NESCAC

[Bobcat1]

Falconer, I respect your views on this game, but there is more than one way to play the game. I thought Coach Sheikh had an excellent game plan against the #3 team in the country. He obviously watched the St. Joe's/Tufts NCAA game tape and employed a similar strategy of putting 11 behind the ball with primary objective of closing off the final third and relying on the counter and set pieces to get scoring chances. For the first time in several years we finally had a decent game plan against Tufts. Not many teams have the skill and speed to go toe to toe with Tufts, especially in Medford on the turf. We nearly got out of there with a draw instead of going down 3-0 in the first half trying to play them straight up. I thought the boys did a great job defending today and frustrated Tufts in the final third limiting their quality chances. And we had a few corners and a couple shots sail just high. I like the direction Bates soccer is going. They are going to continue to get better and hopefully will get some conference results sooner rather than later.

[mom1234]

Where's the eating popcorn emoticon when you need it?

I can't decide whether to go with some traditional Orville R, moderate-liberal Smartfood Cheddar, or some more Wesleyan-esque Trader Joe's Herbs and Spices.

This is great stuff and hopefully will spiral into a regular blog as the saga unfolds, with the side benefit of some of us (including me) reminding everyone another time or two about the cool, elite places WE and our kids went to college.  I'm in.  The college search was a great, exhilarating time, when, before actual realities and decisions roll in, everything and every place is possible.  Great stuff for those of us who loved making and re-making lists and would love to go through the whole thing again.

So many nuances.  Too Jewish.  Midfield plays the way we like but doesn't need us.  Too rural.  City is great except if its Hartford.  Classes too big but at least mimics Europe.  Better than any strong Academy players that have played at F&M but not even playing Academy and might not even make a good Academy squad.  Could get bored.  Needs the ball but might not get off the bench.  Well, at least will be able to pull the strings for the scout team and use that intuitive decision-making in practices.  One national title coach is a jerk (proven fact apparently) who plays crap soccer.  Colby might have a flake.  The Wesleyan coach is cool but he keeps it real about realistic academic chances, and who wants all that deconstructive chalking in Middletown anyway?  So many schools that aren't good enough even though there's no signal about any suggesting admission.  Live in the Midwest but can only consider what works with Logan Airport.  Rochester has an airport.  In fact, all the UAA schools do.  No consideration of the excellent schools that sound like actual fits....Gettysburg, Dickinson, Denison, DePauw, Centre, Rhodes.

Several people have suggested what to do.  Pursue what you think you like broadly.  Pick some places to visit that want you to visit, and be sure to include at least a couple where you're very confident that admission is not an issue.  Go on said visits, and then decide on small vs big, rural vs city, campus cultures, team cultures, coaches, playing styles, likely playing time at places where you think playing style fits, etc, etc.

That's quite the stand-up routine... whatever the popcorn flavor, I'm throwing it at the screen watching this reel of "facts" which are quite "nuanced" themselves! A few corrections are in order before this commentary is permanently stamped on the collective mind of this board regarding our poor non-superstud:
- "Better than any strong academy players that have ever played at F and M." You mean all one of them? [burn emoji] What I actually said: Better than the incoming freshman. Small nuance...
- "Not even playing academy and might not even make a good squad."  Truth: Played middling academy before, then made squad this year again but turned it down. (You can pick on that decision all you want, but consider driving 25 miles in rush hour straight through a huge city four or five night a week and get home at 11pm... If you survive to apply to college, see if any nescac school thinks you are "well-rounded.")
- "Lives in midwest...."  Fact: Never said that. Guess another region...
"..But can only consider what works with Logan Airport." That's right. Or Philadelphia. Unless you are offering to give him your frequent flyer miles on American Eagle, he's going Southwest, heck, maybe even Spirit.
- "Could get bored." Fine. Son (and you all) have put to rest that silly Mom Concern. As an alum of a nescac school, I have duly warned him, however, that if he is bored, it won't be because of the soccer, it will be due to the lack thereof during a long, miserable winter stuck on a hill outside of New Hartford or Pittsfield or some other exciting place...
- "So many schools aren't good enough..."  Huh? I assure you, they are all more than good enough."... but no signal about any suggesting admission." Sure they are, but I'm not going to tell you which...
- "No consideration of the excellent schools that sound like actual fits....Gettysburg, Dickinson..." These two were and are, but I hadn't brought them into the discussion.

On that note, it's probably time for Mom to spare this board any more of the recruiting "saga." We'll suffer through the madness on the sidelines.

For the record I get that my kid is not superstud. Just don't be mean to poor Mom on some future date if he ends up sitting on a bench!

