2016 D3 Season: NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

[Flying Weasel]

NSCAA NCAA Division III Men - National - Poll 6 - October 18, 2016

Rank	School	Prev.	W-L-T	Regional Rank
1	Trinity University (Texas)	1	15-0-0	West #1
2	University Of Chicago	2	14-0-0	Central #1
3	Franklin & Marshall College	6	10-1-3	Mid-Atlantic #1
4	Ohio Northern University	5	12-0-3	Great Lakes #1
5	Amherst College	11	11-1-1	New England #1
6	University of St. Thomas	8	11-0-3	North #1
7	Rutgers University-Newark	NR	15-2-0	South Atlantic #1
8	SUNY Cortland	23	12-2-0	East #1
-	-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -	-	-  -  -	-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
9	Messiah College	12	11-0-3	Mid-Atlantic #2
10	Rowan University	3	12-1-1	South Atlantic #2
11	University of Redlands	13	13-2-0	West #2
12	University of Rochester	9	8-1-3	East #2
13	Haverford College	17	9-2-2	Mid-Atlantic #3
14	Carthage College	21	12-3-0	Central #2
15	Middlebury College	19	8-1-3	New England #2
16	University Of Massachusetts-Boston	4	12-1-1	New England #3
-	-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -	-	-  -  -	-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
17	Lynchburg College	14	10-1-2	South Atlantic #3
18	SUNY Oneonta	7	11-3-1	East #3
19	University Of Dubuque	NR	12-2-0	North #2
20	Colorado College	20	11-2-1	West #3
21	Oberlin College	15	11-2-1	Great Lakes #2
22	Washington University (Mo.)	10	8-2-1	Central #3
23	Kenyon College	NR	11-2-0	Great Lakes #3
24	Luther College	16	10-3-2	North #3
-	-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -	-	-  -  -	-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
25	Calvin College	25	12-2-0	Central #4

Also receiving votes:

Elizabethtown College (6)	Mid-Atlantic #4
Tufts University (4)	New England #4
Christopher Newport University (3)	South Atlantic #4
North Park University (1)	Central #5
Macalester College (1)	North #4

[Flying Weasel]

Well, the NSCAA deviated a little bit from their standard framework, pushing the Mid-Atlantic and New England #3's up and dropping the North and Great Lakes #2's down.  They also gave "Receiving Votes" to the fifth Central team.  But overall, still rather rigid with three teams from each region ranked with one (Central) getting a fourth team in the final spot.  The East, Great Lakes and West #4's did not "receive votes".

[rudy]

Well written article on the NCAA rankings

http://www.d3soccer.com/columns/christan-shirk/2016/the-rankings-that-matter

[4samuy]

Question for anyone. It looks as if both Chicago teams(men and women) will be ranked #1 regionally.
They have both a grass pitch and turf. The men have been playing on the turf more than usual. Would the NCAA have Chicago host both men's and women's first round and if necessary beyond?

[Flying Weasel]

from page 24 of the 2016 Division III Soccer Pre-Championships Manual:

JOINT HOSTING INFORMATION

The NCAA Division III Championships Committee has approved a recommendation from the NCAA Division III Men's and
Women's Soccer Committees to establish hosting guidelines for institutions whose men's and women's teams earn berths
in their respective championships. The committees established these guidelines to eliminate potential conflicts created by
hosting both championship events, to assist institutions in preparing for hosting opportunities and to ensure the opportunity
of providing a quality championship experience for all teams involved in both championships.

Institutions with both men's and women's teams in the championships will follow these hosting guidelines:

.	1st/2nd Rnd	Sectionals
Even Years	Men host	Women host
Odd Years	Women host	Men host

If conflicts prevent another institution from hosting while following these guidelines, the combined men's and women's
committees will determine which team will play first at the same site.

The men's and women's committees are concerned with conflicts created when institutions attempt to host both men's and
women's championship events, and the impact those conflicts have on the committees during site selection, and on the
institution during the administration of the events. The committees prefer that institutions not host both men's and women's
events in the same round of the championships.

