St. Mary's Gaels

at first I thought everyone on the team was named Greis. they really need a font redesign.

UP schooled them tonight on goals from Carillo, Nielsen, Nielsen, and Hemphill. great passing and pursuit all night long did it.
the crowd cheered and had a good time (all 8 of us)

The Gaels helped out a bit. at the end of the first half a Gaels forward pretty blatantly warded off on a ball over the UP end line and the ref(seemingly a bit surly all night from having to ref in the rain) called a goal kick instead of the corner they wanted.

there was a lot of arm flapping and jumping in place, then their Number 15, who was already on a caution, confronted the ref at halftime. they had a discussion, the ref turned away at the end of it, and the youth felt he then had to say what was really on his mind.

Call it a learning experience. the ref cautioned him again, and I was puzzled a bit because he didn't then show a red.

well, at the start of the half, he came to the bench and showed it and the Gaels played a man down in the second half.

I didn't see the game but I heard they were pretty good tonight. Of course playing a man up helps a lot. Hopefully the close games that they were losing at the beginning of the season are now turning into wins!

They were up 2-0 before the Half and the outcome was never in doubt.

They seemingly played everyone. There were UP players out there I'm not sure I ever have seen before, and they played the soccer UP fans love . Pitty folks aren't coming out.

Don't want to hear the baseball excuse. I hear that game wasn't in doubt either.

Two thumbs up to the drum squad that did make it out.

The drum squad was relentless. Quite impressive given the conditions and the small (but appreciative) crowd. The Pilots put in an impressive performance even before the Gaels were issued a self inflicted red card. It is unfortunate that some of the bad luck and associated bad results from previous conference games have made a conference win and only realistic chance at playoffs a bit of an uphill battle. Pilots have been entertaining all season though and really do deserve to be supported at same level as the women's team.

From the Drum Squad side, this was definitely one of the more entertaining games I've attended that did not include a napkin on the field:

Nielsen doing his trademark backflip and nailing the dismount... the pilots flag caught on the fence in midswing... the shout out to Matt Daly because he had class with a Villan... amazing goals schooling the SMC defense... "baby blue, baby blue, how many goals're goin' to get by you?"... "'have you ever seen St. Mary's get a red card?' 'Hell yes!'"... the PA introducing the pilots returning for the second half even when St. Mary's took the field, the refs taking the half and then some to evaluate their interaction with # 15 at the end of the first... "I heard you like red cards, so we gave you one with your yellow card so you can get sent off when you get sent off"... and a random "USA" chant to cap off the night.

The drum squad was in Sunday form for a Friday game, like GoUP said, considering the fun had versus GU Wednesday.

Like Geeze mentioned, the officiating was sketchy at times but considering the weather and the physical nature of the match, I'm not sure I can blame him for wanting to leave quickly.

Also all active 23 members got time tonight, so no doubt you saw some new faces. Great job by the staff to get the freshman some gametime experience.

Hopefully this week can get the guys moving in the right direction to finish conference strong.

Next up, LMU who won 3-2 at Merlo in early October in a come-from behind fashion.

This is typical WCC men's soccer - nearing the end of the season and nobody is out of it. Pilots will play the 2 current leaders. Both of the first meetings could have gone UP's way, so should be interesting. Yogi was right.

GoUP wrote: Yogi was right.

"You can observe a lot just by watching" ?


"The other teams could make trouble for us if they win." ?

That was quite the interesting game... The guys looked like they were really getting it together tonight. If only they could play that well from beginning to the end of the season then they would be quite good. I have to agree that the men deserve the same support as the women get.

Lastly, did anyone else notice the mouths on some of the St. Mary's players? I heard quite a few F-bombs last night, but maybe that happens when you are losing and frustrated. Family atmosphere?

