Tag Archives: Nixa Eagles

Missouri Girls High School Soccer Coaches Poll

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Ashlee Rightnowar, Rolla Bulldogs (2011)

Ashlee Rightnowar, Rolla Bulldogs (2011)

The first poll of the season is out. Let’s take a look…

In Class 1, Springfield Catholic is firmly at the top of the initial poll with 9 first place votes. Greenwood finished just outside the Top 10 as well.

In Class 2, Harrisonville received votes. The Wildcats are defending District champions and will fight Warrensburg and Bolivar in District 12 this year. #10 Westminister is in town this weekend to face Glendale tonight and Catholic tomorrow.

In Class 3, Nixa opens the year ranked #12, with Jackson (Cape) at #13, Glendale at #15 and Rolla right behind the Falcon’s. There are a pair of KC teams are at the top and there are six STL teams and five KC teams in the Top 11. It’s going to be a good year at the Final 4 I think…

GIRLS SOCCER POLL (4-8-11)

Class 3
Rank Team Points
1 Liberty (2) 81
2 Lee’s Summit North (1) 80
3 St. Joe’s Academy (2) 78
4 Incarnate Word (1) 76
5 Ursuline 64
6 Eureka 57
7 Lee’s Summit West 45
8 Rockwood Summit 41
9 Park Hill South 37
10 Ft. Zumwalt West 34
11 St. Teresa’s 29
12 Nixa 27
13 Jackson 18
14 Oakville 14
15 Glendale 8
Others: Rolla 7, Howell North 6, Lee’s Summit 5, Rock Bridge 5, Cor Jesu 5, Kearney 2, Howell 1

Class 2
Rank Team Points
1 Visitation (3) 61
2 St. Dominic 57
3 Notre Dame de Sion (2) 55
4 St. Charles West (1) 47
5 Notre Dame STL 46
6 Platte County 29
7 Smithville 22
7 Duchesne 22
9 Moberly 15
10 Westminster 12
Others:  Clayton 7, Liberty North 7, Harrisonville 4, Trinity 1

Class 1
Rank Team Points
1 Springfield Catholic (9) 133
2 St. Vincent (2) 118
3 St. Pius X (Festus) (2) 109
4 Orchard Farm (1) 98
5 Bishop LeBlond 78
6 Pembroke Hill 62
7 St. Paul Lutheran 37
8 St. Pius (KC) 35
9 Barstow 33
10 O’Hara 23
Others: Greenwood 18, Southern Boone 9, Kennedy 8, Lutheran KC 7, Sacred Heart 7, Lutheran North 5

Evan Palmer Gets 300th Win

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Coach Evan Palmer, 300 WinsHead Coach, Evan Palmer earned his 300th win tonight as the Nixa Eagles won 6-0 over the Parkview Vikings.

Coach Palmer, who played collegiately at Missouri State and is the only Coach the Eagles have had, began his career with Nixa in 1995 when the Boys program got it’s start.

Boys Program: 175-193-21 (1995-2010)
COC titles in 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008. District Championships – 2000

When Girls soccer was added in 1998, he took on those responsibilities as well.

Girls Program: 121-169-11 (1998-2010)
District Championships – 2010

In 2010 the Girls team earned their first ever District championship, defeating the Kickapoo Chiefs for the first time, before advancing to the Quarterfinal’s where they lost to the Rock Bridge Bruins. The Boys team finished the regular season at 18-5, the best record in the history of Nixa boys soccer. Nixa also won the Kickapoo Shootout by defeating the Kickapoo Chiefs 1-0 in the Brown Division title game. It was the third straight shutout from goalie Mason Young during the weekend. The Eagles goal was scored by Robert Neathery as his shot from outside the box slipped just inside the upright in the 30th minute. It avenged a regular season 0-1 loss to Kickapoo Sep 3rd. Mason Young went on to become Nixa’s All-Time Shutout Leader with 24.5 career shutouts that season, 13.5 of them coming during the 2010 season.

Springfield Soccer Photos

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We Were Part Of The Record Soccer Crowd In Kansas City!

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Bailey Pesek and Taylor Stamper at Arrowhead Stadium

Bailey Pesek and Taylor Stamper at Arrowhead Stadium

A pair of Nixa Lady Eagles were fortunate enough to attend the recent Manchester United game against the KC Wizards last Sunday. They share a picture of their visit and thoughts on the soccer adventure.

Bailey says: Having the opportunity to see Manchester United play in the United States doesn’t happen every day. When my father told me he had tickets to the match with the Wizards, I was soooo happy. It was exciting to actually watch the big names like Giggs, Berbatov, Scholes and to see how European clubs begin their warm-ups to their field positioning and how different they are from American soccer. I certainly learned some things. I hope to see more events like this no doubt !

