NESCAC

[Coach Jeff]

In the Cent. Conf., no fee for soccer at any of the 10 schools.  NCAAs yes, I think it was maybe $6, but parents/family of players got in free. Might be one of the prerequisites for NCAA hosting in that you have a fence around your field.

I have attended NCAA games that did not have fence and they still charged.  The institution set up away to have fans/family pay to be admitted to the game.

[EnmoreCat]

Montclair State 1 Amherst 2

The following is spectator colour and opinion, it is not substantive analysis and is based only on public information.  Amherst MSOC has not been involved in the preparation of this information and the contents may be contradictory to the official view of the programme.

I finally got to watch the game after really only being able to listen to it earlier in the week.  Having listened to the commentary (and acknowledgement of perfect pronunciation of EnmoreKitten's name) it sounded quite close.  The film was without commentary (but did contain a considerable amount of spectator involvement I could be quite uncharitable about) and whilst it does help knowing the result, I certainly felt a disconnect between what I listened to and what I eventually saw.  I thought Amherst looked pretty comfortable and aside from the Red Hawks' penalty, I didn't feel any anxiety other than the standard feelings when you are leading by a goal late in a game and sitting a little deeper.

According to the Mammoth Ultras there was a $6 admission fee and whilst I know D1 schools regularly charge for entrance, I would be curious to know how common it is in D3, it's the first time I have heard of it, but presumably it must happen elsewhere.  Amherst started the brighter and after sixteen minutes was 2-0 up after two silky finishes from one of the freshmen who has enjoyed a tremendous first season in the purple.  In general I thought Amherst dominated the first half and had a few wayward shots been better directed, it might have been maybe more.  Give that no one on these boards tends to talk about Montclair, I wasn't really sure what to expect from them and whilst there was one particular sharp looking transition, we didn't really get to see the best of them.  For that, I think Amherst deserves credit as the Red Hawks took time to adjust to what is a deliberately disruptive style. 

The second half was a tight affair, without either side looking especially dangerous, but when Montclair converted their penalty that opened the door for them to get back into it.  Again, whilst there were moments, it didn't feel to me like the final result was an unfair one.  It's not something I tend to typically follow, but from the box score, I noted that seven Amherst players played the full 90 minutes and that was in keeping with Coach Serpone's post-match comments that this game felt like a tournament match.  I'd concur with that, it was close and demanding, with the difference being that Amherst took their chances and created that bit more.  Whilst the Mammoths defence has let in a few more goals in 2023 than I am sure they would like, to keep the top scorer in the country to just a penalty is a real achievement.  His record for the Red Hawks is phenomenal and he has had only one game this season where he hasn't scored.  He looked a handful to me and similar to Midd's forward, could prove the difference in November in what feels to me like a pretty even D3 top tier. 

I'm not really looking forward to the 4am Sunday wake up for the Hamilton game, but it's a small price to pay for what I expect will be a pretty good match up.

Foul Count: Montclair State 16 Amherst 23 - more than usual for Amherst, but probably a reflection of the tension and pressure in the game

Enmore any thoughts on the great temper flare in Montclair?

Did something happen D4? I have no idea.  I watched the game, saw a skirmish of sorts at the end, switched off and heard nothing further.  I do know that 99% of times most games end and players & coaches shake hands and move on, but that's also not always the case and young men can sometimes not handle winning or losing as well as we would like.  Whether or not that describes this situation, I just don't know.

In other news, for those of you who are contemplating an escape from the ravages of an upcoming American winter (except Kuiper I suspect, his weather is close to perfect all year round) here's a reason to come to Enmore:

https://www.timeout.com/sydney/news/sydney-suburb-enmore-made-the-time-out-top-20-coolest-neighbourhoods-in-the-whole-world-101723

Everything that is described is less than a 50 metre walk from Maison D'Enmorecat and the non-existent Enmore Tourism Authority has declared me an unofficial ambassador.  Always happy to show around a fellow boardee...

[d4_Pace]

From the screen, it looked like a few people probably said some mean words to each other post game.  Definitely nothing worth getting  all excited about. It does have me rooting for a potential early tourney rematch of these two. Although my money would 100% be on Amherst, as Montclair haven't demonstrated the ability to hang with top NESCAC schools when it matters most.

[SKUD]

Enmorecat that's pretty cool they named the neighborhood after you!

[Bucket]

Statement win in Vermont on senior day.

Middlebury 3, Tufts 0

[College Soccer Observer]

Middlebury 3 Tufts 0. Full recap later, but a comprehensive statement for Midd that keeps them top of the table. 2 goals in first 11 minutes.

[PaulNewman]

Well, I sure did nail my Midd-Tufts prediction.

Looking forward to getting recaps hopefully from both sides.  Didn't see the game...but notice that shots were basically even with slight edge to Tufts fully explainable by Tufts being forced to chase the game.  But the odd stat is 13 corners for Tufts and 0 for Midd.

Regardless, huge momentum boost for Middlebury and should help with embracing a favorite role.

[camosfan]

Good win by the Panthers, well organized defensively but will give the edge to Conn as the NESCAC top team. Don't pay much attention to the margin of victory, people at the game will have different take! For one the third goal was a dive, that sealed the victory, no point trying to get a point in a 0-3 situation with two games coming up next week.

[EnmoreCat]

Amherst 1 Hamilton 1

The following is spectator colour and opinion, it is not substantive analysis and is based only on public information.  Amherst MSOC has not been involved in the preparation of this information and the contents may be contradictory to the official view of the programme.

