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.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
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:
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.)
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!
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!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
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.
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.
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