Mid-Atlantic Region

[Falconer]

Under-rated aspect of Messiah?

Set-pieces. They sure are clinical with the ball in the air.

1-0 over LVC early 2nd half.

And, wow, very much against the run of play, LVC ties it up with a nice ball played down the wing that got flipped across the box, re-crossed and found a dude wide open on the back post GK with an incredible point blank save, but the rebound is stuffed in... 1-1 with about 20 minutes left.

Also, props to the LVC student/fans... That's a really good turnout for a somewhat random Tuesday afternoon match!

I attended this one--a rare away game for me, but LVC isn't that far away. Never been to that stadium before--very attractive setting, where fans sit on terraced hardscaping rather than bleacher seats (like Messiah) or stadium seats. Kudos to LVC. The field is grass much in need of TLC, but worlds better than Muhlenberg. A damp, overcast day. They don't do night games at LVC because the field has no lights.

Thanks to Hopkins92 for a succinct summary of the game. I agree that the Falcons are "clinical" in the air. That's a major change from just a few years ago, when in one particular season they scored ZERO goals on set pieces. The players most responsible for the improvement are the big CB Lent-Koop, who scored the first goal today and who played upfield for much of the second half; Groothoff, who might have the best vertical leap on the team; and backup striker Leitzel, who scored the other goal--all of 6'5", he knows where to place himself and how to move. Amherst would just love to have him! 

Yes, it was a good turnout, but I recognized at least 1/3 as Falcon fans, many of them parents but also a few students, some faculty, and alumni. The fact that both goals were headers off long entry passes (one a corner kick by Johnson, who has now returned from injury) betrays the fact that LVC parked the bus until the Falcons got that first goal. All 11 men in front of the ball, with no effort to possess let alone score. They reverted again to that once they tied it up--credit to them for the quick strategic change and concerted effort to score. Pavlevich had no chance on the rebound shot, though he made an impressive save on the original shot by their very big striker.

[Falconer]

Under-rated aspect of Messiah?

Set-pieces. They sure are clinical with the ball in the air.

1-0 over LVC early 2nd half.

And, wow, very much against the run of play, LVC ties it up with a nice ball played down the wing that got flipped across the box, re-crossed and found a dude wide open on the back post GK with an incredible point blank save, but the rebound is stuffed in... 1-1 with about 20 minutes left.

Also, props to the LVC student/fans... That's a really good turnout for a somewhat random Tuesday afternoon match!

LVC is top 5 in attendance for D3 so they usually have a decent turnout/atmosphere for their home games!  Something to keep an eye on is McDonald had reduced minutes in the 2nd half and didn't finish the game. I think it was for tactical reasons but there's a chance he picked up a knock at some point.  He's important for them heading into postseason play so hopefully it's nothing major

I hope it's nothing major, too.

I didn't notice the play where he got hit, but he did not re-appear in the game after leaving (with a few other starters) fairly early in the second half. I kept waiting for him to return--the game was tied, the other starters had all come back in, but no Matt McDonald. Afterwards he was walking around with an ice pack on his knee, but otherwise walking normally, and soon he took off the ice. From talking with a few parents (including his father) and players, I think he'll be OK, though if he misses Saturday's game I won't be surprised. The Falcons dodged a bullet.

[Hopkins92]

Widener Update... Up 1-0 in the second. I didn't see the goal.

I think Pride Nation (:-)) would be happy if Double M sat out Saturday's game in Chester.

[Hopkins92]

2-0 off of a scramble from a CK. I don't have the sound on so I don't know who scored it. Pretty nice finish... Lofted a bouncing ball over the keeper into the far side netting over the GK.

Game ends 3-1. Third Widener goal was pretty wild. Very sketch Alvernia foul led to hand bags at six paces (got kind of ugly for a minute). The set piece for Wide led to a goal and then the goal scorer (Fatiga?) did an incredible cartwheel-->flip cellie... It was a very satisfying moment for Pride Nation (tm).

Alvernia scored (didn't see it), but the game was pretty much over at 3-0.

Pretty impressive win, frankly. Not that  I doubted them (I did), but they really handled business today. I'm  actually pretty intrigued by how they'll do this weekend at home with the visiting Falcons.

ETA2: Fatiga had 2 tonight... 12 on the season. Dude is special at this level. Widener is a gnarly team, y'all.

