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Post by kevin on Feb 27, 2015 18:47:35 GMT -6
Alex Thomas with the Outstanding Player award.
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cruyff
All-District
Posts: 132
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Post by cruyff on Feb 27, 2015 19:24:52 GMT -6
Believe Loyola's strength is its balance. Front to back. Speed & size. See no weaknesses. BF strength appears to be its ability to score. Strong front & middle. Not belittling the defense, but it is not as strong as the offense. That said, I believe it comes down to Loyola having to score 3 + goals to win. Though I will root for Loyola, think they will score 2 max. Final 3-2 Ben Franklin. ? Do you have a time machine? You were perfect on scores for Loyola's last three games.
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Post by soccerdad23 on Feb 27, 2015 19:41:37 GMT -6
I bet the slightly smug BF dad has slightly soiled underwear! Not slightly u nimrod!! ENTIRELY!! :-)
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Post by Patriot fan on Feb 27, 2015 20:43:49 GMT -6
The game wasn't as close as the score indicates. Loyola had a few chanes however BF hit posts and had many more dangerous opportunities. Congrats to both teams on outstanding seasons.
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Post by breakingdad on Feb 27, 2015 21:51:07 GMT -6
Yellow card for a foul by LCP 11. Very entertaining game. Loyola should have had another goal in the first half, a ball was chipped over the goal that looked like it should have been buried. But, Franklin missed 3 gimme's in the second half and then seemed to lose some focus and energy, allowing LCP to rally. The second LCP goal was a nice shot but appeared to catch Franklin's keeper taking a coffee break. The yellow card referred to here shoulda been a red card, no question. It was a two-armed bear hug take-down; very dangerous and unneccessary play. Ref didn't need to even think about which card to pull...baffling. Final goal differential not indicative of Franklin's control of this game but give LCP credit for playing hard and keeping it close when the early 2-0 deficit loomed large.
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Post by copakid14 on Feb 27, 2015 21:59:44 GMT -6
Well what started out as not much of a game turned into a great game by the end of it. Congratulations to Ben Franklin on a well played game and a third state championship. We struggled in the opening 25 minutes and could not contain their central 3 players and it lead to a lot of good chances for BF. We had a great chance to make it 1-1 and maybe that would have changed some momentum but we were unable to convert. Once down 2-0, I moved my freshman central defender into the midfield and played a 3-5-2 and that worked a little better for us. I still have no idea what the free kick call was that led to the 3rd goal (an absolute rocket) but I'm not going to diminish my girls accomplishments this season by ranting about referees. Clearly for the first 30 minutes of the game we were outplayed and on our heels. I do think the 2nd half that changed and we were able to string some passes together and get more numbers forward. In the last 15 minutes of the game we pushed hard and had a few good opportunities to tie the game but it just wasn't meant to be.
I want to wish all the seniors from both teams the best of luck in their college endeavors wherever they end up. These girls have played against each other for years in club and it was nice to see the sportsmanship on both sides congratulating each other on a great game.
I am so proud of my girls for not putting their heads down in this game. It would have been very easy to go down 2-0 and quit and let it get out of hand but they fought their way back into the game and gave themselves a few chances to equalize late.
Thanks to our administration and parents for all of their support and our student section/fan section rocked! Not bad for a school of 450 students!
To all the ignorant posters on here predicting us to get blown off the field, the noise you make on this board means nothing. I watched 19 girls walk off that field together tonight, after one of the toughest losses they will ever have, proud of each other... as a team with smiles and tears all at the same time. They didn't win the game, but they were already winners before the game started. My heart is full.
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Post by CEBfan on Feb 27, 2015 22:47:49 GMT -6
I don't have a dog in the hunt........But I don't see the need to say one team should have won by more goals than they did! The score is what it is! Why diminish one teams effort who at the end of the day had opportunities to tie the game at the end! Hats off to our North LA girls on a great season, we are all very proud of you. Congrats to BF on a great season and a well deserved State Championship!
