Two years in a row. WSU looking really strong. I wouldn’t hold your breath on Dederick...non contact injury to the knee and down like she got sniped wreaks of ACL. Wish her the best. I hope I’m not right
Did the Bruins play badly? Didn't see game but sounds like UCLA had several good chances thwarted by the Wa. State keeper or the crossbar. What were the (rough) possession percentages?
Washington State and Colorado, October 4 ... Battle of the Unbeatens? Sure hope so. Cougars have to defeat the Oregons at home, should do that. Buffs have to defeat the Arizonas in the desert, could do that. Neither team has ever gone this far undefeated, although Buffs have another stinking tie with Colorado State (three in five games played).
If you read soMe posts there it will be very eAsy to figure out. Although he has been silent since the WSU win. He constantly hecKles and dErides plAyers and other Posters, every once in a whiLe hAs some nice insight into recruiting or transferring but mostlY is just an internet bully. His daughter is rather good, starts every game and plays full 90 most games for UCLA, so I don't understand his need to bash other players and people.
Does this end her college career then due to eligibility? She already redshirted so this is her 5th year, and she played in 5 games this year.
I believe it does. Hopefully she can recover quickly enough to get a shot in the pros. Speedy Recovery
I think it might not. A sixth year for exactly this type of season ending injury, can be obtained through an appeal to the NCAA. I think, but am not sure, that a player can play in a limited number of games before the injury. It may even be 30%
Double-header week-end vs. the Oregon schools! At +8=0-0, WSU is 1 of only 2 only-wins teams in D1 (with #11 Boston College +10=0-0), and 1 of only 7 no-loss teams (with #1 Stanford, #2 USC, #7 Georgetown, #8 Texas, and #18 Colorado). We move up due to carnage elsewhere: 2018/09/25 Tue: - #9 (<= #14) United Soccer Coaches is our first-ever top-10 ranking (Making room: #10 Florida <= #7, #16 UCLA <= #8, #23 Auburn <= #9, #15 Duke <=#12, #14 South Carolina <= #13) - #8 (<= #12) TopDrawer (#12 UCLA <= #5, #10 South Carolina <= #6, #13 Duke <= #7, #15 Florida State <= #9) - #5 (<= #12) SoccerAmerica is surely our highest-ranking ever, in any poll. (#9 Virginia <= #2, #10 Texas A&M <= #4, #14 UCLA <= #5, #15 South Carolina <= #8, #6 Texas <= #9, #16 Florida State <= #10, #7 Tennessee <= #11. Some of these teams won, but didn't move up as much) 2018/09/25 Tue: Also, WSU got all 3 of the Pac-12's Week 5(?) PotW awards, for our 1st awards sweep ever. UCLA commands so much respect that teams get awards for beating them - FW Morgan Weaver is Offensive PotW (1st career award), for scoring. - RB Aaqila McLyn is Defensive PotW (1st career award), for a goalline save and an assist. Just pitch a shutout and (help) score - GK Rachel Thompson is GKotW (1st career award) for 9 saves and a clean sheet. And LB Maddy Haro still leads the nation in assists per game, with 8 in 8. (She was momentarily 2nd during the UCLA match, but I guess her closest rival didn't get one, either ) So ... 2018 is already WSU's bestest and craziest season-start ever. We are without precedent, waiting either to erupt, or ... for the other cleat to drop I have some misgivings: I've watched our defense, ball control, and shot selection for years, and nothing about this year suggests that we're a standout that far above what we had before. I dunno where we stand amongst the #9 teams of the last 20 years, or similar large-scale slices of history. I don't think we've been tested in a grind yet , and I don't know how we're going to construct open-play goals against good teams (or even against defenses that bunker against us). OTOH, perhaps the consistency in always putting it together is this year's strength. We get two more data points, starting tomorrow night! 2018/09/27 Thu 19:00 PDT (+8=0-0) #9 Washington State - Oregon &34 (+7=1-1) Stream: Pac-12 WSU-UO (Pac-12 OR) (Pac-12 WA) Stats: StatBroadcast 391 Oregon are back, with a breakout year of their own. Nifty: they share seven common non-conference opponents with Oregon State, as visiting teams either visit them both, or they both go and visit the same two. 2018/09/30 Sun 12:00 PDT (+8=0-0 +1) #9 Washington State - Oregon State (+1=0-8 +1) Stream: Pac-12 WSU-OSU (Pac-12 OR) (Pac-12 WA) Stats: StatBroadcast 392 (consecutive game IDs! -- that's cute) Tough year for OSU. Could be a trap game for WSU: the Sunday blahs, etc. This, too, is part of the consistency exam.
