The MIAC was very competitive last year and the talk is that a number of teams will be much improved over last year. For anyone who had a chance to see any games, you know that the MIAC is very entertaining soccer. With St. Johns and Gustavus finishing 5 points ahead of the the 3rd place team, can anyone else rise to their class?
That said 3rd - 8th place were also very good teams and capable of beating #1 and #2 on any given day. I will predict that 2 of the top 4 teams will change this year. Even though Augsburg may have snuck up on a few teams last year, with their young team, transfers and coaching, I will go out a on a limb and say they will finish even higher in the conference this year. Look for MAC and Carleton to also be improved. Should be a great season.
138 comments:
Predicting conference finish:
Gustavus
Augsburg
St. Johns
St. Thomas
Carleton
Macalester
St. Olaf
Hamline
St. Marys
Concordia
Bethel
Augsburg to win post season tourney.
Did you see where Augsburg is in Buenos Aires, CEFAR Academy. It will be interesting to see how that impacts team and their skills.
Always a good league to watch with very exciting soccer matches on both the men's and women's side.
Augsburg, St Thomas and St John's will be fighting for top spots.
I also think Macalester will be back in the mix this year.
It is telling that this strand has only 4 posts. The MIAC is filled with average players. It's a shame MN doesn't have D1 mens soccer. WI is alot more fun to follow.
Anon 3:10... a lot is 2 words!
Yes of course D1 is better and it would be great if MN had a D1 men's team. When you say WI, do you mean the Badgers? They might be the 3rd or 4th best team in WI this year behind UWGB, UWM and Marquette! Only time will tell.
I would take any of the top 4 MIAC teams, add 1 dyanamic goal scorer and 1 unbeatable defender and play with any D1 team outside of the top 25.
Yes some of the teams at the bottom of the conference lack some skills and tactics, but if you don't like MIAC soccer then your not a real fan of the game.
http://www.augsburg.edu/athletics/msoccer/2007argentina/index.html
Augsburg got rocked by River Plate - but what a sweet experience that must have been.
Even with that trip, they can't match the talent of SJU or GAC...maybe even UST. Should be another great year of MIAC action.
anon 426 & 834 - Totally agree about MIAC action- the cheesehead had a bit too much paint thinner me thinks
I have to agree, D1 men’s soccer, in WI, is pretty entertaining. We’ve watched the Badgers, Panthers, and even the Phoenix put on some pretty good shows over the years. And, in general, they definetely play more challenging opponents. But, let's face it. Div 1 soccer, by it's very nature, is more competitive, demanding, and time consuming. As such, it attracts different kinds of players than those who compete in the MIAC and other D3 schools. That’s not an insult, it’s just makes sense.
Yes, of course, D1 is stronger competition. I think the previous posters were going after the knock on the D3 MIAC. Given the product placement, the MIAC is a good product. Not meant to compete with D1...uh, its D3.
The Wisconsin D1 crown should be interesting this year. Obviously, the badgers with Big10 status should have the pick of the lot from the midwest, but they don't seem to get the best players from the upper midwest. I think most of these kids head east or west to bright lights.
I think if I were to pick a favorite of the 4 at this point I would pick UWGB, based on last years performance. However, the do loose most of their goals to graduation. UW-Mil and Marquette will be interesting UW-Mil had probalby the best recruiting class, but a bunch of good freshmen don't mean immediate success. Marquette with a 2nd year coach who went their to build their program. But his recruiting class was average. Both Mil and Marq also have a couple of foreign players/transfers that should be interesting to see. You never know who will show up from over seas at Wisconsin, but I think they have showed they consistently do less with more than any other Wisconsin D1 soccer program, overall an underachieving program.
Madison will be interesting to watch this year. They lose a number of talented players including Aaron Holbein who is now playing for the Wizards in the MLS. They also lose their Goalkeeper, Jake Settle, who was Second team All Big Ten in a league filled with a number of strong Goalkeepers. Unfortunately there are only a couple of MN boys on this years squad. Vint and Miller should be competing for playing time. Milwaukee will be a bit stronger. Green Bay will have to work hard to fill Okampa's scoring. Marquette is a big unknown. With Louis there they should be getting better. It's an important year for Rohrman. He needs to show that the Badgers are improving or his job security could be a risk. Regarding the MIAC, I agree that it is highly entertaining soccer. I look forward to watching Holker and his boys compete with the Gusties, the Johnnies and the Tommies for the top spot.
Rumor is that Mackey at St. Thomas is stepping aside and allowing an assistant to run things completely. I think he will still be the head coach in name though. This will probably help the tommies as they have underperformed for many years. They seem to lack heart and have very inconsistent play.
It will be interesting to see if Augsburg can continue to rise. I saw them 3 times last year and they outworked the other team every time. I know Holker picked up a few more good recruits and a couple of transfers. It will be interesting if they can keep the level of intensity up.
I agree with the earlier poster about Carleton. After being a relative door mat for the MIAC, they seem to have pulled together a talented group of players. Gustavus and St. Johns also loaded up on recruits. Heard the 2 freshmen on St. Thomas team last year transfered away and that their recruting class was down to a couple of good/very good players.
