2016-17 D1 Women's soccer thread!!!

I love Sundays...
Cali you should put down the crack pipe. If you really want to compare NC State and UCLA we can starting with the weak players that NC State has and that they recruit.

I get it..."that they recruit." That's a jab at my kid. Does that make you feel good, saying that she is weak? And uh, did those weak players beat UNC, who just happened to beat UCLA? If NC State players (and those that they recruit) are weak, what does that say about the Bruin players? You said it, not me.

.You are so far gone that it is ridiculous. I am going to hammer you on the Sheep Pack all season now.

"Sheep Pack", that's rich. I get it...because they are known as the Wolfpack. Man, you are so clever. Ha, Ha, Ha...oh, BTW, they just added another ACC victory this afternoon, beating Wake Forest 2-1 in come from behind fashion.

Their "star" freshmen played for Maryland United and CASL last year idiot. Nice try. You are getting more and more silly.

Uh, instead of calling me names, maybe you should learn more about the roster before acting like you know everything about everything. Guess what, their leading freshman scorer is not from Maryland United...she is from Fredricksburg FC, a non-ECNL club in Virginia. The leading freshman playmaker with the team lead in assists is also not from Maryland United. She is from Bayern Munich, another non-ECNL club in Germany. The Maryland United player you're referring to is a freshman. You at least got that much right. She is one of the contributors to their success, but she is also the first one to say that she is not the star of the team.

They have played a successful non-conference schedule, and they have gone 2-1 in ACC Conference play so far. Chafes your hide, don't it? Don't worry, they will have more losses this season...after all, it is the ACC. The toughest women's soccer conference in all the land. You'll have more opportunities to respond and retort to try to make me feel bad, but guess what....I am already thrilled of their performance, even if they lose out. ;)
 
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I love Sundays...


I get it..."that they recruit." That's a jab at my kid. Does that make you feel good, saying that she is weak? And uh, did those weak players beat UNC, who just happened to beat UCLA? If NC State players (and those that they recruit) are weak, what does that say about the Bruin players? You said it, not me.



"Sheep Pack", that's rich. I get it...because they are known as the Wolfpack. Man, you are so clever. Ha, Ha, Ha...oh, BTW, they just added another ACC victory this afternoon, beating Wake Forest 2-1 in come from behind fashion.



Uh, instead of calling me names, maybe you should learn more about the roster before acting like you know everything about everything. Guess what, their leading freshman scorer is not from Maryland United...she is from Fredricksburg FC, a non-ECNL club in Virginia. The leading freshman playmaker with the team lead in assists is also not from Maryland United. She is from Bayern Munich, another non-ECNL club in Germany. The Maryland United player you're referring to is a freshman. You at least got that much right. She is one of the contributors to their success, but she is also the first one to say that she is not the star of the team.

They have played a successful non-conference schedule, and they have gone 2-1 in ACC Conference play so far. Chafes your hide, don't it? Don't worry, they will have more losses this season...after all, it is the ACC. The toughest women's soccer conference in all the land. You'll have more opportunities to respond and retort to try to make me feel bad, but guess what....I am already thrilled of their performance, even if they lose out. ;)

Okay here is the next salvo. Congratulations on the win! We will see how the season turns out. Regarding recruiting it was not a shot at your kid but you said it not me. Regarding recruiting and UCLA there really is no need for me to compare recruits, results, academics, campus life anything because quite honestly there is a big difference between the two (chess vs checkers) so let's continue. I checked them out and they aren't very good. I can only imagine that they got extremely lucky against UNC and Wake Forest sucks so wins against crap teams don't impress me at all.

NC State is a bottom feeder in the top conference in the country. We will see if they are even the top conference by the time your little Mia gets there. Then we will see how much she plays and how soon she decides to "Pack" it up and transfer back home. Legends isn't known for producing a bunch of next level impact players. Outside of the African American holding mid and the African American forward on your daughter's team I don't see a whole lot of impact talent on that team. Honestly you are in for a big surprise in 2018. I wish I could be there to see the look on your face once you get that September phone call..

