DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Sept 2, 2021 17:29:47 GMT -5
Dartmouth Coach should be given a second red card for his ridiculous 5 minute delay leaving the field to ice Frenandez-Powell. No reason for that display as that was about as blatant a handball in the box as you will ever see.
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 2, 2021 20:16:51 GMT -5
2-0 final. Dear Lord what a match. *I* need time to recover, can't imagine being a player or coach in this one. Any further insights to the game Russky?? I was watching on "Stats" and it looked on the play by play to be much like described by others. Texas came out strong and had all the chances early. That seemed to be evened out after about 20 minutes but no eyes on the game. And yes, it looked like all the damage was being done by 2-3 Texas players. Would be very interested in your comments. I am getting a sense that so far (hope I am wrong) that the women are not as relatively dominant as the men are and for the last 5-6 years they have been. Now, as to the Texas game itself: this was a very entertaining and at times very nervy contest, with the drama ratcheted up in part because of the ways in which the two contrasting styles interacted. First, I do want to say that the production values on the Longhorn Network were quite impressive. Glenn Davis on the call makes it sound like the College Cup, and if the production values aren't quite up to College Cup standards... they aren't too far off. Jill Loyden is a legend of Big East soccer, so having her do the color commentary was extra special. One quickly gets a sense of how such a network can confer an advantage in recruiting. Anyway, it's definitely fair to say that Texas came out on the front foot, generated opportunities, and had the better looks. Part of that is...they're at home against a long-distance traveling opponent, they're the underdog, and they have a young and highly regarded group of players. No surprise they're coming out very aggressive. Ideally, you can catch them making a mistake and being out of possession and you can punish them for their aggressiveness, but barring that, you need to survive the early onslaught unscathed and bring the run of play more under control. The Hoyas were able to do that, though it required some heroic goalkeeping by Augur. You can see an example of that - from two different angles, no less! - in the Instagram post linked here by Rick Stainton: Dave said in his post-game comments that the tide first started turning at around 20 minutes in and then was really starting to be more favorable when the first goal came around the half-hour mark. I'd say that's right - even though Texas still probably won a majority of individual battles, the team game favored the Hoyas. It felt like it would be decided by a moment of individual brilliance from Texas or a moment of team brilliance from Georgetown. That ended up being true for the first and decisive goal, a fabulous through-ball from Leas to Vicari. It was less true for the other two pivotal moments of the match, the Texas turnover leading to the second goal and the missed Longhorn open-netter in the late stages. Individual dullness, rather than brilliance. Well, it is a young team, after all. You can also see how they gave up 4 goals to UCF - their aggressiveness invites counters, and their assignment recognition and execution is still...maturing. In a year or two, they may be a real force. As it stands, I'm glad we were able to get a nice road win (and a nice broadcast on tape) when we did. The stats ended up being pretty even, maybe tilted a little in Texas's favor. What stats don't show - and what my takeaway ended up being - is that the Hoyas did a pretty good job managing the game for something like 50-60 minutes. The beginning and end were a bit more edge-of-seat, as Texas was really putting their foot on the gas, but the middle was the kind of controlled play that allows you to remain competitive in any contest. That's not a guarantee of great success...but it is a promising sign. I'll end with a coaching tidbit from Rick:
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RusskyHoya
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In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 4, 2021 21:56:18 GMT -5
Dartmouth Coach should be given a second red card for his ridiculous 5 minute delay leaving the field to ice Frenandez-Powell. No reason for that display as that was about as blatant a handball in the box as you will ever see. I did not see the red card! Was too busy focusing on the happenings in the box, only after watching the replay on BEDN did I see the referee - a giant moron if ever there was one (more on that below!) - sprint over and go to his back pocket. Ironically, leaving the stadium, I ran into said Dartmouth coach! He was talking to some parents who apparently also missed his ejection. He told them "I just wish the refs would show yellow before going to red." Now, the dilly-dallying on his part was poor form, if crafty (he seemed like a nice enough fellow). But really...that's on the ref. Ah yes...the ref. What an absolute clown this guy was. Dave Nolan was very, very close to picking up a card of his own after repeated interactions with the near-side AR and the ref... including on the PK, where Dave was complaining that the extended delay was playing to Dartmouth's favor (true!). This was the very rare referee who actually watched - putting