CONFERENCE CHAMPS!  CONFERENCE CHAMPS!

Okay, that feels like a good way to start the next post.  Well done Abes.  Undefeated in league play (so far, don’t want to jinx them) Conference Champs is even better.

Memorial Cruises Past Chippewa Falls

As we discussed in the last post, we expected Memorial to come out firing on all cylinders after the tough weekend.  We got what we expected.  With only one day rest, but likely a little fire brewing in their bellies, the Abes took on a competitive Chippewa Falls team.  The first meeting was a battle that was not decided until late, a 2-1 win at Chippewa Falls.  This one was over early.  With a key player returning to the line up, the Abes looked confident, played with a swag, loose and easy and dominated the play from beginning to end.  The rotations looked a little different; a combination of returning players, and rotating the squad a bit to keep players rested with all the games lately.  Goals by Stow (2) , L. Carmody (2), and Bowe (welcome back) had Memorial leading 5-0 at the half.   The solid confident play continued into the second half with goals by Stow (2), Beaudrie, Barstad ( a screaming rocket!) and Madsion Etzel to finish this one off 10-0.  Back at home, back in the BRC and Back on track for the Abes.  It was a nice way to ease back into the final stretch after a tough weekend.  A new win streak started, players back and confidence restored.

Abes Stay Hot As They Take Down Hudson

The first game against Hudson was maybe the best half of the season I have seen.  A really strong display of possession, midfield dominance and ball movement showed the Abes were the real deal. That seemed a long time ago but the replay again showed Memorial is ready for a deep run this year.   Long stretches of possession in the Hudson half and pressure on the back four made the first half a near repeat of the first game.  First half goals by Olivia Pasch and Stow had the Abes up 2-0.  The first goal is one of my favorites so far this year.  Check it out!  A great strike by Stow is stopped by an excellent save by the Hudson GK.  Stow stays calm, and plays a nice square pass across the box to Pasch.  Pasch had a few options and you kind of expect a hard drive, low on the ground to try to beat the GK…..but oh no, that would be the easy play.  OLIVIA ELECTS TO DROP A FLOATING LOFTED BALL OVER THE TOP OF THE GK AND INTO THE NET….what….and she pulls it off.  Very nice!!

The Abes kept pressing for a second goal and earned a 2-0 lead on a nice hustle goal from Stow.  A ball the GK could not contain and Stow pounced, right place at the right time.  Later in the half she almost extended the lead with a nice trap, turn and shot.

So 2-0 at the half and everything under control.  Not so fast…..and much like the first half, Hudson finds some energy and has a nice spell to open the half.  A long ball into space and a 1 v 1 battle down the field leads to a nice finish and a 2-1 lead.  Game On!  As has happened a few times this year, Memorial responds.  The game in the balance, would 2-1 slip away….or would Memorial respond.  Respond they did.  Just Six minutes later, and who better than Stow to answer.

A great pass by Sorensen leads Stow into the box and Stow calmly puts its past the GK.

Two goal lead restored and Memorial back in control.  Memorial controlled the game the rest of the way and continued to press for a 4th while limiting Hudson opportunities.  And then at the 69th minute mark something special happened.  I have to call myself out first though.  Big time rookie blogger mistake when you forget to make sure your phone is charged.  And then you run out of power in the middle of the second half.  And then you miss maybe the best goal of the season.  Dumb, I know.  My bad Ali.  A penalty and direct kick are awarded near the Memorial 18, probably about 25 yards out.  I make a comment to another fan nearby that this is a really dangerous spot for a direct kick.  Ali Bowe steps up behind the ball, the whistle blows, she approaches the shot and ….bam….a rocket shot over the wall and headed to goal. GK is ready but the ball is on a perfect trajectory and headed toward the bar.  The GK jumps and stretches for the ball but the shot is just outside her reach…and just under the bar, a target area with only a few inches to spare.  The ball hits the bar, goes bar down, deflects off the GK and into the net.  How did that happen.  The perfect shot.  Bar down and into the net.  Wow!  Really bummed I didn’t get it on tape.  But….in honor of Ali, I did find this on YouTube.  So just replace Marc Burch with Ali, make it a right footed shot…and you get the idea what happened.

One more conference game and them the real season starts!  Go Abes!

First two losses of the season for the Abes on the same weekend, both by one goal after leading both games.  So….that’s the quick highlight, but lots to talk about, so let’s get into it.

After a 13 game run with 12 wins and a tie it finally happened.  No real surprise, I don’t think anyone expected an undefeated season.  Some early season injury trouble and still missing a critical cog in midfield were all signs a loss might come.  The BRC has provided a few challenges but unscathed so far.  The non-conference schedule was a beast.  If a loss was coming, you figured this was the spot.  8 games in the past 12 days.  Throw in a rest day and you end up with just a few practice sessions to work on things.  You add in a back to back against two very good,  highly rated and skilled programs and really no surprise it was this weekend when the loss occurred.

Is a loss good?  Lots of theories on this one.  Some coaches claim no loss is a good loss.  Others have the philosophy that every loss is a coaching moment and lessons learned.  You either win or you learn.  Sometimes coaches need a loss to get the players attention.  Keep them hungry.  Every team has that moment in a season where they need to dig a little deeper, fight a little harder, play a little better and maybe this is that moment for Memorial.  So does this weekend get the players attention…we are beatable…we can’t rely on a late goal in every close game…we need to make sure we are focused in every practice and during all 90 minutes of the game.  Time will tell, but I think this team will respond well to the weekend.  They have shown great resilience all season.  They are a bunch of fighters…they are tough.  Now, I would have loved for them to get the win in the second game this weekend, but it wasn’t meant to be.  I am marking this down as the moment in the season this team rallies together and goes on to have a great finish.  It feels like all their players may be available soon, they can get their rotations back to where they want and I think become a very dangerous team.  I hope Coach DeRusha has some opportunity to practice soon, but the condensed season has been a challenge. Once they get past the Menomonie game on Thursday, it will be like a second pre-season camp as they fine tune for the playoffs.  I am pretty sure he cant wait!

Memorial vs. Notre Dame

I was not at this game but was checking updates on the ECM twitter account.  It felt like Memorial had this one in hand.  Goal by Carmody, Barstsad, and Stow lead to a 3-1 halftime lead.  The lone goal against on a free kick from Notre Dame.  A recurring theme of the weekend will be SET PLAYS. 6 minutes into the second half and Stow gets her second for a 4-1 lead.  Game over?  Up three is a pretty strong lead considering the defense and GK for Memorial.  So I am checking the account every few minutes and it goes from 4-1 to 4-3 really quick.  One of the goals on a Corner Kick Set Play.  Then no updates for about 24 minutes and I am hoping they are holding on….then in a three-minute span it goes to 4-4 and then down one 5-4.  Ouch!  I checked with a few folks who shared of the 5 goals, 4 were on set plays.  Either corner kicks (2), a free kick from just outside the box and a PK with 12 minutes to go.  So I watch a lot of soccer, have coached a few years and I must say..that is very unusual.  In fact, if I go back and think about all the games I have seen, very few goals have been scored thru the normal course of play.  I remember just a few, and some of those on crazy wind aided long balls.  The Memorial defense is stout!  But these darn Set Plays.  What the heck! 4 of the 5 goals.  Just weird.  And a tough way to lose by 1 goal.

Memorial vs. DSHA

So I was really intrigued by how Memorial would respond to the loss.  I decided to drive out and catch the early game on Saturday.  The first half was a tale of two halves.  DHSA really dominated possession early.  Memorial was on their heels a bit.  DSHA had a strong midfield and they really controlled the play for the first 20-25 minutes.  From the games I have seen, it was probably the most possession against Memorial all year.  Very aggressive and physical play had the Abes off their game.  And then a Stow thing happened.  Sort of out of nowhere a long ball gets played over the top.  It did not look dangerous to me so I did not hit record on my phone.  Stow chasing down a ball as it heads toward the DSHA goal keeper near the 18.  The GK has it all under control and is just waiting to play a pass and clear the ball.  Stow keeps coming, fast! The GK is really waiting to clear this ball…interesting…here comes Stow…here comes the clearance…bam…right in the back of Stow who is very close…defects towards the goal and Stow beats the GK and a defender to the ball and calmly slots it into the goal for a 1-0 lead.  Wow.  How did that even happen, again, just a Stow thing.  Not sure I have seen that before.  Why didn’t I get that on tape.  It just did not look like anything could come from that.  Check out the video below.  This happened a few minutes later, almost identical to the goal….except this time the GK ( a new one by the way) clears the ball with a bit more urgency and Stow can’t block it.  But imagine the ball bouncing off Stow’s back toward the goal and her running forward and tapping it into the goal.  You can see it , right!

Memorial seems energized and then for the last 20 minutes of the half really takes control of the game.  Possession improves, midfield play responds and takes charge.  Opportunities to score, shots on goal, a really strong run of play.  I think they left a few goals out there in the first half.  Here is a nice sequence that almost leads to a 2-0 lead.  Nice save!

And then the second half.  DSHA came out strong again and really play energized soccer in the second half.  A pretty even battle, but it did feel DSHA had better possession and time on the ball.  Nothing too dangerous as far as shots on goal.  Memorial was able to absorb the pressure and get balls cleared out of danger.  About 12 minutes into the half and DSHA earns a corner kick.  So, another set play.  I have not recorded plays from Memorials opposition all year, I just try to catch goals for Memorial.  I am down at the other end of the field but decide, maybe I will film this one.  But, really it couldn’t happen again, not another goal on a corner kick after all the crazy goals yesterday.  Bummer, 1-1.  Strange, but hey , that’s soccer.  With evenly matched team, it can sometimes come down to execution on set plays to determine a winner.  I watched Memorials’s boys team get knocked out of a few Sectional Finals and State games on crazy set plays.  It happens.  And then for me, the play of the game happens.  Tied a 1, Memorial starts to pick up possession game play and has a nice run of play.  A beautiful thru ball and run by Carmody and she is in on goal. You can watch for yourself.  There were a few groans out there on this one.  I was not at the perfect angle, but I have watched it a bunch of times, I am not sure how she is offsides.  I like to give the AR the benefit of doubt, but folks in line with the play seemed pretty clear it was not.  It obviously was very close.  Bummer.  Felt like this might have made it 2-1, but it was not meant to be on this day.

So, you have probably guessed by now, the game winner by DSHA is another corner kick goal.  Crazy but true.  I happened to film this one also, but could not bring myself to posting either of these two goals.  A tough way to lose, but I will also say I was really proud of how the girls kept fighting after the second goal.  The never quit, they never lose their composure, they just play on. They had a few really good chances to equalize.  Stow got loose a few times, Kison got up into the box for a few shots, Carmody looked dangerous in the middle.  Time just ran out. Two really good teams with little separation.  Good game.

A few Thoughts

Set plays are coachable.  I feel pretty confident Memorial will work out the set play issues.  They just need some practice time.  Players need to stay with their marks, laser focus on getting the ball cleared.  A little work with the team on positioning.  Clean up the goals on set plays as the defense gives up very few opportunities for teams to score.

Practice time is coming soon. Get past this week and the schedule smooths out.  Practice is coming…and I hope a key player comes back soon.  Fingers crossed.

Still feeling really good about this team.  A little wobble this weekend, but no worries.  These girls are fighters.  They will use this weekend to fuel their late season push and playoff run.  Go Abes!

