SLU Men's Soccer Thread

[Lord Elrond]

Poor decision by Abonnell to come off his line and challenge. 1-0 UMass

[Lord Elrond]

1-1, Mass Sistrep Peterson gets the equalizer

[Slu let the dogs out?]

Watching on ESPN+ now. Had to crank the volume to 78 just to hear the announcers. 

[Lord Elrond]

2-1 Billikens! Brace for Mads!

 

[Slu let the dogs out?]

1 minute ago, Lord Elrond said:

2-1 Billikens! Brace for Mads!

 

Helluva run and pass to set up that goal.
 

How was that header past the goalie not a PK?? The goalie clotheslined him. 

[Lord Elrond]

2-2, UMass gets a goal

[Lord Elrond]

11 minutes ago, Slu let the dogs out? said:

Helluva run and pass to set up that goal.
 

How was that header past the goalie not a PK?? The goalie clotheslined him. 

If you figure it out, let me know.

My theory is the ref left his cards in the locker room

[Lord Elrond]

To OT we go,2-2. Billikens have 10 CK’s to 0 for UMass. Kalish needs to give Chris Allen some 6 packs to get him to draw up some set pieces.

[Lord Elrond]

1st OT done, 2-2. Billikens up to 13 CK’s to 0 for UMass, really need to capitalize on those 

[Lord Elrond]

Ref finally remembered where he put his yellow card

[Lord Elrond]

On to PK’s, tied 2-2

[Lord Elrond]

14-6 in shots, 13-0 in CKs, and we are down to a coin flip for a result basically got to find a way to put it in the net when you have that many more chances

[Lord Elrond]

UMass wins, 4-3 in PKs

[aj_arete]

1 hour ago, Lord Elrond said:

UMass wins, 4-3 in PKs

So what’s your take on the season? I know the team is young. While a disappointing end, should we be excited about the future?

[Lord Elrond]

1 hour ago, aj_arete said:

So what’s your take on the season? I know the team is young. While a disappointing end, should we be excited about the future?

Season’s not over, their ranking is still high enough to get an NCAA bid (hopefully). No reason not to expect better in the future, just need to finish better and get the ball in the net. 

[Taj79]

I find it kind of difficult for an 8-4-5 team eliminated in its (bad) league quarterfinals as worthy of an at-large bid.  But that's my take.  I'd be just as nervous for the ladies should they get upset by La Salle tomorrow.  Just win, baby.

[cheeseman]

6 minutes ago, Taj79 said:

I find it kind of difficult for an 8-4-5 team eliminated in its (bad) league quarterfinals as worthy of an at-large bid.  But that's my take.  I'd be just as nervous for the ladies should they get upset by La Salle tomorrow.  Just win, baby.

I think the ladies will be fine if they lose what with their overall ranking.  I agree with you about the men's team.

[Lord Elrond]

It’s a 48 team tournament, there are only 211 men’s teams in D1, there are fewer conferences since many (SEC, Big12) do not sponsor men’s soccer tournaments, so add it all up and upper 30’s in RPI means you are on the bubble, roughly. Closer to the edge than I would like, but final rankings mean they are probably in, but tune into the selection show for the final word.

[courtside]

23 hours ago, courtside said:

Scouting UMass. 

UMass likes to play a 4-2-3-1. I expect SLU to play a traditional 4-4-2 that they began the season with and have gone back to the past few games. For a long stretch of the season, SLU played a 4-3-2-1.

Alec Hughes is one of the best scorers in the country and he plays up top. 

At times UMass will concede possession, allow opponents to knock it around East West and play for counters and transition. And this can look like a 4-5-1 where they collapse the middle in the final half or third. The approach is to get the game to open up where 50/50 balls are turned into transition. And eventually this will likely happen, as their other approach is to pressure high in the final third.  Neither team is a build from the back methodical possession team.

Until that happens, use the width of the field out of the back to the wings on the sideline for target through balls to forwards and combination play in the corners. Moving the defense East/West with long diagonal balls can also be effective. 

Keep the ball away from Hughes as much as possible. The ball finds him inside the 18. Keep him isolated. He’ll at times be supported by Zielonka and Rojas with combination play in the middle. 

Good set piece game opportunity for SLU. Max near post combos to the back post. de pa Croix-Vaubois is their left back and long throw in player for flick ons in the final third. 

 

 

 

Another game that went according to the pregame scout. 

 

4-4-2 traditional for SLU and 4-3-2-1 for UMass. 

