Out of curiosity, do you know whether Pugh was considering UNC? Was she considering any other schools?
Assuming that your (apparent inside) information is correct about Mallory Pugh's commiting to UCLA, I agree that her commitment to any of the top schools is a blow to all of the other schools who were in the running. She is a great talent. The 2016 class is a critical one for UNC, and the large and strong class of 2012 will have graduated and I am sure that Pugh was a prime target. My view at this moment is that Cromwell and UCLA are thoroughly in the diver's seat with regard to recruiting. It appears to me that the Briuns will have the most attractive package for 15 and 16 year olds going forward for the forseeable future. Recruiting is not just about soccer, but has to be combined with other attributes of the college setting and it's hard to match sunny southern California near the beach, the long national reputation of UCLA (forged by Wooden and others) , a great campus, good academics, and now an outstanding coach. Combine this with eht ru through the NCAAs last season and, as a soccer destination the picture painted for teen girls by UCLA recruiters will be hard to beat. Stanford will be second, and then we're over to the east coast for Notre Dame, Duke, UNC, and Penn State (and other recent up and comers.) But don't get me wrong, UNC fans and fans of other top programs. I'm talking about the sales pitch and the "perception is reality" aspect of recruiting teens and their parents. As far as I can see there is absolutely no evidence the overall quality UNC as a top educational institution or of the soccer experience or the training received at Chapel Hill isn't top grade. As an Anson has said, if he can just get a few blue chip recruits, he up for the challenge of developing lesser know talent so as to still be competitive at the top level. And if recent experience is any guide, development of that lesser known talent onto rosters of the NWSL is not to be dismissed lightly. As has been said countless times, the nature of advancing parity is that other universities deciding to really commit to their women's soccer programs combined with increasing numbers of great coaches and recruiters means that any one school (and UNC in particular) simply can not remain routinely on top of the heap. No sane person can deny this fact. But the cream still stays at the top and your favorite school can certainly remain in the running.
I understand the attraction of UCLA, but I don't see why forwards would be dying to play in a defense-first, 4-5-1 system, especially when they're not prototypical target forwards. Yes, Pugh is a super-star recruit, but that's not the best system for her, IMO. (Similarly, it's not the best system for creative midfielders.) However, there is more to finding the right fit for college than the soccer system!
The Pugh to UCLA thing has been a rumor for a while but was made official by her via Twitter today. She considered all of the major programs and made visits to most (according to the coaches that were attempting to get her) I can say that with Mal, it was always interesting to see the mass of coaches standing on the sidelines of her games not to watch her play, but to make sure she saw them. Very much like the pack of dorks in the corner of the 8th grade dance hoping the hot girl noticed them on the way to the bathroom
Listen, if every time we lose out on a top recruit we're going to have a conversation about the demise of the program, you guys need to find something else to occupy yourselves with. If 22 national championships aren't convincing enough about the quality of this program, you clearly aren't going to be persuaded by anything.
Acc defensive player of the year twice. Acc offensive player of the year once. Full national team caps (as a starter) while in college. One Herman trophy. One second place Herman trophy finish. I think she would have won the second Herman trophy if not for the late season injury. If she isn't clearly the best, she's definitely in the conversation. I saw Hanks play in two ncaa championship games. Yawn. Not impressed, though I never saw a college player whine and cry as much as her during games. she was the best at that. Sinclair? Well...there's a strong argument for her being the best...ridiculous scoring totals on ncaa title caliber teams. No one matches dunn's versatility. No one else has ever been so exciting to watch every single time she touches the ball.
The quality of the program is not in dispute.....the quality of the improvement of the opposition is the problem and something Anson will have to come to grips with....
Forget about UNC's success the past 32 years...just go from 2000 to 2014 alone better yet just go from 2006 to 2014 UNC has more NCAA soccer titles than any other school in history! they were NCAA champs just two seasons ago,give me a break, UNC will always be a contender as long as Anson is around. The problem is the bar is set so high for UNC its ridiculous, if they go two years without a title the sky is falling. No matter how great a team is, in a 64 team single elimination tournament the stars all have to be aligned!, no injuries and a little bit of luck. In 2012 Brooke Elbe was arguably as valuable as any 5 star recruit in the country!.
There are two other girls playing at ESD (where Sash Firstenberg came from) that Anson would be well advised to look at. Both top level ECNL players, one of whom already has multiple offers from D1 programs. She is waiting for the right 'fit'...the other is a sophomore, described as "Paul Scholes in a skirt"...ESD will return 10 starters from a team that recently won the state private school division 1 championship....they will be one of the very best high school teams in the country.
..Smart ass...made me laugh though, so that's alright...!! UNC has won several National Titles with players from North Texas playing prominent roles...(as have the like of Notre Dame and others)....watch out for Texas A&M and Texas Tech who recruit heavily from this area....both programs are on the up and up...there are some seriously good players in the Dallas area that's for sure... (I had intended this to respond to jimhalperts post....about the girls playing in skirts...
Yes, Reilly announced she was transferring to USC a week ago on Instagram. Also, Vicky Bruce is transferring to Davidson. Not sure she has announced it herself on social media, but others have commented to her about how much they will miss her on social media
I always have mixed emotions about transfers from UNC. On the one hand, it seems always to be with sadness that both the player and the teammates see the change. The bonding between the girls on the team seems so tight that the parting is difficult for all. These two examples are no exception with references to tears and promises of friendship and solidarity continuing. To see this side of it (which we also saw when Rachel Wood transfered out two years ago) is touching and must make it a very hard choice for the transferring players to make. (And I have reason to believe that there have been -and probably are currently- players that arguably should have transferred out for the sake of their soccer career, but opted to stay simply because they are enjoying the overall experience on the team and at Carolina.) On the other hand, every player that comes to Carolina is very competitive and is committed to soccer. Each knows full well coming in that there are no promises and playing time will be gained by measured intra-team competition. Consequently, if it turns out that they are not getting the PT they see as important to their future in soccer, the player will of course look to transfer, even if it means painful separation from a beloved team. The same painful decision is there even if the player wants to transfer for other reasons, such as being closer to home, "significant other", or academic considerations. There is also this fan's perspective (which has nothing to do with the reality for the player or the team.) My fan's view is admittedly selfish in that I take delight in seeing, for example, Vicky Bruce take the field. I love her combination of spunkiness, focus, and effort. She has a great soccer brain, and is cool. I don't care if she is not one of the all time great players, I like to see her on the field for who she is -and she IS a very good player (who will do very well at Davidson.) The same is true for Reilly Parker. You can bet that I'll be following her career at USC. She's a great kid. (And take a look at her blog...she's a good writer.) My best wishes go to both of these great young women.
I bet Parker will end up being very productive at USC. If not for the injury last year, I think she would have played a fair amount. I don't know Bruce's game that well , but wish her much success at Davidson. It's certainly a terrific school.
what ever happened to elizabeth burchenal? she showed huge potential, then disappeared.. I noticed her in the stands a few times at games last year, so thought perhaps she stayed at UNC
Taking Bets..... Who wants to lay down a date when UNC will officially announce the 2014 recruiting class? Presumably the 2014 class is small and already known.... Is the delay just tradition or are there unknown surprise players working their way through the admission process? There is a trend over the last 10 years, and if followed, may place the announcement after 2014 fall practice has already started..... Prior 10 classes were announced: 13 --7/4/13 12 --6/5/12 11 --5/24/11 10 -- 4/17 10 09 -- 5/3/09 08 --4/11/08 07 --4/5/07 06 --3/30/06 05 --3/7/05 04 --2/13/04