Jumpin' the Pughs and Dancin' in the Aisles; Bucs Rattle Off Three Straight (+ Bluenanza)

Colin Pugh has a tattoo on his right arm of Japanese origins, meant to contrast light and darkness, which could also aptly describe this weekend and last for Bucs FC.

After two rugby-style contests against Jacksonville and UNF which saw players bloodied, beaten, and bruised (to say nothing of the playing surface), the lads came away with a relatively clean (28 combined fouls plus a pair of Belmont bookings) victory against Belmont tonight, by the same score as the last two games (1-0 to the good). It would also be fitting, then, that Pugh won the Bucs two of their last three games.

The Dubliner pulled out his second goal in as many games when he buried a goal on the back post after a great, incisive run from Woodruff. Ronnie "Hoo-rah!" Hreha stoned Brandon Tarr on a penalty just past the hour mark (which is incredibly difficult: Tarr is one of the best pure scorers in the A-Sun) which proved to be the biggest challenge of the goal on the night for the Bruins.

There is a great deal of significance in this win, not just because it puts the Bucs in a position to clinch a playoff spot on Sunday, but also because it puts them in second place in the conference standings (don't ask me why they're ahead of Stetson, but they are). Astute readers will remember that Florida Gulf Coast is in first, and that the Eagles are ineligible for the conference tournament. What does this mean? It means ETSU is the top seed, which means they host the conference tournament, which means more work for old Maynard G. Krebs here. It could also be a logistical nightmare, since basketball season starts right in the middle of the tournament. That is, of course, assuming the standings hold.

Speak of the devil, basketball season is upon us! Bluenanza was held on Thursday. To be honest, there wasn't much energy in the building with only about 1500 spectators on hand, but a few players stood out to me:

Ashley Benedict: The sophomore center played the position extremely well and did exactly what she needed to do: shut down Latisha Belcher. She played with a lot of hustle and was right on top of every rebound contest, and even though the scrimmage had no real intensity or even significance to the start of the season, it was good to see Benedict on top of things.

Shawn Randall: The freshman guard went 2/5 with 6 points and likes to take long range shots. That's the big thing that stood out to me: often you'll see players who come to this level from high school and are gun-shy because they don't want to screw up and get benched. Once she finds her range, she's going to be a big part of Kemp's offense.

Mike Smith: Of course, he should stand out as a fifth-year senior, but he looked like he was on a completely different level from everyone else on the floor. He was focused, confident, and didn't look like a guy who had missed a full season with knee problems at all. Everybody had flashes of the skill and brilliance we've come to expect from this senior class (minus Tommy Hubbard, who didn't play in the scrimmage), but Smith was clear and away the cream of this crop.

Women's soccer is in Spartanburg for a "win and you're in" contest against USC Upstate tomorrow. It should be on ASun.TV, and I will most definitely be watching.

Game Day: Calabrese Crew v Jacksonville

I've been away for a while, and my blog has fallen into neglect. Vertigo can do that to you (and not the U2 kind, which is also rather agonizing).

THE BUCS:

Head Coach: Scott Calabrese (Bryant '95)
Record: 7-4-0
Conference: 2-2-0 (4th)
Home Record: 5-0-0
Goals For: 15
Goals Against: 14
Shooting Percentage: 8.4%
Shots on Goal Percentage: 31.5%
Biggest Win: 9/30 vs. Campbell, 4-0
Biggest Loss: 10/10 at FGCU, 0-5

Stats Leaders
Goals: Aaron Schoenfeld, David Geno (3)
Assists: Itode Fubara, Guilherme Reis (3)
Shots: Schoenfeld (41)
Shots on Goal: Geno (14)
Shooting Percentage (min. 10 shots): Geno (12.5%)
Minutes Played (GK): Ronnie Hreha (523)
Goals Against: James Holt (6)
Goals Against Average: Holt (1.05)
Saves: Holt (16)
Save Percentage: Holt (72.7%)
Shutouts: Holt, Hreha (1)

Projected Starting XI
Hreha
Woodruff-Westbrook-Reis-Reed
Fubara-Osorio-Samperio-Pugh
Schoenfeld-Geno


Tonight's Opponent:

Jacksonville Dolphins
Record: 6-5-1
Conference Record: 1-2-0 (8th)
Away Record: 1-1-1
Goals For: 26
Goals Against: 21
Shooting Percentage: 12.7%
Shots on Goal Percentage: 48.5%
Biggest Win: 9/19 vs. Alabama A&M, 7-0
Biggest Loss: 9/1 at Central FL, 0-5


Stats Leaders
Goals: Nedim Hrustic (7)
Assists: Darko Karamatic, Daniele Campailla (3)
Shots: Hrustic (36.8%)
Shots on Goal: Karamatic (22)
Shooting Percentage (min. 10 shots): Hrustic (36.8%)
Minutes Played (GK): Johnny Foley (979)*
Goals Against: Foley (19)
Goals Against Average: Foley (1.75)
Saves: Foley (44)
Save Percentage: Foley, (69.8%)
Shutouts: Foley (1)
(*Foley leads all statistical categories by default because Zach Greenwald has only played three games.)

Projected Starting XI
Foley
Resch-Hottner-Harvey-Ivanovic
???-Faga-Helms-Campailla
Hrustic-Karamatic
(Purely speculation. I have no clue what their lineup will look like. I wish I did.)

Today may be the start of the most important weekend of conference play, at least for these two teams. After a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Gulf Coast, this is a golden opportunity for this ETSU squad to show its resilience by bouncing back at home. The Dolphins meanwhile, have something to prove after dropping their tilts against both Nashville schools last weekend.

ETSU's best talents lie up front, with a layered and diverse attack that plays a very attractive brand of soccer (something Calabrese really seems to emphasize in his coaching style, which gets a thumbs-up from me). Schoenfeld is a great player on the ball, Geno is a natural finisher, Fubara and Woodruff both have great feet, and Colin Pugh has a lot of pure speed. Despite this, they've only been able to score more than two goals once, and have gone into overtime more than once to pull out wins (Marshall, Clemson, UNC-A). Gui Reis has been excellent in orchestrating the defense, but he really needs to be on his game to contain JU forward Nedim Hrustic, who has provided more than a fourth of the Dolphins' offense.

Jacksonville's defense has been a real sore spot; they've shut out two teams this year, but one of those squads was a winless (in conference play) North Florida team and the other was an Alabama A&M program that will no longer exist after November 3. The back line is young, with the oldest player being junior Tobbias Hottner, but are a formidable group on paper, with Hottner standing at 6'4" and frosh Garrett Harvey towering over most forwards in the A-Sun at 6'3" to lead the way.. Suffice it to say that Aaron Schoenfeld is going to be well-covered tonight.

Offense is the name of the game for the Dolphins as it is for the Bucs, with Hrustic and Serbian Darko Karamatic providing a lot of spark up front, and Daniele Campailla feeding them the ball from the midfield. All three players are juniors or seniors, and in a game that promises lots of end-to-end play, ETSU's back line will have to be at their absolute best to keep this game under control.

Of course, some of that pressure falls on the keeper. I have to imagine that Coach is going with one keeper tonight unless things start to get ugly. I have no idea which one he'll go with, though. That really depends on the performances during the Peninsular Punishments.

Well, that about covers it... what? Women? Yeah, they're in Georgia this weekend, playing two huge fixtures this weekend. More on those games and why they're so important later. It's go time!