2018/09/27 Thu 19:00 PDT (+9=0-0) #9 Washington State 2-1 Oregon &34 (+7=1-2) This Oregon team is physically imposing. They're a bit faster than us in midfield, and have been for a few years (so by now we can plan for it). They're taller, too , with a few 5'9"+ players who loom over ours. But WSU in 2018 have found some secret combination of (enough) speed, pressing, decisiveness, and a somewhat bewildering mix of ideas that confounds/lulls defenses. The main difference between the two sides was a subtle thing: WSU are more aggressive/efficacious on offense because we seem to just know that some ideas will work, or are worth trying. Also, we defend doggedly with a scheme (deny box runners, channel down box sides), and have a years-long confidence that it works, too. Hence we relentlessly probe with a mix of patient passing/hold-up, quick short passes, quick longballs, and long shots. Oregon hasn't had the years of grind to develop that program-wide confidence (this group might be on year 1 thereof), and so they showed somewhat more staid ideas that generated fewer chances. They often sprang runners down box sides (and we guided them down the sides), but with not much parallel support up centerline. They tried quick chips from midfield to diagonal cuts, which we well know because we do it ourselves. And they tried numerous vertical ground passes into mostly-stationary post-up backshields above our box top, which produced no continuations. Maybe they deliberately held numbers back because they're away vs. a stronger team (as we did at UCLA ), but the result was few to no quality chances constructed in open play.
HT 0-0. WSU owned the first 10', Oregon came forward and sieged us from 30' to 38', both GKs saved some quick-strike half-chances. WSU opened 2H with about 6' of high-intensity pressing, and it worked. 46' 0-0 WSU quick longball into Bennett-vs-4, lost. 47' 0-0 Oregon crosses to 6-top right, Hasenauer header pop-up caught. 48' 1-0 GK Thompson instantly sprints to ~box top arc (her) left, throws a restart to #10 Alger on the run out of the back. Outlet pass to #9 Pulver running past circle top left -- in the role of interior fulcrum. Pulver runs to 27m mid-left, early pass toward box top mid-left just before she gets closed down by 2. #13 Bennett is running up box left lane, veers inside across RB #13 Palmer's front (highlight begins) and intercepts ball. Bennett touches once to 12m 6-left and outruns Palmer, early right foot shot just inside left post low, past Hinriksdottir's dive. Alas, the build-up isn't shown: three passes were all made early enough to pierce scattered defenses, ending in a match-up that we do win on speed + height. ICYMI, @WSUCougarSoccer stayed perfect on the season with a 2-1 win over Oregon.Take a look back at the top moments of the game. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/XTx3dqDILQ— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) September 28, 2018
52'23" 1-0 Oregon clear, #21 Marissa Everett goes down in own 1/3. Stoppage, trainer applies ... stability test to right leg? Everett limps off unassisted. 57' 1-0 #17 Zoe Hasenauer stumbles through box top mid-right, foul on LCB Minniss just above box top. 58' 1-1 Oregon fk at box top mid-right, #33 Sofia Chambers shoots hard just past left edge of wall. #24 O'Neill sticks right foot out but misses the block try, ball deflects off her right heel just inside right post low, past Thompson wrong-footed. Chambers deflects one into the net to tie the match. pic.twitter.com/0l7HAWger5— Oregon Ducks Soccer (@OregonSoccer) September 28, 2018 Oregon totally deserved a goal by then: they were equal to us in midfield, and created chances all night. A foul thereat was always a threat, and obviously the alternative was a PK. 60' 1-1 Everett subs back in
