NESCAC

[blooter442]

As many of you know, my son plays for St. Joe's so of course I was at the Tufts/St. Joe's game on Sunday.  I agree 100% with what Rudy said - Tufts did deserve to win based on how they controlled the game.  Sometimes it doesn't work out that way, but it did yesterday. I will say that losing in PKs is absolutely the worst way to win, in my opinion.

I was really, really impressed with Tufts and I hope they win another championship this year.  Big, strong, fast, relentless, and their one touch passes were really things of beauty.  I thought for sure they were going to break through at some point in the 2nd half against St. Joe's, but the Monks were incredible in how they were able to hold off the offensive onslaught.  Keeper Blake Mullen had a fantastic game and really kept St. Joe's in it until PKs, and then it's pretty much a crap shoot.  Credit to Tufts keeper Mieth as he had a wonderful save against the only real St. Joe's chance, and he came up big in the PK round.

I'm really proud of how St. Joe's played yesterday and I hope they get another chance next year to play some of the other NESCAC teams, in regular season and also in the tournament.

If this doesn't warrant a +K, I don't know what does. (Not that karma really matters, but you get me.) Very classy, OldNed, and your boys should have their heads held high -- they represented their school and their conference very well.

[NESCAC43]

24-4 shot advantage for Tufts. They deserve the win. We'll see

As many of you know, my son plays for St. Joe's so of course I was at the Tufts/St. Joe's game on Sunday.  I agree 100% with what Rudy said - Tufts did deserve to win based on how they controlled the game.  Sometimes it doesn't work out that way, but it did yesterday. I will say that losing in PKs is absolutely the worst way to win, in my opinion.

I was really, really impressed with Tufts and I hope they win another championship this year.  Big, strong, fast, relentless, and their one touch passes were really things of beauty.  I thought for sure they were going to break through at some point in the 2nd half against St. Joe's, but the Monks were incredible in how they were able to hold off the offensive onslaught.  Keeper Blake Mullen had a fantastic game and really kept St. Joe's in it until PKs, and then it's pretty much a crap shoot.  Credit to Tufts keeper Mieth as he had a wonderful save against the only real St. Joe's chance, and he came up big in the PK round.

I'm really proud of how St. Joe's played yesterday and I hope they get another chance next year to play some of the other NESCAC teams, in regular season and also in the tournament.

Great post! Got to catch the last 30 min or so and can say St. Joe's showed great heart. They have a bright future ahead and best of luck to your son if he has any remaining eligibility.

[truenorth]

Agreed.  As a Maine resident and a NESCAC fan, I certainly offer a tip of the cap to St. Joe's.  They had a fantastic season and have clearly established themselves as a legitimate contender among the better New England college teams.

[truenorth]

And as a NESCAC fan I wish the best to both Tufts and Amherst as they seek to advance through the tournament.

There has been a lot of discussion on this and other threads that the NESCAC is down this year.  That may or may not be the case.  But I do find it amusing when someone is excited about a dominant team from another conference (e.g. Messiah, Chicago, Calvin, Rowan, etc.) and somehow knows in their heart of hearts that that particular team is better than all the other teams in the country.

I always find this to be an "apples vs. oranges" view, because it's really impossible to draw any kind of conclusion when those teams and leagues don't play each other during the regular season.

Now if Tufts and Amherst both bow out in the next round, we can begin to do the post mortem to debate whether or not the NESCAC is down this year.

[Bobcat1]

As many of you know, my son plays for St. Joe's so of course I was at the Tufts/St. Joe's game on Sunday.  I agree 100% with what Rudy said - Tufts did deserve to win based on how they controlled the game.  Sometimes it doesn't work out that way, but it did yesterday. I will say that losing in PKs is absolutely the worst way to win, in my opinion.

I was really, really impressed with Tufts and I hope they win another championship this year.  Big, strong, fast, relentless, and their one touch passes were really things of beauty.  I thought for sure they were going to break through at some point in the 2nd half against St. Joe's, but the Monks were incredible in how they were able to hold off the offensive onslaught.  Keeper Blake Mullen had a fantastic game and really kept St. Joe's in it until PKs, and then it's pretty much a crap shoot.  Credit to Tufts keeper Mieth as he had a wonderful save against the only real St. Joe's chance, and he came up big in the PK round.

I'm really proud of how St. Joe's played yesterday and I hope they get another chance next year to play some of the other NESCAC teams, in regular season and also in the tournament.

