UVA vs. ODU [R]

Clemson has Appalachian State tonight if anyone cares. It should be a massacre, but then again, everyone probably thought Davidson vs. UNC was gonna be too! My prediction is Dimleon Westfield scores a hat trick.

 

3-2 UVa wins.

ODU led 1-0 at half time. David Comfort dropped a corner kick....he's awful.

Ryan Gibbs tied it and the Eskandarian gave the Hoos the lead with a screaming left-footed shot into the upper corner.

But poor defense let one of the Monarchs' foreigners in on Comfort and the Bratislav fired it into the far post nicely.

But UVa earned a corner and Jonathan Cole put it in for the Cavs' ninth win of the season.

But instead of possessing and running out time they kept attacking and whilst they should have put two or three more into the goal, their poor defense nearly let ODU have a chance at the equalizer...

 

My wife got summoned to Richmond this afternoon for work tomorrow so I convinced her to take the "shortcut" to Richmond via Charlottesville and we caught the UVa-ODU game. (Note to all you bachelors: marry either very understanding women, soccer fans or both. Both is ideal!)

This is only the second time I've seen the Cavs play this year and after watching them in this game, I can understand why earlier this season this team had the longest losing streak the program has seen in 22 years.

UVa has talent but they're not nearly as good as they were in the past. Basically, they're strong in central defense, defensive mid and forward, but that's it. The GK (David Comfort) is below average, the wide mids (Ryan Kelly and Zane Hill) are nothing to get excited about, the center mid (Jake LeBlanc) is playing out of posiiton and the wing backs (John Hartman and Jeff Tuman) are a liability.

I don't understand why Big Game George isn't playing Hunter Freeman at wing back but there's a reason why Gelnovatch has the job and I don't.

This team should still make the NCAA Tournament and, who knows, once they're in the show anything can happen but I don't think the Cavs are gonna be playing in Dallas in December.

Anyway, about the game. As Griffetino pointed out, the first ODU goal came late in the first half on a total gaffe by Comfort, who basically dropped a corner kick and it fell right to a Monarchs player who punched it in. If the play hadn't happened right in front of us, I don't think I'd have fully realized how bad the GK screwed up but he basically just handed Old Dominion a game.

UVa must have gotten their butts chwed out at halftime because they came out with the intensity cranked up. About 5 minutes in, Alecko Eskandarian sprung Ryan Gibbs on a through ball and Gibbs got around the on-rushing ODU keeper and from a sharp angle from the left side of the box fired into an open net. When he went around the GK Gibbs must have hit the ball off him because Eskandarian wasn't credited with an assist.

A few minutes later Gibbs won a 50-50 ball and slid a simple ball for Esky, who dribbled a few yards then cranked an 18-yard blast that just slipped under the crossbar to make it 2-1.

Shortly before the first ODU goal, Kenny Arena left the game with what appeared to be a brusied foot or ankle. For all the critiscism this poor kid gets, it should be noted that in the second half UVa really missed him in the middle clogging up the opposing attack. To compensate for Arena's absence, the center backs started playing futher up and a few minutes later after the Cavs went up 2-1, Jon Cole, normally a center back, got caught pushing up and an ODU attacker spun around him and slid a pass to Atilla Vendeigh, last year's CAA player of the year, who beat Comfort with a well-placed angled shot that just tucked into the right corner.

It didn't take long for Cole to make amends as he was left wide open on a corner kick and headed home the game-winning goal.

UVa blew several chances to get an insuarnce goal while ODU failed to take advatages of their chances to tie and that was that.

A good, though not spectacular, win for the Cavs, who have now won 6 of 7 after the 4 game skid. Saturday they have American, which has lost 3 of 4, then play Maryland a week later then finish off with a couple of non-conference cupcakes. They should win at least 3 of their remaining reg. season games which ought to be enough to get them into the NCAA tourney.

One other thought about the game. Joe Vide played the second half in place of Arena though not at D-mid. You can tell he has a lot of playmaking and natural center mid ability but he sometimes tries to do too much and he has a lot of, to use an old Bruce Arena term, French pastry in his game that he needs to get rid of. However, with him in the game the Cavs scored 3 goals and while he didn't set up any of them directly, I don't think it's a coincidence that UVa was more dangerous with him on the field.

Courtney, I'm sorry you weren't at the game. I kept an eye out for an attractive and boisterous UVa fan though with my wife there it could have been kind of awkward if I had suddenly starting talking to some young co-ed!

 

Freeman came in with about 8 minutes left for Alecko, presumably an offense for defense move by Big Game George.

A couple other thoughts about the game. Gibbs played about as well as I have ever seen him play. He made some nice crosses, took guys on 1-v-1, tracked back on D, pressured the ODU backs, set up one goal, scored another and could have had a couple more. For all the weaknesses I pointed out about UVa earlier, if Gibbs plays like this alongside Eskandarian, that's gonna be a 1-2 punch that not many teams can match. I can see UVa being in a lot of 3-2 or 4-3 games down the stretch.

Eskandarian is a very intriguing player. He isn't brilliant technically and he isn't a classic withdrawn striker. But, he is such a hustler and he really gives up his body to win balls and get them to teammates and then move to a dangerous spot. He's built like a middleweight wrestler - stocky and low to the ground - and he has a lot of strength and a great center of gravity. And, he has a great shot though for all the goals he scores, he misses a few that he should have.

BTW, he has 19 goals this season, 4 short of AJ Wood's school record for goals in a season. UVa has games left against AU, Maryland, Pitt and Temple plus at least 1 ACC Tournament game and in all likelihood, at least 1 NCAA game. That's 6 games to get 5 goals to break Wood's record. I think he's gonna do it.

 

I agree with Sandons' assessments.

