2021 D3 Men's Soccer National Perspective

[PaulNewman]

If Coast Guard sees this game out with WPI will be a huge win, giving them a 3rd ranked win with risk of another ranked loss coming next vs MIT.

WPI will be sweating...but combination of luck and brilliant scheduling helps as last two games vs UMass-Boston and MIT and to lesser extent this game with CG will give a major boost to an already very strong SoS.  But 10-5-3 gets dicey especially if WPI doesn't jump Babson or CG in the regional rankings.

CG also will have a 2-0 H2H advantage over WPI.

[PaulNewman]

CG 2 WPI 0  Final

I'm surprised there aren't more frequent serious injuries with the take the ball to the corner strategy.  I mean there are 3 or 4 players desperately hacking at you to get the ball, and the aggression escalates the longer the strategy is "successful."  I mean everyone does it, from HS to college to the EPL to the WC...but I'm not convinced it kills that much time compared to other ways and I'd be really hesitant to put my best and most valuable players in that role.

[Hopkins92]

CG 2 WPI 0  Final

I'm surprised there aren't more frequent serious injuries with the take the ball to the corner strategy.  I mean there are 3 or 4 players desperately hacking at you to get the ball, and the aggression escalates the longer the strategy is "successful."  I mean everyone does it, from HS to college to the EPL to the WC...but I'm not convinced it kills that much time compared to other ways and I'd be really hesitant to put my best and most valuable players in that role.

Injuries USUALLY occur when dudes/dudettes collide at pace. Kind of hard to hurt someone during a handbags/purses scrimmage in the corner.

[PaulNewman]

CG 2 WPI 0  Final

I'm surprised there aren't more frequent serious injuries with the take the ball to the corner strategy.  I mean there are 3 or 4 players desperately hacking at you to get the ball, and the aggression escalates the longer the strategy is "successful."  I mean everyone does it, from HS to college to the EPL to the WC...but I'm not convinced it kills that much time compared to other ways and I'd be really hesitant to put my best and most valuable players in that role.

Injuries USUALLY occur when dudes/dudettes collide at pace. Kind of hard to hurt someone during a handbags/purses scrimmage in the corner.

LOL.  I hear ya, but just the same I don't want to be the player in that corner.

[deiscanton]

Commonwealth Coast Conference Semifinal #2

Final-- Salve Regina 3, Roger Williams 0

The first goal came in the 38th minute from Alessandro Oggiano, and in the second half, a brace by Jacob Guerra in the 48th and 56th minutes punched the ticket to the championship game for the Seahawks.

Salve Regina (#3 seed) will host Gordon (#4 seed) on Saturday for the Commonwealth Coast Conference title and AQ.

[PaulNewman]

Wow.  Capital ends Wilmington's wonderful season, 4-3.  4th goal a header in the box out of nothing really, and goes in just inside the right post and again GK did not move.  3 goals in 12 or so minutes.

[Mr.Right]

Let us not forget that W&L had Tufts 1-0 with 35 minutes to go in the Sweet 16 match in 2019. The last team that had a legitimate shot at defeating Tufts that year. Now if they haven't graduated a ton from that 2019 team they could remember what it will take to get over that hump.

St.John Fischer?? That is a Football school but nice to see the Men's Soccer team progressing.

I am shocked after a pretty successful out of conference schedule and Regional Ranking that Wheaton(MA) cannot even get into its own league tournament. Good to see one of Cush's sons on the Wheaton team and interested in getting into Coaching like his father.

There is no way WPI gets a Pool C. I say that knowing they are a quality team after watching them almost sneak out of Amherst with a result. There have already been too many upsets.

WNEC disappointed because they had some transfers including Coach O'Neil's son who now graduates.

Springfield is my sleeper pick for Newmac Championship with MIT getting a Pool C. Springfield is young and not a good Road team but I have a hunch they advance past Babson on Thursday and get back onto a turf field for the Final to Win it.

I think St.Joe's reign at the top of the GNAC will end with Norwich winning it this weekend.

[maineman]

It would be ironic if Norwich gets an AQ and Midd got a Pool C.  They have played each other in the regular season nearly every year, but not this year.  Perhaps Norwich and Midd will face each other in the NCAAs due to travel considerations.  Obviously, there are a lot of "what if's" to get to that point.

[deiscanton]

My game of the day to watch this afternoon--

2 PM Eastern start-- Skyline Conference semifinal:  (#6 seed) Yeshiva at (#2 seed) Mount St. Vincent.

At the beginning of the season, very few people in DIII soccer would have expected these two teams to be two wins away from the NCAAs at this stage, as both teams have historically been at the bottom of the Skyline Conference. 

