2017 Season - National Perspective

[The Cove]

Very well put, PaulNewman!

At the end of the day, Kenyon have succeeded in both recruiting and coaching excellent defenders in recent years — which has made it significantly easier for any goalkeepers. It also looks like that trend will continue with Lowry, Carpenter, and other significant talents returning next year!

And I meant no insult to Justice who was perhaps the physically strongest player I have ever seen. I merely hoped to compliment the other talented defenders on show (while adding a bit of facetious humor).

[Falconer]

Vegter's athleticism is indeed impressive. Best defender I have seen in D3 was the older Robbins brother from Messiah or Brewster from Bowdoin.

Vegter is the best defender I have seen in several years.

Regarding defenders at Messiah, Robbins was awfully good (and so is his younger brother Cooper, a current sophomore), but IMO JD Binger from the last decade was better in the back--partly b/c he was faster and could run all day--and absolutely better as an attacker. Indeed, it wasn't unheard of for the Falcons to bring Binger up into the box late in crucial games in which they were trailing by one goal, knowing that he was as good in the MF as anyone else on the team.

The defensive POY in the MAC Commonwealth this year is Falcon CB Dakota Rosenberg. I was actually surprised by that choice--not b/c Rosenberg isn't really good (he is), but b/c Lycoming CB Thomas (who is 6'6'' tall) might have been my own first choice for that honor. Thomas has already been mentioned in this thread as a worthy candidate for national consideration. Now, perhaps I have been influenced in my thinking by the fact that Thomas is just so noticeable at that size, and b/c he always seems to be in the middle of everything happening defensively. IMO he' better defensively than his more well-known JR teammate Sinclair Tueno, but Tueno's offensive numbers are as impressive as Vegter's while Thomas' are not. On the other hand, I hadn't realized just how fast Rosenberg is until Rudy told us the other day that he is probably the second fastest Falcon, behind the blazing Nick West. I did notice last week against Rochester, that Rosenberg just flat ran down a Rochester forward who had 2-3 full strides on him about 40 yards from the end line, so I can believe that information. The fact that he almost never seems to do that therefore means, not that he can't do it, but that he plays such great position defense that he dosn't need to do it. In other words, he isn't flashy b/c he's subtle and smart.

I'm not making the case for Rosenberg on the national stage. But, perhaps he's just better than I have realized hitherto, and maybe he really is at least as good as Thomas, whose talent I've always seen and perhaps even envied as a fan of a rival team.

[firstplaceloser]

I was checking out the women's bracket and their final four consists of four team with no more than 1 loss. two teams undefeated. other 2 with 1 loss. should be an interesting weekend for both sides

[NEFutbol90]

United Soccer Coaches released their coaching staffs of the year today, and it is great to see St.Joes (Maine) coaching staff recognized for the incredible season they put together. Seeing first hand as I'm sure is consistent among all our favorite programs is a head coach that is uniquely driven to create an environment that is supportive, competitive, and most importantly professional. The way Coach Adrian Dubois has flipped this program is incredible as seen in the dramatic increase in wins, accolades, etc., but what he's done to provide an incredible support system for his players goes unnoticed. It is truly a family environment that is set up to support every player academically, socially, and athletically and this award for the entire staff stretches far beyond their guidance on the field. Congrats Coach Dubois and the rest of the Monks coaching staff!


Here is the press release by the Monks SID: http://www.gomonks.com/sports/msoc/2017-18/releases/20171128q5dy9n

[Mr.Right]

United Soccer Coaches released their coaching staffs of the year today, and it is great to see St.Joes (Maine) coaching staff recognized for the incredible season they put together. Seeing first hand as I'm sure is consistent among all our favorite programs is a head coach that is uniquely driven to create an environment that is supportive, competitive, and most importantly professional. The way Coach Adrian Dubois has flipped this program is incredible as seen in the dramatic increase in wins, accolades, etc., but what he's done to provide an incredible support system for his players goes unnoticed. It is truly a family environment that is set up to support every player academically, socially, and athletically and this award for the entire staff stretches far beyond their guidance on the field. Congrats Coach Dubois and the rest of the Monks coaching staff!


