Men's soccer 2011

[crusaderjoe]

As someone who played soccer for VU many moons ago, I want to extend my congratulations to the lads and coaching staff on a job well done.  It is only fitting that MSO should win VU's first HL title since it was MSO that played in VU's first HL conference game ever.  Avery has done a tremendous job with this program.  Keep it going boys.

[swiftmutiny]

A well deserved championship for a great team. They were a blast to watch throughout the season. Let's not stop here!

[VUfan]

Congrats from a former Valpo Club player. I played last in 1971 the first year for the Eastgate field.

[agibson]

It was a great match.

It turned into a solid match.  Before I get a little critical, I should say, well done to the men's soccer team!  A terrific season, still ongoing, and with this game they were able to add one more notch to their belts.

The crowd was very good for this game!  Probably the biggest crowd of the year, and definitely the most raucous.  I don't know if it was senior day, the team's success, the nice back page Torch feature, or what.  But, the students were out in numbers, were loud (passing out the balance of the vuvuzelas helped), were cheering, and were actually watching the game!  Definitely new students and faculty in the stands - climb on the bandwagon!

The team was definitely in the mood to celebrate their accomplishments (so far) after the game, and it was great to see them celebrating, and ringing the Victory Bell (it actually does ring!).

As for the game itself, in the first 90 (OK, first 75), I'd say the game was actually a bit boring.  Valpo came out fairly aggressively, playing their characteristically solid defense, and to my mind basically dominated regulation.  The early goal (connection between two seniors, about 20 minutes in), and their dominant play, made the game feel relatively settled.

Butler just didn't seem dangerous.  Even when they scored - it seemed like a bit of a fluke (wait, it's _possible_ for a team to score against Valpo?).  Valpo did more than enough to win, in regulation.

Overtime was a bit of a different story.  The play was much more balanced, and, in OT, a draw seemed like a fair result.  Butler looked much better than their regular-time selves.

So, in that sense, a bit of a disappointing result.  But, a result, and all Valpo needed to secure rights to #1.  The players, at least immediately after the game, didn't seem to mind the draw at all. 

So, it was great to see such a crowd last night.  Hopefully we'll see the same or better for the tournament.  And great to see the team celebrate.  But, a slightly disappointing result.  Let's beat Green Bay, and win the tournament!

[agibson]

Speaking of the tournament (we could almost use a new thread!).

The preliminary round is Tuesday.  The semi-finals are at Valpo Friday, November 11 with the finals Sunday the 13th.  I don't think times have been announced yet.  Not sure if they play a consolation game for 3rd place.  I believe all games will be on HLN.

Unfortunately, I suspect I'll be on an airplane during the final   I don't suppose in-air internet is up to HLN?

[agibson]

The guys finish off the regular season today, at Green Bay, kicking off an hour from now.

It looks like this game is completely blacked out: "Live Stats" and nothing more (the athletics staff is committed elsewhere: football and women's basketball, so no chat this time). 

http://www.greenbayphoenix.com/liveStats/liveStats.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=22500&KEY=

If you haven't already, be sure to check out this week's team notes  http://www.valpoathletics.com/msoccer/news/2011-12/11154/crusader-men-prepare-for-final-two-regular-season-games/ for details about the Crusaders entering the regional rankings for the first time this season, Antonijevic being named to the National Team of the Week, Valpo's spots in nation-wide statistical categories, the team and Horizon League record books, etc, etc.

For Green Bay the game's still important for seeding, while Valpo has nothing concrete to win or lose.  It might be a little tempting to give some of next year's players some game minutes, rest some regulars, etc.  But, we do have almost a full week off before our first tournament game.  So, I suppose we'll mostly see the usual suspects - unless we go up decisively early.

Green Bay's a tough team, had been on a five-game winning streak, and regionally ranked, before their loss to Wright State.  A road win for Valpo would be a good victory, period, and very good for momentum going into the tournament.