Bucs Outlast Bears in Battle of Attrition

Saturday night, I saw one of the roughest, most vicious 90-minute brawls I think I've ever seen.

Oh, and there was a soccer game, too.


I don't really have to offer up much analysis for this contest, as the numbers speak quite well for themselves. Mercer committed 25 fouls on the night. I'll have to double-check, but that could be a Summers-Taylor record. They also took just five shots, while ETSU took 20. (Argue home cooking on the shot counter if you like, but I thought those were reasonable numbers for both sides.) Six players were booked, four from Mercer (three of those came in the last ten minutes, so they didn't have a huge bearing on play, but that's still more than any game this year).

The Bears wanted to turn this into proverbial trench warfare. It seemed like every time ETSU tried to develop an attack, they would foul and break up the flow of play. It stymied the Bucs in the first half, and the Bears got a goal off a great corner from Ian Cameron to go into the intermission 1-0. This was the first time the men's team went into the intermission trailing at home, and just the second time they've trailed at the break all season. Against a team that plays rough like Mercer, that can be tough to come back from.

Coach made some adjustments at the half and the Bucs eventually took advantage of the Bears' rough-and-tumble play, with Alesi Osorio cashing in on a rebound off a Gui Reis free kick twenty yards out.

Blaike Woodruff was the hero in the 78th minute when he appeared out of thin air on the back post to cash in on a Geno miss. Nobody was up in support of Geno on the break, and Woodruff just popped up in the right place at the right time. He looked a little surprised that the ball ever got to him, but he deserved it: he was literally all over the pitch Saturday night and has been a huge contributor to the offense since moving to fullback.

The Bucs held on to win 2-1, but there wasn't ever really that much work for Ronnie Hreha. The defense did very well; Mercer didn't really seem like a team that had much pure skill in the attack and used their strength as the fulcrum of their offense. Cameron stood out as a very solid skill player, but nobody else made a lasting impression.

Why didn't they? Simple: bruises heal, losses don't.

Speaking of losses not healing, it looks like Heather Henson's squad could be in for a long season after their heartbreaking loss to Belmont back on September 26. They lost to UNF and Jacksonville by a combined scoreline of 5-0. They were out-shot by a 39-18 combined margin. Now we'll really see if Coach's decision to bring in a sports psychologist will pay dividends, because this team can't let these losses shake them with Stetson and Gulf Coast, the other two teams in the top four in the conference table, coming in this weekend.

On the other fall team sport front, the VolleyBucs finally got into conference play. Some folks will still be skeptical about this team simply because of its track record, but I'm taking the "innocent until proven guilty" stance after they swept Campbell. Everyone has a role, and they're all playing their roles to perfection. This is exactly how they need to go into the Lipscomb tilt on Friday, but what's important is how they rebound from that match with Belmont the following day.

That's all for now. And no, I will not start wearing Braves memorabilia just because they made the playoffs.

Bucs Whip Camels to Open Conference Play

On a rain-soaked pitch on a Thursday night in (the) Johnson City, Buccaneers FC turned in a performance that would have Ray Hudson raving for years to come about Scott Calabrese's genius with a string of similes and metaphors I couldn't begin to fathom (but they would naturally involve improperly dressed bullfighters).

Calabrese's crew absolutely dominated the Camels to the tune of a 4-0 result at Summers-Taylor tonight in what is pretty easily their best performance of the season. Coach cited the field conditions as part of the result, and I would agree, but ETSU were very persistent on the attack, constantly breaking through the defense. They played the ball along the ground very well (the Fubara goal is a prime example) and kept Campbell chasing. The defense held remarkably well, and Hreha continues to get better every time I see him play. Ronnie Westbrook had a really good game, certainly one of his better performances in the campaign. Reis was all over the field tonight making things happen. Woodruff and Fubara were both excellent, and Osorio had a decent game.

The Bucs got off to a more belated start on the scoreboard than their last two games, but Gui Reis found a seam in the wall and bounced a free kick past Ryan Amons to open the scoring at 28:37. He also had a nice little celebration after the goal, but he would be put to shame by his roommate Itode Fubara in this respect.

In the 66th minute, Fuby was on the front end of some great buildup by Geno and Pugh at the top of the box and had an easy finish 1v1 against Amons. He then proceeded to do a series of back-flips to the ETSU bench, which was spur of the moment and a real treat to watch.

The Bucs would add a pair of tallies in the last ten minutes, when David Haba tallied his second of the year in the 84th and Geno put the cherry on top with 44 seconds left.

To be frank, I thought Campbell would give a better showing. Their defense looked good in stretches but broke down under continued pressure, and their forwards looked lost on the slick surface. By the time they got the hang of things, the Bucs already had the lead and all the momentum. They seemed to improve and put on some real pressure for an equalizer in the start of the half, but when Fubara scored, it really seemed to suck the fight out of the Camels.

Tonight was the first time the Buccaneers have ever beaten the Camels, and now they'll have a chance to get their first win against another opponent on Saturday: the Mercer Bears. Sure, the Bears have never finished with a winning record under Ruzzo, but they're 6-1-1 through non-conference play and have also scored 14 goals through those first eight contests (including a 3-0 thumping of Winthrop at Winthrop), so this is going to be a real test for the defense. Saturday is supposed to be clear with a high of 70...

... so maybe the should turn on the sprinklers beforehand?

Bucs Beat Back Bulldogs in Bonus-Ball Bonanza

Somebody get Scott Calabrese some Just For Men.

Coach was noticeably grayer in the follicles after Aaron Schoenfeld and the Bucs put away UNC-Asheville in a 2-1 double-OT victory. Aaron The Scho found himself completely unmarked and had enough time to settle the ball, pick his spot, and finish reading the latest issue of Time at the 103' mark to give the Bucs the win.

Geno scored inside twenty minutes to cap off another great start for Calabrese's Crew with a gorgeous volley, but they rested on their laurels and momentum swung back in UNCA's favor when Kenneth Lingerfelt scored on a rocket from the top of the box that Ronnie Hreha stood no chance on.

The Bucs pretty much controlled the second half and probably should have had at least three goals in that second stanza. It was sheer bad luck that Haba didn't score at least once, and Woodruff had one go off the near side netting that left him visibly frustrated with himself.

This was a team that they needed to beat and a game they should have won. They got the result they needed, although they had to pull a few teeth to get it done (and maybe lose a few as well; this was a chippy affair). A few observations:

- Blaike Woodruff was my Man of the Match. He made some great, incisive runs against the Bulldogs defense with and without the ball. He created a great deal of offense for ETSU from the back and seems to have a great feel for when to come forward, when to hang back, and when to cut in on goal. I would not complain if he stayed back there for the balance of the season.

- No James Holt tonight. He was at his sister's wedding (congratulations to her), so Ronnie Hreha manned the pipes for ETSU. He looked a bit shaky at first, but seemed to get better as the game went along. He didn't have much chance on the goal, but chimed in with the occasional confident punch and managed the backs well.

- Theo Yang did not play tonight. He was working with the athletic trainers before the game., but no official word on a possible injury at the moment. Matt Reed also played only half of the contest, coming on for Hodges at half time. He got up in the attack more than Hodges did, but didn't generate much.

- Mo Bowers has started to emerge as a big role player for Calabrese. He doesn't have a ton of speed or technical prowess, but he's a good possession and defense guy on the wing that can log 35-40 minutes a game and not hurt you while you spell your starting wingers. Those are good players to have around.

