If you went to a D3 school, know someone who did go/ will go / is going to a D3 school, or you are a D3 fan; please post here about your favorite team or nemesis. The United Soccer Coaches (USC), [formerly NSCAA] Pre-season Rankings are out. http://unitedsoccercoaches.org/web/..._DIII_WOMEN/web/rankings/ncaa/diii_women.aspx Here’s the Top 20: RankCollegeRankCollege 1 Williams College11 Carnegie Mellon University 2 University Of Chicago 12 Trinity University (Texas) 3 The College of New Jersey 13 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 4 Hardin-Simmons University 14 SUNY Geneseo 5 Messiah College 15 Wheaton College (Ill.) 6 Johns Hopkins University 16 Lynchburg College 7 William Smith College 17 Christopher Newport University 8 Ohio Northern University 18 Middlebury College 9 University of Wisconsin-La Crosse 19 California Lutheran University 10 Washington University (Mo.) 20 Misericordia University Gotta clear my schedule for 8/31/18 and 9/1/18; the 2018 William Smith Invitational features Stevenson, #4 Hardin-Simmons, University of Rochester, and #7 William Smith.
A lot of teams start playing Friday August 31. Here are games betweenTOP 25 teams for August-September 2018 Most teams Live Stream their games for free and you can get the streams by going to the school’s Woso schedule page (or the opponent’s schedule page) and find the links. Teams with 4 Top 25 games in Aug-Sep #5 Messiah vs. #6, #7, #11, #20 #7 William Smith vs. #4, #5, #14, #20 #9 UW-Lacrosse vs. #15, #17, #23, #24 #17 Christopher Newport vs. #6, #9, #16, #24 Teams with no Top 25 games in Aug-Sep #1 Williams, #18 Middlebury, and #19 California Lutheran DayDateGameGameGame FRI8-31#4 Hardin-Simmons at #7 William Smith#9 UW-Lacrosse vs. #17 Christopher Newport at Virginia Wesleyan#10 WashU at #22 Loras SAT9-1#9 UW-Lacrosse at #24 Virginia Wesleyan#13 MIT at #25 Brandeis SUN9-2#8 Ohio Northern at #23 Illinois Wesleyan WED9-5#6 Johns Hopkins at #5 Messiah FRI 9-7#4 Hardin Simmons at #12 Trinity (TX) #24 Virginia Wesleyan vs. #6 Johns Hopkins at Christopher Newport SAT9-8 #7 William Smith at #5 Messiah #11 Carnegie Mellon vs. #16 Lynchburg at Roanoke College#23 Illinois Wesleyan at #9 UW-Lacrosse SUN9-9#6 Johns Hopkins at #17 Christopher Newport WED9-12 #3 TCNJ at #6 Johns Hopkins #14 Geneseo at #7 William Smith #24 Virginia Wesleyan at #17 Christopher Newport SAT9-15 #5 Messiah at #11 Carnegie Mellon #13 MIT at #15 Wheaton WED9-19 #7 William Smith at #20 Misericordia#15 Wheaton at #9 UW-Lacrosse SAT9-22 #20 Misericordia at #5 Messiah TUE 9-25#2 Chicago at #15 Wheaton WED 9-26#17 Christopher Newport at #16 Lynchburg SAT 9-29 #15 Wheaton at #23 Illinois Wesleyan 248
2018 Notable Returning Players Players I recommend watching if you get a chance (My favorites are in Bold): PLEASE TELL US YOURS I. There are 23 returning USC [formerly NSCAA] All Americans, compared to just 11 last year. (I had to put Jenna McKinney in italics, she’s that good). (BTW, Williams has no returning AAs). POSAA TEAMNAME2018 SEASONSCHOOLHOMETOWN K1stAshley BeckerSr.Gustavus Adolphus CollegeFarmington, Minn. K2ndNicole DipasqualeJr.The College of New JerseyParamus, N.J. K3rdEmily BowersSr.Tufts UniversityNeedham, Mass. D1stDelaney (DJ) ColeSr.Messiah CollegeLebanon, Pa. D2ndEllie CrabtreeJr.Illinois Wesleyan UniversitySpringfield, Ill. D2ndMaggie Crist*Sr.Washington University (Mo.)Wayzata, Minn. D3rdMegan CarrollSr.University of Wisconsin-La CrosseMundelein, Ill. D3rdPayton DeLugaSr.University of Wisconsin-WhitewaterAlgonquin, Ill. D3rd Mackenzie Peebles Jr.University Of ChicagoNashville, Tenn. M1stDarcy CunninghamSr.Washington University (Mo.)West Chicago, Ill. M1stGabby GillisSr.Christopher Newport UniversityLeesburg, Va. M1stJenna McKinney* Sr.University Of ChicagoTampa, Fla. M2ndMegan BarwickSr.William Smith CollegeSeattle, Wash. M2ndMargaret HaringsSr.University of Wisconsin-La CrosseEagan, Minn. M3rdJulia PankoJr.Stevens Institute Of TechnologyMillstone Township, NJ M3rdMadison PeeblesSr.Wheaton College (Ill.)Fishers, Ind. M3rdCarly ZdanekSr.Lasell CollegeNewton, N.J. F1stKenne KesslerSr.Hardin-Simmons UniversityHighland Village, TX F2ndMaddie