Absolute class here by OldNed. If I were eligible to give a karma point I would.  Like Truenorth, as a Maine resident and NESCAC fan, you have to tip your cap to the Monks. Yes, they absolutely showed tremendous heart and determination, but their commitment to execute their game plan of defending as a unit in their own end for massive amounts of time was most impressive. And when Tufts did break through and get good looks, Mullen came up big.  Going forward it looks like they return all but two starters.  Hopefully a couple more NESCAC schools and maybe a Brandeis, Babson, Endicott, or Gordon will be willing to schedule them next season. They certainly have earned the opportunity to play a high quality non-conference schedule.

[OldNed]

As many of you know, my son plays for St. Joe's so of course I was at the Tufts/St. Joe's game on Sunday.  I agree 100% with what Rudy said - Tufts did deserve to win based on how they controlled the game.  Sometimes it doesn't work out that way, but it did yesterday. I will say that losing in PKs is absolutely the worst way to win, in my opinion.

I was really, really impressed with Tufts and I hope they win another championship this year.  Big, strong, fast, relentless, and their one touch passes were really things of beauty.  I thought for sure they were going to break through at some point in the 2nd half against St. Joe's, but the Monks were incredible in how they were able to hold off the offensive onslaught.  Keeper Blake Mullen had a fantastic game and really kept St. Joe's in it until PKs, and then it's pretty much a crap shoot.  Credit to Tufts keeper Mieth as he had a wonderful save against the only real St. Joe's chance, and he came up big in the PK round.

I'm really proud of how St. Joe's played yesterday and I hope they get another chance next year to play some of the other NESCAC teams, in regular season and also in the tournament.

Absolute class here by OldNed. If I were eligible to give a karma point I would.  Like Truenorth, as a Maine resident and NESCAC fan, you have to tip your cap to the Monks. Yes, they absolutely showed tremendous heart and determination, but their commitment to execute their game plan of defending as a unit in their own end for massive amounts of time was most impressive. And when Tufts did break through and get good looks, Mullen came up big.  Going forward it looks like they return all but two starters.  Hopefully a couple more NESCAC schools and maybe a Brandeis, Babson, Endicott, or Gordon will be willing to schedule them next season. They certainly have earned the opportunity to play a high quality non-conference schedule.

Bobcat,
what you're hoping for re: St. Joe's is exactly what I'm hoping for - that St. Joe's does start to regularly schedule more NESCAC teams, along with some of the other traditional NE powers like Babson, Brandeis, Endicott, etc.

My son has one more year of eligibility, so I'm hoping that if they do beef up their schedule, then observers can legitimately see St. Joe's on the same level (at least as far as soccer goes - education is for the most part better in a NESCAC school) as other traditional regional powers.

[firstplaceloser]

And as a NESCAC fan I wish the best to both Tufts and Amherst as they seek to advance through the tournament.

There has been a lot of discussion on this and other threads that the NESCAC is down this year.  That may or may not be the case.  But I do find it amusing when someone is excited about a dominant team from another conference (e.g. Messiah, Chicago, Calvin, Rowan, etc.) and somehow knows in their heart of hearts that that particular team is better than all the other teams in the country.

I always find this to be an "apples vs. oranges" view, because it's really impossible to draw any kind of conclusion when those teams and leagues don't play each other during the regular season.

Now if Tufts and Amherst both bow out in the next round, we can begin to do the post mortem to debate whether or not the NESCAC is down this year.

please do not put Rowan in the same category as Messiah Chicago and Calvin lol they might be the least dominate NJAC team within the conference

And I mean least dominate with winning NJAC titles and showing success in the NCAAs. I think RUN is has more wins in the NCAAs the last 5 years.

Montclair St and RUC have shown complete dominance each having a good 4-5 years in a row of winning. with about the same record in the tournament.

[NEsoccerfan]

And as a NESCAC fan I wish the best to both Tufts and Amherst as they seek to advance through the tournament.

There has been a lot of discussion on this and other threads that the NESCAC is down this year.  That may or may not be the case.  But I do find it amusing when someone is excited about a dominant team from another conference (e.g. Messiah, Chicago, Calvin, Rowan, etc.) and somehow knows in their heart of hearts that that particular team is better than all the other teams in the country.

I always find this to be an "apples vs. oranges" view, because it's really impossible to draw any kind of conclusion when those teams and leagues don't play each other during the regular season.

Now if Tufts and Amherst both bow out in the next round, we can begin to do the post mortem to debate whether or not the NESCAC is down this year.

please do not put Rowan in the same category as Messiah Chicago and Calvin lol they might be the least dominate NJAC team within the conference

And I mean least dominate with winning NJAC titles and showing success in the NCAAs. I think RUN is has more wins in the NCAAs the last 5 years.

