2009 SOCCER VIDEO

Kum Ba Yah Anyone?

I'd like everyone to join hands in a wonderful round of Kum Ba Yah. If not, how bout a game of Six degrees of Kevin Bacon. Anyone?

BOLIVAR WINS DISTRICT 5 CHAMPIONSHIP

Bolivar whooped Warrensburg 3-0 tonight to win the Class 2 District 5 Championship. Pembroke went down in flames 4-0 vs Notre Dame deSion (NDDS). The schedule for sectionals show 5/28 at 6:00 PM in Warrensburg (how ironic). I’ll be there for sure rooting for Bolivar. Go Liberators!

BOLIVAR WINS THEIR GAME VS MARSHFIELD

I got to watch a bit of the Marshfield vs Bolivar game before the Cats played and was impressed by both teams. Marshfield attacked the ball and showed great speed in key positions. Bolivar played a quality game (what little I saw of it) but did allow some chances on their goal.

I happened to stand next to Marshfield's coach (Paul? I'm horrible with names) while watching the Harrisonville game and I enjoyed his company and knowledge of the game and teams. I think the hardest thing about this new district alignment was trying to figure out all the new teams strengths and weaknesses and where they all fit. I still don't think we've seen Bolivars A game. I'm hoping they give it to Warrensburg....and I'm sure they will!

WILDCATS LOSE IN DISTRICT SEMI-FINAL

The Wildcats came up short tonight, falling 2-1 in double overtime against a tough Warrensburg team. The Cats had beaten the Tigers 5-0 earlier in the year but knew that this would not be an easy game since we lost three of our top starters in the Pembroke Hill game. The team that hit the field tonight showed great honor and spirit. Everyone stepped up and gave it all. They left it all on the field.

The Cats scored first off a wonderful Alex Erickson corner kick. Karson Wilson strode in and drove a towering header through a hole in the defenders. I thought she might have grazed her head on the cross bar she jumped so high. It wasn't until the second half that Warrensburg was able to capitalize on a scrum for the ball in the box. Shots were blocked at least twice by the keeper and defense but we were unable to clear the ball before the Tigers poked it home. Both side created opportunities with shots on goal but the score remained tied at the end of regulation. The first overtime came and went and then on to a second. The Cats had at least two shots fall wide of the goal and both sides won corner kicks they failed to convert. I thought we might finish out the second overtime and go to PK's until Warrensburg was able to put a perfectly placed shot on goal to end the game with four minutes left.

I was really proud of all the girls for keeping their composer in this hard fought battle. This has been a wonderful season and your record reflects it. The Cats finished the season 14-3 with 11 shutouts, 102 goals for and only 9 goals against. Well done ladies! Well done!

WILDCATS DOWN THE BULLDOGS IN FIRST ROUND DISTRICT MATCH

The Wildcats shutout the Carl Junction Bulldogs in their first round matchup with 8 goals. The Bulldogs were a classy team that played a spirited game. Their keeper had some great saves in the game and was inspiring to watch. The field, while well groomed and flat, had a couple huge pools of water from the recent rain. The girls did well to keep the ball clear of the puddles but there was at least on time where they tried to dribble through the deep end. I think one girl even tripped over the diving board.

The win put the cats at 14-2 for the season with 11 shutouts and 101 goals for - 7 against.

Other district scores:

#4 Marshfield Blue Jays - 2
#5 Logan-Rogersville Wildcats - 1

#3 Warrensburg Tigers - 4
#6 West Plains Zizzers - 0

#1 Bolivar Liberators - 6 or 7 (I didn't stay for the second half)
# Clinton- 0

Next round will be Marshfield vs Bolivar and Warrensburg vs Harrisonville.

CARL JUNCTION BULLDOG INFO

I finally found some Carl Junction info.

