Rough Start For The North Eugene Girls

The Rockers lost their opening game to a skilled South Eugene Comet team this afternoon 2-0. The first half was a defensive affair with neither team holding any real advantage for any significant amount of time.  North held a slight advantage in scoring chances and shots on goal, but neither found the back of the net.

The second half saw more of the same.  South opened the scoring off of a scramble created after a set piece attempt.  North’s back line failed to clear the ball and paid the price.  The goal seemed to wake up the Rockers but despite several shots at goal, nothing hit the back of the net.  Choppy midfield play dominated the middle portion of the half.  South went up 2-0 on another scramble created off of a failed clearing attempt.

The game also saw the debut of North’s two newest additions Jasmine and Shelby J.  The girls saw fairly limited action in this first game, but should see more playing time as the season progresses. The coaches were pleased with their performance in light of the fact that neither has ever played organized soccer, and jumped right into an Emerald division game. 

The Rockers wrapped up the fall season with a 1-0 win over the Pumas.  Unfortunately, the game was less than climatic due to the poorest officiating of the entire season.  What started out as a spirited contest between competitive teams turned into a game where both teams were afraid to breath, for fear of drawing a penalty.  The first half saw the hapless official break out the yellow card five times.  Five yellows in a u14 girl’s game must be a league record.  The games only goal came off of a penalty kick from Kaitlyn with about two minutes left in the game.

The Rockers will kick off their winter indoor soccer season November 6^th.  They will open the season against the FC Willamette “Possession” team.  The North girls will be playing in the league’s top division this year.  The upper division will consist of the Rockers, Willamette Maroon, 3 teams from EMFC, and two teams from FC Willamette.  

The Rockers squeaked out a 1-0 win over the Eugene Cheetahs in the second playoff game.  Despite pinning the Cheetahs in there defensive zone for extended periods and out shooting them 3-1, the North girls only managed to put 1 in the back of the net.  Also notable was Kalyee receiving the team’s first yellow card of the season.  It was unexpected as was the schizophrenic nature of the officiating.  The second half was officiated completely different from the first half.  It made it hard on the girls to understand what was an infraction, in the official’s mind. 

Notably the Rockers showed no adverse fatigue from a hard fought game the previous day with the Thurston Nitros.  The girls all held up in spite of the Cheetahs 17 girl roster.  In places their conditioning looked more suspect than the Rockers.  North will wrap up its fall season this coming Saturday.

The North girls dug themselves an early whole in the first round playoff game with Thurston.  An early breakaway and a nice finish put Thurston up 1-0 10 minutes into the game.  They then followed up 5 minutes after that with another goal (the AR missed a clear offside, but that’s life).  The Rockers then maintained solid pressure the rest of the half but failed to find the back of the net.

The second half again saw the Rockers dominate the territorial game, but failed to score until about the 25 minute mark of the half.  Another goal followed a few minutes later.  With the score tied and North controlling the action it looked like the comeback was assured.  However; it was not to be.  The Rockers gave up an unnecessary corner kick with just over a minute left to play.  Thurston played the ball into the box and chaos reigned.  The ball bounced around and looked like it was in, but the whistle blew just prior to the ball crossing the line.  The ref had his choice of penalties to call.  He could call the hand ball on North, the keeper interference on Thurston, or the handball on Thurston.  He chose to call the handball on North.  The resulting penalty kick beat Emma high left and gave Thurston the lead.  45 seconds later Thurston sealed the deal.  North pushed everyone up to try for an equalizer but gave up an odd man break and the insurance goal.

The Rockers will play in the consolation round Sunday against the winner of the Albany vs. Eugene Cheetahs game.

The North girls ended the regular season with a 0-0 draw against Philomath.  Despite multiple scoring chances the Rockers kept coming up short; in some cases by mere inches.  With the draw North will finish the regular season in third place.  A win today could have secured second.  We will post the playoff schedule as soon as it is available.

