Tuesday, October 30, 2007

NC High School News, 10/31


John Coutlakis
Brevard High’s Jacob Hagedorn rises to score a goal against Polk County this season. The Blue Devils are ranked fourth in the Best of the West and have a first-round bye in the NCHSAA playoffs.
‘Defensive’ Hagedorn turns on the offense

Soccer Best of the West

NCHSAA soccer playoffs

WNC high school soccer leaders



Photo by Rob Moore
When Watauga lines up for its first state 4-A playoff game Wednesday at Jack Groce Stadium, the Pioneers will see familiar faces across the midfield line.
Watauga begins playoffs vs. Northwestern 4-A rival


Photo by Jeffrey A. Camarati for The Cary News
Panther Creek's Lester Nare (14) tackles Middle Creek's Robert Castro (23) as he goes for the ball.
Panther Creek clinches playoff appearance in second-ever season.
Cats clinch first playoff berth


Bye week good for two Blue Ridge wins


Chapel Hill falls on final day

First-round soccer games involving Mecklenburg County teams

East Burke's speed trips Mallard Creek


Harnett Central At Home For First Round Of Soccer Playoffs



Morehead HS looking for win this time around


Elkin and Starmount will be at home for first round action, while Forbush, Surry Central and North Wilkes will travel.


MIKE DIRKS/TIMES-NEWS
Hendersonville's Eddie Hernandez and Polk County's Angel Mondragon fight for the ball during their match on Oct. 1.
Polk advances as playoffs begin


The Daily News / Don Bryan
Jacksonville Zach Odum (right) fights for the ball during Tuesday's 6-1 victory over Washington in the first round of the NCHSAA 3-A playoffs
Jacksonville HS soccer rolls in first round

Lumberton Pirates hope to ground Jordan Falcons in state playoffs


Bill Bailey (The News Herald)
East Burke High School's Mark Bridges and Tripp Garrou pose Tuesday after shutting out the Mallard Creek High School Mavericks in soccer, 2-0.
East Burke Cavs off to Round 2 in soccer playoffs

First Flight ranks No. 1 in division

New Bern Bears advance to second round

Richmond's season comes to an end


Falls Road Baptist soccer wins state title


Three Cleveland County teams qualified for the playoffs.

Union Pine's Boys Start Soccer Playoffs Tonight

Canales brings loves for soccer to Bulldogs


Photo | Briana Brough
Hoggard's Jamie Jefferson (4) dribbles the ball while being pursued by East Chapel Hill's Farai Sikipa (7) during Hoggard's 1-0 win Tuesday.
Hoggard pulls out 1-0 victory

Greenfield claims 9th boys soccer state title

Forsyth Country Day wins NCISAA 3-A soccer title

Everything jelled at right time for FCD soccer


Prep-playoffs scoreboard(W-S Journal)

Sunday, October 28, 2007

2A WEST HS BRACKETS

Well I got half the Wild Cards correct, but none in the right bracket (ten days ago).


#2 MONROE vs. Surry Central --Winner plays SHELBY

#2 EAST LINCOLN vs. North Wilkes-- Winner plays SALISBURY

#2 WEST DAVIDSON vs. SOUTH IREDELL -- Winner plays MT. PLEASANT

#3 WEST STANLY vs. LEDFORD -- Winner plays LINCOLNTON

#3 WEST HENDERSON vs. FORBUSH -- Winner plays NEWTON-CONOVER

#2 SMOKEY MTN. vs. Madison -- WINNER PLAYS WILKES CENTRAL

#2 HIBRITEN vs. Mtn Heritage -- Winner plays BREVARD

#2 STARMOUNT vs. PATTON -- Winner plays OWENS

LINK TO ALL NC HS SOCCER BRACKETS IN PDF FORMAT

Friday, October 26, 2007

NC High School News, 10/26

Rams close excellent season

Fall sports season winding down(Stanley News and Press)last 3 paragraphs


Photo by Tanya Buckner
HEAD TO HEAD: Patrick Brannen (left) goes head to head with a Swain Devil.
Andrews ties Swain


WNC high school soccer leaders(Asheville Citizen Times)

