2022 D3 Men's Soccer National Perspective

[SimpleCoach]

Frankly, I think the no OTs is a half measure.  I think if they really were interested in the health of the the athletes, they would start the season a week earlier and end a week later.  As far as i am aware, getting rid of OTs has no financial impact, hence why I think its a half measure.  Adding two weeks I suspect does.  Definately if they are reporting to camp a week earlier ... room and board, etc.

SC.

[PaulNewman]

Conn Coll quietly produced probably their best effort/showing of the season with a convincing 3-0 win over Babson.  While not helpful for the NESCAC standings, this will provide what could be a key ranked win at NCAA tourney selection time.  Jaran was still out.  Yeonas and Djerdjaj exhibited outstanding work rates.

Amidst the flurry of draws the past two days some other big wins may have gotten a little lost in the shuffle.

On Tuesday Denison got a big road NCAC road win at Wabash, Mary Washington bested Gettysburg, ad UW-Platteville handled enigmatic Luther.

Yesterday Cortland beat New Paltz, Oneonta got by Plattsburgh, and Chapman won over reeling Redlands.  Brockport's momentum got halted at least temporarily by a 1-1 draw at Geneseo.

[Coach Jeff]

Frankly, I think the no OTs is a half measure.  I think if they really were interested in the health of the the athletes, they would start the season a week earlier and end a week later.  As far as i am aware, getting rid of OTs has no financial impact, hence why I think its a half measure.  Adding two weeks I suspect does.  Definately if they are reporting to camp a week earlier ... room and board, etc.

SC.

SC you are exactly right.  When I coached in D3 we had to decide if we should take 2 college vans or bus.  It was all about the money and savings.  In fact one year we started a day late so the freshmen move in day aligned with our first day.  The college students' tuition covered their meals instead of the teams $.  I would love to see the seasons start earlier and go later.  Better for coaches, athletes and fans just not as easy on the wallets $$$$

[maineman]

Frankly, I think the no OTs is a half measure.  I think if they really were interested in the health of the the athletes, they would start the season a week earlier and end a week later.  As far as i am aware, getting rid of OTs has no financial impact, hence why I think its a half measure.  Adding two weeks I suspect does.  Definately if they are reporting to camp a week earlier ... room and board, etc.

Some soccer players are multi sports athletes.  If they play a spring sport, that is not a problem, but if they play hockey or basketball, it could be.

[EnmoreCat]

Just curious, are there many that play a spring sport? I guess D3 is where it's a possibility.

[SimpleCoach]

Frankly, I think the no OTs is a half measure.  I think if they really were interested in the health of the the athletes, they would start the season a week earlier and end a week later.  As far as i am aware, getting rid of OTs has no financial impact, hence why I think its a half measure.  Adding two weeks I suspect does.  Definately if they are reporting to camp a week earlier ... room and board, etc.

Some soccer players are multi sports athletes.  If they play a spring sport, that is not a problem, but if they play hockey or basketball, it could be.

I would think that if there is an overlap, it would be extended one week.   And I'd be curious to know how many soccer players would have that type of conflicts.

SC.

[Coach Jeff]

Just curious, are there many that play a spring sport? I guess D3 is where it's a possibility.

When I coached soccer at a D3 college, we had some that played a spring sport.  I have a club player that is currently playing D3 soccer and D3 baseball.  He went to the college that would allow him to play both sports at the collegiate level.  He has been successful at both.  I also know that my son's coach would not allow them to participate in another sport due missing off season training and or spring season.  It really depends on the program and the student/athlete.  I am not sure that this has anything bearing on OT v no OT in the fall seasons.  If we want to show concern for our athletes then let's talk about extending the season instead of trying to finish an entire season in 3 months. 

[Gregory Sager]

I can think of two specific instances in which a D3 soccer player doubled up in a winter team sport. Hope had a soccer/basketball student-athlete some years back named Carlson (can't remember if his first name was Cody or Chad), who, IIRC, started for the Dutch in both sports. And North Central (IL) currently has a junior named Elle Sutter who was an All-CCIW first-teamer last year in both soccer and basketball; she's among the leading scorers in the CCIW in women's soccer this year and will undoubtedly be the best player on the Cardinals' women's basketball team this year. (She's also Academic All-CCIW, by the way.) I also know that in the past both MSOE and IIT have had multiple female student-athletes double up in soccer and basketball, most likely due to the fact that as smallish STEM schools their rosters for women's sports were sometimes sparse. (I don't think that either school has had those kinds of problems for several years now, FWIW.)

It's much more common, in my experience, to see student-athletes double up in back-to-back seasons in team sports that don't include soccer. The most prominent ones, aside from the running sports and golf (which really don't count, in my estimation, because they're so individual-oriented), are:

* football in fall, men's basketball in winter
* football in fall, wrestling in winter
* women's volleyball in fall, women's basketball in winter
* men's basketball in winter, baseball in spring
* women's basketball in winter, softball in spring

Between these various combos, you will see a surprising number of D3 student-athletes negotiate a back-to-back, even in this age of specialized youth leagues and off-season skills development camps that help steer children and teens into narrowing their participation down to one sport.

Every time I've observed this happen, the rule of thumb has always been that the student-athlete finishes the first season before practicing with, and donning the uniform of, the second season. There may have been exceptions to this -- say, a terrific baseball player who came to school to play that sport doubles up in basketball because the hoops team is short of players due to injuries and needs another decent basketball player to help fill out practices and provide bench insurance, with his two coaches having a prior understanding that he'll start practicing with the baseball team in February -- but I myself haven't seen any.

[PaulNewman]

Weekend Roundup Review

Friday

3:00 – Carnegie Mellon @ Chicago – (You want the truth?!  You can't handle the truth!  Moment of truth for the Tartans and I don't expect the truth to be kind.  Maroons 3-0.)

4:00 – Vassar @ Clarkson – (Clarkson has been determined to bend but not break.   Ummm, wait.  They already done broke...1-2-2 in last five.  Does Clarkson have one last gasp?  The pressure here is now on Vassar to keep pace with SLU, but will the Brewers get caught looking ahead to facing SLU the very next day?)

6:00 – CWRU @ Wash U – (Underhyped and unappreciated these two UAA outfits are both in search of a little respect.  Case would love to get a result and better yet a win to provide some cushion for their Sunday visit to Chicago.  A Wash U win would put the Bears in 2nd place in the UAA and provide some momentum for a winnable match Sunday versus Carnegie Mellon.  Would anyone be shocked if this one ends in a draw?)

8:00 – Millsaps @ Centre – (Centre's un-win streak is on the line as the Colonels sport an 0-10-2 record.  By comparison, the Millsaps Majors are thriving...at 2-10-2).  Both are 0-4 in the SAA as the battle for the cellar continues.)

8:30 – UW-Platteville @ Wartburg – (And here comes Platteville...started the season 1-2-1 with losses in first two matches versus mid-major darlings MSOE and UW-Eau Claire [I told you UWEC had another good win] but some tinkering by Coach Sam Koenig has resulted in the Pioneers rattling off 9 wins in a row, including an impressive last outing against Luther.  Koenig is the youngest D3 coach in the country at age 19....just kidding, but seriously I remember watching him play in the national title game for Loras against Amherst in 2015 [which gives me an opportunity to just type the name Johnny Rummelhart who put Loras up 1-0 early].  Koenig was a two year captain and Academic AA who played a major role in three Duhawks Final 4 appearances.  He's Director of Soccer at Platteville, responsible for both the men's and women's programs.  For Wartburg, dial 6-1-6 KNIGHTS.  Wartburg is right in the thick of a jumbled mess in the ARC and the Knights almost certainly need the AQ.  Platteville has a dangerous patch here....Wartburg first and next visited by St Olaf.  Wartburg gets Luther next.)

[Hopkins92]

I mean, I know I'm a dinosaur, but I dabbled with baseball my freshman year. I just wasn't able to cut it to be that academically rigorous AND compete at a high level in two sports like that. Especially with baseball at the time, they were nationally ranked and did a lot of stuff in the winter. Too much of a grind. But my "sponsor" or "big brother" on the soccer team was a gifted athlete in both sports. (Hop kind of had this mentoring thing where we'd come in for pre-season and stay at upperclassmen's apartment for a full week or more before the dorm/campus really opened up. Pretty cool and the guys from my apt are still good friends. Also makes sense given the cost issues Coach Jeff was talking about.)

