Elite 8 is set
- Thread starter Sean Miller Fan
- Start date
A buddy of mine is a big Marshall fan, showed me that they defeated Clemson by way of penalty kicks. Definitely not a bad thing to have them out of the tournament, even if they were on the other side of the bracket.
Also, how fitting is it that we get to face Washington in the Elite Eight... again. Time for some volleyball payback!
Also, how fitting is it that we get to face Washington in the Elite Eight... again. Time for some volleyball payback!
Marshall has a good program so I'm not that surprised. I'm more surprised Clemson won as much as they did after losing Smith and Bell to MLS.
I'll tell you what though, if we win Monday, I absolutely love the Final Four matchup. I watched some of SHU/VT and those teams were even and SHU didnt look real good to me. Probably mid-tier ACC just like VT. And Indiana starts a freshman from Greensburg Central Catholic and a transfer from Pitt in Nyk Sessock who was ok but not great at Pitt. He wouldnt start here. IU also only has 1 international players. Its all midwest kids so I like our chances with the Europeans we have.
Our starting lineup is:
GK - 🇪🇸
Outside Backs - 🇩🇪 🇫🇷
Center Backs - 🇺🇸 🇪🇸
Midfielders 🇨🇭 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 🇷🇸
Forwards 🇫🇷 🇷🇸
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When I was covering Pitt/playing in the late 1960s, there weren’t many foreign players. Most were like Pitt’s two: exchange students who were true walk-ons. Both were economics majors. Pitt was in the midst of a major effort (along with other schools) to train future leaders for African nations. If the students were any good at soccer, that was accidental.
The hub of American soccer was St. Louis. Schools with players from that area dominated. Washington University of St. Louis was good but their high admissions standards kept them from being truly dominant. The Michigan State team that beat Pitt 6-0 in 1966 had 6 or 7 starters from the St. Louis area.
I think Indiana has bucked the 20 or so year old tradition of focusing on foreign players by trying to recruit the best American players. I seem to remember a year when they played either Akron or Clemson in an NCAA final and they had 11 Americans playing against 11 foreign players.
The hub of American soccer was St. Louis. Schools with players from that area dominated. Washington University of St. Louis was good but their high admissions standards kept them from being truly dominant. The Michigan State team that beat Pitt 6-0 in 1966 had 6 or 7 starters from the St. Louis area.
I think Indiana has bucked the 20 or so year old tradition of focusing on foreign players by trying to recruit the best American players. I seem to remember a year when they played either Akron or Clemson in an NCAA final and they had 11 Americans playing against 11 foreign players.
Im going Pitt vs Gtown. I've seen bits and pieces of them and they were awesome last year.
Indiana fan here who came to see if there was any soccer talk and this post really jumped out at me. First of all, Nyk Sessok has been a great addition to our program. Maybe he wasn't great at Pitt, but he's a perfect fit here-started every game in which he was healthy. Second, I don't know anything about Greensburg Central Catholic, but that player is good enough to start at an elite school like Indiana as a true freshman. That speaks for itself. He too is a fine college player.
Lastly, do you really think international players are better than US players simply because they are internationals? Did you watch our midwestern IU boys beat the Seton Hall all Swedish team last round? IU has spent 40 years loading up on elite talent from St. Louis and Chicago club programs. With 8 championships and 21 College Cups appearances, I think the model is working fine.
Here's hoping to a good game tomorrow night.
Sessock was fine here. Just saying he wouldn't start on this team and maybe that's why he left.
I dont know much about the kid from GCC but they are not a "soccer school" so I find it surprising that a kid from there is starting as a true frosh. To be fair, we have a RS Fr from GCC who plays 10-15 minutes in the 2nd Half.
Also, SHU sucks. The Big East sucked this year. I watched SHU up a man draw VT, who was mediocre in the ACC. VT was the better team to be honest. I also have no idea how you lost to NW and drew St. Francis and PSU.
