NESCAC

[Brother Flounder]

I'm curious about the hazing and possible suspensions comment with Wesleyan.  Are we talking suspensions for a couple of players or 10?  And for 1 game or a handful of games?  All that said, unless the suspensions really hurt, I believe Wesleyan is being downgraded too much and will surprise on the upside.  Wheeler IMHO possibly best coach in the league.

What happened?  I never heard about this...was it recent?

[Bury456]

Recent Midd Alum. I've been meaning to post for a while. An important point is that this message board is a running joke within NESCAC locker rooms.

1.  People have been underestimating Midd every year since before we won a National Championship.  Keep doing it. As far as last year being "one of the worst teams in history" does not take into account the fact that we were decimated by injuries from Day 1. Three of our best guys -  Portman, Ty Smith, and Redmond all missed MOST of the season.   Midd will be in top 4 this season without a doubt.  Willie Gervetz and Adam Bautista are two of the best ten players in the NESCAC. 

2.  I'm pretty sure the Tufts coach knows more than any random person writing on this message board about Santos.  Who the heck knows what goes on behind closed doors. He's turning the program around because he knows what he's doing.   Suggesting he "stay out of his way and let him work his magic" is insulting. He knows way more than you. 

3.  Aoyama is a much better player than anyone else in the NESCAC right now.

Let me recap...didn't say anything ground-breaking.  Midd gets no respect, FACT.  Tufts coach knows more about his best player than an anonymous poster on a message board, FACT.  Aoyama is the best player in the league, FACT.

Unlike others on this board, when I post I don't have a hidden agenda (LaPaz - you're not a Williams fan, huh?) and if I decide to keep posting it's going to be from a recent players perspective. 

[Brother Flounder]

Recent Midd Alum. I've been meaning to post for a while. An important point is that this message board is a running joke within NESCAC locker rooms.

1.  People have been underestimating Midd every year since before we won a National Championship.  Keep doing it. As far as last year being "one of the worst teams in history" does not take into account the fact that we were decimated by injuries from Day 1. Three of our best guys -  Portman, Ty Smith, and Redmond all missed MOST of the season.   Midd will be in top 4 this season without a doubt.  Willie Gervetz and Adam Bautista are two of the best ten players in the NESCAC. 

2.  I'm pretty sure the Tufts coach knows more than any random person writing on this message board about Santos.  Who the heck knows what goes on behind closed doors. He's turning the program around because he knows what he's doing.   Suggesting he "stay out of his way and let him work his magic" is insulting. He knows way more than you. 

3.  Aoyama is a much better player than anyone else in the NESCAC right now.

Let me recap...didn't say anything ground-breaking.  Midd gets no respect, FACT.  Tufts coach knows more about his best player than an anonymous poster on a message board, FACT.  Aoyama is the best player in the league, FACT.

Unlike others on this board, when I post I don't have a hidden agenda (LaPaz - you're not a Williams fan, huh?) and if I decide to keep posting it's going to be from a recent players perspective.

BURY, given your close perspective, what are your predictions for the coming season?  Who had the good freshman classes last year (2012)

[LaPaz]

The Wesleyan hazing issue was swept under the rug but it happened and there will be suspensions. Not sure for who and how long I just kno its there and Wheeler lucky to keep his job as McEachean at Skidmore was forced out.

To this BURY fool....Midd in 2012 was the worst thing I have seen them produce. I am not behind closed doors but I know people all across nescac and things get leaked. I am not a closet Williams fan just because I "BURY" Midd.....Why should Midd get respect after last season...that championship was 6 long years ago..yes they did have some injuries last year but its a fact Saward NEVER recruited or cared to until he started losing and others started recruiting like Shapiro and Murphy. I am in no mood to start arguments before the season starts..

[ECSUalum]

NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division III Men - National - Preseason Ranking - August 13, 2013
Rank, School, Prev. W-L-T


1 Messiah                     1 23-0-2
2 Loras                         3 23-2-1
3 Williams                     4 16-2-4
4 Amherst                     5 17-0-3
5 Ohio Northern             2 25-3-0
6 Montclair State           6 19-3-1
6 Wheaton (Ill.)             7 18-4-3
8 Trinity (Texas)            8 19-1-4
9 York (Pa.)                 12 18-2-4
10 University Of Scran.  9 17-2-3
10 Dominican (Ill.)        11 18-3-1
12 Brandeis                  13 18-3-1
13 Stevens I T              10 18-3-1
14 Rutgers-Camden      17 17-2-3
15 Swarthmore             14 16-3-2
16 Susquehanna            15 18-3-1
17 Wisconsin-Platteville  15 15-4-2
18 Carnegie Mellon        18 14-5-1
19 North Park                21 13-3-5
20 St. Lawrence            RV 14-3-3
21 Ohio Wesleyan          RV 13-3-5
22 Whitworth                23 13-3-3
22 Carleton                   25 17-2-2
24 SUNY Oneonta          NR 14-5-2
25 DePauw                   24 14-2-5

2012 final record and ranking shown.

