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The place to talk Marshall University sports! => HerdFans => Topic started by: 11-14-70 on May 12, 2021, 11:04:05 PM
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To fully realize what our soccer team has accomplished, it helps when you compare it to the NCAA's biggest sports (football & basketball)
There are 130 D1 football teams.
There are 350 D1 basketball schools.
There are 205 D1 soccer schools.
We currently have 201 teams below us, and in a couple days, there may be 204 looking up at us!
I, as well as, the large majority of HERD fans, know absolutely nothing about soccer.
We win the National Championship, and I bet we could carry a conversation about soccer, by the end of next year.
These kids are kicking (no pun intended), D1 soccer's arse, and there's probably not a dozen people in Huntington that could name 2 players. I can't name any, and that's pretty sad.
These guys deserve what they're getting, and the bandwagon could soon be loading.
Hard to tell what kind of soccer school we would be, if these guys had more people to play for.
I for one, had no idea of their accomplishments, but comparing the number of D1 soccer schools to the two major D1 sports, helps me to appreciate a sport I've never given the time of day.
Congrats to the kids and the entire staff!
Ride the Mo' and Bring It Home!
GO HERD!
And I Mean It!
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These kids are kicking (no pun intended), D1 soccer's arse, and there's probably not a dozen people in Huntington that could name 2 players. I can't name any, and that's pretty sad.
Allow me to help with this. I hope to have a video out in the next 24 hours that will help educate people late to the game on this team.
(http://pages.suddenlink.net/maclid/21herd.png)
Marshall uses a what is known as a 4-3-3 formation, meaning 4 backs, 3 midfield, and 3 forwards. We play a possession, controlling style, but will then press hard when there is a legit scoring opportunity. Our defense has been exceptional this year, and we lead the entire nation in "clean sheets" (a.k.a. shutouts). And that's pretty impressive when you consider we are 5-0-1 against the 6 teams we've played this year that were actually in the 38 team NCAA Tournament. There's a legit case we have the best defense in the nation this year.
What's even more remarkable is there are only 2 seniors on this team this year. Left Forward Wing Jamil Roberts and Right Midfielder Pablo Dolabella. Roberts was drafted by Sporting KC of the MLS in January, and he's set to join their developmental club immediately after our season concludes. Like other sports, Dolabella has the opportunity to take the extra year of eligibility, but there may be some international pro opportunities there so its not publicly known what he is doing after this season. The NCAA season is set to resume in the fall, so in theory there's only 6 months until the next "College Cup", so its sort of an unusual decision. His decision would mean that we could likely return an insane 10 of 11 starters next season!
Here's a quick primer -
- # 7 Milo Yosef is a redshirt sophomore from Germany. He was a second-team All-American and first-team Freshman All-American last season, as well as the 2019 C-USA Offensive MVP. He's been sporting bleach blonde hair this year and is our playmaker, leading the team in shots on goal.
- #11 is forward left wing Jamil Roberts was top ten in the nation in assists in 2019, and has 5 assists and 3 goals this season. The senior from England was drafted by Sporting KC in the MLS SuperDraft and is going pro after the season.
- #31 Victor Dias is playing right wing and was named this year's Conference USA Player of the Year. The junior from Brazil currently leads the team in both goals and assists, including the assist to Roberts to defeat Georgetown.
The midfield consists of two Brazillians, junior Vinicius Fernandes on the left side, and senior Pedro Dolabella on the right. Max Schneider, a German sophomore who had the brilliant goal on the free kick from distance against Clemson, is the center midfielder. The midfield group of Fernandes, Dolabella. and Schneider have combined for 6 goals and 5 assists on the season.
Marshall's defense has been outstanding this season, but will press on the attack when the situation calls for. Junior Right Back Jan-Erik Leinhos is tied for second on the team with scoring, posting 4 goals and 3 assists. Freshman Gabriel Alves is the feature left back. Juniors Collin Mocyunas, from Morgantown, West Virginia, and Nathan Dossantos from Canada are center defensive backs and all-conference performers.
Coach Grassie has called junior goalkeeper Oliver Sammle the best goal keeper in the nation. The junior college transfer won the C-USA Golden Glove Award this season.
In all honest, we should be a favorite over UNC. We'd face the Pitt-Indiana winner in the final. Indiana is kinda of a soccer blue blood, but Pitt has had a DOMINANT NCAA tournament thus far, winning their Round of 16 and Elite 8 games by a combined 7-0. At this level, results generally come down to a single mistake or play, but I sort of expect us to play Pitt in the final, and its probably a toss up from there on who makes the play and who makes the mistake, One thing perhaps in our favor is that most of our players are internationals, and as Coach Grassie alludes to in interviews, they aren't intimidated by names like "Clemson", "Georgetown", or "UNC". I think we are well positioned to handle the pressures of the national championship hunt.
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Thanks CoachMaclid.
