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.
RLC vs Lincoln Land
Lincoln Land has been one of the top teams in Region 24 for the past three years. Coach Noonan does a very good recruiting some top notch talent and it shows in his games. When we drove to Springfield last Saturday I knew that we were stepping on the pitch with the 15th ranked NJCAA Division l team in the nation. However I had a feeling that if played the kind of game that we played at SWIC that we would give them a good match.
We played high energy, intense soccer for 90 minutes. I thought we did a good job of possessing the ball and we had the ball in the attacking third plenty of times, but we couldn't find the net. Lincoln Land scored four goals. All four of them were on set pieces. That says a lot about our defense. They did their job by shutting down the runs and the through balls. But LLCC's height was to much for us on corners and set pieces. We didn't match up well with them on those plays.
We had three really good scoring opportunities but we failed to convert them into goals. When we play a team of this caliber we have to make good on those goal scoring opportunities in order for us to have a chance to win the game.
I was pleased with our boys, they played hard and would not quit even when we were down.
We played high energy, intense soccer for 90 minutes. I thought we did a good job of possessing the ball and we had the ball in the attacking third plenty of times, but we couldn't find the net. Lincoln Land scored four goals. All four of them were on set pieces. That says a lot about our defense. They did their job by shutting down the runs and the through balls. But LLCC's height was to much for us on corners and set pieces. We didn't match up well with them on those plays.
We had three really good scoring opportunities but we failed to convert them into goals. When we play a team of this caliber we have to make good on those goal scoring opportunities in order for us to have a chance to win the game.
I was pleased with our boys, they played hard and would not quit even when we were down.
Monday, September 6, 2010
2010 Rend Lake Warriors
We set a date for team pictures twice but for various reasons those two times didn't work. The third time was a charm.
Back row from left to right; Dylan Starr, Joel Harrison, Chase Winn, Cody Shires, Grant Odell, Timmy Meldezis, Neil Houlihan, Alex Larson, Griffin Groves, Jacob Butler, Dusty Whiteside, and Wan Kuzac.
Middle row from left to right; Dillon Peebles, Victor Barillas, Sammy Fuentes, Micah Ressler, Jarrid Kraft, and Tyler Weston.
Front row from left to right; Jake Keck, Ben Wilburn, Robert Rock, Jordan Grace and Nelson Kenne.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
RLC vs SWIC
Today was our third meeting with SWIC in as many years. The first meeting was at their place and we were handed an embarassing 10-0 loss. Last year we were the host and we played respectable soccer with several shots on goal in the first 20 minutes of the match but no score. In the end we dropped that one 3-0. Today we made the trip to SWIC with only one tuneup match under our belts, a scrimmage with Williams Baptist College that we won 1-0. I was eager to see what kind of game we would play with the adjustments we made after we watched the film of our match with WBC.
After the opening whistle we started out like we did in our scrimmage, nervous and anxious. However, after 10 minutes we settled down and played as we are capable of playing. We battled SWIC to a 0-0 tie at half and to say that I was pleased would have been an understatement. I told the boys at the half that I just watched the best half of soccer that I have seen at RLC. After we settled down, we possessed the ball, played aggressive defense, had several shots on goal, but we were not able to mess up their sheets. But even without a score I saw some beautiful soccer. I was pretty confident that we would come out in the second half and go up a goal early with a very good chance to win the game. That was what almost happened in the 75th minute. Dylan Starr had a great shot on on the left side of the field after receiving a cross from the right side of the pitch, and it was just barely off the mark. That wasn't the only shot on goal we had. We had plenty of chances to get on the board first but it wasn't meant to be.
Timmy Meldezis turned in another brillant performance at Keeper, and I can't say enough about the back four with special cudos to Neil and Griffin again for being a wall in the middle. Joel, Dillon, Ben and Tyler all played well at the 2 and 5 spots. Micah and Jake played well at the 6&8 spots, and Alex had a very good game at the 10 spot. Chase Winn turned in a very good performance as he spelled Alex at the 10 spot in the second half. The front three (Nelson, Rocky, and Jordan) worked hard and made a lot of things happen in the attacking third of the pitch. Sammy and Dylan did a very good job coming off the bench to play up front.
In the end SWIC scored in the 84th minute. We made a defensive mistake by leaving a man unmarked as one of their boys played a nice angled pass from the goal line to the top of the box.
All in all I am very proud of our boys. They played a good game and demonstrated good sportsmanship, which is more than I can say for a few of our opponents. With a few adjustments we should be able to improve as the season progresses and hopefully we'll peak when the post season comes around.
After the opening whistle we started out like we did in our scrimmage, nervous and anxious. However, after 10 minutes we settled down and played as we are capable of playing. We battled SWIC to a 0-0 tie at half and to say that I was pleased would have been an understatement. I told the boys at the half that I just watched the best half of soccer that I have seen at RLC. After we settled down, we possessed the ball, played aggressive defense, had several shots on goal, but we were not able to mess up their sheets. But even without a score I saw some beautiful soccer. I was pretty confident that we would come out in the second half and go up a goal early with a very good chance to win the game. That was what almost happened in the 75th minute. Dylan Starr had a great shot on on the left side of the field after receiving a cross from the right side of the pitch, and it was just barely off the mark. That wasn't the only shot on goal we had. We had plenty of chances to get on the board first but it wasn't meant to be.
Timmy Meldezis turned in another brillant performance at Keeper, and I can't say enough about the back four with special cudos to Neil and Griffin again for being a wall in the middle. Joel, Dillon, Ben and Tyler all played well at the 2 and 5 spots. Micah and Jake played well at the 6&8 spots, and Alex had a very good game at the 10 spot. Chase Winn turned in a very good performance as he spelled Alex at the 10 spot in the second half. The front three (Nelson, Rocky, and Jordan) worked hard and made a lot of things happen in the attacking third of the pitch. Sammy and Dylan did a very good job coming off the bench to play up front.
In the end SWIC scored in the 84th minute. We made a defensive mistake by leaving a man unmarked as one of their boys played a nice angled pass from the goal line to the top of the box.
All in all I am very proud of our boys. They played a good game and demonstrated good sportsmanship, which is more than I can say for a few of our opponents. With a few adjustments we should be able to improve as the season progresses and hopefully we'll peak when the post season comes around.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Injury in the first match
Our first match was 08/23, and by the 25th minute our roster was reduced by one due to an injury. Wan Kuzac Wan Kamal was playing midfield when he went down with an injury to his left knee. He was making a cut back at the time that a defender clipped him from behind (not malicously) and he went down. When we got him to the sideline he told the Athletic Trainer that he heard a pop when the contact was made. I looked at her and said, " A pop isn't good is it". She shook her head signifying no. Since Monday, Wan Kuzac has been walking with crutches and has had two doctor appointments. He had his MRI today and we are waiting for the official results. It appears that he will be out for the season, but that isn't the official word. If that's the case that will be a loss for us. We were counting on him putting in some significant time in the midfield. But we have guys that can step up, and that's what they will have to do.
Keep Wan Kuzac in your prayers!
Keep Wan Kuzac in your prayers!
RLC 2010 Roster
I have 23 boys this year. They come from as near as Mt. Vernon and as far away as Ireland. Here's a run down of the 2010 RLC Soccer Warriors.
My four returners from last year are Joel Harrison (Mt Vernon), Griffin Groves (Olney), Neil Houlihan (Springfield, Il), and Jordan Grace (Hopkinsville, KY). Harrison, Groves and Houlihan play in my back four and Grace plays forward.
I picked up four from Marion High School. Chase Winn, Ben Wilburn, Dillion Peebles, and Timmy Meldezis. Peebles plays in the back, Wilburn alternates between a back and a midfielder, Winn plays mid, and Timmy is one of my Keepers.
I have three local boys from Mt. Vernon. Dylan Starr plays forward, Tyler Weston plays in the back, and Micah Ressler plays at midfield.
Three boys from Crossville Tennessee joined the squad this year. Sammy Fuentes, and Victor Barillas play forward and Jacob Butler plays in the back.
The rest of the Illinois boys are; Jake Keck (Breese) plays at midfield, Dusty Whiteside (Anna Jonesboro) plays in the back, Alex Larson (Springfield) plays at midfield, Wan Kamal Wan Kuzac (Carbondale) plays midfield and Grant Odell (Carbondale) is my other Keeper, Cody Shires (Harrisburg) plays in the back and Jarrid Kraft (Belleville) plays midfield.
My last two boys are a good ways from home. Nelson Kenne is from Michigan and plays forward, and Robert Rock hails from Dublin, Ireland, he too is a forward.
We have plenty of talent on this young team. The challenge will be for everyone to accept their role and play as a team. If we can do that we have a good chance of having a successful season.
