Wildcat Soccer

ONE LAST 2011 AWARD

2011-07-10T21:18:00.000-07:00

I have one more award to announce. Anna Holden made the KC 2011 All Metro Team. She made Honorable Mention in the Forwards category which encompasses Class 1, 2 and 3 level schools. Not too shabby girl!

2011 POST SEASON AWARDS

2011-07-06T17:15:00.000-07:00

I finally got all the post season awards for the team, and there are a bunch. I've been waiting for a few things including confirmation on the regional team awards/Coaching. What a fantastic year! Congrats all.

HARRISONVILLE TEAM AWARDS

JV

Most Improved Player - Kennedy Davis
MVP - Rebekah Lokits
Offensive POY - Olivia Schultz
Defensive POY - Morgan Farrimond

VARSITY

Newcomer of the Year - Brianna Kendrick/Haley Parker
MVP - Sara Clarke
Offensive POY - Anna Holden
Defensive POY - Tina Harold
Wildcat Exemplification Award - Sara Clarke

CONFERENCE AWARDS - MRVC

1st Team
Sara Clarke
Alex Erickson
Tina Harold
Anna Holden
Shalyn Wheeler
Karson Wilson

2nd Team
Bayli Galeassi
Kaley Harkrader
Brianna Kendrick
Jaclyn Sumner
Kelsie Sumner

ALL DISTRICT TEAM (Class 2, Dist. 12)

1st Team
Sara Clarke
Alex Erickson
Tina Harold
Anna Holden
Shalyn Wheeler
Karson Wilson

2nd Team
Kaley Harkrader
Jaclyn Sumner
Kelsie Sumner

Honorable Mention
Bayli Galeassi
Brianna Kendrick

2011 Girls Class 2 All Central/Southwest

Offensive Player of the Year - Anna Holden
Goalkeeper of the Year - Sara Clarke
Coach of the Year - Dan Coleman

Tina Harold
Anna Holden
Sara Clarke
Karson Wilson
Shalyn Wheeler

2011 Girls Class 2 All State

First Team

Anna Holden

Second Team

Tina Harold
Sara Clarke
Shalyn Wheeler

Honorable Mention

Karson Wilson

TEAM RECORD

23-6-0
94 Goals For
21 Goals Against
19 Shutouts
10-0 MRVC Conference Champions (3RD CONSECUTIVE YEAR)
District Champs (2ND CONSECUTIVE YEAR)
4TH IN STATE!

UP NEXT - TRYOUTS FOR WILDCATS CLASS OF 2029

2011-06-07T19:22:00.000-07:00

WILDCATS! WE LIVE, BREATH AND EAT SOCCER!

-------DO YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES?---------

IN THE NEWS

2011-06-07T15:57:00.000-07:00

From KansasCity.com

HarrisonvilleKnown primarily for the boys of fall, Harrisonville has maintained a proud tradition as a football powerhouse. The girls of spring, however, made it their mission to change that.

Last weekend, the Harrisonville Wildcats made their first appearance at the Missouri Class 2 girls’ soccer state championship tournament in Fenton, Mo.. Although the trailblazing moment ended with two losses and tears as the girls accepted their fourth-place trophy after losing 3-1 to Notre Dame of St. Louis, defiant Wildcat senior Karson Wilson would later reflect on the mission-accomplished moment.

“It feels amazing,” Wilson said. “We come from a very football-oriented town. Girls’ soccer has been a joke there for so long, and coming out here and actually proving ourselves this year felt amazing. To show everyone in the town that we could, and we were actually something to mess with.”

Harrisonville accomplished this without the full-time services of its best offensive player, injured junior Anna Holden, who was listed in only 10 games before the state tournament.

“I think we played for her. She came in and gave everything she had and we saw that. Then she got hurt. It was like, ‘let’s do it for her,’ because she can’t and we can,” Wilson said. “Why not do that for her? And I also think that everybody telling us, ‘No, you can’t do it,’ pushed us even farther out there on the field.”

Harrisonville finished the season with a 23-6 record, a season that was more than a decade in the making. The seven core seniors played together as tykes on the Harrisonville Heat club team. Through the years, they mainly stuck together and helped build soccer tradition.

“(We) seven seniors have played together since we were four years old,” Wilson said. “Since we were freshmen, all we said throughout our high school career was we wanted to make it to state. When people said we couldn’t, and we did. That’s my crowning moment, at least, in actually being here.”

THE CLASS OF 2011 SENIORS

2011-06-06T16:46:00.000-07:00

It has been a memory filled year with many a record broken and goals made and met. While my own daughters' graduation have been the focus over the past weeks, this class is chock full of what I would call soccer family that I hold dear. I've coached many kids over the years and none have been more satisfying to watch or as successful as a team as this class. Some have moved on to other schools and even other sports but I think of you in times like these...and smile. Congratulation!

Sara Clarke, Elizabeth Rudell, Lexi Fisher, Meghan Hestand, Misty Olsen, Paige Smith, Hope Wooten, Tina Harold, Shalyn Wheeler, Kelsie Sumner, Jaclyn Sumner, Kayla Kendrick, Alex Hernden, Alex Erickson, Karson Wilson, and Lauren Lucero

AGAINST ALL ODDS

2011-06-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

Much has been said of the 2011 Harrisonville Seniors and the impact they have had on the team over the last four years, but I'd like to take a moment to say how very pleased I am in this full team. The Cat's winning record and crushing defense hid the fact that they overcame many obstacles to finish out the season where they did.

Our first challenge came in losing one of our 2010 All State players, Anisa Alexander, to a season ending knee injury in our second game. Her presense and vision in the midfield were dearly missed throughout the entire season. Our leading scorer and fellow All Stater, Anna Holden, suffered through her own injury, playing only 12 of 29 games, some for just a few minutes at a time. While both will be back next season stronger than ever, the story this year has been who has stepped up to fill the void when needed.

The injured players stepped up themselves in every way possible. Anisa underwent surgery and still made it to the games to root for her Wildcat's. I even caught a few pictures of her shagging game balls. While Anna's injury held her down, she was far from out, leading the Cat's with 20 goals for the season. Her 8 post season goals were without a doubt the fire that kept this train running to the State Championship.

Junior Kaley Harkraider and Freshman Briana Kendrick did a wonderful job in midfield. Their ability to hold the ball and slide into the well oiled offensive passing and playmaking of the 2011 crew made a difference this season. I saw herculean improvement in many of our younger players in midfield as well. Genevieve and Madison Allen were two that I saw a diffence in intensity this year. Many players shared duties between midfield and forward, filling Anna's and other players shoes' while they were off. Maria Sanchez, Lexi Eghbali, Olivia Schultz and Taylor Spencer not only got some much desired playing time but more than a few starts. All impacted the games.

Defense had their own hurdles early in the season. They had some huge shoes to fill in the loss of 2010 Senior Defender Brianna Loveall. Freshman Bayli Galeassi , at 5'-8" and thin as a rail, stepped in and impressed me with her level headed play and speed. I wondered at the beginning of the season whether she would be able to be that impact player Brianna was for us last year and she showed us all she had what it takes.

Jaclyn Sumner (my own daughter) delivered a nearly 10 pound baby weeks before the season began. She wasn't able to start a game until our first home match (a 2-0 shutout vs Warrensburg) and then understandably, took some time to get her pace back. Since then, while juggling child care, school and soccer, she has started and played almost every single minute of every game, contributing to a record 19 shutouts throughout the season.

