Anne Prenger notched the game winner in Friday’s win over Kentucky Wesleyan in the 98th minute of play on a corner kick by junior AJ Brewer. It was Prenger’s first career goal and the second assist of the season for Brewer.

UMSL Tritons – 0
Bellarmine Knights – 1
The Knights put the lone goal of the game on the board just 16 minutes into the contest on a header from Grant Wheeler on the close right wing. The loss drops the Tritons to 5-4-1 on the season, including 1-4 in the GLVC. Bellarmine, which won its first league game of the year, improves to 3-4-2 and 1-3-1 in the league.

Drury Panthers – 2
Indianapolis Greyhounds – 3
The Greyhounds downed previously unbeaten and GLVC-leading Drury 3-2 Sunday afternoon, to run their record to 4-3-2 on the season and 3-1-2 in conference play. The Panthers fall to 8-1 on the season and 5-1 in the GLVC. Brian Fishback (Parkview 2005) assisted on the third Greyhound goal. For the Panthers, Stephen Conner (Glendale 2007) replaced starter Logan Hoffman in the 20th minute after Hoffman was injured. Danny Collins (Glendale 2007) scored the Panther’s second goal in the loss

Drury Lady Panthers – 0 (OT)
Indianapolis Lady Panthers – 0

Missouri S&T Miners – 1 (OT)
St Joseph Pumas – 1
The Pumas drew first blood in the 52nd minute, scoring after a rebound from just outside the box. The Miners were able to draw even a little over three minutes later on a set piece, as Andy Held got to Brandon Moore’s free kick and headed the ball past Alex Makin at the 54:53 mark.

Missouri S&T Lady Miners – 6
St Joseph Pumas – 1
The Puma’s scored in the first minute but saw the Miner’s score six in coming back for the big win.

Missouri Southern Lions – 1
Missouri Western Griffons – 0
Saturday at St Joseph: Stephanie Heines scored off an assist from Audrey Copenhaver to lead the Missouri Southern Lions to their first MIAA win of the season. Randi Russell (Joplin 2008) stopped five shots for Southern in her first career shutout.

Tuesday will feature Joplin visiting Glendale. The Eagles should be considered the favorite in District 12 and a game against Glendale is always a good measuring stick.

Across town there will be an important District 11 game as Parkview visits Kickapoo. The Vikings are 6-1 with their only loss a 1-0 shutout at Glendale. The Chiefs are coming off their big win at Chaminade. This one could determine the #2 seed in Districts. Big game!

Thursday the Bolivar Classic begins, with Greenwood, New Covenant, Clinton, Marshfield and Warrensburg all participating in this round robin event that will finish on Saturday.

There’s also a full slate of Ozark Conference games to consider on Tuesday and Thursday and I’m going to have to figure out where things stand in the Central Ozark Conference as well. Coach Schmitt is doing his usual exemplary effort maintaining an Ozark Conference standings and the Class 2 District 5 information. Anyone aware of a COC standings sheet?

The college slate is very interesting, enough so that I’ll have a separate story Tuesday. Mark down Wednesday night’s men’s game at Drury now though. The Missouri Southern Lions are visiting, the game will be played at Harrison Stadium at 7:00 pm. There are 8 local boys between the two teams getting regular playing time. We should represent as well!

Some stories from last week worth pointing to as well:
Anne Prenger (Catholic 2008) and her UMSL Triton teammates got their first win Sunday. It was also Anne’s first start.

The Rolla Daily News caught up with Tyler Sinnott – Multi-sport star Sinnott sets new standard for Bulldog boys’ soccer

Mike Howard has seen a lot of good goal scorers during his stint as Rolla High School boys’ soccer head coach. In fact, he’s seen pretty much all of them, considering he’s been the Bulldog head coach for 17 of the program’s 18 years. And Tyler Sinnott stands No. 1.

And a shout out to the Neosho Wildcats, new COC members who got their first ever Conference win last week. Cody Thorn of the Neosho Daily News offers a great story

It was something in the making for 24 years now — a conference victory. Without a conference for 23 years of their existence, the Neosho Wildcats soccer team made history Thursday night.

