Re: First goal of the season prediction thread.

[Harry Redknapp]

I'm looking forward to the game on Saturday. Just started coaching this week with my U14 girls team so the soccer fever is picking up.

It will be fascinating to see who plays and where on Saturday.

Assume Kelsey Davis starts as GK.

Elli Reed has been playing left defense for the U20; but UP has Sweeney and Tsao so does Ellie play left mid?

My guess is that Michelle Olivier plays center D. But with whom? If Keelin was going to be here all year, I'd play Sophie Schmidt alongside her. But she's been gone so my guess is she doesn't start. Could be Nicholson or Jackman if that's the case. Or maybe McCluskie, but doubt we'll start two freshmen.

Assume Keelin starts as defensive mid; and I think Megan Rapinoe is best at the point of the diamond as the attacking mid.

Outside mid could be Elli R if she's not playing back, with Charney Burk on the other (right) side. Others in the frame include Kendra Chandhoke.

Upfront I'm assuming Enyeart starts, with probably Foxhoven. Rachel Rapinoe still getting up to speed so off the bench?

After all that, my guess:

Davis; Sweeney, Olivier, Nicholson, Tsao; Burk, Winters, MRapinoe, Reed; Enyeart, Foxhoven.

Next weekend there are two big games. I'd bet that we see most of the players getting at least 45 minutes on Saturday so that next weekend Garrett can mix it up and play some of them on Saturday and others on Monday.

[aleppiek]

Rachel's podcast made it sound like she is up to speed and ready to go... Hope to see her get a decent amount of run tomorrow, but not too much. A Rapinoe Rapinoe starting forward unit could be SCARY... especially if flanked by Enyeart and Foxhoven?

[FANatic]

I agree, aleppiek. Rachael's podcast interview made it sound like she may start up front with Megan, with Garrett limiting her minutes.

I love the idea of Enyeart and Foxhoven flanking them, but what about Elli?

Perhaps it will be Enyeart and Elli flanking them, with Foxhoven coming off the bench.

(Nice luxury, eh?)

[aleppiek]

Or, Ellie may have found a home at the outside back? but who would be displaced? Could Michelle maybe set up shop at the CAM?

[FANatic]

Michelle Enyeart would be an awesome CAM if Megan R. plays up front.

But if Elli plays outside back, who sits: Tsao or Sweeney?

[Auto Pilot]

After reading all the speculations (educated as they are)about who will fill the backline, I recall the way Stephanie played left back last year. It seemed to me that her presence was almost like having two players there. Her speed and decision making gave her an extremely long and wide range of play and her overlaping runs were a sight to see.

My question is does anyone think we have a player with that kind of speed and play reading ability to play the same style or will we have a left back that plays the position in a more traditional way? I think Ellie has the speed but I wonder if she is inclined to play defense/attacking defender?

We have a dearth of Forwards and Midfielders so it might be a good spot inasmuch as it has been mentioned earlier that she is getting experience on defense with the U-20s

[fozziewozzie]

first goal, michelle enyeart in the 21st minute with an assist from megan.

so, my start lineup with that being said;

forwards, megan an michelle.

midfiield, foxhoven an elli on the outside, keelin as the holding an charney as the attacking.

defense, sweeney an tsao on the outside, olivier on the inside with a name i haven't seen here, kristen kelly. just about everyone has korie here, but i think that by the end of the season last year kristen was every bit korie's equal. an being a year younger, she has to have improved as much if not more than korie.

of course, in goal is kelsey.

can't wait for tomorrow, i'm jazzed! an on that same note, i don't think the game will be a blow out like everyone on this forumn would like it to be.

[Geezaldinho]

Fear not. UP has four folks that can play the outside bck and push forward just fine.

Megan Sweeney is right side I'd guess., Possibly Emma Nelson. She's a little unknown for me because I've only seen her 20 minutes.

Ellie Reed has been playing outside back on the u20's and earned a spot there, and Jessica Tsao played both sides last year. Both of those players can play both sides, and Ellie and Jessica both can play outside mid, too.

You could see any combination of those players out there, and they all can do a lot of damage pushing forward.

[fozziewozzie]

geez, thats what's so great about this team! i can see tsao in the midfield. i'm still not comfortable with elli in the outside fullback position. while she is an incredible offensive player, i just don't think she's the defensive player we need. she's not strong an is easilly beaten [my opinion] as many of our outside backs.

look at how strong our outside backs have been starting with the most recent, stephanie lopez, kristen eaton, brooke o'hanley, an melissa ribauldo. maybe not as gifted offensively, but heads an above much better defensively. an while they didn't have elli skills offensively, they were pretty good. an elli isnt anywhere close to their defensive skills. i would rather have strong defensive backs with good offensive skills then good offensive skills an pretty good to moderate defensive skills.