I know Gustavus picked up a great GK recruit.
Who did St John's recruit in this year?
The transfer from D1 into Augsburg is supposed to a real stud.
Time will tell
Gustavus got Strom. He is a good GK but I wouldn't call him great.
St. John's got Chavez from Monticello. Not sure who else. Curious about the D1 player who is going to Augsburg. Who is that?
St. Johns also got Tom Hoffman from Mahtomedi.
Augsburg picked up Mark ? from the now U20 Wings, who transfered from Tulsa. They also have an older transfer player who is a stud. Not sure of his name or where he played before.
Augsburg got Mark Jacobs. St. John's also has Colin Hall, Colin Jacobs, Andrew Lilly, and Blake Haller coming.
Why are there so many D1 and D2 teams in WI and none in MN?
I predict the top 4 MIAC as follows:
1. Augsburg
2. Carlton
3. St. Thomas
4. Gustavus
That ranking is insane. If you are correct at the end, I think everyone would buy you a beer.
Augsburg is not ready - and I heard they lost Wendell (ineligible). SJU has to be the favorite - they return everyone and get Jerry back along with Collin Hall and about 30 other freshmen. GAC will be a top two team every year - their coach has them organized, and the program recruits itself now...surely they landed a few big names.
Carleton is a strong team, but they have been in the top four of the conference only three times (1985, 86, 92) and since Bob Carlson has been at the helm, the best they have finished is 6th place.
I would say:
SJU
GAC
AUG
UST
To Anon 8:37 - Possibly because the WI schools had mens programs established before Title IX ???
I heard a story once from a former UWGB coach about how soccer got its foothold in WI for D1 programs. Appearantly, back before Vince Lombardi died he was instrumental in getting the soccer program on the drawing board at UWGB. The Packers were worried that the University would start a football program that would take fans and revenue away from the Packers. In later years, Packer brass and UW-Madison brass pushed for D1 programs at GB and Milwaukee, again to keep other football programs from drawing their players, fans and revenue.
On another note, over the past 10 years or so, as soccer has been on the rise and football programs, coaches and players continue to behave badly and do little to graduate players, I have heard the sports equity discussion focus more on football as being the issue (or the problem), not title IX.
I believe D1 football programs give 85 full scholarships per team (nearly 4x the 22 starting players.) Then few school do much of anything to graduate their players. The ADs and football coaches will talk about revenue. But give soccer 30 years of 44 scholarships per team, marketing dollars, university staff dedicated to growing the sport in the community, fully funded recruting programs, facilities, etc. and you would see soccer build a revenue base to sustain its own programs. Even as late as the 1993, our then govenor Arnie Carlson, said that soccer was unamerican in response to why MN didn't work harder to get a piece of the world cup action. Hopefully as the football and baseball GOB-geezers die out, soccer will be allowed to grow and flourish in the US.
St John's lost Ben Passe with an ACL. He hurt it in men's league this summer and is out for the year.
Is Jerry D'Alessandro back? Is he on the 6 year plan?
We've heard so much about St. John's graduating their athletes in 4 years...what's going on?
Augsburg lost Cassidy Duerr to ACL tear in the spring - he might be back by October...tough news for he and Passe.
Anon 2:50- I've heard the same story, from a current UWGB player. Lombardi is the reason GB has a men's soccer program. Great stuff !!!
Wisconsin played UW - Parkside last night and won 4-0.
Is Parkside a D1 or D2 program?
D2 - Tim Thao, Johnson Thao and Renaldo Vega play there.
Rumor is that Auggie may have distrubted team chemistry by leaving Freshmen out for their trip to South America.
They didn't have a choice - the NCAA doesn't allow freshmen to travel. Won't be a big deal - they returned all starters anyway.
Understand that St. John's is continuing to add to the 75 freshman they have coming in. A couple of freshman have left DI teams after one week and are now up at Collegeville.
White from Oakland University and who else?
St. John's doesn't have 75 freshman trying out but they do have a boat load. Colin White is here and so is Sereyn from Milwaukee.
UWGB is picked to finish second in the Horizon. One spot in front of Milwaukee.
Why did they leave and what's pulling them to St. John's? Will they get a chance to play this year? White is a defender from Armstrong and Sereyn is a midfielder from Totino. Are there spots for them?
U of M 4
St. Johns 1
St. Johns had some good posession in the 2nd half but the U really ripped us open at the back.
Looks like the "U" has a heckuva club team this year.
Maybe St John's was testing some of their incoming freshman in the back?
U of M 4
St. Johns 0
I was mistaken about our goal (outside side netting). It looked like we both played younger players in the first half. Then more starters in the second half. They did have couple of really good shots. We could not seem to create much out of our possession in the 2nd half.
I saw St Johns a few times last year and was puzzled by the positions some of the players were playing.
It was obvious to most they were struggling in the midfield yet he had the player with the best ball skills and vision playing up top. And that player looked as if he wasn't all that comfortable playing at striker.
