08-22-2021, 10:18 AM
Not a riveting game last night. Very few scoring changes for either team. No close calls experienced by either team, although Santa Clara had a shot that was headed over the goal by Keegan Hughes that would have presented a challenge if it had not been deflected.
It seems that until one team scores a goal in a soccer game, prompting the other side to take more chances and the scoring team to smell blood, it's more difficult to break down the opponent's defense. And I got the sense that Santa Clara may have overachieved relative to expectations, perhaps because they were more invested in the game, given Stanford's recent success. That's not to say that Stanford lacked its usual aggressive style, but many of the players on Stanford seemed a bit off. I observed an inordinate number of tripping over the ball, attempts to dribble through traffic, and sloppy passes. Maybe they've been training especially hard.
Hoping for better at SMU this week, although playing soccer in Texas in August does not seem conducive to quality play. Stanford's depth may turn out to be a difference maker.
It seems that until one team scores a goal in a soccer game, prompting the other side to take more chances and the scoring team to smell blood, it's more difficult to break down the opponent's defense. And I got the sense that Santa Clara may have overachieved relative to expectations, perhaps because they were more invested in the game, given Stanford's recent success. That's not to say that Stanford lacked its usual aggressive style, but many of the players on Stanford seemed a bit off. I observed an inordinate number of tripping over the ball, attempts to dribble through traffic, and sloppy passes. Maybe they've been training especially hard.
Hoping for better at SMU this week, although playing soccer in Texas in August does not seem conducive to quality play. Stanford's depth may turn out to be a difference maker.