Friday, November 20, 2009
Update on Women's Soccer
I had a meeting at Rend Lake this afternoon and in this meeting I was informed that Women's Soccer has been put on hold. RLC will not have Women's Soccer in 2010 due to a shortfall in state funding. Hopefully the program will start in 2011.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
RLC Women's Soccer
Rend Lake College has decided to add another sports program to their list. Women's soccer will commence in August 2010. I have been hired as the head coach of men and women's soccer. I will be hiring one assistant for the men and one assistant for the women to help me run both programs.
If you know of any young ladies that are looking for a place to play collegiate soccer, please tell them to contact me. Since the high school girls play in the spring, I'll have plenty of time to scout the 2010 class. I'm sure we'll be able to put a competitive team together for our first season.
If you know of any young ladies that are looking for a place to play collegiate soccer, please tell them to contact me. Since the high school girls play in the spring, I'll have plenty of time to scout the 2010 class. I'm sure we'll be able to put a competitive team together for our first season.
Region 24 post season scores
Information on Region 24 post season games is hard to come by so I thought I'd publish this in order to keep you informed about the tournament.
The three play in games were:
SWIC (1) vs K.C. (0)
RLC (2) vs Danville (0)
Lewis and Clark (6) vs SCI (1).
Round One had:
Lincoln Land (2) Lewis and Clark (1)
ICC (7) RLC (0)
SWIC (4) Heartland (2)
Lincoln (2) Parkland (1)
Round Two has:
SWIC vs ICC playing on 10/28
Lincoln vs Lincoln Land playing on 10/29
I'll update the scores when I get them
UPDATE!! ICC beat SWIC 1-0.
Lincoln Land beat Lincoln 2-0
ICC and Lincoln Land play for the Region 24 Championship at Bradley University on November 1st.
UPDATE,,,, ICC beat Lincoln Land 1-1 (3-1 PK) They play SchoolCraft College (16-1-1) on November 6-7th.
UPDATE,,,,SchoolCraft beats ICC 2-1 in overtime.
The three play in games were:
SWIC (1) vs K.C. (0)
RLC (2) vs Danville (0)
Lewis and Clark (6) vs SCI (1).
Round One had:
Lincoln Land (2) Lewis and Clark (1)
ICC (7) RLC (0)
SWIC (4) Heartland (2)
Lincoln (2) Parkland (1)
Round Two has:
SWIC vs ICC playing on 10/28
Lincoln vs Lincoln Land playing on 10/29
I'll update the scores when I get them
UPDATE!! ICC beat SWIC 1-0.
Lincoln Land beat Lincoln 2-0
ICC and Lincoln Land play for the Region 24 Championship at Bradley University on November 1st.
UPDATE,,,, ICC beat Lincoln Land 1-1 (3-1 PK) They play SchoolCraft College (16-1-1) on November 6-7th.
UPDATE,,,,SchoolCraft beats ICC 2-1 in overtime.
Post Season Honors
I received an email from Rod Lovett, Region 24 Men's Soccer Director, notifying me that we have three boys that have been selected for post season honors.
Thad Snell has been selected as First Team All Region. Logan Gregg and Juan Arreola received Honorable Mention for Region 24.
The coaches of Region 24 teams submitted their nominations two weeks ago, and the selection was made public today. This is another accomplishment that we can add to our list this year.
Congratulations to Thad, Logan, and Juan!
Thad Snell has been selected as First Team All Region. Logan Gregg and Juan Arreola received Honorable Mention for Region 24.
The coaches of Region 24 teams submitted their nominations two weeks ago, and the selection was made public today. This is another accomplishment that we can add to our list this year.
Congratulations to Thad, Logan, and Juan!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
RLC vs ICC
We made the road trip to Peoria today for the second time in seven days. Last Saturday we wrapped up our Region 24 play at ICC and today we were back for the first round of the Region 24 playoffs after winning our play in game last week against Danville.
The field was the same,,, awful muddy and mucky; The weather was the same,,,, cold and windy; and the result was the same,,, ICC won. We lost to a very good team 7-0. We tip our hats to Coach OZ and his boys. They are a very fine team.
Our boys played a very good game in spite of the poor field conditions, and Josh Sears put in a fine performance at Keeper. I've watched a lot of Keepers this year in Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois, and I've seen a few just as good as Josh, but I haven't seen one better than him.
We'll get to host ICC next year. Hopefully the pitch will be dry and fast, and maybe the outcome will be different.
The field was the same,,, awful muddy and mucky; The weather was the same,,,, cold and windy; and the result was the same,,, ICC won. We lost to a very good team 7-0. We tip our hats to Coach OZ and his boys. They are a very fine team.
Our boys played a very good game in spite of the poor field conditions, and Josh Sears put in a fine performance at Keeper. I've watched a lot of Keepers this year in Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois, and I've seen a few just as good as Josh, but I haven't seen one better than him.
We'll get to host ICC next year. Hopefully the pitch will be dry and fast, and maybe the outcome will be different.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
RLC vs Danville
We hosted Danville in the first round of Region 24 post season play on October 21st at 2:00. Of all the teams in Region 24 we know Danville the best because we have played them four times in the past two years. Of those four matches Danville has won 2, we have won one, and we tied one. It's always a good match when we take on Danville.
This one started the way we wanted it to, with a 1-0 lead by a goal from Jared White in the 8th minute. That's the way the scored stayed until half. In the second half we dodged a bullet as Danville banged on off the top post on a wide open goal. In the 80th minute we went ahead 2-0 on a goal from Thad Snell, and that turned out to be the final score.
This one started the way we wanted it to, with a 1-0 lead by a goal from Jared White in the 8th minute. That's the way the scored stayed until half. In the second half we dodged a bullet as Danville banged on off the top post on a wide open goal. In the 80th minute we went ahead 2-0 on a goal from Thad Snell, and that turned out to be the final score.
Josh Sears turned in nice performance as he recorded another shutout with 8 saves. We finished with 17 shots on goal.
With this win our record is now 9-9-2. Our next match is this Saturday against ICC.
RLC vs Forest Park
We played Forest Park Community College in St. Louis on Ocotber 19th. The match was played under the lights at the beautiful soccer specific facilities of St Louis University High School.
We got on the scoreboard first with a goal by Jared White. Forest Park tied it a little later on, and we went ahead again by a nice goal from Eli Bradley on a beautiful assist by Cesar Garcia. Forest Park tied the score with 35 seconds to go in the match on a nice corner that they converted on the back post. After two 10 minute golden goal overtimes the match ended in a 2-2 tie.
Our thanks to Coach Henson and his boys for hosting us. We're looking forward to returning the favor in the 2010 season.
We got on the scoreboard first with a goal by Jared White. Forest Park tied it a little later on, and we went ahead again by a nice goal from Eli Bradley on a beautiful assist by Cesar Garcia. Forest Park tied the score with 35 seconds to go in the match on a nice corner that they converted on the back post. After two 10 minute golden goal overtimes the match ended in a 2-2 tie.
Our thanks to Coach Henson and his boys for hosting us. We're looking forward to returning the favor in the 2010 season.
RLC vs ICC
The trip to Peoria is a long one on any given day, but when you drive for 11 hours the day before it makes it a bit longer. We got back from our Mississippi late Friday night, then left for Peoria on the morning of the 17th to drive for four hours and play one of the best teams in the nation.
It wasn't the best of days to play. Peoria had received a lot of rain and the pitch was in bad shape. Add to that the cold weather and it didn't make for one of those "perfect days" to play on.
We went up 1-0 on a nice goal by Griffin Groves. He had a nice break away on the left side and sent the ball to the right side of goal from 20 yards out. ICC tied it shortly after that on a PK, and by half it was 4-1. The game was called in the 72nd minute due to the unsafe conditions of the pitch with ICC leading 9-1.
Coach Oz has done a great job assembling a nationally ranked team. They are awesome! One of our boys summed up the day the best when he said, "this is the best team I've played against on the worst pitch that I've played on".