Soccer Best of the West(Asheville Citizen Times)


credit: John Coutlakis, jcoutlakis@citizen-times.com
Cougars’ Reed Turchi makes a save at Roberson earlier this season.
Turchi handles pressure of 2 sports

Watauga clinch league title

Panther Creek clinch first playoff berth

Day by day, Apex keeps winning


Photo by Jim Kenny
Chapel Hill High School fans celebrate with some of the Tiger players after winning at East Chapel Hill on Friday night.
Tigers take over first

Names & Notes(Chapel Hill News)


10.26.07 | Prep Results(Charlotte Observer)

10.25.07 | Prep Results(Charlotte Observer)


10.24.07 | Prep Results(Charlotte Observer)



Clinton soccer team wins over Southwest Onslow 3-1


Trojans lose heartbreaker

Morehead Panthers end regular season with 2-1 victory


Pasquotank soccer team honors fallen player


Jaguars wrap up Big South title

Tarboro topped North Lenoir 3-1


High school scoreboard(Oct 25, Greensboro N&R)

High school scoreboard(Oct 24, Greensboro N&R)

Hagedorn commits to UNCA

Prep roundup(Oct 25, Hendersonville News)



Janet Sutton
Tarboro's S. Santiago (6) and North Lenoir's Hugo Garcia battle for the ball in Tarboro's 3-1 win in Wheat Swamp
North Lenor falls to Tarboro in the first EP2A soccer tournament


West Carteret Patriots celebrate huge win over New Bern


Patton soccer routs Maiden, 8-0, on Senior Night


Wayne Whaley (The News Herald)
Freedom High School's Yee Lor, No. 25, takes a muddy leap over East Burke High School's Justin Walker, No. 7, on a wet and rainy Wednesday night match up.
Pats win soccer match in Icard

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

CVAC STANDINGS, 10/24


Hickory 15-1-1
Fred T Foard 15-2-0
Newton-Conover 13-4-0
Hibriten 11-6-0
St Stephens 9-7-1
Patton 9-8-0
West Caldwell 4-12-1
Bandys 3-13-1
Maiden 2-15-0
Bunker Hill 2-15-0

2A Seedings are set. Hickory controls its destiny, a win over Hibriten ensures a first place finish.

Tonight's match ups:
Fred T Foard @ Bandys
Hickory @ Hibriten
Maiden @ Patton
St Stephens @ Newton-Conover
West Caldwell @ Bunker Hill

Monday, October 22, 2007

Nc High School News, 10/23

Week In Sports(The Stanley News)


Athletes, teams of the week(Asheville Citizen Times)


Tigers take over first

Porter Ridge boys win conference


TRIBUNE/Eric Lusk
Elkin senior Carlos Nava shoots the ball upfield with his head in Wednesday's game at Starmount
Soccer stalemate: Elks, Rams play to a 2-2 draw

Tusculum blanks Mount Olive



High school scoreboard(Greensboro N&R)



Rhett Butler/The Daily Reflecto
J.H. Rose's Matthew Kossol, right, battles for possesion of the ball with South Central's Mark Fechter.
Rose eyes outright Coastal title

Prep Roundup(Hendersonville News)


Hickory in control of own destiny


THE DAILY NEWS / RANDY DAVEY
Moving past: Dixon's Tripp Waller moves the ball past a fallen Topsail defender during Monday night's Coastal Plains 1-A Conference game at Dixon. The Bulldogs fell 1-0 and will be the league's No. 2 seed for the NC
White Oak wins; Swansboro edges SWO

Ragin' Bulls edge Piedmont

Tigers one victory from clinching 4th straight RRC championship

Panthers wrap up second in CVAC

LHS booters getting ready for playoffs


Patton victorious

Freedom ousts McDowell, 2-1


Patton soccer wins one, loses one


Freedom soccer kicks AC, 3-1


Conference Standings(Raleigh N&O)


Richmond shuts out 71st

Vikings ready for soccer tournament

Salisbury soccer extends streak

Shelby blanks Chase, 5-0


Mitchell soccer drops two games

Tarboro red hot in soccer tournament


Pack booters to battle East Bladen tonight for conference lead

Warriors unravel in ECC semifinals

No. 1 CBA beats Kinston

Firebirds, Cougars lose in NEW 6 first round


For The Record(W-S Journal)

Warriors seal final game

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Robinho Highlights

Well if you looked at my blog entries, Robinho Lesson #1 and Robinho Lesson #2, and ask "sure but what does that do for me in a game situation?". Just take a look at Robinho abuse this defender:

High School 2A-West Playoff Brackets


With a week left in the season it is alot like herding cats; but I believe this is what the 2A West Bracket would look like:

#2 MONROE vs. WILD CARD(NORTH WILKES?) --Winner plays SHELBY

#2 EAST LINCOLN vs. WILD CARD(CENTRAL DAVIDSON?)-- Winner plays SALISBURY

#2 WEST DAVIDSON vs. #3 SOUTH IREDELL -- Winner plays MT. PLEASANT

#3 WEST STANLY vs. #3 LEDFORD -- Winner plays LINCOLNTON

#3 WEST HENDERSON vs. #3 FORBUSH -- Winner plays NEWTON-CONOVER

#2 SMOKEY MTN. vs. WILD CARD(MTN HERITAGE?) -- WINNER PLAYS WILKES CENTRAL

#2 HIBRITEN vs. WILD CARD(MADISON?) -- Winner plays BREVARD

#2 STARMOUNT vs. #3 PATTON -- Winner plays OWENS

It looks like the #3 spot from the Western Athletic Conference may not be decided until the last game when West Henderson plays North Henderson. If North Henderson becomes the three seed that would put West Henderson in as the #1 Wild Card pushing Madison out.

NC High School News, 10/18


Faith Kurdi
"Dan is a ninth grader and a great goalie for our JV men's soccer team. He has a great personality, smiles a lot, and loves the world he lives in," says Kurdi.
At this time


10.18.07 | Prep Results(Charlotte Observer)




Photo by Joseph Brymer
Colten Bell runs the ball for the Mustangs
Mustangs Defeat Knights on Soccer Field


Central enjoys rare win over


New coach? No problem for Terry Sanford soccer team

Fayetteville State earns No. 2 seed for soccer


Late regulation goal helps Wave tie conference leader


High School Scoreboard for Oct. 17(Greensboro N&R)



John Swartz/The Daily Reflector
Farmville Central's Jesus Rojo, who wears his jersey like a cape before games, poses like Superman to keep his teammates in a jovial mood during warm-ups before the Jaguars' game Wednesday in Farmville
Farmville Central soccer much better after winless 2006

Farmville Central's Archer Bane (Video)


Topsail soccer undefeated in conference play


MICHAEL JUSTUS/TIMES-NEWS
West Henderson's David McMullen drives to the goal as East Henderson's Zane McGinnis, left, and Jonathon Keeler defend during Wednesday's match at West.
West shuts out East

Prep roundup(Hendersonville News)

North upsets Smoky Mountain

JHS soccer holds on for win



Michael Gilliland/Sports Editor
Scotland junior Kyle Beam takes possession of the ball during his team’s 1-0 win over Jack Britt on Oct. 1 at Laurinburg’s Pate Stadium. The Scots won 1-0 again, this time at Seventy-First on Monday night in Fayetteville. Scotland has won four of its last five and is 9-6-2 overall and 6-5 in the Mid-Southeastern 4-A Conference.
Scotland soccer team breaks through late

Wednesday's local roundup(Lenoir News Topic)

Foxx's feet help fuel record feat


Evans Kistler
Croatan defender Dan Chase pressures a Swansboro forward during their match Monday evening.
Swansboro upends Cougar booters

Bears soccer shuts out Pam Pack


High school results(Raleigh N&O)


Richmond takes down rival Scotland

SHS soccer keeps rolling

Area Sports(Shelby Star)

WEST IREDELL NOTES: Big win might not help Warriors in playoffs


For The Record(W-S Journal)

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

NC High School News, 10/17

Conference contenders shaping up


WNC soccer leaders



WHS settles for tie



Someone You Should Know



Daily Record Photo/Patrick Love
Harnett Central’s Hector Ayala collides with Southern Lee keeper Cory Burgess on a play in the second half of the Trojans’ 4-0 win. Ayala drew a penalty kick on the play that resulted in a goal.
Central Kickers Take Conference

Soccer Team Carries #3 Ranking into Tough Week


High school scoreboard(Greensboro N&R)



Donnie Roberts/The Dispatch
West Davidson goal keeper Nic Gregg (orange shirt) makes a save from a shot attempt by Ledford's Geno Dipuorto (sliding) as West's Justin Burns (left) falls over the two during their game Monday night in Wallburg.
Dipuorto, Panthers trick West

Freedom Pats beat South Caldwell 6-0



Daryl Law | Sentinel
Hurricanes sophomore Will Evans fights through two Gates County defenders Monday night as Cape Hatteras blasted the Red Barons 7-0.
What a storm! Hurricanes soccer team shuts out Gates County



Telegram photo/Alan Campbell
Nash Central's Tyler WIlliams, left, and Northern Nash's Daniel Claytor battle for the ball Monday during the match at Nash Central High School.
Prep Roundup for Oct. 16(Rocky Mount Telegram)


Falcons Fall to Westchester

Dipuorto hat trick carries Ledford past West



Michael Lindsay | Daily Times
Fike's Pittman Horton (3) finds open space against Rocky Mount's Kingsley McLeod, right, and Hunter Perry, left, during the second half of Fike's 2-1 win Monday at Fike High.
Demons postpone Rocky Mount's NEW 6 title hopes


Michael Lindsay | Daily Time
Fike's Adam Sorenson (22) and Nate Pope of Rocky Mount chase the ball during the first half of the Golden Demons' 2-1 win at home Monday night.

Warriors slam Saints to tighten grip on second place in ECC

For The Record(W-S Journal)

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

CVAC UPDATE, 10/16


N.M. Lewis

Current standings:

(#4-3A) Hickory 13 1 1
(#5-3A) Fred T Foard 13 2 0
(#7-2A) Newton-Conover 12 3 0
St. Stephens 9 5 1
Hibriten 9 6 0
Patton 7 8 0
**Bandys 3 10 1
West Caldwell 3 11 1
**Maiden 1 13 0
Bunker Hill 2 13 0

10/15 Results

Hibriten 2 Bunker Hill 0
Hickory 10 West Caldwell 0
**Maiden @ Bandys
Patton 0 Newton 4
St. Stephens 0 Fred T Foard 3

**Results not reported

CVAC games 10/17/07

Bandys @ Hickory
Bunker Hill @ Fred T Foard
Hibriten @ Maiden
Newton-Conover @ West Caldwell
Patton @ St Stephens

Monday, October 15, 2007

NC High School News, 10/16


credit: John Fletcher
Asheville High’s William Wynn, left, points to the sky after scoring the winning goal in double overtime. Celebrating with him is Beagan Sterckx-Ziegler

Asheville outlasts Erwin

Tie just as good as a win for Jaguars

High school scoreboard(Greensboro N&R)

Edward Jones / Times-News Prep Player of the Week

Prep roundup(Hendersonville News)

Prep Roundup - October 16(Jacksonville daily News)



Michael Gilliland/Sports Editor
Scotland junior Kyle Beam takes possession of the ball during his team’s 1-0 win over Jack Britt on Oct. 1 at Laurinburg’s Pate Stadium. The Scots won 1-0 again, this time at Seventy-First on Monday night in Fayetteville. Scotland has won four of its last five and is 9-6-2 overall and 6-5 in the Mid-Southeastern 4-A Conference.
Scotland soccer team breaks through late at Seventy-First

Monday's local roundup(Lenoir News Topic)


Eric Lusk/Heartland Publications
Surry Central’s Joel Gonzalez (8) kicks a ball against Forbush’s Marco Rebollar (14) on Monday night.
Surry Central stops Forbush


ROGER KEPHART/Contributing Photographer
The Murphy defense, including Caleb Mathews, Brandon Nichols and Jacob McLain (from left) has done a good job of keeping the Bulldogs in games this year.
Murphy still unbeaten after win at Hayesville

Raiders outlast Douglas Byrd in 2 OTs

Tangled on the pitch(Rocky Mount Telegram)


Shelby blanks Mounties, 3-0


Wildcats work their way into national rankings


Post photo by Michael Graybeal
Chase Smith credits one of his four assists during the Huskies’ 7-0 victory over Alleghany with this cross to his open teammate.
Soccer shuts out Alleghany, 7-0

