Zach Alumbaugh Hired As Springfield Catholic Assistant

Zach Alumbaugh, Springfield SC

Zach Alumbaugh, Springfield SC

From the Springfield Catholic boys soccer program comes the following release: Springfield Catholic Soccer Adds Experience to Boy’s Staff

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to have Zach returning to Springfield and especially to have him coaching at Springfield Catholic. He returns after gaining two years of invaluable experience at the college level. His knowledge of what it takes to play in college will be a big help to our players as they decide where they want to play after high school. He will be the Head Coach of the JV team and a big help with the Varsity squad as an Assistant Coach. This will be nothing new to him as he fulfilled the same positions back in Dubuque at Hempstead H.S. in 2000 and 2001. I don’t really look at our staff as having anyone more important than another. We are just a group of coaches that love this game and give everything we can to help the players improve as individuals and as a team, says Head Coach Joe Kofron. Zach will also be able to spend time expanding our Camps and building programs for the young kids in the Springfield Catholic Schools.”

Zach comes back to Springfield after being the assistant men’s coach at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa for the past two seasons. While in Dubuque, Alumbaugh helped guide the Duhawks to two conference championships and two NCAA Division III tournament appearances, reaching the Final Four in 2008 and the Sweet 16 in 2009. Along with being the top assistant, Zach was also in charge of the goalkeepers for both the men’s and women’s team at Loras. Prior to his time in Dubuque Zach was a coach and Director of External Affairs with the Springfield Soccer Club from 2004 to 2008. Alumbaugh is a 2002 graduate of Loras College receiving his degree in Sports Management and Administration. Zach was a four year starter in goal for the Duhawks and still holds career records for shutouts and saves at Loras and his career 1.31 GAA is good for 4th all time. Zach has a USSF coaching license.

Zach and his fiancée Kelli will be getting married in June of 2010 and will live in Springfield.

Zach joins Dr. Tom Hoff and Chad Jaeger, former players of Drury University, and Dr. Joe Kofron, who played for the University of Evansville, for the upcoming fall 2010 season.

Stewart, Roberts Part Of Lady Bears 10 Signees

Jessica Roberts, Kickapoo Chiefs vs Joplin Eagles, 2006 Districts

Jessica Roberts, Kickapoo Chiefs vs Joplin Eagles, 2006 Districts

Signing Day today, on the first Wednesday of February. The Missouri State Bears have released a list of ten players who have signed and it includes a pair of regional players. Shelby Stewart, Parkview Vikings and Springfield SC was profiled in January. It also includes a transfer, Jessica Roberts, pictured as a freshman on the Chiefs team that lost to Lafayette in the Quarterfinals. Jessica was unable to play High School soccer when she moved to Mountain View but continued playing with Springfield SC during the Club season before heading to Chicago last year and the Illinois Institute of Technology. She’s back in the Ozark’s now with Missouri State. Here’s the complete list:

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Missouri State has announced that head coach Rob Brewer has added 10 commitments from players to join the program for the 2010 season.

“I am impressed with the athleticism that each of these players brings to the program,” said Brewer. “These are special players that I believe will contribute to the team immediately. We focused on bringing in attacking players and they should all fill important roles on this year’s team.”

2010 Women’s Soccer Commitments:

Maggie Dickson, St. Charles, Mo. (Incarnate Word Academy)
Dickson has led the Red Knights to the State Championship the past two seasons. Last season, she scored three goals and added two assists for the 18-5 squad. During her sophomore campaign, Dickson recorded two goals and four assists as Incarnate Word went 20-1-2. In 2007, she scored 19 goals and 16 assists for the junior varsity squad. She has also played on the club team St. Louis Scott Gallagher. Her siblings, Rick and Brooke, have both attended Missouri State.

Adrianne Kalogerou, Glen Carbon, Ill. (Edwardsville High)
Kalogerou enters her senior season at Edwardsville High having started every match in her first three seasons as a Lady Tiger. She was team captain her sophomore and junior seasons while leading her team to the regional championship and regional qualifier in those seasons, respectively. She earned second-team all-conference as a junior and was named team MVP. Her sophomore campaign led to an all-conference third team selection. As a freshman, Kalogerou helped her team to a second-place finish in conference and an appearance in the super sectionals.

