By Steve Carpenter
HCC Sports Information Director
TOPEKA – One year ago, the Hutchinson Community College women’s soccer team walked off the Hummer Sports Park turf with lost, devastated looks on their faces after Continue reading
Tag Archives: soccer
SPECIAL PRESIDENTIAL GUEST COMMENTATOR: LINCOLN MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY LADY RAILSPLITTERS START THEIR PLAYOFF RUN
Recently I contacted the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, Official Balladeer’s Blog Nickname: The Beardmeister General, to ask him to add parenthetical commentary to this release from Lincoln Memorial University about the Lady Railsplitters soccer team starting their playoff season. Abe graciously agreed (“Anything to get away from Mary’s demented babbling for a few minutes” he said under his breath.) Continue reading
Filed under college sports
HAMPTON’S HEROES: AN INTERVIEW WITH 3 USAO SOCCER STARS
Jimmy Hampton, Head Men’s Soccer Coach for the University Of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Drovers, currently has his team at 12-2 (6-2 in Sooner Athletic Conference Play) and ranked 15th in the country. With the end of the regular season fast approaching, it seemed a good time to get together with some of the stars of the Drover soccer team and find out more about them.
RYAN MCENTEE
Position: GK
Official Balladeer’s Blog Nickname: Continue reading
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ST AMBROSE QUEEN BEES STING RANKED OPPONENT
The St Ambrose Queen Bees soccer team defeated the 12th-ranked Lady Bearcats from McKendree by a score of 3-2 at Davenport Soccer Complex. With this upset win the Queen Bees improve their record to 12-5. Scoring for the Queen Bees were Ashley Dexter, Logan Walsh and Kelly Schroeder. SAU out-shot the Bearcats 13-11. Goalie Lauren Gunawen notched the win.
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LINDSEY WILSON WOMEN’S SOCCER TAMES THE GEORGETOWN (KY) TIGERS
The following courtesy of Lindsey Wilson College Sports Information. The Blue Raiders are ranked 5th right now! The parenthetical comments are purely my fault. One of the perks (?) of being covered by Balladeer’s Blog is getting Official Balladeer’s Blog Nicknames, so here we go!
COLUMBIA, Ky. – Lindsey Wilson College and Georgetown (Ky.) College decided the 2009 Mid-South Conference Women’s Soccer Tournament Championship with penalty kicks in their last matchup, on Tuesday, the Blue Raiders skipped the drama in a 3-0 win at Walter S. Reuling Stadium.
Ida Gregersen (Official Balladeer’s Blog nickname: “Mighty Ida”) took a corner kick early in the second half that was played near the goal before being cleared just outside the box to a waiting Elisha (“Dangerous E”) Fry. Fry used one quick touch before firing the shot from 30 yards out for the game-winning score.
The goal was Fry’s eighth of the season, adding to her team lead in that category, while Blue Raider keeper Jordan (“The Deflector”) Morrison wrapped up her fourth shutout of the season.
Lindsey Wilson added to its lead in the 79th and 82nd minutes with a pair of goals by Gregersen to push the lead to 3-0.
Hanna (“Hawk Woman”) Jonsson and Diana (“The Huntress”) Da Rocha combined on the assists for Gregersen’s first score with two passes inside the box, while Mia Persson (“The MP” ) dished in the cross for the second goal to Gregersen as she rushed down the center of the box.
Lindsey Wilson led the game in shots 14-8, despite being knotted at 5-5 on shots at halftime. Georgetown held the advantage in corner kicks 4-2.
Tiger keeper Cathie Shaver made eight saves along with the three goals against, while Morrison finished with three saves to help secure the shutout.
The Blue Raiders return to action at 3:30 p.m. CT on Oct. 16 at St. Leo (Fla.) University. (St Leo’s teams are appropriately called the Lions.)
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DROVERS KICKING BUTTS AS WELL AS SOCCER BALLS
(Courtesy University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Sports Information. The parenthetical comments are mine alone.)
CHICKASHA – Not just one, but two USAO Drovers stood out among conference opponents as playing exceptional soccer last week — and became Sooner Athletic Conference Players of the Week.
Both Calli (“DB“) Cooper and Nikola Cakarevic (One half of Drover soccer’s “NC Hammer” duo along with Niall Crick, as readers of this blog will recall) were honored with Offensive Player of the Week. (Balladeer’s note: When Nikola scores a goal the Drover fans should chant Niiiiiiiiiiiiikolaaaaaaaaaa like in those old Ricola ads)
Calli Cooper, a sophomore from Norman, shined with back-to-back hat tricks (and hat-to-hat back tricks – rimshot) and four assists in the two games the Drovers played last week, first against the Bethel College Threshers and then the Tabor College Bluejays a few days later.
“Calli I feel is just starting to play to her potential this season,” Hampton said.
Cooper is by far the team’s leading scorer this season. She’s made more than 50 percent of her shots on goal so far in 2010, and she is eighth in the division in goals per game (1.5) and in points per game (3.83). Additionally, she’s 10th in total points with 23. She’s also ranked in the top 30 in seven other categories. (And the Top 7 in 30 other categories)
This season, Cooper has scored nine goals and had five assists.