Here is the press release by the Monks SID: http://www.gomonks.com/sports/msoc/2017-18/releases/20171128q5dy9n

Absolutely correct...That is a MASSIVE turnaround for this once dormant program..Now all you St.Joe's fans need to worry about it is if you can keep him..Not to be a downer but I am guessing he is not highly compensated at St.Joe's. Sometimes schools with limited budgets will add Assistant AD to his title or whatnot to get him some more money but who knows...You would have to think he will be applying to some openings at Top D3 schools or even some lower level D1 schools..AD's will take notice when you make something out of nothing and are always impressed by that in any sport.

[bestfancle]

Here's the link for the regional teams that were announced:

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/web/Awards/Awards_Central/web/Awards/Awards_Central_2017.aspx?hkey=a6159cd0-434d-4d80-8a85-433d7524d2fe

[OldNed]

United Soccer Coaches released their coaching staffs of the year today, and it is great to see St.Joes (Maine) coaching staff recognized for the incredible season they put together. Seeing first hand as I'm sure is consistent among all our favorite programs is a head coach that is uniquely driven to create an environment that is supportive, competitive, and most importantly professional. The way Coach Adrian Dubois has flipped this program is incredible as seen in the dramatic increase in wins, accolades, etc., but what he's done to provide an incredible support system for his players goes unnoticed. It is truly a family environment that is set up to support every player academically, socially, and athletically and this award for the entire staff stretches far beyond their guidance on the field. Congrats Coach Dubois and the rest of the Monks coaching staff!


Here is the press release by the Monks SID: http://www.gomonks.com/sports/msoc/2017-18/releases/20171128q5dy9n

Absolutely correct...That is a MASSIVE turnaround for this once dormant program..Now all you St.Joe's fans need to worry about it is if you can keep him..Not to be a downer but I am guessing he is not highly compensated at St.Joe's. Sometimes schools with limited budgets will add Assistant AD to his title or whatnot to get him some more money but who knows...You would have to think he will be applying to some openings at Top D3 schools or even some lower level D1 schools..AD's will take notice when you make something out of nothing and are always impressed by that in any sport.

Mr. Right,
I don't think you're being a downer in suggesting Coach Dubois may not be at St. Joe's much longer - I think it's a natural progression to think of what's next for him.  My son has one more year of eligibility, so I'm hoping he sticks around at least one more year, but after that I would like to see how well Coach Dubois could do at other top D3 schools or even D1 programs.  It's certainly been a fun ride...

[NESCAC43]

Candidates for National Player of the Year?

Lopez for me. 19 goals on the year (4 in UAA play) so far for a team with one of the most difficult schedules in the country (.633 SoS). Scored in both the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 matches, as well as the 1st Round. Clearly a big-game player who can produce despite very much being a "marked man."

Co-sign. He had a hat trick against Emory in the Elite 8, but two were wiped off by a foul and an offside.

I agree, as well. I know D3soccer.com does Forward, Midfielder and Defender of the Year.

Forward: Max Lopez, Chicago
Midfielder: Josh Ocel, Brandeis
Defender: Trent Vegter, Calvin

All three were named to the United Soccer Coaches first team, as expected; Connor Coleman who was mentioned later in the thread also received first team selection. Congrats to Ocel who was an AA for third straight year, very impressive. Surprised to not see Kyle Thomas (Lycoming) on any of the teams. His teammate Sainclair Tueno, incredible athlete, was named to the second team. Congratulations to all the receipients, this is something to be proud of.

[Shooter McGavin]

Shooter's Final Rankings
1. Messiah (24-2-0)
2. North Park (20-2-2)
3. Chicago (19-2-2)
4. Brandeis (17-5-0)
5. Tufts (15-2-4)
6. St. Thomas (22-2-0)
7. Calvin (21-1-1)
8. Hopkins (16-1-4)
9. Drew (21-1-1)
10. Otterbein (19-3-0)
11. Lycoming (19-3-0)
12. W&L (15-5-2)
13. Amherst (12-4-3)
14. Emory (15-5-2)
15. Rochester (14-4-3)
16. Newark (20-3-1)
17. Oneonta (15-2-3)
18. Stevens (13-7-2)
19. Mary Hardin-Baylor (17-3-1)
20. St. Joe's (19-0-2)
21. Trinity (21-2-0)
22. John Carroll (16-3-2)
23. Kenyon (16-3-3)
24. Lynchburg (18-2-2)
25. Springfield (15-1-3)
RV: Ogelthorpe (17-2-2), Cortland St (16-4-0), Loras (14-6-1), Rowan (17-4-1), Buffalo St (14-3-3), Transylvania (17-2-0)

