Amanda

Check out Nick Daschel's article on OregonLive: Portland Pilots' Amanda Frisbie great at scoring goals, but now she's good at stopping them

http://www.oregonlive.com/pilots/index.ssf/2013/10/womens_soccer_portland_pilots_2.html#incart_river

Thank you.

“I miss playing forward. I love to score goals,” Frisbie said.

That is such a great commitment to the team, giving up what you love.

gxm wrote:“I miss playing forward. I love to score goals,” Frisbie said.

That is such a great commitment to the team, giving up what you love.  

Well, she hasn't exactly gone cold turkey. She is tied for 7th in the conference in scoring and 2 goals out of third place.

gxm wrote:“I miss playing forward. I love to score goals,” Frisbie said.

That is such a great commitment to the team, giving up what you love.  

Couldn't agree more. Great example of being a team player.

That phrase was of "I love to score goals" would fit many players with a Pilot history that played another position other than forward....Sophie, Elie, Megan, and Keelin to name a few. Elie really wanted to be a forward, but few had her other abilities. Although Christine is listed as a forward for the Thorns, her biggest asset, IMHO, is how she feeds others the ball.

There's an interview on Wtv on winning her WCC award

http://www.TheW.tv/

But here was Smith a few days into preseason camp, asking Frisbie if she would be willing to move

How head-scratching. As a supporter, I am grateful that Frisbie is a tremendous worker.

The Pilots presently have what some claim to be their best recruiting class in half a decade. Nearly all players are healthy. Neither of the two who are not dressing for games is a defender. Yet, still, the change was made to take the most dynamic attacker, their only MAC Hermann watch listed player, the most proven goalscorer of the previous seasons, and put her in the center of defense in her final year. Mere weeks before the season started.

ninjapizza wrote:

But here was Smith a few days into preseason camp, asking Frisbie if she would be willing to move

How head-scratching. As a supporter, I am grateful that Frisbie is a tremendous worker.

The Pilots presently have what some claim to be their best recruiting class in half a decade. Nearly all players are healthy. Neither of the two who are not dressing for games is a defender. Yet, still, the change was made to take the most dynamic attacker, their only MAC Hermann watch listed player, the most proven goalscorer of the previous seasons, and put her in the center of defense in her final year. Mere weeks before the season started.

OK, i'll ask you what is so head scratching about a coach waiting until everybody was in camp and he could judge the freshmen's preparedness  against D1 players before he decided where to ask players to play?


And I dont believe for a second the possibility wasn't mentioned before that.
https://www.pilotnation.net/t4996p75-spring-schedule-2013#54451

Geezaldinho wrote:OK, i'll ask you what is so head scratching about a coach waiting until everybody was in camp and he could judge the freshmen's preparedness  against D1 players before he decided where to ask players to play?

And I dont believe for a second the possibility wasn't mentioned before that.
https://www.pilotnation.net/t4996p75-spring-schedule-2013#54451

This was a problem before a few days into 2013 pre-season camp. This was a problem several weeks before the end of the 2012 season. To come up with this particular solution with the start of the present season at the gates is head-scratching. It's a fun reception I'm receiving for stating the case.

Several freshman are playing. From observation, there is a wide range of preparedness within the class, yet that has not necessarily been accurately reflected in minutes played.

It seems that some have interpreted my distaste of Frisbie at center back as saying I don't think she's good at it. I think she is doing a fine job. Garret is not an idiot. She's a tremendous athlete who works hard. Not to knock defending, but that's a good portion of the job description. (NT defender Becky Sauerbrunn agrees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=-5GG0IMbsVs#t=71) Yet that is only one facet of what Frisbie is as a player.

In any case, that loathsome phrase It is what it is is a truism. I hope Frisbie goes for the jugular in every game. I hope that I can be not only proven wrong in this season, but about professional prospects and future recruits as well. After all, there is a the ever so slight chance Michelle French will one day coach an NWSL team and serve as the UP version of CPC.

Well written, Ninja.

purple passion wrote:Well written, Ninja.

I disagree. The reference to CPC was a cheap trick to blind Pilot fans, not a reasoned argument.

I'm no fan of hers, but she is the winningest coach in NWSL history, she does have the only coaching ring, and she did start 3 Pilots, two SCU players, and one UNC player  in the playoffs. She also had two converted forwards on the back line. Dalmy was a forward her first two years at Santa Clara, then Jerry Smith converted her to a defender, where she scored as many goals as a senior on defence as she did as as freshman forward. She was WCC POY her senior year (2006) and it's the last time they they won the conference.

The same is true at the Nat level. Rampone scored 75 goals and 50 assists in college. Ohara got a Herman as a forward and they both start ahead of Saurbrunn and LePelbet. They work also, but have other skills as well. The same can be said for Boxx, Engen (starting forward her first two years at UNC), Dunn, and Johnson, who got on the Nats for their defence.

The greatest usa defender ever, Joy Fawcett, still owns Cal's scoring mark.

So if Frenchie gets a NWSL title her first year and does it with Amanda in any slot i'm all for it.

Speaking of Johnson, how do you think Jerry Smith's choice on where to play her contributed to their poor  result against Stanford?

NP, I thought the article made clear why the decision was a good choice for the Pilots and for Frisbie.

You seem to feel that it was a bad decision, especially for Frisbie.
I get the feeling that you think Frisbie is unhappy.
Do you have some inside information that Frisbie is unhappy, or are you projecting?

I don't know any of the players personally. Whether they are happy or unhappy, I do not know. I've never spoken to any of them this calendar year. I would certainly never entertain the idea of speculating on their emotional states in a message board.

