[Viking_Guy]

Really, do look for a highlight of the Morris gamewinner.  I'll post it here when I see it, but it was truly a special finish off a great feed from Bashti.

Speaking of Amir:  he's a great player, truly gifted on the ball, and technical in a way that is rare in college soccer.

But he's gotta stop the diving/embellishment.  He drew a yellow tonight for an obvious dive midway through the second half.  He's so small and slight of build that it doesn't take a lot of contact to knock him down, but strong breezes seem to put him on the ground at points.

I know this, because I watch my similarly undersized nephew hit the ground a lot for his team.  And then smile when he draws a foul.

So, Stanford to take on top-ranked Wake Forest on the road in the Elite Eight next Friday or Saturday in Winston-Salem.  The Deacons beat perennial power Indiana 1-0 earlier today on an 88th minute shot.  Interestingly, the goal was assisted by Wake Forest's Ian Harkes, son of John Harkes of the USMNT, born in England while the elder Harkes played in the EPL.

The Deacons have lost 2 home games this season, so it's doable.  And the way Stanford is playing right now, they're dangerous to anyone.

Gameball should go to Morris, for both goals, but especially the ridiculous second.  But I'd like to give a strong nod in the direction of Ty Thompson, the tireless workhorse of a holding midfielder (read: destroyer) playing in front of the Cardinal backline.  It's difficult to keep track of the number of times Thompson cuts off the pass, cuts in front of a player who takes too long of a dribble, and utterly disrupts the ability of teams to transition from the midfield into the offensive third.  Tonight, a good Ohio State team only really continually threatened for two periods - the last 10 minutes of the first half and the middle 20 of the second (from the go-ahead goal to Morris' second).  Other than that, it was mostly dump and chase, or try to hit a long ball over the top to their lone forward, which admittedly worked once.  But a lot of the time, it was Thompson cutting the ball out at midfield and putting the Cardinal right back into the offensive flow.

Other than the women's soccer match, not a bad weekend for the Cardinal sports fan!

VG

[Viking_Guy]

Really, do look for a highlight of the Morris gamewinner.  I'll post it here when I see it, but it was truly a special finish off a great feed from Bashti.

Speaking of Amir:  he's a great player, truly gifted on the ball, and technical in a way that is rare in college soccer.

But he's gotta stop the diving/embellishment.  He drew a yellow tonight for an obvious dive midway through the second half.  He's so small and slight of build that it doesn't take a lot of contact to knock him down, but strong breezes seem to put him on the ground at points.

I know this, because I watch my similarly undersized nephew hit the ground a lot for his team.  And then smile when he draws a foul.

So, Stanford to take on top-ranked Wake Forest on the road in the Elite Eight next Friday or Saturday in Winston-Salem.  The Deacons beat perennial power Indiana 1-0 earlier today on an 88th minute shot.  Interestingly, the goal was assisted by Wake Forest's Ian Harkes, son of John Harkes of the USMNT, born in England while the elder Harkes played in the EPL.

The Deacons have lost 2 home games this season, so it's doable.  And the way Stanford is playing right now, they're dangerous to anyone.

Gameball should go to Morris, for both goals, but especially the ridiculous second.  But I'd like to give a strong nod in the direction of Ty Thompson, the tireless workhorse of a holding midfielder (read: destroyer) playing in front of the Cardinal backline.  It's difficult to keep track of the number of times Thompson cuts off the pass, cuts in front of a player who takes too long of a dribble, and utterly disrupts the ability of teams to transition from the midfield into the offensive third.  Tonight, a good Ohio State team only really continually threatened for two periods - the last 10 minutes of the first half and the middle 20 of the second (from the go-ahead goal to Morris' second).  Other than that, it was mostly dump and chase, or try to hit a long ball over the top to their lone forward, which admittedly worked once.  But a lot of the time, it was Thompson cutting the ball out at midfield and putting the Cardinal right back into the offensive flow.

Other than the women's soccer match, not a bad weekend for the Cardinal sports fan!

VG