Comments from Coach Sherry
2004-0507-29-05 Farewell from Kevin Sherry
It is with a sad and heavy heart that I write my last press release for the women’s soccer program at Graceland University. As of July 7th I have resigned from Graceland to take up the position of head women’s soccer coach at Western Illinois University, NCAA Division I. I wish to say goodbye to the families of these wonderful players. The main reason why the players have developed so well is down to you, and you must be congratulated on bringing up such great people. Your support of me has also been the greatest of gifts. I would also like to take this opportunity to say goodbye and thank Ivan Joseph, the men’s soccer coach at Graceland. You have taught me so much and your constant support has been a huge help to me. You have influenced me in a way you cannot imagine and for that I am forever in your debt.I wish to end by using some words from Mother Teresa. It has been my guiding light throughout the four seasons I have had at Graceland University - Goodbye.
“People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered.
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
What you spend years building, someone may destroy overnight.
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, people may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough.
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is all between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.”
-- Kevin Sherry
12-13-04 National Championships
BERRY COLLEGE 0 GRACELAND 0 (3-5PKS)SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY 0 GRACELAND 1
LINDSEY WILSON COLLEGE 0 GRACELAND 0 (5-4PKS)
The Final Four – who would have believed it possible? What a season and what a group of young ladies. Graceland University can be truly proud of them. And to top it all …… We could have won the whole thing! It was within our grasp. We had two open goals in the semi final, one of which was in the final five minutes of the game, which would have secured our place in the championship game against a team we KNEW we could beat. What a historic moment that would have been.
Having said that, the experience and the performances put in by the team were exceptional and capped a great undefeated season. I thought the effort of the players in the three games was just phenomenal, against very good teams that were full of talented players from all over the world. We were up against heavily scholarshipped teams with many international players and to come here and do what we did was just remarkable. These ladies are a credit to the university, the alumni and they're a credit to the conference and region they represented.
I have had many great memories and achievements in my sporting life. I have scored a goal playing for Great Britain U-18’s against the Italian National U-18 team, I have won the English national college championship as a player, I have won the London Cup twice as a coach and this achievement with the soccer ladies of Graceland University ranks right up there with these other accomplishments as being one of the proudest moments of my career. I swell with pride about playing a small part in this team’s development and having the privilege to watch them achieve the level of success which no one thought possible. It is amazing to see us play in a tournament where every other team gives out full scholarships to their players and there we were with very little or no athletic scholarships awarded to the players.
In recent seasons Graceland has pursued an NCAA Division III model of participation rather than success in athletics, which makes this achievement all the more amazing. It is almost unfathomable to realize that this team of cast offs could go the whole season undefeated and do battle with the best which this nation can provide, and come away with such success. If you put it all in this context, then this is by far the greatest achievement in my career as both a player and as a coach. This is the kind of stuff movies are made from. All I ask is that George Clooney plays me in the movie!
Two days before we left for Santa Barbara we lost Sabine Schwittay through injury. In one of our last practices Sabine got her cleats caught in the grass and tore her ACL. It was so sad to see and it put a real downer on our last minute preparations. Sabine had been a constant force on the team all season and was a central player in how we played and to lose her so close to the tournament was heart breaking. It brought many of us to tears and made us even more determined to do well at the tournament so as to dedicate our success to her. Sabine came with us and hobbled around on crutches offering her support from the side lines. This support and team fellowship shows the secret of our success. It is at the core of everything we do.
We arrived with a few days to prepare as we had received the number five seeding and therefore a bye through the first round. We used this time to acclimatize to the blue sky and 75 degree sunshine and get some important practice time in.
We had the opening ceremony which was a great event for the players to be part of. It was done the same way as the Olympics, with teams walking behind their banner in lines in front of the applauding fans. It made them feel special and for the first time gave them a sense of what they had really accomplished. Here we were in Santa Barbara, Calif. with the best teams in the nation competing for the national championship. We watched a couple of the first games and it gave the ladies a feel of what was in front of them. They had an extra bounce in their step for the next couple of practices as a result.
We practiced on the field of Westmont College which was a beautiful surrounding to be in. The games were played on the turf of the Santa Barbara City College stadium which was right by the beach, palm trees and ocean. It was an amazing place to watch and play soccer in. During some time off we took the players to the local zoo and they had a good time just being together. The fellowship you see in this team is inspiring and is something anyone who comes into contact with the team always comments on.
After a couple of days the players were becoming anxious to get started. We were one of the last teams to play and the players were desperate to get going. Our first game was against Berry College from Georgia which had been the Region XIII Champions and ranked 15 in the nation with a seeding of 12 for the tournament. This was Berry’s 15th appearance at the national tournament and they had been in the final game on five occasions winning the national title three times. It was going to be tough but you don’t get to the national championships and expect an easy game.
Berry dominated the first part of the game with possession of the ball but didn’t really penetrate our back line with any offensive play. They had a very explosive dribbler of the ball on the left wing which was causing Heidi Beckstrom some early problems but Heidi stood firm and made sure the threat was soon cancelled out with excellent one-on-one defending. Towards the end of the first half Graceland came more into the game and began dictating the pace and flow of the game. Reily Madigan came into midfield after 25 minutes to join Misako Inaba and Julia Prohaska, which enabled Graceland to win more tackles and keep the ball better in the central part of the field. We now had a platform on which to provide our forward runners with opportunities to attack the Berry goal which was defended by a German goalkeeper who was an All-American the previous season. Maria Prieto came the closest with an excellent shot from the right which was pushed round the post by the diving Berry goalkeeper.
The second half was dominated by the Graceland team and the only thing missing was the finish on net. In a game that did not have many scoring opportunities for each team, the opportunities which were created were spurned, either by excellent goalkeeping or a lack of technique from the Graceland strikers. The game finished at 0-0 and then had two 10 minute periods of overtime which went by without any score which meant the game now had to be finished on penalty kicks.
We decided to put Luisa Dibiagio in net for the penalties, replacing Samantha Clark, because of her better speed and agility. It was a gamble but the gamble paid off. Luisa stopped Berry’s first penalty kick attempt and teammates Heidi Beckstrom, Jocelyn Jentsch, Misako Inaba, Calea Bourne and Katrina Sumsion made all of their attempts to advance the Yellowjackets to the next round. It was a brave thing to do to switch Samantha Clark in goal with Luisa DiBiaggio for the penalty kicks after Sam had done so well in net for the whole game. Decisions have to be made by all of us every day; this was just one more decision. We had practiced penalty kicks all week and Katrina Sumsion had been the most consistent and it was left to her to take the all important fifth kick which would ensure victory and she calmly stepped forward to slot the kick home. The players were overjoyed and it was such a relief to win our first game. It meant we were playing Simon Fraser University from British Colombia in the quarter finals.
Simon Fraser is a university of 22,000 students from Burnaby, British Columbia, who had lost only one game the whole season. This was their eighth appearance in the national tournament and had won it twice and been the runner up on two occasions also. The official press release of the game read as follows: “Fifth-seeded Graceland University (Iowa) upset fourth-seeded Simon Fraser University (B.C.) 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the 2004 NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship.
“Graceland sophomore forward Whitney Danner scored the game-winning goal in the 73rd minute off a cross from Zulema Martinez. The Yellowjackets were out-shot 17-4 in the match, but junior goalkeeper Samantha Clark made five saves in the game and posted her 14th shutout of the season.”
The press release doesn’t say it all. Simon Fraser was an amazing team full of very talented players who were tall, fast, technical, strong and committed. We saw them beat William Jewell 2-0 two days previously and knew we were in for a tough encounter. They seemed to have everything and it was going to take a monumental effort to get passed them. Most of the game was spent in the middle third of the field as each team battled for possession. Neither team were able to get close enough to the opposition’s goal because of excellent defensive work by both teams. Simon Fraser was more than willing to shoot from long distance hence the disparity in shots at goal ratio in the stats for both teams. Sam was able to comfortably control these long distance shots and for the first 70 minutes neither team looked liked scoring.
In the 73rd minute Graceland scored. The ball was played to Jocelyn Jentsch by Heidi Beckstrom on the right side and Jocelyn played a great first time pass down the right wing for Zulema Martinez to run on to behind the left defender. The pass was hit with perfect weight enabling Zulema to look up before hitting a cross first time into the box. Malcolm Guscott, Lara’s dad, is claiming an assist on the goal because he said it was his loud call to Whitney Danner from the bleachers to move into the near post which made the goal happen. Whitney did move across the face of the goal and got to the cross just in front of the near post to flick the ball low and hard past the stationary goalkeeper for a great goal. This sparked the Simon Fraser team into action and as the time started to erode they got more and more desperate with throwing everything at our goal. They pushed extra players forward and started to pump long balls into the box from every area of the field. Memories of the Alamo movie came to mind. Our defenders had to stand up and be counted and they did. Samantha Clark caught everything and Heidi, Amanda, Nav and Chelsea did not give an inch at the heart of the defense.
The last five minutes were not without incident though. The Japanese forward of Simon Fraser had a point blank chance from six yards which looked a certain goal until Samantha Clark did a miraculous finger tip save to push the ball onto the bar and over. It was truly remarkable. With only two minutes to go the same player had a header which went inches past the post and another shot, which was destined for the bottom corner, was blocked by a diving Reily Madigan who threw herself in harms way for the sake of the team. There was a huge sense of relief as the final whistle went because I don’t know how much longer we could have held out. It now meant we were in the final four and had a soccer banquet to attend during our day of rest. Wow!
The next day Westmont College, the hosts of the tournament, held a banquet in their gym to honor the final four teams. It was a nice spread and it was great to see the ladies dress up because the occasion helped them feel special. They are special people and it is so heart warming to see them receive the recognition they deserve. I had to give a small speech in front of everyone in which I said how proud I was of the team and how thankful I was to everyone for putting on such a great tournament. It really felt like the soccer world cup with so many players from all over the world and seeing the best college teams in America competing every day.
I also thanked the organizers for giving the players an experience which will live in their memories for the rest of their lives. They have shared something so special that they now have a bond which will never be broken over time or distance. I also told everyone that winning the national championship isn’t everything, and that the core human values of respect, sportsmanship, loyalty and honor which the players learn and show was the real winner. Our team is built around these core values and they played a major role in our success this season. I wanted everyone in that room to hear that fact because sometimes schools, coaches and players lose sight of the real reason we play soccer at this level. Winning a national title by spending the most money to get the best players from Europe, Africa, Jamaica, etc… proves nothing. Our players are by no means the best there is, but they work hard together and will do anything for each other which enables them to compete on a national level. Mix this with some good coaching and you have a recipe for success which is far more satisfying.
Earlier on in the day we had a very pleasurable lunch at the home of John Whitehurst and Kathy McGuire in Santa Barbara. John was a Graceland alumni and he opened up his home to our team which was so kind and appreciated by all. It was an occasion where the players, staff and families of the players could meet as one outside of the soccer environment to enjoy each others company, eat good food and actually see some video of the two previous games which John had kindly taped for us. A huge cheer went up when we saw Whitney’s goal go in and Whitney’s mom almost jumped through the window in excitement. This could have been fatal because John and Kathy’s home was on a hillside over looking Santa Barbara which gave a great backdrop on the proceedings. The hospitality shown to us was truly wonderful and I know I speak for the players when I say thank you to John and Kathy. Your kindness and hospitality made the Santa Barbara experience even more special.
On the day of the semi-final we spent an hour at the stadium getting used to the conditions of the field and working on one or two things concerning our game plan. We also practiced penalty kicks and who would have thought they would play such an important to play in the result of the game? Each of the kickers took three each and the top scorers were selected to be in the top five of the penalty takers. Surprisingly, Katrina Sumsion missed two of the three and dropped out of the top five which was a shame because it was Katrina who took the all important fifth kick in the game against Berry College. I keep second guessing myself and tell myself I should have kept Katrina in the top five despite the morning misses but like I said before you have to make decisions in this job and then have the bravery to see them through. I was confident in all of the players and I was confident in the sequence of penalty takers chosen.
It was a beautiful day and we took the team downtown Santa Barbara to stroll amongst the stores. Then it was back to our favorite restaurant, Luigi’s, whose owner was a Graceland alumnus from 1976-78. It was totally coincidental that his restaurant would be one minute away from our hotel. He got out his Acacia and got the ladies to sign it for him. He was very hospitable but not so much that he would give us a discount on any of the meals we had there though!! The food was excellent and we highly recommend the restaurant to anyone visiting the Santa Barbara area. Just mention Graceland University and he will proudly show off the signatures of his favorite women’s soccer team!!
The ladies had an afternoon snooze and then we made our way to the stadium for the final four match versus the number one ranked team in the nation, Lindsey Wilson College. We had to wait for the other semi final to finish which went to overtime and Concordia upset the higher seeded Robert Morris College. Having watched Concordia we knew we could beat them but first we had to overcome the number one seeds. Most teams would have been intimidated about playing a team that didn’t field any home grown American players and whose roster was full of the top international players from all over the world. The ladies were not and in fact they were confident they could play against them. We had tied 0-0 at their ground in Kentucky earlier on in the season and we knew we had improved since then.
The game was very open with both teams fighting to control the rhythm and pace of the game. Graceland struck first when a 10th minute thunderbolt from Whitney Danner hit the crossbar from 20 yards. The ball spun off the crossbar and when it fell to the floor it spun backwards missing the far post by inches!! The team noticeably grew in stature from this and really pushed home the advantage the team was having with ball possession and shooting chances. Lindsey Wilson were restricted to long range efforts which never troubled Samantha Clark in goal, whereas Graceland were able to penetrate their back line with through passes for our quicker forwards to use. Unfortunately, we were unable to make any of these good opportunities count. The second half was much the same with Lindsey Wilson having some great passing moves from the back but then faltering as they reached our back line whereas we were able to hit them on the break and create good scoring chances which were not converted.
A good chance came on the hour mark when a high ball into the goal area from Amanda Sundell had the goalkeeper rooted on her line and Maria Prieto moving in unopposed on goal. Maria just had to make any contact on the ball and it would have gone in the goal because she was only two yards out from the goal. Unfortunately, Maria ducked under the ball and the chance drifted over and wide of the far post and crossbar. No one is blaming Maria because no one gave of themselves for the team than she did for the tournament. She ran herself into the ground for the team but just didn’t have that composure in front of goal which the top strikers in the world have.
The frustrations for the team were building. We were holding Lindsey Wilson easily at bay and created many chances for ourselves which were not being taken advantage of. The frustration came to a boiling point when with only five minutes in regular time the ball was played from right to left on a counter attack to find Whitney Danner in front of the goal only seven yards out and with the goalkeeper frozen on her line. The goal was wide open and everyone anticipated that this was the moment we had been working for. Whitney took a touch to control the ball and then made the classic mistake. She took another touch trying to get the perfect position to strike the ball from. This enabled for covering defenders to put pressure on her and therefore had to hurry her shot which meant a hook past the near post and wide. I am sure the pressure of the situation got to Whitney. She had time to think and therefore realized how important this chance was and therefore became too careful.
No one is blaming Whitney but it really highlighted the teams Achilles heel for this season and points the way for what needs to be worked on during the off season. Whitney scored against Simon Fraser University with one touch because she had no time to think about it. With this chance she had time to think which ultimately led to the miss. Whitney was and still is distraught about it but we have told her that she has nothing to be ashamed of. Whitney is a star player who always gave 100 percent and it was her goal which put us in the final four in the first place! The game then went into overtime with neither team pressurizing the opposition’s goal. It seemed as if both teams were content to go to the penalty kick showdown.
We put Luisa DiBiagio in goal again for the penalties and the order for our five kickers was in order – Heidi, Jocelyn, Calea, Nav and then Misako. The Lindsey Wilson players hit all five of their penalties firm and into the corners giving Luisa very little chance. The first four of our takers completed theirs with little fuss although Nav’s went in off the crossbar which caused a few flutters. It was left to Misako to take the fifth. If she scored it would be sudden death starting with the sixth kicker but if she missed the result would be in favor of Lindsey Wilson. The tension and the gravity of the situation obviously got to Misako because her kick lacked the normal confidence and pace which resulted in an easy save by the opposition goalkeeper.
We were out. It is a sad way to lose especially when you see how well we had performed against Lindsey Wilson and had the chances to win easily during regulation. Misako was obviously very upset but we made it very clear to her that she is a star in our eyes and she has our absolute support and love. The team lost this final game not Misako.
We dried our tears and then had our final circle with every team member holding hands. We congratulated ourselves on having such a great season which remained unbeaten because games decided on penalty kicks go down as a tie on the official records. We had achieved something very special by going the WHOLE season undefeated, winning the conference championships and reaching the Final Four of the national championships. We said our goodbyes to our two seniors, Katrina Sumsion and Chelsea Woodger who was our captain. We thanked them for their sacrifice, loyalty, dedication, support and leadership. They will be sorely missed. We looked around the circle to see into each of our eyes and we saw a true team. We saw a team spirit never seen before and we realized right there that we had shared something which we should rightly feel very proud of. The bond we had was sealed at that moment and this bond will never be broken.
We accepted our final four trophies in front of the applauding spectators and then made our way to the vans. We were down but we held our heads high with pride. Many neutrals came up to me to say that the game was the best of the tournament and that we deserved to win. This was nice to hear but the comments which made me the most proud were the affirmation from everyone that the Graceland team were a joy to be around because of the way they supported each other, genuinely cared about each other and how well they treated anyone who came into contact with the team. I was so proud.
I would like to comment on how well we were looked after by our ‘minders’ in California. Athletic Director, Dan Hanton, looked after all the logistics and was our father figure to look up to. Amy Woodruff was our media person who took care of the paperwork and was a friend to all the team. John Bartholomew and Vanessa Martinez took care of everyone’s medical needs and they did an amazing job. We nearly lost Chelsea Woodger one day before our first game but they patched her up and got her out on the field, Chelsea’s determination and desire took care of the rest.
And last but not least I would like to say thank you to Derek Sutherland and Aaron Dempton. They were our bodyguards and like any protective father made sure the ladies never came to any harm. They carried everything, drove the vans, counted in and out the players so as not to lose any and basically made sure the ladies were protected. I know there had been some comments regarding why they should have gone to California and I want to state quite publicly that they deserved to go and once there were a central part in our success. They had worked wonders during the season to make our field one of the best in the region and that alone was enough to get them on the plane to California. Together with the athletic trainers, these two are as important part of the team as the players or me. You were all wonderful in California. Thank you all.