Comfortable Win Vs. Rice Lake

So let’s get caught up on the Memorial Old Abes .  The early season weather issues has condensed the season and the games are coming fast and furious. Memorial continues to roll along.  After a tight game decided late against Chippewa Falls 2-1 last week, the Abes found their scoring groove against Rice Lake over the weekend.  A familiar theme this year, the Abes score early and the Abes score often.  Memorial jumped out quickly with a Barstad goal, another common theme lately.  Since taking over the attacking midfield role, Barstad has increased her scoring and is becoming a nice alternative to Carmody and Stow.  Throw in Beaudrie and balanced scoring is starting to come together for the Abes.  A comfortable 8-1 win featured 4 goals in each half.  Goals by Barstad, Sorenson and Beaudrie highlighted the first half.  Second half goals by L. Carmody, Sorenson, Barstad and Lindsay finished off a strong game for Memorial.  Another game where they limited the opposition shots.  The final theme for the past three games.

Dominating Second Half Propels Abes over River Falls

So, this is the two game stretch I have been waiting for all season.  River Falls has shown some nice flashes of skill, possession and scoring in racking up an undefeated BRC season to date.  Add in a few nice non-conference wins and RF looked dangerous and a back to back set seemed the critical point of the season.  Memorial seemed ready and took control of the game early on a Barstad goal at the 2 minute mark.

Note to Self….GET TO THE GAMES EARLY.  I think this is the 3rd or 4th game they have scored in the first few minutes of the game. 

The game settled into a normal Memorial game, lots of possession, quick recovery of the ball when they lose possession, limit the other teams shots and get a bunch of shots on goal.  The only issue tonight, the ball just could not find the net.  Wet conditions may have impacted shooters, just a little wide, or high thru the first half.  River Falls made things interesting with t=a goal at 27 minutes on a corner l=kick.  1-1 at the half.  So….I have seen this movie a few times this year.  Close first half even though Memorial has full control of the game, halftime speech, Memorial raises their play just a bit.  A little more energy, a little sharper passing, a little more efficient shooting and finishing.  Bam…game over.  Tonight was much the same.  After pressing River Falls for the first five minutes of the half, things started clicking for Memorial.  a flurry of possession and shots near the RF 18 lead to a shot off the upright that deflected into the box where a hustling Ava Kison finished it off for a 2-1 lead.

Note to Self….Be careful taking notes on the goal that just scored as Memorial can score REALLY FAST.

Less than a minute later as I am typing up a note on the Kison goal, I look up and see Stow flying down the right side of the 18, curling in towards the near post.  A hard low shot, aided a bit by the wet turf, skips under the GK and in the blink of an eye, it’s now 3-1 Abes.  10 minutes later, Memorial puts it away on a nice thru ball from Stow to L. Carmody and game over 4-1 Abes.  Nice pass and nice slotted finish to the corner.  A few late goals by Barstad and L. Carmody who each had two, finished off the scoring 6-1.

Memorial v. River Falls Round 2

So, I must say, I was a bit disappointed in the first RF game.  I really expected a battle. Memorial has not been tested much this year.  A few close calls against North and Chippewa Falls where they dominated but just could not find the net, but no one has really made the Abes uncomfortable in conference.  I thought RF would.  So, the rematch a day later and the game was eerily similar to the first game.  Does this sound familiar?

Memorial controls the game, dominates possession and gets on the board first to take a 1-0 lead.  A nice spell of possession in the box leads to a Stow blast into the corner of the net.

Note to Self…be careful catching up with friends at the game…you might miss getting video of the first goal. Ugh!

River Falls fights back and scores on a corner to even up the game at 1-1.

It felt like Memorial might blow this one open early in the second half, constant pressure and multiple shots early in the half.  Two balls off the cross-bar, multiple shots just wide.  And then a funny thing happened.  River Falls started to find their game.  Sustained possession in the Abes half of the field for the next 5-10 minutes.  I think the longest period of possession by an opponent this year other than DC Everest or Kimberly.  River Falls was playing more physical.  The RF midfield was controlling the game.  Coach Derusha was using a deeper bench all game, no real surprise with the jam-packed schedule and another three games to go this week.  RF found some success and all the good play lead to their tying goal at the 60 minute mark. Game On!  As we have seen a few times this year…no panic for these Abes.  Stick to the game plan.  Memorial found the right rotation of players about halfway thru the period and it just felt like the goal was coming.  If I was to tell you Memorial needed a big goal late in a game to seal the deal, I think I know where you’d put your money.  A nice wide ball into space by Beaudrie found Stow out on the left-wing.  She took on a defender, cut the ball back to the middle (sound like the goal against DC Everest yet) and rifled a hard shot past the GK for a 2-1 lead.  The video of the goal is below.  You will see she splits the defenders on the shot and just beats the GK with power.  Pretty sure the RF GK stops most shots like that, but Stow just puts a little more pace on her shot than most players.  Surprises GK’s.  Well defended, but Stow is just a special player.

Memorial continues to press for another goal, but the RF goal keeper had a few nice saves late.  She faced over 30 shots in game 1 and likely the same tonight.  Let’s give her some love with the following two videos.  These could have easily made it 4-1.  The first another drive by Player of the Game, Stow.

The last, a blast by Barstad, who is really making a difference lately with scoring and midfield presence.

Approaching the back part of the conference season and these two wins put Memorial in the driver’s seat.  A conference standings update coming soon.  A big rivalry game Thursday and then out of conference for two difficult games this weekend.  We will learn a lot about our Abes this weekend.

Sometimes it’s the games you don’t expect to be tough that can sneak up on you.  Chippewa is mid pack in the Big Rivers and no real threat to Memorial, but….that’s why you play the games.  Funny things can happen in a soccer game, you can have tons of possession, you can get a ton of shots, you can only give up 1-2 shots from the opposition….and yet, you can still find yourself tied 1-1 with 20 minutes to go.

That’s what happened Thursday night in Chippewa Falls when Memorial took on the Cardinals.