Sara Clarke worked tirelessly through preseason therapy on her shoulder and delivered a record setting performance over the entire season.

I'm not trying to single out anyone for praise. There is more than enough to go around and many deserving players on this team. Just wanted to say how very proud I am of all of you and everything you have overcome and accomplished this season.

While some in Southwest Missouri have doubts upon whether the Cats can come back next year to claim their third straight District title, I think they will overcome all odds to make it happen. GO CATS!

THE 2011 SEASON COMES TO A CLOSE IN ST. LOUIS

2011-06-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

The Wildcats finished out their 2011 season playing with heart and determination, yet falling in both their State Semi-final and Consolation Game to finish fourth in the State Soccer Championship Tournament. Played in a sweltering 90 degree heat and a serious locust plague, the Cat's held Notre Dame de Sion to one goal in the first half but dropped another four in the second half.

The consolation game for 3rd place saw a matchup against perenial soccer power Notre Dame (St. Louis) in which Anna Holden scored our lone goal in our 1-3 loss.

MORE PICTURES FROM STATE

2011-06-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

PICTURES FROM STATE

2011-06-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

IN THE NEWS

2011-05-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

Wildcats are State Bound - Harrisonville Democrat Missourian

Live audio from the game highlights on KWIX radio.

Springfield Soccer Semi Final Preview

Youtube full game video of the Notre Dame de Sion 0-2 loss vs St. Teresa's Academy

Smithville vs Sion Game Report

CATS ARE GOING TO ST. LOUIS FOR THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP!

2011-05-28T13:57:00.000-07:00

The Cats win 2-0 vs the Moberly Spartans in the Missouri State Quarter-final matchup. The Spartans came to town with a vocal and plentiful fan club. Filling the seats with cheering fans helped pump up the Spartans to a dominating first half performance; outshooting the Cats in what had to be a 2:1 ratio. The defense came up big as usual and Sara Clarke had a beautiful goal line save that kept the score knotted at zero.

The Wildcats struggled to hang on for the first half but something happened during the halftime break because they brought out what seemed to be a completely different team the second half. The first Harrisonville goal didn't take long, setting the Moberly team on their heels and shut down the cheering Spartan fans. Uh OH....Harrisonville found their offense. The Cats kept the pedal down to the final whistle. Alex Erickson and Anna Holden provided the scoring action while Sara Clarke and her impermiable defensive unit posted their 19th shutout of the season.

#2 ranked Notre Dame de Sion won their Quarter-final game 2-1 over Smithville and will face Harrisonville, the only remaining public school, in a Semi-final matchup at 2:00 PM on Friday at Anheuser Busch Center, Field #5 in Fenton, MO with the winner going to the State Championship Game and the loser going to the consolation game to play for third place on Saturday.

The other teams in the final four are #1 ranked Visitation Academy and #6 ranked Notre Dame St. Louis.

Road trip! Let's go CATS!

WILDCATS IN THE NEWS

2011-05-26T17:11:00.000-07:00

The local Democrat Missourian paper has an article on the Wildcat wins at Districts and Sectional.

Pictures too!

One game at a time ladies! Go CATS!

In other Class 2 Missouri Soccer, fellow public school Smithville prepares to face a familiar foe in their quarter final match vs Notre Dame Desion.

QUARTERFINAL BROADCAST

2011-05-25T18:21:00.000-07:00

The Wildcats State Soccer Quarterfinal matchup vs the Moberly Lady Spartans will be broadcast live online by Moberly's KWIX 1230 on Saturday May 28th at 1:00 PM. So even if you can't be there, BE THERE and cheer on your Harrisonville Wildcats! GO CATS!

NEXT UP - MOBERLY

2011-05-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

The Moberly Lady Spartans will be coming to Harrisonville on Saturday for the State Quarter-final matchup vs the Harrisonville Lady Wildcats. Moberly has had a chip on their shoulder ever since they were dropped from the top 10 in the Missouri soccer poll after falling 2-1 to the Helias Crusaders back in April, deja vu from the final of the 2010 district final that ended Moberly season. They have come back with ten straight wins, including their fourth District Championship and then capped it off by taking down Helias 2-1 at Sectionals.

The Spartans are currently 20-2-1, allowing only 16 goals and racking up 13 shutouts; their only losses coming at the hands of Quincy, IL in their first game of the season and the Helias game I mentioned before. Their goals against average is .69 goals per game. Check here for other team stats.

Moberly returns Kelly Ross, a Junior who was awarded 2010 Central Missouri Offensive Player of the Year and All State First Team as a forward. Kelly currently hold the Spartan school record for most career goals and points with one year of eligibility left. She plays club soccer with the 11th in state ranked Columbia Carrera and has previously been on the player list for the Missouri Olympic Development Program Team. While Kelly leads the team in scoring, she is not the lone offensive powerhouse. Senior Sydney Armstrong, Juniors Kelli Westhues and Taylor Fusselman and Sophomore Lindsey Boyer each have made their way to the area prep leaders list.

The Spartans shared only one opponent with the Harrisonville throughout the 2011 season. They played Marshall three times, beating them soundly in each match, the most recent a 6-0 drubbing at Districts. We last face Marshall and came away 4-0 back on April 4th.

Head Coach Robbie Murray has lead the program for the past six years and is a former alumni of Moberly High School.

The Spartans are known for coming out early and strong. They have a potent fast break offense and a tested defensive unit that has a great record to showcase coming into this match. This should be a close one.

Let's go CATS!

WILDCATS WIN 2011 SECTIONAL!

2011-05-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

The Harrisonville Lady Wildcats won their State Playoff Sectional game vs Logan Rogersville 3-0 bringing their record to 18 shutouts. Anna Holden scored a hat trick in the game. The Wildcats will play Moberly in Harrisonville on Saturday at 1:00 PM. Game on!

Additional game photos found here. Thanks Ole.

HARRISONVILLE TO FACE LOGAN-ROGERSVILLE WILDCATS AT SECTIONALS

2011-05-20T19:17:00.000-07:00

Logan-Rogersville Wildcats, Seniors 2011 - Shelby Rust, Erin Locke, Kelsay Leingang, Tyler Moneyham, Stevie Heidzig, Emily Price
(Photo Courtesy of Ole from www.SGFSoccer.com)

We've never played the Logan-Rogersville team before so of course, I've gone digging for any scrap of info I can find on the team. After twice losing to Marshfield in the regular season, the Wildcats stunned the Jays to win both, the Branson Tournament and their first District Championship.

Log-Rog is a third year program that boasts 6 seniors who have played varsity soccer in a tough Springfield conference since the team began. Their 2011 record reflects a stingy defensive team that comes to play when a big game is on the line. They find a way to win! They held Bolivar to two goals early in the season and twice held a Class 1 state champion Springfield Catholic to respectable scores.

They have won every tournament they entered this season with no losses and every game ending in a shutout.

Ozark Lady Tiger Shootout Ozark,MO
-4/8/2011 Willard 1 - 0
-4/9/2011 Carl Junction 2 - 0
-4/9/2011 Neosho 2 - 0

Branson Lady's Classic Branson,MO
-4/15/2011 Branson 6 - 0
-4/16/2011 Carthage 3 - 0
-4/16/2011 Marshfield 1 - 0

Their central defender, Stevie Heidzig, plays for the premier league Elite FC team in Springfield and will play soccer for Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas this Fall. She was second team All-District and All-Conference as a Sophomore and second team All-Conference as a Junior.

