Portland slams Lady Mustang's soccer

[mustangbill67]

well, I do not think any of us know exactly why a scholarship player leaves the team. The many possibilities include, dislike the coach/school , playing time, academics, injury, homesickness or lack of full finanicial aid. I remember many years ago when one of our all-american players and one of the top scorers in the country, transferred after her sophomore year to be near her boyfriend who was a coach in Florida. forget her name but she ended up playing for the natinoal team. SMU had no control over this situation.

[August]

I remember many years ago when one of our all-american players and one of the top scorers in the country, transferred after her sophomore year to be near her boyfriend who was a coach in Florida. forget her name but she ended up playing for the natinoal team. SMU had no control over this situation.

Yes, I think you're talking about Autumn Browning, correct?

Unfortunately though, we're not talking about one or even two or three players. There has been a mass exodus of players, and not just walk ons, over the last 2 years. I think the biggest blow was Krystal Bailey walking away from a redshirt year. I realize that some of these players were recruited by the previous staff and may not have fit into Erwin's scheme, but the way that players are moving around from week to week, I'm not sure even he knows what that is or should be. The team will have a decent half and then completely come undone in the second half.

Friday the team plays Colorado in the altitude, a team that gave up only 2 goals to Portland. It's going to be a difficult contest.

[mustangbill67]

No not Autumn. This was a big fast center forward who scored a ton of goals. I believe it was back in the 90's sometime. Believe she transfered to Florida.

[mustangbill67]

BTW, Portland was ranked number 1 going into last weekend. Fell to 4th after the A & M loss.

[mustangbill67]

This is the Mustang all American, I was referreing to. A major loss to the program at the time.
Danielle Garrett Fotopoulos. She married her boyfriend George Fotopoulos in June of 1996 and transferred to Florida.

Forward
5-11
Altamonte Springs, Fla.
(Lyman/Southern Methodist Univ.)
Named to US National Team for the 1999 Women's World Cup
**1998 Honda Award Winner**
**1998 NSCAA National Player of the Year**
**1998 ESPN.com/Soccer Times National Player of the Year**
**1998 Soccer America Player of the Year**
**1998 NCAA Final Four Offensive MVP**
**1996 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year**
**1998 & 1996 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year**
**1998, 1996 & 1995 All-American**
**1996 SEC Tournament MVP**

While at SMU

1995: Finalist for Missouri Athletic Club Player of the Year Award as a starting forward for Southern Methodist University...Finalist for both Hermann and Honda Awards, given annually to the top women's collegiate player of the year...Named to both Soccer America Collegiate MVP team and Soccer News Elite 11...First team All American by NSCAA...Named to NCAA Tournament team...Southwest Conference Player of the Year...Named to All Central Region and Southwest Conference first teams...Led nation in scoring (83 points) and goals scored (32), while ranking second in assists (19)...Registered 10 multi goal games, including three hat tricks and one four goal game against Alabama in season opener...Helped lead SMU to school best 23 1 1 record, No. 3 national ranking and first ever Final Four appearance...Ranks third on SMU's all time career points list (128), third on goals scored list (52) and fourth on all time assists chart (24)...Appeared in Sports Illustrated's Faces In the Crowd twice (3/21/94 and 12/4/95).

1994: Led Mustangs in scoring (45 pts.) and goals scored (20)...Earned second team All South Region honors...Registered six multi goal games, including first career hat trick against Maryland.

Fotopoulos' Collegiate Statistics
Year G GS Min. Shots G(GW) A Pts.
1994 20 19 - 120 20 5 45^
1995 24 23 - 126 32 19 83^
1996 22-22 1,742 139 34 (7) 13 81
1997 Redshirted due to ACL injury
1998 26-26 2231 146 32 (11) 11 75
Totals 92 90 3,973 531 118(18) 48 284
^At Southern Methodist University

[August]

verrry impressive! Thanks for that!

[ponytony]

There has been a mass exodus of players, and not just walk ons, over the last 2 years.

I just did a rollforward of the roster over the past two years, and I don't see any mass exodus of players with significant playing time. I do see two players gone from last year who I wish were still here. One of them, if my source is correct, left for reasons having nothing to do with the coach.

[August]

Looking over just last year's roster, I see 6 players who played in 14 games or more have left/quit. Not all of them started but they accounted for 9 of our 23 goals and 6 of 17 assists. I think that's significant. 2 more who played in 10 games each also transferred to other D1 programs.

[ponytony]

I see the 6 players you are referring to, but despite their games played, 4 of the 6 were bit players. For example, a forward who plays in 17 games but only takes 7 shots is not getting a lot of playing time despite the number of games she's appearing in. I know one of those 4 bit players personally, and her departure was related to playing time. And I see the 2 other players who did get significant playing time, and I'm pretty sure one of them left for reasons having nothing to do with the coach. The other one, I have no clue.

[August]

For example, a forward who plays in 17 games but only takes 7 shots is not getting a lot of playing time despite the number of games she's appearing in.

You are assuming that she was played at forward which is a big leap. Many, many on the current roster have switched positions, some multiple times. For example Shepherd was recruited as a forward, played midfield last year and this year is left back. Peabody was also listed as a forward originally. You can even pull up different years rosters and see how the girls are listed differently and just last week one of our forwards was moved to the back. Any shots? probably not. But since SMU doesn't keep minutes played, it's hard to argue either way - minutes played vs. productivity.

But in any case, roughly 40% of our scoring left - any way you try to manipulate it, that's significant in my book, 'bit players' or no.

[giacfsp]

I stand corrected. I had forgotten that he was the men's coach at UCF. However, having been in Dallas with Schellas he still should have had a strong grasp on the local soccer talent- both boys and girls.

GO PONIES!!!

As an assistant for Coach Hyndman, why would he have a grasp on the local WOMEN's soccer talent? He was recruiting men's players, and got a bunch of good ones for Coach Hyndman.

By the way, our teams are all Mustangs. Haven't been Lady Mustangs in over a dozen years. It's not a gender-specific mascot.

[ponytony]

But in any case, roughly 40% of our scoring left - any way you try to manipulate it, that's significant in my book, 'bit players' or no.

I honestly think you are the one manipulating. Your posts are loaded with assumptions about things of which you have no knowledge and are not supported by the facts. You clearly have some sort of grievance and agenda.

[redpony]

BTW, Portland was ranked number 1 going into last weekend. Fell to 4th after the A & M loss.

I do not know where you are getting your info. I checked and Portland was ranked on 9/1-#3, on 9/8-#2 and on 9/15-#2. There were no rankings available yet for this past weekend. These rankings are from the NSCAA/NCAA web-site.

Really doesn't matter-they are a top 10 team and we were not even close to competitive with them.
BTW, I believe their national championship was in 2005. Maybe we can move up in the top 25 someday when we get a competent coach.

GO PONIES!!!

[EastStang]

Anatomically and emotionally, women are wired differently than men, no surprise there. And when you start looking at people transferring from a program and try to read something into that, it is very hard to get a grasp on that. If there is a universal "problem" with Erwin, then I suspect that will be vetted at the appropriate level. If you recall Rhonda had a pretty serious revolt a few years back and once it was clear that the administration backed her, those that didn't like things left and the team hasn't looked back. Rhonda had history and a record of achievement at that time which at this point Erwin hasn't got.

[mustangbill67]

The rankings I gave are from a top women's soccer site. No matter, Portland is a top 10 team and probably a top 5 team. Portland won the NCAA championship in both 2002 and 2005 being one of I believe only three teams to win multiple women's champiionships. It was undefeated in 2005. A consistently very strong program.