xplosion: Tournaments
Sunday, May 27Park Ridge Memorial Day Tournament
Team Xplosion traveled up north to the 2007 Park Ridge Memorial Day Tournament over the weekend of May 26-27. The Xplosion were competing in the Girls U14 Orange Division against Evanston Orange, Chicago Northwind. and Glenview Titans Gold.
Team Xplosion lost the opening game 3-1 to a tough Evanston Orange team. Lauren Blyth scored the team's lone goal with an assist from Allison Schnase. The match was tied 1-1 at halftime, but Evanston scored twice more in the 2nd half to put the game out of reach.
Game 2 against Chicago Northwind produced an exciting last minute victory. Team Xplosion scored first on a goal by Shannon Clark following a long pass from Ashley Noreen, but then gave up the tying goal on a high volley over the outstretched arms of Keeper Jamie Thauer. The Xplosion pushed the attack hard over the last five minutes of the match and had several outstanding scoring chances, but the Northwind Keeper made multiple great saves to keep her team in the game. The last great save was a diving stop on a low hard shot headed for the corner of the net. The save resulted in a corner kick which Shannon curled high into the box. The Northwind Keeper fought through the masses and made a leaping stab at the ball and gained possession for a brief moment. As she was bumped from all sides, Ashley Noreen managed to knock the ball free, and as it slipped to the ground in the crease, Allison Schnase quickly pounced on it and directed it into the back of the net for the game winning goal.
The final match was played on Sunday against the A Division Glenview Titans Gold, easily the class of the division. Glenview had blown out their previous two opponents and had already clinched the division title and a berth in the championship game. The coaches challenged the girls to play an aggressive match and go toe to toe and head to head with their more skilled and physical opponent. And rise to the challenge our girls did, as Team Xplosion played the game of their lives, narrowly losing to Glenview by the score of 1-0.
The Xplosion tightened up its defense and held the Titans off the scoreboard until only 10 minutes remained in the second half. Ashley Noreen and Iris Casler locked down the middle while Hallie Prokaski and Jessie Choragwicki protected the flanks. Keeper Becca Evans played "out of her mind" making several great diving and leaping saves, one of which she actually deflected over the top of the net to prevent a Titan score! The mids and forwards fought hard for every loose ball and produced several great scoring chances with their hustle and fight. Overall, The match had the feel of a heavyweight fight and our girls responded like champions despite the narrow loss.
It is games like today's that bring a tear to the eye and make me proud to have been associated with this team for the past five years. Team Xplosion has been like a family, as it has kept the majority of its players together for 10 seasons, which is extremely rare for youth soccer teams today. Coach Gerry and I have watched our players grow up together from little girls to young women and they have come a long, long way from their first few seasons in the D Division. Our girls have become an extremely talented and cohesive unit and it will be a sad day indeed when Team Xplosion is no more, whether that is following this season or a future season down the road. This game just helped illustrate how strong this team really is. Just imagine how good they could yet become if allowed to continue. Play on Xplosion!
Sunday, October 22
Xplosion Finish 1-1-1 in Halloween Classic
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Team Xplosion had a good opportunity to win their division and compete in the championship match, but that all went out the window with a 2-1 loss to the Middletown Surge (OH) in their first game. The two teams were evenly matched, but the Xplosion had two defensive breakdowns, one in each half to fall behind 2-0. The team narrowed the margin to 2-1 midway through the 2nd half when Haley Ebel converted a rebound of Lauren Blyth's shot off the crossbar. The Xplosion pressed hard for the tying goal, but just couldn't get the equalizer and lost 2-1.
The team's second match was against the Indy Force Blizzard (IN) and the two teams battled to a scoreless tie. Team Xplosion played a much stronger match than in the first game, demonstrated strong passing, and generally carried the play. However, they just couldn't slip one past the opposing keeper. Becca Evans played a strong game in goal and earned the shutout against the Blizzard which would eventually go on to win the Zombies Division.
The team's final game was on Sunday against the winless Blazers. The match was played in cold, windy, and overcast conditions which were just plain nasty for all involved. The game was scoreless until midway through the 2nd half when Shannon Clark drove a hard shot off a Blazer defender that changed direction and deflected past their keeper. Once again, the team displayed improved passing and generated multiple scoring chances. However, one goal was all they would get in this match, and fortunately, that was enough. Jamie Thauer played the entire game in goal to earn the shutout.