Taylor says: I went to the Kansas City Wizards vs Manchester United soccer game with my family & friends and we had a great time! The new Arrowhead Stadium was awesome and this was the first event to be held in the new stadium, and there were over 52,000 people there for the game!! It was cool to see the players from Man U and I had a great time watching the game. This is the 2nd professional soccer game that I have went to and I hope I can go to more!!

The photo was taken on 7-25-2010 during the Manchester United vs KC Wizards match in KC at Arrowhead stadium. It is one of 4 matches of Manchester United’s North American tour. Manchester United is a Premier English football club from Manchester England. Bailey Pesek ( Missouri Elite FC ) on left and Taylor Stamper ( Springfield Soccer Club ) on right are both members of Nixa HS Soccer.

On a related note, at least one British paper is impressed with the soccer spirit they found in the Midwest. Check out Wizards left us spellbound in Kansas City in the Daily Mail.

Christian County High School Girls Soccer

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Nixa Lady EaglesA beautiful day and time for a road trip to check out the Christian County squads and how the first week is treating them. First stop Nixa where Coach Evan Palmer was demonstrating some of the moves that held him in good stead as a Missouri State Bear. The Lady Eagles open 2010 coming off of their best season ever in 2009. Nixa won 16 games, blowing past the previous record of 12, scoring 80 goals while giving up only 30, both records as well. The team won its first tournament taking first in the Christian County Tournament while the JV squad was also setting records at 15-3.

Hannah Barber, a sparkplug and All-Star in 2009, is the most significant loss. The team brings back a solid core, starting in the back with junior keeper Kristin Miller, Team MVP in 2009, fronted by senior Maddie Chandler who was Defensive MVP. Jo Pavlowsky and Ashlyn Robillard join Chandler as the senior leaders for this still young squad that includes Regional 1st teamers Rachel Murphy, a sophomore forward and Kelsey Haist, a junior midfielder. Add in Sophomore Abby Turnbull at sweeper and junior front runner Kelsey Bartell and the Eagles are prepared to challenge again this year. The Eagles add sophomore transfer Lauren Moats, who won a Kentucky State Cup with Javanon before moving here when dad Kyle accepted the Missouri State AD job, and freshman Brittany Kirkpatrick to this developing squad. The final game of the season came in the District semi-finals with a tough loss to Glendale. While they won’t surprise anyone this year, I suspect their goals will be higher and they’ll have a solid opportunity to achieve them.

Ozark Lady TigersBefitting the weather and a 4th day of practice, the Tigers were the most active squad I’ve seen at this early stage. Working small spaces and transition, this looks like a team on a mission. When last seen, the girls were being shut out by a Chiefs team in the District semi-final that the Tigers had hammered 3-0 two games prior. With seven returning seniors, five of whom will likely be playing college soccer next Fall, the focus is understandable.

Starting with 1st Team All-State sr. goalkeeper Paige Hemphill (SBU Bearcats), sr. Megan Jenisch and jr. Jayme Braun on defense, sr. Megan Stodden and sr. Rachel Haden (SBU Bearcats) in the midfield and sr. Alicia Collard and sr. Megan Gunnels at forward, the Tigers are prepared to go toe-to-toe with with any team in the area. The team has added one transfer, Shannon Lacker, from Ft Zumwalt South in St Louis. There are 9 underclassmen who have another year of experience and the largest senior class I think we’ll find in the region. Will this be their year?

Nixa Soccer Camps Brings The Game to 145 Players

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2009 Nixa Camp 4th and 5th2009 Nixa Camp 2nd-3rd
Featured above are the 4th & 5th Grade Camp along with the 2nd & 3rd Grade Camp. Click on the individual photo to see a larger size.

6th-8th Girls 2009 Nixa6th - 8th Boys 2009 Nixa

Featured above are the 6th through 8th grade camps, run for the Girls and the Boys

The Nixa Soccer Camps have completed the grade school and junior high camps. We had a great turnout with 145 players Grades 2nd-12th over the course of the camps. Nixa Eagles Head Coach Evan Palmer, along with his assistant coach Ty Heinrichs and former Nixa High goalie/Freshman to be at Rend Lake Community College Marcus Fernandes were the camp instructors, supplemented by current High School players.

For information on Camps and the Nixa Eagles soccer program, visit the website.

Monday’s High School Soccer Game Reports

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Hillcrest Hornets – 4
Willard Tigers – 1
Erin Boschen scores three for the Hornets as they surprise the Tigers, District Finalists last year.

Nixa Eagles – 4
Central Bulldogs – 0
Senior Jacklyn Finley the Eagles first goal of the season in the 7th minute from 22 yards on a restart (just above the D). In the 20th minute, Vicki Rische scored on a cross from Stephanie Allen. Allen scored in the second half, at the 45th minute, breaking behind the defense. The final goal came in the 62nd minute by Courtney Frerichs, assisted by #15.

