WILDCAT SOCCER HONORS HARRISONVILLE SPECIAL OLYMPICS

The Wildcat Soccer Team wore special jerseys tonight signed by members of the award winning Harrisonville Special Olympics Track Team who will be competing in a local meet in Archie. Team members were honored during a half time ceremony followed by games and soccer skills on the field. All proceeds from the concessions tonight went to support the track team for the upcoming meet.

CATS FALL 3-2 IN BATTLE WITH PEMBROKE HILL

The Cats fell to Pembroke Hill 3-2 tonight despite leading in scoring twice in the game. Two of Pembroke's three goals came off penalty kicks; the last with less than 5 minutes to play in the second half. Defenseman Tina Harold was first on the scoreboard finding room to get her head up and put a ball on frame early in the first half. Anna Holden broke through the defense on a blazing run in the second half and slipped a sweet pass to Alex Erickson for Harrisonville's other goal. Offensively the Cats found opportunities through and around Pembrokes defense and played one of their better games this season against a disciplined side. While dissappointed with the loss, the girls came away healthy and look forward to Excelsior Springs on Tuesday.

PICTURES ARE ALL POSTED ON THE ALBUM NOW.

DISTRICT SEEDING IS IN

I have an unconfirmed report that district seeding is in and the Cats have received the much deserved #1 seed. Official seeding and brackets should be posted soon. Way to go CATS!!!

1. Harrisonville
2. Bolivar
3. Warrensburg
4. West Plains
5. Marshfield
6. Logan-Rogersville
7. Carl Junction
8. Clinton
9. Ruskin

Schedule ripped from Springfield Soccer. Thanks Ole.

All Games will be played at Bolivar

Friday, May 14
Clinton vs Ruskin

Saturday, May 15
9am – #2 Bolivar vs #7 Carl Junction
11am – #3 Warrensburg vs #6 Logan-Rogersville
1pm – #4 West Plains vs #5 Marshfield
3pm – #1 Harrisonville vs Clinton/Ruskin Winner

Monday, May 17
4:30pm – Harrisonville/Clinton/Ruskin Winner vs West Plains/Marshfield Winner
6:30pm – Bolivar/Carl Junction Winner vs Warrensburg/Logan-Rogersville Winner

Wednesday, May 19
6:00pm – Final

CATS DOWN OAK GROVE 5-0

The Wildcats met the Oak Grove Panthers on the road tonight and came away with a 5-0 shutout. The Cats altered their lineup a bit as some of our normal starters were out with school functions or recovering from injuries. Some fresh faces stepped in and stepped up for a wonderful display of soccer. They played with poise and compassion throughout the field and I was impressed with many of our young freshmen players. Kaley Harkrader had a great night, putting two in the net and threatening on a couple more shots on goal. Karson Wilson scored with a header off Alex Erickson's perfectly placed corner and followed it later by running onto and touching home a dropped ball off Kelsie Sumner's free kick. Kelsie scored herself when she caught the Panther keeper well off her line and chipped her from 40 yards out. The Panther offense was not asleep tonight and tested the Wildcat defense on several occasions. Sara Clark came out aggressively off her line and won two ball within reach of an attacking forward. Another scoring opportunity was squashed with a perfectly timed tackle by Bree Loveall in the center of the box. While the home crowd cried foul, the ref thankfully saw it just the way I did; all ball. A great game and a good time on a beautiful night. Well played ladies!

CATS LOOK TO LATE SEASON SCHEDULE TO EARN DISTRICT TOP SEED

District Championship seeding will likely be set soon but has yet to be released. With a 10-2 record and their only losses to Platte County (#5 in state rankings) and Kearney (#14) the Cats are looking to late season match ups with some top ranked teams to set it apart in a quest for the #1 seed in the District Championships coming up May 15th.

The 1-0 early season game vs Platte County (16-1) showcased a tenacious Harrisonville defense. The Cats find themselves in rare company as they are joined by 7th ranked Smithville and 12th ranked Staley in holding Platte County to one point in a match.

The Cats defeated last year's district finalist Warrensburg 3-1 in early season play this year but 2009 district champion Bolivar matched the score a week ago. Not to be out done, Warrensburg took third place in tournament play over the weekend against some ranked teams. Bolivar's schedule includes many district foes and their record sets a high mark to match. The Liberators will face Rogersville and Marshfield, two fellow district 5 teams, in conference and tournament play in the coming week.

