East Tennessee State University

Discussion in 'College & Amateur Soccer' started by GASoccer81, Jan 15, 2007.

  1. ronh

    ronh New Member

    Oct 24, 2011
    Duh! My Bad. My original comment was not accurate at all. I looked at the combinations again. Yes, all ETSU has to do is win and they are in. We will be the 5th or 6th seed depending on what happens in the other two games. Sorry.
     
  2. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I gotta be honest... I didn't think they would do it. I knew they could, but I didn't think they would. They sure shut me up.

    After outshooting Little Sparty 12-0 and totally dominating the first 35 minutes, Upstate scored on their first shot, and they held out well in the second half, but the Bucs scored two goals in the last quarter of an hour to win it and advance to the tournament, which is a relief - all five matches tournament are in Johnson City, so if the host school wasn't in it, that would be pretty embarrassing.

    Schoenfeld got an assist on Osorio's equalizer and then scored the game-winner from his back on a rebound; he just stuck out a wild right foot and tipped it into the back post. Both goals were ugly, gritty, hockey-esque garbage goals where guys just found themselves right in front of the net on a ball that had been redirected two or three times. Just like in hockey, when you consistently go to the high-traffic areas (particularly right in front of goal), good things happen.

    We got 1,045 for the game, which is around what I expected; unfortunately, it was mostly the Greek houses, and they made more noise for the homecoming queen than they did for anything the Bucs did on the field...
     
  3. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Men fell 1-0 in overtime to Appalachian State on senior night.

    I've never seen a team that was so utterly snakebit as this team is. I'm a Nashville Predators fan, and even that team is scoring better than this one right now. We're doing everything else right, but just cannot convert in front of goal. We get all kinds of chances and just flat-out miss. It's depressing.

    I like our chances against Jacksonville, though. At home, with plenty of time to scout this team, I think we have a pretty good shot as host.
     
  4. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No time like the present to score your first goal of the season, but how about your first two?

    David Haba scored twice to put the Bucs over Jacksonville, 2-0, in one of ETSU's best performances of the season. They were excellent in possession and everybody played well.

    This is the team we've been waiting for. If they play another game like this against Stetson, they could go all the way and maybe even win a round or two in the NCAA tournament.
     
  5. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Bucs won on PKs against Stetson. They went down 2-0 in the first eight minutes, then battled back to tie it early in the second half, then got the lead and gave it away with :43 to play. Coulter stood on his head in the shootout.

    I'm just amazed at the way this team dug in its heels and flat-out outworked Stetson after that second goal. Even if the season ends tomorrow, that game will go down in one of the greatest in the history of the program. It was amazing. The atmosphere, the play on the field, it was all just absolutely incredible. It's one of the greatest sporting events I've had the pleasure of witnessing live, if not the greatest. Just... wow.
     
  6. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    And that'll probably do it.

    1-0 to FGCU, on an 89th minute header tucked just inside the post by Scott Harrison. They nearly tied it, but Yianni Sarris had a goal line clearance off his head with two seconds left to prevent the tying goal.

    It's highly, HIGHLY unlikely that an at-large bid will be coming our way unless people are willing to overlook a rough start to conference play and put more stock in our non-conference record, which at 6-2-2, probably isn't enough on its own to get us in. Regardless, the end of the season was a great one, and the season itself was a great roller coaster ride. I feel for Schoenfeld, Westbrook, and Pelton, but we have an enormous amount of returning talent and could very easily reclaim the title in 2012.
     
  7. dolydd

    dolydd Member

    Jul 17, 2008
    Lefty, thanks for the insight and updates throughout the season. Much appreciated. Are you the same guy who does the commentary for the Asun TV broadcasts? If so, great job this season.
     
  8. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Aaron Schoenfeld got tabbed by l'Impact at the Supplemental Draft, 20th overall. Seems like a good fit for him and he has a good shot of making the squad. Now imagine if those rumors about Ballack to Montreal come to fruition. I'd be too busy saying, "wow, that's Michael Ballack!" to be focused on playing.

    Ronny Westbrook got a tryout with an NASL team, but I can't remember which. Maybe San Antonio (he lives less than two hours away in Round Rock). He had a solid season this year, but missed having Gui Reis beside him to direct traffic in the back; paired with a guy like who can distribute the ball and read the game well, he'll be a really solid addition to a back line. If he can stick in D2, I wouldn't totally rule him out as a possible MLS player in the future, either.

