Interesting move. 15+ years ago Concordia played in the same NAIA conference as PLU, UPS, Willamette, Pacific, Linfield, etc. before those schools moved NCAA DIII.
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This has been pretty well known for some time now. Their program is outstanding. They hold their own right now when they play upper division programs, so I suspect that they will be very competitive right out of the gate in Division II. Might not make the playoffs every year right away, but I bet in a few years they will.Originally posted by Slow Xavi View Post -
Huh, catching up to some old news. Boy for soccer that is one hell of a conference: Simon Frasier, Western Washington, Seattle Pacific, + Concordia.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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Yes, it's been out there for quite a while that they were intending to move and it was mostly a matter of just crossing the i's and dotting the t's. And yes, it will be a good conference and one that they are anxious to prove themselves in. The program mostly attracts girls from the region (meaning Oregon and Washington) although they have a few from other areas. The stadium is first rate and the school gets behind the team with a good number of students showing up for the games. For local girls who want to remain local, go to a small school and want a highly competitive program, it's tough to beat.Originally posted by Slow Xavi View PostComment
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Quantum Leap
NAIA girls Soccer vs DII Girls Soccer
Oregon HS 3A/2A/1A vs 6A
This will be a tough and painful transition.
All the bestComment
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On the boys' side note sure that is true; but on the girls' no idea. Not sure if the conference limits or what they were actually offering NAIA, but DII allows 9.9 scholarships on on the women's side . . . will give the Cavaliers some ammo in recruiting players.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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On the men's side Concordia should be fairly competitive right away. It may take them a little while to get to the level of Simon Fraser, SPU or Western but they should do fine. It will be a good option for players wanting to play in Portland and play at a little higher level. The biggest problem, like it is for most programs, is depth. It takes a while to get a program to the point where it has 18+ players who can play which is necessary for the two games a week college schedule.Originally posted by Slow Xavi View PostComment
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I think they will be fine on the girls side. They are dominant right now in NAIA and play DII schools just fine. They have 9.9 athletic scholardhips to work with and they are private so have a lot of flexibility with academic aid so recruiting shouldn't be an issue. The coaching there is too good for them to not be successful.Originally posted by Slow Xavi View PostComment
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Some people rip on NAIA without knowing the heart of it....NAIA does not have an international rule, meaning they can have as many international players as they want...NAIA teams regularly beat top NCAA teams............it is rare that NCAA will even play a top NAIA team in fear of this. NCAA can only have 2 international players on the roster.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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NAIA teams regularly beat top NCAA teams? Name a top NCAA team that has lost to an NAIA team over the past five years, let alone regularly.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
And what are you talking about that the NCAA can only have 2 international players on the roster? Florida State, as an example only, had at least 7 last year.Comment
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Well, not only being inaccurate in many of your statements, but Concordia doesn't have any international players on their girls team. They've been highly successful with US players, most of whom are from right here in Oregon and Washington.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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I think there are some differences in boys and girls NAIA, at least historically: some of the stronger boys' programs have traditionally attracted lots of foreign players.Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
It looks like some that trend still plays out; for example the NAIA men's national champs Martin Methodist had 22 foreigners on their roster.
When a number of NW NAIA schools went dIII 15 years ago or so, it was actually a step down on the boys' side in competition from NAIA at the national level (offset by the fact that some of those programs had a hard time adjusting to the new scholarship situation).Comment
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Got it. Regardless, I think this is a great move for the school and I think both boys and girls programs will do well and will benefit greatly by the move. Concordia isn't the high profile that UP is, however the school does great at their level and is a school that deserves the support of the Portland soccer crazies.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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Think for a moment
My DD played with a number of the women's Concordia players. Fine people, but didn't get recruited by D-1 schools. They have been highly successful at their level, but please don't get carried away. The last couple of times I've seen good NAIA women's teams play D-1 teams in Spring games, they were not competitive games. Good luck to them and hoping for success for them in D-2.Originally posted by Unregistered View PostComment
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