Big Dance 2022 - Let's Go!

[SimpleCoach]

Oof, Merchant Marine takes a 1-0 lead on Bowdoin. Ball back to the goalkeeper was hopping but he misplayed the bounce and it went straight in. Didn't see that coming.

Did it pop over his foot or over his head?

Under ..... his foot.

[SimpleCoach]

Husson v Amherst 11.12.2022

Saturday, November 12, 2022
11:02 AM

Game played on Gooding Field.  Turf.
Amherst in White, Husson in Green. 
Sounds windy.  So bad I had to put it on mute.
Actually looks like this is the best scenario for Husson.  Playing on a turf field, which looks like a full size field.
This looks like a classic game of Trees v. Trolls.
Husson tries to get the ball under control.  Amherst tries to see if they can pass the ball to the International Space Station.
Amherst really pushing the ball forward and pinning Husson deep in their defensive third.
Amherst has the wind to their back the first half.
I have yet to see Amherst get the ball in the back, pass it to a midfielder, who passes it to a forward.
I don't think Amherst is comfortable with playing on turf.  Lots of balls getting away from them.
Here is a scenario I can see playing out... granted only 14 minutes in.  Husson holds Amherst scoreless in the half while battling the wind.  Second half Husson scraps together a goal and Amherst can't equalize.
Husson Keeper is not bad.
20 minutes remain.
Amherst is getting some half opportunities that they can't convert.
Someone on Husson has the great burden of having the last name of Beckenbauer ... and he is from Munich.....
The wind is making it very difficult to judge the ball in the hair.  For the Husson keeper right now, that is problematic.
15 minutes left in the half.
When Husson gets the ball under control, and plays, Amherst struggles.
Amherst makes a large number of subs with 13 minutes left.
Amherst makes hay of chaos on corner kicks which without a doubt are a nightmare to defend
Wow.  Merchant Marine just scored with 11 minutes left in the game.  Keeper takes a goal kick and is passed back.  Ball goes under his foot for the go ahead goal.  Keeper error
And the Husson Keeper just made a point blank save on Amherst.  Ball put across and from 4 yards away the Husson Keeper stuffs a shot. 
2 minutes left.
Husson needs halftime.
And halftime
At zeros.

[Flying Weasel]

Kenyon vs Calvin

Should be an Elite 8 or Final 4 matchup but somehow we get this in the 2nd round. Cruel for both teams to get this draw.

And last year Kenyon and Messiah met in the 2nd Round, and there's plenty of other examples over the years.  Geography plays a big part, but also the ranking/selection criteria which, being too simplistic and formulaic/rigid, results in Calvin being ranked just 4th in their region (which who knows how and what that translates to in overall national seeding).  Theoretically, having the #1 team in one region play the #4 team from another region in the second round (round of 32) really isn't out of line unless the #4 ranked team's region was identified as being stronger/deeper than most other regions in which case a Sweet 16 encounter would be appropriate.  Last year Kenyon, #4 in their region, matched up with Messiah who was #1 in theirs, which means that game should have been a second round, maybe Sweet 16, match-up based on whatever formal or informal seeding that committee develops. Until the regional ranking and selection criteria allows for more subjectivity to recognize that even though a team didn't have the toughest schedule, they still are among the best teams in the nation, these sorts of first weekend match-ups will continue to occur in essence by design, not due to the misfortune of geography/travel considerations.

Does anyone know how long the current format has been in effect?  Because the regional-based format seems like something out of the 70s, when people only saw teams from within their region.  It's time to modernize the format.  I understand that there will still be an interest in minimizing travel expenses, which may cause good teams in some cases to face each other sooner than they otherwise should, but placing the #1 team in one region vs the #4 team in another is just silly.

There is NO pre-established match-ups for the bracketing (e.g. #1 in Region A plays #4 in Region B, #2 in Region A plays . . .).  I didn't mean to imply that with my post.  I'm just saying that as the committee forms the brackets with geography/travel and overall seeding in mind, I think they probably try to keep higher seeds separated until at least the second weekend.  The problem is that very good teams like Calvin this year and Kenyon last years ended up not being among the higher seeds due to the math and the importance of SOS and RvR.  In other words, using the pescribed criteria, Kenyon was probably between a #4 and #8 seed nationally, while Calvin might have only been in the 30's, high 20's at best.  So there would have been no reason to try to avoid a match-up of the two teams in the second round.

No, the bracketing is not based on regions at all anymore beyond the natural factor of geography/limiting travel.  From the 70's through the mid-90's, the brackets were very structured with each region getting is own 4-team pod.  And they would alternate which regions met in the quarterfinals to some extent, but New England would never face the West due to travel.  This is all in the eras of 32-team or less tournament fields with just five rounds when the quarterfinals were a stand-alone match, not part of a 4-team weekend pod/sectional.  Starting in 1997 when the field began expanding and automatic qualifiers (AQ) were introduced, the bracketing gradually became less and less tied to the formal regions and they began to intentionally mix up teams from different regions and to avoid pairing teams from the same conference (the latter recently became a requirement unless all-but impossible to avoid).

So what I am say is that the bracketing format is not the issue here.  It's simply that the criteria and the math for the SOS and the importance of SOS and RvR in the ranking/selection process, with very limited room for subjectivity, means some teams will be under-ranked/under-seeded and others over-ranked/over-seeded, which will result in match-ups in the first weekend/second round that, at the least, should really only be occurring in the Sweet 16 if not the Elite 8.  Sometimes they could even be worthy of the Final Four.

[SKUD]

Lifted his foot and it went under I think.

[Dustin_Patrón]

Oof, Merchant Marine takes a 1-0 lead on Bowdoin. Ball back to the goalkeeper was hopping but he misplayed the bounce and it went straight in. Didn't see that coming.

Did it pop over his foot or over his head?

Under ..... his foot.

Shocking for the first team all-nescac gk selection... gotta feel for this kid if the game ends 1-0.

[College Soccer Observer]

1-1.  Bowdoin ties it on a scrappy goal.

[Hopkins92]

Bowdoin just pulled one back. GK can breath again.

And Amherst finally on the board.

[College Soccer Observer]

Amherst goal typical for them.  Long throw in not cleared, bounces a couple of times, and hammered home.

[paclassic89]

  Man, are they tough to watch.  Playing on turf, wind blowing like crazy.  Still continue to just bang long balls and long throws all game 

[blooter442]

Two in two for Bowdoin. What a free kick.

[College Soccer Observer]

  Man, are they tough to watch.  Playing on turf, wind blowing like crazy.  Still continue to just bang long balls and long throws all game 

Agreed, but it works for them, and it gets in teams' heads when they play. 

[Dustin_Patrón]

Bowdoin #10 with a left footed rip instead of trying to go over the wall. Both Bowdoin and Amherst lead after shakey first halves.

[Hopkins92]

Two in two for Bowdoin. What a free kick.

Surprised by a 4 man wall there. That's the most dangerous spot on the field -- 20 yards is enough to get a curl but also hit with power. Kicker had that corner way too easy.

[jdfranklin23]

Is it snowing at Kenyon?!? I couldn't twll if that was like a CGI/Hallmark movie kind of thing haha

[blooter442]

Surprised by a 4 man wall there. That's the most dangerous spot on the field -- 20 yards is enough to get a curl but also hit with power. Kicker had that corner way too easy.

Yeah, he didn't have to go over the wall as would normally be required because he had the entire side. Perfect distance of around 22 yards from which to hit it. Still, it was an excellent finish, even if they gave him the open shot.