Mid-Atlantic Region

[Ejay]

Games to Watch
Misericordia @ Lycoming
Hopkins @ Washington
Messiah @ Etown
Fords @ Muhles
Wilkes @ Scranton
Getty @ McDaniel
York @ LVC
Catholic @ Salisbury
Alvernia @ Kings
Dickinson @ F&M

Here's my go...
Misericordia @ Lycoming – Lycoming 3-0
Hopkins @ Washington – Hopkins 3-0
Messiah @ Etown – Messiah 2-1
Fords @ Muhles – Haverford 3-0
Wilkes @ Scranton – Scranton 2-0
Getty @ McDaniel – Gettysburg 2-0
York @ LVC – LVC 2-1 OT
Catholic @ Salisbury – Salisbury 1-0
Alvernia @ Kings – Alvernia 2-1 OT
Dickinson @ F&M – Dickinson 2-1 OT
Added... Drew @ Moravian – Drew 3-1

[Falconer]

Messiah went to Herr Field in Elizabethtown tonight with a singular mission: don't let Gilbert Waso beat you, which is exactly what he did on their previous visit two years ago. He almost did it again. Probably the most dangerous player in this region, Waso was often denied the ball and almost always double-teamed when he had it, but somehow despite being short of stature he rose above everyone else in front the goal and hit the crossbar late in the first half of what was at that point about a dead-even scoreless game. If his shot had gone in, Etown probably wins this one--but, it didn't. The Blue Jays finally did score on a very nice header off a free kick (on a call near the sideline that could have gone either way) mid-way into the second half to put the Falcons in a hole. Given how well the Jays had played defensively to that point, stepping into the passing lanes and fighting hard for space, I thought it was probably over. However, once again Colby Thomas (the most dangerous Falcon) rescued his teammates with a hard shot (most of his are like that) from outside the box on the left side, where he was assigned to play after coming back into the game with the other starters a few minutes earlier. (Etown's goal actually came against the second team, though one or two starting defenders were still on the field.)

I have to believe this still is the greatest rivalry in D3 soccer. Nothing against Amherst-Williams, OWU-Kenyon, or any other rivalry that merits mentioning. Almost always these games are barn burners, regardless of the record of either team, and they always play 'em before an overflow, very knowledgeable crowd, many of them standing the whole time. If you've never been there, make it a priority to do so at least once if you live anywhere in the region--or even if you don't.

Etown almost always brings their A+ game, especially at home, and if the Falcons don't do likewise they lose. Tonight both teams earned full A's on the defensive end--Messiah especially needed to prove they can do that, after some shaky play in a few earlier games. The offenses didn't look quite as good, but mostly b/c the pressure on both ends was intense and Etown knows exactly how to slow down or stop the Falcons' one-touch, build-from-the-back attack. Overall the Falcons created more dangerous opportunities, but the Etown keeper rose to the occasion multiple times and made no mistakes. He had no chance whatsoever on the GW, a truly brilliant combination that in my mind's eye ranks up there as one of the great all-time Falcon goals, perhaps even in the top ten. Nick West, who'd been held under wraps most of the evening, sent a high cross from the right wing that ended up squarely on the head of Kirby Robbins, whose shot was a perfectly placed rocket from in close.

It was really good to see the Falcons come from behind late in the game, just as they did against Rowan, and then to win it in OT. Those are the kinds of games that make men ready to go deep into the tournament. This team should. It's not quite as deep on either end as some previous teams, but there are no major weaknesses on the first team and the talented freshmen of two years ago (four of whom started regularly, something I hadn't seen in almost 20 years) are now seasoned veterans who know how to win. The keeper could be quicker, but he rarely makes mistakes (none tonight) and sophomore CB Cooper Robbins is playing up to the high potential everyone knew he had. As he grows in confidence, experience, and judgement I'd say that he has a good chance to be an AA, like his brother Carter, perhaps even this year. And, Colby Thomas is just Colby Thomas. He can always be counted on to create shots and put it hard on frame. I give him a game ball with another to Shay Quintin, the smallish, left-footed, cat-like outside back from Massachusetts who can beat most forwards one-on-one when he has the ball, as he did often tonight. I still don't know how he ever got out of New England, but I'm mighty glad he did.

