A shot of my two favorite players celebrating was in The Eagle today. Sweet!

CanyonAg, I think the limit on subs it that if a player leaves the pitch, they can't come back on that half. I think the only exception to that is if the player leaves because of injury, they can return. To be honest, I didn't even think that was allowed until I saw it happen a couple of times this season.

I'm not second-guessing the coaching staff, but my point was that it seemed more than a little suspect that the Ags were giving up late goals to good teams. Maybe the Ags aren't deep enough on the bench in defense.

the defense wasnt as tired, but the outside midfielders were barely able to run up and down the field for the last 15 minutes or so, much less make any sprints
why do you think it was so easy for them to bring the ball up and down the wings...
soccer is also a lot different than other sports, by the time we get to college, our club coaches have taught us more than enough, and the college coach is pretty much just a manager, who should know when to play certain people and when to sub certain people

I know a bad coach when I see one, and at this level, we could do a whole hell of a lot better than the coach we have now

PatAg, you seem to think Coach G is not very capable,yet he recruits good players and continues to progress far into the playoffs each year. Texas bought a coach from ND that had won an NCAA trophy and how has his team fared at Texas.Watching and or playing a sport does not necessarily qualify you to know whether a coach is good.

Just talked to someone on the team that said you would not have wanted the defenders off the bench in that situation. Maybe with a 2-0 lead, but not 2-1.

Anyone calling Coach G "a bad coach" is a moron! 5th straight sweet 16 according to the paper.

Come on. Five Sweet 16 births in a row. Would you rather have that coach at tu that has never made it out of the NCAA 1st round? That program has had top 5 recruiting classes in each of the four last years and they still fail miserably. This years A&M squad has a couple of great players and a couple of OK ones. For what they have, they have done extremely well. Congrats Aggies and coaching staff for a job well done. We still could benefit from a top 5 recruiting class.

ChampsAg, did they say why? Just because they're not in the flow of the game? Or because there's a reason they're on the bench? Just curious.

She made it sound like it's because there is a reason they are on the bench.

Shannon (#5), Linda (#21) and Annie(#17) played awesome all weekend. Shannon had a great game on Friday night! Also, Laura Probst (#8) coming in to kick the penalty kick after not playing all game was huge! I just saw her and she has a walking boot on her foot, so her playing yesterday really shows the heart of this team.

If that's the case, it limits what you can do. That makes sense.

Ok, Kat asked to be subbed out of the game cause she had almost nothing left from friday's game. So I guess the "he's a bad coach" argument just got thrown out the window.

I'd also like to be the first to nominate PatAg as the new Women's soccer coach because of his outstanding credentials and knowledge of the game.

In big games, you got to play. I thought Kat had one of her best games all year. For once, she won some high balls and was looking to pass. She was a plus for the team and gave them quality minutes. Hope she plays like that for the rest of her career.

Note on the injured players returning in the same half. They only returned because they were not subbed. They merely left the pitch. Their side played one down until they returned.
Deej

The general rules of soccer state that once properly substituted for a player cannot reenter the game. If you start you're supposed to play 90 minutes. Those are the general international rules. I would guess that in college they may have changed that to each half. If anyone knows for sure, I'd be interested in how the college rules change any of the standard 17 laws of soccer.

In NCAA you can reenter the next half if you were substituted for and left the game the first half. This was done for the heat many games are played in. Many fields do not have lights, therefore no night games. If you notice G. subs "speed offense players" at 22-23 minutes the first half. This allows extra rest before the 2nd half. He also subs in the 2nd half this way to get fresh legs for finishing the game.
Deej

Are any of yall actually going to the game at PSU? I just want to give pre-emtive props if you are.

Thanks for the info. I'll be rooting for us to beat penn state and for kansas to beat ucla so we can host kansas at home next weekend!

If Kansas beats UCLA, why would we get to host? Their confrence and overall record is better than ours. I guess the only reason would be bc of the fans

I think we would get to host because we were a host for the 1st & 2nd rounds.

I wouldn't mind being a girls soccer coach, but its a little too slow for my tastes.

anyone watching our team, would realize duke had a superior game plan, but our players are physical and talented enough to overcome it

I admit, terrible is a stretch, but we could do a lot better coaching wise. Theres just so much they don't do, that is basics and the teams I played for were doing since 7th grade.

And I wasn't talking about subbing defenders, but our outside midfielders need to be subbed, or we needed to change formations to provide more defensive speed and help, fresher legs

Someone asked about substitutions. Unlimited substitutions are allowed in NCAA soccer. However, a player cannot re-enter during the same period. For example, a player who exits in the 1st half cannot return until the 2nd half, a player who exits in the 2nd half cannot return until the 1st overtime, etc. (This rule does not apply to keepers, who can come and go without restriction.)

FIFA's international rules allow for only 3 substitutions of field players the entire match, in addition to 1 goalkeeper substitution. Like a pitcher being pulled from a baseball game, no re-entry is allowed. MLS and most other national leagues follow these rules.

Speaking of substitutions, I was surprised to see Kat sub out 6 minutes into the 2nd half against Duke, especially since she wasn't hurt. That certainly limited our options later in the match. G said she was out of gas after a particularly long night against SMU. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the SMU NCAA match may have been the only time this season that Kat has played an entire half, let alone a full 90 minutes. (She actually played all 110 that night if memory serves me.)

