NESCAC

[Mr.Right]

Halftime:  Williams at Midd 0-0.....Pretty even game but Williams has had a couple good looks but nothing real dangerous. Midd has had nothing dangerous all half. Williams does have some guys back from injury as Ranieri started at LB, Mathew at RB and most importantly key striker Gass started up top. Gass looked a bit rusty but still so pacey and very dangerous if you give him space. Midd's defense of Moffat, Robinson, Davis and McFarlane with Barovick holding have don a nice job in front of Hyer in net. Midd striker Reid has looked a but dangerous but Goulart and Potter have been MIA in this match and Barsamain has been held in check. #8 Shaikh has taken O'Grady's minutes as O'Grady has not seen the field and Midd really could have used him today. Midd's bench drops off considerably as the Frosh Barry has not done anything but is a decent player and Oudet is an average midfielder that can give you a solid 15 minute run. Wilhelm has been getting some goals but I do not see much in his game and #14 Mohajerani has been useless. He might be the softest player on the field as he refuses to get stuck in or even look like he wants to get his nose in there. I have never seen a Midd player look so soft. Williams surprisingly sacked Oberg at CB and went with Scatt and Dory as CB's and Bardong holding with Boardman and Fleischer on attack. Sullivan is in a 4-3-3 as he had Gass and Hirsch wide with Felito up top. Petrik and Fabricant were sacked as they came off the bench. No real surprise there as Fabricant and Petrik have done nothing of late especially Fabricant who I do not think has scored a goal in over a month. Conditions are rainy with wind so 1 goal should do it just not sure yet who will score it.

[Mr.Right]

Midd and Williams must be in a delay as this has been over 1/2 hour Halftime...Guessing thunder but a shame if they have to replay this game.

[Bucket]

Yep...currently in lightening protocol at Midd. Anyone's guess as to when the all-clear will sound.

[Mr.Right]

Well that makes this a whole new game then because its been almost an hour since a ball has been kicked..Which team will be focused and ready to go 2nd Half will determine the winner.

[Mr.Right]

Midd and Williams look to be ready to go after a more than 2 hour lightning delay but man they are taking there sweet old time warming up. Doesn't it get dark at like 5:30pm? If these two go to OT and even PK's you are really cutting it close.

[Mr.Right]

Williams takes a 1-0 lead about 10 minutes into the 2nd Half off a horrific GK'ing error by Midd's GK Hyer......A relatively simple free kick is hit RIGHT at Hyer and he goes to catch it and it goes right thru his hands and Williams follows it up with a rebound that was blocked off the line but then finally finished by Williams...It is wet and raining but that ball MUST be caught....That massive GK'ing error could possibly end Midd's season...I have seen way to many GK fluffs this year including now the 2nd one by Hyer. In fact that was almost exactly the mistake he made at Conn to begin the season.

[Bucket]

After Heyer lost it, Williams player played it with his hand directly to the foot of the goalscorer. Ref screened by the scrum.

As you said, Heyer should have had it, but I'm a little more forgiving in these conditions.

[Mr.Right]

Yup....life and futbol can be unfair BUT with these conditions Midd MUST start shooting from wherever and crash for rebounds....Midd has not done much in attack at all this game and have 0 SOG with 15 minutes left. Not that Williams has been much better.

[Mr.Right]

Williams defeats Midd 1-0 to advance to the Nescac Semi-Finals for the first time in 5 years and first under Sullivan. Another somewhat tedious affair between these two teams but it came down to a GK error and finish. Most likely unless Hamilton or Colby can get an upset Williams will get a rematch at Tufts next Saturday. I still think if they want to get to the NCAA's they are going to need to defeat Tufts. As for Midd they now are 10-3-3 with a 3-2-1 RvR and probably a .575 SOS. That should be enough but alot can happen in a week and Midd better hope there are not to many upsets in Conference Tournaments especially in New England. I think Midd would start with wanting Bowdoin to get knocked out but they will practice this week and wait 9 days until they find out..Tough way to lose on such a GK'ing error.

[NESCAC11]

Hamilton beats conn 1-0. Williams will not have to play tufts in the semis. Amherst up 1-0 on bowdoin and tufts ties at 0-0 with Colby.

[blooter442]

Wooooooooow...Tufts falls on PKs. Wonder whether Colby studied the film of the Jumbos' two shootouts last year? (Obviously every year is different, but if I recall correctly most of the takers were the same.) Either way, congrats to Colby, awesome for the Mules.

FWIW, Tufts is still unbeaten.

[d3soccer]

Jesus Colby with that PK win at Tufts. I was expecting a larger crowd but it was not that good of a day outside. The last two games, the mules have been extremely lucky in that no one seems to want to score. Bates had a couple open goals that they shanked and today, tufts should have easily won 4-5 to 0, colby had basically nothing on goal and tufts shanked a lot of open goals. Well done to them for getting to PKs and only missing one. Huge job by the goalkeeper, who has not played in another game, to win it for the mules. Although, he was starting very early and should have been retaken, but tufts pk shots were abysmal. A big weekend of upsets.

[Bucket]

NESCAC semis featuring Amherst, Colby, Hamilton, Williams—seeded 4, 8, 7, 6, respectively.

Appears to be Amherst's to lose—especially playing at home—but after this weekend you can't discount anyone.

Also tough for on-the-bubble Pool Cs, with Conn and Tufts now claiming two spots.  And if anyone but Amherst wins next weekend then that's another Pool C gone. I think Williams could play itself off the bubble with a win against Hamilton. Continentals and Colby obviously need to win 2 to advance too NCAAs

[Bucket]

Also will be interesting to see if voters in regional-ranking poll give more weight to a playoff game than a regular season contest.

Coming into this week, Midd was ranked two spots ahead of Williams—and then the two teams split a pair, with each winning on the other's home field (with Midd holding a 2-1 goal differential).

Williams will pass Bowdoin (which was sandwiched between the two and lost twice since the last poll), but then I'd expect the Ephs to still be behind the Panthers after the two contests. If that's the case, I'd expect them to leapfrog Midd with a win against Hamilton on Saturday; if they fall, then an idle Midd would remain ahead of them in the all important regional rankings.

[blooter442]

Wow...those were not great pens by Tufts, particularly Delaney's. He did make one in the second game in last year's NCAA tourney. Either way, I guess it's good that he didn't have to take that one in OT during the week?