TWINS

Absolutely nothing is happening this week in NW soccer. But we start back up next week!!!!! Open Gym in the AC on Monday (11/3) at 7 pm!!!

2014 ALL NLC

Brayton Taylor and Aaron Chenoweth (AC) were voted ALL NLC, Cody Cripe received Honorable Mention. Congratulations!!! Now let us get some wins in NLC next season so we can get more people on the ALL NLC team.

Clean Up Day - Pics part 1

SEASON OVER! OPEN GYM STARTS IN 12 DAYS (NOV. 3RD 7 PM - 8:30 PM AT THE AC).

Clean Up Day - Pics part 2

TAKING NETS DOWN AS A TEAM AT THE GAME FIELD AND PLACING EQUIPMENT IN COACH DUERKSEN'S TRUCK FOR THE OFF SEASON

Clean Up Day - Pics Part 3

TAKING DOWN THE PRACTICE FILED NETS

Clean Up Day - pics part 4

SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BALL SIGNED BY PLAYERS AND COACHES

Clean Up day - pics part 5

HANDING IN UNIFORMS AND VOTING FOR MVP

TWINS

Today is the only day that NorthWood Soccer has anything on the calendar. Right after school, we will meet in Coach Duerksen's room to turn in (clean) uniforms and vote for MVP etc.. After those two tasks have been completed, we will take down the nets on the practice field. When we are done with that, we will go to the game field and take down the nets and organize the equipment (some stays in the storage area, some will be used over the winter). Two weeks from today is Fall Awards night (6:30 pm at the High School). Our first Open Gym at the AC (OG/AC) will be on Monday November 3rd. The time will be announced later

There really is no "off" season

ALREADY COMPILING NEXT YEAR'S FILE

General Information

Not a lot of blogs get posted during the off season. But I will post reminders and changes to OG/AC as much as possible in a weekly TWINS. We also will have "All NLC" announcements soon and when that information is available, it will be posted as well. Thanks for reading/looking at the blog. I try to keep it informative and somewhat entertaining. Stay Tuned..........

Clean up fields and hand in uniforms

Tuesday October 21 (this coming Tuesday)ALL socccer players will meet at the practice field after school. We will take down the nets at the practice field, hand in the uniforms (CLEAN!!!!!!), go to the game field to take down the nets and take care of the equipment. Attendance is mandatory!

2014 Fall Awards Night

Fall Awards will be on Tuesday November 4th at 6:30 at the High School!

First Open Gym, at the AC

We will start back up again with our Open Gym at the AC (OG/AC) on Monday November 3rd. The time will be announced the week prior. Thanks to us making it to Regionals, the wait is only two weeks instead of the four weeks we had to wait last year.

Regional Semi Final Day....in pictures part 1

ONE BY ONE, TRICKLING IN.......

Regional Semi Final Day......in pictures part 2

TEAM BRUNCH AFTER THE WALK TROUGH/LIGHT PRACTICE

The 2014 Sectional Championship shirt

#together, 5 STARS!!

Regional Semi Final Goshen-NorthWood 6-0 (2-0)

BEFORE KICK OFF AND WELL BEFORE THE LARGE NW CROWD MAKES ITS WAY TO BAKER PARK. What will turn out to be NorthWood's last game of the season, the game will start off the same way it will end; with a goal. Goshen scores in the 4th and it takes the Panthers a while to get over the early deficit. But after about 12-13 minutes, we settle down and play okay. I was not impressed with Johnny Toupee in the middle but it did not cost us until about the 37th. When a NW player goes down with an injury, the Goshen coach screams at his team to kick the ball out (a ploy?- he would do the same again in the second half- or is it a team that does not listen to their coach?) but they do not. Some players kind of stop playing, Johnny Toupee puts the whistle in his mouth but does NOT blow it, Goshen keeps playing and attacks the box. They take a shot that seems to take the Panthers defense by surprise. The ball literally rolls in for the 2-0 lead. Two momentum killers; a goal in the 4th and three minutes before the tea. Granted we should have played til the whistle in the 37th but it seems odd that when the coach tells his team to kick the ball out (soccer courtesy/sportsmanship) but they keep on playing to gain advantage. You would have thought the team was told at the half to listen to the coach and the next time he calls for the ball to be kicked out, to place the ball over the sideline which they obviously did not do, twice! At the half coach Duerksen addresses the fact that we did outwork Goshen for a majority in the first half, that we need to do more of that and try to get back in to the game by scoring a goal to get within one. The second half starts with Goshen having most of the possession which results in their 3rd goal in the 57th. They would add 3 more to win decisively, 6-0. South Bend St. Joe defeats Penn 2-0 so the Regional Final tomorrow will be between Goshen and St. Joe. NorthWood finishes the season at 6-10-3 and a Sectional Championship. We lose Tanner and Ethan next year, all other players will be back. Having to play without two starting defenders (Pipp and David) obviously impacts the strength and depth of the team. Tanner did a nice job replacing Pipp. We wish Matt and David both a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing them and everyone else come out on Monday nights in the AC for Open Gym (OG/AC). Thanks to all the parents for their support and putting together the team dinners. Thank you Mrs. Eshelman for getting the Nike dri fit Sectional Champions shirts done before last nights game. The players love the shirts!Thanks to ALL the fans. They came out all season long and we packed the stands in Sectionals and Regionals. As Coach Duerksen said: "the future is bright!". I will put Awards Night and Open Gym information on the blog shortly.