It wasn't the best of days to play. Peoria had received a lot of rain and the pitch was in bad shape. Add to that the cold weather and it didn't make for one of those "perfect days" to play on.
We went up 1-0 on a nice goal by Griffin Groves. He had a nice break away on the left side and sent the ball to the right side of goal from 20 yards out. ICC tied it shortly after that on a PK, and by half it was 4-1. The game was called in the 72nd minute due to the unsafe conditions of the pitch with ICC leading 9-1.
Coach Oz has done a great job assembling a nationally ranked team. They are awesome! One of our boys summed up the day the best when he said, "this is the best team I've played against on the worst pitch that I've played on".
RLC's Mississippi Trip
One of the items on our fall agenda was to take a road trip in order to get our program some exposure outside of Southern Illinois. So on October 13th we hit the road for Mississippi.
We played Southwest Mississippi Community College on the 14th and walked away with a 4-3 win. It was a good physical match for us. We played one of the best possession games that we've played all year and it paid off for us. Many thanks to Coach Strother and his staff for making us feel welcome at SWMCC.
We left Summit the next day and drove to Poplarville to play Pearl River Community College. After going up 1-0 early in the game on a penalty kick by Ceasar Garcia, our boys were shot. The game the day before, the 90+ temp, the humidity, and a very good Pearl River team, were to much for us on that day. We lost 6-1. I would have preferred a day's rest between the games, but there wasn't much we could do about the scheduling this year. Next year, we'll try to avoid back to back matches. But our jerseys go off to Coach Byrd and the Pearl River boys, they played a heck of a game.
Hopefully we'll get to host one or both of these programs next year. This may be the beginning of some good matches with some Mississippi teams.
We played Southwest Mississippi Community College on the 14th and walked away with a 4-3 win. It was a good physical match for us. We played one of the best possession games that we've played all year and it paid off for us. Many thanks to Coach Strother and his staff for making us feel welcome at SWMCC.
We left Summit the next day and drove to Poplarville to play Pearl River Community College. After going up 1-0 early in the game on a penalty kick by Ceasar Garcia, our boys were shot. The game the day before, the 90+ temp, the humidity, and a very good Pearl River team, were to much for us on that day. We lost 6-1. I would have preferred a day's rest between the games, but there wasn't much we could do about the scheduling this year. Next year, we'll try to avoid back to back matches. But our jerseys go off to Coach Byrd and the Pearl River boys, they played a heck of a game.
Hopefully we'll get to host one or both of these programs next year. This may be the beginning of some good matches with some Mississippi teams.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
RLC vs St Charles
We hosted St. Charles Commuity College this afternoon at 2:00. This was our first look at St. Charles. I knew very little about them before the match, except for their record. I had a hunch that it would be a pretty even match, and I was right.
We started the match like we have started most of our games this year, that is we scored first. Jared White laid off a text book cross in the box and Thad Snell was there to clean up. St. Charles looked a bit down, but they responded with an unlikely goal five minutes later. 1-1
After a foul just outside the box was awarded us, Thad Snell takes the free kick and messes their net up with a rocket shot that went through the wall and past the Keeper before he knew what was up. We're up 2-1 and feeling pretty good. But ten minutes later they take the ball down the right, cross it in with a diagonal pass and tie it up 2-2. That's the way the half came to a close.
In the second half one of our boys gets his second yellow (I'm not going there to talk about the call) and we have to play the rest of the half down one man. That worked to St. Charles' advantage. They scored in the 70th minute and we failed on several opportunitites to capitalize. 7-7-1 is not where we wanted to be at the end of this week, but that's the way the ball bounced for us.
We're taking a trip to Mississippi next week to play Southwest Mississippi Co.Co.and Pearl River Co. Co. We get back on Friday, go to Peoria on Saturday and wrap up our season on the 19th in St. Louis against Forrest Park Co. Co.
We started the match like we have started most of our games this year, that is we scored first. Jared White laid off a text book cross in the box and Thad Snell was there to clean up. St. Charles looked a bit down, but they responded with an unlikely goal five minutes later. 1-1
After a foul just outside the box was awarded us, Thad Snell takes the free kick and messes their net up with a rocket shot that went through the wall and past the Keeper before he knew what was up. We're up 2-1 and feeling pretty good. But ten minutes later they take the ball down the right, cross it in with a diagonal pass and tie it up 2-2. That's the way the half came to a close.
In the second half one of our boys gets his second yellow (I'm not going there to talk about the call) and we have to play the rest of the half down one man. That worked to St. Charles' advantage. They scored in the 70th minute and we failed on several opportunitites to capitalize. 7-7-1 is not where we wanted to be at the end of this week, but that's the way the ball bounced for us.
We're taking a trip to Mississippi next week to play Southwest Mississippi Co.Co.and Pearl River Co. Co. We get back on Friday, go to Peoria on Saturday and wrap up our season on the 19th in St. Louis against Forrest Park Co. Co.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
RLC vs Parkland
Parkland was one of those teams that beat us pretty bad last year. They are one of those teams that is on our payback list...:) We knew going into the match that we would give them a good one, and that we might even be able to pull off an upset.
The crowd, and the opposing team, were a little stunned when Thad Snell put one in from the right side in the 15th minute of the first half. The rest of the half was played hard, and physical on both sides, and it would have been a very good half IF the officals would have done what they were paid to do,,,, call a fair game. I don't like to talk about poor officiating, and 99% of the time I don't. But when lack of calls and missed calls result in goals,,,that's when I get a litte upset. What really upsets me even more is when an official acts in a non professional manner and taunts my boys! It is my responsibility to stick up for my boys, and that's what I did. Okay enough about the poor officiating, except to say that Parkland scored two goals on two missed calls, and we were denied one goal scoring opportunity because a foul on our attacker was not declared a PK, like it should have been. So, at the end of the first half it was 2-1 Parkland.
In the second half we had some good opportunities to tie the game, but their Keeper played a nice game and turned us away. Parkland got one more goal in the last two minutes of the game. When the whistle blew, we walked away feeling like it was a much closer game than a 3-1 loss.
They are still on our payback list, so hopefully next year when we welcome them to The Lake, they'll have a long bus ride home.
The crowd, and the opposing team, were a little stunned when Thad Snell put one in from the right side in the 15th minute of the first half. The rest of the half was played hard, and physical on both sides, and it would have been a very good half IF the officals would have done what they were paid to do,,,, call a fair game. I don't like to talk about poor officiating, and 99% of the time I don't. But when lack of calls and missed calls result in goals,,,that's when I get a litte upset. What really upsets me even more is when an official acts in a non professional manner and taunts my boys! It is my responsibility to stick up for my boys, and that's what I did. Okay enough about the poor officiating, except to say that Parkland scored two goals on two missed calls, and we were denied one goal scoring opportunity because a foul on our attacker was not declared a PK, like it should have been. So, at the end of the first half it was 2-1 Parkland.
In the second half we had some good opportunities to tie the game, but their Keeper played a nice game and turned us away. Parkland got one more goal in the last two minutes of the game. When the whistle blew, we walked away feeling like it was a much closer game than a 3-1 loss.
They are still on our payback list, so hopefully next year when we welcome them to The Lake, they'll have a long bus ride home.
RLC vs Danville
Danville. When I mention that name to my sophomore boys they get this look in their eyes and a taste in their mouth for victory. Last year in our first meeting we had a bitter battle with them at home, we lost 4-1. The second game of 08 was played at Danville and they won 2-1 on a last minute goal. So, needless to say, we wanted Danville in the worst way this year.
Our first match ended in a tie at the end of regulation, but that was due to poor officials who didn't know that we were supposed to play two ten minute golden goal overtimes. Fast forward to last Saturday, and we are hosting Danville for our second match of the year.
The first half was played extremely hard, something that our boys and Coach David's boys find easy to do when we play each other. In spite of hard, physical play the first half ended with a 0-0 tie.