his hands over his eyes multiple times to shield against the sun - to confirm that the ejected coach had left the facility before resuming play. That was...a choice. A bad choice. To be fair, he made multiple bad choices, some of them in Georgetown's favor. Two minutes in, he showed a Dartmouth player a yellow for a foul on the goalkeeper that was so soft, you could comfortably put a premie to rest on it. Look, I want Augur protected as much as anyone, but this was ridiculous. Bookending the performance, with about 2:30 left in the second OT, the ref failed to give an advantage to Dartmouth off of a GU foul that...look, if I was their coach, and I wasn't already ejected, I would have been after this non-call. Just egregious. Oh, I should probably say something about the Hoyas performance, shouldn't I? Well, ok... Just watched the first half of the Dartmouth game at Shaw field. The Hoyas largely controlled possession and kept the game on the offensive half of the field. But this team doesn’t have the same playmaking ability of a Paula Germino-Watnick, or the finishing ability (or ability to create separation) at the forward spot that recent Hoya teams have had, with players like Farrell, Menta, or Carolan. Maya Fernandez-Powell is very good in the midfield in controlling and directing traffic, but she plays more of a Grace Nguyen-style in controlling the middle of the field, and nobody seems to slot into that playmaker role on offense. I think there’s definitely time to build on the strengths of this team, but hoping they can find or manufacture the speed and finishing ability up front as the season goes on. While they generally controlled pace and possession, Dartmouth seemed to be a step ahead on 50-50 balls, at least in the first half. Yeah, there's clearly an open competition afoot for the other Forward slot to compliment Gia. The Paula G-W spot - previously held by Crystal Thomas - is currently being occupied by Jenna Royson out of the fullback position. Boo Jackson, when she's in, also fills that role to an extent. But as was astutely noted by The Voice georgetownvoice.com/2021/08/31/this-week-in-soccer-start-of-the-season/ , there's an up-front spot that needs a name attached to it: Neither Tori nor Sophie nor Cy (not "Ceanne" - it is still The Voice, after all - facts and details have never been their strong suit) have cemented their spot alongside Gia yet. That's ok...there's still time...and those three are also not the only ones who have been competing for time up top (longer term, I think Cy has that Grace Damaska/Amanda Carolan physique to be the 'holding forward' the Hoyas need, acting as a center of gravity in the attack). Maya is playing more like a Rachel Corboz, albeit without quite the same level of offensive threat (at least not quite yet!). Grace Nguyen was called on to fill both that role and also the midfield *Banger* spot, one that is currently being more than adequately fulfilled by Julia Leas, who leaves a trail of wailing and lamentations in her wake wherever she goes (seriously, Leas looks like she takes adults' lunch money for fun. She is a middle linebacker out there, taking no prisoners). With aaaaall of that said...the Hoyas were one converted PK away from winning this one. Dartmouth did a lot of things right, but nonetheless, this one was there for the Hoyas' taking. Intensive film study of some of the smart things done by the Green should lead to better outcomes. Let's see what the showdown with Princeton brings!
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Sept 4, 2021 22:07:12 GMT -5
Cannot disagree with the comments about the ref, but watching the broadcast have no perspective on what was happening and the announcers laid it all on the Dartmouth coach.
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 5, 2021 9:41:32 GMT -5
Cannot disagree with the comments about the ref, but watching the broadcast have no perspective on what was happening and the announcers laid it all on the Dartmouth coach. It was, obviously, a super straightforward handball in the box, so any protestations from the coach were solely theatrical in nature. He did pretty much the only thing he could do to try to affect the game at that point, and was deservedly rewarded with a red card (I wonder if he will sneak into George Mason's stadium in a disguise for his team's match today, since he is suspended from coaching in it - a not inconsiderable sanction). At that point, it's up to the referee to mitigate the impact that this has on the flow of the game, which he failed to do. Here's some video from the game:
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Sept 5, 2021 13:35:43 GMT -5
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 5, 2021 16:00:35 GMT -5
Here's the Princeton goal:
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Post by bearsandbulls on Sept 5, 2021 18:15:10 GMT -5
Having had an enormous day, Augur should not have come out on that one for sure. Don't know if you are noticing this Russky, but I suspect there is some imbalance in recruiting classes as I have never seen Dave substitute so much, especially with young players, as this year. Not to say they aren't deserving and it seems a very good freshman class at that, but this has not been the norm on the hill. You paid your dues and absorbed splinters on the bench with an occasional look for playing time. Are you aware of any voids looking ahead in the next year or two that he is trying to avoid?
