Over the summer, the Carlisle Soccer Club board welcomed Lisa Wilson to its ranks. Last spring, Lisa actually started serving the Club as the main energy behind a revitalized concessions stand. Over the summer, she coordinated the securing and refurbishing of our new rolling concession stand. She was officially installed as our volunteer coordinator at the beginning of the fall season, and has been working hard to coordinate volunteers for the concession stand and field maintenance. 

Ryan Woodruff recently agreed to join the board as our facilities coordinator, replacing Chad Cooper who has been put in a multitude of hours seeding, fertilizing and preparing our fields. Chad’s still active in the club as a player on the Over-the-Hill team (as is Ryan and several other coaches, referees and officers) and as an assistant coach for the u12 Road Runners. Ryan will be managing the volunteers who mow, seed, fertilize and stripe our fields.

Speaking of striping, next time you see Christian, Michelle or Luke Millman, tell them thanks for all the work they do to stripe our fields each and every weekend. Luke is a first-year referee for our Club too.

And if you see a mower flying around the complex, wave to Lori LeClaire. Lori is a soccer "aunt" and has been giving at least four hours per week since early summer mowing our complex.

We always miss some of our volunteers, so please forgive us if you’ve been missed. We are all very well aware that this Club wouldn’t be where it is without the help of volunteers. And we thank you all!

It’s opening weekend of soccer in Carlisle! If you’re headed out to the Carlisle Soccer Complex (pdf map download), please take note of a few changes, specifically with the traffic pattern. Look at the post below this to see that there’s one-way traffic along the north driveway inside the complex, and angle parking withink a specific parking area in the middle of the complex.

Because we lost some land during the June flooding - and our new area is not year ready for play - we’ll be tight. Fields are close together and we’ll need your help keeping balls off adjacent fields. We’ve placed the full-size field (with the fewest games) in between the u6 and u8 fields and the u12 field to minimize contact, but we’ll be experimenting with the best placement for fans and players. Player benches and fans are supposed to be on opposite sides of the field, with no fans on the same side as the players or at the end. We may have to make an exception and allow fans to sit beyon the goal line because of our space constriction.

Our new concessions RV will be parked just north of the u12 field, and is outfitted to serve a bunch of new items including hot dogs!

Remember also that we have some sand burrs around the area so don’t allow your children to run around barefooted. We’ll get the problem solved next year with a pre-emergency herbicide, but this year we’re relying on old-fashioned elbow grease and volunteers who have done a wonderful job in a short amount of time. The u6, u8 and u12 fields were combed over pretty well on Saturday and 40+ pounds of the little boogers were yanked out of the ground. We’ll keep working on that.

Please be flexible during this season and help our neighbors and our visitors remember Carlilse as a friendly place to visit.

The water is receding slowly back toward the North River, leaving behind a thick layer of corn stalks and other field trash from nearby farm fields.

The Club is currently considering a number of options to get the trash off the two to three acres affected within the next seven days. If you have any ideas, let us know!

The new turf has not been touched by the floodwaters, nor has the new parking lot created in the center of the complex. As we begin to plan for the fall season, we’ll begin to lay out the fields to take best advantage of the best grass at the complex. Some fields will be placed on the eastern one-third and some will be east of the new parking lot. To assure that we’ll have the best field possible, we plan on leaving the new turf area on the west side of the complex alone until at least the fall 2009 season.

The spring soccer season came to a close on Sunday, May 18th, just as the sun came out and warmed everything up. It seems like just a few weeks ago we were looking at snow-covered fields and icy winds.

The Club will celebrate the season and award participation medals during closing ceremonies on Monday, June 2nd, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at the Carlisle Middle School gym.

Here are some of the highlights from the last games of the season:

The u8 Pumas played their last game of the season on Sunday in fine fashion by getting everyone involved, whether it is with their passing or scoring goals. Some of the players who stood out with their outstanding passes were Ashlyn Highland, April Jackson and Zach Hoagland. The tough teammate of the day belonged to Ella Kinter who fell hard on the ground a couple of different times to but just got up and kept right on playing. Goals were scored by a host of Puma players, including Jack Wilson, Megan Sievers, Wyatt Kruse and Jocelyn Haack. Overall, this season was full of smiles and great memories for everyone involved including parents, coaches and especially the players. Go Pumas.

