DUEL OF THE GOALKEEPERS: Huskies 0, Cougars 0 (Blog date September 17, 2013)

Houston Baptist Huskies 0, Houston Cougars 0
W-D-L: 1-1-5                         1-3-2            
September 15, 2013
7:00 pm @ Houston Baptist University, Houston

Seven Division I teams in the greater Houston area, spread out over four different conferences. Since the realization of my dream that a tournament pitting these universities against each other will in all likelihood never materialize, I am willing to settle for a pseudo-league system to arrive at a champion of the city. They play each other, do they not? So I will just compile a table of their records against each other.

The next match in the "Bayou City League," if you will, features U of H at Houston Baptist University, two of the four Division I schools located inside Beltway 8, by and large an unheralded crosstown derby. If you did your pre-game homework, you would have anticipated one of the most exciting matchups this city has to offer. As new members of their respective leagues, both are determined to galvanize their form and gain momentum as the conference segment of the season looms just around the corner. It is doubtful that either team has been very satisfied with their form thus far. Houston Baptist, looking to replicate their success in 2010 when they won the Great West Conference Tournament championship in their debut year, must certainly be dissatisfied with their offensive output. Going into this match, the Huskies have been able to post only one win, scoring just three goals in six outings, half of their production by the same time last year. It has been a disappointing start for returning seniors Amina Radoncic and Molly Missimer and junior Natalie Hager who spearheaded the HBU attack in 2012, the latter two combining for 14 goals. Likewise, the Cougars have tallied three in five matches prior to this showdown. Defensively, both teams have been struggling to find stability after key components in their backlines graduated last May. Houston Baptist has allowed seven goals against and U of H is looking for a solid combination to take into their new conference. 

Given their respective defensive woes, and both offensive units hungry for goals and determined to reach their potential before conference play commences, we were bound to see an attack-filled game, with constant exchanges of deep penetrations and lots of shots on goal. The goalkeepers thus were deciding factors, holding their respective opponents off with save after save after save through double overtime - 19,  to be exact, logged in the official stats sheet. 

Eleven of those saves were made by Sydney George, a performance that earned her the American Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Week Award, a career first. Sydney arrived in Houston two years ago as a redshirt sophomore transfer from the University of New Mexico where she saw little playing time. With Cami Koski playing at all-conference level, Sydney got limited time in goal for her first two years as a Cougar. Now a senior, Sydney is breaking into the regular rotation, proving to Coach Pfau that she can be counted on as more than just Cami's backup. This stellar performance against a very attack-oriented HBU squad comes just in time for the conference series about to begin. The other eight saves in the match were credited to junior Stephanie Castellon, busting onto the scene after sitting out for a redshirt season, prior to which she saw action with the Guatemalan national U-20 team in the 2012 CONCACAF tournament. This hard-earned shutout draw against the Cougars primes Stephanie for a good Southland Conference run. 

Junior striker Natalie Hager (13), HBU's leading scorer last season, takes aim but is denied three times by UH keeper Sydney George. 

Natalie has plenty of touches against a Houston defense that has been working on stabilizing their back four that includes Courtney Dudley (26), Sydnie Green (12) and Shayne Clewett (4).

Sophomore transfer Lexa Green (30) is an aggressive addition to the Cougars' defense. Lexa brings speed, quickness, physical strength, intelligence and power to the backline. The Coogs have found a left back.

Rebekah Tovar (21) and Kelsey Missimer (2) meet Lexa Green (30).

Lexa (30) races back to catch attacker Kristi O'Brien (4)...

...cutting Kristi off as she turns into the box...

...sacrificing her left knee in the process. This tackle takes Lexa out of the game for some crucial minutes.

Alexis Weaver (5) and Jasmine Martinez (21) are very busy on the Cougars' offensive end.

Senior captain Amina Radoncic (26) and freshwomen Alessia Dal Monte (9) and Allison Abendschein (10) provide some key possessions for the Huskies.

Allison Abendschein (10) is confronted by Natalie Juncos (25) on the right flank. Natalie is pulled back into the defensive line to fill in for Lexa Green who goes off for some minutes to tend her left knee after a serious tackle.

Rebekah Tovar (21) sends the ball through against coverage by Danielle Muñoz (3). The only returning starter from last season's defense, Danielle's aggressiveness and intelligence has been essential in keeping the rebuilt Cougar backline solid and cohesive.