Coach Brett Wubbena brought the soccer program to Log-Rog in 2009 and came out of the gate with a winning record in their first season. His Lady Wildcats have a combined 38-33-2 record, with 2011 being their strongest year by far.

2009 13-10-0
2010 8-16-2
2011 17-7-0

The Sectional match will be played at Logan-Rogersville High School. They have a sweet looking natural grass field. OK, I haven't actually seen it but it looks sweet from the satellite image.

And last but not least, their school mascot is also a Wildcat. The Log Rog Wildcat is your standard Wildcat mascot, similar to the one I remember from my own years in the hallowed halls of Harrisonville High. We always thought it looked more like a domestic cat than a Wildcat. Log-Rog was quick to pick up this used mascot when we discarded it years ago.

Log-Rog Wildcat Mascot

The new Harrisonville Wildcat mascot (adopted 2001?) is a rather hungry looking Blue Wildcat. The Blue Wildcat, while rare, is known for it's speed and voracious appetite. Even more impressive; the Harrisonville Wildcat can even spell and has a minor degree in marketing as demonstrated by the keen Wildcat sign it clutches in it's razor sharp claws. :-)

Harrisonville Wildcat

So there you have it. Log - Rog is a tough team with true grit and determination (and a second hand mascot). This Sectional matchup looks to be a close one. The Harrisonville girls have been preparing for this season their whole life. Let's give em a game! Go Cats! (the blue one).

WILDCATS WIN 2011 DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE

2011-05-18T17:58:00.000-07:00

The Wildcats repeated as Districted Champions for the second year running, sending a message with a 7-0 shutout of a strong Bolivar Liberator team. The first goal came with 47 seconds of the first whistle and it was 3-0 in the first 10 minutes. Scoring was as follows: 3 Anna Holden, 2 Shalyn Wheeler, 1 Alex Erickson, 1 Kaley Harkrader

The Wildcats displayed a total team effort in offense and defense and have earned a trip to a Sectional Championship with District 11 Champions Logan Rogersville Tuesday at 5:30 PM at the Logan Rogersville High School.

The Log-Rog Wildcats fell to Bolivar 2-1 back in late April during the regular season but timed their late season resurgence perfectly, orchestrating their own upset of the #1 seeded Marshfield Jays and earned their first ever District Championship.

One game at a time ladies. GO CATS....er....Harrisonville Wildcats that is!

Wildcats upset the Liberators!

SARA CLARKE #1 ON THE SOUTHWEST GOAL KEEPER RECORDS...AND STILL GOING

2011-05-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

Sara Clark is ranked #1 on the Southwest Missouri Goal Keeping Stats. Great job Sara. Keep on rolling ladies!

Player School - Grad Year-Goals Against Average-Season Record-Shutouts

Sara Clarke Harrisonville Wildcats 2011 .50 22-4 18
Kindra Lierz Glendale Falcons 2014 0.55 15-1 10
Kristin Miller Nixa Eagles 2011 0.74 18-3-0 11
Brittany Dunn Willard Tigers 2011 0.80 12-7-1 10
Megan Goetzinger Catholic Lady Irish 2012 0.86 18-3-0 9

CATS SHUT OUT WARRENSBURG 2-0 AND MOVE ON TO THE DISTRICT FINALS

2011-05-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

The Wildcats dropped Warrensburg tonight in a 2-0 shutout. While Harrisonville dominated possession and shots on goal the entire game, Warrensburg kept the game tied at zero until the half. Harrisonville broke through about 10 minutes into the second half and followed up minutes later with another nifty goal. Warrensburg was not going down without a fight and had a couple good scoring opportunities but our defensive unit snuffed out their hopes of moving on in this tournament. Harrisonville moves on to the finals on Wednesday night 5:00 PM vs #1 seeded Bolivar who topped Clinton 5-1 in their semifinal game tonight.

This last shot is Jonna Welch of Bolivar.

CLASS 2 DISTRICT 12

2011-05-14T13:22:00.000-07:00

Clinton wins in the first round of the District 12 Championships vs Pleasant Hill 2-1 it overtime and will face #1 seeded Bolivar Monday at 5:00 PM on Harrisonville's Memorial Field.

The Wildcats will face #3 seeded Warrensburg Tigers at 7:00 PM. The Lady Tigers will be without one of their coaches after the red card ejection from their recent O'Hara match.

Seeding info is as follows:

1 Bolivar (11-5)
2 Harrisonville (19-4)
3 Warrensburg(13-8)
4 Clinton(6-12)
5 Pleasant Hill(3-15)

One game at a time ladies. GO CATS!

WILDCATS ARE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS

2011-05-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

The Wildcats finished out the 2011 regular season schedule with a 2-0 win over Grain Valley, sealing the Conference Championship at the same time with a 10-0 conference record. The win brings their regular season record to 19-4 and breaks the 14 record shutouts for the season set last year. District play begins next week with a first round game vs Warrensburg. One game at a time Ladies. Go Cats!

DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE SET

2011-05-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

The rumor has been confirmed. Harrisonville takes second seed in the District Championship Tournament set to start May 14th. The Cats will face Warrensburg in the first round May 16th while Bolivar will face the winner of a Clinton/Pleasant Hill match set for Saturday. You can follow the championship bracket online here.

CATS BEAT THE TIGERS IN A CAT FIGHT

2011-05-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Harrisonville took on the Excelsior Springs Tigers in a cat fight and came out with a well earned 2-0 shutout win. Goals were provided by Alex Erickson and Anna Holden. The shutout was secured by Sara Clarke and her impenetrable defensive unit. Both goals were scored during the first half. The Cats took control the second half and worked the ball in, around and through the Tiger defense with little to show on the scoreboard for their effort. But on the other hand, there is no better defense than a commanding offense.

AROUND THE DISTRICT

2011-04-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

Marshfield drops Bolivar AGAIN!
I've heard rumor Bolivar took the #1 District 12 Championship seed. Not sure what they were basing that on. Couldn't have been their record. Again, I'm biased I'm sure. Just means it's time to show em all who's really #1...again. [See picture above]

Warrensburg take St. Pius in PK's for a regular season game. They won 2-0 over Lebanon, lost 6-0 vs Jacksonville and fell 3-2 vs Mexico to finish fourth at the Lady Lakers Invitational Tournament.

CATS UPSET KEARNEY 1-0

2011-04-29T18:46:00.000-07:00

The short story: Cats score early and make it stick. Sara Clarke and her defense came up huge to preserve the shutout through countless corners and point blank shots. Amazing win against a super tough and well organized Bulldog team.

More to follow.

CATS WIN VS PEMBROKE HILL

2011-04-28T20:13:00.000-07:00

The Cats dominated offensively and defensively tonight vs Pembroke Hill, winning on the road 2-1 with Pembrokes only chance at scoring the result of a PK that was more flop than foul. It was Freshman night for scoring as the young guns, Brianna Kendrick and Haley Parker provided the offensive action in the attacking third. The Cats were able to keep a clean slate for all but the last minute of the second half when a foul on the edge of the penalty box set up the only scoring opportunity Pembroke could capitalize on.

The Wildcats also finished off Oak Grove 6-0 Tuesday night and look forward to a home stand against a tough and talented Kearney Bulldog team tomorrow night.

