NCAA: Akron vs Virginia *UPDATED*

Cary, NC – On a rain-drenched field, UVA beat Akron 3-2 in penalty kicks after another scoreless draw.  PKs are a cruel way to lose, but the way that the kicks panned out was even more incredible.

With UVA up 3-1 with 2 chances to end the game, David Meves made 2 stops to give his team a chance to continue.  Akron’s best penalty taker (and the assigned PK taker in the regular season), Blair Gavin shot the ball over the cross bar and Akron lost the national championship.

• UVA PK Made: Tony Tchani, Ari Dimas, Sean Hiller
• UVA PK Missed: Jonathan Villanueva, Greg Monaco
• Akron PK Made: Ben Zemanski, Scott Caldwell
• Akron PK Missed: Zarek Valentin, Kofi Sarkodie, Blain Gavin

With an oddity of NCAA championships, UVA gets the win and Akron gets their first loss whereas in other games besides the championship, the PK winner and loser both are awarded a draw.  Odd, but true.

UVA attacked better than I expected.  They had the better scoring chances in the first half including hitting the post in the 5th minute..

Akron needed to address gaps in the midfield at half time which they did.

Starting Lineups:

UVA 4-5-1.
F:  Will Bates

M: Ari Dimas, Tony Tchani, Jonathan Villanueva, Ross LaBauex, Neil Barlow

D: Hunter Jumper, Mike Volk, Greg Monaco, Shawn Berry

G: Diego Restrepo

Akron 4-4-2.

F: Teal Bunbury, Darlington Nagbe

M: Ben Speas, Ben Zemanski, Blair Gavin, Anthony Ampaipitakwong

D: Chris Korb, Zarek Valentin, Chad Barson, Kofi Sarkodie

G: David Meves

Akron observations:

Akron was disappointed. Although they not allow a goal in the NCAA tournament; they leave the tournament without “any hardware”.

Freshman goal keeper David Meves came up huge on a number saves – especially stopping the two PKs to give his team a chance.

Losing junior midfielder Anthony Ampaipitakwong early in the second half was a big loss that stalled the best offensive team.

I appreciated the play of freshman Ben Speas. Prior to Ampaipitakwong’s departure, Speas was able to make a brilliant pass to sophomore forward Darlington Nagbe in the last minute of the first half. Nagbe quickly turned before distributing the ball to sophomore forward Teal Bunbury. Bunbury’s 20 yard shot wasn’t very good.

Freshman center back Chad Barson had a timely tackle in the 48th minute.

Senior DM Ben Zemanski had a quality tournament looking better than I’ve seen him in his 4 years at Akron. For example, in the 8th minute off a weak Shawn Berry clearance, Zemanski held off Ross LaBauex to take a shot – but the shot was directly at the goal keeper.

Junior midfielder Blair Gavin and sophomore right back Kofi Sarkodie pressured senior forward Jordan Evans in the 88th minute to get a corner kick.  Gavin is sure and confident on the ball providing the escape valve to release pressure.  He is going to be good.  Sarkodie may take a little longer, but his future is equally as bright.  In the 41st minute with advantage and on the break,  Sarkodie had the ball taken away from him by the ref rather than letting play continue.

Freshman midfielder Scott Caldwell is tiny (not Dimas tiny, but in the same ball park).  He is highly technical and adept at passing.
UVA observations:

In the 5th minute, sophomore right back Hunter Jumper delivered an accurate cross to the near post 4 yards from goal that freshman forward Will Bates headed past the goal keeper but it hit the post.

Jumper had another good cross in the 25th minute, bring his defender to ground with a slick cut move beforehand.  He hit sophomore Tony Tchani on the head but his header was high.

In the 22nd minute, the UVA midfielders sliced apart the Akron midfield with precise short passes from senior Neil Barlow to Tchani to senior Jonathan Villanueva back to Tchani

Junior center back Mike Volk is one of the keys of the outstanding UVA defense.  In the 84th minute, he made a huge steal on a through ball.  He followed up with a big tackle on Speas in the 95th minute.

Barlow was active both games with intricate dribbling.  I enjoyed seeing him on the defensive side – stealing the ball from junior back Chris Korb, then driving to the end line before releasing a beautiful cross that his team mates squandered the opportunity. Barlow was tenacious in the final.

Although named the Final 4 Offensive MVP, Villanueva wasn’t as impressive to me.   He didn’t put together a complete half, let alone a complete game. I liked some of his play.  In the 52nd minute, he confounded Gavin with a pass behind him to Tchani.

Tchani is the real deal.  He should seriously consider going pro.

LaBauex continues to demonstrate his speed, as well as his rough first touch.  He made an ill-advised tackle in the 10th minute.  I love his closing speed; I would love him more if he cleaned up his touch.

Junior goal keeper Diego Restrepo was solid but wasn’t tested significantly.  He needs to be better with his distribution.  Restrepo plunked a goal kick harmlessly out for a throw in.

 

NCAA: North Carolina vs Akron

Cary, NC – Akron advanced to the NCAA final winning in penalty kicks 5-4 after a scoreless draw against North Carolina.

This season Akron has only had to go to over-time once (against NIU) and never to penalty kicks.  Remarkedly, they have only been behind once (against Hartwick).  This game – officially recorded as a draw – is the only mark against the perfect season.

UNC has been the best team that Akron has faced this year.  Given that I believe that the top 4 teams are in the final four this year, this shouldn’t be a big surprise.

• UNC Made: Michael Farfan, Zach Loyd, Drew McKinney, Kirk Urso
• UNC Missed: Jordan Graye
• Akron Made: Zarek Valentin, Ben Zemanski, Kofi Sarkodie, Scott Caldwell, Blain Gavin

Starting Lineups:

NC 4-5-1

F: Billy Schuler

M: Cameron Brown, Michael Farfan, Alex Dixon

DM: Kirk Urso, Dustin McCarty

D: Brett King, Drew McKinney, Zach Loyd, Jordan Graye

G: Brooks Hagerty

Akron 4-4-2.  Akron plays 2 DM (Zemanski and Gavin) with Ampaipitakwong as the AM and Speas as the LM leaving a gap in front of Sarkodie.

F: Teal Bunbury, Darlington Nagbe

M: Ben Speas, Ben Zemanski, Blair Gavin, Anthony Ampaipitakwong

D: Chris Korb, Zarek Valentin, Chad Barson, Kofi Sarkodie

G: David Meves

NC observations:

There were three keys to the game.  First, when redshirt sophomore left back Brett King received his second yellow in the 70th minute. Second, when senior right back Jordan Graye missed his penalty kick. Third, UNC had a scoring opportunity late in the game, but didn’t convert.

The red card to King was justified.  The first yellow was for persistent infringement and the second was just enough (for me) to get the second.  Referee Alex Prus doesn’t call every persnickety foul and doesn’t issue many yellows.

Graye’s PK was horrific.  It was so far into the parking lot that they had to get another ball.  Up to that point Graye was playing tough defense.  In the 89th minute, Graye pushed a player to make space to head an Urso corner kick.  Graye’s header was goal bound but was cleared off the line by Valentin [correction - Speas].

Loyd played simply out of his mind.  He was reading the game well, and attacking the passing lanes.  Even Akron coach Caleb Porter acknowledged his play.

Sophomore forward Billy Schuler is quick, but didn’t get enough good looks at the goal.

Whereas sophomore forward Alex Dixon had a few good looks, his judgment and skill were lacking.  In the 59th minute, he had a look, took a bad first touch then whiffed on the ball because his left foot defended against himself.  In the second overtime, Dixon got the transition that UNC had been waiting for the entire game.  With Akron pushed up, Dixon had but 1 defender to beat just on his side of the field.  Instead of taking a touch, then pushing the ball into the pastures of open space, Dixon decided to put the ball into the middle to junior midfielder Michael Farfan.  The pass wasn’t precise and Dixon didn’t stream into the space down the sideline and Farfan brought the ball back eliminating the opportunity.

Farfan was better than he was against Drake.  Oddly, he has his ankle taped on the outside – I suppose – so that everyone is aware that he’s suffering from a minor ankle injury.  Thanks Farfan… Farfan was showing his guile by changing pace with his tight foot work.  He started one of the better opportunities in the 28th minute eventually earning a corner kick.  In the 2 OT, he took a dipping shot that the goal keeper had to tap over the bar.

Freshman substitute Enzo Martinez is going to be a future star for UNC – if he doesn’t find himself in Bolowich’s purgatory (worse than a doghouse) and we never see him again (e.g., Bill Dworsky, Stephen Bickford, etc.).  Martinez with limited minutes tied for the most shots on goal. He thinks quickly and passes accurately.

Senior goal keeper Brooks Haggerty was successful in stopping many of the break-away chances.  He did have a harrowing moment in the second half but was able to recover.

Akron observations:

Akron was better.  They deserved to win.  Their passing was better.  I love watching them receiving a ball, softly caressing the ball preparing for their next touch (well most of them).  Akron is much better with junior midfielder Anthony Ampaipitakwong on the field.

Ampaipitakwong has been suffering a sports hernia (similar to UVA’s Ownby).  Porter said, “he’ll be all right and expect to see him play [on Sunday]“.  Ampaipitakwong had the best chance with a 20 yard free kick that Haggerty was able to push wide for a corner kick – “Aim it like Ampai”. His best skill is receiving the ball.  I think he may have hurt himself on a second half shot that went softly to Haggerty.

I’m becoming a Chad Barson fan.  The freshman center back moves very well and gets in good defensive positions.  Smart player.

I believe that sophomore forward Teal Bunbury is going to win the Hermann.  But, I’m concerned that he’s not going to be as successful in the pros.  Here’s why – no one can doubt his speed, size, strength.  He doesn’t have a precise first touch and his passing is not tight at times either.  I am not sure that he’ll be able to get away with that at the next level, because the defenders are fast, strong  and big.  Usually, if a player wins the Hermann, I would recommend that he takes the MLS Generation Adidas contract, because his value will never be higher.  However, Bunbury may benefit with another year at Akron.

