2023 D3 Men's Soccer National Perspective

[Another Mom]

I once remarked to an Amherst professor who knows Coach Serpone that he was an overachiever, and she agreed that pretty much summed him up.

When my son was in recruiting talks with them they pressed hard on his ethnicity. He's of Middle Eastern descent, and the assistant coach asked my son a few times if that could be considered Asian, and, did my son consider himself to be Asian etc. (My son answered "no").

[camosfan]

Serpone taking a lot of heat here today, I doubt his theory from the game I have watched over the last 4 years.

[SimpleCoach]

Hey all.  I know the thread has been positive and really a credit to all you who are posting, but just a quick PSA.  Just be mindful.  We are in the middle of a great discussion on a very sensitive and nuanced subject.  Just be mindful of the people who read these boards who faint necessarily post. 

That's it.  Just want to make this sort of thing blows up into something big and unmanageable.

SC

[WUPHF]

Serpone taking a lot of heat here today, I doubt his theory from the game I have watched over the last 4 years.

I do not see it as heat or agree that a PSA was necessary.  He made comments for the public.  He should expect those to be debated.

But I'll take away my throw-away comment about the multiple Masters degrees if anyone thought that was borderline offensive.

[northman]

I think it's all OK.  Serpone is a short and bald guy (like me) with a big personality (not like me).  He is highly visible among the coterie of D3 men's soccer coaches, and that's not by accident.  I think he likes the attention and controversy, and is quietly chuckling at us.  I myself am chuckling at another segment of his interview with SC, where he said he stopped reading these threads long ago.  My guess is that he reads them quietly and gets a kick out of them.

[Gregory Sager]

Don't know if anybody else considers this helpful information, but I've been given a different perspective on the fouls-and-cards issue, based upon my conversations with some of North Park's Swedish players.

As anyone who has watched NPU play or has glanced at the NPU roster knows, the Vikings have a very large percentage of Norwegians and Swedes on the roster. In fact, the majority of minutes allotted on the past few North Park teams has been to Scandinavian players. Now, in the past -- by which I mean the period from 1981 to roughly 2015 or so, during which North Park annually had anywhere from about two to five Swedes and Norwegians on the team -- the Scandinavians had a reputation, both internally within the team and externally in terms of how they were perceived by CCIW opponents, as being finesse players who largely eschewed the rougher aspects of the game. Being more highly skilled on average than anyone else in the league (apart from some of the Wheaton players), as well as being less apt to respond to rough stuff with payment in kind, they were targets -- and their American teammates occasionally had to take on enforcer roles in order to protect them.

Now, however, with Norwegians and Swedes playing the bulk of the minutes for NPU, these are the fouls-per-game and yellow-cards-per-game stats in the CCIW:

fouls per game

Illinois Wesleyan	14.56
North Park	14.36
Carroll	12.73
North Central	10.58
Wheaton	10.18
Elmhurst	10.00
Millikin	9.90
Carthage	8.36
Augustana	8.30

yellow cards per game

North Park	2.64
Illinois Wesleyan	2.44
North Central	2.42
Millikin	1.80
Carroll	1.64
Augustana	1.50
Wheaton	1.36
Elmhurst	0.82
Carthage	0.73

Last season North Park was second in the league in fouls per game, fourth in yellow cards per game, and tied with their fellow D3 tourney entrant North Central at three red cards apiece.

So, well aware of how physically aggressive the Vikings have become in recent seasons, I asked some of the Swedes why there's been such a sea change in their attitude and approach as compared to their predecessors. The answer I got was really interesting. It had nothing to do with CCIW refs and their attitudes, misunderstandings, possible prejudices, etc. Many of the CCIW's refs are themselves foreign-born, and I don't perceive that people around the world generally dislike Scandinavians, so that's not an issue. But the one thing that the Scandinavian players talk about all the time is that in American soccer, as opposed to soccer back home, they are expected to do a lot more running. They run, run, run over here as compared to what they're used to, and they recognize that that's an aspect of the NCAA's generous substitution rules. If you have x amount of energy that the coaches can reasonably expect you to use in a game, and you know beforehand that you'll only be playing 60 or 65 minutes rather than 90, you pursue every long ball knocked down the pitch, every overextended through-ball pass for which you'd normally pull up and let it go, and if you're a forward you do a lot more chasing on a high press than you did back in Bergen or Linköping or Västerås.