Springfield Catholic – 3
Joplin Eagles – 0
The Irish continued their scoring streak, getting three in Joplin this evening. Freshman Carsen Baron opened the scoring in the 51st minute with a 20 yard shot just inside the left post from the top of the box off a pass from Tara Bailes. Emily Kessler scored in the 59th minute with a nifty header over the keeper from a Rebecca Mayus serve. Emily Ortega completed the scoring with her first high school goal in the 69th minute on Bailes second assist of the night. Freshman Rebecca Rachel Scott recorded the shutout in goal, her second in a row. Catholic outshot Joplin 28-1


Bolivar Liberators – 10
Pleasant Hope Pirates – 0
The Liberators scored six in the first half and four in the second half to defeat a young Lady Pirate team. Bolivar is now 1-0 on the young season.

Bentonville – 4
Kickapoo Chiefs – 0

High School Girls Soccer Previews

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Thought I’d point you to a few more recent season previews. I’ll get my first look at a game on Saturday when I attend the Rolla Classic. I’m very excited about this season, there are going to be some serious competitive battles we’re going to get to see this year.

Seth Sowers of the Rolla Daily News weighs in with Lady Bulldogs To Play with Passion

Leading the way at center midfielder will be Bramel. She was a second team all-state selection a year ago despite sitting out the start of the season with an injury. Her move to the position sparked the team last year after a slow start. She notched four goals and eight assists. Also at center mid will be sophomore Jaclyn Standfast and junior Emily Spooner. Standfast has a cannon for a leg, and used it to score 10 goals last year. She also added a team-high 11 assists.

TJ Brice, from the Christian County edition of the News-Leader Ozark Girls Young, Experienced

The Lady Tigers return the top three scorers from last season: Megan Gunnels (14 goals), Erica Hogan (12) and Alicia Collard (eight). Collard also added six assists. Hogan, a senior, and Gunnels, a sophomore, were named to the all-district first team last year. It was Hogan’s second consecutive all-district selection.

and TJ again with Nixa Girls Soccer to Field Young Squad

This year’s squad will feature three seniors: Stephanie Allen, Jacklyn Finley and Lauren Hillmer. “I am really excited about this season. I think we have great potential,” Hillmer said. “We just need to get together and learn to play as a team. We are kind of split up into different age groups, and we need to bond as one. Once we get that done, we should have a really good season.”

A group of young players returns with quality experience from last season. Sophomores Ashlyn Robillard and Jo Pavlowsky scored seven and five goals, respectively, in considerable playing time. Pavlowsky added six assists.

While you’re at it, might as well start looking to State and potential opponents. Teams like the defending state champion Ft Zumwalt West Jaguars, or maybe the Nerinx Markers and St Joseph’s Angels. Or the nationally ranked Incarnate Word team?

Branson Pirates Hire Dave Brenner For New Soccer Program

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Nixa Eagles Tie Glendale Falcons Send a shout out to Dave Brenner folks, the gentleman who will lead Branson into the worlds game next August when the Pirates field a boys soccer team for the first time. Dave, who will also coach the girls team that will begin play in the Spring 2009 season, joins the Pirates from the Nixa Eagles where he has been assisting Evan Palmer since the Fall of 2001. The only photo of him I’ve captured however has him focused on the Eagles (he’s on the left) so I’ll rectify that at the next Eagles game I attend.

Dave already has a schedule with 14 games lined up for the Fall, including a weekend trip to Kansas City to take on Cole Camp and Smithton. He pointed to the trip as one of the numerous examples of the steps Branson is taking to embrace and support soccer. The enthusiasm from the community, including a large Hispanic contingent, ensures that he’ll have a good pool of players to work with from the beginning. The initial informational meetings have already happened and summer plans are also being put into place.

Home games will be played at the Jr High School, a bermuda/rye mix that has locker rooms, a press box and the other amenties that come with being the former home of the Pirates football team. The other great news is that there will now be an official Central Ozark Conference title chase to count on with the addition of Carthage, Nesho and Webb City as well as the Pirates.

I asked Nixa Eagles coach Evan Palmer (a former SMSU player) to share his thoughts on Dave:

I can’t give Dave enough praise. He has been a great assistant and will make a great head soccer coach. He already is a great head coach leading the Volley Eagles to a district title last fall. He takes great pride in what he does and will work hard to make Branson a contender. Branson is getting a great addition to their teaching and coaching staffs. Dave and Michelle (his wife) will be missed in the district.

Dave initially worked with the boys and the girls at Nixa but as Evan notes, he took over the volleyball team a few years ago which conflicted with the boys season. He’s been working with the girls soccer team for the entire period.

Dave will teach History at Branson along with his coaching responsibilities. He’s a 1981 Glendale graduate, where he played defense on the club soccer teams at Glendale before it became an official sport. He also played Rugby for SMS, something he picked up as an exchange student in South Africa in 1981, in addition to intramural soccer through college (became a mid-fielder and then a goalie). He continues to play one or two sessions a year in the over thirty indoor league at Lake Country Soccer.

Welcome and congratulations Dave!