Flyers Dominate Dukes 4-0

[Chris R]

Game Article: http://udpride.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21648

I thought we played pretty dog-gone well today. Yeah we missed a bunch of opportunities to score and the last 25 yards continues to be a tough nut to crack at times when we dominate possession and worked the ball up field, but we had some great chances today that were nothing more than snake-bitten moments where Duquesne lucked out with a desperate foot or body in the way of what appeared to be certain goals. We scored a couple goals that were somewhat sloppy moments from Duquesne -- especially the first two. But our pressure and persistence allows us to generate those sloppier goals when our cleaner chances are not going in.

Its a total accumulation thing with the offense. Its death by a thousand cuts. Sooner or later we force somebody to screw up, capitalize and earn back a goal that we missed out on somewhere else that was far more textbook.

Lets not lose ourselves. We were supposed to handle SBU and Duquesnse relatively easy and we did just that. We are going to find out what we're made of next week when Richmond and VCU come to town. Becca Wann is a defensive problem all to herself and VCU is having a very good season.

Mallon had a heck of a game today. She was dribbling around like Pac Man on power pills out of the defensive half of the field. By carrying forward, getting around that first defender, and finding an open teammate, she allowed us to start our offense inside 45 yards.

The usual suspects of Williams, Libertin, and Campbell did their usual heavy lifting. Waters continues to come around. She needs to play the ball quicker at times and not take certain touches of the ball for granted, but she has all the tools to be a mainstay central mid for us the next three seasons.

We are winning by these margins lately because of the defense. A month ago these were 3-1 or 4-2 victories after being tied 1-1 at the half. We were giving up 2-3 shots on goall all game and 1-2 of them would find the back of the net. The key is not putting Melchert in bad positions to begin with and forcing her to make saves. Right now our back line is performing preventive maintenance in the field of play and they should be recognized for that.

[ud69]

Some additional thoughts -

What a glorious day for soccer - or anything else. The sun was bright, the sky was blue, the breeze was light, and the fall colors are absolutely magnificent.

Up top - Willy, Jules, and Campbell - They have really got a chemistry going among themselves - anticipating each other's moves and knowing where the others are without even looking. It is a pleasure to watch. We knew we had Jules and Willy this year, but Campbell has been the big surprise. She has come so far. Coach Tucker worked her into the lineup slowly early in the season, but she has been gangbusters lately. She has those long strides that eat up the turf. Hard to believe, but given the minutes played this year, she is scoring goals at a faster clip than even Willy - and doing it on fewer shots. Still, it is Willy that is the swizzle stick that stirs the drink - pulling defenders toward herself and opening up space for others. Jules has 11 goals and 11 assists - those are monster numbers - and runs the legs off every defender that tries to keep up with her.

In the middle - Garcia, Emery, Waters, and some Smigel today - improved over Friday. Waters getting better and better.

In the back - Senoyuit, Keller, Scharer, Mallon - Much better than even a month ago. 4 straight clean sheets - and shutouts in 6 of the last 8 matches. The biggest improvement is in the play out of the back. No kick ball stuff - good honest passing and buildup.

Goal - - the improvement in front of Melchert has helped her as well.

Make no mistake, the Bonnies and the Dukes from this weekend are not as strong as the Spiders and VCU Rammies who we will see next week.

Side notes - Coach Tucker subbed quite a bit late. Whitaker and Rose were holding down the left and right fullback spots late. At one point Whitaker made a sharp pass on the ground to Rose just outside the box from one side of the field to the other. Not unusual, except this was just outside the Dukes box - don't see that very often from a pair of fullbacks. That is an example of how forward our defense was able to penetrate. I think Rose is a frustrated mid-fielder or striker playing fullback. She loves to dribble and go forward - and can do so effectively - as long as a teammate rotates back to cover for her. Whitaker continues to show improvement. She has a nice strong frame and big foot for a defender. She looked raw and green at times, but if she continues to improve she will push for time in the back next year.

[UD_GH32]

As I was watching the game a friend commented to me about how much punishment Colleen Williams takes during the games. It is amazing how much she can absorb and still play well.

[ud69]

As I was watching the game a friend commented to me about how much punishment Colleen Williams takes during the games. It is amazing how much she can absorb and still play well.

Earlier in her career she would have let the punishment get to her a bit. She has learned to deal with it - as it comes with the territory of being the top scorer in the country.

Not that she ignores the punishment completely. Yesterday, after a particularly hard bunch of bumps and grabs in the middle of the field, she dished out a little of her own. The referee had a short chat with her about it - no big deal. The center ref knew what was going on and was just keeping a lid on things.

I like my strikers to have a little edge on them. Good strikers are never timid.

[Chris R]

She is successful only partly from her soccer skill set.

If you measure out any specific skill she has, its probably in the good but not great category. But, everything is good. Few weaknesses. What makes her great is the melon on top of her neck. Nobody in a Flyer uniform has ever been better at engaging in mental warfare. She knows the sooner she gets into a defender's head and starts screwing around with it, the physical parts will play out as she wants. She's not a dirty player, but, she oftentimes gets opponents to think that she is. Once shes convinced defenders they are just along for the ride and everything that happens to them is outside of their control, its over.

I liked what she said about holding everybody on the team accountable. "Its how we do things. If they dont like it, they need to get a thicker skin."

You have to talk a mule into moving, but you whip a racehorse to run. Colleen is a racehorse and every great racehorse has a very thick skin indeed.