Quote: Originally Posted by Boston Bob (on another thread) Thorlakson and Dickenmann. At least some one got it right. No offense intended to Sinclair at all. What did people think of the Soccer America top 11 list? Notably Absent: Heather O'Reilly and Lindsay Tarpley Also SA's Player of the Year was Katie Thorlakson!! http://www.socceramerica.com/articl...rt_ID=562135481 Let "Cornbread" sop up some of those quotes in some "tar heel" gravy!! lol!
The most disturbing thing about the Santa Clara loss is the knowledge that the winning goal came off a play that the Broncos had practiced all week. Jerry Smith made a point of mentioning this after the game. He anticipated that the Broncos would have the opportunity to shoot the gap for a breakaway goal. He knew the UNC tendencies and the way the seams open on the 3-4-3. Jerry Smith understands the 3-4-3 well, perhaps as well as Anson. Maybe better. After all, Smith has won 4 of the last 5 games against this defense. Smith loves the 3-4-3. In the 3-4-3, the three backs must move forward together in disciplined manner as they compact space. If the center back recklessly sprints ahead of the others, it creates a diagonal seam that can easily be exploited. Jerry Smith anticipated this tendency and practiced the counter play all week - the week before the game. The flat three is a precision defense that requires the backs to think and move in unison. Small errors can lead to disaster. In this case, it not only created a seam, but gave Kakadelas a free run at an isolated keeper. We’ve read what Anson has to say about the 3-4-3 in his book Vision of a Champion. Now it’s time to hear what Jerry Smith has to say about it. He should team with Gloria Averbuch and write a book. His wife did.
Wait a minute this is a UNC thread...buckeye why, what is that one step lower than santa clara and only one less championship so ya match each other.The last time I saw a Ohio team...they do have a team right...maybe they will play in that video game tournament that is suppose to take place with SC, ND and some other mudrunner. Champion 727 should stop drinking that butter milk it is to strong for kids. And before you take the Tarheel name in vain win at least 3 championships until then do like the rest of the mudducks and pray you can just beat the "DYNASTY' just once and still you won't win a championship. So hold hands with SC and maybe in 2022 one of you might win a Championship...we all know it won't happen before then...ask SA who they think will win a championship first Ohio,SC, or the Tarheels. This is UNC woofin the only reason you have something to do...Santa clara and ohio sure can't have a thread to woof about..who cares about wannabe's.
For those out there with a short memory: Oh look . . . is that the ball in the net with Aly Winget laying on the ground as the hopes and dreams of another undefeated National Championship season are shattered by the powerful buck of the mighty BRONCO? I do believe it is, and its been a recent trend, hasn't it? BTW Champion727 is absolutely right. Jerry Smith knew the flaw in the 2004 Carolina system and prepared his team to win; not to compete, TO WIN.
The photo from the last post says it all. SCU brought UNC to its knees and then some. Actually it was more like a face-plant. One reason for the dismal performance was the lack of senior leadership. All of the other top teams had strong senior leadership (see above photo). UNC’s seniors in contrast were all either marginal part-time starters or non-starters. The 2004 senior class looked good coming in. The 2001 recruiting class was one of the best in the country. Mary McDowell came in as the Gatorade National High School Player of the Year. The top player in the country. She went out as a marginal part-time starter. Same for Ann Morrell. Came in as a 3-time Parade All-American. The full package, including great work ethic and attitude. Went out as a marginal part-time starter. Same for Sara Randolf. Came in as a Parade All-American and hit the ground running with a fabulous freshman year. Went out at a lower level. So it went for the entire senior class. The talent was there no question. All the pieces and very coachable players, but it just didn’t work. These fine young women deserved better. Player development at UNC was non-existent. A problem that raises serious questions about the quality of the coaching and support staff. Time for change.
