2021 D3 Men's Soccer National Perspective

[PaulNewman]

When I start typing d3, d3boards.com is what comes up first ;-)   There are many other sports than soccer represented and it's the easiest way to get to whichever of them I want to post in that day - mostly football, basketball, baseball in that order.

d3soccer *used* to be part of the d3sports empire; it was spun off somewhere between 5-10 years ago so the d3sports folks could focus on the sports that bring them a better return (those three).   I think there used to be a d3hockey.com but it's no longer around, and the d3boards discussion is very inactive.   There's a d3volleyball board too where there are like two of us that post.

Very interesting.  I have D3soccer.com saved as a favorite and is on every toolbar of every device I use.  You guys are the true D3 warriors.  I have zero interest in D3 sports beyond soccer.  Years ago I was interested in Grinnell bball for a few days because of some brief national publicity.  Also had a mild interest in Middlebury hockey because my son went to hockey camp there a couple of years and at least at the time the Midd facility/rink blew me away.  Who has won D3 hockey titles over the past 10 years?  I watch a ton of D1 basketball, the NBA, and have a seasonal interest in college and pro football.  Occasionally watch hockey which I much prefer to baseball at any level.  I watch a lot of EPL and CL soccer, some MLS and USMNT and USWNT.  Might watch a semi or final of Wimbledon, French Open, US Open but in general rarely watch tennis.  And no golf for me.

[SimpleCoach]

@JKNezek.  That's very kind of you and do appreciate it.

I've been a player, coach, referee at every level of the game in the US ... and went as far as having a trial in Europe ... which clearly didn't go the way I wanted it go.  Its a mind dedicated to the game over 40 years in the making.  I had no idea this site existed until a friend of mine told me about it in August.

That buddy of mine has a son who was/is an outstanding holding mid.  Understood the game, the ebbs and flows, and was maniacally consistent with the ball.  He was also the most underrated midfielder at his club.  In large part because they played like a Championship level regional English team.  Recruited by a couple D1 schools that he didn't like, ultimately chose a school for it's Econ & Finance program and its mission.  D3.  Decided he would walk on.  Watched the team play a number of times and was pretty sure he would make it.  I actually went to watch the first of the tryouts and for a whole slew of reasons and biases, I thought he was the best outright soccer player out there.  But, lo and behold, coach doesn't take him. 

Frankly, I was stunned.  It basically challenged a number of principles that I have developed over the years that I think matter, and it's what I look at in a player.  As an aside, I have other friends who are D3 soccer coaches at a number of different colleges that I do "scouting" and player analysis for.  Full disclosure:  I don't get paid, but I do get free shirts and other gear in return for the work... my wife really has a problem with this part since I have accumulated so much stuff, I have barely worn some of it.

Anyhow, they have been railing for years about how the game is played, and in their own way are trying to break the mold.  And yes, after watching close to 150 games, there is a mold.  So I took this personal affront, along with what I was already doing for these coaches, to study the game and what I hold to be true about the game of soccer.  I talk about how the game is capable of leaving coaches behind .... well I don't want to be that guy.  So, what better way than to reassess how I think the game should be played? 

Turns out I am watching so many games that I figured I should share with like minded folks.  One of my friends at a small mid-western college suggested here.

So there you have it.  Not sure I am adding value to anyone's love or understanding of the game ... but I hope if anything, it show's my love and ... at least evolving understanding of the game.  Who thought that I would have so much fun in retirement!

Why people don't come here?  I wish I could say.  Would love to take over this if at any point someone doesn't want it ...

[jknezek]

@JKNezek.  That's very kind of you and do appreciate it.

I've been a player, coach, referee at every level of the game in the US ... and went as far as having a trial in Europe ... which clearly didn't go the way I wanted it go.  Its a mind dedicated to the game over 40 years in the making.  I had no idea this site existed until a friend of mine told me about it in August.

That buddy of mine has a son who was/is an outstanding holding mid.  Understood the game, the ebbs and flows, and was maniacally consistent with the ball.  He was also the most underrated midfielder at his club.  In large part because they played like a Championship level regional English team.  Recruited by a couple D1 schools that he didn't like, ultimately chose a school for it's Econ & Finance program and its mission.  D3.  Decided he would walk on.  Watched the team play a number of times and was pretty sure he would make it.  I actually went to watch the first of the tryouts and for a whole slew of reasons and biases, I thought he was the best outright soccer player out there.  But, lo and behold, coach doesn't take him. 