I would also like to thank the wonderful family members and various Graceland people who came to offer their support. We had by far the greatest number of supporters for any team apart from the host team obviously. It gave the ladies such a lift to see so many friendly faces cheering them on. People had to come from great distances to get to Santa Barbara and had to make great sacrifices in order to be there to support. This self sacrifice and desire to help the team is reflected in our supporters as well as within the team. Everyone plays an important role in the success of this team including the families, alumni and supporters. Their role cannot be underestimated and the support given to the ladies gave them a solid foundation of love, caring and trust which enabled them to go out time after time and do their best. There are too many of you to put down in print but we know who you are and we are eternally grateful.
We packed our bags and traveled back to Los Angeles to get our flight. Because of it being Thanksgiving break it meant myself, Dan and Derek couldn’t travel on the same flight as the players and we would travel back some four hours afterwards. The players were met at the airport by a welcoming group with balloons and posters congratulating them on a terrific tournament and year. It was nice to hear that these kind people had made such an effort to welcome them home. I am sure it made the players feel very special. In a way it was poetic justice that the players and I were on separate flights.
We had worked so hard together for a whole year and now it was over. Next year is a new start with new goals and expectations. Players and coaches come and go and next season will be different in so many ways. If this team is to be successful then they need to take on board what they have learned this season and use it to improve for the next no matter who is playing or coaching them. One thing I am sure about is that this team can go on and be one of the very best college teams in America for many years to come.
On returning I was told about how much the university had come together to follow the ladies in California. People would gather round computers to follow the live web casts and it seemed to bring people together who normally wouldn’t be seen together. This is a good thing and I hope this now kick starts the Graceland community to come together more on many other different aspects of Graceland life.
Nav Boparai was selected onto the all-tournament select side which was a real honor and one in which the whole team can take credit for. We did not concede a single goal during the whole tournament and in my eyes every player of mine should have been on that all-tournament team. Every player did themselves proud, whether on the field or off. The ladies played their hearts out and supported each other with every breath. This will be something I will tell any team I coach in the future about. We have made the blueprint for future successes and who knows there may even be a book that comes out of it all.
I want to finish by thanking the most important people in all of this and that is the players. You are so wonderful and you have taught me so much about myself and the power of the human spirit. Together you have moved mountains and I wouldn’t have believed it possible if I hadn’t seen it with my own two eyes. You sacrificed so much and completely gave of yourself for the benefit of others. I was a recipient of this giving and support. When I was being attacked professionally and personally from an outside source you closed ranks around me so as to protect me. You gave me the strength to continue and for that I will be forever in your debt. You tell me how privileged you feel about receiving my coaching – believe me when I say this pales into insignificance compared to what you have done for me. Words cannot express the feelings I have for you all and the gratitude I feel for each and every one of you. Thank you – your names and faces are etched into my heart for ever.
--Coach Kevin Sherry
Graceland University Women’s Soccer 2004
11-09-04 GRACELAND 0 WILLIAM JEWELL 0 (3-4 PK’S)
What a match to decide the Region V championship. Action at both ends of the field, two over times and then the game decided on penalty kicks which Graceland ultimately lost 4-3. It is a cruel way to lose, especially after working so hard all season, but the sadness is tempered by the fact that we are 99.9 percent sure we have qualified for the national tournament as an at-large qualifier.We have to await final confirmation tomorrow but I am very confident because of our national ranking of 7th and just coming off an unbeaten season.
What a game this was!!!! By far, the best game of soccer I have seen in women’s soccer. Both teams were excellent in their technique and tactical awareness. They matched up equally and the game was a complete stand off between two great teams. I would have to say that William Jewell edged the first half but Graceland had the better of the play in the second half. It was sad that either team had to lose.
If it had been a regular season game it would have ended as a tie but because this was for the Region V championship it had to go to penalty kicks. We had two saved by the goalkeeper whereas the William Jewell players made sure of theirs.
Heidi Beckstrom scored with the first but Lara Guscott missed with the second. Nav Boparai and Misako Inaba scored but Chelsea Woodger missed with our last penalty to end the game. The players were very upset naturally and before they got too distraught I told them I was absolutely sure we have qualified for the national tournament. They didn’t know this going into the game but I knew from 4:00 p.m. that afternoon.
Their tears of sadness turned to tears of joy and it is only right that this team and that of William Jewell should go to the national tournament. Both teams deserve it so much. I am genuinely happy for William Jewell and very proud of my ladies. This has been the most amazing season and these young people have accomplished so much. It started off slowly with no real expectations and it has just snowballed week after week until now.
The game could have been won by Graceland in regular time and over time with the chances we had. Lara Guscott had a tap-in from six yards which she had to reach for and ended up lifting the ball over the crossbar when the net was gaping open wide. Lara also had a free header from two yards at the near post with an open goal before her but somehow managed to deflect it passed the post. Maria Prieto had a shot from 18 yards which was in all the way but ended up turning at the last second to hit off the far post. These three chances looked like certain goals and I still can’t believe that at least one of them wasn’t converted.
William Jewell had some chances of their own but nothing as clear cut as the Graceland chances and Samantha Clark was only troubled once when a long range shot from midfield hit her crossbar in the first half.
I have never seen so many spectators at the Razz before!! From the gate all the way to the football bleachers it was packed solid with people. I can’t put a number on it but I wish I had a dollar for every person there!! The support was amazing and it illustrated the interest this soccer team has generated in the school and in the community. The ladies were amazed by it and made sure I use this report to say the biggest thank you ever from the bottom of their hearts. I wish we could take you all with us to California for the national tournament.
I am too emotional to give a full report. I need to get home and relax. My next report will be from Santa Barbara, Calif. at the national tournament. This is the first time in the school’s history that the women’s soccer team has qualified for the national tournament and who knows – this team may just go all the way!!
by Kevin Sherry, Head Women's Soccer Coach
11-06-04 GRACELAND 4 LINDENWOOD 1 - REGION V SEMI-FINAL
It was a beautiful day to behold. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and the massed fans were all dressed up in T-shirts and smiles. It was a good day which became even better with a fine 4-1 win against Lindenwood University to clinch a place in the Region V final against William Jewell College here on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m.Goals by Heidi Beckstrom from the penalty spot, an outrageous left footed volley from Lara Guscott, a tap in for Maria Prieto from close in and a Meghan Dunagan strike eight minutes from time sealed the win for Graceland. Lindenwood did get on the score sheet with only five minutes to go but the end result was never in doubt and Graceland can now look forward to the Region V final on Tuesday night.
Last year the lady Yellowjackets lost at this region semi-final stage 4-1 to McKendree College and it is very encouraging to see us take that step forward in our progression as a team. We learned so much about ourselves last season with that loss and we transformed ourselves in the off-season to make sure that those lessons learned were adhered to. The results are there for everyone to see now.
Today was the first time I had seen my team obviously nervous. The warm up was not going well with many passes going astray and players being too careful and analytical about what they were doing. I brought them together and reminded them of all the positive things they had achieved this year and then did some simple breathing exercises to try to get them to relax.
I was even going to tell them the joke about what do you call a man with a sea gull on his head? …. Cliff. This would have been done to help calm the nerves. It is probably a good thing I didn’t as the joke is so funny I doubt they would have had the energy to play after rolling around the floor in hysterics. I’ll keep that joke for my one man stand up act which I will be taking out on a nationwide tour shortly.
The game started with Graceland dominating possession of the ball and creating chances in front of goal. Misako Inaba had a long range effort just go over the bar and Jocelyn Jentsch couldn’t get the ball from under her feet at the critical moment in front of goal when the ball fell towards her after a long free kick into the penalty area. Jocelyn Jentsch also just failed to get on the end of a cross after some great wing play by Zulema Martinez on the right. It is one of the best sights in soccer seeing the winger taking on the defender and trying to get behind them. You could see from the outset that Zulema was determined to stamp her authority on the game and her marking defender which gave our attacking play so much more punch.
The first goal came after 15 minutes when the ball was played into the penalty area down the left hand side and as Whitney Danner collected the ball was sideswiped by the covering sweeper. The official had no choice but to award a penalty kick. Up stepped the dependable Heidi Beckstrom to calmly slot home her second penalty in successive games.
Lindenwood came back into the game after this and took control of the midfield with some fine passing and movement. Graceland were happy to concede this part of the field and protect their own defensive third looking for mistakes with which to counter attack with. The ladies always looked dangerous on the break as the forwards seemed to be much more up for this game than in other games recently. It just seemed they were more prepared to take on the responsibility of taking this team to the next level and it showed in everything they did.
Zulema Martinez was dribbling at her defender at every opportunity and providing some excellent crosses. Jocelyn Jentsch was disciplined in her positioning and holding up the ball so as to play in support players around her and Whitney Danner was willing to run and anticipate every lose ball for the benefit of the team. This commitment didn’t stop when the other strikers came into the game. Maria Prieto, Lara Guscott, Sabine Schwittay, Maniesha Munro and Katrina Sumsion all carried on this excellent work.
The proof in the pudding was provided in the 37th minute when Heidi Beckstrom played a long diagonal ball from the right side of defense to the left edge of the penalty area and Lara Guscott volleyed with her left foot into the far corner of the net from all of 25 yards. It was probably the goal of the season so far from an individual stand point. You rarely see this kind of ‘confidence’ and ‘arrogance’ from a female soccer player and it just shows you what you are capable of if you only trust your abilities and have the confidence to have a go.
The timing of the goal could not have been better as Lindenwood were just inches away from equalizing a few minutes beforehand. A long range effort was high and dipping that Samantha Clark just managed to touch onto the cross bar and the ball fell on the line before gathering it up. It was a reminder of how you can never relax in soccer because it only takes a second to score a goal. This saying has been drilled into every soccer player for centuries. I should know as I was there when soccer was first invented.
At half time we spoke about the need to make better decisions with our passing from the back to our forwards. The ball was being swept up by the Lindenwood defenders and midfield and we were unable to build any consistent attacks as a result.
The second half was a much better situation. Suddenly, we were finding our forwards with excellent hit passes from the back and the strikers were able to hold the ball up to bring in the midfield support players who provided the ammunition for the other forwards to run onto. Maria Prieto did an outstanding job in this regard and it was Maria who provided Graceland with its third goal. Sabine Schwittay ran down the right wing and fought off a strong tackle from the defender and began to cut in towards the opposition goalmouth. Maria ran in to support and Sabine very intelligently rolled the ball across the 6 yard box for Maria to tap into an empty net.
The fourth goal came in the 81st minute when after a terrific goal mouth scramble in which Maniesha Munro had a shot cleared off the line and Sabine’s shot was blocked, Meghan Dunagan was on hand to ram home the follow up from eight yards. I don’t know how she does it but Meghan just seems to always pop up in the right place at the right time to score a goal.
Meghan highlighted the real stars of this team performance today. It was the strength of our ‘bench’ that carried this team to victory today with performances that were truly inspiring. On this team we have no ‘starters’ because in my mind any player who makes the varsity roster is a starter. The schedule is so tough that we need every player to contribute during the season. Also, we have no favorites and people play according to who deserves to play and according to the strengths and weaknesses they bring to the game to compete against our opponent. In our team you may start one game and then suddenly find yourself coming in off of the bench in the next.
The competition for places is hard and if any player was to relax and take for granted that they will play would be in for a very loud wake up call. There are no stars on this team just a group of people supporting and pushing each other to be the best they can be. Maria Prieto, Sabine Schwittay, Meghan Dunagan, Nicole Cummins, Calea Bourne, Katrina Sumsion and Reily Madigan all put in performances which reminded us all of how good these players are.
Maria Prieto gave the front line an energy it needed to pick up any long ball from the back. Sabine Schwittay provided a dependable service of crosses and direct running from the flank, Meghan Dunagan gave the midfield a spark when we lost Julia Prohaska with a concussion, and Nicole Cummins steadied the midfield when it looked like Lindenwood were starting to take control. Calea Bourne gave us that extra speed in defense when it was needed and excellent passing options to our forwards, Katrina Sumsion showed us all what a true competitor looks like when she joined the frey and Reily Madigan helped anchor the midfield with her passing and tackling to stamp out any threat of recovery from Lindenwood.
It makes my job so difficult in deciding who to play and where but it is a nice problem to have. I am sure there are other coaches out there who would want this problem and it is a far cry from when I first took over this program that only had enough players to make a team and no bench to speak of.
Lindenwood did get a consolation goal in the 86th minute when a long free kick went over Erin Creson’s head and the striker lifted the ball over Samantha Clark in goal. It was a sloppy goal to concede but understandable when you consider the timing of it and the game situation. Being the professional and perfectionist I am though means I will be addressing it at practice with those players involved.
As the final whistle went it was great to hear the applause from the packed bleachers of supporters. The crowd was near capacity and their support lifted the players throughout the whole game.
The show moves on to Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. when we meet conference rival William Jewell College here for the right to be called Region V champions. This is going to be a very tough game against one of the best teams in the nation. We managed to beat them at their place 3-2 in overtime to secure the conference championship and you just know they will be desperate for revenge. They have two of the best strikers in the country and our players will have to be totally focused if we are to get anything out of this game. We have a few injury concerns going into the game which we hope the medical staff can cure and I am confident the players will rise to the occasion like they have so many times this season already. It is going to be a cracker jack of a game.
by Kevin Sherry, Head Women's Soccer Coach
10-30-04 GRACELAND UNIVERSITY 3, WILLIAM JEWELL COLLEGE 2 (1OT)
We did it!! What more can I say? We actually did it. We have won the 2004 Heart of America Conference Championship, winning all nine games, none more dramatic than this last one away to last years champion, William Jewell College. It took a Heidi Beckstrom penalty kick seven minutes into overtime to finally get the result we have worked so hard for.I didn’t have the courage to watch the penalty kick but I knew from the look on Ivan Joseph’s face that we had scored. I was overwhelmed with joy for my players. This is an accomplishment that will bond this team together for the rest of their lives. I have won many other titles as a player and as a coach but this one rates right up there at the top. The reason why is because I know how hard this team has had to work to overcome almost insurmountable barriers to get even within a sniff of success.
I have witnessed the blood, sweat and tears the team has shed and it makes me so proud to see them get the reward they so richly deserve, against the most incredible odds. This is not a team of great individuals; I think they would be the first to admit this. The success lies in the fact that they are one. The team is a collection of young people who came together and decided the best route to success was to work together. This they did with self-sacrifice, giving up many of those things the average college student takes for granted, a commitment to honor and respect each other, a determination to understand their role on the team on and off the field of play, to put in the necessary hard physical work on their own and to support each other at every turn.
The game started off in a frenzy. We could have been two goals behind within the first five minutes if the excellent William Jewell forwards had not had their scoring opportunities blocked at the last second by the Graceland defense. Just as the William Jewell forwards were preparing to attack our goal again we scored against the run of play.
With almost our first attack in the 7th minute Jocelyn Jentsch hit a terrific left footed curling shot into the bottom right corner from the opposite edge of the penalty area. The ball was played into the penalty area via Heidi Beckstrom and Julia Prohaska to Zulema Martinez who had drifted in from her left wing. With one touch Zulema laid the ball off to Jocelyn Jentsch who instinctively swiveled on her standing foot and bent her body around to fire in a one time shot that caught the goalkeeper unawares. It wasn’t hit with a lot of pace but it was hit with very little back lift and early enough to make sure the goalkeeper could not anticipate the shot. It was a classic center forward goal.
The William Jewell team reacted like the champions they are and responded almost immediately. On nine minutes Amanda Sundell gave away a needless free kick just a few yards outside the penalty area. Up stepped Allison Mallams, whose play has lit up the NAIA on a national scale for William Jewell, and slammed the ball into the roof of the net with real venom. It was a great goal but between myself and Samantha Clark in goal we know we could have given ourselves more of a chance to save it.
This was only the third goal Sam has let in all season and we have set high standards for her now and she knows this. She is by far the best goalkeeper in the conference and region and has a great shot at All-American honors this year but even she has room to improve.
The rest of the half was dominated by William Jewell as they were able to keep possession of the ball and use both wings to provide ammunition for two of the best strikers in the game at this level in Allison Mallams and Kristen Neher who has just become the all-time career points leader in college soccer history with 348 points. Neher broke the record in the Cardinals' 4-0 victory against Grand View College (Iowa), surpassing the previous mark of 340. Neher has played in 76 career games at William Jewell and is averaging 4.58 points per game. Through her career, Neher has recorded 135 goals and 78 assists, including 28 goals and 23 assists this season.
We knew of this offensive threat going into the game but we didn’t get too carried away with our preparations with how to handle them in the days leading up to the game. We decided to concentrate on our shape as a team and how to play the whole team of William Jewell. I believe this approach played a major role in deciding the outcome of this game.
As I watched the first half I made notes on various aspects of the William Jewell play and couldn’t wait for half time so that I could talk to my players. They were under the cosh towards the end of the first half but I didn’t want to stand there and shout instructions to them from the side lines for two reasons: 1) I had every confidence in their ability to adapt to the situation and 2) when you shout instructions from the side lines you usually cause a lot of confusion amongst the players and they need an opportunity to think for themselves to help solve any problem presented to them.
I saw Misako see the problem and how she sacrificed her normal central midfield role to help cover and squash the potential threat. This was something that she did not enjoy doing but she knew she had to do it if we were to keep William Jewell away from our goal. At half time she came straight up to me and before she could speak I said I knew exactly what the problem is, thanked her for her sacrifice and that I would put it right during the half time. It is a joy to coach such intelligent players.
I gave them a few minutes to hydrate and gather their thoughts before I spoke with them. I pin pointed the main area of concern for our defense and what to do to correct this problem. I have never seen such concentration on the faces of a group of young people before!! I knew by looking into their eyes that they fully understood what I was saying and were prepared to put these words into action.
For a coach, this is what you work all of your life for. I also reminded them of some offensive options that we had been working on during practice which may help towards us getting a foot hold back into the game. That was it and it was now down to them and boy did they come through.
The second half was a much more open game with both sides having periods of good possession and goal opportunities. Half way through the half Heidi Beckstrom put a free kick from 40 yards into the penalty area for Maria Prieto to jump for. Maria attracted two defenders and the ball fell to Lara Guscott behind. With one touch Lara controlled the ball on her chest in order to face the goal and then with one touch shot across the goal with the outside of her foot for the ball to nestle into the far corner of the net for a great goal. Immediately I took off Maria and put in Calea Bourne to stifle the attacking play of Allison Mallams.
Watching the game develop from then on, I was absolutely convinced we could see the game out. The players were handling everything with great composure and intelligence. It would only be a mistake that would let William Jewell back in and so was the case in the 75th minute.
Kirsten Neher turned Nav Boparai and as she entered the penalty area Chelsea Woodger had moved across to cover. Before Chelsea could get her block in Nav did the one thing a defender must never do in the penalty area and attempted to tackle from behind. She did so and Kirsten went down. The ref had no choice but to award the penalty kick.
Nav will learn from this and become an even better defender than what she already is. Nav and Chelsea are the rocks on which this team’s defense has been built on and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Maybe Nav just wanted to make the game more exciting. Anyway, Kirsten stepped up and slammed the ball into the bottom left of the goal giving Sam no chance to make the game 2-2.
The game got to full time with only three real incidents of note. Lara Guscott was pulled to the ground in the area for a certain penalty that wasn’t given and Samantha Clark did the most remarkable reactionary save to deflect a rocket of a shot from Mallams. I turned in disbelief to the bench and asked if Sam had actually saved it because it was so quick. Luisa DiBiagio looked at me and with great pride on her face said, “Yes, it was amazing!”
Right there I saw it all unfold in front of me. Luisa is the back up keeper to Sam and I saw right there Luisa taking great pride in the efforts of her fellow goalkeeper. They are a team who work side by side everyday with Fred Wagenaar our goalkeeper coach. They push each other to get better and fight for that starting position, but once it has been given they give every support and encouragement to the other from the bench. I saw in Luisa’s eyes a sense of pride that Sam’s save was part of her because they are as one. Right there I realized how much we had grown as a team and I knew right there that we would be fine.
With only two minutes to go a long ball was played down the left for Lara Guscott to control and then cut back across goal. The goalkeeper missed the ball and it was between Zulema Martinez and her defender as to who would win the ball. Any touch from Zulema would result in a goal because it was only four yards out. Unfortunately, Zulema turned away from the ball as the defender came in at the critical moment. Maybe Zulema was in cahoots with Nav and wanted the game to reach a more exciting conclusion – who knows?
Full time was called and we prepared for overtime. We didn’t talk much because we knew we could achieve this win. We reminded ourselves about the trust we had in each other and to go out there and do your best. What more could you ask of them? They responded with the winning penalty kick after only seven minutes of overtime when Zulema was pulled down by the Jewell goalkeeper.
Of all the people in the stadium Heidi Beckstrom was probably the calmest. She reminds me so much of the old tennis player, Byorn Borg from Sweden. Ice cold in her temperament and calmness personified. She later confessed to her father that she was indeed nervous but to look at her approaching to take the penalty kick you would not have thought so.
Despite my confidence in Heidi I didn’t have the nerve to look. I turned away and waited with baited breath. Seeing Coach Joseph jumping up and down with a huge smile and a roar was enough to tell me we had done it. I jumped for joy and then composed myself to shake the hands of William Jewell’s players and coaches to thank them for a great game. I shook the hands of the officials and then went to my team.
After retrieving Heidi from the bottom of a pile of players we got in a circle to remind ourselves who we were – we had become the 2004 Heart of America Conference Champions. With a roar we went to share our joy with the fans who had come to support us.
The support was amazing. We had President Menzies, Athletic Director Dan Hanton, plus other faculty there to watch. George Knotts brought with him his usual white chair and set up to the side of our bench right by the pitch side. No one said anything because people thought he was one of the coaching staff!! Hilarious. He told me he wanted to get the best view of the game – well he couldn’t get much closer unless he put on a uniform and got out there to play! God bless him. George has hardly missed a women’s soccer game, varsity or jv, all season. He is one of us.
Priscila Eppinger and Jerry Hampton were also there as well as other faculty members who I didn’t get to see. Aaron Dempton and Derek Sutherland, who look after the soccer fields, were there to offer their support. They are a valuable member of this program and we recognize the amazing work which they do on our fields. Aaron even helped by taking the video camera and recorded the game for us. We are a true family where people contribute anyway they can to help. We are understaffed and under resourced but because of a true team effort with many people contributing in so many different ways we get by.
We also had the Jentsch, Beckstrom, Creson, Cummins, Clark, Woodger, Dunagan, Danner families there to support us. We had players from the JV team there which was great to see. We had soccer alumni there in the shape of Jennifer Holm, Kacey Loving, Tina Knights, Carrie Robinson and Christine Allen and maybe more that I am unaware of. We had a bus load of students who had organized themselves to get there. Their vocal support carried us through the game and I want to take this opportunity to thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You inspired us. Our support was amazing and I am convinced we would not have managed to achieve what we have without it. Words cannot express the gratitude I have for you all.
As we gathered to offer our congratulations and thanks I was surprised as to how calm I was. Maybe it was shock because usually I am very emotional at such occasions. Who was I kidding? Very soon the emotion was going to show itself. My wife, Isabel, saw me and came running towards me. As we hugged she started to cry and that just set me off. The tears were running down both of our cheeks as we hugged realizing the enormity of what this team had achieved. My wife has been at my side every step of the way and I want to thank her for being in my corner for every battle I have ever fought.
Looking around me I saw people hugging, laughing and I thought this moment is very special. I drank it in because I never want to forget this night for as long as I live. Seeing the joy on all of the faces of the players made everything worth it.
All the struggles, the pushing and shoving to get people to change their attitudes, the early mornings and late nights, the countless days on the practice field, the good times and the bad were all worth it because it produced a night of sheer joy that is very difficult to surpass. I am so proud to be a part of it.
We started this journey in August 2001, taking over at team that had not won a single game and in the same way you climb a mountain we took it step by step in order to reach the ultimate peak of success by winning this conference championship. All the players who were involved over the years have played a major role in getting this team to where it is today. If the team of 2001 had not done as well as it had it would not have enticed the next generation of players to come and so on. Carrie, Christine, Abbey, Claudia, Heidi, Kelly, Jennifer H, Katie, Rie, Michelle, Stephanie, Jennifer W, Kacey, Meghan, Julie, Cadey, Laura, Reagan, Rachel, Shemille, Angela, Amy, Nicole, and any others I have left out, if you are reading this – thank you.
My last words of thanks goes out to my team. You are a truly remarkable group of young people that have achieved something most people would not have thought possible. Let me give you some facts which highlight what you have achieved. In the last two seasons you have only lost one regular season game. This season you went the whole season undefeated. You scored 105 goals in 18 games and only conceded 5. You won every single conference game to win the championship. You tied the number one team in the nation, Lindsey Wilson, in Kentucky 0-0. You won 16 games and tied two with no losses. You didn’t concede a single goal in the first 11 games of the season. You are currently ranked as the number # 7 team in the nation and this could go up on Tuesday. Your average GPA last year was 3.4. You are the warmest, kindest and most dedicated group of players I have ever been associated with.
I wish to offer my thanks and gratitude to Chelsea Woodger our graduating senior and captain of the team. Your leadership has been inspirational to all of us. To all the players past and present: Thank you for letting me be part of this team. WE did it!!
---Kevin Sherry
Head Women's Soccer Coach
Graceland University
10-26-04 GRACELAND 1 BAKER 0
A 28th minute goal from Julia Prohaska booked Graceland’s place in the last game of the season to decide the conference championship against William Jewell, with a 1-0 victory at home to brave Baker University.I will sleep a little easier after our side avoided this potential banana skin with some degree of comfort. With the potential for players’ minds to be looking past this game, it was therefore not beyond the realms of possibility to anticipate an upset. However, the ladies did themselves justice with the kind of gritty display fans have grown to expect in our own back yard, and this young Graceland side possessed more of a cutting edge in the final third of the field - which was epitomized by the fact that Graceland out shot Baker 30 - 4. All that was lacking was that piece of luck or technique to put the ball in the net.
Graceland went about their business admirably and made a promising start and fashioned many chances in the game before Julia Prohaska scored. Prohaska, who had not scored all season long, banged in a cracker from 30 yards which flew in over the goalkeeper’s head. Graceland had 28 legitimate good goal scoring chances and could only take one. It was not through a lack of effort or desire; it was just another one of those days.
This has been the story of the second half of the season. Dominating games, creating very easy chances and failing to put them away, whereas, at the start of the season we were scoring with almost every chance. It is a confidence thing and it is my job to raise their confidence level before Saturday. I wouldn’t be surprised if we score with every chance on Saturday to counter balance what happened today.
Here is a list of the chances created in sequence:
1 – Long ball over the top for Maniesha Munro to run on to and hit wide when presented with a one-on-one with the Baker goalkeeper.
2 – Julia Prohaska shot from 12 yards saved by the keeper’s feet.
3 – Amanda Sundell shot over from 25 yards.
4 – Maniesha hooked a left foot shot wide from 7 yards.
5 – Misako Inaba shot over with a toe poke from the edge of the penalty area.
6 – Lara Guscott hit the post after a dribble.
7 – Julia Prohaska shot over from a missed clearance.
8 – Julia scores in the 28th minute with a long looping 30 yard shot over the keeper after a pass from Zulema Martinez.
9 – Lara fails to direct a cross from Zulema goal wards at the far post.
10 – Jocelyn Jentsch flicks a header from a Heidi Beckstrom free kick into the arms of the goalkeeper.
11 – Lara Guscott shoots over the bar.
HALF TIME
12 – Zulema Martinez has a one-on-one with the goalkeeper and hits it straight at the goalkeeper.
13 – Amanda Sundell runs onto a pass and hits the crossbar with her shot.
14 – Amanda has a one-on-one chance and has the shot saved by the keeper’s feet.
15 – Lara Guscott dribbles around her defender and shoots straight at the keeper.
16 – Amanda shoots wide.
17 – Amanda shoots wide after a through pass put her in behind the defense and with the goalkeeper coming out of her goal.
18 – Lara Guscott volleys over from a right wing cross provided by Calea Bourne.
19 – Whitney Danner plays in Lara who toe pokes her shot over the bar.
20 – Whitney plays in Zulema this time for a one-on-one with the goalkeeper and Zulema hits her shot at the goalkeeper.
21 – Whitney Danner misses the near post with a 10 yard shot.
22 – Sabine Schwittay shoots over the bar from the right.
23 – Misako shoots wide from 15 yards.
24 – Whitney Danner’s shot is saved by the goalkeeper.
25 – Sabine Schwittay follows up at the far post to poke a ball towards goal only for the goalkeeper to make a terrific reflex save.
26 – Sabine hits a shot wide.
27 – Amanda is put through again and hits the crossbar with her shot.
28 – Nav Boparai hits over form 8 yards after Baker fail to clear a corner.
The other two shots we had were not realistic goal chances but these 28 were. Baker had four shots of which two could have resulted in goals with the ball only missing the post by inches on each occasion. This will give you some idea of the dominance we had over the game and illustrate our misfortune in front of goal.
We knew that this was always going to be a tricky tie but the ladies went about their business with an air of superiority all evening. I am understandably pleased to have avoided a potential upset and now we can prepare for our final game away at William Jewell knowing that the conference championship is on the line.
It's nice to be in this situation as the team has never won a conference title before in its 11 year existence. Who would have thought this would be possible three seasons ago when I first arrived, taking over a team that had not won a single game?
Tonight was a special night because we said goodbye to two special ladies in Katrina Sumsion and Chelsea Woodger. They are the graduating seniors from the varsity team this year and tonight was their last official regular season home game. Chelsea’s mom, dad, brother and two sisters flew in to watch Chelsea play and I am so relieved we got the win we wanted.
When I first arrived in Lamoni in August 2001 I was coming from Japan and only knew of one person in the States. His name was MJ Tate from Utah and he ran a soccer club out of Provo. I called him up and asked if he had any players for me. He sent me four and of the four Katrina and Chelsea have stood the test of time to be the backbone of a very successful varsity team. I asked MJ to send me some comments for tonight’s celebration:
“Ladies, Time waits for no man. Your last home game has crept up on both of you like a thief in the night. I am honored to have coached you both and thank you for your dedication to the game, whether as a player or a camp coach.
When all the Utah girls left to go to Iowa, I would have bet my house that Chelsea and Katrina would stand the test of time. They were always the most dedicated and consistent of all the players on the team, always at training and games. But more important than that - they were both leaders! You were both very instrumental in moving forward the girls program in my soccer club.
Katrina (midget) - I knew you would graduate. If every player had your heart and effort championships would be won. Use this experience as a stepping stone for life and your future, it will keep you grounded. Congratulations. Good luck and God bless
Chelsea! Chelsea! Chelsea! Chelsea! (in song) - With a good London name like that I knew you were destined for greatness. Seriously, you were always the natural leader. Always the most mature of my players on and off the field and I’m glad that you have been a valuable asset to the Graceland program. Good luck and God bless.
Many thanks to Kevin and the Graceland program for taking care of Katrina and Chelsea, for teaching them values for life and to advance their soccer abilities.”
--M-J TATE (TECHNICAL DIRECTOR - INTER FC UTAH)
It was very sad to say goodbye tonight, especially to Chelsea. She has been at my side every step of the way and it was fitting to have President Menzies on hand to give away her framed 15 jersey with an inscription which read:
CHELSEA WOODGER
GRACELAND UNIVERSITY WOMEN’S SOCCER 2001-2005
"Hope is like a road in the country; there never was a road, but when many people walk on it, the road comes into existence."
Lin Yutang
You came to this program in August 2001 after the team had lost every game of the 2000 season. You were the rock of inspiration that helped turn this program completely around. You were the one who made the first steps on this ‘road’ to success and the team followed. You set the example of hard work, self-sacrifice, encouragement to others and loyalty that gave our team hope and then the self belief that they could be successful. So much so that as you graduate in 2005 as the captain of the Graceland University Lady Yellowjacket soccer team, we are now ranked as one of the very top college soccer playing teams in the nation. This achievement would not have been possible without you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Head Soccer Coach: Kevin Sherry”
10-23-04 Graceland 4, Avila 1
Maria Prieto shot Graceland in front after four minutes and added a neat side-foot volley late in the game. Maniesha Munro clipped in a neat finish at the near post midway through the first half as Graceland dictated the pace of the game. Reily Madigan finished off the scoring for Graceland in the 62nd minute with a near post shot after a neat one-two with Whitney Danner.The game was just four minutes old when Chelsea Woodger played a ball down the left wing from defense that skipped off the wet surface and passed the Avila defender for Amanda Sundell to run onto. Amanda took it to the Avila goal and as the sweeper came across to cover she played a nice pass across the face of the goal for Maria Prieto to receive. Maria controlled the ball, shielded it from the marking defender, faked to go one way and then spun the other before rifling in a shot from 12 yards that found the bottom corner of the net.
Maniesha Munro had the ball in the back of the net after 28 minutes with an impressive first time flick at the near post. Sabine Schwittay broke free down the right wing and her excellent cross found the on rushing Maniesha Munro to edge the ball across the goalkeeper and into the far corner of the goal.
Sabine Schwittay was proving to be a handful down the right wing and she was the provider of the next shot at goal when she let rip from 20 yards, this time held by the Avila keeper. Meghan Dunagan won the ball in midfield shortly after and played it through for Lara Guscott. Lara was presented with a one-on-one situation against the goalkeeper and unfortunately her shot was saved by the keeper’s feet.
They were the most clear cut chances of the first half for Graceland which is fewer than normal for us. Avila came with a very determined game plan and they would not let our team settle for an instant on the ball. They competed for every lose ball and at times played some very nice passing soccer, particularly down their right wing. Samantha Clark in goal for Graceland was rarely troubled but the team knew, as they came in for half time, that they could not relax.
The second half was only five minutes old when the ball was in the back of our net to bring the score to 2-1. A left wing cross was met by a determined striker who guided the ball across Samantha and into the far corner of the net for a very nice goal. Sam had no chance of stopping it. The beauty of the goal was in the quality of the cross. Hit firm and bending away from the goal that was so inviting for any forward to get on the end of.
Avila began the second half in combative mood and my side did not enjoy the space and time they had in the opening 45 minutes. After the Avila goal Graceland fashioned an opening soon after and Sabine Schwittay raced through the left of the Avila defense to chip the ball over the advancing defender for Maria Prieto to head goalwards with ferocious power. It had goal written all over it but unfortunately it went straight into the goalkeeper’s midriff. A yard either side and it was a certain goal. Avila did have chances but a shot from 20 yards was comfortably saved and any high ball played into the area was easily handled by the defense.
Reily Madigan calmed the nerves of the team when after 60 minutes she slipped the ball into the net after playing a fine give and go with Whitney Danner on the left side of the penalty area. I remember Reily scoring on this ground two years ago in overtime to secure a hard fought 2-1 win. It must be Reily’s lucky ground. This goal was also the team’s 100th goal this season and will mean that we will enter the NAIA record books as one of the highest scoring teams in regular season play. It won’t be the highest ever but it will be up there near the top.
The impressive Maria Prieto capped a fine individual display with a clever close range finish, when she latched on to Amanda Sundell’s 63rd minute cross. For me, this was the goal of the season so far. It started with Avila on the attack and our defense winning the ball. After two quick short passes the ball was played up to Whitney Danner on the front line on the left wing. Whitney controlled the ball and cut inside the field of play before playing a diagonal pass to the other wing for Amanda Sundell.
Amanda took the ball in her stride and then cut an early pass across the face of the goal where Maria Prieto calmly controlled with one touch and with the next slotted the ball into the corner of the net. It was a real work of art and highlighted the importance of quick play. Each player in the sequence had no more than two touches each and the ball was played from the edge of our penalty area and into the Avila goal within a few seconds. The movement, the technique, the speed and the decision making was of the highest order. It was a great team goal.
Nav Boparai was to hit the top of the cross bar from a free kick later on, but in truth the game was dead and buried and the Graceland team saw the remaining minutes out with a sound professional performance. It wasn’t our best performance by a long way but it was a solid performance against a very robust Avila team that showed the heart and character of this team. They had to stand up to some fierce challenges and not be intimidated. This they did with wonderful professionalism. I was so proud of them all. The whole team played a part and when they were called upon to do their shift on the field they did it with a determination not to let the team down.
Nicole Cummins put in another fine display in central defense and reminded us all what a great defender we have in Nicole as a freshman. Nicole is learning all the time and she has the best teachers in Nav and Chelsea to learn from.
Meghan Dunagan was as solid as a rock today in the center of midfield. Meghan is another freshman who has a very good future at the Graceland soccer academy. She is nowhere near the finished article yet but you can see in her the potential which will dominate this conference in future seasons. Meghan is strong and has the most insatiable desire to play soccer. Meghan loves the game so much and you can see this love every time she steps out onto the field. We are working very hard in training on her speed of play and timing of movements. It takes time to completely master but I know she will and when she does I know I have one of the best midfield players around.
Maniesha Munro showed us all what we have been missing up front today with her goal: That determination to get some part of the body on the ball from crosses. Maniesha has been sidelined for so long with a recurring injury that we worried if she would ever make it back this season. I am pleased to say that she is indeed back and now firing on all cylinders. It makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end just thinking about the threat she brings to our forward line. A lot of our other strikers are technical ball players and we have been lacking that physical presence up front, especially in the penalty area. In Maniesha we now have a person who we can rely on to be on the end of any cross put into the penalty area and this just adds to our attacking options. It also has an effect on other strikers in the team.
Sabine Schwittay is a fine crosser of the ball and her game has been under some scrutiny because people have not been getting on the end of her crosses. Sabine showed to day that all she needed was a willing target in the area to get on the end of her excellent crosses and Maniesha was that willing target. I was pleased for Sabine because she works so hard in training and deserves this recognition. It was also pleasing to see her play so well in front of her watching father and brother who had flown in from Germany.
Another parent who flew in for the game was Kelly Beckstrom, Heidi’s dad. It was a surprise visit from Utah and it was great to see him there. Heidi put in another Heidi performance: Unflappable and always dependable. Mr. Beckstrom commented after the game on how the team gets along so well. This is something we have worked so hard on and I am convinced is the major reason for our success. The love and respect the players have for each other is awesome.
Luisa DiBiagio was the only player not to get on the field today as she was the back up to Sam Clark in goal and yet her support for the team was second to none. This support was before, during and after the game. That was astounding and very moving. It did not go unnoticed.
Overall, a very professional performance under difficult conditions and very happy to get the win with everyone leaving the field healthy. The only scare we have is that of Maniesha who slipped on the wet grass and did the splits which made my eyes water. I have complete faith in the athletic training department that they will patch her up quickly and have her ready for the next game like they have done so many times for us in the past with all the players. They are as important part of our team as any player.
We now move on to Tuesday night where we meet Baker University for our last home game of the regular season. We met Baker in post season play last year and had an almighty battle, winning 2-1 in the last second of overtime. My heart can’t take another game like that one again. It will be tough and close but I have every confidence in my team that they can get the result they need and say goodbye to Chelsea Woodger and Katrina Sumsion in the best way possible.
Chelsea and Katrina started the very first day I started here in August 2001. Four years has flown by and on Tuesday night it will be our last home game of the regular season together. What a moment that will be. It was so tough saying goodbye to Kacey Loving last year – I dread to think what it will be like saying goodbye to Chelsea and Katrina. Chelsea in particular has been by my side every step of the way. We took over a team that hadn’t won a game all season and we leave it now this season as the 8th ranked team in the nation, unbeaten, scoring 101 goals and only conceding three with Chelsea as its captain.
I don’t want to say goodbye but I know it has to happen. I would really appreciate your support on Tuesday night at 5pm to help me say goodbye to these wonderful people and send them on their way with a roar they will always hear when they think back to Graceland University and its soccer program. We shall honor them after the game is finished and before the very important men’s game which kicks off after ours.
10-16-04 GRACELAND 1, MISSOURI VALLEY COLLEGE 0 2OT
Another dramatic night at the Raz with the Lady Yellowjackets sneaking a late winner in double overtime to overcome the strong Missouri Valley Vikings 1-0. With only one minute 40 seconds left in the second period of overtime Zulema Martinez was upended and a free kick was awarded 22 yards from goal.Zulema was taken off the field and taken to the hospital for x-rays and we are all very hopeful she is ok. Her legs were taken away as she jumped and Zulema fell on her head which jarred the neck. The trainers have told me that the initial x-rays seem positive and she will have a precautionary neck brace put on until she sees the doctor on Monday.
As I was escorting Zulema off the field I could see that both Jocelyn Jentsch and Misako Inaba were lined up to take the free kick. Jocelyn had taken two earlier with one hitting the cross bar and the other going well over. My gut feeling was to let Misako have a go. I knew she had the technique to get the job done but I also knew from my eight years in Japan that Misako would not take it if Jocelyn wanted to take it.
I could see Jocelyn was all set up so I gave a direct order, one of the very few I ever give, that Misako is to take it. I went to the bench to check on Zulema as the trainers were a little concerned with her condition. Behind me Misako took the free kick and suddenly the crowd and bench jumped up in celebration. Everyone told me afterwards that Misako had hit the ball over the wall with swerve and dip which sailed under the crossbar for a tremendous goal. With only 100 seconds left in the game Misako Inaba had won the game for Graceland with a piece of wonderful skill in what was a titanic battle with Missouri Valley College.
Overall I would say that Graceland dominated the shape of the game and created the better of the scoring chances that were unlucky not to result in goals. Having said that, Missouri Valley created chances of their own and with a little more composure on one or two counter attacks they could easily have scored themselves. Luckily for Graceland the recovering defenders were quick enough to put enough pressure on the player to cause the forward to miss the goal.
During the game Missouri Valley sent long high balls in to the penalty area from free kicks and open play to try and pounce on any mishaps by the Graceland defense. The Graceland defense held firm and were able to pass the ball well enough to get our forwards with opportunities of their own. In the first half Lara Guscott dribbled around the right defender to leave a tight angle for a shot. Lara went for the near post and skewed the shot into the side netting. Whitney Danner had a shot blocked by the legs of the goalkeeper but no one was following up to put away the rebound. Sabine Schwittay had a header that lacked enough power to trouble the goalkeeper after a fine cross from the left wing. Jocelyn Jentsch also hit the crossbar with a 25 yard free kick from a central area.
The second half was much the same with chances being created at both ends. Jocelyn Jentsch hit the frame of the goal again after some fine build up play in midfield. The ball was played to her just inside the penalty area by Julia Prohaska and Jocelyn lifted the ball over the advancing goalkeeper only for the ball to hit the joining of the post to the crossbar.
Just before this chance, Lara Guscott did an amazing dribble passed three defenders only for the ball to get stuck under her feet at the critical moment. Her shot was blocked and Whitney Danner’s attempted drive with the rebound squirted wide of the goal. Zulema Martinez dominated the right defender of Missouri Valley and time after time she got around her to create shooting chances for her team mates. On one occasion she finished close enough to the goal to have a shot herself but the shot lacked the power to trouble the goalkeeper. A slip by Nav Boparai and Chelsea Woodger let the Vikings center forward in on goal only for the striker to push the shot wide under terrific pressure given by a fast recovering Amanda Sundell.
Amanda was in my mind the player of the game today. She was up against a very talented winger and Amanda had to work very hard on her basic one-on-one defending to keep her in check. Not only that but Amanda covered for her central defenders when they were under pressure and did not shy away from sprinting up field to provide support in attack. There is no way Amanda could have done all this for the entire game in the last two seasons. But Amanda has worked very hard on her conditioning and today we saw the benefits of all that hard work, she was simply awesome.
Another star today was Tara Stavlic in center midfield. Tara controlled the middle of the park with a fine display of heading, tackling and putting out any flames of danger that looked like sparking into trouble for the Graceland defense. Tara has developed in to a very thoughtful, insightful and ultimate team player. She does the work necessary for others to shine around her and often doesn’t get the praise she deserves. Today was her coming out party in which she gave the world notice that she is now a player on the highest of college soccer stages. Tara isn’t the quickest of players around but she has changed her game to compensate and her quick thinking and play ensures that speed is never a factor.
Overtime went past in a whirl and just when it seemed as if the game would end in a tie, Misako Inaba stepped up to give us a dramatic win. With the game ending when the first team scores in overtime, you are always on edge because you know that there will never be time to recover if you concede a goal. Hence, after Misako scored the goal the field was invaded by the players on the bench to congratulate Misako. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer person. Misako is a one of the sweetest, hard working and unselfish people I have ever met. She deserves this time in the spot light because her work rate and self sacrifice sometimes gets unnoticed. Omedeto Gozaimasu Misako!
This was only the third loss all season for Missouri Valley who proved to be a very tough opponent. Their aggressive nature is such that any team unprepared for this could easily be run over. Fortunately for Graceland we had leaned this lesson last year the hard way against McKendree College and are now always prepared for such tough play. Mixed with this, the Vikings have outstanding technical players who can put the ball on the floor and pass it around. The Graceland midfield and defense had to concentrate for the entire game to ensure these talented players didn’t have the time and room to cause us any more trouble than what they did.
It was nice to see some old friends on the Vikings team play so well and I am sure Missouri Valley will be representing the HAAC conference in post season play come early November. Any coach reading this as part of their preparation to play them must prepare for a real battle. It was a huge win for Graceland and can only add to our growing reputation as a soccer playing college.
It was great to see so many people in the stands enjoying the game and giving the team such great support. We had families, friends, students, faculty, alumni, Lamoni residents and players from other Graceland athletic teams cheering us on and it was great to see. Jennifer Holm was there with her husband and mom and dad even though she graduated last season! It is so nice to have such a wonderful fan base.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all and say that I and the ladies really appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts. The day was complete later on in the evening when the men won their ‘must-win’ game against Missouri Valley 3-1. I can now go home and watch that episode of Magnum PI which I have been saving for a special occasion. Yesterday was my birthday and the team gave me the best present I could ever want with today’s win and the manner in which it was done. The ladies showed so much character and were able to dig deep down inside to find what was needed to win.
I would like to dedicate this win to Malcolm Guscott, Lara’s dad. Malcolm is a very keen supporter of this program and when he was here in pre season and at homecoming he helped out with the training of the team and kept the players in high spirits with his funny little stories. Malcolm is at present very sick back home in Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada and I want him to know that he is in our thoughts and prayers, and this win is for you buddy. The ladies send their love and hope you recover soon. I know you will be going to the web site every five minutes until this report goes up. Get well soon!
10-14-04 GRACELAND 0 WILLIAM PENN UNIVERSITY 0 2OT
The defense and midfield had a solid night but it was a largely sluggish attacking display today on the road at William Penn today. The reaction of the William Penn players at the end of the game showed what it meant to them.When we arrive to play teams now, you can see they are very motivated to try and put one over us. With a record like ours and our national ranking it is no surprise - we would be the same. It means therefore that we have to come prepared to play and battle it out for every minute of every game if we are to continue the success. I am proud to say that most of this team does so and they do so with great dignity and poise.
It was a very cold and windy afternoon which normally would have been hard enough to try and over come but you put that with the fact that the field was in atrocious condition too and you have a recipe for disaster. The ball was bobbling everywhere and it was so difficult to get the ball down and play our brand of passing soccer. The wind added to the difficulty of the uneven bounce, and to top it all, the William Penn goalkeeper had the most phenomenal performance between the posts. She held everything and made the most amazing saves.
One particular save in the second period of overtime was remarkable. A shot from Maria Prieto went past the goalkeeper’s right hand and just as we were about to celebrate the winning goal, she fell back on her heels and flew her right hand behind her back to catch and smother the ball. Truly amazing!
The first decent Graceland attack did not come until the seventh minute of the first half when Jocelyn Jentsch tested goalkeeper Cami Bangasser with a low drive. We had to wait until the 20th minute for our next attempt at goal when a slip by an opposing defender threatened a moment of danger for the home team but Amanda Sundell's cross shot went wide and too far away from Lara Guscott on the far post.
This first half was played against a typhoon of a wind and the team did very well to restrict William Penn to very few chances and to even create any for themselves was almost a miracle.
At half time we took stock and congratulated ourselves for getting to the break 0-0 and made plans to attack in the second half. Four attackers were put on to pick up pieces in and around the penalty area as the wind and field would cause confusion and panic in the William Penn defense.
With Graceland in total control, Guscott tested Bangasser with a low drive from point blank range in the 59th minute which was saved by the keeper’s legs. Seconds later Misako Inaba blasted over from the edge of the box when it looked like the ball would dip under the crossbar. Amanda Sundell had a corner kick that flew in from the left with the wind and the goalkeeper did very well to get both hands on it and keep it from spilling out. She actually caught it on the line.
Graceland squandered another great chance three minutes before the end of the second half when Maria Prieto pulled her shot wide after Misako Inaba had released the forward with a superb through ball.
The game went into over time and despite the conditions Graceland dominated both periods of overtime. We bombarded the William Penn goal but got no reward. Further chances quickly came and went with Jentsch, Guscott and Prieto all going close. A cross from the left was only inches away from Sabine Scwhittay’s head at the near post. The merest of touches would have resulted in a certain goal.
Graceland continued to huff and puff in the closing stages but there was little of the fluency which they produced at Lindenwood last weekend. With only seconds left it seemed Maria Prieto had won it with her close range shot on the left of the goal only for the William Penn goalkeeper to once again foil us with a most remarkable save.
Hats off to Ms. Bangasser and the William Penn team, they worked very hard for each other and deserved the tie. It was a shame that the William Penn ‘supporters’ ruined this performance with their constant use of bad language and offensive name calling towards the Graceland players during the entire game. I am sure they will be glad to hear that two of my players ended in tears because of their disgraceful name calling. The words that were used were told to me after the game and I couldn’t believe people could be that cruel. And for what reason? To make a person feel so sad that they begin to cry and therefore be put off their game so your school can win? Champions of character? Do me a favor? It sickens me.
Because I was on the other side of the field I could not hear it all, which was unfortunate, because I would have soon put a stop to it if I had. I see this kind of thing at too many college campuses these days. It saddens me greatly and it saddens me more when I see people connected with the same institution turning a blind eye and ear to it all.
It should be said that the coaching staff and athletic training staff of William Penn were first class and a credit to their team and university. I have nothing but the highest regard for them.
The William Penn goalkeeper was named player-of-the-match but it was not a night that the Graceland forwards will remember with any great fondness. This happens from time to time in a forwards career and we have to put it behind us and move on. There is no point dwelling on it and you don’t turn into a bad player overnight. We had a good chat after the game and we sorted a few things out. I care very deeply about this team and I know the players have that same attitude towards each other. They are a very special group of young people who I am immensely proud to be called their ‘coach’.
We now prepare for Missouri Valley on Saturday and this game is huge. They are up there as one of the best teams in the region and it is going to be a very tense and tight affair. This is not a game for the feint hearted. It is all about passion and determination and I have complete faith and trust in the knowledge that my team will be there, rain or shine, to play.
10-09-04 GRACELAND 2, LINDENWOOD 1
There is nothing like conceding the first goal of the season in our last game against Culver-Stockton to stir the players into seizing back the headlines, especially on the road at Lindenwood.We came away with a hard fought 2-1 victory which maintains our winning season and keeps us high in the regional and national rankings. It was so important today to get a positive result but the odds were stacked against us playing Lindenwood who are the size of an NCAA Division I school, with the finances to back it up, and a history of national tournament participation.
Graceland had never beaten this team in its 11 year history and in my first year as head coach we were beaten 5-0. It wasn't going to be easy and so it proved. But the team not only completed a 2-1 victory against Lindenwood with two superb goals that evoked memories of our game against Lindenwood last season but played with a confidence never seen before by a team visiting this ground from Graceland.
Whitney Danner and Jocelyn Jentsch were the star turns on this occasion, fitting into their attacking roles well to be in position to score their goals as if putting the ball in the net was the easiest thing in the world. The engine room of this performance was provided by Julia Prohaska and Misako Inaba in midfield. They played the entire 90 minutes and bossed that area of the field which enabled Graceland to control most of the game. Indeed, they effectively ran the game with their tackling and passing, and with the excellent movement of the forwards in front of them it ensured the relative success of our ambitious ploy of playing three strikers at once and to attack them from the start.
And while Zulema Martinez and Lara Guscott will be mystified as to how they were denied a goal of their own with only having the goalkeeper to beat from close range, it was Jocelyn Jentsch, with her fourteenth goal in nine varsity games, who was credited with putting Graceland en route to victory.
That strike came after just 30 minutes, with Lindenwood still struggling to sort out their defense after an impressive attacking start to the game by Graceland. With Lara Guscott coming into midfield, Amanda Sundell was moved into service at left-back to support Zulema Martinez in front of her, and Graceland took full advantage of this left sided dominance to set up the first goal.
Amanda Sundell won the ball in defense to feed Lara Guscott. Guscott played in a probing pass to Jocelyn Jentsch who flicked the ball to Zulema Martinez on the left wing. Zulema took the ball around her defender before cutting the ball back to Whitney Danner on the edge of the six-yard box and her 'dummy' ensured the pass deceived not only her defender but the goalkeeper too leaving Jocelyn a simple tap in from six yards out. It was a great passing move which had a fantastic piece of vision and intelligence at the end.
For all of Lindenwood's endeavor, Graceland continued to assert their authority thereafter as they simply did not allow the home team to turn this into a blood-and-thunder affair. Misako Inaba was at the heart of all of Graceland's most incisive play, with her influence increased by having a deeper role in midfield. Indeed, one shimmy past an opponent revived memories of Julie Montgomery - the last Graceland midfielder who could actually go past an opponent - for impudence as much as ability.
At this stage, Graceland was threatening to break through with every attack, with most of our attacks coming down Lindenwood's flanks. Whichever attacking trio we put out, they formed a potent blend of attacking talent. With Nav Boparai bringing an air of authority to Graceland's defense on her return from injury, Lindenwood was restricted to just knocking hopeful balls into the penalty area.
Graceland's dominance continued after the break, with Sabine Schwittay's excellent run just stopped by a superb last-ditch save by the goalkeeper, while Guscott volleyed wide from only six yards with the goal completely open.
Still the advantage was just one goal, however, and that carried an inherent danger, with a Lindenwood striker volleying wide at full-stretch after Chelsea Woodger's attempted clearance had been blocked. Fortunately Graceland scored their second goal before Lindenwood could get any momentum going.
The ball was played out to the left with Amanda Sundell and then to Zulema Martinez who crossed to the far post. Maria Prieto jumped for the cross and a Lindenwood defender crashed into their own goalkeeper allowing the ball to spill to a waiting Whitney Danner who calmly finished from seven yards. It was a disputed goal from the Lindenwood side but our bench clearly saw the Lindenwood player run into their own goalkeeper and having looked at the video I can now confirm that this was indeed what happened.
Lindenwood nevertheless started to grow in stature after we scored our second goal on the hour mark, with their central defender working hard to hold her under-pressure side together. With new forwards on, the stage was left to a grand stand finish from Lindenwood, who after a blocked free kick from 25 yards let fly with an effort that soared past Samantha Clark in goal and was going into the top corner when the ball inexplicably came off the inside of the post and out into play.
They almost scored once again soon afterwards, but was denied at point-blank range by Clark, while the follow-up effort was also blocked. They did get onto the scoresheet with only eight minutes left in the game when their striker managed to pounce on a loose ball before Samantha Clark could claim it. Lindenwood were then denied a last minute equalizer when a superb header from their number nine went inches over, but Graceland's victory was complete when the final whistle went shortly afterwards.
Graceland must now play William Penn on Wednesday and then pick up their conference campaign again against high flying Missouri Valley on Saturday. We take each game as it comes and we know that both these games will be very tough indeed.
I played William Penn in my first year as coach here and we lost 5-1. Missouri Valley have only lost twice this season to highly ranked teams and are proving to be one of the top scoring teams of the region. This game will be like a region final with everything on the line. We go into this week knowing it will be tough but confident in the knowledge that we are paying well and have a great team spirit.
10-06-04 GRACELAND 9 CULVER-STOCKTON 1
Who would have thought that conceding a goal in the 86th minute in our 12th game of the season would get all the headlines? Well it has, despite us winning 9-1 on the road.We have let our first goal in of the season and I couldn’t be happier!!! It was becoming a burden and a kind of side show that distracted our team and motivated our opposition. Teams were lining up to have a chance to be the first to score against us. Well Culver-Stockton did it with three minutes left of the game and with only their second shot of the game and congratulations to them.
We can now focus on what is important and that is getting ready for a very tough last part of the season. The goal did highlight a weakness in our back line which I aim to fix in the next few days. This single goal should not detract from what was, at times, a very polished performance by the ladies. The hard work on the training field is starting to pay dividends with the fine passing and movement, which is always pleasing to the eye.
Before we set off we decided to leave Samantha Clark, Nav Boparai, Maniesha Munro and Jocelyn Jentsch behind to catch up on injury rehab and to not miss class. It was felt their time would be better spent at the university. We missed them terribly but I believe it was for the best of the team. Playing them would have been a risk we did not feel was worth taking.
The journey in the vans is not one I would like to do every week. Up and down winding roads which takes about three-and-a-half hours. We arrived with only 50 minutes to go and had to prepare quickly. Usually when this happens the team is slow to get out of the blocks but today this was not the case.
The Graceland team took immediate possession of the ball and did not give it up easily. The passing was composed and assured as Culver-Stockton took up base camp in their own half of the field. After nine minutes the ball was in the net from Maria Prieto only for the officials to cancel it out for offside. Even though the goal did not count the mere fact of putting the ball in the net was a pressure release for the team and they knew it could be done and it was only a matter of when and not if.
Three minutes later after some terrific combination play down the middle, Misako Inaba was put through but could only manage to toe poke the ball past the post to avoid the onrushing goalkeeper. The first goal came shortly after. On 14 minutes the Culver-Stockton defense gave the ball away to Zulema Martinez on the right wing and Zulema quickly played the ball into the center where Lara Guscott received it, turned to lose the defender and rifle home a low shot into the net from 12 yards. One minute later we had scored again only for Whitney Danner to be called offside this time.
The Lady Yellowjackets were getting a lot of time and space of the ball especially in wide areas but the delivery into the penalty box was not of the quality required to threaten any defense. This had been something we had worked on in training this week and it is a little frustrating seeing the players go back to bad habits when crossing the ball. I must be patient and keep teaching them the correct techniques so that eventually we can take advantage of the spaces given to us in wide areas by opponents.
Having said that, the next goal came from a great right wing cross in the 28th minute just to prove me wrong. Zulema Martinez received the ball from Heidi Beckstrom on the right, went past her defender and delivered a terrific whipped in cross which caused the defenders a lot of problems. The ball fell lose and Maria Prieto was there to volley home from seven yards.
Two minutes later Maria was the provider of the next goal. Her strength and persistence enabled her to rob the right back of the ball and put in a dangerous cross to the penalty spot. Lara Guscott was on hand to volley home with great technique. On 37 minutes the ladies put on a master class of passing and movement which was very aesthetically pleasing. An attack was built down the left side which started in defense with Nicole Cummins, and went through midfield before finding the forwards and ending up at the feet of Misako Inaba who let rip with an unstoppable 20-yard low drive into the corner of the net. All the passes in the move had been done with one or two touch. The speed and fluidity of the combinations was a real work of art. Misako finished off the half with a great 25 yard free kick, over the wall and into the net with only 30 seconds left on the clock.
At half time we spoke about the need for width in our attack. Too many cooks were spoiling the broth in the middle of our attacks and it was essential to have width to provide our defenders and midfield players more options when it came to passing. You can always count on Sabine Schwittay to put into action what you talk about at half time. With some players it is in one ear and out the other. Not with Sabine, she is intelligent and accepts the role because she believes it is best for the team. Her wide play on the right in the second half was a master class. She tormented the Culver-Stockton defense with her positive dribbling and was always available to receive a pass from either defense or midfield.
On 50 minutes we had the ball in the net again but for it to be called offside again. Not to be deterred the team did get the next goal shortly after when to no one’s surprise it came from the right side and Sabine. Misako received the ball in the center of the park and played it out wide to Sabine. Sabine cut in from the right wing going inside her defender before pulling the ball back towards the far post. The ball went past the goalkeeper and was rolling into the net but Whitney Danner was following up and made sure by tapping the ball in over the line.
Sabine got her goal six minutes later when after the ball had been played forward by the defense, Maria Prieto rose the highest to flick the ball on. It landed at Sabine’s feet and with a shimmy that Elvis would have been proud of she lost her defender and deceived the covering defender with a deft drag back before slamming the ball high into the net from 15 yards for a fantastic goal.
The goals dried up for a bit and we had to wait until the 83rd minute when we were treated to yet another spectacular goal. Calea Bourne crossed the ball in from the left, it ricocheted off a defender and Meghan Dunagan acrobatically volleyed the ball with her left foot, over her shoulder, and into the far corner of the net. Needless to say Meghan was extremely happy about it. It almost midnight now and I think she is still jumping up and down with her arms in the air!
Two minutes later Graceland scored again. Katrina Sumsion won the ball and counter attacked from the left back position. She passed inside to Tara Stavlic who controlled it and then with her second touch played the ball behind the central defenders for Whitney to run onto. Whitney calmly cut across the goalkeeper and placed the ball into an empty net.
9-0 with only four minutes to go and then it happened. The ball fell lose in midfield, the Graceland team were caught daydreaming about what they were going to eat later, and the ball was lofted over our central and left defender. The forward ran on, controlled it and shot weakly at the goal. Unfortunately the ball squeezed through the waiting hands of Luisa DiBiagio in goal to be the first goal conceded in 1096 minutes of soccer played this season. Everyone was shocked. It was as if we had lost the game.
Whitney Danner took the ball from the restart and tried to dribble the ball through the entire Culver-Stockton team. You could see in her face that her pride had been hurt. It says a lot about Whitney Danner. She was tremendous today leading the line with strength, control and effort, and seems to be growing in confidence with every game.
At the final whistle the team walked off very quiet. They knew they had relaxed and got punished for it. One lapse of concentration by taking things for granted was immediately punished. They need to learn to concentrate for the entire 90 minutes whether you are winning or losing.
I did remind them that they had scored nine and it was another conference win but it didn’t seem to help. It shows the character of my team. They way they conduct themselves off and on the field you can see excellence and they take great pride in this. They didn’t like the fact that they had let themselves down. It was bound to happen and I am glad it is finally all over with. We have done amazing to go so far without conceding a goal but we now need to refocus and continue with the hard work that enabled this success to happen in the first place.
There were a lot of positives to be taken from this game. Calea Bourne proved that she is just as effective on the left side of defense as she is on the right. This will enable Amanda Sundell to switch from defense and forward more often because we now have adequate cover in the left back position. Heidi Beckstrom put in yet another flawless performance. Heidi has to be the most consistent players on the team at the moment. She has raised her game to a very high level and maintains this high level week in week out, game after game.
Sabine Schwittay illustrated her worth on the team with terrific old fashioned wing play. She got the ball and ran at her defender. All defenders hate that being done to them. Whitney Danner bossed the front line. Her running off the ball and playing support players in was exquisite. I was glad to see that Whitney was rewarded with two goals for her efforts today in front of her mom, granny and auntie.
Erin Creson proved yet again that she is one of the finest passers of the ball in the squad. It is not just her technical ability with her passes from the center of defense which amazes me; it is her choice of pass. Erin can see passes that other players cannot and almost every time makes the correct decision of who and when to pass.
Misako Inaba, Julia Prohaska and Tara Stavlic are learning all the time and their running to cover so much ground in midfield is inspiring to watch. Maria Prieto is now a very accomplished center forward. Always open to receive a pass, endless running, never giving up on a lost cause, great jumping and heading ability with an eye for goal. Who would believe that Maria came here as a back up keeper, spent a year in JV and is now our main threat at center forward on a team that is ranked 9th in the nation?
We arrived home with Billy Ocean singing “Caribbean Queen” on the radio after a hearty Mexican meal in our stomachs. The team must now rest up and prepare for a very tough end to the season. We start off by traveling to St. Louis to play Lindenwood University on Saturday. It will be a very difficult game indeed as Lindenwood are considered to be one of the top power houses in women’s college soccer. If we have any ambitions towards conference honors and post season play this is a game we must do well in. I believe in my team and they know that they are capable of playing with the best.
May I just finish with yet another big thank you to all those who wrote or called in with such nice words of support and encouragement this week. It meant so much to me and my team. Thank you!
GRACELAND 13 CENTRAL METHODIST UNIVERSITY 0
The Lady Yellowjackets put on a fine display of attacking soccer for the homecoming crowd to enjoy. The 13-0 score reflects a dominant display that was put on by the whole squad. The bench was emptied early and every player got significant minutes so as to keep the score down and to provide everyone a chance to show their skills.We have always emphasized that this year’s success has been built on a team effort and today highlighted that fact. Thirteen goals were scored with 10 different players assisting in those goals. Every member of the squad played a major part of the game and even the player who has been on the injured list for the longest time finally got on the field and played her first game. More about Maniesha later.
Earlier on in the day the women’s JV program played very well indeed to beat the alumni team 3-0. This was the third year the alumni women have played and it is very satisfying to see the alumni women come back every year so as to make this a traditional game in the same way it is for the men. The alumni women this year consisted of 13 players, 9 of whom have passed through during my tenure as coach. It was great to see them all again, although their lack of match fitness leaves a lot to be desired!!
I must congratulate the JV on a very disciplined performance. Coach Jesse Wagenaar really has done a tremendous job in transforming this team into a well organized and soccer minded unit. The passing and movement was first class and this can only be good for the soccer program at Graceland on the whole. I see players developing in the JV program ready to step into the very high level environment of the varsity program. Congratulations to you all and I am looking forward to tomorrow’s game with club Harriers with great interest.
The varsity team was a little nervous going into tonight’s game because they wanted to showcase their talents to the alumni and for them to be proud of them. I constantly tell my players of the history of this program and how lucky they are to be in the position they find themselves in today. I remind them that there would be no program if it wasn’t for the enormous efforts of so many people who went before them. Our success is the alumni’s success and the team so desperately wanted to offer their gratitude with a good result tonight.
The ladies kicked off with a beautiful blue sky as a backdrop and the sun shining bright over the Big G Lake. The crowd was just getting settled into their seats when Graceland struck with venom. Misako Inaba won the ball in midfield and played it to Lara Guscott ahead of her. Lara didn’t waste any time at all to help the ball on through over the opponents back line for Whitney Danner to run after. Whitney cut in from the right wing and gathered the ball as she confronted the goalkeeper. A deadly hush of anticipation came over the crowd before Whitney calmly slotted the ball past her and into the net for the game’s first goal.
Three minutes later Zulema was the provider this time for Lara Guscott to dribble towards the opponent’s goal and finish with a sweet strike to make it 2-0. On 13 minutes Lara Guscott scored again. Whitney Danner chipped the ball from the right wing to the far post where Lara was following up and just managed to redirect the ball into the net before disappearing down the bank of the lake. She reappeared happy as a lark because she had scored a goal and had made friends with a frog which was making a new home for itself in Lara’s hair.
On 23 minutes Graceland had a corner kick on the right which was cleared but only as far as Zulema Martinez. Zulema beat the oncoming defender and put in an excellent low cross to the near post which Maria Prieto met on the volley and the ball whistled past the ears of the goalkeeper and into the net for a terrific goal.
The Graceland team was in full swing and the crowd was enjoying the wonderful passing shapes the players were forming. One such passing combination in the 30th minute provided Jocelyn Jentsch with her first goal of the afternoon. Misako Inaba and Julia Prohaska played a delightful one-two before chipping the ball forward to Amanda Sundell who was coming inside from her wing. Amanda flicked the ball on with her head and Jocelyn raced through to collect the ball, shimmy to the left to wrong foot her defender and smash a low left drive passed the keeper.
Eight minutes later in the 38th minute the hard working and creative Misako Inaba cleverly found a gap to provide Sabine a chance to shoot. Sabine took the ball in her stride and shot low into the left corner from the right for the last goal of the half. The score was 7-0 going into the locker room for the half time segment of orange and a cup of tea was very satisfying.
Maniesha Munro had struggled with a groin injury last season and when she reported in for pre season this year it was still bothering her. Maniesha hasn’t been able to practice with the team properly for more than six weeks as she has had to continue her rehab in the hope the injury will heal. I had Maniesha in my office this week telling me how frustrated she feels not being able to help the team by contributing on the field. Anyone who has been injured can really sympathize with Maniesha. To be out of action for a significant amount of time can be very frustrating especially if you are the type of player of Maniesha who loves her sport and so desperately wants to be part of the team effort.
The athletic trainers had been doing a great job and we decided it was time to let her loose. We knew her aerobic condition was not very good because of the lack of training but we felt it was important to get her out there to at least taste the battle and soothe this aching frustration that had been building up inside of her. Maniesha started the second half and with the advice of the training staff we were only going to give her 10 minutes. Maniesha made full use of those 10 minutes!! She ran everything down, held the ball up to provide our midfield with a springboard to build attacks with, and took about five shots at goal. The fifth shot was very special indeed.
A corner kick was played to Heidi Beckstrom wide on the right. Heidi drove the ball towards the penalty area and it found Maniesha on the edge of the penalty area. Manny controlled the ball, dropped her shoulder to lose the marker, touched the ball out to her right and swiveled on her left foot to drive a right footed shot across the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. The bench erupted with pleasure.
The crowd must have wondered why we were celebrating our eighth goal so much. We knew the frustrations and hard work Maniesha had put herself through to even get to this stage and we all felt so happy for her. The tears were running down Maniesha’s face as Jocelyn replaced her and she received many a hug from the waiting players and staff. This happy ending couldn’t have happened to a more deserving or nicer person. Welcome back Maniesha!! Now we get to work on your strength and fitness and this will now provide us with another wonderful attacking player!! Team selection is always difficult, with Maniesha’s return it has become even more difficult but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Three minutes later we had our ninth goal when Zulema Martinez cut in from the left to rifle a shot which the goalkeeper spilled and Jocelyn Jentsch followed up to tap in. On 62 minutes after some breathtaking passing by almost the entire Graceland team Lara Guscott played through Whitney Danner who finished very confidently with only the goalkeeper to beat. On 70 minutes it was Lara’s turn to get into the act. She received a short pass from Julia Prohaska in midfield, spun around her marker and then dribbled passed two defenders before shooting low into the corner of the net.
On the 80th minute a shout came from the bench that this now meant Graceland had not conceded a goal for 1000 minutes. This is a terrific achievement and one which reflects the work of the whole team. To celebrate the team scored the best goal of the game. The defense switched the ball from left to right using the midfield to find Calea Bourne. Calea played a nice pass down the right wing for Sabine Schwittay to receive. Sabine stopped the ball quickly which made her marker to lose her footing and played a hard cross into the penalty area. Jocelyn Jentsch had timed her run perfectly to meet the ball with an acrobatic volley that smashed the ball into the old onion bag at the near post.
The last goal came in the dying seconds when Tara Stavlic crossed the ball in from the right and Whitney Danner connected to direct the ball goal wards. The goalkeeper saved it but couldn’t keep hold of the ball and Whitney followed up to finish with a simple tap in.
The alumni, family and friends who came out to see the team were full of praise for the ladies. It was nice that so many good people who really care about us were able to see a fine performance which clearly illustrated how far we have developed as a team. If you read my reports you will often only hear about the names of players who score or assist with goals. Tonight I would like to recognize those unsung heroines in the team who often don’t get the praise they deserve.
Reily Madigan, Heidi Beckstrom, Amanda Sundell, Katrina Sumsion, Chelsea Woodger, Nav Boparai, Erin Creson, Nicole Cummins and Calea Bourne control our back line with a real sense of composure and focus. They amaze me as to how quick they pick things up and then put them into practice. They communicate well with each other and have a fine understanding of not only their own role in the line but that of the others around them. They protect Samantha Clark and Luisa DiBiagio in goal and provide the midfield or forwards with quality possession with which to use.
Erin and Nicole are freshman and are learning all the time what is expected of a quality defender. They could not have asked for better mentors to learn from than the defensive players we have in the team right now. Chelsea and Katrina are seniors who we will sadly lose next season but we have Erin and Nicole who are more than able to step into their shoes.
There were a lot of players’ families here today to see their daughter or sister play. They all commented on how they enjoyed the game and I am sure they are rightfully proud of the achievements the team is making.
This is a wonderful team made up of the most wonderful people. I was also surprised to hear that the families enjoyed reading these reports so much. They say it makes them feel closer to the game which is important because most of these great people live so far away and can’t get to games. I hope I can continue to make you all feel as if you are there because you are in the player’s hearts when they play and they feel your presence even though you are not in the stands watching.
I have been on the end of many a criticism this season from people who want to bring me down, and it made me feel very warm inside to receive so many compliments about how the team is doing and how they respect the way in which I have looked after the players. Mother Teresa once said: “In the final analysis, it is between you and God: it was never between you and them anyway”. Thank you.
09-29-04 GRACELAND 11 MIDAMERICA NAZARENE 0
Maria Prieto and Jocelyn Jentsch scored hat-tricks today to earn Graceland their second straight conference win as their fine start to the season continued.Maria shot home each time from the edge of the six- yard box in the 10th and 30th minutes and added a third after 50 minutes with an impressive shot from a tight angle on the right.
Jocelyn scored the first two of her goals in the final seven minutes of the first half. The first with a rocket shot from the edge of the box and the second with a neat glancing header at the near post from a cross by Zulema Martinez. Jocelyn completed her hat trick in the 72nd minute with her signature rocket shot from 12 yards.
From the very first minute Graceland went on the attack and had the ball in the net from Maria Prieto but the goal was called back for offside which seemed at the time a little strange and harsh. Right from the first whistle the team was focused and their play was fantastic. This year we introduced a very exciting style of play with slick movement and interpassing, and the ladies are coping with it really well.
This was a huge game for us after the euphoria of last weekend when we tied with the number one team in the nation on the road in Kentucky, but our performance here was even more polished.
Zulema Martinez pounced on a Lara Guscott through-ball to drive home from just inside the box after 27 minutes. Graceland scored their third goal when Whitney Danner followed up a shot that had been saved from Lara Guscott. Lara Guscott forced home a Maria Prieto cut back in the 52nd minute and within seconds Lara had scored again. Lara finished from close range after a Whitney Danner shot had been deflected into her path and then into the net.
Jocelyn Jentsch and Julia Prohaska won their fitness battle to play for the Yellowjackets and it was great to see them out there again after their recent injuries. Tara Stavlic has done such a great job in the center of midfield filling in for the injured Julia Prohaska, that she kept her starting position today and once more put in a fine performance. Tara built a solid platform in midfield together with Misako Inaba on which the team could start their attacks from.
Samantha Clark had only one shot to save in the first half and as MidAmerica crept into the game in the second half they did not really trouble Luisa DiBiagio who was now in goal. Graceland made many chances and should have scored more but the percentage of missed chances to goals scored is decreasing and we must be patient and give it time. The confidence and correct decision making needed when in front of goal is improving every day and with every game.
Good chances to score were provided by fine individual and team play. Amanda Sundell had a shot that was only inches over the bar. Lara Guscott went close on two occasions when she put the ball just past the near post from just inside the box after a clever knock-down by Jocelyn Jentsch and Maria Prieto. A low drive from Sabine Schwittay was destined for the MidAmerica net until the goalkeeper scrambled the ball clear. The goalkeeper also blocked a powerful effort from Whitney Danner after being put through with a delightful pass by Misako Inaba.
Graceland always looked attack-minded and their goalkeeper did well again to hold a low drive from Zulema Martinez late in the second half. Another low Guscott drive was smothered by the goalkeeper before Graceland eventually got their last goal of the afternoon.
The ball had been played out to the right back, Calea Bourne. Calea smashed a cross into the box from all of 40 yards. It went with so much pace that all the MidAmerica defense could do was help the ball into the net.
Well done ladies!! Number 9 in the national rankings, unbeaten after 10 games and everyone in the team happy and supportive of each other. We must be doing something right.
GU 0 LINDSEY WILSON 0 ---- GU 7 OAKLAND CITY (NCAA Div. II) 0
What a road trip. Thirteen hours on a bus to travel to play the number one ranked team in the nation and come away with a 0-0 tie. I don’t know the words or adjectives that can give this achievement justice. Who would have thought a provincial small college like ours could perform to this level? The next day the team sealed the deal with an emphatic 7-0 win over NCAA Div. II Oakland City University in Indiana. The nine-hour journey home after that game was very pleasant indeed.The journey to Kentucky was bearable for me because I had taken some medication for my cold, which knocked me out for almost the entire trip. I woke up as we pulled into the hotel 13 hours later and felt much rested. This had been a good thing because if I had been awake the whole journey I may have worried myself into an early grave with thoughts of what might happen in tomorrow’s game against the number one ranked team in the nation. The realization of all this hit me the next morning.
After breakfast my stomach started to do summersaults as I began to analyze the huge task in front of us. Here is little old Graceland from the corn fields of Iowa attempting to play against the number one team in the nation with all top class international players on their roster who were obviously heavily scholar-shipped. As the players warmed up I had to visit the port-a-cabin and deposit my breakfast into it. I was glad the players didn’t see me or my tensions may have rubbed off on them. I felt so nervous because I feel like a mother goose leading her little chicks waddling on behind and I wanted to protect them.
I began to feel I wasn’t 100 percent sure that bringing them all this way to play such a power house like Lindsey Wilson was the best thing. What if they get completely overwhelmed and embarrassed with the score line? I became protective and didn’t want them to get harmed. You train with the players nearly every day and you cannot help but feel some kind of attachment with them.
I wiped my mouth and left for the field saying to myself that we are here now so let’s give it our best shot. Running away won’t solve anything. The warm up went well and the players seemed reasonably relaxed which was surprising. We had to change our starting line up because in the warm up Luisa DiBiagio hit a low drive into the back of Whitney Danner’s head which almost knocked her out. There was no way Whitney could start until she stopped seeing visions of pink elephants circling the moons of Saturn.
Calea Bourne got drafted in at the last minute to start on the right in her place. We were already without Julia Prohaska and Jocelyn Jentsch through injury so here we were about to kick off against the best team in the country without even having our best team on the field!! A deep breath was taken by all and we looked at each other and told ourselves that we believe in each other and had nothing to fear.
The game started off as predicted with Lindsey Wilson having the majority of possession but it soon became evident that we could match them and should rightly have nothing to fear. During the first half we only had two shots at goal but those two shots could easily have been goals. Nav Boparai had a bullet header from a corner that shaved the top of the crossbar and Lara Guscott had an opening from only 10 yards that with better contact on the shot would have been a certain goal.
Lindsey Wilson were restricted to long range shots and only came close twice when a header was superbly saved by the diving Samantha Clark in net and they hit a post with a shot. The half time break was spent confirming our commitment to each other as people, friends and as team mates. We saw we had a chance and we weren’t going to miss an opportunity like this. Yes Lindsey Wilson was good but so were we and we had no reason to fear them.
The second half was very much the way of the first half with Lindsey Wilson having most of the ball and Graceland trying to break quickly for goal scoring opportunities. Sabine Schwittay came close to getting on the end of a cross at the far post for one chance but in the second half we didn’t have as many chances as in the first half. The same was for Lindsey Wilson as they didn’t create any clear-cut chances either in the second period. The clock went to 90 minutes and the players came off the field exhausted but with their heads held high in pride. Nobody had shut out Lindsey Wilson all season long. Graceland was the first to do it, and in their own back yard too.
We got together quickly and told each other that we had gotten his far so why not go the whole way and get a result in overtime. It was two 10-minute periods of overtime with a sudden death goal to finish it. In other words, if a team scored at any time in over time the game would finish right there as a 1-0 win for the goal scoring team.
The players went out again with a bounce in their step and the cheers of encouragement from the bench players and fans in their ears. Three sets of parents had made the trip to see the game and a soccer playing alumni with her husband as well as the waiting men’s team to cheer us on. Their vocal support could be heard by everyone and was much appreciated. It was very hot but the players were in excellent condition because of their off season training. They were fitter, stronger and faster, and for the first time in my four seasons, here was a team who could handle the physical demands of the game. All the hard work was starting to pay off.
Zulema Martinez had a 20 yard shot in the first period of overtime that for a second looked like was dipping over the goalkeepers head. Unfortunately it dipped too early and the goalkeeper caught it. If that had of gone in who knows what celebrations that might have started. The game was running to a conclusion in the second period of overtime when something happened that will always be remembered by this team and those who were there to support them.
After 109 minutes of play and only one minute left in over time before the end of the game Lindsey Wilson finally had their one great opportunity to score. The ball was played from right to left and went over our defenders heads and fell at the feet of the waiting striker. She controlled it and faced up to the goal from only 10 yards out. It seemed to be a certain goal and there was a deadly hush on the bench, who by now were standing on the touch line. I was preparing my tough luck speech with words of encouragement about how well they had done to take them this far when suddenly there was an orange flash. Just like in the super hero movies a hero dressed in orange saved the day.
Samantha Clark, dressed in a fluorescent orange jersey, sprang into action and sped out to confront the striker. She dived full length at the feet of the forward and managed to block the shot. As we were about to cheer with relief we saw the bobble towards the other forward in front of the goal. We went from dread to relief and back to dread again within the space of two seconds.
Just as we thought the second forward would score into an empty net Samantha’s teammates jumped to her defense and blocked the striker with any part of their body they could use. The ball went spinning around as each shot was blocked and each time all of us watching were going from joy to despair until suddenly somebody got their size eight on the ball and sent it 70 yards up the field to one of the biggest cheers ever heard from a team’s bench. WHAT DRAMA and what a save by Samantha Clark.
One minute to go and we had to endure one last free kick from Lindsey Wilson before the very final whistle went. The most historic game in the program’s history was over and Graceland had achieved a result that no one in their right minds would have thought imaginable. The Graceland players were jumping up and down and hugging each other with sheer joy. I would have cried with joy if I could but I was so dehydrated with nerves by the end I had no fluid left in my body. I felt the most amazing sense of pride for my team. That feeling will live with me forever!! I can’t describe it and I won’t even try but needless to say it was one of the most emotional moments of my entire life.
To see the sheer joy on all the players’ faces and those of the fans was a sight to behold. As we got together on the field we formed a circle and held hands. I told them how proud I was of all of them and I wanted to leave them with something profound with which they would remember this moment by. My mind went totally blank and all I could say was: “You were all amazing today and you can now eat anything you want for tonight’s meal!” They went ballistic with joy and the fans who had heard this burst out laughing.
We have a very serious diet code in the team and I police the players very strictly to make sure they keep to it. The fans must have thought I only feed them on bread and water judging by the reaction of the players. They were whooping and hollering and hugging each other while tears streamed down their faces. I am hoping this was more to do with the result than with them being allowed to eat what they wanted!
We eat at a Ryan’s buffet if you are wondering and a good feed was had by all!! The next day we traveled to NCAA Div. II Oakland City University in Indiana. We reminded the team about being professional and to follow up a great result the day before with another one today to really seal the deal on the trip. The first five minutes or so were a little rusty, which was to be expected but they then soon got into the rhythm of things.
On 12 minutes Maria Prieto let go a cannonball from the left edge of the penalty area which found the far corner of the goal for our first. Graceland dominated the play with some fine passing and control and more importantly excellent decision making when deciding on what pass to make. On 22 minutes Tara Stavlic pushed the ball through the high Oakland defense for Zulema Martinez to run onto and finish with aplomb. On 40 minutes Tara was yet again the provider of the next goal with a right wing cross that Whitney Danner finished with a near post header.
In the second half the goals kept coming. In the 58th minute Misako did a beautiful flick pass which deceived the Oakland defense to leave Whitney with a simple finish passed the goal keeper. After 70 minutes Amanda Sundell chipped the ball over the defenders for Zulema to run onto and go around the goalkeeper before sliding the ball into the old onion bag. Five minutes later Misako dribbled passed a defender before unselfishly giving the ball to Zulema to finish. Zulema scored the last goal of the game on 82 minutes with Tara being the provider with a through pass this time.
After the game we got back on the bus and traveled the remaining nine hours to Lamoni arriving at 4:00 a.m. Monday morning. It had been an interesting trip, and one which will live in our collective memories for a very long time indeed. People will remember that save by Sam but I believe the one thing that will be remembered the most will be the collective fellowship that was felt by the WHOLE team. That feeling of belonging and pride in your team is very special feeling and happens with only a few teams. We are lucky but we made this team happen with a lot of sweat and tears. The sight of us holding hands, tears in ours eyes, looking around the circle into each of our faces with a sense of loyalty, respect, pride and honor is a treasure that money will never be able to buy.
This should jump us up in the national rankings this week and it will be such an achievement to break into the top 10. We don’t give out full ride scholarships; in fact our scholarship system has been based on education rather than athletic ability recently. I wonder how many of the top ten schools have a similar situation when it comes to recruitment.
As we pulled into Lamoni on the bus my thoughts went to my first team here three years ago. I saw the faces of people like Jennifer Wheeler, Heidi Musters, Kelly Fera, Claudia Hrynwietsz, Abbey Bullington, Katie Smith and others and I remembered the sense of accomplishment and pride we had by reaching a 50 percent record after a 0 win, 13 loss season in the previous season before I arrived. That team was not as skilled as this one but they achieved their ‘Everest’ in the same way this team is climbing theirs. I have been proud of all four of my teams here at Graceland, they all achieved success and each of them has special memories for me.
This recent team and its success gives me a dilemma, though. I coach because I seek a challenge. Once you get to the top there is only one way to go and that is down. My old mentor told me “quit when you get to the top and seek the next challenge.” I hope we still have some challenges to overcome.
GRACELAND 5 BENEDICTINE 0
I only have 15 minutes as it is half time in the men’s game and I want to get down there to see the second half, then we are leaving for Kentucky straight after the game. So here goes:Not the best performance I have seen but I will take the 5-0 win in conference play any day of the week. The frustrations in front of goal continue and this frustration is spreading through the team. Suddenly we are not passing well and not controlling the game as the frustrations of missing easy goal scoring chances builds up the pressure on the team. It is a mental thing and so difficult to stop.
We have to keep telling ourselves that we don’t turn into a bad team overnight, let us continue to tell ourselves we are good team and really believe in it. If we do this we will be fine and come through this barren spell a much stronger team. You would think the team is in crises reading this. Seven wins and no losses and 11th in the national rankings. We set high standards and we always strive to keep to those standards.
I shudder to think how many easy goal scoring chances we missed in the first half but the number was more than the times I have watched American Idol on TV. We all had to wait until the 40th minute before we got our first goal and it came from the same player as in the last game, Lara Guscott. Lara intercepted a Benedictine pass and attacked the back line with a fine dribble taking her passed two defenders before sliding the ball in to the corner of the goal. It was almost a carbon copy of the first goal in the last game against Wartburg College.
The team were missing the easiest of chances from six yards out with only the goalkeeper to beat and yet it took a 30 yard dribble and finish from Lara to get us on the board. Long throw ins were testing our defensive shape from Benedictine but the Yellowjackets held firm to take us into half time a goal to the good.
We talked about confidence and commitment in front of goal during the break and you could see an added spring to their step when the team went out for the second half. The chances kept on coming and just when you thought it wouldn’t go in we had four goals inside 12 minutes.
On 71 minutes Misako played a delightful ball through for Whitney who took it around a defender and rifled her shot into the back of the net. Two minutes later Whitney scored again after some terrific play down the left and the ball was played across the goal for Whitney to finish with a tap in at the far post. On 80 minutes Nicole Cummins took a great free kick from out wide on the right and Sabine Schwittay rose like a salmon to head in to the net from eight yards out. Three minutes later Sabine scored again after a defense splitting ball was played through by Lara Guscott and Sabine took it around the goalkeeper before finishing into the corner of the net.
Tonight we start our long journey to Kentucky to play the number one ranked team in the nation, Lindsey Wilson. “Why go all that way to play such a strong team?” I hear you ask. The answer is because we want to know what being the best is all about. The score is not important, we want to learn. From this game we will have a better idea of where we stand in relation to being the best and we will see the things we need to work on to bridge that gap between us. It will be a learning experience that I for one am looking forward to. We will not be getting the usual 40 goal scoring chances so when the opportunity comes I hope and believe our players will take it with open arms and full of confidence.
I have to go the second half has started.
09-21-04 GRACELAND 2 WARTBURG COLLEGE 0
Today Graceland managed to snap the eight-run winning streak of Wartburg by handing them with their first defeat of the season on their own field. Their field was in excellent condition and it certainly helped to provide the players a chance to play some fine passing soccer. The game was won with two goals; Lara Guscott assisted by Reily Madigan in the 41st minute and Maria Prieto scoring in the 80th minute from an assist by Zulema Martinez.The game followed a similar pattern to recent games with Graceland dominating possession and creating many chances only to see the ball miss the target or get saved by the goalkeeper. Wartburg were restricted to only three shots on target the whole game and those three were from around 30-40 yards each time, never troubling Samantha Clark in goal. Graceland had over 40 shots and really should have had more goals to show for their hard work. Lara Guscott’s goal was a piece of individual brilliance. After receiving a pass down the left wing, Lara turned her defender and went on a mazy dribble that took her past three defenders before sliding the ball across the goalkeeper and into the far corner of the net. It needed something like this to get us started on the scoreboard as players were just not composed or deadly enough in front of goal and the frustration was becoming heavier and heavier on the players. This goal took away all the worries and frustrations and there was a huge sense of relief on the bench and on the field.
The second goal was scored near the end when after some good build up play from defense and through midfield the ball ended up in front of Zulema Martinez going in on goal. Her shot was under hit as it went across the goalkeeper but Maria Prieto was following up to tap in an easy goal and secure the win. The speed of play with passing and movement was one of the best displays I have seen from a Graceland team. They were confident in what they were doing and they never gave Wartburg a chance to pressure and force us into mistakes. The ball was played quickly and around the Wartburg players as the Graceland team sought gaps in their defense to take advantage of.
Our strikers are not having the best of luck at the moment but when they hit form some team is in for a real wipe out. All forwards go through this kind of dry spell with goals scored compared to goal chances. The team is providing our forwards with chance after chance after chance. The build up play is wonderful and so well thought out. All it needs now is that finishing touch with a committed shot on goal to put the cherry on the cake. It will come – we need to be patient and we need to believe in ourselves.
We now have six wins and no losses with a national ranking of number 11, the highest we have ever had and I should be over the moon with happiness. But, I am afraid my usual joyful writing will be amiss today as the game was overshadowed with the news that Julia Prohaska has a possible fracture of the tibia bone in her leg. It happened with only five minutes to go and was a result of a cleats up tackle that landed at the base of her leg as she was passing the ball. There was no need for the tackle and it is so upsetting to see such a whole hearted player like Julia go down with such an injury.
She is the engine room of the team and her endless running, tackling, covering and passing has been instrumental in our fantastic start to the season resulting in the climb up the national rankings to number 11 this week. Julia has built up a great partnership with Misako Inaba in midfield and they are the perfect foils for each other’s games. Julia is the worker who keeps the game simple with short passes and constant support while Misako looks to switch play and look for those forward through passes. They compliment each other and have a great chemistry on and off the field.
The early prognosis is a fracture that may take six weeks to heal. If this is true I am hopeful she will be back ready for regional play if we qualify. The head athletic trainer, John Bartholomew, has asked for the x-rays to be sent to the university sports doctor to see if the diagnosis is not as bad as it seems. We won’t know until we hear from him but I have everything crossed and am trying to give out positive thoughts for Julia to be ok and back soon. The tears on her face on the bench when Vanessa was telling her what it could all mean was hard to witness.
Julia wasn’t crying because she was in pain and feeling sorry for herself. She was crying because it meant she couldn’t play and be on the field with her team mates. To me that says it all. I am heart broken for her and for the team because they know how important she is to us. When one goes down we all feel it because we are a team after all.
Playing NCAA Division III teams you expect physical play and today’s game was no exception. I am not blaming the Wartburg team because these things happen in soccer and we have to move on. Wartburg are a strong physical team and we have to learn to look after ourselves in such situations. Soccer games have injuries, it comes with the territory.
My career finished with an ACL rupture so I have some experience of the highs and lows of soccer. We now have Julia out of action to go with Maniesha Munro who has not recovered from an injury she suffered last season. We have Angela Sanchez out of the varsity team because she was not able to get into the correct physical condition for this season due to her ACL surgery last September and is now training with the JV.
We also have Meghan Dunagan and Nicole Cummins, both freshmen, in the varsity squad but not really strong enough because of being in the middle of rehab from recent injuries to make a real impact at this level yet. They need time to get stronger before they can make an impact on the team. We also have our captain, Chelsea Woodger, being held together by bits of duck tape, bubble wrap and staples, who we are trying to ease through her final season. After each game she needs a bath of ice just to stop the pain in her back becoming unbearable.
I want to take this opportunity to offer a huge thank you to Vanessa, our athletic trainer. These people do such a great job for all the sports teams and don’t get the recognition or praise they deserve. Vanessa does a wonderful job looking after the ladies and her caring attitude is so helpful when she is around the team.
Vanessa drove one of the buses to Wartburg taking almost five hours, saw to the team during and after the game for three hours and then drove a bus back for another five hours. And then took Julia to Leon hospital for x-rays on our return for another three hours. Vanessa only had two hours sleep before her first class Wednesday morning.
Vanessa is a part of this team and we are all the better for having her with us. Her dedication to what she does and the caring and professional manner in which she goes about it is a credit to the athletic training department and to her. Everyone has a role on the team and Vanessa’s role is equally as important as any player. Vanessa – thank you!
09-18-04 GRACELAND 7 DANA COLLEGE 0
Good news is just life's way of keeping you off balance. The Graceland women’s soccer team put in yet another fine performance to score a 7-0 victory at home to a strong Dana College side and achieve the 100th win in the program’s history.Dana College had been unbeaten so far with three wins and one tie scoring 17 and only allowing three goals conceded. The Lady Yellowjackets had to give their opponents respect today and focus on the job at hand if they were to get a result they wanted. This they did and put on a wonderful show for the watching fans to enjoy.
Seven to zero was indeed a fine return, but if it wasn’t for the fine performances of the two Dana goalkeepers it could have been double figures and maybe nearer 20 when all was said and done. The Graceland forwards bombarded the Dana goal with chance after chance and it was a combination of some great keeper saves and basic errors from our forwards that enabled the score to end at only seven. All credit to Dana College who kept their heads up and never gave up in what seemed from the sideline to be a one-sided affair today.
It was great to see Trevor Wiltse on the sideline today. Trevor was the assistant to the team last year and is now working in Omaha as a high school teacher and soccer coach with his young family. It was so nice to see him again and it gives me a chance once more to tell everyone that Trevor is the finest assistant any coach could ever dream of having. He was irreplaceable and therefore I have no assistant this year. How could anyone fill those big shoes?
He was very impressed with the team’s playing and commented on how much better the team is passing on the whole. We had a good chat and he seems to be having fun in Omaha but I am a little worried about an incident he had last Sunday which he told me about.
Last Sunday morning Trevor in his Sunday best was running so he wouldn't be late for church. As he ran he kept praying, "Dear God, please don't let me be late to church. Please don't let me be late to church...." As he was running he tripped and fell. When he got back up he began praying again... "Please, God don't let me be late to church -- but don't shove me either!”
The game started with total domination of possession by the Graceland team. The passing and movement was very slick and well thought out. Dana College came out strong to pressurize and hustle us into mistakes but the ladies just kept the ball moving around them, never allowing them to be caught in possession of the ball. This very enjoyable passing game enabled us to create many scoring chances. Sabine Schwittay had the first chance when after put clean through on goal had her shot saved by the diving Dana keeper. This was a pattern of almost the entire first half.
Graceland would pass the ball well from side to side and then suddenly penetrate the Dana back line with a fine incisive pass only for the striker to miss cue their shot or the goalkeeper to pull off another fine save. It seemed as if it was going to be one of those days when it just wouldn’t go in the net. I found myself talking out loud, “What I want most in life is patience... AND I WANT IT NOW!!!” I felt my heart rate quicken and just as I started my deep breathing and yoga exercises on the bench to try and calm down, we scored. Not only that, we scored three goals in three minutes!
On 33 minutes Lara Guscott played the ball through and beyond the Dana defense for Zulema Martinez to run onto and Zulema then took it to the goal before pushing the ball into the corner of the old onion bag for the first goal of the game.
Two minutes later the second goal came. Lara Guscott was once again instrumental in the goal as it was her pass to Amanda Sundell on the left edge of the penalty area that allowed Amanda to curl an unstoppable shot into the far corner of the goal off the crossbar. We had barely sat down again before the third goal went in. It was a carbon copy of the second except it was Maria Prieto passing to Zulema Martinez on the left to curl a shot into the far corner off the crossbar once more. You wait and wait and then suddenly three come along at the same time. Oh those London buses!
The half time was spent talking about one or two tactical decisions the team could do better at and to not be afraid of shooting. It seemed as if the forwards were playing it too safe with their shots making sure they hit the target at the expense of power. A successful shot needs a combination of both but more importantly the player needs to be unafraid of missing. The second half was much better in this respect. We scored four more goals but the quality of shots overall vastly improved and I still can’t believe we didn’t score more.
We also talked about other things such as the fun trip we all had last Thursday to Jordan Creek in West Des Moines to eat cheesecake, go shopping and see a movie. The ladies enjoyed bonding together again after putting in a lot of hard work on the practice field and weight room over the last few weeks. You could see this bond as they played today. They played for each other. Every member of the squad played today and all did the team proud.
We didn’t have long to wait before the fourth goal was scored. Three goals were scored within four minutes of each other. This is becoming a pattern. Maybe our school mascot should be a London double decker bus! After only three minutes of the restart Amanda Sundell sprinted down the left wing and cut a great ball across the face of the goal. Maria Prieto just failed to direct it towards goal but it did find Whitney Danner who was moving into the far post area and she finished high into the roof of the net.
One minute later the ball was in the onion bag once more as Whitney crossed the ball in from the right for the goalkeeper to let slip through her hands and Amanda Sundell to finish with a header. Two minutes later a short wide free kick from the right enabled Julia Prohaska to curl a great cross into the box for Lara to out-jump her marker and force a powerful header home. Two headed goals in two minutes – this is not normal!
The last goal came just after the hour mark when Sabine sped down the right wing before crossing to find Maria Prieto in acres of space. Maria took a touch to control the ball and then slammed it into the corner of the net for our 7th and final goal. Graceland once more dominated play and with a bit of luck could have had a hatful of more goals.
One example of this is after the Dana goalkeeper had saved a shot and was running back to goal she saved the follow up shot with her back totally unaware of where the ball was. On any other day the score could have been much higher but then again on another day we may have never scored from any of our many chances and Dana will score one goal with their only shot of the game to win. That is the beauty of soccer.
It was fun to just sit back and watch the ladies play in the second half and also to listen to their talking on the bench. I am sure I heard Nav Boparai say: “How come wrong numbers are never busy?” And for Nicole Cummins to reply, “Friends don't let friends drive naked.” And for Misako to teach everyone that Karaoke is Japanese for "Tone Deaf.” Hmmm, now I am getting a little scared.
Our next opponents on Tuesday will be Wartburg College in Northern Iowa who are unbeaten in 2004 and setting a school opening winning start with seven wins, and who have just won 10-2 in their last game!!!
They have scored 32 goals and only conceded eight. It looks like we are playing a strong team who are in form, and the prospect of traveling four to five hours to confront this whirlwind is a little daunting to say the least. I have confidence in my team and it will be good to pit our soccer skills against such an attacking force as Wartburg. We obviously go in as underdogs, but as Europe is proving in the Ryder Cup as I write, you can never count against the underdog. Go Monty!!
09-08-04 GRACELAND 2 GRAND VIEW COLLEGE 0
This afternoon the Graceland women’s soccer team was not at its best and yet it dug out a good result which is always satisfying to see from a coaching perspective. You are not going to play well every game and it is important that when you have those days you have players who will put their shoulders to the wheel and get a result through sheer determination and concentration. Today we had those players in abundance.I have just been told that today’s win was the 99th win in the program’s history. If my math is correct that means the next win will be the century mark. The next win, when it comes, will be dedicated to all those players who have gone before in the 10-year history of the program, for it was their inspiring work which has made everything we achieve now possible. The last national rankings had Graceland as number 17. With today’s win I am hopeful this will rise next week to a ranking never achieved by Graceland before.
After an impressive start to the season with three straight wins, we knew that today’s game would be different. Grand View tied us last season and finished ahead of us in the NAIA national rankings, 14th compared to our 17th.
The players were reminded that soccer isn’t always as easy as it has been for them recently and that Grand View will give them a real test. This they did with strong and organized defense. Graceland had a lot of the possession of the ball but couldn’t turn this possession into goals. The Graceland offensive players couldn’t find a way of breaking through the tight defensive lines because their timing was off, whether it be passing to a team mate or dribbling past an opponent.
Having said that, Zulema Martinez did score in the 12th minute from an assist by Whitney Danner. The ball was played to Zulema on the left edge of the penalty area by Whitney Danner. Zulema controlled the ball quickly and with a drop of the shoulder cut inside the defender to rifle a right footed shot across the goalkeeper and into the corner of the net.
This example of quick play was very different to the hesitant attacking shown for most of the game by Graceland. Good defenders will stand off the attacker and wait, whereas a less talented defender will dive in to try to get the ball, making it far easier to slip past them.
It seems our attackers have been spoiled with playing against defenders who ‘dive in’ because they lacked the initiative today to make things happen. Their timing was off because the players were waiting for something to happen instead of making something happen. The nearer you get to the opponents goal the less time you have. It was true for me when I played in the 1800’s and I believe it still holds true today. It is not their fault, it is mine. I should have anticipated this and taught them. I will now seek to put this teaching in place over the next week or so. When it is in place the team will be much the better because of it. It is important to learn all the time even when you win.
A great positive from the game was the immense performance from the defenders and central midfield players. They were solid and didn’t put a foot wrong, to give the team a solid foundation from which to build attack after attack upon. The forwards may not have been firing on all cylinders but the defense and midfield were giving them chance after chance with which to try and try again.
The forwards never gave up which is a promising sign. They did not focus on failure but instead picked themselves up and put themselves in a position to have another go. This “never say die” attitude and willingness to keep trying was rewarded in the 86th minute with a penalty kick from Jocelyn Jentsch. The ref awarded a penalty, for something I couldn’t see from the bench, and Jocelyn calmly slotted the ball into the corner of the goal to ensure a well deserved win for the Graceland ladies.
Samantha Clark did not have much to do in goal but what she did have to deal with she handled it expertly. Chelsea Woodger and Nav Boparai in central defense were very solid and always anticipating the opposition’s next move with perfect positioning and support play. They had their trusty lieutenants beside them in Heidi Beckstrom, Amanda Sundell and Reilly Madigan who made sure any gaps that did appear in the back line were soon shut closed.
Misako Inaba and Julia Prohaska were majestic in their midfield play with their strong tackling, clever intercepting of passes and tremendous combination play to set up attack after attack. Lara Guscott worked hard to link the midfield with the forward line and always looked dangerous when the ball was at her feet. With a touch more quickness in her decision making the attacks could have resulted in more positive chances in front of goal but this will come. Lara is a fine player and as the season progresses I am confident Lara will become the great player we all know is inside of her.
Jocelyn Jentsch put in her best performance of the season to date showing great technique in holding up the ball to play supporting players in. She needs to work on her speed of play when she is facing the goal but this is something all the forwards need to work on.
Zulema scored the first goal and her pace was always a threat. Zulema had an off day today but we know she will bounce back with the stellar performance she usually puts in for the team. Maybe it was the added pressure of being named the region’s player of the week which caused her game to be slightly off today. Zulema never gave up and shed buckets of sweat for the good of the team and for this we are truly grateful. Having an off day doesn’t mean you don’t work hard for the team.
The team is always more important than any individual. Sabine Schwittay, Whitney Danner and Maria Prieto gave everything for the team up front today but unfortunately were not rewarded with goals to show for it all. Another day ladies, another day.
It was a shame I couldn’t bring onto the field every player available today. I feel their frustration and anger but the game was very evenly poised up to the 87th minute and I didn’t want to jeopardize our hold on the game. It was a professional call and one I strongly believe was right. Those players have played every game so far and their time will come again soon. The schedule is too tough for me not to use every player available to me. We need to use the time available to us to learn the roles expected of them in the various positions on the field so that they are fully prepared for what will be expected of them when their time comes.
We need a little patience and a lot of hard work. An example to look at is Chelsea Woodger. For the first half of last season she sat on the bench. From midway through the season Chelsea played every game, became the captain of the team for this season and is the rock at the back on which our team is built around today. Inspiration in human form!
Mother Teresa once wrote: “Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.”
09-04-04 Graceland 21 (twenty-one) , Mayville State 0
Today the Graceland women’s soccer program set a school record for most goals (21) in a game and achieving the third highest in NAIA history. Out of respect to the Mayville State team I will not go into detail as to how the goals were scored except to give the stats for those parents of the players looking in to find out how their daughter performed:GOALS: Zulema Martinez 5, Maria Prieto 3, Lara Guscott 3, Sabine Schwittay 3, Jocelyn Jentsch 2, Whitney Danner 1, Nicole Cummins 1, Amanda Sundell 1, Erin Creson 1, and Meghan Dunagan 1.
ASSISTS: Lara Guscott 4, Zulema Martinez 3, Jocelyn Jentsch 3, Julia Prohaska 2, Heidi Beckstrom 2, Maria Prieto 2, Misako Inaba 1, Whitney Danner 1, Meghan Dunagan 1, and Reily Madigan 1.
Shut out by goalkeeper Samantha Clark.
At half time I put all eight substitutes available on the field, two of whom were in the middle of rehab for knee injuries, allowed the clock to keep running on goals scored, and put defenders in forward positions to try to limit the scoring; but unfortunately it did not work.
I sympathize with the Mayville State team and coach, wishing I could say something that may help. Our graduating captain from last year, Kacey Loving (Courtney), said to me after the game that she knew how the Mayville State players felt because in the season before I joined the program, four years ago, the Graceland women’s team lost every game to usually big scores. I am sure Mayville State will grow as a program in the same way that Graceland has in such a short space of time. They battled hard and never gave up. They were a credit to their coach and university.
Our next game is at home to Grand View College from Des Moines on Wednesday, September 8 at 4:00 p.m. Grandview finished last season as the number 14th ranked team in the nation and are at present ranked 25th, so it will be a very tough game indeed for the Graceland women’s soccer program. It is important not to be complacent and to start patting ourselves on the backs too early as we have a very tough opponent in Grand View just waiting to put us in our place.
09-01-04 PARK UNIVERSITY 0, GRACELAND UNIVERSITY 8
This afternoon was a great result for the lady Yellowjackets. An 8-0 win against one of, if not the most winningest women college soccer teams in USA. What was astounding was the fact that it was done on the road to a team who are the 13th ranked team in the nation and had played in the national tournament last season.How did it all unfold I hear you ask? We stopped on the way to the game at a rest area and had a packed lunch of sandwiches and fruit. After the game we had some cookies, fruits, meats and cake provided by Kacey Loving a.k.a. Kacey Courtney and Terri Danner. Thirty minutes later we were sitting down to tacos, nachos, rice etc… at Pam Ash’s house in Liberty. I have never eaten this well before!!! Thanks to all!!! Your support is uplifting!
Before the game started, I decided to give the players an intelligence test to help calm their nerves. I gave them 10 minutes to come up with a sentence that contained the word fascinate. At first they looks perplexed, but eventually Samantha Clark stands up and says 'I've got it!! This coat of mine has got 10 buttons, but I can only fasten eight!!' With that I decided to let them onto the field to start.
The first 20 minutes of the game was spent in the Park University half of the field. We had them pinned down and they just couldn’t get out. Graceland had total domination of the ball and were creating chance after chance but the ball just wouldn’t go in. Being the pessimist I am I was half expecting Park to break away and score with their only shot at goal and then for it to be one of those days when nothing would go in for us and we would end up losing.
My fears were laid to rest when after 37 minutes Julia Prohaska played a high ball into Jocelyn Jentsch, the target player, and Jocelyn deftly flicked the ball through for Whitney to run on to. Whitney’s first shot was saved by the keeper but the ball fell at Whitney’s feet again and this time she made sure by slotting the ball past the goalie and into the net. Relief all round. My stomach had been in knots and I had drank a small reservoir in size of water due to my nerves! I must remember to sign up for that stress and relaxation class.
The first half ended and the players were congratulated on an excellent display of team soccer. We all knew more goals would come and for us not to panic or try to force the issue. Have you ever wondered what part of a football field smells the nicest? The scenter spot of course.
In direct contrast to the first half we did not have to wait very long for the second goal --34 seconds to be exact. From the kick off the ball was played in to the bottom far right corner. The Park throw fell to Amanda Sundell who tried to switch the ball from left to right for Sabine Schwittay. Sabine’s defender got a foot in to clear but only managed to spoon the ball into the air. The ball arched in the air and was dropping towards Jocelyn Jentsch. Jocelyn swung her foot and volleyed the ball from out of the air and it went low and hard into the bottom right corner of the net. A great opportunist goal and one that had everyone pumped up for more.
The third goal came in the 54th minute when the Park University threw the ball to one of her defenders only for Zulema Martinez to intercept. Zulema quickly gave the ball to Lara Guscott who with one touch put Jocelyn through on goal. Jocelyn took a touch and then rifled home from 20 yards.
Four minutes later Jocelyn had her hat trick. This was a great team goal. The ball was played around the back and then played up to Maria in the forward line. Maria beat her defender and placed a well weighted pass for Jocelyn to put away with one touch. Two minutes later there was a carbon copy goal of the last one except this time Lara Guscott played Maria in to score.
The level of soccer was improving and the show the ladies put on was beginning to get very entertaining. The quality of passing and movement was of a level I had never seen before. On 80 minutes Misako Inaba performed a wonderful ‘cruyff’ turn inside the penalty area to deceive the Park defenders to put Zulema in on goal and Zulema unselfishly played the ball across for Lara Guscott to score. Her celebration jump was a personal best for the high jump.
The game was coming to an end but the scoring hadn’t stopped yet. At 87 minutes Zulema flicked the ball with the outside of her foot from the edge of the penalty area to Meghan Dunagan. Meghan saw the run of Misako and with one touch played the ball in front of her for Misako to finish very calmly into the corner of the goal. One minute later Zulema controlled a long ball and turned her defender before passing to Misako who finished with an outside flick to score her second and the games last goal.
The ladies were obviously very happy and so they should be. They have worked so hard for this and now are starting to see the results of all their hard work. I told them before they started that I was immensely proud of them whether they won, lost or drew today and so I am. They are a fine bunch of young people and they come alive when you put a soccer ball anywhere near them!
I was especially please to get Nicole Cummins and Meghan Dunagan into the game today. They are two freshman who are coming back from injuries sustained during their final year of high school soccer. It makes the squad much stronger knowing that these two are close to being match fit. The other new players Erin Creson, Misako Inabe and Julia Prohaska were outstanding and showed that they are very quick learners because to come into this team and make an immediate impact is no easy task. All five of the new players have the respect of the whole squad and coaching staff. We just have one left on the rehab table at present and I have everything crossed hoping that Maniesha Munro will be back amongst us soon smashing in the goals.
We have now scored 17 goals in two games with none conceded. Whilst I am obviously pleased with my team’s offensive play it is my defense that gives me the greatest pleasure to watch.
All good teams have a solid defense to build upon. This is the first thing my teams work on every time we start a season. With Samantha Clark, Luisa DiBiagio, Chelsea Woodger, Nav Boparai, Reily Madigan, Heidi Beckstrom, Calea Bourne, Amanda Sundell, Nicole Cummins and Erin Creson I have players who believe in what I am teaching them and the intelligence to put into action on the field. Misako Inabe, Tara Stavlic, Meghan Dunagan, Julia Prohaska protect my back line with pin point covering and fearless tackling. Lara Guscott, Whitney Danner, Jocelyn Jentsch, Maria Prieto, Sabine Schwittay, and Zulema Martinez defending from the front and always looking to force the opposition into making a mistake. This is the kind of defensive shape and organization which gets results.
I must congratulate the captain of our team Chelsea Woodger for doing such an outstanding job this season. Taking over from Kacey Loving (Courtney) could not be easy but she has a maturity that bellies her young years. Her leadership is an important factor in this team’s development. Chelsea has been a stalwart of this team for the last three seasons and she was my first ever recruit. She does however need to control her sarcasm towards the officials.
Chelsea was obviously disgusted by several of the referee's decisions after not allowing three further goals scored by Graceland for offside. “Have you got a minute?” she asked. “Yes,” said the referee. “Well, tell me all you know about soccer,” was the reply. That was a joke!!! The officials did a fine job today!! Next game is Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at home against Mayville State - see you there?
08-28-04 GRACELAND 9 MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE 0
Freshman diary – day 1. “After putting my stuff into the dorms and was wondering what to do I suddenly saw the lights by the big G lake and could hear the distant roaring of a crowd. On investigation I found the most amazing soccer game going on. I am now a true Graceland soccer fan – we won 9-0!!”It was so nice to welcome the new students and their parents with such an entertaining first game. The bleachers were full and all available space was taken by the Ackerley building. It was a tremendous atmosphere and the soccer ladies did not disappoint when it came to putting on a show for the crowd. Nine unanswered goals on a wet field was not bad for their first official game of the season.
The team had worked very hard in the off and pre season and were ready to play but still had a few butterflies in their stomachs as they lined up to what is a good soccer playing side in Morningside College from Sioux City. We were without our top striker from last season, Zulema Martinez, as she was being rested after a slight muscle pull in the previous game. Tonight we started Whitney Danner, Maria Prieto and Sabine Schwittay up front with Lara Guscott just behind them. It was going to be interesting to see how the team played without Zulema, but one thing I was sure of was that this team would pull together and help each other to get the job done.
After a cautious opening seven minutes the game sprang into life when Heidi Beckstrom played the ball down the right flank for Sabine Schwittay to receive and cut inside the defender. Sabine took the ball to the end line and cut the ball back across the goal for the incoming Maria Prieto to stab home from close range.
The Graceland fans didn’t have too long to wait for the second, third and fourth goals. On 15 minutes Maria Prieto turned and shot from the left side of the penalty area which the goalkeeper did well to parry. Unfortunately for the goalkeeper Sabine Schwittay was running in to follow the shot and finished with a nicely placed shot into an empty net. One minute later Heidi Beckstrom and Sabine managed to double team the Morningside left midfielder and the ball fell to Misako Inaba in center midfield. From the moment she picked up the ball you could see she had only one thing on her mind. She took a touch and then let rip from all of 30 yards with a dipping powerful shot which dipped under the crossbar and over the goalkeeper’s head for a tremendous goal.
The Graceland fans then had to endure two minutes before the next goal. Heidi Beckstrom drilled a pass from defense to Maria up front who deftly flicked the ball on for the supporting Lara Guscott who was left with a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. There was only going to be one winner and sure enough the goalkeeper was, very shortly after picking the ball out of the net.
Graceland were by now dominating possession with some neat interchanging passes and movements. The 5th goal came after 28 minutes when Lara picked the ball up in midfield, dribbled past a defender to then put a through pass into the stride of the onrushing Whitney Danner. Again we had a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper which ended in the same result with Whitney’s first goal of the season.
Four minutes later and Lara Guscott was once again the provider but for Amanda Sundell this time. Calea Bourne intercepted a pass and pushed it forward to Lara who then passed the ball inside the marker for Amanda Sundell. Amanda cut in from the right flank, rode a defenders tackle and finished over the diving goalkeeper from eight yards. The last goal of the half was scored by Whitney Danner. Reily Madigan dribbled the ball into midfield from her defensive position and played it to Whitney Danner who expertly turned and attacked the Morningside defense. Whitney broke through and dribbled the ball up to the goal to finish yet another one-on-one chance. 7-0 at half time was a pretty good return on 45 minutes of soccer.
We talked about the need to keep our shape in defense even though we were winning so convincingly and decided to give the newer players to the program a shot. Erin Creson came in for the tiring Nav Boparai who had done so well marshalling her troops around her. Tara Stavlic came in for Misako Inaba and then Misako rotated with Julia Prohaska.
Misako and Julia are two new players who have been thrown in at the deep end. From the very first day the team has put a lot of responsibility on their shoulders and they have both responded magnificently. Jocleyn Jentsch came in to give Maria Prieto a rest up front whose unselfish and tireless running always gave our midfield and defense a target to pass to. Maria was probably my player of the game tonight though every player in the team played their part and I don’t like to single out players usually. It is just that Maria came to this team as a goalkeeper in her freshman year, became a striker in her sophomore season with the JV team and has come into the varsity team as a very strong player for this season as a junior. This kind of ‘never say die’ attitude demands respect and admiration.
The second half was not as prolific with goals as Morningside got more players behind the ball and played well to thwart our attacking play. Two goals were scored with the first of them coming in the 75th minute. Amanda Sundell broke down the left wing and her pin point cross found Sabine Schwittay in front of the goal and Sabine calmly finished with one touch.
The last goal of the game came in the 80th minute when Misako played a through ball to Sabine who showed great awareness of what was around her by flicking the ball with the outside of her foot to release an overlapping Jocelyn Jentsch. Jocelyn took a touch and then drove the ball low and hard across the goalkeeper and into the far corner of the net. That was it – no more goals though we did have few disallowed for some reason and did create a lot of chances which got the crowd on its feet to. Samantha Clark and Luisa DiBiagio in goal had little to do but contributed well to the team’s organization with their constant encouragement and tactical talking.
Our next game is against Park University on Wednesday afternoon and that will be a totally different kettle of fish compared to tonight’s game. Park University were in the national tournament last season, are one of the most winningest college teams in USA, are always nationally ranked and have just recruited top players from Spain, England, Nigeria and the USA with top scholarships. They have a lot of financial support from the schools administration and this support can be seen on the field with all the success they have had.
At Graceland things are a little different. There is a cap on international students with financial aid which severely limits us with that recruiting option and most of the financial aid money that is available to the sports programs has recently been channeled into other areas. We have to muddle through and do the best with what we have. And that is what we do.
We have a team of players who want to develop and learn. They are playing at their fullest potential right now and we hope this will develop even more with the right coaching and encouragement. We take each game as it comes and if we stick together and continue to learn I am sure we will come through this season with our heads held high with pride. We don’t ‘buy’ our success. It comes through coaching, hard work and team togetherness. Some of my team are in the weight room right now as I write this report, in the next room working to get stronger! They weren’t told to do so, they see what they need to work on to help themselves improve as players and then they go and do it. Way to go ladies!!!
08-24-04 Graceland 7, Bayern Munich 0
Tonight was a perfect run out for our varsity program as they prepare for the first official game on August 28th against Morningside College. A big thank you to Bayern Munich for stepping in when Grinnell pulled out and putting up a terrific performance. Bayern Munich were tenacious in their defense, had speed in many areas of the field and passed the ball extremely well indeed. They impressed me very much and I look forward to seeing them play our JV team later on in the fall.If I was the JV coach I would be more than a little anxious about playing this team. I hope we can continue our good relationship with Bayern Munich and hopefully get one or two of their players to join our program in years to come. A big thanks to the coaching staff of Bayern Munich, Jim Warner and Jeff Randolph.
Tonight was the culmination of eight days hard work. The team had got themselves into terrific shape during the summer months on their own and then focused on learning their roles on the field during practice in pre season. The result is a team who are fit and ready for the start of the season. We will now tweak a few things in training and make sure the players are properly prepared to handle anything that is thrown at them.
My main goal for the game was to observe the attacking movements with particular attention given to the final shot. I believe that players at this level don’t focus enough or even think about where and when they shoot. I get the impression they are shooting to a rough area with no real thought of such things as the position of the goalkeeper, weather conditions, to swerve or drive the shot or where is the optimum area to aim for. The results of my observations are interesting reading.
In the first half we had 23 shots of which four were goals, leaving 19 non scoring shots. Of these 19 shots only three had a real chance of scoring. The other 16 were either not accurate enough or didn’t have sufficient power to worry the goalkeeper. In the second half we had only nine shots at goal but three were goals at a success rate of 33 percent which is unusual. Of the remaining six shots all of them lacked power or accuracy. The totals were: 32 shots - 10 shots had accuracy and power with seven of them resulting in goals. 22 of the 32 shots did not trouble the goalkeeper. The aim is now to take these findings and use the training environment to help improve these numbers. The result should be a higher rate of success when shooting. If this is achieved the team will benefit greatly!
Let me talk you through the goals:
Goal 1 – 15 minutes: Zulema Martinez shooting low into the right corner from 25 yards.
Goal 2 – 35 minutes: Zulema Martinez shooting low across the goalkeeper into the right corner of the net.
Goal 3 – 36 minutes: Lara Guscott with a high and driven shot from outside the box into the top corner.
Goal 4 – 40 minutes: Jocelyn Jentsch intercepting a goalkeeper pass and passing the ball into the corner of the goal.
Goal 5 – 47 minutes: Maria Prieto with a near post low drive from the right side of the penalty area.
Goal 6 – 48 minutes: Amy Price with a precise swerving shot into the right corner from 20 yards.
Goal 7 – 57 minutes: Tara Stavlic driving high into the top of the net from a cleared corner kick.
Assists for every goal were made by the whole team. No goal is scored without the hard work of the whole team on and off the field!
The goals reminded me of waiting for a bus in London, England. You wait an age for one and then suddenly two or three come at the same time!
I was very happy with the performance of the team. Their defensive shape and organization is getting better every time with Nav Boparai and Chelsea Woodger looking like a formidable central pairing. The two new recruits, Erin Creson and Nicole Cummins are showing great potential and can only but improve under Nav and Chelsea’s tutelage. Good cover is being provided by the full backs from players such as Calea Bourne, Amanda Sundell, Heidi Beckstrom and Reily Madigan.
The midfield is very impressive with Julia Prohaska, Tara Stavlic and Misako Inaba protecting the back line and helping to circulate the ball with fine passing combinations. Lara Guscott is looking sharper than ever in midfield with her attacking dribbles and support play. Up front we have quality in abundance with Zulema Martinez, Maria Prieto, Whitney Danner, Jocelyn Jentsch and Sabine Schwittay.
Katrina Sumsion guest-played tonight from the JV team and put in a fine performance giving 100 percent effort and assisted with Tara’s goal with a wonderfully struck corner kick. If Katrina can complete the physical times set to play varsity we would welcome her into the team. Both goalkeepers had a half each and neither Samantha Clark nor Luisa DiBiagio put a foot wrong. We have Maniesha Munro hopefully to come back from injury to help strengthen our forward line.
It seems the best ‘team spirit’ I have ever witnessed in any team I have coached or played for in all my many years of playing or coaching. The energy they have for each other is very inspiring. You really have to see it to believe it. They lighten up the room when they enter it and bring this enthusiasm they have for each other into everything they do, whether it is laser shooting, eating lunch together, singing in the van home, watching TV together or playing as a team on the soccer field. Win, lose or draw – I am so happy I am part of this team!
08-22-04 Truman State University 2, Graceland University 1
Today’s game was a perfect run out for the team. After coming from a 16 win and 1 loss season it was important to keep the players feet on the ground and not allow them to be over confident. Truman State was a top 20 NCAA Division II team who had many skilled and high scholarship athletes who gave our players a severe test. Truman State started pre season a week before we did and you could see this extra time gave them an edge when it came to possessing the ball and knowing where their teammates were.Graceland had only been together for five days but in that time we had prepared very well indeed. The result was not important today but the manner in which we played was. I wanted our defensive shape and organization to be tested and we were. Truman State played the ball around well and our players responded magnificently. They kept their shape and focus and Truman hardly had a real sniff of a scoring chance the whole game. They scored two you might add, but these goals were from goalkeeper errors and had nothing to do with our defensive set up. Our goal was achieved and we left full of pride and satisfaction with a job well done. Both goalkeepers were a little upset with the mistakes they made but they are looking forward to working with the goalkeeper coach, Fred Wagenaar, when he arrives on September 4th, to help correct these mistakes.
Graceland scored the first goal after 65 minutes when a corner from Whitney Danner was spilled by the goalkeeper and Julia Prohaska pounced to force the ball home from close range. Congratulations Julia on scoring on your debut! Two minutes later a corner from Truman State went straight over a standing Luisa DiBiagio and into the net for the equalizing goal. The game was a stalemate until two minutes to go when a speculative cross-shot went over Samantha Clark’s head and in to the goal.
It was a sad way to lose but, like I said before, the result was not important here. All players got onto the field of play so as to get a feel of the game and the new players to the program were given their chance to show what they have to offer. We had one goal going into the game concerning our defensive shape and we passed this test with flying colors. All three goals were scored from goalkeeper errors and had nothing to do with either team’s defensive shape or set up. Top marks to everyone who played.
We had left for Kansas City on the Friday to stay with Pam and Jim Ash in Liberty. From there we went to a laser shooting auditorium which is similar to paint ball. The idea is you shoot your laser to kill people and you have ten lives. Once the 10 lives are gone you go back to base to recharge. Whitney Danner, Samantha Clark, Sabine Schwittay and Maria Prieto excelled and were very competitive. They had the high score almost every time. I was ‘killed’ the most and some of those kills were from ‘friendly fire’!!! During the second game my lives were going straight to 0 as I left the recharching base. I went back and forth three times and was about to visit with the boss to complain about the faulty equipment when I suddenly found Nav Boparai on the floor laughing uncontrollably behind a barrel. She had been killing me as I left base each time and I hadn’t noticed!!
On the Saturday we all went to the wedding of Kacey Loving and Bryan Courtney. Kacey was our graduating captain last season and there was not a dry eye in the team as they exchanged their vows. It was a wonderful ceremony and we were all so happy we could be there to be part of the day. Best wishes Kacey!!
We returned home on the Sunday after the game with the whole bus singing Celine Dion songs at the top of their voices. My ears are still ringing!! We stopped off at the Little Folk Chapel just outside Centerville for some sightseeing. It is one of the smallest churches in the world. We are not just about soccer you know!! We play our next pre season scrimmage on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. against Bayern Munich at home – see you there!!!
