This Week In NorthWood Soccer (TWINS)

Now that the championships have been decided, it is time to get back to work and focus on the 2016 season. We will start out tonight at the AC for our first Open Gym (OG/AC) at 7 pm and we will go til about 8:30 or so. Tomorrow night at 6:30 pm we will have the Fall Awards at the Nappanee Elementary School. The Fall Awards will mark the official end of the 2015 season. Hope to see everyone there. During the off season, I will post weekly "TWINS" reports. Usually it will only mention the OG/AC times but if we have some pertinent ECU or Indoor news, it will be posted as well. Thanks to all readers for checking the blog during the soccer season. Next season will mark the 10th year of the blog!!!!

NLC Awards ALL CONFERENCE

The NLC coaches have chosen Brayton Taylor, David Eshelamn and Matt Pippinger on the All conference NLC team. Isaac Bowser received an Honorable Mention. Congratulations to all these seniors!!! Don't forget the Fall Awards for Boys Soccer; next Tuesday November 3rd at 6:30 pm at the Nappanee Elemantary School's Cafeteria.

Fall Awards - change part 2

We will have the Awards Night for the soccer program on Tuesday November 3rd. It will be for the boys soccer program only and it will be held at the Nappanee Elementary School. It will start at 6:30 pm. Open Gym at the AC (OG/AC) will start at 7 pm (until 8:30 pm) on Monday November 2nd.

ECU try outs

The try outs for ECU are on October 20th at 5:30 for 15 and 16 year old players and on October 22nd at 5:30 for 17 and 18 year old players at the Nibco soccer complex. We are hoping that a lot of our players will take advantage of this inexpensive option to play travel soccer.

Fall Awards Date Change

From the NW Athletic office: The Fall Awards have been moved to Monday November 2nd at 6:30 pm.

TODAY: Turn in Uniform and Take down the Nets Day

All players need to report to Coach Duerksen's room right after school to turn in all uniforms (clean) and all seniors will go to the game field to help take down the nets.

Add to your calendar... Fall Awards

The Fall Awards program will be held on Tuesday November 3rd, at 6:30 pm at the High School.

From the Culver Academies' Athletic website

Latest Games Commentary CMA vs Northwood 10/5/2015 CMA opened up sectional play at Warsaw High School against Northwood, a team we have never seen before. From the start, both teams showed they came ready to play, as the ball moved quickly up and down the field. Four minutes in, Adrian Juraidini had the first opportunity for either side, but unfortunately his shot went just wide right. The game continued at a fast pace, when Mauricio Bailleres picked up a ball and worked their left side, cut across the center, combining passes with Juraidini and over to Andres Sada, who sent a solid low shot past the keeper for the 1-0 lead. The rest of the half was played at the same pace, but it was Northwood who gained momentum, creating 3 solid chances that Michael Wright turned away or smothered. With just 2 minutes left in the half, Northwood took advantage of a high defensive line and sent a ball through the left side, and the follow on cross, after a scramble, found a player far post who pushed it in to tie at 1. The team captains pulled the players together at halftime and set the tone for the second half. After a see saw battle through the first 20 minutes, Bailleres was able to send a free kick over the top of the defense, and Juraidini headed home across the goal from 15 yards out to regain the lead. From there, the team started to press through the midfield, and with 9:30 remaining, Bailleres created his own opportunity, dribbling 3 defenders and then nailed a far post curler for the 3-1 lead. James Kerr finished the scoring, putting in a penalty kick with 15 seconds remaining, and the team walked off with the 4-1 win. Wright finished the game with 5 saves, the defense played a solid 2d half, limiting the opponent to 3 shots on goal. Next up is Plymouth, 7 PM on Wednesday at Warsaw H.S.

Open Gym @ the Athletic Center (OG/AC) information

Open Gym at the AC will start on Monday November 2nd. The time will be announced the week prior.

Sectional 1st Round NorthWood-Culver Academies 1-4 (1-1)

Sometimes it doesn't matter how much you prepare, what the formation is or what the strategy is. Sometimes it just comes down to who capitalizes on opportunities created. The Panthers have three (3) 1V1's in the first half (one each by AC 16"", Isaac 27" and Brayton 34") and are not able to get it behind the Eagles' keeper. The Culver keep saves all three and keeps his team in the game in the first half. The Eagles score in the 21st after a combination play gets a nice finish from #7 Sada. In the 30th, David saves the ball off of our goal line to keep us in it and a Dennyz to Brayton pass in the 38th, has Brayton taking a great shot but another goalkeeper save prevents the ball from going in. This time however, Tony crashes the goal and puts the loose ball in the ropes, 1-1. We do not make any adjustments at the half since we are playing well and are level despite some very questionable officiating. The first 18 minutes of the second half go back and forth and thoughts of a draw (PK's ?) start to surface. An undeserved free kick from Culver changes all that however. The service is to the #14 who heads the ball past Cody for a 1-2 lead. In the 71st, Culver's #10 slices thru our defense and creates a little bit of room. His curling shot seems to go wide but comes back in and around Cody and finds the net, 1-3. Only a minute later, a NW free kick taken by Isaac goes over the wall and hits the post. With about 17 seconds left on the clock and the Panthers pressing offensively, the Culver midfield counter attacks and forces a foul in the box by David. The Culver #2 connects for a 1-4 final. The end of the season for NW. The Panthers have had a great season. Their final record 9-5-3, winning the Argos tournament and coming in 4th in NLC while tying the school NLC record at 3-3-1 are all accomplishments. This same group won the Sectional last year and as coach Duerksen said, that championship is yours and can never be taken away. This group of seniors was an absolutely fantastic group of men who will be sorely missed by the coaching staff. They spent four years getting to this point. In those four years they developed as players, worked hard and committed themselves to NorthWood soccer. It is one of the best teams NorthWood soccer has had and they were one of the better teams in the area. Unfortunately, the season ends to soon. Thank you Derek, Brayton, Isaac, Dennyz, David, Connor, Matthew, Aaron, Easton and Mario!!!!!! The coaching staff loved having these guys for four years (really wish Easton would have been around for 4 instead of 1!). As coach Duerksen said last night after we got off the bus :"you will always be part of NorthWood soccer". REFEREE GRADE: A big fat bow legged "F"!!! None of the three were any good and actually a disgrace to the game. Gamal was never close enough to make a call. NW got its first free kick in the 12th of the second half(yes 2nd half!!), Rick Fischer on the bleacher side made a mess of things, screwing up an all important off side call (Tony comes off his own -!!- half for a Brayton pass) in the first half. The AR on the bench side (Daniel Gottschalk) never (!!!) once raises his flag for a foul call and does not understand the importance of this game. Frankly, none of these guys should be involved in a Sectional game. It is above their capabilities. If you don't have the feel for the game or have never played the game or understand the rules, lower level games are probably more appropriate. Not that the referees are to blame for our loss, they are not. Like I stated at the beginning, you just have to put more in the net than the opponent and last night, we were not able to do that. On Thursday we will meet in Duerksen's room after school to hand in the uniforms (clean, please). The seniors will go with the coaches to the game field to take down the nets and clean up the press box. Thanks to all the parents, grandparents, students etc. for all their support all season long. We have had the largest crowds at all games but especially home games in NW soccer history. Thanks again!!!

Sectional Gameday

Monday October 5, the day we were hoping we would not have to play. But I guess you can't get a bye all the time. Instead we drew the toughest team in the Sectional (on paper that is). The Culver Academies Eagles come into the Warsaw Sectional with a 12-2 record. They were beaten by Crown Point and Chesterton. The Eagles won their (weak) conference this season. We scouted the team against Portage this past Saturday. Culver won in the last few seconds of the game but more importantly showed us what they are and are not capable of doing. Hopefully that knowledge will help us tonight. The Panthers go into the Sectional with 9-4-3 record and have lost only twice in the last 12 games. It looks like we have a healthy squad for tonight's match up. AC, still coming back from his broken foot, is probably at about 80% and is improving every game. Everyone else seems to be at 100%. The bus leaves the school at 4:30 for the 35 minute drive to Warsaw. This is the only game being played in the sectional tonight. The winner moves on to the second game on Wednesday night (Warsaw - Wawasee is at 5 pm, Plymouth vs. tonight's winner is a 7 pm kick off). The weather at kick off is predicted to be partly sunny and 70 degrees. On Saturday, Culver did not have a large contingent of fans (see picture) and hopefully that trend continues tonight. Hopefully, the Panther fans will come out to support their team tonight in the most important game of the year. Hope to see everyone there! GO PANTHERS!!!!

