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Post by TrueHoyaBlue on Oct 4, 2018 21:09:17 GMT -5
Certainly took care of business tonight, winning 7-1 at Creighton while putting 15 shots on goal to just 2 for the Bluejays.
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 4, 2018 22:22:30 GMT -5
Certainly took care of business tonight, winning 7-1 at Creighton while putting 15 shots on goal to just 2 for the Bluejays. This shellacking was, I think, the culmination of something I've been noticing as it has evolved over the course of the season. It came to me as I was comparing this edition of the Hoyas to the highly successful teams of the past few seasons. If there was a clear and obvious knock on the 2017 squad, it was that the attack was in some important ways rather predictable. Not so much in the final touch - there were multiple capable finishers able to deposit the ball in the net - but in the build-up. For the most part, the offense flowed through Rachel. And, well... why shouldn't your best player do what she does best as much as possible? It's a little like complaining that the Utah Jazz offense always went through John Stockton whenever he was on the floor. No kidding. Still, this predictability allowed opposing teams to key in on it and at least formulate a plan to neutralize what the Hoyas was trying to do. It didn't usually work, because the Hoyas were just plain better than their opponents, and much like in boxing, knowing where your opponent is going to try to hit you doesn't much help if you can't stop them from doing it. But some teams were able to pull it off, whether it was Rutgers or Providence or Butler or Wake Forest or...Creighton. Ah, yes, back to Creighton. From a 1-1 stalemate on Shaw Field last season to a 7-1 annihilation in Omaha tonight. It's not that Creighton is so much worse this year - the Bluejays were 4-11-3 last season, so at the very least they have already matched their win total from 2017. Rather, what I think explains much of the difference is the unpredictability of the 2018 Hoyas offensive tactics. This season, the finishers have largely been the same two people - Farrell and Carusa. But you can't simply try to key in on a team's two forwards and call it a day - in soccer, that will leave you exposed in ways that make you easy pickings for any remaining offensive-minded players. The multiplicity of angles of attack has kept teams honest and guessing just how the ball will be delivered up top...or if it will just be carried there by Farrell using her tremendous straight-line speed down the wing or by Carusa using her vision and touch up the middle. At last, today, the culmination: not just balanced build-up, but balanced finishing as well. Some real beauts: Paula and Grace's long-distance blasts, as well as deft touches by Caitlin and Amanda. And, sure, some lucky breaks, like the Creighton keeper implausibly deflecting a shot right into her body like a trick billiards shot into her own net, or Paula's left-footed cross into the six that drifted inside the far post. That kind of stuff happens when the opposition is on their heels and gives you space to create. The Hoyas now sit adopt the conference, having already dispensed with three of their five road tilts. They are firmly in the driver's seat - no time to let the foot off the gas now!
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Post by bearsandbulls on Oct 4, 2018 23:25:31 GMT -5
Total dominance, such that the opposing coach will carry over strong feelings about how his team was taken apart.
FF, your comments are great, but the point I have been trying to make, and I think Coach Nolan is starting to see, is that this team is balanced. It is not star struck. Witness tonight, where our best player did not score, and was even left in the game for she did not (Kira Carusa, of course).
Coach Dave has not had this before. He must have had sleepless nights about his midfield in the preseason, and it has come together. He knew he was solid in the crease, in the defensive end, and up front, but what about the midfield?? Creighton could not get out of their own zone tonight. Say something. Also, the team played as well with subs as it did with the first team. Then too, it is a young team....One can say that Carusa, Ferrell, Schectman will be gone next year, but project the front line (Carolan, GW, Richards, possibly Boo), the midfield will be intact less the sub Shaver, the back line too.
I truly believe had you asked Dave preseason, he would have expressed concern bordering on anxiety. Not so. The bell has rung and this team has answered. It was young in August. It played A+ competition as Dave always does. It measured up against the best but with a couple of ties, but has grown, developed, and exceeded any expectation I had.
Let the good times roll. Go Hoyas.
