2015: A New Season, A New Attitude, and a Couple of Program Firsts

An update to this blog is long overdue. It ended abruptly last year, when UVU’s inaugural season came to an end in the WAC tournament. There was no final post because the author was busy playing the role of conference chair for an academic summit on digital media with participants that had come to campus from all around the country. At any rate, the first men's soccer season has to be considered satisfactory, even though the players and coaches may have been disappointed momentarily by their exit from the tournament.

This year’s team was picked fourth in the conference. Solidly an upgrade from the pre-season pick last year, when UVU was picked to finish last (of course, there was no UVU track record it being the opening year of the program). This year those picked to finish in front of the Wolverines are last year's conference winner UNLV, Seattle – An NCAA Tournament team in 2013, and Cal State Bakersfield, the team that knocked UVU out of the 2014 WAC post season tournament by a 0 – 1 score. Being chosen to finish above other programs that have been around a lot longer says something about this team and it's coaches.

The Wolverines looked good in their exhibition game against Westminster, scoring 8 goals on 13 shots put on target for the game. They looked good in their Green and White game too, but were, of course, playing against themselves. One thing that stood out, regardless of opponent, the boys looked like they could run all day. Asked about this, coach Greg Maas had a simple comment, “yes, the guys are really fit.”

Since the two exhibition events in Orem, a couple of weeks back, the UVU Wolverines have strung together four straight victories, two as the away team, and two on a neutral field. It is difficult to write meaningful commentary on their progress as a team when the only way to “see” the team in actual play has been through the on-line Live Stats broadcast. It’s impossible to observe the flow of the game via Live Stats.

Live Stats can’t tell you how well the team is doing. Are they controlling possession? … bringing the ball out of their own defensive third into the midfield and into scoring territory with crisp sharp passes or are they playing a lot of long ball? How high is their creativity quotient? Do they look really dangerous in and around the their opponent’s 18? Where are they tentative? They have only been scored on once, and that with an accidental assist by a UVU defender.

Soccer can be a funny game. It’s an understatement to say that scoring is not easy – but it’s not. A team can dominate possession, have a huge advantage in shots taken and shots on goal, they can look dangerous for 88 out of the 90 minutes on the clock and still walk away with a tie or even a loss. Still, stats from the box scores and some very short video snippets posted on YouTube are all we have. So what do they tell us?

At 4-0-0, UVU leads the WAC in non-conference wins, and have outscored their opponents 8 – 1. The Wolverines dominate the stats sheets in all but one game – they beat UMass Lowell by a score of 2 – 0, but were out shot 9/3. The stat sheet cannot tell us the quality of the buildup that came before a shot or about the near misses, but perhaps it is telling that having only three shots, they put two of them into the back of the net.

  

To date the most impressive road victory has to have been in Massachusetts against the UMass Minutemen. UMass has a new coach and is not picked to finish in the top half of their conference, but UVU beat them 5 - 1 in the Wolverine's first home game last season. That had to be in the forefront of the memories of the UMass side. They certainly would have put some energy into trying to get even this year. UVU dominated the stats sheet in the UMass game, but only scored once in overtime. It was the first UVU Wolverine overtime victory in the program's short history.

A few additional noteworthy observations:

Matt Gay, now serving an LDS mission will be missed, but that gives opportunity to others.

UVU has already chalked up two overtime wins, two more than they had all of last season.

Paul Hoffmeister has already scored 2 goals. The number 15 player was a playmaker last year, and looks to continue that role, but if he adds some scoring punch at this pace in the 2015 season, UVU opponents will have a lot to worry about.

Thomas Loomis looks to be in great form – he scored twice against Westminster in the opening exhibition game, with goals that looked a lot like the one that counted when he scored against Pacific, collecting the ball, out maneuvering a handful of defenders and beating the keeper with a shot just inside the left post.

