UDPride Discussion Forums    
     

Go Back   UDPride Discussion Forums > LATEST ARTICLES > UDPride Articles

UDPride Articles Published content from your UDPride staff

» Log in
User Name:

Password:

Not a member yet?
Register Now!
» Advertisement
Comment
 
Article Tools Display Modes
WSOC: 4-0 Loss to Va Tech In NCAAs Ends Flyer Season
WSOC: 4-0 Loss to Va Tech In NCAAs Ends Flyer Season
Christopher Rieman
Published by Chris R
11-16-2014
WSOC: 4-0 Loss to Va Tech In NCAAs Ends Flyer Season

It took about two minutes of game action to conclude the #14 Virginia Tech Hokies were a distinct mismatch for the Dayton Flyers. It took a first half of soccer to end all doubt.

The Hokies, College Cup participants a year ago, looked very much the part in a convincing 4-0 defeat of the Dayton Flyers in the NCAA First Round on Saturday evening in Blacksburg, VA. Four first-half goals put things completely out of reach for Mike Tucker's squad as they end the season at 12-9-2 and A10 Tourney champs. Virginia Tech moves on to the second round next weekend against Georgetown.

On a cold night in the rolling hills of western Virginia with temperatures in the mid-30s, the Flyers were given an almost impossible task of stealing a victory on the road against an opponent good enough to reach a second College Cup in a row. Adding to UD's challenge was the absence of leading scorer Ashley Campbell, injured in last week's A10 title game and the lone attacking player with the kind of elite speed and athleticism to keep the Hokie back line honest. It was like showing up to a gun fight with a switchblade. The Flyers did the best they could.

The opening five minutes of the match were a shocking reminder of the difference in overall size, speed, and athleticism being stockpiled by competitive teams in the ACC. The smallest Hokie starter was about as big as Erin O'Malley -- UD's sophomore midfielder carrying the broadest Flyer shoulders and enough weight to return the body blows. As for the rest of the Virginia Tech lineup -- they enjoyed 4-5 inches and 25-30lbs of additional muscle to make the Flyer physiques look like the Smurfs.

The initial onslaught of speed and attacking ability put the Flyers in damage control mode early and often. Just minutes into the game, GK Heather Betancourt was tasked with coming up with big saves -- oftentimes one vs. one with Hokie strikers blowing past the Flyer back line like a sports car speeding past traffic cones. Not that Dayton wasn't trying; it was simply an unfair fight.

To her credit, Betancourt kept the net clear for the first 15 minutes of the half, but it was only a matter of time before the Hokies cashed in. Over the middle 15 minutes of the opening half, Dayton surrendered four goals. In each case, Hokie attacking players pushed aside or ran right past Dayton defenders unable to slow them down. The home team also used the size of the field -- longer and wider than Baujan Field -- to create gaping holes for through-balls they could run directly onto. The larger field suited Tech perfectly and played against Dayton's game plan to clog the middle and keep numbers behind the ball.

The first Hokie goal arrived in the 15th minute, second strike came in the 21st, the third found the net in the 26th, and the final tally in the 30th minute. All four goals were less about tactics and more about talent winning out. The Hokies played balls on the ground, triangulated, sent balls over the top, ran through 50/50 balls while the Flyers only stuck a foot in, and never allowed Dayton to counter with any numbers of their own. That pressure put an enormous burden on UD's back line in the defensive half of the field, resulting in a 17-0 advantage in first half shots on goal by Virginia Tech.

Two things happened in the second half: the Hokies called off the wolves and the Flyers played better. No question, VT could have made the final outcome far worse -- perhaps 7-0 -- but Dayton used the last 45 minutes as an opportunity to salvage a bit of pride by playing the Hokies even on the scoreboard -- even if the run of play remained dominated by the opposition.

The lone field players capable of offering similar ACC-like pushback in the physicality department were midfielders Nicole Waters and Erin O'Malley. O'Malley in particular played a strong second half and had a few moments of ball-skill brilliance that even Hokie fans appreciated. While both players can push forward with pace and create separation in the A10, it was far more difficult against VT however, forcing both to distribute more often and more quickly to relieve pressure before getting overwhelmed by a double-team. That defined much of the game -- UD's two most physical players being forced to let go of the ball in order to maintain Flyer possession. When UD is at their best, Waters and O'Malley have the ball on their feet as long as they can tolerate it.

Betancourt continued to play exceedingly well in goal and while the Hokies eased up on the gas as the second half continued, they still attacked with pace and never pulled the air out in spite of the liberal substitutions -- 11 players off the Hokie bench saw action. Stoning two point-blank shots and extending past the 18yd line to take out a Hokie player crashing a loose ball, Betancourt was the main reason the deficit wasn't far worse. It was her best game of her career despite the score.

The Flyers only managed a couple offensive chances that mattered and both were basically half-chances. Waters struck a free kick from 30yds that sailed over the crossbar, and UD managed a pair of corner kicks. Despite the slim pickings on offense, the Hokies only out-shot UD 5-4 in the final 45 minutes.

Freshman Alexis Kiehl and sophomore Meghan Blank were dwarfed by the lumberjacks marking them all night, unable to get loose or create separation with enough physicality to open up the field in a meaningful way. Each of them surrendered 5 inches and 30lbs whenever it was their turn to solve Virginia Tech's personnel advantage.

Despite the lopsided result, it's worth keeping a proper perspective on things. The Hokies are perhaps the best team Dayton has faced in the NCAA Tournament in any round in program history -- the exception being Notre Dame in 1999 with Hermann Trophy winner Anne Makinen. Virginia Tech could easily reach the NCAA Semifinals once again -- they are that good, that deep, and that physically imposing. Even with a full complement of healthy players -- including Campbell -- the Flyers had no chance in this matchup.

That's important to digest because fans can't ask a team to perform at a level so far beyond their own ability that even Hercules would fail. The level of talent -- and the size of those players -- being courted by schools like Virginia Tech are pulled from entirely different pond. Bigger, stronger, faster, more skilled. It's not complicated.

The loss does very little to put a damper on the ending of the season however as UD rebounded from a miserable start to capture the A10 Tournament title and earn their first NCAA bid since 2011. This was not Mike Tucker's most talented team by any measure, but they fought through as much adversity as any he's ever coached. The product was -- at times -- maniacal, diabolical, and inexcusable in the first half of the season. But they overcame youth, injuries, and their own propensity for making critical mistakes to finish the season playing their best soccer. UD also brings back most of the cogs next year, boding well for an up-tick.

Considering where the Flyers started 2014 and where they ended up, it's one of the better coaching jobs in Mike Tucker's career, but coaching only goes so far. The players have to get it done and late-season, they found a way to uphold the program tradition of hoisting hardware and playing in the postseason. That's the overriding thought from Saturday night in Blacksburg.























__________________

Hot shooting hides a multitude of sins.
Make everyone else's "one day" your "day one".
Article Tools
Comment

Article Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.1

All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:45 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.6
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Advertisement System V2.6 By   Branden

Article powered by GARS 2.1.8m ©2005-2006

     
 
Copyright 1996-2012 UDPride.com. All Rights Reserved.