Let me guess:

You're from Texas, not the Midwest.
You're considering Gettysburg, F&M, Hamilton (alum), and other NESCAC schools
Did the "D3 East Coast Summer ID Camp Tour - 2018"
You prefer bigger city - would be good fit in Boston area D3 or Rhodes or Johns Hopkins for their location - rules out some of NESCAC and Gettysbury and F&M since not near airports or metro areas.

Your son (R) is very talented - would fit in at any of these schools but wouldn't stand out on day 1. Sone schools are a bit of a stretch academically but he can handle the workload.
Best of luck - let everyone know where he ends up.

Wow BillWill, eerily correct on a few points, specifically Texas and Hamilton. If you aren't psychic, where do we know you from?

Anyway, even though you all more interested in the fall season currently, I'll share what happened with recruiting (and the mistakes we made) while it's fresh in my mind in hopes of helping anothermom or any other parents. (This isn't over until it's over, so I have plenty of time to make more mistakes and let you know later:)

S ended up committing to F&M and is perfectly happy with his choice for the time being, but we'll see. In a nutshell, being strategic about which schools to visit and when was no easy task and this played a big role in determining his options in the end. To be honest, the other big calcualtion was financial. With F&M, you basically hand the coaches a printout of the net price calculator, and they submit it with the preread and tell you, as long as you put the numbers in right, this is pretty much what you'll get. No NESCAC school will do that. You are in the dark with no recourse or bargaining power to later say to the school, "Hey, you said it would be xyz." The real purpose of having ED1 rounds is to bring in not only top athletes but top dollars. No secret there.

As far as NESCAC, S had "support" from Conn College, Bowdoin, and Hamilton, but he ended up a "C" band student for both Bowdoin and Hamilton. Sounded like he was A band for Conn, but he turned the offer down because he didn't feel the love with Murphy, F&M is a stronger school, and anyways, muddiness about cost for all three scared the heck out of me.

So here's what I learned. Maybe these personal stories offer some insight for anyone looking for it.

1. Don't let your kid decide he's going to ditch a school just because he doesn't like the coach, because that guy might not be there tomorrow. If your kid likes a school that is not too far off academically, make him keep communicating and do the clinics. In hindsight, IF S hadn't flaked in the midst of Bates' coaching turnover, he'd probably have it as an option. But it was too little too late: Within a week of Sheikh getting hired on, S tried to jump back in the game, got B band on the preread, but ultimately a new coach who's trying to do things right is not about to hand out a tip at the 11th hour to a kid he hasn't seen play in person when he has other decent players who the assistant coach had seen and are committing. S doesn't share my regret because he prefers to go to a team where he knows where he stands rather than jumping into something in flux where it might hard to have a sense of how you are going to fit in.

2. Think twice about going to a clinic for a school that you haven't visited prior. We tried the best we could, but we couldn't get to enough schools simply because of geography and the constraints of school, soccer, etc. So we wasted S's time by going to the late July clinic at Tufts when he could have been at Bates; well, he got there, did the tour, etc. and instantly hated the school. We also wasted his physical and mental energy at Middlebury; the drive there sucked, he decided it felt too remote for him, he got negative, and showed poorly. And perhaps our worst mistake was to wear him out at Amherst. We didn't even have to visit to know it wasn't an option on any level, but S's Grandpa seemed to think it was a grand idea and dragged him there. Grandparents must not have a say!

3.  Especially if you live in an area where NESCAC coaches have fewer chances to see your kid in tournament play, carefully measure out your kid's physical and mental resources by spreading your clinics more evenly out over winter, spring, and summer or even prior year. If you pile up too many over the summer before senior year, your kid will get worn out at an unpredetermined moment and suddenly show poorly. And he's had just the one chance. Good thing S hated Tufts, because it was at the very end of July after a loonnggg summer that started with the Region 3 championship back in mid-June... so he blew that one. Just no legs left at all. If you have to travel like us, it's hard to not get compressed in summer because it's near impossible to fly out more than twice for random one-day clinics sprinkled all over February, March, April, and May when your kid is in the middle of a spring season and school. I remember wanting to send him to Bates' clinic last January, but thinking, Seriously? Texas to Lewiston in January? And predictably, a noreaster wiped out travel then. I thought that coach should be a little more strategic in his planning if he wants to widen his scope, but anyway. Now by comparison, we got to F and M and Hamilton in the spring when he was fresh, so S knew early where he stood with the coaches, they submitted prereads on July 1, got answers quickly, and it all was smooth. That saved stress.