Frankly, I was stunned.  It basically challenged a number of principles that I have developed over the years that I think matter, and it's what I look at in a player.  As an aside, I have other friends who are D3 soccer coaches at a number of different colleges that I do "scouting" and player analysis for.  Full disclosure:  I don't get paid, but I do get free shirts and other gear in return for the work... my wife really has a problem with this part since I have accumulated so much stuff, I have barely worn some of it.

Anyhow, they have been railing for years about how the game is played, and in their own way are trying to break the mold.  And yes, after watching close to 150 games, there is a mold.  So I took this personal affront, along with what I was already doing for these coaches, to study the game and what I hold to be true about the game of soccer.  I talk about how the game is capable of leaving coaches behind .... well I don't want to be that guy.  So, what better way than to reassess how I think the game should be played? 

A lot of this is why I don't enjoy watching college soccer. I was a technical and tactical player. I was physically imposing when I needed to be, often playing what was called stopper at the time in a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 but now would be defensive mid or box to box mid. What I wasn't was fast. I could run all day, but I sucked in a sprint. So my tactics and positioning were always very good, they had to be. In higher level club competition, with a few subs and long games, I could lay off in the beginning of the game and then tighten down as opposing players wore out. I could pass early in each half and challenge one on one later going forward.

In h.s. and college.... every time I would wear someone down... in would come the fast fresh legs. In h.s., I was good enough that it didn't matter. In college... well, just too slow. So yes, I have a huge bias against the rules of the game in college. Personally but also because what it does to players. Speed, speed, kick and run, and speed. Not enough practice time, too many games, too many subs.

I firmly believe David Beckham would have struggled in U.S. soccer development levels in the 90s. I don't think he would have made a D1 mid 90s college program and I think his playing type would still struggle in college. Luckily the USL and MLS academy teams, and the shift in U.S. Soccer development, have greatly diminished the importance and relevance of college soccer. That's a good thing if we ever want to develop truly good players.

Don't get me wrong, I was never going to be a pro or a high level college player, regardless of the rules. Beckham was only slow by pro standards, I was slow by any standard! But college soccer, in general, is a breeding ground for poor tactics and even worse player development.

[Gregory Sager]

When I start typing d3, d3boards.com is what comes up first ;-)   There are many other sports than soccer represented and it's the easiest way to get to whichever of them I want to post in that day - mostly football, basketball, baseball in that order.

d3soccer *used* to be part of the d3sports empire; it was spun off somewhere between 5-10 years ago so the d3sports folks could focus on the sports that bring them a better return (those three).   I think there used to be a d3hockey.com but it's no longer around, and the d3boards discussion is very inactive.   There's a d3volleyball board too where there are like two of us that post.

I'm like Ron in that I'm a D3 sports omnivore. Part of that is because I do PBP for nine different sports -- men and women really do play the same game differently, which warrants describing them as different sports -- and the boards are a good alternative source of info to press releases. But part of that has to do with the fact that, philosophically, I'm a D3 devotee; I've gotten to the point where I barely care about D1 sports at all anymore, even during March Madness. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only person in the universe who is content to watch a Eureka @ Webster basketball game or a Lynchburg @ Eastern Mennonite soccer game, despite having zero connections to any of those schools.

My time on d3boards.com is usually shaped by whatever sport is in season. Right now I'm active on the football and soccer boards (and, like Ron, I bemoan the fact that the volleyball board is moribund). A month from now I'll be knee-deep in basketball (both men and women), and in the spring I'll be on the baseball boards while wondering if anybody out there is going to contribute anything at all to the softball boards.

I wish that Pat hadn't spun off d3soccer.com to Christan & Co., because those guys have been forced to reinvent the wheel while Pat's got this whole thing down to a science, but I understand his reasons. In addition to what Ron mentioned, Pat's just not a soccer guy at all; he's football, first and foremost, but very much a D3 basketball maven as well. (He farms out a lot of the work on d3baseball.com to Jim Dixon -- Pat's entitled to two seasons a year to have a life, after all.)

I'm not a soccer person by upbringing. I never played the sport, and I really didn't follow it much at all until North Park began to build a strong program two decades ago. Most of what I learned about the game was through osmosis and observation by sitting with soccer aficionados and former varsity players in the stands until a decade ago, when NPU added men's and women's soccer to my broadcasting menu and I started watching Premier League streams on YouTube in order to get a handle on how best to call play-by-play for the sport. I don't claim to have anything close to SimpleCoach's Yoda-like mastery of soccer's intricacies, although I'm at the point now where I fully recognize where jknezek is coming from in his criticism of college soccer.

