2016 NCAA Tournament

[Nutmeg]

I hear a lot from the supporters of the NESCAC on this forum and have figured they would be a skill conference that play control soccer. But from what I saw, that was not the case. They rely on physicality and to certain extent kick and run. The teams I see in other parts of the country play a better brand of soccer. I think it is very ironic how little respect is given to Calvin coming into the tournament season.

Did you watch the Champion Tufts 2014,  and 2015,  teams? Pretty soccer at its best. You can't generalize from this year's team or Amherst. Also, I'm sure more was expected from Calvin than Tufts coming into this year...

+k for several good comments...

[Ryan Harmanis]

I don't know if Calvin is disrespected as much as they're difficult to judge going into the tournament. It's not their fault, they schedule good teams any time they can, but the MIAA just hasn't been competitive aside from Calvin in several years. So it's hard to tell if they're an elite team that is beating a bunch of non-tournament-worthy teams, or just a good team doing the same. Add all their graduation losses - after which you'd expect a drop-off - to an early-season loss to an OWU team that underwhelmed and a less dominating run through the MIAA, and I think it was fair to wonder if they were on the same level as last year's team.

They certainly get the respect they deserve via voters, as they're consistently ranked highly. As for the regional rankings and the NCAA draw, that's a function of (1) strength of schedule and (2) geography. Calvin's SOS put them in the same boat as a team like Springfield, who played in a better conference than the MIAA, and Springfield had to play Tufts in round one. Geographically, nobody is that close to Calvin, so they're regularly paired with OWU, Carnegie Mellon, etc. This year Calvin and ONU were both Final Four good. Last year and the year before it was Calvin and OWU playing out that type of game in the opening weekend.

My understanding is that the double round robin is gone for next year. With that and the home/away multipliers eliminated, much of the strength-of-schedule issue should disappear for Calvin. Then, if they put together another stellar regular season, I'd expect them to be higher ranked in the NCAA rankings and given better draws early in the tournament. Ultimately, the bad draws (or lack of respect) hasn't mattered, except to help Calvin switch into high gear early in the tournament. They've made the final three times and just been unlucky to be on the wrong side of three really close games.

[PaulNewman]

I'm assuming that means you agree with the general point, that referees often fail to give red cards for those calls?

I do agree, although I don't think that made a big difference in the game.  Calvin scored right away and there were 15 minutes left.  Not ideal for Brandeis for sure, but IMO not nearly as big as Ocel getting injured early and the goal taken away.

As for the other thing, I'm truly interested in the psychology of partisanship.  We remember what naturally favors our own teams.

I get what you're saying. I'm sure I remember those two specific plays because they involved "my" team, but I don't know how much that matters. Those were just examples of a specific type of foul - player breaks in behind the defense, guy pulls him down from behind - where the referee should have given a red card but didn't. The same thing happened yesterday and he did red card him, so apt comparison. I'd guess those type of red-cardable offenses happen all the time on various types of plays. (As for the one you mentioned, I think that was a different type of foul than one where a ball is played in behind and he's pulled down, so I wouldn't consider it the same type of play, and thus not a direct comparison. But the same principle holds for any instance where the foul, by the book, deserves red.)

Anyway, the overall premise for the Brandeis-Calvin post was that, in tight games, there are key moments that tilt the game one way or the other. You see it happen when one team misses a glaring opportunity, and the other scores right away. (Think today's Man City/Chelsea game. Man City is up 1-0, misses an open net from 3 yards out, a few minutes later Chelsea draws even, and Chelsea goes on to win 3-1). When you think back on those games, you see inflection points, and I thought those three points where the biggest ones. Considering how much Brandeis was in control in the second half, I think it's fair to say the red card was a game-changing moment - doubly so once Calvin scored on the ensuing free kick. And I do think playing a man down when you desperately need a goal is a huge deal.

Yeah, I didn't mean to suggest that the play was insignificant.  I just think the prior plays I mentioned were bigger....a goal taken away is obvious I guess.  And I agree that Brandeis has Calvin in serious trouble, but I would just say that I've seen Calvin like that several times before so hard to know what might have happened if Brandeis had caught a couple of breaks earlier in the game. 

I sort of thought Calvin would somehow prevail, but I do think Tufts likes playing these other big teams they have never played before and Shapiro clearly is good at that (as is his team).  So Tufts-Brandeis would have been an interesting and maybe more exciting final.

[PaulNewman]

I hear a lot from the supporters of the NESCAC on this forum and have figured they would be a skill conference that play control soccer. But from what I saw, that was not the case. They rely on physicality and to certain extent kick and run. The teams I see in other parts of the country play a better brand of soccer. I think it is very ironic how little respect is given to Calvin coming into the tournament season.

Did you watch the Champion Tufts 2014,  and 2015,  teams? Pretty soccer at its best. You can't generalize from this year's team or Amherst. Also, I'm sure more was expected from Calvin than Tufts coming into this year...

+k for several good comments...

LOL.  Can Brother Flounder come out and take a bow?  Let him share in the moment for heavens sakes!

[Nutmeg]

I hear a lot from the supporters of the NESCAC on this forum and have figured they would be a skill conference that play control soccer. But from what I saw, that was not the case. They rely on physicality and to certain extent kick and run. The teams I see in other parts of the country play a better brand of soccer. I think it is very ironic how little respect is given to Calvin coming into the tournament season.

