NESCAC

[Mr.Right]

As we near the end of September - and I know we've mentioned them a bit - I want to take a closer look at Bates, who is IMHO the surprise of the NESCAC season thus far. Last year at this point they were 1-7-1; this year, 5-1-1. Of course, home victories over UNE and Thomas aren't exactly giant slaying results, but they tied and lost those respective games last year, so that's an improvement.

As far as NESCAC games go, winning on the road at Hamilton isn't exactly unheard of, either, but that was another game that they lost (at home) last year. I certainly think they rode their luck against Bowdoin at times, but they probably deserved a draw, and even looked threatening at times on the turf of Garcelon. I kind of expected them to get dominated by Wesleyan, although I thought it would be more like 3-0 and not five. However, I don't think any of us thought they would go to Williams and win, especially considering that they looked awful for 75 of the 90 minutes. To their credit, they hung in there and didn't quit, and - from what others have said - were the better side in OT.

I like Knoth as a player. His workrate is good, he's a good finisher, and he's unselfish. Will he as a forward ever be on the same level as, say, Conrad or Majumder? I don't think so - but I think he is most definitely in that next group. Merchant is also a solid player and Murphy has done well so far, so they have a decent nucleus that, on their day, can make things happen.

The question is, where will they go from here? I'd certainly rather face Tufts, Amherst, and Middlebury at home rather than away, so they have that going for them. How competitive they'll be, I don't know. I think if they were to play those games on their turf it might throw Tufts and Amherst off - which I don't believe they are, as generally afternoon kickoffs are at Russell St. Field - but that could just be me thinking that they looked faster and more threatening than they actually did against Bowdoin. As someone mentioned earlier, playing on turf can produce such an optical illusion.

It would be one thing if the Williams win was the biggest win in recent program history, but it's worth remembering that Bates has logged big away victories in the past - both at Middlebury, both when the Panthers were nationally ranked in '10 and '12, and both from free-kicks from J. Murphy - but then soon faded to irrelevance. The cynic in me says it would be classic Bates to follow up beating Williams away with dropping a clanger home against Maine Maritime or at Curry. Then again, they've already registered more victories than in both seasons they beat Middlebury, so this year could be different. Will be interesting to see where they go from here. Regardless, they've certainly gotten us talking.

I tend to agree with your analysis of Bates. I have never been a fan of Knoth but he is like a little fly, buzzing around and working hard and finishing what he can. He gets the most out of his size as possible. He is not a top level striker but for Bates he is fine. What he needs is a 6'3 target striker alongside him and another quick playmaker playing right behind him. Bates does not have this. He was basically invisible against Williams all day and did not do much. The kid who played very well to my surprise was Sean Moyo. I really have never been a fan of this Creighton transfer but he impressed me against Williams. He is a tremendous worker in midfield and is Bates very vocal leader. He worked his ass off against Williams and was Bates best player on the day. Again, Bates can only go 2-3 subs deep against Nescac teams so these players will have a hard time on back to backs. Merchant finished his chance and I love his speed but he cannot beat anyone 1v1. Bates wingbacks are NOT very good. Good teams(like Williams should be) must take advantage of this. Bates 2 CB's DiBenedetto and Riskind are solid and tough. bates in general must be the shortest team in Nescac as what they lack in size they make up for in grit. Another player who had a decent day was Bates MF Luis Pereira who is decently skilled and caused problems for Williams in OT. The wingback Munoz is a monster weak link for this team. Even though GK Polito made a couple tremendous saves against Bowdoin and Williams I believe he is a major weak link for them also. He tends to make monster gaffes right after making monster saves. He drops balls and comes way off his line when he should stay home. In fact in the 75th minute with Bates down 1-0 Flaherty subbed Polito for the backup GK. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY. At first I thought he was going to put Polito in the field because maybe he was a good field player but NOPE..Then when Bates tied it in the 89th minute Polito went back in for the OT....Not sure if Flaherty knows what he is doing but whatever he is 5-1-1 right now.

[Corazon]

Wow. Colby loses to Thomas College of Maine. NCAC was dead on accurate in his assessment, at least based on the 20 or so minutes I watched. Very disappointing, as I thought they might take a step up this year. Instead, they appear to be the worst team in NESCAC by a wide margin.

[blooter442]

Wow. Colby loses to Thomas College of Maine. NCAC was dead on accurate in his assessment, at least based on the 20 or so minutes I watched. Very disappointing, as I thought they might take a step up this year. Instead, they appear to be the worst team in NESCAC by a wide margin.

WOW. At home, too!

To be fair, Thomas has two legit freshmen players in D.J. Nicholas and Adam LaBrie - LaBrie set the record for goals in a single season at Yarmouth High School, which is arguably the top program in Maine right now, and Nicholas scored some crazy number of goals at North Yarmouth Academy, which is rivals with Peabo Knoth's Waynflete, and Nicholas scored way more goals than Knoth ever did. Both LaBrie and Nicholas are good enough to play for a NESCAC team, and I myself am surprised that they didn't end up at a NESCAC. Either way, Thomas could certainly be competitive within New England DIII if those two stay fit all four years, because they are excellent talents.