Right now, sophomore forward Darlington Nagbe may be the better professional option.  His balance and touch and speed are phenomenal.

Junior midfielder Blair Gavin is the engine.  I like the way he plays.  He is the conduit between the defense forward to Ampaipitakwong or over the top to the streaking forwards.

Freshman goal keeper David Meves continues to elevate his game against the best teams in the country.

Freshman midfielder Ben Speas was active, playing more centrally when Ampaipitakwong was on the bench.  Speas had a good shot in the second over time that was low and dangerous.  Speas limits his space by not getting wide enough when he’s playing left midfield.

Sophomore right back Kori Sarkodie has speed, gets forward and combines well with his forwards/midfielders.

 

NCAA: Wake Forest vs Virginia

Cary, NC – On a cold December evening, UVA beat WF 2-1 in the first OT.  While WF controlled much of the game, UVA was able to score from a long ball that “super-sub” Brian Ownby was able to poke over the goal keeper for the game winner and a ticket to the NCAA final.

Starting Lineups:

WF 4-1-3-2.

F: Zack Schilawski, Andy Lubahn

M: Austin da Luz, Corben Bone, Luke Norman

DM: Sam Redmond

D: Kyle Adams, Anthony Arena, Ike Opara, Justin Lichtfuss

G: Akira Fitzgerald

UVA 4-5-1.
F:  Will Bates

M: Ari Dimas, Tony Tchani, Jonathan Villanueva, Ross LaBauex, Neil Barlow

D: Hunter Jumper, Mike Volk, Greg Monaco, Shawn Berry

G: Diego Restrepo

UVA observations:

UVA came out tentative and WF took advantage of the situation.  UVA was better in the second half.

The first goal was scored by All-American midfielder Tony Tchani from a rebound in the 55th minute.  Sophomore left back Hunter Jumper passed to senior midfielder Jonathan Villanueva who made a brilliant first touch and fired a blast that the goal keeper stopped but had no chance to hold.  Tchani hopped on the ball and fired it in.

Villanueva regaled that he “hit it as hard as he could, knowing that Ownby could outrun most people”.  WF Anthony Arena noted “that he knew Ownby was fast, but he underestimated his speed”.

Sophomore center back Greg Monaco effectively uses his body to shield attackers away from crosses enabling junior goal keeper Diego Restrepo to smother crosses.

Villanueva attempted to impress his will onto the game.  WF stifled him.  Even with Villanueva having his first two assists of the year, he had a terrible game.  In the 70th minute, a deep cross was wasted with a Villanueva poorly struck volley.

While I’ve been very high on senior DM Ross LaBauex, I’m very disappointed with his lack of touch.  I am enamored with his speed, but he relies on it instead of a tighter touch.  I’m reconsidering.

Restrepo continues to play very well regardless of the goal scoring streak.

Sophomore right back Shawn Berry was being pressured and not handling it very well.  He’s lightning fast, but his passing is rushed as well.  Boot it far seemed to be the rule.  He recovers well.  Berry has poor defensive balance. In the 39th minute, Berry crossed the ball to the far side to an open freshman forward Will Bates who headed it toward the goal.  It was blocked by junior defender Ike Opara.

Bates didn’t threaten the WF defense.

WF observations:

Junior midfielder Corben Bone broke UVA’s 12 game scoring streak with a 70th minute strike.  On the goal, Bone took a corner but it wasn’t cleared well so he slowly worked his way back down the field. Senior left midfielder Austin da Luz got the ball forward to Bone who drove around the corner.  He shot the ball.  Restrepo got his right hand on the ball, but it deflected into the goal.

WF attacked in waves throughout the first half – dominating throughout the early part of the half, but it evened up slightly in the latter parts of the first half.  WF was the better team, but soccer is cruel and sometimes the better team doesn’t win.

Sophomore defensive midfielder Sam Redmond was stopping UVA – he wsa taking the ball from Villanueva like a bully taking his lunch money. Redmond has good speed.  He’s someone to continue to watch.

da Luz was granted tons of time on the left side and he continuously drove in cross after cross.  WF couldn’t connect.  Da Luz relies entirely on his left foot.

Senior forward Zack Schilawski connects well with his team mates.  In the 21st minute, he got the ball wide to sophomore midfielder Luke Norman who touched it to Schilawski in the box.  But his shot was wide.  This was the game that he could have won.  He’s a good player; honest player.  I like him.

In the 68th minute, WF had a terrific build-up with multiple players participating to create a quality shot.  The ball went from Schilawski to Norman back to Lubahn who left it for a da Luz shot that went off the cross bar.

WF had several shots hit the cross bar.

Opara plays strong and is a quick player, but on the winning goal, he needs to do better and stop Ownby from getting the shot off.  Fitzgerald didn’t help change my mind after this goal.  Coming out – essentially eliminated himself from the play.

 

NCAA: Tulsa @ Akron – FINAL

Akron, OH – #1 Akron was able to hold onto an early goal advantage and hold off waves of Tulsa second half attackers to earn a 1-0 victor.  Akron faces against North Carolina on Friday at the College Cup. Tulsa played with pride and determination, but were not able to get a goal.

The second half  was the worst that I’ve seen Akron play this year.  With Tulsa attacking with numbers, it forced Akron to deploy additional numbers in the back.  This provided Akron with break-away opportunities.  However, Akron was unable to convert.   The other concern was the lack of possession by Akron in the second half especially the unforced errors.

Starting Lineups:

Tulsa: 4-4-2 – Tulsa attacks with a lot of numbers.

F: Austin Neil, Kilian Poeschk

M: Jose Parada, Sidney Steward, Chris Taylor, Ashley McInnes

D: Blaine Gonsalves, Hunter Christiansen, Justin Chavez, Matt Boullt

G: Andy Aguilar

Akron 4-4-2.  Akron plays 2 DM (Zemanski and Gavin) with Ampaipitakwong as the AM and Speas as the LM leaving a gap in front of Sarkodie.

F: Teal Bunbury, Darlington Nagbe

M: Ben Speas, Ben Zemanski,Blair Gavin, Anthony Ampaipitakwong

D: Chris Korb, Zarek Valentin, Chad Barson, Kofi Sarkodie

G: David Meves

Akron observations:

In the 17th minute, sophomore right back Kofi Sarkodie scored the game winner from a scintillating pass from junior midfielder Blair Gavin.  The play started with senior midfielder Ben Zemanski stealing an errant pass and touching it to Gavin just on his defensive half.   Gavin sliced a low hard pass right to the foot of the breaking Sarkodie just outside of the box.  He took a balancing touch before burying it past the helpless goal keeper.

Zemanski had a terrific half, continuing to break up many attacks.

Gavin didn’t play as well as I’ve seen him play before.  Many of his passes were off-target – of course, not the goal scoring assist.  He is nearly impossible to knock off the ball.

The freshmen defensive duo of Zarek Valentin and Chad Barson were fantastic.  Barson was all over the back in the first half – squelching the attacks before Tulsa was too close to the goal.   In the second half, Valentin was crucial in stopping numerous attacks.

Typically, the young defenders of Valentin, Barson and Sarkodie are exclaimed.  However, junior left back Chris Korb was my MOTM in the back tonight.  In the 58th minute, twice he stopped shots in the goal mouth.  He repeated this in the 70th minute and added a saavy tackle in the 73rd minute.  Korb was playing out of his head.  Without him in the back, I don’t think Akron wins.

In the previous 3 games that I’ve watched Akron, David Meves could have been finger-painting on the goal as much as he was challenged.  Tonight, he performed; stopping a point blank shot in the final minutes.

Senior forward Teal Bunbury is ready to move on to the MLS.  He has the body, the speed and the ability to be a legitimate scoring threat.  Bunbury may need a year to acclimate to the professional standard, but he has the talent.  I would be shocked if he is back at Akron next year – unless he has other career ambitions.  In the 72nd minute, Bunbury held off red shirt junior midfielder Hunter Christiansen with considerable strength exploding into 3v1.  However, Bunbury’s pass to sophomore forward Darlington Nagbe was not well placed putting Nagbe in a bad passing angle.

On Friday night, UNC finished their breakaway with Drake pressing forward.  Akron didn’t.  This could be the difference.

Nagbe was a terror in the first half.  He has good balance, strength.  He is difficult to defend when he accelerates out of turn.  While he was on the bench in the second half, the momentum went to Tulsa.

With assist leader, red-shirt sophomore midfielder Michael Nanchoff on the bench with an injury, Akron’s depth was shown to be lacking.  None of the bench players positively impacted the game.

Tulsa observations:

Junior midfielder Ashley McInnes is a small quick player with exemplary technical skill.  In the 69th minute, senior midfielder Joe Salem crossed the ball to the back post, McInnes crushed GK Meves dislodging the ball but Meves hit the ground and immediately recovered the ball.

In the 87th minute, sophomore defender Justin Chavez shot the ball after an inadequate corner kick clearance with Meves making a critical save.

Sophomore forward Austin Neil pulled his hamstring in the 60th minute. Before that he was winning more than his share of high balls.  With the Tulsa attack prominent in the second half, losing a target forward was unfortunate.  Neil holds the ball up top exceptionally well.

Even though Christiansen was fought off the ball by Bunbury, his tackling was critical in the second half to allow the other players to get forward.

In the 90th minute, senior midfielder Jose Parada took a close shot that was just wide.

 

NCAA: Drake @ North Carolina *UPDATED*

Chapel Hill, NC – UNC beat Drake 2-1 to advance to the final four next week against tomorrow’s winner between Tulsa and Akron.

UNC is much quicker, has better team speed, and has far superior passing.  Drake is more direct trying to get their tall forwards behind the UNC defense.  UNC was the better team – as graciously acknowledged by the Drake coach.

