For those who missed it, our ladies fought the Gophers to a scoreless draw over two overtimes. Not a totally poor result as the U. of Minn. was ranked #19.
A brief synopsis from a soccer fan of limited knowledge:
The Gophers were the better of the two teams on the field but were unable to convert that into a win.
Our defense was generally quite pleasing. Dederick was solid in goal as expected. Kelsee Crenshaw, who was good last year at centerback, has improved to very good in my eyes. The other defensive backs, Branch, Haro and Hancock, were also solid.
The midfield needs work as does the offense as a whole. No cohesion but that is to be expected at the start of the season and with many new players. Passing was- I'm trying to think of a polite term here but have to go with- awful. Last year we took too many shots on goal that had little chance rather than be patient. That has been cleaned up but now the passing has the same problem. Far too many attempted passes into coverage that had little to no chance and resultantly failed and resulted in an easy turnover for Minnesota. If we can't pass, we can't score.
The offensive front had Morgan Weaver at her anticipated best. After her was an empty hole waiting to be filled. (Alysha Overland, Weaver's cohort and our second leading scorer is out for the season with a knee injury. No knowledge on my part as to the nature or severity of the injury but it is enough to sideline her for the season.) A couple of freshmen (freshwomen ?) are trying to fill that void. Makamae Gomera-Stevens and Elyse Bennett looked highly promising but green as grass. It will be interesting to watch their development over the course of time. Maka, as she is known to teammates, is athletically skilled. Bennett has some speed which was sorely lacking last year.
We again have a load of first year players. Sydney Pulver, Brianna Alger and Hanna Goff caught my eye and showed glimpses of what might be.
I cannot get my head around the fact that we did not successfully convert a single corner kick last year. Didn't this game either. The staff recruited a few kids with more height so maybe a nice header or two off of a corner kick may eventually result.
The crowd was good and enthusiastic. That was nice to see. We set a school record for attendance last year and may surpass that this year with improved success on the field.
Not an entirely displeasing performance but our sputtering offense was frustrating to watch. The usual first game problem I would surmise and hope that improvement is forthcoming.
That is what I saw. Some may have seen more or differently.
A brief synopsis from a soccer fan of limited knowledge:
The Gophers were the better of the two teams on the field but were unable to convert that into a win.
Our defense was generally quite pleasing. Dederick was solid in goal as expected. Kelsee Crenshaw, who was good last year at centerback, has improved to very good in my eyes. The other defensive backs, Branch, Haro and Hancock, were also solid.
The midfield needs work as does the offense as a whole. No cohesion but that is to be expected at the start of the season and with many new players. Passing was- I'm trying to think of a polite term here but have to go with- awful. Last year we took too many shots on goal that had little chance rather than be patient. That has been cleaned up but now the passing has the same problem. Far too many attempted passes into coverage that had little to no chance and resultantly failed and resulted in an easy turnover for Minnesota. If we can't pass, we can't score.
The offensive front had Morgan Weaver at her anticipated best. After her was an empty hole waiting to be filled. (Alysha Overland, Weaver's cohort and our second leading scorer is out for the season with a knee injury. No knowledge on my part as to the nature or severity of the injury but it is enough to sideline her for the season.) A couple of freshmen (freshwomen ?) are trying to fill that void. Makamae Gomera-Stevens and Elyse Bennett looked highly promising but green as grass. It will be interesting to watch their development over the course of time. Maka, as she is known to teammates, is athletically skilled. Bennett has some speed which was sorely lacking last year.
We again have a load of first year players. Sydney Pulver, Brianna Alger and Hanna Goff caught my eye and showed glimpses of what might be.
I cannot get my head around the fact that we did not successfully convert a single corner kick last year. Didn't this game either. The staff recruited a few kids with more height so maybe a nice header or two off of a corner kick may eventually result.
The crowd was good and enthusiastic. That was nice to see. We set a school record for attendance last year and may surpass that this year with improved success on the field.
Not an entirely displeasing performance but our sputtering offense was frustrating to watch. The usual first game problem I would surmise and hope that improvement is forthcoming.
That is what I saw. Some may have seen more or differently.
Last edited: