NESCAC

[Mr.Right]

Hamilton defeat Conn 3 minutes into OT 2-1 and that will end Conn's season. Another massive defensive breakdown by Conn's Sommers and then another horrific GK'ing error by Conn's Cameron. He misjudged the ball and then basically had it in his hands and dropped it. Conn's GK Cameron lost the game today for Conn but Hamilton I thought was the better team. Conn really needs to figure out their Gk'img situation for 2017 and obviousely have other huge holes to fill. The biggest question is will Conn stay ranked which will help / hurt other Nescac's RvR....Great career for Devlin and a tough way to end your career but Conn just had really nothing around him to help him..Hamilton's season rolls on and if Bowdoin's result holds they wouhld avoid playing Amherst in the Nescac Semi's(assuming Amherst defeats Trinity today who are playing very well 1st half at Amherst).

[Mr.Right]

Tufts get 1 back before halftime and now it is Bowdoin up 2-1...

Trinity gives up a late goal in the 1st half to Amherst and now look like last year when they lost to Midd 5-0. Played hard for 30 minutes and then give up a goal or two and absolutely CAVE and quit...2-0 Amherst almost halftime.

Midd at Williams still 0-0 with about 25 minutes left and Williams playing well 2nd Half.

[blooter442]

After looking at the Tufts and Bowdoin replays of the goals. Bowdoin scores off Tufts RB miscue and I think it was Charlier who buried it. Tufts then gifted Bowdoin a PK which Greenwood saved to keep the score at 1-0 Bowdoin. Then Bowdoin scores off a cross that was finished as ts CB's could not get the ball cleared and as Bloots has been saying all year Greenwood froze on the cross which he should have come out and punched. Bigtime mistakes and Bowdoin has a 2-0 lead

The best and worst of Greenwood in that short stretch. Betting Tufts will throw the kitchen sink at Bowdoin in the last 20. Wonder if they can cope.

[blooter442]

To be honest I am still not totally sold on the Tufts CBs. I know we all talk about how much of a beast Sullivan is but he doesn't have even close to the same level of composure that Williams or Lee-Kramer did and seems to be shaky at times. Coleman, like Mr.Right said, is a step slow although imposing. I like Zinner at right back but he did make a mistake today on the first goal - that said, no one is perfect. The Tufts defense is "solid," for sure, but I have a hard time believe that Williams/Lee-Kramer would have let the things that happened today happen when they were playing.

[Mr.Right]

Bowdoin finishes the Tufts sweep by beating them 2-1 and advancing to the Nescac Semi's....They are a "hot" team right now...That is 2 straight wins v ranked and you have to figure they will be sitting right behind Brandeis in Wednesday's Regional Rankings at #6 or #7...


Midd just wins an absolutely crucial game with 1 second left in 2ot off a corner an a misjudged header by Williams CB Brandon Dory as they finish the game off with literally 1 second on the clock..Interestingly, the ref stopped the clock with 7 seconds left before Midd took the corner for some off camera unknown reason. Midd would not have had time to score if the clock wasn't stopped...YIKES...That is how Williams lost games last year and their season most likely just came to an end at 9-4-3 but I do believe with the earlier win v Midd they will still be ranked. They just will not be ranked high enough to get a Pool C. VERY TOUGH way to end your careers but these type of losses are becoming a trademark in Sullivan's first 2 years at Williams. NOT GOOD......Congrats to Rashid on a FANTASTIC CAREER starting in 2012 winning the game single handily against SLU in 2012 to advance them to the NCAA Final Four and then again the NCAA Final 4 in 2013...They have not been back to the NCAA's since and it is starting to get worrisome

[blooter442]

Interestingly, the ref stopped the clock with 7 seconds left before Midd took the corner for some off camera unknown reason. Midd would not have had time to score if the clock wasn't stopped...YIKES.