Monday's High School Roundup(Wilmington Star)

A Vera, Vera good performance for Cougars


Jon Dewald
LeRon Jones, right, dribbles the ball in HuntÕs 2-1 win on Friday.
Warriors survive Kinston, 2-1

NC High School News, 10/15


TRIBUNE/Eric Lusk
Elkin's Justin Singh slides in to save a ball from going out of bounds against Bishop on Tuesday.
Elks rebound well after Bishop loss


Athletes, Teams of the Week(Asheville Citizen)

High school scoreboard(Greensboro N&R)


High School Picture Gallery(Greenville Reflector)


Calderone calls it quits

History repeats for Patriots


Mack will begin college career earlier than most

Sunday, October 14, 2007

DC United wins Supporter's Shield


Following Colorado's defeat of Chivas USA, DC United becomes MLS's first repeat winner of the Supporter's Shield. Colorado went a man down in the 46' but still managed two second half goals to beat Chivas and keep their hopes alive. The Supporter Shield also comes with an automatic spot in the CONCACAF Champion's Cup.

DCU will now turn their focus to bringing home the MLS Cup for their fans, in front of their fans.

CVAC with two weeks left



(#4-3A) Hickory 12 1 1
(#5-3A) Fred T Foard 12 2 0
(#7-2A) Newton-Conover 11 3 0
St. Stephens 9 4 1
Hibriten 8 6 0
Patton 7 7 0
Bandys 3 10 1
West Caldwell 3 10 1
Maiden 1 13 0
Bunker Hill 2 12 0

Tonight's match ups:

Hibriten @ Bunker Hill
Hickory @ West Caldwell
Maiden @ Bandys
Patton @ Newton
St. Stephens @ Fred T Foard

Results last meeting:
Hibriten 6 Bunker Hill 0 (9/12/07)
Hickory 10 West Caldwell 0 (9/12/07)
Maiden 1 Bandys 2 (9/12/07)
Patton 0 N-C 2 (9/12/07)
St Stephens 0 FTF 3 (9/12/07)

No One Celebrating


With the 0-0 draw against Chicago,DC United clinched the Eastern Conference Title and Troy perkins gets his eighth shut out, but DC isn't celebrating. Coach Tom Soehn explained:

"Listen: these guys are focused and we've made the playoffs. A lot of teams celebrate when they make the playoffs. It wasn't mentioned. Tonight, we won the conference and I think they expect to do that. But we've got something out there that is very important to us, and they are very focused on that. So, they are actually pretty disappointed right now."

Ben Olsen elaborated on the importance of the Supporter's Shield:

"It's huge. To me, it's the hardest thing to do in this league. The MLS Cup sometimes is about who is hot or who gets a break. The Shield is the best team throughout the entire year. It's 10 months of soccer, and to be the best team over a 10-month span in this league is pretty impressive. I know the team and the front office feel the same, not to mention the opportunities it creates for next season, it's a great feather in our cap if we can win it."

Depending on the result of Sunday's match between Chivas USA and Colorado, United could find themselves in a must-win situation against the Crew if they want to win their second consecutive Supporters' Shield. Remember DC United wins the tie breaker with Chivas. Currently Chivas is three points back with a game in hand. They play the Rapids today and finish with Dallas Thursday.

So what happened that forced DC United on their heels in the first half, as Troy Perkins made 8 of his season high 9 saves. Perkins says;

"It's good and bad, so it's no big deal. I was busy, but that's what they pay me for and this is a good time of the year to do that."

"We were pushing too many numbers forward in the first half. We were basically playing with two lines, so no one was pressuring the ball when they cleared it out. They were running at us the whole first half and we couldn't sort it out."

At half time Tom Soehn sorted things out and adjusted to slow Chicago's attack but it did not seem to improve United's chances on goal as Chicago coach Juan Carlos Osorio noted:

"I think that when they changed to a 3-4-1-2. They had wide players and an extra man in midfield. If I look at my notes I don't think they really got in behind us. We defended crosses very well and chance for chance -- I think we deserved to win."

Defender Greg Vanney liked the adjustment and Troy Perkins only had to make one save in the second half. Vanney said:

"Tactically, we changed it up so we had some numbers in different places so that we could eliminate the counterattacks. We added another central midfielder and we pushed a defender up on the outside and attacked and defended in a different shape. That prevented their ability to find that first pass out, and you can defend one-on-one on the back if you can prevent that first pass."