Many key members form last year’s team look to have picked up where they left off: Payton, Buxton, Milne, Cawley, Neff, Harguindeguy, Barakat, to name a few. Connor Salmon who played sparingly last year is getting significant playing time and may make a difference in the midfield –he looked good in exhibition. The defense looks sound. Yes the only score against UVU this season was assisted by the Wolverine defense, but it was a bit of a fluke. Down 1 the University of Pacific Tigers had a corner kick with under 30 seconds left in the game. The kick came into the 18 where in attempting to clear the ball with a header, the defense redirected the ball towards a Pacific player who drove it home with a header of his own past the keeper. It was a misfortunate event on the field and forced overtime, but without it we would not have had an amazing bicycle kick eight minutes later from Lucas Cawley, who scored from eight yards out. (The bicycle kick even made the Talking Sports broadcast on KUTV, Channel 2.)

Watch It Here

Newcomer Aaron Meyer has replaced Matt Gay to take shots from the Penalty Spot. Meyer, who was in the Dallas FC training system this last season will strengthen UVU’s already significantly accomplished team.

Going into their second season, there is something else this team seems to have – they look just a little bit unsatisfied with last year's finish. They seem hungry to play, to prove themselves. This season is going to be a lot of fun.

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Next Friday, September 11^th, at 7:00 pm at Clyde Field in Orem Utah, the Men’s soccer team plays in their home opener.

In the women’s home opener a week ago, UVU fans showed up and set a new attendance record for the women’s game.

It’s time to pack the place and give our Wolverine Soccer Team the support it sorely deserves. Time to push the stadium occupancy to the 500% mark. That number is achieved by getting 5,000 fans in the stands, in front of the stands, sitting all along the South edge, standing all around the scoreboard, sitting and standing around the Northeast corner, and wrapping around to the Southwest corner too. Wouldn’t it be fun to pack it so tight we start getting warnings from the Fire Marshal?

Get Your Green On and hit the field on Friday - 7:00 pm. See you there.

Gut Check Against the Cardinals

The Wolverines move to 2-3-2 in the WAC with a double-overtime draw against the University of Incarnate Word Cardinals. Some draws feel like losses, others feel like wins. The draw on All Hallows Eve, was a relief of sorts because it looked for a few minutes like the Wolverines might fall again to a late goal in a game that had been tightly contested, and even.

Like several earlier games in this WAC season, there were some scoring chances – even a UVU goal not allowed due to off sides. UIW went up 1-0 in the 83^rd minute, but with a furious attacking effort, the coaches taking the backline to three to insert an additional striker, the Wolverines evened the game just four minutes later. Both sides went scoreless in 20 minutes of overtime.

The goal was significant for a several reasons: it brings a result, albeit a single point, against a side that has been playing very well since starting conference competition (Incarnate Word began their non-conference season 0-5, but have really put things together as WAC play began). It came at a time when the team was desperately fighting to score under time pressure – not the easiest thing to do, but it builds confidence when it’s accomplished. And, the goal opens the season account of Paul Hoffmeister, who was fed cleanly by Chandler Boyd, who in turn had been masterfully fed by Karson Payton.

Overall team athleticism, strength, and tenacity have kept the Wolverines in every match they have played this season with a stingy, overlapping defense, even while goal scoring has proven difficult to manufacture. Hoffmeister has looked incredible at times this year, but has not been able to make a difference in the last few games. In tonight’s match he looked more like the midfielder seen on the field earlier in the month. This goal, coming as it did might go a long way towards building the belief and confidence this team has in each other. It's actually another first for our young Wolverines: taking a point, denying their opponent a complete victory when the clock was not in their favor.

The game Sunday is now critically important. Elsewhere in the WAC, Bakersfield defeated UNLV 2-1 with the goals coming a minute apart late in the match. UNLV remains in first place, but the win leaves Bakersfield with nine points (to UVU’s eight). UVU plays against Houston Baptist at 1:00 p.m. on Clyde field. It will close out the Wolverine home season.

