In what can best be described as a gutty and gritty performance, the Titans certainly made the #1 ranked team in the nation at least a little nervous last night. Scoring just 2 minutes into the game to take the lead and then with four minutes remaining to tie the score, IWU stretched the Thunder into overtime for only the second time this season before Wheaton got the game winner just 3 minutes into the extra session.
We scored both of our goals off turnovers, something we talk with our team a lot about not giving away ourselves because of just this reason. For the first, Caroline Leighton stole the ball from Bethany Barton in midfield, carried the ball about 25 yards at a good angle, and played a through pass to Elizabeth Sinclair. The pass ended up just inside the penalty box and Elizabeth beat the keeper to the ball and clipped it past her for a 1-0 lead, the first such lead IWU has had against Wheaton since 2003.
Wheaton equalized when one of their players dribbled down the endline and served a ball into the goalbox. In an effort to clear it, there was a bit of miscommunication between our players and the ball ended up deflecting off a green shirt into the goal. A bit unfortunate and possibly avoidable, but again speaks to something we talk about all the time: when you put the defense on their heels and make dangerous service, something good could happen for you one way or another. That's exactly what happened against us on that play.
But we got to halftime at 1-1. I told the team at the break to expect an onslaught from the Thunder and sure enough that's what we got. They broke us down on the flanks, and earned corner kick after corner kick, in addition to putting our goalkeeper and back four under constant pressure for about 30 minutes in the second half. However, we got some luck and kept fighting and kept the game at 2-1, setting up some late game heroics.
Our second goal once again started when we stole the ball (thanks Lindsey Iseler) in their end. We caught them out of shape a bit and once Elizabeth turned with the ball she had a ton of time and space to line up her shot from the top of the box. It was a beauty that found the opposite side netting and sent the game into overtime.
I was really proud of the effort and determination displayed by the girls. We were undermanned due to injuries, and probably overmatched in ability but the team held strong and gave it their very best right 'til the end. It was a great result considering the alternative which could have seen the team play uninspired soccer given the task we had at hand. However, that didn't seem to cross the minds of our players and we at least caused the #1 team a bit of discomfort at home.
We end at a disappointing 7-8-3, our program's first losing season in 13 years. We have a lot of work to do to improve as I know nobody wants to see the same results in 2008. Hopefully we'll all be up to the task in the next 10 months before we play our first game of 2008 on August 30.
Thanks to all of the fans who came out to support the team last night and all season long. The parents, families, alumnae, and friends were all great this year in supporting our efforts. Hopefully we'll have more to cheer about next year!
Go Titans!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Titans, Lady Reds tie 0-0; IWU gets 4th place in CCIW
After 110 exhausting minutes on Saturday afternoon, the Titans and Carthage Lady Reds left the field with a 0-0 draw. The result left the Titans at 7-7-3 and 3-3-1 in the CCIW. When the game ended, we did not know our fate in the conference as Elmhurst and Millikin were set to play on Sunday afternoon. Our friends from Elmhurst managed to defeat the Big Blue in Decatur, 2-1, putting the Titans into fourth place in the conference by one point over Millikin. With this, we earn the right to face Wheaton College tonight in the conference semi-finals.
The game on Saturday was a tough, physical affair with little offense created on either side of the field. The shot totals were 7-5 in favor of the visiting Lady Reds, but even those totals seem a bit high for both teams. Both sides defended really well and made it difficult for the other to attack. There were 29 fouls called in the game as well, so at the final whistle both teams may have been happy to see the game end.
The day was also an opportunity to honor and recognize the efforts of our seniors: captain Meghan Rynne and Megan Lucke. Both players saw considerable playing time during the game and contributed significantly to the result on Saturday. Both players gave their all during their Titan careers and hopefully will look back with great memories from their time wearing green and white.
But their careers aren't over just yet, as a trip to #1 Wheaton awaits us tonight. They are tough, but our goal is to make them earn whatever they get tonight. We are going to try to roll out our "A" game and give ourselves a chance to win in the end. The Thunder have won 38 games in a row going into tonight, and are 20-0 this season. We'll have our hands full, but we'll give it our very best! Go Titans!
