ECNL vs. College Team (Womens)

4wd

BRONZE
Hi everone, this is just a fun question and I don't post much and probably wont respond but I really am interested to see what you think. How would an ECNL team do against a college team? I watched my first college game ever the other day- it was just a replay. I'm not well versed in soccer, so I am a terrible judge of the game. I think many of you understand the game very well and would have a good perspective of what would happen if a good 03/04 ECNL team were to play a mid level D1 school? I have a younger age group daughter, I don't have any motives for this post, just genuine curiosity.
 
Hi everone, this is just a fun question and I don't post much and probably wont respond but I really am interested to see what you think. How would an ECNL team do against a college team? I watched my first college game ever the other day- it was just a replay. I'm not well versed in soccer, so I am a terrible judge of the game. I think many of you understand the game very well and would have a good perspective of what would happen if a good 03/04 ECNL team were to play a mid level D1 school? I have a younger age group daughter, I don't have any motives for this post, just genuine curiosity.
College Teams function as funnels of talent. (Exactly how Club Soccer works at the highest levels) The best College teams will attract the highest levels of talent. Either by recruiting or players reaching out. (Just like the top Club Soccer teams)

To answer your question directly...
  • There's no way a top level college team would lose to a top level club team. This is because the top level college team hand picks the best of the best from every club level team nationwide. Clubs pick the best of the best from the local community.
  • What could happen is that a lower level college team might lose to a top level club team. But even this is a big maybe because college players can be 4-5 years older + have experience. (Even if they're not technically "better" players)

With the top level club vs mid level college question you have to keep in mind that even if the top level club players lose to a mid level college team. They'll even up stomping them the next year once they start playing at college.
 
There's no way a top level college team would lose to a top level club team
That is wrong.

In the question above the person is talking about a U17/U18 boys team vs a top college team.

Back in 2017 a U15 boys team beat the US Women's National Team in a scrimmage. So here we are talking about a team that is better than the top college teams AND we are also talking about boys YOUNGER vs the question posed above.

 
The level of fitness of a D1 college team is much higher than any youth team. The player's have also had a few more years to perfect their skills and soccer IQ. The college team's speed of play and skill level would completely dominate the best ECNL team.
 
That is wrong.

In the question above the person is talking about a U17/U18 boys team vs a top college team.

Back in 2017 a U15 boys team beat the US Women's National Team in a scrimmage. So here we are talking about a team that is better than the top college teams AND we are also talking about boys YOUNGER vs the question posed above.

ECNL was founded as a girls only league. The OP did not specify ECNL Boys, so it is a good assumption they were talking about ECNL girls team verses a women's college team.

Women's teams scrimmage older boy's teams to work on their speed of play. I am not sure their is much to be gained by the boy's team. The results of these games are meaningless since men and women are different.
 
The level of fitness of a D1 college team is much higher than any youth team. The player's have also had a few more years to perfect their skills and soccer IQ. The college team's speed of play and skill level would completely dominate the best ECNL team.
I think people underestimate the life of a D1 college athlete (Even for a sport that gets less attention - like soccer). These are full-time athletes that take a few classes in their spare time (I know not everyone. I know there are D1 players at big schools that are pre-med and take a big class load).
They are likely training or playing 6 days a week (with 2x per day during pre-season). They are doing game film study. They are eating at the "Training table". They have a staff of trainers to help with injury and recovery. They probably have a tutor to help them with classes they miss due to game travel.
These aren't your 3 practices per week + 1 private session (that you might cancel because you have a test the next morning) and play 1x per week players that most of the u18 ECNL girls are right now.
That is why very few freshman get playing time in college.
 
A top ECNL team would definitely beat some Division I college programs. Take a look at the U19 Blues roster for example and where those players are committed to. They would beat some Division I programs.

Keep in mind that there are quite a range in quality of Division I programs. Division II and III schools beat some DI programs.
 
I saw a U16 DA team easily beat a decent local JC team last year.
What I notice when my DD plays against good college players is the difference in physicality and speed/maturity in decision making.
I’m guessing too, but I think the top 03/04 ECNL teams would beat a low to mid D1 team. A strong D1 is probably going to beat ECNL teams. There is quite a range in both ECNL teams and in college teams even within D1.
 
