UAA 2015

[NERevs127]

Have to agree with Mr. Right and blooter's analysis of the MIT/Brandeis game and the scoring dilemma's in the Brandeis Offense. I was very surprised to see the midfield battled won by MIT as I thought the Brandes midfield had been dominant in every game I've watched this season. MIT's defense looked very strong as a whole. They were getting 10 men behind the ball and containing for most of the game, not jumping in or trying to make unnecessary tackles. Might be why they have 9 Shutouts on the season and only given up 3 goals (all to Roger Williams). MIT is a strong team that could potentially be a Sweet 16 team come tourney time. They do have the bulk of their big games left on their schedule with Wheaton, MA-Boston, WPI and they even threw non-conference end of the season game with Stevens on there. They're my favorite to win the NEWMAC.

The injuries to Evan Jastremski and Brandon Miskin are not helping Brandeis' case in trying to find a go to goal scorer. They have had great goal scorers in the past few years with Savonen, Soboff and Sam Ocel all graduating the last two seasons. With that being said someone is going to need to step up for them during the UAA games coming up on their schedule. Defense wins championships but you can't win without putting the ball in the net

[Mr.Right]

HAHA...I have no idea how Stevens and MIT got that end of the year game in but it could be big for both. I DO NOT think MIT is a Sweet 16 team. I think they will be on the bubble to begin with.

[blooter442]

HAHA...I have no idea how Stevens and MIT got that end of the year game in but it could be big for both. I DO NOT think MIT is a Sweet 16 team. I think they will be on the bubble to begin with.

I would have agreed with MIT as a "bubble team" before yesterday, although I think based on what I saw last night they have an excellent chance to win the NEWMAC if they can play like that against WPI. Stevens will be a great test. Then again, even with a great draw last night, they did lose to Roger Williams. Could have been just a one-time freak result, but I'd say it's a poor result giving the two teams' contrasting fortunes. Whether it's an indication of MIT's talent, I don't know.

Not sure about Brandeis at this point but I think they are, barring a major collapse, probably an NCAA team, and could get back to the Sweet 16 - they've gotten good draws at home the past few years and if they're in the top 20 then I think they'd host those rounds as well.

To be fair to MIT - even though Brandeis has been the better side in terms of ranking, etc. the last four years - the Engineers have given the Judges fits. 2011 was 1-0 until the last second and ended 2-0. 2012 was a 4-3 OT victory. 2013 was a 2-1 OT victory. 2014 was a 1-0 game. I certainly don't think MIT came for a draw last night, but a draw was probably the right result, maybe even MIT was slightly unlucky to not get the W.

I'd say if MIT gets to NCAAs they are potentially a Sweet 16 team, but probably more realistically Round of 32. Then again they lost to WNE the last time they made it (2013) in a game I surely thought they'd win, so it would all depend on the draw.

[Mr.Right]

I did not see the 1st half so I cannot comment on MIT's motives. Coven has played MIT and Babson for YEARS and actually he plays the whole NEWMAC except Coast Guard I believe. If I were Coven that is a team I DO NOT need to be facing out of conference. Tufts is different as Tufts will allow you to play and Brandeis can play without either team sitting in defensively. Brandeis sees enough good teams especially this year that the MIT game if they are going to sit in and whack is a game I would consider dropping.

[nw_ds]

From what I know Brandeis-MIT play pretty much just for historic reasons. You're right that playing a team that just sits back and digs in isn't that helpful (From what I saw on the feed MIT was not doing this nearly as much as some teams do when they play Brandeis). The problem is if you drop them who do you replace them with? Brandeis swapping MIT for something like a Wentworth or a Colby-Sawyer really does nothing for them in terms of preparing for November. Of course it will help them pad their record and stats a bit but I'm pretty sure Coven and Gabe could care less about that. At this point they're trying to break through to that next level and win a national championship, and I think that the fact that this year they scheduled one of if not the hardest schedule in the country reflects that. If they end up missing the tournament because they scheduled too many hard games and not enough cupcakes, then they likely aren't a true contender anyways.

[DagarmanSpartan]

Well, tying Oberlin was a disappointment, but at least we didn't lose.  Let's hope for more conference wins!

[NERevs127]

UAA Pick'Em - Home Team listed first

Saturday 10/10
Rochester 0-1 Chicago - Neither team playing necessarily well at the moment. Rochester hasn't been playing well all season IMO
Emory 1-1 Wash U - If this game was played anywhere besides Emory I would give Wash U the nod
Carnegie 3-0 NYU - Easiest pick as NYU is having a down year and Carnegie is looking for bounce back in the UAA

Sunday 10/11
Case Western 0-1 Brandeis - Game of the Week - Identical 9-1-1 records both coming off non-conference ties mid-week. I don't see Case being able to Score on Brandeis but with Brandeis' scoring problems this could easily be a 0-0 draw

[Mid-Atlantic Fan]

UR 1
Chicago 0

Emory 2
Was. U 3

CMU 3
NYU 1

Brandeis 1
CW 2

[Mr.Right]

I forgot to mention I also noticed how Brandeis defended corners against MIT. They were zonal defending which I do not like as it can lead to defenders oleying the ball to the "supposed" next defender. Basically some teams can get complacent zoning, others find the opposite as man to man can cause problems if the wrong defender at the wrong time is caught napping. I did not know if Brandeis usually zones on defensive corners or if it was just for MIT's size difference. I plan on catching that Sunday UAA game if the stream from Case is watchable.

