NESCAC

[Brother Flounder]

Wishing the best to Tufts this coming week..Go NESCAC!

Indeed. During the season, we might argue within the conference, but absolutely pulling for the NESCAC!

Let's go Jumbos and do the NESCAC proud!  Here's hope to the continued run!

[PaulNewman]

Do any of you NESCAC fans have a theory on why the NESCAC is by far the most popular conference on this site (at least as measured by post volume)?  Is the attachment and loyalty to the NESCAC a demographic thing, or a combination of several things?  Thoughts?

[Brother Flounder]

Do any of you NESCAC fans have a theory on why the NESCAC is by far the most popular conference on this site (at least as measured by post volume)?  Is the attachment and loyalty to the NESCAC a demographic thing, or a combination of several things?  Thoughts?

Let me take a stab at this, though it is based on pure speculation..... First, the competition in the NESCAC is very good and their our good rivalries. Second, there "MAY" be a touch more school spirit as the schools are considered  the "Little Ivies" with some of the best academic institutions in the country.  Given these facts, people are proud of level of competition, both in academics and sports...but who really knows....

[PaulNewman]

Do any of you NESCAC fans have a theory on why the NESCAC is by far the most popular conference on this site (at least as measured by post volume)?  Is the attachment and loyalty to the NESCAC a demographic thing, or a combination of several things?  Thoughts?

Let me take a stab at this, though it is based on pure speculation..... First, the competition in the NESCAC is very good and their our good rivalries. Second, there "MAY" be a touch more school spirit as the schools are considered  the "Little Ivies" with some of the best academic institutions in the country.  Given these facts, people are proud of level of competition, both in academics and sports...but who really knows....

Actually I'm not sure even the actual Ivy League generates the devotion we see here about the NESCAC.  The UAA also is very much in the same ballpark academically top to bottom (albeit with slightly different types of schools except for Tufts), and while geographically more spread out, there are good rivalries there as well.  The top half of the Centennial also is very comparable.  Is it something about New England in particular, emanating from and then an extension of the New England elite prep school culture?

[Brother Flounder]

Do any of you NESCAC fans have a theory on why the NESCAC is by far the most popular conference on this site (at least as measured by post volume)?  Is the attachment and loyalty to the NESCAC a demographic thing, or a combination of several things?  Thoughts?

Let me take a stab at this, though it is based on pure speculation..... First, the competition in the NESCAC is very good and their our good rivalries. Second, there "MAY" be a touch more school spirit as the schools are considered  the "Little Ivies" with some of the best academic institutions in the country.  Given these facts, people are proud of level of competition, both in academics and sports...but who really knows....
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Actually I'm not sure even the actual Ivy League generates the devotion we see here about the NESCAC.  The UAA also is very much in the same ballpark academically top to bottom (albeit with slightly different types of schools except for Tufts), and while geographically more spread out, there are good rivalries there as well.  The top half of the Centennial also is very comparable.  Is it something about New England in particular, emanating from and then an extension of the New England elite prep school culture?

It could be a factor but I don't know what percentage of the NESCAC population comes from elite prep schools......

[PaulNewman]

Brother Flounder, I'd venture to guess that the % is relatively high, and certainly much higher than any other conference in the country.

[Brother Flounder]

Brother Flounder, I'd venture to guess that the % is relatively high, and certainly much higher than any other conference in the country.

Probably higher than most of the country (don't know about California), but it wouldn't be limited to NESCAC.  Many other fine eastern colleges have this...and I am not sure what it has to do with participation on this forum.  It may be a contributing factor but who the hell knows. The fraternity culture is big in the Midwest...how would that factor in?  Just too hard to tell!

[Corazon]

Interesting thoughts. I have no idea, but I'd guess the elite prep school thing is a contributing factor, as well as the fact that it is one of the most competitive soccer conferences. Also, Mr. Right is a NESCAC fan, which gets the post count up there!

[Nutmeg]

Interesting thoughts. I have no idea, but I'd guess the elite prep school thing is a contributing factor, as well as the fact that it is one of the most competitive soccer conferences. Also, Mr. Right is a NESCAC fan, which gets the post count up there!

That's a funny one.......

[oldonionbag]

Do any of you NESCAC fans have a theory on why the NESCAC is by far the most popular conference on this site (at least as measured by post volume)?  Is the attachment and loyalty to the NESCAC a demographic thing, or a combination of several things?  Thoughts?

It's complicated.

