The U13 Krazy Kickers competed in their last matches for the 2008 fall season this past weekend in the Adel Shoot the Moon Tournament. With only eleven players on the roster, the Kickers added three guest players, Kelsey Kramer from the Johnston Soccer Club and Nicole Benhart and Kristi Comstock from the U15 Carlisle Pride girls team. Their presence would be needed as Carlisle would take on the best team in the state, the ADM Tigers.

Carlisle got the kick off and tried something different with the entire team on the mid line. The ball was placed perfectly to forward Taylor Piper who was able to beat her outside defender and make a cross in front of goal. But ADM was there to harass fellow forward JoJo Haack and the ball was returned back up the side and the transition was too quick for Carlisle’s defenders to get in position and ADM would score the first goal 20 seconds into the match. ADM would score again two minutes later and had Carlisle on the run mentally. ADM was much bigger, taller and faster the young Carlisle squad. The Carlisle girls, however, showed their resolve, and would hold off ADM for the remainder of the half. In the second half, ADM was just too much for the Kickers and would score three more goals ending the match 5-0.

The second match was much closer against Ankeny. Carlisle controlled possession early on but could not create scoring opportunities. Ankeny, on the other hand was taking advantage of some Carlisle’s defensive mistakes, resulting in several shots on goal and corner kick opportunities, with one resulting in a goal in the second half. Defenders Katie Brown, Katie Clark, Hannah Jutting and Nicole Benhart relied on sheer athleticism to harass Ankeny and to keep Carlisle in the game, but the Kickers were shut out again losing the match 1-0. The final match would determine if the Krazy Kickers were to advance to the next day’s final games.

The third match was against Soccer South and Carlisle was ready. Madison Polley was brought back on defense along with Mak Curiel. This would allow Nicole to play up, giving the team much needed speed on offense. The payoff was immediate with Nicole intercepting a pass and sending it through to forward JoJo who ran the ball up the center for an easy score on goal. Brilliance was the word of the game for the next five minutes as a ball was centered from the right to JoJo in the center. JoJo drew defenders from all sides as she got ready to take the shot. Instead she dished the ball to her left to mid Haley Gruber who one touch shot the ball just wide of goal. However, a breakdown at midfield allowed Soccer South to score late in the half to tie the game. They would also win a PK in the closing seconds of the half. The play of the tournament was goal keeper Taryn Smith’s diving save keeping the game even for the second half.Carlisle not only needed to win this match to stay in the hunt for placement and another game on Sunday, they needed a margin of victory of at least two goals. The ball overwhelmingly was on Soccer South’s side of the field. However, the Kickers got a little too impatient up top and crowded the ball and the passing game in the final third of the field was not as crisp as it had been earlier in the game. Eventually Soccer South would score another goal knocking Carlisle out of the running for placement in the tournament.

Midfielders Grace Smith and Marissa Kephart also brought depth to the games and played well against some of the best competition in the state. In every game, including the match against Adel, the girls demonstrated that they could compete with bigger and faster teams. The ADM team will be one that these girls will face when they start playing for the high school team in a couple of years. Their coach also happens to be the high school girls coach as well. The Kickers look forward to a break from soccer for the remainder of the year but will be starting once again in January with futsal and the Super 7’s tournament in Ames in Feb.

More than halfway through the fall season, Carlisle teams started making a statement across the Greater Des Moines Junior Soccer League. One of those teams was the u12 boys Roadrunners who have struggled in league play over the past two seasons. This Sunday they exhibited a hint of things to come in a game played at Pleasant Hill. The Roadrunners started off a little slow, having trouble moving the ball down the center of the field against a packed in Pleasant Hill defense. Eventually, they began to work the ball successfully on the attack. Forward Alex Felger put the ball in the back of net with a direct attack down the middle for the first goal. Dean LeClaire would get an assist for the second goal that Quinn True blasted in. Andrew Pech moved the ball around the Pleasant Hill midfielders to assist Felger in scoring the third goal. Largely due to the speed of defender Jose Fuentes, Pleasant Hill never got a shot on goal in the first half, and the Carlisle side would lead 3-0 at halftime.

The Roadrunners were fired up after the half, and continued the assault on the Pleasant Hill defense. Forward Luke Cooper had several shots from the right side but could not find the net. He would however drive the ball all the way to the end line and make a perfect cross between two defenders to find mid fielder Pech, who one-touched the ball into the net. Fuentes would also take several shots, never to make it in, but one shot bounced off the post right to Pech, who tapped it in with the outside of his right foot. The last goal went to Cody Woodruff who surprised the defender with his speed to win the ball and a one-on-one with the goalie, and place the ball to inside far post with his left foot. As in the first half, Pleasant Hill would never get a shot on goal. Final score: 6-0

The u8 Cool Cats played a hard and fierce game when they took to the field two Sundays ago. Madison Darrah played with a fire that could not be extinguished, demonstrating very good ball control and blocking several shots on goal. She also made a nice shot to score a goal. Keaton Walker used her experience and skill to maneuver the ball around opponents to score several goals. Sara Langenfeld played her position very well to stop the opposition’s attacks and to score multiple goals. Josie Nordhagen demonstrated a nice fake to maneuver around the defense to score another goal. Brilyn Jackson made several nice moves during the game, making a nice shot at goal. Baylee Vanpatten used her speed and great ball control to protect the ball and send it to the goal. The Cool Cats are coming together as a team and working well.

A week later, the Cool Cats played an evenly matched game .Vanpatten played hard and fast, moving the ball like a pro and working with team mates to create many chances to score .Jackson worked very hard making many nice moves on the field while Josie Nordhagen played worked with team mates to make many nice plays. Langenfeld played a great defensive and offensive game, making many blocks and shots. Walker performed a nice header on a throw in and Darrah played very hard, taking a ball to the midsection to stop a nice shot on goal. The Cool Cats each scored at least one goal in a close game.

The u8 White Tigers showed up to the soccer field ready to play, and the coaches and fans saw all sorts of great passing, dribbling and even some great shooting. To look for highlights look no further than Ashlyn Highland scoring a goal from a long pass from Megan Sievers. Along with a couple of goals scored by Highland, April Jackson, Kirsten Brown and Sievers all picked up their share of goals. Cameron Mesecher had some great defensive stops as well as some nice shots on goal. Overall, the team played with much more enthusiasm and is starting to play together.

The U12 Crush traveled to West Des Moines to face a team that beat them 8-2 at their last meeting, but the Crush was coming off a three-game winning streak and were determined to keep the streak alive. The Crush would step up to play one of their best games of the season. The first goal would come within 13 seconds of the WDM kickoff: Taylor Whipple went on the attack to win the ball and took it directly to the goal, when the WDM defense shifted she passed to mid fielder to Jessica Payne who made a perfect pass to the far post where Lindsey Kamerick put it in the back of the net with a left footed shot. WDM was stunned by the Crush’s aggressive play. The Crush would continually attack the goal, dominate the WDM forwards on the defensive end. Keeper Maddie Roberts jumped on all balls that entered the goal box. Whipple would capitalize on the next scoring opportunity created by Jade Gibson stealing the ball at mid field. Then Katy Rick would score the next two goals: one from a penalty kick over the keeper’s head and another after beating three defenders and again chipping the ball over the keeper’s head. After four unanswered goals WDM would put one on the scoreboard from a long shot, but the Crush had more to give. Jessica Payne would score off an aggressive play, stealing the ball and taking it to the goal. The half would end with the Crush leading 5-1.

In the second half, the Crush changed formations to try to keep WDM from making a come back. Defenders Ashton Goodhue-Nolte, Amanda Hardin and defensive midfielders Gibson, Sierra Andreas, Morgan Fox, Taylor Nelson and Emily Loomis proved they are one of the best defensive squads in the league with the help of keeper Victoria Carra as they would shut down WDM for the entire half. The game would end with the Crush earning a huge victory with a score of 5-1 putting them in a tie for the top spot in the division. Players of the game were Rick, for pulling off the most moves, and Goodhue-Nolte, Andreas, and Taylor Nelson for their tremendous defensive play

The U10 Dragons traveled to West Des Moines for a road game, and the offense started out strong with Jack Van Veen, Zach Phillips & Dylan Reed taking on a tough WDM defense. The Dragons had several scoring chances as the forwards worked well together weaving through the defense and passing to the open man. Reed finally got one to the back of the net on a quick pass from Van Veen. Dragon defenders Mathew Hintz and Tyler Baker did a great job in the first half by controlling the ball and working together to get the ball up to the offense. The pair got in front of the WDM forwards to slow down their attack on the Dragon goalie, Konner Fisher, who was quick like a cat in the goal moving side to side to cover the net. Fisher made some great saves in goal and let in only two in the first half. In the second half, the Dragon offense went back to work pushing the WDM defense back with their ball skills and speed. They had several shots on goal against a tough WDM goalie. Reed put one in the corner of the net with the help of great passing up the field by Van Veen and Baker.  Hintz and Fisher slowed down the WDM offense with several deflections. Simon Clark came in as goalie to finish out the game, making tremendous saves against some tough shots. Hintz and Fisher quickly worked the ball up the field and got it to Baker, who moved the ball up to VanVeen,who found Reed upfield for a quick score. The WDM offense came back quickly several times, but only put one passed Clark in the second half. That would be as close as WDM would get to the Dragons. Clark started another attack off a goal kick to Hintz and Baker, who got it passed mid field to Fisher, who used his foot skills to perfection to move the ball up to Reed. Reed moved the ball down the right side before centered it across to Van Veen for the go ahead goal. WDM tried to attack one last time however Simon pounced on the ball and was picking it up and WDM kicked it in for a score. The goal was disallowed because it was under the keeper’s control. It was a great win for the Dragons because of ball movement and teamwork. Final score: 4-3 win. The Dragons are 2 - 3 this season.

The u10 Pink Panthers are on fire this season,winning last weekend against Soccer South 7 to 5. This Saturday’s game, they faced West Des Moines and placed another game in the win category, score 10 to 1. The ladies continue to improve with each game, not only with individual ball skill, but overall team play. The team emphasized their skill by mastering a formation change just before game time, changing the midfielder to a stopper to provide extra defensive coverage to first-time goalies Amber Kettering and Janetta Dawson. A highlight of the game was watching defender Hannah Ryan connect repeatedly with forward Becca Reece for attacks down the left side line.

