Go WEST young man (and NORTH)

[jfreddys]

One other difference between Colorado College and Ohio Northern that is probably only of interest to me, but may affect D3 student-athletes (who are, after all, students first) more than D1 athletes:

Colorado College has a 4 block system where they take one class at a time for four weeks and then move on to the next class.  Colorado Colleges' third block ended Wed 11/15 and they have a fall break until 11/27 when the fourth block starts.  On the one hand, that might mean they had a little less practice time/focus this week as they got back from Atlanta and went straight into finishing up a project or taking an exam.  On the other hand, after that, they are free and clear and can focus entirely on this weekend's games and travel etc without worrying about missed class time or exam studying etc.  Ohio Northern has a traditional semester calendar and therefore they presumably had classes all week, although they probably are saving exam prep until after this weekend (more likely after Thanksgiving break).  Not a big deal, but little stresses can sometimes make a difference below the surface that we can't see.

With no teams "out west" making it to the Final 4, now seems a good enough time to give a huge shout out to Kuiper for once again sharing an incredible amount of information and insight about the west coast teams (including Colorado and Texas) throughout the season and into the tourney. 

I always enjoy the Simple Coach/Paul Newman sessions but wondering if room for Kuiper next year to join them in breaking down the tournament field.   

Thanks Kuiper.

[Kuiper]

One other difference between Colorado College and Ohio Northern that is probably only of interest to me, but may affect D3 student-athletes (who are, after all, students first) more than D1 athletes:

Colorado College has a 4 block system where they take one class at a time for four weeks and then move on to the next class.  Colorado Colleges' third block ended Wed 11/15 and they have a fall break until 11/27 when the fourth block starts.  On the one hand, that might mean they had a little less practice time/focus this week as they got back from Atlanta and went straight into finishing up a project or taking an exam.  On the other hand, after that, they are free and clear and can focus entirely on this weekend's games and travel etc without worrying about missed class time or exam studying etc.  Ohio Northern has a traditional semester calendar and therefore they presumably had classes all week, although they probably are saving exam prep until after this weekend (more likely after Thanksgiving break).  Not a big deal, but little stresses can sometimes make a difference below the surface that we can't see.

With no teams "out west" making it to the Final 4, now seems a good enough time to give a huge shout out to Kuiper for once again sharing an incredible amount of information and insight about the west coast teams (including Colorado and Texas) throughout the season and into the tourney. 

I always enjoy the Simple Coach/Paul Newman sessions but wondering if room for Kuiper next year to join them in breaking down the tournament field.   

Thanks Kuiper.

Thanks for the kind words!  Much appreciated.  As people saw with Colorado College and Occidental, there's a lot of good D3 men's soccer played in Region X and it's only getting better. For example, CC's GK Broad and co-leading scorers - Ramirez and Webster -- are all only sophomores and defensive leader Hale is a junior.  Oxy's midfield duo of Navarro and Aly are also only Sophomores and 4 of the 5 forwards in its regular rotation return next year.  Plus, the leading point scorer in the NWC this year was a sophomore - Cole Friesen from Whitworth with 24 goals and 5 assists and the leaders of the Cal Tech revival - Etienne Casanova and Ishaan Mantripragada, who each had 11 goals - are both sophomores (and I wouldn't be surprised if the bench players are working on cloning protocols as part of their offseason training assignment!).     I'm happy to be promoting all of it from this little corner of the board.

[SimpleCoach]

One other difference between Colorado College and Ohio Northern that is probably only of interest to me, but may affect D3 student-athletes (who are, after all, students first) more than D1 athletes:

Colorado College has a 4 block system where they take one class at a time for four weeks and then move on to the next class.  Colorado Colleges' third block ended Wed 11/15 and they have a fall break until 11/27 when the fourth block starts.  On the one hand, that might mean they had a little less practice time/focus this week as they got back from Atlanta and went straight into finishing up a project or taking an exam.  On the other hand, after that, they are free and clear and can focus entirely on this weekend's games and travel etc without worrying about missed class time or exam studying etc.  Ohio Northern has a traditional semester calendar and therefore they presumably had classes all week, although they probably are saving exam prep until after this weekend (more likely after Thanksgiving break).  Not a big deal, but little stresses can sometimes make a difference below the surface that we can't see.