    Great to see these guys getting a chance to ply their trade at a high level. That can only be a positive for the program.
     
  9. dolydd

    dolydd Member

    Jul 17, 2008
    Lefty, are you going to be watching the Spring season games over the next couple of weeks? Any chance you can give us some game summaries if you do.
     
  10. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm going to try. I'll definitely be there for the Virginia Tech game, and I'll try to be there for the Tusculum game tomorrow evening. No idea about the April games yet.
     
  11. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    ETSU 0-0 Tusculum

    Got out there just in time for the start of the second period. Here are the formations for the second and third, as best I recall them:

    Second Period
    Yang-Geno
    Haba-Osorio-Fubara-Doumbe
    Hodges-Schroettle-Thomas-Woodruff
    Hreha

    Subs: Campbell (for Haba), Zaccarelli (for Geno), Klein (for Woodruff)

    This unit looked a little sloppy. The back line was solid - I don't think Tusculum got a shot against him - but once they got the ball, things broke down. Offense in any sport is about rhythm, and it can be tough to get that rhythm going immediately after a long layoff. Also seemed like they had the central mids dropped way back in front of Schroettle and Thomas, though Fuby got forward quite a bit and looked dangerous. Yang was his scrappy self. Campbell played in a couple of good crosses that guys couldn't quite get on the end of. Hodges got up into the attack a couple of times and looked good in possession, but nobody was moving and creating space for passes to set up high-quality chances. The closest they got was when Doumbe broke things open coming across the field, had Zaccarelli on the inside run and went for the shot instead.

    Third Period
    Wilson-Morgan
    Shumaker-Guzman-(New Guy)-Campbell
    Zaccarelli-Hoyl-(New Guy)-Klein
    Matlock

    Subs: Don't recall any

    To use a hockey term, this group had some jump. Part of that may have been fatigue from Tusculum, but there were several good chances, and this unit didn't look totally discombobulated despite having not played together... well, ever. Campbell had a good chance, Wilson had a couple, and Kade Morgan had the best of them all and put it about a foot wide of the right post. The defense looked a little shaky. I'm not sure how much time Zaccarelli has spent at fullback in the past, but I'd say his future is farther up the field. Everybody in the back got caught ball watching at least once. Some player notes:

    - Emmanuel Wilson has a lot of potential. He's really explosive once he's got the ball. The problem is getting him the ball: he's typically either a.) offside or b.) in a position where his poor first touch results in a turnover. I'd like to see where he is by the end of spring, but he probably won't play much as a redshirt freshman.
    - Rocklin Shumaker was the most dangerous player of the night. He only got 30 minutes (and he was huffing and puffing after that 30 minutes), but he tore the Pioneers to pieces down the left flank. There were several times where he weighted the ball perfectly along the touchline, blew right by his defender and picked it up in stride. He'll definitely be one to watch as a sophomore.
    - Guzman is Dalton Guzman, a Knoxville native who signed on in December. Didn't watch him too closely, but he didn't do anything to really make himself stick out. Probably wasn't going full bore, which is understandable after his type of injury. I'll be watching him closer next week.
    - Campbell looked really motivated out there. I think he knows he's a little ways down the depth chart and wants to work his way into an expanded role. More good showings like this one will help him get there.
    - It was great to see Steven Matlock get on the field. He made a great kick save off a set piece late in the game. Seems like a pretty athletic keeper, but I'd like to see him get in his defenders' ears more than he did last night.

    Scratched:
    Ryan Coulter - I recall seeing him on crutches not too long ago, but he was moving around on his own power tonight. Not totally sure when he'll play.
    Colin Pugh - I think he's still rehabbing.
    Matt Reed - After fully recovering from his ankle injury in the fall, Reed broke his arm in practice. Poor guy just can't catch a break.
    Luis Calzadilla - He was on the sideline, but stayed in his practice gear the whole time. Not sure if he picked up a knock or what.

    Overall, your typical first spring game. They weren't really match-fit since they hadn't played or practiced (prior to this week) since November. You can definitely see the individual skill and the potential in this team, though, and I think they'll be clicking along by the time the spring season ends. All of that said, credit to TC. They held their own and definitely earned the split result. Their keeper played very well and they got forward and caused some problems. Much more like the team that went 20-3-1 in '08 than the one that went 0-6 to start last season.

