Oregon State Match

Agreed. I considered how things might shake out in the Pac-10...determines whether we stay home or travel in the 1st round. The trick will be how many teams from the Pac-10 will the Selection Committee take in from their conference...(who are our neighbors). OSU is my dark horse pick. I think they could be the Pac-10 bubble team who'll help keep us home. Wasn't or hasn't it been WSU in one of the last 2 seasons? They'll interesting team to watch next week. But, if not a team from the Pac-10 then it would surely have to be Gonzaga?

GO PILOTS!!!

The O has what I think is a pretty good recap of the game. I also think Linus is doing a great job with that groups of kids. We need another NW presence.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pilots/index.ssf/2009/09/no_4_portland_1_oregon_state_0.html

Redknapp,

I also saw the box score but from where I sat it looked much closer than 12 yards, she seemed almost on the corner of the post. Where's the instant replay? Either way she was well inside the box and I'm in agreement with almost any shot from that distance, especially if it scores. As for Danielle, maybe the time on the bench against SMU has changed her attitude about the way she plays and the way the team needs her to play. She can be and is a good passer, but not consistently or when the team needs it the most. As for Elli, if Kassie or Cloee return move Meagan back to outside back and Elli back to wing where she can make overlapping runs that really draw the defense. She just needs to pass the ball earlier before the rest of the defenders recover and when her team mates have time and space to do something with the ball.

Word I heard last night from someone who knows her is that Kassie will be back next weekend.

Seemed like they worked the ball through Kendra all night last night and she beat her defender nearly every time. Lots of black shirts in the box every time she sent the ball inside, though. All in all one of her best games. I was a skeptic before the season but she's won me over now. Although I didn't have the best seat, she looked definitely offside on the called-back goal. She was standing right at the right post and may have even been in advance of the GK.

As noted by others, super night for Michelle O, Jessica, and Keelin. There was one stretch in the second half where OSU played the ball in to #12 about five times in a row and every single time Michelle simply dispossessed her and sent the ball away. All three of them are worthy of Team of the Week consideration if anyone kept statistics about balls won, passes completed, or opposing attacks thwarted. Because no one does, they are consigned to labor without a lot of recognition.

I really like Michelle E up front, but it didn't seem like Sophie saw the ball enough playing at MF. Maybe this was the way the defense was playing or maybe the Pilots just haven't settled into finding her there. It seemed like everything was either over the top or up the side last night and the ball rarely got sent in to Sophie's spot at the point of the attack. Again, maybe that is because there was such a crowd of defenders on the inside that this wasn't the best way to attack the OSU defense.

Overall, I think they played well, though it was a bit of a nail-biter knowing that one mistake would tie the game.

GUPhantom wrote:Agreed. I considered how things might shake out in the Pac-10...determines whether we stay home or travel in the 1st round. The trick will be how many teams from the Pac-10 will the Selection Committee take in from their conference...(who are our neighbors). OSU is my dark horse pick. I think they could be the Pac-10 bubble team who'll help keep us home. Wasn't or hasn't it been WSU in one of the last 2 seasons? They'll interesting team to watch next week. But, if not a team from the Pac-10 then it would surely have to be Gonzaga?

GO PILOTS!!!

There is a very limited pool of teams that fit the 400 mile rule.

It can't be Gonzaga, I think. they are in our conference so they can't pair with us for the first two rounds. (at least I think that rule is still in effect)

It's just the NW PAC10 teams, Eastern Washington, or PSU who can pair with us. Those last two aren't likely.

Next year it could also be Seattle, as they will then become tournament eligible. They have to get a little better, though. They are independents, so their only hope right now is a better RPI. And if they join our conference, they won't be a first/second round team either.

bluffer wrote:Redknapp,

I also saw the box score but from where I sat it looked much closer than 12 yards, she seemed almost on the corner of the post. Where's the instant replay? Either way she was well inside the box and I'm in agreement with almost any shot from that distance, especially if it scores. As for Danielle, maybe the time on the bench against SMU has changed her attitude about the way she plays and the way the team needs her to play. She can be and is a good passer, but not consistently or when the team needs it the most. As for Elli, if Kassie or Cloee return move Meagan back to outside back and Elli back to wing where she can make overlapping runs that really draw the defense. She just needs to pass the ball earlier before the rest of the defenders recover and when her team mates have time and space to do something with the ball.

