******BTHO Ole Miss******

4,593 Views | 25 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by mullokmotx
CDub06
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AG
Texas A&M Soccer heads to Oxford, Mississippi to take on the Ole Miss Rebels tonight at 7:00PM.

Ole Miss is 8-7 on the season with a 3-4 mark in SEC play. The Rebels have been outscored by opponents so far this season by a 22-21 mark. Mississippi's scoring has been led by Addie Forbus' (#25) 8 goals and CeCe Kizer's (#5) 4 goals. The two also have 4 assists and 6 assists respectively.

Marnie Merritt has tended the net for the Rebels. She has allowed 22 goals while registering 49 saves. The Rebels have allowed 1.45 goals/game this season and only have 4 shutouts.

Hopefully the Aggies can muster up a couple of goals, because it looks like two is going to be the magic number once again.
CDub06
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Sorry for the short write up. I wanted to get something up but I just got back to the office and have a conference call to get ready for.
coloradoag69
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Thanks for taking time to do what you could. It's something I look forward to every game day.

I saw an interview from Coach G. where he said that 19 of his 26 scholarship players had lost game time to injuries.! Wow. Which team do you know of that could survive that?

Let's hope they can get it going at Ole Miss and press on through the rest of the season.
CDub06
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Thanks, I feel like I've phoned it in this year...

So Bri Davis is starting tonight.
Penaltykick
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Bates also starting. Assume she is still on limited minutes. Wonder how long she can go?
CDub06
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Aggies had a nice opportunity on a corner, unfortunately it was deflected out of bounds by an Aggie in a scrum.
CDub06
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And by the way, Bates went about 25 minutes in the first half.
Penaltykick
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Bates scores about 10 minutes into second half. How badly do we need that kid? She is clutch.
CDub06
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She's a gamechanger. Ags are having the run of play
CDub06
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Rebels just wide on a scary try. Would've beat Rice if it was on frame.
CDub06
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Ole Miss goal on the corner. I thought she saved it but they ruled it crossed the line.
Penaltykick
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Not to nitpick you, CDub - it was a free kick on a really dumb foul.
CDub06
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2-1 ole Miss
CDub06
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And that's the final.
Sigh.
CDub06
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You right. I stand corrected.
Aggie Futbol
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Bad foul by Hill on the first Miss goal. Bad defending by back line on the second goal. The team did play better tonight with Bates adding some offensive spark. I also saw some better discipline and passing out of some but not all players. Mahlerbe's play impressed me. Thoughtful and controlled. Neither Pounds or Crabtree did much. I expect more from Pounds. I expect almost nothing out of Crabteee. Arrieta was better. Not Harvey's best game.

This loss was potentially crippling so far as the SEC tournament is concerned. These girls can't be happy about being the first A&M team in 22 years not to make the NCAA tournament. Missing the SEC tournament is even worse. I am counting on them to win two out of their final three league games to make the trip to Orange Beach.
HiddenAg2
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Tough loss in a game where A&M had control and fell apart in the last 15 minutes. There were a few breakdowns defensively that didn't help, but Rice misplayed both shots that scored, especially the winning goal by being too far off her line. She did have a couple of other terrific saves that probably offset the ones she gave up though. Frustrating to lose this one against an also beat up Ole Miss squad. Coach G looked visibly frustrated as well on the sideline with how this game ended. A&M is 0-5-1 in its last six games. Ouch. A slide like this has never happened in the history of the program. It's a tailspin that we can't seem to get out of and I think mentally they might be beaten now. It's too bad because the overall play was improved tonight and Bates made a huge impact when she was in the game. A&M is now flirting with missing the SEC tournament as well, so that means the season may end in a few weeks at the end of the regular season schedule. Amazing.
redd38
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Missing the SEC tournament doesn't seem like the worst thing in the world at this point, might as well just end the season and start over next year. Seems like it's not helping anyone's confidence to keep this going.

Although I think we'll still make the tournament.
Penaltykick
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Basically echo everything stated by Hidden.

Rewatched the last 15 minutes this morning, to be sure my impressions were the same in hindsight as in real time. The reason I pointed out (above) that the first goal against A&M was on a free kick resulting from a (bad) foul was truly not to nitpick CW, but to note the mental mistake that so often results in a goal. There was a defensive failure (which really started in the midfield) on the second goal, but Rice misplayed that goal badly. Her positioning was very poor on the first goal as well.

