NESCAC

[hiyasoccer]

Colby fails to take several chances to make it 2-0 – the Tufts GK made a really nice save on an effort with 10 minutes left – and now the Mules give up the equalizer with less than 4 minutes left. Too easy from the corner. 1-1 and momentum squarely with the Jumbos.

He made two great ones! One coming to smother on the right and one getting big on the square ball slipped through on the near side.

Franco (sp?) on Colby has played up top and as a second striker and is a good player, generated a good amount on the counter though frequently isolated.

[College Soccer Observer]

Middlebury 1 @ Hamilton 0

Midd started with Grady in net, Pape, O'Brien, McFarlane, Nelson across the back; Powers, Sloan, and Farrell in midfield; Barry, Roberts, and Saint-Louis up front.  Farrell got the goal in 21st minute on a cross from Nelson that he brought down and then spun his defender.  After scoring, Midd sat back and was content to counter.  Hamilton never really looked likely to break them down. Hamilton had a big advantage in shots, but most of them were from distance and off target, as Grady only had to make 3 saves.  Hamilton's best chance was a blast from 15 yards that was tipped over the top by Grady late in the first half.  Midd had several good chances in the second half, the best of which was a 3 v 1, but Reid could not get the ball out of his feet after the pass from Saint-Louis. 

Midd now 6-0, 3-0 in NESCAC play.  Next weekend will be a major test as they play Conn away and then host Amherst.

[d4_Pace]

Tufts with a gutsy 1-0 2 OT win on the road at Babson today avenging their loss their in 2019. Tufts were pretty dominant territorially but struggled to create a ton of clear cut chances. In 2 OT Aroh hit an absolute rocket off a layoff from about 25 yards that the goalie made an incredible save on, but the rebound fell to Ratzen who put it away. 

[Mr.Right]

Nescac Predictions Week 4:


Trinity at Bowdoin----Trinity is coming off of a solid 2-0 Win over WNEC. Bowdoin a disappointing 1-0 loss to Bates. Trinity has to play Bates on Sunday while Bowdoin only has this game for the weekend. Bowdoin has really struggled to find goals against Nescac competition as they have 1 Goal in 4 Nescac games while being shutout in their last 3 games. They seem to be playing well box to box but cannot finish anything. Bowdoin has a strong starting 11 but with a thin bench and few subs being used for long stretches of the game. Bowdoin has one of the better transition defenses in the league but it does them little good if they cannot score goals. Both teams desperately need a Nescac Win. Trinity will be in its 4-3-3 and have been using #6 Donaldson and #2 Morin at CB. Donaldson is more of an all around athlete with decent skill and Morin a big physical presence on the backline that battles but does lack pace. Wingbacks are a Frosh #15 Kaldor and #4 Merlin as these guys will be responsible for Bowdoin's dangerous outside guys like #4 Byrd. I am most impressed with Trinity's GK #1 Simoes as against Williams he made some courageous saves as he was not afraid to throw his body around to make those stops. Trinity's captain #7 Matule has been used in the middle of the field and also wide left. I expect him in the middle of the park in this game as Trinity will need his aggressiveness and battle in midfield. #3 Velez-Perez and #23 Bronson will round out the midfield. Velez-Perez is a tireless player but lacks some size in midfield while Bronson is one of Trinity's more technical players. If #7 Matule is out wide in this game then #11 Ackman will be in midfield and is a steady player. #9 Peterson will be up top and is coming off a Nescac Goal of the week after using his chest after a difficult pass at the top of the 18, turning his body towards goal and with his right foot volleyed it into the net. Sometimes he can get isolated up top and finds himself 1v2, 1v3 etc. #17 Traynor is wide right and has speed and skill but needs to hit the weights in the off season. Trinity's last Nescac Away Win was at Bowdoin in 2016 in OT. Will Bowdoin's struggles finishing be even more exposed in this game? Or will they come out gangbusters and find a goal or 2 and then sit back on the lead.       1-1



Hamilton at Colby----Hamilton is struggling right now at 2-4-1(0-4-0). They are coming off a Home back to back weekend sweep at the hands of Midd and Conn. They have another back to back weekend as they will travel to Tufts on Sunday. Like Bowdoin, Hamilton is having serious problems scoring goals. They have 1 Goal in 4 Nescac games and are struggling with the final pass and finishing. They have #28 Zimmerman back in the lineup up top to give them more size. They have skilled players behind him in #9 Dils and #8 Jordan. The Frosh #26 Rouhana and the veteran #10 Wetzel have the talent but must dig deep to find the goals. #7 Spencer Royal had a hat trick in the opener but has been quiet since then. GK #1 Ziegler got sacked against Conn in the 71th minute so I am not sure if he will be in net or if it was an injury. Hamilton has 6 GK's(this has to be an NCAA record) on the roster so there is plenty to choose from. Colby does not have a back to back weekend so they need only to focus on this game. Colby is a bit of an enigma at 3-3-1(1-1-1). They are coming off a disappointing Draw v Tufts as they gave up a late goal to squander what would have been a HUGE win for the program. Colby will have a size advantage in this game but I expect them to come out and play a little bit while still being cautious on the defensive end. When I saw them play they looked to be in a 4-1-4-1 with #9 Fabricant up top and the scrappy #22 Franco behind him. #22 Franco is quick and skilled and must be marked tight as he is cagey running off the ball and very intelligent anticipating rebounds and cough ups from the opposing GK . He used #26 O'Brien wide left and #17 Hawkins wide right. Some combination of either #10 Lemire or #17 Fletcher in midfield with #8 Sullivan. The backline has been led by 6'6 #5 Aboubacar Traore. The GK #1 Jackson did not play v Tufts so maybe he is injured? The GK who did play #13 Morin had to leave the game against Tufts because of injury. Hamilton must test Colby's GK and try to pounce on any scraps in the box. Colby has all the advantages in this game unless they show up over confident and get burned.   Colby 2-0




