2015 NCAA TOURNAMENT THREAD

[YoullNeverWalkAlone17]

On another not I must congratulate Oneonta. Byrne is a purist and his team play the right way but IMO they need maybe 1 more legit striker and they might have 2 NCAA Championships instead of 3 final 4 exits. It is very commendable for Oneonta to get these recruits. i am not even sure how he does it? Oneonta has great facilities but he must be getting Syracuse's scraps and I am not even sure what else. Who does Oneonta compete with for players in-state?

I think they really missed #7 last night in the middle of the park. I think #9 played well filling in from his CF position, but he could have been the missing piece for them up top.

In regards to recruiting I think tuition plays a huge part. Amherst website shows tuition to be $63k a year vs Oneonta's $18k for an instate New Yorker.

[Mr.Right]

On another not I must congratulate Oneonta. Byrne is a purist and his team play the right way but IMO they need maybe 1 more legit striker and they might have 2 NCAA Championships instead of 3 final 4 exits. It is very commendable for Oneonta to get these recruits. i am not even sure how he does it? Oneonta has great facilities but he must be getting Syracuse's scraps and I am not even sure what else. Who does Oneonta compete with for players in-state?

I think they really missed #7 last night in the middle of the park. I think #9 played well filling in from his CF position, but he could have been the missing piece for them up top.

In regards to recruiting I think tuition plays a huge part. Amherst website shows tuition to be $63k a year vs Oneonta's $18k for an instate New Yorker.

Ya I get the tuition aspect and all that but aren't most SUNY schools the same? I guess I am wondering who are the 2-3 schools Oneonta competes with for players as Upstate NY has some good soccer players but they are more know for lax except outside of Rochester

[firstplaceloser]

glad to see loras has a new goalie. what happened to that kid who gave up the goal in 2013. did you guys burn him at the stake?

this is in no way a dig at your duhawks I'm just curious if he's still playing.

He graduated.  Dylan was an outstanding keeper that made a mistake.  No one was harder on him than he was. How would you like that to be the last play if you career. He made so many huge saves for Loras over the years and is a really good kid.

Not to beat a dead horse but does anyone have a link to that goal? I thought it was on NCAA.com but I couldn't find it

it's all over YouTube. type in anything with ruc 65 yard goal. haven't watched it in quite some time.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-rgSuNaIS1s

this one says 75 but that's pushing it a bit

he also got 2nd place in an award competition from ESPN. they flew him out to California

[Mr.Right]

Thanks for the link...What were people saying again happened on that. Was there that much wind? I mean the GK must have thought that was going over the net or going to drop at the the 12? Even still he should have been on his line

[firstplaceloser]

Thanks for the link...What were people saying again happened on that. Was there that much wind? I mean the GK must have thought that was going over the net or going to drop at the the 12? Even still he should have been on his line

imagine going to Amherst in an elite 8 game with 20 degree weather and 30mph winds. and I really don't know what happened. he must have really misread the flight. and the kid who kicked it had a broken foot. he has ankle reconstructive surgery once we got back home. out for months

[firstplaceloser]

On another not I must congratulate Oneonta. Byrne is a purist and his team play the right way but IMO they need maybe 1 more legit striker and they might have 2 NCAA Championships instead of 3 final 4 exits. It is very commendable for Oneonta to get these recruits. i am not even sure how he does it? Oneonta has great facilities but he must be getting Syracuse's scraps and I am not even sure what else. Who does Oneonta compete with for players in-state?

I think they really missed #7 last night in the middle of the park. I think #9 played well filling in from his CF position, but he could have been the missing piece for them up top.

In regards to recruiting I think tuition plays a huge part. Amherst website shows tuition to be $63k a year vs Oneonta's $18k for an instate New Yorker.

Ya I get the tuition aspect and all that but aren't most SUNY schools the same? I guess I am wondering who are the 2-3 schools Oneonta competes with for players as Upstate NY has some good soccer players but they are more know for lax except outside of Rochester

Oneonta also had D1 facilities. plus with tuition costs I would say Oneonta is the better choice

[KnightFalcon]

Yeah - VERY strong wind that night ... The kick was way up in the air, got into the jet stream and the keeper came out and realized too late how far it was carrying, turned and watched it go in. But yes, very windy night in San Antonio

[lastguyoffthebench]

He (Balle) would have won the award if he scored from 60 yds against Messiah a minute into the game but it was tipped over the bar...

[firstplaceloser]

He (Balle) would have won the award if he scored from 60 yds against Messiah a minute into the game but it was tipped over the bar...

I almost forgot about that. I remember thinking there was no possible way it could happen again

[PaulNewman]

Some things I think I think as we close shop on the 2015 season tonight....

It's been a good year for D3 soccer and for this site.

I continue to be amazed about how passionately many of us feel about our teams, the games, and the tournament.  I often ask myself how I can be so interested in D3 soccer, especially when, by contrast, I have almost zero interest in the D1 season and tournament (although if I happen to remember I will watch the D1 semis and final).  Our various allegiances occasionally result in some tension or even a little bad blood, but overall this year I think "we" as a group have handled ourselves pretty well.  Kudos in particular to Mr.Right who consistently has remained entertaining and sometimes informative, and who has stayed on the rails in a mostly positive fashion through a whole season and even with his team having an off year.  He's been gracious and positive for the most part with Amherst all along, and I know first-hand that doing so is not easy especially when talking about an intense and often bitter rival.  While I sort of get it, I admit I don't fully understand the "NESCAC as one family" stuff.  Yes, I like "my" conference doing well and getting positive attention but mostly only because I think that results at least indirectly in some kind of affiliation-boost for my team.  I for instance respect the heck out of OWU, it's program, and it's record of both historical and recent success, but if I'm honest you won't find me actually cheering for OWU, and I suspect the same is mostly true when the shoe is on the other foot.  I'm certainly not going to cheer for OWU on the basis of some default like "they are a NCAC school."  Not sure how one turns an about-face and manages to genuinely pull for a bitter rival.

