Portland-Texas A&M, September 17

I've been waiting for this one since the schedule came out.

If this was a nonconference American football game between two teams this highly ranked ESPN would be beating you over the head with promos every 15 minutes.

I think it's safe to say the first choice XI will be picked. Of course, who the first choice is at some positions is up in the air. I'm thinking here of the outside midfielders and the pair of forwards up front.

We'll find out Friday...

Assumption on my part is that Erin, Jess, Cloee, Michelle O, Elli, Keelin, and Sophie are written in ink on the team sheet.

Micaela is close to that status right now. I'd start Dani with her. Taylor will start on the right: not sure who is on the left. Wild card could be Elli, with Kristen Kelly playing center and MO on the left?

TAMU thinks of itself as playing a high pressure defense. They also have speed up front.

Given that, I look to see Jess, Michelle Olivier, Cloee, and Elli in the back (or Kristen Kelly if MO is not able to play). I'm betting on Keelin and Sophie as the spine, with Taylor and Sarah Bridges on the wings, unless Michelle Cruz and/or Kendall is ready to play. I see Dani and Micaela up front, with Hallie coming off the bench to beat on TAMU. Another possibility in there somewhere is Ellen Parker -- I wonder how she would do on the wing, I think possibly great a la Kendra. And, of course, if Kendra is able to play I see her, although I'm inclined to believe the coaches will work her in rather than starting her. In goal, I see Hailee.

This will be a big game for the players. TAMU cost them a #1 seed last year.

GO PILOTS!

Harry Redknapp wrote:Assumption on my part is that Erin, Jess, Cloee, Michelle O, Elli, Keelin, and Sophie are written in ink on the team sheet.

Micaela is close to that status right now. I'd start Dani with her. Taylor will start on the right: not sure who is on the left. Wild card could be Elli, with Kristen Kelly playing center and MO on the left?

I was thinking Capelle has all but forced Garrett's hand, and I would have a hard time leaving out a scorer like Foxhoven.

I think the starters on the right and left will be a question mark this season due to the injuries, but that's football. Maybe this is the week someone steps up and takes control of one or both positions.

UPSF

Are you sure about Hailee in goal? I think Erin will be back.

Harry Redknapp wrote:UPSF

Are you sure about Hailee in goal? I think Erin will be back.

Not sure, just my guess as to what the coaches will do.

I can see your line of reasoning. Hailee has already been in high pressure matches against USC and UCLA and came out of those experiences with Flying colors.

The key (again) is how healthy she is, which we probably won't know.
She was held out all Spring and couldn't go the first practice this summer.

I'd be fine with either.

For the record, my guess is the same as UPSF. I really hope Cruz can play. Sarah is coming along, but I think that's a big drop at this point if Michelle can't go. To me, the only real question is goalie, and I am guessing Garrett goes for the experience. We can't afford any goalie mistakes this game, and while Erin has been great at times, she has also been shaky at times.

Cruz clearly brings a lot of skill to the field, but she avoided a half-dozen crossing opportunities from the left wing in a recent game. The opponent quickly learned that she wanted to cut back inside on her right foot and she was double-teamed every time.

Bridges (strong left foot) replaced her at that point and the whole dynamic of the game changed. We started getting to the goal line on the left side and open up the defense with crosses.

For that reason alone, I might give Bridges most of the minutes at left mid until Kendall's left foot returns. An alternate strategy that they seemed to use more against Penn State is for Elli (who seems to be very strong with both legs) to overlap more and get the ball into the corner with Cruz either filling in behind her or cutting inside for a short pass at the corner of the box.

It will be fun to watch how this all unfolds on Friday night! I hope the nice weather holds!

Hello from Houston, Texas! I was transferred here about 6 months ago and so have missed all the fun at Merlo this fall. However, I'm returning to PDX tomorrow for a few days and plan to be sitting with my daughter in Section B on Friday night rooting for my favorite team. (The Rice Owls are fun to watch but don't hold a candle to the girls in purple!)