thanks, you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. i find it hilarious that just by looking at a few stats and seeing a few games you can be an authority on the senior leadership and team chemistry. i mean, maybe if you were at every practice and almost every game and knew the players personally you'd have more credibility (or you could start by spelling the players' names right). also, how did we come to this consensus that because carolina lost one game in overtime to an underrated team that this season was a total waste? how does a team that goes 20-1-2 against the toughest schedule in the country turn into a bad team? you are taking too many liberties with the truth here. take off your anti carolina colored glasses and be rational for a second
No idea and no championship...they follow Tarheels on the pitch and on this thread, Heels own all mudducks. Nobody loves jerry smith and only famliy members know who plays for SC...their tradition is that of a UNC wantabe...recall 02, the mudducks appeared after that lose and quickly vanished in 03, the same will happen in 05.Anson will retire before santa clara,stanford or portland win a championship.This is the UNC woofin thread and everybody wants to be like The "DYNASTY'' that's why mudducks quack funny. SC never had expectation of winning a championship,they are use to losing,the crown belongs to UNC and that is a fact proven by mudducks posting here and not on a santa clara thread,...see 04 ended the way all the rest of SC seasons end.. somebody else with the championship.
I follow UNC on the pitch (surprised you actually knew this term) and on the thread because I am a fan of soccer, not just SCU. Besides following the Tar Heels on the pitch is the best way to figure out how to beat 'em. Jerry Smith is widely considered the first name that will be courted by US Soccer when they finally decide they've had enough of the "Great Ape". Look at the WNT forums and you'll see a lot of posts calling for Jerry to replace April. Not sure if this is to the horror or delight of SCU fans, we'd hate to lose him! As for the players, the Broncos will field at least 9 players with YNT experience - soccer fans know who they are, mudduck haters who have said themselves that they know nothing about soccer, well . . . you get the idea. One more thing, there was a little movie released a couple of years ago . . . Bend It Like Beckham, did OK in the US, but was a major hit internationally. The main characters fulfilled their dream of playing college soccer in the US at (drum roll please!) . . . SANTA CLARA. Why not UNC? No love indeed. SCU and its fans share with the UNC expectation of winning the National Championship every season. What we don't share is the expectation that the rest of the universe should just move out of the way so we can have it. That expectation hasn't worked out so well for UNC lately has it . . . outworked and outsmarted. How much fun would it really be to woof on your own? I guess only someone from the backwood ponds of nowhere would enjoy that. The reason there's no SCU woofin' thread, it's not necessary. I wouldn't post here if SCU weren't being called out due to plain ol' ignorance. See most team's fans have respect for their opponents, live in the 21st century, and use something called their brain. I like posting here because it provides me some relief from the real struggles of life. It's fun to see the same barely legible replies over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over . . . So please keep barking out your daily affirmations. It's like a computer age version of the comic section of the old Sunday paper. One more thing before I go, think way back to that great weekend in November . . . That's two UNC rankings lost in the Bronco stampede in less than 24 hours . OUCH!!!
Anson presenting "The need for headgear in the college game" at the NSCAA convention ?! What's up with that lame crap? Discuss.
ussoccr, two game, two sports, two wins by SC over UNC, two very different outcomes. The soccer win ended a UNC season in great dissapointment. In basketball, it was the best thing that could have happened. UNC basketball should send a thank you note to SC for that upset (a huge upset, unlike the soccer result) as they have since become a tremendous team. Maybe this is why these two schools should play every year in the regular season. Somehow I think Jerry and Anson would both inprove their teams tremendously from analyzing such a great game, win or lose.
How is it that the non-UNC fans will argue all day with cornbread, who is clearly a homer with marginal real soccer knowledge, but won't touch tarheelfan's rational, well-thought-out and informative posts? Can't think of anything to refute? By the way, champion, questioning the effectiveness of the coaching staff at UNC is laughable.
