NESCAC

[Hopkins92]

Ugh.....You both are giving me examples of looking back and wishing I had done something differently. That is the easy part. Remember I am talking about "special" players NOT the 20th guy on a D1 roster that would be in a D3 starting line-up and be productive. That is easier for the player and parent to go D3. SPECIAL players that come along every couple of years or in Messiah's case every year and at the start of this century for Williams every year. SPECIAL PLAYERS not solid players. There is a big difference and for a D3 program to get one of these SPECIAL players nowadays is VERY difficult. They just do not slip thru the cracks anymore. In Nescac maybe a Rashid before the ACL's but that is a stretch, maybe Bull as he could have possibly dominated in net for a D1. Maybe Santos if he were a couple inches taller. On and on we go

Long time listener, first time caller.

THIS is the important distinction. I was an all-state goalie, but not on one of the elite clubs (I moved right before high school from another state, so I wasn't all that knowledgeable about the MD club scene and kind of landed on a random, but decent squad.)

I had some interest/offers from D1 schools, one of which provided a partial, but none of them very academically sound. The decision was pretty easy for me. But I agree with the overall premise... If a solid D1 offer had been on the table (money/quality school), I would've snapped it up.

I'm not dismissing the point that solid players will choose D3 over D1. But elite players? That just seems like a complete outlier to me.

=-=-=-=-=-=

As for on the field D1 v.. D3... I mean, Hopkins used to give Towson a decent game while I was playing. But we never won those games. And even today, I watch a good deal of D1 and D3 soccer.. The soccer IQ and the technical aspects of the game are often a wash. I know I'm not going to blow anyone away with this point, but what it comes down to is pure athleticism. A D3 squad might have half of its guys able to physically match up... Maybe. After that...

[Mr.Right]

Saturday's Predictions:

Colby at Midd----Colby lost mid-week to Gordon which is not a great result. I did notice some different players in the line-up so maybe he was trying some things out. Looks like Chandler Smith is back from injury which is good news.  Midd has not played in a week so they should be well rested. Neither team has a legit finisher, both teams have size so they should match-up pretty even. Colby has the Clouse long throw. I really have no clue in this match. It all depends on who can finish their set pieces. I'll give the slight edge to Midd because of the home field, Colby's long travel and they should be well rested and motivated to win. 1-0 Midd

Wes at Hamilton----Another game with two teams that should match-up really well. Both teams have skill and speed and are not overly physical. Hamilton has had a week off and Wes is coming off a stinging 3-0 defeat to Tufts mid-week. No clue if this game will be on the turf or the grass? Both teams need 3 points neither get it. 1-1

Trinity at Bates-----Trinity has been one big massive train wreck since the season started. I like Bates going forward at this Trinity defense. These two sides have the worst defenses in the league so I will predict some scoring. Trinity needs something from this game or they will be in jeopardy of going 0-10-0. Bates has a ton to play for as they MUST win this game as they have a challenging schedule ahead. Merchant seems to be getting all the key goals this year so I say he bags the game winner. 3-2 Bates

Conn at Williams----Very impressed with Conn mid-week v Trinity and also extremely impressed with Williams performance v Skidmore yesterday. Williams dominated Skidmore until the last 10-20 minutes of the game when Williams looked to be a bit gassed. This will be Conn's 3rd game in 8 days and Williams' 4th game in 8 days. Something has to give. Whichever team can focus for 90 minutes will get the victory. Williams has looked much better on its home field. Neither team can score goals against solid competition so flip a coin. Williams 1-0

Tufts at Amherst----Match of the weekend. If anyone has been to Amherst this year you can see Serpone has narrowed his field to I would guess the bare minimum of 65 yards. It is like playing in a cramped sandbox compared to Williams 120 x 80. This allows for his team to take full advantage of his two players' dangerous long throws. Cannot fault him there but it just immediately ruins the game before anyone steps onto the field. Oh well. He will get his boys pumped up for this game because they are playing the defending champs, home game and they full well know Tufts has not let up a goal. Hlinomaz looked particularly dangerous v Williams and if he can play like that without being taken out of the game by Tufts he might just get the goal they need. Tufts can match Amherst size but can they match Amherst speed up top? Coleman will need help IMO especially if they play a high line..It will be an ugly game but an interestin one to watch because of all the different match-ups and who can take advantage of who. I think they get it done at home. 1-0 Amherst

