UNC Tar Heels 2018

Brooke Elby will be forever famous in Tarheel lore for her insane length-of-the-field sprint in sudden death overtime against BYU--at the end of her run she slid to block a sure open-net season-ending goal. Crystal Dunn then scored on an assist from Kaelia O'hai to send UNC to the 2012 College Cup where they beat Stanford and Penn State for the NC.

We watched Brooke (who started and was injured in the 90th minute) and Summer Green play for Chicago in their furious match vs Crystal Dunn and Jessica MacDonald's North Carolina Courage on July 4th. Crystal scored first and was terrific. Bill Palladino, of course is the Courage's sterling defensive coach. We rooted for both teams! Afterwards Caitlin Ball and I spoke to a group of interested Tarheels, including Lindsay Harris, Megan Brigman, Maya Worth, and Hannah Gardner--(all of whom the Red Stars could have used on defense!)

 

Tar Heels' schedule announced, home games at Finley practice field:
https://goheels.com/news/2018/7/9/carolina-announces-2018-womens-soccer-schedule.aspx

 

Thanks. Does anyone know if and how any of the games will be streamed or broadcast?

 

Assuming no changes from last year, all of the ACC games and tournament will be streamed and acrchived for I think 30 days on ESPN3. I also think all of the NCAA games are similarly all available on ESPN3. Not sure if UNC will stream all home games themselves as some schools do. Last year ESPN made quite a lot of games accessible. Some games will also be broadcast on the ACC channel.

 

Alex Kimball, Dorian Bailey, and Julia Ashley scored vs NC State--according to State's website-- this morning in UNC's exhibition win 3-2. Brianna, Emily, and Alessia missed, as they are playing on national teams. This talented, deep Tarheel team is championship caliber, picked to be among the top of the powerful ACC along with UVa, Duke, and FSU. Winning an NC though amidst so many contenders on both coasts, however, has probably never been harder.

 

Here we go for another year!

As was to be expected I left today's exhibition with more questions than I had going in.

Scarpa & Redei did not dress, & I'm assuming since Jones didn't play she wasn't dressed either. I have no idea why on any of them. Yesterday during the warm-ups (before the game was cancelled) I could have sworn I saw Scarpa dressed & ready to go. Don't quote me on that. Taylor Otto was the center forward, with her first choice relief being Sydney Spruill but that was just for the first half. Spruill started in the second, & forgive me I didn't catch if Otto was out there with her or if Spruill just replaced her out right.

The Heels actually started this game in a 4231, & yes, that was with Otto up top. Annie Kingman at the 10, flanked by Mucherera & Andrzejewski. Kimball on for Mucherera pretty early. Ru was the far side winger so I don't really know why, Anson was either unhappy with Ru or something happened & they wanted to make sure Ru was OK. Bailey & Goff at holding mid.

The first few minutes in the game the back line of Bill, Bingham, Wubben-Moy, & Ashley was gripped with madness. The last player you expect to struggle of the four is Ashley, yet she had two consecutive slip balls looking for CM Dorian Bailey that were well off target & lead to quick counters for State. They scored on one, something like 2 or 3 minutes in. Heels were down quickly.

Ashley didn’t play well at all in the first half, but she recovered & had a solid second. She came right out & blasted home a lose ball off a corner kick, giving UNC the lead in the second just as quickly as State had taken it in the first.. Whatever was miffing Julia in the first half was put to bed real fast. Scoring makes everything better.

One game in I’m wary of making generalizations, but it has to be said some of the decisions on who plays where on defense were … strange. Maggie Bill at outside left back, both in the 3-back & 4-back, did not look like the same Maggie Bill we saw in 2016 at CB. Part of me wants to give her more than one game to grow into the role, but it just looked so foreign and unfamiliar to her the whole game. I seem to recall Bill once played on the left side of the 3 back for UNC... how long ago was that? 2014? 2015?

The best defender was Wubben-Moy. She was fantastic as the right side CB in the 4 back. I can't remember if she was tried in a 3 back at CB, but any time she was on the field she was large & in charge. Very vocal. I was struck by a moment in the second half where she pointed out to Maggie who her mark was supposed to be in a dead ball situation. The thought struck me that if you were ever going to try someone out of position it would be someone with that kind of aptitude. I guess we'll find out at Duke. 10pm. Stupid NCAA rules.

