NESCAC

[blooter442]

In his first season, Coach Seprone takes the players available deep into the NCAA in almost all away games.  He is a recruiter..yes...but he can coach.  He cares for his players and I believe he adapts his style to the players he can get...rather than the other way around.

Serpone has always impressed me with his ability to get results. To me, for being efficient and able to get results, he is the Jose Mourinho of NESCAC soccer—albeit, in my observations, he is a little bit more tactful than the latter (you all are welcome to your own opinions.) Though he has many successful players, I agree that it appears that he plays to their advantages rather than the system, which exemplifies his excellent understanding of his team. Personally, as a fan of the possession-based game, I wish Amherst were a little more fun to watch, but I also recognize that they are incredibly successful and hard to beat. The old saying goes, "success breeds success." As a result, his recruiting classes have gotten stronger and stronger.

Similarly, in my interactions with him, Mike Coven told me that it is his opinion that "your best 11 players should be on the field." I agree with that statement for the most part. Robbie Lynch, who was an All-New England CM at Weymouth High, came in and was put at right back as a freshman, and has, in my opinion, been very successful due to his athleticism and soccer smarts—even though it wasn't his traditional position. Brandeis had played a 4-3-3 in the first three seasons I watched them, but this season have (sometimes in-game) alternated between a 3-5-2 and 4-5-1. Coven has definitely benefited from full-time assistant Gabe Margolis' tactical nous, but the philosophy of adapting to your player's strengths is definitely part of Coven's philosophy.

[MENESCACFAN]

Amh63 I agree Serpone is a fantastic coach, but his recruiting is inherently linked to their success.  I spent a year handing out brochures to college coaches on sidelines in Vegas, Texas, Florida and other states.  I saw no NESCAC coach more than I saw Coach Serpone.  I can say without doubt recruiting has upped since his arrival, I say this not to take away from his excellent coaching ability, merely a statement of fact.  The NESCAC schools are far above many D3 schools in many cases when it comes to hours invested in recruiting.  I know some old school NESCAC guys resented Serpone making them work more.

He also has players competing in the PDL (a level above D1 college) over the summer and has recently had one of those guys drafted into the MLS recently.

As far as your question about a coach making kids choose a school.  I think a coach wins a battle against his 'perceived' group.  That is, a good recruiter like Serpone will take kids from Williams/Midd.  A good recruiter like Shapiro will take kids form Bowdoin/Wes or such. 

However, if Serpone went to Bates and Colby, he would not be recruiting kids away from Amherst and Williams.  For this reason, some of the players Ken Murphy has gotten to play at Conn College has impressed me.

Please do not anyone break down my groupings about who is better and worse, they are aimed to make a point not start finger pointing.

[PaulNewman]

MENESCACFAN, in theory (unless you know differently) Amherst and Williams should have a higher yield with their selected targets but a smaller pool overall to draw from given tougher admission standards.  And if they do squeeze in a really substandard recruit, is it really in that recruit's interests to go there if he is going to be crushed academically by his peers?  That's why I've always thought Conn Coll, Trinity, and to a lesser degree, Bates and Colby should fare much better recruiting-wise, as the pool they can draw from should be bigger (albeit still limited compared to a lot of other D3s).

[MENESCACFAN]

I do know of some exceptions yes.  The banding system at schools means Williams are able to get a kid into the school that would not be an otherwise Williams standard kid.   The bands are set by conference and not school.

There is actually a wonderful book about it if anyone has true interest called "Playing the Game" about NESCAC and Ivy recruiting.

But Williams and Amherst do not necessarily miss academic borderline kids that fall to Bates and Colby's lesser admission standards.  I have friends with Son's that went through this and honestly they do have some sway athletically.

[MENESCACFAN]

NCAC and all, see link;
http://www.amazon.com/Playing-Game-Inside-Athletic-Recruiting/dp/0972202668

Really fascinating read.  I have spoke to two athletic coaches of Maine schools, and they pretty much verified it's accuracy.