[Bobcat1]

Saturday's Predictions:

Colby at Midd----Colby lost mid-week to Gordon which is not a great result. I did notice some different players in the line-up so maybe he was trying some things out. Looks like Chandler Smith is back from injury which is good news.  Midd has not played in a week so they should be well rested. Neither team has a legit finisher, both teams have size so they should match-up pretty even. Colby has the Clouse long throw. I really have no clue in this match. It all depends on who can finish their set pieces. I'll give the slight edge to Midd because of the home field, Colby's long travel and they should be well rested and motivated to win. 1-0 Midd

Wes at Hamilton----Another game with two teams that should match-up really well. Both teams have skill and speed and are not overly physical. Hamilton has had a week off and Wes is coming off a stinging 3-0 defeat to Tufts mid-week. No clue if this game will be on the turf or the grass? Both teams need 3 points neither get it. 1-1

Trinity at Bates-----Trinity has been one big massive train wreck since the season started. I like Bates going forward at this Trinity defense. These two sides have the worst defenses in the league so I will predict some scoring. Trinity needs something from this game or they will be in jeopardy of going 0-10-0. Bates has a ton to play for as they MUST win this game as they have a challenging schedule ahead. Merchant seems to be getting all the key goals this year so I say he bags the game winner. 3-2 Bates

Conn at Williams----Very impressed with Conn mid-week v Trinity and also extremely impressed with Williams performance v Skidmore yesterday. Williams dominated Skidmore until the last 10-20 minutes of the game when Williams looked to be a bit gassed. This will be Conn's 3rd game in 8 days and Williams' 4th game in 8 days. Something has to give. Whichever team can focus for 90 minutes will get the victory. Williams has looked much better on its home field. Neither team can score goals against solid competition so flip a coin. Williams 1-0

Tufts at Amherst----Match of the weekend. If anyone has been to Amherst this year you can see Serpone has narrowed his field to I would guess the bare minimum of 65 yards. It is like playing in a cramped sandbox compared to Williams 120 x 80. This allows for his team to take full advantage of his two players' dangerous long throws. Cannot fault him there but it just immediately ruins the game before anyone steps onto the field. Oh well. He will get his boys pumped up for this game because they are playing the defending champs, home game and they full well know Tufts has not let up a goal. Hlinomaz looked particularly dangerous v Williams and if he can play like that without being taken out of the game by Tufts he might just get the goal they need. Tufts can match Amherst size but can they match Amherst speed up top? Coleman will need help IMO especially if they play a high line..It will be an ugly game but an interestin one to watch because of all the different match-ups and who can take advantage of who. I think they get it done at home. 1-0 Amherst

I agree 100%, Bates needs this game to give themselves at decent shot at the NESCAC Tournament.  In regards to the match of the weekend, if Serpone has narrowed the field to the minimum width, will Tufts go with just 3 in the back as I was told they did against Wesleyan? This one will be a chess match for sure.

[Falconer]

The Pulisic example isn't really a great one.  He spent time from a young age in Europe training in youth academies.  He trained on Barca's if I recall correctly.  He never played high school soccer at Hershey and only spent a short amount of time in the US playing for PA classics (4 years).  He followed a very similar path to  other European wunderkinds in terms of being absorbed into an academy system at a young age.  It's not like he played club soccer/high school soccer in PA and then just decided to head over to Europe.

