#-1: Gopher soccer (Re-Entry!). Let us go back to last year, and the abrupt transfer of Taylor Uhl, who, and I didn't notice this when I reported on this at the time of the transfer, tied for the Division I lead for most goals last season. In May she tweeted that she was going to Stanford. What was left in her wake is why did she quit the U. Speculation on the only forum that talked about Uhl started with her quitting because she started chafing under the university's strength and conditioning department's standards of "fitness" during the spring. Others then thought that after too many putdowns Uhl just couldn't take it anymore. Regardless, it is a huge blow to lose a player who, as a sophomore, scored 21 of the team's 44 goals.
So far, though, so good. They "won" their Gopher Tournament by beating Toledo 2-1 Friday and crushing North Dakota St. 4-1 Sunday. I was able to see the season opener against the Rockets. I managed to sit next to several hot ladies who, turns out, are alums of the U. soccer team. The girl sitting next to me was on the pitch for the Gophers' double-overtime Sweet 16 loss to Georgetown several years ago. Anyway, I left the game being most impressed with Simone Kolander, the Freshman whose first collegiate goal was the game-winner. She had moves to juke past her mark many times during the game, and her height alone made her a threat through the air on set pieces. I'm kind of surprised no one made her a goalkeeper during her development; Kolander's 5'11", while the goalie in the win, Kristen Knutson, is two inches shorter.
Sunday's win over the Bison was spurred on by Taylor Stainbrook, a Redshirt Sophomore transfer who used to play for ... the North Dakota St. Bison. She scored twice on her former team; gee, does that mean she's pissed at them for some reason? Stainbrook is one of four transfers to Head Coach Stefanie Golan's squad this year. The most puzzling of the four is Midfielder Jen Larrick, the only member of the club who is not from Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Iowa. Larrick, who's from Westford, Mass. (?), transferred from Florida. Guess she sees an opportunity. Stainbrook and the other two transfers are Minnesotans who apparently got homesick.
The key to this season is to replace Uhl's scoring while sharpening the defensive edginess Golan was hired for. Having six goals for and two against helps. Will that continue this weekend, when they host Illinois St. Friday night (maybe I should go to the game!) Friday before driving down to Ames to play Iowa St. Sunday afternoon?
#-2: Lynx (Last Week: -1). Even with a 2-1 week I'm concerned about this squad. This team is vulnerable. Sure, they still have the best record in the WNBA, so I guess all the teams are vulnerable. But when you respond to a 52-41 deficit on the road to Atlanta by outscoring them 29-14 in the third quarter, only to score a mere five points and go eight minutes without a basket in the fourth to lose 88-75 shows that the starters have conditioning issues and the team has depth issues. If the starters are gassed and no one can step up, the Jynx are screwed. And how often do you think a good team is going to have a good game against them? I'm not saying they're going to get swept in the first round of the playoffs, but championship squads overcome adversity and find ways to win. And I don't see that with this team. They may have the heart, but they don't have the bodies for it.
At least they responded to last Tuesday's defeat with a win at Connecticut Thursday and a home victory over Indiana in a rematch of last year's WNBA Finals. For her aggregate efforts, Maya Moore was named Western Conference Player Of The Week. Recently New York Liberty Head Coach Bill Laimbeer said shortly after a recent loss to the Lynx that somebody should "hurt" Moore. Laimbeer, once and forever member of Detroit's "Bad Boys," was fined for that comment. But I wonder more about the reaction from Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve. When Laimbeer coached the Detroit Shock to their WNBA titles in 2006 and 2008, Reeve was one of his assistants.
It's coming down to the brass tacks. They visit Laimbeer and the Liberty tonight, then host Seattle (the first of three matchups against the Storm in the seven regular season games remaining, WTH) Saturday.
#-3: Twins (Last Week: -2). Split a six-game roadtrip where they won the series against American League Central-leading Detroit but then lost the series against second-place Cleveland. I guess you could call that progress.
Nothing else matters this late in a humdrum season than the club's stars, the M&M boys. Joe Mauer took a fouled pitch to the mask and he left with a concussion. He was supposed to be back a game or two ago, yet he's still on the Disabled List. With just over a month left, I wouldn't be totally bent out of shape if the organization just shut him down for the rest of the year. You know, give him some extra time to spend with his newborn twins.
Meanwhile, Justin Morneau has been raking. He has flashed the power of old, and he has put his concussion symptoms behind him. We just didn't see him become the Justin Morneau of old till after the All-Star Break, much too late to help the team. So is this just a fluke, or has his price gone up in his walk year?
The Twinks have are home just for three games this week against Kansas City. They then hit the road for six, with trios versus The Bastard Washington Senators v.2.0 and, starting on Monday, Houston.
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