2019 WSOC Roster Updated

[pittchagg]

https://pittsburghpanthers.com/roster.aspx?roster=1229&path=wsoc

No biographies for any new players yet, but it looks like there are twenty two (!) new additions for this season. Waldrum has certainly reshaped the roster quickly in his image. I know we have a few posters who are much more entrenched in the girls soccer world than I am - would love to get any thoughts.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

So who really knows how good they are.

My guess is that they are hoping that a handful of the new players turn out to be good college soccer players, and the rest will fall by the wayside.

 

[eastender2]

Their pre season schedule is pretty easy, 4 A 10 teams, but no Duquense. Trying to pad the win total going into ACC season.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Their pre season schedule is pretty easy, 4 A 10 teams, but no Duquense. Trying to pad the win total going into ACC season.

Fun fact. Duquesne put their schedule out a week or so ago. It included a game against Pitt, at Duquesne, on September 12. Then Pitt put their schedule out and didn't mention a Duquesne game. Shortly after, the schedule and story about the schedule on the Duquesne web site both had any references to a game against Pitt removed.

I wonder what happened in those days in between that changed things?

 

[Panther Parrothead]

https://pittsburghpanthers.com/roster.aspx?roster=1229&path=wsoc

No biographies for any new players yet, but it looks like there are twenty two (!) new additions for this season. Waldrum has certainly reshaped the roster quickly in his image. I know we have a few posters who are much more entrenched in the girls soccer world than I am - would love to get any thoughts.

The lack of full, published bios leaves a lot of wondering. After reading the limited info that appears, there are at least 2 transfers from other schools - Kentucky and Cincinnati.

Kiki Lowell is a Canadian product who was on Cincinnati's roster last season.

Hollie Olding played for Kentucky last year and was elected one of their team captains as a freshman. She's from England and played for Chelsea FC.

In any case, it's obvious that the roster has flipped.

 

[anon_d97v9o3a8b6xr]

The lack of full, published bios leaves a lot of wondering. After reading the limited info that appears, there are at least 2 transfers from other schools - Kentucky and Cincinnati.

Kiki Lowell is a Canadian product who was on Cincinnati's roster last season.

Hollie Olding played for Kentucky last year and was elected one of their team captains as a freshman. She's from England and played for Chelsea FC.

In any case, it's obvious that the roster has flipped.

There are a lot of schools that go heavy international. They believe they can tap into talent that other schools don't have the resources or connections.

 

[Panther Parrothead]

There are a lot of schools that go heavy international. They believe they can tap into talent that other schools don't have the resources or connections.

Most definitely. We'll take talent from wherever.

Just so there's no confusion, my post wasn't made primarily to point out that the two women mentioned were English and Canadian; it was more to note that we gotta 'em as transfers from Kentucky and Cincinnati.

I'm assuming that it's a compliment to get transfers in - meaning that players from other Power Five programs want to play here, and that it will make our team stronger and more competitive in the ACC.

 

[anon_d97v9o3a8b6xr]

Most definitely. We'll take talent from wherever.

Just so there's no confusion, my post wasn't made primarily to point out that the two women mentioned were English and Canadian; it was more to note that we gotta 'em as transfers from Kentucky and Cincinnati.

I'm assuming that it's a compliment to get transfers in - meaning that players from other Power Five programs want to play here, and that it will make our team stronger and more competitive in the ACC.

There is a downside of course to having an international focus, and that is local players and even in state and surrounding states feel they are being looked over. And in many cases, they are being looked over because these coaches don't have to do the heavy recruiting when they have connections who can just send a player their way.
I don't like colleges getting too caught up in foreign players, there are a lot of US players that can fill positions. ETSU, East Tennessee State U is getting some serious pushback related to their heavy international roster. The coaches have been told to look state side first, and locally. They have 12 international players, and had more in the past.

There are a lot of schools who don't even look within their own local areas because talent is poor and programs are not good. Virginia Tech is a prime example. I don't think they've ever had anyone from SW Virginia play there, female roster that is, because the local clubs are not good.

