2023 D3 Men's Soccer National Perspective

[EnmoreCat]

I don't know much at all about this NFL stuff, but once that Brady fella comes back, the Patriots should be all right?

[northman]

I don't know if this will have any relevance to anything but I do think it's an interesting topic...and please read presuming a dash of baked-in hyperbole...

Maybe this is standard around the world, but Americans by in large dislike winners...and the few times they are ecstatic about a winner is only when his or her team wins some ultimate prize.  Sometimes we hate some other teams more than we love our own.  Think about how some feel about the Dallas Cowboys or New England Patriots, Red Sox or Yankees, Lakers or Celtics, Real Madrid or FC Barcelona, Man U or Arsenal....and the common demoninator is anything that as a participant, parent, or super-fan made us feel pain...and that emotional attachment to events can make us even years later preoccupied with some perceived grievance or bad call about what happened in the Sweet 16 in the 73rd minute or whatever.  Tufts, OWU, and Calvin have all caused me some pain, and I can admit to my weak character in sharing that when any of those teams lose I amazingly don't find myself unhappy.  Just thinking about Duke makes my blood boil and every time I do my internal television shows The Shot from the 1992 East Region Final in Philadelphia.

And as I sit here 10 miles outside Boston in the heart of New England, I'm not displeased that the Patriots are down two touchdowns.

Thanks for this insight, Paul Newman.  As a lifetime New England sports fan...including the aforementioned Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox...I understand and appreciate the "hating" of an annoyingly successful team.  And when our team is consistently dominating, most of us fans love to be hated!

And, although I can't pretend to speak for all posters on the lively Amherst "debate", I suspect many of us appreciate EnmoreCat's unflagging passion and devotion to the Mammoths men's soccer program.  As the father of a Bowdoin alum, I have commented on a number of occasions about Serpone and the program.  To repeat:  Serpone is generally liked by his players and many players of opposing teams.  The NESCAC coaches are divided.  Some like and appreciate him, while others are annoyed. 

But I agree with you that...with the number of posters from a wide range of perspectives...it's reasonable to objectively conclude that there are things about the program that can be annoying to the casual observer...above and beyond the record of excellence.

[PaulNewman]

Thanks, northman.  You put it better and more cleanly than me.

You hit on a point I meant to mention.  Parents/fans have absolutely no commitment to avoiding hypocrisy.

In my mind, Kentucky should win the NCAA title literally every single year, and same for the Boston Celtics in the NBA.  As a kid I felt that way about the Dallas Cowboys....until the Jerry Jones era.  Sidenote:  at age 8 or 9 I had an autographed 8x10 glossy of "Bullet" Bob Hayes as a proud member of the Dallas Cowboys Fan Club.  Many may not be familiar with that name but he was a great Cowboy in the mid to late 60s, played in the great Dallas-Green Bay games along with "Dandy" Don Meredith, and prior to that won Olympic Gold in the 100 meters at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.  The interesting thing there is that, just as I did at age 8 or 9, I STILL am under the delusion that Bob Hayes actually signed it!

At any rate, I have found myself totally annoyed with a few Tufts and Messiah posters who are gravely disappointed any year their team doesn't win the national title.  It comes across as entitlement, a birthright...but again, see above.  And no, my own hypocrisy doesn't even register on Doppler.

[PaulNewman]

The door is beginning to shut on "early season," so I'll post PN's games to watch for the week here...

Tuesday, Sept 19

CWRU-Mt Union...Strong candidate for game of the day...a clash of Region VII leaders currently vying to share the penthouse suite with JCU.  More important to the Purple Raiders who will be eager to back up the huge win over Calvin.

Wartburg-UW Platteville...Sleeper candidate for game of the evening with both anxious to catch the attention of esteemed D3 boards top 25 pollsters who may be still straddling the fence on one or the other or both, or still unsure what state Wartburg lives in.

Elizabethtown-Messiah...The infamous Marshmellow tilt...protip:  get your marshmellows ahead of time and enjoy in the comfort of your own home...this one could be 4-0 after 30 minutes, and not because Etown is bad but just because.  If you're a neutral, consider skipping the match entirely and wait for the award-winning highlights package on the Messiah website.

