Go WEST young man (and NORTH)

[Kuiper]

I guess the coaches don't see what you see

By wildcard, I don't mean I think they will be good.  More like I have no idea how they are going to be.  They literally brought in an entirely new team's worth of players.

[Kuiper]

Just to clarify on the Whittier remarks, they had 22 on the roster last season, none of whom were listed as seniors (although on Instagram they congratulated 3 for graduating).  Since the end of the season, they have announced 26 new players, between freshman and transfers.  They haven't posted a roster yet, so it's also possible some of those announced players didn't show up or a bunch of last year's roster left.

The most likely explanation is that they are starting a reserve team.  There are no reserve DIII teams in the SCIAC, but they could probably create a schedule playing against weaker NAIA teams or junior colleges, or unofficial reserve teams of SCIAC schools with bigger rosters.  With a new president at Whittier, I suspect the coaches were under a mandate to increase the team's roster to help bolster the school financially and they took as many players as they could get.

With 26 new players, including 5 transfers from DII and junior college schools, plus 8 internationals including 6 from Sweden and 2 from Norway, it's hard to know what kind of team Whittier is going to field next season.   If this was a roster quota financial decision, they may have taken whoever they could get without worrying too greatly about quality.

They also may have unearthed or stumbled into a bunch of quality players who were overlooked.  They have been announcing new players all the way into August, so they may have grabbed some casualties of the FAFSA delay or they may have picked up players from the remains of the transfer portal or internationals who weren't using the traditional services or didn't have the coaching connections places like North Park use to vouch for their Swedish or Norwegian recruits.  I'm not sure we'll know much until they start the season, but it will be interesting to watch. 

[Gray Fox]

With a new president at Whittier, I suspect the coaches were under a mandate to increase the team's roster to help bolster the school financially and they took as many players as they could get.

With 26 new players, including 5 transfers from DII and junior college schools, plus 8 internationals including 6 from Sweden and 2 from Norway, it's hard to know what kind of team Whittier is going to field next season.  If this was a roster quota financial decision, they may have taken whoever they could get without worrying too greatly about quality.

 

I'm not sure this applies here, but I know when schools get students from China, they pay sticker price tuition.

[Kuiper]

[I could start or revive a South Atlantic Region thread, but with Hendrix moving to the SCAC next year and Trinity and Southwestern moving to the SAA, I'm going to just assume that something about the SAA can be in the GO WEST thread and place this here]

The SAA has released its 2024 coaches preseason poll

Interesting that they see Berry and Sewanee jumping ahead of Centre, which finished 3rd in the conference last season

1. Oglethorpe - 36 (6)
2. Rhodes - 30 (1)
3. Sewanee - 24
4. Berry - 22
5. Centre - 18
6. Hendrix - 11
7. Milllsaps - 6

[Gregory Sager]

With 26 new players, including 5 transfers from DII and junior college schools, plus 8 internationals including 6 from Sweden and 2 from Norway, it's hard to know what kind of team Whittier is going to field next season.  If this was a roster quota financial decision, they may have taken whoever they could get without worrying too greatly about quality.

They also may have unearthed or stumbled into a bunch of quality players who were overlooked.  They have been announcing new players all the way into August, so they may have grabbed some casualties of the FAFSA delay or they may have picked up players from the remains of the transfer portal or internationals who weren't using the traditional services or didn't have the coaching connections places like North Park use to vouch for their Swedish or Norwegian recruits.  I'm not sure we'll know much until they start the season, but it will be interesting to watch. 

The days of using in-country alumni or friendly insiders to get an exclusive crack at landing Swedes and Norwegians are gone. Scandinavia, just like the rest of Europe, is now laden with showcases and recruiting services, and D3 coaches are flying across the pond to scout them out in person, just like their coaching counterparts in D1, D2, and NAIA. The only real differences between a school like Whittier that's just now jumping into the Scandinavian segment of international recruiting and North Park are anecdotal (two generations' worth of former Vikings who returned home to Norway and Sweden are there to vouch for NPU to any prospects they encounter), institutional (unlike other D3 schools, NPU has a permanent campus subculture of Swedes and Norwegians to ease the culture shock and homesickness of new Nordic recruits), and personal (NPU's head coach, Kris Grahn, is himself a Swede who came to Chicago to play for North Park and ended up staying after graduation).

Whether that can balance out what Whittier has to offer (southern California is a dream destination for many young Scandinavians, and the school has a good academic reputation) is another matter. But the bottom line is that access, if not success, has evened out in terms of Scandinavian recruiting.

[Kuiper]

Pacific Lutheran has posted its 2024 Roster

A few observations:

- 39 on the roster, compared with 42 last season

- 11 Freshman

- Some really important super seniors return for a Covid season, including first team All-NWC GK Nicholas Gaston, first team All-NWC and first team All-Region X midfielder Craig Johnson, who was one of the highest point scorers in the country, leading the team with 19 goals and 11 assists, and NWC Defensive Player of the Year Cole Dobson

- Biggest departures are 1st team All-NWC F Robbie Guyer, who led the team in assists, 1st team All-NWC M Sammy Tafolla, 1st team All-NWC D Alex white, and honorable mention All-NWC Dane Helle

[Kuiper]

The SCAC has posted its preseason coaches poll

This one is probably closer than the numbers indicate.  I could see any of the top 4 teams getting hot and taking the league and all of them will feast on teams at the bottom of the conference. 

