NESCAC

[blooter442]

Bates - Tufts finishes 0-0. No idea how the Jumbos didn't win that one. 42 shots but never truly tested the goalkeeper - the Bates scorekeeper kept saying "defensive save by X player" in the stats but in my understanding most schools used "blocked" unless it was clearly going in and cleared off the line, so maybe the Bates scorekeeper had no idea what they were doing. Anyway, Bates had a few chances on the counter and put one in the net which was ruled out for offsides but Tufts should have been out of sight by that point. Previously I said that the most I thought Bates would get from Tufts, Amherst, or Midd would be a point and while they got one against Tufts my guess is Amherst will be more ruthless tomorrow.

Polito kept a clean sheet but no spectacular saves or anything. That's on Tufts for not doing better in the final third.

[PaulNewman]

Is 42 shots without scoring some kind of record?

The NESCAC really is brutal.  A very painful stretch for Wesleyan, a team I think has the quality of a NCAA tournament team.

[Becks]

The NESCAC really is brutal.  A very painful stretch for Wesleyan, a team I think has the quality of a NCAA tournament team.

I saw the Wes-Williams game from the end of the first half to the end of the game. Wes created better chances that Williams in the 2d half, hit the crossbar twice, and had a curler just miss onto the top of the net. I think they were unlucky not to get the win in regulation. Williams really didn't threaten much in the 2d half, but had a good chance in OT1. Rashid created the goal in OT2 by getting by his defender on the end line and hammering a shot at a bad angle that the Wes keeper couldn't hold onto and a Williams player got the tap in from the spilled ball.

Williams played B Dory as striker for most of the game (at least the part I saw), but I didn't think he was very effective there. He wasn't used very effectively as a target man, knocking balls down for teammates, and his speed is not anything that is going to threaten a defense with runs.

[blooter442]

Is 42 shots without scoring some kind of record?

The NESCAC really is brutal.  A very painful stretch for Wesleyan, a team I think has the quality of a NCAA tournament team.

Don't know, but with players of their quality you'd think that they would have put at least one away.

Having watched most of the game, I can't say that they were unlucky - it wasn't like they hit the post 5 times or anything. I can't even say that the Bates defense - who, to their credit, kept a clean sheet - played exceptional. Rather, Tufts' finishing was just really poor. There was one chance toward the end of the first half where a Tufts reserve was about 12 yards out unmarked and just the GK to beat. But he passed it toward the corner at (seemingly) two miles an hour and the 'keeper got down to make the save, when, had the Tufts player put any power on the shot, the keeper would have stood no chance at that range. Majumder was clean through down the right but tried to go high and for power but ended up shooting right at the GK in a situation where he should have gone low and for the far corner. Kayne had a similar chance where he took the wrong shot. I'm not accusing them of being too casual, but there was little directness about Tufts' play, even in the later stages of the game - they appeared to be too patient. They're at their crushing best when they play with tempo and urgency, often slicing through opponents and setting their attackers up for easy goals.

Even with that in mind, it could have been worse for the Jumbos. Despite being outplayed, Bates had the ball in the net midway through the first half and it appeared to be a goal, as they started celebrating, but there was a late flag for offsides. Also, Bates had two shots on goal in a minute in OT, which - at that point - a matter of inches can decide the game. The one positive that the Jumbos can take is that they didn't lose, but that being said they should have won convincingly.

Update: The Bobcats apparently tied w/Bowdoin for 7th in the NESCAC, but Bates still has to play Amherst and Midd. at home. Should be an exciting race between those two and Trinity for spots 7 and 8.

[12SNoon]

http://youtu.be/LCia4TkWoyU

NESCAC POY.

[Jump4Joy]

Like I said. Basically.

[12SNoon]

http://cl.ly/image/1L000s1W2E3W

COY.

[Corazon]

http://youtu.be/LCia4TkWoyU

NESCAC POY.

Agree. Felt he should have won it last year as well.

[Corazon]

Bates - Tufts finishes 0-0. No idea how the Jumbos didn't win that one. 42 shots but never truly tested the goalkeeper - the Bates scorekeeper kept saying "defensive save by X player" in the stats but in my understanding most schools used "blocked" unless it was clearly going in and cleared off the line, so maybe the Bates scorekeeper had no idea what they were doing. Anyway, Bates had a few chances on the counter and put one in the net which was ruled out for offsides but Tufts should have been out of sight by that point. Previously I said that the most I thought Bates would get from Tufts, Amherst, or Midd would be a point and while they got one against Tufts my guess is Amherst will be more ruthless tomorrow.

Polito kept a clean sheet but no spectacular saves or anything. That's on Tufts for not doing better in the final third.