[Falconer]

Now that I am back home and can say more about the season as a whole, I'll start by congratulating Brandeis, NPU, and Chicago for tremendous seasons. You don't get to the final four without deserving to be there. The Brandeis seniors in particular merit further congratulations for doing it multiple times! Judging from the stats and the descriptions (remember, I didn't see the game myself), Brandeis played awfully well, proving they belonged in the final four and almost pulling it off when they got the second goal with just 10 minutes remaining. I feel for them and for their fans. Josh Ocel might be the best player in D3 this season—he certainly has a strong case to make. If Brandeis had won, it would have been fun to see him against NPU. With an outstanding coach and a great tradition in what might now be the top conference in D3, I won't be surprised to find Brandeis on the top of the podium sooner or later. The same can obviously be said about Chicago and NPU, both of whom will return their best players, especially NPU—the youngest team (in terms of class standing) I can remember seeing in the final game. (One puzzle for me: according to the United Soccer Coaches web site, NPU first team AA MF Matias Warp is a SR. But, he's listed as just a sophomore on NPU's roster. Can someone sort this out?) Messiah loses a lot more to graduation (three SR AAs) than either Chicago or NPU. Anyone anticipating a Chicago-NPU final in 2018 wouldn't be just blowin' smoke.

And Calvin should be awfully strong again, too. Recall that just three weeks ago I picked Calvin to win it all, partly b/c I had been so impressed by them last fall, when they came from behind to beat Messiah in 2OT in Grantham. They had just dominated the Falcons for the larger part of that game, even though the Falcons almost put them away in the first half, when they scored their only goal and so narrowly missed getting two more. This means exactly what it appears to mean: I had doubts that this particular Falcon team would go all the way.

My doubts contradicted a prediction I made here, either early in 2016 or late in 2015. I can't find the pertinent thread, or I'd bring the prediction out of electronic limbo and give it new life. Having seen the talent of the current JR class (mainly West, Alejos, Ruiz Plaza, Bell, and Brautigam) on display for 20-30 games early in their careers, at that point I said that I would not be surprised if they won it all before they graduated. I should have had more faith in that conviction this fall. Even late in the season, however, I had not yet seen them play as a team at quite the level I believed they were capable of playing (see below). I knew they had high level talent, perhaps more than all but two or three classes in Falcon history. After all, this group started together several times in their first season—something that hadn't happened in Grantham for probably twenty years, if ever. For comparison, the great class of 2014-15 (the one everyone here remembers, the "Giant" killed by Kane's deflected shot in the first minute of the game with Tufts) had just a single freshman starter, Jack Thompson, a national HS AA (I think). Even Jeremy Payne, who was POY twice, started just two games as a freshman. No one else started more than once, including Brian Ramirez, arguably the most highly skilled player in the group. Carter Robbins didn't start even once. To be sure, the 2011 team was coming off three straight national championships, so the veterans were understandably fixed as starters, but the freshmen were in general much more talented, and once they all started as sophomores and juniors they won two titles. By comparison, three of the current juniors (all of them regional AAs in HS) started as freshmen almost right away, with Bell taking over in goal halfway through the season and Brautigam eventually getting 3 starts.

Their talent was supplemented by another very strong class right behind them, a class that produced two regular freshmen starters (Cooper Robbins and Shay Quintin), in addition to other players who would probably have started for almost any other team, especially Brit Haseltine and Jonathan Groothoff. This fall, it was Haseltine who made perhaps the single most impressive pass all season, the brilliant ball downfield to Kirby Robbins, whose own pass then set up West's last-second GW vs Hood. I expect Haseltine to start next year, either in Thomas' spot on the right wing or in Robbins' spot as target. He has all the tools.

But, it was the SRs who really stepped it up this year and made that crucial difference. Every SR starter probably had his best season this year. For once Colby Thomas was healthy, and he finally showed people he could go to his left from the right wing; Kirby Robbins made shots and plays he didn't make consistently in the past, becoming a truly dangerous striker against even the best defenses; Josh Bender had his best season ever as shut-down outside defender, and Dakota Rosenberg took home an AA award as a CB.

