Game of the week for D3 men's soccer

[Coach Jeff]

Thanks for the Montclair v Rowan will definitely try and catch some of it.  Check out these two games on Saturday as well:

Washington U.        No. 2 Chicago        12:00 PM   
No. 18 Middlebury   No. 5 Amherst           1:30 PM

[SierraFD3soccer]

A lot of great games this week and even more coming! Centennial Conf. Semis tonight at 7.

Washington College v. Hopkins - Tied last time with a very questionable PK call on Hopkins and the game is again in Chestertown.  WC has a lot on the line if it wants to make the NCAA's. Hopkins has already played 2 games (to include a game going to PKs) since Saturday.

Muhlenberg v. F&M - F&M won last time 2-1. Led most the game 2-0 until it gave up a goal with about 10 min. to go.  Muhlenberg is also the highest scoring in the Centennial Conf. while F&M gave up the least and going into this game has not given up a goal in last 5 games. Like WC, Muhls most likely need this for the NCAAs. F&M has gone 15 games without a loss after losing to Stevens in its second game of the season as well has not given up more than 1 goal in these games.

[SierraFD3soccer]

A lot of great games this week and even more coming! Centennial Conf. Semis tonight at 7.

Washington College v. Hopkins - Tied last time with a very questionable PK call on Hopkins and the game is again in Chestertown.  WC has a lot on the line if it wants to make the NCAA's. Hopkins has already played 2 games (to include a game going to PKs) since Saturday.

Muhlenberg v. F&M - F&M won last time 2-1. Led most the game 2-0 until it gave up a goal with about 10 min. to go.  Muhlenberg is also the highest scoring in the Centennial Conf. while F&M gave up the least and going into this game has not given up a goal in last 5 games. Like WC, Muhls most likely need this for the NCAAs. F&M has gone 15 games without a loss after losing to Stevens in its second game of the season as well has not given up more than 1 goal in these games.

FYI as to Hopkins, over the last 4 games - 1 (via PKs)-1-2.  IMO if it does not want to be shipped to NESCAC world or the Upper Peninsula, winning tonight would most likely block that. (Last year and you all may remember, was sent to John Carroll to play Penn State Harrisburg in the 1st round)

[Hopkins92]

A lot of great games this week and even more coming! Centennial Conf. Semis tonight at 7.

Washington College v. Hopkins - Tied last time with a very questionable PK call on Hopkins and the game is again in Chestertown.  WC has a lot on the line if it wants to make the NCAA's. Hopkins has already played 2 games (to include a game going to PKs) since Saturday.

Muhlenberg v. F&M - F&M won last time 2-1. Led most the game 2-0 until it gave up a goal with about 10 min. to go.  Muhlenberg is also the highest scoring in the Centennial Conf. while F&M gave up the least and going into this game has not given up a goal in last 5 games. Like WC, Muhls most likely need this for the NCAAs. F&M has gone 15 games without a loss after losing to Stevens in its second game of the season as well has not given up more than 1 goal in these games.

FYI as to Hopkins, over the last 4 games - 1 (via PKs)-1-2.  IMO if it does not want to be shipped to NESCAC world or the Upper Peninsula, winning tonight would most likely block that. (Last year and you all may remember, was sent to John Carroll to play Penn State Harrisburg in the 1st round)

Last year they really collapsed late. As I wrote about a few days ago, they were the very last team put on the board and as you say, they got shipped and had a tough first round game and then lost in the Snow Bowl to a very VERY strong John Carroll side. Their early season success is a bit stronger than last year, but dumping out here in the semis puts them right on the edge, as you said.

Muhles are a tough out. They play with a lot of heart and grit.

[Gregory Sager]

Given his momentum and the direction of his body in relation to the goal, I don't know how else he could have put it on frame with one touch. Maybe a front foot instep to change the trajectory? He was at the front post when he made contact and both legs and body facing the corner flag. I think anything with the front (right) foot likely puts it outside the near post. Two touches makes for a flat angle and gives the defender a chance to catch up as would slowing the off ball run to reposition for a left foot shot.