    After the Tech game next weekend, they're on the road for a couple of weeks: UNC Charlotte, Binghamton, Clemson, and Georgia Southern. Calabrese is going all-out to develop these guys into a title contender in the fall.
     
  12. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Before I begin, a big congratulations to Aaron Schoenfeld who made his MLS debut today in the 69th minute for Columbus, against, of all teams, Montreal.


    ETSU 3-0 Virginia Tech

    Starting XI
    [LINEUP-4-4-2]David Geno, Theo Yang, Frank Doumbe, Alesi Osorio, Itode Fubara, David Haba,
    Nate Hodges, Nick Dykes, Simon Schroettle, Blaike Woodruff, James Holt[/LINEUP-4-4-2]

    Goals
    44'- ETSU - Osorio (Klein, Doumbe) - Well-worked ball. Doumbe from the left corner of the box out high to Klein coming in from the opposite side, plays it through for Osorio coming through the middle. He draws out the keeper and taps it home.
    72' - ETSU - Campbell (Zaccarelli) - Pristine ball from Zaccarelli off a corner, Campbell times the header just right and buries it. Lovely goal, very fluid.
    78' - ETSU - Fubara (Unassisted) - Gets a lane to shoot about 25 yards out and puts the ball top shelf, out of the keeper's reach on the left post. If it were MLS, this goal would be on more than a few highlight reels; if it were in the Premier League, Fubara's face would already be on t-shirts. Just a sensational goal.
    Geno also called back for an inadvertent hand ball at 48'. I didn't hear the whistle, but the referee signalled hand ball right away. I saw it bounce off the back of his shoulder and drop down. Ref had a better look at it than I did, so I'll trust him.

    Substitutes
    ~35' - Ronnie Hreha for Holt
    37' - Hank Klein for David Haba; Pedro Zaccarelli for Yang (formation change, see below)
    45' - Adam Thomas for Dykes
    55' - 7 (Can't remember his name for the life of me; I would bet I've heard it a dozen times now) for Frank Doumbe
    61' - Stephen Matlock for Hreha
    64' - Dalton Guzman for Osorio
    69' - Matt Reed for Hodges; Johnny Campbell for Geno
    73' - Rocklin Schumaker for Zaccarelli
    77' - Haba for Klein
    78' - Alex Hoyl for Woodruff
    81' - Dykes for Schroettle
    85' - Emmanuel Wilson for Fubara; Kade Morgan for Haba

    Analysis
    We dominated this game. It may have been a product of fatigue on Tech's part - unless they made subs at halftime I didn't notice, they didn't sub at all - but we might very well have had 60% of the possession, and definitely the bulk of the attacking play. We're still suffering from some longlayoffisis - our passing looked like a mediocre high school team early on, but the defense and positioning are getting better, and I thought we played a pretty physical game.

    After the subs at 37', we altered the 4-4-2 a little and it looked at times more like a 4-1-3-1-1:

    Geno
    Zaccarelli
    Doumbe-Osorio-Klein
    Fubara
    Hodges-Schroettle-Dykes-Woodruff
    Hreha​

    After that, the attack seemed to really come together. I can see both sides of Fubara in the back. While he definitely has the attributes to play that deep midfield spot - he has great vision, can make those long, incisive passes up the field that tend to give Osorio difficulty, and he's a ferocious defender, I think he might be better served getting up into the attack. Guzman looked pretty steady in that role tonight and should get some playing time right off the bat. I'd say enrolling early looks like a good decision on his part.

    Schroettle looked especially flat to start the game. He took a couple of free kicks that were really, really poor (one of which sailed about 20 feet over the crossbar), he had a lobbed pass intended for Doumbe that was a good 10 yards short (and right to a VT midfielder), and his physical play was lacking compared to his partner, Nick Dykes. All of that said, he seemed to find his touch as the game went on and he was much, MUCH better in the second half. He had a beauty of a home run pass to Geno on the play that led to his hand ball.

    One of the coolest things about college sports is seeing patterns in the recruits coaches bring in. Schroettle is a lot like Gui Reis: he's smart, he moves the ball well, and does well at controlling the flow of the game. Dykes is Ronnie Westbrook all over again: the timely, clean defender who is excellent in the air but can't be trusted to move the ball up field. Both are sophomores this year, and it will be really interesting to see how they develop as a partnership, or if Calabrese splits them up in the fall.

    Matt Reed came in late and played, cast and all. My memory might be fuzzy, but I think he's even better now than he was before he got hurt. He made some really smart plays at left back and seemed to be a real stabilizing presence in the back out on the flank. Maybe he should just keep that cast on? :rolleyes:

    Johnny Campbell doesn't just want to play, he wants to start. He kind of got stranded on an island after the Bucs went up 3-0 and took their foot off the gas, but he's physically and technically stronger than he was last year and has an air of determination about him that makes him really fun to watch. Count me as a fan of the hometown kid.

    Hreha has been spending a lot of time in the weight room. He was just a little skinny dude when he got here from Lees-McRae, but he has definitely added some upper body strength that will serve him well on set pieces. Matlock only got the 30-ish minutes and was only really tested once, but he withstood it, and that deserves credit. If something happens to Coulter in the fall or if he's not ready to go by August, I really like our chances with Hreha in goal, and Matlock is not a bad option if it comes to it. I think he's a year away from being a really good option.

    Osorio was hands-down the man of the match. He had the Midas touch tonight, and his goal was a great veteran play: the freshman Osorio would have smashed it from 12 yards away, but the rising senior Osorio took his time and played the smart ball under the keeper. If he stays healthy, he's going to have a monstrous senior year.

    The rest of the bunch looked pretty solid. I wasn't too impressed with Klein. Most of his passing wasn't that good and he got eaten alive defensively. Wilson and Morgan didn't really have an impact because they were such late subs and we really weren't pushing the attack at that point. Hoyl also didn't get much evaluation time. But the team really came together and played a solid 90 minutes tonight. That won't be enough against a team like Charlotte next week, but they're making positive strides for the fall, when it really counts.
     
  13. Hararea

    Hararea Member+

    Jan 21, 2005
    Yeah, huge for such a new program to already send a player to MLS.

    Nothing against ETSU, but I get the feeling Virginia Tech is just a mess.
     
  14. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Oh, no question. They didn't have a lot of intensity and more than a few of their guys looked gassed by the hour mark. Their defense could't get the ball away from us and they were very sluggish on the counterattack (or the attack in general). I'm not convinced that they brought all of their best returners since I didn't take numbers for them, but if they did, they need a lot of work if they're going to be a factor in the ACC this fall.
     
  15. dolydd

    dolydd Member

    Jul 17, 2008
    #7 is Jeremy, he's Australian.

    Good report Lefty, looks like you have forgot about the fourth Goalie for the fall James Holt.
     
  16. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Oh, no, I remember Holt, he just had no work to really judge him by last night. I missed his play against Tusculum (he played the first period, and I got there late), so I don't really have an idea as to whether he has benefited from the redshirt or not. But I can confirm that he is still a behemoth of a goalkeeper.
     
  17. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    2012 schedule is out, and it's a dandy:

    8/24 at Appalachian State
    8/28 vs. UNC-Greensboro
    8/31 at Presbyterian
    9/2 vs. Alabama-Birmingham
    9/8 vs. Radford
    9/15 at Davidson
    9/19 at Kentucky
    9/22 at Winthrop
    9/27 at Furman
    9/30 vs. Mercer*
    10/5 vs. North Florida*
    10/7 vs. Jacksonville*
    10/9 vs. Wake Forest
    10/13 at Lipscomb*
    10/19 vs. Northern Kentucky**
    10/26 at Florida Gulf Coast*
    10/28 at Stetson*
    11/3 at USC Upstate*
    11/7-11 A-Sun Tournament

    UNCG, UAB, and the 2007 National Champions all for home games? I'm down with that. Now we just have to play to our potential. Looking at the conference, I actually wonder if FGCU isn't an underdog for the title coming into this season graduating as many players as they did (9 seniors, with 7 seeing regular playing time). They're good in goal with Ingham, and Silva is a great striker, but their midfield and defense could look radically different.

