The preseason rank for us was based on the returning talent we had compared to other teams. We still had several question marks like a lot of teams in the top 10. It was not a case of us looking like a juggernaut in 2024 and getting the ranking for that reason. We lost in the quarters in 2024. I am not saying Gait is not a problem, but a big issue is that our new faces getting playing time this year have severely under-performed, aside from our goalie replacement in McCool.
The most glaring weaknesses are our replacements in the middle of the field. Our 2nd middie line has laid a total egg in the stat sheet in the last two games aside from a Cordez offball finish against UNC. That is a nightmare, especially when we have starters like Hiltz dealing with injuries and Rhoa/Leo's health being questionable as well. If the depth is not able to step up, then injuries like that are devastating for our performance. If the depth is not there, then you cannot afford to have off games from guys like Rhoa and Leo, whether it is because of health or otherwise.
Another question mark was the third attack to go along with Hiltz and Spallina, which got more complicated when Thomson went down. I know we have some Anderson fans, but I feel like there is some active ignoring of his bad plays and ineffective dodging. Like our second line middies, he has had flashes where he looks excellent, but the reality is that he has been bottled up in a lot of these matchups, including a 0-0 and 4 turnover statline against Duke, and not even drawing a slide coming out of the box against UNC, even when matched up with a short stick multiple times. Currently, Hiltz and Spallina are much stronger threats in all areas, including dodging, and that is against tougher matchups than what Anderson gets. I strongly believe that the answer to our problems is not simply making Spallina and Hiltz (who have 63 assists) offball guys, while giving Anderson more runs as a qb.
Gait is implicated in the sloppy undisciplined play, the failure to improve with clearing, the inability to close out games. Gait/March/Odierna could be implicated in the sets we run not being the most optimal, although that gets more complicated to prove. But it is not a case of us having endless talent and still coming up short.
