SAHS Girls Soccer: My Site News

Well, this game was not one for the record books.  South completely dominated Bartlett throughout the game and the result was never in question.  Bartlett showed a lot of character, playing with only 1 substitute on a very cold and windy day; they possessed the same determination throughout the regular season and played hard each game, even though they were playing against stronger teams.  They should be congratulated and recognized for their efforts against overwhelming odds and never giving up.

Bartlett tried to keep up with South, but the Lady Wolverines were, once again, just too much for them to handle.  Seniors Carly Butcher and Amanda Hall controlled the tempo of the game when they were on the field.  They methodically passed the ball back and forth until South was in scoring position.  At that point, they would either score themselves or pass the ball to Whitney Velez who would either be wide open or would dribble past the Bartlett defender for an easy score.

Play was sloppy at times for a variety of reasons.  Coach Farrell, for the most part, substituted freely, giving deserved playing time to non-starters in preparation for the upcoming tournaments. 

Bartlett managed to spoil Bree Webb's shutout in the closing minutes of the match.  One of their better players got behind South's defense and ended up in a one-on-one situation with the South keeper.  Bartlett also received at least 3 Yellow cards during the match.  I suspect most of these were out of frustration.

Whitney Velez lead the scoring effort with 4 goals and 1 assist.   Carly Butcher added 2 goals and 1 assist; Amanda Hall had 1 goal and 2 assists; Kirsten Swanson had 1 goal and 2 assists; Colleen Carpenter had 1 goal; Hillary Hitz added 1 goal (a very nice free kick from about 30 yards out - a perfect shot); Jordan Dineen had 1 goal and 1 assist; Lexy Cardwell had 2 assists.

Now for the long awaited rematch with Dimond; Saturday at 3pm at Dimond.  It should prove interesting and provide South with the needed competition to get ready for tournament time.

See you there.  And please, pleeease let it be warm!!!!

Wow, where do I begin??  The Lady Wolverines completely dominated the East Thunderbirds yesterday afternoon at AFS.  The evening began with Senior Appreciation ceremonies.  We have 7 seniors who are less than 10 games away from closing out their high school soccer careers.  We wish them the best in their collegiate endeavors and beyond.  They have been a fun group to watch play soccer and have provided some very memorable moments.  I always knew Mark Sundquist was full of hot air, but he outdid himself last night as Master of Ceremonies!  Actually he did a superb job given the fact we did not have access to the public adress system.  All in all, it was a nice tribute to our 7 soon-to-be-departing seniors!

Now on to the game.  South came out swinging and wasted no time informing East who was in charge.  Marin quickly scored 2 goals within the first few minutes of the match and pretty much set the stage for the rest of the match.  The second one was a beautiful play off a corner kick.  Carly Butcher served up a wonderful ball right at the feet of Marin about 5 or 6 yards from the net.  Marin casually put her foot out and simply tapped the ball into the net.  Carly Butcher and Amanda Hall decided to get into the scoring column early on as well.  Carly scored a driving shot about 20 yards out; the East keeper didn't stand a chance.  I think Amanda's first goal was scored in the middle of a scrum around the net.

There was so much action at the East end, it was hard for the South statistician to keep track.  It took three of us to get it all straight (and I think we did).  South was a little sloppy on a few plays that gave East their only scoring opportunities, though they were never any real threat to our keeper.  We again controlled the midfield, front third, and back third for that matter.  Huh, I guess we controlled the whole field.  East played hard and attempted to put some type of offense together but were continually thrwarted by South's stingy defense and midfield.

I think the half-time score was 6 or 7 to nothing.  Coach Farrell began substituting freely early in the match and continued rotating players throughout the match.  South seemed to be in slow motion for a little while but quickly asserted their dominance.  They continued to display a lot of patience, controlling the ball and making deliberate runs toward to goal.  They also passed back to reload the ball and begin the attack all over again.  This is the kind of tactics that will win games, especially close ones.

