NCAA TOURNAMENT 2024

[jknezek]

They did it in the conference tournament and it worked well. Today... Less well.

[Hopkins92]

They made all 5 in the conference championships.

I'm not sure about that technique. It's interesting and I posted about it on the MidAtlantic thread, so I don't want to repeat it.

Overall, Hopkins needs to learn to rise to the moment in the NCAA. They come pretty close to just chucking their possession style of play when they come up against a quality opponent. I love the way they were more direct against F&M, but it was still their overall possession approach. Large stretches of today were just them lumping up long balls to no one.

Nothing to hang your head about losing to W&L. But you earn a hosting spot, you have to like your chances to advance going into the weekend. Alas...

[PaulNewman]

Commentary...

Gutsy, gustsy performance by W&L to travel to Hopkins and advance.  Hopkins imo was one of the best teams in the country and had a shot at reaching a Final 4.  W&L of course is very good and very tourney-tested.  Pleasants and JP Morgan (Ryan) have been playing for W&L since the mid 2010s. 

Right before Meyer took his kick I thought....I wonder what happens with this style if the first or second kicker misses one.  Doesn't seem so surefire after a miss...and then the reaction to the miss bleeds into the other kickers.  Praised like crazy just a week ago, and now we may never see that again.  Meyer also hesitated too long and I think kind of froze himself.  W&L obviously had a week to study as well.

[Kuiper]

I think we need to start asking why Wisconsin has become the hotbed of DIII men's soccer.   Three Wisconsin state schools in the Sweet 16!  Too bad two of them have to play each other.

[SKUD]

^ it got them the PK win last week and when it worked everyone loved it.

[Hopkins92]

IIRC they each to a man did no run-up. Never seen that before from an entire line of kickers. Is that coaching? (I cannot recall any of the previous JHU shootouts in the NCAA, but I know they lost to Tufts in 2017 Ro16.)

As my Hop colleague noted, yes, this a thing that coaching staff implemented after a loss in PKs with some pretty bad misses.

Unfortunately, nerves in November Madness are much different than in a conference championship where the stakes were pretty low (Hop was playing to host, not make the tournament last weekend.)

[Kuiper]

HALF:  Buffalo State 1 - Tufts 0

Buffalo State gets a goal in the 42nd minute to take the 1-0 lead going into halftime.  First the Westfield St. game and now this.  Tufts keeps living dangerously.

[SierraFD3soccer]

The Hopkins pk experiment is probably done. W&L keeper saved a pk off of Hops best player.  And then sailed it over the bar. The sub keeper made no saves. Only really close to one.

In 2022, Hop lost two pk shootouts one in the Cent Conf Muhls and one against Stevens in the quarters. If I remember correctly Hop hit it over in one and wide left in the other.

Pure coaching choice.

[SierraFD3soccer]

Commentary...

Gutsy, gustsy performance by W&L to travel to Hopkins and advance.  Hopkins imo was one of the best teams in the country and had a shot at reaching a Final 4.  W&L of course is very good and very tourney-tested.  Pleasants and JP Morgan (Ryan) have been playing for W&L since the mid 2010s. 

Right before Meyer took his kick I thought....I wonder what happens with this style if the first or second kicker misses one.  Doesn't seem so surefire after a miss...and then the reaction to the miss bleeds into the other kickers.  Praised like crazy just a week ago, and now we may never see that again.  Meyer also hesitated too long and I think kind of froze himself.  W&L obviously had a week to study as well.

As to Meyer taking his time, he has a very savvy 5th yr/grad student no freezing there. I think he wanted to see which way Joseph might have wanted to go. 

[mngopher]

Announcers in the St. Olaf game mentioned that 3 of their players from last year transferred to D1. Anyone know who those were besides Morgan? I'd be interested to see how they fared this year playing up 2 divisions.

McCloskey went to UNC-Charlotte. Gaulmin went to Akron. Morgan went to Loyola Marymount. All played pretty significant time this season.

[SierraFD3soccer]

Commentary...

Gutsy, gustsy performance by W&L to travel to Hopkins and advance.  Hopkins imo was one of the best teams in the country and had a shot at reaching a Final 4.  W&L of course is very good and very tourney-tested.  Pleasants and JP Morgan (Ryan) have been playing for W&L since the mid 2010s. 

Right before Meyer took his kick I thought....I wonder what happens with this style if the first or second kicker misses one.  Doesn't seem so surefire after a miss...and then the reaction to the miss bleeds into the other kickers.  Praised like crazy just a week ago, and now we may never see that again.  Meyer also hesitated too long and I think kind of froze himself.  W&L obviously had a week to study as well.

No as to Meyer freezing imo. He is hops best player in the 5th yr/grad student. I thought he was waiting to which side Joseph was going. Joseph did take the bait and then made a good save off a mediocre PK shot. Sorry to see the PK sky another 5th year/grad. Both are very good players. It's really rough that this is their last thing they do in collegiate soccer.

[PaulNewman]

Commentary...

Gutsy, gustsy performance by W&L to travel to Hopkins and advance.  Hopkins imo was one of the best teams in the country and had a shot at reaching a Final 4.  W&L of course is very good and very tourney-tested.  Pleasants and JP Morgan (Ryan) have been playing for W&L since the mid 2010s. 

Right before Meyer took his kick I thought....I wonder what happens with this style if the first or second kicker misses one.  Doesn't seem so surefire after a miss...and then the reaction to the miss bleeds into the other kickers.  Praised like crazy just a week ago, and now we may never see that again.  Meyer also hesitated too long and I think kind of froze himself.  W&L obviously had a week to study as well.

As to Meyer taking his time, he has a very savvy 5th yr/grad student no freezing there. I think he wanted to see which way Joseph might have wanted to go. 

Yeah, I know who he is...one of the very best in the country.  He hesitated to the point of questioning which way to go (imo).  I thought he needed to step away and set up again.

[Kuiper]

Announcers in the St. Olaf game mentioned that 3 of their players from last year transferred to D1. Anyone know who those were besides Morgan? I'd be interested to see how they fared this year playing up 2 divisions.

McCloskey went to UNC-Charlotte. Gaulmin went to Akron. Morgan went to Loyola Marymount. All played pretty significant time this season.

Morgan started all 17 games for Loyola Marymount.  Gaulmin started 17 out of 19 games for Akron.  McCloskey played the least of the three, but he played minutes in all 17 games.

They were all 5th year seniors using their Covid year. 

[PaulNewman]

So....Amherst is hosting the Wisconsin Invitational....and CMS and Trinity head to Vermont.  Beautiful college town.  Got married there.  But not exactly the trip I wanna make from CA or TX.  I assume they will fly into Burlington.  Obviously no direct flights to Burlington.

[Kuiper]

HALF:  Buffalo State 1 - Tufts 0

Buffalo State gets a goal in the 42nd minute to take the 1-0 lead going into halftime.  First the Westfield St. game and now this.  Tufts keeps living dangerously.

In the 57th minute, it's still Buffalo State 1 - Tufts 0

Tufts is outshooting them 16-2, but only 3-2 in shots on goal and they are tied 1-1 on corners.