Tough way for the season to lose. Really enjoyed watching this team fight all year though.
*****BTHO NOTRE DAME*****
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Last: 6 yr ago by HiddenAg2
What happened?
Hell Bent Canine -All or None
Weak finish.
I understand the reasoning for the shootout but it is a crummy way to decide the match. Especially if you lose.
Great effort, ladies. Just poorly hit penalty kicks. And Morche looked incredibly slow. Tough way to end the season.
ND placed their shots perfectly on at least 3 of those. Not sure anything she could have done to save those but sure, she looked "lost".hammerhead said:
2 horrible penelty kicks and our goalie looked lost out there. Hell of a way to loose it
At 54 I get more power on that ball she kicked
I love soccer. By far, my favorite sport.
However, it has one major flaw in serious, upper level play. There is only one referee.
You want the game to be decided by the players, not the referee.
Although it does not often occur, soccer is by far the sport that the referee determines the outcome of the game more than the players.
There are no discussions. No reviews.
Whatever the person in the middle decides goes.
In a sport with few scores (goals), deciding to award a penalty kick or not has a tremendous influence on the outcome of games.
However, it has one major flaw in serious, upper level play. There is only one referee.
You want the game to be decided by the players, not the referee.
Although it does not often occur, soccer is by far the sport that the referee determines the outcome of the game more than the players.
There are no discussions. No reviews.
Whatever the person in the middle decides goes.
In a sport with few scores (goals), deciding to award a penalty kick or not has a tremendous influence on the outcome of games.
Rough way to go out. KFTM are just so random.
Two kicks in a row that are basically 50/50, if the keeper guesses right they are blocked. Can't kick medium rollers unless you get the keeper to jump like the first Irish girl did.
Well, this was the matchup we dreaded when the draw came out. RPI told us this match was happening one round too early. We just ran out of gas at the end. Unfortunate way to end the season. Enjoyed the win streak while it lasted.
Will be hard to replace Harvey, but having Watt for two more seasons is amazing. Looking forward to next season already!
I really hate that this is Harvey's last game. She was definitely the best player on the pitch tonight.
Team fought hard and won through injuries all season! Tough at the end.
Decided by the penalty call and no call.
I would have put Harvey and Malherbe earlier in my penalty order. Gotta let the seniors have a hand in the outcome. Didn't even get to shoot.
A big congrats to Mikaela Harvey, Stephanie Malherbe, McKayla Paulson and Haley Pounds on their great careers at Texas A&M. They leave us with some great memories. Tough way to end it tonight.
We had a great season. But we definitely should have made it past ND into the final 16.
Sadly, Baylor and sips advanced.
Sadly, Baylor and sips advanced.
Next year's team could be better and more balanced. Bates can play her more natural position and she'll distribute differently than Harvey. Methinks you'll see a more fluid system.
We all knew this was going to be a tough game tonight and that we would have to play solidly at all levels of the field to advance, and, unfortunately, we did not. Too many mistakes on the backline with turnovers and holding the ball too long (which led directly to both ND goals), and a midfield that also made too many errors and were simply outplayed for long stretches by a very talented ND side that is full of great athletes with technical skill. As someone else pointed out, ND consistently out-recruits A&M and it showed tonight even though ND hasn't had a great regular season (although their losses are mostly to elite teams). Now, A&M recovered and in the end the game was played evenly overall with a slight edge to Notre Dame, which is by far and away the best team A&M has played this year and they are very well coached. Having said that, A&M basically gave up 2 own goals (by Alston), and scored 2 quality goals (including the thrilling equalizer with 2 minutes left) and could have advanced despite all the mistakes. However, don't forget ND missed a wide open net opportunity in OT that was botched in ridiculous fashion, so the end result was probably fair. But I think most of us knew that PKs were going to be tough because Morche is not the typical Coach G goalkeeper that is usually athletic off the line, and it played out that way. ND's GK was very quick despite her smaller size and easily saved a couple of poorly taken PKs by Bates and Crabtree (why was she taking a PK so early?). And I really don't understand why Malherbe and Harvey didn't take PKs early in the rotation to keep us in the match. ND will easily advance past the lucky Bears (tip of the hat for the incredible tying goal though against USC with 16 seconds left) and to the Elite 8 to play Duke in what should be a great game.
A&M was really dominated in the 1st half by ND, especially in the midfield, and so going up 1-0 on a beautiful goal by Harvey (her last at A&M) was against the run of play. The game really turned though when Alston gave up the turnover in the box and the equalizer with 2 minutes left in the half. The crowd was deflated and didn't get fully back in the match until midway through the 2nd half when the referee was losing his mind with bad calls all over the field (the referee was truly abysmal and another embarrassment for the NCAA). But A&M did play much better in the final 30 minutes despite going down 2-1 on a PK that was definitely the right call on Alston. The final 7 minutes was complete domination by A&M with Bates scoring a great goal with 2 minutes left, and ND was hanging on for dear life to get to OT. The problem was that A&M used every bit of remaining energy in their legs to get the equalizer and had nothing left for OT. The midfield was completely gassed and could barely jog by the end of the game. Harvey, Malherbe, Arietta, and McCain left everything they had out there but it just wasn't enough to overcome the mistakes earlier in the match. Bates and Watt played well up top and just missed a few chances early in the match to really take control with shots that went straight the GK instead of low in a corner.
I'm still more upset about the NCAA committee's absolutely ridiculous seeding and draw this year that really screwed A&M about as badly as I can ever remember in any sport. A&M should have been a #1 seed, then a #2 in South Carolina's region, and then finally were given a Top 15 Notre Dame squad in the second round while #3 seed USC pulled Baylor and should have advanced easily despite falling in PKs to the Bears. Truly outrageous and unfair. Now, I know you have to beat a ND eventually, but this game should have been played in the Sweet 16 at the earliest. A&M's players didn't deserve this fate this season after winning 13 consecutive games. I really, really hate NCAA selection committees.
The crowd tonight was pretty phenomenal late the match and the tying goal by Bates produced one of the loudest moments I can ever remember in a home match. The fans didn't give up and I think helped pull the Ags across the finish line to get to OT. It's just shame we won't have a chance to beat up on the Bears at home. ND is going to crush Baylor without mercy as they completely outclass the Bears.
Looking back at this season, I really believe the lack of any elite opponents in the non-conference schedule hurt us in both the RPI (committee's seeding) and also didn't prepare us for a team as talented as Notre Dame late in the season. It took us a full half to adjust to their speed and pressure on the ball, which we just don't see in the SEC very often. That is on Coach G. Now, the number of critical injuries this year to key players down the stretch really hurt, especially losing Pounds, and it almost derailed the season. But to their credit, the team found ways to win a lot of games late with clutch goals and got on a winning streak against good but not great teams. They won the SEC tourney and almost won the regular season title.
Some people will point to the coaching staff for an early exit in a year when preseason expectations were so high (College Cup) because of the talent and depth on the roster before the injuries piled up. I actually think Coach G had one of his better coaching jobs this season after the rough 4-2-1 start (which was unacceptable at the time based on the opponents to that point). He got a short-handed team to play together with chemistry and at times they dissected opponents through the midfield, Bates and Watt emerged as a frightening duo up top, and we had the longest winning streak in school history (it's still an unbeaten streak of 15 games now). But in the end most will remember the bitter ending, albeit to a good team in ND. This was supposed to be that special year with the great senior class leading the way to the College Cup but it just wasn't meant to be, and that's hard to accept. Despite the tough match-up tonight, you just have to find a way to advance past the 2nd round with this team, so it's also hard not to look at this season as a failure in the end. It doesn't feel quite as devastating as the '07 loss to in the 2nd round to Texas, but it's close. We won't see Harvey with all her on-ball skills, Malherbe's tenacious play, or Pounds' great runs at goal anymore. I will especially miss Pounds because she is just one of the best all-around persons you will ever meet. And it was unfortunate that a once great player in Paulson was sidelined with injury. This was one of the best senior classes in school history and it was a shame to see them go out this way.
Looking to next year, A&M really needs to rethink the 3-back set and return to 4 in the back. While Alston had a good season despite tonight's disaster, and the outside duo of Ritchie and Walton were okay, it always felt like we were living on the edge every time there was a turnover or the opponent made runs at them with numbers. I think that Karlina Sample could really provide a huge boost to the defense and help organize it when chaos rules. Kendall Bates is a terrific little player and she could contribute on defense as well early. Also, I think that Jordan Hill could return to the back line as well to improve the athleticism and strength on the ball on the outside. Also, I really would like to see Ausmus get a legitimate chance to win the GK job because she is more athletic and instinctive than Morche (who did a workmanlike job this season). In the midfield, McCain is going to be the focal point and before everyone says it's going to be impossible to replace Harvey, remember that A&M's best game in the midfield this season came at Kansas when Harvey was out on a suspension and McCain calmly distributed passes to all levels of the field with precision. Arietta will continue to develop and we may even see Jenna Byers emerge if she can put the injuries behind her. Up top obviously Watt and Bates (unless they move her back to midfield) will be arguably the most dangerous duo in the nation, but they will need to be more efficient in their final touches around the goal. I would like the coaches to really schedule some difficult games in the Spring and work on 1.5 touches method in the midfield to open up more space for the forwards to make runs at goal. And we have to stop all the silly turnovers and giveaways in the middle of the field, many of them as a result of passing backwards too much. Finally, we need to play a much tougher non-conference schedule next year to prepare us for games like tonight in the postseason.
A&M was really dominated in the 1st half by ND, especially in the midfield, and so going up 1-0 on a beautiful goal by Harvey (her last at A&M) was against the run of play. The game really turned though when Alston gave up the turnover in the box and the equalizer with 2 minutes left in the half. The crowd was deflated and didn't get fully back in the match until midway through the 2nd half when the referee was losing his mind with bad calls all over the field (the referee was truly abysmal and another embarrassment for the NCAA). But A&M did play much better in the final 30 minutes despite going down 2-1 on a PK that was definitely the right call on Alston. The final 7 minutes was complete domination by A&M with Bates scoring a great goal with 2 minutes left, and ND was hanging on for dear life to get to OT. The problem was that A&M used every bit of remaining energy in their legs to get the equalizer and had nothing left for OT. The midfield was completely gassed and could barely jog by the end of the game. Harvey, Malherbe, Arietta, and McCain left everything they had out there but it just wasn't enough to overcome the mistakes earlier in the match. Bates and Watt played well up top and just missed a few chances early in the match to really take control with shots that went straight the GK instead of low in a corner.
I'm still more upset about the NCAA committee's absolutely ridiculous seeding and draw this year that really screwed A&M about as badly as I can ever remember in any sport. A&M should have been a #1 seed, then a #2 in South Carolina's region, and then finally were given a Top 15 Notre Dame squad in the second round while #3 seed USC pulled Baylor and should have advanced easily despite falling in PKs to the Bears. Truly outrageous and unfair. Now, I know you have to beat a ND eventually, but this game should have been played in the Sweet 16 at the earliest. A&M's players didn't deserve this fate this season after winning 13 consecutive games. I really, really hate NCAA selection committees.
The crowd tonight was pretty phenomenal late the match and the tying goal by Bates produced one of the loudest moments I can ever remember in a home match. The fans didn't give up and I think helped pull the Ags across the finish line to get to OT. It's just shame we won't have a chance to beat up on the Bears at home. ND is going to crush Baylor without mercy as they completely outclass the Bears.
Looking back at this season, I really believe the lack of any elite opponents in the non-conference schedule hurt us in both the RPI (committee's seeding) and also didn't prepare us for a team as talented as Notre Dame late in the season. It took us a full half to adjust to their speed and pressure on the ball, which we just don't see in the SEC very often. That is on Coach G. Now, the number of critical injuries this year to key players down the stretch really hurt, especially losing Pounds, and it almost derailed the season. But to their credit, the team found ways to win a lot of games late with clutch goals and got on a winning streak against good but not great teams. They won the SEC tourney and almost won the regular season title.
Some people will point to the coaching staff for an early exit in a year when preseason expectations were so high (College Cup) because of the talent and depth on the roster before the injuries piled up. I actually think Coach G had one of his better coaching jobs this season after the rough 4-2-1 start (which was unacceptable at the time based on the opponents to that point). He got a short-handed team to play together with chemistry and at times they dissected opponents through the midfield, Bates and Watt emerged as a frightening duo up top, and we had the longest winning streak in school history (it's still an unbeaten streak of 15 games now). But in the end most will remember the bitter ending, albeit to a good team in ND. This was supposed to be that special year with the great senior class leading the way to the College Cup but it just wasn't meant to be, and that's hard to accept. Despite the tough match-up tonight, you just have to find a way to advance past the 2nd round with this team, so it's also hard not to look at this season as a failure in the end. It doesn't feel quite as devastating as the '07 loss to in the 2nd round to Texas, but it's close. We won't see Harvey with all her on-ball skills, Malherbe's tenacious play, or Pounds' great runs at goal anymore. I will especially miss Pounds because she is just one of the best all-around persons you will ever meet. And it was unfortunate that a once great player in Paulson was sidelined with injury. This was one of the best senior classes in school history and it was a shame to see them go out this way.
Looking to next year, A&M really needs to rethink the 3-back set and return to 4 in the back. While Alston had a good season despite tonight's disaster, and the outside duo of Ritchie and Walton were okay, it always felt like we were living on the edge every time there was a turnover or the opponent made runs at them with numbers. I think that Karlina Sample could really provide a huge boost to the defense and help organize it when chaos rules. Kendall Bates is a terrific little player and she could contribute on defense as well early. Also, I think that Jordan Hill could return to the back line as well to improve the athleticism and strength on the ball on the outside. Also, I really would like to see Ausmus get a legitimate chance to win the GK job because she is more athletic and instinctive than Morche (who did a workmanlike job this season). In the midfield, McCain is going to be the focal point and before everyone says it's going to be impossible to replace Harvey, remember that A&M's best game in the midfield this season came at Kansas when Harvey was out on a suspension and McCain calmly distributed passes to all levels of the field with precision. Arietta will continue to develop and we may even see Jenna Byers emerge if she can put the injuries behind her. Up top obviously Watt and Bates (unless they move her back to midfield) will be arguably the most dangerous duo in the nation, but they will need to be more efficient in their final touches around the goal. I would like the coaches to really schedule some difficult games in the Spring and work on 1.5 touches method in the midfield to open up more space for the forwards to make runs at goal. And we have to stop all the silly turnovers and giveaways in the middle of the field, many of them as a result of passing backwards too much. Finally, we need to play a much tougher non-conference schedule next year to prepare us for games like tonight in the postseason.
MidTnAg said:
We had a great season. But we definitely should have made it past ND into the final 16.
Sadly, Baylor and sips advanced.
Backline. Soft passes. Slow to get ball up to midfielders. Occasionally played way off opponents who pushed up from their left side.
Morche. Probably would have had more success against the PK's if she had waited until after she saw which way the ball was going before she moved to try to block them. Her efforts seemed a little laxidasical. Her stance gave the impression she was not ready for the kick to be taken.
Harvey. Played a hell of a game. Felt so sorry for her that she did not advance to the college cup in her final year at A&M.
PKs. Watts appeared to be the only one who had really practiced them. Drilled hers. Not sure why the others did not have strong, accurate shots like Watts. They have to practice these a lot. Too many games in the playoffs are determined by PK's during games as well as after the two overtimes have been completed.
Midfielders. Although they were slightly outplayed, I thought they did fairly well. Hustle was good. Passes were better and sharper the those of the back line. But not as strong as they should have been against a team of Notre Dame's caliber. Soft and poor backward passes hurt us in the Midfield.
Bates and Watts did an excellent job up front. It will be great to see them back next season.
Although they played very well against us, Notre Dame was definitely NOT a Top-15 team or even a Top-25 team. .
They were NOT ranked in the top 25 in the United Coaches' poll, in Soccer America's pole, or in Top Drawer's Pole.
They played 11 games against 10 teams that made the NCAA tournament. In those 11 games, they won ONLY ONE game against a team ranked in the top 25 in the United Coaches' poll. That was against #21 North Carolina State who turned around and beat them in the first round of the ACC Championship tournament 4-1.
The only reason they had a high NPI ranking was because they played three teams in the top five and several other highly ranked teams and won a few of those games.
Even though we did not advance to the final 16, I feel like we still had an excellent season.
We finished second in the SEC, beating a strong Florida team near the end of the season 2-1.
We won the SEC Tournament Championship. Another SEC Championship Banner. Those are definitely not easy to come by.
An excellent season: Being awarded a #2 Seed in the NCAA tournament, automatically implies we had an excellent season.
With a strong and solid roster coming back, next season could be another successful or even better season.
Thanks goes to the players. the coaches. the staff, and other affiliated personnel.
Coach Guerrieri, you have done such a fantastic job at A&M and I hope you continue to do so for many more years.
Thanks
Morche. Probably would have had more success against the PK's if she had waited until after she saw which way the ball was going before she moved to try to block them. Her efforts seemed a little laxidasical. Her stance gave the impression she was not ready for the kick to be taken.
Harvey. Played a hell of a game. Felt so sorry for her that she did not advance to the college cup in her final year at A&M.
PKs. Watts appeared to be the only one who had really practiced them. Drilled hers. Not sure why the others did not have strong, accurate shots like Watts. They have to practice these a lot. Too many games in the playoffs are determined by PK's during games as well as after the two overtimes have been completed.
Midfielders. Although they were slightly outplayed, I thought they did fairly well. Hustle was good. Passes were better and sharper the those of the back line. But not as strong as they should have been against a team of Notre Dame's caliber. Soft and poor backward passes hurt us in the Midfield.