Speaking of which, I recently heard from someone in the know that Messiah is getting another first-rate player from New England next year, indeed an all-New England MF with a really fast mile time. I've known about him for a while, but it was a toss-up whether he would go D1 or to Messiah. I'll keep his name out of this, but I'll offer a hint: he scored 2 goals in the final to help his team win their third straight state title. That should keep the many NESCAC fans here guessing.   

[Flying Weasel]

The gooey, sticky aftermath of a Marshmallow Cup!  (Check out the shoe prints!)

[rudy]

Messiah went to Herr Field in Elizabethtown tonight with a singular mission: don't let Gilbert Waso beat you, which is exactly what he did on their previous visit two years ago. He almost did it again. Probably the most dangerous player in this region, Waso was often denied the ball and almost always double-teamed when he had it, but somehow despite being short of stature he rose above everyone else in front the goal and hit the crossbar late in the first half of what was at that point about a dead-even scoreless game. If his shot had gone in, Etown probably wins this one--but, it didn't. The Blue Jays finally did score on a very nice header off a free kick (on a call near the sideline that could have gone either way) mid-way into the second half to put the Falcons in a hole. Given how well the Jays had played defensively to that point, stepping into the passing lanes and fighting hard for space, I thought it was probably over. However, once again Colby Thomas (the most dangerous Falcon) rescued his teammates with a hard shot (most of his are like that) from outside the box on the left side, where he was assigned to play after coming back into the game with the other starters a few minutes earlier. (Etown's goal actually came against the second team, though one or two starting defenders were still on the field.)

I have to believe this still is the greatest rivalry in D3 soccer. Nothing against Amherst-Williams, OWU-Kenyon, or any other rivalry that merits mentioning. Almost always these games are barn burners, regardless of the record of either team, and they always play 'em before an overflow, very knowledgeable crowd, many of them standing the whole time. If you've never been there, make it a priority to do so at least once if you live anywhere in the region--or even if you don't.

Etown almost always brings their A+ game, especially at home, and if the Falcons don't do likewise they lose. Tonight both teams earned full A's on the defensive end--Messiah especially needed to prove they can do that, after some shaky play in a few earlier games. The offenses didn't look quite as good, but mostly b/c the pressure on both ends was intense and Etown knows exactly how to slow down or stop the Falcons' one-touch, build-from-the-back attack. Overall the Falcons created more dangerous opportunities, but the Etown keeper rose to the occasion multiple times and made no mistakes. He had no chance whatsoever on the GW, a truly brilliant combination that in my mind's eye ranks up there as one of the great all-time Falcon goals, perhaps even in the top ten. Nick West, who'd been held under wraps most of the evening, sent a high cross from the right wing that ended up squarely on the head of Kirby Robbins, whose shot was a perfectly placed rocket from in close.

It was really good to see the Falcons come from behind late in the game, just as they did against Rowan, and then to win it in OT. Those are the kinds of games that make men ready to go deep into the tournament. This team should. It's not quite as deep on either end as some previous teams, but there are no major weaknesses on the first team and the talented freshmen of two years ago (four of whom started regularly, something I hadn't seen in almost 20 years) are now seasoned veterans who know how to win. The keeper could be quicker, but he rarely makes mistakes (none tonight) and sophomore CB Cooper Robbins is playing up to the high potential everyone knew he had. As he grows in confidence, experience, and judgement I'd say that he has a good chance to be an AA, like his brother Carter, perhaps even this year. And, Colby Thomas is just Colby Thomas. He can always be counted on to create shots and put it hard on frame. I give him a game ball with another to Shay Quintin, the smallish, left-footed, cat-like outside back from Massachusetts who can beat most forwards one-on-one when he has the ball, as he did often tonight. I still don't know how he ever got out of New England, but I'm mighty glad he did.

Speaking of which, I recently heard from someone in the know that Messiah is getting another first-rate player from New England next year, indeed an all-New England MF with a really fast mile time. I've known about him for a while, but it was a toss-up whether he would go D1 or to Messiah. I'll keep his name out of this, but I'll offer a hint: he scored 2 goals in the final to help his team win their third straight state title. That should keep the many NESCAC fans here guessing.   

Nice write-up. Here is my question. Will Thomas be slotted on the left side permanently or more often to jump start the scoring earlierr? That's 2 games in a row he came through with a big goal on a right foot rocket after being moved to the left side. Messiah has been struggling to score 3 games in a row now. Plenty of shots but not enough to challenge the keeper. Seems like some adjustments are needed. They get nothing off corner kicks.. maybe play a short corner more often.

[Ejay]

Good write up on the Messiah-ETown game.  I thought ETown won the first half and were unlikely not to take the lead. Messiah played like a new team in the second and didn't seemed phased when ETown scored.  You just knew they'd win eventually.  On the first Messiah goal, I thought ETown did a very poor job of closing space - that shot should never have gotten off.  The game winner was a peach.

[Mid-Atlantic Fan]

Results
Misericordia @ Lycoming===Lyco 3-0---Lyco bounces back and dominates from start to finish.

Hopkins @ Washington===JHU 2-1---JHU in control all game and gives one back late. Nice win to keep rolling.

Messiah @ Etown===Messiah 2-1 OT---Great game and a solid response by Etown after the let down vs Drew. Unlucky not to get a result here at home after a valiant effort. Messiah comes away the victor and overall was the better team. The Falcons continue to find ways to win tight games on the road which is a good sign for Falcon fans!

Fords @ Muhles===Draw 0-0---Fords drop what could be a costly game and add a blemish to the record. Conference road games are difficult but from the box score in this one looked pretty even. Great result for the Muhles.

Wilkes @ Scranton===Royals 3-0 ---Scranton finally stops the bleeding and snaps a 3 game losing streak with convincing display.

Getty @ McDaniel===Getty 1-0---Gettysburg in control from start to finish and pick up a conference road win to stay with the pack.

York @ LVC===LVC 6-1---Leb Val embarrasses York with 6 goals. This one was close for a half then all LVC after that. When was the last time York was relevant? Sad decline for that program. 

Catholic @ Salisbury===2-1 2OT---Salisbury wins it with 4 minutes left in 2OT in what looked like a dead even game. Tough one for Catholic to swallow but plenty to look forward to with conference play.

Alvernia @ Kings===Draw 0-0---If you wanted to watch an exciting goal-fest then this was not your game. Featuring almost more yellow cards than total shots, King's and Alvernia play to a draw.

Dickinson @ F&M===F&M 2-1---A must win at home for the Diplomats, F&M finds a way to sneak out a win late despite losing the corner kick battle 12-3. This is a crushing loss for Dickinson as they deserved at least a result. 

[Mid-Atlantic Fan]

Regional Rankings:
1    Messiah College---def Etown 2-1 OT
2    Johns Hopkins University---def Wash Coll 2-1
3    Lycoming College---def Miseri 3-0
4    Haverford College---draw Muhles 0-0
5    Drew University---DNP
6    Eastern University---DNP
7    Gettysburg College---def McDaniel 1-0
8    Lebanon Valley College---def York 6-1
9    Dickinson College---lost 2-1 to F&M
10    University Of Scranton---def Wilkes 3-0

[NEPAFAN]

Really excited for Elizabethtown-Scranton on Saturday night. Good feed from E-town and both teams need to avoid going 0-2 in conference in the worst way.

[Ejay]

Haverford drawing with Muhlenberg is actually a huge loss in my eyes.

[Flying Weasel]

I wouldn't say E-town won the first half, but it certainly was closer to 50-50 in that while Messiah had a noticeable edge in possession, E-town was more effective in possession than they would be in the second half and were creating as much danger and chances as were the Falcons. 

Second half Messiah controlled the game even more than in the first half and E-town spent long stretches pinned back.  E-town's goal largely came against the run of play, and, in contrast to EB2319's assessment, I did think it had an effect on Messiah play for about 5 or so minutes with a little impatience and perhaps nervousness resulting in a lot of errant and/or ill-advised passes that turned-over possession. But the Falcons got through that stretch and then started pinning E-town back again, and had two golden 1-v-1's with the keeper that they couldn't put away (among some other good looks) before finally getting the equalizer.

