Big Dance

[blooter442]

Lane chance he didn't lose his footing so much as run out of room... good job by the Amherst keeper of forcing him wide enough. Sometimes it's all you have to do.

Fair, yeah on second look that is good play by White.

It's not quite VAR for clear and obvious errors.  You only check for 3 things on video replay, and I'm not certain any d3 schools utilize this even after inception from a few years ago. 
-Goal in or out
-review for a fight to identify players involved
-identify players for discipline

Interesting. Thanks. I guess I assumed a bit much, although the commentators had referenced it a couple of times and knowing what I know of video review I figured at bare minimum they'd check goals to make sure that they were clean (of fouls or offside on the final ball).

[hiyasoccer]

Didn't see any shots of the crowd, but sounded like there was a big pro-Tufts one. Can anyone comment on fan attendance?

[d4_Pace]

First off replying to Hiya on the crowed. Amherst had an incredible showing in terms of alums but the Tufts group always travels well as success begets success.

Next as an alum I am so incredibly proud of this senior class. Despite all the questions of their leadership ability coming into the year they managed to accomplish what we all failed to do, go back go back. It is so incredibly difficult when every team has you circled on the schedule as the defending champs. They managed to right the ship after the mid season and go on a dominant run. This team and class has earned a place on the tufts Mount Rushmore as the first class to do the Nescac NCAA double.

Moving forward tufts loses a ton. The starting front 3, rojas at the 10, Jameson at CB with Stern at Lb  and Treverrow off the bench. That being said they also return a ton of talent. Ratzen ended as the leading scoring coming off the bench and will slot in for Lane. Cano scored a banger last night and will have the job of filling Tasker shoes. Max Jacobs will the insurance goal tonight and a ton of big goals will have to replace Joe Braun, the second two time all American in tufts history. (Shout out Matt Adler) Zach sigelstein and a couple others will have to replace rojas and the ton of production he had over the last four years. Theoretically Paoletta who is arguably the most dominant center back in the country will come back in for Jameson once he's healthy.

TLDR tufts is losing one of the greatest classes in D3 soccer history and it will be quite the task to replace them. But worrying about that can wait until Monday when the boys will get back to work. Incredibly proud of this group and welcome to the mountain top.

[Mr.Right]

My impressions:

1. First goal was a great individual effort by Tasker BUT again Johnson should of stuck him at the top of the box and whiffed/slipped and then Wu could of tackled him before the shot was taken. Nice finish and BTW I was the one who had questioned Tufts Senior leadership going into the year but Tasker and Jameson really proved me wrong. Tasker has really matured in 4 years and turned into a real leader to go along with his immense talent. That is the part of athletics that helps kids in their upcoming professional careers.

2. Second goal was a great cross from Ratzan to a wide open Jacobs who buried it. He was wide open for two reasons as obviously Kelly gambled and just missed but Wu was caught marking no one. He got dragged over to help on Ratzan but never fully got over in time and then once Kelly gambled it was only Gitler at the top of the box but he was marking another Tufts player. Kelly gambled but Wu should of been on the 6 NOT helping  to double Ratzan.

3. I thought the difference in the game was Tufts midfield especially defensively. Aroh / Rojas / Van Brewer 1st Half totally outplayed Amherst midfield.

4. IIRC Amherst used ONLY 2 subs (a defender Barkidjija and a skilled midfielder Frosh Cubbedo) throughout the whole game while Tufts used 7. Tufts has a deeper bench and it showed but Amherst has more than 2 players off the bench they could of used to help. Where was McMillian? His speed should of been used up top to start the 2nd Half along with his other attacking players. Serpone sacked holder Shahmirzadi at the Half and put Gitler in the middle of the park and then used Barkidjija on the backline for Gitler. He also sacked Derby in favor of Cubbedo which should of happened earlier.

