Liberty League

[stlawus]

Crazy finish to RPI-RIT.  Talk about league parity.  10 man RPI takes down an RIT forward in the box during OT and RIT converts the penalty to win.

[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.

Skidmore has me feeling like a prophet.

They have one foot in the league tourney.

[deutschfan]

Saint:  Don't pat yourself on the back quite yet.  Last year you were touting Skidmore as well and then they flamed out.  Have to say Skidmore has demonstrated the best defense in the league so far and defense wins championships.  Who would have thought that the biggest game of the League regular season could be next Saturday's fixture between Skidmore and Vassar.  Losses by SLU, RPI and Hobart do not portend well for the league getting more than the automatic qualifier come November.  I am amazed that SLU has gotten to the point when squeaking by last place Bard is a significant win.  Bard has one or two players that could make SLU's roster.  It isn't a matter of injuries at this point, doubt has creeped into the heads of the SLU players, which is far more destructive.  It also didn't help that most of SLU's pre-season schedule was a bunch of lightweights.

[stlawus]

Saint:  Don't pat yourself on the back quite yet.  Last year you were touting Skidmore as well and then they flamed out.  Have to say Skidmore has demonstrated the best defense in the league so far and defense wins championships.  Who would have thought that the biggest game of the League regular season could be next Saturday's fixture between Skidmore and Vassar.  Losses by SLU, RPI and Hobart do not portend well for the league getting more than the automatic qualifier come November.  I am amazed that SLU has gotten to the point when squeaking by last place Bard is a significant win.  Bard has one or two players that could make SLU's roster.  It isn't a matter of injuries at this point, doubt has creeped into the heads of the SLU players, which is far more destructive.  It also didn't help that most of SLU's pre-season schedule was a bunch of lightweights.

I'm sorry, but injuries are absolutely playing a role.  Could they be playing better?  Definitely, nobody is arguing that.  It's a young, inexperienced squad and you can't expect them to run the table like they have in the past.  However, the playmakers on this team that generate goals are injured and it's clearly contributing.  Also, you're greatly undervaluing the impact that coaching turnover has after Durocher's 25 year tenure.

[Saint of Old]

A change in Coach and a slight change in coaching philosophy will no doubt take its toll.

I think the bigger issue is that the new SLU coach has decided for better or worse to build a full squad.

This is good in that come playoff time a coach wants to depend on every one on the roster. @ St. Lawrence this season everyone plays.

A draw back (and you have to live with it) is that there will be a loss or two during the regular season while building a complete team.

As for other teams in the league:

I still like Skidmore. 3-0 with every other team (but Vassar) dropping points, how can you bet against them.

Vassar has a 2-0 start with a reputation of winning important games.

RPI after a great start have to fight hard to get in now.

Clarkson looks to play league spoiler once more.

RIT has bigger intentions than to just play spoiler this year.

Bard will beat a team or two, but who?

Hobart really need a win.

Ditto for Union.

[Mr.Right]

After watching Skidmore twice this year I will repeat what I have been saying. They are athletic enough to compete with most teams in D3. They are very organized defensively and against top teams when they lose the ball everyone drops immediately. GK is solid. My issue with them is they will have trouble scoring against the best in D3. They do not have a legit striker, like a lot of teams and someone who can finish and win big games for them.

[Mr.Right]

I am most shocked about Hobart..I thought they were a top team in the Liberty League and just cannot find a way to score goals. 0-1-2 is not going to get it done this year. They need to win out to get in the top 4 IMO.

RPI is also in trouble. After a great Non-conference slate and some great Wins they are going to be battling for their lives to get in the Top 4. No matter what they have done out of conference they will not get a Pool C if they do not get into the LL tournament. It has never happened. In 2011, Hobart had a similar great slate of wins out of conference against solid teams but narrowly missed out on the LL tournament and did not get into the NCAA's. RPI's loss to RIT is a major downer and now they are going to have to not lose another game in conference

[deutschfan]

Mr. Right:  You are right about RPI and that goes for SLU as well.  If either of those teams takes another loss before the Liberty League Tourney, and it is inevitable that one will unless their head to head is a tie, then another loss in the Liberty League tourney probably dooms them.  Interesting take by Saint on SLU strategy of playing everyone.  If it costs them games then it is an all or nothing proposition.  With their pre-season SOS don't believe the SLU mystique will get them a Pool C bid this year.

[Mr.Right]

I cannot imagine a coach not playing his best 11 against EVERY team. It makes no sense to me at all. One of the SLU supporters mentioned he played a whole different line-up against SUNY Potsdam and lost. This is absolutely ridiculous. Start your best 11 and then get a 1 or 2 goal lead then you use your bench

[1970s NESCAC Player]

D-fan, as you suggest, it means nothing to "build a team" if it comes at the cost of missing the conference tournament.  Playing everyone should be reserved for non-conference games.

[stlawus]

I cannot imagine a coach not playing his best 11 against EVERY team. It makes no sense to me at all. One of the SLU supporters mentioned he played a whole different line-up against SUNY Potsdam and lost. This is absolutely ridiculous. Start your best 11 and then get a 1 or 2 goal lead then you use your bench

Agreed.  I can definitely see where he's coming from in trying to experiment with lineups.  However, the backbone of last year's squad is still there so I'm not entirely sure what there is to drastically change.  He's a new coach obviously and wants his own style but things have been working well enough with the core group of guys on the team.  As I've mentioned before, injuries are definitely disrupting things a bit but I'm still confused at the lineup that was fielded against Potsdam.  There's a not so subtle four way rivalry between all 4 schools in the area (SLU, Clarkson, SUNY Canton, SUNY Potsdam) and if anything it would have been important to field the best team to maintain the bragging rights. 

[deutschfan]

Ok all you pundits--What are the predictions for the three most compelling Liberty League games this week:  Union v. RPI; Hobart v. St. Lawrence; and Vassar v. Skidmore?  My takes are that even though RPI's 10 game unbeaten streak was total overachievement, they will prevail at Union as it is, incredibly, now a must game for RPI having lost to a bottom third team and RPI will benefit from the rigors of its SOS as opposed to padding stats with Albany Pharmacy.  Crazily, Hobart v. St. Lawrence is a must game for both, but especially for Hobart.  A Hobart loss or tie likely means no post season.  SLU has had Hobart's number for a long time and wants to re-earn national respect so I pick SLU.  In Vassar v. Skidmore  I lean toward Skidmore.  Having watched the Clarkson-Vassar video Saturday it looks like a battle between Skidmore's excellent defense and Vassar's excellent offense, and I usually give the nod to defense.  That being said, Skidmore hasn't beaten Vassar in a long time including all the years Beek was there.  Thoughts?

[Ommadawn]

Union visits RPI tonight in an important match for both teams that may help answer some of the burning questions such as "Will Union be punished for their weak out-of-conference schedule?" and "Will RPI's fall back to earth after their great start continue?"  I look for the home team to claim a hard-fought 1-0 or 2-0 victory. 

[Mr.Right]

RPI has scored 2 goals in its last 4 games against not the toughest of competition. Both teams MUST win this game. I say 1-0 RPI but they are on thin ice right now.

[Saint of Old]

0-0 tie likely.
Which does nothing for either team.

But still better than a loss.