2023 NCAA Tournament

[Another Mom]

I see Amherst as a much more forbidding opponent than Washington College. But, I certainly hope you are right that we are prepared to take Amherst on, Paul Newman.

[coach analytics]

On a lighter note....watching the USMNT game against T&T....i have PTSD watching a horrible field (Amherst's Hitchock) and hearing the horrible cowbells (from Middlebury's past) that remind of the worst from the NESCAC.

[Freddyfud]

As for W&L, it does feel a bit like they were lurking in the wings under the radar.  I didn't see their run coming.

I didn't follow their entire season, but it did seem they rearranged their lineup after some early disappointing games, maybe after the Roanoke loss?  Not sure if they stuck with it for the remainder of the season or if that was the even the reason for the turn around.  Either way they went on to win all but 2 games vs CNU and Lynchburg.  Perhaps one of the W&L faithful could confirm (or deny.). If this is true it would be great to hear about the changes and why they were effective.

[PaulNewman]

I see Amherst as a much more forbidding opponent than Washington College. But, I certainly hope you are right that we are prepared to take Amherst on, Paul Newman.

Absolutely.  But that's why I said compared to the other two teams I think W&L has a better chance to beat Amherst.  So for me it follows that WC and St Olaf have a better chance of beating W&L than they would against Amherst.  W&L has experience at that level and just played Tufts at Tufts.  Also played Oneonta and some other strong teams like CNU and Lynchburg.  I can't remember off the top of my head if they played Mary Wash.  Anyway, if W&L loses I don't think it will be because they aren't physically prepared for the Mammoths.  That said, the Amherst size is an overwhelming advantage against all of them and hard to keep them off the board on all their set pieces.  They are quite skilled at getting themselves chances in the six yard box...whatever it takes is what they'll do.  Btw, I don't think Amherst is quite as much kick and run as gets talked about here.  Ada and Nuhu and several others maintain possession and look for combination play, overlaps, etc.  Let's be honest.  Amherst is loaded when you start thinking about those two and also Murphy, Sung, Cubeddu, Hayton-Ruffner, Eden-Clark, Novak, McCarty, etc.

[SierraFD3soccer]

On a lighter note....watching the USMNT game against T&T....i have PTSD watching a horrible field (Amherst's Hitchock) and hearing the horrible cowbells (from Middlebury's past) that remind of the worst from the NESCAC.

Lighter note??  USMNT, what at train wreck that is.  What a dope Dest is!

[coach analytics]

On a lighter note....watching the USMNT game against T&T....i have PTSD watching a horrible field (Amherst's Hitchock) and hearing the horrible cowbells (from Middlebury's past) that remind of the worst from the NESCAC.

Lighter note??  USMNT, what at train wreck that is.  What a dope Dest is!

Yes, made that post before Dest's antics....maybe the most stupid red card I have ever seen. He was complaint about an out of bounds call at midfield.

[Hopkins92]

He was pissed about a non-call about 45 seconds earlier.  There's no planet/universe where that's enough to lose his **** like that.

Kid needs therapy.

[SierraFD3soccer]

He was pissed about a non-call about 45 seconds earlier.  There's no planet/universe where that's enough to lose his **** like that.

Kid needs therapy.

Did like how Ream and Muhlenberg reject Turner gave him the business going off the field.  Well deserved and showing leadership. FYI Dest is 23 so he knows better.

[SKUD]

Good Luck to the teams, families and friends (other than Amherst ) headed to VA next week! Cherish the moments as they will be gone in a flash.

Happy Thanksgiving to all the great personalities that keep this board so amusing!

[EnmoreCat]

Good Luck to the teams, families and friends (other than Amherst ) headed to VA next week! Cherish the moments as they will be gone in a flash.

Thanks Skud, even if it's just bad luck, Mammoths will just have to make do with that.  I know everyone here will be most pleased to know that I will be there and am really looking forward to whatever comes.

Happy Thanksgiving to all the great personalities that keep this board so amusing!

And of course, Happy Thanksgiving to all.

[SierraFD3soccer]

He was pissed about a non-call about 45 seconds earlier.  There's no planet/universe where that's enough to lose his **** like that.

Kid needs therapy.

Did like how Ream and Muhlenberg reject Turner gave him the business going off the field.  Well deserved and showing leadership. FYI Dest is 23 so he knows better.

Did appreciate Dest's apology after game.

I want to apologize to my Teammates, Staff, Fans and whole nation for my behaviour it was unacceptable, Selfish and immature I let my team down! It's something I have to learn from and it won't happen again!

[Hopkins92]

Respectfully, that's about the bare minimum. Don't know what he said in the locker room, but he's going to have to really fix is attitude and show remorse in the next camp.

As most on this board know, players will forgive a guy for a couple of yellows and even a borderline red card. But doing something asinine to get tossed from a game doesn't just affect you. It obviously changes tactics, sub patterns, etc. Guys who thought they would get in the game are now on ice. But, and this is maybe where lay people might not understand, it means the guys left on the field have to work that much harder to finish out the game.

That's not a minor issue. These are professionals who have massive work loads for their club and country. Forcing guys to put in 110 percent when that game was pretty much under wraps is inexcusable.

I like Dest on the field, but you could tell he was a bit of head case at times. Hopefully the coaching staff and his veteran teammates can help him mature.

/threadjack

[SierraFD3soccer]

Respectfully, that's about the bare minimum. Don't know what he said in the locker room, but he's going to have to really fix is attitude and show remorse in the next camp.

As most on this board know, players will forgive a guy for a couple of yellows and even a borderline red card. But doing something asinine to get tossed from a game doesn't just affect you. It obviously changes tactics, sub patterns, etc. Guys who thought they would get in the game are now on ice. But, and this is maybe where lay people might not understand, it means the guys left on the field have to work that much harder to finish out the game.

That's not a minor issue. These are professionals who have massive work loads for their club and country. Forcing guys to put in 110 percent when that game was pretty much under wraps is inexcusable.

I like Dest on the field, but you could tell he was a bit of head case at times. Hopefully the coaching staff and his veteran teammates can help him mature.

/threadjack

Well said.  Great points.

[WAF 89]

Happy Thanksgiving!

[PaulNewman]

I will understand if Midd fans abstain from responding, but despite Midd not necessarily being one of my favorite teams I do feel a weird kinship (perhaps family connections to VT and the town but mostly because of Kenyon), and I can feel the massive disappointment.  I wonder what folks affiliated with or who were there think happened.  I know some including Amherst noted the Amherst lockdown defense, but was there anything else?  Did having to come back from down 2-0 to Cortland take a toll?  Did Midd get too caught up in making sure they didn't get punked...and maybe lost a little focus? 

I thought it was a 50/50 deal with Amherst, but I thought Midd was going to get it done...exactly as I felt a few times with Kenyon, including last year after beating Calvin and W&L (7-1 on aggregate) back to back and only needing to get by Williams at home.  That Kenyon team last year was really, really good...like "best Kenyon team ever" and national title good...but unfortunately they just didn't get to what clearly seemed in reach.  It's a testament to how good Middlebury was to presume without any doubt that they are experiencing massive disappointment.