Where Colby definitely falls short is their men's soccer website - atrocious! No stats except for archives, and you've got to scour the news page to get any recaps.

[1970s NESCAC Player]

Wow. Colby loses to Thomas College of Maine. NCAC was dead on accurate in his assessment, at least based on the 20 or so minutes I watched. Very disappointing, as I thought they might take a step up this year. Instead, they appear to be the worst team in NESCAC by a wide margin.

WOW. At home, too!

To be fair, Thomas has two legit freshmen players in D.J. Nicholas and Adam LaBrie - LaBrie set the record for goals in a single season at Yarmouth High School, which is arguably the top program in Maine right now, and Nicholas scored some crazy number of goals at North Yarmouth Academy, which is rivals with Peabo Knoth's Waynflete, and Nicholas scored way more goals than Knoth ever did. Both LaBrie and Nicholas are good enough to play for a NESCAC team, and I myself am surprised that they didn't end up at a NESCAC. Either way, Thomas could certainly be competitive within New England DIII if those two stay fit all four years, because they are excellent talents.

Where Colby definitely falls short is their men's soccer website - atrocious! No stats except for archives, and you've got to scour the news page to get any recaps.

Yes, very disappointing result for Colby.  Theses two schools are in the same town and play every year for a Cup, which Colby had lost approximately only once in 20 years.  The game used to be a point of emphasis for Colby, but is no longer, as was evidenced by Colby's lineup.  Only a few starters played significant minutes.  And Stanton was injured in the first half (apparently seriously).  Coach either gave a number of regulars the night off, or the team is loaded with injuries.  And the winning goal was a comedy of errors, with a Colby defender's attempted clearance ricocheting off a clueless Thomas attacker into Colby's net.

But that doesn't take anything away from Thomas.  In addition to the two strong freshmen noted by Blooter, Thomas has two upperclassmen, Ming and Clemmons, who appear to have D-1 talent, and dominated the game, with Clemmons scoring both regulation goals.  Thomas is prone to concentration lapses and lack of discipline which definitely costs them games they should win, but from what I have observed, they are annually the most talented team in that league.

[PaulNewman]

This is going to sound strange but I watched the last 15 minutes and 2 OTs of Colby last night and actually felt more optimistic.  I noticed at least a couple of key players not playing as well.  They still aren't possessing the ball a lot, but I think they can get there, as I saw several players use nice touch and moves to break into open space.  I saw more individual skill than I expected, and they just need more time to learn to play together.  My guess now is that at least 7-8 of those 19 frosh will be good players over 4 years, and if they can get a few dynamic recruits over the next two years, then the team when the current frosh are juniors and seniors may be a contender.  I also was impressed with Thomas.  They have several VERY talented players.  An entertaining game to watch.

[Mr.Right]

Wow. Colby loses to Thomas College of Maine. NCAC was dead on accurate in his assessment, at least based on the 20 or so minutes I watched. Very disappointing, as I thought they might take a step up this year. Instead, they appear to be the worst team in NESCAC by a wide margin.

I have now seen every Nescac team this year and I can tell you without question the WORST team is Hamilton. They have the least amount of talent.

[Mr.Right]

Wow. Colby loses to Thomas College of Maine. NCAC was dead on accurate in his assessment, at least based on the 20 or so minutes I watched. Very disappointing, as I thought they might take a step up this year. Instead, they appear to be the worst team in NESCAC by a wide margin.

WOW. At home, too!

To be fair, Thomas has two legit freshmen players in D.J. Nicholas and Adam LaBrie - LaBrie set the record for goals in a single season at Yarmouth High School, which is arguably the top program in Maine right now, and Nicholas scored some crazy number of goals at North Yarmouth Academy, which is rivals with Peabo Knoth's Waynflete, and Nicholas scored way more goals than Knoth ever did. Both LaBrie and Nicholas are good enough to play for a NESCAC team, and I myself am surprised that they didn't end up at a NESCAC. Either way, Thomas could certainly be competitive within New England DIII if those two stay fit all four years, because they are excellent talents.

Where Colby definitely falls short is their men's soccer website - atrocious! No stats except for archives, and you've got to scour the news page to get any recaps.

Thomas also has the "problem" player Tre Ming who would be starting on some Nescac teams. He is a very skilled player but a total mess upstairs...That being said Thomas should win the conference and possibly be a thorn in a side of a team looking ahead in the NCAA's.

[Corazon]

I haven't seen Hamilton yet, but my limited viewing of Colby - admittedly limited to some of the Thomas game and some of the Maine Maritime game, which is available on replay (you have to watch at least 10 or so minutes to fully appreciate what I was saying - hat tip to NCAC New England) has caused me to abandon them as my underdog team. They are so unathletic, so disjointed, and totally lacking any kind of offensive spark. We know Seabrook's style is boring, but this year, they also are weak in defense, unlike last year.  Sorry, Colby.  I'll let the more informed posters like 1970 update us on the the team's progression, but they've been really disappointing to me.  I'm sure I overreacted at their surprising form last year, and I may be overreacting to their disappointing form this year.  We shall see.