And as we enter the new week, I’m about to hang it up regarding The Magazine. I haven’t managed the writing and editing process very well, and real life is intruding, with bills to pay and clients to take care of. I’m typing this at 11 pm Sunday night after another weekend of struggle balancing the demands. It will probably take me another day or two to come to grips with the reality that I’ve failed on this one. Formal announcement to come

On Saturday, they went to Joplin where they dismantled the MSSU Lions, 6- 1. SBU’s Rhiane Mitchell, who entered the week at the very top of the NCAA’s points and goals leader board, scored three goals and recorded one assist. Nicola Cousins added SBU’s other three goals in that game. Mitchell now has 10 goals. The SBU season record is 17.

Natascha Lord (Waynesville 2008) and Ashley Wilson (Neosho 2007) came on as substitutes in both games for the Bearcats, with Lord getting a shot on goal Saturday at MSSU.

Missouri S&T Miners also opened GLVC play this weekend, hosting the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles on Friday. The women won 2-1 in overtime with Brooke Ryan getting the game-winner in the 5th minute of OT. The men won 1-0 on a first half goal by Nick Landon. Zack Hay (Kickapoo 2008) started his 4th straight game, getting a shot on goal as well. Brandon Moore (Rolla 2005) is a captain and 3 year starter for the Miners.

The games against Kentucky Weslyan Sunday

The Drury Panthers women opened GLVC play this weekend with a pair of wins, rebounding well from last weeks shocking loss to Harding. Friday night Drury beat UMSL 1-0, which included Anne Prenger (Catholic 2008) who came on as a substitute for the Tritons.

Micah Little’s corner kick was deflected by UMSL keeper Hannah Sayre, but Colvin-Fritz was there to score off the rebound at 2:15 and give the defending GLVC champion Panthers all the offense they would need despite being outshot 11-6 in the contest.

Their game Sunday against Southern Indiana was a 2-0 win, on a pair of goals late in the first half by Alyssa Alcorn and Melissa Perry.

The Men also defeated UMSL, by a 2-1 score, with Steve Wilczewski (Glendale 2006) getting the ultimate game-winner in the 16th. Marco Cherisma got his first goal of the season as well. Kyler Temple (Kickapoo 2008) and Adam Peterson (Kickapoo 2007) came on as substitutes in the game.

Sunday’s game against Southern Indiana

The Missouri Southern Lions women had a tough opening to the MIAA season, losing to Central Missouri State in overtime on Thursday followed by the tough loss to SBU on Saturday (see above).

Brianna McKenzie (Webb City 2008) came on as a substitute in both games, while Lindsay Altman (Joplin 2008) and Brianna Ragains (Lebanon 2008) played on Thursday, with Ragains getting a SOG. On Saturday Randi Russell (Joplin 2008) got her first minutes in goal, playing the final 18 minutes of the game, giving up one goal and making one save.

The men did not play. Their scheduled game at Rockhurst was canceled due to the weather.

The Missouri State Bears men’s team won their first game of the season at the Nike Classic at the University of New Mexico campus. The 2-1 overtime win over the Cal-Poly Mustangs on Friday was the result of freshman Jordan Barnes stealing an errant back pass and beating the goalkeeper with a shot to the far post just 1:36 into the overtime period.

The game Sunday against #2 ranked Akron

Coach of the Year, Private Schools – Matt Darby, Notre Dame de Sion
Coach of the Year, Public Schools – Jamie Waddell, Platte County