The committees also recognize that some institutions with both teams in the championships, while recognizing their
limitations in hosting both events, may face administrative pressure having to choose to host one championship event
over another. The committees believe these guidelines can alleviate this administrative pressure. The committees'
primary concerns include the following:

● The potential for field conditions to deteriorate, particularly in the second games;

● The institutional administrative pressure to host both championship events and/or to choose between which championship
event it will host if it cannot host both events;

● The magnification of weather issues if an institution attempts to host both championship events; and

● The condition and availability of practice facilities.

This being an even-numbered year, the men have hosting priority for the 1st/2nd Round pods and the women have priority for hosting sectionals.  So unless the committee couldn't find another acceptable host for the women's 1st/2nd Round pod or the men's sectional (should both men's and women's teams advance), they would not host both.

[Golden_Fan]

   Rankings are up:


CENTRAL      IN-DIVISION RECORD      OVERALL RECORD
1.   Chicago      14-0-0      14-0-0
2.   Carthage      11-3-0      12-3-0
3.   Washington-St. Louis      8-2-1      8-2-1
4.   North Park      9-3-1      9-3-1
5.   Dominican (IL)      10-2-2      10-2-2
6.   Calvin      12-2-0      12-2-0
East      In-Division Record      Overall Record
1.   Rochester (NY)      8-1-3      8-1-3
2.   SUNY Oneonta      11-3-1      11-3-1
3.   SUNY Cortland      12-2-0      12-2-0
4.   St. Lawrence      10-3-0      10-3-0
5.   Vassar      9-3-2      9-3-2
6.   Buffalo St.      10-4-1      10-4-1
7.   Hobart      7-4-3      7-4-3
8.   Fredonia      10-5-1      10-5-1
Great Lakes      In-Division Record      Overall Record
1.   Ohio Northern      12-0-3      13-0-3
2.   Oberlin      11-2-1      11-2-1
3.   Ohio Wesleyan      8-2-3      8-2-3
4.   DePauw      8-3-1      8-3-2
5.   Hanover      10-3-0      11-3-0
6.   Kenyon      11-2-0      11-2-0
7.   Carnegie Mellon      9-2-2      9-2-2
8   Wabash      8-4-2      8-4-2
Mid-Atlantic      In-Division Record      Overall Record
1.   Messiah      11-0-3      11-0-3
2.   Franklin & Marshall      10-1-3      10-1-3
3.   Elizabethtown      10-2-1      10-2-1
4.   Haverford      9-2-2      9-2-2
5.   Drew      8-3-2      8-3-2
6.   Scranton      10-3-0      10-3-0
7.   Gettysburg      7-3-2      7-3-2
8.   Lebanon Valley      9-2-0      10-2-0
9.   Johns Hopkins      9-3-2      9-3-2
New England      In-Division Record      Overall Record
1.   Amherst      11-1-1      11-1-1
2.   UMass Boston      12-1-1      12-1-1
3.   Clark (MA)      12-2-0      12-2-0
4.   Middlebury      8-1-3      8-1-3
5.   Rhode Island College      10-3-1      10-3-1
6.   Williams      7-2-3      7-2-3
7.   Babson      8-4-3      8-4-3
8.   Tufts      7-3-2      7-3-2
9.   WPI      7-2-4      7-2-4
10.   Connecticut College      8-4-0      8-4-0
11.   Coast Guard      8-3-2      8-3-2
12.   Bowdoin      7-3-3      7-3-3
North      In-Division Record      Overall Record
1.   Dubuque      12-2-0      12-2-0
2.   St. Thomas (MN)      11-0-3      11-0-3
3.   Luther      10-3-2      10-3-2
4.   Macalester      10-3-2      10-3-2
5.   Loras      9-4-0      9-4-0
6.   St. Norbert      13-3-0      13-3-0
South Atlantic      In-Division Record      Overall Record
1.   Rowan      12-1-1      12-1-1
2.   Rutgers-Newark      15-2-0      15-2-0
3.   Lynchburg      10-1-2      10-1-2
4.   Christopher Newport      12-2-1      12-2-1
5.   Washington & Lee      10-3-0      10-3-0
6.   Emory      8-3-1      8-3-1
7.   St. Mary's (MD)      10-2-2      10-2-2
8.   Montclair St.      11-4-1      11-4-1
West      In-Division Record      Overall Record
1.   Trinity (Texas)      15-0-0      15-0-0
2.   Colorado College      11-2-1      12-2-1
3.   Texas-Dallas      9-3-1      9-3-1
4.   Redlands      13-2-0      13-2-0
5.   Whitworth      8-3-2      8-3-2