That's all true, and speaks (again) to the differences between basketball and soccer that bear on the reasons why (IMO) D3 soccer teams as a group compare somewhat better vs D1 teams than their counterparts in basketball. An elite American BB player wouldn't think to go abroad to advance in soccer: he'd play at his own HS and wait for full scholarships from D1 coaches. BB is just so much bigger than soccer here, despite the growing popularity of soccer. Consequently there's a visible group of HS soccer players with D1 talent (though almost never elite talent) that will turn down some level of $ from D1 to play at a D3 school. Their perception of the situation is different, b/c the money is different all the way up and they seem more willing to prioritize academics over sport in the long term.

I myself turned down some athletic $ from a state university to attend a private university that did not offer me athletic $ (though a little came my way legally later on, after that university dropped football and spread some of the savings around), b/c it was a much better school for my major and I could still compete there. The sport wasn't soccer, and there was no D1/D3 distinction when I finished HS, so it's not directly relevant to this context.

As some might guess from what I've said on this topic, in my ideal world (which I do not expect ever to see), everything in collegiate sports would be free of athletic scholarships. It's illegal for Canadian universities to offer that type of financial aid, and to the best of my knowledge it doesn't happen in the UK either. Yet, neither nation has a shortage of world class athletes who develop perfectly well without athletic scholarships. At quite a few American universities, however, the athletics program (really football and/or BB) is the public face of the institution, as far as residents of that state are concerned. Never mind if a kid is recruited to throw his body around or to make baskets rather than to discover new facts about the world or to create great works of art. Never mind if a kid isn't held accountable for raping women or being out of control drunk or caring less about getting a degree. Never mind if a coach knows in his heart that certain kids don't intend to do academic work,, or that others are doing the work for them and passing it off as that of those kids. As long as the team is winning at the expected level, the money will keep coming in and the coach will be paid far more than the university president--who, in some cases, effectively finds it impossible to fire a coach b/c of coach's popularity with wealthy donors and the prospect of a big drop in ticket sales and TV revenue. As I say, I don't expect this to change in my lifetime, but it should.

[oldonionbag]

Saturday's Predictions:

Colby at Midd----Colby lost mid-week to Gordon which is not a great result. I did notice some different players in the line-up so maybe he was trying some things out. Looks like Chandler Smith is back from injury which is good news.  Midd has not played in a week so they should be well rested. Neither team has a legit finisher, both teams have size so they should match-up pretty even. Colby has the Clouse long throw. I really have no clue in this match. It all depends on who can finish their set pieces. I'll give the slight edge to Midd because of the home field, Colby's long travel and they should be well rested and motivated to win. 1-0 Midd

Wes at Hamilton----Another game with two teams that should match-up really well. Both teams have skill and speed and are not overly physical. Hamilton has had a week off and Wes is coming off a stinging 3-0 defeat to Tufts mid-week. No clue if this game will be on the turf or the grass? Both teams need 3 points neither get it. 1-1

Trinity at Bates-----Trinity has been one big massive train wreck since the season started. I like Bates going forward at this Trinity defense. These two sides have the worst defenses in the league so I will predict some scoring. Trinity needs something from this game or they will be in jeopardy of going 0-10-0. Bates has a ton to play for as they MUST win this game as they have a challenging schedule ahead. Merchant seems to be getting all the key goals this year so I say he bags the game winner. 3-2 Bates

Conn at Williams----Very impressed with Conn mid-week v Trinity and also extremely impressed with Williams performance v Skidmore yesterday. Williams dominated Skidmore until the last 10-20 minutes of the game when Williams looked to be a bit gassed. This will be Conn's 3rd game in 8 days and Williams' 4th game in 8 days. Something has to give. Whichever team can focus for 90 minutes will get the victory. Williams has looked much better on its home field. Neither team can score goals against solid competition so flip a coin. Williams 1-0