Maybe it was the lack of practice that caught up, maybe it was the crazy schedule with 6 games in the past 10 days, maybe it was just a lull in performance which is normal in mid-season, or maybe it was just on of those nights when the ball just can’t find the net and the opposing GK makes a few nice saves.  The stats will say Memorial dominated the game.  I think I saw 32-2 in shots for the game.  Memorial dominated the possession as well, controlling 70-80% of the ball from my perspective.  And the shots were coming.   Early and often.  Just  a little wide, just a little high, off the cross bar, right at the GK.  It just wasn’t meant to be in the first half.  For a team that had scored 16 goals in the past two games, it just felt a little flat last night.   The thing is, this is pretty normal in a season, the key is can you still find a way to stay patient and win these games and not get rattled.  Play your game and trust then goals will come.

Tied 0-0 at then half after dominating play, the Abes found their rhythm in the early part of the second half and went up 1-0 on a very persistent spell of possession and just desire to get a goal.  It really was just an attitude goal.  We are not leaving the 18 until the ball is in the net.  You need to hang on for the goal, several players involved, lots of touches, Sorenson is a major factor in the goal…creating with her possession, winning a ball back quickly…finding space and getting the ball into a dangerous spot for Stow. Stow just does Stow stuff and buries this one!

So game over right…the flood gates will open and the Abes will go on a 4 goal run to put this thing away.  Well, hold your old Abes, Chippewa hung tough and battled. Most of the night it looked like a 4-5-1 with 9 players behind the ball defending.  Space was limited.  I guess a smart move really, can you score on a set play; corner or free kick and somehow just hold off the high powered Abes.  It almost worked.  at the 70 minute mark, Chippewa penetrated the Abes defense a bit and under pressure the Abes committed a foul.  A free kick from Andrea Chihasky, maybe 30-35 yards.  Too far really, no way to score from here…the kick is away and …oh no…that looks like it has a chance…wow…it just keeps drifting to the upper corner of the net…bam. 1-1. Game on!  I think that one shocked everyone, the Memorial fans for sure, the Chippewa fans for sure, even the Chippewa players I think.  So, pressure is back on Memorial.  I must say, there was no panic.  They continued to just play their possession game and look for openings to break down the Cardinal’s defense.  Patience is a virtue they say and it usually pays dividends.

Here is another one of those hustle, persistence goals.  It starts with a throw in and getting a dangerous ball into the box, bur CF avoids the goal and is working to clear when the Player of the Night…Serena Sorenson, whips a ball back into the six for Stow who knocks it down right into the path of Lauren Carmody who buries it upper 90 off the volley.  2-1. Game almost over.  Memorial had to survive one last scare on CF second shot of the night.  After pushing into the Abes half, Chippewa had a nice switch of play to the back side for an uncovered wing player who got in behind the defense on the left side of the 18.  She cleared the defense and hit a nice hard low shot tracking for then left side of the net.  I think the GK was beaten, but the shot drifted wide left.  No goal. Danger averted…now Game Over! Whew.  A few quick heart beats on that one!

A quick shout out to the Chippewa Falls GK Bayleigh Crawford who had 18 saves. Here was a nice one.  Another Serena Soreson moment as well.  Nice game for her.

A Few Thoughts

Memorial dropped a few spots but still holding onto the #5 spot in the latest Coaches Poll.  Surprised not to see DC Everest.  Maybe some unfortunate losses for them, but they were really good.

Big Week Next Week Should Decide the Conference Champ.  Back to back games against River Falls after a Saturday trap game against Rice Lake.  Stay focused Saturday and get past RL and then bring it hard for the back to backs.  River Falls is the real deal.  This should be a very exciting, and difficult two game stretch. Hope Bowe can make it back, fingers crossed.

Memorial Takes down Kimberly In Efficient Manner

After Fridays physical and drama filled game with DC Everest, the follow up on Saturday just felt a bit different.  It was two really good teams with talent all over the field, but things just seemed a bit calmer in under control for the Abes on Saturday.  Maybe it was the second game with players getting comfortable in their new roles.  Maybe things just fell their way a bit, regardless, it was a really nice win against a quality opponent ranked in the Top 10 in the recent poll.

After Friday’s late  game drama, Saturday started out about as good as you could hope for if you are a Memorial fan.  Two goals in the first 15 minutes.  I mentioned in the last post, it would be great for Memorial to get a few good breaks after a tough week of news.  It came on Saturday.  Shots were finding the net, balls were bouncing their direction, deflections ended up at their feet….things just seemed to fall right.  Now , that’s not to say the goals weren’t well earned…it’s just that on another night, it might have been much closer.  In previous games, these shots were just high or a bit wide.  On this day, they found the net!  Sorenson with a nice volley goal (video below) and Beaudrie with a long distance strike after a deflection or rebound found her feet. 2-0 after 13 minutes. Nice!

After getting up quickly, the game settled down a bit and became very competitive.  With Kimberly’s high-ranking, you figured things would tighten up a bit.  Kimberly had a very dangerous forward who made life difficult for Memorial.  Long, fast and skilled…she struck twice to make things interesting in the first half.  A nice string of possession near then Abes 18 with a good lay off allowed a perfect strike to cut the lead to 2-1 at the 38th minute.  The Abes countered quickly on a second goal by Beaudrie, a quick strike in the box that made its way thru a defender and an oncoming GK.  A very quick video below, sorry Jacque, I will get a better shot next time!  3-1 and back in control in the 39th minute.  Kimberly pressed again and a nice long run down the side from their striker, who turned the corner and was able to play a dangerous ball across the box lead to a 2nd Kimberly goal.  Game on…3-2 at the half.  Memorial really controlled things in the second half, had solid possession and kept pressing for a 4th goal.  They limited Kimberly’s chances and finally found their 4th goal in the 73rd minute on a nice hustle goal by Lauren Carmody. A hard shot by Stow could not be secured by the GK and Carmody was in the right spot at the right time to clean up and drive it into the back of the net.  4-2.  Game over!

Here are a few quick highlights.

