I predict NW will have the worst fans by a small margin.
small margin i bet there is less then lexington but will be twice as loud!!
since any of that matters.... my pick nw-3 lex-2
I'm guessing...
NW - 3
Lex - 0
4-0 NW NO CHANCE Lexington it's already over
04... I have to say you were not exactly correct. There were a few NW fans that were getting out of hand, they unfortunately gave the rest a bad name.
In what I consider one of the best games I have seen this year (in my top 3). Nw defeated Lex 2-0.
I am biased but I have to say that Lex played their hearts out conceding the second goal with 10seconds left. I also have to say that I believe NW played their hearts out. This was by no means an easy game. Unfortunately this was my first time in seeing NW play. So I will digest the game a bit more and see if I can provide a breakdown later.
futbol
I agree, NW-Lex was one of the best this year. Have you seen Mauldin? Predictions? Could they be the sleeper everyone has been looking for?
Lex gave NW all they could handle tonight. A couple of lucky breaks here or there and Lex could have won that game. Lex had quite a few chances that could have went in, but didn't. NW is a quality side however, and I sure would like to be at the game if and when someone beats them. Jess shutdown Enzo for the whole game except the last 30 seconds when Enzo made a great move in front of the goal to get free and converted on a nice shot. He will just get better as he gets older which is a pretty scary thought for the other teams in SC. Great game tonight. One of the best I've seen in a very long time (and the refs did a good job too)
was jess the blonde kid? if so it looked as if he was trying to hurt someone in the last 5-10 min. of the game. he played a great game but seemed to get frustrated at the end when lex pressed.
Well I predict Mauldin to beat NW in an extremely close game. They really are a good team with a lot of talent and have the chance to give NW trouble if NW doesn't play great. Wouldn't that be amazing if they make it to state.
Yeah, that's Jess. I highly doubt he was trying to hurt anyone. Just to reiterate LF's point, Jess did an amazing job on Enzo tonight. He could not get anything going in the start on the first half and was taken out for the last 10 minutes or so. Enzo started to create some chances later in the game especially when Lexington starting pushing players forward to try to equalize the game. Well played game by both teams, but after watching that game I think the state champion will be Spring Valley.
who does mauldin have that can be nw mauldin have been the sleeper we havent heard of them all year
Mauldin will not even come close. 5-1 NW.
What a game is was, I would say second ONLY to Dreher-BC in my favorites of the year. (this excludes all CN BL matches...)
As was said, NW's first goal came in the last minute of the first half, and their second goal came in the last seconds of the second half. But I don't look at 2-0 as an inaccurate score for the play on the field, though 2-1 would probably have been perfect. NW had probably twice the opportunities Lex had (around 20ish-10ish) HOWEVER, Lexington's all seemed to be well executed pieces, while some of NW's were far fetched. 2 keys keeping Lex in the game
1-Ryan Kropp's left foot (or the lack thereof). Twice he set himself up perfectly, and twice he failed to be Kyle Hughes, but props to the kid for taking the shot rather than losing the ball trying to bring it back.
2-Jess Maki. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the guy is phenominal, and my favorite defender in the state. Enzo was held to just 3 scoring opportunities, 2 coming late in the second half when Jess's duties were lessened due to the heavy attack Lexington was involved in.
2 keys to NW's victory
1 Lexington couldn't finish a kid's meal (copyright Goals66). I mean you no disrespect, as I meant Kropp none. Reel Callison, Brett Keatly, and Andrew Chavarria all had maybe 10 Quality opportunities which were all beautifully created. Chavarria's volley off Reel's cross was a thing to behold, and I couldn't believe it sailed between cross bar and field goal. Reel had many a chance sail wide, and Keatly's shot was well placed, and well saved by Crawford.
2 The refs. Ha, jk, I felt the reffing was wonderful. Why? for 90% of this high level match they seemed nonexistent, and it was the game that captured everyone's attention rather than the refs.
Congrats to both sides on excellent seasons...Lexington, with the cleverness put behind those t-shirts (they say, "From the Hollow to the Grave") I truly wanted to see you advance and put meaning behind them.
Ok...here we go.
I have to first say I was dissapointed in NW, not because I thought they played bad or disrespect intended, but because they did not live up to the pre-game hype...and note...IN MY MIND. I honestly did not know what I was expecting to see.