Starting Lineups:

Drake 4-4-2

F: Garrett Webb, Hunter Kennedy

M: Matt Kuhn, Kevin Shrout, Luke Gorczyca, Thomas Ostrander

D: Brian Wurst, Julien Edwards, Calvin Clark, Nick Foster

G: Jordan Kadlec

NC 4-5-1

F: Billy Schuler

M: Cameron Brown, Michael Farfan, Alex Dixon

DM: Kirk Urso, Dustin McCarty

D: Brett King, Drew McKinney, Zach Loyd, Jordan Graye

G: Brooks Hagerty

Drake observations:

The lone goal – ending a UNC shut out – was started by junior forward Evan Harrison. He crossed the ball to junior forward Kenan Malicevic in the box.  Malicevic slotted a near post shot with 41 seconds remaining in the game.

After starting goal keeper red shirt junior Michael Thaden allowed 3 goals in 50 minutes in the last game against Boston College, Drake inserted back up red shirt sophomore keeper Jordan Kadlec to finish the game.  While Kadlec gave up one more goal, he did enough to preserve the win.   Kadlec started last night.

Kaldec stopped a penalty kick in the 37th minute to maintain the scoreless draw going into the half.  While the coach looked like a genius at half time, I wonder if a more experienced goal keeper could have stopped the first goal.  Kaldec continuously was found off his line.

Senior midfielder Kevin Shrout is a sure tackler and he had plenty of opportunities to tackle against the attack minded Tar Heels.

Senior forward Garrett Webb didn’t have sufficient touches or quality touches to really impress.  He has some speed and size.  I’d need to see him in the combine to see how he holds and moves the ball.

Junior Matt Kuhn had the best shot before the goal in the 60th minute but it went just wide. I like the way that he plays, but he needs to be quicker with his touch and more precise with his passing for the next level.

Senior defender Brian Wurst made a necessary stop in the 16th minute against his speedy opponent, Alex Dixon.  In the 85th minute, he was able to get past red shirt senior Jordan Graye.  As he loped down the sideline, he had no idea what to do, so he made a half shot and half cross that went harmlessly for a goal kick.

NC observations:

In the 55th minute, after a corner kick defended by Drake, the ball was fed by junior midfielder Michael Farfan to sophomore midfielder Kirk Urso.  He struck a 20 yard shot near the corner of the penalty area that went over the goal keeper and under the cross bar.  It was a blazing shot, but the GK should have been able to touch it.

In the 18th minute, Urso caught the goal keeper off the line and fired a 40 yard shot that hit the cross bar and bounced down but not over the line.  Perhaps Urso took this shot into consideration on his goal.  Urso said, “that he has a good long shot and attempts them when given the chance.”

Just a little over 2 minutes after the first goal, UNC had a 3v2 break-away that they converted.  The play started with a Drake free kick.  After the initial free kick was stymied the clearance went to Foster.  He tried to put the ball back into the box, but his entry was blocked by Farfan and it deflected to sophomore midfielder Alex Dixon.  Dixon got the ball quickly forward to sophomore forward Billy Schuler who gave it to Dixon behind the defense and he slotted a shot home from 18 yards with 2 Drake defenders and the goal keeper converging.

Senior defender Zach Loyd had his PK stopped.  He placed it well, but with insufficient power.

In the 25th minute, Loyd made a nice pass that junior midfielder Cameron Brown dummied letting the ball run to Schuler who laid it down the line to Brown.  Brown drove the ball down the line and into the box.  He cut the ball getting the defender off balance.  As he went by him, Brown stabbed his foot into the foot of the defender (I believe junior defender Nick Foster).  Brown dropped like he’d been shot trying to draw a PK.  Instead he drew a yellow card for diving.  Nice call.

Brown may be the king of drama llamas in the NCAA tournament.  He’s very technical.  He doesn’t need these types of antics.

I really like Schuler’s precision dribbling.  He’s confident (and skilled enough) to take on multiple defenders.

The UNC defense didn’t finish the game and mentally checked out before the final whistle. Elmar Bolowich commented, “The final 5 minutes we lost our concentration [and losing the ball] on unforced errors”.

While UNC was dominating, Farfan was not as dominating as he was against NCST in the ACC tournament.  This statement is indicative of the power that UNC possesses that one of their marquis players doesn’t play to his potential and still win handily in the elite 8.  The other thing that is interesting is that Farfan was involved in both goals but I still hold him in such high regard that I expect much.

 

NCAA: Portland @ Virginia *UPDATED*

Charlottesville, VA – On a brisk sunny Sunday afternoon, UVA beat Portland 1-0 in the NCAA round of sixteen (octal finals?).  UVA will host Maryland at 7 pm on Friday.

UVA attacked well in the first half but absorbed pressure in the second after scoring their goal.

Starting Lineups:

UVA 4-5-1.
F:  Will Bates

M: Ari Dimas, Tony Tchani, Jonathan Villanueva, Ross LaBauex, Neil Barlow

D: Hunter Jumper, Mike Volk, Greg Monaco, Shawn Berry

G: Diego Restrepo

Portland 4- 4-2
F: Ryan Luke, Ricardo Carrillo

M: Jarad van Schaik, Joe Sleven, Drew Chrostek, Collen Warner

D: Alex Kraus, Logan Emory, Ryan Kawulok, Keith Grubisich

G: Austin Guerrero

UVA observations:

1 minute and nine seconds after half time, red-shirt freshman midfielder Ari Dimas scored on a shot that trickled over the goal after he received a driven cross by sophomore right back Shawn Berry.  To start the play, sophomore midfielder Tony Tchani buried a long pass into the corner that Berry tracked down.

Tchani had a rough game with his touch.  It reminded me of him in pre-season as he was working himself back into shape after suffering last year’s season-ending injury.

Dimas has a sweet first touch, but his defense is severely lacking.

Senior DM Ross LaBauex continued to demonstrate why I think he’s going to be 1st round pick in less than 2 months.  His tackling and tenaciousness accompanied by his speed make him a special player.

Red shirt junior goal keeper Diego Restrepo was instrumental in maintaining the scoreless streak.  He made countless point blank shots and he was positioning himself well.

Senior midfielder Neil Barlow made a strong run blowing by two defenders before unleashing a powerful shot in the 37th minute.  The shot was blocked by the goal keeper but he was unable to hold it.  Dimas tracked down the rebound, but his cross was too high.

This was a problem in the first half that UVA kept shooting – but directly at the goal keeper.

In the second, UVA fell back with many of the midfielders bunkering in the box.  UVA said that the wind and sun – it was difficult to defend.  Also, they gave Portland a lot of credit for their direct game.  I saw it that the attacking intensity waned after the goal.

In the 87th minute, sophomore forward Brian Ownby held off senior defender Logan Emory near the sideline to get by him.  Emory tracked back and tried bodying Ownby off the ball.  Ownby cut the ball and lost Emory while tracking into the box.  Ownby crushed a shot that was only stopped by a fantastic save from junior goal keeper Austin Guerrero.

Ownby has only been playing 15-20 minutes in the second half as he recovers from a groin injury.  With his speed and skill, he is a terrific weapon to spring on tiring defenses in the second half.

Portland observations:

Portland wouldn’t use the travel as an excuse, but I have to question the judgment of sending a team across the country needlessly.  “We’re student athletes.”  Yep, but to travel from Raleigh (last week against NC ST) via Portland and back to Charlottesville, VA (a roughly 3 hour bus trip), doesn’t position your team to win – especially being a holiday week,

Junior forward Ryan “Screech” Luke is a quality goal scorer.  He had the best opportunities in the first half.  In the 35th minute, he broke toward the goal and seemed to be behind the defense for a freshman forward Ricardo Carrillo cross.  But LaBauex used his closing speed to head the ball away.

Additionally, Luke was denied an 8 yard goal by a superlative stop by Restrepo in the 43rd minute.  Carillo had beated Dimas into the corner before cutting the ball back from the end line into the center of the box for a first touch strike by Luke.

Luke gets to good positions to score.

Senior midfielder Collen Warner had a tremendous shot from an acute angle.  As the time wound down, he moved further forward.  He’s got the speed for the next level and his passing is very good.   It took 3 UVA defenders to get him off the ball.  I like the way that he plays.   But his touch was off in the first half.

While I expected that the UVA speed would cause problems for the Portland defense – which happened when UVA attacked.   In the first half, Emory was closing down many of the UVA attacks.  He stills plays too much with his hands rather than his feet for my liking.

 

NCAA: UNC-Wilmington @ Wake Forest *UPDATED*

Winston-Salem, NC – Wake Forest beat UNC-Wilmington 2-1.

UNCW looked intimidated in the first half.  They looked more secure in the second half.  WF just plays too quickly and are just much better.  UNCW should be proud of their effort.

Starting Lineups:

WF 4-1-3-2.

F: Zack Schilawski, Andy Lubahn

M: Corben Bone, Austin da Luz, Luke Norman

DM: Sam Redmond

D: Kyle Adams, Anthony Arena, Ike Opara, Justin Lichtfuss

G: Akira Fitzgerald

UNCW 4-2- 3-1
F: Nassim Berhouni

M: Allen Lomax, Daniel Roberts, Kirk Hudgins

DM: Etienne Boulanger, Brian Harrison

D: Christian Davidson, David Acosta, Indy Smith, Shaun Utterson

G: Brock Duckworth

UNCW observations:

UNCW got a late goal in the 86th minute from sophomore forward Shawn Guderian (his name seems familiar – perhaps from the Manchester Cup).  He flicked the ball up to beat his last defender and slotted the ball past goal keeper senior Akira Fitzgerald.  Junior Daniel Roberts got the ball forward to earn the assist.

Sophomore defender Christian Davidson threw a long ball that junior central defender Indy Smith flicked on that was just wide in the 31st minute.  This was the best UNCW opportunity in the first half.

Guderian broke behind the WF defense in the 42nd minute, but slipped on the wet grass ending any scoring possibility.

In the 44th minute, I was impressed by both the 60 yard run from deep in the UNCW area by junior left midfielder Allen Lomax and with sophomore midfielder Luke Norman tracking him the entire way.  After this run, Lomax got the ball forward to junior forward Tyler Wheaton.  But Wheaton’s shot was wide.

In the 64th minute, junior forward Nassim Berhouni was stretchered off the field after the ball appeared to hit him dead in the face.

Other than the winning goal, junior goal keeper Brock Duckworth was solid in goal stopping a ton of shots.  See below for the winning goal.

WF observations:

Senior midfielder Austin da Luz scored the first goal in the 35th minute.  The play started with da Luz crossed the ball across the top of the box, senior forward Zack Schilawski dummied the ball for sophomore forward Chris Estridge at the top of the box. His shot was blocked.  Schilawski shot the rebound and it was blocked.  Schilawski gathered the rebound and passed it back to da Luz in the box.  He used the outside of his favored left foot to hook it into the far post.

The winning goal was scored in the 76th minute by freshman center back Anthony Arena.  Junior midfielder Corben Bone served in a high corner kick to the back post that went over Duckworth’s out-stretched hands and to Arena’s head from 3 yards.  Duckworth needed to do better.

WF defends with urgency all over the field.  It unnerves teams to have players pressuring around the field.  Then, with precision passing they slice through the dis-arrayed defense.

Not only is Bone extremely quick, his acceleration is stunning.   He is the linchpin of the WF attack.  I can’t imagine that he’ll come back for his senior year.  His passing vision is awe-inspiring. He’s very right-footed.

da Luz is under-appreciated in the college game, but I’m not sure that his skills will translate well into the professional game.  He’s an accurate passer that plays smartly.  He’s very left-footed.

It is good to see senior Justin Lichtfuss return from injury.  He is a competent defender.

Of course, it’s a pleasure watching junior defender Ike Opara.  He’s a scoring threat in the air.  His footwork continues to improve.  He was limping in the 7th minute, but gutted his way through the rest of the game.

In the 25th minute, freshman forward Andy Lubahn chipped the goal keeper but the shot was wide.

 

 

NCAA: Portland @ North Carolina State

Raleigh, NC – After winning in New Mexico on Thursday, Portland traveled to North Carolina and upset North Carolina State (NCST) 2-1 in the second round of the NCAA tournament.  With this victory, Portland adds to their frequent flier miles traveling to Charlottesville, Va for Sunday’s match-up against UVA.

NCST attacked, attacked, attacked and attacked.  They were not able to put the ball in the net sufficiently.

In the first half, I was surprised that NCST didn’t challenge the freshman goal keeper that had only played for a couple of minutes all season.  The normal goal keeper was red carded late in the NM game.  In the second, they challenged him more, but he came up with a couple of mistakes and 1 huge save!

The Portland defense is going to be shredded by the speed of the UVA attackers.

Starting Lineups:

NC State 4-4-2

F: Ronnie Bouemboue

W/D F: Alan Sanchez

M: Kris Byrd, Chris Zuerner, Farouk Bseiso, Federico Nachmann

D: Korede Aiyegbusi, Tyler Lassiter, Romulo Manzano, Lucas Carpenter

G: Christopher Widman

Portland 4- 4-2
F: Ryan Lukke, Ricardo Carrillo

M: Jarad vanSchaik, Joe Sleven, Drew Chrostek, Collen Warner

D: Alex Kraus, Logan Emory, Ryan Kawulok, Keith Grubisich

G: Justin Baarts

NC State observations:

In the 60th minute, junior transfer forward Akil DeFreitas chipped the goal keeper to momentarily even the score.  The pass from the far left side by senior midfielder Chrystel Bakong into the box with DeFreitas facing the goal easily saw that the GK hadn’t anticipated quickly enough or didn’t stay back and was stuck in no-man’s land.

Junior defender Tyler Lassiter was dominating in the air.  With NCST down late in the game, he moved into midfield to aid in the attack.  He was consistent in his tackles.  In the 47th minute, Lassiter had a change 3 yards from goal after the goal keeper dropped the ball after a free kick.  Lassiter put the touch wide. MOTM for NCST.

Senior forward Ronnie Bouemboue was most effective when he went back into midfield to get the ball, face the goal and drive into the box.

Junior defender Lucas Carpenter struck a sizzler in the 53rd minute that required freshman goal keeper Justin Baarts to make a spectacular diving save as the ball was destined to be in the upper left 90.

Senior left back Korede Aiyegbuse had a horrible game.  His passing was off.  He’d beat a player or two and either lose the ball off the dribble or off the pass.  Regardless, turn-over was his specialty.

Senior AM Alan Sanchez spends to much time on the ball.  By slowing up the play, he allows the defense to form.  He needs to work quicker.  I can’t say that I’m enamored with his play enough to want him on my team (at the next level).

Portland observations:

In the 2nd minute, senior DM Drew Chrostek scored a goal on a hooking shot from 25 yards.  The play started with junior midfielder Jarad vanSchaik passing a low ball from a corner kick to Chrostek at the top of the box.  Widman should have stopped the shot.  It wasn’t struck hard, but it did loop into the corner.

The second goal (and winning goal) was scored by junior forward Ryan Luke with a header from 3 yards.  The goal was created by precision dribbling from senior midfielder Collen Warner, opening space with quick touches before delivering the ball onto Luke’s head.  The cross was so precise that Luke never changed speed, he ran right into the ball.  One of the best crosses that I’ve seen this year.

Warner is exceptional on the ball.  He was good vertical ability.

vanSchaik serves accurate set pieces.

Sophomore midfielder had a fine first half (sitting on the bench) and horrific second half wandering around the field.  His dribbling is erratic.  His passing is worse.  How he stayed on the field was an abomination to all decent soccer fans everywhere.

The Portland defense is not quick.  Senior back Logan Emory uses his arms to fend off forwards and to off-balance them.  Freshman right back keith Grubisich was toasted the entire first half by sophomore Kris Byrd.

Freshman goal keeper Justin Baarts was tentative in the first half – unsure to attack crosses. He played not to lose the game.  In the second half, he dropped a free kick and was fortunate not to have a goal scored upon him.

Baarts made a huge save on Carpenter’s blazing shot.  Portland will welcome back starting goal keeper Austin Guerrero against UVA.  Unfortunately, Guerrero is going to be facing a team that put in 5 goals against Bucknell.

 

NCAA D3: Williams @ York College of Pennsylvania

York, PA – For the fourth year out of five, York College of Pennsylvania (YCP) was eliminated in penalty kicks (7-6). This year Williams College advanced to the NCAA division 3 sectional final after each team scored one goal through regulation and over-time.

YCP had a 1 PK goal advantage going into the 5th and potential winning PK.  The anticipated fifth PK taker, senior defender Scott Becker, was on his way to the hospital after suffering a harrowing head injury (more below).  Instead, junior midfielder Lucas Emil crushed a shot off the cross bar enabling Williams an opportunity to bury 4 consecutive PKs including the game winner.

• YCP Made: Travis Williams, Jon Ports, Aaron Good, Kemal Nuspahic, Adam Good, Eric Mackin
• YCP Missed: Lucas Emil, Cody Pearson
• Williams Made: Gaston Kelly, Joe Vella, Philip Vestergaard, Colin Ainsworth, Charles Romero, Pierre Meloty-Kapella, Matt Ratajczak
• Williams Missed: Conor Smith

YCP controlled the first 35 minutes, but Williams fought back with a spirited final 10 minutes of the first half.

Williams came out fast in the second half, peppering the goal with multiple shots leading to several corner kicks.  They maintained this dominance for the first 20 minutes of the second half (because they committed more numbers into the midfield attack).  Then, the game was back-and-forth with both teams having quality chances to end the game during regulation and in over time.

 

Starting Lineups:

Williams 4-4-1-1.
F: Pierre Meloty-Kapella

W/Drawn F: Charles Romero

M: Gaston Kelly, Alex Johnson, Colin Ainsworth, Will Whiston

D: Matt Ratajczak, Joe Vella, Conor Smith, Philip Vestergaard

G: Andrew Graham

YCP 4-4-1-1.
F: Kemal Nuspahic

W/Drawn F: Jon Ports

M: Antonio Bua, Lucas Emil, Mike Gill, Justin Suchoski,

D: Andy Stromberg, Scott Becker, Adam Good, Travis Williams

G: Ryan Hock

Williams observations:

In the 43rd minute, “grade 13″ (according to the Williams website) midfielder Patrick Ebobisse blasted a 30 yard bomb into the far post – best touch from either team in the half.  The play started with “grade 12″ defender Philip Vestergaard head flicked to “grade 12″ forward Daniel Morrisroe’s feet over to “grade 12″ Angus Kennedy.  Kennedy got the ball wide to Ebobisse.  One touch later the bomb was dropped!

In the 9th minute, “Grade 11″ forward Charles Romero beat senior defender Scott Becker around the corner and crossed to “grade 10″  forward Pierre Meloty-Kapella who hit the shot over the cross bar.  This was the best opportunity in the first half until the goal.

In the 46th minute, Meloty-Kapella forwarded the pass to “grade 10″  midfielder Will Whiston good cross that “grade 11″ cheeky used his heel to shoot from 4 yards, but the goal keeper tipped it away for a corner kick.

Meloty-Kapella is quick.  He had several break-aways that I was surprised that YCP defenders were able to recover quick enough to stymie.

Romero is tremendous on the ball, causing much concern for the YCP defense.

“Grade 11″ midfielder Colin Ainsworth hit a 30 yard shot that hit the cross bar in the waning minutes of the game.

NOTE. I got a late comment about the “Grade xx”.  It’s the graduating year.  So Grade 11 would be graduating in 2011.  Ok, that makes sense.

YCP observations:

YCP got on the scoreboard in the 5th minute. Senior midfielder Jon Ports squeezed a shot into the goal from a senior midfielder Justin Suchoski long pass.

