Missouri State Bears Fall At North Texas, Play Friday At Home

Brooke Williams, Missouri State Bears (2014)

DENTON, Texas – The Missouri State women’s soccer team dropped its season opening match at North Texas, 2-1, this afternoon in Denton, Texas. With temperatures near 100 degrees and heat indices even higher, the Bears battled the Mean Green and the elements to open the season.

It didn’t take the Bears long as freshman Brooke Williams put Missouri State ahead in just the second minute of play. The Bears got a breakout and sophomore Rachel Weimer centered a feed to Williams who ended up one-on-one with the Mean Green keeper. Williams was able to slide the ball past the keeper inside the back post to give Missouri State a 1-0 lead.

North Texas got the equalizer in the 16th minute when Michelle Young made a great run in on net and beat Missouri State goalkeeper Jessica Teahan. UNT’s Julie Lackey would get the game winner in the 75th minute off a free kick. Brooke Williams had two of the three shots for the Bears with fellow freshman Shelby Stewart registering the other. UNT outshot Missouri State 12 to three in shots for the match.

“We faced a tough team in North Texas today,” said head coach Rob Brewer. “Conditions were very tough, but our girls battled the whole match.”

The Bears return to Plaster Field on Friday, August 27, for the regular season home opener against UALR in a 7:00 p.m. tilt. Tennessee Martin will also visit Plaster Field during the homestand on Sunday, August 29, at 1:00 p.m.

Drury Panthers Host Crowder Tonight

Dave Emnett, Drury Panthers (2011)

The exhibition season wraps up this evening for the Drury Panthers before they open the defense of their Great Lakes Valley Conference title and a hoped for run to the NCAA Tournament again this year. The Panther’s will face off against Crowder College this evening at 7:30 pm at Harrison Stadium. A final chance for Coach Ryan Swan to fine tune his lineup before the season opens September 3rd in Ashland, OH.

The Crowder Roughriders are an NJCAA squad based in Neosho that draws international players as well as a core of regional players. It includes sophomores Bryce Collier (Hillcrest) and Trevor Pedigo (Kickapoo) on this years roster.

The first home game of the season isn’t until September 17th when independent Truman State comes to town for an 11am Friday game.

Rolla Youth Soccer League Registration

Rolla, Mo. — Walk-in registration for the Rolla Area Youth Soccer League (RAYSL) will be held on Saturday, August 28 from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm in the Mark Twain Elementary School cafeteria (old gym).

The registration fee is $35 per player. Players must provide a photocopy of their birth certificate if one has not been previously submitted.

Players may also register by mail. Mail-in registrations should be sent to P. O. Box 1515 Rolla, MO 65402. Mail-ins must include a completed Missouri Youth Soccer Association (MYSA) membership form, a check made payable to RAYSL (please include the player’s name on the check), and a photocopy of the player’s birth certificate if one has not been previously submitted. Mail-in registrations postmarked after Friday, September 3, are considered to be late and subject to an additional late fee of $7. Late registrants are not guaranteed roster spots. Registration closes on Friday, September 10. No registration will be accepted after this date. MYSA registration forms are available at The Centre, Vessell’s Fitness Complex, Key Sport Shop, and the RAYSL website at www.raysl-soccer.org.

RAYSL soccer is for players born between August 1, 1995 and July 31, 2002. Players born on or after August 1, 2002 play in the Optimist soccer program. For more information call the RAYSL phone line (573) 426-5125 or visit the RAYSL website at www.raysl-soccer.org.

Dedication of the Greenwood Stadium Field at Cooper Sports Complex Saturday

Greenwood Stadium Field, Aug 15, 2010

The Springfield-Greene County Park Board and Lake Country Soccer will hold a dedication ceremony at 11 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 28 for a new Astroturf® synthetic soccer field surface, new lighting, and speaker system installation at the Greenwood Stadium Field of Cooper Sports Complex, 2601 E. Pythian St. Following the dedication, a Greenwood Laboratory School alumni game is planned to begin at Noon.