Hi everone, this is just a fun question and I don't post much and probably wont respond but I really am interested to see what you think. How would an ECNL team do against a college team? I watched my first college game ever the other day- it was just a replay. I'm not well versed in soccer, so I am a terrible judge of the game. I think many of you understand the game very well and would have a good perspective of what would happen if a good 03/04 ECNL team were to play a mid level D1 school? I have a younger age group daughter, I don't have any motives for this post, just genuine curiosity.
I asked my DD this same question since she played on a high level ECNL team and is now playing D2. She said her college team would beat her ECNL team. Too big, too fast. Her ECNL team played a very technical style, top 10 nationally and was a playoff team, but from her perspective it wouldn't be that close. I'm sure that some of the best, like Blues '02 would give plenty of lesser programs fits and maybe beat some, but it's like the old question about college football teams playing NFL teams. We played that Blues team and lost by one. My kid thinks her college team would beat them pretty easily. And that's not taking anything away from that team, they were the most talented team top to bottom I ever saw. But you can't overestimate that physical maturity advantage. Even a middling D1 school has top club players who have 4 years of college fitness under their belts, and it's night and day compared to a HS age club soccer player. D1 college players are full-time adult soccer players. It's their job, basically. So even the really good club teams would be overmatched in my opinion.
 
Quick google search shows that there 333 Division 1 Female soccer programs.
That is a LOT of teams in D1. I looked at some of the names and thought "That's division 1? Who knew?" (Stetson University in Florida with 3,028 students??)

Maybe the bottom 100 programs would have trouble against a top 5 ECNL u18 team.
 
Quick google search shows that there 333 Division 1 Female soccer programs.
That is a LOT of teams in D1. I looked at some of the names and thought "That's division 1? Who knew?" (Stetson University in Florida with 3,028 students??)

Maybe the bottom 100 programs would have trouble against a top 5 ECNL u18 team.
Yeah, it's quite a range. I know an NAIA coach in the south whose team competes for NAIA titles and scrimmages their neighboring directional (SW-Something State) D1 school every pre-season and often beats them. So it's really hard to make broad statements about the different divisions. He said the one main constant is that D1 teams are consistently stocked with bigger, taller, stronger players, even the crappy programs. So it would have to be a very good ECNL program and a very bad D1 school to get a result... and some of the club girls might end up getting carted off on stretchers. :oops:
 
Yeah, it's quite a range. I know an NAIA coach in the south whose team competes for NAIA titles and scrimmages their neighboring directional (SW-Something State) D1 school every pre-season and often beats them. So it's really hard to make broad statements about the different divisions. He said the one main constant is that D1 teams are consistently stocked with bigger, taller, stronger players, even the crappy programs. So it would have to be a very good ECNL program and a very bad D1 school to get a result... and some of the club girls might end up getting carted off on stretchers. :oops:
There is a size disparity in D1 soccer also. I saw a game where the smallest field player on team A was as big as team B's biggest field player. Size isn't everything (yeah, walking into a joke), but it does matter sometimes.
 
Club teams play college teams in exhibitions. Club teams win some of these games. You are kidding yourselves if you don't think a top ECNL team can beat some DI programs. They can. The top ECNL teams have great speed and technically ability. They have players who are going to start as freshman at some of the top DI programs in the country. So yeah, the would beat some DI programs.
 
And just for a little humor... especially since I ran with boys vs college instead of the question posed which was girls ECNL vs D1

 
And just for a little humor... especially since I ran with boys vs college instead of the question posed which was girls ECNL vs D1

I hope you do not have a daughter, because if you do that was in really poor taste, and shame on you.
 
PC stuff? Really? It is about right and wrong. You clearly have not raised your daughter with an education on how much women have had to endure, if she would find that funny. Somehow I doubt she does.
 
PC stuff? Really? It is about right and wrong. You clearly have not raised your daughter with an education on how much women have had to endure, if she would find that funny. Somehow I doubt she does.
Dude, don’t argue with Hound. He’s not PC but he’s loved like your favorite alcoholic uncle that makes family gatherings interesting
 
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