Men's Soccer Thread

[valpopal]

[tweet]522070606079348737[/tweet]

[valpotx]

Now we just need the main poll to recognize us, as we will have hit all polls!

[valpotx]

Tough loss, especially considering that we had a chance to tie with that late penalty kick miss:

http://www.valpoathletics.com/msoccer/news/2014-15/14003/22-valpo-falls-to-detroit-at-home/#.VD9SkXnQOUk

[valpotx]

Men's soccer with another win as well, 1-0 over CSU!

http://www.valpoathletics.com/msoccer/boxscore/2014-15/4466/at-cleveland-state-10-18-2014/

[vu72]

Soccer loses to last place Green Bay tonight.  This after losing mid-week to IPFW.  Need to get it together or we will miss even being in the conference tournament.  What is going on??   

[valpotx]

The GB game was won, until a SR scored for them with 30 seconds left in regulation to tie, only to beat us 10 minutes into OT.  Too bad, as that would have clinched a conference tournament spot for us.

[VULB#62]

I was at the game (windy and 40 degrees that made it feel like the north pole). The tieing goal in the 90th minute came off of a flicked-on header that was a one in a million score that came off a desperation serve from 30 yards out.  Up to that point our guys pretty much had the run of play and controlled the pace.  GB had few chances and was pushed out of their game. The OT golden goal was more of a defensive breakdown as GB brought the ball down the left side and crossed into the box for the score.  The defender had a opportunity to just send the ball out of bounds but tried a tackle that was evaded and that resulted in the cross further down the field.  Killer with only 10 seconds left.  Mike was really POed - and he is generally very composed win or lose.

The FW game was essentially a OOC game that Avery used to rest his front liners.  One curious thing is that we've missed on at least 2 PKs and that should not happen at the D-I level IMO.

[valpopal]

[tweet]531886905726889984[/tweet]

[VULB#62]

Key HLMSO Tourney game for our side tonight @ Cleveland State.

[bbtds]

Valpo MSO goes down in Cleveland after 2 OT and 7 penalty rounds. Count was 4-3 for Cleveland State on penalties.

[vu72]

Very disappointing.  Another very promising season gone.   

[valpotx]

Yes, very unfortunate.  What seemed like a great season in being ranked for the first time, ends in a 5th place finish in conference, and another 1 and done in the tourney.  I still very much support Coach Avery, but hope that since we have a lot coming back next season, that he can translate our talent into an NCAA bid or two.  It seems that we play ranked teams very well, but falter in our own conference each season.

[agibson]

[tweet]574939090078011393[/tweet]

That's over the _senior_ international team from the Cayman Islands, mind you.

OK - there's a certain possibility that's like beating American Samoa.  (I'm just reading Montague's Thirty-One Nil - a great read so far!)  But, still, it sounds impressive!

OK, looks like Cayman Islands are #205 in the FIFA rankings.  Between Somalia and Djibouti (what a place to be!). 

Jamaica's senior team is #79, the US has fallen to #31.

It looks like the Cayman Islands haven't played an official international match since... 2011?  Where the highlight was drawing the Dominican Republic?  Their last win almost five years ago against Anguilla?

OK - maybe I should be careful about expressing pride.  But, still, a senior men's international team!

[agibson]

Yes, yes, Cayman islands population 56,000.  Less than Porter County.

Still!  It seems like they do consider football/soccer one of their sports.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Yes, yes, Cayman islands population 56,000.  Less than Porter County.

I've been offered jobs both places.  Having lived in the latter, I sometimes wish I'd taken the former

[bbtds]

Yes, yes, Cayman islands population 56,000.  Less than Porter County.

I've been offered jobs both places.  Having lived in the latter, I sometimes wish I'd taken the former

As they might say in Jamaica when enthusiastically replying: Oh Cay-mon.

[crusaderjoe]

OK - maybe I should be careful about expressing pride.  But, still, a senior men's international team!

OK, yes, it's only the Caymans, but there still has to be some skill on the pitch at least if it's their national squad I would imagine.  A few years ago I met a former player who played on the Haitian National Team and a former player who played on the Nicaraguan National Team and while both Haiti and Nicaragua aren't exactly top flight talent squads from a FIFA standpoint, you could tell that these guys had some quality skills and talent nonetheless.

[valpopal]

[tweet]580201766542790657[/tweet]

[agibson]

There's another thread for him over here
http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=2122.0
too.  I figured pros perhaps deserve their own thread

But great news for the VUMSO program in general, for sure.

@valpoathletics or a similar account tweeted out a photo of them practicing in the snow yesterday.

Here it is
[tweet]580156206230188032[/tweet]

[Manny]

I've been sitting on this question for a few weeks, but have to now throw it out there: has anyone heard talk of Coach Avery moving to another job? My son is a 2016 commit, and we are very excited - but nervous. The college advisor for his academy team told us there was talk of another program coming hard for him.  That was a few weeks ago. We received an email from a ACC coaching staff this morning asking if we planned to reopen our search if a coaching change at Valpo was made. I emailed Coach but his response was a pretty standard professional and polite non-answer: He loves Valpo, family is happy, thinks the best team in his time is on campus - rumors happen every year, if there's anything to know he would let us know first. But, he didn't say he wasn't considering another job. I don't want to read too much into this, just really don't want to have to reopen the search. My wife is a VU Law grad, we live in the area and love the program.  My son, though, only wants Valpo if Coach Avery is the coach.  I know commitments are verbal and coaching changes happen, I just hope this is rumor and nothing more.

[valpotx]

My assumption is that the Avery's are a package deal somewhere, unless it is a school close enough to Valpo where they could live in-between the two schools (Notre Dame).

[vu72]

My assumption is that the Avery's are a package deal somewhere, unless it is a school close enough to Valpo where they could live in-between the two schools (Notre Dame).

I certainly don't have any information on this, but, as valpotx suggests, it could be a program close enough to commute.  Those schools might include Purdue and Northwestern as well or even IU.

[covufan]

My assumption is that the Avery's are a package deal somewhere, unless it is a school close enough to Valpo where they could live in-between the two schools (Notre Dame).

Yes, and since the season of coaching changes for both Volleyball and Men's soccer have already passed, I'd say they are good for this upcoming season.  Come December we should know of either Avery is being recruited to another program. 

[Manny]

Per my son's club coach last night, High Point in NC chasing Valpo coach.  Decision to be made middle of next week. No word if interest is mutual just that the job is his if he wants it. I guess we just wait and see. I hope those on here are right and a move like this doesn't fit the bill.

[VULB#62]

Announced June 9th, High Point just lost Dustin Fonder to Campbell (both in the Big South).  HPU just opened the Wicher Athetic Center that serves men's and women's soccer and lacrosse.  Impressive facility with chair back seating for soccer and lacrosse.  It's a FCS school though and a horizontal move and I would think that Mike would only make a vertical move  (B1G, Big XII) at this stage in his career.