Men's College Cup: Stanford repeats as national champ
- by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, Dec 11, 2016
Stanford-Wake Forest: Highlights
Cardinal keeper Andrew
Epstein saved Wake Forest's final two attempts to seal the 5-4 win that clinched back-to-back championships for the first time in more than a decade.
NCAA Men's Repeat Champions:
YEARS TEAM
2015-16 Stanford
2003-04 Indiana
1998-99 Indiana
1991-94 Virginia
1983-83
Indiana
1975-76 San Francisco
1972-73 Saint Louis
1969-70 Saint Louis
1968-69 *Michigan State
1962-63 Saint Louis
1959-60 Saint Louis
*Co-champion both
years.
Stanford missed its attempt in the fourth round after making its first 13 of the College Cup, and Jon Bakero put Wake in front at 4-3. But Corey
Baird equalized at 4-4, and Epstein kept the Cardinal alive by stopping Hayden Partain.
In the sixth round, Sam Werner scored for Stanford, and Epstein sealed the win by
stopping Brad Dunwell.
The Cardinal is the first team since Wisconsin in 1995 that didn't allow a goal at the College Cup. It won Friday's semifinal, 10-9, in a shootout after its
game against North Carolina ended 0-0.
Dec. 11 in Houston
Stanford 0 Wake Forest 0 (Stanford wins 5-4 on penalties).
Stanford -- Epstein, Beason, Nana-Sinkam, Mosharrafa, Hilliard-Arce, Marion, Skundrich, Gilbey, Waldeck, Baird, Langsdorf. Subs: Werner, Bashti, Alabi.
Wake Forest -- Mundet,
Politz, Gdula, Knox, Raben, Argudo, Bakero, Hayes, Dunwell, Harkes, Twumasi. Subs: Echevarria, Partain, Greensfelder, Lapa.
So the US soccer theme for the weekend apparently was "win a championship" without scoring a goal. I mean this as no slight to the Seattle Sounders or the Stanford Cardinal, but to the manner of determination. I will forever favor a team resolution to a team sport that resembles playing the game. Reducing the competitive numbers during OT would clearly open the play and lead to more chances more likely to result in goals. The particulars of those numbers and the time intervals might make for some good debate, but let's play soccer to determine which team is best at playing soccer.
Kevin, I would have been satisfied if just a little bit of soccer was played.
I don't mind the 0-0 and PKs
Did not go to a soccer game to see 22
guys playing a hybrid tennis/rugby game with their feet and occasionally driving their shoulders into the opponents chest.
Better yet, find ref's who actually understand the laws, and the spirit of the beautiful game. Soccer reduced to a dreadful rif on Rugby, or god forsake, American Football. Met a guy on the shuttle out to a plane at Dulles one time, a Limey. To told me that Rugby is a thugs game, played by gentlemen, but soccer is a gentleman's game -- played by thugs. Compared to what passes for Soccer in this country, the Premier league is a gentleman's game.
MLS Championship: 0-0 played in freezing conditions and marred by horrendous officiating. Men's College Championship: 0-0 played on a terrible pitch. Great advertisement for the "Beautiful Game".
Even more disappointing than the pitch was the way that Stanford played the game. This was one of the worst soccer games I have ever seen. Stanford never tried to play, instead resorting to game that more resembled American football than soccer. In the end, all the Stanford players will remember if lifting the trophy, but the way they accomplished it was disgusting.
Welcome to NCAA Soccer. The field was terrible, but it has been this way for a awhile at BBVA Compass Stadium. Not much different than the Dynamo actually. Doesn't help that the only way to get a soccer stadium built in Texas is if you agree to share it with a Throwball team. Houston should be given some credit for getting a few people to show up this past weekend...unlike KC last year where the only attendees were vendors.
The way Stanford played was the same way UNC Charlotte played. that should
come as no surprise to anyone who
watches the game. The hit on the Wake
keeper was outrageous and went unpunished. Stanford's #4 lowering his shoulder and not even attempting to play the ball while driving through the chest of the Wake Forest #12 went unpunished. The CR had a nightmare.
Here is the way US soccer works.
Based on winning back to back Division One titles. The Stanford HC will probably be given one of our National teams.
Stanford won and that's what all teams set out to do at the start. Congratulations ..... But the soccer was rubbish.
Will G, well said.
There are few college teams that try to play. Way too many are just engaging in
high speed collision.
"Disgusting"? You need to get over yourself.
