B u c s B l o g    

Click the thumbnail for a full size copy of this year's Jamboree scehdule...

I am now an independent observer and I am curious what the defending 4a state champ is doing in a bracket with a 5a JV squad and a program just returning from a multi year hiatus, meanwhile, South Medford looms over in a different grouping. Anyway. It's meant to be a tuneup day and fun, so I will come watch regardless :)

I've been swamped in my job with NMHS Theater, and most of the software I used to set up this site is no longer available to me (I don't have a Windows box with Adobe GoLive anymore), so I am SLOWLY getting it to a point where it won't be a 'current' Phoenix site, but more a legacy site... Perhaps by the end of this season. Mean time, the Lady Bucs are having a strong campaign in 2006, thus far. One league loss (to NV) and a non-league draw vs KU are the blemishes on thier 4-1-1 season record. Their most recent effort was a non-league win in Ashland.

This week sees a trip over to New Hope, where our last visit was epic and memorable in every respect. This weekend is homecoming, so we may have a Talent Bulldog look when we host Henley on Saturday morning.

Good luck, all!

Jean Schneider has been hired on as the 4th head coach in Lady Pirate soccer history (following Gene McCormack, Dan Sporrer, and me).

More news as it comes. I am enabling Coach Schneider to post here ASAP.

Since this has hit the JOB POSTINGS on the walls in the high scool and district office, as well as the Mail Tribune, it seems I need to address it here, since my schedule prevents my getting to the building to see you all assembled any time soon.

The few of you I have seen recently (Carlee, Sarah, Megan), sorry I didn't bring it up, but I was really hoping I would have an opportunity to speak to the whole team before it became public info. That cat is out of the bag now, so...

I submitted a written resignation to Mr. Barry over the break - the key points are included here:
I still hope to maintain some association with the program - I am scheduling the teams for next season's Jamboree and am still in touch with Concordia about conducting a joint camp with the Valleys. Mr. Barry has asked if I could remain connected to the goalkeeper training and I am not opposed, though I do not want my presence to detract from the new head coach or to make any player feel like there is some split loyalty, deferring to me for any reason whatsoever. I will continue to maintain this website for as long as the new staff wishes.

I do want a chance to get together, but I don't have a schedule gap until The Tempest closes the final weekend in February.

Check in here or please call me if you have any questions.

My thanks for the good run!

Pillage!

posted here, the list includes several of our favorite foes (inlcuding our nemisis in the 2004 playoffs, Jessica Tsao, repeatig as PoY). But our biggest congratulations go to the locals - 1st teamers Melissa Henner, of Hidden Valley and FC Phoenix; Katie O' Brien from Cascade Christian and RVSC; 2nd teamers Bailey Southern (Hidden Valley) and Kayla Wilhelm (North Valley), and Honorable Mentions (actually got votes as opposed to all league HM, which CAN mean votes but can also mean that your name was on the ballot) for Mustang Denise Powell and our very own, All Purpose, played every single place on the field Alex Hanscom (YAY, ALEX!)

Big long discussions of the whys and wherefores of all-state on OL. I know if someone calls me, I have a lot to say to a college coach about kids beyond what lists they made, but it provides a good conversation starter.

More later - some news upcoming in the next weeks. And little Burr, I need an email contact for you - send to theater *at*johndoty.us. please

HV's Mustangs - our league rival and good friends - qualified for the OSAA Cup Final with a semi-final shootout win over #2 ranked Wilsonville!

HV has one blemish on the record and it was dealt by us, ladies. Small consolation perhaps.

Good luck on Saturday, 'Stangs! Some of us are going to be there to watch, I don't doubt.

Some excerpts from an email I got after Saturday's match...

We watched your playoff game with St. Mary's and were rooting for you. Thought you had it in the first half. It would have been fun to play one last game with you.Your team always inspires our girls to bring a good game....Your athletes also have gained much respect over the years. This year we have admired how Tamara, Alex and Marci fought so hard. Tamara's run down field yesterday without her cleat was something. We pray that all your injured players will continue to heal completely....They are not only exceptional athletes but great young women. Of special note to us is Alex's sportsmanship, Marci's commitment, and Tamara's courage.

We battled through an amazing series of unexpected twists and turns, and despite all of it, found a way to extend our season beyond the league schedule. We should also take a moment to commend the exceptional run Marci made earlier on Saturday to take the Skyline cross country crown. 19:00, from wire to wire - personal best.

Reminders: Uniforms must be in before the end of this week. Mrs. Wolfe asked they NOT go to her, so I need someone to coordinate getting them and then getting them to me (at home or to me at NMHS). Can a captain take that on? I also will need a parent to volunteer to coordinate the award night - Sunday, Nov 20 is the ideal time - we could do the 13th, but if Hidden Valley is still alive (and looking at the bracket, they have the best shot of still playing to the semis) , I may not be able to disclose details of all-league selections. If you have a HARD preference, let us know in comments.

Bring out the best in us... North Valley came from behind twice to earn that win. Trailing 1-0 and again 3-2, they fought to get back in and we made them work for everything in their 5-3 win (note the Trib's playoff situation text isn't right, see below).

Chirnside's services (on the first Wilhelm goal and the Egli goal) were accurate and effective. Robles' build up and crosses (for the game winner and the insurance goal) were defensed, just not tight enough for the caliber ball she served in those two cases.