Rowan-Washington College...The NCAA has pre-authorized OT for this one.

WPI-Amherst...Trap game for the Mammoths??? Nope.

Endicott-Middlebury...See above.  Coach Calabrese better bring Duke and Bella along for this one, but full credit for scheduling Montclair, Stevens, and Midd...all on the road.

Widener-Moravian...Look for Widener superfan, the old guy with the white hair across from the player benches.  And, btw, this is an upset alert.

Chicago-Wheaton (Ill)...The Maroons travel to Joe Bean Stadium to take on a Thunder crew dripping in excitement since winning at the Loras Rock Bowl in their last outing.  Wheaton had not won at The Rock since 1997.  One problem...when was the last time Chicago lost two in a row?

NYU-Stevens...Is that a death rattle I hear, or can the patient make a miraculous recovery?  Stevens is not exactly the opponent to pick to get well on.

Wednesday, Sept 20

Buffalo St-Brockport St...SUNYAC geographical rivals face off.  Did you know Buff St, not Brockport, is sitting at 4-0-2?

Mt Aloysius-Carnegie Mellon...Can the Mounties trouble CMU as much as they did Kenyon?  CMU cannot afford ANY slips.

Carthage-Calvin...See Chicago-Wheaton above...not the best time for the Firebirds to visit Grand Rapids.

Denison-John Carroll...Denison's first major test, and it's a doozy.  Coach Mladenovic will put his team on alert after conquering OWU and ahead of Calvin and North Park on the horizon...but human nature is human nature, and Coach Bianco is racking his brain to come up with a gameplan...he knows what a win here would mean for the Big Red and confidence going forward.

Otterbein-OWU...Both need this one to get into a better vibe.  OWU is vulnerable without a prime offensive star, and Otterbein is looking over their shoulder at Mt. Union but they're suddenly looking in the wrong direction.

New Paltz St-Oneonta St...Who says it's all about Oneonta and Cortland in the SUNYAC? Strong candidate for game of the day.

W&L-Virginia Wesleyan...As another poster already underscored, we've got a sneaky good matchup here.  The Marlins are undefeated and off to one of their better starts in years.  W&L has been sputtering and had to rally to get past Brevard.  That said, this one is still bigger for VWU as chances are W&L will be just fine in the long run.

F&M-Kean...Kean hasn't lost yet, and the Dips were held to a draw at Haverford.  This could be the best game that no neutral will watch.

Luther-St Olaf...Luther so far has been disappointing.  St Olaf is looking to continue rebounding from a tough, but explainable start.  The Oles have to be on guard, though, because this may be the Norse' last stand before submitting to palliative care. 

North Park-Wash U...Absolutely no clue what to expect here, although an agitated Vikings squad will look to get in and out of St Louis with a W as quickly as possible.  Some more tough ones await.

Several good Region X battles that our West Coast chief correspondent is already covering...Chapman-Cal Lutheran, CMS-Redlands, Occidentai-Pomona-Pitzer.

Thursday, Sept 21

Load Management

Friday, Sept 22

Christopher Newport-Santa Cruz...When they say Coast to Coast they really meant that this time.  Does CNU have to go out there again later?  Gotta be honest, the Captains always are vexing to me, and I lean towards thinking they ultimately will fall a little short.  Welp, almost every team eventually falls short, but still...

Mary Hardin-Baylor-Trinity (TX)...MHB has disappointed but I'm not sold on Trinity yet either.

Hardin-Simmons-Texas Lutheran...The Texas Lutheran juggernaut keeps on rolling.  This year's version of last year's St Thomas.  The Cowboys are about to get bucked off their horses.

Saturday/Sunday coming soon...and there are some massive ones...









 

[Kuiper]

UPSET WATCH:

Trinity (TX) is up 1-0 on D1 Incarnate Word at the half

[Ejay]

Elizabethtown-Messiah...The infamous Marshmellow tilt...protip:  get your marshmellows ahead of time and enjoy in the comfort of your own home...this one could be 4-0 after 30 minutes, and not because Etown is bad but just because.  If you're a neutral, consider skipping the match entirely and wait for the award-winning highlights package on the Messiah website.

