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(11/30/14 10:33pm)
With a soaking wet field and mild rain throughout the match, it was not one of those days that anyone would want to have a soccer game outside. The field was muddy, forcing players be quick on their feet and making ball play unpredictable
Field condition:
IU could not capitalize on two golden chances in the early stages of the game. After a handball from one of the Xavier players, Tanner Thompson missed a PK, and Femi missed a one-on-one chance against the Musketeers goalkeeper by placing the ball just barely wide left. It was the field conditions that played a large role in those misses, as players were still adapting early on in the game.
The first goal of the game came in right under the half-hour mark. It was a classic, straight to the point counter-attack from the Musketeers. The Hoosiers, however, found their equalizer with only five minutes after they fell behind. IU’s freshman defender Grant Lillard scored a header for the Hoosiers, ending his first season with an impressive five-goal total.
Tanner Thompson shows great potential:
Tanner Thompson was a difference-maker throughout the first half. He showed great on-field awareness, demonstrated when he took a lofted pass from left hand side of Xavier’s 18 yard box, switched to the right and found his teammate, senior Jamie Vollmer. Even though the touch was slightly too heavy and the ball rolled off the field, Thompson was able to read the play in a matter of seconds. His skills added versatility to the Hoosier offense throughout the game.
The Twist:
The turning point of the game would come on a diving tackle by Webb that resulted in a PK.
Lillard was trying to clear the ball away for the Hoosiers, but accidentally hit one of his teammates, causing the ball to change direction. Xavier’s forward made a run and created a one-on-one against goalkeeper Colin Webb. Webb decided to make the save, but brought down Xavier’s attacker simultaneously.
The yellow card went to Webb, setting up the ball 12 yards out from the net The kick was good, leaving IU 12 minutes to try and tie the game.
As I was watching the yellow card tackle play out from the press box, Xavier’s forward was at least 3 yards behind the ball. It was going to be incredibly hard for him to pull off a clean shot under the soaking wet field with enough velocity. Webb made a call to try and take the ball, but the ball was traveling faster than he predicted. The yellow card was justifiable for two reasons:
1. Webb brought down a player from the other team who arguably had a chance to score a goal.
2. Webb’s save was reckless and unnecessary, which means he likely intended to go for more than the ball
In short, Webb was lucky he didn’t get a red card, as one of those offenses would be enough to receive a yellow, let alone two. Although many fans may have been displeased with the call, in the end it was the right one. The Hoosiers were bounced from the first round of the NCAA tournament, leaving a lingering feeling of unrealized potential.
“Why can’t referees review calls in soccer?”
I spent some time on this topic during my Sunday night show with @TylerDarwick. Albeit the right call against Xavier, IU was also jipped during the Big Ten final vs Maryland. In stands to reason that referees should be able to review plays in soccer, just like they do in football, basketball and heck, even baseball now.
My take on this is like asking, ”should Twitter take away the word limit?” Sure, the word count does get in my way every once a while, but Twitter would simply not be Twitter anymore if you cancel the word limit. It just doesn’t seem...right. People then adopt little “idiosyncrasies” and create a style of writing just for tweets: such as hashtags, shorten links, etc. Soccer also developed some “tactics” for taking advantage of plain human site: such as diving, pulling the jersey to slow down a player, etc. The soccer might have to go through some fundamental changes, but the game will be better for it.
IU ends the season with a 12-5-5 record, marking the end of five seniors’ college careers. I am here with WIUX wishing you all a bright future. Thank you for a great season.
Follow Raymond on Twitter @RaymondWato and listen to him on B-side Sundays from 8-9 pm
(10/24/14 1:52am)
From the get go, it seemed as though IU Head Coach Todd Yeagley had it all figured out. The young Hoosiers came out a completely different team than the one that played against Maryland on Sunday.