[Mr.Right]

UAA Pick'Em - Home Team listed first

Saturday 10/10
Rochester 0-1 Chicago - Neither team playing necessarily well at the moment. Rochester hasn't been playing well all season IMO
Emory 1-1 Wash U - If this game was played anywhere besides Emory I would give Wash U the nod
Carnegie 3-0 NYU - Easiest pick as NYU is having a down year and Carnegie is looking for bounce back in the UAA

Sunday 10/11
Case Western 0-1 Brandeis - Game of the Week - Identical 9-1-1 records both coming off non-conference ties mid-week. I don't see Case being able to Score on Brandeis but with Brandeis' scoring problems this could easily be a 0-0 draw

This is hard as I have only seen Brandeis twice and CMU once but I'll guess:

Rochester v Chicago----0-1                                         I remember watching Chicago last year a couple times in the regular season but I missed their NCAA exit. I really liked the way they played Loras last year, even though they lost 3-2 they were attacking and attacking and along with Loras doing the same it was one of the more entertaining games I saw in 2014. Now I have no idea who graduated and who is injured or anything but 4 shutouts in the UAA last season is impressive.

Emory v Wash U-------0-0                                   Whenever I tune into an Emory game I usually come away disappointed at how over inflated their ranking is as the ranking never matches what I am watching on the field. The 1 game I was impressed with was in 2013 v Brandeis where I think they beat a Solid Brandeis side 2-0 on the heels of a Friday-Sunday for Brandeis. I have no clue about Wash U, but like Nescac there are teams that just tie to many games. This league has Wash U and Rochester.

CMU  v NYU------------2-0                                      I saw NYU once last season and was not impressed. I really like CMU last year but I missed the game v Brandeis this year.

Sunday:

Case v Brandeis-------0-0                                    I cannot properly predict this game as I have not seen Case this year. More on this one later

[TennesseeJed]

UAA Pick'Em - Home Team listed first

Saturday 10/10
Rochester 0-1 Chicago - Neither team playing necessarily well at the moment. Rochester hasn't been playing well all season IMO
Emory 1-1 Wash U - If this game was played anywhere besides Emory I would give Wash U the nod
Carnegie 3-0 NYU - Easiest pick as NYU is having a down year and Carnegie is looking for bounce back in the UAA

Sunday 10/11
Case Western 0-1 Brandeis - Game of the Week - Identical 9-1-1 records both coming off non-conference ties mid-week. I don't see Case being able to Score on Brandeis but with Brandeis' scoring problems this could easily be a 0-0 draw

This is hard as I have only seen Brandeis twice and CMU once but I'll guess:

Rochester v Chicago----0-1                                         I remember watching Chicago last year a couple times in the regular season but I missed their NCAA exit. I really liked the way they played Loras last year, even though they lost 3-2 they were attacking and attacking and along with Loras doing the same it was one of the more entertaining games I saw in 2014. Now I have no idea who graduated and who is injured or anything but 4 shutouts in the UAA last season is impressive.

Emory v Wash U-------0-0                                   Whenever I tune into an Emory game I usually come away disappointed at how over inflated their ranking is as the ranking never matches what I am watching on the field. The 1 game I was impressed with was in 2013 v Brandeis where I think they beat a Solid Brandeis side 2-0 on the heels of a Friday-Sunday for Brandeis. I have no clue about Wash U, but like Nescac there are teams that just tie to many games. This league has Wash U and Rochester.

CMU  v NYU------------2-0                                      I saw NYU once last season and was not impressed. I really like CMU last year but I missed the game v Brandeis this year.

Sunday:

Case v Brandeis-------0-0                                    I cannot properly predict this game as I have not seen Case this year. More on this one later

Rochester vs. Chicago:  1-0   I'm gonna buck the trend here and bet that UoR's momentum carries through this big game at home.  UC hasn't had a strong showing since North Park and RH in mid-Sept.

Emory vs. WashU (StL):  0-1  Really a close 50/50 pick'em as far as I'm concerned.  Emory HFA, but still giving slight nod to WashU.

CMU vs. NYU:  3-1                 Even though CMU hasn't played as strongly as they did earlier in the season, I think they'll be really hungry for a big W at home.  Hopefully the students will get out and help cheer them on...

Case W. vs. Brandeis:  1-2  I like Case a lot this year but I think Brandeis looks like the marginally stronger team in the limited video I've seen of both teams.  Giving slight nod to Judges even though on the road but wouldn't be surprised to eat my words on Sunday...this one could easily go either way.