[Christan Shirk]

Thanks for posting that, Golden-Fan!  I got the women's rankings as soon as they came out so I could get them posted on D3soccer.com, but by the time the men's rankings were released I couldn't get on the NCAA site anymore--kept repeatedly getting the Network Error screen.  So thanks to your post I was able to get the men's rankings up on D3soccer.com.

[Christan Shirk]

TOP 50: STRENGTH-OF-SCHEDULE AS PER NCAA
(games through Sunday, October 16)
(used for Regional Rankings and At-Large Selections)

TEAM (W-L-T)	SOS
Chicago (14-0-0)	.670
Emory (8-3-1)	.636
Rutgers-Camden (8-4-3)	.633
Rowan (12-1-1)	.630
Brandeis (6-4-3)	.628
Oglethorpe (5-4-3)	.628
Rochester (8-1-3)	.627
Carthage (11-3-0)	.626
Wheaton (Ill.) (4-7-3)	.624
Lynchburg (10-1-2)	.618
TCNJ (7-6-2)	.614
Brockport State (2-9-2)	.611
Case Western Reserve (4-7-3)	.610
Rutgers-Newark (15-2-0)	.607
Babson (8-4-3)	.606
Stockton (4-7-4)	.601
William Paterson (6-7-2)	.601
Alvernia (3-10-0)	.600
Loras (9-4-0)	.600
Hardin-Simmons (6-3-2)	.599
North Central (Ill.) (5-7-1)	.597
Oneonta State (11-3-1)	.597
Tufts (7-3-2)	.596
Colby (4-7-2)	.594
Montclair State (11-4-1)	.594
Rhode Island College (10-3-1)	.594
Dickinson (5-7-2)	.593
Christopher Newport (12-2-1)	.590
Muhlenberg (3-7-3)	.590
Gustavus Adolphus (5-8-1)	.588
Oswego State (4-11-0)	.588
Luther (10-3-2)	.586
Messiah (11-0-3)	.584
MIT (4-8-1)	.584
Cortland State (12-2-0)	.584
WPI (7-2-4)	.584
Macalester (10-3-2)	.582
Williams (7-2-3)	.582
Hobart (7-4-3)	.581
Ramapo (8-3-2)	.580
Washington and Lee (10-3-0)	.579
UW-Whitewater (10-4-3)	.579
Virginia Wesleyan (6-4-3)	.578
Washington U. (8-2-1)	.578
Amherst (11-1-1)	.577
St. Olaf (6-2-6)	.577
Heidelberg (5-7-1)	.576
North Park (9-3-1)	.576
Potsdam State (7-5-2)	.576
Western Connecticut (5-7-1)	.576

[Christan Shirk]

Some teams with good W-L-T Records, but low SOS.