Fleet*Sr.Franklin CollegeIndianapolis, Ind. F2ndMarin McCoy*Sr.Swarthmore CollegeDenver, Colo. F2ndAshley St. AubinJr.Augsburg UniversityBurnsville, Minn. F3rdBrooke FirestoneJr.Messiah CollegeDover, Pa. F3rdKaylan GruberSr.Mount St. Joseph UniversityHarrison, Ohio II. Players I have watched on-line or in person and was impressed. POSNAME2018 SEASONSCHOOLHOMETOWN KEmily JaniszewskiSr.GeneseoBuffalo, NY KJoey LyonsJr.RPIHarwood, MD KOlivia BarnhillSr.WilliamsNew York, NY DElizabeth MooreJr.William SmithWilliamsville, NY DAshleigh NagySo.StevensBethlehem, PA DErica O'KellySo.StevensBrielle, NJ DSara LeFroisSo.GeneseoWebster, NY DYasmeen NamazieSr.SwarthmoreLos Angeles, CA MJessica KoivachSr.WashUArlington Heights, IL FTaylor CohenJr.WashUPittsburgh, PA FJulia KeoghSo.William SmithToronto, ON FKristina AlvaradoSr.WilliamsMurietta, CA 393
Here is a set of pre-season tweets from HEROSports.com Top 5 leaders, by teams, and by players returning in 2018, for various offensive stats: These teams know how to get the ⚽️ in the 🥅...#D3WSoc's returning leaders in total goals ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/rYtCSrFPC0— HERO Sports Soccer (@HEROSportsSOC) August 13, 2018 #AssistsOnAssistsOnAssists...#D3WSoc's returning leaders in assists per game ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/uYaLTo8F19— HERO Sports Soccer (@HEROSportsSOC) August 15, 2018 They're really really good at setting up goals...#D3WSoc's returning leaders in total assists ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ipdg9K3BvC— HERO Sports Soccer (@HEROSportsSOC) August 8, 2018 JSYK: If you let one of these athletes take a shot, it's going to be on goal...#D3WSoc's returning leaders in shots on goal per game ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/6ZZHUuAMEg— HERO Sports Soccer (@HEROSportsSOC) August 10, 2018 These athletes are absolutely unstoppable in front of the 🥅...#D3WSoc's returning leaders in total goals ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/zf8G8O0gaF— HERO Sports Soccer (@HEROSportsSOC) August 16, 2018 596
Here is a set of pre-season tweets from HEROSports.com Top 5 leaders, by teams, and by players returning in 2018, for various defensive stats: You're not going to get the ⚽️ past these athletes ☝️...#D3WSoc's returning leaders in save % ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/3H6G1Hj2lS— HERO Sports Soccer (@HEROSportsSOC) August 14, 2018 Think you can score on these teams?HINT: You can't....#D3WSoc's returning leaders in shutout percentage ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/9P0aEM6XPl— HERO Sports Soccer (@HEROSportsSOC) August 9, 2018 Don't expect to score many goals against these squads...#D3WSoc's returning leaders in goals against average ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/6k6FGl93Oy— HERO Sports Soccer (@HEROSportsSOC) August 17, 2018 596
As usual, there isn't a lot of love for individual defenders. The work of an individual defender is hard to quantify so I guess the team "goals against average" is the best recognition that a defender can hope for. In looking at that statistic, there are some crazy low numbers in D1 through D3 and among both sexes. Those numbers are being put up by teams that don't play easy schedules, either. A stat that I would like to see, and I don't know if it exists, would be offensive numbers of defensive players while they are playing defense and not another position on the field. Outside backs on teams that favor getting those players up into the attacking 1/3 would no doubt lead this category. I could see there being difficulty in keeping such a stat, though, given the tedium of it, etc. Also there is the question of the holding MF. I prefer that that player primarily be of defensive nature but in many systems that is the player that often starts the attack. I always found the "saves per game" stat to be somewhat worthless in gauging the defensive prowess of a team. Chances are that if a keeper is saving 10+ shots per game they may be giving up a fair number as well. If a keeper is having to work that hard perhaps that team should put some time into recruiting and developing defenders.