Tufts at Amherst----Match of the weekend. If anyone has been to Amherst this year you can see Serpone has narrowed his field to I would guess the bare minimum of 65 yards. It is like playing in a cramped sandbox compared to Williams 120 x 80. This allows for his team to take full advantage of his two players' dangerous long throws. Cannot fault him there but it just immediately ruins the game before anyone steps onto the field. Oh well. He will get his boys pumped up for this game because they are playing the defending champs, home game and they full well know Tufts has not let up a goal. Hlinomaz looked particularly dangerous v Williams and if he can play like that without being taken out of the game by Tufts he might just get the goal they need. Tufts can match Amherst size but can they match Amherst speed up top? Coleman will need help IMO especially if they play a high line..It will be an ugly game but an interestin one to watch because of all the different match-ups and who can take advantage of who. I think they get it done at home. 1-0 Amherst

I agree 100%, Bates needs this game to give themselves at decent shot at the NESCAC Tournament.  In regards to the match of the weekend, if Serpone has narrowed the field to the minimum width, will Tufts go with just 3 in the back as I was told they did against Wesleyan? This one will be a chess match for sure.

Bobcat - Tufts played with 3 in the back? Do you think that had a direct impact on why their offense seemed to be rolling? I'm trying to think how Amherst would counter that formation...

[NESCAC11]

Mostly agree with Mr.Right.  If you choose D3, even assuming there was a choice, you chose D3.  Never have understood the necessity of these qualifiers "went D3 but coulda played D1."  Very, very few superstar D1 talents choose D3.  The NESCAC types can choose Ivies or other stellar D1 academic choices like Duke, Michigan, UVA, UCLA, William&Mary, Bucknell, Colgate, etc, etc.  This is also very much a demographics issue.  You NEVER hear about a totally legit D1 basketball prospect "choosing" to go D3 because he can "study abroad."  And while is definitely less pressure and a different vibe for the most part, guess who D3 players for the most part hang out with socially?  Mainly the other soccer players and maybe some other athletes.  Of course there are exceptions, but focusing on exceptions distorts the overall picture.

Agree with this post as far as the D3 social scene is still the soccer team/brotherhood. The commitment while not at the D1 level is still arduous. 3 hours of practice, eat together, film sessions, lifting several nights or mornings a week and a decent amount of travel. Practice 6 days a week in the offseason. It's a huge commitment. Just want to point out that basketball players of any division don't study abroad because their season spans both semesters and it's not possible.

[Bobcat1]

Saturday's Predictions:

Colby at Midd----Colby lost mid-week to Gordon which is not a great result. I did notice some different players in the line-up so maybe he was trying some things out. Looks like Chandler Smith is back from injury which is good news.  Midd has not played in a week so they should be well rested. Neither team has a legit finisher, both teams have size so they should match-up pretty even. Colby has the Clouse long throw. I really have no clue in this match. It all depends on who can finish their set pieces. I'll give the slight edge to Midd because of the home field, Colby's long travel and they should be well rested and motivated to win. 1-0 Midd

Wes at Hamilton----Another game with two teams that should match-up really well. Both teams have skill and speed and are not overly physical. Hamilton has had a week off and Wes is coming off a stinging 3-0 defeat to Tufts mid-week. No clue if this game will be on the turf or the grass? Both teams need 3 points neither get it. 1-1

Trinity at Bates-----Trinity has been one big massive train wreck since the season started. I like Bates going forward at this Trinity defense. These two sides have the worst defenses in the league so I will predict some scoring. Trinity needs something from this game or they will be in jeopardy of going 0-10-0. Bates has a ton to play for as they MUST win this game as they have a challenging schedule ahead. Merchant seems to be getting all the key goals this year so I say he bags the game winner. 3-2 Bates

Conn at Williams----Very impressed with Conn mid-week v Trinity and also extremely impressed with Williams performance v Skidmore yesterday. Williams dominated Skidmore until the last 10-20 minutes of the game when Williams looked to be a bit gassed. This will be Conn's 3rd game in 8 days and Williams' 4th game in 8 days. Something has to give. Whichever team can focus for 90 minutes will get the victory. Williams has looked much better on its home field. Neither team can score goals against solid competition so flip a coin. Williams 1-0

