NESCAC

[Newenglander]

As my cauldron stew of admiration and resentment rages on, I can't seem to resist adding to the NESCAC mystique....

Connecticut College was the SIXTH seed for the NESCAC tournament and is the FIFTH seed for the NCAA tournament.

Massive favorite to easily dispatch the Owls tomorrow.

Conn versus UMW should be a good one!

it also appears you're brewing the mystical power of the jinx in that cauldron as well

And it almost worked!!! Tight game

[nescac1]

Congrats to the three NESCAC teams in the Final Four, an incredible accomplishment for the league (as was having eight teams in the final 32).  Before the focus goes (deservedly) on the national semis, I just wanted to give a shout out to Coach Siebert for the very fast turnaround he has accomplished with the Eph program.  After dominating NESCAC from the late 1980s through 2013, with six final fours, a national title, a slew of league titles and numerous all-Americans, including multiple high-level professional players, from 2014 through 2021 Williams played in a grand total of one NCAA tourney game, which it lost.  Williams was clearly way behind Tufts and Amherst, which dominated the national landscape over the past decade, and also emerging power Conn which joined them over the past few years, and traditional rival Middlebury, which has remained consistently in the mix. 

In his first three years, with only two of his own recruiting classes, Siebert has led Williams to an improbable title game run and a tough exit in PKs from the sweet 16, and the future for the Ephs is very bright with every single goal scorer returning (presumably) next season.  For the first time in what feels like forever, the Ephs are likely to have some real offensive firepower going forward with Coehlo healthy, Mitchell and Bethencourt likely to make an even bigger impact as experienced players who are sure to see a lot more playing time, and a nice group of supporting creative offensive players in Kirkman, Grace, Mix and Keussom.  Added to the finishing mix will be JJ Ruehlemann, who capped off his 40-goal senior season with the state championship-winning goal.  Yes, it was in the smallest school division, but still very impressive in NJ high school soccer:

https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/high-school/boys-soccer/2024/11/24/waldwick-boys-soccer-wins-state-title-on-dramatic-late-goal/76479187007/

Better angle on the incredible game winning goal: https://youtu.be/8oPYIoS75uo?si=Ij_8cscLoutYnOtn

Defensively, the Ephs will lose all-leaguer Gutierrez, who was critical to the team's defensive play and also helped to move things forward.  But they will hopefully return healthy all-league center back Griff Labonski; the team's defense was never the same after he went out with an injury as he can control the middle of the action with his physical presence.  Caires, Gibson, Brown, and Ross also played big minutes as a very young group of defensive midfielders and back-line players, and that group should form another very stout Eph defense as they continue to mature together.

The big question for the Ephs will be who mans the GK position after the loss of four-year starter, all-American Ben Diffley, who played nearly every meaningful snap at goalie for Williams for what feel like forever.  He was a massive presence for the Ephs, and the only returning goalie is Kai Darrell, a big FY who did not concede a goal in only 90 minutes of play.  I assume Siebert prioritized goalie in recruiting and will be bringing someone else (perhaps two players) who can compete for minutes right away, but that is a huge question mark heading into the season for a team that otherwise looks loaded with now-veteran talent. 

Amherst, Tufts, Conn, and Midd all suffer huge losses to graduation, but all have such a strong talent pipeline that all will surely be national contenders yet again.  Hopefully Williams is ready to permanently join them as a national contender. Bowdoin is also a team to watch next year, returning two legit stars.   

Good luck to the remaining NESCAC teams - I'll pick Conn College to win it all as they seem to be on a major roll heading into the final four, but any of the four remaining teams (including W&L, who was deserving of getting past Williams even though it had to go to PKs) are easily national title worthy. 

[Sir.MixALotz]

It appears Cumpstone is leaving Colby after only one year.

[Kuiper]

It appears Cumpstone is leaving Colby after only one year.

Wow!  That's certainly unexpected considering Colby is known as a place where coaches stay.  Before Cumpstone, the school only had two men's soccer head coaches since 1976 (Mark Serdjenian, 1976-2013 and Ewan Seabrook, 2014-2023).

[LibbyMoore]

It appears Cumpstone is leaving Colby after only one year.

Wow!  That's certainly unexpected considering Colby is known as a place where coaches stay.  Before Cumpstone, the school only had two men's soccer head coaches since 1976 (Mark Serdjenian, 1976-2013 and Ewan Seabrook, 2014-2023).

He's been nonstop active in CT Rush for months, a multi-pronged statewide club program, and was just announced as their general manager. That's tough for Colby, unless they had a runer up they loved that they could still get!

[OldNed]

It appears Cumpstone is leaving Colby after only one year.

Wow!  That's certainly unexpected considering Colby is known as a place where coaches stay.  Before Cumpstone, the school only had two men's soccer head coaches since 1976 (Mark Serdjenian, 1976-2013 and Ewan Seabrook, 2014-2023).

He's been nonstop active in CT Rush for months, a multi-pronged statewide club program, and was just announced as their general manager. That's tough for Colby, unless they had a runer up they loved that they could still get!

Interesting. Makes one wonder if there is more money for coaches on the club side vs. as a coach of a well respected D3 school. Perhaps that is oversimplifying things and there may be other factors playing into his decision, too.