BSA College Combine (pics)

I went over to Burke Soccer Association's college combine today because, as my wife informed when I left, I'm addicted. I got there in time to see 60 or 70 players warming up to start playing. I didn't have the benefit of seeing the morning training sessions but I knew the one player I'd take, if I was a coach, five minutes into the games.

Here is his picture:



Now let me tell you how I knew this was the 'guy' five minutes in.

At the beginning of the game he was sent off for improper equipment, no shin guards. He didn't have any with him. He steps off the field, looks up, sees a trash can and pulls a large coffee cup from the bottom. He pops the bottom out of the cup and carefully tears the cup in half. I watch as he grabs a pinnie and wipes the inside clean and slaps them to his shins. He rolls up his socks and is standing at the center line ready to go.

To me this showed: desire to play, creativity, and thinking on his feet, everything you could want in a player!

Turns out this kid is already playing for a college but I won't mention his name or school because his coach didn't think this story was quite as humorous as I did.




Here are a few more pics:

Burke Soccer Association College Combine

BSA has 66 Juniors and Seniors set to train and play in a College Combine this weekend.

Saturday and Sunday schedule:

10:00 - Training Session

12:00 - Lunch @ **Collett Street Recreation Center

2:00 - 11 v 11 Games

Coaches from the following schools will be in attendance:
1. Appalachian State University
2. UNC Asheville
3. Gardner-Webb University
4. Lenoir-Rhyne College
5. Lees-McRae College
6. Davis & Elkins College
7. Tusculum College
8. Methodist University
9. Tennessee Wesleyan
10. King College
11. Montreat College
12. Spartanburg Methodist
13. Coker College
14. Emory & Henry College
15. UNC Pembroke
16. Guilford College
17. Brevard College
18. Mars Hill College

College Top 25, 9/24

TEAM (2007 RECORD) LAST WEEK
1. Wake Forest (6-0-0) 1
2. Notre Dame (5-1-1) 3
3. Connecticut (7-1-0) 2
4. Virginia (5-1-1) 4
5. Northwestern (6-0-1) 10
6. Boston College (5-1-0) 13
7. Santa Clara (5-1-2) 14
8. SMU (4-2-1) 16
9. Duke (5-2-0) 17
10. UCLA (3-3-1) 5
11. Brown (6-0-1) 9
12. Michigan (7-0-1) 11
13. Harvard (6-1-1) 6
14. West Virginia (5-2-0) 7
15. UC Santa Barbara (3-2-2) 19
16. Virginia Tech (5-1-1) 20
17. DePaul (5-1-0) NR
18. Tulsa (5-2-0) NR
19. Creighton (3-1-2) 8
20. Saint Louis (3-1-2) 22
21. Gonzaga (5-2-0) 25
22. New Mexico (5-3-0) NR
23. Indiana (3-3-1) 15
24. Maryland (3-3-1) 18
25. South Florida (6-1-0) 21

NC STATE HOSTS CAROLINA,9/15, 4pm, Method Road

The NC State men’s soccer team begins ACC conference play this Saturday afternoon, hosting rival North Carolina at 4:00 p.m. at Method Road Soccer Stadium. Admission to this contest will be free to all fans.

The match-up between NCSU and UNC will be the ACC opener for both teams for the third straight year. The Wolfpack (3-1-1) and the Tar Heels (1-1-2) have had some memorable battles over the last few years, including meeting in the ACC Tournament four of the last six seasons.

NC State enters ACC play with a record of 3-1-1 so far in the 2007 season. The Pack is coming off of its second shutout victory of the season, downing visiting Georgia Southern on Wednesday, 1-0. Senior El Hadj Cisse scored his first goal of the season, as NC State has had five different players score a goal this season. Sophomore Christopher Widman has seen all the action in the nets for the Pack. Coach George Tarantini currently has 199 career wins, and will try for his 200th this weekend.

North Carolina comes into the game with a record of 1-1-2. Last weekend, the Tar Heels had a strong showing at the Wake Forest adidas Classic, tying Bradley 1-1, then knocking off No. 16 Akron, 3-0. Freshman Tyler Deric has played all 400 minutes in goal thus far, and holds a GAA of 0.68. Bill Dworsky leads the offense, with two goals and one assist.

ACC Takes Top Four Spots

Wake Forest moves to number one

Soccer America Men's Top 25

1. Wake Forest (2-0-0) 2
2. Duke (2-0-0) 3
3. Virginia (2-0-0) 6
4. Maryland (1-0-1) 7
5. Santa Clara (2-0-0) 8
6. Connecticut (2-0-0) 11
7. Indiana (1-0-1) 12
8. Notre Dame (1-1-0) 9
9. SMU (0-0-1) 5
10. UCLA (0-2-0) 1

UNCG ties #12 Clemson, 2 - 2, August 18th

Sorry missed this last week.

UNCG link.

Clemson report.

SCORE BY PERIODS

UNCG.........1..1..-2

CLEMSON..2..0..-2



SCORING: CU – Cava (unassisted), 37:33; CU – Parrish (Cava), 39:29; UNCG – Manyama (Masters) 41:20; UNCG - Campbell (Bonilla) 58:31. SHOTS: UNCG 12, CU 12. Saves: UNCG 2 (Janda 1, Dickerson 1), CU 4 (Bednick 3, Rosman 1). Corner Kicks: UNCG 4, CU 2. Fouls: UNCG 10, CU 6.

NC State ties #1 UCLA

Hopefully in the last game to be held at Method Road, NC State Men's soccer team tied the Nation's #1 team, 2 - 2. To battle the heat the game was played in three thirty minute periods. State missed a PK early and the Bruins missed a break away late that could have broken the tie. Here's the official report.

Scoring: UCLA – Leopoldo (unassisted) at 10:32
NCSU – Cisse from Sanchez at 27:44
UCLA – McAthy from Stephens at 43:46
NCSU – Ward from Pires at 48:26

UNC vs UNCA in Morganton, 8/25, 7:00pm

BURKE SOCCER ASSOCIATION

ASU SEASON KICKS OFF AUGUST 20th

ASU will warm up for the season with a pair of exhibition matches at Campbell (Aug. 20) and against Atlantic-Sun Champion Gardner-Webb (Aug. 25) before beginning the regular season with the Broyhill Inn & Conference Center Appalachian Classic on August 31 and September 2.

The Mountaineers’ challenging slate features six teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last season, five conference champions and teams from six different conferences in addition to the always difficult Southern Conference schedule.


Aug. 20,at Campbell (Exhibition),Buies Creek, N.C.,5 p.m.

Aug. 25,GARDNER-WEBB (Exhibition),Boone, N.C.,2 p.m.

Aug. 31,Georgia Southern vs. VMI (Appalachian Classic),Boone, N.C.,2 p.m.

Aug. 31,WESTERN ILLINOIS (Appalachian Classic),Boone, N.C.,4:30 p.m.

Sept. 2,Western Illinois vs. Georgia Southern (Appalachian Classic),Boone, N.C.,Noon

Sept. 2,VMI (Appalachian Classic),Boone, N.C.,2:30 p.m.

Sept. 7,vs. IUPUI (WKU Invitational),Bowling Green Ky.,5 p.m.

Sept. 9,vs. Butler (WKU Invitational),Bowling Green Ky.,Noon

Sept. 12,vs. HIGH POINT,Boone, N.C.,4:30 p.m.

Sept. 19,at Winthrop,Rock Hill, S.C.,7 p.m.

Sept. 22,vs. RADFORD,Boone, N.C.,2 p.m.

Sept. 26,vs. UNC GREENSBORO*,Boone, N.C.,4 p.m.

Sept. 29,CHARLOTTE,Boone, N.C.,2 p.m.

Oct. 3, WOFFORD*,Boone, N.C.,3:30 p.m.

Oct. 6, at Elon*,Elon, N.C.,7 p.m.

Oct. 10,at Wake Forest, Winston-Salem, N.C.,7 p.m.

Oct. 14,FURMAN*,Boone, N.C.,2 p.m.

Oct. 17 at Davidson* Davidson, N.C. 7 p.m.

Oct. 20 at Georgia Southern* Statesboro, Ga. Noon

Oct. 27 at College of Charleston* Charleston, S.C. 6 p.m.

Oct. 30 VIRGINIA TECH Boone, N.C. 3 p.m.

Nov. 4 UNC ASHEVILLE Boone, N.C. 2 p.m.

Nov. 10 SoCon Tournament First Round TBA (Higher seeds) TBA
Nov. 16 SoCon Tournament Semifinal Greensboro, N.C. TBA
Nov. 18 SoCon Tournament Final Greensboro, N.C. TBA

College Soccer News Releases Preseason Picks

COLLEGE PRESEASON TOP 30 FROM COLLEGE SOCCER NEWS

Their choice of number one was made prior to UCLA standout midfielder Sal Zizzo signing with Bundesliga team Hannover 96.

