Post by kevin on Feb 20, 2020 17:58:22 GMT -6
4 pm is the time listed on the NHS website. Early kickoff to avoid the parades, I assume.
Northshore earned the #1 seed with a great regular season and they've looked worthy of that seed so far in the playoffs. They are a dangerous team that can beat you in a number of ways. They've got good, skilled players on the wings who can beat defenders 1v1. They've got athleticism to get on the end of long balls from the defense. And most importantly, they can beat you on set pieces. They can make any throw-in a dangerous opportunity, especially on their barely-wide-enough home field. If you give them enough throw-ins, at least one of them will pinball its way into the back of net.
Dominican is a very solid, skilled team that can possess the ball well and put together some nice attacking moves. I think their defense is organized enough to keep from being undone by any long balls. For me, the big question is whether they can maintain enough possession to limit Northshore's set piece opportunities. If Dominican can possess the ball in the NHS half for most of the game, they can keep NHS off the scoreboard, and DHS has enough speed and talent to score a goal or two. But if they can't dominate the possession battle, it'll be tough to keep NHS from scoring on a throw or corner.
One of the x-factors will be the field. It was in pretty good shape last week for the quarterfinal match against Lafayette, aside from torn up spots in the six-yard boxes. But was there enough rain to make things super sloppy tomorrow? Might the sprinklers be accidentally left on overnight? NHS is a good team on any field. But I think they're a rare example of a very good, very skilled team that doesn't mind a slopfest.
Another x-factor: Dominican has Rally tomorrow morning. I can't possibly explain this in a way that would do justice to the sociological significance of such an event, but if you know any women who attended an all-girls Catholic high school in the New Orleans area, they can probably clue you in. I'm not familiar with DHS's specific version of this fascinating cultural practice, but I believe it will involve lots of cheering, screaming, skits, and games in spirited grade-vs-grade competition. While I'm sure Coach Al will be on hand to make sure his players don't do anything too crazy, it will undoubtedly be an emotional roller coaster for those girls, who will then have to head across the lake for their biggest game of the season. Perhaps the DHS student section might even show up still in their costumes, which I'm sure would be quite interesting for the Northshore fans to see.
Northshore earned the #1 seed with a great regular season and they've looked worthy of that seed so far in the playoffs. They are a dangerous team that can beat you in a number of ways. They've got good, skilled players on the wings who can beat defenders 1v1. They've got athleticism to get on the end of long balls from the defense. And most importantly, they can beat you on set pieces. They can make any throw-in a dangerous opportunity, especially on their barely-wide-enough home field. If you give them enough throw-ins, at least one of them will pinball its way into the back of net.
Dominican is a very solid, skilled team that can possess the ball well and put together some nice attacking moves. I think their defense is organized enough to keep from being undone by any long balls. For me, the big question is whether they can maintain enough possession to limit Northshore's set piece opportunities. If Dominican can possess the ball in the NHS half for most of the game, they can keep NHS off the scoreboard, and DHS has enough speed and talent to score a goal or two. But if they can't dominate the possession battle, it'll be tough to keep NHS from scoring on a throw or corner.
One of the x-factors will be the field. It was in pretty good shape last week for the quarterfinal match against Lafayette, aside from torn up spots in the six-yard boxes. But was there enough rain to make things super sloppy tomorrow? Might the sprinklers be accidentally left on overnight? NHS is a good team on any field. But I think they're a rare example of a very good, very skilled team that doesn't mind a slopfest.
Another x-factor: Dominican has Rally tomorrow morning. I can't possibly explain this in a way that would do justice to the sociological significance of such an event, but if you know any women who attended an all-girls Catholic high school in the New Orleans area, they can probably clue you in. I'm not familiar with DHS's specific version of this fascinating cultural practice, but I believe it will involve lots of cheering, screaming, skits, and games in spirited grade-vs-grade competition. While I'm sure Coach Al will be on hand to make sure his players don't do anything too crazy, it will undoubtedly be an emotional roller coaster for those girls, who will then have to head across the lake for their biggest game of the season. Perhaps the DHS student section might even show up still in their costumes, which I'm sure would be quite interesting for the Northshore fans to see.