NESCAC

[NNELax]

Maybe the Trinity and Conn dads will chill after yesterday being exactly how it's always been.....

[SaltCounty]

Amherst has Springfield and Hamilton up next, but to me the bigger game for them in the near future is Swarthmore in about 10 days. This one should be a super good game / test for both teams in my mind

Hamilton just scored 20+ goals for the 1st time since they joined the NESCAC.
Amherst can't afford to overlook them at 0-1

Viewed every game yesterday, watching some more than others.
My best attempt at rankings:

1) Middlebury
2) Bowdoin
3) Tufts
4) Amherst
5) Wesleyan
6) Williams
7) Conn
8) Hamilton
9) Trinity
10) Colby
11) Bates

Middlebury had the best win & Bowdoin's box score is a result of a Trinity Goalie who stood on their head.
If both survive their midweek tests - winner has a case for #1

Tufts reloads & still plays dangerously fast - but they may not have the marquee player they've had in past seasons.
Their defense/starter looked solid through 3Q and 32 shots, only giving up 4

I'd say for 4-9... we won't really know, till we know.

Not sure that you can say that Tufts "reloaded" based upon yesterday's game. Putting the final score aside, seemed like a good battle between two very good goalies, Tufts definitely has a good one between the pipes. This week will be the real test for Tufts. Did not see any of the Bowdoin game, but did catch a bit of Middlebury, they looked pretty solid.

I know what you're saying - we've been used to them putting up close to 29 the past few years.
But 19 goals (16 in 3Q) is still a good turnout.
Not to mention, against a goalie many have been gleaming about on this forum the past few weeks...

It was a good game - Shots were 15-14 after the 1st quarter.
Conn continues to look like they're headed in the right direction.
The Tufts starter had 12 saves - including several within 5 yards

[smoova]

Amherst has Springfield and Hamilton up next, but to me the bigger game for them in the near future is Swarthmore in about 10 days. This one should be a super good game / test for both teams in my mind

Hamilton just scored 20+ goals for the 1st time since they joined the NESCAC.
Amherst can't afford to overlook them at 0-1

Viewed every game yesterday, watching some more than others.
My best attempt at rankings:

1) Middlebury
2) Bowdoin
3) Tufts
4) Amherst
5) Wesleyan
6) Williams
7) Conn
8) Hamilton
9) Trinity
10) Colby
11) Bates

Middlebury had the best win & Bowdoin's box score is a result of a Trinity Goalie who stood on their head.
If both survive their midweek tests - winner has a case for #1

Tufts reloads & still plays dangerously fast - but they may not have the marquee player they've had in past seasons.
Their defense/starter looked solid through 3Q and 32 shots, only giving up 4

I'd say for 4-9... we won't really know, till we know.

Solid take, especially regarding Hamilton - I didn't see that coming. If they can upset Amherst on Saturday, they're the early leader for surprise of the season.

In my book, Tufts is still #1 in the NESCAC, undisputedly if they beat CNU on Wednesday.

I think Amherst is better than the result vs Midd might indicate - Lord Jeffs committed a whopping 10 turnovers in the first quarter which spurred the early Midd run and offset Kopp's strong performance at X. They only had 6 turnovers in the entire second half, which was more evenly played (8-8).

Midd has a strong test over the next 7 days with RPI on Wednesday before Bowdoin/Babson on Saturday/Sunday. Four games in 8 days (all against ranked teams) will certainly test their reputed depth.

[The12lov3]

Amherst has Springfield and Hamilton up next, but to me the bigger game for them in the near future is Swarthmore in about 10 days. This one should be a super good game / test for both teams in my mind

Hamilton just scored 20+ goals for the 1st time since they joined the NESCAC.
Amherst can't afford to overlook them at 0-1

Viewed every game yesterday, watching some more than others.
My best attempt at rankings:

1) Middlebury
2) Bowdoin
3) Tufts
4) Amherst
5) Wesleyan
6) Williams
7) Conn
8) Hamilton
9) Trinity
10) Colby
11) Bates

Middlebury had the best win & Bowdoin's box score is a result of a Trinity Goalie who stood on their head.
If both survive their midweek tests - winner has a case for #1

Tufts reloads & still plays dangerously fast - but they may not have the marquee player they've had in past seasons.
Their defense/starter looked solid through 3Q and 32 shots, only giving up 4

I'd say for 4-9... we won't really know, till we know.

