NESCAC

[d4_Pace]

Tufts take care of business in the second half to open the season 5-0 against MIT. Hard to take away many conclusions from this given the level of MIT. The program seems to really have taken a step back over the last few years. Its not an easy place to recruit but MIT was disappointing.

[EnmoreCat]

I was only able to watch the first half of Amherst/MSV and not as well as I would have liked due to be being at work.  I am still getting used to the style, but the Mammoths pressed very hard early on and were rewarded with two early goals.  It seemed like the Dolphins were struggling with the aerial power that Amherst possesses.  I think the second half saw a bit of rotation, which probably makes sense given it was 4-0 to Amherst, but I don't really know more than that.  I know that Middlebury is massive on Saturday and look forward to attending and will try and give a more detailed rundown after that.

[D3Coach]

I'm still curious about what's going on at Bates . . .

I have no information but as per usual will offer up a guess. An August resignation suggests he was forced out by some combination of Administration / Player Job reviews that show up at the end of the year in June. Maybe he had 3 years of consistently bad reviews and the school offered him a generous severance and he took it? Maybe he was told this was his last year and resigned before the season started? Maybe the school and HC were not a good fit? Either way these schools need to understand timing and waiting until a month before the season begins to do this is not good for anyone involved including the current players. These admin/player reviews should be evaluated a month or two after your season ends and then a decision should be hashed out in January, NOT JUNE. They should not wait until the end of the academic calendar but unfortunately they do this because that is how the contracts for Faculty / Staff are set up.

Bates wll be an improved side with a veteran backline but in such a loaded conference like Nescac it could be tough sledding in 2022.

So, former Bates coach here.  First Fall I'm not a D3 head for a decade.  And what a fun decade it was.  From Mount Aloysius to Bates in 6 years, then building a forever home with my wife in Maine only to sell it two years later.  LIFE! 

I appreciate Mr. Right speculating in favor of backing the coaching profession.  It's not an easy one, but an incredibly rewarding one.  I never lost the team, because I always respected them.  I can't imagine I was batting 1.000 in terms of being a beloved coach to all my players, but all knew my passion and love for them/the game.  But to answer Another Mom's question directly.  No scandal, nothing untoward.  Certainly, if things were perfect I wouldn't have been looking to possibly depart, but after serving as head of 4 D3s at various levels, nowhere is perfect.  I left on my own accord after 4 positive reviews and 4 subsequent customary raises. 

I suppose some coaches and players don't pop on here to read the board, but as we were aiming to elevate the program at Bates my captains and I would take a look for any locker room material.  Certainly, if we play and coach the games someone can judge them.  I think it's great and I hope to add insight where I can. 

I wanted to set the record straight as I'm still coaching in New England and a man is as good as their reputation.  And a man's reputation should be based on what they protect.  I left Bates, because we had an offer on our house I couldn't refuse.  We walked away from that sale completing our daughter's college fund for a place like Bates should they be so deserving someday.  After a decade away from "home," 8 years away with my wife, the time was right to return to my 80-year old father and mom to help out and live in my childhood home (my wife from the same town).  Our daughters will have their first birthdays, weekends and holidays with family.  Can't put a price on that.

The timing stunk and my admins didn't love it (neither did I!) but our house closing took longer than expected and it allowed for my asst and now interim head at Bates to ascend as the perfect fit to lead the program at this time as Coach Riskind bleeds Bates garnet.  He helped hold the rope with an overall resilient ncaa generation through the COVID season and helped us in a campaign where we endured a lot of things thrown the team's way.  We still walked away with a respectable 3 NESCAC wins (and a first ever written apology from a ref and ref assigner regarding a 4th game that should've been ours).  Forgive me if I send like a whiner or a homer, but my intent is to be defender of a great group of Bates lads that if I was still at the helm would expect top half of nescac this season like in my second campaign pre-COVID.  They're young, (the current frosh as my last recruited class is terrific with great character) as talented as most, and playing soccer "hard and together" again.

Hope to see folks around the New England fall soccer scene.  Nothing better!

[Another Mom]

Coach, thank you for coming on here. Your reputation precedes you, I can tell you among soccer families dealing with recruitment it really couldn't be better. I want to be clear that I wasn't speculating.  If I had to guess I was thinking something was going on with the school.

The soccer world is a small one, I'm sure you can figure out who I am too :-)

[D3Coach]

Coach, thank you for coming on here. Your reputation precedes you, I can tell you among soccer families dealing with recruitment it really couldn't be better. I want to be clear that I wasn't speculating.  If I had to guess I was thinking something was going on with the school.

The soccer world is a small one, I'm sure you can figure out who I am too :-)

All good, I didn't receive it as such and the timing begs the question.  Bates kids are in great hands and my own kids are happier.  All that matters.

And thanks for the kind words.  One game over .500 at Bates in three years isn't worth writing home about.  I was initially flying by the seat of my pants with recruiting at that academic level.  I ultimately wanted no surprises come decision day after we had a surprise my first recruiting class in 2018.  My adjustment was to often be measured and ambiguous where I maybe wanted to grab a kid and his family and scream "we want you, but no guarantees you'll get in!".  We missed out on a bunch of kids I could have MAYBE gotten in, but it wasn't worth the risk of certainty to all in a recruited class.  A lot of coaches, as most could figure, are what admissions will and won't do for respective programs.  Schools certainly tier sports.  I've too much info on that!

My former asst at Knox who then took that program to two ncaa appearances is now at Randolph and playing against your son. Tall task, but he's loving the ODAC.  All the best

[Mr.Right]

Mr Right, do you think we can get this MA weather sorted out please?  I am flying in from Sydney and will be at the Mammoths' game against Middlebury on Saturday.  Sydney had one of its wettest winters on record this year, I am really keen to see some sun!.

Just looked and you should have 75 and Sun for the weekend back to back (Midd / Thomas). After that long flight and probably a lost bag or two I hope you enjoy a great weekend with your son.

[Mr.Right]

Coach, thank you for coming on here. Your reputation precedes you, I can tell you among soccer families dealing with recruitment it really couldn't be better. I want to be clear that I wasn't speculating.  If I had to guess I was thinking something was going on with the school.

The soccer world is a small one, I'm sure you can figure out who I am too :-)

All good, I didn't receive it as such and the timing begs the question.  Bates kids are in great hands and my own kids are happier.  All that matters.

And thanks for the kind words.  One game over .500 at Bates in three years isn't worth writing home about.  I was initially flying by the seat of my pants with recruiting at that academic level.  I ultimately wanted no surprises come decision day after we had a surprise my first recruiting class in 2018.  My adjustment was to often be measured and ambiguous where I maybe wanted to grab a kid and his family and scream "we want you, but no guarantees you'll get in!".  We missed out on a bunch of kids I could have MAYBE gotten in, but it wasn't worth the risk of certainty to all in a recruited class.  A lot of coaches, as most could figure, are what admissions will and won't do for respective programs.  Schools certainly tier sports.  I've too much info on that!

My former asst at Knox who then took that program to two ncaa appearances is now at Randolph and playing against your son. Tall task, but he's loving the ODAC.  All the best

I appreciate the courage and candor in your writing. You are are still a "young guy" with a great HC'ing resume. I am sure you will be right back in "the Game" when you are ready. I wish you nothing but the best.

[Mr.Right]

Amherst News / Notes / Housecleaning:

-Amherst lost 10 Seniors from its 2021 side including its whole starting backline. That is 1/3 of your roster leaving.

-Amherst is a young side with only 4 Seniors(GK #1 Bernie White, CM #8 Alex Shahmirzadi, Hybrid #24 Andrew Barkidjija and CB #27 Nico Kenary) in 2022. All four of these young men are 5th year's so they have personally sacrificed for their program and have been on campus since the Fall of 2018. Shahmirzadi has had a fantastic career and will look to end it on a high note. He was pulling the strings nicely in Tuesday's game with some brilliant thru balls. I am expecting big things for Barkidjija this year if he can stay healthy. He is fast enough to be a winger / wingback but also physical and athletic enough to play centrally. He was used as a winger against CMSTV, BUT before the year is out do not be surprised to see him on the backline. Amherst might need his speed on the backline and while he lacks size to be a CB he makes up for it in want and desire. The kid has a nose for the ball and showed it on his Goal against CMSTV the 3rd Goal of the Game. He has plenty of courage. White has plenty of experience in net and Kenary seems to be a really solid leader.

-Amherst played on the turf(Gooding Field) and have now successfully stationed a camera at midfield. Props for that.

-Seems all Amherst and Williams athletic contests will be now archived "On-Demand" for free. Props for that because last year if you did not catch the Game live you were not given an option for On-Demand. The Game would disappear into "thin air".

-Random Fact I learned on the broadcast: 30% of Amherst students are Varsity Athletes.

-Random Fact I read in the Edmonton Journal: A Hockey Goalie will have an extra 40lbs of equipment on for a Game.

-University of Maryland is 2-1-1 with a 6-1 thrashing of Virginia on Monday. #17 German Giammattei has played in all 4 Games, starting 3 and while going scoreless in his first 3 starts got sacked and came off the bench against Virginia. In 25 min he scored a Goal and had an Assist with 3 SOG so the benching lit a fire under his ass. He has been averaging about 45-50 min a Game. The other transfer Maryland brought in was an all-MAAC player from Marist who is also a striker. He has played in all 4 Games but has yet to score so German up to date has been more productive on the score sheet for the Terps. I will be following all season and rooting for him as all D3 players should.

-Serpone's wife left her job as HC of UMASS Women's Lax for Deerfield Academy after this past season. There were rumors of Serpone applying for that Deerfield AD job a few years back but not sure how true they were. Either way something to watch for as maybe BOTH of them want to get back to teaching / coaching / admin in the Preps instead of College. You can still Coach plus also Teach and there is much less focus on recruiting and more time for family. Good for her as she turned that UMASS Women's Lax program around.

https://umassathletics.com/news/2022/5/27/womens-lacrosse-angela-mcmahon-serpone-steps-down-as-head-coach-of-massachusetts-womens-lacrosse.aspx

The Game:

Starters:
Amherst had a huge size advantage and were in their customary 4-3-3. LB #15 Adrian Trott(Frosh), LCB #27 Nico Kenary, RCB #33 Simon Kalinauskas(U of West Virginia Transfer) and the RB #11 Johnny Novak. Holding was #3 Laurens ten Cate with #8 Alex Shahmirzadi linking and #9 Declan Sung attacking. Wide left #23 Ada Okorugheye, Wide Right #7 Niall Murphy and up Top #28 Fynn Hayton-Ruffner.

Did Not Play:
#10 Ignacio Cubeddu

Bench:
#21 Wyatt McCarthy took over for #3 ten Cate holding after ten Cate got sacked 10 minutes into the game after a dust-up in the middle of the field with a bunch of pushing and yelling and grabbing. HC Serpone could not afford losing him against Midd so he sat him for the rest of the Game.
#24 Andrew Barkidjija came on wide right for Niall Murphy. Barkidjija showed the bite he had as a Frosh last night and should be of big help to this team in 2022. I do not think he will be coming off the bench for long just not sure which position he will be needed at the most. It will depend on if he stays healthy. Murphy showed well with his tenacity and also was rewarded with a Goal on a follow up on a low rip from Declan Sung that the GK bobbled away on the wet turf. Murphy shows that you always follow shots up especially in wet weather and Sung shows keep those rips down and you will be rewarded.
#32 Aiden Curtis came on wide left for #23 Okorugheye. Okorugheye looked as dangerous as ever on the left flank Tuesday night and was playing unselfishly looking to release his teammates in on goal. Still he will be relied upon to be Amherst leading Goal Scorer this season and his finishing MUST be clean this year if Amherst is too make another deep NCAA run.
#17 Shawn Rapal for #28 Hayton-Ruffner up top. Rapal is a massive tree up top and could become a huge target for Amherst on set pieces. The 6'8 Rapal skies over everyone but the one free header he had he misdirected it. If I were Amherst HC for 2022 I would take Murphy, Rapal, Hayton-Ruffner, Okorugheye and maybe 2 more and work on finishing drills 30-45 min every day. 3-4 different finishing drills with and without wingers  to help these guys find consistency in Game situations.
#81 Ryan Gomez came on for #8 Shahmirzadi late in the 1st Half and that was the last we saw of #8 as he was being saved for Midd with a 4-0 Halftime lead in their pocket. I need to see more of Gomez but Shahmirzadi gave his usual 100% best effort with some beautiful thru balls 1st Half.
#19 Micah Valadez Bush came on late for #9 Declan Sung but I need to see more before commenting. Cannot make a judgement yet but I thought Declan Sung worked his ass off and for however long Cubeddu is out this kid will fill in nicely.
#2 Ben King came on at LB and #29 Eads Fouche came on as a RB.