I get it, if you have the budget, recruit everyone in the US. International stuff allows for a lot of shady things with money, scholarships etc.

 

[Panther Parrothead]

There is a downside of course to having an international focus, and that is local players and even in state and surrounding states feel they are being looked over. And in many cases, they are being looked over because these coaches don't have to do the heavy recruiting when they have connections who can just send a player their way.
I don't like colleges getting too caught up in foreign players, there are a lot of US players that can fill positions. ETSU, East Tennessee State U is getting some serious pushback related to their heavy international roster. The coaches have been told to look state side first, and locally. They have 12 international players, and had more in the past.

There are a lot of schools who don't even look within their own local areas because talent is poor and programs are not good. Virginia Tech is a prime example. I don't think they've ever had anyone from SW Virginia play there, female roster that is, because the local clubs are not good.

I get it, if you have the budget, recruit everyone in the US. International stuff allows for a lot of shady things with money, scholarships etc.

I hear ya. One of my sons played D-2 soccer, and most of the D-2 schools that he faced were loaded with foreign players. One D-2 school in West Virginia had a roster with seven players from Brazil alone. In watching them, I didn't think that the Brazilian players they had were anything special, but being in West Virginia, I guess they felt the need to bring players in to be competitive. But it sure didn't look as though Brazil had sent their best.....

There seemed to be a lot of players from Ireland, too. It seemed that if any of the coaches on staff had foreign roots, that was where they snagged their recruits from.

 

[eastender2]

He is doing a much better job looking and recruiting local talent then the previous coach. Have seen the transfer from Cincinnati play, was not impressed at all, very lazy.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

He is doing a much better job looking and recruiting local talent then the previous coach.

The previous coach thought that local players should be willing to take less scholarship money simply for the privilege of playing for Pitt.

Needless to say, that didn't go over very well with a whole lot of players (and their parents).

 

[Fk_Pitt]

The previous coach thought that local players should be willing to take less scholarship money simply for the privilege of playing for Pitt.

Needless to say, that didn't go over very well with a whole lot of players (and their parents).

And how many of these locally are taking less to go to Pitt? Probably all of them. Most of them aren’t getting anything. None will be impact players and are at the level of player that the previous staff let get away...players like Veronica Latsgo, Taylor Schram, Frannie Crouse, and Amanda Hill all got away and those are the only 4 locals in the last decade who made significant impacts at the Power 5 D1 level. I’d like to think Randy Waldrum would have got at least a couple of them to stay home. Although, those four players went to WVU and PSU which were top 5 programs and also regarded as local. That’s what Waldrum is up against. That said, there’s been plenty that got away from Pitt who would have made the program respectable under Greg Miller. There’s a couple right now who are all conference performers where they went, and as you know, Joe, Al Alvine at Duquesne recruited local girls there who were all capable of winning game at pitt. He outrecruited Greg miller by getting some of the best local players complimented by a few here and there from out of state.

Btw, the foreign players currently signing with Pitt are due to the staff trying to circumvent the scholarship crunch the previous staff left them. Somehow the foreign players provide relief in that regard.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

There’s a couple right now who are all conference performers where they went, and as you know, Joe, Al Alvine at Duquesne recruited local girls there who were all capable of winning game at pitt.

I do know those girls are capable of winning games at Pitt, because I've seen it!

Duquesne won the spring game at Pitt, and they won the regular season game last fall also at Pitt. And the local girls were a big part of that.

 

[eastender2]

They shouldn't be in a scholarship crunch, he ran most of the roster of the team (wisely).

 

[eastender2]

of the 27 players on last years roster, 6 were seniors, so they obviously can't return, of the 21 remaining, only 8 are on the roster this year, quite the turnover.