Nevertheless, it was not until the tournament, especially in the second weekend, that it all came together in a way I had not previously seen since 2013. They had played nearly as well toward the end of 2016, such that I was thinking of them as a final four team before the heartbreaking loss to Calvin, but not quite as well as they did this fall. In the sectional games against Stevens and Rochester, the Falcons were simply clinical at possession and shot selection—and that is always the key to gauging their level of play in any season. If they aren't at the top of their game in those aspects, then they just aren't at the top of their game anywhere else. The defense feeds off possession no less than the offense. It's because they couldn't consistently out-possess people in 2015 that the Falcons gave up four goals to CMU and four more to Rowan, both of them really good teams in their own right, but giving up four goals is something that had not happened even once since the beginning of the season in 1998! That was the only other time in my memory that the starting lineup had a comparable number of freshmen as they did in 2015. Brandt was just getting started; the talent was improving dramatically, but they were still very young and hadn't yet figured out how the system works.

The other crucial piece isn't visible with the eye test, because it's buried deep inside the heart and head. As I've said already a few times, this particular Falcon team had enormous resilience and determination, perhaps more than any other Falcon team this decade—though I hesitate to state or even imply that their predecessors lacked intensity or focus. They played one of the toughest schedules in recent memory (for Messiah, which is not in a particularly difficult conference despite having Lycoming and LVC), with truly excellent teams like JHU, Haverford (when they were playing like an excellent team), Rowan, and Lycoming (twice), along with some very good ones (Elizabethtown, Dickinson, Mary Washington, LVC). McCarty was certainly second-guessing himself about that, especially after a much weaker schedule last fall. Yet, the Falcons scored at least one goal in every single game, even though as a team they did not come near the level of scoring attained by several previous champions. That's a enormously important fact. To see what it means, I checked every other team in the final D3 top 10, plus JHU and Brandeis. Can anyone guess how many other teams in that group could also say that they scored in every game? The answer is just one: Trinity. For comparison, Tufts was shut out six (!) times this season, which is the main reason I wasn't worried about playing them, if they had gotten past Brandeis (who was shut out 3 times). Calvin wasn't shut out until their final game against Chicago, but Chicago was shut out 3 times (twice by NPU, although they admittedly had a legitimate goal called back the second time). NPU had just that one shutout vs Chicago, just as Lycoming had just one vs Messiah. Looking back only at past Falcon teams, we must go all the way back to 2010 to find a team that was never shut out; that team had just one blemish, a 2-1 opening game loss to Hobart before running the table—except that Lynchburg beat them fair and square in the final, only to have the Falcons tie it near the end of regulation on a crucial foul by the scorer that wasn't called against him. I still have an asterisk next to that title in my head; I regard Lynchburg as the real champion in 2010, so this year is actually 10, not 11, in the Falcons' Nest. Prior to that, we must go back to 2008 for a season without a shutout. That team had a 1-1 tie with TCNJ at home, a 2-1 loss to York (a common result in those days), a 1-1 tie vs Gettysburg (a common result in any decade, such that the two most recent games with GBurg have the same result), and a 1-1 tie with Stevens in the national final. That one went to the Falcons very easily in PKs, when backup GK Nick Blossey stoned 3 Stevens shooters. It wasn't luck—he had specifically trained just for that very role all season long. After losing to Salisbury on PKs back in 2003 (by a unbelievable score of something like 17-16, but I can't find a record of it), Brandt swore that would never happen again, so he took steps to prevent it.

In other words, the fact that the Falcons always scored at least one goal—and several times got that one goal or another GW goal very late in the game—is a very significant fact about this year's team. Just twice did they fail to win, both times going down 2-0 before getting one back. They did get one back. They just never quit. That was fully on display in the final four.

Taken together, what this means (at least to this longtime Falconer) is that Brad McCarty might have done his greatest coaching job this year. There is a natural tendency to award coach of the year to the man whose team wins the title. I can't criticize that, but IMO another coach is often more deserving of that award, all things considered. This year, however, I think McCarty is truly deserving of it. He took a very talented team (but not necessarily more talented than Chicago or NPU or Tufts or Calvin or Lycoming) all the way, but he did so by putting it all together in a more impressive manner than in many other Falcon seasons, whether the coach's name was Brandt or McCarty. Unlike some of those earlier Falcon teams, this team didn't demolish the best teams; they simply found a way to win, when perhaps they shouldn't have. Of course, the players deserve much of the credit: they didn't have to take the bull by the horns and face it down. They didn't have to keep giving up good shots for themselves to get even better ones for their teammates; they didn't have to keep playing as hard as they could, even late in the game when they were down on the scoreboard. They didn't have to trust the second team, which took a good chunk of the season before they really jelled. They kept the faith and did their best. But, that's the point: they did those things b/c they were taught to do those things. They might not always have been the more talented team, and they might always have played as well as they were capable of playing. But, they always believed in what they were doing, and never gave up. Coaching has everything to do with that. A very big shout out to Brad McCarty.

I'm sorry this is so long. Perhaps I'll add comments about the prospects for next year at some point, but I've said far more than I should for one day, so this might be my last comment for a while. In that case, my best wishes to all for a safe, joyous nine months before we meet again. I'll pay attention to any replies to these musings, but I will probably do so quietly. And, please don't copy all of this into your post—just include the one or two sentences that you need to address. Otherwise it will get tedious for everyone. Thanks for reading all this.

[Falconer]

I stupidly forgot to mention Danno Brandt, since he was a JR who wasn't really a JR. That's why he got left out. My major bad. He is a superb playmaker--that's his best role--and this year was a crucial cog in the wheel. My apologies to him and his teammates. I don't expect him to return for a final season, since he must have now enough credits to graduate. But, technically he's eligible for one more year, since he had a medical redshirt last fall at Wheaton. I'm delighted he came back to Messiah.

[d4_Pace]

For comparison, the great class of 2014-15 (the one everyone here remembers, the "Giant" killed by Kane's deflected shot in the first minute of the game with Tufts) had just a single freshman starter, Jack Thompson, a national HS AA (I think).


Just want to say that Kayne's shot didn't deflect (unless you count it skimming off the defender on the line's head). 

But congratulations to Messiah for winning this year.  That 2014 team was incredible, the best team I faced by a mile, but this year's group found a way to get in done. 

[lastguyoffthebench]

d4_pace.  Welcome.  Solid name

That 2014 Messiah team just might have been better than the 2013 squad... I still put the 2013 as one of their best in program history, regardless of record.   I have not witnessed a better front 6.

If Brandt did not use a season of eligibility at Palm Beach, will be protest for an additional year in 2019 if he continues his education?   I believe 10 semesters is the cut-off, with the need to apply for 6th year eligibility.    Are there circumstance where changing divisions extends that?

13 Messiah FR
14 Messiah SO
15 PBA
16 RS at Wheaton
17 Messiah JR
18
19 Definitely out the question, correct?

[firstplaceloser]

d4_pace.  Welcome.  Solid name

That 2014 Messiah team just might have been better than the 2013 squad... I still put the 2013 as one of their best in program history, regardless of record.   I have not witnessed a better front 6.

If Brandt did not use a season of eligibility at Palm Beach, will be protest for an additional year in 2019 if he continues his education?

yeah I was going to say their 2013 team was better than 2014.

[Falconer]

For comparison, the great class of 2014-15 (the one everyone here remembers, the “Giant” killed by Kane’s deflected shot in the first minute of the game with Tufts) had just a single freshman starter, Jack Thompson, a national HS AA (I think).


Just want to say that Kayne's shot didn't deflect (unless you count it skimming off the defender on the line's head). 

But congratulations to Messiah for winning this year.  That 2014 team was incredible, the best team I faced by a mile, but this year's group found a way to get in done. 

Thank you, d4. Someone on the team told me the shot was deflected, and who am I to say otherwise? But, you were there too, I gather, and your opinion is worth more than mine. 

That 2014 Tufts team was pretty darn good, too, and played the Falcons at least even on that day. Some on this board tend to downplay that team, even in one case saying that none of Tufts' starters could have played for Messiah. I beg to differ. I could name at least 3 or 4 who would have started for the Falcons, starting with Majumder. The only question would have been, exactly where would he have played? I think 2014 Tufts probably beats 2017 Messiah--but not in a shutout, which is why I also think 2017 Messiah beats 2017 Tufts, in a shutout. Of course we'll never know, will we? It'd be great if NESCAC and MAC teams took turns playing a weekend series on each other's fields, but I won't hold my breath since it's an awfully long bus ride in between.