FutbalFan

Congratulations to these girls. Well deserved. I wonder when All State selections come out.

Well said. I think we have gone full circle. These are two very good teams. Which one is better? Hard or impossible to tell. Even playing a single game may not tell us as we know how soccer can be. I just think it would be a great game to watch, and then post about later as the outcome is discussed/argued.

95G, Thanks for the additional info. It clearly points to the better team, NOT. Looks they should definitiely schedule each other every year !!

First, Congrats to both teams. Great soccer, a joy to watch. Some comparisons using Eurosport stats (I hope they are right): Records: Franklin 24-0-0 ESPN #7 NSCAA #10 Baylor 19-1-0 ESPN #6 NSCAA #7 (Loss 1-0 at Zionsville Invitational in Indiana) Signature Win: Franklin vs Farragut (ESPN #13) Baylor vs Strongsville, Ohio (ESPN #8, ESPN #1 at the time) Goals For: Franklin 130 ave = 5.4 Baylor 74 ave = 3.7 Goals Against: Franklin 7 ave = 0.29 Baylor 4 ave = 0.20 Championship Game Stats: Franklin wins 3-0, shots: for 12, against 6 Baylor wins 2-0, shots: for 11, against 6 After watching both teams in Chattanooga, I'd say it's a toss-up and would probably be determined on a set play goal after a scramble in box. And wasn't it a great week for soccer in Chattanooga !! Great location, Great fields.

Canesoverhere ...... Sunday scores please ????

Matt Yelton is both a great recruiter and coach. And his teams are always exciting to watch, especially at home games with 25 cent hotdogs.

There are many good points on both sides of this issue. Here's my take. My spouse and I are the parents and we will look out for the best OVERALL interest of our daughter period. Not just her soccer interest, not just her education interest. Note that I am trying to downplay whatever personal interest we may have. This OVERALL interest is a function of the child and each child is different. Therefore, there is no one right or best answer to the question at hand in this thread. And while I love to have the USA as a soccer power to cheer for, we are not going to make decisions along with my daughter for the development of the sport. That is not in her best interest. There are only a few who have the physical talent, innate thinking, and desire to compete at the level neccesary to make a national team. For them, I think the answer is clear ... forget school ball, or at least make it just a hobby or mental/social release if able to. The reality is that with the direction US Youth Soccer and ECNL are taking things, school ball will eventually not be an option for those desiring to play at the highest levels of youth soccer. The rest of the world does not develop players through school systems, it's through clubs. Not saying it's right or wrong, that's just the way it is. My daughter will compete at the next level but is no where near a national player. Could she be? She's fast, intelligent, hard working, competitive .... but the simple thing is she doesn't really want to do what it takes to be a national or even regional player. Don't take this as laziness, not that at all, it just her desire to do other things, and do them well, makes it impossible. That's her decision and I will support her as such as being in her best overall interest. I shall stop now at the risk of rambling on and losing my overall point. It's up to us parents to determine what is in the best overall interest of our daughters, and to guide and advise them towards that end. Soccer is like all other aspects of life; there are many directions to take and many decisions to be made. While it's hard, at least our daughters have options, unlike many in the rest of the world. I believe I know what outcome is best for my daughter (keeping both school ball and club ball in separate seasons) but I also know that may not be best for someone else's daughter.

Who is hurt on Soddy? Key players are Lanter and Wyatt I think. Is it one of them? Too bad for whoever it is.

Well Said.

Thanks for the link. No Bethany Bunker from St. Agnes ???? Can't be right. Edited 12/12: Oops ... she is there. Missed her on my first read

Congratulations to these girls. They are all excellent players. As always, there are some left off that I'd say were equally deserving. How can Simone Busby not be on this list, and what about Hannah Wyatt at Soddy? At Baylor, I know there are already five, but Chloe Brackett and Paige Elliot may have been slighted as players who deliver every game.

I kind of wish I hadn't bit ..... fishing at the expense of others is not really that cool. I should have said nothing in the first place rather than trying to be subtle. I absolutely respect all Goal Keepers. They are a special courageous athlete willing to put their body on the line, and put themselves in a position where any mistake is under massive scrutiny. Strikers have no such issue ... their "mistakes" are just "unlucky" shots and the score stays the same.

