Monday Games – Ozark Gets COC Win

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Ole

Jonna Welch, Bolivar Liberators (2011)

Quite a few teams kick off their season today, with standard Spring weather issues. At least it should be nicer than Tuesday!

Ozark Tigers – 2
Bolivar Liberators – 1
The Tiger’s move to 1-1 on the season with their COC win over the Liberators. Jonna Welch scored for Bolivar in the Liberator’s first match of the season.

Lebanon Yellowjackets -
Neosho Wildcats -

Carthage Tigers – 1
Logan-Rogersville Wildcats – 2 (1st OT)
Senior Stevie Heidzig hit a PK in the 2nd half while Tawney Stowell hit the game winner 30 sec. in to overtime for the Wildcats who were visiting Carthage.

JV. Rogersville 4, Carthage 1

Nixa Eagles – 6
Waynesville Tigers – 1
Nixa got goals in the 1st half from Kelsey Bartell, assist by Rachel Murphy and Payton DeHart, assist by Lauren Moats. In the second half, goals by DeHart, assist by Kelsey Haist; DeHart, unassisted; PK by Kelsey Haist
and a goal by Lauren Moats, assist by Halie Owen.

Nixa is now 3-0. Nixa JV 2, Waynesville 0, shutout by Lexi Stagner.

Branson Pirates – 1
Greenwood Blue Jays – 5

Greenwood Goals were scored by Mary Margaret Kirkman (3), Anna Grace Kirkman and Kelsey Nau

Rolla Bulldogs vs West Plains Zizzers – canceled due to snow/field conditions
Stover vs Osage Indians – canceled due to snow

The Week Ahead

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Ole

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For those who have been signing up for the Newsletter, thank you. I should get the first one out next week. I anticipate it will be a weekend report offering an early look at the following week along with some pointers to the previous weeks games and other items of interest. Feel free to share your thoughts on items you’d like me to cover.

This week is the first week all the schools in the region are back in school and playing what can be considered a full schedule. The Spring season is more compressed than Boys in the Fall so it should heat up fast around here. Interesting games? Yep, how about

Monday – Bolivar, moved to Class 2 District 12, heads to Ozark for a Central Ozark Conference match in their first game of the season. Ozark is coming off their 0-10 loss to Park Hill South Friday as Coach Davidson rebuilds his team that lost 10 seniors.
Tuesday – Nixa hosts Parkview (weather permitting). The Sectional Champs vs the Ozark Conference Champs. No longer a District game, but remember the last time they played?
Wednesday – Kickapoo vs Glendale. ’nuff said.
Friday – Catholic at Kickapoo. Like I said, the season is going to get off to a fast start.

Friday’s game will also mark six years of coverage here in the Ozarks. My first game report was April 1st 2005 when Catholic visited Kickapoo. Check out the stats for the 25K photos I’ve uploaded to Flickr in that time. 2.5 Million plus. Not bad eh. I now have over 21K photos on my new site where you can purchase photos. I’m also slowly migrating all the old photos to this site. Your purchase of photos helps offset the 30+ hours a week I spend working on this website. Thank you!

Tommy Howe: Coaching good soccer takes patience

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Ole

Former Missouri State Head Coach Tommy Howe was interviewed by Soccer America for their Youth Insider series. Check it out!

Tom Howe helped found St. Louis’ Scott Gallagher SC in 1976 and coached future stars such as Tim Ream, Brad Davis and Pat Noonan. One of his alums, Cal coach Kevin Grimes, calls Howe “a legend, one of the best youth coaches ever.” Last year, after Scott Gallagher merged with Busch SC and Metro United, Howe left and started a new club, Woodson City Rangers. Howe, a St. Louis product himself who starred at SIU-Edwardsville and played in the old NASL, spoke to us for the Youth Soccer Insider’s ongoing interview series with leaders of U.S. youth clubs.

SOCCER AMERICA: If you had a magic wand, how would you use it to improve youth soccer in America?

TOM HOWE: I wish everybody would try and play like Barcelona. If all the clubs across the country did that you’d have some pretty smart players when they hit the ages of 18, 19, 20. And there’d be more people wanting to watch soccer in this country. Barcelona’s the best team I’ve ever seen. They’re just fun to watch.

Another thing about Barcelona — they don’t have a lot of these gigantic athletes who everybody wants to get these days.

SA: What’s the key to playing like Barcelona?

TOM HOWE: The ability to play in tight spaces. You spend tons of time in playing in small, tight areas, and then when you get on the big field it’s not a big deal. I think more teams need work on the possession game. All the best teams in the world over the years have been great technical teams – like Spain, Barcelona. Teams like that play the best soccer.

At the youth level, too many people play more to win. My point is, if you teach your kids to play like Barcelona you’re eventually going to win.

You can see the rest of the conversation on the Soccer America website.

