Men's Soccer - 2015

[VULB#62]

Following agibson's coverage on the general MSO thread, it occurred to me that now might be a good time to post the thread for the upcoming season.  What with two internationals in the lineup and a very promising incoming group, I know that Mike is excited for the new season to begin.  Last year, the team did very well in their OOC games against some impressive competition, but wound up in the middle of the pack in HL play.  Hopefully they can straighten that out this season 

[agibson]

Just to highlight the difficulty of our schedule, I noticed some of the players on the call-up list for the U23 US camp that's coming up, ahead of Olympic qualifiers
http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2015/07/28/09/28/150728-u23mnt-herzog-calls-28-players-for-college-id-camp
we'll be playing one of the defenders (Indiana) and one of the midfielders (New Mexico) next season.

Of course, we have some quality of our own.  None of our Jamaicans were on the team that did... well, _that_, to the US.  But, the Jamaican U23 team, with Nico Campbell the #1 goalie, and Ramone Howell on the roster, does include players who were part of the senior squad that did so well in the Gold Cup.  (Not sure if any U23 players were on the Copa America roster, or if that might have overlapped the U23 qualifying.  But, Jamaica did rather well there too, despite not winning.  A shame about their draw for the World Cup Qualifiers.  I suppose there recent success is too recent to help them with this year's seeding.)

In other US roster trivia, I notice that they have not only Jurgen Klinsmann's son, but John Harkes' son as well.

[valpopal]

Great start for the team today as they beat #12 Indiana 2-1!

[VULB#62]

SUPER!!!!


But it is early. Our side really haven't practiced together for more than a week. Same probably for IU.

Yet any result over a B1G is noteworthy.

[bbtds]

http://iuhoosiers.com/news/2015/8/17/MSOC_0817154533.aspx

[IndyValpo]

I was there but could only stay for the first half. Though down 1-0 at half we certainly showed we can compete at that level.  Must have been a great second half.

[FWalum]

I was there but could only stay for the first half. Though down 1-0 at half we certainly showed we can compete at that level.  Must have been a great second half.

Quote from the IU article: The game opened with the Hoosiers holding most of the possession and creating the better scoring chances, but 33 minutes in, the match was still scoreless.

That would change in the 36th minute, when junior midfielder Tanner Thompson dropped off a pass to Maurey and he took a couple touches before blasting a shot into the back of the net before the Valpo goalkeeper could react.

After the teams went to the locker room with the Hoosiers holding the lead, the play was a little more even in the second half as IU used some different lineup combinations for most of the half.

The writer of this article seems to think that it was a pretty one-sided game with them getting scored on only when they put in the subs. Was the first half as uneven as the writer made it seem?

[valpotx]

We always play well against ranked teams in men's soccer under Avery, but then finish in the middle of the pack in conference.  I would much rather see the other way around this season!

[IndyValpo]

The writer of this article seems to think that it was a pretty one-sided game with them getting scored on only when they put in the subs. Was the first half as uneven as the writer made it seem?

No it was not. Both teams had 4 or 5 shots. Both had 2 shots on goal, 2 corners.  It was obvious that IU was better but a would not consider it one-sided by any means.

[VULB#62]

The writer of this article seems to think that it was a pretty one-sided game with them getting scored on only when they put in the subs. Was the first half as uneven as the writer made it seem?

From the Valpo perspective...."The Hoosiers controlled possession for a majority of the first half, while the Crusaders were content to counter. Valpo had a few chances on the counter, but was unable to convert the opportunities into goals. ......"  So it all depends on what side of the field you are on I guess. Although, traditionally in soccer, visiting teams generally play defensively on the road until a game rhythm is established. What the IU article doesn't say is whether Valpo also tried new combinations at the same time in the second half.  This is an exhibition, so I would bet Mike was changing up combinations in the second half as well.  College substitutions are much more liberal than on the FIFA stage. 

Another point that was made in the IU article was that a 45 minute scrimmage between bench players was held preliminary to the actual exhibition game and IU dominated.  This says two things to me:  (1) The maybe 15-16 players on each side who were used in the actual exhibition were pretty evenly matched, and (2) it showed the real difference between a big-time soccer program and a mid-major program -- i.e., a Valpo might be able to match up with a starting 11 and even match depth among some 1st line subs, but with an IU or a Michigan State there isn't the same fall-off in capability after the first group like there is for a VU or a Wright State.

[agibson]

This is an exhibition, so I would bet Mike was changing up combinations in the second half as well.  College substitutions are much more liberal than on the FIFA stage. 

Yeah, there are rules, but the subs seem practically unlimited.  And, in an exhibition, they might literally have been unlimited.

It seems to me that you'd have to know the minutes per player, and the combinations, (and the rosters pretty well), to have any idea how much to read into this.  Watching the VUWSO exhibition, it seemed like Valpo's starters only played together as a mostly whole unit sparingly (and never their #1 keeper?) - I didn't put too much into the loss.  In the first period, where the starters seemed to see the most minutes, VUWSO looked pretty dominant.

Similarly, it's hard for me to know how much to celebrate the VUMSO win.  But, always great to to beat the B10 (an Avery speciality?), and a ranked team.  And, a win's pretty much always better than a loss.

Kentucky coming up will, I guess, be much more telling.  And, even then, it's very early in the season.

[agibson]

Another point that was made in the IU article was that a 45 minute scrimmage between bench players was held preliminary to the actual exhibition game and IU dominated.

I wondered what was going on. Some of the men's team were behind me at the VUWSO game, talking about the early game.  Almost sounded like the old days (just a few years ago in fact) when we had a formal reserve team.

Not quite the same thing, but good for them to get some organized minutes,

[VULB#62]

Last year Mike carried 30 players and did not have a formal reserve team any longer as in the past. This year's team photo shows 32 in uniform. So you are spot on in your observation.

[VULB#62]

MSO goes down 2-1 to UK on a goal at 89:29 

[valpotx]

Then we lose 1-0 in the 103rd minute at Cincinnati.  We play well against quality competition.  We supposedly get back a few players from suspension, and hopefully can turn these close games into Ws.

[VULB#62]

Slight correction - not suspension.  Kids were hung up in the       NCAA eligibility treadmill.

[agibson]

And some others, I think, that picked up minor injuries (slight knocks?) in the summer, or preseason, etc.

[agibson]

A quick note to VU soccer enthusiasts:

Like as not you're already on Mike Avery's email list.  I'm pretty sure it was mentioned here before - but i wasn't entirely sure of the details.  It seems it's available broadly to supporters of the team, but by email.  So far, it's much more frequent and detailed than I would have imagined!  Quality stuff.

If you're interested, send Mike a note, or ask me for details.

Anyway, maybe already obvious to the target audience.  But, I wish I'd signed up years ago!

[VULB#62]

Totally agree. Here's a sample --it's the most recent release:

Good afternoon everyone,

I am sure most have heard by now that we had two very close matches fall the wrong way over the first weekend of the season, so the bus ride back to campus late last night was a bit quiet.  It was, though, a very good weekend for the team, and an important one.  Early season is exactly that, early.  It's far too soon to jump to any conclusions about this group as we are certainly a work in progress, which is to be expected since there are many new pieces of the puzzle to fit into place. 

Overall, I was impressed with both performances on the field.  Two challenging games on the road to start a season is never easy, nor do we want it to be easy.  What I like most about this team is that they handled each disappointment maturely. Nobody likes that feeling after a loss, especially when they happen dramatically and late, but these games provide us with valuable information so we can continue to grow.  It is very apparent that we can flat out play.  We can keep the ball as well as anyone, and we have a technical and athletic group that matches up well with the big name programs.  On the flip side, our defensive shape still needs attention - though it is getting better every time out - and we need a little more goal danger when in the final third.  Our attention has been on building from the back to front, so the final attacking pieces always seem to fall into place a bit later in every season, and we like the talent we are working with in the front of the opposition's goal.  Bottom line, we are not there yet, but we are close - and it is coming.

We are also excited that we can now add two players who have the potential to be important as we move forward.  Junior transfer Okama Thompson, who was excellent in the preseason win over Indiana, served an NCAA mandated two game penalty over the weekend for what they term a "delayed enrollment".  Basically it means that the length of time from HS graduation in Jamaica to enrolling in college in the US was longer than acceptable (in his case due to his family's immigration process to the US).  So, that is now behind us and we have Okama available from here on out. 

We also (finally) received another boost when freshman Demar Rose was cleared yesterday by the NCAA as a qualifier for D1 athletics.  The schooling system in Jamaica is different than the US, so for Demar it was simply a matter of his final exams being submitted and received by the NCAA.  The CAPE exams in Jamaica do not typically get released until early August, so this was not unexpected, and he is busy today getting situated on campus as a full time Valparaiso student.  Demar is a wonderful young man that will be a great fit for our team, and is a very talented attacking player.  Demar will likely need a bit of his own "preseason" to get fully fit and acclimated, so we will go slowly with him, but we will see in the next few weeks what role he might play this year.

We had a few guys come back from a busy soccer summer with some nagging injuries, but now we are finally at a point where everyone will be available, of course barring anything new that might arise (wood knocking here!).  It's a quick turnaround this week as we leave again on Thursday night for a Friday afternoon game at Western Illinois, and then we are home on Labor Day for a matchup with Loyola-Chicago at 7pm on Brown Field.  These two games, plus one final non-conference tune up at IUPUI on 9/11, give us three chances and three weeks to fully prepare for the Horizon League opener at Detroit later in the month. Deliberate and patient is the message to the boys as we look to build for a league run.

Speaking of the league, it is somewhat hard to believe that a team that finished mid table a year ago - and then lost a large class of seniors to boot - was picked second overall in the HL preseason poll by our league coaches.  Preseason polls mean virtually nothing, of course, but it is an indication that the group is perceived as one having a lot of potential.  I agree.

Off the field, the team is coming together very well.  It is an extremely diverse group and it makes me proud to see how quickly they are bonding.  These are high character kids that believe in themselves, and that believe in the program.  I think we will all enjoy watching their progress.  My staff continues to do a great job at telling their story via our social media sites, and these snapshots reinforce key values for the players.

Mike's email is Mike.Avery@valpo.edu

[VULB#62]

2-1 in OT over WIU.  About time we were on the better side of the score.  Loyola will not be easy next week either.

[valpotx]

Valpo 0
Loyola 0

Now 1-2-1

[VULB#62]

at ooey pooey on Friday

[historyman]

at ooey pooey on Friday

IUPUI is 1-3-1, game time 6:00 p.m. Central

lost to UIC on pk's 0-0 (3-2 in pk's) in Chitown
beat Evansville 3-1 at UE
tied Detroit 1-1 (2 OTs, no pk's) at UDM
lost to Butler 3-2 in OT at IUPUI
lost to Western Michigan 1-0 at Indy


It will not be too easy.

[VULB#62]

Yep.  Too bad it's only on game tracker   

[VULB#62]

It's a win on 2 OTs.  Now on to the HL and Detroit next weekend.