Great Lakes Region Navigation Channel

[jknezek]

Anyone interested in participating in the D3soccer Fan poll this season?

If you are interested in participating, I will run the poll again if we get enough pollsters. My only caveat is that if you agree to participate you try your best to do it every week so that things are consistent. Also, you try to be on time because it's no fun for anyone if I have to track you down every week and pester you to get your votes in.

Unless someone has a better idea, I'll run it the same as last year with the same deadlines, so the poll will include games that start before Sunday at midnight EST and will be due to me before Tuesday EST at midnight and I will try to post on Wednesday.

I will not do a preseason poll. I hate them. They set up a ton of positional bias and, especially with 400+ teams in D3, there simply is no way to do a good one. The first poll will be based on games played prior to 9/11 and will be due to me on 9/13. That gives us roughly 2 weeks of games to start making judgements.

If you are interested, and I realize we about 2 weeks out, please send me a PM. I hope we get our pollsters back from last year, as they did an excellent job, but if you want to join in, I'm always open to more!

[Domino1195]

Merry New Year from the Great Lake Region. As previously noted, only Lake Erie is in the territory defined by DIII soccer as the GL Region. No need to pluralize "lakes."

Watched a few yesterday - Kenyon vs ONU was a mistake-filled affair with just about every goal coming off miscues. Perhaps some nerves initially for poor play but as the game wore on ONU's backs made too many mistakes that led directly to Kenyon goals. I was surprised as to the amount of direct play from both sides but it provided 3 goals for Kenyon, so keep it up!  Also surprised to see Kenyon's 6th goal on the score sheet as the announcer and clock both reached "Zero" seconds before the ball crossed the line.

Freshman CB for Kenyon - played the entire game if I remember correctly - really showed well. Nice job for the young man in his first college game.

Watched video of the second half of JCU vs Oberlin. Much more of an even affair than I expected, but JCU had a significant turnover in their roster and it will take time for new team chemistry to set in.  They do have 5 DI/DII transfers this year, as well as several sibs of former and current players in the team.  I watched until JCU got the first goal - sad for Oberlin as the two CB's collided going for the ball, allowing the JCU forwarded to go in on an uncontested breakaway.

Interesting games this weekend here in Central Ohio as Case Western and Loras come to town to play OWU and Capital Friday and Sat. Loras coach Steve McCarthy, Dayton native and former standout player for Capital, was inducted into the Cap HOF during the Covid season. Tonight there will be more of a formal recognition for Steve prior to the game.

Next weekend OWU treats us to a festival of talent as Calvin, Hope and Hanover come to Delaware, OH.  I'd stay all weekend in Delaware if they had even one hotel . . .

[D3Dad]

Big Win For Denison over Springfield college 5-0, they have been putting the ball in the back of the net with regularity throughout the preseason .  Brandeis on deck tomorrow .  Still early but team looks to be improved from last years team which was pretty good.

[PaulNewman]

Big Win For Denison over Springfield college 5-0, they have been putting the ball in the back of the net with regularity throughout the preseason .  Brandeis on deck tomorrow .  Still early but team looks to be improved from last years team which was pretty good.

Now that we know you are a new Denison affiliate it's easier to answer your original question about Tufts and room for other programs.  The answer would have different if by NCAC you meant Oberlin, Wabash, Wooster, Wittenberg or Hiram.  So yes, you're in a great spot and seems very realistic that Denison could make at least a couple of NCAA tourneys with a chance to go very deep by your kid's junior or senior years.  In other words, this is a fantastic time for a kid to be starting out at Denison and he can be part of an exciting emergence to the upper tier of D3.  The future is very bright as long as Bianco stays there and I don't see him leaving for anywhere else in D3 and Denison and Bianco seem like a perfect match.  The wild card would be OWU but Martin doesn't seem to be leaving anytime soon and honestly I'm not sure OWU would be a better job once Martin turns in his clipboard.  It doesn't hurt that Denison has NESCAC-type money.  Anyway, Bianco for my money is a top 5 D3 coach right along with Souders, Burk, Singleton, etc.  Plus he's very media savvy and is using their website for better previews than other teams and taking after his mentor in terms of getting coach comments into game recaps.  And btw, as a Kenyon nutjob, none of the above makes my the least bit happy.

I'm very curious to see how the Denison @ Brandeis game plays out.  I actually should go see that one but probably won't.

[Domino1195]

Loras v Capital was a classic grinder. Possession hard to come by - Loras had a definite advantage on this point. A difference throughout the game was the emotional commitment by Loras players and their bench. Getting to the second ball, duels won - Loras had to have close to 75% edge here. Converting on 1 of their 11 corners was the score difference. They need to guard against a letdown tonight at OWU.

OWU v Case - tale of two halves with OWU having the possession/territorial in the first half, Case turning the tables second half. Each team was able to control the ball and maintain possession - much more so than the Loras-Capital game. Yet there were an extraordinary number of fouls and cards in this match. I would not say there was dirty play or that the game was chippy; the team without the ball worked hard to regain it and committed lots of charges and trips in doing so.  The 1-1 score was a just result IMO.