Not sure that you can say that Tufts "reloaded" based upon yesterday's game. Putting the final score aside, seemed like a good battle between two very good goalies, Tufts definitely has a good one between the pipes. This week will be the real test for Tufts. Did not see any of the Bowdoin game, but did catch a bit of Middlebury, they looked pretty solid.

I know what you're saying - we've been used to them putting up close to 29 the past few years.
But 19 goals (16 in 3Q) is still a good turnout.
Not to mention, against a goalie many have been gleaming about on this forum the past few weeks...

It was a good game - Shots were 15-14 after the 1st quarter.
Conn continues to look like they're headed in the right direction.
The Tufts starter had 12 saves - including several within 5 yards

Tufts blew them out. It was not even a game. Tufts was up by double digits at half time and had a little bit of a scoring drought in the third and then took out all their starters. They dominated them on faceoff. The Conn goalie stood on their head and if it was not for him the score would have been 30 to 9.


The Jumbos will get ALOT better as the season progresses. Might have sone hiccups along the way but once again they have young talent and seem to be in a good position to compete on the national stage.

[callaxdad]

This forum is full of lunatics if we are seriously setting Tufts as a 7.5 pt favorite vs Conn. Below is a realistic game preview from someone who actually understands this conference and has a brain (not bias at all).

Prior to diving in, I think we should acknowledge the obvious fact that Dannolfo was camped out in the bushes of MIT last Sunday to watch the Conn/Amherst scrimmage. A game that Conn reportedly lost 11-1...? In anticipation to this, I can confirm that Nagle chose not to play any of his #1s knowing that sneaky Dannolfo was imbedded in the well-manicured hedges of the MIT campus. Now on to Saturday's preview....

Final from Bello: 14 - 12 Conn (cry). Yes, the mighty ole Jumbos fall in Week 1. Will Rice has a nice game (15 saves, par for the course), but it was the Camel defense that really shined. Jumbo's players were shut down by the Camel's back end, no one could beat big Zach Bucher off the left side and the rangy Henry Cabot was all over the field. While the Jumbos dominated the faceoff X, their run-and-gun style on offense proved to be disadvantage against a discipline Camel defense. Tufts did not choose their shots wisely and this ultimately cost them. On the other end of the field, the Tuft's defense over-extended themselves with bold doubles and the Camels made them pay with sharp passing and selfless playmaking. McAvoy and Atkins (2 goals, 4 assists each) were tremendous distributors which lead to goals from Horkan and Tenzer (3 goals, 1 assist each). Camels also got several goals in transition and junior middie McLaughlin man-handled the middle of the field. Resulting, Dannolfo soils his pants walking off Bello (out of embarrassment) and ruins his new Jordans. The Camels return to New London with a Week 1 W and all is right in this great world.

Did you mean 7.5 pt favorite in the first half?!?!!!

[callaxdad]

FYI, Conn goalie Rice is legit, he stood on his head in the first quarter and played very solid all game. Garzone for the Bos was outstanding as well. Tufts just overwhelmed CC, especially at the X.

[callaxdad]

Ok thx. Now I remember seeing that at the NCAAs at Bello. Thought it was weird then (but my memory is not getting any better).

Your memory is correct! It worked perfectly against Middlebury, but it blew up in RIT's face when they tried the same thing against Tufts the next day in the semis. They put an undersized SSDM on Tommy Swank and took forever to adjust/move away from it. Swank ended with five goals (and ~3-4 misses that hit a pipe).

I miss Swank.

Same!! Love that kid!! If you think about it, based on remaining eligibility, Tufts starting attack could be Bredahl, Boyden and Swank (not to mention Bruun!) and the starting midfield could be Kelleher, Alf and either Tags or Regnery. They chose to move on as opposed to a lot of players at top ranked D3 schools.

[Chipzhoo]

[/quote]

I think Amherst is better than the result vs Midd might indicate - Lord Jeffs committed a whopping 10 turnovers in the first quarter which spurred the early Midd run and offset Kopp's strong performance at X. They only had 6 turnovers in the entire second half, which was more evenly played (8-8).

[/quote]

Agree with all that you said but would only note that there was a reason for all those Amherst TOs. If you watched the game, you know the Midd defense was swarming. Midd withstood substantially similar numbers in their 2023 matchup with nearly the same result. Midd will need to solve FO disparity to have any meaningful shot beyond their Nescac aspirations.

