2014 D3 Season: National Perspective

[Mr.Right]

Muhlenberg v Tufts will be an interesting match up I assume at Messiah. Muhlenberg should get a good scouting report from Dickinson coach.

[oldonionbag]

Unfamiliar with Muhlenberg...what should I be watching for/can anyone give me a quick rundown? Thanks!

[Flying Weasel]

Muhlenberg v Tufts will be an interesting match up I assume at Messiah. Muhlenberg should get a good scouting report from Dickinson coach.

Being an even numbered year, if the Messiah women win tonight they would have hosting priority at the Sectional stage of the tournament.  So the Messiah men would look to be going on the road, probably to Muhlenberg or Cortland St. I would imagine.

[Mr.Right]

Live Table:

UAA-           3-2-0     Chicago falls at Wartburg. What a difference a day makes. From blizzard to sun at Wartburg.      Brandeis and UR at 5pm   
Nescac        4-0-1     Bowdoin at 5pm    2  possibly 3 teams in Sweet 16
Centennial   2-1-1      F&m at 5pm          1 possibly 2 teams in Sweet 16
Sunyac        3-1-0      2 teams in Sweet 16
Newmac       1-3-0     Heavily over ranked tams in Regional ranking.

[Mr.Right]

After seeing Muhlenberg's field lets hope Messiah women lose. I do not think Cortland hosts over Muhlenberg

[Flying Weasel]

After seeing Muhlenberg's field lets hope Messiah women lose. I do not think Cortland hosts over Muhlenberg

What's wrong with Muhlenberg's field?  It's been over a decade since I was last there.  It's a small field, but the condition was fine the times I was there.  The stands are tight to the field and so the crowd can certainly make it's presence felt.  It a nice short drive for the Messiah faithful, so they could even outnumber the Muhlenberg fans. 

Selfishly, I'd prefer Muhlenberg to Cortland for the proximity.  Not sure I'd make the trip up to Cortland due to family priorities, and certainly not both days.  Good memories at Cortland State, though, with my brother and Clarkson beating Plattsburgh St. in PK's in a snowy, sub-freezing first round match in 1993.  If PK's aren't nerve-wracking enough for family and fans, there was a long delay after OT as they decided to move the PK's to an adjacent field for better penalty box conditions.  Also, Clarkson replaced their senior starting GK with a freshman GK who came up huge.  Incredibly both teams took 17 PK's (if memory serves) to decide who'd advance.  Can't believe that's half a lifetime ago!

[Mr.Right]

After seeing Muhlenberg's field on video it looks to be narrow(which Tufts would be used to) and it looks to be the old turf.  Their video quality is NOT good and borderline horrible so I could be wrong but the video issue would be another problem

[Mr.Right]

1993 Clarkson made the final four. I thought they were good but they were the weaker of the 4 schools there. It is a hockey school after all. I love the old stories with bad facilities and fields and refs moving PK's to another field. VIP tents and host schools etc etc.

[Flying Weasel]

After seeing Muhlenberg's field on video it looks to be narrow(which Tufts would be used to) and it looks to be the old turf.  Their video quality is NOT good and borderline horrible so I could be wrong but the video issue would be another problem

Small, narrow fits what I remember.  Was grass last I knew, but as I said, a decade plus since I would have last been there.  Video quality doesn't matter if I can be there in person!!!  Just kidding!  I understand how frustrating that can be, especially for family and fans that can't make it there in person as well as for the neutrals who want to follow the game.

[Flying Weasel]

1993 Clarkson made the final four. I thought they were good but they were the weaker of the 4 schools there. It is a hockey school after all. I love the old stories with bad facilities and fields and refs moving PK's to another field. VIP tents and host schools etc etc.

Yeah, after Thanksgiving Day and without sleeping at all I made the through-the-night drive from south central PA up to Williamstown, MA arriving at about 6 am, parking and falling asleep in the car until closer to game time.  Frooze my butt off in snow flurries for the third straight weekend, and since Clarkson didn't win, ate lunch and headed right back to PA.  Six or so hours up with some stops to wake up, nap, game, lunch, and the drive back all in about 20 total hours.  Uggh!  Thus started and cemented my "hatred" of Williams (they had knocked off my alma mater Messiah in the quarterfinals the prior weekend).  Clarkson certainly was the team that was crashing the party, but it was a pretty darn good team.  They earned their place there beating Plattsburgh St. and Cortland St. and then Rowan back when they were still a powerhouse, but they weren't quite up to Williams standard but I'm guessing few were that year.  That year's run got the soccer team some attention, but, yes, Division I hockey is king at a place like Clarkson for sure. 

[Flying Weasel]

Wonder if that equalizing goal for F&M will get them going after a lack-lustre tournament opener and early concession today.  With the 2-goal loss to Haverford in the Centennial semifinals, it's been a while since the Diplomats have been playing the way that got them to 15-0-2.

[Cheesehead Henry]

IIAC 2-0-1 going into tonight's Loras vs. GAC game (One of those ties Wartburg won on PKs vs MSOE). Should be an interesting game in Dubuque for sure!

The possibility of a quadrant of the sweet sixteen with Loras, Trinity, Wartburg, and Wheaton sounds too good to be true!

[Mr.Right]

Sorry I will include the IIAC in my next table..

Bowdooin v Brandeis is a 0-0 match with about 10 minutes left in 1st half. Brandeis might get thru this one bur take them off the carpet they will be suspect. Also, 3 backs will not work in the NCAA later rounds. They will get burned eventually

[PaulNewman]

Driving with poor connection so cant  give full report yet but wild day in Gambier and Kenyon fortunate to survive vs Th More who again played their hearts out in a poorly officiated game.  #6 for TMC has the most impressive work rate of any player I've seen in D3. And his throwins were more dangerous than corners. He must have had at least 12 throws on a rope deep into the box.  Kenyon did outplay them for most of 2nd half but game obviously could have gone either way and Th More will be heard from again. Kenyon had couple of injuries that didnt help but they did come through in PKs. After game someone told me #6 was a NCSAA all american as a soph.

[Falconer]

Every so often the Falcons have a close first-round game,and today it happened again. Well, ok, it was technically a second-round game, but they hadn't played in 8 days so from their point of view it's the opening round. Should have been at least 2-0 after 10 minutes, but they missed a couple gimmes. Possession was probably 80% Falcons, but as they say it only takes one and they had none until the final 8 minutes. Ko arch scored while falling down in front of the keeper; it was actually a much more difficult shot than some of the ones they missed. Otherwise the Falcons looked sharp, with plenty of hustle. I really wish they could play at home next weekend, but not if it means the women must lose.

Danny Brandt is back from missing a few weeks with a bad ankle. Freshman Colby Thomas started in his place again and played very well, but it's great to have Danny back. IMO the game could actually have been won earlier,when Thomas was in for Payne at target, by sending a couple of balls into the box over the defense, instead of doing the usual Messiah buildup and having the target play it back a few times. Thomas is quicker than it appears, based on how he's being used--indeed he might even be as fast as kovach, who's been the speed merchant these past four years. To be frank, I suspect his teammates don't quite realize yet just how quick--and how good overall--he really is. The back line for Morrisville has good speed, but Thomas can burn even quick defenders, especially when they play him tight outside the box and give him an open field behind them. Don't be surprised if he starts taking what's being given, and scores one or two big goals the rest of the way. He might not be a goalkeeper, but he's a keeper. He'd start at target or wing for absolutely any other team I've seen this year. I predict he leads the Falcons in scoring for the next 3 years.