1. UCLA
2. Duke
"The Blue Devils have as much experienced top-notch talent returning as any team in the country. Ten starters are back from the 2006 team that won the ACC title and advanced to the Elite Eight in NCAA Tourney play. The 2007 seniors, who played a key role as freshmen in Duke’s 2004 run to the Final Four, have stayed together and will have their sights set on nothing less than a national championship. This team has the skill to beat you in a number of different ways. Seniors include All-American midfielder Michael Videira (8g, 7a), forward Spencer Wadsworth (8g, 14a), midfielders Joe Germanese (4g, 6a), Tomek Charowski (2g, 4a), and Zach Pope (1g, 9a), defender Tim Jepson, and goalkeeper Justin Papadakis. Junior midfielder Pavelid Castaneda (1g, 1a) adds defensive toughness and junior forward Mike Grella (13g, 6a) is as good as they get up-top. Juniors Graham Dugoni and Darrius Barnes round out what should be a very solid Blue Devil backline. John Rennie reinforced the old adage that the rich get richer when he added a five member recruiting class that includes three NSCAA Youth All-America selections."
3. UC Santa Barbara
4. Wake Forest
"A solid core returns from the 2006 team that earned the programs first ever trip to the Final Four and had a school record eighteen victories. The Demon Deacons are an ultra-athletic bunch on the offensive side of the ball with great touch and movement off the ball but their greatest strength in 2007 may be their backline led by seniors Julian Valentin and Pat Phelan and goalkeeper Brian Edwards. Junior forward Marcus Tracy (6g, 4a) is among the most dangerous finishers in the ACC. Sophomores Zack Schilawski (6g, 4a) and Cody Arnoux (1g, 2a) will also add to the attack up-top. Juniors Michael Lahoud (3g, 6a) and Sam Cronin (4g, 4a) will anchor a midfield that will require some rebuilding due to the graduation of Steven Curfman (6g, 8a), Wells Thompson (7g, 3a) and Ryan Solle (5g, 4a). Junior Jamie Franks (0g, 4a), sophomore Austin Da Luz (1g, 3a) and freshman midfielder Corben Bone who was the NSCAA Player of the Year are among those who Deacon coach Jay Vidovich will likely count on to pick up the slack in the midfield. Wake Forest could be a great team this year, but might have a tough time reflecting it with their record since the Atlantic Coast Conference will again be extremely competitive."
5. Santa Clara
6. Virginia
7. SMU
8. Indiana
9. Maryland
10. New Mexico
11. Notre Dame
12. St. John’s
13. California
14. West Virginia
15. Harvard
16. Lehigh
17. Washington
18. Connecticut
19. Saint Louis
20. Northwestern
21. Creighton
22. Clemson
23. Towson
24. Rutgers
25. San Diego State
26. Northern Illinois
27. Old Dominion
28. UNC Greensboro
29. Rhode Island
30. Winthrop

The weekend's Good, Bad and Ugly

THE GOOD
DC United continued their unbeaten streak, extending it to seven games, defeating the Chicago Fire 3-1. The game was never in question as Chicago's injury riddled team arrived in town. The Fire's plan was to bunker and hopefully come out with a point. Rod Dyachenko had a bunker busting goal in the sixth minute and Emilio put one in the net either side of halftime. This Moves DC ahead of Chicago in the standings and just four points behind Division leading New York. The loss will probably escalate the calls for the head of Fire coach, Dave Sarachan.
Notice the pair of Wake Forest University bookends in the picture above. Justin Moose and Brian Carroll are former Deacons.

THE BAD
ESPN primetime Thursday for a dissapointment for the second time in a row. Real Salt Lake versus FC Dallas was one of the ugliest games I have had to watch lately. I suddenly felt I was transported five years into the past. The quality of play was poor and the field Salt Lake plays on is a disgrace. I thought I was finished watching games with painted out football lines. The least they could have done is used a Futsal ball. The old artificial surface was like playing on concrete. A stoppage time goal for a Dallas victory did not make up for the ninety minutes lost from my life. Following are the MLS Goal of the week nominations. The first goal is the strike from Dallas, notice the field and how that ball bounces.


THE UGLY
Hands down it had to be the Gold Cup's Mexico vs. Costa Rico match up. In a game that referee Terry Vaughn let get out of control we saw the worst of CONCACAF soccer. The game saw thirty fouls called against Costa Rica, who ended the game with eight players and 16 fouls for Mexico. The fact that Mexico had to go into over time to defeat the short sided "Ticos" makes you wonder if their Coach will have a job when World Cup qualifying comes around. Following the game the Costa Rican coach didn't mince words:
"The same hits that Mexico gave us, we gave them. But we got the yellow cards and the red cards. This isn't a game of girls. We hit, it's a card. They hit, it's play on. Had Mexico won [fairly], we would accept it. But these things were clear. They were very clear."
Here are some lowlights:

Turf is going down on Method Road

This week they began laying turf at the new soccer stadium at North Carolina State. The turf installation is expected to carry on through the week.The State men's team looks to play on the new turf for the first time August 24, when they host Western powerhouse UCLA in an exhibition.

Carolina Alum breaks MLS record

Although it pains me to do it I thought you Carolina fans would want to know that Michael Harrington from UNC has set a new record. Harrington was drafted by the Kansas City Wizards and in his first MLS game last weekend scored in three minutes. That was enough to put him in the record book for the fastest goal in league history by a player making his debut. Here's an article about him:http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20070417&content_id=89315&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp