Agree. Even in the current form, I see Stanford winning over SDSU. I have the feeling they will be using this week to tune up a few areas.
SDSU is not the same team as last yrs power team, Stanford may not be the same as last yr either but can still put SDSU away, hope to see the game if the tourney schedule pans out.
From the Daily: http://www.stanforddaily.com/2013/11/13/womens-soccer-draws-csu-fullerton-in-first-round/
From what I'm hearing and seeing over the course of this season, Emily Oliver may have accomplished something she never thought about or intended, but that may dwarf all of her other great GK accomplishments. She may have made it OK for college women's soccer players with multiple concussions to end their careers rather than keep playing and risk suffering permanent, quality-of-life impairing brain injuries. For that, she, her parents, her teammates, and her school should be proud.
Unc has a player named Caitlyn Ball, a walk on starter on the ncaa championship team in 2012, who appears to have made the same choice. She is also the player who won the award for the highest GPA at the college cup last year. Coincidentally, I suffered a concussion in a freak accident this weekend. If that ever happened to me playing a sport, I would never play that sport again. It is one thing to have a torn ACL or something, but when something starts messing with your brain, that is another thing entirely. Yes, kudos to Emily Oliver who is definitely the best college gk I have ever seen play (with props to Ashlyn Harris)
Ugh. The last home game of this soon-to-forget season was another snore-inducing disappointment, not worth recapitulating, and I'm relieved that Cagan will not have to host one more showing of this edition. Not much to rescue from the season, and I'm ready to move on to 2014.
C'mon....didn't the Tar Heels last year demonstrate that even the most disappointing teams can make a crazy good run in the NCAA tournament. Chin up , Cardinal!!
I'm sorry that some folks have only negative things to say about this year but I beg to differ. I wasn't planning adding any more posts on Stanford this year but when I read ill-informed statements like the one above, I feel the need to provide some contrast. This year's team certainly lacks some of the strengths that Stanford soccer fans have come to expect but in truth, this year's edition isn't much different than last year's. We caught a lot of breaks last year. I guess it's gone out of the collective consciousness but the 2012 edition barely scraped by in a lot of games with unranked opponents. This year's team hasn't caught many of those breaks. I could talk about what we're missing this year but I'll try not to harp too much on the negatives. I'll leave that to wowow and his depression-inducing posts. Some of the good things this year's squad has to offer are impressive ball control, smart strategic play, and the ability to create good chances. Stanford does not have a big, physical team like so many schools do. We have a small, quick, technical team. Our back four have played excellent ball this year. They are one of the most cohesive groups I've seen and really work well together. They've kept us in many games that could have gotten out of hand and they've helped some young keepers get their feet wet while they transition from club and high school ball to the much more demanding college game. Our outside backs are a huge part of the offense. They do an excellent job of pushing up and creating chances. As for the center backs, I'm excited for freshman, Maddie Bauer, who seems to have forged a role for herself that hopefully is the start of a bright collegiate career. Our midfielders are a scrappy bunch. Lo had an excellent year and I hope to see her continue to grow in her senior season next year. Alex has won more balls in the midfield this season than I've seen her win in season's past. She's really been a stalwart in the middle. Our forwards are all talented and as I've mentioned are good at creating chances. It's finishing those chances that we've struggled with. We probably should have come away with at least a 3-0 victory versus CS Fullerton on Friday but our inability to finish on some really nice chances prevented us from getting the blowout win we should have had. Losing Emily at GK was tough. And it's been hard on the young keepers who have filled in her stead. Those are big shoes to fill. You're just not going to find a plethora of ninja-like keepers in the mold of Emily Oliver. Hopefully Emily's continuing presence will help them reach their potential. As for the rest of this year, I have high hopes. If we can keep doing the things we do well and start capitalizing on the chances we've been able to create, we might make a deep run. If not, I'll still be proud of this scrappy, never-say-die squad and the effort they have given in a tough, competitive season of soccer.
isn't this a team that lost 2-1 in OT to UCLA? geez....I would think you all would be looking forward to getting revenge in the round of 16 on UCLA and then on UNC in the round of 8. very plausible.
From the Stanford Daily: http://www.stanforddaily.com/2013/11/18/cards-veterans-and-youth-adapt-to-new-ncaa-challenge/
I hate to admit it but paltrysum's post induced my depression more quickly than a review of my previous posts ever could. The insulin reaction caused by the sugar shock almost killed me. Sorry, but "impressive" ball control and "smart" strategic play certainly do not distinguish this edition. If anything, we should commend the team for carrying on with the never-say-die mentality that has served the program so well. I do agree last year's team caught a lot of breaks and won a bunch of too-close-for-comfort squeakers. In hindsight, that edition was grossly overrated but the squeakers kind of blurred our vision and kept us drinking the Kool-Aid. Until the semis, that is.
I find this thread about Stanford having a down year to be interesting. Imagine the expectations in chapel hill every year. This sort of negative discussion happens every time they so much as lose a game. The talk before the ncaa run last year made it sound like unc had a losing record. Stanford has been stellar for a long time and will continue to be. Your recruiting for upcoming classes is incredible. And don't count them out to make a run this year. Last year proved that it can happen.
C'mon, all this Stanford cheerleading is a bit too obvious, don't you think? You're just praying for a monumental upset over UCLA, since the Card would be a much easier win for the Heels. Well, it could happen.
unc beat ucla this year 1-0 on a neutral field (though 10 miles from UNC) in a game where the score underestimated the difference between the teams. unc outshot ucla something like 23-8. I am not saying that would happen in this potential rematch, but I don't think UNC has reason to fear UCLA more than Stanford. Stanford will have the fire that comes with trying to prove yourself after a lackluster regular reason, just like UNC had last year.
actually, UNC held them to 6 shots and 2 on goal in September, but yes, an impressive defensive performance, though both shots finding the back of the net was a problem.
Oh...we were at different places, I watched a strong performance by UCLA in Westwood. I hope you enjoyed your game.
UNC's 1-0 win over the Bruins in September was LESS close than the score. Shots were 23-6, though UCLA did have a couple of dangerous moments. UNC may have to play without Dunn, so the game could be quite different.
I just don't understand why referencing an early September shot count from a game that doesn't involve the mentioned team at the top of the thread matters. Especially in soccer. This is why us UNC fans can't have nice things on these boards.