2022 D3 Men's Soccer National Perspective

[PaulNewman]

No posts in this big 'national' thread since Nov. 12.

[Hopkins92]

I think the Big Dance thread took its places.

And then you are off writing up incredible Sectional overviews... This thread got up to 60 pages... Pretty impressive!!

[PaulNewman]

I think the Big Dance thread took its places.

And then you are off writing up incredible Sectional overviews... This thread got up to 60 pages... Pretty impressive!!

No worries.  I was just pointing out that NESCAC wasn't the only usual high traffic thread that had dropped off.  It's a reference to posts in another thread.

[camosfan]

people need time to mourn as the tournament advances and teams get knocked out!

[NEsoccerfan]

Chicago has made a remarkable 4 of the last 5 final fours (twice as many as the next most for Tufts, Amherst, and Calvin over that same period) but has yet to advance to the finals. Will this year be different?

[Saint of Old]

You have to win when you get the shot man.
Say what you want about Conn College, but they are now cemented in history. Good luck to all the final 4 teams.
These boys should be extremely extremely proud of themselves.

[Hopkins92]

While I'm rooting for the Ducks (with a few rare, deep-rooted rivals, I tend to pull for the team that knocked "my" team out), but I'm having a tough time seeing them beat the Maroons. I don't have as much time with Chicago as Stevens, but what I've seen is a very well organized team with a truly special finisher.

Bruno Andino has a knack to score GWGs, but I really didn't feel like Stevens put together a ton of dangerous chances yesterday. They have figured out a formula for success, but they've also been pretty fortunate to advance (2 games going to PKs, one goal win vs. Cortland).

[blue_jays]

Chicago has made a remarkable 4 of the last 5 final fours (twice as many as the next most for Tufts, Amherst, and Calvin over that same period) but has yet to advance to the finals. Will this year be different?

Here's hoping it will be different. UChicago has had a bad run of luck in semis matches. They were flat out robbed in 2017, the one goal that was scored in that game was called offsides, they showed the replay on the stream that showed Romero was clearly onside, and they fell in PKs. In 2018, Max Lopez was playing on one leg for the last weeks of the season and Calvin just ran them over with potent offense. In 2021, Yetishefsky had the game-winner on his foot in double OT and was only denied by a remarkable save by the GK. Then a minute later, a headed clearance to about 30 yards out turned into a wonder strike by Amherst that ended it.

[blue_jays]

United Soccer Coaches All-Region came out, which means a fresh round of travesty picks/snubs. Look no further than 1st Team GK in Region 8. No offense to the kid from Wisconsin Lutheran, but if you only start half of your team's games and win 5 of them... you shouldn't be 1st Team All-Region. And WLC lost to every real team on its schedule.
I know the voting system USC uses is mostly to blame, but this is further proof that coaches don't actually care who they vote for / clearly don't know what they're doing.

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-NCAA-Division-III-Mens-All-Region-Teams.pdf

[SimpleCoach]

United Soccer Coaches All-Region came out, which means a fresh round of travesty picks/snubs. Look no further than 1st Team GK in Region 8. No offense to the kid from Wisconsin Lutheran, but if you only start half of your team's games and win 5 of them... you shouldn't be 1st Team All-Region. And WLC lost to every real team on its schedule.
I know the voting system USC uses is mostly to blame, but this is further proof that coaches don't actually care who they vote for / clearly don't know what they're doing.

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-NCAA-Division-III-Mens-All-Region-Teams.pdf

I am looking at some of the picks for Keepers.... ?

SC.

[Ejay]

United Soccer Coaches All-Region came out, which means a fresh round of travesty picks/snubs. Look no further than 1st Team GK in Region 8. No offense to the kid from Wisconsin Lutheran, but if you only start half of your team's games and win 5 of them... you shouldn't be 1st Team All-Region. And WLC lost to every real team on its schedule.
I know the voting system USC uses is mostly to blame, but this is further proof that coaches don't actually care who they vote for / clearly don't know what they're doing.

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-NCAA-Division-III-Mens-All-Region-Teams.pdf

I am looking at some of the picks for Keepers.... ?

SC.

Which of these two keepers would you choose?

GK 1
SV % - .806
GA - 7
GA Avg - .67
Shutouts - 6
Losses - 1

GK 2
SV% - .813
GA - 6
GA Avg - .64
Shutouts - 5
Losses - 1



Would it surprise you to learn that GK1 was Conference GK of the year and a 2nd Team All-Region selection, while GK2 didn't even make All-conference?  Oh, and they played on the same team and basically split the season in half, including the conference final when GK2 started and gave up 0 goals, and GK1 played the second half and gave up 3 in a 0-3 loss.   

[SimpleCoach]

I had better stats in three years combined than either of these two, and was nowhere near getting an All Region Award.

SC.

[blue_jays]

United Soccer Coaches All-Region came out, which means a fresh round of travesty picks/snubs. Look no further than 1st Team GK in Region 8. No offense to the kid from Wisconsin Lutheran, but if you only start half of your team's games and win 5 of them... you shouldn't be 1st Team All-Region. And WLC lost to every real team on its schedule.
I know the voting system USC uses is mostly to blame, but this is further proof that coaches don't actually care who they vote for / clearly don't know what they're doing.

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-NCAA-Division-III-Mens-All-Region-Teams.pdf

The WLC GK is now a 1st Team All-American... this voting process is bonkers...

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/2022-united-soccer-coaches-ncaa-division-iii-mens-and-womens-all-america-teams-announced/

[Kuiper]

United Soccer Coaches All-Region came out, which means a fresh round of travesty picks/snubs. Look no further than 1st Team GK in Region 8. No offense to the kid from Wisconsin Lutheran, but if you only start half of your team's games and win 5 of them... you shouldn't be 1st Team All-Region. And WLC lost to every real team on its schedule.
I know the voting system USC uses is mostly to blame, but this is further proof that coaches don't actually care who they vote for / clearly don't know what they're doing.

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-NCAA-Division-III-Mens-All-Region-Teams.pdf

The WLC GK is now a 1st Team All-American... this voting process is bonkers...

https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/2022-united-soccer-coaches-ncaa-division-iii-mens-and-womens-all-america-teams-announced/

Maybe they wanted to give hope to short GKs everywhere.  For those who didn't have a chance to catch a Wisconsin Lutheran game this year, Puma Galvan, the United Soccer Coaches first team All-American at Goalkeeper is listed at 5'6" (and 141 pounds).  Second team All American Nate Hanna of SUNY Oneonta is listed at 6'0".  Only third team All-American Wesley Sanders of Gustavus Adolphus is 6'3".

[EnmoreCat]

I do find these goalkeeper stats spurious at best in terms of helping judge who the better keeper might be.  In all my time here, I have never once seen similar data being recorded, let alone referred to.  I have heard the callers in several games this year nominating a keeper catching a directionless cross, as a "save", when it's nothing of the sort and even the reference to "shots" taken is pretty unhelpful I think.  There seems to be no filter for "proper saves", where actual proper goal scoring situations are denied, in the manner in which xG gets calculated.  In Amherst's Sweet 16 game (Like PN I am not yet over it) the box score reported 20 shots by the two teams shared equally and 8 saves each.  There's no way in the world that even half of those 20 shots were actual proper chances.

The stats referred to also tell us nothing about how good a keeper is with his feet, his role in organizing a defence etc  I love stats, but don't think these ones serve much of a purpose.