Due to inclement weather, the Greater Ozark Soccer Club’s tryouts Saturday, March 28th will be from 12:00pm to 4:00pm at the Downtown Joplin YMCA, which is at 500 S. Wall Street, Joplin, MO
(CLICK HERE FOR MAP). For more information, email Coach Johnny Adame (johnnyselene13@yahoo.com).
Harrison (AR) Goblins – 8
West Plains Zizzers – 1
The first goal of the season for the Zizzers was scored by freshman Natasha Ugbah in the 2nd minute of the 2nd half.
The Zizzers host The Nixa Eagles on Thursday as the Class 3 team opens their season.
Well, I’ve been keeping an eye out for stories in daily papers around the region but there’s been a dearth of them. Heck, I haven’t seen a single girls score reported on TV yet, and the Springfield rag only wants to post stories telling the coaches they have to sign up for a slow, unwieldy website if they expect to get scores reported. That’s good news for me from a competitive standpoint but good gosh…
With the addition of a third class in Girls Soccer, it can be argued that Class 2 is the new kid on the block, so to speak. No longer small schools, but not part of the large school make up either, District 5 is made up of teams from Southwest Missouri and teams near Kansas City.
Bolivar Liberators
The Liberators are on Spring break and there is nothing on the Liberator website regarding the team so far this season. The Herald-Free Press offered this tidbit a week ago:
The Bolivar soccer Lady Liberators will open the 2009 season at Ozark Monday, March 30. “We’re looking forward to a run at a district title and state play with an excellent mix of veteran leadership and some good young talent,” Bolivar head coach Jeff Edge said. Edge is assisted by Steve Fast and Kerrie Katz. “This year’s group returns nine starters from a year where we reached the district’s title game.”
Bolivar, 14-7 last season, is entering its 10th year of girls’ soccer. Seniors on the 2009 squad include defenders Breana Butters, Danielle Sharp, Shelbie Kirby and Lindsay Kelley; midfielder Jody McFarlen, Jordan Halbrook and Hannah Harris; and goalkeeper Sara Scott. Harris and Halbrook are the captains.
So they are returning 9 starters AND senior Jody McFarlen (pictured in white from 2007). McFarlen has signed with the Missouri State Bears after spending her junior season playing on a boys club team, skipping her junior season. Edge has reason to be confident in this squad and should be considered the favorite.
Carl Junction Bulldogs
One of four new programs in the region, and one of two in this District, the Bulldogs opened their season Tuesday against their large school neighbor Joplin Eagles. While there is a schedule on the CJ Bulldogs booster website I haven’t been able to find any information on the team. The Joplin Globe hasn’t even reported on the Eagles game. There was no game to report on, it’s an error on the CJ website.
Logan-Rogersville Wildcats
The South County Mail offered a nice introduction to the Wildcats a week ago in their article Logan-Rogersville Lady WildCats, coach excited for inaugural soccer season
For the first time in the school’s history, Rogersville will field a girls soccer team. The team will be coached by Brett Wubbena, who also coached the inaugural boys squad last fall.
We’ve got a lot of great athletes who haven’t played much soccer, but we’ve also got several players who have been playing club soccer for years. I think that combination will really benefit us this year.”
One of the players who Wubbena thinks will have a huge impact is sophomore Stevie Heidzig. Heidzig, who recently moved from Arizona, looks to sure up an already strong defense. The Lady ‘Cats only have one senior, Michelle Crawford, but they do have eight juniors. As of now, Crawford seems to be willing to take the reins and lead Rogersville.
The Lady ‘Cats have already won two games, both in OT, and Heidzig got the game-winner yesterday against Branson. Here’s my interview with her. Their first home game will be against Central Ozark Conference foe Springfield Catholic on Tuesday, March 31. It will be a challenge but I think this team has the tools to compete. They won’t be a surprise for long.
Marshfield Blue Jays
Marshfield Lady Jays ready for season
The Lady Jays know that they will have to be tough this year. Without a single senior on this year’s team, this could be the youngest team that Lewis has had in a long time. But Lewis is optimistic about his team’s chances this year, and for good reason. Even without any seniors, most of the juniors and sophomores on the squad have seen a lot of time at the varsity level.