Amanda Hall ended the match with 2 goals and 2 assists; Marin had 2 goals and 1 assist; Carly Butcher had 2 goals and 2 assists (I think Amanda and Carly are having some kind of contest going on between them).  Whitney Velez had 3 goals (another hat trick for the junior) and 1 assist.  I think she scored 2 of her goals in the second half.  Lexy Cardwell had 1 goal; Andrea Flanagan had 1 goal; and Colleen Carpenter had 1 goal.  Rochelle Fields had 1 assist; Kirsten Swanson had 1 assist; and Eva Cress had 1 assist.

The Lady Wolverines face the Bartlett Bears tonight at 5pm at Dimond HS.  One last tune-up before our last regular season game and a rematch with Dimond.  Then we get down to serious business; Cook Inlete Conference tournament and State tournament.

Hope to see you all there.

I'm Baaaack......

Well, since the last writing the Lady Wolverines have won 5 games and, sadly to say, lost 1 game to Dimond.  The SAHS Lady Wolverines alternated between looking impressive to "leaving their A-game at home".

On Saturday, May 10th they definitely brought their A-game to AFS when they played Chugiak.  It was a great day for soccer at AFS; sunny and cool with a very slight breeze (very unusual for AFS and for the entire season, come to think of it).  It should be noted that Chugiak was missing two of their premiere players, Alev and DK Kelter.  However, I am sure the outcome would not have been altered significantly by their presence.  South took immediate control of the game and pretty much dominated the entire field of play throughout the match.  Amanda Hall put the Wolverines on the scoreboard with a great run very early on in the match.  That set the stage for the remainder of the match.  Amanda ended the game with another hat trick.  She is an offensive threat that teams have found difficult to contain. 

Whitney Velez contributed 1 goal; it was a beautiful exhibition of dribbling skills darting between and around two or three Chugiak defenders before she effortlessly put the ball in the net.  Whitney also had two assists.  Senior Carly Butcher scored the remaining goal with a nice left-footed shot that the Chugiak keeper didn't stand a chance against.  Carly also lead the Wolverine effort to control the ball in the middle and front thirds of the field.  She exhibited great footskills and made it all look too easy.  Eva Cress also registered one assist.

South completely dominated the field of play on all ends.  They exhibited great patience and ball control.  They picked their opportunities for making runs and displayed accurate passing throughout the game.  Their defense was very good, as usual.  It did not allow Chugiak many opportunities to take shots on goal; and those it did get, they had to really work for!

Coach Farrell made a strategic defensive move by committing a defender to mark Kelly Cobb throughout the match.  She always had one or two players guarding her with Rochelle Fields behind all of them in case Kelly managed to elude the South players.  Chugiak really didn't have any other players that posed an offensive threat in this match and struggled to get the ball into the front third of the field and only had 2-3 quality shots on goal. 

Goalkeepers Lara Campbell and Bree Webb shared in the shutout.

Coach Pinkerton will surely be happy to return with a full roster for the Regional and State tournaments.  Speaking of full rosters, I sincerely hope Stephanie Wettin will be able to rejoin the team sometime this next week.  We would certainly benefit from her contributions against Dimond in preparation for the Region IV and State tournaments.  It will be nice to see her on the pitch again and adding strength to an already very strong defense.  Her teammates have done a great job of filling in the gap left with her injury.

It appearts the Lady Wolverines are back on track and displaying the balance and skills that have made this team a success (and a force to be reckoned with).  We play East on Wed at 5pm at AFS; then we play Bartlett on Thu at 5pm at Dimond; then the regular season finale against Dimond on Sat, May 17th at 3pm at Dimond (and hopefully time for a little pay-back). 

Hope you all can make these games and cheer our girls on!  They are truly an amazing team.

Coach Farrell issued an email a little after 5pm this evening.  Apparently the Lady Wolverines have been ranked number 8 in our region!  This is quite an honor. (Click on the Headline to go to the rankings).

Congratulations to all the players - you are doing an incredible job!!  Keep up the good work and hopefully we can finish the 2008 soccer season before school starts in August!

The weather was not as agreeable at Dimond yesterday afternoon as it was on Tuesday but the game results were  - South on top with another win.