I watched a little (granted, it was only on my phone) and I don't think there is any way Tufts legitimately had 42 shots. If they did, what are the odds that none goes in? I just don't believe the stats. I've seen plenty of games where they credit the wrong player with a shot or sog or I specifically remember a certain player getting a couple of good shots off, only to see zeros in the stats. I guess the stats are only as good as the person keeping the score.

[Corazon]

I just re-checked, and Tufts' stats have been reset to 29 shots. That is much more believable.

[blooter442]

I just re-checked, and Tufts' stats have been reset to 29 shots. That is much more believable.

Makes sense. Still, 29 shots, many of them on goal, and with plyaers like those on Tufts' team you'd think that at least one goes in. Otherwise, you set yourself up for trouble, and the longer the game goes on the greater a chance there is for them to get one and pull the upset. Like I said, the positive for Tufts is at least they didn't lose, but it shouldn't have even been a game by that point.

[FourMoreYears]

1.   7-0-0   21 pts   Amherst               at Bates, home Wesleyan, at Trinity
2.   5-2-1   16 pts   Middlebury           at Bates, home Williams
3.   4-2-2   14 pts   Tufts                    at Williams, home Bowdoin
4.   4-3-1   13 pts   Conn College        home Bowdoin, home Wesleyan
5.   3-3-1   10 pts   Wesleyan             at Trinity, at Amherst, at Conn College
5.   3-3-1   10 pts   Williams               home Hamilton, home Tufts, at Middlebury
7.   2-3-2   08 pts   Bates                   home Amherst, home Middlebury, at Colby
7.   2-3-2   08 pts   Bowdoin               home Colby, at Conn College, at Tufts
9.   2-5-1   07 pts   Trinity                  home Wesleyan, home Amherst
10. 2-6-0   06 pts   Hamilton              at Williams, home Colby
11. 1-5-1   04 pts   Colby                   at Bowdoin, at Hamilton, home Bates

Ties will be broken as follows:

Head-to-head result (if teams play each other more than once during the regular season, the game that appears on the league schedule will be the game that is counted).
If teams tied during the regular season, or there is a 3-way or more tie, the following tie breaking procedure will be used:

•Best record among tying teams, against one another (head-to-head).
•Best conference winning percentage.
•Most conference wins (in games that are part of the conference schedule and count toward league standings).
•Comparison of results of conference games played against top 4 teams (including all teams at the 4th spot).
•Comparison of results of conference games played against top 8 teams (including all teams at the 8th spot).
•Comparison of results of conference games played against conference teams in rank order.
•Comparisons shall be made one team at a time starting with the highest ranked team.
•If the tie remains after comparing results against the highest ranked team, the results against the next team in rank order shall be used. This process is continued until a winner is determined.
•Goal differential up to but not exceeding three goals for each conference game that is part of the conference schedule (e.g., if a team wins 1-0, the team's goal differential would be +1. If a team wins 2-1, goal differential would be +1. If a team wins 4-0, the goal differential would be +3).
•Coin flip (or similar random action involving all tied teams).

Note: In case of ties among three or more schools, the criteria above will be applied in order until a team is (or teams are) separated. At that point, the process begins anew (returning to the first criteria) with the remaining teams. The process is continued until the tie is eventually broken. In cases where only a random action will break the tie of three or more teams, the random action will be applied to all teams involved in the tie. For example, if three teams are tied and only a random action (pulling names out of a hat) will break the tie, each name will be pulled and seeded in order of being pulled. Also, in the event that there are two (or more) groups of teams tied at different spots in the standings and the only criteria left that can be used to break those ties is a coin flip/random action, the coin flip/random action used to break the tie of one group (to put teams in rank order) will not affect the tie breaking procedures of the other group(s) of tied teams.

[PaulNewman]

Mr.Right, does Williams have a pulse now?  Let's say they beat Hamilton and split with Tufts and Midd, and then get to NESCAC semis or final.  That would put them on 6 losses but with wins over Oneonta, RPI, and Babson in addition to NESCAC wins.  I guess RPI and Babson may not end up being ranked, though.

[SoccerTroll]

Watched Bates-Tufts on phone. Announcers made it watchable with good comments and funny reparte'.  Tufts D is great, but at cost of not having enough men forward on counters. Coleman, their Center Back played better, still looking for his left foot and a couple of more runs forward (he could do to put on a few pounds - tall with no meat on the bones not typical center back stuff). Subs Halliday and Sclar seemed to get props from announcers for strong play and shooting on goal. Greenwood gets another shutout to buffer the school record. Wish the announcers talked less about Sullivans head dress. Thought Tufts could have taken advantage of wind a bit more in the half they had it in their favor. They now make it too interesting to get first round home in the NESCAC tourney and might have to stress over NCAA  :oat large bid, but if they keep shooting in their final contests, they should be OK. NCAA has to honor last years champs if it is close.

[Jump4Joy]

NPL: Nattie Hattie.