SLUBALLS Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 The game was entertaining last night for a crowd of about 1500 braving the first chills of the fall. SLU came out immediately and nearly scored in the opening minute with some nice one touch combination play. I thought after the first five minutes that it was going to be a different game for SLU. Starters were: Hutton, Gannon, Pusateri, Benne, Guffey, Peplinski, Grazier, DiRaimando, Spiess, John, and Vedad. 8 Freshmen. Marquette played the long ball a lot and never really tried to build an attack. They would just loft it and chase. The SLU backs were getting there money's worth though on the attacks and did a great job. Gannon was used a lot by the backs to slow the game down and work the ball to the other side. I really like Gannon's defensive play. He barks orders out there and gets things organized. However one thing I will say is that the defense is giving up way too many corner kicks. I thought for sure that Marquette was going to score with that forward who was about 6'5''. I thought Pusateri looked much better as a wingback and Benne did a great job getting physical with the forwards. Speaking of Benne, he put up some great long crosses in the second half. Guffey also impressed me with his ability to win headers. He really punishes the ball with his head. Near the end of the first half, Donigan pulled out Peplinski, Vedad, and Will and put in Hopson, Wileman, and ?. The three that came out didn't come back until near the end of teh second half. I'm not sure if the reasoning was as punishment for not scoring or what, but some kids did get some significant playing time. I think that will bode well for the future. SLU played much more of the SLU ball I like to see where they work it through the back, swing it to the weak side and attack. Slu did get caught up in Marqutte's game of dump and chase but the etail end of the second half and the OT's had SLU playing their style. Good game even though our home stand puts us at 6-1-2. Vedad: Dribbled way too much. Everyone in the crowd was bitching about him not shooting. I'm pretty sure Donigan yanked him because of his selfish play. John: Won't shoot. Played soft again. Guffey: Played his best game by far. Again he won so many head balls and would have won more if the forward he marked wasn't four inches taller. John D: Is it me or does it seem that 75% of the ball is played on the opposite side of the field from him? His free kicks are awesome. Guffey should have had a header in the second half but simply miss hit it. Still John D creates things. I would like to see what he could do in the middle. Gannon: Played as solid as you would expect. Good to see him out there. Pusateri: He did much better on the flank. Shut down their forwards and hussled the entire game. Grazier: Extremely composed on the ball. I really like his style. Plays great defense. Peplinski: First game back since his concussion symptoms. He looked a little off but not by much. Gritty player. Benne: I really think he played well last night at back. He's tough, big, and served a surprisingly accurate ball a couple times One note: wickart didn't play at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 What a great score to illustrate the folly of soccer. If I had to endure freezing temps for a freaking tie I'd demand a refund of my ticket prices. I know football is in the same boat but even there I'd be in favor of a play till you win rule. Thank God for basketball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gister Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Thanks for he report. I had to listen to the end of the game on radio. Donnigan sounded pretty upbeat about how the team is improving. He said it is frustrating when you face a team like Marquette that was simply willing to stay back and work for the tie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 i'm with you rich. makes me happy to say "i missed it". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLUBALLS Posted October 2, 2003 Author Share Posted October 2, 2003 The thing that has always riled me up about people who don't like soccer is that they seem to think they have to voice that opinion anytime there is a discussion of soccer Who cares? If you don't like it, don't watch, don't listen, don't opine. Soccer fans don't go around thumping their chests about soccer or telling everyone how they hate this sport or that sport or how it is such a misery to behold. We like soccer, through rain and snow, day and night, tv or live, 1 fan or thousands, 5 goals or no goals. I guarantee you there is website out there for you and your bretheren to ***** about soccer. Otherwise, its getting old hearing the same old cr@p. Pick on a sport that really doesn't make sense.......like men's ice skating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobo Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 From our record it looks like we played better in the beginning of the season against ranked opponents and on the road. Hopefully, the team can pull it together and gets some wins in conference play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 I'm out of town so I cou;dn't see the game ...thanks for the report. I'm glad to see Gannon back. Wickert was holing the back of his thigh frequently during the last 2 games. Probably a Hammy problem. If not Coach D may be happier with the play of the freshmen. If that is the case I like the fact that he doesn't stick too long with vets who aren't performing up to par. I have thought he same thing about John D. ... though I don't think he distrubutes as well from play as he does from set pieces. The guy I really like is Brian G. he is stronger on the ball than John D. and plays a little more under control ... he seems to see the field better and distribute well. I'm sure as we play more games it will become clear. Makes for a tough game when an opponent just wants to sit back and play for a tie.... but the Billikens really need to finish better. The perils of starting 8 freshmen !!! I'm sure Will and Vedad will improve ... but until they do we will see some low scoring games.... It would not take a lot of film to put together a game plan at this point in their careers to shut them down. Crowd Will and get overly physical with Vedad even at the risk of a yellow card. We are seeing the growing pains we all really expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 is men's ice skating a sport? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Lobo ... I don't know if we neccessarily played better. The loss of Nick was huge ... Teams didn't have much idea about Will and Vedad ... a few games though and coaches put to gether a plan to stop them. They are both very talented ..but freshmen with holes in their games. I look for them to improve ..but I'm not so sure how quickly. Coach D said at the beginning of the year defense would be our strength .. goals might be a little harder to come by. As teams see us more it will become even more important that we finish our opportunities better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLUBALLS Posted October 2, 2003 Author Share Posted October 2, 2003 lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billiken_roy Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 btw, sluballs, i typically do stay out of the soccer strings. i apologize for my input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 BillikensSoccer.com or some such nonsense. Then you wouldn't have to deal with it at all. Kidding aside, the primary bent of this board has always been basketball. You may have to put up with some