The Cats will face both 8th ranked Pembroke Hill and 2nd ranked Notre Dame de Sion (NDDS) in the coming weeks before districts. Pembroke Hill's 4-7 record hides the fact that they have faced one of the toughest schedule of opponents I've seen next to the NDDS. The Cats will face Pembroke at home this year and will do well to repeat their 1-0 victory from last season.

The NDDS Storm (8-2-2) has an even more impressive schedule of top teams from the region and a winning record to boot. The Cats last faced NDDS May 14th, 2008 in a 6-1 loss in the 2008 district championship game.

All this being said, seeds mean nothing when it comes to districts as it all comes down to playing every game like it was your last come tournament time.

OAK GROVE NEXT UP ON THE ROAD

Cats head out on the road tomorrow night for a conference match vs the Oak Grove Panthers. Oak Grove, 6-7 on the season, has gone 4-3 since our last meeting April 6th at Harrisonville's Memorial Field where the Cats won 7-0, shutting out Haley Hayes and the rest of the Panther offense. They coming off a 2-0 win over Van Horn on Friday.

WILDCATS LAST REMAINING DISTRICT 5 TEAM IN CLASS 2 POLL

Class 1
1 St. Vincent (8) 107
2 Springfield Catholic (3) 100
3 St. Pius (Festus) 86
4 Trinity 59
5 Southern Boone 57
6 Sacred Heart 48
7 St. Pius (KC) 28
8 Principia 26
9 Greenwood 21
10 Barstow 19
Kennedy 17, John Burroughs 15, Bishop LeBlond 12, Whitfield 6, Lutheran North 2, Orchard Farm 2

Class 2
1 St. Dominic (9) 108
2 Notre Dame de Sion (2) 101
3 Notre Dame (STL) 86
4 Visitation 68
5 Platte County 60
6 Moberly 47
6 Smithville 47
8 Pembroke Hill 26
9 Villa Duchesne 19
10 Rosati-Kain 12
Others: Duchesne 11, Staley 8, St. Charles West 7, Kearney 5, Harrisonville 1

Class 3
1 St. Joe’s Academy (9) 149
2 Incarnate Word Academy (1) 131
3 Liberty 130
4 Hazelwood West 117
5 Lafayette 108
6 St. Teresa’s Academy 87
7 Cor Jesu 80
8 Ursuline 78
9 Lee’s Summit North 60
10 Francis Howell North 58
11 Nerinx Hall 36
12 Truman 34
13 Rockwood Summit 30
14 Park Hill South 26
15 Marquette 15
Others: Jackson 14, Lee’s Summit West 10, Parkway South 9, Ray-Pec 8, Jeff City 6, Ft. Zumwalt West 6, Glendale 4, Lindbergh 2, Parkview 1

CATS FALL IN A SHOOT OUT WITH KEARNEY

Kearney came to Harrisonville tonight for a much needed battle. They brought a disciplined offense and a tight defense that was able to shut down most of the Cat's offensive runs in the first half. The second half saw the Cats open up and play with more control through the midfield but we were unable to capitalize on the opportunities we had on goal. The defense held through both halves but one point blank shot tested Sara Clarke. She came up huge with a one handed reaction save to her right to push the contest to overtime. While Kearney controlled possession through the first half and had a slight advantage through the second half, the Cats pressed hard in the two ten minute overtime periods. Both teams failed to score in overtime and forced the game to a shoot out that went through two rounds of five each with Kearney coming away with win after eight. This was a hard fought game against a team who has recorded two other shootout wins (Ozark and Eureka) in the last week and a half. It was good to see the girls tested like this and I think they came away a better team for it. Great game ladies!

Go Cats!

WILDCATS WIN 3-0 VS GRAIN VALLEY

The Cats blanked the Eagles 3-0 in a wonderful full sided game. The Cats commanded the field and took the full game and moved it with ease through defense and midfield in hopes of drawing the bunkered Grain Valley defense out. Sara Clarke made a great sliding save in the second half to preserve the shutout. Scoring for the evening was provided by Alex Erickson, Karson Wilson and a sweet header by Kayla Harkrader. Well done ladies. I had tears in my eyes this was so beautiful. Tonight; Kearney. GO CATS

CATS TO HOST GRAIN VALLEY AND KEARNEY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY

The Cats face Grain Valley tomorrow night and Kearney on Wednesday in what should be a good test of the offensive and defensive units. Kearney is currently 8-2 on the season. Their two losses have come at the hands of Platte County and Staley, both quality sides. Check out Kearneys game results here. Kearney came away with a 3-1 victory in last year's match up with Harrisonville. Kelsie Sumner scored the lone goal for the Harrisonville side.

