NESCAC

[PaulNewman]

So, uh...no overtime?

LOL.  You've been out of the country for too long!

[blooter442]

LOL.  You've been out of the country for too long!

Guess I missed that one. Admittedly I have not kept up with rule changes/etc. but I am not a fan of sudden death OT so that's fine with me. Good game overall, Tufts probably just edged it and would have won if not for the goalkeeping errors but these days happen and I am sure Lauta will learn from it.

* As an aside, passport expired right before COVID and I have not replaced, but I am hoping to hop across the pond next year some time.

[CC United]

Whenever I watch NESCAC sports I'm always perplexed at the quality of facilities.   These soccer fields are indistinguishable from high school fields.

And then there's the $5K dogs roaming around back and forth behind the goals and on the sidelines.  Just some understated NESCAC charm.

I have a different take having watched portions of several NESCAC games this year.  It's still early in the season, but I think the overall quality of the NESCAC teams is down this year.  Last year when Tufts or Connecticut College played you knew you were watching something special.  I just haven't seen the quality on the pitch this year. Granted, I haven't seen Wesleyan, that would be a great story line.  Go Cards!

[camosfan]

Like I have being saying there is a lot more parity in NESCAC this year, the strong teams are weaker and some of, maybe most of the weak teams gotten better.

[PaulNewman]

Not sure the top group is weaker.  I know Tufts had significant losses but Tufts still has a ton of talent, Conn has basically their whole national title team back, and I think Amherst and Midd are pretty loaded as well.  We'll see if Wesleyan, Bowdoin...and Hamilton...can keep up their great results so far.  I also expected more from Colby.  Bates and Trinity appear to be headed to the cellar.

[Mr.Right]

A Couple Quick Hitters of the Weekend

"Guts and a Little Luck"-I had questioned whether Hamilton had the guts to go up to Middlebury and find a Win. They had not Won at Midd since returning to Nescac in 2011. Hamilton is also still a young team, so it was an unlikely undertaking. The Game was well played as both teams were trying to play a bit of futbol. I really like Hamilton's Central midfield of #21 Luke Ehrenfreund, #27 Luke Peplowski and holder Sophomore Captain #10 Pandelis Margaronis. Ehrenfreund found the net on an absolute first class strike off a set piece just outside the box that Midd GK #33 Ryan Grady had no chance on. Hamilton Won the Game off a shot that Ryan Grady would catch 999/1000 times. Unfortunately, this was that one shot that went thru his hands and gave Hamilton the 3 pts. Hamilton's GK #1 Ben Ziegler made some fine saves throughout the Game to keep Hamilton in it but had to leave in the 80th minute after a major collision and hit to the head. Hopefully he will be all good and back playing. Ehrenfreund's Set Piece: https://twitter.com/HamCollSports/status/1571617728607264769
Grady was pissed at himself after the Game but in one of the Weekend's Classier moments Grady's fellow Midd GK brethren gave him a big group hug as if to say do not worry about it you will get after it the next game. That is what Sport is all about. In one of the Weekend's less classier moments Midd's #23 Saint-Louis got tackled hard by a Hamilton player with a foul called on Midd after the play. Saint-Louis frustrated by the tackle then stuck his heel out purposely to trip the Hamilton player that tackled him. The ref caught it and booked him. He is WAY TO GOOD of a player for those type of shenanigans and it also showed maybe how easy it is to frustrate him and take him out of a Game for Midd's next opponents.

"I'm guessing Williams #13 Will Felitto is sleeping right now, so don't wake him"- The kid was man of the weekend as he worked his ass off. He had 3 Goals, 1 Assist, 8 Shots and 5 SOG in a 4-0 Win over Bates and a 2-2 Draw with Tufts this past Weekend. That does not include him winning EVERY SINGLE air ball (in which there were plenty) that was played to him. I have to admit as much as I HATE Williams style of play, I LOVE how effective it is in creating goal scoring chances. They created a number of dangerous chances off of Direct Long Balls deep into Tufts end, then pressed like hell to win the ball back. %'s tell you that you will eventually force your opponent into giveaways with such an aggressive press and overloading of one side of the ball. Credit to Tufts HC Dezotell and staff as Tufts was the first team, I have seen that understood tactically that to beat this style you must quickly switch the field (#3 Daly, #5 Clivio, had some nice switches) to your weakside wingback / winger who will be wide open with acres of space because Williams is overloading the strong side of the field where the ball is. Once Tufts successfully switched fields, they had space to attack on the weak side and created many chances of their own. However, I would have liked to see Tufts move up the field even faster after the switch. This is easier said than done but if this is how Williams is going to play it than all week in practice you work on switching fields and attacking quickly from the weak side.