Case at Cap, Loras at OWU tonight. Thunderstorms are moving south to north in Ohio - may cause delays. Since I have tickets to the Columbus Crew game at 5:30, that almost assuredly guarantees weather delays. I believe there is some type of college football game in town tonight also . . .

[Domino1195]

The Calvin vs Hanover game was the best I've seen this year. Both teams enjoyed spells of possession and created opportunities. This is not the strongest team Calvin has fielded in recent years but they're Calvin. I imagine the game against Hope will be for the conference title.

Hope vs OWU also a good game. Hope started very well, but after the gifted goal by the OWU defense the balance of play was dictated by OWU. Up until the goal I thought Hope dictated play.

Must be climatic conditions in central Ohio to that cause games to end in draws - see the pathetic Columbus Crew for the latest example of how not to protect a 2-0 lead with 15 minutes left to play.

Too early to say who the top 10 in the region will be come first regional ranking. In the OAC Otterbein has its first real test today at Case; CMU likewise vs JCU.  NCAC: Kenyon off to a great start but no real competition until their game against Case later this month. Not sold on OWU as second. The next 3 teams in the NCAC - Denison, Wabash and DePauw - off to decent starts. Wabash vs RH today - Wabash's first real challenge of the year.

Really liked Hanover yesterday. They have challenged themselves with their non-conference schedule, given the weak SOS of the Heartland. Beast of a CB, two holding mids that partnered very well yesterday- #7 is an AA  caliber player no question.  Wing backs were really challenged by Calvin's wings - see Calvin's second goal. Hanover returns to Otterbein next Wednesday - that should be a beauty

[Domino1195]

Starting to see comparative strengths and weaknesses.  Bottom line: I am sick and tired of defenders trying to do crap in the defensive third. These mistakes have cost their teams points and there's no reason or excuse to do so. Just stop!

Denison vs Grove City - I'm sure that defender feels like crap but damn it lad - walk away with an undeserved draw. But you didn't and handed Denison a win on a platter. Just dumb. Denison dominated play after conceding a CK goal early - but stayed composed and got the win.

Otterbein vs Case: superbly taken DFK at the top of the D gives Bein the 1-0 early in the game. But Case dominated play for the balance of the game and earned the 2-1 victory. I'm sure the Bein keeper regrets mishandling the ball prior to the first Case goal. But Case was deserving of this result.

It IS Ohio water. Hanover vs Hope: Hope now 0-0-4 on the year. No Kool Aid for you! And if I could extend my admiration for #7 on Hanover: dude - you are a player. Thank you for your effort - will see you next week at Otterbein.

JCU vs CMU - heartbreaking loss for JCU in the final minute. CMU struggles for a 1-0 vs Muskingum  but nicks a winnner late here. JCU in a rebuild year - will be a factor on conference play.

Baldwin Wallace off to a surprisingly strong start. Are they strong or is the competition weak? We shall see.

Capital vs Wash Jeff: Cap gets the 1-0 lead only to lose 2-1. Ironically it was Cap's best possession game of the year, but stats be damned. Cap's win vs Case was more wide open - maybe counters with their speed is their game?

Calvin vs OWU - Calvin stuns OWU with goals within 2 minutes late to eek out the 2-1 victory. Did not see this game - will review tomorrow- but the top two regional teams are Kenyon and Hanover - good luck guessing the next 8.

[Domino1195]

First regional rankings - well, this will change over the next two weeks. No real arguments except for Baldwin Wallace. Their current 4-0-1 record will most likely not include a loss prior to conference play. With juggernauts Defiance, Waynesburg, Bluffton, Earlham and Hiram left to play, their entire preconference schedule features perennial bottom dwellers. Geneva was an NCAA team a few years ago - and that's it.

PAC leader Franciscan has Marietta tonight, then away at MTU and Hiram before next week's rankings. They should be ranked with a 3-0 record this week.

Perennial AMCC champs PSU-B is off to a 1-0-3 start - drew at MTU. With their annual challenge usually coming from Medaille, who left to join the Empire 8, I expect they'll be ranked at some point and will win the AMCC for the 849th time.

Denison just may be the second choice in the NCAC. Solid game against Capital last night - trailed 1-0 at half, got an early gift goal to start the second half, and applied relentless pressure throughout the half, getting the winner. Almost a carbon copy of their game against Grove City on Saturday.

Tonight's matches : OWU at ONU, Otterbein hosting Hanover, JCU at Case, and Kenyon at Wilmington must see tv! Not sure how I'm going to pull this off.

[Domino1195]

With so many tight games against fellow NCAA pool candidates - that is teams that have historically been selected or have been in contention - it's really too difficult and too early to predict the next two regional rankings. The style of play for a large number of teams is similar - well organized back lines, getting the ball wide and attacks from the wings in form of crosses or 1 v 1 dribbles.