With no teams "out west" making it to the Final 4, now seems a good enough time to give a huge shout out to Kuiper for once again sharing an incredible amount of information and insight about the west coast teams (including Colorado and Texas) throughout the season and into the tourney. 

I always enjoy the Simple Coach/Paul Newman sessions but wondering if room for Kuiper next year to join them in breaking down the tournament field.   

Thanks Kuiper.

'

I would totally love to have Kuiper on the show.  He is a star in the making!

SC.

[Kuiper]

USC All-Region X selections are out. 

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2023-NCAA-D3-Men-All-Region-Teams.pdf

Couple of observations:

1.  St. Thomas was finally punished for their behavior (and perhaps Texas Lutheran too)

Not a single St. Thomas player was selected. That can't just be a coincidence.  Taty Aleman had 17 goals in 16 games, which was the third highest in Region X this year and tied for 15th in the country.  Daniel Castro had 13 goals in 16 games, which was 7th in Region X and tied for 36th in the country.  Hard to believe neither would be among the 9 best forwards in Region X if their team and individual behavior weren't factored in to the equation. 

Texas Lutheran also only had two players selected and their GK Noel Pena was left out completely despite having a .41 GAA and a .864 save percentage, both of which are probably best in Region X.

I'm not disagreeing with any of these decisions, but noting that the coaches effectively did what the conferences and the NCAA did not.

2.  GK was a weak position in Region X

Surprised Seth Lawrence was voted top GK in Region X.  He's a good keeper, but neither his stats nor his performance this year smacked of first team all Region X.  I frankly think it was a down year for keepers in Region X, but the best keeper for my money was Colorado College's sophomore GK Jasper Broad, who had a lower GAA (.84 to 1.19) and a better save percentage (.804 to .733), while facing a ton more shots than Lawrence (203 v. 65).  Gaston was also better than Lawrence, with a .83 GAA and a .789 save percentage while facing 157 shots, but the competition he faced in the Northwest Conference was weaker than what Lawrence faced in the SCIAC and Broad faced in the SCAC.  Broad, however, didn't make any of the teams.  I think he was better than Pena for Texas Lutheran as well given the differences in their defenses and style of play (and, of course, Broad didn't lose his mind in a key moment of an important game).

3.  When was the last time Cal Tech had a first team All Region X player?

I have no idea, but I'm guessing never or a really long time.  Sophomore Etienne Casanova is the youngest member of the All Region X team and his importance to Cal Tech is far more than in the stats.  He was so crucial in moving that team forward and  in two years of play he's already only five goals short of tying the all-time Cal Tech career scoring record of 21 goals, which was set in 1967-1970.

First Team

Pos Name Class School Hometown
K Seth Lawrence Sr. University of Redlands Redlands, Calif.
D Skylar Darwen Sr. University of Redlands Los Angeles, Calif.
D Curtis Hale Jr. Colorado College Richmond, Va.
D Evan Karp Sr. Occidental College Portland, Ore.
M Jarette Barajas Sr. University of Redlands San Jose, Calif.
M Etienne Casanova So. California Institute of Technology San Jose, Calif.
M Craig Johnson Sr. Pacific Lutheran University Puyallup, Wash.
M Jack Manke Sr. Texas Lutheran University Houston, Texas
F Chen Adjei GR-5 Trinity University (Texas) Euless, Texas
F Michael Meese Jr. Trinity University (Texas) Williamsburg, Va.
F Andrew Notter Jr. Occidental College Truckee, Calif.