Montclair St and RUC have shown complete dominance each having a good 4-5 years in a row of winning. with about the same record in the tournament.

I don't think Truenorth is too far off.

Rowan went 17-4-1, including 8-0-1 in conference play (best in the conference), and lost in the conference championship.

They have the 3rd most tournament appearances in the country (only behind Messiah and OWU) and the 4th most tournament wins in the country (only behind Messiah, OWU, and Trinity).

It's tough to deny that this is a dominant program, irrespective of their recent big game woes.

[Flying Weasel]

And as a NESCAC fan I wish the best to both Tufts and Amherst as they seek to advance through the tournament.

There has been a lot of discussion on this and other threads that the NESCAC is down this year.  That may or may not be the case.  But I do find it amusing when someone is excited about a dominant team from another conference (e.g. Messiah, Chicago, Calvin, Rowan, etc.) and somehow knows in their heart of hearts that that particular team is better than all the other teams in the country.

I always find this to be an "apples vs. oranges" view, because it's really impossible to draw any kind of conclusion when those teams and leagues don't play each other during the regular season.

Now if Tufts and Amherst both bow out in the next round, we can begin to do the post mortem to debate whether or not the NESCAC is down this year.

please do not put Rowan in the same category as Messiah Chicago and Calvin lol they might be the least dominate NJAC team within the conference

And I mean least dominate with winning NJAC titles and showing success in the NCAAs. I think RUN is has more wins in the NCAAs the last 5 years.

Montclair St and RUC have shown complete dominance each having a good 4-5 years in a row of winning. with about the same record in the tournament.

I don't think Truenorth is too far off.

Rowan went 17-4-1, including 8-0-1 in conference play (best in the conference), and lost in the conference championship.

They have the 3rd most tournament appearances in the country (only behind Messiah and OWU) and the 4th most tournament wins in the country (only behind Messiah, OWU, and Trinity).

It's tough to deny that this is a dominant program, irrespective of their recent big game woes.

Rowan was one the D-III powerhouses in the 80's, 90's and early 2000's, but in the last 10 years of Coach Gilmore's tenure, the Profs slipped significantly and were no longer challenging for the NJAC titles and out of the national conversation.  For 10 years--not just an off season or two.  The "new" coach (former player from the glory years) has clearly injected new life into the program and has quickly gotten Rowan back in the national discussion by ending an 11-year NCAA drought in just his second season (2014) and now making it three straight years, but he's still not claimed an NJAC title (14-year drought now) and hasn't gotten past the first weekend of the tournament.  For me it's too early to say that Rowan is back to being a dominant program--they're going to need to sustain this a bit longer and start winning the big games (NJAC finals, advance to second weekend of NCAA tournament).

[Shooter McGavin]

And as a NESCAC fan I wish the best to both Tufts and Amherst as they seek to advance through the tournament.

There has been a lot of discussion on this and other threads that the NESCAC is down this year.  That may or may not be the case.  But I do find it amusing when someone is excited about a dominant team from another conference (e.g. Messiah, Chicago, Calvin, Rowan, etc.) and somehow knows in their heart of hearts that that particular team is better than all the other teams in the country.

I always find this to be an "apples vs. oranges" view, because it's really impossible to draw any kind of conclusion when those teams and leagues don't play each other during the regular season.

Now if Tufts and Amherst both bow out in the next round, we can begin to do the post mortem to debate whether or not the NESCAC is down this year.

please do not put Rowan in the same category as Messiah Chicago and Calvin lol they might be the least dominate NJAC team within the conference

And I mean least dominate with winning NJAC titles and showing success in the NCAAs. I think RUN is has more wins in the NCAAs the last 5 years.

Montclair St and RUC have shown complete dominance each having a good 4-5 years in a row of winning. with about the same record in the tournament.

I don't think Truenorth is too far off.

Rowan went 17-4-1, including 8-0-1 in conference play (best in the conference), and lost in the conference championship.

They have the 3rd most tournament appearances in the country (only behind Messiah and OWU) and the 4th most tournament wins in the country (only behind Messiah, OWU, and Trinity).

It's tough to deny that this is a dominant program, irrespective of their recent big game woes.

Rowan was one the D-III powerhouses in the 80's, 90's and early 2000's, but in the last 10 years of Coach Gilmore's tenure, the Profs slipped significantly and were no longer challenging for the NJAC titles and out of the national conversation.  For 10 years--not just an off season or two.  The "new" coach (former player from the glory years) has clearly injected new life into the program and has quickly gotten Rowan back in the national discussion by ending an 11-year NCAA drought in just his second season (2014) and now making it three straight years, but he's still not claimed an NJAC title (14-year drought now) and hasn't gotten past the first weekend of the tournament.  For me it's too early to say that Rowan is back to being a dominant program--they're going to need to sustain this a bit longer and start winning the big games (NJAC finals, advance to second weekend of NCAA tournament).