I can understand why some question the knowledge of the St Johns staff.
Mac 1 - Gophers Club 4
U of M played Gustavus today...any score? They play Augsburg on Monday. Sounds like they are the deal...
St. John's scrimmaged Sambas today. Since Sambas has a big contingent from SJU which teams did they play for or was it more of an inter-squad scrimmage?
GAC 1
U of M 1
U of M scored in the third of 3 40 min periods....GAC had all there reserves in by the time the U scored. Varsity vs Varsity though GAC dominated....U didnt get one shot off the entire first two periods. GAC looks like the strongest team in the MIAC for sure
Hmmm...did we watch the same game? The U didn't play their starters together at all during the game. In fact, they didn't have more that 3 or 4 in at a time. It was also the Us 4th game in 5 days.
I do agree that GAC looks the strongest in the MIAC based on watching the U play both St. Johns and GAC. But a top 11 v top 11, the U would certainly take care of business against GAC. After viewing an Augsburg intersquad, I would also say that GAC may be at least 2 goals better than St. Johns and Augsburg. I haven't had a chance to catch Hamline yet this year (the other MIAC top 4 finisher from last year.)
Sounds like GAC is pretty strong - how did the GK do? Was he tested by the U of M? Any word on the SJU vs. Sambas scrimmage? When did you see Augsburg intersquad? I didn't know those were open to anyone to see. Would love to see more college soccer training.
Pre-Season Poll listed (voted on by coaches):
1. Gustavus (7)
2. Saint John’s (3)
3. Augsburg (1)
4. St. Thomas
5. Macalester
6. Hamline
7. Carleton
8. St. Olaf
9. Bethel
10. Saint Mary's
11. Concordia
I would bet Augsburg's lone 1st place vote came from St. John's - trying to deny Gustavus any more votes.
St. Thomas 4-2 over Gophers this morning. They then beat the Twin Stars 5-2 in the evening...
I doubt GAC is 2 goals better than Augsburg.
I question whether Augsburg will even give up 2 goals in any MIAC match.
GAC and St John's are over rated but I'll concede the freshman keeper GAC picked up will help them immensely. That kid should have gone D1.
St John's will have trouble scoring as they're unorganized in the midfield making their boot and scoot attack predictable and easy to defend.
GAC will be more suspect in the back than usual but the freshman GK will help bail out the back line.
St Thomas will be the sleeper this year and will be the surprise of the MIAC.
Macalester will improve as they have the most dangerous attacker in the league in Gorecki. The other player to watch at Mac is Rocke. That kid has speed to burn.
UST 3 Gophers 2
All 3 goals by Stillwall (?) I think he played at the back last year. The Gophers looked ragged. Even with the win I would say GAC and St. Johns are significantly better. UST will be in trouble if they have to go very deep in their bench. One of their parents said that AM is taking a back seat this year and will not be involved much with the team.
The freshman keeper at Gustavus is Luke Strom from Wayzata. He was an All State GK last year. He is a very good keeper with good technical skills and good reactions. The big question will be his durability especially in the rough and tumble MIAC. Look for him to help GAC.
Jon Stillwell did play in the back last year after transferring from Milwaukee. He is big, strong and fast. A very talented player (former Mr. Soccer from the State Champion Jefferson Team). Could be a real threat up front. It will be fun to watch him this year.
U of M 1
Augsburg 0
Augsburg looked terrible in this one - goal was on a PK, but overall it was a sloppy game
Augburg has the most organized and best defense in the MIAC. They will be hard to beat this year.
Gophers 4 - Hamline 0
Augsburg is definatley the best defense. If they can find goals, they will finish 1 or 2 in the MIAC.
Gophers go 4-1-1 in six MIAC games...in six days. Not bad.
My prediction - Augsburg won't score a goal for 1,117 minutes. Ten straight 0-0 ties. Boring, sloppy soccer.
anon 11:22,
My guess is Augsburg will see many 1-0 and 2-0 wins with opponents being totally frustrated by a very organized and effective defense.
Their opponents my not score for 1,117 minutes. Isn't that about what happened last year?
St. John's struggled to a 0-0 tie against Luther who finished with 7 wins-13 losses last year.
With all the talent St. John's has on their roster they should have progressed further last year and now they can't score against a mediocre Luther team.
This could be a tough year for St. John's unless they learn how to work the ball through their midfield. I know they lost Passe but they also struggled last year in this phase of the game.
Their coach needs to help them out with connecting from defending third to attacking third.
The talent is there.
St. John's has talent but they seemed to be confused on how to use it. They're trying Swierk up front and I think that has already proved to be a failed experiment. Haws has a lot of players to choose from. He will (or his son) need to move quickly to put the right pieces in place to compete with Gustavus, Augsburg and St. Thomas. I look for the Gusties to finish on top followed by Augsburg and the Tommies.
Augsburg struggled vs. CC according to their web site and then defeated Dallas (even though they were out shot). Sounds like Gustavus will run away with the title this year.
Looks like St John's lucked out in their win down in Iowa.