What I love is the ball touches 4 players and even after a deflection, Sorenson stays alert and executes a really nice volley that finds the back of the net.  This was the first sign it was going to be a good day!

Beaudrie’s first goal was a smasher!  Here, she finds a ball in the corner of the box and another hustle goal.  Just beats the defender and GK to the ball.  Don’t blink, a quick video.

I dropped this in to just provide a great example of the midfield play.  A searching ball to Stow is blocked, but the midfield stays engaged, finds some possession, works a nice 1-2 and gets a respectable shot near the 18.  Well played.  Good Soccer.

Some Notes:

River Falls had a nice 2-2 game against GB Preble and a 4-0 win over Fond du Lac.  Rice Lake seems like they are the real deal.

Balanced Attack from Abes.  If I had told you Stow would not score and the final was 4-2….maybe you think Kimberly wins.  Not today.  Memorial is getting goals from many spots; including wing play and midfield play.

A Good Week End for Memorial.  They needed to be tested.  Two games against high quality opponents.  One fast and physical, one skilled and balanced.  A hard fought tie and a win.  The team is growing.  Well done Abes!

When the Abes and Evergreens get together on the soccer field, it usually is a hard-fought and close battle, and Friday’s game did not disappoint.  It was a really well played, high quality soccer game.  I know 1-1 doesn’t sound that way, but the game was exciting, had some really special moments and a little late drama as well.  It was a game Memorial needed.  After getting out of the gate with a 5-0 record against Big Rivers Conference opponents, Memorial needed a test to see where they stood.  Some early season non-conference games were cancelled due to snow!  Yes, snow!  The team needed a battle, they needed to be tested, they needed to get pushed around a bit, they needed to find themselves down 1-0 late in a game for the first time this year. They needed to see how they would respond.  Respond they did and showed some grit and character along the way.  Test passed, maybe not an A+ as they did not come away with a win, but I think they showed they belong in the discussion for top teams in the state.

Word of the day: Adversity. Memorial is having a tough run and dealing with some injury adversity.  You expect some adversity, but this seems like piling on a bit.  The last week has been tough, but the team responded and really stepped up on Friday.  Coach DeRusha has a deep and talented team and he found some good answers with adjusting his line up and moving around some players to fill gaps.  Memorial has soccer players, players with skill and knowledge of the game.  They don’t just have forwards, wingers, midfielders or defenders.  Players elevated their game.  The energy was high, the focus was intense.  Next player up was on full display.

DC Everest came out fast to start the game.  You could tell this was the most talented team Memorial has faced this year.  The pace was quicker, players were quicker, the ball was moving faster.  Memorial has dominated possession this year and played a majority of the season in the opponents half…not today.  Memorial found themselves defending their 18 today.  DC Everest pressed and owned a majority of the ball in the first 30 minutes of the game.  Everest Forward Maddie Simpson was a handful for the Abes defense.  Her speed, movement and aggressive play made her dangerous all game.  The best player on an opposing team I have seen this year.  The early dominance turned into a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute as a cross played near the 18 turned into a one time upper 90 curling shot by Simpson.  I have not been to every game, but I would guess Memorial faced more shots in the first 30 minutes from DC Everest than they have faced the entire year leading up to this game.  The defense was forced deeper than normal and had to fight to keep Simpson and the Evergreens out of the box.  The game required all 11 playing defense.  The Abes starting to come into the game and looked the better team the last 20 minutes.  The ball was finding space, the wing play improved, Stow started to find gaps in the defense and shots started to come.  Stow had several good chances to equalize but was denied.

The games most important sequence occurred late in the half.  A little wobble on defense allowed Simpson to break fee for a one v one while being pursued by two Abe defenders.  Simpson was able to fight off the Abes and fired a shot into oncoming Abe GK Leah Hujik.  A wonderful save!  A deflection and shot moments later also saved…Hujik was able to get to her line and absorb another shot with a nice save.  3 saves in 5-6 seconds and ultimately, saving the game.  Down 2-0 would have been a much different place.  Going into the half at 1-0 was a small victory for the Abes.  Stow almost tied it 1-1 on her own one v one breakaway in the last few minute and Simpson put one more scare into the Abes as the clock was winding down. Whew!

The second half Everest again took control of possession for a large part of the game.  Memorial absorbed pressure while looking for Stow on counter attacks, probing the Evergreens defense for soft spots.  It was not unusual to look up and see Stow with three Evergreen defenders within 10 yards of her.  She was patient and just keep fighting for the ball and looking for opportunities.  Memorials defense was stout.  Limiting shots and any dangerous play.  On occasion they pushed more players forward and started to combine with Stow to create some chances. So let’s just say it….Stow is a really good player, one of the best in the State.  Her ability to score is top class.  She is a dangerous player; combining speed, skill, physicality and desire.  I know it, the fans know it, Evergreen players knew it and the DC Everest coach knew it as well.  He did everything he could to stop her.  30 minutes into the half and still down 1-0, but you just had this feeling.  It would only take one good opportunity.  If Stow could just get a ball into space then you know she could find a way.  No matter how many are defending her, she just is special.

And then this happened.

I know. The lighting is bad, trying to record while facing the sun is a bad idea, rookie mistake, but hey, I am just an amateur blogger who loves soccer.  And where else will you get to see this goal?  Pretty special shot.  She picks up the ball in midfield, aggressively attacks while being boxed in by three defenders, makes a great outside cut to the right, clears a second defender and just rips a hard ball on the ground into the perfect spot in the far left side of the net.  Wow!  GK really had no chance.  Defenders really had no chance.  It was just meant to be!  1-1.  Game on.  The last 10 minutes had lots of drama, a few more shots by both teams and a very late shot on a very sweet move near the six by Everest’ Simpson and a diving save as the clock was ticking down. Whew!  Hearts pounding everywhere on that one. Great Game!

A few thoughts.