5. Amherst refused to change tactics against Tufts and played very direct trying to spring their strikers or use set pieces/long throws to score like they have done all year. That is one-trick pony stuff as personally I would have liked to see Serpone go to a 3-4-3 to start 2nd Half and start playing to feet like Amherst is capable of in attack. I would of had Kelly, Wu and Johnson in the back. Midfield in a diamond with Gitler in front of the back 3 then have Coleman and Lind in the middle of the park with Cubeddu in front of them linking to the strikers. Then you got your 3 blazing fast strikers with McMillian and Okorogheye very wide to the touch and GG up top. If Amherst came out like that and started playing to feet and wide switching fields and being creative they might have given themselves more opportunities to score and THEN you rely on your size and crash the net. However, IMO Amherst never really changed what they were trying to do and against Tufts you MUST mix it up especially down a goal in a Championship match at Halftime. You have to gamble down a goal and yes maybe Tufts would have gotten a 2nd goal on the counter with Amherst pushing numbers but maybe not. We will never know and Tufts got their 2nd goal anyhow. I mean if Amherst is just going to hit long ball after long ball why not play a 4-2-4? Seriously what is the point of even having midfielders if you are not using them.

6. Tufts backline(Daly, Raphael, Jameson and Stern) + Aroh played very well. They doubled GG the minute he touched the ball and all 5 played fantastic. GG and Okorogheye did have a couple decent looks but that was it. Okorogheye is a fine athlete and speedster but he dribbles WAY to much and with his head down and while he gives good service he also gives the ball away a ton and Tufts did not dive in on him and sat on his right foot because he has no left foot.

6. D4 noted the Seniors Tufts will lose and they are massive losses that even Tufts will have a hard time replacing right away. Jacobs will replace Braun and Cano will replace Tasker plus Ratzan for Lane.  I think this kid Seigelstein will be replacing Rojas. He played well 2nd Half of the season for Tufts off the bench. When I saw his highlight video a couple years ago before he enrolled at Tufts I thought he was skilled but very slight. Well the strength coach at Tufts or someone has worked with him because the kid has some meat on his bones now to go along with some serious skill. He has great vision and I can tell has a high soccer IQ. I think he will be a HUGE help next year.

7. Congrats to Tufts...Seriously that was an amazing year....What else can Shapiro accomplish now? This is the time to make a move. Harvard is the logical choice and he can win there but personally I would go for BC. BC might want someone with D1 Head Coaching experience which Shapiro does not have but his time at Georgetown and his tremendous success at Tufts in 10 years might be enough to get him the gig at BC if he nails the interview. At the very least force Tufts to give you a raise by applying to these schools and getting interviews and see exactly how much Tufts values what you have done.

[Saint of Old]

PLEASE DO NOT TAKEWHAT WE ARE SEEING FOR GRANTED.
The problem with Dominance, and Historic Dominance is that it becomes expected and after a while it goes unnoticed.

What Tufts is doing now is Historic and will likely never ever be done again.
Shapiro is a genius and the entire country should take notice of this fact.

What Coach Bean did with his boys from Chicago is indeed why he is an Icon and why Wheaton is an legendary soccer powerhouse.
Wheaton won two titles but his work with the team between 1996-1999 is unbelievable. Wheaton racked up a still held record of 66 games undefeated the 1997 National Crown and a trip to the finals in 99 with an absolutely powerhouse squad.



After this Coach Bob Durocher and his boys from Canton NY went on a run of 60 games unbeaten and a National title in 99.
Like Wheaton there was a good style of play and what seemed an endless pipeline of talent and grit from players who almost refused to lose

Messiah can be split up into two eras, that of Brandt and Mccarthy.
Both are soccer wizards who can claim dynasties of their own which produced 11 National crowns almost evenly split and some of the best teams D3 soccer has ever seen.

Not to be forgotten is Dr. J who proved his brilliance and longevity with a crown in 97 as well as 11' while playing his football.

Russo also played some good football and climbed the mountain in 95 after barely failing in 93 by great recruiting and a terrific playing style pleasing to the eye.

Serpone just fell short but has also climbed the hill and has the devotion of each player who plays for him by fostering a family environment.

I say with all objectivity that what Shapiro and his boyz have done is the greatest feat to ever be accomplished in our sport and in our sport in this division.

