11-27-2015, 11:02 PM
What a thud of an ending to the season.
The stream was better, if still jumpy; I missed the Duke goal while it was updating in the first half. Audio and commentary were there.Â
In any case, it was the same story with Stanford - lots of middling chances, not very many hard runs into the box, content to launch long shots when clear rather than dribble into the area.
Duke's goal was supposedly a long through ball that got onto Campbell, who gave up a rebound for a tap-in by a blazing fast Duke player.
Stanford's equalizer, late in the first half, was Michelle Xiao beating her player on the right side of the box and beating the keeper near post with a left-footed rifle.
But not a whole lot of amazing chances either way.
However, both teams may have had a legitimate case for "winning." With about 5 minutes left, Andi Sullivan sent in a corner kick from the left side, and a Stanford head got on the end of it. To me, on a jumpy stream, it looked like the ball hit the top netting behind the crossbar and then was pulled out by the Duke defense. One weakness of college officiating is the reluctance of referees to get behind the goal to check on situations like that, and the lead official didn't even check with her assistant on the side. In this age, when often 7-8 players are in the crease on a corner kick, you can't be standing at the top of the box and expect to be able to see much of the goal line.
Of course, Stanford then immediately got caught while protesting, as a Duke clearance up the right side was turned into a hospital ball by Alana Cook, as she back-passed to Campbell and hit the ball way too softly. Campbell was caught out of net, the Duke player beat her endline and cut it to the top of the box, and luckily Maddie Bauer cut in just as the Blue Devil was lining up the shot on an open net and cleared it away.
Duke also had a ball cleared off the line that could have crossed it in the overtime, a long shot that hit the crossbar and came down in a scramble of ball and Jane Campbell's body. It was difficult to tell if it ever crossed the line, but at least the lines of sight were a lot clearer than a crowded box on a corner.
PKs were awful. Sullivan hit a weak PK in an easily saveable spot - about 2 yards inside the left post and knee high, right where a keeper's hands will be if she dives right. Carusa, hitting second, shanked the ball completely, not even forcing a save by missing 3-4 feet outside the left post. Meanwhile, Campbell had been beaten by two good shots, one misdirection where she guessed wrong, and another where she guessed correctly but the ball was just above her reach.
Michelle Xiao buried one inside the right post, having frozen the Duke keeper, then Campbell guessed correctly and saved a ball to her right. Rosen hammered a ball home and then got a yellow card for yapping at the keeper, which was really a silly thing to do - your team is behind. Campbell couldn't save the next, and then stepped up to hit the 5th to keep the Cardinal alive, only to send it skittering on the ground directly to the Duke keeper, who again chose correctly for her dive. Game and season over.
All in all, a game like the season - no real dominant scorer, and no "take over the game" offensive talent. Sullivan is an amazing holding center midfielder, but either by role, talent or inclination rarely goes "box to box" and drives into an opponent's area - she's one of the primary players who will launch a shot from 30 yards if she's clear rather than try to work into a closer but more contested attempt.
My take? Lots of young talent, especially freshmen and sophomores. Not nearly enough speed or size in the midfield - again, could be both talent and tactics. What speed we have has significant limitations - Mariah Lee pretty much only has a right foot, Tegan McGrady (who would've been a major help at left fullback) is injured, and Xiao has pretty ball skills but a surprisingly loose touch at points. Rosen has a lethal foot, but her injuries really robbed her of speed at midfield. Stephanie Amack was back today, but had little impact.
All in all, as I said, a good core moving forward. But a real downer of an end to the season. OTOH, Duke will have to play Florida State, who looks like an international u-23 all-star team, and walloped Texas A+M 5-0 in their quarterfinal today.
Sigh.
VG
The stream was better, if still jumpy; I missed the Duke goal while it was updating in the first half. Audio and commentary were there.Â
In any case, it was the same story with Stanford - lots of middling chances, not very many hard runs into the box, content to launch long shots when clear rather than dribble into the area.
Duke's goal was supposedly a long through ball that got onto Campbell, who gave up a rebound for a tap-in by a blazing fast Duke player.
Stanford's equalizer, late in the first half, was Michelle Xiao beating her player on the right side of the box and beating the keeper near post with a left-footed rifle.
But not a whole lot of amazing chances either way.
However, both teams may have had a legitimate case for "winning." With about 5 minutes left, Andi Sullivan sent in a corner kick from the left side, and a Stanford head got on the end of it. To me, on a jumpy stream, it looked like the ball hit the top netting behind the crossbar and then was pulled out by the Duke defense. One weakness of college officiating is the reluctance of referees to get behind the goal to check on situations like that, and the lead official didn't even check with her assistant on the side. In this age, when often 7-8 players are in the crease on a corner kick, you can't be standing at the top of the box and expect to be able to see much of the goal line.
Of course, Stanford then immediately got caught while protesting, as a Duke clearance up the right side was turned into a hospital ball by Alana Cook, as she back-passed to Campbell and hit the ball way too softly. Campbell was caught out of net, the Duke player beat her endline and cut it to the top of the box, and luckily Maddie Bauer cut in just as the Blue Devil was lining up the shot on an open net and cleared it away.
Duke also had a ball cleared off the line that could have crossed it in the overtime, a long shot that hit the crossbar and came down in a scramble of ball and Jane Campbell's body. It was difficult to tell if it ever crossed the line, but at least the lines of sight were a lot clearer than a crowded box on a corner.
PKs were awful. Sullivan hit a weak PK in an easily saveable spot - about 2 yards inside the left post and knee high, right where a keeper's hands will be if she dives right. Carusa, hitting second, shanked the ball completely, not even forcing a save by missing 3-4 feet outside the left post. Meanwhile, Campbell had been beaten by two good shots, one misdirection where she guessed wrong, and another where she guessed correctly but the ball was just above her reach.
Michelle Xiao buried one inside the right post, having frozen the Duke keeper, then Campbell guessed correctly and saved a ball to her right. Rosen hammered a ball home and then got a yellow card for yapping at the keeper, which was really a silly thing to do - your team is behind. Campbell couldn't save the next, and then stepped up to hit the 5th to keep the Cardinal alive, only to send it skittering on the ground directly to the Duke keeper, who again chose correctly for her dive. Game and season over.
All in all, a game like the season - no real dominant scorer, and no "take over the game" offensive talent. Sullivan is an amazing holding center midfielder, but either by role, talent or inclination rarely goes "box to box" and drives into an opponent's area - she's one of the primary players who will launch a shot from 30 yards if she's clear rather than try to work into a closer but more contested attempt.
My take? Lots of young talent, especially freshmen and sophomores. Not nearly enough speed or size in the midfield - again, could be both talent and tactics. What speed we have has significant limitations - Mariah Lee pretty much only has a right foot, Tegan McGrady (who would've been a major help at left fullback) is injured, and Xiao has pretty ball skills but a surprisingly loose touch at points. Rosen has a lethal foot, but her injuries really robbed her of speed at midfield. Stephanie Amack was back today, but had little impact.
All in all, as I said, a good core moving forward. But a real downer of an end to the season. OTOH, Duke will have to play Florida State, who looks like an international u-23 all-star team, and walloped Texas A+M 5-0 in their quarterfinal today.
Sigh.
VG