Big Games bring out the best in Big Players. Stow and Simpson both shined with lots of excellent play all over the field.  Leah Hujik was awesome with some really high quality saves.  Memorials defense was pressed all day but held up.  Kison marking Simpson was fun to watch. Barstad’s play in midfield helped solidify that spot.

New players with increased minutes all played well.  Memorial showed the importance of a deep team with talented players.  Everyone played well and really came together in their new roles and increased minutes.

Hoping the best for the players out right now.  Memorial could use some good news but I know they will continue to play well and fight.  That darn adversity thing!  They will get tested right away as Top 10 Kimberly awaits today at 1:00. Go Abes!

Memorial hits 10 in win over Menomonie

Two programs in different places met on the pitch tonight as Memorial squared off against Menomonie.  Menomonie is working to build their program and is in the development stages. They work hard and you can see some talent, and against most teams in the Big Rivers they can be competitive, just not against Memorial.  Unfortunately for them, tonight they faced one of the better programs in Wisconsin and currently rated in the Top 5 in the latest polls.  A mismatch.

A tough day for Menomonie for sure.  The goals came early and often.  On top of the mismatch, they couldn’t catch a break…balls bouncing off them, funny deflections, hand balls in the box, infringement on a PK shot…it felt like piling on a little bit.  I appreciate that the team kept fighting, kept working hard, and approached the game with a great attitude.  The fans were really supportive and cheered every good play, every save (yes-there were a lot of saves as well) and every time they entered Memorials half or got off a shot.

For Memorial it was just a matter of taking care of business.  They played solid soccer, scored early….59 seconds into the game on a nice corner kick by Barstad that just found a way into the net…maybe a little assist along the way …. and scored often,  7 in the first half and 3 in the second.  Just a good day at the office for the experienced Old Abes.  The goal today…just don’t get sloppy or start any bad habits.  Play your game and get your goals and move on to Rice Lake on Thursday.  7 Old Abes hit the score book tonight including: Barstad (2). Beaudrie, Bowe(2), Stow, Graaskamp (2), Kison, and Lauren Carmody.

On to some highlights.  With 10 goals I had to pick out one of the best of the night.  A strike from distance from Barstad to end the game.  Stow had a nice one v one goal and a first half volley by Bowe might have been better, but the goals were coming quick at that point and I didn’t hit the record button…sorry Ali…I know you expect more from me…I promise to get better.

This one was from about 25 yards out.  Struck with power and placement.  Well done!

On a tough night for Menomonie, I had to put in a save by their GK.

And one more.  This was my favorite play of the night, no goal, but lots of good action. A volley into the cross-bar that would have been the goal of the night by Beaudrie, another volley, a chest trap, a header and then another volley just over the top.  If that had scored..oh my!

Some Additional Thoughts

-When Ali Bowe shoots, please get out of the way..take your children and get far far away. Man, she generates a lot of power.  I would not want to get in the way of her shot!

-Graaskamp might have set a Memorial record tonight.  I doubt they keep these kind of stats, but I would be curious.  She scored back to back goals in 46 seconds.  Her first goal of the night at 20:16 on the clock and then immediately she scored again at the 21:02 mark.

-A good sign?  Memorial boys team in the fall beat Menomonie 10-0, they scored in the first minute and 7 different Abes scored goals.  Sound familiar.  Then Abes went on the State.

-Memorial is up to #3 in the recent Coaches Poll.  That’s the highest ranking I have seen for the girls team.  The only bad news is Bayport is ranked #2 and I think we would have to beat Bayport to make it to State??  Lots to do before then, but interesting.  Revenge game is looming as they knocked us out last year in OT.

-Watch out for River Falls.  They won again last night 4-0 over North and have not given up many goals this year.  They look strong.  May 14-15 back to back games against River Falls should be very competitive.

-Hudson got some votes and is #9 in this weeks Coaches Poll.  Big Rivers is getting a little attention this year.  Arrowhead is still #1.

So, before we start the post on the game, let me get this out of the way.  How is it possible for all these other schools we play to have these incredible facilities.  Have you been to the Hudson field this year. My goodness, impressive.  Reminds me of a small D3 college, not a High School.  New classrooms, new buildings and a flashy new Turf field and stadium.  Rice Lake…turf field.  Menomonie…turf field.  Superior…turf field.  Chippewa Falls…turf field…well that’s not quite fair, at least Memorials grass field is better than Chippewa Falls turf field.  Anyway, the Hudson complex is amazing.  I think the scoreboard cost more than our entire complex!  Plus it has graphics.  I saw GREAT SAVE flash up below the score a few times, although I think they need some training on when they use the graphics…saves were pretty easy when I saw it!  Come on scoreboard operator!  One thing that’s nice…going in a beating teams with these fancy facilities!  That’s pretty satisfying!  On to the game.

Memorial’s first half was dominating.  If they looked a bit rusty on Tuesday at North, they looked in mid-season form against Hudson in the first half.  Passing was crisp, player movement was fluid, the ball never stopped moving.  It looked really good.  The most impressive play was from the midfield.  They owned the game and really controlled the whole flow of the game.  In attack the midfield was able to get the ball into space out wide, get switches when needed to the backside and easily penetrate the Hudson defense.  When a ball was lost, they quickly delayed attacks and won back possession.  I am still learning players but the combination of Ali Bowe, Serena Sorenson, Cameron Carmody, Molly Grasskamp and a few I might be missing looked solid all night.  No surprise on this night all the scoring came from the midfield.

What makes this team interesting is they can beat you in so many ways.  The have some very talented forwards and wing players and on any given night, Stow could get 3-4 goals.  Hudson made a decision to try and stop Stow.  It was clear they had picked their poison…stop Stow and take our chances with the rest of the team.  When Stow had the ball, Hudson was sending double and triple teams her way to slow her down. She still had some chances, but they did seem a bit more limited than usual.  So, what do you do if they shut her down…well, that leaves some other very talented players available in space.  The decision to send multiple defenders on Stow really opened up the midfield area and Memorial pounced.  Another fact to share…all the goals came from outside the box…..I think.  Got a bit distracted on goal 3 with all the action around the net….but I think it was struck from outside the box.