Kelsey Missimer (2) slows Kelsey Zamora (7) just enough to allow Guatemala U-20 international Stephanie Castellon (22) to make one of her eight saves on the night.

Senior Houston goalkeeper Sydney George (in white) has come into her own. She tallies a career-high 11 saves in the face of intense pressure from, among others, Allison Abendschein (10) and prolific striker Natalie Hager (13). After this performance, Sydney is named Goalkeeper of the Week by the American Athletic Conference.

(All photos by Kokoy Severino.)

KOKOY'S BAYOU CITY CUP         W     D     L     Pts     GF     GA
Sam Houston State Bearkats             2      0      0       6        9        0
Lamar Cardinals                              1      0      1       3        8       -5
Rice Owls                                       1      0      0       3        5       -3 
Houston Cougars                              0      1      0       1        0        0
Houston Baptist Huskies                    0     1      0       1        0        0
Prairie View A&M                            0      0      2       0        2       -6
Texas Southern Tigers                      0      0      1       0        0       -6  
(As of results through September 22)

UPCOMING MATCHES OF THE WEEK: 

Sunday Sep 22 South Carolina State University (#292) @ TSU 1:00 pm

Friday Sep 27 Northwestern State University (#260) @ HBU* 7:00 pm (Southland Conference)

Saturday Sep 28 Mississippi College (DIII) @ CTX (DIII)* at St. Stephen's, Austin 2:00 pm (American Southwest Conference)

Sunday Sep 29 Rice @ UTSA* 1:00 pm (Conference USA)

Thursday Oct 3 University of Cincinnati (#227) @ U of H* 7:00 pm (American Athletic Conference)

Friday Oct 11 TSU @ Prairie View A&M University (#303)* 7:00 pm (Southwestern Athletic Conference)

Friday Oct 18 Colorado College (#50) @ Rice* 7:00 pm (C-USA)

Sunday Oct 20 Mississippi Valley State University (#275) @ TSU* 1:00 pm (SWAC)

Thursday Oct 24 University of Central Florida (#20) @ U of H* 7:00 pm (AAC)

Friday Oct 25 Grambling State University (#322) @ TSU* 7:00 pm (SWAC)

Sunday Oct 27 East Carolina University (#97) @ Rice* 1:00 pm (C-USA)

Thursday Oct 31 LSU @ Tx A&M* 7:00 pm in College Station (Southeastern Conference)

Friday Nov 1 Sam Houston State University (#233) @ HBU* 5:00 pm (SLC)

Monday Nov 4 Conference USA Tournament Quarter-Finals* @ Rice
Wednesday Nov 6 Conference USA Tournament Quarter-Finals* @ Rice
Thursday Nov 7 Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament* @ Houston Amateur Sports Park
Friday Nov 8 Conference USA Tournament Semi-Finals* @ Rice 
Friday Nov 8 Red River Athletic Conference Tournament* @ Houston Amateur Sports Park 
Saturday Nov 9 Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament* @ Houston Amateur Sports Park 
Saturday Nov 9 Red River Athletic Conference Tournament* @ Houston Amateur Sports Park 
Sunday Nov 10 Conference USA Tournament Final* @ Rice
Friday-Wednesday Nov 15-20 NCAA Tournament 1st Round @ Campus TBA

(Kokoy's Matches of the Week are those which I plan to attend. Schedule subject to change.) 

Kokoy Severino has been coaching junior high school soccer in the public school system of the Greater Houston area for 19 years. He holds a National Youth Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, two coaching certifications from the United States Soccer Federation, and a Master in Educational Leadership degree from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. His research focuses on the relationship between interscholastic competitive soccer and the academic success of at-risk students. He returns regularly to his native country of the Philippines and conducts soccer training sessions for economically disadvantaged youths.

"This blog is to document the intensity, the depth, the passion, the strategic and tactical nuances, the stars, the spectacular play that I witness in the women's teams at the college level. And in doing so, it is my hope that others might be inspired to discover for themselves the beautiful game brought by the women." (Kokoy, from blog entry dated Nov 4, 2012)

IF THIS MATCH WERE A MOVIE, IT'D BE CALLED SPEED: Owls 0, Tigers 1 (Blog date September 16, 2013)

Rice Owls 0, Louisiana State Tigers 1
W-D-L: 2-2-3         4-1-3            
September 15, 2013
1:00 pm @ Rice University, Houston

In the college sports universe, Louisiana State University commands a mystique with few peers. When talking about elite programs, LSU seems to come up in several different sports conversations, not excluding the all holy American football. One sport in particular where the Tigers have dominated in overwhelming fashion is women's track and field. Since 1987, LSU has captured the national track and field championship 11 times indoors and 14 times outdoors, including an entire decade straight. No other school comes anywhere close. Whether this has any bearing on the performance of their soccer team can be the stuff of another conversation, but last Friday the Tigers used the speed of a national powerhouse track team to beat the Rice Owls on their own turf.

Usually the ones outpacing their opponents, Rice met their match on Sunday. Both teams possessing so much speed and quickness, with four players on the pitch that saw action at the U-20 or U-17 World Cups, this game was bound to be end-to-end, full of close chances and exchanges of near misses, the score even until the 70th minute. Keeping the crowd constantly on the edge of our seats, it took a goal-mouth melee in which the ball bounced from head to head before LSU senior Alex Ramsey made the final contact for somebody to finally get on the board. Inevitably, the game at such a breakneck pace, it was LSU who prevailed by sharing the ball more evenly. Better ball distribution allowed the Tigers to keep their edge over the Owls as the game wore on, and their effective coverage of the flanks where they had a speed advantage neutralized the Owls' wings, forcing Rice to take most of their drives up the middle. That's a lot of work for their center-fielders. In the crucial final minutes, Rice couldn't muster up the speed to get to the ball. Where was the Owls' 12th Woman? I was thinking to myself (see my blog entry dated September 14, 2013). The LSU cheering section, though fewer in number, were the only voices I could hear egging their team on the entire game. The Owls could have used a little of that profile-page-chanting this afternoon.

Freshwoman midfielder Emma Fletcher (8) spearheads a Tiger drive. One of the most highly touted recruits of her generation, Emma represented New Zealand at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2012, one of four players on the field with experience at the highest international youth level.

Lauren Hughes (7) gains alot of yardage for the Owls. Speed is the key factor in this matchup.

Addie Eggleston graduated from The Kinkaid School in Houston. LSU's starting 11 includes four products of greater Houston-area high schools.

Attacking defender Addie Eggleston (2) faces up against Kelsey Rightmer (20)...

...makes a move...

...and bursts past her...

...to deliver a lethal cross at full speed.

Addie owns LSU's right side down both ends of the field, containing even Lauren Hughes (7). Their flanks neutralized by the speed and effectiveness of the Tiger backs, Rice is forced to attack mainly up the middle.

Always the smartest and hardest-working player on the field, Quinney Truong (21) slices through the center.

A rare error by Rice keeper Amy Czyz (00) early in the game, in which a simple clearance hits Megan Lee (13) and bounces back towards goal, sends her lunging to recover. Megan's touch hits the post, a mistake I'm sure she wishes she could have back.

Jasmine Isokpunwu (8) goes up high to challenge LSU goalkeeper Megan Kinneman (1). Jasmine has to assert herself offensively from her stopper position as Rice spends a great deal of possession time in the middle. She has alot more ground to cover, racing back more often than usual from a deeper offensive point.

Fernanda Piña (7) makes a run. The sophomore midfielder has figured quite prominently in the national youth teams of Mexico, winning the 2012 CONCACAF U-20 championship and seeing significant minutes at the 2010 CONCACAF U-17 championship where the tri-color lost to Canada in the final. She went on to score two goals at the subsequent FIFA U-17 World Cup.  

Ashton Geisendorff (16) gets physical with Fernanda Piña (7) to win the ball.

Holly Hargreaves (12) takes some space against Alex Arlitt (14), who lettered at Clear Lake High School in Clear Creek, one of the school districts within the greater Houston landscape.

Keeper Amy Czyz (00) and the Rice defense weathers the LSU pressure for a majority of time.

The ball bounces off numerous heads in a goal-mouth melee that produces the only score of the afternoon.

Down by a goal, the Owls press. Gracie Campbell (23) stretches to force Danielle Spriggs's shot (19) off-target.

Argentina U-20 international Gabriela Iribarne (6) confronts Canada U-17 international Rebecca Pongetti (3). Gabriela represented her country at the 2012 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Japan. Rebecca played for Canada at the 2012 U-17 World Cup in Azerbaijan, reaching the quarter-final stage. Rebecca was also an integral part of the Canadian squad that captured the silver at the CONCACAF U-17 championship earlier that year.

The Tiger defense converges on an incoming ball. Solid senior goalkeeper Megan Kinneman (1) has an error-free day. Megan is a product of Elkins High School in Alief, a western suburban district in the greater Houston area.

Nina Anderson (21) outraces the Rice defense on a breakaway to force Amy Czyz (00) to make a spectacular save.

(All photos by Kokoy Severino.)

It is ironic to me that Rice, the leading institution of higher learning in the fourth largest city in the country, which recruits athletes from all over the world, with not a single locally-produced player, was beaten by a university from a neighboring state with one-third of its starting lineup comprised of graduates from Houston-area high schools, namely Tori Sample and Alex Arlitt (Clear Lake HS), senior keeper Megan Kinneman (Elkins), and attacking defender Addie Eggleston (Kinkaid), all of whom made critical contributions to the outcome of the game. In that sense, LSU had more of a home-field advantage than Rice did, despite the distance from Baton Rouge.

UPCOMING MATCHES OF THE WEEK: 

Sunday Sep 15 U of H (#126) @ Houston Baptist University (#205) 7:00 pm
           
Sunday Sep 22 Howard University (#310) vs Prairie View A&M University (#303) @ TSU 1:30 pm

Sunday Sep 22 South Carolina State University (#292) @ TSU 7:00 pm

Friday Sep 27 Northwestern State University (#260) @ HBU* 7:00 pm

Sunday Sep 29 Vanderbilt University (#114) @ Texas A&M University (#15)* 2:30 pm in College Station

Thursday Oct 3 University of Cincinnati (#227) @ U of H* 7:00 pm

Friday Oct 11 TSU @ Prairie View A&M University (#303)* 7:00 pm

Friday Oct 18 Oral Roberts University (#124) @ HBU* 5:00 pm

Friday Oct 18 Colorado College (#50) @ Rice* 7:00 pm

Sunday Oct 20 Mississippi Valley State University (#275) @ TSU* 1:00 pm

Thursday Oct 24 University of Central Florida (#20) @ U of H* 7:00 pm

Friday Oct 25 Grambling State University (#322) @ TSU* 7:00 pm

Saturday Oct 26 University of Texas-Tyler @ Concordia* 5:00 pm at St. Stephen's HS, Austin

Sunday Oct 27 East Carolina University (#97) @ Rice* 1:00 pm

Thursday Oct 31 LSU @ Tx A&M* 7:00 pm in College Station

Friday Nov 1 Sam Houston State University (#233) @ HBU* 5:00 pm


Monday Nov 4 Conference USA Tournament Quarter-Finals* @ Rice
Wednesday Nov 6 Conference USA Tournament Quarter-Finals* @ Rice
Thursday Nov 7 Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament* @ Houston Amateur Sports Park
Friday Nov 8 Conference USA Tournament Semi-Finals* @ Rice 
Friday Nov 8 Red River Athletic Conference Tournament* @ Houston Amateur Sports Park 
Saturday Nov 9 Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament* @ Houston Amateur Sports Park 
Saturday Nov 9 Red River Athletic Conference Tournament* @ Houston Amateur Sports Park 
Sunday Nov 10 Conference USA Tournament Final* @ Rice

(Kokoy's Matches of the Week are those which I plan to attend.) 

Kokoy Severino has been coaching junior high school soccer in the public school system of the Greater Houston area for 19 years. He holds a National Youth Diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, two coaching certifications from the United States Soccer Federation, and a Master in Educational Leadership degree from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. His research focuses on the relationship between interscholastic competitive soccer and the academic success of at-risk students. He returns regularly to his native country of the Philippines and conducts soccer training sessions for economically disadvantaged youths.

"This blog is to document the intensity, the depth, the passion, the strategic and tactical nuances, the stars, the spectacular play that I witness in the women's teams at the college level. And in doing so, it is my hope that others might be inspired to discover for themselves the beautiful game brought by the women." (Kokoy, from blog entry dated Nov 4, 2012)