With seven goals in two games, Cakarevic was crucial in the Drovers’ wins this week. In addition to tying his own school record with five goals in a game against Tabor College on Friday, (Five goals being more than some teams have scored so far this season) Cakarevic scored two of USAO’s three goals against Bethel College days before. He scored the team’s game-winning goal against Bethel. (Any odds on how long it will be before he marries a Spice Girl?)
He has scored 11 goals already for USAO and is third in the division in goals per game (1.67) and points per game (3.5). He’s also seventh in total goals (10) and ranked in the top 30 in four other categories. (And the Top 4 in 30 other- oh, sorry, I used that joke already)
“Nikola had a great week,” Hampton said. “He is an exceptional player, and we look forward to him continuing his success in SAC play.” (Don’t go there!)
The Drover men are undefeated (6-0) and ranked No. 10 in the country going into Tuesday’s game against conference rivals the Oklahoma City University Stars . The women are 4-1-1 overall.
Filed under college sports
THEY MAY NOT PLAY OUR BRAND OF FOOTBALL BUT IN SOCCER THEY’RE GETTING SOME ROYAL TREATMENT
The Cal State-Monterey Bay Otters have tongue-in-cheek posters like the one above pointing out that they don’t have an American football team, but when it comes to what the rest of the world calls football (soccer of course), their team has a very special event coming up this weekend. They will be playing a match against the Cal State-Dominguez Hills Toros Friday Sept 17th at The Home Depot Center, home of the MLS franchise the Los Angeles Galaxy. The teams will have full use of the facility including plusher locker rooms than many college teams are used to and will be playing in a very bright spotlight. I’m sure both teams are hoping to represent their programs well to the expanded audience this game will attract.
To find out if the Otters have reserved a seat for you and a friend at this event click here: http://www.otterathletics.com/
To see if you can join me in my private skybox click here: http://www.ottersportsmarketing.com/
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SOCCER POTPOURRI 2
The University of Science and Arts Of Oklahoma Drovers men’s soccer team is 4-0 and is now ranked #10 in the NAIA, the team’s highest ranking ever. This past weekend the Drovers defeated the Brescia Bearcats 3-1 and the St Thomas Celts 8-2. Nicolas “The Frenchman Freshman” Alberto (as I like to call him) has had 4 goals already on the season followed closely by the “NC Hammer” duo of Nikola Cakarevic and Niall Crick who have 3 goals each. Last year’s leading scorer David “Dr Drover” Otieno has had 2 goals and 4 assists in this young season. Goalkeeper Ryan “Force Field” Mcentee has played every minute of all 4 games so far and has allowed only 3 goals. The Drovers are the only Sooner Athletic Conference team in the NAIA Top 25 and are #1 in the conference standings.
You can’t cut it much closer than “Close Shave” Shelby Cummins did as she scored the winning goal for the Franklin and Marshall Diplomats women’s soccer team 3-2 over the Elizabethtown Blue Jays. Cummins scored the goal off an assist from “Kickin'” Carley Nicholson with just .9 of a second left in the game. The Diplomats are now 3-1 on the season. F&M had a 2-nil halftime lead which held up until the 71st minute of the game when the Blue Jays got on the board. They scored again less than 5 minutes later to knot the game up at 2 all and setting the stage for Cummins’ heroics. Diplomats goalkeeper Katie “Fort Katie” Golding had 4 saves and improved her personal record to 3-1. The ladies next play the Ursinus Bears on Sept 21st.***On the men’s side for the Diplomats Zach “Dr Z” Zamek became the all-time shutouts leader for F&M with 19 following a 3-nil win over the Lycoming Warriors. Dr Z is now tied on the all-time wins list for the Diplomats, too and can try to set the new wins record on the 19th against the Muhlenberg Mules.
For the 2nd straight week, Saint Xavier Cougars’ goalkeeper “Wild” Kyle Held has been “held” over as the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Player Of The Week. Wild Kyle had 8 saves in SXU‘s only game of the week, a 2-nil victory over the Goshen Maple Leafs. Held has had 26 saves and 2 shutouts for the season. He has a Goals Against Average of just .82 per game and the Cougars are 3-2 overall. SXU opens conference play this Friday on the road against the Saint Francis (IN) Cougars.
The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays women’s soccer team shut out the Stevenson Mustangs 2- nil this afternoon at Caves Athletic Complex. Sarah “The Sentinel” Gieszl scored her 1st career goal and “Power Puff” Pamela Vranis had the other JHU goal plus an assist. The Blue Jays have now posted back-to-back shutouts and at 5-1 are ranked 8th in the D3 women’s soccer poll. With the loss the Stevenson Mustangs drop to 3-3.