But what they pointed out to me that makes total sense is that physical contact also depletes energy. I don't know how it compares to running in terms of energy expenditure, but I know that offensive linemen in football, who do almost no running at all but who engage in highly violent physical contact for five-to-eight-second bursts roughly 60 or 70 times on a Saturday afternoon, are dog-tired at the end of a game. And basketball centers and power forwards tell me all the time that it's the physical contact as much as the running that wears them down over the course of a game. So the Swedes, who are aware of this, tell me that the extra energy allotment that they have during a game due to their shorter stint on the pitch is not only used to pursue the ball more vigorously, it's also used to be more aggressive in dispossessing opponents, physically locking up (or attempting to disengage with extreme prejudice when locked up), challenging 50/50s, bodying up on set pieces, etc.

I get the impression that there was less of an awareness of this in the past, but now, because there's so many more of them in the NPU program, they talk more about the American style of play and disseminate what they've learned to the new guys coming over to the States and joining the Vikings.

I would be keenly interested in hearing from fans of other D3 schools that have international players that represent countries other than Norway and Sweden. I'd like to know if their international players have similar perceptions about college soccer in the U.S. and a similar response to the different style of play in terms of physical contact than they're used to experiencing back home. And I wonder if anyone else has considered that the generosity of substitution rules might be an invitation to a more physical style of play, simply because players can afford to expend the extra energy physical contact requires.

[EnmoreCat]

Woke up to a discussion here that tangented a little unexpectedly.  Very interesting to hear GS' Scandinavian perspective and I can see parallels in my part of the world.  Bottom line here is that once you get to 18s it's no longer unlimited substitutions and that does change the way games are approached, plus for the higher end of D3 I think the average roster runs a lot deeper than what national premier league does in Australia, reflecting that. But also here, it's an area competition, not a college one.  20s and senior soccer here is aggressive, but also, that reflects the fact that people get paid and are ambitious for progress to A League (our version of MLS).

The extra running in the US is a big thing and I guess the one thing that I notice is that defenders are a lot less likely to get rotated, whereas midfielders and forwards will come in and out.  Whilst the defenders get the benefit of being familiar with the ebb & flow of the particular game, being on for the full 90 would have to be challenging when a substitute enters who might have only played 20-30 minutes, does come at you.  That situation may require a different "handling" to what might happen in the first five minutes of a game. 

As for the other topics, I have a couple of post-graduate qualifications which were attempted for what at the time seemed like pretty good reasons and I don't think learning should ever stop, whether it's formal or informally trying to understand the intricacies of the D3 soccer world  .  On the diversity angle, Australia is in a unique situation given its continental status, but has had it's own battles with what immigration policy should look like.  My family was a beneficiary of it post-WW2 and whilst growing up with a "strange" (although commonplace in Lithuania) surname wasn't necessarily fun in the 1970s in Western Australia, I am really proud to say that the Enmore siblings have encountered nothing at all similar in new millenium New South Wales, so I will take that as a massive positive.

 

[PaulNewman]

https://athletics.stolaf.edu/news/2023/10/6/mens-soccer-morgan-called-up-to-u-23-costa-rica-national-team.aspx

From Costa Rica to Northfield, MN....I see a Simplecoach YouTube/Patreon Premier Documentary...perhaps combined with sidekick Victor Gaulmin's journey from France to Northfield.

[PaulNewman]

Will more teams from the current D3 boards Top 25 make the Round of 32 and/or Sweet 16....or from this group...Hopkins, St Olaf, Williams, Rochester, Trinity (TX), Kenyon, OWU, North Park, Hope, W&L, Stevens, Kean, Wash Coll, New Paltz, Babson, Vassar, Western CT, Denison, Leb Valley, Muhlenberg, Wartburg, Oglethorpe, MSOE, Macalester?

[PaulNewman]

A midseason look into the regions

***Any references to ranked wins are very informal projected regional rankings at tournament selection time, with no connection to the USC regional rankings...and NCAA ranked wins are critical as it is almost impossible to get a Pool C bid with none and often a single ranked win is insufficient...

Region 1

Amherst (7-2-1)
Bowdoin (6-0-3)
Conn Coll (7-0-2)
Middlebury (6-0-3)
Tufts (6-1-3)
Western Connecticut (9-1-2)
Williams (6-2-1)

Fortunes can change substantially within a week or two, but currently six NESCACs and Western CT appear to be the top contenders.  Perhaps the slightest of edges to Conn Coll and Middlebury, but Bowdoin will love continuing to be underrated and Amherst will cast a mammoth-sized shadow over the entire field until they are out or holding the trophy.  Tufts and Williams are scratching and clawing to stay in the hunt, and who wants to bet against either of them.  Western Conn should have a better SoS this year but they still may be short on ranked wins.  They got Vassar again but the Brewers may or may not end up regionally ranked.  West Conn does have a match with Williams left, and a win over the Ephs would do wonders for the resume just in case West Conn ends up on the wrong side of conference tournament drama like last year with UMass-Boston.  As for the Beacons, they will again need a conference tourney title.