Directions to Baker Park

You might want to plunk 811 S Byrkit Ave., Mishawaka in your GPS, just to be on the safe side. Looking at the map, take the Bypass to Elm Rd (331), once on Elm, EXIT at the Harrison Rd/E 12th exit. Go west or left on E 12th to the 12th street intersection with Fir Rd/Byrkit AV. Turn right or north on Byrkit and Baker Park will be on your left (west) side.

Game Day #18 Regional Semi Finals

Tomorrow is Game Day # 18. At 5 pm we will play #15 Goshen (MaxPreps rates them at #12 in the state, 45th in the nation) at Baker Park in Mishawaka. In comparison, Maxpreps rates us at 135th in the State (but still standing as one of 32 teams in 2A) and 1673rd in the nation. Goshen carries a 15-2-1 record into tomorrow's game, the Panthers have improved their record to 6-9-3 with the last two wins in Sectional play. It looks like the Panthers will not have David Eshelman and Matt Pippinger available due to injuries. So some more adjustments are necessary once again. If I manage to get some better directions to the park, I will post those here. Today's practice will run until about 5:15; tomorrow's practice (light) will be at 10 am at the game field and will conclude at 10:45. After practice the team will have a brunch in the cafeteria at the Nappanee ELementary School (thank you Mr. Cripe) and thanks to all parents for putting that together as well. The bus will leave around 3:45 pm, game starts at 5 pm. Hope to see a lrage crowd there. See you there! GO PANTHERS!!!!!

NW Soccer history............sold!

ONE OF THE ITEMS SOLD AT THE SCHOOL'S AUCTION YESTERDAY WAS NW SOCCER'S FIRST PRESS BOX (JACOB SMITH NAMED THE SHED AFTER HIMSELF -SEE PICTURE). HERE ARE SOME BLASTS FROM THE PAST.........................

Isaac Bowser to appear in Pilot News

An article about Soccer Sectionals and Regionals in the Pilot News will feature this picture of Isaac Bowser (seen here playing against Bremen earlier this season).

Today's Practice - parking

Use the front parking lot of Nappanee Elementary today; the usual parking lot is being used for the auction today.

Regional Semi Final Thursday

The gates will open one hour prior to the game. In past years, the seating capacity is low and people were sitting in their own lawn chairs along both sides of the bleachers that were brought in. Parking is also limited so car pooling would be a good option. The game starts at 5 pm. We play Goshen and the second game is at 7 pm on 10/16/14 as well (Penn-St Joe).

Cup Cake

From the Desk of Athletic Director Norm Sellers..........

From: Norm Sellers Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2014 7:59 PM To: WCS All Staff Distribution List Subject: NorthWood Boys Soccer - Sectional Champions Congratulations to Brad Duerksen, Egbert Dijkstra and the boys soccer team for winning the IHSAA Plymouth Sectional!! We defeated Plymouth with a gut wrenching, hard fought score of 1-0. So proud of this group of young men and coaches for dealing with adversity of losing one of our players to injury earlier in the year on top of being inexperienced at the varsity level but.........kept working and kept their eye on the prize!! See attached picture of a very happy group of NorthWood Panthers!! Our boys will travel to Mishawaka on Thursday for the Regional. Game information will be released once we receive it from the IHSAA. Go Panthers!!

