Liberty League

[stlawus]

Thanks to all for the offers of condolences.


Complete self destruction for SLU today. They were the better team the first half and didn't give Cortland anything but like what often happens in these games, did not bury two good chances.


Completely unnecessary hand ball for the PK, which followed up with an error of old. #5 has good size and foot skills but was a bit shaky at times unfortunately gave the game away with the team's obsession of back passing that doomed the team before Covid.   He knows he made a mistake and I feel for him, definitely a learning moment.  Woelfinger played like a first year, extremely timid on 50/50 balls and was directly responsible for the 3rd goal.

Mogul was the only player who thought that the object of the game was to score goals, as Pijpers had his back to goal all game and continuously dropped to the midfield.

Unless this is a fluke or they clean it up, this squad is in for a rude awakening next weekend in Oneonta. I would normally think pool C chances were done and dusted but since the committee thinks SOS is the only criteria that matters who knows anymore.

[kevdog]

Agree.  I think #5 was in due to his height but he looked very timid when the ball was played to him and his touch was not that good, imo.  i dont't what he was thinking on that 2nd goal.  The PK was just a dumb mistake and to make matters worse made the Saints play with a man down most of the 2nd half.  Not a good recipe arainst a team like Cortland.  The third goal was just a bad pass from Woeflinger.  I can see where he wanted to go but he missed it and the Cortland player buried it in the net. This might hurt SLU chances for at-large bid.  I thought SLU was had more chances in the 1st half.  Mogul hit the crossbar and Lillis just missed after a great run by Mogul.  Diaz continues to be composed and solid back there.  Oliguachhad a nice game until he got tired.  Peacock and Baker also.  It seemed it was very hot and humid in Canton as a lot of the players were getting tired especially if you are a man down.  Hopefully things will get better next week.  They are going to have fine a way to score or it could be a long season. 

[stlawus]

Surprised to see Hobart drop a 3-1 game also, this one to Muhlenberg. League is off to a slow start, but it's happened before. 

I agree with Kevdog about Diaz. He does not play like a first year, he has an air of confidence and swagger about him. The heat wasn't great and there was no cloud cover so the elements could have played a factor for the defense, but the first half they were very sharp.

And again I'd normally think that even though it's 2 games, pool c is over but I can't say that anymore given the fact that the committee doesn't care about losses anymore.

[deutschfan]

Sorry St. Law you came from one funeral to view another at Sandy.  I will let the Saint standard bearers carry the commentary on today's game.  Muhlenberg's humbling of Hobart just demonstrates what a sad state Keuka soccer is in.  I am totally on the Bard band wagon now.  They were cracking shots from way out today like defender Kotlowitz's bomb after two dribbles about 35 yards out for the game winner.  Both weekly honors should go to a Bard player.  Ibrahim and Pastor-Valverde's brace, and Keker's hat trick generated more points than any Bard player but the goals were meaningless in their respective games.  Moreover, besides being at the top of the LL table right now, Bard has the bestest team photo with everyone smiling, and two of the prettiest coeds (hope the word coed is still politically correct) acting as support staff.  Who wouldn't want to play at a school where the players are happy, the staff is beautiful, Chevy Chase is an alum, and you are on the Hudson.  No wonder west coast players are looking to come to Bard.  Speaking of west coast, Duncan Keker enters some rarified air at Vassar with his hat trick joining in the past decade Nano Pereira, Tom Wiechert, and Mattie Mrlik.  All of these players are Californians.  My Vassar trivia for the day.  One other thing about Vassar's 8-0 win over undermanned Mount Saint Mary's, why is the coaching staff letting players take shots in a 7-0 contest with less than 10 seconds left in a game?  Nearby Mount Saint Mary will carry a grudge for oh, about a century.

[stlawus]

I was actually going through Bard Soccer's instagram account and a few months ago there was a pic of Kostecky and Chevy Chase at an alumni event.  Maybe they are actually using him as a recruiting pitch lol.  Certainly wouldn't hurt to try.  A competitive Bard team would do wonders for the league's strength of schedule. 

[d3d3d3]

Chevy Chase not only attended Bard, but he was on the soccer team. A Nov. 2, 1964 clip from the Bard Observer (which I can't attach because it says the uploads folder is full) says he scored twice in a 7-5 loss to Marist, and scored the only goal in a 4-1 loss to Union early in the season that fall.