4.  Not sure if I can offer advice but more of a head's up: Even if you look carefully at each school's GPA/SAT stats to see how close your kid is to the MEAN scores for a particular school, it's really hard to know what Admissions is going to say. But it helps to at least understand the banding system (A, B, or C) and make an educated guess. Logic told me that with a 4.0 and 29 ACT, S could not possibly be B band for Bowdoin, but coach acted optimistic, so we put our eggs in his basket. I understand these coaches have a hard time guessing, but mainly it's in it for them to always err on the positive side. Admissions' said nothing about S's marks being sub-par; only that they didn't like that S had been to more than one high school. Well geez. Parents sometimes move, and plus he went on a foreign exchange program. So apparently predictability is better for a kid than diverse experiences? What happened to liberal arts. Never know what these schools are going to come out with.

5.  Don't put much stake in legacy. According to "sources," about five years ago Admissions started weighing legacy far less than they used to. Huge donors might be another story, but I really don't know. Geography definitely helped us a bit, but for a C band, it's not going to be a deal-maker. For this reason and because Hamilton is test-score crazy, I should have gone strictly with the ACT averages, guessed C band, and scrapped Hamilton.

6. Closely monitor your kid's communications with coaches to be sure he's understanding a coach's intentions, and keep your radar up for anything funky. You are wiser. In my experience coaches were forthright and pretty clear, but we did have one situation that I'm sure is very rare in NESCAC: a coach who, without seeing your kid play, tells him—yes this actually happened and I heard it with my own ears because it was a phone message—"I'll use a tip on you" when he does not necessarily intend to do so and later retracts. I hate to throw this guy under the bus because he's truly a good guy just finding his way. Even when coaches are being open, the untrained ear of a 17-year-old can easily gloss over the difference between "You're definitely on my list of top recruits" and "you're my top recruit." So just find out exactly what is being said.

So that's the run-down. I guess it's time to jump over to the Centennial board if such a thing exists...

[Ejay]

Good stuff Mom. Congrats to your son on the F&M commit.  It's a great school and he'll get a great education. Best of luck!

[Falconer]

Falconer, I respect your views on this game, but there is more than one way to play the game. I thought Coach Sheikh had an excellent game plan against the #3 team in the country. He obviously watched the St. Joe's/Tufts NCAA game tape and employed a similar strategy of putting 11 behind the ball with primary objective of closing off the final third and relying on the counter and set pieces to get scoring chances. For the first time in several years we finally had a decent game plan against Tufts. Not many teams have the skill and speed to go toe to toe with Tufts, especially in Medford on the turf. We nearly got out of there with a draw instead of going down 3-0 in the first half trying to play them straight up. I thought the boys did a great job defending today and frustrated Tufts in the final third limiting their quality chances. And we had a few corners and a couple shots sail just high. I like the direction Bates soccer is going. They are going to continue to get better and hopefully will get some conference results sooner rather than later.

And I respect your insight, Bobcat1--and thank you for sharing it. I know you're close to Bates soccer, and your account here makes perfect sense. I've never seen Bates play before, ever, but I've seen Tufts several times and I know how tough they are--as good as anyone in D3 the past few years. And, I do credit Bates on the defensive end: they absolutely frustrated Tufts, though Tufts also just blew some shots. Maybe a third of Messiah's opponents use the same strategy Bates used, for the same reason that Bates played this way against Tufts, except that some of them will try to possess more than Bates in this game, if only to cut into Messiah's opportunities. In rare cases, they will have a dangerous striker (I gather Bates doesn't), in which case packing it in and doing some dump and run can produce a "W." (Many here will recall when Neumann knocked Messiah out of the tournament when their dangerous striker scored the only goal on a dump and run in OT. Other instances stick in my mind, but that's got to be the best example.)

Still, watching the game was like shoveling snow: no fun followed by no fun followed by no fun. I get my jollies from watching the pretty game, and this one surely didn't qualify.

[Another Mom]

Mom1234 thank you so much for your insights! I read this board almost every day to have a better understanding of the  d3 soccer landscape, and any recruiting info is hugely helpful!

We are off to watch the Prep School Jamboree next weekend!

[Buck O.]

Mom1234 thank you so much for your insights! I read this board almost every day to have a better understanding of the  d3 soccer landscape, and any recruiting info is hugely helpful!

We are off to watch the Prep School Jamboree next weekend!

Is he playing in it?  My son's school is in it every year, but unfortunately they've always been scheduled for the last game of the day and there just haven't been that many people around.  This year they've gotten a much better time slot.

[Another Mom]

He is! His team is playing at 1:30.

Last year, my older son, who did not play club or pursue college recruiting,  was discovered there by a few colleges, including one that was (independently of soccer) one of his top choices, and now he is playing there. It was ridiculously serendipitous,  and not something anyone could ever count on duplicating.

I just mention it because it is possibly an interesting story; I know that is not the path for my younger son.