    Stetson returns the player of the year (Mendoza) and the defensive player of the year (Ocejo). I think they're the team that poses the biggest challenge. Mercer is a physically large team that added some talent over the off-season. They could pose a challenge, but my gut feeling tells me they'll be an also-ran in 2012. I'd say they're a team to watch in the future, though.

    The rest of the conference strikes me as pretty unpredictable. UNF can't really get much worse than they did last year. It sounds like NKU has brought in a few really solid pieces for their first season in Division I, and we'll see how they do, but I fully expect them to get steamrolled on their first campaign. Lipscomb looks like a mess; with no Garrett Pettis to rely on up top and no Brent McGee to hold the defense together, they could be in big trouble. Upstate, no idea.

    If I had to submit a ballot today, though, I'd probably have us first based purely on our depth. Unless we sustain some injuries in PDL/NPSL over the summer, I think we've got a really good shot at doing something special and putting this program on the map.
     
  18. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Bucs split the results yesterday, 3-0 over Lincoln Memorial and a 2-1 loss to Milligan. I missed the LMU game, but I'll post my notes on the Milligan game later (hopefully later today).
     
  19. dolydd

    dolydd Member

    Jul 17, 2008
    Any updates Lefty?
     
  20. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    ETSU 3-0 Lincoln Memorial
    Geno
    Geno
    Yang

    ETSU 1-2 Milligan
    Ronnie Westbrook (seniors don't normally play in spring games, but technically he's still eligible) returned for what essentially amounted to his testimonial on Sunday.

    First Half
    [LINEUP-4-3-3]Schumaker, Wilson, Morgan, Guzman, Campbell, Zaccarelli, Hoyl, Reed, Thomas, Klein, Hreha[/LINEUP-4-3-3]

    5' - MC Goal - Soto-Castillo (struck low and hard from well outside the box, Hreha was late reacting to it and it skimmed by him)
    18' - Fubara for Zaccarelli (Fubara to CM, Morgan to RCM), Westbrook for Klein
    23'- ETSU Goal - Campbell (Penalty; Morgan tugged down in the box)
    30'- Doumbe for Schumaker
    33'- MC Goal - Green (header off a corner, Westbrook totally misjudged it; possibly just not wanting to risk injury)
    34'- Hodges for Guzman, Haba for Morgan

    Second Half
    [LINEUP-4-3-3]Yang, Geno, Doumbe, Fubara, Osorio, Guzman, Hodges, Dykes, Schroettle, Westbrook, Holt[/LINEUP-4-3-3]

    54' - Woodruff for Westbrook
    56' - Klein for Doumbe, Haba for Osorio
    60' - Reed for Guzman (Woodruff to LCM)
    63' - Wilson for Yang, Geno to LW
    66' - Westbrook for Hodges
    76' - Zaccarelli for Haba
    78' - Yang for Klein


    I really like Rocklin Schumaker's game. He's a really explosive player down the flank. He just needs to learn to pace himself a little better; he was huffing and puffing by the half-hour mark and needed to come out. (Might have also played the first game, but he had the same problem against Tusculum earlier in the spring, as well.)

    Emmanuel Wilson... not impressed today. Didn't win too many balls. Timing on his runs was all wrong, either offside or way too late off the mark. Has a lot of potential, but he likely won't see much of the field this fall.

    I thought Hank Klein played solid, but he's kind of tough to place. I see him as a Matt Reed type of scrappy fullback, but he has played all over the field. Probably won't see much of him this year, but he's poised for a breakout year in 2013 if that's the case.

    Dalton Guzman is a really intelligent player. He looked a lot more confident, too, going to ground and playing a little more physical now that his groin is starting to heal. I think he has an outside shot at starting in the opener in September, but that's still quite a ways away.

    This was the first time I had seen James Holt get really challenged in the spring. He was very aggressive, and played pretty well in the 45 minute sample size. Considering the way Hreha played, I think he might have moved himself to #2 on the depth chart with this game.

    Doumbe has to execute. He has a ton of speed, a good first touch, and he's a wizard with the ball at his feet, but his crosses were very poor: either right to a defender or out over the far touch line.

    Geno... what can I say? The guy is a treat to watch. He bobs and weaves around the field like a prize fighter. I think he has a good shot at following Schoenfeld into MLS.

    Dykes and Schroettle look much more comfortable in the back together now, which is good, because barring a transfer or a new signee, they're playing together.

