FINAL BLOG :Season Over; NW loses to West Noble in Sectional first round

The Panthers look sluggish and not as energized as they have throughout most of the season. Our passing is off and not very crisp. Not sure if nerves or pressure play a role but it does not seem we play our style tonight. The half time score is 0-0 and the Chargers receive a red card in the first half. Arbitration is not very good and certainly not consistent but not to blame for the loss. After trying to make some adjustments at the half, it is West Noble who scores first in the 43rd even though being down to 10 men. An Andre to Kayden pass ends in a nice slotted ball into the net by Kayden (54"), 1-1. Momentum again switches after Nick fouls WN # 9 Torres (who also scored their first goal). West Noble scores the PK in the 60th and despite some late game pressure, we do not score. We have chances all the way up to 12 ticks left on the game clock but the ball does not find the net and therefore this record breaking season comes to an early and abrupt end. The Panthers finish the season 13-3-1 with great senior leadership from Trent Edwards, Skyler Duerksen, Jerson Sanchez, Angel Pantoja and Jason Weldy.

Can you spot 3 scouts at a recent West Noble Game?

Coach Duerksen names starting XI

Follow the game

If you are unable to attend the game tonight in person, there are two ways to follow the 5 pm match vs West Noble. Froggy 102.7 FM is doing the game with Craig Wallen and I think David Eshelman. You can watch the game streaming online on broadcastsport.net with play by play by Ryan Mattern.

Post Season Game Day #1

At 5 pm today, our post season kicks off. The opponent is the other ranked team in our Sectional, West Noble. West Noble is ranked #15 in 2A while the Panthers are ranked # 10. The Chargers compete in the NECC. Their record is 13-3 and they went 7-0 in conference play. Henry Torres (#9) is by far their biggest threat. He scored a hat trick in last week's game vs Westview (3-0 W). He is a clinical finisher who scored twice against us last year in the Angola Sectional semi final. West Noble's losses come against Goshen (NW result 1-0 W), Northridge (5-1 L, NW result also a L) and Bethany Christian (1-0 L, NW result 2-2). The other 2 common opponents were Wawasee and Lakeland which were wins for West Noble (same for NW). Their signature win is vs. Elkhart Central (3-2). West Noble drew Ft Wayne Carroll 1-1 but got a forfeit win. Lakeland and Angola play at 7 pm (or following our match if there is OT/PK shoot out). The winner of today's games face off at 5 pm Wednesday for a spot in the Sectional Final (Saturday at 2 pm). The theme for today's game for the NW Student Section is "WHITEOUT". We are hoping for a large fan turnout in support of our boys tonight! The weather will be perfect (68 and sunny). We have had a great regular season, setting many records. But starting tonight, all teams are 0-0.Let's go 1-0 !!!

Bethany - NorthWood 2-2 (2-1)

