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them falling victim to impatience, either their ow...

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them falling victim to impatience, either their own or that of ownership, and/or ineptitude at the

Started by zake201, 2014/04/28 09:35AM
Latest post: 2014/04/28 09:35AM, Views: 275, Posts: 1
them falling victim to impatience, either their own or that of ownersh...
#1   2014/04/28 09:35AM
zake201
HOOVER, Ala. -- Nikita Kotlov scored off a header pass from Eriq Zavaleta midway through the second half to give Indiana a 1-0 victory over Georgetown on Sunday to win the NCAA mens soccer championship. It is the eighth championship for the Hoosiers (16-5-3), their first since 2004. Indiana midfielder Patrick Doody lofted a crossing pass to the right of the goal that brought Georgetown goalkeeper Tomas Gomez out from the net. Zavaleta got to the ball before either Gomez or Hoyas defender Jimmy Nealis and sent a header to Kotlov, who kicked it into the open net with 27 minutes left. "The ball kind of drifted in the air for quite a while," Zavaleta said of Kotlovs pass. "The keeper was pretty hesitant and kind of got in no mans land. I saw Nikita running into the box, and I just wanted to get the ball down to let him make a play." Indiana outshot Georgetown 16-7, including eight shots on goal. But Gomez stopped the Hoosiers with six saves before giving up the game-winner. "Its hard on Tomas. Hell take a lot of responsibility for that," Georgetown coach Brian Wiese said. "Its a ball that as the goalkeeper, if you come out you have to take it. He just missed it and let them head it back for an easy finish. It was a frustrating goal to lose." Georgetown (19-4-3) nearly tied the game with a minute left in regulation, but a header by Ian Christianson hit the post. "Sometimes you just need a little bit of luck," Indiana goalkeeper Luis Soffner said. "Well definitely take it." The Hoyas, who were making their first championship appearance in program history, had to play the game less than 48 hours after needing two overtimes and a shootout to defeat Maryland in the semifinals. Wiese said the extended playing time might have affected his team against the Hoosiers pressure defence. "Indiana played incredibly up-tempo. They pressed us really well," Wiese said. "They were sharper to the ball. They were very good from an energy point of view. Our guys fought like crazy, but we didnt have the legs that we normally have." It was the third consecutive 1-0 victory for the Hoosiers. Indiana allowed a total of two goals in its five NCAA tournament games. "We always said that defence was going to win the championship," Soffner said. "When were not having our best offensive game, our defence comes together and has that fight and that mentality to just not let the ball go in the net. "We knew wed eventually get a goal as long as the defence held tough. Georgetown put good pressure on us, but we had great team defence from front to back, and it paid off." [url=http://www.authenticseahawksshop.com/russell-wilson-jersey.html]http://www.... . One of the worlds most famous athletes was standing over the ball ready to take a free kick and all eyes within the crowd in Montreal were transfixed. [url=http://www.authenticseahawksshop.com/12th-fan-jersey.html]http://www.authen... . -- The Memphis Grizzlies turned up the defensive pressure, and turned a close game into a rout. [url=http://www.authenticseahawksshop.com/richard-sherman-jersey.html]http://www... . "I have spoken directly with Lubomir, and am pleased to report that he did not suffer any serious injuries," said Islanders general manager Garth Snow in a statement. [url=http://www.authenticseahawksshop.com/]http://www.authenticseahawksshop.com/... . Onyewu jumped above two Eibar players to head a last-gasp free kick over Eibar goalkeeper Jon Altamira, who had unwisely rushed off this line. It was the 30-year-old Onyewus second goal since joining Malaga this season. [url=http://www.authenticseahawksshop.com/marshawn-lynch-jersey.html]http://www.... . A brief statement from Galatasaray on Saturday said a deal was reached with Inter but that talks with Sneijder were ongoing. It did not disclose terms of the deal with Inter, which is in a contract dispute with Sneijder and wants him to take a pay cut.It is often said that its not possible to convince hockeys biggest, richest market to be patient enough to allow a general manager the time he needs to build his team into a long term winner. Were talking about Toronto where the Leafs have not won a championship in four-and-a-half decades, and yet supposedly neither fans nor ownership have the stomach for a long, slow rebuild. Really? In fact, time should be the greatest asset to building a hockey team in Toronto since the one thing we know about the Maple Leafs is that its impossible to keep people out of the building or away from their television sets on game nights. No matter how poorly the team performs, no matter how many disappointing seasons pile one upon another, worry that the fan base will become fed up and turn away is never, ever part of the equation. So it should be simple here, right? Hire the best general manager available, give him time and space and let nature take its course. Except, it never seems to work out that way. Which begs the question of why have so many Maple Leaf general managers of the past 30 years stumbled and failed, while the blueprint to building successful teams seems so evident in other markets around the league? Why does the slow build to success never happen? The first thing to keep in mind is that building long-term success in the NHL happens through success in the draft, with few, if any, exceptions. Free agency and the ability to execute good trades help, but find a team thats maintained success over a period of more than a handful of years and youre guaranteed to find a very strong draft record. Pick your example because there are all kinds of them right now in the NHL – LA, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Washington, Vancouver, Chicago, Boston, to name just the most obvious. Edmonton, where fans have endured plenty of awful seasons, now has a team loaded with top draft picks that many predict will return them to their glory days. But building through draft requires two things – the patience of ownership to allow time for maturation of prospects into front-line NHLers, and the ability of the general manager to get it right on draft day (or not trade away draft picks before draft day ever arrives.) There isnt a single Maple Leaf general manager of the past 30 years who can look back and say he had both those things going for him, from Burke to John Ferguson Jr.dddddddddddd, Cliff Fletcher all the way back to Gerry McNamara. There have certainly been times where there was pressure from ownership to win immediately, such as during Ferguson Jr.s stormy period operating the Leafs. Brian Burke followed him with the clout of a Stanley Cup ring, and a resume that earned him more autonomy than any general manager in recent memory. But in fine Maple Leaf general manager tradition, he either traded away picks before the draft or wasnt able to pick the best available player when his turn came along. He may have never uttered the words "draft schmaaft," but his signature move -- trading three draft picks – two first-rounders and a second-rounder – to Boston for Phil Kessel, has Maple Leaf DNA all over it. And the highest pick he retained during any of his first three Maple Leaf drafts – the No. 7 overall in 2009, he used to take Nazem Kadri, a player who remains very much a work in progress at age 22. Interestingly, Kadri is the only player selected by Burke to play a single NHL game. Among players taken during the 09, 10 and 11 drafts there are 90 players whove participated in NHL games. But Kadri, whose status in the NHL remains iffy, is the only Leaf. Leaf GMs werent much more successful at the draft table during the years that preceded Ferguson, but those teams were operating in an environment where errors on draft day could always be papered over with cash, something thats never been in short supply in Toronto. That cant happen in todays NHL, which makes the skills of a general manager on draft day, and the willingness to let him build through the draft, that much more important. Yet nearly 46 years removed from a Stanley Cup win and nearly nine years since they last played a playoff game, passion for the Maple Leafs in Toronto hasnt subsided one tiny bit. Ten general managers have come and gone since 1967, all of them falling victim to impatience, either their own or that of ownership, and/or ineptitude at the draft. Building from the ground up shouldnt be so complicated, even in Toronto, with all the pressures that abound. Some day, someone is going to get it right. ' ' '


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