The game on Saturday was a tough, physical affair with little offense created on either side of the field. The shot totals were 7-5 in favor of the visiting Lady Reds, but even those totals seem a bit high for both teams. Both sides defended really well and made it difficult for the other to attack. There were 29 fouls called in the game as well, so at the final whistle both teams may have been happy to see the game end.
The day was also an opportunity to honor and recognize the efforts of our seniors: captain Meghan Rynne and Megan Lucke. Both players saw considerable playing time during the game and contributed significantly to the result on Saturday. Both players gave their all during their Titan careers and hopefully will look back with great memories from their time wearing green and white.
But their careers aren't over just yet, as a trip to #1 Wheaton awaits us tonight. They are tough, but our goal is to make them earn whatever they get tonight. We are going to try to roll out our "A" game and give ourselves a chance to win in the end. The Thunder have won 38 games in a row going into tonight, and are 20-0 this season. We'll have our hands full, but we'll give it our very best! Go Titans!
Friday, October 26, 2007
Interesting week...
Well, we were supposed to have had a game this week....
On our way to South Bend to meet Hope College for a 6pm game on Wednesday, our 30-passenger bus made a seemingly harmless stop at the Lincoln Oasis in South Holland, Illinois. An essential break in the trip given no "facilities" on our bus. Well, when the driver tried to restart the bus when we were ready to depart, nothing happened other than the engine churning. So there we sat, wondering what to do and making a bunch of calls to IWU, Hope, the bus company, local mechanics, and anyone else we thought could help us either fix this bus or get us a new one so we could get to the game.
Alas, we failed on all fronts to get alternate transportation and were stuck at the rest stop, forced to cancel our game with Hope. On the bright side: nobody got hurt and nobody got any sicker :) This is a good thing considering our big game on Saturday against Carthage. The Lady Reds are 5-1 in the CCIW and 14-3 overall, losing recently to Wheaton 5-1. They have already clinched second place in the league and will host Augustana on Tuesday in the conference semifinals.
Fourth place is still up for grabs, with really three teams in the mix: us, Millikin, and Elmhurst. Last night, North Central lost to Millikin, 1-0, on a goal with under 2 minutes remaining in the game. Millikin is now 3-3 in the CCIW, as are we, but hold the tie-breaker advantage because they beat us earlier in the season. The Big Blue host Elmhurst in their season finale on Sunday at 2pm in Decatur. In order for us to secure 4th place, we must win on Saturday and hope that Elmhurst either beats or ties Millikin on Sunday. If Millikin wins, we are out and our season ends on Saturday. Go Bluejays!
But we have our hands full ourselves with Carthage. They are very difficult to play against and we've always struggled with them. Saturday is also the final home game for our Seniors who will be honored before the game with a ceremony thanking them for their service to Titan soccer. Game time on Saturday is 1pm. Go Titans!
On our way to South Bend to meet Hope College for a 6pm game on Wednesday, our 30-passenger bus made a seemingly harmless stop at the Lincoln Oasis in South Holland, Illinois. An essential break in the trip given no "facilities" on our bus. Well, when the driver tried to restart the bus when we were ready to depart, nothing happened other than the engine churning. So there we sat, wondering what to do and making a bunch of calls to IWU, Hope, the bus company, local mechanics, and anyone else we thought could help us either fix this bus or get us a new one so we could get to the game.
Alas, we failed on all fronts to get alternate transportation and were stuck at the rest stop, forced to cancel our game with Hope. On the bright side: nobody got hurt and nobody got any sicker :) This is a good thing considering our big game on Saturday against Carthage. The Lady Reds are 5-1 in the CCIW and 14-3 overall, losing recently to Wheaton 5-1. They have already clinched second place in the league and will host Augustana on Tuesday in the conference semifinals.