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The Rockers came up big Saturday night against a skilled Redmond team. The Rockers were coming off a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of the Willamette Maroon team Wednesday night on the very same field.  The game looked to be a an uphill battle, with the Rockers forced to play with only 10 players. 

The North girls stepped up to the challenge set before them and started attaching early.  Despite sacrificing a forward they were able to maintain steady offensive pressure.  The score line was as follows:  Kaitlyn 1 goal, MacKenzie 2 goals, Taylor 1 goal, Sammy 1 goal, and Kaylee with the final goal

The girls finished their final Tot Soccer camp last night.  This has been a great experience for the girls since the team started hosting the camps last year.  It is a great opportunity for the girls to give something back to the sport.  They have gotten better with each camp we host.  Make sure to check out the Tot soccer pictures on the Album page of the website.  The week #4 pictures should be online by Monday.

The North Eugene girls lost to Philomath 3-2.  The Rockers led from the opening kick (scored within the first minute), until the last 10 minutes of the game.  They then surrendered 3 straight goals.  The North girls will have chance at redemption Sunday afternoon when they play again.

The North Eugene girls came away with a disappointing 1-0 win over Churchill Saturday night.  The Rockers started off strong a dominated the physical game, but failed to capitalize on scoring opportunities.  Sammy finally found the back of the net at the 20 minute mark.  North applied consistent pressure but could not increase their lead.

The second half was a complete let down by the Rockers.  The girls started letting up on 50-50 balls and the physical play.  Minor disarray on the back line made for some uneasy moments.  Emma was solid in goal and kept the shut out. 

The Rockers found themselves snake bit in their 0-3 losing effort in Albany.  The teams were evenly matched on a skill basis while Albany held a decisive numbers advantage.  Despite a losing the game, this looked like the best overall effort the team has put in this season. 

Like previous trips to Albany, every shot seemed just a little off target.  While at the same time the Albany goals seemed to come by the merest of fractions of an inch.  Sometimes the ball just does not bounce your way.  This game proves that a team can play well and still come up short on the scoreboard.  The rockers will have a short break before facing off with Churchill.

The North Eugene Girls faced off with the Eugene Cheetahs in an exciting afternoon game at the Regional Sports Center in Springfield.  Again the Rockers got off to another slow start.  They started to apply pressure to the Cheetahs about 15 minutes into the first half.  The Rockers perimeter speed started to open some gaps in skilled Cheetah back line.  Unfortunately the pressure while generating scoring chances did not yield any goals.

The second half saw the Rockers physical conditioning starting to pay dividends.  Despite only fielding one sub compared to the Cheetahs 5 available players; the North girls looked much fresher.  The Rockers finally found the back of the net on a shot from Sammy.  The girls followed it with several near misses and hit posts and cross bars.  Sammy then notched the insurance goal on a nice spin and shoot move just inside the 18.

Wednesday night the North Girls faced off with the Thurston Nitros.  The Rockers did not get off to a very good start.  In the first 10 minutes of the game they gave 4 breakaways.  Luckily Emma (The Ninja Cat) came up big and made some outstanding saves.  At the 20 minute mark Thurston found the back of the net.  North came right back and knotted the score at 1-1 on a long shot from Bella. 

The girls seemed to regain their focus and confidence after the goal. The second half the Rockers played much better soccer.  As a result they generated more scoring chances and gave up fewer chances themselves.  The defense still had some shaky moments, but again Emma came up HUGE.  Shelby put away the next goal. Sammy provided the insurance goal 10 minutes later.

The 2008 fall season sees a new look for the Rockers.  The girls added two new players (Sammy & Taylor), while losing several veteran players.  This leaves the Rockers with a 12 girl roster.  While the team is not deep in numbers, we are deep in quality!  Execution, fitness, strategic thinking, and teamwork are keys to the girl’s success.

