Women’s Soccer shows what they are made of
Last night's loss against OSU showed us several important things about the soccer squad that the 1-4-1 record simply cannot represent. To lighten the mood from the disappointing loss, we will start with the good.
Though there were no goals scored by the Owls, there certainly was an impressive offensive effort. For a time int he first half, Rice actually led in shots. The opportunities were, in large part, due to the meticulous play of senior Erin Scott. Her piercing runs around the formidable OSU backline continued to put the cowgirls on their toes and the crowd on the edge of their seats.
Most importantly, though, the squad did not seem to play with three separate units; team defense was stressed throughout practice this week and it showed. Aside from some early hiccups, the help came from around the field. If I didn't know any better, I would say that someone on the team grew tired of Meghan Erkel getting all the attention (she had a record-setting 16 SAVES LAST GAME!) and forced her to make only five stops.
But for the strong defense that they played in the field of play, it was clear from the first minutes of the game that set pieces would be the most dangerous part of OSU's game. The cowgirls played perfect crosses on corner kicks and free kicks all night, and it was, statistically, just a matter of time for one to go in. As soon as the Owls' attack picked up the race started and the winner took the game: Will the home team hammer one through first or will the technically skilled OSU side sail a free kick passed Erkel?
The latter won, and another strong opponent narrowly escaped Rice Track/Soccer Stadium with a win. Seemingly every time the team improves on one weakness, a new one is exposed. So assuming Huston has Craig Waibel launch free kick after free kick into the box for the rest of the week, what will be the next point the team has to work on? I would guess the midfield.
To take the final step and beat one of the numerous ranked opponents still coming into Houston, the midfield is going to have to work on possession and controlling the tempo of the game. The Owls are going to have to see the Hope Ward from last year, making runs down the line and firing crosses into the box. Shelley Wong is also going to have to show she deserves the armband if the Owls are going to be able to step up their game.
Nevertheless, you have to wonder, after playing TCU, Baylor, OSU, and Marquette, is conference play going to seem that much easier? Though the focus of the year has been avoiding must-wins in the conference tournament for an at-large NCAA bid, maybe this year will be just the opposite. I know that Coach Bailiff is hoping SMU won't be a problem after Tech tonight, but I'd say Coach Huston should be a little more happy with her odds at conference wins.