Siberian T, I agree with you. I watched Uof C for the first time. They are by far the best D3 team I have seen play. They play possession based style, they have tremenmdously athletic players with ball skills, and they seem to be well coached.
This disappoints me; I think RPI should be better - I guess they lost some very important seniors to graduation, and no one seems to have filled their shoes. Did Joey Lyons have a bad game? or was she totally left out to dry by her defense? St. Lawrence did play tough vs. William Smith in the last regular season game, so they clearly are capable of putting together a good game; I guess RPI was the victim. So the Liberty League semis are at William Smith on Boswell field (gridiron football turf, not grass), but has lights. The Cozzens grass soccer field will not contribute the usual home field advantage for William Smith. 11/4/17, 4 pm: St. Lawrence vs. William Smith http://www.hwsathletics.com/watch/?Live=744&type=Live 11/4/17, 6:30 pm: RIT vs. Vassar http://www.hwsathletics.com/watch/?Live=808 Final 11/5/17, 3:30 pm http://www.hwsathletics.com/watch/?Live=809 6494
CoachJon from what I remember Joey was left out to dry a few times. Although, she did mess up a goal kick that resulted in a goal and gave up a rebound that resulted in another goal. Both times her defense could have helped her. RPI switched GKs at half.
Amherst vs. Williams right now NESCAC semis 0-0 w/ 30 min left in 1st half https://www.nsnsports.net/conferences/nescac/ Albaneze is having a good game. Amherst draws first blood with 9 mins left in 1st half: Sasha Sevitsky NESCAC Semi Hamilton vs. Tufts 5 pm: https://www.nsnsports.net/conferences/nescac/?event=27529//
Actually got to see Messiah vs Arcadia live today. 1st it was at Messiah's home field and 1st thing I noticed was the field was at least 10 to 15 yards more narrow then a normal field. Messiah had control of the game, possession was at least 70/30 to Messiah. I think Arcadia was playing a 5-4-1 so you know what they were trying to do. Messiah would move forward as a team and try to work the ball. Arcadia would try the long ball either on the ground or in the air. So it was a game of total opposites as I watched, The game went to the 2nd OT and Arcadia got of a nice short from outside the 18 on an angle., The Messiah GK got her hand on it but didn't push it high enough to go over the crossbar. Arcadia won 1-0
Out west the Whittier College Poets staged two huge upsets defeating the favorites Cal Lutheran #20 and shutting out Pomona Pitzer (last year Pomona made it to the Elite 8) to win the SCIAC Tournament get the automatic bid into the NCAA tourney...
DIII Bracket Analysis I calculated: Rank Index Points (RIP) = (UCS Rank + Massey Rank + Bennett Rank) divided by 3. I used the RIP to indicate the relative strength of teams and brackets. I graded each bracket by summing the RIPs for the top five teams in each bracket, regardless of how they were seeded within the bracket. (20 out of the 64 teams) Disclaimer: These are imaginary numbers and no true meaning can be extracted from them. A. Three out of the four brackets have about the same strength. Like last year, there is one bracket that appears to be significantly less strong than the others. 2017: 53, 51, 55, 80 2016: 42, 112, 77, 42 B. Like last year, each of the four strongest teams is in a different bracket. Of the next four strongest teams, two are in the upper right and one each in the upper left and lower left. C. For the second year in a row, all four brackets are set up so the two strongest teams in the bracket can’t meet until the Quarter Finals, which is an improvement compared to previous years when strong teams faced-off in the first or second round. Looking at this year’s bracket and last year’s, it seems the NCAA is actually seeding the tournament rather than strictly following geographical proximity guidelines. ------------Top Five Teams in Each Bracket UPPER LEFT--------------53--------------UPPER RIGHT----------51 Chicago-------------------------1-------------------William Smith--------------3 WashU--------------------------5-------------------Hardin-Simmons----------7 Wisconsin-Lacrosse-----11------------------Carnegie Mellon-----------8 Loras---------------------------17-------------------Ohio Northern------------14 Wheaton (IL)---------------18-------------------Swarthmore---------------19 LOWER LEFT----------------55-------------LOWER RIGHT-------------80 TCNJ-------------------------------2-------------------Williams-----------------------5 Messiah---------------------------7-------------------Johns Hopkins--------------12 Christopher Newport----------10------------------Geneseo St.-----------------14 MIT----------------------------------15------------------Connecticut College-------21 Middlebury-----------------------21------------------Stevens-----------------------28 7116