They won 2-1 but were outshot 23-6 according to the box score. Also Central with 13 corners to St John's 1....ouch!
Sounds like they aren't able to connect the dots from defending third to middle third to the attack third.
With all the talent St Johns has on that roster it's surprising they haven't had more success the past few years.
I think this is the year my Tommies will whup the Johnnies. Our coaching situation has taken a turn for the better and we've got players in positions where they're better suited.
St Thomas travels to St Johns next Wednesday and I'm going to try to get up there.
The CC goals against Augsburg were early-season mental issues. GK change and things looked better. they beat Dallas pretty soundly on the field.
I think we all know who the three teams will be--SJU, GAC, Aug. I have my favorites, but really, we just need to see them play. I cant see any other team that can consistently play with them.
Wisconsin bounces back from a tough 3-1 loss to Tulsa to beat Western Michigan 1-0 and now Stanford 1-0. They seem to be a rapidly improving squad. Milwaukee lost two tough matches losing to both Tulsa and Western Michigan 2-1 and UWGB beat Drake 3-2 in OT and then lost to Creighton 3-0. It will be fun to watch all of our boy's from Minnesota compete for these teams.
2007 MIAC Men is the thread - barbarino...you need a new thread for Div I players from Minnesota not playing (Hong, Alexander, Gibbons twins, Keller, Gerard-Larson, Vint, Krueger) vs. those playing (Ndely, Mai, Rosenthal, Baker, Horst, Miller, O'Brien, Voigtlander)...and all in WI...and current records of those teams: Madison: 2-1-0
Green Bay: 1-2-0
Milwaukee: 0-3-0
Don't count out St. Thomas - they may have been crushed 8-0 in CA, but they are as dangerous as any team. 5-2-3 formation is risky, but who cares about the midfield anyway!
GAC defeats a good st norbert team 1-0....defence strong as usual....look for great game tmrw with oshkosh
Sorry anon 11:04 PM. Since we didn't have a D1 thread I thought it would be acceptable to weave it into this one. It seemed to be an appropriate way to gain some insight on our college players (including Davis, Gotsmanov, Senske, Greene, Browne, Wexler, Yonga, Burton, ...) all across the country. MNFUTBOL are you interested in starting that thread or should we just throw a few D1 comments in from time to time for those who may be interested?
Wisconsin beats #7 Cal 1-0 today!
Carleton beats St John's 2-1 in OT.
Not to take anything away from Carleton but how does St John's lose with all that talent they have on their roster?
I know they struggle with not much of a system but they should win against Carleton on talent alone.
One thing I noticed when they tied my Tommies is that their midfield rarely touched the ball with most of their "attack" just trying to play balls over the top which becomes very predictable and easy to defend.
Oh well...it gives St Thomas hope that we can finish in the top 4 this year. I think St John's might struggle to be in MIAC playoffs.
To date this year St.John's isn't as good as they were last year. They could be if the players who were successful last year were playing instead of the new crop of freshmen the coach is enamored with.
The chemistry isn't good and they lack any concept or organization on the pitch.
It's a shame to see all that talent on that roster and watch them struggling to get things organized in the game.
Carelton is a surprise so far. But they are no push-over. Not a lucky thing--they will be tough.
Carleton has some nice players but their talent pool not anywhere near as deep as Gustavus or St Johns. Or Augsburg or St Thomas for that matter.
It must have been an exciting win for them against St Johns.
With all the injuries this year, the conference playoff race is a mess. GAC is the clear favorite...SJU (Passe), UST (Gikling, Wright), AUG (Venter, Duerr, Turner, Wendell) have all taken big hits - leveling the field for CAR, HAM, and STO...
I wouldn't be suprised to see GAC, UST, CAR, and STO in the top four. SJU should be good - but their coach is an idiot!
1. Carlton
2. GAC
3. Augsburg
4. St. Thomas
agree on the SJU coach!
13-4-1 and a share of the miac title LAST season. .704 winning percentage overall.
i don't know the sju coach but wonder how he got to be such an 'idiot' in less than a year?
i've heard these comments before (both verbally and non-verbally) about coaches and always consider the xource.
we all know the story about the young bull and the old bull standing on top of the hill?
SJU's coach isn't an idiot but he doesn't have the soccer pedigree of most college coaches.
He hasn't played the game and misses a lot of the little things a skilled soccer player does. He tends to focus too much on athletic ability and misses the finer points a complete soccer player brings to the pitch.
That was one of the reasons my son chose Gustavus over SJU. We felt the academic opportunities were equal.
The SJU coach has a recruiting questionnaire/form that asks only about HS experience. It asks nothing about club soccer. That's another clue for the serious soccer player to take note of.
That all being said you have to give the coach credit for bringing in enough talent to be a consistent winner in the MIAC but I don't think SJU will ever be successful on the bigger stage until there's a complete change in the coaching ranks.
Then again this is D3 soccer.
all thoughtful and well articulated points based on your family's values. thanks for taking the time.