I'm excited to see all the girls but I'm especially interested in seeing Micaela in action. It's pretty cool to think a rising star can come out of Gresham!

Go Pilots!!! Beat them Aggies!!! and I'll see y'all on Friday night.

Welcome back, Poopdeck!

Have you been in Houston long enough to have gotten into the Aggie Joke culture? When I lived there 25 years ago, Aggie jokes were the favorite (at least among non-Aggies) local variation on the ethnic joke theme.

Hey, SoreKnees. I've heard a couple but since I'm not from these parts I'm probably spared the juicy ones. I do pick up on the Aggie-Longhorn rivalry, though. They rib each other quite a bit.

The game against A&M should be a good one. I see that they've only lost once...to the Tarheels.

I'm going with UPSF on the lineup with the exception of the keep. Erin Dees has shown steady improvement and seems better prepared for a team like TAMU than DeYoung.

We are bringing friends to this game just so they can see how fantastic women's soccer can be. Go Pilots!

fwill wrote:I'm going with UPSF on the lineup with the exception of the keep. Erin Dees has shown steady improvement and seems better prepared for a team like TAMU than DeYoung.

I have a hunch that DeYoung gets the start if she's healthy because of her experience level.

TAMU Player to watch? Defense or Offense? Who's their star?

Well...I did some homework....

Rachel Shipley

Here's a TAMU article from Graham Hays on ESPN from yesterday:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/columns/story?columnist=hays_graham&id=5570669

Sounds like they are looking forward to playing a team with a similar emphasis on possession-oriented soccer.

Perhaps a bit more rounded evaluation of A&M is in order if we want to beat them. they will definitely be our toughest game to date. (Penn State and Wisconsin were supposed to be up there, but they clearly aren't what was predicted.)

Shipley got the Big12 award last week, but is by no means their only weapon. UNC transfer Merrit Mathias (4) has one more goal then she has . Both can hit them from distance with power.
The team leader in scoring is Alyssa Mautz with 6 tallies, and our problems with Whitney Hooper's (3 scores so far) speed last year are fresh in my mind.
They also have scores from four other players.

The Possession oriented game talk strikes me as a bit of a smoke screen. last year, they played the Big12 game of bumping everyone and long balls to get behind the defense. they had refs that allowed the bumping, and those refs were from a pool that allows more of that than the NW refs seem to. it strikes me that you talk about what you want the refs to see, not what you want to really do. Also, I have instructed the grounds crew to set the mower bars at 6". They are used to a very fast bermuda grass field, not bluegrass.

They are a very good team trying to be great. The are 6-1 with their only loss against UNC, but only two of those wins are against team with winning records. St. Johns is 3-2-1, and Virginia Tech (5-3-0) clearly isn"t the team we saw last tournament season. Their early RPI's are 89 and 61. The last three wins were against teams with only 3-4-x records, and before that a 1-0 win over Washington State, who is clearly having a down year at 2-6-0. So, they are a bit of an unknown.

They are certainly beatable. they allowed 6 goals to virginia tech and UNC, the toughest teams they faced so far. If we have our best back line, they will meet a defense I don't think they have seen before, even from UNC. Our best offensive strategy will be to use Micaela and the wings to keep their back line from stepping up and compressing the field. we will be more physical than last year also. But we are not physical by nature, so we will have to impose our one-touch game on them. with a bit more composure than last year, we can do it. Having Kendall back (outside chance, I think) would certainly help on the wings.

This will be the game of the year so far, and possibly the best game at home this year. It should be a good one.

I can't wait.

Geezaldinho wrote:...and our problems with Whitney Hooper's (3 scores so far) speed last year are fresh in my mind.

Oh man... Hooper. That name just gave me the willies. I remember listening to the audio broadcast of that game and being demoralized by constantly hearing Hooper, Hooper, Hooper...

