UNC was the better team in the regular season. Florida State was the better team in the postseason. Some teams continue to get better at a higher rate than others. In this case, no one improved more than FSU from regular to post season.
benching? probably not. but you can only use players you have recruited. Who was the last top level American striking recruit UNC got?
why is this suddenly an issue for people? Because UNC lost? They sub more than any other top level team. The issues raised have been there for ever. The regular season is no better. UNC more than any other school have benefited form the rules the way they are.
Hell, Anson addressed this more than a decade ago in a media roundtable I was at. He said he was in favor of more adherence to the LOTG that the rest of the world follows with a limited number of one-way substitutions, but that until such a rule change happened, he was obligated to use and take advantage of the NCAA rules as they were written.
I am sure he did, but my point is still valid no ? this is not new stuff. The NCAA does not protect athletes in any sport. why would we expect it in WoSo
Oh, I agree. My point earlier about the D3 Men's College Cup stands. Think soccer is bad on 40 hours rest, try it on 20. But don't expect any changes soon as probably less than 20 premier athletic departments are operating at better than break-even. I doubt the NCAA can afford to make these tournaments spread out any further. Even during the regular season, most schools open the season with a couple weekends of Friday/Sunday, then see that in their conference tournament. And I've seen both ACC men's and women's soccer tournament games played on less than 24 hours rest due to weather delays. The D1 Men's College Cup in Saint Louis a decade back was Saturday/Sunday when 18 inches of snow made playing on Friday impossible.
Ha! Kind of like no one wants to change the Electoral College until they lose even after receiving more votes! It seems, however, the we all here agree on a few points. That the present set up is potentially harmful to the athletes. That the game of soccer was designed to be played at a sprint and not as a marathon. That playing it that way greatly diminishes the quality of the game. And lastly, that it can't and won't be changed because of money. I wonder how a collegiate football, basketball, tennis, golf,gymnast etc. athletic would react if he/she were asked to sprint, jump,slide down, pop up and kick a ball for 10 miles 48 hours before their championship match. I also wonder how those that make the rules as well as we here judging them would respond to being ask to do the same.
I'm all for at least Thursday - Sunday as a minimum for weekend play. Most conferences do it this way and so should the NCAA and early season mini tournaments.
I don’t buy the line of thinking that says the NCAA cannot afford an extra day for women’s soccer. One extra day in a hotel and food is not going to break the NCAA bank. It will improve the quality of the soccer played on that second game. It will also boost the local economy which would increase the bidding for these tournaments! It’s called capitalism!
the game was not designed to be played under the current sub rules either. it is not a coincidence that the team who utilizes that rule the most, is the most historically successful. Yes, I am well aware that they have also had some amazing players. and yes AD built that winning mentality that attracted them. deserves great praise for both. Its just ironic to here Tar heels talking rule changes the day after they lost the CC at home.
why would we just change that rule if athlete safety was paramount ? A pet peeve of mine is the feeling that championship teams deserve special treatment. If the season was spread out more, maybe some of those teams would not be in the championships at all ? Safety is a right all College programs have. 2g per weekend is a great stress. the current system puts the emphasis on depth , not quality.
I am certain he meant 11km. 11 miles is nearly 18km. If she ran that much, shame on the coaches for letting her run around like a chicken with its head cut off. Considering that the longest distance covered in a Prem game is 13.5km and no one in the 2018 World Cup covered more than12.5 km, I am sure it is 11k. Still a lot of ground ... and would definitely impact recovery in only 2 days.