[PaulNewman]

Thanks, just downloaded to my Kindle.  Still would think that if Williams/Amherst can dip into Colby/Bates range that Colby/Bates should be able to dip even further.  And then there is the other question of whether you really want your B+, 1850 SATs kid trying to compete academically with A/A+, 2250+ kids at Williams/Amherst.

[MENESCACFAN]

That is a question, but behind closed doors I think every athletics coach would say yes ;-)

[PaulNewman]

Perhaps.  But for me, there's a matter of degree.  If, hypothetically, my kid is a A-, 2100 who has handled a full AP course load then I'll probably say "go for it," but if my kid is B+ or lower and sub-1900 I think better judgement needs to come in, and one has to ask at what point a family is trophy-hunting as their overriding theme in the college search when there are plenty of other "good enough" options in terms of prestige and otherwise.

BTW, nice call on Bowdoin vs So Maine!

[amh63]

Posters all..thank you all for your response.  Your open opinions and views are most welcome...and the openness and differences in views should be welcome without criticism, imo.  That is how I learn.
A little follow up.  Spencer Noon was a multi- year All State. Player in both basketball and Soccer.  He played two years on the BB team but his injuries from playing soccer ended his bb career...missing a National Championship ring in BB.  A while back...there was a young women who transferred to Amherst from Harvard. She was a phenomenal athlete who excelled in three sports.  She transferred because schools like Harvard restricted her choices.
An advantage that may not be inherent at first glance is the financial resources at Amherst and Williams.  Both schools have the largest Endownments in the conference.  Both admit without consideration of financial need.  Amherst has a no loan policy...meaning you do not have to take out a loan.  Policy goes for non USA citizens.  This translate to recruiting around the World.  Coaches can look at players from community colleges and overseas, etc....students from all levels of family income, etc.  The key is academic qualification.  This translate to oversea players, potential players who were looking at D1 because of scholarships, etc.  Having the funds to meet financial needs provides Coach Serpone options.
Oh yes, there is a transfer from Creighton getting PT on the Amherst soccer team this season.  Is That school a D1 level soccer school?

[Bucket]

I do know of some exceptions yes.  The banding system at schools means Williams are able to get a kid into the school that would not be an otherwise Williams standard kid.   The bands are set by conference and not school.

There is actually a wonderful book about it if anyone has true interest called "Playing the Game" about NESCAC and Ivy recruiting.

But Williams and Amherst do not necessarily miss academic borderline kids that fall to Bates and Colby's lesser admission standards.  I have friends with Son's that went through this and honestly they do have some sway athletically.

Great book.

Interesting to note: the author is a Midd alum, and his son played on Dave Saward's national championship team in 2007.

[MENESCACFAN]

Amh63, Creighton is a D1 Final Four school for soccer.  Bates started that trend though, Flaherty recruited Moyo as a transfer from there in 2013.

NCAC, thanks for the Bowdoin props, first correct score ever for me I think ;-)

[blooter442]

NCAC, thanks for the Bowdoin props, first correct score ever for me I think ;-)

Well done! Certainly wouldn't have predicted you'd be right at half (or for the first 44 minutes, for that matter.)

[MENESCACFAN]

MONDAY RECAP

BOWDOIN 6 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MAINE 0

The Polar Bears rolled to their fourth straight win with a comfortable win over the Huskies.  As Blooter noted, it was tight at the half with ably a Thomas Henshall goal separating the teams.

The game exploded into life with a hat-trick in the space of five minutes from sophomore winger Austin Downing (no relation to former Liverpool player Stewart Downing I imagine, although it may have felt like it for 5 minutes to the USM defense).   Andrew Jones provided an assist on one of these goals, giving him the outright conference lead for that category.