The Pilots have played mostly entertaining soccer all year, they've just been on the wrong end of some close matches. Although some of the goals they have given up have been frustrating, they play attractive, free flowing, passing soccer now. True, sometimes they have to go route 1 based on the game situation, and the fact that the WCC is built around having athletic teams that don't really like to play. I think the fact that they don't win every game they play at Merlo often discourages people from showing up, but I'd like to see a few more people starting to show up based on their style of play.
The guys game is always going to be less finesse, more rough and tumble, especially because almost all of the teams in the WCC are big, athletic and physical teams. So the guys have to play that way to be successful at times. But that shouldn't be any reason not to go to games either (which I've heard as an excuse before)

Geezaldinho wrote:

GoUP wrote: Yogi was right.

"You can observe a lot just by watching" ?


"The other teams could make trouble for us if they win." ?

"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." ?

[/quote]
"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded." ?[/quote]

My favorite. But it may be the only one that doesn't apply.

It was a great game to watch and I am really glad I went notwithstanding the weather during the first half. But, I don't agree about the men's/women's comparisons. It's a downer for fans when the elite players leave for professional opportunities before they complete their four years. This has discouraged me as a men's fan.

UPSF, when is the last time a men's player has left to pursue a professional career early? I think it was Alex Eliott after the 2007 season. A lot of the guys recently have stayed all 4 years, Warner, Guerrero, VanSchaik, Emory. The fact is, college soccer is a stepping stone for men's players to go on and play professionally, whereas it is basically the pinnacle of the women's game

UPPilots wrote:UPSF, when is the last time a men's player has left to pursue a professional career early? I think it was Alex Eliott after the 2007 season. A lot of the guys recently have stayed all 4 years, Warner, Guerrero, VanSchaik, Emory. The fact is, college soccer is a stepping stone for men's players to go on and play professionally, whereas it is basically the pinnacle of the women's game

That is exactly what I meant. It's more fun, to me, to watch the pinnacle than to watch a stepping stone. The expectation with the men, whatever has happened over the last few years, is that if we have a superstar, he will be gone in two or three years (Cherundolo, Heath, Casey, Salazar). I mean no disrespect to the men. I'm just saying that when we talk about the women and we talk about the men, we're talking about two different levels of their respective games. I don't think it's reasonable to expect fans to look at both the same way.

This is not to say that fans shouldn't go see the men this year. They played really great soccer against the Gaels and were really fun to watch.

By the way, I agree with the Geez. My thinking, part way through the St. Mary's game, was that "Wow, this team must have a bunch of brothers named 'Grees.'" Then I figured it out.

I thought it was Grels. I wonder if MLS academies might siphon off the star players looking at college soccer as only a stepping stone. Players who value education would opt for the college route with possibility for pro career available at the end of their college career. The reality is that only 1 or 2 players per year make it as a pro, so for most of the men, college soccer is the pinnacle of their careers. We digress - the current men play entertaining soccer and the fans that do turn out are getting full value.

UPSoccerFanatic wrote:

UPPilots wrote:UPSF, when is the last time a men's player has left to pursue a professional career early? I think it was Alex Eliott after the 2007 season. A lot of the guys recently have stayed all 4 years, Warner, Guerrero, VanSchaik, Emory. The fact is, college soccer is a stepping stone for men's players to go on and play professionally, whereas it is basically the pinnacle of the women's game

That is exactly what I meant. It's more fun, to me, to watch the pinnacle than to watch a stepping stone. The expectation with the men, whatever has happened over the last few years, is that if we have a superstar, he will be gone in two or three years (Cherundolo, Heath, Casey, Salazar). I mean no disrespect to the men. I'm just saying that when we talk about the women and we talk about the men, we're talking about two different levels of their respective games. I don't think it's reasonable to expect fans to look at both the same way.

This is not to say that fans shouldn't go see the men this year. They played really great soccer against the Gaels and were really fun to watch.

By the way, I agree with the Geez. My thinking, part way through the St. Mary's game, was that "Wow, this team must have a bunch of brothers named 'Grees.'" Then I figured it out.

Yeah, the font was a weird choice, as was putting the "Gaels" where player names normally go. I remember thinking " well, we had all those Dominguez kids for a while".


I understand where you are coming from, but you seem oblivious to the realities of the paths the BEST men and women players at UP have to navigate. The best players of both genders have never given 100 of their playing time to UP because neither gender can. This has been true ever since I can remember.