Thank you, thank you very much...it's not really arguing I hit nerves and make'em holla. It's easy and fun watch... has SC ever been 27-0-0 and called the greatest women's team ever after winning its 18th national championship...answer not in a million years. Is anybody even talking about SC women's soccer...answer NO...the only team that commands world wide attention is The Tarheels...the only time SC is ever noticed is when they play UNC...I lived in silicon valley and kids there don't talk about SC...Stanford is the school of choice in that area...so don't expect a rational any thing from a bronco mudduck they spend all day and night trying to get ready to play UNC ,that's all there is in life..saying we beat the Dynasty(not getting a ring)...Anson dose'nt go into a wholesale change around SC and has the greatest record(win vs loses)of any coach in all D-1 sports... So always remember, it's cold living in the shadow of The "DYNASTY".Every girl that has ever played for Anson(as a senior) has a championship ring,,so who goes to SC...I'm having too much fun for a old country boy
I ain't saying I don't agree with the gist of what you say...I just wouldn't use quite the same words
When it counted, they lost. That’s the way the this year’s edition of the Heels will be remembered. That and the haunting visual of Winget full face-plant on the ground. And O’Reilly on her knees bawling her head off at the end of the game. And the stricken UNC fans slumping out of the Stadium at the end of the game. The only game that counted. Somehow it just didn’t feel like all that great a year for the Heels. The images keep coming back and won't go away. UNC did pick up a few postseason awards. Anson was awarded the ACC Coach of the Year - even though he lost the ACC Championship to Virginia. That made sense. O’Reilly was one of the 3 Hermann finalists, beating out Katie Thorlakson. Yeh right. Lori Chapulny made All American. That one almost seemed legitimate. But in the big game, the only one that counted, Bree Horvath and others gave her fits. At the end, they hounded into the critical turnover and stripped her of the ball. More awards are still to come. Chapulny is the frontrunner for Practice Player of the Year. She has strong credentials. In practice, she beat the snot out of O’Reilly in the 1-vs-1 drills. Something like 3-0. So much for the next Mia. Chapulny is also up for Best Strip Act - chance for a double. Ali Winget is in the running for Ms. Face-plant of the Year. Jess Maxwell has been nominated for Best Disappearing Act. Where did she vanish to on the breakaway goal? Nowhere to be seen. UNC is up for the Underperformer of the Year Award. The nominees are: - the NY Yankees, the USA men’s basketball team and the UNC women’s soccer team. The envelope please - ... UNC!! Despite having the most talent and depth in the country, UNC still found a way to lose the big games. When it counted, they lost.
This may not meet woofing standards, but I'm surprised how rarely we talk about recruiting challenges based on school demographics. People have mentioned that the Ivies (and Stanford) are constrained by their extra-tough academic thresholds. Seems to me that the small, private institutions like Santa Clara and Portland have even bigger challenges compared to large, well-resourced institutions, both public ones like UNC and UCLA or private ones like Notre Dame. It's even tougher for SCU and Portland because they are Jesuit schools. Santa Clara has an undergraduate enrollment of 4000 compared to UNC's 15000. I don't think Jerry Smith had a full complement of scholarships till the mid-late 90s. Tuition is way higher than at public universities. Coaching may be the main deciding factor when elite players choose schools, but there are plenty of other variables. So for me, it's never surprising that UNC has more depth, a longer winning record, etc. What's surprising is how much talent Jerry Smith (and Clive Charles in the old days) attract despite the hurdles, and how well they do with less depth. I'm not knocking the education at those fine schools, just pointing out that other schools draw on a bigger player pool. To my mind, Smith and Charles have done more with less obvious talent than Anson. Getting to the final four so often, plus winning occasional championships, is a pure testament to their coaching. Anyone who's watched Santa Clara teams evolve over the course of a season knows what I'm talking about. Am I missing something?