On a side note, both Downing and Jones are products of Scarborough High School, the dominant force in High School soccer in Maine.  Scarborough also have a current freshman Wyatt Omsberg starting at Dartmouth, so I imagine a few NESCAC schools monitor their games.

Late goals from freshman defender Ben Ginzberg and sophomore Patrick Kearon rounded out a resounding Bowdoin win.

Elijah Leverett made 8 saves in goal for the Huskies.  There was strong talk of him bing heavily recruited by NESCAC schools and even UNH on the Maine club scene, but such stories can often be exaggerated.

[blooter442]

Elijah Leverett made 8 saves in goal for the Huskies.  There was strong talk of him bing heavily recruited by NESCAC schools and even UNH on the Maine club scene, but such stories can often be exaggerated.

Wouldn't surprise me. He played well for a very solid Greely program which produced Oliver Blum, who started at Northeastern when they went to the NCAA D1 Tournament in 2012. Leverett wasn't quite that level, but he was very, very good in high school.

[MENESCACFAN]

NESCAC PREVIEW

After a fairly dominant midweek for NESCAC last time out, I see a few potential banana skins tomorrow night, should make for interesting viewing.  Ithaca v Hamilton appears to be the only video feed, or I would have liked to see the battle for Connecticut at Nevers Field!

WHEATON @ TRINITY

Trinity do have their star man Savonen back in the lineup, but they are a game above .500 overall and currently on the outside of the NESCAC playoff spots looking in.  The Wheaton Lyons are not an ideal opponent to face as the Bantams look to avoid slumping to a third straight loss.

Wheaton roll into a Hartford with a 10-1-1 record that includes a tie with Wesleyan, as well as wins over Babson, WPI and Roger Williams.  The NESCAC team is definitely the underdog here, and free scoring senior Travis Blair could be a key player for the Lyons.

PREDICTION:  Wheaton 3 Trinity 2

ITHACA @ HAMILTON

Like Trinity, Hamilton is another NESCAC team looking to avoid a third straight loss tomorrow.  The Continentals do not seem to be quite in the disarray Trinity are, and Ithaca not as strong an opponent as Wheaton.

I would expect Hamilton to return to winning ways here, with powerful target man Dan Kraynak finding the net.  Kraynak currently trails Williams senior Zach Grady by one goal in the lead for the golden boot.

PREDICTION:  Ithaca 0 Hamilton 2

CONNECTICUT COLLEGE @ EASTERN CONNECTICUT STATE

Conn College are an underrated team talent wise, and will be reeling off the back of an OT loss to Bates over the weekend.  They will be looking to give a backlash to Eastern Conn in this fixture, though it will be a tough one.

Coach Greg DeVito has built a tremendous program in Willimantic with an emphasis on quality defense.  Eastern Conn have conceded one or less goals in nine of their last 10 games, and played Wesleyan to a close 1-0 loss this fall, as well as drawing with MIT.

Conn College have a lot more attacking talent that Eastern Conn's typical opponent, and I see the Camels getting over the hump (sorry) by the odd goal here.

PREDICTION:  Conn College 1 Eastern Conn 0

AMHERST @ ELMS

Not much doubt in this one.  Amherst are one of the more dominant D3 programs in the nation, and Elms are not.  Elms are putting together a solid campaign, but the pressure, speed and aggression of the Lord Jeffs will likely overwhelm them and I see a comfortable win for Serpone and his men.

PREDICTION:  Amherst 3 Elms 0

SALVE REGINA @ WESLEYAN

What if I told you Wesleyan are the lowest scoring NESCAC team?  What is I told you Wesleyan have only one player who has scored more than one goal?  It likely, though true, will not change your opinion that they will win this game.  Salve Regina are a solid .500 squad with no spectacular results.

Wesleyan are an organized, motivated group with the habit of winning games regardless of the circumstances.  Expect them to win this game 1-0 on a set play after dominating possession.

PREDICTION:  Salve Regina 0 Wesleyan 1