[NESCAC11]

Great weekend of soccer in Williamstown. Sat next to coach Serpone to watch Williams beat Babson 2-1. Williams started off slow again and allowed a few easy opportunities one of which resulted in a hockey like deflection over the GK Schein's shoulder for a goal. Williams rallied and Dory tied it 10 mins later. Williams played better in second half and Jules Oberg played entire half at left back. He led some nice runs up the left side. Williams GK and defense played well and eventually after missing some sitters, Williams scored with 6 seconds left as Gass broke down the left side and curled a shot past the gk.

[Buck O.]

He is! His team is playing at 1:30.

Last year, my older son, who did not play club or pursue college recruiting,  was discovered there by a few colleges, including one that was (independently of soccer) one of his top choices, and now he is playing there. It was ridiculously serendipitous,  and not something anyone could ever count on duplicating.

I just mention it because it is possibly an interesting story; I know that is not the path for my younger son.

We're on at 10:00.  It will be interesting to see what it's like earlier in the day.

[Mr.Right]

Williams v Babson notes:

Williams:

-I was not able to catch Williams 0-0 Colby draw but based on what I saw today, Sullivan has his best team since he arrived in 2015. Williams looked very good today as they were working hard(considering it was the 2nd game of a back to back) and creating a ton of chances. The Player of the Match was Williams Frosh #8 Jules Oberg. The Berkshire School standout is a stud. I am shocked the kid is not playing D1 in the Ivies as based on today I do not see many weaknesses at all. He is quick, skilled and a tough kid. Most importantly though he has a Soccer brain as he was reading the game before it played out. Stepping up, picking off passes, giving spot on service and making perfect runs up the field. He hits a ball with a crispness that is unique for D3. You can tell he is a competitive kid and played with a poise that is rare for a Frosh. If you did not look at a roster you would of thought he was a Senior as he played like a veteran. I am hoping that was not a one off as if he plays like that every game he will be a star in Nescac the next 4 years. Sullivan had him playing LB but to me that kid needs to be in your spine. He could be a CB, holding or attacking midfielder or even a striker. Based on what I have seen out of Amherst Frosh Giammattei (He did not impress me against Midd and Bowdoin), I think this Oberg kid is a better player. Williams back 4 is pretty solid. RB #15 Andrew Mathew and the two CB's #3 Scatt Macdonald and #5 Liam Bardong plus Sullivan had Oberg at LB but you do not need him there as LB #4 Nick Ranieri is a very good back. Scatt is a real tough and competitive kid plus he gets stuck in and Bardong is a good defender. Frankly, I would put Ranieri back at LB and and that is a solid back 4 that does not need any changes. They played well today. #2 Sean Dory and #6 Greg Andreou are your holding midfielders. I think Oberg's best position would be a holding midfielder and he could do it by himself so you would be able to attack with 2 instead of holding with 2. The issue is Andreou and Dory are both solid players so there is really no reason to disrupt that. Dory hit a rocket in the 25th minute to even the score 1-1. Andreou is a Captain so he is not going anywhere and Dory needs to be on the field as both players have spurts of brilliance but they occasionally have issues with giving the ball away carelessly. IDK, maybe switch systems as I am telling you Sullivan could attack with 5 instead of sitting with 6. I suppose it is a good problem to have. Or you could keep Andreou and Dory in place and put this Oberg kid as your attacking midfielder. #21 Chris Fleischer is Williams attacking midfielder and he was off today but I have seen him play well in spurts. I just think its a waste to play Oberg as a LB when you already have a perfectly competent LB in Ranieri. Williams front 3 was #9 Eli Petrik and #22 Bobby Fabricant wide with #13 Demian Gass in the middle. I have always had an issue with Fabricant's lack of speed but he looks stronger this year and was cutting inside nicely today until he left the game after getting elbowed in the face. Gass and Petrik are speedsters and Petrik is Williams best 1v1 player but he was quiet today. Gass is blazing fast and played well today but I wonder if he should be wide and Fabricant in the middle. I will say those 3 MUST finish better as Williams could have scored 4-5 goals today. So the field players all played pretty well today BUT unfortunately the GK #1 Aaron Schein is a major question mark in net IMO. He was at fault on Babson's goal in the 6th minute as a Babson player hit a shot from the top of the box that was heading for Schein's hands but before he could catch it #26 Ben Cawood got his toe to the ball to re-direct it in the net. Heads up play by Cawood but Schein kind of froze and should have attacked the ball before anyone could have gotten to it. In that situation, he has got to bomb out of his net and either catch it or dive on it or whatever but he was slow to react and that is what my issue is with Schein. He looks to be very slow and will have tons of trouble getting down to stop low shots. If Serpone or any other Coaches were there they certainly noticed this. If I am an opposing Coach I am telling my guys to shoot low all day as Schein will have trouble getting down. He also looked indecisive at times. Babson almost got a 2nd goal about 4 minutes later when Schein was late going after a ball and kind of half punched it when it should have been caught. Well he punched it right to Babson which turned into a deflection /  shot that luckily a Williams defender headed off the goaline. So I am not sure if it is lack of speed or indecisiveness but Sullivan needs to work with him to clean it up if it is not a speed issue. Still a real solid performance today by Williams and if they play like that next Saturday at Amherst they will win that game.


Babson:

I was also impressed from what I saw from Babson today. Anderson brought in a really solid Frosh class. Whether due to injuries or because of the back to back Anderson started 5 Frosh today and they showed well. This is Babson's most talented side since 2011 when his son was playing. This is a team that should win the NEWMAC and they are an NCAA side this year. It looks like he turned over his roster completely as it is predominately Frosh and Soph. 1st Half Babson played very well but they did fade 2nd Half. Still they should have scored 2-3 goals in the first 20 minutes and put Williams away but they also had problems finishing. They still do not have an out and out striker like his son but they have weapons. #10 Noah Parker was there best attacking player as he has tons of speed and skill. He works his ass off and is not afraid to take guys on. He was creating chances for his teammates and also got a few good looks on net himself. #9 Ian Fromhein is a tidy player that works well with Parker. Nothing flashy but he is a solid player that should be able to get some goals this year. Out wide was Frosh #2 Mitchell Collins who in the 1st Half was causing Williams defender Andrew Mathew problems. He is quick, skilled and a very good 1v1 player. He created some good looks for his teammates. He is going to be a real good player. Without question Babson's best player is its Senior CB #5 Jackson Greenspan. That kid is an All-American defender as he was EVERYWHERE today. He was playing with 2 Frosh on his backline and still had them organized and focused all game. He, like Oberg, has a Soccer brain and is a terrific leader. He has a deft touch for a CB and plays with a poise that is refreshing to watch. He is a cool customer and does not panic and plays very simply without rushing anything. He was always making good decisions and I cannot recall a time he gave the ball away. Babson GK is on the shorter side but he is athletic and has very good hops. He has not trouble with air balls and is plays with no fear as he does not mind putting his body on the line. Good solid GK. I think Babson could make a decent run in the NCAA's if they can finish the chances that they create. The improvement that Babson has made since last year is amazing. This team has a shot against Tufts especially if the match is at Babson. Props have to go to Anderson for turning this around as Babson was not a very good team at all the past 2 years and he knew it. He recruited a great class and must have cut a ton of upperclassman and went young mixing his veterans like Parker, Greenspan and Fromheim with the young guys.

[Another Mom]

He is! His team is playing at 1:30.

Last year, my older son, who did not play club or pursue college recruiting,  was discovered there by a few colleges, including one that was (independently of soccer) one of his top choices, and now he is playing there. It was ridiculously serendipitous,  and not something anyone could ever count on duplicating.

I just mention it because it is possibly an interesting story; I know that is not the path for my younger son.

We're on at 10:00.  It will be interesting to see what it's like earlier in the day.

Best of luck to your son and his school, and have fun watching!

[rangerfan]

6. Closely monitor your kid's communications with coaches to be sure he's understanding a coach's intentions, and keep your radar up for anything funky. You are wiser. In my experience coaches were forthright and pretty clear, but we did have one situation that I'm sure is very rare in NESCAC: a coach who, without seeing your kid play, tells him—yes this actually happened and I heard it with my own ears because it was a phone message—"I'll use a tip on you" when he does not necessarily intend to do so and later retracts. I hate to throw this guy under the bus because he's truly a good guy just finding his way. Even when coaches are being open, the untrained ear of a 17-year-old can easily gloss over the difference between "You're definitely on my list of top recruits" and "you're my top recruit." So just find out exactly what is being said.

So that's the run-down. I guess it's time to jump over to the Centennial board if such a thing exists...

Mom1234,

Congrats & good luck to you and your son. I know one of the F&M freshman well, he's a good player and an even better kid.

I want to offer a bit more from my son's experience, as he is a 2019 NESCAC commit. We got that "you're on my list of top recruits" from one coach. In fact, I think your quote above was identical to what my son (and wife) was told in person by a coach last spring. I'll bet it's the same coach. That was translated for me by someone that know this coach well. This coach is later than most to make offers to players because he continues to hold out hope that some National Team pool players will decide to forego D1 and instead choose to become an impact player at a top D3 school, and the coach wants to save the spots for a difference maker. To the best of my knowledge, this coach is still waiting Had he offered my son a spot in the spring, my son would likely have accepted. Glad he is slow, as my son made a better choice for him.

On the other hand, we never had a coach use the word TIP with us. They preferred the word 'support' and seemed to use that the most.

