Mid-Atlantic Region

[LetteroftheLaw]

I have gotten some insight into some of the surprising selections for pod hosts.

As has been mentioned/explained by others, the reason Amherst, Messiah, Chicago and Johns Hopkins are not hosting the pods in which they are the top seed is because their women's teams are also the top seed in their pods, and following the alternating hosting priority schedule, the women have hosting priority. No big news there.

In past years, as long as geography didn't point the committee in a different direction, the second seed in the pod would typically be chosen to host in these situations. This brought on consistent feedback that when the top two seeds advanced to the second round as expected, it was unfair that the top seed that had earned the right to host, not only didn't get to host, but now had to play at the home of a potentially very strong second round opponent. In other words, the strongest challenger to the top seed advancing to the Sweet 16 was being given the advantage it hadn't earned to use against the team that actually deserved it.

In response to this feedback, the committee this year selected the third seeds in these pod to host, thus making the likely second round match a neutral game.  That doesn't completely make up for the lost hosting advantage, but at least it doesn't hand that advantage to their more likely second round opponent.  This is why Keene State, Oneonta State, Hope and Catholic are hosting pods.


My initial thoughts/observations are as follows:
• In general and on first thought, this seems like a sensible thing to do.  It's nice to try not to penalize a team just because their women's team is also extremely good.
• The strongest challenger in a pod may not actually be who the NCAA's selection criteria says it is.  The third seed by their criteria might actual be the top seeds' biggest threat, so this approach might now always be the better for the top seed. For example, opinion may vary on whether third seed Oneonta State or second seed Babson is the better team and the team with the better chance to stop Messiah from advancing.
• In strong pods with three relatively strong teams, this doesn't make much or any difference for the top seed.  However, it now unfairly helps the third seed have a better chance against the second seed in round one.  Since this is about fairness, is it fair that Ohio Wesleyan has to play at host Hope to open the tournament?  Is it fair that Catholic's chances of advancing got such an unearned/undeserved boost?

Just to make sure folks on this thread saw this. VERY interesting nugget about the #3 seed hosting where the top seeds have conflicts.

While I'm psyched the games this weekend are at Catholic, for selfish proximity reasons, having to beat Catholic in DC is no small challenge. I get that there's no perfect solution, but you'd almost want to completely level things out and play at the 4 seed if they are trying to avoid tipping the scales or rewarding the neither the 2 or 3 seed.

I completely agree, there are three quality teams in this pod and there is a massive drop off between the 3 seed and 4 seed, so that would be the most fair way of doing it. According to Christan though Catholic is very undeserving of hosting so they shouldn't impact what many are considering a guaranteed neutral field matchup between Conn College and JHU 

[Christan Shirk]

I have gotten some insight into some of the surprising selections for pod hosts.

As has been mentioned/explained by others, the reason Amherst, Messiah, Chicago and Johns Hopkins are not hosting the pods in which they are the top seed is because their women's teams are also the top seed in their pods, and following the alternating hosting priority schedule, the women have hosting priority. No big news there.

In past years, as long as geography didn't point the committee in a different direction, the second seed in the pod would typically be chosen to host in these situations. This brought on consistent feedback that when the top two seeds advanced to the second round as expected, it was unfair that the top seed that had earned the right to host, not only didn't get to host, but now had to play at the home of a potentially very strong second round opponent. In other words, the strongest challenger to the top seed advancing to the Sweet 16 was being given the advantage it hadn't earned to use against the team that actually deserved it.

In response to this feedback, the committee this year selected the third seeds in these pod to host, thus making the likely second round match a neutral game.  That doesn't completely make up for the lost hosting advantage, but at least it doesn't hand that advantage to their more likely second round opponent.  This is why Keene State, Oneonta State, Hope and Catholic are hosting pods.


My initial thoughts/observations are as follows:
• In general and on first thought, this seems like a sensible thing to do.  It's nice to try not to penalize a team just because their women's team is also extremely good.
• The strongest challenger in a pod may not actually be who the NCAA's selection criteria says it is.  The third seed by their criteria might actual be the top seeds' biggest threat, so this approach might now always be the better for the top seed. For example, opinion may vary on whether third seed Oneonta State or second seed Babson is the better team and the team with the better chance to stop Messiah from advancing.
• In strong pods with three relatively strong teams, this doesn't make much or any difference for the top seed.  However, it now unfairly helps the third seed have a better chance against the second seed in round one.  Since this is about fairness, is it fair that Ohio Wesleyan has to play at host Hope to open the tournament?  Is it fair that Catholic's chances of advancing got such an unearned/undeserved boost?