TEAM (W-L-T)	SOS	Regional Rank
Colorado College (11-2-1)	.534	West #2
Buffalo State (10-4-1)	.533	East #6
Haverford (9-2-2)	.533	Mid-Atlantic #4
Dominican (10-2-2)	.532	Central #5
Milwaukee Engineering (10-6-0)	.532
Scranton (10-3-0)	.531	Mid-Atlantic #6
Carnegie Mellon (9-2-2)	.531	Great Lakes #7
Benedictine (10-3-1)	.528
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (9-4-1)	.528
Kenyon (11-2-0)	.528	Great Lakes #6
Stevens (8-4-1)	.528
Roanoke (6-4-3)	.526
St. Norbert (13-3-0)	.525	North #6
UW-Platteville (10-6-0)	.525
Chapman (9-4-2)	.524
North Carolina Wesleyan (10-4-0)	.524
Redlands (13-2-0)	.522	West #4
Knox (12-3-1)	.520
Johns Hopkins (9-3-2)	.519	Mid-Atlantic #9
Calvin (12-2-0)	.518	Central #6
Gordon (9-3-1)	.517
Houghton (8-2-3)	.516
Lebanon Valley (9-2-0)	.516	Mid-Atlantic #8
Merchant Marine (9-4-2)	.511
La Verne (9-3-1)	.503
Grove City (10-3-1)	.502
Wentworth (9-2-4)	.502
Thomas More (8-5-1)	.501
Capital (11-1-2)	.500
Eastern (10-3-1)	.500
Mary Washington (10-3-0)	.500
Springfield (12-1-1)	.499
Geneva (10-3-1)	.494
Transylvania (8-2-3)	.493
Maryville (Tenn.) (11-2-0)	.491
Randolph-Macon (8-2-2)	.477
Hood (9-4-0)	.471
Birmingham-Southern (9-4-1)	.470
Penn State-Behrend (12-1-3)	.470
Medaille (9-3-2)	.458
Thomas (9-4-1)	.442
Central (9-5-0)	.441
Penn State-Harrisburg (10-4-0)	.437
Penn State-Abington (10-2-0)	.436
Morrisville State (11-2-0)	.421
Immaculata (9-4-1)	.415

[PaulNewman]

Some teams with good W-L-T Records, but low SOS.

TEAM (W-L-T)	SOS	Regional Rank
Colorado College (11-2-1)	.534	West #2
Buffalo State (10-4-1)	.533	East #6
Haverford (9-2-2)	.533	Mid-Atlantic #4
Dominican (10-2-2)	.532	Central #5
Milwaukee Engineering (10-6-0)	.532
Scranton (10-3-0)	.531	Mid-Atlantic #6
Carnegie Mellon (9-2-2)	.531	Great Lakes #7
Benedictine (10-3-1)	.528
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (9-4-1)	.528
Kenyon (11-2-0)	.528	Great Lakes #6
Stevens (8-4-1)	.528
Roanoke (6-4-3)	.526
St. Norbert (13-3-0)	.525	North #6
UW-Platteville (10-6-0)	.525
Chapman (9-4-2)	.524
North Carolina Wesleyan (10-4-0)	.524
Redlands (13-2-0)	.522	West #4
Knox (12-3-1)	.520
Johns Hopkins (9-3-2)	.519	Mid-Atlantic #9
Calvin (12-2-0)	.518	Central #6
Gordon (9-3-1)	.517
Houghton (8-2-3)	.516
Lebanon Valley (9-2-0)	.516	Mid-Atlantic #8
Merchant Marine (9-4-2)	.511
La Verne (9-3-1)	.503
Grove City (10-3-1)	.502
Wentworth (9-2-4)	.502
Thomas More (8-5-1)	.501
Capital (11-1-2)	.500
Eastern (10-3-1)	.500
Mary Washington (10-3-0)	.500
Springfield (12-1-1)	.499
Geneva (10-3-1)	.494
Transylvania (8-2-3)	.493
Maryville (Tenn.) (11-2-0)	.491
Randolph-Macon (8-2-2)	.477
Hood (9-4-0)	.471
Birmingham-Southern (9-4-1)	.470
Penn State-Behrend (12-1-3)	.470
Medaille (9-3-2)	.458
Thomas (9-4-1)	.442
Central (9-5-0)	.441
Penn State-Harrisburg (10-4-0)	.437
Penn State-Abington (10-2-0)	.436
Morrisville State (11-2-0)	.421
Immaculata (9-4-1)	.415

Without doing a thorough analysis I think we are seeing again that SoS as calculated is a very inexact science.  Who would think Haverford would be at .533?  They played Brandeis, RUC, Scranton, Lycoming, Stevens, etc.  Capital as noted in the other thread has scheduled some good teams out of conference. Kenyon did a total flip increasing away games, including Thomas More (usually about 14-1 at this juncture in the season) and CWRU, and MAY end up lower than last year when they were blasted for low SoS.

