WE'RE BA-ACK: Houston Cougars 2, Sam Houston State Bearkats 2 (blog date: August 17, 2014)

Houston Cougars 2, Sam Houston State Bearkats 2
W-D-L: 0-1-0            0-1-0
August 17, 2014
7:00 pm @ University of Houston
American Athletic Conference vs Southland Conference
National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division I

We're ba-ack... 

...just when you thought that this crackpot blogger had fallen off the edge of the pitch. Just like those of you who kept clicking to check for new entries over the past 12 months or so, I couldn't resist it any longer. The lure and intrigue of this blog's subject matter is just too powerful to ignore. When life happens, and continues to happen, one must celebrate or mourn with, take refuge in or seek joy from the people and things that matter the most. Atop my short list of things is this game which has served as the catalyst to so much meaning in life, meaning that demands expression, the perfect medium of which is the beauty of the game as it is manifested by the women who have committed their lives to it. Thus we play, we fall, we rise and play on to seek the next opportunity to penetrate into the offensive third, to receive the next cross, to come back, pressure and defend, to pass, to take off down the line and to strike. The game is never-ending.

If you are no stranger to this blog, then you are probably familiar with my fascination with the idea of a cup competition between the colleges in the greater Houston area. My post-graduate alma mater the University of St. Thomas inaugurating their women's team this year makes eight college soccer programs in the fourth largest municipality in the country, including five inside the Sam Houston Beltway and three within a 90-minute drive of downtown. Eight teams is perfect for a three-day single-elimination tournament. Now that Houston has its own professional women's soccer franchise, the Dash, it makes so much more sense that such a tournament be held at BBVA Compass Stadium which both the Dynamo and the Dash call home, and proceeds from ticket and merchandise sales can go towards local charities. Alas, in the words of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie in his famous speech during a state visit to the United States in 1968, I suspect my vision for a single tournament to determine the champions of the city "will remain but a fleeting illusion to be pursued but never attained."

In know that I've attempted this before (see blog entry dated October 19, 2013 "Underdogs Swarmed on the Road"), but in the absence of a central city-wide tournament, this blog is willing to venture nonetheless into the uncharted territory of deciding the champions of Houston using overall results and head-to-head competition. With eight college teams distributed over five different conferences, head-to-head matchups will be few. That just makes them all the more valuable and meaningful, even if the match is slated as a preseason friendly, like the opening match on this blog, a local derby pitting the inner city's flagship university against the suburban school from the northern edges of town. 

Click Houston v Sam Houston State to view the full match photo album by Kokoy.

Two sophomores, Sam Houston's Jordan Jarzombek (orange 16) and Houston's Megan Goh (white 16), engage in an aerial battle. Jordan was a member of the Klein Oak High School squad that won three District championships and went all the way to the Texas State Finals in 2012. Megan graduated in the top 1% of her North Crowley High School class in Fort Worth, and her intelligence manifests itself through her creative decision-making on the field.

Sydnie Green (left) contains Maddy Panozzo (9). After transferring from Missouri at the end of her freshwoman season, Sydnie earned her spot in the Cougars' starting defense last year with hustle, intelligence and aggressiveness. Now a junior, Sydnie will have to assert some leadership to improve upon a -27 overall goal differential from her sophomore year.

This ain't no friendly. The Houston-Sam Houston derby gets physical. Ashley Fluty (26) hits the deck as Kelsey Zamora (7) plays through her. Kelsey is part of the all-senior trio in UH's striker rotation, which also features Kaylah Walker (13) and Alexis Weaver (5). The lone senior in the Bearkats' backfield, Ashley will lead a defense on a mission to win more than half of its conference matches, a feat she has yet to see since donning an SHSU jersey as a freshwoman.

Junior Mariah Titus (6), tussles with Alexis Weaver (5) and Gabrielle Rodriguez (15). Mariah was the centerpiece of Sam Houston's offense last season, netting eight for 39 shots on goal.

