Mid-Atlantic Region

[Mid-Atlantic Fan]

I feel Stevens has the most depth next to Messiah and Hopkins around this region. They may even have more than Hopkins top to bottom. They don't play a hard schedule but it's not a cake walk either. Outside of an opening day tie they have not skipped a beat, giving up just 3 goals in 8 games--including a 3-0 dismantling of F&M. Wins over F&M, Vassar and NYU all bode well for the Ducks. They will have 2 or 3 tests in conference play as they travel to Lycoming and Arcadia and host Misericordia. I wouldn't be surprised if they ran the table and went into the post-season without a loss.

I would rate them ahead of Montclair at the moment, but doesn't mean Montclair wouldn't give them a game if they faced off 

[Hopkins92]

Doing a scan of our region for the mid-week games... Everyone (pretty much) is in full "out of conference" mode.

- I've noted that Goucher (5-2-3) was having a relatively good year, and they face off against Hopkins tomorrow at Homewood "Needs to Replace Its Turf" Field. While they just got waxed by Scrantonn(0-3), they have a tie against Drew (1-1) and could be problematic for the Jays. Mainly because they are traditionally an "easy" game and could easily set-up as a trap game.

- Swat (6-3-1) faces off against Misericordia (6-1-3) tomorrow in a game that could be really important for post-season aspirations. Both teams have some compelling results, but nothing really jumps off the page as a signature win. Either one should relish the opportunity to build their resume tomorrow.

- Wash. vs. TCNJ, Muhles v. Moravian and Haverford v. Rutgers-Camden are testers for all involved. I keep waiting for the Fords to turn things around, but maybe it's just not their year.

- Over in the MAC... nothing really grabs me. The Eastern v. Widener match is personally interesting, because I feel like Widener is kind of on to something and they have me intrigued. We're always tracking the leaders, so Stevens squaring off with FDU-Fordham (5-2-2) is probably worth tracking.

- Kean v. NYU is a solid test on Tuesday, and Rutgers-Newark v. Drew gives the Rangers a chance to bounce back from Saturday's debacle.

[camosfan]

- Kean v. NYU is a solid test on Tuesday, and Rutgers-Camden v. Drew gives the Rangers a chance to bounce back from Saturday's debacle.

RCU plays Haverford tomorrow.

[Hopkins92]

Yeah, which I note above... Still getting used to the NJAC.

(thanks for catching).

[Mid-Atlantic Fan]

Region 4
https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/rankings/college-rankings/ncaa-diii-men-iv/

Region 5
https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/rankings/college-rankings/ncaa-diii-men-v/


Region 5 about what you expect but Region 4 a little odd with Rutgers-Newark seemingly jumping out of nowhere and I am not sure why. RUN leaps to 4th after not being ranked in the previous poll with a 5-3-3 record--ahead of 6-1-3 Misericordia, 5-2-4 Lyco, and 7-3-2 Stockton (who RUN beat 3-1). Outside of the Stockton win really no results for RUN and losses to Babson, Stevens, and NYU and draws with Salisbury, St. Mary's, and Rowan. 0 or maybe 1 quality win on the resume and am surprised that NYU was dropped and at how high RUN have jumped for no apparent reason. We know the USC rankings aren't always the most accurate but this has to be an oversight right? At least NYU has a nice result over CMU and tested Messiah until the very end. A head scratcher

[Falconer]

Second point, Messiah's MacDonald now has 11G, 1A on the year after scoring yesterday. I was rambling about him looking like an All-American after his assist against NYU... Not like I'm uncovering a hidden gem , but I hadn't looked up his stats. That's gotta be close to leading the nation, no?

