Natalie Smid and Shelby Hatz celebrate the game-winning goal

The game winner was scored by Smid, from a Carsen Baron set piece following a foul near the right touch line and 35 yards out, in the 55th minute. The ball arrived just outside the 6 yard box, pulling the keeper out where she and her defender lost a battle with Bekah Bade in the air. The ball fell loose and Smid was the first to the ball, collecting it and turning to put her shot just inside the upright before a defender could cover. Well executed, hard work by several players and the most positive of results.

The Irish used up at least one four leaf clover in the process of getting to this point. The game plan, according to defensive leader Carsen Baron, was to concentrate on absorbing the Indian’s attack in the initial stages of the game and then adapt their attack to what they learned about their opponents. What that translated into was a few initial forays down the middle before beginning to use their strength and speed to attack the wings. As they spread the defense, the middle opened up for Fitzgerald and Smid to gain control.

While the Irish had the majority of the play in the final 25 minutes of the first half, the Indians showed flashes of the offensive prowess that got them this far. Junior Rachel Cook delivered two important saves late in the half to keep the Irish tied. The first came as she tipped a shot over the crossbar that had the Irish fans holding their collective breath. She followed that up by taking the ball off of an attackers feet with a fearless dive.

The Irish game-winner came five minutes after an early second half flurry by the Indians, who pushed hard to get the important first goal. Megan Goetzinger and her teammates saw the best St Vincent opportunity bounce off the upright and away in the 50th. As winning teams often do, the Irish capitalized on their good fortune and created their own destiny. It will be a familiar foe, as the face North County’s Trinity Titans tomorrow in the Title game.

Photos will follow soon. And thanks for winning, I’m looking forward to sleeping in!

Trinity Titans, 2010 Class 1 Semifinal

Photos will follow soon

The Title game will be a rematch of last years semifinal game between Trinity, who finished second after beating Catholic, supported by one of the finest goalkeeping displays I saw last Spring. The Titan’s lost to St Vincent’s 3-1 this season and Coach Drake commented on the quality of play the Indian’s displayed all season. The game was early for Trinity, prior to their late season run when they went 8-5 to get back to a positive record and find the form needed to advance to State for the second straight year. The run coincided with a defensive adjustment and the return goalkeeper Taylor Zerbe, out earlier in the season due to concussion.

The Class 1 Title game will feature Springfield Catholic against Trinity. Game time is 4:00 pm.

The Class 1 3rd Place game will feature the St Vincent Indians against Barstow. Game time is 10:00 am.

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Springfield Catholic Fightin' Irish, 2010 District 6 Champions

Bekah Bade created the first goal, breaking past her defender on the right side before sliding a square ball to Hatz after pulling the goalie out. Hatz confidently slotted the ball between the two defenders who converged on her. Sr Rachel Herron would set up sr defender Ronnie Renner for the second goal in the 70th, Natalie Smid would score in the 77th and Emily Loethen would complete the scoring in stoppage time.

Catholic now advances to the Class 1 Quarterfinal on Thursday May 27th at Waynesville High School. Game starts at 6:30 pm and they will play the winner of the game between Southern Boone Co and Dixon which is being played tomorrow.

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Head Coach Ben Timson with Jessica Smits (back left)

The Irish return ALL of their Regional players from last year, including Co-Offensive POY Shelby Hatz and Natalie Smid, Co-Defensive POY Rebecca Mayus and Carsen Baron, along with Erin FitzGerald and Andrea Parker, all juniors except for central midfielder Erin Fitzgerald, one of three seniors on the squad. The other seniors are Veronica Renner and Rachel Herron and the Irish have TWO quality keepers in Rachel Scott and Megan Goetzinger. A plethora of riches for Coach Ben Timson and new assistant, Jessica Smits, last seen roaming the pitch as a left back for the Missouri State Bears.

The most significant loss was emotional leader Maddy Renner, now matriculating at Central Missouri, but with a varsity roster that includes 20 players with experience at State the girls are primed to make a second straight visit this year and leverage that experience in the same fashion as the boys team who captured 2nd last Fall. So, where do you think they will finish?

I’ll be visiting several other schools during the next two weeks while compiling team schedules and rosters. Look for more as we head for the opening game of the season this year which will be Monday March 22nd at Ozark High School where the Tigers will host the Irish. Mark your calendar now!

Lebanon Yellowjackets – 1
Rolla Bulldogs – 0
The game-winning goal was scored by Hannah Winkel with 5 minutes left, assisted by Emily Boyer. The Yellowjackets accomplished step one in their effort to return to the District Final’s for the 3rd straight year. Thursday’s game against Camdenton will be the next test, while Jeff City looks to get past Rolla and Waynesville next week.