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Best of the Midwest Tournament
Team Xplosion participated in the Best of the Midwest Tournament in Naperville over the weekend of September 29 - October 1st. The Xplosion remained scoreless for the season and were defeated 2-0 by A/B South Division foe TCSA Blue Devils; 1-0 by FC United Premier (IWSL A Division); and 6-0 by CSG Lembech from Missouri.
The competition was exceptionally challenging and intentionally so, yet the girls played tough throughout, except for the 2nd half of the final game when they were scored on twice quickly, let down a bit, and then gave up three more scores for a total of five goals against for the period.
Despite the results, the tournament served as a valuable learning experience for the team. Each of the three opponents demonstrated superior controlled passing, movement without the ball, and anticipation/quickness. These are skills the Xplosion need to incorporate into their game to compete effectively at a high level.
Sunday, June 25
Rockford United's Watermelon Tournament
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This tournament was definitely a step up in competition for Team Xplosion, but our girls played hard, fought valiantly, and generally held their own against more talented and experienced opponents. Haley Ebel who will be joining Team Xplosion for the Fall 2006 season, played with the team as a guest player. Haley was positioned primarily on defense, but played some forward also in the last two games and played very well at both positions. She will make a nice addition to the team next season.
Game 1 vs. Plainfield Freedom
Apparently Plainfield doesn't enjoy playing us any more than we enjoy playing them. The Freedom coach requested that we send him our tournament schedule for next season so that they could be sure to avoid us. In the 4th and final meeting of the season between the two teams, Team Xplosion once again had the best of it with a 4-0 shutout victory. Lauren Blyth, Allison Schnase, and Iris Casler all had one goal and one assist each, with Allison's assist a beautiful header that knocked the ball out of the keeper's hands for Iris to pounce on and drill home. Amelia Acosto also scored for the Xplosion, while Shannon Clark added an assist. Jamie Thauer and Becca Evans split the game in goal to earn the combined shutout.
Game 2 vs. Woodbury Wildcatz (MN)
Woodbury caught the Xplosion hot, tired, and on their heels in the second game of the tournament. The Wildcatz scored two soft goals in the opening 20 minutes and cruised to 4-0 victory over Team Xplosion. The Xplosion had a few good scoring chances, but couldn't capitalize on their opportunities.
Game 3 vs. Ela Tiger - Red
This may have been the team's best game of the tournament as the Xplosion played a tough match against the eventual U13 Red Division champion Ela Tigers - Red. Knowing Ela was a top quality opponent, Team Xplosion elected to play with an extra defender, utilizing 5-3-2 formation instead of their standard 4-3-3 set. Although this sacrificed some offensive potential for defensive capability, the team wanted to keep the game close enough to either force a tie or eke out a narrow victory. The strategy nearly worked as Team Xplosion took a 1-0 deficit deep into the 2nd half. When Ela scored their second and final goal with about ten minutes to play, the Xplosion moved Iris Casler up to the Punta position. Once again, the team had some socring chances, but couldn't kick one in. Final score 2-0 in favor of Ela.
Game 4 vs. Rockford Sirens SC
The Sirens were another top quality opponent. Even though they finished third in the cross over bracket, they had beaten the Chicago Magic, which faced Ela in the U13 championship game. The Xplosion went with the same strategy as they had used against Ela, and the result was the same, a 2-0 defeat. But once again our girls hung tough until late in the second half, and even had a penalty kick late in the game which would have gotten them back in the game. Unfortunately, Iris Casler pulled the PK attempt wide left.
Sunday, May 28
Hubba Bubba Tournament Triumph
Simply the Best! That's what Team Xplosion is.
The Xplosion participated in the 4th Annual Hubba Bubba Oswego Soccer Festival over Memorial Day weekend (May 27-28). The team competed in the Girls U13 White Flight against fellow B South Division rivals Plainfield Freedom and Oswego Panthers Fury, along with the Kickers SC (Aurora) Jaguars. The weather was hot and sticky, and when the tournament ended, Team Xplosion was the last team standing, finishing with a perfect four victories and no defeats to claim the tournament championship.
