NESCAC

[Mr.Right]

Well done to Mr. Right! I hope he finds himself awash in positive karma for finishing the year with a customarily strong effort.

who is finished???  LOL.....When I have the time I feel like I am just getting started this off-season.....

[Mr.Right]

The offensive starters they are losing did not put up monster numbers, and they have a very good recruiting class coming in.  This is Elias' 3rd year as head coach, so he has not had a chance to bring in a 4 year cycle of his recruits.  The graduating seniors were all part of Saward's last few years.  Midd knows they need to raise their offensive output.  My point was that if they do, their defense will make them a tough out.

Agreed....Elias deserves time to bring in his "type" of recruits. Year 3 is usually when you feel comfortable with what you are trying to accomplish. Based on his video the kid from CA looks to be a player as does the kid from FL. I have not seen anyone else but those 2 recruits are a start. The kid from CA will help right away. Midd's spine is losing Robinson and Wilhelm. Who is replacing them? Potter and Goulart were two dangerous wide guys with skill and speed. Potter was even used in the middle of the field and up top. You are correct the scoring production could have been better but as Bloots said the tactics might have some to do with it. Still Goulart finished with 5 Goals and his career numbers are pretty solid. It is not easy replacing 5 starters so my point was until these replacements PROVE they can produce and win the whole situation is a massive question mark...

[Mr.Right]

I will say props to Elias/Conrad or whoever is producing these recruiting gems....ready to lace them up....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwERK-2DBAg

[Mr.Right]

Props to Bates and its donors for stripping Russell Street Field and getting a solid surface down...Players appreciate this type of effort by admin to help the program...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ooc54PQVUls

[Ommadawn]

And Shapiro moving on wouldn't hurt.

It looks like your wish has come true!

[Ejay]

I will say props to Elias/Conrad or whoever is producing these recruiting gems....ready to lace them up....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwERK-2DBAg

Very nice indeed.  Anyone know the music used?

[Mr.Right]

Shapiro to Harvard is a logical conclusion. Shapiro did about as much in 10 years at Tufts as he could do and frankly there was nothing left to accomplish.

- He takes over a Harvard program with absolutely no expectations. They can only get better which is kind of like the situation he took over at Tufts. Harvard is not really known for supporting Men's Soccer but after all the "incidents" and bad media associated with the program, right now all they need is STABILITY and LEADERSHIP. Shapiro offers that and much much more. Harvard wrapped this up pretty quickly and my guess is they went after him. Hopefully, he negotiated and got some promises for the program going forward. He needs support from Admissions and that would have to be his first concern. When Harvard went after Tommy Amaker in Basketball they gave him EVERYTHING he wanted....He got his wife a job at the University, facility upgrades and most importantly support from Admissions. Amaker has snuck in some players that have no business being at Harvard and Harvard Men's Basketball has benefited. I am in no way comparing the two sports or men but my point is if Harvard really did go after Shapiro I really hope he got some of what he wanted.

-Harvard, Yale and Princeton have a huge advantage in recruiting, just like Amherst and Williams should enjoy.  Basically, if a Head Coach in Men's Soccer cannot win the Ivies at either of those 3 schools there is something wrong. What kid turns down Harvard? Maybe a legit D1 athlete looking to go pro? ACC/Pac 12 kids but other than that MOST kids would have to really think hard about turning down the opportunity to attend Harvard. POINT--He can absolutely emulate what he did at Tufts. You find 3-4 absolute D1 studs(ACC type recruits) and surround them with 15 legitimate D1 role players. Kind of like an Ivy "Georgetown". Shapiro will have an abundance of options and players to choose from that other schools do not enjoy.

-I have watched enough Tufts matches to know that his playing style/tactics will transfer to the Ivies without any major hiccups. Harvard roster is not good right now and I believe Tufts beat them in a Spring scrimmage last year. IMO the best parting gift Shapiro could give to his Tufts family would be to schedule a Harvard v Tufts regular season match in 2020. Only ONE GAME for ONE YEAR. The two schools used to play every year until the late 80's. D1's have nothing to gain and everything to lose by scheduling a D3 opponent but Harvard in 2020 will not be competing for any NCAA At-large bids so their non-conference schedule should not matter as much. Harvard 2020 is going to look a lot like Tufts did in 2010. They will be very organized and hungry but lacking the talent to compete for Ivy titles or NCAA at-large bids.  Harvard could host and you know the D3 boys will have that game circled but knowing Shapiro he would motivate his bunch to get up for it.

Does he take any D3 players with him??? Doubtful but how many kids turn down Harvard even as a transfer?  Kid has to really think about it hard....One last farewell gift from Shapiro to Serpone would be to poach Giammattei from Amherst. That would be a massive punch to the ribs. However, it is unlikely as Giammattei has already proven how loyal he is to Amherst before he enrolled by not de-committing when he easily could have.  Giammattei could score goals in the Ivies...8-10 Goals would be my guess....

-Since we are talking Ivies...SHOUT OUT to Dartmouth Men's Soccer and Head Coach Bo Oshoniyi. The longtime MLS'er and former player for Ray Reid at D2 So.Conn St has transformed Dartmouth's playing style. For years we had seen the tedious style of Jeff Cook's sides and even Chad Riley but in 2019 Dartmouth Men's Soccer looked like an old school Ray Reid side with an abundance of possession. UCONN/ Reid used to over possess but this is really a great thing to see up at Hanover. They are keeping the ball on the ground and trying to play some futbol. Shapiro/Tufts sides usually always love to play possession teams(think Hopkins) because they were so good at forcing giveaways and hunting the ball...So Harvard v Dartmouth 2020 should be a MOTW in the Ivies....

-There is so much potential to WIN at Harvard. Just nine years ago Harvard was ranked #10 in the Nation and just had opened their new field...Even the legendary Carl Junot makes an appearance...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9DnKQ3Cnb4

No. 10 Harvard Men's Soccer Highlights vs. No. 13 Stanford
10th-ranked Harvard defeated 13th-ranked Stanford, 2-1, in its season opener, Sept. 4, 2010, in front of 3,221 fans in the first night game at Harvard's new Soccer Complex in Cambridge, Mass.
www.youtube.com


Without Junot we would not have Shapiro or Tufts winning anything.....Just a reminder how one decision in life by one individual can have either massive benefits or horrific ramifications for so many others...just roll the dice baby....


NEXT----What does this mean for Tufts Men's Soccer?   Do they keep this in-house? Shapiro's former assistant who went to Emerson will probably apply but in 3 years at Emerson he has done a ton of losing. AD's are not usually fighting hard or thrilled about announcing a brand new Head Coach for the program that is not a winner.   10 Nescac Coaches are much happier this morning because not only does Shapiro exit stage right he takes that recruiting pipeline of New Jersey players and Georgetown scraps with him......

[truenorth]

That's an interesting update on Shapiro to Harvard.  He's a great choice for all the obvious reasons and I think he'll be successful in rebuilding the program.

That said, I don't completely agree that HPY have a substantial advantage over the other Ivies.  To some extent Princeton does, because they have the largest endowment per undergrad and are currently very aggressive about their overall athletic program.  But most of the Ivies are now assuring a "debt free" future for their students, and some student athletes simply like the vibe more at Brown, Dartmouth, Penn, Columbia or Cornell.

It largely comes down to the personality and recruiting personality of the coach.  My older son played for Mike Noonan at Brown, and Noonan was a master recruiter.  He'd tell every athlete and their family whatever they wanted to hear.  The current coach Pat Laughlin is not an effective recruiter, and it shows in the decline in the program.  Based on what I've heard and read, Shapiro is likely to be a very effective Ivy recruiter.

