***Conference Championship Match***

Stpehenson with a great shot from the top of the 18. Did a great job keeping it at his feet despite the defender on his hip. Fired the shot down th emiddle of the goal with good power. Lipps with an easy save.

Carter you staying for the girls game? Kevin jones and I will
come say hi. We stopped at the bar before the girls game

Schemper beat to the back post on a flick on. Good cover by Grinnell, earning a clear.

Beloit is not easiing up...

hand ball on pony tail...NO CALL...in the 18.

Referee's need to have balls in these matches and this crew does not. I said it when they walked in the stadium, this is a weak crew. Far worse than yesterdays. Yesterdays was about as good a crew as you can get in Wisconsin. I'd take those four from Firday against anyone.

I'm down. I won't be typing for "under water soccer"

Carter you staying for the girls game? Kevin jones and I will
come say hi. We stopped at the bar before the girls game

again...i don't mean to be too hard on the center, he has done a nice job...his AR's are suspect at best but have not been tested...which is fortunate.

Slusher had an opening on his left foot, pounding it back bar, beating Schemper but the ball was wide. Good build up for beloit.


GRINNELL counters back....stephenson gets behind the sweeper, possibly off side...flag was up, play did not count. Stephenson narrowly missed his shot by less than a foot past th eoutstretched hands of Lipps.

BenVA wrote:Carter you staying for the girls game? Kevin jones and I will
come say hi. We stopped at the bar before the girls game

I'm in. I'd even consider buying you a beer pending on what kind...life as a poor human has it's draw backs...they aren't many but they are frequent.

grinnell is still pushed high. Their coach seems to want to win this one now? Who knew?

Both outside backs push up into the attacks and prouty is still stacked on top of pony-tail-ribbon-man.

just out of the reach of stephenson. Had he connected it would have been a relatively easy shot on Lipps. Playing their second consecutive overtime match has had its tole on both teams' stamina.

Foul against Bo Wilkins. Freek kick from 30 yards, dead center. five man wall, beloit joins the wall on the far side.

SHOT, fired low and wide right, Schemper covers the post beautifully, pinging the ball off the post as he swipes it wide.

Insuing corner, cleared by grinnell.

Ball cleared by Grinnell, won easily with no pressure by the Beloit sweeper, worked straight back at them. Ball pinged to robinson, takes it across the goal face but forced wide, drops to number 3, immediatly played back to Robinson....offside. Good call.

shot off a cross by number 8. Saved by Lipps.

Jackson with a bomb! diving save by Schemper. Schemper is having a day like the 82 olympic hock keeper dave craig.

Stephenson had one on a tee but choose to take another touch with a defender on his face. Shot was then blocked, almost stole again for antoher shot.

OT is over. Shootouts to insue.

Three consecutive shootouts in the MWC tournament.

Grinnell has to have the advantage but i thought that yesterday when Miaskowski was in net. If Beloit stays hot, not even Oliver Kahn could save them.

Beloit 0
Grinnell 1

Bo Wilkins - BLOCKED - Schemper diving to his right
Mark Rosenberg - GOAL - Lipps dove wrong

Beloit 0
Grinnell 1

Brian Maunze - SHOT HIGH AND WIDE - Schemper guessed correctly
Justin Coaster - SHOT HIGH OFF THE BAR - Lipps guessed right

Beloit 1
Grinnell 1

Marc Robinson - Goal right side...schemper guesses right
JP Prouty - BLOCKED BY LIPPS - diving to his right

Beloit 1
Grinnell 2

Slusher - SHOT WIDE - Schemper guessed correct
Matti Sahel - Shot right GOAL - Lipps guessed correct

Beloit 2
Grinnell 3

Connely - GOAL - right side netting - Schemper guessed wrong
Stephen Craig - GOAL - LEFT side netting - keeper guessed correct, inside post.

GRINNELL WINS MWC TOURNAMENT

Hey now they can play for shootouts next weekend. Should be. Joy for
anyone that has to suffer through it.

BenVA wrote:Hey now they can play for shootouts next weekend. Should be. Joy for
anyone that has to suffer through it.

dig in yoru trenches boys, Grinnell's comin.

Where is Mr. Carlson now? I called it in August, Grinnell wins it. Although I did say they would win conference and did not specify about the conference tournament but I feel a certain amount satisfaction with their most recent triumph.