We did get the "you're my top recruit", "you're my 1st offer for the 2019 class" and "if you decide you want to come here, I will support your application with the admissions office." And he did once my son called to tell him he wanted in. It seemed like the language was overly specific for a reason, so your point above is well taken--kids need to listen VERY carefully to what is being said!

Finally, in our experience, the NESCAC coaches were honest. What I mean by that is, there was no equivocating, and there was no worry about an offer being retracted. Perhaps that had to do with my son, but more likely it was the coaches we were dealing with, and the club my son plays for. You've only got one reputation, and as a coach, once you screw a kid, you screw yourself. My son's club produces a lot of men and women NESCAC players. We had a long talk with my son's future coach on this exact subject. It was quite enlightening to get the coaches perspective on the process. I'll add that I know of a former D3 coach that screwed a kid a few years ago and he couldn't recruit any good kids from our area after that incident, and the coach is now a D1 assistant and that player is now in NESCAC. A step up on the coach's resume perhaps, but he had no choice because he must have seen the writing on the wall. Once he went to D1, my son took that school off of his list--he just didn't want to be around that guy.

But until we get the acceptance letter in December, none of this means a thing.

[NESCAC11]

Williams v Babson notes:

Williams:

-I was not able to catch Williams 0-0 Colby draw but based on what I saw today, Sullivan has his best team since he arrived in 2015. Williams looked very good today as they were working hard(considering it was the 2nd game of a back to back) and creating a ton of chances. The Player of the Match was Williams Frosh #8 Jules Oberg. The Berkshire School standout is a stud. I am shocked the kid is not playing D1 in the Ivies as based on today I do not see many weaknesses at all. He is quick, skilled and a tough kid. Most importantly though he has a Soccer brain as he was reading the game before it played out. Stepping up, picking off passes, giving spot on service and making perfect runs up the field. He hits a ball with a crispness that is unique for D3. You can tell he is a competitive kid and played with a poise that is rare for a Frosh. If you did not look at a roster you would of thought he was a Senior as he played like a veteran. I am hoping that was not a one off as if he plays like that every game he will be a star in Nescac the next 4 years. Sullivan had him playing LB but to me that kid needs to be in your spine. He could be a CB, holding or attacking midfielder or even a striker. Based on what I have seen out of Amherst Frosh Giammattei (He did not impress me against Midd and Bowdoin), I think this Oberg kid is a better player. Williams back 4 is pretty solid. RB #15 Andrew Mathew and the two CB's #3 Scatt Macdonald and #5 Liam Bardong plus Sullivan had Oberg at LB but you do not need him there as LB #4 Nick Ranieri is a very good back. Scatt is a real tough and competitive kid plus he gets stuck in and Bardong is a good defender. Frankly, I would put Ranieri back at LB and and that is a solid back 4 that does not need any changes. They played well today. #2 Sean Dory and #6 Greg Andreou are your holding midfielders. I think Oberg's best position would be a holding midfielder and he could do it by himself so you would be able to attack with 2 instead of holding with 2. The issue is Andreou and Dory are both solid players so there is really no reason to disrupt that. Dory hit a rocket in the 25th minute to even the score 1-1. Andreou is a Captain so he is not going anywhere and Dory needs to be on the field as both players have spurts of brilliance but they occasionally have issues with giving the ball away carelessly. IDK, maybe switch systems as I am telling you Sullivan could attack with 5 instead of sitting with 6. I suppose it is a good problem to have. Or you could keep Andreou and Dory in place and put this Oberg kid as your attacking midfielder. #21 Chris Fleischer is Williams attacking midfielder and he was off today but I have seen him play well in spurts. I just think its a waste to play Oberg as a LB when you already have a perfectly competent LB in Ranieri. Williams front 3 was #9 Eli Petrik and #22 Bobby Fabricant wide with #13 Demian Gass in the middle. I have always had an issue with Fabricant's lack of speed but he looks stronger this year and was cutting inside nicely today until he left the game after getting elbowed in the face. Gass and Petrik are speedsters and Petrik is Williams best 1v1 player but he was quiet today. Gass is blazing fast and played well today but I wonder if he should be wide and Fabricant in the middle. I will say those 3 MUST finish better as Williams could have scored 4-5 goals today. So the field players all played pretty well today BUT unfortunately the GK #1 Aaron Schein is a major question mark in net IMO. He was at fault on Babson's goal in the 6th minute as a Babson player hit a shot from the top of the box that was heading for Schein's hands but before he could catch it #26 Ben Cawood got his toe to the ball to re-direct it in the net. Heads up play by Cawood but Schein kind of froze and should have attacked the ball before anyone could have gotten to it. In that situation, he has got to bomb out of his net and either catch it or dive on it or whatever but he was slow to react and that is what my issue is with Schein. He looks to be very slow and will have tons of trouble getting down to stop low shots. If Serpone or any other Coaches were there they certainly noticed this. If I am an opposing Coach I am telling my guys to shoot low all day as Schein will have trouble getting down. He also looked indecisive at times. Babson almost got a 2nd goal about 4 minutes later when Schein was late going after a ball and kind of half punched it when it should have been caught. Well he punched it right to Babson which turned into a deflection /  shot that luckily a Williams defender headed off the goaline. So I am not sure if it is lack of speed or indecisiveness but Sullivan needs to work with him to clean it up if it is not a speed issue. Still a real solid performance today by Williams and if they play like that next Saturday at Amherst they will win that game.