Service turned out to be a formidable opponent.  They were very scrappy and applied pressure on the ball as soon as a South player touched the ball.  The first 15 minutes or so were basically a toss-up;  both teams were testing each other and the battle for control of the midfield ended with neither team dominating.  This was quite unusual for South as we have completely dominated the midfield from beginning to end of each match.  However this was turned around in the second half as the South midfield, led by senior Carly Butcher and junior Mackenzie Fischer took control.  Hillary Hitz and Kirsten Swanson also played well in the midfield, making some very solid challenges.  South made some good runs and were looking for opportunities, we just couldn't put them together.

The South defense was stellar.  Seniors Stephanie Wettin and Whitney Heck basically shut down the ability of Service to take the ball to the corner for a cross on-goal.  The few times they did succeed, center defender, Rochelle Fields, was quick to respond and provide cover.  She also shut down almost every attempt to attack up the middle.  They covered a lot of ground thoughout the match and proved a little too fast for the Service forwards (who aren't slow by any means).  These three ladies did an exceptional job in the back - well done!

South found itself in new territory during this match; I think this is the first time they have trailed an opponent.  Service scored the first goal on a cross from the corner about midway through the first half.  The ball was well-placed.  South's keeper, Lara Campbell, came off her line to get the ball, but somehow the normally sure-handed keeper was unable to get complete control of the ball.  After a brief scramble for the ball, a Service player was able to punch the ball into the net.  Stephanie Wettin almost got her foot on the ball to block to goal.  Score: Service 1, South 0.

South didn't panick and continued to apply pressure but couldn't quite find the back of the net until a few seconds before the end of the half.  Whitney Velez made a great run on goal and managed to put the ball in the net about 5 seconds before the whistle blew.  I think this gave South the momentum they needed to turn the game around.

The second half was pretty much controlled by South.  Service still proved scrappy and unwilling to give up.  However, South's speed and ball control proved a little too much for the Cougars.  They lost a lot of their steam when South registered its second goal - an "own goal" scored by a Service defender.  South midfielder, Mackenzie Fischer, put a shot on goal and the defender was trying to clear the ball with a header.  Unfortunately for Service, the ball went the wrong direction - it spun backwards and into the Service net.

Freshman Lexy Cardwell nailed the coffin shut with a great break-away that ended up one-on-one with the Service keeper.  Lexy exhibited a lot of composure as she calmly dribbled toward the goal.  As soon as the Service keeper made a move, she casually placed the ball in the left-side of the net, as the Service keeper was helpless to stop the ball.  Amanda Hall and Jordan Mattingley were credited with the assist. 

South goalkeeper Lara Campbell made several good saves throughout the match and one that was absolutely incredible!  I still haven't figured out how she saw the ball through the mass of bodies let alone reacted as quickly as she did to foil a sure goal.  The shot was taken from less than 6 yards out and directed perfectly to the far post.  Too bad for Service; Lara's quick reaction stopped a shot that should have been a goal and put Service back in the game.

Final score:  South 3, Service 1.

South remains the only unbeaten team in the Cook Inlet Conference.

Next game:  9:00am Sat, Apr 26 at AFS;  opponent Dimond.  Dress warm - the crazy weather is back!! 

The Lady Wolverines make the game of soccer look so easy!  Although the East Thunderbirds made an immediate scoring attempt as the match began (the shot was deflected by our defender), their "thunder" quickly wained.  Thoughout the match they made a few attempts to put something on goal, but were consistently denied by the  Wolverines. 

Carly Butcher and Whitney Velez each scored 3 goals in the first half, with a lot of time left before the half ended.  This is two games in a row that senior Carly Butcher has performed a "hat trick".   Whitney displayed some fine footwork as she effortlessly darted around the East defenders for two of her goals.  Not to be left out, senior Amanda Hall padded the half-time score with a goal as well.  Half-time score: South 7 East 0.

 The second half was much slower for South as they were only able to muster one additional goal.  However Amanda and Jordan Dinneen each had several shots on goal that either hit the goal post or missed the net by inches. Otherwise the score would have been in the double-digit range.  East managed to score one goal in the second half; they successfully converted a penalty kick that was awarded for a hand ball offense in the penalty area.  That scoring drive was the last serious challenge by East (or so I remember). 