2009 Season Scores

CARTHAGE----------------L 1-2 (pk)
SPRINGFIELD CATHOLIC----L 0-10
HILLCREST---------------L 0-6
NIXA TOURNAMENT
---ROGERSVILLE----------L 0-8
---NEOSHO---------------L 0-6
---WILLARD--------------L 0-1
MCAULEY-----------------L 0-3
NEOSHO TOURNAMENT
---NEOSHO---------------L 1-5
---HILLCREST------------T 0-0
NEOSHO------------------L 0-7
CARTHAGE----------------L 0-1
JOPLIN------------------L 1-3
NIXA--------------------L 0-8

GRAIN VALLEY VISITS HARRISONVILLE FOR CATS LAST REGULAR SEASON GAME

The Wildcats welcomed Grain Valley to Memorial Stadium and played them to a full 80 minutes with a score of 8-1. I wasn't able to make the game (sorry no pictures) but the following ladies provided Harrisonville with the goals.

3 Emily Buerge
2 Kaila Leipard
2 Melissa Bullard
1 Karson Wilson


Way to finish out the season Cats! Next up are the Carl Junction Bulldogs in Bolivar, MO for the first round of the District Soccer Tournament.

ST. LOUIS ATHLETICA WAS WORTH THE TRIP

We did a short road trip to see the St. Louis Athletica play vs their Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) opponent, the FC Gold from San Diego, CA. I've covered some Women's National Team Soccer back in 2000 when I did KCSoccerSpot.com and this game was eye opening for me. The Athletica won the game, their first of the season and league, on an amazing corner that was bent past the post and keeper.

The game has progressed so much in the last 10 years. I saw the pace in the first 10 minutes and commented to my daughters that there was no way they could sustain it for the entire 90 minutes. I was wrong. These girls were fast and had lungs to match. They were not only fast at the front but all across the pitch. I've never seen anything like it. The league is made up of not only the best the US has to offer but hand picked international players as well. What is really great to see is a smattering of the 90's and 2000 era team mixed in with the new young guns. Tiffany Milbrett and Brandi Chastain were in the house. Unbelievable.

And pace is not all that's changed. These ladies were amazingly skilled and tactically sound as well. Both sides were playing a wonderful game with minimal touches, threading passes into spaces a mouse couldn't run through. I got a press pass to shoot pictures at the USA vs Canada game in Kansas City in August 2000. I was like a kid in a candy store. We tied 1-1. The game, while entertaining was a much more physical match but much less tactical game than what I was seeing in MLS at the time. The Athletica and FC Gold both would have given the 2000 USA Womens team a run for their money if not a spanking.

The game was held on Southern Illinois University's stadium just 20 minutes from downtown St. Louis. The atmosphere at the game was reminescent of the old KC Mystics W-League games we used to attend here in KC. Small stadium with a great showing of fan support. Fantastic access to the players and a great seat no matter where you stood. The team went all out to make this an enjoyable game for us. The stadium is far away from the hustle and bustle of the city but close enough to hotels and other major attractions to make this a great weekend getaway.

We ended up staying overnight at a hotel just minutes from the stadium and then hitting the Gateway Arch and a riverboat ride on the way home. A great weekend I'm sure the girls won't forget.

The great surprise ending of the game? We were walking out and heard the girls names being yelled from the stands. What? There sits last years Harrisonville Assistant Coach Annie Sevy and her family. She was getting ready to move back to H'ville for the summer so she had enlisted her Mom and Dad to move her stuff back from Greenville College in Illinois. Small world.

I MISSED THIS ONE

I just found this entry on Warrensburg and Bolivar's game. It gives a glimpse of both teams style of play from Warrensburg's viewpoint.

Click here.

...and for the record, I'm not predicting anything, just passing on info when I find it. The Wildcats have to play every game one at a time starting with the Carl Junction Bulldogs. I've passed on their scores when I find em and I'm sure they will be a formidable opponent.

Pre-District Jam Video 2009

DISTRICT BRACKET - HARRISONVILLE TAKES SECOND SEED?