The Game:

Amherst defeated CMSTV(College of Mount Saint Vincent) 4-1 on Tuesday night.  A rainy and "wet turf" type Game which always makes slide tackling all the more fun. It is also all the more risky for cards as some of the guys do not have full control of their bodies when they leave their feet and enter the air. An entertaining Game with both teams playing some excellent futbol on the turf. The Amherst backs were still blasting away but the attacking six players really played as unselfishly as I had seen in a long time for Amherst. They kept the ball on the turf and were making forward runs with some excellent thru balls especially in the 1st Half. CMSTV to their own detriment kept the ball on the carpet all night. I love the style but against an Amherst press you absolutely cannot play 5-10 yard square balls in your defensive 3rd. Cortland State made this same error in the 2021 Sweet 16 at Amherst last year. CMSTV flat out refused to blast the ball long in their defensive 3rd when they were under pressure and paid the price early spotting Amherst 2 Goals in the first 5 minutes.

CMSTV was picked 2nd in the Skyline Preseason poll behind Manhattanville(who Amherst will play in a week) but I thought they played some great futbol. They have skill and kept the ball on the carpet but like I said previous in their defensive 3rd against Amherst pressure you cannot fool around with the ball and make these ridiculous 5-10 yard backward passes or square balls. Possession teams MUST adjust against Amherst press or any high press for that matter and CMSTV did not. Still they made an impression on me because of their roster and their skill. #18 Dominic Algieri a Frosh was their most impressive player. He busted his butt all night up top and his speed and skill were causing Amherst CB's some problems on the night. A fun player to watch and he will only get better.

Amherst will score Goals this season but their question mark has to be the back 4. A brand new back 4 against Middlebury on Saturday and you know Midd will be testing them. Both Amherst CB's #33 Kalinauskas and #27 Kenary are 6'5 and 6'4 respectively but they both lack some pace which a team like Middlebury could take advantage of. The wingbacks are completely inexperienced so I fully expect Midd to go at Amherst with their fast wingers. Should be a real good game Saturday in a rematch of last years epic Elite 8 battle.

[EnmoreCat]

Amherst 1 Middlebury 1

Firstly, a real pleasure to meet College Soccer Observer, how he picked out the Australian accent, I will never know.

Secondly, I can't tell you who the eventual NESCAC, let alone D3 winner, will be.  But I can tell you that today I saw the absolute minimum effort that will be required to do so.  Both teams should be congratulated for maximum effort in what were trying conditions. 

Today, was about contrasting styles and both teams had periods of domination.  Amherst caught Middlebury cold in the first half when a flick on header was skilfully taken on and put away.  If you blinked, you missed it. 1-0 at half-time, just about fair through biased purple eyes.  Second half, Middlebury got one back not long in, after Amherst failed to lock the ball in on a corner.  Middlebury pounced with a stunning breakaway with a tidy finish by their striker.  At that stage it felt like they were in control and it was only in the last 10-15 minutes that the Mammoths rallied and in the end could have easily taken all 3 points, with a couple of set pieces just lacking the finishing touch.

