Comments from the Head Coach
2003-2004Season Recap
An era ends and begins for Graceland women’s soccerWhen the ball sailed past Samantha Clark and into the back of the net at the end of our last game, it marked an end -- and a beginning -- for Graceland women's soccer.
The regional semi-final was the last hurrah for Captain Kacey Loving and midfield Julie Montgomery. Both are graduating after being mainstays of the Graceland team for the last four seasons. Both played well in Graceland’s 4-1 loss to McKendree College in the Region V semi final game and have starred throughout their four seasons.
Kacey Loving was voted onto the HAAC conference 2nd team and Julie was the backbone of the midfield every year. Then, of course, there was the fact that the team finished the season with a 15-1 winning season and ranked number # 17 in the nation signifying Graceland as a new power in women's soccer.
"It's a dream for me to be on such a successful team,'' Loving said. “It’s a great moment to retire.'' The rest of the team was pleased to see their teammates go out in style. "The winning season and national ranking was a perfect way for them to end it,'' Chelsea Woodger said.” They were very strong leaders for the Graceland team, and that's the reason we achieved what we did. They played very well in every game and we won so many! -- It’s perfect.''
The team scored 85 goals in 19 regular season games at an average of 4.47 per game. Graceland only conceded 12 goals during the season at an average of 0.6 per game. Graceland outscored its opponents 85-12 in nineteen matches. Graceland, with a 12-7 record last year, was nowhere to be seen in the national rankings heading into this season. I believe we got little attention because of the lack of a successful history at Graceland. We were not favored, so we were able to play our natural game at the start of the season and not have any pressure on us.
We started well with an 8-2 win over Park University, who finished 13th in the nation, and the team got more confident with everything getting easier as the season progressed. I believe that this experience was good for the players on the team. I think it really helped some of the players realize how good they really are. A lot of them have played on very poor club and high school teams and to suddenly find themselves on one of the best women college teams in the country was exhilarating for them. Graceland women’s soccer is bigger now and people know who we are.
"This season will really help,'' Whitney Danner said of the team's first regional tournament qualification. “Hopefully, more people will watch us and good players will want to join us as we look to progress in our development and achieve our goal of qualifying for the national championship.''
Through August we went unbeaten and the team played with great style and discipline. There were some very impressive wins against three NCAA teams; a 5-0 and 1-0 win against nationally ranked William Woods and Newman University. The 1-0 win away at Newman was especially pleasing because it was a real battle and the team had to dig deep to get the win. Maniesha Munro’s goal with only nine minutes to go was a just reward for a great team effort that had everything, self-sacrifice, encouragement of others, leadership, determination, self belief and a refusal to lose.
I suspected that we had something special all along here but this result really convinced me we had the ‘right stuff’ to go onto the next level. The team played with such style, great quick passing matched with intelligent movement off the ball. The 23-player varsity squad was filled with 50 percent freshman and it was a joy to see the team come together and play with such freedom. Most people will tell you that you can’t have a successful team with so many freshmen on the team but here we were beating everyone before us and with such a great spirit. This says so much about the returning players that they were willing to accept all these new players into their team and bond with them. Not many teams would be able to do that!
October started with two easy conference wins, 6-0 each time, before we traveled to Benedictine College. On paper we would win every time but soccer isn’t played on paper and we ended up with a 0-0 tie. There were some appalling decisions made by the officials including an unbelievable call against Zulema Martinez as she played it to Maniesha Munro to score. Two goals of ours were disallowed in this game and you would have to wonder if the officials knew the rules because if they would have seen the video evidence we had available they would have hung their heads in shame. Still, officials are often obstacles we have to overcome, we here at Graceland never come to games with excuses already prepared. If the officials are biased or inept then this is what we have to overcome as well as the opposition. We had other chances to score but didn’t put them away so we can only blame ourselves for this tie.
There were cracks too starting to appear in our play which only really began to show in our next game against William Jewell. The team had been doing so well and winning so easily it would have been easy for the team to start to sit back and take for granted the results coming their way. It is difficult to say why we lost to William Jewell, but we did. It may have something to do with the fact that it was homecoming and the stadium was packed with over 500 people all coming to see this ‘great’ soccer team. A lot of them froze on the night with fear and you could see it in their eyes as they went out to play.
It turned out that William Jewell would go the whole season with 0 losses and were an outstanding team that no one should be ashamed of losing to. One thing it did teach us was that we lacked that mental and physical toughness which is needed at the highest level. Soccer is a battle with hundreds of mini battles. The team that wins most of those personal battles will generally win the game if the talent level is similar. It is this mental and physical toughness which gives you the edge and William Jewell had it in abundance.
We took our lesson and we went into the next few games with added vigor. The result was truly amazing. Graceland beat Missouri Valley on the road 4-1 and this was a team that finished 2nd in the conference last season. The win was achieved by hard work and a determination that each player was going to win every one of their personal battles on the field. It was an awe inspiring victory and we took this new found toughness on the road to Omaha to play College of St. Mary who were always in the national rankings.
On arriving at the ground and seeing the players I heard comments from our team such as, “they are huge” and “look at the size of them!” It was obvious that we were being intimidated again before we had even kicked a ball. I got the team together and made them stand no more than 10 yards away from the opposition and asked them to remember the lessons we had learned recently. The players agreed and then went out to play the best game of soccer the team played all season. The 3-0 win will live with me long into my retirement and bring a smile to my face every time I watch re runs of Magnum PI while I am sipping my cocoa.
We continued our good run with successive conference wins leading to our last regular season game against Lindenwood. Now here was a team that had been in the top five of the nation all season long, had been to numerous national championships, had a roster which would put the united nations to shame, gave out full scholarships like confetti and had a student population of over 15,000 to finance the team against little old Graceland. It was a true David and Goliath battle.
On a perfect night for soccer I witnessed the perfect game. I didn’t think we could do better than what we did against St. Mary but I was wrong. With a great support behind us we took the lead through Jocelyn Jentsch and were unlucky to concede a goal to a wicked deflection mid way through the second half. Graceland stood toe to toe with Lindenwood and battled it out for 110 minutes. We even had the ball in the net at the end of regular time for the goal to be disallowed because in the opinion of the ref the clock had run down to 0 seconds just before Calea Bourne turned the ball into the net. What excitement and how funny that last second goals would be a factor later on in the season. It was an immense performance against a power house like Lindenwood and it showed that we have truly arrived on the elite stage of women’s college soccer.
Because of this tie we achieved the number three seeding in the six-team regional tournament, the winner of which would go to the national tournament in California. Our first round game was against Baker University, a team we had previously beaten 4-0. Players told me afterwards that they did not approach this game with 100% focus because of the win earlier and just expected to win. They were in for a shock as Baker fought for every blade of grass and the score remained at 1-1 with the clock running down. With 0.7 seconds left Jocelyn Jentsch scored with the last kick of the game. I have never seen such scenes of celebration at a Graceland sporting event as I saw that night after that goal went in. Total strangers were hugging and kissing each other with tears of joy in their eyes. Oh what wonderful memories!
We then traveled to McKendree College to play in the region semi final game and unfortunately could not reach that emotional high again that soon to compete with a good team that would eventually win the region and go on to the national tournament. We lost but the hanging heads of disappointment were soon held high with pride as we reflected on what was an amazing season for Graceland University women’s soccer program.
Three seasons ago if I would have told you we would achieve the success we achieved this year and become the number 17 team in the nation in only three seasons, you would have laughed in my face and told me to get some therapy. So many people have offered their congratulations to the team for having one of the best sporting seasons ever seen at Graceland University. It was an incredible ride and one I will never forget. It was such an honor to work with these amazing young people. We learned some valuable life lessons along the way which will make us all stronger and better people which can only help us as we strive to achieve our goal of reaching the national tournament. Goals are supposed to be realistic and attainable if they are to be of any use. Holy Toledo – do you realize what we just said? Our goal is to reach the national championship – how many schools can say that and be both realistic and attainable?
Henry Ford once said that “coming together is a beginning, working together is progress and staying to together is success.” We have gone through so much as a team in such a short space of time that it is incredible that we are as close and focused as we are. No team can say that their development has been smooth running the complete way. Most teams disintegrate before they can achieve any level of success because they cannot come to a mutual understanding of what it takes to be a successful team. Individual agendas take front stage and the individual is seen as being all important in these teams.
Here at Graceland we have a team that truly understands that there is no I in the word team. They have worked so hard for each other and made terrific self sacrifices so that others could benefit. The players have come to a real understanding of what a successful team is made up of. Support, encouragement and self-sacrifice are elements that the team will incorporate into their everyday lives in order that the team will have every chance of being successful. Well-functioning teams are comprised of people (athletes, coaches and managers) who intentionally work together on shared, meaningful goals.
A goal for us in the off season and for next year is not to utter any negative comment about any player in the team in any situation. Most people would say that this is impossible because people just can’t do that, especially when you are dealing with women!! WELL, these women can do it because they know that by following this course of action they will give themselves a better team-spirit which in turn will help them achieve their goal of qualifying for the national tournament. Not being able to say bad things about people is a small price to pay for eternal sporting success.
A new era has begun with Graceland women’s soccer. We are an elite team that plays its soccer at the highest levels of the college game. I believe we will be at this level for many years to come. This success has been built on years of hard work by previous Graceland teams and the thankless support of so many people, the list is too big to mention here. To all of you we are eternally grateful.
This year was the 10th anniversary of the women’s varsity soccer program at Graceland and what a season it was to celebrate it with. Our 10th year will indeed be a watershed for all future Graceland University women soccer teams.
11-11-03 Region V Semi-Final
Graceland 1, McKendree 4The journey has finally come to an end. It has been a wonderful journey with many twists and turns, with a lot of cheer and the odd tear. It started on August 17th and ended today November 12th. The Graceland University women's team have put on some amazing performances but unfortunately saved up their worst performance of the season for their very last game.
The season has been a truly astounding achievement and it is a shame it could not have ended on a happier note. The physical effort and emotional turmoil needed to secure the last second win against Baker University on Monday night came at a price. The team could not pick themselves up from the floor and do battle again so soon afterwards. They were beat and nothing or no one could do anything to make it different.
We used 22 of the 23 players available. We tried every trick in the book on the field to try to get some kind of response but it was in vain. My words of encouragement and motivation beforehand did not strike a chord in any of the players except for maybe one or two. You are never going to win soccer matches with one or two players in your team.
As a result the opponents won every individual battle on the field today. The team takes full responsibility for today's result. The team had got us here and it was the team that finished it off. It seemed as if they just didn't want to win as much as the McKendree players wanted to win today. Our players had sacrificed so much all season but just couldn't dig deep enough to find that special something when it was really needed. You couldn't pin point one person or one position on whom to blame. It truly was a lack-luster team performance and as a result they should accept responsibility as a team.
I felt sorry for the great fans who came all that way to support us today. These people included parents, friends, male soccer players, staff and even a Lamoni Police Officer! What a shame we couldn't show them something which was close to our usual play. They were as dumbstruck as I was at the way we played but like true supporters that they are, they gave the players a great ovation at the end and offered congratulations for a great season. These are true fans for whom we are eternally grateful.
It has been a great season and I am very proud of what the players have achieved. I am also emotionally drained and in dire need of some rest. We finished with a 15 win, 1 loss and 3 tied season. We got to the regional semi- final game, two games away from the national tournament. We finished the season ranked 17 in the nation and joint second in the region. We had seven players voted onto the all conference and all region teams.
Jennifer Holm was selected 2nd team CoSIDA Academic All-District. Three players received all conference and all region player of the week awards during the season. We scored over 80 goals and only conceded 12. We provided huge entertainment to all the loyal fans who came out to watch us. Our play encouraged many people, who usually wouldn't be seen dead at a soccer game, to come out and be converted by our brand of soccer.
All this would not have been possible if Trevor Wiltse had not been part of the program. As my assistant he has worked tirelessly for the cause and given so much of himself for the betterment of the team. His kind nature and ability to listen has been a blessing when dealing with the players on a one to one basis. He coaches the team, he encourages and supports them, he tutors them outside of class time with any difficult homework, he offers me with great insights into the game and he is always there when you need him. Trevor will soon depart for Omaha to begin his teaching career and I do not believe we will ever be able to replace him.
Trevor and I have created a team that truly believes in itself, plays great soccer, has respect for one another and we are a team who have learned so much about themselves and each other as people. I believe these life lessons are priceless. I suppose that this was the real prize and not the National Championship. But if I am to be honest with you, the National Championship is a prize I strive to achieve and sincerely believe can be achieved. This is what drives me and I am always looking for that institution and those players which matches my drive.
I must take stock and re evaluate everything. If you are a regular reader of my comments you will know that I am an emotional person who wears his heart on his sleeve. You will also know that I care with all my heart about what I do and the people in my team. The loss today hurt very deeply indeed but I am still immensely proud of the team for what they have done and for who they are as people.
11-10-03 Baker -- Regional Playoffs
Graceland 2, Baker 1Tonight the Graceland women’s soccer program won its first ever regional tournament game and what a game it turned out to be. Al Pacino in the movie “The Whole Nine Yards” had a speech towards the end in which he tells his football team (the pointy ball type): “You find out that life is just a game of inches. So is soccer. Because in either game, life or soccer, the margin for error is so small.” These words never rang more true than watching tonight’s game unfold before our very eyes.
The plan was to start hard and try to get an early goal to cancel any fight the Baker team might have brought with them. It took us 1 minute and 30 seconds to get the ball into the net!!
Whitney Danner received a through ball wide on the right and managed to cross it low and hard across the face of the goalkeeper. Jocelyn Jentsch came in at the far post and finished with a one time shot with Zulema Martinez close by in support. You could not have wished for a better start. Graceland then really took it to Baker and created chance after chance after chance but for once the Graceland players just couldn’t finish.
Baker took heart from this and you could see in their faces a self belief that wasn’t there at the start. The Baker players began to win every lose ball and with some neat passing in midfield attempted to open us up and set free their dangerous forward, Eugena Rogers. With some excellent defending from Nav Boparai, Kacey Loving and Amanda Sundell this threat was nullified.
On around the 20th minute a corner was put into the Baker penalty area by Nav Boparai only to be cleared to the edge of the box to the feet of Rie Sawai. Rie swiveled and hit a low right footed shot towards the far post. It must have only been centimeters away from going in. Zulema Martinez soon afterwards cut in from the left and hit a terrific shot which unfortunately went straight at the keeper.