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 7, 2018 18:26:58 GMT -5
Well, that was certainly an entertaining game! The good gals prevail in the end, 1-0 in OT, over Wildcats (if you've ever listened to a Villanova streaming broadcast, you will understand why it is imperative I refer to them solely as "Wildcats," with no definite article). Game-winner by Caitlin Farrell, who did well to take her time and make sure that she didn't just sky the ball over the frame, but instead could settle it and get maximum control on her point blank shot: A frustrating game in many ways. As usual, Dave says it best: Give Wildcats all the credit in the world - they came out with a gameplan and executed it quite well, all things considered. Admittedly, they were not too much of a threat after the first 15 minutes or so... until overtime, when they came out with renewed ferocity and managed a number of dangerous opportunities, especially on set pieces. Some real nerve-wracking moments. It was especially impressive because it was so unexpected (by me, anyway). Wildcats looked utterly gassed by the end of regulation. This is a credit to the Hoyas and perhaps a viable tactic in desperate moments: tire your opponents out and cause them to make mistakes due to sheet exhaustion. It might not work against a team from Carolina or Texas, but it's nice to see the level of match fitness be so high. This is also the first women's game I've ever been to where an opposing player's parent felt the need to scream at the officials after the match and almost wind up in an altercation with Georgetown fans. Not that I can blame him toooooo much - while the result was very well deserved, the refereeing left a great deal to be desired. Wildcats cannot feel robbed, but they can justifiably feel ill-served by the officials (as can Georgetown, really...). After this display, I fully expect Wildcats to become one of the primary challengers for Big East supremacy. But not quite yet... Also, their game recap (currently) contains typos because Villanova is a safety school and let no Georgetown partisan ever forget that
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Post by bearsandbulls on Oct 8, 2018 11:25:37 GMT -5
So the task was probably a bit more difficult than expected yesterday, after having beaten Nova 5-0 one year ago on their turf, but then you also expect an attempted payback for such a win. And so it unfolded.
The final goal was a thing of beauty. One could watch over and over being a Hoya fan as the assists were so spot on and unselfish. Nguyen to Carusa to Ferrell to net--- beautiful connections. The win leaves us in an enviable position with four games left.
We stand with a 5-0 record and 15 points. Our closer opponents are Butler with 10 points having a loss and a tie, and then DePaul (who we have already beaten) with 9 points---two full losses behind. A very nice cushion.
So how will the strategy unfold. Senior day comes next Sunday with Providence in town (7 points) and a senior class that in its four years has gone 58-11-13. Best ever until probably next year as the program continues to improve. Do we rest weary legs, but keep touches in preparation for the NCAA tourney, or do we all out to keep a clean slate? My guess would be a little of both, as one can never depend on the NCAA in its seeding process (witness last year). But this year going in we are ranked #5 in both the NCAA and the TopSoccer polls, so we have to look like a legitimate candidate.
Fingers crossed, go Hoyas.
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 14, 2018 22:47:30 GMT -5
Big, big win at Shaw Field tonight, as the Hoyas avenged last year's sole Big East loss by downing the Friars. A surreal experience in some ways. How is Amanda Carolan a senior??? It feels like yesterday that we were watching her Big East Freshman of the Year campaign. Her career hasn't quite unfolded the way we might have imagined - as a Damaska Plus? - but this is a team sport, and being part of a program on the rise means accepting the possibility that ever more talent will bubble up from underneath you. Individual accolades are fun, but team success is far superior, because you get to share it fully with all of your teammates. I sense some (more) team hardware will be on the way soon to cement the ties that bind.
It was a thoroughly contested match, to be sure - while the Hoyas dominated possession and run of play for long stretches, Providence has to feel hard up after a 1-0 result because they were inches away from scoring on a play I can barely put into words. Here's the official PC description:
Right, so, what had happened was... that shot from ~20 yards out had a *nasty* arc and had Arielle completely wrong-footed. She ended up jumping, failing to get a touch on it, and in a heap on the ground as the ball bounced off the crossbar and straight into the path of a Providence attacker. Should've been a simple tap-in. Instead, the sole defender to run back with the Friars' Birchwell more or less threw herself on the ball while somehow remaining upright, tying up any attempts at striking foot upon ball in the direction of goal until Schectman was able to crawl - yes, crawl - toward the ball and get an arm on it, forcing the referee to blow it dead. Absurd.