2024 SCAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points)
1.    Colorado College (6)    134
2.    Trinity University (2)    130
3.    University of St. Thomas (3)    118
4.    Texas Lutheran University    106
5.    Southwestern University    103
6.    Concordia University (Texas)     85
7.    Austin College     65
8.    University of the Ozarks (1)     61
T9.    Centenary College     38
T9.    Schreiner University     38
11.    McMurry University     33
12.    University of Dallas     25

[BTXCru18]

The SCAC has posted its preseason coaches poll

This one is probably closer than the numbers indicate.  I could see any of the top 4 teams getting hot and taking the league and all of them will feast on teams at the bottom of the conference. 

2024 SCAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points)
1.    Colorado College (6)    134
2.    Trinity University (2)    130
3.    University of St. Thomas (3)    118
4.    Texas Lutheran University    106
5.    Southwestern University    103
6.    Concordia University (Texas)     85
7.    Austin College     65
8.    University of the Ozarks (1)     61
T9.    Centenary College     38
T9.    Schreiner University     38
11.    McMurry University     33
12.    University of Dallas     25

Not that any will compete for the top, but really curious to see how all of the former ASC teams fare with a full schedule of SCAC opponents. Historically SCAC vs. ASC matchups are swayed heavily towards the SCAC(I think). However, Ozarks will likely be an unfamiliar opponent to most and have an odd home advantage with long travel to Clarksville and it's always a mid-day game in heat and humidity. Concordia is another that could fare decently well. Exciting times for sure...

[Kuiper]

The SCAC has posted its preseason coaches poll

This one is probably closer than the numbers indicate.  I could see any of the top 4 teams getting hot and taking the league and all of them will feast on teams at the bottom of the conference. 

2024 SCAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points)
1.    Colorado College (6)    134
2.    Trinity University (2)    130
3.    University of St. Thomas (3)    118
4.    Texas Lutheran University    106
5.    Southwestern University    103
6.    Concordia University (Texas)     85
7.    Austin College     65
8.    University of the Ozarks (1)     61
T9.    Centenary College     38
T9.    Schreiner University     38
11.    McMurry University     33
12.    University of Dallas     25

Not that any will compete for the top, but really curious to see how all of the former ASC teams fare with a full schedule of SCAC opponents. Historically SCAC vs. ASC matchups are swayed heavily towards the SCAC(I think). However, Ozarks will likely be an unfamiliar opponent to most and have an odd home advantage with long travel to Clarksville and it's always a mid-day game in heat and humidity. Concordia is another that could fare decently well. Exciting times for sure...

I agree Concordia could present a challenge, although they did not last season.  Ozarks will also be different.  The SCAC is used to long trips (including by air to Colorado Springs), but this will be a new direction.

[Ron Boerger]

Ozarks, McM, CTX will also have the joy of travel and adjusting to altitude in Colorado Springs - if not this year, then next. 

[Ron Boerger]

Next year, when Hendrix joins the SCAC from the SAA, they will be paired as travel partners with Ozarks which should make things a bit easier.  This year it looks like they are paired with Centenary (LA) which is a 4.5-5 hour drive.  HX and Ozarks are only separated by an hour which means you can fly in and out of Little Rock (airport is ~45 minutes from HX, twice that to Ozarks) rather than have an open jaw with Little Rock and Shreveport.  Some schools (like Austin, Dallas, maybe Centenary) can bus it but for everyone else you're looking at 8-10 hours each way to get to the Arkansas school(s).   

One thing's for sure - the addition of the former ASC / SAA schools to the SCAC is not making travel any easier for the core SCAC members.

[Kuiper]

Chapman has posted its 2024 Roster

A few observations:

- 32 on the roster, compared with 29 last season

- 13 freshman.  I noticed a lot of melt from last year's freshman class (4 out of 9 from 2023 are not on the 2024 roster, plus one of the sophomore GKs), which may explain the larger freshman class.

- F Garrett Lindfelt returns.  Not sure why he wasn't on the roster in 2023, but he scored 4 goals and 6 assists in 2022, which are numbers that would have made him the leading point scorer on the squad in 2023

- Notable departures include regular starter and leading scorer defender Jake Williams and All-SCIAC midfielder Ryan Bridge

[Kuiper]

One scrimmage of note to report from yesterday:

Oxy beat Biola (DII) 1-0 - Kai Fiedelholtz with the goal for Oxy

[Kuiper]

Defending National Champion St. Olaf has posted its 2024 Roster

A few observations:

- 29 on the roster, compared with 31 last season

- 11 Freshman

- One transfer, forward Aaron Rutherford, who played 28 games in two seasons for Elmhurst

- Clemente Arcuch Puig, a regular starter at midfield/forward who was fifth in goals for the team last season, returns for a fifth Covid year.

- Tons of notable departures, including Victor Gaulmin (to DI Akron), Hakeem Edwards (to DI LMU, where he started and played 68 minutes against UCLA last night), Casey McCloskey (to DI Charlotte), and Jordan Oberholtzer.  They do get back 2nd team All-American Shea Bechtel, who had 9 goals and 13 assists last season, and NCAA Championships Most Outstanding Defensive Player GK Peter Forseth.

[Kuiper]

Linfield College posted its 2024 Roster

A few observations:

- 40 on the roster, which is the same as last year.  Linfield has a pretty robust reserve team, with a 10 game schedule against the two other NWC schools that have reserve teams - Pacific Lutheran and Pacific - as well as several other community college and NAIA teams.  A 40 man roster is actually pretty reasonable with that kind of reserve game schedule.

- 11 Freshman

- They have one juco transfer, Noah Stanley, a defender who played 27 games over two years at Feather River College, scoring two goals last season

- 2nd team All-NWC and Team MVP, defender Angel Hernandez, returns for his Covid year

- Notable departures include leading scorer and 2nd team All-NWC midfielder Sid Kosaris and 2nd team All-NWC midfielder Seamus Miller who has transferred to Pacific Lutheran for his Covid year