Local derbies such as Houston v Sam Houston State often pit former high school teammates against each other. Gabrielle Rodriguez (15) was also a member of that high-achieving Klein Oak High School team with Jordan Jarzombek.

Hannah Dauzat (8) chases Emily Edenstrom (13) in the midfield. Hannah is part of the senior contingent at Sam Houston intent upon finishing their college career with a winning record. Hannah's transfer from Louisiana Tech should bolster the Houston midfield. Hannah still holds the Cy-Fair District high school record for most career (51) and single-season (21) assists.

A double-overtime goalless draw - the Coogs' rebuilding defense containing junior Mariah Titus, a product of the US Olympic Development Program who finished last season with eight tallies to spearhead the Sam Houston State offense. Is this an indication of how evenly this upcoming season will unfold? That is just one of the many questions this blog ponders as we embark on a fresh new campaign. Will Quinney and Gabi, Lauren and Holly finally realize the destiny which Kokoy had predicted for the Rice Owls two years ago? Are they and the gelling Roadrunners of UTSA on the collision course for the Conference USA championship, as Kokoy foresaw? Will Natalie and company revive HBU's drive towards another conference championship? Will Marlyn and her crew weather yet a third coaching change in two years and finally bring TSU to the level their hustle and heart deserve to be? Will Kokoy's alma mater UST defy the odds they face in their inaugural season and surprise us all? Is this the season that a championship comes back to the inner Beltway of the fourth largest municipality in the world's most powerful country? 

Or is Kokoy just full of it?

Kokoy's full match observation schedule:

Sun Aug 17, 7:00 pm NCAA Women Division I friendly 

Houston 2, Sam Houston State 2 (2OT)

American Athletic Conference (AAC) vs Southland Conference (SLC)

@ Carl Lewis Field, University of Houston, Houston

Game 1 of Space City Cup

Fri Aug 22, 7:00 pm NCAA Women Division I Interconference

#251 Houston 0 vs #309 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 0 (2OT)

AAC vs SLC

@ Carl Lewis Field, University of Houston, Houston

Sun Aug 24, 1:00 pm NCAA Women Division I Interconference

#157 Rice 2 vs #70 Dayton 2 (2OT)

Conference USA (C-USA) vs Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10)

@ Holloway Field, Rice University, Houston

More overtime 

Sun Aug 31, 11:00 am NCAA Women Division I Interconference

11:00 am #51 Stephen F. Austin 2 vs #38 Arkansas 4

SLC vs Southeastern Conference (SEC)

@ Mike A. Myers Stadium, University of Texas, Austin

Sun Aug 31, 2:00 pm NCAA Women Division I Interconference

2:00 pm #50 Texas 5 vs #262 Nevada 1

Big XII vs Mountain West Conference (MWC)

@ Mike A. Myers Stadium, University of Texas, Austin

Fri Sep 5, 7:00 pm NCAA Women Division I Interconference

#157 Rice 2 vs #174 Vanderbilt 1 (OT)

C-USA vs SEC

@ Holloway Field, Rice University, Houston

Sat Sep 6, 7:30 pm Major League Soccer

Houston Dynamo 3 vs Montreal Impact 2

@ BBVA Stadium, Houston

Sun Sep 7, 1:00 pm NCAA Women Division I Interconference

#245 Houston Baptist vs #57 Oral Roberts

SLC vs Summit Conference

@ Sorrels Field, Houston Baptist University, Houston

(Cancelled 1-2 after 20 minutes due to lightning)