 

One thing SLU likes to do is reward players who play well by giving them more opportunity the next game. They like to play the hot hand. Mads for example had a strong game in Philly, so he received the start on the wing. And immediately as discussed in scout, SLU went long diagonal balls to him on the left wing over the top. 

 

Talked pregame that SLU cannot lose sight of Hughes. Set piece chance for SLU, Flynn throw in and Hughes himself not only heads it out of the 18, but he then runs by everyone and he receives a breakaway pass in alone, and he almost had one. 8th minute.

 

The diagonal balls helped open up UMass who again as mentioned are often content to concede possession and play for counters. Midfield combination play, overlapping runs down the right side etc…were all there for SLU.

 

Then UMass went into their 4-5-1 version and sat many behind the ball to frustrate SLU until the switch it back up to a more aggressive pressing 4-2-3-1 again. This was the middle of the first half clogging the middle of the field.

 

SLU changed to Flynn for right sided corners vs the Redmon end swingers and it was less effective. SLU chose to keep Redmon back for Hughes. Talked pregame about the set piece and corner opportunities for SLU in the game. This was especially effective in the 2nd half as SLU earned 13 corners and several other final third set piece opportunities.

 

2nd half:

 

Early UMass goal. 50/50 ball midfield, Velez sends Hughes in space on a long ball. Flynn and Redmon were caught up on the wings. Max went to cover the goal as Abonnel came out to cut the angle. Instead of stopping half way and making himself bigger, and allowing Max time to cover the middle,  Jeremi took a risk to make the tackle himself at 20 yards. He was just a step slow as was Diego, and Max still almost got there to head it out but it was just beyond him. It’s a game of inches and split second decisions at times.

 

UMass also tried to flash some 4-4-2 in the 2nd 

 

52nd minute, Flynn goes out with a quad injury not to return, and Carlos gets to play his natural right back position and he was very good. Early in the year, Carlos played 3 different positions. But he’s mostly played wing. Carlos is a defender first who wins balls in the middle in likes to step up into the play and get forward. 

 

2 minutes later, Carlos wins the goal kick at midfield, gets wide, great pass to Seth in space wide right. And he becomes the trailer running past 2 defenders receiving the give and go from Seth, centers perfectly for Mads coming from the left wing. 1-1.

 

A few minutes later SLU does the exact same thing, Carlos wins and plays a combo with Seth, who plays it to his brother to Wrobel to Mads who put it just off of the post. 

 

Johnson forces the turnover to Buendia, diagonal ball to Seth who chests it and has his shot blocked. 

 

Talked about the long throw in threat for UMass with their outside back de la Croix-Vaublos. SLU won both of those and the 2nd one had Buendia send the long ball up the right wing to Seth who runs on to it and back heels it to himself and crosses for Mads to run on to it for the back post finish. 2-1.

 

SLU then wins another ball at midfield, Johnson to Mads on the sideline, diagonal aerial ball to Wrobel who runs on to it and heads it as the UMass keeper tried to punch it out at the same time and instead punched Wrobel in the face. A PK call there makes it 3-1 and changes the game. Wrobel doesn’t return and CJ didn’t either.

 

SLU continued to win corners and pepper for chances. Set piece corner play for Max for a doubleheader misses Max and Tanner heads it off of the post. 13 corners for SLU.

 

UMass goal against the run of play, 76th minute. Ortiz wins a ball at midfield, spins around Johnson and he’s fouled by Tanner back defending. Zielonka free kick cleared out but not entirely. SLU had about 5 players near the ball after Max headed it out. Seemed like an easy clear for a 3 on 1 the other way. Everyone thought Johnson would get to it but Zielonka gets to it and flicks it on, double SLU header but not out. Caranzaro lays it off to Zielonka in space. And even though SLU had several defenders, Tanner couldn’t clear, and Zielonka’s shot went under the leg of a sliding Floriani. 2-2. No one went with Zielonka after his pass. 2-2 

 

Nice combination play Max ro Mads to Komodi to Wrobel in alone but Wrobel was just offsides as he was in a similar chance earlier.

 

Carlos up the right side beats 3 defenders and draws a foul from 20 yards. Komodi free kick deflected off of the wall and Zambetti makes one handed full extension save to bang it off of the post. 

 

Carlos again working with Seth on the right flank creating more chances late. Mads receiving and playing diagonal balls. 

 

Another Mads corner cleared to Townsend top of the box low shot defelcts off of 2 defenders and the keeper on the goal line in the air, before half volley cleared away.

