WSU 0, Minnesota 0

[kayak15]

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.

 

[Wasichus]

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. O 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. I 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 if 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.

Really nice synopsis!

I don't claim to be an "expert" myself, though some call me a fanatic...LOL. So my opinions are worth about as much as the next person's. I thought you did a real nice job on your analysis.

I watched the first half and both extra time periods. I was doing something else and missed the second half, so I can't comment on that.

I guess the first thing I would say is Minnesota looked "sharper". Much has been said about them being a "ranked" team (whatever THAT means in the first game of the season), but they are replacing a number of players off their Big 10 winning team from last year. And they were picked #5 in their conference this year. That's just for reference and comparison, as I think most of the pre-season ratings and rankings are highly speculative.

As for the game/Coug team - when you talked about the passing being awful, all I could do was nod my head in agreement. Very poor vision (picking out the "right" pass), very, very poor pace on the passes. Too many were weak rollers that Minnesota intercepted easily. Too many were to spaces that no Coug had even thought to move into, or to players who were double teamed.

Speed of thought and speed of play, move without the ball and dribble/pass with purpose are all hallmarks of the game that were sadly missing, IMHO.

OTOH, the Cougs showed some physicality and won their share of 50/50
balls. Their defense was mostly solid and goalkeeper was a position of strength.

Those factors can keep a team in games all season. Hopefully the midfield and forwards can show the necessary improvement through the season to win their share of games.

They do have a number of young players. Those players, if they are given the right direction, and work hard, can develop into a solid team.

This is a key year for the program. They took a step backwards last year. Women's soccer has been one of the "flagship" successes for WSU athletics in recent years. A LOT of money has been spent on improvements to the facilities. They are getting very solid fan support.

The program needs to respond with a strong year, young players, or not.

 

[kayak15]

Thanks for the response, Wasichus. Glad that you liked my analysis, especially since you agreed with me. Always nice to have it confirmed that one is not as dumb as appears.

You mentioned physicality and I should have too. The girls showed a blue collar mentality on contested balls, giving as much or more than the Gophers who were also quite physical. I noticed that and liked it. The ref let them play and twice as many fouls could have been called but were ignored.

As for last year, yes, they failed to make the postseason for the first time in awhile. What other Coug sport do we have where not making postseason playoffs is considered a failure? An excellent indication of the strength of the program. I believe that they will be back this year, primarily on the strength of the defense. But that will be a tough row to hoe. The Pac12 is a monster. UCLA and Stanford are perennial beasts and USC is the reigning national champion. Go get 'em, guys!

Another rather odd thing that I noticed was the number of slips during the run of play. The TV broadcasting team noted that the recently improved facility looked great, especially the turf. It did indeed look very nice from what I could determine from the boob tube. So why the number of slips? Were they just flukes or do we need shoes with more appropriate cleats? Maybe I am making something out of nothing but I found it a bit quizzical.

For the benefit of those who missed the game, construction work was still ongoing up to the opening whistle. Bathroom facilities and sites for vendors are yet to be added. Somebody used their head here or we just luckily dodged an embarrassing bullet. Would have been a poor spectacle to sell beverages with a limited number of porta-potties available. And turn those porta-potties around so the doors do not face the field. Eventually someone is going to fail to secure the lock on the door with the inevitable result. Young children should not be confronted with the visage of Kayak sitting on the throne.

Yes, I caught the discrepancy between Minn.'s #19 national ranking and their prospective fifth place finish in the Big10. Is the Big10 that strong? I doubt it. Probably rather an example of the fluidity of preseason polling numbers.

For the benefit of those interested, there are a number of nice games on the schedule prior to and after home football games. Soccer Friday night, football on Saturday and then another soccer game around noon on the Sunday following. Check into the motel Friday afternoon, eat dinner and watch the ladies soccer game. Usual football stuff on Saturday. Check out of the motel, eat breakfast and watch another soccer game prior to driving back that afternoon in reduced traffic. Makes for a pleasant weekend.

It is setting up well for an interesting campaign.

 

[Wasichus]

Thanks for the response, Wasichus. Glad that you liked my analysis, especially since you agreed with me. Always nice to have it confirmed that one is not as dumb as appears.

You mentioned physicality and I should have too. The girls showed a blue collar mentality on contested balls, giving as much or more than the Gophers who were also quite physical. I noticed that and liked it. The ref let them play and twice as many fouls could have been called but were ignored.

As for last year, yes, they failed to make the postseason for the first time in awhile. What other Coug sport do we have where not making postseason playoffs is considered a failure? An excellent indication of the strength of the program. I believe that they will be back this year, primarily on the strength of the defense. But that will be a tough row to hoe. The Pac12 is a monster. UCLA and Stanford are perennial beasts and USC is the reigning national champion. Go get 'em, guys!

Another rather odd thing that I noticed was the number of slips during the run of play. The TV broadcasting team noted that the recently improved facility looked great, especially the turf. It did indeed look very nice from what I could determine from the boob tube. So why the number of slips? Were they just flukes or do we need shoes with more appropriate cleats? Maybe I am making something out of nothing but I found it a bit quizzical.

