Speed, savvy, and which Gophers can develop both

Soccer is a complicated game. Unlike football or baseball, you don’t reset and get coaching guidance after every 15 second burst. You have to read the game as it goes and make decisions in the moment. In college, in particular, you have to reestablish chemistry and flow and players sub in and out. You have to play opponents within a few days of each other with almost no way to have speed of play practices - because they would only wear you down further. But, for the sake of this analysis, let’s be overly simplistic and pretend soccer breaks down into two key strengths and abilities: the Venn Diagram of speed and savvy.

**Extra disclaimer: a player being in camp or the other does not mean they are bad**

SPEED: Whether a player has the quickness and speed to either blow past or catch up to an opposing player is one of the easiest things to spot on the field. In the case of 2019 Gophers, speed alone has been a significant determinant for who plays on the backline. But it’s also the defining characteristic of attackers like Patricia Ward or Haley Hartkemeyer. Their quick burst and top line speed epitomizes their value in the attack but they’re necessarily known for combining in a dangerous passing sequence or even attacking on the dribble, unless it’s a single move and essentially a straight line. But because of a lack of overall speed on the roster they’ve both proven to be valuable up top for their ability to add an element others may not bring. 

SAVVY: This is definitely a more subjective category for us to draw a circle around. On a given day, plenty of players may show flashes of some clever passing and movement (Makenzie Langdok, Arianna Del Moral, etc) but maybe don’t bring it consistently enough to make up for their lack of top line athleticism. Whereas players like Megan Gray and Cachet Lue survive as slightly higher level impact players because they can read the game well enough to make it into position - offensively and defensively - before a quicker, but maybe less savvy player, might. Celina Nummerdor, and her supreme ability on the ball and newfound physical play but lack of sprinter speed, may be the true mayor of this group.

DOUBLE THREAT: The true unicorn, then, is a player who has the speed AND savvy to physically out play an opponent while also out-thinking them. Your Katie Duongs. Your Athena Kuehns. They have the burst and top end speed to break through a defensive line or chase down an opponent on a breakaway but they also have the soccer IQ to combine with a teammate and place a pass in the exact right place for a streaming teammate to have a chance on goal. Nikki Albrecht spent years as a poster child for this overlap but seems to have lost a little bit of speed and agility while battling back from injuries last spring. Though she can still destroy opponents, defensively and offensively, in tight spaces. Just not quite as much in the wide open. 

The question is: who on this current roster has shown flashes of potential to shift from one camp into the overlap? Katie Koker has moments of both and hustles her tail off. She could take over the Marisa Windingstad backline role of being quick enough to stay in front of attackers and smart enough to limit mistakes. Alana Dressely has been rock solid as a defender and seems to have her name at least in pencil as a starting defender next year. Paige Elliott showed the physicality from day one and has now shown some serious potential in decision making as a centerback. Manthy Brady might just decide to come back next year as a 10 goal a year forward based on her moxy and interest in taking on basically everyone. Sadie Harper has the hustle and speed down and could gain some more ball skill over the spring. We’re still high on Kenna Buisman’s potential as a bruising, physical hold up forward if her redshirt year lets her improve her first touch and improve her agility a bit. Delaney Stekr may not have the quickness or speed to start full time yet but can that be developed if it’s a player’s primary focus over a spring/summer? Maybe. 

If we pretend that no incoming players exist, and had to guess based purely on the potential we’ve seen this year, we’d feel best about Koker, Elliott, and Dressely has pretty solid starting options in the back. If Minnesota shifts back to a 4-3-3, a triangle of Nummerdor, Duong, and Kuehn could be reeeaaally fun. And up top, maybe Buisman, Gray, and Brady create a nice combination up top. Ward will be recovering from her ACL tear but maybe improves some individual skills as part of that process and comes back ready to battle for a starting spot, too. Obviously possible transfers and incoming players will have something to say about it, but if you made us place a bet today, that’s where we’d land.

​