NESCAC

[Corazon]

So I figured it may be fun to discuss our take on each team in the league during the dull off season.  Bottom to top, here are my observations on Hamilton who I watched three time last fall. 

2014 PERFORMANCE

I am surprised as I watched them twice early in the season.  An emphatic win at Bates, and a tough loss v Conn.  In both games they looked a playoff team to me.  Strong holding center mid in Frost, hard working and powerful forward in Kraynak and a quality defender in Reynolds.  They also seemed a pretty vibrant group full of confidence.  Despite what I think, somewhere down the line the wheels fell off and finishing the season without scoring in five games must have been a depressing note for the seniors to leave on.

OUTLOOK

They will be hit very hard by graduation.  Reynolds, Abbott, Kraynak, Frost and Balboa all graduate and seemed to me the core of their lineup.  Pressure will be on the younger players to step up, but I would predict they miss the playoffs again.

An interesting thing about Hamilton is the surest seniors were recruited to a different conference where Hamilton was a traditional power.  If thy struggle to pull in the same caliber of player as a now bottom end team, the next two seasons are where that is going to show on the field.

Great idea. I look forward to reading the rest.

[Pat Coleman]

I see LP/MR is inactive again.  Did I miss another blow up?  Shame he had seems a lot more rational and less insulting of late.  Anyone taking bets on the next name he resurfaces under?

Suspecting that he was the cause of all the negative karma, I took his post total down to 100 as an experiment to see if the karma levels leveled off. Guess that wasn't popular but quitting the board was a little more than I expected. He was not banned.

[MENESCACFAN]

Thanks Corazon, interested to see the takes of others.

Thanks Pat, I imagine he will come back.

[PaulNewman]

BF, my apologies.  You got caught in the crossfire.  Some of your posts made me insane but none were offensive or mean-spirited in any way, at least not intentionally.  As for your impression, my sense is that a fallacy of temporality is being made.  Just because Tufts excelled around the same time the little holy war heated up doesn't mean they were connected.  I have no connection to Tufts positive or negative, and none of my kids ever applied to Tufts.  I've already stated that while not seduced by the NESCAC I am generally a fan.  Tufts didn't have anything to do with "my team" bowing out.  I only regret that they didn't get a chance to play Tufts.  There were a bunch of great match-ups that never happened but that's part and parcel of what a tournament is all about.  The only indirect link is that as some of you got more excited and were celebrating together I think you looked the other way on some other stuff.

Mr. Coleman, please take away 30 negative karma points from BF and give them to me.

[Flying Weasel]

Mr.Right got his posts cut from 900 to 100 for no reason. He obviously upset the right wing majority on this site. BTW NCAC New NewEngland has been giving negative karma to us for the past 2 months for those of you that care. Personally, this site is regulated by a darker side of god's will and I have finally have had enough. You will not hear from me again and I wish all my supporters the best of luck in life.

I see LP/MR is inactive again.  Did I miss another blow up?  Shame he had seems a lot more rational and less insulting of late.  Anyone taking bets on the next name he resurfaces under?

Suspecting that he was the cause of all the negative karma, I took his post total down to 100 as an experiment to see if the karma levels leveled off. Guess that wasn't popular but quitting the board was a little more than I expected. He was not banned.

Wow, I didn't know that Pat was a right winger ruling from the dark side of god's will!

[Saint of Old]

I confess that I am a right winger.

I think SLU had too many good strikers when I played so Coach put me out to the flank

[2xfaux]

I confess that I am a right winger.

I think SLU had too many good strikers when I played so Coach put me out to the flank


In the midst of all the recent histrionics...thanks for the breath of fresh air.

[Pat Coleman]

Mr.Right got his posts cut from 900 to 100 for no reason. He obviously upset the right wing majority on this site. BTW NCAC New NewEngland has been giving negative karma to us for the past 2 months for those of you that care. Personally, this site is regulated by a darker side of god's will and I have finally have had enough. You will not hear from me again and I wish all my supporters the best of luck in life.