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Post by dme1214 on Feb 27, 2015 23:42:12 GMT -6
Well what started out as not much of a game turned into a great game by the end of it. Congratulations to Ben Franklin on a well played game and a third state championship. We struggled in the opening 25 minutes and could not contain their central 3 players and it lead to a lot of good chances for BF. We had a great chance to make it 1-1 and maybe that would have changed some momentum but we were unable to convert. Once down 2-0, I moved my freshman central defender into the midfield and played a 3-5-2 and that worked a little better for us. I still have no idea what the free kick call was that led to the 3rd goal (an absolute rocket) but I'm not going to diminish my girls accomplishments this season by ranting about referees. Clearly for the first 30 minutes of the game we were outplayed and on our heels. I do think the 2nd half that changed and we were able to string some passes together and get more numbers forward. In the last 15 minutes of the game we pushed hard and had a few good opportunities to tie the game but it just wasn't meant to be. I want to wish all the seniors from both teams the best of luck in their college endeavors wherever they end up. These girls have played against each other for years in club and it was nice to see the sportsmanship on both sides congratulating each other on a great game. I am so proud of my girls for not putting their heads down in this game. It would have been very easy to go down 2-0 and quit and let it get out of hand but they fought their way back into the game and gave themselves a few chances to equalize late. Thanks to our administration and parents for all of their support and our student section/fan section rocked! Not bad for a school of 450 students! To all the ignorant posters on here predicting us to get blown off the field, the noise you make on this board means nothing. I watched 19 girls walk off that field together tonight, after one of the toughest losses they will ever have, proud of each other. as a team with smiles and tears all at the same time. They didn't win the game, but they were already winners before the game started. My heart is full. Well said coach, being gracious in winning and in losing is a quality that shines through and is a much better measure of a person then the winning or the losing. Fantastic season by Loyola and Ben Franklin. Safe travels home
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Post by vistajay on Feb 27, 2015 23:49:59 GMT -6
Great game! BF supporters are happy to escape with the win as contest was quite tense late. BF seemed to lose its way when Katie Higginson went out briefly with hamstring issues, just as Loyola surged with confidence. But she recovered and in the last 4 minutes or so BF regained possession and control of the game. Very impressed with Loyola's tenacity! Best of luck to them next year.
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Post by pOkLE on Feb 28, 2015 0:23:13 GMT -6
The game wasn't as close as the score indicates. Loyola had a few chanes however BF hit posts and had many more dangerous opportunities. Congrats to both teams on outstanding seasons. To each his/her own, but I thought this game was exactly as close as the score indicated. Great game from both sides. Congrats to both teams on great seasons.
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Post by soccerdad23 on Feb 28, 2015 0:37:17 GMT -6
Loyola was a very good and dangerous team! few more minutes and this could have very well ended up quite differently! several BF players began suffering with cramps.......while Loyola players kept up the intensity. Loyola gave BF all they could handle. IMO BF probably has, as its core group, The BEST players in the state. Im not being boastful when I say that. That core group of girls have not lost a game to a Louisiana team (Club or High School)since U-11......the last Louisiana team to beat them was Shreveport United for state cup in U-11. So Loyola being as strong and good as they are is no surprise.
Very good game Loyola and good luck in the future!
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Post by soccerdad23 on Feb 28, 2015 8:07:25 GMT -6
BF vs Loyola highlights
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Post by counterattack on Feb 28, 2015 9:41:06 GMT -6
This probably won't go down as Ben Franklin's best performance, especially the 2nd half. But definitely very gutsy. At 2-0 and 3-1 it looked likely BF might score 4 or 5, but suddenly Loyola got themselves back into the game and BF had to grind it out and forget about being pretty.