Tonight's starting XI:

Hreha
Woodruff-Reis-Westbrook-Hodges
Fubara-Osorio-Samperio-Pugh
Geno-Schoenfeld

The Ladies wrap up this weekend tomorrow against the Belmont Bruins, who will be riding high after a 5-0 blowout of USC Upstate in Spartanburg last night. Kickoff is slated for 2:00 P.M.

I Said It's Great... to be... at ETSU - Roundup 9/20-9/25

Yes, the men beat Marshall. Yes, it was an awesome sight.

Yes, my hard drive failed. That was not quite so awesome.


Credit to the Herd, they did everything they could to keep the loss column empty. I thought it was unfortunate that they lost the game the way they did, especially after Daniel Withrow played such a strong game in goal for them.

Personally, it struck me as one of those games that neither team genuinely deserved to lose. They were very even for most of the contest. This was a game that the Bucs really needed to win, though, if only to help build some tension for the North Carolina match on 10/30. (Hey, did you know that the men's soccer team is playing national powerhouse North Carolina on 10/30? You do now.)

Several players stuck out. Fubara continues to impress with his footwork and creativity. Pugh is very explosive on the attack. G was very active in the backfield. Schoenfeld was getting himself into great positions all night, and he finally got his noggin on one for the game-winner.

This team is starting to gel together at just the right time. A win tonight against UNC Ashville (2-4-0, 0-3-0 against A-Sun teams) will give the Calabrese Crew (4-2-0) a three-game winning streak to ride into conference play next weekend, and could make them tough to stop in-conference.

Women's soccer won last night over the Lipscomb Bisons, 2-0. Both teams looked a bit flat in the first half, which was understandable for the Bucs since they hadn't played in nearly a week. Frosh Courtney Deem got her first career goal off a real cracker from 25 yards out. I thought she was trying to play Van Horn coming in on the back post, but reflecting on it, I think she was actually taking the shot at goal. That takes courage from that distance, and the only way she could have done better was if she had put it out of Zerio's reach, but that would have sent the ball off the crossbar. Kayla White scored her second of the year after Zerio came out to play the ball and couldn't control it, leaving the freshman with a wide-open net.

The team played well. The rotation seemed to throw off the midfield and forwards a little at first, but they've gotten used to it and meshed together. The defense hasn't had that much change, but they haven't needed it: statistically, this is the stingiest back line in the A-Sun, allowing just 0.56 goals per game. Sure, they played Tennessee-Wesleyan and King College, but that's still impressive. There's also the matter of Megan Masch, who is one more strong night away from tying the school record for career clean sheets.

Lady Bucs FC (6-2-1, 2-0-0) have rattled off three wins in a row and will look to make it four against the Belmont Bruins (2-7-0, 1-2-0).


But if you want to talk about winning streaks, look no further than the VolleyBucs. I turn my back for two seconds and they've rattled off five wins in a row. They're 9-1 in their last ten games. They're hitting a solid .178 as a team. Megan Devine has stepped up to fill the void left by Desiree Dyck with a team-pacing 154 kills. Tamblyn is holding the back row defense together. Long is dominant at the net and was just named the conference's Player of the Week. Cogburn is doing a little of everything. This is the kind of non-conference season that Lindsey Devine & Co. needed this year.

The real test is yet to come, though: Lipscomb will be in Johnson City in just under three weeks. The VolleyBucs are playing South Carolina State at the NC Central Tournament at the time of this posting.

MS (men's soccer, not Microsoft and definitely not multiple sclerosis) tonight at home against UNC Asheville. 7 P.M. kickoff. Game will be available on ASun.TV. Don't miss it!

Kerns' Couple KO's Campbell

Talk about leaving a lasting impression.

Freshman Ramey Kerns scored twice for the Bucs, once in each half, to bury the Campbell Camels 2-0 in what could be their final visit to Summers-Taylor Stadium tonight. (For those that don't know by now, Campbell is returning to the Big South in 2011.)

Things started off sluggish and finished a bit sluggish in terms of pace. When the Camels went down 2-0, they didn't generate much. In fact, it almost looked as though they were going into a shell to prevent conceding again. The best attack of the night for Campbell came in the first half, when Olga Ekblom flew in from off the touch line and got a shot off. Masch got a piece of it, but it was still going in until Kron stepped back and cleared it from in front of a wide-open goal. That's the second time she's done that in as many games. I'm not sure whether this is good because it means Kron is aware of where the ball is and making good plays, or if it's bad because it means the defense is having breakdowns up the field...

Kerns' first goal was started by an interception by Petersen, who got it to Huntington cutting down the touch line. Huntington got a shot off, it was stopped by Jamie Panfil, but Kerns was right on top of the rebound for the first goal.

Just moments later, Kerns had a run into the box and got hauled down for a PK. Miller got it absolutely right, froze the keeper, and kept the shot low, but she just bounced it off the woodwork.

Kerns scored again when Courtney Deem took control of a ball in the midfield after a Campbell player tripped. Deem got it to Brinkman, who played a long ball up to Kerns who anticipated the pass and made a run toward goal. It was all downhill from there.

There was another chance that was created entirely by Miller that really showed how driven she was to redeem herself for the missed penalty. She went after a long ball from the midfield, but the left back had at least two steps on her. Miller poured on the steam, closed the gap, and eventually won the ball along the Campbell end line after a lengthy contest for the ball. She sent it in to Petersen right at the top of the six yard box, and Petersen hit the crossbar. Frustrating, but it was a sensational effort from Miller that will stay in my memory for a long time.

This was a good game to watch for ETSU fans. The forwards had a lackluster game against Temple last Saturday, but they were really buzzing tonight against the Camels. Kerns goes without saying. Huntington had one of her best games of the year. Miller created a lot of chances but was unlucky not to find the net at least once. Van Horn played well, had some good runs, and probably should have had at least one goal (now a 7 game drought for the senior). Molly Vaughn got her first really sustained period of playing time at home and did not look out of place on the attack.

By contrast, Tori Head looked out of sync with the rest of the team. If I had to guess, I'd say she's carrying a knock, because she didn't have the same blinding speed that she usually shows. Whatever the difficulty is, hopefully she's past it by the time next weekend rolls around. Yeah, their opponents next weekend are a combined 5-11 as of tonight, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't put their best foot forward.

See what I did there?

Geno, Schoenfeld Put Bucs Past Winthrop

Okay, so there were volleyball and soccer tournaments last weekend. I was going to post a full review on them, but there were certain impediments (mainly the fact that I spent most of Tuesday sick in bed, and the same for Thursday), so I'll just give you the gist:

The VolleyBucs were solid, especially this year's recruiting class (Tamblyn and Devine, in particular). They were the second-best team at the invitational behind Austin Peay, but they were the only team that took a set from the Lady Govs the whole tournament.

Lady Bucs FC looked toothless against Temple, but then came back and played a very, very good game against Winthrop, with Terri Miller scoring both goals in a 2-1 win in extra time. Shout out to Ed and Cindy Kron who made the trip from Arizona to watch Sammy play.

Now, for the men's game that was on Wednesday night. ETSU should have scored at least a couple times more than they did; there was even a chance I thought Schoenfeld had buried that actually went wide on the near post. In truth, I had expected a fairly close contest with more attacking play from Winthrop, but they came out flat in the first half and ETSU brought their best for the home opener. Schoenfeld did eventually score, allowing me to pass off my blown goal call as "foreshadowing" and allowing the Bucs to pocket a 2-0 win over the reigning Big South champs.