[Bucket]

The offensive starters they are losing did not put up monster numbers, and they have a very good recruiting class coming in.  This is Elias' 3rd year as head coach, so he has not had a chance to bring in a 4 year cycle of his recruits.  The graduating seniors were all part of Saward's last few years.  Midd knows they need to raise their offensive output.  My point was that if they do, their defense will make them a tough out.

True, but Alex was doing the lion share of the recruiting during Dave's last years. To say Goulart, Potter, Robinson, etc were Saward's recruits and not Elias's is a bit of a disingenuous statement.

[Mr.Right]

The only way Tufts can keep this in-house would be to promote the current Assistant Jordan Ciuffetelli and give him a veteran consigliere as a top assistant to help him navigate. I really do not know if that would be the greatest idea UNLESS Ciuffetelli is mature and ready and most importantly wants it.

[College Soccer Observer]

NESCAC landed 8 players on D3Soccer.com All America teams.  First team included Giammattei, Aroh, Tasker, and Marcucci.  Third team included Braun, Paoletta, Coleman, and Grady.  Full list follows. https://www.d3soccer.com/awards/all-america/2019/2019-Mens-AA

[Mr.Right]

This 2020 Colby facility project is something else... click on the 8 pics where it says  Indoor Competition Center...


https://www.colby.edu/cac/

One school goes full throttle on facilities and blinking lights while a rival gets very creative with what they are trying to accomplish given what they are working with.


https://www.bates.edu/campaign/



Colby project is just insane and will most definitely have an impact for ALL sports in recruiting. Bates project is strategic and wise.  They look to be trying to show direct student investment, especially the $75 million pumped into financial aid, which will also have an impact for ALL sports in recruiting. The last 5-10 years Colby, Trinity and Midd have just gone all out on these facilities spending millions of dollars but it has got to hit them down the road elsewhere in the budget.  Now Bates has just invested $75 million into aid and might be able to out bid u for a kid. More and more families are looking bottom line right now and Bates is showing they get it.

[Mr.Right]

Bates investment in a new field is not cheap and I really applaud that. Since Bates looks to have the wallet out is there anything that can be done about the crowd/stands. There is nothing worse than going to a random match in Europe and seeing a pitch inside a track.  Bates has a track but I do not understand why the crowd has to watch from 30 yards away in the bleachers. I think it would be great for the players to get the support from their fans and great for the fans to get real tight to the field not 30 yards away from it.

[Mr.Right]

While we are talking fields it looks like 9 out of 11 schools in Nescac are on grass fields with the turf option for mid-week night games. Only Midd and Tufts use turf. I know Tufts players love Bello but I would like to see the school invest in a little Men's Soccer park with a brand new pitch. Space is obviously tight but it would be great to see the best program in the country right now get its own field. In the meantime, without a press box at Bello the JumboCast cannot get a solid view of the game so I am hoping that there is a fix to this. Maybe the tower? I think in 2015 they used the tower.

With Conn trying to possess more it is imperative they get on a good field. I have not been to Conn's field for a few years so maybe it has changed. If not then they could always use the turf. Conn is much more crisp with their passing and look more dangerous on turf. Still I would hesitate to move off campus. They can still draw well for some games and the on campus location has always been fantastic. Homecoming against Bowdoin Tshuma scored in the 91st minute in front of I would guess 700-800 fans.

[Mr.Right]

NOTE: When googling Bates Men's Soccer what comes up? Why Bates Women's Soccer at gobatesbobcats.com

Is this a total office backstabbing in motion or just SID incompetence? Probably both.anyhow needs to be fixed....When is Bates going to re-introduce Men's Hockey? I think the program went caputo in 1986 but I think its time...off topic but if Brandeis wants to keep pushing forward they should add Men's Lax. If they could work out an agreement with UAA to play lax only local it would work for a while until the next step is ready.Side Note:Brandeis had Football in the 50's and I think Men's Hockey until the 70's until both were dumped for $$$.