Key moment was probably BF missing a couple good chances to go up 4-1, which would've led to a comfortable win, and within a few minutes Loyola making it a 1-goal game. That defined the course of the game's excitement in the second half and Loyola gained momentum late. My opinion, Loyola even missed a couple other well-constructed chances they should have scored during the game, and the goals they did score were sloppy by BF; should've been prevented by the keeper and probably defended better as well.
For BF, this group of players just always gets it done, and the goals last night were great. Alex Thomas's shot on the first was wonderful, the second was a nice piece of dribbling by Noelle Higginson to set up a pretty finish by Alex, and Eleanor Pratt drilled the free kick (which I was told came from an advantage that didn't materialize, from a kick a few seconds earlier). Cadie Higginson battled so well for her team at the end when she was cramping and the defense led by Amalia Skalos made multiple big tackles.
Just my opinion, Ben Franklin was definitely the better overall team with more threatening ability to combine in midfield/attack, and was in solid control for the majority of the game, missing other good chances as well. But anyone who thinks Loyola didn't make it VERY nerve wracking at the end and give BF all they could handle is kidding themselves. Loyola is a quality team with great senior leadership. The game did start to turn in the last 20 minutes and if they had tied it up, overtime would've been very interesting. Copakid is right to credit his team for their mentality and how well they fought.
Fantastic seasons for both teams who deserve huge congratulations!
Ben Franklin continues to make history! 3 consecutive undefeated state championships!
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Post by counterattack on Feb 28, 2015 9:43:50 GMT -6
Side note....having now watched multiple finals at Tad Gormley, girls and boys, it's a little bit frustrating as a field. You play a diagonal ball, it goes out for a throw because there's no width, you play a straighter through ball and it just runs away from the attacker for a goal kick or to the keeper without ever starting to slow down on the turf. It's just so quick and makes it hard for a team who plays balls to runs into space. Also for good dribblers, such as a player who touches the ball past a defender trying to get to the sideline or the end line, the ball skips out too soon. Tad Gormley is a great historic venue and a cool stadium, but we are missing the chance to see better quality soccer between the best teams in the state on a wider grass field....just not sure what the right venue would be. The players all develop their game in club soccer playing on grass, and a beautiful wide grass field could've made for an even better game between those two awesome teams. Anyway, just my 2 cents. Obviously it was still a great game and it's not like we didn't see some impressive and entertaining play!
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Post by thedudeabides on Feb 28, 2015 10:47:43 GMT -6
Thanks for the highlights and congratulations on the win.
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Post by soccerdad23 on Feb 28, 2015 11:23:19 GMT -6
You're welcome :-)
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Post by Scott Crawford on Feb 28, 2015 11:55:55 GMT -6
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Post by shreve50 on Feb 28, 2015 21:30:08 GMT -6
I'm glad I made the trip to see the game. Ben Franklin is probably the best girls team, I've seen in a long time. They very much deserved the win. It's been a lot of fun watching the Lady Flyers over the past 4 years. Mark has brought them from also rans to State contenders. They played well last night and but together some great stretches, just not enough of them. Congrats to the Seniors on a great 4 year run. Don't count the Flyers out for the next few seasons. I'm sure Copakid will reload and come back with their best. Again, great win for Ben Franklin.
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Post by alto1smom on Feb 28, 2015 23:41:32 GMT -6
This was an amazing game, but the hugs at the end from opposing players fill my heart. These are the girls that have begun a tradition of Louisiana Girl's Soccer in Region iii. These young ladies played together and on opposite sides of the field since u10 and have broken barriers for the future girls in this state. I am so proud of M&M who received academic honors at half time and Bailey who is just the best kid on and off the filed. If you ever need a blister patched up, I am just a call away. Mike don't forget we will be crying together but we will get a raise as these amazing girls leap into the next chapter. I know many people wanted to BF fall, it's the nature of being considered the #1 team or the team to beat. Trust me BF girls, those will be the same people you will thank when you have to deal with adversity in your careers. You will be prepared! Thanks to all of the well wishers from all over the state. Your kind words and support are heartfelt.
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