Box score says the game winner was Libby's, with an assist from Heather... But whoever -- wow! I checked this thread right before leaving work around 7:30, when the last post was yours with the 2-0 half-time score. And I was thinking things like "it's over, U-Conn up by two, they'll just bunker down completely the second half", and "uh-oh, I knew we were likely to lose another game or two (or three, or...) this season -- but when was the last time we lost by more than a goal?". Then I get home and have dinner, and when I check back in to see the results: My god, we actually won! Oh, me of little faith! Like SpeedoBlobb, I'd like to see the video -- but what I'd *really* like is to know what all was said (and by whom) at the half. Go, Heels!!!
Yeah, 'Heels!!! and OUCH!!! the quotes from anson... "team without focus" and "unpassionate soccer" describe my HS team... PARTICULARLY last night. and i'll warn ya... we are NOT one of the better teams in the state. OUCH.
just curious, why isn't Heather O'Reilly pictured in the 2006 North Carolina Women's Soccer photo??? http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/unc-w-soccer-mtt.html
Thats ridiculous! No other country in the world has this conflict between the national team and amateur soccer, why would the USSF avoid scheduling games for 3 months when the rest of the world is preparing for World Cup Qualifiers or playing youth world cups? Not to mention the fact that only a handful of the 300+ division 1 teams are affected by national team call-ups.
I'm talking the guess that (if you've heard Tobin's ussoccer.com podcast) that that was when Tobin & Casey were in NC before they left 4 Russia. that week, HAO was still in Residency in Cali. betcha almost anything. but that IS extremely not cool. i don't like that... maybe they'll redo it??
Saw the game last night- tale of two different UNC teams The first half’s was awful, just another avg. college team. The offense did not know how to score, defense was suspect, and the keeper? Would have been 3-0 if the early Uconn shot did not hit off the post. Anna also mis-kicked a ball sideways which sent a scare through the UNC fans. UNC pressured from the beginning in the second half and made things happen. For the first goal, Engen went after a ball that everyone thought was going out, the UConn defender played it to go out and it must have died about 2 inches inside; Engen fought for it and crossed it to Smith. Washington somehow went through traffic along the back line and passed to Hawkins for the second goal. One felt that the back line could control any threats. Anson played only one sub in the 2nd half. Yael is, I am told, in the best shape of her life. Gilbert did not play as she has a bone bruise; Sterling is being limited to only about 15 minutes/half due to a leg problem (although she did play just a little more than that in the 2nd half); and Guess looks, lets just say, out of shape. Anna in the first half looked as she jammed her knee diving for a ball wide to the net and needed a couple of minutes to recover. Her kicks were short in the first half but improved by end of the period. I was told that there is no traveling backup keeper. PS- go Rutgers football
Sometimes it amazes me how hard it is to get decent information about what is going on. Now that the Heeligans fan club has disbanded, the researched in-the-know stuff is rarer. I just spout off and never research. There are some who are filling the void. Many thanks to them! I can’t understand why our numbers didn’t grow and grow. This must be a combination of latent redneck tendencies and sexism in our society. This is the best sports team ever, in my book, based on simple comparisons of statistics versus opponents’ over decades. I’m not a statistician, but I took a year of it. I am dubious about this team’s chances this year, but the man at the helm still has a grip on reality. Deep down I think he’s tickled to be losing in light of the growth of the sport. Looking at the season so far we can surmise a few things. We need midfield strength. We should get it soon. After tomorrow’s consolation game v. Brazil, the U-20’s head home with Casey and Tobin filling in our weaknesses. I don’t mean to be harsh, because I know that parents sometimes peruse these pages, but I think that our upper-class women have let us down a bit. Starting the season out of shape is not the Tar Heel way. I can understand that team cohesion year-round must be difficult, but in the old days peer pressure prevailed in that regard. We must over-achieve this year and keep up with the men. This could still be the year to see them both # in the end!
glad to hear Yael is in such good shape....hate to hear gilbert is hurt buts its early and guess has never been in shape ...its has always hurt the team.... how can you be that out of shape when they supposedly practice like so hard ..does she loaf during practice or what??? Heels need her but oh well if her senior year don't motivate i don't know what will...she seems to not really care if she starts.
Have we disbanded? I hope we can reunite. Part of the info gap is because the team has clamped down. Thanks for your posts. I hope Klee and I will be back at the games soon. Go Heels!
It seems like not such a good thing to pick on one player like that, all things considered they are just college students playing a game we enjoy watching. Though we might wish that soccer was the most important thing in their lives, it may not be and you can't fault any one for that. Maybe offering some words of encouragement why it should be the most important thing in their life rather than putting someone down might be more productive... and the second point of her defense (with respect to the "never been in shape"), she appeared to be in ridiculously good shape at the start of last season.
