10-09-2016, 08:54 AM
Thanks for the insightful analysis. You are right that we have not really been a #1 team which is why I think a loss is not a terrible thing, gets us off that perch. We have a big weakness at right back on defense; it may not always have been true, but I think currently we are converting forwards (e.g., Gee) to outside backs out of necessity. We have no other players listed as defenders on our roster except for frosh Logan Karam. We just have to hope that they will learn through the season as film review reveals mistakes (over-watching the ball instead of watching both the ball and your mark seems like a correctible tendency) and that we have some good defenders coming in next year (also need to replace Maddie). Not having Amack has been a big loss this season.
Several players (e.g., Dibiasi, Davidson) are capable of delivering good strikes from distance, but so far they require an open shot to do this; only Sullivan can consistently create her own shot off the dribble (Xiao and McGrady have shown at times they can do this). So we are not scoring much against good defenses that can take away our end-line/crossing game.
I agree that today's game will be instructive, especially with UCLA's speed and ball control.
Several players (e.g., Dibiasi, Davidson) are capable of delivering good strikes from distance, but so far they require an open shot to do this; only Sullivan can consistently create her own shot off the dribble (Xiao and McGrady have shown at times they can do this). So we are not scoring much against good defenses that can take away our end-line/crossing game.
I agree that today's game will be instructive, especially with UCLA's speed and ball control.