What a great weekend of games !! Too bad we couldn't have a Houston vs Baylor game out back behind a barn or something where #1 could really be sorted out. Oops, better not forget ND, clearly the scrappiest team in Chattanooga this weekend. I do think Baylor and St Agnes will be battling again this time next year. St Agnes losses little and Baylor returns M. Thomas. In an earlier post, my comment on goal keeping errors was questioned. I was trying to be subtle, it was the CAK keeper that I was concerned for (glad she had no errors in Championship game. No one was stopping that ND Header). The ND keeper is why ND even made it to the finals. She was spectacular against CPA.

2 for 2 so far.

Well, the Championship Matches are set. Predictions and comments? St George's vs Univ. School of Jackson Jackson will prevail 2-1 even though they have previously lost and tied to St George's this year. St George had it too easy in the semi's and USJ got some offensive mojo going. Baylor vs St Agnes Baylor breaks their 2 year jinx and avenges last years loss to St Agnes 2-0. St Agnes has punch but Baylor's D has been really tough allowing 5 goals all season. Key will be if St Agnes can keep this game out of their defensive end of the field. CAK vs Notre Dame If any game goes to O/T I'm betting this one. I just think CAK offensive power will prevail 2-1. But if they don't keep ND striker contained, all bets are off. Goal Keeping (lack of errors) could play a big part though. Houston vs Franklin Houston is just too good. 2-0 or more victor.

At least two of the four groups will always have split fields as the finals are always at GPS and there is no way GPS (or any single field) can handle all the groups. Baylor is building a new varsity field so they will end up with two very good fields. I can't see the Finals moving from GPS though given the stadium and general location right on the river. Pretty nice.

I think it's a real credit to Chattanooga to have 3 such great grass fields at CCS, Baylor, and GPS for the State Tournament and so close to each other to make game hopping possible. I know that it's tough for Memphis Area teams to travel so far, but I hope you at least enjoy the facilities and Chattanooga after the long drive. The rain was a hassle, but at least there was no problem from deteriorating field conditions. That skipping ball was a real challange though. Goal Keeper Moms and Dads must have been more nerve racked than usual.

Baylor is now building a new varsity field. The current varsity field will be MS field as MS field is wiped out to make tennis courts. Work is going fast although don't know when it will be completed. the field will be located up from the end of the soccer parking lot. Has anyone seen the facility plan for this new field? I'm sure the pitch will be full-size, high quality like current field, but don't know anything about team bench area or concessions upgrades.

See this link: http://www.tssaa.org/Sports/GirlsSoccer/Instructions/DIIAAinstructions.htm All Div II AA teams make playoffs. Baylor will be East/Middle #1 if they beat JPII tonight. Otherwise JPII will be #1 and Baylor #2 unless JPII losses last game to BGA next Tuesday. GPS will likely be #7. None of this is set until all games are finished in the next week or so. Also, after 1st two rounds of playoffs, TSSAA will reset brackets for semis in Chattanooga

This has been the case at Baylor for several years.

Goals are becoming a precious commodity in Chattanooga. Lots of good defense out there

Need to look long term, not just one game. The WIN they are after is PLAYOFFS. So they are learning a lesson in how to achieve long term goals. What if it was the last game of the season and a tie would get them in playoffs? Do you play for the win when if doing so drastically decreases your chance to get the one point you need? Don't think so. Think of it as the Warren Buffet approach to a soccer season. BTW, I hate watching games like this. But I respect what GPS was able to do. Their girls were thrilled that they went in with a plan, executed it, and got the result they wanted. That's a great lesson.

Here's the Math: (Good Defense + Great Goalkeeping) * Satisfied to Tie = Anybody is vulnerable "Satisfied to Tie" in not an insult. It may be the right strategy, especially if 1 point is the difference between making playoffs or not. In this game, there was no way GPS was scoring against Baylor unless an absolute fluke goal occured. Baylor came into the game giving up 1 goal in 10 games. Baylor has a very solid keeper, but on top of that, no one is even getting shots on her. TFP article was right on the money. It will be interesting come playoff time to see if Baylor can break through with a State Championship after not getting it done the last few years despite essentially being undefeated going in. In playoffs, teams would be wise to learn from what GPS did and go for 0-0 tie and take their chance in PKs. Of Course, it's hard to teach supurb goalkeeping (Simone)

MVM, the mjuhb of Chattanooga?? Must be, as we all await seeing what MVM's Crystal Ball says.

Too bad there wasn't a Baylor - Houston showdown. I think they were the top 2 teams at Rivals