Monday, November 27, 2017
Monday, November 13, 2017
Resuming OG/NES tonight
Futsal Open Gym @ Nappanee Elementary School will resume tonight, Monday November 13th at 7 pm. We will go until about 8:30. Don't forget to be there between 5 til and 7 or the doors will be locked.
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Monday, October 30, 2017
Open Gym (OG/NES) information
The State Championships are done (Ft. Wayne Concordia is the State runner up in Class 2) so the off season begins tonight. Open Gym (OG) at Nappanee Elementary School (NES) is from 7-8:30 pm tonight. Make sure to be on time because the doors will be locked after 7 pm. Enter at Door #5 (behind the soccer field bleachers).
Friday, October 27, 2017
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Open Gym Update
With the help of the Athletic Office and Mr. Cripe, we have secured an off season spot for our boys soccer program. We will have OG every Monday from 7 - 8:30 in the gym of the Nappanee ELementary School. Use door #5 on the soccer field side to get in. Off sesaon soccer will consist of Futsal games.
Motocross mishap results in first off season injury
Andre DeFreitas injures himself on a dirt bike.......
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Reminder
Today the jerseys and warm ups need to be turned in at 3:15. Meet in Coach Duerksen's room. Afterwards, the seniors will take the nets down at the game field.
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Wawasee-NorthWood 2-0 (2-0)
After a good start and some chances for NW, the first goal however is scored by Wawasee in the 25th. Six minutes later, another goal changes the scoreboard to 2-0 which would be the final score as well. It never seemed that we were in the game after the first goal and yet, it never felt that we were out of it but in the end, not enough dangerous opportunities are created to score that important first NW goal to change the momentum. Obviously we are all disappointed knowing that we were very close to reaching a Sectional final against either Garrett or Angola. Once we let it all sink in, we will realize that we have had a good season. Going from a 5 win season last year to a very respectable 9-9 this year. We had set three goals for the season: win the pre-season tournament, win the Argos tournament and win Sectionals. We made two of the three goals and fell short on the last one. A lot of seasons you can end up with a good record or championships but the team chemistry is what is important; for this season and the next one! This is a group of guys that get along, they don't get too high and they don't get too low. The seniors this year provided great leadership and really helped a lot of the younger guys along. The seniors will be missed. At the same time, we have a lot of talent on the team and all of these guys will get better in the next 9 months when we start another journey! NOTES- Tuesday October 10th we will meet in Duerksen's room after school to turn in warm ups and jersey's etc. (clean!). We will also take down the nets at the practice and game field. We will not have any off season work outs until after the State Finals which means that as long as we can find a facility to play in, we can start back up on Monday October 30th. When we finalize plans on that, I will post it. The same goes for the Fall Awards which will probably be in that same week. I want to thank all the parents, grandparents and siblings and fans for the support during the season. Thanks to the Weldy's for providing the team with food and drinks. Thanks to all the parents who hosted team dinners as well. This truly is a year long journey that started last November and now we will start our next 12 month journey in about 3 1/2 weeks. Thanks for reading the blog, it has been a fun year to do this again -fun for me that is, it might not have been a lot of fun to read- and hope to see you on the sidelines again next year! It is important for our future players to be at the off season Monday night pick up games but for now, all of you should enjoy a few weeks without soccer!
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Sectionals Matchday 2
Matchday 2 at the Wawasee Sectionals is a double feature today. At 5 pm, the Panthers take on host Wawasee and at 7 pm Angola faces Garrett. The winners move on to the 2 pm Saturday Sectional Final. NorthWood has a 9-8 record with 38 goals scored and 37 given up. We are 3-3 at home, 3-5 on the road and 3-0 on neutral sites. The Warriors are 6-7-3 on the season and have scored 45 goals and given up 56! The Wawasee players to watch are #4 (Pena) who has 16 goals and 15 assists so far and #24 (Edington) who has amassed 13 goals and 5 assists. So between the two, they have scored 29 of the 45 total goals for the Warriors. Our head to head game about a month ago was won by the Panthers, 5-3. The top goal scorers for the Panthers are Sebastian Guillen (10 goals/4 assists), Juan Pantoja (9 goals, 5 assists), Landon Parker (8 goals, 7 assists) and Jerson Sanchez-Baires with 4 goals (2 in the West Noble game) and 2 assists. This game will be another battle for NorthWood against an NLC opponent who plays literally on their home -artificial- turf. The weather forecast shows cloudy skies and 70 degrees at 5 pm. We have been notified that seating is restricted to the main stand on the North side of the football field for the remainder of the Sectionals games. The team will leave the school around 3:40 in two mini buses.
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Today's practice information
Just looking back at last night's game, it is obvious that it was a hard fought physical battle. Our seniors showed true leadership with Juan, Matt, Corbin, Jadon and Micah (boatload of saves to keep us in the game) on the field and Mason and Randy on the sidelines. But now it is back to reality which is the reality of preparing for the next game. The opponent is Wawasee which will play on its home turf (!). Our practice today is on the game field and will be fairly light. There are some focus points but we should be done around 5 pm. NOTES- Mason is still injured but everyone else seems to have healed up enough for tomorrow's game. Mason will practice today and we will see how that will play out. The bus will leave the school at 3:45 tomorrow for our round 2 match up with Wawasee. Again, it was nice to see us get a signature win last night against a team that was ranked 19th in 2A, was 12-4 and came in won a 10 game winning streak. A match preview will be posted tomorrow.
West Noble - NorthWood 3-4 (1-1)
The introduction of the team turns out to be a great opportunity to butcher some names. First the announcer switches first and last names ("Number 8..... Edwards Trent") and finally, when the names are in the correct order, we end up with Jadon Stingmetz and Juan Pantogia which sounds more like an aged Italian cheese but we came here to play and now that the announcements are out of the way we can start kicking the ball around. FIRST HALF- The game starts out with both teams playing a bit nervous and trying to feel each other out. It is obvious that the 19th ranked Chargers with their 12-4 record, are a skilled team. Their #10, # 12 (more about him later) and #13 are technically smooth and fast players. A breakaway in the middle of our defensive third gives their #10 a 1v1 opportunity but Micah saves the day, for now. Six minutes later we see Landon create NW's first chance. Outside the box, he turns and shoots. A great effort but his shot goes wide to the right but it gives us confidence and now we know that we will have opportunities with our counter attacks. In minute 20, Landon gets a target pass from the back. Landon serves Jerson who dribbles up and shoots for the first (but not last) Panther lead of the game, 0-1. We only hang on to the lead for 4 minutes. A quick Charger pass to #13 turns into a 1v1 with Micah. #13 slots the ball into the net for the first (but not last) tie of the game, 1-1. The West Noble fans behind the bench go nuts and would stay nuts for the majority of the game (except for the last 62 ticks on the clock). In the 37th, we see the first genuine flop, from #12. The grimace on his face makes you think his career is over, but minutes later he is back at it. 1-1 is the Half Time score. Before the game Coach Duerksen talked about "work"; putting in the work, working hard and working for each other as well as "Trust" (trust your touch, trust your instinct and trust your teammates). So at the half, only minor adjustments are necessary as we play well, have had some chances and just need to keep working hard. SECOND HALF- The second act starts out with a bang, a Jerson bang. A minute into the half, Jerson unleashes a unbelievable shot that finds the net from about 30 out. For all the times that he has missed some of these this season, this is the one that is as important as any goal we have scored this season. But again, the Panthers do not hold on to the lead long. In the 45th, West Noble ties the game again, 2-2. This game goes back and forth. West Noble has a lot of the possession but every time the Panthers get or steal the ball, they are dangerous and go in counter attacking mode quickly. The field plays fast. In the 51st, the Panthers are awarded a free kick on the right side from about 40 out. Landon Parker, with his left -of course-, sends the ball over the West Noble high line so NW can run onto the ball at the far post. Juan is the last one to connect with the ball and hits the ropes for the third NW lead (2-3). Taking a free kick like this, is one of the adjustments the coaches talked about at the half. Most free kicks did not go far enough earlier in the game and we needed it to go over the line towards our own players. In minute 53, Micah drops the ball in the box to waste some time but "inadvertently" touches the ball before dropping it and then picking it back up so a indirect free kick is awarded to West Noble right around the edge of the box. The shot bangs around the box and eventually gets cleared. Before and after this, WN #12 gets hurt about 7 times. It looks like he has suffered an ACL, broken ankle and three broken legs but is able to play on. In the 60th, Corbin plows over a WN midfielder inside the 18. West Noble gets the chance to tie the game for the third time. The well placed PK does just that, 3-3. The coaches are hoping but wondering if we can come back from this tie to go ahead one more time or is it a game destined for OT and perhaps even a PK shoot out. But just as we start thinking about preparing for OT, a foul inside the Charger box results in a PK call for NW. Juan, as a captain and leader of the team, places the ball on the 12. His confident shot finds the net, 3-4! With a little over a minute to play, the Panthers are able to hold on to the lead and earn a spot in the second round (Wednesday at 5 pm)! All season long we won the games we should win and were not able to get a signature win. But we got one now!