The u8 Jaguars struggled overall during their last game of the season, but displayed moments of brilliance as they passed the ball into space on several plays, resulting in three goals, including goals by Darek Tingle and Sara Langenfeld. Jack Millman continued to progress, finding himself in the middle of the action several times, and Rachel Studer showed more of the hustle that’s marked the second half of her season. In the end, the Jaguars stayed mentally focused and exhibited enthusiasm that will surely reemerge in the fall season.

The U8 Tigers played a good game on Sunday. Austin Black played very well, making several great defensive stops. Tim Black used control and speed to make several runs down the field with the ball. Samuel Overton played very hard, taking a ball to the face twice but came back strong, and scored two goals. Trevor Baker and Noah Niehaus displayed team work and skill while Keaton Walker moved the ball around with ease, scoring several times. Walker also made a very nice pass to Tyler Baker who scored one of several goals. The Tigers played very well as a team this season and improved their soccer skills greatly. Good job

The u8 Cheetahs, under the direction of interim coach Walter Walker, played well in a close game against the Pumas. Coach Lance Kettering and his wife Candy were in the hospital greeting the arrival of their new daughter, Lyla (7 pounds 11 ounces, 20 incheslong!), just after kickoff for the game! Meanwhile, back at the complex, the Cheetahs’ Carolyn Fuentes, Brilynn Jackson and Faith Smith played very hard, made some very nice moves and each scored a goal. Logan Pritchard played tough defense throughout the game. Chris Mangin took a hard hit to the chest but came back and played hard. Alyssa Brown displayed some skill moving the ball up the field. Congratulations to the Cheetahs, and to the Ketterings!

The U12 girls Krazy Kickers played their last game of the spring 2008 season on the road against Northwest. This is the same team the Kickers faced in their season opener at home, winning 3-0 in that match. The Kickers came in wanting to win again. Northwest had the wind at their backs for the first half, expecting it to be a factor working in their favor, but the Kickers have improved all season and rarely allowed Northwest to do much with the ball in this game. Possession was overwhelmingly in the favor of the Kickers who had no problem maneuvering the ball around field. Within the offensive third, however, the Kickers found it problematic to get shots onto Northwest’s goals. Most of the Kickers’ attacks were too direct and Northwest put everyone on their team in front of their goal. Eventually, the Kickers caught Northwest in an indirect play with forward JoJo Haack beating an outside defender to find just enough space to center the ball to forward Jenna Dille, who punched it in with a one touch shot in the 16th minute. The Kickers would score another goal with 30 seconds left in the half, this time countering a Northwest counter attack: defender Hannah Jutting cleared the ball from mid field back onto the offensive third with a perfectly lofted pass to JoJo who was able to wrestle the ball out of the air and chip an impossible shot from a severe angle on goal just over the Northwest keeper’s head. Kickers led at half two-nil.

In the second half, the Kickers continued with their offensive front. The girls got out of shape a little up top in their eagerness to score goals which resulted a dangerously exposed mid field. Eventually Northwest found this opening and routed a ball in on our right side for their first goal of the match with 13 minutes left to play. The Kickers got the hint, pulled Madison Polley back to help defend with a three-girl defense, which was enough to prevent any further goals from occurring. The Kickers would go on to win the match 2-1. This spring, the Kickers finished 6-1-1, outscoring their opponents 23 to 8, with four shut outs and two matches allowing only a single goal. This is the last season for the Kickers playing in the U12 division. They will be competing in three tournaments this June starting with the Kohl’s Cup in Ames, Ankeny Recreational Tournament and Norwalk Invitational. Then the girls move up to play in the U14 soccer in the fall.