TWINS

Today we practice at the game field. We will be there all week (Mon/Tue/Wed/Thu). Today's, tomorrow's and Wednesday's practices start at 3:30 and most will last til about 5 - 5:15ish. As usual during the play off season, there will be time for PK's at the end. Thursday we will have a light morning agility/warmup/possession practice like we did Saturday. We will announce the time later. After practice, a breakfast/brunch will be provided to the team in the cafeteria in the school (NES). The game on Thursday kicks off at 5 pm at Ward Baker Park, 811 S. Byrkit in Mishawaka (use this address for your GPS).. I will post additional information as it becomes available.

NORTHWOOD PANTHERS 2014 SECTIONAL CHAMPIONS

2014 Sectional Finals Plymouth-NorthWood 0-1 (0-0)

After preparing all day with a light agility and possession type practice, a meal at Dutch Village and the bus trip to Plymouth it is time to tackle boys soccer's biggest challenge in four years.FIRST HALF- The game starts on time under great conditions and with the season's largest crowd in attendance. An absolutely great fan base from the NorthWood community has made the trek to Plymouth to support their fellow Panthers. The game starts with two teams trying to settle in and settle down. The play goes back and forth with NW controlling the first ten or so and Plymouth controlling the next 15 minutes of play. In the 25th, a great shot by Plymouth needs a stop by Cody. Isaac receives a yellow in the 28th and Brayton is a recipient of the caution with the same color later on as well. The yellow cards must be on sale today, the ref is almost giving them away for free. In general center referee Meija does a decent job. In the 34th, Derek gets possession of the ball on the left flank. He weaves thru half of the Rockies defense and takes a nice shot. When it leave his foot, it is reminiscent of the shot in the game against Wawasee that found the net. This shot nearly misses wide. In the 35th, a Tanner Fervida cross reaches Eli who probably should have put it away but it would not have mattered since he was flagged for off side. The AR on the bench side is very eager to raise his flag when off side is "suspected". Either way, the ball does not go in........... HALF TIME- A few minor adjustments are addressed such as targeting on free kicks and keeping the ball near or over the Plymouth defense since their defense seems to be their weakness. We also have to be aware of their strength: offensive speed but the bottom line according to Coach Duerksen is work rate. He promises the team that the hardest working team will walk off a winner in 40 minutes. SECOND HALF- NW's effort does not let up. We work hard and a lot of battles are fought out on the stand side of the field. Pipp runs so hard when defending their outside mids and forwards that it looks like his legs might fall off. It is the fourth game in a row that we play hard for 80 minutes. We play attractive and somewhat direct but are able to combine well at times.In the 56th, Ethan comes in to give Derek a well deserved break. Three minutes later, Ethan takes the ball into the left corner and crosses it with his left tight and hard into the box. The ball is handled by a Plymouth defender with his hand instead of his feet and the referee has no option but to point at the dot. Dennyz Barahona gets ready to take his and arguably NorthWood's most important PK ever. As he has in practice all week, he sends the keeper the wrong way for the 0-1 lead. With a little over 21 minutes to play, NW wants to keep the lead but not play to defend it. Plymouth tries to attack more and does so especially in the last 5 minutes. Cody has to come up with several saves. Brayton plays hard to the last whistle as does AC. AC was double marked all night (that happens when you get scouted on a night you score a hat trick) but kept working hard to go thru the defense and when we lost the ball, he helped out defensively. Eli worked hard, Tanner and Derek did as well. Pipp, Juan, Josh, Dylan and Connor were solid. Dennyz has had 4 great games in a row. Ethan contributed when he came in. Isaac worked hard but both Isaac and Brayton have to make sure not to get carded anymore. Cody was very solid and recorded his fourth shutout of the season. The win improves our record to 6-9-3 and gives us our first Sectional Championship in 4 years. This is NorthWood's 5th Sectional Championship overall (2006,2007,2008, 2010, 2014). After the game and picture taking, we boarded the bus where the Nappanee Police were waiting for us at McCormicks to escort us thru town with lights and sirens! Once off the bus, Coach Duerksen told his team how proud he was of all of his players!!!! The Cripes arranged for the team to have pizza at Pizza Hut after the game (THANKS!!!!). Next up: Regional Semi Final vs. Goshen at Baker Park in Mishawaka on Thursday 10/16 at 5 pm. Penn and St Joe play at 7. The winners of these two games will face off on Saturday night at 7 pm.

2014 Sectional Champions - the day in pictures part 1

JUAN AND COACH ARRIVING AT THE MORNING PRACTICE. REST OF THE TEAM TRICKLING IN.

Sectional Champions- pics part 2

THE TEAM AT BURKHOLDER'S DUTCH VILLAGE EATING LUNCH AFTER THE LIGHT MORNING PRACTICE. THANK YOU MR. AND MRS CRAVEN!!!!