Yeah I didn't understand that call, I have never seen a ref stop the clock for the (apparent) reason that it would allow the attacking team to take the corner. If the shot leaves the player's foot and goes in as time expires, I can understand that, but stopping the clock to let them have time for a corner is a bit fishy IMHO.

[Bucket]

Interestingly, the ref stopped the clock with 7 seconds left before Midd took the corner for some off camera unknown reason. Midd would not have had time to score if the clock wasn't stopped...YIKES.

Yeah I didn't understand that call, I have never seen a ref stop the clock for the (apparent) reason that it would allow the attacking team to take the corner. If the shot leaves the player's foot and goes in as time expires, I can understand that, but stopping the clock to let them have time for a corner is a bit fishy IMHO.

Yeah, it was strange, and I wish there was an explanation since it all happened off camera. Could have been a perfectly reasonable stoppage. Or not. We're left to wonder.

As it stands, heartache for the Ephs; euphoria for the Panthers.

[PaulNewman]

I think a replay will show that the Midd kid had the ball in the corner with 10 or 11 secs left. IMO he would have gotten the corner off with at least a couple of secs for someone to put it in.  The stoppage allowed Midd ot seit up but also time for Williams to get organized. Still heart-wrenching way to end and seemed liked going to PKs would have been fair result.

[PaulNewman]

Also think it is hard to know who won't get a bid.  Teams keep losing big games but the teams who might take their spots also lose.  Clark drubbed by Wheaton today.  Springfield beats Coast Guard but Coast Guard won't stay ranked and Springfield has yet to be ranked.  Tufts may still be OK amazingly.  Williams might have a shot if Brandeis and RIC crack, although RIC won today.  And then there is Bowdoin.  Will Bowdoin move ahead of Williams and can Bowdoin get in with one more win?  Same with SLU.  Fans are saying they are out but who is going to jump them?  New Paltz? Fredonia?  Hobart?  Maybe Vassar.  And what happens if Rochester drops the next two or goes 0-1-1.

[Mr.Right]

We have been at this long enough to know who and where teams will be ranked except for a few exceptions.  With 4 ranked wins Tufts should be fine but AGAIN for the 3rd straight year they will still need to sweat it out. Bowdoin will not only be ranked next week but should be on the "bubble" near #6 or #7 and will have a cementing game against Amherst that if they Win or Draw will get them in because they will have 3-4 ranked wins. I am not even sure they have to get a result in that game..Brandeis will have 5-6 ranked wins and if they beat UR tomorrow will be off the bubble and get themselves a Pool C IMO. They were ranked #8 this week and with 2 more ranked wins would move to #4 or #5 on Wednesday. Midd will have 3 ranked wins but I thinkk they are still on the bubble because of the SOS. Williams only has 2 ranked wins and that will just not be good enough this year to get a Pool C. To many upsets in conference tournaments and only 19 Pool C bids and staring at a 9-4-3 record with only 2 ranked wins is not enough and yes Bowdoin will jump Williams in the rankings....

The big if for Nescac teams is whether Conn stays ranked. If they do not then Midd loses a RvR win.

The other big question is the Newmac...Babson all of a sudden might find itself with only 1 ranked win over Brandeis because certainly Coast Guard and WPI will drop out and Clark will be borderline. RIC and UMASS Boston should be fine even though they only have 1 ranked win apiece they are not going to drop in the rankings because RIC keeps winning and UMASS Boston does also.

[NEPitch62]

Mr. Right, with Tufts going down twice this week to Bowdoin and standing at 9-5-2, do you still think they have a shot at a pool C bid?  I know they beat ranked teams but does it come down to how the tourneys finish at this point?  i.e. Amherst has to win out, Babson has to win out, etc?  As a senior Tufts parent, knowing the end could be now, I'm looking for a beacon of light.  I appreciate all opinions.

Thanks.