"I don't think anyone would ever accuse Portland of being a bunch of thugs that play." ~ G. Guerrieri, TAMU coach

Pilots aren't thugs, but I've seen Sophie and Keelin mug some players!

By the way, I think it's important to remind everyone that the first 1000 fans get cowbells. Plus there is a Texas-style BBQ before the game. Come on out to Merlo early!

Stonehouse wrote:By the way, I think it's important to remind everyone that the first 1000 fans get cowbells. Plus there is a Texas-style BBQ before the game. Come on out to Merlo early!

Texas-style BBQ... reason enough to go to the game right there! unfortunately work, a fiance, and life in general have a habit of excluding trips on a fairly regular basis. I'd do anything to get up to Portland for the game... definitely jealous y'all have the home game this year, it's gonna be a blast. Everyone have fun for me!

agsoccer2007 wrote:

Stonehouse wrote:By the way, I think it's important to remind everyone that the first 1000 fans get cowbells. Plus there is a Texas-style BBQ before the game. Come on out to Merlo early!

Texas-style BBQ... reason enough to go to the game right there! unfortunately work, a fiance, and life in general have a habit of excluding trips on a fairly regular basis. I'd do anything to get up to Portland for the game... definitely jealous y'all have the home game this year, it's gonna be a blast. Everyone have fun for me!

Haha, Don't get too excited. I'm sure it won't have you reaching for the Shiner's like the real stuff does. But the BBQ will be good, as will the competition and the crowd. A rockin' night on the Bluff is like nowhere else, I think maybe even more than the great crowds you get in your place. it will definitely be a tournament worthy environment.

Too bad you didn't make it up. big nights on the Bluff are special, and even the opponents like an appreciative crowd. You'll still be able to get the live feed. I hope you enjoy it.

stats will also be on the Portlandpilots.com Game time portal, and there is always Gametracker on the Aggies site, though I find that pretty tough to sit through.

Different fiancé ? just kidding. congrats on that.

This is a radio game, too. The stream is at www.truetalk800.com .

Hoe pitch advantage looks huge here. TAMU won't be playing deep in the heart of Texas. The Pilot veterans have a chance at payback for last year. This will be big. May the crowd be big too.

Geezaldinho wrote:

agsoccer2007 wrote:

Stonehouse wrote:By the way, I think it's important to remind everyone that the first 1000 fans get cowbells. Plus there is a Texas-style BBQ before the game. Come on out to Merlo early!

Texas-style BBQ... reason enough to go to the game right there! unfortunately work, a fiance, and life in general have a habit of excluding trips on a fairly regular basis. I'd do anything to get up to Portland for the game... definitely jealous y'all have the home game this year, it's gonna be a blast. Everyone have fun for me!

Haha, Don't get too excited. I'm sure it won't have you reaching for the Shiner's like the real stuff does. But the BBQ will be good, as will the competition and the crowd. A rockin' night on the Bluff is like nowhere else, I think maybe even more than the great crowds you get in your place. it will definitely be a tournament worthy environment.

Too bad you didn't make it up. big nights on the Bluff are special, and even the opponents like an appreciative crowd. You'll still be able to get the live feed. I hope you enjoy it.

stats will also be on the Portlandpilots.com Game time portal, and there is always Gametracker on the Aggies site, though I find that pretty tough to sit through.

Different fiancé ? just kidding. congrats on that.

HAH! first off, don't start mentioning Shiner until it's AT LEAST noon on Friday, otherwise I start getting depressed... tomorrow is only Thursday which really drives a dagger to my heart...

second - Different fiance... i dare not really respond to that, things get around on the internet and I don't wanna face the wrath of a woman

third - I sure do hope to get up to Portland for a game some time. I was workin' the College Cup in CS when Sinclair and co. smashed UCLA. fun times. I love prime time programs at small schools, I get tired of the UCLA's and UNC's of the world on a regular basis. Always had an appreciation for Portland and Santa Clara also, def. root for them over the usual giants.

fourth - thanks for the congrats, I appreciate it