While Messiah is clearly much better, this is the ultimate trap game for them with Mary Washington on the schedule for Saturday. I give the Blue Jays a fighting chance.

[Ron Boerger]

UPSET WATCH:

Trinity (TX) is up 1-0 on D1 Incarnate Word at the half

Worth noting this is not the best D1 squad (2-13-1 last season, 1-4-1 this young season).  It's also worth noting that last year's exhibition between the two was a 4-0 decision in favor of UIW.  Tonight's game apparently counts as it's not marked as an exhibition on either school's schedule.

Trinity is so far (74') doing this without Michael Meese who played 73 minutes in the disappointing tie against Hardin-Simmons on Friday night, including the entire second period.  UIW has a 13-4 shot advantage but only leads 3-2 on target. 

[Kuiper]

UIW just tied it up on a PK.  Trinity 1 -UIW 1

This is an example of a low D1 against a high D3 and a Trinity has looked very good despite giving up the PK

Final 1-1 tie

[Ron Boerger]

UIW just tied it up on a PK.  Trinity 1 -UIW 1

This is an example of a low D1 against a high D3 and a Trinity has looked very good despite giving up the PK

And it's the third PK assessed in the last two games.  Very unusual. 

[EnmoreCat]

On RPI last year they were almost last in D1.  I would be disappointed if a very good D3 team such as Trinity didn't beat them.

[PaulNewman]

Elizabethtown-Messiah...The infamous Marshmellow tilt...protip:  get your marshmellows ahead of time and enjoy in the comfort of your own home...this one could be 4-0 after 30 minutes, and not because Etown is bad but just because.  If you're a neutral, consider skipping the match entirely and wait for the award-winning highlights package on the Messiah website.

While Messiah is clearly much better, this is the ultimate trap game for them with Mary Washington on the schedule for Saturday. I give the Blue Jays a fighting chance.

I might agree with you but not coming off a draw with Salisbury.

[EnmoreCat]

I might edit the "very" bit out...

[PaulNewman]

Saturday, Sept 23

JCU-Calvin...Most days this might the absolute headliner but here they'll have to settle for vying for second place among a few others.  The dynamics, though, mirror the Mary Wash-Messiah collision...a bluest of blue bloods highly motivated to yet again assert dominance against a hungry, high-rising outfit that has relished every challenge and marched through a thicket of legends.  JCU will have zero fear of Calvin but will be acutely aware of the opportunity...and that's been the Blue Streaks' recipe for success.

Denison-CWRU...What will be Denison's mindset after JCU earlier in the week?  The Big Red will either be looking to rebound with aplomb or sky-high and motivated to prove that they indeed have sauntered onto the main stage.  CWRU, meanwhile, seems to be the stealth, under-the-radar, steady-as-she-goes squad, and by extension, the Spartans aren't much moved by the ambitions and fanfare associated with more "popular" teams.  It also happens that Bianco left CWRU for Denison, whatever that means.

Centre-Oglethorpe...OK, I admit it...I'm never sure if Oglethorpe is Oglethorpe or Covenant.  They're actually not even the same state (I think).  I'm always looking for teams I can safely exclude from more serious consideration...and whenever I look the Stormy Petrels have won or drawn again against another good team.   

Christopher Newport-Colorado Coll...Those crazy Captains, traveling all over and now headed to Colorado Springs.  Somebody check their NIL deals.  And I kind of think of Colorado Coll as a poor man's version of the "Christopher Newport" of the West.  No comment allowed here that doesn't mention the word 'altitude.'

Dickinson-Muhlenberg...Two teams better than I think and that will be vying for the positive side of mid-table in the Centennial.  Are either or both better than Washington College and/or Haverford?

