After three straight games on the road, the Titans took to the friendly confines of Neis Field on Wednesday evening hoping to get back on the winning track. The team faced a familiar foe in Loras College, who the Titans have played each year since 2002, including in the NCAA tournament in 2005. Each of those games had all been decided by only one goal, and once again the Titan/Duhawk match up resulted in a one-goal game, this time with the Titans coming up on the short end of the score. The Duhawks scored in the first half when we failed to clear a corner kick opportunity and one of their players stepped in front of us and knocked home the loose ball.
We have sputtered in our attack so far this season, scoring only 12 goals in the first 9 games (by the way, half of the regular season is now behind us; time sure does fly!). We did manage to create some dangerous chances against Loras, with our best chance coming just a minute into the second half when Carly Calkins beat the Duhawk keeper to the short side, only to have the ball deflect off the post. We were consistently in the Loras end for much of the second half, but were unable to attack with the consistency and sharpness needed to create legitimate scoring chances for ourselves.
I asked the girls before the game to play with a renewed conviction and commitment to each other. I believe the team did that on Wednesday night as looking back at the game (after watching the video) I can't fault the effort or determination. On Saturday we embark on the second half of the regular season with our first conference game at North Park. 9 games to go to try to position ourselves for something beyond October 27th. However, I have asked the team to not look past the next day, be it a practice or a game. At 4-4-1, we are looking up at a lot of teams in the league and in the region at the moment, and in order to climb forward we need to follow the old cliche of taking things a day at a time. Our mission is to improve daily, not be distracted by elements, opponents, or other; and as mid-term time approaches we'll need to really have a renewed focus when we step on the field.
We are looking forward to the next challenge moving into the CCIW schedule. We have faith that as long as we keep working to improve our execution we'll make the necessary strides to become the team we envision for ourselves. Go Titans!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Wash U Bears handle Titans, 1-0
On a very hot and steamy fall day in St. Louis, the Titans fell to a very good Wash U team by a score of 1-0. With the defeat, the Titans drop to 4-3-1 on the year, while Wash U improves to 8-0.
While the score may indicate a close game, we never really threatened the Wash U goal with the exception of a good chance from freshman Carlie Hoekstra off a cross from Caroline Leighton in the first half. Unfortunately Carlie's shot sailed over the bar and that was really our only offensive chance of the game. The Bears goalkeeper did not have to make a save on Sunday.
Our goalkeeper, freshman Alli Novak, played a good game making 10 saves on the day. The Bears' goal came when a shot bounced away from Alli, right to a waiting Bear striker who calmly finished her chance and gave Wash U all the offense they needed on the day.
Lots to work on this week as we get ready for a difficult game on Wednesday night at home against Loras College. They lost to this same Wash U team 2-1 in overtime a couple of weeks back, so they will be a tough team for us. We then travel to Chicago on Saturday to open our conference season at North Park University.
Go Titans!
While the score may indicate a close game, we never really threatened the Wash U goal with the exception of a good chance from freshman Carlie Hoekstra off a cross from Caroline Leighton in the first half. Unfortunately Carlie's shot sailed over the bar and that was really our only offensive chance of the game. The Bears goalkeeper did not have to make a save on Sunday.
Our goalkeeper, freshman Alli Novak, played a good game making 10 saves on the day. The Bears' goal came when a shot bounced away from Alli, right to a waiting Bear striker who calmly finished her chance and gave Wash U all the offense they needed on the day.
Lots to work on this week as we get ready for a difficult game on Wednesday night at home against Loras College. They lost to this same Wash U team 2-1 in overtime a couple of weeks back, so they will be a tough team for us. We then travel to Chicago on Saturday to open our conference season at North Park University.
Go Titans!
Friday, September 21, 2007
Titans defeat Lake Forest, 4-1
(2007 IWU Women's Soccer Team photo)First, let me apologize for the delay in posting this week. I spent most of yesterday watching video...of our game with Lake Forest and some footage of our next opponent, Wash U. I know there are several who check this regularly so I'll try to be more timely along the way :)
The game on Wednesday at Lake Forest was a significant improvement over our last performance versus Maryville. The 4-1 result was fair, considering we outshot the hosts 30-6 and hit the post twice. The score was level at 1-1 at halftime, although the hosts only had one good chance and caught us one time and unfortunately took us off stride for the final 15 minutes or so of the first half.