So maybe I am projecting, or more accurately, empathizing as a supporter. This is a great senior class that includes a MAC Hermann nominee. As a supporter, I enjoy having a MAC Hermann nominee on the roster. I'm no fool and know that she didn't have a great shot with Dunn, Hayes, and Ohai in the running. But surely it was a bit of a confidence boost to the ambitions she (and the rest of us) had for this season. Now she has no shot at all. I'm not made of stone and I feel for that.

As a fan, I'm bummed. I brag about how Portland develops a player through their career, especially when compared to other big name programs. How really good players come out head and shoulders above who they were in their first year. How the team and individual are better for it. I don't think this move is in concert with that idea this season.

I'm unhappy with the goal scoring, or lack thereof. Taking my projection even further, perhaps it's not a stretch to say that 400 fans on average are unhappy as well. I have observed where goals are coming from and I have observed where goals are not coming from this year. I miss the pure joy of attacking the Pilots had. Outside of Wyoming, when they've scored, I sense relief rather than exuberance. That feels out of the norm.

I'm unhappy at watching great recruits get away. With the threat of moving the current leading goal scorer to defense now in print, I do worry about recruiting great attackers in the future. I would be blind to ignore it.

I'm not opposed to moving a player from a position and I'm well aware of the history of teams doing so. But to deny this situation is not worth questioning in the least is astounding. I'm not in an XKCD comic, so I'm not really interested in starting some sort of flame war. It's clear that any notions about even discussing coaching decisions in a critical manner are unwelcome.

I'm very happy watching this team in person (finally) almost every week. It's a privilege. I love this program. I'm extremely happy we're winning.

"But to deny this situation is not worth questioning in the least is astounding. I'm not in an XKCD comic, so I'm not really interested in starting some sort of flame war. It's clear that any notions about even discussing coaching decisions in a critical manner are unwelcome."

I've only read the posts on this and other PN Women's Soccer threads. I haven't seen anything that merits this kind of statement. All I've seen is some people disagreeing with you and others maybe agreeing with you. It actually reads like you're trying to stifle disagreement.

UPSoccerFanatic wrote:I've only read the posts on this and other PN Women's Soccer threads.  I haven't seen anything that merits this kind of statement.  All I've seen is some people disagreeing with you and others maybe agreeing with you.  It actually reads like you're trying to stifle disagreement.

You're right. I was overdoing it there. The only disagreement I mean to stifle is my own.

Dan No Yell wrote:NP, I thought the article made clear why the decision was a good choice for the Pilots and for Frisbie.

You seem to feel that it was a bad decision, especially for Frisbie.
I get the feeling that you think Frisbie is unhappy.
Do you have some inside information that Frisbie is unhappy, or are you projecting?

Do you have inside information that Amanda is happy? As fans all we can do is project and speculate. When I read the article, I get the Pilots had a weakness of defense and GS solved the problem by picking Amanda to fill the hole. All anyone was trying to do was give her credit for that sacrifice. "Cold turkey" or not the facts are Frisbie has started one game as forward, she has goals, but we all know she would have more. Happy or not, we don't know, but like in the article she says she misses it. Take what you want from that. Me on the other hand, give credit to that young lady and am happy she's on our side.

UPSoccerFanatic wrote:"
I've only read the posts on this and other PN Women's Soccer threads.  I haven't seen anything that merits this kind of statement.  All I've seen is some people disagreeing with you and others maybe agreeing with you.  It actually reads like you're trying to stifle disagreement.

Reading this thread, I'd say it could go the other way as well...

All NP was trying to do was credit Frisbie for her talents she posses and how being on defense isn't showcasing all of them. Being a Pilots fan for years, as many of us are, none of us can deny that.

Thanks NP.
Very clear.
I still think Frisbie made a decision, with the coach, to do what is necessary for the team to win.

Amanda was named to topdrawersoccer's team of the week for her two game winners this weekend.

http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/college-soccer-articles/tds-womens-team-of-the-week:-oct-15_aid31148

Congrats. Well deserved.

Hello everybody - Still following the team, but I haven't posted in a while, mostly because I haven't been out there to see the team play for a few years. This thread piqued my interest, though.

The last time I saw the team play (in person) was Sophie's senior year - a VERY good team but without a big time scorer, which did them in in the end. The other failing of that team - in my view - was that both of the central defenders were so uncomfortable with the ball on their feet in the defensive end. Especially against good teams, there were WAY too many instances of them just booting long balls out of what I would call only light pressure, rather than playing the possession game you saw in the midfield. This is especially hard on a team that plays a possession game - we would play defense under pressure, finally get the ball, and give it right back with a long boot to midfield - here they come again. We were just not able to maintain possession in the defensive third of the field. Remember the Stanford games of that time?

I see this as the great advantage of having someone with good ball skills playing on the back line, including ESPECIALLY in the middle. I haven't seen Amanda play since she was a freshman, but with all the scoring she has done, I assume she has developed good foot skills and is comfortable with the ball on her feet under pressure. This should be a huge advantage.

Nice have you back FFA. Some of us agree with you 100%. Having Amanda in the back has been a big plus for the defense.

You can watch all the home games on a streaming basis for free and many of the away game as well. The Pilot stream is very good. It can be accessed from the UP athletic site.

Hello A Fan - I am well aware of the streaming feed. In fact, I watched most of the Pepperdine game - was happily surprised by both the video and the announcer.

I do really miss live soccer at Merlo.

So at least you are not having to go cold turkey on watching the Pilots.

That would be awful - I might have to go through detox