The U8 White Tigers tackled another opponent on Sunday and were as hot as the temperature outside. The offensive action consisted of goals being scored by Megan Sievers, Ashlyn Highland, and Cameron Mesecher. On defense April Jackson and Kirsten Brown kept various goals from being scored. The play of the game was a corner kick sent in my Megan Sievers to Kirsten Brown who had a good shot on goal and was just wide of the goal.

The u8 Killer Cougars used their Sunday, October 5th game to concentrate on an outside-in attack on the goal. Each member of the team worked hard to take the ball down the sideline, deep into the offensive end of the field, and cross the ball into the goal. All the Cougars - Carson True, Samuel Overton, Jack Wilson Jonathan Kamerick, Wyatt Kruse and Logan Niehaus - scored goals in this game and made assists. The Cougars also played tough defense, keying many scoring attacks.

The u13 Krazy Kickers competed in the Johston Soccerfest tournament the weekend of Sept 27 & 28. Their first opponent was a Johnston team several divisions above them in play who had defeated the Kickers in the same tournament a year ago, 7-4. The Kickers (pictured below) out played the Johnston squad despite having only one sub. The strategy was to focus on possession of the ball rather than scoring, especially early in the match, to get Johnston running after the ball , keep the ball in play as long as possible and keep them from utilizing their deep bench of extra players. The Kickers worked this well and after a slow start controlled the tempo of the game. At the beginning of the second half, the game was scoreless, and the girls made a push for goals. This left them exposed on a barrage of Johnston attacks but thanks to the incredible play of defenders Hannah Jutting, Katie Clark, Mik McCaughey and Katie Brown and keeper Taryn Smith, Johnston would be shut out entirely in the game. The Kickers would score the match’s only goal with five minutes left off of a free kick set piece. Attacking mid Madison Polley rifled a wide angle shot threading it through several Johnston defenders and keeper into the net.

The second match would be against another Johnston team, one the Kickers played earlier in regular season and defeated 5-4. However, in this match up, Johnston would have a full squad, including five subs, compared to their original showing against the Kickers in which they had no subs. The Kickers dominated possession again and quickly earned two goals, one off the foot of striker Taylor Piper, with an assist from midfielder Haley Gruber and the other from striker JoJo Haack off an assist from Piper. The Kickers’ midfield ensured this game victory allowing very little to get all the way back to their defenders. That credit goes to outside mids Grace Smith and Marissa Kephart along with defensive mid Big Mak Curiel along with Polley and Gruber.

With two shut out victories, the Kickers earned a slot in the championship round on Sunday, against a much bigger and faster North Polk team who outscored their opponents 9-2 in this tournament. The Kickers’ kickoff was well placed and almost became a goal scoring opportunity. It ended up becoming a corner kick, one of seven earned this game by Carlisle. The Kickers dominated the entire game possessively allowing very little offense to erupt in their defensive third. However, North Polk’s weapon was in an incredibly fast forward who would score with five minutes left in the first half off of a break away down the center of the field. The Kickers were still mentally in this game to win it. The start of the second half and domination of possession was still favoring Carlisle. North Polk’s fast forward again broke loose for another score, putting the Kickers behind 2-0 with 20 minutes left in game. In spite of having only one sub the entire tourney, it wasn’t Carlisle that was getting tired. North Polk had several players desperately in need of replacement. Carlisle worked this to their advantage and ran North Polk ragged. After five minutes of exhausting play, North Polk won a throw in and an opportunity to get fresh players back in the game. With five minutes left in regulation, North Polk would score a third goal, a hat trick for their fast forward, and they would go on to win the championship.

Kickers’ coach Paul Gruber described this as the best game they’ve ever played and the smartest strategy they’ve successfully executed. “They earned several statements of praise from opponents’ coaches including the Bondurant coach who is also the head girls coach for Bondurant High School,” says Gruber. “The fact that he would seek out the Kickers to talk to me about how impressed he was with Carlisle speaks volumes of how far this group of girls has come along.

“In just over a year they’ve gone to never winning a match to almost winning a tournament championship. And they’re doing it with the extra challenge of only having a single sub this season. They are the Ironwomen of girls’ soccer,” Gruber added.

Here are other highlights from league play this weekend:

U8 Division
The u8 Cool Cats took to the field with excitement and worked very well as a team on Sunday, September 28th. Sara Langenfeld played a great defensive game blocking several shots on goal. She also scored two nice goals. Brylin Jackson stopped several attacks on the goal then worked the ball down field very well. Josie Nordhagen and Keaton Walker used great team work and ball control to work their way down field with Keaton assisting Josie to score the goal. Baylee Vanpatten got into the mix with her cat-like speed and great ball control, making a nice run down field and scoring a goal. Madison Dahrr showed grate team spirit by assisting her team mates and stopped several counterattacks down the field.

The u8 Killer Cougars had a size and experience advantage in their game Sunday, so they were challenged to work on crossing skills introduced during the previous two weeks. They were to work on bringing the ball up the sides on the offensive end before passing to an open teammate in front of the goal. They successfully “crossed” the ball throughout the game, and assists were earned by Samuel Overton (1), Carson True (2) and Jack Wilson (3). Each player on the team – including Jonathan Kamerick, Wyatt Kruse and Logan Niehaus scored goals in this game and Wilson wowed the crowd by clearing the ball off the line and out of danger.