My thoughts on the game all revolve around a desperate need to find a replacement for Jaime Moreno. I'm not saying he is finished but he will be sooner than later and last night's game is a demonstration of what we look like without him.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Emilio versus Blanco Tonight




According to chicagosports.com.

"Guppy sent an e-mail to DC United GM Kevin Payne saying Luciano Emilio should expect a "cease and desist" letter from Blanco's lawyers after Emilio imitated Blanco's goal celebration. Payne initially didn't realize Guppy was joking."

Here's Access United on tonight's game:

Friday, October 12, 2007

RFK Looking more and more like a Five-Star destination

RFK is all DC United's now, the only thing left to go are the foul poles. Well maybe "all DC United's" is a stretch also, Steven Goff is reporting:

"Although the Nationals are gone, United will not have RFK completely to itself. The sports commission, looking for new revenue sources, is hoping to stage a high school football championship game in late November and has been in discussions with Spike TV about using the field as early as next week to tape episodes of "Pros vs. Joes," a sports reality game show"

See the rest of Goff's article in the Washington Post here.


SEE "TIME FOR A CHANGE"

SEE THE REST OF THE TRANSFORMATION AT BOBBYBOSWELL.COM

DCU use of Roster

DCenters highlighted (The Sour Smell of Success) the problems MLS teams have had translating regular season success into post-season success. The question "D" poses is:

"If we look at MLS Regular Season points per game (modified as above to account for the shoot-out), there's something shocking. Your top 5 historically have a grand total of 0 MLS Cups. Those teams are the 1998 LA Galaxy (2.19 ppg), the 2001 Miami Fusion (2.04 ppg), the 2005 Quakes (2.0 ppg), the 2001 Fire (1.96 ppg) and the 1996 Mutiny (1.91 ppg). Is there something about the regular season, and really tearing it up that makes playoff success difficult?"

With DCU looking at a 2.0 ppg if they win out should we be worried?

My gut reaction is that this post season problem is due more to team management than anything else. DCenters feels that it is random chance.
My thought is that less depth in your roster and a willingness to use it will cost you in the end (Look no further than United last season or the Revs every season.)

I looked at the top five teams and this season's DC United. I just looked at season minutes available versus minutes played by each player. This was a very cursory look, not adjusting for late-comers to teams or injuries, just Team's total minutes played versus total Team's minutes available. Here is the table:

If you look at this distribution a couple of things jump out at me. First and foremost that the Black and Red have only three players that have played eighty percent or more of the available minutes (Perkins 96%, Emilio 90%, Gomez 83%). The others that failed to bring home a Cup have 6-8 players playing 80% plus minutes. The other item is that United has 15 players that have played 30% or more of the available minutes, more than any other team on the list (Fire-14, Quakes-14, Mutiny-13,LAG-13, and the poor Fusion-12). I feel this distribution of playing to is going to ensure us a fifth star and Tom Soehn COY.

EDIT:The current Revs roster has 10 players playing 80% of the minutes and last season's United had 8.


The great thing about this game is that it is not baseball; statistics really say little about the game. I love the fact that three knowledgeable fans can go to a game, sit together and all see a different game! So enough with the stats, my gut tells me our management of the roster this year will pay big!

NC HIGH SCHOOL NEWS, 10/12


SCHS/Sierra Turtle
Heads Up: Justin Walker controls action.
Soccer team plays to tie with Blue Ridge

10.12.07 | Prep Results(Charlotte Observer)

C.B. Aycock clinches ECC crown

High School Record(Greensboro N&R)

Tigers alone in second place


High School Scores(Raleigh N&O)



Prep Roundup for Oct. 11(Rocky Mount Telegram)


Hornets eyeing conference soccer title

Patriots Solidify Hold on First Place


PHOTO BY MICHAEL HENNINGER/WILMINGTON STAR-NEWS
New Hanover's Christian Ludtke wins a head ball over Ashley's Shawn Guderian during their match at Legion Stadium on Thursday, October 11, 2007
Wildcats make biggest OT plays for key win

For The Record(W-S Journal)