I've been here for over twenty years as a participating poster, and I'll certainly miss d3boards.com if this site goes the way of the dodo and the passenger pigeon. It's not just about the information, it's about the community. It's about being a little less cut off and a little more expansive in your view of the competitive world in which your alma mater dwells. Back in the days before livestreaming, a bunch of regulars on the CCIW men's basketball board who represented five different schools within the conference would regularly get together at various CCIW gyms and talk shop before and after games, and the regulars would meet all sorts of fans in the stands who would learn their identity through word of mouth and would come up to you and introduce themselves as lurkers. That sort of stuff doesn't really seem to happen anymore.

But enough of my kvetching, as this is turning into yet another "get off my lawn" occasion.

[Hopkins92]

Man, this is a GREAT discussion and with a lot of areas to explore. While we're doing quasi-autobios, I've got a sliver, along with a few thoughts on this board:

* I am a creature of message boards, having discovered them as a great alternative to roaming around the comment sections of various blogs when the technology became widely accessible. I was around when BigSoccer took off and subsequently blew up in stature in the late 90s. I actually moderated the Yanks Abroad forum for a stint. One thing that I'll touch on later, they had a forum that was titled Off Topic and I met ppl on those threads that I subsequently attended their weddings and still talk to/visit out of town to this day.

* I have drastically reduced my participation in message boards because I simply don't have the bandwidth, but I still frequent a forum called the Sports Frog daily, as well as the boards of MGoBlog, which is my goto source of Michigan sports info (I grew up there, still talk to my sportscaster buddy that works for a Detroit station and does sidelines for the football game. Gonna see him in November, can't wait!) And, of course, I've started hitting this board up with more frequency the last few years.

* One critique, that I kind of alluded to  above, is that (for understandable reasons) a high percentage of people come here to post/read about a single team. Maybe some parents with recruits are casting a wider net, but we don't hear from them too often. This thread is an awesome example of how engaging a message board can be when you allow the conversation to get just a little off topic.

I'm not sure if there was any one single post I can point to, but my gut/back of mind recollection is that there was the vibe that off-topic chatter was really discouraged. I think maybe when traffic was heavier this was a valid concern?

* Anyways, in terms of the poll, I'm in same boat as jknezak... I came on here to get some background and insight on Hopkins and their opponents, but I started getting hooked into the bigger picture discussions. But, I still simply don't have enough streaming time to follow the national scene to a level would do the poll justice. With that said, one of the reasons I started posting the Mid-Atlantic Games of Note and the results in that thread is get more outside of the Centennial Conf games. I've watched a lot of games (beyond the usual Messiah, because.. Messiah) than I have in years past and it's cool to start building that knowledge.

* Lastly, the thing some of you might bristle at... Soccer can be REALLY boring. The best I can really do with games where I don't have a rooting interest (at this level), is watch a few minutes of the first half to get a feel, and then start Red Zoning it by looking at the scoreboard and finding the goals. I like to back a few minutes and see the context, but, man... I don't know how some of you guys sit through 90 minutes of SOME really boring D3 games. (There is quality to be found, and you know it when you see it.)

BTW, per Simple Coach's comment (ETA and now Conn College), I am on a board that asks everyone to chip in a pretty minimal amount every year to host the message board. If someone ever threatens to shut this down, I'd absolutely pony up to keep it going.

[PaulNewman]

Great post, ConnAlum.....appreciate you taking the leap (and risk lol).  Occasionally folks do their own self-made kind of column.  Start a thread and share your thoughts twice a week or weekly or biweekly if you like.  There must be a lot of folks like you....as at any given time there seem to be 150-200 guests on here.   I'm curious if an coaches check the site and see what's being said, or if players say "hey coach, that idiot is talking smack about you again."

[PaulNewman]

Hopkins, just to be clear I don't watch games of all (or even most of) the teams I vote for in the poll.  Like I'm sure others do, I try to spin out a little narrative by piecing together tidbits from box scores and occasionally a recap, and I will go through schedules of teams I'm the fence about to see the quality of Ws, Ts, and Ls.  I will portions of games of teams I've developed some interest in for whatever reason including a team being hyped by someone that I check out.  So now I might 15-20 minutes of an Emory game or Chicago and now for example I want to see NYU.  It's also fun to me to browse around just to get a feel of the different facilities and such.  I recall a few years ago I watched Lynchburg and Roanoke occasionally because I heard they actually drew spectators from the community at large.  Anybody know if my guy at Lynchburg is still there?  He had the best and coolest intro spots I've ever seen, and the the broadcasts were top-tier for D3 with like real commercials. 