Fourth place is still up for grabs, with really three teams in the mix: us, Millikin, and Elmhurst. Last night, North Central lost to Millikin, 1-0, on a goal with under 2 minutes remaining in the game. Millikin is now 3-3 in the CCIW, as are we, but hold the tie-breaker advantage because they beat us earlier in the season. The Big Blue host Elmhurst in their season finale on Sunday at 2pm in Decatur. In order for us to secure 4th place, we must win on Saturday and hope that Elmhurst either beats or ties Millikin on Sunday. If Millikin wins, we are out and our season ends on Saturday. Go Bluejays!
But we have our hands full ourselves with Carthage. They are very difficult to play against and we've always struggled with them. Saturday is also the final home game for our Seniors who will be honored before the game with a ceremony thanking them for their service to Titan soccer. Game time on Saturday is 1pm. Go Titans!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Titans fit to be tied by St. Mary's, 1-1
Despite holding a significant advantage in shot attempts, the Titans could only manage a 1-1 double-overtime tie with the St. Mary's College Belles on Saturday afternoon here at IWU's Homecoming.
I was pleased with the effort of the team in the second half especially on Saturday. I thought we were a bit lethargic in our play for the first 45 minutes, but really turned things on in the second half and through overtime. I thought we did a nice job of controlled possession of the ball and really limiting the visitor's chances in our end. The Belles were very difficult to break down on the day, and our team couldn't put away the chances we were able to create, including one in the final minute that was cleared off the line after the goalkeeper had been beaten.
So it was another day where we were proud of our effort and determination, but disappointed and frustrated we didn't get the result we wanted. It's been one of those years where too many of these games have factored into play, but I guess every now and then these things happen. Hopefully we'll continue to learn from the experience and become better for it on and off the field.
We are off to South Bend, Indiana on Wednesday to play Hope College at 6pm eastern time. We are playing at the home of the Indiana Invaders of the PDL, so it should be a nice stadium environment for the game. Hope is a good team who is having their ups and downs like we are this season. And also like ourselves, Hope has conference games to think about this weekend. We'd like to get a win heading into the weekend showdown at home here against Carthage where we need to win to have a chance to qualify for our CCIW tournament. Stay tuned! Go Titans!
I was pleased with the effort of the team in the second half especially on Saturday. I thought we were a bit lethargic in our play for the first 45 minutes, but really turned things on in the second half and through overtime. I thought we did a nice job of controlled possession of the ball and really limiting the visitor's chances in our end. The Belles were very difficult to break down on the day, and our team couldn't put away the chances we were able to create, including one in the final minute that was cleared off the line after the goalkeeper had been beaten.
So it was another day where we were proud of our effort and determination, but disappointed and frustrated we didn't get the result we wanted. It's been one of those years where too many of these games have factored into play, but I guess every now and then these things happen. Hopefully we'll continue to learn from the experience and become better for it on and off the field.
We are off to South Bend, Indiana on Wednesday to play Hope College at 6pm eastern time. We are playing at the home of the Indiana Invaders of the PDL, so it should be a nice stadium environment for the game. Hope is a good team who is having their ups and downs like we are this season. And also like ourselves, Hope has conference games to think about this weekend. We'd like to get a win heading into the weekend showdown at home here against Carthage where we need to win to have a chance to qualify for our CCIW tournament. Stay tuned! Go Titans!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Augie drops Titans, 2-0 in key CCIW game
The Titan women's soccer team fell to 6-7-1 and 2-3 in the CCIW with a 2-0 loss at Augustana on Saturday evening. Unfortunately, the team fell behind in the first minute of the game when the Vikings scored their first goal. We had to chase the game at that point and although we didn't play badly, we struggled to get past the tough Viking defense. The score remained 1-0 through the first half and then the home side got their second goal only 9 minutes into the second half off a corner kick.
Playing against Augustana is always emotional, and they have a distinct home field advantage playing in their stadium. We now do not control our own destiny in terms of putting ourselves in position to play in the CCIW tournament and have a chance at the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. Wheaton is locked in at #1 seed (barring an upset by Carthage), Carthage is 3-0 is second, and then Millkin (3-2), Augustana (3-2), Elmhurst (2-3), and IWU (2-3) fighting for the final two spots. If we win Wednesday against North Central and then in our home finale against Carthage, we'd be at 4-3 and would have a chance to qualify. It has been a funny conference this year, so I guess anything is possible. Most importantly, we need to focus on what we can control, which is our own business, and that begins by playing well on Wednesday at home. Go Titans!