As I was looking through the USC Top 25 team websites, I noted a few things about coaching staffs: There is a new head coach at #23 Illinois Wesleyan. Tony Dulak was appointed in March 2018. The past 7 years he was associate head coach/assistant coach at #16 Lynchburg. He replaced 17-year IW head coach Dave Barrett, who moved to D1 Fairfield University (CT). #5 Messiah-head coach Scott Frey. I saw that Holly Burgard (Messiah 2016) will start her second year as an assistant coach and that Nikki Elsaesser (Messiah 2016) has joined the Messiah coaching staff as an assistant coach this fall. Burgard ranks 15th on the Messiah all-time scoring list and Elsaesser is second. Elsaesser was National Player of the Year in 2015. And here are two I originally noted last year: #1 Williams – head coach Michelyne Pinard. In 2018 Sarah Raymond will be in her second year as assistant coach. Raymond joined the staff last year after 5 years as head coach at Clarkson; she followed her husband, Mark, who took the head gridiron football coaching job at Williams in 2017. Stevenson – head coach Tati Korba. To partially address @Eddie K ‘s comment above, in the ninth game of the 2017 season Stevenson upset #8 Johns Hopkins at Hopkins 3-2 in OT - the first ever win for Stevenson over Hopkins. 2017 was Tati Korba’s first season as head coach of Stevenson after 12 years at D3 Goucher College. Korba (William Smith '00) was 1999 second team All-American and League Player of the Year and she played for Aliceann Wilber’s WS Herons in the 1997 D3 Championship game. Notes about the 2018 William Smith Invitational: The Heron connection may be part of the reason Stevenson will be playing in the Invitational this weekend. I think the Friday matchups will be very good. Rochester vs. Stevenson at 1:00 pm and WS vs. Hardin-Simmons at 3:30. Outstanding! Please give shout out to @HeronSoccer who’s biannual tournament showcases the struggle for women’s rights. This year the theme is “Standing on their Shoulders” wirh teams visiting @WomensRightsNPS and @WomensHall #strongwomen— William Smith College Soccer (@HeronSoccer) August 25, 2018 990
And what was Goucher's record while Korba was there? And did Stevenson even make their conference tournament last season in her first year? Her alumni connection is the ONLY reason WS would have that team up there. Agree that Hopkins result was shocking though. Rochester's ability to respond after a last-place finish in the UAA will be interesting. That's a tough conference for Rochester in every way.
Stevenson was 4-4-0, sixth in the MAC Commonwealth Conference last year, 11-7-0 overall. Korba's best year at Goucher was 12-4-2 in 2012. Stevenson was picked by the MAC Commonwealth coaches to finish 5th this year, behind Messiah, Arcadia, Lebanon Valley, and Widener. Also, for folks who are new to reading the D3 thread, I have been a full-fledged (fletched?) William Smith Herons soccer supporter for about 9 years now, and my posts will show that.
I’ll have some team notes for the Top 25 games coming up this weekend; here are Notes for the 8/31 Top 25 Games. 2:00 pm ET: #10 WashU at #22 Loras #10 WashU Returning 1st team All-American Sr. Darcy Cunningham (M, West Chicago, IL, 4G & 11A), 2nd team All-American Sr. Maggie Crist (D, Wayzata, MN, 2G & 2A), and Jr. Taylor Cohen (F, Pittsburgh, PA, 16G & 5A).Lost 10 Seniors, including every-game starting defenders Kelly Von Zup and Gillian Meyers. #22 Loras Returning The top two scorers, Sr. Elizabeth Mills (F, Brimfield, IL, 13G & 7A) and Sr. (5th year?) Gretchen Schutz (F, Lodi, WI, 10G & 8A), and starting GK Kaylee Coble (Jr., Dubuque, IA).Lost 14 Seniors! Including pretty much the whole starting defense of Sydney Wright, Megan Brant, Mackenzie Anderson, and Molly Stanfa. 3:30 pm ET: #4 Hardin-Simmons at #7 William Smith #4 Hardin-Simmons Returning 1st team All-American and NCAA-leading goal scorer Sr. Kenne Kessler (F, Highland Village, TX) and NCAA-leading assister Sr. Josey Meyer (M, Waco, TX).Lost 6 Seniors, including 1st team All-American Kristen Parrish (D, 14G &9A) and midfielder Kami Jones (5G & 8 A in 15 games played). IMO Parrish was the real star in 2017 and losing Jones and Parrish is a bigger negative than getting Kessler and Meyer back is a positive for the Cowgirls. #7 William Smith Returning 2nd team All-American Sr. Megan Barwick (M, Seattle, WA) and So. Julia Keogh (F, Toronto, ON, 4G &6A).Lost 6 Seniors, including 1st team All-American forward Evie Manning and ¾ of the starting defense. 6:30 pm ET: #9 UW-Lacrosse vs. #17 Christopher Newport at Virginia Wesleyan #9 Wisconsin-Lacrosse Returning 2nd team All-American Sr. Margaret Harings (M, Eagan, MN, 10G & 9A) and 3rd team All-American Sr. Megan Carroll (D, Mundelein, IL, 0G & 3 A).Lost 3 Seniors, including starting Defender Hayley Stephens (6G & 5 A) and reliable off-the bench players Rachel Rogahn and Maddie Granos (44 GP – 5 GS, 13 G & 7 A). #17 Christopher Newport Returning 2nd team All-American Sr. Gabby Gillis (M, Leesburg, VA), So. Riley Cook (M/F, Fairfax, VA, 15G & 4A), and Jr. Carson Pokorny (F, Williamsburg, VA, 6G & 13A).Lost 7 Seniors, including 3 off-the-bench players who all went to Briar Woods high school in Ashburn, VA: M/F Alexis Haycraft, D Carly Melkus, and D Kira Warner. 1080
Notes for the Sat. 9/1 and Sun. 9/2 Top 25 Games. 1:00 pm ET Sat: #13 MIT at #25 Brandeis #13 MIT Returning Jr. Emily Berzolla (M, Riverside, CT, 7G &16A), Sr. Amy Apostol (F, Los Gatos, CA, 9G & 5 A) and Jr. Allie Werner (F, Tyler, TX, 5G & 5A).Lost 5 Seniors, including 3rd team All-American Olivia Struckman (F, 14G &3 A), every game starting defender Jacqueline Simmons, and reliable off-the-bench defender Jillian Dressler. #25 Brandeis Returning Sr. Sasha Sunday (F, Bethlehem, PA, 9G & 9A), and the whole starting defense, including Sr. Hannah Maatallah (Wilton, CT).Lost 2 Seniors representing 30% of the scoring, both starting forwards, Haliana Burhans (5G &3A) and Samantha Schwartz (8G & 3A). 5:00 pm ET Sat: #9 UW-Lacrosse at #24 Virginia Wesleyan #9 Wisconsin-Lacrosse Returning 2nd team All-American Sr. Margaret Harings (M, Eagan, MN, 10G & 9A) and 3rd team All-American Sr. Megan Carroll (D, Mundelein, IL, 0G & 3 A).Lost 3 Seniors, including starting defender Hayley Stephens (6G & 5 A) and reliable off-the-bench players Rachel Rogahn and Maddie Granos (44 GP–5 GS, 13G & 7A). #24 Virginia Wesleyan It looks like the Marlins are re-loading rather than re-starting this fall. Returning The top 4 goal scorers and top 4 assisters, including Jr. Alex Davidson (F, Virginia Beach, VA, 12G & 7A), So. Anna Pedicone (F/M, Lansdale, PA, 11G & 0A), and Jr. Allie Angel (M, Nokesville, VA, 1G & 6A).Lost 4 Seniors, including every-game starting midfielder Zoe Traficante (1G &3 A) and reliable forward off the bench Katie Roberts (2G & 0A). 