I disagree with Perplexed regarding the impact of injuries on the season. I think the onslaught of injuries HAS been the primary factor in the overall failure of the season. That said, I do not think injuries were the reason for last night's meltdown and eventual loss. I'm not sure what happened last night or why. It may very well be, as Hidden said, that the players are mentally beaten. There's a certain toughness of mentality that is required to play successfully at a high level. Some of our players possess that characteristic - Harvey, Paulson, Malherbe, Bates. Others clearly do not have that mental component, and/or struggle on the road or in the face of adversity.

I hope to see the team finish strong. This final home stand of the season should be interesting, with a woeful Kentucky team coming to town on Thursday and a good Auburn team to contend with on Sunday. I'll be interested to see how the staff approaches the lineups for these games. With Thursday being Senior Night, I'd expect to see all the Seniors starting, with the exception of Saucier. That doesn't change the lineup significantly, but if Piper returns, will it free up Malherbe to playmake in the midfield with Harvey? How might that improve our offensive output, especially if Bates can give us even 25 minutes per half? It's imperative that Pounds return to form, as well.

Finally, I dislike name calling and personal attacks, so I will not respond in kind to Perplexed. I will say that I think it is unfortunate that Perplexed is taking such vicious delight in the disappointment of this season. The vendetta against Coach G seems deeply personal and well beyond the bounds of observation or constructive criticism generally seen on this board. Many of us critique the team, program, players or coaching, but it's typically in the context of supporting the program and wanting the best for all. Perplexed appears to be happy that his "prediction" of failure has become a reality. Again, that's unfortunate. Hopefully he can find a program that is better suited to his needs, and move along to greener pastures.
Aggie Futbol
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I have a difficult time putting too much of the blame on the coaches. Injuries cannot be put on them and the players inability to execute even the simplest of passes, traps, dribbles and runs is not all in them. If the players can't execute in spite of the coaches coaching effort, we are forced to take a harder look at the players and leadership from the players.

The one area we need to question Coach G is his recruiting for both this year's class and last year's class. These two classes have produced a somewhat limited contribution to the team this year. There are a few of these players that are making a difference but not enough of them to fill the void that is apparent.

This seasons senior class is not carrying their weight on the field, with one exception. None of the seniors appear to be carrying their weight in the leadership area. Their departure won't negatively impact the team next year.

The other issue that has emerged that really surprises me involves our junior class. These ladies can play the sport well but for some reason it isn't coming together for them this year. Is it that they are not leaders or not cohesive enough? Is it that there isn't enough of a support cast? To me, it's obvious that they care and they work hard. It just seems as the team is playing with "half a deck of cards" this year.

Next year, the new talent needs to contribute more, the seniors need to carry more of the burden, the team needs to be more cohesive, certain players need to be better leaders. Having Watt back will help but all of these other items have to fall in place for the team to a strong rebound year.

I think the girls will bounce back and win the Kentucky game. Auburn may be too tough but the home field and our fans give us a shot. Beating Miss State is an absolute necessity. Two wins gets us to the SEC tournament.
Penaltykick
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All the stars for this post ^^^ by Aggie Futbol
HiddenAg2
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Quote:

The one area we need to question Coach G is his recruiting for both this year's class and last year's class. These two classes have produced a somewhat limited contribution to the team this year. There are a few of these players that are making a difference but not enough of them to fill the void that is apparent.
I've been thinking about the overall talent level on this team so I decided to go back and study the impact of the 2013-2016 recruiting classes. I think there is an argument to be made about the significant drop in overall talent on the team.

2013 (6 signees) - this year's seniors have produced exactly 1 impact player in Ashlynn Harryman, who was a 3-star prospect. And she has been injured for most of this season. That means we basically have had 1 contributing senior on this year's team in Grace Wright, who was the lowest rated prospect in the class. 2 players left the program and 2 players are backups with little to no contribution. So about 33% of the class actually had a consistent contribution to the program on the field. That is a near disaster for Coach G.