I think a lot of it comes down to the history between the schools and the rivalries that have existed for literally centuries. I know the UAA and the top academic Centennial schools have history, but most of them - even if they have one rival- don't have 5 or 6 or 7 rivals! When you play for a NESCAC team, you literally learn to loathe (in the most sporting way possible) the other schools. And, the fact of the matter is, you probably looked at or got into 3 or 4 of them- you can't have a school you chose not to attend beat you! Everything from academics to alumni prestige to sports titles is hotly contested. The proximity and familiarity of the schools is unmatched in any D3 conference (excluding single state leagues i.e. SUNYAC).

There is the history and prestige of not only the schools, but of the area. New England gave birth to the country, and still a hotbed of progress and innovation...as crazy as it sounds, this still affects the way that people from New England act, and transcends athletics and anything collegiate. 4 of the top 10 schools in USNWR, and 8 of the top 20 in USNWR are NESCAC (this is strictly liberal arts, so excluding Tufts...which would most likely be top ten given its academics and 17% acceptance rate). I think that there is certainly a feeling that "since we're the cream of the academic crop, we need to be the cream of the athletic crop too."

Additionally, the NESCAC is a smaller version of the Ivy league concerning legacies, as well. When I was going to a NESCAC school (I was second gen), several of my friends had relatives dating back to the early 1800s that had attended the same schools, and whose ancestors had continued to attend. The "New England prep school" rivalries also continue into college, as many players are already familiar with each other from having played at a prestigious prep school. I'm not saying every kid that plays NESCAC went to prep school (I didn't), but it is unique in that you'll have 5 or 6 players from each team that have played against each other since they were 14 or 15 years old. That type of familiarity (just did a quick look- Tufts has 5 NE prep school kids form the same league, Amherst 6, Williams 7, etc)breeds more intense passion than say, two teams with no players who have competed before.

There's a lot more I could add, but I hope that gives you a sense of why the NESCAC alumni and students are so passionate about their schools/sports! Anyone care to add?

[PaulNewman]

Thanks oldonionbag.  That was excellent and all rings true.

As much as the NESCAC gets the most attention by far, and while I am very familiar with the schools as I live in the region, there oddly is a bit of mystery around the schools and conference, especially for those out of the area, and which I think is partly a function of the insularity of the schools.  Because so many games are devoted to playing each other, and since they play less total games, we don't get to see these schools play a lot of the other noteworthy soccer D3s.  Even in the tournament they tend to play each other or a very familiar regional foe like Brandeis or SLU.  All of this as a backdrop makes the Tufts vs OWU matchup very interesting/compelling.  As has been noted in the other threads, this edition of OWU isn't the best in recent years, but it is still very good and has peaked at the right time with only one loss in probably more than two months.  On the other hand, Tufts probably will throw more overall talent at OWU than any team OWU has faced this year, so I am curious to see how OWU will handle the offensive weaponry of the Jumbos.  I'm gonna say that two of OWU's bigger, athletic midfielders, Barnes and Rieger, are going to be key to the outcome, as well as whether OWU's outside backs can hold their own.  Both teams should feel they have an excellent chance to move on to the Final.  I'm leaning Tufts, and Greenwood could be key for them.  OWU are masters of the early goal, and I don't like Tufts as much if they go down a goal, so scoring first will be big as well.

[Brother Flounder]

Do any of you NESCAC fans have a theory on why the NESCAC is by far the most popular conference on this site (at least as measured by post volume)?  Is the attachment and loyalty to the NESCAC a demographic thing, or a combination of several things?  Thoughts?

It's complicated.

I think a lot of it comes down to the history between the schools and the rivalries that have existed for literally centuries. I know the UAA and the top academic Centennial schools have history, but most of them - even if they have one rival- don't have 5 or 6 or 7 rivals! When you play for a NESCAC team, you literally learn to loathe (in the most sporting way possible) the other schools. And, the fact of the matter is, you probably looked at or got into 3 or 4 of them- you can't have a school you chose not to attend beat you! Everything from academics to alumni prestige to sports titles is hotly contested. The proximity and familiarity of the schools is unmatched in any D3 conference (excluding single state leagues i.e. SUNYAC).

There is the history and prestige of not only the schools, but of the area. New England gave birth to the country, and still a hotbed of progress and innovation...as crazy as it sounds, this still affects the way that people from New England act, and transcends athletics and anything collegiate. 4 of the top 10 schools in USNWR, and 8 of the top 20 in USNWR are NESCAC (this is strictly liberal arts, so excluding Tufts...which would most likely be top ten given its academics and 17% acceptance rate). I think that there is certainly a feeling that "since we're the cream of the academic crop, we need to be the cream of the athletic crop too."