Bingham was a mixed bag. In the 4 back as the left side CB she was great and seemed to work well with Wubben-Moy. In a 3 back as the CB she was good defensively but her positioning was very poor when the Heels were in possession. Anson & some of the coaches where shouting themselves dry trying to correct her depth. I guess Wubben-Moy kept her in check when they were out there together but she became a bit lost without the English national behind her? Yea, that's a question. I'm not sure.

In the end it looked like Bingham was a converted wide back playing CB, and Bill was a converted CB playing wide back. Everything seemed backwards for those two. Fingers crossed that they work it out, especially with Bill. That would be a huge boon for UNC if she could step up as the starting left back the same way she did at CB for 2016.

Mary Elliot McCabe debuted for Andrzejewski in the first half, & she looked fantastic. Her first involvement was a direct ball that she ran under, burned into the box past a defender, & then beat the keeper with an outrageously difficult shot that dipped into the top netting instead of under the crossbar. What a debut possession that would've been. McCabe came on with Nicole Crutchfield behind her at outside mid, & those two were at the heart of some of the best UNC attack in the entire game. Yes, rookie McCabe & seldom used Crutchfield. They both created a number of glorious chances for others that should have had UNC leading 4-1, but, you know, preseason.

The deadlock in the first was broken by an incredible individual effort by Taylor Otto. She was driven wide by two defenders and decided anyway to power her way endline along the right touch. One of the defenders imposed herself to shield the ball out for a goal kick, but Otto muscled her way past her on the endline and forced her way into the box. Her initial cross was defended, but as the second ball came in to her a defender recklessly smashed into Otto from behind. Bailey converted the PK.

So those are the really big takeaways. Spruill had a good game and earned her start in the second. Schultz looked good & struck the crossbar in the second, though she really had her minutes limited. Andrzejewski was a bit too quiet for me, she kept passing up opportunities to go 1v1 with outside backs which is very unlike her. Nothing spectacular for Bailey but she was mostly in a deeper position. Kingman had some so so moments & then some great moments. She played an incredible through ball to Otto in the second half that forced a big save from the State keeper.

I'm sure there's lots more I could touch on or that I'm forgetting but I'm really tired & keen for bed. Ask questions & I'll try to answer tomorrow. I went to the Duke game as well today and I have to say the Heels should be able to handle Duke on Sunday. The Blue Devils just made so many unforced errors & UGA wasn't exactly what I would call "pressing" them. I'm sure Duke will be better than what I saw today, but so should the Heels. Super impressed by Duke's CAM #8 Tess Boade and their versatile outside back #4 Remi Swartz. Players to watch on Sunday.

 

Tess Boade was horrible in the first half. Her and Mia Gyau couldn’t connect a pass in the midfield to save their lives! It was awful to watch. Boade is quick with the ball, and showed much better in the 2nd half for sure. The player you should have been impressed with was Mackenzie Pluck! Wow she’s quick. Give her some confidence going forward, and she could easily do this year, what Toni Payne did a few years back.

Duke was missing Ella Stevens. Didn’t dress, looks like it could be a minor wrist issue (her left wrist was all taped). Duke really missed her quality in the midfield. The midfield was A MESS. Duke didn’t create nearly enough chances as they should/need to. I’m sad to say, I think Duke’s in trouble this Sunday vs UNC.

 

in the second I was searching for nice things to say about Duke. Pluck didn't really stand out to me, but I'll take your word for that... as for Boade. She stood out for me because of her movements & decisions with the ball, but yes, she couldn't connect a pass to save her life. I tweeted during the game that I really liked her and that she had dangerous potential if she could find that "killer touch". Six minutes later she scored after side stepping a defender slashing into space & roofing a shot from 20 yards out. She struggled to connect passes in the same way Julia Ashley did in the first half for UNC, but just like Ashley you would be foolish to discount her abilities because of a few bad passes. Boade for me is the player UNC needs to worry about... if she finds that touch she will make everybody around her better.

 

Do you think that Bailey would be more dangerous if moved further up the field?

 

Yes. I personally think she should be central & as close to Andrzejewski as possible... both because she's been so good in the past at the 10, & also her & Andrzejewski have created some special moments together before. I like Annie Kingman *A LOT*, but she's coming back from injury and hasn't played in a long time.

