Liberty League

[Mr.Right]

I have followed / watched the Liberty League for years but have seen some teams a ton more than others. This league is such a solid league and it is just a shame that it has been a 1 and maybe 2 bid league the past 5-7 years. The LL deserve the AQ and 2 Pool C's most years as they are such a competitive league especially with the addition of Ithaca and RIT. I think these Head Coaches who probably get together at the end of the year for their yearly meeting NEED to figure out what the problem is getting teams IN and improving teams non-conference schedules / results and other issues. I mean I would say because of the parity these teams tend to beat each other up BUT the addition of Bard has really killed every teams SOS year after year. Right now they have 2 teams ranked in the East Regional Rankings but with Vassar free-falling losing 3 of their past 4 league games I would expect them to drop out especially if they lose in the LL Playoffs. I think the problem is some LL schools like Clarkson, Skidmore, Union and Ithaca MUST schedule some better teams and get some results. Clarkson has a bit of a disadvantage because of geography but SLU does it and has a decent SOS. Skidmore needs to drop some of the WEAK schools on their schedule as they do play Plattsburgh and Williams but MCLA and a couple others need to go. The other issue is just getting results in these non-conference games. RPI beats Oneonta but then goes to Williams and looked AWFUL as I think they had 2 SOG all game. They beat SLU, Vassar etc but then lose to Potsdam and Nazareth. RPI schedules very tough games every year but they need consistency. Ithaca beats Hamilton, Brockport and draws Cortland but then schedules and beats teams like Wells, Elmira, Oswego and Alfred and count Bard and that is why they are not Regionally Ranked. I understand they play those schools because of history and geography but it has killed them this year with a .517 SOS. Ithaca has some great Wins this year and SHOULD be ranked but those schools have really dragged their SOS so far down that it will not matter. POINT---Some teams need to beef up the schedules, some teams need consistency non-conference( do not even get me started on Hobart), some teams might have to travel a bit farther and a team like Bard MUST improve because they were on the right track and then BOOM they are right back to where they started before McCabe was hired. Their Head Coach is Brandon Jackson a former Midd player and is very young and was McCabe's assistant because of the ties with McCabe at Midd but I am not sure he is ready for prime time here. Bard might need to go in a different direction.

[TyWebb]

Their Head Coach is Brandon Jackson a former Midd player and is very young and was McCabe's assistant because of the ties with McCabe at Midd but I am not sure he is ready for prime time here. Bard might need to go in a different direction.

When my son was looking at schools, Coach Jackson made a hard push for him. We really like and respect Coach Jackson. He seems deeply committed to trying to make Bard a respectable soccer program and we felt he knew his stuff. In the end, my son chose another school for his particular academic pursuits and the social feel. Bard has a different vibe that may not fit a lot of alpha type soccer players.  Ultimately, it may be more about Bard than the coach as to whether this program can ever reach respectability in the LL.

[PaulNewman]

Their Head Coach is Brandon Jackson a former Midd player and is very young and was McCabe's assistant because of the ties with McCabe at Midd but I am not sure he is ready for prime time here. Bard might need to go in a different direction.

When my son was looking at schools, Coach Jackson made a hard push for him. We really like and respect Coach Jackson. He seems deeply committed to trying to make Bard a respectable soccer program and we felt he knew his stuff. In the end, my son chose another school for his particular academic pursuits and the social feel. Bard has a different vibe that may not fit a lot of alpha type soccer players.  Ultimately, it may be more about Bard than the coach as to whether this program can ever reach respectability in the LL.

Makes a lot of sense....and akin to my take on what makes recruiting hard at Oberlin....and to a lesser degree at Wesleyan.

[1970s NESCAC Player]

Their Head Coach is Brandon Jackson a former Midd player and is very young and was McCabe's assistant because of the ties with McCabe at Midd but I am not sure he is ready for prime time here. Bard might need to go in a different direction.

