2015 NCAA North Region

[dontshootthegoose]

UWW 2-1 Overtime winner against MSOE

Had the chance to watch the game in person, my takeaways:

UWW- still relies on big balls, throw ins, and free kicks. Has more talent in the final third than years past, but lack presence/control in the middle of the field.  Transfer forward, former CCIW newcomer of the the year, Hottsmith is a stud.

MSOE- This would be a mediocre team at best without the Andryk brothers. Their back line is completely suspect and struggles with pressure. Goal keeper is overly aggressive and often found off line. In saying that, they should still be favorites in a very sub-par conference.

Overall, MSOE was not as impressive as last year (losing 8 guys), or as I would of thought. I know they are central region, but many opponents out of the north will play them. UWW plays ugly soccer and takes you out of your rhythm, but as we have seen this has proven dangerous for years.

[D3 Scout]

Should be interesting to see how Whitewater can do on the road this weekend up in Minnesota. Their games Friday and Sunday will be the third and fourth games of the season in only a six day stretch.

Sam Novak is coming off an injury he picked up in preseason and missed the first game of the year as a precaution. Good to see that he was back in the line up against MSOE. Once he gets into his groove it should be interesting to see how him and Hottsmith work together.

[dontshootthegoose]

Yup with Carleton and St. Olaf.

Think they get by Carleton 3-1, but Olaf will be a true test.

Novak played last night I believe, him + hottsmith + kayser at attacking mid were a scary combo.

[KICKIN95]

Thump thump , that's the sound of the Duhawks putting a hurting on the Oles 2- nil. Oles keeper kept the score from getting out of hand. He made 4 quality saves and 1 was to stop an own goal. 

[Dubuquer]

Got to the St Olaf-Loras game a little late last night and just missed the first goal, but from the rest of the game I have to wonder just how far Luther has fallen if those Oles could beat the my alma mater 4-0.  Yes, it's early in the season (too early to draw any definitive conclusions) but Loras made Olaf look like a very mediocre team. The only Olaf players who stood out for me was Barboza, who had a few moments of individual brilliance, and the keeper who made a couple nice saves to keep the game closer than it appeared. Loras certainly hasn't changed their modus operandi since last year; put some really good athletes on the pitch who play really hard and who have decent individual skill and knock the ball forward as fast as they can and capitalize on set pieces.  I'm a Loras fan by marriage and proximity now but I have to just shake my head in frustration at their lack of patience sometimes.  I saw little evidence of any ability (or inclination) to build from the back or through the midfield which should make the Wheaton game in a few days a nice study in contrasts.

[KICKIN95]

Dubuquer, You will continue to see more of that type of play and it is by design.  "You have to dance with who you brought" and without a true center mid or any holding players on the midfield they are going to press directly forward.  They know their roles and do what they do well and get results.   There have been many arguments on other threads about pretty styles and how ugly some people fond direct attacking styles.  I  personally love to watch build up, knock around styles, but Loras knows their strengths and does well with them.  I  agree it is very frustrating to see the impatience and misses passes,  but I  believe in the coaches and what they need to do to continue to get the wins.

[D3 Scout]

Whitewater continues to impress with a Minnesota sweep this weekend. 2-0 over Carleton and 1-0 over St. Olaf. Hott smith on fire for the Warhawks.

[Dubuquer]

Kickin, I agree that Loras plays the game that suits their players and clearly it's effective.  Rothert isn't trying to force his players to play a style that doesn't suit them and that's the sign of a good coach.  Even when Cavers was around though, they seemed to all too often play over the top when playing through him would have allowed him to work more of his magic.  I enjoy the speed and intensity with which Loras plays and don't mind playing direct, but I just think they would benefit from playing a simple, easy pass to feet on occasion rather than always, always forcing it forward. 

[Puerco Espin]

Even with the style they play matching their personnel, I too have found so far this year that it seems like they're always in a rush to boot it forward, even if they might not have a mark within 15 yards of them. The system they operate under has proven to be successful, there's no doubting that. However, if there is nothing open downfield, it might do some good to hold onto possession for a few extra seconds to see if something opens up.

[casualfan]

casualfan Rankings after Week 1..

1. Loras 2-0 (Wins over UWO & St. Olaf)
2. UWW 4-0 (Wins over Wisco Luth, MSOE, Carleton, St. Olaf)
3. GAC 3-0 (Wins over Martin Luther, St. Norbert, Viterbo)
4. St. Scholastica 3-0 (Wins over Hamline, Hope, Marian IN)
5. St. Thomas 3-0 (Wins over Northwestern, Elmhurst, Puget Sound WA)
6. Dubuque 2-0-1 (Wins over IL Wesleyan, Hamline. Tied Macalester)
7. Wartburg 1-1-1 (Win over Webster. Tied Macalester. Loss to UWS)
8. UWO 1-1-1 (Win over Southwestern TX. Tied Williamette OR. Loss to Loras)
9. Knox 3-0 (Wins over Blackburn, Concordia Chicago, Edgewood)
10. Lake Forest 2-0 (Wins over Moody Bible, Augustana)

[gustiefan04]

Aren't Knox and Lake Forest in the Central Region?

[casualfan]

Nope, not sure how they determine which region but they're in the Midwest Conference which is based in Wisconsin/Iowa/Illinois and the MWC is included in the North.

[gustiefan04]

I don't think region is determined by conference affiliation. For example the UAA has teams across multiple regions.

[casualfan]

http://d3soccer.com/teams/region/north-men

You do make a good point with the UAA. Perhaps that conference is different due to the schools being located all over the country? Not entirely sure.

[Flying Weasel]

The base rule is that all teams in a conference be assigned to the same region even if a few might otherwise be located in a different region.  They make a few exceptions--those being the UAA, GSAC (women only), and the NEAC.

The MWC being in the North Region is as much an attempt to balance the number of teams in each region as it is geography.