Mid-Atlantic Region

[blooter442]

Scrappy team that never gave up in a game. If they can maintain that then they will be fine

Great summation. In the years I have been following D3 pound-for-pound I wouldn't say last year's Messiah side was as talented as, say, the 2012 national title team (or even the 2014 side which got knocked out by Tufts) but — as I've said a million times before, talent alone doesn't win you games, and — last year's group showed unique resiliency. Went behind three times in the Final 4 (including once in the first minute of the national final) but found its way back into each game and managed to win as well. Even in the regular season, winning 2-1 at ETown in OT after falling behind in the second half was impressive. The Lycoming tournament game also saw them get one back with a minute or so left on the clock, and I think they just ran out of time in that game (too little, too late), although Lyco did well to keep them off the board for that long. At that point in the year, mental toughness and resiliency are just as important as talent — and I still think they had a fair amount of talent, even if not as much as the aforementioned superlative groups.

[Falconer]

Scrappy team that never gave up in a game. If they can maintain that then they will be fine

Great summation. In the years I have been following D3 pound-for-pound I wouldn't say last year's Messiah side was as talented as, say, the 2012 national title team (or even the 2014 side which got knocked out by Tufts) but — as I've said a million times before, talent alone doesn't win you games, and — last year's group showed unique resiliency. Went behind three times in the Final 4 (including once in the first minute of the national final) but found its way back into each game and managed to win as well. Even in the regular season, winning 2-1 at ETown in OT after falling behind in the second half was impressive. The Lycoming tournament game also saw them get one back with a minute or so left on the clock, and I think they just ran out of time in that game (too little, too late), although Lyco did well to keep them off the board for that long. At that point in the year, mental toughness and resiliency are just as important as talent — and I still think they had a fair amount of talent, even if not as much as the aforementioned superlative groups.

Yes, indeed. Not only did they always come back when behind, even if they didn't win, they were never shut out all season. Not once. That for me is the most impressive piece of evidence. When tournament time comes, the first order of business is to score--otherwise the risk of losing on PKs is always in the front of your mind. Obviously you can still end up there, but scoring is the best way to prevent it. Historically, very few Messiah teams can match that factoid. They found ways to score, even literally in the final seconds (think Hobart in the tournament), better than any other Falcon team ever. Yet, their offensive totals weren't very impressive compared with several other Falcon teams.

The other factoid--well, it's really an opinion, but bordering on fact--is that last year's team did not IMO have any obvious weak positions. All 11 starters were really good at their positions. A few were above really good, or there would probably have been no national title, but all 11 were hard to replace. That's this year's problem: replace 5 really good players. The greater depth this fall can help with that, obviously, but not necessarily with 5 really good players who have a lot of collegiate experience.

[Ejay]

Just watched Drew dominate Marymount on their way to a 4-0 win.  They only lost 3 starters to graduation so I anticipate expectations are high in Madison for another run to the Sweet 16 and beyond.  A little disappointing to see the patty cake schedule however.  Nonetheless, returning All-American forward Cserhat opened his account this year with 2 goals and 1 assist. 

[Falconer]

One beef and three takeaways from the Messiah-Cortland game.

OK, first the beef. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, once again I had to sit through a dismal performance by an incompetent official. Cortland is big and very physical--which is fine. You play to your strengths, and they did. But, not within the rules, not by a long stretch. Probably a dozen times, a big guy from Cortland ran into or over a Falcon, whether near the sidelines or near the center of the field, while making little or no effort to make a play on the ball. The second or third time this happened, a card should have been shown, but none were until  almost the 70-minute mark, by which time Falcon starter David Alejos was long gone with an unknown injury that prevented him from playing at all in the second half; and Justin Brautigam also left, not to return, after being knocked down or taken down in front of the goal. If Alejos misses significant time, I entirely blame the officials: their job is to keep the lid on violence in a game where violence is supposed to be incidental, not central to a team's strategy. They failed completely to do so. At least twice last night, starting outside defender Joseph King was just obliterated by a much larger opponent who didn't get the ball: from where I was sitting, both plays looked like mandatory cards. The second one was so blatant--as though Cortland just wanted that little nemesis out of the game, so a guy runs him over right in front of their own bench--that if I'm officiating the game I give a straight red. Dangerous stuff like that is supposed to be called, regardless of the score, but in fact the game was tied (thanks to King's terrific run from the back and shoot early in the second half) and Cortland should have had to play a man down the rest of the way.
OK, rant is over. What are my three takeaways?