When my son was looking at schools, Coach Jackson made a hard push for him. We really like and respect Coach Jackson. He seems deeply committed to trying to make Bard a respectable soccer program and we felt he knew his stuff. In the end, my son chose another school for his particular academic pursuits and the social feel. Bard has a different vibe that may not fit a lot of alpha type soccer players.  Ultimately, it may be more about Bard than the coach as to whether this program can ever reach respectability in the LL.

Makes a lot of sense....and akin to my take on what makes recruiting hard at Oberlin....and to a lesser degree at Wesleyan.

What's interesting about Wesleyan is that it has had excellent football teams for a while.  Doesn't quite fit the prototype as an "artsy" school.  I don't think the school vibe has been hurting Wesleyan soccer recently; perhaps Coach Wheeler has just not worked as hard as may be needed, or has lost some of his previous touch.

[1970s NESCAC Player]

Their Head Coach is Brandon Jackson a former Midd player and is very young and was McCabe's assistant because of the ties with McCabe at Midd but I am not sure he is ready for prime time here. Bard might need to go in a different direction.

When my son was looking at schools, Coach Jackson made a hard push for him. We really like and respect Coach Jackson. He seems deeply committed to trying to make Bard a respectable soccer program and we felt he knew his stuff. In the end, my son chose another school for his particular academic pursuits and the social feel. Bard has a different vibe that may not fit a lot of alpha type soccer players.  Ultimately, it may be more about Bard than the coach as to whether this program can ever reach respectability in the LL.

One of my sons played in the Liberty League, and Bard joined while my son was playing.  Despite its geographic location (which makes it a logical league member), I always felt that Bard was not a good fit with the rest of the league, and clearly, Bard is at a big recruiting disadvantage compared to other Liberty League schools.  Bard will struggle ever to make the league playoffs IMO.

[Ommadawn]

I don't think the school vibe has been hurting Wesleyan soccer recently; perhaps Coach Wheeler has just not worked as hard as may be needed, or has lost some of his previous touch.

I don't want to go too far afield from the LL, but I don't think Wesleyan's lack of recent recruiting success is due to a lack of effort on Coach Wheeler's part. I can't think of any NESCAC coach who is more ubiquitous on the camp and showcase circuit. The recruiting white board in his office has many of the players who wind up at other top NESCACs, so I suspect that the difficulty in reeling 'em in may have more to do with the current competitive state of the program or the relative appeal of the school to soccer players than to Coach Wheeler's recruiting activities.

[PaulNewman]

I don't think the school vibe has been hurting Wesleyan soccer recently; perhaps Coach Wheeler has just not worked as hard as may be needed, or has lost some of his previous touch.

I don’t want to go too far afield from the LL, but I don’t think Wesleyan’s lack of recent recruiting success is due to a lack of effort on Coach Wheeler’s part. I can’t think of any NESCAC coach who is more ubiquitous on the camp and showcase circuit. The recruiting white board in his office has many of the players who wind up at other top NESCACs, so I suspect that the difficulty in reeling ‘em in may have more to do with the current competitive state of the program or the relative appeal of the school to soccer players than to Coach Wheeler’s recruiting activities.

I see the schools I mentioned on a continuum....first Bard, then Oberlin, then Wesleyan.  I'm least familiar with Bard and have kids who considered the other two.  Isn't Bard the school with two locations that takes 14 and 15 year old geniuses like the brilliant young journalist, Ronan Farrow?  And year, I don't think of Wesleyan as "artsy" and environmental as Oberlin but similar in terms of political activism and I presume the only NESCAC where one sees chalking and the like.

P.S.  Yes, Farrow started at Bard at Simon's Rock and transferred to regular Bard College where he graduated with a degree in philosophy at age 15.  Then went to Yale Law School.

[1970s NESCAC Player]

I don't think the school vibe has been hurting Wesleyan soccer recently; perhaps Coach Wheeler has just not worked as hard as may be needed, or has lost some of his previous touch.