Just look at SJU coach's record...he is like the all-time winningest coach in MN history - which is all their sports info dept. plugs. However, he has ONE MIAC title since 1989 and that was last fall...17 years of being good, but not champions. This has everything to do with athletes. In the 80's soccer was not nearly as technical or tactical as it is today - it was about who could kick it to the corner and run the fastest to serve it in the box and smash it in. Athletes. The game has evolved, and Haws has not. Last year's group (and the past 5 years arguably) was the most talented group in the MIAC. Yet, annualy they mess it all up. Upper class players end up quitting - replaced by talented, but young players. Good, but not enough to win it all. This year is no different. He subs more than Chuck Scanlon does at Apple Valley HS.
Beyond this, he has been dishonest with prospects - to his credit, he does tell them he is a swimming coach and never played soccer - then he tells them they will play right away/start. When they arrive and are on JV...he tells them one of his responsibilities is as a recruiter for the college. True story - it happened to my son.
SJU recruits itself - great school, beautiful campus, decent academic reputation - and the 'ole boy's club. No need to meet or ever speak with Coach Haws...the kids are coming anyway. It's just a matter of time before they leave the soccer program.
Hey miac alum,
The Carlton game that SJU lost had nothing to do with Freshman chemistry. AS a matter of fact the goal was Freshman Colin Hall heading in a cross from Freshman Colin White!
If the Junior goalie hadn't muffed an easy ball in the 71st minute they win handly. Maybe the "talented" last years players should start to work a little harder Brian Horst appears to be sleeping out there.
Maybe if your kid had more talent he'd be playing varsity soccer for Coach Haws instead of pouding the JV pitch.
ems - I have coached against him.....remind me to tell you the funny story about it when we go to the gophers game.
Easy on the SJU historical record accolades. SJU and STU are magnets for metro area athletes. They get more players just because of who they are. They were fortunate to have good coaches early on in their programs to build their rep and consistently draw talen into their programs (especially true for STU.)
IMHO, the two best coaches in the MIAC are GUS and AUG, followed closely by MAC.
two best coaches in the MIAC are GAC and AUG....not surprisingly, AUG coach comes from GAC, and was an assistant at GAC before taking the head job at AUG. GAC will always put forth a winning team because they get their players to play in a very successful system. That being said, there JV team is struggling this year a bit because of chemistry, but the talent of the players will come through and expect them to be a force within a year. GAC didnt bring the number of freshman that SJU did, but the quality of players was probably close to equal. I wouldnt be surprised to see GAC's assistant coach (joe Hartwell, former all-american center back at GAC) to be offered the first MIAC job that opens up. Like holker, he has the ability to turn a program around based purely on his knowledge for the game.
Hartwell was/is an excellent player with a good knowledge of the game but it takes more than that to be an good coach.
Holker is a unique individual with a strong and dynamic personality that was as much a part of Augsburgs turnaround as his soccer acumen.
Augsburg should enjoy their soccer while Holker is there as I'm betting it won't be long until a D1 program comes knocking on his door.
Gustavus beats St John's 1-0 at Collegeville. This is a huge win for the Gusties and a kick in the gut for the Johnnies to lose again, this time at home.
St John's has great talent but just can't score goals against the better teams.
Gustavus is solid and very well organized both offensively and defensively.
The win puts Gustavus at 3-0 in MIAC and St John's has played three MIAC games and not yet won with 2 losses and a draw. They better put it together quickly or face the prospect of not even making the MIAC playoffs.
That would be a shame with all the returning players they had from last year.
Gustavus looks like they are once again the team to beat.
Another big game tonight with St Thomas at Augsburg.
These 2 teams both have a great shot to be in MIAC playoffs and looking even better for them now with St. John's loss today.
It's getting easier to tell who will be the 4 teams in the MIAC playoffs in a few weeks. Yesterday's matches provided a little more insight.
Gustavus is a lock. (best defense and most organized offense-great senior leadership)
Carleton will be one of the four.(getting better each game on ball possession-Phillips can be unstoppable at times plus he has help this year)
St Thomas much improved will be in the playoffs. (many dangerous attackers and better organization of offense this year-position changes paying dividends)
Augsburg could still get in. (if they get starters back from injury etc-strong coaching staff will keep them in the hunt)
Hamline could sneak in (well coach and great discipline on the pitch)
St John's now a darkhorse after 3 games without a win. (still have best talent but a mess between the lines-weren't these kids all premier level players?)
Holker a D1 coach, that's at joke! He will have to qualify for a few NCAA D3 Final Fours or pay his dues as a D1 assistant. Get out of your Minnesota fish bowl. Their are D1 head coaches that leave lower level programs to assist at top 25 D1 schools. Last time I looked Drake, Creighton, UWGB, UWM and Wisconsin all have coaches with a much higher pedigree.
Your kidding yourself if you think any of the schools you mentioned above have better coahes. The only exception could be Poitras at UWGB. Holmes at Drake and Warming at Creighton could be on par, but I would probably put Holker above both of them. The other two schools you mentioned have coaches that consistently underachieve with the talent they get and are shady characters. And none of the assistant at any of these schools are capable of stepping into a head coach role. As the previous posted said, it's more than X's and O's. Many of the coaches you mentioned got their jobs by paying dues...not being quality coaches.
