Great Lakes Region Navigation Channel

[Domino1195]

Couple of KFTM to settle GL tourneys.

Undefeated in conference play, 10-0, Grove City gets left out of the NCAA via shoot-out. PAC winner tonight - it's Franciscan's to lose.
Heartland had the two best teams meet for God knows how many years now, and true to form, this conference required kicks to see Rose Hulman take the NCAA ticket.
OWU steals a bid from someone. With Case taking care of CMU today and finishing second in the UAA - they are in. Kenyon gets an at-large. That's 7 from the GL. If Wilmington pulls off the upset tonight, stealing another bid, that leaves JCU and ONU doing a lot of praying.
Should JCU win, ONU is still praying for an 8th bid, a 3rd at-large to the GL.

[PaulNewman]

Top D3 soccer student athletes still trying to make a decision or narrowing down where to visit?  Check out the best school in the country (no bias).  And meet former Kenyon AA David Anderson...

https://youtu.be/UwrOg9U2M3w

[PaulNewman]

https://youtu.be/RDhJzAuy_Kg

Another clip of Anderson highlights will give you better idea of his career and best of all some rare video of Coach Brown at the end.

Coach Brown, if you're listening, email SimpleCoach today and schedule an appointment!  Every year we all gotta push a little bit beyond what we think our limits are.

[PaulNewman]

Didn't want to mess up the new schedules thread.

This is a story for the literally hundreds (haha) of D3 parents like myself and @Another Mom who still have active players or players starting their college journeys in a few months....

2011 was OWU's 2nd and most recent national title season.  Travis Wall was the NPOY....just a phenomenally talented player imo on a par with Messiah's top players historically.  OWU actually started the season losing the first game at home to Messiah 2-1 in front of 1400 under the lights at Roy Rike....Danny Thompson scored for the Falcons 29 seconds into the match while younger brother Jack put Messiah ahead 2-0 in the 78th before Wall clawed one back in the 86th.  OWU outshot Messiah 18-10 but of course was chasing the game.  OWU didn't lose again until a NCAC tourney final shock defeat to DePauw 4-2 on that same Roy Rike pitch.  Thereafter, the Battling Bishops went through Wash U, ONU (with come from behind Wall heroics), Hope, Montclair, and Calvin.  Messiah?  The defending champs lost in the 2nd round in stunning fashion to Neumann 1-0 in OT courtesy of a header off a free kick.

2011 was a rebuilding year for Kenyon coming off a 2010 NCAA appearance which had been the Owls' first in a long, long time.  A very talented senior class moved on and a class of 20 frosh, including my son, came in for 2011.  They struggled and ultimately failed to even make the NCAC tournament.  It was hard to see what would be coming in subsequent years, and at the time that was the least of my worries. 

What an exciting but nerve-wracking time.  Your kid is going somewhere that feels very far away to a place that literally in guidebooks is described as "in the middle of nowhere," so on the one hand, there are just the normal huge worries about adjusting to college.  Then there was the anxiety about the soccer.  I of course was anxious for him and his happiness but also for my own.  More than anything, we all wanted verification that he had made the best decision when in reality there is never any way to know that for sure.  He loved it from the start and he loved the comaradarie of his teammates from the start.  I think he would have been pretty happy for at least a year or two if he never played but I wouldn't have handled that well at all.  Anyway, I knew he wasn't an elite recruit, and indeed, once the coach knew he was getting 20 to enroll, we knew the coach wouldn't mind at all if he took his talents anywhere else.  Thank God he didn't.

I've written about this before so I'll be quick to get back to the OWU part.  My son initially didn't get a jersey or dress for the first 3 games.  I actually managed my hysteria fairly well and my kid kept a great attitude, kept plugging away at practice, and after a practice the coach said they were taking him on a road trip.  He got one of the extra jerseys (#34), came on as a sub, and scored.  Then he got the only goal in the next game at home.  Suddenly he was starting in the midfield and kept that spot for the rest of the season. 

So fast forward to our away game at OWU.  For whatever reason, there was no video so we were "watching live stats."  It is truly amazing how engrossed you can be by "live stats" when you are waiting to see if your team goes ahead or goes behind and/or your kid's name is flashed with "shot wide" or "hit post" or "goal!"  In the 11th minute I see the score change to Kenyon 1, OWU 0, followed by the goal going to a soph CB from NZ and an assist swung in from the left side from my son.  It seems so silly, and sillier still to write now, but that is the essence of D3 parent euphoria.  You, your wife, maybe a sibling a two huddled around a computer screen or IPad when something happens for your kid and then two sets of grandparents and aunts and uncles are in exhiliration texting mode.  Kenyon held on until Wall broke through in the 68th minute, they scored again to go up 2-1 in the 86th minute, and that was that. 

One team headed towards a national title.  A very mediocre season for the other.  But perhaps some foreshadowing of battles to come.  Another crazed D3 parent forever addicted to D3 soccer.


https://www.d3soccer.com/seasons/men/2011/boxscores/20111026_giam.xml

[Another Mom]

Nothing like the highs and lows of being a soccer parent!! I loved your post @paulnewman!

[Yankeesoccerdad]

Great story @paulnewman!  Thanks for sharing it.  You hinted at taking a step back at the end of last season.  I hope you continue to be engaged and post frequently when the season kicks off.

[SimpleCoach]

Great story @paulnewman!  Thanks for sharing it.  You hinted at taking a step back at the end of last season.  I hope you continue to be engaged and post frequently when the season kicks off.

We are currently negotiating a new contract for his return.  Am hopeful.

SC.

[Kuiper]

Cross-posted from the Coaching Carousel thread:

Chris Brown and Darren Moore, Head Coach and Assistant Coach, respectively, of Kenyon Men's Soccer, have stepped down

https://athletics.kenyon.edu/news/2023/6/20/mens-soccer-end-of-a-coaching-era-for-kenyon-mens-soccer.aspx

I happened to notice that no one from Kenyon was at the MLS Next Cup and Showcase this weekend (there are a ton of D3 coaches there), but I didn't think anything of it. I guess this was in the works since they stepped down together.  Two months before the season is pretty short timing though and there isn't an assistant left to serve as interim (unless their GK coach stepped up).

[PaulNewman]

I know many probably tire of me talking about Kenyon, and some may tire of seeing my posts, period.  I do try to compensate with a genuine interest in and attention to other prominent programs and a mix of regions.

At any rate, I'm posting this off the major highways (threads) and on this little regional cul-de-sac.

I'm sure I'm missing an obvious one, but only Middlebury and maybe Messiah come to mind in terms of a school like OWU that has one of the most decorated coaches in D3 history and the winningest coach among all divisions...and where two very notable alums are now leading the programs at OWU's greatest rivals (at least in conference but arguably nationally as well). 

The new dynamics are fascinating.  There is Bianco at Denison who is just outstanding and already has turned around the Denison program after taking CWRU to heights that program had never experienced.  He's pretty inarguably one best and brightest young coaches in D3.  He no doubt much preferred the Denison-Kenyon rivalry with Coach Brown at the helm.  Indeed, disliking Kenyon I'm pretty convinced is requirement inside OWU Nation.  And now Kenyon is led by the OWU player probably most responsible for earning Jay Martin's second NCAA title in 2011.  When one thinks of OWU soccer, Travis Wall is no doubt one of the first people who come to mind for anyone who has a decent awareness of OWU soccer and its history. 

So this time I'm actually more curious about how the OWU faithful will perceive and react to the new landscape.  Can you really look at Kenyon (or Denison) as hated rivals when the coaches of your rivals are your own family?  I am very curious to see how it all plays out...and of course there's still the question of who will replace Dr. Jay when he retires 25 years from now.

In more Kenyon-specific news, the 2023 roster is out.  Everyone appears to be back that could be back.  I was hoping Mac Nardiello-Smith would be back for a Covid year but looks like he isn't.  His extremely unfortunate head injury/concussion suffered in the Calvin round of 32 clash kept him out of the W&L and Williams games.  Of course Kenyon also lost a strong senior class highlighted by Upton, Carson, Gaese, and Muther.  Big losses, but plenty of talent remains and hopefully at least 2-3 of the newcomers will contribute.

Kenyon hosts OWU this year, but maybe next year when the Owls head to Delaware OWU will retire Wall's jersey before the match or at halftime.

[futbolislife247365]

I know many probably tire of me talking about Kenyon, and some may tire of seeing my posts, period.  I do try to compensate with a genuine interest in and attention to other prominent programs and a mix of regions.

At any rate, I'm posting this off the major highways (threads) and on this little regional cul-de-sac.

I'm sure I'm missing an obvious one, but only Middlebury and maybe Messiah come to mind in terms of a school like OWU that has one of the most decorated coaches in D3 history and the winningest coach among all divisions...and where two very notable alums are now leading the programs at OWU's greatest rivals (at least in conference but arguably nationally as well). 

