15,000+ all in one night, not for the whole season

Not too long ago, 15,000 fans would have been the SEASON attendance total, not just for one game. Times are changing quickly, with attendance up nation wide and two of the top five most-attended regular season NCAA soccer matches of the modern era occurring just in the last 2 weeks. I should add also that they both were played in California, not in Maryland or Connecticut or North Carolina, or even in St. Louis.

UCSB defeated UCLA 2-0. By no means a crushing win, so the story becomes the event itself. Out of nowhere, soccer this fall is capturing the attention of money-restricted fans with attendance numbers way up in California as well as back in the traditional soccer-center of the mid-atlantic.

I asked my soccer-neutral wife what she thought of the attendance-record-smashing year and she commented that "People must like soccer." I thought for a moment. Yes, it probably is really that simple.

4,700 See an Impressive #1 Akron Down a Solid Tulsa Team

Both teams undefeated going in. Akron clarifies who the better team really is. And 4,700 saw it all. I believe that is the story this year. Soccer is an inexpensive couple of hours, and if your team is doing well, it is a good entertainment value. Who knew that economic downturns were good for the minor sports? Now we know. Here is the whole story in numbers.

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Soccer Box Score (Final)

2010 University of Akron Men's Soccer

#2 Tulsa vs #1 AKRON (Sep 24, 2010 at Akron, Ohio)

Goals by period 1 2 Total

Tulsa 0 0 0

AKRON 2 2 4

Tulsa (6-1-0) vs.

AKRON (6-0-0)

Date: Sep 24, 2010 • Attendance: 4,744

Weather: high 70s clear, w: sw 16 gusts to 29

8,700 fans for a NCAA soccer match? Of course

A time traveller from the year 1994 arriving in San Luis Obispo in 2010 would incorrectly extrapolate the '94 World Cup soccer interest in the USA and assume that 8,700 fans must be totally normal and a logical progression from the WC excitement. 8,700 fans for a college soccer match makes it the 10th largest crowd (Soccer America) ever for NCAA soccer. So, what to make of it?

Well, 8,700 is news precisely because it isn't the norm. The last 16 years have seen a slow and steady rise in the MLS, but it still is only the 6th or 7th most popular pro sport in the USA, depending on what one measures. But people who live in SLO aren't the sort that cares to live in NYC and root for the Yankees. They probably wouldn't have gone to the game is their team consistently lost, but thrills come in many different colored packages. SLO residents consider themselves better than the average townies. Heck, they can get 5,000+ to show up at a farmer's market every Thursday evening.

The weather was perfect. The Cal Poly Mustangs have gone a coon's age without a single goal against at home. Soccer isn't $80 (or even $35) a ticket, so the whole family can go. The Spanos stadium upgrades a couple years ago have created an intimate sports arena with great site lines. If you build it, sell it at a reasonable price, on a nice night, with the reasonable hope of a winning feeling at the end, they will come. Even, or maybe because it is 3,000 miles from Gotham City.

Stats online this season

I will be keeping my own team's stats online at Maxpreps.com this season. Here are the pro and con of such a move:
Pro:
- Durability of numbers, since maxpreps isn't going away, and my own hard drive just might
- It's free (well, the site is heavily advertised, but not with inappropriate images)
- It advertises players to university-level coaches
- My team can check our own team stats easily (as a player a while back, I really never knew our stats)

Con:
-Opposing teams know your stats (Hey, after a few games, they can closely guess your stats anyway)
-No way to create program-long stats since they don't appear to have a multi-season view

I plan to house the numbers at Maxpreps through the season and then download those numbers to create numbers that reflect multiple year data like "highest save total in a career".

Here is a decent set of soccer stat definitions for new stat keepers to refer to.
From: MaxPreps.com

Soccer Statistics

General
GP GamesPlayed How many games the player has participated in during the season.
Non-RegulationTime Stats Any stats during overtime periods are counted. Any stats arising from tie-breaking procedures (ie- penalty kicks) are NOT recorded- no goals or goals allowed should be assigned.

Field Stats

G GoalsScored Each goal scored is worth two points. The player who kicks/heads (or otherwise legally plays) the ball across the opponent's goal line is awarded a goal. If the momentum from a deflected shot carries the ball across the goal line, the offensive player should be credited with a goal. An errant pass or head ball by the defense into their own goal is NOT credited to the opposing team- though it is recorded against the goalkeeper as a goal allowed.

SH ShotsTaken A shot is an attempt that is taken with the intent of scoring and is directed toward the goal (a cross or a crossing pass is NOT a shot). The result of a shot is generally either a save or a goal.

A Assists Each assist made is worth one point. An assist is awarded for an offensive pass leading directly to a goal. It is possible to award two assists for one goal (ie- a corner kick headed by an offensive player to a teammate who scores). An assist may also be awarded from an indirect penalty kick or a throw-in. When a shot is deflected (off the post or a defensive player) and an offensive player immediately knocks the rebound in for a goal, the offensive player who took the first shot should be awarded an assist.

ST Steals Steals are given when a player forces an opponent turnover and gains possession of the ball. Receiving an errant pass is not a steal.

Keeper Stats

Min Minutes Played Number of minutes the goalkeeper plays. Generally, this number is rounded to the nearest whole minute. High school regulation time is 40 minutes per half.

GA Goals Allowed Number of goals scored against the team while the goalkeeper is playing in the goal.
GAA Goals Against Average GAA = (GA * 90) / Min

Sa Goals Saved A save is awarded to a goalkeeper only if a shot otherwise would have gone into the goal- regardless of whether the ball is caught or deflected. A save is NOT awarded for intercepting a crossed ball. Saves made by a defensive player other than the goalkeeper are "Team Saves" and are not currently tracked by MaxPreps.

SO Shut Out A goalkeeper receives credit for a shut out only by playing the entire contest and not allowing any goals. If both goalkeepers play the entire game to a final score of 0-0, both goalkeepers should be credited with a shut out.

The majority of these stats and definitions are based on the NCAA Soccer Statisticians' Manual.