Like I said, flair and wow, but I don't see too many legit options either given the cross was a half step too far away from goal.

I should've been more clear when I used the word "unnecessary". The issue isn't where and how Agbeyegbe was forced to strike the ball inside the six. The issue is how he got there in the first place.

Agbeyegbe began running straight ahead into the box as Kutsanzira's chip descended, while the VWU double team bracketing Agbeyegbe (#6 Matthew Goldberg on his left and #14 Eldin Harbas on his right) were both still turning and looking skyward at the ball. Agbeyegbe had his head swiveled rightward to follow the ball, so he could see clearly that Bruner was going to get to the ball first on the right wing, and that the bounce would take Bruner past anything but at best the most extreme angle possible for a SOG once he corralled the ball. More importantly, with his head tilted that way he could also see that VWU keeper Griffin Potter was misplaying the setup. Obviously thinking that Bruner would get a chance at an angled strike, Potter was sliding leftward to hug the post. It was a misread on Potter's part; he should've seen that Bruner would not have a viable attack angle once he reached the ball, and that his defender (#12 Caleb Jackson) was coming in at full sprint and would be able to interpose himself between Bruner and the goal if Bruner chose to shoot. Instead, Potter not only shifted over so far that he was hugging post, he also took the entire middle of the field -- and, thus, the oncoming Agbeyegbe -- out of his peripheral vision, which is the classic fatal error of a goalkeeper in this situation.

With all of this happening right in front of him, and with Goldberg well behind him off his left hip, Agbeyegbe saw that Potter was on the post with his attention entirely devoted to Bruner, who'd obviously have no option other than to cross once he reached the ball. The logical move for Agbeyegbe was to veer leftward and give himself the entirety of that open net with which to work once the cross got to him. But I understand why Agbeyegbe did what he did -- he was trying to avoid going offside, thinking that his pace might otherwise put him past the backmost defender (Jackson) before Bruner struck the cross. But veering left would've solved that problem just as easily as what he did instead -- veering right, towards the ball and away from the open net -- while leaving him with a far better shooting position. Heck, he could've even changed course after he'd veered rightward, given how the play was unfolding. His quick burst from the top of the box, catching Goldberg and Harbas flat-footed and leaving them well behind him in his wake, gave him the necessary cushion to make the adjustment. Instead, he remained committed to the rightward veer in order to stay onside, leaving him, as you said, no real choice but to back-foot flick as he passed through the ball's path.

That's why I say that I was more impressed by what Kutsanzira did and what Bruner did than by Agbeyegbe's flashy finish. The initial thought that ran through my head the first time that I saw the goal was, of course, "Nice flick, and nice setup" but my second thought was, "What the heck was he doing all the way over there on the right with the rest of the net empty?" Kudos to Agbeyegbe for having the skill to make that shot, but I think that he could've avoided that degree of difficulty by approaching better. By contrast, Kutsanzira's service was perfectly placed and paced, and Bruner, far from crossing too far away from the goal, kept it out of Potter's reach and with enough pace so that only Agbeyegbe could get to it -- and it was itself a high-degree-of-difficulty cross, since he volleyed the ball one-touch off the short hop with a plant-and-crossover swing at the end of a long sprint up the sideline.

Great goal, but I always give more credit to a well-played setup than to a fancy finish. Of course, the usual caveats apply -- this all happened in real time, while my 20/20-hindsight analysis comes with numerous slow-motion reviews of the play.

[Gregory Sager]

Thanks for the Montclair v Rowan will definitely try and catch some of it.  Check out these two games on Saturday as well:

Washington U.        No. 2 Chicago        12:00 PM   
No. 18 Middlebury   No. 5 Amherst           1:30 PM

#13 North Park @ #11 North Central at 1 pm Central tomorrow for the CCIW tourney championship.