Wednesday night saw all of these attributes on display against a very skilled South Eugene Team.  The Rockers showed some first game jitters and situational gaffes in the first half of the game.  The new back line worked on building chemistry having not played as a unit until this season.  The midfield and forwards had chemistry but looked a half step off of their game during the first half.  In spite of that they generated numerous scoring chances, but failed to find the back of the net.

The second half saw the team find their collective rhythm.  Conditioning looking very good in spite of the fact that the team only has one sub available.  The team put sustained pressure on the Comets and after several near misses Sammy placed a perfect ball to open the scoring.  Minutes later she repeated the feat from almost the same spot on the field, and with a carbon copy shot! 

The North girls finished the seeding jamboree 4-1-1.  This should be good enough to secure a place in the leagues top division for the regular season.  The coaching staff is looking forward to seeing the team playing at the highest level of competition, believing it brings out the best qualities in athletes as individuals and the team as a whole. 

In Friday’s opening game against Sheldon the North girls showed a little rust in their game.  Despite being a half step behind normal they pulled out the 1-0 win. 

The second game Friday night did not start very well, with continued choppy play and missed opportunities.  The girls found their rhythm in the second half and cruised to a 3-0 victory over a young Junction City team. 

The Rockers requested not to play any games on Saturday due to the Duck home game.  While giving everyone a break on Saturday it did force the team to play 4 games on Sunday. 

Sunday opened with a 1-0 win over Cottage Grove.  Again lack of mental focus at the start of the game caused the Rockers not take advantage of some great scoring chances. 

The second game was a battle with Redmond for a 1-1 draw.  Redmond punished the girl’s lack of focus with a goal half way though the first half.  The Rockers dug in and evened the score a few minutes into the second half.  Each team then had chances to put the other away but failed find the back of the net. 

The third game of the day saw a total lack poise and concentration on the part of the Rockers.  This resulted in two soft goals being allowed.  To make matters worse the Rockers did not finish the scoring chances they had. 

The final game of the day was a 2-1 victory for the girls.  Despite giving up a bad set piece goal early in the game, the girls rallied back scoring two straight.  The final whistle blew before the Rockers were allowed to take a PK on a hand ball in the box. 

The jamboree gave the coaches a chance to evaluate players as well as formation for use during the regular season.  An action plan will be in place to correct shortcomings seen during these games as well as strategies to take advantage of our strengths.  We anticipate an extremely competitive season in the Emerald division.  There will be no easy games at this level.

Tournament Breakdown:

Game #1 The Rockers defeated the Silver Falls Soccer Club in a sudden death shoot-out.  After an intense back and forth battle the saw the Rockers blow a 2 goal lead in the last minutes of the game.  MacKenzie Clark scored north's first goal on a crazy scramble.  Alisha Shipley put the North Girls up 2-0 on a penalty kick.  In the last 5 minutes of the game the SFFC came back with well executed goals.

The teams then went straight to penalty kicks.  It remained all tied after the first round of shooters.  Emma Trank stood on her head in the sudden death round stopping 4 straight shots.  The clinching goal was put home by Katie Crass!  Only mild chest pains suffered by the coach!  (6 points)

Game #2

The North Girls got off to a little bit of a rough start in the monsoon conditions of the first half.  The Rockers ended up putting up two goals from the foot of MacKenzie Clark (the smurf line strikes again).  Despite some sustained pressure the second half, the Rockers held their 2 goal margin all the way to the final whistle. (9 points)

Game #3

Got off to a pretty good start with Shelby Clark putting in the first goal of the game.  The South Eugene Comets kept a high pace and steady pressure until the broke even on a slick goal.  From there the game started to slip a little.  North was playing with only 11 and lack of subs started to show.  After the Comets scored their second goal north did not have the energy to get it back.  (0 points)

Game #4

The Championship Game! At 4:00pm the Rockers faced off with the South Eugene girls to decide the champion.  North was lucky enough to have 2 subs available for the final.  The game was back and forth the whole time.  The Comets had a decided advantage in shots but could not get anything past EMMA!  The Rockers did not fair any better with the South Keeper. 