3:00 pm ET Sun: #8 Ohio Northern at #23 Illinois Wesleyan #8 Ohio Northern Returning So. Jenna Fuller (F, Countryside, IL, 12G &12A), Jr. Rose Nienaber (F, Cincinnatti, OH, 10G & 6A), and Jr. GK Meagan Grierson (Miamisburg, OH, , 0.46 GAA, 16 SO)Lost 9 Seniors, including 1st team All-American defender Hannah Reich, and every-game starters Mary Kate Munz (2G &3A) and Anna Niemeyer (7G & 3A) #23 Illinois Wesleyan Returning 2nd team All-American Jr. Ellie Crabtree (D, Springfield, IL), So. Cameron Hindel (M/F, Batavia, IL, 14G & 4 A), and Jr. Flower Eddington (F, Wilmette, IL, 7G & 3A)Lost 5 Seniors, including captains midfielder Rachel Westerkamp and defender Cassie Leishman. 1116
Scores from Friday are here: http://www.d3soccer.com/seasons/women/2018/schedule?date=2018-08-31 Top 25 games: William Smith 2 - Hardin Simmons 0. Christopher Newport 2 - UW-Lacrosse 1. WashU 3 – Loras 0. William Smith “Stand on Their Shoulders” Invitational I watched one and a half games yesterday. High 70’s, partly cloudy with the wind picking up and rain threatening in late afternoon. Unusually, the Cozzens field grass looked a little dry and hard. Rochester 1 vs. Stevenson 0. The game was 0-0 at the half, but I had to leave and did not see the second half. The word I used to describe the game I saw was “ragged.” It looked more like a pre-season scrimmage than a regular season game. Both teams substituted liberally. - - However, the last D3 game I saw in person was an NCAA quarter-final game: Hardin-Simmons vs. Ohio Northern - - so it is always necessary to adjust expectations when the new season starts. #7 William Smith 2 vs. #4 Hardin Simmons 0. WS got one goal in each half and generally kept the ball in the H-S half more than half of the time. WS led in shots 10-4 and H-S had no shots in the second half. The WS pressuring defense seems to off to a satisfactory start. H-S did lead in corners 6-3, where they were SO dangerous last year, but without Parrish and Jones, there was no dominance in the box. Leading scorer Kenne Kessler did not play for H-S; I will try and find out why today. I thought Josey Meyer was the best H-S player on the day, however she was more dangerous taking corners than in the run of play. On the WS side, I’m going to start my All-American campaign for Jr. defender Elizabeth Moore – she stifled the H-S attackers and led the inexperienced back four in front of a First Year keeper, on the way to the clean sheet. On Thursday, Stevenson and Hardin-Simmons visited the National Women’s Hall of Fame https://www.womenofthehall.org/ ; and enjoyed the summer day in the Finger Lakes of NY. (See tweets below; H-S was here last year in November with high 30’s, wind, and rain). At the evening’s banquet, a senior player from each team spoke. “Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and leave for footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same.” #Family pic.twitter.com/LQKYzQCY0m— HSU COWGIRL Soccer (@cowgirl_soccer) August 30, 2018 Thank you @HeronSoccer for hosting a great banquet & allowing us to be apart of this weekend. Great food, great speeches (@SarahKrisa17 was fantastic btw) and now we’re ready for some great competition tomorrow and Saturday! pic.twitter.com/asDllvR9Hj— HSU COWGIRL Soccer (@cowgirl_soccer) August 31, 2018 Amazing day in NY with National Women’s Hall of Fame and the Stand on Their Shoulders Tournament banquet. Game day tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/N8PuIIqW2j— Stevenson W. Soccer (@StevensonWSOC) August 31, 2018 1444
Look for #11 Carnegie Mellon to drop out of the top 25 this week after managing to squeak out a 1-1 draw at home with unranked Washington & Lee. #6 Johns Hopkins had beaten W&L the day before 5-1.