I thought the game was very even, probably more even than NW expected. NW had the edge of play in the first half and Lex had the edge in the second. Lex's game revolved around the midfield, and in my opinion lex midfield had the better part of the game. NW are just huge, reminiscent of Dreher (which ironically beat them).
I honestly got lost within the game and would be unable to give you a blow by blow or stats. I cannot say however that NW had 2 times the number of chances. Both teams had many opportunities and many of NW came in the last 15 when Lex had already committed to the attack for the equalizer. Paul Fisher's volley that skim of the post late in the game was the equalizer that did not come. Chavarria's volley was indeed a beautiful attempt that sailed just high as was Enzo's shot skimming of the crossbar.
So how would I play NW, 3-5-2 as Lex played. Man mark Enzo and Kropp. NW tries to get the ball to them to take players on - if they have no time they cannot do damage. Note here... in my opinion Lex has one of the best midfields in the state and you must have this quality against NW, otherwise they will kill you in the build up. And lastly Lex forwards both sophomores and same with the 3rd late in the game, they will only get better, they caused all kinds of problems in NWs defense because of their work rate.
The winning goal - late in the first half, is the stuff of cliches. You never want to concede a goal before halftime. In this case I thought the error was on the Gk not coming for the ball (20/20 hindsight). Otherwise he was solid the remainder of the game.
Both teams sub sparingly.
Lex loses 6 seniors (3 starters), NW loses 14 (7 starters). The future is bright for Lex but is no consolation today. The players came of the field believing they could have done better, that is the only thing you can ask of a young man after leaving everything on the pitch.
The crowd was unbelievable for both teams, and the running of the flags after the goal a fun thing to watch. Some NW fans (younger ones) were somewhat disrespectful but to me was part of the exhuberance, I hope in the future they would be more mature. The ballboys/girls where doing a good job and did not diserve being put down, they were kids. Otherwise a great crowd that had the players pumped from the beginning.
Good luck to NW the rest of the way, I have not seen Mauldin this season. They got pass a 10 men South Aiken on a pk, and beat Fort Mill at FM so I have no idea what they will bring. The game will be played in Mauldin as both are #2s.
Benp appears to know more and may offer more insight
To newcastlemagpie... I don't think that Jess was trying to injure anyone. He plays hard from the first whistle and the proof is that never once did the ref show him the yellow. Enzo on the other hand is very skilled at gaining fouls were none are there. Nothing wrong with it as it is part of the game and the ref is supposed to know the difference (as he did twice on Enzo during the game). Good Luck in Mauldin.
quote:
Originally posted by cabj12:
Well I predict Mauldin to beat NW in an extremely close game. They really are a good team with a lot of talent and have the chance to give NW trouble if NW doesn't play great. Wouldn't that be amazing if they make it to state.
I'm not sure that I would pick Mauldin over NW, but so far cabj12 seems to know some things that we don't. He has been the only one picking Mauldin and he has been right on (see links below). Mauldin does have a lot of talent on the team and just because they aren't mentioned on this board all the time doesn't mean that they aren't any good. A team that goes into SA and wins, and then goes to Fort Mill while they are riding high and beats them can't be too bad.
http://www.scsoccer.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=003260;p=1#000007
http://www.scsoccer.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=003247;p=1#000006
http://www.scsoccer.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=2;t=003247;p=1#000013
futbol(soccer) i know that the ref did not produce a card but jess was talked to several times and told to settle down. I wasn't saying that he was playing dirty just that he made a couple of hard fouls that the ref let slide at the end of the game. whether he was doing it on purpose or not isn't relevant. also i don't think that you would be able to run a 3-5-2 and beat northwestern on a larger field than lex. enzo played up for most of the game leaving andrew phillips on the bench for most of the game. if that game would have been on a larger field i don't think that the game would have been as exciting as it was. now for my biased view of the refs....the linesmen did a fantastic job the best i have seen all year however the center ref called a great first half and must have not been in the game for the second. he missed several handballs, one of which the linesman called and the center waived off...i also thought that the added time at the end of the game was to long...i just couldn't see where he got all of that time to add on...just my thoughts....overall a great game and the best officiating that i have seen all year...great job lexington and good luck next year.
NEWCASTLE Lexingtons field it not small.
Compared to Northwestern's field, Lexington's field is small. That is also probably true for every high school field in the state.
Mauldin has a good attack but, their defence will not be able to stop NW
really? it is a FOOTBALL field. not a SOCCER field. by comparison it is VERY small. northwestern's field is twice the size. mabye you have never been to a soccer only field.
a regulation football field is 100 x 53 yards...and a soccer field is what 120 x 60...so twice as large might not be accurate...