The new dynamics are fascinating.  There is Bianco at Denison who is just outstanding and already has turned around the Denison program after taking CWRU to heights that program had never experienced.  He's pretty inarguably one best and brightest young coaches in D3.  He no doubt much preferred the Denison-Kenyon rivalry with Coach Brown at the helm.  Indeed, disliking Kenyon I'm pretty convinced is requirement inside OWU Nation.  And now Kenyon is led by the OWU player probably most responsible for earning Jay Martin's second NCAA title in 2011.  When one thinks of OWU soccer, Travis Wall is no doubt one of the first people who come to mind for anyone who has a decent awareness of OWU soccer and its history. 

So this time I'm actually more curious about how the OWU faithful will perceive and react to the new landscape.  Can you really look at Kenyon (or Denison) as hated rivals when the coaches of your rivals are your own family?  I am very curious to see how it all plays out...and of course there's still the question of who will replace Dr. Jay when he retires 25 years from now.

In more Kenyon-specific news, the 2023 roster is out.  Everyone appears to be back that could be back.  I was hoping Mac Nardiello-Smith would be back for a Covid year but looks like he isn't.  His extremely unfortunate head injury/concussion suffered in the Calvin round of 32 clash kept him out of the W&L and Williams games.  Of course Kenyon also lost a strong senior class highlighted by Upton, Carson, Gaese, and Muther.  Big losses, but plenty of talent remains and hopefully at least 2-3 of the newcomers will contribute.

Kenyon hosts OWU this year, but maybe next year when the Owls head to Delaware OWU will retire Wall's jersey before the match or at halftime.

Based on the SimpleCoach interviews, it doesn't look like Coach Martin really cares about rivalries or who he is coaching against so I'm guessing there won't be much drama or jersey ceremonies at these games.  All 3 programs seem like great places to coach at so I doubt Bianco or Wall or waiting for OWU.  It looks like Martin's assistant coach has been there a long time so i'd imagine his hat is in the ring or he is waiting for a good job like when Bianco and Wall left OWU, especially if he does wait 25 more years like PaulNewman said lol

Is Coach Brown just done with coaching now?  That seems crazy to me if so.

[PaulNewman]

This warms my heart....and embarrassed I missed this since it's almost 3 weeks old...

https://twitter.com/kenyonmsoc/status/1688930386284519425/photo/1

[PaulNewman]

So a few days ago I lamented the absence of Mac Nardiello-Smith on the Kenyon roster, and poof, just like me wishing Coach Wall on the Owls' sidelines a couple of months ago, here he is...

https://twitter.com/kenyonmsoc/status/1696203379091947608?t=3YB6jAoH2fKs-esFqAmEGg&s=19

[Domino1195]

Attended the Cap Transy game Friday - off to see Roanoke in a bit. Temps expected to be in the upper 80's here in Ohio this afternoon. Watched OWU at Calvin last night. Way too early to make observations BUT - with my lantern in hand I'm looking for standout midfielders who can dictate play, distribute the ball and direct their team in the attacking third. I'll let you know when I see such a performance.

Otherwise it's been two grind it out games - ball forced wide because midfield defending had been strong. Calvin was especially good dispossessing OWU.

[TableMax]

Cap legit underrated side..  Kossoudji best attacking player in every game this year remember I said so...

[PaulNewman]

Brilliant, decisive, mature, and physically dominant performance by John Carroll today.  The Blue Streaks embarrassed Kenyon in Gambier, outclassing and bullying the Owls all over the field.  The transfer from Akron got the first tally and then added insult to injury throughout the game.  JCU is a very, very good team and should prove to be a legitimate national threat.  They stayed compact and seemed to swallow up every Kenyon offensive effort, and then used the counter-attack to great effect, resulting in transition forays where every JCU player seemed to receive the ball with no Owl within 15 yards.  I don't recall such an anemic performance by Kenyon in a long, long time.  The Owls are just a mess right now, lacking cohesion and unable to create genuine scoring opportunities.  They didn't come remotely close to scoring a goal.  They were crushed in the midfield and the defending thus far has been horrendous.  Giving up 8 goals in two games, even to very good teams, is hard to fathom,

We'll have to wait and see if JCU's perfect day/evening was capped off by an unforced error....

Men's Soccer Usurps #5 Kenyon Owls from National Pedestal

https://jcusports.com/news/2023/9/3/mens-soccer-usurps-5-kenyon-owls-from-national-pedestal.aspx

"...one of the most important early regular-season games to date for this program's history."