After our loss to East Central on Monday, we were hoping to get back on the winning track with a W at McKendree today. This is the second time that we have made the trip to Lebanon in the past three years. They were scheduled to come to The Lake last year but we had a rain out and couldn't squeeze a make up date in. We lost to McKendree's JV two years ago 5-4.
It's a shame when a game that is played on such a large field as soccer gets managed by two officials. It's hard enough for a three man crew to watch twenty two guys, much less two men. It's especially hard when those two men aren't very mobile. We had two officials today that had trouble walking up and down the field much less running at a pace that they need to in order to keep up with the game. I know it's a JV game for McKendree and it's a non conference game for us, but try telling that to the guys that play. They play for a win whether it's a scrimmage, a JV, or a regular schedule conference match. Officials rarely play a part in the outcome of the match, but today they did, for both sides. Okay now that I have that off of my chest I feel a little better.
McKendree scored first about half way through the first half. Yes it was a questionable goal but nonetheless it was a goal. They found the back of the net 10 minutes later on another questionable goal. We came close to scoring two or three times as the result of some very nice shots on goal, but their Keeper was able to keep them out of the net. The half time talk was about how we could get back in the game. I stressed the need to play 1 and 2 touch ball as we build the attack and to utilize our wide players to stretch the defense so that our forwards can match up with the backs one on one, then we can send the ball in and hopefully get a goal. I think that talk went in one ear and out the other one without touching anything inbetween.
The score remained 2-0 until Jordan Grace had a nice shot on the frame that beat their Keeper. That seemed to stir a fire in us and we played with renewed interest for the rest of the half until they scored on a thirty yard shot late in the half.
We're on a losing skid. We have to find a way to put the brakes on and turn this thing around. Half of the season is gone and our record is 3-7. We have some hard games ahead of us. If we don't find a way to rack up a few wins we're in danger of not finishing above 500.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
RLC vs East Central College
Yesterday was a beautiful day for soccer. The morning temperature was in the 50's and by game time it had climbed to the upper 70's. We had plenty of sunshine so it made for a great day for soccer.
This was our first meeting with East Central College. I received a call from Coach Bobby Peters back in the spring about putting a match together. So we settled on a date and agreed to a home match with them. Coach Peters is in his third year as the head coach and he has put together a good program.
I did a little research on them and found that they had played some teams just as close as we had played them so I figured that we were in for an even match. My estimation proved to be true.
We started out the match on a good note. We played well and had two very good chances to go ahead early but our chances didn't produce the goals that we wanted. East Central struck first. It was a very unexpected goal. One of their players struck the ball about 35 yards out. It wasn't a hard shot, but it was a low shot that looked as if it was going wide right of the frame. Instead it hit the lower right corner and ricocheted in the goal, just outside the reach of Timmy. We played the rest of the half equal and when the first 45 minutes expired we were down 1-0.
At the half I told the boys that I wasn't aware of any part of our game that needed to be adjusted. Aside from the fact that we still are not disciplined enough to possess the ball in the last portion of our middle third and the first part of our attacking third, we played a very good first half. Timmy made some key saves, and our boys played hard. I couldn't ask for more from my players than they gave me. We wanted to go out in the second half and square the game up early so that we could settle in and play a controlled game the rest of the half. But they scored again, and we found ourselves down 2-0.
The Warriors kept battling, and in the 82nd minute Rocky found the back of the net. 2-1 looks a lot better than 2-0. With 8 minutes remaining our boys poured it on. They pulled out all the stops and battled intensly until the horn went off. Neil Houlihan missed a goal by inches as he banged a header off the side post, and a few other boys had good chances to even the score, but it wasn't meant to be.
This was one of those games where I felt that we won the battle but lost the war. Both teams had some very good goal scoring opportunities, and both teams played possesion ball. Maybe I'm biased, but I think we had the edge in possesion and goal scoring opportunites. In the end, we congratulated ECC for a well played game. I look forward to traveling to their place next year to even the score...:-)
This was our first meeting with East Central College. I received a call from Coach Bobby Peters back in the spring about putting a match together. So we settled on a date and agreed to a home match with them. Coach Peters is in his third year as the head coach and he has put together a good program.
I did a little research on them and found that they had played some teams just as close as we had played them so I figured that we were in for an even match. My estimation proved to be true.