The St Ambrose Fighting Bees men’s soccer team won in overtime against the St Francis (IL) Fighting Saints 2-1 at the Davenport Soccer Complex. The Fighting Bees went into halftime leading 1-nil on a KEndrick Tyson goal but gave up the tying goal in the 2nd half. St Ambrose goalie “Mighty” Matt Tucker had 5 furious saves in the 2nd half which kept the FIghting Bees’ hopes alive. Wes Erickson fulfilled those hopes 4 minutes and 6 seconds into OT by slamming home the winning goal for the home team.
Both the men’s and women’s soccer teams for the Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters registered wins today! The Lady Railsplitters improved their record to 4-0 with a road win over the King College Tornado (singular) by a score of 2-nil. Sarah “The Midfield Maniac” Taylor had both LMU goals, one in the 25th minute off an assist from Becky “Tigress” Thompson and the other barely 11 minutes later off an assist from “Lethal” Leslie Wilson. 3 of the ladies’ team’s 4 wins have been shutouts. ***The men’s Railsplitters team beat out their counterparts from King College 1-nil to move to 3-0 on the season. Just like the ladies’ team all but 1 of their wins have been shutouts. “Gentleman” Jimmy Vandenhurk scored the lone goal of the match 5 minutes in off an assist from Mackenzie “Aces” Wilde. Railsplitters goalkeeper Michael “Brick Wall” Watkins then did his part by crushing every Tornado scoring attempt.
Kelly “Sunstorm” Sunstrom propeled the Alverno Inferno soccer team to a 1-nil victory over the Robert Morris (IL) Eagles today. Sunstrom scored in the 80th minute off an assist from “Kosho” Kelsey Koshanowski (Fans of The Prisoner will get it). It was Sunstorm’s 1st goal of the season and Kosho’s 2nd assist. The Inferno are now 3-0 and will try to burn the feathers off another Eagles team this Saturday at Wisconsin-Lacrosse.
Filed under college sports
COLUMBIA (MO) COUGARS UPSET THE D2 CHAMPS
The Columbia (MO) Cougars, the 19th-ranked team in NAIA men’s soccer, upset the defending NCAA Division 2 Champion Ft Lewis Skyhawks in a shutout 2-nil. The Cougars’ Yudai Yamaguchi, off an assist from Dylan “Thomas” Barduzzi put Columbia up with a goal in the 24th minute. The Cougs took that 1-nil lead into half-time. (By the way, it’s a little known fact that federal law requires 72 % of the teams in the NAIA to be called the Cougars. I’M KIDDING!) Minutes into the 2nd half Barduzzi got fouled in the box, becoming the force that through the green fuse drives the flower to the Skyhawks (Dylan Thomas fans will get it), sealing their defeat by putting Columbia up by 2. Cougars’ goalie Ken “No pasaran!” Searles recorded his 2nd shutout win of this young season, improving his team to 2-2-0. The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Cougars, who next travel to Kansas City to take on Division 1’s UMKC Kangaroos this coming Saturday.
To let the Columbia Cougars know you find their schedule insane click here: http://www.columbiacougars.com/
Filed under college sports
SOCCER POTPOURI
The Lindenwood Lions men’s soccer team upset the Top-ranked Lindsey-Wilson Blue Raiders by a score of 2-1. The Lions led 1-nil at half-time off a goal by Hannes Backstrom. Two minutes in to the 2nd half Blue Raiders player Carnell Learmond tied the game up but in the 74th minute Simon Harrsen scored the game-winner for Lindenwood.
The 8th-ranked Johns Hopkins Blue Jays women’s soccer team went into Wednesday night’s game against the top-ranked Messiah Falcons undefeated at 2-0, but unfortunately came out with a 2-1 loss. Messiah (Insert your own “Where’s your Messiah now?” joke here) scored their 1st goal agains the Blue Jays in the 38th minute when Lisa Wingard one-timed a goal past JHU‘s goaltender Kristen Redsun. That was the first goal the Blue Jays gave up this season after 3-nil and 5-nil victories in their 1st 2 games of the year. Just 80 seconds into the 2nd half the Falcons made it a 2-nil game off a goal by Amanda Naeher.Just over 2 minutes later Sara Tankard cut the Falcons’ lead in half but it wasn’t quite enough.
In a week in which Saint Xavier Cougars goalie “Wild” Kyle Held was named Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Player Of The Week it seems appropriate that he should register his 2nd shutout of this young season. The Cougars won 2-nil against the Goshen Maple Leafs (You’re dying for a “Land’O’Goshen” joke but I’m not playing that game). Both goalies had rejected all shots on goal until the 80th minute when SXU’s Al Palar provided the 1st goal of the game. “Mighty” Matt Klancic provided an insurance goal 4 minutes later to improve the Cougars to 3-2 on the season.
Reece Harris, freshman goalie for the Park University Pirates men’s soccer team, notched his 2nd career win Wednesday night against the Lindenwood Lions by a score of 2-1. Harris blocked 7 shots and both Pirate goals were scored by striker Ramone Palmer, 1 of them off a pass from midfielder Simon Senfuka. For Park Pirates video highlights visit their Youtube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/parkathletics .
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