Camdenton Lakers – 8
Parkview Vikings – 1
The Lakers went up 5-0 in the first half before Parkview scored a goal in the 38th minute. Junior Latea LaRue scored 3 goals and had 2 assists in the contest. Freshman forward Kaylay Utley scored 1 goal and had 4 assists. Freshman Cassie Hale scored 1 goal and had 1 assist. Sophomore Sabrina Bartley, Junior Jessica Smith and Senior Stephanie Kirvan each had a goal as well. Camdenton is now 14-3 overall and 4-1 in Ozark Conference play.

Glendale Falcons – 8
Hillcrest Hornets – 2
Jeni Frewin (2G), Emily Jordan (1G), Lindsey Sprouse (2G), Emily Cline (1G), Karis Hefton (1G), Ann Millington (1G), Molly Brewer (2A), Katie Brewer (1A) scored for the Falcon’s. Goals for Hillcrest were scored by Elizabeth Durnall on an assist by Erin Boschen and Courtney Busby on an assist by Boschen.

Kickapoo Chiefs – 2
West Plains Zizzers - 0

Pleasant Hope -
Joplin McAuley –

Catholic Fightin’ Irish – 3
Marshfield Blue Jays – 2
Great game tonite in Marshfield! Catholic takes a 2-0 lead at halftime on goals by Jessica Bowman and Rachel Herron. Marshfield ties the game early in the second on goals by Dannyca Mostrom and Kylea Ryser. Catholic gets the game winner late on a goal by Natalie Smid.

Carthage Tigers – 0
Nixa Eagles – 2
The Eagles get the COC win on Senior night

Bolivar Liberators – 4
Rogersville Wildcats – 1
Jody McFarlen scored 3 goals for the Liberators enroute to the win over their COC foes. Jonna Welch added a goal and an assist. Rogersville’s goal was scored by #32

Ozark Tigers – 3
Neosho Wildcats – 0
Goals from Megan Gunnels, Eva Shwert, and Jackie Wacha. On Senior night.

Branson Pirates – 3
Willard Tigers – 1
Branson scored fifteen minutes into the match when Neva Raschel’s free kick went off the crossbar and was headed in by Emily Joplin. The score held until stoppage time in the first half when Ali Appleby broke free and beat Bri Ford to tie the score going into half. Both teams moved the ball in the second half but Jordan Gattis got the game winner with a nice header back to the far post in 63rd minute. Branson continued to pressure and got its third goal from Maggie Charland off a one time hit in the 79th minute.

The win was the first ever Central Ozark Conference win for the Branson Pirates. Congrats ladies! Branson improved to 4-11-1 with the win.

Smith-Cotton – 1
JC Jays -0

It was a grey, windy afternoon and much of the play was isolated to the downwind side of the field as both teams worked to create offensive opportunities. Carthage got their goal from senior Patricia Marin (#1) midway through the second half when she scored on a direct kick from just outside the box. Logan-Rogersville got their goal from freshman Kadi Leonardi (#16) soon afterwards, leading to the overtime period. Goalies were Phylicia Lewis for Carthage and Kelsay Leingang for Logan-Rogersville.

Smugmug Gallery/Slideshow – Logan Rogersville Wildcats and Carthage Tigers

I have to offer a shout out to the Lady Tigers. With 31 players on the overall roster, the team bench was standing and cheering every play through out the game. I thought I was at a Jonas Brothers concert given the volume and amount of cheering that occurred. That same enthusiasm is spilling over to their new website (add it to your list of links) where they already have 17 positive comments. Well done ladies!

Camdenton Lakers – 10
Richland Bears – 0
Senior Stephanie Kirvan gets a pair as 6 different girls score in the game against the Class 1 foe. Junior Latea LaRue, and freshmen Kayla Utley and Cassie Hale scored a pair of goals each while junior Jessica Smith and sophomore Ashley Paschel each scored one. Sophomores Jessica Colliver and Sandra Shore shared time in goal.

Springfield Catholic – 10
Pleasant Hope Pirates – 0
Provided by soccermom: Shelby Hatz, Mandy Bailes, and Bekah Bade scored two goals apiece and Rachel Herron, Emily Loethen, Jordan Banasik, and Emily Ortega each scored a goal as Catholic won the opening game of the season against District foe, the Lady Pirates, in Pleasant Hope. Maddy Renner, Courtney Devlin, and AnnMarie Banasik each recorded two assists and Natalie Smid added one assist.

