NESCAC

[coach analytics]

Congrats to all the award winners!  I think the coaches did a pretty good job on the subjective assessments.

I am not surprised at all but the coaches continue to reward the PK takers excessively.  I really think there were other better candidates for POY then their choice (who only had 1 goal and 2 assists in conference play besides PKs). I really love this player (and think highly of JSL from Mid) and if you read my preseason report, I picked him for POY, partly off the results of a really good NCAA tournament last season. 2 big time assists in crunch time to send MW to OT. However, there were far more deserving candidates.  Grady was my prediction, but maybe his costly error in the NESCAC semis cost him. His Defensive POY was still well deserved.  Frankly, after the NESCAC championship weekend, I would have gone with Luke Madden or Nadu.  Madden has game changing ability in both boxes and scored 3 goals during the season from the run of play.  Nadu is a game changer every time he touches the ball.  He will be on every scout the next 3 years.  To show you how crazy the PK influence is, it was Nadu who made a game changing play in the semis to create a PK which was missed  (and gets zero credit for anything).


I have four big snubs to raise. 

Mikey Brady from Tufts - top 5 in scoring (without the benefits of the 12 yard charity stripe) with big time goals and assists down the stretch in must win games against Williams and Bowdoin....The coaches pick a second year winner with a total of 1 conference goal and zero wins. Really? Why have these awards if the voters don't do a little work unless you are forcing a player for each team, which is kind of lame.

Either Ainsworth (Bowdoin) or Diffey (Williams) - way better save percentage and better overall numbers than one of the choices.

Kalinauskas (Amherst)- a far more deserving candidate than his own teammate who only played in 7 league games (but made the team last year). The best ability is availability. Last year 2 players made all conference with only 5 games played, which was really bad,  and this year you have one with 7 when a very very deserving candidate is right next to him. Simon also scored a handful of goals and when your offensive strategy is built around set pieces you need to reward the buys that knock'em in!

I thought Payne was a deserving winner, maybe even over teammates named.  He had 4 conference goals with two big ones down the stretch against Conn and Tufts.  His free kick over Conn was my regular season goal of the year (slight winner over Amhersts Cubbedu goal against Williams which may have been more impressive but less important in the grand scheme)


Other interesting observations.

Bowdoin with 3 first teammers versus Tufts and Conn at 1 each? Really? Bowdoin does not make the NCAAs nor the NESCAC final weekend, loses to Tufts twice in the same week in must win games. I guess the coaches were impressed with the combined 22-1 victories over UNE, USM and St Thomas, allowing players to run up their stats but also probably costing them an NCAA at large bid with the crushing SOS.

10 international players out of 30 players named.  I, for one, really welcome this talent as it improves the overall technical quality.

A lot of domestic geographic diversity with a handful of kids from the west coast, a Floridian, MidAtlantic, traditional New England, but the geographic winner is 2 kids from Rye, NY. Suburban NY not known as a hot bed for soccer, but produced two clutch scorers with proven production in NCAA and NESCAC tournament games.

GOOD LUCK to all!

[College Soccer Observer]

Congrats to all the award winners!  I think the coaches did a pretty good job on the subjective assessments.

I am not surprised at all but the coaches continue to reward the PK takers excessively.  I really think there were other better candidates for POY then their choice (who only had 1 goal and 2 assists in conference play besides PKs). I really love this player (and think highly of JSL from Mid) and if you read my preseason report, I picked him for POY, partly off the results of a really good NCAA tournament last season. 2 big time assists in crunch time to send MW to OT. However, there were far more deserving candidates.  Grady was my prediction, but maybe his costly error in the NESCAC semis cost him. His Defensive POY was still well deserved.  Frankly, after the NESCAC championship weekend, I would have gone with Luke Madden or Nadu.  Madden has game changing ability in both boxes and scored 3 goals during the season from the run of play.  Nadu is a game changer every time he touches the ball.  He will be on every scout the next 3 years.  To show you how crazy the PK influence is, it was Nadu who made a game changing play in the semis to create a PK which was missed  (and gets zero credit for anything).


I have three big snubs to raise. 

Mikey Brady from Tufts - top 5 in scoring (without the benefits of the 12 yard charity stripe) with big time goals and assists down the stretch in must win games against Williams and Bowdoin....The coaches pick a second year winner with a total of 1 conference goal and zero wins. Really? Why have these awards if the voters don't do a little work unless you are forcing a player for each team, which is kind of lame.