They have posted the District Championship Bracket. Harrisonville earned a second seed even after beating Warrensburg 5-0, a team Bolivar beat 2-1. Go figure. I'd rather have the girls go into this as the unknown underdogs (Cats) anyway. The District tournament will be held in Bolivar, MO (about 2.5 hours from Harrisonville).

Schedule is as follows:

Harrisonville vs Carl Junction Bulldogs
Saturday May 16th 1:00 PM

Semi-finals vs Warrensburg or West Plains
Monday May 18th 6:30 PM

District Championship vs ?
Wednesday May 20th 6:00 PM


View Larger Map

MORE SENIOR NIGHT PICTURES

MORE SENIOR NIGHT PICTURES

CATS CELEBRATE SENIOR NIGHT WITH A SHUTOUT

The Harrisonville Wildcats celebrated Senior Night with a 10-0 shutout win vs the Holden Eagles tonight.

Goals

4 Kaila Leipard
3 Alex Erickson
2 Kayla Birchfield
1 Karson Wilson

SCORES FROM AROUND THE DISTRICT

Waynesville Tigers - 2
West Plains Zizzers - 0

Springfield Catholic - 4
Bolivar Liberators - 1

Logan-Rogersville Wildcats - 4
Marshfield Blue Jays - 3

DISTRICT SEEDING

District seeding should be just around the corner. The site says it should be posted after 5/4/09 but that has been well over 24 hours. My GOD! I can't stand the suspense! I keep checking but nothing has posted on the web site yet. Argh!!

Check here for Class 2 District 5 seeding and championship schedule.

PEMBROKE HILL MAY BE A GOOD INDICATOR OF NOTRE DAME STRENGTH

The Wildcat game vs Pembroke Hills on Friday may be a good indicator on how strong the Notre Dame DeSion team may be this year as Pembroke recently played NDDS, losing 0-3. The Cats lost to NDDS 0-6 in last years district championship and could potentially face them again in sectional play if both win their districts in a few weeks.

Check here for more stats on the Pembroke team.

EXCELSIOR SPRINGS PROVES TOUGH CHALLENGE

The Wildcats seemed surprised tonight in the opening minutes of their game against the Excelsior Springs Tigers. The Cats rolled over the Tigers earlier this season in a 11-1 free for all that left them confident in the lead up to this conference match. The Tigers would have none of it; scoring a goal against the stingy Harrisonville defense after only 10 minutes into regulation. Anna Holden evened the score for the Cats in the 33rd minute and they came back invigorated for the second half. Kaila Leipard scored the game winning goal with a slow roller after a scrum for the ball in the box. The Cats hung on for the win.

Congrats to the Cats for a tough win against a much improved Tiger team and congrats to the Tigers on a great game.

Next up is another conference match against Holden at home on Thursday May 7th with Pembroke Hill coming next week.

ROAD TRIP TO SEE ST. LOUIS ATHLETICA - WOMEN'S PRO SOCCER (WPS)

We are planning a road trip next Saturday, May 9th to watch the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) St. Louis Athletica play the Santa Clara FC Gold. Notable team player include US National Team and 2008 US Olympic gold medalists keeper Hope Solo and midfielder Lori Chalupny.

They have special Mothers Day ticket packages we are taking advantage of.

Click here for a link to their team site.

Here's some info from their site.

"Mom takes you to all your games why not take her to one. With the Mothers Day Special package, give Mom the Mothers Day gift she will never forget. Join Saint Louis Athletica when they take on FC Gold Pride on Saturday May 9th at 7:00pm. Along with this 4 ticket special Mothers Day price the first 500 packages purchased will receive a special gift for Mom. All Gift packs include 4 tickets 4 fan kits and a special gift for Mom. See prices below:

· Club $35
· Premium $55
· Center Line $80



Ralph Korte Stadium is located just twenty minutes from downtown St. Louis on Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville’s campus. With a capacity nearing 5,000, the stadium offers not only terrific views of the St. Louis skyline, but also a variety of ways to enjoy the action."