 Amanda Hall added one more goal in the second half to give the Lady Wolverines their 8th and final goal of the match.   Several players were credited with assists:  Carly Butcher (1), Whitney Velez (1), Stephanie Wettin (1), Mykalah Sundquist (1),  Jordan Mattingley (1), and Kirsten Swanson (1). 

Lara and Bree were denied a shutout - sorry about that.  That brings the total to 3 goals allowed by South in 5 games, while South scored 36 goals!  Hopefully South will continue to be stingy on allowing goals, but very greedy about scoring goals (the secret to winning soccer matches for the novice spectators).

South has an incredible midfield that simply dominates the opponent.  They contol the ball so well and make great passes, not only to our attacking forwards but to our defenders to reload and start the attack again; smart players.  Our defense was again very aggressive and quickly shut down East's forwards whenever they made runs (attempts) on goal.  Rochelle Fields got a little too agressive as she was presented with a gift from the referee (a Yellow card) near the end of the first half.  However, she should be well rested for Thursday's match against Service as she saw no further action.  Fortunately, the depth of the South bench once again prevailed and showed just how strong this team is.  Substitutions were made freely by Coach Farrell with no apparent effect on the team's ability to dominate play.  And the scores of our matches, to date, speaks for the abilities of our forwards.

All in all, it appears the Lady Wolverines have a serious appetite for goals.  The sheer number of goals is pretty impressive, not to mention the numerous shots that have hit the goal posts or missed the net when all the parents are looking at each other wondering "how could she have missed that shot?".  Hopefully they will continue their ability to put the goal in the net.

Next match is on Thursday at 4pm against Service at Dimond.  See you there.

And last, but not least, it is with a heavy heart that I must report that our favorite supporter and the unofficial "voice of the LadyWolverines" was surprisingly quiet at last night's game.  KB normally provides entertaining and insightful commentary throughout the match, but the nice weather must have distracted him (and no, KB does not stand for Burger King in reverse).  I suspect, however, that when we meet West, Chugiak, Service, or Dimond we will once again be graced with the voice of our inspirational analyst/commentator. 

P.S. I sure am glad he has a sense of humor, or I think I might end up getting cross-checked into the ground or worse!  Even in silence I can get some material from him.

Congratulations to the Varsity girls!!  They defeated Chugiak with several goals to spare.  Awesome job Ladies!

South parents had this look of "well this can't be good" as Chugiak scored the first goal within the first 2-3 minutes of the match.  South responded at the 16th minute with a goal by Whitney Velez, then followed with another by Carly Butcher at the 19th minute.  A lapse on defense and bad luck allowed Chugiak to tie the game 2-2.  South then proceeded to score 3 more goals to claim a 5-2 victory. Carly Butcher and Whitney Velez ended the match with 2 goals each and Colleen Carpenter scored one goal.

The girls played very well.  Our defense was up to the task of stopping a very lethal offense led by Alev Kelter and Kelly Cobb, both nationally-recognized players.  Chugiak had 3 to 5 additional scoring opportunities, but the South defense held their ground and Goalkeeper, Lara Campbell, made several great saves throughout the match. The midfield controlled the ball and did not allow Chugiak to play the style of game they are accustomed to.  Our forwards made great runs with perfect timing.  Passing was crisp and South utilized ball possession to continually frustrate Chugiak.  The SAHS team has speed!

Brian and his coaching staff should be proud of the girls' efforts.  Nice job coach!

We also want to wish Kirsten Swanson a speedy recovery.  She fell ill immediately after the training session on Monday evening.  She was later rushed to the hospital to undergo an appendectomy. 

Next opponent is West on Sat. April 12th at 11:00 am at AFS.  Unfortunately, it has just been announced that all outdoor games through April 14th have been cancelled.

On Thursday afternoon, the South Anchorage varsity girls defeated previously unbeaten West 3-0.  The game was played under near-perfect conditions;  anyone want to guess where we played at?  The game began with both teams searching for weaknesses.  Whitney Velez scored the first South goal in the  3^rd minute of the match; Hillary Hitz was credited with the assist.   The remainder of the 1^st half saw both teams with several good scoring opportunities but couldn't finish.  West had an excellent chance to score but was denied an easy goal by the quick reaction of center defender, Rochelle Fields.  The initial play was on the near post; a West player was able to pass the ball to a teammate on the far post facing an open net.  The only thing in her way was our defender.  The West player immediately shot on goal upon receiving the pass, but Ro denied her the goal by blocking the shot. 

