NESCAC

[All NESCAC]

The return of LP is taking away from the big games this weekend. Here are my predictions:

Bates at Midd- 0-2
Bates has looked a lot better this season than in seasons past.  However, Midd's turf field is one of the biggest home field advantages in the NESCAC.  Glaser and Conrad look good, both scoring goals over the weekend.  I say a goal from each and Midd cruises comfortably past a resurgent Bates team.

Conn Coll at Bowdoin- 1-1
This is a really tough game to call.  Conn College has not looked good recent weeks, and apparently their center back Punt will be out for the season.  That being said, they still have a great midfield led by Devlin, and can create scoring chances.  Bowdoin has looked really good recently, winning five in a row before losing to Williams last week.  Their center back number 8 is a great athlete, but I see a physical game that ends 1-1.

Amherst at Wesleyan- 1-0
Amherst as usual finds themselves at the top of the table moving into playoff time.  I know there has been a lot of talk about Amherst and their playing style, and while it isn't pretty, they win games.  Also, Pascal-Leone is a ver good player, and Martin is always dangerous.  I am still not convinced that Wesleyan has enough weapons to consistently score goals, and I think that they may have a tough time against Amherst this weekend. 

Hamilton at Colby- 1-0
Really big game at the bottom of the table. Hamilton has not scored as many goals in recent games as they were at the beginning.  Also not sure where Reynolds is but he missed both games this weekend and they gave up five goals in his absence.  Kraynak is a strong hold up forward, and I think he will score one. Colby is a surprise team this year for me.  They look very well organized defensively, which is a night and day change from last year's team.  They are always tough to beat at home (as midd knows).

Williams at Tufts- 1-2
After an unusually shaky start to the season, Williams has seemed to find their usual form.  I haven't seen any of their games this year, but it seems like Grady is finding the back of the net a lot, and they haven't been giving up many goals.  That being said, Tufts is probably the best team in the NESCAC skill wise.  Their midfield is loaded with talented players highlighted by the fact that Santos still comes off the bench in many games.  Hoppernot and brown up top are threats and I think that they will take the victory over Williams at home.

Agree with your "crystal ball".  Although Colby could get a result vs Hamilton.

[Mr.Right]

The Williams at Tufts match up is really a tough one to predict. Williams is under the gun to win out in the regular season and I would argue so is Tufts. The committee does not like a boat load of draws and Tufts already has 3. One or two more draws and a loss in the quarters could bury them. Anyway, it will come down to which team is hungrier to win. If Williams rolls off the bus and sleepwalks in the first half which they have done quite a bit this year, then they will be toast. The pressure will be cooking in this game and the crowd will be quite loud and large as the football game will be behind them as well. The game will be won in midfield. Tufts has not beaten Williams since Shapiro's first year in 2011. However, the games have been VERY close and it will depend on who can finish their chances.

[lastguyoffthebench]

Unbiased opinion having only watched a handful of games on live feed...

Tufts 2, Williams 1

[blooter442]

Tufts 2, Williams 1

Agreed. Teams are very even and Williams perhaps has the upper hand psychologically but I think home-field advantage could prove decisive.

[PaulNewman]

MrRight, Tufts seems a lot like your friends at Kenyon.  Many will not believe in Tufts until they prove it.  The game with Williams gives them a golden opportunity, and then getting to the NESCAC final and playing a very competitive game against Amherst would go a long way.

[lastguyoffthebench]

7-1-3 with arguably one of the toughest SOS in the nation almost has them dialed in for at worst a Pool C bid.    A win over Williams would pretty much lock them in the dance, bearing some epic collapse down the stretch.

MASSEY RANKINGS currently has Tufts at 9th overall.... SOS 1, Total SOS including remaining games at 2.

[Mr.Right]

7-1-3 is a very good record but figuring their only opponents that will be regionally ranked are Amherst, Midd and Brandeis. That's 0-1-2 against those. Maybe Wesleyan so that would give them a win there. However, by the final regional rankings Wesleyan may not be in there. The Williams game is a catch 22 for Tufts. If they beat them great but then Williams will not be regionally ranked. If they lose than that will be another team that gives them a loss in records vs ranked opponents. SOS is only one factor. In 2011, Williams had the #1 SOS and missed the tournament because they had  a 1-3-2 record against regionally ranked opponents. Williams will gain with a victory because Tufts will still be ranked even if they lose..

[Nutmeg]

I see this talk about recruiting from USSDA teams. Don't several teams have those players?

[Nutmeg]

I also looked at non-conference schedules and Tufts had several tough opponents, a bit tougher than other Nescac schools.

[Corazon]

I see this talk about recruiting from USSDA teams. Don't several teams have those players?

Yes, they do indeed.  Guessing maybe one per class for most of the schools.  Just because a player is an Academy player does not necessarily make them an impact player in the NESCAC, but they usually are pretty good.

[Nutmeg]

Do u know who they are, offhand. It would be interesting to know.

[Corazon]

Sure, I know some of the players off the top of my head, but I haven't researched it enough to post intelligently and treat the data in an unbiased manner.  When I get some time, I will do the proper research, as I think it would be an interesting topic to discuss.  RIghtly or wrongly, the vast majority of our country's top youth players get funneled into that program.  One data point that I found to be interesting from a past post was that the much talked about Pat Devlin of CONN was the only player from his Academy team in NJ not to go D1.  Imagine that.

Enjoy the games this weekend.

[Nutmeg]

Sure, I know some of the players off the top of my head, but I haven't researched it enough to post intelligently and treat the data in an unbiased manner.  When I get some time, I will do the proper research, as I think it would be an interesting topic to discuss.  RIghtly or wrongly, the vast majority of our country's top youth players get funneled into that program.  One data point that I found to be interesting from a past post was that the much talked about Pat Devlin of CONN was the only player from his Academy team in NJ not to go D1.  Imagine that.

Enjoy the games this weekend.

I would think a few wise players would choose nescac schools over D1 programs at less than stellar universities. That's just my opinion and not fact.

[Corazon]

Sure, I know some of the players off the top of my head, but I haven't researched it enough to post intelligently and treat the data in an unbiased manner.  When I get some time, I will do the proper research, as I think it would be an interesting topic to discuss.  RIghtly or wrongly, the vast majority of our country's top youth players get funneled into that program.  One data point that I found to be interesting from a past post was that the much talked about Pat Devlin of CONN was the only player from his Academy team in NJ not to go D1.  Imagine that.

Enjoy the games this weekend.

100% agree - gotta think long term.

I would think a few wise players would choose nescac schools over D1 programs at less than stellar universities. That's just my opinion and not fact.

[All NESCAC]

Sure, I know some of the players off the top of my head, but I haven't researched it enough to post intelligently and treat the data in an unbiased manner.  When I get some time, I will do the proper research, as I think it would be an interesting topic to discuss.  RIghtly or wrongly, the vast majority of our country's top youth players get funneled into that program.  One data point that I found to be interesting from a past post was that the much talked about Pat Devlin of CONN was the only player from his Academy team in NJ not to go D1.  Imagine that.

Enjoy the games this weekend.

100% agree - gotta think long term.

I would think a few wise players would choose nescac schools over D1 programs at less than stellar universities. That's just my opinion and not fact.

All of the NESCAC teams have a number of Academy players--Conn has 7 on their current roster.  The before mentioned Devlin shocked many D1 coaches choosing Conn over D1 programs.