Liberty League

[stlawus]

From the sounds of it, although it wasn't 100% clear, it appears Josh Gaudiano won't be using his final year of eligibility at RPI that he has due to his medical redshirt.  In Clinton's interview with Simple Coach he made it seem like he wasn't coming back, which will hurt since he ended up having a very solid season. Always have to expect them to be competitive though, and I really liked their freshman CB Nana when I saw him in person 2 times.   RPI and SLU probably had the most youth last year in terms of minutes played, so there might be someone on one or both teams taking that next step next season.  SC interviews are giving us all our d3 soccer fix this time of year. 

[stlawus]

The great d3board outage of winter 23/24 really did a number on here, especially this board.  Most years we'd usually have a decent amount of discussion at this point but most users who frequent this board haven't been active since the site was relaunched.

Hasn't been many if any changes to the recruiting landscape in the league for next year thus far, all reported recruits seem to be what is all publicly available.

I really have no idea how the league will shake out.  Last couple years there was a general sense of how things would shake out, but this year is a tossup at this point.   Was looking at the Massey rankings, and while it's no the end all be all it's still useful.  One thing I noticed is that the computer thought SLU was pretty unlucky last year.  Their power ranking was 30 spots higher than their actual ranking which indicates a pretty severe stroke of bad luck. 

Hobart's actual ranking was 16 spots lower than their power ranking, which indicates they benefited from luck.  I said as much during their run, as they needed 4 or 5 25-30 yard wonder goals to propel them to the LL championship.  Does not discount what they did of course, I think pound for pound they were still the best team last season.  But it's hard to replicate that season to season, and when you combine that with them having the target on their back being defending champs I wouldn't be surprised to see them take a bit of a step back.  Also compounded by the fact they had several 5th years who are departing. 

Given Union's returning players they should be top 4 minimum, it was really good see that program take a big step forward last year under their new coach.   Skidmore also replaces a long time coach.  They just never could get over that final hump, so maybe the new regime will be able to do what the previous couldn't.

SLU struggled to replace their midfield last year, and history has shown the team has taken a step back the year after one or several marquee midfielders graduated.  Injuries were costly, and the rest of league game-planned the team pretty effectively.  The tone for the season was set the second game of the year when after going up 1-0 on Cortland the team got a red card on a really bad luck play in front of goal on a corner.  With all that being said, I actually have pretty lofty expectations for the Saints next year.  Henry Brown improved every single game and ended up the leading scorer by season's end.  History has shown that SLU strikers follow upward trajectories year by year, and I expect the same for Brown.  With the entire back line coming back along with several players who missed all of last season that were expected to contribute big time minutes I would be disappointed with a similar finish to last season.  I don't have hard confirmation yet but I believe there's another speedy international recruit coming in by means of Africa.

[Saint of Old]

I think many of the folks here can't figure out how to hop back on or retrieve old passwords.

League almost went through a reset last season.

Entering 24, this has to be the most evenly matched league I have seen in 3 decades watching.

As always, hoping for a good season  from the boys from Canton, but as  Bob the Poet once said, "the times they are a changin".

[Bartman]

I'm mostly a football poster, but also follow soccer and love Sean as coach, and he has been active in the transfer portal , so we might have some interesting new team members, but I think I'll wait until rosters come out to discuss. IMO,  Hobart's chance to secure the LL Championship is better in soccer than in football for 2024.

[stlawus]

Transfers have always been much more hit or miss in relation to basketball in the d3 landscape, but some coaches figured out a way to use them effectively.  Axtell at Cortland found the secret sauce in the last 5 years, most of their impact players came by means of the transfer portal.  Durocher seemed to hit on every single transfer back before the portal was even a thing (Dulay immediately comes to mind) and Griffin has got 1 or 2 recently that worked out pretty well.  So if he's mining it again I would expect the new transfers to likely jump right in the mix. Hobart should be top 4 minimum on paper with Madsen and Koschineg returning for their senior campaigns. 

[kevdog]

Yeah Durocher definitely hit on most of his transfers starting all the way back in 92 with Chris Rose transferring from St. Francis.  Thing is, Rose wasn't the guy that Durocher really wanted but it turned out well for both. I wonder if St. Lawrence or any Liberty league teams got any good ones coming in.  I guess time will tell in the upcoming months.

[Saint of Old]

Def worked out KevDog.
Rose was the beggining of a long line of Jamaican flavor in the team, followed closely by maybe the most skillful Saint ever, a man named White. Followed by a few talented late 90s reggae boys who played during the 60 game unbeaten streak and a chip. All started with that Chris Rose transfer.

It all goes back to recruiting.
None of these guys were D1 transfers or on the radar in a major way, but back then SLU had an eye for hidden talent.

Same can be said for an Allstars core of talent from the continent of Africa, but that would be an even longer paragraph.
It is recruiting, it is having an eye for talent. Listening to the recommendation of former players and thinking outside the box so you can recruit players able to shoot and score from outside the box.

Legendary Coach Russo with over 400 wins and a chip also had a good contigent of Jamaicans during  the 90s Era.

Football, more than anything in the world represents life.
You need diversity, difference of thought and approach all meshed into a single unified team to be successful at the highest level.

That means, a Coach must always be thinking of recruiting and getting the mix right and always be open to adding talent from as wide a field as possible for the good of the team.

