Tactical Tidbits: Snape’s switcheroo reaps rewards for Butler
Photo credit: Aaron Gunyon/Soc Takes
INDIANAPOLIS — It’s a rivalry that brings out nothing short of maximum effort in both teams. Last week at the Sellick Bowl — in front of a record crowd of 6,105 — was no different between Butler and No. 1 Indiana.
In the end, the Hoosiers remained unbeaten after a scoreless 110-minute duel of attrition. The shot stats pretty much told the story: Butler 8, Indiana 8.
For a match of this magnitude, Butler head coach Paul Snape retrieved an ace from his sleeve. He shifted senior captain Eric Leonard from his normal central defensive midfield post to the back line. He also stacked the midfield with five and sometimes six Bulldogs at a time.
It worked.
“We had to keep our lines closed,” Snape explained. “We had to defend. IU worked us. If you don’t, they accumulate lots of good passes.
“They just rip you apart. (Andrew) Gutman at left back is one of the best, if not the best attacking left back in the country. You’re always worried. They can hit you many different ways. But I’m absolutely thrilled with how we came into the game tonight.”
Not only did the move allow Leonard to pay extra attention to striker Mason Toye and the rest of the high-powered Indiana attack, it also enabled Butler to possess and generate the better chances early on thanks to the numbers advantage in the midfield.
Photo credit: Aaron Gunyon/Soc Takes
Butler came out in a 4-3-3 that certainly played like more of a 3-6-1. The two wide forwards dropped deeper into the midfield throughout. And sophomore Alex Lehtinen played as a wing back on the left side, spending the majority of his evening pushed a little higher up the pitch than his mates in the back line.
“That’s who he is,” Snape explained of Lehtinen’s positioning.
“Their back line has given up two goals all year, so we knew it was going to be a gutsy effort,” said Bulldogs striker Brandon Guhl of the Indiana defense. “We knew that they were going to come at us. We knew that we were going to get our one or two chances and we just had to put them away. Nothing changed until overtime. We just went with the 4-3-3. We tried to pack the middle. We put (Leonard) back there. The back line played phenomenal.”
While Snape’s switcheroo seemed matchup specific to the Hoosiers, given Leonard’s effectiveness in the defense, one was left wondering if Snape might use the upperclassman in the same role again. That answer was quickly revealed in Butler’s very next match, a 1-0 home win over Villanova.
Leonard again started in the back and helped deliver another clean sheet against the Wildcats. He was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week for his two standout performances.
Leading @ButlerMenSoccer to 2 shutouts, including a clean sheet over #1 Indiana, Eric Leonard wins #BEfutbol Defensive Player of the Week. pic.twitter.com/uVEl2d2dxs
— BIG EAST Conference (@BIGEAST) October 23, 2017
His coach spoke glowingly of the captain’s transition to defense.
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him play so good in my life,” Snape said. “He’s incredible. He’s got the heart of a lion.”
After drawing the top team in the land and racking up another shutout win in conference, the Bulldogs sit at 9-4-1 overall and 5-1 in BIG EAST play. They’ve also jumped back up to No. 21 in the latest polls. Snape expressed optimism toward the future while stopping short of stroking his side’s ego.
“We know we compete with the best in the country,” he said. “Can we go into the NCAAs — can we go and win, and start beating these guys as well? And when we become that, we can truly say we’ve become an elite team.”
Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.
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