Going into the game last fall when Messiah played at NYU (on 25 September), they were still trying to figure out how and from whom to get goals. I watched that one from a hotel room in Zagreb and missed some of it when the stream went in and out, but I remember commenting here somewhere that I thought the Falcons might have finally found their striker in Matt MacDonald. He really stood out in that game, even though he scored just 1 goal on a cross from Zach Venus as part of the second team--he hadn't been starting and he didn't start that game either, but after his emergence vs NYU as a really dangerous scorer he started the rest of the way and finished the season with 8 goals and 4 assists to lead the team with 20 points. By the end of the season, he had clearly cemented himself into the striker role, though he also makes wonderful passes to open teammates, such as the one Hopkins92 commented on and the one that won the game in OT vs Kenyon in last year's tournament. He's very energetic, sometimes too much so (earning Yellows for too much aggression), with a motor that never stops and with moves to die for. IMO, he's as good right now as David McClellan, a two-time first-team AA in 2004 and 2005, or Jeremy Payne, a three-time first-team AA from 2012-2014. In other words, with the sole exception of that truly exceptional season from Nick West, Matt MacDonald is probably as good as any striker the Falcons have had. He hasn't done it for multiple full seasons as those guys did (and COVID surely has something to do with this), but I think he's just as dangerous. He's probably faster than either McClellan or Payne, he can score in multiple ways as they could, he has a great nose for the ball, and he makes his teammates better. I expect other longtime Falcon fans might differ with me here, but at least I've watched enough games for enough years to be entitled to have an opinion about this.

Pre-COVID, MacDonald typically played in the back or various MF roles, but not up front. Some have noted the unusual tendency for Messiah to convert certain defenders into attackers from one season to the next, and he's just the latest example. If he doesn't get injured and continues to play his best for a contender for the national title, he has to be a first-team AA this year. 

[Ejay]

This weekend's action:

NJAC
RUN @ TCNJ
William Paterson @ Stockton
Kean @ RUC
NJCU @ Ramapo
Rowan @ Montclair
GOTW: Going to stick with NJCU again for GOTW.  After picking up their 1st conference win since 2013, the Gothic Knights found themselves back in the losing column against RUC.  Can they pick up their 2nd conference win in 9 years against a sub-par Ramapo team?

CENTENNIAL
Haverford @ Ursinus
Dickinson @ McDaniel
Hopkins @ Washington
F&M @ Gettysburg
Swarthmore @ Muhlenberg
GOTW: F&M @ Gettysburg.  F&M brings their 3-0-1 conference record to Gettysburg  (2-1-1) who are still smarting from going down a man in the first half against Hopkins and losing 0-1.

LANDMARK
Elizabethtown @ Scranton
Juniata @ Catholic
Susquehanna @ Goucher
Moravian @ Drew
GOTW: Moravian @ Drew.  Amazingly, Moravian is 2-0 in conference play, but just lost 2-0 to Muhlenberg.  On the flip side, Drew is 0-1-1 and coming off a 2-0 win over Rutgers-Newark.  Dare I say this is a must win for Drew?

MAC-C
Hood @ Eastern
Albright  @ Stevenson
Widener @ Lebanon Valley
Messiah @ Alvernia
GOTW: Messiah @ Alvernia. If only for the simply reason that Alvernia (7-1-4) is likely the only conference opponent that has even the slightest chance of beating Messiah. But even that chance is slim to none, and slim just left town.

MAC-F
Stevens  @ Wilkes 
Lycoming @ Arcadia 
Misericordia @ DeSales 
FDU-Florham @ Delaware Valley
GOTW: Not many intriguing match-ups this week, so we go with Stevens @ Wilkes. For some inexplicable reason, #4 Stevens just tied FDU 0-0. That's gotta hurt and it'll be interesting to see how they respond against a Wilkes team who will surely look to kick a team while they're down.

[Mid-Atlantic Fan]

Around the Region Results...

