Inside SSC

Carl's Corner

2008-10-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

Boys Director of Coaching-Carl Rose will offer his insight, thoughts and lessons for our youth players to learn from a recent EPL, MLS, or Champions League game in Carl's Corner. Gain the insight of a former professional player and his take on the recent match.

English Premier League
October 5, 2008
Liverpool @ Manchester City

This was a big game for Liverpool because a win would keep them tied for first place
with Chelsea.

From the start of the game Liverpool applied pressure on Man. City, but were unable to score, after about 5-7 minutes of pressure Man. City settled down and started to play better. Wright-Philips started the play that ended up with Man. City scoring the first goal, he came at the defender with good speed and went around him to the end line and cut the ball back to Robinho who fell on the ball as the Liverpool defenders were coming to close the space down. Quick thinking from Robinho who was on the ground played the ball back to Steven Ireland as the defenders where unable to clear the ball out of the penalty area, Ireland hit a volley to score the games first goal.

The game then stared to get livelier with both teams attacking at a good speed of play.
However in the 42nd min Man. City were awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area. Again Wright – Philips was involved in the play to set up the free kick. He was on a penetrating run and tried to go between two players when he was fouled outside of the area. The free- kick was taken by Javier Garrido, it was a beautiful free-kick the ball went over the wall and curved into the upper right corner of the goal. Man. City went in at half time leading 2-0; you would have thought that they would then go on to win the game.

In the second half Liverpool came out inspired and determined to score which they did in the 55th minute. The played started on the left side of the field and was played to the right side with four crisp passes, by the time the ball had reached the right side the Liverpool defender made a penetrating run towards the penalty area with Robinho chasing him, Robinho stopped his chase and the ball was played to his player who received the ball in the penalty area and with one touch crossed the ball into the middle of the area where Torres got on the end of the play and scored the first goal for Liverpool. Now the game started to get more exciting as we know a 2-1 score is dangerous and the fact that the momentum had changed in Liverpool’s favor.

To make matters worst for Man. City in the 66th minute Zabaleta was red carded for a studs up tackle on Alonso, so now Man. City have 10 players and Liverpool breathing down their necks. In the 72nd minute Liverpool are rewarded a corner kick, the corner was taken by Steven Gerrard, his corner was played to the near post where Torres meets the ball in the air and directs it into the goal to tie the game he was unmarked when he made contact with the ball. Now the game starts to get more exciting with time running out and Man. City now hanging on for a tie.

Torres gets another opportunity to score into an empty net and he kicks the ball over the goal, in the 87th minute Man. City play a long diagonal pass when the ball lands it bounces and nearly goes over the last Liverpool defenders head, after he makes contact with the ball he has a bad landing and hurt his knee, the game was stopped to take care of this player, he was taken off the field but Liverpool could not sub for him because they had already used their allotted number of subs so now both teams are playing with ten players.

Does it get any more exciting the answer is yes, with 6 minutes to go and both teams now trying to get all 3 points Liverpool go on the attack Gerrard plays a give and go in the Man. City area and then takes the ball to the end line and cuts the ball back to Torres who shoots with a first time shot which is deflected and then stopped by the keeper, but he gave up a rebound and Kuyt followed up the shot and scored into the empty goal for the match winner.

Again as in the Man. United vs. Chelsea game set plays are important and also following up on shots taken for there might be a rebounds. In this case the player following up the shot scored the game winning goal. Always remember to follow shots and track your runners.

Until the next Carl’s Corner-enjoy playing the game!

Weekend Soccer to Watch

2008-10-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

While it may be a slow weekend on the local college soccer front, there are still plenty of BIG games to watch on the field and on the television this weekend. Here are a few of the happenings that any true fan of the world's game just won't want to miss.

Kickapoo HS Shootout
Friday & Saturday
Kickapoo HS, Harrison Stadium and Springfield Catholic Sites

Where else will you find most of the regional High School Boys Soccer powers in one spot this weekend? They will all be competing at the Kickapoo Shootout this Friday and Saturday. If you are a 6th, 7th or 8th grade player this is an outstanding opportunity to go see what it takes to play at the Varsity level.

Oh, and by the way some of the most dominant High School Programs from the state of Missouri will be here playing against the local boys- Vianney HS, Pembroke Hill, Lee's Summit West, Blue Springs and Francis Howell.

Saturday October 11, 2008
England vs. Kazakhstan WCQ-Match
Kick-off 11:00am Fox Soccer Channel

Watch Beckham and the boys try to continue their recent winning streak of World Cup Qualifying matches. It won't be an easy test as England has been known to take their foot off the pedal in matches like this one. Look for another breakout performance from someone trying to lock down their spot on the National Team.

Saturday October 11, 2008
USA vs. Cuba WCQ-Match
Kick-off 6:00pm ESPN classic

RFK in the nation's capital is the site of choice for this important CONCACAF Semi-Final Round World Cup Qualifier. Coach Bob Bradley has assembled a stellar roster with both MLS and European based players for this one. If the US wins it will propel them into the Final Round of CONCACAF Qualifying for FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa. Plenty of exciting moments are sure to be had in this match. Interested in seeing more of the preparations, then be sure to visit www.ussoccer.com and view US training sessions and pre-game preparations.

Enjoy the weekend soccer games and go SSC!

Carl's Corner

2008-09-30T07:52:00.000-07:00

Weekend Soccer to Watch

2008-09-24T22:49:00.000-07:00

Can you say BUSY? If you are a true soccer fan AND a true supporter of the Springfield Soccer Club then this should be a busy weekend of soccer for you. Once again we provide a list of games to watch in the Springfield as well as from the comfort of your own couch.

Thursday September 25, 2008
LA Galaxy vs. Chicago Fire
Kick-off 8:00pm espn2
While it is the return of must see TV on NBC, don't forget to tune in the LA Galaxy vs. Chicago Fire. Should be an interesting match as the Galaxy have their backs against the wall if they want to make a serious run at the MLS Play-Offs. It is always fun to watch a team with no room for error and last week the Galaxy didn't disappoint as they made easy work of DC United for their first win in a looooong time.

Friday September 26, 2008
Drury University vs. NKU
Kick-off 5:00pm/7:30pm
Supporting local college soccer is a big boost to the teams, players and programs and also allows aspiring college players to get a glimpse of what college soccer is about. Nothing like getting a look at some top quality teams as the Drury Women play top 20 Northern Kentucky University at Harrison Stadium at 5:00pm.

That game is followed by the # 1 Northern Kentucky University Men's Team coming into town to play the undefeated Drury Panthers. Lots of Springfield S.C. and local ties in this game-and it is not oftern that a # 1 ranked team comes into town in ANY sport so go out support local soccer and see what being # 1 in the country is all about.

