The Springfield Demize closed out their season at home this evening with a fine 1-0 shutout win against the Indiana Invaders. The goal was scored by Brett Thomas in the 55th minute. Omar Shoucair (MSU) one-timed a diagonal ball that Thomas ran onto, collected and beat a defender as he moved into the box before shooting. The goal was Thomas’ third, marking him as the Demize’s leading and most reliable scoring option.
The Demize finished with a 4-3-1 record at home this season, providing an enjoyable if somewhat disorganized style of play that enhanced my weekends this summer. The starting lineup tonight was one of my favorites, missing only Ben Nabers (Memphis). With only two players in that starting lineup with more then 400 minutes of play this season (there are 8 overall), it points to a nature of the league as players availability is affected by outside factors such as school, work and in some cases injury. The joys of the real world eh.
Besides Thomas, the other player was defensive stalwart Kyle Hogge, #14 (7 games, 584 minutes) who is the most reliable defender on the team and a quiet leader, a role he grew into for the Drury Panthers this past year. I will miss his efforts this coming season.
The team travels to Des Moines next weekend for a pair of games and finish in St Louis on July 21st. They’ll take a pair of new players on their trip, Anand Kramer (Lebanon HS/Springfield SC) and Robbie Curtis (Ozark HS/Total SC). Anand came in late in the game to provide some fresh legs, getting about 8 minutes of playing time. The boys were featured in a nice article in the News-Leader today. I hope to make the St Louis game but if not, I’ve recruited a writer to cover the final games. Look for more PDL soccer reports in the closing weeks of the season.
PS - the playoff race just got more interesting. The Des Moines Menace put a 5-1 shellacking on the KC Brass, handing the Brass their first loss of the season.
2 Comments
nice coverage buddy =]
Thank you, Chris and Armen, for allowing Anand to have this opportunity to play at a higher level. Playing and practicing with the Demize has helped build his confidence and improve his speed of play. I think that a variety of soccer experiences can help a player develop, and am glad that Anand and Jack have had the opportunity to train with the Demize and Demize Reserves.
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