Obviously, we need to be able to beat teams like Green Bay in the tournament to make it to the NCAA!

[agibson]

This particular "Live Stats" edition is... unimpressive.

There is an occasionally updated game clock.  But, the only entries for a while were two untimed fouls.

OK - there's one - GB corner kick, 10:47.

They do at least have the lineups...

[agibson]

Not the "no shots allowed" defense we had for a stretch of games there: 3 saves already 70 minutes in.  But, UWGB's better than the average of the competition we were playing in that stretch.  From what little I can tell (looking at a box score, more or less) it looks pretty even.  0-0.  Green Bay's had all the corner kicks (three).

[agibson]

To overtime: 0-0.

....  No live stats for OT?

Well, the game's surely over.  I wonder what the result was?  Dark ages!

I've got nothing.  Nothing from the live stats, nothing from either team's web page, nothing from twitter.  Maybe facebook?

At this rate, I'll see it first in the newspaper!  (Maybe two sentences on page B9, two days from now.)

[swiftmutiny]

Green Bay wins in overtime, 1-0.

[valpotx]

Too bad, only loss in conference is our last game, let alone on an own goal.  We took 2 shots in OT, they technically had 0.  Let's win the tourney as well!!

[agibson]

Tough way to pick up your only league loss of the season.  But, I can imagine the team was a bit flat.

It turns out, Green Bay's win didn't do them any good in the seedings race.  One game yet to finish, but much is clear.

#1 Valpo 5-1-2 (17 points)
#2 Wright State 5-2-1 (16 points) (apparently the first tie-breaker _is_ head-to-head, and they beat CSU)
#3 CSU 5-2-1 (16 points)
#4 Green Bay 5-3-0 (15 points)

After that it's a little unclear, with UIC up 2-1 on Milwaukee, with 15 minutes to play.  Let's assume UIC wins.

We'd have
#5 UIC 3-4-1 (10 points)
#6 Loyola 3-5-0 (9 points)

with Butler, Milwaukee, and Detroit missing the tournament.

Milwaukee can swap places with UIC if they win.  

If Milwaukee ties UIC, Loyola would have the #5 seed (tie-breaker, win over Milwaukee) and Milwaukee the #6.
So, UIC needs the win, or they're not in the tournament. (Now they're up 3-1 with 7 minutes to play.)

The tournament bracket is up at
http://s3.amazonaws.com/hln/sports/brackets/5/bracket.pdf?1317130475
but without game times.

Valpo will play the lowest remaining seed after #3 vs #6 and #4 vs #5.  Could well be Green Bay again, or UIC.  (Or else it's Loyola, or Milwaukee).  Valpo can't play Wright State or CSU in the semi-finals.

[agibson]

And apparently the second tie-breaker is, sort of like basketball, "best result moving down ladder".  With a draw counting as better than a loss.  I'm not exactly how they handle three-way ties, but likely it's the same as basketball.

[agibson]

Coach Avery talked about how he was happy noone got injured, or a card, against Green Bay.

I didn't realize, but there apparently is yellow card accumulation in NCAA soccer.  5 yellow cards gets you a one match suspension (not sure if you get kicked out of the game in progress, probably not?).  If that's the case a red card probably causes you to miss the next match, also?  (And, of course, to get kicked out of the game in progress.)

And, it sounds like these _do_ carry over to the Horizon League tournament.  Not sure about the NCAA.

[agibson]

And, UIC goes final, UIC 3 - Milwaukee 1.

#1 Valpo 5-1-2 (17 points)
#2 Wright State 5-2-1 (16 points) (apparently the first tie-breaker _is_ head-to-head, and they beat CSU)
#3 CSU 5-2-1 (16 points)
#4 Green Bay 5-3-0 (15 points)
#5 UIC 3-4-1 (10 points)
#6 Loyola 3-5-0 (9 points)

Tuesday CSU hosts UIC and Green Bay hosts Loyola.  Valpo plays one of Green Bay, UIC, and Loyola on Friday.  Wright State plays one of CSU, Green Bay or UIC, also Friday, also at Brown Field.  Final next Sunday.

