I was joking when I made the comments about Marquette not being any good. My tongue was firmly planted in my cheek. It was just my way of poking fun at some of the biases that seem to exist about certain conferences - like, say, that a Big 12 team should be better than a C-USA team, for example. I would ask, "Which teams??" You may be impressed by Marquette's weekend, but I'm not - I expected them to have a good weekend. I've been watching C-USA for years, and it's definately improving. C-USA had 2 teams in the national tournament last year and could possibly have 3 teams in it this year. The best of C-USA is not so bad, whether anyone wants to believe it or not. I am not surprised that Marquette at least gave UNC a little exercise and I'm not at all surprised the Marquette beat Duke - in fact, I predicted it (in this thread). I wasn't joking at all when I did that. In this week's NSCAA poll I see two C-USA teams ranked higher than Duke, which is as it should be. The days when ACC teams can take C-USA teams for granted are a thing of the past.
UNC and Marquette Marquette is indeed a good team and their ranking this week is appropriate. Their speedy forwards gave UNC some trouble initially and their back line was a problem until the second half. I expect them to do well in CUSA this year. This game for Carolina was an important one. It was one of the most exciting UNC games I've seen in a while (excepting the NCAA championship in 2000). The team worked hard in the 1st half after losing Cat, but just didn't get the job done. In the second half, they came out hard, but lost Kasey White to the knee injury early. Everthing then seemed to gel and they were terrific. With 10 players and far fewer subs than Marquette, they ran them down physically and mentally. The score may not look great, but it was an impressive win. UNC now faces Portland. The team will be without Reddick, Chalupny and Tarpley off to the USWNT, and Branam, White, Steadman, Winslow, Walker and maybe Fletcher out to injury. It will be a tough game, but I think they are up for it.
You mean can't play any more. She is already a redshirt senior and after the recovery period after surgery she would only have the Spring. Most seniors do not participate in the Spring for various reasons including fear of injury and a desire to have one normal semester in their college career.
Speedo--I was just reading your post. About Anne Morrell and younger players taking positions. It seems to me that that's a good way to lose good players--sure some kids might want to sit on the bench because they think they'll get a ring and maybe a shot at the NT--all of the old UNC hype--but I'm sure most of the players he recruits want to play and it has to be pretty painful to have been an All American starter your freshman year and a reserve your soph. People are people--and these kids and their parents can't all be thrilled with demotions. I'm not sure the connection to the NT is a valid one as much as it once was and the UNC connection isn't much help in the WUSA. It just seems so callous to go out and get sign these kids while all the time knowing you are getting ready to sign someone to replace her the next year. And yes, Anson KNOWS some of these kids are going to come in and start--Heather O'Reilly is a good example.
What? you are right no connection to the Nat team. Three called into camp but that is just an illusion. Several others on the squad have bene there in the past but lets ignore that too. And WUSA forget it if you played for UNC - oh wait the school with the most alumni in the league is UNC, never mind with the facts though. Callous. He promises a competitive cauldron. And if you come in fit and ready to play, you have the best chance of holding off the contenders. But some people just start reading their own press clippings...
UNC Nothing in life is perfect, even the dream of playing college soccer at UNC. Nothing is worse than dealing with disappointment when it happens to us. But we get past it, and are the stronger for it. Perhaps we are a player who sits on the bench. Or maybe someone who gets passed over for a promotion at our job. There are lots of people out there who look at UNC and all its success - and instead of getting excited about it, really resent it. Yep. I can understand that. No problem. No one likes to be overlooked for their own talents and successes, in favor of a "favorite". Who says UNC has to be everyone's favorite team? Not me. I love 'em, but that doesn't mean you have to, too. We're all passionate about college women's soccer, and I bet we're all very different individuals. We all like different teams. Does that have to be a problem?
Why athletes choose UNC Athletes choose Carolina for a variety of reasons. Most want to go to a program where they can train with the best and are willing to take a risk on playing time. Others would rather be challenged and sit on the bench than have lots of playing time on a lesser team. These are the athletes Anson recruits; this is why they remain competitive every year. Check your ego at the door when you come to UNC. Chapel Hill is a wonderful place to be for four years regardless of soccer; UNC has a wonderful academic reputation. They all must know that they are no longer a big fish in a small pond when they choose Carolina. The fact that they have so few transfers is a credit to the program.
