Wednesday, September 23, 2009
NorthWood @ Memorial 3-1 (2-0)
We had to beg for the lights to be turned on and the national anthem was nowhere to be found. It seemed like nothing else could go wrong. Except for that heavy shower of course. Too bad it lasted 20 minutes (twice).
FIRST HALF
Both teams came out a little flat but as time went by, NorthWood settled down nicely and took the ball to the Memorial half. In the 8th minute, Josh was able to circumvent piles of geese droppings and make a nice pass up the line to lead Lincoln on the left side. Lincoln crossed the ball in the box to Kronk who in turn passed to Conner. Conner challenged the keeper for the ball, won and scored the 1-0!
Exactly 20 minutes later, NorthWood had a corner from the left. Eddie Salinas took the corner, uncharachteristically short, with a nice bend around the first post to the surprise of Memorial keeper Lopez. No one touched the ball and so the 2-0 could be put on the board.
The rain came down fairly heavy (although it did not seem to bother the coaches and players on the bench too much) and the ball started to skip which made keeping the goal clean quite a challenge.
With less then two minutes left, Memorial's "Where is" Waldo missed a shot in front of an open goal.
SECOND HALF
Half time took longer then usual due to a lightning delay. Some minor adjustments were made, partly due to Kasey Grendys' ankle injury. When play finally resumed in front of just a few spectators it was Memorial who took it to NorthWood in the first 6 minutes or so. It was pretty evident they were trying to score a quick goal but the Panthers were finally able to take the ball to the offensive third where a cross landed in front of Kronk by way of Josh. Kronk took a great shot that was stopped only by a great header by one of the Charger defenders. Another Eddie corner in the 49th went, of course, far and was re-directed by Noodle"s noggin where it landed in front of Cesar's feet at about 21 out. A high kick went up and over the Memorial keeper for the 3-0.
Memorial had some good opportunities but all were saved by NW keeper Michael Balogh (who by the way was one of many who heard his name butchered at the beginning of the game).In the 69th minute Memorial took a free kick just outside the box with a shot around the wall but on goal. Balogh stopped the ball initially but two Memorial players charged the loose ball for the only Charger goal of the night. The final score of 3-1 was a good reflection of the game and gave the Panthers their first NLC win of the season (1-3-1). So despite the geese, seagulls, heavy rain and no anthem, we did alright. Next up is the trip to North Liberty (varsity only) on Thursday. The field there rivals Central Noble's for worst field in Northern Indiana. Cesar Salinas will watch from the bench after receiving yellow card number 5 against Memorial. Pretty good timing actually. Kasey Grendys is day to day, but then again, aren't we all. The varsity's overall record is now 5-4-1
JV
The JV improved its record to 6-4-1 by beating Memorial 3-0 (after beating them 1-0 in the JV Tourney only days ago). Two goals came from Taylor Wegmiller, two assists from Justen. An assist from Juan to "2" (Justen) finalized the score. Next up for the JV is the home game versus Concord on Saturday at home (10 am kick off).
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
NorthWood JV - Penn 2-1 (1-0)
The JV beat the Kingsmen 2-1 with goals coming from Tim or as coach Mattern refers to him; "the Honduran assassin" and Jake. Jake was also the reason we gave up a goal in the second half. He was charged with a foul in the box and Penn was awarded the PK. Jordan Thompson, who had just come in the goal for Kyle, did not have a chance. The JV's record is now a very respectable 5-4-1. It is the best JV record in quite a few years. They will try to repeat Saturday's performance and beat Memorial again this afternoon. Kick off in Elkhart is slated for 5pm. Kyle by the way, has not given up a goal in any of the 5 wins this season.
Case in point
The AR seems to be more interested in the Riley bench (rolled up adidas pants maybe?) then in the play at hand. Thanks to great photography, we now have proof that officials' attention isn't always where it should be !
Saturday, September 19, 2009
NorthWood - South Bend Riley 6-0 (3-0)
NorthWood showed up to play on an Apple Festival Saturday that must have lured a lot of potential spectators away from today's matchup.
FIRST HALF
It looked like a game the Panthers could dominate if they would apply an early press on the opponents defense. The first Riley mistake - a short and misdirected goal kick from the GK to Ryan Lincoln about 30 yards out- resulted in the first NW score. Ryan controlled the ball and without hesitation shot the ball over the keeper to punish the mistake, 1-0.
Only three minutes after that, Josh passed the ball on the left up the line to Lincoln. Lincoln -you will see his name again in this blog- took it to the end line and executed a perfect cross onto Eddie's head. The header hit the ropes for the 2-0.
In the 19th minute of play, Lincoln passed the ball from the right thru the box to Conner. Conner took his time, and with composure placed the ball to the keepers right for the 3-0.
The rest of the half was not too impressive. The Panther's level of play went down considerably until the second half.
SECOND HALF
NorthWood took the field with renewed energy. It was however a game with a lot of referee initiated interruptions that saw a highlight in the 51st minute when the "minister in the middle" gave a three minute sermon to all captains on the field. The yellow came out in the 61st and was given to Eddie. The ref probably should have given himself a card in the same color as his shirt. Just as the bench was getting tired of listening to the Riley assistent coach with the fashionably rolled up adidas pants scream "Lemembel to make the sholt passees", it was Cesar who decided to go on a slalom thru the Riley midfield. Arriving just outside the 18, it was time for a shot - one of his better ones- as he hit the back of the net for the 4-0 (64") and re-igniting the team at the same time. A few minutes later coach Duerksen reacted to a call in protest when the center ref decided to come to the side for a nice and lenghty discussion. An open mouth/closed eyes conversation on the part of the ref ensued without further cards being shared. Thanks to the talkative and interruptive actions of the ref, this 80 minute game would last closer to 90 plus minutes.