Following are individual game summaries:
Game 1 vs. Plainfield Freedom
Team Xplosion opened the tournament with a 7-1 blow-out victory over Plainfield. The Xplosion led 2-0 at halftime on goals by Sadie McLean (Assist by Jamie Thauer) and Iris Casler on a penalty kick. The Freedom closed to 2-1 early in the 2nd half, before the Xplosion went off on a scoring spree with two goals by Kerri Slawik (Assisted by Lauren Blyth and Liz Kopecky), one by Shannon Clark (Assisted by Liz Wrobel) and then two more from Iris Casler (one unassisted following a throw-in and the other assisted by Lauren Blyth). Iris finished the match with a 3-goal hat trick!
Game 2 vs. Kicker SC Jaguars
The second game was looking like another rout when the game was called for lightning midway through the 2nd half. The final score was a 5-0 in favor of Team Xplosion. Ashley Noreen scored two goals (Assisted by Shannon Clark and Kerri Slawik) and Shannon Clark also scored twice (Assisted by Kerri and Ashley). Allison Schnase had the other goal (Assisted by Shannon). Becca Evans and Jamie Thauer split the game in goal (as they did throughout the tournament) to earn the shutout.
Game 3 vs. Oswego Panthers Fury
Oswego always plays a tough defensive game and today was no exception. The Xplosion led 1-0 at halftime on a goal by Shannon Clark off a beautiful cross by Ashley Noreen. Lauren Blyth scored the team's second and final goal (Assisted by Iris Casler) midway through the 2nd half to seemingly ice the game. However, Oswego scored with about five minutes left to cut the lead to 2-1. Fortunately, the defense was able to prevent any further damage and the team held on for the victory.
Championship Game vs. Plainfield Freedom
This was a classic match-up. Plainfield finished in 2nd Place within the bracket and were still smarting from their 7-1 defeat to the Xplosion in Game 1. You knew they would come out fighting and give our girls a very tough match, and that's exactly what happened. To make matters worse, this was one of those games where everything seemed to work against our team all game long.
The Xplosion had the wind at their backs in the 1st half, but missed several quality scoring chances, including a rocket off the crossbar by Kerri Slawik, another off the left post, several others just wide of the net, and an apparent goal by Lauren Blyth waived off on a delayed offsides call. Lauren finally scored for good midway through the half, off an assist by Shannon Clark. Plainfield continued fighting away, however, and with the Xplosion just trying to close out the half, the Freedom tied the score with a goal in the final minute to give them the momentum heading into the 2nd half.
With the wind at their backs now and renewed confidence, Plainfield scored again early in the 2nd half to go up 2-1. That lead held up for most of the half with the Xplosion again narrowly missing on several other scoring chances. Shannon Clark finally slipped one past the Plainfield keeper with under 10 minutes to play (Assisted by Hallie Prokaski) to tie the score at 2-2. The final 10 minutes included more near misses for the Xplosion as well as a penalty kick by Plainfield that sailed over the top of the net. When the final whistle blew, it was time for "overtime".
As the home team, Team Xplosion was able to start the overtime with the wind at their backs. That was all they needed because only two minutes into the first overtime period, Lauren Blyth took a nicely threaded pass from Amelia Acosta, knifed past the Freedom defense, and calmly blasted it past the helpless Plainfield keeper to give Team Xplosion an exciting, thrilling 3-2 overtime victory. It just doesn't get any better than that! Congratulations girls - you are "Simply the Best"!
Sunday, October 23
Fishers Halloween Classic 2005
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Sunday, May 29
Best of the Rest at Oswego Prairie Fest
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Team Xplosion defeated the D Division Glenview Titans 2-0 in their opening game, but then fell to the B Division Team Chicago Wildcats 2-0 in their second game. On Sunday, the team played the C Division Oswego Panther Fury to a scoreless tie, and then tied the C Division Plainfield Lady Wildcats 1-1 in the 3rd-4th Place Playoff game. Team Xplosion then earned the 3rd Place finish by defeating Plainfield 3-2 in a shootout. The shootout was nearly unnecessary, as it appeared that Jamie Thauer had won the game by converting a beautiful cross by Shannon Clark in the second overtime. However, the referee disallowed the goal due to a late out of bounds call on Shannon right before her crossing pass.
Goal scorers for the Xplosion in the tournament were Shannon Clark, Liz Kopecki, and Iris Casler. Shannon, Iris, and Jackie Wysocki also scored on penalty kicks during the shootout. Lauren Blyth saved three of the Plainfield shootout penalty kicks to seal the victory. Other keepers for the weekend included Becca Evans, Jamie Thauer, and Hallie Prokaski, who all played extremely well and helped the team earn their 3rd Place finish.
Sunday, October 10
Midwest Wings Fall Classic
Team Xplosion was a last minute entrant in the 13th Annual Midwest Wings Fall Classic held on October 9-10 in Park Forest. The Xplosion competed in the U12 Oak Division against LTSC Gold, Spartans, and HF Valkyries Red. The team's "18-deep" roster showed its value in this tournament, as several girls were unable to make all of the games due to other conflicts. However, with only 11 to 13 players per game, Team Xplosion was far from at full strength and was unable to duplicate their success from the previous weekend in the Pepsi Youth Cup.
The Xplosion opened with a 3-0 victory over the Spartans, but then lost to C-South Division rival LTSC Gold, also by a score of 3-0. That meant the team needed to win on Sunday morning against HF Valkyries Red and have some luck to make it into the playoffs as a wildcard. Unfortunately, the Valkyries, a physical B-level team team with "size" out-muscled our shorthanded squad by the score of 4-1.
Overall for the tournament, Team Xplosion finished with a record of 1 win and 2 losses. They scored 4 goals and gave up 7 scores. Once again Lauren Blyth led the team in scoring with 3 goals and Ashley Noreen tallied the team's other goal. Allie Fisher played her first game at Keeper in the opening game and combined with Hallie Prokaski for the team's only shutout.
Monday, October 4
Pepsi Youth Cup (Milwaukee)
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The weekend opened innocently enough with a 1-1 tie against the Warren Blazers (U11). However, the Xplosion then roared back to take the next two games against the WSA Blue Storm 92/93 and Tosa Hot Shots by identical 4-0 scores. With maximum points in their last two games, the team edged the Warren Blazers to win the Blue Division and advance to the Championship game in the U12 Livewire Flight against the Glenview Titans Blue.
The Championship game was a battle of the wind. Team Xplosion had the wind advantage in the first half and quickly pumped in two goals by Ashley Noreen and Lauren Blyth within the first 10 minutes. Although our girls kept the pressure on Glenview the rest of the 1st half, they could not push across another goal. Glenview benefited from the strong wind during the 2nd half, and they did manage to score once midway through the half, but the strong Xplosion defense was able to continually clear the ball out of danger the rest of the way to secure the victory. Final score - Xplosion 2, Glenview Titans Blue 1.
Overall for the tournament, Team Xplosion finished with a record of 3-0-1, and outscored their opponents by a combined score of 11 to 2. Lauren Blyth scored in all four games and had 5 of the teams 11 goals. In addition to Ashley Noreen, other scorers included Shannon Clark (2), Jackie Wysocki (2), and Hallie Prokaski. The Keepers included the usual suspects of Kerri Slawik, Liz Wrobel, Hallie Prokaski, Ashley Noreen, and Lauren Blyth.
Congratulations Team Xplosion on a very well played tournament and your first official championship trophies!
Jack-O-Lantern Soccer Classic
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Team Xplosion participated in the 12th Annual Jack-O-Lantern Soccer Classic hosted by the Stingers FC at Community Park in Lisle on the weekend of September 10-12. The Xplosion competed in the Girls U12 Gold (highest) Division against some very strong teams, including:
- Lemont Raiders (C Division)
- ASC Eagles (B Division)
- Team Chicago Wildcats (A/B Division)
- Racine Soccer Club Red (A Division)
The coaches had hoped to be seeded in either the lower Silver or Bronze Division to give the team a better chance at competing for a tournament championship. However, when the dust settled following their fourth game of the weekend, Team Xplosion had compiled a tournament record of 2 Wins, 1 Loss, and 1 Tie, and only missed the playoffs by a few points. Instead of trophies, our girls earned something even more valuable - the knowledge and confidence that they are becoming a very good soccer team - and oh yeah, pizza and ice cream from the coaches!