CATS BLANK CLINTON 10-0

The Wildcats racked up a huge district win vs Clinton last week. Anna Holden scored her second 5-goal game of the season, blowing past her 2009 season total of twenty goals with weeks left in the 2010 season. A host of other players tallied goals in the game. Defender, Kelsie Sumner scored her first goal of the season from a booming midfield venture.

Scoring
5 Anna Holden
2 Alex Erickson
1 Anisa Alexander
1 Kelsie Sumner
1 Kaley Harkrader

2010 EARLY SEASON COACHES POLL

Coach's poll is out. Check it out on Ole's soccer blog.

CATS WIN 5-1 VS EXCELSIOR SPRINGS

Short post today. The girls played a great Excelsior Springs team last night. The Tigers had a controlling midfield and moved the ball well but fell prey to the Cat's offensive power and defensive control. The Cats couldn't keep the Tiger's Kara Collins from scoring a goal but found many opportunities to break behind the defense and score. Anna Holden and Alex Erickson scored two goals a piece and Karson Wilson added one more. Anna has scored two or more goals for the past 6 games and Kara Collins' goal snapped a five game shutout streak by Sara Clarke and the Cat's defensive unit. Next up, the Cat's play Clinton on the road Thursday. Go Cats!

Pictures are uploading.

KU AND WIZARDS WIN

KU WINS 2-1 AND WIZARDS WIN 1-0...MORE LATER!

NEXT UP EXCELSIOR SPRINGS

The Cats face Excelsior Springs Tuesday night at home. The Tigers are currently 3-2 for the 2010 season.

Mon 03/22/10 @ Platte County Invitational Staley L 0 - 5
Wed 03/24/10 @ Platte County Invitational Oak Grove W 4 - 0
Fri 03/26/10 @ Platte County Invitational MICDS W 2 - 0
Wed 03/31/10 @ Kearney High School L 1 - 5
Fri 04/09/10 Holden W ?

CATS BATTLE OAK GROVE AND THE WIND

The Cats faced a brisk wind and the Oak Grove Panthers tonight. The game was 7-0 Cats before the weather turned foul and was called due to lightning with 10 minutes left in the second half.

Scoring:

3 Alex Erickson
2 Anna Holden
1 Shalyn Wheeler
1 Anisa Alexander
Shutout by Sara Clarke


JV won 5-0.

2 Baer
2 Lexi Eghbali
1 Parker
Shutout by Lokits

Pictures - Mostly JV. Got dark quick.

KU Women's Soccer to Face St. Louis Saturday before KC Wizards Game

The KU Women's team will play at the Wizards’ Community America Ballpark/Stadium at 3:00 PM on Saturday April 10th. The Jayhawks-Billikens contest will precede the 7:30 PM Kansas City Wizards-Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer match.

Update!!!!! There are individual grass berm tickets for $15. Your Wizards game ticket will also get you into the KU game!

CAT SHUT OUT MARSHALL 7-0

Game photos here.

Scoring info:

2 Anna Holden
2 Alex Erickson
1 Shalyn Wheeler
1 Niki Woodfin
1 Anisa Alexander

NEXT UP MARSHALL

The Cats face the Marshall Lady Owls at home tomorrow night. The Owls have lost two straight home games to start their season; one of which was 1-0 in overtime vs Fulton. They look to turn things around with a win at Harrisonville's Memorial Stadium against a resolute Wildcat defense. Game on!

Marshall vs Booneville

OTHER DISTRICT SOCCER NEWS

Warrensburg 2-0 vs Springfield Central

Still looking for Bolivar's Thursday night results vs Branson. Ole of Springfield Soccer has heard reports that Bolivar won 4-0 or 8-0. He has yet to get a confirmation by the coach.

Bolivar 3-1 win vs Marshfield

Bolivar 3-1 loss to Ozark

Bolivar will host Wilard at Monday, April 5, and go back on the road for Rogersville on Tuesday, April 6.

CATS WIN 6-0 VS O'HARA

The Cats hit the road tonight for a much anticipated game vs the O'Hara Celtics. I wasn't able to make the game but Judith caught the second half. The Celtics held the Cats to two goals in the first half. The offense reset during the halftime intermission and doubled down on scoring for the second half; finishing 6-0 while the powerhouse Harrisonville defense racked up yet another shutout with Sara Clarke minding the net. Anna Holden scored an amazing 5 goals in the game and Shalyn Wheeler scored one more for good measure. Anna's 5 goals not only tied the current school record for most goals in a game but her cumulative 13 goals for the season leads the Kansas City area.