My four returners from last year are Joel Harrison (Mt Vernon), Griffin Groves (Olney), Neil Houlihan (Springfield, Il), and Jordan Grace (Hopkinsville, KY). Harrison, Groves and Houlihan play in my back four and Grace plays forward.
I picked up four from Marion High School. Chase Winn, Ben Wilburn, Dillion Peebles, and Timmy Meldezis. Peebles plays in the back, Wilburn alternates between a back and a midfielder, Winn plays mid, and Timmy is one of my Keepers.
I have three local boys from Mt. Vernon. Dylan Starr plays forward, Tyler Weston plays in the back, and Micah Ressler plays at midfield.
Three boys from Crossville Tennessee joined the squad this year. Sammy Fuentes, and Victor Barillas play forward and Jacob Butler plays in the back.
The rest of the Illinois boys are; Jake Keck (Breese) plays at midfield, Dusty Whiteside (Anna Jonesboro) plays in the back, Alex Larson (Springfield) plays at midfield, Wan Kamal Wan Kuzac (Carbondale) plays midfield and Grant Odell (Carbondale) is my other Keeper, Cody Shires (Harrisburg) plays in the back and Jarrid Kraft (Belleville) plays midfield.
My last two boys are a good ways from home. Nelson Kenne is from Michigan and plays forward, and Robert Rock hails from Dublin, Ireland, he too is a forward.
We have plenty of talent on this young team. The challenge will be for everyone to accept their role and play as a team. If we can do that we have a good chance of having a successful season.
Monday, August 23, 2010
RLC vs Williams Baptist College
We played our first match of the 2010 season at The Lake today at 2:00. Our opponent was Williams Baptist College. Williams Baptist is a four year college in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. I have a special connection with WBC, it's my alma mater. I graduated in 1979 when it was called Southern Baptist College, at that time it was a Junior College. The Lord used those two years at SBC to lay some foundations of faith in my life, and I made some life long friends as well. Enough reminiscing, let me tell you about the match.
The weather was perfect. It was sunny with mid to upper 80's temperature and a nice breeze to top it all off. It was our first match of the season, and it was long overdue. We started training on August 2nd with two a days until August 16th. We just completed a week of one a days and the boys were ready to take on someone besides their team mates.
When the whistle blew our boys were so pumped that they were a bit nervous and out of sorts for the first few minutes, then they begin to settle in. We were playing well with several opportunities in front of their net, but we couldn't put one in. In the 15th minute Griffin Groves went for a header in the box and the Keeper came out and up to challenge it and the Keeper got the worst of the collision. He fell on his back and his head hit the ground pretty hard. It was one of those things that happens in this game. Their was nothing wrong with Griffin's header and there was nothing wrong with the Keepers challenge, it was incidental contatct. The Keeper remained on the ground and the Official promptly stopped play. After our trainer examined him she called the ambulance just to be on the safe side. He was taken to Good Sam in Mt Vernon and was discharged later that night around 6:00ish. Praise the Lord that the Keeper didn't suffer any permanent damage. His neck is very sore and it will be for awhile. After the Official restarted the game we came out flat and just couldn't get it together. In the 25th minute one of our own, Wan Kuzac, went down due to a hard tackle from behind. He was carried off the pitch by his teammates. He sat out the rest of the game, and we're waiting to hear the official report on him in the next few days. He has to wait for the swelling to go down first. We need to pray that his injury is not a season ending one. After all of that first half drama, we somehow managed to find the back of the net at the 44:45 mark. Jordan Grace got the goal off of a very nice assist from Neil Houlihan. So we went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
There's only one way to describe the second half,,, sloppy. We trained for three weeks on a 1-2 touch possession game, playing the ball wide, with 2 and 5 covering the flanks, 6 and 8 supporting 9 and 10, and 7 and 11 chasing back on the counter, but it looked as if we had only been practicing for a day or two. It wasn't lack of conditioning, our boys are fit, it was a lack of concentration and composure. The bright spot of the entire match was the stellar performance of our Keeper, Timmy Meldezis. He kept his net clean with some very nice saves.
We won, but it was ugly. We have some work to do in order to get ready for our tough Region 24 opponents. It's a good thing we got this game on film, we'll spend some time studying this film for the rest of the week.
Our next match is September 2nd against SWIC. We'll need to play better soccer to get a win at SWIC.
The weather was perfect. It was sunny with mid to upper 80's temperature and a nice breeze to top it all off. It was our first match of the season, and it was long overdue. We started training on August 2nd with two a days until August 16th. We just completed a week of one a days and the boys were ready to take on someone besides their team mates.