Let’s take a look at some highlights.  Man…this one was close to going across the line.  I have slowed it down and looked at it several times.  Thought maybe it was over, but probably not all the way over…so close.  I think this was a good omen for Sorenson on the night…more highlights for her soon.

The scoring was licked off on the night by Molly Grasskamp.  But the key to this play was Ali Bowe.  She wins a ball in midfield..a common theme tonight…and takes on two defenders.  Then she makes a really good inside cut and the defenders fly by.  She spots an open Grasskamp in the middle of the field and lays off a nice pass and Molly does the rest.  A hard drive that finds its way thru to the corner of the goal.

So, after that first bar down, you figured Sorenson deserved one and you were right.  As Hudson tried to clear a ball, it is picked up by Carmody in midfield and she spots Sorenson in space who wastes no time rifling a hard shot to the far corner.  Very similar goal to the first one.  Almost as if Coach DeRusha had instructed his midfield to take some shots from the 18 since they likely would have a few opportunities.  Against North, the team was trying to make that extra little pass…tonight, when space presented…they were shooting…and SCORING.

So, what is the worst lead in soccer.  If you have coached or played they always talk about a 2-0 lead.  Memorial led 2-0 at the half.  At 1-0 you are still really focused.  At 3-0, the other team is discouraged.  At 2-0, teams sometimes just get comfortable and the other team still feels engaged.  To their credit, Hudson came out and really picked up their energy and effort in the second half.  It felt like they committed more numbers in midfield to change the Memorial advantage.  They were winning balls and playing balls into space out wide.  Shots started to come, they applied some pressure on Memorials defense.  The game became a very even battle over the first 30 minutes of the half.  Memorials GK had to get to work in the second half.  And then there was a stretch where Hudson had 4-5 corner kicks, felt like 20, in very quick succession.  And they were all very dangerous, you sort of felt a goal was coming. I think around the 70 minute mark, it happened and it was a beauty.  A strong corner kick to the back side of the 6 and a really strong header back across goal into the far corner.  No chance to stop that one…it was well earned.  Game on!  So now Hudson is very energized and really into the game.  What would Memorial do, well, they did what really good teams do, they responded.  They picked it up and took back control of the game.  Within minutes they were pressing for goal #3.  Several really good opportunities saved by the Hudson GK and a few others saved off the line by defenders.  Here was one of those sequences. Another bar down by Beaudrie, but no goal, and then almost by Stow, no goal.

A few minutes later, Sorenson delivered again to put the game away at 3-1.  Didn’t get video of that one, my bad, but it was very similar to the first two.  The midfield really delivered tonight!

Top Take Aways

The defensive line of Kison-Hanson-Gerry-Jochimsen is a BRICK WALL.  Throw in Carmody in front of them and you have a double brick wall. This group is big, fast, physical and tough!

This team has options.  Taking away Stow wont guarantee you success against Memorial.  That is important going forward.

Time to get Tested.  Hudson made them work in the second half, but I think this teams needs to get tested.  The non-conference games coming up in the next weekend will give us an indication where they are.

Go ABES!

Finally…some warm weather, sunshine and a little breeze.  Sounds like perfect weather for some soccer!  It has been a slow start to the season for High School Girls soccer with multiple games cancelled or postponed due to cold weather, snow and unplayable fields.  Practice time has been limited and that makes it tough for teams to find their rhythm early in the season. Tonight’s cross town rivalry game between Memorial and North was played with high energy, passion and lots of fight.  You could tell it was a rivalry game.  As well, maybe both teams were a bit rusty and needed a game to find their way early in the season.  Memorial had only played once, back on April 12th, so it had been awhile for a competitive game.

You can see talent all over the field for Memorial.  Individual players look big, fast, strong, athletic and skilled.  The combination play and possession will take a few games to develop in a new season.  Seemed the field and the wind did not help either…the ball was not rolling as smooth as a possession team prefers.  Memorial controlled a majority of the possession in the first half, found some shots and managed 1 goal, but never really took control of the game.  North was stout on Defense, stepped into passing lanes aggressively,  put a lot of bodies behind the ball and in the box, and prevented Memorial from getting into a comfortable flow offensively. There were nice moments and spurts, but that last key pass or clinical shooting was missing.

In a tight cross town rivalry game, with lots of wind and two rusty teams, I guess you would expect a close game.  North only had a few moments near Memorial’s final third but did find some good fortune when they pressed Memorials defense, won a ball in a dangerous place and found the net on I think their first shot of the game.  One of the few shots Memorials defense has allowed this year.  Still early in the game and now a 1-1 score.  North’s strategy to sit back defensively and counter attack produced a 1-1 halftime score.  Pretty confident the Memorial fans were disappointed and North’s were feeling a bit optimistic. North was playing well and although lacked possession, it felt like a fair score.  Although Memorial controlled possession, it did not turn into a ton of dangerous chances.  Likely the shots on goal stats will be very lopsided in the official box score, but only a few tough saves for the North GK.

The second half provided Memorial the wind advantage and their energy picked up in the second half.  With the wind, possession in the North half was pretty consistent. But still no goals.  North tried to throw balls over the top and into space to counter attack, but Memorials defense was up to the task and limited any shots.  It felt like it was just a matter of time….shots were coming at a pretty regular clip, but no goal.  Multiple corners and balls pinging around the box…but no goal.. Tick tock tick tock.  Moving past the 75th minute and the crowd is feeling a bit anxious…but no goal.  North started to spend a bit more time in Memorials half as we entered the last 15 minutes and I think that actually was the difference in the game.  North got stretched a bit and now, guess what, Memorial started to counter attack with success. They actually looked much better when counter attacking than sitting back in possession and trying to break down North’s defense.  I forgot to mark down the time, but I think the winning goal was between 75-80 minute mark.  The crowd erupted, both cheering and letting off some anxiety I think.  A solid, blue-collar 2-1 victory.  Not pretty, but sometimes you just have to win a game ugly, knock off some rust, and move on.