[shorelax12]

Amherst has Springfield and Hamilton up next, but to me the bigger game for them in the near future is Swarthmore in about 10 days. This one should be a super good game / test for both teams in my mind

Hamilton just scored 20+ goals for the 1st time since they joined the NESCAC.
Amherst can't afford to overlook them at 0-1

Viewed every game yesterday, watching some more than others.
My best attempt at rankings:

1) Middlebury
2) Bowdoin
3) Tufts
4) Amherst
5) Wesleyan
6) Williams
7) Conn
8) Hamilton
9) Trinity
10) Colby
11) Bates

Middlebury had the best win & Bowdoin's box score is a result of a Trinity Goalie who stood on their head.
If both survive their midweek tests - winner has a case for #1

Tufts reloads & still plays dangerously fast - but they may not have the marquee player they've had in past seasons.
Their defense/starter looked solid through 3Q and 32 shots, only giving up 4

I'd say for 4-9... we won't really know, till we know.

Not sure that you can say that Tufts "reloaded" based upon yesterday's game. Putting the final score aside, seemed like a good battle between two very good goalies, Tufts definitely has a good one between the pipes. This week will be the real test for Tufts. Did not see any of the Bowdoin game, but did catch a bit of Middlebury, they looked pretty solid.

I know what you're saying - we've been used to them putting up close to 29 the past few years.
But 19 goals (16 in 3Q) is still a good turnout.
Not to mention, against a goalie many have been gleaming about on this forum the past few weeks...

It was a good game - Shots were 15-14 after the 1st quarter.
Conn continues to look like they're headed in the right direction.
The Tufts starter had 12 saves - including several within 5 yards

Tufts blew them out. It was not even a game. Tufts was up by double digits at half time and had a little bit of a scoring drought in the third and then took out all their starters. They dominated them on faceoff. The Conn goalie stood on their head and if it was not for him the score would have been 30 to 9.


The Jumbos will get ALOT better as the season progresses. Might have sone hiccups along the way but once again they have young talent and seem to be in a good position to compete on the national stage.

Look, we all understand what happened in the game, but it was certainly not a defining moment for either team. Other than a few posters, I do not think that many on this forum expected Conn to walk away with the win. Tufts was clearly the better team, but there were certainly some positives for Conn on the day, but definitely some takeaways on things that need to be improved, mostly the unforced errors, Tufts will make you pay every time. Obviously, both teams will improve over the season, but as I said earlier, you cannot say that Tufts reloaded based upon that game. Frankly, I think that some of Tufts players that have been touted on this forum were not that impressive, but very impressed with #20. Tufts goalie definitely took some momentum away from Conn.

[smoova]

I think Amherst is better than the result vs Midd might indicate - Lord Jeffs committed a whopping 10 turnovers in the first quarter which spurred the early Midd run and offset Kopp's strong performance at X. They only had 6 turnovers in the entire second half, which was more evenly played (8-8).

Agree with all that you said but would only note that there was a reason for all those Amherst TOs. If you watched the game, you know the Midd defense was swarming. Midd withstood substantially similar numbers in their 2023 matchup with nearly the same result. Midd will need to solve FO disparity to have any meaningful shot beyond their Nescac aspirations.

Fair point - Midd's early defensive intensity was impressive and put Amherst on their heels for much of the first half. The only down-side to that intensity was that Amherst had a hefty EMO advantage (officially 10-2, although it seemed even greater during the game) including a 6v3 in the 4th (thanks to Campbell understandably(?) tearing into the refs). Absolutely right about the FOs ... will be interesting to see how the Midd coaches address that challenge.

[nelaxman]

I was at Amherst gsme. Middlebury just way more athletic and assertive. Amherst looked like they were playing scared for most of the game. Did not look like a top 20 team in my eyes. Once the gsme got out of hand then Amherst started making some plays. Really disappoint start for Amherst with so much expectations. Middlebury on the other hand will be defeating Tufts this year. They are a veteran team that plays together.