For the benefit of those who missed the game, construction work was still ongoing up to the opening whistle. Bathroom facilities and sites for vendors are yet to be added. Somebody used their head here or we just luckily dodged an embarrassing bullet. Would have been a poor spectacle to sell beverages with a limited number of porta-potties available. And turn those porta-potties around so the doors do not face the field. Eventually someone is going to fail to secure the lock on the door with the inevitable result. Young children should not be confronted with the visage of Kayak sitting on the throne.

Yes, I caught the discrepancy between Minn.'s #19 national ranking and their prospective fifth place finish in the Big10. Is the Big10 that strong? I doubt it. Probably rather an example of the fluidity of preseason polling numbers.

For the benefit of those interested, there are a number of nice games on the schedule prior to and after home football games. Soccer Friday night, football on Saturday and then another soccer game around noon on the Sunday following. Check into the motel Friday afternoon, eat dinner and watch the ladies soccer game. Usual football stuff on Saturday. Check out of the motel, eat breakfast and watch another soccer game prior to driving back that afternoon in reduced traffic. Makes for a pleasant weekend.

It is setting up well for an interesting campaign.

Again, some really good points, Kayak!

My thoughts on the program are - with success, expectations rise. We are seeing that with football, to a certain degree. Multiple win seasons, and some bowl games in a row, have set the expectation level higher than before for football. And rightfully so. The same can be said for soccer. Having some real successful seasons and making the "Tourney" a number of years in a row, sets the level of expectations higher. Plus, the department has "rewarded" soccer by investing a fairly sizeable chunk of change into facilities improvements.

So.....there's a natural inclination to want to see that "investment" rewarded by continued high level success. And that goes hand in hand with expecting the current staff to maintain, or build upon, the successes by previous staffs. You don't want to have a program that has been on a pretty high level sink to mediocrity.

I share your optimism that Coug soccer will continue to head in the right direction! But you are very right about how tough the P12 is for soccer success.

As for the slippage? I did notice that some, too. I know there hasn't been much rain, but they do water those fields regularly. My guess would be that things got a little slicker in the evening, with some condensation going on, and some of the players may have been wearing molded cleats, rather than screw ins? Many (if not most) "real serious" players will wear screw ins (changing the length of the studs depending on conditions) on grass fields. But, if any of them are "tenderfoots", like I was (LOL), molded cleats are more comfortable. Geez - on real hard pan grass fields, I used to even wear a "nubby" type of turf shoe! Usually players at high levels (and even many at lower levels) will have both kinds of shoes on hand for grass fields.

And I know my daughter's college team would even change out the length of the screw in cleats for them during any break (when subbed, or at halftime, etc), if the conditions changed from the start of the game, or if they had made the "wrong call", as far as cleats, during warm ups. Or they would just change shoes. It's mostly a personal choice sort of thing and a game conditions thing.

I have seen players wear everything from flat turf shoes, to nubby cleated turf shoes, to molded cleats on turf, too. And even some with short screw ins on turf. The newer turf is a lot more like grass than back in the day, when it was basically indoor/outdoor carpet...LOL

But that's all getting way off track.

Again, I've enjoyed your comments. Glad to see some other interest in Coug soccer. That's the important thing!

 

[j0hncage]

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.
<snip>
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.

Outstanding recap of the game! One source tells me that had Alysha Overland gotten equal playtime last year, she was trending to be the leading scorer. She also told me the knee injury was actually a very major knee surgery after a late in the game hit from their Canada game earlier this year. Considerable miniscus damage, torn ACL and MCL, dislocated knee cap and so on - sounded pretty bad. She displayed very good speed and great intuitive quickness I thought, which is hard to find. She'll be missed this year for sure.

 

[kayak15]

Outstanding recap of the game! One source tells me that had Alysha Overland gotten equal playtime last year, she was trending to be the leading scorer. She also told me the knee injury was actually a very major knee surgery after a late in the game hit from their Canada game earlier this year. Considerable miniscus damage, torn ACL and MCL, dislocated knee cap and so on - sounded pretty bad. She displayed very good speed and great intuitive quickness I thought, which is hard to find. She'll be missed this year for sure.

Ugh. Sorry to hear of the considerable damage done to her knee. Just one of those injuries- meniscus, ligaments, cap- would be a major setback but all at once! Good Lord! That is a complete reconstruction and she may still be recovering at the start of the 2019 season. I hope that her surgery team did a superior job. She'll need it. Again, very sorry to hear of the degree of severity. She and Weaver caught my eye early last year. Thanks for the information even though it wasn't pleasant.

 

[Coug95man2]

Ella, for keeping it to a zero, got this... Nice!

 

[K51coug]

1. Sounds like a well played match by the ladies. Hope the program continues to trend upward.

2. I still cannot friggin believe we lost the Holiday Bowl.