On 25 minutes Lara Guscott went on a signature weaving dribble which went past three defenders only for the fourth and last player to get a toe to the ball and stop what would have been an incredible goal. Maniesha Munro went on for the tiring Jocelyn Jentsch and was soon in the action. A through ball from midfield set her free and her speed took her passed the covering defender but the last touch which was to set up for the shot was too strong and the keeper came out to smother the ball.
Most of the game was spent in the Baker half and numerous other chances came from our dominance in wide areas which enabled Heidi Beckstrom and Chelsea Woodger to cross into the penalty area. Unfortunately the crosses never found their way to our forwards feet and Baker were able to clear time and time again. Just when you think it is only a matter of time before we score and make this game safe Baker pop into our half and equalize.
With only about three minutes to go in the first half Baker scored. Our defenders had the ball and got caught napping as a bad pass enabled the Baker midfield to intercept. Our central defenders were watching as this happened and the loose ball ran through to Eugena Rogers unmarked.
Eugena’s pace took her to the ball in front of the Graceland goal. Luisa DiBiagio in goal read the situation well and came out but Eugena was too quick and managed to get a foot on the ball before Luisa could get there. The ball went past Luisa and despite a late desperate lunge by Amanda Sundell, it ended up in the back of ‘the old onion bag’.
The Graceland players were dumbstruck. So much possession and so many chances created and yet we go into half time with a tied game. That is the nature and beauty of soccer and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Back to the movie, Al Pacino continues his speech with these words: “One half step too early or too late and you don’t quite make it. One half second too slow or too fast and you don’t quite catch the ball. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They are in every break of the game, every minute, every second. On this team, we fight for that inch. On this team, we tear ourselves and everyone around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch. Because we know, when we add up all those inches, that it is going to make the difference between winning and losing, between living and dying.” How true Al, how true.
The second half was a carbon copy of the first and chances were being continually created only for us to fail at the very end. The Graceland team were clawing for every chance. You could see their frustration building and their self belief ebb away as chance after chance went begging. The crowd too were getting so tired of groaning with anguish after seeing so many opportunities go to waste including a missed penalty kick by Zulema Martinez with only 10 minutes to go.Just when you thought we had finally won it, the goalkeeper steps up and saves the penalty kick. The pain and anguish felt by the players, bench and crowd was unbearable.
Al Pacino says of his team that “if they are going to have any life anymore, it is because you are still willing to fight, and die for that inch, because that is what living is. The six inches in front of your face.”
Watching the game develop and seeing chances go astray by only inches the crowd and I started to think that this may be one of those days and we had better get prepared for a real heartbreaker. What I forgot was that this team of ours has tremendous fight and are willing to die for that inch which makes all the difference.
With 40 seconds to go Baker had a throw in near our penalty area. The ball was played in field and just as the Baker midfield was getting free to get a shot on at goal, Rie managed to tackle the ball away. It fell to Reily Madigan, I believe. Excuse me; I am a little hazy about all of this.
Reily knocks it forward to the feet of Maniesha Munro. Maniesha controls it with an exquisite touch and touches it away from the defender. Jocelyn Jentsch runs in close to support and Maniesha plays her in with a perfectly weighted pass that was almost poetry in motion with four seconds to go. Jocelyn’s first touch was out in front of her and it left the covering defenders clutching at her shirt in desperation as they saw she had free ground to run into.
As Jocelyn closes in on goal I glance at the clock there is only two seconds to go! Jocelyn sets up the keeper and calmly places the ball to the right of her and the ball hits the back of the net with 0.7 seconds left on the clock. The game is over and Graceland has won.
The emotion that spilled out from everyone was a sight to behold. The players mobbed Jocelyn on the floor and were soon joined by hundreds of screaming fans running onto the field with sheer joy written all over their faces. I have never in all of my life witnessed a finish to a game like this one. It will live with me and my players memories for as long as we live. All the pent up frustrations that had swelled up during the game suddenly burst out with pure and unadulterated joy.
I wept with relief but within seconds I thought of the Baker team and coach. The Baker team had fought so hard and had played so well that to lose so cruelly with the last kick of the game must have been heartbreaking. I went over to offer my condolences but my words must have been of little comfort. I have been on the end of such losses in my past and I know how this pain feels. Our players sportingly went over and shook the hands of the Baker players to acknowledge the tremendous battle they had put up. Baker won over many friends today and I have the utmost respect for their team and coaching staff. Your day will come.
We go on to play the regional semi final against Mckendree College in Lebanon, Ill. on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. I will board the bus tomorrow along side the bravest bunch of players I have ever had the privilege to coach. They never gave up and fought for every inch and for every second of tonight’s game. More importantly they fought for each other. Every player on and off the field was a hero tonight.
I would like Al Pacino to sum it all up for me, if I may. What he says describes my team far better than I could ever hope to. “Look at the woman next to you. Look into her eyes. Now I think you are going to see a woman who will go that inch with you. You are going to see a woman who will sacrifice herself for this team because she knows when it comes down to it; you are going to do the same thing for her. That is a team.”
This is my team.
--Kevin Sherry
10-31-03 Lindenwood
Graceland 1, Lindenwood 1 2OTWow! What a season and what a game to end it all on! The excitement and level of play was truly amazing to witness. It was the most memorable night of soccer I have ever witnessed in all of the three seasons I have been here at Graceland.
Lindenwood came into this game as number nine in the nation having been in the top five for most of the season. They are huge powerhouses in the world of U.S. college women’s soccer and they have put many a team to the sword during recent history, us being one of them in my first year losing 5-0.
Lindenwood has more than 15,000 students and the financial muscle this brings to the recruiting table is enormous. It is no surprise to see their roster continually being made up of the top players from America, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Ireland, Finland and others. We have only 1,000 students and we cannot compete with the full rides that Lindenwood can offer but what we can offer is a soccer experience like no other!
We gather together a special breed of people who have talent and see the bigger picture beyond the dollar sign. The facilities, the coaching, and the team spirit here are things you cannot put a price tag on. It is very special and these players are special. They came because they love soccer so much, they share my vision of how soccer should be played, are motivated to learn, are willing to make sacrifices and are willing to give everything they have in order to make it work. A lot of my players are cast offs from other schools whose coaches would not recruit because of say a lack of athletic speed or strength or technique. But they could not see what I could. I could see the spirit and talent that lay beneath the exterior which was always there if you cared to look deep enough to find it, and this talent just needed a bit of time to be developed.
I think of so many other possible recruits who turned us down in search of the U.S. dollar and greener pastures only to discover that their soccer experience is not what they desired and I well up with pride when I compare them to the players I have here right now. These people here now believed in me and together we have worked so hard to make the vision a reality.
When I first came here taking over a team with a 1-13 record and the laughing stock of the region, I said we will be in the nation’s Top 25 within four years. Within three seasons we have been ranked as high as 16 and this may go higher when the ratings go out on Tuesday. If there is any sense of fairness in this world we should, but we all know how fair the world can be at times.
I also said we will make it into the top three of the conference and qualify for regional tournament play before my four year tenure and we achieved that tonight. I was right again and as I said to my team at half time, I believe this team will one day soon qualify for the national tournament and within three years become the national champion. This is no idle boast or over-confidence spilling over. I have studied the level of play out there and with the nucleus we have here already I believe our ultimate goal can be achieved. I am getting more and more e-mails every day of similar type soccer players to the ones we have here already who wish to be a part of our story and the future looks very bright indeed.
This result tonight enables us to be seeded as number three in the regional tournament and we play our first round game at home on November 10th.
As for the game itself, well it was a real humdinger. The men played before us and in a very emotionally charged game they took Lindenwood to two overtimes for the score to remain at 0-0. It was very exciting and for once they were the pre-game warm up for the fans before our game when usually it is the other way around.
As our game kicked off the weather took a turn for the worse as it got much colder due to a strong wind which suddenly turned up to say hello. The crowd huddled together and sat back to enjoy a great game of soccer. The first five minutes were dominated by Lindenwood with their slick passing and movement and it would have been easy to think this was going to be one of those days again.
But suddenly on five minutes Lindenwood’s passing let them down as Zulema Martinez intercepted a slack pass in midfield to run on at goal with the ball. Nine times out of 10 Zulema would have scored but this was the one time when her touch let her down and the ball ran too close to the goalkeeper who gathered the ball up. This sparked our team into action and it seemed to spread a sense of uncertainty in the Lindenwood players.
Seven minutes – Lara Guscott picks the ball up on the edge of the penalty area and dribbles around two defenders before shooting at goal. The shot was saved at the near post by the goalkeeper though you have to think that if she didn’t have that 6’1” frame to call upon she would not have got to it. Three minutes later Zulema Martinez had a shot from 20 yards which didn’t have the necessary power or direction to worry the goalkeeper. Very soon afterwards Rie Sawai intercepts another slack pass from Lindenwood and troubles the goalkeeper with a strong shot.
On 13 minutes the offensive players put together a great passing combination which went from Jocelyn Jentsch to Lara Guscott to Whitney Danner who played in Zulema Martinez inside the penalty area only for the chance to go astray as Zulema failed to control the final pass. Graceland were creating almost all of the offensive opportunities in the game now and the crowd was really getting warmed up by the action. You could sense a real togetherness of the players on the field and the crowd in the stands. There was genuine love and support coming from the crowd and their support almost had a physical shape to it urging our players on.
It was around the 20th minute when Lindenwood started to get back into the game. Slack passing from our players and a lack of strong tackling created a chance for our opponents to put pressure on our defenders. One such chance was when the ball was chipped forward for Luisa DiBiagio to rush forward to gather the ball only to see it spill out and if wasn’t for a last ditch tackle by Nav Boparai we would have been down 1-0. This real scare inspired the team to go forward and get the goal that our play fully deserved.
On 22 minutes Heidi Beckstrom took a throw in from the right just inside the Lindenwood half to Rie Sawai. Rie did a great wall pass with Whitney Danner and then played the ball to Lara Guscott outside of the penalty area. Lara drove forward with the ball going past a defender before being tripped by the second for a definite penalty. The ball fell at the feet of Jocelyn Jentsch who swiveled and hit a powerful right foot shot into the top corner of the net for a 1-0 lead.
The reaction from everyone was amazing. The crowd roared with absolute sheer joy, I jumped at least 10 feet into the air and punched the evening sky, the bench players clapped and cheered with tears in their eyes, and all the players mobbed Jocelyn on the field in sheer unrestricted happiness. It was one of the most memorable sights of the year.
One minute later Graceland almost went 2-0 up. Lara Guscott put a through pass in for Jocelyn to run onto in the left channel. Jocelyn flicked the ball with the outside of her foot on the run and the ball went agonizingly inches away from the far post and the goal with the goalkeeper struggling to get across. Lindenwood started to fight back and a promising attack was only stopped by a ferocious tackle on the edge of our area by Captain Kacey Loving. From this tackle Amanda Sundell played it forward to Jocelyn who laid it off for Lara who returned the favor for Jocelyn to run onto. Jocelyn went passed one defender and was inches away from turning the second to be open in front of goal. Unfortunately the defender got her little toe to the ball and the chance was gone.
On 25 minutes Graceland had a lucky escape. A free kick was played high into the area and a forward got to it before Luisa in goal and the ball was on its way into the net only for Amanda Sundell to get back and clear it one yard from the goal line. Then Graceland went forward on another promising attack. Maria Prieto played in Heidi Beckstrom who was overlapping on the right and her cross was only inches from resulting in a goal as Zulema failed to control it on the far post.
Lindenwood then had their chance again when a powerful shot from 25 yards hit Amanda Sundell and the ball fell invitingly for the center forward to shoot. She was directly in front of goal and it would have been a certain goal if it wasn’t for a terrific diving save from Luisa in goal. The first half ended with Graceland taking a 1-0 lead and 45 minutes of the best soccer any Graceland women’s soccer team has ever performed. They were exhausted by their efforts but they now had something to really fight for and they were not going to waste this opportunity.
The second half started off very even with both teams competing very hard for possession of the ball and therefore control of the game. On 55 minutes the Lindenwood strikers sprung into action. A free kick from the right was flicked on by two forwards only for the goal to be thwarted by yet another diving save by Luisa DiBiagio. Graceland responded immediately with Jocelyn Jentsch only inches away from feeding in an on running Lara Guscott into the opposition penalty area.
On 70 minutes Lindenwood equalized. Our defenders broke down an attack on our right with Nav playing the ball to Amanda who in turn passed it to Heidi. Unfortunately, Heidi decided to try to clear it left footed, blind and into the middle of the field. The ball fell to the Lindenwood number six who was their most dangerous player. She took the ball a few yards and shot right footed. The ball flicked off Kacey Loving’s head which redirected the ball and it went under the outstretched arm of Luisa in goal for a cruel goal. Graceland could have crumbled under the pressure of this goal in this most emotional roller coaster of a game but they didn’t. They pulled their sleeves up and went at Lindenwood time and time again in order to get that one goal advantage back.
On 75 minutes Jocelyn and Whitney performed a terrific one-two combination and a certain goal was only saved by a last ditch tackle. Immediately after this chance Jocelyn came very close with a swerving free kick from the edge of the 18 yard box. Nav Boparai had a spell of three minutes in which she won about five tackles and three headers as everything seemed to be sucked in towards her. Lindenwood had their chances and on 80 minutes they had a free header from a free kick which Luisa saved.
On 85 minutes Whitney Danner picked the ball up in midfield, turned and ran at the Lindenwood defense. It was a terrific run which at the end of saw her shot drift high and wide. Unfortunately Lara Guscott had peeled off to the right and was wide open ready to be played in for what would have been a great opportunity because the Lindenwood defense had been so stretched by Whitney’s run.
On 87 minutes came the best move of the game. From midfield Lara Guscott played the ball into the feet of Jocelyn Jentsch who shielded the ball and laid it off to Lara who was supporting from the right. Lara then played the ball first time into the path of the running Whitney Danner down the right channel. Whitney’s cross was hard and low to the edge of the six-yard box only for the goalkeeper to save bravely at the feet of the onrushing Jocelyn Jentsch.
The game was by no means over and one minute later Graceland failed to clear a corner and the Lindenwood number six went past two of our defenders only to be stopped in her tracks by Kacey Loving. With one minute to score Lindenwod thought they had scored. A cross from the left was headed in off the far post only for the linesman to cal it offside. With 20 seconds left Amanda ripped the free kick up field and it came back to Nav who chipped it over the Lindenwood back line. Jocelyn fought for the ball and it spilled out to Calea Bourne who miraculously turned it into the goal from an acute angle. We invaded the field with sheer joy only to see the ref calling it back for offside.
