NESCAC

[Mr.Right]

Tufts at 9-4-3 but a good resume. They are just going to have to sweat it out again. They do have a high SOS and good RvR but you can be sure other regions based on this season are going to have upsets. I am not so sure they make it this time around. They need MIT, Midd and ECONN to win Nescac, Newmac, and Little East. Then I think they would snag the last new England bid as they might fall to #6. The problem now is you have Conn College who is ranked behind them and will move up especially if they beat a ranked Bowdoin side in the Semi..

[Nutmeg]

Tufts at 9-4-3 but a good resume. They are just going to have to sweat it out again. They do have a high SOS and good RvR but you can be sure other regions based on this season are going to have upsets. I am not so sure they make it this time around. They need MIT, Midd and ECONN to win Nescac, Newmac, and Little East. Then I think they would snag the last new England bid as they might fall to #6. The problem now is you have Conn College who is ranked behind them and will move up especially if they beat a ranked Bowdoin side in the Semi..

I agree. A tufts win would have secured them a spot. If they are a border team do they get any intangible consideration for being defending champ?

[nescac1]

Appropriately brutal end to a brutally tough first year for Erin Sullivan -- he packed enough heartbreak into this year to hopefully last the next five, in particular, the losses to Amherst and Conn thanks to goals in the waning seconds of the game, plus THREE other OT losses.  Just could not catch a break late in games.  Maybe a product of a young roster and a new coach, who knows.  But the good news is that, if Rashid returns for a fifth year (which I am guessing he will), every significant contributor other than Danilak returns.  With a year in Sullivan's system, a much more experienced and talented roster overall, and a year of Sullivan's recruits (fingers crossed he has a strong first class coming in), plus with (hopefully) a few bad breaks out of the system, I am optimistic that Williams will return next year to its usual position as a NESCAC contender. 

[Bucket]

Tufts at 9-4-3 but a good resume. They are just going to have to sweat it out again. They do have a high SOS and good RvR but you can be sure other regions based on this season are going to have upsets. I am not so sure they make it this time around. They need MIT, Midd and ECONN to win Nescac, Newmac, and Little East. Then I think they would snag the last new England bid as they might fall to #6. The problem now is you have Conn College who is ranked behind them and will move up especially if they beat a ranked Bowdoin side in the Semi..

I agree. A tufts win would have secured them a spot. If they are a border team do they get any intangible consideration for being defending champ?

No, they're not supposed to.

[All NESCAC]

Appropriately brutal end to a brutally tough first year for Erin Sullivan -- he packed enough heartbreak into this year to hopefully last the next five, in particular, the losses to Amherst and Conn thanks to goals in the waning seconds of the game, plus THREE other OT losses.  Just could not catch a break late in games.  Maybe a product of a young roster and a new coach, who knows.  But the good news is that, if Rashid returns for a fifth year (which I am guessing he will), every significant contributor other than Danilak returns.  With a year in Sullivan's system, a much more experienced and talented roster overall, and a year of Sullivan's recruits (fingers crossed he has a strong first class coming in), plus with (hopefully) a few bad breaks out of the system, I am optimistic that Williams will return next year to its usual position as a NESCAC contender.

Conn wins in PKs and outplays Williams for entire game and OT.  Williams scores on PK and 2 2nd half counters of "where did the defense go" type.  Conn scores with 2 seconds left on Patch free kick knocked in by Covell.  Conn keeper big in PKs.  Conn definitely deserved this win. The better team won.

[Jump4Joy]

2nd Half Wes and Amherst still 0-0. Wesleyan's Gruner a golden opportunity to put Wes up 1-0 but missed the PK..

Congrats to Wes for getting it done.

In my weekly wink at Mr. Right: Wes did not miss the PK. Bull saved it. 

[maineman]

What do bubble teams do this week if they have been eliminated from the NESCAC tournament?  I would imagine that locks, like Amherst, continue to practice, but would Tufts keep practicing?

[blooter442]

What do bubble teams do this week if they have been eliminated from the NESCAC tournament?  I would imagine that locks, like Amherst, continue to practice, but would Tufts keep practicing?

You would think so, although that is an interesting question. I would imagine that they practice until they know their season is over, but I could be wrong.

On another note, just getting back from D.C. - a crazy weekend in the NESCAC! Three of four underdogs win, and it sounds like Wesleyan deserved their victory. I'll recap my thoughts in full tomorrow.

[All NESCAC]

What do bubble teams do this week if they have been eliminated from the NESCAC tournament?  I would imagine that locks, like Amherst, continue to practice, but would Tufts keep practicing?

They will continue to practice.

[RelegationZone]

Some interesting Championship facts:

1.  This is the second consecutive year the #2, #4, #6 and #8 seeds have advanced to the semifinal round.

2.  From 2008, when NESCAC adopted the current 8-team tournament format, to 2014, the #4 seed advanced to the semifinal round in six of seven years (tying the #1 seed for the highest quarterfinal winning percentage - 86%), but never reached the final match.

3.  Since 2008, teams seeded #4, #5, #7 and #8 have never reached the championship match.

4.  In the seven years from 2008 to 2014, the team hosting the semifinal round has reached the final match six times (86%), but has only won the championship twice (29%).

5.  From 2008 to 2014, whenever the #6 seed has advanced to the semifinal round (twice), the team has moved on to the championship match.

[D3soccerwatcher]

Tufts at 9-4-3 but a good resume. They are just going to have to sweat it out again. They do have a high SOS and good RvR but you can be sure other regions based on this season are going to have upsets. I am not so sure they make it this time around. They need MIT, Midd and ECONN to win Nescac, Newmac, and Little East. Then I think they would snag the last new England bid as they might fall to #6. The problem now is you have Conn College who is ranked behind them and will move up especially if they beat a ranked Bowdoin side in the Semi..

I agree. A tufts win would have secured them a spot. If they are a border team do they get any intangible consideration for being defending champ?

No, they're not supposed to.

Agree they are not supposed to...but...I think it's been two decades since a National Champion did not make the following year tournament (you historians out there can confirm that).  Just seems like there might be a level of respect afforded the defending National Champion.  Perhaps an intangible, but maybe it happens.  IMO the defending champ should be given every benefit of the doubt and afforded every reasonable opportunity to come back and defend their title (but that's just my opinion).

[PaulNewman]

IMO the defending champ should be given every benefit of the doubt and afforded every reasonable opportunity to come back and defend their title (but that's just my opinion).

I must say that I don't follow this logic.  Not professional boxing.  D1 basketball doesn't even work that way.  And the defending champ does have a full opportunity to repeat, along with all the other teams trying to win. 

A side interesting note....Tufts finished last season before the tourney with a draw and a loss.  Exact same with Amherst this year.  The only difference is that Amherst is a strong favorite while Tufts was at best a darkhorse pick.

[PaulNewman]

I had one other thought on the defending champ theme.  Might sound good in the abstract but maybe not so much when you get really specific.  Let's say Tufts gets the last bid from the New England region and Bowdoin (if they beat Conn) and MIT (having maybe best season in program history) are out.  How do you explain that to Bowdoin?  By telling them they lost out because Tufts are defending champs, after just going 1-0-1 away with that team in the last two weeks?  By saying Tufts drew and lost on their home pitch but outshot Bowdoin by a large margin?  Now if the SoS and RvR on balance with all other relevant data still fairly puts Tufts over the top in this hypothetical then fine, but you have to keep in mind that teams get picked over other teams who want it just as bad and have worked just as hard.

[Brother Flounder]

I had one other thought on the defending champ theme.  Might sound good in the abstract but maybe not so much when you get really specific.  Let's say Tufts gets the last bid from the New England region and Bowdoin (if they beat Conn) and MIT (having maybe best season in program history) are out.  How do you explain that to Bowdoin?  By telling them they lost out because Tufts are defending champs, after just going 1-0-1 away with that team in the last two weeks?  By saying Tufts drew and lost on their home pitch but outshot Bowdoin by a large margin?  Now if the SoS and RvR on balance with all other relevant data still fairly puts Tufts over the top in this hypothetical then fine, but you have to keep in mind that teams get picked over other teams who want it just as bad and have worked just as hard.

I think your last sentence explains it.....

[All NESCAC]

I had one other thought on the defending champ theme.  Might sound good in the abstract but maybe not so much when you get really specific.  Let's say Tufts gets the last bid from the New England region and Bowdoin (if they beat Conn) and MIT (having maybe best season in program history) are out.  How do you explain that to Bowdoin?  By telling them they lost out because Tufts are defending champs, after just going 1-0-1 away with that team in the last two weeks?  By saying Tufts drew and lost on their home pitch but outshot Bowdoin by a large margin?  Now if the SoS and RvR on balance with all other relevant data still fairly puts Tufts over the top in this hypothetical then fine, but you have to keep in mind that teams get picked over other teams who want it just as bad and have worked just as hard.

What are Conn's chances of gaining an at-large spot if they beat Bowdoin, but lose in a tight game in NESCAC finals?