Interesting review of the live action. Why are you so hard on Mullins? Sure he has a pony tail but is that not a point of envy?

Grinnell is the worst team to win this tournament in at least five years. Played anti-soccer to beat a superior SNC team, and then got lucky that Carroll was annihilated by injuries and illness.

First off, this being my first post I just want to make it clear that this is Ben Schemper, goalie for the Grinnell team.
Next, I wanted to thank the entire MWC for a great season. This year was a step forward for the entire conference, with several teams having big wins, and contention for the tourney coming down to the last weekend. On top of that the conference had 2 teams ranked in the regional top ten all season, one of which was ranked 13 in the nation at the end of the season and number 2 in the region.
However I don't really understand all the attacks on our quality and style of play. Though it may not be the most exciting brand of soccer, a defensive and couterattacking emphasis is nothing new and has been successful for many professional teams, such as Greece in Euro, and Italy in general has always played that way. While I am in no way comparing us to those teams, I am merely making a point, and this style has certainly given us success this year.
Also it shouldn't come as a surprise that this happened. Grinnell had the toughest non conference schedule of any MWC team, and kept every game close, losing only two games by more than one goal (both those being 0-2). We are also not just a one dimensional team. We battled back from so many 0-2, 0-1 deficits that they can't all be chalked up to flukes. We do have a capable offense that has risen to the occasion more than once.
Not only do we have a strong defense and capable offense, but we have many of the intangibles that great teams possess. Anyone who played us this year has witnessed the organization, heart, and determination with which we play. While not noticeable in a stat line, these are qualities that can greatly affect the outcome of a game.
So I'm going to chalk all this Grinnell bashing up to one of two things. Either you are jealous that your team did not win the tourney, or you're just frustrated from having to play us. Either way I'll take it as a compliment.

P.S. Tip of the cap to Beloit for coming out and playing a really solid match

Rule #76: No excuses, play like a champion.

I think you hit the nail on the head in most of your comments. I know more than a few players that would give an arm to have a scheduled game this week.

Great games Schemper.

I am enjoying all the self-loathing that is going on. Everyone wants to piss and moan about Grinnell playing with multiple men behind the ball. It looks like other teams should have taken note.

From the game review, it sounded like Beloit did a lot of attacking throughout but clearly left themselves open to counter attacks. Had Beloit played any kind of conservative ball or at least made an effort to get behind the ball on counters, they would probably be playing this week. As it stands, the two alleged power house teams are out.

Don't cry over spilled milk. Grinnell won, get over it.

Ollie Octagon wrote:Interesting review of the live action. Why are you so hard on Mullins? Sure he has a pony tail but is that not a point of envy?

Come on dude...he has a pony tail with a ribbon. Now i'm sure it's for some cause and I'm going to look like an arse on this but still...a ribbon? If a player had a helmet, i would have to talk about that too...some things just cannot go unnoticed.

schemper the only thing about ur counter attack style that people dont like is that its almost always kickball. If it was a tackle from the d, kick ball through mid and a diagonal ball behind the defense that would be one thing but almost every touch mullins or xaros?? has is a long ball clear with no real direction other than knowing they have 3 guys waiting is set positions for it.

Its not pretty soccer, its hardly soccer for that matter. Your flat four + stopper would make a hell of a kickball team in intramurals.

To your teams credit you gave up two goals in 6 mins to beliot, pulled out of your shell and found a way to draw even without surrendering another goal in 104 mins of game time. Against better teams in the NCAA they will not allow you to get back into it.

god where to start...

first Ollie, I know you stated it in your post briefly but im pretty sure every prediction during the pre-season was for conference championship NOT the conference tournament. You picked Grinnell to win it and they didnt. You also picked Beloit 2 Grinnell 0 in the final friday night...and you go on here and call me out and say **** like I guess my prediction from preseason was right....you were 100% wrong and all season your predictions have been a joke lol.

How can you say I called it when you didnt pick Carroll to win the regular season and you picked Beloit to win the championship game???

And in regards to Grinnells style of play. I have to agree with BenVA and say you cant call it a counter attacking style when you have people clearing the ball with no purpose. And nobody can argue they do have a purpose because I have seen them clear the ball for the past few years and half the time it goes out of bounce...but im done talking about them because whether you like it or not they tied with it and advanced twice on pks.