That's ok I'm old enough to use them. Just remember this,(the difference between a winner and a true champion) for teams like SC the only game that matters is the UNC game... for UNC the only games that maters is the National championship game regardless who the other team is. Nobody marks their calender to play SC just UNC. It's a fact jerry smith tells recurits" we beat UNC''... Anson would never have to brag about beating any team to lure a kid to Chaple Hill. And have you ever been to santa clara,ca...if not you have'nt missed much. buck Shaw stadium ...even the football team quit playing.I'm a hall of fame trash talker, we never mention the kids on the teams or how they played in any game...got nothing but love for all the kids that sweat,strain,bleed,and sacrifice so much to get out there day after day..To all those that don't get any awards God bless you and thanks for giving us so much to talk about(like you Jordan, hope cal berkely is still wild)
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/powerranking?pollId=3 that's right. bottom ten. i'm glad that i don't go to a one sport school. i'm glad that my basketball team terrorized a top ten team tonight. dont try and talk about other sports. it'll just make you look bad
Re: UNC verbal Nice article on the U-17s mentioned in another thread that includes several paragraphs on a UNC verbal committment for 2006: http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/NationalTeams/1105570333/ Ali Hawkins: Hawkins obsession pays many dividends with her play, and subsequently the high school junior has made a verbal commitment to join college soccer’s most prestigious tradition, the University of North Carolina. ”I’m so excited about it. At first I wasn’t thinking so much about the soccer thing with school, but just academically,” she said. “When I started playing with the national team and ODP, I started realizing it was a possibility and how much fun it can be to play the game. When I went over there it wasn’t just soccer. I fell in love with the school and the area.”
Re: UNC verbal Just found this board......hello to the Tarheel Nation.....my daughter is one of the 3 UNC commits for 2005 and we are getting excited about the upcoming season. Go Heels! (btw......this is coming from a Duke dad.....played football there during the Spurrier years when they actually had winning seasons lol)......My wife went to UNC, and now that my daughter is going there, we have a UNC flag, along with a Duke flag, flying outside our door...some sight! I think during soccer season, I'll take down the Duke flag...Is that acceptable? I am dreading this year's basketball game after what the Heels did to GT !!
While I agree that UNC has a one of the best basketball teams in the country, are you actually promoting the fact that the Tar Heels suffered a great humiliation by losing to a "bottom 10" team? Granted it was the first game, and UNC has played very well since this wake up call, but come on, don't make it sound worse than it was. You are only adding to the delight of Bronco fans. Besides, when it comes to NCAA seeding time, you should hope that the Broncos have had a good season to boost your RPI. Too bad SCU couldn't close the deal against Gonzaga about a week ago. I would be very satisified if UNC ran the table for the rest of the season (which they won't in the tough ACC), then it would be another pefect Tar Heel dream which was dashed by underestimating the Broncos. Bronco basketball won't make the NCAAs, not even the NIT. They are what Bronco fans claim them to be. An average team in a small mid-major conference, whose hard worknig, run and gun nature combined with good shooting night is capable of beating even the best teams in the country.
Re: UNC verbal Welcome aboard Champ. I predict a lot of playing time for your daughter if she's who I think she is. The Heels can use her. No problem flying that Duke flag outside your door all year long. No need to take it down during soccer season. We tolerate a lot of diversity in the Tarheel Nation. Welcome it in fact. Welcome aboard.
Lets not forget UNC's point guard Raymond Felton did not play in that game. Yes, they should have won anyway, but an All-American point guard makes a huge difference.
I didn't realize that Felton did not play. I didn't get to see the game. I was in a car all night on my way to Chapel Hill for the big soccer game! I looked into the ESPN Bottom 10 as well. It's not necessarily the worst 10 teams in the country, although some would qualify. It also includes teams who maybe lost games they should have or have struggled the previous week. I don't think that Pitt at 10-2 or NC State at 10-3 would actually be considered part of the 10 worst teams at this point in the season. My point is that the title "Bottom 10" is misleading. Good luck to the Heels hoops the rest of the season. I enjoyed the game on ESPN HD last night.
I know it's a few months down the road, but does anyone know where UNC will play their Spring exhibition games and/or against whom?