Whatcha got for me now Cali?
 
Okay here is the next salvo. Congratulations on the win! We will see how the season turns out. Regarding recruiting it was not a shot at your kid but you said it not me. Regarding recruiting and UCLA there really is no need for me to compare recruits, results, academics, campus life anything because quite honestly there is a big difference between the two (chess vs checkers) so let's continue. I checked them out and they aren't very good. I can only imagine that they got extremely lucky against UNC and Wake Forest sucks so wins against crap teams don't impress me at all.

NC State is a bottom feeder in the top conference in the country. We will see if they are even the top conference by the time your little Mia gets there. Then we will see how much she plays and how soon she decides to "Pack" it up and transfer back home. Legends isn't known for producing a bunch of next level impact players. Outside of the African American holding mid and the African American forward on your daughter's team I don't see a whole lot of impact talent on that team. Honestly you are in for a big surprise in 2018. I wish I could be there to see the look on your face once you get that September phone call..

Whatcha got for me now Cali?

English is not your first language, is it?
 
Ok, I'm a general noob to women's NCAA soccer. Other than knowing who the usually dominant schools are, I am clueless as to the playing styles each school/coach may be known for. Some specific questions: I want to know which schools are known for playing out of the back and utilizing keepers with great feet (as opposed to just putting a female version of Rob Gronkowski in the cage). Teams that play possession and control, finesse, more like the Japanese WNT? Also, which ones are more known for direct and counter attacking? Which ones mainly rely on getting the genetic freaks and just physically steamrolling everyone? I am not interested in debating the merits of these styles (there's enough of that elsewhere), just want a primer on the tactical differences of the top programs. Bernie, MAP, Cali? Espola? Anyone else?
 
Ok, I'm a general noob to women's NCAA soccer. Other than knowing who the usually dominant schools are, I am clueless as to the playing styles each school/coach may be known for. Some specific questions: I want to know which schools are known for playing out of the back and utilizing keepers with great feet (as opposed to just putting a female version of Rob Gronkowski in the cage). Teams that play possession and control, finesse, more like the Japanese WNT? Also, which ones are more known for direct and counter attacking? Which ones mainly rely on getting the genetic freaks and just physically steamrolling everyone? I am not interested in debating the merits of these styles (there's enough of that elsewhere), just want a primer on the tactical differences of the top programs. Bernie, MAP, Cali? Espola? Anyone else?

Virginia, Stanford, Florida State, UCLA, Duke, Washington and Long Beach St. are teams that I have seen play or attempt to play primarily possession with varying degrees of success. North Carolina plays a combination of styles but are fairly direct. Most of the Pac 12 and WCC are a mixture of styles. Most would prefer possession but more importantly prefer to win. A team that wants to possess the ball might be forced to be a counterattacking team when facing any of the teams above. I would say that there are many teams that are extremely physical (most?) but that is college soccer.

To be honest with you in order to play possession you have to have a minimum of two very technical midfielders, forwards that check back and a backline that is confident with the ball at their feet. Without that a team will not be a consistent possession team and unfortunately there are few true possession teams in college soccer.

I recommend that you and your daughter watch not only live games but televised ones from the schools that she is considering. I know several players in the 2017 recruiting class that have changed their mind after watching a team play closely for the first time. I don't want to call out too many teams as being direct because there are a lot of them and I don't want to start any more flame wars as fighting on two fronts is enough for me.
 
Agree with MAP about Long Beach State and others...they emphasis a possession-oriented style of play. I don't have alot of exposure to women's college soccer, but we did watch ALOT of matches last season. From what I saw, many schools in the Big 10 and SEC are geared toward a very direct style of play that doesn't use the midfield very much. ASU and Oregon are trying to become possession heavy, but tend to fall back on long ball when they feel pressured. The elite programs (UNC, Stanford, Florida State, UCLA, Virginia, Duke) have players with the body composition for muscle ball, but they also have skill and speed to play whatever way they want.
 
