NESCAC

[maineman]

Checked on the Midd vs. Wesleyan game to see a classic bit of NESCAC play and refereeing. Reid gets in behind the defense on a long ball and is tripped up just inside the box by the only Wes defender in the same zip code. Ref calls a PK after consulting with his sideline ref, which I think was right but it was tough to tell from the camera's and center ref's angle. Now for the NESCAC bit - no card given to the defender on a clear last man foul.

Reid take the PK low and to hit right, hits it reasonably well. Wes keeper makes a phenomenal save getting off his line and down quickly, doing enough with the rebound.

Does anybody knowi f you win a NESCAC playoff game that goes to PKs, does that count as a tie for both teams in NCAA stats or is it a win and a loss for the respective teams?

It is a tie for both teams in NCAA stats.   The only exception is if the game happens to be the NCAA DIII national championship title game, if I recall correctly.

So, Midd and Wes have identical records right now for NCAA rankings, but Midd will have to play another game.  Should Midd lose next week to whomever advances, they will have one more loss than Wes while playing one additional game.  Could the tie today exposing them to an underdog game actually hurt them in the NCAA rankings since should Midd lose next week they will pick up an addition blemish while Wes will be idle.  Or will Midds superior head on head record with Wes of 1-0-1 keep the Panthers in front?

[deiscanton]

Checked on the Midd vs. Wesleyan game to see a classic bit of NESCAC play and refereeing. Reid gets in behind the defense on a long ball and is tripped up just inside the box by the only Wes defender in the same zip code. Ref calls a PK after consulting with his sideline ref, which I think was right but it was tough to tell from the camera's and center ref's angle. Now for the NESCAC bit - no card given to the defender on a clear last man foul.

Reid take the PK low and to hit right, hits it reasonably well. Wes keeper makes a phenomenal save getting off his line and down quickly, doing enough with the rebound.

Does anybody knowi f you win a NESCAC playoff game that goes to PKs, does that count as a tie for both teams in NCAA stats or is it a win and a loss for the respective teams?

It is a tie for both teams in NCAA stats.   The only exception is if the game happens to be the NCAA DIII national championship title game, if I recall correctly.

So, Midd and Wes have identical records right now for NCAA rankings, but Midd will have to play another game.  Should Midd lose next week to whomever advances, they will have one more loss than Wes while playing one additional game.  Could the tie today exposing them to an underdog game actually hurt them in the NCAA rankings since should Midd lose next week they will pick up an addition blemish while Wes will be idle.  Or will Midds superior head on head record with Wes of 1-0-1 keep the Panthers in front?

Middlebury will play Tufts in one semifinal, while Colby will play Connecticut College.  Colby tied with Amherst, 0-0, and advanced 4-3 on kicks from the mark in 5 rounds.

[d4_Pace]

Amherst goes down to Colby in penalties as German misses the final penalty. Colby continues as the king of the first round upset. I believe the NESCAC reseeds so it will be Conn-Colby and Tufts-Midd. All games will be at Conn where the field is going to be an absolute disaster.

[PaulNewman]

Very disappointing exit for Amherst today.  Mr.Right had a hunch I think.  Dominated the stats but have to be able to get at least one at home over 110 minutes with arguably the best offensive threat in D3.  They were missing #10 Cubeddu and he's a big loss if he out for an extended period as he can make plays through the middle and potentially get GG more looks.  Okorogheye #23 can be dangerous but almost always plays wide, and many of his forays ultimately are fruitless.  But full credit to Colby.  They went on a long trip to a tough place to play against a notoriously difficult opponent and found a way to prevail.

Underrated big win for Conn.  Williams had to have the game and the Conn quality came through.

Wesleyan and Midd in another classic scoreless NESCAC affair.  Midd advances and now gets Tufts.  I think Wes still is in pretty good shape for Pool C.

I guess Tufts didn't like getting a little criticism.  3-0 over Bowdoin.  The Polar Bears were in trouble inside of 5 minutes when a van Brewer free kick that seemed like more cross than shot found the upper right corner off the GK's hand.

[College Soccer Observer]

Wes at Midd:

Goalkeepers were the stars of the show.  Devanny for Wes shut down an early Midd breakaway.  Grady for Midd an excellent diving save to deny Wes about 25 minutes in.  Devanny several more good stops in second half, including a PK from Reid and a breakaway.  Grady stopped his own 1 v 1 with about 20 minutes left. 

Wes tried to play a lot of quick cominations through the middle and used Harmaty as a target forward to lay balls off.  They were not really able to threaten from any long balls into the box or crosses from the outside.  Midd created more chances but did not finish well.  Grady dove to his left to stop the first pk, and the rest of the shooters for both teams converted.  Hannam for Midd was particularly cold-blooded with his, waiting several seconds after the whistle to freeze Devanny and then burying his shot high in the corner to Devanny's right.

[Mr.Right]

Weekend Recap: I will post one at a time.

