Jump to content

SLU Women's Soccer Thread

SLUBillikens.com
 Share

Recommended Posts

Lord Elrond Listener of the Streets

Lord Elrond

Posted
Posted

I’ll take 2-0 at half, Indiana has had trouble generating offense against the Billiken defense. Clean game all around. Indiana looked like they were trying different things to get moving. Billiken offense has been putting the ball on goal, IU limiting chances, but Billikens ahead. Keep up the defense. Wow is this place crowded, also glad I layered up. Thankfully breeze died after sunset, barely any wind now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 2k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Pistol I have reached billiken_roy levels of posting

Pistol

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, Lord Elrond said:

I’ll take 2-0 at half, Indiana has had trouble generating offense against the Billiken defense. Clean game all around. Indiana looked like they were trying different things to get moving. Billiken offense has been putting the ball on goal, IU limiting chances, but Billikens ahead. Keep up the defense. Wow is this place crowded, also glad I layered up. Thankfully breeze died after sunset, barely any wind now.

The back line has been very solid so far. Keep it up, indeed.

Great header from Lawler on that second goal. Larson absolutely earned the PK, too, and Miller placed the shot perfectly.

Sharp stuff up front when it mattered. Just need to hang on for 45 more minutes...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Pistol I have reached billiken_roy levels of posting

Pistol

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, Lord Elrond said:

Ok, so the NCAA can’t post any stats during the game besides the score? Heck, every school in the A19 manages that. Oh well 

You can get the basic stats here but the format sucks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
courtside Listener of the Streets

courtside

Posted
Posted
On 11/7/2023 at 7:27 PM, courtside said:

 

Scouting Indiana. 

 
Indiana is a good, solid team. 5th in the big 10 this season. But SLU is a better team with better players. SLU already has a road win against the Big 10 co-champs.
 
Let’s take a look at all things Indiana.
 
The Hoosiers like to play a familiar 4-2-3-1 formation, which is the same SLU preferred formation. 
 
Before year 5 of Erwin Van Bennekom, (and Tim) the pressure was ramping up to turn a corner. (The previous coaching change was after 6 seasons.) Last year’s IU team defensively had 7 shutouts in their first 7 games. The problem was they couldn’t score. They struggled to score so much that they only scored a goal in 3 games all season. 
 
So IU made a point of emphasis to focus on a new press with its front 4 to force turnovers, transition, as a way to increase goal output. And it has had some success this season. They still however pack tight their back 6. So the big space is in the middle of the field in between.
 
All of this starts and stops with Paige Webber. She is their best player, she plays up top alone at forward. She has 12 goals which happen in a variety of ways. Some are quick transition from forcing turnovers. Midfielders in the middle of the field, force turnovers and feed Webber in space. Some are as a target. Some in space. Some off of set pieces. Some over the top. She has a tireless motor, good pace, not a lot of size. She can finish. This is the player to deny and slow down and make other players beat you. 
 
Webber was a Michigan State transfer who went from starting every game on a struggling team, to a reserve role in part because she needed to improve her defense and positioning. Now she is a polished veteran player who is by far IU’s best player. Cannot let her get in behind the defense with through balls or long balls. Have to deny target passes, and mark tight near the 18. If she’s in transition, make her give it up. She likes to use the middle lf the field. Pushing her wide is also am effective option.
 
Anna Bennett works well with Weber in combo play from the wing. Heavy shot from distance. Good size. Not a pace player. It’s effective to limit her involvement in the first 30-40 minutes of games as that is when she is often more dangerous. Need to force her wide and make her run the flank, not diagonally inside.
 
Natasha Kim is more of a pace and pressing player on the other wing. They will switch sides during games.
 
Much of their offense comes through the middle of the field and they rotate in multiple central attacking players. 
 
With the way IU likes to play the space is often stretches of the middle of the field, as well as corners. The idea for SLU is to beat the pressure up the middle, then get wide and stretch the length of the field for inside the 18 service. It’s also to put heavy pressure on IU’s back line when defending.
 
It’s important for SLU to be a little bit more efficient in the attacking third, as well as to be mistake free with the back 4/6.  No handballs or clumsy fouls inside the 18. Need a clean game there. If SLU can do that, the game can very much be a multi goal win game for SLU. 
 
Lauren Costello is unique in that she is a 5’10 outside back who plays either side. Several teams have success approaching the opposite side. None of IU’s outside backs get forward as much as what SLU would see or do. Costello is the closest to it.
 
Gerstenberg is an experienced good, solid, keeper. But she can give up a soft goal once in a while. 
 
Paredes is a depth player in the central attacking midfield that has connected with Webber before. Coffield is a true Freshman center back. Masur is one of the 4 defenders that will be 90 minute players out of 6. Solid. 
 
IU won’t have the overall size and athleticism as Georgetown or Penn State. But they are good at staying in many games. Scoring first, scoring early, getting IU to play a wide open game, moving their back 6 around, front back/side to side, will be priorities for SLU. IU can be a team that can be lured into an end to end game. Back distribution winning 50/50 midfield balls wide to wings, diagonal and corner runs. Indiana isn’t elite set piece team offensively or defensively. Not bad. But not elite.
 