The JV finishes its season with a half game tonight. Every player on the roster gets playing time even though we only play 35 minutes. Despite the 0-0 draw, the game counts as a win because shortened games by a host count as a forfeit. Therefore the official season record for our Junior Varsity 6-5-2; a winning season! Coach Kyle Dijkstra coaches the JV tonight in Seth's absence. Congratulations JV on a good season! Speaking of winning seasons, the Varsity was assured one weeks ago! Tonight's game has an early start and fortunately for us, Senior Night won't start until after the Varsity contest so we don't have to sit thru another Senior Night -again-. FIRST HALF After introductions which don't go exactly smooth ("assisted by Coach Douche-ma"...what???), it is time to shake hands because at BCHS, the National Anthem is not played before sporting events. A boat load of ball boys and girls surround the very crowned pitch with 5 game balls ready to prevent any type of time wasting. The lights are on and brighten most of the field except for the corners. The Panthers don't have their usual quick start although a Sebastian free kick in the 4th does find Jerson's forehead but the early opportunity does not make it past the goal line. NW plays a little sloppy and a minute later, the Bruins take advantage of that. A negative trifecta with one player out of position, another too late at the ball and the keeper too far to his left, leaving the goal exposed, turns into an easy opportunity and subsequent goal for the Bruins, 1-0. It takes the Panthers about another 5 minutes before we actually start combining and playing the game we know how to. A very nice long ball from Trent Edwards in the 15" (the man will run his rear end off all night long earning him the MVP of the night) makes it to Andre. His fantastic touch -he doesn't try to kill it- goes to the right out of the keepers reach. Luckily for the Bethany keeper, the ball finds the woodwork and comes back out. In the 28th, Jerson Sanchez takes a shot at the goal and this effort finds the post as well. We play well but get extremely unlucky. Two minutes before the half, Joey Eshelman enters the box and reaches for the ball but gets tripped from behind. Looking more like a glider trying to crash land then a soccer player, his first solo flight earns him a PK. Sebastian places the ball decisively into the goal and we are tied, 1-1. Unfortunately, Bethany takes the ball from the kick off back to our defense and manages to score before the half; 2-1. HALF TIME- The Tea Time Talk is a positive one. After the first sloppy 10 minutes, we settled down and have played well. Two defensive miscues have put us in a hole but we have managed all year to get out of those without too many problems. It is also not our most important game but Bethany is a decent team albeit somewhat one dimensional. All they do is long ball it where we try to mix it up with possession, passing and a occasional long ball. We need to shape up a little defesively and finish our opportunities. SECOND HALF- Action on the pitch goes back and forth. The Bruins create few chances but are rarely dangerous. They end up with 2 goals on 4 shots on the night. A little past midway thru the half, the Panthers get a free kick. Chan is tired of their #10 Torres throwing the ball up and away after each free kick and tells him to give him the ball at which time Mr. Torres decides to call him a name. Chan's response is inappropriate and a scuffle ensues. Both receive a red card and are ejected from the game and both have to sit out the next game. It is now 10v10 which means there is more space to run into. The arbiters are trying to stop the clock for injuries time and time again but the clock and scoreboard operator has decided to vacation in La La Land or hasn't figured out wwhere the button is to stop the clock. This irritating behavior meets with some screaming from the NW bench (mainly me). Speaking of irritating: as nice as the small boys and girls that run the balls tonight might be to their parents and grandparents, they are obviously too young to have the responsibility as ball people. Time and time again are they unaware of the game and do not know what to do with the ball and are unable to get the ball back into play quickly. Not their fault, you can only blame who ever thought it was a good idea to have the ball running done by people who have not been out of diapers that long. Despite these surrounding events, the Panthers persevere as they have all season long. It finally pays off in the 71st when Andre launches a free kick into the box. It is hard to figure out what happens in the ensuing melee. Let us just go with the unofficial version from the NW players, Jerson somehow gets the ball over the line. It looks to some of us more like an own goal but either way, the goal counts and the Panthers are level. Despite some anxious moments on the Bethany defense side, we are unable to push another one over the line. So we end in a stalemate. We feel we are the better team but we can live with the result, our first draw of the season. In the handshaking line we notice that Chan has learned his lesson and that Torres has not. He utters some disgusting language toward Chan who is wise not to respond. NOTES - The Panthers finish the regualar season at 13-2-1; a fantastic season. As a matter of fact the best season ever by a NW soccer team! 5-2 in the NLC is a school best as well. And now on to the 2019 NorthWood Sectionals. We play in Game 1 on Monday on our home turf -literally- vs West Noble (5 pm start). A preview of the game will be posted on Game Day! We have scouted West Noble and believe we have a good game plan and a good chance of beating them. Today's practice will run til about 4:45-5 and the extra practice tomorrow will be from 10-11 am; both will take place on our turf field in preparation of Sectionals.

Kennedy Kate Douwsma

Coach Douwsma was a different kind of coach yesterday. Seth and Jillian welcomed their second child into this world. Kennedy Kate Douwsma was born on October 2, at 7:49 am at 6 lbs 3 oz and 19.5 inches. Congratulations from the entire coaching staff to both Jillian and Seth!

Game Day #16

2A # 10 NorthWood travels to 1A #4 Bethany Christian today. The Bruins are 9-5 on the season with losses to Mishawaka Marian, Northridge, Culver Academies, Trinity and Goshen. Their "good" wins are against our Sectional opponent 2A #14 West Noble (1-0) and probably Bremen. Bethany's best player is their #10 Torres who has 11 goals on the season. The Bethany soccer program does not have enough players to field a separate JV/V so the JV will be shortened to one half with a 5 pm kick off. The Varsity game follows which means the kick off for that game will be closer to 6 pm.

Girls Golf send off

Coach Duerksen is asking all soccer players to go to the parking lot at 7:45 Thursday morning to help send off the girls golf team to State!

Today's Practice and tomorrow's games

This afternoon we will practice no later then 5 pm. Bring rain gear! Tomorrow's game (the last regular season game) is the away game at Bethany Christian Bruins. The Bruins are ranked #4 in 1A. Bethany does not have two full teams to field (V/JV) so the JV will only play one half which kicks off at 5pm. The Varsity game will start following the conclusion of the JV contest. So anticipate a Varsity start around 6 pm!!!!

broadcastsport.net to broadcast NW game(s) at Boys Sectionals

The online station broadcastsport.net will broadcast the NorthWood Boys soccer games live from the NW Soccer field. If you are unable to make it to the game, listen online starting at 5pm. The announcers are unknown at this point but we will post that info when we get it.

Shout Out time

A HUGE SHOUT OUT AND THANK YOU TO OUR FYSIO/ATHLETIC TRAINER MR. PAUL WIDNER. WHAT HE DOES FOR OUR ATHLETES IN GENERAL AND OUR SOCCER PLAYERS SPECIFICALLY, IS VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. HE GETS OUR BOYS BACK TO FITNESS AFTER INJURIES WHICH ALWAYS SEEMS TO GO PRETTY FAST IF (!) THE PLAYERS DO WHAT PAUL TELLS THEM TO ANOTHER SHOUT OUT TO OUR FANS! THEY HAVE COME OUT IN HUGE NUMBERS ALL SEASON LONG. MAKES ME WONDER IF THERE WILL BE ENOUGH ROOM FOR OF THEM AT THE SECTIONAL GAMES. THANKS FOR COMING OUT AND SUPPORTING THE BOYS!!! AND THE LAST SHOUT OUT GOES TO THE PARENTS FOR ALL THEIR SUPPORT TO THE PROGRAM, THE DEFREITAS FAMILY, RANDY CRIPE (ANNOUNCING), IWEMA'S (HYDRATION AND SUN PROTECTION SUPPORT AS WELL AS VIDEO SUPPORT) AND ALL THE PARENTS I AM FORGETTING AND THOSE WHO HELP THE ONES JUST MENTIONED!!!

Senior Night part 1 "the Seniors and their parents/escorts"

TRENT EDWARDS AND HIS PARENTS JERSON SANCHEZ AND HIS FAMILY EDWARD LUNA WITH SEBASTIAN'S DAD ANGEL PANTOJA AND HIS PARENTS JASON WELDY AND HIS PARENTS COACH DUERKSEN SPRINTING TO TAKE HIS SPOT AS SKYLER'S DAD SKYLER DUERKSEN AND HIS PARENTS

2019 Senior Night part 2

2019 Senior Night Pics part 3

NorthWood - Plymouth 4-2 (3-0)

After the JV loses to Plymouth (2-0, missed pk) we get ready for 2019 Senior Night. Six seniors are honored (pics above)for their time and commitment to the NW soccer program. All but one have been in the program for 4 years. Edward Luna only played this season. Jerson Sanchez, Trent Edwards, Jason Weldy, Skyler Duerksen and Angel Pantoja have been with us for four years and have been part of a sort of rebuilding of the program after its last success in 2014. The players and their parents/escorts are being introduced before tonight's game and despite a late Plymouth arrival, the game does not start too late considering the pre-game activities. Everything goes off without a hitch. Even the National Anthem makes it all the way through. After the team huddle , it is time to play some NLC soccer. We look sharp early on. An attentive Skyler Duerksen spots Jerson Sanchez down field. Skyler's long pass matches his long hair. The man who only 24 hours prior was called Fabio by the Glenn crowd, finds Jerson on the receiving end and Jerson controls the ball perfectly and goes one on one with the keeper and puts NW up 1-0 in the 4th. Only two minutes later, Andre has the ball on the right and in similar fashion, passes to Jerson up top. Again Jerson goes at the Rockies backstop and again he makes no mistake and slots the ball in the net; 2-0! NW neglects to put the game away and lets Plymouth take control of the game. We sit back too much and play on our heels for really no reason. Plymouth has the majority of the possession and in the 20th a Plymouth free kick needs saved by Andre Graber (yes bench, it is a official recorded save!!). Despite Plymouth controlling the ball, they are not too much of a threat. Right before the half, Chandler Bontrager gets the ball on the NW half. His long pass finds Andre DeFreitas to the left of the goal. The Plymouth keeper is out of position at the near post so all Andre has to do is open up his hip and pass the ball to the right of the goal. The keeper has no chance and Andre records NW's third goal and his first (which ties the school record of most goals scored in a season at 23!). The half time talk consists of organization in the middle and not being lazy. It doesn't take long for Plymouth to get one back. In the 43rd Plymouth scores the 3-1 off a corner. NW extends the lead back to 3 when int he 50th, Jerson passes the ball to Sebastian. Sebastian takes the ball near the end line and passes the ball back across the box to Andre who places the ball past the keeper; 4-1. This is Andre's 24th goal of the season, a A NorthWood record. Andre surpasses Clayton Seitz's single season record of 23. In the 55th a Plymouth handball does not get called (again), some of the NW players stop and protest but the Rockies play on and the attack ends with a shot on Graber's goal but lucky for us, the woodwork saves the day. The Plymouth JV coach is unable to quit screaming all night to the point that we start hoping for an accidental ball to strike him in the mouth so he will shut up for a bit. Despite the rants from Coach "Screamer" or maybe because of his actions, Plymouth scores in the 57th to reduce the difference to 2 goals; 4-2. A lot of sloppy back and forth soccer continues until the 75th when a Sebastian to Jerson pass ends with Jerson's poke on the ball that lands on the post. Sebastian finishes the game with an assist and a yellow and the Panthers hold on to the lead for a 4-2 NLC win. Our record is 13-2, another school record (most wins in a season). The NLC final record is 5-2 (also another school record for most wins ever in NLC). And speaking of records; this is the first time a NorthWood Boys soccer team goes undefeated at home (all wins!!!) for the first time in school history. As good as our records are, we can not rest until we finish a) the season (at Bethany tomorrow - Thursday) and start winning in the NorthWood Sectional (starting Monday vs. West Noble at 5 pm). A shout out to Sarah DeFreitas (and all who helped her) for organizing Senior Night and the Senior Dinner. The food was great!!! The coaches want to thank all responsible for the gifts last night. Thank you so very much! To quote Coach Duerksen though; "let's keep this train moving!"

Glenn - NorthWood pics

GRABER ENJOYING ANOTHER SHUT OUT ANOTHER OFF SIDE CALL MISSED

Glenn - NorthWood 0-8 (0-3)

The Glenn announcer seems impressed with himself when he utters a "WOW" after announcing both teams. But that feeling fades quickly when "technical difficulties" ruin the playing of the national anthem. The Start Spangled Banner only makes it through "whose broad stripes and brights stars". The game therefore starts a little earlier then anticipated. The 8-5-1 Falcons just come off a decent 3-2 loss versus South Bend St. Joe. The Panthers had to cancel Friday's practice (weather) and had already taken a break on Wednesday as well so "rusty" might be the keyword to start with. But the boys surprise by attacking from the first whistle and only about 120 ticks in, Sebastian gets to the endline and crosses to the 6 and on the ground. Jerson is waiting for the ball and not a single Glenn defender is marking him. The easy tap in gives us the early lead; 0-1. NW controls play and the Falcons rarely threaten. Their #19, who has 17 goals and 11 assists on the season, does not come close to the Panther goal. In minute 13, a cross reaches Chan. His shot is on the frame and I mean, on the frame because it hits the left post. Five minutes later Andre passes to Jerson who in turn, passes it back to Andre in the middle. Andre takes a shot for his first and NW's second goal of the night; 0-2. In the 35th NW gets a corner. Michael delivers it to the middle in the box to Andre, he shoots and scores; 0-3. Right before the half time whistle, a Glenn midfielder takes a shot that goes over by a mile which draws the comment from Glenn coach Meola "let's try and keep it in the county". Clearly a frustrated coach. Not alot of adjustments are necessary at the half. From the coaches' perspective, we want to try and get all the players time and rest some of the starters with a game on Tuesday and Thursday and both a lot tougher than this match. The second half start similar to the first one. Three minutes in, a deflected cross from Chandler, lands near Andre whose shot finds the back of the net; 0-4. Andre already has a hat trick at this point. A 48 minute Kayden pass gets to Andre inside the 18. Andre goes at the Falcon GK and slots the ball to the right; 0-5. A minute later, Glenn does not defend well and Kayden gets possession of the ball. He aims for the goal and the ball goes over the line; 0-6. In the 53", NW threatens in the box when Jerson and Sebastian hit the woodwork in sequence. In the 56th, we get a replay from the first goal. Sebastian takes the ball, after some fancy footwork that dazzles the Glenn defenders, to the end line. He crosses the ball away from the keeper and near the 6. Jerson is there but Glenn defenders are not. An easy tap gives Jerson another brace and NW an 0-7 lead. After Ryne kicks what the Swedes call a "smorpassing" or butter pass to Andre, NW threatens again. Andre shoots but crushes the post. The last goal of the night, to Glenn's relief, comes off a Kayden assist to Andre. Andre's finish is clinical and the final score, 0-8 is on the board. The Panthers move to 12-2 on the season. We have scored 66 times so far which is a season record. 12 wins so far ties the most wins in a season as well. Next up is Tuesday's match up against Plymouth. It is Senior night, the weather will be great and a win would still give us a shot at second place in the NLC. We are counting on a large crowd to support us tonight. The JV starts at around 5:15 (Plymouth has busing issues so they will arrive late) and the Varsity game follows the JV game and Senior Night activities. After the game there is a Senior Dinner at the High School for players and families.