Just to make sure folks on this thread saw this. VERY interesting nugget about the #3 seed hosting where the top seeds have conflicts.

While I'm psyched the games this weekend are at Catholic, for selfish proximity reasons, having to beat Catholic in DC is no small challenge. I get that there's no perfect solution, but you'd almost want to completely level things out and play at the 4 seed if they are trying to avoid tipping the scales or rewarding the neither the 2 or 3 seed.

I completely agree, there are three quality teams in this pod and there is a massive drop off between the 3 seed and 4 seed, so that would be the most fair way of doing it. According to Christan though Catholic is very undeserving of hosting so they shouldn't impact what many are considering a guaranteed neutral field matchup between Conn College and JHU 

I hope the wink at the end means you didn't really take my comment to be a swipe at Catholic.  But just to be clear, it's actually because Catholic, though maybe not in the same class as Hopkins and Connecticut (at least on paper), is a very strong, competent third seed, that I wonder if it's fair for them to get to host a game that would typically be a neutral site game.  And when I spoke of the unearned/undeserved boost of hosting, "such" was not intend to imply the degree to which they did not deserve it but rather the degree to which hosting might help them advance.

Now, every team is different and hosting can help some squads, hurt others, and have negligible effect on others.  As has been mentioned on here numerous times, during the Dave Brandt era the Messiah coaching staff almost preferred road games because it allowed them a degree of control that they wouldn't have at home, and without the distractions of campus life it was easier to have the team focused and unified for the task at hand. Moreover, there are so many variables that come into play (e.g. game time and distance to travel, how much home fan support a team actually has, field conditions straying from the norm, etc.) that impact how much of an advantage it is to play at home.  A deserving national champion is able to win regardless, but there's no denying that being at home can be an advantage at times and to varying degrees.

[Hopkins92]

Thanks, as always, for the insight Christian.

Picking up on this... For those not aware Catholic is, at most, a 60 minute bus ride down 95 from Baltimore. To the extent that it's highly unlikely that the AD will spring for hotel rooms in DC, given the game will be over by 3pm and that would give them all of 48 hours of down time. So, the "control" issue probably doesn't come into play here. (Conn. College plays at 3:30p and that's a 4-5 hour drive, so... field trip to see the monuments on Saturday?!)

Other obvious point, but for those that maybe haven't tuned into a Cardinal or Blue Jay game, both surfaces are very similar (newish turf with pellets.) Catholic does bring out a decent crowd, so that should be a factor in their favor... Though when you're talking about the Jays, they just hoisted a trophy up in Lancaster in front of a good sized crowd, so... We shall see!

[LetteroftheLaw]

I have gotten some insight into some of the surprising selections for pod hosts.

As has been mentioned/explained by others, the reason Amherst, Messiah, Chicago and Johns Hopkins are not hosting the pods in which they are the top seed is because their women's teams are also the top seed in their pods, and following the alternating hosting priority schedule, the women have hosting priority. No big news there.

In past years, as long as geography didn't point the committee in a different direction, the second seed in the pod would typically be chosen to host in these situations. This brought on consistent feedback that when the top two seeds advanced to the second round as expected, it was unfair that the top seed that had earned the right to host, not only didn't get to host, but now had to play at the home of a potentially very strong second round opponent. In other words, the strongest challenger to the top seed advancing to the Sweet 16 was being given the advantage it hadn't earned to use against the team that actually deserved it.

In response to this feedback, the committee this year selected the third seeds in these pod to host, thus making the likely second round match a neutral game.  That doesn't completely make up for the lost hosting advantage, but at least it doesn't hand that advantage to their more likely second round opponent.  This is why Keene State, Oneonta State, Hope and Catholic are hosting pods.