In This era, sustained dominance is harder because the nation has caught up to the great programs of yester year.
There are more players to choose from and the game is taken much more seriously by players, administration, coaches, schools throughout the country.
Tufts, like Maradona's Napoli pre-80s had no name.
When you thought of NESCAC the name Williams and Amherst woud be brought up wayyyy before Tufts, Middlebury as well who had a championship under their belt. This man Shapiro changed that and has his team as the greatest dynasty ever.


What does Bean/Dr.J/Coach Durocher/Russo/Mccarty/Brandt/Serpone  have in common?

Men who had ambition, dedicate wayyyyyy too much of their time to their cause and young men under their care,  were young(when they began), motivated, loved their school to an insane degree and who were not just coaches, but psychologists, big brothers, Father figures to their players who would in turn run through walls for them.

Very long winded way of saying that Tufts are an excellent team. Hats off to them.
All hail the kings.

[Mr.Right]

Well done Saint I was actually thinking about this same kind of topic while watching the game a 2nd time but in a slightly different way.


Shapiro is a genius and IMO is in a TOP TIER above all those other great Head Coaches you mentioned....

TOP TIER: Head Coaches just dominating their respective sports for a solid time period.....Anson Dorrance / Geno Auriemma types hopefully without the massive egos. Dave Urick the Hobart Mens Lax Coach who tore up D3 in the 80's  we could go on and on...you get where I am going



-Brandt
-McCarty
-Shapiro
-Mike Parker (UNC Greensboro)


Next Tier: Fantastic Head Coaches that dominate on a regional level and a national level BUT for whatever reason (bad luck, injuries, player in-fighting, GK errors, etc etc were able to dominate regionally and win a NCAA Championship or 2 but NOT like the Head Coaches in my top tier

-Jay Martin
-Paul McGinlay
-Durocher
-Bill Rogers
-Coven
-Serpone
-Russo
-Derek Armstrong(UC San Diego)
-Saward
-Bean
-Berticelli (who also came close at Notre Dame and used to eat glass for fun--story for another day)
-Skip Roderick
-Tony Ochrimenko   
-Dan Gilmore

you guys get my point...These coaches got their rings but oh it could have been even sweeter and with more rings but hey life is a crapshoot.


3rd Tier: Longtime Head Coaches who are/were fantastic and dominated regionally but just could not or have not gotten that NCAA ring..

-Souders---right now he is stuck here until Calvin gets a ring. Calvin has been deserving of 2-3 rings but again for whatever reason it has not happened and until it does...well.....


Sorry if I missed anyone in my 2nd tier but it brings me to Serpone....Right now he is in that 2nd tier and the question becomes can he get Amherst and himself in that 1st tier?


Regarding his press conference...He is not convincing me he will sleep like a baby...I know why he said it and times are changing but it pissed me off. I'd rather hear the opposite..Can you imagine a 7-0 Amherst Football team losing to a 7-0 Williams Football team and after the game in the presser EJ Mills(Head Ball Coach) says yea well we accomplished just enough this year for me to sleep like a baby tonight. Williams just waxed us but hey I'm good no worries I love these guys...Some alums and hopefully the AD would go thru the roof. I get it Men's Soccer is not Football but to downgrade the importance of that game and downplay his own teams subpar performance in the Final and to bundle it up into one big happy modern family where winning is not the most important thing is complete crap for me.

[Mr.Right]

A couple more thoughts:

-Lind and Coleman are really big losses for Amherst. They are the heart and soul of that team and make the engine run so to speak. They are not the most talented players on the team but they are both gamers and winners and it is hard to replace that. Lind was a cagey player and like a couple others around the league knows how to get in his opponents head. Coleman busted his ass all over the field in every game I saw but last night was not his best game to go out on.

-I might have jumped the gun on full praise for Tufts Seigelstein as after watching the game again he must get tougher. Here we go again with these skill guys but he pulled out of 2 tackles and refused to stick on another. He is super skilled and I am confident in his vision but please work on this in the off season. Rojas will also be missed as along with Tasker he matured this year. I saw him turn his frustration on the field into positive energy rather than wild outbursts and horrific fouls. Where as two years ago he was not as disciplined but he calmed down and by the end of his Tufts career he looked as smooth as Kulcsar on the field. He is a fun player to watch and am curious what type of practice player he is/was?  I still think he could be even better than he is and still improve. He is sneaky good in the air and gives great service and has a high soccer IQ but I wanna see it for 90 and never did..