Provy then managed the sole stretch of the match where they really looked on the front foot, and Georgetown looked disjointed and vulnerable. That lasted maybe 10 minutes or so? After that, the Hoyas were themselves again and kept the Deep Friars on their heels throughout. Still, the prospect of overtime and a potential scoreless draw loomed large until a bounce finally went the Hoyas way:
Big ups to Paula for that on-frame scorcher that led to the goal. Good things happen when balls come in on goal at a high rate of speed.
The Hoyas are in the driver's seat, but the top two challengers coincidentally occupy the last two bumps in the road. Marquette on Thursday could pose problems, but they are much weakened this year. Butler next Sunday looms largest of all. Calling all Georgetown fans: make Sunday, October 21st the game you come out to support your nationally-recognized Hoyas. Hardware will almost certainly be on the line.
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Post by bearsandbulls on Oct 15, 2018 8:03:26 GMT -5
Russky, some things just get better and better. Amanda C. walked with her recruiting class as a senior which she is in school, but she had an injury year that gives her a redshirt to play one more. So you will see more of her next year.
When a sophomore, that same recruiting class gave her endless grief about being "just a freshmen". All is good in Hoya land right now. Look at the roster and project what we lose next year and how Coach Dave has things back filled. Good times should continue.
A five point lead in the standings over Butler (win and a tie to be sure), and getting the main roadblock at home.
Let the good times roll. Go Hoyas.
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 15, 2018 17:53:34 GMT -5
Number two in the nation, y'all:
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Post by FrazierFanatic on Oct 18, 2018 12:08:29 GMT -5
Fantastic, keep rolling.
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Post by TrueHoyaBlue on Oct 18, 2018 21:33:48 GMT -5
Farrell comes through I’m overtime yet again. This one got scary as Marquette went up 1-0 midway through the second half, but this Hoya team continues to find ways to win, even when they’re not at their best!
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 18, 2018 22:48:56 GMT -5
WELL THEN.
Once again, the Hoyas provide plenty of entertainment on their way to what is ultimately, thankfully, the same result. Drama in "Cream City" on the way to another three points for the Blue & Gray.
The first half was a hard one to characterize. The stats related a Georgetown team on the right path, with a healthy number of shots, corners, time of possession, etc. The run of play mostly related the same... except Marquette had by far the most dangerous chance of the frame, a flukey lob that was probably meant to be a cross, but instead hit off the top of the crossbar. This was, if anything, a premonition. The Hoyas, for their part, created opportunities, but they all seemed a little too simple and toothless. The keeper was exercised, but not really tested.
It was much the same for the first chunk of the second half. Then, again, flukery - a Marquette cross gets one-time lobbed from the top of the 18 over Arielle and into the net. Not the sort of thing you work on in practice, but it counts just the same. And now, suddenly, you're down and on the road and the temperature is dropping and Marquette is fighting for their playoff lives when they have not failed to make a conference tournament since this edition of the Big East was formed. How will you respond?
Fortunately, the Hoyas responded as hoped. The offensive intensity picked up IMMEDIATELY. Within minutes, a penalty was drawn. The super-veteran Carusa steps up...and...
Whaaaaat was that???
Now comes what was, for my money, the most interesting part of the match. How would a well-seasoned player like Kyra Carusa respond to that gaffe? The answer is, basically, "Beast Mode." As best as I can remember, only maybe Grace Damaska on a handful of occasions has ever pulled off what Kyra did in the moments that followed. It was a physical display that deserves to go down in Georgetown lore. The exemplary play, what everyone will remember, has to be seen, not described:
I mean, I dunno y'all. Have you ever seen a player scream with her body "GET BENT" at two defenders and then stab a ball down an opponent's throat at point-blank range? Because that's what that was. It was a terrible, beautiful thing. Maybe it only happens once this season. If so, ok. But my goodness, what a fearsome display.
