DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Sept 26, 2021 14:10:38 GMT -5
Today is big. On the road against what is considered the #2 team in the Big East. Results so far are good, but a bit below preseason expectation. Time to see Hoya dominance show up. Bring your game. I'd say that was a test passed.
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 26, 2021 14:31:15 GMT -5
Hoyas pick up a critical road win at previously unbeaten Xavier thanks to a 96' golden goal from Gia Vicari. Really excellent sequence on the deciding play, with Leas winning a strong challenge near midfield to win possession and feed Vicari, who made a great move in the box to shed an oncoming defender and give herself the angle and space for a right-footed blast into the opposite top corner. Highlight reel stuff.
Hoyas generally had the run of play, although as they started getting more and more aggressive in the later stages of the second half, Xavier was able to counter and create multiple nervy moments. Their equalizer in the first half was really against the run of play and the result of a failed clearance - any time you let someone get a free crack at the ball inside the 18, bad things can happen. Hoyas first goal was a case of the keeper failing to control a shot she probably should have, and Gia did well to follow the shot and sneak in the rebound.
Worth reinforcing, in light of the bizarre 5-0-5 record after the first 10 matches: wins - and results generally - should never be taken for granted. #5 and previously perfect LSU has now lost two straight, including getting nicked in OT by Georgia this afternoon after the Dawgs' keeper had the game of her life. #8 TCU is currently down 0-2 at home to unranked Baylor. Sometimes the soccer luck balances out not in "won some we probably shouldn't have, lost some we probably shouldn't have" but as draws. The confidence of being one of the very few remaining undefeated squads in the country is something to embrace and build on.
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Sept 26, 2021 15:12:11 GMT -5
This play doesn’t happen without Julia Leas.
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 26, 2021 15:24:28 GMT -5
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Sept 26, 2021 15:35:06 GMT -5
That is also what happens when you try to mark Vicari with less than 2 defenders.
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Post by bearsandbulls on Sept 26, 2021 16:16:51 GMT -5
A bit of sweetness. Give Leas a lot of credit for a nice steal and pass to Gia, but the moves along the end line and artistry of lining it over the goalie and into the opposite upper triangle was a piece of work. A very needed win against a quality opponent on the road. Now back to Shaw for some home cooking.
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Sept 27, 2021 20:05:12 GMT -5
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 28, 2021 13:44:56 GMT -5
Up to #23 in the Coaches' Poll.
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Sept 30, 2021 12:51:56 GMT -5
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Post by DanMcQ on Sept 30, 2021 17:58:22 GMT -5
Was able to watch in person today. Outside of a brief stretch midway in the first the Hoyas controlled the run of play.
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 30, 2021 23:52:34 GMT -5
Was able to watch in person today. Outside of a brief stretch midway in the first the Hoyas controlled the run of play. You picked a great day to watch in person. Ideal conditions, and we even got to hear the pep band...practicing(?) ahead of basketball season. All in all, a pretty complete, confident, collected and collective victory. The goal in the first minute probably did DePaul a favor as far as how they showed - it forced them into a more attacking posture, from which they were able to put together a few moments in which they didn't look *completely* inept offensively. For the most part, though, it was a low-wattage effort by the Blue Demons, and the Hoyas should've made them pay a bit more for their sending numbers forward. The Hoyas own attack remains very much a work in progress, though the composition of the opening score was a thing a beauty. Still too much passing into dead ends and too many possessions whose denouement is best described as "settled for ____." Not as big a deal against a physically inferior team like DePaul, but continued improvement will be key. On the plus side, the 3-5-2 seems like it has shaken out as the best formation for getting the best players onto the pitch. A different look from what one usually sees out of Georgetown, but it has a lot to recommend it. Gia, Cyanne, and Maya form a nifty triangle up top: not overwhelming in terms of speed, size, shot power, or on-ball skills, but a well-balanced, multifaceted, and heady combo. There's a lot there that can cause problems for opposing defenses. Providence was the Big East team resting today, so they'll make the trip down to DC on Sunday with a week's rest. A pivotal home game before what may well be the most pivotal of all, a showdown with 9-1-1 Butler.
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Oct 1, 2021 19:32:03 GMT -5
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Oct 3, 2021 7:17:47 GMT -5
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Post by DanMcQ on Oct 3, 2021 9:27:17 GMT -5
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Post by DanMcQ on Oct 3, 2021 9:30:35 GMT -5
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Post by TrueHoyaBlue on Oct 3, 2021 16:24:31 GMT -5
AFC Richmond rides again. First 6-0-6 teams in the history of sports?
The effort is there. They even had a great chance on a corner in 2OT. Just need that punch-in.
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Oct 3, 2021 18:54:33 GMT -5
Entertaining game against a team with a couple of very quick strikers. Hoyas just could not seem to connect after a very pretty goal in the first half.
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DanMcQ
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Post by DanMcQ on Oct 3, 2021 18:58:30 GMT -5
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 4, 2021 0:02:03 GMT -5
*sigh* Very frustrating. Good turnout for Senior Day, had most of the men's team there and many other folks in attendance besides, had the national TV broadcast, and... just not quite enough.
It's a points chase now, and the Thursday tilt with Butler looms extremely large. The Bulldogs remain the only other undefeated team in Big East play. Probably the game of the season in-conference.
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Post by bearsandbulls on Oct 4, 2021 8:44:41 GMT -5
Looking ahead at this early time of the season, and also assuming we advance again to the Tourney, I think it is time to practice PKs over and over and over. Six ties speaks of the future of this team, not necessarily in the Big East but after.
Looking a lot like 2017 and going on the road to Wake and tying was tough. The net is escaping us, along with some fast strike back line breakdowns. We are definitely not separating right now. Go Hoyas
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