple years. He is not fast but is big and physical and not afraid to throw his body around. He does lack speed and skill but hopefully the skill will improve. Actually, besides Oberg the other Frosh who has really showed well is a kid Nick Boardman. For a kid that hails from Greenwich he throws all labels out the window as he busts his ass all over the field. He is a gritty player that is not afraid to get stuck in and has speed and skill. He is going to be a good one. The only other sub Sullivan used was reliable veteran Eric Hirsch from Williamstown who is a solid role player that works hard.

---Andreou had an off game today as he was giving the ball away to much today under pressure. He also was the prime reason Amherst got back into the game with a Sebastian Derby goal with 5 minutes left. IIRC he lost the ball in midfield and than stood and watched while Derby, who picked Andreou's pocket went in basically 1v1 and scored. Unacceptable as watching the play develop after giving the ball away almost as if hey we are up 2-0 with 5 minutes left whatever. Not good and he should have been sacked for that. Still the kid is a good player but I just hate that type of stuff. You lose the ball you better track back.

---Very solid win for Williams and at 3-0-1 I am feeling like this is the season Sullivan finally gets Williams back to the NCAA's if they keep playing like this. However, if they step onto the field in Lewiston tomorrow still smirking from this win today and are all loose and relaxed at Bates and over confident because they just beat Amherst they will lose. Bates beat Wesleyan today and only allowed Wesleyan 2 SOG and based on how I saw them play Tufts last weekend their Head Coach has them sitting very deep and compact and willing to do that for 90 until they get a chance to counter. If Williams thinks they can just show up tomorrow and Win it will be bad news and frankly if they fail to Win tomorrow they will throw this good result today right out the window. Even a Draw will be a disappointment and with RPI midweek going to be playing the same way they better start figuring out how to break down these teams that sit deep and are compact like Colby was against them last weekend.


Amherst:


----As much as their narrow field helps them on Byrce Johnson's long throws it does them no favors IMO for their skilled players and guys with speed. Amherst strikers were quiet most of the game. Not sure if Jimmy Mcmillian is coming off an injury or what but he was held in check by Ranieri all day. There is no space on the field for him to use his speed to his advantage. Amherst was trying to hit balls over the top of Williams CB's in the 1st Half but they were being snuffed out pretty well. I thought Serpone should have moved McMillian over to the left wing to go at Andrew Mathew but he did not until real late in the game. Serpone also did no favors to this Frosh Giammattei by saying before the season started that this kid would be the best Frosh in D3. I am sure once the kid gets acclimated to the College game he will be fine but he did nothing for the 3rd straight game against Nescac teams and was benched for basically the whole 2nd Half. In fact Amherst has gotten zero contribution from any Frosh so far this year which is odd because usually they have 1 or 2 players that contribute right away. The loss of Weller might have stung more than I thought it would as his workrate up top last season was insane. Dane Lind who has been their most productive player this year had the best game of the 3 and really works hard and is a physical presence on the wing but he was a bit off today as he was not getting enough touches to be effective and his 1v1 game was not as sharp as it has been. He is a solid player though.

----Their player of the match had to be Cutler Coleman in midfield. He was making some dangerous runs with the ball at Williams defenders and is a very skilled player. In fact I think it is because of him that Amherst has started to try to play on the floor a little more than they have in years past. Not sure if it was him or Derby who did miss a golden chance early in the 2nd Half when he got in 1v1 on Schein and had him committed but just missed wide right. He probably should have buried that chance. The kid hits a nasty free kick but his PK was telegraphed and not hit well at all. Unfortunately, had he made that PK Amherst might have won the game because of the momentum Amherst had at the end of the game would have deflated Williams and they would have had a good shot to win it in OT. It was not to be. Derby had a decent game and finished his chance on goal and was causing some problems.

------Luke Nguyen who is one of the more technical players in the league was quiet all day, I would rather see him attacking goal but Amherst does have some issues in the middle of their defense. I really like their wingbacks. RB Bryce Johnson obviously has the long throw but he is much faster than I realized as he was staying right with Gass all game who is one of Williams fastest players. He is also a solid defender. LB O'Brien lacks some height but he is a workhorse just like Scatt for Williams and he is not afraid to get stuck in. He is also very quick and has skill. My issue is with Amherst CB's. Ajayi looks lost postionally sometimes and while he is solid in the air and whacks everything in sight his feet can get tangled up by skilled strikers. I just do not think he is a legitimate CB and frankly I would use his size up top or maybe in midfield. Amherst was not getting on the end of many headers until late in the game so those long throws were going for naught but Ajayi I think could finish like Morant or Niang of Bowdoin. I think changes will be coming before the Gordon/Tufts match on Amherst backline and in midfield and I would not be surprised to see atleast 1 new CB. They still have Fitzgerald who played some today when Serpone pushed Ajayi up the field when Williams went ahead so while I am not a fan of Fitzgerald I think I would give him a shot on that backline. The other CB is Wu and he is a decent defender but these 2 CB's are not near the quality they had back there between 2012-2016.

----GK Stone actually played ok today and in my mind is the best GK they have. He mad a couple nice saves and is good in the air. The first goal he got shoved into so it was not his fault. I suppose the 2nd goal he might have been a little far off his line but Williams Fleischer hit a rocket. My main beef was when he came charging out of his net and fouled Gass and picked up a yellow. I hate when GK's come flying out and he is lucky he got a piece of Gass as if he had gotten by him it would have been an easy goal. He is a speedy GK but not the biggest of GK's. He is listed as 6'1 and I think that is generous. Hope-Gund came flying out of his net last year and lost a foot race with Hamilton's Aidan Wood. Once I saw Stone charge out I thought of Hope-Gund's blunder but Stone did get a piece and a yellow.

---On paper this team should have been the best in Nescac but as I have watched them now the past 3 weekends they are far from it. They work hard and are physical but they are not nearly as big as Amherst teams of past years so are not as good in the air. I think they would do much better if they were to widen the field back out and use their skill and speed to their advantage. Serpone needs to make some changes before the Tufts match next weekend

[blooter442]

Blooter, are you reporting from Reykjavik, or just went there to grab some dinner and came back?

The former -- was out and about during the day but got back to my hotel around dinner time and didn't find the Icelandic public television compelling so I got out my laptop and split-screened MOTD and the match.