Let’s check out some highlights.  It was a pretty physical game.  Expected in a rivalry game.  This sums up the game pretty well.  A tough battle.

Memorial had their chances.  Their build up play created multiple shots on goal and their width was causing some problems for North.

As the counter attack game kicked into gear late in the game, Memorial found a lot of space out wide creating some good chances.

You just knew it was coming, the quality of players and the experience, you just knew there was a game winner out there.  No surprise who delivered in a tight game.

Key Take Aways from the Game

Lauren Carmody is a handful up top.  Carmody was strong in her hold up play and distribution.  Her physical play and energy allowed her to win the ball on the winning goal. Strong all night.  As well, it would have been pretty easy for her to take the shot on the winning goal….pretty impressive she made the pass, and made the perfect pass…perfect weight, perfect location, perfect roll. She is off to a strong start to the season.

More Games and this team will look different. Just a bit rusty.  More practice, more games, more learning their new system and I think this team will look completely different the next time they face North.

Special players deliver when needed.  Abigail Stow delivered tonight when the team needed a goal.  Two goals and both were solid strikes.  Hitting that one time shot to the side net is not as easy as she makes it look.  Well done to finish off the game.

Big Game Thursday vs. Hudson.  Likely a match up of the top two teams in conference and a road game.  Memorial will need to play big.  Go Abes!

Okay, this will be a bit of a departure for me.  I started this blog to chronicle Cooper’s final season as a Varsity soccer player and as well, I have always felt that soccer was a bit under represented in the local sports pages.  So, what better way to accomplish both goals than to start a blog…..perfectly logical right.  Well, it has been fun and I picked a pretty good season to blog, Memorial made it to State and almost had an epic season.  It was quite a ride….still remember that 2-1 lead at halftime of the semi-finals.

So I figured what the heck, let’s keep this thing going and blog about the Memorial Girls soccer season as well.  I have been fortunate to coach some girls who will be Freshman this year and had the chance to watch some of their games over the past few years supporting players and friends of the family.  Hoping I can catch lightning in a bottle and blog another season that leads to a State tournament birth.  It could happen!

Lets start with a little recap and some highlights from last season.

2017 Season Recap

Record: 21-4-1.  Impressive, only 4 losses on the season.  Lets break that down a little and take a deeper dive.

1st Loss is to Whitefish Bay 0-3.  Whitefish Bay was ranked #1 in Division II and went on to win the Div. II State Championship.  Wow.

2nd Loss is to Arrowhead 0-1.  Arrowhead who during the season last year was ranked #1 in Div. I. Very difficult team.

3rd Loss is to Notre Dame Academy.  NDA was ranked #2 in Div. II during the year.  Holy cow, another top 5 team.

Loss #4 is to Bayport in Sectional Finals…in OT 2-3.  Bayport was ranked #4 in Div. I and made it to the state finals where they lost to Brookfield Central in the State Finals.

Memorial had a great year, winning 21 games with all 4 losses to really high quality teams including two teams that played for State Titles.  What a schedule outside of their conference! During the season they had winning streaks of 4 games, 11 games and then 5 games.  They finished an undefeated Conference Schedule.  At one point during the season they rose to being ranked #6 in the State Coaches Poll.  They almost made their 10th appearance at the State Tournament making them one of the Top programs in the state. More to follow on that in a later post.

Scoring: Memorial scored 121 goals and their defense only gave up 24 goals, less than 1 goal per game.  Impressive defensive statistic.  They had 13 shut outs in 26 games.  Man, I love a team that plays defense and obviously, Memorial was really solid on D last year.

2018 Season Preview

So what will 2018 hold for the Old Abes.  Well, I will need a little more time to evaluate the roster, but here are a few thoughts.

-A new GK will be in the play.  Grace Frank held that spot down for the past few years and really commanded a presence in net.  She will be missed and it will be crucial to have strong GK play to go deep again in 2018.

-Will the defense be as strong.  I think a few graduations, but it also feels like a bunch of returning starters with a few solid new players to fill in for the graduating seniors.  The 3-5-2 formation needs some strong wing play to help cover the defense and I think there are solid players to fill that role as well.  Looking forward to watching them play and checking out the rotations.

-Will they score goals. Well, on this front, I think we can safely say yes.  They return the likely Conference Player of the Year in Abigail Stow…a goal scoring machine.  Having watched some indoor games, there seem to be lots of additional firepower on offense and solid midfield play to feed the forwards.  Should be exciting to watch them this year.

Preseason Rankings

Division I

1. Arrowhead  2.  DHSA  3. Muskego  4. Bay Port (ugh!)  5. Neenah

6. EC Memorial  7. Middleton  8. DC Everest  9. Oconomowac  10. Madison West

Well, get ready for another tough schedule.  Included in this years non-conference schedule are the following games.  Arowhead (1), DHSA (2) and DC Everest (8). Another loaded schedule! As well, they have scheduled Notre Dame (#2 Div III) and Brookfield East (#7 Div. II).  That is 5 Top 10 teams in their schedule.  Wow!

The season starts today actually, as Memorial travels up to Superior to play on the turf in some chilly Lake Superior weather.  Look forward to report some updates tomorrow.  Plan to get to as many games as possible and provide game updates and recap including video.   It feels like it could be another special year.  Solid in Goal, big/fast and aggressive on defense and with a special player on offense to take them deep.  In all my years watching high school soccer, one thing I have found…you need at least one special player to go deep at State.  Could be interesting this year.  Hope they play hard, develop team chemistry and have a great season.  Let’s go Abes!

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