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 6, 2021 22:12:00 GMT -5
Having had an enormous day, Augur should not have come out on that one for sure. Don't know if you are noticing this Russky, but I suspect there is some imbalance in recruiting classes as I have never seen Dave substitute so much, especially with young players, as this year. Not to say they aren't deserving and it seems a very good freshman class at that, but this has not been the norm on the hill. You paid your dues and absorbed splinters on the bench with an occasional look for playing time. Are you aware of any voids looking ahead in the next year or two that he is trying to avoid? I would agree with you that it's been quite a while since we've seen this many subs and this many freshmen on the field on the women's side (as opposed to, say, the 18-man regular rotation Wiese used in 2019 lol). But Dave has never, from what I've seen, been one to insist on 'putting in your dues' before you see the pitch. If you're the best option at a given point in time, he's going to put you out there. Leas started every game as a freshman, and Gia played in almost all of them (despite there being multiple other offensive threats that season). Quantity has a quality all its own in terms of number of threats and different looks in soccer, so it makes sense that you would see a pretty wide variation in substitution patterns depending on the exact makeup of a given team. Ironically, the void looking ahead next year is on the backline, which does not see much in the way of substitution right now. Unless there's redshirt or Covid-related extra eligibility that I don't know about, the entire defensive contingent will have to be replaced - Royson, Boo, Cummings, Kelly Ann, Parcell...all gone(I think?). Eliza Turner - one of those first-years - is probably the closest thing to a will-return defender right now. What seems to be going on instead is just a situation where there's a fair number of upperclasswomen in the midfield and attack who are being pushed for playing time by the frosh. That's all fine and good and as it should be. Maybe Dave will tighten up the rotation as we get into Big East season... and maybe he won't. Time - and performance - will tell. I guess the last thing I should say is that Draws Happen(TM). The Creighton ladies outshot South Dakota 28-0 and still got saddled with a nil-nil draw. Maryland put 11 shots on St. Joe's goal (as compared to 3 the other way) and also has to live with a scoreless draw with a team that is now 0-4-2 on the season (and one that, for comparison, lost 0-3 to Princeton and 0-5 to St. John's). Rice, ranked #13 by TopDrawerSoccer and coming in a perfect 5-0-0, now sport a 1-1 stalemate with our new friends the Texas Longhorns (the Owls were outshot 35-10! In Houston! Quite an MO that Texas is building up here). Should the last two games have been victories (especially over Dartmouth, with a PK to seal the deal)? Yeah, probably. But while no one will mistake the Ivy League for the ACC, these have been two undefeated teams that are not exactly pushovers. The next tests for the Hoyas against WVU and Rutgers should tell us a lot about where the team stands relative to a broad range of peers.
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Sept 7, 2021 13:15:37 GMT -5
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 9, 2021 20:33:04 GMT -5
Gonna go out on a limb and say that this is the first Georgetown team to sport a record of 2-0-4.
Quite a tussle in Morgantown.
By the way, Princeton just took down #9 Rutgers (the Hoyas next opponent) in Piscataway, 4-3. Perhaps 1-1 was not quite so bad a result as it first seemed against the Tigers?
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Sept 12, 2021 9:15:49 GMT -5
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 12, 2021 14:44:38 GMT -5
Hoyas take down the #9 (not for long, after two consecutive losses...) Scarlet Nights. Another round of outstanding saves by Augur to hold down the fort and preserve the 1-0 shutout after a goal off a corner by Sophie Fox.
Pretty fantastic weekend on Shaw Field.
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Post by bearsandbulls on Sept 12, 2021 18:15:40 GMT -5
Russky.....I have waited a couple of games not being very optimistic and it always better to post when one's glass is half full. This, to me, was by far the best team effort this year. They played very well, and generally dominated against a very good opponent.
Augur was absolutely excellent. The freshmen Turner and Doyle are rounding in to play very nicely.
Having been lurking here for seven years plus, I have another interesting question of you. Augur is handling more difficult shots on goal than any WSOC women's goalie has ever had to handle in the last seven years and that includes going to two Final Fours. I am looking closely and have some opinions but interested in your perspective again.
My feeling is that we have absolute quality players in the back line. They are some of the best of the best (Royson, Kelly Anne especially) but all four who are in there. What I see is that this year the four are not in harmony with one another. The only chink in individual weakness is Cummings getting beat one on one and then not being able to catch up with fast strikers (she is so good at other things but rotation and recovery is it). But that is not the core problem. It just seems too many balls are getting through into danger positions that we just have not seen for years and years. What do you see here.
I also tried to look at it as a midfield problem but we seem strong there especially with Leas. The only other perspective I have is that the two outsides do tend to force it forward on offense which I love, but is that opening the door to back line coordination?
It is good to be able to bring this up after a very, very good performance.