2014 Sectional Champions - pics part 3

A VERY QUIET, FOCUSED GROUP ON THE WAY TO PLYMOUTH.

2014 Sectional Champions - pics part 4

CHIEF OF THE NAPPANEE POLICE DEPARTMENT ESCORTS THE BUS THROUGH NAPPANEE TO THE HIGH SCHOOL. TANNER TAKING A SHOT OF THE ESCORT, PARTY IN THE BACK OF THE BUS.

2014 Sectional Champions - pics part 5

COACH DUERKSEN TELLS HIS PLAYERS: ' I AM PROUD OF ALL OF YOU, 5 STARS!!!!!!!"

Game Day #17 Sectional Finals

Tomorrow is Game Day 17. After David went down with his regular season ending injury, we had no choice but to re-adjust. Obviously David was a huge part of our defense and therefore a huge part of what we thought would be a successful season inside the lines. But once we figured out what adjustments needed to be made and after everyone has had a chance to get comfortable with the new system, it feels like we are back on track. The focus is now on tomorrow's game. It has been a while since we won a Sectional. 2010 to be exact. In 2010 we won the LaVille Sectional. In 2011 the IHSAA went to two class soccer and moved NorthWood to the current Sectional (#7). The first Sectional under the current system was played at Warsaw (Warsaw and Plymouth are alternate sites). In 2011 we beat Wawasee 2-0 in the second round to advance to the Finals. That is the last year we made it to the Sectional Finals. Warsaw beat us 4-0. Our record that year was 11-7-0 We have not made it out of the second round since....... until this year. So tomorrow we play Plymouth for the Sectional title. During the regular season we tied them 2-2. Plymouth is dangerous offensively with a lot of speed and their forwards are not afraid to shoot. Defensively they have shown some shortcomings. Plymouth enters the Sectional Final with a 10-6-2 record. NorthWood carries a 5-9-3 record. Plymouth has scored 51 goals and given up 43. NorthWood's output has been less than that (33) but has also given up much less (29) then the Rockies. All NLC teams are common opponents. The record for common opponents outside conference (Mishawaka, Lakeland Christian, Bremen and Argos) for Plymouth is 2-2-0 and for NorthWood 2-1-1. NorthWood has won Sectionals in 2006 2007, 2008 and 2010. We have been in Sectional Finals at numerous sites over the years (Bethany Christian, LaVille and Warsaw for a total of at least 8 or 9). Over the years we have been assigned to those sites for Sectionals as well as Westview for a couple of seasons. FRIDAY - Today's practice will be a normal Friday practice and we should wrap things up by 5 pm. SATURDAY - Tomorrow we will revert back to our Sectional Finals program where we will have a walk through & light practice (this gets the team together and get the boys to start focusing on the game) at 10 am. We should be done by about 10:45. We will head to Burkholder's Dutch Village from the game field and have a team brunch. After brunch we hope that all players relax and get ready for the game. The bus will leave the High School at 4:45 pm. We will be ready to warm up at 5:30 pm. The gates at Kindt Field will open at 4:45, the game kicks off at 6 pm. We hope to see a large fan base in Plymouth especially since we are up against the home team. So please bring your fiends and family members. Hope to see you there to cheer on our boys! GO PANTHERS!!!!!!!!!!!

Getting ready for sectionals

AR Rubby Tubby's warm up (click on pic to get a better view)

Wawasee-NorthWood 1-5 (1-3)

