The Liberty League

[Owlsie]

Thanks Flying Weasel, your posts are always well thought out and informative.

Lapaz there is some bias in your post, but i think the bias is on your part for everything East. 2 of the three AA picks from the midwest were from loras who is the 2nd best team in the nation and came very close to being national champions. I suppose you think there should have been no selections from the midwest

YES - to both D3fan1 and FW.  And congrats to all who made NSCAA All American or Region or D3 AA.  Whether or not any of us in the peanut gallery think there are biases, it is a great honor.

[LaPaz]

Skidmore nightmare hazing incident in November....story here

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323549204578320421391744096.html

leads to a most likely forced resignation / retirement of longtime Head coach Ron McEachen...story here

http://www.skidmoreathletics.com/news/2013/1/29/MSOC_0129131351.aspx

New Coach Appointed comes from Elmira....story here

http://www.skidmoreathletics.com/news/2013/3/12/MSOC_0312130412.aspx


End result...this is a shame because I dont think McEachean was ready to retire and aftre seeing Skidmore a couple times last year they had seemed to turn the corner with some nice Jamaicans and other solid players. They had always been tough to break down but this roster they had last year, they had some offensive weapons also...Now who knows what players are suspended and this could really hurt them for 2013.

[Saint of Old]

This league for 2 years running had 3 teams (SLU/Vassar/RPI)  in the final 32.
In addition, Union/RIT/Hobart and Skidmore can well feel hard pressed to not have made it to the NCAA in 2012.

This leaves two teams, Coached by men with NCAA Championship  experience, Bard and Clarkson.

2013 Here we go.

Game of the weekend may well be Stevens v. SLU on 8/30/13.
Good early test of where the power lies in the State and Region.

[Saint of Old]

Vassar v. Skidmore
0-0

Both teams seem to be a bit weaker than last year.
Vassar has suffered some close losses so far this year and will want o have a  better start to conference play than they did in 12'.
Skidmore's new young Coach knows that conference post season play would be a big accomplishment for the new era.

RIT v.  Clarkson
2-1 RIT

Clarkson (2-5) have a strong young core, but on the road, a victory over RIT might just prove too much.
RIT knows it only gets much harder from here and will not want to leave points on the table.

SLU v. Hobart 

2-0 SLU

Hobart (4-3) has strong young guns hoping to get the program back  to the National prominence it slipped from 3 seasons ago.
Not making the conference tourney in 12'i s extremely disappointing for a program like Hobart. A win over SLU would send a strong signal in the region.

St. Lawrence is much younger than previous years, but seem to have steadied after a rough opener with a good Stevens squad.
An unusual 2 road (conference) defeats last season will have the Men from Canton will be aware of the threat posed by the Men of the State.

[Saint of Old]

Last Weeks Prediction was %100 spot on.
WE have beens don't know when to quit when we are ahead, so here goes:

Union at Clarkson:

1-1

Union has a great record(8-0-1), but have not played strong opposition @ 2-5 (0-1) Clarkson knows the weekend must go well in order to keep hope alive.

RPI at SLU

SLU 2-0

The last 4 games between these two clubs have been Classics. RPI is an up and coming power, but knows it must overtake St.Lawrence to gain true National Attention. A disallowed last second game winner by SLU @ RPI in 10' led to a draw. Vengeance was taken by SLU at home in the 10' Conference final. Two games last season resulted in ties, the second coming in the conference Semi Final that RPI went on to win penalties. Both teams danced their way to the round of 32 in 12'.
RPI currently lacks confidence, losing to a good Potsdam squad while St. Lawrence will look to cement their status in the region.

Hobart at Vassar

1-1
More than likely, one of these teams will make it to the dance, while the other will not.
This game has the potential to decide. Vassar, after a tie to Union last week must go hard after all three points, Hobart after losing to St. Lawrence at home are equally desperate. A tie will do either one much good, but is most probable.

[Saint of Old]

Big clash today between Union and RPI.

0-0

Facing a hungry RPI team, 9-1-1 (2-1) Union will want to bounce back after their first loss of the season at St. Lawrence. RPI is defending tournament champs and know a loss to Union might put them at risk of missing the Tourney.

Union, if they can pull off the W can make a good early case for an at large should they fail to automatically qualify by winning the Tournament.

Hobart/Vassar and Skidmore will all be rooting for a tie, and this is also the most likely result.

Alot of parity in the league this year.

[Hall of Famer]

1999 St. Lawrence University National Championship team was inducted to the SLU Hall of Fame this weekend.  The entire team, minus 3 guys, gathered in Canton to celebrate the induction.  It was a powerful experience for all of our brothers, one that will be cherished for a lifetime.  Safe to say that it was a fitting honor for the team who re-wrote all the record books in Division III soccer.  One love!!