Midd at Conn----Both teams are coming off victories at Hamilton last weekend and both have brutal back to backs this weekend. Middlebury is rolling along at 6-0-0(3-0-0) and have given up only 1 Goal in 6 Games. They have not been scored upon in 3 weeks and the question is can that continue this weekend with games at Conn and v Amherst? Midd has some dangerous attacking players with #8 Barry wide left and #23 Saint-Louis wide right. Up top is #9 Reid although he came off the bench against Hamilton and was replaced by a Frosh #11 Roberts. Midd uses pinched midfielders which give wingers plenty of space to run box to box. When they lose the ball they transition into a 4-5-1 and get numbers behind the ball. Midd will try to play a bit when looking for the first goal of the game. Once they find that Goal they will be perfectly content to sit deep and counter to try to find an insurance tally but will not push or risk anything to great for a 2nd Goal. They will eventually get burned doing this but so far so good. That insurance goal is so important because it absolutely deflates the opponent. Midd GK #33 Ryan Grady is one of the finest GK's in the league. He is tough to beat and a natural shot stopper. Elias has settled on a backline of LB #16 Pape, CB's #32 O'Brien and #15 McFarlane and RB Frosh #25 Hank Nelson. Holding has been either Frosh #6 Eujin Chae or Frosh #30 Farrell. Whoever is starting will have to mark Conn's #14 Djerdjaj tight. Conn is off to a strong start after an opening day hiccup at Wheaton(MA). They are 4-2-0 (3-1-0) and are trying to play some futbol while scoring goals at a clip of 9 Goals in 4 Nescac Games. They had some dangerous chances against Amherst put could not put them away. Captain #25 Yeonas is playing well on the flank and will cause Midd wingbacks fits with all his cuts and fakes but Conn needs him to also score goals and right now he is not. Both he and Djerdjaj are basically 90 minute attacking players which means they are in top fitness. Conn's wingbacks #4 Mendo and #6 Horvath-Diano are not afraid to overlap and quickly counter which makes Conn a fun team to watch. They are not afraid to take risks to try to get goals. Defensively is another story as they need to focus on defending set pieces. While I know it can be tedious in practice,  it is essential to win games in Nescac. Conn zones with 2 players and the rest is man to man but Amherst scored its first goal off of a corner when #5 Cerezo lost his mark and Felix Wu burried it. Amherst 2nd goal was scored when #24 Kelesoglu failed to clear the ball fast enough and was picked off by Giammattei. These are the type of defensive breakdowns that need to be cleaned up if Conn is to replicate 2019.      Conn 2-1




Williams at Amherst----Amherst is coming off of a midweek Win over Stevens where it looks like they rested some players and switched starting lineups. Williams is coming off of a 2-1 Win at Home v Trinity. Amherst sits at 6-1-0(2-1-0) with Williams at 4-2-1 (1-1-1). I still have not seen Amherst play yet but they obviously have tons of talent and more importantly veteran talent. Amherst has a physical advantage that should force Williams to make a few changes in the lineup. They cannot expect to play the same way they have been playing at Home because Amherst will not let them. Amherst will press them hard and force long balls out of Williams or risk getting swiped in the back. The interesting thing is Williams has been pressing very hard all year also so if both teams press on a field that is barely 70 yards wide the game could degenerate into a game of long balls and giveaways. The width of the field and pressing takes away the advantage technical players have as they have no time on the ball to think or play futbol because 2 guys are ball hunting within seconds of a player receiving the ball. Whichever team makes fewer mistakes will win the game. Deep breaths.......1-1




