Without Tierna this season, I like having Hiatt as holding mid and Boissiere as center mid. Boissiere is much more offensive minded and can advance the ball into the attacking third and distribute or even penetrate and shoot, she is just really dangerous up there, while Hiatt is most effective at defense.
The USC game made clear a possible depth vulnerability: we don't have a good outside back substitute, do we? Did JoJo replace Kiki for the few minutes?
I agree AJ's distribution was cringe-producing this game. I don't understand why, when she is not pressured, she doesn't take a touch and then kick the ball rather than one-time it which is what usually leads to the errant passes.
I reviewed on video UCLA's penalty kick goal against us, because the real problem was not Haley's handball (which she couldn't help) but that a UCLA attacker got the ball on a corner kick directly on her feet a few feet in front of the penalty spot with time to unload a rocket shot on-frame. It was actually Alana's mark, but it wasn't really Alana's fault: she moved away from her mark to head the ball away, and put herself in the perfect position to do so, but Tegan jumped up and just grazed the ball which lifted it over Alana's head and right to the UCLA player. Just bad luck. Ironically, if Haley had been standing 6 inches to her right, AJ would have blocked that shot because it was not well aimed and she had seen and reacted quickly to it.
The USC game made clear a possible depth vulnerability: we don't have a good outside back substitute, do we? Did JoJo replace Kiki for the few minutes?
I agree AJ's distribution was cringe-producing this game. I don't understand why, when she is not pressured, she doesn't take a touch and then kick the ball rather than one-time it which is what usually leads to the errant passes.
I reviewed on video UCLA's penalty kick goal against us, because the real problem was not Haley's handball (which she couldn't help) but that a UCLA attacker got the ball on a corner kick directly on her feet a few feet in front of the penalty spot with time to unload a rocket shot on-frame. It was actually Alana's mark, but it wasn't really Alana's fault: she moved away from her mark to head the ball away, and put herself in the perfect position to do so, but Tegan jumped up and just grazed the ball which lifted it over Alana's head and right to the UCLA player. Just bad luck. Ironically, if Haley had been standing 6 inches to her right, AJ would have blocked that shot because it was not well aimed and she had seen and reacted quickly to it.