Finishing and productive play from/use of a target man is an issue for the Falcons (a re-occurring issue over the past 10 years--Josh Wood's healthy seasons being the exceptions).  Defending corners kicks and FK's and crosses from the flanks seems to also be an issue for the Falcon defense.  Waso nearly opened the scoring in the first half when, despite being the shortest guy in a crowded box, got his head to a corner kick and put it off the crossbar.  And the Blue Jays' goal to open the scoring came from a FK from the flank.

Overall, the Falcons did a good job of keeping Waso in-check throughout, but there were the occasions when he was dangerous with his quickness and ball control in tight spaces.  Two years ago when Waso scored to give E-town the win, Messiah didn't seem prepared for him--the first time they had faced him--and he repeatedly created havoc for the Falcon defense in the first half (including scoring his goal), but Messiah made adjustments at halftime and Waso was largely a non-factor in the second half of that game.  Messiah did a good job on him from start to finish this time around (can't remember how well they played him last year at home).  I noticed that after E-town went up 1-0, Waso dropped back into more of an attacking midfield postion, and then when Messiah equalized he returned to the top of the Blue Jay attack again.

This year's Messiah squad can win the midfield battle and hold significant possession advantages like Messiah is known for, but there are question marks in the final 15 yards at both ends of the field. But they have another month to work on that and improve before the NCAA tournament. And with Hopkins at home next Thursday night, Lycoming away in conference play, and maybe even LVC in conference play, they still have some measuring stick games even if the conference slate overall isn't the most challenging.

[Ejay]

Two other thoughts...
1. What was with the pitch? On video, the grass looked extremely long and players were slipping all over the place, and not just near the marshmallows ;-)
2. Messiah plays a zone on defensive corners.  That's gonna bite them someday.

[rudy]

I wouldn't say E-town won the first half, but it certainly was closer to 50-50 in that while Messiah had a noticeable edge in possession, E-town was more effective in possession than they would be in the second half and were creating as much danger and chances as were the Falcons. 

Second half Messiah controlled the game even more than in the first half and E-town spent long stretches pinned back.  E-town's goal largely came against the run of play, and, in contrast to EB2319's assessment, I did think it had an effect on Messiah play for about 5 or so minutes with a little impatience and perhaps nervousness resulting in a lot of errant and/or ill-advised passes that turned-over possession. But the Falcons got through that stretch and then started pinning E-town back again, and had two golden 1-v-1's with the keeper that they couldn't put away (among some other good looks) before finally getting the equalizer.

Finishing and productive play from/use of a target man is an issue for the Falcons (a re-occurring issue over the past 10 years--Josh Wood's healthy seasons being the exceptions).  Defending corners kicks and FK's and crosses from the flanks seems to also be an issue for the Falcon defense.  Waso nearly opened the scoring in the first half when, despite being the shortest guy in a crowded box, got his head to a corner kick and put it off the crossbar.  And the Blue Jays' goal to open the scoring came from a FK from the flank.

Overall, the Falcons did a good job of keeping Waso in-check throughout, but there were the occasions when he was dangerous with his quickness and ball control in tight spaces.  Two years ago when Waso scored to give E-town the win, Messiah didn't seem prepared for him--the first time they had faced him--and he repeatedly created havoc for the Falcon defense in the first half (including scoring his goal), but Messiah made adjustments at halftime and Waso was largely a non-factor in the second half of that game.  Messiah did a good job on him from start to finish this time around (can't remember how well they played him last year at home).  I noticed that after E-town went up 1-0, Waso dropped back into more of an attacking midfield postion, and then when Messiah equalized he returned to the top of the Blue Jay attack again.

This year's Messiah squad can win the midfield battle and hold significant possession advantages like Messiah is known for, but there are question marks in the final 15 yards at both ends of the field. But they have another month to work on that and improve before the NCAA tournament. And with Hopkins at home next Thursday night, Lycoming away in conference play, and maybe even LVC in conference play, they still have some measuring stick games even if the conference slate overall isn't the most challenging.

Agree most goals they let in are from free kicks or corners. ..or even the long throw in . Their own corners have been poor..need to get shots on net out of them more often and a goal once in a while.  That could be the difference in a tournament game..both defending fk's and corners and getting some goals out of their fk's and corners.   Of course finishing some more of the golden opportunities you speak of would be nice too. Colby likes that right foot shot straight on outside the box...gotta get him those looks more often!  The big positive is this team does not give up when down late in a game. Find a way to win...have to like that grit.