The first 10 minutes of the game were all about IU. The Hoosiers, led by the dominant performance by sophomore Tanner Thompson, created chance after chance, making the No.1 team in the nation Notre Dame look far lesser. The goal of the contest—scored by IU senior Patrick Doody—would come in jaw-dropping fashion. Much like a self-guided missile, the corner kick drew a perfect curve through air and the ball hit the target in the bottom left corner of Notre Dame’s goal. It will be a contender for one of the top goals in the NCAA this season. The Hoosiers continued to push until the end of the half, while Notre Dame was in desperate need of recovery after the stunning score.
But, true to their name, the Fighting Irish did fight in the second half. Even though the score did not change through the last 45 minutes, it was one of the best soccer matches I have seen in my life. The Hoosiers didn’t park the bus on their half of the field, but instead kept pushing offensively as both teams exchanged quality counterattacks. The second half kept spectators at Bill Armstrong Stadium on the edge of their seats, from kickoff to the last wave of attack by the Fighting Irish.
Despite Thompson’s fancy FIFA-quality footwork throughout, it was Dylan Lax of IU that gave out one of the best performances of the game and of his career as the midfield destroyer for the Hoosiers. As for Doody, he will most likely remember that transcendent goal of his for the rest of his life.
For non-Hoosier fans, the most obvious question following this contest is what happened to Notre Dame? There must be a reason why the coaches voted the Fighting Irish as the best team in the nation.
This is exactly why I think the game’s MVP award should go under Coach Yeagley and his staff. Notre Dame lined up a 4-4-2 formation, which has four midfielders.
On the other hand, IU went with the 4-5-1 formation, which uses one centerfielder, one defensive midfielder, two wings and only one sticker.
With this match-up, IU has a much more condensed midfield, especially considering two of Notre Dame’s midfielders tend to swing wide on both sides, so that most of the time, there are only two Irish players in the midfield at a time.
IU’s lone striker Andrew Oliver acts as a decoy. His mission was to grab the defensive line’s attention and create space for his teammates to score.
The win was the result of hours of preparation, watching tape and coming up with a plan for the players to execute.
There are many things a player has to be willing to do, and the most important is to sacrifice his pride, become part of the team and fight until the end.
By all means, Notre Dame is a great team. But it was IU who played better as a cohesive until, and it was the Hoosiers who picked up a win after 90 minutes.
Follow Raymond on Twitter @RaymondWato and listen to him on WIUX B-Side Sundays 8-9pm
(10/22/14 10:27pm)
On October 13, IU Men’s Soccer hit No.1 in the RPI and No. 5 in the weekly AP Coach’s Poll, setting up an exciting match-up with Maryland on Sunday. On paper, this game seemed to be Indiana’s opportunity for celebration after IU football’s abysmal loss to Michigan State on Saturday. But fans failed to realize that this Maryland team, unranked, is much like one of those alligators that you see on Discovery Channel: hiding in the water, waiting for a strike.
Maryland was considered as one of the best teams in the Big Ten conference preseason rankings. The Terrapins marched into Jerry Yeagley Field on a three-game win streak, including an impressive 4-0 win against B1G conference leader Penn State.
The first goal came at the 20 minute mark. Maryland’s senior forward-Alex Shinsky made a push deep into the right-hand side of Hoosier territory when IU senior Kerel Bradford chose not to chase him down. Instead, Bradford dropped into the top of the IU 18-yard box to cover for junior center back Derek Creviston, giving Shinsky time to pull off a beautiful shot towards the far side of the goal. A shot like that takes skill, demonstrating Shinsky’s ability to handle better than most strikers, who tend to pick the near pole for more power and accuracy. Here’s a picture I drew that displays the the angle (and coverage) on Shinky’s shot:
Maryland’s second goal was a header from their 6’5” defender-Alex Crognale to put the score at 2-0. But the Hoosiers would not be defeated so easily. IU responded with a header from junior Femi Hollinger-Janzen. The Hoosiers controlled the last 15 minutes of the game, but could not find the equalizer to bring the game to overtime.