Bethany Christian - NorthWood 0-1 (0-1)

It is one of those nights where not much seems to go the way it is supposed to. The JV wins 0-1 (on a very nice Landon Parker finish) but the game is scrappy and had not much fluidity to it. The Varsity warm up almost turns disastrous, twice! First, the large loudspeaker falls out of the press box, missing official Justin Bell (not to be confused with our former assistant and current NW cross country coach) by just a few feet. Right after that, one of the Varsity players shoots the ball over the goal during the shooting drill, hitting a young kid behind the goal square on the head, knocking him down. Even the introductions are horrific. Denny (?) Barahona gets introduced as does Mallett (not Mullett) and Juan gets left hanging to stand in the middle of the field by himself. The introductions are loud enough however. The announcer makes sure she can be heard over the sound of any passing train. FIRST HALF- It starts out well. AC gets the ball in the second minute in the left corner and takes it to the goal line and crosses it back to Juan. His shot finds the side net. We initially play much better than the Bruins but for some reason let them get into the game. It is a fairly ugly game to watch. Only at times do we string some passes together but it never seems to last long. In the 36th, a throw in on the right side by David finds Brayton in the box. He connects from about 8 out for the first and only goal of the game, 0-1. HALF TIME- The coaching staff feels that we do not attack the ball enough defensively and that we do not threaten enough offensively. It seems like the game plays out in slow motion. We see good efforts from Pipp, David and AC and occasionally others but there is no consistent pressure. Pipp and David are moved into more forward positions in order to score some more goals. All this to, of course, solidify the win as well as prepare for our Monday night game. SECOND HALF- We don't threaten too often in the half. Bethany threatens even less. The half ends the way it started with the score 0-1. It wasn't our best performance but we came away with a win. We have won three in a row, haven't lost in the last 4 and have only lost twice in the last 12 games. So, we get results. And that is exactly what we will need Monday night. Our opponent Monday will be the best team we have played since we faced Memorial. But more about that opponent will be in the "Sectional Gameday" post on Monday. Our regular season is over. The final record is 9-4-3. Our NLC record is 3-3-1. It has been a long time since we had a .500 season in NLC. We finished in 4th place after Wawasee beat Plymouth (4-2) last night and Warsaw beat Northridge (2-1). Our sectional opponent Culver Academies defeated Argos 5-0 to win their conference. NOTES- The JV varsity's season is over. An announcement will be made after the Varsity season is over when the jerseys and warm ups need turned in. Varsity will practice at the game field today. JV's final record is 6-10 and they finished on a positive note by winning their last two games. On a negative note, Kaden got hurt in the Plymouth game and was diagnosed with some ligament damage that will bench him for about four weeks. Monday nights in the AC will start after the State Finals have been played (IHSAA rule). The times will be announced at school and I will post it here as well. The first Monday will be November 2nd (State Finals are October 31st). REFEREE GRADE- Referee did a good job - A.

Final regular season Gameday

The Panthers are back on the road today. We travel to the south side of Goshen to meet up with the Bruins of Bethany Christian. Bethany has a 5-9 record. Take away the goals in their 10-0 win at Lakeland Christian and what they are left with is just about a one goal scored average per game. Their leading scorers are #14 Snyder and # 8 Brenneman. We will not see a Femi Hollinger-Janzen type player on the field tonight (he is by the way IU's leading scorer at the moment with 5 goals in 6 games). We have five common opponents. Bethany played Northridge (5-2 L/NW 1-1 tie), Concord (5-0 L/NW 6-0L), Memorial (3-0 L/NW 4-0L), Goshen (8-0L/NW 2-0L) and Elkhart Christian (2-1W/NW 6-0W). The GPS address for Bethany Christian is 2904 S Main Street, Goshen. South Main street is the same as State Road 15. The JV starts at 5 pm and the Varsity follows the conclusion of the JV contest. We believe this to be Bethany's senior night (does that make #5 for us?). The Bus leaves Paul's Pain Palace at 4 pm. Dress warm! GO PANTHERS!!

Cautionary tale

Leading the yellow caution table for the Panthers are (3-way tie); David Eshelman, Dennyz "Octopus" Barahona and Seth "equipment failure" Douwsma with three yellows. Three others have received one caution this season. A player has to sit out a game after accumulating 5 yellows during the regular season. The max is 3 in the tournament (everyone starts with a clean slate at the beginning of the state tournament).

Sectional starting times (from NW Athletic Office)

GAMES / DATES / TIMES: GAME 1 Oct. 5 at 6 pm Culver Academies vs. NorthWood GAME 2 Oct. 7 at 5 pm Warsaw vs. Wawasee GAME 3 Oct. 7 at 7 pm Plymouth vs. Winner Game 1 Championship Oct. 10 at 7 pm Winner Game 2 vs. Winner game 3

2015 NorthWood Men's Soccer Senior Night

THE BULLETIN AND BANNERS. AT THE BOTTOM, THE TEAM PICKS UP THE DUG OUT. (CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO SEE THE LARGE VERSION).

NorthWood-Plymouth 2-1 (2-1)

It is the last home game for our 10 Varsity seniors. A very nice bulletin is available at the gate full of pictures and information on all our seniors. Banners are hanging from the back of the bleachers and each player gets introduced with their parents before the game. The JV sets the tone for the night and battles the Rockies JV and manages to come away with a 1-0 win on a great finish by Jaron Mullet. This kid has a nose for the goal and a killer instinct. This large group of seniors has played together and spent a lot of time together thru the years. This group has a very laid back attitude and has helped all of the players who came into the program after them and made them better players. The coaches will miss this talented and fun loving group. Last year this group fought their way into the Sectional Final and then managed to come away with a win to bring home NorthWood's fifth Sectional title. This group is determined to go far into the play off again this year. And if any group of players can, it is this one. But back to the order of the night. Not a lot needs said before the game. The seniors are motivated and want to win the last game on their field. FIRST HALF- While possession goes back and forth in the first 10 minutes or so, it seems that the Panthers are taking a little bit of control of the game. The Pilgrims/Rockies (??)play mainly long ball. In the 15th, Dylan delivers a cross that finds its way to Isaac. After a couple of twists and turns, Isaac goes by two defenders and then toe balls the ball in the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. Two minutes later, Derek plays the ball over the top to Isaac. Isaac is already thinking that he is one third of the way to a hat trick and kills the shot but the effort goes over the goal. A Plymouth corner lands in the box in minute 29. The Panther defense forgets to step in front of the ball and a Plymouth midfielder shoots it hard thru the defenders and into the goal from close range, 1-1. Two minutes before the tea, Derek delivers another pass, this time to AC. After a nice move, AC shoots and the Pilgrim GK stretches and makes the save to prevent a NW lead.In the 39th, a Panther attack on the right side of the box has Isaac going at goal. What looks to be a shot that will go in, gets stopped by the keeper but the ball comes out and hits a Plymouth defender. The ricochet lands between the Plymouth pipes and over the goal line, 2-1!For the record; David gets a yellow for a high kick early on in the first half. SECOND HALF- Three actions are worth mentioning. In the 68th Derek throws the ball to Brayton in the right orner. Brayton's long cross find Juan who heads the ball but the keeper makes the save. In the 73rd, Cody has to come up big on a Plymouth cross to keep us in the game and in the 77th, a very nice NW build up develops as follows; David has the ball and switches to Juan who, in turn, serves Brayton in the box. Brayton delivers the ball to AC. AC makes a couple of nice moves and places the ball in the corner of the goal but the Pilgrim keep saves the ball with a dive to his right. Final score 2-1. Varsity record now at 8-4-3 (3-3-1 NLC). JV record 5-10. REFEREE GRADE:B. Great NW crowd tonight, lots of student support which is much appreciated. NOTES- Practice for both teams at the game field. Tomorrow (Thursday), both teams finish up the regualr season at Bethany Christian. It will be the 5th senior night we will be part of this season. Thanks to Mr. Taylor for taping the home games, to Mr. Cripe for announcing. To all the parents who helped with all the team dinners, thank you. Also thanks to all the parents who did the banners, the frames, the booklet etc. for Senior Night. All Varsity seniors started the first half. It added significantly to the total playing time on Varsity for Mario and Easton.

What happens when you are not with your phone.....

The team, the fans.....

Gameday/ Senior Night

The final home game of the season will feature all Varsity seniors starting the game tonight. Cody will be the lone non-senior starting tonight's game. The following players are Varsity seniors and will play their last home game at and for NorthWood: Derek Parker, Brayton Taylor, Isaac Bowser, Dennyz Barahona, David Eshelman, Connor Miller, Matthew Pippinger, Aaron Chenoweth, Easton Dahlgren and Mario Rodriguez. Austin Patalis is a JV senior player. All senior players and their parents will be introduced at tonight's game. Our opponent tonight is Plymouth. Plymouth is 6-7-1 (1-5 NLC). Their only NLC win is against Warsaw. Plymouth has lost their last 4 games and are surely bent on coming away with a good result tonight. Plymouth is a hard working, scrappy team. It will take a good effort from the Panthers tonight to get a result. Tonight will be bittersweet for the coaching staff as well. We have been together with these seniors for over four years and have truly enjoyed their commitment, development and friendship. It might be the last home game but it is not the end of the season. We are hoping that these seniors will inspire us in the post season as well as we start Sectionals Monday. Next week will hopefully start with a good result as we start the run to defend our Sectional Crown from last year with this same group. These seniors deserve the support of all their friends and families so we hope to see all of you tonight!!! GO PANTHERS!