2014 (4 signees) - now this was a stellar Top 5 level signing class and the current heart of the team. All 4 signees - Harvey, Pounds, Paulson, and Malherbe - are high impact players with 3 of them being 5-star level prospects. Malherbe's limited contribution this year really hurt the team because we didn't have anyone near her level of talent to replace her minutes. This group will be next year's seniors and they need to be true leaders on and off the field. We need Harvey to mature and lead by example and encourage her teammates on the field because she is a great player.

2015 (9 signees) - this is where things get interesting. On paper it looked like a very good and deep class and so far it's been hit or miss. The top of the class produced Watt and Bates, who are both elite 5-star prospects, but Watt didn't play this year and Bates has been injured all season with limited minutes. Then Hajdu, a solid 4-star prospect, was injured and missed most of the season as well. The jury is still out on a few of the players like Hummel who is still recovering from injury, and the lower rated prospects in the class have been forced to start this season in Ritchie and Schmidt. There are also a couple of busts in the class that have not lived up to expectations. We really won't know the full impact of this class for another year or so but certainly at the top of the class it's been a solid group. They just need to stay healthy.

2016 (8 signees) - at first glance back in August it looked like we had quite a coup in signing some under the radar prospects, but as the season has progressed the class has reverted to about where they were ranked coming into the season. This is still an incomplete grade because both Jenna Byers, who could have had a big impact on the midfield, and Quinn Murphy didn't play this year and redshirted. There are a couple of prospects that are trending toward busts while there have been a couple of surprises in Arrieta and Piper. Several players have been forced to play this season before they were ready and it has hurt the team. There is potential with this group once everyone is healthy, but overall the impact of this class has been limited to below average to this point.

So when you look at the classes in summary there are several high impact players but some of them are not even playing this season. And when you have almost no senior contributions and a lack of leadership on the field combined with several true freshmen playing before they were ready, you have the recipe for a bad season. I also do think the coaching has been suspect this season and we need to get back to the fundamentals of the game, but the overall talent level that is actually playing the majority of minutes on the field is way down from where the team was a few years ago. Also, the 2012 class had only 3 players remaining in it last year and one of them was too injured to play anymore. We had 1 high impact player in Mueller and another that was basically a backup for most of her career. That led to a subpar SEC season as well in '15 that was overshadowed by the great run in the NCAA tourney. A&M is now 8-9-2 over the past 2 seasons in the SEC.

The good news is that some very good talent is on its way in the Spring and we should hopefully have everyone back in good health next Fall. But I do think Coach G needs to elevate the overall talent in the program over the next few years if A&M is going to continue to be a top program in the SEC and advance far in the NCAAs. The '18 and '19 classes are off to good starts but there are some elite kids in Texas still available that we need to sign.
sharpdressedman
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There is much insightful analysis here. I am as much of a "wait 'till next year" optimist as most Aggies, but I see in the previous posts some concerning issues.

The root cause of failing to meet expectations is the multi-year inconsistency in recruiting and developing enough players who can produce a steady, reliable contender for the national, elite-level honors that we believe are attainable. Recruiting is the greatest challenge, and I don't know how to overcome it other than by winning, which involves a circular logic that is confounding.

The injuries are a continuing and disappointing saga, and the duration of the trend is troublesome. It seems intuitive that key factors such as the strength and conditioning program and a style of play that appears to invite opponents to have their way with us physically are deserving of reconsideration.

Regarding the coaching, I'll leave that critique to more informed observers. IMO, coach G won his stripes when he took the team to the College Cup. Moreover, his overall success is unquestionably admirable.

Overall, I think the program is excellent, and has shown it is capable of periodically achieving elite results. From an historical perspective, this season is an unfortunate aberration. It happens. Regrettably, the players must bear most of the weight of a very disappointing season. Our frustration as fans is negligible in comparison.

I encourage the players, particularly the younger ones, to keep in mind that because of who we are, it's time to keep on fighting, never compromise your effort or quit, and make the most of the remainder of the season. We have survived worse and later thrived.

Penaltykick
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Outstanding analysis Hidden. I agree with this and it also makes clear that if A&M had stronger recruiting classes from top to bottom in 2015 and 2016, the injuries that befell the program wouldn't have been so catastrophic. We would have had enough talent on the bench to step in capably.

