NESCAC

[1970s NESCAC Player]

CacFan12, your NESCAC award selections are solid.  Noon perhaps wins again, but was not as dominant this year, but then again, he probably didn't need to be.  Rashid from Williams is in the ROY discussion.  Shapiro has made Tufts into a real challenger for league title and deserves COY award.

[LaPaz]

Nescac Player I wouldnt waste my time on here to "troll" as u say. U smell of Lord Jeff allegiance so I could care less anyway...Amherst can and has beaten some very good possesion teams this year like say Williams and if u actually followed the league Colby. Colby I would be willing to bet out possessed every team they played. They did it to a damaging degree ...i.e. little 10 ft square balls out of the back instead of hoofing it like Amherst does. #10 Rico actually makes Amherst a more possessing team than people give them credit for. He has subbed well for the injured #4 Sucre. Like I said before if Amherst doesnt win 3 games and make it to San Antonio with that talent the season will be a failure for them. Like the failures of the Williams Jamaican teams of the early 2000's in the NCAA's , but you prob wouldnt remember all that history.

[CacFan12]

In response to the comparison of "possession oriented" teams to teams (like Amherst) who "hoof it," I think, with all due respect, we are overestimating the quality of NESCAC players. As a former player myself, I love the NESCAC and think it is the best and most competitive league in DIII. That being said, this is DIII soccer. True, Colby has pratt and meisel who can dink and dunk 10 ft square balls all day, but at the end of the day, the big, bruising athletes (Sucres, O'Neill, etc.) are going to win out because that is the nature of the league. The players (but for a select few since the Williams' Jamaicans graduated) do not have the quality to string together 15 passes, swing a ball in, and score. If they could do that successfully, I submit that they would. Especially when teams play as high pressure as they do, it is unrealistic to expect these players to be able to do that. This league is about winning games, and the formula to do that (in all of DIII) is defend, win the physical battle (i.e., first and second balls, set pieces), and find a way to score a goal. If you look at the last four NESCAC final four runs, this is the makeup of a good team. Middlebury 07 (national champs, HUGE defenders, 0 goals in semis or finals), Amherst 08 (something crazy like 10 straight shutouts), Williams 09 (conor smith, mike vella--big athletes), and Bowdoin 10 (call nichols, sean bishop, denton-schneider big, strong guys). This is how you win in DIII. You play to win games, ugly or not. I think Serpone understands that. 

[LaPaz]

I am in agreement with you. 2010 Bowdoin went because of the long thrower and set pieces. Amherst always plays like that and Midd also. I was commendeing Colby for trying to play differently, which they did and failed at. They possessed incredibly well for the talent they had but failed because they did not have a go to striker to score goals. Aubin is not the answer. Williams in 2009 had 4 HUGE backs Smith, Vella, Vestegaard and Ratachuck but ehy also had creative front players and an all out 2 strikers in Pierre and Romero. The weakness of that team was their midfield. Bowdoin in 2010 was up a goal with 2 minutes left and couldnt hang on in the semis otherwise we would have seen that style aganist Messiah in the finals. That would have been interesting. Midd won in 2007 without scoring a goal in the semis and finals. It was ugly but effective but they got there because of an all out D and Ftorek as a dangerous striker. I agree with all your points Nescac is a physical league and Amherst right now is that team to beat.  I was just commending Colby for the way they tried to play. It failed as you can look at there record but during the flow of the game it was much more fun to watch than these "thugs" on some of these teams winning air balls flicking it to frwds and running to the corners. Even Wesleyan in there 4-4-1-1 is extremely defensive but they can be creative up top with Rodriguez but they have no finisher. This is just rambling but a fun rambling. Thanks for the response

[LaPaz]

Maybe Serpone's sportmanship is rubbing off on the womens coach also...if u havent seen this , which u prob have then please watch..Any Amherst people want to defend this class act?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytOgjiq8Qxw&feature=related

[ECSUalum]

Maybe Serpone's sportmanship is rubbing off on the womens coach also...if u havent seen this , which u prob have then please watch..Any Amherst people want to defend this class act?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytOgjiq8Qxw&feature=related

Should have been a RED CARD!!!!!!!!!  For a young women who I would presume has a bit more intelligence than average, it was a stupid cynical play. 
Just a comment on above discussion re physical style of play, ECSU had to put up with being literally mugged in two games with UMass Dartmouth at the end of the regular season.  UMD who led the LEConference with a 1.53 yellows/game, ( I am sure they also had 4-5 red cards as I saw 2 myself),  Keene was next with a 1.21 avg and ECSU with 0.47/game average.  UMD has a very good technical team, but give up SOO many set pieces, (and ultimately the goals that result), due to what I define as dumb fouls, yellow/red cards.  I had posted on the LEC page how a couple of UMD player had it in for one of our top players/scorers Cory Tobler, who was taken out of the game(s) a couple of times based on nasty UMD tackles.  Fortunately Cory is a tough kid who generally keeps his cool, and a bit lucky or he would be out injured this year.
Part of the problem can be the referee not controlling a game, which I have seen with UMD.  So, UMD's VG technical passing game, most of the time offset by their poor physical play.
In watching Amherst play, I see physicality, but not with malice.  Amherst just has some very big, very good players.  Cannot comment on the bench trash mouth, but that should be controlled by the coach to some extent.