[PaulNewman]

Here's a small example that illustrates just how arbitrary and fickle this SOS thing is. With Haverford switch RUC and Lycoming with RUN and E'town. Just those two switches would have a significant impact on their SOS. And before the season most of us I think would have thought the first two were as tough or tougher than the second pair. Not to mention starting out the season on the road at Brandeis.

[Golden_Fan]

Thanks for posting that, Golden-Fan!  I got the women's rankings as soon as they came out so I could get them posted on D3soccer.com, but by the time the men's rankings were released I couldn't get on the NCAA site anymore--kept repeatedly getting the Network Error screen.  So thanks to your post I was able to get the men's rankings up on D3soccer.com.

Any time!

[firstplaceloser]

rutgers newark with the biggest jump i have ever seen! the njac is crazy this year and i know rowan is not too happy. that loss to RUN killed them. looking forward to a crazy njac playoffs his year.

[Flying Weasel]

Without doing a thorough analysis I think we are seeing again that SoS as calculated is a very inexact science.  Who would think Haverford would be at .533?  They played Brandeis, RUC, Scranton, Lycoming, Stevens, etc.  Capital as noted in the other thread has scheduled some good teams out of conference. Kenyon did a total flip increasing away games, including Thomas More (usually about 14-1 at this juncture in the season) and CWRU, and MAY end up lower than last year when they were blasted for low SoS.

Yes, Haverford is a great example of very competitive non-conference scheduling that just didn't pan out that way with how many of their opponents are performing below their recent norm this season.

WNEC 7-9-0 (haven't had losing season since 2003, and have a .701 over the 12 years since)
Brandeis 7-4-3 (haven't had 7 blemishes in a entire season since 2010 or 4 loses prior to the post-season since 2010)
Alvernia 3-10-1 (only under .500 once in last 6 years)
Lycoming 7-6-3 (went 18-2-2 and 15-3-3 past 2 yrs. with most everyone back)
Stevens 8-5-1 (last time they lost even four games prior to NCAA's was 2002)
Stockton 5-7-4 (haven't had a sub .500 season since 1992)
Rutgers-Camden 8-4-4 (haven't had as many blemishes as wins since 2009)
Scranton 10-3-1 (only opponent to match or exceed expectations)

Add to that two conference opponents that normally are much better:
Dickinson 5-7-2 (haven't had a losing season or lost 7 games in an entire season since 2004)
Muhlenberg 3-7-3 (last year's 5-9-2 mark was first losing season in over 2 decades)

Nothing Haverford could do about all that, but it puts Haverford at a disadvantage in the Pool C comparisons is that's where they end up.  Two or three teams having down years is one thing, but six opponents significantly below expectations . . .  That could have been a strong over-.600 SOS but is only a moderate .533 SOS.

[Wisco21]

Going a bit off topic here but I'll chalk it up to a free talk Friday. There is a morning radio sports talk I listen to on my commute and every Friday they do a "Small School Ass Whippins of the Week" for football and it's made up of Div II, Div III, and NAIA teams. Usually scores have a score differential of 50-60+ points. Well I thought I would do my own for  D3soccer as I was looking at scores from last night and couldn't help but notice one that jumped out at me: Mid Atlantic Christian 1, William Peace University......20?!?! It made for a comical box score, 15 different players scored for the Pacers of William Peace, two whom had hattricks. There was one point in the second half when William Peace scored 6 golazos in less than 5 minutes. And to put the cherry on top, Mid Atlantic Christian Mustangs put one in their own net in the 87th. When it was all said and done, William Peace had earned 22 corners and recorded, wait for it, 85 SHOTS (45 on target). Unfortunately, this is just another day in the office for the Mustangs, who are currently 0-6 on the year with a goal differential of -56 (6GS, 62GA).

I had to share at the expense of Mid Atlantic Christian (sorry lads) as I have never seen/heard of a men's competitive match where 21 goals were scored.