I think San Diego handled the adversity of the field and weather much better than SCU. The Broncos look hesitant the entire game, like they were worried about slipping, and that hurt their performance. Credit San Diego for putting that behind them and just playing. Bad weather and poor field conditions are common in the tournament. SCU had better figure it out or else.
That field was garbage in September so SD should be very comfortable with it. One slip on defense and you're toast.
Whoever wants to win next year's National Championship had better start figuring out how to play on it now....
I watched the game on TV also. Seemed like SCU had no answer for Stephanie Ochs (sp?) no matter what the field conditions were like.
Ochs (you got it right) is a stud, pure and simple. I've seen her play a couple of times. She's one of the most dangerous player I've seen in a couple of years, if not the most dangerous -- and I've seen a lot of players (Stanford, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Florida State, to name a few). Keep an eye on her after she graduates.
Cp says that Ochs is one of the most dangerous players he has seen in years. She leads her team in goals and assists. Unfortunately, apparently nobody told Jerry this before the game. So Ochs repeatedly received the ball in open space with room to manoeuvre, and added 3 assists to her team-leading total. Contrast this with the treatment the Torreros gave Johnston. Every time Johnston received a ball their #4 was all over her. Their little part of the game was more a street fight than a soccer match. It has been said that Jerry favors the "beautiful game". I thought he was supposed to favor it for Santa Clara, not the other team. SCU was missing their two outside backs from the start of the season, Laponte and Klei, and before the San Diego game they were able to get away playing a somewhat makeshift lineup. But whether it was the mud (which should have affected both teams) or whatever, we sure didn't look good against San Diego. And it wasn't just the defense, of course, the offense failed to give San Diego any real trouble. I do think that this game is more of an aberration, and not indicative of the type of team Santa Clara has been all season. But it was a dismal effort and it came at a bad time. The season had so much promise before this game. Now it will be defined solely by how SCU does in the tournament. And by losing this game, the tournament just got that much more difficult. Which will make the Broncos ultimate victory all the more glorious. Or not.
Talking to players that have played there, they say its one of the worse fields they play on. I have heard this over and over. Ochs is the real the deal. Did not see this game, but I have seen them both play mutual opponents and I'm a little surprised at the lopsided outcome. I think SCU is a more complete team
The UP men played USD on that field this weekend. Total mudhole. Even their coach blamed the result on field conditions. Sure hope they have a plan for next year.
Both are extremely narrow and not well maintained -- it's been this way for decades. It is a huge home field advantage.
How come we never hear these complaints until the teams lose? I'm sure you don't need me tell anyone what it sounds like....
It sounds like you haven't been paying attention apparently. Everyone recognizes the torero stadium is a piece of crap From the USD athletic site on the game between the USD men and Portland this week: It sounds like USD was making the excuses there, so I guess you are right in that respect. If nobody mentions it now, you can expect more slogging through mud during the National Championship game next year.
Actually I have been paying attention, but I must have missed all of the previous, older comments. Were they last season, earlier this year, sorry, I don't recall seeing them on any thread. The issue with that field is that the football games really do a job on it, but my best guess is it will be repaired/replaced prior to the College Cup.
Didn't mean to come off so "snarky" but all I was trying to say was that when excuses/complaints/comments come out after the fact (whether it was the home or away team) they tend to sound like sour grapes or to make it sounder nicer "fine whine".....
Yeah, the USD coach didn't mention how he got beat by a better team.... The field comments are about the condition of the fields when the games are played. You don't go inspect fields before you go to an opponent's field , do you? They are just descriptions of things as they are. Schools can do better, and they should.
ok, that's settled. Now we will point to this post when it is brought up during the College Cup next year.
...and people have been complaining about these two fields for decades. It is by no means a new argument and I haven't read one post where the poor field conditions were being used as an excuse.... people are simply stating that they are terrible (and narrow), which they are, and that is an advantage to the team that plays 12+ games a year on them rather than once every two years. I also think it is a disadvantage for the two home teams when they have to play on the road. Neither of these two teams, historically, is a great road team and I think playing on their home fields hurts them when they are forced to play on wider, better maintained fields (especially in the tournament).