I am sorry but I dont think your team of midwestern kids can beat our team of MLS-level international players. No these arent premier international types, otherwise they wouldnt be here but I could make a case that Petkovic, Jacquesson, Noel, and Loefflesand are as good at their position as any in college soccer.
Also playing in a mid-major league all year wont help you tomorrow. Pitt will be the best team you played by a mile.
The Big Ten certainly isn’t a top conference in MSOC, but it is most certainly not a “mid major.” It was just two seasons ago that 3 of the 4 teams in the College Cup were from the Big Ten. I have seen IU a few times and their goalkeeper certainly is a standout. Arguably the best in college soccer. He could easily steal a game. Tough matchup for Pitt. Really a 50/50 toss up for me.
I was exaggerating. Its like the American Athletic in basketball. Extremely top-heavy. Maryland and IU are national powers. Nobody else has a strong program. Its a step between the ACC and mid-major. IU owes a TON of their soccer historical success to the Big Ten being really bad. It actually has gotten a lot better in the last decade but before that it was horrible
You'll learn smf is our resident kook. I think this game will be a tough match and honestly I give the edge to iu just based on their history of having a strong program.
Best of luck, but obviously I hope pitt woops you guys!!
I agree it will be a tough game. I predict Pitt 2-1. Its just tough to get a read on IU since they haven't played anyone. My gut says they would be like 4th-6th in the ACC but those teams are definitely capable of beating us.
So they win national championships because the Big Ten is really bad?
I'd say that you couldn't possibly believe that, but it's you, so yeah, you probably do.
They had really good teams but played midwest JV teams until the College Cup. Honestly, they had 2 game seasons. So yea, Im sure they were very good but they played nobody until the College Cup. Kinda like this year actually. They were taking soccer seriously when the Big Ten was fielding teams of glorified walk-ons. Not to be critical 😉
Even if that is true, the fact that they were winning their league isn't what their "historical success" is based on, it's based on them competing for and winning national championships. You win a few of those and no one gives a damn if your conference has five of the top ten teams in the country in it or five of the bottom ten teams in the country in it.
GCC not a soccer school??? Are you freaking kidding me? My lord. But...it’s a small catholic school that probably plays a couple meaningful soccer games per season, because they play a Single A schedule and play against schools who have players on the field that don’t know the difference between a soccer ball and a football.
But it doesn’t matter where kids play high school. It’s irrelevant. What is relevant is where kids play their club careers. The Ward kid at IU played on a pretty good club team and developed there. Not at GCC. His sister and his girlfriend are both soccer teammates of my daughter at her college. I actually think they have IU on their schedule in the Fall. That should be fun.
I get that but they had byes to the College Cup. They had 2 game seasons. I get it that they still had to win those 2 games and they often did but if they were in a different region, it would be a completely different story. In a way, a lot of those soccer NC's are somewhat similar to our 8 pre WW2 football NC's. Yea, I know its not a perfect comparison but we took a new sport at the time seriously in an era where few teams really gave a crap about it.
I’m with you SMF, but I’ll play devils advocate here. You’ve historically praised (and rightfully so) Akron’s men’s soccer for being a blue blood. Why sell IU short? I think IU has more reasons to thump their chest than Akron. Unless we are counting pro players produced.
I'd love to know where you get your information on IU soccer and college soccer in general. Explain what a 2 game season is and when IU played that? Just about every run to the College Cup for IU has meant locking horns with an ACC or Pac-12 power team in the round of 8.
Here's a history lesson for you. Take a look at IUs schedule en route to their title in 2012. Pay close attention to who they played in the tournament, where they played them, and what those opponents were ranked. Midwest JV teams? Really?
2012 Men's Soccer Schedule - Indiana University Athletics
The official 2012 Men's Soccer schedule for the Indiana University Hoosiers
Spend a little more time around here and you’ll see where SMF gets his information from.I'd love to know where you get your information on IU soccer and college soccer in general. Explain what a 2 game season is and when IU played that? Just about every run to the College Cup for IU has meant locking horns with an ACC or Pac-12 power team in the round of 8.