Carlee's strike early in the second half would have given us a 4-2 lead, but Giessen made an amazing save on an unlooked for first touch shot.

Three-way tie for 4th still breaks in our favor (the 1 in 12-1 Hidden Valley is ours = tiebreaker)
Win on Tuesday and we are #4, regardless of Henley v NV outcome. The only way we don't have a post season is if we lose and Henley beats the Knights, but I am tired of relying on other teams to assure our position - let's claim it for ourselves!

Hidden Valley has clinched the #1 berth, though they have a formality of beating RR on Tuesday to claim the crown outright. North Valley has clinched the #2 berth, no matter what happens on Tuesday. Cascade Christian awaits the 5 @ 4 winner, regardless of their Tuesday (or Thursday makeup with RR) contest(s). But 5 @ 4 could be us hosting either St. Mary's or Henley or us visiting St. Mary's. Let's git 'er done!

in today's Trib, we get the results of yesterday's matches: HV over NV in a sudden death shootout to assert a solid claim on the League crown (though with two matches to play, we can't say "clinched", yet).

With the Crusader v Viking match, we again saw that Mazama is better than their 1-11 record indicates, overtaking St. Mary's to lead 2-1 late, then giving up a late goal and falling in a shootout.

Our match v Cascade Christian saw the starting 11 shift yet again, as Becca Singleton's stomach flu kept her out, and then saw this Saturday's starting 11 altered as Jordan and Ashley both went down during the first half and were unable to return. We are level on record with St. Mary's and hold the tiebreaker on them for now. We grab hard hold of a playoff spot by beating them in a week.

Henley v Rogue River wasn't reported and may not have been played (RR v CC wasn't played on Sat, either). RR may be forfeiting out the remainder of their season, giving wins at the end to Hen, CC, HV and Maz.

Henley would then also be tied with us coming thru today's calendar, but they close at CC and at NV, so we get breathing room there. St Mary's still have HV and us, so we buy some more breathing room with some help from the 'Stangs.

8-6 or 7-7 are not how we planned on getting to the league play-in or on to state, but it will work for now.

though it didn't go to the final whistle with the score line I'd prefer, I am content to come through a match with a healthy Mustang team having played the soccer we played today. The 4-1 final reflected two things clearly - HV has a lot of weapons and at least one will get through given opportunities, and even playing with heart can't carry the day against a quality foe with a deep bench.

Fry doesn't look like this was her second 80 minutes in the net - over on Oregon Live, Jill Elder offered some props. 12 shots came from inside 10 yards, T...you stopped 9 of those or forced them wide with your presence. Of 22 shots, 20 were taken inside the 18. A game to take heart from as a GK, despite the loss.

Now that said, as a group we cannot be content - Henley feels they hung with us - we don't want them to carry that belief beyond Saturday. Cascade Christian feels they dominated us at our house. And for now, they are running even with us. We have the power to re-establish a gap. North Valley sits on top only by the grace of not having faced HV or us a second time - I can't believe they won't stumble once more with the schedule that remains.

Get healthy, stay confident. When we play loose, we play GOOD; when we get tight, we let teams in the door and don't slam it on them. Urgency and panic are NOT the same thing. Patience has a place.

Take everything of worth that can be found on the field - leave nothing of value for the other team to hold on to. Pillage.

not many "key" matches in the league...until you think about longer term implications.

Favored Hidden Valley won 5-1 at Cascade Christian, bumping the Challengers back down in reach of Phoenix, who was winning 8-0 at Mazama. North Valley was untested (5-0) by Rogue River, so remains atop the league along with Hidden Valley. Both teams have a single loss. Finally, Henley found the net in the first half and held on to take a 1-0 win over St. Mary's.

HV and NV sit atop at 8-1. CC and Phx are next at 6-3. StM is at 4-5, Hen at 3-6, Maz at 1-8, and RR at 0-9. The Mustangs are in the best shape, holding a tie-breaker over NV so far (by virtue of head to head) if the league title comes down to one or the other.

OUR objective is to win out and claim 2nd. We also just like to know we are still playing when everyone else is done.

This week was supposed to be the "Light Week." We originally scheduled two days OFF during the later part - Wednesday totally off, Friday - watching the SOU-Concordia game.

Wednesday's practice will be ON again, though if you scheduled something (like Dr, Dentist, Sr Pictures), you will be excused. Friday's decision will wait until the outcome tomorrow.

The personnel issues are not going to go away. We have FIVE of SEVEN remaining matches with at least one regular starter known to be unavailable. Fry, Heryford, Giardina, Passante are all known to be out for injury recovery or family commitments during the remaining calendar. Presuming nothing else happens to anyone, we will have our full roster available for the return legs v North Valley and v St Mary's.

We have to decide we can play with whatever group we have available. Or we can decide we can't. Either way, we'll be right.

We had three shots today from inside the 18. All three came from the player who at the time of the shot was the HOLDING midfielder, not a forward, not an attacking mid.

Lots of things to work on for next week - two MUST win games, and a lot of decision-making around where we want to be.

As of today - we can finish 11-3. If we do, we will have at WORST 2nd. (The logic being, us going 11-3 adds one more loss to every team in the league. ONLY HV and NV would be ahead of us on that math and they also have to play each other, so one of them will lose to fall level with us on record. If it is HV, we'd have a head to head tie-breaker (2-0 v HV). If it was NV, we'd be level on head to head (1-1), and then we'd have the HV wins as the tie-breaker over NV (we'd be 2-0 v HV, NV would be 0-2 v HV).

So - WE DO OUR PART to get to 2nd. We then hope for CC or StM to put a chink in the armor of one of the Valleys and see where it all shakes out.

Luke said, "I don't believe it." Yoda replied, "That is why you fail..."

It was a tough week for Phoenix - a 3-1 loss on MD5 to Cascade Christian was followed on Tuesday with a 4-3 OT loss to North Valley. Down 3-1 with 6 minutes left, we found the net twice to force OT. But a breakawy by Kayla Wilhelm (who we will love later in February, if she's back with FC Phoenix) and a great Chelsea Giessen (sp?) save on a upper V-destined direct kick delivered, then preserved the W for the Knights.

Great game for a neutral observer - not always technically sound, and we showed we have work still to do, but heart and never give up attitude from both teams was commendable. The level of play was generally respectable. The physical play was also respectable and well-received (mostly) on both sides. Jill Chavez and I spoke as we crossed back to the cars - she was in a great battle all day with Theta - a mismatch in some respects (Theta is taller, a TINY bit faster, and physical), but they both seemed to thrive with that pairing. Emily Chirnside and Jordan Ceremony had a very good game against one another, too. And the times when Wilhelm was paired against Valkyrie teammates Terra Fry and Carlee Storey were fun to watch, as well.

We will step out on Saturday to regain some ground against St. Mary's. We can hope the Henley field finally takes a win from a top team (CC and we both needed shootouts, NV goes there next).

The Valleys are atop the league at 5-1, HV technically ahead on head to head. We sit in a lock for 3rd with CC, though again, they are technically ahead on head to head. Trib match reporting here. Maz v RR is postponed until Thursday.

Not much should change this weekend - all four teams with winning records should win again and nothing will change. Tuesday is a different story, but we won't get ahead of ourselves, yet.

...some days, anyway.

In the aftermath of Saturday's 3-1 stumble vs Cascade Christian, the staff and at least one Pirate player were in Merlin last night to see whether we'd finish the day still with a share of 1st or alone in 2nd. Three 1st half Mustang goals gave the answer - three teams share the D6 lead at 4-1.

The morning started off dicey - Katie O'Brien broke away to our goal three times in the opening 4 1/2 minutes - her third foray produced the first goal of the match. A Thursday hamstring injury to Tamara Heryford and continuing concerns about Terra Fry's back meant we were improvising a bit more than comfortable in our back four. Not where one wants to be opposite a speedy attacker with a quality supporting cast and a good passing game.

Contrast our passing game, which was altered by the adjustments to defensive and offensive absences to force a midfield trio comprised of never more than one of our regular midfielders, and our ability to play our passing game suffered.

O'Brien netted the game-winner in the 36th. Phoenix fought a hard 2nd half, making up ground briefly on a 74th minute PK from Alex Hanscom, but an answering put away of a Challenger corner kick a minute later wasn't to be overcome.

With the loss, Phoenix settled in at 4-1 and awaited the North Valley/Hidden Valley showdown last night.

Meanwhile, the rest of the league generated two other results in early games. Mazama scored 3 against St. Mary's - more than they've scored TOTAL in several recent seasons - but they surrendered 6, remaining winless, though still making solid claim to "most improved" team in the league. Henley, meantime, checked their reality of last week's tight contest with Phoenix.

"Regardless of the final result, this game did wonders for the confidence of a young Henley team.
"After losing nine seniors from last year, it's going to help us," Blevins said. "I think they know they can go toe-to-toe with anybody now."" - Herald and News, 9/21/05

"Anybody" was Rogue River on Saturday, and going toe-to-toe was needing 81 minutes to score the lone goal of the contest and take an overtime win on the road against a winless Chieftain team that concedes goals more readily than any other squad in D6.

But the game of the day was still to come. For Phoenix, a Hidden Valley win would keep the top of the league even and give us more breathing room as we wait out Heryford's recovery. HV did not disappoint. Kayla Flick tallied the only needed goal in the 6th on a PK, but Denise Powell added insurance in the 20th, following a rebound, and Bailey Southern iced things in the 38th on a long direct virtually identical in range and angle as the one she scored on us a week earlier.

This morning, Phoenix, NV, and HV are all at 4-1, St. Mary's and Cascade Christian are at 3-2, Henley climbs to 2-3 and Mazama and Rogue River remain at 0-5.

More news later!

Mazama games are now at 2:30, October 8 - means Bus at 11:15... SAT Testers may need to drive over with parents (test usually wraps around 11:00am)

JV game added 10/6, 4pm v Henley

As usual, a link is provided for the article in the Trib!

as an added bonus, the coverage from the Herald and News...


and remember - training tonight at the HS, not at Colver (Varsity)

Not the way I prefer to win games, but when all is said and done, it's a W and we are done with a particularly poor field without injury to any players or damage to our record.

Scoreless after 100 minutes, clean sheets for both Chelseas (our Passante and their Hornbeck), and we go to PKs. Ace swapped into goal again and Marci moved into the pack of the first five.

Hen's Mortensen was good in round 1 and Ace missed high. Hen's #2 shooter was stopped and our #2 (Tamara) buried her effort. 1-1 after 2. Ace stopped their #3 shooter and Marci made, 2-1 after 3. Hornbeck was good from the spot, but so was Megan Burr... 3-2 after 4. Ace saved their 5th shooter so our #5 (Carlee Storey) didn't need to step up. 3-2 in kicks after a scoreless draw means a1-0 official scoreline in the win, Burr credited with the gamewinning goal. Henley drops to 1-3. Phoenix improves to 4-0, along with North Valley atop District 6 - NV moves ahead on Goal Difference, though that isn't officially a standings impactor...

NV stayed clean with a 6-0 (when last reported in the 70th) over St. Mary's (2-2). HV (3-1) was also clean at 7-0 over Mazama (0-4). Cascade Christian (2-2) dispatched winless Rogue River, 5-1.

the main schedule page will change to reflect this when I can work on it from home, BUT JV match v HV @ Colver originally scheduled for Saturday, 9/24 at 10am, will instead happen Monday, 10/24 at 4pm, per email from Mr. Barry.

Generally, you can check the "2005 Schedule" link on the left and find records and scores from all league games. From that page, you can also get to an individual stats page, updated as often as I can manage and as often as I have information from the rest of the league (Mail Trib does a decent job, but occasionally a game is missed - like 10-0 NV over Rogue River - and I need to track down a bunch of goal-scorers).

That said, here are the current standings in District 6:

Team	W	L	%	GD
Phoenix	3	0	1.000	17
North Valley	3	0	1.000	15
Hidden Valley	2	1	0.667	2
St. Mary's	2	1	0.667	-1
Cascade Christian	1	2	0.333	2
Henley	1	2	0.333	-2
Mazama	0	3	0.000	-10
Rogue River	0	3	0.000	-23

The Trib write-up on Tuesday's games is here - we are the #2 coverage, I think. I'll get the Sunday article linked in asap tomorrow AM
Updated - the coverage of Saturday's match is here

I get most of my soccer lingo from listening to the BBC in the early morning before NPR content is on Jefferson Public Radio's AM service... that and Fox Soccer Channel.

Anywho, "fixtures" (explained a few posts below) are games or matchdates. On a standard schedule, all the fixtures involving a league will happen on the same day, thus the interchangable use of the term.

I've used the term "derby" (pronounced Darbee) a few times - Parochial Derby, Klamath Derby, Colver Derby (when Valkyrie played KAOS in March) and the upcoming Three Rivers Derby (which is honestly a bit of a stretch). A derby generally features two clubs from the same city / community (thus the 3rivers one being a stretch). Klamath is a natural Derby town, given the rivalry potential there... it will be even more pronounced when KU joins the smaller school classification. The BIG derbies in club soccer are fixtures like City v Utd in Manchester, AC v Inter in Milan, Real v Atletico in Madrid, and now (ok, not really big) Galaxy v Chivas in LA. With the two Medford-centric private schools in our league, I started referring to the Parochial Derby a couple years ago *shrug* I like thinking of these matchups that way.

"Legs" refer to pairs of games played with each side hosting. We finished the opening leg of our pairing with HV today, the return leg is in October.

Anyway - random stuff for the afternoon.

Phoenix needed 100 minutes and 6 PK shooters to eke out a 3-2 victory over Hidden Valley Mustangs at Murphy - it was the first win for Phoenix at the New Hope fields and the first loss in regular season play for Hidden Valley at their new (4 years old now?) facility.

HV had an 18th minute finish from Ariana Fleischman, heading home a Kayla Flick corner. Bailey Southern followed two minutes later with a solo finish on a free kick restart.

Phoenix came back starting with Molly Hobson's 57th minute header of a Tamara Heryford corner. The equalizer came in the 78th from Theta Fraser-Corry.

In regulation play, HV enjoyed a 20-10 advantage in shots on goal.

During overtime, both teams saw five shots, but nothing in the net.

For the shootout, Phoenix swapped Alex Hanscom into goal, but kept Chelsea Passante available as a shooter (she'd have been 4th in the 2nd five, had it gone that far). Both initial shooters missed and the next four from each side made, forcing additional shots at sudden death. HV's Catherine Dole beat Hanscom to the crossbar, but the ball glanced down ahead of the line and opened the door for Carlee Storey to complete the Pirate comeback.

Amazing work from both sides - stellar efforts from Powell, Seal, Henner, Matson, Zeppetello, Flick and both Misners for the Stangs, equally huge moments from Heryford, Klimek, both Burrs, Ceremony, Fry, Giardina, Singleton, and Passante for the Pirates. All four goal scorers during regulation and overtime showed tremendous effort and skill battling, creating chances, relentlessly trying to make this game a win for their respective sides. There is honestly not a single player who set foot on the field in either orange or blue who didn't have a monumental game, from the standpoint of effort and accomplishment.

Best wishes this weekend to Terra Fry, who left in the 41st minute with back spasms. Get will T!

Other League Games:

• North Valley got a second half goal to go ahead of Cascade Christian 2-1 and remain undefeated in D6 play.
• St. Mary's playing without 100% of their preferred defensive personnel, came through 2-1 v Rogue River
• Henley had a 1st half PK and added insurance in the 2nd, downing Mazama 2-0
  

Of the teams likely to make a run at state playoff berths, Matchday 3 features two contests of note: preseason favorite Hidden Valley hosting Phoenix, and presumptive #3 North Valley squaring off against a Cascade Christian side ready to assert their place at the post-season table. It doesn't take much imagination to envision the league unbeaten ranks dropping to one, with the HV-Phoenix winner remaining atop the league and North Valley stumbling in the face of a strong outing by O'Brien and Brown. But we more likely will see the Knights remain unscathed until next Saturday brings them to HV and the following Tuesday to Phoenix. When that dust settles, we'll know MUCH more about the possible final picture in D6.

In the Pirates' game, Mazama was a worthy opponent, and though overmatched, gave a great game. Compliments to Melissa Davis, who made a half dozen SOLID saves along with a dozen more routine ones and only really made one mistake the entire match.

Scoring -

• (P) Megan Burr from Marci Klimek in the 6th, scoring on a far post shot from beyond the penalty area, near the endline.
• (P) Carlee Storey, unassisted in the 22nd, collecting a ball from a scrum, turning it, and firing from the top right of the penalty area.
• (P) Marci Klimek in the 24th, collecting a lose ball after Davis mishandled a long lofted ball from Jordan Ceremony. The Ceremony shot came from outside 35 yards and came off the GKs hands to her feet as Klimek arrived. The GK tried to get down to the ball, but Klimek's quickness is such, she squirted by and was able to jog the ball across the line.

HALFTIME - 3-0 Pirates, 20-2 shots advantage.

• (P) Alex Hanscom, 24 seconds into the second half, on a give and go with Ema Burr to 1v1 with Davis, finishing from 8 yards out
• (P) Hanscom again, 52 seconds later, driving a left footed shot of a diagonal drop from Megan Burr from about 16 yards out
• (P) Megan Burr, closing Phoenix scoring in the 49th, again on a out pass from Klimek, this time deeper, but otherwise the same finish as the opening goal.
• (M) Marcy Toro in the 67th on a combination with Anna Gonzales
• (M) Toro in the 76th on a counter attack combined with marking lapse, longer shot beat an oncoming GK.

FINAL 6-2 Phoenix, 38-6 Shots. Very clean game, with only 2 fouls whistled.

OTHER SCORES:

• HV 2-1 over Cascade Christian. CC score was a PK later in 2nd half - 'Stangs? details in comments, plz :)
• followup on HV - Coach Elledge gave me a quick call - goals from Misner and Elder, assisted by Powell and Flick, CC PK from O'Brien. HV enjoyed a 35-10 advantage in shots.
  
• StM over Henley, 2-0. Without knowing details, I am guessing the injury to one of Henley's attacking players (fall, broken arm vs HV) has hampered the Hornet's ability to generate much offense. Hornbeck isn't going to be able to carry them on her own.

(note - "fixture" is a term used to indicate a matchdate on a season schedule - it's a Brit thing)

Today: Maz (0-1) @ Phx (1-0) , CC (1-0) @ HV (1-0), RR (0-1) @ NV (1-0), Hen (0-1) @ StM (0-1)

StM v Hen: Should be a good game between two teams expected to battle for the final league playoff berth. With St. Mary's missing several hoped-for scoring threats out with injuries, and Henley having a good GK, expect a low score, but given Henley's utter lack of shots vs HV on Saturday, give a slight edge to the Crusaders.

NV v RR: The Chieftains haven't seen the nice part of their schedule yet, and it doesn't come today, either. Wilhelm, Moorehouse, Robles and the rest of the Knights will prove too much. North Valley is still undefeated when the sun is down today, and RR is likely still goal-less.

#8 HV v CC: This should be the Match of the Day - state-ranked HV was picked to win District 6 this season, but didn't find much scoring punch last week. Cascade Christian meantime found plenty and is ready to make the case that they are a top 3 team. Playing on the short field in Murphy, this could go either way - both teams have multiple goalscoring threats. Edge to HV on the strength of Henner in the Mustang goal.

Maz v #7 Phx: The Vikings bring 13 players to this match, a few of whom played their first full length game EVER this past Saturday. Phoenix, Oregon's #7 3a team, meanwhile has HS and club experience in every single varsity player. Phoenix is also gearing up for Saturday's showdown at Hidden Valley, so needs to get constructive minutes from the starting 11. This could be a repeat of Saturday's opener at Colver.

The coverage is here. Not quite the feel I wanted, but *shrug*.

"Conventional wisdom says the three of us (Phoenix, Hidden Valley and North Valley) are the favorites," Doty said. "I think Cascade Christian will have something to say about that, but I’m thinking it’ll be a tight three-way race."

By including the Cascade Christian quote, we've given the Challengers another little nudge to bring 110% against us when that time comes. Lesson in context - I framed that statement with a larger observation about CC not being at the Jamboree and us not knowing much about them, but that the St. Mary's score served a notice that they were not content to let this year be a three team race.

At Colver:

• Phoenix opened scoring in the 3rd, when Marci Klimek finished a Megan Burr cross.
  
• Klimek struck again in the 6th on a solo effort.
• Freshman Carlee Storey tallied her first Phoenix goal in the 12th, unassisted, cutting back to her left and finishing from 18 yards out.
• Sarah Giardina came on as a sub in the 14th and scored in the 15th on a driven ball from 25 yards out on the right side.
• Klimek's hat trick was complete in the 22nd with another solo effort.
• Storey struck again in the 42nd, following her own shot after a thru ball put her one v one with the GK. The initial save wasn't controlled and came back at Storey for the put away.
• In the 44th, a direct kick from Tamara Heryford found space at the back post.
• In the 46th, a chip from Storey was flicked up and volleyed in by Klimek.
• In the 51st, Storey notched a hat trick on a thru pass from Alex Hanscom.
• Theta Fraser-Corry tallied her first varsity goal on a breakaway in the 55th.
• Heryford launched a ball from nearly 40 yards out in the 57th that carried over the GK and under the bar.
• Jordan Ceremony closed the sheet with her first varsity goal, following a nearly identical long shot from Heryford that was mishandled by the GK.

Phoenix took 30 shots, 28 were on goal. Rogue River did not take a single shot. Phoenix GK Chelsea Passante, in her debut effort, did make a smother on a breakaway, but no shot was involved. She was also a reliable pressure valve, allowing defenders to backpass, rather than turning the ball into opponents.

Some additional notes: The shots total is more telling broken down by half... Of 30 shots, 19 were taken 1st half. The 11 in the second half were really only 9 "chances" -- 7 goals were scored, and 2 of those goals were on 2 shot sequences (shot, save, follow). So we were at about 1 goal per 4 shots in first half. 1 goal per 3 shots on frame (all our OFF frame shots were 1st half). Second half we were better than 1 goal per 2 shots (7 of 11) and 100% on frame.

Other Results:
CC 5, StM 1 - CC 3 goals from O'Brien, 1 each from Brown and Cotta. StM goal from Kayla E.
NV 4, Maz 0 - 2 2nd half goals from Wilhelm, 1 each from Moorhouse and Robels. Robels also assisted twice.
HV 2, Hen 0 - UPDATE - spoke with Gary E - both goals came from Flick.

Next Tuesday: Maz@Phx, CC@HV, RR@NV, Hen@StM

District 6 Girls' play starts today with matches in Klamath Falls, Talent, and Medford!

Defending League Champ North Valley are in Klamath Falls against Mazama. Pre-season favorite and state #8 ranked Hidden Valley are also in the Basin facing Henley.

Here in the Rogue Valley, the first leg of the Parochial Derby opens with Cascade Christian hosting St. Mary's at Fichtner-Mainwaring and state #7 Phoenix welcoming Rogue River to Colver Field.

Scores will post here and on OregonLive as soon as I know them. Match recaps are welcome in the Comments section.

Sophomores Callie Fleeger and Hannah Wilson will get a call up to the Varsity roster for Saturday's home opener vs Rogue River. Fleeger, who also played in the Jamboree last weekend, will wear #11. Wilson, who wasn't available for the Jamboree, has yet to select a jersey. Katie Dreizsus, Katie Johnson, and Taja Watkins also came up for the Jamboree.

The JV team, originally scheduled to play St. Mary's on Saturday, gained an open date when the Crusaders' JV program folded. With 11 dates on the JV schedule, players swinging up to Varsity can appear 3 times without having to sit out any of the JV games. The Phoenix Varsity roster carries a solid 15, but can grow to 20 for post season play. Expect as many as 7 JV players to garner invites to dress in Varsity matches throughout the season, as that playoff roster is determined.

Phoenix needs to finish in the top 2 in District 6 to be assured a state playoff spot. Finishing in the top 5 means post season play via a league playoff for the #3 state berth, as long as no ties in the top spots exist.

But not just for Phoenix...

As some of the frequent readers here know, we are celebrating the 20th anniversary of an all-women's match featuring Phoenix High. We aren't the only women's team in our 20th season....

Three things to note - on the SCHEDULES page, the JV has new games as the result of the St. Mary's and Rogue River JV sides no longer being with us.

End result 4 games vs North Valley, 3 vs Hidden Valley and Henley, 2 vs Mazama.

Varsity selected captains this week, unanimously naming senior Alex Hanscom and junior Tamara Heryford to captaincy as the season starts. Seniors Marci Klimek and Ema Burr also received support from their teammates and will earn bands as the season progresses.

JV and Varsity uniform bits (home and away socks, shorts) are at Rogue Soccer in the Winco shopping center. GET THEM PRONTO - Varsity plays Sep 2, team photos are Sep 8. EVERYONE has to have their stuff by then!!!

2005 Roster - based on the initial JV/Varsity split tonight, these 15 ladies are the core of the 2005 Pirate squad. 14 others are the initial JV side. As more players come out after school starts, expect 3 to 5 JV players to get regular invites to train, dress, and play with the varisty, with the end goal being a post season roster of 18 girls, healthy, and with plenty of minutes clocked through the regular season!

Congratulations!

The girl's bracket for 2005 is here.

District 6 #1 (we have a shot - favored by the neutral observers though is Hidden Valley) waits until the second round and hosts the winner of D1 #3 v D7 #3. Historically, these would be teams like Seaside or Astoria from D1, Riverside or Madras from D7

District 6 #2 (our favored finish, though North Valley will be battling to grab this safe slot, too... and never count out Henley and either St. Mary's or Cascade, depending on the year) waits for the 2nd round to travel to District 3's #2. Since North Bend dropped into 3a, the D3 #2 slot has been owned by Glide.

District 6 #3 opens away at District 8 #2. D8 can move around a lot. Looking at the list, that #2 could be anyone up there except Sisters (who should be #1), or Gervais and Amity (who I don't expect will have winning seasons). That leaves Blanchet, Cascade, Molalla, North Marion, Stayton, Sweet Home, or Western Mennonite as possible hosts to our league #3 (who could be any of NV, Hen, StM, CC...or us or HV)

At the All Coaches Meeting tonight, Mr Barry announced Team photos will be Sept 8 (that's a Thursday) at Colver Field. Time is not set, yet. Bring all uniform pieces, Varisty warmups, and a pair of jeans.

Doubles start in a few short hours - 7am, Colver Field TOMORROW (Monday) for 2 hours.
you MUST have a physical completed to be allowed to participate. If you did not get one at La Clinica on Sat, I MUST have your form in hand or have been told by Mr Barry that you are good to go!!

Training Schedule THIS WEEK:

• Monday AM session, 7 - 9, Colver, all players (no contact drills except for GKs)
• Monday PM session, 6 - 8, Colver, all players (bring shinguards - expect contact!)
• Tuesday AM session, 7 - 9, Colver, all players
• NO PM SESSION on TUESDAY
• Wednesday AM session, 7 - 9, Colver, all players
• After Wednesday AM, the "tryout" section of preseason will be over. JV/ Varsity split will be announced at the beginning of Weds PM and trainings will no longer be full program
• Wednesday PM session, 6 - 8, Colver, all players; skills & fitness split
• Thursday AM session, 7 - 9, Colver, all players; skills split
• Thursday PM session, 5 - 7, classroom location in PHS TBA,VARSITY ONLY
• Friday AM session, 7 - 9, Colver, all players; skills & fitness split
• Friday PM session, 6 - 8, Colver, all players; skills & fitness split

As of now, plan on the first weekend in October being heavy on college soccer.
Friday, Oct. 7, Concordia is at SOU at 3:30. Saturday the 8th, they play Jac and OIT in KFalls a couple hours before we play Mazama over there (or if the schedule DOESN'T change for the SAT, an hour AFTER we finish at Mazama). Plan on BOTH those CU games being Pirate Soccer activities.

from Brent Barry:

Here are the approximate times for your team’s physicals. All athletes must have physical and insurance papers into the office prior to the first practice on August 22nd. Dianne and I will work to put together a list of eligible athletes and I will bring them to your first practice on Monday.

BB

2005 Physicals
August 20th 8:30-11:30
La Clinica de Valle 3617 S. Pacific Hwy.

Approximate times:

• 8:30 Boys Soccer/Wrestling
• 9:00 Football
• 9:30 Dance/Baseball/Cross Country
• 10:00 Cheerleaders/ Boys Basketball/ Swimming
• 10:30 Girls Basketball/ B&G Golf/ Volleyball
• 11:00 Girls Soccer/ Track/ Softball

It seems rather wishful thinking that we will get thru in a half hour, but *shrug* go and be prepared to stay until you're finished!!

SAT Test Date Oct 8 I am a senior and am taking the Oct 8 test I am a junior and am taking the Oct 8 test I am a senior and took an earlier test I am a senior and am taking a later test I am an underclassman and don't care    Free polls from Pollhost.com

We aren't going to have much luck seeing Jac this season -- their trip to Ashland is the same day and nearly same time we are at Cascade Christian. However, their 05 - schedule does offer:"October 8 Saturday Concordia University * Klamath Falls, OR 1pm" For those of you paying attention, we are AT Mazama that day, scheduled for a 3pm or 4pm kickoff (to allow for SAT test takers). IF enough people are interested, I will arrange for earlier transportation over there and we will watch the OIT match before our own contest...

D o t y B l o g: "Could it be?" posted by John at 11:25 AM was the first hint...

Yesterday at camp, Stephanie Watkins asked "How's Jen?" (most of you have met Jen...usually referred to as "my girlfriend" and sometimes as "my fianceé"). I didn't QUITE give Steph a complete answer... Well, we can officially use the second term, now. :) She said 'yes' on Tuesday evening (Steve and Suzanne Fry were right there at the next table and didn't even know - aren't we sneaky?). Anywho, that's the news for today!!

Not a requirement by any stretch, but anyone who wants to do a "daily double" early can spend $65 and sign up for Southern Oregon University Women's Soccer Camp August 1-5, from 9 to 11:30 am, then do the UK International Camp those same evenings.

The camp would give you access to another collegiate coach and get you many more valuable touches for a very reasonable price.

ONLY recommended for players who have been building fitness base, if you plan to double up with UK Int'l. If you make this your first off-season training, two camp sessions a day will be VERY tough.

Where do we go for the Varisty trip? UP v Stanford, 7pm, Aug27 UO and OSU doubleheader, midday, Aug 28 Somewhere yet to be determined, later in the season    Free polls from Pollhost.com

Now's the time to use the "comments" section, ladies! Vote in the poll and make an argument in favor of your position or in argument against the others! The Portland v Stanford match is at 7pm...meaning we would get back to Phoenix around 3am. Alternatively, the Beavers and Ducks are BOTH playing on Sunday the 28th, at noon and 2 in Eugene - so more soccer, closer... but maybe not of the same quality? Portland State is out of town, Lewis & Clark and Pacific aren't playing yet, Willamette is playing their Alumni Game, Warner Pacific is at home against a club team from Spain, but the kickoff is 6pm Friday.

In 1985, led by the organizational efforts of two senior girls playing on the boys' team, a girls' game was organized between Phoenix and Grants Pass. The Cavers won 4-1. 2005 is the 20th anniversary of that match. To celebrate that effort, and the contributions of all the girls who played for Phoenix before Phoenix had a team for them, we will be honoring the players from that first game, and the girls who played on the boys team prior to the first girls' season in the fall of 1989. On October 15, 2005, the Phoenix girls host Henley HS at Colver Field at 10:00am. At halftime of that game, there will be a ceremony honoring the players from before the emergence of girls' soccer. Following the game, there will be a BBQ and social time, possibly featuring a brief, friendly, and highly informal alumnae game.

Since June 19, we have nothing new to report. We know the whereabouts of Chris White, Kasey Katrenick and Wendy Beveridge ('86), Kris Center ('88), and Mandy Wright and Julie Gruchalla ('89).

Still Missing: Class of '84: Tonia Batten (-); Class of '86: Cheri Richardson (emailed via Classmates), Becky Semm (-); Class of '87: Tracie Granger (-); Class of '88: Kelli Leake (-), Lisa McGarrity (-), Gina Murray (-), Robin Huxtable (-) , Theresa Johnson (-), Kelly Katrenick (-); Class of '89: Tara Miller (-); Class of '92: Jennifer Fletcher (-)

If you know ANY of these people help us find them!!!

http://webpages.charter.net/jd4/soccer/jamboree.htm

Looking forward to welcoming 22 teams from 12 schools to Hagler-James on September 2.

For Phoenix Varsity Girls and Boys, this replaces the the final day of daily doubles. We are awaiting confirmation of a JV jamboree at Hidden Valley on the same day for our girls JV team.

Meantime, see you at the hill (M,W,F am) and at Open Field starting July 6!

Though I am still waiting on ONE returning varsity player to return her jerseys, I can tell you what is moving forward on uniforms...

MOST things will not change this season. BigToe, our uniform provider for the most recent set, will handle repair and replacement for the number-peeling jerseys w/o any costs but outbound shipping, so we aren't ordering NEW Varsity - we ARE getting logo embroidery done - it will look just like Skully, the logo on the left side of the website. The surrounding text and lines will be all red on the navy jerseys.

The JV team will be getting a new set of jerseys. We are still figuring out exactly which ones.

Shorts and Socks - players will need to get their own shorts and socks and can keep them forever.

We are using last year's short again - the adidas Mundial in WHITE. If you already have a pair, you needn't get another one new, but Rogue Soccer will be stocking enough for all of our incoming freshmen, plus about 2/3 of our returners to buy a new pair, if they wish. Team pricing for this short runs close to $19. I will get a solid cost by Mid July.

Our Red sock (most road games and some home games) remains the same, and again, players needn't get a new pair if they still have their old ones. It is the adidas Pro Vertical and team prices at close to $12 a pair. JV may elect to NOT USE this sock - check with your coaches.

Our White sock (most home and some road games) will be the adidas Copa. This is a new sock for us, but common enough some of you may have it anyway. Our version is white with navy stripes and runs a tad over $6 a pair at team prices.

The total costs should run under $40 and may get down as low as $35. All players are urged to take part in fundraisers to defray all or part of this cost.

We will hand out and collect back an Orange sock for the Talent HS game. We will also hand out and collect back a Black short for that game.

OK. The REAL fun of being part of a sport is raising money!!.. wait.. uh..

Well, despite the potential drag that raising money can be, we usually have some cool options. Here is the lowdown on fundraising opportunities for the 2005 season.

Bulbs - Stephanie Watkins puts together catalog and order form stuff, you sell bulbs to people in your neighborhood, 70% of the funds stay with the program, split between the individual seller and the team. Steph will have that ready to go very soon. You could earn your camp fees that way, you could pay for your shorts and socks... you could do both!

D&S Harley Davidson - D&S does events from time to time and asks us to help staff concessions booths - soda, popcorn, raffle, etc... and in return, they donate chunks of money to us. Event One is on July 16 (a Saturday), Event Two is on September 11 (a Sunday). I will need a serious head count of who would be willing to do those, so we can adequately staff them and TELL D&S that we can, early enough for them to know if they need to invite any other groups to help.

So, contact Steph about the bulbs and post in the comments or tell me at the hill runs if you can help on either or both of the D&S events!!

...for about a day, as I am migrating fcphoenix.us and johndoty.us to a new server and this site relies on them for some of its appearance. Expect 24-48 hours of uglies.

UPDATED (5:30pm, 6-20) - Things SEEM to be all as they should - images loading, text being the right color on the right background. But if you click on something and don't get what you expect to see, PLEASE use the comments section of this post to call my attention to it.

One of my first seasons at Phoenix, Dan and I drove up to Wilsonville to watch a final - South Eugene vs Jesuit was the 4a boys' game, closing out the evening. And the Axemen were led by a very talented, tall, slender kid named Nate Jaqua. Apparently he can still play :)

In 1985, led by the