Even a few dedicated posters can make a big difference here, and new blood is great.  You can take a team that hardly anyone talks about and folks will read what you write and develop at least a marginal interest.  When I started around late 2012 no one ever talked about Kenyon, like ever, and that's partly because they had been pretty mediocre for a spell...and now a lot probably would like to see the word 'Kenyon' a lot less.  But the point is you can generate some interest, and who knows, maybe even create enough interest for a recruit here and there to get your school or others you know a lot about a look.

[jknezek]

Hopkins, just to be clear I don't watch games of all (or even most of) the teams I vote for in the poll.  Like I'm sure others do, I try to spin out a little narrative by piecing together tidbits from box scores and occasionally a recap, and I will go through schedules of teams I'm the fence about to see the quality of Ws, Ts, and Ls.  I will portions of games of teams I've developed some interest in for whatever reason including a team being hyped by someone that I check out.  So now I might 15-20 minutes of an Emory game or Chicago and now for example I want to see NYU.  It's also fun to me to browse around just to get a feel of the different facilities and such.  I recall a few years ago I watched Lynchburg and Roanoke occasionally because I heard they actually drew spectators from the community at large.  Anybody know if my guy at Lynchburg is still there?  He had the best and coolest intro spots I've ever seen, and the the broadcasts were top-tier for D3 with like real commercials. 

Even a few dedicated posters can make a big difference here, and new blood is great.  You can take a team that hardly anyone talks about and folks will read what you write and develop at least a marginal interest.  When I started around late 2012 no one ever talked about Kenyon, like ever, and that's partly because they had been pretty mediocre for a spell...and now a lot probably would like to see the word 'Kenyon' a lot less.  But the point is you can generate some interest, and who knows, maybe even create enough interest for a recruit here and there to get your school or others you know a lot about a look.

Lynchburg treats soccer and lacrosse like most schools treat football. They are the premiere outdoor sports (no football team). And yes, the facility, crowd, and broadcasts are still top notch.

[PaulNewman]

Speaking of pollster quality, these West teams are killing me.  I make a big pitch for Pac Lutheran and they lose.  And this week I took a chance and put Redlands in my top 20, and I'm rewarded by the Bulldogs losing at home to Chapman in a wild, west affair 5-4.  Redlands was up 1-0, then down 1-2, the up 3-2, then 3-3, then up again 4-3, and lost 4-5.  All nine goals scored by the 54th minute.  Weird.

If New Paltz St loses to Fredonia St this weekend I am tendering my resignation to Mr. W&L.

Side note....It can be fun after there has been some jousting back and forth to meet some of the players or other posters.  I met Blooter at a Tufts game and we engaged some of the newest alums, and they started howling about "here's that Kenyon guy!"  After they bundled me and stuck me in a locker for 4 hours, we all went out and had a couple of beers (and all that very last part is fiction).

[PaulNewman]

https://www.lynchburgsports.com/general/2021-22/releases/20210715mgwo1w

Damn, Joe Hutzler moved on from Lynchburg just this past summer.

Just love this guy...

https://www.joehutzler.com/

"Pressure is a privilege"

[PaulNewman]

Now back to our regular programming.....

Friday Night Lights (except for Liberty League and SUNYAC fixtures)

One of the biggest Fridays of the season, with a full slate of UAA, SUNYAC, LL, SAA, and SCAC match-ups. 

Let's start with the SAA and limit the commentary to Oglethorpe.  Remember when the Stormy Petrels were 0-6 (after W&L, Emory, C-M-S, Redlands, Lynchburg, and Calvin)?  And got their first win in 2021 over 2019 Final 4 program, Centre?  Welp, Oglethorpe now sits at a not-so-great sounding 4-6.  But they're 4-0 in conference and looking like favorites to finish the season in first place with hosting privileges for the SAA playoffs. 

Prediction (and bookmark it)...the Stormy Petrels will be dancing in the NCAA tournament...and given who they have faced already, Oglethorpe will be no cupcake and could make a run to the Sweet 16.

Now let's set you up for your afternoon and evening of D3 video enjoyment.

I recommend RIT @ RPI at 4:00 pm. Huge game for both with RIT at 2-0-2 in conference and RPI 4-0.  For a LL undercard, I would advise Ithaca @ Skidmore, also at 4:00 pm.  The Bombers are 4-0 and trying to keep pace with RPI while the Thoroughbreds are clinging to stay relevant for a possible LL playoff spot at 1-2-1.  Vassar, SLU, and Hobart are all very much in play for home field in 3v6 and 4v5 playoff games.