[SimpleCoach]

Ok. Mind went deep into thinking about what adding two weeks to the season, and what that would look like.  Keep in mind, I really didn't think of much other than how to I could replicate a calendar but stretch it because I start a week earlier and a week later.  My thoughts are not all there yet, but its a start.

New SimpleCoach Calendar

[Falconer]

I can think of two specific instances in which a D3 soccer player doubled up in a winter team sport. Hope had a soccer/basketball student-athlete some years back named Carlson (can't remember if his first name was Cody or Chad), who, IIRC, started for the Dutch in both sports. And North Central (IL) currently has a junior named Elle Sutter who was an All-CCIW first-teamer last year in both soccer and basketball; she's among the leading scorers in the CCIW in women's soccer this year and will undoubtedly be the best player on the Cardinals' women's basketball team this year. (She's also Academic All-CCIW, by the way.) I also know that in the past both MSOE and IIT have had multiple female student-athletes double up in soccer and basketball, most likely due to the fact that as smallish STEM schools their rosters for women's sports were sometimes sparse. (I don't think that either school has had those kinds of problems for several years now, FWIW.)

It's much more common, in my experience, to see student-athletes double up in back-to-back seasons in team sports that don't include soccer. The most prominent ones, aside from the running sports and golf (which really don't count, in my estimation, because they're so individual-oriented), are:

* football in fall, men's basketball in winter
* football in fall, wrestling in winter
* women's volleyball in fall, women's basketball in winter
* men's basketball in winter, baseball in spring
* women's basketball in winter, softball in spring

Between these various combos, you will see a surprising number of D3 student-athletes negotiate a back-to-back, even in this age of specialized youth leagues and off-season skills development camps that help steer children and teens into narrowing their participation down to one sport.

Every time I've observed this happen, the rule of thumb has always been that the student-athlete finishes the first season before practicing with, and donning the uniform of, the second season. There may have been exceptions to this -- say, a terrific baseball player who came to school to play that sport doubles up in basketball because the hoops team is short of players due to injuries and needs another decent basketball player to help fill out practices and provide bench insurance, with his two coaches having a prior understanding that he'll start practicing with the baseball team in February -- but I myself haven't seen any.

Anyone remember a couple of guys named Quinn Buckner and Dave Winfield? Winfield was actually drafted in 3 sports when he came out of Minnesota, and won conference championships in two of them. At D1 level obviously but soccer not one of them. Even before their time, some MLB pitchers played 2 or 3 sports in college, such as Yankee pitcher Steve Hamilton who got drafted by the NBA but never played there. Dave DeBusshere not only starred for the Knicks, but pitched for the White Sox. Danny Ainge. Bo Jackson. Deion Sanders. Slugger Frank Thomas played football briefly at Auburn—he went there with a football scholarship. Many more examples will occur to others.

I imagine somewhere there might be soccer players who also are kickers on football teams, but it's hard to imagine that they are really good at both, since so many scheduling conflicts would arise. Gregory skated by "individual" sports like track and XC, but that seems arbitrary to me. A few soccer players have probably run track in college, though I can't name any at the moment.

Correction: Hamilton played 2 seasons in the NBA. Indeed, he's said to be one of just two men who played in a World Series and the NBA finals. Should have known that: he was among my favorite baseball players as a boy, but to be fair his NBA career was over before basketball was on my radar. The other guy in this category, Gene Conley, is the only guy to win both of those titles. Great trivia question to file away.

[paclassic89]

Kyler Murray, Heisman trophy winner and drafted 9th overall in the MLB draft

[camosfan]

I can think of two specific instances in which a D3 soccer player doubled up in a winter team sport. Hope had a soccer/basketball student-athlete some years back named Carlson (can't remember if his first name was Cody or Chad), who, IIRC, started for the Dutch in both sports. And North Central (IL) currently has a junior named Elle Sutter who was an All-CCIW first-teamer last year in both soccer and basketball; she's among the leading scorers in the CCIW in women's soccer this year and will undoubtedly be the best player on the Cardinals' women's basketball team this year. (She's also Academic All-CCIW, by the way.) I also know that in the past both MSOE and IIT have had multiple female student-athletes double up in soccer and basketball, most likely due to the fact that as smallish STEM schools their rosters for women's sports were sometimes sparse. (I don't think that either school has had those kinds of problems for several years now, FWIW.)

