NESCAC

[Mr.Right]

Midd takes a 1-0 lead over Bates with 13 minutes left off a PK. Game ball goes to Midd's Frosh defender McFarlane who worked his butt off and tracked back to steal the ball from a Bates player in Bates defensive half. He then took the ball and dribbled it into the box and was fouled on the play. Could not see who fouled him for Bates but it was an unnecessary foul as it would have been a tough angle for McFarlane to shoot. Mental mistakes for Bates have hurt them for the 2nd straight game. Midd usually has O'Grady take its PK's but he has not played so Ben Potter stepped up and ripped it into the net...1-0 Midd about 10 minutes left.

[Mr.Right]

I think Bowdoin is red hot right now.  IMO Wiercinski has made the adjustments the team needed to finally get some scoring.  They have played a lot of games lately, and that doesn't seem to let up soon.  This keeps them sharp, and puts them in excellent position to pull off the upset against Conn College.  With it being Senior day, I think the freshman will lift them to a 2-1 win.

You were correct Bowdoin defeats Conn 1-0 today for Conn's first loss of the season. Bowdoin is now 9-3-2 overall and 5-2-2 in Nescac. They are also 7-0-2 in their last 9 games. Bowdoin was impressive today as they absolutely clamped down defensively and found a goal off a corner and held off Conn in the waning minutes. Bowdoin had their usual gameplan today and the players made it work to perfection. Bowdoin is going on their usual October run and after that win an the win over Bates midweek they should be ranked in New England this coming week after getting the snub last week. Big Win as they outplayed Conn today for most of the game as I cannot remember any real dangerous chances for Conn. Conn is still positioned very well to host in the NCAA's but they will need to find a way to create more chances throughout a game vs solid defensive teams are they will not be going very far in November. They looked a bit off today but have a solid chance to bounce back midweek in their final regular season game at Wesleyan.

[PaulNewman]

Watched Conn-Bowdoin since DePauw had no stream....Bowdoin IMO definitely carried the play.  Impressive run by the Polar Bears and will test Tufts.  This Bowdoin coach (previously at Chicago, right?) must be pretty good.

[Mr.Right]

Midd defeats Bates 1-0 on that PK as they have been fortunate this year as by my count that has to be their 3rd or 4th PK during Nescac play. Still they dominated Bates today as they were in Bates end for the majority of the match as Bates looked to be playing for the draw on the road or a possible counter to sneak a win. None of it worked as Midd gets a key 3 pts BUT I think they will need to defeat Williams midweek to clinch a Home Field game depending on what other teams do. Either way Midd improves to 9-2-3 overall and 5-2-2 in Nescac and with this win and the win midweek against Castleton they along with Bowdoin today have put themselves in very solid position for this week's New England Regional Rankings. They do however lose the tiebreaker with Bowdoin so that is why I would think they might need to defeat Williams midweek to get a Home Field game which is crucial for them as they play much better at Home.

[Mr.Right]

Watched Conn-Bowdoin since DePauw had no stream....Bowdoin IMO definitely carried the play.  Impressive run by the Polar Bears and will test Tufts.  This Bowdoin coach (previously at Chicago, right?) must be pretty good.

Yea he is a good coach but his tactics are not my cup of tea as like when he was at Chicago they play very conservative. Also, the time wasting when they get a lead pisses me off and I am sure pisses off other Coaches but yea he has a plan and the team makes it work. Still you are correct Bowdoin impressed today as they definitely carried play and deserved the Win and got a real solid goal off the corner. If they play like they did today against Tufts they can win that game also which would clinch them 2nd Place I believe depending on other results. Big win though for Bowdoin especially for Pool C consideration.

[Mr.Right]

Tufts goes up 1-0 on a Joe Braun header off a corner...Looked like Andreou who was defending him or Scatt but Braun outworked and used his height to get the goal...1-0 Tufts 10 minutes in.