The Result would again come down to penalty kicks. This time the suffering ended early.  Only one round of shooters was needed.  Emma stopped 3 of 5, while South managed 2 of 5 stops.

The North girls defeated the shorthanded Churchill team 3-0 tonight.  Despite having a 1 player advantage the Rockers had a little trouble finding the back of the net.  The Churchill team packed the 18 yard box most of the game.  While this slowed the North offense, it took all of the presure off of the Rocker defense.  North did not give up a single shot on goal the entire game. 

The North girls keep another clean sheet while putting up 3 goals of their own!  Alisha chalked up another hat trick, her second of the season.  Solid defense ended up only giving up 3 shots on goal in spite of the short field being played.  Today's game also saw the introduction of the team's newest player Bella Laughlin. 

Despite a chopy start the Rockers managed to grind out a 3-1 win over the South Eugene Splash.  Kaitlyn opened the scoring off of a free kick at the edge of the 18 yard box.  The North girls put South under constant presure for the rest of the first half, but gave up a goal off of a free kick near the end of the first half.

The second half saw the Rockers keep the presure up but seemed unable to make that last pass to get the easy shot.  Kylie broke the deadlock with a great hustle goal at the midway point of the second half.  Again great pressure resulted in the final goal score by Kaitlyn off of some nice footwork in the box.

The North girls had another great performance in their win over the Redmond Thunder!  The Rockers kept the Thunder pinned in their own defensive zone for 2/3 of the game.  Consistent pressure finally yielded the North girls 2 goals and the win.  Alisha opened the scoring and Shelby got the insurance goal off of a half volley shot! 

The back line also showed up big in the game, virtually shutting down the Redmond offense.  The Thunder's key offensive threats were denied the ball for most of the game.  Natalie was only forced to make a few saves during the entire game.  Again the TEAM effort got the Rockers the WIN!

Friday night saw the top two North Eugene girls teams battle it out.  The Soccer Rockers came away with a huge win over the Hurricanes, on the back of Alisha's hat trick!  The effort given by every member of the team is exactly what the coaches have been asking for.  The team played as good as they have practiced.

Top to bottom the Rockers played well.  Mistakes made last week were not repeated this week!  The great team effort is something the girls can take a great deal of pride in.  The defense played solid!  No missed kicks, no easy breaks, no odd man attacks.  The transition was great as well, with the midfield players moving the ball to the forwards with confidence.

The coaches are hopeful that this game is not indicative of the girls will play the rest of the season.  There are lessons to be learned from this game that will make the girls more successful over the long haul.  Had they played as well tonight as they have in scrimmage it would have been their game to win.

The North Eugene girls came through big in their game with Churchill.  The stage was set for the early morning showdown, complete with fog shrouding the field on a sunless Saturday morning. 

The North girls dominated the play for most of the game, pinning the Churchill girls in their end for most of the game.  Despite repeated opportunities the Rockers could not find the back of the net.  Defensively the Rockers looked solid.  Denying Churchill's key forward (Sammy) the ball proved to be the key.  Danielle, Kylie, and Emma all did a great job of shutting down the most dangerous attacking player.

Regulation ended in a 0-0 draw.  In dramatic fashion the game was to won in a shoot-out!  Natalie was a WALL.  Allowing only one of the 5 attempts from Churchill!

Sunday’s semi final game in the Valley division saw the North girls in action against the South girls.  Perfect weather and two ready teams made for great action at the sports complex in Springfield Sunday afternoon.  Much like the team’s regular season game, the contest was tight.  The game ebbed and flowed through the first half until a major error by the referee.  The official awarded a penalty on a ball played with a high kick.  South drove the ball into the back of the net for the game’s ONLY goal.  Unfortunately the kick should not have been direct!  The correct call would have been INDIRECT!  It is a real shame to have great playoff game decided by an incorrect call by an official.  But such is life.  Like it or not the result is the result.  Now the North girls will have to settle for a chance at third place.

