NESCAC

[1970s NESCAC Player]

Bowdoin 2-1 Bates is the final. Looked like Bowdoin might romp after the first few minutes but Bates grew into the game and deserved its equalizer. Probably a fair result as I think Bowdoin shaded general play. I was quite surprised at how well-behaved this rivalry is compared to other in-league clashes. A good, entertaining game.

Colby still has both squads to play.  I'm not sure those games will be so well-behaved, as there will be playoff spots on the line for Colby and Bates.  It could come down to their annual season-ending clash on 10/25, although Colby will certainly have the opportunity to clinch a spot before then. 

[Bobcat1]

Regarding Bates, I didn't see the Conn game, but I thought they played well yesterday against Bowdoin. I agree with Blooter, pretty even game in terms of possession and Bates out-shot them 17-11, but just could not finish in the second half when they turned up the pressure and had chances.  No picnic ahead with Tufts and Amherst coming to town this weekend...

On a separate note NECSAC teams showing well in the latest Massey and Hero Rankings:

Massey: Tufts 2, Conn 6, Amherst 15, Williams 21, Bowdoin 24, Midd 30, Colby 48
Hero: Tufts 2, Conn 12, Amherst 23, Williams 32, Colby 52, Bowdoin 55, Midd 66

[BendIt007]

Hi Bobcat 1 -
I watched the Conn/Bates game ... here's my take. Conn pretty much dominated throughout, especially in the first half with 3 goals.   They also had a few good chances in second.  Bates scored with 30 left in the second half.  It was a hard shot that deflected off a defender, so the goalie was going the wrong way. But looked like it would have been a good shot regardless.   

Overall shots on goal - Conn 29/Bates 7.  Corners - Conn 7/ Bates 2. 
Once Bates scored they got fired up, and played very hard and the game got much more even. 

[Bobcat1]

Hi Bobcat 1 -
I watched the Conn/Bates game ... here's my take. Conn pretty much dominated throughout, especially in the first half with 3 goals.   They also had a few good chances in second.  Bates scored with 30 left in the second half.  It was a hard shot that deflected off a defender, so the goalie was going the wrong way. But looked like it would have been a good shot regardless.   

Overall shots on goal - Conn 29/Bates 7.  Corners - Conn 7/ Bates 2. 
Once Bates scored they got fired up, and played very hard and the game got much more even. 

Certainly sounds like Conn was in control, especially in the first half putting three goals on the board.  Conn is having a great season and its reflected in their rankings.  Big test for them on Tuesday at Amherst.  A road win here and they pretty much lock down a top 3 spot in NESCAC.

[redsoccer06]

I would imagine that Conn @ Amherst is going to be a VERY ugly game. You have a Conn team that is very hardworking, but not extraordinarily talented against an extremely talented Amherst team that has no desire to actually play any real soccer. Can Conn defend their box for 90 minutes (or maybe 110 minutes with the way Conn results have gone on the road) against the barrage of flip throws and set pieces that Amherst will be lumping into the mix? I don't know. The goal they let up against Bates was due to a failure to clear the ball out of their own end.

[BendIt007]

Watching Amherst /Conn ... 10 minutes in  ...not much to report.  Maybe I'm old school, but not a big fan of the flip throw-in in that Amherst uses.  It does work pretty well, but just kind of odd.

[Mr.Right]

Coast Guard v Williams 0-0 at the Half...Coast Guard dominating the whole 1st Half. Yea I'll repeat Coast Guard dominating the whole 1st Half. Coast Guard better than I thought and look decent. Williams looks just awful even for a mid week non league game which I questioned why you would schedule this game back in June. Travel 2 1/2 hrs to New London mid-week..why?  then turn around and go to Wesleyan on Saturday and Babson Sunday. Williams has 0 SOG in the 1st Half and have looked to counter a bit but really a massive disappointment. Let's see if the 2nd Half changes anything. Williams will be lucky to get a W in this game...

[Mr.Right]

I'm sorry its not the long throws that drive me nuts its what Serpone has done to that field...It's a joke...that is not soccer...barely 65 yards wide is a joke...NCAA should require at least 70 yards after seeing that field in person.

[BendIt007]

Mr Right... yes.. I didn't realize it  but maybe it is the narrow field that is making the game so choppy.   The ball constantly is out of bounds and play doesn't go more than 20 seconds before another throw in.  Too crowded so can't have more than one pass.  0-0 at half ... and as  redsoccer said it would be... kind of an ugly game to watch.   No flow.  We'll see how second half goes.

[Mr.Right]

Williams goes up 1-0 off a corner..30 seconds later another goal 2-0 Williams and this looks more like it...Must have been a good halftime ripping by Sullivan to get these guys moving....Williams looks a ton better going forward now.  A 2-0 lead over Coast Guard with about 35 minutes left should be plenty as I will switch over to Amherst and Conn now. That is really hard luck for Coast Guard as they played so well 1st Half but could not finish. 1 minute of defensive breakdowns and loss of concentration and that is the game...You gotta focus every minute on the field..

[Mr.Right]

Why did Serpone switch GK's at Half of a 0-0 game?

[Mr.Right]

Wow..Coast Guard get 1 back ...2-1 Williams 20 minutes left...In the Amherst v Conn game Amherst striker McMillan is in on goal all alone albeit on a tough angle and Marcucci stuffs him....A true striker would have buried that...McMillan has plenty of athleticism and speed but ZERO composure...if he ever worked on his game and focused purely on his skill he could be a D1 talent.

[Mr.Right]

7 minutes left drama in New London as Coast Guard looked to have amazingly tied the game up 2-2 with about 6 minutes left off of a set piece but ref called a foul and waved off the goal..I really am surprised at the decency of this Coast Guard side. They actually have some skill in the middle of the park and look to have good athleticism. Like most teams in D3 they look to be lacking any type of finisher but hey join the club. This is the only game I have seen them play this year but based on this game this team looks every bit of solid as the highly overrated side in 2014 that made the NCAA's.

[Mr.Right]

Amherst and Conn heading to OT...Amherst as expected have had the better chances at least 2nd Half but Conn playing as expected backed up by solid GK'ing and hanging around 0-0...Amherst needs a win to get into the top 4 and Conn will be fine with a draw and be that much closer to a Pool C

[Mr.Right]

WOW...Amherst wins the game 1-0 in OT on an own goal...Massive long ball gets flicked onto McMillan who uses his great speed to absolutely burn #24 Nate Summers and crosses it into the middle but no one can finish it. Bellow gets to it first and crosses it back into the middle and #24 Summers deflects it into his own net. Just a disaster for Summers and that is Conn's 1st loss of the year to give them an 8-1-3 record. That loss is really going to sting as they deserved a draw but that is why you are always crossing balls into the mixer and shooting because you never know what will happen. Conn at 8-1-3 still has some work to do IMO to get a Pool C and Amherst with a huge win couple with wins over Tufts, RUN and Bowdoin should be all set with a Pool C and a Nescac Top 4 unless they completely collapse...