Very well done!
GO HERD!
And I Mean It!
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That was super helpful...thank you for taking the time to share. Pretty amazing to see all of these great players coming to MU from all over the world. Very exciting and is impressive that Grassie has the energy to recruit worldwide...
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I hope most of the guys come back next year, like Roberts who was drafted but elected to return this season. Grassie is building something great and everyone needs to get on board. I hope the guy and staff get raises, or at the least, bonuses for having such a great year.
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Hard to tell what kind of soccer school we would be, if these guys had more people to play for.
They usually play in front of 1000+. The WVU game in 2019 saw over 2000 (well over capacity).
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It's safe to say that mens soccer has the third highest draw in the athletic program behind football and men's b'ball. They outdraw womens b'ball and softball. As Mark said, now getting 1000-1500 a game. Next season without restrictions, I could easily see them selling out a few games and averaging over 1500. jmho
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Excellent information Maclid. Thank you. I have limited soccer exposure, coached my kids in youth league 20 years ago and watched one of my kids play some travel ball. Soccer is a good sport but still somewhat unknown in this county. This team seems to have their own style. They are fun to watch and seem to be very well coached by a confident person. Will be fun to see what they can do over the next few days. Quite an accomplishment for this group. Congrats and lets win an ncaa championship!
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The thing that is easy to overlook is how incredibly rare this sort of thing is. Florida Gulf Coast in basketball is the closest recent thing where a small, underfunded public university gets far enough to hope.
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Coach, if I understand the only homegrown starter is from Morgantown?
I love it!!
.
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Coach, if I understand the only homegrown starter is from Morgantown?
I love it!!
.
Yep lol
F WVU
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Coach, if I understand the only homegrown starter is from Morgantown?
I love it!!
.
It is a shame his parents won't be reading reports of his performance in the home town papers.
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To fully realize what our soccer team has accomplished, it helps when you compare it to the NCAA's biggest sports (football & basketball)
There are 130 D1 football teams.
There are 350 D1 basketball schools.
There are 205 D1 soccer schools.
We currently have 201 teams below us, and in a couple days, there may be 204 looking up at us!
I, as well as, the large majority of HERD fans, know absolutely nothing about soccer.
We win the National Championship, and I bet we could carry a conversation about soccer, by the end of next year.
These kids are kicking (no pun intended), D1 soccer's arse, and there's probably not a dozen people in Huntington that could name 2 players. I can't name any, and that's pretty sad.
These guys deserve what they're getting, and the bandwagon could soon be loading.
Hard to tell what kind of soccer school we would be, if these guys had more people to play for.
I for one, had no idea of their accomplishments, but comparing the number of D1 soccer schools to the two major D1 sports, helps me to appreciate a sport I've never given the time of day.
Congrats to the kids and the entire staff!
Ride the Mo' and Bring It Home!
GO HERD!
And I Mean It!
And all those numbers remind that when WVU and their Chickeneers fans go absolutely "Ape Crap" crazy over a NCAA Rifle championship, just remember that there about 15 to 25 or so, if that many, schools that sponsor "rifle" as a competitive D1 team sport!!
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And all those numbers remind that when WVU and their Chickeneers fans go absolutely "Ape Crap" crazy over a NCAA Rifle championship, just remember that there about 15 to 25 or so, if that many, schools that sponsor "rifle" as a competitive D1 team sport!!
Not to mention that legislature created a line item in the budget to give them 100K just for the rifle team. I assume that?s still in the budget.
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Coach, if I understand the only homegrown starter is from Morgantown?
I love it!!
He played travel soccer with a West Virginia team in middle and high school.
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The kids in the area are aware of the team, too. One of the families getting a puppy off us came to visit from the regional tournament out at the park. They'd switched clothes and the boy had on Marshall shorts and a Marshall T. This was right after the Georgetown game. I asked him if he'd heard the results of the game and he said he had and they all cheered when they heard we won. They're out of Proctorville. So locals and kids know what's up.
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This is a very personal perspective but three years ago I would not have walked across the road to have seen any soccer game. Tomorrow, i am driving hours to watch one and excited to do it. You know what makes that sort of change happen? Winning.
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The Soccer put into perspective was awesome info.
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The thing that is easy to overlook is how incredibly rare this sort of thing is. Florida Gulf Coast in basketball is the closest recent thing where a small, underfunded public university gets far enough to hope.
Coastal Carolina won the baseball championship in 2016.
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Coastal Carolina won the baseball championship in 2016.
And there is a non "Power" or "Major" school from the West coast in the women's finals on Monday also. Can't remember the exact school.
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Wow! What an atmosphere down at the Herd Cafe. We've
been needing a shot (no pun intended) in the arm like that. Thanks, Guys!
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And there is a non "Power" or "Major" school from the West coast in the women's finals on Monday also. Can't remember the exact school.
Santa Clara