Pitt 2019 (R, news, etc.)

Discussion in 'Women's College' started by Nacional Tijuana, Aug 6, 2019.

  1. Nacional Tijuana

    Nacional Tijuana St. Louis City

    St. Louis City SC
    May 6, 2003
    San Diego, Calif.
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #51 Nacional Tijuana, Sep 8, 2019
    Last edited: Sep 8, 2019
    Pitt about to beat SJU 2-0, per Twitter. West scores another goal.

    ETA:

     
  2. Wildcatter

    Wildcatter Member

    Sep 9, 2018
    Pitt put together their best performance of the year. The team is starting to click a little bit. Their last few gams they have been pretty good in possession and have started really knocking the ball around. today did mark the 6th different starting 11 today for Pitt. Pitt starting to create some more scoring chances just need to be better around goal.

    For me Tava was a big difference maker for Pitt this weekend. Brings a little bite in the midfield they were missing the previous games. Fitness and overall athleticism is my biggest concern with Tava when it comes to the ACC.

    Pitt did start a new gk today for the first time. she looked pretty good coming out on crosses. I can't recall her really dealing with a shot from St. Josephs as I don't think they really had any. Just one good scoring chance from a scrum that got knocked around the goal area.

    Amanda West scored again. Also had an assist on the 2nd goal. Minus the goal and assist she really didn't have that great of a game. Looked gassed and the coaching staff actually rested her quit a bit today. She should of had 2-3 goals today
     
  3. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Syracuse.
     
  4. Mojo45

    Mojo45 Member

    Barcelona
    United States
    Aug 17, 2019
    St. Joe's size difference in certain positions was a non-factor in the game and their slight advantage in physical play never panned out. They ended up fouling us more times than not because they were a step behind on many plays. Our overall team speed advantage showed during the game and we took advantage of it. Well done by Pitt on Sunday!

    VCU appears to be smaller and quicker than St. Joe's so it should be a good contest on Thursday to see where we are at. Our midfield play must be sharp on Thursday as I believe we will see more pressure from VCU than we did from St. Joe's. Coming off a tie against Wake Forest, VCU lost to Old Dominion 4-3 yesterday handing them their first loss of the season.
     
  5. staffstaff

    staffstaff Member

    Arsenal
    United States
    Sep 12, 2016
    Chula Vista, CA
    Club:
    AC Milan
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    West, Tava and Edwards are nice first year players, they are making a difference, however it's not the ACC yet. These are players to build off of for the future. At any other ACC program I don't think they are getting much time, so this is great for their development, it's a head-start.
     
  6. Soccerhunter

    Soccerhunter Member+

    Sep 12, 2009
    This certainly fits with the notion that if Randy is serious about getting Pitt up to the standards of being competitive in the ACC he (and other rational people) know that that process will take 5 years. The bright spot of these three players is is only the beginning of that process, and there are more lean years yet ahead, but tangible progress should start to be seen two or three years from now with four years from now (2023) being the watershed for seeing if Pitt is going to make it for the long haul.
     
  7. Mojo45

    Mojo45 Member

    Barcelona
    United States
    Aug 17, 2019
    I am still not convinced about a few of the "consistent" starters we have seen the past few weeks and I don't think our midfield will be able to withstand the faster more aggressive teams that will be coming shortly once we hit conference play. If VCU chooses to pressure us hard I think we are in a little bit of trouble. In our favor, VCU's backline looked vulnerable against Old Dominion so if that holds in our game it gives Pitt a fighting chance. Even with home field advantage and our improved play I think we lose a close one to VCU tomorrow night.
     
  8. Nacional Tijuana

    Nacional Tijuana St. Louis City

    St. Louis City SC
    May 6, 2003
    San Diego, Calif.
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  9. Mojo45

    Mojo45 Member

    Barcelona
    United States
    Aug 17, 2019
    Hey Wildcatter I'd like to get your take on the the VCU game if you had the chance to view or attend it. Obviously a close score at the end even though they out shot us by quite a bit. Liberty will want a piece of us on Sunday in the hopes of beating an "ACC" team. They have already been through the meat grinder against VA Tech and Virginia so nothing we throw at them will intimidate them. I can't see them beating us though. With the exception of one player I don't think they are quick enough to cause us too many problems and I don't believe we will receive hard pressure from them. I believe we will be able to move the ball against them and create scoring chances. I think Pitt bounces back and defeats Liberty on Sunday.
     