The Xplosion opened the tournament with a 2-0 victory against the Lemont Raiders, one of their IWSL C South Division rivals. Shannon Clark scored the first goal off a nice pass from Hallie Prokaski. Jackie Wysocki scored the second goal following a pass from Jessica Choragwicki. Jamie Thauer and Liz Wrobel split the game in goal to earn the shutout.
Game two was a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to the Team Chicago Wildcats. Our girls played Team Chicago even throughout the game with the only goal scored on an "own goal" by the Xplosion. Ashley Noreen and Lauren Blythe both played well in goal as the team certainly deserved a better fate.
On Sunday, the Xplosion tied the ASC Eagles 2-2 in the morning game, with Allie Fisher scoring the first goal on a scramble following a beautiful corner kick by Annie Chimeinti. That should make Claudio proud as he spent one entire practice last week working on corners! Liz Kopecki was in the right place at the right time to help deflect in the second goal of the game.
Team Xplosion saved their best for last as they defeated the Racine Soccer Club Red 2-1 in their final game. Racine had been undefeated in tournament up to that point. Iris Casler scored both goals on direct kicks from outside the penalty box. It's not often you see your sweeper score two goals in one game! Kerri Slawik and Lauren Blythe both played tough in goal to help seal the victory.
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| On The Attack - Ashley, Liz K., Hallie, and Jackie |
Illinois Copa Classic Tournament
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Although Team Xplosion came away winless for the tournament, the team fought hard in each of the contests. In their first game against Orland Park, the team fell behind 3-0, but then rallied for two late goals by Shannon Clark and Jackie Wysocki in the last 5 minutes before falling just short. Annie Chimienti scored the lone goal in their second game, a 3-1 loss to the Chicago Magic. The Xplosion then faced the Chicago Crushers and played their best game of the tournament while losing 4-0. The team then dropped a second game to the Chicago Magic, the eventual U12 Division Champions by the score of 3-0.
Despite the tournament results, Team Xplosion came away with some valuable experience as they prepare to take on a more challenging schedule this season in the IWSL C South Division. The team has added three new players for the Fall; Lauren Blyth, Chrissie Baske, and Amelia (Mia) Acosta. All played well, and the coaches were able to better determine where they best fit in with the current mix of players. The coaches were also able to identify some opportunites to focus on in practice over the next few weeks before the Fall Season officially begins.
We all look forward to having an exciting and successful season this Fall!
River City Classic (Peoria) Tournament
Team Xplosion participated in the 23rd Annual River City Classic in Peoria over the weekend of June 19-20. The Xplosion competed in the U11 Girls Division against teams from Peoria, Rockford, and Ames, Iowa. Although the team outscored its opponents 11 to 4, they only managed one victory in the three games played.
The Xplosion opened with a 8-1 win over the Peoria SC Blue Fire. Although the victory was certainly decisive, it came against a Peoria team that had only 10 players. The other two games were much more challenging and unfortunately, Team Xplosion lost both by one goal. The team lost to the Rockford Dactyis 3-2 and to Ames Parma SC 2-1.
In both games, the Xplosion defense let in a quick goal in the early minutes and were forced to play catch up throughout. Although they never gave up, and made nice comebacks in both matches, our girls were never able to take the lead in either game. Nine different players scored for the Xplosion, with Iris Casler and Ashley Noreen leading the way with two goals apiece.
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Libertyville Cup Youth Soccer Festival
Team Xplosion participated in the 2004 Libertyville Cup Youth Soccer Festival held over the Memorial Day Weekend at the Libertyville Township Soccer Complex. The tournament represented a step up in competition for the team over their league play as they competed in the U11 Girls White Flight against some tougher C-Division teams from northern Illinois and Wisconsin. The Xplosion played well and narrowly missed advancing to the Playoff rounds on Monday as they finished the tournament with 1 win, 1 loss, and 1 tie.
Team Xplosion opened with a strong 3-0 victory over Pegasus Warriors White good for the maximum 10 points. Jamie Thauer, Liz Kopecky, and Shannon Clark all scored, while Kerri Slawik and Hallie Prokaski protected the goal to earn the shutout.
Game 2 was the team's "crossover" match, against the Warren United Blazers. Although our girls gave it all they had, Warren United won the contest 2-0 with a goal in each half and a smothering defense that prevented the Xplosion from being able to mount any offensive attack.