Either Ainsworth (Bowdoin) or Diffey (Williams) - way better save percentage and better overall numbers than one of the choices.

Kalinauskas (Amherst)- a far more deserving candidate than his own teammate who only played in 7 league games (but made the team last year). The best ability is availability. Last year 2 players made all conference with only 5 games played, which was really bad,  and this year you have one with 7 when a very very deserving candidate is right next to him. Simon also scored a handful of goals and when your offensive strategy is built around set pieces you need to reward the buys that knock'em in!


Other interesting observations.

Bowdoin with 3 first teammers versus Tufts and Conn at 1 each? Really? Bowdoin does not make the NCAAs nor the NESCAC final weekend, loses to Tufts twice in the same week in must win games. I guess the coaches were impressed with the combined 22-1 victories over UNE, USM and St Thomas, allowing players to run up their stats but also probably costing them an NCAA at large bid with the crushing SOS.

10 international players out of 30 players named.  I, for one, really welcome this talent as it improves the overall technical quality.

A lot of domestic geographic diversity with a handful of kids from the west coast, a Floridian, MidAtlantic, traditional New England, but the geographic winner is 2 kids from Rye, NY. Suburban NY not known as a hot bed for soccer, but produced two clutch scorers with proven production in NCAA and NESCAC tournament games.

GOOD LUCK to all!

Agree on Enmore Kitten (aka Kalinauskas).  My understanding is that the voting is done at the conclusion of the regular season.  With respect to geographic diversity, Grady is from Deerfield, IL and not Deerfield, MA, so you can add a midwest element there too.

[camosfan]

y understanding is that the voting is done at the conclusion of the regular season.

That would seem fair to people who did not make the playoffs.

[PaulNewman]

NESCAC NCAA tourney draws, most difficult to least....Middlebury, Conn (nipping at Midd's heels), then significant drop to Tufts, and another drop to Amherst.  Agree?  Disagree?

NESCAC, like the UAA, starts with the possibility of three teams making the Final Four.  No NESCAC has to face another NESCAC until a potential blockbuster Elite 8 encounter between Amherst and Midd.  The teams surely cannot get ahead of themselves, but I can.  Who would host, which could be important...Amherst or Midd?  Or Cortland? 

If three NESCACs make the Final Four they would be joined by the survivor of the Calvin/Chicago/St Olaf/North Central quad.

[flyingdutchman]

After reviewing the NESCAC awards, I have some thoughts. Firstly, congratulations to all the players! As a parent who has watched my son play against many of these award winners, I've been highly impressed with the abundant talent that the NESCAC consistently showcases year after year. I understand the case for Ada as the NESCAC Player of the Year; however, I personally would have chosen Madden. If you observe Middlebury's gameplay, you'll notice how well-organized they are defensively and how challenging it is to break down their back line. I firmly believe Madden made significant contributions to this defense and deserved the award.

In terms of snubs, I completely agree with Coach Analytics. I am shocked that Kalinauskas did not make either team. He was the backbone of the NESCAC Champions' defense and a real threat during set pieces, with 3 goals and 3 assists in the conference from the center-back position, which speaks for itself. While I understand that having too many Middlebury players in the 1st team might not be feasible, I think you could argue that Randolph and Nilsson deserved first-team recognition. Also believe Casanova deserved 1st team.

A couple of players on the 2nd team puzzle me. Ruehlemann from Wesleyan is undoubtedly a crafty and talented forward; however, I'm uncertain if he deserves the spot over some other players, especially considering he scored only 1 goal in conference play all year against Trinity. I suspect some bias might have influenced this decision, especially since he received an award last year. I'm also confused on how two Bowdoin defenders made the 2nd team. Some defenders, such as Kalinauskas and Campbell, really stood out towards the end of the year and deserved the recognition more.

[flyingdutchman]

I would also like to highlight some of the players that I have watched this past year that I believe deserve recognition for their performances but don't necessarily get any spotlight. I'm going to stick with the top 4 teams, as these are the teams I primarily watched this past season so I don't have enough knowledge on the rest to share my input.

Midd:
# 2 Hank Nelson: Great outside back who was consistently solid this year defensively and shut down many talented wingers
# 8 Tyler Payne: Big time goals this year including the beautiful free kick vs Conn, and against Tufts the first go around. Seems like an engine in the midfield who has to fill an additional role left by the injury of Farrell.

