NESCAC

[WilltheMan]

1)Middlebury
2)Tufts
3)Amherst
4)Wesleyan
5)Williams
6)Colby
7)Bowdoin
8)Hamilton
9)Conn
10)Trinity
11)Bates

[ViewFromTheHill]

I agree with those who think Midd will be the best team in the league this year, and it's not because of Conrad and Glazer. Their GK Sydor was the difference maker for them in a lot games last year, and I think he will be even better this campaign. It also doesn't hurt that all of their starting defenders are returning. Midd will be the toughest team to breakdown in the league this season.

[Mr.Right]

Sydor is a definite improvement over their complete debacle of a goalkeeper in 2013. He is quick and has excellent reflexes but he alone does not mean Middlebury will be in 1st place. Greg Conrad is the most talented player in the league but besides him everyone else is very average. This current Midd team would lose 3-0 or 4-1 to the Midd of 2007 and 2008. Even Midd in 2007 had some trouble scoring goals so that result is saying something of what I think 2015 Midd will look like. Let's face it Saward is half way out the door and practically begging for retirement as I believe his assistants do all the recruiting. He refuses to leave the state for non-conference games and sometimes looks "c'est la vie" on the sidelines. The minute Adam Glaser gets a left foot you will have my attention. With his speed and skill he could be the best in the league but good defensive teams just sit on his right foot and contain him rather easily. Midd will always be tough to break down and they will always have one of the more athletic teams but I am not sold this is even a top 4 side yet. I would guess 5th. I hate to hark on the schedule but what the hell....I will repeat again that with the weak non-conference slate that they have they will end up with an end of year SOS at best at .550..That is usually "bubble" material for a Pool C bid. This will put tremendous pressure on Midd to get "good wins". If they finish 6-3-1 in Nescac + 5-0-0 outside they will be 11-3-1 with a .550 SOS. They will most likely only play 4 to 5 Regionally ranked teams when it is all said and done. They better go 3-1-1 against them or maybe 2-1-2. Basically, they will need to out of Amherst, Williams, Tufts, Wesleyan and Bowdoin get 3 wins..That is a lot of pressure on a couple of individual games. The rest of the schedule they cannot have any hiccups. There schedule does not help them as they are at Amherst, at Bowdoin and at Tufts and Wesleyan back to back Sat / Sun. Not to mention they face Williams at home the last game of the season and are 0-5-1 against them in the last 6 games played and have not beaten them since a blustery cold day in 2009..I am not overly optimistic on Midd this year as of yet.

[Corazon]

Mr. Right - I'd love to see your 1-11 picks for the league.

Also, is Williams keeping all of the assistants from last year?  Have you heard how Rashid is coming along in his recovery?

[Brother Flounder]

1)Amherst
2)Tufts
3)Williams
4)Middlebury
5)Bowdoin
6)Wesleyan
7)Colby
8)Hamilton
9)Conn
10)Trinity
11)Bates

[NewEngland]

1)Amherst
2)Williams
3)Tufts
4)Wesleyan
5)Middlebury
6)Bowdoin
7)Conn
8)Colby
9)Trinity
10)Hamilton
11)Bates

[Off Pitch]

1. Amherst
2. Wesleyan
3. Tufts
4. Middlebury
5. Williams
6. Bowdoin
7. Colby
8. Trinity
9. Conn
10. Bates
11. Hamilton

[Jump4Joy]

1. Amherst
2. Middlebury
3. Williams
4. Tufts
5. Bowdoin
6. Wesleyan
7. Conn
8. Colby
9. Trinity
10. Hamilton
11. Bates

[PaulNewman]

Any final word on whether Kramer is coming back for 5th year for Tufts and/or Lynch for 5th year at Brandeis?

[PaulNewman]

1) Tufts (tie)
1) Amherst (tie)
3) Wesleyan
4) Middlebury
5) Williams
6) Conn
7) Colby
8) Bowdoin
9) Trinity
10) Bates
11) Hamilton

[ViewFromTheHill]

Mr. Right, I absolutely agree with you that Sydor alone won't win Midd the league this year. Just think that because he and a number of other important players are returning this year, they have a great chance to win the NESCAC.

[PaulNewman]

Should be one of the more interesting years in the NESCAC.  Tufts has seriously interrupted the Amherst-Williams supremacy.  Williams is now sort of an unknown, which is weird.  Midd is a title contender but few would be surprised to see them end up at 4th or 5th.  There is some early money on Wesleyan to have a big year.  The sentiment seems to be that Colby will make a jump up, and I'm in that group, but one wonders how much that has to do with folks really liking the school and pulling for them as an underdog.  We'll see very soon.  A ton of pressure on the Bates coach.  Bowdoin is the team that often goes unnoticed and is trending lower.  Did we forget amidst the Tufts celebrating that Bowdoin made a great run and won a game in the NCAA tournament?  Trinity seemed to be knocking on the door of the 4th-5th range for a couple of years, and now they seem like a good bet to miss the NESCAC playoffs (again).  And is Hamilton picked last because they really are the weakest or simply due to being too far away? Everyone seems down on Conn, but I could see them coming in around 5th or 6th.

[Nutmeg]

Should be one of the more interesting years in the NESCAC.  Tufts has seriously interrupted the Amherst-Williams supremacy.  Williams is now sort of an unknown, which is weird.  Midd is a title contender but few would be surprised to see them end up at 4th or 5th.  There is some early money on Wesleyan to have a big year.  The sentiment seems to be that Colby will make a jump up, and I'm in that group, but one wonders how much that has to do with folks really liking the school and pulling for them as an underdog.  We'll see very soon.  A ton of pressure on the Bates coach.  Bowdoin is the team that often goes unnoticed and is trending lower.  Did we forget amidst the Tufts celebrating that Bowdoin made a great run and won a game in the NCAA tournament?  Trinity seemed to be knocking on the door of the 4th-5th range for a couple of years, and now they seem like a good bet to miss the NESCAC playoffs (again).  And is Hamilton picked last because they really are the weakest or simply due to being too far away? Everyone seems down on Conn, but I could see them coming in around 5th or 6th.

Pretty good analysis!!!

[All NESCAC]

1 Amherst
2 Middlebury
3 Tufts
4 Williams
5 Wesleyan
6 Bowdoin
7 Trinity
8 Conn
9 Colby
10 Bates
11 Hamilton

I see #'s 7 through #11 a toss up, but ultimately not any where good enough to compete with  #'s 1 through 6 as they will be in a different class for Fall 2015.  Some of #''s 7 through 11 in past years could compete (especially Conn and Trinity), but I don't see it happening this year.  I like Amherst and Middlebury to be the top two.  Amherst for their program and Middlebury for their returning players.  Tufts will still be good, but they are losing a lot of 3 and 4 year starters off last years Championship team.

[FourMoreYears]

1 Amherst ... Serpone sideline antics may be annoying but he's a winner.
2 Middlebury ... solid in the back, won't give up many.
3 Tufts ... should capitalize on last year's magical season.
4 Williams ... you know you've got a great program when 4th is a disappointment.
5 Wesleyan ... solid returning cast, knocking on the top-4 door.
6 Bowdoin ... ready to join the upper echelon? My gut says no.
7 Trinity ... lost only 2 starters from 2014, and yet only 4 seniors on roster in 2015. Still young.
8 Colby ... getting better, but in this conference better isn't always enough.
9 Bates ... Knoth is talented but not enough around him, including the coach.
10 Conn ... rumors indicate they are intentionally youthful in 2015, but will be good soon enough.
11 Hamilton ... lost a lot from a so-so squad last year.