CSAS Soccer

CSAS brought it tonight. After a tense start and a 1-0 CSAS lead at the half, Grace tied it up at 1-1. CSAS responded with numerous chances and 2 set piece balls off the foot of Allison Gehron finding the back of the net. It's on in District 5.

CSAS at Station Camp at 7PM Central on Saturday We will be playing in the football stadium, rather than their unlighted soccer field.

Thank you. You have to love the post season. Although elimination matches are stressful, nothing matches the feeling of playing a 'put out' or 'get out' game. It's a shame that only two teams make it out of Region 3; CCS more than deserves to go to Murfreesboro. If you guys remember, the exact inverse occurred last season, with CCS knocking us out at our place in the semi. Soccer is truly the beautiful game.

How many district opponents you must play and the system for seeding the district tournament is determined by the coaches in that district. While they do have some leeway, all changes to the district by laws must receive TSSAA approval and do not take effect until the following season. Some districts have split due to the number of teams (especially in sports like volleyball and basketball) and have rules requiring a team to play all teams in its portion (north or south or east or west) and a specified number of district opponents (perhaps one or two) from the other portion. Since you only get 16 matches per season in soccer, this helps strong teams in weak districts schedule up and also permits building programs to schedule more equitable opponents. As to seeding, most districts use a point system based on play against district opponents and do not consider the overall record. This also encourages teams to schedule a more difficult season. In the event of a tie, the by laws detail the tie-breaker criteria, usually head to head first followed by goal differential and so forth.

Since I began this strand, I should probably add a post game comment. I had previously stated that McCallie is the best team in this area. After watching this match, and adding in McCallie's win over Dalton, I stand by that statement. McCallie is not much better than Baylor, but I still think that they are slightly better. In the first half, McCallie definitely created the better chances. Baylor struggled to get numbers forward and their attacks were mostly quick counters with their attackers facing 2v4 or 1v3 situations. Conversely, McCallie managed to get a lot of players in the box. While they did not finish, they did put a few balls on frame, and they also had some missed opportunities to play open players at the D. I saw no really dangerous attacks out of Baylor in the first half. I will admit that Baylor created more opportunities in the second half, so you could just about split this one. I still, however, saw McCallie get a few dangerous chances in the second half as well. I have frankly been surprised by the number of people, some of whose soccer opinions I respect, that felt that Baylor looked like the better team in that match. As an unbiased observer and fan of the game, I saw McCallie getting the better of the play, chances, and possession. Lastly, Patrick did a solid job refereeing a high-pressure match. I felt that he was consistent with his no calls. I did see one blatant handball on a Baylor attack that he missed, and I felt that he should have given a yellow to both Jesse and Zander for their antics at the end of the game. I do, however, respect his not throwing a yellow in the last minutes of a 0-0 match. I have read, and heard, several complaints about the lack of cards in this match, but I thought that it was generally a fairly clean match on both team's parts. I have definitely seen more hard-hitting Baylor v. McCallie matches in the past.

The game is listed for 6. I assume that there is either not a JV match or that it is being played prior to then. I expect that parking will be a challenge. Does anyone know a place to park other than the lot adjacent to the field?

predictions?

Perhaps I should explain. Yes, CCS "took [us] to the woodshed." My beef with their style of play is based on the following: after going up 4-1, CCS drew five yellow cards. That reflects poorly on a team's character. When you were up 5-1, one of your players, fouled one of our defenders from behind on a dead run, sending him sprawling. Now if this happens in a close game, it is a different matter, but when you play that way when you are that far up and late into the match most people would frown upon it. By the way, when your fans jeered at our sprawled out defender yelling, "Awww get up. You're faking it.", he got up and flipped off the crowd. He has been removed from the team for losing his composure. My point is this, CCS has been beating us for years, and I have no love for you. I have, however, had lots of respect, and my previous comments on this site support that claim. I have respected CCS because you have been a team that balanced aggression with quality, 'beautiful' play. I refer to the 'beautiful' game concept espoused by many in recent years. I don't like watching two teams clobber each other for eighty minutes. I don't like American rules football tactics being used on the soccer pitch. I do like watching soccer played as the beautiful game that it is. Let the footballers play football, and let the futbollers play real futbol. As to my comments about McCallie, they play an impressive game that is like unto some of the CCS teams I have seen in past years. This year's CCS team, however, seems to be trying to make up for a diminished skill level with a more brutal style of play. Results do speak for themselves. but there is also 'winning ugly' and 'winning pretty'. I remind myself at times, that the team is bigger than the player; the game is bigger than the team; and life trumps them all. You play however you see fit, but always remember that we all contribute to the creation of an ever-evolving game. I don't want to see a sort of 'ugly American' version of that game evolve. I do want to see hard-charging soccer filled with displays of skill that give you goose bumps. I know that there are plenty of fans who love to see high speed collisions, but I prefer to see a Cruyff turn followed by a double scissors and lay off to an open teammate. To each his own. Good luck to you in the post season. Lastly, I'm glad to see David up and walking. He, by the way, is an excellent example of a hard, and clean playing, soccer player.

McCallie came out with a blazing pace of attack. The guy on this strand who said McCallie is overrated must not have seen them play. They are significantly better than CCS. Although CCS might play some ugly, smash-mouth soccer and give a more skilled team like McCallie some problems, McCallie will beat them if they play this season. CSAS was missing two senior starters, and we played the first forty like a team trying not to lose. After going down 3-0, we brought the attack to McCallie in the second half. The game was basically 3-0 McCallie in the first forty and 3-1 CSAS in the second. This is not to say that CSAS dominated the second half. Their second half was nowhere near the first half whipping that McCallie dished out, but CSAS definitely had the better of the play in the final forty. If not for an ugly 4th goal by McCallie, CSAS would have stolen a tie. Going back to the quality of McCallie this year, let me say that I would take them over any team in this area if I had to win a game. I know that Baylor, a team that always plays quality soccer, might beat them, but my money is on McCallie as the most talented team in this area. Only time will tell.

Does anyone have any details on this match?

Region 3 Schedule CSAS hosts CCS on Tuesday @ 7. Notre Dame hosts Boyd Buchanan. Winners play on Thursday.

The players are coached to hit that shot. Find the slot through the crowd and hit it low and hard. It did deflect off of a Boyd player, but that is what that shot is supposed to do. You can't call a scorched, 6-inch off the ground shot 'garbage.' After goals two and three, we purposefully slowed the pace. Sorry if you see it differently, but anyone who was there saw us come out and bring it to start the second half. Both our second and third goals were beautifully set up. I was glad that Boyd brought the enthusiasm, and to their credit, they played better than I've seen them play all year. Coach Walker must give excellent pregame talks. I hope that Boyd plays with that same level of enthusiasm against Notre Dame. If we can get by CCS, perhaps we can have a district 5 only region final. CSAS will play Tuesday at 7.

I stand corrected on my call of McCallie winning by a goal. I did not think that Paden was back in the line up. Coach Weekly has done a masterful job with his team this year.

Surprisingly, Tellico Plains had some bizarre yet awesome warm up tunes. Worst warmup tape has to go to Boyd Buchanan. Sorry fellas, but I lived through both the seventies and eighties and your tape has the worst songs from both decades.

Who wins this one? I'm going with Notre Dame in a foul-laden game.