A Halloween Match Looms Large

Last Sunday’s result was difficult. The Wolverines continue to play well against programs with much deeper experience – certainly nobody has overwhelmed them, but goals have been hard to find. Against UMKC, a couple of very good chances went awry and the Roos put one through the pipes in the 88^th minute to take the full three points 1-0.

Despite that setback, the weekend did bring the first WAC road win, and this young program is still in the thick of the conference race.

More importantly, the attitude of the coaches and players is upbeat and very positive. Many of the soccer team players attended the UVU Basketball Preview – they were loose and when asked, say they are ready to take on the weekend’s opponents. And, these upcoming matches against the Incarnate Word Cardinals and the Houston Baptist Huskies are very important to the standings, and positioning for the WAC post-season tournament.

IWU has played well in the WAC, much improved over their non-conference performance. They currently sit second in the WAC standings. HBU got a win over the Bakersfield Roadrunners and managed to score twice against the UNLV Rebels in a 2-3 loss.

These two matches close the men’s home season. The UVU women play their final home match on Saturday against Seattle University. Start times for the men’s team are a challenge – Friday’s game (on Oct 31^st) kicks off at 4:00 p.m., the early start will mean a smaller crowd as many of the community members that have been very supportive of this team will be getting off work after the game has already begun. The many family and community activities that will be scheduled for Halloween will also cut into attendance. Sunday’s game will also be challenging. None of the professional sports franchises in the region schedule Sunday games; they are generally not well attended. That does not diminish the interest in this team. They have fielded crowds of 250% to 300% of stadium capacity, and despite lower numbers in a few matches with schedule issues, will probably still finish in the top 20 in attendance in the NCAA.

It has been a great first year. This last weekend’s matches will conclude an amazing inaugural home season.

Back on Track, Friday Against the Flyboys

Some quick observation about the Air Force match.

First – thanks to the Air Force Academy, and the Mountain West on-line network for the broadcast. It is very nice to be able to watch these matches. An HDMI cable from laptop into the television, and it can be enjoyed on the big screen

The Wolverines demonstrate their depth and their team speed again. As always, they show that the individual players have great ball handling skills – and, as always, the big challenge is stringing a seamless interplay together. In this match the long diagonal passes found their mark with more frequency than we have seen lately. The Wolverines controlled much of the tempo, but still suffer from simple give-a-ways at times.

Cameron Kidwell returned to start. Nice to see him anchoring that backline.

This was a very physical match – a lot of hard challenges, but only 11 fouls whistled between the two teams. We saw this trend in the last two matches as well. On the positive side of this trend, Karson Payton continues to avoid a 5^th Yellow, which will disqualify him for a match. On the negative side, allowing physical challenges seems always to favor the less-skilled player, and can be frustrating. In this match it the Flyboys came out matching Wolverine speed and skill with tough-nut contact, which was not whistled. By midway through the first 45, the Wolverines had equaled the Air Force physicality and the remainder of the match was played that way.

The Box Score will indicate that UVU had more shots, more SOG and more corners. They truly had two exquisitely close chances in the first half. Hoffmeister took a shot straight on that squeezed through the keepers arms and rolled oh-so-slowly towards the goal line, but was cleared just as it touched the goal line by the Air Force defensive back.

Matt Gay’s goal on a free kick from 25 yards out on the right side (shooting diagonally into the left corner of the goal mouth), was a pinpoint marvel. Matt always takes these with great force – as he approaches the ball, don’t blink, because you’ll miss everything if you do. The free kick came when Lucas Cawley, looking very dangerous was tackled from behind just as he approached the 18 yard box.

The Air Force goal coming late, in the 86^th minute happened with Air Force pushing forward when the Wolverines allowed just a little too much space, a pass across the top of the 18, and a clear shot which struck the right post and bounded in. Answered in the 87^th minute – the very next time the Wolverines touched the ball – by a feed from Cawley and a solid finish from Karson Payton, who controlled with a quick touch to clear the defense and then shot into the right-side goal corner. During the match, the Wolverines had a few opportunities like this, but none so cleanly open as the scoring strike.