Saturday September 27, 2008
KC Wizards vs. Chivas USA
Kick-off 9:30pm Fox Soccer Channel
Speaking of local soccer connections, the Kansas City Wizards travel to LA to take on Chivas USA with more MLS Playoff implications on the line. The Wizards are led by Jack Jewsbury -yes Virginia you can be from Springfield and play professional soccer-who will be the next one?

Sunday September 28, 2008
MSU Women vs. SIU-Edwardsville
Kick-off 1:30pm @ Plaster Stadium
Coming off of their two victories at the Razorback Tournament, MSU looks to continue their winning ways.

Sunday September 29, 2008
Drury Men vs. University of Indianapolis
Kick-off 2:30pm @ Harrison Stadium

Now for the BIG game of the weekend- no offense Beckham...but this guy is our own!
That's right Brian Fishback and the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds come into town to take on Drury. It would be great to have a bunch of SSC players out there to make him feel at home. He serves as a Captain this year and received many post-season accolades- including NSCAA All Great Lakes 2nd Team and First Team All-Academic Team.

Enjoy the weekend, good luck in the games and go SSC!

Weekend Soccer to Watch

2008-09-19T07:45:00.000-07:00

There are a number of BIG games to watch this weekend both on TV and here in Southwest Missouri. Watching games is a great way to keep developing as a player and who knows you just might see the next BIG youtube highlight goal everyone is talking about next week.

Friday, September 19, 2008
Missouri State University Bears vs. Valparaiso University
7:00pm Kick-off @ Plaster Stadium

Saturday September 20, 2008
Springfield Catholic HS vs. Greenwood Blue Jays
7:00pm Kick-off @ Lake Country Cooper Complex

Sunday September 21, 2008
THE BIG ONE- CHELSEA VS. MANCHESTER UNITED
8:00am Kick-off Fox Soccer Channel

Enjoy the weekend and good luck to all of the teams with their games. GO SSC!

Update

2008-09-08T16:06:00.001-07:00

Greetings all from the North(Iowa)!!!
I just wanted to put out a quick post and give everyone an update on my move to Dubuque, Iowa and my new position with Loras College. The season has started and we are 4-0-1 on the men's side and are currently ranked #4 in the nation. The women have started out at 3-1.
I also wanted to thank everyone who came to my going away party and thank you for all the generous and thoughtful gifts, thank you so much!!!
As many of you know I had a little eye injury and surgery before I moved. All is well and all I can really say about it is, BEWARE OF BUNGEE CORDS!

Thanks again for everything and best of luck SSC!!!
Zach Alumbaugh

Summer Is Upon Us

2008-06-06T08:42:00.000-07:00

SSC finished up its final training sessions for the Spring season last night. With the end of practices the summer is officially upon the players, parents and coaching staff. A few teams will still be preparing for some events later on in the summer. The SSC 92/93 I Boys are training for their upcoming appearance in the MRL playoffs in Indiana. They are trying to finish up strongly with hopes of ultimately being promoted into the top division of the MRL. The 95/96 and 94/95 Red Boys teams each will be participatig in the US Club Soccer Regionals in Indianapolis from June 28th thru July 1. These players and parents will be receiving a training schedule shortly for the weeks leading up to the event in Indy. The 90/91 Boys are training hard for their second straight appearance in the USYSA Region II Championships in Rockford. Training sessions have been very intense and the boys are looking forward to seeing their draw and who their opponents will be, the draw is June 10th.
This summer also marks the first year that SSC with be fielding a Under 23 team. This team begins training this coming Tuesday and is playing against other regional clubs that also field U-23 squads. Some teams they will be playing against are Metro United from Edwardsville, IL, NW-Arkansas Lightning and Scwaben from Chicago, IL. The 23's offer SSC alums and other interested players who are in town for the summer a quality place to train through the summer and to prepare themselves and stay sharp for their upcoming collegiate seasons.
Best of luck to all the teams in their future events!!!
Also a friendly reminder that if you have not signed up for tryouts to get registered on-line.
Thanks to all the players, parents and staff for a great year!!

What to do this summer??

2008-05-22T10:25:00.000-07:00

As the year winds down for SSC and summer draws closer many players wonder about what to do in the summer to stay soccer sharp.
With the addition of the indoor facility SSC is offering a 3 v 3 summer league that will allow players the opportunity to play in a fast and fun playing environment. The response has been great for the 3 v 3 league and we are looking forward to a fun outlet for kids to play in the summer in a good structured setting.
SSC is also offering many camps throughout the summer that can help you stay sharp on the ball. You can find these camps on our website www.springfieldsportsclub.com underneath the camps tab.
Obviously the summer allows more free time for everyone and we strongly encourage our players to take some time off and enjoy the summer. And we also encourage every player to spend a little time on the soccer ball whether its through a summer league, SSC camp or any other outside camp, any time on the ball is good for your progression as a player. If you have any questions on what to do this summer talk to any SSC coach and they can give you direction on what to do during the summer months. Enjoy the summer!

Lake Country Spring League

2008-05-22T10:11:00.000-07:00

SSC teams had great successs in league play here in town at Lake Country. On the girls side the 98/99 Girls won their league by going 7-1 and scored 31 goals while only giving up 6 goals. The 96/97 Girls also won their league by going 7-1 and put away 25 goals while only allowing 8 goals. Good job girls!!!!!

On the boys side the Youth Academy Boys won their league by going 7-0-1 and scored 51 goals and gave up 8 goals. The 98/99 Red Boys were 1st in their league by going 7-1 and scoring 49 goals and allowing 9 goals. The 98/99 White Boys won their league as well going 6-1-1 and they scored 23 goals and gave up 10 goals. The 97/98 Boys won their league with a record of 7-0-1 and finished with 33 goals for and 4 goals against. Great Spring boys!!!!

SSC is extremly proud of the development of all our teams this Spring and want to thank the players for all their hard work this year!!!

Twice is Nice!!!

2008-05-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

As most of you are aware of already the U-17 boys won their second straight state cup title two weekends ago in St Louis. After successfully defending their state cup title by defeating Lou Fusz-Popovic in penalty kicks the U-17 boys won the Midwest Regional League by earning ties against Scott Gallagher and 1996 International from Kentucky. This is quite an accomplishment for the boys winning both state cup and the highly competitive Midwest Regional League. Having won state cup they will have the Missouri spot when the draw comes out for the Region II Championships on June 10th. The Region II Championships will be held in Rockford, Illinois from June 20th through the 25th. Congratulations to the boys and coach Cory Carr and best of luck at Regionals in Rockford!!

Metro Strikers Tournament Champs

2008-05-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

The SSC U-14 and U-12 Boys teams both won the Metro Strikers tournament in St Louis this past weekend held at the Sportport fields. The U-14 boys beat Metro Strikers in the finals to win the championship. Pictured are the U-12 Boys who beat Metro Strikers in the finals to win the championship as well.