What a difference halves can make. Our boys came out on fire. We shifted from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 and messed up their net three times in the last 45 minutes. Jared White put in two and Thad Snell added one. Danville got one late in the second half, but that was all they could muster. Kudos for an excellent effort to our Keeper Josh Sears. He had several nice saves and some unbelievable boots up the field to help us keep the pressure on their end of the field for most of the second half.
Now that we have a win against Danville, maybe our boys can relax a little bit next year and put Danville away twice without the pressure of getting that first win.
Our first match ended in a tie at the end of regulation, but that was due to poor officials who didn't know that we were supposed to play two ten minute golden goal overtimes. Fast forward to last Saturday, and we are hosting Danville for our second match of the year.
The first half was played extremely hard, something that our boys and Coach David's boys find easy to do when we play each other. In spite of hard, physical play the first half ended with a 0-0 tie.
What a difference halves can make. Our boys came out on fire. We shifted from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 and messed up their net three times in the last 45 minutes. Jared White put in two and Thad Snell added one. Danville got one late in the second half, but that was all they could muster. Kudos for an excellent effort to our Keeper Josh Sears. He had several nice saves and some unbelievable boots up the field to help us keep the pressure on their end of the field for most of the second half.
Now that we have a win against Danville, maybe our boys can relax a little bit next year and put Danville away twice without the pressure of getting that first win.
RLC vs Kaskaskia
We took a road trip to Kaskaskia last Friday to match up with the Blue Devils for the second time this season. Our first meeting ended in a 2-1 win for us in double over-time.
The game got under way just like the first one did. We found the back of the net early in the match for a 1-0 lead. KC got on the board a little later on and the first 45 minutes came to an end with a 1-1 tie.
In the second half we made an adjustment in our midfield that allowed us to dominate possession. Yet in spite of almost total control of the game we were only able to score one more goal. Give credit to the KC keeper, he made several saves.
Our boys wanted this win pretty bad, and in spite of a low scoring game they felt like they had the game under control for the bulk of the game. It's a nice feeling to be able to beat a conference opponent twice in the season. I'm sure this is the beginning of a very good rivalry.
The game got under way just like the first one did. We found the back of the net early in the match for a 1-0 lead. KC got on the board a little later on and the first 45 minutes came to an end with a 1-1 tie.
In the second half we made an adjustment in our midfield that allowed us to dominate possession. Yet in spite of almost total control of the game we were only able to score one more goal. Give credit to the KC keeper, he made several saves.
Our boys wanted this win pretty bad, and in spite of a low scoring game they felt like they had the game under control for the bulk of the game. It's a nice feeling to be able to beat a conference opponent twice in the season. I'm sure this is the beginning of a very good rivalry.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
RLC vs Lincoln Land
We hosted the 10th ranked team in the NJCAA today. Lincoln Land College came to Rend Lake today at 2:00. At the beginning of the match, the weather was beautiful, but by the 72nd minute the lighting came and the heavens opened. An hour later the rain finally stopped but the field was declared unsafe by the officials and the game was called.
Lincoln Land is a very talented team. They played physical, but our boys stood up to them and gave them a very good first half. The score was 2-0 at half, but one of the goals came on a mistake by us. So, I told our boys that they only had one earned goal in the half. 1-0 is not a bad score for the first 45 minutes of play against such a talented team. We didn't have a very good possesion game in the first half and that was probably due to Lincoln Land's pressure. We did a little better at possesion in the second half but the rains came and cut our chances short to try to catch up with them.
The game ended 3-0. We have two games next week. Hopefully we will have our injured boys back for those games.
Lincoln Land is a very talented team. They played physical, but our boys stood up to them and gave them a very good first half. The score was 2-0 at half, but one of the goals came on a mistake by us. So, I told our boys that they only had one earned goal in the half. 1-0 is not a bad score for the first 45 minutes of play against such a talented team. We didn't have a very good possesion game in the first half and that was probably due to Lincoln Land's pressure. We did a little better at possesion in the second half but the rains came and cut our chances short to try to catch up with them.
The game ended 3-0. We have two games next week. Hopefully we will have our injured boys back for those games.
Soccer Pictures
Dr. Brian Lee is not only an exceptional Podiatrist, he is also an accomplished photographer. He was at our game with Heartland and today's game against the 10th ranked team in the NJCAA, Lincoln Land.
Follow the link below to view and, if you want, to purchase some pictures.
http://www.toedoc.smugmug.com/Sports/Rend-Lake-Soccer-2009
Follow the link below to view and, if you want, to purchase some pictures.
http://www.toedoc.smugmug.com/Sports/Rend-Lake-Soccer-2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
RLC vs. Lincoln
Last year we made a trip to Lincoln and when the match was over we were looking at 10-0 loss. It was an ugly match, with poor sportsmanship on both teams but more so on them. I remember leaving the pitch thinking, "Next year things will be different".
We hosted Lincoln today. The weather was perfect, the pitch was in excellent shape, and the boys were ready. We got off to a good start. Thad Snell scored in the tenth minute. A few minutes later Griffin Groves missed a wide open shot in the six yard box. Seven minutes later Keiler Dillman put one in, and in the 32nd minute Thad messed up their net again. The half ended with the Warriors on top with a 3-0 lead.
The second half saw Lincoln turn up the heat, but our defense responded (as they always do), and shut them out with a little help from our Kepper, Josh Sears. Josh had 11 saves in the game. Before the final whistle blew Thad got the hat trick in the 73rd minute, a first for a Rend Lake Warrior!
This was a nice win for us. It's great to be 5-4-1. We're almost half way through the season and we're above .500 in one of the toughest regions in the nation. Not bad for a second year program!
We hosted Lincoln today. The weather was perfect, the pitch was in excellent shape, and the boys were ready. We got off to a good start. Thad Snell scored in the tenth minute. A few minutes later Griffin Groves missed a wide open shot in the six yard box. Seven minutes later Keiler Dillman put one in, and in the 32nd minute Thad messed up their net again. The half ended with the Warriors on top with a 3-0 lead.
The second half saw Lincoln turn up the heat, but our defense responded (as they always do), and shut them out with a little help from our Kepper, Josh Sears. Josh had 11 saves in the game. Before the final whistle blew Thad got the hat trick in the 73rd minute, a first for a Rend Lake Warrior!
This was a nice win for us. It's great to be 5-4-1. We're almost half way through the season and we're above .500 in one of the toughest regions in the nation. Not bad for a second year program!
RLC vs. Lewis & Clark
We hosted Lewis and Clark this past Tuesday at 4:00. From the get go we felt like we had an excellent chance to get a win against a team that beat us 9-2 a year ago.
The first half was a very good effort for us. When the first 45 minutes had expired we had 7 shots on goal with two corners, but no score. L & C scored two in the first half on four shots on goal.
The second half was another battle and when the dust settled we had four more shots on goal but none had found the back of the net. L & C remained scoreless as well. It was a hard fought match, and we came out short.
I have to think that if we play them six times, we would win half of them. But this is the one that counts, so we'll chalk it up as a learning experience and hopefully come out on Thursday and score some goals.
This loss drops us to 4-4-1.
The first half was a very good effort for us. When the first 45 minutes had expired we had 7 shots on goal with two corners, but no score. L & C scored two in the first half on four shots on goal.
The second half was another battle and when the dust settled we had four more shots on goal but none had found the back of the net. L & C remained scoreless as well. It was a hard fought match, and we came out short.
I have to think that if we play them six times, we would win half of them. But this is the one that counts, so we'll chalk it up as a learning experience and hopefully come out on Thursday and score some goals.
This loss drops us to 4-4-1.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
RLC vs SCI
We hosted Springfield College in Illinois today at 2:00 pm. Last year we traveled to Springfield and got beat 6-0. So, this was one that we really wanted, and we got it with a 2-1 victory.
I gave the boys Thursday and Friday off because we were so banged up, and worn out. We had a long road trip this past Monday, and we had a battle with SWIC on Wednesday. So, I called for a two day hiatus, and I think it made a huge difference. Our boys were fresh, and so ready to play.