 

OT

 

Seth and Carlos again combination play deep on the right side, they hold for Mads’ diagonal run off of the ball and Mads rips it near post off of the cross bar. 

 

PK’s

Abonnel made 2 nice saves which is all you can ask for. He actually could have has the first one too. 

 

The game went as expected and as SLU would have liked. 2 mistakes defensively and UMass was efficient with its few chances. SLU had lots of chances to tack on for a cushion, or to win it. It’s a combination of both things. 

 

RPI of 37 as other games continue through this weekend and next week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[courtside]

15 hours ago, Lord Elrond said:

UMass wins, 4-3 in PKs

Let’s post in game posts in a separate thread. I created additional threads for the SLU Women’s game tomorrow and for the A10 Men’s tourney for this purpose. I don’t post during games because I am usually at the games. But those threads are there for you and anyone else. Enjoy.

[Lord Elrond]

I was going to do that, but couldn’t find the GDT in the few minutes I had before the game, I was at the women’s Basketball meet and greet right before this, just made it in time for kickoff

[courtside]

7 minutes ago, Lord Elrond said:

I was going to do that, but couldn’t find the GDT in the few minutes I had before the game, I was at the women’s Basketball meet and greet right before this, just made it in time for kickoff

Yep. Interest will only increase from people as we reach postseason. There’s enough stuff going on to separate the two threads and it’s easy for people to find the game or for some who enjoy it, to feel more comfortable posting during in game threads. Thanks. 

[Lord Elrond]

Men are on the bubble mathematically.  211 teams play for 48 spots in the tournament. 23 conferences with automatic bids. Of those, there are 9 conferences with automatic bids that right now don’t have a single team ranked in the top 48, 48-9 equals 39 slots in play for the remaining 14 conferences leaving 25 at large teams. SLU now ranks 35th in RPI as of 2 minutes ago when I checked, they are ranked high enough that they are among the top 25 at-large teams, but close to the lower end of that, so they are in the bubble range. Their RPI will bounce up and down depending on how other teams play. Still don’t know which conferences will have upset winners since the games are still being played, but every one that has a team that isn’t close to contention that upsets in their conference tournament takes away an at large bid. The selection committee has the final say, just like in men’s BB, so if you follow that you obviously know all the things a selection committee looks at in determining at-large bids, it’s just the numbers that have changed due to the few number of tournament slots and fewer number of conferences that play men’s soccer. A ranking of 35 puts SLU on the bubble mathematically, all they can do is wait and hope their final number is high enough and that the selection committee likes all the other stuff besides RPI over the other at large teams to put them in.  While men’s Basketball uses NET and not RPI, and the sports are different, the process the selection committee uses is similar, and based upon where they are ranked you can tell where the bubble is for teams in each sport based upon how many at large bids are in play that year.

[brianstl]

1 hour ago, Lord Elrond said:

Men are on the bubble mathematically.  211 teams play for 48 spots in the tournament. 23 conferences with automatic bids. Of those, there are 9 conferences with automatic bids that right now don’t have a single team ranked in the top 48, 48-9 equals 39 slots in play for the remaining 14 conferences leaving 25 at large teams. SLU now ranks 35th in RPI as of 2 minutes ago when I checked, they are ranked high enough that they are among the top 25 at-large teams, but close to the lower end of that, so they are in the bubble range. Their RPI will bounce up and down depending on how other teams play. Still don’t know which conferences will have upset winners since the games are still being played, but every one that has a team that isn’t close to contention that upsets in their conference tournament takes away an at large bid. The selection committee has the final say, just like in men’s BB, so if you follow that you obviously know all the things a selection committee looks at in determining at-large bids, it’s just the numbers that have changed due to the few number of tournament slots and fewer number of conferences that play men’s soccer. A ranking of 35 puts SLU on the bubble mathematically, all they can do is wait and hope their final number is high enough and that the selection committee likes all the other stuff besides RPI over the other at large teams to put them in.  While men’s Basketball uses NET and not RPI, and the sports are different, the process the selection committee uses is similar, and based upon where they are ranked you can tell where the bubble is for teams in each sport based upon how many at large bids are in play that year.

The fact they are winless in their last four games against D1 opponents isn't going to help them.  I really  thought this team would close out the season strong, but the exact opposite happened.  A disappointing season for sure.  Hopefully they can sneak into the tournament, make some noise and change that.

[ArmySportsDoc]

Selection show is airing at 1 EST on NCAA.com. Any idea how the collective conference championship results impacted SLUs chances for an at large bid? Seems fairly bleak, but still holding out a tiny bit of hope.