NESCAC

[PaulNewman]

All NESCAC, the Red Sox are a perfect example.  They had to clear that hurdle.

And your post could have been written at this same time last year.  We know how that worked out.

[MENESCACFAN]

NCAC, no hard feelings.  You feel one way I feel another.  I have played/coached and been on both of the (dynasty) dynamic, I find it the most overrated and fragile concept in sports.

I enjoy reading your posts, and the boards, let's move on.

[blooter442]

NCAC, no hard feelings.  You feel one way I feel another.  I have played/coached and been on both of the (dynasty) dynamic, I find it the most overrated and fragile concept in sports.

I enjoy reading your posts, and the boards, let's move on.

Agreed. Hey, we can all agree that Bates will win the NESCAC this year, so it's all good.

(I am not out to diss Bates, just felt that it was time for some comic relief.)

[PaulNewman]

It's all good. 

And we'll all be having a laugh (or crying) when/if Williams beats Amherst 1-0 or in PKs in the NESCAC final or the elite 8 game. 

[amh63]

I do believe Amherst has overcome any "edge" that Williams had over them..even the possibility of the aura of the jersey. . Why? 
Amherst, that still has not found a consistent offense, beat Williams 4-1 at home.....the highest number of goals against the EPHs since 1933 by Amherst...that is a fact!   In the second half of that game....Williams switched to its FY goalie and Amherst also went to another goalie...a senior.  Seems the young Williams goalie is still getting the most time.   

[LaPaz]

Williams has missed one Nescac final four in 13 years. CONN HAS NEVER MADE A NESCAC FINAL FOUR. In the end, Conn will NOT have a home game on the first playoff weekend.

LaPaz, don't get me wrong I am a very big Williams fan, but all good things eventually come to an end.  You sound like the Yankee's fans of the 1990's and early 2000's chanting "1918" when the Red Sox never won a World Series in 85 years....well you know that story.  Williams could go on a run and win the NESCAC tourney.  Conn could keep hitting cross bars and posts and miss the playoffs.  But there is no aura to the Williams men's soccer team.  I was very happy for their Final Four runs the past two years....somehow they got it done and kept winning.
I certainly expect Williams to be in the thick of it for the NESCAC playoffs as I do Conn.   Certainly all roads lead to Amherst which is the best team I've seen this year.  Yet the talent across the NESCAC has been slowly evening out the past 5 years and with it there is no unbeatable team this year.  Yes Amherst and Tufts seem to  have a little more firepower than the rest, but there is no dominate team this year.  Who knows maybe it will be a year 2004 story for someone not named Amherst or Williams this year.

I am sorry CONN is just not that good. They are the same team as last year without Hawkey. Their goalkeeper is weak and CB"s to slow. They play ugly and can get away with it at their sh*t field but not on the road. Their schedule is still loaded with tough teams for them to play still. I like O'Brien, Devlin and Mutala but they do not have the depth or talent to keep pace with the top 4 in the league. Williams did not just somehow get it done and go to NCAA final 4's the past two years. In 2012 they were a very good team and happened to get lucky against maybe the best team in the country that year, Amherst. Lat year they also were a very good team and went head to head with Amherst and let up a couple soft goals against Messiah and the game was closer than 4-0. I will agree they were the weakest of the final 4 teams but the POINT is that Williams got there, got in the NCAA's , got a home field NESCAC game , went to the final, etc etc....CONN HAS DONE NONE OF THIS EVER. THEY WILL NOT DO IT THIS YEAR EITHER. So yes there is still an aura...TEAMS GET MORE PUMPED TO PLAY WILLIAMS AND AMHERST, EVEN MIDD...That is why CONN beat Williams this year.

[Bucket]

About 45 minutes until kickoff in Middlebury, and its been steadily raining for the past several hours with what appears to be no let up coming any time soon.

Will be interesting to see how the weather affects the two teams. I do know one thing—Midd's notoriously fast playing surface will be that much faster. Anything on the ground will really scoot.

[Corazon]

Williams has missed one Nescac final four in 13 years. CONN HAS NEVER MADE A NESCAC FINAL FOUR. In the end, Conn will NOT have a home game on the first playoff weekend.