I think I'm going to board the Bates underdog train. I always need an overachieving team to follow, and they are interesting.  Looking forward to seeing "La Flama Blanca"

[Mr.Right]

Congrats to Greg Singer who was named Nescac Men's Soccer POW....His 2 goals were instrumental in Amherst comeback win over Williams, but I still say the best player on the field that day was NPL. NPL should be POY. The New England region as a whole is a bit down this year and I am not sure we will see a New England region team in the NCAA Final 4 this year, but if we do Amherst will have as good a chance as Brandeis or Tufts to get there.

Interestingly, Amherst only NCAA Final 4 team with Serpone at the helm was in 2008, with basically the Gooding's players. The Gooding's took Amherst also in 1997. The 2008 squad IMO was the least talented Amherst squad in Serpone's tenure but they got it done when it mattered. They did get smacked in the 2008 NCAA Final 4 by Stevens 4-1.

[Corazon]

Agree with you there on NPL.  But in soccer, goals are what get peoples' attention and Singer's award is deserved. 

As good as Amherst has been since Serpone's arrival, there is a little lingering disappointment at the NCAA results.  Hopefully, that will change this year.

[WilltheMan]

Wow. Colby loses to Thomas College of Maine. NCAC was dead on accurate in his assessment, at least based on the 20 or so minutes I watched. Very disappointing, as I thought they might take a step up this year. Instead, they appear to be the worst team in NESCAC by a wide margin.

I have now seen every Nescac team this year and I can tell you without question the WORST team is Hamilton. They have the least amount of talent.

OK that was the last straw.  I find your observations to be always emphatically stated but really not very astute.  Luke Piece a fast player?  Are you out of your mind?  Courageous, sure, good in the air –yup but his lack of pace and Russo's inability to recognize it was a major problem with that team.  Luke to his credit would try and anticipate and guess to make up for the pace issue but you can only do so much.  In the Amherst game they went after him like it was a religion.  Film doesn't lie. Bates was shelled by Hamilton, who actually posses the ball fairly well with the 4 central players.  They have a finishing issue as do many of these teams.  Game could have easily been 2-0 other way.  Trinity was dominant for the first 15 minutes vs. Hamilton then were an over-the-top mess. If Hamilton could finish at all that's 4 or 5.  The backline is disorganized.  I think vs. the better NESCAC teams Hamilton is overmatched but there was very little difference vs. Bates, Trinity, and Conn.  For what I do I have watched all but 4 NESCAC games, the overreliance on score on shot stats is astounding.  So many of theses shots are little more than turnovers shooting from angles and distance that would make an EPL player blush.  How many dangerous possetions did your team create is a better way to measure.  But you have to actually watch the game film to figure it out.  Your observations on who is soft and not is hysterical.  If one of my lads is playing high I don't want him stuck in on a tackle.  What sense is that, he needs to keep his feet and not be engaged so if he can nick it away he's off with a chance.  Getting "stuck in" for my offensive players does not help create a quick counter and just makes them easier to find in transition.  I'd rather keep our shape up top, not chase all the time and pick it clean when we can.  This macho hammer everybody thing is past.  Let it go.  I want my center three hard, everyone else I want mobile.....Also, I do not like talking about individual players, I think at the very least impolite.  -----Especially when some of the negativity is from ignorance of how they are trying to play.

Best,
Will

[Mr.Right]

My observations are accurate and you taking offense is comical. Luke Pierce was fast. Russo's inability to recognize it? What does that mean? He moved him to CB because he was tough and fast.....You take offense to me saying Tom Young is soft..WELL HE IS SOFT...He is skilled and attacks well with speed but he is soft as butter...

[Mr.Right]

Today's Games: Home team listed first:

Conn v Trinity-  2-1        At some point Trinity is going to wake up and get Savonen and Bednarek on the score sheet. Trap game for Conn as they could be looking ahead to Williams on Saturday. Trinity's backline organized but a step slow and Conn should take advantage.

Midd v Hamilton-   2-0     Glazer nets 2 and Hamilton might get 2-3 SOG if lucky. They will not be able to penetrate Midd's backline and GK

Wesleyan v Tufts- 1-0   Upset special. Wesleyan NEEDS this game bad as they need a solid win on their resume. They will slug it out with Tufts and find a way to score and hold on.

[WilltheMan]

Forget Luke, forget Tom I used them as examples.  I could list 25 "observations" that you have made that are boderline crazy.  Time for me to go back to charting games and exit this board.  This is a business for me, time to go away before I screw it up. 

You are a bully, and an ignorant one at that.

Good luck to the rest of you. 

I'm out.

[Mr.Right]

Fantastic....Do not let the door hit you on the way out...Feel free to check in on my accurate and astute observations anytime..


Your quote: "This is a business for me"....I appreciate that line I almost wet myself laughing...