2023 D3 Men's Soccer National Perspective

[Gregory Sager]

The folks running onto the field were apparently the UST coaching staff. Can't blame them for it, as they're already looking at having to deal with multiple players sitting out the next game due to red cards, and they clearly didn't want to lose even more of them to any further misconduct. You could tell by the way that they were shoving the Celts away from the confrontation that they were pretty angry with the way that their players were starting to lose their heads. Not that they didn't get plenty of provocation from the Bulldogs, but as a player you've got to know that you have a responsibility to your team's season to keep your cool in that kind of a situation.

[PaulNewman]

OK, finally figured it out.  What I was thinking about was right after STU tied it up under 90 secs or whenever.  STU went to grab the ball and a TLU player wouldn't give it up and in the context of shoving back and forth the TLU finally took some kind of swing and the ref immediately showed him red.

The last one where #5 got a second yellow and then red imo didn't look like much of a foul, certainly not in the larger context.  Thought the STU player took a bit of a dive.  And I still can't tell if the ball went in.

[PaulNewman]

Very quietly UW-Whitewater beat GAC today 2-0.  GAC has had a very uneven season this far but is still good.  UW-W now 11-0-4.

[College Soccer Observer]

Texas Lutheran vs St. Thomas 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoUD350KWfY

As others have noted, this game was insane.  All comments here are from the perspective of analyzing the officiating.
Things started to go down hill with a free kick awarded at the end of the first half.  Referee does not stop the clock when a St. Thomas player was fouled and then down injured.  Time ran out before they could take the kick, and the coach was yellow carded at halftime.  At 41:54 left in the second half, the referee misses a Texas Lutheran player knocking down an opponent before the free kick was taken.  A total of 4 yellows (2 to each team) are given between the 50th and 60th minutes.  With 21:53 left, the ref calls a handball for a penalty kick against St. Thomas.  He gets swarmed by defenders and generally loses control of the situation.   For some reason he turns his back and walks away from the crowd of players who had gathered around the penalty spot.  The goalkeeper from Texas Lutheran runs the length of the field to get involved, and he and #15 from St. Thomas are each ejected for head butts.  The referee had to rely on the ARs to report this.  With 20 minutes left, #5 from St. Thomas is ejected for a second yellow on an aerial challenge that left his opponent bleeding. 

With 11:45 left on the clock (13:00 on the tv scorebug), #30 from St. Thomas launches into an ugly challenge.  He jumps from a distance of several yards, with both feet off the ground, and his studs go directly into the leg of the opponent, leading to a lengthy injury stoppage.  Incredibly, the referee did not even call a foul on this play until his crew got to him during the injury delay.  They correctly awarded a penalty kick, but got the wrong player, issuing a red card to #25 from St. Thomas when the guilty party was #30. 

With 1:38 remaining, St. Thomas ties it up off a corner kick.  They then cause a mass confrontation by running into the net and getting in a scrum trying to retrieve the ball.  This really bothers me, as the NCAA has sent out several memos on this during the season.  There is no need for the scoring team to run into the goal to retrieve the ball as the clock stops when a goal is scored.  #28 of Texas Lutheran winds up striking an opponent in the face as his tries to stop them from getting the ball, so he is ejected.  This is 100% on the coaching staffs of both teams for failing to educate their players about the rules of college soccer.

On the foul leading to the game winning free kick, #5 of Texas Lutheran is given his second caution and ejected, although the box score does not have this red card and lists #2 as getting a yellow.  This is incorrect.  On the subsequent free kick, the AR ruled that the ball crossed the line for a goal.  Based on the video angle, you really can't tell, but the body language of both teams immediately prior to and after the decision would lend support to the call of goal.  There really is no argument from white, and the black team is immediately celebrating.

This was not a proud day for D3 soccer.  The behavior of both teams was appalling, and the refereeing was not good enough.  Put those two things together and you have a player who is undoubtedly out for the season and six players who will be serving suspensions mandated by the NCAA, and that is even before the conference weighs in.

[PaulNewman]

^^^^^Thanks.  Very well done and clear.

[Ejay]

turn up the volume and listen to the background conversation  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoUD350KWfY&t=7068s

I don't know if that's the AD talking, but whoever it is, is laying into a player.

[College Soccer Observer]

The ref gave a red card to the UST defender for the foul (leaving them down 10 men to 8) and awarded TLU a pk.

How was that not double jeopardy?  Did he not make a play on the ball?  Or given everything else in the game maybe a second yellow?