[Saint of Old]

I love your alias. It has a nice Ring to it.
The best thing about what that squad did, was the legacy it left in the form of a successful program.
The one sure way, Generally Speaking, to ensure continued success of your program is to win a championship.

We all only have 4 years (tops) to do this, but a lifetime to enjoy our boyz.

What France did in '98 means every French team in the future must be considered a threat!

[Saint of Old]

Strong Start (Week-end) predictions:

Vassar v. SLU
SLU 1 Vassar 0

Vassar lost 3/4 of their starting back line and have had some growing pains this season.
They are still a good squad, as they are undefeated in league play so far (1-0-2).
Five points from four games with RPI and Union still to play might be lights out.
To solidify their status in elite of the League, Vassar must atleast make an appearance in the League Tourney.

St. Lawrence in the mean time have had a more difficult season than their (9-1-2) record suggests.
A good young core of talent knows that a win today means the Tourney will be played in Canton NY.

Clarkson at Bard

Clarkson 2-0

Bard at home eill see this as their best opportunity to get that first conference point.
Both teams have lost all conference games so far, the difference is Clarkson has been competitive while doing so.

Skidmore v. RIT

RIT 1-0

Both teams are working hard to outpace Union and Hobart as the favourites for that 4th seed and the possibilities it offers...
RIT played a great game on the road only to lose 1-0 to St. Lalwrence last weekend.
Both teams already have 2 league wins, but can ill afford anything less than 3 points from the game.

RPI v. Hobart

RPI 1-0

Both teams have switched spots in the league over the past 2-3 seasons with RPI on the acendency.
Hobart who historically a lock for a playoff spot has missed out on Liberty League Tourney play the last 2 seasons, while RPI have made it to the second round of the NCAA's in '11 and 12.

This year, however, RPI knows there is very little chance they will get the at-large, and must likely win the Tourney away in order to dance.

[Saint of Old]

As the regular season wraps up, 3 of 4 playoff spots are decided with the fourth to be either Vassar or Union.
Vassar has the advantage, but anything can happen here:

Vassar:
This team has been playing really good football for the past few years. The program has been built by an Englishman who knows the game.
The most southern team in the conference has made it to the Tourney final and the 2nd round of the NCAAs the last two years. Winning the Conference Tourney in '11.
This year though, the ties have really done them in. 4 conference ties is a lot, but those 4 precious points might just get them by (unless Union beats skidmore that is).

Union:
This year started out promising and showed signs of being historical.
An 11 game win streak to start the season was followed by consecutive losses to St. Lawrence and RPI.
Union must now beat Skidmore, and hope that Bard can keep Vassar to a respectable scoreline in order to make the Conference Tourney.

In Other News:

SLU v. Clarkson

St. Lawrence hast he chance to win the regular season title.
Clarkson will be at home.

[1970s NESCAC Player]

Can anyone explain the criteria used by the LL to break the 4th place tie between Union and Vassar?  The teams tied 2-2 in their head-to-head game, so the tie breaker must have been based on some other factor.  Virtually all the traditional criteria (except fewest losses) -- goal difference, goals scored, most wins, record against other teams in the playoffs -- all favored Union.

[lastguyoffthebench]

Possibly win percentage the tie breaker? 

Vassar lost to SLU, tied RPI and Skidmore.
Union lost to SLU, lost to RPI, beat Skidmore.

Judging by that, you can rule out the record vs opponents ranked above you (unless for some reason they also factor in win percentage)

[PaulNewman]

Higher middle 50% SAT scores??? 

Just kidding.  Union is a fantastic school.

[deutschfan]

The tiebreaker after head to head is performance against the top teams starting with first place and going down from there.  Union and Vassar both lost to St. Lawrence.  The next comparison would be RPI as the second place team.  Vassar tied RPI and Union lost.  That was the decider.  Tough way to go for Union as they had such a tremendous pre-season, but if you can't make the conference tourney an NCAA bid is out of the question.  For three years now Union's season has effectively ended with a game against Vassar.  Must be frustrating for them. 

[1970s NESCAC Player]

Thanks deutschfan!  My son was on one of those U teams that started 11-2-1 (ranked 18th in country at time) only to lose a 3-0 shocker to Vassar (whom U had previously dominated).  Vassar has certainly extracted its revenge!  Liberty League should consider expanding the playoffs to 6 teams, as some really strong teams are excluded annually, this year on an arguably questionable criterion.