2021 Women’s D1 Soccer Talk!!!!

MakeAPlay said:
Cal gets top talent every year. It isn't the talent it is the coach. He is a nice guy but if the coaches at Stnaford, UCLA or U$C had the same results they would have been fired a long time ago... They are the only California member of the PAC 12 that hasn't won a national championship in the last 7 years. They get plenty of talent (Alex Morgan for example). It's not about the talent level there....
Click to expand...
What do you think the weakness in coaching is?
 
Soccerfan2 said:
What do you think the weakness in coaching is?
Click to expand...

He is Scottish so he likes a very direct game and then he plays defense and he usually has a top tier keeper that makes that philosophy work against the bottom half of the conference. The problem is that style rarely works against the top half of the conference. Honestly in the country he is probably does the least with the amount of talent that he has. Case in point. Wazzu's coach or Oregon State's coach would work wonders witht he talent that he has walk through his door. He has a top 25 academic university in the great state of California. ANY coach short of a list of about 6 or 7 would love that advantage. He has some really high end pieces that he wastes with their style of play.

He is a nice guy though and I like him as a person. The fact that they did not win one playoff game while my kid was in college and the other 2 schools that she considered both made it to multiple College Cups over the same time period should tell you all that you need to know. Despite all of that Cal is still a good place to go to school because to be honest the academics matter more than the soocer to me. Berkeley was too gritty for my kid she is sort of a princess.

Good luck to you and your player.
 
The Outlaw said:
Apparently you never played soccer.
Click to expand...

I played from 1957 to 2004. I gave up at age 57 because it was taking me more than a week to recover from each week's games.

I attended a small high school team with a new program (4 years by the time I got into HS) that had a very good coach (refugee during WW2 from Hungary who had graduated with a phys ed degree from Springfield, then joined the US Army and organized soccer games in Europe for Army teams). I played as a right wing in the old 2-3-5 formation with a W or M shape up front depending on the situation and the coach's or captain's call. I was expected to bring the ball up the right side to make a flat cross with my strong foot into the box. unless the defenders on that side gave me some room to move in closer. I had speed, but I wasn't very big so I had to use my head - soccer is a good game for that. The coach didn't cut anybody and 70 or so players (almost half the boys in that little high school) came to the first few practices, although probably no more than 20 of them ever played (the same guys who were the starters in basketball and baseball). The coach rewarded all those who stuck it out the whole season with a bus ride to the last away game. I played in a summer league in 1964, where I scored my first goal, playing left wing for that coach - on my first run up the side, the biggest player on our HS basketball team flattened me with a chest-to-chest bump. The next time he fell trying to block me out so I ran by him for an easy shot.

I played pickup games on the lawns in college (no time for organized sports). Then a service team on the USS Enterprise 74-75 cruise, then adult-league indoor starting in the 80's. There used to be a pickup game every Sunday at 8AM in Poway at Arbolitos (unless it was closed, but then you could find the game at Meadowbrook Middle School).

I didn't really play much defense until the 80's. I used to be 135 lbs and quick but I found myself going to 180 and still fit enough to play. It's a different skill set. You learn how to time a block of another player's kick so the ball ends up going in the direction you desire. I figured out somewhere along the way that a player with a dominant right foot and not much on his left will turn to his left in a stressful situation, such as receiving a ball when he knows he has a defender on his back. I'd try to put myself there first, waiting for him. He's going to play the ball with the inside of his right foot, which will tend to bring the ball to the player's left.

Easy test for dominant foot - time the player running just around the center circle one way (whichever he prefers) and then around the circle the other way. Compare times.
 
espola said:
I played from 1957 to 2004. I gave up at age 57 because it was taking me more than a week to recover from each week's games.

I attended a small high school team with a new program (4 years by the time I got into HS) that had a very good coach (refugee during WW2 from Hungary who had graduated with a phys ed degree from Springfield, then joined the US Army and organized soccer games in Europe for Army teams). I played as a right wing in the old 2-3-5 formation with a W or M shape up front depending on the situation and the coach's or captain's call. I was expected to bring the ball up the right side to make a flat cross with my strong foot into the box. unless the defenders on that side gave me some room to move in closer. I had speed, but I wasn't very big so I had to use my head - soccer is a good game for that. The coach didn't cut anybody and 70 or so players (almost half the boys in that little high school) came to the first few practices, although probably no more than 20 of them ever played (the same guys who were the starters in basketball and baseball). The coach rewarded all those who stuck it out the whole season with a bus ride to the last away game. I played in a summer league in 1964, where I scored my first goal, playing left wing for that coach - on my first run up the side, the biggest player on our HS basketball team flattened me with a chest-to-chest bump. The next time he fell trying to block me out so I ran by him for an easy shot.

I played pickup games on the lawns in college (no time for organized sports). Then a service team on the USS Enterprise 74-75 cruise, then adult-league indoor starting in the 80's. There used to be a pickup game every Sunday at 8AM in Poway at Arbolitos (unless it was closed, but then you could find the game at Meadowbrook Middle School).

