NESCAC

[Saint of Old]

Let me slide across leagues and comment here.
I think programs like Williams and Wheaton Ill you have to consider the Coaches (Russo & Bean)
Those are two of the best to ever have done it.
Owned D3 for decades those men. Consistent NCAA, Consistent deep runs, Titles,  Lost Final, whatever you want to put.
For decades.
You have to know how to deal with people.
That is why they did it for decades with kids born in the 60s, 70s 80s and their parents all different generations, but same success.
Also, you have to know a thing or two about the game and love the game to an unhealthy level.
Taking loads and loads of time away from your family and give it to young men in order to create another family of Brothers from different mothers.
Shout out to the wives of these men for sacrificing them. As Players we had no idea what it took to make the family come to life.

It is all about the Coach. The head man, the guy recruiting the players (GM) picking the team and also the technical director behind the scene.
Now, contrast the dip in form at Wheaton (Ill) and Williams (though i love them this year) to Messiah.
After Brandt (who built the culture) left they did not try to re-invent the wheel, but rinsed and repeated what had worked so well in the past and saw continued success.

[d4_Pace]

Alright week one predictions

Wesleyan @ Midd: I'm not going to act like I know a lot about these current teams so this pretty much all off previous reputations.
Midd 2-0

Hamilton @ Bates: Mr. Right seems to think bates are going to be good this year. I think Bates are never going to be good. But given the home field maybe they win this one.
Bates 1-0

Trinity @ Clark: The good news for Trinity is all they have to do is win 1 Nescac game this year for it to be a success. Out of conference they usually do alright

Trinity 2-1

Amherst @ Bowdoin Amherst is on paper the best team in the country this year. Bowdoin has yet to replace Moctar. I think this could get get ugly.
Amherst 4-1

Match of the week: Williams @ Tufts
Williams coming in hot off of a massive win over elite 8 RPI. This is going to be an interesting battle of two new coaches. Tufts obviously has the talent edge on paper but unfortunately a lot of the attacking talent may be sidelined.  Williams for the last 3 or 4 years has been defined by their fitness and pressing. I think Tufts has the midfield technicality to play through the press. The question will be how the newcomers on the backline handle the pressure. I don't see Williams scoring outside of a Tufts mistake or a set piece. I think is going to be an exciting but low scoring affair.

Tufts 1-0

[Mr.Right]

Wesleyan at Midd is 1-1 about 20 mins in.

Wesleyan scored first off a Midd throw in deep in Midd's defensive Half that was picked off and then amazingly flicked on by #24 Lucas Kimball, #9 Dane Harmaty with a beauty of a ball to #21 Chris Texter who at first looked to have lost his balance was quickly able to regain it and finish the goal half on his side. Fantastic goal and Midd was not ready.

However,

Midd scores about 1 minute later off a corner kick. Just size advantage all the way around. Wesleyan GK Devanny a disaster miss flying off his line he misjudged it but it was finished by MIdd #16 Aidan Pape who had a massive size advantage on his defender #6 NIck Wallick. Wallick had him positionally but Pape finished it as Wallick fell into him with bad defensive form instead of getting feisty and well whatever. GK misjudged it but Wallick could have done better.

1-1  Midd v Wes ...20 mins in....

[Gregory Sager]

Let me slide across leagues and comment here.
I think programs like Williams and Wheaton Ill you have to consider the Coaches (Russo & Bean)

You're off-target in attributing Wheaton's decline to the retirement of Joe Bean. He retired all the way back in 2006, and his successor, Mike Giuliano, went 121-42-18 in his eight years at the helm for Wheaton. That included a national runner-up finish in 2014, a Sweet Sixteen run in 2012, and five CCIW titles in his eight seasons as Wheaton's coach -- and he did this against far better CCIW competition than Bean ever saw, as the continued rise of North Park (and, to a somewhat lesser degree, Carthage) gave Wheaton the first serious challenges it had ever faced in the league. For most of the two decades of CCIW soccer during Bean's tenure he could've played only his second-teamers against CCIW opponents and still would've won the league every year.

The year after Giuliano left, his successor, Jake DeClute, reached the Sweet Sixteen in 2015 with Giuliano's players. From that point onward, however, Wheaton has gone through the worst stretch in this sport that it's had since LBJ was in the White House, the Beatles were still touring, and Americans regarded the sport of soccer as being as exotic as the Indonesian corpse flower.

[blooter442]

Just learned that Bowdoin-Amherst is in Brunswick today. Was planning on catching Brandeis alongside Chelsea, but I'm eager to watch a game in person after a couple of years, even if the ball will be in the air most of the time.

[Mr.Right]

Midd still has #9 Reid up top who is such a threat and looks in top form. #6 Chae is holding and serves a mean ball with his right peg but also had a ruthless whiff in his own box that Wesleyan should have pounced on. Both teams trying to play a bit with Wesleyan having a few good quick counters and Midd not just hoofing from the back as McFarlane and #32 O'Brien the CB's for Midd were hitting a couple balls thru midfield to a target running off etc...2-1 Midd Halftime off another CK Goal....If Reid can stay healthy Midd is going to be a problem for any team especially on their field.

[Mr.Right]

moving on to a look at Bates v Hamilton.......

[Mr.Right]

Just learned that Bowdoin-Amherst is in Brunswick today. Was planning on catching Brandeis alongside Chelsea, but I'm eager to watch a game in person after a couple of years, even if the ball will be in the air most of the time.

Could be a good game Bloots especially on a nice sunny day...