First Team
GK – Tori Champaign, 11 - Duchesne
GK – Melissa Pacheco, 12 - Notre Dame de Sion
D – Allison Hu, 11 – Duchesne
D – Sam Andert, 11 -St. Dominic
D – Katie Murphy, 11 - Notre Dame de Sion
D – Anne Prenger, 12 – Springfield Catholic
D – Dana Wilhelm, 10 - Notre Dame (STL)
F – Signe Novak 10 St. Dominic
F – Maura McKernan 12 Visitation
F – Erin Kilian 12 Kennedy
F – Caffrey Brooks 10 Pembroke Hill
F – Mindy Siebert 11 Notre Dame-Cape
F – Jordi Ferrell 12 Sikeston
F – Kendra Schilli 12 Perryville
MF – Ali Bauer 11 St. Dominic
MF – Alli Reimer 11 Duchesne
MF – Megan Fitzsimmons 10 DuBourg
MF – Kelsey Finders 12 St. Charles West
MF – Shawn Beard 11 Moberly
MF – Kaylee Smith 11 Platte County
MF – Jessie Johnson 10 Smithville
MF – Alli Dandurand 12 Notre Dame de Sion
MF – Tara Bailes, 12 – Springfield Catholic
MF – Michelle Auer, 9 – Notre Dame (STL)

Second Team
GK – Kristen Starkey, 11 -St. Dominic
D – Sarah Hotop 12 – Mexico
D – Cacy Williams 9 Platte County
D – Haley Fritzlen 9 Notre Dame de Sion
D – Kayla Polette 10 DuBourg
D – Jordan Jennings 10 Orchard Farm
F – Tanner Brown 10 Kearney
F – Mallory Craig 11 Smithville
F – Carrie Stone 11 St. Pius-Festus
F – Anna DeLong, 11 – Springfield Catholic
F – Emma Walker 11 Duchesne
F -Courtney Young 9 Visitation
F – Robyn Meesey 11 Notre Dame (STL)
MF – Tillie Bill 10 Southern Boone
MF – Alex Olson 10 Smithville
MF – Kathryn Robards 12 Notre Dame de Sion
MF – Brenna Lacaillade 10 Warrensburg
MF – Jewel Kawamoto 11 Barstow
MF – Morgan Milfeld 12 DeSoto
MF – Maggie Kistner 12 Burroughs
MF – Alicia Vonderheid 11 Trinity
MF – Elise Rirey 12 Villa Duchesne

Third Team
D – Shannon Dickerson 11 Moberly
D – Kate Flinn 11 Kearney
D – Tamara Cooks 11 Warrensburg
D – Alex Fowler 11 Notre Dame-Cape
D – Linsay Pape 12 St. Charles West
D – Ellie Bumb 9 Visitation
F – Whitney Smith 10 Platte County
F – Madde Adkins 11 Notre Dame de Sion
F – Courtney Besand 11 St. Vincent
F – Jonna Welch, 9 – Bolivar
F – Deanna Krentz 12 DuBourg
F – Becky Esrock 12 Whitfield
F – Christie Moreland 12 Villa Duchesne
MF – Chelsea Reutenaur 11 Hannibal
MF – Mallory Stipetich 12 St. Pius X (KC)
MF – Patsy Middleton, 12 – Willard
MF – Christina Reddan 12 Trinity
MF – Elle Kekec 10 Ladue
MF – Mackenzie Barringhaus 9 Visitation
MF – Kim McCune 12 Kennedy
MF – Katie Aubuchon 10 Affton
MF – Emily McMeekin 11 Barstow
MF – Kelsey McClellan 11 Pembroke Hill

Final Rankings
1 – Notre Dame de Sion, 16-7-1
2 – Notre Dame STL, 18-10-1
3 – St. Dominic, 22-6
4 – Duchesne, 18-6
5 – Platte County, 25-5
6 – Springfield Catholic, 19-6-2
7 – Visitation, 16-10
8 – Smithville, 20-5
9 – Westminster, 14-5
10 – Perryville, 16-6
11 – St. Charles West, 13-6
12 – Cape Notre Dame, 17-3
13 – John F. Kennedy, 12-6
14 – Bishop DuBourg, 13-12-1
15 – Villa Duchesne, 9-7

The Falcon’s finally broke the deadlock in the 58th minute, scoring on a header by Lorin Opfer from a corner kick by Emilee Williams. It was classic Opfer, as she went up in the middle of a crowd to find the ball. It came after a period of sustained pressure at the start of the second half, including Emily Cline’s breakaway in the 4th minute of the half, broken up by freshman Rachel Scott (pictured above) and cleared from behind her by defender Rachel Herron. It was beginning to appear that the wind and the pace would conspire to tire out the Irish. It’s a regular model for the Falcon’s as their 15 player rotation offers depth and speed that is not matched by many teams in the region.

