NESCAC

[Mr.Right]

If Brandeis beats UR tomorrow then they are IN..BUT...and a big BUT they must hope Emory, Clark and UR are ranked on Wednesday which I think they all will be. That would be 6 Ranked wins and that would be A+++ Stuff...Even at 11-4-3 if you have 6 ranked wins you are all set not to mention one of tje best SOS in the country at .638....A loss tomorrow though would be devasting, a draw would put them right on the BUBBLE. After watching Brandeis absolutely pummel Emory on Friday as they completely dominated I am pretty convinced Coven and Margolis have this team PUMPED...They have won like 6 in a row and seem to be scoring goals and not conceding....Put it this way. I would rather be Brandeis right now than Tufts,,,,,Also, they keep winning while other New England Ranked teams are losing and with the SOS and RvR they will keep moving up the ladder in the rankings. If they win tomorrow or even get a draw they will be ranked no lower than #6 but if they win I could see them at #4. In 2013, Williasm finished the season at 11-6-0 and got a Pool C ranked #6 and even hosted a relatively easy pod because of their RvR and SOS...Brandeis controls its own destiny

[blooter442]

Well you certainly know more than I do Mr.Right. I probably could find this somewhere, but am just too lazy to look, so what will the pairings be for next week's semis?

[Mr.Right]

Hamilton v Midd-----11am

Bowdoin at Amherst-----1:30pm

The times are a guess as Amherst has the option. In years past, Serpone usually takes the 1:30pm game because his players would rather not play at 11am and I think he gives them the decision. It has also burned them sometimes by not taking the 11am game. It does not sound like much but with the Championship at 12pm on Sunday and with the 2nd Semi might not ending until 4pm that means maybe 20 hours of player rejuvenation. Now for guys who are 6ft and smaller they can kind of deal but with guys that are 6'2 or taller it takes bigger guys longer to rejuvenate. Meaning heavier legs for the trees. We will see what gametime he chooses but I would guess based on years past the 1:30pm game...

I am really looking forward to these semi's. Credit to Bowdoin's coach Scott Weircinski for getting his teams in his 4 year tenure at Bowdoin to REALLY come together and play well in mid October / November. It seems every year they are making runs and pushes as the season winds down. I think they will sit deep against Amherst and play conservative and try to counter but IMO they are just as good as Amjerst and could win this game. I would not have said that in 2014 when they met in the Final but this year Amherst IMO is just not as strong. However, THEY PLAY VERY WELL AT HOME.

The other match-up will be interesting as well. Perry Nizzi really has Hamilton WORKING HARD. They are very fit and will want revenge on Midd from their home loss to them earlier in the season. I have a feeling Midd might come in a tad over-confident and if so they will get beat. Hamilton impressed me today against Conn and have the weapons and workrate to beat Midd...

Anyhow just a quick preview but my Predicitons will come mid-week


ONE SHOUT OUT:   I was VERY impressed with Adam Glaser today who the announcer said did his knee about 3 weeks ago and he did not start but Saward brought him off the bench 10 minutes in and was causing some havoc. I was impressed by the kid's toughness. He then limped off the field in the 2nd Half and looked like he aggravated his knee but he came back in OT and was limping a little but toughed it out and still showed his blazing speed.....I really respect the kid and his "old school" toughness..You could tell he did not want his career to end and wanted to get on the field and help anyway he could....++++

[Brother Flounder]

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.

Bloots, I am leaning the other way. I think the Jumbos may be bumped this year.  Another hard schedule and best conference hurt (but ironically can help come selection time). Let's hope they make it as they often step up in tourney time!

[Mr.Right]

Like I have said before Tufts RvR and SOS can only HELP THEM but their overall record at 9-5-2 could HURT them. Certainly 9 win teams have had Pool C's in the past BUT usually it is a 9-4-3 or 9-3-4. Now 7 blemishes is 7 blemishes but 5 losses to me might be a problem. Still 4 ranked wins will be one of the highest in the region behind Brandeis. Now Bowdoin will be ranked so they will be 4-2-0 RvR which is good BUT if Endicott is ranked on Wednesday and Conn is not ranked then Tufts RvR will be 3-3-0 which would put them IMO on the wrong side of the bubble...Really all depends on Wednesday at 2pm when the 3rd Regional Rankings come out.