Vide should be on the field more often. LeBlanc has some good skills but he's not a playmaker. Vide may try to do too much at times, but that's better than getting absolutely nothing creative at all from an Arena/LeBlanc central midfield. And if they're going to give up 2 goals a game why have so many attackless players in there?

Does anyone else get the impression that Vide is too flashy for his teammates and just on some other wavelength altogether? I get the feeling some of the players don't like the kid.

I don't think Comfort would have been the third-string goalie on any of the teams from '84-94.

Alecko is a striker, pure and simple. He may lose the ball a dozen times but he only nees two or three chances to shoot and it's going into the goal.

 

Comfort

For a bunch of people who are supposed to know your soccer you really need to get off of Comfort's butt. Comfort was good enough to send Kyle Singer, a former U20 National Team Keeper, packing for the exit. Did you ever think he might be injured? (Check out his hand thing).

If Sandon and you other "mouthers" are supposed to be former players and know your soccer then why don't you just be professional once in your life and lead these boards in intelligent discussions and keep your unintelligent judgements to yourself.

And if you are all just former field players then you doubly need to "SHUT-UP" especially where keepers are concerned. Comfort is better than Brock Yetso ever was and Yetso replaced one of the best keepers that Bruce Arena ever sacked, Mark Peters. Comfort might not be Jeff Causey but he sure has the right to hang around with this crowd and any squads from the past.

 

For those of you at the game, what are your impressions of Vendegh. He was conference player of the year last year and is ODU's alltime goal leader. How does he stack up against top NCAA forwards?

 

Re: Comfort

Move over Bill O'Reilley

 

Re: Comfort

Sorry Mr. Comfort we didn't mean to upset you and your son. The bottom line is UVA hasn't kept the ball out of the net this year regardless if it's the GK or the defense in front of him. There's lots of talk about creating more attack although they get 2-3 goals most games, the problem with UVA this year is they can't stop the other team's attack. The "fix" for UVA should center on figuring out a way to defend and having their keeper catch the simple balls.

 

Re: Comfort

1st - Who here is professing to be an expert or professional?
2nd - Uhhh....Opinions are ALLOWED on this board. "Comfort is awful" - that's my opinion, see? I mean it looks like you went to Duke so please give that fine private institution the dignity of not acting like a narrow-minded blow-hole.

Listen, I'm not saying Comfort has to be Bob Willen or anything (but I firmly believe he would not have been the third string 'keeper on that squad "from the past" that had Willen and Meola on the same roster), and I didn't see anyone here claim Brock Yetso was grandiose between the pipes and led Virginia to an NCAA championship, etc.... but does anyone else here believe that a goalkeeper is somewhat responsible for helping organize his defense...especially when he's a senior? Even though I do not blame Comfort at all for the second goal, Comfort gaffed last night in a big way on that corner kick and nearly collided with one of his defenders on a routine ball into the box. I don't think much of him and don't feel comfortable about UVa's chances to win a game or hold a lead much the same way I feel uneasey when Brad Friedel's in goal but at peace when Keller's in net for the United States. Another opinion, see?

Now, Courtney guesses Comfort had an off game. I would agree since by my count he made maybe one or two 'saves' and dropped a ball on a corner kick that resulted in a goal. Not a great night for any 'keeper.

As for my thoughts on Vendegh...he hit the target on probably his one chance of the match. Not bad at all...but then again Comfort was in goal

 

Ocre, you really need to chill.

First off, most of us posting on this thread are UVa fans. We support the program but that doesn't make us sheep. Yeah, we want Comfort to do well but we're not sheep. If he doesn't play well, we're not gonna act like that's not the case.

Secondly, most of us feel like he hasn't played well. That's not fact but it's certainly my opinion. Further, I think he is among the worst GKs in the conference. I also think the numbers bare me out.

Out of the 7 starting GKs, Comfort is 6th (1.48), behind only NC State's Mitchell Watson (1.91), in Goals-Against-Average.

Comfort is also 6th (.689) in save percentage, behind Duke's Justin Trowbridge (.673).

All this despite facing not as many shots as most of the other GKs, so you can't really blame the defense.

Comfort has been forced to make 3.2 saves per game. That's the 5th lowest total in the ACC. Only Ford Williams (2.9) and Justin Trowbridge (2.5) have faced fewer shots per game.

Comfort is a senior, a 4-year starter and he's 6-5. Really, at this point in his career, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a 4-year starter at a perennial Top 10 program to be a dominant player. Instead, we have a player who is more like a liability and is making mistakes that hurt the team.

From 83 to 93 the Cavs had great starting GKs in Keith Lenhert, Bob Willen, Tony Meola and Jeff Causey. Comfort isn't in that class and I don't think that's up to debate. Since then, it's been a hodge-podge collection of GKs like Yuri Sagatov, Mark Peters, Brock Yetso, Kyle Singer and Comfort.

Of those, I'd say that Yetso, who was second-team all conference in 1998 and in the U23 pool, was the best GK and I wouldn't rate Comfort ahead of him. Otherwise, I think it's fair to say that Comfort is in the same league and Savatov and Peters, good goalkeepers but not ones that can win a game for you all by themselves and who, sadly, are more prone to the occassional costly mistake.

So, Ocre, you can criticize my criticism all you want but it's not gonna make Comfort a better goalkeeper of change the fact that he's in the lower echelon of starting GKs in the ACC right now and in the lower echelon of UVa starting GKs from the past 20 years.

 

Re: Re: Re: Comfort

Exactly. I'm content to agree to disagree and to move on.

 

Goalie stat on save percentage

Sandon, where did you get the save percentage stat? Did you calculate it from the ACC weekly release, or are there goalie stats somewhere else?

 

Re: Comfort

Another lively post, young lad. Did you see the Clemson game? Superb indeed. I hope you never intend on running for office...