[Mr.Right]

1-0 Tufts at the Half. I thought it was a pretty even half besides the goal. Tufts had one other serious chance with Cano in on Williams GK Schein but hit it wide. Williams starters played well and they were playing fast on the carpet. Nice quick passing which is what you have to do to beat Tufts. Williams final pass was lacking but I was impressed with the way Williams was playing on the carpet. On the flip, I was a bit surprised at Tufts as they were hitting long balls for the most part all Half. They almost looked like Amherst with their backs whacking everything forward but the Ephs defense held up nicely. Williams starters were playing physical and working very hard as was Tufts. The last 15 minutes of the 1st Half Williams dropped off as their bench is just way to young and inexperienced. Tufts started to take control and dictate play but it was not the prettiest futbol at all. Not that it matters as they have the lead going into the Half 1-0. Will Williams come out as aggressive in the 2nd Half or will Tufts clamp down and control the play. Decent games in Nescac today though....

[Mr.Right]

Tufts goes up 2-0 on a beauty of a counter...Rojas to Tasker to Braun bing bang boom and a nice finish..I thought Williams came out and still was playing very well and putting pressure on Tufts but that quick counter probably will finish Williams off. I think Williams was coming out looking for an early equalizer as they were pushing numbers but Tufts showed why it is total risk/reward to do that against them as they hit a perfect counter...2-0 Tufts still a good chunk of time left though

[truenorth]

I think Bowdoin is red hot right now.  IMO Wiercinski has made the adjustments the team needed to finally get some scoring.  They have played a lot of games lately, and that doesn't seem to let up soon.  This keeps them sharp, and puts them in excellent position to pull off the upset against Conn College.  With it being Senior day, I think the freshman will lift them to a 2-1 win.

You were correct Bowdoin defeats Conn 1-0 today for Conn's first loss of the season. Bowdoin is now 9-3-2 overall and 5-2-2 in Nescac. They are also 7-0-2 in their last 9 games. Bowdoin was impressive today as they absolutely clamped down defensively and found a goal off a corner and held off Conn in the waning minutes. Bowdoin had their usual gameplan today and the players made it work to perfection. Bowdoin is going on their usual October run and after that win an the win over Bates midweek they should be ranked in New England this coming week after getting the snub last week. Big Win as they outplayed Conn today for most of the game as I cannot remember any real dangerous chances for Conn. Conn is still positioned very well to host in the NCAA's but they will need to find a way to create more chances throughout a game vs solid defensive teams are they will not be going very far in November. They looked a bit off today but have a solid chance to bounce back midweek in their final regular season game at Wesleyan.

I went to the Bowdoin vs. Conn game on a gorgeous warm and sunny afternoon in Brunswick (if a bit breezy).  I haven't watched all of Bowdoin's games this season, but this was the best I've seen them play.  It was a good first half, with higher quality passing by both teams than some posters typically credit NESCAC teams for...  Bowdoin deserved the W in my view when it was all said and done.  It's shaping up to be an exciting matchup between Bowdoin and Tufts on Tuesday in the final regular season game, especially on the slippery natural grass of Pickard Field...

On a related note, Niang truly is a man among boys, and he was at his imperious best today.  He took Tshuma out of the game, was his usual dominant self in the air, and made some impressive runs with the ball down the length of the field.  I was chatting with Mike Healy, former Bowdoin assistant coach and a friend of mine, and...with all admitted bias...he and I agreed that Niang by all rights should be NESCAC POY.

[Mr.Right]

Williams showed well today in spurts here and there. They certainly played better futbol than Tufts or atleast tried to but they just do not have a finisher. Tufts burned them on the counter and Williams lost some urgency and again Tufts has a much better and experienced bench as that was one of the differences in the game. I am still not convinced about Aroh holding in front of Najjar as quick teams with speed in midfield and up front should be able to take advantage. We will see.....Final: Tufts 3-1 Williams........


Niang had a great game today and he was a man among boys on the field but I think the Coaches will give POY to Braun...my hunch

[truenorth]

Just checked the NESCAC stats...Braun has 17 points from the forward position and Niang has 13 points from the center back position.  I know which overall performance I'd be more impressed by personally, but you're probably right that the coaches will be more compelled by offensive stats than by a combination of defending and scoring...

