Big Dance 2022 - Let's Go!

[nescac1]

Dead even first half.  No team had a really good chance though the Ephs looked a bit dangerous on set pieces and Chicago a bit dangerous on the counter, especially up the left side.  But the strength of both teams is clearly on defense and it showed and the center backs are very steady on both sides.  Basically the typical Williams game this tourney, anything more than one goal total from both sides combined would be a mild surprise at this point. 

[NEsoccerfan]

1-0 Chicago on a bomb from Pino. He has been the most dynamic player on the field so far today.

[nescac1]

Congrats to Chicago on a well-earned national title.  Their back line was absolutely impenetrable, especially Wada who was in total control. Not one really golden chance for the Ephs today. They played as well as anyone played v Williams, in the second half today.

Congrats also to the Ephs on an amazing run.  They gave it all they had but today Chicago just had too much.  Heartbreaking to fall so close, but the Ephs announced that they are fully back and the future of the program is bright. 

[deiscanton]

Congratulations to UChicago-- 2022 NCAA DIII Men's Soccer Champions

Final:  UChicago 2, Williams 0   Chicago gets an empty net goal with 14 seconds left to seal it.

Congratulations to Julianne Sitch- First woman to coach a men's soccer team to an NCAA Championship in any division.

[NEsoccerfan]

So there is a god after all. Kudos to Williams for making it this far playing such an ugly style of footy, but the best team won today. Wada and Gillespie's height was the perfect foil to Williams' style of play. What a story for Chicago and their female head coach. Undefeated season and a title under their belt. 4 out of 5 final 4 appearances with a title to boot. Definitely one of the top teams in the last decade. Looking forward, they lose both the CBs and Yetishefsky, but I still think they'll be the favorites next year returning 8 starters.

[Buck O.]

Congratulations to UChicago-- 2022 NCAA DIII Men's Soccer Champions

Final:  UChicago 2, Williams 0   Chicago gets an empty net goal with 14 seconds left to seal it.

Congratulations to Julianne Sitch- First woman to coach a men's soccer team to an NCAA Championship in any division.

Not to mention the first UAA team to win the title (as a member of the UAA, anyway, since Brandeis's title predated the creation of the UAA), and only the second non-NESCAC team other than Messiah to win the title since 2003.

[NEsoccerfan]

Congratulations to UChicago-- 2022 NCAA DIII Men's Soccer Champions

Final:  UChicago 2, Williams 0   Chicago gets an empty net goal with 14 seconds left to seal it.

Congratulations to Julianne Sitch- First woman to coach a men's soccer team to an NCAA Championship in any division.

Not to mention the first UAA team to win the title (as a member of the UAA, anyway, since Brandeis's title predated the creation of the UAA), and only the second non-NESCAC team other than Messiah to win the title since 2003.

Let's see if Case Western can pull it off on the women's side for a double UAA Natty

[Hopkins92]

Congratulations to UChicago-- 2022 NCAA DIII Men's Soccer Champions

Final:  UChicago 2, Williams 0   Chicago gets an empty net goal with 14 seconds left to seal it.

Congratulations to Julianne Sitch- First woman to coach a men's soccer team to an NCAA Championship in any division.

Not to mention the first UAA team to win the title (as a member of the UAA, anyway, since Brandeis's title predated the creation of the UAA), and only the second non-NESCAC team other than Messiah to win the title since 2003.

Let's see if Case Western can pull it off on the women's side for a double UAA Natty

No thanks... Go JAYS!

[martin]

Congratulations to the Maroons! Celebrate for fifteen minutes and then get back to the books.  Finals start on Tuesday.

[NEsoccerfan]

Congratulations to UChicago-- 2022 NCAA DIII Men's Soccer Champions

Final:  UChicago 2, Williams 0   Chicago gets an empty net goal with 14 seconds left to seal it.

Congratulations to Julianne Sitch- First woman to coach a men's soccer team to an NCAA Championship in any division.

Not to mention the first UAA team to win the title (as a member of the UAA, anyway, since Brandeis's title predated the creation of the UAA), and only the second non-NESCAC team other than Messiah to win the title since 2003.

Let's see if Case Western can pull it off on the women's side for a double UAA Natty

No thanks... Go JAYS!