 

Did Rachael Dorwart play? If so what position? I thought she was really dangerous as a youth player. Pluck I also know. She’s a very skillful creative indeed quick kid. Weakness is physicality. Was a regular at YNT camps until u16. If balls are played to her feet she could be very dangerous. Don’t see her winning 50-50s for misplayed balls. Question will be if she can manage physical fast backs. If so or if mismatched could be really great.

 

Dorwart did play. She was the first choice sub for the number 10 behind Kingman, though like Kingman had somewhat of an inconspicuous performance. It's good & bad in the sense that I'd completely forgotten this was her "debut" as a rookie as well. She made an impact on me during the NC Courage exhibition in the spring as someone who belonged out there. I guess that kind of carried over Thursday and didn't think of her as some new player to examine close like I did with McCabe. I hope that makes sense? I'm kinda fumbling to articulate this, I know what I'm trying to say but can't get it right. She was, again, a player that belonged out there & who you can count on to make the play & be in the right position, but like all the Tar Heels just kinda didn't execute quite right for most of the game.

The one thing I remember thinking was how strange it was how her role as the #10 seemed to be different than that of when Annie was on the field. It just turned out that she ended up on the receiving end up of through balls & crosses instead of being the one to deliver them.

With UNC comfortable in their lead at 3-1 she had a moment where it looked to be a clean breakaway inside the 18 but got tripped up from behind by the last defender. No call was made & the UNC fans / bench erupted in anger while Dorwart herself just laid there in confusion, as if she didn't know how to react in being so blatantly denied a goal scoring opportunity.

I suppose the official thought their legs got tangled or that Dorwart went down too easy. He waved play on & NC State marched down the other-side of the field and scored, making what looked like a sure fire 4-1 rout suddenly into a 3-2 competitive match in the middle of the 2nd. I'm annoyed that I forgot about that in my original recap, though I am, in game one, more focused on performance & line-ups than how the game progressed & was officiated.

 

2 questions:

1. why was the Sunday game scheduled to be so late? Why is that the NCAA's fault?

2. What happened to Kate Morris? She was a red-shirt sophomore last year. Didn't see her on any transfer lists. Is she sitting out this year or quit playing?

 

Unfortunately, Kate was forced to medically retire because of numerous knee injuries. I am pretty sure that she endured 3 ACL reconstructions as well as other knee surgeries. A very courageous kid who did everything humanly possible to continue her career. I would expect to see her on the sidelines with the girls this season even though she won't be playing, as she is still a part of the team.

 

A slow start in the first half, but a great second half against Illinois. Good way to start the season with a 3-1 victory. Go Heels!!

 

A good win to start the season, but it was really played like an exhibition match such as was canceled on Sunday. In other words, at this point in the season there was a lot of sloppiness and less precision than I would normally expect, and a there will be a lot more shuffling of the line up before things stabilize.

For instance, where were Seniors Jesse Scarpa and Maggie Bill and Junior Zoe Redei? I believe that Maggie played in the scrimmage a week ago. Perhaps Jesse is still not recovered from her ACL/hip surgery combo? Jesse and Maggie have been regular starters and these two seniors have the potential to be significant leaders on this team. Zoe has had injury issues for the past two years, but started when she was not injured.

Senior Julia Ashley (one of my favorite players) and has started every game since she came to UNC, playing brilliantly at right back. She's on the pre-season list for the Hermann trophy. But she seemed to be disorganized and lost at times and at other times her brilliant self yesterday. Pre-season jitters for this veteran? What gives? Junior Bridgette Andrzejewski likewise was not her usual self. She had a number of good moments, but just didn't dominate on the right wing as is her custom.

And dear Sydney Spruill, hustling and scrappy at forward as ever, really needs to figure out this off side thing. This was a problem for her last year and seems not to be solved. I counted 5 off side whistles for her (the box score only has 4??) two of which canceled significant scoring chances and one was simply not getting back in time to receive a pass. Brooke Bingham, who did well at center back, also scared me by twice, after receiving a back pass from the midfield under pressure casually seemed to bait the on rushing forward with waiting to the last second to accomplish a casual sole of the foot pull back rather a more conservative lateral movement away from the center of the field before the forward closed in.