The Lady Jays do bring back their leading scorer, Alex Cantrell. Last season, Cantrell finished with 17 goals and numerous assists, having one of the better seasons in the history of the Lady Jays’ soccer program. Along with Cantrell, Lewis will also be looking at his juniors to step into leadership roles vacated by the senior class. Two of those juniors are Dannyca Mostrom and Ashley Honeycutt, who have been named as team captains.
The season will begin against Hillcrest on Thursday, March 26. The Jays won 6-1 last year.
West Plains Zizzers
Coach Nick Schmitt runs one of the most informative websites in the region, I’m certain his parents appreciate it and I know I certainly do. Here’s his appraisal of the upcoming season with a bit of editing. Go here to see the entire article:
The 2009 Lady Zizzer Varsity team will consist of 5 Seniors, 8 Juniors, 4 Sophomores, and 2 Freshmen. Included in that group are 12 returning Varsity Letter Winners from last Spring. Here is a quick look at who will be where on the field.
Goalkeepers: Sophomores Samantha Phegley and Halley Watson will both see time in the goal and in the field. Both girls have demonstrated good athletic ability and have been working hard at learning the position.
Backs: When not in the goal, Phegley and Watson should see a lot of action in the back with an otherwise experienced group. Seniors Beth Kittle and Mollie Plocher, both beginning their fourth year as Varsity players, will provide strength in the Center of the field, while Junior, Ashley Martin, will hold down the left back position.
Midfielders: The center midfield positions will be anchored by Junior, Katie Shannon and Freshman, Anela Auala. Seniors, Kalie Simpkins and Megan Walker and Juniors Amy Armstrong will also see time in the midle. The outside midfield spots will be filled by Juniors, Ashley Harris, Kelly Smith, Amy Armstrong, Bre Wright, megan Lowe and Sophomore Brittany Mills.
Forwards: Senior, Dani Valade, Junior, Rachel Skelly, and Freshman Natasha Ugbah will see a lot of time up front and will be looked to for scoring.
UPDATE – I’ve now got a new soccer blog in my reader, Wildcat Soccer . Here’s some salient information on the team picked to win the District by the writer 
Harrisonville Wildcats
The shift from a two to three class system has given the Cats a little breathing room in district play. We’ve left our old rivals of O’Hara and the dreaded Notre Dame (de Sion) behind and now sit amongst other public schools in Class 2 District 5. These teams are gone but not forgotten as they sit in Class 2 District 6, a likely pairing for the second round in the state championships. Bolivar and Harrisonville both made it to their class 1 district finals last year but were unsuccessful in winning the championship. Clinton and Ruskin both follow the Cats to the new district.
These schools are South of Kansas City but part of the District. I’ll start digging around to see what we can find on them
# Clinton High School
# Ruskin High School
# Warrensburg High School
Logan-Rogersville Wildcats – 4 (2nd OT)
Branson Pirates – 3
For the second day in a row, the Wildcats earned a win in the second OT. Facing off against another new girls program in the region, and another Central Ozark Conference foe, the Wildcats took a 3-1 lead in the first half only to see their hosts claw their way back into the game. The Pirates got all three goals this evening from Neva Raschel (#13), including the goal pictured that was scored after a run from 40 yards out when she picked up a loose ball, sped into the box and unleashed the shot. The whistle for the end of regulation blew before the Pirates could complete their celebration.
Unfortunately the were unable to maintain the momentum. The Wildcats win once again came from a set piece, this time a direct kick from the right side just outside the box. Sophomore Stevie Heidzig (#17) put her ball to the near post where it got past the defense and set off another celebration by her teammates.
The Pirates opened the scoring tonight, before giving up three goals to the Wildcats, the first by last nights hero Najee Donson and the other two by senior Michelle Crawford. The second half started with a pair of misses by both teams. The Wildcats watched a shot from the left side carom off the crossbar in the 3rd minute while the Pirates will rue a missed PK 11 minutes in. Finally, in the 23rd minute the Pirates pulled within one on a direct kick goal by Neva Raschel. Her shot from just outside the box on the right side found the side netting on the left side and energized her teammates, leading up to the final minutes of regulation when she scored the goal pictured above.
Smugmug Slideshows – Branson Pirates and Logan-Rogersville Wildcats. Purchase photos on Smugmug.
Another entertaining game as these new programs are obviously enjoying the opportunity to get out and represent their schools. The Pirate’s boys are going to have to do some recruiting if they want to match the size and support the girls received at tonight’s game and I think the football team would appreciate the Pirate effort that the girls exhibited. From hard tackles to full field runs, it was a worthy opening match.