First round 2017 I’m going to two games tomorrow at William Smith – it will be 34 degrees and cloudy. 11:00 to 3:00 or longer. I unpacked my thermals. I looked at the four team’s stats to get an idea what to expect – I have not seen any of the other three teams this year. Looks like home field advantage is a real thing. Lasell 13 – 5; 2.78 gpg 0.83 gaa 4 of 5 losses on the road Susquehanna 14 - 4 – 2; 1.2 gpg 0.62 gaa 3 of 4 losses on the road 1 of 2 ties on the road Swarthmore 14 - 3 – 2; 2.79 gpg 1.21 gaa 2 of 3 losses on the road 2 of 2 ties on the road William Smith 17 – 1; 2.56 gpg 0.28 gaa 1 of 1 loss on the road 7424
Two games today. 34 degrees, little wind, and sunny, for the most part. The November sun was very low in the sky. Grass field was in great shape. William Smith 5 – Lasell 0 Not much to report from this game, except that Senior center back Tess Lohr (Durhamville, NY) was William Smith’s most valuable player, from my perspective. Lohr is playing as well as she has played since her very promising first year, improving constantly throughout this season. Swarthmore 1 Susquehanna 0, 2 OT This was a very good game to watch as a third party neutral. I was most impressed by Susquehanna. They played a defensive game, primarily, and executed their plan to virtual perfection. First half 5-4-1; then 4-5-1 to start 2nd half; 5-3-2 for a time in the middle of the second half and finishing up 5-4 -1. They played the 5-4-1 in OT. What I was most impressed by was the discipline and teamwork displayed by the RiverHawks. There was no lack of confidence or any display of desperation or of being unfamiliar in the 5-back. When they switch to 5 midfielders, the game flowed against Swarthmore. The best player on the field for this game was Susquehanna senior midfielder Mairead Ruane (Maywood, NJ). She was everywhere, stifling the Garnet attack and launching the RiverHawk offense. I was all set for KFTPM when Swarthmore scored and frankly, I was disappointed that Susquehanna lost. 7537
William Smith 2 – Swarthmore 0 Swarthmore is the best team, outside Messiah, that William Smith has faced all year. The Garnet play very good-looking soccer. This was a gritty performance by both squads. I felt that Swarthmore won most of the balls in the air and were first to 50-50 balls more often than not. William Smith junior midfielder Megan Barwick (Seattle, WA), whose position is wherever the game takes her, scored first with a shot to the top shelf from about 25 yards out at 3:14. William Smith’s second goal came seemingly seconds after senior forward Evie Manning (Lytham, England) had a breakaway down the middle against the Swarthmore keeper and pulled her shot wide. On an ensuing goal kick, the Swarthmore keeper lost footing and fell on her back – as she had done twice previously. She kicked the ball directly at Manning, who was stationed outside the 18, and Manning put this one away at 39:50. [The Swarthmore keeper is from Ithaca, NY, just down the road, so the conditions today should not have been foreign to her]. The temperatures were mid-40’s today and the field was a littler softer than yesterday. Wind and/or low sun were not factors today. Swarthmore’s home field is turf. In the same way as yesterday, Swarthmore center back Yasmeen Namazie (Los Angeles, CA) had an outstanding game. She and William Smith first year forward Sheila McQuillen (Natick, MA) battled the whole game. Swarthmore junior forward Marin McCoy (Denver, CO) is an All American in my book. She plays a smooth and polished game and works well with her teammates. William Smith’s back four of 3 seniors and a sophomore held the Garnet at bay – McCoy had 2 shots; 1 on goal. Manning left the game in the 64th minute with an injury and McCoy left the game in the 87th minute, also with an injury after she collided with a William Smith defender while both were chasing a ball that was running away from them- no foul was called. It looks like William Smith faces the Ohio Northern Polar Bears next weekend. Too bad, I really would like to cheer for Polar Bears. 7632