[JumboFan4]

I expect Tufts to rely on strong defense and goalie play as they transition into a new starting attack and find their identity on offense. It’s a luxury that very few DIII programs have and a big reason why they will reload this year. If they can get anywhere near the type of consistency at FO that we saw with Kohn last year, then their offense will gel that much more quickly given the extra possessions. #20 saw a lot of playing time last year and he reminds me of Austin Carbone based on his speed. #13 reminds me of Bryce Adam. If those two can get anywhere near the output of those former greats, they’ll be right back in contention.

[aroundtheoutside]

I'm not very well-versed on the NESCAC landscape, but it's surprising to see so many people ranking Bowdoin and/or Middlebury ahead of Tufts. From a southerner perspective, it looked like Tufts was on a dominant rampage last year, aside from the one close call with Amherst. Yeah they lost a few players, but they still look very much like the elite team they've been. Until someone knocks them off, I wouldn't be ranking anyone above them in the entire North (except maybeee RIT), let alone in conference. Just my humble perspective though! Excited to see the NESCAC carnage play out.

[The12lov3]

[/quote]

Look, we all understand what happened in the game, but it was certainly not a defining moment for either team. Other than a few posters, I do not think that many on this forum expected Conn to walk away with the win. Tufts was clearly the better team, but there were certainly some positives for Conn on the day, but definitely some takeaways on things that need to be improved, mostly the unforced errors, Tufts will make you pay every time. Obviously, both teams will improve over the season, but as I said earlier, you cannot say that Tufts reloaded based upon that game. Frankly, I think that some of Tufts players that have been touted on this forum were not that impressive, but very impressed with #20. Tufts goalie definitely took some momentum away from Conn.
[/quote]

So instead of blowing teams out by 15 they beat teams by a healthy margin of 5 to 10 goals. A win is still a win and I am sure if we go back a few years before Boyton, Swank, and Braun were the starting attack, people were saying the same thing. No one knew on this forum who Tommy Swank was until his junior year. JB was not mentioned either until his junior year. Upgren was not talked about until his sophomore year. Most of the kids yesterday are getting their first opportunity as starters. Lets look at the stats.

Brooks Hauser - 5pts game 1 of 2024 - 4 points all of last season in 11 games
Max Ettinghausen - 16 points in 18 games 22, 27 points in 23 games 2023, 6 points in game 1 2024
Jack Regnery - 39 points in 22 games in 2023, 5 points in 1 game 2024.

Now take the time these three played in 2024 and increase it significantly from previous seasons and you have a pretty explosive offense. Not to mention you have Charlie T who was a non-factor yesterday and I am pretty confident that we see some of the freshman start getting some playing time. I guess we will find out more on Wednesday but the stats after the first game are pointing in the right direction.

Conn will improve throughout the season and ALL games in the NESCAC are fun to watch. Any team can knock off any team on any given day. Even the Jumbos will have some hiccups this season but the season opener looked promising for this young team. My point in this is that Tufts has guys on the bench that don't play a lot their Freshman or Sophomore years who just as good, if not better then some of the people we have seen in the past. It is the same thing as Salisbury, RIT, etc. They lose people and they reload.

[ah23]

I expect Tufts to rely on strong defense and goalie play as they transition into a new starting attack and find their identity on offense.

Think this is a good take. Replacing a ton of production on offense + returning their starting goalie and three poles who started 20+ games last year = going to look more like a "normal" lacrosse team early on.

#20 saw a lot of playing time last year and he reminds me of Austin Carbone based on his speed. #13 reminds me of Bryce Adam. If those two can get anywhere near the output of those former greats, they’ll be right back in contention.

IMO Regnery (20) and Ettinghausen (13) will be better (or at least more prolific) than those two. Don't know a ton about Ettinghausen, but he seems like more of a pure wing shooter/outside threat than Adam was. I think Regnery could be their next ball-dominant dodger/distributor. Super versatile and can initiate from pretty much anywhere; pretty sure the only reason he played middie as a freshman was because they had three senior All-Americans at attack and they had to get him on the field.

From yesterday:

• First goal: initiates from the goalie's top right, sweeps across the top, gets his defender on his hip to create space, rolls off, hits the top corner with a lefty bounce shot

• Second goal: initiates at X, takes the pole to 5x5, catches him leaning and rolls inside, easy dunk over Rice's shoulder

• Third goal: slow break with defense unsettled, cuts from X, head fake to run past the late rotation, finishes on the run

• Fourth goal: iso from the goalie's top right, splits to his left and beats Rice with an on-the-run laser to the top corner

• Fifth goal: EMO stepdown from the goalie's top left, beats Rice stick-side high

Five goals, each scored in a different way from a different spot on the field. Come on. No idea how good/willing of a passer he is, but even if he's "just" a scorer he's going to be a big problem for defenses.

