NESCAC

[rdanie03]

My take on the camels is that if they don't concede, they can win both the NESCAC and the natty because they are better at pens then anyone else. However, if they concede, I really doubt they have the offense to recover against a top tier team.

[PaulNewman]

Pretty safe to say that a team with a very strong recent history, the NESCAC's most recent national title, and a CURRENT NPI ranking at #7 is a decent candidate to win the conference tourney and/or the national title even if they are the 5th out of 5 NESCACs in the top 7 of NPI.

Conn also, arguably, has the best coach in NESCAC, with the caveat that most of the NESCACs are led by superb coaches, similar to most NESCACs having superb GKs.

[SoccerFan2025]

My take on the camels is that if they don't concede, they can win both the NESCAC and the natty because they are better at pens then anyone else. However, if they concede, I really doubt they have the offense to recover against a top tier team.

I would guess that even the camels would not want a game to come down to penalties. Tufts is a very gifted team with better keeper and steady players yet Bowdoin was able to eliminate them in the shootout.  Middlebury has gifted scorers and Williams keeper is a solid PK stopper as shown in the NCAA run two years ago.

[LibbyMoore]

 
Burke is doing a great job, but is young and...has drawbacks. A few more years will help him. Def not "the best" in this fan's opinion compared to some of the NESCAC experienced coaches. And I rarely argue here!

"Conn also, arguably, has the best coach in NESCAC, with the caveat that most of the NESCACs are led by superb coaches, similar to most NESCACs having superb GKs."
[/quote]

[PaulNewman]

Burke is doing a great job, but is young and...has drawbacks. A few more years will help him. Def not "the best" in this fan's opinion compared to some of the NESCAC experienced coaches. And I rarely argue here!

"Conn also, arguably, has the best coach in NESCAC, with the caveat that most of the NESCACs are led by superb coaches, similar to most NESCACs having superb GKs."

[/quote]

It's Burk, not Burke.  His drawbacks?  Other than being young, which you already credited, what are you referencing?  Which NESCAC coaches do you definitely put ahead of him?

I like him because he is the "Brad Stevens of the NESCAC" if not the Brad Stevens for D3 at large.

[camosfan]

 

Which NESCAC coaches do you definitely put ahead of him?

Why would you consider Burk better than the man at Amherst?

[PaulNewman]

Which NESCAC coaches do you definitely put ahead of him?

Why would you consider Burk better than the man at Amherst?

Don't lose the fact that I said "arguably," and that's how I feel...that it's arguable, and also arguable for at least a few others.

I am drawn to his calm and cool and the sidelines and what he gets out of his team given the amount of talent (which is good but probably not on the level of a few others on a year in and year out basis).

Just to be mildly provocative, if Burk had been at Amherst for the past 15+ years I think he'd have more than 1 national title.  I'm still blown away that Conn won a national title.  Conn very easily could be Trinity or Colby/Bates/Hamilton.  To do what he has done at Conn imo should not be underestimated.

[FanofNescac]

Agree with PN.

Burk has taken a small nescac school that use to be on par with Trinity, Colby, Bates, Hamilton and turned them into a possession style soccer team that can also compete with the beasts of Amherst, Tufts, Midd etc.

Every year, all the best high school soccer players who don't want the commitment of playing D1 soccer choose to play at the best academic D3 schools possible. Which would be Williams, Amherst, Midd, and Tufts.

Yet Conn is right there. 2021 National Champions and beat Tufts + Amherst in the process

[Newenglander]

Agree with PN.

Burk has taken a small nescac school that use to be on par with Trinity, Colby, Bates, Hamilton and turned them into a possession style soccer team that can also compete with the beasts of Amherst, Tufts, Midd etc.

Every year, all the best high school soccer players who don't want the commitment of playing D1 soccer choose to play at the best academic D3 schools possible. Which would be Williams, Amherst, Midd, and Tufts.

Yet Conn is right there. 2021 National Champions and beat Tufts + Amherst in the process

I agree - and they have maintained that level. He has a formula and is a very active/engaging recruiter. One additional thing that might be helping is that I believe Conn (albeit not at the academic level of the top NESCACs) is one of the only NESCAC schools that offers merit scholarships.

[Kuiper]

Which NESCAC coaches do you definitely put ahead of him?

Why would you consider Burk better than the man at Amherst?

Don't lose the fact that I said "arguably," and that's how I feel...that it's arguable, and also arguable for at least a few others.

I am drawn to his calm and cool and the sidelines and what he gets out of his team given the amount of talent (which is good but probably not on the level of a few others on a year in and year out basis).

Just to be mildly provocative, if Burk had been at Amherst for the past 15+ years I think he'd have more than 1 national title.  I'm still blown away that Conn won a national title.  Conn very easily could be Trinity or Colby/Bates/Hamilton.  To do what he has done at Conn imo should not be underestimated.

It's interesting that you describe him as calm and cool on the sidelines.  I've only watched Burk on streams, but I recall watching him several times last season where he exploded at players and refs and you could hear it on the audio even when you couldn't see it.  He struck me as someone who was always on a slow simmer, ready to blow, rather than calm and cool, but, of course, Conn didn't have as good a season last year. 

[PaulNewman]

Which NESCAC coaches do you definitely put ahead of him?

Why would you consider Burk better than the man at Amherst?

Don't lose the fact that I said "arguably," and that's how I feel...that it's arguable, and also arguable for at least a few others.

I am drawn to his calm and cool and the sidelines and what he gets out of his team given the amount of talent (which is good but probably not on the level of a few others on a year in and year out basis).

Just to be mildly provocative, if Burk had been at Amherst for the past 15+ years I think he'd have more than 1 national title.  I'm still blown away that Conn won a national title.  Conn very easily could be Trinity or Colby/Bates/Hamilton.  To do what he has done at Conn imo should not be underestimated.

It's interesting that you describe him as calm and cool on the sidelines.  I've only watched Burk on streams, but I recall watching him several times last season where he exploded at players and refs and you could hear it on the audio even when you couldn't see it.  He struck me as someone who was always on a slow simmer, ready to blow, rather than calm and cool, but, of course, Conn didn't have as good a season last year. 

Yeah, my favorite memory is when they were 2 minutes away from going to PKs in Round 1 versus Salem State and he wasn't even looking at the field as he started writing out his PK strategy.  They won the PKs and went on to the title.  I think he was one of SC's first coach interviews....take a look and that will give you a decent window into his demeanor.  From what I've observed he doesn't come close to the loudness of Serpone or even a Dezotell.

[PaulNewman]

Btw, the comment about "not as good a season" I think kind of makes my point.  Conn has reached a place where an Elite 8 finish is not up to standards.  Or maybe you meant the season before that.

[Kuiper]

Btw, the comment about "not as good a season" I think kind of makes my point.  Conn has reached a place where an Elite 8 finish is not up to standards.  Or maybe you meant the season before that.

I meant the 2022 season, not last season.  Seemed like the pressure of getting the championship in 2021 and not making it back to the tourney in 2022 had gotten to him.

[Bucket]

Which NESCAC coaches do you definitely put ahead of him?

Why would you consider Burk better than the man at Amherst?

Don't lose the fact that I said "arguably," and that's how I feel...that it's arguable, and also arguable for at least a few others.

I am drawn to his calm and cool and the sidelines and what he gets out of his team given the amount of talent (which is good but probably not on the level of a few others on a year in and year out basis).

Just to be mildly provocative, if Burk had been at Amherst for the past 15+ years I think he'd have more than 1 national title.  I'm still blown away that Conn won a national title.  Conn very easily could be Trinity or Colby/Bates/Hamilton.  To do what he has done at Conn imo should not be underestimated.

It's interesting that you describe him as calm and cool on the sidelines.  I've only watched Burk on streams, but I recall watching him several times last season where he exploded at players and refs and you could hear it on the audio even when you couldn't see it.  He struck me as someone who was always on a slow simmer, ready to blow, rather than calm and cool, but, of course, Conn didn't have as good a season last year. 

ding, ding, ding

[camosfan]

I have seen at least 6 Conn games over 4 seasons and I would agree about his temper, you also get the impression there is some tension between coach and players.