West Plains Zizzer Soccer

The seeding for the Class 1 District 12 Tournament to be held at Willard have been announced. West Plains was seeded third and will face Marshfield in the First Round of Districts. The list of seeds and the schedule and are:

#1 Catholic
#2 Bolivar
#3 West Plains
#4 Willard
#5 McAuley
#6 Marshfield
#7 Greenwood
#8 Mountain View Liberty
#9 Pleasant Hope

Play-in Game – Friday, May 9
6:00pm – Mountain View Liberty vs Pleasant Hope

First Round – Saturday, May 10
9:00am – Willard vs McAuley
10:45am – Catholic vs Mountain View Liberty/Pleasant Hope Winner
12:30pm – Bolivar vs Greenwood
2:15pm – West Plains vs Marshfield

Semifinals – Monday, May 12
5:00pm -Willard/McAuley Winner vs Catholic/Mountain View Liberty/Pleasant Hope Winner
7:00pm – Bolivar/Greenwood Winner vs West Plains/Marshfield Winner

Final – Wednesday, May 14
6:00pm – Semifinal Winner vs Semifinal Winner

The Lady Zizzers made the trek to Waynesville on Tuesday. With 4 goals from Senior Katie Pritchard, The Lady Tigers were victorious. Pritchard is nearing 2nd Place All-Time in Missouri for goals scored in a career. Waynesville was able to get on the board in the 11th minute on a goal from Natascha Lord, who hit an open shot from 14 yards away. Four minutes later, Pritchard notched her first goal after beating two defenders off the dribble and firing a shot into the far side of the goal. In the 25th minute Pritcahrd scored again on a similar play. Lynette Newcomb finished the first half scoring in the 40th minute as she redirected a cross from Lord to make it 4-0. The score could have been worse if not for some blocked shots by the Lady Zizzer defense and some spectacular saves by Goalkeeper Jamie Brassfield. The best save of the day and maybe the year was when Brassfield robbed Pritchard after Pritchard had hit a half-volley from the middle of the 18 yard box.

Pritchard started the second half with two quick goals. The first came in the 1st minute as she beat a couple of defenders off the dribble and put the ball in for the hattrick. In the 10th minute, Pritchard scored her fourth goal of the game on a penalty kick after West Plains was whistled for a handball in the 18 yard box. The final Waynesville goal came seven minutes later as Orielle Thomas put home a rebound after an initial save by Brassfield.

Despite the score, there were several positives for West Plains to take from the game. The attempts to get balls wide offensively were there. Communication among players continues to improve. People are starting to settle in to their new positions and are appearing more comfortable. With the win, Waynesville clinched at least a share of the Ozark Conference Championship. They can win the title outright with a win over Parkview on Thursday or a Glendale loss in any of their remaining Ozark Conference games.

In JV action, Waynesville won 4-0. The Lady Tigers got 2 goals in each half for the win. West Plains played alright at times, especially in the second half. In the second half, the Lady Zizzers began to play together more and were more successful moving the ball.

Next up for West Plains are games Friday at Nixa, weather permitting.

The Parkview Lady Vikings came to West plains on Monday to take on the Lady Zizzers. The two teams had squared off in the 7th Place game of the Lady Zizzer Soccer Classic just 9 days earlier. Parkview won that game 3-1. Monday’s game was a pretty even contest. Both teams were able to move the ball and create scoring opportunities, but only one shot found the goal. In the 29th minute, Parkview’s Jessica Maerz took a shot from 10 yards out on the left side. Her shot hit the side netting just inside the far post.

The second half brought more of the same as both teams continued to battle hard. The Lady Zizzers came up short in perhaps their best all around performance of the season. The ball movement against a solid Parkview team was fun to watch. For really the first time all season, the Lady Zizzers used the entire field. Defensively things were good too.

In JV action, Parkview got the best of West Plains, winning 4-0. The Lady Zizzers didn’t play as a team as well as they did in Thursday’s win against Hillcrest. Despite that, they were only down 1-0 at halftime as Parkview scored in the 27th minute of the first half. Parkview made it 2-0 in the 8th minute of the second half. They added two more goals in the 31st and 32nd minutes of the half to finish the scoring.

Up next are games Tuesday at Waynesville and Friday at Nixa.

A couple of changes for Tuesday’s games at Waynesville. The games will be played on the turf field. The turf field is located at the Middle School (The Old High School) on the main road in town.

The game time has been changed to 5:00pm to accomodate the Track Team practice held at the facility.

On Friday afternoon, the Rolla Lady Bulldogs came to town for a Ozark Conference game. Earlier in the week, the West Plains and Rolla had agreed to play the Varsity game first so some Lady Zizzer players could leave for State Choir Competition. It proved to be a good decision. The Varsity game lasted only 50 minutes. 10 minute into the second half of play, lightning delayed the match. A short time later the rain came and made the field unplayable. Because more than one full half had been completed, the game is official and doesn’t have to be rescheduled.

Rolla jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 4th minute. Olivia Cox took a pass in the center of the field, weaved around a couple of defenders and placed a shot inside the far post. Rolla continued to apply pressure. In the 11th minute, Ellen Spooner scored off a cross to give Rolla a 2-0 lead. West Plains began to settle in a little bit defensively and was able to prevent any more goals. At the same time, the Lady Zizzers started to connect some passes and move the ball down the field. Although they didn’t have a lot of action in the final third of the field, it was the best ball movement the team has had against Rolla in a number of years. The Lady Zizzers had two chances to score. early in the first half they had the ball near the edge of the 18 yard box, but couldn’t quite get the shot off. Late in the second half, Mollie Plocher was sent in on goal by Michelle Esterle. Plocher’s shot from near the 18 yard box went over the goal.

Being able to get our heads up and connect passes against quality teams is something we have struggled with. Better communication and confidence are helping in that area. The girls showed good effort and worked well as a team. Speed of play is something we still need to improve, but we are making some strides in the right direction.

Because of the weather, no JV game was played. Up next will the games against the Parkview Vikings on Monday. These will be the last Home Games of the season. We will honor the three Lady Zizzer Seniors and their Parents with a short ceremony between the JV and Varsity games. This year’s Seniors are: Jamie Brassfield, Michelle Esterle, and Audi Morrison.

The 2008 Lady Zizzer Classic All-Tournament Team has been announced. Here is the list:

2008 West Plains Lady Zizzer Classic All-Tournament Team

Player, Grade, School
Michelle Auer, Freshman, Notre Dame
Shawn Beard, Junior, Moberly
Candy Biggers, Senior, Valley View
Erica Combs, Junior, Waynesville
Heather Deisher, Senior, Cape Central
Jordi Ferrell, Senior, Sikeston
Abbi Keefer, Junior, Sikeston
Caylin Manary, Sophomore, Parkview
Robyn Meesey, Junior, Notre Dame
Haley Pilsner, Senior, Cape Central
Katie Pritchard, Senior, Waynesville
Katie Shannon, Sophomore, West Plains
Betsi Stuckel, Junior, Notre Dame
Sarah Uptmor, Junior, Cape Central
Andie Wiesner, Senior, Moberly
Dana Wilhelm, Sophomore, Notre Dame

Congratulations to everyone.

There are two places where you can look for photos of Lady Zizzer Soccer action. The first is the Zizzer Soccer Photos Link on the right hand column. I see that some of them are beginning to be uploaded from this season.

(Photo by Randy Hunt)

These are photos that have been taken by Randy Hunt. Randy has taken a lot of photos of Zizzer and Lady Zizzer soccer over the past few years. We really appreciate his efforts. Thanks Randy.

There are also photos taken by Steve Olson of SGFsoccer.com. This years photos are from the Glendale game at JFK. If Steve comes out to any more games, there could be more photos later (possibly Nixa, Ozark, or Districts – depending on his schedule). I will let him explain it to you:

Now is as good a time as any to introduce you to my new photo website as well. In an effort to cover expenses (time, gas, my supplies) I have set up a site that offers printing services. Click on the Slide Show link and you will be taken to the site. You can see full resolution photos and order a wide variety of photo products featuring your favorite players by your favorite soccer journalist. Your support, via purchase of photos, will be greatly appreciated.

I will continue to provide low resolution photos on the Flickr website

(Photo by Steve Olson, SGFsoccer.com)

which your team is welcome to use on your website to promote the team. Please provide attribution if you do use them and remember, non-commercial use only. I have also been uploading photos to my Facebook page so reach out and friend me if you want me to tag you and save you the hassles of downloading the Flickr photos. Questions?

If you don’t know who Steve is Read This. Steve runs the SGFsoccer.com website which is THE source of soccer information in Southwest Missouri. He also hosts this site and many other soccer sites, free of charge and provides technical assistance when needed. Steve provides a great service to the soccer community. Thanks Steve.

The West Plains Lady Zizzers earned their first Ozark Conference Win of the 2008 Season, defeating Hillcrest 2-0 on Thursday. The girls played okay in the first half of the game and had several scoring chances, but couldn’t get on the scoreboard. In the second half, West Plains came out strong, playing more aggressively. Three minutes into the second half, West Plains earned a corner kick. Mollie Plocher sent a ball to the near post. Michelle Esterle got a foot to the ball about 8 yards from goal and giving West Plains a 1-0 lead. Another corner kick in the 26th minute of the half would provide the Lady Zizzers second goal. This time Plocher sent a ball near the center of the goal. A crowd of players went for the ball, but the ball bounced and Ashley Martin came crashing through at the back post and buried a shot in the back of the net.

The second half was a very good one for West Plains. Ball movement and communication, along with a more aggressiveness going to the ball were strong points for the team. Beth Kittle, Kelly Smith, Audi Morrison, Ashley Martin, Cara Trautman, and Laiken Tyler all played well in the back, limiting Hillcrest’s scoring chances. Emma Ray, Katie Shannon, Mollie Plocher, Ashley Harris, Amy Armstrong, Dani Valade, Megan Lowe, and Megan Walker were able to contribute both offensively and defensively in the midfield. Forwards Rachel Skelly and Michelle Esterle were able to put good pressure on the Hillcrest defense. Jamie Brassfield played well in goal getting the victory and the shutout. West Plains outshot Hillcrest 22-5. With the win West Plains improves to 5-10 overall and 1-5 in the Ozark Conference.

In JV action, West Plains picked up it’s first win of the season, defeating Hillcrest 1-0. The Lady Zizzers got on the scoreboard early. In the 5th minute of play, Rebecca Wooldridge and Lauren Matlock combined to produce the Lady Zizzers second goal of the seson. Coming down the left side, Wooldridge passed outwide to Matlock. After taking a couple of touches, Matlock found Wooldridge running toward the goal. Wooldridge’s shot from ten yards out beat the Hillcrest Keeper to the far side giving West Plains a 1-0 lead.

West Plains continued to play well and created several other good scoring chances, but couldn’t add to their lead. A couple of strong defensive plays on near breakaways for Hillcrest, helped the Lady Zizzers keep the shutout. Laiken Tyler picked up the win and combined with Amber Snyder for the shutout. With the win, West Plains improves to 1-6 on the season. Up next for JV and Varsity are games at Home Friday against Rolla. Varsity will play first at 5:00pm. The last Home games of the season will be Monday against Parkview. JV will start at 5:00pm.

After a short lightning delay on Tuesday, the JV game kicked off and Kickapoo got on the board early. But after only 11 minutes of play, the lightning came again. After waiting more than an hour and a half, the JV game was cancelled and the Varsity finally took the field at 7:15pm. The delay didn’t seem to hurt the Lady Zizzer Varsity too much as the team played a very good first half. The only goal of the half came in the 21st minute. Amanda Dominguez crossed a ball in front of the goal from the right side. Katy McLain headed the cross in for a 1-0 Kickapoo lead. West Plains contiued to play good defensively throughout the rest of the half. Offensively we forced things a little bit, but overall it was a good half.

In the second half, two quick goals from Kickapoo changed things. In the second minute of the half, Dominguez sent a ball in to McKenna Adams whose shot made it 2-0. In the 8th minute, Abby Anderson scored as aresult of a corner kick with an assist from Megan Melugin. Defensively the Lady Zizzers wer lacking the strong communication and good positioning that they displayed in the first half. Melugin would add a goal of her own in the 17th minute, getting an assist from Megan Etter. Ten minutes later, McLain found Kylie Huslig whose shot eluded Lady Zizzer Keeper Jami Brassfield. Brassfield made several excellent saves to rob Kickapoo players earlier in the match. The final goal came in the 40th minute just before the final whistle. This one as a result of a orner kick that bounced around a few times. Erica Freiert finished it off with Melugin picking up another assist.

Despite the final score, there were several positives that the Lady Zizzers can take from the game: Great defensive work as a team in the first half. perseverance to continue fighting to the end, Great goalkeeping, better work offensively in the second half. The team is making progress as they work toward Districts in just 2 and a half weeks. Next up for the Lady Zizzers are home games Thursday against Hillcrest and Friday against Rolla.

The weather for day two was great. The morning started out a little cool, but things warmed up nicely. The games were just as good as Friday.

Loser’s Bracket Semifinals

Waynesville 3 – Parkview 0
After having their 10 game winning streak ended on Friday in a shootout, the Lady Tigers started a new streak by winning a matchup of Ozark Conference teams. Lauren Kelly got the game winner for the Lady Tigers. Katie Pritchard and Erica Combs added tallies of their own.

Valley View 4 – West Plains 1
After a strong performance on Friday night, West Plains was slow in starting on Saturday morning. Valley View wasn’t though. Shana Broadway took a pass from Melissa Wallace and her shot found the back of the net in the 28th minute to give Valley View the lead. Another Senior Forward, Madison Maddox scored the eventual game winner on an assist from Freshman Mo Patton in the 35th minute. Valley View would add a couple more goals early in the second half. The first came in the 46th minute on a shot from Whitney Miller. Melissa Wallace picked up the assist. Seven minutes later, Mo Patton finished the scoring for Valley View.

West Plains seemed to come alive in the second half and was able to get one goal back. The play was one of the best scoring plays this season for West Plains. Sophomore Kelly Smith picked up a loose ball from her Center Back position and carried it down the left side. Smith battled with a Valley View defender a couple of times before finding Dani Valade with a back pass. Valade sent a pass to the middle to Katie Shannon. Shannon found Mollie Plocher at he edge of the 18-yard box. Plocher received the ball, turned and fired a shot past the Valley View Keeper, Mandy Stapleton. Despite putting more pressure on the Valley View defense and creating some scoring opportunites, West Plains couldn’t cut into the Lady Blazers lead.

Winner’s Bracket Semifinals

Notre Dame 2 – Sikeston 0

Cape Central 3 – Moberly 2 (2 OT – PKs 2-0)
Cape Central opened the scoring on a goal by Sarah Uptmor. The Lady Tigers also received a goal from Danielle Markhart. Moberly’s Andie Wiesner picked up their first goal and Shawn Beard tied the game with about 10 minutes left in regulation. After two Overtime periods couldn’t determine a winner, the game went to a shootout. Cape Central’s Haley Pilsner and Laura Lusk were the only players to score in the shootout, sending the Lady Tigers to the Championship game against Notre Dame.

7th Place Game

Parkview 3 – West Plains 1
Playing their third game in less than 24 hours, West Plains played well despite what the scoreboard read. Both teams were obviously not at the peak. But both teams fought hard and played an entertaining match. Jessica Maerz put Parkview on top in the 6th minute with a shot over West Plains Keeper, Michelle Esterle. The score would remain 1-0 until the second half. In the 54th minute, Maerz would find an open Kelsey Loderhose who blasted a shot inside the far post for a 2-0 lead. Mollie Plocher cut the lead to 2-1 in the 58th minute on a penalty kick after Parkview was whistled for holding in the box. The Lady Zizzers returned the favor in the 69th minute as they were whistled for a handball in the box. Maerz shot on the penalty kick was stopped by Michelle Esterle, but Maerz put the rebound in to make it 3-1. That’s how the game would end. Despite finishing the tournament 0-3, the weekend was a good one for the Lady Zizzers. The success didn’t necessarily show on the scoreboard, but it should show in the performance the rest of the season and hopefully will pay off come District time.

5th Place Game

Waynesville 4 – Valley View 2
Valley View took an early lead as Shanna Broadway put them on top with a goal in the 5th minute. Katie Pritchard drew the Lady Tigers level in the 22nd minute only to see the Lady Blazers snatch the lead back in the 36th minute on a goal by Casey Bowman. The Lady Tigers didn’t mess around in the second half though. Pritchard drew them level again in the 42nd minute and Natascha Lord picked up the game winner three minutes later. Pritchard would pick up the hattrick in the 60th minute to give Waynesville a 4-2 win.

3rd Place Game

Sikeston 3 – Moberly 1

Sikeston and Moberly met in the 3rd Place game for the third straight year. Sikeston won in Overtime in 2006, while Moberly won in Double Overtime in 2007. Sikeston grabbed an early lead in this one, getting a goal from Abbi Keefer in the 10th minute. Jordi Ferrell would get the game winner in the 31st minute. Moberly cut the lead to 2-1 on a goal by Shawn Beard, but that was as close as they would get. Ferrell would add an insurance goal to help Sikeston capture 3rd Place.

Championship Game

Notre Dame 2 – Cape Central 0
The Cape Central Lady Tigers showed that the seeds in the tournament mean absolutely nothing. After receiving the number 7 seed, Cape Central reached the Championship match after knocking off # 2 Waynesville and # 3 Moberly in penalty kick shootouts. In the Championship game, the Lady Tigers couldn’t match Notre Dame’s fire power. Notre Dame got what proved to be the game winner in the 11th minute on a shot from Robyn Meesey. The score would remain 1-0 until the second half. Michelle Auer would add an insurance via a penalty kick in the 56th minute to provide the final 2-0 margin of victory. The win gave Notre Dame the championship and a happy bus ride home. Notre Dame outscored their opponents 8-0 in their three wins. Congratulations to the Lady Rebels on their victory.

The tournament was a great success. But it couldn’t have been without the help of many people. On behalf of the Lady Zizzer Soccer Program, we would like to thank all the participating teams for making the trip to West Plains. We would also like to thank the referees who worked the games with little time off in between. Thank You to all the parents who volunteered their time in many different ways, the Physical Therapists provided by Physical Therapy Specialists Clinic, Tiffany Vincent and Coach Brown for all their work, the WPHS Custodial crew for their help, the JV players who were ball girls and everyone else who contributed to the success of the tournament. Thank You all! We hope to have another great tournament next year.