Tom Howe is the Executive Director of Player Development of the Woodson City Rangers. He was was a founding member of the Scott Gallagher SC, which won seven national championships and 14 regional titles under his direction. A collegiate All-American at SIU-Edwardsville, Howe played professionally for the St. Louis Stars, Denver Dynamos and Minnesota Kicks. He also coached at SIU-Edwardsville, Western Illinois, Florissant Valley Community College, Southwest Missouri State University and Saint Louis University.

South American Youth Championships Monday

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Ole

On MONDAY, March 28th you can catch Final Round play in the South American U17 and U20 Tournament. ESPN3.com is the source of the broadcasts.

ESPN3.com
South American U-17 Championship FINAL ROUND (live) 3:45 pm.
South American U-17 Championship FINAL ROUND (live) 6 pm.
South American U-20 Championship FINAL ROUND (live) 8 pm.

There is also some early round play in the CONCACAF U20 Tournament available on ESPN3.com Monday.

Concacaf U-20 CANADA-GUADELOUPE (live) 7 pm.
Concacaf U-20 CUBA-MEXICO (live) 9 pm.

US MNT Will Host Spain June 4th In Boston

Posted on March 27, 2011 by Ole

CHICAGO (March 25, 2011) — The U.S. Men’s National Team will face 2010 FIFA World Cup Champion Spain on June 4 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Kickoff against the No. 1-ranked team in the world and defending European Champion is set for 4:30 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN and Univision. Fans can also follow the match live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and on Twitter @ussoccer.

Ticket information will be announced in the near future. To find out when tickets will go on sale for this match, join U.S. Soccer’s ticket alert email list. For the opportunity to purchase USA-Spain tickets before the general public, join the U.S. Soccer Supporters Club and earn priority access to the ticket presale.

The high-profile friendly takes place three days before the U.S. begins group play in the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Saturday – Park Hill South Gets Another Shutout

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Ole

Kate Bess, Kickapoo Chiefs (2011) in white vs BSS

The Greenwood Blue Jays hold their first ever Women’s Alumni game today at the Greenwood Stadium Field. Game time is 11 am, head over to Lake Country Soccer to support.

The Central Federal/Rolla Girls Classic has been called off today but the Kansas City teams get to play on artificial turf at Ozark and Harrison Stadium respectively.

Ozark Tigers vs Blue Springs South – canceled after all

Kickapoo Chiefs – 0
Park Hill South – 2

11:00 am – Moved to Harrison Stadium by Drury University

Sporting Kansas City Faces Rivals Chicago Fire on Saturday

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Ole

(March 25, 2011) – Sporting Kansas City (1-0-0) will continue their rivalry with the Chicago Fire on Saturday as the two Eastern Conference opponents clash at 3 p.m. CT at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois.

Sporting Kansas City were 3-2 winners over Chivas USA last Saturday on two goals from MLS Player of the Week Omar Bravo and will look to continue their successful start to the 2011 season against a Chicago Fire side that drew 1-1 at FC Dallas. The two teams finished 2010 three points apart and on the outside of the MLS Cup Playoffs, the first time neither Midwest club was represented in the League’s postseason.

Sporting Kansas City is 10-20-8 all-time versus the Fire, and just 3-13-2 when away in the series, but in the last three seasons have gone 2-0-1 in trips to Toyota Park and lost just once in their last seven meetings with Chicago.

I anticipate the Fire will continue their domination of the squad from Kansas. There is a watch party scheduled for the game Saturday at El Maguey Restaurant at Chestnut and Glenstone.

US MNT vs Argentina, Saturday 6pm On ESPN2

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Ole

CHICAGO (March 24, 2011) – The U.S. Men’s National Team will debut a new Nike red jersey when they face Argentina on Saturday, March 26 at New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
The new red national team kit was inspired by supporters and is on sale now at ussoccerstore.com.

Kickoff for the team’s international friendly against Argentina is set for 6 p.m. CT with live coverage on ESPN2, Univision and ESPN3.com.

The USA’s first match on an international fixture date presents a tantalizing opportunity as they face two-time FIFA World Cup champion Argentina at New Meadowlands Stadium. With the U.S. gearing up for the Gold Cup and Argentina getting set for Copa America, both teams will be looking to impress. Argentina boasts an array of attacking talent led by FIFA World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, who returns to the site of the memorable match from 2008 in New Jersey.

Goal.com took a look at the players likely to be called up for the two friendlies – Sat and Tue. It includes Tim Ream, a SLU Billiken graduate who earned all-Rookie honors as a NY Red Bull last year. Goal.com followed up the initial report with an analysis of who was picked and it’s implications going forward.

Central Federal S&L Rolla Girls Soccer Classic March 25-26

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Ole

A round robin tournament composed of hosts Rolla along with additional Class 3 programs Washington and Hickman. Joined by Class 1 Springfield Catholic. Sponsored by Central Federal Savings and Loan.

Rolla opened their season Tuesday with a home match against Republic that resulted in a 9-0 win over the brand new program.

