Notre Dame match

Watching the Notre Dame match on Sunday, it appeared that we could play the Irish many many times with about the same result. We kept them at bay in the first half, mostly while on our heels, but the second half went their way. We had very few offensive advances. They seemed faster and more physical.

Big talent difference between ND and Marquette and also between ND and UP. A 2-0 loss to a good team is not entirely disheartening, but the Pilots have a way to go.

I'm sure the staff and the team learned a lot from the ND game.  The defense played their best game of the season after the offense had their best game against Marquette.  I'm looking forward to seeing how they do in their games in Seattle this weekend.

Agree with the comments above. The one thing that got my attention. I was struck by the size and quickness of the ND mid-field. It seemed every new player they brought on the field was 5' 7" or taller. They definitely used the size and speed advantages to disrupt Pilot possessions. That said 1-1 on a difficult road trip against one that is a top 10 is something to build on.

Hopefully, holding Notre Dame scoreless for a half won't be the season high point. In the meantime, UP has given up 7 goals in 3 games. This is a concern.

Having attended both home games and watched the second half of ND, my concerns about this team are much the same as last year. The other teams too often are the more aggressive, challenging every ball while the Pilots sit back or fail to react to the ball. The Pilots are losing most 50/50 balls because they do not attack the ball, opting to wait for the ball to come to them while the opponents charge every ball. Just as bothersome, the Pilots simply give away too many possessions by sending uncontested passes to the opponent rather than to an open team mate. Every player except Boon has been guilty of this numerous times in every game in the last two years. When the Pilots clear a ball from the defensive end, most often it seems to go nowhere near a Pilot while the opponents often are able to find an open team mate on their clearances. Looks like panic moves as opposed to calm and confident moves. Pilot soccer used to be noted for working the ball up the field and making runs to the corner or end line. Now they forsake that for sending long balls into one-on-three situations and seem to ignore a wing sprinting to an open area towards the corner, opting to take the ball to the middle and then lose it in a crowd. This forum used to castigate Jill Ellis for relying on the long ball but doesn't seem to give the same scrutiny to our Pilots. Finally, the Pilot keeper wants to make the long punts down the field into a 50/50 situation at best while she has wide open defenders waiting to advance a throw-out. This does not make sense with the Pilots lack of ability to win the 50/50 balls consistently.

Now for a positive side note. Watched the Beavers' home game on TV and was shocked at the condition of their field, especially since they just redid the grass before last season. It was as bad as any I have ever seen (the ball never rolled, just bounced on every pass) and made me appreciate the pitch that the Pilots play on even more.

We must be watching different teams. This year's team appears to me to be a much better passing team than last year. Since two of the goals against Marquette came on crosses from Boon, the offense would appear not to be totally reliant on long passes down the middle.