RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 6, 2022 17:51:25 GMT -5
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 4, 2022 18:29:48 GMT -5
#18 in the coaches poll
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 4, 2022 18:23:30 GMT -5
RETVRN
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 2, 2022 18:23:28 GMT -5
Thank you very much. Love your analysis and I hope others benefit from it. With HIPAA it is a bit difficult, but I would be surprised to see Tippins this year, but that would be an added plus. Time for healing plus time to get back in shape wears heavy on that possibility. I am very taken with Cara Martin's play and I think her starting those games early and then being benched to watch Allie is most beneficial for her this year and in coming years. She has a fun, aggressive nature to her goal keeping that I personally loved but one could see it could lead to problems with counter attacks and also positioning with her out of goal so much. For her to see the trade offs from the sidelines will only be a plus for her future play. I was wondering also if you perceived that Dave was going to a more pressing offense than in past years. It sure seems to me that we are giving nothing up and challenging everything in the oppositions half. I suspect it's the attributes of the personnel he has that allows him this luxury. Regardless, it is fun to watch while we seem not to be getting burned with legit breakaway counters, witnessed by the clean sheets. Thank you for responding. I think that's right on the high press - maybe less so the case against the power conference teams like UVA and Penn State, but it does feel like there's greater willingness to press the issue and disrupt teams who like to take their time playing out of the back. You risk tiring your offensive players out if you do that, but when you have some trusted subs available, it becomes a more viable approach. I tried looking for it today, but DePaul seemed determined to get the ball upfield as quickly as possible. It seemed more likely a 'lifting the siege' tactic to get it out of their own final third than any sort of deliberate offensive philosophy, though. Biggest takeaway from the DePaul match for me was how much Leas was roaming upfield. It'll be interesting to see if that's a permanent addition to the arsenal or just something that was deployed to try to crack DePaul's turtling defense.
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 2, 2022 14:56:30 GMT -5
After knocking at the door endlessly and surviving one DePaul free header on a counter that mercifully went over the bar, Julia Leas heads the 10th Hoyas corner kick of the match home for the sole goal of the contest. Sets up a potentially decisive showdown with Xavier on Thursday for Big East supremacy.
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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46
Oct 2, 2022 10:17:36 GMT -5
Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 2, 2022 10:17:36 GMT -5
Just because this one falls into my wheelhouse... the Trump/California wildfires thing featured plenty of bloviating by Orange Man, but in practice, he (or whoever was actually doing this for him...the whole process is really set up to require nothing more than a head-nod from the White House in most cases) actually did end up sign the relevant major disaster declarations (in addition to the Fire Management Assistance Grant declarations that were already being approved as a matter of course - those are done at the FEMA Regional level, they don't even go to POTUS). To whit, here's a Forbes article from October 16, 2020 titled "Trump Administration Refuses To Give California Federal Aid For Wildfires" www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2020/10/16/trump-administration-refuses-to-give-california-federal-aid-for-wildfires/A major disaster declaration for California wildfires was approved... that same exact day: www.fema.gov/disaster/4569And that was only the most recent one. An earlier one was issued August 22 of that year: www.fema.gov/disaster/4558And of course there were the really bad ones in 2017: www.fema.gov/disaster/4344Unfortunately, our media does not do a great job of putting things into context
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 1, 2022 21:09:43 GMT -5
Russky, I would be interested in your comments on this years team. Having watched for over the last eight years (two Final Fours), I feel, albeit young, this year may be the best balanced roster Coach Dave has had. I am amazed at how far down he can go with subs and there is little difference in quality. He has always had a couple of standouts with a nice supporting cast of a first string and a couple of quality subs. This years he goes into the eighteen or nineteen range and you see little drop-off in mojo. Also, Allie in goal is special. along with Julia out of position anchoring the backline; but Gia, Tippins (gone for now) and Means are making big noises up front. And such youth. For the early part of the season Means and Tippins made Gia a bit invisible (which she has changed of late) Then toss is my favorite overall Hoya Claire Manning. She has taken a monster jump in her sophomore year and has ball skills where she dribbles out of double and triple teams and through players on the sideline. What a pleasant surprise. With all those things in mind I go back to the depth. He can sub to give players a rest but looses little in talent. This young team is growing on me. It may surpass some of his star "name" teams of the past. Thanks for asking! Yeah, this is an interesting squad. For starters, I would agree that this feels like a deeper squad than in years past, or at least one that has more players Dave has been willing to put on the field deeper into the season. The UConn game only saw 15 hit the field (were she available, Tippins would've made 16), though of course it's difficult to say whether there were any hidden injuries, load management on a weekend road swing, matchups, etc. etc. at play in keeping some of the previously seen reserves off the field. If nothing else, there are two players - Maja Lardner and Emma Davis - who are de facto first team even if/when they don't start a given contest, and Cyanne Doyle makes three when Tippins is healthy. Moreover, to your point, it does feel like the offensive load - and the accompanying goalscoring stats - features a wider distribution than in years past. Now, that doesn't necessarily lead to success - the men's team this year has offensive talent all over the place, and yet it's taken them two months to string together two wins in a row. But a multiplicity of options on offense does make you less predictable and makes it harder for defenses to key in on just a couple of players. I feel like most of Dave's teams from the last decade, and certainly all the successful ones, have had a few key ingredients: - A good-sized target forward. Someone like Grace Damaska, Amanda Carolan, and now Cyanne Doyle.
