Bay State League 2016

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Seems that Braintree's mentality is off. Maybe they're not able to deal well w/ the target on their back, though you could argue that's less physical ability than they thought they hadas well as mental. Or maybe they have the senior problem of slacking some, thinking the wins will come more easily than they do. It's not easy to turn it back on. Sometimes having a lot of seniors is good, but sometimes it's a headache if they're not motivated.

You can leave any analysis of Braintree to just your 1st sentence.

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You can leave any analysis of Braintree to just your 1st sentence.

next two years Braintree State Champs

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next two years Braintree State Champs

Ha Braintree is going to get worse year after year.

2015 Best year in program history

2016 Good year slowly dropping off but a good year

2017 Decent team which might make the tournament

2018 Back to the bottom of the league and will continue to stay there for years to come!

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next two years Braintree State Champs

What happened to this year? Weymouth only gets stronger from here until 2020. You're doomed.

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Any updates on today's games?

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Framingham 2, Wellesley 1

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Walpole-Braintree and Wellesley-Framingham are interesting, as a Braintree loss and Framingham win would boost Framingham into tie-3rd with Braintree within their division.

Also Natick could really use a point vs Weymouth to keep tourney hope going.

Natick got their point, and with Wellesley's loss, it looks like the season finale will decide runner-up and a tournament spot.

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Any updates on today's games?

Braintree 1 Walpole 0
Needham 1 Dedham 0
Framinghm2 Wellesley 1
NN 5 Norwood 2
Brookline 2 Milton 1
Weymouth 2 natick 2

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Why would Weymouth play with their second string line for half the match when they were on the verge of a title. Cocky coach or just doesn't give two

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It's late in season
Starter Fatigue/injuries

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Why would Weymouth play with their second string line for half the match when they were on the verge of a title. Cocky coach or just doesn't give two

The only reason I can think of to make this decision is to put the back up into a tough situation so the back up and the team is ready if come tournament time the starting keeper goes down with an injury. Which the starting keeper has been battling a leg injury all year so maybe this was the opportunity heading into a weekend off before there next game tuesday against Framingham to get him some rest and get the back up some reps in a live game situation. 2-2 Draw kinda back fired but its still a result. Weymouth sitting at 9-3-3 tied for 2nd in the league and a point behind Needham who needed a PK in the last 10 minutes to beat Dedham.

I don't think the league title means anything right now as much as preparing for the tournament in which Weymouth, Needham, Braintree are looking likely to all host a 1st round games.

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The only reason I can think of to make this decision is to put the back up into a tough situation so the back up and the team is ready if come tournament time the starting keeper goes down with an injury. Which the starting keeper has been battling a leg injury all year so maybe this was the opportunity heading into a weekend off before there next game tuesday against Framingham to get him some rest and get the back up some reps in a live game situation. 2-2 Draw kinda back fired but its still a result. Weymouth sitting at 9-3-3 tied for 2nd in the league and a point behind Needham who needed a PK in the last 10 minutes to beat Dedham.

I don't think the league title means anything right now as much as preparing for the tournament in which Weymouth, Needham, Braintree are looking likely to all host a 1st round games.

Yeah they're each a lock for 1 home game, with potential for a second with upsets elsewhere.

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Natick has the tougher row to hoe. A reasonable case for them would be beat Norwood, tie either Weymouth or Walpole while losing to the other, then get a rousing win in their finale vs Wellesley. That would leave Natick 5-6-3 in league play, 13 points.

Let's say Wellesley is tied by Milton, loses to Framingham, beats Dedham, and is edged by Natick in the finale. That would leave Wellesley 4-6-4 in the league, 12 points. Wellesley would still be 6-6-4 overall and qualify, and even be seeded ahead of Natick, which would be 5-8-3 overall.

Not saying this is the most likely scenario, just showing that it's not crazy for Natick to still make it. Natick needs to surprise a little like they did early on, and Wellesley falter a little, too.

It's playing out so far just as described above. Natick has moved into 2nd in the smaller-schools division at 4-5-3, with Walpole and Wellesley remaining. At 4-7-3 overall, Natick needs to remain 2nd to qualify.

Wellesley's had a ton of games in a short span due to the scheduling dispute, and has fallen to 3-5-4 in the league with Dedham and Natick remaining. At 5-5-4 overall, Wellesley can clinch tournament entry with win over Dedham. That's not a given - Dedham's already tied Brookline and finished within a goal of Braintree and Needham.

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Maybe something to keep in mind for that Weymouth decision vs Natick. Their upcoming schedule is Framingham, Braintree, BC high. This was the last time he was going to get a chance at playing.

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Today's matches are
Needham vs Brookline
Braintree vs Newton North
Weymouth vs Framingham
Wellesley vs Dedham
Natick vs Walpole
Norwood vs Milton