And I dont believe it was a step forward for the conference this year....teams need to start winning against top teams in other conferences to be considered for that...Dominican in the NAC...Wheaton in the CCIW...Loras in the IIAC...Carleton/St.Olaf in the MIAC....when was the last time a MWC team beat one of those teams...The MWC is a weak conference that gets no respect and that is why I have little confidence that we will recieve an at-large bid tomorrow morning. Last year we were only the 3rd team in conference history to advance past the first round in the NCAA tourney lol

Good luck to grinnell in the NCAA tournament. prove people wrong including me because I feel if you guys get matched up against a Wheaton/Loras/Dominican things could get ugly...enjoy the moment though, its special...

two more things...

1.) ben I like your comment about determination and passion. gonna need it in the ncaa game.

2.) why didnt beloit blow 2 pks wide against Carroll?? wtf

Funny you don't call me out for calling a tie between Carroll and Beloit and Carroll wining in a shoot out or for Grinnell winning 1-0 over St. Norbert when it was actually 0-0 with another shoot out. What were your predictions for those games?

You are right about one thing, I did not specify which Grinnell would win, regular season or post season. Was that part of some criteria I was not aware of? I was simply getting behind a team that returned a bunch of starters and had played good defense in year's past. Not sure you have a leg to stand on but don't let the facts get in the way.

In terms of Grinnell's style of play; it's not pretty. Most would agree. Part of the reason they play their forwards so wide is to spread the defense to collect the clears from Mullins and company. I know you would prefer everyone in conference to be able to play bent balls onto angled runs but the conference is not there yet.

What is sort of funny is all the bickering going on against a team that, like it or not, won the tournament.

get facts straight? you want brownie points for almost calling a game and coming close?

I didnt make predictions for the games...looking back thinking I was going to play my predictions would have been..

Carroll 3 Beloit 0

St.Norberts 1 Grinnell 0

Carroll 2 St.Norberts 0

Good thing I didnt waste time embarrassing myself...

Too bad I couldnt help my team make it to the final and **** on Grinnell like I did in the last two conference tournaments...

and in case nobody checked it out... www.d3soccer.com...carroll did not get an at-large. knew it but I had my fingers crossed...

and if I were Grinnell I would be praying for a matchup with St.olaf/Macalster/Elmhurst...

No way they draw St. Olaf. They'd be lucky as hell to get them but I can't imagine Grinnell being paid any favors for squeaking through a perennially weak conference.

I hope they play Wheaton and Wheaton will host cause they always so and it will be on turf with the maximum field dimension in an atmosphere they have never seen...

5-0

I dont think its really gonna matter who grinnell draws in the tourny its gonna get ugly real quick...theres too much talent in the tournament to pack it in and try to withstand the attacks from other teams...looking at the last two years i participated in on carroll we gave up goals in every game and we had very talented teams in each of those years so the speed and talent of the rest of the countries teams will be hard for grinnell to match but best of luck it is a game where anything can happen on any given day and maybe another team will lose there top talent to injuries and sickness

As a former MWC athlete, I'd expect you to show a little more support for the conference, Craig.

Soccer isn't played with judges to assess style points, it's played with a scoreboard, and for anyone who wants that to change, you can go ahead and write a letter to FIFA. Our "awful coach" has now led us to two consecutive conference tournament final appearances, we've beaten St. Norbert three times in a row, we haven't lost a game to a conference opponent besides Carroll in two years, not to mention our first men's soccer NCAA tournament spot in school history.

Insult our style, players, coaches, uniforms, whatever you want to, but while we're still playing, I think "Craigaldo"'s photo says it all.

Rule #76: No excuses, play like a champion.

I said good luck but im being honest in the fact that your chances of moving on in the NCAAs are as good as me not gaining 15 pounds over the next month haha.

And by my photo...fill me in I have no idea what your trying to say?

I would show more support but with so many weak teams in the MWC, it is the reason we didnt get a bid...

Your picture looks like you're waving goodbye. I know it's pre-game and you're acknowledging all of your adoring fans who follow your every tweet, but it looks similar to your saying so long to college soccer.

Also, we played Wartburg, Macalester, Oshkosh, Dubuque, and Platteville, a very challenging non-conference schedule.

In the tournament selection committee's defense, you played two teams in the NCAA tournament all year (including us), beat us in OT (and apparently we are the worst team in the history of soccer), and lost to Whitewater 4-2, after being down 4-0 and scoring twice in the last 15 minutes. I don't think you can really blame the other teams in the conference for your not getting a bid.