competition/bench time Thanks for the great post, MoHeel. Kareena, btw, in case you don't follow the Heels as closely as some of us, there is a system in place at UNC that is quite simple. Each week during practices, every player is evaluated for her performance against other players in a number of drills & skills. By the end of the week, the top 11 players on the team list get to start (barring injury, of course). Speaking of injuries, Susan Bush - a h.s. phenom and top recruit to Carolina three years ago - has not been able to play an entire season yet, due to injuries each year. Talk about heartbreak! Yet this year she is healthy, and is currently starting over Morrell, although Morrell has started in some games this season. Some other players, who were subs last season, are starting this season. Anne Felts, for example, who is extremely versatile and able to start up top or in the midfield. Then there is Mary McDowell who is also now starting some games. IMO, she is the most improved player in the off-season. Elizabeth Ball has been a sub every year at the Forward position--the same one played by Morrell. Well, this year E.B. starts in the defense, because she worked hard to learn the new position. She chose this over being an offensive sub--a position for which there is STIFF competition with Ramsey, Morrell, Bush, Tarpley, Felts, Hardman, Black, and Blomgren (have I left anyone out?) all chomping at the bit. ALL of these players got playing time over the weekend against two talented teams in Marquette and FIU. I happen to think that's great. Hardman, a freshmen from Raleigh, even scored her first career goal. And as I said in an earlier post, Morrell scored an awesome goal of her own. Are you sure this is a team that breeds unhappiness and disenchantment among its players, as you seem to suggest? BTW Kareena, if you are a close relative of Morrell, please tell her I'm a huge fan!
Okay, I can't resist putting in my .02 on PJB and MoHeels comments. Prepare your flame throwers. I am a UNC non-fan. Admirer, yes. Fan, no. My reaction to UNC's success is not resentment. Boredom would be a better word. "What, UNC got all the best talent again this year? (Yaaaaawn.)" As long as that continues, I don't see an end to the Tarheels' dominance. Until some other team can beat the Heels, say, 2 out of 3, UNC still sets the bar for the rest of the nation. OTOH, the NCAA tournament is still single-elimination. Just over the past few years there has emerged a handful of teams that have a chance to beat UNC on any given day. SCU last year, of course. My dream is that over the next few years, we'll get to the point that not every high school player gifted enough to be recruited by UNC, will choose to go there. Even now, there are at least a half dozen schools that offer what UNC offers, minus the umpteen championships. Great coaches that can recruit nationally, great facilities, tremendous fan support, outstanding academics. And highly competitive schedules, year after year, with a chance of playing for a national championship. I think it will be very good for college soccer when the Heather O'Reilley's of the future look at UNC as just one of a number of outstanding schools to spend their four years. Only then will we approach anything like parity. And in my book, a little more parity would be a good thing.
U Texas I can't figure out how a U. of Texas fan could be bored with the state of women's soccer this year. Sounds like you want parity and you want it now, or else the games just aren't that interesting to you. Instead of being interested in the process of maintaining a certain level of competitiveness within the college game, you are focused on the end product - the demise of UNC as a dominant force. That's cool. You might want to broaden your sports viewing "portfolio" then and start cultivating an interest in other sports. I know--maybe you could write a letter to the UNC Team and Anson Dorrance, and tell them how bored you are!
You talkin' to me? On the contrary, I've never been more excited about women's soccer. And it's only going to get better every year, as the high school talent pool gets better every year, and top Division 1 schools continue to build their women's programs. I think the top 8 or so teams this year will be very competitive come tourney time. Although UNC will definitely be the favorite, they are not a shoo-in as they used to be nearly every year. And my point (which you missed), is that that is a good thing for college soccer. The same goes for conference play. Although I'd love to see my team win the conference every year, in the long run it is a good thing for all the teams if one team cannot cruise to the title year after year. There has been no drop off in quality at UNC. It's just that other programs are beginning to catch up. As that happens, more top recruits will give them a look. Result: the gap continues to close. Isn't that what you mean by "maintaining a certain level of competitiveness in the college game?" No need to be insecure, UNC fans, you know that the rest of us are just envious when one coach gets the cream of the recruiting crop nearly every single year. You know, like Mack Brown does in college football.
Wow, I just read the flurry of posts since I last tuned in. Thanks PJB for pointing out that at UNC skill is very objective and the players count on being able to rise to the top of the points list by the end of their careers or before. The bottom line is that you improve your skills by playing with equal or superior players and by personal skill building year round. The motivation is higher here at UNC because the competition is fierce. Just look at the number of serious injuries which occurred in practice. Believe it or not we enjoy having serious competition. As for Morrell I'm sure that she is disappointed but she knows that bouncing back from injury can leave you way behind the 8 ball. We rarely have ever lost good players to transfer and if you knew the attitudes of those that left or sued you would know that the cream of the crop stayed here. I see former players around town quite often. If they didn't love the environment why would they choose to make this a permanent home?
The overall sentiment at UNC is not one of happiness. Anson is truly an ass and disrespects his players all the time. That being said, most players look at their time at UNC like a job. Their boss sucks but it is by far the best job in the country.
Alumni sighting I saw former player and current u-19 coach Traci Bates Leone last evening in Dallas. She was watching a club soccer match.
None of the interns that I have known who worked with the team daily have ever mentioned that Anson was that obnoxious with his players. Surely his ego has been inflated by the incredible success that he has had. As a former high school coach I can attest that your players probably aren't ever going to revere you if you push them. Sometimes you have to berate them to get results. I used to play with Elmar and thought he was a jerk but it's hard to argue with his results.