So far this year, we have not been defeated at Plymouth and we would like to keep it that way! The proof is in the pudding or better yet, on the scoreboard. Game 2 of the IHSAA Sectional 7 at Plymouth is played in front of a very nice size crowd and under perfect conditions for this time of the year. Temps in the 60's and nothing but blue skies. The expectation is that it will be a low scoring game considering that the earlier regular season game between the two ended in a 1-0 loss for the Panthers (away game in Syracuse). But that was then and this is now and things have changed. The Panthers were forced to make changes due to David's injury and the adjustments weren't just on the defensive end but on the offensive side as well. Our system was adjusted where we have more offensive weapons consistently. So this game should be a good measuring stick for us to see how far we have come in the last four weeks. FIRST HALF- With the pre game talk out of the way (which stressed work rate), the game doesn't take long to get exciting. It is apparent early on that both teams play direct (the same can be said for the game after ours which promises more direct soccer for Saturday night) and do not shy away from skipping the midfield. The first opportunity comes in the fourth minute. A Warrior attack on the right side has a Wawasee midfielder penetrate the box. He takes a hard shot by Cody but the ball explodes off the post right into Cody's basket. Where you think that a start like that might rattle the Panthers, the opposite seems to be the case. 60 seconds later, Brayton passes to AC inside the Wawasee box. AC fakes a shot, cuts back and with composure places the ball past the Warrior's keeper and into the net for a very early lead, 0-1. The game continues with high pace and soon after Wawasee's kick off after the goal, the Panthers retake possession and now go on the opposite flank where Derek launches a strike from far out and high. The ball goes over the Wawasee keeper and connects with the underside of the crossbar. On the way down, the ball crosses the line before it comes back out. The AR on the dug out side signals that the ball has crossed the line and the Panthers now lead 0-2 after Derek's goal of a lifetime! In the 10th minute Wawasee is awarded its first corner. A lot of commotion and distraction takes place before the corner kick. Camargo (one of 3 on the field)#8 is trying to interfere with Cody and Brayton is trying to protect the NW keep. After both Brayton and #8 get a talking to, the corner comes in low and near the goal and one hard lucky strike from a Wawasee player makes the ball fly towards and in the net with no chance for Cody to get anything on it. 1-2 after only 10 minutes ! Both teams settle down somewhat after the third goal in the game. Just when it looks like the momentum swings Wawasee's way -again-, we again throw a monkey wrench into the Wawasee works. In the 25th Dennyz slices a nice pass thru the middle to AC (Aaron Chenoweth). AC shoots and scores!!! 1-3!! In the 29th, the NW special corner is taken by Connor Miller. He executes the kick perfectly. It reaches Brayton who after a touch, takes a shot which barely misses the left post. In the 36th, Wawasee comes at the NW defense as they have the entire first half; straight up the gut with give and go's. The combinations ends with a shot on the post; half time score 1-3 NorthWood. HALF TIME- Eli predicts a red card for Wawasee's #23. Coach Duerksen emphasizes the fact that a two goal lead in soccer is the most dangerous one. We need to get another goal to put them away. SECOND HALF- In the 47th, Dennyz steps in front of a Wawasee midfielder, conquers the ball and passes it to Isaac. Isaac's shot sails over. In the 49th, Eli's prediction becomes reality. After the WWC #23 shoves down a NW player, he turns in to the newest recipient of a red card. Wawasee is now down a man. It is a good thing that NW does not play an offsides trap. The AR on the stands side, Rubby Tubby, is never in position to make a call. Once his motor starts going, the play is either too far away from him or already over with. In the 66th, Brayton (himself a recipient of the other color card during half #1) gets fouled in the box but it doesn't get called. Shortly before that, a Tanner pass to Eli, results in a nice quick dribble and great dipping shot by Eli that does not find the net. Pipp gets clobbered while colliding with a player three times his size and needs to leave the field, only temporarily though. Josh fills in while Pipp recovers. In the 71st, Derek slips AC the ball who goes by a WWC defender and then finishes to complete his hat trick, 1-4! Tony Lopez comes inside the lines -despite his ankle injury- and puts his stamp on the game. With about three left on the clock, Tony gets the ball at the top right of the box. One move and a shot and he adds insult to injury.......the ball goes in, 1-5. A shot soon after the aforementioned Lopez action, gets let go by the Warriors keeper and Tony almost doubles his output. But the WWC keeper dives on the ball to prevent the 1-6. Final score 1-5 NorthWood. Cody played a very solid game between the pipes. The defense (Connor, Juan, Pipp, the twins Dylan and Josh) do exactly what coach Duerksen asked of them. Dennyz worked hard, played a good holding midfielder and has put in three very good performances in a row! All midfielders (Brayton, Tanner, Derek, Ethan, Eli worked very hard and were creative) and forwards (AC -hat trick.....'nough said- Bowser, Tony) played well and worked for each other. I also want to mention David. Imagine how hard it is for him to be on the bench. As the Captain of the Defense, he always worked hard on the field and on the bench he still helps defend the defense and cheers on his team mates!!!!! NOTES-Ethan also got a yellow -delay of game-.Tanner's boys got a shout out on Twitter .....from Tanner; no retweets, I believe. Practice today, tomorrow and Saturday at the game field so we can have Bob jamming with us. Today's practice will probably run til about 5-5:15, tomorrow will be a regular Friday practice. Saturday, we will convene at 10 am for a walk through and light practice. After practice we will meet at Borkholder's Dutch Village for brunch. The bus will leave the school at 4:45 pm Saturday. The game starts at 6 pm. We will play Plymouth at Plymouth but that doesn't bother us. Game Day info will be posted tomorrow.