Mary Washington-Messiah...See above with JCU-Calvin, and just add a spice or three.  The Eagles come into Shoemaker with loads and loads of momentum...The Final Four immediately followed by mowing down high level opponents already while remaining unblemished.  Top that off with a win at Messiah, and you've got a program-altering stretch of events.  Just think about how you viewed (or didn't think about at all) Mary Washington at this same time a year ago.  What a job by Coach Kilby.  Kirkland & Berg, LLC is a problem.  And Nelsar Castillo, all 5'3 of them, is just the kind of rare playmaker who can unbalance and rattle the Falcons.  Messiah -- with its 46 page (without pictures) media/record book guide and "you call us, we don't call you" recruiting advantage -- of course relishes exactly these kind of challenges.  Factor in that the Eagles probably have had an advantage in competition level thus far and we should get a good one...maybe a really good one.

Oneonta St-Geneseo St...Geneseo made some noise, for the first weekend.  Now the draw with SLU and win over Skidmore seem like distant memories. 

Colby-Williams...If the Mules are ever gonna break the usual NESCAC patterns this would be a great time to do it.  Colby has played Williams and Amherst pretty well in the recent past, but despite a lot of questions, the Ephs seem to have picked up right where they left off with last season's marvelous run. 

Hamilton-Tufts...The Jumbos want no part of any narrative suggesting they might be a half-step below Midd, Amherst, and maybe Bowdoin and Williams (and maybe Wesleyan and Conn)...and so it's hard to imagine Tufts not turning up with a monster effort Saturday.  That said, I got a funny feeling about this one.  Hamilton has disappointed, but we know they have some very good talent and I'm tempted to mark this match with an upset alert.

Wabash-Hope...Wabash, beat Hope and then let's talk. 

Bowdoin-Middlebury...Very odd that these two don't seem to have a rivalry on par with Williams and Amherst.  I think of them as a pair, even if they don't like that (and I don't know if most alums and students do or not).  And while they are certainly on par with the other two in every meaningful other respect, they do tend to viewed culturally as the pair just a hair below the other one.  What we do we know is that the Polar Bears and Panthers are two very good teams with better than decent chances to make a big run in November.  In other words, this is another huge feature game and I expect a good one to watch.

Stevens-Rochester...Two teams in the Northeast outside of the SUNYAC and NESCAC industrial complexes with some of the best odds of non-SUNYAC/NESCAC squads of taking away one of the Final Four slots.  Why?  For starters, they've both done that...and recently too.  The Live Stats for this one should electric.

Conn Coll-Babson...Excellent out of conference battle between two upper tier New England programs, and with a very likely regional ranking win or loss at stake.  Who besides Babson is gonna end up regionally ranked in Region II?  Some teams no doubt are picking up regionally ranked wins that won't be apparent for a while.  Big game for the Camels and Beavers.

Ohio Northern-Rose Hulman...Tricky game for ONU as the Polar Bears try to come out on the other side of a brutal schedule alive. 

Scranton-Elizabethtown...D3, especially in the mid-atlantic, is better when the programs are better.  Scranton is off to a promising start and Royals fans just want them to keep picking up wins.  Hard to anticipate where Etown's mindset will be after visiting Grantham.

RPI-SLU...Very key match in the Liberty League.  The loser of this one will be hurting.  Two very well coached teams used to high levels of success.  Getting a win here could spur some momentum.

[SierraFD3soccer]

Thanks PN, your posts were great!  I had a good laugh.

"F&M-Kean...Kean hasn't lost yet, and the Dips were held to a draw at Haverford.  This could be the best game that no neutral will watch."

So on point. FYI, F&M's furthest trip of the season, but going to the team's roster center (about 15 NJ, NY and Conn players). Should be a great game so anyone watching should have a good time.

Go in person if you can, video feed does not show F&M bench "antics" well enough. Will be properly entertained and/or outraged, I promise.

[Caz Bombers]

Oglethorpe and Covenant are both in Georgia, although Covenant barely is, maybe a thousand feet from the Tennessee state line in the famous (to Civil War buffs, anyway) locale of Lookout Mountain. It's only 2 miles from downtown Chattanooga actually, and closer to Nashville than Atlanta. Oglethorpe is in Brookhaven, a suburb on the north side of the Atlanta metro.

Oglethorpe is a secular liberal arts/sciences university while Covenant is a Presbyterian church college.