[paclassic89]

Regional Ranking 2 RPI Predictions

Region IV

1. Stevens
2. NYU
3. Montclair St.
4. Rowan
5. Lycoming
6. Misericordia
7. Rutgers-Newark

Possible Inclusions at the 7 spot
Lanc Bible
Ramapo
TCNJ

Region V

1. Messiah
2. JHU
3. F&M
4. Catholic
5. Drew
6. Gettysburg
7. Alvernia

Possible inclusion at 7
Etown

[Hopkins92]

Regional Ranking 2 RPI Predictions

Region IV

1. Stevens
2. NYU
3. Montclair St.
4. Rowan
5. Lycoming
6. Misericordia
7. Rutgers-Newark

Possible Inclusions at the 7 spot
Lanc Bible
Ramapo
TCNJ

Region V

1. Messiah
2. JHU
3. F&M
4. Catholic
5. Drew
6. Gettysburg
7. Alvernia

Possible inclusion at 7
Etown

I'll fight you about Alvernia and Widener!!

(I mean, I won't.. and I get it, but.. still...)

[paclassic89]

Given the results from this week so far, Alvernia's spot in the rankings will be short-lived (if they're even in it this week).  And Widener is on the rise!  I think they might have a legitimate shot at slipping in there for Week 3 depending on how some of the other teams do this weekend. 

[Ejay]

Regional Ranking 2 RPI Predictions

Region IV

1. Stevens
2. NYU
3. Montclair St.
4. Rowan
5. Lycoming
6. Misericordia
7. Rutgers-Newark

Possible Inclusions at the 7 spot
Lanc Bible
Ramapo
TCNJ

Region V

1. Messiah
2. JHU
3. F&M
4. Catholic
5. Drew
6. Gettysburg
7. Alvernia

Possible inclusion at 7
Etown

I'll fight you about Alvernia and Widener!!

(I mean, I won't.. and I get it, but.. still...)

Drew needs to come out. They lost to Elizabethtown 2-0 and won't make the Landmark playoffs.  Their season is done after Saturday (well, they'll likely get the ECAC #1 seed). Running through a soft schedule means nothing if you can't win your conference games.

[Mid-Atlantic Fan]

Regional Ranking 2 RPI Predictions

Region IV

1. Stevens
2. NYU
3. Montclair St.
4. Rowan
5. Lycoming
6. Misericordia
7. Rutgers-Newark

Possible Inclusions at the 7 spot
Lanc Bible
Ramapo
TCNJ

Region V

1. Messiah
2. JHU
3. F&M
4. Catholic
5. Drew
6. Gettysburg
7. Alvernia

Possible inclusion at 7
Etown

I don't see how Newark gets in but they might due to their high SOS. 0-5-1 RvR and barely over .500 with a .529 win %. Not sure it's enough to jump in but it could happen.

Ramapo and TCNJ have 0% chance of making the rankings as both are below .500 win %.

That 7th spot is certainly a toss up in Region 5. Between Drew, Gettysburg, Alvernia and Etown one of them will be out but it's anyone's best guess who it will be! 

[paclassic89]

I'm only providing what the numbers tell me haha. So I'm sure things will be shifted once RvR comes into play.  I will say that Drew's win % and SOS are still objectively very good despite their recent struggles. 

[Mid-Atlantic Fan]

Some regional games to watch this evening:

Messiah @ LVC
Kings @ Misericordia
Lyco @ Gettysburg
Wilkes @ FDU
Alvernia @ Widener
Stevens @ Arcadia

I caught bits and pieces of some of these but watched the Gettysburg vs Lycoming game the most. I've seen both teams play 4 or 5 times this year and I must say that both were playing at an extremely high level. I'd give the edge to Lycoming, as they created some quality chances and had the majority of the opportunities. Lycoming's outside backs were both very good on the ball and good in the attack. Gettysburg's goalie stood on his head and made some nice saves to keep them in it. Both teams look like NCAA teams to me and I am curious to see how they perform in conference playoffs. Both teams have strong resumes but are lacking a ranked win from what I can see. They should have the opportunity to pick up 1 during the playoffs which will help their case.

The other game I watched closely was Stevens vs Arcadia. Stevens is peaking at the right time and while they are still undefeated, they are playing some good soccer at the moment. They have only given up 1 goal in their last 9 games, outscoring opponents 21-1 in that stretch. They looked very difficult to break down and once they got the first goal it looked like everyone knew the match was over.