  10. Wildcatter

    Wildcatter Member

    Sep 9, 2018
    Im probably going to get crushed for putting it this way but that's ok with me. I am already ready for the people to say that's an A10 school and Pitt is screwed when they play ACC talent.

    Im not really surprised by the score and Pitt losing to VCU. I think the stats make it a little misleading. VCU may of outshot Pitt but most of those shots came from well outside the 18. Nothing seriously threatening they were just happy to pad that shot count. I would argue Pitt had several more dangerous opportunities they just didn't execute in the final 1/3. Amanda West almost got in a few times but was stopped by a last second tackle a few times, Marasco got down the end line and had a couple chances. Rico had one she got down the line and makes a mess of the final cross. Then O'Donoghue had a chance with like 2 minutes left that she should of buried but she skied the shot. I feel possession was about 50/50. I was disappointed Pitt wasn't able to move the ball that well against VCU the way they did against St. Josephs.

    Overall I feel VCU was the more athletic team and Pitts midfield really struggled with VCU's midfield. Pitts backs got pinned in and VCU backs just kept bombing forward which is what pinned Pitts outside backs in.

    The goal came for VCU came from a turnover by Amanda West. They then played a ball on the outside which West didn't track the runner so she had all day to cross the ball. GK misjudged the cross and Pitt once again didn't track the runners in the box. It was one of the midfielders players who didn't track back. I don't remember which one was responsible. I think Bartosh.

    VCU had a very experienced team. Seemed like they were all Sr's and redshirt juniors for the most part. It looked like a senior team playing a bunch of freshmen. I feel VCU was the best team we have played so far and I think they will end up winning the A10 this year. It would of been nice to get a result from the game but Pitt is still growing and learning. I do agree that I think Pitt will get the result against Liberty. Of course Liberty won't be afraid of Pitt but I think Liberty will have a hard time dealing with Pitts speed up top on Sunday. I expect Marasco and West to have a big day on Sunday. But Pitt is still a bunch of babies learning there way so they will make it a close one!

    I do like the direction the team is going compared to the past few years. I will give Waldrum until after the 2021 season before I pass the judgement of if I think he can turn Pitt around or not
     
  11. Soccerhunter

    Soccerhunter Member+

    Sep 12, 2009
    I like your cut on Pitt's progress, WIldcatter. But I'd personally give Randy until after after 2022 (or the 2023 season as I said above.) The reason is that by the time Randy signed on with Pitt, virtually all of the then known blue chippers and other strong players had committed through 2021. While he has picked up a few "good" players, it is the 2022 class that will be his first clean shot at recruiting the players he wants to turn the program around. I'd estimate that about half of the top 50 players have committed from the 2022 class, which leaves a good pool for him to be looking at under the new commitment rules and he will be in a equal footing with other schools to make a pitch come June of next year. 2023 is even better in that before the new recruiting rules went into effect, Randy already has 1 of the 13 of the players committed and surely will be in the mix the following June.

    So if one believes that recruiting is 75 percent (or pick your number) of winning at a competitive Division I school, in my view, it will be the 2022 and especially the 2023 class that will clearly tell the story of success or not at Pitt.

    In the mean time Pitt fans will be looking at incremental progress in the lower echelons of the ACC.
     
  12. Wildcatter

    Wildcatter Member

    Sep 9, 2018
    I agree with you soccer hunter. I don't expect Pitt to be winning national titles by 2021. I would just like to see them being competitive and competing in the majority of the ACC games. It takes time to turn programs around.
     
  13. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I agree it's a long process, more in line with what Soccerhunter says. The key question is whether the team is changing the trend Randy inherited. This year so far, they're running significantly better than where the trend says they should be, in fact he's turning in one of the better performances in that regard among coaches beginning their second year. The question is, will he be able to keep doing better than their trend indicates, year after year, until they become ACC-competitive (if that's the goal) or will their performance flatten out before that occurs.