So these (and more) are early season issues that will need to be solved, in addition to folding in the three U20 players soon to be back on the field. Hopefully, we will be getting it together on the field before the western swing to take on Santa Clara and #1 powerhouse Stanford or that trip could go really badly (not to mention the next game in Florida against FSU.)

However, even while recognizing that Illinois is also within the early season jitters stage, there was never any question about yesterday's out come. The Heels dominated play from start to finish. We stared off with a bang and had three excellent shots off the woodwork (2 off the bar and one off the left post) in first half plus some excellent saves by the Illinois keeper, but nothing to show for it. Illinois' goal was a classic counter attack against the run of play with a great through ball to a streaking forward who beat one defender and was in on goal.

The three Carolina goals in the second half were all quality goals. A great re-direct header by Brooke Bingham into the far side netting from a Annie Kingman corner kick; a great shot under pressure from super sub Madison Schultz who took a short pass from Nicole Crutchfield and one touch to her right to gain a little space from the defender and then a great strike across the goal beating the keeper to the left from about 12 yards out on the right; and the third goal was a beauty with Julia Ashley about 30+ yards out on the right looking at Rachel Dowart lurking about 15 yards out on the left side and sending in a beautiful service which Rachel ran on to and put a perfect header just inside the left post.

 

I was disappointed by the quality of the TV coverage for the Illinois match at Finley.

To my eye the video was washed out. And the sound was oddly low and indistinct, even with the volume cranked up.

Quite a striking contrast to the following Duke match. Their audio was crisp after turning the volume way back down. The colors were bright and replay is always welcome. I know that Duke is rich as Croesus and that UNCs budget is being squeezed cruelly.

Maybe the impromptu or at least 2nd choice of Finley for the season means that the hardware just isn't ideal and nothing can be done.

I liked the announcer and am deeply grateful that so many matches are going to make it to the TV in NYC.

But I hope that there can be improvements.

 

I've seen the video. She was 2 yards clear of the defender and kicked the ground, tripping herself. It was pretty hilarious to be honest.

 

You mean Alessia Russo? Well, she's busy preparing the semi-final of some little tournament called U-20 Women's World Cup, as seen on the far right of the photo below...

 

Well, a satisfying and interesting game. Still lots of improvement to look forward to, but, wow, what a dominant performance, some really good coordinated play (to go along with some careless miss-hits). Don't remember ever seeing more high quality depth on a UNC team. Without really checking the details, looks to me like they could field both a top 5 team and a top 20 one, as well.

Haven't figured out exactly where they are headed setup-wise. Looked like they were playing a European back 4, with Wubben-May and Bailey at center backs, and Ashley on one side and Fox on the outside, both advanced 6-8 yards. I really liked Fox on the left at mid-field running overlaps with Julia, as they played some of last year, but the idea of those two playing outside backs is a really interesting idea - very good ball handlers, fast, and both aware, creative players. The idea of them combing with Androzejewski and Pinto would be hell on wheels on both sides of the field.

We don't seem to have found the right center forward yet. As talented and athletic as Otto is, she hasn't seemed to find herself there yet. Dorwart could be the answer - we''l have to see.

The part of the picture that bothers me most is the two center backs. Wubben-May and Bailey have done well so far. And W-M seems much improved this year - more confident and reliable - but I worry about there lack of speed. They just won't be able to match up with a really fast forward if the other team can send a through ball up.

Whereas, they looked really good in their short passing, they haven't gotten their timing down yet on longer passes and interchanges around the box, especially when they are at full steam. But that will come.

They've got all the talent they need this year - if they can just polish this diamond and keep it healthy!!!

 

I happily agree with your comments about the Heels depth of talent, just incredible. Wubben-Moy, to me, however, is a rock in the back--brains, leadership--and will be a future first team all-American. I'll be giving out my awards in Dec.

 

Anson is playing 4 in the back. From left to right you have Fox, Wobben-Moy, Bingman, and Ashley as starters. Bailey is not playing center back. Bailey is playing holding mid (6 spot).

 

Thanks for pointing out my mistake confusing Bingman and Bailey; haven't gotten the numbers back in mind yet and confused "30" with "29". I also mistakenly referred to fox and ashley playng on the left last year when they teamed up on the right before anson started moving fox around. I think the fox/pinto overlap on the left this year could be a real winner (along with the ashley/androzejewski combo on the right). the team they are playing will not be able to overload one side or the other and it should open up the middle, as well.