I noticed Messiah and LVC was a close affair. Did anybody watch that game? Was it as close as the score indicates?

 

[Mid-Atlantic Fan]

I'm only providing what the numbers tell me haha. So I'm sure things will be shifted once RvR comes into play.  I will say that Drew's win % and SOS are still objectively very good despite their recent struggles.

Yes, although Drew has struggled in conference play they might stay in the rankings due to the overall resume. We will see later this afternoon!

[Hopkins92]

Some regional games to watch this evening:

Messiah @ LVC
Kings @ Misericordia
Lyco @ Gettysburg
Wilkes @ FDU
Alvernia @ Widener
Stevens @ Arcadia

I caught bits and pieces of some of these but watched the Gettysburg vs Lycoming game the most. I've seen both teams play 4 or 5 times this year and I must say that both were playing at an extremely high level. I'd give the edge to Lycoming, as they created some quality chances and had the majority of the opportunities. Lycoming's outside backs were both very good on the ball and good in the attack. Gettysburg's goalie stood on his head and made some nice saves to keep them in it. Both teams look like NCAA teams to me and I am curious to see how they perform in conference playoffs. Both teams have strong resumes but are lacking a ranked win from what I can see. They should have the opportunity to pick up 1 during the playoffs which will help their case.

The other game I watched closely was Stevens vs Arcadia. Stevens is peaking at the right time and while they are still undefeated, they are playing some good soccer at the moment. They have only given up 1 goal in their last 9 games, outscoring opponents 21-1 in that stretch. They looked very difficult to break down and once they got the first goal it looked like everyone knew the match was over.

I noticed Messiah and LVC was a close affair. Did anybody watch that game? Was it as close as the score indicates?

Look up thread. I posted about it a bit and we had a first hand accounting of the game from Falconer.

I wouldn't really call it close, even though LVC scored with about 20 minutes left to even the match. It was very one-sided, with LVC parking the bus and Messiah doing their normal thing (tight passes and dribbling in little space, breaking down LVC and getting a decent amount of chances, resulting in a lot of shots and corners. (22 v. 3 on shots, 13 v. 1 on corners.)

I will say, this game was good for Messiah, because give credit to LVC... They had a plan and they stuck to it and weren't exactly an easy out. 2-1 is the closest game Messiah has seen in about a month (2-1 W over NYU in late September.)

[Fitz@615]

I watched the entire Messiah v. LVU game. To say LVU "packed it in" doesn't do it justice. Not only did they have 11 behind the ball, but they were all basically sitting in the 18. Therefore, it was extremely hard for MU to break them down. They had some good looks and the GK had at least 1 good save in the 1H.  MU got their first goal off a header from Lent-Koop in the 2H. LVU then opened up a bit and were able to get a goal. Then, they were content to sit back again as they were aiming to get 1 point from the game to have a shot at post season. MU though, got another header from Leitzel with 5 min left for the GW.
Stat line proved the above as MU out shot LVU 22-3. Give LVU credit as they had a plan to secure 1 point. MU coming off back to back blow outs against a desperate team surely played into the result.
MU able to score in so many ways will should make them a tough out in the NCAA's.

[MessageBoardMessi]

I watched the entire Messiah v. LVU game. To say LVU "packed it in" doesn't do it justice. Not only did they have 11 behind the ball, but they were all basically sitting in the 18. Therefore, it was extremely hard for MU to break them down. They had some good looks and the GK had at least 1 good save in the 1H.  MU got their first goal off a header from Lent-Koop in the 2H. LVU then opened up a bit and were able to get a goal. Then, they were content to sit back again as they were aiming to get 1 point from the game to have a shot at post season. MU though, got another header from Leitzel with 5 min left for the GW.
Stat line proved the above as MU out shot LVU 22-3. Give LVU credit as they had a plan to secure 1 point. MU coming off back to back blow outs against a desperate team surely played into the result.
MU able to score in so many ways will should make them a tough out in the NCAA's.

I think the win shows Messiahs ability to adapt and advance.  Lent Koop effectively played as a striker - something he hasn't done all season, and you could see key adjustments to the plan and point of attack to push through those goals.....doesn't mean it wasn't cause for nail-biting.  I honestly felt like a draw was at hand after LVC tied it up. Some may give them grief for parking the bus, but they did what they had to do in a situation where they had to get a point.   Teams that have the ability to adapt will be advantaged in tournament play -