[paclassic89]

The Messiah starters are top class like always but I'm not sure I've ever seen a Messiah squad with the type of dropoff between starters and subs that this one has.  Messiah controlled that Etown game as long as their starters were in but as soon as the subs started rolling in then Etown would take the upper hand, and it was a pretty dramatic shift in my opinion.  Messiah would struggle to string passes together and would start to concede shots on goal. 

[Falconer]

Messiah has been struggling to score 3 games in a row now. Plenty of shots but not enough to challenge the keeper. Seems like some adjustments are needed. They get nothing off corner kicks.. maybe play a short corner more often.

You're right, Rudy, they haven't scored much lately. However, vs Misericordia they put several shots hard on frame, even a couple of superb shots, only to be skunked by an excellent keeper having a pretty good night. And, last night vs Etown, they could easily have scored at least two more goals, had not the Etown keeper skunked them. (Etown was definitely unlucky when Waso hit the crossbar with that header, but Messiah was also unlucky when some excellent opportunities were denied by the keeper.)

I'm not as concerned as you about the scarcity of goals per se, but I do share your concern about corner kicks (and other set plays). For the past decade, there's always been someone on the field like Jacob "Bend it like" Bender, Brian Ramirez, or Geoff Pezon to take the inswingers and the free kicks. A few other guys were well skilled with those also. This year I don't see the same thing. I also don't see as much verticality as in earlier years. True, when Brandt started winning titles his players were usually on the shorter side, though a few (especially Hayden Woodworth) were good in the air, but later he got more big guys and that continued under McCarty until the last couple of years. I hope this is just a temporary situation, but the absence of an A game on set plays is a genuine cause for concern and one reason why I think the Falcons might not win it all this year. Time will tell.

[rudy]

I wouldn't say E-town won the first half, but it certainly was closer to 50-50 in that while Messiah had a noticeable edge in possession, E-town was more effective in possession than they would be in the second half and were creating as much danger and chances as were the Falcons. 

Second half Messiah controlled the game even more than in the first half and E-town spent long stretches pinned back.  E-town's goal largely came against the run of play, and, in contrast to EB2319's assessment, I did think it had an effect on Messiah play for about 5 or so minutes with a little impatience and perhaps nervousness resulting in a lot of errant and/or ill-advised passes that turned-over possession. But the Falcons got through that stretch and then started pinning E-town back again, and had two golden 1-v-1's with the keeper that they couldn't put away (among some other good looks) before finally getting the equalizer.

Finishing and productive play from/use of a target man is an issue for the Falcons (a re-occurring issue over the past 10 years--Josh Wood's healthy seasons being the exceptions).  Defending corners kicks and FK's and crosses from the flanks seems to also be an issue for the Falcon defense.  Waso nearly opened the scoring in the first half when, despite being the shortest guy in a crowded box, got his head to a corner kick and put it off the crossbar.  And the Blue Jays' goal to open the scoring came from a FK from the flank.

Overall, the Falcons did a good job of keeping Waso in-check throughout, but there were the occasions when he was dangerous with his quickness and ball control in tight spaces.  Two years ago when Waso scored to give E-town the win, Messiah didn't seem prepared for him--the first time they had faced him--and he repeatedly created havoc for the Falcon defense in the first half (including scoring his goal), but Messiah made adjustments at halftime and Waso was largely a non-factor in the second half of that game.  Messiah did a good job on him from start to finish this time around (can't remember how well they played him last year at home).  I noticed that after E-town went up 1-0, Waso dropped back into more of an attacking midfield postion, and then when Messiah equalized he returned to the top of the Blue Jay attack again.

This year's Messiah squad can win the midfield battle and hold significant possession advantages like Messiah is known for, but there are question marks in the final 15 yards at both ends of the field. But they have another month to work on that and improve before the NCAA tournament. And with Hopkins at home next Thursday night, Lycoming away in conference play, and maybe even LVC in conference play, they still have some measuring stick games even if the conference slate overall isn't the most challenging.

FW..have you seen Hopkins play?  I watched them against Haverford online and they looked pretty impressive.  Two or three dangerous offensive players and solid all around.  That game will definitely be one to watch and a good measuring stick.