The turning point for YCP in the game came in the 51st minute.  A high ball came into the box, a tremendous collision occurred between senior goal keeper Ryan Hock, Becker and a Williams attacker.  It might have been a Hock punch, or head-to-head contact, but Becker collapsed and had a brutal cut that required “cleansing the field”.  He was assisted off the field.  Medical staff worked feverishly to stop the bleeding and applied ice to his gash.  Unfortunately, after a protracted period of time, Becker was brought to the hospital.  Coach Mark Ludwig had planned to use Becker as the anchor on the PK’s.

It’s an unfortunate way for Becker to end his college career.

GK Hock had a huge game, making the correct decision on punching, catching, coming off his line.  He made several critical stops – the lone goal was unstoppable.

Ports is outstanding.  He’ll be greatly missed as a graduating senior.  In the 23rd minute, with his exceptional quickness and dribbling ability, he beat the goal keeper, but he was near the end-line near the end of the goal area.  He calmly slotted the ball to freshman midfielder Antonio Bua in the middle of the box.  Bua skied the shot.  This would have changed the game.  The only question that I have is how would Ports compete against D1 players.  I hope that Ports will be invited to the combine.  If not, I wouldn’t be surprised if he signs with a USL1 team.  He’s small, but he has quick feet.  I think he could make a roster.

Bua is a good dribbler.

Junior forward Mike O’Connell had an open look in the 85th minute after a nice first touch.  His shot was straight at the goal keeper.

It’s hard to lose a game like this, but “it is what it is”.

 

NCAA: Bucknell @ Princeton

Princeton, NJ – On a rainy evening, Bucknell beat Princeton 1-0 to advance to play UVA on Sunday.  The game was delayed for 30 minutes for a lightning delay.

Princeton star forward Antoine Hoppenot, after picking up his 5th yellow in the last regular season game against Yale, was suspended for this match.  I’m sure that Hoppenot would have sacrificed one of his three goals to erase the yellow and play in the NCAA.

Rule note.  If a player has 4 yellow cards going into the NCAA tournament, the limit for suspension is raised to 8 yellow cards.

Starting Lineups:

Bucknell 4-1-4-1.

F: Brendan Burgdorf

M: CK Kumah, Sean King, Conor O’Brien, Ryan Sappington

DM: Ross Liberati

D: Andrew Powell, Jermaine Jarrett, Patrick Selwood, Travis Rand

G: Tommy Caso

Princeton 4-4-2.

F: Matt Sanner, Brandon Busch

M: Lester Nare, Manny Sardinha, Devin Muntz, Ben Harms

D: Josh Walburn, Mark Linnville, Benjamin Burton, Teddy Schneider

G: Sean Lynch

Bucknell observations:

The first goal was scored by Freshman forward Brendan Burgdorf from 8 yards with the assist going to senior captain midfielder Conor O’Brien in the 70th minute.  O’Brien surgically placed the ball to a spot that only Burgdorf could receive.  Burgdorf beat 1 defender before taking a shot that deflected off another defender and squeezed into the far side netting

Freshman midfielder CK Kumah was unable to follow the game well enough.  Partially because of this, his first touch was failing him.

In the 44th minute, junior midfielder Tommy McCabe crossed a ball to freshman forward Josh Plump open 10 yards from the goal but missed the ball.

Burgdorf is a strong forward, fighting off defenders.  He could become very good.

Princeton observations:

Senior Devin Muntz plays like a chihuahua.  Tenacious, driven, with abundant energy.  Muntz hit a 35 yard free kick that the GK had to tip over the cross bar.

In the 35th minute, junior midfielder Tim Sedwitz passed the ball to senior forward Ben Harms who with a nifty first touch eluded the first defender before beating the second defender with a good second touch.  He took over the match in the second half with his dribbling and passing.  At this point, I don’t think, he’s MLS quality, but I’d like to see him at the combine.

Junior forward Max Hare uses his body to ward off defenders.

Junior midfielder Josh Walburn took a 35 yard shot that forced Caso to leap to tip the ball over the cross bar. In the 75th minute, Walburn stuck a blazing free kick from the same spot.  This time Caso barely did the same thing, tipping the ball over the cross bar.

Freshman forward Matt Sanner is a force in the box.  In the 86th minute with a chance for the equalizer, but forced a long range shot with out the pace to challenge the GK.

 

NCAA: Connecticut @ Monmouth

Long Branch, NJ – On an cool afternoon with occasional showers, Monmouth advanced past Connecticut (UConn) in penalty kicks (4-3) after a scoreless draw through regulation and over-time.

• Monmouh PK Made: Daniel Bostock, Ryan Kinne, Ryan Clark, Cesar Blacido
• UConn PK Made: Toni Stahl, Cruz Hernandez, Alan Ponce
• Monmouth PK Missed: R. J. Allen, Cody Califiore
• UConn PK Missed: Carlos Alvarez, Robert Brickley, Mike Pezza

There was a passing shower in the first half and was significantly harder in the second half, but stopped in over time.  So, my notes in the second half are not as thorough.

Starting Lineups:

Monmouth 4-1-4-1.
F: Chase Barbieri

M: Ryan Clark, Cesar Blacido, Ryan Kinne, Drew Von Bargen

DM: Cody Calafiore

D: Christian Nogueira, Anthony Vazquez, Daniel Bostock, R. J. Allen

G: Bryan Meredith

UConn 4-2-3-1

F: Alan Ponce

M: Stephane Diop, Carlos Alvarez, Tony Cascio

DM: Jossimar Sanchez, Toni Stahl

D: Greg King, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Robert Brickley, Shawn Nicklaw

G: Josh Ford

Monmouth observations:

While Monmouth came out quickly showing determination, they were unable to maintain this intensity after the first few minutes of the first half for the majority of the half.  In the second half, Monmouth had the better of the play including a sequence of three free kicks around the box.  Monmouth couldn’t put the ball in the net, but outlasted UConn in PKs.

Sophomore AM sensation Ryan Kinne coasted through much of the first half; only starting to find gaps very late.  For him, it was a bad first half, because he didn’t assert himself.  In the second half, he was much better.  Demanding the ball and then providing the spark that Monmouth needed.

Sophomore defender R. J. Allen serves a terrific free kick.  His defense is good.

Freshman left midfielder Ryan Clark was terrorizing junior right back Shawn Nicklaw in the second half.  He needs to develop his cross off a full run (getting his hips locked in to get the ball more accurately into the middle.  He’s a good player.

Senior center back Daniel Bostock competed in the air against the imposing UConn center back.  He lacks technical skill, but possesses solid defensive positioning.

UConn observations:

UConn was better in the first half, but couldn’t maintain this advantage in the second.  One of the main problems for UConn is that when they have an opportunity deep in the Monmouth area, they refuse to commit sufficient numbers in the box.  There were countless times with an attacker outside the box but within 20 yards from the end line and there may have been only 1 man in the box.  This was too easy to defend. Given these conservative tactics, it seems just that they didn’t win the PKs.

Senior central defender Kwame Watson-Siriboe is a quality defender, winning the majority of balls in the air.  He is difficult to beat on the ground, too.   He has quick feet.  In the 4th minute, he headed a freshman AM Carlos Alvarez corner kick off the cross-bar.

Inconsequentially, sophomore midfielder Tony Cascio earned a straight red card in the 109th minute.  He’ll miss the first game next year – but not as severe a penalty as missing a match-up against Harvard had UConn won the PKs.  Cascio not able to free him from the last defender.  Also, his center of gravity is very high, hampering his play on this slick field and turning well.

Holy Cow!  Alvarez is phenomenal.  His first touch is exquisite.  His passing is exceptional.  He’s going to be good.  Alvarez even serves a nice free kick.

Red shirt junior Josh Ford is a good shot blocker, but his distribution is inconsistent.  He’ll boom a punt, then squib a goal kick.  Also, he came out for a ball at the top of his box in the second half – leaving his goal undefended.  He didn’t get the ball cleanly and the ball was eventually cleared by a UConn defender, but a better touch by Monmouth should have resulted in a goal.

Junior left back Greg King was not very good.  He’d beat a defender (or two), but eventually lose the ball with a poor pass or a mis-dribble.  In the 89th minute, King crossed the ball to junior forward Alan Ponce that only an exceptional save from the goal keeper averted a UConn victory.

Senior midfielder Toni Stahl makes good decisions.  His passing is accurate and he is a steady defender.  He’s going to be drafted.  In the 20th minute, he made a good pass to freshman midfielder Stephane Diop. Diop made a pass back to where Stahl should have been.  Stahl immediately acknowledged that he didn’t make the run and should have.  It’s good to see the senior do this – To often, I see the guy who made the mistake yell at the younger player unjustly.

 

NCAA Tournament Attendance * UPDATED*

UPDATED: Added WF game and crossed out NM.

Trying to increase attendance, the NCAA has changed the dates of the Division I tournament to November 19, November 22, November 29, December 3/4/5, December 11 and December 13.

This reduces the number of games that I can attend.  Until the quarter finals (first week-end in December), I will need to judiciously plan my schedule because I’ll probably only be able to see 1 game per round.

Here’s my plans for this week-end:

• Thursday, November 19, 12pm D1 Connecticut at Monmouth
• Thursday, November 19, 7pm D1 Bucknell @ Princeton
• Saturday, November 21, 11am D3 Williams @ York College of Pennsylvania (YCP)
• Saturday, November 21, 130pm D3 Christopher Newport vs Stevens Institute @ YCP
• Sunday, November 22, 1pm D1 New Mexico or Portland @ NC State
• UPDATED: Sunday, November 22, 5pm D1 UNCW @ WF

I was originally considering trying to cover 12 of the final 16 D3 teams, but that would require traveling to Carnegie-Mellon (Pittsburgh) on Thursday evening from Princeton (6 hour drive), because I need to work on Friday.  Then, I would need to make it back to York for Saturday morning.  It was just too much.