As a sidelight to that last topic, I'll reiterate again that I always look forward to and enjoy RH's work.  His analyses of these last few games have been excellent, and, again, his coach interviews in my view have been truly superb.  I don't know how many here fully appreciate how much time it takes to put all of those pieces together.  The coach interviews are so well done that I believe they should be submitted for some kind of college sports journalism award.  I'm serious about that.  That said, I'll readily admit that my ears are perked up in partisan mode anytime I read something by a partisan of an opposing team, and over the last two years especially that's been tough as OWU and Kenyon played multiple very high stakes games.  And of course there was a similar dynamic this year for the Tufts-Kenyon game, given my participation here and running into the very energetic Tufts supporters.  In these kinds of situations, there is always going to be a little grating on nerves as passionate fans on opposite sides basically by definition are going to have a different -- sometimes very viscerally different -- take on a play, or a call, or a player, or the end result of a game.  I guess this stuff adds to the fun or at least to some of the anticipation, but in any event the occasional blips or twinges of over-sensitivity and/or overzealous devotion perhaps are understandable.  blooter442 is a shining light in this regard on the site, as he always manages to stay very neutral maybe even when he isn't that neutral, and maybe he's aided a touch by Brandeis not having a bitter, "rip your heart out" rival in exactly the same way.  The same might be true of some of the Messiah faithful.  I know the Falcons have some rivals like an E'town, but at least in recent years there hasn't been a rival of the "rip your heart out" variety.  I should also mention LGOTB who also always does a great job.

I will be happy for either team that wins tonight, even if I would be a bit happier about a Loras victory.  For either, the winning program will have reached a major milestone.  For my money, over the last 5-7 or so years, these are the two teams yet to win a title who are most deserving.  Yes, you could argue the same for Oneonta and Calvin, but for year-in and year-out consistent excellence over the past half-decade Loras and Amherst are tough to beat.  If I was a Loras fan I would be annoyed (well, actually I am annoyed and I'm not a true Loras fan) by shots about playing style or any attempts to downgrade what Loras has accomplished.  It isn't always a school's best team that ends up being the one to win a title, and I'm guessing Amherst 2012/2013 was as good or better than this year's edition and I'm confident that Loras has had marginally stronger squads.  But that's all relative.  This year's editions of these schools are very, very good, and some of the individual players are much, much better than credited as skilled, soccer players. 

Best of luck to all of the combatants tonight.

[Domino1195]

Also,

Because I am a Williams fan I have a hard time praising Amherst but they deserve it after yesterday. They were out possessed but it did not matter. Oneonta created next to nothing from that possession. I am a purist but I am beginning to wonder about teams over possessing.. Also, I found Amherst yesterday to be exciting to watch as they worked their ASS off. They press like no other team and they all worked hard for 110. They are dangerous up front with NPL, Martin and Singer and NCAC was right Lenhart played a fantastic game along with CIambella.  I like Orozco's height but I will still say he absolutely slows them down when they are attacking. They dominated Oneonta in the air and are so dangerous on set pieces. They are not pleasing to the eye but if you look at it from a standpoint of watching a team high press and work and work they were pleasing to me. That being said Loras plays the exact same way and I believe we will have a great Final.

Also,  I think Ryan H. analysis of the best conference that took 3 weeks and all kinds of statistical nonsense was proven wrong. Playing teams like Amherst, Midd, Tufts, Williams, Bowdoin, Conn and Wesleyan week in and week out does not compare to the NJAC, NCAC or UAA IMO the last 10 years. Please do not make this a Pro-Nescac thread because that is not my goal but I usually do not get involved in this argument about best conference but I am sorry the Nescac is just a battle every week. Whether you like the style or not is not the question as some teams like Tufts and Williams try to possess but it does not really matter.

All this being said my hunch is Loras defeats Amherst to get a well deserved Championship.


On another not I must congratulate Oneonta. Byrne is a purist and his team play the right way but IMO they need maybe 1 more legit striker and they might have 2 NCAA Championships instead of 3 final 4 exits. It is very commendable for Oneonta to get these recruits. i am not even sure how he does it? Oneonta has great facilities but he must be getting Syracuse's scraps and I am not even sure what else. Who does Oneonta compete with for players in-state?

Looking at their roster - 50%+ from Long Island. When I graduated from HS in 1975 - Long Island -Oneonta, Hartwick, Brockport and to a lesser degree Oswego - were visiting and recruiting on a regular basis. Lots of Suffolk County kids - probably a dozen players from Brentwood to Sayville - maybe 20 miles from town to town?

Oneonta renewed my faith that college play can include possession. But you can't make one mistake on defense (Calvin) nor can you miss a golden opportunity from 6 yards away (Oneonta) .

[blooter442]

Singer almost scores on a bicycle kick less than 3 minutes in. This could be a heck of a game. Probably won't, but could be.

[firstplaceloser]

I'm relying on this thread for updates not the live stats

[stlawus]

Amherst players seriously calling for offside?

[dontshootthegoose]

Rummelhart with re-direction!