2021 NCAA Tournament

[jknezek]

Messiah is playing Hanover straight up 7 v 9 in Hanover's end. The scoreboard is what it is, but you see Messiah just moving the ball, creating half chances, and then Hanover clears toward their one striker and you realize Messiah has 3 more back there to cover.

[Hopkins92]

Messiah is playing Hanover straight up 7 v 9 in Hanover's end. The scoreboard is what it is, but you see Messiah just moving the ball, creating half chances, and then Hanover clears toward their one striker and you realize Messiah has 3 more back there to cover.

Yeah, this has a feeling of inevitability.

And less than 2 minutes after this exchange, Messiah level on a header-->header-->crossbar-->header off of a cornerkick.

[Buck O.]

So Chicago takes an early lead on NPU in the Windy City Championship.  I would imagine that the Maroons are hoping for better ARs than they got in 2017.

[jknezek]

Messiah is playing Hanover straight up 7 v 9 in Hanover's end. The scoreboard is what it is, but you see Messiah just moving the ball, creating half chances, and then Hanover clears toward their one striker and you realize Messiah has 3 more back there to cover.

Yeah, this has a feeling of inevitability.

And there it is. Failed corner clearance, Messiah got 2 headers at it before it goes in. 1-1 14 minutes to go in the first half.

[rudy]

Looks like we will have 2 NESCAC teams in final 4 regardless. Then Chicago and Messiah or W&L. Should be a good time in Greensboro

[stlawus]

Apropos of nothing, I think Mike Pence went to Hanover.

Mike Pence and Woody Harrelson were at Hanover at the same time

[Gregory Sager]

Chicago 2
North Park 0

The Maroons had NPU on the back foot from jump street, and the Vikings were never really able to make a game of it. I swear that Chicago got a quarter-step quicker than they looked in their regular-season finale against Wash U, and NPU never found the extra gear it needed to respond.

A round of eight exit shouldn't feel like such a disappointment, but it does. That's in large part because two of the greatest players to ever don a North Park kit, Gustav Ericsson and Peder Olsen, played their final game today. They were a big piece of the puzzle as freshmen when NPU went all the way to the national championship game. They helped set the bar high. It will be up to the eight returning starters in 2022 to match and maintain that standard -- and hopefully surpass it.

[PaulNewman]

Congrats to Chicago and Chicago faithful on the site.  Tremendous accomplishment and a very legit shot to win it all.  Chicago reached the Final 4 with no favors...beating a then 18-1-2 Webster, a very legit Otterbein in the snow at Otterbein, Calvin which almost never loses in the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 and themselves had knocked off UR and OWU, and today North Park which was my sleeper pick among all the legit contenders to win the title.  After watching a bunch of them on the field multiple times I was surprised to see how many underclassmen and especially freshmen NP played major roles.  I know NP tends to have older players but when you see freshmen next to so many of those names it's a bit stunning.  NP no doubt will be among the top teams in the country again next year and likely thereafter.  And if he already wasn't in the running for NPOY, please add Griffin Wada, probably the best CB I've seen all year who assisted on both Maroon goals today.

And what more can be said about the NESCAC?  Four teams in the Elite 8.  When the brackets came out I said I liked Middlebury's chances to get to the Final 4.  One game to go against a well known rival.  A tough task on Amherst's home pitch but I like the Panthers' chances and I'd be very confident if Reid can rise to the challenge and meet the moment.  St Louis was fantastic and imo the difference to advance.

Shout out to John Carroll.  Gave Middlebury all they could handle.  Turrittin has had a great career and is a class act.  The yellow card given to him in the 1st half was a joke...probably not even a foul but certainly not a card...and hopefully that didn't inhibit his play as it happened in first 25 or so minutes.  Don't know if he has a year of eligibility left or not although seems like he's been at JCU forever.