Here's a history lesson for you. Take a look at IUs schedule en route to their title in 2012. Pay close attention to who they played in the tournament, where they played them, and what those opponents were ranked. Midwest JV teams? Really?
2012 Men's Soccer Schedule - Indiana University Athletics
The official 2012 Men's Soccer schedule for the Indiana University Hoosiersiuhoosiers.com
2012 was legit. Im not sure I'd count NCs won in the 80s or even 90s. IU was playing big boy soccer before anyone knew what the sport wasI'd love to know where you get your information on IU soccer and college soccer in general. Explain what a 2 game season is and when IU played that? Just about every run to the College Cup for IU has meant locking horns with an ACC or Pac-12 power team in the round of 8.
Here's a history lesson for you. Take a look at IUs schedule en route to their title in 2012. Pay close attention to who they played in the tournament, where they played them, and what those opponents were ranked. Midwest JV teams? Really?
2012 Men's Soccer Schedule - Indiana University Athletics
The official 2012 Men's Soccer schedule for the Indiana University Hoosiers
Im not saying Indiana ISNT a blue blood. They are similar to Gonzaga basketball. A great program in a weak league not too dissimilar from Akron.
I wouldn't waste time with smf. You'll never get anywhere. What iu has done is well deserved and hopefully pitt can have the long term success you have had.I'd love to know where you get your information on IU soccer and college soccer in general. Explain what a 2 game season is and when IU played that? Just about every run to the College Cup for IU has meant locking horns with an ACC or Pac-12 power team in the round of 8.
Here's a history lesson for you. Take a look at IUs schedule en route to their title in 2012. Pay close attention to who they played in the tournament, where they played them, and what those opponents were ranked. Midwest JV teams? Really?
2012 Men's Soccer Schedule - Indiana University Athletics
The official 2012 Men's Soccer schedule for the Indiana University Hoosiers
So Nate Ward, just to expound a bit, played at the Beadling soccer club. Beadling is the oldest club in the US and has traditionally been the top club in western PA. Wards team was coached by Denny Kohlmyer, the President of the club and it’s most seniored coach. The team itself was pretty good but not a national championship caliber club team, although I think they may have reached a couple regional finals when they were younger. To my knowledge, the team produced 3 D1 players. One is at Pitt, Ward is another at IU obviously, and a 3rd is in the Big South at Presbyterian. Then there’s a bunch of D2 and D3 players. So not an uber team, but he was coached by a legend in the local soccer ranks. GCC has been coached the last few years by a guy who is also a staff coach at Beadling. His team, which was the 2003 age group (Ward was a 2001), played in 3-4 national championship games in a row. So ward was exposed to some good coaches who have been through some tough battles.
Well, I was pretty much spot on. IU was very well coached, well-drilled but not very talented. Congratulations because you did what you had to do but your team would have a difficult team even making the NCAA Tournament out of the ACC. To me, your team wasnt any better than Duke, UVa, VT, ND, etc.I'd love to know where you get your information on IU soccer and college soccer in general. Explain what a 2 game season is and when IU played that? Just about every run to the College Cup for IU has meant locking horns with an ACC or Pac-12 power team in the round of 8.
Here's a history lesson for you. Take a look at IUs schedule en route to their title in 2012. Pay close attention to who they played in the tournament, where they played them, and what those opponents were ranked. Midwest JV teams? Really?
2012 Men's Soccer Schedule - Indiana University Athletics
The official 2012 Men's Soccer schedule for the Indiana University Hoosiers
Funny thing is now you play a Marshall team which isnt very good, had 1 shot vs UNC. So you will win a NC having played 1 legit team the entire season. Crazy. Lucky for the Big Ten though.
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