"Diffley growing on me"- No it is not a fungus or moss, it is Williams GK #30 Ben Diffley. The 6'5 190lb Williams GK I have been impressed with this season. He has a great command of his box and catches most everything in the air. He is vocal and organizes the guys when needed plus just has a beautiful kicking motion as he can drive the ball as good as any GK in the league. I would be curious his distance as a Football kicker.

"Jumped the Gun on Tufts"- They still are a real quality side with D1ish athleticism all over the field. They are very organized and while it was challenging, they were at least trying to play some futbol at times during the game. They have one of the best CB's in the league in #5 Max Clivio as he is an absolute beast back there. The Felitto v Clivio matchup was entertaining all Game. #2 Liam Gerken is playing Centrally now, and he showed well. The kid has heart and tons of skill, and you can tell he has been working on his game. Tufts Frosh #29 Daniel Yanez (Jersey kid / Pingry no less) beauty of a Goal is here https://youtu.be/mJiVqnH_2AI?t=165 . Frosh #19 Mateo Bargagna showed well with a nice Goal and some aggressive and courageous play up top. So, Tufts has some young talent that looks hungry and while it might take a few more weeks for this team to gel in the end they are going to be right in the mixer for an NCAA run.   

"NCAA Champs in any Sport are circled on every Opposing Team's Calendar"- Conn has failed to score a Goal in 180 minutes of Nescac Soccer. Bowdoin defeated Conn 1-0 in New London this past weekend dropping the 2021 NCAA Champs to 2-1-1 overall but 0-1-1 in the league. Bowdoin played as I expected very organized and congested the middle of the field but also showed some danger on the counter with their attacking 4. The beginning of the Game Conn was using #14 Djerdjaj up top with #25 Yeonas behind him and then they would interchange. #13 Scoffone and #17 Creus out wide with #8 Jaran linking and #28 Pinyochon holding. Djerdjaj had a real good look early on an open volley that he just missed high but had Conn scored that Goal early it would have changed the complexion of the Game. Conn has so much talent on this roster, so I would not panic yet, but they need to learn (as Tufts did) that they will be seeing every opposing team's best effort. #24 Kelesoglu saw some action so that is good news and must mean he is getting closer to getting back on the field for 90. With Trinity on the schedule at Home on Tuesday afternoon, I fully expect Conn to not take them lightly but come out focused and like gangbusters and take care of business on their field to turn this ship around.

[PaulNewman]

Great stuff per usual, Mr.Right.

Your recall for details, names, numbers is next level and I can't think of anyone who describes strategies, adjustments, and counter-strategies with such precision and flair.  And I really appreciate that you devote equal time and a generally fair assessment of all the teams you mention (even Amherst).  You're not a one-trick pony in terms of just promoting your team nor do you go and on about how incredible your team is.

[Mr.Right]

Great stuff per usual, Mr.Right.

Your recall for details, names, numbers is next level, and I can't think of anyone who describes strategies, adjustments, and counterstrategies with such precision and flair.  And I really appreciate that you devote equal time and a generally fair assessment of all the teams you mention (even Amherst).  You're not a one-trick pony in terms of just promoting your team nor do you go and on about how incredible your team is.

Thanks, and right back at you as your stuff keeps me updated on what is going on around the country. I will stick up for the people that promote their teams though as that is the only way we can get some others writing. If they are a little biased it is to be expected but at least it adds to the conversation nationally.

[EnmoreCat]

That's all good, but I don't want to see anything TOO complimentary about Amherst.  We can't have standards slipping on that.

[Mr.Right]

Conn v Trinity 3-0 Final:

Conn Starters:
GK #00 Sam Maidenberg, LB #3 Sam Boehm, LCB #26 Jack Lavorel, RCB #5 Marco Cerezo, RB #15 Jorge Mendo. Central Midfield Holding was #28 Oliver Pinyochon, with #14 Augie Djerdjaj and #25 Steve Yeonas playing behind the striker #9 Gavin Vanden Berg. Out Wide were #10 Alex Robles and #11 Luke Cibelli.

