http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/coll...23935/US-U20-WNT-wins-CONCACAF-Player-ratings Player ratings: Bryane Heaberline, 5. There was not much she could have done on the goal and had little to do throughout the rest of the contest. Crystal Dunn, 3. The square ball to concede the opening goal was inexcusable even in the most flattering light. Canada also did a good job in slowing her down going forward. Olivia Brannon, 5. Brannon did well when called upon, but there were still some nervous moments from all across the backline in the opening minutes. Kassey Kallman, 4. The center back was careless with the ball at times. She made one very good challenge late in the game to prevent a breakaway. Mollie Pathman, 5. Pathman did a great job against goal-scorer Jenna Richardson in the second half, but she also struggled getting forward. Samantha Mewis, 6. Offensively, it was not the best performance from Mewis, but she was very good defensively and inserted a strong presence into the middle of the field. Katie Stengel, 4. It was not a great outing from Stengel. She never found the rhythm of the game and was chewed up by the more physical Canadian defenders before being taken out at half. Vanessa DiBernardo, 5. At times DiBernardo looked likely to break through the defense, but she never quite figured out how to get on the same page with the forwards. Morgan Brian, 5. The attacking midfielder found a hole in the defense where she sat in and picked out strikers, but she also gave away the ball needlessly at times. Lindsey Horan, 5. Horan continuously put herself in a position to score, but the breaks were not going her way tonight, and she was off-target with numerous shots and headers. She did battle the defenders and eventually helped with the game-winner. Maya Hayes, 7. Hayes set up a few opportunities in the first half, and then became the hero in the second half with a class finish to grab the equalizer with 11 minutes left in the game. Substitutes Chi Ubogagu, 7. The speedy striker was quiet for long stretches of the second half, but she was there late when the U.S. needed an ugly goal and delivered the game-winner. Mandy Landish, 6. It was a quiet performance from Landish, but her steady play helped the midfield push numbers forward late. Kealia Ohai, 7. As a late substitute, Ohai's entrance appeared to be coach Steve Swanson throwing the kitchen sink at the Canada defense. But Ohai put herself in the perfect spot at the right time and had a role with both goals. Read more: U.S. U20 WNT wins CONCACAF: Player ratings | College Soccer News
Another case of TopDrawer being silly again. Dunn's mistake in no way qualifies her for a ranking of 3. She was the engine of the team throughout and you will never find a better box to box performance. All of the Tarheels acquitted themselves very well. Heaberline was largely untested throughout the tournament but shows attributes of a great keeper. Ohai is taking her already formidable game to the next level and is becoming a true triple threat on the pitch. I wish her and Jones would have connected like this. If there was one small disappointment for me it was Horan's lack of finishing. It is one thing to score at will against lesser teams and poor keepers but she will have to do much better going up against world class goalkeepers and should have done so against a decidedly mediocre Canadian squad who have only been together for a month.
OK, I take your point. I see what you are saying. I was simply calculating the relative distance each player had to move to come to the spot where the onrushing forward intercepted the ball. From the moment the ball was struck, the forward moved 12 yards to touch the ball whereas the back would have had to move about 6 yards to arrive at the same spot. My frame-by-frame analysis is only pure geometry and failed to take into account the psychology and decision-making process of an attacker vs a back. Your point is well taken that a back can not afford to charge at a flighted ball with the same abandon as a forward can (and must if she is going to be a successful scorer.) Therefor, allowing for the time required for a back to process a decision as to the risks of committing herself to receiving a ball (whereas a forward can simply "react"), any advantage in the physical distance to cover, in this case, is effectively negated. Good point.
I only saw the second half, so I can't comment on the Canada goal. But, if TDS thought Dunn was responsible for it, their downgrade of her probably reflects their assessment that a defender gets no forgiveness for a goal-resulting error no matter how well she plays the rest of the game. Others may disagree with that thinking, but it is true that defender mistakes can cost games -- which happily didn't happen in this case -- and therefore can overshadow the rest of the defender's performance. I really liked Ohai's play -- she seems like a real team player. Also, Heaberline's distribution looked very good to me. That's an important aspect of goalkeeping that isn't enough appreciated.
No margin for error for defenders unlike forwards and mids. The ranking by top-drawer soccer does not matter for a kid that has won gold medals at 3 concacaf events already.
It would appear that Anson is going to have to carefully consider how to set up the pre-ACC schedule for next fall, and also how to juggle two very different line-ups. The reason being that 4 of the strongest Tarheels will be camping with the U-20s and then off to Japan and will likely miss the first 6 games, and (if the schedule dates are the same as last year) maybe up to 8 games depending on return travel arrangements and jet lag. Given that the rpi is quite important at the end of the season, Anson will have to choose early season opponents carefully. And so too will be the line-up issues. We fans will get to watch two different teams next fall. It will be very interesting. The early season line up will be tinkered with, but then will be totally disrupted when the U-20s return. I don't see things being stabilized until very late in the season. (Hopefully by ACC tournament time.) Thoughts?
I think the choosing carefully would have had to be done quite a while ago. By now, I suspect most of the top teams already have their Fall 2012 schedules set and maybe had them mostly set a year or two ago.
For one, I'm dying to see how Indi Cowie looks against top notch women's college competition. Unfortunately, I'll not be be able to attend the game against Duke this Wednesday at Finley. I do hope that one of the faithful will be there and can give a report on who is looking promising. The Dookies should give the Tarheels a stern test (having just knocked off NCSU and UVa without goving up a goal), and Wednesday's game will reveal a lot. By my reckoning, Cowie may be a key player during the first half of the fall season before the U-20's return. Without Horan and Ohai up front, I see an interim line of forwards being Elby, Rich, and Cowie with a thin bench of Grey, Thompson, and Neisen. Then perhaps Nigro at attacking mid with Premji as a sub. (Actually, I'd love to see Horan get some looks at attacking mid when she shows up as a Tarheel. If she did, the front line might end up being Cowie, Rich and Ohai. ...Lots of interesting possibilities!) I see the fall interim midfield as Parker, Brooks, and McFarlane, with Bruce as a sub and then Dunn returning at mid-season to replace McFarlane. The defense may actually get settled for the whole season with a stable trio of Brigman, Linquist, and Morris. Ball, Murray, and Ramirez will come off the bench as needed. Until mid-season when Haeberlin returns, I assume that Seiloff and Daly will likely platoon unless Harris surprises. Of course, the above fall scenario may be way off target, based on who stands out this spring, who actually ends up transferring out, and any more surprise recruits or transfers in. .... SO for starters, someone be sure to take notes on Wednesday and tell us all about it!
The Jan 26 press release on Tarheelblue puts the game time at 5:00. Where do you get information that it begins at 5:30?
Via Twitter? Probably some of the other players? @AdelaideAGay Big game vs Duke this afternoon! #redundant Finley fields 5:30pm. @UNCwomensSoccer
Saw Duke beat us 1-0. Anyone see the game? Also, 2013 class added one - Jessica Holmes from Albertson SC. Topdrawer grades her as a four-star recruit. A speedy forward. Class is getting large - up to 9, I think!
Well this is high praise.... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0QV2f7V0Po&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]Jessica Holmes - US Club Soccer id2 Camp MVP - YouTube[/ame]
Yes, could someone please share who played for the Heels at what positions? I am especially interested in how Indi Cowie looked. Indeed, Jess Holmes committed on the 15th. She's a Region I ODP player from upstate New York (near Syracuse). I find it interesting that she committed to the Tarheels at apparently the same time as Midge Purce reportedly committed to Harvard (although I haven't seen confirmation yet on that one.) It makes me wonder if Anson was holding a spot for Purce (who is a U-17 national team starter) hoping that he could land her, but had Holmes in mind as a good replacement. We now have 10 committed for the 2013 class. In order of accolade strength: Green, Boyles, Castleberry, Chiu, Rooney, Dresse, Holmes, McFarlane, O'Halloran, Bill. A very strong class that should end up being in the top 5.