[jknezek]

Well... I suppose it's nicest when your boys are beaten by the National Champs. Especially when you took them to OT and held a lead for a solid period of time. Moral victories aren't important on paper, but they can have some impact on the minds. Hopefully this experience will provide another boost to W&L's confidence heading into next season. They bring back a lot, but the few they lose are big ones and will be missed.

Especially Co-captain Oliver Dolberg who has been at the heart of the team for a few years. Can't say enough about his leadership, effort and results every game. You always got 100% from Dolberg when he was on the field. Shout outs to co-captain Griffin Scott, who has been a stalwart in defense, and Kyce Darouiche who led the midfield. They played big rolls the last 2 and sometimes three years, all highly successful seasons for the Generals by any measure.

Finally, congrats to Tufts, Amherst, and the NESCAC. Year in and out that is one brutal conference. Just a step above right now. But I feel like W&L is inching closer to the big breakthrough.

[PaulNewman]

Well... I suppose it's nicest when your boys are beaten by the National Champs. Especially when you took them to OT and held a lead for a solid period of time. Moral victories aren't important on paper, but they can have some impact on the minds. Hopefully this experience will provide another boost to W&L's confidence heading into next season. They bring back a lot, but the few they lose are big ones and will be missed.

Especially Co-captain Oliver Dolberg who has been at the heart of the team for a few years. Can't say enough about his leadership, effort and results every game. You always got 100% from Dolberg when he was on the field. Shout outs to co-captain Griffin Scott, who has been a stalwart in defense, and Kyce Darouiche who led the midfield. They played big rolls the last 2 and sometimes three years, all highly successful seasons for the Generals by any measure.

Finally, congrats to Tufts, Amherst, and the NESCAC. Year in and out that is one brutal conference. Just a step above right now. But I feel like W&L is inching closer to the big breakthrough.

I hope your time sitting on the cusp is shorter than this fan's.  Seven years and counting.  The journey can be tantalizing, exciting, fraught with things you can't anticipate, and at times heartbreaking disappointment.  Great season for W&L, though....and at a minimum W&L should be "in the conversation" at least in the near term.

A few final thoughts...

Lind spent a lot of time on the ground.  I presume that was very conscious on Tufts' part.  I can't believe how much Tufts makes of the revenge factor.  They embraced that idea in 2016 and again the other night after the winning another title.  Losing in OT AT Amherst midseason when Amherst was probably a mild favorite at the time is cause for revenge?  After knocking out Amherst in the NCAA tourney the year before 3-0?  Anyway, that is pure genius if Tufts nation can embrace a "we owe them one" mentality in the midst of one of the greatest runs in D3 soccer history.

Amherst does have skill.  I can never get a feel for them watching video of their home games because of the low camera angle.  They could play more on the ground, and they could play short and do at least a few quick throw ins instead of waiting for Johnson to trek across the field EVERY SINGLE TIME.  And Lind, aside from how physical or overly chippy he might be, is a skilled player, especially at his size.  Tufts' attention to him I think prevented some service to GG.

To at least some degree Tufts benefits from Amherst's reputation for physical play, because if the focus wasn't so much on Amherst then Tufts might be viewed just a little differently.  One of the commentators even noted that Tufts was playing more like Amherst than Amherst.  Not that much has been made of the Braun elbow swing with a casted arm or for that matter the obvious hand ball on the second goal.

The NESCAC is even better than I thought top to bottom.  You would think Tufts wins their games 4-0, 5-0, 6-0....but most of their matches, especially in conference are 1-0 or 2-1.  Bates played them tight this year.  Colby advanced by them in the NESCAC tourney last year.  Maybe these bottom tier NESCAC teams would be at the top of a lot of other conferences.

