2021 NCAA Tournament

[PaulNewman]

And as many here probably already know but I had forgotten....Newbury College in MA closed its doors in 2019 pre-pandemic due to extreme financial distress and placement on accreditation probation. 

BTW, Newberry in South Carolina is now looking for a new head men's soccer coach after going 3-13-1.

I'm also old enough to remember when there wasn't an internet.

[PaulNewman]

And while we're taking a look at Final 4 GKs how about this Sam Maidenberg for Conn, who as far as I can tell has been very, very good, and with a lot of pressure replacing the first D3 MLS draftee since 2016, GK A J Marcucci.

Awards:
• NESCAC Fall All-Academic Team (2020)

At Connecticut College:
Has been the Sports Editor for The College Voice and is currently the Managing Editor for the student newspaper ... Helps as a Barista at Coffee Grounds on campus ... Is also a member of the sports information team as a writing aide for the athletic website.

2021 (Spring):
Started and appeared in one countable match as a sophomore ... Recorded a shutout and made three saves in a 2-0 win over Roger Williams (4/11).

2021 (Spring):
Started and appeared in one countable match ... Recorded a shutout and made three saves in a 2-0 win over Roger Williams (4/11).

2020:
Season was canceled due to COVID-19 ... Earned a place on the NESCAC Fall All-Academic Team.

2019:
Did not appear in any matches as a freshman.

High School:
Four-year letterwinner as a goalkeeper at Columbia ... Served as a team captain for two seasons ... Made the all-conference, all-county and all-state teams multiple times ... Also played at the club level for Match Fit Academy ECNL ... Was the news editor for The Columbian, which is a nationally-acclaimed student newspaper.

Personal:
Majoring in International Relations and minoring in English ... Is enrolled in the Media Rhetoric and Communications Pathway ... Enjoys backpacking ... Favorite athlete is LeBron James ... Plans to become a journalist or policy writer after graduation.



As for Marcucci....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AJ_Marcucci

[Falconer]

I'm also old enough to remember when there wasn't an internet.

Ditto. I put myself through college mainly by programming mainframes in FORTRAN and PL/1. No PCs in those days. But, we did have telnet. If you have to look that up, don't bother—just an old guy reminiscing.

[PaulNewman]

I'm also old enough to remember when there wasn't an internet.

Ditto. I put myself through college mainly by programming mainframes in FORTRAN and PL/1. No PCs in those days. But, we did have telnet. If you have to look that up, don't bother—just an old guy reminiscing.

LOL.  When I was at Davidson '78-'81, there was a course called Computers and Statistics and a one room lab where you went to do whatever they did...and I stayed as far away from both the course and the lab as possible.

I'm also old enough to remember visiting W&L, my 2nd choice, and not choosing the school partly because the weather at Davidson was significantly better but also because it was still all-male.  I will say that Colonnade building was spectacular.  I was very interested in the journalism program that produced some famous correspondents.

[jknezek]

I'm also old enough to remember when there wasn't an internet.

Ditto. I put myself through college mainly by programming mainframes in FORTRAN and PL/1. No PCs in those days. But, we did have telnet. If you have to look that up, don't bother—just an old guy reminiscing.

LOL.  When I was at Davidson '78-'81, there was a course called Computers and Statistics and a one room lab where you went to do whatever they did...and I stayed as far away from both the course and the lab as possible.

I'm also old enough to remember visiting W&L, my 2nd choice, and not choosing the school partly because the weather at Davidson was significantly better but also because it was still all-male.  I will say that Colonnade building was spectacular.  I was very interested in the journalism program that produced some famous correspondents.

As a graduate of the journalism department, as well as the business school, it was a good program. But I enrolled a decade after coeducation began. My beef with Davidson is they stole our football coach, which is working out so well for them I expect they will be looking for a new one soon....

[PaulNewman]

I'm also old enough to remember when there wasn't an internet.

Ditto. I put myself through college mainly by programming mainframes in FORTRAN and PL/1. No PCs in those days. But, we did have telnet. If you have to look that up, don't bother—just an old guy reminiscing.

LOL.  When I was at Davidson '78-'81, there was a course called Computers and Statistics and a one room lab where you went to do whatever they did...and I stayed as far away from both the course and the lab as possible.