We came out hot. Thad Snell had his first of two goals in the fifth minute. He found the back of the net again in the 20th minute. My Mids played a very good game, and my Defense was stellar. When we have both of those things going for us, all our Forwards have to do is hit the gaps on the runs and finish. We didn't finish like we should have. One goal was called back for offside, and two bounced off the wood, while three went wide. They snuck one in with in the 40th minute.
When time expired our boys were pretty happy, and so were the coaches,,,:) 4-3-1 is a record that I'm very happy with. We only have two games next week, and both are home games. I'm glad we are not traveling, that will help us recover, and hopefully be fresh for both games.
Injury report. Neil Houlihan and Joel Harrison are still on the DL. They both have severe quad injuries. We're going to nurse them along and bring them back when they are healed. We will need them for the middle to the end of the season and also for our post season play. Keep them in your prayers.
I gave the boys Thursday and Friday off because we were so banged up, and worn out. We had a long road trip this past Monday, and we had a battle with SWIC on Wednesday. So, I called for a two day hiatus, and I think it made a huge difference. Our boys were fresh, and so ready to play.
We came out hot. Thad Snell had his first of two goals in the fifth minute. He found the back of the net again in the 20th minute. My Mids played a very good game, and my Defense was stellar. When we have both of those things going for us, all our Forwards have to do is hit the gaps on the runs and finish. We didn't finish like we should have. One goal was called back for offside, and two bounced off the wood, while three went wide. They snuck one in with in the 40th minute.
When time expired our boys were pretty happy, and so were the coaches,,,:) 4-3-1 is a record that I'm very happy with. We only have two games next week, and both are home games. I'm glad we are not traveling, that will help us recover, and hopefully be fresh for both games.
Injury report. Neil Houlihan and Joel Harrison are still on the DL. They both have severe quad injuries. We're going to nurse them along and bring them back when they are healed. We will need them for the middle to the end of the season and also for our post season play. Keep them in your prayers.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
RLC vs SWIC
We hosted SWIC this afternoon. The 3:00 scheduled game came on a beautiful sunny afternoon. It was hot, and I think the temp got a little hotter as the game got under way.
SWIC is a very good team. They were one of the teams that beat us pretty bad last year. Needless to say, we wanted to give these boys a run for their money this year. Realistically I thought we could play with them this year, and we did.
We started the game with three starters out with injuries and three more starters played with injuries. Thankfully we have some talented guys that can come off the bench and give us some good playing time. If we get a chance to see them again this year, hopefully it will be with an injury free squad.
When the whistle blew to start the game, it was on. Both teams wanted to establish dominance, and it was a fast paced game for the first ten minutes. They got on the board first at the 15 minute mark. We came back with a nice shot on goal that almost broke through. 10 minutes later they get their second one, and that's the way it stayed until half. We had three shots on goal in the first 45 and they had six, converting on two of them.
The second half was ours for the first quarter. We had two very good opportunities to score, one on a break away, and one from a corner. At the 65 minute mark they scored their final goal. We had two more chances to get on the board, but they both were stopped. Both teams ended the half with 4 shots on goal.
Our defensive backs played superb. Those guys leave everything they have on the field. When they walk off, they are spent. Our mids did a pretty good job of possessing, but against such a quality team we had some trouble with that part of our game. Freshman Keeper Josh Sears played an excellent game. Our forwards are banged up, and it showed today. We need some rest and recovery in order to get ready for SCI this Saturday.
The loss puts us at 3-3-1. If we're going by points, we have 10. Not a bad start at all.
SWIC is a very good team. They were one of the teams that beat us pretty bad last year. Needless to say, we wanted to give these boys a run for their money this year. Realistically I thought we could play with them this year, and we did.
We started the game with three starters out with injuries and three more starters played with injuries. Thankfully we have some talented guys that can come off the bench and give us some good playing time. If we get a chance to see them again this year, hopefully it will be with an injury free squad.
When the whistle blew to start the game, it was on. Both teams wanted to establish dominance, and it was a fast paced game for the first ten minutes. They got on the board first at the 15 minute mark. We came back with a nice shot on goal that almost broke through. 10 minutes later they get their second one, and that's the way it stayed until half. We had three shots on goal in the first 45 and they had six, converting on two of them.
The second half was ours for the first quarter. We had two very good opportunities to score, one on a break away, and one from a corner. At the 65 minute mark they scored their final goal. We had two more chances to get on the board, but they both were stopped. Both teams ended the half with 4 shots on goal.
Our defensive backs played superb. Those guys leave everything they have on the field. When they walk off, they are spent. Our mids did a pretty good job of possessing, but against such a quality team we had some trouble with that part of our game. Freshman Keeper Josh Sears played an excellent game. Our forwards are banged up, and it showed today. We need some rest and recovery in order to get ready for SCI this Saturday.
The loss puts us at 3-3-1. If we're going by points, we have 10. Not a bad start at all.
Monday, September 7, 2009
RLC vs Carl Sandburg
We took the boys to Galesburg today, a five hour bus trip, to play Carl Sandburg. The start time for the match was 3:00. Two minutes into the game and we're up 1-0 with a nice finish from Thad Snell. By the time the whistle blew for the half we had a 3-0 lead. Thad had put another one in and Andy Jerome scored his first of the year.
At the half we talked about not coming out flat, like we had done on two other ocassions. The boys responded. Our defensive game never looked better. The back four turned in a stellar performance as they helped our rookie Keeper, Josh Sears, keep the net clean the entire game. Marcus, our starting Keeper, is out with a back injury. Our offense also responded. Jared White and Eli Bradley found the back of the net for the first time of the year with two sweet goals.
The win made the five hour trip home a little better, although it's no fun getting up at six, leaving at eight, and getting back home at 11:30.
We're at 3-2-1. At the beginning of the season I looked at our schedule and wondering where we would be at this point of the season. At that time I thought we would have a little better record than we have, but I am not complaining.
We have two tough matches this week. SWIC comes to the Lake on Wed and SCI pays a visit on Saturday. I hope we are able to stay close with these teams until the end of the match so we can give ourselves a chance to pull out a couple of more wins.
At the half we talked about not coming out flat, like we had done on two other ocassions. The boys responded. Our defensive game never looked better. The back four turned in a stellar performance as they helped our rookie Keeper, Josh Sears, keep the net clean the entire game. Marcus, our starting Keeper, is out with a back injury. Our offense also responded. Jared White and Eli Bradley found the back of the net for the first time of the year with two sweet goals.
The win made the five hour trip home a little better, although it's no fun getting up at six, leaving at eight, and getting back home at 11:30.
We're at 3-2-1. At the beginning of the season I looked at our schedule and wondering where we would be at this point of the season. At that time I thought we would have a little better record than we have, but I am not complaining.
We have two tough matches this week. SWIC comes to the Lake on Wed and SCI pays a visit on Saturday. I hope we are able to stay close with these teams until the end of the match so we can give ourselves a chance to pull out a couple of more wins.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
RLC vs. Heartland
We hosted Heartland College from Bloomington this afternoon. Heartland was one of those opponents that we had no chance against last year, but this year was different.
The game was 3-1 at halftime with Heartland in the lead. Juan Arreola hit a rocket in the 25th minute to put us on the scoreboard. Our defense held and at half we were down by two goals. This is the first game this season where we haven't scored first. We had some very good opportunities to score in the first half, but we didn't get the job done.
The second half started out in our favor. We put early pressure on Heartland and had two near miss shots on goal. Thad Snell scored in the 70th minute, after they had scored another goal. We had two more good opportunities to score, one being a penalty kick that the Keeper stopped, and the other being a one on one break away. The game ended with a 5-2 loss. That puts us at 2-2-1.
I told the boys that they played exceptionally well against one of the better teams in our Region. Hopefully when we get our injured players back, we'll put together a better performance in our next few games.
Right now we have three guys nursing quad problems; Neil Houlihan, E.Z. Wright and Joel Harrison. Two of our guys have taken some pretty hard hits on the head and they aren't back to full strength yet. They are Micah Duncan and Griffin Groves. Hopefully we'll have all of these guys back by midweek next week.