The final match was against the Cedarburg Strikers who held a one point advantage over the Xplosion in the race for the playoffs. This meant that the team needed to win the match to advance on Monday. Following a scoreless 1st half, Cedarburg scored quickly off the 2nd half kickoff to go up 1-0. After some near misses, Team Xplosion was finally able to tie the game 1-1 on some beautiful passing from Jessica Choragwicki and Ashley Noreen that resulted in a goal by Jackie Wysocki. Cedarburg quickly responded with a second goal to go up 2-1. However, with less than one minute to play, the Xplosion was awarded an indirect kick from about 25 yards out. Kerri Slawik took the kick and the ball found its way into the far right corner of the goal to tie the score 2-2. That's how the game ended, and the tie was enough for Cedarburg to advance into the playoffs over Team Xplosion with a narrow 16-15 point advantage.
Overall, the team played very well in the tournament and can take pride from their performance. Team Xplosion can now focus on finishing out the regular season strong with two more victories next weekend, and then take the show on the road one more time for another tournament in Peoria June 19-20 to close out the 2004 Spring Season.
Sunday, September 14
Jack-O-Lantern Tournament (Sept. 13-14)
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Team Xplosion took its "Show on the Road" again when they competed in the 13th Annual Jack-O-Lantern Tournament on September 13-14. The tournament was hosted by the Stingers Futbol Club and was held at Community Park in Lisle, IL. Following are game summaries from the tournament:
Xplosion (6) vs. Glen Ellyn Raiders Red (0)
Team Xplosion scored 6 goals in their season opener last week and added 6 more goals in the first game of the Jack-O-Lantern tournament to defeat Glen Ellyn 6-0. Goal scorers included Jessica Choragwicki, Ashley Noreen, Hallie Prokaski; Megan Gustafson, Shannon Clark, and Kerri Slawik. Jamie Thauer and Elizabeth Wrobel split the game in goal and earned the shutout.
Xplosion (0) vs. Darien Destroyers Black (4)
Team Xplosion played a very tough Darien Destroyer team in their 2nd match and although they lost 4-0, they still played a good game. Darien was definitely more skilled and physical than us, but our girls hung tough and finished strong. With more hard work and a little more experience, Team Xplosion will be able to compete with the likes of Darien.
Xplosion (1) vs. Lemont Raiders (0)
Team Xplosion won the battle for 2nd Place in the U11 Girls Gold Division "Ghosts" bracket with a 1-0 victory over the Lemont Raiders. This was a great win for our girls as Lemont is a higher division team than the Xplosion.
The game was very evenly matched throughout and it looked like it might end in a scoreless tie. However, Lemont was whistled for a handball in the box with about 5 minutes to play, and Jamie Thauer calmly drilled the penalty kick off the bottom of the crossbar and down into the back of the net for the winning score. Ashley Noreen and Megan Gustafson split the game in goal to earn the 2nd Xplosion shutout of the tournament.
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Xplosion Burns "Fries"
Jessica Choragwicki scored once and set up Shannon Clark for the winning goal with about 5 minutes to play to lead Team Xplosion to a 2-1 victory over the H-F Valky"fries" in their opening game of the Copa Classic.
Team Chicago Shuts Down Xplosion
Naperville's Team Chicago, an A/B Division team shut down the Xplosion 3-0 in their second Copa Classic matchup. Team Chicago is an experienced club in their 7th season together and they simply outplayed our girls, although they hung very tough for most of the match.
Hawks Soar Over Xplosion
The Homer Hawks (U12) defeated Team Xplosion 4-1 in the final game of the Copa Classic. After falling behind 1-0 in the early going, the Xplosion answered with a quick tying score by Shannon Clark off a nice feed from Ashley Noreen. After that, however, it was all Hawks as they added three more unanswered goals.
Tournament Recap
Overall for the tournament, Team Xplosion finished with a record of 1-2. Their one victory came against the HF Valkyfries, a team that qualified for the playoffs. Their two defeats were against two very tough teams, both of whom competed in the U11-U12 championship game, which was won by Team Chicago. Despite the tournament record, our girls played well against the tough competition and appear ready to open the season against teams their own age and level.