70' 2-1 #19 Maddy Haro fk at circle top left, driven to 6-top 1/6 right. #27 Taylor jumps to head clear but misjudges it, ball drops behind her untouched. #24 O'Neill judges it perfectly, jump-tucks and glance-heads down to 2m right post, ball bounces in past Hinriksdottir. HIGHLIGHT | The senior connection is strong, who would have thunk O'Neill from Haro AGAIN #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/GDidhuy9Xb— Washington State Soccer (@WSUCougarSoccer) September 28, 2018 Haro's 9th assist in 9 games (1st in D1 ), and O'Neill's 6th career goal -- all 6 assisted by Haro 80' 2-1 #33 Chambers suffers (double?) hamstring cramp at midfield, teammate + Cougar stretch out one each 87' 2-1 Everett left ck, scramble at 6-top. #22 Parsons kicks it through traffic on-frame (to center low?), Thompson smothers it. 89' 2-1 Oregon chips to box top left post, RCB #16 Hancock heads over endline left. 90' 2-1 Everett(?) left ck, scramble royale at 6-top, ball skims/heads/bounces out to ~9m 6-right. (I was on the hill at the other end, so the field is foreshortened and I can't judge depth.) Ball drops to #_ (Hasenauer??) unmarked, she swings waist-high right roundhouse volley -- slices under it, wide right with 0'03" left. FT 2-1. I think this Oregon team is on the verge of competing in this league (say, top-half finish and the at-large bubble). They already have enough physical pieces. Now they just need Top Gun training to instill borderline-cockiness into their attack, and maybe walk-through-Mordor experiences to give their defense mental fortitude. WSU 18(9)-(6)14 shots(sog), 8-8 corners, 11-8 fouls. Yes, we were that even. The slight edge in shots, and in quality thereof, I ascribe to boldness: who dares, wins. That's the ephemeral edge.
2018/09/28 Fri: (+6=1-3) Wake Forest 2-1 (1OT) Boston College #11 (+10=0-1) And with that, WSU is the sole remaining perfect team in D1 2018/09/30 Sun 12:00 PDT: (+10=0-0, +3=0-0 = T-1st) #9 Washington State 2-0 Oregon State (+1=0-10, +0=0-3 = T-11th) Same time, 1/2 block away, from wvb WSU-Colorado. Sigh. It rained Saturday night, and so the field is damp. 20' 1-0 #29 Overland glance-heads across 13m to #13 Bennett at 13m left post. Bennett chests ball center-ward, turn-and-shoots right foot, #27 Keawekane shin-blocks ball past Bennett to arc top 6-left. #24 O'Neill runs on, one-touch left foot shross bends toward right post low. GK #0 Skiba sprawls left, ball spins off her gloves over her, into back right low. HIGHLIGHT | And the senior comes through again, Maegan O'Neill with the quick strike off the rebound | 1-0 WSU#GoCougs pic.twitter.com/01fXk5r1P8— Washington State Soccer (@WSUCougarSoccer) September 30, 2018 The outcome was undoubtedly lucky/catastrophic, but the shot arose from a definite mindset: swarm ball until opponent stops you, put shot on frame, repeat. HT 1-0. WSU 18(7)-(0)2 shots(sog), 3-0 corners, 4-5 fouls.
65' 1-0 (no highlight) Bennett gets behind OSU's defense, GK #0 Skiba comes out just above box top center and takes her down. Foul, DOGSO = red card on Skiba. 65' 2-0 WSU fk in arc center, #19 Haro shoots left instep over wall's right seam, over new GK #18 Deane's hand, just under crossbar into 1/4 right back high. Rough way to enter a match, but that's a GK's life. HIGHLIGHT | @maddyharo with a beauty for her first goal of the year | 2-0 WSU#GoCougs pic.twitter.com/KiMsoItWAF— Washington State Soccer (@WSUCougarSoccer) September 30, 2018 FT 2-0. WSU 34(15)-(1)5 shots(sog), 8-0 corners, 7-13 fouls. We lost at fouls?! 34 shots is the most we've had since 35 in 1993, and our 6th-most ever. I give some credit to Oregon State for defending those 34 shots without breaking. Even with all of that, we won on a free kick and a bad bounce.