Sounds like the game was nuts.  Hope no one was hurt.

This was a leaping two footed lunge from several yards away where the defender directly impacted the player's leg.  It may have been the worst tackle I have ever seen.  Looking at the reactions of the players on both teams to the injury, I suspect it was either a compound fracture or a major dislocation.  Double jeopardy does not apply when the tackle itself is worthy of a red card without the goalscoring considerations.

[PaulNewman]

Tomorrow Oberlin is headed to South Bend, Indiana to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish...yep, the D1 Fighting Irish. 

Please, anyone, make this make sense.. from both sides.

[SierraFD3soccer]

Tomorrow Oberlin is headed to South Bend, Indiana to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish...yep, the D1 Fighting Irish. 

Please, anyone, make this make sense.. from both sides.

Absolutely, why wouldn't a D3 2-4-5 program meet an D1 ACC team which just beat Duke 1-0. Give the "reserve team" D1 program a chance to play. Counted 34 players on the ND roster.

[Kuiper]

Tomorrow Oberlin is headed to South Bend, Indiana to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish...yep, the D1 Fighting Irish. 

Please, anyone, make this make sense.. from both sides.

I think it makes sense from the D1 team's perspective because of a rule change that I believes allows them to play one sub-D1 team in a game that "counts" for purposes of record, but doesn't count against it for purposes of strength of schedule.  You've seen an increase in these games in the last couple of years, although usually between teams that are physically closer and involving lower-level
D1 programs whose coaches could use an easier game for the win and to give playing time (e.g., Davidson, Boston College, Incarnate Word etc).  For the D3, maybe it helps recruit a D1/D3 borderline player? It's certainly more exciting than a random opponent, especially if they play at a higher-level D1 facility.

[camosfan]

It should be good for the D3 team, would be better at the start of the season, the D1 coach may be looking at players to cut!

[SierraFD3soccer]

Tomorrow Oberlin is headed to South Bend, Indiana to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish...yep, the D1 Fighting Irish. 

Please, anyone, make this make sense.. from both sides.

Absolutely, why wouldn't a D3 2-4-5 program meet an D1 ACC team which just beat Duke 1-0. Give the "reserve team" D1 program a chance to play. Counted 34 players on the ND roster.

Plus the D3 team gets to take a least a 3.5 hr bus ride one way, two states over in a day there and back in one day.  If it was a standard D1 game, the visiting team would leave after classes today and stay overnight in Southbend, but I'm guessing not.  Maybe its like D1 FBS football program paying a FCS team to beat up on. Not thinking that is the case though. 

[PaulNewman]

So, the recruiting pitch for Oberlin goes something like....look, you may not make the NCAC conference playoffs in your four years but at least once  you'll get to play a top 15 D1 squad. 

[Kuiper]

So, the recruiting pitch for Oberlin goes something like....look, you may not make the NCAC conference playoffs in your four years but at least once  you'll get to play a top 15 D1 squad.

It's all about the Instagram post!  Making the NCAC playoffs ("what the heck is the NCAC?") against a team no one has heard of back home (Wabash?  Where is that?) is meaningless, but a photo of you playing at Notre Dame?  That will generate the likes!

Actually, none of this likely applies to the kind of kid who wants to go to Oberlin, but it is how a lot of kids think who apply to D3 schools with national academic reputations. Until they get to the school and start playing at the program, the decision to go D3 when they were always aiming for D1 is a concession that school is more important than soccer and things like playoffs etc are less important.  Playing a D1 might allow them to indulge their dream for a day to convince themselves they could have hung with the players in D1.

[Freddyfud]

The ref gave a red card to the UST defender for the foul (leaving them down 10 men to 8) and awarded TLU a pk.

How was that not double jeopardy?  Did he not make a play on the ball?  Or given everything else in the game maybe a second yellow?

Sounds like the game was nuts.  Hope no one was hurt.

This was a leaping two footed lunge from several yards away where the defender directly impacted the player's leg.  It may have been the worst tackle I have ever seen.  Looking at the reactions of the players on both teams to the injury, I suspect it was either a compound fracture or a major dislocation.  Double jeopardy does not apply when the tackle itself is worthy of a red card without the goalscoring considerations.

Now that the video is linked, I saw that so yea explains why no double jeopardy.  Did anyone else notice the woman behind the TLU goal cheering and dancing for those last goals?  Didn't look like she belonged there.  Strange game all around.