2015 D3 Season: NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

[TennesseeJed]

OWU 3-0 vs Wabash. Schaefer w/ a hat trick.   I'd say that this represents the beginning of a strong trend for OWU, following on the 5-0 victory last week at Capital. Too bad the game went off early. I had planned to watch after Kenyon and depauw.

Cortland st trounces Potsdam st. 4-0.  Big upset!
Cmu battles back in 2h to avoid shutout by Brandeis after 3-0 1h finish.

[PaulNewman]

Well, #1 lasted all of 4 days.  DePauw wins it w 8 secs left in 1st OT very much against run of play but field was so poor you could see that this might happen.  I'll have more to add after I stop hitting my head against the wall.

[Nutmeg]

Well, #1 lasted all of 4 days.  DePauw wins it w 8 secs left in 1st OT very much against run of play but field was so poor you could see that this might happen.  I'll have more to add after I stop hitting my head against the wall.

Take some Aleve. That was Kenyon's first test. They can bounce back

[Mr.Right]

Well, #1 lasted all of 4 days.  DePauw wins it w 8 secs left in 1st OT very much against run of play but field was so poor you could see that this might happen.  I'll have more to add after I stop hitting my head against the wall.

DePauw now has some excellent results against soon to be regionally ranked opponents. Just looking at their resume they have Pool C if not AQ written all over as long as they take care of business against the teams they should beat. If OWU wins the conference tournament you are looking at 3 if not 4 teams out of the NCAC for the NCAA's

[Mr.Right]

NCAC,

I thought you wanted them to lose a game or two before the NCAA's....Usually this will help teams re-focus and get their team goals in order.

[PaulNewman]

Well, #1 lasted all of 4 days.  DePauw wins it w 8 secs left in 1st OT very much against run of play but field was so poor you could see that this might happen.  I'll have more to add after I stop hitting my head against the wall.

Take some Aleve. That was Kenyon's first test. They can bounce back

Haha, Aleve ain't gonna get it done.  Only reason ball was even in DPU's end was because of total blown call for a throw in a minute later and then DPU wins it off a throw in that I think actually bounced first before kid headed it in.  Amolo ticked the ref off in first minutes of game and would not get a call the rest of the game.  Love the kid but he's got to grow up and and just stay laser focused on the task at hand.  The footing was terrible which impacted both teams but Kenyon dominated possession and was in DPU end most of the game.  Occasionally DPU would have a half-chance on the counter.  Even with poor conditions Kenyon had enough chances to win and just didn't finish one in regulation.  Now another week before they play again, which is at Wooster and so really nothing going their way in terms of being truly ready for the bigger games.  DPU will enjoy a wonderful ride back to Greencastle.  At least I love Brad Stevens lol.

[Nutmeg]

Well, #1 lasted all of 4 days.  DePauw wins it w 8 secs left in 1st OT very much against run of play but field was so poor you could see that this might happen.  I'll have more to add after I stop hitting my head against the wall.

Take some Aleve. That was Kenyon's first test. They can bounce back

Maybe some good whiskey then.....

Haha, Aleve ain't gonna get it done.  Only reason ball was even in DPU's end was because of total blown call for a throw in a minute later and then DPU wins it off a throw in that I think actually bounced first before kid headed it in.  Amolo ticked the ref off in first minutes of game and would not get a call the rest of the game.  Love the kid but he's got to grow up and and just stay laser focused on the task at hand.  The footing was terrible which impacted both teams but Kenyon dominated possession and was in DPU end most of the game.  Occasionally DPU would have a half-chance on the counter.  Even with poor conditions Kenyon had enough chances to win and just didn't finish one in regulation.  Now another week before they play again, which is at Wooster and so really nothing going their way in terms of being truly ready for the bigger games.  DPU will enjoy a wonderful ride back to Greencastle.  At least I love Brad Stevens lol.

[PaulNewman]

NCAC,

I thought you wanted them to lose a game or two before the NCAA's....Usually this will help teams re-focus and get their team goals in order.

Didn't want them to lose.  Just didn't want them to be overhyped.  And definitely wanted the Case game win or lose to be ready today.  They've handed the regular season to OWU YET. AGAIN.  And CANNOT lose home games in a tight conference race. 

[PaulNewman]

Yep, Nutmeg, maybe I can get the whiskey from Tennessee Jed.  Sounds like a good bet!

[Falconer]

Falcons defeat Hood 3-1, playing very well on both ends. Hood's top scorer (came in with 15 goals, you read that correctly) got only 2 shots (I think), one of which was blocked by the defense. There is some evidence that they are starting to right the ship, starting with the second half vs Etown on Wednesday, which Messiah wholly dominated but failed to score (this is a common scenario for them this fall, going back to the scoreless game vs Gettysburg that they also totally dominated.

I agree with the analysis here that they will need to play their way into the tournament this year, given that they already have 4 blemishes and zero quality wins. I hope the last 3 halves will give them a real head of steam that doesn't run out of fuel the rest of the way. It's an extraordinarily young team for the Falcons, who almost never started 4 or 5 freshman in the past (it might have happened a few times with the first championship class in the late 1990s). We'll see.

The best Falcon on the field most of the time has been outside defender Jocob Bender. A defensive bulwark on the right side, he's also probably the second best attacker. He doesn't usually get to shoot, but more than 70% of his shots are on frame, including a wonderful free kick from far out early in the season. He's so shifty and skilled with the ball and comes way forward, not just on overlapping runs but also during buildups in the center of the field. In the second half vs Etown, I noticed that he was at least once or twice the closest Falcon to Etown's goal. If he keeps playing this well, I would not be surprised to see him get some AA nominations, even though with the Falcons in a down year I doubt he'd actually be named one. I cannot recall seeing a Falcon outside defender ever play as well as he's playing this year.

[Flying Weasel]

And Kean goes up 1-0 on Rutgers-Camden early in 2nd half.  Kean is 10-1-0 and 2-0-0 in the NJAC.  If they hold on (lots of time though), they're sitting at 11-1-0 overall and 3-0-0 and tied top of the NJAC.  Very suspect schedule to date with loss to a sub .500 Swarthmore, meant not taking them too seriously to date, but that might have to change.

And should add  that Kean is outshooting RUC 18-7, SOG 8-5 edge.

[Flying Weasel]

Make that 2-0 for Kean.  This is just a crazy season.  Parity and/or inconsistency on steroids!

[blooter442]

Make that 2-0 for Kean.  This is just a crazy season.  Parity and/or inconsistency on steroids!

Whatever it is, at least it's entertaining!

[Saint of Old]

Too big to fail is a thing of the past in D3 soccer.

[Mr.Right]

Make that 2-0 for Kean.  This is just a crazy season.  Parity and/or inconsistency on steroids!

Wind is a MAJOR factor in this game. Kean must have a 40mph wind at their back