LaPaz, don't get me wrong I am a very big Williams fan, but all good things eventually come to an end.  You sound like the Yankee's fans of the 1990's and early 2000's chanting "1918" when the Red Sox never won a World Series in 85 years....well you know that story.  Williams could go on a run and win the NESCAC tourney.  Conn could keep hitting cross bars and posts and miss the playoffs.  But there is no aura to the Williams men's soccer team.  I was very happy for their Final Four runs the past two years....somehow they got it done and kept winning.
I certainly expect Williams to be in the thick of it for the NESCAC playoffs as I do Conn.   Certainly all roads lead to Amherst which is the best team I've seen this year.  Yet the talent across the NESCAC has been slowly evening out the past 5 years and with it there is no unbeatable team this year.  Yes Amherst and Tufts seem to  have a little more firepower than the rest, but there is no dominate team this year.  Who knows maybe it will be a year 2004 story for someone not named Amherst or Williams this year.

I am sorry CONN is just not that good. They are the same team as last year without Hawkey. Their goalkeeper is weak and CB"s to slow. They play ugly and can get away with it at their sh*t field but not on the road. Their schedule is still loaded with tough teams for them to play still. I like O'Brien, Devlin and Mutala but they do not have the depth or talent to keep pace with the top 4 in the league. Williams did not just somehow get it done and go to NCAA final 4's the past two years. In 2012 they were a very good team and happened to get lucky against maybe the best team in the country that year, Amherst. Lat year they also were a very good team and went head to head with Amherst and let up a couple soft goals against Messiah and the game was closer than 4-0. I will agree they were the weakest of the final 4 teams but the POINT is that Williams got there, got in the NCAA's , got a home field NESCAC game , went to the final, etc etc....CONN HAS DONE NONE OF THIS EVER. THEY WILL NOT DO IT THIS YEAR EITHER. So yes there is still an aura...TEAMS GET MORE PUMPED TO PLAY WILLIAMS AND AMHERST, EVEN MIDD...That is why CONN beat Williams this year.

La Paz - I'd be curious to get your take on the playing fields of each of the NESCAC schools. How would you rank them from 1-11?

[Corazon]

From Lewiston, Sophomore Peabo Knoth puts on a show and hits the game winner in OT. Bates 2 CONN 1. Knoth also created the first goal with a beautiful assist which Freshman Justin Yacovino finished. Knoth looks as good as any midfielder I've seen in the NESCAC. The future is looking brighter in Lewiston. Pat Devlin again looked good and hit the crossbar in OT. Good game in poor weather.

[dacac]

Williams loses to Skidmore and Conn loses to Bates. Maybe neither of them are worthy of the nescac semis.

Regarding Williams "aura", I would argue that started fading away a few years ago, probably after the graduation of Gaston Kelly, and Romero

[Nutmeg]

Just got home from the Middlebury Tufts game. O-0 in a driving storm. Middlebury played long ball to their large players. Tufts played very nice soccer. Middlebury missed a n easy gol when a tufts defender slipped. Otherwise, tufts had most of the scoring chances and dominated the last 35 minutes. Kayne and hop pent worked very well with hoppenot shooting one right on the goalie after Kayne dealt thru defenders and dished a beautiful pass. Santos played well. Middlebury is strong. Sydor made a couple of nice saves, and imho was the Middlebury player of the game. Coach Saward made a comment after the game how well tufts played and how the midfield moved the ball around. He was happy with the result. While Tufts played well, they didn't finish. Don't know what the tufts coach said. Someone mentioned that Tufts hasn't lost to Middlebury in the last 4 years. I still see the panthers as a very good team.

[MENESCACFAN]

WEEKEND REVIEW

Well this league is getting more interesting by the week if you ask me.

TRINITY 0 BOWDOIN 2

Leading scorer Cody Savonen started for Trinity, so it appears whatever soap opera they had going on over in Hartford had blown over.  That said, it was not enough to prevent an impressive win for a Polar Bear squad that lifts itself firmly into the playoff mix, with the Bantams now on the outside looking in.