We go to Carl Sandburg on Monday. It's a long drive, and I hope we get a much deserved win.
The game was 3-1 at halftime with Heartland in the lead. Juan Arreola hit a rocket in the 25th minute to put us on the scoreboard. Our defense held and at half we were down by two goals. This is the first game this season where we haven't scored first. We had some very good opportunities to score in the first half, but we didn't get the job done.
The second half started out in our favor. We put early pressure on Heartland and had two near miss shots on goal. Thad Snell scored in the 70th minute, after they had scored another goal. We had two more good opportunities to score, one being a penalty kick that the Keeper stopped, and the other being a one on one break away. The game ended with a 5-2 loss. That puts us at 2-2-1.
I told the boys that they played exceptionally well against one of the better teams in our Region. Hopefully when we get our injured players back, we'll put together a better performance in our next few games.
Right now we have three guys nursing quad problems; Neil Houlihan, E.Z. Wright and Joel Harrison. Two of our guys have taken some pretty hard hits on the head and they aren't back to full strength yet. They are Micah Duncan and Griffin Groves. Hopefully we'll have all of these guys back by midweek next week.
We go to Carl Sandburg on Monday. It's a long drive, and I hope we get a much deserved win.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Big Conference Win
There are only three men's soccer programs in the GRAC. They are Rend Lake, Southwest Illinois College, and Kaskaskia. We played KC today at 3:00 and came out on top 2-1 in a double overtime.
The game was scoreless at half. Both teams put forth a good effort. We ended the half with three shots on goal, KC had one. We had 10 breakaways but we couldn't find the back of the net on any of them. Frustrated was the mood at half. Our forwards were shaking their heads because of all the missed opportunities to score. We came out in the second half and put one in. That seemed to take some pressure off. We wanted a second goal quick in order to take the air out of KC's balloon, but after several chances the score was still 1-0 until they scored on a good shot from midfield. It was tied with 17 minutes to go in regulation. We kept the ball on their end and had a few good opportunities to go ahead, but the whistle blew before we could add one to the column.
The first ten minute overtime lapsed without a score, although we had a near goal in the first two minutes on a nice breakaway on the left. In the second overtime Thad Snell took the ball down the left, put a nice cross in the middle and Neil Houlihan finished. It was an exciting win, and it puts us in a good position early in the season. 2-1-1 is a pretty good start.
The game was scoreless at half. Both teams put forth a good effort. We ended the half with three shots on goal, KC had one. We had 10 breakaways but we couldn't find the back of the net on any of them. Frustrated was the mood at half. Our forwards were shaking their heads because of all the missed opportunities to score. We came out in the second half and put one in. That seemed to take some pressure off. We wanted a second goal quick in order to take the air out of KC's balloon, but after several chances the score was still 1-0 until they scored on a good shot from midfield. It was tied with 17 minutes to go in regulation. We kept the ball on their end and had a few good opportunities to go ahead, but the whistle blew before we could add one to the column.
The first ten minute overtime lapsed without a score, although we had a near goal in the first two minutes on a nice breakaway on the left. In the second overtime Thad Snell took the ball down the left, put a nice cross in the middle and Neil Houlihan finished. It was an exciting win, and it puts us in a good position early in the season. 2-1-1 is a pretty good start.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
1-1-1
That's the way our season has started. One win, one tie, one loss. We hosted Lindenwood University at Belleville yesterday afternoon at 4:00. LU @ Belleville is a new program, much like Rend Lake was last year, except for the fact that LU is a four year university. Coach Dan Hogan found 18 Junior College transfers and has put together a pretty good team.
I had no idea what to expect when the whistle blew yesterday afternoon, but I was confident that our boys were up for the challenge. The first half was pretty even. We had the slight edge in possession time and we had a few more opportunites to score than they did, but we both come up blank in the first 45 minutes. It was a physical game, but the Head Ref kept things under control. So, at half we talked about putting one in quick to gain the mental advantage. We responded with a beautiful cross by Juan Arreola and a nice finish by Neil Houlihan in the goal box. We have scored first in our first three games. That's normally a good sign of things to come, but not necessarily so.
We did the same thing in this game against LU that we did against Danville when we went up,,,, we relaxed. The intensity was gone, we let our guard down and they scored within 15 minutes. We talked about correcting that in tonight's pratice. 15 minutes later LU finds the net again. Now we're down 2-1 and LU is nervous. They change their game plan, and try to go to a stall game. Our boys dug down and put pressure on their end of the pitch for the next fifteen minutes. We bounced one off the far post, missed by inches. And Juan Arreola had a rocket shot from 35 yards out that almost caught the upper 90. Two inches to the right and we're up by one, if you count the one that bounced off the far post. We put constant pressure on their Keeper in that last quarter of a half, but it wasn't meant to be. The final whistle blew and we walked away with a very near miss.
Positive points on the game were: (1) Marcus Fernandes turned in a very good performance as Keeper. (2) Backs. I used six backs in the game and they all gave me a great effort. (3) Possession game. We did a very good job of possessing the ball in the first half, we didn't use it like we should have in the second half. (4) Forwards, worked hard to open up space for some nice runs. I used six forwards and there isn't much difference in all six. They all gave me quality time.
Yes, I was disappointed. This one could have easily gone our way. I always feel better after a win, but we can't win them all. This was a very good effort against a good team. We're a better team for playing this game. So, we'll build off of it and hopefully get a win tomorrow against Kaskaskia.
I had no idea what to expect when the whistle blew yesterday afternoon, but I was confident that our boys were up for the challenge. The first half was pretty even. We had the slight edge in possession time and we had a few more opportunites to score than they did, but we both come up blank in the first 45 minutes. It was a physical game, but the Head Ref kept things under control. So, at half we talked about putting one in quick to gain the mental advantage. We responded with a beautiful cross by Juan Arreola and a nice finish by Neil Houlihan in the goal box. We have scored first in our first three games. That's normally a good sign of things to come, but not necessarily so.
We did the same thing in this game against LU that we did against Danville when we went up,,,, we relaxed. The intensity was gone, we let our guard down and they scored within 15 minutes. We talked about correcting that in tonight's pratice. 15 minutes later LU finds the net again. Now we're down 2-1 and LU is nervous. They change their game plan, and try to go to a stall game. Our boys dug down and put pressure on their end of the pitch for the next fifteen minutes. We bounced one off the far post, missed by inches. And Juan Arreola had a rocket shot from 35 yards out that almost caught the upper 90. Two inches to the right and we're up by one, if you count the one that bounced off the far post. We put constant pressure on their Keeper in that last quarter of a half, but it wasn't meant to be. The final whistle blew and we walked away with a very near miss.
Positive points on the game were: (1) Marcus Fernandes turned in a very good performance as Keeper. (2) Backs. I used six backs in the game and they all gave me a great effort. (3) Possession game. We did a very good job of possessing the ball in the first half, we didn't use it like we should have in the second half. (4) Forwards, worked hard to open up space for some nice runs. I used six forwards and there isn't much difference in all six. They all gave me quality time.
Yes, I was disappointed. This one could have easily gone our way. I always feel better after a win, but we can't win them all. This was a very good effort against a good team. We're a better team for playing this game. So, we'll build off of it and hopefully get a win tomorrow against Kaskaskia.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
First Official Match
On August 28th we took a three hour road trip to Danville to play our first "official" game of the 2009 season. Last year we lost to Danville 4-1 and 2-1. Needless to say we were wanting to go to Danville and get a win this year.
The game stared the way we wanted it. Thad Snell put in a goal on a breakaway from the left side at the 15 minute mark. We were looking good. Our possession game was exceptional, and we were putting good pressure on the ball. But after our first goal we hit a lull, and we didn't see much production although we had some good chances to score. Danville put in their first goal late in the first half. It was a 30 yard shot from midfield after a rebound from the penalty area. So, at half time it was 1-1. Not exactly what I was hoping for at half time, but it wasn't a bad effort.