From then on, the Hoyas were back on the front foot and Marquette looked like they would not score again for a decade or so, unless another wild fluke materialized. By the time 2OT rolled around, it was a race against the clock: would Georgetown be able to kick one home before the Golden Eagles (sorry, DFW, the old Warriors logo *was* indeed a racist caricature) could see out a draw? Well, someone forgot to guard goal machine Caitlin Farrell at the corner of the eighteen:
Good morning, good afternoon, and good night. All the credit in the world to Marquette for giving it their most, if not their all, at a point when their once-promising season finally got the stamp of failure impressed upon it. They'll be back, no doubt - lots and lots of talent over yonder.
The Hoyas move to 7-0 in the Big East and play for the Big East regular season crown on Sunday. They can't lose it - they are 5 points up on Butler - but they can win it. Any result will do... but only one result will truly satisfy. This team is two games away from perfection, from a mark that cannot be broken. The least we can do, as fans, is turn out en masse to the remaining games and do our part to will the team to victory - and to history. Go Hoyas!!!
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Post by bearsandbulls on Oct 19, 2018 7:46:09 GMT -5
Great report as always Russky, especially the Carusa magic after the missed PK. Good to see the ladies come back from a deficit while outplaying their opponent on the road.
One correction in you last paragraph----Any result will not do on Sunday versus Butler....A win or a tie gives the Hoyas the Big East championship, however a loss keeps Butler in the game (if so then two points down with one game left---Xavier on the road). So the home finale' becomes important and not "they can't lose it". Otherwise great post as usual.
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 19, 2018 8:13:33 GMT -5
Great report as always Russky, especially the Carusa magic after the missed PK. Good to see the ladies come back from a deficit while outplaying their opponent on the road. One correction in you last paragraph----Any result will not do on Sunday versus Butler....A win or a tie gives the Hoyas the Big East championship, however a loss keeps Butler in the game (if so then two points down with one game left---Xavier on the road). So the home finale' becomes important and not "they can't lose it". Otherwise great post as usual. Yeah, to clarify, I'm using "result" in the soccer jargon definition of the term meaning an outcome in which you get points. Gotta raise the level of footy discourse around these parts!
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Post by bearsandbulls on Oct 19, 2018 11:12:29 GMT -5
All is good. It will effect how Coach Nolan substitutes though. Cheers.
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Nevada Hoya
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Post by Nevada Hoya on Oct 21, 2018 14:16:17 GMT -5
Nice win today vs Butler. We are the champs (at least the regular season ones)!!!
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Post by bearsandbulls on Oct 21, 2018 16:37:13 GMT -5
Congrats to the Hoyas for a big win at home today. Butler came out very tough in the first half and bunkered in on defense always keeping the Hoyas in front of them. It was giving the look of a long day after the first 45. But then the second half opened and the press plus attack yielded that first goal. All of a sudden the entire look of the match changed. Butler, who had tightly pressed, had to loosen up to try to score. A win or a tie would give the Hoyas the regular season championship. And as soon as the match loosened up Georgetown took command and things looked a lot more like we consider normal for Hoya WSOC. So now we are the big season champs and I believe entitled to sponsor the Big East tourney (all games at home).
Additionally, we are one of two undefeated teams in the nation. It was three with it being Stanfurd, Colorado, and Georgetown, but at the conclusion of our match I watched Stanfurd put on a clinic (and I mean a ball on the string clinic) at home against Colorado. Beating a Pac 12 undefeated rival by a 7-0 score is hardly believable. But it happened. We do not want to see them until the finals. What a machine. Remember that conference has U$C, UCLA, Washington State in addition to Colorado and Stanfurd and the Buffs were unbeaten. So now we are on the road for one more Big East game vs. Xavier, and then home for the Big East tourney. Following that I cannot imagine we are not the top seed in the East and everyone should have to come to us in the NCAAs, unlike having to go on the road last year vs. fifth place ACC Wake Forest. Things should be better as afforded by the preseason strength of schedule, our RPI and our undefeated run.
Congrats on the Big East championship ladies. Well done.