I see LP/MR is inactive again.  Did I miss another blow up?  Shame he had seems a lot more rational and less insulting of late.  Anyone taking bets on the next name he resurfaces under?

Suspecting that he was the cause of all the negative karma, I took his post total down to 100 as an experiment to see if the karma levels leveled off. Guess that wasn't popular but quitting the board was a little more than I expected. He was not banned.

Wow, I didn't know that Pat was a right winger ruling from the dark side of god's will!

I guess it was indeed a bit of social experimentation. But it is the only way to revoke a person's karma privileges.

[Brother Flounder]

BF, my apologies.  You got caught in the crossfire.  Some of your posts made me insane but none were offensive or mean-spirited in any way, at least not intentionally.  As for your impression, my sense is that a fallacy of temporality is being made.  Just because Tufts excelled around the same time the little holy war heated up doesn't mean they were connected.  I have no connection to Tufts positive or negative, and none of my kids ever applied to Tufts.  I've already stated that while not seduced by the NESCAC I am generally a fan.    That's what bothered me more than anything.  Tufts didn't have anything to do with "my team" bowing out.  I only regret that they didn't get a chance to play Tufts.  There were a bunch of great match-ups that never happened but that's part and parcel of what a tournament is all about.  The only indirect link is that as some of you got more excited and were celebrating together I think you looked the other way on some other stuff.

Mr. Coleman, please take away 30 negative karma points from BF and give them to me.

No Sweat NCAC......

[MENESCACFAN]

#10 Bates

2014 PERFORMANCE

Hands down the most bipolar team in NESCAC (or D3?) history.  Failed to score a goal in their first 5 and failed to win any of their first 7 games of the season.  Followed that up with wins over Trinity (3-0 no less) and Conn, and a draw with Williams.  Scored nine goals in a half v Newbury yet lost to Maine Maritime, bat Curry comfortably yet lost to Thomas, you figure it out!

OUTLOOK

See above!  Tough to figure out.  Biggest plus is that all their impact players return.  Their freshman class netted 12 goals, the sophomore class 7, and the junior/senior class combined for 3.  Will likely fight for the #8 seed, with it coming down to regular season finale all over again.

[All NESCAC]

Any word on NESCAC Recruits for next Fall?  any difference makers?

[MENESCACFAN]

Ones I know of who are touted as impact are;

Jake Stenquist (Rivers School to Bowdoin).
Jefferey Lin (Rivers School to Colby)
Chris Lewis (Jamaica youth national team to Amherst)
Drew Parsons (Mount Blue to Bates)
Sterling Weatherbie (Seacoast Academy to Tufts)

[MENESCACFAN]

#9 TRINITY

2014 PERFORMANCE

As in 2013, Trinity got off to a good start and tailed off later in the season.  An early win over Colby and late upset over Wesleyan stood out as their only NESCAC wins.  This seems to me a program on the slide, and it seems a long time ago they made the NESCAC final and Pilger named coach of the year.

OUTLOOK

Lose their best player in Tim Shea, but return two impact sophomores in Cody Savonen (CF) and Tobias Gimand (CM).  As mentioned they, have seem to have fallen below the top tier, and I would not be surprised to see them miss the playoffs again.

[Corazon]

Here's a partial list of colleges for 2015 Academy players (with 30 of 77 clubs reporting) http://www.socceramerica.com/article/62510/dc-united-leads-ussda-clubs-in-college-bound-pla.html

I see 2 players headed to NESCAC from this list, with both going to Colby.  Jansen Aoyama of FC Delco (PA) and Richie Gutierrez of NJCSA (NJ).  Along with Andrew Mitchell of Seacoast (NH) who took his senior year off to play HS ball (NSCAA HS All-American), that appears to be quite a haul for Ewan Seabrook.

Hopefully, they will list the other clubs' info soon so we can see which other Academy players are also going to NESCAC.

[nescac1]

Colby stole an Aoyama brother (I'm assuming, but seems like a safe assumption) from Amherst?? Wow.  NJ has great soccer talent and it's also impressive to get a guy up to Colby who likely was recruited by the many strong regional D3 teams in that area.  Seems like an impressive haul, indeed.