[Geezaldinho]

Ellie earned her spot on the u20 National team as a defender, not as a forward, so I'm sure she'll do great while she's with us until she goes to the World Cup.

One small correction. You must be thinking of someone else than Melissa Ribaudo. She was a central defender when UP still played 3 players in the back. toughest 100 pound defender I've ever seen.

Michelle French maybe? She seemed to move further back in the formation each year.

[fozziewozzie]

geez,
i know that elli has earned her spot on the u-20 team. i'm sorry, i'm still not sold. i like her far better in the midfield outside. an i still like other outside fullbacks u of p has. i'm not an expert, granted, but i know what i like.
an i wish i hadn't recycled all my u of p media guides just in the last few months, an i hate to disagree with you geez [really i do], but i am pretty sure melissa played outside right back regardless of the formation. after tiff, she was my favorite player.
but i'm sure i'm sure that i am wrong because you are the guru of this forumn. not a slight to you geez, but i believe that i am probably as strong headed as you are.

go pilots!! that's what joins us together!!!

[Geezaldinho]

an i wish i hadn't recycled all my u of p media guides just in the last few months, an i hate to disagree with you geez [really i do], but i am pretty sure melissa played outside right back regardless of the formation. after tiff, she was my favorite player.
but i'm sure i'm sure that i am wrong because you are the guru of this forumn. not a slight to you geez, but i believe that i am probably as strong headed as you are.
go pilots!! that's what joins us together!!!

Ahh but I have documentation!

Yeah, OK, It's the Oregonian, but the article calls her a sweeper. That's the position I played in the stone ages before they put air in the balls.

It's in the center of the field. Pretty much the last position before that bloke with the gloves who screams all the time. Good thing I'm partially deaf.

(I made the reference bold)

The Oregonian
Sports NU dream ends in Portland
Abby Haight

Issue date: 12/2/96 Section: Sports

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Nebraska's perfect soccer season
ended Sunday, but not without a fight.
Kim Stiles' 6-yard goal in the 57th minute lifted
Portland to a 1-0 victory over the Cornhuskers before a
crowd of 3,960 at Merlo Field in Portland in the NCAA
Tournament quarterfinals.
Portland (19-0-2) advanced to play Notre Dame in a
national semifinal Friday in Santa Clara, Calif. North
Carolina and Santa Clara will meet in the other semifinal.
Meanwhile, Nebraska (23-1) can only go home, knowing
that it nearly shocked the college soccer community, falling
one game short of the Final Four in its first-ever
postseason appearance.
Sunday, it was Portland's great skill that carried the
Pilots past previously unbeaten Nebraska.
Nebraska's offense went on the attack early while the
Pilots -- who lost to Notre Dame in the national
championship game last season -- struggled to find a rhythm.
At one point, a miscue by Portland's defenders allowed the
ball to roll unchallenged toward the UP goal, but Nebraska
wasn't quick enough to take advantage of the mistake.
The fifth-ranked Huskers pushed Portland back with six
shots in the first half, most coming in the opening 20
minutes.
"We were in it several times," NU Coach John Walker
said. "We usually do a much better job of finishing."
The Pilots awoke midway through the first half, taking
control of the ball and looking to midfielders Justi
Baumgardt and Holly Pierce, both of whom took two shots in
the first 45 minutes.
Nebraska had its best chance on a booming shot by
Sharolta Nonen that ricocheted off the crossbar. But UP's
defenders, led by sweeper Melissa Ribaudo, swarmed the ball
and rarely let a Husker breach the penalty box.
Portland took control in the second half, nearly
scoring in the 52nd minute when Tara Koleski was stopped by
Stephanie Vacek after Husker goalkeeper Becky Hornbacher had
been drawn away from the goal.
NU wasn't as lucky moments later.
Pilot forward Regina Holan dribbled around a defender
and crossed the ball to Stiles, who was caught in a crowd of
Huskers about six yards from the goal. Stiles nudged the
ball toward the goal and rolled it into the net for her
second goal of the season.
"I think there was a definite letdown on our side,"
Nebraska midfielder Kari Uppinghouse said. "Coming back from
the goal was really hard for us."
Portland finished with 13 shots to NU's eight.
Hornbacher and UP's Cheryl Loveless each had three saves and
Loveless recorded her 13th shutout of the season.
Nebraska returns all but one player next season.
"Nobody expected us to get this far," said Kim Ratliff,
NU's only senior and the first in the history of the
three-year program. "We have been able to prove that we are
a good program, that we are on the rise."

Great names, huh? here's a picture from wikipedia of where different players played on the field
Note the sweeper (SW)

[FANatic]

Auto Pilot wrote:

I think Ellie has the speed but I wonder if she is inclined to play defense/attacking defender?