Every step in the process this season is new for Indiana. Scoring more this season, not a lot, but improvement, making the Big 10 Tourney, making the NCAA Tourney, etc… IU definitely played differently from my observations, home v road. Two direct teams in similar formations and roughly similar styles with some differences too. SLU has more fire power and more depth. And if SLU plays one of its better games, they will be successful. IU is good enough if they don’t.
 
Local connections to IU. Recent Lou Fusz Soccer Girls Director Wendy Dillinger was an All Region player there in the mid 1990’s. Her son Braydon is a SLU Men’s Soccer commit. Back up Freshman keeper Parker Scheele played club soccer with Gary, Jackson, Schwartz, Bockius, Indiana is typical of some of the Power 5 schools that SLU recruits against often. SLU wins most of those recruiting battles annually. IU will add 2 more 2024 players from Springfield, IL and St. Louis. Several SLU recent SLU commits were recruited by IU. 
 
Fun opportunity for SLU.
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

SLU 2 Indiana 0 

Fast start, and a comfortable win for SLU. 
…………….
4-2-3-1 for both teams with expected lineups. 
……………..
 
Talked about the need for having a fast start. SLU came in averaging their first goal at 12 minutes since tweaking their lineup 10 games ago. They only needed 11 v Indiana. 
 
………………
 
SLU had a very strong first 20 minutes of each half, applying heavy pressure and SLU had several strong scoring chances. Larson and Gaebe and Groark forced turnovers, combination play, in space. Gaebe just missed over the bar, and she had 2 other dangerous chances along the end line and across the middle of the 18. 
…………….
 
11th minute Miller wins a ball at midfield up to Larson who takes on Coffield and turns her inside out for the easy PK call. Miller with a solid low left post finish. 1-0.
 
…………….. 
 
Larson and Groark forced turnovers back to Larson and Gaebe along the edge of the box several times. SLU’s pressure up front and in the middle of the field bothered Indiana a lot. 
……………..
30th minute, a great sideline technical play from Larson who made another diagonal run, and she played it out wide to Gaebe, edge of the box. And Gaebe does what she does there. She wins endless amounts of corners. Larson corner to Lawler far post 2-0
……………….
 
Earning set pieces, and converting them are one of several different ways that SLU scores goals. Indiana zoned their set piece defense which wasn’t effective. On that particular corner set, Stram and Heckel (both targets) stay at the 6. Two forwards (Sawyer and Gaebe) make a run past them for the goal line. And, the delayed runners/targets, are the 2 holding midfielders. (Lawler and Bockius). 
…………..
 
SLU then subbed out 5 of its most effective offensive players for the remaining 15-16 minutes of the half with a comfortable 2-0 lead. A few times Simon found Sawyer in space 1v1 with Zoe Tiger who did well to hold off Sawyer and prevent a 3-0’lead for SLU.  Tiger held off SLU forwards several times in both halves to prevent 3-0 or 4-0. 
………..
 
Lawler won one of many 50/50 balls flicked on to Sawyer who flicked it on to Simon who made a run and she had a near post left footed shot saved. 
……………
 
There were a few moments in the middle of the half of SLU not being sharp enough, not keeping it simple, a few too many back passes and middle field turnovers. 
……………
 
The adjustment Indiana made was subbing in Paredes a central attacking player, but playing her as one of the 2 holding mids with Masur. They then pushed up higher. This was to try to generate more offense. Indiana had zero dangerous chances in the first half except a corner. This was an effective improvement for them. 
……………
 
SLU moved Sawyer up top and Gary to wing. (De Luca has been unavailable for many games with injury)
…………….
 
Houck had a strong half as did the back 4. Most plays for Indiana were kept 25-30 yards out from goal. And in both halves they had sequences where their shot was blocked several times in a row which also definitely skewed their shot stats. 
 
……………..
 
SLU was happy to rest many players the extra time with a 2-0 lead.
………………
2nd half
……………
Starters back in and SLU opened with a lot of early pressure again. Larson won a free kick and Gaebe put one about a foot wide working down the opposite side all in the opening minutes.
…………….
51st minute into the 2nd half, Houck to Gaebe up the line and she wins another corner. Luebbert’s service was to Heckel who headed it to Lawler wide open back post finish and she somehow put it just wide. This was the same set as before. It already worked once so they tried it again and they came super close to another goal. 
……………
 
Indiana had a few 25 yard shots about 15 yards wide. And they also had some shots blocked from that distance too. These were little more than shot stat stuffers. 
 
……………..
 
64th minute Luebbert sent Sawyer in space down the right side 1v1 with Tiger again. This time she cuts inside the box and creates separation. She’d like her shot back which was too much down the middle. Still 2-0.
………………
SLU tried to get Larson and Gaebe in space a few more times but distribution wasn’t sharp. SLU did have a free kick and Houck played Larson in the corner 1v1. She walked around Hamm and centered across the 6 deflected off of Tiger and almost in for a goal. Nice save by Gerstenberg. 
 
