Update: So–I am trying to step up my game and add a little more fun to the site. I have added a poll to this latest post where you can vote for your favorite Memorial game this year, well at least from the 6 I have selected. Check it out and drop in your vote! Curious what everyone thinks. A few tough ones to pick from. What say you?
So, it has been a week. I guess it is really over, no more High School Soccer season for Memorial boys. I am not sure the 7 stages a person goes thru after a tough moment in their life…but I think I went thru a few of them. Sadness. Yes, I was bummed. Anger. well, a little bit…crazy dang refs and some bogus calls. Denial. Absolutely…it can’t be over, it just can’t. Acceptance. Well, I guess a little. So what now, no more game day blogs and videos of the goals and getting hyped for the next game. Well, maybe the next stage in this journey is PRIDE. Proud of the boys and proud of the effort and all they accomplished. Proud of Cooper and the player and teammate he became. Proud of the coaching staff for molding the team into a championship contender. Proud of the program for making it to state. Proud to have captured some of it in the blog. I think the season was a start for my blogging career, so if you are up for it, stick with me, I have a lot more to say.
The good news, Girls High School Soccer is right around the corner! Go Abes. I think I can keep writing a post or two each week this winter and keep everyone primed with a few soccer updates. I feel some Chelsea news coming soon! Thanks for checking out the blog when you have a chance.
So, Season Preview Volume 1. Lets do this.
Season Stats
Memorial Season Record: 20-3-2
Total Goals Scored: 84. That is 3.36 goals per game. Pretty impressive.
Goals Allowed: 19. That is .76 goals per game allowed. Even more impressive.
Shutouts: 15. Really impressive.
State Tournament Appearances: 10th trip to State. That’s #8 in Division Programs all time. Not Bad
State Semi-Final Appearances: 4th time Memorial has made the Semi-Final round.
Goals Scored in 2017 Season
Jack Longville 39 15 Multi-Goal games including 6 games with 3 goals and 2 games with 4 goals. Wow.
Mitch Brenner 7
Will Orser 7
Luke Rosenberger 6
Matt Martinez 5
Jacob Peloquin 5
Cooper Lyons 4 Not bad for a holding midfielder. Had to throw that in.
Owen Jolley 3 And a ton of assists. More on that in a future post.
Simon Larson 2
Zach Haig 2
Will Hayes 2
Bryce Burlingame 1
Carlos Verduzco 1
13 players with at least 1 goals is solid distribution. Obviously, we relied on Longville to lead us and score goals and he responded, almost half the goals this year he scored. I think he got over 40 last year. Back to back years with that kind of production will not likely be seen at Memorial for a few years. But there is more than one way to win soccer games. There are plenty of scoring threats next year with Brenner, Rosenberger and Peloquin leading the way. Look for more balanced scoring, but maybe no less success.
Top Games of the Year
Here is my list for top games of the year.
Memorial 2 – Middleton 1. Our first big test of the season. After winning our first 7 and then suffering a strange tie against Rice Lake we headed to Madison for a tough 2 game weekend. We got humbled a bit and had our first loss against Oregon. By the way, Oregon made it to the State Finals in Div. 2 and if not for facing possibly the best Wisconsin High School team ever, Whitefish Bay, would have won state. No shame in that loss it turns out. Team didn’t play well. A little sluggish. And a few unfortunate goals against. How would they respond. Well, they responded like the champions they became. A hard-fought 2-1 win on a late PK and goal by Longville. It was the first sign we might be a special team.
Memorial 3 – Green Bay Preble 3 (Round 1). A back and forth affair. Memorial leads early. Preble strikes back for 2 goals to take the lead. Memorial hits late in the first half to tie it up. Memorial scores early in the 2nd half for a 3-2 lead and looks to be hanging on for a tough 1 goal win. Hold the phones, with 15 seconds remaining, Preble earns a controversial throw in and somehow, someway after a long throw into the box, earns a tie. The ball end up in the net. It was a preview of maybe an even better game later in the year. Might be on the list shortly.
Memorial 2 – Park 0. Maybe our most complete victory and the second sign that this team might do some damage in the playoffs. The quality of the play was a sign this team was starting to peak at the right time. Goals by Peloquin and Lyons were a signal we could beat a good team without a goal by Longville. Possession was solid, ball movement was excellent, the midfield controlled the game and the defense and GK shut down any and all threats.
Memorial 2 – DC Everest 1. This game started quite a three game run for the Abes. If you wanted exciting, gut wrenching, hold on tight, chew your fingernails soccer, this game had it all. It was a classic. DC Everest came ready to play. It was a physical battle. It had the added element of a windy day and that impacted play. Longville got the scoring started with an amazing free kick from approx. 25. Up and over and into the net. 1-0 Abes. It had some controversy. Was it a handball, was it incidental and no handball. Well…it was our first stroke of luck…no handball, Owen Jolley makes it 2-0. It had some amazing saves. There was the quick leap and punch it over the top from Tyler Hanson on a wind aided long ball and awkward bounce. And then there was the own Jolley, Ninja, leap into the air and bicycle kick a ball going into the net for a critical save. DC Everest scores late on a free kick to make it 2-1. Now we are hanging on and the two key saves go from good saves to game saving saves. Wow!
Memorial 2 – Hudson 1. Ready for some more drama. Round 1 of the Sectionals delivered. The game was 0-0 for a long time. It was strange. You always felt Memorial was on the verge of scoring the entire first half. A bunch of shots but nothing too dangerous. So we are favored, should win, should have scored but still 0-0 at half. Now we are nervous. Still no score after 55 minutes, 65 minutes, 75 minutes. Come on now, its time to score. Well, who do you think answers the call…of course Longville. A beautiful build up play and multiple passes gets the ball onto the wing for Joe Free who makes a wonderful cross into the box and Longville makes the perfect run and the prefect glancing header into the back corner of the net. 1-0 Abes. Game over right. Wrong. Not two minutes later, a cross and shot by Hudson ties the game 1-1. No way. OT. Now the fun starts. We seem primed for a goal until the unthinkable. Red card. Man down. Just trying to hold on until a PK Shootout. 2nd OT. Maybe we can catch 1 chance…there it is…a turnover in our zone…the ball finds Jack and a touch, a dribble, GOAL. Unbelievable, score the game winner playing a man down in OT. Our good fortune continues.
Memorial 1 – Green Bay Preble 0. The Rematch. Usually sequels are not as good as the original. Happens all the time, well except for Marvel Comics movies, they are always as good or better than the original. It was intense. It was physical. It was a battle. It was cold. 0-0 at the half. Sound familiar. Happened against Hudson. Both teams battling. Memorial looks better, has more possession, has more shots, but the goal will just not come. Key moment #1. Preble has only one real chance, try to counter attack. They find a chance about minute 60 on a long ball down the right flank. A defender is chasing, GK Tyler Hanson comes out, hesitates and then charges hard. The Preble forward decides to chip it over the GK. The ball heads up and over and bounces just before the goal, then bounces up and into the cross-bar and straight down onto the goal line. Is it in, is it on the line? Our Goal Buster Own Jolley to the rescue as he calmly clears the ball off the line . Tragedy avoided. A late goal on a cross and a backside delayed run by Martinez (great advice Kimamo) wins the game. Memorial advances to State.
Man…that was fun to write. I think maybe the acceptance thing is happening. And the PRIDE thing is just getting bigger and bigger. Go Abes. Thanks for the memories!