The Park Board, Lake Country Soccer and significant private funding from the McQueary Family and Cooper Family Foundation made the approximate $863,000 improvements possible. The field becomes the new home of Greenwood Laboratory School’s Bluejay’s soccer program.

The 400-foot by 260-foot installation is the first synthetic surface in the Park Board’s inventory of fields. The Astroturf® 3D-60 synthetic turf technology is made of polyethylene/nylon, which most replicates natural grass. Rubber infill is swept into the synthetic fibers, allowing for a uniform cushioned surface throughout the field. The new turf will allow for a significant reduction in carbon emissions due to regular maintenance of natural grass.

“The field surface opens a new window of opportunity for the Park Board and Lake Country Soccer,” said Parks Director Jodie Adams. “Not only will our soccer programs and leagues benefit from the year-round uniform surface and quick drainage caused by rains, but we now have the opportunity to bid on some of the larger state and national tournaments that require a field of this caliber. Springfield-Greene County is a leader in the Midwest with its outdoor and indoor soccer facilities, and this addition takes the amenities to the next level.”

The public-private partnership with non-profit Lake Country Soccer and its nine-member volunteer board allows for continued growth and development of soccer in southwest Missouri. There are 18 full-sized outdoor soccer fields, seven of which are lighted, and two indoor playing surfaces that make up the Cooper Sports Complex and Lake Country Soccer facility. The property is the largest indoor/outdoor soccer facility in the Midwest.

Lake Country also is hosting a tournament the weekend of the dedication. Thirty-five teams of nine-year olds through high school aged boys and girls will compete in the inaugural Founder’s Cup tournament. The games will run 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. both Saturday, Aug. 28 and Sunday, Aug. 29 on 12 fields, including the newly resurfaced stadium field. There is no cost to attend the tournament, which is open to the public.

For more information, contact: Miles Park, Superintendent of General Services, 417-864-1326; or Kelly Ross, Lake Country Soccer, 417-862-3211.

A video tour of the nearly completed field taken August 15th, 2010

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DVD’s Of All-Star Game Now Available

I now have DVD’s available from the 2010 All-Star game produced by Mediacom. If you would like to purchase a copy of either the Boy’s game OR the Girl’s game, contact me for details. All DVD’s have been professionally created and will come packaged in a sturdy plastic case with a photo cover featuring the player’s respective team.

Click here to be taken to the Contact form.

Missouri State Bears Host Missouri S&T Friday

Jared Gain, Missouri State Bears (2014)

The Bears wrap up their exhibition season on Friday night at Plaster Soccer Stadium (that has a nice ring to it, eh) when they host D2 Missouri S&T. The Miner’s are regular visitors during the Spring season and bring a team that is confident in their defense

S&T had one of the top defensive teams in the GLVC throughout the 2009 season, holding its opponents to just 17 goals in 15 games as it finished with a 7-7-1 overall record and 7-5-1 mark in the GLVC. Despite losing sweeper Andy Held, the Miners return the bulk of their defensive unit as well as goalkeeper Pat McNamee to the fold for the upcoming year.

Caleb Collier (Kickapoo 2009/Springfield SC) and Mason Morawitz (Hickman 2009/Springfield SC) are battling for starting positions and should see minutes although Collier has an MRI scheduled for a shoulder problem that cropped up during the team’s Chicago trip to play DePaul. The boys also return to Springfield on September 26th when the Miner’s visit to play against GLVC opponent Drury University.

The Bear’s open the regular season on the road next Wednesday when they play Southern Methodist. They also travel to Kansas City for a game against UMKC on Labor Day, September 6th. The first home games will be Friday, September 10th against Wisconsin-Green Bay and IUPUI on Sunday, September 12th.

Missouri State Lady Bears Face Arkansas-Little Rock Friday

Missouri State Bears, Jessica Teahan (2012)

The Bears return to Plaster Field on Friday, August 27, for the regular season home opener against UALR in a 7:00 p.m. tilt. The Bear’s dropped their season opener at North Texas, 2-1 last Sunday in Denton, Texas. With temperatures near 100 degrees and heat indices even higher, the Bears battled the Mean Green and the elements to open the season. Freshman Brooke Williams scored the goal for the Bears in the 2nd minute of play, on an assist by Rachel Weimer.