The first round of the Valley Division Playoffs saw the North Eugene Soccer Rockers take the field against the North Eugene Fuego.  As in the past meetings of the two North teams, the game was very spirited and extremely close.  The Fuego beat the Rockers to the majority of the 50-50 balls through the first half, bit were unable to maintain possession or feed the ball through the midfield to their very capable forwards.  The Rockers seemed to have some success down the wings.  As a result Alisha took the ball down the right side and around three defenders to slot home the first goal of the evening.  Again with less than five minutes left in the first half Alisha took the ball down the right side and through the teeth of the defense before crossing the ball to Shelby who drove it home.The coaches challenged the girls to keep up their effort and focus through the second half. 

The Rockers did a much better job on the 50-50 balls, but did have a few defensive breakdowns.  At one point Kelsey (Fuego’s super center) broke through the backline and was one on one with Natalie.  Natalie made a great decision coming off her line and diving on the ball 12 yards out, stopping the shot.  Natalie really came through in the second half stopping some excellent scoring chances the Fuego generated.

With the win, the Rockers will now face the #1 seeded South Eugene Comets on Sunday afternoon.  The 4:30 kick off will give the Rockers a chance to avenge the regular season loss. 

No Really!  We're going to do them this time!  We will be taking our team pictures This Monday (the 29th) at 5:00pm.  Pictures will be done at Madison Middle School on the turf field.  All players need to show up ready to go (clean teeth, brushed hair, etc.)!  I ask that the kids make sure to clean up their shoes as well (they will show in a couple of the shots we are going to try).  Please wear your complete uniform! 

We will be doing a regular practice at the end of the photo session, so be prepared.  Bring your bags, balls, water, etc.

The North Girls finished the regular season on a high note Saturday afternoon.  The team played well in spite of several players recovering from illness.  Elmira proved to have the worst field conditions that the kids have had to deal with all year.  The bog like soccer pitch made traction (or lack thereof) interesting at best.  The Rockers held the majority of the possession throughout the game. 

The two goal lead was cut to one late in the first half.  The Elmira girls had several chances to pull level but failed to find the back of the net.  Natalie even came up with a big stop on a penalty kick.

After the victory the girls got a ride to the bowling alley in true style.  A Hummer Limo provided by Helen and John was a great way to cap the regular season.

The North Eugene Soccer Rockers squared off against the North Eugene Fuego Tuesday night.  The Rockers were beaten to the ball throughout the first half.  In spite of playing slow to the ball they managed to sneak in a goal at the 30 minute mark of the first half. 

The second was much better for the Rockers.  They raised their game and started winning the 50-50 balls.  However, a defensive breakdown saw the Fuego bring the score level.  The Rockers responded well, going back to the offense and slotting home the game winner about 7 minutes out from the end of the game.

The Soccer Rockers dropped their second game in a row to the Churchill Revolution Tuesday night.  As usual the game between Churchill and North was tight.  Both teams were very evenly matched.  The Rockers gave up a goal to a former teammate "Sammy" in the 70th minute, and were not able to get it back before the final whistle.   

The girls will have the opportunity to end this losing slide when they hit the road to face Sweet home, an excellent and physical club on their home field. 

The North Eugene Soccer Rockers lost their first regular season game in over a year.  The Soccer Rockers found themselves down 2-0 within the first 5 minutes of Saturday's game.  By the 10 minute mark they were down 3-0.  After giving up the third goal the team seemed to find their balance, and started to generate some offense. 

The girls found out what happens to teams that don't show up ready to play at this level.The second half started much better with Alisha scoring within 1 minute of the starting whistle.  The Rockers had multiple opportunities to score facilitated by the high line the Cheetahs played throughout the game.  They simply ended up a little short on every opportunity. 