Great job ladies! GO CATS!

NEXT UP

2011-04-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

The Wildcats schedule this week includes a home game against Oak Grove Tuesday and a road trip to Pembroke Hill on Thursday. Pembroke will be looking to come away with a much needed win after falling to Kearney (5-0), Blue Springs South (4-2) and Notre Dame de Sion (4-1) in their past three outings. They face Cristo Rey Wednesday night preceding the match with the Wildcats.

The Cats will finish out the week Friday with a home game vs the 14-2 Kearney Bulldogs. This up and coming Class 3 powerhouse has only dropped games vs #10 state ranked Lee's Summit West and #3 nationally ranked Liberty. In addition to the win over Pembroke, the Bulldogs have been riding high of late, besting #6 state ranked Platte County a couple weeks ago.

A tough week coming up ladies. Keep your head up and play one game at a time. Go Cats!

AROUND THE DISTRICT

2011-04-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

Bolivar tops Warrensburg 3-2 last week which, combined with a 2-0 Wildcat win over the Pink Tigers early this season, a great record through a schedule of quality sides, should seal the deal on a Wildcat #1 seed in the upcoming District Championships. Bolivar recently downed Marshfield who upset them in an early season game. Check out Bolivar's take on the game here.

I'd love to report more on Bolivar's results but it seems they are content in obscurity as they post no results on the school web page and slim pickings on the SGF site as well. The last post I've seen of their results was a 8-2 match vs the Osage Indians which was preceded by a story I found from the Springfield paper on the 8-2 Liberator loss to a Class 1 #1 ranked Springfield Catholic squad. The story went to print April 13th showing the Bolivar record at 3-4. In Ole's defense, as of April 6th, SGF hadn't received any scores or schedule for Bolivar.

Still a lot of season left. Play hard ladies. GO CATS!

DELAYED RESULTS

2011-04-25T15:38:00.000-07:00

Let's see. I haven't posted scores or results since the PHill game. The Cats have gone 3-2 since then dropping games to 7th ranked Smithville and a quality class 3 side in Park Hill, both in shootouts. The three wins vs Staley, Grain Valley and Clinton added three more games to their already mounting shutout stats.

PREPARE TO BE PEPPERED

2011-04-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

Been on the road lately so time to catch up. So much has happened in the past couple weeks. Prepare for the shotgun blast of post to come.

CATS BEGIN WHAT I EXPECT TO BE A NEW RIVALRY

2011-04-12T20:49:00.000-07:00

The Cats played the up and coming Pleasant Hill Chicks tonight to a 2-0 shutout. The Chicks, in their inaugeral season, proved a tough egg to crack as they were surprisingly organized and defended well over the course of the game. While not mounting much of an attack at this point in the season, they were always one breakaway from getting back in the game. This will be an even tougher team to beat later in the season. You could tell they were well coached and are going places. Do not count these Chicks out in District play. Scoring all came in the first half. Shalyn Wheeler popped off the first goal after breaking free from a scrum in the middle of the box and deftly touched a shot past the keeper. The second goal was Karson Wilson's sweet header off a Kaylee Harkrader corner. Sara Clarke and her wall like defensive unit notched yet another shutout win on the goal posts at Memorial Stadium.

WILDCATS WIN A NAIL BITER

2011-04-11T21:55:00.000-07:00

The Wildcats won a nail biter tonight with a 1-0 shutout over the Excelsior Springs Tigers. The Tigers played the first half bunkered in goal as the Cats tried to go in, around and over the denfense with little to show for quality chances. The second half saw the Tigers come back invigorated and pressing attacks through the midfield but finding only a couple opportunities through our own defensive unit. Overall our shots on goal were down second half but many of the attempts were better opportunities. Karson Wilson narrowly missed a diving header and Alex Erickson rang the keepers bell a time or two. The game winner finally came to Shalyn Wheeler with her looping ball she chipped over the keeper from deep near the right end line. I expected this to be a close match and the Tigers did not disappoint. Sara Clarke and her fierce defensive unit notched yet another shutout. Well done ladies.

Next up: Pleasant Hill tomorrow night.

NEXT UP EXCELSIOR SPRINGS

2011-04-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

The Cats play Excelsior Springs tonight in what I expect to be a close but well earned win for the Wildcats. The Tigers come in with a 5-3 record against some respectable competition and will match up well with Harrisonville's 6-2 record. Let's see who brings their A game tonight. Go Cats!

WILDCATS IN THE NEWS

2011-04-05T21:29:00.000-07:00

Local paper showcases the Lady Wildcats' hopes, dreams and goals for the season. Coach Coleman has a one game at a time focus for developing the team to meet those goals. Amen!

In other District news, Bolivar sets it sights high as well.

CATS TOP OAK GROVE 6-1

2011-04-05T19:56:00.001-07:00

Looking at our girls coming off the field tonight after their game with Oak Grove, you would have thought they lost 5-0. With the Cats holding a dominating 5-0 lead at the half, Harrisonville pulled a majority of the starters and chose to get some playing time and game experience for our underclassmen. Even with that, Karson Wilson was able to score two goal and got two assists and Alex Erickson got one goal in just 40 minutes of play. Freshman Brianna Kendrick got two goals and Olivia Schultz scored the last second goal. Kaley Harkrader is showing some great holding ability and play making in the midfield and earned an assist for her efforts.

Overall, the team is progressing but one free kick was all it took to squash the Cats four game shut out streak. The ball was placed near the right top of the box after an inadvertent hand ball. The initial shot careened off the left post and dropped right to the feet of an Oak Grove attacker who wasted no time in poking it home. The Cats came back in the final few seconds of the game and scored one more goal to make it 6-1 at the final whistle.

Keep your heads up ladies. You will appreciate a deeper bench as the season goes along and it takes time to develop this. This is the time of the season to fill gaps, try people in new positions and make improvements.

CATS EARN 4TH STRAIGHT SHUT OUT

2011-04-04T20:09:00.000-07:00

The Wildcats earned their 4th straight shut out with a 4-0 win over the Marshall Owls. Harrisonville scoring: Erickson 2, Wheeler, Wilson; shutout by Clarke

Next up: Oak Grove on the road Tuesday 4/5/11.

Oak Groves record.

The Cats played Oak Grove twice last season, 7-0 early and later in the season 5-0. Oak Grove was able to score on Staley in the Platte County Tourney early this season and has been an improving squad over the past couple years. This could prove to be a closer game than in past seasons. Play smart and safe. GO CATS!

In other District 11 and 12 news: Republic and Warrensburg win.

CAT CONTINUE ON THEIR SHUTOUT STREAK

2011-04-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

The Wildcats went on the road Friday; blanking The Holden Eagles 10-0 while extending their two game shutout winning streak. The Cats fielded a team full of up and comers and they wasted no time in showing their time had come. Allen was the only Cat to score 2 while the rest were all scored by eight different players. Sara Clark and Rebecca Lokits earned the shutout. Sara came out to play on the field the second half and scored a goal.

Scoring summary is as follows: G. Allen 2, Kendrick, M. Allen, Geier, Parker, Harkrader, K. Sumner, Schultz, Clarke; shutout by Clarke & Lokits

Next up: Marshall Owls - Monday 5:00 PM on the road.

Marshalls schedule and results.