Conn College:
# 35 Maurice Pigola: Very calm on the ball and can pick out a pass from anywhere. Was consistently switching the field and pivoting the midfield when I watched Conn play
#6 Alessandro Horvath Diano: Great on the ball, good tackler, and a key reason Conn is so successful building out of the back

Tufts:
# 19 Mateo Bargagna: Great 1v1 defender and even better getting forward. Very confident with the ball at his feet, tight and explosive dribbler.
# 14 Liam Gerken: Never seems to get tired and does most of the dirty work for that midfield. Kept on watching him track back and win balls back consistently. Small guy but feisty and gets stuck in.   

Amherst:
#7 Niall Murphy: Does a lot of the work for the forwards, presses a lot more then Nuhu and Ada and from his work rate he was able to create many chances for the Mammoths.
# 11 Jonny Novak: Another outside back who deserves more praise and had a great NESCAC post season tournament. Watched him match up with #23 from Tufts and lock him down in the championship match.

[coach analytics]

I would also like to highlight some of the players that I have watched this past year that I believe deserve recognition for their performances but don't necessarily get any spotlight. I'm going to stick with the top 4 teams, as these are the teams I primarily watched this past season so I don't have enough knowledge on the rest to share my input.

Midd:
# 2 Hank Nelson: Great outside back who was consistently solid this year defensively and shut down many talented wingers
# 8 Tyler Payne: Big time goals this year including the beautiful free kick vs Conn, and against Tufts the first go around. Seems like an engine in the midfield who has to fill an additional role left by the injury of Farrell.

Conn College:
# 35 Maurice Pigola: Very calm on the ball and can pick out a pass from anywhere. Was consistently switching the field and pivoting the midfield when I watched Conn play
#6 Alessandro Horvath Diano: Great on the ball, good tackler, and a key reason Conn is so successful building out of the back

Tufts:
# 19 Mateo Bargagna: Great 1v1 defender and even better getting forward. Very confident with the ball at his feet, tight and explosive dribbler.
# 14 Liam Gerken: Never seems to get tired and does most of the dirty work for that midfield. Kept on watching him track back and win balls back consistently. Small guy but feisty and gets stuck in.   

Amherst:
#7 Niall Murphy: Does a lot of the work for the forwards, presses a lot more then Nuhu and Ada and from his work rate he was able to create many chances for the Mammoths.
# 11 Jonny Novak: Another outside back who deserves more praise and had a great NESCAC post season tournament. Watched him match up with #23 from Tufts and lock him down in the championship match.

This is excellent.  Two other additions to the Honorable Mention list would be Ben Pensky from Tufts.  Very strong at the 6 and scored some goals as well. Also Matt Moran - center back at Trinity, excellent in the air in both boxes, and great 1v1 defender. Since Trinity played so direct without the horse up front to win 50/50 balls, Trinity took a lot of pressure and Moran was a warrior.

[EnmoreCat]

Four NESCACs in the Sweet 16 

[Bucket]

NESCAC Musings as we await Sweet 16 games next weekend:

• So great for the conference to place four teams among the final 16, with the possibility of sending three teams to Salem.
• I confess I was unduly harsh to tag Conn with the "paper tiger" remark coming out of the NESCAC tourney. Winning under the lights in Lancaster against a very good F&M team shows they belong
• In a shootout, I want Ryan Grady on my side. But my next choice would be Peter Sylvester. Watching the Camels-Diplomats match online, I knew he was going to stone a Dip kick to give his team a chance. And kudos to Creus for being huge all match
• But I'm not going to go so easy on the Camels (continued) egregious behavior. A red card on an assistant? In the waning moments of a tied match? Talk about setting a horrendous example
• Tufts are playing their best soccer of the season. And they seem to have a very favorable set of games next weekend, even if they have to travel to W&L
• Speaking of, a lot of chatter in another thread whether games will be in Medford or Lexington next weekend. I'm assuming Lex, because the NCAA doesn't want to pay for three flights. And if the Jumbos do go on the road, the coaching staff can treat this as a potential dry run for a trip to Salem (45 miles south of Lex Vegas)
• If my hometown indeed plays host to Tufts, I heartedly recommend Frank's Pizza to my pachyderm friends
• I'm guessing some folks are thinking Amherst had closer matches this weekend than expected? A one-goal win over SUNY Poly and an OT victory over Stevens
• Still it's foolish to ever bet against the team formerly known as the Lord Jeffs in November
• A quasi digression for Purple Parent @EnmoreCat: Today's New York Times includes a story with this headline: "At 100, Vegemite Is Still Beloved by Australians. And Baffling to Everyone Else." True?
• Am anticipating games in the Pioneer Valley next weekend, and the thought of another Midd-Amherst Elite Eight match-up on Hitchcock Field makes my stomach hurt. Better believe Young Bucket and I would be there for it, though. (Maybe some spicy dill pickle juice—a go-to elixir for a Midd center back—would calm the nerves.)
• Of course, Panthers would need to get through Cortland first, and that's one hell of a team, easily among the best, if not the best, teams Midd has played all year
• Midd looked really good this weekend, though today Hopkins kept the outcome in doubt until the final whistle. They were relentless once they had conceded two goals, which makes me wonder if they regret being soooo deliberate with pace prior to the scores
• Not that a senior captain needs any extra motivation while playing in the NCAA Tournament, but it sure seemed like Jordan St. Louis had a resounding answer to message board critics who downplayed his season—two goals in the first match, including a nasty turn in the box and left-footed strike in the upper left corner, and assists on both goals against Hopkins. It's no surprise that the tv cameras all found him post-match
• Good luck to all squads next weekend

