With Coach Romagnolo (sp) out, just starting a thread to discuss thoughts on the new coach once they are announced, thoughts on the team in general and the incoming recruits, will they lose any recruits because of the uncertainty, and do they have the horses to compete for a title this year? Or just random observations about the movie Rudy is fine too.
I hope ND picks the best candidate and who will get them back to the elite status they had for years. Has been disappointing to see them slip. They need to ay the $$$ to get the right coach in.
Rudy was the worst possible thing to happen to Notre Dame. Northern-tier football was already dying (as did women's soccer in the recent decade) but Rudy buried them for a generation. Penn State recovered from Sandusky, of all things, to it's glass ceiling in a fraction of the time.
http://www.und.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/020718aaa.html Unless I misread the bios looks like 4 US National Team players and very solid pickups overall. For the Romagnolo critics this is the class she recruited, so if they produce she gets partial credit. Also doesn't look like anyone backed out because of the coaching situation so ND still has its mystique intact. Based on the bios (and I will begin looking into this group!) the cupboard of young talent is there for the new coach.
For sure she should be credited with that class as it is hers! ND should be getting national players on a yearly basis with the reputation of the school.
It's got to be discomfiting for several players sign with a school that has no coach. The assistant(s) and staff are still there, I presume, so that helps, but the individual that ultimately sold you the place is gone! And you've no idea about the next coach, who will have no clue about you until you get on the field. It may not be a bad situation, ultimately, but it's certainly not a comforting way to start one's college career. At at Michigan they sacked both the head man and his top assistant, didn't they? Yikes.
While you should take these rankings with a huge grain of salt, as there are injured players and they have wildly over-ranked and under-ranked players, topdrawersoccer ranked Romagnolo's class this year as top 5: Based upon reported commitments, official classes and shaped by the IMG Academy Top 150, below is the latest Top 10 classes. 1. USC Commitments: M Madeline Vergura (FC Stars of Massachusetts – No.17), GK Anna Smith (Seattle Reign Academy – No. 34), F Penelope Hocking (So Cal Blues – No. 45), F Cassidy Tshimbalanga (California Thorns FC – No. 137), GK MacKenna Carmichael (San Diego Surf), M Ashley Soto (So Cal Blues), D Logan Wells (San Diego Surf) Transfers: Natalie Jacobs (Notre Dame), Alea Hyatt (North Carolina) The transfers of Jacobs and Hyatt, along with Penelope Hocking’s rise in the Top 150 vault USC into the No. 1 spot in the latest update. The class should provide a huge impact for the Pac-12 side this year. 2. Stanford* Commitments: F Sophia Smith (Real Colorado – No. 1), D Naomi Girma (California Thorns – No. 5), D Sierra Enge (So Cal Blues – No. 13), GK Katie Meyer (San Diego Surf – No. 29), M Bianca Caetano-Ferrara (San Diego Surf – No. 46), F Abigail Greubel(Slammers FC – No. 71) The Cardinal’s class, which was announced on Friday, saw a couple of recruits end up at other programs. However, Sophia Smith should be able to make a huge difference for the team this fall, while Naomi Girma could end up starting later this fall. 3. North Carolina Commitments: M Brianna Pinto (NTH Tophat – No. 2), M Rachael Dorwart (Penn Fusion – No. 7), F Rachel Jones (NTH Tophat – No. 8), GK Claudia Dickey (No. 22), F Mary Elliott McCabe (Charlotte Soccer Academy – No. 119) Five recruits are still poised to head to Chapel Hill, with all five in the Top 150. 4. Virginia Commitments: M/F Alexa Spaanstra (Michigan Hawks – No. 6), F Ashlynn Serepca (Carolina Rapids – No. 9), F Rebecca Jarrett(NYCFC – No. 20), D Claire Constant (McLean Youth Soccer – No. 35) Spaanstra and Serepca have both enrolled early for the spring. That pair, along with Rebecca Jarrett, have the potential to be huge difference-makers for a quality team that lacked dynamism up front. 5. Notre Dame* Commitments: M Brianna Martinez (New Mexico Rush – No. 16), F Olivia Wingate (FC Stars of Massachusetts – No. 18), M Luisa Delgado-Heinz (Beach FC – No. 50), GK Mattison Interian(Slammers FC – No. 77), D Chloe Boice (So Cal Blues – No. 88), F Nikki Colantuono (Quickstrike FC), D Genevieve Watkins(Slammers FC), GK Jaina Eckert (Birmingham United SA), D Jade Gosar (Real Colorado) Despite being on the hunt for a new head coach, the Irish have lured a top five class to South Bend. There’s help coming in just about every position, leaving whoever takes over the program in solid shape. 