There was a replay on TV last night that gave a view from the left side. Kendra's try on the feed from Michelle seemed about 8 yards out (a couple yards outside the box), hit a defender, then bounced out to Charney. without a tape, 12 yards seems about right. If we are lucky, the guy who took that video is the same guy who does the Pilot highlights. Maybe we'll see it.

I like how the team is progressing and improving each week. They looked sharp last night. The only critique I have is long balls. The back line seems to be sending clearances and/or passes forward over the midfield... a little too much. I'd like see more control and possession from the back 3rd to the middle 3rd.

GO PILOTS!!!

Phantom

I agree that the game seemed to degenerate to the long ball too much after the first 30 minutes. I don't think it will work as well without Sophie up front as a target. It's also a function of how the opposition defense is setting up; if they are crowding midfield and the back four are setting a high line then you have to look to the longer through ball more than we might like. Same thing was true against Oregon in the first game. They packed the midfield and almost challenged the Pilots to play it over the top. Good news is that Kendra, Michelle E. and Elli are very fast; and Danielle and Kendall are not slouches either.

Overall it's a matter of balance and mixing it up to keep the defense honest and off balance if possible.

Great post game discussion! My thoughts:

I think Sophie saw the ball lots in the second half, maybe less so in the first. What I think is key, though, is her defensive presence. One thing that has worried me, not just this year but the past few, is that as the Pilots over the years have transitioned from a primarily defensive team to a team with great offensive fire-power, they've also gotten caught occasionally over-committed forward. Last night was the first time, in a long time, that it seemed like we had pretty consistently good defensive spacing when we lost the ball in the offensive end of the field. I don't know, but I think it's possible it has something to do with Sophie being positioned a little farther back in the defense.

Regarding Dani, I think her assigned primary job is to score goals. So, I expect her to be looking for shots she can take a lot and passing off less than some other players might. I also don't think her sitting against SMU has to do with how she was playing in earlier games. She had a very busy summer playing club, all the way through the national championship game, and I think the staff was giving her a needed rest.

Regarding Elli, I think she has the green light to try to take the ball herself down the side and around the end. She certainly needs to be a threat to do that in order to keep the field spread. If she didn't have a green light from the staff to do it, I don't think she would. When she was playing left defender for the U-20s, she was much more restrained, so she can be more restrained if that's what the coaches ask her to do. As per yesterday's comments about Charney having a green light to take outside shots even if they're not on goal, just as Lindsay Huie did, Elli's holding the ball and trying to work the side herself is similar to Huie.

Oregon State did have one excellent shot in the first half (their only threatening shot of the game). It came from just outside the box on the right and was a hard drive towards the right side of the goal. Kelsey had to dive to her left and parried the ball outside the goal over the end line to give OSU a corner kick. Beyond that, OSU didn't mount any serious threats, although I always worried about corner kicks and a couple of free kicks within our defensive third of the field.

I agree that the back line occasionally just booted the ball forward when they didn't have to. It looks like there are times when they aren't reading that they have plenty of space with the ball and time to settle it and deliver it on the ground to some one. Hopefully, they will get better at seeing when they don't need to just clear it out.

If Kassi is able to play next weekend, I'm guessing we'll see her first on Friday night against Montana, which should be the Pilots' easiest or second easiest game of the year.

Regarding the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, whoever said it is right, Gonzaga can't play here, even if they get into the tournament which is doubtful but would be great. For this year, as for last, teams from the same conference cannot meet in the first two rounds. That may revert to "can't meet in the first round" at some point, but not this year.

Also regarding the Tournament, yes, Washington State played here last year. They lost to Texas in the first round. They were without Kiersten Dallstream, who was gone with our players to the U-20s. She is their top player and the key to their offense. It looks to me, from reading the comments about Pac 10 teams, like some people may be underestimating WSU. They are an excellent and very well coached team. At least for now, I consider them stronger than Oregon State and a threat to finish in the upper half of the Pac 10. So, I am looking forward to a very tough game next Sunday, one of our toughest of the year.

