NESCAC

[Another Mom]

My impression is from the outside,  as the parent of a potential recruit. I think he's the "hardest working coach in show business" [James Brown reference]. He is super intense and driven. He has the most professional and organized recruiting machine of the NESCACs, and probably in all of d3. I think he has good values. He goes above and beyond most coaches (setting up a soccer analytics program at Amherst, setting up a leadership program). He values intensity, and gets his team fired up. His players of course are very talented and st the top of d3. That said, the couple of games I watched, a couple of years ago, against Middlebury and Babson, there was a fair amount of thuggish football,  with the ball popping up in the air a lot. So not pretty. I think the Amherst players absolutely have the skill to put the ball on the ground and play nicer soccer (a la Tufts) and they probably do, in some games.

As I say, mine is an outsider's opinion,  and I defer to others with more inside knowledge. I was impressed by Serpone, and think he gives 110%.

[PaulNewman]

I wonder how many choose Amherst because he is the draw or because he can get a kid in Amherst, or maybe that's hard to separate.

I personally prefer a Singleton or like Brad Stevens versus Bobby Knight....but all that goes out the window if Knight is gonna play my kid and Brad isn't...actually playing isn't the only thing but it is a thing.

And, btw, nice misdirection all these months with probably a bunch of us thinking your son was at Amherst!  You are obviously pleased with your outcome.

[Another Mom]

Agree with what you wrote, I too prefer Singleton,  who is also a psychology professor on the side, teaching sports psychology.  His approach seems to be working!

And no intentional misdirection! Amherst was just front and center for a lot of my son's recruiting.

[PaulNewman]

Agree with what you wrote, I too prefer Singleton,  who is also a psychology professor on the side, teaching sports psychology.  His approach seems to be working!

And no intentional misdirection! Amherst was just front and center for a lot of my son's recruiting.

Yes.  I should have written that a little differently.  Never thought it was intentional.  Actually thought must be another NESCAC so the W&L piece made things more interesting.

[Mr.Right]

2 Nescac goals of the Weekend---


Amherst #16 Sebastian Derby GW goal at Midd.  Midd recap guy wrote that the goal occurred because of a failed clearance. This is partly true. However, right before the failed clearance, Midd #16 Aiden Pape attempted to clear it off of the Amherst throw-in and it was pure whiff with his right leg. Anyhow, IMO this is a fantastic rip off the hop and perfectly placed with the outside of Derby's left foot.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLVJA4M79oo



Tufts #5 Calvin Aroh GW goal v Hamilton. I could not find a highlight. Tufts Frosh #26 LB Gibson Campbell did all the work by pushing forward with the ball at his feet and glory in his head. He beat a couple of Hamilton defenders and sent a beautiful cross right to a wide open Aroh who volleyed it with his left foot into the net.


Weekend Observations:


Amherst---This team is hunting for that National Championship they failed to conquer in 2019. They absolutely dominated Williams on Saturday. The score could have been 4-1 maybe 5-1 if #9 did not miss 2 sitters. He must start finishing his chances if Amherst hopes to win the title because in 2019 he would of buried all these chances. They have a veteran backline led by #7 Kyle Kelly. #1 GK Bernie White did leave the game in the 31st minute because of an injury after a goal kick. Backup GK and veteran #20 Kofi Hope-Gund who also came back for a 5th year
did a fine job in relief and even got his first shutout since 2017 against Midd yesterday. Hope-Gund is an athlete and if Amherst was ever down a goal last minutes of a game I would play him up top to finish a set piece. The defender #24 Andrew Barkidjija who I liked in 2019 either has been injured and they are working him back in the lineup or for some reason has not played much. Amherst defenders were still hoofing everything in sight against Williams but once they cross midfield Amherst attackers will try to play a bit. #23 Ada Okorogheye works his ass off when on the field. While sometimes he still tries to do too much he is very effective on the flank and gives some of the best service in the league. They outshot Williams 23-7 (10-3) and dominated the play. When #9 starts clinically finishing, like in 2019, it will be really tough to beat them especially on their Home field.