Monday, October 2, 2017
Sectional Round 1 Matchday
Today is win or go home day, simple as that. The Panthers' first round opponent is West Noble. West Noble is ranked 94 by MaxPreps and NorthWood was ranked near that until our defeat at Bethany; we are now at 124. We feel that we have been unlucky in the scoring department as of late. Where earlier on a lot of opportunities went in, lately we have found the keeper or woodwork in our way. The Panthers enter the Wawasee Sectionals with a 8-8 record. A win tonight will guarantee that we will finish the season with no less then a 500 record. This will be the final Sectionals for our seniors. Matt, Micah, Corbin, Jadon, Mason and Juan have been with us for four years and Randy for two. Juan has been a Varsity starter for all four and will be heavily relied on. Mason is still dealing with his ankle injury so his status will be known closer to game time. Hopefully all the other minor knocks have improved over the weekend. If the team comes out and plays hard, Juan style, we will walk off the field with win number 9! The bus leaves the school at 3:45. The game starts at 5 pm and will be played on the Wawasee football field (artificial turf).
Friday, September 29, 2017
2017 Sectionals
Wawasee High School is the host of our Sectional. The following teams are in this Sectional: West Noble, NorthWood, Wawasee, Garrett, Lakeland and Angola. On Monday October 2, NorthWood will play West Noble at 5 pm, followed by Lakeland vs. Wawasee (7 pm). The winners of these two games play each other on Wednesday October 4 at 5 pm. The 7 pm game on Wednesday features Angola vs. Garrett. The winners of the Wednesday games play in the Sectional Final on Saturday October 7th at 2 pm in the afternoon. All games will be played on the artificial turf football field. We will be the away team in every game in Sectionals. The address for Wawasee High School is 1 Warrior Path, Syracuse IN. Single session tickets are 6 dollars and season tickets are 10 dollars each. Pre-school aged kids get free admission.
Bethany Christian - NorthWood 1-0 (0-0)
The JV comes away with a draw to end the season at 6-7-2. The Varsity match is a tight one with the Panthers dominating the first half but not being able to execute in the final third of the field. The defense only allows one shot in half number one. Ten minutes into the second half, Bethany scores and despite numerous attacks and some opportunities, again, the ball does not cross the goal line. A disappointing loss for sure and it is the kind that keeps you up at night. Friday's practice will focus on the changes we need to make in positioning ourselves in order to have more options for the player in possession of the ball. Next up : West Noble in Round 1 of Sectional #20 at Wawasee this coming Monday at 5 pm. Matchday 17 will be previewed on Monday. The regular season for the Panthers is 8-8, quite an improvement over last year's record but not good enough......yet. But everyone is 0-0 today and a new season and new opportunities await us. Today's practice will run til about 5 pm. We have quite a few players with some knocks which is the reason tomorrow's practice has been canceled. Most if not every player, needs a couple of days to recuperate. Our fans have been great this year. We had some of the largest crowds ever at the LaPorte game and on Senior Night and we are hoping for a great turnout again this coming Monday.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Matchday 16
Tonight we are back on the road as we travel to Goshen to play Bethany Christian. Bethany is 6-8-1 on the season. We are hoping to avoid another Senior Night (Bethany plays their final regular season game at home on Saturday). The Bruins are coming off a difficult double OT win at home against Elkhart Christian this past Tuesday. The Bruins have scored 28 goals and have given up 27. Their most dangerous players are 8, 13 and 17. JV kick off is at 5 pm, Varsity at 6:45 pm. The bus departure time is 3:45 pm. NOTES- We are dealing with quite a few ankle injuries; Mauricio Lomeli is out with a broken ankle (that he actually played on in the last JV game, Lukas, Mason and Trent are dealing with ankle issues as well. Hopefully Mr. Widner's tape will help these guys thru tonight's game. Tonight's game is the final game for the JV squad. The Varsity starts the postseason Monday (at Wawasee vs. West Noble at 5 pm). All the Sectional information will be posted here tomorrow.
Sectional Prep
A big thank you goes out to the Goshen High School Athletic Department and our own AD Norm Sellers for working out a time and allowing us to travel to Goshen last night to practice on the Redhawks' artificial turf football field in order to get accustomed to that surface for the upcoming Monday night Sectional game at Wawasee.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Attention Varsity Players!
Check OneNote for the scouting report for West Noble under "Content Library".
***ALERT*** Practice Time Change
Tonight's practice at Goshen will be from 7-8pm (field not available until 7 pm). The bus will leave the High School at 6:30. Also, pictures of senior night will be posted here later.
NorthWood-Plymouth 1-4 (0-1)
A large crowd shows up on a warm night for the last home game of the season and the last game at what has been our home for over 20 years. Two soccer games, senior night festivities and a team meal afterwards will make for a worthy au revoir to our soccer home. The JV game starts late due to the Plymouth team bus arriving about 20 minutes behind schedule. The JV loses its game 1-2 after scoring the first goal. Nonetheless a good effort and a respectable season. The JV's final record is 6-7-1. The Senior Nigh announcements and introductions are done by our announcer Randy Cripe, the National Anthem is a spelendid rendition from our own Mason Mast. And then it is time to start the 2017 seniors' last home game. The opponent, ranked 14th in the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association poll in 3A, are the Plymouth Pilgrims who come rolling into Nappanee undefeated on the year at 11-0-3. So, a monumental task but we feel that if we play hard for 80, we have a shot at an upset. FIRST HALF- Mason gets his first start since the Argos tourney where he injured his ankle. He holds out for a good 10 minutes or so. He plays well and the hope is that he can give us even more time Thursday and next Monday. In the 9th minute Juan goes up for a header and makes contact with the ball as well as a Plymouth midfielder. Both have to come off but Juan needs attention from Mr. Widner. The butterfly band aids hold the skin together but it will require stitches after the game. In the 16th, Plymouth scores to go ahead 0-1. The Panthers dig in and show some quick and dangerous counter attacking style soccer. In the 25th, one of those counters has Landon taking a great shot that needs a save from the surprisingly agile but beefy keeper. The rebound lands near Lukas who takes a good crack at the ball but the keeper once again saves it. In the 32nd, Juan -now back on the field after a second treatment from Paul- passes a nice ball to Landon. From the left side of the goal, Landon takes a great volley shot that looks to go in but at the last second the Plymouth gets a hand on it to prevent the ball from going in. HALF TIME- Focus at the half is on how well we have played, that we are playing even if not better then the 14th ranked team and that we need to dig deep and leave it all on the field. SECOND HALF- Only 2 minutes into the second act, a Plymouth attack turns into their second goal. But NW keeps playing tough defense, high pressure and counter attacking soccer. It pays off in the 54th as a nice attack from the right flank gets to Juan. He turns and takes a shot from about 28 out with the outside of his right foot. The ball goes to the left but swings back in to the right and over the keeper and into the net; 1-2! In the 63rd, a ball over our defense ends up in front of a Plymouth forward who scores the 1-3. But the Panthers keep fighting back. In the 77th, Juan places a free kick from the left to the far post. Matt heads the ball and nearly scores. A 78 minute PK for the Pilgrims determines the final score, 1-4. A 1-2 score might have been more justified and more reflective of the game. But all in all a great effort against a good team. NOTES- First of all a S/O to Corbin Taylor!!! Today's JV practice is from 3:30-5 (adjusted time). The Varsity leaves at 6 for their 6:30-7:30 practice in Goshen. Tomorrow we travel to Bethany Christian. Friday is a normal end of the week practice. The practice that was scheduled for Saturday has been canceled due to the minor knocks and injuries we are dealing with; it will hopefully give everyone some time to recuperate before our important game on Monday vs. West Noble at Wawasee. That game is slated to start at 5 pm.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
REMINDER
The Wednesday JV practice is at the high School from 3:30-5:30. The Varsity practice is at Foreman Field (home of the Goshen Redhawks football team) from 6:30-7:30. The bus will leave NorthWood at 6 pm.