All up, I would say a fair result, played by two competitive teams.  I am looking forward to Thomas tomorrow.

[EnmoreCat]

Amherst 10 Thomas 0

Amherst put out a strong starting 11, but in under 30 minutes, it was 3-0 and there was a rotation in favour of those who hadn't seen much game time so far.  Credit to Thomas, they never gave up and kept trying to play, but it wasn't their day. Interestingly, they had enjoyed a 10-0 victory yesterday.  My task for the D3 MSOC historians, to identify a more material reversal

[Mr.Right]

Got sidetracked for a few days and was unable to write but I did catch every game except two(Hamilton at Trinity and Bowdoin at Bates) this past weekend. A few thoughts:


-In easily the most entertaining Game of the Nescac Opening Weekend slate Wesleyan defeated Colby 4-3 at Home as BOTH teams showed well with some fantastic Goals. Cue up the first Goal of the Game from Colby's #25 Mario Simoes of which I cannot find a highlight??? A Wesleyan giveaway at midfield was picked up by the venerable workhorse Aidan O'Brien. He played the quick and skilled winger #11 Justin Lauer who then found Simoes with a nice thru ball to feet. It was still 3 Colby attacking players going at 4 Wes defenders as Colby did not have numbers on the play but Simoes took a couple giant confident strides across the field with the ball at his feet. As soon as Wes saw Simoes was going to have "a go" TWO defenders stepped into his shooting path but it still did not matter as Simoes absolutely ripped a 25 yard bomb to beat Wes GK #0 Liam Devanny far post.

-Both Colby and Wes(like all D3 teams) showed some early season rust especially on the defensive end but I thought Wesleyan started to take over the Game by the middle of the 2nd Half as Colby started to wear down a bit. Wesleyan used the width of the field and were playing some nice futbol with excellent combination play especially from #8 Rubinstein and #10 Ruehlemann. Wesleyan did have a calamity on Colby's 2nd Goal right before Halftime(The Goal gave Colby a 2-1 lead at the Half) with a series of defensive blunders leading to Colby's #21 Josh Rubin's Goal. Colby was more direct but have some serious danger men in attack(#22 Ethan Franco, #25 Mario Simeos, #9 Ethan Fabricant and #21 Josh Rubin) with a workhorse midfield including #26 Aiden O'Brien and #8 Colin Sullivan, a veteran backline led by #14 Grant Pugh, #10 Nicholas Lemire and #20 Jared Wood and fast wingers including #11 Lauer. I will take a closer look at Colby and Wes in the weeks to come but both these teams will be "in the hunt" before all is said and done as I am expecting them to be knocking on the door of the Top 4 in the Table throughout the season.

-Tonight a big statement Game as Tufts travels to Wes for a 7pm kickoff on the turf. Tufts and Conn played to a 0-0 Draw at Tufts this past weekend and I expect a battle on the turf tonight. Will be curious to see how both teams approach this Game. Conn like Wesleyan was using the width of the field and playing some nice futbol on the turf as they had the advantage in possession but when it came down to dangerous chances both teams were lacking. Conn lost Tshuma and LoBo from their 2021 National Champioship team so they have everyone back a year older, more mature and comfortable playing with each other. CB #24 Jack Kelesoglu did not play in the Game so no idea what his injury situation is but Conn used #5 Marco Cerezo and #21 Roman Dutkewych at CB. Both played well especially Dutkewych who tackles "old school". He had some crunching tackles in that Game as you could hear them on the video. I thought the winger #10 Robles looked improved out wide as he was active. Captain #28 Oliver Pinyochon was holding and looks to be the player that replaces LoBo at holding mid. Love how the Frosh Gavin Vanden Berg walks into the room of the National Champs and just grabs the #9 for himself and then starts up top for Tshuma. Not sure if that is exactly how it happened with the Jersey # but what the hell it sounds good.