Sweet 16 Looking back at my Rank Index Points calculations – Two of the teams with top 16 RIPs are no longer playing: Christopher Newport and Loras. The two teams that are in the Sweet 16 that did not have a top 16 RIPs are: Lynchburg with the 24th best RIP and Pacific Lutheran with an RIP out of the top 25. I checked a few games on line, and based on watching most of the Lynchburg – Christopher Newport game, and others from the weekend, I think the teams left must be both physically and mentally tough. Teams with more finesse and less grit tend to fall by the wayside. I checked in on the first round Cal Lutheran vs. UC Santa Cruz game, and was surprised (almost shocked) that Santa Cruz made the tournament with a 5-14-1 record. I’m thinking the D3 teams in the far west probably feel slighted in the polls and perhaps by the NCAA itself – so I guess looking at the big picture, it is good that another western team made it into the tournament. 7707
LS'd the CM -1 vs Arcadia - 0 game. I have seen Arcadia play live vs Messiah and they sat back. In this game they played differently, they moved forward looking for the win. CM controlled a lot of the 1st half with the Arcadia Freshman GK , Brianna Williams, keeping them in the game. CM got 13 shots on goal, well Arcadia got 1 SOG. Even with that in the 2nd half Arcadia got a corner off that Veronica Garcia headed off the crossbar. Just a few minutes later Arcadia got the ball back in the box and after some pinball the CM freshman GK, Carolyn Botz, got on it for a huge save. in about the 80th minute CM had a direct kick from about the 25. The CM player got the ball around the wall and Williams had to make a diving save that she didn't hold and then go get on the ball to save a goal. Then in the 1st OT Arcadia was trying to clear the ball as a defender fell. CM jumped on it and 2 passes later the ball found Senior Haili Adams at the top center of the 18 with enough room to get a shot off to the upper 90 of the goal. Williams could not save that shot, which was too bad she played a great game.
Just FYI- Santa Cruz got a "pool B" bid, for independent teams that don't have access to an AQ from their conference. There's only 1 bid allocated for those schools and I guess they were the best choice. Point is- they didn't take a bid from another deserving school. CNU- Saw much of that one. The ODAC champ beat the CAC champ and so maybe not surprising but CNU was on a roll and had a much softer Saturday game so I'd say at home, that's an upset for sure. Now they get the undefeated NJAC champ, TCNJ at their place so tough road for LC. That winner gets Messiah you'd think but MIT is no slouch. Only good teams left of course. Been gone awhile but thanks for keeping the D3 thread going folks!
I plan on going to the games at William Smith this Saturday and Sunday The Herons (19-1-0) will face No. 14 Ohio Northern (19-1-2) in a third round match on Saturday, Nov. 18 at 11 a.m. on Cozzens Field. The second game on Saturday will feature No. 8 Carnegie Mellon (15-2-2) and No. 3 Hardin Simmons (21-0-0) at 1:30 p.m. A quick review of the 4 teams Ohio Northern: 19-1-2; 2.73 gpg, 0.49 gaa, both ties at home, the loss on the road. William Smith: 19-1; 2.65 gpg, 0.25 gaa, the loss on the road. Hardin-Simmons: 21-0; 5.14 gpg !, 0.33 gaa Carnegie Mellon: 15-2-2; 2.26 gpg, 0.41 gaa, both losses and ties on the road. On one hand, I am looking forward to seeing in person Carnegie Mellon’s Haili Adams and Tori Iatarola, whom I have seen on streaming video and Hardin-Simmons’ Kenne Kessler (leads D3 in goals) and Josey Meyer (leads D3 in assists), whom I have not seen play. On the other hand, I am concerned that the weather conditions will not be conducive to finesse-ful soccer. Last year, California’s Pomona Pitzer was successful in the “frozen tundra” of Whitewater, WI. This year, Texas’ Hardin-Simmons will face the cold rains of November in Western NY. Friday it will be 83 degrees and sunny in Abilene, TX and in Geneva, NY, the high temperature will be 37. Saturday in Geneva, the high will be 47 with rain. It rained today and will rain again on Thursday – the grass Cozzens Field will be very wet on Saturday. I’d like to see Saturday’s games in the rain played on the gridiron turf of Boswell Field, where the NCAA Women’s Soccer Sectional Finals were played in 2013 when 12+ inches of snow fell in Geneva. If it is not raining on Sunday, I’d like to see that game back on the grass at Cozzens. 7962
A couple of notes: Santa cruz got in because they were a pool b independent selection..they were best of schools not in a conference. CNU had their top 2 players out with injury which hurt what was a great season. Hardin Simmons scored 2 late to get passed Trinity in a great match, The Cal Lutheran-Pacific Lutheran was a great game from both teams and fun to watch. Some great sweet 16 matchups this weekend could be fun...any upset predictions?
