NESCAC

[All NESCAC]

Tufts did not impress me in their win against Conn yesterday. Compared to previous Tufts teams they are inferior technically and far less imposing physically. I can see Tufts advancing to the second or third round of the tournament because the rest of the league is down this year, but Mr. Right is spot on when he says Tufts is VERY beatable.

Agree with Swans....watched Conn v Tufts--tale of 2 halves--Tufts controlled in first half, but Conn dominated in 2nd half, and but for a couple of great saves by Tufts keeper Tufts would have lost.  This Tufts squad is the weakest in the past 4 years by a big margin....they did not impress....got the Win, but not impressed.  That said Devlin for Conn continues to shine he is POY going away.

[Brother Flounder]

I agree with all of this and have even talked about Tufts relentless pressure and how hard they work as a team. First of all they are not quite a  LOCK to get a Pool C just yet. They are certainly very close but cannot afford any slips. IMO they will struggle to score goals in and if they are in the NCAA's but alot of teams are like that around the nation. I guess I am just not completely SOLD on 2016 Tufts like I was on 2014 Tufts / 2015 Tufts. They do not have a player that can put the team on his back and win games. They have depth and a lot of similar good players but nothing "special" that can win games in November. We are getting ahead of ourselves so lets see how Tufts does in its final 2 games v Williams and at Bowdoin. I am thinking they are going to struggle breaking BOTH those teams down so I am interested in seeing it play out.

I would have to agree. Those are 2 hard games.....

[Jump4Joy]

With all due respect, I'm waiting for the POY contender to make game-changing impact in tough games.
Hard to emerge as POY without being a consistent game changer in contests against the top of one's league.
Who are the other contenders this year?

[PaulNewman]

Regarding deep run predictions...

What is working in every team's favor this year is that there just don't appear to be that many truly elite teams to worry about, so the the number of teams that MIGHT make a deep run could be higher than normal.  I don't see more than 3-4 teams nationally that I absolutely would want to avoid if I am a darkhorse candidate.  On that premise, any NESCAC team that makes the tournament will have a chance to win a couple or three games.

With that as a backdrop, IMHO Amherst has the best chance to make a deep run which obviously is not going very far out on a limb.

I would say Tufts has the second-best chance (assuming the Jumbos make the tournament) to make a good run.  Shapiro has proven himself and I am now a believer that he has a way with the psychology of a team.  He's also proven that he's bigger than any individual player or players or single recruiting class.  Yes, he has been getting good players but he is the key piece to the puzzle.  Tufts will be very competitive as long as he is there.  The other thing is that once you win a game or two a certain amount of belief follows, and just multiply that for programs that have a recent history of going very deep or winning the whole thing.  Also, still having players on your team that "won it all" has some value when finding yourself in tight games against teams that may be equal or even a little better who don't have that kind of experience/confidence.

Midd has the third best chance.  No one will be surprised if Midd does make a deep run, and many will think they significantly underdelivered if they don't.  My guess at this point is that a good run for Midd would involve a bit of good fortune in the 2nd and/or 3rd round with a win in OT or advancing at least once on PKs.

And then I think either Williams or Bowdoin could take the Bowdoin role of the past couple of years, especially if Tufts or Midd seriously falter.

Conn will play valiantly in some big games but I just don't see the Camels getting through 3 good NESCAC teams in a row.

[dacac]

With all due respect, I'm waiting for the POY contender to make game-changing impact in tough games.
Hard to emerge as POY without being a consistent game changer in contests against the top of one's league.
Who are the other contenders this year?

On Saturday, Tufts had one player follow Devlin around the entire game. Even when he was nowhere near the ball, Tufts had a player right next to him. When he received the ball, 2/3 guys were on him instantaneously. Despite all this focus on him, he still had a great game. He created nearly all of Conn's opportunities and, as usual, was the best player on the field. NESCAC teams know how Conn plays and make defending Devlin their focal point. They're waiting for another conn player to beat them, unfortunately, no one has stepped up. Better teams with more attacking options and depth can't be defended like teams are defending Conn. If you look at the top forwards and attacking midfielders of the past, they've always had at least 1, and usually more than 1 great attacking option playing alongside them. Devlin does not, and as a result opposing teams are able to focus in on him more so than other top players.

Despite Conn's shortcomings, Devlin's impact this season has been incredible. Over the past few years, I can't recall a player as technically & athletically gifted and as competitive as he is. In my opinion, he's the best and most impactful player NESCAC player I've seen in a while.

[blooter442]

If you look at the top forwards and attacking midfielders of the past, they've always had at least 1, and usually more than 1 great attacking option playing alongside them. Devlin does not, and as a result opposing teams are able to focus in on him more so than other top players.