My initial thoughts/observations are as follows:
• In general and on first thought, this seems like a sensible thing to do.  It's nice to try not to penalize a team just because their women's team is also extremely good.
• The strongest challenger in a pod may not actually be who the NCAA's selection criteria says it is.  The third seed by their criteria might actual be the top seeds' biggest threat, so this approach might now always be the better for the top seed. For example, opinion may vary on whether third seed Oneonta State or second seed Babson is the better team and the team with the better chance to stop Messiah from advancing.
• In strong pods with three relatively strong teams, this doesn't make much or any difference for the top seed.  However, it now unfairly helps the third seed have a better chance against the second seed in round one.  Since this is about fairness, is it fair that Ohio Wesleyan has to play at host Hope to open the tournament?  Is it fair that Catholic's chances of advancing got such an unearned/undeserved boost?

Just to make sure folks on this thread saw this. VERY interesting nugget about the #3 seed hosting where the top seeds have conflicts.

While I'm psyched the games this weekend are at Catholic, for selfish proximity reasons, having to beat Catholic in DC is no small challenge. I get that there's no perfect solution, but you'd almost want to completely level things out and play at the 4 seed if they are trying to avoid tipping the scales or rewarding the neither the 2 or 3 seed.

I completely agree, there are three quality teams in this pod and there is a massive drop off between the 3 seed and 4 seed, so that would be the most fair way of doing it. According to Christan though Catholic is very undeserving of hosting so they shouldn't impact what many are considering a guaranteed neutral field matchup between Conn College and JHU 

I hope the wink at the end means you didn't really take my comment to be a swipe at Catholic.  But just to be clear, it's actually because Catholic, though maybe not in the same class as Hopkins and Connecticut (at least on paper), is a very strong, competent third seed, that I wonder if it's fair for them to get to host a game that would typically be a neutral site game.  And when I spoke of the unearned/undeserved boost of hosting, "such" was not intend to imply the degree to which they did not deserve it but rather the degree to which hosting might help them advance.

Now, every team is different and hosting can help some squads, hurt others, and have negligible effect on others.  As has been mentioned on here numerous times, during the Dave Brandt era the Messiah coaching staff almost preferred road games because it allowed them a degree of control that they wouldn't have at home, and without the distractions of campus life it was easier to have the team focused and unified for the task at hand. Moreover, there are so many variables that come into play (e.g. game time and distance to travel, how much home fan support a team actually has, field conditions straying from the norm, etc.) that impact how much of an advantage it is to play at home.  A deserving national champion is able to win regardless, but there's no denying that being at home can be an advantage at times and to varying degrees.

I honestly didn't understand what your point was originally since you initially were complementary of catholic but your last sentence seemed a little harsh towards them. I would argue you could question whether it's fair that an 18 win team drew such a difficult first round matchup  or whether it's fair for Connecticut to have to travel so far since the committee had them ranked high than catholic. However, I don't understand how you question the fairness of letting catholic host particularly given that Hopkins couldn't host the opening weekend.
It is what it is at this point and I do like the chances of the winner of this pod making the elite eight.
I'm very interested in the matchup between Catholics potent offense vs Connecticut's tough defense and very talented goalie.
Fans of the mid-Atlantic region I'm sure are hoping for a catholic hop matchup which is very intriguing given the two teams tied in a preseason scrimmage.

[Christan Shirk]

Fairness is a tricky and subjective thing.  What is objective, however, is that, based on the NCAA's metrics and the NCAA's policy of rewarding top seeds with hosting if geography cooperates, Catholic did not earn hosting privileges because they were not the top seed in the pod.  That is all that is meant by saying that Catholic didn't earn/deserve to be the pod host.  Nothing more, nothing less.  My observation was simply intended to illustrate that by the NCAA attempting to make the situation less unfair for the top seed in a potential 1-seed/2-seed second round match, they have introduced a question of fairness into the 2-seed/3-seed first round match. I didn't mean the slightest disparagement of Catholic and am surprised it would be taken that way. Of course, rarely is everything fair, and one team having to travel significantly further than the others is often going to be the case.  And I'm sure there are other ways in which it's difficult-to-impossible to create a fair and/or level playing field for all four teams.  The best teams tend to find a way to overcome any disadvantages thrown their way.