As a freshman last season, I watched Elli play OM and was very impressed with her speed and natural gifts, but I thought she had things she needed to work. (i.e.: Looking to pass the ball more quickly and not holding onto it for so long. I didn't really notice her defensive ability.)

Then along came spring of this year and I watched her up close and personal, as she was playing left OM right in front of me in a scrimmage against another school.

I was, quite simply, astonished by her play. She not only had vastly improved her passing and overall offensive game, but she was playing incredible, energizer bunny-type defense against any and all players caught in her web. She was constantly attcking the person with the ball, tipping it away, stealing it and creating headaches for anyone who dared try to advance the ball againt her.

I have not yet seen Elli play outside back, but it is this tenacity and relentlessness that I saw last
April that I believe led her to be put in an OB position on the U20 team. I have no doubt whatsoever that she can handle the OB position for the Pilots as a tenacious defender as well as a speed demon and great passer to the middle coming forward up the sideline on her trademark runs.

[DaTruRochin]

3 minutes in.... Wow....

[purple haze]

For the record (at least from my unoffical game notes): the season's first goal was by Foxhoeven on a Megan Rapinoe assist about 2.5 minutes into the game.

Starting lineup, which played the whole first half and till the 58th minute intact:
Forwards: Enyeart Foxhoeven
Mids: Reed M Rapinoe Winters Burke
Backs: Sweeney, McCluskie, Olivier, Tsao
GK: Davis

Subs were Kelley for Olivier, Chandhoke for Burke, Rachael Rapinoe for Foxhoeven.

So: 4 frehmen started, with 2 in the center defense; scant substitution despite 9 subs suited; all U20 players played the full 90.

[FANatic]

Some good observations, p. haze. I was kind of surprised we started four freshmen. Especially the two at center back.

I thought for a first collegiate game, starting in front of 5,000 people, they all fared pretty well. The quick first goal was the mark of a good opportunistic team. Also, after the Ducks scored late, we pounced on them for another quick goal.

Again, I thought that was a good sign as we seemed to pick up our intensity all over the field after they scored. We made a quick statement that we don't want a close game, where a break here or there might lead to a loss, or...ugh...a tie.

[UPSoccerFanatic]

Since I was out of the country for two weeks, I didn't get to make my guess. There are so many posts, I don't want to read them all. Did anyone win the prize by guessing Foxhoven?

[Geezaldinho]

UP wanderer was the first to guess Foxhoven.


He also guessed Charney Burke in the same post.

I'm going to be really generous and assume that Burke was the fall-back if Foxhoven didn't score, which wasn't expressly disallowed in the organizing rules.

But he owes us all a beer.

[Geezaldinho]

Earlier in this thread, I talked about remembering Melissa Ribaudo playing as the sweeper the middle of the three back formation we used to play before the current 4 back system. fozziewozzie corrected me very politely (not once using the actual words "doddering senile old fool") with the information that Melissa was, in fact, one of a long line of outside defenders in that formation.

Well, that wasn't my recollection, so I decided to see if I could find any mention of where she played. Since the UP archives don't exist any more before 2001, I looked in the Oregonian archives, and there it was, plain as day – an Abby Haigt article about Ribaudo in the 1996 Nebraska playoff game, and Abby called her a sweeper. Armed with the full article, and with the addition of a nice diagram of the different positions on the field, I bombarded fozzie with the whole nine yards of data, and settled down for a nice nap.

Well, as it happens, regardless of the nice diagrams and all it was completely wrong.

I got it wrong, and so did Abby.

A former player on those teams wrote me (using a couple of the words I said fozzie was too kind to use) and told me that Melissa was indeed an outside back, and that the center defender was in different years Tia Sharpe and Sara Charles. As soon as she did, it of course clicked and I knew she was right. Just to add to the humiliation, a couple people came up to me during the game and again used some of those same words. (doesn't UP work on extending your vocabulary?)


So, Fozziewozzie you were right, and I was wrong.

Forgive me?

[FANatic]

You #$%?&$$!!!!!!!

Poor Fozzie - having to put up with you!!!

[DaTruRochin]

But I will give you this Geez... It was a nice diagram...

[Geezaldinho]

You #$%?&$$!!!!!!!

here you go...

using that language I was talking about. Why do I get the exact same reaction every time?

[DaTruRochin]

Kids don't respect their elders these days... I blame the hormones in the milk

[aleppiek]

Geez, now you just need to be wrong about 3,000 more times to balance out the other times you were correct.

[Geezaldinho]

I warned you guys in a previous thread where I said to watch out - that only 50% of what I said was true and it was your job to figure out which 50%

So - you guys were slacking ---- yeah, THAT's it......