Region 2

Babson (7-3-2)

And that's it for Region 2.  The Beavers should be in good shape as long as they go 6-1 or better down the stretch.  Babson started with two close road losses at Montclair and Stevens, took another loss with Conn, but rebounded in a big way with wins over Amherst and a draw with Tufts. 

Region 3

Cortland (10-1-1)
Hobart (5-4-1)
New Paltz (8-1-2)
Oneonta (9-2)
Plattsburgh (6-0-4)
Rochester (6-1-3)
SLU (4-3-2)
Vassar (5-3-3)

Cortland and Oneonta should be safe barring massive meltdowns.  Cortland especially is in good shape with a win over Oneonta in hand.  New Paltz and Plattsburgh may be vying for a 3rd bid out of the SUNYAC.  These two tied but Plattsburgh still has a murderer's row left with Cortland, Oneonta, Geneseo, and SLU.  Slight edge to New Paltz.  Then there is steady as she goes Rochester, heading to something like a 9-3-4 record and yet another NCAA bid.  Hard to see a Pool C coming out of the Liberty unless Vassar can do it, and otherwise expect a dogfight between Vassar, SLU, and Hobart for the LL conference tourney crown.


Region 4

Kean (7-0-4)
Montclair (9-1-1)
PS-Harrisburg (4-4-4)
Rowan (4-2-4)
Rutgers-Camden (8-3-1)
Stevens (5-2-3)
Stockton (5-2-4)

Remember when most of us had Montclair safely in the field last year and they ended up watching from home?  I see only one probable ranked win at the moment, but opportunities (and potential potholes) await in the form of Rowan, Amherst, Rutgers-Camden, and Kean.  Speaking of Kean, the Cougars have quietly surprised, almost as stealthily as Camden.  Stockton has work to do, but also are holding a possible ranked win over Rhodes and a draw with W&L, as well as a likely ranked win over Widener.  Do not forget Stevens, and while PS-Harrisburg isn't going to earn a Pool C you don't want to see them in the first round.


Region 5

Franklin & Marshall (8-1-2)
Johns Hopkins (6-2-3)
Lebanon Valley (8-1-1)
Messiah (10-0-1)
Muhlenberg (8-1-1)
Salisbury (4-2-4)
Washington College (6-0-5)
Widener (9-1)

Messiah...and no one in eyesight over their shoulder.  Muhlenberg has won enough to believe the Mules are more than a nuisance.  That said, I still expect the Centennial to come down to Hopkins and F&M.  And then there's Washington College, the "Bowdoin of the Centennial," and still, btw, unbeaten.  Love Lebanon Valley and Widener, but both are short on ranked wins and really need Stevens to stay ranked.  In the Dutchmen's case, they need to beat Stevens and hope that another loss doesn't keep Stevens out of the final regional rankings.  Looks like Catholic, Scranton, and Elizabethtown will be fighting for an AQ.

Region 6

Christopher Newport (7-1-1)
Emory (7-1-2)
Lynchburg (9-1-1)
Mary Washington (9-1)
Oglethorpe (7-1-1)
Rhodes (7-1-1)
Virginia Wesleyan (9-2)
Washington & Lee (6-2-3)

Keep an eye on Oglethorpe.  The Stormy Petrels could use another ranked win and Emory coming up would do the trick.  CNU is in pretty good shape but the Captains do have two matches with Mary Washington and a showdown with W&L.  Lynchburg, another stealthy, steady as she goes squad, also could use another strong win, and Mary Washington, VWU, and W&L are on tap.  I'd love to see Rhodes make a big push, but Oglethorpe may be the only chance to lock in a ranked win.  I've been on Emory since the first week or two, but now things get really real...NYU, Chicago, CWRU, Oglethorpe, CMU, etc.  Don't be surprised in a few weeks when you're handicapping W&L's chances to move beyond the Sweet 16.


