West Plains Zizzer Soccer

The last games of the regular season were played Tuesday Night at Ozark. What a great facility they have there. The Varsity Boys came out ready to play and had a good performance in their last rehearsal before Districts start on Saturday. Ozark controlled more of the possession throughout the game, but the Zizzers did a good job of moving the ball, but we still need to put more shots on the goal. Ozark got on the scoreboard in the 28th minute as a cross was played into the box from the right side. Seth Hampton went high in the air to head the ball past Anthony Holt for a 1-0 lead. That’s how things would remain through the first half.

In the second half, both teams came out strong and created some chances. Ozark hit a post and tested Anthony Holt several other times, but couldn’t find the net. The best chance for the Zizzers came about midway through the half when Nathan Moore raced down a ball as the Ozark keeper came out to make a play. Moore touched the ball around him and the keeper dove for the ball and tripped Nathan. The foul was ruled to have been just outside the box, but the Zizzers were unable to score on the resulting free kick. Ozark added an insurance goal with just about 2 minutes remaining in the match. This time, Seth Hampton made a move to get past a Zizzer defender and send a shot to the far corner of the goal. That’s how it would end, 2-0 in favor of the Tigers.

Up next for the Varsity is a District game on Saturday against Cassville at Bolivar at 4:00pm.

The JV played their final game of the season against Ozark. The Tigers came out on top 4-0. Ozark got three goals in the first half, scoring in the 8th, 13th, and 25th minutes. They would add another goal in the 7th minute of the second half for the final score of 4-0. The Zizzers found it difficult to get much going offensively, although they did put a little pressure on the goal in the last 15 minutes of the game.

Thought I’d try to get you caught up on what is happening with former Zizzers playing college soccer.
This photo is of Logan Ray on the left and Cody Townsend on the right. Got it from Logan’s Facebook page. I hope that is okay Logan.

Cody Townsend and the Fontbonne University Griffons captured the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) Championship.Cody has appeared in at least 9 Games (Stats were not up to date) and has scored 1 Goal and added 1 Assist. Fontbonne (8-7-2, 6-0-2 SLIAC) are the #1 seed in the SLIAC Tournament and face #4 Webster in the Semifinals.

(Photo of Logan Ray on the right by Randy Hunt)

Logan Ray and the Westminster Bluejays have wrapped up their season with an 8-8-1 record going 4-4-0 in the SLIAC to finish in 5th place, just missing the Conference Tournament. Logan played in all 17 Games, making 13 Starts and recording 2 Assists.

The Missouri State Bears have been on a roll of late. The Bears have gone 2-0-1 in their last 3 games. Nick Dryden has helped the Bears post 3 consecutive shutouts, including a 0-0 tie with the Creighton Bluejays ranked #2 in the Nation. Dryden has played all 16 Games for the Bears who are now 5-7-4 on the season and 2-1-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. Justin Scicluna has been injured most of the season and is getting himself back into shape.

(Photo of Nick Dryden on the left by Steve Olson of SGFsoccer.com)

The William Penn Statesmen have finished their regular season with an 8-7-2 record while going 3-5-0 in the Midwest Collegiate Conference. The Statesmen should be a #5 or #6 seed in the MCC Tournament. Jacob Plocher has played 15 Games, Starting 6, while scoring 2 Goals and adding 1 Assist. Both Goals were Game Winners. Matt Saner has played in 6 Games, making 1 Start.

(Photo of Brice Hunt on the right by Randy Hunt)

Brice Hunt and the Birmingham Southern Panthers just got finished facing the #1 ranked team in the nation when they faced Trinity the other day. The Panthers have faced a tough schedule this season and are currently 2-14-0. Brice Hunt has played at least 14 Games (Stats from Sunday were not updated yet).

Stuart Ziegler and the Missouri Southern State Lions have had a tough season. Stuart suffered and injury and missed some time, but is back playing again. Ziegler has appeared in 12 Games, making 9 Starts and recording 1 Assist for the Lions (1-13-1, 1-5-1 Southwest Soccer Conference).

Clay Trautman and the Aurora University Spartans have earned an 11-7-1 record, going 6-3-1 in the Northern Athletic Conference. Trautman has played in 7 Games for the Spartans.

Kyle Martin and the Central Methodist Eagles have compiled a 7-8-1 record (1-6-0 Heart of America Athletic Conference). Stats have been difficult to track, but Kyle has played in at least 1 Game for the Eagles after appearing in 12 Games last season. This photo came from Logan again. That is Kyle Martin in the middle and Logan on the right.

If I am missing anything, please let me know. Thanks.

On Friday night the Zizzers traveled to Nixa in a game rescheduled from the first week of the season. Coming off a good performance against Kickapoo on Thursday, the Zizzers hoped to carry that into the match with the Eagles. The Zizzers played well at times, but lacked the intensity that they had in the Kickapoo game.

Nixa got on the scoreboard in the 15th minute taking advantage of an impatient Zizzer Defense that dove in trying to win the ball. The Eagles added to their lead in the 38th minute, this time #6 was left unmarked in the center of the box. He turned and fired a shot past Anthony Holt for a 2-0 Eagles lead.

In the second half, the Zizzers came out and moved the ball better, but it would be Nixa that would get the goal. In the 18th minute of the half, #10 gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead. Nixa would score again in the 23rd minute as #10 would get his 3rd goal of the game off an assist from #3. After a formation change that pushed more people forward on offense, the Zizzers stepped up the intensity and created some good scoring chances. In the 33rd minute, Ethan Hunt picked up a clearing attempt after a Zizzer free kick and sent a pass to Nathan Moore who took two touches and fired a shot under the crossbar from 20 yards out to cut the lead to 4-1. With the Zizzers pushing more players forward trying to score, the Eagles took advantage and added a goal by #11 in the 39th minute. The game would end with the Eagles getting the 5-1 victory. The Zizzers played well at times, but will need to bring the intensity of the final 15 minutes for the whole game on Tuesday at Ozark.

In JV action, Nixa got the victory by the score of 10-0. The Zizzers struggled defensively as the Eagles got on the board in the first minute and then added 6 more first half goals. The Zizzers played a little better in the second half, but Nixa scored twice in the first 7 minutes of the half and then ended the game in the 20th minute as they scored their 10th goal.

Up next for both teams will be the final regular season games at Ozark on Tuesday. The JV game will start at 5:00pm on the turf at the new Football Field.

Seeding for the Class 2 District 5 Soccer Tournament have been announced. The Zizzers received the #6 seed in voting by the coaches. Below is the complete list of seeds and the game schedule.

1. Bolivar
2. Monett
3. Cassville
4. Carl Junction
5. Marshfield
6. West Plains
7. Webb City
8. Logan-Rogersville
9. Aurora

Friday, October 31

Logan-Rogersville vs Aurora at 4:30pm

Saturday, November 1

Bolivar vs Logan-Rogersville/Aurora Winner at 10:00am
Monett vs Webb City at 12:00pm
Carl Junction vs Marshfield at 2:00pm
Cassville vs West Plains at 4:00pm

Monday, November 3

Bolivar/Logan-Rogersville/Aurora Winner vs Carl Junction/Marshfield Winner at 5:00pm
Monett/Webb City Winner vs Cassville/West Plains Winner at 7:00pm

Thursday, November 6

Final at 6:00pm

All games will be played at Bolivar

Tuesday Night was Senior Night in West Plains, where the 6 Zizzer Seniors and their Parents were recognized between the JV and Varsity games. The opponent for the night? That would be the Kickapoo Chiefs who were ranked #5 in the state in Class 3 (the largest Class in Soccer) in the latest State Rankings. The Zizzers came out strong right from the start, playing together and doing a lot of little things right. Defensively the team played well and held the Chiefs to just one goal in the first half. That goal came in the 13th minute as Skyler Russell headed home a cross from the right side. The Zizzers moved the ball well at times and were able to generate some opportunities although Kickapoo controlled more of the possession.

In the second half, the Zizzers continued to do well. Anthony Holt made a couple of great saves to rob the Chiefs of a couple of goals as he played perhaps the best game of his career in goal. The Chiefs would add to their lead in the 19th minute of the half as Caleb Collier headed in a corner kick from Russell to make the score 2-0. Four minutes later, Russell found some space and blasted a shot to the far post to make it 3-0 Chiefs. Ryan Moses would finish the scoring in the 29th minute of the half as he made a run through the defense and put a shot past Holt from the left side.

The Zizzers really played a good team game. The back four of Jack Parrish, Seth Phegley, Klay Norman, and Dylan York did a good job of tracking runners most of the night. In the midfield, Nathan Moore, David Evans, Tony Meza, Cory Parks, Nathan Boys, Ethan Hunt, Brodie Bender, Zach Bartlett, Colton Hensley played well offensively and defensively. At Forward, Meza, Hunt and Jesse Wright put pressure on the Chiefs defenders and worked to create some offensive chances for the Zizzers. And in the goal, Anthony Holt played his most complete game. Great job all the way around against a good Kickapoo team! Let’s finish the season out strong, have some fun and see what happens.

In JV action, The Chiefs defeated the Zizzers 6-0. Despite the score, the Zizzers played one of the best games they have played for awhile. The game was scoreless until the 15th minute as the Zizzers played good defense, helped out by good communication. The Chiefs would add two more goals in the half for a 3-0 halftime lead. Kickapoo would add to their lead in the 12th minute of the second half and then tally additional goals in the 23rd and 25th minutes.

The JV Zizzers played one of their better games defensively led by a great effort from Jonathon Hanshaw in the goal. Offensively, the Zizzers were able to create some chances including a free kick that hit off the post in the first half. All the boys should be commended on a great effort. What a good way to close out the Home Schedule. Good job boys!

Up next for both teams are games Friday at Nixa. JV starts at 4:30pm with Varsity to follow. These are rescheduled games from the first week of the season. Both teams will conclude the regular season next Tuesday at Ozark. JV will play first that night starting at 5:00pm.

There has been a change to the game schedule for Tuesday, October 28 at Ozark. JV will play first at 5:00pm (Originally we had it Varsity first at 4:30pm - because there are no lights). The games will be played at the new Football Stadium on the turf so there will be lights. The Stadium is located between the High School and the Soccer Field. Call the WPHS Athletic Office (256-6150) and ask for Ruth if you need directions.

This year, for team and individual pictures, we have done something different. Our wonderful man with the camera, Randy Hunt, has taken pictures of the teams and individual players. The photos are available for purchase from Randy’s SmugMug site. Click on Zizzer Soccer 2008 and you will see all of the pictures from this season. Click on Team and Individual Pictures and there are the photos. When you see a picture you like, click the Buy button and make your selections. You can purchase the photos in a variety of sizes for a good price. (This is basically at cost - Randy isn’t making any money on the pictures you order). They also offer a variety of other items that you can get the pictures put on - check out the merchandise tab after you click the Buy button.

Please let Randy know how much you appreciate his efforts. We will let him know on our end as well. He does a wonderful job and the pictures have turned out great. Thanks for all of your hard work Randy!

The Zizzers fell to the Joplin Eagles in an Ozark Conference Match on Tuesday. The Zizzers played hard throughout the game and moved the ball well at times with some nice passing. The Eagles opened the scoring in the 10th minute as Daniel McDonald would get the eventual game-winner. Three minutes later Parker Maher would add to the lead with a penalty kick. Eli Welch made it 3-0 in the 18th minute and Geovanni Lara would finish the first half scoring in the 25th minute.

The Zizzers came out moving the ball better in the second half, but couldn’t get on the scoreboard. Welch would notch his second goal of the game in the 4th minute of the half. It would stay 5-0 until late in the game. Lucas Kemper made it 6-0 in the 34th minute of the half and Jordan Adame would get the last goal in the 36th minute. The Zizzers played okay, but need to be able to anticipate the play a little better at times an make some adjustments with positioning. The overal effort was good.

In JV action, Joplin defeated West Plains 10-0. The Zizzers played better than the score would indicate, but gave up some goals on little mistakes. The effort for the Zizzers was better overall than it has been. Joplin scored 3 goals in the first half, but tacked on 7 more in the second half to end the game with under 2 minutes remaining in the second half.

Up next for both teams are games at home against Kickapoo next Tuesday. These will be the final Home games of the season. We will honor the Seniors and their parents between the JV and Varsity games. The JV game will start at 5:00pm.

On a warm Saturday afternoon, the Sikeston Bulldogs came to town to take on the Zizzers. The Bulldogs left town with two victories. In the Varsity game. Sikeston got on the board in the 5th minute as Junior Stuart Strom one-timer off a cross from 20 yards out found the back of the net. That would be all of the scoring for the first half. In the second half the Zizzers came out strong offensively, moving the ball well. But it would be the Bulldogs who would add to their lead in the 4th minute. This time it would be Darin Dicus doing the damage for Sikeston. Andrew McDowell added another goal for the Bulldogs in the 32nd minute on a shot to the near post. The Zizzers would get on the board in the 37th minute as Nathan Moore fired a left footed shot into the far upper corner from near the top of the box to cut the lead to 3-1. That would be as close as the Zizzers would get.

The effort was good and the boys moved the ball real well at times. Sikeston played hard using their good team speed to put pressure on the West Plains defense. The Bulldogs capitalized on their chances. The Zizzers need to be more aggressive on the offensive end and pull the trigger on shots a little quicker. Overall it was a game that keeps us headed in the direction we need to go.

In JV action, Sikeston took the game 7-0. It was a tale of two halves for the Zizzers. In the first half, West Plains appearred to watch Sikeston do just about anything they wanted on the field. Sikeston put 6 goals on the board in the half. In the second half, a totally different team showed up for West Plains. The boys played hard and showed improvement on both ends of the field.

Up next for the Zizzers are games at Home on Tuesday against Joplin. The JV game will kickoff at 4:00pm. The Varsity game will follow.

The Hillcrest Hornets road home with two victories on Thursday night. Hillcrest won 2-0 in Varsity action and 2-1 in JV action. In the JV game, Hillcrest got on the board first scoring on a breakaway in the 13th minute. The Zizzers drew level in the 21st minute when Chris Polston sent a cross into the box where Jordan Johnson hit a shot just inside the post. That’s how things would stand at halftime. In the second half, the Hornets took the lead again in the 9th minute. West Plains had a chacne to tie the game on a penalty kick, but the shot was saved by the Hillcrest keeper. The Zizzers played one of their better games as both teams created some good scoring chances.

In Varsity action, West Plains came out and played strong and the game would be scoreless through the first half. Hillcrest took the lead in the 1st minute of the second half when the Zizzer defense got caught flat as a central defenser challenged a ball in the air. The mistake allowed Bryce Collier to run through and have a breakaway on Zizzer Keeper Anthony Holt. Collier slotted his ball past the diving Holt for what would prove to be the game-winner. The Zizzers put some pressure on the Hornet defense, but as has been the case all season long, the Zizzers struggled to finish off their chances. The Hornets would add an insurance goal in the 25th minute of the half as the Zizzers pushed guys forward to generate more offense. The goal came after a Hornet free kick as Colton Dalton sent a shot from the top of the box off the inside of the far post and in the goal for a 2-0 Hornet lead. The Zizzers continued to push forward creating some more good chances, but never could get on the scoreboard.

The effort was good tonight. We just have to be more opportunistic with the chances that we create and increase the speed of play. Defensively we are getting things sorted out. It’s a momentary lapse here or there that is costing us. With a couple of weeks to go before Districts, the boys are headed in the right direction.

Next up for both teams are games Saturday at Home against Sikeston. The JV game will start at 12:00pm with the Varsity game to follow.