I'm also old enough to remember visiting W&L, my 2nd choice, and not choosing the school partly because the weather at Davidson was significantly better but also because it was still all-male.  I will say that Colonnade building was spectacular.  I was very interested in the journalism program that produced some famous correspondents.

As a graduate of the journalism department, as well as the business school, it was a good program. But I enrolled a decade after coeducation began. My beef with Davidson is they stole our football coach, which is working out so well for them I expect they will be looking for a new one soon....

So you're a youngster...frosh around '95 or '96.  And I should have clarified the weather comment although Davidson is warmer.  It was a cold, dark day in Lexington when I visited with my father and tbh I also was a little socially intimidated.  That whole area, with W&L and VMI, and then the cluster of women's colleges around them, had and has a unique and special place in American history.  I was just reading about the vote to go co-ed....17 to 7 after a very vigorous but gentlemanly debate...I'm assuming the biggest vote in the school's history on par with the vote there in the past couple of years.  Interesting how that whole area feels very, very elite and exclusive to me but in a different way than Northern VA/Dc feels elite. 

Iirc you're from Jersey or NYC.  What did you think of high-end Southern culture?

I've never had any interest in Davidson football.  The basketball program however has a very proud tradition that well pre-dates the Steph Curry era....going back to the early to mid '60s when Lefty Driesell of Maryland fame roamed the sidelines and Davidson lost to UNC in the Elite 8 on a 55-60 foot shot by Charlie Scott who was a megastar back in those days and played for the Celtics.

[PaulNewman]

From poor sportsmanship to old codgers reminiscing....the internet is good.

[Maine Soccer Fan]

The problem with D3 subbing rules isn't that it protects players on cards. The problem is that it promotes a very aggressive/energetic style that doesn't work when you have to manage your energy more closely because you can't run your players into the ground and then sub them. It's not the worst thing in the world but I think it could use tweaking, maybe something more similar to the youth academy rules.

The line between competitive, in your face, emotional soccer - basically all good D3 socceR, particularly in the NESCAC - and rude/unsportsmanlike/douche-y is nuanced and grey. Lots of teams toe it at some point, or occasionally cross it. Only one team I know of consistently crossed it, and they have a reputation for it. As d4_pace said, you have to be prepared for it, that is part of the challenge of playing them - you can't lose your cool. Is it "right" for teams to respond in kind? Idk, probably not, but I get why they do that. Should the refs do more? Probably, but I get why they don't.

Let's also remember that this is D3 soccer and we're not about to get the school Presidents to step in and crack down, nobody cares that much.

I agree with much of what you say but here's an anecdote that reads differently.

I was watching a Top Ten D3 program play this fall. At half time the woman seated in front of me turned around and introduced herself then asked if I had a son on the team. She was the college president.

[PaulNewman]

Agreed.  D3 soccer not being that important big picture doesn't mean college Presidents aren't tuned in, especially at small colleges with 2000 or 2500-3000 o or less students.  Amherst in particular doesn't need any controversies or negative attention for systemic-infused bad behavior.

[Hopkins92]

Having come into this season with a long-standing notion that college soccer had a substitution "problem" they needed to "solve"... I watched many hours of D3 soccer this fall... I just don't know if I agree that the subbing encourages or fosters a situation where rampant rough-play rules the day.

Is this something being leveled at Amherst? I only watched 3 or so games, but I just don't know that I see it. It's certainly something that is an available tactic, but I just don't know that I've seen a team ring up a bunch of cards from "goons" told to go out and whack people's ankles.

To me, the result of the potential of subbing just about everyone on the field is that the rich-get-richer, more than anything. You go look at Washington College and Tufts and substitutions employed. Like a lot of top 25 teams, Tufts rolls through 6-7-8(!) guys each half. The Shoremen worked through only 3 subs(!) in that game. Same thing looking at the Hopkins vs. PSU-H game. The Lions rolled through 4 or 5, while Hop put 7 or 8 different guys out there.

I'm open, as always, if someone wants to point to a program or particular game where a ton of fouls are committed by subs. Would be an interesting exercise for next year, maybe.

[Ejay]

And while we're taking a look at Final 4 GKs how about this Sam Maidenberg for Conn, who as far as I can tell has been very, very good, and with a lot of pressure replacing the first D3 MLS draftee since 2016, GK A J Marcucci.

