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  #1  
Old 01-11-2016, 02:22 PM
soccerflyer soccerflyer is offline
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Any 2016 schedule whispers?

Just wondering if anyone had heard yet who is hosting the A10 champs. Sometimes by now insider fans get a pretty good clue.
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Old 05-20-2016, 04:47 PM
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The 2016 schedule was release today. And like most seasons, I'm once again disappointed with the lack of quality non-conference opponents, especially NCAA caliber programs from the Power-5. There is almost no way this schedule earns UD an at-large NCAA opportunity. Its once again a season that comes down to the A10 tournament. Why we refuse to challenge the players with tougher schedules I have no idea. We've been down this road before with gaudy records that didn't even put us in the same time zone as the NCAA bubble. Kids want to compete against the best and be given an opportunity to show they can rise up and get a big win or two. The program NEEDS this. We need to earn a few nationally-respected wins that resonate in college soccer in order to grow the program, recruit and develop higher caliber players, and build on success (which is great timing considering last year's NCAAs).

The non-con schedule with RPI rank and 2015 results. Keep in mind there are only 206 D-I mens soccer programs:

#171 UW-Milwaukee 5-10-3
#38 SIU-Edwardsville 12-4-2
#102 Cleveland State 9-8-2
#68 Western Michigan 11-4-4
#107 St. Francis PA 11-5-4
#191 Belmont 4-13-2
#63 UNCW 8-8-3
#164 Marist 7-9-2
#181 IPFW 5-12-0
#98 BGSU 9-9-1
#65 Oakland 10-8-2
#188 Liberty 6-10-1

Not a single Top-25 opponent and only one Top-50 opponent to beat which are must-haves for earning NCAA at-large bids since there are only 48 teams in the bracket. You need at least 2-3 Top-50 wins and probably at least one Top-25 win to be considered for NCAA at-large consideration. Not a single Power-5 school on the schedule. Like it or not, beating strong Power-5 teams resonates in college soccer. Image matters. The folks doing the bracket picking don't put a lot of time and energy into it -- they go almost religiously by RPI and what match results seem to jump out at them.

The home schedule is just a snoozer. You aren't going to build a fan base with Marist, SF-PA, and Belmont strolling into town.

Ive said my peace. I say it every season, but I will always feel this way. I just want the fellas to be given an honest chance to go out and show they can compete and win against really strong nationally-competitive (repetitive NCAA tourney programs used to advancing in the bracket) opponents. Mens soccer is FAR more competitive than womens soccer. Just too many great athletes and good players abound, whereas the Top-10-15 teams in womens soccer dwarf everyone else. You give this team enough chances, they are gonna bust through. But, we gotta give them those shots. No question we lost some talent to graduation, but the cupboard is not entirely bare either.
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Old 08-18-2016, 02:31 PM
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Flyer schedule is not designed for at large, Point taken. But keep in mind the apparent strength of schedule is deceptive sometimes. We have Oakland which just came off a win vs. #2 Akron in an exhibition match, and did go 1-1-0 against the Flyers last season. While it is not very certain they will crack the top 50 because of their tough sched, Oakland will give Dayton some RPI points via their own strength of sched. This is a road match that is winnable for Dayton. I am not sure where you would rather head, to Ohio State? Flyers played at the buckeyes twice last year, and our result there was similar to @Oakland (a loss and a tie). They're a good draw but it is not easy, or possible to get Ohio state to do a "return " game anymore (whereas they used to schedule home and homes). That is not necessarily Dayton's fault.

Western Michigan also has a lot of upside from the #68 spot. They're almost certainly a top 50 team in 2016. I'll be looking forward to that match-up.
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