WILDCATS DROP O'HARA 2-0

2011-03-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

The Cats rack up their second shutout win in as many games. The Celtics came fresh off a 3-2 OT win against Warrensburg but failed to convert the few chances they got against an improving Wildcat defensive unit. Anna Holden got the first goal seven minutes into the game as we dominated possession for the first 20 minutes. We moved the ball better tonight out of defense and through the midfield but had long periods towards the end of the first half where our touches and passing seemed flat. The Cats came back from the half time break rejuvinated and more focused. Shalyn Wheeler got a header goal and Kaley Harkrader got assist from a free kick in the second half. A sound win against a quality side.

No pictures tonight. Hopefully the weather will be nicer next week so I can break out the camera again.

The girls play Holden tomorrow on the road. GO CATS!

In District 11 news: The Republic Tigers record their first ever Soccer Win tonight. The team is now 1-2 with this 6-3 win vs the Mountain View Liberty. Check out the full story, audio and video here.

CATS DOWN WARRENSBURG 2-0

2011-03-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

The Cats blanked the Tigers 2-0 earning their first shutout of the season. While moving the ball well and commanding a huge majority of the possession, the Cats failed to convert on countless opportunities on the net. The Tigers held their defensive line up the field, hoping to trap us offsides but this only allowed the Wildcats to rain balls over the top and run onto them, capitalizing on our midfielders and forwards speed and size. It took some aggressive play way off her line for the Tigers keeper to snuff out many of these opportunities but she was caught one on one twice to many times. Anna Holden scored both goals with one assist from Tina Harold.

Pictures are downloading now.

Check out this article for the Tiger take on the game.

In other District 12 soccer news, Bolivar fall 2-1 to the Ozark Tigers.

And then falls to Marshfield the following day.

Update: And now O'Hara tops Warrensburg 3-2. The Cats game tomorrow vs O'Hara should be a good close match to watch. GO CATS!

The Wildcats were to face another District 12 opponent tomorrow with the Clinton Cardinals but that game has been cancelled due to incliment weather and will be rescheduled.

WARRENSBURG AT HOME TONIGHT

2011-03-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

The Cats take on District foe Warrensburg Tigers tonight at home. 5:00 PM. See you there. Go Cats!

CATS TAKE SECOND AT PLATTE COUNTY TOURNAMENT (AGAIN)

2011-03-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

The Cats fell 0-3 to the Platte County Pirates last night after earning their fourth straight trip to the championship game in as many years. The Pirates returned 9 starting seniors from their state semi-final team last year and showed that they are starting from a strong foundation for a run deep into the championship again this year.

CATS DOWN STALEY 3-2 AT THE PLATTE COUNTY INVITATIONAL

2011-03-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

The Wildcats tried out some fresh talent on the field tonight as they faced a perenial power house in the Staley Falcons. The Cats are still working the bugs out with some players in new positions and it looks like things are coming together as they were able to put three goals on the board in the first half. I didn't see the first two goals but Anna Holden scored the final two. Not to be held down, the Falcons scored one early and then followed with another just seconds before the end of the first half. Second half play was fairly even with both teams moving the ball. I'd say Staley had the momentum coming into the half. With the score close at 3-2 the Cats seemed to gel on defense during the last 20 minutes of the second half and were able to press the attack as well. This was a tough win for the Cats and everything I'd expected from the Falcons. A very good matchup.

This is a game I've been looking forward to for a couple years. Always strong, the Falcon's are a Class 2 program that have showed much promise and have hovered around the top 10 in polling through out the season last year. While we haven't faced them in our regular season schedule in the past four years, they have had strong showings in the Platte County Invitational and District Championships in the past. They just always seem to end up in the other bracket. The Cats bested Savannah 5-1 in the first round Tuesday to earn their meeting with Staley tonight.

Staley lost to Platte County in the Semifinals of the tourney last year but went on to beat them twice during their regular season. They finished their season last year by besting Smithville 2-0 in the District semifinals before falling to Platte County 4-0in the District 8 finals. Platte County went on to fall to Visitation Academy in the State Championship Semi-finals 1-0.

Harrisonville will face Platte County or MICDS (pending tonights winner)tomorrow night at 8:00 PM in their third trip to the tournament finals in as many years. GO CATS!

CLASS 2 DISTRICT 11 and 12 BRING IN TWO NEW PROGRAMS

2011-03-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

Pleasant Hill and Republic will bring two fledgling soccer programs to District 11 and 12 competition this year. While soccer may be new to the school, many players have years of competitive soccer experience and the coaching, likewise will be top notch. Check out this story and video interview with Mike Hines, Republic's new coach from Ole's Springfield Soccer website last year.

Pleasant Hill acquired Al Iantorno, a recent premier soccer coach with the KC Select Soccer Club. His soccer credentials include a USSF National “B” License and NSCAA Advance National Diploma, Head Women’s Soccer Coach at the University of Missouri-Rolla (August 2004-March 2005), Head Women’s Soccer Coach at the University of Central Missouri (1995-2003)
Head Women’s Soccer Coach at Ferrum College (1989-1991), Collegiate and amateur playing experience.

These teams will be well coached and tough right out of the gate.

Update: Republic loses first home opener but not by much.

TEAM PICTURES ARE IN THE WORKS

2011-03-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

Tela Beth Photography has posted some prelims of the team on her facebook page. She does fantastic work! Check her web page for more contact info.

GREAT WRITE UP ON THE 2011 WARRENBURG TEAM

2011-03-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

There is a great write up on the 2011 Warrensburg Tigers on their team web site. The Tigers may have a younger team than last year but are always tough. Even with the new District realignment, District 12 will be a tough group from which to advance. Champions are made one practice and one game at a time. Work hard ladies. GO CATS!

KC TEAMS LOOK TO MEET HIGH EXPECTATIONS

2011-03-06T15:32:00.000-08:00

Two KC teams have started the season high on ESPN's Powerade Fab 50 National High School Rankings. Liberty takes the #1 spot while Lee's Summit North holds the #12 spot. We've faced many of these players and coaches over the years through premiere league play. Lee's Summit's coach, Tim Richardson, was a frequent opponent with his dreaded Pink Panthers. Check out the full list here.
It is great to see the Western Missouri teams doing so well at a state and national level.

2011 SEASON SCHEDULE IS UP

2011-03-02T17:18:00.000-08:00

3/22 - 3/25 Platte County Invit. V Away TBA
Mon. 3/28 Warrensburg JV/V Home 5:00 PM
Tue. 3/29 Clinton JV/V Away 4:30 PM
Thu. 3/31 O'Hara JV/V Home 5:00 PM
Fri. 4/1 Holden V Away 5:00 PM
Mon. 4/4 Marshall JV/V Away 5:00 PM
Tue. 4/5 Oak Grove JV/V Away 5:00 PM
Thu. 4/7 Notre Dame de Sion JV/V Away 4:00 PM
Mon. 4/11 Excelsior Springs JV/V Away 5:00 PM
Tue. 4/12 Pleasant Hill JV/V Home 5:00 PM
Fri. - Sat. 4/15 - 4/16 Smithville Invit. V Away TBA
Tue. 4/19 Grain Valley JV/V Away 5:00 PM
Tue. 4/26 Oak Grove JV/V Home 5:00 PM
Thu. 4/28 Pembroke Hill JV/V Away 5:00 PM
Fri. 4/29 Kearney JV/V Home 5:00 PM
Tue. 5/3 Excelsior Springs JV/V Home 5:00 PM
Thu. 5/5 Holden V Home 5:00 PM
Mon. 5/9 Pleasant Hill JV/V Away 5:00 PM
Tue. 5/10 Grain Valley JV/V Home 5:00 PM
5/14 - 5/18 Districts V Harrisonville TBA
Tue. 5/24 Sectionals V TBA TBA
Fri. 5/27 Quarterfinals V TBA TBA
6/3 - 6/4 State Championships V A-B Center TBA

COLLEGE SIGNING

2011-02-15T20:46:00.000-08:00

Four of the Senior High School Soccer Players signed with colleges today. Congrats ladies!