NorthWood moves up in Indiana Soccer Coaches Association Poll

Today's ranking have the Panthers in spot #10, its highest ranking ever! The ranking comes after NW defeated Memorial 1-5 last week. A tough schedule is ahead for this week with Glenn (8-5-1), Plymouth and 1A #4 Bethany Christian (9-5) on the menu.

Game Day 14

Today we travel to Glenn to play the Falcons.The squad from Walkerton is 8-5-1 on the season. The bus will leave at 4 pm and kick off for the Varsity only contest is slated for 5:30 pm. It will be sunny and 84 so come out and enjoy one of the last summer like days on the sidelines.

Sectional Draw

NorthWood draws West Noble in the very first game of the NorthWood Sectional. This game will be played at either 5 or 5:30 on Monday October 7th. The winner will play the winner of Lakeland-Angola (Game 2). Wawasee and Garrett face off for a spot in the championship. I will post dates and times as soon as they become available.

Training Update

JV practice for today (Friday 9/27) for the JV has been canceled due to the weather. Varsity will still meet in Duerksen's room

Friday update

Today's practice is on grass (at the HS). The Varsity will meet in Coach Duerksen's room to look at the Memorial video clips and do a quick tactical session. Varsity will finish on the practice field and be done by 5 pm. JV will be on the field from 3:30-5. The MaxPreps rankings came out this morning; after our win over Memorial, we moved up to #4 in 2A and 23rd overall in the State (combined 3 classes) and #300 in the country with a 4.1 strength of schedule. Next up is Glenn on Monday September 30th. Glenn is 8-5-1 on the season and comes off a loss to SB St. Joe (3-2). This is a Varsity only game day. Game starts at 5:30 pm, the bus will leave at 4 pm.

Memorial-NorthWood pics - the walk out and Aiden has trouble loading equipment

Elkhart Memorial- NorthWood 1-5 (1-0)

FIRST HALF -A slow start turns into a lackluster performance in the first half. Even though our first chance, in the 8th, should've come from the PK spot when Sebastian Guillen gets clearly fouled in the box. But referees seem to think that a foul in the box needs judges different then the ones outside of it. Andrew Graber is the outstanding athlete in half number one when he makes a few crucial saves and Andre DeFreitas sees a 30th minute free kick just clear the cross bar. The only other soccer fact mentioning is a combination on the right side where Andre's shot on the frame gets stopped by the Memorial GK. Memorial scores on a long distance shot that goes over Graber and into the goal in the 33'. HALF TIME- Coach Duerksen addresses the team by telling them that he has watched a lethargic and uninspired team. This is a big game for us because a win guarantees NW a winning record in NLC. It is obviously a great opportunity. He stresses the fact that when we play hard and work hard, we are a great team but when we do not, we are not that good. We need to get back to basics which means we need to pass and combine despite the bumpy field which besides the bumps, also sticks out by it being covered in geese crap. SECOND HALF- Complacency makes room for an energetic looking crew right from the second half whistle. The 11 on the field do not resemble themselves compared to the first 40 minutes. Three minutes in, NW combines quick and the crisp pass from the left flank gets to Andre in the center. Andre pushes the ball to Trent Edwards on the right side of the box. Trent takes a touch and from inside the right side of the box crushes the ball past the keeper and into the ropes in the left upper for a "BANGER" and draws us even with the Chargers! 1-1. I don't usually use the term "banger" and everyone knows that our players do even when it sometimes really isn't one but, my goodness, tonight must be the night for bangers! In the 56th, Sebastian's corner from the right (by the way there is no semi circle by the corner flag so I guess the ball can be placed anywhere ?!?!). The corner comes in near the 6 and Jerson Sanchez volleys the ball with his instep for banger number 2! 1-2 NW. Two minutes later, Andre tries his luck at a volley in the box but his effort gets blocked. Jerson picks a Memorial defender's pocket at the top of the 18 circle, takes the ball in the box and crushes the ball in the back of the net in minute 59. 1-3 NorthWood. The Panthers go from being behind at the half to scoring three goals in a span of 16 minutes and being up by 2 goals. We have been able to score all year (we have scored in 10 of 11 games) but the passing and moving off the ball is about as good tonight as it has been all year. The first half is one of our worst halves of the season but the second half is one of the best we played so far. It is great to see us being able to play this way against an NLC opponent. Sebastian sends a solid assist to Andre in the 66th who puts the ball behind the Memorial stopper and puts the Panthers ahead 1-4. Every field player on the bench gets significant time on the pitch. The Memorial JV coach's screaming finally fades away when she realizes that none of her Jimmy V type of encouragements ("don't give up, don't ever give up!") are effective. A foul in the Charger box in the 69th gets called which gives Jerson the opportunity to get a hat trick on the night. He makes no mistake and the final is 1-5. A great second half performance turns into a great win. The Varsity is 11-2 on the season and 4-2 in NLC. The JV reverses its result from Saturday as they beat Memorial on a Joel header (after a rib "shot" on the post finally finds Joel's forehead). The jV moves to 5-4-2 on the season. NEXT UP- The Varsity travels to Glenn Monday for a 5:30 pm start. Reports are that the field in Walkerton is much improved. Glenn has no JV so their next game will be Tuesday vs. Plymouth (late start : 5:30 pm due to Plymouth busing problems). That night will also be Senior Night at NorthWood. Because of the busing problem and Senior Night activities, we expect about a 7 - 7:15 Varsity kick off Tuesday.