For the Wildcats, it was nice to see their ability to move the ball in better weather conditions. They have all the elements necessary, with key players positioned in the back, middle and upfront, a vocal leader at goalkeeper and reinforcements coming soon. The next opponent is Catholic, a significant challenge from any program in the area.
Ozark Tigers – 4
Harrison (AR) – 1
The Tigers open defense of the District title with a win. Complete details on the Ozarks Tiger website
Waynesville Tigers – 1
JC Helias Crusaders – 3
Senior Erica Combs got the lone goal for the Tigers, midway through the 1st half, tying the game at one. The Crusaders pulled away with a pair in the second half.
Joplin Eagles - schedule mistake
Carl Junction Bulldogs -
Willard Tigers –
Pleasant Hope Pirates –
Rolla Bulldogs (JV)
Fatima –
Jeff City Jays –
Visitation –
Logan-Rogersville Wildcats – 2 (2nd OT)
Carthage Tigers – 1
The Wildcats earned their first win in their first game Monday on a set piece midway through the second overtime period. It was scored by junior Najee Donson (otherwise known as babbiboo32), on a shot just inside the 6-yard box, after a fine cross by #15(?). That’s Najee (#32) celebrating with teammates immediately after scoring the golden goal.
It was a grey, windy afternoon and much of the play was isolated to the downwind side of the field as both teams worked to create offensive opportunities. Carthage got their goal from senior Patricia Marin (#1) midway through the second half when she scored on a direct kick from just outside the box. Logan-Rogersville got their goal from freshman Kadi Leonardi (#16) soon afterwards, leading to the overtime period. Goalies were Phylicia Lewis for Carthage and Kelsay Leingang for Logan-Rogersville.
Smugmug Gallery/Slideshow – Logan Rogersville Wildcats and Carthage Tigers
I have to offer a shout out to the Lady Tigers. With 31 players on the overall roster, the team bench was standing and cheering every play through out the game. I thought I was at a Jonas Brothers concert given the volume and amount of cheering that occurred. That same enthusiasm is spilling over to their new website (add it to your list of links) where they already have 17 positive comments. Well done ladies!
Camdenton Lakers – 10
Richland Bears – 0
Senior Stephanie Kirvan gets a pair as 6 different girls score in the game against the Class 1 foe. Junior Latea LaRue, and freshmen Kayla Utley and Cassie Hale scored a pair of goals each while junior Jessica Smith and sophomore Ashley Paschel each scored one. Sophomores Jessica Colliver and Sandra Shore shared time in goal.
Springfield Catholic – 10
Pleasant Hope Pirates – 0
Provided by soccermom: Shelby Hatz, Mandy Bailes, and Bekah Bade scored two goals apiece and Rachel Herron, Emily Loethen, Jordan Banasik, and Emily Ortega each scored a goal as Catholic won the opening game of the season against District foe, the Lady Pirates, in Pleasant Hope. Maddy Renner, Courtney Devlin, and AnnMarie Banasik each recorded two assists and Natalie Smid added one assist.
Lebanon Yellowjackets – 2 (PK’s)
Jefferson City Helias Crusaders - 1
After a 1-1 tie in regulation, the Yellowjackets and Crusaders played a pair of scoreless overtime periods. The Yellowjackets prevailed in PK’s 4-3
As we open a new season today, I thought I’d share this video produced by Hillcrest Hornet player Michael Freeman, who is also a member of the national award winning HTVmagazine staff.
A Ref’s Life — “Despite a lack of encouragement, the refs still work hard.”
Let’s treat everyone, the players, the coaches and the refs, with respect.
I’m drafting this after midnight while mulling the details of my client call in St Louis Monday morning. Probably a sign of things to come this season as my Small Business consulting efforts continue to bear fruit. Do you struggle to manage the technology needs of your firm, and wonder about all these internet technologies that you hear about? I help firms take control and manage technology to achieve their sales and marketing goals. That’s one reason for this website, as a showcase for websites that work, search engine optimization and marketing and community development. If you’d like to learn more, call me at 569-8062 or send me an email. I’d love to learn more about your needs.