Second Team

Pos Name Class School Hometown
K Nick Gaston Sr. Pacific Lutheran University Mililani, Hawaii
D Pieter Blank GR-5 Trinity University (Texas) The Hague, Netherlands
D Tyler Sherard Sr. California Lutheran University Chula Vista, Calif.
D Alex White Sr. Pacific Lutheran University Henderson, Nev.
M Will Bavier Jr. Colorado College Cambridge, Mass.
M Louis Instrall Jr. Trinity University (Texas) London, England
M Joey Schwartz GR-5 Occidental College Highland Park, Ill.
M Sawyer Young Jr. University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Plano, Texas
F Cole Friesen Jr. Whitworth University Chula Vista, Calif.
F Ishaan Mantripragada So. California Institute of Technology Saratoga, Calif.
F Trevor Thompson Jr. Pacific Lutheran University Olympia, Wash.

Third Team

Pos Name Class School Hometown
K Riley Nyhan Jr. Occidental College Seattle, Wash.
D Max Beldner Sr. University of California Santa Cruz San Francisco, Calif.
D Cameron Burleson Jr. Concordia University (Texas) San Antonio, Texas
D Kayson Marriott Sr. University of Texas-Dallas Frisco, Texas
D Diego Roman Sr. Texas Lutheran University Houston, Texas
M Michael Grimm Jr. Southwestern University Southlake, Texas
M Spencer Palmer Sr. University of Redlands San Diego, Calif.
M Oliver Ramirez So. Colorado College Fort Collins, Colo.
F Alex Bethke So. University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Austin, Texas
F Theo Givens Sr. Concordia University (Texas) Austin, Texas
F Robby Guyer Sr. Pacific Lutheran University Ravensdale, Wash

[Kuiper]

I know this is the men's board, but since so few people seem to frequent the women's soccer board (where I cross-posted this), I thought people would indulge me if I posted about this on the men's board as well (at least in the Go WEST thread where it might be of interest).  Cal Lutheran, a school located west of Los Angles in Thousand Oaks, has made the NCAA Final Four for the first time in its history and is playing Tufts tomorrow.  It's a huge achievement for the working-class school that is by far the youngest of the final four participants and it's a testament to the strength of soccer in Region X (especially in Los Angeles, where Pomona-Pitzer has been strong on the women's side for years).  The LA Times ran a long story about the achievement:

https://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/story/2023-11-28/cal-lutheran-womens-soccer-ncaa-tournament-rise

CLU, unranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches national top 25, faces Tufts (11-5-4) in the national semifinals in Salem, Va. And if the Regals get past that, they'll face the winner of the other semifinal between second-ranked Washington University (17-1-3) and Messiah (21-2-0), a six-time Division III champion, in Saturday's title game.

It wasn't a fluke. At 18-1-5, this year's team is the best in school history. The Regals outscored opponents 43-12 and posted 14 shutouts. The only loss was a 1-0 result against Pomona-Pitzer in the SCIAC tournament final, one they reversed in the second round of the NCAAs before upsetting unbeaten and top-ranked Christopher Newport University on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals.

I also thought this quote from Cal Lu's head coach was a good summary of some of what DIII soccer offers, especially for women who have a lot more opportunities to go DI than men:

"What we're seeing is Division I kids that have either started at a Division I and they're not winning, they're not playing a lot, they're not enjoying their experience and they go, 'I want to play and I want to win'," said Marino, whose roster includes two Division I transfers. "A kid that comes here, legitimately we have a chance to win a national championship. For some kids, that's more fun. And the environment is good. Players are supportive, they care about each other."

[D3Navy]

I know this is the men's board, but since so few people seem to frequent the women's soccer board (where I cross-posted this), I thought people would indulge me if I posted about this on the men's board as well (at least in the Go WEST thread where it might be of interest).  Cal Lutheran, a school located west of Los Angles in Thousand Oaks, has made the NCAA Final Four for the first time in its history and is playing Tufts tomorrow.  It's a huge achievement for the working-class school that is by far the youngest of the final four participants and it's a testament to the strength of soccer in Region X (especially in Los Angeles, where Pomona-Pitzer has been strong on the women's side for years).  The LA Times ran a long story about the achievement:

https://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/story/2023-11-28/cal-lutheran-womens-soccer-ncaa-tournament-rise

CLU, unranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches national top 25, faces Tufts (11-5-4) in the national semifinals in Salem, Va. And if the Regals get past that, they'll face the winner of the other semifinal between second-ranked Washington University (17-1-3) and Messiah (21-2-0), a six-time Division III champion, in Saturday's title game.

