Sectional Travel

[soccerfix]

Wouldn't be a good rule that if a team has to travel over an hour one way that the teams should play at a neutral site. Waverly went to Marietta last year for the sectional and had to play after a two hour twenty minute ride. Athens seems to be a fair place to meet half way. Turn it around if Marietta had to come to Waverly how fair would that be for them?

[bulkmove]

I agree about the travel issues. But it isn't just in Soccer. Other sports have the same problems. It is funny how schools are put into the same sectional, yet are 2 hours apart.

[soccernut]

I agree, not only in the sectionals.

All of Marietta's loses came on the road. Logan, Athens, Highland, and Chillicothe.

The home team has an advantage for sure.

[Falcon01]

as a girls hs coach, i think you have to rely on seniors on long trips...keep the team mentally ready to go. I dont think it should ever be an excuse to lose when you have to travel....just need to rely on the older kids to keep the others in it. jmo.

[soccerfix]

Soccernut, I'm not complaining about the home field advantage. Do you think that riding a bus 2 hours to Chillicothe might be a problem losing on the road? This is a sectional not a regional.

[soccernut]

On the long trip to Logan, the kids looked like they were drugged on the field. A neutral field could have been a different story.

So yes riding a bus for extended amount of time is a disadvantage, therefore homefield has the advantage.

The best way to get around it is to get a high enough seed so you can stay home, until you get to neutral fields.

[pcohio]

A lot of times, as is the case with Waverly this year, the seeding comes down to the opinions of coaches! Athens and Marietta were seeded higher than Waverly because they beat Chillicothe and Waverly lost to them...I can't think of another reason they should be ranked third?? If you look at each team's record and award 3 points for a win and 1 point for a draw, then Waverly would have the most points of either team...

As far as the travel, I agree with soccerfix, these matches should be played at a neutral site...But for now, I think Waverly just needs to get there early enough to get the kinks worked out before the match starts!

[soccerfix]

At the division 2 drawing it took three votes to settle the #2 seed. The first two votes tied 4-4 and the third vote a SEOAL coach changed his vote to give Marietta the #2 seed. I noticed that out of the 15 games Marietta played they won 8. Waverly beat Warren and Jackson handedly in scrimmages this year. Waverly had a bad night against Chillicothe but they did score 3 goals against them. I think only one other team scored three against Chillicothe. So it looks like it couldn't be any more even of a contest. Can't wait for the kicks.

[xb1srw2]

The home team has an advantage for sure.

Yes the home team has the advantage. But the typical argument to follow is that the tournament seeds and, thus, the locations based on the seeding are a rewards for regular season performance and the respect garnered from peers during the seeding process (that in and of itslef can be a problem as many are often faced with the good ol' boy clubs creating a voting block that can't be upended).
I absolutely agree that a neutral site is needed once Ditrict Semis begin, but I am fine with Sectional and regular season long trips.

[soccernut]

I hope the trip doesn't hurt the way they play. It should be a good game.

But they are teenagers and sometimes for some unknown reason one or the other team doesn't show up to play. I will guess that it will be a low scoring game 2-1 or such. Not sure which way though.

[xb1srw2]

I wish I had the time to travel to this one. I would bet it will be entertaining to say the least.