(The clip says Bard lost its first four games to Nyack Missionary College, Marist, Union and Army JV. Hartwick was next on the schedule.)

That said, seeing him at graduation this spring was unusual. He's never been a big donor, but one of his homes is in Woodstock, which is 10 miles from the Bard campus, so maybe there's hope with that relationship.

Another pair of guys who didn't want to come back to Bard? Donald Fagan and Walter Becker of Steely Dan. When they were undergraduates, they formed a band called "The Leather Canary," and their drummer was ... Chevy Chase.

It's true:
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/how-chevy-chase-almost-became-steely-dans-drummer/

[Saint_Dad]

Soccer is a game of inches and capitalizing on mistakes.  SLU missed two goals in the first half by inches.  Perhaps the scorcher by Mogul off the top post actually bounced in the goal and then out.  And the Owen Lillis shot set up with some fancy footwork and good vision by Mogul beat the goalie but missed by a couple of inches. Could easily have been 2-0 at the half.  In the second half, Mogul tried to take things into his own hands with a great run from the left byline, winning a penalty kick and connecting on it.  It was after that when Cortland capitalized on three SLU mistakes.  Handball in the box for a red card penalty kick.  Played a man down for 40 minutes in the heat.  Weak back pass to Woelfinger, and then a Woelfinger pass to the opposition.  Each mistake built on the previous.  This shows how these games can be decided by an inch here and a mistake there.  Both went against SLU today.  Hopefully SLU will find another scoring threat besides Mogul.  The other 4 forwards have a total of 3 shots in the first two games.  Mogul has 9.  Maybe Mcdougald.  Big weekend coming up. 

[Racoon72]

A very interesting start to the Liberty League season!  The results of several games came down to a handful of unfortunate miscues.  I believe discipline and decision making "in the moment" will play a major factor in the standings this year.  Red cards by emotion players, can ruin the momentum of even the best team.  Defensive miscues can be very demoralizing to offenses trying to mount a comeback.  Hopefully all Liberty teams will learn from the mistakes of their fellow league players and the rest of the season will provide competitive contests filled with spectacular goals and saves!

[stlawus]

3-0 night for the League.  Union's 3-1 win over WNEU the best by far.  WNEU are a perennially competitive team and were CCC finalists last season.  Time will tell if Union has improved but a reasonably close performance against Oneonta and 3-1 win tonight is a good start. 

Vassar has drubbed who they were supposed to thus far, need to see more of them against better competition.

Clarkson will certainly take their 1-0 win over Morrisville given how dominating they were through the run of play. Their goal bounced off of 2 or 3 Morrisville defenders as well as the keeper, but a goal is a goal.  The Golden Knights were unlucky to not bury a few more.  Gotta win the games you're supposed to which Clarkson did.

SLU might feel a little better about the Cortland game after Cortland smokes Manhattanville tonight.  SLU was in control of that game until the red card.  I might just be coping though.

[brewer_faithful]

This Vassar team is back on track. After a disappointing game to open up against West Conn - these boys have put up 13 goals in two games. As others said results need to come against better opponents so this weekends game should be a good test. Very excited to see how the boys do in the coming weeks before conference games start.

[stlawus]

Was looking forward to watching Bard tonight but it seems lightening had other ideas.

[Caz Bombers]

Was looking forward to watching Bard tonight but it seems lightening had other ideas.

I live just over the river from Bard and this was one of the most intense lightning storms I've ever seen here. They couldn't have even started until maybe an hour from now (9:07 pm as I post) if they were lucky, and there may have been storm damage to contend with.

[Saint_Dad]

I see that Marvin Sibanda did not turn pro and is using his final year of eligibility to play at Oklahoma Wesleyan, an NAIA division 1 school ranked in the top 20.  I wish him the best.

[Saint of Old]

I see that Marvin Sibanda did not turn pro and is using his final year of eligibility to play at Oklahoma Wesleyan, an NAIA division 1 school ranked in the top 20.  I wish him the best.

My man has started all three games and has already registered an assist.
Crazy how a player can spend only  3/4 of his eligibility at a storied program and still leave firmly entrenched in the #SLUGOAT debate.

Wish him all the best.

[kevdog]

I am glad that Sibanda is doing well.  Wish he use that last year of eligibilty to play for SLU but understand that he needs to move on.  Hope Tosh can find that next great player or someone needs to step it up.  It seems they always find that player who above everyone else.