Tag: Arkansas

Around the World of WoSo: Farewell to HAO

Posted on by RJ Allen

HAO Says Goodbye to the USWNT:

It was a bittersweet week for fans of the U.S. Women’s National team as midfielder Heather O’Reilly officially retired. While it is sad that she will be gone as a member of USWNT, the good news is that we get to remember all the amazing things she accomplished over her 15-year career at the National level. The other good news is that she is only retiring from International soccer but will continue to play for her NWSL club team, FC Kansas City. Simply known as HAO to her many fans, O’Reilly had a historic career–231 caps, 47 goals, 55 assists. These came along the way as she won the U-19 World Cup in 2002, three Olympic Gold medals (’04, ’08, and ’12), and most recently became a World Cup Champion in 2015. HAO also holds the record for most games played consecutively at 74. She was a crucial part of creating a new team image during the transition from the 99ers, even getting to wear the number nine that was passed down from Mia Hamm herself all those years ago. I’d be lying if I said seeing Mia on the field to honor HAO didn’t make me emotional, because it did.

In her last game in a U.S. jersey against Thailand last week, HAO scored one last goal and grabbed an assist to lead the gals to a 9-0 victory. It was certainly an emotional night for all; teammates, coaches, fans and any soccer fan who knew how special she was to the sport over the years. I think it’s safe to say she will be remembered for her iconic game face and record setting beep test numbers. She was the very definition of determination; every practice, every game, no matter if she was starting or on the bench, Heather O’Reilly gave it her all. Like many fans, I am forever grateful for her work and her dedication to make this team great for so long.

International Break for EURO 2017 Qualifying:

This past week, several NWSL players were off for their respective countries for European Qualifying. Countries that have made it and the NWSL players involved:

England- Rachel Daly (Houston Dash),

France- Amandine Henry (Portland Thorns FC)

Iceland- Dagny Brynjarsdottir (Portland Thorns FC),

Scotland- Kim Little & Rachel Corsie (Seattle Reign FC).

Other countries who have qualified are Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. 

Hoyas Continue to Impress:

Last week, Georgetown upset the number three team in the nation (Virginia); this week they managed one better. The Hoyas needed a double overtime goal (102nd minute) from Grace Damaska to best West Virginia, who are ranked number one. Another impressive outing, considering the Hoyas are ranked 16th, and will surely crack the top 10 when the latest rankings are released. With the win, they snapped a two-year streak of 30 games won at home by WVU. With huge wins like this on their resume, Georgetown is surely grabbing everyone’s attention. Up next, the Hoyas will host Providence on Sunday while WVU travel to Richmond on Friday.

FSU has a pair of Aces:

Florida State has two players who are playing very well and have grabbed my attention: Megan Connolly (M) and Deyna Castellanos (F). The two have combined for seven goals and two assist in eight games so far. Connolly had a breakout season last year and now as a sophomore, she is aiming to do even more damage. The 19 year-old Irish international is leading the Seminoles in shots with 24, one of which was a game winner against Middle Tennessee earlier this season. The other notable standout is 17 year-old Castellanos, who hails from Venezuela and is only a freshman. She already has three game winners in her catalog; against Texas A & M, UConn, and added another versus Miami on Sunday. Castellanos is second on the team in shots, with 23. The Seminoles have started the season strong with seven wins and one loss. Their next two opponents are Wake Forest and number three ranked Virginia after that. This team is worth keeping an eye on to see what they can do against other top ten teams. With Connolly and Castellanos engineering the offense for FSU, I think they could go very far into the College Cup.

USWNT Friendly with the Netherlands:

Sunday night proved to be a very competitive match between the United States and the Netherlands. Not that I wasn’t expecting one, but the Dutch really impressed me with how they executed their game plan. They started out fast and the Americans were exposed in the first two minutes when forward Shanice Van De Sanden pounced on a loose ball to give the Netherlands the lead. For most of the Dutch found ways to stretch our defense, which was interesting in itself considering we had three centerbacks on the backline.  Fielding Whitney Engen, Julie Johnston and Becky Sauerbrunn, the U.S. struggled to find a rhythm in the first half hour. Meghan Klingenberg was the only true outside back starting the game and she had a sub-par game to say the least. She got beat more than enough to count and for me was the worst player on the field in the first half. With ten minutes until halftime, the United States finally got on the board. Tobin Heath broke free on the right side and found Carli Lloyd alone, who tucked inside the eighteen to blast it top shelf for the equalizer.

 The second half was a little bit more organized than the first for the United States, but still the Dutch continued to win battles in the air and work through Van De Sanden and Danielle Van De Donk. In goal for the U.S. was Alyssa Naeher and in her 14th appearance, she was tested plenty. As the game went on, Naeher seemed to get settled in and that showed as the Dutch couldn’t get anything else past her. After an own goal in the 50th minute by the Netherlands, the United States tightened up on defense and brought on subs to push the match up a notch. Two of those included Crystal Dunn and Megan Rapinoe. On several occasions, Dunn blew past multiple defenders but couldn’t control in the final third to get any dangerous shot off. The third and final goal came by way of a Rapinoe cross that was headed back towards the Netherlands goal by Lloyd and Allie Long made sure it found the back of the net.

Overall, I really enjoyed this game by both teams. While the U.S. certainly have areas to improve, for a friendly it was solid effort. As for the Netherlands, I am excited to see what they can do next. They really impressed me with not only the style they perform with, but the physical nature they imposed. I was familiar with a few players before the match and now I am exposed to a handful of quality players. Nothing but respect and newfound love for the Netherlands, they have a solid foundation to build on.

Arkansas Shocks Florida:

The Razorbacks had yet another tremendous outing at home against a top five opponent; the first you may recall was beating number two Duke almost a month ago. This time they beat SEC rival Florida for the first time in program history. The Gators were ranked fourth and went into the game with a three game win streak in which they scored 13 goals over that span. Arkansas was more than up to the challenge, scoring twice in a three minute span in the first half. Junior Jessi Hartzler dominated Florida’s defense to give Arkansas the lead and never looked back. It was a brilliant individual effort and as the game went on, the rest of the Razorbacks started to believe they could once again pull off an upset. Florida managed to get a goal back early in the second half but that wasn’t enough to fully recover. Even with a two hour lightening delay, the crowd of 1,155 stayed until the end. Florida drop to six wins and two losses. They look to recover against Auburn on Thursday in Gainesville. Arkansas climbs to nine wins and one loss; the best start in program history. They face off against Alabama in Fayetteville on Thursday.

Around the World of WoSo

Posted on by RJ Allen

Plenty of good and not so good things happened this week in the world of women’s soccer. Here’s my weekly roundup for you.

Kelley O’Hara Taken Down From Behind:

The tackle heard around the National Women’s Soccer League on Saturday night was on Sky Blue and USWNT member Kelley O’Hara. This was her first game back from Rio. The challenge came in the 91st minute from an unlikely source in Chicago Red Stars midfielder Alyssa Mautz. The tackle came from behind, which usually does not end well. This was an uncharacteristic foul by Mautz, who I’ve seen play in person. I’ve watched countless footage from her A&M days and in the NWSL, and I’ve never seen her make that kind of reckless challenge. I am in no way excusing her decision to make that tackle, as it was a terrible mistake and one that was strange because of the circumstances (Chicago was leading by three goals, clearly about to win). After leaving the stadium in a boot and on crutches, O’Hara seems to be in good spirits, taking to Twitter to update her status:

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Ada Hegerberg Named Best Player in Europe:

If she didn’t have it before, this 21 year-old from Norway certainly has everyone’s attention now, after beating out French star Amandine Henry (PSG/Portland Thorns FC) and Germany’s Dzsenifer Marozsan (FFC Frankfurt/Olympique Lyonnais) to be named UEFA Best Women’s Player in Europe for 2015/2016. This is the first time that a German player hasn’t won (the last three winners include Celia Sasic, Nadine Kessler and Nadine Angerer). Hegerberg has scored an impressive 28 times in just 50 appearances for her national team since being called up in 2011—a feat exciting to see from someone so young. She plays her club ball at Olympique Lyonnais in France (D1 Feminine) and has made 43 appearances since 2014, scoring 59 goals along the way. She is proving to be a special player. Hopefully we will see more of the same from her in the future.