In the 70th minute, Trent passed a ball to Conner who, after a struggle with the goalkeeper on the ground, placed the ball over the line, 5-0.
All players on the bench got decent playing time which ill help the team the rest of the season.
After years of trying during practice, Trent was finally able to show the crowd what he is good at. With a monster shot, he was able to make solid contact with the crossbar, nice job Jacobs!
With a minute left to play, Kronk slipped the ball to Lincoln who finished the job for the final score; 6-0. Maliq and Balogh combined for the shutout.
NEXT UP-Varsity
Next week is a busy week. Memorial & Glenn (Tuesday & Thursday respectively) followed by Concord (Saturday). The first two away, the last one at home.
JV TOURNEY
The JV did very well today at the Goshen JV Tourney. In the A flight, the team faced Plymouth in the first contest. The Panthers gave up two goals in the first half but that was it for the tournament. Thompson played in the goal the first half and Kyle the rest of the tournament. We lost that game 2-0 but came back to beat Memorial 1-0 on a Taylor Wegmiller goal. Kyle Dijkstra had two excellent saves and gets another shutout and a half. The JV finished in 3rd place.
NEXT UP-JV
Monday at 5 pm @ home vs. Penn, Tuesday away at Memorial and Saturday at home against Concord.
RECORDS
4-4-1 for both teams.
MISC.
Steve Taylor was paying attention until the end when he commented on Lincoln last goal by stating "way to stay out of the net" referring to the Mishawaka incident.
Robbie Balogh ran the clock.
There was a report that coach Hoover was on the property, possibly to take over in case coach Duerksen would receive a red.
Friday, September 18, 2009
NorthWood - #23Goshen 1-2 (0-0)
A hard fought NLC battle left NorthWood with an undeserved loss. With two minutes left and the score tied at 1-1, Goshen was erroneously awarded a throw in that led to their second (and the game's winning) goal. NW thought (correctly) that they should have the throw in and moved their players up on the offensive half of the field, leaving the defensive half exposed. That gave the Redskins the opportunity to score. A very unfortunate result after a horrendous blunder by the AR whose only job at that time was to make sure to call the throw in the correct way.
After a competetive and scoreless first half it was Goshen who hit the onion bag first, five minutes into the second act. But in the 66th Lincoln passed the ball to Conner who in turn crossed the ball in the box. Kronk was able to connect and draw the Panthers even with Goshen, 1-1. From the overall four or five shots on goal, NW could have scored thrice. The result was disappointing, the effort sure was not and it was by far the best performance of the season. The team rose to the challenge and played 80 minutes of soccer. Just because the office of Bald & Blind Inc. made a mistake doesn't mean that the team didn't deserve more then they got. One of these days, the calls will start going our way.................
NOTES
The JV lost 3-0 to Goshen. This score is a little deflated and not a true reflection of the game. This was a close game until about the last 7 or 8 minutes. NorthWood's JV had some scoring opportunities as well. Coach Matterson came up with a strategic move by putting back up GK Thompson between the woodwork and putting Kyle in a midfield position.
NEXT UP
Tomorrow (Saturday), Varsity plays at home vs. South Bend Riley at 10 am, while the JV travels to Goshen High School for the JV Tourney. The first game is at 9 am vs. Plymouth and the second game in the A flight will be against Northridge or Memorial (depending on the outcome of the first game at Noon.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
NorthWood @ #19 Warsaw 0-4 (0-2)
When Warsaw's #25, Cornbread Griffen, scored the 3rd goal minutes into the second half, it marked the beginning of deteriorating play for the Panthers who eventually lost 4-0. All four goals came from the weak side. The apparent disregard of the weak side was one of the few negative remarks after the first half. The second half became, however, about as annoying as the musquitos. Time to re-group and get ready for # 23 Goshen who will visit tomorrow. Bring the white jerseys to practice -clean!-today and you can trade it in for the new game jerseys (Varsity).
The JV lost 6-0 and will try to improve their 3-2-1 record against Goshen's JV on Thursday as well. This coming Saturday, Varsity will host South Bend Riley at 10 am while the JV travels to the Goshen JV Tourney (@ Goshen High School) for a 9 am & a noon contest.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
SC Heerenveen - FC Groningen 0-1 (0-0)
Newly acquired forward Morten Nordstrand scores the only goal of the game in the 61st minute, finally a win!
Warsaw game information
The game Tuesday against Warsaw will be played at the High school and NOT at the CCAC Complex. The JV game starts at 5 pm and the Varsity game at 6:45 pm.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
IWU - Judson
Tonight several Varsity & JV players went to Bethel College to watch Seth "Ducky" Douwsma play. The #17 had by far the largest fan section and got very respectable playing time although his former coaches thought he should have gotten a little more yet. Despite the loss, everyone enjoyed watching Seth play and the realization set in that this really is a faster and more physical level then the Higch School level of play. Hopefully we will get to see him play again in person this year and don't forget to follow Seth online. Just go to www.iwuwildcats.com for the video livestream of all home games. It was also nice to hook up with Seths' family as well.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Wawasee JV @ NorthWood JV 0-2
The Panther's JV got another win (3-1-1) as they defeat the Warriors 2-0. Tim scored both goals (he has four for the season)and Kyle and Thompson combined for the shutout. The JV is 1-1 in NLC competition as they prepare for Warsaw.
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