Players, parents, and fans need to check the updated calender.  We had a couple of changes to our game schedule made by Kidsports.  Just click on the calender link to the left of this page.  If anyone has questions-please call either Ken or Chris.

The North Girls faced off with the Sweet Home Girls on Saturday afternoon.  The Rockers seemed to have trouble adjusting to the speed of the ball on the turf surface.  In spite of the turf they kept the Sweet Home team pinned in their end for most of the first half with the help of a strong prevailing wind.  Kristina Crass netted her first (and the team's) goal of the season midway through the period. 

The second half saw roles reversed as Sweet Home upped their intensity and took advantage of the strong wind to keep the Rockers pinned deep for most of the second half.  Unlike the North Girls, Sweet Home girls used booming long balls instead of controlled passing.  Despite the difference it proved quite effective, forcing Natalie to make key saves.  North did get some great opportunities on the counter attack but failed to find the back of the net.

Thursday night saw the Soccer Rockers in action against the Fuego.  It was a classic battle between two evenly matched teams.  The rockers seemed to have an advantage on defense while the Fuego had an advantage on offense.  It made for a great zero-zero draw. The game was not for those lacking in courage as the game was a physical affair.  Every ball was contested, and the tackles came fast and furious.

The Jamboree Schedule is as follows:

Friday 9/7/2007

5:00pm Roosevelt East Field:  North -VS- Thurston

6:20pm Roosevelt East Field:  North -VS- South Eugene Splash 

Saturday 9/8/2007

9:00am Roosevelt West Field:  North -VS- Churchill Rebels

10:30am Roosevelt West Field:  North -VS- Sheldon 

Sunday 9/9/2007

2:30pm South Eugene Turf Field:  North -VS- VFC Power

4:00pm South Eugene Turf Field:  North -VS- Sweet Home 

We would like to remind everyone that the players need to be at the field a minimum of 30 minutes prior to game start.  Everyone needs to bring their bag, ball, uniform, white Soccer Rocker T-Shirt (backup jersey), and water or sports drink. 

The Soccer Rockers officially ended the spring 2007 season with a picnic at Emerald Park.  Great food, perfect weather, and good friends made for a great evening at the park.  A little "liquid" warfare ensued after dinner, ending the night on a high note. 

Sunday started with a great pre-game picnic at the Oregon coast.  The players and parents were favored by unseasonably good weather at Sunset Bay outside Coos Bay.  No wind, sun, warm temperatures, good food, and great friends made for an excellent pre-game get together. 

The game started with the Rockers facing a stiff wind.  The home team skillfully played the home field advantage, selecting the wind at their backs rather than opening possession of the ball.  The rough grass and unpredictable bounces also made the first half interesting.  The North girls limited the North Bend teams options and reduced them to playing a predictable long ball game.  At the same time the Rockers had several good offensive opportunities thwarted by the wind.

The second half was with few exceptions all Rockers.  With the wind behind them, the girls played a little long ball game of their own.  Courtney opened the scoring for North with a well placed shot to the far post.  Shelby added a tally of her own a few minutes later on what can only be termed a hustle goal.  She made a meal of a rebound left by the keeper.  The girls showed good overall effort, especially considering the drive to the game.

The Rockers managed a draw with the Southside Cheetahs in Saturday's big game.  No game official showed up putting both teams in an awkward position.  Stacey Rodgers the Southside coach ended up reluctantly reffing the game. 

The North girls found themselves down by a goal within 30 seconds of kick off.  A complete mental breakdown by North's defense led to an early goal.  Things did not progress well from there.  The Rockers played on their heels for the first 25 minutes of the game.  They were beaten to loose balls and backed away from 50/50 challenges.  It started to turn about the 25 minute mark when a long shot from Carina took a hop over the keeper and knotted the game at 1.

The second half was better for the Rockers.  The seemed to finally want to compete!  The second half was back and forth with both teams missing critical opportunities to break the deadlock. 