High School girls soccer begins today! I’ll be driving back from St Louis in time to take in the inaugural game for two new girls programs this season. The Carthage Tigers are hosting the Logan-Rogersville Wildcats at 5pm and I plan to be there to document it. It’s a Central Ozarks Conference match and I’m looking forward to participating as the game continues to grow here in Southwest Missouri.
Other games being played today include the Pleasant Hope Pirates are hosting District foes Springfield Catholic while the Camdenton Lakers have the Richland Bears coming to town.
Two additional programs will play their inaugural games on Tuesday, weather permitting. The Branson Pirates will play host to the Log-Rog Wildcats and the Carl Junction Bulldogs will host their large school neighbor, the Joplin Eagles. A week of firsts while the majority of the Springfield teams wait until next week to play due to Spring Break. Ozark travels to Harrison, Willard to Pleasant Hope and Waynesville hosts Helias on Tuesday.
West Plains will kick off in Harrison (AR) on Wednesday and Thursday sees a flurry of activity. My schedule Thursday opens with the Hillcrest Hornets hosting the Marshfield Blue Jays. Log-Rog plays their 3rd game in 4 days with their first home game, against Pleasant Hope. Carl Junction hosts Carthage, the Nixa Eagles open their season with a visit to West Plains while Springfield Catholic hosts the Lebanon Yellowjackets. I may be able to catch the Catholic Varsity at 6pm as well.
Rolla opens their season Friday with the Central Federal Tourney, site of Mike Howard’s 500th win last March. Parkview heads for Carthage while Kickapoo and Ozark host a round robin with a pair of KC teams. Blue Springs South and Park Hill South play Kickapoo and Ozark on Friday, while Saturday the visitors will visit Ozark and Kickapoo. I think the round robin games should be great openers for the teams involved and worth a trip out for anyone interested in the girls game. I’ll be in St Louis this weekend so I’ll be trying to get an early peek at potential playoff opponents. Alternately I’ll be able to catch some competitive Club games at the Metro United College Showcase.
Oh, and we can’t forget – the US Men’s team continues their road to South Africa with an away game in El Salvador on Saturday. The rosters have been announced, training began today and the game will be broadcast live at 8 pm on Saturday on ESPN2.
The KC Wizards will also be playing on Saturday night, in this case at the Colorado Rapids. The Rapids lost to Chivas, with Matt Pickens (MSU 2002) getting the start. Did anyone make it to the home opener Saturday? Any plans for attending future games? I’d love to share your game reports with the readers of this website.
Ah, March weather. Despite the rain, I was able to track down our local PDL franchise as they held Spring tryouts for the second weekend in a row. I heard numbers as high as 74 mentioned in terms of overall registered participants. There was a crowd out on Saturday afternoon as evidenced by the photo above (missing all of the Drury Panthers who were part of the scrimmage). Some familiar faces, with local MSU students including Mike Gow (Lebanon), Andrew Vorce and … A number of other familiar faces, including Adam Legg (Hendrix/Kickapoo) from their PASL and Reserve squads, Robbie Curtis (Lincoln Memorial/Ozark), Quincy Conduff (Hendrix/Kickapoo), Matthew Gow (Mid America Nazerene/Lebanon) and others.
As you may have noticed, I’ve also been capturing more video to share with you and Saturday’s visit was no different. Here are a couple of short videos to give you a feel for how the afternoon was progressing and the attendees. They are both in HD so be certain to click that HD button for the best quality views.
Champions League Final 8 Draw
Holders Manchester United take on FC Porto and Arsenal play Villarreal, with the winners meeting in the semi-finals.
Bayern Munich meet Barcelona in the other tie. The first legs are on 7/8 April, and the return on 14/15 April.
The second leg of Chelsea’s tie with Liverpool at Stamford Bridge will not be on 15 April after Uefa granted the Merseyside club’s request to avoid that date because it is the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy.
Reyes Soccer Academy Spring Training Program is still accepting players for the training program that begins Monday.
Reyes Soccer Academy Registration
The Spring Training program will take place March 23 – May 15. All ages 6-17 can participate. Only 14 slots available in each age group.
Location: Thayer Elementary School
4273 Thayer Street
Fort Leonard Wood, MO 65473
All sessions last 8 weeks and will cost $100.
For information please
call Julio Reyes at 973-572-7520
or Alberto Reyes at 573-337-8214 after 7 p.m.
or email Julio at julrey18@hotmail.com