Here are Saturday’s Scores: http://www.d3soccer.com/seasons/women/2018/schedule?date=2018-09-01 Top 25 games: UW Lacrosse 2 vs. Virginia Wesleyan 1 Brandeis 3 vs. MIT 2 , 2OT (2-2 FT) I watched two games yesterday at William Smith. Low 80s, mostly sunny, a fairly constant breeze from left to right. I heard from a Hardin- Simmons parent that Texas-Tyler is looking to move to D2. Hardin–Simmons 2 – Rochester 0. H-S didn’t score until the 83rd minute, and put in #2 in the 87th minute. Rochester played way better than on Friday. They were in a 4-1-4-1, I think, and generally pressured H-S in its own half. - - I don’t think H-S is used to seeing strong defensive play early in the season - - In particular, in the second half, Rochester’s Jr. Jamie Seabury (F, Manlius, NY) was persistently pesky against the H-S keeper and defenders trying to clear the ball - like a yellowjacket, actually. H-S got to connecting passes and getting a flow in the game around the 60th minute. For H-S, FY Randie Dennison (F, Abilene, TX) and So. Finda Kollie (F, Liberia) were the up-top speedsters that I didn’t see the team utilize last year. Kollie scored the game winner as a result of her making a breakaway run and she assisted on the second goal. …In retrospect I think it must have been tough on the H-S parents to not see a goal until 173 minutes into the season… William Smith 3 – Stevenson 0. Stevenson also played way better than on Friday. WS didn’t score until the 33rd minute, but the outcome was a foregone conclusion, anyway. I thought the WS third goal was very nice. So. Merilyn Hinrichs (M, Swampscott, MA), who had an outstanding game, made the “extra” pass in the box to So. Julia Keogh (F, Toronto, ON), who made an “extra-extra” pass to So. Sheila McQuillen (F, Natick, MA), who put it away. I heard from an H-S Dad that William Smith will be going to Abilene next year for a game; also I got a similar farewell that I have had from a Messiah Dad : “Maybe we’ll see you in November.” 1559
Messiah showed it was not messing around last night, spanking Hopkins 3-0, allowing only one SOG in the first half and just 4 total. Prevented the returning JH All-American from getting a single shot off.
I just read about this: "• Benedictine University and the University of Texas at Tyler have been accepted into the three-year Division II membership process. During this transition, their teams are ineligible for NCAA championships. Benedictine will continue to play a full Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) schedule this season before joining the Division II’s Great Lakes Valley Conference in year two of the process. Similarly, Texas-Tyler will play one last season in the American Southwest Conference (ASC) this fall before switching to Division II’s Lone Star Conference. Despite playing full conference schedules, their games will not count toward conference standings as they are not eligible for their conference tournaments, however, the NCAA has ruled that games against these schools this season will be considered in-division games and included in the primary selection criteria for ranking and tournament berth selections." Source for the above: http://d3soccer.com/columns/christan-shirk/2018/new-in-2018 The article is dated September 15, 2018. Being that that date has not yet occurred, I don't know when the article was actually written. If you're interested in D3 athletics at all, the article has a lot of good information and some rule changes that are noted at the end of the article. Since I follow both men's & women's soccer in all divisions, I found the bit about the Hartwick men's program interesting. That program is making the transition from D1 to D3. I knew that this move was coming a few years ago and thought that Hartwick would be formidable at the D3 level. At this point in the season they are 0-2 and have yet to find the back of the net. It's been a long drop for that program. As recently as the 2013 season the Hartwick men were playing in the MAC conference and beat Akron, 2-0. Three years previous to that Akron was the national champions and two years after that Akron was in the final 4. I also didn't realize that Hartwick was the national champs in soccer in 1977. Sorry for the digression into men's soccer but I found it interesting.
The USC poll had ranked them ranked about even with the Falcons@ #5 and Blue Jays@ #6 as of the August pre-season poll...
Weekend Live Streams – sometimes you will need to scroll down the page to find the game TONIGHT – FRIDAY 9/7 7:00 pm ET: #24 Virginia Wesleyan vs. #6 Johns Hopkins at Christopher Newport https://www.cnusports.com/watch/?Live=4&type=Live 9:00 pm ET: #4 Hardin-Simmons at #12 Trinity (TX) https://www.trinitytigers.com/sports/wsoc/2018-19/live/180907_HSU SATURDAY 9/8 2:00 pm ET: #23 Illinois Wesleyan at #9 UW-Lacrosse https://boxcast.tv/view/soccer-vs-illinois-wesleyan-185004 [maybe fee] 3:00 pm ET: #11 Carnegie Mellon vs. #16 Lynchburg at Roanoke College https://portal.stretchinternet.com/roanoke/ 5:00 pm ET: #7 William Smith at #5 Messiah https://portal.stretchinternet.com/messiah/ SUNDAY 9/9 2:00 pm: #6 Johns Hopkins at #17 Christopher Newport https://www.cnusports.com/watch/?Live=4&type=Live Hopkins opened 2018 with 5 away games in 10 days: Friday & Saturday – away at Carnegie Mellon Tartan Cup Wednesday – away at Messiah Friday 9/7 – away vs. Virginia Wesleyan Sunday 9/9 – away vs. Christopher Newport 2023
Add in this coming Wed night’s game at home vs #3 TCNJ and Hopkins opens the season with 4 ranked teams in their first 6 games. It would be tough to find a harder opening slate.