Matchday 15
Plymouth will be the last opponent on our home field at the Nappanee Elementary School before our expected move to the new soccer field behind Northside apartments next season. Plymouth is undefeated at 11-0-3 with draws versus Northridge, Concord and Mishawaka Marian. The Panthers are 8-6. This is a nice opportunity for an upset on our Senior Night. Plymouth attacks with numbers and defends with the entire team. It will be a tough team to break down but if we show up for 80 minutes, we will have a chance to hand Plymouth their first defeat of the season. The large crowd that showed up for the LaPorte game helped us over the finish line so we are hoping for the same tonight. The weather will be fantastic with a kick off temperature for the Varsity game around 83 degrees. We hope to see all friends, family and neighbors on the sideline tonight to cheer on the seniors (and the rest of the team) tonight!!! JV start: 5 pm, Senior Night 6:20ish, Varsity start 6:45.
Glenn- NorthWood 0-2 (0-0)
After some confusion on the start time, the game gets underway around 6:05 pm. As the pictures in the next post will prove, this field supersedes "sprinkler head stadium" -the former home of Glenn soccer in New Liberty- in being the worst soccer field in Indiana. It probably should not be used as it is unsafe to play on. Playing soccer on this type of surface is impossible. Any area hospital would probably gladly be a main sponsor considering that it would be an investment that will pay for itself. But Hiler Field is ruled "good enough" by the arbiters so the game is played, kind of. FIRST HALF - It is obvious from the first kick that controlling a ball is nearly impossible. There is standing water in the goal mouth on the NW side which will make defending the goal by the keeper even tougher. Coach Duerksen made some changes to the starting team; Andre in the middle and Luke as the final defender. In the 9th minute, Landon Parker gets his first opportunity and takes a nice direct shot that requires a save from Glenn's tall GK. Eight minutes later, Matt Thornton delivers the ball to C-Bass who takes a nice shot but his effort gets stopped as well. A laser shot in minute 25 from Juan goes wide to the right. Glenn does not threaten much as Luke only has to make a couple of saves. HALF TIME- The lackluster performance of the first half is the topic of discussion. We play to the level of the opponent with little enthusiasm. Coach Duerksen challenges the team to work, talk and move for each other. We need to start using the flanks and do better on free kicks. SECOND HALF- Three minutes into the second half, Juan shoots at the goal but his hard shot finds the crossbar; a good and energetic start to the half. In the 53rd, Landon receives the ball on the right side near the 18. He crosses the ball in the box and finds Sebastian's head. Sebastian's header is a thing of beauty and it finds the net, 0-1 NW. In the very next minute, the center referee calls for a NW PK. Juan takes it without waiting for the whistle and scores but has to retake it. This time, instead of going left, he goes to the right but the result is the same, 0-2. The best encouragements for the Panthers come from Glenn's number 22. This friendly, burly headband toting defender tells his opponents when they hustle, when they have a nice shot and when they make good runs. In the 77th, Andy Duran slaloms thru the Glenn defense and passes the ball to Landon. After his shot rebounds, it looks like all Trent has to do is tap the ball in but a block by a defender and the keeper prevent the 0-3. It is a ugly win on an even uglier field. But a win is a win and the Panthers move to 8-6 on the season.Mason was able to get some time on the field and looked good. Hopefully he keeps recovering so he can get more playing time. NOTES- Tonight (Tuesday) is Senior Night. The JV game vs. Plymouth starts at 5 pm and the Senior Night festivities around 6:20 pm. Kick off for the Varsity game against Plymouth is 6:45. There is a team dinner in the Elementary School cafeteria after the game. Tomorrow the JV practice is from 3:30 -5:30 while the Varsity leaves at 6 pm for a 6:30-7:30 practice on the Goshen High School football field (artificial turf) in preparation for the Sectional game at Wawasee Monday against West Noble.
