Division 3 - 2019

Discussion in 'Women's College' started by CoachJon, Jun 17, 2019.

  1. CoachJon

    CoachJon Member+

    Feb 1, 2006
    Rochester, NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    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 teams and players.

    I’m starting the D3 thread early this year because a friend just sent me RIT’s season schedule – they open vs. Hanover and Wheaton in Chicago on August 30 and 31.

    So I checked to see if William Smith’s schedule was posted. It is. WS jumps in feet first in Abilene, TX vs. Hardin Simmons on 8/30 and Mary Hardin-Baylor on 8/31, followed by their home opener on 9/7 vs. Messiah.

    For those who do not follow the NWSL, here is an update about Bethany Balcer (Spring Arbor University, 3x NAIA national player of the year), who went undrafted this past January. I had identified her as one of the non-D1 players who registered for the draft.

    For Reign FC, she has played in 7 of 8 games, starting 4 of them, and she has scored 3 goals.
     
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  2. CHFan

    CHFan Member

    Sep 27, 2016
    Club:
    FC Basel
    Nat'l Team:
    Faroe Islands
    The intent of this post is to analyze which top 10 teams will be most weakened by graduation. The following table lists the number of starting seniors for each team's last game of the 2018 playoffs. For Total Years Experience, 1 year for starting Freshmen, 4 years for seniors.

    TeamSeniorsTotal Years ExperienceAvg. Ranking
    Lynchburg94010
    Washu5302.5
    Hardin-Simmons52910
    Misercordia5279
    Messiah4336
    William Smith3315.5
    Middlebury3302.5
    Wheaton3238.5
    TCNJ1277.5
    Williams1251
    C.Newport1254


    I was surprised at how young the teams are. Many teams would appear not to be weakened at all. Of course the seniors that do start tend to be established multi-year starters, often of All-American caliber, so even if few in number, the can have a large impact.

    Why are the teams so young? Like to hear your opinions.
     
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  3. PlaySimple

    PlaySimple Member

    Sep 22, 2016
    Chicagoland
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    What does the "average ranking" column refer to?

    I may be totally off in guessing why the teams are so young but ever since my kids have played sports I've noticed that some graduating classes are just stronger. This is a trend I've noticed in sports other than soccer also. Initially I thought that it was only a "local" thing but as we would travel across the country I noticed the same thing. For girls/women soccer it seems to me that the class of '17 is particularly strong. These would be '98 & '99 birth dates. The class ahead of them, the class of '16 of the '97s and some 98s, don't seem as strong. The '18 class, the '99s & 00s, seem strong but not as strong as the class of '17.

    Again, these are just casual observations and I have absolutely no proof of this. Talent seems cyclical and some classes more talented than others. It is posited that with the advent f the ECNL and the DA that players will get more talented because training will get better. I'm not seeing it, though. I have a daughter that is a '91 and those kids around that time, the '89s though ~ '91s, seem just as talented as the kids today are. Sometimes I think they were more talented and had a better grasp of the fundamentals. The US is not burgeoning with a bunch of talented youngsters and I believe it is because training has not gotten better. It doesn't necessarily bode well for our future NTs.
     
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  4. CHFan

    CHFan Member

    Sep 27, 2016
    Club:
    FC Basel
    Nat'l Team:
    Faroe Islands
    Avg. Rankings is an average between the "United Soccer Coach's" year end poll and the d3soccer.com year end ranking.

    My observation of top teams is that upperclasswomen are either able to establish themselves as starters or their playing time drys up. Whereas, underclasswomen are substituted in more and therefore given more changes. I assume the coaches are looking to the future and searching for solid three year starters.
     
  5. CoachJon

    CoachJon Member+

    Feb 1, 2006
    Rochester, NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I have no evidence to support my idea, but I think the best programs and coaches do not think in 4-year or 2-year cycles; for them the objective is continuous improvement, so they recruit the best players they can every year and have fairly open minds with regards to playing the first-years and sophomores. And the best programs and coaches can get the cream of the available recruits, so the incoming talent is usually good.

    Senior and Junior leadership is important however you do not need nine leaders, you need to put the best ballers you got on the field. Wiliam Smith won the 2013 championship playing a first-year at center back and at left fullback pretty much the whole season. After 18+ games, they don't play like rookies any more.
     
  6. CHFan

    CHFan Member

    Sep 27, 2016
    Club:
    FC Basel
    Nat'l Team:
    Faroe Islands
    Here is a list of returning All-Americans:

    PosPlayerClassCollegeusc teamd3 team
    DKristen CanepaSeniorTrinity U.11
    FRiley CookJuniorC. Newport11
    DFaith EichenourJuniorTCNJ21
    DSarah TomichJuniorWheaton13
    MJulia PankoSeniorStevens Inst.13
    DJessie TurnerSeniorCentre1
    FBrooke FirestoneSeniorMessiah23
    MSophia StuckmanSeniorMIT32
    FAshley St. AubinSeniorAugsburg32
    DMackenzie PeeblesSeniorU. of Chicago2
    DRebecca RussoSeniorU. of Scranton2
    MMaggie CoulsonSeniorJohns Hopkins2
    MAvero FaulkJuniorCentre2
    FTaylor CohenSeniorWashU2
    FAlana HughesSeniorCentre2
    DEmilie SauvayreSeniorWilliam Smith2
    DSarah KellySeniorWilliams33
    MBella ShiverlyJuniorOtterbein33
    MKeeley FillmanJuniorU of Texas-Dallas3
    FAlex EpifaniJuniorIthaca3
    FSydney JonesJuniorWilliams3
    GKHannah MillerSeniorNazareth3
     
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  7. CoachJon

    CoachJon Member+

    Feb 1, 2006
    Rochester, NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thanks! The list supports your observation that the teams were young-ish last year. There are 21 returning USC AAs, compared to 12 in 2018 and 11 in 2017.
    Centre has 3, Williams has 2, and the rest have 1.
    1GK, 7 D, 6 M, 7 F, plus D3.com AA Sauvayre, defender at William Smith.
     
  8. CoachJon

    CoachJon Member+

    Feb 1, 2006
    Rochester, NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So @CHFan has inspired me to start scoping out the 2019 season, and I have a few tidbits.

    NESCAC, UAA, and Centennial Conferences have schedules posted. MAC Commonwealth, Liberty League, ODAC, and NJAC do not. That is all I checked.

    William Smith has another head coach in D3. Whitney Frary (WS 2011) has been appointed head coach at St. Olaf, after 3 years as an assistant at Vassar. She was 2 time All-American at William Smith, and is tied for 16th all time for goals and tied for 9th all time for assists as a Heron.
    St. Olaf underwent a $1.25 million renovation to Rolf Mellby Field prior to the 2018 season and unveiled a new locker room for the team this winter.

    Joe Vari has moved from Puget Sound to take the head coaching spot at Bates. He was 39-14-8 at Puget Sound and wanted to move to the eastern states for family reasons. This was announced end of May, and I don't see that a replacement has been made at Puget Sound.

    Rachael Sushner has moved as head coach from St. Olaf to Trinity, CT. She was 27-21-4 at St. Olaf. Sushner is a 2009 graduate of Skidmore College, where she was a four-year starter, as well as an all-conference and all-region selection. After playing a year of professional soccer for the Boston Breakers, she served as an assistant coach at Wellesley College, Clarkson University and Washington and Lee University prior to coming to St. Olaf. Sushner currently coaches Team USA for the 2019 Pan American Maccabi Games.

    508
     
  9. Socalsoccercoach

    Dec 1, 2013
    The opening weekend games at Hardin Simmons that you mentioned with William Smith is quite the weekend. You also have Mary Hardin Baylor and Cal Lutheran playing games at Hardin Simmons that weekend.
     
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  10. CHFan

    CHFan Member

    Sep 27, 2016
    Club:
    FC Basel
    Nat'l Team:
    Faroe Islands
    Cal Lutheran's 2018 record was 10-3-5. Their season ended with an upset 2-1 loss in the conference semi-finals to Occidental, a team they had beaten twice in the regular season. The Regals graduated 5 seniors, 2 of them regular starters.

    Mary Hardin-Baylor's 2018 record was 12-5-2. Their season ended with a 1-0 loss in the conference finals to Hardin-Simmons. M H-B graduated 5 seniors, 4 of them regular starters.

    Hardin-Simmons's 2018 record was 18-1-2 and ended the season ranked 10th in both the USC and D3soccer polls. Their season ended with a NCAA Sweet 16 tie/PK loss to Misericordia. The cowgirls graduated 7 seniors, 5 of them regular starters, including All-Americans Sarah Krisa and Kenna Kessler.

    William Smith's 2018 record was 17-3-1 and ended season ranked 5th in the USC and 6th in the D3soccer polls. Their season ended with a NCAA Quarterfinal tie/PK loss to the national champions. The Herons graduated 6 seniors, 3 of them regular starters, including All-American Megan Barwick. Junior Emilie Sauvayre was also named a D3soccer All-American.
     
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  11. Cocopuff

    Cocopuff New Member

    Jan 2, 2015
    Who will come in for CWRU of the UAA? What “outside interests” is Crooks pursuing?
     
  12. Socalsoccercoach

    Dec 1, 2013
    Word at Case Western Reserve is they are shooting for the stars to get a really strong coach to elevate the program. We shall see what happens on that front.
     
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  13. CoachJon

    CoachJon Member+

    Feb 1, 2006
    Rochester, NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I was not aware - Crooks resignation was announced April 24: https://uaa.prestosports.com/sports/wsoc/2018-19/releases/crooksresign CWRU says they are conducting " a national search."

    In other news, on June 25 Puget Sound announced the appointment of former (2016) assistant coach Kim Calkins as the Interim Head Coach. http://www.loggerathletics.com/sports/wsoc/2019-20/releases/20190625jk7v8c An excellent hire, I think.
    "Calkins has spent the past two years as the Technical Director for the Reign Academy in Tacoma. Prior to her time with the Reign, Calkins was the Sounders Women's head coach for two years. She led the Sounders to first-place finishes in 2016 and 2017." ..."Calkins played collegiately at the University of Portland. She was selected to the All-West Coast Conference First Team in 1998, and she was a member of three Pilots teams that reached the College Cup final four."​
     
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  14. CoachJon

    CoachJon Member+

    Feb 1, 2006
    Rochester, NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Other coaching news can be found on D3soccer.com: http://www.d3soccer.com/notables/coaching/2019/2019-womens-carousel
    None of the top 50 in Massey's end of year rankings is listed. Trinity, CT was #32, Puget Sound #66, Bates #73, and St. Olaf #111.

    Another notable former D3 player is taking on a head coach position. On May 16, Houghton (#227) announced that Nikki Elsaesser (Messiah '16); would replace David Lewis who was there 28 years.
    "She was a three-time NCAA Division III All-America selection and capped her career as the NCAA Division III National Player of the Year after tallying 31 goals and 15 assists in 2015." ... "She was a part of Falcon teams that made the NCAA Tournament all four seasons, reaching the sectional semifinals in 2013, sectional final in 2014, final four in 2015, and winning the program's fifth and most recent National Championship as a freshman in 2012. During her four seasons, Messiah sported a record of 88-4-8 overall." https://athletics.houghton.edu/news/2019/5/16/houghton-tabs-elsaesser-to-lead-womens-soccer.aspx
     
  15. Socalsoccercoach

    Dec 1, 2013
    Word on Puget Sound is she will likely become the Head Coach once the Interim months are done. This is likely the planned long term coach there.
     
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  16. Eddie K

    Eddie K Member+

    May 5, 2007
    I assume this is not the 'really strong coach' you where hoping for? I don't know this coach but is she the one to keep Case out of the bottom of the super competitive UAA? It looks to me like they missed their mark and this is the local option with enough experience to be an acceptable hire.

    https://athletics.case.edu/sports/wsoc/2019-20/releases/20190702n9i8p7
     
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  17. PoetryInMotion

    Feb 7, 2015
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Tiff was telling those close to her that she was strongly considering leaving last July, which makes me question the timing of all of this. Hard to believe she was the most outstanding applicant, but I don’t think she’s horribly underqualified considering they were always going to hire a female, I’m sure the timing shrunk the applicant pool, and after all it is Cleveland. I don’t know the women’s side of the conference as well, having spent time on the men’s in the UAA, but no, I don’t think she’s going to get them out of the cellar of that league, at least not in short order. I just wonder what “their mark” was. Always baffles me that ADs don’t have a reasonable short list at all times. Especially since this has to be at worst a top-50 d3 job and you could argue for better than that.
     