Powerful midfielder Sam White netted both Polar Bear goals.  The first a beautiful finish from an Andrew Jones back heel, and the second a headed goal from a bouncing ball in the area.  Goals here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTKE0vJU3UM

Bowdoin keeper Steve van Siclen made only 2 saves, suggesting a pretty dominant display by the Polar Bears.

WESLEYAN 1 COLBY 0

Wesleyan do not score many goals, and they simply do not have to.  The goalkeepers combined for 8 saves here in a 'grind it out' affair.  The game was settled in the second period of OT when powerhouse midfielder Hans Erickson forced home a Brandon Sousa corner.

Kudos to coach Geoff Wheeler for his continued ability to guide his team through tough games and come out with three points.  The win leaves the Cardinals in sole possession of second place, having played two games less than leaders Amherst.

After such an impressive win last week, this must have been a heart breaker for the Mules.

CONN COLLEGE 1 BATES 2 (OT)

Very obviously, this Bobcat team is not the joke many thought they were.   Conn rolled into Lewiston off the back of a win over Williams, and took a first half lead through a Colin Patch free kick.  The Bobcats responded when freshman Justin Yacovino span and rolled into the side netting on the stroke of half time.

The teams went back and forth before the game was settled in OT by Peabo Knoth.  Incidentally, sophomore Knoth now leads the conference in points, and the Bobcats have had 14 of their 16 goals scored by freshman or sophomores.  Clearly the criticism of their coaches recruiting skills on these boards went way over the top, and that deserves some credit.

I fully expect to Conn to rebound and secure a playoff spot, but kudos to the Bobcats for responding to their horror show start to the fall.

TUFTS 0 MIDDLEBURY 0

Going by the game reports, and the observations of Nutmeg, this seemed a quality game played out by two high end NESCAC squads.  Tufts are the most impressive team I have observed when they tore Bates to shreds on the opening day.

My guess is neither of these teams will be disheartened with a point, and will enter the second half of the NESCAC season looking to secure a home playoff game.  Tufts remain a contender for the title in my eyes.

HAMILTON 0 AMHERST 1

This seems about as predictable as games get.  Nico Pasqual-Leone scored early for the Jeffs who then rolled onto victory doubling up the Continentals in shots 22-11.  There seems to be less of an edge to Amherst so far this year, but until they lose we will have to accept them as favorites for the number 1 seed.

This results drops the Jeffs out of the playoff spots, but they will see plenty more winnable games on their schedule than a trip to Amherst.

WILLIAMS 1 SKIDMORE 2

Ropey times for Williams, while it is out of conference, another loss cannot help their confidence any.  All three goals came int he first 30 minutes, with JC Bahr-De Stefano netting what reports suggested was a bit of a wonder goal.

Skidmore quickly responded with two goals from senior striker Adam Beek, and went on to close out the win.

The Eph's could face some goalkeeping problems.  The freshman Schneiderman was pulled after making 2 saves and conceding 2 goals, a terrible ratio.  If the net minding becomes a season long concern, no 'mystique' or 'aura' is going to help this team, interesting situation for the legendary Coach Russo to handle in his final season.

[Nutmeg]

WEEKEND REVIEW

Well this league is getting more interesting by the week if you ask me.

TRINITY 0 BOWDOIN 2

Leading scorer Cody Savonen started for Trinity, so it appears whatever soap opera they had going on over in Hartford had blown over.  That said, it was not enough to prevent an impressive win for a Polar Bear squad that lifts itself firmly into the playoff mix, with the Bantams now on the outside looking in.

Good analysis! Kudos to Bates for stepping up after being left for dead!



Powerful midfielder Sam White netted both Polar Bear goals.  The first a beautiful finish from an Andrew Jones back heel, and the second a headed goal from a bouncing ball in the area.  Goals here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTKE0vJU3UM

Bowdoin keeper Steve van Siclen made only 2 saves, suggesting a pretty dominant display by the Polar Bears.