Lebanon Yellowjackets – 2 (PK’s)
Jefferson City Helias Crusaders - 1
After a 1-1 tie in regulation, the Yellowjackets and Crusaders played a pair of scoreless overtime periods. The Yellowjackets prevailed in PK’s 4-3

It took Catholic 60 minutes to score the winning goal against a stingy Liberator defense tonight in the class 1 district final. Tara Bailes scored the game winner with a penalty kick shot. The call and the goal took the momentum away from the Lady Liberators and Catholic was able to put in two more goals in the half to win 3-0. A tremendous effort from a young Bolivar team has the future looking bright for the Liberators. Bolivar finishes the season with a 14-7 record. Congrats ladies on a great season.

Update – Five minutes later Maddy Renner found the end of a Rachel Herron cross and knocked it inside the left post and Carsen Baron finished the scoring converting a pass from Anna DeLong in the 69th minute.

Catholic will face the winner of District 11 in the sectional match next Tuesday evening at 6:00 pm in Waynesville. Congratulations to all the girls on winning the district championship against a very inspired Bolivar squad.

Also congratulations to Tara Bailes on scoring the 100th goal of her career at SCHS. Watch!

The second half saw Catholic put significant pressure on the Tigers, with the best opportunity coming in the 65th minute, only to see Crystal Hutchinson get her fingers on the shot from the right side, tipping the ball up and off the crossbar. The Tigers put the game away on a late corner kick, Lord putting one of her fine balls to the far post where midfielder Erica Combs rose to meet it (pictured). The Irish got within one in stoppage time when Natalie Smid put away the rebound of a shot deflected by Hutchinson on Maddy Renner’s cross. Renner was tireless Tuesday night, making run after run into the offensive end from her midfield position, with balls from Parker, Bailes, Smid and her sister Ronnie offering a regular attacking option.

Congratulations to Katie Pritchard on setting the Class 2 state record with her 168th and 169th career goals.
Photo Slideshow from the game Photos will follow tomorrow afternoon, I’ve got a business meeting in the morning I’m still preparing for.

Helias Crusaders – 3
Rolla Bulldogs – 2
Trailing 3-1 for most of the second half, RHS got a goal from sophomore Olivia Cox with 12 minutes to play and then pressured Helias for most of the time thereafter (via the Rolla Daily News)

Glendale Falcons – 5
Camdenton Lakers – 1.
Falcon’s get goals from Lorin Opfer, Katie Brewer, Emily Jordan, Jeni Frewin and Emily Cline. Megan Manzer scored for Camdenton.

Bolivar Liberators – 2
Marshfield Jays – 0
Freshman Jonna Welch scored a goal in each half for the Liberators.

Parkview Vikings – 2
Joplin Eagles – 1
Shelby Stewart got a pair for the Vikings, one in each half, bracketing Rachel Lazenby’s goal for Joplin.
Stewart’s game winner came in OT.

Ozark Tigers – 2
Lebanon Yellowjackets – 0
The Tigers got their x shutout of the season on the strength of goals by Alicia Collard and Megan Gunnels.

Willard Tigers – 1 (PKs)
Nixa Eagles – 0
The Tigers nipped the Eagles in a penalty kick shootout, 3-1

Greenwood Blue Jays – 2 (OT)
McAuley Warriors – 1
Maddie Esther, assisted by Shaylyn Boyle, scored in the second half to give the Jays the initial lead. The Warriors Sam Graham scored to tie the game with the Jay’s getting the OT golden goal from Liza Salisbury.

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?

Helias Crusaders – 5
Pembroke Hill Raiders – 1

Rolla Bulldogs – 2
Pembroke Hill – 1
Goals from Freshman Ellen Spooner and Sophomore Jaclyn Standfast for the win. Rolla stands at 9-4 on the season.

Pattonville Pirates – 3
Helias Crusaders – 1
Pattonville scored in the 5th minute and held on for the win

Rockwood Summit – 2
Springfield Catholic – 0
Summit scored off a scramble in the penalty area in the 8th minute and scored a similar goal in the 52nd minute

Jeff City Jays – 4
Fort Osage – 0

Springfield Catholic – 5
Fort Osage – 1
Rachel Herron led the Lady Irish past Fort Osage in the afternoon match scoring goals in the 9th and 22nd minutes assisted by Shelby Hatz and Anna DeLong. Hatz and DeLong also netted first half goals for the Irish both assisted by Tara Bailes sending Catholic to the break up 4-0. Bailes capped the scoring for the Lady Irish with a goal in the 50th minute assisted by Natalie Smid. Fort Osage found the net in the 54th minute resulting in a final score of 5-1 for Catholic.

Rockwood Summit – 1 (PKs)
Jeff City Jays – 0
Katie Denning and Kinsey Shouse converted on their attempts for the Lady Jays but it was insufficient to get past Summit.