- A crafty, generally low-to-the-ground slashing attacker like Ingrid Wells (ok, Ingrid was a midfielder, but she was everywhere), Crystal Thomas, and Paula G-W
- A distributing offensive center midfielder (the Corbozes, now Maya F-P and Tatum Lenain)
- A bruising defensive midfielder/enforcer: Chloe Knott is the prototype, followed by Grace Nguyen, and Julia Leas has filled that role perfectly...until this year...
- One or more backline captains and stalwarts. Too many to count here over the years, although of course Emily Menges is the standard by which all others will be judged, with Meaghan Nally a close second.
This year, Maya Alcantara fills the same spot that Sydney Cummings did last year, though she is not as offensive-minded as Cummings (the GWG-scorer in the Big East title game, may I remind you) was. Eliza Turner is clearly a prodigy who is continuing to develop her game. - A superlative goalkeeper. Cara Martin has been a great freshman talent, but it's great to see Augur back as the quarterback between the posts. That veteran presence makes it possible to do certain things that you might not otherwise feel comfortable doing.
Now, obviously, this is oversimplified. There have been some major difference-makers who haven't quite fit any of those molds, e.g., Jenna Menta and Kyra Carusa were both in that 'tweener' size range at 5'7, and Caitlin Farrell and Gia Vicari have both been more lanky/upright forwards who have leg strength and shot placement, rather than assertive hold-up play or slashing and driving. Also, if we're being honest, there never has been a true successor to the Corbozes. Maya F-P and Tatum Lenain are more or less in that same role now, but not in the same "we're running our entire offense through this" way. It's why the offenses of the last few years have found it much harder to find goals, though of course there are other approaches for getting needed scores. But I can't say I was surprised by any of the NCAA tournament losses where the offensive wattage ran low. To me, though, the biggest key has always been having that defensive roaming presence who wreaks havoc on opposing offenses. Chloe Knott deserves a plaque in the Thompson Center for the level of bang she brought, and it was very notable to me how the team struggled when an in-form Grace Nguyen was lost for the season. Julia is very much this player... but she is currently nailed to the back line - from Dave himself, she's being a good soldier and would much rather be further up the field. But! When you've got Alcantara, Leas, and Turner at the back, and you know you've got a solid keeper behind them, that enables you to send Claire Manning up in the attack on the wing in the same way that Jenna Royson did. Means fills a similar role on the opposite side of the field from a middle wingback slot and is a force to be reckoned with in moving the ball. Gia's overall production is down, but now she's getting garbage goals in addition to beauties, as the added arrows in the offensive quiver take some of the pressure off of her to create. And the team results are coming together. If Tippins can come back and regain her early-season form, I do think this team could make a really deep run... and would be very competitive even without her. While UVA clearly outclassed them... the final score was only 1-0, and UVA is at #2 in the polls. Penn State is back up to #6 this week, and the Hoyas went toe-to-toe with them in Happy Valley. And the performances are trending upward.
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 1, 2022 18:36:55 GMT -5
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 1, 2022 8:34:04 GMT -5
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 1, 2022 7:57:47 GMT -5
That was a pretty intense sunset, wow.
Hoyas up to 10 in the RPI
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 27, 2022 20:15:04 GMT -5
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 26, 2022 21:59:13 GMT -5
CC: The Basketball Program
EDIT: Having now actually listened to this...I strongly encourage everyone to do likewise. As I said after the GU-produced Hoya Insider podcast, Coach T has a pretty unique, remarkable story...and this episode really doubles down on that.
He's also got something rare...a kind of humble, simple charisma. It's hard to put your finger on it, but it's just this very compelling feeling when you hear him talk that you are listening to a person of great character and deep empathy. I'd want him coaching my team - any team - any day of the week.
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 25, 2022 23:22:46 GMT -5
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 25, 2022 12:51:41 GMT -5
What a banger:
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 24, 2022 14:46:30 GMT -5
That was a game and a half. Wow. Really glad to be on the winning end of that one.
Pretty remarkable that Creighton can edit together a huge thoughts package and get it up before their flight even lands back in Omaha:
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 24, 2022 13:27:58 GMT -5
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 24, 2022 11:48:10 GMT -5
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 22, 2022 22:07:25 GMT -5
Lololol
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 22, 2022 19:40:33 GMT -5
Lol Emma Davis goal of her life, okay. Nice time to uncork that one! The trajectory on that ball was like the nastiest sinker you've ever seen from a Cy Young winner.
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RusskyHoya
Diamond Hoya (over 2500 posts)
In Soviet Russia, Hoya Blue Bleeds You!
Posts: 4,603
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Post by RusskyHoya on Sept 22, 2022 18:00:34 GMT -5
Big East really trying to make the Maryland Soccerplex happen. MSG it is not.
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