This Sunday the Soccer Rockers are on the road to North Bend.  We will be having a team picnic prior to the game at Sunset Bay Park starting at 12:00pm.  This is a great opportunity for the girls to have some fun and shake the road trip "funk".  We will be providing hot dogs and drinks for everyone.  We ask that everyone bring either a side dish, chips, or a desert to share.  After the picnic we will caravan up to the field in North Bend .  We look forward to seeing everyone there!

Saturday afternoon saw the North Eugene Soccer Rockers face off against the North Eugene Crimson Chicks.  There has been a friendly rivalry between these stretching back a few seasons, with school bragging rights hanging in the balance.  The two teams split their fall season games with the Rockers winning the regular season game and the Crimson Chicks taking the playoff win.  Both games were decided by a single goal. 

The game started very poorly for the Rockers as they seem to be feeling the effects of Friday night's game with Churchill.  about 15 minutes in to the game they shook the cobwebs out and started to play solid ball.  The Rockers pinned the Chicks deep in the zone for long periods of time toward the end of the first half.  The second half saw the Rockers on the attack for the majority of the period.  Excellent combination play through the mid field opened up several scoring chances.  The Soccer Rockers missed 4 separate attempts by less than a foot, but failed to find the back of the net.  The Crimson Chicks faired little better with less than 5 shots on goal for the entire game.  Credit must be given to strong defensive play by both squads with the resulting zero-zero draw!

The Soccer Rockers surrender a late goal resulting in their second draw game this season.  The game did not start auspiciously for the North Eugene Girls.  They spent the better part of the first half pinned in their own defensive zone.  The Blue angles committed everyone to the attack, pushing their defenders up to the edge of the 18 yard box.  The soggy field also slowed the Soccer Rockers down, having had virtually all of their practices on artificial turf.  The tide began to turn mid way through the first half as the girls found their legs and adjusted their style of play to the conditions and the Blue Angles style of play.

The second half looked much more promising as the North girls took the attack to the Blue Angles pinning them deep for extended periods of time.  Kylee Pierson earned the team's goal by following up on a missed shot from Shelby Clark.  The Rockers followed up with several chances at goal, missing several attempts by mere inches.  The Rockers looked very solid until about the 58th minute.  A defensive breakdown cost them dearly as the Blue Angles made them pay for their lapse of concentration, earning themselves a draw in the process.

The Rockers gave up a late goal in their season opener against Junction City resulting in a draw.  First game jitters were evident as were some missed assignments.  Alisha, the team’s newest member drew first blood, scoring midway through the first half.  The game was characterized by choppy, narrow, and direct play.  The North girls did not show their usual perimeter attack, making the Tiger's defending assignments much easier.  The Rockers did show flashes of their potential with some crisp combination passing. 

The Soccer Rockers set their roster for the spring season today.  The spring line-up is as follows:
1. Kylee
2. Courtney
3. Kaitlyn
4. MacKenzie
5. Alisha
6. Danielle
7. Sierra
8. Natalie
9. Emma
10. Shyanne
11. Katie
12. Shelby
13. Kristina
14. Carina
15. Sarah

Congratulation to all of the girls on this spring's roster.  We look forward to a productive and competitive season!

The Eugene YMCA submitted a proposal to convert the seldom used horse arena to a multiple sport indoor recreation facility.  The proposal submitted in the fall of 2006 was unanimously approved by the Fairboard.  Unfortunately the proposal was derailed by the Lane County Commissioners largely due to unrelated political issues.  You can read the entire story by clicking on the above link.

We need everyone's support to get this project back on the table and moving forward.  Please call or write your local county commissioner and let them know that you support this project.  This is a great opportunity to open up athletic opportunities to thousands of local children at NO COST to the taxpayers!  The YMCA is assuming all of the risk.  In fact the proposal would pay the fairgrounds 1.1 million dollars over the next 10 years!

