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Thanks....
Men's soccer 2017
- Thread starter dbmill
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It's a tough decision for the AD. I don't think Reid's donation to UConn earlier this year was intended as his swan song. Probably thought it would buy him a few more years.
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Diaco probably thought the same thing..LOL. I can definitely see how this is going to be a tough decision for Benedict. If attendance was down that would be one thing but that doesn’t seem to be any he case.
gtcam
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Ray is a stand-up guy and knows the game as well as anyone
Somehow he has never really been able to recruit the right players to be a consistent force in the Div 1 big time game- especially the last 1/2 dozen years
This conference is not a good soccer conference and that hurts
I feel he will be here at least until the 2nd year of the new complex unless he decides to hang it up
I think UConn needs a coach that is young and not a part of the current staff.
Somehow he has never really been able to recruit the right players to be a consistent force in the Div 1 big time game- especially the last 1/2 dozen years
This conference is not a good soccer conference and that hurts
I feel he will be here at least until the 2nd year of the new complex unless he decides to hang it up
I think UConn needs a coach that is young and not a part of the current staff.
Ray Reid never did like any sort of rain during a soccer match, so it is no surprise that Tuesdays' match at Dartmouth has been cancelled.
MSOC Game at Dartmouth Cancelled
MSOC Game at Dartmouth Cancelled
OT: D3 Connecticut College Camels men's AND women's soccer teams lost at home in a doubleheader for the NESCAC quarterfinals on campus in New London. Men lost in OT to Middlebury, 1-0, and the ranked women lost to Amherst, 1-0. CC seems to have trouble psychologically overcoming the "prestige" of some other institutions but they are getting better.
I know John Tuite is doing the PA for the football game in East Hartford tonight, but I'm still surprised that WHUS is not carrying the home men's soccer senior night game against Memphis. In the past, there might not be coverage by WHUS of a road game that Tuite couldn't make, but a home game would almost surely get on the air, even if it was an inexperienced WHUS play by play guy. Have to wonder about the student interest in broadcasting soccer at WHUS these days.
UConn up early 1-0 on a goal by Nick Apostol.
UConn up early 1-0 on a goal by Nick Apostol.
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This is an athletic department with no leadership. No sense of goals and expectations anymore. I can't even believe what I am watching anymore.
Ray Reid is literally doing the same exact mid season collapse as last year.
Ray Reid is literally doing the same exact mid season collapse as last year.
gtcam
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Because he tweets? Because he got the AAC to reschedule the USF game? The guy has done nothing to earn the respect given around here based on what we are watching on the field.
The athletic department besides 2 women's sports is a complete dumpster fire for the 2nd year in a row. Teams are not getting better under their coaches. The same mistakes repeated. No improvement. And huge drop off from past historical performance. What are the goals for some of these teams? What is Benedict's goals for them? Are they being met? I think we know the answers are no. So what do we do about it?
The only way Benedict gets respect from me is if he calls Kevin Ollie and Mike Cavanaugh into his office Monday and tells them both they got one year to figure things out or its sayonnara. Later that day he can call in Ray Reid and Len Tsantiris and wish them a happy retirement. Benedict didn't create all the problems but he damn well better start fixing it. Radical change needs to come to Storrs. And soon. Unless you think we can sustain interest having only a really awesome women's hoop and field hockey team.
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I 100% agree about Ray Reid and Kevin Ollie, who seem to have torpedoed legacy teams. About Mike Cavanaugh I'm not sure what my expectations should be, my inclination is to be patient. About Len Tsantiris I'm less sure. First, unlike Reid, he doesn't have an out-of-proportion salary and he's got no huge attendance to rely on. And second, I think that this year he's coached his way from a frightening start into a decent not-really-this-year sort of contender - for me the question is why he didn't plan ahead better the last few years and not be left depending on freshmen so much. But as to both Mike and Len I'm open to wiser opinions.
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Radical change is one thing, but unfortunately based on the conference we are in, one wonders if the AD can attract better replacements at this point(this is more the case with Ollie IMO). Maybe this is not the case with Ray Reid and others?Completely understand the need for accountability and changes. However, it might not be as simple as firing everyone.
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My thoughts on these coaches. To me Ray Reid and Kevin Ollie are most on the hot seat. Even with being in the AAC, both men's soccer and men's basketball programs should be able to do better than they have. With both Reid and Ollie, it seems like the same sort of things year after year seem to crop up that in the end to make fans disappointed in those programs. With Reid this stuff has been going on year after year. While Ollie has only been around a few years, a disturbing pattern seems to be setting in that makes everyone nervous.
Men's hockey has a lot more problems than the guy behind the bench. It is still pretty much a brand new spanking program that is clearly having growing pains with the top flight hockey played in Hockey East. I doubt this team is ever going to get into the top half of Hockey East without the obviously glaring need of quality hockey facilities in Storrs. If you want to improve men's ice hockey, build a new on campus ice rink.