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  18. Socalsoccercoach

    Dec 1, 2013
    As I said "shooting for the stars" but because of timing didn't get their top choice. I don't think it is a "bad hire" Jen is a grinder recruiting wise and will do a good job. She had Eastern Oregon headed in the right direction before she left. The job is tough because of the conference and location so it will be an uphill battle. She lives in the area which makes the hire easy with the timing.
     
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  19. CoachJon

    CoachJon Member+

    Feb 1, 2006
    Rochester, NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't actually live in Geneva, NY, so I was unaware of this new facility at Hobart & William Smith until today.
    https://hwsathletics.com/facilities/?id=19
    The WS Heron JV soccer team has a game here on October 10 (National Metric Day for all you STEM nerds out there).
    The height along the sidelines looks low, and there is no room for spectator bleachers, so I doubt it could be approved for NCAA soccer playoff competition, but it might have been revolutionary if WS hosted any playoff games in November. (The yellow lines are for soccer).
    Construction of the $3.5 million state-of-the-art Stiles Field at the Thomas B. Poole '61 and Family Sports Dome was completed in 2019. The nearly 86,000-square-foot FieldTurf surface is lined for all of the Colleges' varsity field teams, field hockey, football, lacrosse and soccer.

    [​IMG]
     
  20. Cliveworshipper

    Cliveworshipper Member+

    Dec 3, 2006
    The ncaa has rules for indoor facilities. First, the field must be at least 70x115 yds.

    And things like hitting the roof are covered:


    1.1.3 Indoor Facility. It is permissible to conduct collegiate soccer games in an indoor facility provided the dimensions are in compliance with Rule 1.1.1. Balls striking any part of the upper edifice shall result in one of the two following actions:
    1) If the ball lands “in touch” (out of bounds), the opposing team shall be awarded a throw-in from the nearest point where the ball crossed the touchline.
    2) If the ball makes contact with any part of the overhead edifice, the referee’s whistle shall indicate a dead ball and the suspension of play. Play shall be restarted with a drop ball at a point nearest where the ball made contact in the field of play.
    Exception: If the ball falls inside the goal area, play shall be restarted with a drop ball at the nearest corner of the penalty area where the 18- and 44-yard lines meet.
    Note: Corner kicks and goal kicks shall be awarded accordingly. (See Rules 9.3.1 and 9.3.2.)
     
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  21. CHFan

    CHFan Member

    Sep 27, 2016
    Club:
    FC Basel
    Nat'l Team:
    Faroe Islands
    "First, the field must be at least 70 X 115 yards", except on October 10th, when it must be at least 64.008 X 105.15 meters.
     
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  22. CHFan

    CHFan Member

    Sep 27, 2016
    Club:
    FC Basel
    Nat'l Team:
    Faroe Islands
    When do D3 teams start practice? I there an NCAA rule or do they just start at the start of the fall semester?
     
  23. CHFan

    CHFan Member

    Sep 27, 2016
    Club:
    FC Basel
    Nat'l Team:
    Faroe Islands
    I googled NCAA practice so I can answer my own question:
    /**************************************************************/
    17.02.12.2 Determining the First Permissible Practice Date for Fall Sports Other Than Football -- Application of the 16 Units. To determine the first permissible practice date, an institution shall count back a total of 16 units on a calendar starting with the day before the first scheduled intercollegiate competition (see Bylaw 17.02.12.2.1), as follows: (Adopted: 5/4/09)

    (a) Never assign any units to Sundays on the calendar; it is permissible to practice on Sundays;
    (b) Never assign any units to calendar days during the preseason when all institutional dormitories are closed, the institution's team must leave campus, and practice is not conducted;
    (c) The first six units: assign one unit to each of the six calendar days (not including Sunday) before the first scheduled intercollegiate competition (see Bylaw 17.02.12.2.1);
    (d) The remaining 10 units:
    (1) Assign one unit to each calendar day (not including Sundays) that occurs on or after the opening day of classes for the fall term (see Bylaw 17.02.12.2.2), and
    (2) Assign two units to each calendar day before the opening day of classes for the fall term (not including Sundays) until the sum of units on the calendar reaches 16;
    (e) The date on which the total count of units on the calendar reaches 16 is the first permissible date for preseason practice (see Bylaw 17.02.12.2.3).
    /**************************************************************/
    From this, it looks like teams can start practice 2-3 weeks before their first game, depending on how long after the start of fall term the first game is played.
    For example Middlebury's fall term starts on 09-SEP and their first game is 04-SEP, so they should be able to start preseason practice on 22-AUG (11 days excluding Sundays before first game).
    William Smith's fall term starts on 26-AUG and their first game is on 30-AUG, so they should be able to start preseason practice on 17-AUG (11 days excluding Sundays before first game).
     