Did you watch the Champion Tufts 2014,  and 2015,  teams? Pretty soccer at its best. You can't generalize from this year's team or Amherst. Also, I'm sure more was expected from Calvin than Tufts coming into this year...

+k for several good comments...

LOL.  Can Brother Flounder come out and take a bow?  Let him share in the moment for heavens sakes!

He may be in Virginia!

[Ryan Harmanis]

Totally agree, the called-back goal and the actual goal were bigger. And you're right, Calvin has really had a knack for bending and not breaking over the last few years. They did it last year against OWU, F&M, and Kenyon, and survived all three games. Finally caught up a bit against Loras, as they couldn't recover after falling behind. This year, they did much of the same. Nature of the game when you're playing good teams, as there are periods when both sides are on top. There weren't a ton of the top games where one team just dominated the entire match, which speaks to the overall quality of Division III. Lots of good teams around.

Tufts just didn't make any mistakes. That's the difference, in my opinion. So many of these games turn on a mistake or two, and Tufts' only mistake was slack marking on a corner yesterday when they were already up 2-0. In a way, it's similar to Amherst and Loras from last year, as those were two teams that played direct because it eliminated the chances for mistakes in the back. Plenty of ways to skin a cat (not sure why that's an actual phrase), but that no-nonsense approach has worked the last two years.

[PaulNewman]

I hear a lot from the supporters of the NESCAC on this forum and have figured they would be a skill conference that play control soccer. But from what I saw, that was not the case. They rely on physicality and to certain extent kick and run. The teams I see in other parts of the country play a better brand of soccer. I think it is very ironic how little respect is given to Calvin coming into the tournament season.

Did you watch the Champion Tufts 2014,  and 2015,  teams? Pretty soccer at its best. You can't generalize from this year's team or Amherst. Also, I'm sure more was expected from Calvin than Tufts coming into this year...

+k for several good comments...

LOL.  Can Brother Flounder come out and take a bow?  Let him share in the moment for heavens sakes!

He may be in Virginia!

Well, then, please give him our regards and let him use your phone!

[PaulNewman]

RH, I wish you were a Redlands alum and/or that my kid went to Haverford. 

Your work on the interviews and write-ups, including for today's game, was stellar. 

[wingtips2]

Boy does this kid Isky Van Doorne have an engine.

I would definitely pick him out as the AA in the calvin midfield, not Hooper.

[wingtips2]

Tough loss for the Knights but a well executed corner by Tufts makes the Jumbos National Champs once again. Either team was a deserving champion. Kudos to Dave McHugh and Jeff Burns for providing an exceptionally well done broadcast. An easy to listen to pair of announcers who know the sport and were a pleasure to listen to.

Know the sport? Dude called a goal kick a "six kick"

[oldknight]

Tough loss for the Knights but a well executed corner by Tufts makes the Jumbos National Champs once again. Either team was a deserving champion. Kudos to Dave McHugh and Jeff Burns for providing an exceptionally well done broadcast. An easy to listen to pair of announcers who know the sport and were a pleasure to listen to.

Know the sport? Dude called a goal kick a "six kick"

I admit I don't know what comment you're referring to, but both McHugh and Burns played college soccer.

[ECSUalum]

Congrats to the Tufts Jumbos for a fantastic "come from behind season" and a their second National Championship!!

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Tough loss for the Knights but a well executed corner by Tufts makes the Jumbos National Champs once again. Either team was a deserving champion. Kudos to Dave McHugh and Jeff Burns for providing an exceptionally well done broadcast. An easy to listen to pair of announcers who know the sport and were a pleasure to listen to.

Know the sport? Dude called a goal kick a "six kick"

I admit I don't know what comment you're referring to, but both McHugh and Burns played college soccer.

I have no idea what comment is being referred to... thanks for the kind words from others.
It was a joy to call the games with Burns and Ira Thor (semis). But the six kick? I don't remember a comment from anyone like that... but a lot of things said.

For the record, Burns not only played, but he was a pretty good coach as well.

[Domino1195]

I thought Majumder was very talented. He is a tough smart player. Sullivan on the other hand is a hack and tight officiating would make him a liability to his team.

Sullivan is the quintessential Nescac player...Very athletic and tough an big...Calvin wore down because of the physical play of Tufts and quite frankly Brandeis...They just were not used to it...

This.

To comments that Calvin was a better technical team: I thought they played soccer - defined as an abstract idea - "better" than Tufts. But in the real world - the "meat space" where games are played - Tufts showed everyone new to the game or those involved for 50 years: this is how championships are won in NCAA D3.

While I thought the referee's line for fouls was a little lenient, you tell players to go out in the beginning of the game to push the referee to define where the line will be today. Indiana's Jerry Yeagley used to preach to his players to knock your opponent on their butt in the first 5 minutes of every game to find two things - what will the ref call, what is your opponent's response. Tufts - Sullivan in particular - played the game as it was defined yesterday.

[blooter442]

Know the sport? Dude called a goal kick a "six kick"

To be fair, that is actually a slang term for goal kicks (taken from the top of the SIX yard box).