static if you want to talk soccer. Personally I hate soccer threads as much as you hate hearing what goofy sport you've mistakenly fallen in love with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Rich .... obviously. The question is why we would have to put up with some static ... Why would we have to start a new board ... We are all aware of your hate for soccer .... just don't read the threads on soccer. It is really very simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobo Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Thanks for your reply and information. I like soccer but am just beginning to learn the basics of the game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoSlu Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 I saw the Louisville game and the Marquette game and agree with much of what has been discussed here. The struggles a young team go through are finally appearing. I was surprised by their strong start but this bunch was on the road with really no pressure expectations. They will come together though and be a force for the next years to come. Some random thoughts: Will John:Obviously his small size and great speed dictate a certain type of game but he has to challenge some 50/50 balls and play harder. The competition is much tougher now and he needs to grow some thicker skin and get his nose dirty. Vedad:Disappointed. He has tremendous talent but he is a lazy player that is constantly running away from the ball(typical Euro player) and he takes on too many players. He must play harder and more as a team player. I have faith Donigan will mold him into a great player as long as Vedad has the desire but he has a long way to go. He also needs to control that temper, which he did against Marquette although he was benched for half the game. Pusateri:Nails on the back flank. Gannon:Absolutely solid in the backfield, SLU really missed him against Louisville and that also forced Pusateri to play sweeper which he cannot do as effectively as Gannon. Wickert:He didn't play well against Louisville but I didn't think he should have been benched against Marquette although that's based on one game. He was solid last year but must have regressed this year. Hope he gets a chance at least to redeem himself. I've also heard rumors some of the guys don't like him. Hutton: Outside of the weak second goal against Lousiville he is a guy you can ride in tough times. John D.: Needs to play midfield. He doesn't distribute well on the flanks except for dead ball serves which he is deadly on. Against Marquette the subs played hard but our team speed dropped dramatically. Overall SLU has to stop trying to make the perfect pass and make the game simple again especially with so many frosh starting. But I am really excited about this group and it will be a joy to watch them mature. By the way I was on the end by the handball and the reason the ref let it go was because it was totally inadverant. There needs to be intent and there was none. Also refs and linesman were horrible in both games...but what's new! Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetorch Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 This is billikens.com not basketballbillikens.com All SLU sports can be covered. Keep the soccer posts coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjray Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 >This is billikens.com not basketballbillikens.com > >All SLU sports can be covered. > >Keep the soccer posts coming. I'm with torch, this is billikens.com. All things billiken are fair game and I for one am interested in our soccer team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schasz Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 I agree 100% on keeping up the wonderful soccer posts. I used to attend the games when I went to SLU and even after I graduated. It looks like we have some talented kids and I enjoy reading how they are doing in their games. There are a number of us who can't make the games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SluSignGuy Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 I am not a soccer fan, but I still skim the posts. They are a okay by me. It is kind of nice to have a little break in the basketball talk. And while Billikens.com is designed to be a Basketball oriented site, I won't object to the discussion of any other SLU sports. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
courtside Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 Frustrating but better. Can't afford too many more conference slip-ups...and they will have to win some tough road conference games. This was not one of Marquette's stronger teams in recent memory...so a home tie isn't good. Need to get more from John d, agreed here. Need someone to create a little more in center-mid. The team's success has depended on Vedad and John's production or lack of it at other times. Not enough finishers. Like I said before, another year of experience for this group combined with another couple of studs and they will do very well/ I don't care how good you are, a Frosh is still a frosh at times. Good to see Peplinski back as well. I know Wick has had a couple of tough games, but personally I have seen enough of him for years now, and he will be fine. ...fyi, I will be in Chicago on business for the DePaul mid-week afternoon game, and have worked it into my schedule to attend the game, and can file a report for all afterwards. DePaul, is not strong, even compared to a Marquette for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slufanskip Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 Regarding the handball .... Inadvertant is a ball played into your hands from an opposing player ... not a ball you are trying to control but accidently misplay and it comes up and hits your hand. I'm assuming that is how the ref classified it in his mind as inadvertant ... or he missed it ... which that game wouldn't surprise me. .... but inadvertant was wrong. ... The one outside the box on the right ... there was no way for the ref to see ... but it was 10 feet directly in front of the linesman ... if he was blind ... he still could have seen it. It was the same ... the player was tring to gain control of the ball and it bounced up and hit his hand which in turn settled the ball instead of it bouncing further away. Either way it is over now ... and like any sport things don't always come through as you would like... if the Bills would have finished some excellent opportunities ... it wouldn't have made a difference. Looking forward to a good report from the DePaul game courtside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjray Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 >I am not a soccer fan, but I still skim the posts. They are >a okay by me. It is kind of nice to have a little break in >the basketball talk. And while Billikens.com is designed to >be a Basketball oriented site, I won't object to the >discussion of any other SLU sports. > >Steve There is the definitive answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billiken Rich Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 don't expect to post about a glorious 0-0 tie and not expect some good natured ribbing. Soccer is a bad joke, foisted upon us by old europe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobo Posted October 3, 2003 Share Posted October 3, 2003 Ditto! And as the # of posters grow there will be an increase in topics and areas of interests. We are seeing this board develop and mature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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