On watching the video you see that it had been a Lindenwood foot which had played the ball before Calea shot it and the goal should have stood. But what would a game of soccer be without the odd mistake by the officials?
The clock ran out and the game was over, we were now in overtime. Two periods of overtime couldn’t separate us and the final whistle went to sounds of huge applause from the crowd and the weary Graceland players dragged their weary bodies off the field to receive the congratulations of the coaching staff and fans alike. It was a monumental performance and a result which really has signaled the fact that we truly are a team that is one of the best in the nation. We have arrived.
I wish to take this opportunity to thank the fans. You have been so special this season and today it took on almost spiritual significance. I was overwhelmed.
I want to thank Laura Pollard and the women’s basketball team for running the concessions stand on such a cold evening and keeping the fans warm with good cheer and hot chocolate. If there is anything we can do during your games we would be more than willing to do it. With Lara Guscott and Luisa DiBiagio also playing basketball this year, we will all be there to support you every time. I want to thank the gadets for a great halftime performance which kept the crowd entertained. I also wish to thank the physical plant members who worked so hard at preparing the best game and practice fields in the region.
I would like to thank the players who did not play in tonight’s game but cheered the team on from the bench. Your efforts do not go unnoticed. The players who went onto the field were doing such an awesome job that I could not find it my heart to replace them. Why change it if it isn’t broken? I will say this – don’t give up. It was only a few weeks ago that Chelsea Woodger wasn’t starting and wasn’t getting many minutes on the field but she played every one of the 110 minutes yesterday in a great game. Chelsea is a leader and an example to others. Everybody gets their chance if they keep their heads down, supports others and works hard in practice. Watching the video highlighted a weakness in our team which needs to be addressed – this is an opportunity for someone and it could be you.
I want to finish by passing on something which was given to me last year by the LEAD program after I gave a talk to the Graceland community. It is a framed picture with these words:
“True leaders act with courage, stand tall in the face of adversity, and go where few have gone before… because they know that example is the greatest school of humanity.”
The Graceland women’s soccer ladies are such people.
10-28-03 MidAmerica Nazarene
Graceland 4, MidAmerica 0Tonight’s result guarantees us a spot in the regional tournament. To qualify for the regional tournament has been a goal of ours for this season and it is with great pride and satisfaction that we achieve this target. Qualification for the Region V tournament is not some charity event like so many other sports where every Tom, Dick and Harriett gets in. The top six teams only from the HAAC and AMC conference qualify and the HAAC conference is one of the toughest in the nation to play in.
This joy was soon stretched to the limits when we found out the next day that we were only nationally ranked as number 25 where you have teams above us who we have beaten. An example of this is Park University who are ranked 17, eight places above us, who we beat 8-2 earlier in the season. 8-2!!! Am I missing something here? Am I watching “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” show? What can you do? Just keep going I guess, until the national rankers accept us for who we are and give us the respect we deserve. We have a word for national rankers like this in England and it doesn’t rhyme with national.
Tonight was senior night and in a fine ceremony we celebrated the college soccer lives of Kacey Loving, Julie Montgomery, Caramarie Gibson and Alex Van Eeghen. They have been great ambassadors for Graceland women’s soccer over the years. They will be sadly missed but we are so thankful for having the opportunity for these wonderful people to come into our lives. We are all better people because of it. Pam Ash was kind enough to offer the program a donation in recognition of these senior’s efforts over the years. The program is very grateful and very lucky to have such a kind support system in place.
MidAmerica came into the game after a great 2-1 win at conference rival Benedictine, a team against whom we had only managed a 0-0 tie earlier in the season. It was important the players were focused and prepared for the game. This focus and preparation took a beating when we had to suspend three of the starters prior to the game for behavior unbecoming of a member of the women’s soccer program. It was a big loss and a bit of a shock but the ladies rallied around each other and were determined to get the result we needed.
They started with great vigor and from the get go you could tell it was going to be a tough match up. The Mid American players were going into tackles looking to cause hurt and this emotion was spurred on by the ‘encouragement’ from the bench and a most unusual heckler from the bleachers. His ‘support’ of MidAmerica and the badgering of the officials was worth the entrance fee alone.
At one stage he threatened the center ref to meet him in the parking lot for a fight. Nice guy! He was heard calling out to the linesman, "For violating the sacred soccer rules, you must be punished! What will it be--DEATH or REKHYOOMER?" Well, the linesman doesn't know what rekhyoomer is, but he knows what death is, so he picks rekhyoomer. The heckler stands behind the linesman following him up and down the line for 45 minutes and forced him to listen to his views on the offside rule over and over and over. “The officials are against us” chant the MidAmerica bench as the linesman nearly dies from boredom.
"Take him to the parking lot" says the heckler as they drag the distraught official off. "Now," he says, turning to the center ref, "will you take DEATH or REKHYOOMER?" The ref, not wanting to go through such torture, says, "I'm afraid not, I am not listening to you." "DEATH BY REKHYOOMER!" says the heckler.
Back to the action. On ten minutes the ball was fed into the center forward, Maniesha Munro, who controlled the pass and used the ‘window player’ to take over the attack. This player was Whitney Danner who let rip with a 20 yard dipping left footed drive which sailed over the keepers head and into the roof of the net fro a 1-0 lead.
It was good to get the early lead because the team is so used to scoring that when it doesn’t it starts to force the action too much in desperation to score. The lady Yellowjackets now took firm control of the game with quick, intelligent passing and showing great awareness of players’ positions on the field. Rie Sawai once again took up the cause in midfield winning tackles and feeding our forwards with constant quality passes for them to work with. One such pass resulted in Lara Guscott dribbling around and through four of their defenders before being halted by the keeper.
As Lara attempted to go around the keeper she managed to get an outstretched arm out to smother the ball when a goal looked almost certain. You have to admire Lara’s confidence but you have to ask if whether passing the ball into the net passed the keeper earlier would not have been the better option? Lara’s passing skills soon came to the fore in the 35th minute when her beautifully weighted ball found Heidi Beckstrom cutting in from the right. Heidi managed to keep her feet despite a strong challenge from the recovering defender and then expertly placed the ball into the far corner of the goal across the diving goalkeeper.
This second goal caused the opposition to ‘fight’ even harder for every ball. One such ‘fighting’ challenge happened in the 40th minute. The ball ran loose in the midfield third and Nav Boparai stepped forward to challenge for it with a MidAmerica player. After the dust had settled Nav was seen walking away and the opposing player was left on the floor in some kind of trouble, if her tears were anything to go by.
Now I do not condone illegal physical play. This is something I will not tolerate in my team but I do ask for every one of my players to be committed to every tackle and physical challenge and never to shirk away from any confrontation within the rules. It was when I returned home and began talking about the game to my wife that we realized how mentally and physically strong our team have become and we think it is because of the mind body connection.
Our eight years in Japan taught us many things, one of which is the power of the mind and body when it is in unison. The MidAmerica player is going into the challenge with many thoughts on her mind I believe; how to hurt the opposition player, how to make it look like it is fair, how to protect herself etc… Whereas our player is only thinking of one thing; the ball. Because the mind is so focused on one single element that the body becomes very strong and I believe it is this mind/body connection which enabled Nav, Chelsea, Kacey and others to go into tackles and come out victorious uninjured.
The second half started in much the same manner as the first. MidAmerica was determined to ‘challenge’ for everything and Graceland matched this challenge with equal and if not more physical and mental toughness. The passing became slicker and you could tell the ladies were really enjoying themselves.
On the 55th minute mark Whitney Danner scored her second of the game and a strange one it was indeed. Nav Boparai played a free kick long into the opposition penalty area for the goalkeeper to catch but for some reason she decided to push the ball into Whitney Danner and the ball spilled out and bounced into an empty net. The hush that came over the crowd was reflective of the weirdness of the goal. I am sure Whitney has not scored a goal like that before but I will take any goal no matter how they come.
Heidi Beckstrom finished off the scoring in the 63rd minute when, yet again she cut in from the right to receive a diagonal pass from Sabine Schwittay to finish expertly into the far corner of the goal from 10 yards out. Graceland had more opportunities to score with Maniesha Munro hitting the post, Sabine shooting at the goalkeeper instead of into the empty far corner, Calea Bourne not managing to redirect a cross into the goal from only seven yards out amongst a host of other chances from other players. The good thing is that we are creating these chances and the crowd was certainly entertained.
Maria Prieto was the real success story today. Maria has been on JV all season due to the terrific influx of offensive players into the program this fall. Maria has not made excuses, has not whined and moaned about her situation, has not quit, but has put her head down and worked tremendously hard for the JV team and became the top scorer for the season. We have kept a close eye on her development and her hard work alone was enough to warrant her getting a shot at the varsity level.
She came in to the team today and did a wonderful job. She played about an hour of the game and spent every minute working hard for the benefit of others. No task or no run was too much for Maria not to do with 100% effort. Maria came close on a few occasions to scoring and set up many chances for her teammates. Maria never let the MidAmerica defense relax due to her endless running and pressure. She held the ball up with great expertise when it was played forward and was most direct when she decided to run at the defense. Maria’s performance was invigorating to watch and was a clear example of the kind of desire a player needs to succeed at this level. I am sure a lot of people and players stood up and took notice. I believe Maria will provide us with that extra spark as we approach the regional tournament play. Welcome back Maria.
I would also like to welcome back the three suspended players to the team. They know that by putting themselves before the team’s needs that they violated the bond of trust and support which exists in this team. Having good players is only a very small part of being a good team. The culture of the team is vital if success is to be achieved. In this team we realize the importance of self sacrifice, support, encouragement and putting the team before any selfish desires as elements of our culture. We are also aware that we all mistakes and if we learn from them we will become even stronger. Welcome back you three – we missed you!
10-25-03 Baker University
Graceland 4, Baker 0October 25, 2003
Today’s game was a very tough one indeed against the number five ranked team in the region at their ground. Graceland came out victorious in the end 4-0 increasing our record to 14-1-2 for the season.
There had been a dip in the temperature which suited our Canadian players but certainly upset our more Southern recruits. The weather nor the long drive up be the reason why we started slowly again, but for whatever reason it seemed as if the first five minutes were spent trying to get control of a bar of soap instead of a soccer ball. It was squirting out everywhere and anywhere except where we wanted it to go to.
The Baker University players were winning every tackle and appeared to want to win more than we did. Just when you thought changes were needed to turn things around, the forwards combined to put us in the lead. Jocelyn Jentsch fed Zulema Martinez in on goal for the ball then to be parried by the goalkeeper for Lara Guscott to put into an empty net following up. From this goal Rie Sawai, Kacey Loving, Heidi Beckstrom and Whitney Danner began making tackles which began to dishearten our opponents.
This physical presence gave the team a platform on which to win the ball and begin attacking moves forward. It had been lacking in the first 10 minutes and it was a pleasure to see because it is something that had been lacking earlier on in the season. I am always looking for leaders to inspire the team and this week we got them in bundles. Graceland started to take control of the game and were able to mount attack after attack without ever having Samantha Clark in our goal ever being really troubled. Unfortunately the team were not able to capitalize on these chances and we went into the half time break 1-0 to the good.
The half time was spent talking about the need for physical leadership in the team and to alter the forwards position by some 10 yards to give them a different role to what they are normally used to. Just because you win using one way of playing does not necessarily mean you will always win with that method. You have to take each game on its own merits and be ready to change according to your opponents and your own strengths and weaknesses. Most teams cannot change because they only know one way to play and for the most part refuse to change. These ladies listen and are intelligent enough to put into action any change we feel necessary. What a joy to coach!
The transformation was immense. Suddenly we were winning every tackle in every position on the field. The ball was being zipped along the floor effortlessly and the movement off the ball had Baker in a daze. Very soon into the half Graceland were awarded a free kick on the half way line. From a rehearsed move that had been worked on in practice, Zulema Martinez was able to latch onto the lofted pass by Nav Boparai which was then flicked on by Jocelyn Jentsch. As the Baker goalkeeper came out to close the attack down Zulema chipped the ball over her head and into the net for a wonderful goal.
The Graceland Yellowjackets pushed home their advantage very soon afterwards with another free kick goal. From a little bit nearer than the last free kick, Nav Boparai decided to cut out the middle people and go for goal herself. The result: a driven ball which sailed over the goalkeepers head and into the back of the net to make it 3-0. Whitney Danner had a great chance soon after this to increase the lead but saw her effort narrowly go wide. However, the fourth goal was not to be denied. Jennifer Holm played the ball into
Jocelyn Jentsch’s feet on the edge of the penalty area and instead of immediately turning, which she has a bad habit of doing from her high school days, she kept the ball and was patient in finding the time and space to shoot. The end result was a right foot rocket which sailed past the keeper’s right hand.
The ladies must be congratulated on putting on yet another powerful display of controlled soccer. When teams win as often as this one does, it is easy to fall into a false sense of security and begin to take for granted the elements of teamwork and hard work which enabled this success to happen in the first place. We keep pushing ourselves to do our very best every time and play each game as if it were our last. Two games to go: Tuesday night at home to Mid America Nazarene for senior night and then we finish up on Friday night at home against Lindenwood. Fingers crossed we make into the regional tournament, tonight’s result certainly helped!
We then sat down to watch the men play and as we got ready we were told that seats were $12, $15 and $20 and programs 50 cents. "Ok", Amanda Sundell said cheerfully, "We will all sit on a program." What a classy team we have! The men’s game was great to watch and they managed an historic 3-1 win to avenge the 5-0 loss in last year’s regional final.
Congratulations to every soccer player and fan at Graceland University!!
10-22-03 Central Methodist College
Graceland 7, Central Methodist 0 Today was an historic day for Graceland women’s soccer. In achieving 13 wins, not including forfeits, the team has achieved the most wins ever in the history of the program. The ladies should rightly feel very proud of their achievements.Today’s game was a tricky conference match up on the road at Central Methodist which is not exactly in the neighborhood!! A four-and-one-half hour drive was broken up with a short pit stop at Pam Ash’s house in Liberty, Mo.
Not surprisingly the team was a little sluggish at the start of the game but they soon found their soccer “legs” and began to dominate the game. Graceland scored seven, but without the heroic play of the Central Methodist goalkeeper, it could have easily been double that figure. She pulled off some amazing saves, one in particular with her feet low at the base of the post to deny a Jocelyn Jentsch rocket. The strikers now need to learn to think about accuracy as well as power when they are shooting, if they want to be successful at the next level.
From the start it was noticeable that our wide players were getting in behind the opposition defense because of the defenders strict man-to-man marking and inferior athleticism. The team playing was told to be aware of this development and time after time Heidi Beckstrom was being fed through in the first 15 minutes. I was positive the first goal would come from this and indeed this is what happened for the first two goals.