Tufts at Amherst----Match of the weekend. If anyone has been to Amherst this year you can see Serpone has narrowed his field to I would guess the bare minimum of 65 yards. It is like playing in a cramped sandbox compared to Williams 120 x 80. This allows for his team to take full advantage of his two players' dangerous long throws. Cannot fault him there but it just immediately ruins the game before anyone steps onto the field. Oh well. He will get his boys pumped up for this game because they are playing the defending champs, home game and they full well know Tufts has not let up a goal. Hlinomaz looked particularly dangerous v Williams and if he can play like that without being taken out of the game by Tufts he might just get the goal they need. Tufts can match Amherst size but can they match Amherst speed up top? Coleman will need help IMO especially if they play a high line..It will be an ugly game but an interestin one to watch because of all the different match-ups and who can take advantage of who. I think they get it done at home. 1-0 Amherst

I agree 100%, Bates needs this game to give themselves at decent shot at the NESCAC Tournament.  In regards to the match of the weekend, if Serpone has narrowed the field to the minimum width, will Tufts go with just 3 in the back as I was told they did against Wesleyan? This one will be a chess match for sure.

Bobcat - Tufts played with 3 in the back? Do you think that had a direct impact on why their offense seemed to be rolling? I'm trying to think how Amherst would counter that formation...

That's what a Wesleyan parent told me. After we gave up 4 against Wesleyan, I was a somewhat surprised they did not get one against Tufts at home on the turf. I was even more surprised they did not score when I heard Tufts went with three in the back, but I guess the Tufts pressure up top led to some real quality scoring chances and three goals.

[NESCAC11]

Saturday's Predictions:

Colby at Midd----Colby lost mid-week to Gordon which is not a great result. I did notice some different players in the line-up so maybe he was trying some things out. Looks like Chandler Smith is back from injury which is good news.  Midd has not played in a week so they should be well rested. Neither team has a legit finisher, both teams have size so they should match-up pretty even. Colby has the Clouse long throw. I really have no clue in this match. It all depends on who can finish their set pieces. I'll give the slight edge to Midd because of the home field, Colby's long travel and they should be well rested and motivated to win. 1-0 Midd

Wes at Hamilton----Another game with two teams that should match-up really well. Both teams have skill and speed and are not overly physical. Hamilton has had a week off and Wes is coming off a stinging 3-0 defeat to Tufts mid-week. No clue if this game will be on the turf or the grass? Both teams need 3 points neither get it. 1-1

Trinity at Bates-----Trinity has been one big massive train wreck since the season started. I like Bates going forward at this Trinity defense. These two sides have the worst defenses in the league so I will predict some scoring. Trinity needs something from this game or they will be in jeopardy of going 0-10-0. Bates has a ton to play for as they MUST win this game as they have a challenging schedule ahead. Merchant seems to be getting all the key goals this year so I say he bags the game winner. 3-2 Bates

Conn at Williams----Very impressed with Conn mid-week v Trinity and also extremely impressed with Williams performance v Skidmore yesterday. Williams dominated Skidmore until the last 10-20 minutes of the game when Williams looked to be a bit gassed. This will be Conn's 3rd game in 8 days and Williams' 4th game in 8 days. Something has to give. Whichever team can focus for 90 minutes will get the victory. Williams has looked much better on its home field. Neither team can score goals against solid competition so flip a coin. Williams 1-0

Tufts at Amherst----Match of the weekend. If anyone has been to Amherst this year you can see Serpone has narrowed his field to I would guess the bare minimum of 65 yards. It is like playing in a cramped sandbox compared to Williams 120 x 80. This allows for his team to take full advantage of his two players' dangerous long throws. Cannot fault him there but it just immediately ruins the game before anyone steps onto the field. Oh well. He will get his boys pumped up for this game because they are playing the defending champs, home game and they full well know Tufts has not let up a goal. Hlinomaz looked particularly dangerous v Williams and if he can play like that without being taken out of the game by Tufts he might just get the goal they need. Tufts can match Amherst size but can they match Amherst speed up top? Coleman will need help IMO especially if they play a high line..It will be an ugly game but an interestin one to watch because of all the different match-ups and who can take advantage of who. I think they get it done at home. 1-0 Amherst

