Nor'easter News - Week 5
Recap of the Week
Headlining the news, Amherst edged Williams 2-0 at home on Sunday, as the Mammoths exacted some revenge against their Eph rivals for last year’s defeat. Tufts was pushed all the way against Bates, before finding a way in the second overtime. And while NESCAC conference play was in full swing this past weekend, there’s some more room devoted to the CCC and NEWMAC this week. In the former, Roger Williams leads the conference, but Endicott (who beat defending CCC Champion and local rival Gordon, 3-0) and Western New England (7-1-1 with no conference defeats), in particular, look well-positioned to make runs at the top spot. Meanwhile, in the latter, Clark was looking strong last week (6-1 as of last Wednesday), before three straight losses did some damage. Meanwhile, last year’s runner-up Babson seems to be rebounding after a 3-3 start, MIT kept its unbeaten record intact with a 1-1 draw at home against WPI, and the latter Engineers appear to be better than their current seventh-place standings, so it would be unwise to anoint a champion at this point.
Impressions
Tufts stays atop the NESCAC and the current national rankings, but the Jumbos were made to work for their latest triumph, a 1-0 double-overtime victory on the road at Bates on Saturday. Statistically, it would suggest that Tufts controlled play during regulation, even if they were profligate in front of goal, as the Jumbos outshot Bates 19-5 and 5-0 in terms of shots on goal. While Tufts’ supremacy in the big moments won the day, Bates gave Tufts as good of a test as it has had this year. Tufts’ work rate is exceptional, and, as a result, the Jumbos win the majority of second balls and 50/50s. However, this wasn’t entirely true on Saturday, and Bates first-year Jacob Iwowo was a big reason why, getting involved in winning and holding up the ball in midfield. Moreover, Bates pressed the Jumbos’ midfield and mopped up a few nice attacks, and the Bobcats also hit the bar, so the result was in the balance for a while. However, Tufts dominated the overtime periods and got its just rewards through a goal by Max Jacobs. The Jumbos stay perfect for another week, but it’s another example of there being no easy games in the NESCAC — something that will be particularly relevant to Tufts when they travel to Amherst on Oct. 12. Until then, they can revel in the fact that they passed a big test of their NESCAC regular season credentials.
The latest installment of Amherst vs. Williams was more even than the 2-0 scoreline might have indicated. Amherst got all the scoring it would need midway through the first half, as first-year midfielder Ignacio Cubeddu hammered home a deflected shot, before Bryce Johnson’s flip-throw caused an own goal just before the break. Even with a somewhat-decisive final score, the shooting stats were relatively even — Amherst edged shots 9-8 and SOG 5-4 — but the Mammoths, as they so often do, found a way. Both teams were forced to settle for ties against solid opposition on Sunday, as Amherst had to rally for a 1-1 draw with Middlebury, while Williams was held at home by Conn. College. And though the Ephs (3-3-2) have improved on their 0-2-1 start, it still appears that Amherst is the most likely side to take conference leader Tufts all the way. Time will tell.
MIT remains the only undefeated team in the NEWMAC, as the Engineers battled to a hard-fought 1-1 tie against the visiting Engineers from WPI. The visitors led for most of the game, as Luke Reininger scored in the first 20 minutes, and it looked like that goal would stand up. However, as it did in its opener at home against Mass-. Boston, MIT managed to equalize in the last 10 minutes, as first-year Richter Brzeski finished off a set piece. MIT’s unbeaten credentials will experience a significant test, as the Engineers travel to face a Brandeis side that has beaten them in seven of their last eight meetings (the lone exception was a 0-0 draw at Brandeis back in 2015). And with the Judges rediscovering winning ways at Mitchell on Saturday after four games without a victory, it’s reasonable to expect that this will be a competitive outing for both teams. Still, with Brandeis sitting at 4-2-3, MIT will be confident that it can go on the road and get a result. Something will have to give. Elsewhere in the NEWMAC, Babson downed defending champion Springfield on the road, 2-0, exacting a modicum of revenge for last year’s NEWMAC Championship defeat, and last week’s conference leader Clark (6-1 at last week’s press time) was brought back down to Earth with a trio of losses at Keene State, Wheaton (MA), and Wesleyan. There’s still a conference tournament left to be played, but, even so, no clear favorite has emerged, making for an interesting end to the regular season.
In the CCC, Endicott underlined its title credentials with a dominant 3-0 win over “crosstown” foe Gordon on Friday night (the schools are technically in different municipalities, but they are close enough that it’s tempting to think of them as “crosstown”). The host Gulls grabbed the upper hand midway through the first half through first-year William Poreda, before senior Evan Couchot put the game to bed with a pair of goals in the second half. Although Endicott looks like it’s flexing its championship credentials, there are plenty of other teams still in the mix — Roger Williams leads the conference as the only 2-0 team (6-2-2 overall), having won its last five, perhaps most notably a big test against non-conference foe WPI. Flying just under the radar, though, is Western New England (7-1-1), whose sole blemishes came against non-conference opponents in Babson and Brandeis. The Golden Bears have still yet to play defending CCC Champion Gordon, Endicott, or front-runner Roger Williams, so there's still plenty of the proverbial race left to be run.
Upcoming Game of the Week: Brandeis vs. Carnegie Mellon
Unlike most “Game of the Week” selections, this one doesn’t involve two in-region teams. However, it features two talented teams which, while not in the gutter, haven’t gotten rolling to the extents that they want — making the stakes even higher.
Brandeis and Carnegie Mellon have been two successful UAA sides over the last decade. Between 2012 and 2017, Brandeis made six straight Sweet 16 or better appearances while winning two UAA titles. However, the host Judges suffered a down year last season, finishing below .500 for the first time in almost a decade. And while they have rebounded to an extent, going 4-2-3 through September, they have not yet carried out a “Top 25” scalp. Carnegie Mellon, meanwhile, has long been a UAA heavyweight, winning two conference titles and making six NCAA appearances since 2012. However, the Tartans are 4-4-1 at press time and realistically cannot afford to drop many more points if they want to return to the NCAA Tournament. Both teams have solid threats — Brandeis’ Will DeNight scored two game-winners in his first four collegiate games, before being sidelined with an injury, while Carnegie Mellon’s Elliot Cohen has long been a difference-maker for the Tartans — and both sides are not devoid of quality, even if their records are less than they’d desire at this point. Moreover, with tough tests against sides like Chicago and Rochester to come both teams will recognize the importance of getting a win. And given the parity displayed in the UAA this year, the three points on offer could turn out to be key down the road.
Comments or feedback for the author? E-mail Henry Loughlin