MAC Commonwealth
LVC drew Alvernia 2-2
York blanked Albright 3-0
Messiah handled Stevenson 4-0
Widener edges Eastern 1-0

MAC Freedom
FDU stuns Stevens with a 0-0 draw
Lyco handles Wilkes 2-1
Del Val upsets Kings 2-1
Arcadia & DeSales postponed

Landmark, NJAC, and Centennial were all in non-conference action with many of them facing each other...
Hopkins beat Goucher 1-0
MW beat Catholic 3-1
Drew dropped Newark 2-0
Gettysburg coasts by Susquehanna 3-1
Etown beat Immaculata 2-1
Muhles beat Moravian 2-0
Swat and Misericordia drew (Tues) 0-0
McDaniel 6-0 over Christendom
TCNJ over Wash College 1-0
F&M over Rosemont 4-1
Ursinus over Bryn Athyn 2-1
Camden and Fords drew 0-0


The results that stand out from last night were Stevens drawing at home with a pesky FDU side, Catholic getting thumped by Mary Washington, and Drew edging Newark. Some big games this weekend as Ejay noted. It will be fun to see how it unfolds!   

[Hopkins92]

Yeah, as I noted in my post above, FDU-F is 5-2-2... kind of quietly putting together a nice year. They were 9-8-1 last year, a mark they bookended with a similar record in 2015, but in between they've been a pretty raggedy side. Putting them in the McDaniel pile of a team putting things together in a way you're not used to seeing.

A watch that I'm on which I'm on an island is Widener, particularly their striker Sean Fatiga. He scored the lone goal against Eastern to pull his number to 6Gs on the year. I'll keep banging this drum: After starting the season 0-3, the Pride are now on a 6-1 runner with the lone loss to Stevens. Not sure it's sustainable, but that's impressive.

[SimpleCoach]

Yeah, as I noted in my post above, FDU-F is 5-2-2... kind of quietly putting together a nice year. They were 9-8-1 last year, a mark they bookended with a similar record in 2015, but in between they've been a pretty raggedy side. Putting them in the McDaniel pile of a team putting things together in a way you're not used to seeing.

A watch that I'm on which I'm on an island is Widener, particularly their striker Sean Fatiga. He scored the lone goal against Eastern to pull his number to 6Gs on the year. I'll keep banging this drum: After starting the season 0-3, the Pride are now on a 6-1 runner with the lone loss to Stevens. Not sure it's sustainable, but that's impressive.

Watched FDU-F last night against Stevens from the bleachers.  And if anything, they were very disciplined defensively.  Made it difficult for Stevens to get clear looks at goal.  They did have some players that I thought were pretty good ball players, which I was surprised about.  Not sure why I was surprised, but I wasnt expecting FDU-F to give the fight that they were clearly ready for.

SC.

[camosfan]

Yeah, as I noted in my post above, FDU-F is 5-2-2... kind of quietly putting together a nice year. They were 9-8-1 last year, a mark they bookended with a similar record in 2015, but in between they've been a pretty raggedy side. Putting them in the McDaniel pile of a team putting things together in a way you're not used to seeing.

A watch that I'm on which I'm on an island is Widener, particularly their striker Sean Fatiga. He scored the lone goal against Eastern to pull his number to 6Gs on the year. I'll keep banging this drum: After starting the season 0-3, the Pride are now on a 6-1 runner with the lone loss to Stevens. Not sure it's sustainable, but that's impressive.

Watched FDU-F last night against Stevens from the bleachers.  And if anything, they were very disciplined defensively.  Made it difficult for Stevens to get clear looks at goal.  They did have some players that I thought were pretty good ball players, which I was surprised about.  Not sure why I was surprised, but I wasnt expecting FDU-F to give the fight that they were clearly ready for.

SC.

The brothers from Bridgewater or Sommerville are good players,was surprised the younger went to FDU.

[Ejay]

Yeah, as I noted in my post above, FDU-F is 5-2-2... kind of quietly putting together a nice year. They were 9-8-1 last year, a mark they bookended with a similar record in 2015, but in between they've been a pretty raggedy side. Putting them in the McDaniel pile of a team putting things together in a way you're not used to seeing.

It isn't surprising that Coach O'Connor has the Devils playing well. He had a pretty successful stint coaching Centenary, making the Tournament a few times.  And with FDU, his biggest "win" was probably last year (his 2nd) when they beat crosstown foe Drew for the first time in 35 years. I expect they'll be .500 or better moving forward, with a occasional very good year every now and again.