There is no quit in the Irish however, and it was the fourth breakaway of the game when they finally broke through, as Shelby Hatz unleashed her shot from 12 yards out and to the far post on her third opportunity of the day, and out of Duckworth’s range this time. That is the real story line of this game – senior Rachel Duckworth of the Glendale Falcon’s can no longer be considered a rookie goaltender after the display she put on this evening, including two late saves requiring her to go horizontal to push shots wide. For the Irish, freshman Rachel Scott matched the result with her saves on shots inside the box in the final OT period in addition to her earlier work.

The resulting tie led to PK’s. Catholic shooters Anne Prenger, Ronnie Renner and Tara Bailes scored while the Falcons Cline, Opfer and Katie Brewer matched them in the initial round of five. In sudden death, GK Rachel Scott scored as did junior Maddy Renner while Maggie Schrier for the Falcons also scored. Advantage Irish 5-4 after seven rounds.

Now is as good a time as any to introduce you to my new photo website as well. In an effort to cover expenses (time, gas, my supplies) I’ve set up a site that offers printing services. Click on the Slide Show link and you’ll be taken to the site. You can see full resolution photos and order a wide variety of photo products featuring your favorite players by your favorite soccer journalist. Your support, via purchase of photos, will be greatly appreciated.

I’ll continue to provide low resolution photos on the Flickr website which your team is welcome to use on your website to promote the team. Please provide attribution if you do use them and remember, non-commercial use only. I’ve also been uploading photos to my Facebook page so reach out and friend me if you want me to tag you and save you the hassles of downloading the Flickr photos. Questions?

Glendale Falcons – 3
Ozark Tigers – 0
The Falcons placed a stake in the ground for District 11 Monday evening, as they took on the top-ranked District 12 squad at Cooper. Senior Lorin Opfer muscled her way past two Ozark midfielders and launched a low hard shot to the right corner of the goal in the 26th minute to score the eventual game winner for her team late in the first half. The Tigers only offensive foray of the half had come a few minutes prior and it seemed to invigorate the Falcons.

The second half followed a similar pattern, punctuated by freshman Emily Cline’s goal from the left side, one minute in when she buried Lindsey Sprouse’s cross from the right. Cline scored a second, her 11th of the season, in the 54th minute to seal the win. It came as the Tiger’s fought to clear a ball from the box. Opfer picked up the clearance outside the box and sent a ball in that Cline was able to settle, turn and shoot as GK Paige Hemphill charged off the line. Hemphill played another fine game, showing a reservoir of courage that continues to astound. The Tigers fought hard the entire game, a lesson learned early this season and a key tool if they want to earn their first District title since 2001.

Springfield Catholic – 4
Greenwood Blue Jays – 0
Shelby Hatz put the Irish on top in the 15th minute when she finished a ball from Tara Bailes. Catholic dominated play in the first half getting 20 shots and 9 corner kicks, but only managed one goal. The girls were able to convert three in the first 18 minutes of the second half, however, to come away with the win. Tara Bailes hit a nice shot just under the bar from 18 yards in the 46th minute from an Anne Prenger free kick, Andrea Parker converted a Natalie Smid corner kick in the 56th minute and Shelby Hatz finished the scoring in the 58th minute on Tara Bailes second assist of the game.

Bolivar Liberators – 4
Willard Tigers – 1
In a game with significance for the Class 1 District 12 seeding, the Lady Liberators improve to 7-3 with their win over Marshfield last night. Jordan Halbrooke (2) and Lindsy Archer (2) scored for the #2 ranked Liberators.

Ozark Tigers – 6
Greenwood Blue Jays – 1
Sr Erica Hogan opened the scoring for the Tigers in the 13th, getting a second goal on a PK later in the win over their small school neighbor

Willard hosts McAuley
Central vs Bolivar ??
Marshfield hosts Pleasant Hope

It was a game of two halves, with the first half a somewhat lifeless affair that didn’t match the fervor of the fans who overflowed the bleachers. The Irish lost senior midfielder Tara Bailes to an injury in the 28th minute, the early guess is a meniscus tear, that occurred on a 50/50 ball. Another factor may have been the rapidly dropping temperatures.