Christina Harold - Park University
Alex Erickson - Park University
Shalyne Wheeler - Southwest Baptist University
Karson Wilson - Emporia State University

Emporia State Hornets Press Release

"Karson Wilson is a defender/forward from Harrisonville, Mo. and Harrisonville High school. She was namd first team All-MRVC West Conference during her junior and senior season. She was also named second team All-State as she scored 13 goals for the Wildcats during her senior season.

“While we have Karson projected as back / forward, she is coming from the midfield position in club and high school. We think that with Karson’s size she would be more of back, but she brings a bit of a scoring ability with 13 goals in high school last season(her senior season is yet to be played) so I wouldn’t be surprise to see her up top at some point. A very hard worker, I think that her best days may be ahead of her and I look forward to working with her the next four years. “

Southwest Baptist University Press Release

"SBU announced the signing of 5’4” midfielder Shalyn Wheeler from Harrisonville, Missouri. “Shalyn is fun to watch. She has a tremendous work rate and never gives up on the ball. She is quick and aggressive and is deceptively physical in her play. She is the kind of player you like having on your team because you’d hate to play against her. She never stops. She is also a great TEAM player as she is always positive and upbeat and loves to play” Shalyn plays club soccer in Kansas City and also plays at Harrisonville High School. Last year she earned 2nd Team All-Conference and 2nd Team All-District Honors. “Southwest Baptist University was the first college visit I ever went on and from that day on no other school compared to SBU. I visited multiple schools trying to find the "perfect school," yet I always came back to SBU. SBU offered everything I wanted: a small school, a soccer team, a private religious school, close to home and many others.” Shalyn will enter as a freshman in August."

2011 IS UPON US

2011-01-18T20:45:00.000-08:00

GAME ON! Well almost. What's new this season? How bout a new district alignment and championship games on a championship quality all weather field less than 5 walking minutes from my house. [commence happy dance]

Class 2 District 5 Schools:

Harrisonville Wildcats (2011 Tournament Host)

Bolivar Liberators

Clinton Cardinals

Pleasant Hill Roosters

Warrensburg Tigers

[end happy dance]

2010 RESULTS

2011-01-18T20:26:00.001-08:00

Harrisonville 2010 Results
17-4-0
14 shutouts
98 goals for
7 goals against

Win vs Benton 6-0
Win vs Savannah 5-0
Loss vs Platte County 0-1
Win vs Warrensburg 3-1
Win vs Holden 11-0
Win vs O'Hara 6-0
Win vs Marshall 7-0
Win vs Oak Grove 7-0
Win vs Excelsior Springs 5-1
Win vs Clinton 10-0
Win vs Grain Valley 3-0
Loss vs Kearney 0-0 (Shootout)
Win vs Oak Grove 5-0
Loss vs Pembroke Hill 3-2
Win vs Excelsior Springs 2-0
Win vs Holden 7-0
Win vs Grain Valley 10-0
Win vs Clinton 8-0 Districts
Win vs Marshfield 2-0 Districts
Win vs Bolivar 2-1 District Championship
Loss vs Notre Dame de Sion 1-0

WILDCATS IN THE NEWS

2010-05-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

Update: News on the Sion game.

Wildcats Soccer District Win makes the local paper.

THE WALL

2010-05-26T21:51:00.000-07:00

Update: OK my count was a bit off at first. Still not sure if they count tourney games.

By my count Sara Clarke (and her defense) had a stellar year to say the least. They took 6th in the ALL TIME Missouri record book for goals against average!

Goals-Against Average
Name.........School .............GA ......Min........ Avg.
Stacy Doerr, Union... ...........6...... 1520.........0.32
Maggie Winkler, Rockwood ....... 8...... 1960.........0.33
Natalie Kulla, Incarnate Word... 8...... 1691.........0.38
Amanda Erhardt, Lafayette ...... 8...... 1637.........0.39
Tori Champagne, Duchesne........ 8...... 1592.........0.40
SARA CLARKE, HARRISONVILLE...... 8...... 1600.........0.40
Kaylin Lobert, St. Joseph’s ... 10...... 1881.........0.43
Catherine Swift, Eureka........ 10...... 1487.........0.54

Check out all the stats here.

2010-05-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

Girls played #1 ranked Notre Dame de Sion tonight for the state quarterfinal and fell 1-0. They kept it scoreless until early in the second half when Notre Dame de Sion finally broke through and put a rocket in from the top of the box. The Wildcats had a wonderful year, winning their first ever District Championship while posting some great stats to boot. 17-4-0, 14 shutouts, 98 goals for and only 8 goals against for the entire season. Way to go ladies. What a great season!

WILDCATS ARE DISTRICT CHAMPS!

2010-05-22T17:40:00.000-07:00

Wildcats win Class 2 District 5 Championship Tournament knocking off defending Champs Bolivar 2-1. Goals were provided by AJ Erickson and Anna Holden. AJ scored off a set piece she bent over the wall, stretching the onion sack in the top right corner. Anna Holden scored on one of her many forays behind the Liberator defensive line. The stingy Wildcat defense held Bolivar to 1 goal which was an amazing goal from the Welch girl. She had a defender marking her with good pressure but still got off a wonderful shot on the run that slipped past the outreached fingers of our keeper. Sara Clarke made up for this goal in a big way when it counted most. With two minutes left to play, Sara shut down two goal line scrums and came away with the ball safely cradled in her arms. What a great game from two fantastic teams.

The Cats will face Notre Dame de Sion Wednesday for the state quarterfinals in Harrisonville at 6:00 PM. Click here for the full state championship bracket.

MORE DISTRICT CHAMP PICTURES

2010-05-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

WILDCATS WIN 2-0 VS MARSHFIELD IN DISTRICT SEMFINALS

2010-05-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

The Cats posted a 2-0 win vs Marshfield which secured their seat in the finals for the Class 2 District 5 Championship. AJ Erickson and Nikki Woodfin provided the goals while Sara Clarke and her impenetrable defensive unit secured their second shutout of the tournament.

The Cats will face the winner of tonight's Bolivar/Warrensburg match but foul weather is currently passing through the area so we will see if they get the game in and keep the tournament on it's (re)schedule for the tournament championship game tomorrow night.

The winner of the District 5 tournament will face the winner of the District 6 tourney. #3 seeded O'Hara has upset #2 seeded Pembroke Hill and will face #1 state ranked Notre Dame deSion in the finals tonight, weather permitting.

Photo ripped from SGFSoccer.com. He has a bunch of great pictures from the game so check em out and buy them if you like to help support one of the best soccer sites in the Midwest.