Kathleen Kujawa, Webster Groves, Mo. (Cor Jesu Academy)
Kujawa led her team to the district championship her junior season at Cor Jesu. Her team advanced to the state quarterfinals, finishing fifth in state in 2009. That team also won the Visitation Spring Tournament. She also reached the district finals her freshman year with the Chargers. Kujawa was a four-year member of the club team St. Louis Scott Gallagher, where she helped the team win the 2009 State Cup Championship and reach the finals in 2008. Her sister, Kelsey, is currently a student at Missouri State.

Tiffany Laughlin, Florissant, Mo. (Pattonville High)
Laughlin has been a three-year starter for head coach Tom Iffrig. During her tenure with the team, the Pirates have gone undefeated in conference play and were district champions her freshman and junior seasons. During her junior season, Laughlin scored 11 goals and tallied 18 assists while earning first-team all-state, second-team all-metro and first-team all-conference honors for a Pirates team that finished third in state. Her sophomore campaign netted her an all-conference second team honor after she scored six goals and 23 assists, the most in the Suburban North Conference. Laughlin was named Rookie of the Year after her eight goal, 22 assist output as a freshman. She was also named all-conference first team, all-metro third team and all-state honorable mention accolades her freshman season. Laughlin was a place kicker for the football team her senior season. Her sister, Jenna, was a member of Rob Brewer’s Bears squad from 2005-2008. NOTE – Tiffany’s Pirates team knocked off Glendale in the 3rd place game at State last year with Tiffany getting one of the goals.

Michelle Mayne-Nicholls, Rogers, Ark. (Rogers High)
Mayne-Nicholls has been a three-year starter at Rogers entering her senior season. Last year, she was the team captain, goal scorer of the year and an all-conference honoree after tallying 18 goals and 10 assists to lead her team to fourth in state. Her sophomore campaign produced five goals and eight assists for a team that finished second in conference and third in state. She scored four goals and added six assists during her freshman season to help the Lady Mounties go 7-0 in conference. Mayne-Nicholls was also a four-year participant for the Rogers cross country team. Her father, Alfredo, played soccer at Jacksonville University.

Jessica Roberts, Mountain Grove, Mo. (Mountain Grove High)
Roberts comes to Missouri State after spending last fall at the Illinois Institute of Technology. She scored three goals and added four assists for head coach Lee Hitchen. She started 10 matches and played in 17 at IIT. Roberts’ prep career included one season at Springfield’s Kickapoo High before transferring to Mountain Grove. During her freshman campaign at Kickapoo, she led her squad to the conference and district title and a state sectional appearance. Roberts also played for Springfield Soccer Club. She was a three-year member of the track and field team once at Mountain Grove.

Shelby Stewart, Springfield, Mo. (Parkview High)
Stewart has been a starting forward for head coach Clint Nurnberg for the past two seasons. She was named to the all-district first team and all-conference second team both seasons. During her junior campaign, Stewart registered 25 goals and 11 assists to earn first-team all-region and second-team all-Ozarks accolades along with being named to the West Plains all-tournament team. Stewart has played at forward for the Vikings’ basketball team and was a member of the track and field squad as well. Both of Stewart’s parents, Howard and Christy, and one brother, Aaron, have attended Missouri State.

Ashley Washburn, Overland Park, Kan. (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Washburn has been a member of Craig Ewing’s squad the past three seasons, leading the team to the conference title all three years. She registered 21 goals and 13 assists, garnering all-metro, all-state and all-conference first team honors. Her team finished second in state last year while she served as a team captain. During her sophomore season, Washburn tallied nine goals and eight assists to lead her team to the third-place finish in state. She earned first-team all-state honors and was named to the all-metro and all-conference second teams. Washburn was a teammate of current Bears goalkeeper Jessica Teahan when the squad won the state title in 2007. Washburn added four goals and five assists that year. She has also won the Kansas State Cup Championship every season from 2005 to 2009 as a member of the Blue Valley Stars Mallorca club team. Washburn was also a four-year standout for the cross country team as she finished in the top three at state all four seasons.

Lauren Wendt, Troy, Ill. (Triad High)
Wendt has been a starter all three seasons for head coach Mike Villa at Triad High. Her team has won the Mississippi Valley Conference title each of her years. She was named to the all-conference first team as a junior. Wendt helped the Knights win the Bi-State Shootout both her junior and sophomore seasons.

Brooke Williams, Kansas City, Mo. (Liberty High)
Williams has been a three-year starter at forward for head coach Tom Rottjakob at Liberty High. She has led the team to three-consecutive conference and district titles. Last season as a junior, Williams was named to the all-conference, all-district, All-Western Missouri Class 3 and all-state first team while serving as team captain. She scored 32 goals for the Blue Jays lifting the team to the state quarterfinals. As a sophomore, she scored 25 goals to lead the team to the state sectional finals. She earned all-conference and all-district first team, All-Western Missouri Class 2 second team and all-state third team accolades that year. During Williams’ freshman year, she tallied 15 goals in helping her team to the state quarterfinals. She was named to the all-district second team for her performance. She also led her club teams to the Kansas State Cup finals each of the last three years.

US U20 Women Capture CONCACAF Crown

Sydney Leroux, UCLA BruinsGUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala (Jan. 30, 2010) – Forward Sydney Leroux scored her tournament-leading sixth goal in the 87th minute to give the U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team a 1-0 victory against Mexico and the title at the 2010 CONCACAF U-20 Women’s Championships.

Both teams had already qualified for the 2010 FIFA Women’s World Cup by virtue of semifinal victories two days ago, but pride and a CONCACAF regional title were more than enough motivation to spur both countries.

In what will surely go down as Mexico’s best-ever performance against the USA in a youth competition, the Americans finally broke through an organized and committed defense with less than three minutes to play in regulation and appropriately it was Leroux who bagged the game-winner.

Leroux, who plays college soccer for the UCLA Bruins, who was also the top scorer at the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Chile, tallied in four out of five matches the USA played in Guatemala, with her final goal worthy of a tournament winner.

In the third-place match, Costa Rica stunned Canada, 1-0, to qualify for its first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup at this level. The Ticas had their first-ever Women’s World Cup experience at the 2008 U-17 WWC in New Zealand. It also marked the first time Canada has failed to qualify for a FIFA Women’s World Cup at the youth level.

MSHSAA Enrollment Figures Point To Soccer Changes In The Fall

Republic Tigers logoYou may have seen some recent discussions of new District alignments in High School football. Well, the same population changes along with the addition of at least one new program in the region (Republic Tigers) will lead to changes for soccer as well.

While not official, Head Coach Nick Schmitt provided the following analysis of the numbers and the likely impact locally. The schools are listed by enrollment, so the largest enrollments are at the beginning and the schools are listed in descending order:

Class 3 Schools
Joplin
Kickapoo
Waynesville
Nixa
Parkview
Ozark
Central
Lebanon
Glendale
Branson
Camdenton
Rolla
Willard
Neosho
West Plains – return to Class 3 after two years
Carthage
Webb City – the newest addition to Class 3

Class 2 Schools

Republic – New program, part of the Central Ozarks Conference
Hillcrest – drop from Class 3 to Class 2
Marshfield
Carl Junction
Bolivar
Logan-Rogersville
Cassville
Monett
Aurora – return to Class 2
Osage – looks like a move to Class 2 after one year in Class 1

Class 1 Schools
St. James
Catholic
Liberty (Mtn. View)
Dixon
Pleasant Hope
College Heights
Richland
Laquey
Crocker
New Covenant
Greenwood
McAuley
Thomas Jefferson

Here are the assignments and enrollment figures for football that were the basis of the analysis.

Again, these are not official. Of note in the KC area is the possibility Pembroke Hill and O’Hara could move down to Class 1 while Trinity (STL) could move up to Class 2.

SGFsoccer.com Tweets on 2010-02-01