In the second half Neil Houlihan found the back of the net on a breakaway. His goal put us up 2-1 and that's the way it stayed until the 80th minute. They scored from the midfield again after a poor effort on our part to clear the ball. Their second goal should have never been. Our boys seemed to dig down a little bit after that tieing goal. We had some very good chances to go ahead. Three breakaways were foiled by a good effort on the Keeper.
Disappointed, not angry, was a good description of me after the game. I felt like we had the advantage in speed, and talent. I'm not making excuses for the game, but the officiating was sub par for collegiate soccer. Even the opposing coach agreed with me after the game about the sub par officiating. BUT officiating did not lose the game for us. We just simply failed to finish on the ample opportunities that we had. If we would have made half of the breakaways that we had, the score would have been 5-2. Hopefully, we'll do a better job at finishing next week at our three home games.
This was a good test for us. It humbled us a little. I think the boys went into this match thinking that we would be able to do to Danville what we did to Williams Baptist. Hopefully we have learned to not take any game for granted.
Next week is a busy week with three home games. We play Lindenwood University at Belleville and I don't know a thing about them. So we will prepare for them like they are an excellent team and hopefully have a good showing on our home pitch. Kaskaskia is our opponent on Wednesady. They are a new program like us, and that should be a pretty even match. Heartland comes to the Lake on Saturday. They will be a tough opponent. Last year we played them a close game on a small field, but at the end of the season we played them on a different field and they handed it to us. I think we'll give them a little better game this year.
In the end 1-0-1 isn't a bad start, could be better, but it could be worse.
The game stared the way we wanted it. Thad Snell put in a goal on a breakaway from the left side at the 15 minute mark. We were looking good. Our possession game was exceptional, and we were putting good pressure on the ball. But after our first goal we hit a lull, and we didn't see much production although we had some good chances to score. Danville put in their first goal late in the first half. It was a 30 yard shot from midfield after a rebound from the penalty area. So, at half time it was 1-1. Not exactly what I was hoping for at half time, but it wasn't a bad effort.
In the second half Neil Houlihan found the back of the net on a breakaway. His goal put us up 2-1 and that's the way it stayed until the 80th minute. They scored from the midfield again after a poor effort on our part to clear the ball. Their second goal should have never been. Our boys seemed to dig down a little bit after that tieing goal. We had some very good chances to go ahead. Three breakaways were foiled by a good effort on the Keeper.
Disappointed, not angry, was a good description of me after the game. I felt like we had the advantage in speed, and talent. I'm not making excuses for the game, but the officiating was sub par for collegiate soccer. Even the opposing coach agreed with me after the game about the sub par officiating. BUT officiating did not lose the game for us. We just simply failed to finish on the ample opportunities that we had. If we would have made half of the breakaways that we had, the score would have been 5-2. Hopefully, we'll do a better job at finishing next week at our three home games.
This was a good test for us. It humbled us a little. I think the boys went into this match thinking that we would be able to do to Danville what we did to Williams Baptist. Hopefully we have learned to not take any game for granted.
Next week is a busy week with three home games. We play Lindenwood University at Belleville and I don't know a thing about them. So we will prepare for them like they are an excellent team and hopefully have a good showing on our home pitch. Kaskaskia is our opponent on Wednesady. They are a new program like us, and that should be a pretty even match. Heartland comes to the Lake on Saturday. They will be a tough opponent. Last year we played them a close game on a small field, but at the end of the season we played them on a different field and they handed it to us. I think we'll give them a little better game this year.
In the end 1-0-1 isn't a bad start, could be better, but it could be worse.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Season is under way
The day of the first game, although it was a scrimmage, has come and gone. We played Williams Baptist College in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas this past Saturday. I never thought August 22nd would get here. It's a long time between August 1st and the 22nd when you are conditioning, training, and playing inter squad games. The boys were eager to play, and the coaches were certainly eager to see the boys play someone else.
We had a good showing. Our possession game was very good and so was our defensive pressure. We could have finished a little better on a couple of headers, and our corners need a little work, but all in all it was a very good outing. Our freshman Keeper (Marcus Fernandez) got put to the test a few times and he had a good showing. He'll continue to improve with experience and training.
You're not supposed to keep score in "scrimmages", but we won 4-1,,,:) We had some goals by two freshmen, Thad Snell and Neil Houlihan, and one goal by one of our returning sophomores, Jared Butler. Josh Sears, Griffin Groves, Andy Jerome, Ceasar Garcia, and Jared White all had opportunities to put one in the back of the net, but it wasn't meant to be for them. We have an excellent starting front line and we have three to four more on the bench that will come in and spell those boys and do an excellent job.
What I was most proud of was our possession game. I love possession soccer. To be able to build the attack from the back with one and two touches passes, taking the ball wide to stretch the defense, then passing to the middle so that our mids can send the ball forward through lanes created by our forwards making creative runs is simply beautiful to watch. We have three very good mids that can get the job done, along with two - three reserves on the bench that can come in and make a positive contribution. If we continue to do what we did last Saturday, and improve on that part of our game, we will be a pretty tough team by mid season.
The one downside to the game was the concussion (or contusion the drs. can't seem to make up their mind) that Micah Duncan sustained early in the first half. He went up for a header in a crowd and took a shot to the head either with an elbow or another players head. He came off the field during a regular substitution complaining of blurred vision. So I set him out for the rest of the game and took him to the Emergency Room after his symptoms continued. But the Emergency Room Dr. said that the scan didn't reveal any serious damage and we were cleared to go home, after a 3.5 hour visit! Micah is day to day right now. He should be back in a week or so.
Our next match is the start of our "official" season. We go to Danville this Friday to play the team that beat us last year 2-1 with 10 seconds left on the clock. Needless to say, we want this game pretty bad. Hopefully we'll show up ready to play and give Danville a very good game.
We had a good showing. Our possession game was very good and so was our defensive pressure. We could have finished a little better on a couple of headers, and our corners need a little work, but all in all it was a very good outing. Our freshman Keeper (Marcus Fernandez) got put to the test a few times and he had a good showing. He'll continue to improve with experience and training.
You're not supposed to keep score in "scrimmages", but we won 4-1,,,:) We had some goals by two freshmen, Thad Snell and Neil Houlihan, and one goal by one of our returning sophomores, Jared Butler. Josh Sears, Griffin Groves, Andy Jerome, Ceasar Garcia, and Jared White all had opportunities to put one in the back of the net, but it wasn't meant to be for them. We have an excellent starting front line and we have three to four more on the bench that will come in and spell those boys and do an excellent job.
What I was most proud of was our possession game. I love possession soccer. To be able to build the attack from the back with one and two touches passes, taking the ball wide to stretch the defense, then passing to the middle so that our mids can send the ball forward through lanes created by our forwards making creative runs is simply beautiful to watch. We have three very good mids that can get the job done, along with two - three reserves on the bench that can come in and make a positive contribution. If we continue to do what we did last Saturday, and improve on that part of our game, we will be a pretty tough team by mid season.
The one downside to the game was the concussion (or contusion the drs. can't seem to make up their mind) that Micah Duncan sustained early in the first half. He went up for a header in a crowd and took a shot to the head either with an elbow or another players head. He came off the field during a regular substitution complaining of blurred vision. So I set him out for the rest of the game and took him to the Emergency Room after his symptoms continued. But the Emergency Room Dr. said that the scan didn't reveal any serious damage and we were cleared to go home, after a 3.5 hour visit! Micah is day to day right now. He should be back in a week or so.
Our next match is the start of our "official" season. We go to Danville this Friday to play the team that beat us last year 2-1 with 10 seconds left on the clock. Needless to say, we want this game pretty bad. Hopefully we'll show up ready to play and give Danville a very good game.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
News on the Kenyans
Oscar and Antony had their appointment with the U.S. Embassy on the 17th of June and they were denied their request for a student visa. The reason they were denied is complicated so I won't go into any details, but it was not a permanent denial. They can reschedule their appointment with the Embassy and provide the information in that interview that was lacking in the first interview. Keep them in your prayers as they make another appointment in the very near future. Their bags are packed, their airline tickets are arranged, all they need is approval from the Embassy to come the states.