[Hopkins92]

All-Centennial Conference Awards: http://www.centennial.org/sports/msoc/2019-20/releases/All-CC

First Team

F-Nick Jannelli, Haverford Sr. / Springfield, Pa. / Springfield
F-Oladayo Thomas, Gettysburg So. / Lagos, Nigeria / The Masters (N.Y.)
F-Kevin Gilbert, Dickinson Sr. / Boxford, Mass. / Phillips Exeter Academy
M-Chris Richards, Muhlenberg Fr. / Lancaster, Pa. / Lancaster Catholic
M-R.J. Moore, Johns Hopkins Jr. / Vienna, Va. / Gonzaga College HS
M-Alejandro Maclean, Johns Hopkins Jr. / Riverside, Conn. / Greenwich
D-Ezekiel Omosanya, Gettysburg / Sr. / Lagos, Nigeria / Northfield Mount Hermon
D-Connor Whitacre, Franklin & Marshall / Sr. / Lancaster, Pa. / Conestoga Valley
D-Connor Jacobs, Johns Hopkins / Sr./ Knoxville, Tenn. / Webb School of Knoxville
D-Raff Mazzone, Gettysburg/ Sr. Nottingham, Md. / Loyola Blakefield
GK-Xander Lefevre, Johns Hopkins Jr./ Glenwood, Md. / Glenelg

Second Team

F-A.J. Kopacz, Franklin & Marshall So. / Green Brook, N.J. / Oratory Prep.
F-James Strine, Washington College Jr. / Hockessin, Del. / Salesianum School
F-Achim Younker, Johns Hopkins Sr. / Union, N.J. / Seton Hall Prep
M-J.T. Mogan, Franklin & Marshall / Jr. / Medford, N.J. / Shawnee
M-Trevor Homstad, Swarthmore / Sr. / Culver City, Calif. / Loyola
M-Brendan McGovern, Dickinson / Sr. / Burlington, Vt. / Kimball Union Academy, N.H.
M-Liam Creedon, Johns Hopkins / Jr. / Doylestown, Pa. / Central Bucks East
M-Jonathan Molina, Gettysburg / Jr. / Adelphi, Md. / DeMatha Catholic
D-Julito Quintana, Johns Hopkins / Jr. / Riverside, Conn. / Fairfield Prep
D-Ben Lau, Swarthmore So. / Los Altos, Calif. / Mountain View
D-Harry Nevins, Swarthmore / So. / London, England / American School in London
GK-Christopher Amoruso, Frank. & Marsh. / Sr. / Greenlawn, N.Y. / Harborfields

       
Honorable Mention       

F-Joe Barile, Swarthmore Jr. River Vale, N.J. / Bergen Catholic
F-Alex Lalovic, Franklin & Marshall   Jr.   Lititz, Pa. / Warwick
F-Jacob Wells, McDaniel   Jr.   Hanover, Pa. / South Western
F-Pablo Martinez, Johns Hopkins !   Jr.   Darien, Conn. / Darien
F-Bless Tumushabe, Swarthmore   Fr.   Washington, D.C. / Woodrow Wilson
M-Shay Adamson, Franklin & Marshall   Fr.   Allen, Texas / Einstein School
M-Noah Schwab, Haverford   So.   Millburn, N.J. / Millburn
M-Isaac Bradbury, Dickinson   Fr.   Toronto, Canada / St. Andrew's College
M-Connor O'Donnell, Gettysburg   So.   Newtown, Pa. / Council Rock North
D-Tim Treinen, Johns Hopkins   So.   Glendale, Calif. / Flintridge Preparatory School
D-Felix Laniyan, Swarthmore %   Sr.   Baltimore, Md. / St. Paul's School
D-Pat Palin, McDaniel   Sr.   Ellicott City, Md. / Mt. Hebron
D-Mark Walter, Muhlenberg %   So.   Westfield, N.J. / Westfield


Player of the Year – Nick Jannelli, Haverford
Rookie of the Year– Chris Richards, Muhlenberg
Coach of the Year– Dan Wagner, Franklin & Marshall

[YoungBuck]

All-Centennial Conference Awards: http://www.centennial.org/sports/msoc/2019-20/releases/All-CC