We opened the scoring in the 6th minute when two freshmen hooked up on the goal. Alyssa Feulner played a nice through pass to Carlie Hoekstra who hit a nice shot past the keeper for her first college goal. We opened the second half with a renewed focus in our attack and it showed in the results. The second IWU goal of the day was scored by Caroline Leighton, her 6th of the season, off another assist from Feulner. The final two goals of the day came from Elizabeth Sinclair, her first two of the year, in the 63rd and 68th minutes of the game to put the match on ice.
It was good that we were able to get this result. We had been struggling to find the target and create scoring chances for ourselves. The fact we took so many strikes at the goal hopefully is a sign that we have broken free of our attacking issues. At least I hope this is a positive sign given we have two important regional games coming up: first, at undefeated and nationally-ranked Washington University (#4 according to D3kicks.com and #10 according to the NSCAA), and then Loras College comes to Bloomington on Wednesday night. We have had tough games with each of these teams over the past few seasons and I certainly expect nothing less than the same in the next few days. At 4-2-1, we are reaching a critical stretch of games with about a third of the season now behind us, two crucial regional games and then the start of the conference season on the horizon. It will be important for us to keep getting better and hopefully get some good results over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!
Go Titans!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Titans survivie trip to Maryville, 1-0
The Titans traveled to St. Louis on Saturday to take on a feisty Maryville University team. Although not playing our best soccer, the team managed to survive and win 1-0. The game winning goal was scored by Caroline Leighton off an assist from Elizabeth Sinclair in the 66th minute.
The statistics indicated that we only out-shot the hosts by a 12-10 margin, but I think the host statistician kept totals that were flattering to Maryville. We never really conceded any dangerous chances, and while Alli was credited with 9 saves, none were particularly challenging. Contrast this with the performance of the Maryville keeper who was credited with 10 saves and several were of the spectacular variety, both in the first and second halves, keeping her team in the game.
Disclaimer: this is not an excuse for less than exemplary performance, however the field we played on at the Sportport Complex in Maryland Heights was, shall we say, substandard at best. As a result of a dry, hard, dirt-filled surface, the ball was bouncing higher than normal and not taking very direct paths as it traveled across the ground. This made for a not-so-pretty game to watch, especially in the first half. However, we did find two great chances to score in the first 45 minutes, only to be turned away be fine goalkeeping each time.
The second half was played nearly entirely in the Maryville end, save the final few frantic minutes when they pushed numbers forward trying to equalize. We managed to pressure the Maryville goal regularly and finally broke through when Elizabeth and Caroline combined on the goal. We had several other chances to put the game to bed, but unfortunately couldn't get the second goal.
We are back in action at Lake Forest College on Wednesday afternoon for a 4:30 kickoff, and then head back to St. Louis to face #11 Washington University next Sunday afternoon.
Go Titans!
The statistics indicated that we only out-shot the hosts by a 12-10 margin, but I think the host statistician kept totals that were flattering to Maryville. We never really conceded any dangerous chances, and while Alli was credited with 9 saves, none were particularly challenging. Contrast this with the performance of the Maryville keeper who was credited with 10 saves and several were of the spectacular variety, both in the first and second halves, keeping her team in the game.
Disclaimer: this is not an excuse for less than exemplary performance, however the field we played on at the Sportport Complex in Maryland Heights was, shall we say, substandard at best. As a result of a dry, hard, dirt-filled surface, the ball was bouncing higher than normal and not taking very direct paths as it traveled across the ground. This made for a not-so-pretty game to watch, especially in the first half. However, we did find two great chances to score in the first 45 minutes, only to be turned away be fine goalkeeping each time.
The second half was played nearly entirely in the Maryville end, save the final few frantic minutes when they pushed numbers forward trying to equalize. We managed to pressure the Maryville goal regularly and finally broke through when Elizabeth and Caroline combined on the goal. We had several other chances to put the game to bed, but unfortunately couldn't get the second goal.
We are back in action at Lake Forest College on Wednesday afternoon for a 4:30 kickoff, and then head back to St. Louis to face #11 Washington University next Sunday afternoon.
Go Titans!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Chicago drops Titans, 2-0.
Facing their second top 20 team in 6 days, the Titans dropped a 2-0 decision to the University of Chicago on Wednesday evening in Bloomington.
The first half was rough for us. We seemed a step slow compared to the Maroons who were very sharp coming out to begin the game. We had real difficulties holding the ball, and frankly, more difficulties just winning the ball as the Chicago defenders continually were a step quicker than us in getting to our service forward. UC had the vast majority of possession in the first half, but didn't manage a ton of quality chances and they were offsides a number of times. We did defend very well all evening, but specifically in the first half when we couldn't hold the ball in their end of the field. UC didn't get on the board until 3 minutes before half on a very strange play. A service into a dangerous area of the field created some indecision on the part of our team and as a result a very soft shot finding its way into the goal. The lesson here was that serves, while not necessarily anything great, as long as they are played into danger areas create problems and can lead to goals.
The second half looked like a different game. Instead of defending so much as we did in the first half, we instead maintained the majority of possession and looked much more like the team we'd like to be. Unfortunately we failed to be dangerous consistently in the final third, save for a couple of shots from distance that did manage to test their keeper. Our best scoring chances, oddly enough, may have occured in the first half against the run of play. UC put the game away when they scored on a shot from distance that dipped and swerved, catching our freshman goalkeeper Alli Novak and putting the Maroons up 2-0.
On the bright side we did play possibly our best soccer of the season for the first 25-30 minutes of the second half. We actually kept the ball and made Chicago defend. us through the middle third. Our next charge is to be more dangerous going forward. We have been shut out in 3 of our first 5 games. This needs to improve for us to be successful this season. We have been outshot by our opponents so far this season as well, so we need to find ways to be more creative around the goal, a challenge for our team.
We're off to face Maryville University in St. Louis on Saturday hoping to get back on track.
Go Titans!
The first half was rough for us. We seemed a step slow compared to the Maroons who were very sharp coming out to begin the game. We had real difficulties holding the ball, and frankly, more difficulties just winning the ball as the Chicago defenders continually were a step quicker than us in getting to our service forward. UC had the vast majority of possession in the first half, but didn't manage a ton of quality chances and they were offsides a number of times. We did defend very well all evening, but specifically in the first half when we couldn't hold the ball in their end of the field. UC didn't get on the board until 3 minutes before half on a very strange play. A service into a dangerous area of the field created some indecision on the part of our team and as a result a very soft shot finding its way into the goal. The lesson here was that serves, while not necessarily anything great, as long as they are played into danger areas create problems and can lead to goals.
The second half looked like a different game. Instead of defending so much as we did in the first half, we instead maintained the majority of possession and looked much more like the team we'd like to be. Unfortunately we failed to be dangerous consistently in the final third, save for a couple of shots from distance that did manage to test their keeper. Our best scoring chances, oddly enough, may have occured in the first half against the run of play. UC put the game away when they scored on a shot from distance that dipped and swerved, catching our freshman goalkeeper Alli Novak and putting the Maroons up 2-0.
On the bright side we did play possibly our best soccer of the season for the first 25-30 minutes of the second half. We actually kept the ball and made Chicago defend. us through the middle third. Our next charge is to be more dangerous going forward. We have been shut out in 3 of our first 5 games. This needs to improve for us to be successful this season. We have been outshot by our opponents so far this season as well, so we need to find ways to be more creative around the goal, a challenge for our team.
We're off to face Maryville University in St. Louis on Saturday hoping to get back on track.
Go Titans!
Monday, September 10, 2007
New York Trip ends on a high note
(The photo on the right is the team at the Soccer Hall of Fame with the 1999 World Cup trophy.)On a rainy and gray day in upstate New York, the Titans took to the field on Sunday to try to recover from the drubbing they took on Saturday at the hands of Oneonta State. The team handled the soggy conditions quite well and handed host Hartwick College a 5-0 defeat.
The team was led by two scorers: Caroline Leighton and Kelsey Porter who had 3 and 2 goals respectively. C's first goal was a beautiful half-volley strike off a flicked corner kick. Caroline buried the shot in the top corner for an early 1-0 lead. We then struggled to find our way, not really getting a rhythm going until late in the first half when Caroline struck again off a nice assist from KPort to make it 2-0 at the half.