The starting XI included local product David Geno, who opened the scoring at the 5' mark and played extremely well overall. He's very elusive and tough to defend because he always makes a complimenting run to the player with the ball. That's part of how his goal was set up on the breakaway. Coach Calabrese was very excited about him in preseason, and it's not hard to see why

There were also quite a few froshies/first-year players in the starting lineup Wednesday. Mario Samperio, Itode Fubara, Colin Pugh, and Blaike Woodruff were the starting midfielders. Pugh is a Juco transfer, the rest are true freshmen. Nate Hodges started at left back opposite Matt Reed and looked excellent. Very strong defender who can move up into the attack with ease. Fubara showed some really impressive footwork all game long, and sprung Schoenfeld for the goal that iced things in the 90th minute.

The Bucs will have their hands full again with Marshall thundering into Johnson City for some REAL Monday night football.

Instead of Coach Bartow for this week's GFOTW, we're going to honor the nearby University of Tennessee at Knoxville (you know, that school obsessed with citrus?) and their recent athletic triumphs with basketball head coach Bruce Pearl. Congratulations, coach, for winning BB:BE's Murry Bartow Game Face of the Week award for the week running from September 17 to September 24.

(Since I have no idea who to give credit to for this image, I'll simply cite MidwestSportsFan.com, since that's where I found it.)

Thanks for surfing!

An Aha Moment for VolleyBucs; Men Upend Clemson

Sometimes, when you find yourself in a quandary, the solution to your problems (or at least, your biggest problem) just comes to you. You might be thinking about it, but generally you aren't. It just appears in your head magically, as if you'd known it all along. Most of the time, it's something so simple, that it feels like you should have known it all along. Fans of "House M.D." know exactly what I'm talking about. You see it in Hugh Laurie's eyes: the A-Ha Moment.
Now, while I get fined for my fifth count (or maybe it's my sixth. Who's counting?) of criminally bad image-assisted punning, the VolleyBucs may have found the proverbial light switch on the proverbial dark room that was their season after dropping the Appalachian State match. After a sloppy match against Canisius to open the Radford Invitational, they hit .218 in a 3-2 win against Davidson (which they also nearly dropped the exact same way as the App. State match).

Then, against Norfolk State, they committed just eight attack errors, and nineteen total errors. They won in straight sets.
See? I told you this team has talent. Nobody got ten kills in the NSU match (Devine had the most with 7, but she hit .375 and Long hit .571), but as long as they can continue to attack with precision and solid defense from the back line (Tamblyn will undoubtedly be a huge help there), there's no reason they can't make some noise in conference play. They just have to be able to finish teams off quickly and not give them a chance to rally like Appalachian State did.

In the time it has taken me to get this post up, the women's soccer team have been handed their first defeat of the season, a 2-1 loss to Francis Marion in South Carolina. Ramey Kerns scored again, bringing her total to three in five games. Monty lead the team with four goals in 18 matches last year.

Meanwhile, the men ventured to Scott Calabrese's alma mater and upended the Clemson Tigers 1-0 in extra time on a Gui Reis penalty. For those who, like myself, were unable to attend the game, Clemson did a free live stream, and should have an archive video up shortly.

While you're waiting (like me) for said stream, you can enjoy this week's [TBD Sponsor Here] Murry Bartow Game Face of the Week.

(Taken 3/20/09 vs. Pittsburgh. Photo Credit: Associated Press.)

Errors Cost VolleyBucs Home Opener; Bailey Settled in at LaSalle

I'll pose a question to my baseball-loving readers: when was the last time you saw a team commit six errors and win?

How about 62?

After three very good sets, the wheels fell off for the Lady Bucs' (1-3) offense, turning in nineteen attack errors and a negative attack percentage in the final two sets against Appalachian State (4-0) to lose 3-2 after going up 2-1 out of the intermission.

The Ladies committed 46 attack errors in total, along with seven service errors, four return errors, and five blocking errors. For comparison, Whitney Cogburn had 46 assists (although she could have easily had 60 or more). This is nothing new, unfortunately, but let's focus on the here-and-now, and why this is such a serious problem.

One of my favorite things about volleyball is that, like baseball, it lends itself well to heavy statistical analysis, so I'm going to throw some numbers out for you, the reader. The VolleyBucs are committing 27.3 attack errors per match. For the uninitiated, in volleyball, unlike baseball, each error concedes a point to the other team. It takes 25 points to win a set (unless it's the fifth set of a match, which is fifteen). So, during the course of regular play, that's a set's worth of points every match given away on attack errors through their first four tilts of the year. If you factor in all other forms of errors, it's 40 points per game that they're conceding on unforced errors. They gave away two sets' worth against the Mountaineers on Tuesday. Even the central fixtures of ETSU's offense - Cogburn, Alysa Long (13 kills, 3 blocks, .250 ATT%), and Erin Ryan (11 kills, 8 digs, .161 ATT%) combined for seventeen attack errors. Cogburn had two service errors and three blocking errors on top of that. High-school All-American Megan Devine had turned in nine attack errors to offset an otherwise very good overall night. It's enough to make a coach's hair fall out.

And under her calm, composed presence on the sidelines, Coach Devine has to be searching for a way to get this team on track. Even against Lipscomb, who could very easily run the table again this year, the VolleyBucs can't afford a performance like the one they had last night.

But, to keep this from sounding like a totally portentous piece, there are positives to be taken away from Tuesday night's breakdown. Mainly, that this team has very talented position players. Cogburn and Long are givens, and Ryan has come roaring out of the gate as well, but I'm talking more about the underclassmen. At just 5'3", juco transfer Kiley Tamblyn is going to be a very big presence on defense for this team. She does a great job of getting to the ball from the back line and setting up the offense. I encourage my readers to find a good nickname for Tamblyn based on her defensive abilities. And no, "Diglett" (or "Diglette") is not an option.

Aforementioned frosh Megan Devine will also be an impact player if she can keep the errors down, and Summer Kremer, after a wholly unmemorable first home serve, looked like she could be a solid player on the flanks as well.

In unrelated news, my shoes stink.

Speaking of things that stink (like that really bad segue), Kelly Hodge reported today that basketball assistant coach Will Bailey (right) is now an assistant for prestigious La Salle in the A-10. He'll have a chance to make immediate improvements on a team that finished 4-12 in conference play in a league that includes mid-major powers Temple and Xavier. Best of luck, coach!

Speaking of luck, Calabrese and the men's footy squad dropped their regular season opener 1-0 to Furman yesterday. I wish I could have seen this game live. With only sixteen combined shots and three bookings (all three in the first half, within ten minutes of each other), it sounds like it was a fairly chippy affair in Greenville, especially the first half.

The women's team will debut the lights tonight against King College at 7 PM.

Women Whallop Wesleyan for Four

In all honesty, when I went to Summers-Taylor for tonight's game against TN-Wesleyan, I didn't have terribly high expectations. I expected to see a win, certainly, but I expected more of a plodding, back-and-forth affair that ended maybe 1-0 or 2-0. What I came away with was something very different, that caught me off guard. I saw a totally comprehensive victory.

