I just read that SEC coaches voted for the 10-team tourney format--and I can understand why they would, as more coaches can claim the achievement of making the tourney. I was under the wrong impression that it was a conference decision. You can have 10 teams, but you can't /really/ have a fair tournament playing 4 games in 6 days--absurd. Even three is a stretch. Maybe you need to tweak regular season schedules and start the tournament on a Saturday or Sunday rather than Monday. And here's another problem. The tournament is played on Alabama's Gulf Coast--where it was 80 degrees at start of today's Auburn-Tennessee game. Tennessee played and won on Monday--and yet has to play first game today (less than 48 hours rest) in hottest part of the day. I'm not sure a lower seed as ever won three games in the tourney, much less four. Yes, more discussion needed!
An observation that maybe someone who watches a lot more SEC women's soccer than I do can clarify. I have seen south Carolina play three times on television. I can't see how they will be able to (pending the draw of course) get into the round of 8 in the NCAA tournament playing the way they do. Every time I have watched, they seem to run 90% of all offense thru one player. She apparently delivers repeatedly and did so twice last night. Is she that good? Good vision, good shot, good feet for sure. Is she faster than she appears on TV or is it more a combination of deceptive speed and craftiness that allows her to get so free so often. I would think that if they run into a team with a shut down defender that they will have a hard time scoring goals. I just don't see it, but as I said I do not watch a lot of SEC soccer. They are undefeated and the announcers said they have rarely trailed in a game this year. an insight would be great. A&Ms U20 WNT member did not impress me either (perhaps it was a bad day) - pretty invisible outside of one or two passes and less than stellar defending.
SEC123, I have felt the same way as you about South Carolina and their big scorer, McCaskill. I think SC can make the final eight, but I very much doubt they will go all the way, for the same reason you state--they seem too dependent on McCaskill. What's bizarre is that everybody in the SEC knows that--and yet she scores in practically every game. Last night was absolutely typical: SC is trailing to start the second half, but McCaskill takes advantage of two texas a&M defensive blunders and puts both chances in the net, and they win. She is an interesting talent: She is hefty and can be physical, and, as you say, is deceptively quick; at least once a game she catches a defender or two flat-footed, gets to a ball in the attacking third and puts it in the net. She is very good at pouncing on loose ball in the attacking third--and she has ball skills and is a good finisher--with feet and head. Her winning strike last night was left-footed (she's right footed) and from 20+ yards out. Impressive. She will certainly take advantage of shaky defending. Her second goal last night came when a ball bounced past not one but two A&M players. McCaskill pounced and SC won again. Her uncanny ability to score regularly and SC's solid defense make that team strong. There don't seem to be an great teams this year--it's fairly wide open--so they've got a shot. Auburn could be dangerous in the NCAA as they've got more balance, but soccer is a funny game: Teams knock the ball around for an hour and half and games are usually decided by a couple of plays. Florida's S. Jordan has intrigued me in the same way as McCaskill: not a prototypical athlete like Wilkinson of Tennessee or the young woman from BYU, and others--but understands the game, is strong, clever, a little faster than you think, and puts the ball in the net--a lot.
Very chippy. Been away and couldn't log in with prior user name, so had to create a new user name. The head ref wasn't good. It was appalling at times what she let go. Studebaker and cardano must have thought this was UFC. Very physical game. But I actually like physical soccer, players who care. So I wasn't terribly upset my the physicality. That being said, if you're going to dish it out, then take it when it is returned. I haven't seen a team complain and whine so much as South Carolina did. Mccaskill is a great player. Has def improved on her fitness, is crafty and deceptively fast, fun to watch, but my word, she complains about everything and flops left and right. Is she auditioning to play in Brazil? She should let her talent speak for her instead of her mouth.
No, I agree about McCaskill. Outstanding player but she spends too much time whining to the officials--and I think she's a bit of a diver, too. She is physical with opponents, and that's fine to a degree--she absolutely just pushed a florida defender to the ground yesterday and there was no call--and yet when she gets hit she almost always goes sprawling to the turf and then looks up and appeals for a call, often angrily. It's a bad look. In the first half yesterday, she tried to get her head on a ball into the florida box, went charging forward and gave the florida keeper a major forearm to the chest, she was rightly called for a foul--and then she got angry about it (partly if not mostly because after the foul another SC player kicked the ball in the net). McCaskill is the biggest player on the pitch--and yet she hits the ground far more than anybody. Coincidence? You don't see S. Jordan falling down constantly--and I'm not a florida fan. Just play--you do that well--and stop trying to work the officials all the time.
I am not a South Carolina or Florida fan but McCaskill is the SEC Flopper of the year. By far she deserved player of the year. She is fun to watch but to see her flop consistently is unreal. Also, the South Carolina fans are the worst fans I have ever seen in the years I have been around soccer. there was one occasion that Jordan went down and the parents were actually yelling at her while she was on the ground. You can try to justify your behavior but all the people around you for both the A&M and Florida matches had to move due to your terrible behavior.
Florida looks like they will now be a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Winning a conference tournament title holds a lot of weight during the seeding.
They blew their wad during the regular season. It was quite the discharge after being charged up all year. Maybe that recent loss will get them recharged for another round of scoring in the tournament.
Are more than 4 SEC teams going to get into the NCAA tourney? Doesn't look like it. Texas a&m may have snuck in had they beaten south carolina, even with a very meh season, but that loss might cost them a potential bid that they probably didn't deserve in the first place.
Texas A&M is certainly on the bubble. They had to beat South Carolina to guarantee their way in (which that victory would have done). It would have been the holy grail of all victories (biggest quality victory for any team in the nation this year). They probably needed it. They now have to hope their brand name can carry them through over their resume.
The biggest quality victory for any team in the nation this year was Southern Cal's 3-0 win over Stanford. (Why am I posting stuff that supports Southern Cal? I don't like them.) There is absolutely no evidence, for D1 Women's Soccer, that "brand name" carries anyone through over their resume. The Committee may make errors occasionally (they did last year), but it hasn't had to do with brand names. In general, they're quite good at making decisions based on teams' resumes. I'm not disagreeing, by the way, that Texas A&M looks unlikely to get an at large selection.
Last year's big mistake was not giving Michigan an at large selection. Others think the Committee shafted Wisconsin, but Michigan really was the one that was hard to explain.
Thought Florida has a small shot at getting that 1 seed, and they did. Texas a&m snuck in to give the league 6 bids
Surprised that florida got a no. 1 seed--a bit strange, if you ask me. And texas a&m greased in--they did not have a good year. It seems like the committee both sort of rewarded them for success in the past and being in a big conference, which isn't quite the way it should be.
I noticed that Carlyn Baldwin, former USYNT and current junior for UT is calling herself a former Tennessee soccer player, per her Instagram. Is she transferring, forgoing her last season? Would be a loss for UT
I see this, too. She is a passionate Vol, and you hate to see players transfer as seniors--that's just no fun. It may be that she got word that her playing time would be going down. That is pure speculation on my part, but after a pretty strong freshman season she has not been very effective the last two years, IMO, despite a lot of playing time. I've seen her and Vols play quite a bit. She had surgeries on one of her ankles after her freshman season, I think, but was apparently healthy last year. She has ball skills and IQ but is small and not the most athletic player on the field. I hope she stays at UT but you don't put that word 'former' there for nothing.