[EnmoreCat]

Never ever been a Vegimite fan, Bucket.  I think EnmoreKitten doesn't mind it.  All my Turkish toast needs is olive oil spread, or failing that, some amalgam that looks yellow, coats easily and hopefully won't kill me some day.

[Hopkins92]

On your Hopkins bullet... Nope. That's just how they do it. The ratchet up the pace and press the pedal down when necessary, but playing catch with the two backs and biding their time is just part of their DNA.

(I'd also say that this was rather important for them to do (possess, take a little air out of the game) in the 1st half coming off of little rest and a physically and emotionally grueling game against Babson the day before. NESCAC having multiple back-to-back weekends is, IMO, a huge psychological advantage for these teams come NCAA tournament time. This might happen out west a bit, and maybe in the UAA, but most teams on the east coast don't play a game within 24 hours of a prior match. And that's not an excuse or anything, just a fact.)

[Bucket]

On your Hopkins bullet... Nope. That's just how they do it. The ratchet up the pace and press the pedal down when necessary, but playing catch with the two backs and biding their time is just part of their DNA.

(I'd also say that this was rather important for them to do (possess, take a little air out of the game) in the 1st half coming off of little rest and a physically and emotionally grueling game against Babson the day before. NESCAC having multiple back-to-back weekends is, IMO, a huge psychological advantage for these teams come NCAA tournament time. This might happen out west a bit, and maybe in the UAA, but most teams on the east coast don't play a game within 24 hours of a prior match. And that's not an excuse or anything, just a fact.)

Got it. And this makes sense, as you explain.

[LibbyMoore]

• But I'm not going to go so easy on the Camels (continued) egregious behavior. A red card on an assistant? In the waning moments of a tied match? Talk about setting a horrendous example

What does that mean for this weekend, do they lose their assistant coach for a game? Has this ever happened in the tournament?

[College Soccer Observer]

• But I'm not going to go so easy on the Camels (continued) egregious behavior. A red card on an assistant? In the waning moments of a tied match? Talk about setting a horrendous example

What does that mean for this weekend, do they lose their assistant coach for a game? Has this ever happened in the tournament?

Coach is out for 1st game. Not unprecedented

[coach analytics]

NESCAC Sweet 16 Preview

Amherst - Is anyone surprised that Amherst is sitting in the sweet 16 and hosting at Hitchcock Field?  I am sure the sprinklers are on and the lawn mowers are no where to be found.  They will be a tough out on their home field.  The skill of Ada and Nuhu on the outside is devastating in that they can beat players 1v1 and also create numerous corners, set pieces and long throws.  Stevens, while able to hold on for dear life for 90+ minutes, eventually faltered.  They came into the game expecting a soccer match and learned it would be more a combination of wrestling and volleyball all rolled into one.  Although I have been a constant critic of their style, you have to admire Justin Serpone's tactics in round 1 when he barely used his starters, risking a first round upset, to be able to unleash his top crew for nearly 110 minutes in round 2.

I have not seen Occidental play but I am sure they are well deserving and will put up a fight.  They traveled to Texas and came away with two impressive wins even though one was aided by an early red card on opposing keeper.   At least they are used to getting fouled hard, which will definitely occur on Saturday. They also have another impressive road victory against Redlands. Amherst has been very reliant on the set piece goal as of late except for Nuhu's heroics.  Perhaps this is a function of one of my favorite midfield maestros Cubbedu being out with injury.  The Stevens game proves you can wait a long time for this result which is why I think they are at risk.