-Babson and Williams played to a 1-1 Draw on Sunday. This Game had another Goal of the Weekend this time by Williams #19 Henry Osborn on a sick volley that Babson GK had no chance on. Highlight not found??? Babson impressed especially in the 2nd Half playing some nice futbol. Pingin' it around the field really well. They have veteran players all over the field including their backline and in midfield with #10 Collins and #11 Kalichman but the transfer up top from Bryant #18 Ben Williams is a BIG help. He is a legit striker that will score Goals for Babson this season and Babson is a team that could make a deep NCAA run if they play like they did on Sunday.

For today's version of "A Totally Unhealthy Relationship with Food" an average Offensive Lineman in Football needs to eat 8,000 calories a day. Typical Breakfast: A typical breakfast was four pieces of bacon, four sausages, six scrambled eggs, four over-easy eggs, three pancakes with peanut butter and syrup, and oatmeal with berries, flaxseed, peanut butter, and honey. THAT IS ONE MEAL and god knows how many dumps. I would be most interested in knowing what it is like for these guys when they finish playing and how challenging it is too transition back to normal eating habits and how hard it is to get the extra weight off.

Impressed that former Colby Hockey Player Justin Grillo is following his dream and having "a go" at Pro Hockey for a Swedish team Kiruna AIF that is located in Kiruna, Sweden which is way up in the "Iron-Ore" industrial Swedish Lapland. For those not geographically inclined it is basically the North Pole. In the Winter he will be lucky to have 3 hours of daylight as Hockey and Mining is what this area is known for and actually this is where the German's got most of their Iron-Ore in WW2. It takes someone willing and unafraid of stepping out of one's comfort zone to do this. It will not be easy under any circumstances but here is me hoping he is able to withstand such a new environment while still staying positive and mentally and physically healthy. Congrats to the kid for at least "giving it a go" and for not being afraid to fail. You can follow his journey here: https://unclejs.net/....

[1970s NESCAC Player]

Congrats, Mr. Right, on another excellent post and for finding Justin Grillo.  Seems like a very interesting and thoughtful guy.

[College Soccer Observer]

Middlebury 3 Norwich 1 in a game that was insane.  Midd scored first on a long throw in that bounced and was knocked in by centerback Luke Madden (illegally according to Norwich).  Terrible turnover early in second half let in Norwich's dynamic duo of Joseph Thongsythavong and Mamadi Jiana.  Jiana's breakaway was saved by Ryan Grady, but the ball flew back, hit Jiana in the chest, and trickled in for a 1-1 tie.  Midd regained the lead on an own goal when a clearance was sliced into Norwich's net.  Should have been 3-1 when Alem Hadzic volleyed in a cross from RB William O'Brien, but it was incorrectly flagged offside.  Norwich then thought they had tied it when a header found Thongsythavong 15 yards behind the Midd defense, but the play was ultimately and correctly ruled offside.  Jordan Saint Louis made it 3-1 with a sweet breakaway where he dribbled around GK Wagenseller (listed at 6'4", 259lbs, and he is all of that--makes Bernie White from Amherst look tiny) and slotted the ball in the net.  Midd closed it out from there.  A solid attacking effort, but a couple of uncharacteristic defensive lapses gave up unnecessary chances.  Hank Nelson was out for Midd after suffering an injury vs Amherst on a play when he got hit with a cleats up challenge while trying to clear the ball.  Ben Powers also missed the game for Midd after getting facial lacerations vs Amherst.  Norwich is going to be a real threat in the GNAC, having lost 2-1 to St. Joe's in their opener, but Thongsythavong makes them a threat to any team they play.

[EnmoreCat]

Tonight @ Gooding Field:

Amherst 3 Manhattanville 0

A pretty even first half, where the Mammoths had the best chance to score in a 6 yard box incident.  Second half, Amherst started to take control and for this correspondent at least it was very exciting to see the Australian recruit pop up and score the second goal.  In the end, it probably didn't quite feel like a 3-0, but as I have quickly learnt in college soccer, you just take the result and move on.  Moving on in this case is another massive match against Tufts. 

[Another Mom]

Congrats @Enmorecat! That must have been so much fun, seeing your son score in person!