6. Michigan* Commitments: M Meredith Haakenson (Minnesota Thunder Academy – No. 36), F Brianna Atterbury (Sereno SC – No. 49), F Kaya Frazier (Michigan Hawks – No. 76), M Raleigh Loughman(MVLA – No. 91), D Janiece Joyner (Cleveland FC – No. 94), D Emily Ashby (Midwest United FC – No. 114), D Sydney Shepherd(Mustang SC – No. 129), Kierra Krawec (California Magic SC) Another program with a top-rated class despite lacking a head coach, Michigan is also in relatively good shape for whoever ends up taking over the program. 7. Washington* Commitments: M Summer Yates (Pacific NW – No. 4), D Shae Holmes (Real Colorado – No. 12), GK Danielle Hansen (Real Colorado – No. 78), F MaKayla Woods (FC Portland Academy – No. 131), F Makena Carr (Eastside FC), F Ruby Hellstrom (San Diego Surf), M Claudia Longo (ISC Gunners), M Cassidy Lucht(Del Mar Carmel Valley Sharks), M Trinity Paulsen (Westside Timbers), D Anastasia Kravitz (California Thorns FC), M Vanessa Millsaps (Fury Premier) Can this class help UW make up ground in the Pac-12? Top-ranked recruits Yates and Holmes should be able to make significant contributions from the get-go, as the Huskies seek to improve in 2018. 8. Duke* Commitments: M Mackenzie Pluck (PDA – No. 21), F Marykate McGuire (Boston Breakers Academy – No. 64), M Sydney Simmons (Solar SC – No. 68), D Emily Crocco (Richmond United – No. 105), GK Holland Stam (Boston Breakers Academy – No. 115), D Delaney Graham (NTH Tophat) Duke’s impressive ability to lure the nation’s best from around the country continued this year. The Blue Devils have big holes to fill from last fall’s graduating class, though players like McGuire and Pluck should mess well with the returners. 9. Penn State* Commitments: F Allison Schlegel (Real Colorado – No. 10), D Caitlin Haislip (Eclipse Select – No. 40), GK Katherine Asman(NTH Tophat – No. 48), D Rachel Wasserman (D’Feeters – No. 122), M Madison Myers (Michigan Hawks), M Kelli Beiler (North Union United SC) Allison Schelgel’s ability to play just about anywhere is likely to help her see minutes right away, while Haislip is someone that program can count on to provide an option at the back. 10. Florida State Commitments: M Jaelin Howell (Real Colorado – No. 3), F Kristina Lynch (Indiana Fire Academy – No. 57), M Kirsten Pavlisko(Florida Elite Soccer Academy – No. 134), M Yujie Zhao (Shanghai Youyi High School) The ACC program’s added the commitment of Chinese Youth National Team player Yujie Zhao, a high-level compliment to three Top 150 recruits. U.S. midfielder Jaelin Howell should fit the program’s style like a glove.
Notre Dame goes with a coach with ties to the Blue And Gold, Nate Norman a former player for the Irish on the Men's Side is named Women's Head Coach: http://www.und.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/022018aaa.html Seems like they're hoping they have the hot young up and coming coach as his experience isn't deep (the Sean McVay hire). He has a top 5 recruiting class and has lost none of those recruits, so he has some talent to work with. Don't really know much about him given his previous stints (Western Michigan, Liberty). Must have had a helluvan interview and expressed a real vision for the team. Thoughts?
I have been a ND fan since Shannon Boxx played for ND in mid-90's. I have been to almost all ND NCAA Final Fours and ALL the Championships. Just as I had a wait and see attitude when Chris Petrucelli left and Randy Waldrum was hired, I will do the same for Nate Norman. Petrucelli left and Waldrum took over and didn't miss a beat. Questions for Norman: Can he compete and win against a tough ACC week after week? Can he go into any living room across the US and go toe to toe with Anson Dorrance, Robbie Church or Mark Krikorian and convince a recruit and her parents that ND is the school to go? Can he convince a Top Drawer recruit with dreamy eyes at the US Women's National Team that going through ND will get her there? Can he convince a father who is not Catholic that ND is the school for his daughter? Can he get ND back to where they are a regular NCAA Final Four team year after year? From a guy who would drive from Chicago to South Bend for every Irish home game every Sunday starting with the Perucelli era and all the way through the end of the Waldrum era, I hope so. I want to be excited about the Irish women's soccer program like I was back then. IMO, the last four years were disappointing especially when Morgan Andrews left the program. I wish Nate Norman immediate success and will be keenly keeping an eye on this storied program, again.