It wasn't a fluke. At 18-1-5, this year's team is the best in school history. The Regals outscored opponents 43-12 and posted 14 shutouts. The only loss was a 1-0 result against Pomona-Pitzer in the SCIAC tournament final, one they reversed in the second round of the NCAAs before upsetting unbeaten and top-ranked Christopher Newport University on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals.

I also thought this quote from Cal Lu's head coach was a good summary of some of what DIII soccer offers, especially for women who have a lot more opportunities to go DI than men:

"What we're seeing is Division I kids that have either started at a Division I and they're not winning, they're not playing a lot, they're not enjoying their experience and they go, 'I want to play and I want to win'," said Marino, whose roster includes two Division I transfers. "A kid that comes here, legitimately we have a chance to win a national championship. For some kids, that's more fun. And the environment is good. Players are supportive, they care about each other."

The last quote from Coach Lu applies across all D3 sports.  It'd be great to see athletes who might ride the bench in DI make the move to DIII.

[D3Navy]

I know this is the men's board, but since so few people seem to frequent the women's soccer board (where I cross-posted this), I thought people would indulge me if I posted about this on the men's board as well (at least in the Go WEST thread where it might be of interest).  Cal Lutheran, a school located west of Los Angles in Thousand Oaks, has made the NCAA Final Four for the first time in its history and is playing Tufts tomorrow.  It's a huge achievement for the working-class school that is by far the youngest of the final four participants and it's a testament to the strength of soccer in Region X (especially in Los Angeles, where Pomona-Pitzer has been strong on the women's side for years).  The LA Times ran a long story about the achievement:

https://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/story/2023-11-28/cal-lutheran-womens-soccer-ncaa-tournament-rise

CLU, unranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches national top 25, faces Tufts (11-5-4) in the national semifinals in Salem, Va. And if the Regals get past that, they'll face the winner of the other semifinal between second-ranked Washington University (17-1-3) and Messiah (21-2-0), a six-time Division III champion, in Saturday's title game.

It wasn't a fluke. At 18-1-5, this year's team is the best in school history. The Regals outscored opponents 43-12 and posted 14 shutouts. The only loss was a 1-0 result against Pomona-Pitzer in the SCIAC tournament final, one they reversed in the second round of the NCAAs before upsetting unbeaten and top-ranked Christopher Newport University on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals.

I also thought this quote from Cal Lu's head coach was a good summary of some of what DIII soccer offers, especially for women who have a lot more opportunities to go DI than men:

"What we're seeing is Division I kids that have either started at a Division I and they're not winning, they're not playing a lot, they're not enjoying their experience and they go, 'I want to play and I want to win'," said Marino, whose roster includes two Division I transfers. "A kid that comes here, legitimately we have a chance to win a national championship. For some kids, that's more fun. And the environment is good. Players are supportive, they care about each other."

The last quote from Coach Lu applies across all D3 sports.  It'd be great to see athletes who might ride the bench in DI make the move to DIII.

USC All-Region X selections are out. 

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2023-NCAA-D3-Men-All-Region-Teams.pdf

Couple of observations:

1.  St. Thomas was finally punished for their behavior (and perhaps Texas Lutheran too)

Not a single St. Thomas player was selected. That can't just be a coincidence.  Taty Aleman had 17 goals in 16 games, which was the third highest in Region X this year and tied for 15th in the country.  Daniel Castro had 13 goals in 16 games, which was 7th in Region X and tied for 36th in the country.  Hard to believe neither would be among the 9 best forwards in Region X if their team and individual behavior weren't factored in to the equation. 

Texas Lutheran also only had two players selected and their GK Noel Pena was left out completely despite having a .41 GAA and a .864 save percentage, both of which are probably best in Region X.