Caroline got her hat trick early in the second half, and then KPort took over getting the final two goals. Her first college goal came off a great long ball from Carissa Nemmers and it was a nice finish. There were a couple of highlight worthy goals on Sunday, so hopefully that gives us a lift heading into games this week.
The trip was overall a great time. The city of Oneonta does a great job hosting the Mayor's Cup Tournament. It is a huge deal for the city and we certainly were well taken care of during our stay. The only thing I wished for (in addition to a better result on Saturday) was that the fall foliage season would have been further along. While there were a few yellows and oranges visible, we were likely 2-3 weeks early and the girls missed the chance to see some amazing colors of the rolling northeastern hills. Being a native of New England, fall just isn't the same anywhere else in the country! Maybe on our next trip we'll time it better :)
Back to work this week as we go right into the fire hosting the University of Chicago who are again a very, very strong side. We'll have to be at our best to compete on Wednesday night, so hopefully an offday Monday will help rest are travel-weary bodies.
Go Titans!
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Tough opening day in New York
The Titans faced one formidable foe today in Oneonta State who defeated the Titans 4-0. We were outshot by a large margin (22-7) and were smacked around by a team who was bigger, faster, stronger, and just a better team than us. Oneonta was 18-3-1 last year and returns 10 of the starters off that team. This is an excellent team who has the makings of a long run into the NCAA tournament if they stay healthy and get a bit of luck during the season. This hopefully will be excellent preparation for tough in region games upcoming against Chicago, Wash U, Loras, Wheaton, Augustana, and Carthage. However, we have to actually put into play the lessons of today, and not just talk about it. Hopefully we can do that Sunday.
Enough about how good they were today. We fortunately playing right away tomorrow morning against Hartwick College. Indications are that Hartwick are not as strong as our opponents today. We need to put the lessons of today into play right away tomorrow and regain some of our confidence.
It has been an interesting trip so far. We barely made our flight out of O'Hare (traffic and a couple of players late to the bus caused the delay), however the folks at American Airlines were superb in getting us through security, checking bags, and holding the plane. When all was said and done, we arrived at the check in desk at 7:20 and the plane pushed back from the gate at 8:02, so kudos to everyone (including our girls who rallied and sprinted across the airport) for making it happen. The tournament here is awesome. They run a first rate tournament here at the Mayor's Cup, very well organized from start to finish so far. We played on a great field today at Oneonta and tomorrow's field is also going to be an awesome surface to play on. We also made a visit to the National Soccer Hall of Fame yesterday and got a team picture taken with the Women's World Cup trophy our US team won back in 1999. Aside from the result today, the trip has been good for us so far. Now if we can just get a win tomorrow....
Go Titans!
Enough about how good they were today. We fortunately playing right away tomorrow morning against Hartwick College. Indications are that Hartwick are not as strong as our opponents today. We need to put the lessons of today into play right away tomorrow and regain some of our confidence.
It has been an interesting trip so far. We barely made our flight out of O'Hare (traffic and a couple of players late to the bus caused the delay), however the folks at American Airlines were superb in getting us through security, checking bags, and holding the plane. When all was said and done, we arrived at the check in desk at 7:20 and the plane pushed back from the gate at 8:02, so kudos to everyone (including our girls who rallied and sprinted across the airport) for making it happen. The tournament here is awesome. They run a first rate tournament here at the Mayor's Cup, very well organized from start to finish so far. We played on a great field today at Oneonta and tomorrow's field is also going to be an awesome surface to play on. We also made a visit to the National Soccer Hall of Fame yesterday and got a team picture taken with the Women's World Cup trophy our US team won back in 1999. Aside from the result today, the trip has been good for us so far. Now if we can just get a win tomorrow....
Go Titans!
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Titans earn win, tie in Titan Soccer Classic
What a weekend! Absolultely beautiful weather hovered over Bloomington and made for a great opening weekend of soccer. The results were not bad considering our walking M*A*S*H unit we have for a team at the present time.
We fought back against St. Thomas after giving away a not so great goal to win 2-1 on Saturday afternoon. Junior Carly Calkins scored the game winning goal with only :49 showing on the clock on a nice assist from sophomore Elizabeth Sinclair. The Titans tied the game in the 76th minute when Caroline Leighton knocked home her own rebound past the Tommie's keeper. One of the things working in our favor on Saturday was the fact we really wore down the St. Thomas back four who were bent over at the waist gasping for breath after each goal.