WESLEYAN 1 COLBY 0

Wesleyan do not score many goals, and they simply do not have to.  The goalkeepers combined for 8 saves here in a 'grind it out' affair.  The game was settled in the second period of OT when powerhouse midfielder Hans Erickson forced home a Brandon Sousa corner.

Kudos to coach Geoff Wheeler for his continued ability to guide his team through tough games and come out with three points.  The win leaves the Cardinals in sole possession of second place, having played two games less than leaders Amherst.

After such an impressive win last week, this must have been a heart breaker for the Mules.

CONN COLLEGE 1 BATES 2 (OT)

Very obviously, this Bobcat team is not the joke many thought they were.   Conn rolled into Lewiston off the back of a win over Williams, and took a first half lead through a Colin Patch free kick.  The Bobcats responded when freshman Justin Yacovino span and rolled into the side netting on the stroke of half time.

The teams went back and forth before the game was settled in OT by Peabo Knoth.  Incidentally, sophomore Knoth now leads the conference in points, and the Bobcats have had 14 of their 16 goals scored by freshman or sophomores.  Clearly the criticism of their coaches recruiting skills on these boards went way over the top, and that deserves some credit.

I fully expect to Conn to rebound and secure a playoff spot, but kudos to the Bobcats for responding to their horror show start to the fall.

TUFTS 0 MIDDLEBURY 0

Going by the game reports, and the observations of Nutmeg, this seemed a quality game played out by two high end NESCAC squads.  Tufts are the most impressive team I have observed when they tore Bates to shreds on the opening day.

My guess is neither of these teams will be disheartened with a point, and will enter the second half of the NESCAC season looking to secure a home playoff game.  Tufts remain a contender for the title in my eyes.

HAMILTON 0 AMHERST 1

This seems about as predictable as games get.  Nico Pasqual-Leone scored early for the Jeffs who then rolled onto victory doubling up the Continentals in shots 22-11.  There seems to be less of an edge to Amherst so far this year, but until they lose we will have to accept them as favorites for the number 1 seed.

This results drops the Jeffs out of the playoff spots, but they will see plenty more winnable games on their schedule than a trip to Amherst.

WILLIAMS 1 SKIDMORE 2

Ropey times for Williams, while it is out of conference, another loss cannot help their confidence any.  All three goals came int he first 30 minutes, with JC Bahr-De Stefano netting what reports suggested was a bit of a wonder goal.

Skidmore quickly responded with two goals from senior striker Adam Beek, and went on to close out the win.

The Eph's could face some goalkeeping problems.  The freshman Schneiderman was pulled after making 2 saves and conceding 2 goals, a terrible ratio.  If the net minding becomes a season long concern, no 'mystique' or 'aura' is going to help this team, interesting situation for the legendary Coach Russo to handle in his final season.

[MENESCACFAN]

WEKEND PREVIEW PART 2

Only one out of conference game today but some interesting subplots to play out for us.

ENDICOTT @ WILLIAMS

Endicott are a .500 team with some middling results that you would expect an in form NESCAC team to beat (Bowdoin did so), but is that where Williams are?  The Ephs have won one of their last 6, and are coming off a tough loss yesterday.

The Gulls will likely see a chance for an upset, but I see Williams taking him the win by the odd goal.  I expect freshman forward Mark Sisco-Tolomeo to get some out of conference action and find the net, an athletic and confident young man from Don Bosco in NJ.

Some stories to look for;
- Who will start in goal for Williams, and how will they perform?
- An assist by Zach Grady will move him into a tie atop the NESCAC points standings, a goal will see him take the lead.
- A goal by Grady will break his current tie with Dan Kraynak for most goals in the league.
- Mexican playmaker Diego Slobotzky appears to be having a big season, can he get it done against NESCAC opposition.

[Jump4Joy]

With the increased interest in tracking statistical leaders, I suggest we focus on in-conference play vs. overall. That way, we're comparing apples to apples. That leaves Knoth (Bates) and Pascual-Leone (Amherst) tied at 8 points, with three players at 6: Grady (Williams), Rico (Amherst), White (Bowdoin).
Link: http://nescac.com/sports/msoc/2014-15/players?sort=p&view=&pos=kickers&r=1