WILDCATS WIN FIRST ROUND OF DISTRICT VS CLINTON

2010-05-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

The Cats played a determined Clinton team tonight and came away with a 8-0 win. Clinton showed spunk and spirit, holding the Cats to three goals in the first half after putting Ruskin out of the tournament with an 8-0 game just hours before. The Cats came back in the second half and added five more goals. The best one I can remember was a sweet header that Karson Wilson scored early in the second half. Alex Erickson served a perfect ball to Karson as she crossed the box making a run toward the near post corner. She was able to deftly turn and head the ball back to her right to the far side netting, beating the defenders and keeper who had swung to the right. I had tears in my eyes on that one. We sat behind a bunch of Clinton parents during the game and had a great time cheering for both teams. They even shared their Twizzlers with us. Awesome! Both teams played hard and went home knowing they gave it their all. Well done ladies!

Scoring:
2 Alex Erickson
2 Sara Keck
2 Karson Wilson
1 Kaley Harkrader
1 Shalyn Wheeler

I was having nightmares about the field with all the rain we've had lately but was pleasantly surprised with how well it looked and played. There were only a couple spots that looked like it slowed the ball down and the ladies adjusted well. Hoping the weather holds for Thursday and Friday games this week. Thanks to Bolivar and their volunteers for what I would assume was a ton of work to get the fields ready for the event.

I caught the last 20 minutes of the Marshfield vs West Plains game and it looked pretty even as far as possession went but Marshfield was able to capitalize on a few chances and put the game away. We will face them Thursday in the semifinal round. I don't think I'll be able to make that game but Judith may be able to make it and get some pictures.

BOLIVAR AND WARRENSBURG TO FACE OFF THURSDAY

2010-05-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

Bolivar and Warrensburg both won their matches tonight and progress to the semifinal round of the District Championships Thursday in Bolivar. Thanks to Ole at SGF Soccer for the near real time game info.

Cats will face the winner of the Clinton vs Ruskin game tomorrow at 7:30 PM. GO CATS!

NEW DISTRICT SCHEDULE

2010-05-15T08:13:00.000-07:00

With the fields a bit soupy this weekend, Districts have been rescheduled. Here is the new schedule.

Monday, May 17

4:30 p.m. Warrensburg vs Rogersville
6:30 p.m. Bolivar vs Carl Junction

Tuesday, May 18

4:00 p.m. Clinton vs Ruskin
5:45 p.m. West Plains vs Marshfield
7:30 p.m. Harrisonville vs Clinton/Ruskin winner

Thursday, May 20

4:30 p.m. Harrisonville/Clinton/Ruskin winner vs West Plains/Marshfield winner
6:30 p.m. Bolivar/Carl Junction winner vs Warrensburg/Rogersville winner

Friday, May 21

6:00 p.m. District Final

CATS FINISH OUT THE REGULAR SEASON WITH A 10-0 SHUTOUT VS GRAIN VALLEY

2010-05-11T19:24:00.000-07:00

Cats win big vs the Grain Valley tonight, shutting out the Eagles 10-0 on the road. Pictures and scoring to follow.

QUICK NOTES

2010-05-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

My schedule has been crazy lately and I haven't been able to post. Thought I'd just drop a couple quick notes to catch up.

The girls had two games this week. They played Excelsior Springs on the road and came away with a 2-0 victory. Anna Holden scored both goals and Sara Clarke earned the shutout.

The Cats faced Holden at home on Thursday and came away with a 7-0 win. Maria Sanchez scored two goals while Rynard, Keck, Eghbali, Harkrader and Herndon all scored a goal a piece. The shutout was secured by Rebecca Lokits.

WILDCAT SOCCER HONORS HARRISONVILLE SPECIAL OLYMPICS

2010-04-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-29T20:05:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-21T05:49:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

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

CATS WIN 5-1 VS EXCELSIOR SPRINGS

2010-04-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-11T05:39:00.000-07:00

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

NEXT UP EXCELSIOR SPRINGS

2010-04-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-06T18:59:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-05T20:57:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-05T19:12:00.001-07:00

Game photos here.

Scoring info:

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

NEXT UP MARSHALL

2010-04-04T15:07:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-02T16:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

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.

O'HARA NEXT UP

2010-03-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

O'Hara plays Harrisonville's varsity squad on the road tomorrow at 4:00 PM. The Celtics could be in high spirits after their Tuesday night game against the Warrensburg Tigers. MO Soccer Coach has the game listed as a 2-1 PK win for O'Hara while the KC Youth Soccer Net has the game listed as a 1-1 tie. Last season, the Tigers beat the Celtics 3-1 in early and late season games. In any case, O'Hara, 4-18 on last season, has come out strong against a quality Warrensburg side and should pose a potent opponent for the Cats tomorrow night. Game on! Go Cats!

Update: The Tigers played the Celtics 1-1 in regulation and went to overtime and a shootout where O'Hara took the match 4-3. A great battle by two good teams. Check out Warrensburg's write-up here.

HOLDEN COMES TO HARRISONVILLE FOR AN UNEXPECTED HOME OPENER

2010-03-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

The Wildcats were to go on the road tonight for their second match in as many nights but met the Holden Eagles for an unexpected Harrisonville home opener as Holden's field was still soggy with all the wet weather. The Cats scored 11 before play was stopped at the end of the first half. Anna Holden scored her first hat trick of the season, putting her in a four way tie for first place in the KC Scoring Leaders Alex and Alex (Erickson and Herndon) both scored two on the night and Anisa Alexander, Karson Wilson, Madison Allen and Kaley Harkrader all tallied one goal a piece.

On a side note. The weather was BE-A-UTIFUL so it was a great time to break out the new grandson and introduce him to the beautiful game.

Picture are downloading now.

CATS WIN EARLY SEASON MATCH VS WARRENSBURG

2010-03-30T18:22:00.000-07:00

The Cats came away with another early season win vs the Warrensburg (15-6-1 last year) on Monday night. The manicured natural grass field still seemed a bit awkward at first to the Cats who are playing a majority of their games on turf these days. The wet weather and soft ground slowed the ball speed a bit but the girls adjusted nicely and found many opportunities to drop balls in behind the defense to our speedy forwards. Anna Holden scored two and Alex Erickson scored one.

Warrensburg's lone goal came as a ball was passed in to near the right post, striking a defender and dropped dead in front of the box where it was poked home by on rushing Kendra Fox. I did notice one addition to the Warrensburg attack this game. The Tigers have added flip throws to their arsenal after watching Bolivar rain down balls into their box from the potent throw-ins in last year's 3-0 loss in the District finals. While the Tigers failed to score off these balls in this match, they were nearly successful a couple times.

I was pleasantly surprised with the tough but fair play I witnessed on the field and the positive comments from fans and coaches on both sides. Pictures from the match are posted.

Here is a write up from a Warrensburg digital news source.

CATS TAKE SECOND AT PLATTE COUNTY TOURNAMENT

2010-03-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

The Wildcats played well against the offensive power house of Platte County High School on Saturday in the Championship game. While the loss was disappointing for the girls, it was a telling 1-0 defeat. Platte County went 24-1 last season falling to Smithville in their Class 2 District 7 semifinal last year. The Pirates are currently ranked 10th in the state in the high school preseason coaches poll. This would have been the third straight year that the teams would meet in the tournaments championship game except last year's game was canceled twice for rain.

The Pirates attacked with ease throughout the game but the Cats were able to find space and threatened a few times with shots on goal and through balls behind the air tight defense. Karson Wilson thought she had tied the game in the second half but it was called back for offsides. Whitney Smith scored the Pirates winning goal and Alisha Hoskins earned the well deserved shutout.