    After this weekend's games are over, I'll be publishing information on how teams are doing relative to their trends as of the end of last year, so if you watch that you'll get to see how Pitt fits in.
     
  14. Mojo45

    Mojo45 Member

    Barcelona
    United States
    Aug 17, 2019
    Wildcatter I was not surprised that we could not replicate the midfield performance we had against St. Joe's. St. Joe's lacked VCU's team speed. I sound like a broken record but Pitt lacks speed on the field at attacking mid with Vasquez and Olding at holding mid. Those two have loads of tactical experience but physicality/speed (Vasquez) and stamina (Olding) not so much. Any teams that match or exceed our team speed will put us in trouble as we progress deeper into the schedule. The top teams in the ACC are going to expose this. I don't know if some of our other midfielders are nicked up or not but more than one start to lumber around after a few runs up and down the field. Not a good sign as we move closer to conference play.

    Yes the game winning goal by VCU was created by a slew of errors, on our part, on a routine play. West failed to track the runner down the sideline that served the ball into the box. Bartosh, midfielder, failed to track the runner in the box. Hudson, at center back, lost track of who was around her and the GK fails to make a routine grab or punch out of the incoming ball. I would have much rather seen 5'10" McKay at center back rather than 5'3" Hudson on that play. All coachable mistakes on our part. Even with the goal we served up to them we were able to create scoring opportunities late into the game against a good VCU team. I was proud of the way the team responded. There was absolutely no quit in this team.

    I like the team's progression so far. This team seems almost unrecognizable from how we began the season. Credit to the coaching staff for that. We don't have enough athletes to compete with the North Carolina's of the world but I do not think we are going to roll over for them either. Scoring opportunities for us will dwindle once we hit the upper echelon conference teams. Finishing our chances will become imperative in those games something we failed to do against VCU.
     
  15. ping

    ping Member

    Dec 7, 2009
    Liberty 1 Pitt nil

    Liberty's goal came as a result of a mistake. The Pitt defender tried to pass back to the GK to play out of the back the other way. She didn't strike her pass hard enough to get to the GK, the GK charged forward but wasn't fast enough, and Liberty's fast forward (Farrell) made Pitt pay.
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    Liberty's defense played without their starting right back who went down a few minutes into the game with a knee injury. It looked like they played a midfielder there as backup and Pitt still didn't make them pay but did get by her several times.

    Pitt knocked the ball all around Liberty but they were rarely dangerous. Liberty actually had a solid chance to score earlier in the game when Farrell smoked 2 defenders and crossed the ball to a winger who put it on frame but a fabulous job by Pitt's defender kept the ball out of the net.

    14 fouls for Liberty, 13 for Pitt but 1 yellow for Liberty and 2 yellows for Pitt. I thought Pitt was definitely more aggressive throughout the game but if you look at the foul count you could argue otherwise.

    Pitt had several crosses across the goal mouth that the Liberty GK failed to attack but no Pitt attacker could get on the end except for one instance when she was ruled offside.

    If PITT's attackers can't get in past Liberty's defenders they will have a difficult time against stronger ACC oppponents.
     
  16. Mojo45

    Mojo45 Member

    Barcelona
    United States
    Aug 17, 2019
    No need to remind me Ping about the outcome I am still picking crow feathers out of my mouth from that game. Other than the score there were no surprises in this game for me. Pitt out shot Liberty 12-8 and had a 6-3 shots on goal advantage. Liberty had one fast player which I pointed out before the game (#10) and unfortunately for Pitt she was the one that pounced on the lazy pass from our center back to our goalie and slotted one home for Liberty which ended up being the winning goal. Another self inflicted wound for Pitt. We seem to be good for at least one of those per game. For the most part we had plenty of space and opportunity to move the ball against Liberty during the game.

    As you point out we had one goal scored by West waived off due to her being called offside on the play. An excellent cross by Rico on that play went for not. West and Bout both managed to get around defenders on or near the goal line serving dangerous balls into the box. Bout's pass bounced off the goal keepers hands who went to ground defending that pass. O'Donoghue pounced on the rebound and hit the ball right back to the keeper. West's cross went to Marasco on the far post but she muffed the header attempt. Vazquez missed a shot inside the 6 yd box. Arnadottir couldn't catch up to a cross by Rico that went across the face of the goal. Arnadottir also passed up a shooting chance in the box and tried to cross it instead. It ended up bouncing off O'Donoghue who was tracking right beside her. We had scoring opportunities but for the second straight game could not finish in our attacking third.

    I imagine our starting line up for this game is pretty close to what we will go into conference play with. The coaching staff has been grooming these players for several games now. I am guessing that our holding mid (co-captain) may be nicked up and that is why we did not see her in the game. Tava and Veltri shared time in that position against Liberty. I think Coach Waldrum has been waiting for a team to impose their will against us and change his mind for him before he reaches to the bench for any significant lineup changes either before or during games. It hasn't been done to us yet hence the lack of any significant changes. All our games have been close.

    The Notre Dame game is coming up after Syracuse. If you see players being knocked off the ball, run down or run by he will have to look for someone on the bench that may be more athletic or physical but with less tactical experience than the players that have been on the field lately. Every game we have been in this year has been a dog fight for us. Nothing changes going into conference play, we just have to face bigger dogs.
     
  17. Wildcatter

    Wildcatter Member

    Sep 9, 2018
    I didn't get a chance to watch this game yet. Not sure if I will go back and watch it or not. All I saw is the goal for liberty. Pitts coaching staff has to be wanting to bang their head against a wall right now. This is the 3rd game this season that they don't get a result because a defender can't make a simple back pass and just gift the other team with a breakaway. O'Donoghue against UMASS and now McKay TWICE once against Rhode Island and now against Liberty.

    I don't think we see any change up really going into conference. I think its pretty clear that there aren't any other options in the back line or we would of seen some alterations through the non conference schedule. I still think in midfield we will see the same rotation of players. They aren't athletic enough for the ACC and will struggle but those are the players Pitt will have to rely on because its all they have this year.

    At the end of the day I do believe this Pitt team is MUCH better than last years team and I think its a program going in the right direction. Unfortunately their record this year probably isn't going to show that improvement.
     
    ping repped this.
  18. Mojo45

    Mojo45 Member

    Barcelona
    United States
    Aug 17, 2019
    For a little MMA action, Wildcatter go back and watch with about 2:34 left in the game to witness McKay lose her composure after the opposing player shoulders her off the ball. McKay was whistled for a foul when she tried to win the ball back. She then proceeds to push or punch (I can't tell) the girl in the shoulder and then kicks her. And just for good measure to show the ref who is boss she kicks the ball out of bounds. All of this takes place in front of Liberty's bench. I will be interested to learn how Coach Waldrum handles that situation. This was a clean game with a few hard fouls given both ways. If she is missing in action for the starting lineup against Syracuse I think this will be the reason.
     
    ping repped this.
  19. ping

    ping Member

    Dec 7, 2009
    Well-earned yellow there! I thought it was a push the first time I saw it but went back after reading your remarks and can see where it might have been an actual punch. The added kicked out at the end wasn't smart.

    I don't think Coach Waldrum will think much of it. I would want my players, especially defenders, battling right on the edge until the final whistle. Definitely think she crossed the line in this instance but was called for the foul, given a card, and the Liberty player was not injured so I doubt this will be a reason to keep her from starting. Now the assist to the Liberty player for the game winner might be another story.
     
  20. Wildcatter

    Wildcatter Member

    Sep 9, 2018
    Someone needs to tell McKay she doesn't get credit for an assist if she passes it to the other team and they score.

    definitely hope Waldrum has some CB's coming in with next years class. I know they for sure have one. Frankovic is a local kid who was an under armour all American last year with high school. Unfortunately her club competition isn't great since she's in Pittsburgh. Very good athlete but don't know if she will be ready to step in and start right away. will probably need to learn to read the game a little better and not just rely on athleticism.

    I did see some stuff on twitter and instagram where Tana Sanchez (Mexico U20)was on a visit and on twitter it looked like she committed to Pitt. Im not positive if she committed or not. That would be a massive upgrade at CB and a big get for Coach Waldrum. She was the starting CB for Mexico in the U20 World Cup. Pretty much every Mexican Women's Pro Teams want to sign her but she seems set on coming to the states for college.
     
  21. Wildcatter

    Wildcatter Member

    Sep 9, 2018
    I don't mind the reaction from McKay. Im ok seeing a little fight and being pissed off when losing to liberty. obviously don't want players throwing punches but at least there's some fight shown.

    Pitts record may not be great but this team will fight for 90 minutes. they showed that again against liberty. I actually thought the team played pretty good. I would be concerned if Pitt got shut out and didnt have any chances. Pitt had several chances to score just weren't composed enough to do it. May have something to do with primarily being freshmen. West's goal scoring has dried up a little but she is still creating chances and just needs another one to find the back of the net to get her confidence going again.

    Honestly I think her goal against Liberty should of stood. she may of been behind the last defender but it looked like the ball was played backwards and she was behind the ball on the cross which would make her onside. I think Pitt got a little screwed on that one.

    I am looking forward to Friday night. Battle not to be last in the ACC!
     
  22. Mojo45

    Mojo45 Member

    Barcelona
    United States
    Aug 17, 2019
    I am not sure if Pitt's glass is half full or half empty after last night's tie against an injury riddled Syracuse team that hadn't scored a goal in their last four games. We dominated the stat sheet but could not close out a team that is struggling worse than we are this year. I have to look hard for the bright spot after last night. I can say that the team continues to show that they will fight hard throughout the game and not quit. Glad to see Rasins get a goal for us and Kardeslar seemed to add some fire up top for us as well.

    Facts being what they are show that we have lost to every team with a winning record we have faced: Dartmouth, UMass and VCU albeit by one goal in each of those games. Liberty currently has a losing record and we lost to them as well, again by one goal. We will probably now be on the opposite side of the stat sheet in our remaining contests with Miami being a possible exception. I just don't know how tough they are.

    The coaching staff can't go out and finish shots for the players but they should be able to find combos on or off the bench that can. They have been unsuccessful in doing so these last few games even though they continue to tweak the starting lineup ever so slightly in each game. Chances for our wingers and other players to simply outrun opposing defenders will dwindle considerably as we face faster more organized defenses. Most of the remaining questions I have about this team and coaching staff will be answered this coming Thursday when we play Notre Dame on their home field.
     
  23. Wildcatter

    Wildcatter Member

    Sep 9, 2018
    just curious if you are suggesting different players up top mojo who would you put in?
     
  24. Mojo45

    Mojo45 Member

    Barcelona
    United States
    Aug 17, 2019
    I don't know if we have anyone else to put up top Wildcatter because we haven't seen many other players off the bench yet with any meaningful playing time. He is pretty much using the same set of players now. Moving Kardeslar up top, for the first time I believe, almost paid dividends as she did hit the crossbar with one of her shots and showed some speed during her play. I do think good teams are going to make our wing play much more difficult negating much of what Rico and West, in particular, have been doing to some of the slower teams we have played. I hope the ladies can prove me wrong! That would be a pleasant surprise indeed.

    Our midfield will be under the microscope against Notre Dame for me any way. I have not been sold on our athleticism at certain positions and nothing I have seen so far that has changed my mind on that. Again without seeing more players off the bench I don't know who else we have that can make a difference. Until some team gobsmacks us I think Coach Waldrum will continue to play it safe using the same starting lineup with very minor tweaking here and there. Let's wait and see what happens against Notre Dame. I think this game will be telling for us one way or another and we will know a lot more about ourselves after the game. All of our games have been close so far but we have played a relatively soft schedule to date. It is hard to know how we measure up to the rest of the ACC until we face them.
     
  25. cpthomas

    cpthomas BigSoccer Supporter

    Portland Thorns
    United States
    Jan 10, 2008
    Portland, Oregon
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I wouldn't get my hopes up about Notre Dame. I have them as a 93.5% win likelihood. If Pitt were to win or tie, it would be a massive upset.
     

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