Considering her billing coming into the program, I've always wondered why she's used so sparingly. For instance, in the OSU match in Stillwater, she sat out the crucial final minutes of a scoreless stalemate, only to be subbed in with 30 seconds remaining in the 2nd overtime. We needed some offensive fire power, but how much of an impact can any player have in just 30 seconds? I'm not trying to second-guess G, but I'd like to see Kat get more minutes.

Hopefully she's ready to go on Saturday. We're certainly going to need her against the physical girls Penn State has. I saw the Lions play a tough Final Four match in Austin last year, a loss to a more-skilled Portland side. Penn State is as physical now as they were when we played them at Meyer Park in 2000. If we're ready to battle, it's going to be a great match! Anyone else going to State College? I'll be there!

I would guess Kansas would host a quarterfinal because they're a seeded team and A&M is not. It's rare for a non-seeded team to host a regional; it's only done to reduce travel. The fact that A&M hosted a regional should only have mattered if the Aggies were to have played another unseeded team.

Of course, one strange thing has happened since the regional format was adopted in 2001. Last year, 3rd-seeded Pepperdine got shipped to the Midwest for a regional featuring Midwest schools. Strangely, the Waves had to play on the road again in the Sweet 16, at unseeded Michigan, a match the Californians lost in frigid conditions. I'm still not sure why they didn't get a home match. I was a bit disappointed since I was hoping to see both matches...I was in LA to see the A&M-UCLA match anyway.

It's not out of the question that we could host Kansas, but if the NCAA really wanted us to host more NCAA matces...we do lead the nation in attendance after all...why don't they just give us a seed?! The past two seasons, when it really appeared we deserved it, we didn't get one. In 1997, we were 18-2 after winning both Big 12 trophies, were ranked in the top 5 in every poll (and as high as #3), but we were not given a top 8 seed. (2003 is the first year the NCAA has seeded more than 8 teams.) The only seed the program has ever gotten (a 7-seed in 1996) we squandered away with an upset loss in the first round. Are we still experiencing a hangover from that?

These long trips to California and North Carolina have been fun and all, but the home matches would be so much better! Maybe a 3rd straight trip to the Elite 8 will do the trick. BTHO Penn State!!!

There's a reason why Kat hasn't played that much this year. If you've been to the games you would know why.

Kansas wouldn't host because their facility isn't adequate.

She's too aggressive for you, dallas2? She's only drawn 2 yellow cards, neither of which was particularly vicious. The one against OU was a bit excessive perhaps, but her intensity is one of her greatest attributes. She's not a dirty player. Despite limited playing time, she's 3rd on the team in points. You still think she shouldn't play more often?

If that's not what you're getting at, I guess I haven't been watching closely enough. I only attended 18 of the matches this season...maybe I missed something.

True, she is third on the team in points but that doesn't necessarily equal contribution to the team. This is the first year in Aggie History that the scoring hasn't been led by a forward and by the way, how many forwards does A&M use for penalty kicks? Point being, the forwards have dissapointed. Kat is not a Blaylock,a Ragsdale,Thrasher, or a Woodard at least not yet. Hope she can become one. A&M has struggled because of poor forward play period.

From the matches I've seen, Kat's been a dangerous player, but hasn't quite found her shot consistently yet. I think she'll find that groove, but she just hasn't yet.

kat needs to also work on getting back and in position on defense, your speed will only save you for so long

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Shannon (#5), Linda (#21) and Annie(#17) played awesome all weekend.

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Don't forget Madison (#7). I am impressed with her speed and thought she played great. Linda, Annie, and Madison are Freshmen so our future looks bright!

BTHO Penn State!

Madison is awesome! She is great at corner kicks!

I really hope that this team can pull it off this weekednd.

I believe that Madison has potential but it's a big adjustment playing college ball. Would prefer to wait and she how she develops. I am concerned because I don't really she much toughness there and a good high school/club player doesn't always equal success at the college level.

i love you, madison.

Speaking of the play by the forwards.............the bad play by Emma is the one that really sticks out to me. At least the games that I have seen her play.
She doesn't seem to hustle and she does not seem to be too coordinated. By that I mean that she is always fumbling with the ball to the point that she almost trips from trying to handle the ball.

I know that you all love her and think that world of her..............but to me, she should not be a starter, she misses more then she makes.

That ofcourse is just my opinion. Also Pat I kind of agree with you in regards to the coaching. There are about 3 games that I watched that we should have won. But we never adjusted to what was there for the taking and missed a lot of opportunities that were right there for the taking but we just seemed to ignored and got us a big L................case in point Nebraska.

Cmon Let's not be to harsh on the forwards. Emma is Emma. What you see is what you get. Very fast, strong,but not overly skilled. It's probably unfair to compare her with the elite Aggie forwards of years past. She still is the best that we have at forward. Wish we had a Ragsdale, Thrasher, or Woodard.
As for the three conference losses, I agree. We should be Big 12 conference champions. The losses to Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas just shouldn't have happened. Bad luck, bad decision making, lousy coaching, lack of heart -call it what you will but a loss resulted and an opportunity to be a champion gone.

I don't think this team is as good as what it was billed to be and certainly lacking when compared to those of the past few years.

Ah, but are they not one of two Big XII teams advancing to the sweet 16. I don't really care how well they play, as long as they are winning. Yes, we did lose those three games but we are an extremely young team. I doubt the freshman have ever played this much soccer in their lives and were probably starting to lose a little focus. Also, we have no depth in the defense. It is tough to play almost every minute of every game for a season. Hopefully we can sign another couple of outstanding defensive recruits to give our girls a break.