I have read all the posts about the USD and other fields on the SCU thread and don't understand what they have to do with the SCU game thiis coming Friday against CAL. Please take the USD field talk some place else.
The field discussion doesn't concern the upcoming game, but it concerns the game just past which is still being discussed. It also impacts next year's College Cup, scheduled to be held at the same location as the most recent game. There is not that much new to say about Cal. SCU beat them 3 - 0 during the season, but that was, IMHO, a flukey result and I anticipate a highly contested game with both teams hoping to advance. Cal recently lost to Stanford 2 - 0, the same score as Santa Clara lost by. Before that the lost 3 - 0 to Oregon State but defeated Oregon 4 - 0, two teams that SCU tied. They tied UCLA 0 - 0 and their keeper only had to make 4 saves. They lost to Colorado 2 - 1, who other than Cal won only against Colorado College, Northern Colorado and Cal State Bakersfield. So on paper SCU has the advantage, I would say. Just like the game against USD. There could be rain before/during the game, but the men's team is not scheduled to play at home until Sunday. The Bronco pointy football team last played in 1992, so that will also not be a problem.
The post about the Pepperdine field is half correct. It is narrow, that is correct. It was posted that it is poorly maintained, that is not correct.
We'll be rooting for the Broncos at Buck Shaw on Saturday - but we like the Cal team, too. I like all the teams that actually play soccer and don't just roll over everybody with their brawn. I added BYU to my list this season after watching them here in Santa Clara. Really great team and I can't understand why Portland is in the tournament and not BYU - but obviously I don't understand how those things work yet... I'm pretty sure the score won't be 3-0 as it was in September, but I'm not sure that Cal is going to be able to overtake the Broncos. We observed most of the women's team at the men's game against St. Mary's last weekend. They were in great spirits, heckling the opponents (and the ref) mercilessly. After listening to the conversations of different people who came by and wanted to discuss San Diego, I would say that the team has moved on from that game and they are not rattled. I found the number of visible injuries a little concerning, but obviously Cal has the same problem. Luckily there is a week to sort some of those out. The fact that two great teams (one our favorite) are playing at the most fabulous stadium around makes it a game not to be missed. It will be a great battle! Too bad the second game is at Stanford - it's hard to not be spoiled by Buck Shaw - but at least it won't be snowing!
We'll be at Buck Shaw on Saturday too. Going to watch Stanford vs. Montana tonight. Somehow I think the Santa Clara/Cal game will be a closer match.
A match-up with Stanford hardly seems like a fitting reward for pulling off an underdog title win... but with such a dismal record, they're probably happy just to come out here and get their clocks cleaned. I truly wish them luck!
Well, this was certainly a disappointing end to the season. Santa Clara opened the game with a never before seen starting lineup. Allie Vernon was in at central defender for the 1st and only time all year, and had a great game. Usual central D Alyssa Kleiner (all WCC freshman) was on the bench, as was 1st team all WCC Sophia Huerta. Instead Cali Reis, who had been replacing Jenny Laponte until the San Diego game when she hardly played, was back in the lineup. Both keepers were credited with seven saves during the match, but certainly Henninger had the more difficult saves to make. Even the Cal goal came after a save of a shot from about 3 yards away. The ball was loose in the box after the save, and just like the San Diego game (last San Diego game reference, promise) one of the opponents got to the ball 1st and we were down 1 - 0. Lauren Matheson and Bridgett Miller both had good looks in the 1st half, but sent their shots just wide. We came out with a bit more fire to begin the second half. The goal came on a great play by Sophia Huerta to beat her defender around the corner. In fact, the picture that Santa Clara uses on its game recap may have come from this play, with a Cal defender firmly grasping hold of Sophia's shorts. Huerta centered the ball to Julie Johnston, who did some great dribbling moves and got off a shot that hit the post. Reis came running up from the back and buried the rebound into the net. I really thought that now Santa Clara would turn it up even further at this point. But after the goal Santa Clara seemed to lose its sense of urgency. Cal, IMHO, dominated the later part of the 2nd half and the two overtimes. Henninger made a couple of excellent saves and a Cal player had the ball unmarked in front of the goal but shot wide. So we went to pk's. Cal switched keepers for some reason. Both keepers made one save but Santa Clara also put one over the bar and the season is over for the Broncos.