Holker's ego is bad enough at the D3 level...
st. thomas completely demolished augsburg at augsbrug the other day. i was at the game and found that st. thomas had a huge advantage in speed and athletisicm and screwed any posession augsburg tried to start. even with "star goalie" matt carlson, the tommies would have won the game big time
oh ye D3 knowitalls, quit talking about D1 coaches if you have none of your own. Where are the D1 schools for us to know what to talk about? Land of 10000 D3 schools.
I think AUG has dropped to conference game now:
4-0 loss to St. Thomas
3-2 loss at St. Olaf
Could be tough to recover at this point with Gustavus still to play. 3 losses will probably not finish in the top 4.
Augsburg ran into some bad luck with injuries and eligibility problems due to an administrative mix up.
They're missing 4 starters between injiries and eligibility and without those kids they're not in the elite tier of the MIAC this year.
Every team has injuries, every team has bad luck. No excuses, please. Let the boys play it out on the pitch.
Prediction: AUG will not beat St. Scholastica next week !!!!
Prediction: AUG hammers St. Scholastica next week!!!!
Huge win for Carleton today beating Gustavus 2-1. Carleton not a total surprise but playing better than most expected.
Carleton and St Thomas have ties but remain unbeaten.
St Olaf hammers St Johns 4-1. How does St Johns return 9 or 10 starters and get worse? Have they mixed in too many freshman and screwed up the team dynamics? The players they put on the pitch a year ago made for a much better team...and they're still on the roster but not on the pitch...go figure.
St Johns, it's time to face reality.
Your team is outcoached in every game they play.
It wasn't always that way as the MIAC had other clueless coaches up until the last few years.
Augsburg was a doormat until they brought in Holker. Hamline has turned things around with Coutts.
To have the kind of talent the Johnnies have on their roster and have already lost 3 matches in the MIAC is hard to fathom.
In the early 90's the players on the team went to school officials and asked for Haws to be replaced because they realized he didn't really understand the game. (pssst, his son isn't the answer)
Now is the time that this should happen. Things aren't going to get better for the Johnnies as all the other MIAC schools continue to improve and have coaching staffs that recognize soccer talent and not just measure verticals and 40 yard dash times.
I'm sure the players on the team realize the best 11 on the roster aren't the best 11 starting the games. They know several players are not in the positions that will give the team the best chance to win.
Will this be the year the players once again go to the AD or school officials and ask for a change?
I wish the St Johns players well as I know what they're feeling and hope they can somehow turn their season around.
I just read this thread and have to chuckle about this earlier post.
"Maybe if your kid had more talent he'd be playing varsity soccer for Coach Haws instead of pouding the JV pitch".
I don't have a horse in the race. My kid is at Gustavus.
But the fact is that Haws is a poor judge of soccer ability. Not athleticism but soccer ability.
It's obvious you don't really know the game. The other MIAC coaches respect Haws for his passion for the game but behind his back they speak of how lucky they are that someone who has a clue isn't coaching at St. Johns.
I had to laugh when my son shared with me a story one of his former MYSA club teammates now up at SJU shared with him. St Johns actually spent time in training practicing slide tackles.
The coaches concede he gets the talent up to Collegeville but they also note how he fails to recognize real soccer talent and leans so heavily on size, speed and athleticism. You need that but you need players with tactical and technical ability. That's what he fails to recognize.
To have almost everyone return from last years team that was so successful and be where they are now is hard to believe.
How the chemistry got screwed up so badly in such a short time is a mystery.
I feel badly for all the talented kids from last years team who have seen this season turn into a disaster as the coaching staff "fell in love" with their new crop of freshmen.
A lot of coaches base thier choices on "tryouts" or observing practice. Kids play differently in games than they do going 75% against friends. Certain kids play like psychos on the field yet don't stand out otherwise.
Mental muturity plays a big part in it too, not just age.
I'd say St. John's is done for the year. Tough--don't know why, but that happens.
Regarding ST and SJ recruiting: amazing. They don't need to do anything and the kids come in droves. I don't even think the coaches know the names of the kids when they show up.
They attempted too much change in too short a period of time at SJU.
Now there's a ton of controversy among the players and internal fighting along with loss of confidence in the coaching staff.
The old adage "if it ain't broke don't fix it" applies here.
The coaching staff destroyed the "team dynamics" and camaraderie that worked for them last year.
just a couple questions, how long does it take to 'learn the game'?
is it possible to 'learn the game' if you've never played it?
how do you 'learn the game' in the first place?
i don't know the sju coach, i just want to know the answers. i'll probably have to call marv levy and ask him.
ems - lol, I still have a funny hawes story regarding me to tell you....maybe Thursday night
Haws is a very nice man and has had much success over the years at St. Johns.
But the reality today is that his coaching ability and acumen is not up to level of the other men's coaches in the MIAC.