Just in case they don't make it, I'm on the hunt for some others that might fill their spots. We will have a full team of players by August, one way or the other.
With or without the Kenyans we are going to be a good team. I'm very pleased with the talent that we have been able to assemble so far. I was wanting to see you all on the pitch in a bad way on the night of our team meeting, but it wasn't meant to be. Hopefully we will get you all together soon so we can see what we have.
Keep conditioning, you're going to need to be in very good shape by the time we hit the ground running on August 1st.
Just in case they don't make it, I'm on the hunt for some others that might fill their spots. We will have a full team of players by August, one way or the other.
With or without the Kenyans we are going to be a good team. I'm very pleased with the talent that we have been able to assemble so far. I was wanting to see you all on the pitch in a bad way on the night of our team meeting, but it wasn't meant to be. Hopefully we will get you all together soon so we can see what we have.
Keep conditioning, you're going to need to be in very good shape by the time we hit the ground running on August 1st.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Team Meeting Update
The Team Meeting will be June 8th, 5:00 p.m. at Second Baptist Church. SBC is located at 605 South 34th Street, Mt. Vernon. We'll meet at 5:00 for a cookout/meeting, then conclude with a light scrimmage just to see what we have as a team. You won't need to bring anything for the cookout, just an appetite. If for some reason you can't make it, (you better have a very good reason why you can't make it) call me or text me and let me know.
For those of you that live an hour or so drive from Mt. Vernon, you may want to contact Coach V and make arrangements to spend the night at America's Best Inn in Mt Vernon. Coach V owns the motel.
For those of you that live an hour or so drive from Mt. Vernon, you may want to contact Coach V and make arrangements to spend the night at America's Best Inn in Mt Vernon. Coach V owns the motel.
2009 Schedule
RLC is having trouble posting the new schedule so I thought I'd publish it.
8/22 Williams Baptist College JV Away Not yet determined
8/28 Danville Away 3:00
8/31 Lindenwood University Home 4:00
9/2 Kaskaskia Home 3:00
9/5 Heartland Home 2:00
9/7 Carl Sandberg Away 3:00
9/9 SWIC Home 3:00
9/12 Springfield College Home 2:00
9/15 Lewis and Clark Home 4:00
9/17 Lincoln College Home 3:00
9/22 ICC Away 3:00
9/24 McKendree JV Home 3:00
9/26 Lincolnland Home 2:00
10/2 Kaskaskia Away 4:00
10/3 Danville Home 2:00
10/5 Parkland Away 4:00
10/8 Missouri Baptist JV Away 5:00
10/10 St. Charles Co. Co. Home 2:00
10/14 Southwest Mississippi Co.Co. Away Not yet determined
10/15 Pearl River Co. Co. Away Not yet determined
10/19 Forrest Park Co. Co. Away 7:00
8/22 Williams Baptist College JV Away Not yet determined
8/28 Danville Away 3:00
8/31 Lindenwood University Home 4:00
9/2 Kaskaskia Home 3:00
9/5 Heartland Home 2:00
9/7 Carl Sandberg Away 3:00
9/9 SWIC Home 3:00
9/12 Springfield College Home 2:00
9/15 Lewis and Clark Home 4:00
9/17 Lincoln College Home 3:00
9/22 ICC Away 3:00
9/24 McKendree JV Home 3:00
9/26 Lincolnland Home 2:00
10/2 Kaskaskia Away 4:00
10/3 Danville Home 2:00
10/5 Parkland Away 4:00
10/8 Missouri Baptist JV Away 5:00
10/10 St. Charles Co. Co. Home 2:00
10/14 Southwest Mississippi Co.Co. Away Not yet determined
10/15 Pearl River Co. Co. Away Not yet determined
10/19 Forrest Park Co. Co. Away 7:00
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Better late than never
Jared White was one of the first guys to sign back in late fall of 2008. I wasn't able to get ahold of his picture until recently. He will be a force to reckoned with in the midfield. He played high school soccer at Triad and he played one year at our rival SWIC. We won't hold that against him,,,:) I'm glad that he is a Warrior. He will make a big difference for us this year.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Team Meeting
Hey guys, I'd like to have a team meeting on June 8th or 9th. I need to know how many can make it on those days. If we go on the 8th we will have a meeting in the late afternoon with a cookout/meeting and a fun scrimmage just to see what we have. If we go on the 9th we will have the meeting in the morning with a meeting/cookout and a fun scrimmage.
Text me and let me know what day is best for you. Then I'll get back with you on which day works out best for all of us. Hopefully all of you can make it.
Text me and let me know what day is best for you. Then I'll get back with you on which day works out best for all of us. Hopefully all of you can make it.
Housing News
I got word today that the housing deal in Ina is approved! George (the owner) has purchased two homes that will house 16 people. The rooms will be $225 for the first two months and then drop to $200 for the rest of the year. Rent includes water, gas, electricity, and garbage pickup. Beds, end tables, stove, refrigerator, and a washer and dryer are included. Cable and Internet access are not included. But the guys that stay in the houses can get together and purchase cable/internet as a group, if you want. The houses will be ready within two weeks. George is having new carpet installed in both houses. I'll let you know when you can come and check them out.
As of now, 16 of you have said that you are interested in the housing. So we are maxed out on housing. If you have changed your mind and are no longer interested let me know as soon as you can.
As of now, 16 of you have said that you are interested in the housing. So we are maxed out on housing. If you have changed your mind and are no longer interested let me know as soon as you can.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Schedule for fall 2009 is ready!
One of the hardest parts of this soccer job is scheduling games. I'm happy to report that the hard work is over and we have a final schedule. We will have to tweek it just a little because we don't have the start time on three of our games, but other than that it is ready to publish. It should be online in a few days, so go to rlc.edu and check out the soccer page for the schedule.
I'll go ahead and give you the dates and opponents that we play on a few of the games so you can start to plan your schedule:
August 28th Real Madrid
September 2nd Manchester United (we'll put Coach V on Ronaldo)
September 7th AC Milan
Looks like we have our work cut out for us,,,,;)
But seriously the REAL schedule will be online by the end of this week
I'll go ahead and give you the dates and opponents that we play on a few of the games so you can start to plan your schedule:
August 28th Real Madrid
September 2nd Manchester United (we'll put Coach V on Ronaldo)
September 7th AC Milan
Looks like we have our work cut out for us,,,,;)
But seriously the REAL schedule will be online by the end of this week
Friday, April 24, 2009
We have a Keeper
Let me introduce the latest addition to our squad,,,Marcus Fernandes. He is a 6'1", 160 lb Keeper that lives in Nixa, Missouri. He is excited about coming to Rend Lake to pursue the new Athletic Trainer program at RLC, and to play some soccer this Fall. I'm looking forward to some good things from Marcus.
He is the 15th signee, that means I have one more to sign, besides Oscar and Antony from Kenya.
In a few weeks you'll be receiving news about our first team meeting. We're trying to work out a date in the first of June. That way you all can meet your team mates and we can have some fun around a cookout and a kick around.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Latest Recruiting News
I have verbal commitments from numbers 15 and 16 on our roster. That leaves two spots (numbers 17 and 18) on the scholarship roster for Oscar and Antony.
We have mailed the student visas to Oscar and Antony, they should have received them by now. Hopefully they will be able to get an appointment with the U.S. Embassy soon and then we'll have to wait and see if they can get permission to come over.
The two latest recruits are Marcus Fernandes and Neil Houlihan. Marcus is a Keeper from Nixa, Missouri, and Neil is a Forward from Springfield, Illinois. I'll be signing both of them sometime next week.
After all of our high school scholarship guys graduate, we'll have a team meeting to introduce everyone, have a little cookout, and a kick around, just to get to know each other. Also once we get our high school guys graduated we'll be able to get everyone together throughout the summer for some scrimmages.
I'll pass the word along just as soon as I hear from the guys from Kenya.