Some notes on games I watched. Wed: Johns Hopkins 0 at Messiah 3. I saw a chunk of the first half on live stream. Messiah looked like Messiah should look but Hopkins did not play nearly as well as in last year’s game, when they completed tons of passes all over the field. Hopkins is looking to their returning 1st team All- American, Michelle Santangelo, who entered grad school this year, to spearhead the attack (18G & 4A in 2017). Messiah’s defense neutralized her. Her role seems to have changed a little this year. She has none of the 15 goals Hopkins has scored going into Sunday’s game and just 1 assist. Sat: Hardin-Simmons 2 at Trinity (TX) 0. I saw a lot of this game on LS. It looked like a pretty even back-and-forth match. I felt that H-S, scoring in both halves, was playing with more confidence than Trinity. Kenne Kessler saw a lot more of the ball than she did over the past weekend and scored the first goal. The second goal (an own goal) was a deflection off a Kessler headed ball from a Josey Meyer cross. Sat: William Smith 1 at Messiah 0. Watched LS. Messiah is outstandingly strong up the middle with Sr. D.J. Cole in the back, Jr. Sunny Gelnovatch in midfield and Jr. speedster Megan Mansfield up top. William Smith’s most valuable player was the Cover player in the Pressure-Cover-Balance defense. While not as overwhelmingly stifling as two years ago, the all-over double-teaming kept Messiah from completing any organized attacks; which is not to say Messiah wasn’t dangerous – they were. WS Jr. center backs Eileen Rath and Elizabeth Moore played a virtually impenetrable tandem. In attack, I’m taking a liking to this WS group of swarming sophomores. The experienced game announcers commented that the game looked like an NCAA playoff game and not an early season match-up. ………....WS won 1-0 at home last year after Messiah played Johns Hopkins on the road on Thursday (postponed from Wednesday) and picked up this Saturday’s 1-0 win at Messiah after Messiah played Johns Hopkins at home on Wednesday………….. The Trinity and Messiah streams are excellent and announcers are very good. 2128
Hopkins at Christopher Newport update... After a 60+ min rain delay, they completed the first half and then cancelled the game. Hopkins was leading 1-0 at half and had held CNU to just 1 SOG to 5. And it wasn't that close.
There were some big changes in the United Soccer Coaches poll of 9/11: RANK SCHOOL PREVIOUS RECORD RANK SCHOOL PREVIOUS RECORD 1 Williams 1 3-0-0 2 William Smith 7 3-0-0 3 Chicago 2 4-0-0 4 New Jersey 3 2-0-0 5 Messiah 5 3-1-0 6 Washington (Mo.) 10 4-0-0 7 Hardin-Simmons 4 2-1-0 8 Johns Hopkins 6 3-1-0 9 Middlebury 18 3-0-0 10 Carnegie Melon 11 3-0-1 11 Christopher Newport 17 3-0-0 12 Swathmore 21 4-0-0 13 Brandeis 25 3-0-0 14 Pittsburgh State NR 4-0-0 15 Hope NR 3-0-0 16 St. Thomas NR 4-1-0 17 Pomona-Pitzer NR 3-0-0 18 Centre NR 4-0-0 19 Misericordia 20 3-0-1 20 Amherst NR 3-0-0 21 Denison NR 4-1-0 22 Rochester Institute of Technology NR 3-1-0 23 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 13 3-1-1 24 Carleton NR 3-0-1 25 Calvin NR 3-0-1 Also receiving votes: Trinity University (Texas), Trinity College, University Of Scranton, Tufts University, Farmingdale State College, Capital University, Bridgewater College, Wartburg College, Montclair State University
I find this hard to believe, but so far new #20 Amherst in three games has 62 shots of which 45 were on goal.