The school and Haws are doing a disservice to the young men playing soccer at SJU.
And as noted earlier in this thread the answer is not his son.
I hope your kid went to SJU for education not for soccer.
He should be getting a good education for the money you are paying and if he plays soccer that's the iceing on the cake.
Haws is not there to make your kid a Pele so - if you had wanted to get good soccer, maybe your kid should be at a top D1 program.
If he ends up at SJU, then Haws is your man - deal with it or move to D1 program and see what expectations are there.
The kids who attend SJU are looking for low key D3 soccer or can't play higher than D3 so the expectations should be realistic.
How demanding can it be for D3 players and a coach like Haws has the exertise and knowedlge to coach a D3 program and has done sdo for years.
AUG barely beat St. Scholastica last night @ Edor Nelson Field.
The Auggies scored the only goal on a PK in the 86th minute.
I heard that CSS did a good job containing Holker's attackers.
Let's look at this another way...
Let's say all the MIAC coached were between the ages of 35-45 and you were reviewing their resumes for playing experience, coaching licenses and then interviewed them on their knowledge of the game and it's finer points.
Which of the MIAC men's coaches would be hired 1st? And who would be hired last?
I think that puts this into better perspective.
Makes sense, but SJU does not work that way, and that is why Pat has been there for so long. He is a great "coach" and he could coach anything. Yes, he never played soccer, but he knows plenty about soccer and about how to motivate players. All programs have slumps, but SJU will be back.
I also predict that when Pat hangs it up, his son will coach that team for many years. SJU is about academic excellence - everything else is extra. And they also excel in that department.
If you that way, you havge elevated soccer to a very high level which is not and that's why these schools are D3. SJU and all the MIAC schools are very prestigious schools and has no reason for keeping some who is not producing. The students go there for their academics and hopefully play some sports at a good school. if Haws is the coach at SJU and has been there all this time, it should tell you the school admin supports him or they don't care about soccer to even worry about who is coaching. You want to spend time finding a good coach for a D3 soccer, fill the stands with spectators and bring some revenue. No money, deal with it and not get too carried away.
Haws is going down as a legend and having seen him talk to his players, he should be coaching WMT. I know the youth movement is cool but, also remember your kids need to be smart students before soccer stars.
Do you think John Leaney was hired to supplement an experience for smart kids? Hell no - he was brought in to make Macalester a recognizable name in athletics - particularly soccer. This helps with recruitment of the general population. Athletic success is a must. Do not kid yourselves about these institutions being only about academic success - see the big picture. Athletic success improves a school's profile. Biology students don't get their name in the paper and a raise awareness of a campus. Athletics do - and strong coaching is at the forefront on an institution's mission. Teachers, educators, recruiters, and above all RETAINERS.
WMT - he should coach at Wal-Mart?? (wmt is the stock symbol for that retailer)
Maybe he can do some door greeting instead.
That's what I'm planning to do in my senior years.....I probably wouldn't last a day.
"Hey. lady the mirror department is aisle 16 you should really get one for yourself at home"
"dude, did you know deodorant is on sale today"
"try some Gorilla tape to stop those screaming kids"
Here's where SJU excels - SJU Football. We don't need D3 soccer to be in the news - nobody cares. Haws' (plural) will continue coaching at SJU as long as they want!
Winningest Football Program All-Time in NCAA Division III History with a 543-219-24 (.706) Record in 97 Seasons
Head Coach John Gagliardi, a 2006 College Football Hall of Fame Inductee and College Football's All-Time Winningest Coach with a 449-120-11 Record in 59 Seasons (.784)
2006, 2004 and 2003 SJU Football Game Programs Voted "Best in the Nation" in NCAA Division III by College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)
10/6:
Haws 1 - Leaney 0 (at Leaney's)
Who cares about football! Thought this was a soccer blog -
You obviously can't see past your nose...
Leaney's got the men? Thought Barker had them at Mac.
Barker/Leaney - Potatoe/Potato. How can a bad, finished, confused coach like Haws beat either one!
SJU scored a big win Saturday night v Macalester.
They needed that to have any hope of reaching MIAC playoffs.
Haws must have been reading the blog because he barely used his freshmen and let the players who got SJU into playoffs last year do the job.
Hopefully he hasn't come to this realization too late for the players back from last year who performed so well and tied for conference championship last season.
SJU needs to win their remaining games in MIAC and get help from others to reach playoffs.
Hopefully the SJU coaches now see they had the talent all along. It was just spending a little too much time on the bench while the freshmen were learning that this is a cut above HS level.
SJU has the talent to get there if the coaches put the right players on the pitch.
I doubt Haws would take coaching advice from a blog. Its clear we have a couple of parents whining that their kid isn't playing at SJU. SJU over achieved last year and are playing just about where their talent should put them this year. They should still be congratulated for their efforts and results last year. Better to over achieve than under achieve.
Tomass where are you? We need some good MIAC analysis!
Being that analysis is a higher level of thinking and soccer is the topic - why would you ask Tom-ass?
St John's and Haws still have a chance to make the MIAC playoffs if they win out and get help from other teams.