Let's win this thing!

[agibson]

Green Bay wins in overtime, 1-0.  

In the 94th minute.

Have I mentioned that I don't like "golden goal"'s?  In NCAA soccer, along with clocks that can be stopped, and games that end exactly on the 90 minute mark (with a countdown!), they have a "golden goal" rule.

In much of soccer, if there's no reason a game _has_ to have a winner (it's not the elimination round of a tournament, etc.) then after 90 minutes the game just ends.  Draw.

In NCAA soccer, to add excitement I guess, they add up to two ten minute overtime periods.  To any tied game.  OK - I sort of get it, let's break the tie by playing more soccer - fine.

But, with the "golden goal" rule it becomes sudden death.  10 minutes isn't a lot of time - so if someone scores in overtime, it's most likely that their opponents wouldn't have time to match.  But, why not let them try?  

I'm just not used to walk-off homeruns in soccer, except, maybe, in penalty kicks (which is how you settle a game, anywhere, when you _really_ need a winner).

The OT, and the "golden goal" adds a certain brand of excitement.  But, for me, also a certain brand of mania.  And, it can lead to possibly disheartening moments like an own goal ending the game in the 94th minute.

[vu72]

What's an "own goal"?  Did it bounce off one of our guys into the net?

[VUfan]

yes painful!!!

[valpotx]

You don't get kicked out of a game in progress for yellow card accumulation, unless you receive two yellow cards in one game, which becomes a red card.  You just know that you will be missing the next one

[agibson]

What's an "own goal"?  Did it bounce off one of our guys into the net?

But, in the scrum that results in the goal and penalty boxes during a corner kick or free kick, it sometimes happens.  A shot bounces off the leg of a defender and goes in, or the balls rattling around the box and happens to go off a defender into the goal.

Obviously not the intent - mostly the defense wants to clear it out, fast!.  But, it happens.

[agibson]

You don't get kicked out of a game in progress for yellow card accumulation, unless you receive two yellow cards in one game, which becomes a red card.  You just know that you will be missing the next one

For yellow card accumulation, and for a red card, is the automatic suspension one game? 

[valpotx]

I believe it is one game, but if the red card is an extremely violent one, the suspension could go under review for more games.  The same happens in the pro leagues around the world.

Btw, let's celebrate Butler's futility in not making the conference tourney!!  With their low finishes in men's and women's soccer, I do have to admit I am enjoying it a bit too much.  I guess their ego-centric comments about easily being selected into the Big East make me root against them even more than usual 

[KL31NY]

According to the league site, we have official pairings and times for the tournament:

First Round - November 8 - Campus Sites
6 CT #6 Loyola vs. #3 Cleveland State
7 CT #5 UIC vs. #4 Green Bay

Semifinals - November 11 - at Valpo
1 CT #3/#4/#5 vs. #2 Wright State
7 CT #4/#5/#6 vs. #1 Valpo

Finals - November 13 - at Valpo
1 CT TBD vs. TBD

[agibson]

7 CT #4/#5/#6 vs. #1 Valpo

Not during class - yeah!

Finals - November 13 - at Valpo
1 CT TBD vs. TBD

Ooh - they're really going to tempt me to watch at least some of the game, and flirt with missing my flight.  

Or, maybe, get to the airport a little early and watch at least the end on HLN?

[KL31NY]

Two notes:

Postseason awards announced today... naturally, we did pretty well: http://www.valpoathletics.com/msoccer/news/2011-12/11171/crusaders-rake-in-horizon-league-mens-soccer-postseason-honors/

The semifinals are now 4 and 7 PM CT instead of 1 and 7 PM, which actually makes more sense.