NESCAC

[SimpleCoach]

Long time reader, first time writer. Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you, it's an absolute disgrace what's been going on in NESCAC soccer this season. I've been keeping a close eye on the competition, or should I say, the lack of competition, and it's clear as day that my son is the undisputed king of the pitch. Nobody, and I mean nobody, even comes close to his level of skill and talent.

Now, I don't want you to think for a second that I'm being biased here. No, I'm just stating the facts, being objective, you know, like I always am. My son, who, by the way, has the most points in the NESCAC, deserves to be crowned the NESCAC Player of the Year, and I'm going to tell you exactly why.

Let's start with his performance against Husson University. I mean, folks, it was a thing of beauty. A goal and not one, not two, but two assists! Who does that? Well, my son does, of course. It's almost unfair to the competition, really. They just can't keep up with him.

And let's not forget about that incredible assist against Bates. It was like watching a maestro conduct an orchestra. The precision, the finesse, it was poetry in motion. Nobody in the NESCAC can match his level of play. I'm just stating the facts here, folks.

But that's not all, not by a long shot. My son's four-goal, yes, you heard me right, four-goal performance against the University of New England was something to behold. It's almost as if the other team wasn't even on the field. He added an assist for good measure, just to remind everyone who's boss.

Honestly, they should just go ahead and award him the NESCAC Player of the Year right now. There's no competition left; it's pretty much over for everyone else. My son might just be the best player in NESCAC history, and I'm not saying that to brag, folks, I'm just telling you like it is.

So, to all the naysayers and doubters out there, take a good hard look at the stats and the performances. My son's dominance on the field speaks for itself, and it's time for the NESCAC to recognize greatness when they see it. We're not talking about opinions here; we're talking about cold, hard facts. My son is the best, and it's time everyone acknowledges it. Believe me!

I have one question .... is this parody?  I really don't know, hence me asking.

SC.

[PaulNewman]

SC, it's just some still bitter guy like me whose son graduated 8 years ago and still hopes some clever posting will finally get his kid on an AA team.

[camosfan]

 

Hard to be humble when you have a perfect kid!

[PaulNewman]

Hard to be humble when you have a perfect kid!

+k @camosfan....

Frankly, it's hard to be humble when you don't have a perfect kid!

[Yankeesoccerdad]

SC, it's just some still bitter guy like me whose son graduated 8 years ago and still hopes some clever posting will finally get his kid on an AA team.

I read this as a bitter person who has a bone to pick with the awarding of the NESCAC player of the week because the goal and assist tallies were against teams that are not the "four horsemen" of the NESCAC.

If that is the point, it can be expressed in a more mature way absent the parody casting the player in a poor light.  Most NESCAC teams start the season with out of conference games.  The first NESCAC opponent happened to be Bates.  The player had a great start to the season against the opponents his team faced.  It is a very hard thing to be a D3 student-athlete, especially in the NESCAC.  Let's show some grace and avoid silly attacks like this.

[northman]

Agreed.  It serves no useful purpose...and frankly it's a highly immature gesture to mock a current student athlete, even if it is meant as parody.

[Kuiper]

I'm sure Amherst followers and others already knew this, but I didn't realize that the former Mammoth Kofi Hope-Gund was playing GK for NYCFC II in MLS Next Pro until seeing this tweet from former Bates head coach Stewart Flaherty.  Always nice to see a DIII player able to follow his dreams to pro ball.

https://x.com/stewartflaherty/status/1702671438384095571?s=20

My general impression is that strong DIII GKs with prototypical size for a pro player have chances in MLS Next Pro.  That's because the top US GK prospects still often go play college for at least a few years to get more experience as they mature and the pre-college prospects in the MLS Academy are still a bit young and immature for MLS teams to regularly trust them with minutes in their MLS Next Pro sides.  Teams often pair an experienced 4 year college GK with inexperienced Academy-heavy defenders.  AJ Marcucci from Conn College is another example with NY Red Bulls (where he now has a contract with the top team, but still has had all of his minutes with their MLS Next Pro team, although he was on the bench for some Leagues Cup games).

[camosfan]

Tufts v Amherst got moved to Sunday.

[Newenglander]

Conn at Bowdoin now Sunday as well

[EnmoreCat]

Tufts 0 Wesleyan 3

This was volleyball, for me at least, a first game ever.  It helped that there is an Amherst connection in the Wesleyan team, but I gotta say, it was pretty good to watch.  The game moves fast and some of the things that can infuriate in soccer seemingly can't happen in this game.  Being courtside is a great way to see the game and appreciate the skill and subtlety involved. 

[Newenglander]

Hamilton v Middlebury delayed?

[College Soccer Observer]

4-1 Middlebury final. More detailed recap to follow.

[EnmoreCat]

Hamilton 1 Middlebury 4

One of the very few upsides of travelling without Ms EnmoreCat is that on days like today when the wind makes it less than compelling to be outside, rather than frequenting a Boston gallery/dress shop, I can tune into a Livestream. 

Given the scoreline, it may sound silly to suggest that Hamilton was the better team early, but that was the case.  They displayed some sparkling forward play early and rattled the crossbar (it could have been the post, but I didn't go back & check) and forced the Midd keeper into one fine save from distance.  Midd had been getting behind the Continentals' defence on the right, but it was from a passage of play down the left that they scored and not long afterwards added a second after a breakaway saw a calm finish.

On the play up to that stage, that was definitely a little harsh on Hamilton and that looked to be rectified after a two on two sweeping move from Hamilton made it 2-1.  That felt reasonable.  Unfortunately, whilst the Continentals did look quite dangerous in offensive transition, the flipside was that Midd looked capable of picking them off.  It was off such a move that they were awarded a free kick just outside the area, where the resulting ball across only found navy blue shirts at the far post and it was 3-1.

I didn't think the second half was quite as entertaining for the neutral at least, but Midd seemed comfortable and didn't allow the Continentals any real chance to get back into the game.  I did miss five minutes as the fire alarm went off and my first thought was that maybe an MSOC team was staying at my hotel, but fortunately it appeared no further action was required.

Midd did get a fourth, a defensive lapse from one of the white shirts saw a Midd player skip through and quite clinically chip the keeper.  On balance perhaps the scoreline was a little harsh, but Midd seemed to be able to keep them at bay after managing to just weather the initial Hamilton storm.

The EnmoreCat kiss of death appears to have worked quite well on the Continentals, hopefully it delivers a similar poison dart for the Jumbo's tomorrow. 

[College Soccer Observer]

Middlebury 4, Hamilton 1

As Enmore Cat stated, Hamilton came out on fire.  A glancing header went just wide in the first thirty seconds.  With less than 8 gone, Peplowski ripped a shot from distance that Grady tipped over the bar at full stretch.  Hamilton then hit the post, and it seemed Midd was on the ropes.  This seemed to wake up Midd, as they attacked down the right flank.  Tyler Payne switched the ball to Eujin Chae, who passed to William O'Brien, who found Will Sawin on the left flank.  Sawing beat his defender and whipped in a cross that Shane Farrell headed home.  Midd got a second on a great counter, with Sawin finding Gavin Randolph in space on the left, and Randolph's cross was slotted in at the back post by Kyle Nilsson.  Hamilton got one back on an unforced error as Midd passed the ball directly to Hamilton, which led to a quick break and score.  Luke Madden headed in a corner kick from Jay Hoke to make it 3-1.  For much of the second half, the game was played in the middle third, with neither team threatening much for the first 20 minutes.  Hamilton increased the pressure and had several opportunities denied by Grady.  Midd added a 4th on a pass from the back that split the Continental defense up the middle, with Alem Hadzic playing Colin Duggan in behind the back line for Duggan to dink one over the keeper for the final margin. 

Hamilton's midfield was dangerous throughout the game, but they did very little with the numerous corners and free kicks they generated.  Middlebury continues to be lethal on the break.  In the final analysis, Middlebury had more quality in front of goal and from the goalkeeper, and that made the difference today.

[nescac1]

Williams has not played any of the tougher teams on its schedule, for sure, but with all the noise about Williams, it's nice to see them at 4-0 without surrendering a goal on the season.  Of the Ephs' seven goals, only one is from an upperclass player, and three have been scored by three different first years, so the long-term future looks bright.  Just about every man on the roster continues to see action in nearly every game.