[jknezek]

Given his momentum and the direction of his body in relation to the goal, I don't know how else he could have put it on frame with one touch. Maybe a front foot instep to change the trajectory? He was at the front post when he made contact and both legs and body facing the corner flag. I think anything with the front (right) foot likely puts it outside the near post. Two touches makes for a flat angle and gives the defender a chance to catch up as would slowing the off ball run to reposition for a left foot shot.

Like I said, flair and wow, but I don't see too many legit options either given the cross was a half step too far away from goal.

I should've been more clear when I used the word "unnecessary". The issue isn't where and how Agbeyegbe was forced to strike the ball inside the six. The issue is how he got there in the first place.

Agbeyegbe began running straight ahead into the box as Kutsanzira's chip descended, while the VWU double team bracketing Agbeyegbe (#6 Matthew Goldberg on his left and #14 Eldin Harbas on his right) were both still turning and looking skyward at the ball. Agbeyegbe had his head swiveled rightward to follow the ball, so he could see clearly that Bruner was going to get to the ball first on the right wing, and that the bounce would take Bruner past anything but at best the most extreme angle possible for a SOG once he corralled the ball. More importantly, with his head tilted that way he could also see that VWU keeper Griffin Potter was misplaying the setup. Obviously thinking that Bruner would get a chance at an angled strike, Potter was sliding leftward to hug the post. It was a misread on Potter's part; he should've seen that Bruner would not have a viable attack angle once he reached the ball, and that his defender (#12 Caleb Jackson) was coming in at full sprint and would be able to interpose himself between Bruner and the goal if Bruner chose to shoot. Instead, Potter not only shifted over so far that he was hugging post, he also took the entire middle of the field -- and, thus, the oncoming Agbeyegbe -- out of his peripheral vision, which is the classic fatal error of a goalkeeper in this situation.

With all of this happening right in front of him, and with Goldberg well behind him off his left hip, Agbeyegbe saw that Potter was on the post with his attention entirely devoted to Bruner, who'd obviously have no option other than to cross once he reached the ball. The logical move for Agbeyegbe was to veer leftward and give himself the entirety of that open net with which to work once the cross got to him. But I understand why Agbeyegbe did what he did -- he was trying to avoid going offside, thinking that his pace might otherwise put him past the backmost defender (Jackson) before Bruner struck the cross. But veering left would've solved that problem just as easily as what he did instead -- veering right, towards the ball and away from the open net -- while leaving him with a far better shooting position. Heck, he could've even changed course after he'd veered rightward, given how the play was unfolding. His quick burst from the top of the box, catching Goldberg and Harbas flat-footed and leaving them well behind him in his wake, gave him the necessary cushion to make the adjustment. Instead, he remained committed to the rightward veer in order to stay onside, leaving him, as you said, no real choice but to back-foot flick as he passed through the ball's path.

That's why I say that I was more impressed by what Kutsanzira did and what Bruner did than by Agbeyegbe's flashy finish. The initial thought that ran through my head the first time that I saw the goal was, of course, "Nice flick, and nice setup" but my second thought was, "What the heck was he doing all the way over there on the right with the rest of the net empty?" Kudos to Agbeyegbe for having the skill to make that shot, but I think that he could've avoided that degree of difficulty by approaching better. By contrast, Kutsanzira's service was perfectly placed and paced, and Bruner, far from crossing too far away from the goal, kept it out of Potter's reach and with enough pace so that only Agbeyegbe could get to it -- and it was itself a high-degree-of-difficulty cross, since he volleyed the ball one-touch off the short hop with a plant-and-crossover swing at the end of a long sprint up the sideline.

Great goal, but I always give more credit to a well-played setup than to a fancy finish. Of course, the usual caveats apply -- this all happened in real time, while my 20/20-hindsight analysis comes with numerous slow-motion reviews of the play.

