NESCAC

[Mr.Right]

Random Thoughts:

While I criticize Williams' Sisco for lack of production as a striker he DOES have 17 career goals in a Williams uniform. That is pretty decent as an average of 4 goals a year is decent but he was highly touted coming out of Don Bosco Prep.

2 BIGGEST BUSTS in Nescac:

1. Tom Young, Williams--I feel bad because he did get injured in the 1st game of the year against Trinity BUT he was also a highly touted recruit who was going to cause havoc for Williams' opponents. His career stats are BAD as he NEVER scored a goal in a Williams uniform. 47 Games Played only 10 Games started and 0 goals with 5 assists. He is not a striker so he was not supposed to score a ton of goals but create them. In 47 Games he totaled 10 SOG. Yikes. I will say that the coaching change did not help Tom Young as Sullivan seemed to favor other players the last 2 years who could defend better than Young. I think he would have been way more productive if he stayed healthy and played for Williams before 2014.

2. Aidan Murray, Amherst---ANOTHER highly touted recruit who has basically disappeared from Amherst lineup since his Sophmore year. I think he has also had injury problems but he was supposed to be WAY more productive as tons of teams were interested in him. I think maybe in a different system and school he would have been more productive. Career Stats---49 Games 6 Games Started 1 GOAL 3 Assists and 8 SOG....YIKES again...I mean he is not even playing in meaningful Nescac games anymore as he is getting some runs against the like of Pine Manor and New England College.

I think a lot can happen in a kid's life between being a great 16 or 17 year old soccer player and their senior year of college. Aside from physical issues, their perspectives on what's important in life might change. Maybe they burn out or decide that they've devoted 20 hours a week to soccer for 10 years and are ready to move on and focus on academics and getting a job. There are many more players on the bench in the NESCAC who had a great HS and Club/Academy career but never were able to reach the same level in college. We don't know all their stories but you don't get recruited and get a spot at one of these schools without having been a better than solid player. In Tom's case, he had a coaching change after his freshman year. He broke his wrist during his junior season and had a gruesome and devastating injury in the first game of his senior year. After being elected captain and showing up in phenomenal shape. He has continued to be a leader to the Williams team and scouts opponents and is constantly talking to the boys. He is a terrific young man who will use this experience as a learning and teaching tool as he goes forward (if he doesn't take next semester off and come back for a 5th year??). I think it's  easy for us to lose perspective on what these games are all about at the D3 level. I really appreciate everyone's interest and analysis and enthusiasm but I'm not sure these games mean as much to the boys as they do to us.

I totally understand ALL of that...AGAIN I am not questioning their character as human beings....Their desire to play soccer.....What they have or have not accomplished in life...What the future holds..I am pointing out my observations solely on FUTBOL and the compliment i gave them by telling you how talented these kids were before college.  Frankly if they do not care as much as us about it THEN they will not care about my opinion...Jesus so I have to massage everyone's ego on here? How boring of a site it would be if we could not give opinions and have to stay within the lines and only speak positively about are precious kids. Get over it..

[truenorth]

Saturday

Trinity at Midd----Trinity looked like a Top 8 side last night against Wesleyan. They worked hard and easily were the better team. Midd is really struggling to score goals against solid competition and even weak competition. Their most dangerous and skilled player Goulart is scoring their goals and he is playing very well for them. Midd is also allowing a ton of goals this year which is concerning. Midd has Trinity, Bates and Williams left on their schedule. If they can win all 3 games they will get into the top 4. Trinity is still not very organized defensively but their GK Zabala played his best game last night. I think both teams can score in this game but Midd will score more. Midd 2-1

Hamilton at Bowdoin----Hamilton is starting to play well right now. Bowdoin has been dominant at Home. I am curious to see if Hamilton can play on the road like they have been playing at home. I do not agree with others that Bowdoin's CB's are the best in the league. Bubb and Ward can be beaten and dealt with by good strikers. Wood is playing like one of the best strikers in the league right now. Because of Bowdoin's style and system they are incredibly difficult to break down. Difficult but not impossible. Which team wants this more? This will be a very even game but I think Hamilton is playing a tad better. Hamilton 1-0

Amherst at Colby----This game will be a game of matchups. If Colby can beat Amherst they will get even with Amherst in points and own the tiebreaker. I cannot remember the last time Colby beat Amherst or frankly if they have beaten Amherst. Colby will be very pumped for this game especially at home.  Amherst has more weapons and more athleticism and I do not like the matchup of Colby's backs v Amherst strikers. However, Colby has had the whole week off and will be very prepared for this game. Amherst has not looked as good on the road as they do at home. 2 different teams. Colby can match Amherst all over the field except Amherst has more speed. I like speed. While Colby will be jacked for this game and will be confident they can win I think Amherst rolls into Waterville and rolls out with a W. Amherst 2-0

Tufts at Bates-----Bates with an exciting 109th minute win last night v Thomas. Tufts with an exciting 10-0 thrashing of Mt.St Vincent yesterday. Why did Shapiro play this game? Embarrassment. Those type of games can changes teams psyche sometimes. Look at the US smashing Panama and then "showing" up at T&T. I imagine Bates will sit in and try to counter. Tufts is the better and more talented side. Bates can be a tricky team to play as they lull you to sleep a but and then can attack with skill and speed with 4 solid attacking players. Tufts dominates possession and shots but struggle to finish. Tufts still find a way to get a Win. 1-0 Tufts

Williams at Wesleyan----I did not like the way Wesleyan approached that Trinity game last night. They needed a win and Wheeler sat in their normal formation and conservative style until the last 10 minutes of the game. Disappointing. They should have come out of the gates and attacked but that is not Wheeler's style. Williams defeated Coast Guard on Tuesday but were out played for most of the game. I will give Williams a pass as a 2 1/2 hr road mid-week game can be difficult to get up for. Both of these teams struggle to score goals. Sisco has 2 goals this year and is the starting striker but maybe his goal at Coast Guard gets him going. I think their most dangerous striker is the Soph Demian Gass who leads the team with 3 goals. That kid can take players on and beat them, has good speed and is composed enough to finish. He should be starting but he did not play at Coast Guard so maybe he is injured? Wesleyan is hanging by a thread and will have to go 2-0-1 against Williams, Amherst and Conn to get into the Nescac Play-offs to finish the season. Not gonna happen. Wesleyan has been a massive disappointment this year and they did not look particularly interested in playing last night until the last 10 minutes. Williams has to much to play for and are a much harder working team right now. Williams 2-1

Mr.Right, I'm scratching my head a little at your assessment of Hamilton and Bowdoin and your prediction of a 1-0 Hamilton victory at Bowdoin.  Although I agree that Bowdoin doesn't have a reliable and dangerous attack in the final third, they generally find a way to generate a goal when needed (off set pieces or rebounds in and around the box).  They are playing at home and have everything to play for.  Plus they will have had 6 days of recovery from their last game, while Hamilton is making the long trip and will have had only 2 days of recovery from their last game.  I predict a 2-0 win for Bowdoin.

[Mr.Right]

Yea that is totally understandable....Hamilton will have a long trip and short rest but I really like the way they have been playing the past 2 weeks. Now I asked if they can play like that on the road? That is what I will be watching for...I do not think Ward and Bubb are bad players I just do not agree they are the best CB's in the league. Bowdoin is not good enough to dominate good teams IMO and I think Wood is playing like one of the best strikers in the league right now. I think he will cause Bowdoin some problems..Hamilton will have a hard time marking Niang as I would have Harrington start and mark him...I still say it will be an extremely even game..Remember this is not the Hamilton of 3-4 years ago when they were doormats they are just starting to settle into Nescac and are getting comfortable playing in the league.

[truenorth]

I absolutely agree that Hamilton are not doormats, which in my view makes their addition to the NESCAC increasingly welcome as these recent years have unfolded.  I'm not sure who suggested the Bowdoin center backs are the best in the league...My son played during the Fran O'Leary era and Fran had his strengths and weaknesses, but was on balance a good and successful coach.  Likewise Scott Wiercinski has his strengths and weaknesses, but is on balance a good and successful coach.

My observation (which doesn't mean it's certifiable fact) is that Wiercinski seems to put some of his better, more proven, and more reliable players on the back line...which is a fairly rational strategy in my experience.  Sam Ward is a strong and reliable player and he has stepped up to support the overall performance of the team by moving from central midfield to central defense.  Riley Bubb has been a more "in and out" player in the first three years of his college career, but he has performed calmly and effectively as a center back this year.  I don't know whether they are "the best center backs in the NESCAC", but they have performed effectively during most of the first 11 games.