I like these predictions Mr. Right, except I don't think Williams has the firepower to beat Conn. In addition to playing without Andrieu at left back, they will most likely be without Matthew at right back. He has played really well and is their long thrower. I think Conn might expose some issues for them. It will help to get Mcdonald back. I'm not sure Williams can score the 2 goals or 3 goals necessary to beat these guys. I don't know the details but can't remember the last time Williams beat Conn. I think it has been 3 or 4 in a row without a win. Murphy was at Williams last sunday watching the game. Should be a good game but not sure of the result.

[cac.aholic1]

Predictions for the weekend. Will try to keep it short.

Colby at Midd: Interesting match between interesting teams. Midd beat Amherst, but lost to Conn and was schooled by Bowdoin. Both of Colby's conference losses have been 1-0, they were unlucky not to beat Conn. If Colby can score, they've certainly got a shot. But I think Midd takes it - they've struggled mostly when teams combine well against them, which I think will not be such a problem against Colby. 1-0 Midd.

Wesleyan at Hamilton: Hamilton needs to starting picking up points and winning games or they're gonna be in serious trouble, mostly because they're not living up to my prediction for them. They are only 1-3 in conference, with the only W being v. a bad Trinity team. Not to mention they've yet to play Tufts, Amherst, and Bowdoin. I think that opening Bates loss may really come back to bite them if they're on the playoff bubble. But it's early to talk about that, and they host the game Saturday, meaning the visiting Cardinals will have to make the long drive up to Clinton. The Cardinals have struggled mightily on defense this year, giving up 2 goals per game in 3 NESCAC matches so far, which won't do it for them. On offense, they lit up Bates with 4 goals, but were shut out by Bowdoin and Tufts. Wesleyan can be slightly less worried about their 1-2 conference start as they've already played Bowdoin and Tufts, and got a nice W at Bates. This should be a tough, high-energy match. Both teams must realize this is a big match, and will want to win it. Wesleyan has some quality going forward, and while Hamilton has a decent defense, it is not on the level of Bowdoin and Tufts. Hamilton's question seems to be if they can score after losing two tough 1-0 results in a row. I think it goes to overtime, where anything can happen, but the home field and longer rest help Hamilton out. Not to mention, if they lose tomorrow, then they will need to beat Williams and Colby and take a point off Bowdoin, Amherst, or Tufts to make playoffs (previous 3 years, #8 seed has qualified with 10 points). Doable, but tough. Continentals get it done 2-1 (or 1-0?)

Trinity at Bates: A loss for Trinity and they may as well stop showing up for games and get a couple rounds of golf in while it's still nice out. 0-5 in the NESCAC, with an out of conference loss to Endicott and a out of conference win against Rivier (who?). They've scored only once in conference, and have given up 2 goals in every game but Hamilton. I see no reason for this to change in Lewiston, as the Bobcats have scored 2 twice and 1 once. Bate's Opoku is quick, skilled, and dangerous, and Merchant works hard and is a decent finisher. Trinity lacks the discipline or work to defend those two. 2-0 Bates, who threaten to play cinderella once again.

Conn at Williams: The undefeated Camels head to Williamstown, where the none-too-shabby Ephs have not lost in their last 3 (and in fact have only lost once this year, at Bowdoin). Williams plays its 4th consecutive home game, which seems absurd. They must be getting comfortable there, but it has got to tear up that field. A team has scored more than 1 goal in a Williams game only once this year, in the season opener where they put 2 up on Trinity.  This should be a pretty even game - I think the Williams defense is up to the task of handling Lockwood, though I wouldn't be surprised if Manoogian or maybe Miranda caused a bit of trouble. I think Williams will struggle more with creative attackers and good interplay than big target men this season. On the other end, the Conn defense has had its ups and downs, surrendering 2 to Colby despite shutting out Tufts. My instinct says Williams, though I may be a little biased. 1-0 ephs.

