College games

Interesting game on Friday night:

No. 12 Boston College women's team battled Harvard University for 110 minutes of action and the match finished with a 1-1 tie. The Eagles are now 6-1-1, while Harvard is 3-2-2.... (http://bceagles.cstv.com/sports/w-socce ... 08aaa.html)

Which reminds me of one of the dumbest sentences ever written on this forum:

Many top U17 and U18 girls club teams would defeat Harvard womens team anyway

Re: College games

I don't think this is dumb at all. I totally agree that the top U17 or U18 team would beat Harvard. No easily, it would be a good game. But I think they would. A U18 player is much quicker than a typical U21 player. The U21 is more physical, but I'd lean to more skilled and quick for the U18 player. JMHO.

Re: College games

I don't think this is dumb at all. I totally agree that the top U17 or U18 team would beat Harvard. No easily, it would be a good game. But I think they would. A U18 player is much quicker than a typical U21 player. The U21 is more physical, but I'd lean to more skilled and quick for the U18 player. JMHO.

You are out of your mind...A U-18 player quicker than a U-21 player....no way. Plus an 18 year old player is not as smart as 21 year old, and they have yet to fully develop a soccer brain and they would have no chance to beat a D1 or D2 girl's program.
There may be a few U-17 or U-18 club teams that could compete with d3 schools, but that's it!
The girl's college game get's better and better every year. It's the feeder to our NAtional team program, and that's why a DAP for girls is quite a ways off.

Stop dreaming that your 17 and 18 Stars/Scorps/Bolts girls team, or even any of thge FL, TX or Ca teams could compete with D1 programs.

Re: College games

Division I teams scrimmage with older club teams all the time in the offseason.

Top Clubs are going to be stronger than all but the top college programs, on the girls side. They often have a more aggressive yearly schedule and are younger.

If you don't think colleges have trouble with older club teams than you've never been part of a college program or a top club.

Re: College games

This is Sir Alex. My U18 team played Harvard to a 1-1 tie and Dartmouth to a 1-2 loss. My team was good, but not the likes of the Stars 18's or the CRU 18's before me. Now with the teams coming up with the consolidation of top players on one or two teams, I would very much give the nod to the top u18 club team over a Harvard. A D3 team would be no challenge to a top u18 team, neither would a D2 team. My team played Umass Lowell and Bryant and beat both of those in scrimmages back in the day.

Don't get me wrong, the top team in MA U18 wouldn't give a UNC, Portland, or Santa Clara a game, but they sure could compete against a typical D1 team.

Re: College games

This is Sir Alex. My U18 team played Harvard to a 1-1 tie and Dartmouth to a 1-2 loss. My team was good, but not the likes of the Stars 18's or the CRU 18's before me. Now with the teams coming up with the consolidation of top players on one or two teams, I would very much give the nod to the top u18 club team over a Harvard.

Sorry, I don't buy it. Scrimmages aren't real games. Coaches use them to practice and experiment. In a real game I'd put my money on Harvard. Their lineup is loaded with former HS All-Americas, Top 50 Soccer Buzz recruits, state players of the year, top club MVPs, track stars on the side, etc., from around the country. The keeper was a U-20 WNT invitee. They train throughout the year, daily in season.

No offense, but it would take a Tim Wheaton (former Harvard coach, now coaching for the Bolts) or a Tracy Kerr (former Bolts coach with Harvard connections) to make me think otherwise.

Re: College games

Top Clubs are going to be stronger than all but the top college programs, on the girls side. They often have a more aggressive yearly schedule and are younger.

You think "younger," at these ages, is an advantage? I can't say I agree.

Re: College games

A U18 player is much quicker than a typical U21 player.

Have no idea whether this is true, but as a rule? I doubt it. I have seen some of this state's most talented players flounder as college freshmen. (A college team also features U19 and U20 players.)

The U21 is more physical, but I'd lean to more skilled and quick for the U18 player.

Why would you assume a player with three years' less experience is more skilled?

Re: College games

I don't think this is dumb at all. I totally agree that the top U17 or U18 team would beat Harvard. No easily, it would be a good game. But I think they would. A U18 player is much quicker than a typical U21 player. The U21 is more physical, but I'd lean to more skilled and quick for the U18 player. JMHO.

You are out of your mind...A U-18 player quicker than a U-21 player....no way. Plus an 18 year old player is not as smart as 21 year old, and they have yet to fully develop a soccer brain and they would have no chance to beat a D1 or D2 girl's program.
There may be a few U-17 or U-18 club teams that could compete with d3 schools, but that's it!
The girl's college game get's better and better every year. It's the feeder to our NAtional team program, and that's why a DAP for girls is quite a ways off.

Stop dreaming that your 17 and 18 Stars/Scorps/Bolts girls team, or even any of thge FL, TX or Ca teams could compete with D1 programs.

Hey buddy, you're the one that's dreaming. Top club teams play college teams all the time and more often then not the club team comes out on top. Sir Alex's experience is not uncommon. The majority of college teams, even D1 college teams are high school teams with older players.

BTW College is not the feeder to the national teams. Club is.

Re: College games

A U18 player is much quicker than a typical U21 player.

Have no idea whether this is true, but as a rule? I doubt it. I have seen some of this state's most talented players flounder as college freshmen. (A college team also features U19 and U20 players.)

Absolutely, as women mature they naturally add weight and slow down.

The U21 is more physical, but I'd lean to more skilled and quick for the U18 player.

Why would you assume a player with three years' less experience is more skilled?

Because skills are established 10 years earlier.

Re: College games

Harvard has tied BC and Wisconsin and beaten Davidson this year, in real games. I seriously doubt that the state's top u17 or u18 club team could do this.

Re: College games

Sorry, I don't buy it. Scrimmages aren't real games. Coaches use them to practice and experiment. In a real game I'd put my money on Harvard. Their lineup is loaded with former HS All-Americas, Top 50 Soccer Buzz recruits, state players of the year, top club MVPs, track stars on the side, etc., from around the country. The keeper was a U-20 WNT invitee. They train throughout the year, daily in season.

NCAA prohibits them from training throughout the year.

Re: College games

Harvard has tied BC and Wisconsin and beaten Davidson this year, in real games. I seriously doubt that the state's top u17 or u18 club team could do this.

Bet they could.

Re: College games

Absolutely, as women mature they naturally add weight and slow down.

So do men. But we're talking about female athletes. The youngest 100-meter sprinter on the U.S. women's Olympic team was 24; the oldest, 31.

Because skills are established 10 years earlier.

So I'll take the HS all-American 21-year-old over the HS all-state 18-year-old.

Re: College games

Sorry, I don't buy it. Scrimmages aren't real games. Coaches use them to practice and experiment. In a real game I'd put my money on Harvard. Their lineup is loaded with former HS All-Americas, Top 50 Soccer Buzz recruits, state players of the year, top club MVPs, track stars on the side, etc., from around the country. The keeper was a U-20 WNT invitee. They train throughout the year, daily in season.

NCAA prohibits them from training throughout the year.

OK, so they're in the weight room and gym in the spring semester, like the humblest D3 team.