The 2006-2007 indoor season closed out today.  The coaches feel that most of the indoor season goals were accomplished.  The indoor season also provided the coaching staff more insight into the areas of the game that the team still need improvement on. 

Preparations for the 2007 Spring season will start Tuesday January 30th at Madison Middle School's new turf field.  These informal sessions will concentrate on small sided games (3v3).  Anyone interested in playing spring soccer on Rockers teams needs to attend these training sessions.  This will be a great opportunity to work on essential skills in a less structured format than during the season.  The emphasis will be on having fun while working specific skills.

We anticipate having between 2 and 4 roster openings on the Spring roster.  We encourage girls that are interested in playing competitive soccer in the spring to attend these informal sessions.  This is a great way to introduce yourself to the team and coaches.  In addition prospective team members will better understand how the coaches will be evaluating players during spring tryouts.

The North girls came up just short in a 3-1 loss.  In spite of a slow start the girls battled the Thurston girls for the full length of the game.  The Rockers experienced one of "those" nights, where the ball always seemed to bounce wrong.  An inch here and an inch there and the girls are even.  In spite of being seemingly snake bit, they continued to fight.  The girls finished with the intensity necessary to compete against the best teams in our area.

The Soccer Rockers had to dig deep in Tuesday's winning effort.  With only 7 players available, the girls were forced to play without substitutions.  The Ptertactyls kept rolling their lines trying to exploit their manpower advantage.  The North girls pulled together and kept pace in the high tempo game.

Shelby Clark scored both of the games goals despite illness.  Sarah Winterstien earned her first clean sheet as keeper as well.  All of the girls put in a great effort and earned this victory!

The North girls continued their winning ways with a 5-2 victory over the Blue Angels in Tuesday night's game. MacKenzie Clark opened the scoring for North, Sarah Winterstien added a goal to North's tally, and Kaitlyn Pearson came up with a "hat trick" to close out the scoring! The Rockers controlled the action in spite of playing with limited subs.  Strong defensive play from the Crass sisters and superb keeper play from Natalie sealed the deal. 
                                           ----We Miss You Lexi!----

The Soccer Rockers suffered a tough 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Cheetahs Tuesday night.  Both teams played a well balanced and aggressive game with a multitude of scoring opportunities.  It was surprising that contest was such a low scoring affair, but serves as a testament to the great goal keeping from both teams.  Kylee Pierson scored the lone goal for the Rockers (see picture above) on a well placed shot.  The coaches do not see the loss as significant as the team was able to accomplish its main goals of generating scoring chances and improving quickness on the ball.   **more pictures located in the album section of the site**

Friday the 13th the Soccer Rockers defied death and dismemberment at the Lone Pine Corn Maze.  The team navigated their way through the terrifying maze of death and emerged unscathed.  We would like to thank Hellen & John for inviting the team.  Make sure to check out all of the pictures in the photo album section of the site!

I have uploaded pictures to the team album section.  I have loaded them both directly to our site as well as to our teams Shutterfly account.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  Shutterfly provides the storage space for all of the pictures for FREE.  This will help preserve the limited server space that our website allows.  Shutterfly also gives parents the ability to order high quality color prints of any photos they want at very reasonable prices. 

I realize that going through registration for this site and then having people register for another site is a pain, but it only takes about 45 seconds to complete.  If you have any questions or problems please call me and I will be happy to help walk you through the process.

Forget Monday Night Football!  The action was at the Regional Sports Complex in Springfield.  The Soccer Rockers prevailed in a thrilling 1-0 victory over the Willamette girls.  The game was action packed from the beginning of play.  Neither team was able to generate sustained offensive zone pressure during the first half.  High intensity from both teams forced choppy play.  The second half saw the Rockers flex their offensive muscle, pinning the Willamette girls deep in their own end for extended periods of time.  North had multiple shots trickle wide of the net, teasing players and spectators alike.  Finally a Kylee took a nice cross in from the left side a put the shot home with only 90 seconds left in regulation!  Congratulations GIRLS!