Unfortunately they are having trouble scoring as proven in the 2 games this past weekend. They played over 180 minutes and didn't score a goal. They have had trouble in that department all year.
Hopefully the Johnnies pull it together over the next 2 weeks in their MIAC games and get the help they need to make it in the playoffs.
They have all the talent they need on their roster. They just need to put it together.
just heard that St John's lost their keeper due to broken jaw for the balance of the season.
That is very unfortunate and hopefully the young man is okay.
The Johnnies have a chance to reach the MIAC playoffs if they catch a few breaks from other teams.
Good luck guys.
Watched Carleton vs Augsburg. Carleton defends very well as a team as does Augsburg, but the difference was the attacking play through the heart of the defense.
Anyone interested in playoff scenarios? SJU could get in with two wins in its final two games as the fourth seed - pending St. Olaf loses....crazy finish will all pan out on Tuesday.
Who is going to win on Wednesday - SJU or Augsburg?
SJU needs the win n its last two games plus a St. Olaf loss on Saturday to get in the playoff - Augsburg was eliminated today by St. Olaf defeating Hamline (STO has head-to-head on AUG with 12 points each).
I say Augsburg 2-1 in this one - tough to beat AUG on the turf.
Augsburg beat St John's last night eliminating the Johnnies for the MIAC playoffs.
This is a stunner given the fact St Johns had 9-10 of their starters back from last years team that tied for 1st place in MIAC.
The chemistry at St Johns was messed up this year with the coaching staff trying to infuse too many freshman in to key varsity roles.
With St Johns elimination the 2 teams still in hunt for the last MIAC playoff slot are Augsburg and St Olaf. If they both end up 6-4 then Augsburg gets in as they beat St Olaf head to head.
If St Olaf wins at home vs Carelton (no easy task) this Saturday there clinch the 4th playoff spot...or if Augsburg loses this weekend at Macalester St Olaf is in.
Augsburg needs to win at Macalester and have St Olaf lose to Carelton to grab the last MIAC playoff spot.
Augsburg is eliminated - St. Olaf already clinched with the Auggies 2-1 win over St. John's. St. Olaf beat Augsburg 3-2 in September. Now all four teams in the playoff play each other on the final weekend. STO vs. CAR and UST vs. GAC....will determine seeding, except STO is 4th no matter what.
Good game last night - Augsburg looked in command early, but the Johnnies made a run for it. Looks like Augsburg got Hildebrandt and Teske back in the lineup. Too bad they get healthy during the last week of the season.
I saw the AUG v SJU game as well. It was very entertaining. AUG goals were certainly against the run of play. I though the difference was defending on restarts/set pieces. Even after SJU gave up 2 goals due to poor marking on free kicks/corner kick, they still did not mark well the rest of the game. SJU certainly had more talented players and moved the ball around better, building from the back. I would say the younger players actually added to their overall game last night. I was surprise to see Kodet and #4 on the bench for a while in the 2nd half...they should be fit at this point of the season. Holker had a good game plan in the 2nd half with limited attacking and having his forwards pressure everywhere.
Congrats to St. Olaf...they have a special player in freshmen John Zietlow. I would selfishly like to see St. Thomas get a home game in the play offs so that I can see one in the city.
I disagree on the Augsburg goals being against the run of play - at the time of the goals, Augsburg had the majority of the ball and was only threatened by long balls to the three front runners from St. John's. As the game progressed, St. John's was better in possession (you mentioned it might be for a reason by the coaching move).
St. John's was horrible in defending set plays - the Auggies were wide open on all of them, and that center back Manders won everything. Spot on with that analysis...
Augsburg was aided by the fact that Haws kept Kodet on the bench. He was the most dangerous player on the field, and got pulled with 15 minutes to play. He didn't start, either. What's up with that?
Nobody ever accused Haws of being much of a soccer mind. Hard to say why he didn't have Kodet start or in the game when they fell behind. Must be in coach's doghouse because everyone in the league knows he's SJU's best scoring threat.
How can you take a team that tied for 1st last year and have 9-10 starters return yet fail to make the MIAC playoffs?
Haws messed around enough with playing time for the upper classmen early in the year that he ended up ruining team chemistry as he tried to squeeze in playing time for the 20 or so freshman that he rostered this year.
One other thought I overheard from another college coach this year.
"Why in the world would a midfielder ever want to play at St Johns when all they get to do is watch the ball fly over their heads as the backs boot the ball long."
Go St. Olaf!!!!! Congrats on your win over Carlton.
if your son is at sju and can't play to his satisfcation, make him go to class and get a diploma with good grades. sju offers more than soccer and don't lose sleep over soccer - maybe they can become a priest and do good to mankind - they do take even lutherans and baptist for priesthood.
Congrats to Gustavus for winning the MIAC tournament and good luck in the national tournament.
Should Carelton have received a NCAA Div III bid? I only saw Gustavus, am I wrong? Strength of MIAC or parity in 2007 may be the answer. Three teams last year, one in 2007, go figure!
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