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Agree with MAP about Long Beach State and others...they emphasis a possession-oriented style of play. I don't have alot of exposure to women's college soccer, but we did watch ALOT of matches last season. From what I saw, many schools in the Big 10 and SEC are geared toward a very direct style of play that doesn't use the midfield very much. ASU and Oregon are trying to become possession heavy, but tend to fall back on long ball when they feel pressured. The elite programs (UNC, Stanford, Florida State, UCLA, Virginia, Duke) have players with the body composition for muscle ball, but they also have skill and speed to play whatever way they want.
Let's just say very very very FEW college teams play any sort of possession soccer. I would also throw in the University of Portland in the mix of a school's that play possession soccer. They just aren't able to recruit the elite players they once did under the late Clive Charles back in the early 2000s.
 
Ok, I'm a general noob to women's NCAA soccer. Other than knowing who the usually dominant schools are, I am clueless as to the playing styles each school/coach may be known for. Some specific questions: I want to know which schools are known for playing out of the back and utilizing keepers with great feet (as opposed to just putting a female version of Rob Gronkowski in the cage). Teams that play possession and control, finesse, more like the Japanese WNT? Also, which ones are more known for direct and counter attacking? Which ones mainly rely on getting the genetic freaks and just physically steamrolling everyone? I am not interested in debating the merits of these styles (there's enough of that elsewhere), just want a primer on the tactical differences of the top programs. Bernie, MAP, Cali? Espola? Anyone else?
Some coaches take the talent they have and tailor a playing system that utilizes that talent best. Some coaches will have a "style" and recruit players who fit that style. Other coaches have a "system", and take the best, or most athletic players they can get and fit them into that system.
They all find varying degrees of success. Not surprisingly, the schools that get the pick of the litter tend to win more often, overall, regardless of coach or system.
One thing to consider, is how long the coach recruiting your kid has been the coach, and how often does the school get rid of coaches who dont win.
This was one consideration my daughter had when being recruited, as at least two of the pac-12 top coaches she was considering playing for have since been replaced.
It may be a big deal, or it may not, but when a new coach comes in, a new coaching philosophy comes in, and whatever playing style you thought you signed up for goes right out the window, and that may or may not leave one happy with the situation.
The school is more important than the soccer program, imho, and every school has something different to offer.
My kid was fortunate enough to be able to choose, and I think she chose well.
 
Good info. Thanks. I want my kid to watch some games to understand the college game better and recognize the type of players in her position that make it in different styles, and figure out on her own what she should work on if she is to be successful at the college level. We could even go see Long Beach in person, so that's a plus.

Bernie - Great point on coaching changes. I've heard numerous stories of players who had bad experiences with coaching changes midway through their college careers.
 
Good info. Thanks. I want my kid to watch some games to understand the college game better and recognize the type of players in her position that make it in different styles, and figure out on her own what she should work on if she is to be successful at the college level. We could even go see Long Beach in person, so that's a plus.

Bernie - Great point on coaching changes. I've heard numerous stories of players who had bad experiences with coaching changes midway through their college careers.
I could have swore you posted the question I responded to under another name yesterday.
I must be getting old like espola.
 
I got all excited to log on and watch USC play Oregon online.... and then realized you have to have the channel in your cable package.

How do you all watch the games?
 
I got all excited to log on and watch USC play Oregon online.... and then realized you have to have the channel in your cable package.

How do you all watch the games?
Santa Clara ties BYU in Provo 0-0 in the first West Coast match of the year.
Santa Clara played a beautiful game, and really frustrated the high octane BYU offense.
Shout out to NK for saving a goal, and I hope she's ok after that head bonk.
 
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