UNC 2024

Did you actually read my original post?

But to your point, taken at face value, does the AD want drama or a steady program?

 

I saw your assumption - that Nahas essentially oversaw the program last year. I think it’s a big assumption - and unsupported by subsequent events. From the outside, as I have zero insight into the team dynamics, UNC appeared to underachieve last year based on talent. There was a mass exodus in the offseason - and multiple stories of turmoil. Anson retired days before the season started. I think their current season speaks for itself and who is “in charge” is unambiguous. If UNC really believed Nahas was the cause of the turmoil last year, why allow him to take charge this season? Again, my perspective from the outside.

 

To your last question, the AD had no real choice. Anson stepped down too late to hire someone from the outside.

But to be clear, I would be surprised if Damon does not get the position, and he seems like a very good coach. I have no dog in the fight. I was just laying out what 'may' be going through the ADs mind, since he has not lifted the interim tag yet.

 

Tracey Leone would be my hire. Her positive energy is so up lifting.

 

For head coach? Seems like a good assistant

 

Tracey Bates may not want the head job but if you compared the Nahas resume to Bates-Leone, it's a no-brainer. She's a UNC alum, former USWNT player, and was an ACC Head Coach at Clemson for 6 years and started their program and is in the Clemson Hall of Fame as a result. And that's only a small part of her experience.

 

The Alumni want an Alum. But, if coach Nahas wins nat title, how could they let him go? Its a waiting game. If they give unc to Leone or Tiff Roberts, for example, then Nahas lands at NC State and will be a motivated son of a gun for years to come

 

I'm just an on looker, and Nahas certainly has exceeded expectations for an interim coach, but the notion of Nahas ending up at NC State is delicious. You know, for someone with no horse in the race.

Or even better, Duke. What's their Robbie Church succession plan anyway?

 

Is she as relevant in today’s youth and recruiting landscape?

you’re talking about somebody who was HC in the ACC thirty years ago.

 

It's hard not to feel like this topic is a distraction. The extreme paranoia in me beleives there some folks on here who have an agenda to create discourse about the coaching position when there's a big game this week against Penn State.

So here's my effort to bring things back on track to the here and now.

I mentioned this in my game updates but I thought it's worth visiting again here with no character limits: Maddie Dahlien is a significantly more important player than a lot of people seem willing to give her credit for.

Dahlien played a major role in all three goals against Minnesota, and got credited with two assists. She'd have a third if there were hockey assist rules, as she made an underrated decision to reset play and switch the point of attack to Alvarez on Shores goals.

I got the sense that Dahlien was getting frustrated not being able to get goals for herself, mostly as it started to show a little bit in her actions on the field. She's gotten a little ... feisty ... shall we say ... with some of her challenges, especially after turnovers. She is snake bitten, having arguably two of UNC's best chances to score in the past two games on clean breakaways. She snatched at both chances with her finish and ended up pushing them both wide. Her ranged shooting has also diminished, not getting great power or accuracy on her hits. She used to have this really great shot where it stayed low and gave keepers so much trouble, but now she tends to hit them straight at the oppositions net minder at the ideal height for them.

It can be frustrating that goals and scoring points are used by most to mark how good a player is or what her current "stock" is. Outside the two points on Sunday, Dahlien hasn't exactly been lighting it up on the score board for the casual observer. For those of us who are *not* a casual observer, there's so much more to talk about. Dahlien creates the vast majority of UNC's most dangerous chances when the Heels are combining in the final third. This includes drawing pretty much all of UNC's PK takes this year with how she likes to split defenders when driving into the 18. She's also significantly improved on the defensive end of the ball in how she checks back, especially considering how further back the recent formations have had her playing. Great players find a way to contribute even when they're not producing themselves, and Dahlien has been a paragon of that ideal.

Dahlien to me is one of three "pillars" for UNC that allows them to be so diverse in how they attack opponents. The preferred method of attack continues to be this centralized combination through the middle, overwhelmingly it has lead to finding players with their back to goal for quick give and go combinations. Olivia Thomas is the centerpiece of this attack. While I don't want to limit this capability, it should be noted they so rarely generate dangerous chances with this tactic, and they've barely scored any goals at all with it this season. It's the focus, but I'm not sure why.

The opposition has tried to compact their formations and prevent this, but it then leaves them vulnerable to the other two "pillars" ... Dahlien out wide and the over the top balls to players like Kate Faasse, who has excelled at that role all season long.

I think the combination out wide to isolate or get an overlapping run for Dahlien is the under-utilized tactic of the three "pillars". Given how she has so consistently created the most dangerous chances for UNC this season I think the Tar Heels attack should prefer her abilities first, and only switch to the other tactics when an opposition can prove they can stop it. Like running in football. Establish the width with Maddie Dahlien, and then hit them with the play action combo of over the top to Faasse or through the middle to Thomas.

 

I’m going to say UNC wins 2-1. Penn State beat Minnesota 1-0, UNC beat them 3-0. Not very scientific, but that’s my guess!

 

PSU is a tough opponent

 

Great win. UNC dominated the second half. College cup! Who would’ve thought at the beginning of the season?!?

 

Upper arm shoulder on every replay I've seen, but I'm going to go in and make a gif and post it.

 

I do think this should have been reviewed, but the call on the field would have been a tyrant here. Both angles I've posted on my X account shows the ball striking the upper arm, seemingly above the barrier defined by the IFAB , which is below the arm pit. It's hard to tell with Faasse's arm extended away from the body as it was, but that just means there was no where near enough evidence to over turn.

The assumption here is also that it *wasn't* reviewed while UNC was celebrating. If I'm not mistaken, the officials at the replay station can trigger a review on a clear and obvious error. They might have looked at it and came to the same conclusion I have ... there's just not enough evidence to decisively say the call on the field, a goal, can be over turned. There's no clear and obvious error.

When we talk about what is "right" here, I think we all can agree that the "right" thing to do would have been to review it... but I think you're in la la land if you think it should have been overturned.

https:// x.com /babranski/status/1862701346941522022

 

I think it's safe to say the official made nobody happy in this game. What was and wasn't reviewed was ... odd, but I think we don't see part of the process that makes it confusing to fans why some plays are and are not reviewed. The PSU goal that actually counted look more offside than the goal that was called offside but couldn't be over turned.

I'm having a hard time consolidating all the complaining Penn State fans are doing about the officiating, because it's usually revolving around two or three reviews that didn't go their way. This in a game where the standard of physical play allowed overwhelmingly benefited Penn State. I had strokes of terror on several challenges where shielding UNC players were run into from behind, illiciting flashbacks of Emily Fox's injury in another quarterfinal.

 

You have to make contact with your studs for that to be a red, and Elgin didn't because the PSU player was basically standing on top of her between her legs.

 

bang bang it looked like a header, and I didn't notice the discourse either until after I left the game. The IFAB defines the boundary of when something is a handball as "in line with the bottom of the armpit".

 

She did get the call. It was reviewed for the red after a yellow was given, and video review is where extra antics from the would be Italian wouldn't have mattered.