If an assist occurs and nobody is around to record it does it really count? Luckily college soccer has no such problem.
In fact, judging by what's occurred so far in 2024, it seems assists are being handed out like haloween candy, which has some significant ripple on effects in a number of areas.
It looks like the attacking group at Duke are having a lot of fun this year. In fact, according to the Duke Women's Soccer website, (and Top Drawer Soccer) Ella Hase & Mia Olario lead the nation with nine each. Teammate Devin Lynch trails just behind with eight, followed by a number of individuals from various schools.
So what's going on? Duke's 3 most creative players have combined for a total of 26 assists? Seems high.
It's also confusing, because a quick visit to the NCAA's official website tells a very different story. Here, Hase & Olario sit equal fifth and Pitt's Sarah Schupansky has racked up an incredible 15, smashing school records along the way.
The reality is that none of this is correct. In terms of 'real' assists (a player passing the ball to a teammate who scores) Schupansky has a still impressive ten, and has been credited with five 'college assists' which are both highly generous and open to interpretation from a member of the school's Sports Information Dept. Many of these employees do not have a background in soccer.
Heading back over to Duke, Ella Hase's nine is actually seven, Olario's nine is actually four and Lynch's eight is in fact, three.
Nobody's doubting the talent and hard work of these four women, who are all clearly playing well, in one of college soccer's top conferences.
the areas of impact of such discrepancies are a little concerning however. Will the NCAA be leaning on Pitt's box score data (which is powering their website) for end of season awards? If so, how is it fair that players are being credited so wildly off the mark by school employees?
On the more practical side of things what does this mean for coaches? You'd hope opposition analysis goes much deeper than checking school box scores to see who's the most dangerous creative attacker when you're preparing to face Duke.
Win Factory clients have the benefit of accessing event-level data from every game in college soccer, and while in the case of Hase, you probably wouldn't need our platform to see where she's so lethal, you'd be surprised how often coaches find evidence for small tactical tweaks and adjustments in opposition analysis using the platform.
Recruitment and the Transfer Portal however is a major concern regarding stats like assists. The women's portal has over 800 entrants in 2023, and the men's 600+.
It's simply impossible to navigate through all these players judging them fairly and accurately using traditional stats like assists.
That's where Win Factory is unrivaled and gives our clients an added edge in recruitment. In just seconds, not only can you cut through the noise of box scores and stick to the facts, you'll also have access to a wide range of more advanced analytics like expected goals & assists (a more accurate predictor of future success).
Win Factory also has a number of bespoke machine learning statistics to evaluate team style, strength of schedule and a player's true impact on their current team. All of which results in a more accurate and advanced player evaluation report at your fingertips in just seconds.
Times this by 600-800 and we know our clients will win the recruitment game in the long run.
Hase transferring to your school would be a no-brainer for all 300+ NCAA D1 women's programs. Shes without question a top player in the ACC. But what about two similar looking players from mid-major's being evaluated by a top 25 program?
Our cutting edge analytics provide insights into team style suitability, data on pressing, key passes, ball progression, defensive metrics, creativity and much more. Player reports are tailored by position of course, so center backs aren't judged by shot's created like wingers might be.
So next time a Win Factory college coach receives an interesting name across their desk or in the portal, we know they benefit from our core principles here at WF.
Know More | Know Before.