It's much more common, in my experience, to see student-athletes double up in back-to-back seasons in team sports that don't include soccer. The most prominent ones, aside from the running sports and golf (which really don't count, in my estimation, because they're so individual-oriented), are:

* football in fall, men's basketball in winter
* football in fall, wrestling in winter
* women's volleyball in fall, women's basketball in winter
* men's basketball in winter, baseball in spring
* women's basketball in winter, softball in spring

Between these various combos, you will see a surprising number of D3 student-athletes negotiate a back-to-back, even in this age of specialized youth leagues and off-season skills development camps that help steer children and teens into narrowing their participation down to one sport.

Every time I've observed this happen, the rule of thumb has always been that the student-athlete finishes the first season before practicing with, and donning the uniform of, the second season. There may have been exceptions to this -- say, a terrific baseball player who came to school to play that sport doubles up in basketball because the hoops team is short of players due to injuries and needs another decent basketball player to help fill out practices and provide bench insurance, with his two coaches having a prior understanding that he'll start practicing with the baseball team in February -- but I myself haven't seen any.

Anyone remember a couple of guys named Quinn Buckner and Dave Winfield? Winfield was actually drafted in 3 sports when he came out of Minnesota, and won conference championships in two of them. At D1 level obviously but soccer not one of them. Even before their time, some MLB pitchers played 2 or 3 sports in college, such as Yankee pitcher Steve Hamilton who got drafted by the NBA but never played there. Dave DeBusshere not only starred for the Knicks, but pitched for the White Sox. Danny Ainge. Bo Jackson. Deion Sanders. Slugger Frank Thomas played football briefly at Auburn—he went there with a football scholarship. Many more examples will occur to others.

I imagine somewhere there might be soccer players who also are kickers on football teams, but it's hard to imagine that they are really good at both, since so many scheduling conflicts would arise. Gregory skated by "individual" sports like track and XC, but that seems arbitrary to me. A few soccer players have probably run track in college, though I can't name any at the moment.

Correction: Hamilton played 2 seasons in the NBA. Indeed, he's said to be one of just two men who played in a World Series and the NBA finals. Should have known that: he was among my favorite baseball players as a boy, but to be fair his NBA career was over before basketball was on my radar. The other guy in this category, Gene Conley, is the only guy to win both of those titles. Great trivia question to file away.

Charles Hedlam played soccer at Clemson and ran Track for Jamaica, a Tampa Bay kicker came to Clemson from Nigeria on a soccer scholarship.

[Gregory Sager]

Anyone remember a couple of guys named Quinn Buckner and Dave Winfield? Winfield was actually drafted in 3 sports when he came out of Minnesota, and won conference championships in two of them. At D1 level obviously but soccer not one of them. Even before their time, some MLB pitchers played 2 or 3 sports in college, such as Yankee pitcher Steve Hamilton who got drafted by the NBA but never played there. Dave DeBusshere not only starred for the Knicks, but pitched for the White Sox. Danny Ainge. Bo Jackson. Deion Sanders. Slugger Frank Thomas played football briefly at Auburn—he went there with a football scholarship. Many more examples will occur to others.

Jim Brown was not only an All-American running back for the Syracuse University football team, he was simultaneously an All-American lacrosse player for the Orangemen.

But, yeah, these were D1 players, and we're talking about a bygone era here. The age of the multi-sport college athlete has come and gone. What we're left with now are isolated exceptions to the rule of single-sport training and mindset.

I imagine somewhere there might be soccer players who also are kickers on football teams, but it's hard to imagine that they are really good at both, since so many scheduling conflicts would arise. Gregory skated by "individual" sports like track and XC, but that seems arbitrary to me. A few soccer players have probably run track in college, though I can't name any at the moment.

I was not demeaning the running sports (or golf) in any way. I have more friends who were cross-country runners than any other sport. What I was saying is that these are sports that are much easier to train for on an individual basis than is the case for team sports. You can develop good ball skills and kicking skills on your own, but in order to be a good soccer player you need to practice and play as part of a team. And when you have to train and practice as part of two teams in two different team sports that require completely different skill sets, that's another matter entirely.