However, Mount St. Vincent under first year coach Tommy Mattera already has a program record 12 wins and a victory over NYU this season to boot.  The victory over NYU did put the Dolphins on my personal radar to watch to see whether they can win the AQ.  The Dolphins earned a first round bye to reach the semifinals.

On the other side, we have the Yeshiva Maccabees, a DIII school that is more noted for their top 25 men's basketball team than for any other sport.  Yeshiva is only in their second conference tournament in program history, and has advanced to reach the conference semifinals for the first time ever thanks to coming from 2-0 down in the last 5 minutes of regulation to force the match with Farmingdale State to a draw and then prevailing on kicks from the mark.

The two programs last met on September 5 at Yeshiva, and the game went to golden goal extra time.  Mount St. Vincent won the match 2-1 on a golden goal in the second extra time period.

Yeshiva is providing the live stats for this match, while Mount St. Vincent is producing the video.

Later this evening in the other semifinal, Merchant Marine faces Manhattanville, with the winner of that one facing the Yeshiva/Mt. St. Vincent winner.  If Mount St. Vincent wins, then the championship game will be on Saturday.  If Yeshiva wins this afternoon, then the Skyline Conference final will be played on Sunday due to observance of Shabbat.

2:24 PM Eastern-- In the first half, at least one Mount St. Vincent player already had to be subbed due to injury.  The referee has just given a yellow card to Yeshiva's Marc Ziarno, and now a yellow card has been issued to Mt.St. Vincent's Alejandro Rodriguez.  In the 22nd minute, Yeshiva has already committed 4 fouls to Mount St Vincent's one, which was hard enough to warrant a yellow card.

[Hopkins92]

Yeah, that games is a bit hard to watch. Really a lack of overall care for the opposition in a LOT of the challenges. Looks like a battle of attrition.

ETA - And now during half-time the  MSV coaches are in a lengthy conversation with all 4 of the officials. I'm not watching close enough to know why, but this went on for a solid 5 minutes. Broke amicably enough with a bro-hug, but I'm surprised the center ref allowed that to go on so long.

[deiscanton]

Halftime--

Yeshiva 0, Mount St Vincent 0

A lot of stoppage time in the first half due to the fouling, players going down temporarily, players being subbed due to injuries, and a few yellow cards being awarded.

This is definitely looking like a battle of attrition.....

First half stats--

Yeshiva leading on shots, 11-6, and in shots on target, 5-2.

Mount St. Vincent leading on corners, 3-1.

Yeshiva called twice for offsides vs Mount St. Vincent's one.

Yeshiva committed 6 fouls to Mount St. Vincent's 2.

In the booking department, 2 yellow cards have been given to Yeshiva, and one yellow card has been given to Mount St. Vincent.

In the regular season matchup at Yeshiva, the first half also was scoreless, with the goals starting to come in the second half. 

3:10 PM Eastern update-- Second half is under way....

[deiscanton]

End of regulation

Yeshiva 0, Mount St. Vincent 0

This match is going to golden goal extra time, just like the match in the regular season.  However, earlier in the season, Yeshiva and Mount St Vincent were deadlocked at 1 goal a piece.

Yeshiva leading in shots, 15-9, and in shots on target, 7-3.   Both teams are even on corners at 3 a piece.

Yeshiva called 3 times for offsides to Mount St Vincent's 1.

Yeshiva committed 13 fouls to Mount St Vincent's 8.

Just one yellow card awarded in the second half-- Both teams even on yellows at 2 a piece.

4:15 PM Eastern-- After 1 period of extra time, this match is still scoreless at 0-0.  Seems more likely that we could be heading to kicks from the mark to determine which team moves on rather than this match being decided by a golden goal.

[PaulNewman]

What a great field at St. Olaf (and excellent video quality).  If you're gonna have a turf field this is the way to go...like Hope, CMU, etc.

1-1 with St John's in 2nd half.

[NEPAFAN]

What a great field at St. Olaf (and excellent video quality).  If you're gonna have a turf field this is the way to go...like Hope, CMU, etc.

1-1 with St John's in 2nd half.

wow you aren't kidding !

[deiscanton]

Golden goal scored on a penalty kick by Mount St. Vincent in the 107th minute.

In the 107th minute, Yeshiva was called for a handball in the box, and it took at least 5 minutes of stoppage to set up the penalty kick.

In the process, a yellow card was given to Yeshiva's Naor Dahan, and a foul was called on Yeshiva's Marc Ziarno.

After what seemed like forever to set it up, Mount St. Vincent's Carlos Romero converts the penalty kick to win the game and send the Dolphins to the Skyline Conference championship game, which will be played on Saturday vs the winner of Merchant Marine vs Manhattanville.

The season continues on for the Mount St. Vincent Dolphins, as they are now 1 win away from the NCAAs.

It will be the first appearance in the conference title game in program history for Mount St. Vincent.