This is my best recollection. I'm sure of the starters. Some of the subs may be a bit garbled... Cowie (Wood) -- Rich -- Gray Nigro (Sweeney) -- Premji -- McFarlane [(? Rameriz)] Brooks (Welsh-Loveman) Brigman --- Ball -- Murray Gay (Sieloff;Heaberline?) IMO, Cowie looked promising. She is aggressive and seems to have good field awareness as well as a real Tarheel desire to pressure the ball up high. Early days, but I think her future may be bright.
Oohh..... this is interesting! Is there any precedent for playing in the spring if a player is clearly not going to be around in the fall? As in Gay or Wood. I thought that Gay was finished with her eligibility ...2 years at Yale, 2 at Carolina... (did she not play a year at Yale?) Does this mean we will have 5 keepers in the fall? And I have believed many of the posts in December (and echo'd some) that Wood would definitely be transferring. How little we know! Was Morris visible? No Elby, Daly, Dunn or Ohai? Thanks for the first read on Cowie as a Tarheel. This is very encouraging.
Most of these gals were at the field. None were dressed out. No one on crutches! Minor injury, surgery rehab, illness, other... Yada, yada... From this first game, not too easy to guess who will be available later this Spring, or game-fit by Fall. I gotta comment that (on this rather uneven outing) my player of the game was Brigman. She seems to get smarter, more technically proficient, and more effective as an on-field leader with each game. I would not have imagined this for her when she came on board as a Freshman, but IMO she seems to be growing by leaps and bounds! I enjoyed Gray, who seems quite willing to 'swap some paint" with opponents, and plays a much faster, taller, and more powerful game than her small size would suggest. I also enjoyed watching Ball in the defense where she is looking much more comfortable in the flat back. Not our best game, but a really fun way to spend a beautiful Spring afternoon.
I wouldnt put a lot thought into spring matches. Theyre fun to get a look at some players. Coaches don't have their full rosters. Due to injuries or the simple fact that frosh don't enroll until fall. It's basically a good workout.
Well, what did Duke look like? I imagine after returning everyone, they'll be at the top of this year's conference race.
Neither side looked all that sharp. We played the first half in the Dook half and had some looks, just didn't finish. Dook did a better job of controlling the ball in the second half and also seemed to figure out the offside rule... Dook did a very nice job of setting up their only tally which was a wicked cross across the face of the goal, one-touched into the back of the net against (Ithink) Heaberline about 75 minutes along. Very nicely done. At this point I agree with Focker, I don't think there is much to conclude about either team. Just a fun Spring exhibition game. But it always chafes a bit to give one up to Dook...
The difference between the first half and the second was pressure. Tar Heels did a great job of pressuring the ball in the first half. Good tackles. Lots of turnovers. Created some good chances. Second half. . . not so much pressure. When UNC slows down, things tend to fall apart. Duke's best attacking came on long diagonal balls. Especially, when switched to Molly P. We seemed to struggle to shift, regain shape, and find our marks. Lots of bright moments for Tar Heels. Can't waitto get everyone back and add the new freshmen.
I thought this was an interesting and accurate assessment. It was a hot afternoon and we had (for the Heels) few subs. Many of the UNC gals were clearly toast by midway through the second half. Some of the Duke gals (and M Pathman in particular), by contrast, were like energizer bunnies, and just kept grinding it out. For a Spring game, I don't make much of this. However, the Heels should be on notice that come Fall they will not own the fitness trophy, just cause they put on a Carolina Blue jersey. There are now a number of gals on the Duke roster, and some other ACC teams as well, who look ready to go toe-to-toe with Carolina, and "out-Tarheel" the Heels. The 3-4-3 may not be dead. The days of Carolina's dominance may not be over. But the days when we could work another team into the dirt and deliver a second half coup de grace to an exhausted opponent are (IMO) probably gone, at least among top level teams. Some of the gals on these other ACC teams are Fitness Monsters, and I just don't think we can expect to wear them down. Maybe have to come up with a plan B? Precise ball controll, team play, and inspired tactical decision making-- these could work...
i find it interesting that they never mention her name. Does Ravech just record one of these and someone puts pictures behind it?