Gonzaga

Leaving home shortly for the roadtrip to Spokane! Hope that you all have access to game stats because tried posting to Pilot Nation via my blackberry and it doesn't work.

Excited to see start of WCC phase of the season. I always think of this as phase II of III: non-conference: WCC: playoffs.

First phase has been huge success this year. 10-1. #1 RPI rating. Huge momentum going into WCC.

Freshman class has settled in: Michelle O, Charney, Danielle are in any starting XI. Charney has been solid and the other two outstanding. Kassi has been something of a surprise, and is vying with Korie for a spot right now and maybe is in the first XI PTA (post three amigas/playoff time action). Hallie has not had the time on the field to show enough. Emma covered for Jessica in some of the easier phase I games.

Only negatives are Rachael's injury, and Kendra's absence now.

The whole PTA scenario has added a completely unique dimension to the season. My assumption is that Garrret will play the strongest team in each game - because winning out is critical. First priority is winning the automatic playoff spot. Second priority is having a top 4 RPI so that we get a #1 seed and home field. The loss of TA makes playing the first two games at home even more important this year. Third priority is making sure that the line up PTA is clearer and that players have had serious time and the chance to play together.

Questions to be answered still:

Can Pilots win out in WCC?
How good is Hallie?
Can Sara continue scoring form and force her way into serious playing time?
Can Korie stay healthy?
How bad is Kendra's foot?
What does team look like through WCC? How does Garrett use TA and how much time do they miss for camps etc?

I'd expect that if/when Pilots are leading in games then TA are likely to be subbed out for others.

Will be interesting to see who plays left side of midfield today. Garrett's podcast comments were about playing that position by committee. Not clear if that referred to now or PTA. Either Elli plays there or at left defense. My guess is that today we'll see Sophie and Danielle forward, Michelle E in midfield with Megan, Keelin and Charney; and Elli at the back with Michelle O, Korie, and Jessica. And Kelsey, of course.

We'll know in 8 hours!

Go Pilots!

My guess is that we'll still see Ellie at midfield quite a bit and we'll see Janelle there as well. And I don't think we're done looking at Kelly and Jackman in the central midfield.


As to posting with your blackberry, I'm not sure how they work. Do they actually have a web browser? I post with my iphone occasionally, but its browser engine is identical to the full browser engine in Safari. I think that for the east coast games, fans text messaged to fans who posted the observations, who then relayed to the chat room. You might try that.

Have fun at the game, and at least take notes for when you get back! experience shows that lots of guesswork goes on without eyewitness accounts.