[PaulNewman]

Rochester 2 Chicago 1 1st OT -- UR takes a lot of shots here on this site during the season but the Yellow Jackets also never go away.  I think this is just the kind of game where they grind out a win to keep themselves on the bubble as we head to selection day.  Not an expert on Chicago but the Maroons strike me from a distance as a bit adrift with the potential to play themselves over the next few games off the bubble on the wrong side.

Wash U 1 Emory 0 -- For me, the toughest UAA game to call this week, but I think Wash U is good enough this year to find themselves on the right side of a couple of very tight games to ultimately win a bid.  Emory I believe is weaker than last year and even last year's edition had question marks about whether the Eagles were really a NCAA level squad.

CMU 2 NYU -- Very tempted to pick NYU in the upset here but I'll give CMU the benefit of the doubt since the Tartans are at home.  Just don't have a great feeling about CMU right now, wonder if there is some brewing dissension in the locker room, and I can see CMU being the team among the perceived UAA contenders that fades towards the finish line.

Case 2 Brandeis 1 2OT -- The biggest game of the day.  My head says Brandeis but the Judges have had an impressive run through a tough gauntlet of games and a bit of letdown seems inevitable. They certainly have the focus and determination to avoid a letdown, but nevertheless one would think they will lose a couple of UAA games or lose and draw one, and this seems like one of the best candidates for that.  This is a monster game for Case to prove their worth, especially after the home draw with Oberlin, and it's possible the pressure of the game on the Spartans will play right into Brandeis' hands.  That said, if Case is going to be a legitimate NCAA team then this is the game where I think they must have a very good showing.

And now I'm going to contradict myself and say that Brandeis, Wash U, and Rochester will end up being the 3 UAA teams in the tournament (with Rochester controversially nudging out a SUNYAC team and/or a 3rd team from the Liberty).

[TheSwayzeTrain]

Rochester 2 Chicago 1 1st OT -- UR takes a lot of shots here on this site during the season but the Yellow Jackets also never go away.  I think this is just the kind of game where they grind out a win to keep themselves on the bubble as we head to selection day.  Not an expert on Chicago but the Maroons strike me from a distance as a bit adrift with the potential to play themselves over the next few games off the bubble on the wrong side.

Wash U 1 Emory 0 -- For me, the toughest UAA game to call this week, but I think Wash U is good enough this year to find themselves on the right side of a couple of very tight games to ultimately win a bid.  Emory I believe is weaker than last year and even last year's edition had question marks about whether the Eagles were really a NCAA level squad.

CMU 2 NYU -- Very tempted to pick NYU in the upset here but I'll give CMU the benefit of the doubt since the Tartans are at home.  Just don't have a great feeling about CMU right now, wonder if there is some brewing dissension in the locker room, and I can see CMU being the team among the perceived UAA contenders that fades towards the finish line.

Case 2 Brandeis 1 2OT -- The biggest game of the day.  My head says Brandeis but the Judges have had an impressive run through a tough gauntlet of games and a bit of letdown seems inevitable. They certainly have the focus and determination to avoid a letdown, but nevertheless one would think they will lose a couple of UAA games or lose and draw one, and this seems like one of the best candidates for that.  This is a monster game for Case to prove their worth, especially after the home draw with Oberlin, and it's possible the pressure of the game on the Spartans will play right into Brandeis' hands.  That said, if Case is going to be a legitimate NCAA team then this is the game where I think they must have a very good showing.

And now I'm going to contradict myself and say that Brandeis, Wash U, and Rochester will end up being the 3 UAA teams in the tournament (with Rochester controversially nudging out a SUNYAC team and/or a 3rd team from the Liberty).

Has Rochester done enough to be considered for NCAA's this early? Plenty of other teams at the moment look better on paper that will be looking for one of those spots. Or does the Rochester name hold that much merit when it comes to the tournament? They usually get the benefit of the doubt when it comes down to it in November. They will have to have a big showing down the stretch in conference to work their way up the Regional Ranking because even though the East is a mess, there are some teams that play some good soccer.

[PaulNewman]

I'm guessing where UR will sit at the end of regular season, not at that moment, and I think that has to start tomorrow.

[blooter442]

Up 1-0, UR is doing well to answer the critics, including myself. I've in the past thought that Rochester, aside from winning the UAA in 2013, usually rather dubiously gets in, although I think the selection committee has become a bit more fair regarding Rochester as they did miss out in 2011 going 9-5-2, a record that in previous years would have gotten them in. Granted, one year doesn't mean the trend has been bucked, but the fact that they didn't get in that year brought them back down to Earth - in terms of thinking they were a sure bet no matter what - I think.

Tonight, Rochester came out flying, hitting the bar and shortly later going up 1-0. They outshot Chicago 7-0 before the Maroons even had an effort on the board. Chicago is growing into the game but UR still appears to be the vastly superior side - although I'm going off of live stats.

Re: only watching the live stats - If anyone on the Rochester athletics staff is reading this, you're absolutely joking if you think I'm going to pay $$ to watch a broadcast that most other athletic departments do for free. Nice try.