He will not need to go "into any living room across the US and go toe to toe with Anson". In todays recruiting world, top recruits are committed before a coach can meet with them off campus.
Great Hire. BTW, Nate was doing the recruiting so consistency is there. The assistants are usually the "boots on the ground" in the recruiting process and the head coach seals the deal.
OK, but from a fan's point of view (not talking about the 4 year parent who's interest vanishes after their daughter is done playing), as Waldrum was held to Petrucelli's standards, Norman will be held to Waldrum's standards. Looking forward to seeing him exceed them.
Notre Dame women’s soccer team will play five exhibition games this spring. Away vs. Purdue in West Lafayette on March 24. Home vs. Ball State on April 1. Home vs. and Wisconsin on April 15. Neutral Site at Indianapolis Grand Park vs. Indiana on April 21. Home vs. Northwestern on April 28. "Notre Dame will compete under new head coach Nate Norman, who previously was an Irish assistant during the 2017 season. Norman will lead a roster that includes early enrollee and goalkeeper Mattie Interian. The entire incoming freshman class, ranked No. 5 in the country, will join the Irish this summer." Article here: http://www.und.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/022618aaa.html
Notre Dame is an interesting case study for a project I've been working on. The project looks at the question of how to project a team's RPI rating and rank for next year, using only historic RPI rating and rank data. After a whole lot of work, what I've found is that the best formula for predicting what a team's rating will be next year is: (Average of last two years' ratings + trended rating for next year based on the last eight years' ratings)/2 The trended rating for next year uses a computer-generated formula for a straight trend line. This approach, of all the ones I've tried, produces the smallest difference between teams' projected ratings and what their actual ratings turn out to be. It has a fairly wide margin of error -- on average, it gets teams across the board within 15 positions of their actual rating positions. But for the top 20, where the rating differences between teams are larger, it gets teams within about 2 positions of their actual rating positions. Using this formula, first applied to Romagnolo's tenure: 2014: Projected rating/rank: 0.5947/29 ; Actual rating/rank: 0.6289/14 (I had to use a 7-year trend for this one.) 2015: Projected rating/rank: 0.6005/35 ; Actual rating/rank: 0.6398/10 2016: Projected rating/rank: 0.6152/24 ; Actual rating/rank: 0.6502/9 2017: Projected rating/rank: 0.6364/11 ; Actual rating/rank: 0.6262/14 Looking forward to next year: 2018: Projected rating/rank: 0.6388/13 Something notable is that for three of Romagnolo's years, Notre Dame significantly outperformed the statistical expectations. It slightly underperformed in her last year. This might be something to come back and look at when the 2018 season is over, to see how the team has done in Norman's first year, as compared to the statistical expectation.
Lengthy interview with new Irish coach Nate Norman: http://www.und.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/030318aaf.html
That is a really great piece. As someone who went to a Quaker school back East for high school and much later in life coached tennis for 20 years at an all girls Catholic high school here in PDX (the feeling of the two schools was exactly the same), I could relate to a lot of how he feels about coaching at Notre Dame.
It was a very interesting read. Candidly though I felt he said a little too much about the Notre Dame interview/offer. If I was a candidate and had interviewed, I would not find it a fair process or very professional if he is offering the job to an in-house candidate in the hospital. It comes off more of an emotional hire than a best candidate hire. He may be fantastic. Just my thoughts on sharing how the offer went down.
