Class 3 District 11: It’s Chiefs vs Falcon’s Again
November 4, 2009 by Ole · 4 Comments
#2 Kickapoo Chiefs – 5
#3 Ozark Tigers – 2
In a lively match, that saw the Tiger’s open both halves with energetic and good looking soccer, it was the Chief’s who continued their run of bending, but not breaking, in the face of their opponents attacks.
Ozark got things started when Seth Hampton hammered home a goal from inside the box in the 12th min, from Landon Hunter, as the Tiger’s swarmed the offensive end. But yet again, it was Skyler Russell who sent the message that the Chiefs were not to be trifled with, tying the game in the 20th with his cheeky 35 yd shot that caught the GK off his line. Ian Kennedy then gave Kickapoo their first lead with his 28 yd direct kick that squeezed under the GKs grasp (video below) in the 38th min.
It remained at 2-1 to open the half, with the Tiger’s once again the more active team pushing forward consistently in an effort to tie the game. Skyler Russell scored a second goal, this time on a direct kick from the right side that somehow skipped through the box, past the defense and into the far side netting in the 60th minute to extend the Chief’s lead to 3-1. Russell completed his hat trick soon after, this time as he was the recepient of Dane Ruggeri’s set piece into the box.
Ozark became more active again and Michael Headlee scored a classic header, running onto Zack Moores set piece sent to the far post. The Tiger’s couldn’t sustain their effort however and the Chief’s got their final goal when Ruggeri slipped in between a group of Ozark players at midfield to snatch a loose ball. His resultant run allowed him to break in alone on the keeper, sliding his shot past the GK in the 74th for the final margin of victory.
Kickapoo will face off against Glendale on Friday at 6pm for the District 11 title. The game is at Ozark HS.
Glendale Falcons, Brandon Baum
#5 Nixa Eagles – 0
The early game was an entertaining affair as the Eagles came out strong, challenging for every ball and working very hard to build on their District win against Parkview Monday. The Falcon’s defense was up-to-par this evening however and limited the good chances while creating the game winner this evening.
The game was tied 0-0 at the beginning of the half, in part because of several strong and courageous saves on the part of GK Mason Young, who threw himself at the feet of the Glendale attackers to keep a clean sheet. The deadlock was broken sweeper Brandon Baum made an 80 yard overlapping run into the box, receiving Patrick Baltz’s slick pass over the heads of the defense, and sliding his shot to the far post. That goal opened things up and the Falcon’s got a second, minutes later. Austin Hart scored from inside the 6yd box as Nixa was caught napping. Alec Martinez received a short corner, broke straight at the Nixa goal and slid a square ball past the keeper to Hart in the 63rd min.
The final goal was scored by Cameron Dugan, who started things by stealing the ball & sending Spencer Gahagan down the right side, and then burying the return ball from Gahagan.
As the team photographer for the Nixa Eagles I have spent countless hours taking, editing, and e-mailing photos to the team website using my own equipment. I have missed very few games, despite my own son being out for most of the season with an injury. I am not alone. All of our schools and all their sports rely heavily on the efforts of numerous volunteers who enrich every aspect of the school sponsored atheletic experience.
Tonight, I was denied assess to the track surrounding the soccer field by (I assume) the administrator on duty, although several other (I assume) professional photographers were granted access during the game. This is the only field and only game that I have not been given access, and on previous occassions, I have taken pictures from the track at Ozark. When I told the administrator that I was the team photographer and that I would be unable to obtain good photos from the stands, he replied that I should get a better camera.
This was an unfortunate event that many of the parents in the stands reported to me ‘unnecessarily rude behavior’ from the administrator. Ozark has a beautiful facility, and I appreciate that they may have rules that differ from other fields, however, as the host facility, hospitality to visitors is just as important as field turf. I only wish I had photos to go with my comments – go to Nixasoccer.com to see Nixa playing opponents from around the district.