[Hopkins Walk-On]

Hopkins ties Washington College 1-1 after Washington College is awarded and converts a PK with 1:50 remaining. I admit that I am biased but the foul called for the PK was ridiculous. A ball was floated into the box, the Hopkins GK punched it out and collided with a Washington College player, and the ref called a foul on the Hopkins GK and gave him a yellow card.

Hopkins paid the price for not scoring more goals when they had chances. Former teammates and I have been expecting this - every game is close and all any team needs is one call late in the game to get a goal.

[PaulNewman]

Hopkins ties Washington College 1-1 after Washington College is awarded and converts a PK with 1:50 remaining. I admit that I am biased but the foul called for the PK was ridiculous. A ball was floated into the box, the Hopkins GK punched it out and collided with a Washington College player, and the ref called a foul on the Hopkins GK and gave him a yellow card.

Hopkins paid the price for not scoring more goals when they had chances. Former teammates and I have been expecting this - every game is close and all any team needs is one call late in the game to get a goal.

I'd love to see a replay a few times but watching live I was stunned the ref called a foul there.  If anything I thought it was going the other way.  Imo the GK has got to be free to make that play, and I agree with everything else you said as I noted in other thread.

[Ejay]

This weekend's action:

NJAC
RUN @ TCNJ
William Paterson @ Stockton
Kean @ RUC
NJCU @ Ramapo
Rowan @ Montclair
GOTW: Going to stick with NJCU again for GOTW.  After picking up their 1st conference win since 2013, the Gothic Knights found themselves back in the losing column against RUC.  Can they pick up their 2nd conference win in 9 years against a sub-par Ramapo team?

CENTENNIAL
Haverford @ Ursinus
Dickinson @ McDaniel
Hopkins @ Washington
F&M @ Gettysburg
Swarthmore @ Muhlenberg
GOTW: F&M @ Gettysburg.  F&M brings their 3-0-1 conference record to Gettysburg  (2-1-1) who are still smarting from going down a man in the first half against Hopkins and losing 0-1.

LANDMARK
Elizabethtown @ Scranton
Juniata @ Catholic
Susquehanna @ Goucher
Moravian @ Drew
GOTW: Moravian @ Drew.  Amazingly, Moravian is 2-0 in conference play, but just lost 2-0 to Muhlenberg.  On the flip side, Drew is 0-1-1 and coming off a 2-0 win over Rutgers-Newark.  Dare I say this is a must win for Drew?

MAC-C
Hood @ Eastern
Albright  @ Stevenson
Widener @ Lebanon Valley
Messiah @ Alvernia
GOTW: Messiah @ Alvernia. If only for the simply reason that Alvernia (7-1-4) is likely the only conference opponent that has even the slightest chance of beating Messiah. But even that chance is slim to none, and slim just left town.

MAC-F
Stevens  @ Wilkes 
Lycoming @ Arcadia 
Misericordia @ DeSales 
FDU-Florham @ Delaware Valley
GOTW: Not many intriguing match-ups this week, so we go with Stevens @ Wilkes. For some inexplicable reason, #4 Stevens just tied FDU 0-0. That's gotta hurt and it'll be interesting to see how they respond against a Wilkes team who will surely look to kick a team while they're down.

GOTW RESULTS

• NJCU is outshot 20-8 but draws with a 1-6-2 Ramapo team, 2-2. I think it's safe to say NJCU's dream season has ended and they're back to where and what we expected.
• F&M and Gettysburg both score in the second half and draw 1-1 in a game that was statistically even.
• Moravian remains undefeated in Landmark play with a 0-0 draw @. Drew.  Drew is now 10-0 in non-conference games, but 0-1-2 in conference.
• Shocker...Messiah smokes Alvernia 4-0. Not much else to say.
• Stevens scores in the 83rd minute to squeak by 4-7-1 Wilkes. The Ducks need to get it together soon or they can expect an early post-season exit.