I don't want to go too far afield from the LL, but I don't think Wesleyan's lack of recent recruiting success is due to a lack of effort on Coach Wheeler's part. I can't think of any NESCAC coach who is more ubiquitous on the camp and showcase circuit. The recruiting white board in his office has many of the players who wind up at other top NESCACs, so I suspect that the difficulty in reeling 'em in may have more to do with the current competitive state of the program or the relative appeal of the school to soccer players than to Coach Wheeler's recruiting activities.

Thanks Ommadawn.  I have no reason to doubt what you say, as it is consistent with what I have been told and with what I observed while my other son was a recent NESCAC player (through 2014), when Wesleyan was consistently one of the top 4 in the league.  My post should probably have stated that I "do not know whether the school vibe has been hurting Wesleyan soccer recently."

[d3d3d3]

I don't recall anyone suggesting that Bard was a bad fit for the Liberty League after McCabe was named Coach of the Year and the striker Shenberger made First Team All-Liberty. But then McCabe died ... in April of 2016. So it's been 2 1/2 years since he passed. C'mon.

Bard IS a ball and chain on everyone's SOS. It's NOT good for the league. But I don't think it'll always be that way. It took a few years for McCabe to get them even sometimes competitive; it'll take Jackson a few years as well.

The question of why the Liberty League isn't getting two bids is as simple as looking at the results this fall. It's not Bard's fault Vassar's lost three of its last four. Or that Hobart lost to RPI and Vassar. Or that Ithaca didn't show up against RPI. Or that some teams don't schedule tough squads in non-conference play.

Let's remember: Bard did not pursue the Liberty League. The Liberty League pursued RIT and Bard, and snubbed Ithaca and Naz. (Then they sheepishly went back to Ithaca when the football problem arose.)

Bard's recruiting disadvantage began mostly with facilities, but since joining the LL, they've built a $2.1M baseball facility, and they just added turf for lacrosse/soccer this past spring. Also, much of the challenge, as it is with Vassar, is finding kids who qualify academically in a very challenging educational environment.

Bard won't relent on its academic standards, nor will Vassar. Vassar's making it work, but it didn't happen overnight. It won't happen overnight for Bard, either. Especially considering the architect of the program suddenly died.

Vassar's men's soccer LL record, after joining in 2005
0-5-2
2-5-0
1-3-3
2-5-0
3-3-1
1-5-1
4-3-1
5-1-2

[PaulNewman]

Great post...+k

[Mr.Right]

While I agree with most of what you all say especially d3d3d3 I just think there is a big difference between McCabe and Jackson...McCabe was around the Midd program for like 20 years and in Coaching for god knows how long and Jackson is younger than Midd's current Head Coach Alex Elias. I would give him a better chance to succeed at Midd but this Bard situation for all the issues that you have mentioned NEEDS a veteran presence especially recruiting and the like. Bard can be very tricky to recruit to and you NEED tons of contacts and networks to give kids a bit of a nudge...but just my opinion and I will be first to admit if Bard wins the league in the next 3 years but I am not seeing anything that resembles a champion just yet.

[d3d3d3]

You're absolutely right. I think the hiring of Jackson had more to do with keeping a devastated team together at the time. Bard does require a special recruiter. Maybe he's not it.

[Mr.Right]

Skidmore up 2-0 on Bard already midway thru the 1st Half so it looks like curtains for RIT(who is losing to Union 0-1), Union and Clarkson.

[Mr.Right]

Hobart in a tight 4-2-3-1 trying to somehow get a result at SLU on a nice rainy day...I suppose looking for a counter, a win and the title...SLU just needs a draw to host.....BUT Vassar is up 1-0 on Ithaca and if that holds they will move into 2nd Place and get the all important bye.

[Mr.Right]

SLU gets the opening goal late in the 1st Half off a set piece. Nice dangerous serve into the box had the Hobart GK come out and punch the ball right to a SLU player in the box who found himself wide open and took the ball off his chest and calmly ripped it into the net...Nice finish...1-0 SLU