State Cup

2008-05-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

Well the U-17's will be playing for another state cup title on Saturday afternoon at 3pm. They won a very spirited game against Scott Gallagher in the semi-finals that ended up 1-0 in favor of SSC after the two overtime periods. And yes they did play the correct amount of time. Tim Griffin put the game away with a blast in the second ot period that sealed the game for SSC.
The final will be played at Scott Gallagher's turf facility at 3pm on Saturday. The boys will be matched up against Lou Fusz- Popovic, who they knocked out of last years cup in the semi's. No doubt this will be another strong battle between two very accomplished teams. Best of luck 17's!!!!

State Cup Time

2008-04-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

You can always tell when state cup is upon us. Just drive by the Cooper fields at around 5:30-9:00 o'clock at night and you will see SSC teams going over their final preperations before state cup play begins. The U-13,14,15,16 and 17 boys are all due to start their cup runs this weekend up in St. Louis. Here is a little preview.

U-13 Red Boys
The U-13 group opens up their first state cup and is matched up against Scott Gallagher White. They play at the SLYSA fields at 11:00am and if they win will play IMO's from St Louis on Sunday at 8:30am.

U-14 Boys
The 14 boys open up cup play Saturday at 8:30am against the Futura Flames from Kansas City. If they win they will play again on Sunday versus the winner of Scott Gallagher I or STLSC-Morris at 8:30am.

U-15 I Boys
The 15 I Boys drew STL-Scott Gallagher I in their opening game on Saturday at 11:00am at SLYSA. If they win they will face Avalon FC who drew a first round bye, that game will be on Sunday at 11:00am.

U-16 Boys
The 16 Boys play Lou Fusz-Sulincevski on Saturday at 1:30pm in their first round game. If they win they will play on Sunday against STLSC-Pike at 1:30pm.

U-17 Boys
The 17's have a first round bye and will play the winner of the St Louis Cougars versus Lou Fusz-Kaver. Their second round game will be on Sunday at 4:00pm.

Good luck to all the teams as they look to bring SSC another state title!!!!

Tulsa Thunder Tourney

2008-04-23T09:49:00.000-07:00

SSC had another strong showing at the Tulsa Thunder tournament. The 13 white boys went 2-1 missing out on playing in the semi-finals due to goal differential. The 13 white girls went 1-2 with each game they played being decided by one goal. The 13 red boys went 2-1-1 and came up short in the semi-finals losing a tough game against Tulsa Thunder 1-0. Great performances by every team!!

11 girls- LCS Frindship Cup Champions!!

2008-04-09T10:24:00.000-07:00

The 11 girls team enjoyed great success this past weekend at the LCS Friendship Cup. The girls did not give up a goal all weekend long and beat the Topeka Select- Jazz in the finals 2-0. This is a first tournament title for the girls and they should all be very proud of their performance last weeekend they played very well all weekend long. Good job girls!!!

Spring is in Full Swing

2008-04-09T10:12:00.000-07:00

Well it has been rainy for a majority of the Spring season so far but the club is enjoying the start of the Spring season with all of its teams.

Lake Country league play has started and many of our teams have been able to get off to fantastic starts in league play. The Kansas City Champions league has also started with the 12 red girls, 12 red boys, 13 red boys, 14 boys and 15 II boys are already atleast two games into their 8 game season.

Midwest Regional League games have started up as well and you can follow the results of those games for the 15 I, 16, 17 and 18 boys' teams at the following link,
http://www.midwestregionalleague.com

Hopefully the weather can take a turn and we can continue to get outside as much as possible. Good luck to all the teams in action this weekend especially the 13 white boys, 13 red boys, 13 girls, 14 boys and 16 boys who are all heading off to Tulsa this weekend for the Tulsa Thunder tournament!!

Dallas Cup 29-UPDATE

2008-03-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

The boys spent day 2 of Dallas Cup relaxing and avoiding the rain much like back home in Springfield. After a hard fought victory in their first game the day off on Tuesday was welcomed by many.

Wednesday, March 19th

The boys got to get back on the pitch today after a rain soaked Tuesday. Dallas Cup has an automatic rain day built in the schedule so that meant a showdown with the Tigres from Mexico. With the Tigres undefeated in both games so far that meant a must win game for SSC to get through to the knock out rounds. The games were shortened to 35 minute halves and the boys worked hard for all 70 of those minutes. After going down 1-0 at half they came out strong in the second half and had much of the play. They were unable to capitalize on any chances and gave up a goal late, mainly due to pushing up and getting numbers forward trying to tie up the game. The game ended 2-0 Tigres and SSC will now face Orange County Rage from California today for their final game at Dallas Cup.

We have a couple players working on write ups on their experience at the Dallas Cup so look for that next week. We will also post later today the result of their final game against the Rage. Stay Dry!!

Heath Melugin's Costa Rica Trip

2008-02-27T09:52:00.000-08:00

Heath Melugin, a member of the Springfield SC 89/90 team, represented SSC on a recent trip to Costa Rica as a member of the Region II 1990 ODP squad. Heath was joined by other players from throughout Region II as they traveled down to Coast Rica to train and play some Costa Rican teams. Below is a journal that Heath wrote covering his trip.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

As we caught the flight from Dallas to San Jose, Costa Rica, the language barrier began to kick in. For every English sentence there was a Spanish one to follow. It was very interesting meeting the Costa Ricans on the flight because they were very nice and entertaining, especially since we were soccer, “Futbol,” players. It was refreshing to experience the passion and pride they had in their favorite sport. The passion was even deeper than how Americans feel about football; it was almost like a religion to them. The pride in their pro teams, that we were scheduled to play, and their pride in the game of soccer reminded me of the glimpse of pride that I am beginning to see in the tradition of the Springfield Soccer Club. With State Championships, indoor facilities and Midwest Regional League Titles that kind of pride in the club should be expected. Tonight we are staying at a Best Western and my roommates are Adam Mills from Indiana, he is going to West Virginia, and Matt Mason from Ohio, he is committed to Akron.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Today we woke up at 7 o’ clock after about a four hour night sleep. Before we headed out for our morning run and stretch we had to make sure we hid all valuables because we were informed that many things tend to get stolen. The mindset of being a professional was emphasized right from the beginning as we were expected to get ourselves to bed, at the right time, hydrated on our own, and prepare to get up early for training. After training we packed up and headed up the mountain to San Carlos. As we began the four hour drive through windy, farm roads many players got very sick. I probably got the sickest of everyone and was not very excited about getting around for training. Luckily, I quickly recuperated and was ready to train. The training was high quality and very intense. Touches and preciseness of passes were emphasized greatly as the coaches walked around and observed, seeming to except nothing less than perfection. Teammates expected quality from each other, and the great thing was that most of the time they received it. We shadowed our formation for the game tomorrow as I was playing a holding center midfield role. Shape and support were two key components that the coaches worked with us on. That night we went to the Hot Springs. At the Hot Springs there were 10 different pools with different temperatures. The pools were naturally heated by the active volcano that was just a couple yards from the first pool. One of the pools had two slides that fed into it. The slides were amazing; they were so steep and fast that we would get airborne for 10 ft. on the drop. It would have been illegal in America so it was pretty awesome.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Breakfast was at eight this morning and then we had training at nine. We were preparing for our first game against the San Carlos Reserve Team. In practice we did some light possession and juggling drills. We also went over defending and attacking on set plays. This practice was a little more laid back because of our game in the evening. After practice we went into downtown San Carlos and did some shopping. On our way we went over this bridge where there were about 50 Iguanas just hanging out. After that we had lunch and had a little meeting to go over our game plan. Our game plan was to not chase too much because of the 80 degree heat and also slow the game down when we could. The coaches said that they wanted us to play a style of soccer that was a mix of American with a little South American flair, which they described as slowing the game down, then speeding it up and getting to goal quickly when the time is right. Defensively they wanted us to have great position and shape and wait for the other team to make a mistake. In the game I played as an attacking center mid. The game was extremely fast paced and was probably the most intense game I have ever played in. The San Carlos players were very technical and had amazing quickness and acceleration. We were much bigger and stronger than most of them. It was our first game as a group but surprisingly we came out very strong. We had a handful of chances to score but never found the back of the net. We lost 1-0, but were overall pleased with our performance. The main thing that I took away from their style of play was that they changed pace and direction very quickly. At one moment they would slow the game down and possess and then a couple of passes later they would pick us apart and be on goal. Most of the game we handled this very well.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Today we woke up to morning showers. This tends to happen as the weather is very unpredictable. We had breakfast, packed up our bags, and headed down the mountain back to San Jose. On our way we stopped to tour through the rain forest using zip lines. It was pretty awesome and I saw some of the most amazing views. The trees that we zip lined from were over 150 ft. tall. It was a great experience. After that we continued the journey down the mountain while watching “Glory Road.” When we got to the hotel we had some downtime before training and took advantage of it by napping. During training we worked on finding the attacking midfielders feet more often. This involved me a lot because I am one of two of the attacking midfielders on our team. Our quality of play was a little down this training so the coaches emphasized that we would need to pick it up for the game against the U-19 Costa Rican National Team.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

This morning we woke up at 6 to have breakfast at 6:30. We were preparing for our game against the Costa Rican National Team. We got to the fields and the complex was extremely nice. The complex was under construction as they were building something like the IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL, only on a smaller scale. It was very hot and very windy. The team was in the middle of the selection process as they were preparing for the next world cup. I started at attacking center midfield this game and the pace of play was amazingly fast. The Costa Ricans were very fast and had most of the possession during the game. We struck first as my roommate Matt Mason (Akron) got the goal off of a through ball. Next the National Team got two goals before half. They were pretty weak goals as one was hit in with a hand. The referee was either very partial or didn’t see it. In the second half we scored off of a corner kick that bounced around a few times before it was finished. We finished the game with a 2-2 tie. They were a very technical, strong, quick and smart team. We were pleased with our result. After the game we headed back to the hotel and got some down time. At two we had to hit the freezing cold pool for some rehab. Soon after we headed to downtown San Jose to do some sight-seeing, and shopping. It was a very overcrowded place. The country was going through some political reform so there were some protestors outside the capital building. We went when it was still light but were told that it is a dangerous place at night. We saw signs of this with the amount of graffiti on the buildings. The clothes are more expensive than in the US because they have higher taxes. This is because they have nationalized healthcare. We went into one store similar to a Finish Line or Champs except that they sold a lot of soccer apparel. The workers in the store were fascinated with us being American soccer players, and wanted to know many details about our games. Once we left downtown we went to a restaurant that really expressed the Costa Rican culture. The food was very good and they had many different fruity flavored drinks. We had men playing instruments around us and they even let us give it a try. After dinner we just headed back to the hotel and had to be in our rooms by nine to prepare for the mornings game.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Today we woke up early and had breakfast. Our game against Alajuela U-19 was at ten o’ clock. It was another hot and windy day. This was a very good team and had some very talented individual players. There was one kid that was about 5’ 4.” He had an amazing touch and incredible pace. The team was very good at switching the field by long balls across the field. This created some trouble for us at times. They struck first as one of their players hit a volley from about half and it hit the post. He had a teammate that got the rebound and finished it for the first goal. Right off the next kickoff, our forward, Julian Cardona (Shattuck, St. Mary’s), recognized that the goalie was off his line and hit a bomb, scoring off the kickoff. Soon after Alajuela scored, putting them up 2-1 before half. We put them under pressure many times in the second half. I had a shot that was a sure goal but got deflected by a defender. As our pressure continued I played a ball from the center midfield to our right midfielder, Adam Mills, (West Virginia) as he crossed it and earned us a corner. The corner was taken by Peter O’ Neil, (Northwestern), and finished by Corey Majowski, (Oakland University). This goal was scored in stoppage time so soon after the game ended. The game ended at a tie, 2-2. After the game we hit the very cold pool to rehab and then got ready to go to a children’s day care for community service. Most of the children had single mothers with low incomes. They were some of the cutest kids I have ever seen. When we asked them who their favorite soccer team was, they chanted, in unison, “Saprissa! Saprissa!” Saprissa is the best team in the Costa Rican professional league. We played soccer with the children and handed out candy. That night we had dinner outside and a group of dancers did a number of festive dances for our entertainment. We got to sleep pretty early in order to get ready for our last game, which the coaches said is always the toughest on these trips.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Today we got to sleep in until about 8:30 and then had breakfast. After that we went back to our room to relax until we had a meeting and lunch at 11:30. We went over our defensive shape for the afternoon game against the University of Costa Rica. This team plays in the 1st division pro league and each player pays $200 a semester to go to the University. Once we got to our game there were some men’s league games going on before us. There were men anywhere from 20 to 55 years old. It is pretty cool because whether they are good or not everyone in Costa Rica plays soccer. We did not play very good in the first half of this game as we found ourselves down 1-0 at half. They scored off a header from a set ball played into the box. They were very dangerous on their set plays. In the second half we were all over them, getting many breakaways. The referee showed his loyalty to his country as he overlooked two times where we were blatantly taken down from behind in the box. We did not find a way to put the ball in the net and as a result lost 1-0. This was a disappointing one because we really felt we were the better team. That night we went to TGI Fridays for our farewell dinner. The Costa Rica Soccer Tours, the company Region II worked with, gave away some stuff and showed a video over the trip. After dinner we went to a pro game between Alajuela and the Brujas. This was a great experience because of how hostile of an environment it was. There were fences and barbwire surrounding the field, keeping people from raiding it. There was a group of about 300 hooligans that were going crazy the whole game. They were a gang and very similar to the movie “The Green Street Hooligans.” A fight broke out and police with shields had to regulate. The game was very exciting as Alajuela won 3-1. After the game we went back to our hotels and just hung out, enjoying our last night together.

***Thanks to Heath for writing up this journal for the blog. Sounds like a great trip and one that he will be able to look back on for many years to come.***

Cline was light's out!!!!

2008-02-05T12:44:00.000-08:00

SSC player Emily Cline was lights out last night for Glendale as she put up 30 points and the game winning basket against local rival Kickapoo. Below is the article in todays News-Leader about the game. Good job Emily, keep it up!!

Glendale wins on Cline's shot

Freshman's 3-pointer at the buzzer stuns rival Kickapoo.

Michael Stacy
News-Leader

On senior night at Glendale High School Monday, a freshman stole the show, and she did so with gusto.
First-year Glendale guard Emily Cline scored a career-high 30 points, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer that broke a tie, and the Lady Falcons helped their lone senior, forward Rachel Duckworth, close her home career in winning fashion with a 52-49 victory over rival Kickapoo.
"I just can't believe that happened," Cline said afterwards. "When I scored, I didn't know what had happened. I just kind of stopped, and everybody came out on the court."

Cline was mobbed by her team after hitting the winning shot, a fitting close to a frenetic final few minutes.

Kickapoo took its first lead of the game, 43-42, on a Casey Carroll layup with 4:50 left, and Caroll increased the Lady Chiefs' lead to 45-42 with a layup 50 seconds later.

The Lady Falcons (10-10, 5-1 Ozark Conference) then responded with a 5-0 run over the next minute and led 47-45 with 2:44 to play.

A pair of free-throws from each team kept the Lady Falcons' lead at two until Kickapoo senior guard Shawna Bettinger tied the game at 49.

Bettinger, who led the Lady Chiefs (15-5, 5-1) with 15 points, hit a layup and drew a foul with 16 seconds left. She then had a chance to put Kickapoo ahead but couldn't convert her free-throw.

Glendale junior center Kaley Lyons corralled Bettinger's rebound and got the ball to Cline, setting the stage for the final shot.

Cline dribbled into traffic, passing out to Erica Sturdefant, who eyed a shot for a moment before passing back to Cline, who was open on the left wing and let it fly, sending the senior night crowd into hysterics with a swish.

"Tonight, with it being senior night... they really wanted it for Rachel," Glendale coach Renee Temple said of her team. "She's the heart and soul of this team."

That showed from the start, as Glendale led from the opening tip, building a 14-8 lead after one and taking a 21-19 advantage into halftime.

The Lady Chiefs kept things close thanks in part to their ability to shut down Lyons from the field. Kickapoo held Glendale's low-post threat to just one field goal all game.

But Lyons, like the rest of her team, made her living at the line. She hit nine of 10 free-throws to finish with 11 points. As a team, Glendale hit 21 of 29 free-throws. Kickapoo, by contrast, shot just 16, making 11.

And then there was Cline.

"She stepped up and carried her team and had a phenomenal game," Kickapoo coach Stephanie Phillips said.

Zach's D3 Soccer Trip

2008-01-30T11:38:00.001-08:00

Since graduating from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa in 2002 I have only been able to see the Duhawks play one game. And that was as an opposing coach so I didn’t really get to enjoy it, mainly because they destroyed our team. I have been following them via the internet and also through friends that still live in Dubuque and are able to get out and see some of their matches. This year was by far the best in the programs history, they won the regular season conference title, tournament conference title and were ranked third nationally. Also they have been extremely good defensively and had only given up 4 goals prior to the NCAA tournament and carried a 20-0-1 record into their NCAA 1st round game. They were matched up against Wheaton College(IL) in the first game and this was the team that they tied earlier in the year. They came out victorious and that sent them into the sweet 16 round. The four teams in their bracket were University of California-Redlands, Virginia Wesleyan, North Carolina Wesleyan and Loras. Being Division III they placed the games at Rocky Mount, North Carolina home of North Carolina Wesleyan because they would only have to fly 2 teams instead of 3 to Dubuque.

After talking to some old teammates a few of us decided to make the trip and catch the sweet 16 games. I was able to meet up with a teammate in Chicago and we flew out to Raleigh, NC, which is about 40 minutes from Rocky Mount.

Loras’ game was against NC Wesleyan and they boasted a very potent attack and had some extremely talented players. With Loras’ defense it was a matchup that many people were excited to see. Two minutes into the game Loras was granted a penalty kick due to a clear hand ball and they went up 1-0. That sent the Loras alumni, family and friends into an uproar as there were around 65 Loras people who made the trip out east. NCW were dangerous throughout the game and Loras’ defense was up to the challenge. Loras made NCW settle for a lot of long range shots and buckled down on their attacking players. Loras got a second goal early in the second half and NCW quickly answered with a goal as well to make the game 2-1. Again with a strong defense Loras won 2-1 and advanced to a elite 8 matchup against UC-Redlands.

Being the first DIII game that I have seen in 4 years and I was very impressed with the play and also the emotion that both teams showed. They both played hard, fast and left everything on the field. With NCW having a huge home crowd advantage it was definitely sweet to see Loras come out on top.

In the elite 8 game both teams looked a little tired and nervous which is to be expected in such a big game. Then came one of the best goals I have ever seen live in person. The bad news was it was for Redlands. This goal can only be explained as amazing and check out the video of it on youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwGX7To4IR0

So going into halftime Loras was down 1-0 but got a goal about 15 minutes into the second half off of a nice header from a free kick from outside the box. For the rest of the half Loras was by far the more dangerous team and got the game winning goal with 8 minutes left. With less than 2 minutes to play Loras added a 3rd goal to assure their ticket to the Final 4 in Orlando,FL.

Needless to say after the game everyone was very excited and chants of “Final 4” and “Orlando” were flowing strongly. The atmosphere at the games was by far the highlight of the weekend for me. Getting to catch up with old teammates and meeting other fellow alumni all while watching your school win was great. My first year at Loras was the coaches first year and my class was his first recruiting class. So it was cool to talk to him about the progress the program has made since then and even more to get to see it in person with some of the guys in my class. Even though this probably means all my goalie records are going to be surpassed I couldn’t be happier.

Loras played Middlebury form Vermont in the Final 4 and they ended up tied after the full 90 minutes and 2 overtimes which meant, penalty kicks. They eventually came up short losing in the shootout but the good news was that they did lose to the eventual national champions. Middlebury beat Trinity from Texas in pk’s to win the title. It is not that often that you can go an entire year undefeated finishing 23-0-2, which was Loras’ final record.

Division III soccer often gets overlooked and some people assume it is not a very high level. But having played Division III and after this trip and getting to see four of the top teams in Division III, I can assure you that it is a very high level of play. Many former players from SSC have enjoyed success and have found good fits to continue their educational goals and also their soccer playing goals through Division III schools. Patrick Carver for example is at Emory University in Atlanta, GA., and he was a first team All American as a junior. Luke Prater at Wartburg College is battling Loras for the IIAC title every year and he was a starter all year for the Knights. Tom Marlow at Illinois Wesleyan University is playing in one of the toughest conferences in Division III and Tom saw a ton of playing time as a freshman as well. Washington University in St. Louis boasts three former SSC players on their roster in John Duncan, Bryson Tombridge and Josh Florez. Laura McElroy is playing goalkeeper at Grinnell College in Iowa. All of these players would probably tell you that they are enjoying their college experiences because of the values that Division III strives for, smaller more intimate campuses that offer good academics and also very strong athletic programs.

High School Boys- All Ozarks Team

2008-01-30T11:17:00.000-08:00

The News-leader recently put out their All-Ozarks team for high school boys. The teams are dominated by SSC players, 8 out of 11 on the 1st team are SSC players and three boys on the second team play for SSC as well.

1st Team
Stuart Ziegler-West Plains-SSC 89/90
Justin Scicluna-West Plains-SSC 89/90
Heath Melugin-Kickapoo-SSC 89/90
Devin Newport-Glendale-SSC 90/91
Zach Hay-Kickapoo-SSC 89/90
Ryan Squires-Glendale-SSC 90/91
Patrick McCarthy-Glendale-SSC 89/90
Ryan Toombs-Bolivar-SSC 89/90

2nd Team
T.J. Martin-Webb City-SSC 89/90
Tyler McElroy-Glendale-SSC 89/90
Will Griffin-Parkview-SSC 89/90

All these boys are getting prepared for upcoming tourneys, Midwest Regional League games and the MYSA State Cup. Congratulations on your accomplishments in the high school season and we are looking forward to seeing you all play in upcoming events for SSC. Good job representing SSC!!

SSC Indoor Training Facility

2008-01-29T11:29:00.000-08:00

As everyone is well aware the SSC Indoor Facility has come along way since moving into it at the end of the summer. We had a vision of what we wanted it to look like and it has certainly come together nicely. The facility offers our players a great learning environment, fast surface, ability to train more and an indoor facility to call our own. We are proud of what we have built and are excited to see the benefits that it will give to all of our players.

We are also always looking for sponsors who would want to advertise within the club and more specifically in the new SSC Indoor Facility. We have many options including hanging 10ft x 8ft banners and 4ft x 8ft wall signs. If you are interested please contact the office.

Indoor I Success

2008-01-29T11:22:00.000-08:00

Springfield Soccer Club teams have finished up their indoor one season at LCS with having great success!!! The following SSC teams won their respected divisions, 98/99 White Boys, 96/97 White Boys, 96/97 Red Boys, 95/96 White Girls, 95/96 Red Girls, 96/97 Girls, 89/90 Girls and the 92/93 Red Girls. These 8 teams all finished atop their division and a congratulations goes out to the players of every team!!! Well done everyone!!!

All American

2007-12-17T14:33:00.001-08:00

Patrick Carver, a junior on the mens soccer team from Emory Univeristy, has been named to the 1st team 2007 NSCAA/adidas NCAA Men’s Division III All-America Team. Carver helped the Eagles reach the NCAA's this year and was also the player of the year for his confernece. This is a huge accomplishment and SSC is very proud to have Patrick representing SSC so well. Congrats Patrick and best of luck next year!!

Here is the link to the official annoucement http://www.nscaa.com/articles/20071215155325271.php

Indoor facility getting closer to completion!!!

2007-12-17T11:47:00.000-08:00

A lot has happened at SSC since the last update.

One of the major happenings is the progress made at the SSC indoor facility. For those of you who have not been to the facility in awhile the boards are now completely built and the next step is painting the boards and finishing up the smaller things. SSC is truly excited about the training and playing envoronment that this will provide all SSC players. All the suppport and help in getting everything done here at the facility is truly appreciated by the SSC staff and also the players. A special thanks goes out to the construction crew from Flavin-Wirt construction who came in and constructed the boards. Thanks guys!!!

Carl Rose- EPL Review

2007-11-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

Coach Carl Rose of SSC will be providing some insight on professional games. He will point out things that our players could watch for and learn from the professional level.

Game-Manchester United vs. Blackburn Rovers, 11/11/2007

This game was played with Manchester United winning 2-0. Both goals were scored by Cristiano Ronaldo. The second goal was the goal I think youth players should try and emulate. The play started with Man U defending deep in their end of the field, they cleared the ball long to the halfway line. Louis Saha received and played the ball one touch to Tevez who was making an overlapping run. Tevez then broke behind the Blackburn defense and was going to goal, Saha also started running towards the goal. But the most impressive part of the play was when the long ball was played to Saha. Ronaldo was deep in his own half, as the ball was played long Ronaldo started running with a defender next to him. He out ran the defender, followed up on the play and by the time Tevez was crossing the ball into the box the player getting on the end of the play to score was Ronaldo.
That play to me was something that I feel young players don’t do in their games. A lot of the time they assume that the player is going to score. So instead of following the play they stand around and watch the play. When maybe if they were to follow the play they might get a pass or the rebound to score a goal. This little difference might get their team that goal they need to change the game they are playing.

Thanksgiving

2007-11-20T13:02:00.000-08:00

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to everyone who is on the road!!! Upcoming reports on EPL games, NCAA DIII playoffs and updates on SSC alumni in college.

Hmmmmm....

2007-11-14T10:39:00.000-08:00

Anyone get a chance to look over the All District teams and awards from this years HS season on sgfsoccer? SSC is strongly represented on each of these teams and many of the awards. Tryouts are coming up and SSC is looking forward to the upcoming season. Best of luck to Kickapoo this weekend in the Final 4 in St Louis!!

Still some dancing going on for some SSC alumni

2007-11-14T10:15:00.000-08:00

Well after a weekend of tournament action some SSC alumni have moved on and some were sent home thinking about next year.

Karissa Nedoma and the Drury Panthers have moved onto the sweet sixteen in DII. They beat conference foe SIU-Edwardsville in the second round to earn a spot in the sweet sixteen and now they will face off again #1 Grand Valley State from Michigan. Best of luck to the Lady Panthers!!

Luke Prater and the Wartburg Knights lost in their match against UW-Oshkosh and Luke finished off a very solid season with the Knights. He was named to the All IIAC 2nd team as a freshamn and was a starter for the Knights all year long.

Patrick Carver at Emory in Atlanta lost in their second round matchup against Redlands from California. Carver capped off a strong year by being named the UAA conference Player of the Year. The UAA boasts some of the best teams in DIII soccer and this is a big accomplishment for Carver.

Josh Florez at Washington University(MO) enjoyed the most success this past weekend in Whitewater, Wisconsin. WashU beat UW-Whitewater and then defeated Dominican from Chicago in the 2nd round. Next up for WashU and Florez is Transylvania(PA). WashU are hosting the sectional matches in St Louis this weekend. So if you have some time on your hands and want to see some very top notch soccer travel on up and catch the games.

Kate Brooks at William Jewell in KC have earned a spot in the NAIA national tournament as a #6 seed. Play begins Friday for the Cardinals as they will play Northwood from Florida. Good luck to the Cardinals and Katie!!

DANCING!

2007-11-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

Many SSC alumni have secured their way into the postseason tournament. Upcoming will be a complete rundown of all players participating in the tournament......

NCAA Division III Mens Tournament:

Wartburg College-Luke Prater and the Wartburg Knights finished second in the IIAC to #3 ranked and undefeated Loras College. The Knights went 15-3-2 this year and Luke has been a mainstay in the starting lineup all year long as a freshamn. Wartburg travels to Wisconsin-Oshkosh for a first round matchup this weekend. Best of luck Luke!!

Emory College-Pat Carver and the Eagles from Emory finished up the year 16-2-0 and have received a first round bye and face the winner of UC-Santa Cruz/Redlands. Those of you not familar with the layout of Division III soccer, Redlands and UC-Santa Cruz are from out West and are two of the strongest programs in DIII. Emory will host the second round game in Atlanta, good luck Pat!

Washington University(MO)-Josh Florez and WASH-U finished at 13-4-2 and earned a spot in this years tourney via an at-large bid. They will play Carthage from Wisconsin in the first round and if they win will play the winner of the Wisconsin-Whitewater/Dominican(IL) game.

NCAA Division II Womens Tournament:

Drury University- Freshman Karissa Nedoma and the Drury Panthers won the GLVC tourney title over UM-St Louis this past weekend in a penalty kick shootout. The tournament championship gave the Panthers a automatic bid into the D-II playoffs and they will face West Virginia Wesleyan in Edwardsville, Illinois this Friday night. The title in the GLVC and tournament bid are both firsts for the up and coming Panther women's team. Well done Karissa and good luck this weekend in Edwardsville!!

Tourney and club facts:

This years Divison III Final Four will be held at the Disney Complex near Orlando, Florida. There are some very strong ties to DIII soccer on the staff at SSC. Jeremy is a graduate of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, so Luke will have some bragging rights if they can beat the Titans. Zach played at Loras College for his 4 years of college soccer and has been excited to see the Duhawks rise to #3 in the nation this year and have an undefeated record of 20-0-1. Eric is a graduate of West Texas A&M from the Divison II ranks. A&M won their conference this year going 16-2 overall and are hosting the first round of games in Canyon,TX.

SSC is very proud of all their alumni and wish them the best of luck in their upcoming tournamnet action!!

Not a rumor!!!

2007-10-31T15:22:00.000-07:00

Even the red rocker, Sammy Hagar, loves SSC!!!!

Update on SSC Alumni-Part 1

2007-10-31T12:20:00.000-07:00

The turning of the leaves means that the college seasons are heating up for some SSC alumni.

Andrew Parsons- The University of New Mexico Lobos are off to another strong start and are ranked #19 in the NSCAA Division I pool. Andrew has appeared in a number of games this year in his sophomore campaign and they are off to face UNLV in Vegas for their next match.

Brian Fishback- In GLVC tourney action Fishback and the University of Indianapolis Greyhounds knocked off the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars in a PK shootout to move on to the next round and they will play Lewis Univeristy next. This was a huge upset in the GLVC knocking off SIU-E who was ranked #2 in the conference tourney.

Katie Brooks- Katie and William Jewell University have rolled through regular season play going 15-1 and are ranked #7 nationally. They are awaiting their seeding for the upcoming Region V playoffs.

Josh Florez- Ranked #20 nationally is Washington University(MO) in Divison III. Florez and company wrap up their regular season play at Chicago this weekend. They are 13-4-1 and will most likely be in the field for the NCAA's at the end of the season.

Pat Carver- the Emory Eagles,15-2, from Atlanta are on tear as of late, especially Carver. They are ranked #17 nationally in Division III and have a chance to win the UAA conference title if they can get a good result against Carnegie-Melon this weekend. Carver is ranked 27th in scoring in the nation, and 31st in goals and 41st in assists. Well done Pat!!

Rachel Lavoy- Rachel and the Purdue University Boilermakers are 15-2-2 and are ranked #8 in the nation. They finish regular season play on November 2nd versus Indiana University before the Big 10 tourney. And then its on to the NCAA's for the Boilers.

Elle Holtmann- Rockhurst University finished up their season with a GLVC tourney loss to #23 ranked Quincy University. The Hawks finsihed 10-7-1 and Elle played a major role this season for the Hwaks as a freshman!!

As you can tell numerous SSC alumni are enjoying great success at college. Look for furhter updates on even more alumni in the future. Well done everyone and keep representing SSC strongly!!

Happy Halloween!!

2007-10-31T12:16:00.000-07:00

Enjoy the night off from the training grounds and have a fun and safe evening!!

Just another good weekend for SSC in Tulsa

2007-10-30T13:44:00.001-07:00

Three SSC teams traveled to Tulsa this past weekend to play in the Tulsa Blitz Invitational.
The 92/93 White girls went to Tulsa and had a very good experience at their first tournament out of town. Although they went 0-3 they enjoyed playing out of town teams and improved greatly throughout the weekend.
The 93/94 Boys went 4-0 and ran away with the championship title in Tulsa. They played in a 5 team bracket and won all four games with the full amount of points possible. Another rumor is that they even got a photo taken with Sammy Haggar at the hotel on Saturday night. Well done boys!!!
SSC 96/97 Girls went to Tulsa looking to rebound from a tough weekend at the LCS Fall Classic. Boy did they!! Going 3-0 in bracket play moved them into the semi finals againt Tulsa Soccer Club. The girls were able to beat TSC 2-0 to earn a spot in their first ever finals match against Extreme FC from Oklahoma. They ended up finishing second after a hard fought 1-0 loss in the finals. The girls played hard all weekend and were rewarded by earning the spot in the finals and getting 2nd place! Good job girls!!!
Congrats to all three teams for a good weekend of play and for representing SSC strongly out of state!!!!

Tuesday Tidbits.....