Women's soccer is a different animal. To me it is the one UConn program that has been most hurt by the lack of a modern athletic facility and by conference realignment. I feel the decline of the women's soccer program is clearly in relation to P5 teams getting involved in the sport during the 1990's and 2000's, schools that clearly had brand new modern facilities to show off, while UConn continued to make due with Morrone Stadium, a facility that is simply lacking in any of the creature comforts that many recruits look for. Things might have been different for women's soccer if the new soccer facility had come on line about 15 years ago, but now it might be the most stuck of any of UConn's sports programs.
Men's hockey has a lot more problems than the guy behind the bench. It is still pretty much a brand new spanking program that is clearly having growing pains with the top flight hockey played in Hockey East. I doubt this team is ever going to get into the top half of Hockey East without the obviously glaring need of quality hockey facilities in Storrs. If you want to improve men's ice hockey, build a new on campus ice rink.
Women's soccer is a different animal. To me it is the one UConn program that has been most hurt by the lack of a modern athletic facility and by conference realignment. I feel the decline of the women's soccer program is clearly in relation to P5 teams getting involved in the sport during the 1990's and 2000's, schools that clearly had brand new modern facilities to show off, while UConn continued to make due with Morrone Stadium, a facility that is simply lacking in any of the creature comforts that many recruits look for. Things might have been different for women's soccer if the new soccer facility had come on line about 15 years ago, but now it might be the most stuck of any of UConn's sports programs.
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Welcome to the new world of UConn athletics. Be prepared for those last 2 teams to become mediocre when their HOF coaches leave. Nothing lasts forever without money. And we aren’t going to find a windfall anytime soon.
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Yup. A sad reality. The only possible solution besides bad coaching to what we are seeing in these situations is that conference realignment has killed every competitive recruiting advantage we once had.
There is no question that the money aspect is a big concern for the future of UConn athletics.
As for as remaining competitive, a new soccer facility will certainly help, but it may not be enough for UConn women's soccer. In the women's soccer world, the P5 schools have a huge advantage, more so than in other NCAA Division 1 sports. You don't see too many schools outside the P5 making big NCAA tournament runs in women's soccer, and these teams also don't seem to remain consistently competitive year in and year out.
I think UConn men's soccer can remain competitive despite conference realignment. The new soccer facility could help the men's team quite a bit with recruiting, and the attendance that the men's team draws year after year is important as well, as it draws attention to the program. Also, men's soccer is a different animal, in that many Big 12 and SEC schools don't play the sport, and non P5 schools seem to make the Final Four just about every year. The top 25 polls always seem to have a number of non P5 teams included. I suspect it is easier for a non P5 school to remain relevant in men's soccer than in most other NCAA sports. Given UConn's history in the sport, in my mind the Huskies should remain competitive as long as they don't continue to shoot themselves in the foot as they have been doing in the Ray Reid era.
gtcam
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What the hell does tweets have to do with it? If I didn't know better I would swear the arguments you use sometimes mirrors the man behind your avatar.
Tking the fact that UConn no longer enjoys the luxury of being in the OBE and you expect the same rate of recruitment? You are being simplistic in your proposed actions. There is no way that KO, RR, RE and some others can get the same caliber of athlete as they could four or more years ago.
You can go on and have disrespect for AD David Benedict all you want, but until you walk in his shoes or those of KO and RR...............................
BTW - I remember UConn womens soccer being 19-3-1 last year - yeah Lenny, ASweet says happy retirement
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Than nothing you, I, or anyone else says matters. Because our athletic department as we once knew it is gone for good.
And of course you fail to mention Lenny's team lost their 3 games to all 3 Power teams on the schedule by a combined scored of 9-1. They last made the College Cup in the year the Iraq War started.
UConn men's soccer at SMU on Saturday is scheduled for a 9:30 eastern time kick off. Despite losing two AAC games in a row, the Huskies still have a chance for the AAC regular season championship and home field in the AAC tournament if they beat SMU. Considering the Huskies have lost three in a row and that SMU has lost only two games this season, it would seem to be a tall order.
HuskyHawk
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Anyone who wants to dump Cavannaugh is clueless. UConn was a freaking club team a few years ago, and is now mid-pack in the best league in the country while having horrible on campus facilities. He has recruited some superb players. Did someone think we were going to become BC or BU overnight? That's absurd. We went right past UMass and others who have been in Hockey East for years and have natural advantages. He is doing fine.
Reid on the other hand, has produced nothing but mediocrity and teams that disappoint for years now. We have great attendance and a new facility coming, I think a younger, fresher coach would be a good change at this point.
Ollie has a warm seat, but he did win a national championship just four seasons years ago. His problems are largely self inflicted, and we should all hope he has figured it out and can turn the program around. Firing him isn't going to be some magical fix, it will put us in an even deeper hole. If he can't turn it around, he will need to go, but I certainly hope nobody things that will mean good things for UConn. It will distance us further from our glory days.