Liberty League

[deutschfan]

Players who are all-region or all-American level athletes don't get there by being soft.  I don't believe Doctors, insurance carriers, or the colleges will let students play with torn ACLs or concussions, and this is a good thing.  Some students who aren't getting playing time may exaggerate an injury to justify their inaction but not the top level players that are going down. 

[Mr.Right]

hmmm so every All-American and All-region players are tough kids...I don't think so..Some are for sure but some great players are so skilled it doesn't matter that they are soft. My point is that teams nowadays have 1-2 players on the team who are tough and get banged up and not need a trainer after every game. Those 1-2 players are the behind the scenes GLUE guys that can spark teams with a massive tackle or whatever, usually not the best or most skilled. Kind of like the 4th line in hockey. I have watched for a long time and I am starting to see kids pulling out of tackles, not throwing their bodies around and some are thinking about an "injury" before it happens. I guarantee if you question trainers to compare today to 20 years ago they would tell you they are on the field and locker rooms an hour later each day.

[Ommadawn]

Two weeks into the season and what have we learned?  With four unbeaten teams (RPI, SLU, Union, and Bard), the cream (SLU and RPI) has quickly risen to the top along with a pair of teams that may not do quite as well once the league games begin.  Among the five teams with at least one defeat, Hobart's defeat of Rochester and Vassar's tie with Oneonta are noteworthy.  Each of the remaining teams (Skidmore, Clarkson, and RIT) has shown signs of life, so there is every hope that league play will be fiercely competitive.  The third and fourth playoff spots appear to be completely up for grabs!

[Saint of Old]

Great first two weeks of soccer.
Both the liberty League and SUNYAC are making strong starts.
1-1 ties between SLU-Geneseo and Vassar-Oneonta are signs of great competition.

It will be tough for anyone to break into last seasons Tournament 4 I think.
Which is a shame, because it means two good teams wont have a post season.
If anyone can, it will be 2013 Finalists Skidmore.

[Mr.Right]

That Hobart v Geneseo State game next weekend is looking like a big one come November if Hobart can get a result

[Saint of Old]

http://www.saintsathletics.com/sports/2013/9/3/MSOC_0903132907.aspx?path=msoc

SLU v. Much improved Potsdam Bears.

[Ommadawn]

Thanks for the scoop, Saint!  Just as I tuned in, Potsdam scored on the header off the corner to go up 1-0.

[stlawus]

http://www.saintsathletics.com/sports/2013/9/3/MSOC_0903132907.aspx?path=msoc

SLU v. Much improved Potsdam Bears.

I know Copeland out, but I have no clue as to why Toshack is resting all of the starters. 

[Mr.Right]

How about giving some PROPS to SLU ground crew...Year after year the best maintained field anywhere....Potsdam has been an unusual surprise so far..Lets see if the game stays this way

[stlawus]

Extremely complacent, and dare I say arrogant gameplan by Coach Toshack today.  Pretty evident he expected this game to be a walk over, and is being paid dearly for it.

[stlawus]

One of the worst SLU performances I've seen in a long time.  Take nothing away from Potsdam, Coach Parker gave Coach Toshack a much needed reality check.  What on earth does he think he's doing by resting starters against a good Potsdam side.  Arrogant. 

[Saint of Old]

First and foremost, big win for Potsdam.
I knew this would be a challenge for St. Lawrence.
Potsdam is a good team. Coach Parker has turned this program completely around.

A few points that must be given consideration.
1) Several, almost all of the big boyz have had an early loss this season.
2) Although this was Potsdam's first win v. SLU in 10 years, the games are always a bit tricky and/or weird. They scored first against us every single time I played them, and that is going back a while now.
3) I don't see it so much as resting "starters" so much as figuring out who the starters are. To win a National Championship or to compete for one you need atleast 16-18 starters. What better time for a Coach to find out what he has than early in the season.
4) I trust Coach Tosh. He knows what he wants to accomplish and the reasons for his decisions. Personally I would have started a different team, but again, I trust the man.
5) Saint Nation should not be too disappointed, this game was played without all three captains (out injured). Growing pains my friends growing pains, this loss will payoff for the Saints big time!

[stlawus]

If there was a time for them to lose I would rather it have been today anyways.  If I recall correctly Potsdam played Oneonta to overtime last year.  There's a tough stretch of games coming up against Cortland, Buff State and Plattsburgh.  Hopefully today's game was enough of a litmus test to work out the kinks.  I have a feeling a few of those teams are going to park the bus like Potsdam did. 

[deutschfan]

I don't want to be too much of a Debbie downer here, but SLU has just tied the 87th ranked team and lost to the 124th ranked team based on the Hero sports rankings.  Whether you view those rankings as credible or not, SLU is underperforming against lesser teams which is a recipe for NCAA selection committee disaster.  Skidmore's two-goal win over Williams puts everyone on notice that the league schedule is going to be a wild ride. 

[Mr.Right]

The committee does not care about a few blemishes against weaker teams. They care more about your record against better teams(Record v Ranked opponents) which is one thing the committee does right IMO.