First Team

F-Nick Jannelli, Haverford Sr. / Springfield, Pa. / Springfield
F-Oladayo Thomas, Gettysburg So. / Lagos, Nigeria / The Masters (N.Y.)
F-Kevin Gilbert, Dickinson Sr. / Boxford, Mass. / Phillips Exeter Academy
M-Chris Richards, Muhlenberg Fr. / Lancaster, Pa. / Lancaster Catholic
M-R.J. Moore, Johns Hopkins Jr. / Vienna, Va. / Gonzaga College HS
M-Alejandro Maclean, Johns Hopkins Jr. / Riverside, Conn. / Greenwich
D-Ezekiel Omosanya, Gettysburg / Sr. / Lagos, Nigeria / Northfield Mount Hermon
D-Connor Whitacre, Franklin & Marshall / Sr. / Lancaster, Pa. / Conestoga Valley
D-Connor Jacobs, Johns Hopkins / Sr./ Knoxville, Tenn. / Webb School of Knoxville
D-Raff Mazzone, Gettysburg/ Sr. Nottingham, Md. / Loyola Blakefield
GK-Xander Lefevre, Johns Hopkins Jr./ Glenwood, Md. / Glenelg

Second Team

F-A.J. Kopacz, Franklin & Marshall So. / Green Brook, N.J. / Oratory Prep.
F-James Strine, Washington College Jr. / Hockessin, Del. / Salesianum School
F-Achim Younker, Johns Hopkins Sr. / Union, N.J. / Seton Hall Prep
M-J.T. Mogan, Franklin & Marshall / Jr. / Medford, N.J. / Shawnee
M-Trevor Homstad, Swarthmore / Sr. / Culver City, Calif. / Loyola
M-Brendan McGovern, Dickinson / Sr. / Burlington, Vt. / Kimball Union Academy, N.H.
M-Liam Creedon, Johns Hopkins / Jr. / Doylestown, Pa. / Central Bucks East
M-Jonathan Molina, Gettysburg / Jr. / Adelphi, Md. / DeMatha Catholic
D-Julito Quintana, Johns Hopkins / Jr. / Riverside, Conn. / Fairfield Prep
D-Ben Lau, Swarthmore So. / Los Altos, Calif. / Mountain View
D-Harry Nevins, Swarthmore / So. / London, England / American School in London
GK-Christopher Amoruso, Frank. & Marsh. / Sr. / Greenlawn, N.Y. / Harborfields

       
Honorable Mention       

F-Joe Barile, Swarthmore Jr. River Vale, N.J. / Bergen Catholic
F-Alex Lalovic, Franklin & Marshall   Jr.   Lititz, Pa. / Warwick
F-Jacob Wells, McDaniel   Jr.   Hanover, Pa. / South Western
F-Pablo Martinez, Johns Hopkins !   Jr.   Darien, Conn. / Darien
F-Bless Tumushabe, Swarthmore   Fr.   Washington, D.C. / Woodrow Wilson
M-Shay Adamson, Franklin & Marshall   Fr.   Allen, Texas / Einstein School
M-Noah Schwab, Haverford   So.   Millburn, N.J. / Millburn
M-Isaac Bradbury, Dickinson   Fr.   Toronto, Canada / St. Andrew's College
M-Connor O'Donnell, Gettysburg   So.   Newtown, Pa. / Council Rock North
D-Tim Treinen, Johns Hopkins   So.   Glendale, Calif. / Flintridge Preparatory School
D-Felix Laniyan, Swarthmore %   Sr.   Baltimore, Md. / St. Paul's School
D-Pat Palin, McDaniel   Sr.   Ellicott City, Md. / Mt. Hebron
D-Mark Walter, Muhlenberg %   So.   Westfield, N.J. / Westfield


Player of the Year – Nick Jannelli, Haverford
Rookie of the Year– Chris Richards, Muhlenberg
Coach of the Year– Dan Wagner, Franklin & Marshall

SOTD:

Gettysburg Defender Ezekiel Omosanya earns All-CC first team honors for the fourth consecutive year.  This award puts him on a short list of conference legends as just the 7th player to earn All-CC first team all four years.  He was second team all-region as a junior and third team all-region as a sophomore and freshman, an impressive feat given his team's relative lack of national attention.