CP, thanks for this memory jog. The attitude about the playing soccer competitively has really changed over the years. Sportsmanship seemed to be truly prized in my playing days in high school and college (both at Quaker schools.) Surely it survives in specific places around the country (and globe) but the game has also garnered a hard edge in many places which can be seen both at high schools and college teams as well as club and pro. One of the names that instantly came to mind as I read your post above was Pat Smith, who I knew as this English bloke who was just getting started in refereeing in the 1960s after giving up his amateur playing days at age 40. He worked a day job as an industrial plumber all of his working life but devoted all his free time to improving and developing the game as a soccer referee. I and all of the other soccer players at Earlham back then were just wowed by his on-field presence. He just exuded cheerful good will and love for the game and its players even as he whistled fouls and carded infractions. He was regularly assigned to ref games at our college in the 1960s and the administration was so impressed that they awarded him an honorary doctorate. Seriously... his contribution to the game was tremendous and he always led by example. In the four years I got to see him referee he became a unconscious role model for me (especially in my modest soccer refereeing career.) He faded from my memory until I happened to see the name Pat Smith praised and eulogized in 2010 on Big Soccer. I looked it up and indeed it was the same man I knew who had recently died in 2009. I was amazed (but not surprised) to find that he had gone on from his humble beginnings as a referee in the midwest to national and international prominence as both a referee and as an evaluator and instructor for professional leagues (NASL), the USSF, NCAA, and the Armed Forces leagues. But what came through beyond all the accolades, awards, halls of fame, etc. was all of the comments about his love for the game and its participants and how much he was valued as a human being. Patty was a part of this "feeling" you refer to above. He apparently touched many hearts. And he infected me and many others with the notion that sportsmanship, fair play, and friendly good will were absolutely compatible with competing as hard as one could. I still see it in soccer. I see it with the UNC women's team, it was clearly there with the LIberty University team the several times I saw them play, and I know that it is still there in many, if not most, other college teams as well. I appreciate your noting and valuing its presence. And the best of luck to Nate, who from his interview appears to be ready to continue that tradition.
Hmmm...Nate Norman is off to a solid start... ND opens Spring Season with a 3-0 win over Purdue. Early enrollee freshman GK played for a half...Looking forward to seeing who of the rest of these promising freshman recruits gets playing time and contributes when they arrive in the fall. http://www.und.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/032318aaa.html
Based on the Box Scores, Coach Nate Norman is wasting no time getting his Fighting Irish # 5 ranked freshman recruiting class into game action. 2 games in a row, his "Freshman Seven" have gotten significant minutes with freshmen Brianna Martinez, Brooke Van Dyck, and Mattie Interian starting vs. Purdue. Other Freshman highlights: Brianna Martinez scored on a corner vs. Michigan; Kelly Moss had an assist to Nikki Colantuono for the second goal versus Michigan. Goalkeeper Mattie Interian has allowed no goals in her two halves of action vs. Michigan and Purdue. Brooke Van Dyck started both games, and Jade Gosar & Olivia Wingate have played substantial minutes. Would love if anyone who is at either game could post any insights on the team. Going to try and catch their games on the ACC Network and see how they gel. Notre Dame is ranked #14 nationally in the United Coaches Poll-- so hoping these new blood, hungry dogs from South Bend surprise some of the big dogs this season... because the top 6 ranked teams in particular are STACKED.
120 blistering degrees on the artificial turf today as Butler outplayed the Fighting Irish. Butler impressed with a smothering, high-pressure defense, packed the box, was strong on the counterattack. Chris Henderson's twitter account said "don't call this an upset," and he may be right. Defensive-minded Butler didn't look like a fluke today. Butler had more corners, and more shots on goal than the Irish. Irish offense couldn't string much together, too many errant and uncrisp passes, Irish defense was soft and lacked aggression. They had no answers for Butler's sparkplug and scorer on offense Page Monaghan, who seemed uncovered for stretches of play. 2 point blank shots allowed from Butler, and a 1v1 breakaway allowed as the Irish played everyone up to try and generate some offense that resulted in a late goal for a final of 4-1. Butler even stopped a PK, it was that kind of day for Notre Dame. The minor bright spots in the loss were from the freshmen, seeing Olivia Wingate sink a sweet shot, and a couple of crazy acrobatic saves from the Irish GK. Are these just growing pains from a young team, and the Irish have to take their lumps now to hopefully make a run later in the season? An early crossroads for Head Coach Nate Norman, who had to be disappointed in his team's effort today. Here's the official ND article on the match: https://und.com/news/2018/8/26/womens-soccer-irish-drop-road-contest-to-butler-4-1.aspx
I’m ready to put Norman on the hot seat. I can’t believe there would be someone who would make me miss the days of Romagnolo. This mediocre 4-4 start without a single quality win, where the only consistency has been him being out coached, has been tough to watch. He’s in over his head. He’s not getting strong play from his veterans with any consistency, and they show critical mental lapses. The young players brought in by Romagnolo, so highly ranked, are being wasted. More than one game the team has come out lifeless. That’s on him. There’s a key player with a huge liability in their game at a position of depth. I don’t know if it’s worse that he hasn’t diagnosed it or doesn’t care. But after watching them concede 6 goals over the last two games, I think he may be on the verge of making history, not getting a bid to the NCAA tournament for the first time in ND history. Too much talent on this team for that. Maybe he’ll prove me wrong. Would love that actually.