High school girls soccer

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No, they do not teach it in Peabody, the two learned it at FC Stars. Stars also got them to where they are, but they both dive with the best of them.

Nope - there's lots of Stars players who don't dive.

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If a player dives - she will learn diving doesn't work as well in college. For one thing, in the women's game fouls are called less often than they probably should be especially against defenders. So the payoff when you're on the ground is lower.

I would also distinguish between diving and going down easily when you have been fouled. For example some opponents might feel the big strong players should stay up when they're being pulled down from behind. For those players sometimes going down is the only way to draw the official's attention to what is happening.

VD at BC is an example of a player who dove a lot during her club career and her first year of college - now not so much.

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3-0

#Newburyport hits the post with under 10 to go, but #Canton just added their third

A 3-0 rout. Canton unlucky not to be up 3-0 at halftime.

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Nope - there's lots of Stars players who don't dive.

"Catch a falling star and put it in a jar and......sorry"

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[QUOTE=Unregistered;660176
VD at BC is an example of a player who dove a lot during her club career and her first year of college - now not so much.[/QUOTE]

Very interesting you cite VD, but not SM. I was struck earlier this season by how often SM hits the deck - far more frequently than VD did her freshman year (I don't agree with your "dove a lot"). But I attribute that to her style on the dribble (which she can maintain longer than other forwards): low to the ground (she plays smaller than she is listed), center of gravity far forward. When SM penetrates she always seems ready to pitch forward on the pitch, and sometimes, as in the Colgate game, she does and it results in a penalty shot (that was a questionable call). By contrast, VD plays much more upright, with a more direct, slashing style, and is much more physical and harder to knock down.

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Very interesting you cite VD, but not SM. I was struck earlier this season by how often SM hits the deck - far more frequently than VD did her freshman year (I don't agree with your "dove a lot"). But I attribute that to her style on the dribble (which she can maintain longer than other forwards): low to the ground (she plays smaller than she is listed), center of gravity far forward. When SM penetrates she always seems ready to pitch forward on the pitch, and sometimes, as in the Colgate game, she does and it results in a penalty shot (that was a questionable call). By contrast, VD plays much more upright, with a more direct, slashing style, and is much more physical and harder to knock down.

Do you mean KM? SM is at UCLA.

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If anything, I think that former Stars players like HB and SM were hurt by the fact that they kept their balance and rarely fell upon contact. It is a risk for a defeder that uses body contact (especially the hips) as part of their tecnique. A savvy opponent will utilize that contact to earn a call, and understand there is a big difference between the ability to draw attention to that contact and faking a foul.

If you get the lower leg with a tackle or challenge hard with a hip or shoulder, and the opponent goes down "easy" it doesn't mean it wasn't a foul. If the opponent also screams in agony like they have been stabbed, it may be annoying, but again it doesn't mean it wasn't a foul. My problem with some players is when they flop after no contact and a clean dispossession.

As a forrward I have no obligation to try to minimize the impact of a defender's foul. I don't have to do everything in power to stay up when pushed in the back while tracking a goal kick. Personally, I think the top midfielders get it worse, especially the pushing, ankle work, foot stomps and elbows on 50/50 balls.

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Do you mean KM? SM is at UCLA.

pretty certain the poster meant SM from BBN. Very few players play with a more upright stance than KM.

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If anything, I think that former Stars players like HB and SM were hurt by the fact that they kept their balance and rarely fell upon contact. It is a risk for a defeder that uses body contact (especially the hips) as part of their tecnique. A savvy opponent will utilize that contact to earn a call, and understand there is a big difference between the ability to draw attention to that contact and faking a foul.

If you get the lower leg with a tackle or challenge hard with a hip or shoulder, and the opponent goes down "easy" it doesn't mean it wasn't a foul. If the opponent also screams in agony like they have been stabbed, it may be annoying, but again it doesn't mean it wasn't a foul. My problem with some players is when they flop after no contact and a clean dispossession.

As a forrward I have no obligation to try to minimize the impact of a defender's foul. I don't have to do everything in power to stay up when pushed in the back while tracking a goal kick. Personally, I think the top midfielders get it worse, especially the pushing, ankle work, foot stomps and elbows on 50/50 balls.

Agree completely with what you have written including the fact that central midfielders get (and often give) worse. Many many women players lead with their hips (as the widest part of the body, this is natural) and the resulting contact may well be a foul.

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Do you mean KM? SM is at UCLA.

Think Bacon.

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Very interesting you cite VD, but not SM. I was struck earlier this season by how often SM hits the deck - far more frequently than VD did her freshman year (I don't agree with your "dove a lot"). But I attribute that to her style on the dribble (which she can maintain longer than other forwards): low to the ground (she plays smaller than she is listed), center of gravity far forward. When SM penetrates she always seems ready to pitch forward on the pitch, and sometimes, as in the Colgate game, she does and it results in a penalty shot (that was a questionable call). By contrast, VD plays much more upright, with a more direct, slashing style, and is much more physical and harder to knock down.

I re-read this and want to make it clear that I don't think SM dives. Her superior ability to penetrate on the dribble, to weave through a crowd of defenders, naturally leads to collisions, pushes, trips, etc. She's not that big, and so it's no surprise that she ends up on the turf from time to time.

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If anything, I think that former Stars players like HB and SM were hurt by the fact that they kept their balance and rarely fell upon contact. It is a risk for a defeder that uses body contact (especially the hips) as part of their tecnique. A savvy opponent will utilize that contact to earn a call, and understand there is a big difference between the ability to draw attention to that contact and faking a foul.

If you get the lower leg with a tackle or challenge hard with a hip or shoulder, and the opponent goes down "easy" it doesn't mean it wasn't a foul. If the opponent also screams in agony like they have been stabbed, it may be annoying, but again it doesn't mean it wasn't a foul. My problem with some players is when they flop after no contact and a clean dispossession.

As a forrward I have no obligation to try to minimize the impact of a defender's foul. I don't have to do everything in power to stay up when pushed in the back while tracking a goal kick. Personally, I think the top midfielders get it worse, especially the pushing, ankle work, foot stomps and elbows on 50/50 balls.

I saw SM (bacon variety) play for both Stars and in several high school games and she fell much more in the high school games- not dives, but in many instances she was the one initiating the contact by trying to dribble right through multiple defenders (often successfully).

As to not getting calls, both SM and HB are (or were?) very quick to express dissent so maybe that is why they don’t get the benefit of the doubt?

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in many instances she was the one initiating the contact by trying to dribble right through multiple defenders (often successfully).

Yes, that's exactly right.

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I actually feel that KM (the older siter @ BC) is one of the best at recognizing contact and earning calls when the resulting free kick will help the Eagles. What is more impressive is her ability to retain balance (and possession) despite contact when it benefits her and the team. Am I saying she "dives"? No, I am complimenting her unique field awareness and ability to tell when the extra effort to stay upright isn't worth it. HD doesn't have that ability... yet. She may never have it, but I agree with other posters that in college you won't get away with many flops if there is no legitimate contact.

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Auburn unbeaten vs in form Canton.

Any predictions?