John Glenn-NorthWood 1-2 (1-0)

Weather wise it is a great night for soccer. The field looks good but is hard. NW looks to go on a little streak and tonight's game could be the start of that. FIRST HALF- The usual lineup takes the field. It looks like the better (everything is relative of course) officials tonight are on the chalk lines. In minute 2, Dennyz delivers a pass thru the box to Brayton. Brayton goes one on one with the Glenn keep but his outside of the boot shot goes directly to the Falcon backstop who prevents an early NW lead. John Glenn however, turns the table on the Panthers in the 5th when their #21 takes a long distance shot and catches Cody a little bit off his line. The laser disappears into the goal right under the crossbar for an early Glenn lead, 1-0. Neither team really threatens too much the rest of the half. NW dominates the middle third, does okay in the defensive third but is unable to do much in the offensive third. Partly because Glenn parks the bus and packs anywhere from 7 to 10 players in or near the box to prevent a Panther goal. The score at the half is Glenn 1, NorthWood 0. HALF TIME- Coach Duerksen tells the team that he seems to be repeating himself when it comes to what needs done in order to get results. The main challenge is offered to the seniors. It is their time (which is running out) and they need to step up and make something happen. SECOND HALF- Five minutes into the second half, one of many NW corners goes near post for the training ground practiced set piece. The execution on the ensuing "sitter" is not very good and misses its target. NW keeps the pressure on Glenn and only 60 seconds later, Brayton perfcectly serves Isaac. Isaac, who is in the middle of a hard straight up in the box run, keeps the ball at his foot before he shoots the ball low and hard to the keeper's right. The GK has no chance, 1-1. Only 120 (!!!!!!!) seconds later, AC shields a ball, passes it to Pipp. Pipp crosses the ball hard behind the Glenn defense. Brayton slips in front of the Glenn central defender and connects with the ball, 1-2! It needs mentioned that minutes before the 1-2, another NW attack ends with a foul on David in the box. The whistle blows and it looks like the foul is called for a NW PK. The center ref then runs towards AR1. The clock does not get stopped and it looks to us that the discussion has to be about the spot of the foul (inside or outside the box). To our amazement, Glenn is awarded a free kick(what??????). When asked for an explanation, the center ref exclaims that it was an "inadvertent" whistle. For one, inadvertent means "not resulting from or achieved through deliberate planning". As Coach Duerksen says; "you put the whistle in your mouth and you then blow on it, how is that "inadvertent". For another, why did the center #@%&&** run to the AR? What was that discussion about? Was it like this: "Heh AR, how you doing here on the line. Looks like a pretty straight touch line. Got a question for you if you have a second". AR1: "yeah, I got a second. By the way, don't stop the clock. I wanna get home, I am getting HUNGGRYY!. But what is the question". Center ref. :"Well did you see the foul". AR1 :"The foul in the box?" Center ref.:"Yeah that one". AR1: "No I did not see that foul in the box that should be a PK". Center Ref.: "Oh yeah, that foul in the box where 10 got hacked, I didn't see it either. That's why I put the whistle in my mouth and blew on it. But both putting in my mouth and then blowing in it wasn't what I intended to do. Kinda weird how those things happen. I will explain it to the NW coach. He seems like a mild guy, he will understand. He won't mock me, I'm sure. Well thanks AR1, that really cleared everything up. Enjoy the rest of the game!". Yes, that is how that must have gone. Obviously you don't have to wait til the end of the blog to see what this referee gets as a grade. He deserves a "F". He blew it by blowing it. In the 62nd, a Glenn right side attack does need the hands from Cody to keep the ball out of the ropes. A great save keeps us in the game and in the lead. the 64th, Tony goes thru the box and the ball lands in front of Eli. His shot flies off the top of the crossbar. The Glenn "fans" cry foul everytime NW touches the ball, especially when Dennyz gets involved defensively. One of the Glenn fans (maybe the only one with some soccer knowledge) calls Dennyz an Octopus in a, I think, complimentary reference to Pogba. Dennyz does seem to have four pairs of limbs and uses them to recover the ball when least expected to. With two minutes left to play, Glenn gets more physical. Connor gets fouled and goes down in partitions. The free kick is one of the last actions of the game. NW plays a good second half, wins 1-2 and has now only lost twice in the last 10 games. The varsity record is now 7-4-3.

Looking ahead..............

In sports you never want to look to far ahead but tomorrow night is Senior Night. We have 11 seniors in the program who will play their last home game Tuesday. We are hoping for a large crowd to thank the seniors for their years of commitment to the NorthWood soccer program.

Directions to Newton Park

From Nappanee; (address for the park is 801 N. Michigan Street, Lakeville IN). Take US 6 west to OLD US 31. Go north (take a right) on OLD US 31. After about 6 miles or so, Newton Park is on your left (west side).

Gameday #13

Today we travel to Newton Park for the match up with the Falcons of John Glenn. In the past we played the away games in New Liberty but the new home field for John Glenn is Newton Park. This is the 14th game of the season. It is also a Varsity only game with a 5:30 pm start. The bus leaves the school at 4:15, players need to be at the school by 4 pm. The JV will practice from 3:30- 5 pm today at the the practice ground. John Glenn's record is 7-7. We have 3 common opponents; Elkhart Central (Glenn 5-0 L/NW 1-3 L), Argos (Glenn 1-5 L, NW 2-1 W)and Lakewood Park Christian (Glenn 4-6 L, NW 4-0 W). Glenn's #11 (West, a senior) has scored 16 of the 36 total goals for the Falcons.

Ft Wayne Concordia - NorthWood 0-0 (0-0)

Several opportunities are not executed (Brayton 1v1 on GK after slip thru pass from Dennyz, Isaac shot on post, Dennyz hits crossbar) in the first half. The half time adjustment focus is on finishing. In the 61st it seems Brayton is succesful but the Concordia keeper saves the effort from Brayton like a turtle on his back. It stays 0-0. NW plays a good game but is unable to place the ball over the line. A game without real stats, game clock or a decent AR on the bench side. The removal of the fans on the team side of the field is the most exciting occurrence off the field. The Varsity record is 6-4-3, the JV lost (despite a nice goal by Jaron) which puts their record at 4-10. Next up; John Glenn (Varsity only on Monday 9/28). Game information will be posted (note the game start time!) REFEREE GRADE: Center Ref does a nice job, B+.

Additional Sectional information

NorthWood will play Culver Academies on Monday October 5 at 6 pm at Warsaw.

Sectional Draw

Sectional 7: Game 1 Culver Academies - NorthWood, Game 2 Warsaw-Wawasee, Game 3 Plymouth - winner Game 1, Championship winner game 2 - winner game 3. Game 1 Monday October 5, game 2 & 3 Wednesday October 7, Final Saturday October 10.

Gameday #12

The 13th game of the season takes us to Ft Wayne where we will face off against Concordia Lutheran. The Cadets are 6-7-1 and play mainly Fort Wayne teams. Their last 7 record is W-L-W-W-L-W-W (5-2).We do not have any common opponents. The Cadets have scored 28 goals ( 9 by #9 Miller and 6 by #6 Sassmanshausen) and have allowed 28 goals for "0" goal differential. So on average they score 2.00 goals per game and give up 2.00 goals per game. In comparison, NW has scored 22 goals (1.83 per game) and has allowed 19 (1.58 per game). Our goal differential is +3. Concordia has 3 shut outs for the season, NW has 4.

Friday Practice

Both teams will practice at the game field today. Practice will run from 3:30 - 5 pm.

2015 Sectional Draw

The defending NorthWood Panthers are anxiously awaiting the results of this morning's IHSAA sectional draw. This year's Sectional will be played at Warsaw. Competing teams are Warsaw, Plymouth, Wawasee, NorthWood and Culver Academies. The draw starts at 8 am and the results will be posted as soon as they are made available by the IHSAA. Stay tuned and check back often.

Saturday Departure

At this time we think that the players need to be at the school around 8 am Saturday. The bus will leave between 8-8:15 am for the 10 am JV and 11:45 am Varsity matches in Fort Wayne.

Practice venue change

The Thursday 9/24 practice has been moved to the game field. Directly after the conclusion of practice, a team dinner will be served in the cafeteria of the Nappanee Elementary school.

Directions to Kreager Park, Ft. Wayne

Saturday's game versus Ft. Wayne Concordia will be played at Kreager Park on North River Road in Fort Wayne. From checking google maps, take US 6 east to SR 15. Go south on SR 15 to US 30. Go east on US 30 and once in Ft. Wayne turn left or east on W. Coliseum Blvd ( IN 930). Coliseum will curve south. Take a left (or go east) on Lake Ave.. Lake Ave. will turn into North River Road. Take a left into Kreager Park off of North River Road. The length of the trip is just a little less than 70 miles. For GPS/Navigation use "North River Rd, Ft. Wayne". There is no address for the park available.

Memorial - NorthWood 4-0 (1-0)

Varsity record is 6-4-2 (2-3-1 NLC). Next up Fort Wayne Concordia on Saturday September 26 at 11:45 (following JV match which starts at 10 am). The Junior Varsity lost 3-0. Their record is now 4-9.

Gameday #11

Our 12th contest of he year will be played at Elkhart Memorial. We will try to spoil their senior night tonight. Memorial boasts a 9-4 record (5-1 NLC) and is unbeaten in September having won 7 in a row. The Panthers have won 5 of the last 6 so tonight will be an interesting match up. Last year Memorial beat us at home 1-2 so we would like to return the favor tonight. Once again the weather will be gorgeous. 5 pm JV start, 6:45 Varsity kick off. Use 2608 California Rd, Elkhart for your GPS/Navigation. Take the first stop light onto the campus. The fields are in the back of the campus between the football stadium and the baseball/softball diamonds. GO PANTHERS!