While not the result they had hoped for, this game showed the girls can play great soccer against great teams. They stayed focused on the defensive side and really hustled all over the field. It is still early in the season so there is plenty of time to work on finding space against high pressure teams and working the ball out of the back when transitioning off defense. We have a great crop of new talent coming up and they are starting to fit nicely with the rest of the team veterans.

I was really impressed with the quality of the Platte County side and had a wonderful time at the tournament throughout the week. Great teams, coaching, fans...heck even the refs were nice. And if you didn't already know, "Official time is kept on the field". :-)

It was a pleasure to see Chris Miller (former H'ville coach and current Platte County Middle School Principal) and his son Zane at the tourney. Chris caught me on facebook and wrote the following:

"It was great seeing you and the girls. It is so cool to see them all grown up and doing well. It is also great to see that the program is progressing nicely and fielding quality teams from year to year. The game was a good one for both teams. I know the Hville girls were disappointed with the late offsides call which negated their goal. Either way I think they surprised our girls and kept them off balance the entire game. Both teams were in it until the last whistle and both had some chances. Maybe we will run into each other at another game. Take care!"

Thanks for a wonderful tourney.

CATS TOP SAVANNAH

2010-03-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

The Wildcats topped the Savannah Savages 5-0 in the second round of the Platte County Soccer Tournament. The team showed it's depth tonight with five goals from five girls. Scoring was shared by Anna Holden, Alex Erickson, Karson Wilson, Shalyn Wheeler and Anisa Alexander. The stingy defense held strong and is beginning to play with more poise out of the back. Sara Clarke earned her second shutout in as many games. I'm VERY impressed with many of our young players that have come in this season. They show a great level of play walking in the door.

I stayed over for the second game to get a sense of who we might end up playing on Saturday (1:00 PM) and caught the Platte County Pirates vs the Staley Falcons. The first 10 minutes had me thinking this would be a blowout as the Pirates dominated play and pummeled the Falcons with shots. And then it was like someone took the hood off the Falcon as these girls came alive and just flat brought it! It was a great game with lots of quality soccer on both side; physical but clean. Both teams moved the ball well through their defense and midfield but the Pirates seemed to have a better time of it through the attacking third and put more shots on goal. The score was 1-0 Pirates at the half when I left but the way it was going, I'd hate to count the Falcons out. I'm looking forward to playing either of them. The Cats will face the winner at 1:00 PM on Saturday. Go Wildcats!

More Pictures are downloading now at the online photo album (see link on the right side of the page)

WILDCATS WIN SEASON OPENER

2010-03-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

The Cats opened the season on a good foot last night as they bested Benton High School 6-0 in the first round of the Platte City High School Soccer Tournament. Karson Wilson tallied a hat trick; Anna Holden got two and Alex Erickson got one and a couple assists. Sara Clarke and the rest of the Cat's defensive unit earned their first shut-out of the season. I was very impressed to see an improved Wildcat air battle as they scored at least two goals off set play headers. The game was highlighted by some great sportsmanship by both sides and superb officials on the field. Sorry no pictures from the game; someone who shall remain nameless forgot the camera on the table at home.

I stuck around to watch the first half of the following game as we would be playing the winner on Thursday. MICDS was playing Savannah. The 2-1 score at half did not reflect the control and possession the Rams commanded on the field. It did however reflect Savannah's opportunistic scoring power and quick counters. I thought twice about staying for the second half but with an hour drive home yet to come, I assumed the Ram's would prevail....wrong. Read the full story below from the MICDS results page. Everything they say about Savannah's keeper is true. She had at least three amazing saves I saw myself and then to come back and get the game winner in the shootout is just icing on the cake.

Click here for last year's write up of the Cat's opening game vs Savannah.

"Rams Fall in Penalty Kicks

The Rams opened the season with a 3-2 loss in a penalty kick shootout to Savannah High School. Despite controlling the play for much of the game, and outshooting the Savages by a 10-5 margin, the Rams were thwarted by a strong Savannah goalkeeper. Chloe Ferris scored 4 minutes in off of a cross from Katherine Spataro, and in the 18th minute the Rams made it 2-0 on a goal by Claire Ringenberg from a pass by Sydney Saunders. Savannah cut the lead to 2-1 with a well placed shot from 25 yards out and tied the game in the second half on a scuffed shot that managed to find the corner of the net through a maze of players from both teams. The Rams continued to put on the pressure the entire game, but several spectacular saves were made in regulation and overtime to keep the Rams at 2 goals. In the PK shootout Katherine Spataro and Claire Ringenberg both scored, but Savannah scored three times including the game winner from their keeper. Players of the game were, #3 Izzy Howerton, #2 Frances Jones and #1 Claire Ringenberg."

2010 SEASON KICKOFF

2010-03-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

Wildcats start their 2010 season tomorrow night vs Benton High School (St. Joseph)at the Platte County Tournament.

WILSON MAKES MISSOURI ALL STATE TEAM

2009-06-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

Karson Wilson recently received some fantastic recognition with her selection to the the 2009 Missouri All State High School Girls Soccer Team (2nd Team). Well done Kat!

Check out all the other selectees here. Our District is well represented throughout the first and second team.

WILDCATS TAKE HOME MANY AWARDS CONFERENCE AND DISTRICTS

2009-06-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

The Cats racked up some top honors in Conference and District play this year. The teams hard work, determination and amazing record did not go unnoticed. Great season Wildcats!

All-District 1st Team
Emily Buerge
Alex Erickson
Karson Wilson
Anna Holden

All-District 2nd Team
Kayla Birchfield
Cati Brill
Sara Clarke
Tina Harold

All-District Honorable Mention Team
Jaclyn Sumner
Kelsie Sumner
---------------------------------------------------
The Cats won the inaugural Missouri River Valley Conference Championship with a perfect 10-0 record with 7 shutouts, scoring 88 goals and allowing only 3 against in conference play.

All-Conference 1st Team

Emily Buerge
Kayla Birchfield
Karson Wilson
Anna Holden
Alex Erickson
Sara Clarke

All-Conference 2nd Team

Tina Harold
Cati Brill
Shalyn Wheeler
Jaclyn Sumner

All-Conference Honorable Mention Team

Kelsie Sumner
Kaila Leipard

Academic All-Conference

Tina Harold
Alex Erickson
Cati Brill
Emily Buerge
Sara Clarke
Karson Wilson
Anna Holden
Kayla Birchfield
Shalyn Wheeler

---------------------------------------------------
Varsity Team Awards

Most Valuable Player - Emily Buerge
Defensive Player of the Year - Cati Brill
Offensive Player of the Year - Anna Holden
Most Improved Player - Melissa Bullard
Miss Hustle - Karson Wilson

Junior Varsity Team Awards

Most Valuable Player - Rebecka Lokits
Defensive Player of the Year - Kayla Davis
Offensive Player of the Year - Melissa Bullard
Most Improved Player - Abby Fisher
Miss Hustle - Lauren Rynard

Great season ladies. I look forward to next year. Till then, keep playin!

2009 SOCCER VIDEO

2009-05-25T16:27:00.001-07:00

Kum Ba Yah Anyone?

2009-05-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-20T21:08:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-18T21:57:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-16T23:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-13T17:12:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

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.