Bates and Watts did an excellent job up front. It will be great to see them back next season.
Although they played very well against us, Notre Dame was definitely NOT a Top-15 team or even a Top-25 team. .
They were NOT ranked in the top 25 in the United Coaches' poll, in Soccer America's pole, or in Top Drawer's Pole.
They played 11 games against 10 teams that made the NCAA tournament. In those 11 games, they won ONLY ONE game against a team ranked in the top 25 in the United Coaches' poll. That was against #21 North Carolina State who turned around and beat them in the first round of the ACC Championship tournament 4-1.
The only reason they had a high NPI ranking was because they played three teams in the top five and several other highly ranked teams and won a few of those games.
Even though we did not advance to the final 16, I feel like we still had an excellent season.
We finished second in the SEC, beating a strong Florida team near the end of the season 2-1.
We won the SEC Tournament Championship. Another SEC Championship Banner. Those are definitely not easy to come by.
An excellent season: Being awarded a #2 Seed in the NCAA tournament, automatically implies we had an excellent season.
With a strong and solid roster coming back, next season could be another successful or even better season.
Thanks goes to the players. the coaches. the staff, and other affiliated personnel.
Coach Guerrieri, you have done such a fantastic job at A&M and I hope you continue to do so for many more years.
Thanks
Great season, but I hate to say it... Par for the course with Aggie athletics.
AustinAg2012 said:
Great season, but I hate to say it... Par for the course with Aggie athletics.
I wish the rest of Aggie Athletics was this good.
Great resiliency in winning 13 in a row and the SEC tourney. But it is par for the course with Coach G that we have only one Cup appearance and no national titles.
Coach G is a great coach but at some point you have to ask if he is the right guy to get us to national pre eminence. If it's fair to expect more from Billy Kennedy, Rob Childress and all of the coaches then it is appropriate to ask Guerreri what he needs to get to the next level consistently.
Coach G is a great coach but at some point you have to ask if he is the right guy to get us to national pre eminence. If it's fair to expect more from Billy Kennedy, Rob Childress and all of the coaches then it is appropriate to ask Guerreri what he needs to get to the next level consistently.
Hell Bent Canine -All or None
Playoff soccer is a massive crap shoot. Teams play for ties and PKs and the referee has a huge impact on the outcome. Witness exhibit A - Baylor just made the R8. Were they the best team in this pod? Of course not. They were the worst. But a weak team can play havok by playing physical ball and playing for PKs. It happens. Ultimately the better team will win out on talent but over the short haul, physical play and playing for ties can go a long way.
Just watched the replay. I can see the foul on Brianna that led to the PK, but at the 39:50 mark of the second half Emily was blocked from the side just outside the box, and at the 37:40 mark the Notre Dame player put her arm out to block Ally just outside the box and in both cases no foul was even called.
We sent 2 corner kicks into the net, and seeing how we almost scored later on corners those were wasted chances.
I don't think Notre Dame was ready for Baylor's physical play last night. It would have been interesting to see our crowd react to their rough play against us.
in our last 2 shootouts we have made only 4 of 8 chances, while the other team is 8 of 9.
We sent 2 corner kicks into the net, and seeing how we almost scored later on corners those were wasted chances.
I don't think Notre Dame was ready for Baylor's physical play last night. It would have been interesting to see our crowd react to their rough play against us.
in our last 2 shootouts we have made only 4 of 8 chances, while the other team is 8 of 9.
mullokag
I will say I'm concerned about our current trend line in PKs. Coach G used to be unbeatable in PK shootouts because he always had elite GKs and his players calmly finished their penalty shots. This is something we need to work on in the offseason because it's such a huge factor in tourney play now. We need to recruit much more athletic GKs if we're going to get the 1-2 stops needed to advance on PKs.
Think about last year. Had A&M won that PK shootout vs. USC there is a good chance we are in the College Cup because the Elite 8 game was against Auburn, a very winnable game. Then there would have been Georgetown in the final four, another winnable game. That could have been a magical run through to the championship game potentially after a bad regular season due to injuries. But you have to be able to win PKs consistently like we used to do.
Think about last year. Had A&M won that PK shootout vs. USC there is a good chance we are in the College Cup because the Elite 8 game was against Auburn, a very winnable game. Then there would have been Georgetown in the final four, another winnable game. That could have been a magical run through to the championship game potentially after a bad regular season due to injuries. But you have to be able to win PKs consistently like we used to do.
rca21978
ATM Softball - the lady dancing in the stands and the backstory
in Billy Liucci's TexAgs Premium
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