It was the Irish who responded in the second half, turning up the heat and shaking off the loss of one of their captains. It was junior Anna Delong, a diminutive 5’1″ forward, who stepped back into Baile’s midfield spot and led by example (pictured above). Delong used her speed and tenacity in winning balls in the midfield and creating the attacking opportunities that kept Kickapoo off-balance the rest of the evening.

Freshman Shelby Hatz (pictured at left) was the beneficiary of the majority of Delong’s support. She had one shot cleared off the line behind the GK by Paige Blotter in the 45th minute and was denied by the upright in the 64th minute, as well as forcing the GK to come far out of the net twice late in the game for diving saves.

The other key to this game was the play of Catholic’s freshmen. There were eight on the pitch for significant amounts of time, and four that loomed large in addition to Hatz. Carsen Baron and Natalie Smid play defensive midfield, behind Bailes and Delong. Andrea Parker is the stopper, in front of senior Anne Prenger, and goalkeeper Rachel Scott is a freshman. In baseball speak, that’s the heart of your order folks. Your defense begins there and if you’re lucky, so does your offense (Prenger).

I talked to Parker and Smid after the game, one of the most anticipated on the Catholic schedule every year, and asked how they felt playing in their first derby. The response was a coaches dream – initial nervousness but once they stepped onto the pitch, it was exhilarating. Exhilarating. What’s up with that! How about playing against Chealsey Russell and Katy McLain and the Class 2 Quarterfinalists – A thrill and an honor. Apparently Smid in particular is a daily reader of my modest website. Well Natalie, I consider that an honor as well. Congrats to the Irish and get well soon Ms Bailes!

Class 2
Rank Team Points
1 Incarnate Word Academy (5) 103
2 St. Teresa’s (2) 94
3 Nerinx Hall 85
4 St. Joe’s Academy 82
5 Lee’s Summit North 70
6 Lafayette 66
7 Ft. Zumwalt West 65
8 Ursuline 53
9 Cor Jesu 31
10 Hazelwood West 30
11 Liberty 29
12 Jackson 20
13 Kickapoo 17
14 Rock Bridge 15
15 Lee’s Summit 14
Others: Park Hill South 13, Oakville 9, Francis Howell 10, Rolla5, Pattonville 9, Summit 8, Jefferson City 4, Helias 3, Smith-Cotton 3, Lee’s Summit West 1

Kickapoo, along with Jackson (near Cape Girardeau) and Columbia Rock Bridge, get a nod from the state coaches, ranking in the Top 15. The other 12 are from St Louis or Kansas City.

Class 1
Rank Team
1 St. Dominic
2 Notre Dame de Sion
3 Duchesne
4 Cape Notre Dame
5 Kennedy
6 Springfield Catholic
7 Visitation
8 Notre Dame (STL)
9 Rosati-Kain
10 Moberly
11 Warrensburg
12 Smithville
13 St. Vincent
14 Perryville
15 Westminster
Others: Sikeston, Clayton, Platte County, Hannibal, Villa Duchesne

Springfield Catholic gets some early love, almost cracking the Top 5. I know Coach Timson is high on his freshman class, a group that lost in overtime to Pershing in the Middle School Final last year. Ms Rachel Scott may play a large role in the Irish’s effort to reach the Final 4 for the first time since Tara Bailes and Anne Prenger were freshmen.

We’ve been following Anne a bit for the last two years, mostly with her St. Louis Soccer Club team. We saw her play again this past fall in a tournament, and felt that she would had the potential to bring a lot to our program here at UMSL. Anne is obviously a strong defender, as reflected in her being chosen Defensive Player of the Year last high school season. Her strength in the backfield will definitely be an asset at this level.

We have a relatively young team heading into the 08 season, and I think Anne and our other incoming freshman will have the opportunity to compete for playing for time and will raise our overall level of play.