In minute 13 the ball was switched from left to right with Rie Sawai threading the ball behind the defender for Heidi Beckstrom to penetrate and finish with a fine low shot across the goalkeeper. After this goal Heidi had to come off with an asthma problem and her absence hindered the build up play of the team as we became too one dimensional and tried to bludgeon are way through the center with our attacks.
After they realized that width would be the best solution, we scored again in the 33rd minute. The ball was switched from right to left and Whitney Danner gave Zulema Martinez an excellent pass which presented Zulema with a one-on-one chance against the goalkeeper. Similar to our last game Zulema had her shot blocked only for the on-running Chelsea Woodger to shoot home into the very top corner of the goal. It was a most beautiful goal and it is Chelsea’s second in the last two games!! Not bad for a defender. This second goal seemed to calm the players down and as a result they became more patient and precise with their passing. This enabled us to create many clear cut chances for the team.
The next goal came in the 38th minute when Whitney Danner won the ball in the tackle and made use of the space created by Jocelyn Jentsch to dribble the ball through the back line and finish with a low shot across the helpless goalkeeper.
The score was 3-0 at half time and we put onto the field a complete new team for the second half. A totally different 11 players started the second half compared to the first. How many teams could do this? We have 23 outstanding players that could play in any team in the conference and that is a tremendous strength of this team.
It was this second half team who put in four goals and had the outstanding performance of the day in the form of Tara Stavlic. The second half team was by no means second best when comparing the two halves of play and they showed the creativity and heart that was lacking in the first half.
The leader of this second half display was Tara Stavlic. During the first half we had no leader, someone who would inspire the team with her passion and determination. Tara stepped forward and was that player. Her tackling, winning headers, technique on the ball, passing and encouragement to the team was faultless and it inspired everyone present on and off the field.
The fourth goal came in the 52nd minute when a cross from Jennifer Holm on the right found Calea Bourne in front of the goal for her to finish with a one touch shot. The fifth goal in the 73rd minute was almost a carbon copy of the last. Jennifer Holm crosses from the right for Calea Bourne to finish, but this time with a beautiful flick header into the roof of the net. It was a magical goal and a real joy to watch.
The sixth goal came only two minutes later when after some neat inter play between Sabine Schwittay and Maniesha Munro. Maniesha was able to deceive her marker with a dip of the shoulder in order to have the space to unleash a right foot bomb that went under the goalkeeper from 20 yards. Then came the goal that had everyone on their feet. After some fine skill on the right by Jennifer Holm, Jennifer was able to put a terrific right footed cross into the penalty area. The goalkeeper managed to get a hand to it but Tara Stavlic was running in at the far post to volley home for her first goal of the season. This goal was fully deserved by Tara. It was so nice to see that her wonderful all round performance had a goal to take home with in the 87th minute.
I can think of many other chances that almost resulted in goals:
Lara Guscott hitting the crossbar after a short corner
Tara Stavlic hitting the crossbar too with a powerful header
Jocelyn Jentsch having three or four powerful shots saved by the goalkeeper
Lara Guscott having an open one-on-one with the goalkeeper and deciding to go wide instead of finishing low by the keepers feet
Zulema Martinez having a shot cleared off the line
Rie Sawai seeing her shot go inches wide
Sabine, Whitney and Maniesha having good open shooting opportunities which didn’t trouble the goalkeeper
A Sabine shot from only six yards that went over
A one-on-one chance for Whitney that brushed across the far post
…. The list is endless. The score could have resembled my last golf score card.
The good thing is that the team is creating these chances. Over time the players involved will start to relax and gain in confidence so that more and more of these opportunities will be converted.
I remember from my days as a player that it was my self-confidence which got me so many goals. I just knew I would score every time and if I didn’t I would never let this affect my positive thinking. I enjoyed scoring so much, and I believe this team does too. There is nothing in sports which comes close to that feeling of scoring a goal. Just ask Tara Stavlic who jumped 10 feet into the air screaming with joy after scoring her goal today. We could all share the joy.
We now travel to Baker University for yet another tough conference match up on Saturday at noon. This is a game we must win if we are to have any chance of being involved in the regional post season tournament. I have a very difficult selection job to do after the performances today and this can only be good for the team. No one can ever take for granted their place on the team.
Jennifer Holm, Tara Stavlic, Heidi Beckstrom, Maniesha Munro and Sabine Schwittay played today which sent a message to all of us involved with the team. They know what is expected of them at this level and they want to play! Tara’s performance was the highlight and her leadership was something that has been missing in the team make up. We have been working on it recently and the team proved against Missouri Valley and College of St. Mary that we do have it in abundance. However, we need more than one leader on the field if we are to prevail in the long run. You cannot afford to turn it on and off when it suits you. -- Kevin Sherry
10-18-03 College of St. Mary
Graceland 3 College of St. Mary (Omaha) 0This team is growing before my very eyes! On a very hot day, the ladies went to Omaha to take on the number 24 ranked team in the nation in the shape of St. Mary's and came away with an emphatic win that sends a message loud and clear. “The Graceland University Lady Yellowjackets have arrived at the highest level and have what it takes to remain there for a very long time indeed, long after I am pushing up the daisies.”
After the very impressive 4-1 win at Missouri Valley, there was a huge question mark hanging over the team concerning whether they could repeat this newly found mental and physical toughness which had proven to be the major reason for our success in that game. What better test than to take it on the road and match yourselves up with one of the best teams in the nation? I must admit I had a few doubts and worries before hand that the team would shy away and retreat back into old habits allowing themselves to be intimidated, as was their way in the past, but I needn't have worried. The ladies were truly amazing.
The end result was a 3-0 winning score but the winning margin could have been 5 or 6 more and, with all respect to St. Mary, the opposition never looked liked scoring once! The Graceland players met every physical, mental, technical and tactical challenge head on without shirking away from any of them and came out on top. What really amazes me is to see every player on the roster meeting these challenges equally.
In most teams you will always find a number of players who resort back to comfortable old habits, no matter how many times you tell them that this is not the right way to approach soccer. For these kinds of players, they cannot accept any method which goes against what they have been told or done before and therefore never develop. The players I have here on this team have, to a person, taken on board every new aspect of soccer I have thrown at them and adopted it as being the norm. They are by far the most courageous, genuine group of players I have ever worked with.
The ladies truly love the sport they play and want to learn more about it every day. They respect and admire each other and have a healthy competitive spirit which makes sure the team never takes for granted the lofty position they find themselves in. If only you could hear them encourage each other during a game, whether on the field or on the bench, you too would struggle not to have tears in your eyes.
The stats of the game read as follows: 18th minute - Zulema Martinez scores with a lofted shot over the goalkeeper after a through ball from Jocelyn Jentsch 32nd minute - Chelsea Woodger scores with a direct shot following up on a saved Zulema Martinez shot which had resulted from an exquisite Rie Sawai through pass 77nd minute - Heidi Beckstrom scores after a switch of play from left to right involving Rie Sawai again.
The Graceland team had many other scoring opportunities which were not put away. The good thing is that the team is creating these opportunities. College of St. Mary did not create a single scoring opportunity during the game except for the odd corner kick or high ball into the penalty area. Whereas Graceland was able to carve open the St. Mary defense at will and were unlucky not to have others on the score sheet.
The defensive play by the Graceland team was immense and must be congratulated. The opposition were 24 in the nation and were no mugs. They had a 12-2 record going into this game and were playing in front of their own fans and on their own ground. All of these factors only heightened their advantage and diminished our chances.
The achievement by the ladies cannot be underestimated. This result will catapult us back into the top 25 unless soccer politics rears it's ugly head once more. I so badly want to mention a couple of players who had outstanding games but this would not be fair on the whole team who put so much effort and determination into the game. They were all mvp's today.
Having stayed the night at a motel in Blair, Neb. in preparation for the Dana College game on the next day, we were awoken to be told the opposition had cancelled the game because of a bursted water pipe. They never gave the game a chance to be played. After inspecting the field we found it to be perfectly playable as it had only one small muddy patch which would not have been a problem.
In my opinion, no real effort was given into finding another field and it seemed as if nothing we said about having traveled all that way, spending a lot of money on motels and meals, would have any effect on them playing the game. They were determined not to play it. Now if our record had of been 1-12 instead of 12-1 I am convinced the game would have gone ahead.
The ladies were very upset, as you can imagine, as some of them did not get to play much in the previous day's game and the Dana match would be one in which they could play a major role in. All I will say is that I have never as a coach 'run away' from ever playing a team no matter how good they were. The reason Graceland is as strong as it is today is because when we were weak we went looking for the best teams so as to learn from them. Having a winning record was nothing in comparison to developing and preparing the team for what it is achieving right now.
10-16-03 Missouri Valley College
Graceland 4, Missouri Valley 1“Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn”
Today we played with a lesson learned. Our tie against Benedictine and loss to William Jewel last week taught us some valuable lessons about ourselves which we took into this game against a very tough conference opponent in the shape of Missouri Valley.
I have to say from the get go that each and every player was absolutely phenomenal! And I mean EVERY player. In the early part of the season when we were winning 8-0 and 12-0, everything seemed fine and we had great hopes for the season. It wasn’t until we lost that we found out that there was actually something missing in our team. All of our victories had come about with such relative ease that no one would ever think that there was something actually missing.
William Jewel and Benedictine physically intimated us and this affected our play. Graceland University is now playing the level of soccer which is equal to the top teams in the country. To play consistently at this level you need a physical presence and mental toughness which does not allow you to be intimidated in any way so that you can compete. I can safely say that Graceland University now has that mental and physical toughness which will allow us to compete with the very best.
We talked about what was needed and increased the intensity during practice all week so as to prepare ourselves for this game and the rest of the season. The players responded magnificently. Their work rate, determination, aggression and concentration were 100 percent. We already knew the players had the technique and tactical know how but now we had to question ourselves about whether we had the commitment. We showed in this game that we do.
I wish I had the time and room to go through each player and tell you how they contributed but I don’t. Plus I know how precious your time is and the last thing I want to do is to ramble on and on without ever getting to the point about how well these wonderful people played and waste your time. Am I rambling?
Take it from me, they were immense and I well up with immense pride just to be a very small part of it. I also wish to take this opportunity in thanking Ivan Joseph, the men’s coach, for helping to educate us with a training session on Wednesday which really helped to drive home the point of what is missing in our team. I hope I can return the favor one day – thank you Ivan!
The stats of the game read as follows:
14th minute Jocelyn Jentsch scores Whitney Danner assist.
20th minute Missouri Valley equalizes to make it 1-1.
30th minute Rie Sawai scores 2-1 Heidi Beckstrom assist.
60th minute Jocelyn Jentsch goal 3-1 Rie Sawai assists.
87th minute Zulema Martinez goal 4-1 Heidi Beckstrom assists.
What happened in the other minutes was pure entertainment of the highest order.
We now go on the road to Omaha to play two games which are non conference but have national ranking consequences. The question I will be asking of the team is: Can we continue with our education process and repeat this intensity in every game we play? I hope and believe we can.
These people are so wonderful and because they know they are part of something very special indeed that they will not allow themselves to relax and take for granted what they have. They now approach each game as if it is the last game of soccer they will ever play in their lives. You can imagine the kind of intensity you would bring to the game if this was true!
Thank you for reading this and other press releases. Your interest in our program is much appreciated. Forgive my insane ramblings and please share in my all encompassing joy which I feel about this team.
10-11-03 William Jewell
HomecomingGraceland 1, William Jewel 6
Well there you have it - our first loss and in some style too. 6-1 at home to the #8 team in the nation who have a forward line that I believe cannot be bettered. These two players put on a display which was awesome in its magnificence. Kirsten Neher and Allison Mallams are two names which will light up the NAIA scoring record books this season and the next. I only hope for William Jewel's sake that either of these two do not pick up an injury before the season is out. I cannot imagine how a team could replace either of them.
A lot of people have been waiting for us to lose and today they got their wish. It was hard on the team and their tears at the final whistle showed how much they care and how much this result hurt. I know this is going to sound a little sad, but we did actually gift wrap the first four goals for them and on another day we have to believe that we can play with this level of team.
Our defensive shape and tactical know how was sufficient to stop them but you cannot expect to miss control clearances, that fall at the feet of the caliber of strikers William Jewel have in front of goal, and expect to get away with it. This scenario happened for the first four goals. You cannot plan for this to happen, it is unexpected and surprising but we have to be strong enough to accept our mistakes and learn from them if we are to become better defenders.
Zulema Martinez had scored a nice goal to bring it to 2-1 in the first half but almost immediately we presented William Jewel with another gift of a goal which totally took the wind out of our sails. Take away those four gifts and I believe we could have had a game and we could worry them. If only soccer and life was that easy.
I make my way home a little saddened by the result to find an e-mail from Angela Sanchez's mom which put everything into perspective. Angela Sanchez is our outstanding midfield player from Utah who ruptured her ACL and meniscus in only her second game and is out for a season. I received this e-mail tonight and I wish to share it with you if I may.
"I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to you, your coaching staff, trainers, and all of Angela's team members during this difficult time in her life.
“My first conversation with her after the devastating injury informed her that one of her options was to come home, have surgery, go to college locally, and then return to Graceland University next year. Her reaction to say the least was immediate and forceful. She made sure I understood that her extended family was there and she would not be leaving.
“Her mature and passionate words were an epiphany to me. It is very hard for a parent to come to the realization that their only child does not need them in every bump in the road of life. I cried. But my tears were of happiness not sadness. Happiness that Angela had found a home away from home and a support system of coaching staff, training staff, and team members. What more could a parent ask for?
“I cannot express enough the sincere appreciation and gratefulness me, her dad, and stepfather feel towards all persons who have touched Angela's life in health and in injury. You have all truly made an lifelong impression on her and her family.
I have always shown and told Angela that the measure of one's character is adversity. It is during the difficult times that a person's true character shows through. Do they take the easy road or do they take the hard road? The hard road is always the right road."
Despite our loss tonight I remain proud and strongly believe in this team. I am convinced we are on the right road. –Kevin Sherry
10-07-03 Benedictine
Graceland 0, Benedictine 0Today just wasn’t our day. It is as simple as that. When the final whistle blew, the Benedictine bench and players jumped for joy whilst the Graceland team hung their heads in disappointment.
This reaction to a 0-0 tie says it all. Our reputation goes before us and there are no easy games anymore. Every team wants to do well against us and are very motivated for when they play Graceland. If we do not match this motivation and desire we will come up shorthanded. That was the first half in a nut shell.
On a hot day in front of a very intimidating crowd at Benedictine College, the Graceland midfield and forwards didn’t show up to play. Maybe they were over-confident, maybe they thought it would be easy, who knows? I made the mistake of not playing the team that would have been ready to play and for changing our style of play. I learned a very valuable lesson and one I will never forget. Do not be intimidated by the thought of future opponents, play your game your way in every game and let others do the worrying and changing.
Today’s result was down to me and I take full responsibility. Look at us – distraught after a hard fought tie on the road. Heaven help us when we finally lose a game and one day we will lose, it is inevitable. The important thing is that we turn up and give of our best. You cannot ask for anymore.
The story of the game is Graceland having the majority of possession for the game, having two goals disallowed for some reason, three open goal attempts all failing to hit the net, numerous good shooting chances from 6-18 yards all missing the target and a solid defensive performance from our goalkeepers and backs to keep any Benedictine attacks at bay.
The second half was a much better display from the team and this gives us hope that we can learn from this experience and grow stronger because of it. It is not the end of the world, it is a tie. Although if a tie was at hand after the game, I may have used it to swing from a tree with. That is me all over, I care too much.
I told the team that they should feel proud of the way they performed in the second half and in overtime. They battled really hard and created so many chances but today was just one of those days that every soccer player gets, when the ball refuses go into the net. As Mother Teresa once wrote: “Give the world your best you have and it may never be enough. Give the world your best anyway.”
We were able to take a lot of positives from the game including the performance of all the defenders putting up such a solid wall that Benedictine never looked like breaking and keeping us in the game with a chance to win. When Benedictine did have a chance with a 25 yard shot in the closing moments, Luisa DiBiagio in goal pulled off a magnificant save, diving high to her left to keep the ball out of our net. To have lost after creating so many goal scoring chances for ourselves would have been devastating.
The men won a close 2-1 battle in the game after us to make the travel home a little more comfortable.
We will now go away and prepare for the next game against number 8 ranked William Jewel on Saturday. We will give of our best and let fate take care of everything else.
My assistant, Trevor Wiltse, tells me that we play badly every 6 games. In which case Baker must be licking ther lips in anticipation to play us October 25th! Our destiny is now in our own hands. Qualification for the regional tournament can be ours if we perform. It is no longer possible to expect other teams to do us any favors. So be it, let’s see what we are made of.
10-04-03 Culver-Stockton
Graceland 6, Culver-Stockton 0The Lady Yellowjackets won their second consecutive conference game with another 6-0 victory over Culver-Stockton College tonight at our home Rasmussen stadium in Lamoni, Iowa.
Some facts first: This keeps our unbeaten record intact with 10 wins, 0 losses and 1 tie. 66 goals scored at an average of 5.55 goals per game. 4 goals conceded at an average of 0.36 goals conceded per game. The team not conceding a goal for the last 515 minutes of open play; that is almost 9 hours of soccer! Imagine going to work at just before 9:00 a.m. while we start our games of soccer. Upon coming home after 5:30 p.m. you still find us playing soccer, and after all that time coming home to find we have not let a single goal through our defense. Oh and in that same time, we scored 31 ourselves! I think you would be pretty impressed.
Today was all about conference play and maintaining our push for the automatic regional tournament qualification spot. This was achieved and now we go onto our third conference game at Benedictine College on Tuesday, October 7.
The day started very well for the Graceland women’s soccer program with a 1-0 victory for the JV team against Emeralds soccer club. Maria Prieto scored the goal. It was great to see so many parents in the bleachers watching their daughters play a good game of soccer and offering their support. Graceland University must be congratulated for allowing us to have a JV program so that these ladies have an opportunity to play the sport they love. Most schools do not have JV soccer and if we didn’t then these players would not be playing any soccer at all, and therefore not have the opportunity to show off their skills to their parents. The JV team is very proud of their team and rightly so. We are proud of them too.
The varsity game against Culver-Stockton College later in the day was a very interesting affair. Our reputation must have gone before us because Culver-Stockton came to defend. Most teams will play with a deep sweeper behind a line of marking backs but Culver-Stockton came with not one but two deep sweepers!! In all of my many years of playing, watching and coaching soccer, I have never seen this before. It was a real novelty for me and gave me a wonderful opportunity to learn something new and use my brain to try to break it down.
In most games you play the game and you see the game plan go as planned and therefore sit back and enjoy it. But today I was given a problem that I needed to solve. Because Culver-Stockton had so many defenders it enabled our Graceland team to have complete domination of the ball in our defensive and midfield thirds but we struggled to penetrate their bunkered defense. For 25 minutes I observed the game and went through various scenarios which would help to break this team down. The only real chance we had up to this point was an early Lara Guscott drive which went straight into the goalkeeper’s midriff.
We had almost 100% possession of the ball and it was decided that we didn’t need the holding midfield player. So Laura Throckmorton was taken off and Maniesha Munro was put on as an extra striker with the job of splitting these two deep sweepers and ensuring that any penetrating passes from our midfield have a greater chance of success. The transformation was almost immediate and the rest of the game played itself out with Graceland scoring 6 and it should have been more.
The change around was immediate. The ball was played forward to Maniesha who combined with Jocelyn Jentsch for the ball to be crossed to the far post where Lara Guscott headed the ball across the goal only for the goalkeeper to catch it on the line. I knew it was only a matter of time so I sat back to enjoy the rest of the game. Four minutes later the same players combining again for this time Whitney Danner to run onto the ball at goal. Whitney went past two defenders before rifling the ball into the bottom corner of the net for the team’s first goal.
Sheer joy and relief for Whitney who has been getting more and more frustrated from not scoring her first goal for the team with every match. Today she achieved that goal and now she can relax and concentrate on her soccer. More goals are certain to follow but to be honest her role is slightly different to what it was in high school and goal scoring is not top of her agenda for this team. Whitney plays a more withdrawn role in the midfield and is used to spark into life our attacking moves with her electrifying runs and passes. It is no surprise to see Whitney’s name on the top of the team and conference assist list.
Three minutes later, on 35 minutes, Jocelyn flicked on a lofted forward pass with her head into the path of the on running Lara Guscott who skillfully turned past her marker to get a terrific shot off which the keeper dived to save low to her right. There was no respite for Culver-Stockton because one minute later their goal was under threat again.
Rie Sawai took the ball from our defenders, turned and drilled a perfect diagonal ball between the opposition sweepers for Maniesha to latch onto. Maniesha hesitated instead of hitting the ball first time and we thought the chance was lost but in a flash Maniesha had adjusted her position to reach forward and from an acute angle, and slam the ball across the goalkeeper into the opposite corner of the net for a wonderful goal.
Immediately from the restart the ball was in the Culver-Stockton penalty area when Zulema Martinez had a cross shot which was fumbled by the goalkeeper and Maniesha had her follow up shot deflected off the line by a recovering defender. It was now constant one way pressure and the fans were loving it. The resulting corner kick was played to Rie Sawai, whose lofted pass found Jocelyn Jentsch unmarked at the far post to volley into the goal for a 3-0 lead.
At half time a lot of personnel changes were made and the team was reminded of the need to get the ball to our wide defenders who could utilize the space in front of them vacated by the Culver-Stockton midfield. The players were also reminded to use the extra striker we had which was causing all kinds of confusion for our opposition.
The second half started and within one minute of the kickoff, the ball was in the back of the Culver net again. The goal was a true work of art. The ball was played into Sabine Schwittay on the right wing, who controlled it with one touch back to Nav Boparai, advancing forward from the right back position. Nav chipped the ball into the space behind Sabine for Maniesha to make a diagonal run across the two sweepers. Maniesha ran with the ball towards the right side of the goal and drove it across goal towards the far post. The goalkeeper managed to get a hand on the cross but only deflected the ball onto the foot of Calea Bourne for an easy finish.
Soon afterwards a fine run by Chelsea Woodger saw her combine with Jennifer Holm before driving into the penalty area a hard low cross with her left foot. Sabine ran across her markers and smashed towards goal a terrific volley which just missed the goal for what would have been the Sistine Chapel of all artistic goals.
On the 50th minute, Culver-Stockton had their first attempt on our goal from a direct free kick. The kick was hit very well but Samantha Clark was more than a match for it diving well to her right to push it wide. On 59 minutes Graceland was awarded a free kick for themselves 30 yards away from goal. Jocelyn Jentsch ambled forward and unleashed an unstoppable pile driver which roared into the goal over the keepers head. This is Jocelyn’s third free kick goal of the season so far and is something she has worked very hard on in practice.
On the hour mark Tara Stavlic nearly got her first goal of the season only to see her right foot shot magnificently saved by Sarah Kester in the Culver goal low to her left. On 67 minutes a lofted Nav Boparai free kick found Jocelyn Jentsch with her back to goal. Jocelyn shimmied one way and went the other to lose her marker before drilling the ball low into the goal for our 6th and last goal of the day.
Jocelyn came off to a standing ovation. Her replacement Zulema Martinez gave the Culver defense no respite and was a constant threat for the remainder of the game. On one occasion she beat two defenders before shooting at goal. The goalkeeper spilled the ball and Calea Bourne struck the ball over the top from five yards out. Jennifer Holm came closest to scoring right at the end when, on receiving a pass from Chelsea Woodger, bent her shot around the defender to see it beautifully tipped passed the post from Sarah Kester in the Culver goal.
Well, there you have it for another week. A few days rest then we hit the road again to play Benedictine in another conference match up on Tuesday afternoon. Congratulations to the team for yet another fine performance.
Thank the Lord the team survived a physical barrage in the second half. Shemille Wright was taken to hospital after the game but the diagnosis was a badly bruised hip and no damage to the kidneys which was originally feared. The team is united and have a common goal. They know how precious this team is and are all growing within it. Keep it going!
10-02-03 Avila University
Graceland 6, Avila 0Graceland had its first conference game tonight and came away with three points and another shut out. The unbeaten record so far would have meant nothing if we were not able to get the wins we need in conference play. Everyone was very nervous before kick off due to the importance put on the game. This was good for the players because it would have been very easy to have come into this game feeling lackadaisical and just expecting to win to then find ourselves at the wrong end of a shock result. That little knot in the stomach helped put the team in the right frame of mind and they went out and took care of business.
Within minutes the team had created chances for the forward line to score, only for the ball to narrowly miss the target with the shot, but the sense was that very soon the flood gates would open. Avila came to play with a plan that involved using a high defensive line looking for offsides. This is usually a good plan if the opposition has slow forwards but when you have players like Zulema Martinez and Calea Bourne who can run 50 yards in a time quicker than I can write, it is not generally advisable. We were offered a lot of space behind their back line and we took advantage of it.
Zulema scored three goals in the first half, all from through passes for her to run onto into the space behind their defense to finish a one-on-one with the Avila goalkeeper. The first was from a Whitney Danner pass, the second from a Nav Boparai pass and the last from a Jocelyn Jentsch pass.
Having said all that, the forward line was caught offside a lot in the first half and this was discussed in the half time break. The forwards were told to bend their runs more across the field so as to split their defenders and to give them more time and space which would eliminate the offside calls.
The Graceland supporters had been getting frustrated with the referee calling offside so many times and were getting on his back. Towards the end of the first half the ref stopped play and came over to the bleachers to talk to one of our fans,“I have been watching you for the last 20 minutes and I don’t like what you are calling me.” The fan replied, “That would explain why you have missed so many calls!! Look at the game!”
I even got involved to help the ref out. At half time I said to one of my younger players, "Do you understand what cooperation is? What a team is?" The freshman nodded yes. "Do you understand that what matters is whether we win together as a team?" The freshman nodded yes. "So," I continued, "when an offside is called, or you are called for a foul, you don't argue or curse or attack the ref. Do you understand all that?" Again, the freshman nodded yes. "Good," I said. "Now go over there and explain it to your mother."
I can understand her frustrations though, especially after seeing the ref disallow a Sabine Schwittay goal, when she clearly out jumped the Avila goalkeeper instead of “running through her” as described by the ref.
We talked about the shape of our runs forward and the delivery from midfield during half time, and to this team’s credit they went out in the second half and immediately corrected it. Sabine Schwittay made a perfect diagonal run to get behind the offside line to receive a pin point pass from Rie Sawai, and although the goalkeeper saved Sabine’s first shot, Sawai followed it up to shoot into an empty net.
The last two goals were almost carbon copies of each other. Reily Madigan received a switched ball into her path on the right and she fed Zulema Martinez through on goal which she finished off with ease. It was almost the same again straight after the 6th goal but this time Zulema had her heels clipped from behind by a defender for a penalty kick but instead the ref said she tripped over her own feet. I for one am not signing up for his dance class! “Shake your head! Your eyes have stopped moving!” Heard from the freshman’s mother again I am afraid.
Tonight was a special night for two of our players: Laura Throckmorton and Heidi Beckstrom. Both players had parents who had driven up from Utah to see their daughters play. You get the feeling that the players are extremely proud of what they are achieving in this team and they want to share it with their loved ones. They both played exceptionally well and did themselves proud.
We even had a recruit on campus to see the game, Erica Lunnon and her father. Erica, from Kansas City, is an exceptional talent who we wish to see grace our soccer field next fall. Even though this was not our best performance I believe we showed Erica what we are capable of and this should be more than enough encouragement for her to join us. We play soccer with our brains and the players think for themselves, a far cry from many other teams. We have been ranked as high as number 16 in the nation and I believe this will go higher. Erica would be joining one of the very best soccer programs in the country. Erica, if you are reading this, we want you.
The team came together tonight and did what was needed. I am very proud of them and although not every player was able to get the minutes on the field they would have liked, they all played their part in the win. Each player will get their opportunities. You have to take them when they are presented to you.
The encouragement between the players on and off the field is a wonderful sight to behold. I glow with pride when I see it and my glow had nothing to do with the fact that my car trunk hit me on my head earlier and split the skull open. The kind staff at Lamoni Medical Center “glued” it together and I was ready to go for the game.
Reily Madigan was outstanding tonight and has improved so much since last year that sometimes I have to think who this “new” player is. Laura Throckmorton reveled in her new position in midfield and was at the center of everything tonight. Jocelyn Jentsch was a constant threat up front and was a great springboard for most of our attacks tonight. I hate to mention individuals because at the end of the day it is a team game and these players would be nothing were it not for everyone else.
So, I conclude by saying how well everyone did and they should all feel good about the way they contributed to tonight’s game. Congratulations! 9 wins and 1 tie with no losses. 55 goals scored and only 4 conceded. Now that is something to feel proud about.
09-27-03 Harris-Stowe
Graceland 12, Harris-Stowe State College 0I think we witnessed a national record today. Lara Guscott from Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada scored three goals inside five minutes and added a fourth after nine minutes. This has to be the quickest hat trick in NAIA women’s soccer and certainly the quickest four goals ever scored. If it isn’t, then I take my hat off to whoever did better, because this was an amazing sight to behold today. The scary thing is Lara could have scored after only four seconds but failed to hit the target.
Our sports information director, Amy Woodruff, is in contact with NAIA head office to see if this is indeed a record. I hope it is because the school, the team and Lara should feel extremely proud of it and I believe this record will stand for a very long time indeed.
Lara scored in the second minute with an assist from Whitney Danner, the third minute off of an assist from Nav Boparai and in the fourth minute off of an assist from Whitney Danner again. Lara increased her tally to four in the eighth minute off of an assist from Kacey Loving, finishing off an incredible nine minutes of play.
Lara only played another four minutes before we pulled her and the rest of the team off of the field for the bench players to take over. In those four minutes the team scored another two goals. In the 10th minute Rie Sawai scored with an assist from Lara Guscott and in the 12th minute Graceland got a goal from Nav Boparai from a long distance free kick. It was after this goal that the whole team except for Luisa Dibiagio and full back Reily Madigan were taken off the field.
Yes – it would have been interesting to see how many goals this team could have racked up but it would not have been in the spirit of the game and so the bench players were put on to give them a chance to show what they can do and hopefully give a little relief to Harris Stowe. This helped because Graceland only managed to score one more goal in the first half when in the 28th minute Calea Bourne scored with a one-on-one on the goalkeeper after a flicked header from Julie Montgomery put her through on goal.
It is unfair to call the rest of the team ‘bench players’ because the squad sees itself as a whole team with no one taking a back seat. When I say “bench players,” what I mean to say is “those players who just happened to be on the bench today” came into the game. In all our matches nearly every player takes part in the game and it is not the same eleven starting every time. In my mind all 23 of my squad are starters, including wonderful Angela Sanchez who is out for the year with an ACL injury. Having her back for next season will be an added bonus to the team. The scary thing is that if she was playing at the moment our team would be even stronger than what it already is!
The half time break was used to impress upon the players to keep their discipline and to work on the style of play that we have been developing and not to get carried away with the score. It was important that we continued to repeat the things we do in practice on the game field so that they become good habits and easily repeated in the future.
The goals in the second half were not as numerous as in the first half, but they did go in. Jocelyn Jentsch scored after an assist from Zulema Martinez in the 50th minute. The favor was returned in the 54th minute when Jocelyn assisted Zulema to score. In the 59th minute Lara Guscott scored her fifth goal of the day with an assist from right back, Nav Boparai. Zulema scored her second and the team’s 11th goal one minute later from a pass by Whitney Danner.
There were wholesale changes made again in the 60th minute and as the game was drawing to a close Sabine Schwittay scored with a right foot rocket off of an assist from Whitney Danner again in the 89th minute.
Final score: 12-0. And to top it all Pam Ash brought with her a huge delicious birthday cake for all the players who had had a birthday between April and October. It was delicious and I had two helpings (even though it wasn’t my birthday!)
The opposition’s coach, Rocky, shook my hand and said congratulations, adding that my team had improved since last year. On reflection I would say that this was true though the effort and work ethic was the same. We will never forget where we came from: Only two seasons ago we were outside of the Top 150 and never given any respect by any team. Teams would laugh about the prospect of playing Graceland University. Well, times have changed and we are starting to get the respect we deserve and this respect is reflected in our national ranking.
We were like Harris Stowe only a few seasons ago and we know what it feels like to be on the end of a solid beating. We do not or ever will take for granted the lofty position we find ourselves in right now. We have been ranked number 16 in the nation and I believe this will rise even higher in the near future.
We have come such a long way in such a short space of time. I hope this makes all of the women’s soccer alumni feel proud, without their hard work and dedication in the previous years we would not be where we are today. They are as much a part of this team as the players.
If you are an alumni and reading this, I wish to take this opportunity to say a big thank you. Our record stands at 8 wins 0 losses and 1 tie with 49 goals scored and only letting in 4.
The game stats read:
Lara Guscott 5 goals and 1 assist
Whitney Danner 4 assists
Zulema Martinez 2 goals and 1 assist
Rie Sawai 1 goal
Nav Boparai 1 goal and 2 assists
Calea Bourne 1 goal
Jocelyn Jentsch 1 goal and 1 assist
Sabine Schwittay 1 goal
Kacey Loving 1 assist
Julie Montgomery 1 assist
Luisa DiBiagio and Samantha Clark with a shut out
Asst. Trevor Wiltse with writer’s cramp trying to keep up with the goal scoring and getting it down on paper
I am not big fan of stats. They do not reflect the whole team’s performance and there are many players who put in some amazing work today which is not reflected in the stats. All I can say is, I know who you are and I am extremely proud of you. I know the work you put into the game today. When a player scores a goal it is the whole team which scores, that is why you see us celebrating as a team, all together on the field after every goal.
The “we” ethos that exists in our program today is the corner stone of our success. Long may it continue.
--Kevin Sherry
09-20-03 Tabor College
Graceland 6, Tabor 0Due to the late arrival of our bus to the field, the players were dropped off in a nearby street and the players made their way through someone's garden to the field. The owner of the house was watering her flowers at the time and gave them a kind wave and wished them the best of luck adding that this wasn't the first time a team had trampled through her garden to get to the field. We eventually got settled and the game kicked off in perfect weather conditions on a less than perfect field.
Graceland obviously took its time to get the feel of the pace of the game and were second to everything in the first ten minutes. Their heads seemed to be either still in the vans or in the hotel and it was if they were playing in a dream. Luckily everyone started to get their rhythm back before the dream turned into a nightmare and started to play their trademark good passing soccer.
Many chances were created but none could be finished. Samantha Clark in goal had to be awake to keep Tabor off the scoreboard with a fine diving save at the feet of an oncoming forward. This close call seemed to spur the team, and very soon after Graceland was awarded a free kick 25 yards from the Tabor goal.
Jocelyn Jentsch calmly stepped forward to lift the ball over the wall and into the corner of the net for the first goal. The first half ended with Graceland leading by that single goal. The team was reminded of 1) the need to defend as a team instead of individuals watching each other, 2) to force Tabor to play into wide areas away from their stronger players and 3) to be more imaginative on the edge of the opposition penalty area. On many occasions we would find ourselves in good scoring positions only for the chance to be wasted because of a lack of movement, vision and imagination from the players concerned.
From past experiences my half time talks usually go in one ear and out the other of the players. Today for some reason the players took the comments to heart and executed my wishes on the field. Maybe it was the lack of sleep making them do strange things--who knows--but the result was a complete turnaround.
Graceland went on to score five more times and Tabor hardly got a sniff of our goal. The goals came in this order: Jocelyn Jentsch assisted by Laura Throckmorton, Lara Guscott assisted by Zulema Martinez, Sabine Schwittay unassisted, Maniesha Munro unassisted and Calea Bourne assisted by Chelsea Woodger. Luisa DiBiagio made a guest appearance out on field, instead of her usual position in goal, for the last 15 minutes as a bit of comic relief for the team. She said she scored but I think this was an hallucination caused by sleep deprivation.
We packed ourselves back into the vans and started our journey home, exhausted but proud after a good two days of hard work. The players were immediately asleep and it was my chance to finally play my Hootie and The Blowfish tape - sheer bliss.
After a stop at Pam Ash's house in Liberty we rolled into Lamoni at 8:30 p.m. and a sorry sight we must have looked. Bedragled and weak the ladies stumbled across the parking lot to their dorms.
With the thought of proper sleep being so imminent they were left with these words ringing in their ears - "don't forget you are shagging balls for the JV game tomorrow and there is practice straight after - we never stop learning!"
If you happen to see a young lady walking aimlessly about campus with her soccer shoes in her hand, please give her some hot coffee and point her in the direction of the soccer field. Many thanks.
--Kevin Sherry
09-19-03 Newman University
Graceland 1, Newman University 0Graceland went through a tough examination today from Newman University and came through it with the undefeated record still in tact.
Newman University was ranked in the Top 25 at the end of last season and we knew it would be a very competitive game on the road in Wichita, Kan. Surprisingly, Graceland dominated the first half and completely controlled possession of the ball and therefore the game.
The words to the players at half time were to 'be patient and keep doing what you are doing and the goal will come.' We were knocking on the door and it was only a matter of time before it opened for us. Little did I know that the second half would be dominated by Newman University and they weren't just knocking on our door they were battering it down with a sledge hammer!
Full marks to the Newman coaching staff for changing their team's style of play and throwing caution to the wind to get the win. They sacrificed a defender to push into midfield leaving them player for player at the back with no cover. I had to decide whether to counter this move by withdrawing one of my strikers into midfield or leave it as it was. I left it because I had faith in my defenders and believed that it was worth the gamble in favor of my strikers scoring before Newman did. It was extremely nerve racking and I must have aged one hundred-fold during the playing of that second half.
Newman threw everything at us except for maybe the kitchen sink and we stood firm. The back line and the midfield worked their socks off to protect our goal. Luisa DiBiagio came up with some excellent saves when it was needed to keep us in the game.
Unfortunately, we couldn't get good quality service to our strikers because of the crowded midfield and the pressure put on our defenders. I was sure that if we could we would score. We then dropped Lara Guscott into a deeper role, just behind the strikers and in front of the working midfielders. This was to pick up on any clearances from our defense and to provide a link between the strikers and the rest of the team. It also stopped Newman having an easy build up phase in the midfield third of the pitch.
The change had an immediate effect with the ball being played through Lara to eventually Zulema Martinez to run at goal on 81 minutes. Her shot was on the way into the goal but Maniesha Munro followed up from behind to make sure just in case. Score: 1-0. Our gamble had paid off and now it was 'all hands on deck' to weather the oncoming storm from Newman University that was bound to come.
With a big home support behind them to help, the Newman players attacked our goal with real venom. Their shots were blocked by defenders throwing themselves in front of the ball, by a great diving save to the right from Luisa DiBiagio and by the crossbar right at the death. It was 'edge of the seats stuff' and assistant Trevor Wiltse was heard saying "this is not doing my ulcer any good!"
I was living every minute and kicking every ball with them and it was with sheer relief to hear the final whistle that I collapsed on the floor from sheer exhaustion. I got up very slowly to shake hands with the opposition's coach and I vowed to retire as I don't think my heart could take another game like this one.
It was a great team performance with many players out with injury and it showed the strength of character that exists in this team. They were willing to battle it out for every inch of grass today, and it was this inner strength and determination that enabled us to get this victory. There is nothing that these players won't do for each other.
We then made our way to Newton and our motel, as we had a game against Tabor College the next day, only to find that the Super 8 had given away our rooms. To say I was a little perturbed by this is a gross understatement and Super 8 will be hearing from me in the very near future. To make matters worse there was a church conference in town as well as a volleyball tournament which meant that every motel in a 50-mile radius was fully booked up.
We had to drive back to Wichita and eventually found a hotel in order rest our weary heads, with the time being 2:05 a.m. Not exactly the best preparation for the Tabor College game the next morning at 11:00 a.m. but there you have it.
We told them it would be easy to bring this escapade to the game tomorrow as an already prepared excuse for why we would lose but they were reminded that we never bring excuses to games and to treat it as another test of character which we must overcome. And overcome it they did with style.
--Kevin Sherry
09-17-03 Grand View College
Graceland 1, Grand View College 1Well, the winning streak has come to an end and the players are a little deflated but the team is still unbeaten and it was indeed a hard fought match. I could present various reasons as to why we didn't get the victory such as the 30 mph winds and the performance of the ref but as I always tell the players, these are obstacles to us winning not excuses for losing.
The wind was very strong and both teams found it very difficult to play, though Graceland seemed to have the better of the possession and chances during the game. Graceland defended against the wind in the first half and found playing the ball forward very difficult. However, on 25 minutes Lara Guscott weaved some magic outside the Grandview penalty area and played in Zulema Martinez who finished with ease to make it 1-0. The first half was coming to an end and I was thinking how well the team had defended against the wind and that I couldn't see the Grandview team scoring against us when they would be defending against the wind in the second half.
With 30 seconds to go in the first half we conceded a corner kick which was taken and it swerved in the wind to go straight over Luisa DiBiagio's head and into the goal. It was such a soft goal to let in that the team felt as if all their hard work had gone to waste. We all encouraged Luisa and told her not to worry about it. The plan was to put Samantha Clark in goal for the second period but I felt this would shatter Luisa's confidence and it was important for her to know that I and the team had every confidence in her ability, so she stayed in.
The second half was a bombardment of the Grandview goal with the wind at our backs, but the team could not break open the Grandview defense. They defended with great strength and determination and today just wasn't going to be our day. To be fair to Grandview, we didn't really create many very good scoring chances and they could have pinched a result with a goal themselves if luck had been with them. That is the nature of soccer. Any given team can win on any given day.
Zulema Martinez had an excellent chance to score but couldn't finish and Jocelyn Jentsch had a good shot saved by the keeper. The game went into overtime but it was much the same and Graceland had to come off the field and accept that they had given everything and be content with the tie. This will be good for the team. Being # 16 in the nation has a lot of responsibility to uphold and the team may have been thinking that they were unbeatable. It is good to bring them down to earth and to remember the hard work that got them there in the first place.
We now realize that we need to keep on doing the hard work if our success is to continue. I was proud of the way the team kept battling hard and threw everything forward to try to get the win. We even played with four strikers to help push the momentum forward but Grandview kept us at bay and they must be complimented on having a fine defensive performance.
The team had a good Thai-Vietnamese meal on the way home and spirits were high. Samantha Clark complained of going blind because her meal was so spicy but apart from that we had a great night out.
We are confident we will bounce back and the team should feel proud about themselves concerning the way they gave it everything to win today. You cannot ask for anymore of your team and I thought they were outstanding. On another day we could have won 4-0 but it wasn't and we accept the tie. It is a measure of how far this team has come when they regard a tie on the road as being a let down!! They have a few things to work on but they are quick learners and we are looking forward to the next two games on the road this weekend.
I will end by saying that Kacey Loving put in a true captain's performance today. Kacey epitomizes what a true captain is. She is fearless, encouraging, thoughtful, sincere, physically fit, honest and an outstanding player. In the three seasons I have known Kacey I do not believe she has had a single bad game.
Today she was almost faultless. One mistake in 90 minutes is a pretty good performance in anyone's books. I see Kacey play so well so often that it is easy to take for granted what she does on the field for the team. I don't and never will. I was once asked to write a reference letter for Kacey and in it I just wrote, "She has been chosen to be the Graceland Women's Varsity Soccer captain - enough said."
--Kevin Sherry
09-14-03 Northwest Missouri State University
Graceland 2, Northwest Missouri 0Today was a real test of the team and the ladies came through it with flying colors. Northwest Missouri State University is a well organized and physically strong NCAA Division II team and Graceland managed to get the win due to two goals at either end of the game. Jocelyn Jentsch scored with a 25 yard rocket free kick into the upper corner of the net after four minutes played and Maniesha Munro scored with two minutes remaining of the game finishing off a through ball from Tara Stavlic.
The win was at yet another cost, as midfielder Rie Sawai re-injured her groin muscle and could be out for some time and Whitney Danner could not shake off her slight concussion from the last game. Amanda Sundell is still on the injured list, Sabine Schwittay was not feeling well and of course Angela Sanchez is out for the year with an ACL injury. Keeping everyone healthy is a full time job for athletic trainer Amy Sisson.
This was a good win on the road against a well coached team who had a very large support group to cheer them on. The wind picked up and it took players on both teams a little time to adjust to the conditions but once they had it was evident that Graceland were dominating play in the first half. Northwest Missouri State were content to drop all 11 players behind the ball to defend with and try to hit us on the counter attack. It was good practice for us to try and prize open their defense with neat and quick passing combinations. It is something that has been lacking in our attacking part of the game and today proved a great opportunity for the players to put into action what they had worked on in training.
The second half was a little different as the opposition used the wind to help them and they decided to be a bit more adventurous with their attacking play, pushing numbers forward when they had the chance. The Graceland defense held firm and Luisa DiBiagio was not particularly stretched in goal though she had Shemille Wright to thank when she tackled two strikers as they were bearing down on goal from close range.
Shemille Wright had another outstanding game in the heart of the defense today. The great thing about Shemille is that she listens in practice and takes her new found knowledge onto the game field every week. With most players (players in general - not my team) the coach's words go in one ear and out the other. Not with Shemille, though this was not always the case in her freshman year. I suppose it comes down to a growing maturity and maybe she is starting to trust and believe in the coach. I hope so, because I think he knows what he is talking about.
Another stellar performance today was that of Tara Stavlic. Tara has been struggling with her fitness since she arrived for preseason and we have been increasing her minutes with each game as she grew stronger. Today she started and finished the game, only being taken off with one minute to go so as to get the applause of the bench and the crowd. A well deserved ovation for an outstanding performance. Tara held the center of the midfield together and broke up almost everything Northwest Missouri State tried to do. To cap it all, it was Tara's through ball for Maniesha Munro to score so expertly with at the end before coming off.
Kacey Loving together with Heidi Beckstrom were like a brick wall against the opposition attacks. Anything that came their way went back the opposite direction with a bit more. Nav Boparai is now really flourishing at right back and is improving with every game in her new position, as are Chelsea Woodger and Reily Madigan. Julie Montgomery did an excellent job coming in with specific orders as to how to steady the midfield in the second half and she did so with exceptional ability.
This aspect of everyone's game is vital to Graceland's success. Players must understand their role on the team and be able to adapt that role when the needs require. Julie did that today as has Tina Knights, Sam Clark, Laura Throckmorton, Rie Sawai and Jen Holm before her. I don't have time to mention everyone but the team performance was a good one and we stood up against a very good team in their own back yard and came out victorious. There is still so much for the team to learn and it is frustrating that because of the hard schedule, it is difficult to get enough quality time with the team to teach them. Most of the time is spent recuperating and preparing. There is so much potential in this team that I am confident that they will take us to levels never dreamed of before at Graceland University.
It was nice to see Calea Bourne's parents at the game today, driving down from Canada to see their daughter play. Unfortunately they drove for 20 hours to Fayette the day before only to find out that the game had been cancelled due to bad weather.
If it helps Mr. and Mrs. Bourne, I want you to know that Calea is doing a great job here and you should feel very proud of her. Graceland is extremely lucky to have Calea with us.
On the way back home the team stopped in to visit The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception off highway 136. It is a Benedictine monastery finished in 1889 and in 1941 the church was given the honor of being a Basilica, reflecting its dignity, historical significance and importance as a spiritual center.
We are not all just about soccer you know!
--Kevin Sherry
09-12-03 Central College
Graceland 8, Central 0The game tonight was a celebration of the fact that the team had just been nationally ranked at # 20 after one week into the season. To think that this was possible two seasons ago would have been seen as a pipe dream. All the hard work and self sacrifice by all the players, supporters, alumni and staff have made what most people thought of as being impossible, a reality. I knew from the very first day I arrived at Graceland that this day would come. The only surprise to me is that it has come one year ahead of schedule.
So to the game against Central: After a very impressive run of victories in the first three games and being ranked # 2 in the region as well as # 20 in the nation, I was waiting for the team's play to go flat. It is inevitable and the first 20 minutes was the result. A non-thinking, motionless kind of soccer that we were sure had been left behind. Players deciding to kick the ball forward and hope for the best or just standing still and watching their team mates struggle was not the team that we knew and loved.
The players sat on the bench were asked to observe what was going on and to change the rhythm of the game. A picture says more than a thousand words and they could see immediately what I wanted. This was not to say that the first 11 which went out were totally off course as they did manage to score an early goal from Maniesha Munro who turned expertly well in the penalty area, off a pass from Sabine Schwittay, to slam the ball into the far corner of the net. After 25 minutes nine outfield players were changed and the incoming players began to move the ball around the field with quick, simple passing that left the Central players grasping at air.
The players coming off the field were told to watch the others play, and it was pointed out to them that they are more than capable of playing this brand of soccer which we had worked so hard in developing. I told them that I would not ask them to do something that I didn't think they were able to do. I knew they were outstanding players who have excellent soccer brains and that the first twenty minutes was just a mere bump on the road to successful learning. I had complete faith in them and it was stressed that in life we don't usually get second chances but today was their lucky day because they were going back in to start the second half so as to show us what they can really do.
The team which ended the first half did extremely well, scoring twice through Jocelyn Jentsch with a first time left foot shot off a pass from Whitney Danner, and Zulema Martinez running on to a beautiful thrown ball from Heidi Beckstrom to finish a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The result was not in question anymore but the manner of the win was. It was important that those players who had been criticized got out into the middle as soon as possible to put it right. And put it right they did!
The second half started with complete domination of possession of the ball by the Graceland team. The players passed the ball in every area of the field and waited for a gap to appear in the Central defense before cutting through it like a hot knife through butter. It was great to see the players rise to the situation and prove to everyone and themselves that they are tremendous soccer players. As the score was growing I was aware of not letting the result be a farce out of respect to the opponent but when you have 23 superb players on the roster it is very difficult to do. You pull someone off the field to help keep the score down and the replacement will go ahead and knock two into the net!
The first to score in the second period was Sabine Schwittay who ran onto a most amazing ball from Maniesha Munro. Maniesha had been pulling her marker all over the field and received the ball on the wide right with a defender closing in. Using the inside of the foot Maniesha cut the ball to the outside and without looking bent the ball round behind her shoulder, around the defender perfectly weighted into the path of the running Sabine. It was a piece of skill that lit up my day but believe you me there was a show stopper to top anything coming up later! Sabine ran on to the pass and the best way of saying thank you to Maniesha was to crash the ball into the goal which she did with consummate ease.
Next to score was Calea Bourne who finished off a move created by the Graceland midfield with Jennifer Holm being the one to pass the ball between the Central defenders for Calea to penetrate and score from. Next up was the Sabine and Maniesha show again with Sabine scoring from the edge of the penalty area off a pass from the target player, Maniesha Munro.
NEXT WAS THE MOST AMAZING SIGHT TO BEHOLD IN COLLEGE SOCCER! With Luisa DiBiagio doing so well in the goal it would have been unfair to pull her from the goal. Luisa was keeping the shut out and it was only right that she saw the shut out through to the end. Her catch off a corner kick was the pick of the saves tonight. The question was therefore, what are we to do with Samantha Clark, the other goalkeeper? You don't travel for 2 ½ hours with the team and not play.
Knowing that Sam likes a challenge and after seeing her come onto the field to replace the unfortunate Angela Sanchez, who had ruptured her ACL, in the second game, I decided to put Samantha on as an outfielder. She begged me to let her go on as a striker and I relented though initially I wanted her to bolster up the midfield. Sam went on and then after only 10 minutes it happened!!! Zulema Martinez with the ball at her feet and confronted by a defender, looked up and saw Samantha making a forward run. Zulema jinked passed the defender and as the sweeper came across she placed the ball forward for Samantha to take in her stride. Sam's first touch was good guiding the ball towards the opposition goal and she out ran the covering defenders as the goalkeeper came out to confront Sam. For a second it looked as if the keeper was going to collect the ball but Samantha managed to find an extra burst of speed to reach the ball first as the two collided. From Sam's foot the ball lifted just over the diving keeper and made its way to the goal.
The world seemed to stand still and time had no meaning as everyone watched in stunned silence as the ball bounced and went into the corner of the goal. The Graceland bench jumped into the air and the roar would have been heard in Sam's hometown of Raytown. For my part I think I did a personal best for the high jump clearing what would have been 7 foot 3 inches!!! I almost ran onto the field to hug Sam as I was so happy for her. The other team must have been wondering what on earth was going on.
Sam ran around the field at 150 mph as if her hair was on fire until finally collapsing to the floor on her knees and hands in the air with an expression of sheer joy and amazement on her face. Most players never get to score a single goal in their college careers, Samantha Clark as a goalkeeper has done it in only 10 minutes of play!
As a PS, Zulema Martinez scored her second of the day to round things off with a tremendous assist from Laura Throckmorton with only two minutes remaining. Another great day and one I am sure Samantha Clark will never forget.
I want to take this opportunity to praise the whole team on their efforts today. For 50 percent of them came under pressure tonight and came through it with flying colors, answering any questions of them with a perfect display of controlled soccer. It is vital that the other 50 percent maintains this high level of play so that they never come into question. We have 23 outstanding soccer players here who I am convinced will improve.
Some of the fine performances today were; Chelsea Woodger getting her chance to enjoy her midfield role again with great skill after being released from her defensive responsibilities. Nav Boparai emerging as a very solid right back. Kacey Loving being consistent as ever, a rock in the heart of the defense, and a great leader by example. Heidi Beckstrom showing us all how passing a ball can be viewed as a piece of art. Reily Madigan improving with every game and the most improved player out of the returning players so far. Tina Knights who you can always guarantee will give nothing less than 100 percent every time. Shemille Wright showing great maturity and intelligence in the center back position.
Many of our attacks started at the feet of Shemille tonight. Rie Sawai who began to really shine despite only having a short time on the field. It was decided to rest Rie today and let the others take the major load because in previous games it had been Rie doing the majority of the minutes played. When Rie was on the field you could see her confidence coming back and level of play was outstanding. Laura Throckmorton was another in midfield who was rested for the same reason as Rie.
Having said that, for the short time that Laura was on the field you would find it very difficult to find a better player on any team. Laura was quite simply awesome. Her control of the ball and distribution was immense. Laura links up particularly well with Rie and when they are both on form they set the game alight, as they did today for about the 15 minutes they were on the field. Whitney Danner who just ran through their midfield every time she had the ball until she had to come off with a slight concussion. Julie Montgomery who is playing the best soccer of her life.
Jennifer Holm always being in the right place at the right time for the team. Jennifer played the ball forward today as good as any midfield player I have ever seen at Graceland. Jen is just coming back from injury and had to be taken off to make sure there was no recurrence of the injury. Tara Stavlic who has grown in stature as the holding player in midfield. I believe she enjoys being the center of all Graceland's play and the thing I enjoy most about Tara is her willingness to learn. I know that I have someone in Tara who understands fully of what I want from the player in her position.
Lara Guscott was only put on for about 15 minutes today. She was unhappy she did not have enough time to score a goal to keep up her average of a goal a game but there was a doubt over her fitness before the game and I did not want this to become an issue. Lara promised me she was ok but when I saw her running around with what looked like a support bandage fro her hamstring I had no hesitation in taking her out of the game. Lara is far too important to this team to risk for the sake of any silly little stat. Lara is a supremely gifted player and she will not play until I am sure she is 100 percent ready to go.
Calea Bourne who worked tirelessly on both wings and deservedly got her goal. Sabine Schwittay scoring her usual goal a game and getting an extra one for good measure. The thing I love about Sabine is she will run at goal and take a shot and if it misses she will pick herself up and will be ready to run at goal again to take another shot. She is a fine example of just being confident in your abilities and to keep on plugging away because good things will happen, instead of worrying and destroying yourself over previously missed opportunities.
Jocelyn Jentsch scoring yet another goal and leading the line with such strength and authority. Jocelyn was another who was rested today together with Zulema Martinez who had just been voted HAAC player of the week. Zulema scored two goals and assisted with one other in the short time she was on the field - what more can I say?
Last but not least is Maniesha Munro who gained most out of tonight's game (though Sam could argue differently). Maniesha took her goal very well and her all round play showed us all that she will be a major player in this team for the rest of the season and many years to come. Maniesha had been injured for most of pre season and tonight was her first real outing. She moved the back line about causing complete confusion and mayhem in the Central defense all day long and was superb in her link up play with the rest of the team.
The time is 12.21 pm and I must now retire to my bed. It has been a long day but one that will live long in the memories of many people involved with today's game for a very long time indeed!! Congratulations to SAM and the rest of the team. We must now prepare for our first conference game on Saturday away to Central Methodist College. Many thanks.
--Kevin Sherry
09-08-03 Grinnell College
Graceland 6, Grinnell 1Tonight we started our first of seven consecutive road games and a successful outing it proved. After two very impressive home victories to start the season, there was always that question of whether the team had the character to take their game on the road.
The team answered this question emphatically with a 6-1 win over Grinnell University tonight. Having just beaten two nationally ranked NAIA teams, it was also important to test ourselves against NCAA opposition which Grinnell provided from Division III. The score was 6 but to be absolutely honest it could have easily have been in double figures and this is not said to disrespect Grinnell. They passed the ball very well and were a credit to their coach with good thoughtful soccer that I am sure will give them a winning season.
The game was a joy to watch with both teams playing soccer the way it is supposed to be played: Simple, quick passing and intelligent movement off the ball. After a series of near misses Graceland finally got on the score sheet after 15 minutes when after a perfect through pass from Rie Sawai in midfield, Lara Guscott collected the ball and cut into the penalty area and neatly placed her shot into the far corner of the net past a very good goalkeeper. Lara has the unnerving coincidence of scoring the team's first goal in every game we play. If the opposition were to use all 10 outfield players to mark her at the start of the next game, we may never score. However, knowing Lara as I do, I don't think 10 would be enough!
Unfortunately, three minutes later Grinnell scored on a corner kick when goalkeeper, Sam Clark, misread the flight of the ball and the Grinnell striker had an empty net to head into in. Sam knew she had done wrong and vowed never to let the same mistake happen again which is to her credit. It was also nice to see the team encourage Sam and say "forget it, we all make mistakes" and get on with the game. And that is exactly what they did, scoring in 37 seconds after the restart.
Zulema Martinez played a neat give and go with Jocelyn Jentsch on the edge of the penalty area which opened up the Grinnell defense and Zulema finished with great aplomb. We had worked on this at practice and there is so much satisfaction to be gained from seeing hard work on the training pitch come to fruition on the game day. Ten minutes later Jocelyn Jentsch found herself in the penalty area with the ball at her feet and back to goal. Her attempts to turn with it were being hampered by the defender pushing and shoving her while pulling at Jocelyn's shirt. The referee had no choice to give a penalty kick and as Jocelyn got off the floor she was heard to say to the defender, "If you want my jersey that badly I will swap it with you after the game, but not until then if you don't mind."
The team looked to the bench for instructions as to who should take the penalty kick. This has been the first penalty kick awarded in our favor during the three seasons I have been at Graceland so you can imagine the confusion. I am not a coach who tells the players what to do when they are playing and I spoke to the whole team with the words that whoever felt the most confident and wanted it should take the penalty kick. I trust them all and believe in them.
Jocelyn just managed to get the ball before Whitney Danner and the rest of the team grabbed it and began to expertly slam the ball into the corner of the net from the penalty spot. The first half ended with many more chances being created which the strikers, for once, were not able to put away. On the stroke of half time Maniesha Munro was inches away from getting on the score sheet. In our first three games our strikers have been getting a lot of the plaudits, rightly so, for their efforts in front of goal but it is only right to mention the work of the defenders and it was during this first half that their true colors shone through. With the team pushing relentlessly forward on every occasion it sometimes left us stretched and exposed at the back.
The back four at times had to deal with more attackers than there were defenders and it tested their defensive organization skills to the limits. Nav Boparai, Kacey Loving, Heidi Beckstrom, Chelsea Woodger, Shemille Wright, Tina Knights and Reily Madigan shared the major work load for the four back positions and were a credit to the team.
A successful team is built on a strong defense. During half time the midfield were reminded of their defensive responsibilities and to sometimes join in with the back line when Grinnell look to play wide and penetrate our defense from these flank positions. As always with this team, they listen and then put those words into action on the field of play. The result was that in the second half our goal, protected by Luisa DiBiagio, was hardly troubled. And I repeat: I have never worked with players who can learn and pick up new ideas faster than this team. What a joy to coach!
The second half started with Graceland being firmly in control of proceedings and after 60 minutes Zulema Martinez scored her second of the game. A wonderful pass from the heart of our defense from Heidi Beckstrom found Calea Bourne in a forward position and Calea put Zulema Martinez through on goal. Zulema left her defender in her wake and moved in on the goalkeeper. As the keeper came out Zulema neatly placed the ball in the corner away from the outstretched hand of the keeper.
Five minutes later Jocelyn Jentsch combined with Lara Guscott to lave the Grinnell defense at a loss of what to do and Lara finished with a neat little dink over the advancing goalkeeper to score her 2nd of the evening. That left the stage open for Sabine Schwittay to score her usual goal a game.
On 71 minutes a long ball found Lara Guscott who went past one defender before releasing Sabine to dribble at the opposition goal. The move was finished off with a very firm and confident strike which found the corner of the goal. Sabine, Lara and Zulema have scored in all of the three games we have played this season so far and I hope this run continues!
It was another very professional performance against a very good Grinnell team. Don't let the score fool you - Grinnell are a good team and are obviously coached very well indeed. The show now continues on Wednesday night when we travel to play Central College near Pella in Iowa.
To finish this report I would like to pay tribute to a player who sometimes gets overlooked and that player is Whitney Danner. Whitney came in to the team as a striker and a very good striker she is indeed. It was evident during pre season that she liked to come deep into midfield to pick the ball up so as to run at the opposition. Trevor Wiltse, the assistant coach, noted that what the team lacks is a driving force in midfield and that Whitney could provide it. We tried it in the first game and have not looked back since. Whitney is joining a very good and experienced midfield of Rie Sawai, Julie Montgomery, Laura Throckmorton, Jennifer Holm, Tara Stavlic and the unfortunate Angela Sanchez who ruptured her ACL recently.
It is not easy to join such high quality players and make an instant impact but nevertheless Whitney has achieved immediate success. Whitney has great control of the ball and when she runs with it, there is no better sight in soccer. Whitney may not be on the score sheet yet, but her work for the team in other areas does not go unnoticed!
I also have to mention how sad I felt for the Grinnell defenders today. Their bench was not as deep as ours and their players were asked to do the whole 90 minute shift which they did magnificently. After having Zulema Martinez run past you for 30 minutes you can imagine their relief to see Zulema being replaced and leaving the field, only for the nightmare to return as they now see Calea Bourne rushing passed! "When does it ever end?" their expressions said. And it was the same with Maniesha Munro replacing Jocelyn and with Sabine replacing Lara.
The Grinnell defense was not just not given a minute to rest the whole game and it was with no surprise to see the team littered around the field near the end, on the floor in complete exhaustion and muscle cramps. The facilities were excellent at Grinnell and we would love to go back and play next year if Grinnell will take us. Their hospitality was first class, their soccer was beautiful at times giving us our first real test this season and the field made me wish I was 20 years younger and female!
Unbelievable news!!! I have just been handed a fax which states that for the first time in Graceland history we are now ranked in our region. Not only that - we are ranked second!!!!!
--Kevin Sherry
09-05-03 William Woods
Graceland 5, William Woods 0Another victory against a ranked team which has been spoiled by the injury to Angela Sanchez in the last few minutes of the game. The scorers were Lara Guscott (x 2), Calea Bourne, Zulema Martinez and Sabine Schwittay with assists from Rie Sawai, Angela Sanchez and three from Jocelyn Jentsch, but this is immaterial to the sad loss of Angela Sanchez in our midfield for the season with what looks like a torn ACL. This game and the rest of the season is dedicated to Angela and I hope she recovers soon.
--Coach Kevin Sherry
09-01-03 Park University
Graceland 8, Park 2The score line says it all really. The Lady Yellowjackets opened their season with an emphatic win against the current 7th ranked team in the country. The goalscorers were: Zulema Martinez (3), Lara Guscott (2), Sabine Schwittay (1), Angela Sanchez (1) and Jocelyn Jentsch (1).
This was a considerable all round team performance with every player in the team performing to the best of their abilities. It was evident that every player understood their role on the team and had the discipline to stick to their job - hence the amazing team performance which led to 7 goals in the first half.
Sabine Schwittay started it all off in the very first minute following up on a shot to poke home the rebound from close range. Who was to suspect what was to happen in the next 44 minutes of soccer. Graceland scored another 6 goals and in truth could have been more. To see the ladies knocking the ball around so confidently was a joy to behold and they fully entertained the packed bleachers. The hard work done in pre season was obviuosly paying off.
The team were organized, disciplined and yet played with a freedom that made it all look like we were watching a piece of art being painted. Every player on this team has the utmost trust in each other and because of this the ball moves quickly and freely all over the field of play. When I first arrived I said that one of my goals was to educate people who don't really understand or know soccer as to what soccer is all about. Today my team showed the amazing fans what soccer is about and how beautiful a game it is. I am so impressed by the turn out and I hope this continues through the season. They were sensational.
There were fine performances all rounmd tonight. Zulema Martinez lit up the night with some tantalizing runs and shots scoring three goals in the first half. Zulema did not play a minute of the second half so her contribution was formidable when you think she only played half a game. Jocelyn Jentsch scored the first of her goals for the season with a trademark bullet into the top corner. This will be the first of many many goals this year - trust me, I can see it.
Angela Sanchez, playing with a shin splint problem, put in a very astute performance in midfield capping it with a great one touch finished goal. Lara Guscott had two goals and always looked a threat infront of the opposition goal. I believe she has the greatest thinking female soccer brain in a player I have ever coached. Lara is always aware of what is happenning around her, anticipates every move and has the intelligence to choose the right decision almost every time. Not only that, she had the whole crowd standing up and applauding her for an absolutely amazing bicycle kick attempt at goal. I had never seen a female player try that technique with such skill and coordination. The crowd applauded continuosly for what seemed to be a whole minute.
Sabine Schwittay put in a very strong performance on the flank tonight with endless running and making sure she was always open for a pass if needed. It was nice to see Sabine score the first goal and get the congratulations of the whole team. Sabine finished the goal off but every goal reflects the team effort and every player was in reality congratulating each other for the goal and every goal. Sabine has such a wonderful personality and is the emodiment of our team philosophy of putting the "we" before the "me". So it was only fitting that Sabine should be the one to score the first goal of the season.
Luisa DiBiagio was a tower of strength and confidence in goal. Her abilities have given the team such a lift and they play with every cionfidence because they know they have a fine goalkeeper behind them. Samantha Clark came into the second half as the goalkeeper and was unlucky to concede a goal in the last minute ruining what would have been a shut out for the second period. Sam has come back fully focused to succeed. During the summer she took herself to a goalkeeping clinic in San Diego so as to improve. We have seen this improvement in the pre season and we all have the utmost confidence in Sam.
Julie Montgomery has adapted her game to get the best out of herself and it shows in every game she plays. Her speed of play has improved imeasureably and her decision making is now verging on perfection. Nav Boparai is as strong as ever in defense but is now working on other aspects of her game to make herself the best player she can be. Nav has so much potential and is a true leader of this team, it is scary to think how far Nav can go with her development. We have asked Nav to spring out of defense now and again to join in with the attacks and I believe she enjoys this extra freedom.
Shemille Wright anchored the back line the whole of the second half and is a very steadying influence on the team. Shemille is one of the best passers of the ball in the team and when you have that in the heart of your defense you know the team is going to be able to build attack after attack. Chelsea Woodger put in her usual 100% powerful game from defense. We have adapted Chelsea into being a defender and we are starting to see thefruits of all the hard work and patience. Chelsea is a strong defender who can head and tackle but also understands the importance of covering her other defenders, a skill which a lot of college players don't understand. Chelsea is also two footed which helps gives us so many options.
Tina Knights was the ultimate professional tonight as she always is. The Park number 7 was starting to give us problems in the first half and actually scored a goal wioth a fine solo effort after aroound 20 minutes. It was time to call upon Tina to do what I believe no one in the country does better - close down an opposition player and shut her out of the game. Tina has the tenacity, discipline, speed, strength, technique and single-mindness to make any opposition players night a nightmare. Unfortunately the number 7 got a red card and was taken out of the game in the second half. I am sure that Tina had more than a small part to play in that happenning.
Kacey Loving put in the same game she puts in every time. For three years I have seen Kacey play the best soccer in every game she has played. Kacey is dependable and passionate about her team. That is why she is captain of the Lady Yellowjackets. Reily Madigan has improved out of sight from last year. We all know about her work rate and her determination to win. But what we have now is a player who can play with either foot, never misses a pass, understands fully the position she has been asked to play and has found an extra yard of speed during the summer. Reily is phenomenal at the moment - long may it continue.
Rie Sawai from Japan has found a love of the game again playing in such a good team. Rie wants the ball and wants to be involved like never before. Last year the burdon of having to carry the team was sometimes too difficult, but this year Rie can now think about her own play in relation to the game situation. Rie knows now that she will get the ball if she does a particular run into space because we have players who can pass the ball. Rie knows now that she can play the ball foprward to the strikers because she knows she has strikers who are thinking on her levelk and can score. I believe we haven't seen the best of Rie yet but when we do then the nation will stand up and take note. Rie's dream of playing professional soccer in the USA is not very far away.
Whitney Danner did a tremendous job for the team tonight. She had to fill in for Tara Stavlic in midfield at the last minute just when Whitney was getting prepared to start at her usual position of striker. Ivan Joseph, the men's coach, describes Whitney Danner as a thorough-bred. When you see Whitney run you will know exactly what he means. Whitney has such great close control and can cut the ball either side. Whitney was the unlucky one tonight not to get on the scoresheet but that sometimes happens. I am confident that Whitney will be knocking them in very soon. She has such a great attitude and a love of the game that her cannonball shots will soon be bulging the old onion bag in the very near future.
Laura Throckmorton has been a total revelation this season. She is a more confident person and this is reflected in her soccer. Laura is the driving force of the midfield and has become what I like to call her: "the vaccuum cleaner" of the team. Laura is always there to sweep up any trouble or help a team mate out. Laura has the uncanny knack of always being in the right place at the right time. Her technique has reached great levels and has the utmost respect of all her team mates and coaches.
Calea Bourne is a bundle of energy that once she steps onto the field something happens. Calea is a raw talent that has greta potentail. What she has in abundance that most players don't have is speed to burn. Calea will scare the living daylights out of most defences this season. Heidi Beckstrom is a class act. Watching Heidi reminds me of an old master of the game from Germany, Franz Beckenbaur. Heidi is so composed on the ball and her timing in the tackle is faultless. Heidi, like Lara, has a truly great soccer brain that is continually working. Her positioning is second to none. Heidi put in a stella performance tonight and I believe we have the makings here of a great future captain of a great Graceland Team for many years to come.
I apologise for the length of the press release but my joy has no bounds tonight. I have in my charge the best bunch of young ladies you are ever likely to meet and I wish to savour every minute of it. I have the best assistant any coach could ever want in Trevor Wiltse.
The soccer ladies and both coaches see themselves of being part of the team. We stand and work together. The team doesn't stop there. We have an amazing bunch of athletic trainers who have done miracles with our players and we have the greatest soccer mom in the world to always rely on, Pam Ash.
The fans showed tonight that there is a real interest in soccer at Graceland and we are very much appreciative of their efforts tonight. The parents of the players who came to watch must also be thanked for their support and post game "snacks". We are a true family team and one in which I am immensley proud to be a part of.
Congratulations to the men's team also for their 2-0 win over Park tonight. Soccer has found a home at Graceland University at last.
