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Post by bearsandbulls on Dec 2, 2018 12:00:51 GMT -5
My best guess is that Coach Dave Nolan is over the top with joy and "what happened". I could describe it in a more crude fashion but enjoy Dave....I would bet anyone even money that were he honest he NEVER saw this coming having lost his entire midfield this last year.. The backfill was enormous. The new recruits were unknown. How Kira would fit with the team an uncertainty. Other than that, maybe a good run in the Big East. What this team has done is beyond the imagination of most. I love it as you can tell, because most of the "star power" had left---the big names were at the end of the trail....So the nobodies came to camp in shape. They worked hard and had a couple of ties in exhibition and pre season to Penn State, then V. Tech, and Duke...But other than that they won, and they built....Sometimes not real pretty...Sometimes too close...But always building, always growing. Why, may you ask did they dominate the likes of Baylor and Duke much more than WSU and CCSU? Good question...But they are growing. I watched the UCLA v. UNC match and really thought UCLA would easily win. Wrong. UNC is good. Very good, and fast and they connect well and attack with vigor...But what I said before it is not about any "Them", it is about us....We are playing very good soccer right now....Bought my tickets for the family from the West Coast.....I believe....See you there... Will be there in spirit from my couch... although if they win, who knows, it's only a 5-hour drive from the District... I'll be honest and admit I never saw this coming. I think a lot of that has to do with the caliber of players who were graduating, many of whom had been four-year contributors. Returning players generally step up and improve year over year, and freshmen (and the occasional transfer!) join the program, but it felt really hard to imagine that anyone would be making such massive leaps up as to replace a Rachel Corboz or a Liz Wenger or even an unheralded but absolutely critical piece of the puzzle in Chloe Knott. At best, I assumed that the returning standouts would raise their game and carry the team on their backs, though how far they would go would depend on whether the competition was up, down, or about the same. The defense would surely be strong, but without a proven midfield to feed balls up top, where would the offense come from? Well, looking back, a couple of things happened. First, obviously, Kyra Carusa - you don't have someone of her caliber and experience walk in the door every day... or, like ever. Until this year. Second, the players who looked like they had a chance to step up to true greatness did. Here I'm referring to Caitlin Farrell, Meaghan Nally, and Paula G-W. Arielle was already there. The other returning contributors pretty much all progressed as, or better than, expected. Third - and this is the key one: even though those stepping in may not have been at quite the same level of their predecessors, particularly in the midfield, they provided a more offensive skill-set that has ultimately yielded greater success. You can't really say the defense has dropped off much, if any... but that's exactly the point. The defense was so good last year that even losing some stalwarts on the back line and switching out more defensive-minded midfielders like Knott and Pak for more forward-leaning Grace and Paula has hardly had an impact on Goals Against. There's a pretty obvious point of diminishing/zero marginal returns on defense - you can't get any better than a shutout. If you have excess capacity there that can be redirected into offense - do it! Key to all this was Dave Nolan's willingness to make that trade. Having Nally emerge as a true threat from the back was key, for sure, as was Farrell's greatly improved ability to place her shot and Paula's upgraded strength, stamina, and finish. But a good chunk of credit goes to the coach for being willing to put more offense-first players on the field at the same time. Credit to him for developing Jenna Royson and moving her, a freshman, into the starting lineup late in the season, just as the pressure increased. Credit to him for continuing to tinker and make such changes even as the results on the field would suggest that leaving well enough alone would probably work out fine. It probably would have... until it didn't. Losing on PKs after a scoreless draw is the anguish that haunts all defensive soccer teams' nightmares. It happened to the Hoyas last year, as it did to Duke, who surrendered no goals for four rounds of tournament play before falling in penalties. Sometimes, playing to your strength is *not* the right move, and it's to the enormous credit of this coaching staff for having recognized that and acted on it. Onward, Hoyas! Glory awaits!
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Post by bearsandbulls on Dec 2, 2018 12:23:04 GMT -5
Sorry for fouling up this thread. Loved your pre game post RusskyHoya and wanted to follow up on same. It is always good to wait a day or two to let things settle in. Have been a poster for most of the last four years as our granddaughter has played for Georgetown womens soccer. Her career has come to an end, but our entire family will always follow the Hoyas. What a tremendous run. Four years, four NCAA tourneys. The best record ever for a graduating class at G'town (which will be beaten with next years seniors as 2015 drops off the four year record). But to boot, a great education with a job in tow after graduation. I can't imagine anything better.
So we came home early after licking our wounds after the intense game in Cary. I certainly have to admit that UNC was the better side that night, but our ladies left everything on the field. Everything!!! And let me assure all fans of G'town WSOC that the quality of players is not the greatest attribute of this team. It is how they relate to each other as team members. Our GDD has been involved in recruiting a lot and has loved each recruiting class as they come in. Never a negative word. Matter of fact nothing but positive things to say. Dave Nolan has really engendered compatibility on this team and that is what has carried it forward as much as anything.
So Russky, I will be here for years to come, as I am a true fan of Georgetown Women's Soccer, but closing out this year and in response to your post let me say the following:
I did not know how well this team would develop with the loss of the midfield. You have chronicled that very well. So let us look ahead for the moment.
1) You saw our back up goalie. She is probably the most athletic player on our team according to our GDD. Yes, we lose and AA candidate, but the drop off will not be tremendous. You saw Lauren in Cary. Wow. And her mom sez she was hoping it would go to PKs for she loves PKs...Now that is beyond crazy for a goalie and a goalie's mom (ulcer time)
2) The midfield returns, sadly minus out GDD, and will be very solid and experienced. There are players who are injured that will also back fill.
3) The defense will also sadly lose Jenna and Leah, but I see Livingstone, Nally, Jenna R, and Charlie Kern (injured this year and killer good) not missing a beat.
4) Up front Paula comes back along with Amanda and I see Boo and Casey stepping in there. Also, Dave has recruited four forwards.
So like this year, we lose a bunch, but there are players in the wings, some of whom we have not seen play who are ready to stand up. So do not despair, the beat goes on.
A final note, the YouTube on the Shaw family is extremely heart warming, and what WSOC is all about. It has gone to almost zero to a semifinal game with almost 10,000 fans in 26 years for Georgetown. Get aboard, stay for the ride. And always Go Hoyas.
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whatmaroon
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Post by whatmaroon on Dec 3, 2018 0:10:50 GMT -5
I could only watch the first half live, and didn't have the heart to watch the rest of the game already knowing the result and having seen the game-winner. UNC was a whole different level of opponent than Baylor the round before. The loss notwithstanding, still an amazing season for the Hoyas and I can't believe this is the same program I saw when I was an undergrad lose to top program ND 9-0 in a game that was not nearly that close.
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GUJook97
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Posts: 5,445
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Post by GUJook97 on Dec 3, 2018 9:48:37 GMT -5
Sorry for fouling up this thread. Loved your pre game post RusskyHoya and wanted to follow up on same. It is always good to wait a day or two to let things settle in. Have been a poster for most of the last four years as our granddaughter has played for Georgetown womens soccer. Her career has come to an end, but our entire family will always follow the Hoyas. What a tremendous run. Four years, four NCAA tourneys. The best record ever for a graduating class at G'town (which will be beaten with next years seniors as 2015 drops off the four year record). But to boot, a great education with a job in tow after graduation. I can't imagine anything better. So we came home early after licking our wounds after the intense game in Cary. I certainly have to admit that UNC was the better side that night, but our ladies left everything on the field. Everything!!! And let me assure all fans of G'town WSOC that the quality of players is not the greatest attribute of this team. It is how they relate to each other as team members. Our GDD has been involved in recruiting a lot and has loved each recruiting class as they come in. Never a negative word. Matter of fact nothing but positive things to say. Dave Nolan has really engendered compatibility on this team and that is what has carried it forward as much as anything. So Russky, I will be here for years to come, as I am a true fan of Georgetown Women's Soccer, but closing out this year and in response to your post let me say the following: I did not know how well this team would develop with the loss of the midfield. You have chronicled that very well. So let us look ahead for the moment. 1) You saw our back up goalie. She is probably the most athletic player on our team according to our GDD. Yes, we lose and AA candidate, but the drop off will not be tremendous. You saw Lauren in Cary. Wow. And her mom sez she was hoping it would go to PKs for she loves PKs...Now that is beyond crazy for a goalie and a goalie's mom (ulcer time) 2) The midfield returns, sadly minus out GDD, and will be very solid and experienced. There are players who are injured that will also back fill. 3) The defense will also sadly lose Jenna and Leah, but I see Livingstone, Nally, Jenna R, and Charlie Kern (injured this year and killer good) not missing a beat. 4) Up front Paula comes back along with Amanda and I see Boo and Casey stepping in there. Also, Dave has recruited four forwards. So like this year, we lose a bunch, but there are players in the wings, some of whom we have not seen play who are ready to stand up. So do not despair, the beat goes on. A final note, the YouTube on the Shaw family is extremely heart warming, and what WSOC is all about. It has gone to almost zero to a semifinal game with almost 10,000 fans in 26 years for Georgetown. Get aboard, stay for the ride. And always Go Hoyas. Thanks for sharing. I loved watching this team, and I think they will be perennial power like the FSUs and UNCs for a long time. I see them dominating the BE for the foreseeable future.
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Dec 3, 2018 14:44:35 GMT -5
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Dec 4, 2018 19:12:57 GMT -5
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Elvado
Blue & Gray (over 10,000 posts)
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Post by Elvado on Dec 4, 2018 19:16:03 GMT -5
Well done Ladies.
You have done yourselves and alma mater proud.
Hoya Saxa!!!
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Post by bearsandbulls on Dec 4, 2018 23:27:35 GMT -5
We are not Alabama FB....We are also not Duke BB with Coach K.....We are not even a P5 conference school....
But we are Georgetown.....And we are doing it....Doing it the right way with athletics coupled to "excellent" academics.... I repeat.............We Are Georgetown
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Dec 6, 2018 17:36:14 GMT -5
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Dec 9, 2018 21:37:03 GMT -5
It seemed right to take a little bit of time... a week, at least... to accumulate a little bit of distance and perspective before offering anything like a coda to this season. Having done so, I find that my immediate feelings stand up remarkably well, actually.
I mentioned in the men's thread that any fair judgment would hold their season to be a step forward for the program. For the women, this hasn't just been a step forward, it's been a decided step UP. The world of women's college soccer is a pretty stratified one: a very small proportion of programs have made it as far as the College Cup, much less sniffed a national title. What this second appearance in three years signifies is that Georgetown is part of that upper stratum. The program has arrived.
The outcome of the game itself was frustrating, of course. It was a fair result - no question UNC was the better team, if for no other reason than because they are a squad that has four and five star recruits up and down the roster. The talent disparity that the Hoyas had used to grind down teams throughout the season was now flipped on them. It was a war of attrition to see whether they could hang on to get it to PKs and the 50/50 proposition that entailed... and they came up just two minutes and change short.
It would've been nice to get the technically-undefeated season and all that. But success in this game is not built on technicalities, it is build on results. After a season of nothing but positive results, one finally went the other way. So be it.
The accomplishments are real and lasting. The accolades are well-deserved. And best of all... the players are deserving, not just as athletes, but as people. Too often, national-level sports feel like an exercise in rooting for laundry, because in the back of your mind there lives the knowledge that tradeoffs were made along the way that are just too much to stomach. No such caveats here. Pure class, off the field as well as on.
Thanks for the memories, ladies. You'll be often missed, never replaced, and fondly remembered. Next gal up.
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RusskyHoya
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In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
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Post by RusskyHoya on Dec 9, 2018 23:31:44 GMT -5
One nice thing about making it to the College Cup stage is all of the content(tm) that the NCAA generates. If you haven't seen it already... enjoy. It is good stuff.
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Post by bearsandbulls on Dec 14, 2018 19:45:10 GMT -5
Congrats to Dave Nolan, Lyndse, Kristen, and Alex as they were named United Soccer Coaches "Staff of the Year". What an absolute honor. Best record ever, best record ever for the last four years. Things just keep getting better.
But visiting the Final Four College Cup, with a year where the midfield was rebuilt (not one starter), a new recruiting class was integrated successfully, and the Big East championship and tournament were both won again only speaks to the quality of coaching as well as recruiting. Congrats to all as well as the players who make Dave look so good.
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Dec 14, 2018 21:29:17 GMT -5
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Jan 5, 2019 20:43:42 GMT -5
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Jan 12, 2019 8:55:34 GMT -5
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Feb 10, 2019 10:02:32 GMT -5
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