UNC Women's Soccer 2026-2027
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USA wins 2-1 despite being outshot 20-4. Only 4 of ESP's shots were on goal.
Excellent points. Thanks for sharing this. IMO, it puts everything in proper proportion as to why Damon and staff are not playing people who we think should be playing, had been playing, etc.
DiMaria had a deflected shot hit the post, and a PK earned overturned by a video review, where the goalie got a fingertip on the ball before purposefully tackling her with the other arm.
Spain clearly controlled this game but had no answer for DiMaria's counter attack. Spain was one of the favorites in this tourney.
DiMaria is up to a record 12 goals on 21 shots in 4 games. 15 of her 21 shots are on frame, and that does not include at least two off the post.
USA draws North Korea in the Quarterfinal. The PRK has one win by 3 goals, the other 3 by at least 5.
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My eyesight isn't good enough to tell - is she there at all? I'm hoping not as that indicates she's just ill, given it's seniors night.
I saw that. She did not appear hurt during the interview after the Stanford win. Damon and staff did not mentioned that either. Maybe he is resting her and she has a nagging injury that is not severe but needed rest.
Devey is on the sideline wearing a pink Tshirt along with Malsom, Currie and a tall brunette I can’t identify. Maybe Kuklik?
Gaetino comes in for Dennigan with 11 min remaining in the half. It looks like she will play the 9?
Definitely possible but they still have to play Stanford who I thought played better than them.
Hopefully Devey just getting over a cold. Lots of bugs going around
Straightforward win today and we hit the woodwork twice. Didn't get any chances off our fifteen or so corners
Hopefully Devey just getting over a cold. Lots of bugs going around
Straightforward win today and we hit the woodwork twice. Didn't get any chances off our fifteen or so corners
I would like to think that would have been 4-0 had Devey played, but who knows.
Quick thoughts:
Roosien looked pretty good out there on the wing. And I really like Bradley's effort. Sealy is great on the ball but seems to disappear a lot.
I know this group isn't big on Gaetino right now, but I have a soft spot for her and I was happy to see her get some minutes at the 9.
While I like this double pivot since it makes good use of two great ballhandlers and shores up a 3 back, I think it's leaving a big gap at the 10 too often. And I don't think Antonucci has the speed or stamina to fill it. It's making the transitions through the middle more difficult than they need to be.
Quick thoughts:
Roosien looked pretty good out there on the wing. And I really like Bradley's effort. Sealy is great on the ball but seems to disappear a lot.
I know this group isn't big on Gaetino right now, but I have a soft spot for her and I was happy to see her get some minutes at the 9.
While I like this double pivot since it makes good use of two great ballhandlers and shores up a 3 back, I think it's leaving a big gap at the 10 too often. And I don't think Antonucci has the speed or stamina to fill it. It's making the transitions through the middle more difficult than they need to be.
Looks like the spitter got a goal against NCSU last night. So I guess there's wasn't a suspension.
Totally agree. When our sixes have the ball just north of the center line, there is nobody in the center except for the striker. I'd like to see someone there to help connect. Also, I appreciate all the work that Kennedy and Pennie do, but can you imagine what this team would be like if they were offensive threats (meaning goal scorers)? It'd be incredible if they were threats for shots from distance.
SMU set up with two banks of four in a low block. It's pretty hard to play through the center against that, and meanwhile Munson was continuously showing they couldn't stop her on the wing. So I thought circulating the ball out wide was fair enough.
Yeah that really sucks and I hope the league catches hell for it. UNC and FSU being staight up punished for not risking the lives of the players, coaches, and fans. Bureaucracy at its finest…can’t use common sense because it might go against protocol. These folks would fit into Congress seamlessly.
By the way the girl Klinger from Stanford hasn’t been suspended for spitting on Antonucci yet (haven’t seen anything at least). What the hell are they waiting on….the people running the league appear to be dropping the ball on multiple fronts. Klinger getting no punishment for what is supposedly a red card offense (and athletes in the NFL, NBA, etc. have faced notable fines and/or suspensions for such behavior) is absolutely ridiculous.
Game winner with 33 seconds left, no less. A must-win for Stanford and heartbreak for NCSU.
That's a valid point, but I think there needs to be a presence there. Antonucci was trying to play both sides last night.
well said, totally agree. And when Manning returns it will be more of the same.
Antonucci has the leg, she is just short on chances and just bad luck this season. because of what the defense is choosing to take away. 52% Shots on frame is pretty stellar from a 10 (shooting from distance more often.) but 0 of those 12 on frame have scored. she is also taking our corners and most other set pieces from distance so she is not getting the shots on those.
