Season / Player Overview. 13 - 2 - 4.
My players have told me that they didn't believe me when, from day one this year, I have been preaching how good we were going to be this year. They never thought we would be bad, but they couldn't see what I could see. About five or six games into the season, I think that switch had flipped and we all started to realize how special this season was going to be. Still, however, even now that the season is over, I probably wouldn't believe that we were going to play a nineteen game season and lose only two. It certainly has been a fabulous season for Preble Shawnee Girls Soccer.
THE DEFENSE. Our defense this year has been more than spectacular. We nearly broke all of the Preble Shawnee defensive records. We allowed only 14 goals all season (up from the old record of 41) which averages out to be just 0.74 goals against per game (up from the old record of 2.41). We did not break the save record simply because the other teams didn't force Abbie Lynch to make that many saves. We had 12 shutouts all season (down from the old record of 7) and we had 7 consecutive shutouts (up from the old record of 3).
Abbie Lynch - Goalkeeper. What else can be said than what is mentioned above? Our keeper, a freshman, was in goal for a record setting season. I realize our defense has a lot to do with that, but Abbie could possibly be the best keeper we have ever had in the history of the program... and she is only a freshman! There is NO ONE on the team that wants to play in the goal because goal keepers have to be willing (almost to the point of enjoyment) to give of themselves physically for the team. They get beat up, bruised, scraped, thumped, hurt... all in the name of the team. The toughest girls on this team get squeamish when thrown in the goal. Abbie loved it, and we loved her for it. She was recognized as a standout player by the league when she was awarded the Newcomer of the Year in the Buckeye Division, a recognition she certainly has deserved. One could also make a case for Abbie as the most valuable defensive player of the year, too. I, we, are fortunate enough to have her return for the program for another three years. Great season, Abbie!
Lacey Johnson - Stopper. Wow! What a turn around year and it could have been no better timed than for this senior season. Lacey, in one year, went from being an average central defender, to quite possibly one of the best around. She is in the same class defensively as some of the powerhouse stoppers that we have seen, namely those from Waynesville and Northwestern. From day one, she came in this season and played solid. She could, quite conceivably, be considered the most valuable defender on the team because of her consistency and she could be easily viewed as the most improved player on the team. She has earned her spot as a 3rd team All-League Selection and a 3rd team All Dayton-West Selection. Lacey will be playing in the senior all-star game at Bellbrook at 12:30 on November 14th. Excellent senior season, Lacey Johnson!
Sam Tipton - Stopper. It is so nice knowing that we have a defensive player coming off the bench as capable as Sam Tipton. It was very difficult to take Lacey out of games, but at the same time, it was very difficult not to put Sam into games because when I did, she played very well and played like a starting varsity defender. I am proud of the strides that Sam has made over the last four years and thrilled that I got a chance to coach a player as dedicated as her. On top of all that she has offered the program, Sam remains one of the top three students in her senior class. Congratulations on a successful high school career as a player and a student!
Courtney Lakes - Defender. Everyone on our team probably has nightmares about playing against a player of Courtney Lakes caliber. They also are incredibly thankful that we have her on the team. Defenders must be cut from a different cloth than any other player on the field. Rarely, do they ever receive awards or the shine in the spotlight. So, they must just love what they do and do it with all of their heart. Courtney definitely has this mentality and it is a very special thing to watch. With that said, however, Courtney does receive recognition and does shine in the spotlight. This is just a testament to how good she actually is and how great she will be. She has earned a 2nd Team Buckeye League Selection and a 2nd Team All-Dayton West Selection. Certainly, she is deserving consideration for Preble Shawnee's defensive player of the year award.
Jordan Lovely - Defender. Jordan has some big shoes to fill next year as she heads into the 2011 season as a hopeful starter. We need to replace one very good outside defender in Ashley Evans and currently Jordan is one of the top candidates for that role. I wouldn't consider this a possibility if I didn't know that she is more than capable of filling that void next year. Jordan is one of the smartest players I have had the opportunity to coach and rarely gets caught making a mistake - both qualities successful defenders must have. Jordan will return for three more seasons and will be a high impact players in the years to come.
Ashley Evans - Defender. Ashley has been the model of consistency for four seasons, this year being no exception. She came in her freshman year and was good. In her sophomore year she was better. Each subsequent year, Ashley continued to get better. She never made huge leaps from one year to the next, but she never had to. She has been good from day one. About 1600 days later she is still good. Even though the change isn't drastic from year to year, I would consider Ashley as one of the most improved players in the program, especially considering her four year run. This senior season, Ashley played consistenly at her highest level. She is one of those defenders, opposite the field of Lakes, who is always in the right place and always right on top of her offensive counterpart. Her quickness and field awareness (and knack for telling a funny story!) are second to none. Ashley is very deserving of her 2nd Team Buckeye League Selection and her 2nd Team All-Dayton West Selection and worth strong consideration for defensive player of the year. She, too, will be playing in the senior all-star game at 12:30 at Bellbrook on November 14th. We are all tremendously proud of you, Ashley! Congratulations on a fabulous senior season.
Stephanie Fogt - Defender/Midfielder. What a true gift it is to have a player who exhibits hard work, speed, dedication, and the ability to play all positions effectively on your team, especially when it can come off of your bench! I have told many people this: if you could put Stephanie Fogt on the team four years ago, she would have far and away been the best player on the field. This says a lot about our team now, but I think it says more for Stephanie. In her sophomore year, she is one of the quicker and most aggressive players I can put on the field. Lacking a little bit of field awareness is expected in a sophomore, but that has also improved from last year. Steph was used as a defender in emergencies (which she filled in quite nicely) and as a midfielder and forward when we were in need of a spark. Next year, with Kaitlyn Ketring (and other seniors) leaving, Stephanie is expected to step in as a starter and contribute at a high level. There is no doubt in my mind she will be able to do that. Good season in a tough role, Steph!
Sidney Brown - Sweeper. Sidney was a blessing this year for many reasons. The foremost concern coming in to the season was who could we get to fill the void at sweeper. The returning defenders were too valuable at their respective positions to move into the role of sweeper. Thankfully, when approached about the possibility of moving from the midfield back to sweeper, Sidney was hesitant but up to the challenge. After game one, there was no doubt that she had found a home on the field. All season long, Sidney not only played consistently, but almost flawlessly in the back. The sweeper, by its nature, is a hero or zero position. That is, either, you look like a savior, or you are likely the scapegoat when we give up goals. Much more often than not, Sidney played the role of hero. She should, of course, and does, of course, appreciate the defenders in front of her because they make her job easier. Also, there is no other player on this team who visibly loves this game and the team more than Sidney Brown. I, and the team, love this and feed off of this probably even more than the quality with which she plays - and that is saying quite a bit. Sidney Brown for her efforts, consistency, and leadership in the back also deserves consideration for defensive player of the year. Way to step it up, Sid!
THE MIDFIELD. The quality of a team is really made or broken in the midfield. The midfielders are a hybrid between the strong willed, in-your-face, smash-mouth mentality of a defender and the precision, control, and poise of an offensive player. I am a bit biased here, but I have no doubt that the midfield is the toughest of all positions to play well and the most demanding. If you are willing to play midfield, you are willing to put up with the pressure of what your job means... in fact, great midfielders thrive on that pressure. Thankfully, day in and day out, we were able to run out four midfielders at a time that were willing and more than capable of living up to the pressure and expectations that come with that position.
Brynnan Colby - Midfielder. Brynnan really started to come into her own midway through her senior season. She took on the role of the first midfielder sub to give a breather to any of the starting midfielders. Admirably, nine times out of ten, she stepped on the field and the team never missed a beat. What Brynnan may have lacked in speed, she made up with awareness and field positioning. At that midway point, I noticed that in many of the games she became much more adept at quick one touch passes, a critical skill for any midfielder. More importantly, Brynnan's moral support in and out of the game are irreplaceable. The best thing about this team is the camaraderie with which they played. Brynnan was a huge part of that and, if that was the only thing that she brought to the table (it's not, of course... but if...) for this team, it would have been worth having her around. Good leadership. Good season! Thanks for everything, Brynnan!
Makayla Lindon - Midfielder. Makayla, a.k.a. the "Missing Link" was a very integral part of this season. With possibly the best foot skill on the team, Makayla had the ability to make defenders look foolish and the know-it-all to slow the pace of the game down to the level Preble Shawnee wanted to play. During the games when she was convinced to play more than she watch (which thankfully became more frequent in the last 3rd of the season), she possibly was the best midfielder on the team. As the season progressed, Makayla became the perfect combination of a goal scoring threat, a passer, and a defender. Last year, she struggled to get playing time and this year Makayla blossomed into one heck of a soccer player. For that alone, I feel she is potentially the most improved player on this team. It is exciting that she will remain with the program for another two seasons. Excellent season, Makayla!
Elaina Geisen - Midfielder. Poor Elaina spent much of the year either forced to sit or playing through injuries. This did not diminish the attributes she brought to the team. As a relative newcomer to the soccer scene, Elaina brought so many intangibles to this team. Her positive attitude and charisma were contagious and the team was much better for it. I think it is safe to say that her presence on the team, made everyone enjoy the season a bit more. We will certainly miss those many moments of funny that made us all smile. You will be right near the top of the list of players who will be missed most. Thanks for playing and for the joy you effortlessly brought to the team. Good season, Elaina!
Mackenzie Steele - Midfielder. I don't think it is any secret that Mackenzie has been one of my 'favorite' players. My favorite kind of player is one who works extremely hard, rarely sees the limelight, and never expects anything in return for excellent play. Mackenzie Steele is just such a player and is a model for the "selfless philanthropy" in our team's mission statement. Almost single-handedly Mackenzie had the ability to determine how good Preble Shawnee soccer was going to be from night to night. She developed into the ideal, dare I say perfect, inside halfback. She has the perfect skill set to be the perfect inside half - speed, smarts, the ability to defend well, and suberb field awareness. If I can only get her to talk next year?!? All in all, I would consider Mackenzie Steele to be one of the three most valuable players on this team and seriously deserving as a #1, #2, or #3 vote getter for that honor. This season would not have been nearly as successful without you! Excellently done, Mack!
Kaitlyn Ketring - Midfielder. Kaitlyn has been the epitome of what a Preble Shawnee soccer player is supposed to be. She is a hard worker who goes above and beyond what even the typical "leader" of a program is expected to do. She has proven time and time again with her skills and work ethic why all of her teammates respect her as a player, and more importantly respect her as a person. She has been the rock of this program since she has stepped on the field and it is this rock which the team most often leans upon for support through difficult times. I believe that a true leader and role model is someone who does not need to try to fit that role; they just are that role. Kaitlyn certainly has been a leader on and off the field. This will be missed and is hard to replace. This is just part of the reason she is a two time captain. Thank you, Kaitlyn. Aside from her outstanding personal qualities, Kaitlyn is one of the better players to ever come through the program. At times, I wish she would have been a bit more selfish, but at the end of the day there isn't any other way I would have wanted her to play the game. She ended her career as the 5th highest point earner in school history. Deadly with both feet, Kaitlyn was a goal scoring threat as well as a crossing threat. This year she earned a 1st team spot on the All-League Team and was the 6th highest vote getter in All-Dayton West which puts her on the first team All-Dayton West and the second highest vote getter in school history. Kaitlyn also has earned the right to play in the senior all-star game November 14th at Bellbrook High School at 12:30. Because of her career and what she has done on and off the field, I think Kaitlyn is worth strong consideration as a player of the year nominee. Very well done. Nice career, Kaitlyn!
Maddie Woodard - Midfielder. I knew coming in that Maddie Woodard was going to be a contributor this year, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw her play with other good players. This made her so much better than when she was playing in 8th grade. At the beginning of the season I was trying to figure out who would be my final two girls in my starting midfield. After the season (really, after about preseason game two), it was a foolish idea to not include Maddie in the starting line-up. She is that good and has that much potential. Maddie finished the year six goals and six assists, both very respectable playing as an inside midfielder. When Maddie Woodard played with her 'A-game', she might have been the best overall player on the field. This says tons about what she can do. To be considered one of the best players on a team that loses 2 games out of 19 is compliment enough, but to be able to say that about a player that is a freshman is amazing. I am very excited to see the 'A-game' for eighty minutes every game next year as Maddie will only continue to get better every year. Awesome freshman year, Maddie. Keep it up!
THE FORWARDS. The finishers. The threat to every defense. The fuel to feed the fire. Fortunately we are blessed with several players who are excellent finishers and a dangerous threat to any defense. Just as the defense blew up the old record book, so has the offense. The old records of 52 goals in a season and a 3.06 goals for average were embarassed with the new records. This season we scored 82 goals (+30) which comes out to a 4.32 goals for average (+1.26). We also broke the individual scoring record in a season. Taylor Fultz broke the old marks of 19 goals and 10 assists with season bests with 25 goals and 16 assists. We also had a much more diverse scoring menu with eight or nine dangerous scoring threats on the team as opposed to our historic two or three.
Hayley Hall - Forward. I would be incredibly nervous going in to next season losing an offensive leader like Taylor Fultz, but Hayley Hall with help from the other forwards will fill this absence wonderfully. If I didn't have two outstanding starting forwards in Cassie and Taylor, I would still have the two best forwards I ever had available to come off the bench. One of those forwards is Hayley. I was greeted with many comments from JV coaches and even officials asking "How in the world is [Hayley Hall] a JV player?" The combination of Hayley's speed and fearlessness is exactly what makes her formidible and what makes her so promising in the future. I look forward to seeing Hayley bury many shots in the back of the net in the years to come. I can't say how big of a relief it is knowing I am guaranteed to have a scoring threat for three more years. If she continues to keep working hard, Hayley will be one of the best forwards around very soon! Nice season, Hayley!
Cheyanne Edwards - Forward. How lucky can Preble Shawnee Girls Soccer get? We not only get one outstanding newcomer with limitless potential... we get two of them! Cheyanne migrated over to soccer this year as a sophomore and debated on playing or not playing. The team is so thankful that she decided to play. Cheyanne will be one of the fastest girls on the team next year and also one of the most aggressive. Those things alone will strike fear into the heart of any defender - strong, aggressive, and fast. Cheyanne will help fill the void up front and may even spend a little time in the back next year because she has the ability to do both very well. It will be very fun to see the progress made by Cheyanne next season. If it is anything like I think it is going to be, she will not only contribute to the offense, but she may end up being one of the team's and possibly the league's leading scorers. I can't wait to see it all unfold. Keep working. Good stuff!
Cassie Crawford - Forward. Of all of the players on the team, I was the most critical of Cassie. She would probably admit that she deserved some of it, but I always have considered her a few years older than she is and possibly jumped the gun a bit. That and the skill and potential she has makes it seem like her time is almost up and her best game is passing her by. I constantly have to remind myself that she is only a 15-year old sophomore and the best is yet to come. Based on what I have seen over the last two seasons, the promise for all the great things Cassie is going to achieve in the next two seasons is beyond exciting. Since her freshman year, I have told her and others that she will break the school's single season scoring record during her junior year. It's a long road ahead and there are some tough obstacles along the way, but she, without question, has the tools to reach that record. As the second leading goal scorer this year with 16, which ties her for second highest in a season, and with the second highest assist totals on the team with 10, which ties her for second highest in a single season, Cassie is on pace to be, statistically, the second best player in Shawnee history. Cassie has earned 3rd team all-league and 3rd team All Dayton-West. Congratulations on a great year and a bright future, Cassie!
Taylor Fultz - Forward. I could go on and on about the records Taylor has either tied or broken while at Preble Shawnee - most career goals, most career assists, most goals scored in a single season, most goals scored in a single game, most assists in a single season, and most assists in a single game. It is quite obvious that Taylor Fultz has been the best offensive player in the school's history... just check the record books. She also set many firsts for the program - first Newcomer of the Year from Preble Shawnee, first player to be named All-District, first player to earn Player of the Year in the League, first player to make the All-District team, first Player of the Year All Dayton-West, and the first player to be honored as an All-State player. Those, among others, are some of the accolades Taylor Fultz has earned in her four years at Preble Shawnee. Of all of the things she should and could be proud of, the most important and meaningful thing cannot be honored with a plaque or an award. Taylor has developed into an outstanding person, an exemplary teammate, and an admirable inspiration to all around her. For a player who could easily flaunt her winnings, highlights, and statistics, she prefers to just play for her teammates and her school simply for the love of the game. That's what it is all about. Congratulations on a great career, Taylor!
THE DEFENSE. Our defense this year has been more than spectacular. We nearly broke all of the Preble Shawnee defensive records. We allowed only 14 goals all season (up from the old record of 41) which averages out to be just 0.74 goals against per game (up from the old record of 2.41). We did not break the save record simply because the other teams didn't force Abbie Lynch to make that many saves. We had 12 shutouts all season (down from the old record of 7) and we had 7 consecutive shutouts (up from the old record of 3).
Abbie Lynch - Goalkeeper. What else can be said than what is mentioned above? Our keeper, a freshman, was in goal for a record setting season. I realize our defense has a lot to do with that, but Abbie could possibly be the best keeper we have ever had in the history of the program... and she is only a freshman! There is NO ONE on the team that wants to play in the goal because goal keepers have to be willing (almost to the point of enjoyment) to give of themselves physically for the team. They get beat up, bruised, scraped, thumped, hurt... all in the name of the team. The toughest girls on this team get squeamish when thrown in the goal. Abbie loved it, and we loved her for it. She was recognized as a standout player by the league when she was awarded the Newcomer of the Year in the Buckeye Division, a recognition she certainly has deserved. One could also make a case for Abbie as the most valuable defensive player of the year, too. I, we, are fortunate enough to have her return for the program for another three years. Great season, Abbie!
Lacey Johnson - Stopper. Wow! What a turn around year and it could have been no better timed than for this senior season. Lacey, in one year, went from being an average central defender, to quite possibly one of the best around. She is in the same class defensively as some of the powerhouse stoppers that we have seen, namely those from Waynesville and Northwestern. From day one, she came in this season and played solid. She could, quite conceivably, be considered the most valuable defender on the team because of her consistency and she could be easily viewed as the most improved player on the team. She has earned her spot as a 3rd team All-League Selection and a 3rd team All Dayton-West Selection. Lacey will be playing in the senior all-star game at Bellbrook at 12:30 on November 14th. Excellent senior season, Lacey Johnson!
Sam Tipton - Stopper. It is so nice knowing that we have a defensive player coming off the bench as capable as Sam Tipton. It was very difficult to take Lacey out of games, but at the same time, it was very difficult not to put Sam into games because when I did, she played very well and played like a starting varsity defender. I am proud of the strides that Sam has made over the last four years and thrilled that I got a chance to coach a player as dedicated as her. On top of all that she has offered the program, Sam remains one of the top three students in her senior class. Congratulations on a successful high school career as a player and a student!
Courtney Lakes - Defender. Everyone on our team probably has nightmares about playing against a player of Courtney Lakes caliber. They also are incredibly thankful that we have her on the team. Defenders must be cut from a different cloth than any other player on the field. Rarely, do they ever receive awards or the shine in the spotlight. So, they must just love what they do and do it with all of their heart. Courtney definitely has this mentality and it is a very special thing to watch. With that said, however, Courtney does receive recognition and does shine in the spotlight. This is just a testament to how good she actually is and how great she will be. She has earned a 2nd Team Buckeye League Selection and a 2nd Team All-Dayton West Selection. Certainly, she is deserving consideration for Preble Shawnee's defensive player of the year award.
Jordan Lovely - Defender. Jordan has some big shoes to fill next year as she heads into the 2011 season as a hopeful starter. We need to replace one very good outside defender in Ashley Evans and currently Jordan is one of the top candidates for that role. I wouldn't consider this a possibility if I didn't know that she is more than capable of filling that void next year. Jordan is one of the smartest players I have had the opportunity to coach and rarely gets caught making a mistake - both qualities successful defenders must have. Jordan will return for three more seasons and will be a high impact players in the years to come.
Ashley Evans - Defender. Ashley has been the model of consistency for four seasons, this year being no exception. She came in her freshman year and was good. In her sophomore year she was better. Each subsequent year, Ashley continued to get better. She never made huge leaps from one year to the next, but she never had to. She has been good from day one. About 1600 days later she is still good. Even though the change isn't drastic from year to year, I would consider Ashley as one of the most improved players in the program, especially considering her four year run. This senior season, Ashley played consistenly at her highest level. She is one of those defenders, opposite the field of Lakes, who is always in the right place and always right on top of her offensive counterpart. Her quickness and field awareness (and knack for telling a funny story!) are second to none. Ashley is very deserving of her 2nd Team Buckeye League Selection and her 2nd Team All-Dayton West Selection and worth strong consideration for defensive player of the year. She, too, will be playing in the senior all-star game at 12:30 at Bellbrook on November 14th. We are all tremendously proud of you, Ashley! Congratulations on a fabulous senior season.
Stephanie Fogt - Defender/Midfielder. What a true gift it is to have a player who exhibits hard work, speed, dedication, and the ability to play all positions effectively on your team, especially when it can come off of your bench! I have told many people this: if you could put Stephanie Fogt on the team four years ago, she would have far and away been the best player on the field. This says a lot about our team now, but I think it says more for Stephanie. In her sophomore year, she is one of the quicker and most aggressive players I can put on the field. Lacking a little bit of field awareness is expected in a sophomore, but that has also improved from last year. Steph was used as a defender in emergencies (which she filled in quite nicely) and as a midfielder and forward when we were in need of a spark. Next year, with Kaitlyn Ketring (and other seniors) leaving, Stephanie is expected to step in as a starter and contribute at a high level. There is no doubt in my mind she will be able to do that. Good season in a tough role, Steph!
Sidney Brown - Sweeper. Sidney was a blessing this year for many reasons. The foremost concern coming in to the season was who could we get to fill the void at sweeper. The returning defenders were too valuable at their respective positions to move into the role of sweeper. Thankfully, when approached about the possibility of moving from the midfield back to sweeper, Sidney was hesitant but up to the challenge. After game one, there was no doubt that she had found a home on the field. All season long, Sidney not only played consistently, but almost flawlessly in the back. The sweeper, by its nature, is a hero or zero position. That is, either, you look like a savior, or you are likely the scapegoat when we give up goals. Much more often than not, Sidney played the role of hero. She should, of course, and does, of course, appreciate the defenders in front of her because they make her job easier. Also, there is no other player on this team who visibly loves this game and the team more than Sidney Brown. I, and the team, love this and feed off of this probably even more than the quality with which she plays - and that is saying quite a bit. Sidney Brown for her efforts, consistency, and leadership in the back also deserves consideration for defensive player of the year. Way to step it up, Sid!
THE MIDFIELD. The quality of a team is really made or broken in the midfield. The midfielders are a hybrid between the strong willed, in-your-face, smash-mouth mentality of a defender and the precision, control, and poise of an offensive player. I am a bit biased here, but I have no doubt that the midfield is the toughest of all positions to play well and the most demanding. If you are willing to play midfield, you are willing to put up with the pressure of what your job means... in fact, great midfielders thrive on that pressure. Thankfully, day in and day out, we were able to run out four midfielders at a time that were willing and more than capable of living up to the pressure and expectations that come with that position.
Brynnan Colby - Midfielder. Brynnan really started to come into her own midway through her senior season. She took on the role of the first midfielder sub to give a breather to any of the starting midfielders. Admirably, nine times out of ten, she stepped on the field and the team never missed a beat. What Brynnan may have lacked in speed, she made up with awareness and field positioning. At that midway point, I noticed that in many of the games she became much more adept at quick one touch passes, a critical skill for any midfielder. More importantly, Brynnan's moral support in and out of the game are irreplaceable. The best thing about this team is the camaraderie with which they played. Brynnan was a huge part of that and, if that was the only thing that she brought to the table (it's not, of course... but if...) for this team, it would have been worth having her around. Good leadership. Good season! Thanks for everything, Brynnan!
Makayla Lindon - Midfielder. Makayla, a.k.a. the "Missing Link" was a very integral part of this season. With possibly the best foot skill on the team, Makayla had the ability to make defenders look foolish and the know-it-all to slow the pace of the game down to the level Preble Shawnee wanted to play. During the games when she was convinced to play more than she watch (which thankfully became more frequent in the last 3rd of the season), she possibly was the best midfielder on the team. As the season progressed, Makayla became the perfect combination of a goal scoring threat, a passer, and a defender. Last year, she struggled to get playing time and this year Makayla blossomed into one heck of a soccer player. For that alone, I feel she is potentially the most improved player on this team. It is exciting that she will remain with the program for another two seasons. Excellent season, Makayla!
Elaina Geisen - Midfielder. Poor Elaina spent much of the year either forced to sit or playing through injuries. This did not diminish the attributes she brought to the team. As a relative newcomer to the soccer scene, Elaina brought so many intangibles to this team. Her positive attitude and charisma were contagious and the team was much better for it. I think it is safe to say that her presence on the team, made everyone enjoy the season a bit more. We will certainly miss those many moments of funny that made us all smile. You will be right near the top of the list of players who will be missed most. Thanks for playing and for the joy you effortlessly brought to the team. Good season, Elaina!
Mackenzie Steele - Midfielder. I don't think it is any secret that Mackenzie has been one of my 'favorite' players. My favorite kind of player is one who works extremely hard, rarely sees the limelight, and never expects anything in return for excellent play. Mackenzie Steele is just such a player and is a model for the "selfless philanthropy" in our team's mission statement. Almost single-handedly Mackenzie had the ability to determine how good Preble Shawnee soccer was going to be from night to night. She developed into the ideal, dare I say perfect, inside halfback. She has the perfect skill set to be the perfect inside half - speed, smarts, the ability to defend well, and suberb field awareness. If I can only get her to talk next year?!? All in all, I would consider Mackenzie Steele to be one of the three most valuable players on this team and seriously deserving as a #1, #2, or #3 vote getter for that honor. This season would not have been nearly as successful without you! Excellently done, Mack!
Kaitlyn Ketring - Midfielder. Kaitlyn has been the epitome of what a Preble Shawnee soccer player is supposed to be. She is a hard worker who goes above and beyond what even the typical "leader" of a program is expected to do. She has proven time and time again with her skills and work ethic why all of her teammates respect her as a player, and more importantly respect her as a person. She has been the rock of this program since she has stepped on the field and it is this rock which the team most often leans upon for support through difficult times. I believe that a true leader and role model is someone who does not need to try to fit that role; they just are that role. Kaitlyn certainly has been a leader on and off the field. This will be missed and is hard to replace. This is just part of the reason she is a two time captain. Thank you, Kaitlyn. Aside from her outstanding personal qualities, Kaitlyn is one of the better players to ever come through the program. At times, I wish she would have been a bit more selfish, but at the end of the day there isn't any other way I would have wanted her to play the game. She ended her career as the 5th highest point earner in school history. Deadly with both feet, Kaitlyn was a goal scoring threat as well as a crossing threat. This year she earned a 1st team spot on the All-League Team and was the 6th highest vote getter in All-Dayton West which puts her on the first team All-Dayton West and the second highest vote getter in school history. Kaitlyn also has earned the right to play in the senior all-star game November 14th at Bellbrook High School at 12:30. Because of her career and what she has done on and off the field, I think Kaitlyn is worth strong consideration as a player of the year nominee. Very well done. Nice career, Kaitlyn!
Maddie Woodard - Midfielder. I knew coming in that Maddie Woodard was going to be a contributor this year, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw her play with other good players. This made her so much better than when she was playing in 8th grade. At the beginning of the season I was trying to figure out who would be my final two girls in my starting midfield. After the season (really, after about preseason game two), it was a foolish idea to not include Maddie in the starting line-up. She is that good and has that much potential. Maddie finished the year six goals and six assists, both very respectable playing as an inside midfielder. When Maddie Woodard played with her 'A-game', she might have been the best overall player on the field. This says tons about what she can do. To be considered one of the best players on a team that loses 2 games out of 19 is compliment enough, but to be able to say that about a player that is a freshman is amazing. I am very excited to see the 'A-game' for eighty minutes every game next year as Maddie will only continue to get better every year. Awesome freshman year, Maddie. Keep it up!
THE FORWARDS. The finishers. The threat to every defense. The fuel to feed the fire. Fortunately we are blessed with several players who are excellent finishers and a dangerous threat to any defense. Just as the defense blew up the old record book, so has the offense. The old records of 52 goals in a season and a 3.06 goals for average were embarassed with the new records. This season we scored 82 goals (+30) which comes out to a 4.32 goals for average (+1.26). We also broke the individual scoring record in a season. Taylor Fultz broke the old marks of 19 goals and 10 assists with season bests with 25 goals and 16 assists. We also had a much more diverse scoring menu with eight or nine dangerous scoring threats on the team as opposed to our historic two or three.
Hayley Hall - Forward. I would be incredibly nervous going in to next season losing an offensive leader like Taylor Fultz, but Hayley Hall with help from the other forwards will fill this absence wonderfully. If I didn't have two outstanding starting forwards in Cassie and Taylor, I would still have the two best forwards I ever had available to come off the bench. One of those forwards is Hayley. I was greeted with many comments from JV coaches and even officials asking "How in the world is [Hayley Hall] a JV player?" The combination of Hayley's speed and fearlessness is exactly what makes her formidible and what makes her so promising in the future. I look forward to seeing Hayley bury many shots in the back of the net in the years to come. I can't say how big of a relief it is knowing I am guaranteed to have a scoring threat for three more years. If she continues to keep working hard, Hayley will be one of the best forwards around very soon! Nice season, Hayley!
Cheyanne Edwards - Forward. How lucky can Preble Shawnee Girls Soccer get? We not only get one outstanding newcomer with limitless potential... we get two of them! Cheyanne migrated over to soccer this year as a sophomore and debated on playing or not playing. The team is so thankful that she decided to play. Cheyanne will be one of the fastest girls on the team next year and also one of the most aggressive. Those things alone will strike fear into the heart of any defender - strong, aggressive, and fast. Cheyanne will help fill the void up front and may even spend a little time in the back next year because she has the ability to do both very well. It will be very fun to see the progress made by Cheyanne next season. If it is anything like I think it is going to be, she will not only contribute to the offense, but she may end up being one of the team's and possibly the league's leading scorers. I can't wait to see it all unfold. Keep working. Good stuff!
Cassie Crawford - Forward. Of all of the players on the team, I was the most critical of Cassie. She would probably admit that she deserved some of it, but I always have considered her a few years older than she is and possibly jumped the gun a bit. That and the skill and potential she has makes it seem like her time is almost up and her best game is passing her by. I constantly have to remind myself that she is only a 15-year old sophomore and the best is yet to come. Based on what I have seen over the last two seasons, the promise for all the great things Cassie is going to achieve in the next two seasons is beyond exciting. Since her freshman year, I have told her and others that she will break the school's single season scoring record during her junior year. It's a long road ahead and there are some tough obstacles along the way, but she, without question, has the tools to reach that record. As the second leading goal scorer this year with 16, which ties her for second highest in a season, and with the second highest assist totals on the team with 10, which ties her for second highest in a single season, Cassie is on pace to be, statistically, the second best player in Shawnee history. Cassie has earned 3rd team all-league and 3rd team All Dayton-West. Congratulations on a great year and a bright future, Cassie!
Taylor Fultz - Forward. I could go on and on about the records Taylor has either tied or broken while at Preble Shawnee - most career goals, most career assists, most goals scored in a single season, most goals scored in a single game, most assists in a single season, and most assists in a single game. It is quite obvious that Taylor Fultz has been the best offensive player in the school's history... just check the record books. She also set many firsts for the program - first Newcomer of the Year from Preble Shawnee, first player to be named All-District, first player to earn Player of the Year in the League, first player to make the All-District team, first Player of the Year All Dayton-West, and the first player to be honored as an All-State player. Those, among others, are some of the accolades Taylor Fultz has earned in her four years at Preble Shawnee. Of all of the things she should and could be proud of, the most important and meaningful thing cannot be honored with a plaque or an award. Taylor has developed into an outstanding person, an exemplary teammate, and an admirable inspiration to all around her. For a player who could easily flaunt her winnings, highlights, and statistics, she prefers to just play for her teammates and her school simply for the love of the game. That's what it is all about. Congratulations on a great career, Taylor!
Game 19. Tourney Game #3. Preble Shawnee vs. Northwestern, 2-3 Loss.
13 - 2 - 4.
Sometimes the better team loses. I won't say that we played horribly and that Northwestern caught us on one of our bad nights and that we would beat them 99 times out of 100. We aren't tons better than Northwestern, but after all eighty minutes were over, I think we had more dangerous opportunities, an equally stout defense, and had the majority of the possession.
The reason we lost that game really began before this senior class even played their first high school game. It all boils down to scheduling. A team like Northwestern must be ready to play well 14 or 15 games out of the regular season if they want to have a successful season. With our current schedule, Preble Shawnee girls really have to play well in only 5 or 6 games per year to have a successful season. I honestly don't think our team is used to playing in games of this magnitude and it showed in the first half. We played lost. We didn't try those things that we need to do in order to compete against good teams. We were a little too timid going hard to the ball. Northwestern didn't show any of those signs. Northwestern scored two uncontested goals in the first half and had a few more chances to score a couple more.
At halftime, we stressed the simplicity of the game - go hard, hold a ball, don't pass unless you know who you are passing to. In the second half, we came out and dominated the next 40 minutes like I knew we were capable of. We won far more 50/50 balls, dominated in possession, and looked like the better team. We hit the post twice and threatened many more times. I think Northwestern was limited to 3 or 4 shots in the second half, one of which went in. Our team after two or three minutes of constant pressure, earned a penalty kick about half way through the first half. Mackenzie Steele stepped up and buried it in the side netting. Unfortunately, Northwestern capitalized on one of their few chances shortly after to make it 3-1.
After Northwestern's 3rd goal, Preble Shawnee again dominated for the remainder of the half. We hit the post twice in the last twenty minutes. Fittingly, on a through ball from Cassie Crawford to Taylor Fultz, we scored with ten seconds left on the clock to bring us within one. The game ended 3-2.
Overall, the defense played well enough to win all night, and, in the second half, the offense really started to come alive as Mackenzie Steele led the way, controlling the pace and flow of the game. Maddie Woodard, Makayla Lindon, and Kaitlyn Ketring also stepped up and followed suite. Cassie Crawford was also a major contributor in the second half.
The reason we lost that game really began before this senior class even played their first high school game. It all boils down to scheduling. A team like Northwestern must be ready to play well 14 or 15 games out of the regular season if they want to have a successful season. With our current schedule, Preble Shawnee girls really have to play well in only 5 or 6 games per year to have a successful season. I honestly don't think our team is used to playing in games of this magnitude and it showed in the first half. We played lost. We didn't try those things that we need to do in order to compete against good teams. We were a little too timid going hard to the ball. Northwestern didn't show any of those signs. Northwestern scored two uncontested goals in the first half and had a few more chances to score a couple more.
At halftime, we stressed the simplicity of the game - go hard, hold a ball, don't pass unless you know who you are passing to. In the second half, we came out and dominated the next 40 minutes like I knew we were capable of. We won far more 50/50 balls, dominated in possession, and looked like the better team. We hit the post twice and threatened many more times. I think Northwestern was limited to 3 or 4 shots in the second half, one of which went in. Our team after two or three minutes of constant pressure, earned a penalty kick about half way through the first half. Mackenzie Steele stepped up and buried it in the side netting. Unfortunately, Northwestern capitalized on one of their few chances shortly after to make it 3-1.
After Northwestern's 3rd goal, Preble Shawnee again dominated for the remainder of the half. We hit the post twice in the last twenty minutes. Fittingly, on a through ball from Cassie Crawford to Taylor Fultz, we scored with ten seconds left on the clock to bring us within one. The game ended 3-2.
Overall, the defense played well enough to win all night, and, in the second half, the offense really started to come alive as Mackenzie Steele led the way, controlling the pace and flow of the game. Maddie Woodard, Makayla Lindon, and Kaitlyn Ketring also stepped up and followed suite. Cassie Crawford was also a major contributor in the second half.
Game 18. Tourney Game #2. Preble Shawnee vs. Franklin-Monroe, 1-0 Win.
13 - 1 - 4.
Entering the game, Franklin Monroe was very much an enigma. I know that they had a great record coming in at 12-1-3, but I also knew that the schedule that they played was not the strongest. They also were known for being very aggressive and very strong willed. The two most important things that girls soccer needs in order to be successful are confidence and aggression. From what I had heard and from their record, Franklin Monroe had both. That made them a very dangerous opponent.
My biggest fear was that we would come out and play timid, hence F-M would impose their style of play on us. I was more than pleased when the opposite happened. The Shawnee girls came out and, not only played a physical game, but also played well in possession. The combination of the two really dictated how this game went tonight. We dominated all aspects of the game, limiting F-M to only 4 total shots, 2 of which our keeper, Abbie Lynch, had to make saves on as she recorded the 12th shutout of the season.
Fortunately, our pressure got to F-M, whose defense was very solid all night. Late in the first half, Cassie Crawford slotted a through ball between defenders that Taylor Fultz was able to run on to. Taylor was fouled from behind about 4 yards into the box. Preble Shawnee was awarded a penalty kick. Taylor Fultz stepped up and knocked it in.
The remainder of the game was us controlling play and possession. A few times midway through the first half our defense was tested with long balls out of the their defensive third. On one such occassion, Courtney Lakes saved our defense on an F-M breakaway with a well timed slide tackle just outside the 18 yard line. The rest of the defense played well in the second half, especially Ashley Evans and Sidney Brown limiting any real chances F-M tried to muster in the second half. With some big help from midfielder Mackenzie Steele, in one of her best games of the season, Preble Shawnee was able to control the flow of play and maintain possession and opportunity for the majority of the game.
Overall, it was a solidly played game, both technically and aggessively. With the win, we improve to 13-1-4 and we advance to the sectional final game versus a very stout Northwestern team. We will need to play a better game for all 80 minutes if we intend to be sectional champions. We expect Northwestern to be very similar to Waynesville who we tied late in the season. The game is scheduled for this Tuesday at 5:30 at Valley View.
My biggest fear was that we would come out and play timid, hence F-M would impose their style of play on us. I was more than pleased when the opposite happened. The Shawnee girls came out and, not only played a physical game, but also played well in possession. The combination of the two really dictated how this game went tonight. We dominated all aspects of the game, limiting F-M to only 4 total shots, 2 of which our keeper, Abbie Lynch, had to make saves on as she recorded the 12th shutout of the season.
Fortunately, our pressure got to F-M, whose defense was very solid all night. Late in the first half, Cassie Crawford slotted a through ball between defenders that Taylor Fultz was able to run on to. Taylor was fouled from behind about 4 yards into the box. Preble Shawnee was awarded a penalty kick. Taylor Fultz stepped up and knocked it in.
The remainder of the game was us controlling play and possession. A few times midway through the first half our defense was tested with long balls out of the their defensive third. On one such occassion, Courtney Lakes saved our defense on an F-M breakaway with a well timed slide tackle just outside the 18 yard line. The rest of the defense played well in the second half, especially Ashley Evans and Sidney Brown limiting any real chances F-M tried to muster in the second half. With some big help from midfielder Mackenzie Steele, in one of her best games of the season, Preble Shawnee was able to control the flow of play and maintain possession and opportunity for the majority of the game.
Overall, it was a solidly played game, both technically and aggessively. With the win, we improve to 13-1-4 and we advance to the sectional final game versus a very stout Northwestern team. We will need to play a better game for all 80 minutes if we intend to be sectional champions. We expect Northwestern to be very similar to Waynesville who we tied late in the season. The game is scheduled for this Tuesday at 5:30 at Valley View.
Game 17. Tourney Game #1. Preble Shawnee vs. Brookville, 3-1 Win. 12 - 1 - 4.
If anyone told me how we were going to play in the first half, I would have told them the season was over. In the first half, we were mysteriously apathetic and almost non-existent. We managed to get one goal in the first half, but it was not a thing of technique or beauty. We happened to be in the right place at the right time. Taylor Fultz scored in the first half and the score was knotted 1-1 at halftime.
At halftime, we concluded that we were playing lazy, failing to go to the ball, and simply not playing as if the season could end forty minutes later. The senior leaders of the team, especially Taylor Fultz, inspired us at half time. In the seecond half, we continued to play without knowledge or, frankly, much skill, but we certainly played harder. This was much more than what we could say after the first half.
Our effort was enough to get us by with a 3-1 victory. The lesson our girls took from this game was that if a team decided they wanted it more, then they could have it. Brookville wanted it more, especially in the first half, and we were fortunately able to turn the tables quick enough in the second half and manage a win. Although we were the more skilled and deeper team, we could have lost this game if we didn't wake up and play harder.
Kaitlyn Ketring and Makayla Lindon added goals in the second half. Cassie Crawford picked up an assist.
At halftime, we concluded that we were playing lazy, failing to go to the ball, and simply not playing as if the season could end forty minutes later. The senior leaders of the team, especially Taylor Fultz, inspired us at half time. In the seecond half, we continued to play without knowledge or, frankly, much skill, but we certainly played harder. This was much more than what we could say after the first half.
Our effort was enough to get us by with a 3-1 victory. The lesson our girls took from this game was that if a team decided they wanted it more, then they could have it. Brookville wanted it more, especially in the first half, and we were fortunately able to turn the tables quick enough in the second half and manage a win. Although we were the more skilled and deeper team, we could have lost this game if we didn't wake up and play harder.
Kaitlyn Ketring and Makayla Lindon added goals in the second half. Cassie Crawford picked up an assist.
Game 16. Preble Shawnee vs. Milton-Union, 3-0 Win. 11 - 1 - 4.
Milton-Union has a strong enough defense that they could hold on against some very tough teams. Offensive giants Waynesville and Madison recently beat them 3-0 and 2-0. Miami East, currently 11-2-2, had their hands full with Milton-Union in a recent 3-2 win. Miami East got edged by Franklin-Monroe 2-1 earlier in the season (we would be playing F-M in round two if we get there). Milton-Union recently was beaten by Brookville in "an even contest" 1-0. We play Brookville in round one of the tournament.
We entered tonight in a precarious situation. In my mind, I felt that anything less than a decisive win against Milton-Union may deflate the confidence the team has worked so hard to earn. Decisive is exactly what we got. Kaitlyn Ketring blasted a ball past the keeper with about 20 minutes to go in half one. In the second half, Taylor Fultz handled a nice cross from Makayla Lindon and dinked the keeper for a nice second goal. Kaitlyn Ketring stepped up and drilled a free kick from about 30 yards out for the third and final goal. Abbie Lynch, 6 saves, and the defense, allowing just 7 shots, recorded its 7th consecutive shutout making 11 total shutouts on the season!
I didn't want to go into the tournament with any doubts that we are a skilled team that should be able to win any game we play against any opponent. We certainly played hard and we played smarter. Of course there were some minor glitches in small bursts, but overall, we dominated a team from start to finish that has been putting up some good fights against some pretty good opponents. We missed some execution... we failed in spells communicating with each other... But, we played with confidence all night long. Confidence goes a long way and there is no reason why we shouldn't be confident all the way through the tournament.
The only game we didn't play with confidence was the first Waynesville game. We played panicked and out of control. The result was 5-1. We played the second Carlisle game without the elusive "it". The result was a lack luster 0-0 tie. Those two blemishes on our record may have been the best thing that could have happened to this team, in hindsight. I promise that we will never go into another game this year lacking confidence or in panic mode - lesson learned from the first Waynesville game. We will never take this game for granted or make execuses after a game is over - lesson learned from Carlisle.
This team has the making to make a special kind of run in the tournament... we also know that playing without "it" and playing nervous could very well result in an early exit from the tournament, too. From this seasons lessons, I am certain this team will not get in its own way on its path toward success.
Let the new season begin! 80+
We entered tonight in a precarious situation. In my mind, I felt that anything less than a decisive win against Milton-Union may deflate the confidence the team has worked so hard to earn. Decisive is exactly what we got. Kaitlyn Ketring blasted a ball past the keeper with about 20 minutes to go in half one. In the second half, Taylor Fultz handled a nice cross from Makayla Lindon and dinked the keeper for a nice second goal. Kaitlyn Ketring stepped up and drilled a free kick from about 30 yards out for the third and final goal. Abbie Lynch, 6 saves, and the defense, allowing just 7 shots, recorded its 7th consecutive shutout making 11 total shutouts on the season!
I didn't want to go into the tournament with any doubts that we are a skilled team that should be able to win any game we play against any opponent. We certainly played hard and we played smarter. Of course there were some minor glitches in small bursts, but overall, we dominated a team from start to finish that has been putting up some good fights against some pretty good opponents. We missed some execution... we failed in spells communicating with each other... But, we played with confidence all night long. Confidence goes a long way and there is no reason why we shouldn't be confident all the way through the tournament.
The only game we didn't play with confidence was the first Waynesville game. We played panicked and out of control. The result was 5-1. We played the second Carlisle game without the elusive "it". The result was a lack luster 0-0 tie. Those two blemishes on our record may have been the best thing that could have happened to this team, in hindsight. I promise that we will never go into another game this year lacking confidence or in panic mode - lesson learned from the first Waynesville game. We will never take this game for granted or make execuses after a game is over - lesson learned from Carlisle.
This team has the making to make a special kind of run in the tournament... we also know that playing without "it" and playing nervous could very well result in an early exit from the tournament, too. From this seasons lessons, I am certain this team will not get in its own way on its path toward success.
Let the new season begin! 80+
Game 15. Preble Shawnee vs. Northridge, 8-0 Win. 10 - 1 - 4.
We approached tonight as a tune-up game. It was our chance to work on things that we need to do to be more successful as the state tournament rolls around. We did a fair job of that despite the often bizarre formation and positions we had players in throughout the night.
Most importantly, the team tonight got a chance to recognize and celebrate the seven seniors who have worked so hard for four years to make this record breaking season so successful. Every senior played at least 65 of the 80 minutes, which meant some of our talented underclassmen took the role of spectator tonight. The wonderful thing about this season is that some of the girls that didn't play as much tonight as usual were not bothered by it. We all knew that this night was about the seniors and it was our chance to let them enjoy their last regular season game on our home field. In the past, I probably wouldn't have had a team that shared that same attitude.
Scoring for the arrows were: Taylor Fultz (2), Kaitlyn Ketring (2), Makayla Lindon (2), Maddie Woodard (1), and Hayley Hall (1). Assists were dished out by Fultz (1), Cassie Crawford (1), Ketring (1), Mackenzie Steele (1), Cheyanne Edwards (1), and Sidney Brown (1).
Tonight was the arrows 6th consecutive shutout, which includes shutouts versus Waynesville, Madison, and Carlisle. On the season, we now have 10 shutouts, which surpasses the old mark of 7. Our team defense continues to shine.
We also had our tournament draw. We were seeded 4th behind Waynesville, Northwestern, and Greeneview. Our first round game is versus a solid #9 seeded Brookville team. If we can win that one, we will play #6 seeded Franklin-Monroe in round 2.
One more game to go. A new season awaits.
Most importantly, the team tonight got a chance to recognize and celebrate the seven seniors who have worked so hard for four years to make this record breaking season so successful. Every senior played at least 65 of the 80 minutes, which meant some of our talented underclassmen took the role of spectator tonight. The wonderful thing about this season is that some of the girls that didn't play as much tonight as usual were not bothered by it. We all knew that this night was about the seniors and it was our chance to let them enjoy their last regular season game on our home field. In the past, I probably wouldn't have had a team that shared that same attitude.
Scoring for the arrows were: Taylor Fultz (2), Kaitlyn Ketring (2), Makayla Lindon (2), Maddie Woodard (1), and Hayley Hall (1). Assists were dished out by Fultz (1), Cassie Crawford (1), Ketring (1), Mackenzie Steele (1), Cheyanne Edwards (1), and Sidney Brown (1).
Tonight was the arrows 6th consecutive shutout, which includes shutouts versus Waynesville, Madison, and Carlisle. On the season, we now have 10 shutouts, which surpasses the old mark of 7. Our team defense continues to shine.
We also had our tournament draw. We were seeded 4th behind Waynesville, Northwestern, and Greeneview. Our first round game is versus a solid #9 seeded Brookville team. If we can win that one, we will play #6 seeded Franklin-Monroe in round 2.
One more game to go. A new season awaits.
Game 14. Preble Shawnee vs. Waynesville, 0-0 Tie. 9 - 1 - 4.
I was all smiles after the game was over even though I tried to tamper the positive emotions of a hard fought tie against one of the best teams in the state. Without doubt, the tie was the most successful moment of the school's soccer history. My first comment to the girls after the game was "It's only a tie. It's a good tie against a very good team, but remember we didn't win."
This was not a negative comment about how we played or the effort that we played with, but more of a statement about what we have become and what we can expect to do. Don't be surprised when we tie Waynesville. Don't be content after tying Waynesville. Preble Shawnee Girls Soccer should now, more than ever, have the killer instinct and the drive to win games, even against teams that are bona fide state contenders. We believe we are a force to be reckoned with and our time has come to take the appropriate steps forward.
Last year, after tying another great team in Monroe, I walked away accepting the tie, but in all honesty, it was a game that we got away with. After the game, even after tying, the team believed that Monroe was better and we just happened to hang on to a tie. We were pummeled with shot after shot and the defense and keeper played lights out to prevent a 2nd Monroe goal. We luckily came away with a tie.
This year, after tying a great Waynesville team, the team's attitude is much different. We didn't just barely hang on. We didn't narrowly escape with a tie. We weren't lucky. We stood toe-to-toe with a state power house and slugged it out for eighty minutes of competitive soccer. Evidence of this is in the number of saves each keeper had to make. Abbie Lynch made four saves and Waynesville's keeper made three. The shot total was Waynesville 10, Preble Shawnee 6. This is a ridiculously low number of shots and saves. What this tells me is that this was a very solidly played game, with very few mistakes made by either team, against two very strong teams.
The most important thing about this game is the confidence it instills in the program. We have complete faith that we will be able to compete with whomever we will face in the tournament. I'm not so sure we had that confidence for the middle third of our season. It was a great time to finally find it.
Offensively, we worked a game plan tonight that we have been stressing for the last eight or nine practices. We made some personnel changes that worked like a charm. With Taylor Fultz's ability to control play, we needed to get her more involved. In the last game, as a forward, she didn't get nearly enough touches and almost disappeared from the play. Tonight she got plenty of touches after moving her to inside half, which allowed the offense to transition out of the back. We rotated Makayla Lindon and Mackenzie Steele up front and used their ability to maintain position and make runs to put a little more pressure up front. We worked with all midfielders and forwards to dictate where Waynesville was allowed to play. We focused on taking Waynesville's ability to spread the field and pass the ball by shading all of their possession away from their strength in the middle. When Waynesville was attacking we stressed to our forwards to stay wide, so that our defenders knew that forced clearances should be played wide. These wide clearances then had a better chance of being collected by our players in a 1 v 1 situation rather than playing randomly forward into four or five defenders. All credit for what we accomplished tonight goes to the girls for their hard work, patience on the ball, and especially their ability to execute a pretty tough game plan.
Defensively... wow. So far this year we have nine shutouts. Two of those shutouts came against two of the most prolific offenses in the Miami Valley - Madison and Waynesville. We have given up a grand total of 10 goals all season. Of course, we have had great play from the core defenders - Ashley Evans, Lacey Johnson, Courtney Lakes, Sidney Brown, and Sam Tipton - but, tonight our midfielders and forwards also played some wonderful defense of their own. Stand out defensive performances came from our stopper Lacey Johnson, our outside full Courtney Lakes, and our newest inside midfielder Kaitlyn Ketring. Lacey Johnson and Kaitlyn Ketring combined to limit Katelyn Danner, Miami Valley's leading goal scorer, to just one shot and zero goals.
Overall, a great team performance resulted in a nice result, proving we belong with the best teams in the Miami Valley. Our work is not nearly done, however. We have two league games left and we need to be focused and careful in both of them. It's hard telling how the team will respond against Northridge this Tuesday after a big win, homecoming weekend, and on senior night. Then on Thursday we finish out the season away at Milton-Union, who has been playing much better since the last time we saw them.
Continue the hard work, ladies. 80+
This was not a negative comment about how we played or the effort that we played with, but more of a statement about what we have become and what we can expect to do. Don't be surprised when we tie Waynesville. Don't be content after tying Waynesville. Preble Shawnee Girls Soccer should now, more than ever, have the killer instinct and the drive to win games, even against teams that are bona fide state contenders. We believe we are a force to be reckoned with and our time has come to take the appropriate steps forward.
Last year, after tying another great team in Monroe, I walked away accepting the tie, but in all honesty, it was a game that we got away with. After the game, even after tying, the team believed that Monroe was better and we just happened to hang on to a tie. We were pummeled with shot after shot and the defense and keeper played lights out to prevent a 2nd Monroe goal. We luckily came away with a tie.
This year, after tying a great Waynesville team, the team's attitude is much different. We didn't just barely hang on. We didn't narrowly escape with a tie. We weren't lucky. We stood toe-to-toe with a state power house and slugged it out for eighty minutes of competitive soccer. Evidence of this is in the number of saves each keeper had to make. Abbie Lynch made four saves and Waynesville's keeper made three. The shot total was Waynesville 10, Preble Shawnee 6. This is a ridiculously low number of shots and saves. What this tells me is that this was a very solidly played game, with very few mistakes made by either team, against two very strong teams.
The most important thing about this game is the confidence it instills in the program. We have complete faith that we will be able to compete with whomever we will face in the tournament. I'm not so sure we had that confidence for the middle third of our season. It was a great time to finally find it.
Offensively, we worked a game plan tonight that we have been stressing for the last eight or nine practices. We made some personnel changes that worked like a charm. With Taylor Fultz's ability to control play, we needed to get her more involved. In the last game, as a forward, she didn't get nearly enough touches and almost disappeared from the play. Tonight she got plenty of touches after moving her to inside half, which allowed the offense to transition out of the back. We rotated Makayla Lindon and Mackenzie Steele up front and used their ability to maintain position and make runs to put a little more pressure up front. We worked with all midfielders and forwards to dictate where Waynesville was allowed to play. We focused on taking Waynesville's ability to spread the field and pass the ball by shading all of their possession away from their strength in the middle. When Waynesville was attacking we stressed to our forwards to stay wide, so that our defenders knew that forced clearances should be played wide. These wide clearances then had a better chance of being collected by our players in a 1 v 1 situation rather than playing randomly forward into four or five defenders. All credit for what we accomplished tonight goes to the girls for their hard work, patience on the ball, and especially their ability to execute a pretty tough game plan.
Defensively... wow. So far this year we have nine shutouts. Two of those shutouts came against two of the most prolific offenses in the Miami Valley - Madison and Waynesville. We have given up a grand total of 10 goals all season. Of course, we have had great play from the core defenders - Ashley Evans, Lacey Johnson, Courtney Lakes, Sidney Brown, and Sam Tipton - but, tonight our midfielders and forwards also played some wonderful defense of their own. Stand out defensive performances came from our stopper Lacey Johnson, our outside full Courtney Lakes, and our newest inside midfielder Kaitlyn Ketring. Lacey Johnson and Kaitlyn Ketring combined to limit Katelyn Danner, Miami Valley's leading goal scorer, to just one shot and zero goals.
Overall, a great team performance resulted in a nice result, proving we belong with the best teams in the Miami Valley. Our work is not nearly done, however. We have two league games left and we need to be focused and careful in both of them. It's hard telling how the team will respond against Northridge this Tuesday after a big win, homecoming weekend, and on senior night. Then on Thursday we finish out the season away at Milton-Union, who has been playing much better since the last time we saw them.
Continue the hard work, ladies. 80+
Game 13. Preble Shawnee vs. Dixie, 8-0 Win. 9 - 1 - 3.
Ewww. That was an ugly first twenty minutes and I was nervous that Carlisle was going to happen all over again. We dominated the first twenty but it seemed like our first touches were poor and we were not going hard to every ball and we were content to play possession without aggression.
Thankfully, something clicked and we stepped up our game and played a very strong last 60 minutes of soccer. We held Dixie to just 4 shots, three of those four coming in the first five minutes of play.
It was nice to see that we came in all of our Preble Shawnee form. We possessed a ball well and finally we started playing direct, dangerous soccer... and better yet, we were doing things that we stressed in practice the last few days... and it was working! We also went much harder to a ball than we have in the last couple games. Obviously, all of these were great signs leading into the Waynesville game, which we all need to show up and play smart, hard soccer if we want to challenge them.
This Dixie game was a night of record setting performances. Taylor Fultz broke her own school record with 19 goals on the season with the first goal of the game. Abbie Lynch and the defense recorded the 8th shutout of the season breaking the old mark of 7. Also, the team set a season record for goals scored in a season which currently stands at 65 (5 goals per game). We have done all of those things with three games remaining in regular season and hopefully many more in the upcoming tournament. It has been nice doing well this year, but with success comes with greater responsibilities. We now must prepare better and harder than ever if we want to make a run in the tournament and finish the season strong. We still have more school records to break (namely wins in a season) and goals to achieve.
Nice game. More work to do.
80+
Thankfully, something clicked and we stepped up our game and played a very strong last 60 minutes of soccer. We held Dixie to just 4 shots, three of those four coming in the first five minutes of play.
It was nice to see that we came in all of our Preble Shawnee form. We possessed a ball well and finally we started playing direct, dangerous soccer... and better yet, we were doing things that we stressed in practice the last few days... and it was working! We also went much harder to a ball than we have in the last couple games. Obviously, all of these were great signs leading into the Waynesville game, which we all need to show up and play smart, hard soccer if we want to challenge them.
This Dixie game was a night of record setting performances. Taylor Fultz broke her own school record with 19 goals on the season with the first goal of the game. Abbie Lynch and the defense recorded the 8th shutout of the season breaking the old mark of 7. Also, the team set a season record for goals scored in a season which currently stands at 65 (5 goals per game). We have done all of those things with three games remaining in regular season and hopefully many more in the upcoming tournament. It has been nice doing well this year, but with success comes with greater responsibilities. We now must prepare better and harder than ever if we want to make a run in the tournament and finish the season strong. We still have more school records to break (namely wins in a season) and goals to achieve.
Nice game. More work to do.
80+
Game 12. Preble Shawnee vs. Carlisle, 0-0 Tie. 8 - 1 - 3.
Fire...
Game 11. Preble Shawnee vs. National Trail, 6-0 Win. 8 - 1 - 2.
National Trail came into the game only able to play ten players due to injury. Right off the bat, this made it tough for us because we agreed to play with ten as well. We did play the first five minutes of each half with eleven, but we only did that to give all eleven of players a chance to play together. We also played the last five minutes of the game with eleven on the field because I wanted to give Sidney Brown a chance to play with a couple of different combinations in the middle. Taylor Fultz scored twice and assisted once. Maddie Woodard scored once and assisted twice. Mackenzie Steele, Stephanie Fogt, and Cassie Crawford each scored once. Sidney Brown picked up an assist, as did Makayla Lindon.
We failed to play with fire during the eighty minutes. We rarely went hard to a ball and our approach was very ho-hum. Plain and simple, our focus really wasn't there. This game was not an entire waste of time, however. We did move the ball around nicely most of the time, but we didn't have the killer instinct we should have had.
One player after the game asked me, "Aren't you at all mad about how we played?" My response was that it was irritating to see a team who has played so hard the last three games and for most of the season come out and go through the motions, but I also explained that I understood that it is very difficult going into a game under these circumstances and playing with aggression and with a motivating sense of urgency.
Was it exactly what I wanted to see? Nope. But we did get a win under strange circumstances. We did move the ball well and played with possession, especially our defenders who possesed a ball as if they were actually part of the offense (go figure!), and we didn't need to drain all of our resources the day before a big game. All in all, it's a win and we will be prepared for Carlisle on Tuesday without any reservation.
Carlisle is not a bad soccer team and we have never really made a big statement in any Carlisle game we have played in. Tomorrow that needs to change. We need to show against a quality opponent that we can truly dominate every phase of the game. We also need to prove that we belong in the top ten and that our current standing at number nine is not a fluke! There are certainly teams that are knocking on our door and any semblance of a let down may put us back on the outside looking in.
80+
We failed to play with fire during the eighty minutes. We rarely went hard to a ball and our approach was very ho-hum. Plain and simple, our focus really wasn't there. This game was not an entire waste of time, however. We did move the ball around nicely most of the time, but we didn't have the killer instinct we should have had.
One player after the game asked me, "Aren't you at all mad about how we played?" My response was that it was irritating to see a team who has played so hard the last three games and for most of the season come out and go through the motions, but I also explained that I understood that it is very difficult going into a game under these circumstances and playing with aggression and with a motivating sense of urgency.
Was it exactly what I wanted to see? Nope. But we did get a win under strange circumstances. We did move the ball well and played with possession, especially our defenders who possesed a ball as if they were actually part of the offense (go figure!), and we didn't need to drain all of our resources the day before a big game. All in all, it's a win and we will be prepared for Carlisle on Tuesday without any reservation.
Carlisle is not a bad soccer team and we have never really made a big statement in any Carlisle game we have played in. Tomorrow that needs to change. We need to show against a quality opponent that we can truly dominate every phase of the game. We also need to prove that we belong in the top ten and that our current standing at number nine is not a fluke! There are certainly teams that are knocking on our door and any semblance of a let down may put us back on the outside looking in.
80+
Game 10. Preble Shawnee vs. Madison, 0-0 Tie. 7 - 1 - 2.
This was an interesting game, to say the least.
Madison certainly had their chances to put the ball in the net tonight. We had some as well, but we did not play as well as we did the first time we tied Madison. I, personally, thought Madison had the majority of the run of play, but I would not call them a better team. I think the two teams are very comparable, although we have drastically different styles. If we played Madison 100 times, we would probably tie them 50 times, lose 25 times, and win 25 times. It is a fun rival to play against and a fun game to watch as the chess match unfolds. Madison is the smash mouth, come at you full bore, and run you over type of team, while Preble Shawnee is very much the opposite. We tend to play finesse, work angles and change direction, and draw fouls via shielding and positioning. Fun, but stressful, to be a part of.
In the last three games Preble Shawnee has drifted away from what could make us an elite team. If we can put some passes together and work slow build-up, we can be very dangerous. Recently, however, we have gotten into a one-two pass offense, then play long. By doing this, we are forcing our offense to play outnumbered. If we can get back to Shawnee fundamentals - moving into space, linking multiple passes together, and executing our passes - we will be a much better team.
With the negatives said, I am very proud about the positives. While we have gotten away from our strengths, we have never played any harder than we have the past three games and tonight was no exception. The coaches, the parents, and the fans really love seeing this team play so obviously whole-heartedly. The parents were certainly excited after the tie with Madison, but I think we all understand that it was not the tie that was so exciting. It is awesome to see a Preble Shawnee team play with such emotion and dedication. Spectators and coaches could ask for nothing more than watching their team play with such soulful intent. We thank you, lady arrows. You do us proud!
If we could combine the positives with the technique and precision I know we can play with, we can threaten any team on our schedule and in the post season tournament.
Specifically in the game... the defense once again stepped up and showed how good they can be against a very strong offensive opponent in Madison. The defensive four, with good tracking from the midfielders, played excellently all night. Our goal keeping tonight was stellar and came to the forefront of tonight's highlights. Abbie Lynch made 16 saves on the night, most of them being quality saves. Three or four times Abbie came up huge, making saves that four year seniors rarely make, let alone a first year freshman. Congrats Abbie and defenders on a wonderfully played 80 minutes plus.
Monday we host Trail on Alumni Appreciation Night and Tuesday we play Carlisle at home. We cannot afford any let downs in either game because we still have a lot to play for. If the chips fall right for us, we still can be co-champions of the league and we can break the season record for wins. Continue to work as hard as we have been and let's find our offensive patterns again. Six games to go. Preble Shawnee finishes strong.
80+
Madison certainly had their chances to put the ball in the net tonight. We had some as well, but we did not play as well as we did the first time we tied Madison. I, personally, thought Madison had the majority of the run of play, but I would not call them a better team. I think the two teams are very comparable, although we have drastically different styles. If we played Madison 100 times, we would probably tie them 50 times, lose 25 times, and win 25 times. It is a fun rival to play against and a fun game to watch as the chess match unfolds. Madison is the smash mouth, come at you full bore, and run you over type of team, while Preble Shawnee is very much the opposite. We tend to play finesse, work angles and change direction, and draw fouls via shielding and positioning. Fun, but stressful, to be a part of.
In the last three games Preble Shawnee has drifted away from what could make us an elite team. If we can put some passes together and work slow build-up, we can be very dangerous. Recently, however, we have gotten into a one-two pass offense, then play long. By doing this, we are forcing our offense to play outnumbered. If we can get back to Shawnee fundamentals - moving into space, linking multiple passes together, and executing our passes - we will be a much better team.
With the negatives said, I am very proud about the positives. While we have gotten away from our strengths, we have never played any harder than we have the past three games and tonight was no exception. The coaches, the parents, and the fans really love seeing this team play so obviously whole-heartedly. The parents were certainly excited after the tie with Madison, but I think we all understand that it was not the tie that was so exciting. It is awesome to see a Preble Shawnee team play with such emotion and dedication. Spectators and coaches could ask for nothing more than watching their team play with such soulful intent. We thank you, lady arrows. You do us proud!
If we could combine the positives with the technique and precision I know we can play with, we can threaten any team on our schedule and in the post season tournament.
Specifically in the game... the defense once again stepped up and showed how good they can be against a very strong offensive opponent in Madison. The defensive four, with good tracking from the midfielders, played excellently all night. Our goal keeping tonight was stellar and came to the forefront of tonight's highlights. Abbie Lynch made 16 saves on the night, most of them being quality saves. Three or four times Abbie came up huge, making saves that four year seniors rarely make, let alone a first year freshman. Congrats Abbie and defenders on a wonderfully played 80 minutes plus.
Monday we host Trail on Alumni Appreciation Night and Tuesday we play Carlisle at home. We cannot afford any let downs in either game because we still have a lot to play for. If the chips fall right for us, we still can be co-champions of the league and we can break the season record for wins. Continue to work as hard as we have been and let's find our offensive patterns again. Six games to go. Preble Shawnee finishes strong.
80+
Game 9. Preble Shawnee vs. Waynesville, 1-5 Loss. 7 - 1 - 1.
Well, the best news that could come from this is that Coach Miller (Waynesville's coach) admitted that his team played really well that night. It showed on the scoreboard. Also, they caught us on a night that we did not play well and we did not follow a relatively simple game plan. So, if you look at the bright side, we at least can probably expect a much different contest the next time around.
We played hard and it is appreciated, but we did not play smart. We will be able to play hard against some of our opponents and win, but Waynesville and Madison are definitely not two of those teams. We need to play hard and play smart, poised soccer if we want to compete with the best teams. More good news... we get a chance to redeem ourselves and to prove to Waynesville and everyone else that we are a much better team than what we showed tonight. We should look forward to that opportunity at our place.
It is crucial that to make the next step forward, we have to find possession out of the back in transition. This is going to be a tall order for our talented defenders. We cannot resort to blasting a ball out of the back and expect a midfielder or a forward to be able to first, win the ball against four defenders, and second, maintain possession long enough to allow our other nine players to be part of the offense. So, I challenge Lacey, Sam, Ashley, Sidney, and Courtney to become part of the offense... on top of the stellar defense that they have been playing. Note to self: work with defenders on playing offense. Defenders, don't feel responsible for tonight's showing. It simply isn't something that I have stressed to do in practices. That will change.
We cannot dwell on one game. It is only one loss in a so far very successful season. We still have a shot at competing for the league and I think we can make that opportunity count. We still have a chance to fine tune some things and make a solid run in the post-season state tournament. I do not look at tonight as a set back. I look at tonight as a reminder and a challenge that we need to improve and an inspiration to do so.
80+
We played hard and it is appreciated, but we did not play smart. We will be able to play hard against some of our opponents and win, but Waynesville and Madison are definitely not two of those teams. We need to play hard and play smart, poised soccer if we want to compete with the best teams. More good news... we get a chance to redeem ourselves and to prove to Waynesville and everyone else that we are a much better team than what we showed tonight. We should look forward to that opportunity at our place.
It is crucial that to make the next step forward, we have to find possession out of the back in transition. This is going to be a tall order for our talented defenders. We cannot resort to blasting a ball out of the back and expect a midfielder or a forward to be able to first, win the ball against four defenders, and second, maintain possession long enough to allow our other nine players to be part of the offense. So, I challenge Lacey, Sam, Ashley, Sidney, and Courtney to become part of the offense... on top of the stellar defense that they have been playing. Note to self: work with defenders on playing offense. Defenders, don't feel responsible for tonight's showing. It simply isn't something that I have stressed to do in practices. That will change.
We cannot dwell on one game. It is only one loss in a so far very successful season. We still have a shot at competing for the league and I think we can make that opportunity count. We still have a chance to fine tune some things and make a solid run in the post-season state tournament. I do not look at tonight as a set back. I look at tonight as a reminder and a challenge that we need to improve and an inspiration to do so.
80+
Game 8. Preble Shawnee vs. Dixie, 5-0 Win. 7 - 0 - 1
First things first... Dixie is so much better than they ever have been. I give their players and coach a lot of credit for how hard they worked all night long. I definitely have not seen a Dixie team who has played any harder.
After the first half, the score was only 1 - 0, but we hit the post five times, just missed on several more chances, and limited Dixie to 1 shot in the first half. At halftime, we discussed that in order to beat Waynesville and Madison next week we must not play straight down the field. Our chances against those two very strong teams must come from all sorts of angles. In the first half against Dixie we played short and always directly through the middle, and to Dixie's credit, they did a very fine job of taking up space in front of the ball. In order to be more dangerous we had to play quickly between the touches and then forward. One of my favorite things about this team is that we have been very adaptable, and we have been able to adapt very quickly. This game was no different. We came out in the second half and scored four goals and had many more chances, most of which came from balls played wide and then across, rather than stuffing it directly into 5 defenders.
Cassie Crawford scored three times, while Kaitlyn Ketring and Mackenzie Steele each added one. Taylor Fultz, currently 1st in in the Miami Valley in goals and assists picked up 2 assists, while Brynnan Colby, Cheyanne Edwards, and Maddie Woodard all had one assist.
All in all, Shawnee played against a much tougher Dixie opponent than we were used to, and controlled the game, outshooting the Greyhounds 29 - 2.
Now, we look forward to next week. We all know what is on the line - a legitimate run at the league title against two very good opponents (Waynesville, Tuesday, who is currently 3rd in the Miami Valley & Madison, Thursday, who is currently 7th in the Miami Valley), a spot to either maintain or get into the top ten, and a chance to tie the highest win total in Shawnee history. For our seniors, this moment has been a long time coming. Everyone on the team needs to respect this chance we've been given and to make sure we start and end the week with no excuses.
80+
After the first half, the score was only 1 - 0, but we hit the post five times, just missed on several more chances, and limited Dixie to 1 shot in the first half. At halftime, we discussed that in order to beat Waynesville and Madison next week we must not play straight down the field. Our chances against those two very strong teams must come from all sorts of angles. In the first half against Dixie we played short and always directly through the middle, and to Dixie's credit, they did a very fine job of taking up space in front of the ball. In order to be more dangerous we had to play quickly between the touches and then forward. One of my favorite things about this team is that we have been very adaptable, and we have been able to adapt very quickly. This game was no different. We came out in the second half and scored four goals and had many more chances, most of which came from balls played wide and then across, rather than stuffing it directly into 5 defenders.
Cassie Crawford scored three times, while Kaitlyn Ketring and Mackenzie Steele each added one. Taylor Fultz, currently 1st in in the Miami Valley in goals and assists picked up 2 assists, while Brynnan Colby, Cheyanne Edwards, and Maddie Woodard all had one assist.
All in all, Shawnee played against a much tougher Dixie opponent than we were used to, and controlled the game, outshooting the Greyhounds 29 - 2.
Now, we look forward to next week. We all know what is on the line - a legitimate run at the league title against two very good opponents (Waynesville, Tuesday, who is currently 3rd in the Miami Valley & Madison, Thursday, who is currently 7th in the Miami Valley), a spot to either maintain or get into the top ten, and a chance to tie the highest win total in Shawnee history. For our seniors, this moment has been a long time coming. Everyone on the team needs to respect this chance we've been given and to make sure we start and end the week with no excuses.
80+
Game 7. Preble Shawnee vs. Carlisle, 3-0 Win. 6 - 0 - 1
I shouldn't be overly critical about a win, but I think I can speak for the entire team when I say this was the worst we have played all season. I would like to, at some point, show that we are simply that much better than Carlisle. Tonight, I think we proved that we were better, but not dominant like we could have been.
Perhaps, the Madison game Tuesday night took more out of us than I imagined, because our first touches were poor and we seemed very lackluster going to the 50/50 balls, especially in the first half. In the first half we scored on a cross from Stephanie Fogt, that after being mis-hit on the first volley attempt, was cleaned up by Taylor Fultz. Carlisle had 6 of their 9 shots in the first 15 minutes of the game and it looked like we were going to need to find our game quick before we had to dig ourselves out of a hole.
Fortunately, we held off Carlisle's first few attacks, forcing Abbie Lynch to come up with some nice saves, and, in the least, the defense stepped up as they have done so many times before and limited any real danger Carlisle tried to build for the remaining 65 minutes of soccer.
In the second half, we finally started going to the ball hard. That was the biggest difference in the two halves and it proved to be enough to dominate Carlisle in the second half. Cassie Crawford scored the second goal early in the second half on an assist from Taylor Fultz, and Maddie Woodard scored off a corner kick midway through the half.
Other than the win, we did muster two bits of good news from an otherwise ugly night of soccer. First, we have been dealing with some injuries and illnesses. Those players who have been dinged up and sick got a chance to catch a breather after a schedule packed with an unbelievable seven games. Four starters got a significant amount of time on the bench tonight and we still looked like a better team and got a win. Hopefully, this will give us a chance to heal. Second, the game is over and we have a nice long break to recoup and heal. I am certain that we will be rested and again on full cylinders against Dixie next Thursday. This will be a nice transition game into a very challenging week when we host Waynesville Tuesday and travel to Madison on Thursday.
Perhaps, the Madison game Tuesday night took more out of us than I imagined, because our first touches were poor and we seemed very lackluster going to the 50/50 balls, especially in the first half. In the first half we scored on a cross from Stephanie Fogt, that after being mis-hit on the first volley attempt, was cleaned up by Taylor Fultz. Carlisle had 6 of their 9 shots in the first 15 minutes of the game and it looked like we were going to need to find our game quick before we had to dig ourselves out of a hole.
Fortunately, we held off Carlisle's first few attacks, forcing Abbie Lynch to come up with some nice saves, and, in the least, the defense stepped up as they have done so many times before and limited any real danger Carlisle tried to build for the remaining 65 minutes of soccer.
In the second half, we finally started going to the ball hard. That was the biggest difference in the two halves and it proved to be enough to dominate Carlisle in the second half. Cassie Crawford scored the second goal early in the second half on an assist from Taylor Fultz, and Maddie Woodard scored off a corner kick midway through the half.
Other than the win, we did muster two bits of good news from an otherwise ugly night of soccer. First, we have been dealing with some injuries and illnesses. Those players who have been dinged up and sick got a chance to catch a breather after a schedule packed with an unbelievable seven games. Four starters got a significant amount of time on the bench tonight and we still looked like a better team and got a win. Hopefully, this will give us a chance to heal. Second, the game is over and we have a nice long break to recoup and heal. I am certain that we will be rested and again on full cylinders against Dixie next Thursday. This will be a nice transition game into a very challenging week when we host Waynesville Tuesday and travel to Madison on Thursday.
Game 6. Preble Shawnee vs. Madison, 1-1 Tie. 5 - 0 - 1
Whew. I'm tired... I can't imagine how the girls felt. Our motto is 80+ and we definately played for 80+ minutes tonight.
Madison scored in the first 35 seconds of the game, and I must admit, that for a fleeting moment I had flashbacks of last year, when we went in with high hopes and crashed when Madison scored early and often and cruised to a 7-0 win. After the ensuing kickoff, I knew that this team was much different than last year. We took the kickoff, immediately had a decent attack on goal, and we played like Madison's goal was simply unacceptable. For the first 24 minutes, Madison had their run of the play and accumulated 8 - 10 shots at goal, and, quite frankly, we didn't play well other than being aggressive and going to a ball. At the 16 minute mark, we paused 30 minutes for a lightning delay. During the break, everyone on the team agreed that in order to have our chances,we could not accept playing long out of the back and without possession. If we continued playing long ball and put total trust in two forwards against four good Madison defenders, Madison was going to continue to get chances and probably score two or three more goals, while Shawnee was relying on a lucky bounce or a poorly played ball to score.
For the remainder of the first half and the majority of the second half, the Madison vs. Shawnee game was very even, and some people I talked with, even gave the run of play advantage to Shawnee. We scored nine minutes into the second half on a goal much like Madison's. Mackenzie Steele received a pass in the middle of the field, turned, patiently took a few touches, which allowed Taylor Fultz to make a through run in the defender/sweeper gap. Mackenzie played a perfect ball forward and Fultz got to it first and beat the Madison keeper with a well placed ball to the back post.
The remainder of the half was pretty much a stalemate, both keepers coming up with some nice saves. With three minutes to go, Madison took a nice shot from 25 yards out that seemed to be the go ahead goal, but freshman keeper Abbie Lynch came up with a very nice save to keep the score knotted at one. With just two minutes to go in the game, freshman Maddie Woodard beat the keeper with a shot destined for the back post and somehow it just stayed wide of the goal. The follow up shot was bobbled and saved by the Madison keeper.
Bottom line: the Preble Shawnee defense continued to shine in front of 12 saves by Abbie Lynch. The midfielders worked to complete exhaustion winning more than their share of 50/50 balls and possessed nicely when we played well, and the forwards worked hard and held possession in transition.
If we need to work on one thing, it's winning the ball in the back and then "slowly" transitioning into offense to give our midfielders a chance to join our forwards on offense. But, our defense has proven good enough to limit a very good offensive team, our team, led by our midfielders, have proven that we can play aggressively AND possess, and our forwards continue to prove that we can create dangerous scoring opportunities even against a top ten team in the Dayton Area Division II.
Who knows? Perhaps next week will be our chance to crack the top 10 and achieve yet another goal? First things first, however... we need to go in and play like we are capable against our albatross, Carlisle, on Thursday and continue to prove we belong with the elite. Nice game!
80+
Madison scored in the first 35 seconds of the game, and I must admit, that for a fleeting moment I had flashbacks of last year, when we went in with high hopes and crashed when Madison scored early and often and cruised to a 7-0 win. After the ensuing kickoff, I knew that this team was much different than last year. We took the kickoff, immediately had a decent attack on goal, and we played like Madison's goal was simply unacceptable. For the first 24 minutes, Madison had their run of the play and accumulated 8 - 10 shots at goal, and, quite frankly, we didn't play well other than being aggressive and going to a ball. At the 16 minute mark, we paused 30 minutes for a lightning delay. During the break, everyone on the team agreed that in order to have our chances,we could not accept playing long out of the back and without possession. If we continued playing long ball and put total trust in two forwards against four good Madison defenders, Madison was going to continue to get chances and probably score two or three more goals, while Shawnee was relying on a lucky bounce or a poorly played ball to score.
For the remainder of the first half and the majority of the second half, the Madison vs. Shawnee game was very even, and some people I talked with, even gave the run of play advantage to Shawnee. We scored nine minutes into the second half on a goal much like Madison's. Mackenzie Steele received a pass in the middle of the field, turned, patiently took a few touches, which allowed Taylor Fultz to make a through run in the defender/sweeper gap. Mackenzie played a perfect ball forward and Fultz got to it first and beat the Madison keeper with a well placed ball to the back post.
The remainder of the half was pretty much a stalemate, both keepers coming up with some nice saves. With three minutes to go, Madison took a nice shot from 25 yards out that seemed to be the go ahead goal, but freshman keeper Abbie Lynch came up with a very nice save to keep the score knotted at one. With just two minutes to go in the game, freshman Maddie Woodard beat the keeper with a shot destined for the back post and somehow it just stayed wide of the goal. The follow up shot was bobbled and saved by the Madison keeper.
Bottom line: the Preble Shawnee defense continued to shine in front of 12 saves by Abbie Lynch. The midfielders worked to complete exhaustion winning more than their share of 50/50 balls and possessed nicely when we played well, and the forwards worked hard and held possession in transition.
If we need to work on one thing, it's winning the ball in the back and then "slowly" transitioning into offense to give our midfielders a chance to join our forwards on offense. But, our defense has proven good enough to limit a very good offensive team, our team, led by our midfielders, have proven that we can play aggressively AND possess, and our forwards continue to prove that we can create dangerous scoring opportunities even against a top ten team in the Dayton Area Division II.
Who knows? Perhaps next week will be our chance to crack the top 10 and achieve yet another goal? First things first, however... we need to go in and play like we are capable against our albatross, Carlisle, on Thursday and continue to prove we belong with the elite. Nice game!
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Game 5. Preble Shawnee vs. Milton-Union, 5 - 1 Win. 5 - 0
Are we good?
For some reason, this question bothers me more than anything else right now. If the answer is yes, we have to stay focused every game. We have to constantly remind ourselves that we have proven nothing yet. We have to constantly remind ourselves that good teams must prove themselves every time they take the field. If the answer is yes, let downs are more devasting and harder to overcome.
We get a chance to answer this question on Tuesday, August 7th. We all know that Madison will compete for the league this year. Are we good enough to challenge them? I think so. I think we are good enough to beat them. We shredded a pretty stout defense tonight against Milton-Union. Our defense only gave up 5 shots. Bellbrook beat Eaton tonight 3-2, scoring all 3 of their goals in the last 6 minutes of play. Bethel, currently #6 in the area, beat Milton-Union 4-1. We have played Madison many times before without confidence and it has showed on the scoreboard. If nothing else this year, we should know that we are not weak or timid. Ladies, if you haven't bought into it yet, it is time to believe in Preble Shawnee girls soccer.
Tonight, we played very well. For me to make that statement says a lot. We had a few bouts of mental fatigue, but we dominated 50/50 all night, our passes were crisp, and our movement off the ball was top notch. Although Taylor Fultz scored four of the five goals, it was definately a team effort. I expect some teams in the near future to try and mark Taylor up, but, part of me, wants a team to try. I say this because I have extreme confidence that the other 10 girls on the field will shine on offense. Our offense is too skilled all the way through to be limited with one marking back. Cassie Crawford, Makayla Lindon, Kaitlyn Ketring, Maddie Woodard, Brynnan Colby, and Stephanie Fogt will eat up the opportunity to, essentially, play against one less defender. I look forward to that challenge.
It was a great offensive effort tonight, but if you take the limelight away, you would have seen that our defense played equally well. I can't say enough how strong Ashley Evans and Courtney Lakes have been in the channels. They have proven to be two of the better outside defenders I have seen in my 11 years coaching. Lacey Johnson plays strong in the middle and Sidney Brown really has been a god send back at sweeper. Sam Tipton, Stephanie Fogt, and Jordan Lovely get rotations back in the back and have proven that they fill in more than admirably. I had to remind our midfielders not to take our defenders for granted and make sure they retreat on defense as well. That's how good four defenders on the field have been since day one. Our midfielders feel like they can relax, but we have to remind ourselves to keep tracking back on defense.
Cassie Crawford added the fifth goal for the arrows. Taylor Fultz, Kaitlyn Ketring, and Cassie Crawford each picked up an assist tonight, too. And... how about Mackenzie Steele? Her stats have been limited, but the impact she has on the game is undeniable. Keep up the good work, Mack.
Excellent game tonight, ladies! We carry this momentum into Tuesday's game versus Madison. When we play hard and we continue to play smart and quick we will prove that we belong with the elite teams in the Dayton Area, Division II.
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For some reason, this question bothers me more than anything else right now. If the answer is yes, we have to stay focused every game. We have to constantly remind ourselves that we have proven nothing yet. We have to constantly remind ourselves that good teams must prove themselves every time they take the field. If the answer is yes, let downs are more devasting and harder to overcome.
We get a chance to answer this question on Tuesday, August 7th. We all know that Madison will compete for the league this year. Are we good enough to challenge them? I think so. I think we are good enough to beat them. We shredded a pretty stout defense tonight against Milton-Union. Our defense only gave up 5 shots. Bellbrook beat Eaton tonight 3-2, scoring all 3 of their goals in the last 6 minutes of play. Bethel, currently #6 in the area, beat Milton-Union 4-1. We have played Madison many times before without confidence and it has showed on the scoreboard. If nothing else this year, we should know that we are not weak or timid. Ladies, if you haven't bought into it yet, it is time to believe in Preble Shawnee girls soccer.
Tonight, we played very well. For me to make that statement says a lot. We had a few bouts of mental fatigue, but we dominated 50/50 all night, our passes were crisp, and our movement off the ball was top notch. Although Taylor Fultz scored four of the five goals, it was definately a team effort. I expect some teams in the near future to try and mark Taylor up, but, part of me, wants a team to try. I say this because I have extreme confidence that the other 10 girls on the field will shine on offense. Our offense is too skilled all the way through to be limited with one marking back. Cassie Crawford, Makayla Lindon, Kaitlyn Ketring, Maddie Woodard, Brynnan Colby, and Stephanie Fogt will eat up the opportunity to, essentially, play against one less defender. I look forward to that challenge.
It was a great offensive effort tonight, but if you take the limelight away, you would have seen that our defense played equally well. I can't say enough how strong Ashley Evans and Courtney Lakes have been in the channels. They have proven to be two of the better outside defenders I have seen in my 11 years coaching. Lacey Johnson plays strong in the middle and Sidney Brown really has been a god send back at sweeper. Sam Tipton, Stephanie Fogt, and Jordan Lovely get rotations back in the back and have proven that they fill in more than admirably. I had to remind our midfielders not to take our defenders for granted and make sure they retreat on defense as well. That's how good four defenders on the field have been since day one. Our midfielders feel like they can relax, but we have to remind ourselves to keep tracking back on defense.
Cassie Crawford added the fifth goal for the arrows. Taylor Fultz, Kaitlyn Ketring, and Cassie Crawford each picked up an assist tonight, too. And... how about Mackenzie Steele? Her stats have been limited, but the impact she has on the game is undeniable. Keep up the good work, Mack.
Excellent game tonight, ladies! We carry this momentum into Tuesday's game versus Madison. When we play hard and we continue to play smart and quick we will prove that we belong with the elite teams in the Dayton Area, Division II.
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Game 4. Preble Shawnee vs. Northridge, 10 - 0 Win. 4 - 0
Another game another step closer to our goals. The toughest thing about playing in a lopsided game is continuing to improve once the realization has set in that one team is simply better than another. In the past two games, we cruised to victories, but I didn't feel like we made strides toward really becoming a better team. We got the wins by doing the things we needed to do. In those two games we didn't necessarily play poorly, I just feel we didn't work on things in game the way we needed to in order to compete at the next level.
Tonight was a little different. Despite the methodical and slow approach we took to the game, we definately used the night as a preparatory outing for the next two games. I saw some nice movement on the field off the ball and we did not try to dribble too much. We kept passes short and quick and used our spacing to really work on quick, efficient movements. Milton Union on Thursday and Madison on Tuesday (7th) will present to us a much stiffer challenge for our offense. We will need to move and think quickly away from the ball and we will need to limit our touches because those two opponents will not give us the time we have had. I am confident, especially after tonight, that we will be able to change gears when presented with more aggressive and tighter defenses.
Our defense has again maintained their excellency. Courtney Lakes and Ashley Evans are two of the best shutdown outside defenders around and they do not get the credit that they deserve. Sam Tipton filled in for most of the night for injured Lacey Johnson and did remarkably well, just as Lacey has done in the last few games. Sidney Brown has really made great strides adapting to her new role as sweeper. And, although there weren't many, Abbie Lynch did make two fine saves in the net tonight. I have no doubt that this solid group of players will be able defend well enough to give our offense a chance to win the next couple games.
Eight different players scored tonight for the lady arrows. The point earners this evening were: Taylor Fultz (2 goals, 3 assists), Cassie Crawford (2 goals, 1 assist), Maddie Woodard (1 goal, 1 assist), Mackenzie Steele (1 goal), Hayley Hall (1 goal), Kaitlyn Ketring (1 goal), Sidney Brown (1 goal), Brynnan Colby (1 goal), Stephanie Fogt (1 assist), and Makayla Lindon (1 assist).
Time to go to work, lady arrows. Two big games. Let's see what we are made of!
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Tonight was a little different. Despite the methodical and slow approach we took to the game, we definately used the night as a preparatory outing for the next two games. I saw some nice movement on the field off the ball and we did not try to dribble too much. We kept passes short and quick and used our spacing to really work on quick, efficient movements. Milton Union on Thursday and Madison on Tuesday (7th) will present to us a much stiffer challenge for our offense. We will need to move and think quickly away from the ball and we will need to limit our touches because those two opponents will not give us the time we have had. I am confident, especially after tonight, that we will be able to change gears when presented with more aggressive and tighter defenses.
Our defense has again maintained their excellency. Courtney Lakes and Ashley Evans are two of the best shutdown outside defenders around and they do not get the credit that they deserve. Sam Tipton filled in for most of the night for injured Lacey Johnson and did remarkably well, just as Lacey has done in the last few games. Sidney Brown has really made great strides adapting to her new role as sweeper. And, although there weren't many, Abbie Lynch did make two fine saves in the net tonight. I have no doubt that this solid group of players will be able defend well enough to give our offense a chance to win the next couple games.
Eight different players scored tonight for the lady arrows. The point earners this evening were: Taylor Fultz (2 goals, 3 assists), Cassie Crawford (2 goals, 1 assist), Maddie Woodard (1 goal, 1 assist), Mackenzie Steele (1 goal), Hayley Hall (1 goal), Kaitlyn Ketring (1 goal), Sidney Brown (1 goal), Brynnan Colby (1 goal), Stephanie Fogt (1 assist), and Makayla Lindon (1 assist).
Time to go to work, lady arrows. Two big games. Let's see what we are made of!
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Game 3. Preble Shawnee vs. Twin Valley South, 10 - 0 Win. 3 - 0
Congratulations to the Preble Shawnee Girls Soccer team for improving to a program best 3 - 0 to start the season. After the big win against Eaton, we have steam rolled the last two opponents outshooting them 39 - 4 and outscoring them 23 - 1.
In the first half we struggled identifying the gaps in the 5-back defense that TVS was running. That combined with something I can't quite identify caused us to mis-hit many shots and even more crosses in the first half. We scored early with a corner kick designed to attack the near post. Kaitlyn Ketring laced a low line drive of a corner to the near post forcing an errant touch by the defender who was under pressure from Taylor Fultz. Technically, the first goal was statistically an "own goal", but the well played ball by Ketring and the aggressiveness of Fultz led to the arrows first goal. We continued to put pressure on the Panthers by winning nearly all 50/50 balls in the first half. Kaitlyn Ketring, Ashley Evans, Courtney Lakes, and Mackenzie Steele took every ball out of the air and this allowed us to maintain possession in our offensive third. Despite the hard work, we struggled most of the first half with execution. We did score three more goals to end the first half at 4 - 0.
At half time, the goals for the second half were simple. Play more direct and execute our passes, especially our crosses. We did play a much better second half. The dynamic offensive senior duo of Ketring and Fultz quickly took over, combining for the next four goals. The two Fultz goals were exceptionally nice to see because they were both assisted (both by Crawford) after we connected on nice passes through the middle. Cheyanne Edwards and Makayla Lindon added the 9th and 10th goals to round out the scoring. Point earners for the Arrows were Kaitlyn Ketring (3 goals), Taylor Fultz (3 goals, 1 assist), Makayla Lindon (1 goal, 1 assist), Cassie Crawford (2 assists), Hayley Hall (1 assist), Maddie Woodard (1 goal), and Cheyanne Edwards (1 goal). Abbie Lynch recorded the shutout in goal with 2 saves.
We will see a signifcant step up in competition when we see the Milton Union defense and Madison offense. The offense, when executing, can, I believe, score against anyone on our schedule and the defense, thus far, has been lights out. Can our offense put it together and score against a solid defensive team like Milton Union? Can our defense limit the speedy Madison forwards and dominating central midfielder? After the first three games I think both units are up for these challenges and I hopefully anticipate two great games where Preble Shawnee can continue their winning ways.
All in all, the Preble Shawnee Girls Program looks to have the total package in order. As long as we play with heart and continue working, we should be in for a very successful season! Nice work! Keep it up, ladies!
In the first half we struggled identifying the gaps in the 5-back defense that TVS was running. That combined with something I can't quite identify caused us to mis-hit many shots and even more crosses in the first half. We scored early with a corner kick designed to attack the near post. Kaitlyn Ketring laced a low line drive of a corner to the near post forcing an errant touch by the defender who was under pressure from Taylor Fultz. Technically, the first goal was statistically an "own goal", but the well played ball by Ketring and the aggressiveness of Fultz led to the arrows first goal. We continued to put pressure on the Panthers by winning nearly all 50/50 balls in the first half. Kaitlyn Ketring, Ashley Evans, Courtney Lakes, and Mackenzie Steele took every ball out of the air and this allowed us to maintain possession in our offensive third. Despite the hard work, we struggled most of the first half with execution. We did score three more goals to end the first half at 4 - 0.
At half time, the goals for the second half were simple. Play more direct and execute our passes, especially our crosses. We did play a much better second half. The dynamic offensive senior duo of Ketring and Fultz quickly took over, combining for the next four goals. The two Fultz goals were exceptionally nice to see because they were both assisted (both by Crawford) after we connected on nice passes through the middle. Cheyanne Edwards and Makayla Lindon added the 9th and 10th goals to round out the scoring. Point earners for the Arrows were Kaitlyn Ketring (3 goals), Taylor Fultz (3 goals, 1 assist), Makayla Lindon (1 goal, 1 assist), Cassie Crawford (2 assists), Hayley Hall (1 assist), Maddie Woodard (1 goal), and Cheyanne Edwards (1 goal). Abbie Lynch recorded the shutout in goal with 2 saves.
We will see a signifcant step up in competition when we see the Milton Union defense and Madison offense. The offense, when executing, can, I believe, score against anyone on our schedule and the defense, thus far, has been lights out. Can our offense put it together and score against a solid defensive team like Milton Union? Can our defense limit the speedy Madison forwards and dominating central midfielder? After the first three games I think both units are up for these challenges and I hopefully anticipate two great games where Preble Shawnee can continue their winning ways.
All in all, the Preble Shawnee Girls Program looks to have the total package in order. As long as we play with heart and continue working, we should be in for a very successful season! Nice work! Keep it up, ladies!
Game 2. Preble Shawnee vs. Tri-County North, 13 - 1 Win
I am as speechless as I was unprepared for what happened tonight. We scored after nine minutes of play. About nineteen minutes later the score was 9 - 0. The first half ended with the score of 9-1.
At halftime, I stressed with the team that there were rules by which we were going to play the second half. These rules were intended to prepare us for the best teams we will face this year. Against teams like Waynesville and Madison, we will not have time to take a lot of touches and we will not have chances to play quick and through the middle because they will take those options away first. So, with that in mind all of our players in the second half were limited to a maximum of three touches. This forced everyone on the field to think faster and move to open passing lanes immediately. Also, we could only score on crosses served in from the corners. This makes us play the ball wide and try to exploit the one or two defenders that protect the channels. Ten minutes in we had scored twice following these rules. Last year we really struggled with even following game play rules, let alone scoring on them. This is a hopeful sign that we will be able to adjust our game to fit our opponents.
At this point the team knew that we were to score only if the situation presented an obvious goal scoring chance. If no obvious chance was present we focused on moving the ball back to our defenders and quickly changing the field to improve our angle of attack and our numbers. I tip my hat to Tri-County North who worked hard for all eighty minutes. Despite the score, I never saw any of their players quit or slow down, which is a compliment to their coach and his players. They have some talented players and I would expect them to really improve as the season continues.
The best news is that we got a chance to see how our bubble players would respond in a varsity setting. They did remarkably well as they not only scored four times in the second half but they did so given restrictions that they followed to a tee. The final score ended up 13 - 1. Taylor Fultz scored three times and assisted on four goals all in the first half. Cassie Crawford scored four times, and newcomer, sophomore Cheyanne Edwards scored her first two varsity goals. Kaitlyn Ketring, Makayala Lindon, Mackenzie Steele, Courtney Lakes, and Lacey Johnson each scored once. The other assists for the evening went to Brynnan Colby (2), Kaitlyn Ketring (2), and freshman Maddie Woodard (1).
At halftime, I stressed with the team that there were rules by which we were going to play the second half. These rules were intended to prepare us for the best teams we will face this year. Against teams like Waynesville and Madison, we will not have time to take a lot of touches and we will not have chances to play quick and through the middle because they will take those options away first. So, with that in mind all of our players in the second half were limited to a maximum of three touches. This forced everyone on the field to think faster and move to open passing lanes immediately. Also, we could only score on crosses served in from the corners. This makes us play the ball wide and try to exploit the one or two defenders that protect the channels. Ten minutes in we had scored twice following these rules. Last year we really struggled with even following game play rules, let alone scoring on them. This is a hopeful sign that we will be able to adjust our game to fit our opponents.
At this point the team knew that we were to score only if the situation presented an obvious goal scoring chance. If no obvious chance was present we focused on moving the ball back to our defenders and quickly changing the field to improve our angle of attack and our numbers. I tip my hat to Tri-County North who worked hard for all eighty minutes. Despite the score, I never saw any of their players quit or slow down, which is a compliment to their coach and his players. They have some talented players and I would expect them to really improve as the season continues.
The best news is that we got a chance to see how our bubble players would respond in a varsity setting. They did remarkably well as they not only scored four times in the second half but they did so given restrictions that they followed to a tee. The final score ended up 13 - 1. Taylor Fultz scored three times and assisted on four goals all in the first half. Cassie Crawford scored four times, and newcomer, sophomore Cheyanne Edwards scored her first two varsity goals. Kaitlyn Ketring, Makayala Lindon, Mackenzie Steele, Courtney Lakes, and Lacey Johnson each scored once. The other assists for the evening went to Brynnan Colby (2), Kaitlyn Ketring (2), and freshman Maddie Woodard (1).
Game 1. Preble Shawnee vs. Eaton, 3-2 Win
Okay, let's take a step back and look at this game tonight. Preble Shawnee won a game versus a good Eaton team. That's good news. Preble Shawnee beat Eaton on a night when we didn't play considerably well. That's good, too, but it's also shows the scary potential that we have. That's a great sign for the season.
This was another strange game. For 25-30 minutes Eaton really had possession and Shawnee looked lackluster. During this time we didn't do anything spectacular, we didn't possess a ball, and, heck, we really didn't go to a ball all that hard. But, we were sound. Our defense, from our forwards on back to our keeper, played respectably and, almost, flawlessly. Eaton, although they had the ball on their offensive end, really didn't put together too many dangerous opportunities. This is a sign of a very good defense. They floated a cross into the back post in the first half and Neavin made a nice win on a corner kick for their second goal. Late in the second half they had another opportunity that clipped the post, and Abbie Lynch recovered nicely to make a fine save. Other than those chances, I never really thought Eaton was going to score on us. By our count, freshman Abbie Lynch came up with 3 or 4 nice saves and 3 or 4 "cookie cutter saves". Coming into the game we knew that Eaton's offensive strength was their speed. Our defense did a fabulous job taking that option away from them. Courtney Lakes and Ashley Evans really limited Eaton's chances from the outside by shutting down the channels. Sidney Brown, Lacey Johnson, Sam Tipton, and Mackenzie Steele combined to effectively shut down the middle.
For the 50-55 minutes that I thought we played well, we showed why Shawnee soccer is in for likely their most successful season in school history. We possessed a ball well and connected on many short, quick passes, eventually leading to our dangerous chances at goal. Taylor Fultz scored our first goal on a nice through ball from Kaitlyn Ketring that caught Eaton flat in the back. Taylor scored on a breakaway. Our second goal was practice come to fruition. Taylor Fultz received a nice ball from Ketring and served a cross that Stephanie Fogt volleyed into the net for goal number two. The third goal was scored again by Fultz (unassisted).
We played well enough to win even though our youth showed, closing down the last 10-15 minutes of each half in panic mode. Bottom line: there is no better way to start the season than winning the first game of the year, especially against a quality opponent like Eaton.
This was another strange game. For 25-30 minutes Eaton really had possession and Shawnee looked lackluster. During this time we didn't do anything spectacular, we didn't possess a ball, and, heck, we really didn't go to a ball all that hard. But, we were sound. Our defense, from our forwards on back to our keeper, played respectably and, almost, flawlessly. Eaton, although they had the ball on their offensive end, really didn't put together too many dangerous opportunities. This is a sign of a very good defense. They floated a cross into the back post in the first half and Neavin made a nice win on a corner kick for their second goal. Late in the second half they had another opportunity that clipped the post, and Abbie Lynch recovered nicely to make a fine save. Other than those chances, I never really thought Eaton was going to score on us. By our count, freshman Abbie Lynch came up with 3 or 4 nice saves and 3 or 4 "cookie cutter saves". Coming into the game we knew that Eaton's offensive strength was their speed. Our defense did a fabulous job taking that option away from them. Courtney Lakes and Ashley Evans really limited Eaton's chances from the outside by shutting down the channels. Sidney Brown, Lacey Johnson, Sam Tipton, and Mackenzie Steele combined to effectively shut down the middle.
For the 50-55 minutes that I thought we played well, we showed why Shawnee soccer is in for likely their most successful season in school history. We possessed a ball well and connected on many short, quick passes, eventually leading to our dangerous chances at goal. Taylor Fultz scored our first goal on a nice through ball from Kaitlyn Ketring that caught Eaton flat in the back. Taylor scored on a breakaway. Our second goal was practice come to fruition. Taylor Fultz received a nice ball from Ketring and served a cross that Stephanie Fogt volleyed into the net for goal number two. The third goal was scored again by Fultz (unassisted).
We played well enough to win even though our youth showed, closing down the last 10-15 minutes of each half in panic mode. Bottom line: there is no better way to start the season than winning the first game of the year, especially against a quality opponent like Eaton.
Scrimmage vs. Northeastern, 2-0 Win
It was certainly weird to refer to us as "Green" but we looked good. Thanks, Lisa!
I had several goals for this scrimmage.
First, I wanted to make sure I got a chance to get a final pre-season look at some key swing players. Check. Angie Hatton, Jordan Lovely, Cheyanne Edwards, Haley Hall, and Mattie Shockey. All played well.
Second, I wanted to get enough time for my core players to get them in the flow of the game and ready for Monday, but I also did not want them to either burn out or get injured. Check. The Group A players all played well together and got in the flow, but they also got a much needed break and only played in spells.
Third, I did want to win the final preaseason game. Check. We outshot Northeastern by a count of 27-8, 6 of Northeastern's shots coming mid to late in the second half.
We controlled the game at will. We got our defensive line more involved in the passing game and offensive attack, which is what we need to do to take the next step up. Our midfield combination of Mackenzie Steele, Maddie Woodard, Kaitlyn Ketring, Makayla Lindon, Brynnan Colby, and Sidney Brown really looked impressive, especially after Mackenzie realized that she was "allowed" to become part of the offense.
Taylor Fultz scored on a cross from Cassie Crawford on one of the funniest goals I have seen in ten years. The cross was well served and the defender was first to the ball, but Taylor wrapped a foot around the defender from the backside and plinked one off the far post. After the keeper couldn't come up with the deflection, Fultz easily finished it off for the teams first goal. The second goal was a thing of absolute beauty, and something that I have been waiting to see all pre-season. Kaitlyn Ketring received a pass down the channel and served a low line drive cross into the box which Mackenzie Steele timed perfectly and volleyed into the near post.
It was nice to finish the pre-season on such a perfect game, just as we all had scripted. Now, it is time to focus on Monday. I don't think Shawnee has ever been so prepared or confident going in to the first game of the season. We are ready for Eaton. Let's get it started!
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I had several goals for this scrimmage.
First, I wanted to make sure I got a chance to get a final pre-season look at some key swing players. Check. Angie Hatton, Jordan Lovely, Cheyanne Edwards, Haley Hall, and Mattie Shockey. All played well.
Second, I wanted to get enough time for my core players to get them in the flow of the game and ready for Monday, but I also did not want them to either burn out or get injured. Check. The Group A players all played well together and got in the flow, but they also got a much needed break and only played in spells.
Third, I did want to win the final preaseason game. Check. We outshot Northeastern by a count of 27-8, 6 of Northeastern's shots coming mid to late in the second half.
We controlled the game at will. We got our defensive line more involved in the passing game and offensive attack, which is what we need to do to take the next step up. Our midfield combination of Mackenzie Steele, Maddie Woodard, Kaitlyn Ketring, Makayla Lindon, Brynnan Colby, and Sidney Brown really looked impressive, especially after Mackenzie realized that she was "allowed" to become part of the offense.
Taylor Fultz scored on a cross from Cassie Crawford on one of the funniest goals I have seen in ten years. The cross was well served and the defender was first to the ball, but Taylor wrapped a foot around the defender from the backside and plinked one off the far post. After the keeper couldn't come up with the deflection, Fultz easily finished it off for the teams first goal. The second goal was a thing of absolute beauty, and something that I have been waiting to see all pre-season. Kaitlyn Ketring received a pass down the channel and served a low line drive cross into the box which Mackenzie Steele timed perfectly and volleyed into the near post.
It was nice to finish the pre-season on such a perfect game, just as we all had scripted. Now, it is time to focus on Monday. I don't think Shawnee has ever been so prepared or confident going in to the first game of the season. We are ready for Eaton. Let's get it started!
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Scrimmage vs. Brookville, 2-3 Loss
Wow. This was one of the strangest games I have ever seen. I cannot blame this loss on the piecing together of the varsity squad because I feel like we have finally put the pieces together. The outcome today is probably the result of several factors. The first is that many of us are settling in to new roles and learning our positions. We are close, but not quite there. By the time we play Eaton we will all be super comfortable when we take the field. Players like Makayla Lindon, Sidney Brown, Mackenzie Steele, Maddie Woodard, Jordan Lovely, and Abbie Lynch are newcomers to their positions and are learning quickly.
Second, the officiating crew really took our game away. Now, I am not going to bash the officials for their performance, but they did effect the game in a way that they shouldn't have. One goal was taken away when a Brookville defender, literally, football tackled Taylor Fultz on a breakaway with the keeper out and beaten, and four poorly called offsides were whistled, late at that, that would have led to another four breakaways and four more quality goal scoring chances. Brookville's 3rd goal, with 10 minutes left, was earned on a handball that hit Courtney Lakes in the back. This call was made by the official from 75 yards away with the lead official not making a call and only 10 yards away. So, bottom line, yes, the officiating was not the greatest, but it will happen in the regular season, too. It will, unfortunately, happen probably four or five times to us this year. Now, with that said, I will move on to our third shortcoming.
We didn't necessarily play poorly, but our execution simply was not good enough. Most often we created dangerous opportunities through our slow build up, but we also simply made too many unforced errors or rushed our attempts way too often. So, regardless, of what was thought of the officials, we did not play well enough to beat a team we should be able to beat, even if we feel the game was taken away from us by some bad calls. A good team will play better and smarter and harder and will really earn a win.
Lastly, we were weak in the one area that is my biggest concern.... You know what it is, lady arrows.... We did not consistently go to the 50/50 balls. If the lady arrows can get that through their head (go to a ball always, close down the offensive player always), we can be darn near unbeatable. Our skill is there. Our conditioning is there. Our knowledge of the game is there. Add aggression to that equation and we have ALL of the pieces.
Although we lost, we can take a bit of consolation in the fact that we were more skilled, we possessed a ball much better, we made many more dangerous opportunities for ourselves outshooting Brookville 25-8, and we, quite honestly, were the better team. But, we need to take a lesson from this. Sometimes the better team does not win. We need make sure that when we are the better team we always win.
Scoring for the lady arrows were Taylor Fultz (unassisted) and Brynnan Colby (assist Fultz) with the newly patented "faceball"!
Players who played exceptionally well were Cassie Crawford (coming into her own up front), Mackenzie "the Machine" Steele (man, that girl gets after and really controls the middle - Well Done!), and Lacey Johnson (put two good games together now at stopper - keep it up). Sidney Brown also deserves a bit of recognition as she has been picking up sweeper quite nicely.
Our next scrimmage is versus Northeastern this Thursday at 5:00 and 6:45. Do not forget to get me your $5 for pizza this week. We (all four teams) will be eating after the game.
Second, the officiating crew really took our game away. Now, I am not going to bash the officials for their performance, but they did effect the game in a way that they shouldn't have. One goal was taken away when a Brookville defender, literally, football tackled Taylor Fultz on a breakaway with the keeper out and beaten, and four poorly called offsides were whistled, late at that, that would have led to another four breakaways and four more quality goal scoring chances. Brookville's 3rd goal, with 10 minutes left, was earned on a handball that hit Courtney Lakes in the back. This call was made by the official from 75 yards away with the lead official not making a call and only 10 yards away. So, bottom line, yes, the officiating was not the greatest, but it will happen in the regular season, too. It will, unfortunately, happen probably four or five times to us this year. Now, with that said, I will move on to our third shortcoming.
We didn't necessarily play poorly, but our execution simply was not good enough. Most often we created dangerous opportunities through our slow build up, but we also simply made too many unforced errors or rushed our attempts way too often. So, regardless, of what was thought of the officials, we did not play well enough to beat a team we should be able to beat, even if we feel the game was taken away from us by some bad calls. A good team will play better and smarter and harder and will really earn a win.
Lastly, we were weak in the one area that is my biggest concern.... You know what it is, lady arrows.... We did not consistently go to the 50/50 balls. If the lady arrows can get that through their head (go to a ball always, close down the offensive player always), we can be darn near unbeatable. Our skill is there. Our conditioning is there. Our knowledge of the game is there. Add aggression to that equation and we have ALL of the pieces.
Although we lost, we can take a bit of consolation in the fact that we were more skilled, we possessed a ball much better, we made many more dangerous opportunities for ourselves outshooting Brookville 25-8, and we, quite honestly, were the better team. But, we need to take a lesson from this. Sometimes the better team does not win. We need make sure that when we are the better team we always win.
Scoring for the lady arrows were Taylor Fultz (unassisted) and Brynnan Colby (assist Fultz) with the newly patented "faceball"!
Players who played exceptionally well were Cassie Crawford (coming into her own up front), Mackenzie "the Machine" Steele (man, that girl gets after and really controls the middle - Well Done!), and Lacey Johnson (put two good games together now at stopper - keep it up). Sidney Brown also deserves a bit of recognition as she has been picking up sweeper quite nicely.
Our next scrimmage is versus Northeastern this Thursday at 5:00 and 6:45. Do not forget to get me your $5 for pizza this week. We (all four teams) will be eating after the game.
Scrimmage vs. Greenville, 4-1 Win
Such good news! Honestly, I have been a little worried about this scrimmage, seeing that it the first real varsity scrimmage of the 2010 season. If we came out and played poorly against Greenville, I would have had some serious concerns about the upcoming season. But, fortunately, the varsity group that will lead the way dominated the game very easily when they needed to, solidifying the belief that this year's Shawnee team will be the best in school history.
The core 14 (Group A) played for the first 20 minutes of the scrimmage and ran up a quick 3-0 score and dominated the run of play. For the remaining 20 minutes we played conservatively, trying new positions for old faces and new positions for first year players. This experimental group played well together and added another goal to the tally. At halftime, Shawnee was comfortably in the lead 4-0.
The format for the second half was much like the first, where Group A varsity players dominated the game keeping Greenville off the scoreboard, but failed to put one in the net. Around twenty minutes in Greenville scored their lone goal of the match and Shawnee's varsity team cruised to a 4-1 win over an improved Greenville team.
The goals for the Arrows were all beautiful in their own right. Taylor Fultz scored on two great plays, one a breakaway started with a pass from Kaitlyn Ketring. The second Fultz goal came five seconds after she subbed in for Cassie Crawford with a quick burst through the middle. Cassie Crawford also scored twice, the first off of a dangerous crossing ball that we challenged the keeper on causing it to fall through her hands into the net. The second Crawford goal was scored on a tightly threaded bender through the defense that curled to the back post.
Also, of note, Lacey Johnson played one of her best games in her career as she dominated Greenville players that challenged through the middle. Mackenzie Steele and Makayla Lindon nearly secured their respective starting jobs in the midfield. Sidney Brown played well and perhaps found a new home at sweeper. Stephanie Fogt proved she will be a very useful utility player regardless of what position she will take on the field. Newcomers Maddie Woodard, Jordan Lovely, and Abbie Lynch also played very well tonight, too.
Nice start to the season, ladies. Keep it up!
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The core 14 (Group A) played for the first 20 minutes of the scrimmage and ran up a quick 3-0 score and dominated the run of play. For the remaining 20 minutes we played conservatively, trying new positions for old faces and new positions for first year players. This experimental group played well together and added another goal to the tally. At halftime, Shawnee was comfortably in the lead 4-0.
The format for the second half was much like the first, where Group A varsity players dominated the game keeping Greenville off the scoreboard, but failed to put one in the net. Around twenty minutes in Greenville scored their lone goal of the match and Shawnee's varsity team cruised to a 4-1 win over an improved Greenville team.
The goals for the Arrows were all beautiful in their own right. Taylor Fultz scored on two great plays, one a breakaway started with a pass from Kaitlyn Ketring. The second Fultz goal came five seconds after she subbed in for Cassie Crawford with a quick burst through the middle. Cassie Crawford also scored twice, the first off of a dangerous crossing ball that we challenged the keeper on causing it to fall through her hands into the net. The second Crawford goal was scored on a tightly threaded bender through the defense that curled to the back post.
Also, of note, Lacey Johnson played one of her best games in her career as she dominated Greenville players that challenged through the middle. Mackenzie Steele and Makayla Lindon nearly secured their respective starting jobs in the midfield. Sidney Brown played well and perhaps found a new home at sweeper. Stephanie Fogt proved she will be a very useful utility player regardless of what position she will take on the field. Newcomers Maddie Woodard, Jordan Lovely, and Abbie Lynch also played very well tonight, too.
Nice start to the season, ladies. Keep it up!
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Preseason - Iron Woman
Hmmm... An interesting collection of players today and the results were as good as I could have imagined. This tournament was about playing teams that represent our tournament bracket. Normally we don't play teams from the north in the regular season, so it was a good idea to see teams we might face at the end of the season... hence the "Iron Woman."
We dominated a suprisingly poor Coldwater team 4-0. In the 2nd game we played very poorly to a full squad of Anna Girls and lost 1-2. We were much better than we showed in the 2-1 victories over Troy Christian and Botkins. We finished with an overall record of 3-1. Although the official result placed Preble Shawnee in 3rd place, I feel we showed the girls at the tournament that we were definately the 2nd best, if not the best, team at this 8 school tourney.
Scoring highlights for the arrows (and forgive me if I missed someone!!): Taylor Fultz (2), Makayla Lindon (2), Cassie Crawford (2), Lacey Johnson (1), Maddie Woodard (1), Kaitlyn Ketring (1). Assisting for the Lady Arrows were Maddie Woodard (2), Makayla Lindon (2), Taylor Fultz (2), Kaitlyn Ketring (2), and Cassie Crawford (2).
Extra "props" go out to the hopeful class of incoming freshmen who filled in admirably at the Varsity level today. Maddie Woodard really stepped up in her first true varsity experience inheriting the difficult role of central midfielder as she scored once and assisted twice. Jordan "J-Lo" Lovely really shined and surprised as she performed absolutely splendidly at outside full (a selfless and difficult position). Makenna Dake also stepped up as a freshmen and played above expectations at outside full and outside mid. Last, but not least, Abbie Lynch, freshmen goalkeeper, really instilled confidence from her teammates as she performed nearly flawlessly in the goal. Well done, freshmen!
The future looks bright, once again, for the Lady Arrows as they prepare to enter the 2010 season. No pressure, ladies! =)
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We dominated a suprisingly poor Coldwater team 4-0. In the 2nd game we played very poorly to a full squad of Anna Girls and lost 1-2. We were much better than we showed in the 2-1 victories over Troy Christian and Botkins. We finished with an overall record of 3-1. Although the official result placed Preble Shawnee in 3rd place, I feel we showed the girls at the tournament that we were definately the 2nd best, if not the best, team at this 8 school tourney.
Scoring highlights for the arrows (and forgive me if I missed someone!!): Taylor Fultz (2), Makayla Lindon (2), Cassie Crawford (2), Lacey Johnson (1), Maddie Woodard (1), Kaitlyn Ketring (1). Assisting for the Lady Arrows were Maddie Woodard (2), Makayla Lindon (2), Taylor Fultz (2), Kaitlyn Ketring (2), and Cassie Crawford (2).
Extra "props" go out to the hopeful class of incoming freshmen who filled in admirably at the Varsity level today. Maddie Woodard really stepped up in her first true varsity experience inheriting the difficult role of central midfielder as she scored once and assisted twice. Jordan "J-Lo" Lovely really shined and surprised as she performed absolutely splendidly at outside full (a selfless and difficult position). Makenna Dake also stepped up as a freshmen and played above expectations at outside full and outside mid. Last, but not least, Abbie Lynch, freshmen goalkeeper, really instilled confidence from her teammates as she performed nearly flawlessly in the goal. Well done, freshmen!
The future looks bright, once again, for the Lady Arrows as they prepare to enter the 2010 season. No pressure, ladies! =)
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