[CAC Attack]

Former player, reader for the past 5 years, decided to enter the action. I wanted to swing the conversation back towards all-nescac awards and teams. I have Heo as my POY after I realized Amherst has won the league every year he has been there (left for 2, not sure why, I think military related?), either Amherst GK or Rashid from Williams as ROY, and Shapiro COY -- turned around Tufts program in no time and they are my dark horse to win the league next year. You could pick Serpone as Cacfan suggested, but winning the league with the most talented group doesn't do much for me, we'll see how the NCAAs treat them.

As for teams, I haven't watched enough to attempt to construct them, but I think Ratajczak (best defender in the league hands down), Purdy, Noon, Heo, Santos, O'Neill, Meisel, and maybe Murphy would all be 1st team. I didn't see enough of the league this year to offer a 2nd group. Any thoughts?

[CacFan12]

CAC Attack, glad to see another recent player on here. Maybe we played each other?

Heo is a nice pick for POY but if there's a lord jeff who takes the award its Noon. Consistently the league's top forward. Speaking of Amherst, does anyone know the deal with this Mikey Hokesma (?), the kid plays rarely but all he does on the field is produce goals (league leader in assists.) Am I missing something here or does he deserve a look for second team all-nescac?

I would actually throw Hoppenot from tufts on the first team as well. Dangerous player and often overlooked next to santos

[LaPaz]

He probably gathered his goals and assists with the worst 4 non team schedule in Nescac history for Amherst..Maybe he got a couple in the 6-0 trashing of Colby Sawyer or those tough matches aganist Lesley and Curry.

COY-Shapiro
POY-Noon
ROY-Bull

But as you will see just like last year the coaches vote for All-Americans and the coaches do not like Amherst. Noon was POY lst year and not even a 3rd team All-American...So these things are useless to discuss.

1st team

GK-Finan
D-Brewster
D-Nowak
D-Norton
D-Ratachuck ( but he wasnt as good this year in my opinion and injured alot)
M-El-Hacheem
M-Meisel
M-Murphy
M-O'Neal
F-Noon
F-Heo
F/M-Sucre
F-

[Jump4Joy]

Guys, you are overlooking Aoyama from Amherst. He's the most skilled player on that team and can do anything he wants with the ball--including picking it out of others' pockets (just ask any of Williams' forwards ). We all know how it is for backs and not getting any love from the all-star committees... Thing is, the guy is the real deal. Exchange him for the guy you said hasn't played much this season. If he were playing closer to the opponents' goal, he'd be leading the league in assists at the very least. Check him out this weekend: deft, clever/imaginative, aware. Caslin also works magic in possession. Magic.

Oh, and I'll take credit for being the first to propose Bull as ROY. 

[soccer121285]

LaPaz, thank you for welcoming me to the "real world" but I am quite aware of what my values are and what it looks like to cross a line. 

My real world is one in which I have run a successful business, had my share of success, was lucky enough to marry a beautiful women and have healthy, happy children of which I am very proud.  At no point is criticizing DIII soccer players and coaches in a public forum part of my "real world".

I'd guess that you are either a Williams coach, parent or player who doesn't deal all that well with losing. Sure, you try and mask your overall sentiment with slight Williams criticism (or purposely misspelling the names of the Williams players) but your overall agenda is to discredit Middlebury, Amherst, Bowdoin and whatever other NESCAC school is winning at the moment.  I think that most readers of this thread are smart enough to recognize that. 

Regardless, I will say a prayer for you and I hope that you come to terms with whatever inner anger/issues that you might have.   

I will continue to marvel at the quality of NESCAC soccer and I wish Wesleyan, Amherst, Williams and Tufts the very best in the NCAA tournament.  The opportunity to study and play soccer at any of the 11 schools in the NESCAC is something special, to be able to do it in postseason play surely will create lifelong memories.  Good luck to all!

[LaPaz]

ok we agree to disagree. i will continue in my world and u continue in urs...but thanks for sharing ur life story

[frank uible]

Welcome to Snark Central.

[ECSUalum]

Checking the list of first round NCAA mens soccer games for this weekend, it shows Live Stats and video for the Williams Thomas game but only Live Stats for the ECSU St Law. game,  Does anyone know if the ECSU game will be streamed??

[LaPaz]

Boy this Amherst chick throw in thing has gone national....seriosly what is this AD doing down there...I understand winning, but win with some class

http://offthebench.nbcsports.com/2012/11/05/sometimes-in-womens-soccer-hitting-an-opponent-in-the-face-once-with-a-throw-in-just-isnt-enough-video/