But I would not be surprised to see Denigan at the 10 again if she is 100% and Devey returns.
Kennedy is a holding midfielder. If you are expecting scoring from her, you will be frustrated. Pennie gest forward more often, but she is pass first. I am OK with that; it is her better skill. But she is not afraid to take a shot, all be it mixed results. 17 shots, 4 on frame, no goals, is not a scoring threat. But I would bet she has a good number of hockey assists.
UNC is 5th nationally in scoring offense. 3rd among P4 teams. 2nd among teams with a decent chance to make the College Cup. 3rd in SoS makes that stat even more impressive. I don't think much tweaking is needed.
We are 42nd in goals against average. We play aggressively and that is fine. But if you want to focus on where there has been room for improvement; there you go. That seems to call for our 6's and other mids to hold back more; not less.
Watched that entire game. USA was fortunate to win. Spain absolutely bossed possession and whipped our midfield the full 90 minutes. Got our first goal just minutes before half (completely against the run of play) on an odd situation where a ball was cleared out by Spain, we served in a really high, looped-in ball that their GK really should have come forward and caught...but misplayed it. Stanislaus did good to finish but it was weird because you expect a player to have to win a ball coming in like that with their head to have any chance at getting to it first. Spain thought she was offsides and just let her go, and the GK was slow to step up and got caught in no man's land. So a little fortunate on that one. Second goal happened about 45 seconds later....we hit a long ball into the corner to DiMaria who just used her skill to flat out beat two defenders. Spain was still in shock from that first goal honestly. But it was a great finish.
Spain's performance kind of reminds me of UNC right now....that is a good and bad comment. Good in that bossing possession against even the best opponents is something to be proud of. It shows you have superior skill and technical ability, and usually you are going to win in that scenario. But it's bad in that Spain had trouble creating lots of dangerous chances with all of that possession, and pushing all of those numbers forward makes you so susceptible to a quick counter....if you play a team with a great athlete at forward, that one player can have a moment or two of brilliance that ends your season. That's what DiMaria did to Spain yesterday. She was unlucky to not score again in a similar counter situation late in the game (GK got just enough of a piece of it to deflect it off of the post). I do not agree that she should have been awarded a PK on that other chance....the GK got the ball first before contacting DiMaria, and that is the law of the land. Had she not got her hand on the ball, then yes, would have been a PK, but the ref got it right, and they had great camera angles to confirm. Thankfully it didn't matter. (Looking back at the loss to Syracuse last Saturday night....the ACC's football office could really use some tips on instant replay technology from FIFA).
Not feeling great about USA's chances vs North Korea. NK is just obliterating teams in big games right now, and we really looked outmatched vs Spain outside of one player. Going to be hard to ride that strategy much farther against what is probably the best team in the world. Looking forward to watching and hope to be proven wrong, but I think we'll see Amari and Deus back in Chapel Hill around Tuesday of next week. If we can somehow survive that one though, then I feel like we have great chance to win the whole thing. Was really hoping to avoid NK until the finals, but our loss to China in the group stage put us in this situation.
I did not mean to imply that the refs got the PK decision wrong, just that the PK was averted by a fingertip. The GK gambled (as she probably had to) and won. I was more speaking to how many times DiMaria put their back line in extreme danger.
Agree that had Devey played we probably would have had more goals last night. We should have put up 4 or 5 against that team. We were playing dangerously letting them hang around for so long. That close call when they had to review to see if Stratton fouled them in the box, which would have been a PK chance to tie the game in the second half was a scary situation to be in. Ref got it right, the SMU player mostly took a dive...should have been a minor foul called just outside of our box for Stratton's grab of her arm, but not a PK. But even putting ourselves in that situation against a team as weak as SMU worries me for the same scenario in the NCAAT. See my post above...that's how Spain got knocked out of the U17 World Cup yesterday. Dominated USA in every statistic but didn't turn all of that possession or shots into goals and lost.
I thought Gaetino played well when she came in as the 9...she got robbed of a goal by the SMU GK's best save by a mile. I actually like her up top better than in the back, only because she plays so physically (recklessly at times)...she's not such a worry for me like she is as the last defender where one bad decision could be catastrophic. Watching her play....she reminds me of one of those people that gets under the skin of the other teams every game. She's physical and chippy, and those kinds of players piss you off and can get into your head. I have been critical of some of her decision making in the back, but definitely think she has a role going forward....she's probably the most experienced player on the team and played a key role when we won the title 2 years ago. Just have to figure out exactly how that role fits in with this group. Bringing her in off the bench as a spark with fresh legs, or having her ready for depth if anyone in the back goes down injured is a huge luxury to have. But I also wouldn't be shocked if Damon decides to start her in the back either.
And I love Scottie's technical skill, passing ability, and potential, but I am with you that we're needing more production in the attack from the 10. I feel like she's lost a step since the knee injury she took midseason, but it could just be that our opposition has gotten tougher since early in the year. I think Denigan and Scottie should be splitting time (if nothing else to keep them fresh due to the high amount of running required at that position), and Blum is really our best true 10 with how she plays (creative, can beat players 1v1, is a threat to score). I think Scottie will be great as she matures physically and gains more experience playing college ball. I think Damon sees that potential in her.
That attacking situation should look better once Manning is back. Putting her back on the left wing and moving Munson back over to the right would really make this attack dangerous. I'd move Straun back to the bench, I don't think she has the raw speed to really fit playing on that wing that we need to make this system work. I think she's a little more suited to playing in a more central role (which is quite crowded right now), but has done a solid job filling in. But we really need those outside players getting forward in a hurry to support Devey or whoever is playing the 9 if we want this offense to fire on all cylinders. This goes back to the Maddie Dahlien days, and even last night you saw that Munson was our most dangerous weapon....we need dynamic/fast players on the wings to play this system that is otherwise just completely stacking the midfield to assure we are numbers up in that part of field (which allows us to dominate possession so often). Goes back to the point I constantly harp on....possession is meaningless if you aren't converting it into a high number of good scoring opportunities.
BIG BIG BIG game at Lville next week. The league is probably going to screw us out of the 1 seed, but if we win that game we should be locked into the 2 and at least get a bye. If we lose that one then we're going to make our path to the ACC finals really difficult. Will have to probably beat two top 10 level teams just to get to the final. That would leave us pretty beaten up playing 3 games that difficult going in the NCAAs. Reminds me of one of Roy Williams' supposed quirks....he kind of didn't get too mad if we lost early in the ACCT (would never admit it, but we knew), because he wanted us rested and ready for a run at the big prize (national title).
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For those that missed it, Damon addresses Devey and Gaetino.
The game was 30 shots to 0. Zero. I think they touched the ball in our box maybe twice. It is hard to imagine a game that creates less concern, short of 4 goals in the first half. If that is what you require then you will be stressed a lot watching soccer.
SMU is not a good team, granted, but they are 50th in RPI. that is a little short of being a tournament team. The bubble will probably end in the low 40's. a win last night is what they needed for serious bubble consideration, so they were highly motivated but could accomplish nothing.
edit: i cut out the rest of the post I quoted to make it clear what I was responding to, but I think the rest of the post is excellent analysis; lost of great points and ideas.
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Would Devey play if this was a tournament game?
"She could have.... She was not 100%" " A little bit of a strain...low grade...monitoring it...did not want it to worsen...it was her leg."
"Gaetino has been a big part of out team.. After the WF game....Izzy had a really good performance...and we decided to make a couple of changes leadership-wise from a central {defense} standpoint and shifted Aven out there [to the defensive wing, Gaetino's position]"
It was a reset a bit for Gaetino as well, to just have her take a deep breath. We know that we are going to need her. She's versatile... and credit to her, since the WF game her training sessions have been some of her best since she has been here. I am really proud of it for her and she has been a great leader, even in the Stanford game where she didn't play."
How can that happen. Something needs to be done about her spitting on another player, bottom line.
That should be something the both of them will need to work on for next year during the offseason.
This is another form of bias against UNC by the league. If it would have been any other team in the ACC, Klinger from Stanford would have been suspended.
What happened when Damon had Summer, Devey, Blum, and Munson all playing at one time and they were all scoring the first couple of games when the season started. Why don't he go back to that line up. They were causing havoc then.
I would prefer if Damon would do a combination of both. That would be the best IMO.
I agree with everything you said about Gaetino. I think her making adjustments speaks volumes about her character. I would have preferred that he starts Gaetino and sit Aven.
To be clear, these are not my thoughts. They are direct quotes from Nahas.
I have no opinion on who should start; I don't feel like I have anywhere near the information that the coaching staff does to question them.
I wouldn’t play Gaetino over Aven. I think the back line with Izzy in middle and Aven on outside is our best lineup (with Cali). Aven is in her best position, allowing her to also go forward as she’s technically sound.
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