FW hit it spot on.

[firstplaceloser]

okay well we're also not living in the 80s-90s anymore. my point was recently, and i'm not saying they weren't good back then bc they were very good. Rowan has just recently gotten back into the national mix, they haven't won an NJAC since 2002. they have had plenty of chances to get theirs as well but never prevailed. if we're talking 80-90s then throw stockton in there too

[Mr.Right]

Congrats to Former Bowdoin Head Coach Fran O'Leary on an incredible turnaround in 2 years at UMASS. They won the A-10 and back in the NCAA's

http://umassathletics.com/news/2017/11/12/mens-soccer-minutemen-win-third-a-10-tournament-championship-defeat-vcu-3-1.aspx


On a more cynical note this is in regards to the Drew Head Coach getting a Red Card. When O'Leary was at Bowdoin he made one of the more questionable / shady moves a Head Coach can make. In 2007 Bowdoin and Conn College played to a 1-1 draw. O'Leary received a Red Card during the game for arguing a call. He left the field. The next day Bowdoin played Wheaton(MA) in an out of conference game. O'Leary inexplicably coached in that game. Remember this was 2007 not 2017 so information was not nearly as available as it is today. Bowdoin beat Wheaton 2-1 in that game. The next day on a hunch Former Conn College Head Coach Bill Lessig calls former Wheaton Head Coach Matt Cushing and asks him if O'Leary was on the bench. Cushing say's yea he was and then Lessig let him know that O'Leary had gotten a Red the day prior. O'Leary was busted and his excuse was he did not know the rule. Which is total BS. He knows the damn rule. The NCAA and Nescac got involved. He was slapped on the wrist BUT Bowdoin had to forfeit the game as the official score was 1-0 Wheaton.

http://athletics.wheatoncollege.edu/sports/msoc/archives/2007/bow.htm

One stupid move in he screwed up Bowdoin's whole season as before the match I believe they were regionally ranked. Other coaches in the region were pissed and after a ton of conversation the NCAA did not count any of Bowdoin's opponents losses to them count when looking at the regional rankings. One team that benefited was Keene State.

After that some of his peers atleast in D3 were wary of him at least to themselves. I mean to claim not to know the rule was just total BS and shady. He had been coaching for at least 25 years prior to this at Kenyon, Dartmouth, George Mason,etc so he KNEW the rule. A 14 year old knows the rule. Frankly he was extremely lucky he did not get fired at Bowdoin after that incident. A school like Bowdoin should have pulled the trigger but I believe he was tight with the AD who had hired him.

[Mr.Right]

Great post OldNed and I agree with everyone else that St.Joe's was extremely prepared and worked their butts off all game. It is not easy to chase for the majority of the game but they did and almost WON the game outright in the 1st OT if not for a fantastic save by Mieth. They are most certainly on my radar for next season and lets hope they play all 3 Maine Nescac's and other regional powers next season. With a couple more challenging games on their schedule they would get themselves in contention for a Pool C. As I noted during the match they were extremely disciplined defensively all game and well prepared as a unit. A total team effort. +k

[blooter442]

What a coup it was for Bowdoin to have Stevie van Siclen in net. As this Bowdoin Orient article states, a number of soccer programs were pursuing him prior to tearing his ACL in high school, but Wiercinski brought him in "on a limb" since Bowdoin assistant Mills had seen him in club action. Then, when he came to Bowdoin, he didn't start until halfway through his freshman year – it was only when then-starter Safian was injured for a couple of weeks that he got a chance. Obviously, Wiercinski realized that he had a very talented goalkeeper on his hands – even as a freshman, he was among the top 'keepers in the NESCAC, particularly after his performance in the conference tournament. Sophomore year, much the same. Junior year he played well for the first half of the year before getting injured at the midway point of the season, and I wasn't sure he would be back this year. Senior year, All-NESCAC First Team, and capping his career with stats of 0.56 GAA, a save pct. of .860., and a PK save pct. (shootouts included) of .428. That is pretty impressive for a guy who Wiercinski took a chance on, and – in my opinion – no way they get to NCAAs once in the last 4 years, let alone 3 times, without him.

[Mr.Right]

I believe Van Siclien played for BC Head Coach Ed Kelly at club level. Kelly raved about him but his injuries overshadowed it all. He proved everyone wrong that is for sure.