We started out the match on a good note. We played well and had two very good chances to go ahead early but our chances didn't produce the goals that we wanted. East Central struck first. It was a very unexpected goal. One of their players struck the ball about 35 yards out. It wasn't a hard shot, but it was a low shot that looked as if it was going wide right of the frame. Instead it hit the lower right corner and ricocheted in the goal, just outside the reach of Timmy. We played the rest of the half equal and when the first 45 minutes expired we were down 1-0.
At the half I told the boys that I wasn't aware of any part of our game that needed to be adjusted. Aside from the fact that we still are not disciplined enough to possess the ball in the last portion of our middle third and the first part of our attacking third, we played a very good first half. Timmy made some key saves, and our boys played hard. I couldn't ask for more from my players than they gave me. We wanted to go out in the second half and square the game up early so that we could settle in and play a controlled game the rest of the half. But they scored again, and we found ourselves down 2-0.
The Warriors kept battling, and in the 82nd minute Rocky found the back of the net. 2-1 looks a lot better than 2-0. With 8 minutes remaining our boys poured it on. They pulled out all the stops and battled intensly until the horn went off. Neil Houlihan missed a goal by inches as he banged a header off the side post, and a few other boys had good chances to even the score, but it wasn't meant to be.
This was one of those games where I felt that we won the battle but lost the war. Both teams had some very good goal scoring opportunities, and both teams played possesion ball. Maybe I'm biased, but I think we had the edge in possesion and goal scoring opportunites. In the end, we congratulated ECC for a well played game. I look forward to traveling to their place next year to even the score...:-)
Thursday, September 23, 2010
RLC vs Kaskaskia
Soccer in Region 24 is tough no matter who you play, but the stakes go up when you play someone in your neighborhood. That's the feeling that I have had for the past two years when we have played our neighbors, SWIC and Kaskaskia. Today was no different. Coming into the match today RLC and Kaskaskia were both 0-4 in Region 24 play. So to say that both colleges wanted a win in the region is an understatement.
After looking at the records of both teams and comparing how we have faired against the teams that Kaskaskia has played I felt like today's match would be a close game. They have played some teams close, just as we have and they have lost some games by the same goal differential that we have lost. On paper it looked like an even match. So we approached this match with the hopes that we would get out in front and stay there the entire match, putting the pressure on them to play catch up.
We scored our first goal in the 12th minute. Nelson Kenne put one in on the end of a nice run to the box. After his goal I could see the hunger in the eyes of the other boys as they were celebrating the first goal. The second one came nine minutes later in the 21st minute from Robert Rock. This was the first of two goals for Rocky on the day. He scored later in the second half in the 59th minute. Our midfield and defense kept the ball out of our defensive third for most of the first half, making life easy for our Keeper, Timmy Meldezis. After missing some very good opportunties to score in the first half (we failed to convert a PK) we went into the half with a 2-0 lead. My speech at half was, "Don't come out flat, go out with maximum intensity and put this one away early". I challenged them to mess KC's sheets up in the first five minutes so that we would dash any hopes of them coming back to make a game out of it.
The boys overwhelmingly responded. Jordan Grace found the sheets at the 47th minute off of a sweet assist from Alex Larson, who by the way played a man's game in the middle. Twelve minutes later Rocky delivered the knock out punch with a goal in the 59th minute and once again Larson was credited with the assist. With the game under wraps we tacked on three more goals in the remainder of the game. Jordan Grace and Neil Houlihan teamed up for back to back goals in the 76th and 77th minutes. It was Alex Larson that finished the scoring as he capped off an attack lead by Micah Ressler with a goal in the right side of the net in the 89th minute.
This was a breakout win for us. We have been in some very close games where we felt like we should have scored but for whatever reason we just couldn't get a goal. The first one is always the hardest to get, and I feel like if we can get the first one that it will open the gate for the rest of them. The gate opened tonight and the boys responded with a very good performance. I hope that we can play Monday's game with this game fresh on our minds. If so, we should score first and often against East Central.
Nice win Warriors!!! Keep up the good work.
After looking at the records of both teams and comparing how we have faired against the teams that Kaskaskia has played I felt like today's match would be a close game. They have played some teams close, just as we have and they have lost some games by the same goal differential that we have lost. On paper it looked like an even match. So we approached this match with the hopes that we would get out in front and stay there the entire match, putting the pressure on them to play catch up.
We scored our first goal in the 12th minute. Nelson Kenne put one in on the end of a nice run to the box. After his goal I could see the hunger in the eyes of the other boys as they were celebrating the first goal. The second one came nine minutes later in the 21st minute from Robert Rock. This was the first of two goals for Rocky on the day. He scored later in the second half in the 59th minute. Our midfield and defense kept the ball out of our defensive third for most of the first half, making life easy for our Keeper, Timmy Meldezis. After missing some very good opportunties to score in the first half (we failed to convert a PK) we went into the half with a 2-0 lead. My speech at half was, "Don't come out flat, go out with maximum intensity and put this one away early". I challenged them to mess KC's sheets up in the first five minutes so that we would dash any hopes of them coming back to make a game out of it.
The boys overwhelmingly responded. Jordan Grace found the sheets at the 47th minute off of a sweet assist from Alex Larson, who by the way played a man's game in the middle. Twelve minutes later Rocky delivered the knock out punch with a goal in the 59th minute and once again Larson was credited with the assist. With the game under wraps we tacked on three more goals in the remainder of the game. Jordan Grace and Neil Houlihan teamed up for back to back goals in the 76th and 77th minutes. It was Alex Larson that finished the scoring as he capped off an attack lead by Micah Ressler with a goal in the right side of the net in the 89th minute.
This was a breakout win for us. We have been in some very close games where we felt like we should have scored but for whatever reason we just couldn't get a goal. The first one is always the hardest to get, and I feel like if we can get the first one that it will open the gate for the rest of them. The gate opened tonight and the boys responded with a very good performance. I hope that we can play Monday's game with this game fresh on our minds. If so, we should score first and often against East Central.
Nice win Warriors!!! Keep up the good work.
Monday, September 20, 2010
RLC vs Lewis & Clark
We drove to Godfrey this past Saturday to take on Lewis & Clark. Godfrey isn't a bad drive, a little over two hours. So, we weren't to terribly exhausted when we got there. The weather was excellent for a September match. The sun was out and the temp before game time was upper 80's. When we stepped on the pitch I was very surprised that the pitch was in such bad shape, but when Coach Tim explained that they had a double header on it during a big rain a week earlier then I understood why the pitch was so beat up.
In spite of the poor field condition our boys played a very good first half. We had three shots on goal and held them to only one shot. The Warriors came off the pitch at half confident that we would put one in the net before they did. We had plenty of very good opportunities to do so. When you get excellent shots on goal like we had you tend to think that surely one is going to get in sooner or later. However, that's not the way it turned out. They got a 22 yard free kick at the top of the box on a questionable call that resulted in the lone goal of the game in the 73rd minute. But our guys did not put their heads down, they stepped up and played intense soccer for the remainder of the match with a couple of excellent chances to score. In the last minute of the game, the blind official missed an aggressive foul on L&W that should have resulted in a PK but instead he ruled it an obstruction and gave us an indirect kick in the box with 33 seconds on the clock. We took the kick and almost converted it as it ricocheted off one player and then another.
We had some good performances from several players in this match, but the young man that stood out was Tyler Weston. He stepped in and played the 4 spot for the absent Griffin Groves. Griffen was at his Grandmother's funeral. Tyler played excellent and demonstrated to the coaches and the team that he is capable of stepping in and playing at a high level in the back.
The 1-0 loss was a little bitter since we played so well, but that's the way the ball rolls sometimes and we have to learn from it, keep working hard, and hope that the ball will roll our way this Tuesday and Thursday.
In spite of the poor field condition our boys played a very good first half. We had three shots on goal and held them to only one shot. The Warriors came off the pitch at half confident that we would put one in the net before they did. We had plenty of very good opportunities to do so. When you get excellent shots on goal like we had you tend to think that surely one is going to get in sooner or later. However, that's not the way it turned out. They got a 22 yard free kick at the top of the box on a questionable call that resulted in the lone goal of the game in the 73rd minute. But our guys did not put their heads down, they stepped up and played intense soccer for the remainder of the match with a couple of excellent chances to score. In the last minute of the game, the blind official missed an aggressive foul on L&W that should have resulted in a PK but instead he ruled it an obstruction and gave us an indirect kick in the box with 33 seconds on the clock. We took the kick and almost converted it as it ricocheted off one player and then another.
We had some good performances from several players in this match, but the young man that stood out was Tyler Weston. He stepped in and played the 4 spot for the absent Griffin Groves. Griffen was at his Grandmother's funeral. Tyler played excellent and demonstrated to the coaches and the team that he is capable of stepping in and playing at a high level in the back.
The 1-0 loss was a little bitter since we played so well, but that's the way the ball rolls sometimes and we have to learn from it, keep working hard, and hope that the ball will roll our way this Tuesday and Thursday.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
RLC vs St. Louis Community College - Forrest Park
Last year we drove to St. Louis to play Forrest Park. That was our first meeting so we had no idea what to expect. What we found was an equally matched team that played physical just like we did. The end result was a 1-1 tie after regulation time had expired and after two 10 minute overtime periods. So based on last year's experience I was expecting a similar match this year, and that's exactly what we got.
When the game started both teams were playing high defense with intense pressure on the ball. This battle took place for the first 10 minutes with both teams pressing the ball into the other teams attacking third but with no real threat to score. That changed in the 28th minute when Forrest Park struck first. But the Warriors didn't lay down, they came back with a very good effort and put one in their sheets in the 33rd minute. Alex Larson set up Jordan Grace with a nice ball and Grace was able to finish. That's the way the score remained until half, although Jake Keck had a very nice 25 yard shot bounce of the top iron right before the half.
At the half we felt like we had a very good chance of going up a goal and staying on top, but that wasn't the way that it played out. Forrest Park struck again in the 71st and 82nd minutes on two silly, mental mistakes on our part. Hopefully we can make some adjustments before our next match and get a win at Lewis and Clark this Saturday.
When the game started both teams were playing high defense with intense pressure on the ball. This battle took place for the first 10 minutes with both teams pressing the ball into the other teams attacking third but with no real threat to score. That changed in the 28th minute when Forrest Park struck first. But the Warriors didn't lay down, they came back with a very good effort and put one in their sheets in the 33rd minute. Alex Larson set up Jordan Grace with a nice ball and Grace was able to finish. That's the way the score remained until half, although Jake Keck had a very nice 25 yard shot bounce of the top iron right before the half.
At the half we felt like we had a very good chance of going up a goal and staying on top, but that wasn't the way that it played out. Forrest Park struck again in the 71st and 82nd minutes on two silly, mental mistakes on our part. Hopefully we can make some adjustments before our next match and get a win at Lewis and Clark this Saturday.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
RLC vs Danville
Since year one RLC and Danville matches have been very good matches. Coach David and I are two of the newest coaches in the Region and our programs are fairly new as well. So that combination has made for some very close matches over the past two years. I was expecting the same this year, but Coach David did a very good of recruiting this year and he has put together a pretty good team.
We made the trip today thinking that we might be playing in the rain since it was cloudy and threatening rain in the Mt Vernon area when we left. But when we got to Danville we were greeted with sunny skies and 80 degree weather. It was a beautiful day for soccer. We started on a right note. Within the first two minutes of the game we take the ball down the left side and get a shot on goal. The Keeper made a good stop and it looked like we were going to have a good shot at putting some pressure on their defense. They scored 15 minutes later on a free kick, one of our weaknesses this year, and we didn't allow another goal for the rest of the half. We had a couple of good opportunities to score but the ball wouldn't roll for us.
In the second half, we broke down mentally due to some questionable calls that resulted in two goals. When we went down 3-0 you could see the frustration on our faces. Our goal came on a nice shot from Rocky, about 22 yards out on the left side of the box. He drove it through the Keeper's hands. He almost scored again on a 35 yard set piece right in the middle of the field. He banged it off the top iron.
We had some good things happen in the game. We possessed the ball well, and we had some decent runs in the game. Since we aren't a very tall team, we worked on playing the ball on the ground to feet or to space behind the defense and that part of the game showed up today. Our young team is still adjusting to the 4-3-3, especially the front three. But they're making progress with every game, and hopefully by the time tournament time comes around we'll have it down and be ready to have a good showing.
Danville is a good team. They have already surprised some of top teams in our Region and they are going to give the rest of them fits, and possibly win more than they lose. We've played three very good teams already and have played with them for the most part. The final score today was 6-1, with the last three goals coming afer I subbed my starters.
The rest of the season is going to be a challenge. I hope the boys recover and get mentally tough for the next few games. A win or two for us can make a big difference in the season.
We made the trip today thinking that we might be playing in the rain since it was cloudy and threatening rain in the Mt Vernon area when we left. But when we got to Danville we were greeted with sunny skies and 80 degree weather. It was a beautiful day for soccer. We started on a right note. Within the first two minutes of the game we take the ball down the left side and get a shot on goal. The Keeper made a good stop and it looked like we were going to have a good shot at putting some pressure on their defense. They scored 15 minutes later on a free kick, one of our weaknesses this year, and we didn't allow another goal for the rest of the half. We had a couple of good opportunities to score but the ball wouldn't roll for us.
In the second half, we broke down mentally due to some questionable calls that resulted in two goals. When we went down 3-0 you could see the frustration on our faces. Our goal came on a nice shot from Rocky, about 22 yards out on the left side of the box. He drove it through the Keeper's hands. He almost scored again on a 35 yard set piece right in the middle of the field. He banged it off the top iron.
We had some good things happen in the game. We possessed the ball well, and we had some decent runs in the game. Since we aren't a very tall team, we worked on playing the ball on the ground to feet or to space behind the defense and that part of the game showed up today. Our young team is still adjusting to the 4-3-3, especially the front three. But they're making progress with every game, and hopefully by the time tournament time comes around we'll have it down and be ready to have a good showing.
Danville is a good team. They have already surprised some of top teams in our Region and they are going to give the rest of them fits, and possibly win more than they lose. We've played three very good teams already and have played with them for the most part. The final score today was 6-1, with the last three goals coming afer I subbed my starters.
The rest of the season is going to be a challenge. I hope the boys recover and get mentally tough for the next few games. A win or two for us can make a big difference in the season.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
RLC vs Richard Daley College
I got a call back in the spring from Coach Gonzalez at Richard Daley College in Chicago. He was looking for a match and was wondering if RLC would be willing to host a match. I agreed without knowing anything about RDC and didn't know what to expect from them. After our phone conversation I got online and did a little research and found out that they were a new program like RLC. Since they were a new program I figured that this would be a pretty equal match for us.
When RDC came to RL today, I felt like we had a good chance of coming out on top with a win. We needed a win since we had just dropped two games in a row to SWIC and Lincoln Land. I wanted a win as well, but I didn't want one like the one we got today.
We played RDC scoreless in the first half. I was disappointed, Coach V was disappointed and the boys were disappointed that we played for 45 minutes without converting on A LOT of goal scoring opportunitites. When we came out in the second half, I was sure that we would get a quick goal, but it wasn't until the 23rd minute of the second half that we found the net. Neil Houlihan scored an unassisted goal to put us ahead 1-0. That's the way it stayed until the 94th minute. RDC scored with 30 seconds left on a corner to send the match into overtime.
In the first ten minute golden goal overtime we blew two good chances to score, but in the second one Neil Houlihan messed up their sheets on a nice assist from Rocky, and sealed the victory for us.
I had a headache after the game. I guess I was a little tense after the half due to our lack of scoring. It was a win, not the kind that I wanted, but it was a win. That improves our record to 2-2. We'll have to play better soccer than this on Thursday if we hope to get a victory at Danville.
When RDC came to RL today, I felt like we had a good chance of coming out on top with a win. We needed a win since we had just dropped two games in a row to SWIC and Lincoln Land. I wanted a win as well, but I didn't want one like the one we got today.
We played RDC scoreless in the first half. I was disappointed, Coach V was disappointed and the boys were disappointed that we played for 45 minutes without converting on A LOT of goal scoring opportunitites. When we came out in the second half, I was sure that we would get a quick goal, but it wasn't until the 23rd minute of the second half that we found the net. Neil Houlihan scored an unassisted goal to put us ahead 1-0. That's the way it stayed until the 94th minute. RDC scored with 30 seconds left on a corner to send the match into overtime.
In the first ten minute golden goal overtime we blew two good chances to score, but in the second one Neil Houlihan messed up their sheets on a nice assist from Rocky, and sealed the victory for us.
I had a headache after the game. I guess I was a little tense after the half due to our lack of scoring. It was a win, not the kind that I wanted, but it was a win. That improves our record to 2-2. We'll have to play better soccer than this on Thursday if we hope to get a victory at Danville.
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