NESCAC

[Mr.Right]

Do not even reply to this knucklehead Nutmeg. He is a troll. Just tell him that since 2007 7 Nescac teams have made the NCAA FInal 4. Thats 7 of the 8 years. This is not the UAA sorry

[D3soccerwatcher]

For Tufts to advance past this weekend they will have to go through Messiah (assuming they win on Saturday).  I think we all can agree that's difficult.

For Amherst to advance past this weekend they will have to take on F&M or Oneonta - that's also very stiff competition.

Like I said just my opinion that neither NASCAC team gets past this weekend.

What's your prediction?

[D3soccerwatcher]

Do not even reply to this knucklehead Nutmeg. He is a troll. Just tell him that since 2007 7 Nescac teams have made the NCAA FInal 4. Thats 7 of the 8 years. This is not the UAA sorry

Are you predicting that both NESCAC teams advance past this weekend into the Final 4?

[Mr.Right]

Yes

[Mr.Right]

F&M and Oneonta are hardly superior to Amherst. After watching F&M they would really struggle dealing with Amherst size and physicality. Oneonta I believe is over rated and will not make it out. The winner of Amherst v Brandeis gets thru.

[Mr.Right]

since 2007 7 Nescac teams have made the NCAA FInal 4. Thats 7 of the 8 years.

[D3soccerwatcher]

Bold prediction.  I like it.  Good luck.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I really don't think F&M is as undersized as you make them out to be. I'll readily admit that I've seen very little of Amherst, but I have no doubt that F&M has just as much in the size department as really any team might want to throw out there. Now, maybe Amherst is a bit more physical than F&M, and if that's the case it may be an advantage for them. However, it also may be a disadvantage - you never know how tightly the game is going to be called, and that can work against teams who play that style.

I think F&M will also be helped by their performance against Rochester - even though it went to PKs, their offense looked like it had woken up a bit compared to the lackluster display they put on against J&W. If they can continue that through the weeklong break, I think the Dips have a decent shot at getting through the section. Assuming they move past Oneonta St. (and I really think that's still a big if in and of itself), an Amherst/F&M matchup would be a lot of fun to watch.

[Nutmeg]

So far, it's not like Messiah has really dominated in the tourney. They can be beat this year. The way Tufts is playing, if they get past Muhlenberg, they are up to the task. Their SOS should help them. All games from now on will be battles.....

[D3soccerwatcher]

So far, it's not like Messiah has really dominated in the tourney. They can be beat this year. The way Tufts is playing, if they get past Muhlenberg, they are up to the task. Their SOS should help them. All games from now on will be battles.....

I think one of the things that people are missing about Messiah this year is their defense. Only four teams have scored against Messiah all year. And Tufts has not been scoring a ton of goals lately. When Messiah dominates defensively like they have been, they don't have to run up big scores to win.

[Sherlock Holmes]

Plus, you make it sound like they squeaked by in two tight games. They've really only had the opportunity to play once, and that was after what, seven or eight days off? I think you could tell in the first 15 or 20 minutes that there was some rust there as a result. And they easily could have won by three or four but for some spectacular saves by the Morrisville GK and a few blown chances.

I think Messiah has the most complete unit, and they're still the favorite despite only beating Morrisville State 1-0. I agree with D3soccerwatcher, their defense is fantastic, from the keeper forward. Their CB Robbins is one of the calmest presences you'll ever see in situations that might normally overwhelm a typical player.

I think if there's a plan for beating Messiah, it's all about weathering the storm as long as possible. Just accept that you're going to get out-possessed, out-cornered, and outshot, but keep everything out of the box. And I'm not saying to bunker in - you still need a solid shape to pressure the ball the entire way in your half. The longer the game goes scoreless, the more their defense will creep up the field to contribute to the attack, and that's where you exploit with pressure on the ball and a long ball over/through the back line. Morrisville State nearly pulled that off perfectly and got a partial breakaway on a quick counterattack just before Messiah's eventual game-winner, but their keeper came up with a big save.

[Brother Flounder]

I see where you are coming from about Messiah but you seem to say they cannot be beat.  That is something I cannot agree with at this point, especially only winning 1-0.... I have to agree with Nutmeg in that I am saying is that Tufts or Muhlenberg can give them a good fight and maybe come out with a win.......They are both playing very well right now and Tufts had a very high SOS.......

[Sherlock Holmes]

Oh I'm not saying they can't be beat at all. Certainly they can. I'll absolutely agree that they didn't look their best in the first game. What I'm saying is that it was just one game - I'm leaning more towards the "They were probably a little rusty, and I'm more of the mind that they can only improve from there" rather than "Well they only beat Morrisville 1-0, so they aren't that good." That's all I was saying. I totally agree, every game from here on out will be a battle, no matter who is playing. I think both Tufts and Muhlenberg will be able to hang with them defensively, and I don't see any blowouts on the horizon. And this is all assuming Messiah gets past Cortland as well.

[PaulNewman]

I hope some of you have the pleasure of seeing Messiah in action in person.  They are overwhelming to handle and asking a team that has never played them to deal with them (and win) is a tall task.  Yes, they can be beaten, but a number of things will have to break a certain way for that to happen.  Wheaton (Ill) might be the best equipped to battle the Falcons straight up, but even then I would expect Messiah to win 3-1.

[PaulNewman]

Exactly Sherlock.  The best chance for Tufts or Muhlenberg against Messiah is to have Cortland take the Falcons out of the picture.