Unless you have "kliller" attacking players who are going to score goals in bunches in most of the games during the course of a regular season and post-season, I totally support this approach.  I still think Bowdoin is the favorite going into tomorrow's game, but we will indeed see...

[Mr.Right]

I absolutely agree that Hamilton are not doormats, which in my view makes their addition to the NESCAC increasingly welcome as these recent years have unfolded.  I'm not sure who suggested the Bowdoin center backs are the best in the league...My son played during the Fran O'Leary era and Fran had his strengths and weaknesses, but was on balance a good and successful coach.  Likewise Scott Wiercinski has his strengths and weaknesses, but is on balance a good and successful coach.

My observation (which doesn't mean it's certifiable fact) is that Wiercinski seems to put some of his better, more proven, and more reliable players on the back line...which is a fairly rational strategy in my experience.  Sam Ward is a strong and reliable player and he has stepped up to support the overall performance of the team by moving from central midfield to central defense.  Riley Bubb has been a more "in and out" player in the first three years of his college career, but he has performed calmly and effectively as a center back this year.  I don't know whether they are "the best center backs in the NESCAC", but they have performed effectively during most of the first 11 games.

Unless you have "kliller" attacking players who are going to score goals in bunches in most of the games during the course of a regular season and post-season, I totally support this approach.  I still think Bowdoin is the favorite going into tomorrow's game, but we will indeed see...

I agree Ward has been a "team" player because he accepted his role and move to CB. Like I said he is very steady and reliable. Bubb is good also but nothing that jumps out at me. Let us remember that against Amherst in the begining of the year they BOTH were overwhelmed by Amherst physicality and speed. I mean Amherst really took it to them. Maybe that changes in November? They might just see each other again in the Semi's or Final. As far as coaching, O'Leary is a proven coach at all levels and has tons of experience as his sides are ALWAYS very organized especially defensively. Wiercinski also has his sides organized BUT he is not getting the same type of athletes and talent that O'leary and Ainscough did at Bowdoin. His system and formation never change which can be good and bad but his success in the Nescac Tournament is more successful than O'leary's ever was BUT Van Siclien in net has been the difference IMO especially in all the PK shootouts they have won. Also, O'Leary got his squad within 1 minute of the 2010 NCAA Championship game and won the Nescac regular season in 2010 which you know very well which in my mind is more difficult than winning the tournament and deserves more praise. Look what he is doing at UMASS,,he is slowly and surely turning that program around from the 1 win season they had 3 years ago under current WNEC coach Devin O'Neal. Let us remember Wiercinski did NOT have that much success at Chicago in the 6-7 years he was there. He played the same style and system there and did not get it done. I just finished watching Chicago tonight and their coach Babst has recruited skill, speed and athleticism and is attacking and playing some good futbol. They are fun to watch which is the last thing you would say to describe Wiercinski's tedious style.

[truenorth]

I agree with your observations about O'Leary's professional and generally effective approach to building and organizing a team.  He has only 2.5 scholarships to work with at UMass, and he's up against a number of schools that provide as many as 9.5 scholarships.

[BendIt007]

Camels beat Endicott 2-0 last night on turf field. Two nice solo finishes  after Endicott defense stumbled a bit in first half.   

[Jump4Joy]

Random Thoughts:

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2 BIGGEST BUSTS in Nescac:

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[rudy]

Saturday

Trinity at Midd----Trinity looked like a Top 8 side last night against Wesleyan. They worked hard and easily were the better team. Midd is really struggling to score goals against solid competition and even weak competition. Their most dangerous and skilled player Goulart is scoring their goals and he is playing very well for them. Midd is also allowing a ton of goals this year which is concerning. Midd has Trinity, Bates and Williams left on their schedule. If they can win all 3 games they will get into the top 4. Trinity is still not very organized defensively but their GK Zabala played his best game last night. I think both teams can score in this game but Midd will score more. Midd 2-1

Hamilton at Bowdoin----Hamilton is starting to play well right now. Bowdoin has been dominant at Home. I am curious to see if Hamilton can play on the road like they have been playing at home. I do not agree with others that Bowdoin's CB's are the best in the league. Bubb and Ward can be beaten and dealt with by good strikers. Wood is playing like one of the best strikers in the league right now. Because of Bowdoin's style and system they are incredibly difficult to break down. Difficult but not impossible. Which team wants this more? This will be a very even game but I think Hamilton is playing a tad better. Hamilton 1-0

