08-26-2018, 03:20 PM
I watched the men's game. On the one hand, I find the men's team more interesting to watch because the outcome is far less certain. On the other hand, it's much less frustrating to watch the women. I don't see the women being seriously challenged more than a few times all year. It's almost an all-star team.
Re the debut of this year's men's team, they certainly did have an abundance of good scoring opportunities, especially in the first half, when they could've had 2-3 goals with a proper finish of the chance. Amir Bashti in particular was one-on-one with the goalie and hit the crossbar. Another shot (of someone else) hit the post. The SJS goalie was in a zone; probably the best game he will ever play in his life. In the second half, Andrew Apprahamian received a corner kick right in front of the goal, unmarked, but simply missed the header, which went off his face/shoulder, I believe. In OT, Charlie Wehan failed to convert an opportunity with the entire goal available and only the keeper to beat. And with seconds to go in the second OT, Wehan actually put the ball into the net, but was judged offside. Assuming it was the right call, he was BARELY offside. And SJS had no real good scoring opportunities all game. So from the chances perspective, it would appear that Stanford did well, as the final score could have been 3-0 or 4-0.
On the other hand, I did not get a good feeling about the team from this first game. (I'm pessimistic by nature, and it is, after all, just the first game, so factor that into the folllowing.) While the Stanford goal keeper inspired confidence, and the defensive four appeared stout, no one else really stood out. I especially miss the disruptive energy and determination of Forster Langsdorf at the point of attack, who in past years seemed to create goals by force of will and endless energy. By contrast, Bashti does not have the physical attributes, and is easily dispossesed of the ball. I think he's better of the bench as a very skilled player who can take advantage of a tiring defense, but he needs a lot of support around him to do the dirty work that he cannot. I didn't see anyone with the promise of the creativity of last year's Corey Baird. Like in basketball, it's really useful to have players who can beat their man one-on-one, like Sam Werner and Bryce Marion did last year, and I very much wonder who might have such abilities this year. Charlie Wehan is fast and willing to take chances, but he looked erratic/ragged to me. The player who looked the best of the 6 midfielders and forwards was Logan Panchot (who took a blow to the forehead that appeared to require sutures, taking him out of a good chunk of the 1st half), but Panchot doesn't seem like a guy who can really create chances. Kei Tomazawa, a sub, seemed to energize the offense when he was in, so maybe he'll get more minutes and have a bigger impact in future games.
The team is young and small, moving me to fear that they could be steamrolled by physical teams. They don't have a dominant force in the air, as was Tomas Hilliard-Arce last year, but Hilliard-Arce was special in that regard. Perhaps, though, with even a little bit of experience, this year's team may become at lot more poised and polished.
Jeremy Gunn made few substitutions, especially considering that it was the first regular season game. By OT, some of the Stanford players seemed to be cramping up, although as usual, they displayed amazing fitness. Seems that both to keep players fresh, and to continue to evaluate the talent he has, Gunn would have used more players. The coach of SJS was Gunn's coach when Gunn was in college, so maybe he kept his best 11 on the field because he was really motivated to win.
I'm very curious to see if Gunn makes any significant changes in the line-up for the next two games, which are at Maryland (always a strong team) and Georgetown. So good tests of the team. And if the guys make the most of their scoring chances, all my concerns may quickly evaporate.
Re the debut of this year's men's team, they certainly did have an abundance of good scoring opportunities, especially in the first half, when they could've had 2-3 goals with a proper finish of the chance. Amir Bashti in particular was one-on-one with the goalie and hit the crossbar. Another shot (of someone else) hit the post. The SJS goalie was in a zone; probably the best game he will ever play in his life. In the second half, Andrew Apprahamian received a corner kick right in front of the goal, unmarked, but simply missed the header, which went off his face/shoulder, I believe. In OT, Charlie Wehan failed to convert an opportunity with the entire goal available and only the keeper to beat. And with seconds to go in the second OT, Wehan actually put the ball into the net, but was judged offside. Assuming it was the right call, he was BARELY offside. And SJS had no real good scoring opportunities all game. So from the chances perspective, it would appear that Stanford did well, as the final score could have been 3-0 or 4-0.
On the other hand, I did not get a good feeling about the team from this first game. (I'm pessimistic by nature, and it is, after all, just the first game, so factor that into the folllowing.) While the Stanford goal keeper inspired confidence, and the defensive four appeared stout, no one else really stood out. I especially miss the disruptive energy and determination of Forster Langsdorf at the point of attack, who in past years seemed to create goals by force of will and endless energy. By contrast, Bashti does not have the physical attributes, and is easily dispossesed of the ball. I think he's better of the bench as a very skilled player who can take advantage of a tiring defense, but he needs a lot of support around him to do the dirty work that he cannot. I didn't see anyone with the promise of the creativity of last year's Corey Baird. Like in basketball, it's really useful to have players who can beat their man one-on-one, like Sam Werner and Bryce Marion did last year, and I very much wonder who might have such abilities this year. Charlie Wehan is fast and willing to take chances, but he looked erratic/ragged to me. The player who looked the best of the 6 midfielders and forwards was Logan Panchot (who took a blow to the forehead that appeared to require sutures, taking him out of a good chunk of the 1st half), but Panchot doesn't seem like a guy who can really create chances. Kei Tomazawa, a sub, seemed to energize the offense when he was in, so maybe he'll get more minutes and have a bigger impact in future games.
The team is young and small, moving me to fear that they could be steamrolled by physical teams. They don't have a dominant force in the air, as was Tomas Hilliard-Arce last year, but Hilliard-Arce was special in that regard. Perhaps, though, with even a little bit of experience, this year's team may become at lot more poised and polished.
Jeremy Gunn made few substitutions, especially considering that it was the first regular season game. By OT, some of the Stanford players seemed to be cramping up, although as usual, they displayed amazing fitness. Seems that both to keep players fresh, and to continue to evaluate the talent he has, Gunn would have used more players. The coach of SJS was Gunn's coach when Gunn was in college, so maybe he kept his best 11 on the field because he was really motivated to win.
I'm very curious to see if Gunn makes any significant changes in the line-up for the next two games, which are at Maryland (always a strong team) and Georgetown. So good tests of the team. And if the guys make the most of their scoring chances, all my concerns may quickly evaporate.