Omosanya has led Gettysburg back to the tournament this year for the first time since 2001, which is tied for the longest gap since their last appearance in this years field.  They have a winnable first round matchup against Oglethorpe and should fancy their chances to get a crack at hosts W&L in the second round.

I'll be rooting for Omosanya to carry the Bullets to the second round, and hoping that some increased national attention can get him that elusive spot on the all-region first team and some all-american consideration this year.

[Ejay]

All-Centennial Conference Awards: http://www.centennial.org/sports/msoc/2019-20/releases/All-CC
       
Honorable Mention       

F-Joe Barile, Swarthmore Jr. River Vale, N.J. / Bergen Catholic
F-Alex Lalovic, Franklin & Marshall   Jr.   Lititz, Pa. / Warwick
F-Jacob Wells, McDaniel   Jr.   Hanover, Pa. / South Western
F-Pablo Martinez, Johns Hopkins !   Jr.   Darien, Conn. / Darien
F-Bless Tumushabe, Swarthmore   Fr.   Washington, D.C. / Woodrow Wilson
M-Shay Adamson, Franklin & Marshall   Fr.   Allen, Texas / Einstein School
M-Noah Schwab, Haverford   So.   Millburn, N.J. / Millburn
M-Isaac Bradbury, Dickinson   Fr.   Toronto, Canada / St. Andrew's College
M-Connor O'Donnell, Gettysburg   So.   Newtown, Pa. / Council Rock North
D-Tim Treinen, Johns Hopkins   So.   Glendale, Calif. / Flintridge Preparatory School
D-Felix Laniyan, Swarthmore %   Sr.   Baltimore, Md. / St. Paul's School
D-Pat Palin, McDaniel   Sr.   Ellicott City, Md. / Mt. Hebron
D-Mark Walter, Muhlenberg %   So.   Westfield, N.J. / Westfield

Well, look at that! Shay Adamson was the son of @mom1234 who some of you may recall was absolutely hammered by some board members over her comments about her son's abilities as it related to D1vsD3 and NESCAC recruiting (or something like that).

[Falconer]

All-Centennial Conference Awards: http://www.centennial.org/sports/msoc/2019-20/releases/All-CC
       
Honorable Mention       

F-Joe Barile, Swarthmore Jr. River Vale, N.J. / Bergen Catholic
F-Alex Lalovic, Franklin & Marshall   Jr.   Lititz, Pa. / Warwick
F-Jacob Wells, McDaniel   Jr.   Hanover, Pa. / South Western
F-Pablo Martinez, Johns Hopkins !   Jr.   Darien, Conn. / Darien
F-Bless Tumushabe, Swarthmore   Fr.   Washington, D.C. / Woodrow Wilson
M-Shay Adamson, Franklin & Marshall   Fr.   Allen, Texas / Einstein School
M-Noah Schwab, Haverford   So.   Millburn, N.J. / Millburn
M-Isaac Bradbury, Dickinson   Fr.   Toronto, Canada / St. Andrew's College
M-Connor O'Donnell, Gettysburg   So.   Newtown, Pa. / Council Rock North
D-Tim Treinen, Johns Hopkins   So.   Glendale, Calif. / Flintridge Preparatory School
D-Felix Laniyan, Swarthmore %   Sr.   Baltimore, Md. / St. Paul's School
D-Pat Palin, McDaniel   Sr.   Ellicott City, Md. / Mt. Hebron
D-Mark Walter, Muhlenberg %   So.   Westfield, N.J. / Westfield

Well, look at that! Shay Adamson was the son of @mom1234 who some of you may recall was absolutely hammered by some board members over her comments about her son's abilities as it related to D1vsD3 and NESCAC recruiting (or something like that).

Waddya know?! I think it was Falconer, or some scamming impersonator, who took her seriously and recommended F&M for her son. Or something like that.

Great to see it worked out this well. 

[Buck O.]