Additionally, the NESCAC is a smaller version of the Ivy league concerning legacies, as well. When I was going to a NESCAC school (I was second gen), several of my friends had relatives dating back to the early 1800s that had attended the same schools, and whose ancestors had continued to attend. The "New England prep school" rivalries also continue into college, as many players are already familiar with each other from having played at a prestigious prep school. I'm not saying every kid that plays NESCAC went to prep school (I didn't), but it is unique in that you'll have 5 or 6 players from each team that have played against each other since they were 14 or 15 years old. That type of familiarity (just did a quick look- Tufts has 5 NE prep school kids form the same league, Amherst 6, Williams 7, etc)breeds more intense passion than say, two teams with no players who have competed before.

There's a lot more I could add, but I hope that gives you a sense of why the NESCAC alumni and students are so passionate about their schools/sports! Anyone care to add?

Excellent description, Bag!

[KnightFalcon]

Thanks oldonionbag.  That was excellent and all rings true.

As much as the NESCAC gets the most attention by far, and while I am very familiar with the schools as I live in the region, there oddly is a bit of mystery around the schools and conference, especially for those out of the area, and which I think is partly a function of the insularity of the schools.  Because so many games are devoted to playing each other, and since they play less total games, we don't get to see these schools play a lot of the other noteworthy soccer D3s.  Even in the tournament they tend to play each other or a very familiar regional foe like Brandeis or SLU.  All of this as a backdrop makes the Tufts vs OWU matchup very interesting/compelling.  As has been noted in the other threads, this edition of OWU isn't the best in recent years, but it is still very good and has peaked at the right time with only one loss in probably more than two months.  On the other hand, Tufts probably will throw more overall talent at OWU than any team OWU has faced this year, so I am curious to see how OWU will handle the offensive weaponry of the Jumbos.  I'm gonna say that two of OWU's bigger, athletic midfielders, Barnes and Rieger, are going to be key to the outcome, as well as whether OWU's outside backs can hold their own.  Both teams should feel they have an excellent chance to move on to the Final.  I'm leaning Tufts, and Greenwood could be key for them.  OWU are masters of the early goal, and I don't like Tufts as much if they go down a goal, so scoring first will be big as well.

Spot on NCAC - I'm picking Tufts as well, but all bets are off if OWU scores early and makes Tufts chase the game. Having only seen Tufts once, I'm really curious to see if that magnificent effort was a once in a lifetime event where everything comes together at the right moment or if they are able to bring that same level of effort, discipline and skill on Friday after 2 weeks off. I'm expecting the latter and will be disappointed if their sectional final effort was just an aberration.

[Brother Flounder]

Thanks oldonionbag.  That was excellent and all rings true.

As much as the NESCAC gets the most attention by far, and while I am very familiar with the schools as I live in the region, there oddly is a bit of mystery around the schools and conference, especially for those out of the area, and which I think is partly a function of the insularity of the schools.  Because so many games are devoted to playing each other, and since they play less total games, we don't get to see these schools play a lot of the other noteworthy soccer D3s.  Even in the tournament they tend to play each other or a very familiar regional foe like Brandeis or SLU.  All of this as a backdrop makes the Tufts vs OWU matchup very interesting/compelling.  As has been noted in the other threads, this edition of OWU isn't the best in recent years, but it is still very good and has peaked at the right time with only one loss in probably more than two months.  On the other hand, Tufts probably will throw more overall talent at OWU than any team OWU has faced this year, so I am curious to see how OWU will handle the offensive weaponry of the Jumbos.  I'm gonna say that two of OWU's bigger, athletic midfielders, Barnes and Rieger, are going to be key to the outcome, as well as whether OWU's outside backs can hold their own.  Both teams should feel they have an excellent chance to move on to the Final.  I'm leaning Tufts, and Greenwood could be key for them.  OWU are masters of the early goal, and I don't like Tufts as much if they go down a goal, so scoring first will be big as well.

Spot on NCAC - I'm picking Tufts as well, but all bets are off if OWU scores early and makes Tufts chase the game. Having only seen Tufts once, I'm really curious to see if that magnificent effort was a once in a lifetime event where everything comes together at the right moment or if they are able to bring that same level of effort, discipline and skill on Friday after 2 weeks off. I'm expecting the latter and will be disappointed if their sectional final effort was just an aberration.

Well, Tufts did win 2 road games in the tourney against home teams (Muhlenberg and Wheaton)....so, IMHO you can't say their journey to date has been an aberration to date.

[NEPitch62]

Back to the matter at hand.  The Jumbos are primed and ready for a run to the National Championship!!  The team is practicing well and there are no injuries to report.  They leave Boston at 12:30 tomorrow and will get a day on the field prior to Friday's semi against O/W.  Tough final four field for sure but I think the seniors are going to get us through to the finals.  Then its up to Santos, Hoppenot, Kayne, Halliday, Williams, Kramer, Patel, Zinner, Greenwood and the rest of the Boys to bring home the championship!!  Go NESCAC and GO JUMBOS!!!!