Then, I considered going to Messiah after YCP to catch a double-header.  Again, these games would end in the evening and require a 7 hour drive that night for Sunday’s game in Raleigh, NC. Again, it was too much.

So, I decided to watch the D3 double header at YCP.

On Thursday, because Monmouth plays at noon, I’ll be able to catch a second game (at Princeton).  I saw Monmouth play earlier in the year against FDU – but it was uninspired play.  I’m looking forward to see Ryan Kinne, again.  I haven’t seen UConn play this year.  I’m anxious to see their big #4 in the back (Kwame Watson-Siriboe).  Let alone, the freshman sensation Alvarez.

Later that night, I see Princeton live for the first time this year.  They have a player that I saw last year that had unremarkable stats, but was clear that he had skills – Antoine Hoppenot has scored 10 goals this year. [NOTE. Hoppenot picked up his 5th yellow against Yale].  Bucknell’s Connor O’Brien is a smart player who is going to make a MLS team next year.

Why YCP?  Jon Ports.

I considered driving to Notre Dame on Wednesday evening.  Work all day on Thursday, Watch UW-Green Bay @ Notre Dame, then drive to Pittsburgh.  Work all day on Friday.  Watch the Carnegie-Mellon double header.  Drive to York. Sleep. Watch the double header at YCP, Messiah.  Drive to Raleigh. Watch NC State. Have a mental break-down. Drive home. Go to work on Monday.

The other option that I considered was catching the Winthrop @ Duke on Thursday night.

The ultimate deciding factor was watching UConn and Monmouth and the bonus Princeton game.

Finally, Sunday was an easy decision because how many times can I watch New Mexico or Portland on the east coast.  The only match that I considered was SJU vs BC/Dartmouth; but I’ve seen all three play.  Butler vs IU/Louisville was tempting – but that’s a pretty long drive for 1 game.

Next Week-end is going to be interesting.  I’m thinking UC-Irvine at Akron.  Maybe Harvard if PSU is still in the tournament.  I really want to see Duke – so maybe if they’re playing WF.  UCI @ Akron.

 

Big East: Notre Dame vs. Saint John’s * UPDATED *

Morgantown, WV – Saint John’s (SJU) won the Big East championship in penalty kicks after a scoreless draw with Notre Dame (ND).  ND had advanced in their last two games from PKs, but senior midfielder Michael Thomas opened the door missing the second ND PK and that is all that SJU needed burying all 5 of their shots.

• SJU PK Made: Nelson Becerra, Tadeu Terra, Bjorn de Hoop, Joel Gustafsson, Connor Lade
• ND PK Made: Matt Armstrong, Dillon Powers, Bright Dike
• ND PK Missed: Michael Thomas

Starting Lineups:

Notre Dame 4-4-2

F: Tamba Samba, Steven Perry

M: Brendan King, Michael Thomas, Matt Armstrong, Dave Donohue

D: Justin Morrow, John Schaefer, Aaron Maund, Bilal Duckett

G: Andrew Quinn

SJU 4-4-2.
F: Walter Hines, Sverre Wegge Gundhus

M: Nelson Becerra, Pablo Punyed, Josh Faga, Trevor Chiduku

D: David Reed, Joel Gustafsson, Kyle Hoffer, Connor Lade

G: Derby Carrillo

ND observations:

Senior forward Bright Dike turns well, but his shots continue to be off target.  He negates any goal scoring opportunity if the ball is not on target.  Hmmm.  D’oh!  [note. after reviewing the stats and seeing that he had 6 shots and 3 were on goal, this might seem to be harsh, but his shots on goal were of the meek variety.  I stand by my assessment.] I like his thundering shot.  His first touch is acceptable.

Senior midfielder Michael Thomas is a thinker and a worker.  He has a shot at making a MLS roster.  The only thing holding him back will be his athletic ability.  I like his strength, but does he have closing speed?

Junior defender Bilal Duckett headed an accurate corner kick from freshman midfielder Dillon Powers in the 67th minute but the GK tipped it over the cross bar.  Duckett was fortunate to have not given up the game winner in the closing minute after he misplayed the ball.

Sophomore defender Aaron Maund has good defensive awareness.  He moves well off the ball and he tracks balls in the air with authority.

Senior left back Justin Morrow gets forward frequently; I like his crossing, but I question his technical ability in tight spaces.  In the 55th minute, he found Dike open in the box, but Dike’s header hit the post.

There are better goal keeping options for the next level than senior goal keeper Andrew Quinn.  I don’t like the way he moves, but he is a good shot stopper.

Powers was better than the last time that I saw him.  His passing creativity is nice to watch.  I would like for him to get his head up quicker rather than just anticipating where he thinks his team mates are on the field.

SJU observations:

Red shirt senior goal keeper Derby Carrillo distributes the ball horribly.  He provided a low line drive goal kick to Dike 25 yards from goal that Dike took a low shot that was just off target.  It got so bad, that SJU had a defender take goal kicks.

Senior defender Joel Gustafsson is a tremendous defender especially in the air.  I like the way he steps up to win balls before the attacker can even receive the ball.

Senior midfielder Nelson Becerra has slick technical skills both with accurate passing, small touches to maintain possession and quick feet.  I’d prefer for him to play more centrally, but playing wide may be his only alternative at the next level.  Does he have sufficient speed to play wide midfield?  I’m not sure.

Junior midfielder Trevor Chiduku made an outstanding play in the 30th minute saving a ball destined to roll over the end line.  He crossed the ball low and hard into the box, but Duckett’s clearance wasn’t very good and Becerra laid the ball off for left back senior David Reed.  Reed’s shot squeaked just wide.  Chiduku needs to pass the ball better.

Reed’s passing was abysmal.

Junior forward Sverre Wegge Gundhus is the best attacker for SJU.  In the 78th minute, sophomore midfielder Pablo Punyed had a precise pass that Gundhus shot with a lot of skill that required an acrobatic save.

 

Big South Tournament Moved

The big south tournament has been moved to Gardner-Webb in Boiling Springs, NC.  This adds 3.5 hours to my trip from Cary to Morgantown.  The crucial time is the drive to Morgantown would put me in too late.

I won’t be attending the Big South tournament.

 

 

ACC: #5 Virginia vs. #1 Wake Forest

Cary, NC – On a cool, windy evening after a scoreless match UVA won in penalty kicks 5-4 over Wake Forest.  The weather continues to impact this tournament and all other tournaments in the area. In the first half with the wind at their backs, UVA dominated the half.  WF had the better of the play in the second.

In the PKs, after the first two shooters for each team made it, both 3rd shooters missed.  Freshman forward Andy Lubahn hit the post and it didn’t go in the goal.

• UVA PK Made: Tony Tchani, Greg Monaco, Nick Courtney, Jonathan Villanueva, Neil Barlow
• WF PK Made: Corbin Bone, Luke Norman, Alfredo Rodriguez-Allen, Austin da Luz
• UVA PK Missed: T. J. Cyrus
• WF PK Missed: Zack Schilawski, Andy Lubahn

Starting Lineups:

UVA 4-1-4-1.

F:  Will Bates

M: Ari Dimas, Tony Tchani, Jonathan Villanueva, T. J. Cyrus,

DM: Neil Barlow

D: Hunter Jumper, Mike Volk, Greg Monaco, Shawn Berry

G: Diego Restrepo

WF 4-1-3-2.

F: Zack Schilawski, Andy Lubahn

M: Corben Bone, Austin da Luz, Ben Newnam

DM: Sam Redmond

D: Kyle Adams, Anthony Arena, Ike Opara, Luke Norman

G: Akira Fitzgerald

UVA observations:

Senior DM Ross LaBauex was suspended for his red card against MD.  UVA was prepared for this event because in one prior ACC game this year, LaBauex was missing as well.

Sophomore midfielder Tony Tchani had another terrific game.  He continues to have a superlative first touch, enabling him to set up the second touch.  He uses his strength very well to hold opponents off the ball.  I like how he would play on the defensive side.  He is strong in the air.

Sophomore right back Shawn Berry has blinding speed, but his dribbling is unrefined.

Junior defender Mike Volt had a critical tackle on Bone before he got into the box.

Freshman forward Will Bates was tenacious in the 60th minute battling 3 consecutive defenders (Opara, Arena, Norman).  He faded late in the game.  Bates served a quality cross to senior midfielder Jordan Evans in the 70th minute.

Junior midfielder T. J. Cyrus was a detriment to the teams attack.  His passing was poor.  I wondered why after this performance, he would take one of the penalty kick – note, I wondered this before he took the kick!  Not much of a challenge after wards.

WF observations:

After losing a ton of talent from graduation, going professional and injuries, I understand how WF has been so successful this year.  The freshmen are quality players.

Freshman defender Anthony Arena is a solid defender that stymied his freshman forward counterpart Will Bates for much of the game.

Freshman forward Andy Lubahn sees the game very quickly and can play well off senior Zach Schilawski.

Junior midfielder Corben Bone impacted the game mostly with his set piece taking – corners and free kicks.

Junior center back Ike Opara was physical in the air.  His foot skills have improved.  He’s confident taking the ball out of the back with a few quick touches.  Opara doesn’t panic with the ball at his feet.

Schilawski beat Volk around the corner forcing Volk to foul him.

 

ACC: #3 Boston College vs #7 NC State

Cary, NC – NC State held on to an early goal over Boston College  1-0 to advance to play against UVA on Sunday for the ACC championship.

The difference between the teams is that NC State has a better defense and BC has a more dynamic attack especially in the midfield.