Elkhart Christian - NorthWood 0-6 (0-1)

If you will build it, they will come is what the Eagles must have thought. What a majestic and original garden shed/press box combo. The likes of which most or all of us have never seen before. With dual (!!!) speakers and single pane glass, it mesmerizes one to no end. I for one, could not keep my eyes off of it. In all honesty, Elkhart Christian might not have invested much in the press box or the bleachers, the lights are truly magnificent. FIRST HALF- Only three moments in the first half deserve mention. In the 13th, AC passes the ball to the left flank, Juan dribbles and shoots. His low and bouncing shot goes into the right lower of the goal for a 0-1 lead. We need Cody to come up big in the 17th to stop a shot from ECA's #5 Hartman (their 2nd leading scorer). In the 24th, Brayton slices thru the middle of the field and ends up eye to eye (1v1) with the ECA keeper but his effort goes at the Eagles keep. HALF TIME- Emphasis at the Tea is the same as it was before the game; high pressure, good physical presence and good organization. All of this was lacking in the first half. SECOND HALF- We play much better this half. We combine a bit easier and actually string some passes together. We still look a bit rusty. Coach Duerksen mentioned to the two (?) center refs that ECA #15 commits fouls after the ball has been played. In the first half an AC foul after #15 did nothing but camp on his backside and tackle cleats up, but it is AC who is the recipient of a yellow caution. It does not take the Panthers long to capitalize on the poor ECA defensive skills in the second half. David earns an assist by passing a nice ball to Isaac who, inside the box, cuts to his left and places the ball with his left boot in the upper left 90, 0-2 (51"). When Juan passes to Brayton in the 54th, Brayton remembers what Duerksen said at the half ("#15 is always on the ground, go over him"). Brayton waits for #15 to go down and passes him and with the outside of his foot, puts the ball on the inside of the right post, 0-3. This effectively deflates the Eagles for the night. Six minutes later, Brayton goes over #15 again and delivers the ball to Tony who puts the ball over the line, 0-4. Another scrum ensues in the 62nd when Tony twists and turns in the box and a rebound lands in front of Eli. He calmly places the ball in the ropes, 0-5. The entire bench sees action tonight, including Micah who gets time as a midfielder near the end of the game. With two minutes left to play, Josh gets his first Varsity assist. His pass finds David's feet. David makes no mistake and finds the net for the final 0-6 score. A poor performance in the first is followed by a good performance in the second half. The Varsity's record improves to 6-3-2. NOTES- Tonight we travel to Elkhart once again. We go a little further up 19 and visit Memorial (5 JV/6:45 Varsity start). We think that it is Memorial's senior night. The JV struggled last night and lost to Penn 1-3. Kaden had a beautiful goal (nice cut and turn and a great strike to place it in the side net). The JV's record falls to 4-8. REFEREES GRADE- I have to cut the m a little slack since they had to do it with just two of them. The first half was not very consistent on their part. In all they issued two cards; one yellow for each team. I think their performance warrants a B.Seen better , seen worse. Speaking of yellow cards......... Coach Douwsma has the dubious honor of being a co-leader in yellow cards with Dennyz. They both have three in their collection. Where Dennyz is just a hard nosed player who is expected to pick up a card or two (or three), Coach Douwsma gets his cards in the strangest fashion. Last night it was for not staying in the technical area. The others were for equipment issues (jewelry & two same numbers on jerseys on the field). It makes you wonder what he will do next to try and add another yellow to his already very extensive 2015 collection. For the record, here is the Yellow Card leaderboard in the coaches division: Douwsma - 3, Duerksen - 1, Dijkstra- 0 (!!).

Gameday # 10

Tonight we play our 11th game of the season. Six games are left on our regular season schedule. These six games will be played over the next 11 days. The last game of the regular season is next Thursday (Oct. 1). Toning we travel about 14 miles north to Elkhart Christian Academy. The only common opponent (to our knowledge) is Argos. Elkhart Christian tied Argos 5-5 (!) on August 25th. The game tonight is a Varsity contest only and kicks off at 7 pm. The JV plays Penn at home tonight and starts at 5 pm. Directions to ECA, for your GPS: 25943 County Road 22. The school is located at the corner of County Road 9 and County Road 22. ECA has by far the best lights we will play under all season long and by far the worst stands. Hope to see everyone there, it will be a beautiful night once again. GO PANTHERS!

Maxpreps.com

The reporting site maxpreps.com updated their rankings this morning. They rank Goshen as #1 in Indiana (and 3rd nationally). NorthWood moved from 96th to 53rd since last Friday after three wins and a loss that does not make you slide in the rankings (nationally we went from 1022 to 687).

Important Game Time information

Monday 9/21, the JV plays at home against Penn at 5 PM. The Varsity travels to Elkhart Christian Academy; start of that game is 7 PM. The Varsity's record is 5-3-2, JV's record going into the tournament tomorrow is 4-5.

Thank You Norm!

A big Thank You to our Athletic Director Norm Sellers for getting the sign and having it put up on the bleachers! We wouldn't mind adding a Sectional Title to that this season!

NorthWood- # 6 Goshen 0-2 (0-2)

Sixth ranked (and defending State Champion)Goshen scored goals in the 25th and 35th minute of play to defeat the Panthers 0-2 in a NLC clash at NW last night. Both Goshen goals came on identical defensive miscues. After intermission, the Panthers did not relinquish any more goals and created some minor opportunities in the last 10 minutes of the game. NW had spells of good combination play throughout the game. A play in the Goshen box by AC got Goshen a free kick and a yellow caution in the second half. A little more physical play by NorthWood in the second half produced less chances for Goshen even though Cody had to come up big on several occassions. The loss, that surely does not feel like a setback, puts the NW record at 5-3-2 (2-2-1 NLC). Our defense played well all night. Conner played error free and received the honorary captain's armband for the next game. Next up for the Varsity is the match up with and at Elkhart Christian on Monday. Next week features a Monday/Tuesday/Saturday game lineup.The next four games will be on the road. We return home against Plymouth for senior night before we round out the regular season on the road at Bethany Christian. Today's practice will be at the High School. It will be short and light. The JV lost to Goshen 1-2 with the NW goal scored by Kaden Gongwer. The JV plays in the NLC Tournament at Goshen tomorrow. The first game is at 10:30 versus Memorial. The second game will be at 1:30 and the opponent depends on the result of the first two games in the bracket. REFEREE GRADE- The center ref did an excellent job. He gave advantage when he should have, had a good feel for the game and in my mind made very few errors. GRADE: A. Coaches Grade- The Goshen coach managed to annoy our bench all night long with his "uuuhhhs", "grrrrrs" and "aaahhhhss"; Grade: F.

Gameday # 9 (10th game of the season)

Goshen will be our toughest opponent in 2015. The team is the current State Champion and ranked 6th in the IHSAA poll, # 3 in Indiana by Maxpreps and # 11 nationally by Maxpreps. Goshen is 7-0-1 (3-0-1 in NLC). Goshen had an easy time with Bethany Christian Tuesday night, beating them handily 8-0 (6 goals in the second half). A win by the Panthers tonight would tie us in conference with the State Champions. The weather will be perfect tonight so hopefully a large crowd will pack the stands. NW has no injuries although some of the guys have some knocks from the Warsaw clash. AC is not a hundred percent yet conditioning wise but is getting better each day.

Rankings

Soccer is a 2 class sport. The largest 150 or so schools are in 2A, the smallest 150 or so are in 1A. NorthWood is a 2A team. So far we have played four ranked opponents. We have defeated two 1A schools and our two losses were at the hand of two 2A ranked teams. In 2A, Goshen is currently 6th, Central 16th (L) and Concord 20th (L). In 1A Argos (W) dropped to 11th (from 10) and Lakewood Park Christian (W) went up to 16 (from 18 and even after being defeated by us).

Warsaw-NorthWood 1-3 (0-0)

FIRST HALF- Not a lot of energy seems to be hanging over the Warsaw pitch tonight despite the fact that it is their Senior Night (seems early) and music is played right up to the kick off. That same low energy seeps onto the field as both teams seem somewhat lethargic. The Panthers take the first shot of the game in the 3rd (Brayton). The shot misses its target. The best opportunity presents itself when a thru pass gets to Isaac who seems to be going 1V1 on the sophomore Warsaw keeper but before he can, a Tiger defender fouls Isaac. The first corner of the game goes to Warsaw in the 21st. A nice cross from Eli in the 23rd finds its way to Brayton who attempts to volley the ball. The shot misses the target. Jaron gets a chance in the 30th, seems to break through but gets taken down. The Warsaw defender only sees yellow and can consider himself a luck young fellow. A foul by David on our end results in a yellow card for him (his verbal communications was apparently not appreciated by the official). HALF TIME- The adjustment speech is fairly simple. Besides some technical and tactical adjustments it is obvious that we just concluded an awful played first half. It is only that we play a team that has matched that effort why we are still in the game. If our work rate improves -by a lot-, we should come off the field winners. SECOND HALF- It doesn't take long before we see some action with pace and effort. In the 41st, Cody punts a ball up the field. Brayton slips the ball to Isaac. Isaac goes to the upper right side of the box and delivers one of his signature laser shots. The tremendous shot finds the upper 90 and hits the inside of the post and the net, 0-1! Only 4 minutes later do we survive a scary moment in our 6. A Warsaw corner rumbles and fumbles thru the box. A Tiger foot hits the ball and it seems to be headed for the ropes but might Pipp saves the day and heads the ball off the goal line and back in the box where it is cleared. In the 50th the center referee decides he has finally heard enough of the complaining form the Warsaw Head Coach and rewards the whining with a yellow caution. In the 53rd, a Warsaw attack in the box does not get properly defended by Juan. Instead of going to the outside, he cuts back in, somewhat trips up and has the ball taken away about 7 yards from Cody. The Warsaw forward does not hesitate and fires the ball into the net. Cody does not have a chance, 1-1. But only three minutes pass until David's free kick targets Brayton who with a touch gets by a defender and the keeper. Brayton then patiently and with a lot of composure slots the ball in the goal for a 1-2 lead. The pace of the game is high and it gets a little choppy. In the 56th, Brayton gets a yellow for a slide tackle where he goes in with his cleats up and gets most of the Warsaw defender. Warsaw's #22, Brandon Reinholt is a big kid who plays the part of an intimidator. All he does is throw his weight (and he has a lot of that) around and tries to get into our defenders heads. Mostly Dylan, but he survives the night without reacting to it (for the most part). The hat ref on the bleacher side does a decent game although it seems that he does screw up when he calls AC for a foul (with his hands) in the 72" despite the fact that the Tiger defender was basically camping on AC's back. In the 75th, Dennyz swings the ball around to Juan. Juan dribbles and shoots and scores. His shots have been really good as of late in practice and it is nice to see that continue in a game as well. It makes up for his mistake. His effort after his defensive miscue and scoring a goal, earn him the Honorary Captain's armband against Goshen tomorrow night. The final score 1-3, is our first against Warsaw in many years and we think only the 3rd in program history. The Varsity record is 5-2-2 (2-1-1 NLC). The JV lost 1-0on u dubious call (PK). REFEREE GRADE: Despite the clearance sale of yellows, the referee did a decent job overall. As chippy as it the game was at times, he was able to keep it under control. GRADE: B. NOTES- Varsity practice will be light and short and will be at 3:30 at the game field. It should be over by 4:30. The JV will practice at the High School. The next game is tomorrow night at home. We are hoping for a big crowd. We will need it. The JV game starts at 5 pm. The Varsity at 7. The Varsity will play the current State Champions Goshen. Goshen is ranked 5th at this time and are undefeated.