As to who comes out ahead 1-0 and who doesn't in games between contenders:

- decision making. I've seen poor GK's and backs do ill-advised maneuvers in their defensive third that have directly resulted in goals against. Directly. Teams playing their butts off only to have a dumb mistake cost them a game.

- poor skill. Skill has let every player down - it happens. But the number of mistakes in the area that have led directly to goals, in games decided by one goal, has occurred too often.

- "switching off". Two evenly matched teams playing to their potential - scoreless game until one play where the defense loses concentration- and you're down 1-0. I'm trying to avoid naming specific incidents because they all indict an individual player, but Kenyon's 1-0 win vs Wilmington had two defenders ball watching, losing track of the eventual goal scorer. A perfectly lofted cross over their heads to an unmarked attacker - game over.

Said another way: I've seen a couple golasos, a handful of well executed attacks leading to goals. But I've seen too many errors that have resulted goals against. Let's hope things improve this weekend.

Did not get the matchup I hoped for Hanover vs Otterbein as a third minute RC on Hanover's CB - one of their better players - forced Hanover to defend for the entire game. Sadly, the only goal Otterbein got did not need to happen if better decisions were made by the Hanover D. Hanover play ONU this weekend and have challenged themselves with their non-conference schedule. They know their conference is weak and scheduled to give themselves an at-large chance - should they not win their conference.

Which is a similar storyline for OWU, JCU, Case, etc. Two teams I believe will be 1 & 2 next week are Kenyon and Denison.  Denison trailed twice 1-0 in their last two games and won both 2-1. They have the Xtra Factor - they have the will to win. Kenyon plays a more free flowing, one touch, attacking style than any other team I've seen in the GL. If ONU gets a result at Hanover- third. Unless RH beats Hope - either way there's your 3rd and 4th. MTU winning versus Franciscan tonight - 5th - but if Franciscan wins tonight and tomorrow at Hiram??

Yes, CMU will be undefeated come next week, as will be Baldwin Wallace.  But their non conference schedules are woefully weak. CMU:  I don't know if they've ever played a weaker schedule to be honest. They will be ranked - but not for long.

[Domino1195]

2-1 MTU at the half.

Where have I know you before? For the RTF fans out there.
Franciscan goal - GK passes the ball directly to a Franciscan player - heavy touch - MTU defender swings and knocks the ball off the Franciscan player - rebound and goal.
MTU  - great penetrating dribble along the byline- ball dropped back into a central space - runner fills space - goal. Near post - keeper???

But MTU defines the style of play that is dominating GL teams. Possession. Possession. Possession. I repeat myself when distressed- for the King Crimson fans out there.  So - as to parity: if everyone plays the same style, recruits the same players - all equally competent: what do you think is going to happen? Sameness boils down to who makes the fewest mistakes.

[Domino1195]

Color me embarrassed. MTU goes up 3-1 - I tune out and find the final score 3-3.  MTU and their extremely protective AD/ football program deny reviews of games past but I'm going to try to find the last 30 minutes.

From what I saw: MTU should have won. They didn't. Franciscan has a chance to go 2-0-1 this week - and would be deserving of a regional ranking

[Domino1195]

And for the third consecutive game Denison wins 2-1 after falling behind 1-0. Looking forward to what NCAC holds for them

[PaulNewman]

OK, while I'm in a ranting mood, I do NOT understand why in the world Kenyon keeps scheduling Muskingum.  It does nothing but destroy their SoS.  And if you're gonna insist on playing a cupcake at least do it at home with another game that weekend or the following Tuesday so parents can enjoy seeing their kids play who rarely play.  Why Kenyon has 10 road games and only six at home astounds me especially given that their is no longer an away SoS benefit as I understand it.  There are few things better than early to mid Fall in Gambier so I can't understand not trying to max out on home games or at least do 50/50.  Also thought Kenyon looked pretty average against Wilmington, and the contrast between seeing NESCAC teams go at each other and the overall level of competition for the good non-NESCAC, non-UAA schools can be pretty stark.  Messiah  can overcome it, maybe North Park can, but I think come November the NESCAC and UAA teams are better prepared even allowing for other good teams trying to have strong non-conference schedules. 

Also concerned because Muther did not dress the first two games, played limited minutes the next two, and now has not played the last two.  Hamstring injury?  Further, their other best defender CB Aidan Burns did not play today.  Several others who play regularly also have been out.  If Kenyon is healthy and playing on all cylinders they are a threat for a deep run, but otherwise not.  And to be honest, while there are several Great Lakes teams capable of beating Kenyon, I don't see another one right now in the region that could get beyond the 2nd round or Sweet 16.

[PaulNewman]

I haven't watched any of game yet but Jack Foht for John Carroll scored twice within a minute inside the last two minutes of the first half.  At around 55 minutes the stats say OWU has not had a shot or shot on goal. 

[stlawus]

What's going on with OWU?  They're about to be winless through 6 games.  When is the last time that happened?