Conn Bench:
14 different players including the backup GK #1 Peter Silvester were used throughout the Game. A mix of veterans like #6 Horvath Diano at LB and Viotto at RB, #13 Scoffone, #17 Creus and #19 Oury Diane out wide, #18 Marvel played Centrally along with #23 Brendan Clare who did a good job holding. #24 Kelesoglu got another 45 minutes under his belt so he should be close to being fully healthy. #7 Dylan Zane looked dangerous up top. Then a mix of some young guys #12 Nate Pilson out wide, #32 Aidan Keith at RB and #35 Maurice Pigola Centrally.

Conn DNP:
#8 Rye Jaran, #21 Roman Dutkewych, #30 Bruce Doyle.

Goals:

Conn 1-0 "Unselfishness, Sweet Passing and a Left Footed Bomb from 8 yards out"
#9 Gavin Vanden Berg(3) 13'-
This Goal was started by #11 Luke Cibelli driving up the field with the ball at his feet. At about midfield he switches it and hits a nice ball in the stride of his industrious Captain #25 Steve Yeonas. Yeonas then drives all the way to the top of the box where a couple Trinity players step up to tackle him. Yeonas, head up and alert the whole way slips a cagey little pass to #10 Alex Robles at the top of the box. Robles then unselfishly one times a pass to his left-footed striker #9 Gavin Vanden Berg who drills the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead.

Conn 2-0 "Did my angry Baker just make that call?"
#14 Augie Djerdjaj(2) 63'-
PK after handball in box.

Ref Lou Labbadia has been reffing for a long time in D1, D2 and D3. Not sure he does D1 Games anymore (at least probably no middles) but when he gets mad, he can sometimes become unglued. When I was younger it always reminded me of like the local baker in the big funny white hat, sweating with flour and flippin 'out in the back about bread or whatnot. Very entertaining and a decent ref.

Conn 3-0 "Sensational Thru Ball, Rip and Save, Captain follows Up"
#25 Yeonas(3) 70'-
This Goal was set up beautifully by a sweet thru ball from #17 Jake Creus. It was the exact same thru ball that he gave Djerdjaj in the 2021 NCAA Elite 8 at Tufts to give Conn a 4-2 lead. This thru ball went to #35 Maurice Pigola who ripped it on Goal but the The Trinity GK #1 Bernardo Simoes made a nice save to keep it out. However, the attentive veteran Yeonas followed up the shot weak side and gave Conn a lead it was not going to relinquish.

Thoughts:

I thought Trinity showed some battle especially in the 1st Half with CB #2 Matt Moran and #6 James Donaldson leading the way. They did not generate too many dangerous scoring chances throughout the Game but in the 1st Half they were getting "some sniffs" just the final ball or shot was not there. They look much more organized defensively than in years past so they will hang around in some games this season. The players are well aware it has been 5 years since Trinity has won a Nescac Game (2017 v Wes) and 6 years since they have Won a Nescac Road Game (2016 at Bowdoin-remember it like yesterday a 3-2 OT thriller that got Trinity into their last Nescac Tournament). However, they will probably need another recruiting class or two before they can really compete with everyone in the league.

Conn was a bit sluggish in the 1st Half and sloppy with the ball in their defensive end but were still trying to play some nice futbol.  2nd Half was much different as Trinity was starting to push numbers forward to "find one", Conn was pingin' it all over the field on some beautiful counters and plain build up play out of the back breaking the press. #11 Luke Cibelli really impressed in Central Midfield as he was working hard and linking well with Djerdjaj and Yeonas and sprung the striker #9 Vanden Berg a couple times. I think Yeonas and Djerdjaj both look fit, healthy and in top form. My concern from a distance is a bit of slack on the leadership front from a couple of their veterans. My hunch is that LoBo ran a tight ship and not much would get past him but LoBo "is not walking thru that door again". Tshuma while not a Captain brought an excellent attitude to the field like Yeonas and Djerdjaj, etc. That attitude is what needs to be replicated every day and they need all their veterans to really step up and help get this team gelling. There is so much talent on this roster that playing time is an almost impossible task for the HC and everyone, as they say in the UK, "needs done their bit". Whether that "bit" be large or small all the players (not just some) have to accept the role they have and take the responsibility for themselves to improve on it. Look at the 2021 Captain they had #15 Aiden Scales as a perfect example of a selfless teammate. He did not play that much but gave what time and energy he had all to the team concept. Conn now has only 3 Games in the next 2 weeks before a brutal finish. They really need to take this time and use it to rejuvenate and refresh a bit IMO.


Randoms:

"Props to Amherst Football Player Jack Betts '24: The King of Division III NIL at least right now"

If you read the Amherst Student Interview and Nescac Interview you can see why Coaches love to coach and it is because of kids like this. Good Kid. Plus, he is the first kid to be interviewed on the Friday Feature who when asked Dogs or Cats? answered Cats. I would answer Both. Dogs and Cats together are hilarious IMO but I am glad even if it had to take a Football Player to admit that yes Men can like Cats as well as Dogs.

https://nescac.com/news/2022/9/11/nescac-news-nescac-friday-feature-jack-betts-amherst-football.aspx

https://www.amherststudent.com/article/jack-betts-24e-the-king-of-division-iii-nil/

[Mr.Right]

Week 3 Predictions:

This Weekend should give us a clearer picture of the league with 8 teams on a back-to-back and Trin and Tufts with only 1 Game, Conn is off. Trinity and Tufts do not have to worry about a Sunday Game so they can go full throttle on Saturday. The 8 teams on a back-to-back will also give us a clearer picture of everyone's depth.

Tufts at Hamilton- Tufts 3-1-2 (1-1-2), Hamilton 5-0 (2-0).

Hamilton's Central Midfield lead the way in scoring for them. #27 Luke Peplowski got the GW'er midweek in the 89th minute to defeat SUNY POLY in the 89th minute 1-0. Hamilton had 12 corners in the Game so if that is not enough practice, I am not sure what is. Peplowski leads the team with 3G, 1A and 2 GW'ers. Sophomore Captain #10 Pandelis Margaronis who has been holding and working tirelessly has 3G and 2 GW'ers and #21 Luke Ehrenfreund who has been playing centrally and wide has 1G, 3A and is the spark plug that Hamilton needs in attack. The Back 4 has been playing well with LB #11 Tommy Kantrowitz, LCB #8 Julian Jacobs, RCB #4 Sebastian Ghosh and RB #20 Luke O'Dowd.  Not sure who will be in net as #1 Ben Ziegler did not play midweek after leaving the Midd Game in the 80th minute as #0 Kai Haesslein started and got the shutout, but the stats say his end was pretty quiet. Bench player #5 Spencer Goldberg picked up 2 Yellow's in the midweek match and will have to sit out this Game.

Tufts is led by their indefatigable RB #3 Ian Daly with 5G, 2A, 8 SOG and 2 GW'ers. He just does everything and is extremely valuable to what this team is doing. Frosh #29 Daniel Yanez apparently had another 25 yard bomb midweek against Salem State which makes that 2 Games in a row. Can he make it 3 Games or is a defender going to "step"? His Bio lists the "Turkey Club" as meal of choice and I fully second that. Love the Turkey Club. Yanez has 2G, 1A while #12 Mikey Brady has 2G as well. CB #5 Max Clivio got a Goal midweek off a header from a corner, and this is where Hamilton needs to make sure defensively, they are fully focused on set pieces. Tufts has a hungry group of youngsters in attack (and on defense for that matter) that are pushing the veterans like #10 Zach Siegelstein and #11 Sean Traynor as both are still looking for their first Goals of the year.

This game represents a long end to what seems like a continuous Nescac Away match for Tufts. A midweek trip to Wes last week, a doubleheader weekend to Western Ma against Amherst and Williams this past weekend and now finally this five-hour bus ride to Clinton, NY. Tufts is 4-1-2 in its last 7 Games against Hamilton with Hamilton's last Win in the series coming 7 years ago in 2015 at Home. Tufts 2-1


Midd at Bowdoin- Midd 3-1-1 (0-1-1), Bowdoin 5-0 (2-0)   

FYI- Midd's #7 Eujin Chae earned the fifth spot on the morning's ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays with this Goal https://twitter.com/i/status/1572587490267271175. Midd is led in scoring by LB #19 Casey Lund with 2G, 2A, Central Midfielder #11 Tyler Payne 2G, 1A, Holder #7 Eujin Chae 1G, 2A and striker #23 Jordan Saint-Louis with 2G and 9 SOG. Payne looks to have gotten stronger in the off season and that has helped his game, but I am surprised #30 Shane Farrell has been so quiet to start the year. I think Chae, Payne and Farrell need to outplay Bowdoin Centrally to Win this Game. Looks like #17 Andrew Juarez is getting fit and back in the rotation and Captain #10 Liam Sloan has also been seeing solid minutes in midfield. Key matchup will be #23 Saint-Louis against Bowdoin CB #3 Dylan Reid. Who wins that battle could determine who wins the Game.

I freely admit I did not glance at Bowdoin's roster before picking them to finish 9th/11 in my Nescac Pre-Season picks. They have SIX 5th year players that have been around the program since 2018. CB #3 Dylan Reid who has logged over 4,000 minutes in his Bowdoin career, CM #5 Minseo Bae who at 5'7 150 is an absolute "buzzing bee" on the field, CM #10 Harry Cooper who had a "hatty" in the first Game and has since disappeared. That has been the story of his career as he dominates one Game and then disappears for the next few, but I will say when his "Left Peg" his "ON" it can be peril for the opponent. Striker #21 Charlie Ward has 14 Goals in 40 Career GP plus 3G, 2A this season. #14 Hayden Weatherall and #2 Nate Kelsey are also back for a 5th year, so this team has plenty of experience. #11 Ronaldo Cabral leads the team in scoring with 5G, 3A and 12 SOG and against Conn he was playing wide left so he will be going against Midd's RB #6 Evan O'Brien. Cabral might be too quick for O'Brien on the flank so Midd will need to give him help.

Looks like Bowdoin is going to be ripping trees out left and right for this new project: https://athletics.bowdoin.edu/news/2022/9/22/general-bowdoin-announces-plans-for-pickard-field-athletic-complex-improvements.aspx
I say for every tree that is removed another one should be planted as this is going to ruin such a nice dense area. Moving On....This matchup has been one of the tightest in Nescac History. For example, in the last 16 Games the teams are 5-5-6 against each other. However, the one anomaly is that Midd has not WON a Game in Brunswick since the Bowdoin Assistant Coach Andrew Banadda was starting for Midd in 2008. I think that it ends this weekend. Midd 2-1


Amherst at Bates- Amherst 4-1-1 (0-1-1), Bates 3-2 (0-2)

Amherst stats minus the ridiculous 10-0 Win v Thomas (I can just picture the effort Thomas was giving from say the 60th minute on) has striker #28 Flynn Hayton-Ruffner with 2G, 2A and 7 SOG and #23 Ada Okorogheye with 2G and 9 SOG. The big CB #33 Simon Kalinauskas has 1G, 2A and is dangerous on set pieces. The winger #7 Niall Murphy adds 2 Goals while the wingback #11 Jonny Novak has 1G and 2A. Amherst has 58 Corners in 6 Games which is an average of 10/game.

Bates has been idle all week after the 4-0 trouncing they received at Williams last Saturday. 1st Half Bates was not focused and ready to play although I know their warmup was solid before the game. Just not ready for Williams press and they spotted them 3 Goals. 2nd Half Bates looked much more focused and more competitive. This is their "Cats Carnival Weekend" so they might have a decent crowd for the Game. Amherst under Serpone has never not Won this Game. Amherst is 15-0-0 in the last 15 Games against Bates. The last Draw in this series that Bates earned came in 2005 and the last Win Bates grabbed in 2004. I remember the 2004 game like yesterday. I was just out of college living in Brighton and found out that the Bates at Amherst Game was to be played at a Neutral site (do not remember why) Middlesex School in Concord, MÃ. I drove out from Brighton to Concord and met my father who was scouting Amherst. Bates best team in decades was this 2004 team as they were IMO a first wknd NCAA team, but they ended up getting upset in the Nescac Quarters that year and overlooked in the Pool C bids. They had a 1st team all striker Terence O'Connell who led the team in Goals and scored on that day as well. Amherst had a good team with two dangerous strikers Mike Wohl and Joey Gannon, two stereotypical Amherst players who really busted hard. Moving ON.Amherst 3-1


Williams at Colby- Williams 2-0-3 (1-0-0), Colby 2-1-3 (0-1-1)

I have spoken at length about Williams and the playing style of blasting the ball deep into their opponent's end, pressing like hell to force giveaways and then pouncing on the ball for a decent scoring chance. It was very effective last weekend at Home as #13 Will Felitto leads the team with 3G,1A 7SOG and about 100 airballs won. CB #6 Nick Boardman "Boardo" has 1G,3A from the back and the Frosh striker #2 Connor Huleatt has 2G, 1A. The problem with the style IMO is it bypasses the two skilled Central Midfielders #8 Felipe Gonzalez and #12 Cole Morriello and leaves them a bit less involved in the game offensively then I would like to see it, but you cannot argue with the results so far.