MOTW - Tufts at Amherst: Good spot by Mr. Right on the Amherst field size. I didn't notice it, but wouldn't be surprised by it. I'll try to look closer at the stream for this to see if I can tell, though I haven't noticed in previous games. This one should be quite the match - reminds me of the first Cavs-Warriors game of last season after the Cavs won the title. Amherst will come for revenge at the defending national champions, who whooped them last time around. I think they come out a little too strong for Tufts, who concede in the first half but rally to put two past Serpone's squad. 2-1 Tufts.

[Mr.Right]

Just tuning in at the Half Colby up on Midd 1-0. Let's see what the 2nd Half brings

[Mr.Right]

Stupid foul outside the box gives Colby a 2-0 lead. #10 Clouse drilled it into the net.

[Mr.Right]

2-0 Colby over Midd. Very impressive win for Colby at Midd. Midd was not much of a threat 2nd Half as they just had no creativity in trying to break Colby down. They had no answers against Colby's midfield and could not get the ball to their strikers in the run of play. They had one very dangerous set piece right outside Colby's box that was well taken by Midd's Goulart but a fantastic save by Colby's GK Gibson. As predicted before the season started Midd lost a ton to graduation and are in a bit of a rebuild. Colby finds itself right in the middle of the Nescac table with those 3 points

[NESCAC11]

Solid first half for Williams and conn. Both teams had a few chances. Wet field could make the difference on a goal. Conn counters very well. They're a dangerous side the way they change fields and fly. Macdonald is all over the field making plays.

[cac.aholic1]

2-0 Colby over Midd. Very impressive win for Colby at Midd. Midd was not much of a threat 2nd Half as they just had no creativity in trying to break Colby down. They had no answers against Colby's midfield and could not get the ball to their strikers in the run of play. They had one very dangerous set piece right outside Colby's box that was well taken by Midd's Goulart but a fantastic save by Colby's GK Gibson. As predicted before the season started Midd lost a ton to graduation and are in a bit of a rebuild. Colby finds itself right in the middle of the Nescac table with those 3 points

Huge win for Colby, showing they can both score and win away from home, which I was skeptical of. They've scored two in each of their last 3 NESCAC games, and don't seem to be reliant on any one or two players for goals. Already with 7 points, they should have no trouble making playoffs, and once there it seems like they can compete with anyone. Midd, despite the big win at Amherst, falls to 2-3, which seems about right though they've gotten there in a weird way. Serious cause for concern is them giving up 5 goals in their last 2 NESCAC games and the 2 NESCAC losses on their own carpet.

[1970s NESCAC Player]

2-0 Colby over Midd. Very impressive win for Colby at Midd. Midd was not much of a threat 2nd Half as they just had no creativity in trying to break Colby down. They had no answers against Colby's midfield and could not get the ball to their strikers in the run of play. They had one very dangerous set piece right outside Colby's box that was well taken by Midd's Goulart but a fantastic save by Colby's GK Gibson. As predicted before the season started Midd lost a ton to graduation and are in a bit of a rebuild. Colby finds itself right in the middle of the Nescac table with those 3 points

Huge win for Colby, showing they can both score and win away from home, which I was skeptical of. They've scored two in each of their last 3 NESCAC games, and don't seem to be reliant on any one or two players for goals. Already with 7 points, they should have no trouble making playoffs, and once there it seems like they can compete with anyone. Midd, despite the big win at Amherst, falls to 2-3, which seems about right though they've gotten there in a weird way. Serious cause for concern is them giving up 5 goals in their last 2 NESCAC games and the 2 NESCAC losses on their own carpet.

Colby's 19-member freshman class from two years ago are now juniors, so if they're ever going to get results, it should start this year.