Having seen Hamilton a few times this season and observing what they are capable of, I could have made a case for taking a draw ahead of this game that was moved to (Dalton) Gooding Field (you would need to know something about Australian Rules Football in Western Australia in the late 1970s to get that reference, but I kinda like it) due to some quite inclement weather.  We didn't really get to see that Continentals side today and perhaps the weather did repress what I see as quite an attacking style.  Combine that with an Amherst team that seemed in control and it all seemed to be heading to what after 88 minutes, I would have described as going to be a pretty decent win.

Amherst's freshman forward got another early goal, again a tidy finish and on the first half, that seemed pretty fair.  On the occasions Hamilton did get the ball around midfield, they moved the ball skilfully and fast, but there was little in the way of end product and the Mammoths defence dealt with most things pretty calmly.  The flipside was that whilst Amherst did manage to get the ball into wider positions, deep in Hamilton's half, I didn't remember all that many dangerous incursions.

Whilst it's fair to commend Hamilton for hanging in there, a lot more has to be said about their equalizing goal.  It was a skilful, calculated hit, but I would guess that when Amherst does the post-mortem, there will be disappointment that not for the first time this season, an opposition player has been given too much space very late in a game, with disastrous consequences.  It might be unfair to say it's a problem for the Mammoths given that they have avoided similar outcomes recently against very good teams in Bowdoin and Montclair, but it's one of those things that the absolute top tier would rarely do.  If nothing else, it means the team still has something to work on.

I mentioned after the Montclair game the fact that seven Mammoths played the full 90 and today it was eight.  There are a number of significant outs currently and all will be welcomed back for what is hopefully a lengthy NESCAC tournament. 

Thanks to those who mentioned the entrance fees elsewhere, it seems like I have managed to dodge a bullet so far on that front.  Charging people to stand in the rain at (Dalton) Gooding Field today would have been a little cheeky in my view.

Foul Count: Amherst 15 Hamilton 15

   

[northman]

Great to get your take as always, Enmore Cat.  With regard to your always jovial summary of Amherst's foul domination over the course of the season, I think the NESCAC stats for conference games validates the fact that Amherst is the undeniable leader in yellow cards...30 to 19 for second place Hamilton.  If this isn't the product of intentional tactics, I don't know what is...

https://nescac.com/stats.aspx?path=msoc&year=2023&conf=true

In the bigger picture, it's becoming clearer that there are 5 leading NESCAC teams, with Middlebury as the undeniable king at the moment.  I continue to maintain my prediction that 5 NESCAC teams will be named to the NCAA tournament, regardless of the result of the NESCAC tournament...unless a 6-8 seed team wins the tourney.

[College Soccer Observer]

Good win by the Panthers, well organized defensively but will give the edge to Conn as the NESCAC top team. Don't pay much attention to the margin of victory, people at the game will have different take! For one the third goal was a dive, that sealed the victory, no point trying to get a point in a 0-3 situation with two games coming up next week.

Camos fan, not sure what you mean by people at the game will have a different take, but here is mine after finally drying out.

Middlebury had extensive senior recognition ceremonies before the game, and that might have contributed to them seeming less than sharp in the first minutes.  They turned the ball over off the kick, and Tufts looked energetic moving forward.  A pattern quickly emerged of Tufts trying to whip in crosses, which were blocked out for corner kicks by the Middlebury defenders.  Tufts' athletic write up had a rose colored view: "The Tufts University men's soccer team out-possessed and outshot host and third-ranked Middlebury College Saturday, but the Panthers were able to take advantage of their chances in earning a 3-0 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) victory over the Jumbos in play from from South Street Field.
The Jumbos (9-2-3, 5-2-2 NESCAC) finished with a 15-13 edge in shot attempts, while holding 56% of the possession for the game."

The above summary leaves out the fact that Tufts did not do anything significant with their 13 corners and did not force Midd GK Grady into any difficult saves.  Midd went up 1-0 when Randolph picked a defender's pocket and slid the ball across for Tyler Payne to finish.  Payne also had the spectacular free kick vs Conn last week.  Less than four minutes later, Tufts lofted a long ball that was interecepted by Luke Madden.  What followed was a great team goal  Madden exchanged passes with Owen Davis before swinging the ball to the right for Hank Nelson.  Nelson found Kyle Nilsson, who executed a give and go with St. Louis and then split the defense with a perfectly weighted pass for Randolph to finish.  I don't think the penalty kick play was a dive, but it probably should not have been given.  Nevertheless, St. Louis hammered it home to make it 3-0.  This is the first win over the Jumbos for Midd since 2010, and should significantly bolster their post season resume.

[SimpleCoach]

Tufts @ Middlebury Game Notes

[SimpleCoach]

Good win by the Panthers, well organized defensively but will give the edge to Conn as the NESCAC top team. Don't pay much attention to the margin of victory, people at the game will have different take! For one the third goal was a dive, that sealed the victory, no point trying to get a point in a 0-3 situation with two games coming up next week.

The above summary leaves out the fact that Tufts did not do anything significant with their 13 corners and did not force Midd GK Grady into any difficult saves. 

Tufts corners were an exercise in futility.  Everyone back defending for Middlebury.  I kept yelling to play it short, but they kept heaving it into the middle and MBury would clear it out.  Every. Time.

SC.

[Bucket]

Tufts summary has to be AI-generated from the stat sheet.

Has to be.

No human is that dense.

[camosfan]

The penalty was a dive, even the Middlebury color commentator, who is a former Panther coach said it was not a PK. I was like 10 yards from their box. After that call ,Tufts just call it a day and get all the players some time.