Colby at 2-1-3 has been a bit of a disappointment but it is still very early, as this team tries to find its winning form. If Williams continues like it has been playing, then the Colby back 4 should be expecting heavy pressure. Colby has some great attacking players as the four guys that lead the team in scoring are their most dangerous guys in attack. #22 Ethan Franco 3G,2A and 10SOG. #21 Josh Rubin 3G,1A. #25 Mario Simoes 3G 8SOG and #9 Ethan Fabricant with 2G,1A. If those four plus #7 Sam Wilson and the skilled and speedy winger #11 Justin Lauer take it to Williams quickly on the counter, they will be successful. However, if they take their time and wait for Williams to get back defensively and in their shape, it will be tough sledding offensively for Colby. My hunch is this Game could get ugly, in the air and direct real fast, but Colby's field is so inviting to play futbol on the players might want to "knock it a bit". 1-1


Wesleyan at Trinity- Wesleyan 5-0 (2-0), Trinity 0-2-2 (0-2-1)


Wesleyan has been sitting idle since an 8-2 thrashing of Clark on Monday. #20 Kyle Burbage padded his personal stats as he now has 4G,1A 7SOG. Wide player #35 Philip Cubeddu has 1G,4A. The target man up top with the soft feet #9 Dane Harmaty has 2G,2A and I love how he checks to the ball hard and then lays it off with a nice soft touch or can go himself. Central Midfielder #6 Soren Tollis has 2G,2A and last time I saw Wesleyan he came off the bench for #8 Rubenstein who is has yet to get going on the scoresheet. Looks like the CB from last season with #26 Chris Porte is getting himself healthy and back on the field as he and #5 Evan O'Brien are two excellent CB's. #17 Miles Lambke also has played very well this season at CB for Wes. Personally, I think Wesleyan's roster is very strong with a solid amount of depth for this weekend's back-to-back games.

Trinity looked much more organized defensively midweek at Conn, and I expect that to keep them in more games this year than in years past. Their problem is offensively as they have only scored 3 Goals in 4 Games (2 Goals have come from their backline #2 Matt Moran and #6 James Donaldson). They had some sniffs against Conn but not too many dangerous chances. #13 Nick Bellak and #9 Peter Bronson are two very skilled young players that this team needs on the field and both have only played in 2 Games so not sure if they are injured or what? GK #1 Bernardo Simoes has been solid in net so far.

This could be a trap game for Wes with a trip up to Hamilton on the slate for Sunday you would hope they are not overlooking Trinity. This game will stay tight all the way thru especially on Trinity's Home field, but Wes will sneak out of town with a victory after a late goal after 75 minutes. 1-0 Wes

[EnmoreCat]

Bates 2 Amherst 3

Watching games on a phone is clearly nowhere near as good as viewing live and when you couple that with windy conditions at Bates and not particularly adept commentary, there is no need for this game to be remembered for anything other than the Mammoths' first conference win for the season.

1-1 at half-time felt fair, but in the early part of the second half, Amherst started to keep the ball higher up the pitch and the Bobcats suddenly found things more challenging.  Definitely not a game for the ages, but the team marches onto Colby tomorrow.

[Kuiper]

Are NESCAC observers ready to take Hamilton seriously after their 1-0
win over Tufts?

[PaulNewman]

I don't think we have any choice.  I think Tufts thought a red card for a foul behind and I guess a last man ruling around the 29th minute of the 1st half was way too harsh, but I didn't realize Hamilton also picked up a red with 23 minutes left in the game and the score still 0-0.  So Hamilton scored 10v10.  I watched this match here and there and most of the last 15 minutes.  My biggest takeaway is just how good Daly for Tufts is.  He's their right back and at least the last 15 minutes he was basically in a forward wing position.  The Hamilton announcer must have said Daly's name 100 times during the game (and that might be conservative).  But yes, huge, huge validation win for Hamilton.  Let's see if they can pull off the weekend double tomorrow with undefeated and hot Wesleyan coming to town.  NESCAC appears (right now) to have at least seven (and depending on Williams and/or Colby) could have more NCAA teams.  They won't get seven or eight, but they'll get five at minimum and maybe six.

[PaulNewman]

Addendum on Hamilton....that last game of the season AT Oneonta St might end up being really important.