I don't ever seen the charge lead by Cirovski at Maryland to make Men's D1 soccer a full year sport ever happening. It sounds great, in a vacuum. Playing one game/week would both allow for player recovery, allow for more training/coaching, and give players at top programs more time for academics. But D1 soccer isn't played in a vacuum. Moving soccer to being a Spring championship would create almost insurmountable programs, short of spending a small fortune on adding facilities and staffing. Suddenly you've got a field getting used by three or four soccer and lacrosse programs at the same time. Most fields can't handle that abuse unless you go artificial turf. Suddenly you need to pay for more staff in the Athletic Department to handle sports communications, marketing, medical, training, and so on. And that problem gets worse during conference and NCAA tournament time where the competitions for staffing and facilities hits a real log jam. The only other solution is to decide if you want to reduce the number of competitive games. I don't think anyone in college soccer wants a Field Hockey style season. Part of the push by Cirovski is that the top D1 Men's programs (and likely increasingly the top D1 Women's programs, too) see the professional academy systems as a threat. Top prospects are increasingly likely to sign a homegrown contract with DC United than sign a letter of intent to play for Maryland. The short college season hurts recruiting. Mallory Pugh never played an official game for UCLA. While she wasn't the first to go pro early on the women's side (Jessica McDonald left UNC after her junior year, and Lindsay Horan opted for PSG instead of UNC), she definitely won't be the last.
you got me there I will stand by my assessment that this was the best UNC team since 2013 (not the natty year, but the year after when they had almost everyone back and fell short due to injuries). UNC women's soccer Version 2018 was an extraordinarily talented team with great chemistry and heart. It took FSU's best team ever playing near-perfect in the finals to beat them. Hats off to FSU.
JMHO, but if I had to choose, I'd take the 14 FSU team. No goals scored on them entire NCAA tournament. Beat the best (IMO) UVA team with 2 full NTers 3 x that year. Cheyna Williams up top gave FSU a top level pace forward who had great ball skills and the ability to play back to the goal and beat players 1v1. Not throwing shade at current team. Played through the most injuries of any at FSU IMO. Great depth!
I am not sure you meant it this way, but I read this as a bit of a slight to a program that something like 8-4-2 against UNC over the last handful of years.
Not a slight at all. I was saying it took a great team to beat my team. The party where I said “Hats off to FSU” might have been a hint , ya know? Goodness, I made several complimentary comments about fsu. Takes quite a stretch to view this as a slight. Unc has a good record vs. fsu the last 3 years. Fsu definitely owned them in the few years prior . 8-4-2 is a pretty good edge. You know what else is a good edge? 21-2. Let me know if you need that explained. If we are taking the gloves off, did anyone else notice the absolutely ridiculous dive in the penalty box by an fsu striker? I think it was second half. Wish I could remember more details. Can a replay be watched on espn? Should have been a yellow card. Totally unsporting. I commented to one in our group how rare it is to see simulation like this in women’s soccer. I have , without question, never seen a unc player do this. It’s basically saying, “I am fine with winning the game by tricking the referee and getting a pk.” Whew , that feels like the kind of healthy banter that should be going on between two rivals. The prior was too nice, especially if it is going to be perceived as a slight anyways.
What I saw was 2 teams who would do all in their power to win. I saw 2 teams with heart and soul and a burning desire to win. About 1 minute after our goal, I saw Ru M. try to go end line on the Left side of the box. Our defender Gabby C got position going to the end line blocking Ru from it. Ru just ran up her back and knocked her down. No call until Gabby got back up and got knocked back down again. What amazed me was she was apparently complaining and fussing. I was like, "What could you be fussing about?" The ref should have called you earlier in the play. Upon further review (I have watched the game several times), I take Ru as a competitor who was doing everything possible to make a difference and simply expressing frustration in the aftermath. It is the Refs responsibility to make the calls, not the players or the fans. I suspect we FSU fans have a tad of "little brother" syndrome when looking up at the Heel Dynasty. No one brings pressure or depth like the Heels. I for one am always pleased and impressed when we are able to fend them off. I don't think there is a bad or dirty player on either team. I just think you have a lot of "Alphas" bringing it with all they've got. I am truly looking forward to games next year against teams like UCLA, USC and UNC. They get the blood pulsing. Healthy banter is OK, as long as we don't get as unhinged as Brazilian soccer fans. Go Noles and Heels. May we both get more nattys in the next few years and vanquish the true evil triumvirate of UCLA, USC and Stanford! Banter? "You got a face only a mama could love!"