The u8 White Tigers had another successful soccer game where every player on the team scored a goal. Ashlyn Highland scored her goal with authority from the left side of the field off a long pass from Megan Sievers. April Jackson also had a good solid goal by winning the ball from the defender and making a quick shot on goal. Kirsten Brown collected a loose ball in front of the White Tigers goal and put it in the back of the net with authority. Kirsten had the biggest smile on her face, one that will be remembered by the coaches, players and fans for a long time. These big smiles are the biggest reason the players and coaches enjoy the game. Cameron Mesecher scored her goal by being in the right place at the right time. Megan Sievers also added a couple of goals with her nice dribbling through defenders. It is quite an accomplishment for every player on the team to score a goal at some point during the game. This is a sign that the team is starting to play together as a team rather than each player individually trying to provide the offensive and defensive punch.

U12 Division
The u12 Roadrunners faced Winterset at home, and the game started off well with Carlisle keeping the ball pushed up the field for most of the first half. Midfielder Andrew Pech had an assist with an excellent cross to forward Josh Fisher who one-touched it into the goal. The half would end with only one shot on our goalie. Score 1-0.

In the second half, Pech would earn another assist getting the ball to forward Alex Felger who tapped it in with the inside of his left foot. Winterset seemed to be pushing up the field more this half giving goalie Luke Cooper the opportunity to make three saves. This could have been worse but defender Mason Mumm (pictured, right) kept getting the ball out and driving it all the way up field. One of these times he would lift it over the goalie and find the back of the net. On another occasion Mumm would get an assist as he sent the ball to the middle of the field at the 18 yard line only to have forward Fischer tap it in the goal. Winterset would answer back with a cross to their forward who one-touched it in. A quick transition play where their star player made it through our defense for a one-on-one with the goalie would give them their second goal, but Carlisle held them off the rest of the way for a final score of 4-2

Week 3 arrived with warm temps and blustery winds, but it didn’t keep the crowds away from the exciting soccer action like this U8 game in which Garrett Clark takes on two defenders at once. Here are other week-three hightlights:

U8 Division
The u8 Killer Cougars were on the prowl again this Sunday, working on attacking the goal down the sidelines where there’s less traffic and congestion. They learned it well, with each player – Logan Niehaus, Jack Wilson, Carson True, Samuel Overton, Wyatt Kruse and Jonathon Kamerick each scoring goals. Even more impressive for the ‘Cougs’ Kamerick, Overton, True and Kruse each tallied an assist in the game!

The u8 White Tigers are three games into the year and the team has begun to see some great teamwork starting to emerge. The outstanding plays of Sunday’s game were the passing to open players for them to shoot and score a goal. Kirsten Brown and Cameron Mesecher each passed the ball up field to Megan Sievers for break away goals. Sievers also had an assist to Ashlyn Highland for a very important goal. April Jackson had a goal of her own and played some outstanding defense by clearing to ball out of the front of the net. Overall, the White Tigers had an exciting game and the coach and fans look forward to more great plays to come.

U10 Division
This game was a rematch between the u10 Dragons and the Soccer West team that defeated them in the first game of the season by 1 goal. In the first half, the two teams were held scoreless for a while thanks to the great goaltending of Connor Hage and the defense of Zach Phillips and Mathew Hintz. Hintz made several good stops in front of the goal and cleared the ball well down the side to the offense. Phillips once again used great footwork to get the ball to the offensive side. The Soccer West team struck first though and scored three straight goals, but they didn’t hold the Dragons scoreless in the first half. The Dragons’ offensive attack was led by Dylan Reed, Konnor Fisher and Jack Van Veen. Fisher was able to get past the defender and make a pass to Reed for a score. Van Veen had several great shots that just missed the goal. The Dragons were down at the half by a score of 3-1.

In the second half, Fisher went in at goalie for the first time this season. He did a great job, stopping shots and getting some great drop kicks down the field. The Dragon defense held strong against the quick Soccer West team in the second half. Christian Williams made several good stops and Simon Clark put his body in harm’s way to stop a shot. Van Veen and Hintz also helped out on defense in the second half and were able to get it down to the offense to attack the net. The offense played strong and made a great comeback in the second half with great teamwork and passing. Phillips and Tyler came in to play offense for the first time and did a great job with their hustling and great footwork. Reed was able to use his speed to get past the Soccer West defenders and put one into the back of the net to get them within one, however, Soccer West struck again and went back up two. The Dragons never gave up though. Hage and van Veen came back in on offense and Hage was able to take the ball away several times to set up the offensive attack. Reed got the ball on a breakaway and made a nice crossing pass in front of the goal to Jack who directed it into the back of the net to get back within a goal. That was as close as the Dragons would get, thought. Soccer West was able to score again and the Dragons lost a heart-breaker by a score of 5-3. It was a closely matched game. The Dragons showed a lot of teamwork and they never gave up.

After a disappointing 4-8 loss last weekend against Dallas Center Grimes, anticipation was high this Saturday for the u10 Pink Panthers who were on the road in Johnston. Despite the 9 a.m. game time, the girls were full of energy when they took the field. Everyone was focused and in the zone, easily out playing the opponent whose entire team followed the ball. The girls stayed in position allowing them to execute with great success. Great defensive plays by Abbie Molina, Hannah Ryan and Emma Brewer kept the ball in scorning position most of the game. The score at the half was 8-1.