2007-10-30T13:25:00.000-07:00

With the final weekend of league play upon us, the indoor season is closely approaching. With the addition of our new indoor facility SSC is looking forward to the training environment it will provide our players. LCS is currently working on the schedules for the Indoor I session and as soon as those are out look for them from your team administrator.

Everyone should have received the e-mail regarding the SSC Marathon Soccer Game. This is a fundraiser that is in the works and one that will benefit both SSC and more importantly a local charity/cause. SSC has received many e-mails and calls regarding different charities/causes and is excited to help out one of the many deserving programs. Please continue to give us ideas or thoughts on charities/causes as we will make a final decision the week following Thanksgiving.

LCS Fall Classic-GIRLS

2007-10-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

Another strong showing in the LCS Fall Classic for SSC. All of all girls' team participated in the tournamnet and were able to gain some very valuable experience throughout the entire weekend. Highlighting the weekend were two SSC teams meeting each other in the finals. It happened in the 15/16 bracket and both the 91/92 and 92/93 Girls pushed on through bracket play to meet in the finals on Sunday afternoon. The game was a very spirited affair and the 92/93's were able to come out on top to win the title.

Lake Country Fall Classic-BOYS

2007-10-16T11:29:00.001-07:00

This past weeekend saw many SSC boys teams playing in the local Lake Country Fall Classic. There were many highlights from the weekend tournament action were the following.

SSC 97/98-Playing up an age group the boys played against some tough teams and got some very valuable experience. Anytime you hear from the opposing coach, "Man, these boys are only Under 10?" at the end of the game is always a good thing. These boys truly competed all weekend long and should be proud of their performance this weekend.

SSC 96/97 Red-Another team that played up a age group to gain some experience with playing against good teams on the bigger 11 v 11 field. They worked hard all weekend long and were able to put together some impressive play against some of the top teams in the region. Again talking to coaches at the end of the games they were very impressed with their play and more importantly how hard they worked for being a under 11 team. Good job boys!!!

SSC 95/96 White-Going into Sunday mornings game against local rival Total soccer, the boys were geared up to avenge their two losses on Saturday. The game was a very spirited affair and after going up 1-0 early in the second half, Total came back to take a 2-1 advantage with less than 10 minutes to play. With about a minute to play Devin Cavero hit a free kick from about 30 yards out to tie the game at 2-2 for a final. A big result considering the emotion involved in the game and being down with little to no time left in the game!!

SSC 95/96 Red-After dismantling the Springfield Soccer Select Arsenal team 8-1 in their opening game the boys ended up losing a close affair to the Rolla Knights 4-3. For their third game the boys took on St Louis power Scott Gallagher-Ireland. Another strong showing of teamwork and strong finishing, the boys took care of Gallagher by a 4-2 margin. Although they did not advance to the finals the boys played well all weekend long and improved every game!!

SSC 94/95 White-The boys were placed in a very strong bracket facing off against 3 tough teams. They lost a very close game to Oklahoma power Tulsa Soccer Club 2-1. And they were able to almost knock off, the eventual finalist from their bracket, Blue Valley Stars but lost another tight one 1-0. In their final game on Sunday they were able to get some revenge on a team that they had previously lost to in the NW Arkansas Lightning tournament. They beat the ICFC Kickers with a final score of 3-1 rounding out a great weekend of play.

SSC 94/95 Red-The boys swept through bracket play by defeating KC Chaos, Lou Fusz-Flecke and the NWAL Strikers. With strong play throughout the opening games centered around good ball movement and strong defending the boys met up with the BVSC Stars-Benefica for the championship. The highlight of the game was the goal scored by Matt Call off of a flick from Josh McCutcheon by a ball that was served in by Dallas Moses. All the boys should be proud of their performance as they all played well in earning the tournament title. Way to go boys!!!

SSC 93/94-After sweeping through Saturday's games with 8-0 and 9-1 victories the boys were able to move on the semi-finals by beating the LS United squad 1-0 on Sunday morning. They beat NWAL in the semi's 4-1 and moved on to the finals to face the Blue Valley SC. Again the boys played extremely well and won the final match 4-0 to bring home another title for SSC. Well played all weekend boys!!!

SSC always enjoys playing in local tourneys as its an easy way for our teams to play against good teams from different areas here at home. And with being the only local team to win the LCS Fall Classic, proves once again for top soccer in Southwest Missouri look no further than SSC!!! What a great weekend not only for the two teams that won but for every other team to get some great experience here in town!!! Thanks to everyone that helped out with volunteering, your support of SSC is greatly appreciated!!!!

Tournament Action

2007-10-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

Two SSC teams are taking part in the Metro United Fall Classic in Edwardsville, Illinois. This tournament is one of the top youth tournaments in the Midwest and features many of the top clubs in the region. The 95/96 Red and 94/95 Red Boys teams are both ready and coach is Eric is looking forward to an exciting weekend of play against some good competition. Both teams have been playing in the KC Champions League and are excited about being able to play against some really tough clubs in tournamnet action. Best of luck this weekend to the boys and represent SSC!!!!

Thursday tidbits

2007-10-04T10:04:00.000-07:00

Anyone get a chance to check out sgfsoccer.com and ole's recent article regarding local college players? Am I the only that sees a majority of those players being SSC Alumni!! It's a neat post and shows how well some of our alumni are performing in the college ranks. What a great thing for the younger players to look at and strive for. Highlighting the group is Patrick Carver who has led his Emory(GA) Eagles to a ranking of 12th nationally!!! Along with Carver, Brian Fishback(pictured) has been tearing it up with 9 goals at the University of Indianapolis leading them through a tough Great Lakes Valley Conference. A little known fact, did you know Emory is tied at 12th with Loras College(IA), the college of a certain SSC coach. If you can figure that out you know who is behind this blog....

After a rainy Wednesday night of training at the facility, practices went smoothly on a nice fall evening on Thursday. It was great to see all the action and training going on as all teams are deep into their Fall seasons!! In particular the HS girls are gearing up for some tournament and league action. Josh, Jeremy and Rob had the girls working hard and also made some people a little late to catch the start of the Cubs playoff game. All good things when you are receiving such good training from the areas top coaches. Rob has been busy this Fall leading the MSU Lady Bears soccer team and is getting ready for a big push in the Missouri Valley conference. Be sure to check out their result as they travel to Creighton this weekend in Omaha, NE.

Good luck this weekend to Rob and all SSC teams!!!

Welcome!!

2007-10-04T09:50:00.000-07:00

We hope all the players, parents and friends of the Springfield Soccer Club enjoy this new addition to the club. SSC will update this blog with news from all areas within the club. We have enjoyed great success in the past couple years and want to provide a fun and entertaining way for you to keep tabs on SSC. Thanks for visiting and we hope you enjoy it!!!