The best players of either gender use UP as a stepping stone to the next level, the only difference is how they do it.


Milbrett redshirted between her Sophomore and Junior years to devote herself to training for the National Team. Both MacMillan and French lost some games for UP due to National Team duties. Christine only played ONE full year for UP in her 5 years at the bluff. I recall we missed her services dearly when she was team captain at the 2002 Peace Queen Cup in Seattle and missed the game with Santa Clara that settled the conference championship that year. Allie Wagner got a special limo down from Seattle for SCU, but Christine stayed up there. Also, I think we only lost games that year when she was gone. I remember being pretty frustrated with the demands her Canadian coaches put on her.

In more recent times, Megan wasn't playing full time for UP the year she got her first ACL. One wonders is fatigue played a role there. Also, she left with at least one and possibly two hardship years remaining in her eligibility to get in on the ground floor of the WPS. Though she was here a long time, she didn't exhaust the role she could have played here.

Sophie Schmidt struggled with her Canadian master's demands on her while she tried to patch together a UP career. One year she played on both the full National Team and Captained their u20 team through Qualifiers. That left her so exhausted for NCAA play that she took a gamble with her future career and retired from NationaL team commitments for a year.


In 2008, UP gave up THREE of its best players to the USA u20 effort during the tournament, just when their presence could have made the difference in the run to a third Cup. Those three and healthy Megan, Kendra, and Sophie would have been unstoppable. They never got to all be together at once during the tournament, and National teams played a big role there

Kendra, of course, made the ultimate sacrifice for the National team, getting hurt her first day in camp after the season, and she never recovered quickly enough to have a real chance to have an impact the next fall for UP, try as she might.

The list goes on, but I don't begrudge those players who took their opportunities at the next level during their stays at UP, just as I don't begrudge those players who left for the pros Before they used up their eligibility.

Watching Steve Cherundolo during his two short years on the bluf was a joy, just as it was to see Kelly Gray, Nate Jaqua, Connor Casey, Josh Simpson, Heath Pearce, and the others while they were here to give their full effort. We got to see the best players in the country while they were developing, just as we do when we watch most BCS football or Basketball games. I think that's a good thing. I'd love it if we got more of those type players on the Bluff. Very few played made me say "Wow" as much as Stevie did.

We may be watching it again with Steven Evans, so enjoy every minute he is on the pitch.

To say the women are at their pinnacle of their careers and the men Are second tier is too simple, just as saying that the best women don't have to make choices toward the next level. This group of men is playing very attractive ball. It's worth watching.

I do think that with both genders the NCAA is going to have to allow the best to play more games. 20 games a year is just not enough for the best players to get better and compete with players who make the decision to forgo NCAA ball and go pro early. That's also a reality for both genders. It used to be so. Casey Keller played for the Timbers during the summers he was on the bluff. Though he played four years for us, he also got enough games to get him to the 10K hour threshold Malcom Gladwell talks about.I think that's the biggest impediment to getting the best players here. I think having the best for two years or so is fine, if it is good for both UP and the players themselves.

I don't want to beat a dead horse or to make too much of a point. I'm not oblivious to any of what you described. It's just a lot easier, for me, to give my all for players I know will be here for four years of play, whether or not they will be gone some of the time for NT duty. Plus, at the college level, I like women's soccer better.

Still, I agree that the men are a good value. Plus, seeing the St. Mary's men totally disintegrate made it even better for that game.

Geez, I agree with you. I think that the NCAA should look into playing more games over a longer period of time, maybe a 30 games season with one game per weekend, because so often the Sunday games turn into wars of attrition. Playing 2 games in less than 48 hours isn't good for the health of the players and the product on the field suffers.

UPSF, is it that hard to give your all for both teams? Even in the cases we mentioned above, maybe one player from the men's team every 3 years leaves early to go pro. That still leaves somewhere around 30-40 guys in a 4 year cycle that play all 4 years (sometimes more due to injuries and redshirting, sometimes less due to transfers, etc.)