[PaulNewman]

I haven't seen all these teams frequently enough to have a strong opinion, but I have watched Tufts quite a bit.  IMO the only thing Tufts is missing is a true POY player.  I know Braun is having a good season and I may have missed some of his goals and plays but my impression is that he's mostly scored from 3-4 yards out and mostly from feeds from others rather than forays where he beats a couple of players and scores.  I prefer Weatherbie and maybe Rojas as candidates even though I am not a fan of the latter's antics.  BTW, who made that through pass to Tasker who crossed to Braun? Trevorrow?  Anyway, a beauty.  Niang was dominant today.  My wild card for POY might be Marcucci.

[truenorth]

All three are good candidates!

[1970s NESCAC Player]

Watched Conn-Bowdoin since DePauw had no stream....Bowdoin IMO definitely carried the play.  Impressive run by the Polar Bears and will test Tufts.  This Bowdoin coach (previously at Chicago, right?) must be pretty good.

He is a Brunswick native.  Played GK at Midd.  Brother was an All-American at Colby in the early 90s.  Was an assistant at Brown, with Murphy under Noonan.  Also coached at Bruno United.

[BendIt007]

I think Bowdoin is red hot right now.  IMO Wiercinski has made the adjustments the team needed to finally get some scoring.  They have played a lot of games lately, and that doesn't seem to let up soon.  This keeps them sharp, and puts them in excellent position to pull off the upset against Conn College.  With it being Senior day, I think the freshman will lift them to a 2-1 win.

You were correct Bowdoin defeats Conn 1-0 today for Conn's first loss of the season. Bowdoin is now 9-3-2 overall and 5-2-2 in Nescac. They are also 7-0-2 in their last 9 games. Bowdoin was impressive today as they absolutely clamped down defensively and found a goal off a corner and held off Conn in the waning minutes. Bowdoin had their usual gameplan today and the players made it work to perfection. Bowdoin is going on their usual October run and after that win an the win over Bates midweek they should be ranked in New England this coming week after getting the snub last week. Big Win as they outplayed Conn today for most of the game as I cannot remember any real dangerous chances for Conn. Conn is still positioned very well to host in the NCAA's but they will need to find a way to create more chances throughout a game vs solid defensive teams are they will not be going very far in November. They looked a bit off today but have a solid chance to bounce back midweek in their final regular season game at Wesleyan.

I went to the Bowdoin vs. Conn game on a gorgeous warm and sunny afternoon in Brunswick (if a bit breezy).  I haven't watched all of Bowdoin's games this season, but this was the best I've seen them play.  It was a good first half, with higher quality passing by both teams than some posters typically credit NESCAC teams for...  Bowdoin deserved the W in my view when it was all said and done.  It's shaping up to be an exciting matchup between Bowdoin and Tufts on Tuesday in the final regular season game, especially on the slippery natural grass of Pickard Field...

On a related note, Niang truly is a man among boys, and he was at his imperious best today.  He took Tshuma out of the game, was his usual dominant self in the air, and made some impressive runs with the ball down the length of the field.  I was chatting with Mike Healy, former Bowdoin assistant coach and a friend of mine, and...with all admitted bias...he and I agreed that Niang by all rights should be NESCAC POY.

As a Camels fan, it has taken me a day to be able to respond to their first loss in what had been a pretty magical unbeaten run for them.  This was my first time really watching Bowdoin start to finish, and they looked good and played hard in front of homecoming audience.  Teams looked pretty even, but Niang as several pointed out, physically took over the defensive middle, and Conn wasn't as effective as usual going down the wings.  The Camels only had a few times that created any real possibilities, and kind of wasted many of their corner and direct kicks hitting deep and right into the hands of the Bowdoin goalie.   Now we'll see if Conn can re-group against Wesleyan on Tuesday.  In my mind, a huge game for them to assure 2nd place seeding and get some scoring mojo back.  If Bowdoin can play the same caliber game against Tufts, that should be a VERY good one to watch, and nice that it will be played on Bowdoin's grass field, that as Mr. Right has pointed out, is one of the better grass fields in NESCAC.