Bates at Tufts-----Tufts is 6-0-1(2-0-1) and coming off a 1-0 OT Win at Babson. Bates is 5-2-0(2-1-0) and coming off an important 1-0 Win at Bowdoin midweek. Bates, like Colby, is a bit of an enigma as you are just not sure which team is showing up. My guess is they will be absolutely pumped for this game but that doesn't always translate into results. I expect them to play much more cautiously as they should come out in a 4-2-3-1. Defend with 6 and attack with 4. #8 Keleher will need to do the heavy lifting in midfield if Bates is to score a goal or two. Tufts looks to have some serious injuries which Bates could take advantage of. #11 Mati Cano who has 5 Goals and 2 Assists did not play at Babson. #10 Seigelstein has not played in a couple weeks. #9 Max Jacobs has yet to play a game and #7 Alex Ratzan just came back in time to score the winning goal at Babson. Still it will take time for him to get match fit. Tufts might use both #6 Enge and #13 Van Brewer in midfield along with Aroh holding. This means that Bates does not necessarily need #6 Hohmann's size holding. They could decide to put more quickness in the lineup in midfield to counter Tufts and put the big guy up top as a target to confuse and force Tufts to mark him tight. Bates will need to be creative with their lineup to get out of Medford with a result.        Tufts 2-1

[PaulNewman]

OK, I'll say it.  FC St.Pauli is gonna take a minute to get used to...

Regarding the NESCAC game previews above, FC St.Pauli has been doing these for years.  Excellent, interesting analysis always.

Most impressive, though, to me is the capacity to essentially name and number virtually every starter and often the key subs for every single team.  I could not do that even for teams I check in on regularly.  I could do 4-5 players for a team like Tufts, OWU, maybe Calvin and a few others...I also couldn't spout out the formations of all these teams either without a very intentional, concerted effort.

[PaulNewman]

Big weekend for the NESCAC in general, but I think especially for Middlebury.  Will the Panthers back up the hype with two huge wins or at least a win and a draw?  I suppose they could live with a split.  Two losses or a loss and a draw imo would drop them down a notch.

Williams also has a great opportunity to make a statement against the same teams Midd is facing but in reverse order.  And the Ephs have a very important almost certain to be ranked win over RPI in their pocket.  Not sure anyone else on their non-conference will be ranked (regionally) at tourney selection time.

[Mr.Right]

Thanks appreciate it. I'll initial the handle to make it easier

[PaulNewman]

No real surprises in the NESCAC today, unless one considers Conn at home edging Midd late with a PK a very mild surprise.  Conn Coll looking very much like a top 25 squad and Midd will drop a little.  GG gets one late for Amherst as the Mammoths prevail in typical fashion.  Tufts just keeps going.

[d4_Pace]

Tufts with another dominant victory 3-0 over Hamilton to seal the 6 point weekend. Two goals from Aroh and another from van Brewer. First goal from Aroh was a volley into the top far corner from 15 yards out that was as good of a goal as you'll see at this level. With 4 goals so far Aroh has to be the leading candidate for conference player of the year at the halfway point of the NESCAC season.

[d4_Pace]

Amherst beats Midd 1-0 as the panthers completely fall back to earth with an 0-2 weekend. More so than I've seen in the past Amherst really just packed it in after getting the lead. And it wouldn't be an Amherst game without players on both teams having to be separated and held back after the full time whistle.

[PaulNewman]

Yup, Tufts and Amherst again it is.  Feeling good about ranking Amherst #4 but Midd will need adjustment although losses to Conn away and Amherst or Tufts anywhere aren't huge surprises. 

[d4_Pace]

Yeah I only saw a bit of this game but Middlebury looks solid but just below the truly elite level. I could easily see them winning the Nescac tourney since anyone can win that and making a sweet sixteen or an elite 8 with the right draw.

[JEFFFAN]

Bear with me because I am new to the soccer site but not new to the NESCAC football and basketball sites.  At the risk of asking a "loaded" question, and largely in response to the comment about my LJeffs raising a bit of trouble in games, what are the reputations of the various teams this days?   Again - if too loaded a question don't bother to answer!

[d4_Pace]

I played at Tufts and have no love lost for Amherst so I'm as biased as they come. That being said I think in general the Amherst coach doesn't have the best reputation in terms of his antics. That is also reflected by the way the team carries itself on and off the field. I think every team in the Nescac would circle Amherst as their most hyped up game despite Tufts being the more successful program the last 7 years.

Funnily enough I've become friends with some Amherst guys and run into others in bars post graduation and they are all great guys but for four years I couldn't stand them.

[PaulNewman]

I played at Tufts and have no love lost for Amherst so I'm as biased as they come. That being said I think in general the Amherst coach doesn't have the best reputation in terms of his antics. That is also reflected by the way the team carries itself on and off the field. I think every team in the Nescac would circle Amherst as their most hyped up game despite Tufts being the more successful program the last 7 years.

Funnily enough I've become friends with some Amherst guys and run into others in bars post graduation and they are all great guys but for four years I couldn't stand them.

After hearing about this Amherst issue for years I wonder if the real deal is similar to "love him if he's on your team (and will go to the wall for him) and can't stand him if he's not."  Imo Tufts and Amherst have both built strong cultures with active and loyal alumni bases.  Tufts has impressed with its social media and semi-documentary videos, but they seem to share a lot of similarities.  And I don't get the sense that Amherst players are unduly intimidated and most or all seem to love or at least highly respect the guy.