First, the Falcons were lucky not to give up a third goal somewhere, especially off one of the 7 corners that the Red Dragons legitimately earned to just 2 for the Falcons. This remains a weakness that big teams are going to exploit. Indeed, IMO if Messiah had played Amherst rather than Rochester in the Elite Eight last fall, their season might have ended then and there. Fortunately for them, Amherst gave Rochester the chance to move on by playing lazy in the second half, and there was no way that Rochester was going to out-possess Messiah.

Second, Cortland had just two shots on goal. Yes, they were rockets from outside the box, such that Falcon keeper Connor Bell  had no chance on either one. Kudos to Cortland. There was also a well struck ball later that hit the outside of the net, and a close play in front of the goal when a great cross into space just missed a charging forward and resulted in a goal kick. So, they were dangerous more than twice, but not nearly as often as they should have been given their aggressive style of play. Most of their 11 shots were going through the motions. So, bottom line: Messiah played better defensively than I expected, given that (owing to the graduation of 1st team AA CB Dakota Rosenberg and the injury to JR CB Cooper Robbins) the Falcons had three new starters in the back line, two of them Freshmen, one of whom had no HS experience there. They didn't look too good on the two goals, but to be fair the men from Cortland created open shots for themselves and buried them. Sometimes good forwards just beat good defenders and merit praise for that. Apart from those two plays, however, the Falcons usually  looked pretty good  in the back, and two guys stand out for their superb defensive play all evening: SO Joe King and FR Luke Groothoff. IMO, Groothoff was the best player on the field last night, though King was a close second. Time and again, he beat attackers to the ball, or stole it from them after they had it, and then made pinpoint passes to teammates downfield or into open space that half a dozen times were something to behold. Once his teammates figure out what he can do, those plays are going to start leading directly to goals on counterattacks. They'll start expecting it. Groothoff also got off the best Falcon shot of the night, when he (like King on the second goal) brought the ball himself out of the back into the attacking third and fired a shot. Whereas King's shot was low and ate some grass, Groothoff's was a bullet. If the keeper hadn't been standing right in front of it, it's probably either pure net or a corner kick or a rebound that goes right back into the goal. Just a great shot, on the dead run, a long way out. This kid has all the skills, and if he stays healthy he can accomplish great things.

Finally, Groothoff wasn't the only rookie who played brilliantly. So did Lucas Kokolios, who (I think) played both MF and left wing. He's fast, gangly, and highly skilled with the ball. He can also deliver free kicks--perhaps an answer to Falcon prayers. The first goal came off a free kick not far from the corner of the box. He banged it off the wall and backup target Britt Haseltine cleaned it up perfectly. Late in the game, Nick West smashed another free kick off the crossbar--a near-goal experience for the keeper. All told, the Falcons looked a lot more dangerous on free kicks than all last season, yet the Freshman I had expected to bring that particular skill--Darryl Daniels, voted by Pittsburgh sports writers as the best HS player in Western PA--hasn't yet had many meaningful minutes, including (I hear) the two scrimmages. If Alejos misses significant time, however, perhaps we'll get a chance to see him play more. The other starting CB last night, Reid Ruark, is also a freshman, and mostly he also played very well in his first collegiate game. So, once Robbins comes back, the Falcons will have some depth at CB. All told, the new kids on the block looked as good on the field as they did on paper. I won't be surprised to see them getting a lot of PT down the road.

[Falconer]

The Falcons defeated Whitworth, 3-0, in a game they totally dominated. Yet, the first half ended scoreless, as the Whitworth keeper kept them in the game and the back line deflected many shots. The first goal came when Messiah went over the top, and Nick West ran onto it--the type of play I said might be common this year, since West is now the target and his speed can turn into goals. They weren't looking to do that in the first half; this appeared to be a mid-game strategic move that clearly worked. West then promptly got two more goals, but neither resulted from dump and run. His third came when he intercepted a pass from the keeper, dribbled around him and another defender and slotted it easily into goal.