This.

If you look at the the POYs going back to 2010, 3 have been attackers or midfielders (Conrad, Hawkey, and Noon) and 3 have not (Watkins, Purdy, Odulate). The only one who had to shoulder a similar amount of weight offensively was, ironically, Hawkey. Even so, Hawkey only scored 9 goals and 2 game winners that year, and Devlin has 12 goals and 4 game winners so far this year, and the only potentially "big" game winner that Hawkey scored that year was the winner at Tufts (who wasn't even an NCAA team that year) so there you go.

As far as offensive standouts go, IMHO NPL was the most deserving candidate even if Odulate won last year. He had Martin, Singer, et al. Conrad had Glaser. Noon had Heo. Who does Devlin have?

Also, 12 goals and 3 assists from midfield is excellent, so I can't say I really buy Jump4Joy's criticism.

[Mr.Right]

Monster game today in Nescac....

Hamilton v Williams----This game could well determine who gets a home seed in the Nescac tournament. Williams will be regionally ranked today so they also have faint hopes at a Pool C but would need to go 4-1-0 I think to snag a bid. Anyhow, Williams got 4 pts this past weekend against Wesleyan and Bowdoin which is usually very good, however they did not play very well IMO in either game. Their GK Alcorn came up BIG in both games to preserve the results. Hamilton is as predicted starting to fade as the season nears its end. Mid-Week 3 hour road trip's usually are not good for the visiting team but I think Williams has more depth, talent, speed and skill to put Hamilton away in this game. Last year they absolutely DOMINATED Hamilton and while this game will be closer I feel Williams midfield can control the game today. With Andreou, Bahr de-Stefano and Sean Dory in midfield for Williams that is a very formidable midfield and one of the better ones in Nescac. Andreou is VERY skilled, Sean Dory IMO is Williams' toughest kid and Bahr de-Stefano works his ass off. I think they sneak one late...Williams 2-1

[Jump4Joy]

As far as offensive standouts go, IMHO NPL was the most deserving candidate even if Odulate won last year. He had Martin, Singer, et al. Conrad had Glaser. Noon had Heo. Who does Devlin have?

Also, 12 goals and 3 assists from midfield is excellent, so I can't say I really buy Jump4Joy's criticism.

I agree with Bloots about NPL's being the deserving POY last year, and I hear the argument about having other strong players around him. I also agree that 12 G and 3 A works to support Devlin's place in the POY conversation.

So, any other contenders?

[1970s NESCAC Player]

As far as offensive standouts go, IMHO NPL was the most deserving candidate even if Odulate won last year. He had Martin, Singer, et al. Conrad had Glaser. Noon had Heo. Who does Devlin have?

Also, 12 goals and 3 assists from midfield is excellent, so I can't say I really buy Jump4Joy's criticism.

I agree with Bloots about NPL's being the deserving POY last year, and I hear the argument about having other strong players around him. I also agree that 12 G and 3 A works to support Devlin's place in the POY conversation.

So, any other contenders?

Two other very impactful players that I have seen this fall are Cowie-Haskell of Wesleyan and Ciambella of Amherst.  They are the clear leaders on those teams.  Ciambella has boundless energy, defends well, and scores goals.  With Wesleyan struggling, it is doubtful Cowie-Haskell will be a serious contender, even though he has scored a bunch of goals.  And with Middlebury struggling to score goals, it seems unlikely that the POY could come from that squad.  Perhaps Becherano or Greenwood of Tufts will receive consideration if Tufts completes the run they are currently on.

With that said, Devlin, in my opinion, is the most talented and has done more for his team than any other individual player.  After seeing him in person, it is tough to figure how D-1 programs passed him over.

[PaulNewman]

Doubt he'll win POY and I'd vote for Devlin just based on what I've read here alone, but few players more valuable to his team and clutch than Lehnhart at Amherst.  Martin having a pretty good year too.  Midd GK might get some votes.

[letsGOswans!]

Devlin CHOSE Conn over d1 and other elite d3 schools. He would start at every d3 school, and the majority of d1 schools.

[Brother Flounder]

Right now, it would be hard to argue with Devlin, but the year is not over......

[oldonionbag]

Becherano with an assist and a goal (10 on the year, passes Majumder's total from last year) so far in the Tufts/Keene State game....

[blooter442]

Right now, it would be hard to argue with Devlin, but the year is not over......

You're right - we can't count out Kayne!

(I kid, I kid - all in good fun Flounder.)

[Brother Flounder]

Right now, it would be hard to argue with Devlin, but the year is not over......

You're right - we can't count out Kayne!

(I kid, I kid - all in good fun Flounder.)

I have to admit that's a good one, Bloots!  +1