Starting Lineups:

NC State 4-4-2

F: Ronnie Boemboue

W/D F: Alan Sanchez

M: Chris Zuerner, Chandler Knox, Farouk Bseiso, Kris Byrd

D: Korede Aiyegbusi, Tyler Lassiter, Romulo Manzano, Lucas Carpenter

G: Christopher Widman

BC 4-1- 4-1
F: Edvin Worley

M: Colin Murphy, Kyle Bekker, Karl Reddick, Charlie Rugg

DM: Jeremiah Gallington

D: Conor Fitzpatrick, Kevin Mejia, Sacir Holt, Patrick Chinn

G: Justin Luthy

NC State observations:

Senior forward Ronnie Bouemboue scored the opening goal in the 7th minute from a driven corner kick by senior forward Alan Sanchez.  Bouemboue buried the shot with authority.

Bouemboue has soft feet.  I question how successful he’ll be at the next level, if he needs to play wide midfield.

Junior defenders Tyler Lassiter and Lucas Carpenter are solid defenders who tackle well (and hard).  They read the game well.  I like the way they play.

Red shirt senior goal keeper Christopher Widman played well, but he was more fortunate that the shots weren’t on goal than he was exceptional.

Senior forward Federico Nachmann accelerated, making a shoulder shrug to get into the back.  He passed the ball to Sanchez.  With the goal keeper the only man to beat, Sanchez tried to chip the keeper from 20 yards.  It was a soft pass directly to the keeper’s chest.  ugh!  Nachmann is not a viable professional candidate.

BC observations:

For a team that looked D.O.A early in the year against MD, I have to give BC’s coach Ed Kelly a lot of credit for developing this team to be a national contender with so many young players.

With 8 seconds remaining, freshman center back (and sometimes forward) Kevin Mejia hit the post on a 15 yard shot.  Widman relayed to me after the game, ” I was thinking, please go wide”.  After a long day, I was hoping that as well.

Freshman forward Charlie Rugg was terrorizing the attacking third with his dribbling, but his shooting technique betrayed him late in the game.  Rugg is going to be a very good player.

Freshman goal keeper Justin Luthy did satisfactorily, but he didn’t have a chance at the goal unless he came out to cut off the cross.  It would have been difficult for him to get to it.

The most impressive freshman was midfielder Kyle Bekker.  He demands the ball.  His passing is exquisite.  His creativity is enjoyable to watch.  Bekker is going to be very good.

 

Atlantic Sun: Mercer @ Campbell

Buies Creek, NC – The match was postponed from noon until 2pm, to allow the field to dry.  At 9am, there was standing water.  When I left, it was muddy – but playable.

I couldn’t attend this game and still catch the ACC tournament 75 minutes away.

 

 

 

Plans Changing

My game attendance plans have changed because of the aftermath of Ida.

I was scheduled to attend the following games:

• 4 games of the first round of the Big South (on Thursday)
• 2 games of the semi-finals of the ACC (on Friday)
• 1 game of the Atlantic Sun Championship (on Saturday)
• 1 game of the Big East Championship (on Sunday)

The Big South and the Atlantic Sun have postponed their games on Thursday.

Here is my new plan:

• 1 game of the Atlantic Sun semi-finals (Campbell vs Mercer) on Friday
• 2 games of the semi-finals of the ACC (on Friday)
• 2 game of the semi-finals of the Big South (on Saturday)
• 1 game of the Big East Championship (on Sunday)

I’m essentially missing some of the early games of the Big South and the Atlantic Sun final.  However, the Big South games will be more meaningful (and competitive).  Also, I’ve already seen Stetson twice and while I was looking forward to seeing ETSU, I can’t miss the ACC semi-final.

There are no games close to Cary on Thursday.  The closest game is at Penn State (8 hours away – each way).  No I don’t think so.

 

ACC: #7 North Carolina State vs #2 North Carolina

Cary, NC – On a dismal, cold, rainy night, after 110 minutes of scoreless play, the game was decided by penalty kicks, with NC State winning 4-1.  Both of the UNC players who missed were on goal but stopped by senior goal keeper Christopher Widman.

• NC State PK Made: Tyler Lassiter, Korede Aiyegbusi, Christopher Widman, Alan Sanchez
• UNC PK Made: Michael Farfan,
• UNC PK Missed: Kirk Urso, Billy Schuler

Starting Lineups:

NC State 4-4-2

F: Ronnie Boemboue

W/D F: Alan Sanchez

M: Chandler Knox, Chris Zuerner, Farouk Bseiso, Kris Byrd

D: Korede Aiyegbusi, Tyler Lassiter, Romulo Manzano, Lucas Carpenter

G: Christopher Widman

NC 4-5-1

F: Billy Schuler

M:Enzo Martinez, Michael Farfan, Alex Dixon

DM: Kirk Urso, Dustin McCarty

D: Jordan Graye, Drew McKinney, Zach Loyd, Daniel Tannous

G: Brooks Hagerty

NC State observations:

Senior withdrawn forward Alan Sanchez sees a lot of the ball.  He’s a creative player that is thicker than when I saw him last year.  His work rate is insufficient for the next level.  He’ll probably get drafted, but I can’t foresee that he’ll be successful.

Red shirt freshman midfielder Chandler Knox took a sweet stroke in the second half.  In OT, Knox took the ball around the corner and “crossed/shot” that cleared the GK, but hit the cross bar.

I like senior left back Korede Aiyegbusi speed and power.  He’s small, but he may be able to play at the next level.

Junior defender Tyler Lasiter served in a 40 yard free kick that (and I’m not sure why) the goal keeper punched into the middle of his box.  Sophomore midfielder Farouk Bseiso shot wildly over the post.

 

NC observations:

Senior defender Zach Loyd is quick.  His defensive anticipation is exceptional.

Junior midfielder Michael Farfan is superbly confident on the ball.  His feet are quick and he’s extremely talented.  His passing is superb.  Farfan is special.

I’m enamored with sophomore forward Billy Schuler’s speed.  He didn’t have much impact in the second half.

Sophomore midfielder Alex Dixon in OT had a chance to end the game.  A long ball sent into the corner, Widman tried shielding him from the ball, but Dixon went around him and got the ball.  With NC State having a defender between Dixon and the goal.  Dixon was able to get a shot, but it hit a mud pile and bounded over the goal line.

Senior goal keeper Brooks Haggerty was having difficulty in the conditions.

 

 

ACC: #9 Clemson vs #1 Wake Forest

Cary, NC – I won’t be watching this game.

 

UPDATE: WF won 3-0.

 

ACC: #3 Boston College vs #6 Duke *UPDATE*

Cary, NC – Impossible to really provide cogent comments with the field 75 yards away.  In OT, BC beat Duke 1-0 on a Edvin Worley goal.

After half time, BC came back with different uniforms and were sent back to their bus to change.  This resulted in a 15 minute delay.

UPDATE: I can’t believe that BC didn’t get a bench yellow or that the coach wooldn’t be sanctioned.  It’s gamesmanship that shouldn’t be tolerated.  Interestingly, when OT started, Duke stayed in their “little tent room” making BC wait for them to appear.

Starting Lineups:

Duke 4-4-2.

F: Ryan Finley, Cole Grossman

M: Daniel Tweed-Kent, Ryan McDaniel, Christopher Tweed-Kent, Temi Molar

D: Nick Sih, Matthew Thomas, Andrew Wenger, Josh Beinefeld

G: James Belshaw

BC 4-4-2
F: Mor Avi Hanan, Charlie Rugg

M: Conor Fitzpatrick, Kyle Bekker, Colin Murphy, Karl Reddick

D: Patrick Chinn, Stefan Carter, Kevin Mejia, Guillaume Amarat

G: Ayotunde Ogunbiyi

Duke observations:

no comment.

BC observations:

no comment

 

ACC: #5 Virginia vs #4 Maryland

Cary, NC – My view was blocked for much of the half and I can’t see the scoreboard, so I’ll provide as much information as I can.  It’s going to be substantially less than I normally do.

Also, the scoreboard was not running in the second half.

Playing a man short, UVA won 1-0 over Maryland in the 87th minute.

Starting Lineups:

UVA 4-5-2.

F:  Will Bates

M: Neil Barlow, Tony Tchani, Jonathan Villanueva, Ross LaBauex, T. J. Cyrus

D: Hunter Jumper, Mike Volk, Greg Monaco, Shawn Berry

G: Diego Restrepo

MD 4-4-2.

F: Jason Herrick, Casey Townsend

M: Billy Cortes, Matt Kassel, Drew Yates, Karou Forbess

D: Taylor Kemp, Kevin Tangney, Ethan White, Kwame Darko

G: Zac MacMath

UVA observations:

UVA had the wind at their backs in the first half.

Senior midfielder Ross LaBauex earned 2 second half yellow cards and will the semi-final game on Friday.

UVA had a fist full of good opportunities in the first half.  The best chance was a sophomore midfielder Tony Tchani shot that got past sophomore goal keeper Zac MacMath, but freshman defender Ethan White calmly stopped the shot before clearing it from danger.

Tchani made a deep run to get behind the MD defense.  With him being 1v1 against MacMath, Tchani got the ball under the goal keeper for the winning goal.

In the first half, junior midfielder T. J. Cyrus had an open shot that he put right at MacMath.

Sophomore forward Brian Ownby fighting a late season groin injury, came on in the second half and provided a spark to the attack.

Md observations:

Sophomore forward Casey Townsend was not timing his runs very well and was caught off side frequently.

Junior midfielder Billy Cortes left the game in the second half after suffering an apparent foot injury.

The best opportunity came from a long entry pass the goal keeper came outside his box to knock back to midfield.  Senior midfielder Drew Yates tried driving a long shot, but the goal keeper kicked this away, too.  Red shirt junior Jason Herrick chipped the rebound over the open goal.

 

ACC: Delayed

Cary, NC – Because of heavy rain and field conditions, the ACC tournament was delayed.  Because the single field could not take 4 games, the games were split between two adjacent fields playing at the same time.

The far game (Boston College and Duke) will be difficult to watch.  I can  barely see their numbers.  I won’t attempt to watch it.

MD and UVA is the close game.

The field is drenched and the rain and heavy gusts of wind continue through out the afternoon.