…………….
 
Miller wins 50/50 header to Sawyer up the line, centered for Gaebe, but Tiger cleared it just before the finish froma few yards out. Strong game from Tiger. She really helped keep the differential from getting out of hand. 
……………..
 
Paige Webber finally had a shot, (she had 2 in the game) and, it was of course, blocked. Britt was credited with 7 shots. These were from great distance, low percentage, and often blocked. Akeel for example, along with Paredes were two of Indiana’s more effective players in the middle of the field, and neither had a shot. 
…………….
Gaebe and SLU spent much of the final 10-15 minutes killing clock. It’s not exciting but it’s an effective part of the game. And in one example, Emily turned, and she got around Hamm, rifled a left footed shot upper near corner, and a great save by Gerstenberg, to tip it for a corner. 
……………..
 
Strong team defending and positioning for SLU, team defense, allowing very few chances for Indiana, and for keeping Webber very much in check the entire game. Moved up a little bit higher, kept a strong shape, front back, gave very little space.
…………….
 
Larson again, was a most effective two way player. Groark and Gaebe had strong moments. Lawler and Miller won the majority of midfield battles. Back 4 very solid. 2 clumsy fouls, 1 in each half but that was it. 
…………..
Strong effort against a good team. Indiana is organized and well coached. And they were going to play a hard 90 regardless of score. 
………..:.
Only one other team all season defeated Indiana by more than one goal, and, that was Penn State. That includes a lot of pretty good teams in and out of league for them. 
……………
Lots of good from the game, along with a few things for SLU to tweak a little bit, in order to elevate for the next one.
………..,…
 
Celebrate success. 
……………….
 
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lord Elrond Listener of the Streets

Lord Elrond

Posted
Posted

If you want an example of how not being able to finish can kill you despite an advantage in shots and corner kicks, check out UC Irvine’s (RPI 151) takedown of #1 seed UCLA (RPI 3). UCLA generated offense all game but couldn’t find net. Corner kicks were 9-1 in favor of UCLA, UCLA got 10 shots in the 1st, 12 in the second, UC Irvine only got 1 shot on goal each period. However, only 5 of the UCLA shots were on goal, and the UC Irvine keeper made 5 saves.  Both UC Irvine shots were on goal, and the winner came in the 86th minute, AFTER UC Irvine went down a player in the 74th minute due to 2 yellow cards = 1 red (note, they were the only 2 yellow cards UC Irvine got all game, and only got 10 fouls all night so they weren’t playing very dirty in the ref’s opinion). So there you have it, finish your shots or you risk one mistake which can lead to a loss, but even if  you didn’t make that one mistake there’s ultimately PK’s, which are a risky thing always.

 

PS - forgot to add it’s not like UCLA lacked playoff experience, they were the reigning champs, they won the College Cup last year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Taj79 I have reached billiken_roy levels of posting

Taj79

Posted
Posted

So it doesn't matter who wins today between ODU and Georgetown as the ESPN site says that the four winners (including SLu and Penn State) will all gather "in a pod" to play the next round at State College, PA.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lord Elrond Listener of the Streets

Lord Elrond

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, Taj79 said:

So it doesn't matter who wins today between ODU and Georgetown as the ESPN site says that the four winners (including SLu and Penn State) will all gather "in a pod" to play the next round at State College, PA.  

We play the winner of Georgetown-ODU, but that game will be at Penn State. No neutral sites in women’s soccer, each of the 8 highest seeded winners in round 1 host both round 2 and round 3 at their site, games would be on a Thursday-Sunday type format, so short rest for the 2 winners of the first games. Get through that and there are only 8 teams who play at the highest seed’s home field. Only the final 4 go to a neutral site for the College Cup (although since it’s usually in Cary, NC, not very neutral if UNC makes it, but there you are).

Link to comment
Share on other sites
courtside Listener of the Streets

courtside

Posted
Posted
16 minutes ago, Lord Elrond said:

If you want an example of how not being able to finish can kill you despite an advantage in shots and corner kicks, check out UC Irvine’s (RPI 151) takedown of #1 seed UCLA (RPI 3). UCLA generated offense all game but couldn’t find net. Corner kicks were 9-1 in favor of UCLA, UCLA got 10 shots in the 1st, 12 in the second, UC Irvine only got 1 shot on goal each period. However, only 5 of the UCLA shots were on goal, and the UC Irvine keeper made 5 saves.  Both UC Irvine shots were on goal, and the winner came in the 86th minute, AFTER UC Irvine went down a player in the 74th minute due to 2 yellow cards = 1 red (note, they were the only 2 yellow cards UC Irvine got all game, and only got 10 fouls all night so they weren’t playing very dirty in the ref’s opinion). So there you have it, finish your shots or you risk one mistake which can lead to a loss, but even if  you didn’t make that one mistake there’s ultimately PK’s, which are a risky thing always.

 

PS - forgot to add it’s not like UCLA lacked playoff experience, they were the reigning champs, they won the College Cup last year.

Did you attend/watch the UC Irvine vs UCLA game? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...