I didn't really play much defense until the 80's. I used to be 135 lbs and quick but I found myself going to 180 and still fit enough to play. It's a different skill set. You learn how to time a block of another player's kick so the ball ends up going in the direction you desire. I figured out somewhere along the way that a player with a dominant right foot and not much on his left will turn to his left in a stressful situation, such as receiving a ball when he knows he has a defender on his back. I'd try to put myself there first, waiting for him. He's going to play the ball with the inside of his right foot, which will tend to bring the ball to the player's left.

Easy test for dominant foot - time the player running just around the center circle one way (whichever he prefers) and then around the circle the other way. Compare times.
Click to expand...

That last paragraph should have included "dribbling the ball" instead of "running".
 
Pepperdine brought in a nice class and a very good transfer. I might have to revise my wcc prediction.

1) pepperdine
2) Santa clara
3) Portland
4) BYU
5) gonzaga

6) San digeo
6) USF
6) Pacific
6) LMU

7) SMC
 
eastbaysoccer said:
So outside of the power 5 conference and TOP 20, what teams could have a breakout season next year?
Click to expand...

I like Harvard to have a breakout season. They have a weak conference and perhaps the best recruiting class to ever grace the Ivy League in women's soccer. Unfortunately there is little parity in women's soccer. In my opinion a breakout season is making it to the Sweet 16 and by that metric there were only 3 teams outside of the Power 5 conferences that were able to do that and they were perenial top 25 teams from the WCC a traditionally strong women's soccer conference and South Florida a traditionally strong mid major. I just don't see that as changing much. It's really hard to beat a top 8 team on their home field in the playoffs. Only two teams last season were able to win against top 8 teams on the road during the playoffs. Wazzu did it twice against Virginia and South Carolina and UCLA did it once against Florida State. Both teams were in the College Cup....

Good luck to you and your player.
 
MakeAPlay said:
I like Harvard to have a breakout season. They have a weak conference and perhaps the best recruiting class to ever grace the Ivy League in women's soccer. Unfortunately there is little parity in women's soccer. In my opinion a breakout season is making it to the Sweet 16 and by that metric there were only 3 teams outside of the Power 5 conferences that were able to do that and they were perenial top 25 teams from the WCC a traditionally strong women's soccer conference and South Florida a traditionally strong mid major. I just don't see that as changing much. It's really hard to beat a top 8 team on their home field in the playoffs. Only two teams last season were able to win against top 8 teams on the road during the playoffs. Wazzu did it twice against Virginia and South Carolina and UCLA did it once against Florida State. Both teams were in the College Cup....

Good luck to you and your player.
Click to expand...
Agree with Harvard’s incoming class!
 
MakeAPlay said:
I like Harvard to have a breakout season. They have a weak conference and perhaps the best recruiting class to ever grace the Ivy League in women's soccer. Unfortunately there is little parity in women's soccer. In my opinion a breakout season is making it to the Sweet 16 and by that metric there were only 3 teams outside of the Power 5 conferences that were able to do that and they were perenial top 25 teams from the WCC a traditionally strong women's soccer conference and South Florida a traditionally strong mid major. I just don't see that as changing much. It's really hard to beat a top 8 team on their home field in the playoffs. Only two teams last season were able to win against top 8 teams on the road during the playoffs. Wazzu did it twice against Virginia and South Carolina and UCLA did it once against Florida State. Both teams were in the College Cup....

Good luck to you and your player.
Click to expand...

Let me modify---teams not in the the preseason top 25. Clearly if a team is having a break out season they will likely be ranked in the top 25 by season's end.
 
Simisoccerfan said:
What is the over under on how many of these girls actually see any substantial playing time in their careers?
Click to expand...

Any of them that can help them win games will play. The class that they replaced (2016) was also ranked #1. Six starters left so there are plenty of opportunities to play. Let me give you an example. My daughter had 8 players in her recruiting class and every one of them save two played significant minutes. One of the two was Mal Pugh and she obviously didn't suit up for a regular season game. My player was the lowest ranked domestic player in her recruiting class yet she ended up starting the most games and playing the most minutes of any of them. My point is that ANY of these players that has the heart, courage and the willingness to make it happen can make it happen.
 
Simisoccerfan said:
What is the over under on how many of these girls actually see any substantial playing time in their careers?
Click to expand...
Wow, that does seem like a lot for one class. How many scholarships would a Division I women's soccer team have? I vaguely remember something like 14 total. Whatever the case, all the ladies will get an exceptional education on a great campus. Congrats to them.
 
kickingandscreaming said:
Wow, that does seem like a lot for one class. How many scholarships would a Division I women's soccer team have? I vaguely remember something like 14 total. Whatever the case, all the ladies will get an exceptional education on a great campus. Congrats to them.
Click to expand...
The 14 scholarships are split up amongst the full roster. This has been said before many times, but it is rare that any player gets 100%. Most have it split up in increments/percentages throughout their 4 years. Many get $0
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top