The Falcons looked terrific most of the night, although it wasn't easy to build in the MF for some reason. Yet another freshman started--Trevor Swartz. He played well on as the right outside back. Joe King, who had such a good game last night, played at the same level tonight, but on the left side this time, replacing Shay Quintin, who did not make an appearance for unknown reasons. Shay wasn't mugged by Cortland yesterday (unlike Alejos, who is definitely out for the time being), but still he didn't play. To put this another way: of the Falcon back line last fall, NONE of the four starters played even one minute tonight, and 3 freshmen and a sophomore (King) started in their places. JR Joey Cianciotta also got some quality minutes at CB off the bench, and he hardly played at all the previous two years. Once Robbins and Quintin do return, the backline will be very deep in both talent and experience, for being so young. Yet another freshman, Lucas Kokolios, started on the left wing instead of the injured Alejos, and still another freshman, Luke Brautigam, made that pass to West to start the scoring. If I didn't already know he's a rookie, I never would have guessed. Like Luke Groothoff, he plays like a veteran already. That means that four freshmen started for Messiah tonight. The last time that happened was 3 years ago, when the current seniors were freshmen. They ended that season (the one in which Messiah didn't get a tournament bid) with five freshman starters, after Conner Bell took over in goal. All five started last night, but Alejos' injury left a slot open for another freshman tonight. And, both JR starters (Robbins and Quintin) are out, leaving more open slots. Finally, however, the Falcons have a deep bench again. Good thing. I have a feeling that some of those injured men are going to miss a lot of games this year. Guys will need to step up, and the great freshman class is doing it in spades.

[NEPAFAN]

Just watched Drew dominate Marymount on their way to a 4-0 win.  They only lost 3 starters to graduation so I anticipate expectations are high in Madison for another run to the Sweet 16 and beyond.  A little disappointing to see the patty cake schedule however.  Nonetheless, returning All-American forward Cserhat opened his account this year with 2 goals and 1 assist.

Not a good result today in Madison, what happened?

[Falconer]

Video of Joe King's outstanding run and shoot goal vs Cortland is here: https://www.facebook.com/MessiahMensSoccer/videos/2176501185930932/

Also note the cardable tackle as he shot--which wasn't even called a foul. This one is in addition to the ones I specifically mentioned in my beef. The Cortland player who did this (who appears to be wearing number 4) shouldn't be allowed to play his next game. I invite other opinions, but I content this is yet one more example of incompetent officiating that night, with dangerous consequences for the players on the receiving end of unpenalized illegal plays.

[rudy]

The Falcons defeated Whitworth, 3-0, in a game they totally dominated. Yet, the first half ended scoreless, as the Whitworth keeper kept them in the game and the back line deflected many shots. The first goal came when Messiah went over the top, and Nick West ran onto it--the type of play I said might be common this year, since West is now the target and his speed can turn into goals. They weren't looking to do that in the first half; this appeared to be a mid-game strategic move that clearly worked. West then promptly got two more goals, but neither resulted from dump and run. His third came when he intercepted a pass from the keeper, dribbled around him and another defender and slotted it easily into goal.

The Falcons looked terrific most of the night, although it wasn't easy to build in the MF for some reason. Yet another freshman started--Trevor Swartz. He played well on as the right outside back. Joe King, who had such a good game last night, played at the same level tonight, but on the left side this time, replacing Shay Quintin, who did not make an appearance for unknown reasons. Shay wasn't mugged by Cortland yesterday (unlike Alejos, who is definitely out for the time being), but still he didn't play. To put this another way: of the Falcon back line last fall, NONE of the four starters played even one minute tonight, and 3 freshmen and a sophomore (King) started in their places. JR Joey Cianciotta also got some quality minutes at CB off the bench, and he hardly played at all the previous two years. Once Robbins and Quintin do return, the backline will be very deep in both talent and experience, for being so young. Yet another freshman, Lucas Kokolios, started on the left wing instead of the injured Alejos, and still another freshman, Luke Brautigam, made that pass to West to start the scoring. If I didn't already know he's a rookie, I never would have guessed. Like Luke Groothoff, he plays like a veteran already. That means that four freshmen started for Messiah tonight. The last time that happened was 3 years ago, when the current seniors were freshmen. They ended that season (the one in which Messiah didn't get a tournament bid) with five freshman starters, after Conner Bell took over in goal. All five started last night, but Alejos' injury left a slot open for another freshman tonight. And, both JR starters (Robbins and Quintin) are out, leaving more open slots. Finally, however, the Falcons have a deep bench again. Good thing. I have a feeling that some of those injured men are going to miss a lot of games this year. Guys will need to step up, and the great freshman class is doing it in spades.

Every non injured field player got time in this one. I expect the same against the decimated Hartwick team Wed.  Another injured veteran is Ben Haines who should return soon. The others timetable uncertain but probably Shay and David miss a few games..knee and ankle. Robbins not sure but hopefully able to return healthy ..nagging type injury. Possible when he comes back they move Luke groothoff up. He played some time up yesterday when joey was in at cb.

