2023 NCAA Tournament

[Kuiper]

FINAL: Chicago 2 - Ohio Wesleyan 1

Chicago scores a last minute goal on a great Robbie Pino cross that was deflected in the goal because of a strong Yetishefsky near post run.  Chicago advances to the Sweet 16.

[SierraFD3soccer]

Possible upset alert. Messiah v. ONU. 1-0 with 30 min left.

[PaulNewman]

Wow.  Losing hurts just as much no matter how much practice you get at it.  Unfortunately I was correct that Kenyon would not survive the weekend and it's too bad for them as I think they would have had a decent chance against Mary Wash.

Well played game by Wash Coll....very solid all around, play within themselves and to their strengths, and obviously very well coached.  Played 10 subs which is impressive.  Comber is very good and a steadying influence.  I thought Kenyon should have kept him from providing so much service out of the back.  Wash Coll also looked comfortable going to PKs as for the last five minutes of the 2nd OT they looked to be in no hurry.  Pinto made a good save and Pedeschri never got close to a save...which sucked for him as he had his best game of the season  otherwise.  Wash Coll also did a nice job limiting Duratovic and Dujakovich, especially the latter as Duratovic did have several chances he will want back...and Martens who missed on his PK appeared to have a clear shot from about eight yards out to win it in the last seconds of overtime.  Very fair result that could have gone either way, but I'm sure Kenyon is extremely disappointed.  Gotta win those games before PKs especially at home.

Kenyon's ending fits with their season.  Good, not great, first year for Wall, rebounding from a tough start against two NCAA teams to land at 16-4-1...and a second round exit in PKs.  They lost a ton of talent but still managed to go unblemished in the NCAC regular season.  Also had more than their fair share of injuries.  Most of the key players return so should be better next year....but next year feels like 10 years away on the day you get knocked out.

Good luck to Wash Coll.  I think they will play well against Mary Wash but the Eagles will likely have a little too much offensive firepower for the Shoreman to advance further.

[kevdog]

Messiah get beat by Ohio Northern 1-0. 43 game unbeaten streak is snapped.

[Falconer]

Congratulations to ONU, who deserved the victory.

I feel especially for Matt Macdonald, who had to watch it happen from the sidelines owing to an unknown injury that wasn't apparent yesterday. A great group of SRs and 5YRs finish their careers in Grantham on a down note, but I know they will stick together for the rest of their lives--they are all winners in more important ways than on the field.

Next year will probably be a rare rebuilding year (as vs reloading) in Grantham. See you all then.

[Another Mom]

Colorado College advances on pks.

[Kuiper]

Colorado College advances on pks.

This is what I posted on the Go WEST thread about this result

Region X is now guaranteed to have two teams in the Sweet 16 of this year's tournament, with the second team to be determined by the Occidental @ Trinity game in a couple of hours.

Big moment for Colorado College.  I believe this is the first time it has made the Sweet 16 since 1993

[PaulNewman]

No Tufts vs Messiah yet again.

And to make matters worse for the non-NESCAC folks, Tufts no doubt is gonna host!

[Another Mom]

Huh. Scuttlebut from people who know more than me is that W&L has a good chance of hosting.

[PaulNewman]

Huh. Scuttlebut from people who know more than me is that W&L has a good chance of hosting.

Hope so...I'll be surprised.

[Kuiper]

Huh. Scuttlebut from people who know more than me is that W&L has a good chance of hosting.

That would be kind of brutal for Colorado College to fly back to Colorado Springs and then have to fly back across the country to the southeast to play at Lexington.  I'm sure they would prefer Ohio Northern if that was possible.  I guess W& L is better than Tufts, though.

One saving grace is that under the school's unique one-class-a-time block system with 4, four-week blocks, Block 3 ends on Nov. 15 (this Wednesday) and then they have a Fall Break until Nov. 27, when Block 4 begins.  So, at least they wouldn't miss any classes traveling on Wednesday night or Thursday for a Friday game. 

[jknezek]

Huh. Scuttlebut from people who know more than me is that W&L has a good chance of hosting.

That would be kind of brutal for Colorado College to fly back to Colorado Springs and then have to fly back across the country to the southeast to play at Lexington.  I'm sure they would prefer Ohio Northern if that was possible.  I guess W& L is better than Tufts, though.

One saving grace is that under the school's unique one-class-a-time block system with 4, four-week blocks, Block 3 ends on Nov. 15 (this Wednesday) and then they have a Fall Break until Nov. 27, when Block 4 begins.  So, at least they wouldn't miss any classes traveling on Wednesday night or Thursday for a Friday game.

It's an awkward bracket travel-wise. Tufts and W&L are flight distance, 629 miles. Colorado College is flight distance from all. That leaves Ohio Northern, 419 miles from W&L, but flight distance to Tufts. So if you choose Tufts, it's 3 flights. If you chose Ohio Northern or W&L, it's 2 flights. Neither ONU or W&L has a women's team still in the tournament. By the bracket, I'd say W&L is a higher seed than Ohio Northern, so it could very well be W&L just to cut out 1 flight.

[Bucket]

Huh. Scuttlebut from people who know more than me is that W&L has a good chance of hosting.

That would be kind of brutal for Colorado College to fly back to Colorado Springs and then have to fly back across the country to the southeast to play at Lexington.  I'm sure they would prefer Ohio Northern if that was possible.  I guess W& L is better than Tufts, though.

One saving grace is that under the school's unique one-class-a-time block system with 4, four-week blocks, Block 3 ends on Nov. 15 (this Wednesday) and then they have a Fall Break until Nov. 27, when Block 4 begins.  So, at least they wouldn't miss any classes traveling on Wednesday night or Thursday for a Friday game.

I think W&L would definitely get the nod over Tufts because of distance. If in Medford, that'd be flights for all three schools (each more than 500+ miles away). Ohio Northern can drive to W&L (just under the 500-mile cutoff).

And if the Jumbos do end up in Lex, I'm going to have to recommend Frank's Pizza to my friend Kyle Dezotell. (Assuming Frank's is still good. Can you confirm @AnotherMom?)

[PaulNewman]

Not that this has anything to do with how they decide but Logan would be the easiest and likely non-stop flights.  Harsh for ONU to drive to W&L even if it is under the 500 mile limit.  I assume you fly in to DC or Richmond to get to W&L.  Tufts won't care at all...but definitely would be an advantage for the Jumbos.  I can'gt imagine that Tufts isn't the highest seeded remaining team.

[jknezek]

Roanoke is 40 minutes from Lexington. Not easy to get to commercial direct, but plenty of connections.  I assume these are mostly charters anyway.

Totally agree Tufts is highest seed, but D3 being mindful of flights in choosing pods is a longstanding history.