High School:
Four-year letterwinner as a goalkeeper at Columbia ... Served as a team captain for two seasons ... Made the all-conference, all-county and all-state teams multiple times ... Also played at the club level for Match Fit Academy ECNL ... Was the news editor for The Columbian, which is a nationally-acclaimed student newspaper.

If he played at Columbia, then he certainly saw a lot of action.  I don't think they've been above .500 in 10 years.

[camosfan]

And while we're taking a look at Final 4 GKs how about this Sam Maidenberg for Conn, who as far as I can tell has been very, very good, and with a lot of pressure replacing the first D3 MLS draftee since 2016, GK A J Marcucci.

High School:
Four-year letterwinner as a goalkeeper at Columbia ... Served as a team captain for two seasons ... Made the all-conference, all-county and all-state teams multiple times ... Also played at the club level for Match Fit Academy ECNL ... Was the news editor for The Columbian, which is a nationally-acclaimed student newspaper.

If he played at Columbia, then he certainly saw a lot of action.  I don't think they've been above .500 in 10 years.

He also played club at Match Fit here in NJ, nice kid, was my son's team starting goalie on the '01 ECNL team.

[hiyasoccer]

The problem with D3 subbing rules isn't that it protects players on cards. The problem is that it promotes a very aggressive/energetic style that doesn't work when you have to manage your energy more closely because you can't run your players into the ground and then sub them. It's not the worst thing in the world but I think it could use tweaking, maybe something more similar to the youth academy rules.

The line between competitive, in your face, emotional soccer - basically all good D3 socceR, particularly in the NESCAC - and rude/unsportsmanlike/douche-y is nuanced and grey. Lots of teams toe it at some point, or occasionally cross it. Only one team I know of consistently crossed it, and they have a reputation for it. As d4_pace said, you have to be prepared for it, that is part of the challenge of playing them - you can't lose your cool. Is it "right" for teams to respond in kind? Idk, probably not, but I get why they do that. Should the refs do more? Probably, but I get why they don't.

Let's also remember that this is D3 soccer and we're not about to get the school Presidents to step in and crack down, nobody cares that much.

I agree with much of what you say but here's an anecdote that reads differently.

I was watching a Top Ten D3 program play this fall. At half time the woman seated in front of me turned around and introduced herself then asked if I had a son on the team. She was the college president.

There are definitely anecdotes that read differently and maybe even schools where the President cares. But from what I know, largely the role of a modern day school president, even at a small school, is so far removed from "the soccer team plays kinda dirty". My impression is that it's greater than 50% fundraising, finances, and outward facing stuff that requires a singular college representative and polished communication. The schools themselves tend to be run by the deans and VP. Source: recent experiment at a NESCAC and a relative who is an executive at a small D3 school.

I think this is fine. As much as Amherst antics irk me, there are so many more important things for these people to deal with than some on-field shenanigans, that stuff should be number like 75 on their lists and that effectively means it isn't on their lists. Maybe the athletic director would care, but nobody else, and tbh our Athletic Director was so useless I'm not even sure what his job is.

[Novacat]

I think the athletic, very direct style of play by many will slowly erode and you will see the technically stronger, possession-style teams do better (as long as they have some finishers).  Many, many more players have been developed over the last 10 years in this style with better coaching as they have grown up.

I think Amherst has been great this year in spite of this style because they probably have the best collection of players in the final third in the league (#9,#10 and #23). I think Serpone will need to evolve or he will go by the way of the dinosaur as younger coaches like Conn's coach beat him with tactics.

[PaulNewman]

I think the athletic, very direct style of play by many will slowly erode and you will see the technically stronger, possession-style teams do better (as long as they have some finishers).  Many, many more players have been developed over the last 10 years in this style with better coaching as they have grown up.

I think Amherst has been great this year in spite of this style because they probably have the best collection of players in the final third in the league (#9,#10 and #23). I think Serpone will need to evolve or he will go by the way of the dinosaur as younger coaches like Conn's coach beat him with tactics.

Good points.

I think I've always been a little slow on the uptake regarding Amherst criticism because I've always thought they do have some really good skilled players.  That 2015 team had a lot of soccer talent.