We have mailed the student visas to Oscar and Antony, they should have received them by now. Hopefully they will be able to get an appointment with the U.S. Embassy soon and then we'll have to wait and see if they can get permission to come over.
The two latest recruits are Marcus Fernandes and Neil Houlihan. Marcus is a Keeper from Nixa, Missouri, and Neil is a Forward from Springfield, Illinois. I'll be signing both of them sometime next week.
After all of our high school scholarship guys graduate, we'll have a team meeting to introduce everyone, have a little cookout, and a kick around, just to get to know each other. Also once we get our high school guys graduated we'll be able to get everyone together throughout the summer for some scrimmages.
I'll pass the word along just as soon as I hear from the guys from Kenya.
Monday, March 23, 2009
And yet a few more pics,,,,
I couldn't load all the pics in the first blog, so here are the rest. Josh Sears and Tyler Appleby are at the top and last but not least, Logan Gregg.
I couldn't help but throw in one of my grand daughter Lily Faith,,,:)
A few more pics of the guys
Nathan Wheeler is the sports information director at RLC. He sent the following pics so that I could post them on this blog.
From top to bottom are : Jared Butler, Micah Duncan and Joel Harrison, Cesar Garcia, Andy Jerome, and my fearless assistant Vimal Patel or as he is known by the guys,,,Coach V!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Scrimmage on Tuesdays
This Tuesday, March 10, we will have "open field" on the RLC soccer pitch starting at 5:00 p.m and going until dark. We will have "open field" every Tuesday (except March 17th that's Spring Break) unless you hear different from me. I've invited all the guys that I've signed and a few other guys in order to get 22 so we can go 11v11. Bring your shin guards, and let's enjoy some time outside with this warmer weather.
If any of you guys at RLC are free during the day on Monday, I could use some help lining the field. I should be on campus by 10:00 a.m.
If any of you guys at RLC are free during the day on Monday, I could use some help lining the field. I should be on campus by 10:00 a.m.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
New Recruits
From top to bottom are my three newest recruits. Jordan Grace from Hopkinsville, Kentucky, Eric Wright from Harrisburg, Illinois and Griffin Groves from Olney, Illinois are the latest young men to sign a letter of intent to play soccer for RLC this fall.
Jordan played forward for the University Heights Academy in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. He had several accomplishments this past fall including being named to the all district team and scoring 40 goals in his senior season! He set a school record of 100 goals in his four years at UHA. He's a talented player with a no quit attitude. He'll make a very nice addition to our squad this fall.
Eric played Keeper this past year for Coach Gregg, but he played the field his freshman through junior years. Eric did a great job at Keeper this past season as he stopped 7 out of 8 penalty kicks. He was named to the All South team this past year and he is very eager to get started at RLC. Although Eric did a great job at Keeper I'm probably going to use him on the field as a midfielder.
Griffin set the Olney High School record for career goals and assists this year. He was all sectional, all-state Chicago Fire all academic team, Decatur Herald first team, and all-south for two years. He's a very talented player that can fill any position on the field.
I'm very excited about these three young men. They are going to be an excellent addition to our 2009-2010 squad.
I'm very excited about these three young men. They are going to be an excellent addition to our 2009-2010 squad.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Recruiting News
Since my last post a few things have happened regarding recruiting, so I thought I'd pass those things along to you.
I am no longer trying to recruit the young man from Venezuela. He has other interests than RLC, so I have withdrawn my scholarship offer to him. I have decided to spend my time and energy on another international that has a great desire to play at RLC.
His name is Antony Kabui from Nairobi, Kenya. Some of you know that I tried to get Oscar Walunde and Antony to come to RLC last fall. However we had limited time last year and they could not get an appointment with the U.S. Embassy in time to get here last fall. We have plenty of time this year, so I'm confident that we will get Oscar and Antony. I have been in touch with Robert Mbatia (our contact in Kenya) several times this past week, and he assures me that the paper work for Oscar and Antony will be faxed to RLC this week. When we receive the paper work we can then forward the student visa requests. Once Robert, Oscar and Antony receive the paper work they will set up an appointment with the U.S. Embassy to see if they can get approval to come to the States on a student visa. That will be the hard part. So, if you're a praying person I request that you join me in praying that the boys will get approval from the Embassy. Hopefully the boys will be able to get here by June so they can get acclimated with the area, and put in some time with the team.
I'm very excited about the way the '09 team is shaping up. I have three - five more spots to fill on the roster and we will be set. I've tried to focus on recruiting talented midfielders, and I think I've been successful. We should be able to build an attack from the back, possess the ball in the middle and send it forward on a consistent basis this fall.
I am still waiting on an answer from two young men that I have offered scholarships. Once they give me a yes or a no, I will then be able to fill the other three - five spots. When I get those spots filled I'll post the news.
I am no longer trying to recruit the young man from Venezuela. He has other interests than RLC, so I have withdrawn my scholarship offer to him. I have decided to spend my time and energy on another international that has a great desire to play at RLC.
His name is Antony Kabui from Nairobi, Kenya. Some of you know that I tried to get Oscar Walunde and Antony to come to RLC last fall. However we had limited time last year and they could not get an appointment with the U.S. Embassy in time to get here last fall. We have plenty of time this year, so I'm confident that we will get Oscar and Antony. I have been in touch with Robert Mbatia (our contact in Kenya) several times this past week, and he assures me that the paper work for Oscar and Antony will be faxed to RLC this week. When we receive the paper work we can then forward the student visa requests. Once Robert, Oscar and Antony receive the paper work they will set up an appointment with the U.S. Embassy to see if they can get approval to come to the States on a student visa. That will be the hard part. So, if you're a praying person I request that you join me in praying that the boys will get approval from the Embassy. Hopefully the boys will be able to get here by June so they can get acclimated with the area, and put in some time with the team.
I'm very excited about the way the '09 team is shaping up. I have three - five more spots to fill on the roster and we will be set. I've tried to focus on recruiting talented midfielders, and I think I've been successful. We should be able to build an attack from the back, possess the ball in the middle and send it forward on a consistent basis this fall.
I am still waiting on an answer from two young men that I have offered scholarships. Once they give me a yes or a no, I will then be able to fill the other three - five spots. When I get those spots filled I'll post the news.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Update on 2009 Recruits and Scheduling
The 2009-10 recruiting year is off to a great start. Here's a rundown on how the squad is shaping up.
I'm bringing back four starters from the 2008 team. Andy Jerome, Logan Gregg, Tyler McKibben, and Jared Butler will bring back some experience and leadership to the team this year.
I've signed seven new young men, and offered scholarships to three more. The young men that I have signed are Micah Duncan, Tyler Appleby, Josh Sears, Joel Harrison, Cesar Garcia, Juan Arreola, and Jared White.
I'm in contact with three international players, two from Kenya and one from Venezeula. Hopefully, out of those three, we will get two of them.
The schedule has been set for 2009. I have scheduled 19 matches and one scrimmage. I'm waiting on one other coach to schedule a scrimmage with me. That will put us at 21 matches. Last year, because we got such a late start, we only had 13 matches. Included in this year's schedule is a trip to Southern Mississippi where we will play Southwest Mississippi Community College and Pearl River Community College. This should be a fun and challenging trip for our squad.
I'm bringing back four starters from the 2008 team. Andy Jerome, Logan Gregg, Tyler McKibben, and Jared Butler will bring back some experience and leadership to the team this year.
I've signed seven new young men, and offered scholarships to three more. The young men that I have signed are Micah Duncan, Tyler Appleby, Josh Sears, Joel Harrison, Cesar Garcia, Juan Arreola, and Jared White.
I'm in contact with three international players, two from Kenya and one from Venezeula. Hopefully, out of those three, we will get two of them.
The schedule has been set for 2009. I have scheduled 19 matches and one scrimmage. I'm waiting on one other coach to schedule a scrimmage with me. That will put us at 21 matches. Last year, because we got such a late start, we only had 13 matches. Included in this year's schedule is a trip to Southern Mississippi where we will play Southwest Mississippi Community College and Pearl River Community College. This should be a fun and challenging trip for our squad.
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