Playing against Augustana is always emotional, and they have a distinct home field advantage playing in their stadium. We now do not control our own destiny in terms of putting ourselves in position to play in the CCIW tournament and have a chance at the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. Wheaton is locked in at #1 seed (barring an upset by Carthage), Carthage is 3-0 is second, and then Millkin (3-2), Augustana (3-2), Elmhurst (2-3), and IWU (2-3) fighting for the final two spots. If we win Wednesday against North Central and then in our home finale against Carthage, we'd be at 4-3 and would have a chance to qualify. It has been a funny conference this year, so I guess anything is possible. Most importantly, we need to focus on what we can control, which is our own business, and that begins by playing well on Wednesday at home. Go Titans!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Titans give little Sam birthday gift with win over Elmhurst
With Dad staying behind with Mom and Sam on the little one's birthday, the Titans took to the road once again and defeated Elmhurst 3-0. This was an important win for us as it brought us to 6-6-1 overall and 2-2 in the CCIW. We have three conference games remaining, beginning with an important game at Augustana on Saturday night in Rock Island. Augustana is currently 2-2 in the CCIW as well, so the victor on Saturday will have an important edge in the standings.
Not having seen the game myself on Tuesday, I don't want to make too many specific comments about how things went. The reports from Craig were positive about the team's performance in very windy conditions. I am proud of the entire team for rallying to play well after defeats in our two previous games. Playing in the middle of the day during the week is difficult, so I am pleased that the group responded to the challenge presented to them on Tuesday.
I will be back with the team for the game on Saturday evening, leaving Mom and Sam at home with one set of grandparents and Fenway watching over the house. We have had a good week of practice so far so we're all keeping our fingers crossed that last weekend's performance against Wheaton will propel us through the last stretch of games and get us into the CCIW tournament. (By the way, Wheaton won again on Wednesday defeating UW Eau Claire 2-1 on a goal by #16 (surprise) with only :15 left in the game. Eau Claire had been 11-0-1 prior to the game.)
Go Titans!
Not having seen the game myself on Tuesday, I don't want to make too many specific comments about how things went. The reports from Craig were positive about the team's performance in very windy conditions. I am proud of the entire team for rallying to play well after defeats in our two previous games. Playing in the middle of the day during the week is difficult, so I am pleased that the group responded to the challenge presented to them on Tuesday.
I will be back with the team for the game on Saturday evening, leaving Mom and Sam at home with one set of grandparents and Fenway watching over the house. We have had a good week of practice so far so we're all keeping our fingers crossed that last weekend's performance against Wheaton will propel us through the last stretch of games and get us into the CCIW tournament. (By the way, Wheaton won again on Wednesday defeating UW Eau Claire 2-1 on a goal by #16 (surprise) with only :15 left in the game. Eau Claire had been 11-0-1 prior to the game.)
Go Titans!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Proud to be a Titan
On Saturday evening, the Titans welcomed the #1 team in the nation, Wheaton College, to Blooomington for a CCIW showdown. The team came together and played not only with heart and determination, but also with their heads for all 90 minutes. We unfortunately came out on the short end of the 2-0 result, giving Wheaton their 32nd straight win and improving their record to 14-0 this season.
We did a lot of great things and I thought we got one right with our tactics. Wheaton has been averaging about 6 goals per game and taking an average of 25 shots per game, just incredible figures for soccer. We thought that if we could minimize their chances and create some chances off our organized pressure we'd have a chance.
Have a chance we did. At halftime the score was knotted 0-0 and Wheaton only had 5 shots in the period. We only managed one shot but were in their end as much as they were in ours. We caught them offsides several times and that proved to be an effective tool on our side throughout the match.
Wheaton scored early in the second half off a very good effort from one of their All-Americans to go up 1-0 with 43 minutes to play in the game. We didn't back down, and created some forward momentum for the rest of the game. When it was still a one-goal game, we had a couple of looks off corner kicks, and kept play in the midfield for the majority of the time. They got a second goal on a bit of a scrappy play, and although we were down two like true Titan soccer players we didn't stop fighting until the end. At the end of the day, however, Wheaton just has 3-5 players who should be playing at the division 1 level and were simply too good.
It was a true team effort from everyone, starting 11 on down through the reserves on the sidelines who were into the game from the get-go. Our back four of Tina Rodriguez, Patty Troxell, Carissa Nemmers, and freshman Tori Samson played very well against three of the best strikers in the nation. Our goalkeeper Alli Novak was steady in holding onto the ball and not giving them any rebounds to pounce on around the goal. All of our midfielders and forwards worked very hard and really played super against a very good side. If we can find a way to bottle the emotional and physical effort put forward last night for our remaining 6 games we'll make some noise down the stretch.
Next up is an away game at Elmhurst on Tuesday afternoon. Our challenge will be to put on our best efforts in a mid-week, mid-afternoon affair. Elmhurst is a tough team, who took Augustana to overtime on Saturday before falling 1-0. We have 5 CCIW games remaining, and if we win them all we'd have a chance to be the #2 seed in the conference tournament, and that should be our goal for the stretch run. Go Titans!
We did a lot of great things and I thought we got one right with our tactics. Wheaton has been averaging about 6 goals per game and taking an average of 25 shots per game, just incredible figures for soccer. We thought that if we could minimize their chances and create some chances off our organized pressure we'd have a chance.
Have a chance we did. At halftime the score was knotted 0-0 and Wheaton only had 5 shots in the period. We only managed one shot but were in their end as much as they were in ours. We caught them offsides several times and that proved to be an effective tool on our side throughout the match.
Wheaton scored early in the second half off a very good effort from one of their All-Americans to go up 1-0 with 43 minutes to play in the game. We didn't back down, and created some forward momentum for the rest of the game. When it was still a one-goal game, we had a couple of looks off corner kicks, and kept play in the midfield for the majority of the time. They got a second goal on a bit of a scrappy play, and although we were down two like true Titan soccer players we didn't stop fighting until the end. At the end of the day, however, Wheaton just has 3-5 players who should be playing at the division 1 level and were simply too good.
It was a true team effort from everyone, starting 11 on down through the reserves on the sidelines who were into the game from the get-go. Our back four of Tina Rodriguez, Patty Troxell, Carissa Nemmers, and freshman Tori Samson played very well against three of the best strikers in the nation. Our goalkeeper Alli Novak was steady in holding onto the ball and not giving them any rebounds to pounce on around the goal. All of our midfielders and forwards worked very hard and really played super against a very good side. If we can find a way to bottle the emotional and physical effort put forward last night for our remaining 6 games we'll make some noise down the stretch.
Next up is an away game at Elmhurst on Tuesday afternoon. Our challenge will be to put on our best efforts in a mid-week, mid-afternoon affair. Elmhurst is a tough team, who took Augustana to overtime on Saturday before falling 1-0. We have 5 CCIW games remaining, and if we win them all we'd have a chance to be the #2 seed in the conference tournament, and that should be our goal for the stretch run. Go Titans!
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Millikin drops Titans for first win ever vs. IWU
This one is a tough one to discuss....
In what easily is one of the most disappointing results in IWU soccer history, the team droped a 3-2 decision to Millikin in Decatur Wednesday afternoon. It was Millikin's first ever win over IWU women's soccer.
To Millkin's credit, they thoroughly outworked us and out played us for all 107 minutes. They deserved to win and we didn't. Had we escaped we would have been stopped by the Decatur police for robbery before leaving town.
About the only redeeming quality of the day was the fact we battled back from a goal down and tied the game with under 5 minutes to play in regulation on a breakaway goal by Carlie Hoekstra that we thought gave us momentum to win it in overtime. Alas, our third defensive breakdown of the game was punished by a Millikin player and created a sense of euphoria on the Big Blue sideline.