Wed Sep 10, Copa Centroamericana group stage

5:00 pm Panama 2 vs Nicaragua  0

7:00 pm El Salvador 2 vs Belize 0

9:00 pm Honduras 0 vs Guatemala 2

@ BBVA Stadium, Houston

Fri Sep 12, 7:00 pm NCAA Women Division I Interconference 

#251 Houston 1 vs #245 Houston Baptist 1

AAC vs SLC

@ Carl Lewis Field, University of Houston, Houston

Sat Sep 13, 7:30 pm Major League Soccer

Houston Dynamo 2 vs Columbus Crew 2

@ BBVA Stadium, Houston 

Sun Sep 14, 1:00 pm NCAA Women Division I Interconference

#245 Houston Baptist 0 vs # North Texas 2

SLC vs C-USA

@ Sorrels Field, Houston Baptist University, Houston

Fri Sep 19, 5:00 pm NAIA Women Interconference

St. Thomas 1 vs Concordia-Texas 0

Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) vs American Southwest Conference (ASC)

@ Houston Sports Park

Sat Sep 20, 7:00 pm NCAA Women Division I Interconference

Rice 3 vs Air Force 2

C-USA vs MWC

@ Holloway Field, Rice University, Houston

Fri Sep 26, 7:00 pm NCAA Women Division I Southwestern Athletic Conference

Texas Southern 2 vs Alabama A&M 2 (2OT)

@ Alexander Durley Stadium, Texas Southern University, Houston

Sun Sep 28, 2:00 pm Major League Soccer

Houston Dynamo vs Chicago Fire

@ BBVA Stadium, Houston

Fri Oct 3, 7:00 pm NCAA Women Division I Southland Conference

Houston Baptist 0 vs Stephen F. Austin 2

@ Sorrels Field, Houston Baptist University, Houston

Sat Oct 4, 1:00 pm NAIA Women Red River Athletic Conference

St. Thomas 1 vs Wiley 1 (2OT) 

@ Houston Sports Park

Sun Oct 5, 1:00 pm NCAA Women Division I Southland Conference

Houston Baptist 2 vs McNeese State 1 (OT)

@ Sorrels Field, Houston Baptist University, Houston

Sun Oct 12, 2:00 pm Major League Soccer

Houston Dynamo vs DC United

@ BBVA Stadium, Houston

Thu Oct 16, 7:00 pm Major League Soccer

Houston Dynamo 1 vs New England Revolution 3

@ BBVA Stadium, Houston

Sun Oct 19, 2:00 pm NCAA Women Division I Southwestern Athletic Conference

Texas Southern vs Howard

@ Alexander Durley Stadium, Texas Southern University, Houston

Thu Oct 23, 7:00 pm NCAA Women Division I American Athletic Conference

Houston vs Memphis 

@ Carl Lewis Field, University of Houston, Houston

Fri Oct 24, 7:00 pm NCAA Women Division I Conference USA

Rice vs Old Dominion

@ Holloway Field, Rice University, Houston

Sat Oct 25, 5:00 pm NAIA Women Interconference

St. Thomas vs Houston-Victoria

@ Houston Sports Park

Sun Oct 26, 12:00 noon NCAA Women Division I Conference USA

Rice vs Charlotte

@ Holloway Field, Rice University, Houston

Sun Oct 26, 2:00 pm NCAA Women Division I Southwestern Athletic Conference

Texas Southern vs Southern

@ Alexander Durley Stadium, Texas Southern University, Houston

Fri Oct 31, 7:00 pm NCAA Women Division I Southwestern Athletic Conference

Texas Southern vs Prairie View A&M

@ Alexander Durley Stadium, Texas Southern University, Houston

Game 3 of Space City Cup

Sun Nov 2, 1:00 pm NCAA Women Division I Southland Conference

Houston Baptist vs Southeastern Louisiana 

@ Sorrels Field, Houston Baptist University, Houston

Tue Nov 25, ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup group stage

4:00 pm Philippines vs Indonesia

7:00 pm Qualification Runner-Up vs Vietnam

@ My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam

Wed Nov 26, ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup group stage

5:00 pm Malaysia vs Thailand

8:00 pm Qualification Winner vs Singapore 

@ National Stadium, Singapore Sports Hub, Kailang, Singapore

Fri Nov 28, ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup group stage

7:00 pm Philippines vs Vietnam

@ My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam

Kokoy Severino has been coaching junior high school soccer in the public school system of the Greater Houston area for 21 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)