 

[pittchagg]

I think I remember reading here that womens soccer, in particular, tends to get traditional domestic commitments several years in advance. On top drawer soccer (which, admittedly, I don’t know how up to date it tends to be) it looks like most of Waldrum’s listed recruits for the 2020-22 cycles are girls from Pennsylvania in the surrounding states.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I think I remember reading here that womens soccer, in particular, tends to get traditional domestic commitments several years in advance.

A very high percentage of girls verbally commit to colleges before their sophomore year of high school ends.

 

[anon_d97v9o3a8b6xr]

A very high percentage of girls verbally commit to colleges before their sophomore year of high school ends.

Recruiting is changing with the implantation of new rules this summer.

For NCAA Division I men’s and women’s soccer, the new rules include the following:

No communication with a coach until June 15 of sophomore year
No official or unofficial visits until August 1 of junior year

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Recruiting is changing with the implantation of new rules this summer.

For NCAA Division I men’s and women’s soccer, the new rules include the following:

No communication with a coach until June 15 of sophomore year
No official or unofficial visits until August 1 of junior year

I think it's a good idea to move the process back a little. A lot can change in those 2 - 2-1/2 years.

 

[anon_d97v9o3a8b6xr]

I think it's a good idea to move the process back a little. A lot can change in those 2 - 2-1/2 years.

Especially with female development into womanhood. A 14 year old becomes a different kid by 16-17.

 

[Fk_Pitt]

Especially with female development into womanhood. A 14 year old becomes a different kid by 16-17.

I’m not a college coach, but I think it’s huge as well. It will take some of the guesswork and projections out of play.

I’ve coached and watched hundreds of players at the youth level. And none I know better than my own two daughters. So I will use them as an example. They were completely different players as upperclassmen than they were as freshmen. Using my younger daughter as an example, she was being recruited by a high profile program as a freshman. They loved everything about her, except one aspect of her game that they always told her that she needed to work on. But as an 8th and 9th grader, she just couldn’t grasp it to the level they needed for the type of style that the program plays. Ultimately her recruitment with that particular school cooled during her sophomore year. She has since committed elsewhere and that one area for growth for her is now a strength. I am happy with her college choice, but naturally, due to the bit of rejection with the other school, I’d love to see those coaches there see her play now.

 

[anon_d97v9o3a8b6xr]

I’m not a college coach, but I think it’s huge as well. It will take some of the guesswork and projections out of play.

I’ve coached and watched hundreds of players at the youth level. And none I know better than my own two daughters. So I will use them as an example. They were completely different players as upperclassmen than they were as freshmen. Using my younger daughter as an example, she was being recruited by a high profile program as a freshman. They loved everything about her, except one aspect of her game that they always told her that she needed to work on. But as an 8th and 9th grader, she just couldn’t grasp it to the level they needed for the type of style that the program plays. Ultimately her recruitment with that particular school cooled during her sophomore year. She has since committed elsewhere and that one area for growth for her is now a strength. I am happy with her college choice, but naturally, due to the bit of rejection with the other school, I’d love to see those coaches there see her play now.

Prime example. Katie Cousins. She plays for Tennessee, but isxfrom Virginia. VT didn’t like her size. She is barely 5 feet tall. She will never be over 5 feet. She was on the US national team and heavily recruited, but was always questioned about her size.
She has tree trunk legs.
Point being, she was always considered a question mark because if size. She is a 5th year senior and helped lead to Tennessee to its best finish ever with top national rankings and elite 8 I believe. She is a dominating midfielder, true leader, and just absolutely solid all around.
Some of these coaches think they have a model player they want, but probably can give a little on things that will never change, like height. Cousins doesn’t need to be tall, she needs to be a dominating midfielder with strength and control. She’s all of that minus a foot in height.
And most of these kids will be an entirely different player. I’m glad they are pushing this back a bit.
My youngest kid is a talented player. But she hasn’t even hit womanhood yet which means her small 110 pound frame will be different in a year or two. She may get faster or slower, she may not fill out or she will. But she can always work on game knowledge, skill, and fitness.
You just never know with women.