Williams----Horrendous weekend of results and play on the field. From the Office of Propaganda  "Great performance today by all the guys," said Ephs head coach Steffen Siebert. "There are a lot of positive moments to build on today going into tomorrow's game."  I mean c'mon...midfielder #22 Jake Saudek had a fantastic goal from 25 yards out to tie the game.  #7 Song and #16 Brissett had a neat one-two that Song almost finished but those were Williams ONLY chances of the game. I understand that on Amherst and Conn's field you have to hit some long balls but c'mon in both games it was UGLY. Also, Williams defenders are hitting long balls into a Williams attacking 4 that are undersized against most Nescac opponents. #19 Osborne who works his ass off but is 5'6 and cannot possibly do anything with the ball in the air. He needs to be played to his feet. Same goes for #9 Petrik 5'9 and #20 Usami 5'8. Petrik barely registered 30 total minutes this weekend. A far cry from his  Frosh days playing in the middle of the field behind the striker and causing all kinds of havoc with his quickness and skill. Williams pressed and worked extremely hard in both games but were left with nothing to show for it. Williams press caused Conn all kinds of problems in the 1st Half but in the 2nd Half it was not nearly as effective. Teams cannot press for 90 minutes as you get worn out and in fact Conn scored a nifty goal after beating Williams press with a couple quick passes and then finding themselves with numbers in attack before finishing Williams off.  From the Office of Propaganda "Performance-wise one of our best games all year. Great effort by all the players putting a great Connecticut College team under pressure the entire game, creating double-digit scoring opportunities, and limiting Connecticut College to only a couple of shots." said head coach Steffen Siebert post-game. When Williams is down a goal late Siebert has got to move #13 Felitto up top.  Lastly, all the substitutions drive me crazy. The game has absolutely no rhythm when the whistle blows every 4-5 minutes for subs especially in the 2nd Half. Williams now has Colby and Bowdoin at Home next weekend.


Conn----Impressive weekend with two 1-0 shutout Wins v Midd and Williams. I only caught the Williams game but Conn was a little lucky playing the ball in the back. Williams was pressing hard and Conn insisted on building from the back and playing back to their GK #00 Maidenberg to his feet. Maidenberg is a solid GK but is very shaky with his feet and was lucky not to get picked off. This is all about communication and Conn defenders need to understand when the opposing team is pressing hard and hunting the ball then it is time to get rid of it long. Conn looked a little tired and sloppy on the 2nd game of a back to back but gutted it out and found a Win. That is what separates the top of the league from the rest. Conn did create some dangerous chances as RB #4 Mendo had a solid game playing quickly to feet and running off ball to get it back. #9 Tshuma had a couple good looks as did #14 Djerdjaj. This is still a young team that is learning how to Win games and now hit the road for 5 straight Away games.

[d4_Pace]

Excellent summary Mr. Right. That Amherst goal was a great finish. As you said that Tufts goal was about as good as you'll see at this level. The most impressive part about it is I believe Gibson Campbell is right footed. As a former Tufts outside back who through the rose tinted glasses of nostalgia remembers being pretty good, I think Campbell has all the tools to be one of the best to play the position there. Craziest part of it all is he is another walk on. Can't be many kids who go from walking on to starting as a freshmen at the top program in the country.

[hiyasoccer]

I played at Tufts and have no love lost for Amherst so I'm as biased as they come. That being said I think in general the Amherst coach doesn't have the best reputation in terms of his antics. That is also reflected by the way the team carries itself on and off the field. I think every team in the Nescac would circle Amherst as their most hyped up game despite Tufts being the more successful program the last 7 years.

Funnily enough I've become friends with some Amherst guys and run into others in bars post graduation and they are all great guys but for four years I couldn't stand them.

Yeah similar feelings on our team. Got along well with their players in life away from school or on summer teams. But they were absolutely the worst to play against (which I'm sure is a big point of pride for them), and other than playoffs there wasn't a game we wanted to win more, including our "historic rival". Although to be fair we played them in NESCAC's basically every year so the rivalry made some sense - although it kinda felt like everyone was that way about Amherst.

Don't know much about the coach other than his team's antics, but I thought what he said in the NYT article about Amherst recruiting sounded great, and his players liked him a lot. They were a great villain for us which in retrospect I very much appreciate the value of.

[hiyasoccer]

Bowdoin up 1-0 at half on Colby, got an early goal from sophomore left midfielder Kai DiGrande. Junior walk-on LB Ben Brown, who has been phenomenal all season, swung in a deep cross to the back post that Byrd did well to keep in play. The second ball was headed poorly down across the PK spot by a Colby defender and DiGrande beat his man to the ball and slotted home.

Only been half watching, but it's been a pretty even match in general, edge probably to Colby since the goal. They have some solid players this year.

[hiyasoccer]

First 15 minutes of the second half have been all Colby. It's a bit hard to tell, but Bowdoin looks to be in  a 5-3-2 and there are gaps everywhere. Outside backs are being left out to dry and midfield can't plug all the holes. Strikers are disconnected. Colby is moving the ball well between their midfielders and backs, drawing bowdoin centrally, then moving it wide where they have good attacking situations.

[hiyasoccer]

Colby deservedly get one back with 25 minutes left, an odd play when a Bowdoin CB heads a ball the wrong way off a corner. Junior Josh Rubin does well though, holding off Bowdoin defenders to push the ball into the box, then cuts back nicely onto his left. The ball is tackled away before he can get a shot off, but it rolls across the goal mouth to senio Paul Hawkins who smashes home from a tough angle.

[hiyasoccer]

Pugh with the Puyol-esque hair in back has been great for Colby. Strong and fast, reads long balls well, pretty well positioned and composed. Their other CB has been solid too although not as visible. Game was fairly even with an edge still to Colby in the 10 minutes since they scored, until suddenly Bowdoin's Bae gets in alone for one of the few big chances of the game but he can't get around McCarthy who came out quickly and bravely to smother.

Bowdoin with the run of play for the rest of regulation, but they can't get meaningful penetration of Colby's defensive block of 6.

[hiyasoccer]

Bowdoin gets the win on the OT goal I believe from Bae. After a set piece he picks up the ball wide left, cuts in well on his left, and rips it to the back post. Bit of an odd shot, hard to tell with the camera but didn't look like he had much of an angle, but there were a lot of bodies in the area. Big win for the Polar Bears who have won their last 2 to get back to 3-3 in about as rocky of a way as you could picture and now sit in 6th (although they have played one more game than most of the competition). Going to be a battle as always for the middle of the NESCAC pack.

[Mr.Right]

I went back to my original handle because change can be hard. I even got an email about the confusion. Anyhow, that is a big win for Bowdoin because Colby has been playing well of late. Pugh was a starter and big contributor on the 2018 NCAA team and has been injured on and off since his breakout Frosh year. Good to see him back as he gives them athleticism and speed on the back line along with Traore. Colby has some depth this year as well. Bowdoin starting 11 is strong. The play drops once / if he starts using his bench. Both teams had backup GK's playing because of injuries. Bowdoin's GK Kingston was a starter in previous years. I will get to see both teams this weekend at Williams and looking forward to watching them in person.

[Mr.Right]

#5 Minseo Bae' GW'ing goal. He is so low to the ground and has quick feet which makes him hard to defend especially for big lumbering defenders. I gotta say based on the highlight my GK needs to make that save. He might have been screened by his own defenders but did not look "ready" for the shot as if expecting a defender to step up and tackle or block the shot.

https://athletics.bowdoin.edu/news/2021/10/5/bae-scores-in-overtime-to-hand-mens-soccer-win-over-colby.aspx

[Mr.Right]

Nescac Predictions Week 5


Bates at Midd-----Bates 6-3-0(3-2-0) are coming off of a 2-1 Win at Trinity.  Midd 6-2-0(3-2-0) last time out Lost 0-1 v Amherst. Both teams are bunched up in the middle of the Nescac standings. The winner of this game might have 4th place to themselves and a key tiebreaker at the end of the season. Both teams have difficult tests on Sunday with Midd hosting Tufts and Bates heading to Amherst. Bates has either made a couple changes or are dealing with some injuries. Frosh GK #00 Bruce David has been playing since the Bowdoin match in place of GK #99 David Manning and starting CB #18 Alex Kovacs did not play in the back to back this past weekend.  Kovacs is a key player on their backline so hopefully they will get him back soon. Bates has been relying on attacking midfielder #8 Keleher and striker #10 Szwarcewicz for scoring and each has 5 Goals. First year #20 Rex Lane opened the year with 4 Goals in 2 Games and has not scored since. They have plenty of other options in attack with Frosh #29 Tife Agunloye , #11 Charlie Cronin, #27 Luke Protti, etc...#29 Jacob Iwowo and #15 Ciaran Bardong need to start scoring some goals for them.  #7 Justin Phillips and holder #6 Freddy Hohmann round out midfield. This team has a total of 36 players on the roster. That is definitely 10-12 players too many IMO but the recruiting acumen that Head Coach Tyler Sheikh has demonstrated has been a big improvement and a certain wake up call to the rest of the league. Middlebury was a bit unlucky this past weekend but still got shutout in two straight games. This team has the talent to come out of its shell and start the game on the front foot. #9 Reid did not play v Amherst and was replaced up top by #7 Proctor. #5 Barsamian is working his way back into the lineup holding as #12 Powers and #6 Chae are getting minutes in midfield. #10 Sloan started but did not play a ton v Amherst and #8 Barry who is usually starting wide left came off the bench. It looks like Elias is trying to find the right combinations in midfield especially midfielders that can link with his key strikers like #23 Saint-Louis and #9 Reid. This has been Middlebury's problem for years now as it desperately needs a consistent attacking midfielder that can link and score.  Midd needs to come out and go for goals,  which they won't, but at the very least test the Frosh GK with some low bullets.        Midd 2-0