Also receiving votes: University of Rochester, Colorado College

[LaPaz]

Also, if this board is a running joke why are you reading it...Your recent player perspective is not very accurate..Even with those 3 players and Ty Smith did play some, Midd was soft last year ..they were not a typical "dirty" MIDD team, they had no heart and certainly no GK and there captain was a bench player for 3 years.  Like I said I think they have a great recruiting class coming in so lets see if it works out

[Bury456]

Sure, why not...

I can't see anything other than an Amherst-Tufts final.  Big drop off after those two teams IMHO.  Ready to see a new champ after Amherst the last two years but not sure Tufts can do it. 

1.  Amherst - Not convinced Heo is really that big a loss.  Hasn't done much against us.  Tall, skinny kid up-top (dont know his name) is going to be very good (freshman last year). GK is a monster.
2.  Tufts - I think Hoppenot is better than Santos but both are good and will score a bunch of goals. 
3. Williams - Big CB is going to be a lot to replace.  Christman also a strong player-often overlooked. 
4.  Middlebury - Top 4 standing won't surprise anyone in locker room.  Could have best back four in league. 
5.  Bowdoin - Brewster most under-rated player.  Also has killer beard. 
6.  Conn - Someone said they are going to surprise if they can turn their ties into wins.  Uhhhh, yeah.  Expert commentary. 
7.  Colby- Good players and good kids.  One year they are going to make Top 4. 
8.  Wesleyan- All top players graduated.  Wouldn't surprise me if they were higher but I honestly don't know anyone on their team anymore. BTW ALLEGED hazing incident is none of anyone's business. Inappropriate to discuss on a message board.     
9.  Bates
10.  Hamilton
11. Trinity

[LaPaz]

I have officially RETIRED from this MESSAGE BOARD...GOOD LUCK TO ALL.....Enjoy 2013.....BURY456 can fill you in on all nescac mens soccer since he IS IN THE KNO

[Bury456]

Woah, woah, woah.  Back. Up. Brother.

First off, back off Coach Sayward.  Have some class. The guys a legend.  Certainly doesn't need to defending him but you have it all wrong.  Once the Conn coach wins a NESCAC playoff game you can compare them. 

Secondly, what in the world are you talking about?  Want me to get those guys to tell you how many minutes they played last year?  If Amherst or Williams had 3 major injuries to top players they'd be in middle of pack as well.

Finally, it's no secret that you're "not behind closed doors".  We've been saying for years exactly who you are.  Want me to take a few guesses?   Tread carefully.

[Brother Flounder]

No need to get touchy.  Part of the make-up of these types of boards are opinions. I don't want anyone to retire because I , for one, enjoy the opinions, even if I don't agree.... So, let's all take a deep breath and move forward.....Bury, us say Tufts and Amherst in a final...We know Amherst, but who else does Tufts have besides the often mentioned Santos and Hoppenot?  Also, I thought I read earlier somewhere that Tufts played very well after Santos went out....Yes, I would never discount Middlebury but I would be surprised if they finish in the top 2.....

[Brother Flounder]

Regarding the Preseason Poll..I don't tak much stock in it..Sure Messiah and Loras will be good.  They always are. But alot of the schools mentioned play in very easy conferences...not as competitive or deep as the NESCAS........

[letsGOswans!]

Complete agree with Flounder. We respect everyones opinions here. Please don't leave LaPaz 

Out of curiosity Bury, you think you guys will have the best back 4? Can you explain your thinking behind that? You lost Freeman, who in my opinion was one of the best full backs in the league.

[Bury456]

Opinions are one thing.  Attacking people is another.  People mentioned are close to me and no one gets to just disparage people without being held accountable. 

Guy loves Williams and rips to shreds any program that is any threat.   Sick of it.

[cacalum]

Well, this just got more lively. Good to have a couple more perspectives on this board. I haven't posted since last season but am also a recent player but will try and keep my homerism to a minimum. La Paz, love that you have an opinion and share it, hate that you resort to dramatics to try and get attention. Your soccer insights are valuable and I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to hear them but I'm guessing I'm not alone in that I won't be begging you to come out of retirement solely so that you feel you have been satisfied with enough attention. I encourage you to take the high road here.

I think we can all agree the preseason rankings are there solely because people want to release them, not because they are based on any facts or insight other than finish of last year's tournament.