[Ejay]

Just watched Drew dominate Marymount on their way to a 4-0 win.  They only lost 3 starters to graduation so I anticipate expectations are high in Madison for another run to the Sweet 16 and beyond.  A little disappointing to see the patty cake schedule however.  Nonetheless, returning All-American forward Cserhat opened his account this year with 2 goals and 1 assist.

Not a good result today in Madison, what happened?

I only caught a few minutes of the game. They lacked any creativity and their transition to the final third was terrible.  Spent more time watching Gettysburg get hammered by Cortland. G'burg simply doesn't appear to have anyone who can replace their All-American Santini.  The speed up top isn't the same and frankly either is the skill. Could be a long season for the Bullets if they don't adjust their style.  Edit to add: did not see Cerhart play for Drew, though it appears he's not a 90 minute player. 

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Video of Joe King's outstanding run and shoot goal vs Cortland is here: https://www.facebook.com/MessiahMensSoccer/videos/2176501185930932/

Also note the cardable tackle as he shot--which wasn't even called a foul. This one is in addition to the ones I specifically mentioned in my beef. The Cortland player who did this (who appears to be wearing number 4) shouldn't be allowed to play his next game. I invite other opinions, but I content this is yet one more example of incompetent officiating that night, with dangerous consequences for the players on the receiving end of unpenalized illegal plays.

I don't necessarily agree with that being cardable. The player made an attempt at the ball and block the shot well in advance and was committed before the shot was even taken. He is well in front of the player and half his body has slide past before there is even contact. It is all in front and it isn't like he drove through the shooter's legs with a cleat. I think that is a clean play and see it all of the time. I think you may be watching the game through particular colored glasses and maybe no Falcon player should ever be touched? I kid, I honestly am kidding, but I don't agree with your assessment on this play.

[Falconer]

Video of Joe King's outstanding run and shoot goal vs Cortland is here: https://www.facebook.com/MessiahMensSoccer/videos/2176501185930932/

Also note the cardable tackle as he shot--which wasn't even called a foul. This one is in addition to the ones I specifically mentioned in my beef. The Cortland player who did this (who appears to be wearing number 4) shouldn't be allowed to play his next game. I invite other opinions, but I content this is yet one more example of incompetent officiating that night, with dangerous consequences for the players on the receiving end of unpenalized illegal plays.

I don't necessarily agree with that being cardable. The player made an attempt at the ball and block the shot well in advance and was committed before the shot was even taken. He is well in front of the player and half his body has slide past before there is even contact. It is all in front and it isn't like he drove through the shooter's legs with a cleat. I think that is a clean play and see it all of the time. I think you may be watching the game through particular colored glasses and maybe no Falcon player should ever be touched? I kid, I honestly am kidding, but I don't agree with your assessment on this play.

Thank you for offering a second opinion, Dave. I left +K for making the case well for an alternative view.

This may be a matter of interpretation, and as someone (apparently) in the college sports business you are in general more qualified than me to render an opinion. However, in this instance, we probably agree on the crucial detail--if not, please (again) express dissent. The defender did not make contact with the ball, and he did make a lot of contact with the shooter. According to Jim Allen, a well known instructor of soccer officials, the play should have been penalized. (Allen is identified here: https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2014/03/17/11/26/u-s-soccer-national-referee-instructor-and-national-assessor-jim-allen-named-2004-eddie-pearson-awar.)

Allen made the comments below about legal and illegal slide tackles on this site: http://www.askasoccerreferee.com/when-is-a-slide-tackle-legal-or-illegal/. The boldface type is my editorial addition.

"The referee must judge whether the tackle of an opponent is fair or whether it is careless, reckless, or involves the use of excessive force. Making contact with the opponent before the ball when making a tackle is unfair and should be penalized. On the other hand, the fact that contact with the ball was made first does not automatically mean that the tackle is fair. The declaration by a player that he or she "got the ball first" is irrelevant if, while tackling for the ball, the player carelessly, recklessly, or with excessive force commits any of the prohibited actions. Remember that it is not a foul if a sliding tackle is successful and the player whose ball was tackled away then falls over the tackler's foot.

"How can tackles become illegal? There are many ways but two of the most common are by making contact with the opponent first (before contacting the ball) and by striking the opponent with a raised upper leg before, during, or after contacting the ball with the lower leg. Referees must be vigilant and firm in assessing any tackle, because the likely point of contact is the lower legs of the opponent and this is a particularly vulnerable area. We must not be swayed by protests of "But I got the ball, ref" and we must be prepared to assess the proper penalty for misconduct where that is warranted."