Anne began her college search at the beginning of her junior year. Her goal was to find a school that had a competitive soccer program and either a pre-med or nursing program that would meet her academic goals. She was first exposed to UMSL when her St Louis SC squad was invited to visit the campus and meet the team to learn more about the program. Coach Goetz stood out for Anne and when assistant Denny Hearne attended some tournament games last Fall, her coaches made him aware that Anne would be interested in talking to UMSL about opportunities there. I wanted to find out more about her St Louis SC experience so I talked to Coach Jim Taylor. Turns out she was recruited to his squad as well.

I have watched Annie play for 6 to 7 years. The first few years she was on an opposing team and she consistently caused us to change our strategy to compensate for her. When she became available, I immediately invited her to play on our squad to bring us her leadership, skill, field vision and toughness which would help us to achieve our goal of regional and national competitiveness. She provided that positive impact through her play and diligent teamwork. At UMSL, I expect Annie will provide the same positive impact and through her play keep Coach Goetz’s squad at a regional and national level.

Continuing her recruiting cycle, Anne attended the Drury game at UMSL (a 1-0 win on PK’s early in the season) and then made her formal visit during Christmas break. She made a verbal commitment soon afterwards, based upon an offer that included financial assistance. The offer made was not the final offer but a guaranteed minimum with final support determined following signing according to Anne. In the end, it was the quality of the Nursing program at UMSL that pushed Anne to the Tritons. The early impression Coach Goetz made also played a role, with Anne commenting that on her being friendly and open with the team and having a very merit-based approach. No preconceived notions that would limit Anne’s opportunity to compete for a position on the team.

Anne and her Springfield Catholic teammates are days away from beginning formal practice for her final season. She’s a returning captain, a 2nd Team All-State player, All-Ozark Defender and four year starter. The team is coming off an 18-5 season, their last game a loss in the Quarterfinals to an extremely tough St Dominic’s squad that ultimately were crowned State Champions. She has high expectations, matched only by her coach, Ben Timson:

Anne is the best pure defender, and one of the best players, we have had at Catholic. Technically she is impeccable which comes from many years of working on her game through the club system. She also excels tactically…..her ability to organize our defense and begin our attack from the back comes from her highly developed understanding of the game and excellent field vision. I am excited about Anne’s opportunity to continue her soccer career at the University of Missouri – St. Louis and I am confident she will be a significant contributor to the Triton program during her time there. I’m also happy that Ron and Jeanne will have the opportunity to watch her play during her college days!

All I can add to that is amen. I’m looking forward to seeing Anne on a regular basis in the GLVC. Congrats!

Heath Melugin, Kickapoo – Missouri State Bears
Chealsey Russell, Kickapoo – Rice University Owls
Tara Bailes, Springfield Catholic – Missouri State Bears
Anne Prenger, Springfield Catholic – University of Missouri St Louis Tritons
Katy McLain, Kickapoo – Drury Panthers
Kyler Temple, Kickapoo – Drury Panthers
Zack Hay, Kickapoo – Missouri Science & Technology Miners w00t!
Lorin “Lou” Opfer, Glendale – Truman State Bulldogs
Brianna Ragains, Lebanon – Missouri Southern Lions (Joplin)
Jessica McCutcheon, Kickapoo – Rogers State Hillcats
TJ Miner Martin, Webb City -Rogers State Hillcats (Claremore, OK)
Michael Handley, Webb City – Ashford University Saints (Clinton, IA)
Maggie Schrier, Glendale – Hendrix Warriors(Conway, AR)
Ryan Toombs, Bolivar – Crowder College Roughriders (Neosho, MO)
Rebecca Carter, Central – Grinnell College Pioneers (IA)
Brice Hunt, West Plains – Birmingham Southern Panthers
Luke Bayless, Carthage – Northeastern Oklahoma Norsemen (Miami, OK)
Matt Arnold, Carthage – Northeastern Oklahoma Norsemen (Miami, OK)

I think your Dad would be very proud of you.

If you’d like to help me keep up with your game, friend me on Facebook. I promise I’m discrete. I learned that lesson a long time ago… And remember, you can see all of these young men at the Southwest All-Star game on June 19th. The ladies nominations will come out in late May.