IHSAA restrictions for Sectional/Regional matches

Restrictions A. Balloons, banners and/or posters, etc. are not permitted. B. No battery-powered or electronic noise-makers, sirens or whistles are allowed. C. Cheerleaders are not permitted on the playing field. D. The use of bands at IHSAA tourneys is not permitted. E. Throwing of articles, including toilet tissue is not allowed. F. No live animal mascots are permitted. G. Solicitations, donations, contributions and aggressive vending of school spirit items are not permitted. It shall be the responsibility of each high school principal to see that the above restrictions are enforced.

GAME DAY # 16 - SECTIONALS SEMI FINAL

Tonight features the rematch against the Wawasee Warriors. The first encounter ended in a 1-0 loss at Wawasee where some home cooked reffing did not help our effort. Tonight's game will be at a neutral site (Plymouth) and as long as bow legged Lou isn't part of the arbiters trio (or Dufus for that matter), we will hopefully deal with some neutral officiating as well. It has been a month since we faced the Warriors and in that contest, we possessed the ball about 70%, allowed only one shot on goal and still came away with a loss. A good effort tonight should result in a different outcome. Wawasee comes in with a 4-6-6 record. Their wins were against Hamilton (8/26), West Noble (8/28), NorthWood (9/11) and at Columbia City (9/17). In their last 6 contests, their record is 0-3-3 with the latest draw (0-0) coming against Plymouth last Thursday but that game was halted before the half due to weather. Wawasee has scored 22 goals (but 11 of those coming in one game versus Hamilton) and has been scored on 21 times. In comparison, NW carries a 4-9-3 record into tonight's Sectionals. Our record in the last 6 games is 1-3-2 with our last result being a 1-2 loss to Bethany. We have scored 25 times (10 in one game vs. Lakeland Chr.) and have been scored on 26 times.NW has scored 6 times in the last 6 matches, Wawasee twice. NorthWood has been playing its best soccer in the last few matches. It took NW some time after the Warsaw game to reconfigure a lineup after losing David Eshelman for the regualr season. Tonight's game starts at 5 pm. If we are ahead when the final whistle blows, we will stay and watch part of the second game (Warsaw vs. Plymouth). The winners of tonight's games will play each other at 6 pm on Saturday night.

2014 PANTHER PK SHOOTOUT CHAMPIONS

2014 PANTHER PK SHOOT OUT

THE COMPETITION CONCLUDES TODAY. TEAM COACH DIJKSTRA VS TEAM COACH DUERKSEN

THANKS!!!!!

The coaching staff wants to thank the Taylor's for hosting last night's team dinner. Also thanks to all the parents who contributed the lasagna, salad and desserts! It was very good even though it was kind of hard to get the sticky eyeballs out of my hair (Juan!!!!!).

Plymouth Sectional update

Warsaw beat Culver Academies last night. Warsaw went up 1-0 in the first half. Culver Academies tied the game with 18 seconds left in the second half. There was no score in extra time. Warsaw won the PK shoot out (Warsaw GK stops one PK). Warsaw now faces Plymouth in the 7 pm game on Wednesday.

TWINS

We are hoping for a busy full week of soccer. Today and tomorrow's practice will be at the game field. Today's practice will end around 5, 5:15 so everyone can go home, clean up and head to Brayton's house for the Team Dinner around 6 pm. At the same time, Warsaw will play Culver Academies for the first game of the Plymouth Sectionals. NorthWood (4-9-3) plays Wawasee (4-6-6) on Wednesday at 5 pm and Plymouth will face the winner of the Warsaw-Culver Academies game at 7 pm on Wednesday. The winners of the Wednesday games will face off at 6 pm on Saturday. After a Wednesday win, we will practice on Thursday and Friday at the game field. All Sectional games will be played on the main field at Plymouth.

Sectional Team Dinner

Corbin and Brayton's parents have offered to host the Sectional Team Dinner. The dinner will be at 25095 Country Way, Goshen (west off CR 11, south of CR 28). It will start after Monday's practice. Thank you Jeff and Mary Taylor (and all the other parents who are pitching in as well to make this happen).

2014 Senior Night

HONORING SENIORS ETHAN CRAVEN AND TANNER FERVIDA.

Varsity in Pink shirts and...........

Pink socks............

THE PANTHERS SUPPORTING THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER!