Gameday # 8

The Panthers travel to Warsaw to face the 2-8 (0-3) Tigers. NorthWood is on a 3 game winning streak while the Tigers have lost their last three games. Warsaw is however a strong team and despite the losses has shown some improvement as of late. Their last three losses were against strong opponents (Memorial 3-1, Northridge 2-1 and Homestead 2-0). Warsaw plays a tough schedule each season. Their conference losses have come against Concord (5-1), Plymouth (2-0) and as mentioned before Memorial and Northridge. So far this season we have faced two common opponents with similar results; Concord (5-1 L Warsaw, 6-0 L NW) and Northridge (2-1 L Warsaw, 1-1 D NW). Warsaw's wins came against Grand Ledge and Fort Wayne Blackhawk. NW has a 4-2-2 record thus far (1-1-1 in NLC, 5th place). Warsaw is in 7th place in NLC currently. With a win, the Panthers could move up a spot in conference. The bus leaves from behind the Pit at 3:45 pm, players should be there no later then 3:30. The JV game starts at 5 pm, Varsity follows on the main field at 6:45 pm. Plunk in 1 Tiger Lane, Warsaw in your GPS. 1 Tiger Lane is the address for the High School and campus of Warsaw Community Schools and is located on State Road 15 on the south side of Warsaw. It is gonna be a beautiful night for soccer tonight so we are hoping for another large fan contingent to support us! It is Senior Night for the Warsaw Varsity so we need as many fans as possible.

First time...................

This past weekend, NorthWood played two ranked opponents on the same day. That is a first. It is also a first of course that we ever beat two ranked opponents in a season (let alone in a span of 7 hours). So far...... We will have another shot at a ranked team on Thursday when we face Goshen. But first things first; tomorrow we travel to Warsaw to play the Tigers, 5 pm JV start and a 6:45 pm Varsity kick off. GO PANTHERS!

Images of a Championship September Day in Argos

Game reports below.

NorthWood Panthers win 2015 Argos Invitational

2015 ARGOS INVITATIONAL CHAMPIONS. Game reports:see below.

NorthWood Wins 2015 Argos Invitational by beating Lakewood Park 4-0 (2-0) & Argos 2-1 (1-0)

NORTHWOOD-LAKEWOOD PARK-The true story of the day is the great work rate by an entire (!) team for two consecutive games on one day. So far this season we more often then not, look like the more skilled, the faster and the more physical team. Great assets for success, potentially! Today's first match up is with Lakewood Park. The wind is a factor. We start with the knowledge that winning the game will place us in the Final against Argos who earlier had beaten Glenn (5-1). Cody has to save a free kick in the 4th from Lakewood Park's Grenke (third leading scorer in the state with 21 goals). Two minutes later Eli's shot explodes off the LP crossbar. In the 15th we welcome AC back on the pitch. In the 19th, Dennyz's header turns into an assist as AC shoots the ball to the right of the frame for a 1-0 lead. The officiating is, as it usually is at the Argos Tournament, plain atrocious. In the 30th, Isaac crosses the ball from the right into the box, Brayton crushes it into the net from close range, 2-0. In minute 44, Brayton slips the ball to Derek who will not be denied a spot on the scoresheet, 3-0. Cody needs to tip the ball over on a long distance shot to keep the clean sheet intact. Mario makes a name for himself in the 78th by making the arguably best unintended goal of the tournament. His cross shot from right outside of the box and in front of the home stand, goes in the far upper 90!!!! Final score 4-0. It secures the spot in the 8 pm Final. Third place goes to Lakewood Park after they defeat John Glenn 6-4, an entertaining shoot out with lots of offense and very if any, defense. NORTHWOOD-ARGOS- The first ten minutes of the game are by far the best and most energetic of the 2015 campaign, thus far. We overwhelm Argos and dominate play on their half without the Dragons touching the ball hardly at all. In the 2nd, Brayton crosses the ball near the woodwork, AC creates the first dangerous moment with a good shot. In the 11th, an Argos corner and subsequent shot requires the Panther keeper to make an incredulous save to keep us in the game. In the 34th, Brayton distributes a ball to his right to Isaac. With a great clothesline shot, Isaac puts the ball in the Argos ropes for the 1-0 lead. This is also the HT score. The second half's script can only be played out in this tournament. The referees work harder at scoring for Argos then Argos does. The first action of the second half is an attempt by the center ref to enter the scoresheet with an assist. He awards the Dragons a penalty kick for what? No one knows. Immune to protests (his soccer IQ seems to start equaling the number of hairs on his head), he points at the dot. Argos' PK is a good one but Cody's save is even better. He stops it and play continues until AR2 raises his flag in another attempt to give Argos a goal. He is of the opinion that Cody came off his line BEFORE the kick was taken. You rarely see this called unless it is so obvious and the keeper comes so far off the line that you have no choice but to consider it cheating but that surely is not the case here. But karma comes into play for the second time in seconds as the second PK bounces off the left post. The score remains 1-0 NorthWood, despite "heroic" efforts by the officiating crew to help the home team. At least three obvious throw ins get awarded to Argos despite the fact that the Dragons kick the balls out. In the 45th, Brayton slices thru some Argos defenders and serves the ball into AC's feet. AC goes at goal and pushes the ball in the right corner to defeat the beefy Argos last man. 2-0! In the 54th, Argos #14 fakes out David 4 times before he turns the trick on himself and fakes himself out so the Panthers can take the ball up field. Juan shows the crowd what he has shown the team on the training grounds for weeks now, a great hard shot. This one nearly misses. It becomes obvious that the Panthers are not going to get many calls from this clearly incompetent officials trio. In the 58th, Jaron turns in the box and takes a laser shot. Through out the tournament, the coaches have a hard time determining who should come off the field for the subs. Everyone is playing hard and playing well. We show enormous speed, skill determination in both games. Once subs come in, the level of play stays the same. Having a deep bench is an advantage we have not had in years. In the 75th, Argos scores a goal, 2-1. This fact, the game being close, where it had only seemed moments earlier that it was out of reach for Argos, combined with the fact that Argos now is playing with 14 players, makes for an interesting last few minutes (plus some!). When a ball goes over the line and an argument ensues over whose throw it is, there are only 40 plus seconds left on the clock. By the time the argument is settled (?), 20 ticks are left. The Argos head coach screams at the center that too much time went off the clock during the argument and that time should be added (WHAT????). The fact that the ref screwed up (surprise!) by not stopping the clock, is now made up by this bald wonder on two legs, by stopping the clock and having the timekeeper add 10 seconds. It now shows "30" seconds left in the game. The game restarts, but the clock does not. Despite the coaches and players screaming at the best official Argos has ever seen, the game does not get stopped until about 25 seconds later when the ball goes over the end line. When the center communicates with the time keeper, who obviously is in on this debacle, the clock does not start to tick down but instead goes......out!!!! We keep playing and the center ref says he "has the time". Oh I bet you do; are we gonna add an additional 12 minutes or what???? After what seems an eternity, the ref has no choice but to call the game. A great effort by the Panthers gets rewarded by another win and a tourney trophy. Congratulations to the NorthWood soccer team for winning its second overall Argos Invitational. A great effort all day by all players gets a great result. Argos was undefeated going into the final, Lakewood Park's Gerke was held scoreless. David shut both Argos and LPC threats down all day long. Our tough defense has only given up 2 goals in the last 4 games. In those 4 games we tied the first and won the last three. A nice streak that we want to continue Tuesday when we travel to Warsaw. It is time for a little pay back after that team kicked David out of our squad for the season last year. Derek was the recipient of the honorary captain's armband in the Argos game for his hard work in the LPC game. Cody received the same honor for his effort in the Argos game.

Argos Invitational Preview and Directions

The Argos Invitational at Argos High School features four teams; Argos, John Glenn, Lakewood Park Christian and NorthWood. Argos plays Glenn at 1 pm, we play Lakewood Park Christian at 3 pm. The losers play at 6 pm, the winners face each other at 8 pm. The GPS address for the location is 500 Yearick Street, Argos IN 46501. Directions: Take US 6 west to US 31. Go south on US 31 to State Road 10. Go left or east on SR 10. Once in Argos, go left or north on Yearick Street. The team will have a team brunch hosted by the Bowser's at 10:30 am. After the brunch we will go to Coach Duerksen's basement to watch some BPL soccer and leave around 1 from the AC for the tournament. A report of last night's game vs. Wawasee is listed below. Tournament preview: Lakewood Park Christian is 3-4-1 so far. The player to watch is #3 Gerke who has scored 21 goals so far this season.

NorthWood - Wawasee 1-0 (1-0)

The JV sets the tone after the very well coached team scores often to beat the Warriors 5-2 with goals from Jaron (2), Kaden (2) and Landon (1). The seats behind the south goal remain empty tonight despite the nice weather. For the first time in NW history, only two referees officiate the Varsity game after the scheduled center ref calls off due to "car trouble". In general, these two refs do a good job despite the fact that off side is tougher to call and in general they are a little further from the action than is desirable. The Wawasee keep might think he looks pretty in pink, it is indisputable that our goalie looks much better in the black and red stripes. FIRST HALF- The first ten minutes sees two teams trying to feel each other out. Neither is able to establish a definite advantage over the other. In the 14th, NW finally strings a few passes together and a Dennyz-Eli combo has Eli taking the last touch for a shot that requires the pink warrior to make a save. Only a minute later, Dennys again distributes the ball, this time to Isaac who circumvents the Wawasee keeper and with composure slots the ball against the ropes, 1-0! From the 14th thru the 40th minute of play, the Panthers control the game. We have more of the possession and create a variety of chances. In the 18th, Derek (Dirrrrkk!) slices thru the Wawasee back line like a hot knife thru butter. In the next possession, Brayton nutmegs a defender to Derek who returns the ball. Brayton's shot is stopped by the Warrior's last defender. In the 20th a strange sequence of events takes place. After a scramble in the box, a ball that ends up in the Wawasee keeper's hands, is determined to be an intentional back pass (beg to differ!). If anyone on that defense passed a ball back on purpose in the midst of that mess then I am giving none of those defenders enough credit for their skill. Either way, the call stands and an indirect kick is awarded. The free kick is taken but disallowed because (I think), the GK came out and off the line too quick (encroachment maybe?). He is awarded for his action with a yellow caution and has to come off. The back up/JV keep comes on and all 11 players in green are on the goal line or near it. Eli touches the ball and Isaac places the ball in beautiful fashion in the right upper 90!! It seems like the goal is awarded but after an on field conference between the men in blue, it is decided that the ball did not move after Eli touched it (huh?) and because Isaac struck the ball after that, it is therefore not considered a indirect kick. So the "direct" kick taken by Isaac is now a disallowed goal and Wawasee gets to take a free kick from the spot of the offense. I guess you can argue all kinds of points. Not the least the point that once a goal is awarded it should not be taken away. Either way, the pass back in my eyes was not intentional and we probably didn't even deserve the oddly awarded free kick. In the 23rd, Brayton gets another opportunity in the box but this shot is saved as well. HALF TIME- Our shape has been pretty good in the first half. The team is told that if we work hard, good things will happen and if we keep working like we did in the first half, we should come away with a victory. We do need to take care of the ball by either possessing it or by pressuring the ball on their half if possible. SECOND HALF- In the 48th minute, Isaac tries to get a long bal over the keeper. The shot goes over but the awareness from Isaac is good and the rest of the half, the GK stays closer to his line. Partly due, by the way, because the Panthers do as they were asked at the half; they pressure high. Rarely is the NW defense in trouble. Wawasee tries to counter attack but gets pinned on their own half most of the half. NW has most of the possession and threatens occassionaly. In the 60th, Eli crosses from the right side. The pass travels with pace to Juan who shoots. His effort goes over. Our defense plays strong when it needs to. The Miller/Eshelman combo in the middle play like experienced defenders. Dennyz disturbs and breaks up numerous Wawasee attempts at bringing the ball up. Dylan keeps his play simple and does well in the second half. Matt moves across the field like a hovercraft and creates a lot of disarray in the midfield. Derek slaloms thru the Wawasee midfield and defense all night long. Eli has the best (first) half of the season. Juan has a couple of chances and plays well on the left side. Isaac is named captain for the next game for his work rate. Jaron and Tony do a nice job coming off the bench. Tony has a couple of shots from near the box and Jaron creates some panic with his speed. Cody gets his second shut out of the season and the Panthers their first home NLC win in over two years! NorthWood is 2-2-2 going into the Argos Invitational. NOTES- There is no JV practice today. The JV does not have a game tomorrow, the Varsity has two and with Seth gone for the week, JV practice will resume Monday. The Varsity practice is at the game field and will be light and short (done by 4:30 pm).

Gameday # 6

The Panthers host the Wawasee Warriors tonight. The JV game will start at 5 pm, the Varsity contest kicks off around 6:45 pm. NorthWood has not won a conference game at home in the last two years but hopes to halt that losing streak tonight by beating Wawasee. The Warriors have one (1) win so far this season (vs. Hamilton, 5-0), 5 losses and one (1) draw. They have scored 7 times and the defense has given up 19 (8 in one match versus Concord). They are 0-1 in Conference. The Panthers are 1-2-2 with 8 goals scored and 11 goals allowed. NW is 0-1-1 in Conference and is looking to go back to .500 in NLC.

Revised Referee grade

After reviewing the game tape, it is obvious that A) Brayton gets fouled in the box and B) the referee is looking right at the play/foul and then even glances at the AR to see if he sees the foul. Therefore the referee's grade will be revised to a definite F.

NorthWood - LaPorte 1-1 (1-0)

With looming storms on the horizon, no one worries about the possibilities of rain but more about lightning and strong storms. But despite the radar promising inclement weather, strong winds seem to break up the bad weather and we never get close to having to make decisions about halting or postponing the Varsity match. FIRST HALF- The Panthers have prepared for this match up all week. Organisation, communication and high energy are thought to be key in this very first NW-LaPorte series. The Slicers roll into Nappanee knowing they have just defeated #15 Crown Point only three days earlier. Their number 20 actually informs David that he made the winning PK in that matchup. David does not seem impressed nor interested and actually makes sure he keeps #20 in check all afternoon. We start the game after the national anthem goes off without a hitch. The Panthers have been playing musical dug outs all year and because the Slicers arrive at the field earlier than the JV, we end up in the south dug out. Duerksen states that if we get a result, he will let superstition take over and remain at the south bench until we lose. The first few minutes both teams are feeling each other out and no real threats present themselves near either goal. In the 7th, Matt takes the ball up the field and sharply passes the ball to Juan on the left side outside the Slicer box. Juan does what he has been doing all week; he rips a hard shot that requires the tall LaPorte goalie to tip the ball. The ball goes over the crossbar for the first NW corner. The next 20 minutes are uneventful. Brayton takes a couple of good shots at the LaPorte goal in the 28th and 30th minute. In the 36th thru 37th minute, we experience probably the two most exciting minutes in this game. A LaPorte attack in the box seems to go in for a goal but Cody makes an unbelievable save followed by a goal line saving header by Pipp to keep the score at 0-0. These defensive actions are the start of a NW attack. The ball from the back lands by Isaac's right foot. With a savvy outside chip over the last defender to Brayton we are now in our most dangerous attack since Juan's shot. Brayton goes into the box and pushes the ball to his right with composure past the keeper and into the ropes, 1-0! This score is also the score at the half. HALF TIME- A few individual issues are discussed but overall the performance was good, the energy level was where it needed to be and organisation and shape were good for the most part. David, Connor and Matt had a good half, Dylan struggled a little in his matchup (but would improve much in the 2nd half). Coach Duerksen stresses that we have only played 40 minutes and need to show the same energy in the second half. SECOND HALF- Our midfielders continue the workrate they showed in half #1. Juan, Derek, Brayton, Isaac, Tony, Eli and Jaron all work hard to keep the lines connected Johan Cruijff style. Dennyz continues his defensive destruction of the LP attacks as well as his offensive distribution. Pipp runs in his shoes the way most speedskaters push off in their skates. This running style has consequence in the 45". He simply separates the top from the bottom half of his bright orange Nike soccer cleat. Dijkstra's soccer shoe repair kit comes in handy. Almost an entire roll of medical tape fixes the issue (it would have been a complete roll but Duerksen's "I think that will do, that should be plenty" stops the repair right then and there). In the 50th minute, LaPorte starts to threaten more and more. One offensive action has Cody save the ball after it hits the post! NW loses some of the possession and control in the game. Another unbelievable stop by Cody is necessary but the ball does not leave the box. LaPorte #42 regains possession of the ball and goes to the left side of the box. Pipp is behind him and is called for a foul in the box. The ref points at the dot at the 12. LaPorte's #42 finishes the penalty decisively, 1-1. Eli is so focused on re-entering the game in the 70th that he is not aware that he has the sticky note with the pre-game instruction on the rear of his shorts. In the 73rd, NW crosses the ball into the LP box. As Brayton tries to go up for the header, he gets shoved in the back and goes down, expecting a whistle and PK. Despite protests from the bench, the best the ref can come up with is that he did not see the foul. My question is; where were you looking if you did not follow the ball into the box. And he does not ask the AR for advice. So despite a decently officiated game, he ends up making the difference in the game by awarding a PK to LaPorte and denying the Panthers a PK. Unfortunate but let us hope that things even out in the end. The result itself is a good one. It is obvious that the Panthers have made progress since the Concord game. The players will get two full days to rest and recuperate from the hard work. NOTES- The Varsity has a busy week coming up. Thursday we will host the Wawasee Warriors for our next NLC match up. Next Saturday we will play in the Argos Invitational (2 games). Varsity record :1-2-2, the JV won 4-2 over LaPorte with goals from Landon (2), Jaron and Kyle. LaPorte scored their second goal on 3rd keeper Nick Bean after Micah got hurt. REFEREE GRADE: D+, he would have received a high mark but not calling a foul that could have changed the outcome of the game makes this a poor officiating performance. No players received any kind of cards. The same can not be said about coach Douwsma. For the second consecutive game, the referee makes Seth the recipient of a yellow card for equipment issues. This time for having two #11's on the field at the same time. Douwsma is unable to go for a third yellow for equipment issues in a row since he will be out of town for the Wawasee matches and the tournament Saturday.

Gameday #5

LaPorte travels to NorthWood with a 5-1-1 record. The game tomorrow (Saturday) has different starting times due to fact that LaPorte is in a different time zone. The JV kicks off at 11 am, the Varsity at 12:45 pm.

Blackflippin' 4-1 win for JV

NorthWood JV - Westview 4-1 (1-0), goals from Landon, Jaron, Brock H. and Matt. JV record 2-3-0.

Team Dinner

Thanks to all parents who helped with the team dinner Saturday!!!

JV Gameday #4

The Junior Varsity faces Westview this afternoon at home at 5 pm. Hoping to get their first actual win on the field this season, the team will have all swing players available for both halves. The Varsity will practice at the practice ground from 3:30 until about 5 pm. The JV's official record is 1-3-0.

NorthWood - Concord 0-6 (0-1)

10" 0-1, 54" 0-2, 71" 0-3, 71" 0-4, 78" 0-5, 79" 0-6.

Game Day #4

NorthWood will host Concord on Saturday August 28 (tomorrow). JV start is at 10 am, Varsity at 11:45. Cody Cripe will be wearing the Honorary Captain band after his heroic performance against Northridge last night. One other reminder for both teams: Team Dinner/Senior Celebration at Brayton's & Corbin's house at 4 pm tomorrow. Bring your swimsuit if you would like to swim. Both Lingle and AC are still out with broken bones in their feet. Today's Varsity practice is at the game field and will be light and short (done by no later than 5 pm), the JV will be at the High School.

Northridge - NorthWood 1-1 (0-0)

Todd Woodworth field is the site of the first NLC matchup of the 2015 season. The legendary former Northridge coach is on hand to cheer on his Raiders along with a large Northridge student section. The Panthers have a large traveling fan contingent in the stands as well. The JV plays a decent game but does not get a result to match it, they lose 2-0 to go 1-2 on the season. The Panthers start the game for the first time in the new 2015 black and red striped kit. FIRST HALF- With Skirts McGhee starting on the bleacher side as the AR, the game gets underway a few minutes late. NorthWood starts off with high pressure and conquers the ball from the Raiders quickly. High energy from the red & black in the early going gives us possession and in the 7th, Pipp takes the first shot at the NR keeper, the ball gets redirected in the box and Eli takes a hard shot that requires a save from the Raiders GK. For the first 15 to 18 minutes or so, the Panthers control the game. The rest of the half the game gets played mostly in the middle third and neither team threatens consistently. HALF TIME - Coach Duerksen talks about the work rate that needs to improve. It seems that when teams are fairly equal, the team with the highest workrate, has the best chance to walk off the pitch with a "W". Organization in the back needs shored up, especially since the bench (read: coaching staff) is not there to assist. SECOND HALF- Our best chance presents itself soon after play resumes when a Tony-Brayton combination sees the older Taylor take the ball thru the defense, in the box and at the goal. At the last second, the ball gets under Brayton's foot and he is unable to execute a shot on the frame. The 45th minute is the start of what would turn out to be the Cody Cripe Show. A long distance shot requires the Panther back stop to dive and make a save. Before the next Cripe intervention, it is Dennyz (or Denny if you are a Northridge announcer) who challenges late for a ball and as a reward, gets a yellow caution. The referee comes to the sideline and explains it was his third foul. Despite protests that it was more of an accidental foul, he insists it was his third. I am still going thru the IHSAA rule book and thus far have been unable to find the line "a third foul will and shall ALWAYS, NO MATTER WHAT, result in a yellow card, even if coaches contest it!!" Northridge takes the majority of the possession at this point in the game and starts to press. In the 50th, a nice cross in the box requires Cody to make another diving save. A free kick is awarded to Northridge in the 55th. Despite some warnings before the game, the NW defense falls asleep, does not pay attention to the quick restart. The entire center of our defense is left open. The gaping hole gets filled by a couple of NR forwards who, after an initial shot, place the redirect in the net, 1-0. In the 70th, the wheels seem to come off when a PK gets awarded to the Raiders after a NW foul inside the 18. But the wheels stay on thanks to Cody. The fairly well taken penalty to the keeper's right gets blocked by Cody and the rebound does not go in either. Jaron comes in the game in the 71st and one of his first encounters with the ball is the one that hits him in the eye. Jaron comes off, unable to open his right eye. With the deficit still at one, NR keeps the pressure on our defense. Cody makes unbelievable stops in the 73rd, 75th and 77th to keep us in the game. Coach Duerksen tells Douwsma that "we need a miracle!". Ask and you shall receive!!! A NW attack in the 80th nets us a corner. Eli, who has been spot on with corners all night, places the ball near post. Dennyz's foot meets up wit the ball and the shot makes the ball go across the goal line but comes back out to the right of the goal. The ball bounces around and several players attempt to strike the ball. The keeper is around the ball as well but the last redirect lands in front of David who decidedly places the ball against the ropes. 1-1 with 28 ticks left on the clock!!!!! A miracle it is!!! Play is not stopped by the center ref until the ball crosses the line the second time. Official scoreline; David goal, double assist to Eli & Dennyz. This is the one time we do not hear Coach Duerksen say that a tie is like kissing your sister. This draw feels much more like a great result. To come back after being down away at Northridge is not a bad way to start the NLC conference schedule! NOTES- The Varsity's record is 1-1-1 (0-0-1). Next up: Concord tomorrow at home. JV kicks off at 10 am, Varsity at 11:45. Referee Rating : B+.

Gameday #3

Today we travel to Middlebury to play our first Northern Lakes Conference opponent, Northridge. The Raiders have played 3 games so far this season. Both home games were victories (Bethany Christian 5-2 and Penn 2-0). Their loss came this past Saturday versus Elkhart Central (1-0). The Raiders play a possession style game and after having scouted their game against Central, it looks like their style of play under the new coach is not much different from how they played under the old coach. The Panthers are dealing with a couple of injuries; the JV lost Luke Lingle for the season with a fracture in his foot and the Varsity still has to do without the services of AC. His broken foot is healing and we are hopeful to see him back on the training ground Monday or Tuesday. Directions to Woodworth Field: Take SR 19 north to the US 20 Bypass and go East. The Northridge soccer field is located right off of US 20 on the north side of the road PAST the new High School and before you get to the Essenhaus. The JV starts at 5 pm, Varsity around 6:45 pm. The bus leaves from the back of the Pit at 3:45 pm, players need to be there by 3:30 pm. Anyone needing treatment before the game, needs to see Paul right after school. GO PANTHERS!

New Away Kit unveiled this morning!

The new Nike NorthWood Away Kit was presented to the Varsity this morning. The black and red vertical striped jersey sports white numbers on front and back. The new kit, which can be worn with both the black and white shorts will see the field for the first time tomorrow when we face the Northridge Raiders in Middlebury. It will be NorthWood's first NLC matchup of the season.

Varsity Reminder

Varsity meets with Coach Duerksen in his room at 7:30 am Wednesday morning. Donuts and orange juice available for consumption!

NorthWood - Angola 5-0 (4-0)

A picture perfect start to the Saturday match, literally!( The Varsity was summoned to show up early for pictures). With nothing but blue skies and the stands filled with a nice size Saturday crowd, it is time to start the winning part of the season. Despite several efforts, the sounds system does not cooperate with our announcer Randy Cripe and so he sees no option but to forego the playing of the Star Spangled Banner even though someone somewhere whistles the anthem until about "O'er the ramparts" and then decides to call it a day. It also needs to be noted that now AC has copied coach Duerksen's hair style. Not sure if anyone else will follow or if this is just one player who accidentally made a bad hair decision. FIRST HALF - As soon as the ball leaves the center circle, it is NorthWood who dictates the flow of the game. High pressure and good fill in gives the Panthers a lot of ball possession right from the start. Already in the 4th, the first opportunity presents itself near the box when Eli gets some room and shoots but misses to the left of the far post. In the 7th, Isaac crosses a ball in the offensive third, Brayton's strike misses the goal as well. In the 11th, Isaac shot misses to the left. In the 12th, Eli delivers a ball to Brayton who takes a nice hard shot at the goal but the ball goes over. In the 14th the Panthers finally get a result. The corner by Eli goes to Isaac. Despite all the practice on the training ground on this particular corner, it seems that Eli's delivery is a little off but it still makes it to the peel off runner Isaac. Isaac attempts to take the ball towards goal but his effort is stopped by a foul, PK! Dennyz takes the PK and rips the ball hard in the upper 90. Asked at the half if that is where he planned on putting it, he responds: "That's my area coach!". A mere 120 seconds later, Brayton picks up where he left off last season by assisting Pipp who decidedly uses his inside step to put the ball in the net for a NorthWood 2-0 lead. Brayton decides to add another assist when he kicks the ball at the keeper in the 25th, the mishandled ball comes off the goalkeepers gloves; trashman Jaron know how to clean up and puts the ball over the goal line, 3-0. In the 34th, Jaron wants to be added to the assist sheet as well when he lays a ball off to Derek in the box, Derek's shot finds the net for the 4-0 half time score. HALF TIME- The focus in the second half needs to be on keeping up the pressure and presenting ourselves in passing lanes. SECOND HALF- In the 46th, Juan tackles a Hornet. The man in purple is not necessarily too charmed by the tackle and keeps Juan down on the ground. As the two enjoy being tangled up, Juan decides that enough is enough and tries to get back up. Johnny Purple holds him down and Juan shoves his face down towards the grass. It is only then that the official gets involved and warns both players without issuing cards. In the 49th, Brayton takes his best shot of the game. After some nice moves, cuts and turns, he rips the ball onto the crossbar. It takes Angola 55 minutes before they get their first corner kick. The Hornets are not really dangerous and it is a struggle to come up with any real saves for Cody. From about 40 plus out, Brayton decides to go solo in minute 75. It is easy for Brayton to get away from the last defender with his great ball control and speed. He goes one on one with the keeper and with composure puts the ball in the back of the net for the final score, 5-0. A complete team effort that saw all field players get significant playing time. Easton held his own on "D" as did Josh who played a lot of minutes. Dylan has been playing strong in the back which gives us options on midfield with the ability to put the regulars there in addition to Juan and Matt. Matt and Jaron are turning into players who can play almost all positions but goalkeeper. Speaking of those two, it was for both of them their first goals scored for NorthWood in a varsity contest. NOTES- Eshelman received a yellow card (probably one of the few errors made by this referee) for a normal tackle. Dennyz Barahona will be our next Honorary Captain after his hard work Saturday. Next up is Northridge on Thursday August 27. This is an away game in Middlebury for both JV and Varisty. The JV kicks off at 5 pm, to be followed around 6:45 by the Varsity. Northridge lost to Central on Saturday (1-0) but looks tough and very organized. Coaches Duerksen and Dijkstra as well as Dennyz, David, Isaac and Brayton scouted that game Saturday. The Varsity's record is 1-1-0, same goes for the JV after they got a forfeit win over Angola Saturday.

>ONE OF THE LAST NORTHWOOD ATTACKS OF THE DAY Referee Rating: B (YC unwarranted).

Game Day #2

Tomorrow is Game Day #2. It is a Varsity only contest. Note the time change. The game has been moved from a Noon kick off to an early morning 10 AM (Saturday) start. Angola has no JV so the JV contest will not be played. Angola comes off a 3-0 loss versus Westview last night. Both teams will be looking for their first win of the year. Cody will be guarding our woodwork and AC is working hard on his countdown to kick off which will hopefully be the LaPorte game. All players will need to be at the field at 8:30 for some picture taking experience. Today's practice will be light and short (as usual on Fridays). The Varsity will continue its tradition to practice at the game field the day before a home game. JV will practice at the High School. We are hoping that a lot of people will wake up early Saturday and decide to enjoy the beautiful weather from the seats of the NW soccer stands.

New Scoreboard and proof that we are in the wrong dug out!

NorthWood - Elkhart Central 1-3 (1-2)

FIRST HALF -Beautiful conditions are in place for game one of the season. Low seventies, low humidity, sunny skies and a big home crowd is the setting for the start of the 2015 season. The national anthem draws a salute from behind the south goal from Logan and the end of the hymn signals the start of the game. Micah does not get much time to get used to stand between the Varsity pipes because in the second minute of the match, the Blue Blazers get to take a corner kick which requires a tip from the NW keeper to prevent a disastrous start. The back and forth long ball type of play ensues for the next several minutes. A Central attack comes close to the NorthWood box but a long (!!!!!) and precise clear from David (he is back!!!!!!) turns into a counter attack that lands in front of Isaac's feet. From about 40 yards out, Isaac takes the ball on his foot, slips by the left defender and enters the box. The Blazer GK steps out some but Isaac slots the ball near post, into the net. NW leads 1-0 in the 7th! Unfortunately the momentum swings quickly when Central attacks right away and puts in the equalizer in the 8th. It is obvious that our midfielders struggle with the fact that Central plays very direct long ball and therefore skip the midfield all together which in turn makes our midfielders run up and down the pitch without being able to support the defense and offense efficiently. In the 16th, Micah comes up big once again after stopping a Central shot from inside the box. In minute 18, another Central attack in our box has our defense mishandling the ball and a Central midfielder takes advantage of the ball not being cleared and finishes it for a 1-2 lead. HALF TIME- Adjustments are made at the half, most pertaining to basic defending and holding on to balls and waiting for support.Another emphasis was placed on matching the physical play of Central. SECOND HALF- Right from the whistle, Central brings the ball up the middle but a somewhat clumsy or late tackle from Juan takes out the Central midfielder. All of a sudden, the referee decides that he will test his whistle........it works! But to everyone's surprise, Juan gets a yellow caution. After all the man in red allowed in the first half, he now for some odd reason decides to disallow. A poor decision, considering it is Juan's first foul and we have seen about 15 similar fouls against us in the first half without even getting a free kick. When minutes later, Central levels one of our players AFTER the ball has been played, Coach Duerksen and Dijkstra protest the foul, the coach (probably Duerksen since he typically is louder)receives a yellow card. In the 45th, Micah has to come up big once again to keep us in the game with a fantastic one handed stop even though the Central coach screams "GOAL!!" while the shot goes at Micah. In the 50', Matt gets tackled from behind. In order to make sure we finally get a free kick, he rolls and rolls and rolls. The final count on the number of rolls was, I believe, seven! Derek keeps working hard all game and pays the price by taking a shot to the jaw. Unable to close his mouth, he comes off the field. Eshelman plays out of his mind the entire game and Jaron and Dylan give us valuable minutes off the bench. Micah keeps us in the game with several other good saves but in the 60th minute of play a Central pass across the goalmouth does not get the proper attention and lands in front of a Central forward who places the ball over the line for the final score, 1-3. NOTES- Our first honorary Captain was Matt Pippinger, after the Central game, Coach Duerksen awards Derek Parker as the honorary Captain for the Saturday game versus Angola for his hard work. Coach Douwsma should have received a yellow for picking the wrong bench. We sat on the visitor's bench and starting Saturday, we will be back on the other bench. The JV lost its first game 2-8. The NW goals came from Jadon Steinmetz and Lukas AUkerman. The JV record is 1-1-0 (the win is the forfeit this Saturday vs. Angola). The Varsity contest on Saturday has been moved to 10 AM due to the fact that Angola does not have a JV. Thanks to the NorthWood student body for coming out in such large numbers!!! When the Central fans were cheering loud for their Blazers, they were soon drowned out by the NW student section!!! NEW THIS SEASON : Coach Dijkstra rates the Center Referee: Tonight's Referee receives a C+. He passed, but barely!

Gameday #1

Tonight's game is the season opener for both NorthWood and Elkhart Central. The Panthers are coming off a 6-10-3 season and are the reigning 2A Plymouth Sectional Champions. Last year's Sectional crown was NorthWood's 5th sectional championship overall. NorthWood returns 15 lettermen. The Blue Blazers of Elkhart Central return 12 lettermen and posted a 16-3 record last year. Both teams have looked solid in the pre-season. NorthWood lost only one game in the 7v7 tournament when playing its varsity (vs. state champion Goshen) and lost only one game in the 4 pre-season games in two tournaments. That loss came against a very good Mississippi squad on a penalty kick. AC won't be able to start as he is still recovering from the broken foot he suffered during Bethel's soccer camp over the summer. We hope to have him back inside the lines for the LaPorte game. Game time temperatures are predicted to be at 73 degrees with no rain in the forecast. It will be windy however. Hopefully a large crowd will support our boys in what promises to be a challenging contest. The JV game starts at 5 pm, the Varsity contest should start around 6:45 pm.

PRACTICE WEDNESDAY 8/19/15

The Varsity will practice at the game field this afternoon while the JV will train at the High School. Typically, the Varsity will train at the game field the day before a home game. The Varsity practice should be done around 5:15 pm.

2015 Car Wash

The annual car wash fundraiser was another succes due to great weather and great washers and dryers!

Dutch Touch Blog 2015

For all of you who are new to the blog, here is what all the fuss is about. This blog is by far the best and funniest NW soccer blog you will read this season. Mainly because it is the only NW soccer blog. Not mainly actually, it is the only reason and then again, it is questionable in itself if it is even funny. Maybe only to the writer himself. I try to inform you about the issues that deal with the team, practice time changes, game time changes etc.. Anything that we think you need to be aware of as it pertains to the Varsity and JV, we try and post it here. After a lot of games, I will write a small synopsis of what the game was about (from my flawed perspective of course). Mostly after wins. I find little or no inspiration to write after a loss. On gamedays, I usually re-state the obvious such as game time and other information about the team.Hopefully you will enjoy the blog and GO PANTHERS!

2015-2016 Season Preview

The Varsity starts the season Thursday with a home contest against the Blue Blazers. And the Blue Blazers are not the only tough team on the Panthers' schedule. A revamped schedule that include new opponents (scrappy) Angola (after a hiatus of about 6 years), LaPorte and Ft. Wayne Concordia. Absent on the schedule this year are Bremen, Lakeland Christian and Mishawaka. Bremen and Mishawaka joined the NIC conference and opted out of their contracts with NorthWood. Also new on the schedule and a first time opponent will be Lakewood Park Christian in the first round of the Argos Invitational. Lakewood Park Christian was 14-2-2 last season and ranked in the top 10. So there will be plenty of challenges in this tough 2015 schedule. All NLC matchups should be a physical and mental challenge. The first NLC opponent is Northridge (away) next Thursday (8/27). Twelve players who consistently started last year, are back with the team. Cody, Pipp, David (until his season ending injury vs Warsaw), Connor, Juan, Dylan, Dennyz, Derek, Brayton, Isaac, AC (out until LaPorte game due to broken foot) and Eli are all returning/starting lettermen. Other players who saw Varsity playing time and who are back as well are Josh, Tony and Micah. Additional seniors on this year's squad are Easton and Mario. We are looking forward to a season with lots of "W's" and hope that all the challenging games will prepare us for a succesful run while we defend our Sectional title. The Panthers will host 7 games this season (5 of the first 6 games will be home games)and be on the road for 8 games (2 of those at the Argos tournament). We hope to see a lot of support for both the JV and Varsity. It will be our largest senior class in a long time and we hope that all parents, friends, girlfriend, grandparents and great grandparents and NW students come out for all home contests!