Blaming the performance on the playing field? These two squads were equal in no technical talent and low soccer IQ. One or two passes and boom it up field...horrendous. This game resembled something other than soccer.
I was at the game and had a few observations:
1. Terrible atmosphere for college soccer game although for a small school the Wake fans were loud and traveled very well. Field looked terrible and made it difficult for Wake to play their passing game effectively
2. Refreshing to see Wake continue to try and play soccer, credit to Stanford for having a game plan to play long ball and disrupt the rhythm of play (not that fun to watch though)
3. Since when does college soccer have instant replay?? What a momentum killer
4. Feel as though a team that doesn’t score a goal the entire final four doesn’t really deserve to win the national championship (maybe just have overtime until a goal is scored)
5. As a neutral I loved seeing Wake continue to try and break down teams but that doesn’t always work and at this stage of the season sometimes it’ll be ugly, you just have to find a way to win
6. Stanford gets the hardware but 99/100 times Wake is the better team
Ya mean 98/100, Jimmy? Stanford bounced WF out of the 2015 NCAA quarterfinals, 2-1 in OT in NC. (Jordan Morris & Foster Langsdorf with the goals.) Stanford is the real deal, a deserving two-time champ. ... NCAA tried to "maybe just have overtime until a goal is scored" for 30 years. Only things worse than PKs are co-champions & a tournament-ending tie. ... Perhaps it's time to return the final fours back to campus? Have UCSB's 'Soccer Heaven' host in sunny California every few years or so and rotate to other soccer-crazy schools like Maryland, Clemson, Wake, Saint Louis, UCLA, Creighton, Indiana, Virginia, UConn, etc?
Yeah, a clean double in crappy Finals! What a sad display of American soccer this weekend, both MLS and College. And most of it came down to the abhorrent officiating; thug-n-mug, kick-n-run! For all the commentary and opinions on what is the main problem in US Soccer development, I can tell you its not Pay-to-Play; not the DA; not ODP; not Girls DA; not birth-year mandate; not over zealous parents. It IS officiating, from the bottom to the top! Too much leniency in thuggery which is very influential in how the game is played. Its main effect is the stifling of the creative player, whether u8 or Professional. Kids learn so much from officiating, often subconsciously, that when it rewards grabbing, tripping, shoving, that's exactly what the kids will do. I am usually very positive about our overall progress, but weekends like this past one, just depress me with the awful refereeing on display.
All the warts of college soccer were on display in the college cup. There's not future for soccer in the U>S.A. is this is the offering. Maybe that's what the NCAA wants for soccer? If there is no interest outside the universities, then for pete's sake, play'em at one or both schools. It was strange watching subs come on in extra time and players that did not play taking pens. There is much harsher play south of the border in Copa America (the real one) and Libertadores, what is unique to MLS is the lack of technique in the fouls, they are all clumsy, and those should all be called, period.
in that last sentence I meant to group MLS and collge soccer together to say that both leagues allow clumsy fouls. Technique is the act of disguising the foul, they don't bother.
Stanford seemed like thugs
I am biased but Stanford seemed like thugs and the officiating was horrible. In general ACC games seem to have better officiating and much better fields. Wonder if that sheds any light on why 5 of 8 of the elite eight teams were ACC teams
I didn't tune in until after the questionable charge on the WF GK, but Stanford's No. 4, for example, clearly deserved a caution. This year's Cardinal has played better by far on other occasions. It is fascinating how tables turn. Until yesterday, Pac 12 soccer was condemned over the years as too elegant to compete with the physicality of the "real men" in the East.
Having watched the college finals games and MLS championship, one can't be to impressed by the lack of creative scoring attempts. One of the big problems is that teams today position themselves very defensively, which some might call "parking the bus" which results in long balls, and counter attacking style soccer. The American style of play characterized as lack of "ball possession" makes it very difficulty to play against teams that play very defensively. Thus scoring opportunities are reduced. And since America does not produce creative players ( even though we have tons and tons of licensed coaches all these years...go
figure?) it makes harder to open the opponents' tight defenses in order to score.
Something has got to be done on a National scale, to improve attacking soccer. One thing I would propose is for all teams to play a 4-3-3 or 3-4-3 system, meaning we need to play with 3 attackers up front, beginning with the youth. Systems like 4-4-2; 5-4-1; should not be recommended. We need to install in the youth nothing but offensive thinking and play for that is the most difficult aspect of the game to play.