He is exaggerating for emphasis, 22!
football field is 120x55 (count the endzones.)
schs soccer field is 120x75 at max.
therefor it may not be twice the size as i said earlier but there is a significant difference in the field size.
newcastlemagpie...
For your information, SCHSL has minimum and maximum field dimensions. If NWs field was twice as large, it would not meet the requirements. I am however aware that NW has one of the larger fields in the state. Both teams play on the same field and same conditions. You must therefore adjust accordingly.
i was exaggerating on the field size. if you read my post above i corrected myself and listed the max dims. for each field.
Real and Newcastle...
You won the game and yet you refuse to give respect to the opposition who played just as hard as NW did. It is attitudes such as this that gives NW a bad rep (similar to Irmo's).
You can't possibly believe that because NW steps on the field the games are all over and blow outs.
Maybe because you are not used to it, but the competition only gets harder as the playoffs go on. So stop using field size and conditions as an excuse. Allow the team to adjust and good luck on Mauldin's small field.
when did i put down lexingtons play? they were a very good team and could have just as easily won the game. i am not using the size of the field as an excuse for the way the game was played. northwestern had to adjust to the smaller field just as lexington would have had to adjust to northwestern's larger field if the seedings had put us in that postition. yes the level of compition gets harder which explains the well played game last night. i am done chewing this bone, good luck in the future.
Re: Magpie and the Jess/Enzo matchup. This was great to watch and I think both of them walked off the field thinking they got the better of the other. Tough and physical, which is how the game is played where both these kids are going. To watch Enzo use the full ‘bag of tricks’ he has (as a freshman!!) was a joy. He kept probing and varying his attack and was unrelenting. For Jess to match him the whole way showed maturity and awareness, and for me he it highlighted just what a talent Enzo is. I only hope we get to see these two meet again next year, which is unlikely given the lineup changes on both sides. Quality play and I’ll drive to see it if it happens.
Futbol..I think your comment on the yellows was dead on. I’ve seen Jess play CSC and Lexington club over the past several years and he has always been a physical defender but never over the line. I doubt he has seen more than one or two yellows in his career, if that, and I think any suggestion that he was trying to hurt someone is uninformed.
I still think that NW is beatable, but the more I think about last nights game I will have to withdraw my comments about them having to step it up to get to Stone. The team that one last night can win it all. Let’s hope they can keep it at the same level for two more.
who_me? yes that was a great matchup between enzo and jess. I don't think that any of jess's challenges should have resulted in cards however he made a couple of meaty challenges. enzo tends to fall easily so it could have been that the center ref didn't see them as fouls because of the frequency of the "falls". i also hope that there is a rematch next year i will also drive to see it.
quote:
Originally posted by futbol(soccer):
Real and Newcastle...
Maybe because you are not used to it, but the competition only gets harder as the playoffs go on. So stop using field size and conditions as an excuse. Allow the team to adjust and good luck on Mauldin's small field.
Although I can not tell you the dimensions of it, Mauldin's field is actually decent size. If I remember correctly it's one of the larger fields that I have seen but probably not as big as NW.
Regardless of field size if NW gets a step they will be gone. I think that for Mauldin to have a chance they are going to have to look at where Lexington had success, and that was with immediate pressure in the mid field.
futbol(soccer), can you read my posts?? I cannot tolerate ignorance. Read my posts before you start speaking incoherently!
Read the "Lex vs. NHS, man what a game!" thread before you speak to me.
Not once did I put down Lexington's play either. I simply was backing up newcastlemagpie by saying Lexington's field is small compared to Northwestern. I did not use that as an 'excuse' now did I? You have no idea what you are talking about.
Not that it matters but i just want to say that lex does extend its field size for soccer... they add the endzones and about 5 yards on to both of the sides when they repaint the lines after football season...(if you want to see a small field visit Dorman, their field was tiny!
(plz no one take this as an attack on anyones play or how it affected the game...just throwing that fact out their)
Who are the starters coming back for Lexington? I heard they weren't losing many.