[Mr.Right]

Mr. Right, with Tufts going down twice this week to Bowdoin and standing at 9-5-2, do you still think they have a shot at a pool C bid?  I know they beat ranked teams but does it come down to how the tourneys finish at this point?  i.e. Amherst has to win out, Babson has to win out, etc?  As a senior Tufts parent, knowing the end could be now, I'm looking for a beacon of light.  I appreciate all opinions.

Thanks.

LOL.....You and other parents, players,Shapiro and everyone else in Medfa, excuse me Somerville will be sweating it out....Tufts is SQUARELY on the bubble...9-5-2 is not good. 4-2-0 v Ranked teams is VERY GOOD....SOS of .611 is also VERY GOOD...4-3-0 on the road is ok.....When the 3rd Regional Rankings come out at 2pm this Wednesday we will have a clearer picture but I think Tufts will get in unless there are a ton of upsets in conference tournaments around the country...For example if Hamilton won the Nescac tourney next weekend that would take a bid, etc , etc....Like I said earlier in the week it is not just the New England region you will / should be looking at but ALL regions......I would love to see OFFPITCH (cause he is good with these numbers) compare 3 teams with all the info....Tufts, SLU and Ohio Wesleyan which are ALL on the bubble, maybe add a fourth tram for fun....If Tufts is ranked #7 or lower on Wednesday you will be sweating profusely but if they are #6 or better Tufts should be ok...Still you are in the bubbke

[PaulNewman]

May I suggest Montclair...

Aside from the getting bid or not it really is a mystery that 3 years in a row Tufts loses in NESCAC quarters AT HOME. Almost everyone will agree, like last year, that they can do damage if they get in, but the pattern, which now feels like a pattern, seems very odd especially given that the Jumbos have probably one of the top 5 coaches in D3.

BTW, they trump OWU significantly on SoS, OWU is something like 3-3-2 on R v R and probably slight advantage on winning pct.

If UMass-Boston and RIC play again, can RIC absorb another ranked loss? Is Babson in even with a loss in NEWMAC semis?  Is Brandeis going to  be ranked higher than Tufts and/or Midd?  I would argue Springfield should get a bid regardless but they aren't even ranked because of poor SoS.

[blooter442]

Mr. Right, with Tufts going down twice this week to Bowdoin and standing at 9-5-2, do you still think they have a shot at a pool C bid?  I know they beat ranked teams but does it come down to how the tourneys finish at this point?  i.e. Amherst has to win out, Babson has to win out, etc?  As a senior Tufts parent, knowing the end could be now, I'm looking for a beacon of light.  I appreciate all opinions.

Thanks.

I will opine that you will probably be OK, mainly due to the impressive number of ranked wins Tufts has. That said, 9-5-2 is one loss worse than last year's 9-4-3, so you never know. Either way, you should be proud of the careers that your son and his classmates have put together!

[blooter442]

What is pretty incredible all around is that there are a number of teams who were looking like locks at around the halfway point (Rochester, WashU, Tufts, Middlebury, etc.) and are now definitely bubble. For its part, Tufts' record wasn't particularly stellar, but - until Tuesday - they were absolutely the form team, and had some very good ranked results against Brandeis, Midd., and Amherst. Midd., as we know, won their game today, so they're still alive. Pretty wild to think that Bowdoin could even sneak a Pool C if they don't win the NESCAC at 9-3-4, and even if they lose in the semis they're 9-4-4 (a better record than Tufts' 9-5-2) and with 2 H2H wins over Tufts. Not saying that the last bid would come down to Tufts and Bowdoin, but just illustrating how unpredictable the selection process could be.

Conversely, there are teams like Brandeis who I still think have two blemishes too many (perhaps because I am the eternal pragmatist-borderline-pessimist when it comes to teams I support) and seemed completely out of the picture at the halfway point yet could possibly could sneak a Pool C. That said, even if they do beat UR tomorrow, they still have to go to NYU, who upset UR yesterday, so nothing is guaranteed. Either way, I'll be in China during Selection Monday, and might not have Internet access, so I'll just have to see how it shakes out.