[blooter442]

Could be a good game Bloots especially on a nice sunny day...

It will (perhaps) be competitive. Wouldn't be surprised to see Amherst have to grind, but also wouldn't be surprised if they're just too good. The last time I remember watching a game at Bowdoin in-person was the 2010 Elite 8*.

* EDIT: ...save for 15 minutes of Bowdoin-Conn. in 2014 when Sam White was playing as holding mid in a 4-2-3-1. Hey, Bowdoin won the NESCAC that year so I can't argue it, but that baffled me.

[PaulNewman]

There is no question in my mind that in most cases coaching is the most important variable and probably by a wide margin.  But it's not the only variable.  And how often does history turn on some random-like event where if that event doesn't happen the overall story perhaps unfolds quite differently.  Like if Ray Allen's 3 doesn't go in vs San Antonio and if he never gets that shot because Pop leaves Duncan in the game and Bosh doesn't get the rebound to get Allen the ball.  Or if Allen never plays for Miami because of a bit more loyalty to the Celtics.  How would Lebron's record and legacy be different?  Hard to know but a good bet that it would be different.  Same with Tampa Bay last year if Patriots don't let Brady go.

Also hard to predict which programs will survive huge coaching changes and which won't.  UK, Kansas, and UNC have survived big coaching changes in bball.  UCLA and Indiana didn't.  Is that because KY doesn't have pro sports and NC as a state for years did not have a major pro sports team?  Is there a certain "religiosity" ( and I mean that in a mostly secular sense) that accompanies great programs that survive...like the type of fandoms enjoyed by UK bball or historically Nebraska football?  As a UK fan I used to also be a huge Nebraska fan (remember Johnny Rogers and then Gill, Rozier, and Fryar?).  The fan bases have/had a lot in common.  But why is UK with arguably significant geographical and social-political disadvantages) still one of the very top destinations for top recruits, and now apparently Nebraska isn't (with similar disadvantages)?  Just the bourbon? Or the horses? Or totally because of just Calipari?  Was OWU destined to have a great program or was that almost totally a function of Martin somehow ending up there (from Massachusetts)?  OWU now enjoys the kind of alumni base where I would expect that program to thrive now beyond Martin, but who knows?  I would have guessed the same about Indiana bball (I mean one of the all-time great sports movies is literally Hoosiers).  Was a Tufts juggernaut predictable?  How much was Shapiro and how much was Shapiro turning up at the right place at just the right time?  Wasn't another coach hired before Shapiro, who never actually coached, because he also went to Harvard?  Or am I making that up?

Side note:  You know D3 soccer is back when you see Mr.Right, D4, Sager, Ommadawn, Bloots, and robertgoulet (yeah, I know he's not a soccer guy) on the horn all at the same time.  Only Flying Weasel and Falconer were missing!  Probably have to be 60+ and at least 55+ to get Robert Goulet references.  Who could ever forget watching the 1966 television version of Brigadoon as a 7-year-old?

Side note #2:  Seeing these enormous college football and pro football crowds makes me wonder where we're headed with Covid, and whether 6-10 weeks from now we'll still be in full steam ahead mode.  Who could have imagined we'd still be deep in the woods (despite massive fatigue denial) with Covid a year and half into it? 

[Mr.Right]

I'm 40 and ive heard of bob goulet...mostly as like SNL jokes when i was a kid cause he was doing dead end Vegas acts....PN ur kinda Mr.Negative to start the year here...like almost with a devilish smile juggling tennis balls just waiting for the season to be cancelled and nodding yes U were warning all of us...but these highwire 5 alarm fire screaming shows usually have devastating effects.....just trying to help..yes things are uncertain but we plow thru and survive day by day...

Bates has played well but Hamilton has battled hard and we have a solid 0-0 game on our hands.

Bates has #99 Manning in net and he is a question mark so far. Has not really been tested.

backline is solid with LB #17 Dall who is quick and feisty but not as size advantaged as the others with #4 Peter and #18 Kovacs at CB and the athletic 6'4 McKersie at RB. #6 Hohmann holding with #7 Phillips in midfield with another monster athlete the 6'4 Keleher. #7 Phillips had some dangerous giveaways but he tracked them and dealt with them. Up top is solid with the Frosh # 20 Rex Lane from Orlando out wide right who is legit. Athletic and with wheels and skill he should be causing backlines problems all year.  Another Frosh #29 Tife Agunloye was wide left and another handful for defenses. #10 Alec Szwarcewicz was a solid target to start the game. Big body veteran not afraid to throw the body around which Bates needs in the box.

[PaulNewman]

LOL.  I literally said "D3 soccer is back" and with some enthusiasm.  I don't think I've made any other Covid references this year.  So no devilish smiles or juggling.  Just happened to be watching Ohio St vs Oregon and seeing that crowd is a bit jarring.  Hoping for a full, exciting season with Covid having minimal to no impact. 

[Mr.Right]

LOL good to hear PN.....

[PaulNewman]

LOL good to hear PN.....

I was hoping you'd correct me or verify if Tufts hired a coach who accepted but never coached Tufts bc he went to Harvard.  Junot?  What was the actual chronology leading to Shapiro?

[Mr.Right]

1-0 Bates 10 minutes into the 2nd Half by a great finish by the Frosh Lane with a left footed crack...#10 Szwarcewicz showed toughness to not back down from a 50/50 ball as he got the ball to Lane but had to battle a 50/50 beforehand. Also, LB #17 Dall battled and fought for the ball to start it off.