Great analysis. And yes, I have no idea what the goalie is doing and I see what you are saying about the trajectory of Agbeyegbe's run. The only thing I'll say, is cutting to the near side allowed Agbeyegbe to completely cut his nearside defender out of the play. Had he moved toward the far post, the near side defender might have had a better chance of cutting off or at least deflecting the pass since Agbeyegbe would not have been between him and the ball. Course he might have cut off the pass by turning it into an own goal...

Either way, it is a nice play all around by all 3 W&L players to take advantage of some defensive lapses.

[PaulNewman]

There is no need for a neutral to watch Wash U @ Chicago when there are soooooo many games of consequence that actually have real consequences.

[SierraFD3soccer]

Muhles are a tough out. They play with a lot of heart and grit.

Absolutely. No ties this time of year!

[Hopkins92]

There is no need for a neutral to watch Wash U @ Chicago when there are soooooo many games of consequence that actually have real consequences.

I might pop in for a few, just because I haven't really spent any time with them this year.

[PaulNewman]

Hop92, do you know for a fact that Hopkins was the last team in last year?  Seemed like they had too good of a season for that even with a little slippage late.

And I know you said you were talking more about the snow game than the midwest in general, but Ohio might be a preferable place to go.  There are no safe havens.  I can see wanting to avoid the top NESCACs, and I can understand not wanting to be shipped out somewhere weird, but then what are the alternatives?  A very good chance to be in a sectional with Messiah?  Like, what would be an ideal landing spot.

I had similar thoughts reading guesses about the top seeds.  That number might not matter.  It's likely that based on bracketing principles you'd have to beat the same or very similar teams in the Sweet 16 or Elite 8.  Like whether Kenyon is a #1 or #2 probably won't impact having to get through Calvin, North Park, JCU, maybe W&L, etc.

Where it may matter is for a team like Stevens, and if tagged with a #2 seed the Ducks could get stuck in a sectional with Messiah.  But if not Messiah, they're probably staring down the barrel of Amherst, or Middlebury and Tufts/Hopkins, etc.

Btw, there are very, very few teams that could knock off Messiah....and maybe none.  But if I had to pick two who wouldn't get caught up in a run and gun type game?  Middlebury first, and then Amherst.

[PaulNewman]

There is no need for a neutral to watch Wash U @ Chicago when there are soooooo many games of consequence that actually have real consequences.

I might pop in for a few, just because I haven't really spent any time with them this year.

OK, but please don't decide whether they can give Messiah a game inside of five minutes!

[Hopkins92]

There is no need for a neutral to watch Wash U @ Chicago when there are soooooo many games of consequence that actually have real consequences.

I might pop in for a few, just because I haven't really spent any time with them this year.

OK, but please don't decide whether they can give Messiah a game inside of five minutes!

[Coach Jeff]

MiddWest Conference with one of the craziest finishes of the conference playoffs.  Lake Forest down 2-0 to Knox.  Lake Forest gets the score back to 2-1. Next a lake Forest player is red carded for throwing a punch.  Knox goes up 3-1.  Knox's player receives a second yellow card even strength for about 5 minutes.  Lake Forest earned another red card in the 88 minute.  In the 89 minute Lake Forest scores their second goal with only 48 seconds remaining in the game.  With 18 seconds left in the game Lake finds the equalizer.  The bears get the game winner in 2ot a man down.  Not great soccer but the story line was awesome to watch.

Lake Forest 2nd   81:30   Red card - Dylan Varadi
Knox 2nd   81:33           Yellow card - Luis Lepervanche
Knox 2nd   82:28           Red card - Luis Lepervanche
Lake Forest 2nd   87:50   Red card - Alexis Flores


Scoring summary
Lake Forest 2nd   89:12   Mateus Lima (4) (Elliot Hull)   3 - 2
Lake Forest 2nd   89:42   Mateus Lima (4) (Brett Klemes)   3 - 3
Lake Forest 2OT   100:43   Ryan Khalid (2) (unassisted)

[Gregory Sager]

That sounds like it would've been enormously fun to watch as a neutral. (North Park beat both Knox and Lake Forest, so I was indifferent about the outcome.)