As the second half got under way, Johnston seemed to rally and the Panthers lost some momentum, allowing four easy goals. A change in goalie by the Panthers was all that was needed to get the team back on track. Final score was Panthers 12, Johnston 5. Leading scorers were Amber Kettering (4), Ceora LeClaire (4), followed by Janetta Dawson with (3) and Kennadie Arpy (1). That afternoon, the girls got together for a can drive to raise money for their new PINK Pink Panther uniforms.

U12 Division
The u12 Roadrunners started strong at Soccer South Sunday afternoon, demonstrating improved passing, ball control and shooting. Carlisle kept the ball on Soccer South half of the field for most of the first half and goalie Mason Mumm only had to block six shots in the first half of the game thanks to tough defense by Tucker Stull and Luke Cooper. Soccer South attacked the center of the field, sending long balls down the center on quick transitions to their large forward. Despite being called for eight fouls, the same forward managed to put one ball in the back of the next to put Soccer South on the board first. Forward Luke Sinclair was denied on a penalty kick but Alex Felger would put Carlisle on the score board with a quick attack through a lot of traffic. There were a lot of shots taken by the Roadrunners in the first half but only Felger’s would find net. Score at half time, 1-1.

In the second half, the Roadrunners were put on the defensive. With quick transitions down the center of the field goalie Dean LeClaire had three goals scored on him with some well-placed shots. With the score showing 1-4, a fire seemed to be lit under the Roadrunners, and they put Soccer South on the defensive with attacks down the center and down the sides. After Cooper switched at goalie for LeClaire, he faced only four shots for the remainder of the game, one of which made it in from a rebound off the post. Grant Kelley (pictured right) played tough defense, taking the ball from the forwards several times. Alex Felger field found himself in front of the goalie five times, and two of his shots would find the back of the net. Midfielder Josh Fisher found himself with the ball on the outside, made a nice drive to the goal only to have his shot blocked. Andrew Pech would do the same on the other side of the field. In all the Roadrunners had 29 shots on goal. “Overall, I think we played better than I have ever seen this team play,” said coach Tim LeClaire. “Even though we lost, we had possession for most of the game.” Final score, 3-5.

U14 Division
The U12 CRUSH traveled to Grimes to try for their first win of the season and they would not disappoint. The Crush had another strong start the first half controlling the ball and making several nice drives to the goal but were not able to get the ball to the back of the net. Grimes would score twice - once off a miscommunication between a Carlisle defender and keeper and another off a break away. But before the half was over Taylor Whipple would get one past the keeper from a break away of her own putting the score at 1-2.

The second half Carlisle turned up the heat and dominated the remainder of the game. The tough defense of Ashton Goodhue-Nolte, Katie Rick and Sierra Andreas frustrated Grimes breaking up nearly every drive and keeper Victoria Carra would easily scoop up every attempted shot. Mid fielders Taylor Nelson, Morgan Fox, Emily Loomis, Jessica Payne and Jade Gibson battled for loose balls giving Carlisle several scoring opportunities. First Maddie Roberts would put one in the corner with a nice side foot shot that easily fooled the keeper. Then Taylor Whipple would put in another goal with a one touch shot off a beautiful throw in to the middle of the goal from Ashton. The next goal would come off the foot of Maddie from a nice crossing pass from Lindsey Kamerick putting the score at 4-2. With the game winding down it looked as though Carlisle would easily walk away with the win, but the last two minutes got interesting as Grimes would score a easy goal from a fumbled drop kick. Then with less than one minute left, Grimes had a corner kick and would have a chance to tie the game. The Crush fought to clear the ball but were able to carry the ball to mid field marking the end of the game and their first victory of the season. Players of the game were Madison Staecker for successfully performing the most pull backs and Lindsey for hustle.

The u12 CRUSH traveled to play a re-scheduled game Tuesday night against their arch rivals, Johnston. The CRUSH had played them three times before with Johnston beating them on their home field 0-2 at their last meeting. The Crush were determined to get a victory this time and turned the game into one of the most physical and exciting games they had ever played. Defenders Ashton Goodhue-Nolte, Victoria Carra and Amanda Hardin frustrated Johnston by blocking out and shoulder tackling every forward or mid fielder that would try to drive the ball to the goal. And the mid fielders would skillfully pass the ball to keep possession for the majority of the first half. Katy Rick would blast one to the back of the net for the first and only goal of the half.

With Carlisle dominating possession the first half and usually playing their best the second half, coach Whipple thought they had Johnston on the ropes and for the first 10 minutes of the half it looked as though he was correct. The Crush would win the ball and score another goal off the foot of Jessica Payne who took on three defenders and still got the ball in the net. But Johnston began to dominate the mid field and would challenge Carlisle’s new keeper Morgan Fox with shot after shot. Morgan did an outstanding job making save after save showing great determination, only having played keeper one time before and had never saw the barrage of shots like she was seeing against Johnston. One goal would eventually get by, putting the score at 2-1. With Johnston having so many scoring opportunities it looked as though they might make a come back. But the Crush’s defense battled and were able to clear the ball. The whistle would finally blow with Carlisle pulling off the 2-1 victory and the fans were on their feet screaming for one of the most exciting games of the year. Player of the game goes to Emily Loomis for performing the most pull backs. Special recognition goes to three players for successfully puling off advanced moves: Katy Rick (Maradona 360), Madison Staecker (double cut) and Taylor Whipple (double cut).

