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Okay, it took a while. The second half of that men's basketball game was the most disheartening Stanford sporting experience I've had in a while.
Coastal Carolina - big, strong, and international - 13 of 30 on their roster, and the bulk of their starters. Their starting lineup: Abu Dhabi; France; Costa Rica; Spain; Germany; Panama; and then a scattering from the U.S. Big, as 6'4", 6'4", 6'2", 6'5", one of them a Hermann trophy semifinalist up front in their forward Pierrot. I was very concerned on set pieces and corners. Strong - and playing very physically.
Top that off with a referee who seemed determined not to give a yellow card, and the game got pretty chippy. There were some fouls that practically demanded a yellow (jersey tugs by defenders against attackers who got around them or past them), and he refused. And the Chanticleers were giving him some major... well, let's call it dissent.
The first half, as I said, definitely tilted the Coastal way. After the first ten minutes or so, Stanford was definitely on the back foot for the majority of the time. Not a lot of connection through midfield, a lot of Route One over the top to Langsdorf trying to play knock down (albeit fairly successfully, but with only Baird as a quick outlet and not much width). Gunn's men were definitely keeping their defensive shape, and Coastal was able to possess and knock balls forward, but couldn't penetrate too deeply with regularity, outshooting the Cardinal 8-5 but only putting one on frame, albeit forcing a strong save from Corti.
The second half, Stanford's doggedness began to pay off - they began to win more than their share of 50-50 balls, and fatigue appeared to take some of the sting out of the Chanticleers' attack.
The pivotal run by Bryce Marion encapsulated that changeover. For the entire first half, Marion had been trying to beat his defender to the outside with a cutback, and was fairly easily contained, often ending up dribbling straight into a double-team when he tried to cut back and being dispossessed. After the half, he put a nice move on the same defender before a double could arrive, and was brought down inside the box. No replay, so I couldn't judge how soft the foul was, but it did appear like he took a hit. Beeson buried the PK with confidence to the left side netting.
Interesting, from there, the game was a lot more even - Coastal had to push forward a bit, which played into Stanford's counter-attacking strategy. They also got more and more chippy, and every foul, every yelling at the officials, took time off the clock. And Stanford began to generate more chances as the Chanticleers got out of shape and more tired trying to chase a goal.
The most dangerous balls, given the size differential, were corners and other set pieces. Three times, Coastal players got good looks from inside 10 yards on headers, the most dangerous being in the 64th minute when their gargantuan 6'5" German central defender Mueller got a clear look from about 7 yards, but nodded the corner just outside the left post.
But Stanford got its own share of changes, often through Sam Werner out left, who drew fouls, corners, and other chances while tormenting his defender all night. He made a beautiful run and cross that led to a Langsdorf shot hammering the far post from about 8 yards in the 75th minute.
And Coastal kept getting more desperate. Their last few chances often ended in either hopeful balls flighted into the box and drifting over the goal or fouling defenders that were holding their position well on set pieces.
When Foster broke through in the 89th minute and finished his breakaway, it was an appropriate end to his tenure at Cagan Stadium.
But I'd give the gameball to another senior - Drew Skundrich. He's the rock at defensive midfield, carries the ball forward fairly well, and gets to where he needs to be as the designated "man to take away the middle" in Stanford's defense. Might not be the prettiest doing it, but his work rate is second to none.
And I think that's what differentiates Stanford in the tournament from other teams - they may not be as talented, but they refuse to be outworked. I have a feeling that's why some players see less of the field now than they have in the past - Gunn doesn't trust their two-way effort. I know as a keeper, I could forgive an awful lot of errors due to lack of skill, bad luck, or being matched against a faster or superior player. The one thing I could never take was watching midfielders and forwards turn the ball over, and then start walking back down the field, while the player who dispossessed them is streaming forward in an odd-man break. Yes, I am thinking of Jozy Altidore in Trinidad and Tobago.
In any case, the Deacons next. A classically talented possession team, who absolutely HATE playing against a team that presses forward. You could think of them as the Stanford women of the men's side :). They've got a lot of great players - Bakero from Spain and Twumasi from Ghana, their two up front; Argudo, Fernandez, Echevarria, and Hermann semifinalist Dunwell in the midfield; solid defense and keeping, having only conceded 11 goals while scoring 58. They have depth, having had 15 different goal scorers.
But they also lost to Georgia State. They tied a so-so Syracuse team. Of course, they also beat #4, 5, 6, 8, 12, 17 and 19 :). But they can be beaten. And I wonder, if Stanford can keep them off the board for a while, if the ghosts of the last two years might start to prey on a possession team's psyche.
Having confidence in Gunn to push the right buttons. They'll give it a heck of an effort, no matter what.
VG