Bowdoin at Hamilton-----Hamilton 3-6-1(0-6-0) are coming off an impressive 2-1 Win v #7 SUNY Oneonta  grabbing a tying goal in the 80th minute and the winner 15 minutes later. Bowdoin 6-3-0(3-3-0) defeated Colby midweek in extra time. Bowdoin heads to Williams on Sunday so this is a huge weekend for them. Hamilton does not have a Sunday game. It is fair to say that Hamilton's season is on the brink as they most likely will have to finish 3-0-1 in their final 4 Nescac games to even have a chance at a Nescac Playoff game. Hamilton put themselves in this difficult almost impossible position but proved with the Oneonta Win that they are capable. Bowdoin has scored 2 goals in each of its last 2 Nescac games after having some serious issues finishing. # 21 Charlie Ward had a nice goal v Trinity by sprinting past Trinity's CB from half field and finished 1v1 against the GK. Bowdoin has been relying on 3 players to score goals. The striker #21 Ward, wide right #7 Byrd and attacking CM #5 Bae. CB #3 Reid can and will score off of set pieces as should #8 Juantorena. If Hamilton can shut down these key Bowdoin players than they will have a good shot at a Win. However,  if they give up an early goal then they will see Bowdoin shut it down early as Trinity witnessed last weekend.  I have a hunch Hamilton pulls an upset.   Hamilton 1-0


Colby at Williams------Colby 4-4-1(2-2-1) are coming off of a disappointing Home loss to Bowdoin. Williams 4-4-1 (1-3-1) a 0-1 loss at Conn. This is Colby's only game this weekend while Williams hosts Bowdoin on Sunday. Colby's starting GK #1 Noah Jackson has missed a couple games with injury. Backup GK #13 Morin went out of a different game injured and so they have been using the 6'4 Frosh #0 Brendan McCarthy. Williams starting GK Michael Davis left the Springfield game after twisting his ankle, so backup GK 6'5 Ben Diffley has stepped in and done a decent job. For a 6'5 GK he gets down to the ground faster than most. Still both teams need to test these GK's with some low rips. Shots from 35 yards out and crosses into the air will only play into both of these Keepers "hands".  Williams has proved to be a much better Home team than when on the road. Their 120x80 field almost forces teams to keep the ball on the grass rather than just blasting everything in sight. I expect Colby to play some futbol as well which should make for an entertaining game.  Colby will have a size advantage but Williams has more speed so Colby needs to pick a more athletic, quick lineup especially in the back. Colby's #22 Franco who has been playing well will need to be watched carefully by Williams #13 Felitto as #18 Holland should be marking Colby's #9 Fabricant. These are two enigmatic teams trying to learn how to win consistently.  Should be an even game but I give the edge to Williams on its Home field.           Williams 2-1


Amherst at Wesleyan--------Amherst 8-1-0 (4-1-0) is coming off of a 1-0 Win at Midd. Wesleyan 5-2-1 (2-2-1) a solid non-conference Win v Coast Guard.  Winner of this game will Win the "Little 3" which is a century old tradition. Wesleyan's defense and GK #0 Liam Devanny has 4 shutouts in a row and have not conceded in over 3 weeks. Amherst veteran backline have only given up 3 goals in 9 games. Their GK #1 Bernie White did not play at Midd this past Sunday so not sure if it will be him or #20 Hope-Gund in net. Wesleyan's #8 Rubinstein will be marked by Amherst #8 Shahmirzadi which could free up Wesleyan's dangerous Frosh attacker #10 Ruehlemann. Wesleyan will not get many chances on net so they have got to find a way to finish whatever chances they get. #9 Harmaty is their 6'2 striker up top and will be key in trying to find a goal. Amherst will likely come out gangbusters the first 15 minutes and Wesleyan MUST keep them off the scoreboard early to win this game. Wesleyan's last victory over Amherst was in 2015 and it was Amherst only loss that season before winning the NCAA Championship. Wesleyan CB's #5 O'Brien and #6 Wallick will need to sit deeper than normal to fend off Amherst speed up top. Wesleyan holder #24 Lucas Kimball, who is good in the air will need to help his CB's fend off Amherst attack.  Amherst is playing with a ton of confidence right now and I do not see Wesleyan getting in the way of that.   Amherst 3-1


Tufts at Trinity--------Tufts 8-0-1 (4-0-1) is coming off a 3-0 victory over Hamilton. Trinity 2-7-0 (0-5-0) lost to Bates 1-2 last Sunday. Trinity is an improved side from 2019 and are better than their record indicates. This is Trinity's only game of the weekend while Tufts has to travel to Middlebury on Sunday. Tufts will have advantages all over the field but none more great than on the flanks. Trinity's wingbacks are young and will require help from their CB's #2 Moran and #6 Donaldson to deal with Tufts speed out wide. That will open up space in the middle of the field in which I expect Tufts to score some goals. Trinity have nothing to lose in this game so they should come out focused but loose and try to steal a goal on the counter.  I expect Tufts to come out over confident and if Trinity could get an early goal who knows what could happen. Actually, I am pretty sure we all know what is going to happen.    Tufts 3-0