[shorelax12]

Look, we all understand what happened in the game, but it was certainly not a defining moment for either team. Other than a few posters, I do not think that many on this forum expected Conn to walk away with the win. Tufts was clearly the better team, but there were certainly some positives for Conn on the day, but definitely some takeaways on things that need to be improved, mostly the unforced errors, Tufts will make you pay every time. Obviously, both teams will improve over the season, but as I said earlier, you cannot say that Tufts reloaded based upon that game. Frankly, I think that some of Tufts players that have been touted on this forum were not that impressive, but very impressed with #20. Tufts goalie definitely took some momentum away from Conn.
[/quote]

So instead of blowing teams out by 15 they beat teams by a healthy margin of 5 to 10 goals. A win is still a win and I am sure if we go back a few years before Boyton, Swank, and Braun were the starting attack, people were saying the same thing. No one knew on this forum who Tommy Swank was until his junior year. JB was not mentioned either until his junior year. Upgren was not talked about until his sophomore year. Most of the kids yesterday are getting their first opportunity as starters. Lets look at the stats.

Brooks Hauser - 5pts game 1 of 2024 - 4 points all of last season in 11 games
Max Ettinghausen - 16 points in 18 games 22, 27 points in 23 games 2023, 6 points in game 1 2024
Jack Regnery - 39 points in 22 games in 2023, 5 points in 1 game 2024.

Now take the time these three played in 2024 and increase it significantly from previous seasons and you have a pretty explosive offense. Not to mention you have Charlie T who was a non-factor yesterday and I am pretty confident that we see some of the freshman start getting some playing time. I guess we will find out more on Wednesday but the stats after the first game are pointing in the right direction.

Conn will improve throughout the season and ALL games in the NESCAC are fun to watch. Any team can knock off any team on any given day. Even the Jumbos will have some hiccups this season but the season opener looked promising for this young team. My point in this is that Tufts has guys on the bench that don't play a lot their freshman or Sophomore who just as good, if not better then some of the people we have seen in the past. It is the same thing as Salisbury, RIT, etc. They lose people and they reload.
[/quote]

Not disagreeing with you at all, I just think that it is a wait and see proposition with Tufts this year, as opposed to yesterday's game being the "Tufts is back" headline. There was absolutely no doubt where they stood at this time last year, consistency right out of the gate, CNU and RIT will be good tests. Regardless, they are very talented, and a fun team to watch when they are clicking.

[The12lov3]

Shorelax12 - I am in violent agreement with you. The games with CNU and RIT will tell whether this team will be competitive on the National stage. If they get blown out by those two teams, it is a telling sign. However, good competitive games will be a telltale sign for what is to come in May.

[ah23]

No one knew on this forum who Tommy Swank was until his junior year.

I had to go way (way) back to make sure I wasn't misremembering this, but...both JBFortunato and pcowlax talked about him as an incoming freshman in the 2020 thread and for whatever reason that stuck in my head even though he barely played in '21 or '22. Credit to them, only reason I knew who he was going into 2023.

[jumpman23]

Maybe the Trinity and Conn dads will chill after yesterday being exactly how it's always been.....

I saw parts of both games via stream, and honestly it was hard to tell if Tufts and Bowdoin are that dominant or if Conn and Trin just are not very good at all. It felt like the latter despite all the hype on this forum. Conn was outmanned and Trin looked desperate and played dirty at times.

[hooray]

Amherst has Springfield and Hamilton up next, but to me the bigger game for them in the near future is Swarthmore in about 10 days. This one should be a super good game / test for both teams in my mind

Why? IMO, if Amherst is even a shell of itself from 2020 to 2023, mammoths handle Swarthmore easily. What am I missing? Sprinfield eh, but Hammy could be a test. You never know with that non-New England Nescac team.

Think this is a really talented Swarthmore team that's turned some heads the past few years and returns almost everyone. I'm sure they'll put together a better showing but was not too impressed by Amherst this weekend and think match up wise Swarthmore sizes up well almost everywhere. We'll see in a week or so but no shot this is an easy one for Amherst