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 21, 2018 17:31:45 GMT -5
It never gets old, watching Hoyas of any and all stripes hoist the hardware on the Hilltop. And it never will, because fans appreciate the amount of hard work that goes into such moments and know that nothing is guaranteed. I got to eavesdrop a tad on Dave Nolan in conversation with another spectator at a men's game the other day, and while I didn't overhear anything surprising, in the interest of discretion I won't share anything I overheard...except for one thing. "They work real hard," said Diamond Dave. Coming from a coach, that's the highest possible praise. I don't think he'll mind me sharing that tidbit. This club's work rate is self-evident, and you just know that they bring the same level of commitment to the training ground as they do to the field of competition. So, take a bow, you 2018 Hoyas. Not too big of one, as plenty of season remains and much is still up for grabs. But a mature team knows to recognize and celebrate the successes along the way, and I hope these young women are able to really savor the moment, because they have most assuredly earned it. I give a lot of credit to Butler. Yes, they're a little...unique? weird? goofy? with their married couple as co-head coaches and their alternating goalkeepers and their prototypical player being closer in physique to...well, a bulldog than a greyhound. But those players have tremendous body control - they use their size well, recover quickly when beaten initially, and play with a physicality that rings up a lot of fouls but also wears teams down and takes them out of their game, mentally as well as physically. In the first half today, the run of play was much more reminiscent of last season's 0-0 draw at the Butler Bowl than the 3-0 dismantling in the Big East title match at Shaw. Some of that, of course, was anticipated by the skipper: 'Wearing them down' is definitely a strategy that came to mind for me as I watched this contest. Butler is big... and big players can be run ragged a bit more easily if they are made to chase. In the second half, the Hoyas made them chase. And no one did more to force Butler into a track meet than Paula G-W, who found herself shadowed and muscled by multiple Bulldogs throughout the contest. Her goal was karmic justice for the amount of work she put in today. It was kind of a scramble in front of net, rather than an elegant sequence, but still - put that one on your highlight reel, P! Also karmic justice: Kelly Ann getting a goal. Of the back line, Nally justifiably gets the props for being the offensive threat, while Jenna Staudt gets most of the accolades (she came in as the reigning Big East Defensive Player of the Week, for instance) as the ringleader of the fullbacks. But when you need someone to lower the boom, you want Kelly Ann Livingstone. Emily Menges is, without question, the greatest defender in Hoya history... and I truly believe that Kelly Ann has a chance to meet and exceed that golden standard. But forget about comparisons, just appreciate having this very special player in a Hoya shirt for several more years. I'll let Dave have the last word. All I can say is: I am excited as all hell about this squad, and watching them is a real joy.
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Nevada Hoya
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Post by Nevada Hoya on Oct 22, 2018 15:59:25 GMT -5
You can never guess what the soccer selection committee will do. They have made some poor choices in the past.
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RusskyHoya
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Post by RusskyHoya on Oct 26, 2018 12:03:49 GMT -5
You can never guess what the soccer selection committee will do. They have made some poor choices in the past. Too true, which is why the scoreless draw at Xavier last night carries some slight justification for disappointment - you just never know what can be used as an excuse to screw a team over these days, something that has happened to both the women's and men's soccer teams more than once. Having said that, what an incredible and privileged spot to be in, where you can rue a missed opportunity to have gone a perfect 9-0-0 and instead have to 'settle' for an unbeaten 8-0-1. As if any team in the country not named Stanford wouldn't trade places with us right now! And an unbeaten regular season as a whole, even with a competitive non-conference schedule! Even the men's 2015 squad that recorded a perfect Big East season couldn't say that. Truly living in rarefied air here. The game itself was hard-fought, and both teams had shots go off the woodwork that could just as easily have been goals. You never want to get shut out, obviously, so continuing to find ways to be creative and unpredictable in the attack is a must. Would really, really hate for this season to end like the last one, going down on PKs due to an inability to score over the course of 110 minutes. On the plus side, Hoyas may well be able to 'get revenge' on Xavier next Thursday! Get 'em one way or another.
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Nevada Hoya
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Post by Nevada Hoya on Oct 26, 2018 14:58:26 GMT -5
I am also a fan of the University of Portland's soccer program, mainly the woemn's, over the years as my son went there. So I experienced some really bad seedings for UP women. I think one of those in one of their championship years. So I hope it is not an anti-Catholic university bias.
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