When the whistle blew our boys were so pumped that they were a bit nervous and out of sorts for the first few minutes, then they begin to settle in. We were playing well with several opportunities in front of their net, but we couldn't put one in. In the 15th minute Griffin Groves went for a header in the box and the Keeper came out and up to challenge it and the Keeper got the worst of the collision. He fell on his back and his head hit the ground pretty hard. It was one of those things that happens in this game. Their was nothing wrong with Griffin's header and there was nothing wrong with the Keepers challenge, it was incidental contatct. The Keeper remained on the ground and the Official promptly stopped play. After our trainer examined him she called the ambulance just to be on the safe side. He was taken to Good Sam in Mt Vernon and was discharged later that night around 6:00ish. Praise the Lord that the Keeper didn't suffer any permanent damage. His neck is very sore and it will be for awhile. After the Official restarted the game we came out flat and just couldn't get it together. In the 25th minute one of our own, Wan Kuzac, went down due to a hard tackle from behind. He was carried off the pitch by his teammates. He sat out the rest of the game, and we're waiting to hear the official report on him in the next few days. He has to wait for the swelling to go down first. We need to pray that his injury is not a season ending one. After all of that first half drama, we somehow managed to find the back of the net at the 44:45 mark. Jordan Grace got the goal off of a very nice assist from Neil Houlihan. So we went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
There's only one way to describe the second half,,, sloppy. We trained for three weeks on a 1-2 touch possession game, playing the ball wide, with 2 and 5 covering the flanks, 6 and 8 supporting 9 and 10, and 7 and 11 chasing back on the counter, but it looked as if we had only been practicing for a day or two. It wasn't lack of conditioning, our boys are fit, it was a lack of concentration and composure. The bright spot of the entire match was the stellar performance of our Keeper, Timmy Meldezis. He kept his net clean with some very nice saves.
We won, but it was ugly. We have some work to do in order to get ready for our tough Region 24 opponents. It's a good thing we got this game on film, we'll spend some time studying this film for the rest of the week.
Our next match is September 2nd against SWIC. We'll need to play better soccer to get a win at SWIC.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
2010 Schedule
We have 18 matches this fall. Below is the schedule:
August 23rd, Home, Williams Baptist College 2:00
September 2, Away, SWIC 4:00
September 4, Away, Lincoln Land 12:00
September 7, Home, Richard Daley 4:00
September 9, Away, Danville 4:00
September 16,Home, Forrest Park 4:00
September 18,Away, Lewis and Clark 12:00
September 21,Away, Heartland 3:30
September 23,Home, Kaskaskia 4:00
September 27,Home, East Central 3:00
September 29,Away, McKendree JV 1:00
October 1, Away, Lincoln 1:00
October 5, Away, Kaskaskia 3:00
October 9, Home, ICC 12:00
Ootober 11, Away, Greenville JV 4:00
October 14, Home, Parkland 4:00
October 16, Away, St. Charles 2:00
October 18, Away, Lindenwood @ Belleville 3:00
August 23rd, Home, Williams Baptist College 2:00
September 2, Away, SWIC 4:00
September 4, Away, Lincoln Land 12:00
September 7, Home, Richard Daley 4:00
September 9, Away, Danville 4:00
September 16,Home, Forrest Park 4:00
September 18,Away, Lewis and Clark 12:00
September 21,Away, Heartland 3:30
September 23,Home, Kaskaskia 4:00
September 27,Home, East Central 3:00
September 29,Away, McKendree JV 1:00
October 1, Away, Lincoln 1:00
October 5, Away, Kaskaskia 3:00
October 9, Home, ICC 12:00
Ootober 11, Away, Greenville JV 4:00
October 14, Home, Parkland 4:00
October 16, Away, St. Charles 2:00
October 18, Away, Lindenwood @ Belleville 3:00
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Open Field
The Rend Lake Soccer field is OPEN to anyone on Tuesday and Thursday at 4:30 til ? It is also OPEN on Saturdays from NOON til ? Open means that high school, college, and adults are invited to come and kick the ball around. The OPEN field started this week and will continue to the end of the semester. Of course, weather will have something to do with it so make sure and check with me before you come to make sure it isn't to wet to play. You can reach me at jimduncan@charter.net or call me 618-437-5321 ext 1717. So, grab a ball, some shin guards, shoes and join us for some soccer!
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