Amherst at Colby----This game will be a game of matchups. If Colby can beat Amherst they will get even with Amherst in points and own the tiebreaker. I cannot remember the last time Colby beat Amherst or frankly if they have beaten Amherst. Colby will be very pumped for this game especially at home.  Amherst has more weapons and more athleticism and I do not like the matchup of Colby's backs v Amherst strikers. However, Colby has had the whole week off and will be very prepared for this game. Amherst has not looked as good on the road as they do at home. 2 different teams. Colby can match Amherst all over the field except Amherst has more speed. I like speed. While Colby will be jacked for this game and will be confident they can win I think Amherst rolls into Waterville and rolls out with a W. Amherst 2-0

Tufts at Bates-----Bates with an exciting 109th minute win last night v Thomas. Tufts with an exciting 10-0 thrashing of Mt.St Vincent yesterday. Why did Shapiro play this game? Embarrassment. Those type of games can changes teams psyche sometimes. Look at the US smashing Panama and then "showing" up at T&T. I imagine Bates will sit in and try to counter. Tufts is the better and more talented side. Bates can be a tricky team to play as they lull you to sleep a but and then can attack with skill and speed with 4 solid attacking players. Tufts dominates possession and shots but struggle to finish. Tufts still find a way to get a Win. 1-0 Tufts

Williams at Wesleyan----I did not like the way Wesleyan approached that Trinity game last night. They needed a win and Wheeler sat in their normal formation and conservative style until the last 10 minutes of the game. Disappointing. They should have come out of the gates and attacked but that is not Wheeler's style. Williams defeated Coast Guard on Tuesday but were out played for most of the game. I will give Williams a pass as a 2 1/2 hr road mid-week game can be difficult to get up for. Both of these teams struggle to score goals. Sisco has 2 goals this year and is the starting striker but maybe his goal at Coast Guard gets him going. I think their most dangerous striker is the Soph Demian Gass who leads the team with 3 goals. That kid can take players on and beat them, has good speed and is composed enough to finish. He should be starting but he did not play at Coast Guard so maybe he is injured? Wesleyan is hanging by a thread and will have to go 2-0-1 against Williams, Amherst and Conn to get into the Nescac Play-offs to finish the season. Not gonna happen. Wesleyan has been a massive disappointment this year and they did not look particularly interested in playing last night until the last 10 minutes. Williams has to much to play for and are a much harder working team right now. Williams 2-1

Mr.Right, I'm scratching my head a little at your assessment of Hamilton and Bowdoin and your prediction of a 1-0 Hamilton victory at Bowdoin.  Although I agree that Bowdoin doesn't have a reliable and dangerous attack in the final third, they generally find a way to generate a goal when needed (off set pieces or rebounds in and around the box).  They are playing at home and have everything to play for.  Plus they will have had 6 days of recovery from their last game, while Hamilton is making the long trip and will have had only 2 days of recovery from their last game.  I predict a 2-0 win for Bowdoin.

2-0 Hamilton right now. Bowdoin has some work to do.

[Mr.Right]

Random Thoughts:

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2 BIGGEST BUSTS in Nescac:

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[Mr.Right]

Just tuned in...Hamilton up 2-0 on Bowdoin at the Half...Looks like Chapman snagged both goals....I want to say I told you so but there is still another Half left.....Anyone see the 1st Half?  I will tune in now but would like to catch Amherst at Colby

[Mr.Right]

Midd defeats Trinity 1-0 in a game that saw 7 SOG and about 40 fouls...Sounds about right...The game must have had no flow and glad I missed that one...Trinity with only 2 SOG and at 3-9-1(1-7-1) they are the 1st team to be officially eliminated.

[Mr.Right]

Looks like Byrd is back for Bowdoin..

[Mr.Right]

Hamilton has come out in the 2nd Half very flat footed and they need to be careful as they look to passive right now. Bowdoin taking it to them to start 2nd Half  and have hit the crossbar already but can they finish their chances? Nizzi brings on Chapman to wake the boys up

[Mr.Right]

Serpone starting Frosh Stone in goal today and with the back to back has moved a couple other guys into the starting lineup to give them a run. Colby basically with the same lineup except Aoyama is starting today