On this basis, Dave, I think that tackle was illegal. I see no evidence in that (admittedly low quality) video that the defender ever touched the ball at all, let alone before he made contact with the shooter. If this is accurate conclusion, then it's a card, in which case you've made the argument for yellow rather than red.

I take your joke about thinking that Falcons should never be touched in the spirit offered. I certainly don't believe such a silly idea. I simply take umbrage when officials consistently fail to call cardable offenses--the types of plays that can and do injure players, whether those players are Falcons, Blue Jays, Eagles, or Robins. Now, I admit, I might show less umbrage if they happen to be Bears or Wolverines or Vikings or Pirates or Raiders. I do have a certain preference for birds. Just sayin'.   

[lastguyoffthebench]

He's not getting a card there unless the shot is not a goal.  If the foul is called, card comes out...

Actually great discipline by the ref to keep with the slow whistle and not blow for the foul immediately as some do.

[Falconer]

He's not getting a card there unless the shot is not a goal.  If the foul is called, card comes out...

Actually great discipline by the ref to keep with the slow whistle and not blow for the foul immediately as some do.

That's interesting, if correct. I don't know soccer rules in minute detail, and I'd like to know more about this type of situation, in which a goal is scored despite an apparently cardable offense. It sounds wrong to me, that a player wouldn't be carded simply b/c an opponent scored anyway. For instance, if a player receives a red card for a foul in the penalty area, the fouled man gets a PK, which usually results in a goal. So--in a situation (say) in which a man is flat pulled down in front of the goal, and he manages to score despite the manhandling, isn't the defender still sent off? If not, why not? What made his totally unacceptable behavior suddenly acceptable?

If there is a specific rule you have in mind here, lastguy, please quote the rule for the benefit of ignorant guy (me). I would be obliged to you for the education.

Incidentally, many years ago I saw a tournament game in which a GK came out of his goal, wrapped his arms around the other team's striker (who had the ball by himself in front of the goal, but wasn't moving toward the goal), and wrestle him to the ground. If memory serves, for some reason the keeper didn't get a straight red, although there was a PK awarded and I think also a YC. Maybe my memory is just worse than last month (it probably is, given my age), but shouldn't that type of play require a straight red?

[NEPAFAN]

Just watched Drew dominate Marymount on their way to a 4-0 win.  They only lost 3 starters to graduation so I anticipate expectations are high in Madison for another run to the Sweet 16 and beyond.  A little disappointing to see the patty cake schedule however.  Nonetheless, returning All-American forward Cserhat opened his account this year with 2 goals and 1 assist.

Not a good result today in Madison, what happened?

I only caught a few minutes of the game. They lacked any creativity and their transition to the final third was terrible.  Spent more time watching Gettysburg get hammered by Cortland. G'burg simply doesn't appear to have anyone who can replace their All-American Santini.  The speed up top isn't the same and frankly either is the skill. Could be a long season for the Bullets if they don't adjust their style.  Edit to add: did not see Cerhart play for Drew, though it appears he's not a 90 minute player.

I was smiling because i just read your post and tune in to see Centenary score their goal. Is drew missing a few players?

[Falconer]

Video of Nick West's 3 goals vs Whitworth is now up: https://gomessiah.com/news/2018/9/1/mens-soccer-west-gets-tricky-in-second-half-downs-pirates.aspx?path=msoc

A few days ago, I expressed my concerns about moving West to target from the wing, underscoring the obvious drawbacks of removing from the outside a guy who really can't be guarded there by a D3 defender. However, I also noted one possible benefit: putting him as target suggests that the Falcons might now start playing some dump and run--which, historically, they just never do. In the first half vs Whitworth, it was the usual Falcon offense of building from the back, and with a scoreless result despite taking about 20 shots, including a header by West off a corner that was perfectly executed (a good sign, especially considering that the Falcons scored zero goals on corners all last fall), but ended up in the keeper's hands. In the second half, however, there was apparently a deliberate strategic change, as this clip shows. On the first two goals, but especially the second, the Falcon looked to go over the top to West. That second goal is a classic example of dump and run, something Falcon teams have almost never done in the Brandt-McCarty years. With West up top, however, it presents itself as an obvious possibility that they now seem to be realizing.

It will be interesting to see if dump and run stays in the tool box the rest of the way. If so, then these Falcons are a new breed of bird, or at least have grown a big new claw that can grab anyone who isn't very carefully expecting it.