Duke Falls to Arkansas in NCAA upset:

When the number two ranked team in the country traveled to Fayetteville, Arkansas last Friday, I was sure they would come away with a convincing win, but I was wrong. Not only did Duke lose, they only managed three shots on goal and gave Arkansas their first win in program history over a top 10 ranked opponent. Credit of course to the Razorbacks for using home atmosphere to their full advantage, playing a very impressive match in front of a record crowd of 3,010. With the disappointing loss this early in the season, Duke has two wins and, looking ahead on the schedule, it doesn’t get any easier as the Blue Devils face North Carolina and West Virginia in the next two weeks (also top 10 teams). The good news for Duke is that it’s early in the season; they have time to improve and learn from mistakes to get where they need to be. For me, this is the biggest upset in Women’s Division I so far. What will it do for Arkansas and Duke moving forward? What kind of effect will this game have on the rest of the season? In the long run, it’s a massive confidence booster for Arkansas, proving they can seriously compete with any team. Duke will need to forget this game and get back to the quality soccer we are used to seeing. Definitely worth keeping an eye on these two teams.

Seattle Show Signs of Life:

The Seattle Reign faced the Portland Thorns this weekend, and they came away with a 3-1 win to end the Cascadia Rivalry with one win apiece. Before the match, the Reign were in sixth place in the NWSL standings and seven points out of playoff contention. With these three points, they move to fifth (helped by a Sky Blue loss) and are still mathematically in the hunt for that fourth spot. Dutch playmaker Manon Melis scored two goals, and Megan Rapinoe added a third to ensure a victory for Seattle. Melis now is the Reign’s leading goal scorer, with five on the year. The way they played, the spirit they showed, and the style in which they won reminded me of the Reign from last year’s regular season. With Jess Fishlock (looking refreshed), Bev Yanez, and the returning Kawasumi Naho all grabbing assists, the Reign looked very comfortable going forward. Haley Kopmeyer stood tall in goal for Seattle and (in the absence of Hope Solo) made six saves, while keeping her back line organized enough to grab three crucial points. It’s no secret the assertion of Naho into the lineup certainly has had a positive effect on the team. For Seattle fans, it feels like they are finally coming together. But with four games left, is it too late? Playing in front of 5,888 at home seemed to give the Reign that energy and spark needed to win. I’m not counting out Harvey’s team just yet.

Marta and Schelin lead FC Rosengard to Swedish Cup Victory:

Less than week after the Olympics ended, many players were back with respective clubs, including five-time Ballon d’Or winner Marta and Olympic silver medalist Lotta Schelin. Both play for FC Rosengard in the top Swedish league, the Damallsvenkan. FCR are known for bringing in top players from all over the world; in the past they have fielded the likes of Ramona Bachman (SUI), Nilla Fischer (SWE), Formiga (BRA), Ana Mittag (GER), and Manon Melis (NLD). The rich history is understandably quite the draw for many players. The Svenska Cupen final against Linkoping FC had many recognizable players on display for Rosengard: Marta, Schelin, Emma Berglund (captain), Ali Riley, Ella Masar, and Lieke Martens. For Linkoping, one standout player is Stina Blackstenius, who many should remember played a superb tournament for Sweden in the recent Olympics. She scored the only goal for Linkoping but just didn’t have enough star power to find the win. As for Rosengard, they put on a dominant 3-1 performance, with goals from Marta, Schelin, and Martens to earn the victory.  This was the club’s third Svenska Cupen in program history, and with that kind of roster, one of its most impressive, surely.

Dunn Hasn’t Been Crystal Clear For Washington:

Last year’s NWSL MVP has yet to score a single goal in 2016. Yes, you read that correctly. Crystal Dunn had a breakout year in 2015, scoring 15 goals in 20 appearances. Last season she took 84 shots and 48 were on frame, yet this season, in 10 games Dunn has managed 23 shots; only seven have been on goal. Dunn hasn’t scored yet, but she has tallied four assists on the year. One explanation could be that teams have figured out how to frustrate her. With her speed, that is a difficult task, but players all across the league have shown the ability to contain her. Dunn has done tremendous work in games this season—her effort is next to none; she’s just contributing in a different way this year. It’s clear the Spirit, as a whole, have done a better job spreading the ball around, as 10 different players have scored this season, as opposed to seven players last season. Washington are sitting pretty in first place and have earned 35 points. They have more than proven that Dunn doesn’t need to do all the heavy lifting for them to have success.  If you would’ve told me at the beginning of this year that the reigning MVP wouldn’t have a goal to her name with four games left, I would’ve laughed and said that’s crazy. Turns out Dunn and Washington are the ones laughing all the way to the playoffs.