Right from kick-off, Lady Bucs FC were all over the Bulldogs (Lady Bulldogs? I don't know the official descriptor, so let's just go with that.) They had the lion's share of possession, out-shot TN-Wesleyan by a 21-2 margin, and put all kinds of pressure on the back line, which did an admirable job of holding back the ETSU attack for the first 34 minutes. In fact, the way the Ladies were generating so many chances that they failed to capitalize on, it looked like the law of averages would kick in and Lady Bulldogs would score first.

Right after I said that, Samantha Kron cashed in with a fantastic goal straight off a corner. Maybe it's just because I'm fairly new to this sport (I've been watching for about four years now), but that's the first time I can recall seeing someone score straight off a corner like that. It caught me completely off-guard.

The Lady Bulldogs added to their own problems when Abby Fannin (That was the name on the score sheet, although there are about seven different #24's playing for UTW depending on which source you use) knocked the ball off of keeper Chelsey Baxter into her own net just three minutes later. There wasn't really much she could have done about it: the ball just took a funny hop when she tried to pass it back.

It took less than a minute for ETSU to add another one, when some great work in the midfield by the Goffe sisters led to Ramey Kerns' second goal of the season. Senior Morgan Jutras was also credited with an assist on the goal (although she was initially credited with the goal itself in-house before a scoring change at the break).

The Ladies added one more, a header from Kelly Brinkman from about ten yards out that found its way in. It was a really strong header amid the massive scramble off a corner from Kron, and it was strong; she was on line with the penalty spot and the ball didn't touch the ground until it hit the back of the netting. That takes some strength from that far out.

This is a game to remember for ETSU when they get into conference play. I don't recall ever seeing a coach quite so relaxed and upbeat, even after a big win, as Henson was tonight. She laughed and joked with the production crew and the SIDs and even some of the fans. Most coaches are in a hurry to get out of the camera eye, but Henson stayed and answered every question BSN had for her. To paraphrase her, there are still things they can and should work on for conference play, still defensive breakdowns and some squandered opportunities, but a result like this is always great.

I absolutely agree with her, but let's put things in perspective here. The quality of the team they faced is probably not what they're going to be facing on a regular basis in A-Sun play (although they did have some talent up front; there are some men's teams that would have a hard time containing a player with the skill and pace of Helen Collins). It was their first game of the year. This is a great win, certainly, a victory that was much more lopsided than I had expected when I walked through the gates this afternoon.

Some other observations from tonight's game:

The youth movement was out in force. The Goffe sisters, Ramey Kerns, Kayla White, and Samantha Kron really stood out as possible impact players as early as this year. Kerns and Kron have already made an impact, and the Goffes could be key players for the transition game once conference play keeps going. Only Kron started, but with the flexible substitution rules in college soccer, it's not impossible for a player to make an impact off the bench.

Henson used the Little League rule tonight, as every player on the roster saw time on the field (certainly a great way to take advantage of the substitution rules to get players down the depth chart some playing time). I can't really say anyone played very poorly, either.

Tonight's starting XI:

Masch
Thomas-Kron-Altimier-Meehan
Brinkman-Petersen-Bickel
Huntington-Van Horn-Miller

That's all for tonight.

Housekeeping; Lady Bucs FC Home Opener Tonight!

Let me first say that I apologize for accidentally nuking my recap of the Tusculum game. To hit the highlights:

• The team won 3-2, despite not playing all that well (which Calabrese and captain Guilherme Reis both admitted to). Lots of aerial work instead of moving the ball along the ground.
• The lights still don't work.
• Sean Hoek is not on the roster anymore. I asked our sports information director about this and got no definitive answer. I won't speculate on where he went or why he has been left off the roster, but the absence of the school's all-time leading goal scorer (and, in my personal opinion, the team's best outfield player in 2009) will be a big void to fill.
  
• I wish I had Gui's dance moves. Please, somebody, anybody, professional or amateur, get a picture of this guy doing the samba next time he scores a goal. Or, even better, send us a video of YOUR best goal celebration (the "Icelandic Fisherman" doesn't count).
  
• If David Geno can consistently play like he did against Tusculum, he could score 40 goals or more in his time at ETSU.

Later tonight, I'll have a recap of the women's game against TN-Wesleyan. This should be an interesting match-up. Wesleyan are talented, but they're even younger than the Lady Bucs (technically, they're the Buccaneers and not the Lady Bucs according to their most recently published media guide, but I don't know of anyone who actually calls them that), as they field fifteen freshmen. Kick-off is at 5 PM sharp.

Jason Finn Not On 2010 Roster

No idea what happened to him.

The Bucs play Tusculum in preseason play tomorrow at STS at 5:30, and the lights might actually get used! Be there!

(Yeah, yeah, I'll get to volleyball, just give me five minutes, will you? Sheesh.)

Schedule Interpretation, Latest Results & NEW KITS!

First and foremost, the Lady Bucs opened their season with a 4-1 thrashing of UNC Asheville on the road on Sunday. Rachel Van Horn scored twice. Are we in business? I think we're in business.

Now, onto the scheduling. Both basketball teams have their schedules out, and both have some very tough fixtures. The cynic in me has two basic reactions to this:

1. The coach has lost his/her mind and should be fired for scheduling opponents that they stand no chance against on paper, there's no way the team will win 20 games this year, the sky is falling, etc.

2. These teams are collecting humongous paychecks to get the snot kicked out of them by the best programs in the country.

I don't think either is really the case here, though. Sure, money determines where the game is played, but if a mid-major program like ETSU wanted to avoid playing so many big schools, they could do it pretty easily. These coaches sincerely want to make their programs better, and the only way to vault yourself to be among the best is to play against the best. Strong showings here, even in losing efforts, will help the team tune up for weaker opponents in conference play. There is a risk, however, that this blows up in the coach's face. If the team gets blown out in those games, it could leave even the most talented teams demoralized, making them easy targets for conference opponents who have had weaker schedules.

One can also look at another team's schedule and see who is serious about making a tournament appearance. With that in mind, it's clear that the men's championship goes through Adnan Hodzic and the Lipscomb Bisons (as if the fact that Hodzic was still there didn't give it away). Like the Bucs, the Bisons open their campaign on the road against a national powerhouse (North Carolina) and also play at Memphis and Alabama in the middle of the year. Both teams also have a punchi-er, lesser program scheduled between those contests, although I suspect UT-Martin will pose a greater challenge to Lipscomb than Milligan will to ETSU (no joke, Milligan is a regular season opponent). The schedule announcements really help set the tone for what looks to be a great emerging rivalry for both parties. I really wish I could be at Allen Arena when the Bucs come to town, and I will most definitely be there when they play at the Mausoleum of Johnson City (see what I did there?).

For the ladies, these sentiments could be amplified several times. Kemp has made out a brutal non-conference schedule that includes visits to Columbus, Raleigh, Murfreesboro (you laugh now, but MTSU has a VERY good women's program), and worst of all, Knoxville. I like Karen Kemp, I think she's an excellent coach, but the thought of what could happen to this team in Thompson-Boling Arena kept me awake last night. Even with a good recruiting class, Kemp would need a small miracle, two UConn transfers, three arrests, six maids a-milking, two Root Beer Barrels and a dental hygienist to keep that game from getting way out of hand. The massive disparity in talent between major programs and mid-majors in women's basketball just tells me that this could get ugly in short order, and a bad loss could linger and affect the ladies in conference play.

And now for the news I'm most excited about: the men's soccer team have new kits this season. They'll be sporting uniforms similar to the U.S. National team in 2008 and 2009, with horisontal blue striping on the home shirt and dark blue shorts to go with it. Hopefullly, I'll be able to get some pictures from the Friday exhibition against Tusculum.

Speaking of which, did you know that the Pioneers have a football team? I'll throw my hat into the ring on that long-standing hot-button issue next time. For now, I leave you with a new tradition here at BBBE.

For whatever reason, cameramen like to take pictures of our beloved (or not-so-beloved, to some fans) basketball coach fully immersing himself in his job. So, without further ado, I present to you the inaugural "Murry Bartow Game Face of the Week," or MBGFW. Enjoy, and feel free to submit your own!

(From the Kentucky game, 3/18/10, courtesy of Associated Press)

Don't Panic... Yet.

As the soccer teams gear up for their season (the women have already reported), I've got some bad news from a sport that's a little further down the line. You'll probably want to be seated for this if you're a basketball fan. Take a seat, and a deep breath. Ready? Okay.

Tarita Gordon is out for the season.

Stay in that seat! I know it's tough to contain yourself with news like this, but you have to think rationally here rather than running around screaming at anything with a face. That goes for you, too, Coach.

Out of the blue, ETSU's website announced on Wednesday that shooting guard Tarita Gordon would be out of the Blue for the entire 2010-11 season recovering from knee surgery. Gordon, who is slated to complete her senior academic year regardless of her choice on a redshirt, averaged 11 points per game with the Lady Bucs as a junior last year, and really came on strong in the conference tournament. She was expected to be one of the leaders of this team, along with fellow seniors Tara Davis and Latisha Belcher, who also missed her first shot at a senior season last year due to injury.

But there's no reason to panic, at least not yet. The team still has a very good starting five, as Washington and Pickwell should both step in and contribute right away, to say nothing of Iesha Robinson. There are a LOT of freshmen in the back court, though, and they'll probably all get a crack at real playing time at some point down the stretch, but Kemp has enough depth that she won't be forced to play anyone she doesn't think is ready.

Fortunately, the Ladies have resolved what was probably their biggest weakness last year: the ability of taller players to dominate them in the post. The return of Belcher (Left, 6'2"), coupled with the development of Ashley Benedict (6'3") and Tosha Austin (6'2") gives Kemp a very tall front court to work with that will be tough to score on in the paint, and that's before the addition of 6'1" frosh Ashley Miles. The back court may be an issue now that Evans and Wiles are gone, but Kemp is a good coach, and she can make even reasonable talents into quality players, and she doesn't even have to scream at them to do it.



In baseball news, good old Chas Byrne continues to shut down the Appalachian League and has settled into the closer role for the Burlington Royals. With three saves to his name in 25 innings of work, Byrne has a solid 33 strikeouts and an impressive 0.67 WHIP, allowing just three earned runs in his time with the Royals and giving up hits to just 15% of the batters he faces. He has been very consistent for a Burlington team that still has a legitimate shot at the playoffs. I have to think that he'll be moved up at least one level in the organization in September.

The T-Bone also announced the signing of local product Corey McPherson, who will likely be challenging Niesman for time at second base. The real question, though, is what will his intro music be? It sure won't beat "Song of the South."

Are You Seated? Good. Gordon's Out for the Season

Stay in that seat! I know it's tough to contain yourself with news like this, but you have to think rationally here rather than running around screaming at anything with a face.

Out of the blue, ETSU's website announced on Wednesday that shooting guard Tarita Gordon would be out of the Blue for the entire 2010-11 season recovering from knee surgery. Gordon, who is slated to complete her senior academic year regardless of her choice on a redshirt, averaged 11 points per game with the Lady Bucs as a junior last year, and really came on strong in the conference tournament. She was expected to be one of the leaders of this team, along with fellow seniors Tara Davis and Latisha Belcher, who also missed her first shot at a senior season last year due to injury.

But there's no reason to panic, at least not yet. The team still has a very good starting five, as Washington and Pickwell should both step in and contribute right away, to say nothing of Iesha Robinson. There are a LOT of freshmen in the back court, though, and they'll probably all get a crack at 5-10 minutes a game off the bench at some point down the stretch, but Kemp has enough depth that she won't be forced to play anyone she doesn't think is ready.

Fortunately, the Ladies have resolved what was probably their biggest weakness last year without having to recruit for it: the ability of taller players to dominate them in the post. The return of Belcher (6'2"), coupled with the development of Ashley Benedict (6'3") and Tosha Austin (6'2") gives Kemp a very tall front court to work with that will be tough to score on in the paint, and that's before the addition of 6'1" frosh Ashley Miles. The back court may be an issue now that Evans and Wiles are gone, but Kemp is a good coach, and she can make even reasonable talents into quality players, and she doesn't even have to scream at them to do it.



In baseball news, good old Chas Byrne continues to shut down the Appalachian League and has settled into the closer role for the Burlington Royals. With three saves to his name in 25 innings of work, Byrne has a solid 33 strikeouts and an impressive 0.67 WHIP, allowing just three earned runs in his time with the Royals and giving up hits to just 15% of the batters he faces. He has been very consistent for a Burlington team that still has a legitimate shot at the playoffs. I have to think that he'll be moved up at least one level in the organization in September.

Skole also signed local product Corey McPherson. He has pretty lofty praise for this kid, although he seems to give glowing reports for all his prospects. Whether that's good or bad is tough to say, considering Skole has only recently been given a full slate of scholarships, and he used them to bring in very talented players like Kerry Doane, Scott McNally, and Andrew Green for the 2010 season, as well as Bo Reeder and Matthew Scruggs in 2009.

BLOGGER FOUND AFTER 72 HOUR SEARCH - Lady Bucs FC Primer

Yes, I've neglected my blog severely. I was still recovering from Inception. I've actually had this entry sitting on my laptop for the last three days, begging to be finished. "But no," I said. "My mind has be turned to mush, and it must have time to reorganize." So here we are.

So, the Ladies missed the conference tournament for the first time in five years in 2009. What went wrong? Well, the obvious answer is "they didn't score enough goals," burying just 16 shots in 18 contests, but it's hard to score when you can't control the ball. It's a real shame they didn't make the tournament, because Megan Masch was having a spectacular year. The Lady Bucs gave up 346 shots to 162, and Megan Masch kept an .801 save percentage, third in the Atlantic Sun. She posted three clean sheets and gave that team a chance to win every time they suited up.

The key this year for the ladies will be controlling the ball, moving methodically down the field, and generating and capitalizing on set piece opportunities (something they didn't do much of last year). A major blow was struck to the offense with the departure of the team's only all-conference player, Jordan Monty, but it's not a void that can't be filled. Henson has plenty of veteran forwards to work with; Terri Miller and Rachel Van Horn will both be seniors, and Van Horn's height (5'11", tallest outfield player on the team by far) makes her an ideal target in the box. Sophomore Tori Head is also in the mix up front, but with so many other young forwards (Henson brought in four this spring), Head might drop back into the midfield to give Van Horn and Miller someone to get them the ball off the wing. Or, even better, Henson could stick with a Christmas Tree, with Miller at the head and Van Horn and Head as secondary attackers. That should go a long way to preventing scoring chances, and hopefully they can win games with fewer goals. It’s tough to say, though, because the Ladies have a good mix in the midfield as things stand.

With Brinkman in the middle and Petersen holding down one of the flanks, there’s margin for error. Not much, mind you, but some. Jessica Huntington or Morgan Jutras should get every opportunity to crack the starting XI in her senior year, which should round out the midfield nicely in theory, but seniors can falter just as much as they succeed (*coughJocolbyDaviscough*). The Ladies have a perfect developmental situation in the midfield as well, with four freshmen and two sophomores all looking to establish themselves behind this year’s senior class. Musacchio is very likely to see her role expanded, but a lot really depends on how the freshmen play in the early fixtures. Some of them, however, will likely have to slide back into defense.

There’s a legitimate reason for that: Henson has just five natural defenders this year, and that’s counting the return of Jen Altimier for her senior season, which gives the back line a huge boost if she’s healthy. Alex Meehan is also a senior, and Jessica Hiltenbrand is coming off a sophomore campaign in which she started every contest (as did Meehan). Incoming freshman Samantha Kron got a glowing review from Henson and will likely be the first choice for the flank opposite Hiltenbrand. Or Henson could just pull four names out of a hat the night before each match. It would probably be just as easy, since the defense’s main responsibility will be throwing bodies in front of shots (NOT an alcohol joke).

In the end, the season will ride on Masch and the midfield’s ability to control the ball. Forwards can finish, and defenders can defend, but a strong midfield and a very good goalkeeper are at the heart of every successful footy side. One out of two is not bad, but it won’t cut it if the Ladies want to get back into the thick of the A-Sun table.

Oh, and Inception is a really, really good movie. Go see it, or Leo will send Jackie Earle Haley to haunt your dreams.

(Yes, the conference preview is coming. It's not like anyone reads this anyway.)

2010 Season in Preview: Buccaneers FC

(First, assuming someone actually reads this drivel, an apology for the tardiness in getting this thing up: the inside of my laptop monitor is completely wrecked, and kept me away from a computer for the last three days.)


There is a sense of anticipation of something very special in the offing this season for Bucs FC. After a resounding victory over Lipscomb (which featured the most baffling own goal I have ever seen), Scott Calabrese's side ran into the team's first real nemesis in its brief existence, the Stetson Hatters, in the semi-finals of the conference tournament. Now, loaded up on fresh faces and with some strong returning talent, Calabrese (left) and assistant Ian Luya have their best chance yet to bring a championship to the young program. We'll take a look at departing and incoming players, as well as the rest of the conference and how everything will fit together.



It's always tough to lose players before they graduate. Sadly, in lower-level conferences like the Atlantic Sun, this is a reality that must be dealt with (see Johneshia Good with the Lady Bucs in April). There are several players that Scott Calabrese depended on that will be gone this season. Here's the rundown of outgoing outfielders:

Kyle Franklin, Midfield
Tyler Hoek, Midfield
Tony Nunes, Midfield
Andrew Brown, Midfield
Mohsen Pourmorteza, Midfield/Defense
Nathaniel McElroy, Midfield/Defender
Conrad McCue, Defender
Tim Nixon, Midfield

Of this group, only Franklin and Hoek exhausted their eligibility. There were a lot of rumblings that several of the players had lost their scholarships and would be moving to a more affordable institution. Pourmorteza was supposedly going to Med School, but again, I have no definitive answers. I wish I did, because I'd really like to know what happened to these guys.

The big problem here is the loss of three regular players from the end of the season. Nunes, Brown, and Pourmorteza were in the starting XI that beat Lipscomb in the first round of the conference tourney. Pourmorteza finally seemed to find a home for himself at right back, and Brown was a huge asset on the wings who had worn the armband on more than one occasion. Nunes was essentially omni-gel, playing just about anywhere he was needed and doing a solid job in all respects.

The biggest loss for the team this year, however, is the one I didn't list: Scott Rosman, who was clear and away the best goalkeeper in the Atlantic Sun last year. It doesn't take long to see just how the numbers lean towards Rosman as a key part of the team, when you consider that the club had as many wins as he did clean sheets (though those numbers don't necessarily line up) and scored just 22 goals over 17 games (1.29 goals per contest, which isn't that great). When you consider how hard it is to come by good goalkeeping in the States (MLS keepers are by and large as effective as a piece of soggy cardboard), the Buccaneers can't expect James Holt to bail them out on a regular basis this season, especially after watching him in the spring games, where he didn't inspire much confidence (although he would make a great Aussie Rules player, probably a central forward, with the way he can launch the ball off his foot).

That's not to say there's no good news for the team. Based on what I've said, one might get a feeling of gloom and doom about the team, but the returning group is still excellent. Guilherme Reis (right) will be one of, if not the best center back in the league by default. The fiery Brazilian, who has played every single minute for the Bradenton Academics in the Premier Development League this summer, will also likely be sporting the arm band as the team's only senior. He'll team up with Texan junior Jaron Westbrook to form a very solid tandem in the middle of the field. Matt Reed is a lock for the left back slot and will look to play forward quite a bit to help the attack.

Where things get tricky is on the right side. It would seem like Blake Pelton's spot to lose at first glance because of the size he adds in the backfield, but his lack of comfort with the ball may relegate him to role player status, with Calabrese putting him on to contain bigger forwards. Incoming freshman Henry Klein will likely have his best chance to get playing time at this sore spot in ETSU's lineup, but he could also move into another area of concern: the midfield.

Let's get the obvious out of the way: Sean Hoek will play. He'll play a lot. I suspect he'll be used as much as Calabrese can use him before his legs fall off. He's going to have to be the conduit between defense and offense for this team to be successful. Alongside him, Alesi Osorio will be looking to build off a strong freshman campaign, and if his past work ethic is any indication, he could be in for a breakout year.

On the flanks, things once again get tricky for ETSU. They have Mohammed Bowers coming back from a redshirt (he'll be a freshman), and he had a strong showing in the spring. Blake (or is it actually Blaike?) Woodruff was an ESPN RISE winter all-star in Texas. Mario Samperio is getting sparing playing time with Bradenton, and is more of a central player, but don't count him out just yet. Ultimately, I think Woodruff wins out on the right side, and Calabrese will put Theo Yang on the left.

No, I'm not out of my mind. Yang is suited for the wing because of his speed and ability to service great balls (I dare you to read that with a straight face). My reasoning for doing this can be summed up in two words: Itode Fubara.

Okay, so maybe those aren't actually words. But they are a name for a new footballer in the ETSU ranks up front. Fubara, while a very raw player, has a tremendous amount of skill with the ball at his feet. As he gets used to the more physical North American style of play, he'll become an integral part of the squad and should score quite a few very nice goals when paired with Aaron Schoenfeld. I had the pleasure of watching "Fuby" play this past spring, and if that's him when he's out of shape (most of the players were), then I can't wait to see him when he's on his game.

Also up front is another freshman to watch: local product David Geno. DG finished his career at Dobyns-Bennett with 101 goals in just over three seasons, making him the most prolific scorer in the school's history. He has good speed and a nose for the net, which can take you very, very far at this level.

And at last, we've come back around to goaltending. With the loss of Rosman, there are big shoes to fill between the pipes. Is 6'4" James Holt the man to fill them? Tough to say, really. If his play in limited time with the atrocious Nashville Metros is any indication, I see no reason why not. He has conceded three goals in two matches despite facing 34 total shots in 180 minutes (28 of which were on goal). The Metros, by the way, have conceded 26 goals total in 12 matches, and are an embarrassing 1-9-2. But at least they aren't last, right?

Also keeping the cage clean will be Steven Matlock. At 5'10", Matlock may not seem like the ideal keeper in an era when the likes of Petr Cech and Gigi Buffon are the most successful around, and, well, it's not. Matlock does have quite a bit of untapped potential as a keeper, but may be better suited to moving to the outfield to continue his career. Things are further complicated by the arrival of Ronnie Hreha from Lees-McRae College, where he lost out on the starting gig to Sean Paradise, who helped the team to a 17-3 record. I will avoid making any jokes about a name that sounds like it belongs to a public fornicator, mainly because they should make themselves.

So, what we're looking at, boys and girls, is a team assembled like this:

Schoenfeld-Fubara
Yang-Hoek-Osorio-Woodruff/Pugh/Bowers
Reed-Reis-Westbrook-Pelton/Klein
Holt

And for the reserves:

Purcell-Geno
Campbell-Samperio-Haba-Woodruff/Pugh/Bowers
Hodges-Dykes-???-Pelton/Klein
Hreha/Matlock

So what can that lineup do that makes it so special? It can score goals by the bucket load. Five of those starters (Schoenfeld, Fubara, Yang, Hoek, and Osorio) could account for as many goals among themselves as the whole team produced last year. They'll have to, because as big and athletic as Holt is, they can't depend on him to bail them out when they make a mistake up the field. If they can get 20-25 goals from those five guys, and five or six goals from the rest of the team, they're one of the best offensive sides in the conference, if not the best. They should play fluid, attractive football with lots of fancy footwork, but don't forget that this is an American side, and a lower-level side at that, so they won't forget their gritty roots.

Ultimately, I expect this team to get to the final of the conference tournament, even with the players the squad lost over the summer. Maybe those expectations are a bit high, but a team that wasn't nearly as good as this one is offensively blew out Florida Gulf Coast, the best defensive team in the conference last year. I have absolute faith in Scott Calabrese and Ian Luya to make this into a team that can contend for the school's first College Cup appearance in 2010. Who knows, a berth in the big dance might convince Stanton and Mullins to get Buc Brass out to Summers-Taylor?

On second thought, maybe that's a bad idea...

That's it for this time. On Monday, we'll have a look at the ladies, and, if you're on your best behavior, a look at the Atlantic Sun in men's soccer, as well.

A Midsummer Classic That Means Something?

I woke up about 90 minutes before the start of the Spain-Netherlands game on Sunday (which was not a very interesting match of soccer, if you missed it – and yes, soccer can be interesting), but as it turns out, that was just in time to catch the TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby on CBS before the World Cup Final started. In the past, I've been skeptical about the appeal and validity of the continuation of the Home Run Derby at the Major League level, as well as the All-Star Game in itself (especially since it is still being used in the Hall of Fame selection process). For this, however, my interest was piqued. It was the final collegiate event to take place at Rosenblatt Stadium. It's an opportunity for the top power hitters in the nation to show off their wares (which is something that MLB teams will no doubt covet in coming drafts with the revival of quality pitching and mandatory drug testing). Not to mention that home runs are one of the most exciting parts of the sport.

The lineup was full of collegiate offensive studs, including the national leader in dingers, Fresno State’s Jordan Ribera, and his closest competition, Siena’s Dan Paolini. The list also included sophomore Matt Skole of Georgia Tech, nephew of our beloved (or maligned, depending on how you view his approach to small ball) skipper, Tony Skole.

A late invite to the competition was ETSU’s first baseman, Paul Hoilman. Hoilman may have caught a break in preparation, though, when Rosenblatt got absolutely poured on the afternoon of the competition. It would certainly seem that way, because Hoilman won the CHRD by a landslide.

Touch ‘Em All Paul got a rare opportunity to go yard at Rosenblatt Stadium before it’s demolished to make room for some penguins that no one in baseball really cares too much about, and he absolutely made the most of it. Hoilman went yard a dozen times in the final round, while Skole hit only one and Mr. Ribera went o’fer in the final round.

Even though the relevance of the home run derby in general has fallen into question, this was actually quite an impressive exhibition of power hitting. Well, on paper, anyway. Likely because of the rain, most of the hitters didn’t perform well at all. Only Hoilman, Skole, and Ribera went yard three or more times during the competition.

Omaha.com reported that Hoilman’s first hit ball was a line drive down the left field line that hit a kid shagging balls square in the mouth. The kid lost a couple of teeth, and Hoilman put the competition on hold and went down to check on the kid personally, which, to me, shows a lot of class.

What really got me excited, though, was how the commentators were absolutely gushing over Hoilman. They invited Andre Dawson to the booth and he had a good bit of praise for Paul, and by all indications, he’s returning for his senior season to keep his options for future employment open.

Paul is playing for the Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League this summer. Through 22 contests, Hoilman is hitting a less-than-stellar .232 and has struck out 25 times, but also has seven doubles, a pair of home runs (the league leaders are tied at three) and has been walked thirteen times, one of the highest totals in the Cape Cod League.

Alumni Tracker time! Believe it or not, the Buccaneers have more than one alumnus to track in baseball. Chas Byrne turned pro after getting the call in the 16th round by Kansas City this year, and has been flat-out dominant with the nearby Burlington Royals. In thirteen full innings of work over six games, Byrne has allowed just six hits and one run, striking out sixteen batters while walking just two. He has a team-best WHIP of 0.62 and an equally impressive 0.69 ERA, as well as a pair of saves.

Honestly, this surprised me quite a bit. The move to the bullpen seems to have done him more than a little good, but I never would have expected such a drastic improvement. It could also be indicative of just how bad ETSU’s defense was last season, or the level of competition, but any way you slice it, it’s good to see Byrne putting on a strong performance in Burlington. If you live out that way, you may want to go see them play: you may not get many more chances to watch Byrne live.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Hall (2006) has clawed his way up another rung of the developmental ladder this season to AA, but he may be stuck with the Montgomery Biscuits for a while. With the Marlins’ AA affiliate, Hall has posted a 4-5 record, 3.35 ERA, 33 walks and 58 strikeouts in 94 full innings of work. Not bad, but a far cry from his stellar performance in A-advanced last season. At 26, he still has a little time, but it’s hard to see him doing much beyond the AA level.

In golf alumni news, Rhys Davies carded a three-over 74 to finish in a five-way tie for 21st place with a one-over 285. Davies earned USD $51,617 for his performance. Edoardo Molinari won the competition at twelve under par.

That’s all for Monday’s edition. On Friday, we’ll take a look at Scott Calabrese and Buccaneers FC!

Congratulations, Reg. It's a... Blog.

... and much like the squid which this blog replaces in that reference, you'll think it's cute until it spits up all over your brand new suit. Poor Will Smith.

So yes, this is a blog. It's a blog about the ETSU Buccaneers. We - or rather, I - will be covering every team sport the Bucs have to offer: men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, baseball, softball, and volleyball. Who knows, I might squeeze some tennis and golf coverage in as well.

What I'm shooting for here is a semi-weekly blog (more frequently once the seasons start up) that disseminates information about the various programs along with the Colbert journalism that won't be found in ETSU press releases, and that modern Internet users have come to expect from these sorts of operations. As the blog evolves, my tools will hopefully evolve as well, and we can have some real high-quality stuff. And if this gets enough attention, I might even end up on SB Nation. How awesome would that be?

Expect the first blog tomorrow afternoon sometime!