No players in the league had more playoff experience than Ada and Cubeddu. Although both hoisted back to back league trophies, you bet they are expecting to hoist the big one.

Middlebury - As I have said in the past, I think they have the best collection of talent across the field in the league and a lot of "senior experience". They are generating a lot of legit scoring chances. Like Tufts, they used a dominant first half performance to knock of the storied Hopkins program and held on in a more competitive second half.  Their big game players, highlight by St Louis, have stepped up recently and their scoring potential is top of the group.

I have not seen Cortland play but they have an impressive resume and SOS.  They were able to advance on PKs against a very good CWRU squad where they used a PK in regulation but were unable to hold on for the win.  One thing that I would point out is that they do not have a signature road win (except possibly Brockport), losing to Rochester and tieing Rowan on the road. While this is a neutral site road and Middlebury has also not put up an impressive road victory, Middlebury is a little more familiar with the peculiarities of Hitchcock Field so will have that as an advantage.

I want to believe that talent will win out and Middlebury will sail to their first final 4 in many many years, I predict it will come down to how the referees handle Amherst style.  If the refs, like in the NESCAC tournament,  allows Amherst to clutch and grab and tactically foul, without setting the tone with yellows, it could be a long day.  Also Amherst brings in considerable more experience and home field which both help even the playing field.  Ada and Cubeddu have played in 20+ playoff (NESCAC and NCAA) games. 

However, Middlebury has the big time keeper and CB Madden has the size and strength to dominate the defensive box.  He will be needed to fight off the 30+ launches in the box that they will generate on the small and slow pitch.  The winner of this potential match up could be hoisting the trophy in VA.

Tufts - no team has come on stronger and been more impressive in the last month than Tufts, their front four have really matured and produced big goals down the stretch.  Also, Bargagna is playing aggressively, getting forward and had 3 assist over the weekend.Like Middlebury, Tufts used a dominant first half performance to beat Rochester and held on at the end when the momentum shifted.  Their GK proved the ability to come up big.  While they are still relatively young with big contributions from juniors and sophomores, they also have tons of playoff experience among their leaders.

Also, lets face it, while every team left is very, very capable, the Messiah loss was a "gift from God" as it allowed Tufts to be the top remaining seed in their group and host another weekend.

W&L is a storied program in D3 and put up impressive results in a very solid region.  They have a big time scorer up front, something not really seen this year in the NESCAC where the scoring has been much more spread out at the top teams.  It will be interesting to see how the Jumbos scheme to neutralize this level of talent. Either Colorado or Ohio Northern will be very strong challenges if Tufts does advance. 

I certainly like Tufts chances to make it to the final four since they are hosting.  Their leaders Traynor, Clivio, Brady, Campbell and Gerkin have a ton of playoff experience and Traynor has a ring and has been part of 20+ playoff games. However, we all remember the classic 2021 elite 8 match up where Conn shrugged off 2 deficits to end the three peat hope of the Jumbos at home in a wild 5-4 road victory for the Camels.

Conn College - They look like the most battle tested so far of the group with an epic OT/PK advancement over host and highly ranked F&M last weekend after needing OT and 2 PKs during OT to take down a scrappy Denison team.  While certainly a very solid if not down right spectacular team all season, Conn seems to be limping a bit right now.  I love their tactics with a high level of possession orientation but their firepower has not been there.  In their four playoff games, they have not produced many goals from the run of play, needing PKs, set pieces, which is really not their strength compared to others, or goalie mistakes (like F&M).  They seem content to play super conservatively. Perhaps the mid season injury to Jauran, one of my (and PN) favorites in one of the reasons for the lack of dangerous play in the final third.

They probably have, on paper, the toughest 3rd round game versus Montclair State who has a big time scorer in their mix and an impressive resume.  MS did lose their one NESCAC match up of the season at home to Amherst in what best can be described as a blood bath.  If Conn can get by MS, then a probable away match up at Mary Washington, last seasons NESCAC slayer, will be a tall order.  In my opinion, MW had the most impressive season of any non-NESCAC with its only loss on the road at Messiah and several other signature wins on the road, neutral and at home.

However don't forget that the core of this team, Creuss, Scaffone, Cervezo, Sylvester, and AHD have a ton of deep playoff experience and a ring to show for it.  That will mean something on the road in a dogfight as they have already proven.