I'm not disagreeing with any of these decisions, but noting that the coaches effectively did what the conferences and the NCAA did not.

2.  GK was a weak position in Region X

Surprised Seth Lawrence was voted top GK in Region X.  He's a good keeper, but neither his stats nor his performance this year smacked of first team all Region X.  I frankly think it was a down year for keepers in Region X, but the best keeper for my money was Colorado College's sophomore GK Jasper Broad, who had a lower GAA (.84 to 1.19) and a better save percentage (.804 to .733), while facing a ton more shots than Lawrence (203 v. 65).  Gaston was also better than Lawrence, with a .83 GAA and a .789 save percentage while facing 157 shots, but the competition he faced in the Northwest Conference was weaker than what Lawrence faced in the SCIAC and Broad faced in the SCAC.  Broad, however, didn't make any of the teams.  I think he was better than Pena for Texas Lutheran as well given the differences in their defenses and style of play (and, of course, Broad didn't lose his mind in a key moment of an important game).

3.  When was the last time Cal Tech had a first team All Region X player?

I have no idea, but I'm guessing never or a really long time.  Sophomore Etienne Casanova is the youngest member of the All Region X team and his importance to Cal Tech is far more than in the stats.  He was so crucial in moving that team forward and  in two years of play he's already only five goals short of tying the all-time Cal Tech career scoring record of 21 goals, which was set in 1967-1970.

First Team

Pos Name Class School Hometown
K Seth Lawrence Sr. University of Redlands Redlands, Calif.
D Skylar Darwen Sr. University of Redlands Los Angeles, Calif.
D Curtis Hale Jr. Colorado College Richmond, Va.
D Evan Karp Sr. Occidental College Portland, Ore.
M Jarette Barajas Sr. University of Redlands San Jose, Calif.
M Etienne Casanova So. California Institute of Technology San Jose, Calif.
M Craig Johnson Sr. Pacific Lutheran University Puyallup, Wash.
M Jack Manke Sr. Texas Lutheran University Houston, Texas
F Chen Adjei GR-5 Trinity University (Texas) Euless, Texas
F Michael Meese Jr. Trinity University (Texas) Williamsburg, Va.
F Andrew Notter Jr. Occidental College Truckee, Calif.

Second Team

Pos Name Class School Hometown
K Nick Gaston Sr. Pacific Lutheran University Mililani, Hawaii
D Pieter Blank GR-5 Trinity University (Texas) The Hague, Netherlands
D Tyler Sherard Sr. California Lutheran University Chula Vista, Calif.
D Alex White Sr. Pacific Lutheran University Henderson, Nev.
M Will Bavier Jr. Colorado College Cambridge, Mass.
M Louis Instrall Jr. Trinity University (Texas) London, England
M Joey Schwartz GR-5 Occidental College Highland Park, Ill.
M Sawyer Young Jr. University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Plano, Texas
F Cole Friesen Jr. Whitworth University Chula Vista, Calif.
F Ishaan Mantripragada So. California Institute of Technology Saratoga, Calif.
F Trevor Thompson Jr. Pacific Lutheran University Olympia, Wash.

Third Team

Pos Name Class School Hometown
K Riley Nyhan Jr. Occidental College Seattle, Wash.
D Max Beldner Sr. University of California Santa Cruz San Francisco, Calif.
D Cameron Burleson Jr. Concordia University (Texas) San Antonio, Texas
D Kayson Marriott Sr. University of Texas-Dallas Frisco, Texas
D Diego Roman Sr. Texas Lutheran University Houston, Texas
M Michael Grimm Jr. Southwestern University Southlake, Texas
M Spencer Palmer Sr. University of Redlands San Diego, Calif.
M Oliver Ramirez So. Colorado College Fort Collins, Colo.
F Alex Bethke So. University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Austin, Texas
F Theo Givens Sr. Concordia University (Texas) Austin, Texas
F Robby Guyer Sr. Pacific Lutheran University Ravensdale, Wash

Leaving off St. Thomas players is a very tough action.  Do you think it'll give players pause to attend St. Thomas or to change their behavior?  Or do you think it'll motivate them because they feel slighted and get angry?  Sadly, I'm inclined to think the latter.

break

How in the heck did Adam Knutson (Trinity) not make a regional team?  His offensive stats are obvious, but his overall effect on games is harder to quantify.  The guy was everywhere and brings great energy on defense as well.  Only a sophomore, I expect to see  his name a lot over the next couple of years.