    Then again, central defense was never really this team's problem. Getting Reed back makes the squad stronger defensively out wide, but they're still having a hard time getting forward quickly and causing problems on the flanks. Doumbe unquestionably has the speed, but the rest of the tools aren't there. With perhaps the exception of Schumaker, nobody else that played this spring has that kind of speed on the outside. Getting Pugh back, adding Saad, Ramahlo, Novaes, and hopefully Calzadilla (haven't seen him play) will change a lot of that.
     
  21. dolydd

    dolydd Member

    Jul 17, 2008
    Lefty... you still up in JC? Any thoughts on the upcoming season. Few guys not returning from 2011, and hopefully everybody will be back and fit who missed 2011.
     
  22. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Bucs are pegged as the preseason favorites in the coaches poll ahead of Florida Gulf Coast, with Stetson a distant third and Mercer in fourth. Those are the teams I suspect will give us the most trouble in-conference.

    Coulter, Fubara, Woodruff, and Geno all named to the preseason all-conference team. Coulter named preseason goalkeeper of the year. Pretty big expectations for this team now.
     
  23. dolydd

    dolydd Member

    Jul 17, 2008
    Any new updates now they're a couple of games in.
     
  24. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well, they dropped a 1-0 result at Appalachian State (I assume the altitude played to the Mountaineers' advantage), and then beat UNCG 3-1 on Tuesday. Geno had a brace, and Hodges got a goal with about 20 minutes left to seal it. I didn't get to see either game (one obviously being a road game, and I had some other obligations to handle tonight), but it sounds like the ASU result might have been an aberration.

    They go to Presbyterian on Friday and play UAB on Sunday. We'll see how they do going through such drastic changes in quality of opposition (UAB being ranked 17th, and Presbyterian historically being one of the worse teams in the Big South and presently 1-2 with a win over Longwood). Should be another fun weekend.
     
  25. LeftyLeftyOutside

    Aug 25, 2010
    Johnson City, TN
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well, Manny Wilson got the win over Presbyterian in the 84th minute, and that set up the big game today with #17 UAB.

    And what a game it was... after the 40 minute lightning delay, that is.

    ETSU 1-0 UAB (2OT)
    Geno (108', ast. Doumbe & Pugh)

    You really can't write a much better script. Two very talented, evenly-matched teams fighting for every inch, defending well and exchanging momentum, neither side wanting to concede the one goal in this match (which was pretty well established around the half-hour mark). It was a fast, physical, and just an overall fun contest to watch.

    Back in the spring, I compared David Geno to a prizefighter with the way he moves around the field. I still think that's an apt comparison. This guy can wreak absolute havoc in the final third. He has such speed and physical strength on the ball, but he also has a swagger to him, like he knows he's going to break you down and score on you, and when that's in full swing, he's nearly impossible to stop. He was one of, if not the best player on the field today in my eyes. (Raphael Ville, the GK for UAB, looked really good as well, as you'd expect from a guy out of Lyon's academy.)

    The goal itself was a work of art. Muemken breaks up a play on a free kick, off Doumbe's head and Franck takes off, into the middle for Pugh, Colin plays it in the air into the box for Doumbe, who finds a wide-open Geno. Transition play executed to perfection.

    Everybody played well, but Geno and Franck Doumbe really stood out to me. Doumbe was just all over the field making things happen, weaving through defenders with the ball and creating space. He was totally dialed in today and was a treat to watch. Muemken looks good in central defense, a big bruiser to go with the more calculating Schroettle. Calzadilla is a human bottle rocket. Fubara made good plays in the middle. Pugh looked like the steady CM we've come to expect. I won't go through it with a fine-toothed comb, but I have to imagine Calabrese is tickled with the performance. His defense stood tall, and his team kept creating chances on the other end and swinging the momentum of the match back and forth. I, for one, could have sat there and watched those two teams play another 90 minutes with the form they showed out there today.

    This is an impressive bunch. I think it's the deepest team Calabrese has assembled, although that's helped along by the fact that there haven't been any season-ending injuries to this point (as opposed to last year, where Pugh and Reed were gone before the season started). It's not hard to see why they were preseason favorites in the A-Sun. Now they just have to bottle this form and stay strong all the way through the season.
     

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