Easy there- CNU's best 3 players all started and played against Lynchburg, CM Gillis (Conf POY), CB Pratt (Conf 1st teamer) and F Porkorny (1st teamer). Only 1 freshman scorer was out I think so that's not really much of an excuse when nearly every team in the nation has injuries. AND they have nearly 40 players on their roster! CNU was out played in the 2nd half and hard to explain when LC went to overtime in the 2nd Saturday game and CNU won 6-0. And games at home. Experience? Fitness? CNU will be thinking alot about this opportunity and LC deserves loads of credit. Great games this weekend for sure but some will be diminished by weather. That's also expected but funny you don't hear folks complaining about turf fields in November! At least not in d3 where you don't have an army of groundskeepers.
PLEASE try and watch one or more of the Sweet 16 games – there will be high quality and drama. FRIDAY: Noon EST: Wheaton (IL) at Chicago; 2:30 pm EST: UW LaCrosse at WashUSATURDAY: The Rest Game times and links to video streams and live stats are given here: Friday: http://www.d3sports.com/sports/wsoc/2017-18/schedule?date=2017-11-17 Saturday: http://www.d3sports.com/sports/wsoc/2017-18/schedule?date=2017-11-18 For your best chance of seeing good-looking soccer, I would recommend Williams, Chicago, and/or Johns Hopkins, depending on the weather. << ducks vegetables, brickbats, and fan gear being thrown in his direction >> D3Soccer.com has great previews of the Sectionals (Sweet 16) http://d3soccer.com/ncaatournament/2017/women/2017-womens-sectional-previews I recommend clicking through to the “Complete ______ Sectional Preview” for each section to see lots of stats and comparisons plus Players to Watch for each team. Have fun and PLEASE POST about the games, teams, and/or players. 8125
The previews are nice but the Midwest and Atlantic Regionals still state "preview coming soon." That website, D3Soccer, does a nice job. It would be nice if there was also a website that had previews with as much depth for DI & DII - both women and men.
I saw Whittier vs Pacific Lutheran. Both teams played elegant soccer. In fact I was very impressed with the speed of play and the possession oriented styles of play. I am told that Cal Lutheran is better than both teams. On Saturday Cal Lutheran plays Williams. It should be interesting to see how the western champ performs against a known elite program from the NESCAC. I felt that Whittier and Pacific Lutheran would compare favorably to some of the better teams back east.
As kind of a student of youth development, I ask this question. What is the relative level of these top D3 programs? Just to further invite comment- Do you think most of the starter type kids would be 50% scholarship kids at midling midmajors? Top players 50% at top 50 RPI ? All American players could be on the field anywhere? Are there any archived games to view? Do they ever play higher division schools for reference?
There is no doubt in my mind that the top D3 programs would be competitive with most midmajors - "midling" label aside. Many of the top D3 programs would beat many of the midmajors. The top programs, Chicago, WashU, TCNJ, MIT, etc, have rosters filled with kids that could have played at the D1 level. Most of those kids, though, have a focus that is academically oriented and/or want a more balanced experience from a athletic, social, and academic standpoint. Consider that many of the top D3 schools are among the academic elite institutions. Kids attending those schools must be academically elite themselves. Having said all of this, D3 soccer programs run the gamut from being really good to really bad. I don't believe that is all that different from D1, D2, or NAIA, though.
As a father whose daughter plays for a top 5 D3 team and has started a few games as a freshman I can tell you she never played for a well connected team/coach for club, she never cared for or wanted to pursue (hound?) D1 coaches, and probably was not the body type that D1 coaches were looking for. I think those are all keys to gaining the attention of a D1 coach. She did play in the WPSL as a high school girl along side D1 girls (as a starter) so I know she feels at ease playing with that class of girls, but she is definitely a small fish at her college now. She's lucky cause she's with a team and school she loves.
If you want to try to compare D3 to D1, Massey does put them all within a single ratings system, using whatever crossover games there are as the connection. There aren't a ton of crossovers -- in stats jargon, there isn't a lot of correspondence -- between divisions, but this is about as good as you're going to get. (Scroll down to #39, and you'll see Central Missouri.)
I will be taking my Daughter to TCNJ to see both games played there live. Messiah plays a nice game and looking forward to seeing MIT play. Also looking forward to seeing TCNJ play. TCNJ roster is all for NJ but for one girl from PA. Says a lot about NJ soccer, I feel there is a lot of good players in NJ. ( I am not from NJ)