[Flying Weasel]

I think coaches nominate their own payers for USC All-Region honors and are limited to 4 field players.  Trinity has four field players on the teams, so that means that Knutson wasn't one of the four field players that Coach McGinley nominated.

I wonder if the lack of St. Thomas players has to do with no one at St. Thomas submitting nominations?

[Kuiper]

I think coaches nominate their own payers for USC All-Region honors and are limited to 4 field players.  Trinity has four field players on the teams, so that means that Knutson wasn't one of the four field players that Coach McGinley nominated.

I wonder if the lack of St. Thomas players has to do with no one at St. Thomas submitting nominations?

That's a very good point. It's possible St. Thomas didn't nominate anyone because of the void at coach or because the athletic administration at St. Thomas (where the interim HC came from) made the decision that no one should be honored this year.

It also suggests the possibility that TLU did not nominate their GK for the same reason and perhaps even that Colorado College left off their GK in favor of some upperclassmen, although that would been unfortunate since there are definitely sophomores who make the teams.

[College Soccer Observer]

Also, in order to be eligible for an award, the coach must be a member of the United Soccer Coaches.  I wonder if the interim coach was not a member, and therefore could not nominate anyone.

[Coach Jeff]

Also, in order to be eligible for an award, the coach must be a member of the United Soccer Coaches.  I wonder if the interim coach was not a member, and therefore could not nominate anyone.

I know that that is true you must be a member.  He probably was able to join during the season.  It is a shame especially if the player was not one that could not be control during the TX Lutheran game. 

[Kuiper]

Just to update on Cal Lu in the women's final
Four:

LCal Lu beats Tufts in PKs to advance to the Finals after being tied 1-1 in 2OT

Wow.  This was a game where Cal Lu looked like they were hanging on for dear life, with three top starters injured during regulation and the players looking tired.  Cal Lu's GK was Uber aggressive to keep them in the game, coming out on all corners and crosses to snuff out plays, but they had almost no offensive chances in the second half and first OT.  Somehow, however, the coach brought in a few different players, motivated them, and they controlled the second OT, owning possession and almost winning with a ball hitting the underside of the cross bar on a great shot.  It was as if they had played possum, lulling Tufts into beautiful passing sequences and runs while they conserved energy for the second OT.

[SimpleCoach]

Just to update on Cal Lu in the women's final
Four:

LCal Lu beats Tufts in PKs to advance to the Finals after being tied 1-1 in 2OT

Wow.  This was a game where Cal Lu looked like they were hanging on for dear life, with three top starters injured during regulation and the players looking tired.  Cal Lu's GK was Uber aggressive to keep them in the game, coming out on all corners and crosses to snuff out plays, but they had almost no offensive chances in the second half and first OT.  Somehow, however, the coach brought in a few different players, motivated them, and they controlled the second OT, owning possession and almost winning with a ball hitting the underside of the cross bar on a great shot.  It was as if they had played possum, lulling Tufts into beautiful passing sequences and runs while they conserved energy for the second OT.

When Avery West went off the game totally changed and Cal Lu did whatever it could to survive.  The second half I thought Tufts would knock in three, but the Cal Lu Keeper and Tufts errors in the final third.... Well OT.

Disappointed in the result.  Wish Cal Lu would have kept the clean sheet since I predicted them winning 1-0.  So much for my influencing.


SC

[camosfan]

Some content idea, next year do a from the final 4 location!

[Coach Jeff]

Some content idea, next year do a from the final 4 location!

SC you will have to travel to Las Vegas if you are going to do on site for the Final 4.  I hear the weather is nicer in Las Vegas that time of year.  You and Jackie won't need winter coats.