Watermelon Tournament (Rockford)
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Hallie Prokaski scored on a Penalty Kick late in game 1 to cut a 4-0 deficit to 4-1, and that was ALL the scoring the Xplosion could generate for the entire tournament. The team dropped all four matches by scores of 4-1, 5-0, 1-0, and 1-0. Although our girls were overmatched in the first two games, they competed well in the last two, and could have easily tied or won those contests.
Although the competition was a little better than we normally face, the results confirmed what we learned following our Spring season. That is we have to figure out ways to generate some offense. We definitely have the talent. It's just a matter of putting the pieces all together. And I have no doubt we'll be able to do that for the upcoming Fall season. Enjoy the summer!
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| Watermelon 2003 |
Xplosion "Hokey Pokey" Through Prairie Soccer Fest
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Team Xplosion was led by Shannon Clark who scored in three of the four games and had four goals total! Other goal scorers included Iris Casler, Ashley Noreen, and Kerri Slawik. The Xplosion used six different Keepers throughout the weekend including Hallie Prokaski, Kerri Slawik, Elizabeth Wrobel, Lauren Mrozek, Jamie Thauer, and of course, Ashley Noreen, our new "Special K" who played three of the eight halves and only gave up two scores.
Soccer, however, is not about individual honors. It is a team sport, and the Xplosion is a "team" among teams. We win as a team, we lose as a team, and sometimes we even tie as a team. In this tournament, we did all those things, and each and every girl again contributed in their own unique ways. Some made big saves in goal, while others played strong defense; some made great passes, while others had nice runs; some scored goals, while others fought and hustled to win loose balls. All are necessary to be successful and the coaches are "xtremely" proud of our "dirty dozen" and their outstanding teamwork. Borrowing a line from the girls new "Hokey Pokey" cheer, "That's what it's all about!"
Saturday, February 15
Valentine's Day Tournament
Team Xplosion competed in the 6th Annual Darien Sports Complex Valentine's Day Tournament and played very well against some quality teams. In fact, the Xplosion won their division, but then lost the Championship game 2-0 to the Summit Golden Eagles, their old friends from the Fall season. However, our girls did walk away with 2nd Place trophies and are to be applauded for their efforts.
In the opening game, Team Xplosion defeated the Hinsdale Hurricanes Black by a score of 3-1. Anne Chimienti, Iris Casler, and Shannon Clark each had goals, while Hallie Prokaski shut the door in goal. In their second game, the Xplosion surged to a 2-0 lead against LTSC Blue on two goals by Victoria Kappel, but then gave up two late goals and had to settle for a 2-2 tie. In their divisional cross-over game, the Xplosion battled a tough Lemont Raiders team to a 0-0 scoreless tie. Kerri Slawik played a strong game in goal to earn the shutout.
Then came the Championship game in which the Summit Golden Eagles used their quickness and superior ball control skills to defeat Team Xplosion 2-0. The Eagles knocked Hallie Prokaski out of the goal on their first score with a wicked shot to her neck that then managed to trickle in behind her. Elizabeth Wrobel came on to finish the game as keeper, and made several outstanding saves before Summit managed to slip one past her to account for the final score.
Congratulations Xplosion for a great day of soccer and your 2nd Place finish!
12 th Annual Jack-O-Lantern Classic
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Team Xplosion - Congratulations on your success in the Jack-O-Lantern Tournament! Coach Jerry, Coach Pete, and I are "xtremely" proud of you. You all played awesome, both individually and together as a team. It was great to see all of your hard work in practice pay off in the games you played. I am proud to be one of your coaches and you should be proud of yourselves as well.
There is one thing I especially want you to remember from this tournament. It's not the four games you won, or the 22 goals you scored, or only allowing three goals in all four games. I want you to remember the ASC Eagles, the team you beat 4-2 in your final game. Why? Because even though you were a bigger, faster, and better team than they were, they played as hard as they could for the entire game. Even when they were losing 3-0, they never gave up, and they battled to the very end. Although they lost the game, I know their coach was just as proud of them as we were of you.
In the future, you will have games against other teams that are bigger, faster, and more skilled. And believe it or not, we will lose some games. In fact, the best way to improve is to play other teams that are better. But, as long as you remember the ASC Eagles, and play as hard as you can in every game, never giving up, your coaches and parents will always be proud of you, win or lose.
Go Xplosion! And remember let's have fun out there!
...Coach Tom