They now meet UMKC on Sunday. The Roos with two surprising results given their overall record, winning games back-to-back games against UNLV and Seattle. The win against Seattle, who led 2-0, is interesting in that it came with 3 goals scored in 11 minutes, the last two coming 37 seconds apart, all late in the second half. UMKC plays on artificial turf, so it’s a fast game, with the sometimes unnatural slide or bounce that comes from turf. They have scored at least two goals in each of their last three games. The Wolverines will need to play well, keep their shape, support, and take advantage of chances without letting KC see the goal clearly.

The Sunday, 1:00 pm mach will be broadcast on the WAC Digital Network.

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Personal Observations

In the last post, I discussed officiating. I still contend that the easiest way to judge how on top of things the center official will be is to watch him run – or not.

As I watch the EPL, Swansea –v– Leicester City, two team that sit 8^th and 15^th respectively in the 20 team Barclays Premiere League, I am always amazed at the quality - the skill, strength, speed, and teamwork displayed in these matches. But, what I really wish we had is the officiating. Mike Jones was the center official in this EPL match – absolutely in control from start to finish. He didn’t buy the embellishments (players can be carded in the EPL for embellishment), he kept physical play in tow, and yes, there were times when he strolled among the moving players. But he also ran up and down the field, moving from a jog to an all-out sprint to be where he needed to be when he needed to be there. Such a pleasure to watch a well-managed match. Players and coaches watch the stars at fútbol’s top tiers and try hard to emulate them. The officials should do the same, there is a lot to learn and apply.

We live in a time when fútbol is growing in the US. The Wolverines have enjoyed pretty good crowds – and I hope it grows to be a huge part of the UVU experience. With our own little niche, there is a fan base out there.

Landon Donovan will play his last regular season game as an MLS pro this weekend, it will come in front of 60,000 fans in Seattle where the Supporter Shield is on the line. This is the age of the The Men in Blazers: Yes, they discuss fútbol. And they wear blazers. “Usually at the same time. Men in Blazers is driven by the belief that Soccer is America’s Sport of the Future. As it has been since 1972.” NBC just launched the The Two Robbies, a national radio show on NBC Radio. The Chevrolet logo now finds itself on the kit of Manchester United. This is The World's Sport.

Men In Blazers: Very Entertaining

It is a lot to ask, but what I want, in addition to the Wolverine Fútbol Program is shoulder programming. I would like to hear interviews with the coaches and players, a pre-game show and a post-game show. A mid-week coaches show would be great. We only have, perhaps 30 or 40 Sports Talk Radio stations along the Wasatch Front – all they know how to talk about is football, as if we actually needed that many voices discussing BYU’s slide from grace, or who is going start at quarterback for the Utes – mind numbing and boring, boring! “Well, I don’t know James, we’ve talked about the exact same thing for 27 days in a row, should we run through it all one more time? What do you think?”

There is only one Fútbol Specific radio show, On Frame, (KALL 700) which is suppose to discuss all things soccer, but that’s really devoted to MLS, nothing about this Wolverine team.

I know it’s a circular thing – there have to be fans that want to listen. The college game is new to Utah, new to UVU, and it takes time to build. I also want 10,000 fans at all the games, singing and going crazy because it is so much fun to be in that kind of atmosphere. So there’s my rant, right now I want things I can’t have – but someday, someday soon.

Not The Results We All Wanted To See

It seems that at all levels of fútbol, from the highest international competitions, to professional leagues throughout Europe and South America, to our own U.S. Major League Soccer, all the way down to the local recreation league, a common and frequent complaint is about the quality of officiating. What is it that fans, players, coaches, and anyone else involved in this game desires of an officiating crew? In a word, it’s consistency - but, it’s tough to find.