On a chilly Sunday afternoon, the u10 Dragons came out ready to play on the road at Soccer South. Starting out as forwards were Jack VanVeen and Konnor Fisher, with Dylan Reed playing midfield. The Dragons played strong on offense, scoring five straight goals, three coming from Reed, one from VanVeen and one from Fisher. Reed dropped several shots in over the top of the Soccer South goalie, while Fisher and VanVeen cleaned up several rebounds to score four more in the first half. The defense of Zach Phillips and Christian Williams held the Soccer South team scoreless for most of the first half. Phillips showed some great footwork and Williams stopped the attackers in front of the goal to, along with strong goalkeeping by Connor Hage, lead at the half 9-4

The second half was much of the same from the Dragons. Simon Clark came out in goal for the second half and played strong, making several great saves to keep the Soccer South team from catching the Dragons. Tyler Baker and Phillips played great defense to keep the ball on the offensive side for the Dragons most of the second half. The second half offensive attack was led by Hage, Fisher and Reed. Everyone scored thanks to some great passing to the open man. Hage was able get around the defense to get a shot into the back of the net. Fisher chipped a rebound off the goalie into the back of the net. Reed demonstrated his quickness to score five more goals. The Dragons went on to win the game 16-9.

In other week two games…

U7 Division

The U7 girls Cougars took on the challenge of a more experienced team in their division and allowed a few goals in the first half before finding a rhythm of their own early in the second. Defensively, the play of Ashlynn Williams, Sarah Mumm and Kennedy Preston appeared to lock their opponents up on the other side of the field creating several goal scoring opportunities. Jaycee Black and Maren Judisch found themselves deep in their opponent’s territory on several occasions making for some very good looking finishes on goal. A little flair was even thrown into the mix by Audrey Gruber doing a scissors move against her opponents.

U8 Division

The u8 Cool Cats warmed up a cool afternoon by playing like they were on fire. Baylee VanPatten and Keaton Walker worked the ball with great control and speed making many nice moves and putting the ball in the net numerous times. Brilynn Jackson played very well on defense, sending the ball back to her team mates, and scoring the first goal for the Cool Cats. Sara Langenfeld and Josie Nordhagen played like seasoned veterans, demonstrating both ball control and speed while each scoring goals of their own. Madison Darrah got into the mix helping her team mates with a great steal, some very good passes and a goal of her own.

The u8 Killer Cougars put on an offensive show during their game. Logan Niehaus was tenacious in front of the opponent’s goal, putting four in the back of the net. Jack Wilson matched Niehaus’ total, while Carson True, Samuel Overton and Jonathon Kamerick also got in the scoring column multiple times. One of Kamerick’s goals was deftly wrapped around the defender to hit just inside the far post. In the second half, the Coug’s started working together, stringing together passes. Wyatt Kruse earn the assist by drawing a defender to him before passing on to Niehaus, who put the ball into the net. Seconds later, Niehaus drew his defender in before putting the ball onto the shooting foot of Carson True, who later had his own assist. The u8 Sliders didn’t give up, however. Bryce Murray showed off his dribbling skills to continually take the ball down one touch line or the other before putting the ball onto the feet of Skylar Ripperger, Chase Bowlin, Caleb Wenthe or Garret Clark. Clark took a hard shot to the nose at one point in the game, but when the bleeding stopped, he was back out there working hard to put the ball into the net.

The u8 White Tigers have started the season off with a lot of hustle and enthusiasm. The players are starting to get to know each other and it’s becoming real fun. This week, some of the highlights were from April Jackson, Cameron Mesecher and Kirsten Brown who each had some great clearing kicks to get the ball out of the goal area. Ashlyn Highland and Megan Sievers each scored goals for the White Tigers. The girls continue to have fun learning about the game of soccer through dribbling, shooting, passing and defending by all players involved. Go White Tigers!!!!!

U12 Division

The u12 Roadrunners started out strong in their second game of the season, against Winterset. Forward Alex Felger would score the first goal of the game with a powerful shot that made it between the goalie and the near post with an assist from Cody Woodruff. Luke Sinclair used his speed to get around the defense and scored by putting the ball where it couldn’t be blocked. Jose Fuentes scored after doing a fakey right in front of the goalie. Goalie Dean LeClaire only had to handle the ball three times the entire first half. The score at halftime would be 8-0.

In the second half, the scoring continued with good ball control and passing. Midfielder Fuentes scored from outside the goal area with the assist going to Luke Cooper from a throw in. Goalie David McGinnis blocked a shot by Winterset that would have put them on the board. Forward Andrew Pech made a nice shot to the far post easily finding the back of the net with the assist going to Woodruff. The final score 13-0

The u12 Carlisle CRUSH faced Norwalk last weekend coming off their first loss of the season against Nevada on opening weekend. The CRUSH came out strong, controlling the ball and putting Norwalk on their heels. The CRUSH put together several nice attacks on the goal but all shots were wide or stopped by the keeper. As the game progressed the teams settled and Norwalk was able to put several shots on goal and by the end of the first half Norwalk was able to put one in the back of the net.

