Liberty League

[Saint of Old]

Oops, hit post too quickly.  Saint, I love your insights and dedication to the LL and SLU.  I agree with you about 90% of the time  Your assessment that SLU's freshman of the year for 2015 has been the best player in the league for the past two seasons is the epitome of overrating.  The best two players in the league the past two years were defenders, Copeland and Oyeniyi, both who received All-American recognition, and rightly so, even though they had ignominious exits from D3 soccer with Copeland getting a late red against Haverford in the NCAAs and Oyeniyi committing the late foul in the box that gave Vassar the league title last year.  The best midfielder in the league in 2016 did not only generate a single assist with no goals in 8 league games and then get shutout in the NCAAs.  Dede wasn't even the best mid-fielder on his team based on his coach and other NSCAA coaches naming another SLU midfielder All-Region.  The second, third, and fourth best players in the league last year were a midfielder and forward for Vassar, and an RPI forward who won player of the year.  Brandell was actually the best player on SLU last year and he was nowhere close to being the best player in the league.   

Ha.
I love arguing soccer with  people like yourself who are knowledgeable.
I recall back in 2002-3 I had a hours long conversation with a fellow Saint whether Ronaldinho or Zidane was the better player.
Oyeniyi was a stud and deserved all-American.

I love big Harry Copeland, a great Saint.
he was a new model  Laird who was Brilliant and in this current crop Dorney is cut from a similar fabric as well.
Unknown to many Durocher has a cloning machine hidden in his office 


We can agree to disagree on this one.
The beautiful thing is that we have a year or two of pitch performance to possibly reassess our original analysis.

As for All-American accolades, I never judge players based on what all star teams they make, unlike yeas past, most games are online and we can make our judgment based on the eye test. The only real way to do it fairly.

[Mr.Right]

Pretty decisive win for Skidmore v Plattsburgh St 3-0 yesterday. That game is usually a defensive toss-up but looks like Okoye netted 2. Okoye and Santos will have to carry them all season and hope neither gets injured.

[d3d3d3]

Vassar and Bard fall from the ranks of the unbeaten ...

[Ommadawn]

RPI over Rhode Island College 3-2 with a late PK to seal the match.

[stlawus]

And the nightmare start to the SLU season continues.  Giving away another awful penalty in the opening 10 minutes against Oneonta.  Defending on this team is non-existent.

[stlawus]

Outside of that awful penalty I would actually say SLU had the upper hand in the first half.  Should have put at least one away.  Oneonta is outplaying them where it matters though, the scoreboard.

[stlawus]

Coach Tosh sums up my feelings about this ref perfectly: "You're having a nightmare".  I don't like to complain about officiating too much but this guy is missing obvious calls.

[stlawus]

And that should do it.  Oneonta goes up 2-0 on a set piece.  This is what happens when you have no final third product and squander chance after chance.  Can't remember the last time it took 2 weekends for this program to get its first win. 

[Mr.Right]

And that should do it.  Oneonta goes up 2-0 on a set piece.  This is what happens when you have no final third product and squander chance after chance.  Can't remember the last time it took 2 weekends for this program to get its first win.

Have they switched GK's yet? How about the backline? You would know better than I but MOST coaches would start to tap on the panic button and move players around. Absolutely making sure your most athletic / skilled / tough players were in the spine. I only saw the Wheaton game but the GK'ing in that game was not good. The defending certainly did not help either as I thought it was non-existent in that game. i will say they dominated Wheaton the first 20 minutes of that game but could not finish. They obviously put 5 away so they were finishing in that game but Wheaton's defense was just as horrid in that game. I assume you played for Durocher? What would he do?

[stlawus]

No changes made in SLU's lineup in today's game against Rhode Island.  Comfortable 4-0 win.  The chances they had the capitalized on.  RIC is no Oneonta, but it was nice to see them get their first win at least.  Dorney the big CB got in on the action much like his predecessor Copeland used to do.  Another tough road weekend next week against Oswego and Cortland.

[Saint of Old]

And that should do it.  Oneonta goes up 2-0 on a set piece.  This is what happens when you have no final third product and squander chance after chance.  Can't remember the last time it took 2 weekends for this program to get its first win.

Have they switched GK's yet? How about the backline? You would know better than I but MOST coaches would start to tap on the panic button and move players around. Absolutely making sure your most athletic / skilled / tough players were in the spine. I only saw the Wheaton game but the GK'ing in that game was not good. The defending certainly did not help either as I thought it was non-existent in that game. i will say they dominated Wheaton the first 20 minutes of that game but could not finish. They obviously put 5 away so they were finishing in that game but Wheaton's defense was just as horrid in that game. I assume you played for Durocher? What would he do?

Panic may just have been averter Mr. Right, but not in my opinion.
You make some great points there.
Having played, I wont ever say any player should be switched out, but I will say, players should get a chance to grab an opportunity if the guys infront of them are not performing as they should.

What would Durocher do?

I think that Durocher would have this group making a deep run in the NCAA with the talent on the team.
Coach Tosh may still be able to do that as well.

What Durocher did better than any coach I ever had was that he always made sure each and every player on the team knew their role on the team. His secret was that he knew each of his players really well even on a personal level.

Besides a few of the boyz, I'm not convinced each player on the Saints know their role inside out at this point...

I still have faith in Tosh, he is a great Coach, he knows more than anyone the type of pressure that comes from Coaching SLU and I am sure he went in with eyes wide open.

The team has to start playing better.
If I am not mistaken, they have outshot all 4 opponents despite having a losing record.
Someone must step up to be the consistent scorer the team needs.
Back to back wins next week and the season looks a whole lot different.

For stretches of the game yesterday, I actually thought the boys dominated Oneonta, but they were dominated on the scoreboard where it counts. Finding a scoring threat (Hope you see this #9, #14, #22) will help solve that problem.

Finally the team must tighten up in the back.
Giving up 3 goals or more each in the first 3 games just wont cut it.
Normally at SLU, players who don't play defense don't play.
Team gave up 4 goals total  in 2000 and 2011 for the entire season and gave up 5 to Wheaton last weekend.

Apologies for the rant from a has been, but improvement is needed and it falls on the shoulders of the team to give 100% and represent the crest.

These 4 years go faster than you think.

[stlawus]

I agree about yesterday's game.  I actually thought they outplayed Oneonta for the most part.  Oneonta is a possession team like SLU, but SLU took them out of that element and had them playing the counter more than Byrne would have liked.  They missed a few point blank goals and had lapses on set pieces.  Oneonta just put away the chances they had.  The talent is there, as seen by yesterday's numerous chances against a great team.  I think Tosh is still trying to find his sea legs. 

[Mr.Right]

RPI up 1-0 over Oneonta at the Half. I am going to guess RPI has 1 shot and 1 goal and Oneonta is all over them but cannot finish. Adam Clinton and RPI have for years found ways to get results against better teams. We will see if they can hold on to the victory or even a draw would really look nice come November. RPI will face off against Williams on Wednesday night at home.

[Mr.Right]

Right on cue...Oneonta ties it up 1-1 55th minute....

[deutschfan]

Notes on the scorecard after second week where no Liberty League team has yet to win a statement game (in order of last year's finish): 1) Vassar--teams have learned to double Mrlik and let the rest of the team beat them, in two games the other Vassar X could not; 2) Skidmore--for second year in a row probably has the best player in the league (sorry Saint but I did note that your vote for best player received honor roll recognition for a meaningless assist in a blowout win after a 3-0 beat down); 3) Hobart--most likely the best team in the country without a win after outplaying Brandeis in a loss even at a man down and tying Rochester; 4) RPI--Mr. Right was right, managed to get a goal against run of play against Oneonta but was outclassed with no real dangerous player; 5) SLU--still needs help on both ends despite leading the league in goals scored; 6) Union--could Mr. Right use his magic and calculate an expected strength of schedule?; 7) Clarkson--its long absence from the playoffs is soon to be over; 8) RIT--still vacillates between mediocre and weak; 9) Bard--trouncing by very average Mt. St. Mary's team is indicative of another year looking in from the outside; and Newbie) Ithaca--was impressed by their defense and rate of play in the Brockport game reminding me of the last NYU team that won the UAA based on the strength of its defense and giving fair warning to the league that they are here to play.