Play-by-play and color analysts everywhere discuss this problem with gusto, and in fairness, point out that this can be a difficult game to call. At every level, the dive has become part of the game plan (a personal player plan, even when it’s not part of a team strategy). The soccer referee is trained to observe and blow the whistle a beat behind the action so that they can measure advantage – that is, there may be a foul, but the official will allow play to continue if the fouled team maintains a positional advantage coming out of the foul. Protocol dictates that the referee show he is playing advantage by reaching forward with both arms, indicating he has seen the foul, but allowed play to continue. Advantage is difficult  - of course, the fans in the stands always see it, even when the official does not. The same goes with the off sides rule. The fans always see the off sides call that should or should not be called – whichever best benefits their team. Most often, an assistant referee’s call of off sides in a televised game is proven to be correct in super slo-mo replay. Fans should be amazed that they get it right most of the time, but we tend to remember the disallowed goal that called, but wasn’t really off sides. Those few calls drive us crazy and the uber fan will talk about the blown call for weeks, months, maybe even years.

There are exceptionally good referees - those that are committed to the sport and to fair play. They take command of a match from the outset, and do all they can to ensure that the game is decided by the play of the athletes on the pitch; they know that people come to watch the players (not the referee) hoping fútbol magic unfolds within the on-field-play. Great officials take responsibility to keep the play safe, and actually help keep the flow of the match working by controlling things tightly as the match begins. Honestly, a great official is worth his weight in gold.

That being said, there are unfortunately, officials who do not take control and who are not consistent in the way they call a match. This almost invariably leads to heated interaction between the players (and ultimately more yellow cards as the match wears on). It can mean that the game becomes dangerous, and players end up getting injured. It is incredibly frustrating to watch.

The Wolverines dropped their match on Oct 12^th 0 - 1 against the UNLV Rebels, decided by a penalty kick. It was the kind of foul that makes everyone cringe, and happened when a Rebel forward took the ball into the box playing one-on-three with the UVU defense. He encountered a wall, played the ball backwards (not towards the goal), and while turning, he tripped over the legs of a Wolverine fullback. Yes, passe to complain about officiating - but one observation about the center referee in the Oct 12, UNLV match: he would not run. If an official won’t run with movement of the ball, he can’t be in position to see what takes place as players consistently clash with one another. In the college game, there are only three individuals who actually get paid to run up and down the field – and those are the officials. Watch soccer officials at all levels, the great ones make the supporting run to ensure they are in position to see the play in front of them.

About the UNLV Game, Oct 12

UNLV has a good team – there is no question about that. The Rebels played well, especially on their back line and through the midfield in a match that was made more difficult by a stiff wind. UNLV controlled the play in the first half (with the wind), and UVU controlled more of the match in the second half (also with the wind). Ultimately, a team has to score to win and it has proven to be a challenge for this young Wolverine team. The boys in green consistently demonstrate that they have individual skills, but the game does not yet look simple when they play a quality opponent. There were chances, but too much impatience, not enough connecting interchange through the midfield and no finish. They seemed to have trouble getting the ball to the feet of their most dangerous players, and shots felt mistimed in this match – either rushed, or overplayed. That doesn’t mean this team is not good – it’s overwhelmingly good, especially as a first-year program. But, it is also inexperienced.

Seattle Redhawks, Oct 18

On Saturday evening, the Wolverines played a rematch with the Seattle Redhawks. After a 1 – 1 tie in Orem, the match in the great northwest ended up a 0 – 1 loss in double overtime. The match was aired on the new WAC Digital Network, which is still working out all the kinks. The broadcast was hampered by a digital auto focus camera that phased in and out all night, and the audio was a mess. Despite that, it was still a benefit to be able to watch  the match.

Unfortunately, the result was tough to take. The Wolverines have dropped five matches, by a total of five goals. Their on-field performance in Seattle was a step above what we saw against UNLV, but still no finish. The chances favored the Wolverines, especially in the second half, with a couple of oh-so-close efforts. The lone (golden) goal of the game came with six minutes remaining in the second overtime, off of a free kick from 45 yards out, played into the box, where it bounded about and ended up in the goal. It actually looked as though it was scored in slow motion, but nobody could stop it from bouncing through the pipes.

