West Plains Zizzer Soccer

The Zizzers traveled to Marshfield on Friday for their first ever match against Aurora. The field was a little soggy from all the rain, but the wind was the biggest obstacle for both teams. Brodie Bender opened the scoring in about the 5th minute, taking a pass from Cory Parks and firing a shot into the net from 15 yards out. Despite several good chances, the Zizzers couldn’t add to their lead until the 32nd minute. Klay Norman sent a direct free kick into the far corner of the goal for a 2-0 lead. That would be the score at the half.

The Zizzers continued to attack in the 2nd half. In the 47th minute, Justyn Biggers corner kick was knocked away by the Aurora Keeper, but Jack Parrish was there to fire a shot into the net for his first career goal. In the 65th minute, Cory Parks sent a ball into the box where Devon Scott put it in the goal to make the score 4-0 Zizzers. Klay Norman made it 5-0 in the 73rd minute, getting a goal after taking a pass from Cory Parks. All things considered, the Zizzers played a good game. We were able to adjust to the smaller field and the wind. The field was in decent shape considering all the rain and really wasn’t a big factor.

Next up for the Zizzers will be the #1 seed, Bolivar Liberators. That game will kickoff at 3:00pm on Saturday at Marshfield.

(Photo by Randy Hunt of R & R Photography)

The Ozark Tigers squared off with the Zizzers in the last regular season game on Wednesday. The Tigers got on the board in the the first ten minutes of the game on a shot that went off the hands of Zizzer Keeper Louis Jones. The Zizzers started out slow and played better as the game went along. Although they didn’t get any great shots on goal, they did create some good chances. The score at halftime would be 1-0. The game was much the same in the second half. Ozark put their second goal in after a failed clearance on a corner kick in the middle of the half. The final Ozark goal came as the Ozark player took the ball away froma Zizzer defender and went in alone against Louis Jones and sliding a shot past him.

Overalll the Zizzers played an okay game. It wasn’t the best game of the season, but there were some good things happening. Up next will be a District game on Friday against Aurora. The game will start at 4:30pm and will be played at Marshfield.

Today’s Games against Ozark have been postponed. We will play Ozark tomorrow (Wednesday) Varsity Only at 4:00pm.

(Photo by Randy Hunt of R & R Photography)

The Branson Pirates came to West Plains on Friday for a non-conference match. It was Senior Night for the Zizzers, who recognized 5 Seniors (Louis Jones, Klay Norman, Cory Parks, Jack Parrish, and Travis Waterson)and their parents between games. It was a great game that saw both teams playing hard, moving the ball, and creating scoring chances. It would be the Zizzers who would strike first in this one. Justyn Biggers’ cross from the right side in the 16th minute, found Kamen Smith open about 15 yards from goal. Smith’s shot was stopped by the Branson Keeper, but the rebound came back to Smith. The second shot found the back of the net for Smith’s first career goal and a 1-0 lead. The score would remain 1-0 at the half.

The Pirates went to work quickly in the second half, getting goals in the 42nd and 45th minutes. Fernando Cedeno had a hand in both Branson goals. On the first one, Cedeno brought a ball down in the box and fired a shot past Louis Jones to draw the Pirates level at 1-1. Three minutes later, Cedeno’s cross from the right side found Carlos Reyes in front of the goal. Reyes put one past Jones to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead. Both teams battled back and forth. Then in the 55th minute, Louis Jones sent a long punt across midfield. The ball bounced past the Branson defender and Devon Scott ran onto it, Scott carried the ball in on goal and slid a shot past the Branson Keeper to draw the Zizzers level at 2-2. The goal was Scott’s first career goal. Despite some close calls, the score would remain 2-2 through the end of regulation and two 10-minute Overtime periods.

After 100 minutes of play, a winner could not be determined. This meant the winner would be decided in a Penalty Kick Shootout. Each team chose a Keeper and 5 shooters. The Zizzers won the toss and elected to shoot second. Preston Neely was up first for the Pirates. Neely scored his PK for a 1-0 advantage. Cory Parks was up first for the Zizzers. His shot was stopped by the Branson Keeper. Next up was Noah Lennon for the Pirates. Lennon’s shot was stopped by Louis Jones. Dylan York stepped up for the Zizzers and knotted things up at 1-1. Fernando Cedeno then scored for Branson to make it 2-1. Chris Polston’s shot hit the post and bounced off the Branson Keeper and across the goalline to make it 2-2. Roman Gomez gave Branson the lead with his shot past Jones. Jack Parrish stepped in a fired his shot into the back of the net to make it 3-3. The last shooter for Branson was Carlos Reyes. His shot was stopped by Louis Jones, setting the stage for Justyn Biggers. Biggers sent his shot past the Keeper giving the Zizzers a 3-2 victory on Senior Night.

It was a well played game by both teams and exactly the kind of game the Zizzers needed with just a week before the beginning of District play. Great job boys!

The JV weren’t about to be outdone. After giving up a quick goal to the Pirates in the 2nd minute of play, the Zizzers fought their way back. This too was a back and forth game. In the 10th minute, Colton Hensley was taken down in the box. The Zizzers were awarded a Penalty Kick. Hensley took the kick and sent his shot past the keeper to make the score 1-1. The game would remain tied until near the last 3 minutes. With just under 3 minutes left in the game, Sean Tobeler picked up a ball and went in on goal, firing a shot into the back of the net for a 2-1 Zizzer lead. The defense was able to keep the Pirates from getting another goal. The final whistle finally blew and the JV Zizzers had their first win of the season. Great job Boys!

Here is the results of the seeding and schedule for the District Tournament. Games will be played at Marshfield this year.

1 Bolivar(17-3)
2 Cassville (12-3)
3 Monett (9-7)
4 Webb City (11-11)
5 Carl Junction (9-10)
6 Marshfield (7-12)
7 Logan-Rogersville (5-15)
8 West Plains (2-19)
9 Aurora (1-16)

Friday Oct 30
West Plains vs Aurora 4:30pm

Saturday Oct 31
Monett vs Marshfield 9am
Cassville vs Logan-Rogersville 11am
Webb City vs Carl Junction 1pm
Bolivar vs Aurora/West Plains Winner 3pm

Monday Nov 2
Semifinals 4:30pm and 6:30pm

Thursday Nov 5
Final 6pm

The Kickapoo Chiefs got on the scoreboard in the 2nd minute of action on a Goal by ?. Five minutes later, Devon Selsor scored after the Zizzers got caught out of position. Josh McCutcheon scored in the 10th minute with a shot inside the near post to make it 3-0. The Zizzers battled and moved the ball at times. Communication wasn’t as strong as it needed to be in the first half.

In the second half, the Zizzers played even better. Devon Scott had a nice shot on goal, the rebound came out, but the Zizzers weren’t able to get a strong shot back on goal. Dane Ruggeri made it 4-0 in the 60th minute with a long shot under the crossbar. The Zizzers kept working hard the entire game. It was a good all around effort.

In JV action, West Plains came out slow and didn’t play together as a team in the first half. Kickapoo would score all five of their goals before halftime. Goals came in the 3rd, 6th, 13th, 15th, and 33rd minutes. In the second half, the boys stepped up their play and were able to keep the Chiefs from adding to their lead. More aggressive play and better communication were keys to the improved play.

Next up will be games at Hillcrest on Thursday. Varsity will play first at 4:00pm with the JV game to follow.

(Photo by Randy Hunt of R & R Photography)

It was a good match between the Central Bulldogs and West Plains Zizzers on Friday. The field was a little wet from some afternoon rain, but that had little effect on the game. The game was back and forth with both teams putting pressure on their opponents’ defense. Despite the work of both teams offensively, the score remained 0-0 at halftime.

The second half started out just like the first half. That changed in the 65th minute. Central played a ball in behind the Zizzer defense to an on-rushing player. A Devon Scott made a good recovery run and was able to block the initial shot. In the ensuing scramble for the ball, Kelsey Garnett fired a shot past Louis jones for a 1-0 lead. The Zizzers never quit. They kept pushing for the tieing goal and came close on a couple of occasions. The best chance of the half was Dylan York’s shot from 25 yards out that went just over the crossbar. As West Plains pushed more players forward, Central would add an insurance goal. This one came in the 79th minute. Jordan Salvato got into the box on the right side and sent a ball past Jones for a 2-0 lead. The Zizzers kept fighting until the final whistle, but couldn’t get on the scoreboard.

The Zizzers did a lot of things right in this game. The offense has looked much better the last two games. Things are coming around. If we can get everybody healthy for a couple of games here at the end, we will be in good shape. The boys are working hard and trying to do what is asked of them. They haven’t let our record get them down. We have told them the whole season that our focus was on how we are playing and not on our record. We are playing pretty well, we just need to put a ball in the net and get that monkey off our back. Then we can relax and let things flow. Keep up the good work boys!

The Zizzers traveled to Poplar Bluff on Thursday and surrendered two first half goals. That would be all the Mules would need to gain the victory. Dustin Calvert received a pass and went in alone on Zizzer Keeper Louis Jones in the 11th minute, sending his shot past Jones for a 1-0 lead. Logan Plunkett would add a goal in the 35th minute as a Zizzer defender scooped up a loose ball and turned, only to have Plunkett take it off his foot and fire a shot inside the far post.

In the second half, the Zizzers really stepped up the offensive effort. Playing more aggressively, the Zizzers were able to create several dangerous chances, but couldn’t get one past the Poplar Bluff Keeper Drew Ernest.

If we can continue to play strong defensively and get the offense to come around, we will be in good shape come District time. That is what we have been working for all season. There are just 5 regular season games left on the schedule.

In JV action, Poplar Bluff defeated the Zizzers 1-0. The goal came in the 34th minute on a header by Chris Bartmess. The JV Zizzers played well and creating some chances of their own. There was some good ball movement and defensively the communication was good.

Next up for the Varsity will be a game Friday at Home against Central at 5:00pm. Both the JV and Varsity will travel to Kickapoo on Tuesday for an Ozark Conference matchup. JV will play first with kickoff scheduled for 5:00pm.

Former Zizzer Soccer Standout, Jacob Plocher of the William Penn Statesmen, has been named Midwest Collegiate Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Plocher took home the award as he helped William Penn (4-7-1) to two wins last week, breaking a seven-game losing streak.

Here is more from the Statesmen website:

The senior assisted on both the game-tying and game-winning goals in last Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Avila (Mo.) and then assisted on the game-winner and also had a goal of his own in Saturday’s 3-1 victory against Waldorf.

For the season, Plocher leads the Statesmen with six assists in addition to two goals. He is second on the team with ten statistical points (2 points for a goal, 1 point for an assist).

It is the first weekly honor for the men’s soccer program this fall.

Congratulations Jacob!

The Zizzers traveled to Joplin on Tuesday to take on the Eagles. There was standing water on the JHS Soccer Field, so the game was moved to the turf at Junge Field. Because there was already a Junior high Football Game scheduled, the soccer game kicked off at 3:30pm, leaving no time for a JV game to be played.

The Zizzers came out defending fairly well as Joplin moved the ball around the turf. The score was 0-0 until the 18th minute when Lucas Kemper lofted a high shot over the head of Louis Jones and into the net for a 1-0 lead. Kemper would score again in the 31st minute. This time it would be a tap in after an initial save by Jones. The score at halftime would be 2-0.

The Zizzers played a little better in the second half.Miguel Farias would give Joplin a 3-0 lead in the 62nd minute. The Zizzers had their best scoring chance a few minutes later off a free kick. Dylan York sent a ball into the box that Jack Parrish just missed in front of the goal. Joplin would add one more goal in the 74th minute on a shot by Joe Rice. The final score was 4-0 in favor of the Eagles.

The Zizzers’ Backs have been playing pretty well lately with Jack Parrish, Dylan York, Trevor Cressman, and Colton Hensley getting comfortable with each other. We need to get more consistency defensively from our midfielders and forwards. Offensively we need to slow things down, control the ball, and get more players involved in the attack. At times we started to do that in the second half, but we have to do it consistently.

Next up for the Zizzers will be games at Poplar Bluff on Thursday. JV will play first at 4:30pm. The games will be played at Whiteley Park in Poplar Bluff