Saturday was made even better because the parents of the players threw an amazing tailgate! There was a strong parent contingency and they really know how to have fun! The entire team (plus the officials, game staff, etc.) all loved the food!
On Sunday we faced a very strong team from Wisconsin-Stevens Point. SP had defeated division 1 UW Green Bay 6-1 in a preseason scrimmage, and blasted CCIW foe Elmhurst College on Saturday 5-0. Given that we didn't play all that well ourselves on Saturday and we were a bit banged up, we needed to make a few adjustments heading into the game today.
My assistant Craig Lee and I felt really good about our tactics as the game unfolded. We changed shape to begin the game and adjusted again at the half to put more pressure on the Stevens Point defenders. While each team had a few quality looks at goal, I personally thought we had the two best of the day that narrowly missed going under the crossbar from close range. Once again I thought our fitness was stronger at the end (although we were gassed too) and we just couldn't find the back of the net. So, a 0-0 tie after 2OT was the result from Sunday, leaving the Titans 1-0-1 on the early season.
I was pleased with a number of performances, and at the risk of forgetting someone here are a few that standout: freshman goalkeeper Alli Novak was very steady and made a great save each game for us; center back Tina Rodriguez was very, very, good...if we can keep her healthy she is on the cusp of a great season; Carissa Nemmers made a big statement with her play this weekend at right back; and freshman Carile Hoekstra was the engine that never stopped playing in her first collegiate games. We played a lot of bodies and it is important to note that everyone played a big role in our positive results this weekend.
We are off to upstate New York this weekend to face SUNY-Oneonta (top 15 team in the nation) and Hartwick College in the Mayor's Cup. We are very excited for the first out of region trip of this nature for Titan Soccer. We'll visit the US Soccer Hall of Fame while in Oneonta and I hope to blog on Saturday night after our first game versus Oneonta State.
Go Titans!
We fought back against St. Thomas after giving away a not so great goal to win 2-1 on Saturday afternoon. Junior Carly Calkins scored the game winning goal with only :49 showing on the clock on a nice assist from sophomore Elizabeth Sinclair. The Titans tied the game in the 76th minute when Caroline Leighton knocked home her own rebound past the Tommie's keeper. One of the things working in our favor on Saturday was the fact we really wore down the St. Thomas back four who were bent over at the waist gasping for breath after each goal.
Saturday was made even better because the parents of the players threw an amazing tailgate! There was a strong parent contingency and they really know how to have fun! The entire team (plus the officials, game staff, etc.) all loved the food!
On Sunday we faced a very strong team from Wisconsin-Stevens Point. SP had defeated division 1 UW Green Bay 6-1 in a preseason scrimmage, and blasted CCIW foe Elmhurst College on Saturday 5-0. Given that we didn't play all that well ourselves on Saturday and we were a bit banged up, we needed to make a few adjustments heading into the game today.
My assistant Craig Lee and I felt really good about our tactics as the game unfolded. We changed shape to begin the game and adjusted again at the half to put more pressure on the Stevens Point defenders. While each team had a few quality looks at goal, I personally thought we had the two best of the day that narrowly missed going under the crossbar from close range. Once again I thought our fitness was stronger at the end (although we were gassed too) and we just couldn't find the back of the net. So, a 0-0 tie after 2OT was the result from Sunday, leaving the Titans 1-0-1 on the early season.
I was pleased with a number of performances, and at the risk of forgetting someone here are a few that standout: freshman goalkeeper Alli Novak was very steady and made a great save each game for us; center back Tina Rodriguez was very, very, good...if we can keep her healthy she is on the cusp of a great season; Carissa Nemmers made a big statement with her play this weekend at right back; and freshman Carile Hoekstra was the engine that never stopped playing in her first collegiate games. We played a lot of bodies and it is important to note that everyone played a big role in our positive results this weekend.
We are off to upstate New York this weekend to face SUNY-Oneonta (top 15 team in the nation) and Hartwick College in the Mayor's Cup. We are very excited for the first out of region trip of this nature for Titan Soccer. We'll visit the US Soccer Hall of Fame while in Oneonta and I hope to blog on Saturday night after our first game versus Oneonta State.
Go Titans!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)