So we need to regroup...again. This time we have a monumental task ahead of us on Saturday when #1 ranked, undefeated, and owners of a 30 game winning streak, Wheaton Thunder come to Bloomington for a 7pm match. We are going to have our hands full and will no doubt need to be at our best to have a chance to get a result against the defending national champions.
Go Titans!
In what easily is one of the most disappointing results in IWU soccer history, the team droped a 3-2 decision to Millikin in Decatur Wednesday afternoon. It was Millikin's first ever win over IWU women's soccer.
To Millkin's credit, they thoroughly outworked us and out played us for all 107 minutes. They deserved to win and we didn't. Had we escaped we would have been stopped by the Decatur police for robbery before leaving town.
About the only redeeming quality of the day was the fact we battled back from a goal down and tied the game with under 5 minutes to play in regulation on a breakaway goal by Carlie Hoekstra that we thought gave us momentum to win it in overtime. Alas, our third defensive breakdown of the game was punished by a Millikin player and created a sense of euphoria on the Big Blue sideline.
So we need to regroup...again. This time we have a monumental task ahead of us on Saturday when #1 ranked, undefeated, and owners of a 30 game winning streak, Wheaton Thunder come to Bloomington for a 7pm match. We are going to have our hands full and will no doubt need to be at our best to have a chance to get a result against the defending national champions.
Go Titans!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Titans drop North Park, 5-0
On a beautiful night for soccer on the north side of Chicago, the Titans took to the field against a game but overmatched North Park Viking squad and came away with a much needed 5-0 victory. With the win, the team's record improves to 5-4-1 and 1-0 in the league.
The scoring started in the first half with freshman Alyssa Feulner's first career goal. Despite having other opportunities to increase the lead before the break, the Titans were only able to manage the one goal in the first half. As has been our trend this season, we have been very strong coming out of the intermission, and Saturday night was no different as we scored 4 goals in the second half.
Our second goal came off a nice build up through the midfield. Feulner played a nice through pass to classmate Carlie Hoekstra who beat a defender in the penalty box and slotted a nice pass to a wide open Elizabeth Sinclair who tapped in an easy one from 6 yards away. Sinclair got her second goal of the night when she beat a defender on the left side of the box and hammered home the third Titan goal of the night. The final two tallies came off the foot of Caroline Leighton, who scored her team-leading 7th and 8th goals of the season to create the final 5-0 margin.
It was certainly nice to get some goals on our side, and frankly catch a bit of luck finally going our way as the Viking goalkeeper certainly didn't have one of her better games in goal. But, after being foiled time and time again in the first half of the year with good saves by goalkeepers and goalposts, we weren't about to complain about something finally going our way.
We're back at it this week at CCIW foe Millikin (8-3) on Wednesday afternoon, and then hosting #1 ranked and unbeaten Wheaton College on Saturday night for what will surely be our most challenging game of the season so far.
Go Titans!
The scoring started in the first half with freshman Alyssa Feulner's first career goal. Despite having other opportunities to increase the lead before the break, the Titans were only able to manage the one goal in the first half. As has been our trend this season, we have been very strong coming out of the intermission, and Saturday night was no different as we scored 4 goals in the second half.
Our second goal came off a nice build up through the midfield. Feulner played a nice through pass to classmate Carlie Hoekstra who beat a defender in the penalty box and slotted a nice pass to a wide open Elizabeth Sinclair who tapped in an easy one from 6 yards away. Sinclair got her second goal of the night when she beat a defender on the left side of the box and hammered home the third Titan goal of the night. The final two tallies came off the foot of Caroline Leighton, who scored her team-leading 7th and 8th goals of the season to create the final 5-0 margin.
It was certainly nice to get some goals on our side, and frankly catch a bit of luck finally going our way as the Viking goalkeeper certainly didn't have one of her better games in goal. But, after being foiled time and time again in the first half of the year with good saves by goalkeepers and goalposts, we weren't about to complain about something finally going our way.
We're back at it this week at CCIW foe Millikin (8-3) on Wednesday afternoon, and then hosting #1 ranked and unbeaten Wheaton College on Saturday night for what will surely be our most challenging game of the season so far.
Go Titans!
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