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Sept 12, 2021 19:46:12 GMT -5
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Sept 13, 2021 20:24:27 GMT -5
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Sept 14, 2021 12:25:19 GMT -5
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RusskyHoya
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In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 14, 2021 22:31:51 GMT -5
Someone gonna have to explain to me how the Hoyas tied West Virginia in Morgantown and then defeated Rutgers in DC... and DROPPED in the coaches' poll from #24 to #25...and are below WVU and Rutgers both...despite not having lost a game...
Look, I know 3-0-4 is a problematic record, but come on!
Whatever. They're probably not too terribly mis-ranked at present anyway. But I feel their ceiling is much higher.
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RusskyHoya
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In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 14, 2021 23:45:06 GMT -5
Russky.....I have waited a couple of games not being very optimistic and it always better to post when one's glass is half full. This, to me, was by far the best team effort this year. They played very well, and generally dominated against a very good opponent. Augur was absolutely excellent. The freshmen Turner and Doyle are rounding in to play very nicely. Having been lurking here for seven years plus, I have another interesting question of you. Augur is handling more difficult shots on goal than any WSOC women's goalie has ever had to handle in the last seven years and that includes going to two Final Fours. I am looking closely and have some opinions but interested in your perspective again. My feeling is that we have absolute quality players in the back line. They are some of the best of the best (Royson, Kelly Anne especially) but all four who are in there. What I see is that this year the four are not in harmony with one another. The only chink in individual weakness is Cummings getting beat one on one and then not being able to catch up with fast strikers (she is so good at other things but rotation and recovery is it). But that is not the core problem. It just seems too many balls are getting through into danger positions that we just have not seen for years and years. What do you see here. I also tried to look at it as a midfield problem but we seem strong there especially with Leas. The only other perspective I have is that the two outsides do tend to force it forward on offense which I love, but is that opening the door to back line coordination? It is good to be able to bring this up after a very, very good performance. Yeah, I think what's happening is that the center backs - Kelly Ann and Sydney - are having to pair up with whichever outside back is *not* in an advanced position to try to deal with some counters. Aside from those two anchoring the middle, you've got a rotation of Jenna Royson, Kaitlyn Parcell, Boo Jackson, and freshman Eliza Turner on the wings. That's a lot more switching up on the sides than you normally see, but it's necessary for an offensive boost, as all four of those players can capably join the attack, which at present is still looking for consistent generation and creativity. You go three in the back, you can readily get caught out of sorts, no two ways about it. It's happened to the men this year when they've sent Will Sands way, way up. But they are the #1 team in the country and have the athletes at every single position (and a 2x Big East goalkeeper of the year going for #3, backed up by a graduate student team captain) to rapidly compensate. The women have had a hairier time of it, with Augur pressed into service far more than Giannis or Captain Koehler have. Ultimately, I think that this approach is here to stay this year. You can't really keep Royson and Boo anchored to the back - they are offensive creatures at heart, playing out the back but always with an eye toward goal. Parcell and Turner, at the very opposite ends of their Hoya careers, will do whatever asked...but they're also much more interchangeable; you can get them on the field far more readily than you can Kelly Ann or Sydney. And you have to have Kelly Ann and Sydney on the pitch at pretty much all times, they are both elite in their roles. I think we're going to see more experimentation and more rotation. Maybe we end up in a position where any advance up the flanks by one of the outside backs automatically results in a drop back by a middie playing something-like-sweeper. Leas could do it and is an obvious choice, given that she mauls people with the kind of abandon that is most associated with defenders, but you could plug someone like Parcell or Lis or one of the defenders on the bench in there too, I'd bet. Or maybe the gambling continues, with the hope that the back line figures out how to congeal and snuff out counters as quickly as they did in the most recent tilt. The upshot here is that, surveying the coaches poll with which I took such issue above, there is only 1 Big East team other than Georgetown on there (Xavier at #17 and 7-0-0). The Hoyas have already faced off against #15 (WVY), #16 (Rutgers), and #22 (Princeton). If we assume that the Sunday, September 26 encounter with the X in Cincinnati will be the conference-deciding matchup, then we should know fairly soon where the story of this season is likely to lead.
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Post by bearsandbulls on Sept 15, 2021 8:48:10 GMT -5
Love your analysis. It raises the question of why not the outside mids drop back when Royson or Boo go forward. Yes, Leas would be great in that role, but I see her great in offensive set up for players attacking the goal. I wouldn't want to lose her in that role, as well as it seems a more seamless switch when your fullback goes forward you drop back into zone to protect on the outside against counters. Don't know, but something so far is not working there witnessed by the increased attention Augur is getting. She is getting constant save situations like Airelle's when she was injured in Cary, NC a few years back.
As you say we will find out a lot against X soon.
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