With the CRUSH down by one at the start of the second half they knew they had to come out strong. And they did, dominating the whole second half, taking twice as many shots as Norwalk. But as in the first half the shots were not on target or the keeper made the save. The CRUSH also had several nice crossing passes in front of the goal but failed to capitalize. Norwalk would score again on a loose ball in front of the goal that the defense was unable to clear. When the final whistle blew marking the end of the game the CRUSH were in disbelief losing a game where they took more shots, dominated possession and were clearly more skilled. Congrats to Norwalk keeper for playing an outstanding game. Player of the game was Jade Gibson who successfully beat several defenders with the move of the game (the pull back) and showed tremendous improvement in all areas of play. We would also like to welcome a new CRUSH teammate this season, Morgan Fox - welcome to the CRUSH family!

U13 Division

U13 Krazy Kickers played two matches this weekend. The first was against Johnston at home. To their fans, it didn’t look good with the Kickers being a player short. Johnston didn’t have any bench players but they would at least have an extra player out on the pitch. Intimidation was not a factor against the Kickers. In fact it was the other way around with Carlisle scoring the game’s first goal within the first three minutes of play. Johnston answered back to tie it, before the Kickers went on a rampage, scoring three more goals by half. The cushion meant the Kickers could shift some formations around to give the defenders a chance to play up and forwards to play back on defense. They scored another goal early in the second half. Then coach Gruber asked the players to loosen up in their intensity a bit and save it for their next match the following day. To Johnston’s credit, they managed to score three more goals making the game much more interesting, but the Kickers had already put the game away with a respectable win thanks to the defensive play of Taryn Smith at keeper and defenders Katie Brown, Katie Clark, Mik McCaughey, Hannah Jutting and Marissa Kephart. Goal scoring and assists went to six different team mates: Katie B, Katie C, Taylor Piper, Haley Gruber, Madison Polley and JoJo Haack. Final score: Kickers 5, Johnston 4.

The Kickers played their second opponent on the road against Bondurant on Sunday. Bondurant appeared sharper than any of the Kicker’s previous three season’s of opponents, and was aggressive in the first half, pushing their defenders past midfield with their keeper close behind despite a stiff wind in their face. The long shot just never came from the Kickers, however, and they found themselves pinned on their own defensive end of the field. Between the defenders of Clark, Brown, Jutting, McCaughey, Mak Curiel, Kephart and goal keeper Smith, they had racked up an impressive 35 saves in the first half alone. In fact the half would have been a shut out had Bondurant not been awarded a free kick on the fringe of the penalty area. The Kickers’ heads-up play immediately created a five person wall which blocked the initial shot, but luck was on the opponent’s side and they were able to finish off the rebound. The second half appeared at first to be in Bondurant’s favor. With the wind, they immediately scored two goals in the first five minutes of play. From that point on, it was a Kicker’s game. Even with only one sub to Bondurant’s five, the Kickers wore Bondurant down and a goal was earned by Haack off of a through pass made by midfielder Polley. A second goal was made a couple of minutes later by Haack but was called back due to an offsides call. The Kickers didn’t have nearly as many shots on goal but the winger work done by mid’s Grace Smith, Gruber and forward Piper created several goal scoring opportunities for the girls. However, the team would run out of time before they were successful to score again and Bondurant would win 3-1. Overall, coach Paul Gruber was impressed with the adjustments the team has done moving up playing full-sided soccer with no practices within the week leading up to these games. Most impressive has been the Kicker’s confidence level as they fail to be intimidated by any of their opponents.

September 6th and 7th marked the opening weekend of soccer in Carlisle and delivered cool temperatures, plenty of sun and a lot of action.

“How can you NOT have a great weekend of soccer with nearly 200 players, their families and friends on the pitch,” said Mark True, Carlisle Soccer Club president. “While most of the other clubs suffered lower registration and a lot of flood damage, we grew a little over last fall and had to put our fields a little closer together than we’d like.

“We’re playing soccer again and having fun which is all that matters,” he added.

More than 50 gloved volunteers hit the Carlisle Soccer Complex on Saturday, September 6th to pull prickly sand burrs that popped up during the two weeks of hot, dry weather in August. More than 40 pounds of the plants were pulled with volunteers still working on getting the others. In the spring, the Club hopes to move onto the new section of the complex which has no sand burrs. It also plans to treat the field with herbicide to prevent the weed that thrives in hot, dry, sandy soil.

Game highlights:

Under 10 Division

It was a day of uncertainty for the U10 Tiger Hawks, an untested group who had never played a game together before this season. Could they come together as a team and be successful on their first game out? At the onset it seemed as though the Tiger Hawks were on the defensive. The Soccer West team kept the ball on the Carlisle half of the field and several shots on goal were taken before they put the first goal of the game into the back of the net.

The Tiger Hawks held it together though and finally began to step up. They stayed in their positions to conserve their energy but kept substituting a fresh midfielder to hustle the entire field to create scoring opportunities. Persistence paid off as Carlisle soon found an opening and scored to tie the game.
Minutes later, they scored again to go ahead, only to have Soccer West tie it up again.

On it went throughout the match, the Tiger Hawks scoring only to have Soccer West even it up. It was all tied up with five minutes left and the game could go either way. Carlisle had too much bench though, as they scored the winning goal on a breakaway by their fresh legged midfielder late in the game and took away a 5-4 opening day win.

