10-27-2025, 06:06 PM
I experienced the game against SMU just as you described, Hieronymous. I thought the quality of the soccer was much better than the USF roller derby of long boots/series of pinball-like headers/numerous violent tackles/set piece (throw-in) mania.
I wonder if anyone else has the sense that early in games, Stanford plays the long ball a lot so as to condition the opposition to expect that. Then as the opponent falls back, they try to build more from the back.
As in years past, Stanford struggles to master good defenses. It seems to me that they prefer to try to score with cross, and I often wish they would try to more directly attack from the middle via an individual taking on his defender, intricate passes, or blasts from distance, which could result in rebounds. With that said, I acknowledge that if a team is content to sit back and hope for a counter, as did SMU, it's tough to score. Even when a team loses a player to a red card, it can be tough to get good scoring chances 11 v. 10 if a team is hunkered down.
Per my perspective, SMU and Oregon State have been the best teams that Stanford has faced all year. SMU is next at home against 2nd place Virginia. I believe an SMU win or tie would allow Stanford to win the ACC if they tie Cal. Virginia is a point behind Stanford in the standings. NC State, which could finish tied with Stanford if NC State wins their last game and Stanford ties, has played almost completely different ACC opponents than Stanford this year, as I think the only common opponents will have been Pitt and Syracuse. Stanford is 2-0 versus those teams, whereas NC State tied Pitt (and plays Syracuse on Friday), which I believes gives Stanford the tie-breaker with NC State.
Re the accumulated yellow cards, a player is suspended for the next game if he gets 5 in the regular season. Once the postseason begins, which I believe includes conference tournaments, a player is not suspended until his eighth yellow card. (Which could involve a second suspension in the case of Jack Pymm.) Given that Dylan Groeneveld and Tomo Allen have four yellow cards each, per last night's broadcast, they have to be especially careful to avoid #5 against Cal. (And how did Tomo Allen rack up so many in the relatively limited time that he has played?) Groeneveld can have a short fuse, so at the first sign of his getting revved up, I'd sub him out.
I wonder if anyone else has the sense that early in games, Stanford plays the long ball a lot so as to condition the opposition to expect that. Then as the opponent falls back, they try to build more from the back.
As in years past, Stanford struggles to master good defenses. It seems to me that they prefer to try to score with cross, and I often wish they would try to more directly attack from the middle via an individual taking on his defender, intricate passes, or blasts from distance, which could result in rebounds. With that said, I acknowledge that if a team is content to sit back and hope for a counter, as did SMU, it's tough to score. Even when a team loses a player to a red card, it can be tough to get good scoring chances 11 v. 10 if a team is hunkered down.
Per my perspective, SMU and Oregon State have been the best teams that Stanford has faced all year. SMU is next at home against 2nd place Virginia. I believe an SMU win or tie would allow Stanford to win the ACC if they tie Cal. Virginia is a point behind Stanford in the standings. NC State, which could finish tied with Stanford if NC State wins their last game and Stanford ties, has played almost completely different ACC opponents than Stanford this year, as I think the only common opponents will have been Pitt and Syracuse. Stanford is 2-0 versus those teams, whereas NC State tied Pitt (and plays Syracuse on Friday), which I believes gives Stanford the tie-breaker with NC State.
Re the accumulated yellow cards, a player is suspended for the next game if he gets 5 in the regular season. Once the postseason begins, which I believe includes conference tournaments, a player is not suspended until his eighth yellow card. (Which could involve a second suspension in the case of Jack Pymm.) Given that Dylan Groeneveld and Tomo Allen have four yellow cards each, per last night's broadcast, they have to be especially careful to avoid #5 against Cal. (And how did Tomo Allen rack up so many in the relatively limited time that he has played?) Groeneveld can have a short fuse, so at the first sign of his getting revved up, I'd sub him out.