I can confirm that Heo is out this season for Amherst, which will certainly be a loss but don't think it is going to change much in the NESCAC standings (more on this later)

Although I disagree with the tact Bury456 went with expressing it, I agree the hazing incident shouldn't be discussed on this board as it leads to a whole lot of speculation about something that leads to very serious ramifications and no one on here knows the facts (I include myself among those who know nothing).

I only saw a few games in person last year and a bunch more via video or webcast so take everything with a grain of salt. I chose to use tiers instead of a top to bottom list as I haven't seen everyone play. Here are my thoughts on the first tier, I'll try and take a stab at the other tiers shortly:

Tier 1
Amherst - Still believe they are the team to beat without Heo more because of their GK, backs and center midfield. Sucres out means a little less rough and tumble on headballs and more soccer (hopefully), but the fact remains that they return Norton, Wirz, Aoyama, Caslin, Rico, Gooden, Fikke, and Bull. That's a pretty tough side to score against. Bury456, I'll take the Amherst back 4 as the best in the league. Attacking wise, I think there's plenty of talent, you just won't see one guy rack up points like a Noon. My guess is there will be a lot of interchange in the attacking positions and riding of the hot scorer.
Bottom Line:Favorite to win the league, a lot of attacking questions

Tufts - Put up or shut up time for these guys. Don't really lose a lot, Bauer is a leadership void which could be an issue with a young side but I don't think he did anything that is irreplaceable other than that (him and Lerner from Amherst very similar in that respect IMO). Santos and Hoppenot are probably the two best returning individual attacking players in the league at their respective positions (for those of you screaming that Rashid is better, I'd take Santos at the positions they play and would argue Hoppenot plays a different position). I think Nakamura is a very good player that will probably benefit greatly from a year of seasoning from a physical standpoint, thought in the couple games I saw his technical/tactical side was all there but physcially he got pushed around at times. GK position has to be better, you need your keeper to make a big save every once and a while to steal/save a game and the kid they had last year does not cut it. I'll harp on this because I'm a little old school and I think effort matters but Santos needs to grow up on the field. Whatever happens off of it happens, when he is on the field he should be giving max effort and when he does it shows but too often in the games I've seen he has a tough time here or there or doesn't get the ball and starts whining at his teammates and pouting. Pretty disappointing from a fan's perspective because he's so talented, probably even more disappointing if you're his teammate. I like Shapiro as a coach a lot, seems to do things the right way and his guys play hard for him.
Bottom Line:Lot of attacking talent, will definitely score goals, need to figure out goalkeeper and get over youth/growing pains

Williams - Morel starts in goal (hopefully if Russo can chill out with the GK headgames, which are insane to me, I don't know how a recruit goes to Williams as a GK after watching him pull goalies and make random decisions). I don't think there's much difference in Morel and Finan, I think Morel is better from what I've seen but I will preface that with saying I haven't seen a ton. Ratajczak is a huge loss, I frankly don't rate Burbank-Crump so I don't really know who fills the leadership void. Lima has all the physical tools to do so, I just wonder how he will do without Ratajczak, probably depends a bit on who they pair with him. In midfield, I like Madding and Muralles and think they can be very effective in there. Would like to see Muralles take a game by the horns a little more and be more dynamic and get a little further forward. La Paz said they had a good recruiting class so maybe there might be some help coming here as well. Up front you have User who is effective against most teams, but in my opinion doesn't have the technical ability to cause problems against the best teams. He's fast, we get it, he'll score some goals but he's not going to create much. Rashid on the other hand was my pick to have a dominant season, him being out hurts them a lot hopefully he's back for the Babson game as that looks like they're first real test.
Bottom Line:Plenty of talent here to win the league, will be a question if a few guys make the jump from being good to being class of the league

[nescac1]

Lots of good insight from the new folks here!  I hope that everyone, La Paz included, keeps contributing. 

I have a LOT less soccer knowledge than any of you, but Aoyama also gets my vote for best player in the league.  I haven't seen much of the Tufts guys, so can't fairly judge them.  Rashid I put right behind Aoyama.  I think Greg Singer is the big guy from Amherst that was talked about below, and it does seem like he is a good candidate to get a lot of goals off of set plays, but Amherst does lose a lot in terms of guys who are proven finishers in other situations.  Amherst has plenty of creative midfielders still around, so the chances will be there. 

Cacalum, according to this, Madding, unfortunately, is out for the year: http://athletics.williams.edu/sports/msoc/2012-13/bios/madding_michael_4xv7.  With Madding and possibly Rashid out and Ebobisse graduated, the Ephs could really struggle with scoring early in the year.  Hopefully a younger player steps up early in the season, but the Ephs may have to ride their defense and play stingy early on.