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.