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  24. CoachJon

    CoachJon Member+

    Feb 1, 2006
    Rochester, NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    From D3soccer.com: New Coach at Clarkson (Liberty League, Massey #122). Looks like a strong hire.
    Clarkson
    Zac Shaw
    (Ithaca '92)
    Preceding position:
    Women's Assistant, Rochester ('18-'18)
    Career: 51-59-8 (.466), Rhode Island ('05 to '10)
    From Clarkson Web Site:
    Shaw replaces three-year head coach Kelsey Yam, who departed for an assistant coach position at D1 Hofstra in April.
    Shaw spent the last year with the University of Rochester Women's Soccer program as the team's first assistant coach, helping the Yellowjackets finish with a 9-8-1 record and a berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
    Shaw brings a wealth of knowledge and experience at both the Division I and Division III levels. Prior to his season with Rochester, he spent seven years as the Associate Head Coach at the University of Connecticut. A consistently national-ranked program over the last decade, UConn's staff was voted American Athletic Conference Staff of the Year in both 2015 and 2016.
    Before his time at Connecticut, Shaw held the position of head coach for six years at the University of Rhode Island. While with the Rams, he was named Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year in 2005...​
    Replaces
    Kelsey Yam
    (Skidmore '13),
    At Clarkson:
    3 years ('16-'18) - 18-25-9 (.433)


    Also from D3soccer.com: Utica (Empire 8, Massey #165) has a new head coach, announced 6/20/19. Also looks to be a strong hire.
    I saw Brooke Barbuto play for the Rochester Lancers in the UWS in 2018. She was a talented, spirited player who won the league MVP. I also saw her ref a game at William Smith in the fall of 2018. From the Utica web site:
    Barbuto comes to Utica after spending last season on the sidelines at SUNY Cortland. Barbuto replaces Eileen Coyle Blumenauer, who recently accepted a full-time assistant coaching position at defending Division III national champion Williams College.
    Barbuto has an extensive professional playing resume that began in 2009 with the Buffalo Flash.
    In 2011 she began a successful seven year stretch of playing professional soccer overseas. In 2011 she led Haukar (Reykavik, Iceland) in scoring in the highly competitive Dield Division I league. She then spent two seasons in Kokkola, Finland where she earned a promotion from Ykkonen (Division I) to Naisten Liiga, was a one year captain, and the 2013 MVP.
    From 2014-2016 she played for NiceFutis (Pori, Finland) in the country's highest professional soccer league. She was a two year captain, league MVP and was nominated for top athlete in Pori. Her professional career came to a close in 2017 as she guided the Peninsula Power (Brisbane, Australia) to a National Premier League Queensland Championship. She led the team and the NPL in goals scored.​
    Brooke Barbuto
    Preceding position:
    Women's Assistant, Cortland State ('18-'18)
    Replaces
    Eileen Coyle
    (Geneseo State '09)
    At Utica:
    4 years ('15-'18) - 20-43-8 (.338)


    1965
     
  25. CoachJon

    CoachJon Member+

    Feb 1, 2006
    Rochester, NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Michelyne Pinard to leave Williams after 2019 season
    https://ephsports.williams.edu/sports/wsoc/2018-19/releases/20190723jqtujv
    Pinard will become the athletic director at The Thacher School, a private boarding school in Ojai, Calif.
    Williams athletic director Lisa Melendy said a nationwide search for Pinard's replacement will begin after the 2019 season concludes.

    "When I was considering the next challenge, ...I was just never truly interested in pursuing a coaching position beyond the one I had because I have always felt like I have the best collegiate coaching job in the country," PInard said. "I have learned so much in my 22 years of coaching, grown both professionally and personally, and I feel I am ready to broaden out and ideally have my work impact more students."
     
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