It could be quite discouraging to be a part of this team and find yourself with a 1-2-1 record in this early WAC season. On the upside – this team has played head-to-head with teams that have years of D1 experience, and they are not being pushed around by anyone. Their teamwork will improve. The coaching staff clearly believes in this team, and there is a lot of season left to play. The team is deep, and working through the normal wear and tear of a soccer season. Expect a maximum effort this up-coming weekend when UVU travels to the Air Force Academy and then to Kansas City, to play the UMKC Roos.

The Wacky WAC

The old football WAC of BYU and the U of U (before the Mountain West) was often called wacky because on any given Saturday anything could happen. The moniker certainly applies to present day WAC Soccer. This last week UMKC, near the bottom of the WAC standings beats UNLV sitting at the top of the WAC. This result came in Las Vegas despite UMKC playing a man down for thirty minutes. Houston Baptist, at the very bottom of the WAC knocked off CSUB, near the top, Incarnate Word is now at 4-0-0 beating CUSB and San Jose, and Air Force plays to a 0-0 tie in Phoenix against GCU. What does it all mean? It means nobody can take a week off. It is interesting that all these upsets came in the Sunday matches, where fatigue is most likely to play a role in the outcome of a match.

Our next opponent, Air Force, did not look good in the first half of their match against Grand Canyon University. It was hot in Phoenix, in a match played in the mid afternoon. GCU had a couple a good chances in the first 45, but could not put the ball on frame. As the second half wore on, GCU played more and more with tired legs, and Air Force chances increased. Still, the match ended 0-0 after 110 minutes. The standout player for Air Force Academy was their central defender, no. 18, A. J.  Esparza. (This match too was on the WAC Digital Network - I wanted to see how the Cadets were playing so I logged in to watch.)

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 Personal Observations

1. Cameron Kidwell, UVU’s lone senior came up limping in the game against GCU, and hasn’t played since.  No idea on his status, but I hope he returns soon. Chandler Baddley has played well on the back line, but Kidwell has more game experience than anyone else on this team, the one commodity the Wolverines need.

2. My comments on and about officials does not come without some first hand experience. If you have read my personal profile, you know that I teach at UVU, but years ago in my 20s I was playing soccer in a state league, coaching an under 12 competition team, and officiating the under 14s. I only did that two seasons and I gave up coaching (more parental help then I could handle), and officiating. The officiating went because I simply did not have time for everything, and I wanted to play.

Still, those two years taught me a lot. I had good games, great games, and those games where it did not matter how hard I tried, I was constantly looking at the wrong spot – where all the action and contact seemed to happen just out of my peripheral vision. Those were hard. As an official, I hated to call Penalty Kicks, but would do so when it was clear-cut. I also disagreed a few times with my assistants who waved their flags and reported fouls as they saw them. If I felt the assistant had a better angle, I would defer to his judgment. One time and one time only, I felt like I saw the play clearly, but my assistant was adamant and I gave the foul. I learned then that late yellow cards came more frequently if I let early fouls slide without consequence. 

As an official, I took heckling from parents – but they weren’t standing ten feet from the play. I did the best I could and didn’t let it bother me when I knew I was right. Usually Id' walk off f the field I feeling like I had done a good job, and was asked both years by the completion league administration to be one of their play-off officials.

That was years ago, but while carrying a whistle, I felt like it was my responsibility to make the supporting run and be on top of the play.

3. I was asked by a family member if I was trying to give advice to the coaches through this blog. I told them that anything I was able to see from the stands, or watching on-line the coaches could certainly see from the touchline. We have been a bit unlucky with a couple of our losses, and those things will even out. But, this is a game where a team makes it own luck. We are not playing poorly, but we're not getting the best of the cohesive unit either. The small things that are not working are the points emphasized everyday in training.

4. I feel good about the coming weekend. Like always, our opponents will not want to let down against the new guys, but the Wolverines will be competitive.