The UALR women’s soccer team (0-2) fell to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane (2-0), 5-1, last Sunday afternoon in Tulsa. Danielle Dunsworth scored the lone goal for the Trojans while goalkeepers Jane Picarelli and Michelle Pittman combined to make nine saves in defeat. The Trojans ran into trouble early in the contest and had trouble disrupting the offensive momentum of the Hurricane. Tulsa, coming off a 4-0 defeat of Northwestern State, scored all five of their goals before the end of the first period. The Bear’s travel to Tulsa on Sunday September 5th.

Tennessee Martin will also visit Plaster Field during the homestand on Sunday, August 29, at 1:00 p.m

Champions League Draw

Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty Images

The Guardian looks at the Champions League Draw and how the English clubs (4) are placed: English clubs largely had reasons to be pleased with the draw for the Champions League group stages, which took place in Monaco this afternoon. Manchester United will travel to Scotland to take on Sir Alex Ferguson’s former club Rangers with Valencia and the Turkish champions Bursaspor completing Group C.

Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham Hotspur, who secured their first appearance in the Champions League group stage with yesterday’s 4-0 win over Young Boys, appear to have the trickiest assignment of the Premier League sides after they were drawn in Group A alongside the holders Internazionale, now managed by Rafa Benítez, Werder Bremen and the Dutch side FC Twente, who Steve McClaren led to the Eredivisie title last season.

Chelsea were matched with Marseille, Spartak Moscow and the Slovakian champions MSK Zilina in Group F. Arsenal have the most straightforward assignment after drawing Shakhtar Donetsk, Braga and Partizan Belgrade in Group H.

Jack Jewsbury, KC Wizards

I had an opportunity to chat with Jack Jewsbury, KC Wizards and Kickapoo Chiefs (’99) earlier this week when he was in town for a Youth Clinic sponsored by Mediacom and Lake Country Soccer. The photo of him with Chad Jaeger, who played for Drury in the mid 90′s and now coaches here with Springfield SC, came after a conversation with the two. Chad noted he remembers Jack when he was coaching youth soccer in the early 90′s and Jack only came up to Chad’s lower chest. Now Jack has returned to coach the youth as well. The circle remains unbroken. Enjoy.

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And here are some photos from the Clinic
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Bears Drop Exhibition Match To New Mexico, Play At Home Friday

Eric Martin, Missouri State Bears (2013)

The Missouri State men’s soccer team gave up a second half goal to drop a 1-0 decision to New Mexico in a neutral site exhibition match played in Tulsa on Sunday. Sophomore transfer Devon Sandoval scored the lone goal of the game in the 55th minute for the Lobo win.

“We knew we could be at a disadvantage playing a fresh team after our game in the heat on Friday,” said Lobo head coach Jeremy Fishbein. “We knew we would face a lot of challenges, but our guys came out very composed and took a mature approach to the game for such a young team.”

Sandoval picked up a pass from redshirt freshman Lawrence Robledo inside the 6-yard box for the goal. Sandoval, an Albuquerque native, is making his return to New Mexico after spending his freshman season at San Diego State. Sandoval and Robledo are two of 20 Lobos on the team that are sophomores, redshirt freshmen or true freshmen. Sophomore Victor Rodriguez defended the Lobo goal for the shutout.

Senior keeper Alex Riggs went the distance for the Bears, allowing just one goal to the Lobos offense.

“We did some nice things out there today,” said head coach Jon Leamy. “We also have some things to work on to get ready for the season opener in a week and a half. Our boys battled a tough team from New Mexico for 90 minutes today.”

Exhibition play will wrap up Friday, August 27, with a match versus Missouri S&T at 5:00 p.m. at Plaster Field. Missouri State will then travel to SMU for the regular season opener on September 1. The Bears regular season home opener is against Green Bay on September 10 at 7:30 p.m.