If you're feeling lukewarm about starting your weekend with the LL, consider one of the SUNYAC options.  The best one appears to be Oneonta St @ Buffalo St.  The Red Dragons will try to break out of a slump, but the Bengals at 10-3 and 3-2 in conference might have other ideas.  First touch is at 4:00 pm.  Or, you could treat yourself New Paltz St at Fredonia St, also at 4:00 pm.  The Hawks are the heavy favorites over the Blue Devils, but New Paltz could get sacked by the PN curse.

To ease comfortably into your evening, follow up Happy Hour with apps by getting a taste of Brandeis @ Chicago at 6:30.  The Maroons would seem like fairly strong favorites but they seem to follow up big wins with a letdown.  There is no team in the UAA that thinks they can't beat any of the others.  The Judges will be looking to show well after smarting all week from a home loss to CWRU.

Now that you're warmed up you've got two huge UAA tilts in the 7:30 time slot to choose from, flip back and forth, or, if you want to prepare for tournament season early, get two devices going at once.  CMU travels to Rochester for a match that be a must-win for both.  And CWRU heads down to Atlanta to take on Emory.  The four squads in these two games will then switch places for Sunday...with CMU flying to Atlanta after what I would think will be a fairly long bus trip to Rochester, and CWRU will fly home from Atlanta and take a shorter bus trip to Rochester.  Just a massive UAA weekend all around.

If you crave a quick-view change of pace as the evening matures, an underrated choice might be under-the-radar UW-Platteville at Loras at 8:30  The Pioneers are having a strong season at 8-2-2.  Loras sits at 7-5-2 still very much in the ARC playoff hunt, and the Duhawks will hope to improve their form before heading back to conference action.

Finally, at 9:00 pm, the feature match of the day....a stunned NYU squad will be in St. Louis for a monster match-up with Wash U.  The Bears no doubt wish NYU hadn't stumbled against Mt. St. Vincent, as a wounded and talented team, even one named the Violets, will be hyper-dangerous.  Great test for both teams, and no one will be shocked if this one ends in yet another UAA draw.

In the SCAC, frontrunner Trinity welcomes cellar-dweller Austin for a 9:00 pm kickoff.  And if you want to learn a little more about two pretty good teams you know nothing about (except of course for "the Trinity guy"), we've got Texas Lutheran at St Thomas (TX) at 8:30 pm.  Set a reminder for 8:00 pm on 10/29 when Trinity will be in Colorado Springs for their regular season finale against seemingly always chasing Colorado College.

Make sure to save room for Saturday and Sunday.

[maineman]

How can Babson be ranked 23 nationally when they aren't even ranked in their own region?

[deiscanton]

How can Babson be ranked 23 nationally when they aren't even ranked in their own region?

NEWMAC is in Region II, not Region I.   Babson is ranked #2 in Region II this week in the United Soccer Coaches Regional poll, and #23 in the United Soccer Coaches national poll.   MIT is ranked #1 in Region II this week. 

Brandeis (UAA) is not ranked in Region II, and Region II is where Brandeis was placed in the new regional alignment system.

Coincidentally, the Brandeis women's soccer coach, Mary Shimko, chairs the United Soccer Coaches women's regional poll for Region II (thereby serving as the Region II rep on the United Soccer Coaches women's national poll) and the Brandeis men's soccer coach, Gabe Margolis, is on the NCAA DIII Men's Soccer National Tournment Committee as the chair of Region II.  Coach Margolis is a non-voting rep, as chair, of the Region II NCAA Men's Soccer DIII Regional Advisory Committee this year.

[Mr.Right]

I follow College Soccer because it is in my blood. I grew up around it and it was my primary focus as a kid.  Plus I was an annoying kid who would just ask questions. I actually love the way it has surprisingly improved my writing skills but I also have many other different interests besides sports.  This year and probably going forward I just do not have the time to follow it nationally but I make the time for Nescac Men's Soccer.  I also agree with ConnAlum, like who knew about this patreon?

[jknezek]

About Patreon... there was a flurry of posts about it back in December of 2020 and again in January of 2021. I remember them mostly being in the football forums and maybe a bit in the basketball ones. Pat was pretty subtle about it and I respect that. He put it out there and the posters mostly reinforced the idea. I know there are different tiers, but since Pat is running it, the benefits of being in the higher tiers are mainly to the parts of D3sports.com that he still runs, not the sports like soccer that have been spun off but stay connected. I freely admit I'm only at the base tier so I don't know what extras information the higher tiers get, but I'm primarily interested in keeping this bulletin board community running.

I also think that because the idea went around at a pretty dead time, it probably isn't as widely dispersed through the casual visitor and the non-football, non-basketball regulars. Either way, it's easy enough to find if you want to join now. I'm sure Pat would appreciate it.

https://www.patreon.com/d3sports