[Mr.Right]

Nescac Semi-Final Predicitons:

Hamilton v Midd-----------------Interesting game herewith Midd beating Hamilton in Clinton,NY earlier in the year 1-0. Congrats to Eli Morris a courageous tough kid who won Nescac POW this past week and might be Hamilton's first POW since joining Nescac in 2011(a guess but I would have to double check the archives). Hamilton is a very hard working team, young, has speed and has some young technical players. Alex Cadet is a very skilled midfielder but he is not a tough kid and one crunching tackle could take him right out of the game amd Midd will know that. However, if you give him space he can thread the needle and put the ball on his teammates feet in good positions. Alec Talsania has excellent skill and speed and Aidan Wood is a tireless worker. So Hamilton will have 1 advantage over Midd and that is their speed v Midd's slow backs especially former Midd standout Deklan Robinson's brother who can be beat and is SLOOOWW.  Midd should be all set for a Pool C but after last year they will not be taking any chances. They have a significant advantage at GK and in size. Hamilton must avoid fouling Midd too much as Conrad can score from outside the box and is nasty with that left foot. If Midd gets to many set pieces Hamilton will be in trouble. Midd has not been playing very well of late and did not look particularly impressive at Williams on Saturday(to be fair neither did Williams). I think Glaser woll give it a go and Midd's midfield will shutdown Hamilton;s midfield and not allow to many dangerous chances for Hamilton in this match. Midd gets it done as long as they do not show up over-confident. Midd 2-0

Amherst v Bowdoin-----------Bowdoin the "hottest" team in the league right now playing very well. Amherst plays very well at home. I believe Bowdoin will sit deep an stay very organized defensively and counter when possible. Amherst Christopher Martin and Weller Hlinomaz could be the difference as they will be able to go at and beat Bowdoin's wingbacks. Bowdoin's Charier who is not the hardest worker is going to have to work his hardest to bang with Amherst CB's. Amherst will only attack with 5 as they will not send their wingbacks forward in this game. So the game could get very ugly and the ball will be in the air a ton bypassing midfield. Miang and Orozco could be a fun match-up to watch. There will be more fouls than shots in this game and will come down to whichever team makes the fewest mental mistakes. Bowdoin will want to avoid PK's as Amherst GK Lee Owen is very good in PK's and I am assuming Van Siclien(who is also good in Pk's) is gone for the season. If Amherst can win the Nescac Championship tgey will be hosting up until the NCAA Final 4 so a big tournament for them. Bowdoin looking for a remarkable 3rd straight Nescac Championship. Bowdoin I believe is still on the bubble for a Pool C but a win or draw will get them into the NCAA's. A Bowdoin loss will have them on the bubble and would be one of the least few In / Out. Bowdoin can control its own destiny and I believe they will. 2-1 Bowdoin

[Jump4Joy]

Oof! Tufts not in the regional rankings.
Bowdoin, on the back of a two-win week over Tufts, is at 9 after not being ranked in the regional top 10.
Also: Brandeis up to the 5 spot after not being ranked--sitting between #3 Middlebury and #7 Williams.
So that brings NESCAC up to 4 in the regional top 10. Respectable.

[NEPitch62]

I thought I saw Tufts ranked #5 in NE.  Am I missing something?

[Jump4Joy]

I'm looking at NSCAA NCAA rankings. Tufts was 3 last week.
http://www.nscaa.com/web/Rankings/College_Rankings/NCAA_DIII_MEN/web/rankings/ncaa/diii_men.aspx
Did I get that wrong?

[NEPitch62]

I just went to NCAA regionals - just updated today.  They are different?

[Jump4Joy]

OK. Here's the NCAA's:
http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/soccer-men/d3/regional-rankings

Tufts at 5. That gives NESCAC 5 total. Even more respectable!

[blooter442]

I'm looking at NSCAA NCAA rankings. Tufts was 3 last week.
http://www.nscaa.com/web/Rankings/College_Rankings/NCAA_DIII_MEN/web/rankings/ncaa/diii_men.aspx
Did I get that wrong?

Yes. The NCAA Regional Rankings just came out today and are on the NCAA's website. Those are the NSCAA rankings - they are different.

Edit: Appears this has been clarified. Stupid slow Internet!

[Jump4Joy]

NCAA's New England         
1.   Amherst           14-1-1   14-1-1
2.   UMass Boston   15-1-2   15-1-2
3.   Babson           11-4-3   11-4-3
4.   Brandeis           10-4-3   10-4-3
5.   Tufts                     9-5-2     9-5-2
6.   Middlebury           10-3-3   10-3-3
7.   Rhode Island    14-3-1   14-3-1
8.   Clark (MA)           14-4-0   14-4-0
9.   Williams             9-4-3     9-4-3
10.   Bowdoin             9-3-4     9-3-4
11.   Endicott           12-5-2   12-5-2
12.   Wheaton (MA)   10-6-2   10-6-2
         
   

[Mr.Right]

Midd v Hamilton ready to kickoff. I predicted Midd 2-0 and they should be the winner if they bring their "A" game. Hamilton is a dangerous team so Midd better be ready to go.


NOTE: Hamilton's starting GK Harris Pollack is not in the game for some reason. A frosh gets I believe his 1st start of the season...That is big news as Midd should test the Hamilton Frosh early and often

[Mr.Right]

Midd taking it to Hamilton first 15 minutes...Midd has not had any real dangerous chances but they have been in Hamilton's half all game. Hamilton has not looked threatening at all offensively so far. Also, they are fouling too much and giving Midd to many corners and long throws as Midd will convert one of them if you keep giving them chances.