Monday, September 25, 2017
A day at Kreager Park
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FROM TOP TO BOTTOM; GOAL FARM, THE NEW GK BRAND "LUKEDAS", TRYING TO GET PRE GAME BONUS POINTS (UNSUCCESFULLY) AND TRYING TO STAY COOL COURTESY JEFF IWEMA!
A look at the week ahead.....
Today we travel to Walkerton to play Glenn. The bus leaves at 4:30 pm. There is no JV practice on Monday. Tuesday we face Plymouth for the final home game of the season and if you go by what we are told, the final boys game ever at the game field at the elementary school. We say goodbye to the old Nappanee High School football field that we called home for 23 years! The field was in awful condition when Duerksen and I started 21 seasons ago. Games were cancelled due to standing water (we physically took hundreds of buckets of water off the field one season when the team spent a Saturday doing that instead of playing), the track around the field was taken out, the old high school wooden bleachers were removed and replaced by the new ones. A ticket booth was added as were dug outs and a press box. The football score board finally was replaced when only about 11 light bulbs lit up anymore and most importantly, the field received an in ground sprinkler system and with the help from a parent volunteer who has rolled the field for years now, the pitch actually looks decent. So when we leave this facility, it is NOT with a heavy heart. The lights are dismal, and despite all the efforts, it is still one of the worst fields we play on every season. We liked the location but not the pitch itself. So, we do look forward to moving to an artificial turf facility on the south side of the soccer complex behind the Northside apartments next season. With it being the final home game tomorrow comes the implication that it is also Senior Night. The weather looks great and we are hoping for a large crowd to honor the seniors of the 2017 squad: Mason Mast, Matt Thornton, Corbin Taylor, Jadon Steinmetz, Juan Pantoja (4 year Varsity starter), Micah Pippinger and Randy Kauffman. JV starts at 5 pm and the Varsity at 6:45 pm. Wednesday practice will be at the High School training ground and on Thursday we will play at Bethany Christian (probably another senior night). Friday we will practice (location TBD) until about 5 pm. An extra practice has been scheduled for Saturday in preparation for the Sectional Game next Monday. The Saturday practice is from 10- 11 am at the game field.
2017 Sectional Draw
In Game 1 ofthe Wawasee Sectional, the Panthers will play West Noble. Game 2 features Lakeland vs. Wawasee. The winners of game 1 & 2 will face off in Game 3. Game 4 has Angola and Garrett pitched against each other. The winners of matches 3 & 4 will play in the Sectional Final a week from Saturday. Games 1 & 2, we think, are next Monday and Game 3 & 4 on Wednesday. All definite information will be posted here once we receive it.
Matchday 14
We are once again on the road. Today we go west on US 6 to Walkerton where we will take on the the John Glenn Falcons. It will be the first time we play at Glenn High School (in the past the Falcons played their home games in New Liberty). The Falcons are coming off a win against Mishawaka (last Thursday) and a tie against LaVille (Saturday). The Panthers are looking to get back on the winning side of things. The address for the High School is 201 John Glenn Drive in Walkerton. Note that the start time of this Varsity only game today is at 5:30 pm. The bus leaves the school at 4:30. The only injured player right now is Mason who is making progress and has been practicing with the team the last few days. It is unknown when he will be match fit again though.