How often does this happen? Yale 0, NC 1 00:04 GOAL - GOAL by NC Yael Averbuch (FIRST GOAL). GOALMSG - *opening kick from midfield into top left corner over keeper. Yikes. Already 2-0 with a second goal at 12:08 from (welcome back) Robyn Gayle. BTW, game tracker link from the Yale website works, the one from the UNC website points to something other than the Yale vs. UNC game. http://livestats.yalebulldogs.collegesports.com/livestats/data/w-soccer/450360/
Might as well post this, too... "UNC up 3-0" 28:21 Goal by UNC Yael Averbuch left wing kick into right corner from 25 yards out."
sorry if i bent you a little..what i am trying to say is with the conditioning program that anson gives them prior to summer and the preseason workouts there is no way anyone should be out of shape at the beginning of any season unless they have been hurt or don't really care....this may be the case it may not be...i realize there are other tihngs to do besides soccer at college and there is no reason not to be able to do them all (its called discipline)but i feel you owe it to your teammates to show up in shape. i think she is a wonderful player but no telling what she could do on the field if she put herself in a positio of being in shape from the beginning. I would love to see that eventually!!! I feel she will still come through many times for us this year as she works herself into playing shape. I will be at the duke tourney so by then she will have had a few games and will be in much better shape and when she is she is a tough one to stop.
What exactly is the basis for the claim that Libby is out of shape? Are people conflating speed with being in shape? I'm no expert, but it seems to me it is possible to be in excellent shape and still not be as fast as other players (including some who aren't in their best shape). I remember noticing Libby her frosh year and thinking there was a deceptively laid-back appearance to the way she moved on the field. And I thought she exhibited some top-notch ball skills against UNC-G the other night, and / but also recall thinking it was too bad she wasn't faster in a particular situation -- I don't recall the details now, it was just an impression that if she had been a step or two faster she'd have scored. But I think there are individual limits when it comes to speed, you can't train for it beyond a certain point. I'm not arguing with anybody who knows, I am just curious as to *how* you know, since I don't feel like I have a clue sitting in the stands, unless I have previously read a quote from AD about a particular player's current fitness level.
Back from New Haven Sun. Yael’s kickoff goal- wow! A planned play as the Yale keeper was on the 12 yd. line. She hit the ball and it kept going and going, the Yale keeper started to drift back, jumped for the ball and may have tipped it (hard to tell if so) and it went into the goal. It would have gone into the goal on the fly anyway. Her second goal was also petty as she shot from the left of the goal, the ball curved into the right side of the goal. The team, of course, looked better than Friday. All 20 players that traveled got time (plus Ashlyn Harris was there). Gayle is simply good- much better than I remember from last year. Washington is impressive, great feet and ball control. The stats do not, of course, do justice for HAO. She just missed a goal, the keeper stuffed her on another run. Plus all the other things she does. The freshman may not yet realize her speed and how to feed her. She will go straight from Portland to the WNT for the Sep. 13 game. I was told by one parent that the players on Sat. watch the game films from Friday, the first time in their daughter’s three years. No backup keeper as Lancaster is not playing.
Why not McTurk? From the Roster notes: "A welcome addition to the Tar Heel team who was admitted to the University in July 2006...has earned one of the University's prestigious Morehead Scholarships and thus decided to enroll at Carolina...with the off-season injury to Ashlyn Harris her presence is a welcome one as she will add experience and depth to the goalkeeper corps for North Carolina. National Team Experience -- Earned a cap in 2006 for the Scottish Under-17 National Team...won Three Nations Rose Bowl tournament with Scotland as team starter...awarded a spot on the roster at an international football academy at the Nou Camp in Barcelona, Spain in 2003. Club Soccer -- Played on club team which reached semifinals of U17s Holland International Football Festival...served as a captain of that team...was regularly elected captain of teams throughout her youth soccer career...was the manager's top player in 2004...captured the player's player award in 2003 and most improved player accolade in 2000."
Please do not attack lovinsoccer as I am sorry I started this. Admittedly I have only seen her a few times each yr. and not since last yr's ACCs so my memory may be wrong.
Yes she is on the roster. Unless I counted wrong, she was not in New Haven; only Anna warmed up; and from what I am told, there is no backup regular keeper.
cant wait to see you guys this weekend at the nike invitational here in portland, should be a great game. hopefully my pilots can pull out a win
yael's goal was supposed to be on sportscenter last night, but wasn't, so hopefully it'll be on tonight. if you haven't heard, it was the fastest goal in ncaa women's soccer history and tied the overall record (set by a DIII man). but cross your fingers it'll be on sportscenter