Lex Returning Starters
Graham Howard-sweeper(soph)
Jason Yonge-defender(junior)
Drew Howell-defender (junior)
Jess Maki- CM/D (junior)
Paul Fisher- CM (junior)
Mark Mcgill- outside mid (junior)
Kevin Orzech- outside mid (junior)
Andrew Chavaria- forward (soph)
Reel Callison- forward (soph)
futbol(soccer)... how dare you place an error on the goalkeeper for the first goal... there was a huge crowd in front of him giving him little chance to make it to the ball without having to pile through 5 different people... it is always a judgement call from a throw in like that... so unless your a lexington or northwestern player than you need to keep your mouth shut.. end of story
Definetly going to have to agree with Maximus. The player should have been man marked.
#11 NW trotted into the box after everyone was set for the throw. It looked to me like one of the several set tricks that NW tried in the course of the game, and it worked great. He took a position unmarked just inside the line and with a great throw was unstoppable. Lex goalie could have come out but 50-50 at that point.
OK....
Real I did not read the other thread so I had assumed apparently incorrectly that field size was being used for an excuse. I was joking about the field in Mauldin
Maximus, you are not correct I have nothing but respect for the job the lex Gk did all year long. I also know first hand that it was not his desire to play the position but did so only because his team needed him. He was the starting right back last year.
If you saw my 20/20 hindsight comment you would note that I thought he should come out and gotten the ball. He did this exact thing the rest of the game with great success, he did not in that one instance and yes the whole team is responsible. And lastly # 11 is 6' 1" to 3" tall there is noone in Lex team that could match up.
So it would appear that we are all in agreement that this was a very high level game played by two teams that gave their all.
As far as handballs are concerned, I've never met a fan in my life that truly understood how Fifa expects "handling" to be called. But such is high school soccer. And for the time added on. There was nearly 3 minutes involved in the first card for kicking the ball before the wall was set and the referee was ready. (he talked to both coaches who were both confused). Then there was another similar time where he was talking to a player and NW played the ball too soon, and there was another card i believe in the second half, plus a couple of substitutions. I think the problem you had with the amount of time was derived from not getting all time lost accounted for in previous matches. (ps, the total stoppage time was under 4 minutes...6 minutes after the clock stopped...)
benp thank you for clarifying the time added on i belive all of us were kind of confused about the length of the stoppage time as for the handball i know that is a damned if you do damned if you don't call for the ref however when you cup the ball and drop it to your feet i believe that should have been called. as i said earlier the linesman made the call(and told the nw coach that he saw it..) and the center ref waived the play on. maybe the center ref didn't see it but that is why the linemen are there. to make the calls that the center ref misses.
FUTBOL The goalie for Lexington is Ty Osbourne and he actually started loving goalie after he gained some confidence by working with Hunter Gilstrap. He ended up loving goalie and didnt wanna play in the field anymore. He did start at right back the year before but ill tell you first hand that he would have not changed anything about him playing keeper all year.
Just a thought before I head to Mauldin. For all the comments regarding field size/advantage etc..
Would a longer distance on the set throw in (that was the game winner) have made a difference? There was plenty of distance on the throw..heck, that kid could probably throw sideline to sideline... but does the extra split second allow Lexington to cover.. Osborn to come out.. etc. Who knows. I just think that it shows that most swords have two edges.
God I love this game!
This time I'm going to sit in the NW stands.
If Ah hear yee speaking I'll knaa whee yee are magpie
ah unfortunatly i will be unable to make the trip. as for the throw in....its a possiblitiy that they would have been able to cover we'll never know although on northwestern's field they throw it short and try and get a head on it to pop it to the back side... kinda gets everyone mixed up...so you look for a unmarked man and a loose ball....yes that would have been an interesting twist on the game.
futbol(soccer), no problem.
Looking forward to a great game Wednesday night! Good luck to both squads!
This is kind of a late post - but I want to put my two cents worth in. Bottom line - I believe NW was the better team and deserved to win. However - I was at this game, and noone has given Lexington the credit I think they deserve.
Can they finish - well that's a challenge, but they are a very tough team with a bright future. In my opinion, the defense has held them together all year. Maki, Howard, and Osborn, along with the other defenders have had an incredible year.
When their offense matures and steps up - watch out!
I have seen Lexington play and Scout 22 is right. Lexington has a very tough defense and a solid midfield and will be one of the top team next year.
Mauldin does have a fence around their field so the throw ins will be tougher. You may only get three or so steps before you get to the touchline and you certainly can't get a running start but I don't know whether that will affect NW's thrower.
shouldn't, kropp can throw the ball a mile, and he doesn't do the flip thing, so he doesn't need a whole lot of room