Fair, I'm just happy it's no NESCAC. They need to learn to share

[Buck O.]

Congratulations to UChicago-- 2022 NCAA DIII Men's Soccer Champions

Final:  UChicago 2, Williams 0   Chicago gets an empty net goal with 14 seconds left to seal it.

Congratulations to Julianne Sitch- First woman to coach a men's soccer team to an NCAA Championship in any division.

Not to mention the first UAA team to win the title (as a member of the UAA, anyway, since Brandeis's title predated the creation of the UAA), and only the second non-NESCAC team other than Messiah to win the title since 2003.

Let's see if Case Western can pull it off on the women's side for a double UAA Natty

No thanks... Go JAYS!

Fair, I'm just happy it's no NESCAC. They need to learn to share

Well, Hopkins should be in the UAA, even if they had the colossally bad judgment to leave, so if they win, I'm inclined to count it as a UAA title anyway.

[blooter442]

Thought that it was Williams' game to win the longer it went on 0-0, but once that first one went in I wasn't thinking they'd get back in the game.

PN's point about them playing ahead most of the tournament seemed prescient. The Ephs were competitive but even when a team has destiny written all over it, the math still suggests the favorite more times than not, and Chicago was the stronger team on the day. Whenever the goalkeeper gets a hand to a shot but doesn't save it, questions are asked, but Pino's shot was a rocket. And, the coup de grace with 15 seconds underlined Chicago's dominance of the second half after a pretty even first half.

Congratulations to the Maroons, and great to have a title that can be attributed to the UAA.

[Saint of Old]

Congratulations to the boys from Chicago becoming Champions...These guys were rated from the start of the season and held their own the entire way, like another group of champsbI know.
Champions live forever.
The good thing is the appreciation of what you have accomplished will only grow with time and you will inspire many a future Chicago teams to do the same. Well done Chicago.Well done UAA

[Kuiper]

Congratulations to UChicago-- 2022 NCAA DIII Men's Soccer Champions

Final:  UChicago 2, Williams 0   Chicago gets an empty net goal with 14 seconds left to seal it.

Congratulations to Julianne Sitch- First woman to coach a men's soccer team to an NCAA Championship in any division.

I wonder if Sitch is also the first coach to win it in the their first year with the program and in their first year as a college head coach at any level (she was head coach of the Chicago Red Stars reserves that won their conference in the WPSL in 2021, but otherwise her college (and senior level pro) experience has been as an assistant coach).  I wouldn't be surprised if those are firsts in college as well.  Although she inherited a really strong team with tournament experience, I've seen many a head coach screw that up.  Plus, she helped integrate some strong freshman attackers into the lineup and kept the team united and tactically strong.  Arguably, she brought in tactics that pushed them over the top.

[PaulNewman]

Kudos to Chicago.  Wire to wire year.  Undefeated season.  Well deserved.  Extremely well-constructed team and pleasure to watch.

Given some of my own comments (as well as some of others) I do want to congratulate Williams on a remarkable run.  Whatever one thinks of them getting a bid to their offensive playing style, they proved over and over that they were no fluke.  I was so pleased when they knocked out Messiah for the rest of us and had no idea at the time that I should have been worried about Williams, or more correctly, both of them.  I assumed they had survived a toss-up with NYU and then pulled a major upset to advance over Messiah.  Never thought that no one would be able to figure them out.  Imo the Ephs made Chicago more uncomfortable than any team this year.  Stich looked confused and worried throughout the 1st half and Williams just refused to allow Chicago (or any team) to find a rhythm.  Really impressive recovery defense and nearly every time a Maroons player seemed to find a little space he was run down, dispossessed, or blocked and would be surrounded by at least two and often three Ephs.    Chicago had as much trouble navigating through the midfield and final third as everybody else in the tournament.  I also thought Chicago needed to score in the first half and as the game wore on Williams seemed to be in a very good position.  When Chicago finally did score it seemed weird for Williams to be down 1-0.  I wonder what that was like for them.  I assume coaches have different strategies based on different scenarios but I wonder how much they talk about them with the players ahead of time.  At any rate, the Ephs gave up their first goal in the last five games today.