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Ft Wayne Concordia - NorthWood 5-0 (2-0)
Concordia: 1-0 13", 2-0 28", 3-0 43", 4-0 48", 5-0 76". NorthWood PK (miss) 26", PK (miss) 78".
Friday, September 22, 2017
2017 IHSAA Soccer Tournament Pairings Show
Sunday the IHSAA will stream the Sectional Tournament Pairings live at IHSAAtv.org at 7 pm. We are in the Wawasee Sectional with host Wawasee, Angola, Garrett, Lakeland and West Noble. Sectionals start a week from Monday. The winner of the Wawasee Sectional moves on to the Mishawaka Marian Regional.
Matchday 13
Tomorrow caps a week of being on the road. Ft. Wayne Concordia Lutheran is the opponent for both the JV (10 am start) and the Varsity (11:45). Concordia is 9-2-4 on the season. The Cadets have scored 40 goals and given up only 10. Their two main goal scorers are senior #10 Miller (1 goals) and junior #11 Gottschalk (9) so half of the teams goals are scored by these two. Concordia plays its games at Kreager Park on North River Road in Ft. Wayne. The bus will leave the school at 8 am and with the forecast being a hot one, players will need to start hydrating today so we won't run into issues during the match tomorrow. We are 1-1 on the week but would like to finish it with a winning record. The Varsity is 7-5 on the season. The JV is 6-5-1. 
KREAGER PARK, NORTH RIVER ROAD, FT WAYNE
KREAGER PARK, NORTH RIVER ROAD, FT WAYNE
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Memorial-NorthWood 3-1 (2-1)
The JV game is canceled due to "field conditions". Expecting to see the field under water, we are actually confronted with a nice pitch. The good news for the JV is that it is a forfeit so the 1-0 win goes in the book as "W" number 6. Coach Duerksen encourages the team to play with reckless abandonment. It will unfortunately take until the second half before we start to play with that intensity. The start time of the game is moved up to 6 pm but we finally get under way about 6:10. Memorial scores first (15") and second goals (18"- beautiful upper 90 laser by # 8) before the Panthers threaten the Chargers goal. Four minutes before the tea, A nice Lukas Aukerman cross gets mishandled by the Memorial keeper. Sebastian is alert and makes him pay by putting the ball in the net, 2-1. Work rate (or lack thereof) and taking shots are the tea time focus. We play a much better second half. If we put 80 minutes together like we do the last 40, we will be collecting some "W's" down the stretch but it needs to be 80, not 40. We have chances in the 42nd (free kick Sebastian, Juan header and goes over), the 72nd (C-Bass goes around the Charger GK and his shot finds the post) and 79th (Sebastian effort to chip the goalie goes over). In between, in the 62nd, Memorial's free kick finds the NW net (3-1). Next up is at Ft. Wayne Concordia on Saturday (JV 10/ Varsity 11:45). NOTES- Both squads will have the day off today. The Varsity has played 8 games in 18 days (crazy in soccer, this isn't baseball!!) so they need a day to do absolutely nothing. There is a Team Dinner at Mason's house (30311 CR 130 : east off Ash Rd, south of CR 30). The dinner will start around 5 pm. Tomorrow both teams will practice from 3:30-5:30 at the High School.
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
***ALERT***JV Game canceled; Varsity game time change
Tonight's JV game at Memorial has been canceled due to the field conditions. The Varsity game is still on however the game time has been moved up to 6 pm. The bus for the Varsity team will leave the school at 5 pm. There will not be a JV practice today.
Matchday 12
Tonight we pay a visit to the Memorial Chargers. The Chargers are 4-7-2 but arguably play the toughest schedule in this part of the state against teams like Adams, Center Grove, Brownsburg, Marian and Homestead and of course all the NLC schools. The Panthers are 7-4. Memorial is 2-4 in conference, we are 1-4. For fans not familiar with Memorial, for your PS, the address is 2608 California Rd, Elkhart and the field is located behind the school. This match is a great opportunity to climb the NLC ladder and get us ready for the post season.
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