The Stanford Womens' soccer team (11-0) retakes the #1 spot in the SoccerAmerica poll, and rightly so.
This is a team that plays at a very high technical and tactical level, and they play very fast, a rarity in college soccer. Stanford is loaded with strikers and attacking mids who know how to put the ball in the back of the net.
If Stanford has a weak spot, it is in the central defense. But I use the term, "weak" in a relative sense. Stanford has plenty of shutouts this season, the central defense can't be too bad.
The Brazil National mens' team is not known to be a defensive fortress, but they win plenty of games. Stanford, like Brazil, has a phalanx of top strikers, and they have the two best attacking midfielders in the country in Kelley O'Hara and Christen Press. Both are, for some reason, listed as forwards. Really they play as a blend of forward/attacking mid. They take turns quarterbacking the team, and they score plenty of goals.
The nice thing is other players are making better runs off the ball than last season, leveraging the creative vision of the two Maradonas. All this makes for a multi-dimensional attack and more than adequate defense that can beat anybody.
All that said, I would not be too quick to gloat about UNC's loss to Va Tech. UNC is extremely good. From the top starter to the last player on the reserve bench, UNC has players who are very fast, very athletic, very soccer-smart, and have a high level of mastery of individual and team soccer fundamentals. They are a team that plays excellent positional football, read passing lanes very, very well, and it goes without saying they are extremely well coached. Their highly efficient, swarming team defense all over the field is something truly wondrous to behold.
Bottom line, these are the two best teams in the country right now.
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I know you know soccer, but having not seen a Stanford game this season, your take on their weakness is spookily on the mark. My Brother, who has seen all but the nail biter against St. Marys, said that he has no nails left after watching the
defense during the first handful of games. Players who had confidence the last three years can't seem to find any this year. He says the defense is getting better but sees poor passing from one particular player costing the Card three goals. We'll see.
I'll take your word for the mis-list of KO and CP as forwards. Kelley didn't like when she played forward earlier in the year but quickly warmed to it seeing that she had more control and could help the team in that role a good deal more.
I don't see how Stanford could beat VT(after a slow start) the way they did and then see UNC lose to them. UNC is better than that. But obviously, VT has a very good team also. I heard Tobin Heath of UNC, and very close friend to KO was sick w/ the flu. So, UNC was down a very big "Olympic", player.
Side note: Kelley said that the biggest compliment she ever received was from Tobin after Kelley scored the tying goal against UNC last year. Tobin said that when she saw that Kelley was one on one, screaming toward the goal, she knew that Kelley would score.
That said. I hope the two teams meet again. Your take on UNC is correct and the game would be wonderful. Too bad it may be in College Station.
Jer
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