Maryland came prepared and executed its strategy perfectly, which is why the Terrapins pulled off a win at Bill Armstrong Stadium. This game highlighted a weakness on this young IU team, which is the Hoosiers’ inability to handle high balls. Maryland created five corner kicks in the first half of the game, throwing everyone onto IU’s territory except the goalkeeper. Coach Yeagley answered this by keeping Hoosiers on the defensive, which means there were almost 20 players packed in Indiana’s 18-yard box. IU goalkeeper Colin Webb typically tries to come out and catch the ball as part of his defensive mechanism against corner kicks. But against the Terrapins, Webb would not be able to make a clean catch, having to punch the ball away to keep it out of the goal. All Maryland had to do was to wait for its chance when Webb lost his positioning, and score a goal amidst the chaos. This risky style of play is not something that you will see at the international level, but with the high pressure stakes and physical style of play, the Terrapins showed they were desperate for a win.
Tonight the Hoosiers will take on Notre Dame. The Fightin’ Irish were No. 1 in the NCAA preseason rankings and will be tough competition against which the Hoosiers must attempt to secure a rebound win. The young team will be challenged to respond after its loss to Maryland, and it will be interesting to see if they are up to task come 7 at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The only way to shake off a tough loss is to get out their and win with authority.
Follow Raymond on Twitter @RaymondWato and listen to him on WIUX B-Side Sundays from 8-9 pm
(10/01/14 11:00pm)
The Hoosiers dominated the first 45 minutes of play against Northwestern. And it wasn’t just on paper— you could sense it in the air Sunday afternoon at Jerry Yeagley Field. IU edged out the Wildcats three goal attempts to none within first five minutes of the game. The Hoosiers pushed into the Wildcats’ territory with strength and purpose. IU controlled the possession, and the Wildcats’ counter attack was easily beaten out by IU’s flat-four defensive line, led by freshman Grant Lillard. The young Hoosiers created chances, and really, the only thing that was lacking was a goal.
The halftime talk worked for the Wildcats. Whatever Coach Tim Lenahan told his boys during that 20 minute break made a significant difference for his team. Northwestern started to push into IU territory and try to get the control by spreading out the field. The Wildcats were significantly more aggressive after switching from zone defense to one-on-one. This move successfully interrupted IU’s momentum, and cost the Hoosiers a lot of stamina in the process.
IU broke the deadlock on a penalty kick by the sophomore midfielder Tanner Thompson at the 72 minute mark. For the last 10 minutes, the Hoosiers squeezed back the formation to the defensive side of the field to protect their 1-0 lead. Nonetheless, Northwestern tied the game by keeping five players in Indiana’s end—combined with just a bit of luck. The Wildcats’ goal came at the 88 minute mark. IU’s penalty box was packed with players from both sides, and amidst the chaos, Northwestern snuck the ball into IU’s net. The score stayed knotted after two 10-minute overtimes, and the game ended in a draw.
Heading into this match-up with Northwestern, IU was fresh off a 4-2 victory against UCF. It gave the Hoosiers confidence, and they came out with strong determination. On both sides of the field, the Hoosiers showed a marked improvement on their One-Two-One-Two quick passing. It shows that the team chemistry is building up as the time goes by, in addition to the players’ confidence. Earning only one point in a game they clearly should have won, I think most of the spectators would agree that IU should have come away with three points and the victory against the Wildcats. Thus, it was two points lost for the Hoosiers.
The fact is, IU’s late penalty changed the game’s balance, and Northwestern decided to take a risk by playing up the field and go for the tie. Some people may question the Hoosier’s focus, or argue that Coach Yeagley should have strategized to keep the ball as far from 18 yard box as possible. For any soccer coach, the field is like a gigantic chess board, but there are a lot of uncertainties on both sides. I agree with Coach Todd Yeagley’s strategy to keep his players on the defensive end during the last 10 minutes of the game. On the other hand, Northwestern deserves credit for not giving up at the end of the game. The Wildcats pushed hard, and in earned their share of the tie. With a little bit of luck, they managed to come away with a point from a very tough game.
The Hoosiers will play tonight against Saint Louis at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The game is going to kick off at 7:30pm. Students would have free admission, so remember to bring your student id card when you head off for the game.
Follow Raymond on Twitter @RaymondWato and listen to him on B-Side Sundays from 9-10 pm