Hickman lost 0-10 to Nerinx Hall (STL) Saturday in their season opener and dropped a 1-2 decision to Class 2 Pembroke Hill on Monday. Hickman lost to Camdenton Thu night, a 0-4 shutout. As the Columbian Missourian noted,

With seven freshmen and four sophomores, more than half the team members are underclassmen. Three of the seven freshmen are starters.

Washington, who compete in Class 3 District 9 with Hickman, won 4-1 last Friday at St Charles while their game at Pacific yesterday was a 3-0 shutout win.

Catholic are 2-0 with 5-0 wins over Lebanon at home and 10-0 over Neosho on the road. This will be a good early test for them against a trio of Class 3 programs.

UPDATED – NEW SCHEDULE DUE TO WEATHER
Friday, March 25th
Rolla Bulldogs – 4
Washington Blue Jays – 1

Hickman Kewpies – 1
Springfield Catholic – 5
Irish goals from Shelby Hatz, Bekah Bade, Jordan Banasik, Nicole Ortega, and Lydia Holtmann. The seniors finally get a win against the Kewpie’s after three years of frustration at Rolla.

UPDATED 2 – ALL GAMES CANCELED TODAY
Saturday, March 26th:
Springfield Catholic -
Washington Jays -

Rolla Bulldogs -
Hickman Kewpies -

• Follow MSHSAA Soccer Rulebook for game time. There will be no overtime or
shootouts played.
• Teams listed first will be home team and wear light uniforms.
• Scoring used to determine final standings:
• 5 points for a win and 1 point for goal differential with a maximum of 3 points. 1 point
will be awarded for a shutout ( e.g. 3-0 winner receives 9 points).
• If teams are tied at the end of regulation, 3 points will be awarded with no points given
for the shutout (e.g. 0-0 tie 3 points)
• If two teams are tied with total points, head to head will determine the winner.
• If still tied, total goals scored in all three games will be used to determine the winner.
• If still, tied fewest goals allowed in three games will break the tie.
• If still, tied a coin toss will determine the winner.
• All MSHSAA rules apply.
• Trophies will be awarded for 1st and 2nd place

Friday Game Reports

Posted on March 25, 2011 by Ole

McKenzie Danzer, Kickapoo Chiefs (2012)

A pair of Kansas City teams are visiting Springfield this weekend, with matches against Kickapoo and Ozark on their Friday-Saturday schedule.

Kickapoo Chiefs – 3
Blue Springs South – 1
The Chiefs got the game-winner in the first half from a reliable source. McKenna Adams was sent into the offensive end with a simple ball over the top of the defense and she buried it when the defense failed to anticipate her attack angle. The second goal was scored by Brittani Baker late in the half when her cross from the right side slipped past the goalkeeper and rolled into the open net. Senior midfield general Marin Gelsheimer scored the third goal 16 minutes into the second half to open up the lead for the Chiefs.

The game was never certain for Kickapoo however, despite controlling the majority of play. Both early goals benefited from keeper errors and as the game progressed, the limited bench the Chiefs have (only 30 players total, 15 on varsity at the moment) led to some sloppy play late. A penalty kick, when a fatigued defender took down a BSS player in the box, was saved by Danzer and a break-away midway through the second half was also rejected when Danzer dove into the play near the top of her box. The goal was scored on a cross to the near post that was flicked over the defender and keeper and tapped into an open net by BSS’s fireplug midfielder, #2.

On a more positive note (I try) the Chiefs showed very good communication and play before fatigue set in. Gelsheimer and freshman Miriam Melugin will go toe-to-toe with the other key midfield teams in the area (Brewer-Opfer at Glendale and Haist-Moats at Nixa) while McKenna Adams and Kaylee Stephens offer the Chiefs strong senior leadership down the middle of the pitch. More later with my District 11 preview early next week.

Ozark Tigers – 0
Park Hill South – 8

Carthage Tigers – 0
Parkview Vikings – 5
Sr Kelsey Loderhose and Emma Chilton each scored two goals tonight for the visitors plus an own goal. An early District 12 win as Parkview has moved West to join Carthage, Joplin, Neosho and Willard.

Harrison (AR) Goblins – 5
West Plains Zizzers – 0

Camdenton Lakers – 2
Marshfield Blue Jays – 0
Goals were scored by junior Meagan D’Arcy and senior Ashleigh Paschel. Haley Baker had an assist. Shutout was shared by seniors Jess Colliver and Sandy Shore.

Lebanon Yellowjackets – 0
Nixa Eagles – 7
Another shutout for the Eagles. First half goals were scored by Kelsey Bartell, assist by Lauren Moats; Moats, assist by Courtney Frerichs and Paige Townsend, assist by Rachel Murphy. Second half goals were scored by Courtney Frerichs, assist by Moats; Murphy, assist by Halie Owen, Murphy unassisted and Brittany Kirkpatrick, assisted by Bartell. Shutout by Kristin Miller

JV game was won by Nixa 2-0. Shutout: Lexi Stagner
.