All-Centennial Conference Awards: http://www.centennial.org/sports/msoc/2019-20/releases/All-CC
       
Honorable Mention       

F-Joe Barile, Swarthmore Jr. River Vale, N.J. / Bergen Catholic
F-Alex Lalovic, Franklin & Marshall   Jr.   Lititz, Pa. / Warwick
F-Jacob Wells, McDaniel   Jr.   Hanover, Pa. / South Western
F-Pablo Martinez, Johns Hopkins !   Jr.   Darien, Conn. / Darien
F-Bless Tumushabe, Swarthmore   Fr.   Washington, D.C. / Woodrow Wilson
M-Shay Adamson, Franklin & Marshall   Fr.   Allen, Texas / Einstein School
M-Noah Schwab, Haverford   So.   Millburn, N.J. / Millburn
M-Isaac Bradbury, Dickinson   Fr.   Toronto, Canada / St. Andrew's College
M-Connor O'Donnell, Gettysburg   So.   Newtown, Pa. / Council Rock North
D-Tim Treinen, Johns Hopkins   So.   Glendale, Calif. / Flintridge Preparatory School
D-Felix Laniyan, Swarthmore %   Sr.   Baltimore, Md. / St. Paul's School
D-Pat Palin, McDaniel   Sr.   Ellicott City, Md. / Mt. Hebron
D-Mark Walter, Muhlenberg %   So.   Westfield, N.J. / Westfield

Well, look at that! Shay Adamson was the son of @mom1234 who some of you may recall was absolutely hammered by some board members over her comments about her son's abilities as it related to D1vsD3 and NESCAC recruiting (or something like that).

I don't remember her getting hammered.  As the father of a son who was the same age and who played the same position and who was looking at some of the same schools (one of which was F&M), I found it very useful.

[Hopkins92]

My vague recollection is that it kicked of a somewhat repetitive (but interesting) discussion around relative differences between D1 and D3 and how competitive certain squads might be in h-2-h matches and a host of other (IMO) apples and oranges topics.

[Hopkins92]

Centennial teams perfect in the first round.

Swat stuns #17 Roanoke by winning 4-2 on PKs after a 2-2 draw.
Hopkins crushes John Jay 5-0 in a game that easily could've been much worse.
Gettysburg demolishes Oglethorpe 5-0.
F&M squeeks by PSU-H'burg 1-0

Messiah destroyed Fram. St. 6-1
Catholic lost a tough one to Conn. Coll 2-1

Looking at matchups today, nobody has an easy road. All tough outs, including Messiah playing by all accounts a very solid SUNY Oneonta on their home field.
Meanwhile, Hopkins gets a neutral site game against Conn. College, F&M is hosting. But G'burg and Swat need to knock off the top seeds and hosts to advance.

Giddy-up!!

[FelixCloudy]

F&M squeeks by PSU-H'burg 1-0

F&M played down a man in the second half - lost GK Amaruso on a RC - so not exactly squeaking as PSU-H'burg did not score even with that advantage.  From what I understand (didn't see the game),  F&M never really let their offense have a shot at all.  F&M goal was off a free kick.  Backup GK will play today against Montclair.

South Atlantic region had 3 Pool C's - 2 of them are done in the first round, courtesy of the CC.  But tougher matches today for sure.

[paclassic89]

Shots were 13-10.  F&M played the whole second half down a man and needed a last minute FK to advance (I watched part of the game and they controlled most of the second half but were starting to tire and PSU-Harrisburg were increasingly dangerous down the stretch).  In my opinion, that classifies as squeaking by against an opponent they should have beat by at least 2-3 goals.  They were not convincing at all

[PaulNewman]

Shots were 13-10.  F&M played the whole second half down a man and needed a last minute FK to advance (I watched part of the game and they controlled most of the second half but were starting to tire and PSU-Harrisburg were increasingly dangerous down the stretch).  In my opinion, that classifies as squeaking by against an opponent they should have beat by at least 2-3 goals.  They were not convincing at all

I was gonna make a similar comment but glad you jumped in.  I mean how could the F&M GK see red if he had so little to do as initially described?  Obviously the quality of the shots may have been wildly divergent, but PS-H outshot F&M in the first half.  And it's kind of a big deal to not have the #1 GK as it's not like  Montclair is brand new to this NCAA thing.  And almost ANY 1-0 game is a "squeak by" even if shots are 30-3, especially in a one-and-done scenario.  It is fascinating, though, as the tournament approaches and then heats up how there is a rise in pedantics, corrections, doubling-down, etc, etc.  I'm learning to see everything as additive...but very early on in an attempted perspective-change