Tufts' "midseason swoon" has been overhyped just a bit.  They lost a trap game midweek to a NCAA team, then lost away to NCAA runnerup Amherst in OT, and then the next day tied Hamilton away which is not an unusual result.  I sure didn't think Tufts was in any trouble or jeopardy at the time.

And I agree about the Serpone sleeping like a baby thing.  He'll be thinking about that game every day until at least next September...or until he takes one of these coaching jobs.

[CacCaptain]

Great chatter all around and glad to see Shapiro getting much deserved praise for this ridiculous run.

A hell of a season for Amherst, but could Tufts have written a more satisfying script?!  4 ships in 6 years and to cap it off against the long hated Jeffs brings me oh so much joy.

GO JUMBOSSSS #Dynasty

[d4_Pace]

Paul Newman... I don't think that the revenge factor mattered in terms of motivation. Its the national championship game. It wouldn't matter if you were playing Amherst or a team they'd never seen before. You are 100% ready to go and the other team has nothing to do with motivation.

Instead Tufts just frankly doesn't like Amherst. This has less to do with the current team than really the alumni. You have to remember Tufts won a national championship before they won a game against Amherst. For a lot of the alumni, winning that first game against amherst on homecoming in 2016 was almost on par with the 2014 title. No matter the national success, Amherst had been the in conference bully, and during the early shapiro years they tormented those teams. The guys that played during those years won't forget that, and that has been passed down even to the current group. So long story short this isn't revenge for losing in OT this year... this is revenge for 2013 Amherst scoring a goal and ripping down the Tufts Parents sign and feigning taking a dog piss on it... its revenge for not beating them over a ten year span.  But like I said for the current guys it didn't change the way they played or prepared for the game. But for the alumni it sure made saturday night sweeter.

[PaulNewman]

Paul Newman... I don't think that the revenge factor mattered in terms of motivation. Its the national championship game. It wouldn't matter if you were playing Amherst or a team they'd never seen before. You are 100% ready to go and the other team has nothing to do with motivation.

Instead Tufts just frankly doesn't like Amherst. This has less to do with the current team than really the alumni. You have to remember Tufts won a national championship before they won a game against Amherst. For a lot of the alumni, winning that first game against amherst on homecoming in 2016 was almost on par with the 2014 title. No matter the national success, Amherst had been the in conference bully, and during the early shapiro years they tormented those teams. The guys that played during those years won't forget that, and that has been passed down even to the current group. So long story short this isn't revenge for losing in OT this year... this is revenge for 2013 Amherst scoring a goal and ripping down the Tufts Parents sign and feigning taking a dog piss on it... its revenge for not beating them over a ten year span.  But like I said for the current guys it didn't change the way they played or prepared for the game. But for the alumni it sure made saturday night sweeter.

Fair enough....but did you see the Tufts press conference after the game?  And in 2016 it was the same deal in the press conference but that was only with a Final Four berth on the line.

Congratulations, though.  You, fellow alums, and the current group have every reason to feel proud and as you say "on the mountain top."  I can't imagine that any of you ever thought things could be this good.

Three-peat?!

[d4_Pace]

I think the press conference has two elements. First this team did want a shot at Amherst again because they thought they were truly better than them. And without getting to play them again they'd never be able to show that.

Second and this speaks to 2016 as well but as d3 athletes you don't get to do many press conferences so when you do guys fall into a lot of cliches to avoid rocking the boat. They also are going to try and be complimentary and deferential to the opponent, so citing how they wanted to get another shot after X team beat us last time is a natural response.

Finally, and in this way I will agree about the revenge element, no matter how successful you have been in the past losing in the tournament is painful. Even if you won 9 titles in a row, you have to sit in the locker room and watch the seniors on your team cry. So if you have the chance to avenge that moment the next season, it's gonna mean something regardless of your other successes.

[Dave 'd-mac' McHugh]

Yep... Tufts won a national title before beating Amherst ... they also have more national titles than they have NESCAC tournament championships. Four national titles - 2 NESCAC titles. In fact, this was the first year Tufts combined for both in the same season.

[d4_Pace]

https://www.instagram.com/p/B56UTR2pz6t/?igshid=ifkslxkwvje5

Tufts with a shoutout on ESPN