The U12 Crush traveled to Johnston for the last game of the season. It was a must win for the Crush if they were to stay in the running for division champs, and they did not disappoint. They started fast with a steal from the Johnston kick-off and a drive to the goal for a shot in the first 15 seconds of play. Two more shots would come within the next minute. Finally, a shot from 20 yards out from Katy Rick would go over the keepers’ head for the first goal of the game. Johnston started to come alive as they answered with a goal of their own and continued to have scoring opportunities in the next five minutes of play, but the defense of Victoria Carra, Ashton Goodhue-Nolte, Amanda Hardin and Sierra Andreas would challenge every attack. And keeper Maddie Roberts saved each shot that got through the defense. Madison Staecker would put in the next goal from a steal in front of the keeper. Johnston would quickly answer back to tie the score 2 - 2. The rest of the half was all Carlisle as they took control. Stoppers Emily Loomis, Alexis Lambson, Taylor Nelson and Jade Gibson would battle to keep the ball on the offensive end were mid fielders and forwards Rick, Staecker, Taylor Whipple, Jessica Payne and Lindsey Kamerick would take over, scoring three more goals. Whipple would score from a nice pass from Staecker and again by again dribbling past four defenders to put a hard shot in the back of the net. Kamerick would score the last goal of the half with a nicely placed shot past the keeper. The half would end with the Crush leading 5 - 2.

The second half was much of the same as the Crush controlled the game through team work and communication. The mid fielders and defense battled to keep the ball on the offensive end which paid off with five more goals. The most impressive part of the half was that every goal was set up from a stop or tackle by the defense or an assist from a teammate. The final goal count would be Whipple with three, Roberts with two, Staecker with two, Rick with two and Kamerick with one. The Crush won 10 - 4.

The Crush also topped their division, and celebrated a team-vs-parents game followed by a pie in the face event were team mentor Valerie Goodhue-Nolte, took most of the punishment saving coaches Jake Whipple and John Kamerick from most of the whipped cream assault. The Crush now set their sites for the Iowa Games in July.

Fall 2008 Registration is under way. Click on the registration link at the top of the page.

UPDATE: The first games of the fall season are schedule for September 6 & 7, 2008!

It’s been a rough season for the Carlisle U12 Roadrunners, after combining two teams from the fall season, but the chemistry has been developing with each game. The Roadrunners played well in a Thursday night, May 8^th, make-up game on the road against Pleasant Hill. The defense protected goalie Luke Cooper in the first half so well he had no shots to defend. Stopper Aaron Olson, backed up by defenders Xavier Natera and Josh Fisher, proved to be a strong defense and kept the ball on the other half of the field most of the game. Forwards Dean Leclaire and Grant Kelly had a tough time shooting on goal because of the swarm of defenders around them. Midfielder Ricky Gallegos was in position on the edge of the goal area, however, and scored the first goal of the game when the ball came out of the pack. Grant Kelley found himself with nowhere to go on the goal line, but made a heads-up play to pass back to Gallegos, who made an unsuccessful shot on goal.

In the second half, Natera was in goal and blocked three shots, including one he stretched to deflect harmlessly over the cross bar. Defender Michael Nelson made a nice steal and passed to midfielder Robby Clark. Midfielder Alex Felger would find himself in front of the goal for seven shots on goal but was unable to get it past the goalie. Forward Quinn True found a small opening on the right side for the Roadrunners’ second goal. There were a total of 18 shots on goal for the Roadrunners. Final score 2-0, for the boys’ first victory of the season!

The u12 Krazy Kickers played their final home game of the spring ‘08 season in front of a capacity crowd. The girls had a bye last week and with it, no practice due to a scrimmage and weather. The Kickers held the ball on Johnston’s third of the field for the first ten minutes of the match. The Johnston defense, however, harassed the Kickers enough that they couldn’t get set up for a shot on goal. There were several scares coming against the Kicker defense, with Johnston earning as many corner kicks as the Carlisle girls, four for each team in the first half alone. Finally after a series of corners coming against them, the Kickers got a goal kick. Keeper Taryn Smith placed the ball smartly out wide to defender Hannah Jutting, who quickly sent the ball up the side of the field finding forward JoJo Haack. Haack beat Johnston’s outside defender into their corner where she crossed the ball to the other Kickers’ forward, Jenna Dille. Dille hit the ball with a one touch kick but the Johnston Kicker was able to block it, but not handle it. Dille followed up and planted the ball in the back of the net scoring the match’s only goal with 34 seconds left in the first half.

The second half put the wind against the Kickers, but they adjusted, bringing back center-mid Madison Polley to help fellow defenders Katie Brown, Katie Clark and Jutting lock in the win. They did a fantastic job keeping the ball up field and eliminating any threat on goal by Johnston who were limited to only four shots the entire game, all coming in the first half. The Kicker’s defense has produced four shut-outs this spring.

The u12 girls Crush faced a Johnston team on Sunday, May 11^th, a team they had beat two times before, but this time it would prove to be a more challenging game. The Crush started fast, moving the ball up field quickly with good ball handling. The first goal by Taylor Whipple came from an excellent crossing pass from Madison Staecker. From that point on it became a defensive battle as both teams would move the ball up the field just to be forced away by the defense. Forwards Whipple, Lindsey Kamerick, Madison Staecker and Katie Rick would only get four more shots off the rest of the half. Midfielders Taylor Nelson, Jessica Payne, Alexis Lambson, Jade Gibson and Emily Loomis all showed improved hustle and speed form their previous game. And the defense of Ashton Goodhue-Nolte, Sierra Andreas, Victoria Carra and Amanda Hardin held Johnston to three shots which keeper Maddie Roberts easily stopped. The half would end 1-0.

The second half both teams would get the ball in front of their goal but had a tough time getting off shots. The battle in front of the goals was the deciding factor in the game as Johnston would get two goals from deflected clearing shots that sent the ball barely past the keeper. The Crush would only get two shots on goal. The game would end with Johnston winning by one goal. The Crush are still in the running for the division title, but they must win their next game and the number two team must lose their next game - a situation the Crush never expected to be in, but are sure to battle for the win next week. Players of the game were Staecker, Rick , Hardin and Roberts.

The u10 Dragons played one of their best games of the season so far this year! They started off with Simon Clark in goal for the first time this year, and he did a fantastic job warding off Soccer South’s numerous goal attempts. The defenders, Matthew and Connor Hage did a great job of helping him out the first half of the game. Alex Owens made a fabulous pass to Dylan Reed, who scored the Dragons first goal! Alex Owens then scored the second goal of the game to tie the game 2-2. Forwards Dylan Reed, Alex Owens and Konnor Fisher did a great job working the ball down the field with superb passing and teamwork! Clark made a nice save late in the first half to hold the score at 4-4 at the half.

In the second half, Jordan Watts and Jaron Burgress played forward, along with Reed. Matthew Hintz and Josh Felger anchored the defense, both doing fantastic job holding off goal attempts from the other team. Watts showed off his usual fancy footwork and great speed, and despite Soccer South challenges down the field, he was able to make an outstanding pass to Burgress to score his first goal of the game. Connor Hage was able to stop several shots near the goal, helping keep the game close. The final score was Soccer South 6, Dragons 9, but the Dragons gave them a run for their money! Fantastic job by all on the team!

The U8 Pumas played a little short-handed on Sunday with only five players due to illness. With only one substitute, nobody complained they didn’t have enough playing time. The highlights included an outstanding pass by Jocelyn Haack to Megan Sievers for a goal on two separate occasions. Other goals were scored by Wyatt Kruse, Megan Sievers and Jocelyn Haack. On the defensive side of the ball, Ashyln Highland and April Jackson made several goal saving stops and cleared it out to teammates. The Pumas played with a lot of heart and hustle and the coaches and fans were sure proud of their efforts. Go PUMAs!!

The u8 Tigers took to the field with enthusiasm, as usual, and Tyler Baker again showed his speed and ball control to score the first goal. Keaton Walker also demonstrated great ball control by dribbling and cutting around the opposition to score. Noah Niehaus made a very nice pass to Trever Baker. Tim black took control of the ball dribbling down field and passed to Walker who passed to Baker who scored a goal. Austin Black made several defensive stops and scored his first goal of the season and was all smiles the rest of the game. Samuel Overton used his skill and speed to score two goals. Overall, the Tigers played very well together

The u8 Jaguars took to the field with only two subs, but didn’t disappoint the fans. Derek Tingle displayed his usual hustle and on-the-field management while scoring several goals. Goals were also scored by Carson True, on a brilliant counter-attack from the defensive end of the field, and Sara Langefeld, who tallied two goals by maintaining her position in open space and calling for the pass from her teammates. Sarah Pote and Jack Millman maintained a strong defense in the middle of the field while Rachel Studer cranked up her intensity to move the ball into scoring position on several occasions.

On Sunday, May 4, Carlisle’s u12 girls Crush faced West Des Moines, a team they defeated earlier this season 3-1, putting their perfect record on the line. West Des Moines was coming off a nice two-game winning streak in which they outscored their opponents 20-3!  It would prove to be the toughest game of the season as the Crush fell behind for the first time this season. The Crush answered with a nice pass off the foot of Lindsey Kamerick to Taylor Whipple who placed the ball into the corner of the net. Then, from a booming drop kick from keeper Maddie Roberts, Whipple won the ball and dribbled it all the way in for the goal. Another Crush goal came from an amazing display of ball control by Katy Rick, who dribbled past four defenders to get the ball in front of the goal and blasted a shot to the back of the net. West Des Moines would answer with two goals of their own to end the half 3-3.

The second half was all West Des Moines’ as they beat the Crush with good ball control and hustle in the mid field. The West Des Moines squad would score five more goals and the Crush, one goal by Rick. With this loss, the Crush fell to 5-1 on the season, but still lead their division and have their sights set on a division championship. The team named Taylor Whipple, Maddie Roberts, Jade Gibson and Victoria Cara as players of the game.

In other action at the Carlisle Soccer Complex, the u8 Pumas were on the prowl, playing their best game of team ball, yet. This team just keeps improving by leaps and bounds every week, just like the weather continues to improve each Sunday. The Pumas are passing the ball to each other to achieve goal-scoring opportunities. Not all of them reach the back of the net but they are attacking the opponent’s goal. The highlights of the game were goals being scored by Megan Sievers, Jocelyn Haack, Wyatt Kruse and Jack Wilson. One of Wilson’s goals was off an assist from Sievers. On the defensive side of the ball, April Jackson, Ashlyn Highland and Zach Hoagland came up with key blocks or clearing passes to move the ball from the opponent’s end of the field. These kids are having a lot of fun learning the game of soccer.  Go PUMAs.     

It’s with sadness that we report the passing of Bob Betzer, of Carlisle, on Sunday afternoon, May 4, 2008, at the age of 64.

Bob supported Carlisle Soccer at a key moment in its re-emergence in Carlisle. In the spring of 2005, Bob let the Club use some of his property for fields when no land had been identified for a complex. As a part of Team Gymnastics, the Club played games on city land near where the pool now is and in the outfields of baseball diamonds in city parks. Even after selling his land, he convinced the new owner to delay construction for a month or two to allow us to complete our fall season. During that time, the fields were appropriately named "The Bob Betzer Soccer Complex."

He lived in Carlisle for 45 years, served as a volunteer fireman and on the City Council.

He is survived by his wife, Kathy, daughter Patricia (Mark) Willemssen, daughter April, grandsons William (Hope) Hols, Michael Hols, and granddaughter Abigail Molina. Abigail has played soccer with the Club for several years, and is on the u8 girls Pink Panthers team.

Visitation begins a 4 pm Thursday, May 8, at Peterson Funeral Home, with the family receiving friends from 5-8 pm. Funeral services will be at 1 pm Friday at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Carlisle Alumni Association for a scholarship to be awarded to a student pursuing automotive studies.