[blue_jays]

Congrats to Chicago and Chicago faithful on the site.  Tremendous accomplishment and a very legit shot to win it all.  Chicago reached the Final 4 with no favors...beating a then 18-1-2 Webster, a very legit Otterbein in the snow at Otterbein, Calvin which almost never loses in the Sweet 16 or Elite 8 and themselves had knocked off UR and OWU, and today North Park which was my sleeper pick among all the legit contenders to win the title.  After watching a bunch of them on the field multiple times I was surprised to see how many underclassmen and especially freshmen NP played major roles.  I know NP tends to have older players but when you see freshmen next to so many of those names it's a bit stunning.  NP no doubt will be among the top teams in the country again next year and likely thereafter. And if he already wasn't in the running for NPOY, please add Griffin Wada, probably the best CB I've seen all year who assisted on both Maroon goals today.

Both sides today were very young in experience which bodes very well for next year. Of the 17 Maroons who played today, 9 of them had never played a collegiate game until Sept. 1 this year. Over half of UChicago's roster was new to competition this season. The fact they gelled this quickly and were able to reach the Final Four is very impressive.
Agree wholeheartedly on Wada. He's a 6-foot-5 monster in the back who wins every. single. header. He can pick your pocket 1v1 easily. Gillespie and Wada are a wall for one of the best defenses in the nation, and their athleticism and versatility are probably the biggest reason for UChicago's success this year.

[jknezek]

Well the NESCAC post season continues today.

Tufts and Conn College meet for their rubber match, with both teams having won a game 2-0. Both prior games were at Conn, this one is hosted by Tufts. Weather for 3p.m. at Tufts is forecast to be about 50 degrees, mostly cloudy with no precipitation, winds from the south at about 10 mph.

Amherst and Middlebury meet for the second time, with Amherst winning the first at Middlebury 1-0. Amherst plays host for the second and final match. Weather for 1p.m. at Amherst is forecast to be 52 degrees, partly cloudy, no precipitation, winds from the south at about 8 mph.


In non-NESCAC post season news:

W&L hosts Messiah in the 10th meeting all time between the programs. Messiah holds a 7-3 edge, but the Generals will be the host this afternoon. These two teams last faced off in regular season games in 2015 and 2016, with Messiah sweeping both, 1-0 at home in the first and taking it to the Generals on the road 4-0 in the latter.

Messiah holds a 4 game winning streak in the series, stretching back to a 2-1 W&L road win in 1986. Home and homes were a regular schedule feature between these teams in the 80s, with the first in Lexington in 1981 and played annually switching hosting duties until 1988. They have never met in the post-season. ** Info courtesy of the W&L sports information website ***

Today's game kicks off at 3p.m. EST and the weather looks reasonable.  1% chance of precipitation, wind SSW at 5 mph, and in the mid to upper 40s at Watt Field. Sunset at 5:02 p.m., so the lights may or may not be needed but probably will come on toward the end.

Finally, in two teams that wanted to get it over with... Chicago defeated North Park 2-0 yesterday at Chicago.

So our Final Four will feature 2 NESCACs, the upstart W&L or traditional Messiah, and the consistently dangerous Chicago. Looks like it will be a good day for soccer today!

[Gregory Sager]

Finally, in two teams that wanted to get it over with... Chicago defeated North Park 2-0 yesterday at Chicago.

More like Calvin wanted to get it over with, and the two Windy City schools and St. Olaf went along for the ride.

[Hopkins92]

Wow. What a goal from Giammatti.

[PaulNewman]

If anyone wants to better understand implicit, unconscious, systemic racial bias where absolutely no ill will is intended but is clear as day....listen to this announcer struggle with the two #23s.

[Hopkins92]

I have the game on mute to keep the peace with my wife. :-)

Midd sure is coming on strong here with abt 20 mins left.

[Hopkins92]

A bit of shambolic defending from the Camels on a long throw, but Cano (yesterday's chip goal extraordinaire) has work to do to spin and finish with a laser over the keeper's head.

1-0 Tufts 25 mins left in 1H