Panthers move up in ISCA rankings

The 9/23/19 Indiana Soccer Coaches Association poll has the Panthers in 12th, one spot up from last week. This is the highest ranking for NW Soccer in the history of the program. Maxpreps has the Panthers ranked at number 6 this week.

Game Day #13

Today we travel to Elkhart to play Elkhart Memorial for the last time. Elkhart Memorial and Elkhart Central will merge into one school and next year the athletic teams will no longer be separate. Since Elkhart High School will play in the NIC conference, they will no longer be on our schedule. Tonight's games are 5 pm (JV) and 6:45 -approximately- for Varsity. Memorial will have Senior Night tonight. The Panthers are 10-2 (3-2 NLC) while Memorial is 5-5-2 (1-2-2 NLC). Memorial has been playing well as of late with wins over Bremen (3-1) and draws against Plymouth and Northridge (both 1-1). So a dangerous opponent for sure tonight. The JV beat Penn last night (1-0 on a Alex breakaway) which brings them back to a .500 record at 4-4-2. It will be a nice night to sit on the sideline tonight with temps projected to be around 75 and sunny. The blog for tonight's game will not be posted until Thursday morning (I will be out of town Wednesday).

Heads up....

Tomorrow's game at Memorial will feature another Senior Night celebration (the third one for us this season, yipppppeeeeee) so probably another late start. Let's ruin their senior night by beating them!

2019 Sectional Draw

The Sectional Draw will be this coming Sunday 9/29 at 8 pm. You can watch the draw at IHSAAtv.org. NorthWood will host Class 2A Sectional 20. There are 6 teams in our Sectional: Angola, Garrett, Lakeland, NorthWood, Wawasee and West Noble.

JV Goshen Invite

The JV lost to Memorial (1-0) and Plymouth (2-0) in the NLC Invite this past Saturday (record now 3-4-2). Next game for the JV is at home vs. Penn this afternoon (Monday) at 5 pm. The Varsity practice will be at the High School.

From the Goshen News

From the Goshen News

Celebration time; Andre and Kayden.

Up next.....

The JV plays at the JV Invite tomorrow. The first game is at 9 am at Goshen High School. The bus leaves the school at 8 am. Memorial is the opponent. Winner of our game will fact he winner of Plymouth- Goshen, loser of our first game will face the loser of Plymouth - Goshen. Both those games are at noon. Our first game is at field 1. On Monday, the JV plays Penn at home at 5 pm. On Tuesday, both the Varsity and JV will travel to Elkhart Memorial (5 & 6:45 pm starts). Today, the JV will practice from 3:30 - 4:30 at the High School while the varsity will go over game tape. On Monday the Varsity will practice at the High School.

Announcer Randy Cripe getting ready for another exciting NW Soccer Match

Randy Cripe, our announcer and Nappanee Elementary Principal runs the scorebaord and announces the games. Here he is pictured alongside the Froggy 102.7 FM crew. If any of the NES students read this just think about your name being mentioned here in just a few years as you can be the next NorthWood Soccer player to play at Well Field Park ("the Home of NorthWood Soccer").

Froggy 102.7 Player of the Game and Play of the Game

Andrew Graber was selected as Player of the Game and Andrew DeFreitas' free kick and goal was selected as the "Laurie Sumpter Play of the Game"!

# 13 (2A)NorthWood - (# 16 (3A) Goshen 1-0 (0-0)

After giving up two goals in the first half, the JV locks down defensively to give up only one more the rest of the way. The Goshen JV is a very solid and technical team. Both teams are in the A Flight in Saturday's JV Invite . If they face off again, NW might have a shot of reversing today's final result. The main event of the night is the match up of two NLC opponents who are both ranked in their respective classes. Technically, Goshen is always one of the best teams in the area. The Panthers have a couple of players who are under the weather; Cam Iwema is still too sick to play and now Trent Edwards has come down with something as well and before the game it is unclear if Trent is able to play the entire game. Fortunately, Trent takes the field and not only does he not have to come off, he plays a terrific game. A lot of times, Goshen threatens up his side but he shuts the Redhawk offense down time and time again. Being a defender is a thankless jobs. There are very little stats for defenders but their mistakes are magnified when they give up the ball near the 18 and the opponent takes the ball right at us. But tonight the entire defensive is playing well. Central defenders Skyler Duerksen and Nick Lechlitner are strong all night and never shy away from physical confrontation. Add to that that both are strong in the air as is Trent and you have the making of a good defensive unit. And to make it even better, Marshall Beebe, on the left, comes out tonight having to battle Goshen attacks up his side the entire first half. And he defends well, very well. With Trent not feeling 100%, Coach Duerksen has told Trent to not go up the side as much as normal and instead has told Marhsall to do that on the left.In the 7th, one of those runs starts in the back and ends about 20 out from the Goshen goal but the attack is dangerous. In the 16th, a NW free kick is taken by Andre DeFreitas. It is well exececuted and finds the feet of Sebastian Guillen. His decent shot requires a save from the Goshen GK. At our tactical session the day before, we discussed defensive organization and how it should be structured. It is obvious from the first whistle that the session was well understood. It becomes very clear when Trent stops another Redhawk attack in the 20th and we pass the ball out of the back to launch another counter attack. The Goshen bench is verbally frustrated about being unable to penetrate the Panther defense no matter how and from which side they try it. Michael Hahn and Jerson Sanchez are very disciplined and stay central as does Andre in the number 10 position. Sebastian Guillen and Chandler Bontrager play their outside midfield positions to perfection tonight as well as they stay connected with the holding and defensive center mids. Kayden Newcomer makes lively runs to keep the Goshen defense off balance. And then there is Andrew Graber. He not only makes geat saves all night but plays an intelligent game of soccer in his box. Slowing the game down when it is necessary and speeding it up when we have great opportunities up top. In the 38th, Andrew launches a ball up the right flank to Sebastian. Sebastian bring the high punt down in one touch and passes to Jerson. In turn, Jerson crosses to Andre in the box. Andre's header misses the frame but the attack and build up is a good example on how quick NW can go from defense to offense. This quick transition style of play suits us well. We work on it a lot and we can play this style because we have skilled players who can execute a quick counter. A minute before the half a NorthWood corner bounces around in the box and eventually ends up in the goal but it is called back for a supposed foul on the Goshen backstop. The halftime speech is a positive one. Goshen is frustrated as they are unable to penetrate our defense. But we need to make sure we do more of the same in the second half. Our effort has been great, the game plan execution has been good and the communication in the back has been excellent. But it is 40 minutes of it and we need another 40. Coach Duerksen starts the Panthers the same way as in half one. The coaching staff discusses a change suggested by Kyle, to have Sebastian play the holding midfielder position and to have Kayden go right mid and move Jerson to the striker position. About 6 minutes into the half, Coach Duerksen makes the changes. A dangerous Goshen attack in the 47" finds one of their three attackers near the box. A quick turn away from our central defense gives the striker an opportunity to shoot. A great shot requires an even greater save by Graber (truly earning his newly acquired nickname "Grabber"). In the 57th, NW gets to take a free kick from far out from the left side of the field. The intentional Goshen foul means that this is a direct free kick. With an over load on the backside for the Panthers, Andre has a good target but also wants to put the ball on the frame. The target seems to be the tall Trent Edwards. The hard hit ball flies at the goal, Trent gets close and the keeper is not sure if it is a shot at the goal or if Trent will redirect it with a header. Trent does not and the ball flies into the net for a NW goal; 1-0! NW almost scores again a minute later when Andre takes another free kick. This time he picks out Jerson whose header is saved by the Goshen GK. From the 59th to the 73rd, it is all Goshen as they start to put NW under pressure and try to force the equalizer. Great defense and even better organization and shape get us through this 14-15 minute period. Joey Eshelman relieves midfielders and applies pressure on the outside. Everyone who makes it onto the field plays well. It is a collective effort to prevent the Redhawks from tying the match.Nick Lechlitner prevents a couple of Goshen attacks from making it past him with his signature tackles (actions especially appreciated by color commentator Ryan Mattern who in his day tackled some). A nice 73rd minute 1-2 between Jerson and Sebastian ends with a nice Sebastian shot. The attack relieves some of the Goshen relentless attacks. The last 7 minutes of the game is a nail biting experience but the Panthers hold on to the lead and defeat an highly skilled and respected 16th ranked team in 3A for a win. The first win against Goshen, as Kyle reminds us, since 2011 (when his team defeated Goshen by the same score). A job well done. The Panthers are now 10-2 (!!) on the season and 3-2 in NLC. This is a team with a lot of talent and promise, and to quote Coach Duekrsen: "let's just keep this train moving". Also a shout out to some behind the scenes people important to the program. Jeff Iwema is in charge of the hydration and video department which is much appreciated and Randy Cripe does an excellent job announcing. Thanks to both. Also thanks to Froggy 102.7 FM and Ron Bedward, Craig Wallin and our own color commentator Ryan Mattern. Today we will meet in Duerksen's room to just go over some game video and will then call it a day. Time to physically recover. We will be back on the practice field Monday. JV will practice today in light of the tournament at Goshen tomorrow. The JV's first game will be at 9 am at Goshen.

Game Day # 12 - #13 (2A) NorthWood- # 16 (3A) Goshen

Back on the turf again today. The Goshen Redhawks will be our NLC opponent tonight. The Redhawks fly in with a 5-4 (3-1 NLC) record. Deceiving to say the least because the losses come against very good teams (Carroll, Crown Point, Northridge and Elkhart Central). Goshen defeated 1A #3 Bethany Christian Tuesday night. Besides a win vs. West Noble (a possible NW opponent in the NorthWood Sectional in a few weeks), the Redhawks also beat NLC opponents Concord, Plymouth and Memorial. They are ranked 16th in 3A. The weather will cooperate once again (sunny & 77 at kick off) so we are hoping for another large crowd. Our crowd has been phenomenal all season. The Panthers are undefeated on our turf so far this season, a record we would like to keep intact! All but one player were able to practice last night. Jerson is back to just about 100 % and the only player questionable is Cam Iwema who has been under the weather the last few days. The Panthers are 9-2 (2-2 NLC) and our JV is 3-1-2 on the season. Froggy 102.7 will be live from Well Field Park tonight ("the Home of NorthWood Soccer")to broadcast the game with our own Ryan Mattern (our former announcer) as the match color commentator.

Warsaw-NW images

# 7 (3A) Warsaw - #13 (2A) NorthWood 3-1 (3-0)

The day starts well with a nice JV result (1-1; Chase Duerksen goal) which moves their record to 3-1-1. The Varsity faces the # 7 team in the state. Warsaw, with a 10-2 record. Warsaw has 15 seniors on the team and unfortunately for us, it is Senior Night. This drawn out affair takes a good 25 minutes which results in a late start. The team gets announced, kind of. Some of the players' names (Gillion, Grabber and Jursen ???) seem to be too difficult to pronounce. The game starts with NW playing well and looking to combine. This only lasts until the 9th minute when Warsaw's # 10 takes advantage of some defensive indecision, 1-0. It becomes clear early on that neither NW nor the arbitration trio performs up to the level expected in a game of this magnitude. The Tigers score in the 21st and 30th. The halftime 3-0 score is indicative of the play on the field. Our positioning is off and it is disappointing to see that a good scouting report and consequent game plan is not really executed well. We do better in the second half and do not allow another goal. The center referee (one of the kind who has to explain all his bad calls) seems to have little control of the game and hands out 4 yellow cautions to NorthWood (Jerson, Sebastian, Kayden and Dijkstra Sr. all are recipients). In the 75th, a cross (corner) from Kayden into the box finds Chase Duerksen who towers over everyone and with a hard on the target header, Chase will score the lone NW goal on the night.The referee misses a foul and a hand bal in the box but consistent with his performance all night long, he does not call them. The final therefore is 3-1. The result is not awful, the NW play was not good and there are some things that need corrected. Just to be fair, Warsaw is a good team and plays with only 3 men in the back and those 3 were tough to expose; they are fast and physical. NorthWood falls to 9-2 on the season and has only one day to prepare for #16 Goshen.

Froggy 102.7 broadcasts NW-Goshen game this coming Thursday

Game Day #11

The # 13 (2A) 9-1 Panthers go on the road to face the # 7 (3A) 10-2 Warsaw Tigers today. The JV game starts at 5 pm and the Varsity follows at 6:45 pm. Warsaw's losses are against FW Carroll and Mishawaka Marian. NorthWood's only loss of the season was against Northridge. The Panthers have won their last 7. It will be senior night in Warsaw tonight. While some players have a knock or two, the only injury concern for tonight is Jerson Sanchez who is still nursing the injury he sustained in Friday night's football game. A win tonight would be one of the biggest wins in program history. Speaking of history; the 9-1 start of the season is a program best as is the #13 ranking! We hope to see everyone tonight cheering on our boys. Go Panthers!

Goshen Invitational this coming Saturday - Tournament Information

Final Score part 2

Courtesy Kyle Dijkstra.