South seemed to control the midfield with ease during the first half.  Most of the play seemed to be in the midfield and West’s 1/3.  West had trouble getting the ball into South territory.  South midfield made good passes, quickly contested West whenever they got possession and were successful in forcing turnovers.  South’s defense was very tenacious and didn’t allow West many scoring opportunities.  Both outside defenders, Whitney Heck and Stephanie Wettin did a good job of denying West's forwards. Score at halftime: 1-0 South.

The second half started out with West making an immediate challenge on goal.  Maggie McGuire raced down the right side and fired off a hard shot that just went wide of the far post.    South came back at the 49 minute and scored on a nice shot by Amanda Hall.  Amanda charged the net aggressively and fought off a defender and the goalkeeper to complete the play.  South had two other scores called back due to offsides calls.  Both were great plays and very close to being onside.

West challenged South much more aggressively in the midfield throughout the 2^nd halve, but continued having trouble with our defense.  When they were able to get past the midfield, our defenders were quick to pick them up and shut them down.  Whitney Velez scored the final South goal in the 70^th minutes; Eva Cress was credited with the assist.

The South defense continued to cause problems for West and our midfield and forwards were again, utilizing ball possession, crisp passing and good tactical decisions to keep West off balance. 

Final score:  South 3, West 0.  Lara Campbell was credited with the shutout.  In the first three games, South has scored 17 goals while allowing only 2 goals against. 

Next game: Saturday, 1:15pm at the Dome; opponent: Bartlett.

The Lady Wolverines continue their winning way, defeating Bartlett 11-0 Saturday afternoon at the Dome.  The game was lopsided, as Bartlett was simply overmatched and outplayed.  Bartlett battled hard, but just couldn't match the speed and control of South. Coach Farrell substituted freely giving everyone a lot of playing time, especially the younger players. 

Bartlett had a couple of opportunites to score, one of which almost put them on the scoreboard.  A well-struck shot was caught by South's goalkeeper, Bree Webb.  Bree dove for the ball and caught it but her momentum made her fall across the goal line.  Just before breaking the goal line, she dropped the ball to keep Bartlett from scoring; definitely a "heads up" play by Bree.  Rochelle Fields was able to clear the ball just before a Bartlett forward was going to punch the ball into the goal.  Other than that, Bartlett couldn't get past our superb midfield and defense.

The South attack was lead by senior midfielder Carly Butcher and forward Amada Hall.  Each ended the game with 3 goals (a hat trick); well done ladies.  It took Carly a few shots on goal before she finally got sighted in, but then look out!  Perhaps the word of encouragement from her dad and his keen observations were just the motivation she needed.  I personally liked this one... " be careful #9, you almost put that one in!"

Whitney Velez added 2 goals, Carley Mattingley, Marin Chambers and Jordan Dineen each added one goal.  Freshman Lexy Caldwell had one goal called back due to a South player being offsides, a tough break for the freshman.  The South forwards played very well and dominated the Bartlett defense.

Bree Webb registered the shutout; her second one of the season.  Congratulations Bree! 

The Lady Wolverines are now the only undefeated team in the Cook Inlet Conference and every team will be gunning for them, trying to register the first win over South. 

And if that is not enough, after reading the sports section in Sunday's paper, I came to the realization that South just doesn't have enough "fire power" to catch the eye of the Anchorage Daily News; 28 goals in 4 games is a little pathetic. I can't believe I didn't pick up on that, but then again, I am not a professional sports writer. Maybe the team can do better in the future.  Certainly something for the coaches to work on, I suppose!!

Keep up the good work ladies and good luck on Tuesday.

On a side note:  Ok GayNel, you owe me 2 cookies for this plug.  After the game on Saturday I found everyone and their brother walking around with one of your famous cookies.  There was even a guy who was lost and asking for driving directions to Seattle; he was writing down instructions and munching on a cookie at the same time!  And all I could do was walk around the Dome with 4 picture frames!  But no, I am not bitter.  (Just kidding).