The U10 girls Pink Panthers started their season on the road Saturday against Soccer West. This marks the team’s debut in the U10 division, and with it a new level of competition. The girls settled into play, and were able to maintain good team shape, allowing for many great passing and scoring opportunities.

Among the highlights was a successful lofted shot by Amber Kettering scoring above the goalie and into the top of the net, and two shots by Ceora LeClaire that easily found the far post. Goalies Natalie McCormick and Leonora James stepped into this new position on the team, both making great saves. Even though the game ended in a 6-6 tie the panthers out-performed their opponent overall. As the season progresses Coaches LeClaire and Reece predict great things from the team.

Under 12 Division

The U12 Roadrunners started their season-opening game at Johnston, passing the ball well and maintaining possession. Johnston scored the first goal, battling the ball away from goalie Jose Fuentes. They scored the second on a quick transition penetrating our defense to get a one-on-one with the goalie. Jose made six very nice saves to keep the Roadrunners in the game. Mason Mumm scored the first goal for the Roadrunners, hitting the far post from an assist by Andrew Pech. Halftime score: 1-2

In the second half the Carlisle started out strong pushing the ball up field, creating several scoring opportunities with quick transitions. Cody Woodruff (pictured) would use his speed to get by the Johnston defender and place the ball easily away from the goalie and into the back of the net. The assist would go to Grant Kelly. Johnston would answer back, however, taking thirteen shots on goalkeeper Luke Cooper. He would end up making eleven saves and only two made it by him. It was a very exiting start to the season. Final score: 2-4.

Under 14 Division

It was the re-match of the year in the U14 division. Northwest, the U12 girls division champs versus Carlisle’s u14 Krazy Kickers, the team that spoiled their perfect season last spring with a draw. This season, with the move up a division, the Kickers need to overcome challenges on several fronts. First: learning a new style of the game. Second: an ability to play an entire match with only one sub on the bench, compounded by the fact that the game would be longer in duration.

In the first half, Northwest scored at the 22nd minute of play after being shut down by goal keeper Taryn Smith and fullbacks Katie Clark, Hannah Jutting, Mik McCaughey and Katie Brown. The Kickers answered by putting on a full frontal assault on the Northwest goal. The result were three earned corner kicks and a drive from striker JoJo Haack into the penalty box only to be tripped on the play. In what appeared would be a penalty kick for the Kickers, the play was allowed to continue and the ball was picked up by the Northwest keeper at the collective sigh of their coaches.

In the second half, the Kickers moved defenders up to forwards and vice versa in a measure to keep the positions fresh. A move never tired by the Kickers before, they adapted and played an incredible game and at times looked more threatening than they did at first partly because of the new style of play up top and impenetrable defenses from our backs. Marissa Kephart suited up as the team’s keeper and collected any shots that managed to break through. Big Mak Curiel, Haley Gruber, and Grace Smith all received serious injuries during the match but all trudged onward to play, refusing to be substituted out.

The Kickers were on the verge of getting their tying goal. However, a move made by coach Paul Gruber to get Madison Polley and Taylor Piper back in on offense cost them their opportunity. "I was getting a little too impatient and thought the change would get the girls their goal, but Northwest scored in the middle of that transition with six minutes to play,” said Gruber after the match. “I should have allowed the girls to continue play as is." Northwest would score two more goals after knocking the wind out of Carlisle’s sails, winning the match 4-0.

Under 8 Division

The U8 Killer Cougars hit the pitch for the first time as an all-boys team. With the emphasis on maintaining their shape, the Cougars managed to move the ball with ease from the back line to the front forward throughout the game. Each Cougar, Jonathan Kamerick, Wyatt Kruse, Logan Niehaus, Samuel Overton, Carson True and Jack Wilson, managed to score at least one goal in their season opener.

The U8 Crazy Cats started their first game of the season a little slowly but soon came to life and played a great first game. Madison Darrah made several good moves and assists. Brilynn Jackson worked very hard to get the ball and stopped several shots on goal. Sara Langenfeld worked very well, scoring two goals and played great defense. An aggressive Josie Nordhagen made many good blocks and scored three goals. Baylee VanPtten showed nice ball control by cutting around the opposition to score two goals and assist on others. Keaton Walker demonstrated nice ball work by cutting around defenders scoring two goals. In all the Crazy Cats played very well for their first game as a team.

Under 7 Division

The U7 girls Cougars soccer team opened their season of play against the Thundercats, coached by Jen Rowray. The girls were ready to roll and started the game scoring the first goal of the match. The play was executed very well and was the result of nice runs made by Kennedy Preston and Jaycee Black. However, the girls would have to hone in on their defensive skills as the T-cats came back after learning their formation and held onto an offensive array that netted them no less than a half a dozen goals by the half. The Cougars held in there and started regaining their shape by the second half of the match and were able to put in a couple more goals of their own. Defensively, Sarah Mumm and Ashlynn Williams nailed the position down resisting the temptation to get caught up field too much. Midfielders Maren Judisch and Audrey Gruber did well to move the ball from one side of the field to the other getting the T-cats to run after the ball some. It was an impressive showing by the girls against a well-coached and classy team.