Region 7

Carnegie Mellon (7-1-2)
CWRU (7-1-1)
Denison (7-2-2)
John Carroll (8-2-1)
Kenyon (8-3)
Mt. Union (9-1-1)
Ohio Northern (5-4-2)
Ohio Wesleyan (7-3-1)
Otterbein (5-2-3)
Rose Hulman (7-3-1)

Despite a couple of speedbumps, John Carroll is sitting on a treasure trove of ranked wins, so the Blue Streaks should be fine barring an epic collapse (which is not going to happen).  Ohio Northern has one of the most confusing resumes in the country and is fighting for its postseason life.  Mt. Union is sitting pretty with at least two ranked wins, but one more would be nice.  CWRU is one of the hottest teams in the nation but some tough ones await...Emory, Rochester, Chicago, etc.  I don't see a ranked win for CMU and so they are gonna need to win a couple out of Rochester, Emory, Chicago, CWRU, and NYU.  The NCAC is still a three-way dogfight.  A lot rides on the Kenyon at Denison match tomorrow, and the Owls will be hard to catch if they get a win after just beating OWU.  Denison does have one thing Kenyon and OWU don't...a win over JCU.


Region 8

Calvin (8-2-1)
Carthage (7-2-2)
Chicago (6-1-3)
Hope (7-1-3)
MSOE (10-1-1)
North Central (10-1-1)
North Park (7-3-1)
Wheaton (Ill) (6-4-1)

I still like Chicago and Calvin here.  After more blustering from Carthage I still expect North Central and North Park to decide the CCIW and one of them is most likely to win the conference tournament.  The Vikings, though, also could use a couple of ranked wins or they could be sweating out Selection Monday.  Hope has had a great year and hold a ranked win over Chicago  but they may fall just short.  A win over Calvin would do wonders.  Wheaton seems unlikely for Pool C but the Thunder could definitely play a spoiler role.  And we'll all just keep ignoring MSOE until they knock someone off in the first round.


Region 9

Carleton (9-1)
Loras (6-2-4)
Macalester (6-1-4)
St John's (5-2-3)
St Olaf (6-3-1)
UWEC (8-2-2)
UW-Platteville (7-0-4)
UW-Whitewater (9-0-4)
Wartburg (6-0-5)

A very interesting region that few will show much interest in.  Can Carleton keep a great season going?  What about Macalester right on their heels?  And here comes St Olaf crashing back into the national picture.  I like all of the UWs, but not enough to hang my hat on one of them.  Wartburg is my sleeper pick here, and don't be surprised if you see St Olaf in the Elite 8 or even the Final Four.


Region 10

Cal Lutheran (5-1-4)
CMS (4-2-3)
Colorado Coll (7-2-1)
Occidental (8-1-2)
Pac Lutheran (6-1-4)
Redlands (8-1-1)
Southwestern (5-1-3)
St Thomas (7-1-1)
Texas Lutheran (11-0)
Trinity (TX) (6-1-2)

This is Sir Kuiper's territory.  I still think St Thomas is the best of the bunch, but also believe Texas Lutheran has some momentum with real excitement.  Redlands has a gaudy record but I don't trust their schedule thus far.  I'm gonna guess that Oxy is the class of the West Coast.

[paclassic89]

Great writeup!  One minor correction, with LVC moving to the MAC Freedom they are now in Region IV

[PaulNewman]

Great writeup!  One minor correction, with LVC moving to the MAC Freedom they are now in Region IV

Thanks for catching that....do you think the move helps or hurts LVC...or a wash?

[paclassic89]

The conference move definitely helps because they are no longer in Messiah's conference so the odds of earning an AQ have gone way up haha .   The regional move probably helps as well because it's a move to a weaker region which makes it somewhat easier to get a higher regional ranking plus ranked wins

[PaulNewman]

The UW-Whitewater vs UWEC is a raucous affair.  Great crowd noise.  Can tell it means a lot to the players.  Whitewater went up 1-0 and UWEC got a PK with about 2+ minutes left in the half and scored again a minute later.  UWEC up 2-1. 

Can someone provide some color on these teams, the rivalry aspect, and style of play?  Whitewater has been good forever it seems although often lose in the 1st or 2nd round of the NCAA tournament...but I have no sense of their style.

[Ejay]

Re: region 5 - I'm still not sold on Scranton.  They are on the outside of the Paywall Conference Tournament at 0-2-1. Granted it's only 3 games and the playoffs expanded this year to 6 teams with the addition of Wilkes and Lycoming, but their story is eerily familiar to last year's Drew team that finished 12-3-4 and missed out on the playoffs.