[Kuiper]

I thought I would cross-post these from the 2024 Schedules thread

Hobart

Opens the season with four straight road games, including at Oneonta, and then the home opener is against Rochester before starting conference play.  Not the easiest end to the season either, replicating its 2023 schedule playing a mid-week non-conference game against Buffalo State and then ending against St. Lawrence, but this year both of those games are away.

RPI

Not as tough as starting with Mary Washington last year, but New Paltz for a first game won't be a walk in the park, especially at New Paltz in a round robin where neither team is likely expend as much energy with their other game against Sarah Lawrence.  RPI also hosts Colby on a Sunday in the middle of its conference schedule after playing at Union the day before.

Clarkson

Playing at Rochester before it starts conference play against RIT.

[stlawus]

Hobart played in the Oneonta tournament 2 years ago, and one would have to assume SLU is back in it again as they've gone down there 7 straight years now.  None of those teams have their schedules up, but SLU's has been mostly the same for a few years now.  Rochester has RIT, Hobart and Clarkson so there could be some h2h implications come NCAA tournament time.   Confirmed non-con for SLU so far is just the usual Canton and Potsdam.  Plattsburgh and Cortland will be on there, and as I mentioned the likely 2 Mayor's Cup games in Oneonta.  Have had Buff State in previous years which were always good games, and with their success last year would like to see them back on the docket.  I know scheduling is not always fair when it comes to division III but I'd like to see Oneonta come up to Canton for once.  That weekend has mostly been an anchor for SLU as every single year there have been significant injuries on Oneonta's turf.

[Crossit4fun]

Platts @Clarkson 9/11, @Union 9/14, @RPI 9/18 & @SLU 10/30

Working on getting New Paltz vs LL opponents

[stlawus]

Platts @Clarkson 9/11, @Union 9/14, @RPI 9/18 & @SLU 10/30

Working on getting New Paltz vs LL opponents

Looks like we got an insider!  Plattsburgh's schedule still isn't up on the website.  There has been very little variation in the league's schedule in terms of game dates.  The league matchup dates have basically been the same for 3 or 4 years now.  3rd season in a row SLU is playing Plattsburgh midweek right before the final league matchup against Hobart.

[Kuiper]

Bob Durocher, long--time men's soccer coach and, for the last 9 years, Senior VP for Athletics, announces his retirement

https://saintsathletics.com/news/2024/5/22/general-senior-associate-vice-president-for-athletics-bob-durocher-announces-retirement.aspx

Bob Durocher, Senior Associate Vice President for Athletics at St. Lawrence University, has announced his intention to retire from his role after nine years leading the Athletic Department. 

Durocher will remain in the position until a successor is selected. A nationwide search will begin immediately.

A member of the athletics department for 35 years, the Canton, N.Y. native has left an indelible mark on the department. He joined as assistant men's and women's soccer coach in 1989 and head men's coach in 1990 before becoming an assistant athletic director in 2000. He was then selected to lead athletics in 2015, and has served in the role ever since.

Durocher became the third men's soccer coach in St. Lawrence University history in 1990 and established the Saints as one of the premiere programs in the nation. In 1999, his Saints became the first team in NCAA Division III history to go undefeated and untied en route to the program's first national championship and Durocher was named NSCAA Division III Coach of the Year for his efforts. In total, the Saints made 17 appearances in the NCAA Tournament under Durocher, including nine straight from 1998-2006. He completed his SLU soccer coaching career with a 323-101-45 record.

In addition to his national Coach of the Year award, Durocher earned Northeast Regional Coach of the Year recognition seven times and was named the conference Coach of the Year 12 times.

Saints men's soccer captured 17 conference titles and also won the ECAC Northeast Championship in 1997 with Durocher at the helm. 

He produced 87 regional All-Americas and 22 national All-America players during his tenure, including a National Player of the Year in Danny Annan, Jr. '00 in 1999.

[stlawus]

A well earned retirement for Durocher.  I really hope the administration nails his successor.  I wonder if they stay in house with someone like Franco Bari or go outside the family.  There is a ton of capital being put into construction and improvements at the athletic complex right now, and all that has to be balanced with maintaining the department's competitiveness and navigating the uncertainties of the near future when it comes to financials, enrollment and the general issues most small schools are experiencing which SLU is not immune to. 

With all of his accomplishments on the soccer field, one of the best has to be a 25 year run of getting players from southern California, Arizona, Colorado, the Caribbean and West Africa to decide to come up and freeze 5 months of the year on top of all the normal student athlete requirements. 

[Saint of Old]

When everyone in NCAA D3  soccer was busy trying to turn Athletes into footballers, Durocher flipped the script and decided to recruit  footballers and turn them into athletes. It worked to the tune of a National Championship, 300 wins, a 60 game win streak and maybe the best football team ever created in the division.

This great career will culminate in some great soccer players inducted this coming weekend into the Hall of Fame as a well deserved swan song.

It is a real shame that the most  important player in SLU history, our greatest 2 year captain, best defender in team history  and the man most integral to the National Title win  was denied a deserved HOF induction due to nothing but Politics and BS

A real blemish on the legacy of this great program.

Either way.
Durocher had a great career and should be remembered as an Icon

[kevdog]

I don't think it was just Durocher who was turning footballers into athletes but also Coach Leet and Coach Davis would try to do that also. I think it might have been the SLU way with sports.