In a side note, here are this week's scores so far for the Pilots' opponents (home team in bold face):

Columbia beat Central Connecticut 3-2
Miami lost to Boston College 2-0
St Mary's beat Nevada 4-2
Pepperdine lost to Arizona State 1-0
Texas A&M beat Baylor 1-0
California lost to Cal Poly 1-0
Colorado College beat SMU 4-1
Columbia beat Cornell 1-0
San Francisco tied Eastern Washington 2-2
Loyola Marymount beat Long Beach State 1-0
Oregon beat Portland State 2-0
Santa Clara beat Cal State Fullerton 1-0
Washington beat UC Irvine 3-2
Gonzaga beat Wyoming 2-0
Washington State beat Weber State 4-0

The Pilots' strength of schedule continues to look good.

UPsoccerFanatic wrote: "Regarding Dani, I think her assigned primary job is to score goals. So, I expect her to be looking for shots she can take a lot and passing off less than some other players might."

I think her primary job, like Michelle, Sophie, and the rest of the team, is to CREATE SCORING OPPORTUNITIES either for herself or others. Where I think she falls short is her decisions on when she should shoot versus when she should pass to a team mate with a better percentage chance of scoring. The top teams don't give up many scoring chances and the Pilots are going to have to make the most of the ones they get.

Wow - lots of good comments on the game. My 2 cents -

1- I like Sophie at attacking mid for all the reasons mentioned, and I also like Michelle at forward. Danielle (or Kendall) and Michelle seem like a perfect pairing - a target-type attacker and an attacker with breakaway speed. Actually, I like Michelle anywhere.

2- I completely agree that the central D's are playing way too many long balls, most of which end up coming right back at us. As several posters mentioned, Michelle O is an outstanding defender - she never seems to get beat or make a mistake. I just wish she would be a little calmer on the ball and play through the mids more.

3- Related to that, I agree that Sophie needs to see the ball more.

4- It was great to see Charney score the goal. It was the type of shot she missed several times last year. As for the longer shots - well, she was 0 for 2. That means very little by itself, but it seems to be her pattern. She has such a powerful shot, if she could just get it on frame. Keep shooting, Charney. It'll come.

Bluffer

No need to shout.

Redknapp,

I find that when anyone is hard of hearing its always polite to speak a little louder.

Neither UPSF nor I are hard of hearing. We simply don't agree with you when it comes to Danielle and her role on the team and performances to date this season.

Reasonable people can agree to disagree. UPSF and I do not agree on the Sophie-Michelle position topic. We are all just stating an opinon here. You can choose to be reasonable and polite or you can be a jerk. You choose.

Redknapp,

I didn't know you were so sensitive and I'm sorry if your feelings got hurt, however, there is no need for you to start calling me or any poster names because we're not being reasonable in agreeing with you.

And we all root for the same team...

Just to offer up a break from

There are post game inteviews up here.

My thoughts as I watched the game last night: Sophie was not seeing the ball nearly as much as past games and it seemed that the other Pilots were not looking for her. Normally, it appears that she is the comfort pass because they know she will control the ball. For some reason, they were not making that happen last night. You would think that being at midfield would put her closer to those passes. Kendall is one tough, scrappy player. She works as hard as anyone to get around her defender, to keep control of the ball, to get the ball back or take it away. She did get one good shot off from close range during her second half stint up front though it was with her right foot and did not seem as well hit as with her left. The Pilots first great shot was actually saved by a defender standing on the line, 3-4 yards to the keeper's right. I asked my daughter at the time why she would even be in that position with the flow of the play at the time. Very good fortune for the Beavers. Kendall and Elli still need to perfect the give and go on the left. The opportunities were there but Kendall didn't seem to recognize it--probably freshman anxiety. Once they add that dimension, Elli will be more productive. Kendra has become a beast. Opposing players are paying the price for going up against her. Her energy is igniting the rest of the team at times. She has won me back. On her "goal" in the first half, it seemed that her shot was actually deflected off a defender and I wondered how she could be offsides. Charney is clearly faster than last year. Her goal was great to see as she works so hard. She does take a lot of outside shots and hits them very hard, similar to Megan R. last year, and has some of the same problems Megan had--too high more often than not. Anxiety, technique, rushing? The tendency to clear the ball with long kicks to the other team made the game much too uncomfortable for long periods. Getting Kassi or Cloee back should settle some of that down.

ejjqb wrote: The Pilots first great shot was actually saved by a defender standing on the line, 3-4 yards to the keeper's right. I asked my daughter at the time why she would even be in that position with the flow of the play at the time. Very good fortune for the Beavers.

