Monthly Archives: September 2009
Posted inSoccer on TV., Story

Soccer on TV

by Soccer America

The USA is back in action at the U-20 World Cup on Friday. The MLS Game of the Week is on Friday, as well, as Los Angeles hosts Chicago. The weekend holds a full slate of MLS matches as the race for the playoffs heats up. Don’t miss the USL semifinals on Sunday as Portland takes on Vancouver.

Posted inYouth Soccer Reporter, Youth What They're Saying

What They’re Saying

by Soccer America

“Tree-sitting? I said never, but I’m getting desperate. They’re using the need for soccer fields as a rallying cry to go ahead and destroy this beautiful park, and we have to do something.”

— Piedmont, Calif., resident Sandra Pohutsky, who opposes plans to turn Blair Park, a 5-acre strip of open space, into soccer fields for local players who have inadequate space for games and practice. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story

Lynn takes over as top-ranked Division II men’s team

by Soccer America

SMALL COLLEGE NEWS … Northern Kentucky, the No. 1 team in the NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division II men’s rankings, fell to No. 11 after losing to Saint Joseph’s College, 2-1, on Greg Gehrig‘s late goal. Lynn took over as the top-ranked Division II men’s team. The Fighting Knights, led by Paulo Vaz (13 goals and seven assists), put their top billing on the line Saturday when they travel to battle No. 4 Tampa.

MEN’S RANKINGS:
NCAA Division II 1. Lynn, 2. Cal State Los Angeles, 3. Lees-McRae
NCAA Division III 1. Messiah, 2. Ohio Wesleyan, 3. Christopher Newport

WOMEN’S RANKINGS:
NCAA Division II 1. Seattle Pacific, 2. West Florida, 3. Saint Rose
NCAA Division III 1. Messiah, 2. Puget Sound, 3. Williams

* STADIUM OPENING. Division III Hope College opened its $5.3 million Van Andel Soccer Stadium on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Albion before 650 fans. Jeff Stusick scored the game’s only goal. The stadium dedication will take place Oct. 17 during a men’s and women’s doubleheader.

Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story

Olsen leads Women of Troy back into elite

by Soccer America

WOMEN’S NEWS … USC has overcome injuries and suspensions to its backline to return to the Soccer America Women’s Top 25 at No. 19. The Women of Troy’s 2-0 win at ranked Santa Clara on Sunday was their sixth in a row.

Goalkeeper Kristin Olsen was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player at the Women’s College Cup two years ago when USC won its first women’s title, and she could be the top keeper in the country this year. Olsen matched her career high with eight saves against Santa Clara. USC hasn’t lost since Sept. 4 when Olsen was red carded in a 1-0 loss at Ohio State.

Senior All-American Meagan Holmes has been sidelined with a knee injury since the first game of the season. Junior Ashli Sandoval moved from the midfield to fill in for Holmes but suffered a season-ending ACL injury three weeks ago. Chelsea Buehning missed last week’s Pacific game after being red carded against Oklahoma a week earlier. Junior Karter Haug will miss the first game of her career Friday when she is suspended for USC’s match with San Diego, leaving sophomore Claire Schloemer as the only defender to play in every game this season.

There is good news for USC, though. Freshmen Kelly Morgan and Stephanie Morgan have earned their first starts in the back, and Holmes could return to action soon.

Tuesday Results

* LEADING GOAL SCORERS:
1. Morgan Marlborough, Nebraska 15
2. Rachel King, Louisiana Tech 11
3. Kiersten Dallstream, Washington State 10
3. Sydney Leroux, UCLA 10
3. Britany Curry, Texas State 10
3. Victoria DiMartino, Boston College 10
3. Corky Julien, James Madison 10
3. Kelley O’Hara, Stanford 10
3. Whitney Palmer, Oklahoma 10
(Through games played Sept. 27.)

Posted inCollege Soccer Reporter, Story

Three ACC powers fall to unranked teams

by Paul Kennedy

MEN’S NEWS … Tuesday was another rough night for Top 25 teams. Three ACC teams — No. 3 Maryland, No. 4 Wake Forest and No. 14 Boston College — all lost to unranked opponents.

— Despite playing the last 49 minutes with 10 players, George Mason beat No. 3 Maryland, 2-0, before 2,781 fans. Victor Freeman scored the first goal and redirected the ball for Draymond Washington to head home for the second goal. The Patriots, who had not beaten Maryland since 2001, lost midfielder Ryan Gracia to a red card in the 41st minute.

— Evan James, Jennings Rex and Owen Darby scored to give visiting Charlotte a 3-1 win over Wake Forest, snapping the Demon Deacons’ 46-game unbeaten streak against non-conference opponents. “This was a tremendous result,” said Charlotte coach Jeremy Gunn. “We played great soccer tonight and we showed people what we are capable of as a soccer program. Wake Forest has been one of the bench mark programs in college soccer.

— Freshman Emery Welshman scored his first collegiate goal in the 10th minute to give Siena a 1-0 win over Boston College for its first victory ever over an ACC team.

Tuesday Results

* LEADING GOAL SCORERS:
1. Andrew Bulls, UMBC 12
2. Matthew Skonicki, Winthrop 8
2. Saeed Sulemana Baba, Western Michigan 8
2. Chris Cutshaw, Bradley 8
2. Matt Eliason, Northwestern 8
2. Andrew Wiedeman, California 8
2. J.C. Banks, Green Bay 8
2. Levi Houapeu, UMBC 8
(Through games played Sept. 27.)

* MILESTONE. Sam Koch won his 200th game as Massachusetts head coach Tuesday when the Minutemen improved their unbeaten streak to five games with a 3-0 win over Colgate. Koch’s record now stands at 200-133-36 in 19 seasons at UMass. He was 58-53-16 in six seasons at Stanford. (VIDEO: UMass-Colgate highlights)

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

Houston and United need home wins

by Ridge Mahoney

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] The tasks for Houston and D.C. United are vastly different though both are playing at home Wednesday night in the group play of the regional championship.While tricky, United’s match against Trinidadian club San Juan Jabloteh (8 p.m., Fox Soccer Channel) is nothing like the Dynamo’s date with Mexican powerhouse Pachuca (10 p.m., FSC, Galavision). The Tuzos are in second place in Group A with nine points, two more than Houston and one less than Arabe Unido of Panama, which took over the group lead by battering Isidro Metapan, 6-0, on Tuesday.

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

‘Retro’ Revs visit Cotton Bowl

by Ridge Mahoney

[MLS PREDICTION] MLS left the Cotton Bowl more than four years ago, yet that’s where New England and FC Dallas play their league match Wednesday as a preliminary to a Mexico-Colombia friendly. As one of the league’s founding members, the Dallas Burn used the Cotton Bowl as its primary home from 1996 to 2002, and again starting in 2004 until Pizza Hut Park opened in early August, 2005. Its large, smooth surface was regarded as among the league’s best to play on. New England was 6-3-1 against Dallas at the Cotton Bowl and won when it last played there, 3-0, in August of 2004.

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

Saprissa stuns Crew in stoppage time

by Ridge Mahoney

[CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE] Seconds away from advancing to the quarterfinals of the regional championship, Columbus instead will have to wait more than three weeks to know its fate. Alexander Robinson headed home a Walter Centeno free kick in the second minute of stoppage time to earn Deportivo Saprissa a 1-1 draw in a Group B match and avoid elimination. A win would have guaranteed the Crew a quarterfinal berth; instead, it must at least tie the Puerto Rico Islanders away Oct. 20 in its final group match.

Posted inSoccer America Daily, Story

Mexico’s withdrawal boosts U.S. bid

by Paul Kennedy

[WORLD CUP 2018/2022] One of the USA’s chief competitors in its bid for the 2018/2022 World Cups dropped by the wayside on Tuesday when Mexico’s soccer federation announced it lacked the resources to finance the work needed to host. The move leaves the USA as the lone Concacaf bidder and prevents a regional fight for the support of the influential Concacaf members on FIFA’s executive committee.

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