 

ACC: #9 Clemson vs #8 Virginia Tech

Cary, NC -  In the opening game of the 2009 ACC tournament, #9 Clemson upset #8 Virginia Tech (VT) 2-0 in a poorly played game not indicative of what I expect to see at the ACC tournament.

How come tall guys have long throws?  Clemson’s Josh Shutter and VT’s David Fiorello both are tall defenders that take long throw-ins?  Wouldn’t it make more sense for a “shorter” guy to learn how to throw it far?  These are the things that baffle me.

Regardless that Clemson  advanced over the #8 seed, the ACC needs to eliminate the #8/#9 play-in game.  If you finish in last place, you don’t really deserve to be invited to the tournament. It provides too big a disadvantage for the #8 team – they have to face the best team in the best conference with only 1 day rest.  Also, it’s too big an advantage for the #1 seed to have such an easy game against a depleted team compared to the other seeds. Does Clemson have a realistic chance to advance past Wake Forest?  I don’t think so.

Starting Lineups:

VT: 4-5-1

F: Alexander Baden

M: Clarke Bentley, James Gilson, Brendan Dunn

DM: Evan Slusser,, Gregory Cochrane

D: Charlie Campbell, Albert Alwang, David Fiorello, Craig Burnell

G: Stefan Caulfield

Clemson 4-4-2.

F: Austin Savage

M:  Nathan Thornton, Connor Barbaree, Tommy Drake

DM: Eric Cava, Riley Sumpter

D: Bo Goodwin, David Newton, Greg Eckhardt, Josh Shutter

G: Joseph Bendik

VT observations:

I’ve seen VT play 4 times, the only time that they’ve used the same forward was when I watched consecutive games in the middle of the season (against MD and Akron). VT has tried a true forward, a former starting goal keeper and a former starting center back.  I understand that they have even tried a wide back.  None of these players has been the answer.  Today, former center back senior Alexander Baden was up front. VT needs to put a forward that can put the ball in the net as their first recruiting priority.

I was impressed with freshman Gregory Cochrane early in the year.  He still has the speed, the guile and a bullet shot that was just off-target.  He’s going to be good – well, if there are other players surrounding him.  In the 8th minute, he hit a right foot volley that was struck with confidence.  On the next play, he showed that his left foot was not up to task on a volley that was struck wildly.

In the second half, the midfield disappeared providing Clemson good looks at the goal.  Part of the problem of the first goal was that team defense was lacking.  The second goal was just poor defensive coverage.

I have liked red shirt junior right back Charlie Campbell since I saw him as a true freshman on an early fall sunny day at UMBC playing AM.  He has such potential that I always expect that he’s going to impress every time that I see him.  When he doesn’t, I’m disappointed.  Today, I liked his defensive positioning and balance.  However, his man scored the opening goal.  If permitted, I’d like to see the video to see if there was a defensive error.  I like Campbell’s passing.  While my criticism can be heartless/brutal, it was touching to see father and son sharing an embrace after the game after another disappointing season.

Senior goal keeper Stefan Caulfield showed why he won the position.  In the 35th minute, he made a sprawling dive on a low hooking shot.  He did stop another point blank shot earlier in the first half.  Neither goal could be attributed directly to the goal keeper unless Caulfield should be expected to kick his defenders in the butt to close on attackers (second goal).  I don’t have high hopes that Caulfield will be a professional keeper.  However, if he can make a roster (which I doubt), he might turn out to be a competent professional keeper.

It was frustrating to watch sophomore forward Emmanuel Akotyeram play in the first half.  He was tentative; his passing was awful; he gave up the ball too easily.  In the second half, he had a nice cross to Baden in the closing seconds.  By then, it was much too late.

Junior midfielder Clarke Bentley is enigmatic.  He has ball skills and confidence, but he doesn’t understand how to create space on his shot (see 10th minute) – so it was an awkward shot that was more hopeful than anything else.  In the 25th minute, he had two “easy” options – 1 going forward down the wing, second going square to change the point.  Instead, he tries squeezing the ball between 2 defenders with a slow target receiver.  The pass was errant resulting in a turn-over.  Of course, he’s upset with the target for not being quicker – uh yeah.  Forget about it son.

Senior James Gilson tries hard, but just isn’t good enough to be AM.  If he was put in a position that he could be competent, he’d be better – but then so would VT.

Clemson observations:

After a lackluster beginning of the second half, Clemson was able to get on the board first in the 64th minute with a nice turn by senior midfielder Nathan Thorton.  Freshman midfielder Austin Savage got the ball to Thorton isolated on Campbell.   Thorton made a good turn, but Campbell didn’t close enough and Thorton put the shot off the post.

The senior center backs David Newton and Greg Eckhardt are tall defenders who win more than their share of balls in the air.  Though the defense has problems working the ball out of the back from their defenders especially freshman right back Josh Shutter and Eckhardt.

In the 18th minute, sophomore midfielder Riley Sumpter had a point blank shot that was blocked with a reflex (or it hit the goal keeper!) save.  Minutes before he had a cross bounce off his knee turning it over for a goal kick.

The other good opportunity in the first half came from a free kick by sophomore midfielder Connor Barbaree from 40 yards that was headed forward by Newton that the goal keeper stepped up to get before freshman midfielder Brannon Blanke could touch it.

Clemson gives up too many corner kicks.

I think that there are better goal keeping options in the pro ranks than senior Joseph Bendik.  I don’t see Clemson often, so I’ll be interested to see how he does against WF.

Savage needs to convert his opportunities.  Freshman or not, if you are 4 yards from goal put it on goal.  It has a better chance than cracking it over the cross-bar.

 

 

Charlotte @ Temple

Philadelphia, PA – Temple upset #12 Charlotte 2-1 in a game that had one of the most questionable referee decision-making that I’ve seen this year.  I really don’t care who wins.

The play that turned the game was in the 41st minute, sophomore forward Evan James was wrestled down by senior center back Martin Dell’Arciprete.  The ref didn’t call the foul (or the PK).  Temple immediately got the ball up the field with J.T. Noone getting tripped in the box by sophomore center back Charles Rodriguez.  The ref awarded the PK.  It was a legit PK, but so was the first.

Regardless, Charlotte had ample opportunities to win this game.  Their shooting accuracy was deficient.  This is the reason that they lost this game.

Starting Lineups:

Temple 4-4-2.

F: Tyler Witmer, J. T. Noone

M: Augustin Coly, Mike Puppolo, Francois Sagna, Kenechukwu Nwanah

D: Chas Chupein, Martin Dell’Arciprete, Jared Harris, Billy Kappock

G: Bryant Hosler

Charlotte 4-4-1-1.
F: Evan James

W/D F: Andres Cuero

M: Donnie Smith, Luke Exley, Isaac Caughran, Adam Gross

D: Justin Tucker, Charles Rodriguez, Isaac Cowles, Nathan Mathers

G: David Martin

Charlotte observations:

Sophomore forward Evan James scored the lone Charlotte goal in the 9th minute.  The play started when junior forward Andres Cuero served a long ball near the side line.  James got around his defender with speed.  As he neared the box, James powered a shot just under the post.  The goal keeper should have done better, but he just weakly tipped it.

I was praising senior midfielder Adam Gross after the last game.  Today, he wasn’t moving.  I wonder if he is coming down with the flu.  He’s very right footed.  In the 20th minute, he made a good move to provide a cross that Cuero tipped over to James that was finished – but it was disallowed because one of them was off-side.  The AR had a much better look than I did.

Senior goal keeper David Martin got the most deserved yellow card for screaming at Noone that he was a F-ing diving C***.  Stupid move, kid.  Martin could have been tossed on a questionable forearm shiver to sophomore forward Tyler Witmer.  No call. Lastly, the purple kit has to go.

Rodriguez releases the ball too slowly.

Cuero and James have to put the ball on goal more often.  James had an open look in the 47th minute with the goal keeper in-advisably coming out.  James put the ball wide.  It wasn’t an easy shot, but if James has professional ambitions, he needs to finish that shot.

Freshman midfielder Donnie Smith hustled to earn a corner kick for his team in 13th minute.

In the last minute of the game, Cuero curled in a cross that freshman forward Jennings Rex touched wide from 5 yards.  Rex has to finish that chance.

This is their story.

Temple observations:

When I got home, I was amazed at the number of shots according to the official box score.  I don’t count shots, but it seemed that Charlotte had much of the play.

The first goal was scored 48 seconds after Charlotte scored the opening tally.  The play was created by a sloppy square ball from senior midfielder Luke Exley near midfield.  Senior midfielder Francois Sagna stole the errant pass drove past a surprised midfielder before striking a driven ball just outside the top of the box.  The shot was blocked but the rebound fell to Sagna’s feet and this time he slotted the ball into the lower right corner where no one could touch it.

The winning goal was scored by senior forward J. T. Noone from a 41st minute penalty kick (see above).  This goal and the referee’s decision distracted Charlotte and took them out of their game.

The misplay by Exley was his second time that he gave up the ball near midfield in the first 12 minutes.  He settled down after that.

With Noone playing on Sunday, after being suspended from yellow card accumulation, Temple was a different team.  Sophomore forward Tyler Witmer received better service, had less defensive pressure and got better looks.  Noone is a quality player on the ball, he’s calm and serves an excellent cross.  He had hard shots with both feet. I think he has the technical and athletic ability to play professional.  His production in 2009 has dwindled from 2008. My only concern is that his work rate is lacking and even more concerning is his conditioning.  He needs to be in better shape for the MLS combine if he has serious interest in a professional career.  I see him has a wide midfielder rather than a forward at the next level.

Dell’Arciprete is a physical player that anchors the defense.  He has good leaping ability.

I don’t like Witmer’s touch.  He seems to have a good shot, but his first touch is raw (pathetic is more appropriate).  Witmer did get his clock cleaned out.

I really like the way that freshman midfielder Homero Rodriguez plays.  He is quick, nice first touch and is willing to take on defenders.  He’s going to be a good player.