NorthWood-Bethany Christian 1-2 (1-1)

FIRST HALF- It is tough enough to get fouls called evenly during away games but that should not be the case at home games. But then again, when you have a Dufus like we had hobbling around the pitch last night, it is hard to expect otherwise. But more about that later. The actual game itself is played in front of a large Senior Night crowd on what turns out to be a pretty nice night weather wise. Emphasis by Coach Duerksen before kick off is placed on playing hard and not shy away from challenges. In the third minute, Bethany gets a corner and that corner bounces thru the box. The Bruins put a cleat on the ball and go ahaead 0-1 very early on. The Panthers need some time to settle down and establish some possession before we create some danger near the Bethany box. In the 13th, Dylan Weldy touches/holds a shirt of a Bruin forward while defending him about 12 out from the 18. Dufus whistles and gives Dylan a yellow caution. When Coach Duerksen questions the call, the explanation given is that pulling on a shirt is an automatic yellow. Duerksen disputes that and in a continuing on again off again discussion, Duerksen says to Dufus that he bets him 50 dollars that it is not an "autmatic yellow". The AR on the bench side, says he wants in on the bet for 50 as well! By the way, IHSAA rule 12.3 section 3 states that the infringement mentioned above "should result in a direct free kick". There is no mention for a yellow card or caution. Ha! In the 15th minute, Brayton receives a ball from our defense on the left side of the field about 15 yards shy of the middle. Brayton spots an open Tanner who is in the process of making a great far right run. The pass to switch fields is superb. Tanner accepts the ball, crosses it in the box. The Bethany defense kicks the ball over the goal line for a corner. Dennyz finds AC in the 27th, who in turn serves Brayton near the Bruins box. Brayton dribbles in towards the keeper. His shot goes over and by the goalie for the equalizer. 1-1 is also the half time score. HALF TIME- The team is told that they are playing well and are equaling their efforts from the Plymouth game. We are playing a nice mix of soccer with some possession thru the midfield as well as some thru balls. We are doing well in containing their leading scorer Nate Nussbaum (#15, 30 goals on the season). SECOND HALF- By now, the stands are filled and the overflow crowd sits in chairs on the side. Again, just like the first half, it is Bethany who attacks furiously from the starting blocks. In the 43rd, two hard shots in quick succession, require two equally tough stops by Cody Cripe to keep us in the game. After that we again settle down and start to play some good hard soccer. AC goes into the penalty kick area in the 61st and ends up in a 1v1. His effort at a goal is stopped by Bethany's last man. In the 67th, the NW trick corner play works to perfection, the shot by Brayton goes over however. In the 68th, dangerous NW attacker AC again has an opportunity to the goal's left, this time the shot barely misses the frame and crossbar. In the 71st, one of the Bethany coaches starts screaming at a NW player. Coach Duerksen reminds that Coach in no uncertain terms that he needs to talk to his own players, not ours. The Bruins coach is not too appreciative of that comment but is eventually smart enough to not come to close to the NW technical area where a fiery reception would have awaited him. Despite NW pressure and good attacking soccer, it is a Bethany break away in the 77th that determines the outcome of the game. The counter goes to the Bethany right flank where the attack near the box concludes with a hard shot to Cody's right that finds the net; 1-2. This is the final score as well despite some last minute attacking efforts by the Panthers. NW has now played two consecutive solid games with only a tie and loss to show for but.............it bodes well for our next game. We are starting to peak at the right time and with another effort like we have shown in the last two games, the result in the next game should have a different outcome. Thanks to our Seniors (!!!!!!!!) who both played well tonight. We did win the yellow card competition decisively; 3-0 (Dennyz for who knows what, Juan for who knows what and Dylan - mandatory yellow). Amazingly in an even fought battle, Bethany ended up with zero (0) cautions. Next up for the Panthers is the Sectional game against Wawasee. The Warriors beat us during the regular season 1-0. The game will be at 5 pm at Plymouth on Wednesday October 8th.

Home dug out?

Game Day #15

Hard to believe, but tonight will be the last regular game of the season. It also Senior Night which means this will be the last home game for Tanner and Ethan. Bethany Christian comes to Nappanee with a 8-5-1 record. Senior Nate Nussbaum just broke Femi Hollinger-Janzen's (IU) record of 67 goals on Tuesday night. Nussbaum has 68 goals scored in his career at Bethany, 30 alone this season. The #15 will be a player our defense needs to pay close attention to tonight. The Panthers and Bruins play 7 common opponents. Both teams lost to Central, Concord, Goshen and Northridge. We lost to Memorial (2-1) while Bethany tied at 1-1. Both teams beat Lakeland Christian and Elkhart Christian. So, in common opponents we have similar records and results. The JV starts at 5 pm, Varsity around 6:45. The WSBT weather forsecast predicts mostly cloudy skies and a 20% chance of precip and temperatures around 70-72. See you there and GO PANTHERS!!!!!!

