Congrats, Lady Owls, on a great season and our first conference championship of the year!

Just returned from the game. As a person not that familiar with soccer, what struck me were similar and outstanding ball-handling skills by both teams, but Texas was taller and faster.

We outnumbered the UT fans, and it appeared as if a lot of students made the trip. Maybe planning a fun weekend in Austin, but more here than at the football games in Houston, it appeared.

I have to think that losing Hughes was hard to overcome emotionally as they got ready to play today.

Huge congrats to the team and the coaching staff. Expecting big things next year.

(11-14-2014 08:45 PM)Barney Wrote:  Just returned from the game. As a person not that familiar with soccer, what struck me were similar and outstanding ball-handling skills by both teams, but Texas was taller and faster.

We outnumbered the UT fans, and it appeared as if a lot of students made the trip. Maybe planning a fun weekend in Austin, but more here than at the football games in Houston, it appeared.

I was at the game also. I overpaid for parking in the Manor parking garage and probably could have found a spot on Red River for much less. Leaving the garage, I promptly went to the wrong entrance to the stadium, which was closed, and had to walk 3/4ths the way around it to get in. As I suspected, given the weather and general Longhorn disinterest for anything not football (and maybe basketball or baseball) related, the crowd was fairly sparse and obtaining a ticket was easy.

As you noted, the Longhorns looked taller and faster, and they did a good job pressuring the ball, making it difficult for the Owls to mount any sustained attacks. Rice did try some thrusts up the flanks, but as previously noted the Owls got called for offside several times, and on several others the entry pass to the wing had too much pace. It just seemed like the Owls weren't in synch; the absence of Hughes may have had something to do with that. The play which befuddled Almadenmike occurred in the 40th minute and was nicely defended by Texas. The keeper had to come off her line as a Rice player (I don't know the player numbers, so I don't know who it was) was charging in from the left with the ball (Almadenmike, that means that the keeper had to come out of the net area so as to cut down the angle for a possible shot on goal), the ball was passed to near the top of the 18 (that big rectangle 18 yards out from the goal), and a Rice player shot, but two Texas defenders were already in goal and one cleared it off the line. Rice also had a decent chance in the second half when there was an unmarked (a player not covered by a defender) Owl in front of the goal, but she shot directly at the keeper who covered it. Texas's last two goals were a bit lucky; the second came after the ball ricocheted around the goal area and fell at the feet of a Texas player, who did what you're supposed to do in that situation, and the third was a bomb that just eluded Czyz's grasp. The referee at times didn't seem to understand what was or wasn't an infraction, and he failed to card a Texas player early in the game who made a dangerous challenge (to Gabi, I think), merely awarding a free kick. As noted, Rice fans represented well, and proportionately far more of our student body was there than was from UT. Ball park fare was not sampled but appeared to be mundane and overpriced (as usual). The final result was negative, but I was glad to cheer the Owls on in NCAA tournament play, and Nicky Adams may well be on her way to becoming the Elizabeth Schmidt of Rice women's soccer.

I wasn't able to find the game available for replay on ESPN3 (and have my own troubles with ESPN streaming).

But, congrats to the Owls on a CUSA Conference Championship and a very nice season.

Thanks, Jonathan, for your clear and detailed description of yesterday's action and key plays.

I wouldn't say I was befuddled (definded: unable to think clearly. synonyms:confused, muddled, addled, bewildered, disoriented, fazed, perplexed, dazed, dizzy, stupefied, groggy, muzzy, foggy, fuddled, fuzzy, dopey, woozy, befogged, mixed up). Rather, I just didn't know the meaning of the jargon used to describe a play, and I greatly appreciate dragon2owl's and your lay-language explanations. :-)