Colby at Amherst----I had asked if Colby had the guts to go to Amherst and get a result. The answer was yes they did. The Mules and the Mammoths left it all on the rain soaked field. This was a fantastic College Soccer game not for its pureness but for its entertainment. The weather was a factor but in a fun way. It was two teams of Warriors battling to keep their seasons going.

Colby tinkered with their starting lineup and it helped big time. Colby made sure to put their best athletes on the field. Some might not have had the best skill but they busted their ass and did everything necessary to defeat Amherst. Colby put 6'4 Senior Captain #10 Nicholas Lemire at RB and 6'4 Senior #20 Jared Wood at LB. At CB Colby had 6'2 #27 Jered Garrison with Senior #14 Grant Pugh. These 4 players played all 110 minutes, mostly on their heels, but really did well dealing with Amherst most dangerous players in attack. They were not afraid to throw their bodies around and physically battle. Wood and Garrison are pure athletes more than pure Soccer players and that is fine. In D3 Soccer you can get away with that with a couple players. Pugh and Lemire bring skill and smarts to the game. Lemire dealt with Amherst #9 as well as he could and Pugh had a smart conservative game yesterday. The mixture of these players gave Colby a more active responsive backline. It worked well. Colby's central midfield of 6'2 Senior #17 Jack Fletcher, 6'1 Senior #8 Colin Sullivan and Junior #26 Aidan O'Brien really battled all day to disrupt Amherst play. Again not the best skill but not terrible either as all three contributed in different ways. Fletcher's quads resemble tree trunks so he looks a bit leg heavy but he moves ok for a big guy and has a real work ethic. O'Brien battled and battled helping his defense any way that he could. Sullivan is a mix of both as he has flashes of skill but can also tackle hard. Out wide was Soph sensation #22 Ethan Franco who has played well all year. Amherst dealt with him for the most part throughout the match. Senior #11 Paul Hawkins was wide right and 6'3 Senior #9 Ethan Fabricant was up top as the target. I think that was the best game I have ever seen Fabricant play. He was hustling all over the field. Checking to the ball and laying off and even had a couple of chances himself to score. He had a great chance off of an Ethan Franco corner kick as he headed it on goal beating Hope-Gund but Amherst #3 ten Cate smartly read the play and cleared the ball off the line.

Amherst did have the better of the play and chances. In the 1st half Amherst dominated as they had Colby pinned into their end for long stretches. Amherst #9 and #23 Okorogheye each had 3 solid chances to score some beautiful goals but they either just mi**** it or Colby GK #1 Jackson was up to the task. Amherst #9 got in twice 1v1 with GK and mi**** one as Colby CB #14 Pugh slid in to save the other chance. Amherst holder #3 ten Cate is an absolute player. The kid is a competitor and really showed well all game. I also liked #13 Niall Murphy up top and out wide. He is also a competitive kid that had a couple chances to score. A great turn in the 1st half got him space to rip a left footed shot but it was hit right at Colby GK Jackson. Okorogheye had a great one timed volley that Jackson had to dive for and save, which he did but then proceeded to cough up a juicy rebound that Amherst #9 could have finished. Okorogheye also had a nice header off a RB #5 Bryce Johnson long throw early in the 1st half but could not finish. LB #33 Gabe Gitler played well in the match and also had a serious hit as he lifted a left footed rocket on goal from just outside the 18 but again it was hit right at Jackson. I also was impressed with #18 Jonny Novak as he has some wheels and will be needed along with Murphy up top next year.

Both teams gave it everything they had and that is all you can ask for in College Soccer. They both deserve credit but Colby now gets another week of practice before heading down to Camp Conn next weekend. Amherst will get 2 weeks off before it plays its next game and I think they will benefit from it.

[maineman]

So how many teams can the NESCAC expect to get in the tournament?  The regional rankings on Wed may help with making a guess.  Is it fair to say that Conn Coll, Amh and Tufts have already punched their tickets to the NCAAs?  What will is take for 4 or 5 teams to make it, namely, Midd and Wes?

[Mr.Right]

Bowdoin at Tufts----A nasty weather game played on a crappy wet turf. The score was not indicative of Bowdoin's play even if Tufts deserved the Win. Box to box Bowdoin looked solid enough but GK'ing and finishing were lacking in this game. Bowdoin's backup GK #24 Chris Kingston has to be blamed for the first goal. Tufts #13 Van Brewer 4 minutes in hit a set piece from midfield on goal that the wind carried over Kingston's out stretched mitt and into the back of the net. 1-0 Tufts but Bowdoin did not drop their heads as they were looking for the tying goal the rest of the half. The Polar Bears had stretches of holding possession in both halves that were positive. Striker #21 Charlie Ward was fed a nice thru ball by #5 Minseo Bae that had him in on goal outside the box on his left foot. He should have ripped it with his left but instead brought the ball back to his favored right foot only to get it stripped. Another chance was late in the 2nd Half as #8 Juantorena had a fantastic header off a corner that Tufts GK #0 Erik Lauta made a tremendous save on. Bowdoin did possess with progression at times but either the final ball was lacking or Tufts defense broke up the play. In the future Bowdoin will have to create more chances from their possession as they might of had 3-4 dangerous chances all game. That might have been enough 5 years ago but the league has changed and if you are not scoring goals you are losing games.