Plymouth-NorthWood 0-0 (0-0)

In a seesaw battle, the JV draws the short end of the stick despite scoring three goals. In a 4-3 loss, Tony Lopez scores twice and Matt Thornton once (after a nice Antonio Gonzalez free kick that explodes off the crossbar right in front of Matt). The JV game is a perfect prelude to an exciting Varsity contest which starts about five minutes late in front of a Plymouth Senior Night crowd. Fortunately for us, the festivities will not take place until after the Varsity game concludes. FIRST HALF- Plymouth has posted some robust numbers on both sides of the ball as of late so the pre-game talk does focus on tight defense, taking cracks at the Plymouth goal and working hard. If you were at the game or listening to 106.1 FM or 1050am on WTCA(we had some confirmed listeners), you would agree that those three talking points were well adhered to. On a cool but pleasant night, it is the Panthers who take some offensive control from the start. But in the 7th, Cody has to come up with a big save to avert disaster. In the 20th, same story, a near post shot needs a Cripe hand to prevent a goal. A nice Brayton to Isaac cross in the 24th has Isaac taking the ball to his right and he than passes it to AC. AC rips a nice shot that needs a tip from the beefy Plymouth keeper. Another Plymouth shot in the box in the 39th requires Cody to spring into action again. Even though the score board registers only 2 SOG's for NW in the first, our score book shows a couple more. HALF TIME- Coach Duerksen addresses a few minor issues and stresses that the work rate needs to remain at least the same. SECOND HALF- The game picks right back up where it left off in the first. Every loose ball is reason for a battle and the Panthers don't shy away from it. AC plays a rough and tough forward position (maybe he should start wearing "99" on his back). He works hard to get in a passing lane position and Brayton and Dennyz find him on numerous occasions. Our threat also comes from the back where our defenders not only do a nice job playing tight and tough defense but are also at the start of very many attacks. Connor and Juan do well in the middle, Pipp and Dylan defend the outside well. Tanner is a great vacuum cleaner and Derek has a nice night as well. Eli and Ethan work hard coming off the bench to make sure the level of play doesn't go down and that the intensity stays high. Isaac's positioning is better then it has been as of late. In the 63rd, Coach Duerksen disagrees with the arbiter on a call and just when we think the discussion has come to an end, the ref pulls a yellow and presents it to Coach. In the 67th, a Plymouth attack concludes with a shot on the post. A thru ball on the NW defensive third rolls in the box. Cody dives in and greets Plymouth cleats right in his face. The Panthers defense comes to Cody's defense and the melee that follows and involves just about all players, requires intervention from all referees. NW gets to take the free kick after all players have settled down. This was a good message to send and if we would play Plymouth again in the next week or so, this situation should not happen again. In the 68th a barrage of three ugly shots pepper the NW goal but Cody stands tall again and the score remains 0-0. A Brayton Taylor cross in the 69th almost finds AC and the net but the ball lands behind AC who inadvertently reaches for the ball with his hands. With 6 seconds to go, Plymouth (are they Rockies or Pilgrims?)crosses the ball in the NW box but Cody makes another save. NorthWood's best opportunity comes in the 75th minute of play when Connor launches a long ball over the Plymouth defense. Eli runs on to the ball and keeps the ball close to his feet. Once in the box, he tries to chip the keeper who at the last second, gets a finger on the ball to push the ball to the right side of the frame for a corner. The final score is 0-0. The coaches agree that this is one our best performances of the season (the Central game being the other one that stands out). We have had to make adjustments in the back, middle and in the front. With David out, it has taken time to adjust and he is still missed but we have to deal with the fact that he is not in the lineup now and it is how you deal with adversity that counts. If David can make a comeback in the next week it is only going to make us stronger! In summary, we played hard, we played physical -not dirty- and we played well. Next up is Bethany Christian tomorrow night (Senior Night previously known as Craven Night). Our Seniors Ethan Craven and Tanner Fervida (not Ferveeeeda as in Velveeeeta) will get their moment in the spotlight. Hopefully we can count on a big crowd. The rest of the practices will be at the game field. Today will be JV's last practice.