2018/10/02 Tue: WSU holds serve in the rankings, some contenders bobble. There are -- fewer of them to do so, since we're so high already. (This is weird!) #7 (<= #9) United Soccer Coaches (#8 Virginia <= #6, #13 Texas <= #8) #5 (same) SoccerAmerica (and same top 4) #5 (<= #8) TopDrawer (#8 Virginia <= #3, #11 Texas <= #6, #6 Santa Clara <= #7) 2018/10/02 Tue: Pac-12 voters just love a defender who scores in a shutout. - MF (sr.) #24 Maegan O'Neill is Defensive PotW (1st career award) for two game-winning goals (header spike vs. Oregon, float serve ace vs. OSU) and one shut-out. Big away Week #3 (but they're all big now), in physically rarefied air. 2018/10/04 Thu 14:30 PDT (+9=3-0) #20 Colorado - Washington State #7 (+10) Stream: Pac-12 Plus (free!) Stream: CU's live stream (ibid.) Stats: Colorado's Sidearm Blurb (WSU): Top-25 Test for No. 7 Washington State Thursday in Boulder Blurb (Colorado): No. 20 Buffs Return Home We are 2 of only 5 unbeaten teams left in D1 (with #1 Stanford, #5 Georgetown, and #13 Texas). Colorado's offense has been on fire, with 34 goals in 12 games, and ... 40 assists on 34 goals Nifty: WSU LB (sr.) #19 Maddy Haro and CU MF (jr.) #22 Taylor Kornieck are tied for 2nd in D1 on 9 assists (but Haro is sole 2nd in apg on 9 in 10, behind Boston College's Samantha Coffey on 11 in 12). Last year, Colorado outran a younger WSU team in Pullman, breaking us down repeatedly with speed moves. On the plus side, in the very next game vs. Utah, we discovered the Haro-to-O'Neill's-head combo, and we cannot now stop doing it
01' 0-0 Almost no pre-game, straight to kick-off! Video seems more like ... 30-second still frames over audio. Colorado down wide right, corner. 02' 1-0 #16 Greening right ck, to ~4m left post, #22 Kornieck outjumps Hancock and McLyn(?) and heads a floater into back left 2/3 high. I keep getting still frames on this "stream", didn't see it until I replayed CU's tweetcap. Here's another look at that GOAL scored by @taylorkornieck in the 2nd minute to open the game#DoMore #GoBuffs pic.twitter.com/6BD2e7gUjt— Colorado Buffaloes Soccer (@CUBuffsSoccer) October 4, 2018
06' 1-0 It's about 1/30 fps = 30 spf 09' 1-0 It's not even quite like a radio broadcast + slide show, because the 2-guy pbp crew assume they have the video, and so they're not describing the action as if for an unsighted listener. 10' 1-0 Sounds like Colorado siege WSU's box. 10' 1-0 Scramble, GK Thompson wins(?) a race, #23 Barton bumps her going for ball. Foul, yellow card on Barton.
12' 2-0 Kinzner passes from circle top to #_ near 30m midfield, through-ball to 8m right post in #23 Barton's stride. GK Thompson comes out and smother-blocks ball off her foot (or fails to catch), it leaks out to arc tangent right. #3 Baucom collects going centerward, rounds Thompson rashly challenging her at box top center, goes to to ~15m center and flicks right outstep to 1/5 right, Hancock misses a dive-header clearance with net empty. Here's another look at that goal scored by @joriannicole in the 12th minute. CU leads 2-0#GoBuffs #DoMore pic.twitter.com/Yif9pnhxFl— Colorado Buffaloes Soccer (@CUBuffsSoccer) October 4, 2018 14' 2-0 Weaver shoots from arc top mid-right flat rising to center face-high, Tompkins blocks but ball squirts through(?) her hands, off crossbar bottom, bounces down to goalline 1/6 left, and Tompkins catches the bounce. Ruled not fully over, but a (near-)parallel replay makes the CU pbp pair go hmm! -- close enough to need VAR. Them's the breaks. 14' | nothing going right early for the Cougs as @morgan_weaver8 shot looks to cross the line but is ruled to have not fully crossed | 2-0 COLO#GoCougs pic.twitter.com/ZkAFTzm3CZ— Washington State Soccer (@WSUCougarSoccer) October 4, 2018 18' 2-0 Back to still frames with voiceovers