Game of the week for D3 men's soccer

[Coach Jeff]

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.)

I was an outsider just looking for a game to watch and I saw it.  Read the article that is posted....

[Coach Jeff]

With the NCAA tournament starting this weekend what game other than the game you are invested in looks most appealing to you to watch? 

My game I am going to make sure I watch is St. Lawrence verse Roger Williams.  I want to watch because of all the great comments about Sibanda.  I want to watch him for myself. 

[Kuiper]

With the NCAA tournament starting this weekend what game other than the game you are invested in looks most appealing to you to watch? 

My game I am going to make sure I watch is St. Lawrence verse Roger Williams.  I want to watch because of all the great comments about Sibanda.  I want to watch him for myself.

I'll put in a plug for Pacific Lutheran at Mary Hardin-Baylor since most people on this board don't know much about either team.  They are both top 20 teams offensively and neither is anything to write home about defensively.  Should be an up and down game.

[Saint_Dad]

With the NCAA tournament starting this weekend what game other than the game you are invested in looks most appealing to you to watch? 

My game I am going to make sure I watch is St. Lawrence verse Roger Williams.  I want to watch because of all the great comments about Sibanda.  I want to watch him for myself.

Thanks for checking it out coach Jeff.  If SLU survives, then the game to watch Sunday will be the SLU/Amherst game.  Hopefully the field will be in decent shape, or they move to turf, so you can see the quality of Sibanda and SLU.  They are not a kick and run team.  They like to play the beautiful game, sometimes to a fault.  Let us know what you think.

[College Soccer Observer]

Anyone who thinks that Amherst will voluntarily move the game to a different surface that will place the home team at a disadvantage is deluding themselves.

[PaulNewman]

Anyone who thinks that Amherst will voluntarily move the game to a different surface that will place the home team at a disadvantage is deluding themselves.

LOL.  Maybe the most accurate post in the past week.

[Hopkins92]

I'm breaking things down via Massey in the other thread. From Region 1, in terms of being very close on paper, the MHB v. Pacific Lutheran game shapes really well.

In Region 2, I don't think there's much to argue with Rowan v. Middlebury. That should be a barnburner.

(I haven't gone through the other 2 regions yet... Back in a bit.)

[Hopkins92]

Anyone who thinks that Amherst will voluntarily move the game to a different surface that will place the home team at a disadvantage is deluding themselves.

LOL.  Maybe the most accurate post in the past week.

Yeah, but come tournament time the officials and both coaches have to agree that a surface is playable, no? I don't think Amherst can insist a game be played on an unplayable field if an alternative is right there.

I'm sure folks with more intimate knowledge can chime on the rules around this.

[PaulNewman]

Anyone who thinks that Amherst will voluntarily move the game to a different surface that will place the home team at a disadvantage is deluding themselves.

LOL.  Maybe the most accurate post in the past week.

Yeah, but come tournament time the officials and both coaches have to agree that a surface is playable, no? I don't think Amherst can insist a game be played on an unplayable field if an alternative is right there.

I'm sure folks with more intimate knowledge can chime on the rules around this.

Give the RPI coach a call.

[Hopkins92]

I'm breaking things down via Massey in the other thread. From Region 1, in terms of being very close on paper, the MHB v. Pacific Lutheran game shapes really well.

In Region 2, I don't think there's much to argue with Rowan v. Middlebury. That should be a barnburner.

(I haven't gone through the other 2 regions yet... Back in a bit.)

Region 3 is a tough call... The Calvin v. CMU game and the Case Western v. Muhlenberg games are intriguing.

In Region 4, the Babson v. Vassar absolutely screams off the page. #7 v. 60 in Massey and just seems like 2 quality squads coming to a head there.

[PaulNewman]

The best, most compelling matchups are relatively obvious without Massey.

[Hopkins92]

The best, most compelling matchups are relatively obvious without Massey.

Yeah, it wasn't really why I did that over there... Totally agree. The games that Massey "highlights" were already called about a number of folks.

I don't have the eye test on a decent number of these teams, unlike you and the pollsters, so it helped me understand the context of some of these games. Like the MHB v. PacLu game... I wouldn't know that those two are so highly rated and so close without Massey.

[d4_Pace]

Anyone who thinks that Amherst will voluntarily move the game to a different surface that will place the home team at a disadvantage is deluding themselves.

LOL.  Maybe the most accurate post in the past week.

Yeah, but come tournament time the officials and both coaches have to agree that a surface is playable, no? I don't think Amherst can insist a game be played on an unplayable field if an alternative is right there.

I'm sure folks with more intimate knowledge can chime on the rules around this.

I think its usually up to the officials. And they have to decide that the field is unplayable. Its a subtle difference but I think the having the normal baseline being the home team picks the field makes a big difference in these circumstances. Now the officials have to make a conscious decision that the field is not up to standards which is often a high bar to clear.  In past cases it seems like unless the field is actually dangerous, not just simply a crappy field, they don't move it.

[camosfan]

Anyone remembers that game last year with NYU and Conn College?

[Maine Soccer Fan]

Anyone who thinks that Amherst will voluntarily move the game to a different surface that will place the home team at a disadvantage is deluding themselves.

LOL.  Maybe the most accurate post in the past week.

Yeah, but come tournament time the officials and both coaches have to agree that a surface is playable, no? I don't think Amherst can insist a game be played on an unplayable field if an alternative is right there.

I'm sure folks with more intimate knowledge can chime on the rules around this.

I think its usually up to the officials. And they have to decide that the field is unplayable. Its a subtle difference but I think the having the normal baseline being the home team picks the field makes a big difference in these circumstances. Now the officials have to make a conscious decision that the field is not up to standards which is often a high bar to clear.  In past cases it seems like unless the field is actually dangerous, not just simply a crappy field, they don't move it.

Playable or unplayabe really comes down to safety when approaching game time and the officials are present. But given that this weather is forecasted well ahead of the games, I would think the AD's of the host sites would be part of the decision making process and they would also be concerned with the damage that would likely be done to their field.

A few years back, apparently a certain coach, from a certain college, that loves to play on unplayable surfaces went apoplectic when informed that his team would be playing on turf rather than sodden grass.