Tufts got its 2nd goal off a corner. #8 Woovin Shin sent a perfect ball into the mixer and #3 Ian Daly went up and got the ball with his noggin. He was marked by Bowdoin's LB #7 Ben Brown who got out muscled by Daly on the play. 2-0 Tufts about 5 minutes before halftime. Tufts got a 3rd Goal late in the match by #12 Mikey Brady. Brady had a great rip and proved to me that he might be a better striker than I thought. A perfect striker's finish as he laced it right into the corner of the net in traffic outside the box. Tufts will need him as their target man in the future if he can finish like that. I also thought Tufts central midfield #13 Van Brewer, #6 Enge and #5 Aroh played a key role by disrupting Bowdoin in their attacking 3rd. Bowdoin had barely a split second to make decisions on the ball as Tufts pressed and pounced on Bowdoin players when they received the ball in Tufts half. That more than anything is what Tufts Men's Soccer is all about. They do not allow their opponent time on the ball. Striker #11 Mati Cano was in street clothes and LB #26 Gibson Campbell again did not play. #4 Max Cook stepped into LB for Campbell and showed well throughout the game. #19 Sean Traynor was much more active in this game as he needs to stay aggressive and keep working 1v1 so he can be a real threat on the flank. One last note the Captain and starting RCB #16 Biagio Paoletta left the game late in the 2nd Half in what looked to be a reaggravated injury. Tufts cannot afford anymore injuries if they are to make a run at the title.

[Mr.Right]

So how many teams can the NESCAC expect to get in the tournament?  The regional rankings on Wed may help with making a guess.  Is it fair to say that Conn Coll, Amh and Tufts have already punched their tickets to the NCAAs?  What will is take for 4 or 5 teams to make it, namely, Midd and Wes?

I would say we have to wait and see. Colby's emergence this past weekend could prove fatal for bubble teams if they continue to advance. Amherst, Tufts and Conn are locks. Middlebury is on the right side of the bubble but still might need to advance past Tufts on Saturday. Wesleyan should still be practicing this week in preparation for an NCAA bid but they need help from other bubble teams as they are in a tough spot. Their 4-0 Win over a 1-13-1 Fitchburg State could be their death knell but I would not be surprised if they snuck in out of their Last 4 in / First 4 out current positioning. I am most curious to see if Bowdoin continues practicing this week with a 9-5-2 record. IMO they are finished but we have seen in the past that the committee does make a surprising pick here and there. This is where Bowdoin's non conference schedule absolutely kills them. You cannot expect sympathy when 5 of your Wins are against inferior competition.

[College Soccer Observer]

If it comes down to Midd or Wesleyan, I would think Midd has to get the nod.  Identical records and conference records, but Midd went 1-0-1 vs Wes.

[d4_Pace]

I think this weeks regional rankings will be interesting and revealing. If Midd is behind Wesleyan in this week's rankings then they will need a result against Tufts. I'm also curious to see how Tufts, Amherst, and Conn are ranked. Conn went 2-0. Tufts went 1-0-1 both games against ranked Bowdoin so that will improve RVR and SOS. Amherst also 1-0-1 but versus Colby and Trinity which will drop SOS.

[PaulNewman]

If it comes down to Midd or Wesleyan, I would think Midd has to get the nod.  Identical records and conference records, but Midd went 1-0-1 vs Wes.

You're probably right but also could come down to little things like whether Springfield stays ranked, whether Williams stays ranked.  Midd also at least last week had a mild edge on SoS.  Instead of choosing may be easier for cmte to just take both of them.

It's very possible we could see 5 NESCACs and 5 UAAs which obviously would eat up 8 Pool Cs.

[PaulNewman]

I think this weeks regional rankings will be interesting and revealing. If Midd is behind Wesleyan in this week's rankings then they will need a result against Tufts. I'm also curious to see how Tufts, Amherst, and Conn are ranked. Conn went 2-0. Tufts went 1-0-1 both games against ranked Bowdoin so that will improve RVR and SOS. Amherst also 1-0-1 but versus Colby and Trinity which will drop SOS.

Are you just curious because curious, or because looking ahead to hosting decisions?  Conn has 2 more ranked wins also, IF Williams stays ranked, but at least 1 with win over Wesleyan.

[d4_Pace]

Yeah I think all three teams can be pretty confident they are in the tournament so at this point they are looking forward to first round pods. I think 2/3 will probably host but maybe all 3 get a pod opening weekend. Its really hard to tell how that is going to play out sometimes with all the other factors involved.

[PaulNewman]

Yeah I think all three teams can be pretty confident they are in the tournament so at this point they are looking forward to first round pods. I think 2/3 will probably host but maybe all 3 get a pod opening weekend. Its really hard to tell how that is going to play out sometimes with all the other factors involved.

Right, and hosting chances increase because at least one of those will likely be in a different quadrant.