Princeton 2-1 over Villanova (ESPNU). Really cool result with the second goal coming late. Princeton was able to outshoot Nova 27-4 on the road.
Ivy openers this weekend. My predictions: Cornell wins @ Columbia 2-1 Princeton wins @ Yale 3-2 Dartmouth draws vs. Brown 1-1 Harvard wins @ Penn 2-0 What does everyone else think will happen?
Columbia and Cornell 0-0 draw Yale wins at home vs Princeton 2-1 Harvard wins at Penn 3-0 Dartmouth and Brown 0-0 draw Harvard will go wire to wire this year. Purce is too much for the Ivy League to handle.
Brown lost @ home to Sacred Heart last night 1-2... not helping their cause just before the start of the Ivy season. Sacred Heart had an RPI of 189 heading into the game.
Princeton 1 Yale 0 Harvard 3 Penn 0 Purce with 2 goals. She's too good for the Ivy League to deal with
justdoit - You are correct, Purce (F-Harvard) is too good... Penn has one of if not the best defense lines & GK in the league.
Penn has the best defender C Dwyer and their GK it the #1 GK in Ivy League. A 3-0 on the road for Harvard is a great result. They are too good. 7-0 in Ivy League and they might get a home game in NCAA tournament.
Went to a Princeton soccer training camp recently. Josh Miller said that it is very unlikely that Princeton stands a chance against Harvard, but from what I have seen, Princeton is pretty good and definitely a team to watch!
Women's. He had mentioned that he had a few friends on the women's team who had told him their season predictions.
In order for Harvard, if they're in the Tournament, to get a home game, they will have to have a higher RPI than their first round opponent. Who their opponent is will depend on geographic considerations.
There are quite a few lower ranked teams in the northeast that can win their conference tournaments and get in. Harvard should have 2nd best RPI behind BC in northeast if they run the table in Ivy League. I could see both BC and Harvard getting home games.
Teams currently ranked in the top 50 RPI that are from the northeast are: BC, Harvard, Rutgers, URI, UConn & Colgate. I think a home game is possible as well for Harvard, if they do go 7-0-0 in the Ivy again this season.
Unfortunately this may mean just a home game, and then face the 1 or the 2 in the second round 7 days (if advancing). The key is to be sure to apply for the home field advantage if you're marginally eligible rather than allow yourself to be shipped off to whereever and give up that huge advantage.
I think Harvard will get a home vs BU assuming they win the Patriot League. Harvard is clearly going to win the Ivy's and they would be a tough out for anyone. Remember Princeton won at West Virginia so it is not impossible for an Ivy to win on the road.
Hammerhead, you are missing the top team in the northeast from your list of top 50 RPI schools in the region: Penn State. You list 6 programs from the ACC, ACC, Big 10, Atlantic 10, Patriot League, and Ivy League conferences. Have to wonder how long Rhode Island will remain that high of an RPI team? Great record with a terrible strength of schedule. Conference winners from other conferences such as Big East, Metro Athletic, Northeast, CAA could/will also have a bearing on hosting since those winners could be northeast schools as well.
Will Harvard still run through the balance on their Ivy slate? Is Midge Purce dinged up? She did not start or play many minutes vs. Yale... I know they have a deeper bench than the other Ivies, but Purce is a game-changer.
Purce has only scored in two of the last 11 games. Not sure about the dinged up, but she does not appear to be a big threat these days.