Babson:

I was also impressed from what I saw from Babson today. Anderson brought in a really solid Frosh class. Whether due to injuries or because of the back to back Anderson started 5 Frosh today and they showed well. This is Babson's most talented side since 2011 when his son was playing. This is a team that should win the NEWMAC and they are an NCAA side this year. It looks like he turned over his roster completely as it is predominately Frosh and Soph. 1st Half Babson played very well but they did fade 2nd Half. Still they should have scored 2-3 goals in the first 20 minutes and put Williams away but they also had problems finishing. They still do not have an out and out striker like his son but they have weapons. #10 Noah Parker was there best attacking player as he has tons of speed and skill. He works his ass off and is not afraid to take guys on. He was creating chances for his teammates and also got a few good looks on net himself. #9 Ian Fromhein is a tidy player that works well with Parker. Nothing flashy but he is a solid player that should be able to get some goals this year. Out wide was Frosh #2 Mitchell Collins who in the 1st Half was causing Williams defender Andrew Mathew problems. He is quick, skilled and a very good 1v1 player. He created some good looks for his teammates. He is going to be a real good player. Without question Babson's best player is its Senior CB #5 Jackson Greenspan. That kid is an All-American defender as he was EVERYWHERE today. He was playing with 2 Frosh on his backline and still had them organized and focused all game. He, like Oberg, has a Soccer brain and is a terrific leader. He has a deft touch for a CB and plays with a poise that is refreshing to watch. He is a cool customer and does not panic and plays very simply without rushing anything. He was always making good decisions and I cannot recall a time he gave the ball away. Babson GK is on the shorter side but he is athletic and has very good hops. He has not trouble with air balls and is plays with no fear as he does not mind putting his body on the line. Good solid GK. I think Babson could make a decent run in the NCAA's if they can finish the chances that they create. The improvement that Babson has made since last year is amazing. This team has a shot against Tufts especially if the match is at Babson. Props have to go to Anderson for turning this around as Babson was not a very good team at all the past 2 years and he knew it. He recruited a great class and must have cut a ton of upperclassman and went young mixing his veterans like Parker, Greenspan and Fromheim with the young guys.

Per usual, really appreciate Mr. Right's analysis of the Williams-Babson game. Totally agree with the opinion that both teams looked good and that Williams is MUCH improved. The Oberg kid was terrific in his limited minutes against Colby as well and created several opportunities in OT that could have resulted in Williams goals. Many people on the sidelines were murmuring that he should be in the midfield. The defense is solid as it has been for the past 5 years or so. I would leave it alone and move Oberg into the midfield and let him create opportunities. I appreciate Petrik's creativity but worry that he gets bodied off the ball too much in the physical NESCAC. Agree with Mr. Right's assessment that Schein could have been more aggressive on the Babson goal but thought he made some big saves late against Colby and Trinity including the PK against Trinity which was lower left corner. He did seem slow yesterday but I see him as a shot stopper who might stack up well in the box against Amherst. Colby threw some big boys into the box on re-starts including the 6'8" fellow. Big weekend for Williams playing at Amherst and at Bates. Tufts - Brandeis Friday night in a huge matchup for the Judges. Conn College at Hamilton will also be a meaningful tilt.

[mom1234]

6. Closely monitor your kid's communications with coaches to be sure he's understanding a coach's intentions, and keep your radar up for anything funky. You are wiser. In my experience coaches were forthright and pretty clear, but we did have one situation that I'm sure is very rare in NESCAC: a coach who, without seeing your kid play, tells him—yes this actually happened and I heard it with my own ears because it was a phone message—"I'll use a tip on you" when he does not necessarily intend to do so and later retracts. I hate to throw this guy under the bus because he's truly a good guy just finding his way. Even when coaches are being open, the untrained ear of a 17-year-old can easily gloss over the difference between "You're definitely on my list of top recruits" and "you're my top recruit." So just find out exactly what is being said.

So that's the run-down. I guess it's time to jump over to the Centennial board if such a thing exists...

Mom1234,

Congrats & good luck to you and your son. I know one of the F&M freshman well, he's a good player and an even better kid.

I want to offer a bit more from my son's experience, as he is a 2019 NESCAC commit. We got that "you're on my list of top recruits" from one coach. In fact, I think your quote above was identical to what my son (and wife) was told in person by a coach last spring. I'll bet it's the same coach. That was translated for me by someone that know this coach well. This coach is later than most to make offers to players because he continues to hold out hope that some National Team pool players will decide to forego D1 and instead choose to become an impact player at a top D3 school, and the coach wants to save the spots for a difference maker. To the best of my knowledge, this coach is still waiting Had he offered my son a spot in the spring, my son would likely have accepted. Glad he is slow, as my son made a better choice for him.

On the other hand, we never had a coach use the word TIP with us. They preferred the word 'support' and seemed to use that the most.

We did get the "you're my top recruit", "you're my 1st offer for the 2019 class" and "if you decide you want to come here, I will support your application with the admissions office." And he did once my son called to tell him he wanted in. It seemed like the language was overly specific for a reason, so your point above is well taken--kids need to listen VERY carefully to what is being said!

Finally, in our experience, the NESCAC coaches were honest. What I mean by that is, there was no equivocating, and there was no worry about an offer being retracted. Perhaps that had to do with my son, but more likely it was the coaches we were dealing with, and the club my son plays for. You've only got one reputation, and as a coach, once you screw a kid, you screw yourself. My son's club produces a lot of men and women NESCAC players. We had a long talk with my son's future coach on this exact subject. It was quite enlightening to get the coaches perspective on the process. I'll add that I know of a former D3 coach that screwed a kid a few years ago and he couldn't recruit any good kids from our area after that incident, and the coach is now a D1 assistant and that player is now in NESCAC. A step up on the coach's resume perhaps, but he had no choice because he must have seen the writing on the wall. Once he went to D1, my son took that school off of his list--he just didn't want to be around that guy.

But until we get the acceptance letter in December, none of this means a thing.

Congrats rangerfan to your son as well! Thanks so much for sharing this insight. I'll tell you what, our offender is not the guy who is now a D1 assistant, nor would it be the coach who you said gives offers late. Your comments on what happens to coaches who screw a kid even once are enlightening. Lucky for this particular coach we aren't in a top feeder club for that school, but we are certainly in a club he specifically said he knows, respects, and wants to recruit from.  I hope he learned his lesson on this one so he doesn't screw himself as you said. BTW it wasn't just one fib. The first three or four phone messages, calls, and emails included specific language like "I'll use a tip on you" and "my number #1 guy," etc., (not to mention we thought his overly dramatic jump-for-joy type emails in all caps and exclamation points were a bit "unusual"), but then, subsequent communications evolved into muddier "you're on my list of top recruits" and the like. At that point I called the guy up and politely asked for an explanation. I was amazed at how much dodging and dancing and double-talking around my questions he did before his conscience took over and he finally broke down and told me where S actually stood AND admitted to fibbing just to pull S in. Among other things, he did also mention holding out for DA D1 converts. He was apologetic and I thought his regret seemed sincere, but he gets another huge demerit from me for saying he was going to call S later that day to explain, and he never did. He also lost points during preread phase for very poor follow-up. Yep, that guy has A LOT of work to do...

Anyway, I owe thanks to Falconer who said last spring "If I'm your kid, I'm doing' F&M" and to others who had good things to say about that program. Good call!!! My kid definitely agrees. Straight-up coaches with a sold team culture. He'll take that any over the other.

[Falconer]

Anyway, I owe thanks to Falconer who said last spring "If I'm your kid, I'm doing' F&M" and to others who had good things to say about that program. Good call!!! My kid definitely agrees. Straight-up coaches with a sold team culture. He'll take that any over the other.

Full disclosure: I have no personal connection whatsoever to F&M, though I've been there many times, and I know numerous alums and a few people who work(ed) there in one capacity or another. I know a lot about the school itself, including the fact that they use their substantial endowment to discount their sticker price according to demonstrated financial need. That's the right thing to do, and it's why their coach could accurately run the numbers for you on the spot. IMO, academically F&M is a NESCAC school with the real advantage of being a reliable, one-hour train ride from the wonderful cultural center called Philadelphia. And, from the Amtrak station in Philly you can board trains for the airport every half hour. So, going home isn't going to be that hard.   Lancaster also has some genuine positives, including an honest-to-goodness live theater of the old style and a symphony orchestra.

Nor do I know the soccer coach, but he played for Messiah--and I have yet to hear any questions about the honesty or professional competence of any of the several Falcons who are now coaching at other D3 schools. So, no red flags for me there; quite the opposite.

For all these reasons, I didn't hesitate to recommend F&M.