If it's the play I recall, that defender was still on the post from her set piece positioning to make the goal mouth smaller. They are supposed stay there until released by the keeper. Not so much luck as good discipline.

Corner kick by POR FOXHOVEN, Danielle [01:00].
[01:12] Shot by POR ENYEART, Michelle, SAVE TEAM {shot from far left wing}.

On the computer, it looked like Michelle really hit that shot well, and the OSU girl hardly even reacted - she was just there.

I am still trying to figure out where this business about Danielle comes from. I thought she was pretty much a one-dimensional player last year, although that one dimension was a real good one - scoring goals - pretty important dimension. She is so much better this year - quicker and faster, handling the ball 10 times better, much better first touch, taking defenders on successfully. I think she is much more involved in the flow of play than last year. Does she occasionally miss the right pass? Well, who doesn't?

Put aside the civil war of words over Dani shoot versus Dani pass or Sophie versus Michelle up top, the OSU game still rises to the top as the season's most exciting home game so far. Really entertaining, paleyd at a high skill and intensity level by aboth sides. The Beavers were aggressive, physical and never gave up. The Pilots were in playoff mode using only 12 players. 1-0 is a November playoff score -- the closest of the season. So kudos to OSU; even though they didn't threaten to win, they did threaten to tie and no Pilots fans near me felt secure with a single-goal lead. Time and the Pac-10 season will tell where the Beavers rank, but they deserve to feel good about this game.

ejjqb:

It's not often that I can agree with everything posted but your post has it.

I'll add a comment about why I like Michelle at forward, to add to why I like Sophie at attacking mid (defense).

The games I've seen where we've had trouble are when teams move their defenders as far up the field as possible -- is it correct to say, playing a "high defense"? Washington did this in the second half of our game in Seattle, and it caused real problems. It looked to me like Texas A&M was doing it, too. (It's also the classic North Carolina way of playing.) It seems to me that the best offense against a team that plays a high defense is to have a really fast forward, who is faster than the defenders. In that situation, a ball over the top or to the feet of the fast forward creates the chance for a breakaway. This makes it dubious, at best, for our opponent to use a high defense.

With Sophie and Dani at forward, I don't think we have a forward who is going to beat the really fast defenders. But with Michelle at forward, I like her chances in that situation against any defender.

I'm guessing there's starting to be a "book" on how to play Portland when Sophie and Dani are at forward, which is to play a high defense and take your chances with your defenders being able to keep either of them from getting a break away. With Michelle at forward, we make that book a high risk strategy.

UPSF and Harry...I'd add-in OSU and UO as other teams using this a high-defense or packing the midfield against us. It probably explains why we're seeing more long balls over the top than usual. Who better than the Ex-Pilots now associated with the Beavers and Ducks respectively...to know how best to counter our offensive inclinations and profile? It has seemed to worked to a small degree in affecting change to our typical rhythm of play, but we have a excellent counter-measure in Michelle's breakaway speed. I think she's had the most 1 on 1 against a goalie this season.

We probably didn't see much long ball with Christine because she was ultra-fast at getting to free balls that got past the defensive line. Instead, a lot teams in 2005 ended up packing the box...and "tried" to kept Christine and the ball in front of them.

GO PILOTS!!!

purple haze wrote:Put aside the civil war of words over Dani shoot versus Dani pass or Sophie versus Michelle up top, the OSU game still rises to the top as the season's most exciting home game so far. Really entertaining, paleyd at a high skill and intensity level by aboth sides. The Beavers were aggressive, physical and never gave up. The Pilots were in playoff mode using only 12 players. 1-0 is a November playoff score -- the closest of the season. So kudos to OSU; even though they didn't threaten to win, they did threaten to tie and no Pilots fans near me felt secure with a single-goal lead. Time and the Pac-10 season will tell where the Beavers rank, but they deserve to feel good about this game.

It really was a fun game. OSU could certainly steal some points from some Pac-10 teams. I would keep an eye on them. The gentleman next to me said he thought we'd see OSU in November. Maybe so, but I'd be a lot more nervous for a Pilots-Beavers playoff match having seen how last night went.

I'll close by saying we must have it pretty good if all we can talk about is Player A should pass/shoot more, or Player B should be up top instead of C. I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the season.

UPSF and GUP - Your high defense ideas are REALLY good thoughts on why Michelle might be more effective at forward. This is why I love this site.