One question is, what attracts top and elite prospects to Texas A&M? A big part of that equation is likely the ability to win SEC Championships, SEC Tournament championships and to play in the NCAA tournament. With a dismal conference result in 2015 (redeemed greatly by the SEC and NCAA tourney runs) and a disastrous 2016, that is not a card we have to play at the moment. The facilities are fantastic, but we've seen other schools catching up in that regard. Location is tough to sell to the elite players from out of state, who I believe we need to recruit more aggressively.

Another question this analysis brought to mind is whether the failure of this season will cause any of the current verbal commits to re-open their recruitment? Also, what are the chances we get hit with transfers out of the program?
Expert Analysis
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Also keep in mind the recruiting limitations that a sport like soccer faces. Unlike football and both basketball teams, the other sports are recruiting for the most part with partial scholarship offers. This makes identifying quality players that are willing to fit into what you have to offer and the style in which you play. Getting quality players at minimal scholarship is the way to build great classes and great teams. I would guess our scholarship allotments have been a little out of balance due to the large quality class we lost 2 years ago which hurt the subsequent recruiting classes. Balancing scholarships and recruiting is as big a part of a coaches job as actually coaching.
HiddenAg2
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Expert Analysis said:

Also keep in mind the recruiting limitations that a sport like soccer faces. Unlike football and both basketball teams, the other sports are recruiting for the most part with partial scholarship offers. This makes identifying quality players that are willing to fit into what you have to offer and the style in which you play. Getting quality players at minimal scholarship is the way to build great classes and great teams. I would guess our scholarship allotments have been a little out of balance due to the large quality class we lost 2 years ago which hurt the subsequent recruiting classes. Balancing scholarships and recruiting is as big a part of a coaches job as actually coaching.
This is an excellent point about scholarships in soccer. Most people don't understand this balancing act and it's very difficult, especially for a school like A&M, to keep up with the elite programs like UNC, Stanford, Duke, and Virginia because of the perceived academic differences. Unlike football or basketball, where top prospects will go to big state schools despite being only average in academics because they have multiple options to play professionally in the future, in women's soccer there really isn't much chance of making a good living playing professionally after college. Most kids are primarily focused on receiving the best degree possible to give them a good chance of landing a high paying job when their playing days are over. That's why A&M continues to struggle landing the elite players even when scholarship money might be the same because a degree from Duke or Stanford is a step up from one from A&M (at least perception-wise anyway). I can't even count the number of great prospects from Texas that turned down A&M in order to go to one of these elite academic institutions, even when A&M is offering more scholarship money. It does make Coach G's job much harder there is no doubt.

So to the point above, if A&M gets out of whack numbers-wise like the big 2011 class, it puts tremendous strain on the next couple of classes because there isn't enough scholarship money left to realistically compete with those elite schools. Usually when A&M wins these recruiting battles the prospect has family ties or other ties to the school that makes it possible to overcome the academic hurdle. So yes, the coaches do need to do a better job of balancing the classes, but I think what happens is that some years there are several top prospects that have A&M ties that we can land that we don't want to turn down because of a balancing act. Most top prospects are on a 7/8 scholarship while the average prospect is maybe half of that and the remaining prospects are around 1/8 or even less. This is one reason why I don't believe the NCAA is being fair to most schools when it comes to parity (which they supposedly always want to promote). The current system benefits only a top group of schools based on academics. The solution is to have full scholarships across the board like the major sports for Power 5 schools, maybe 22 total so it includes an entire average 2-deep roster. If the smaller schools can't afford it then they either don't have to use all of their allotment or they just need to have a separate division like there is in football. With this setup you would see more average state schools begin to excel in soccer and close the current gap on the Stanfords of the world. Plus it would make for a more interesting game with much more parity and some new storylines in the sport, and more importantly bring more fan interest in the game because the big schools are where the majority of fans are located.
mullokmotx
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Seeing it live and then the replay, what was the foul on Jordan that led to their first goal? On the second goal, did Mckayla get her feet tangled with their player or was it something more deliberate? 2 years ago Mississippi tried to tip the ball, with their hands, into the goal at the end of the match and the ref didn't see it.
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