Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Kewpies beat Jays with late goal

Kewpies beat Jays with late goal
Overtime goal lifts Hickman over Jeff City.
By Steve Walentik

Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Hickman Soccer 1, Jefferson City 0

It happened quickly, even if it was 83 minutes in the making.

After a Hickman throw-in deep in Jefferson City territory last night in overtime of a match pitting district boys soccer rivals on LeMone Field, Kewpies midfielder Andy Atkins sent a cross into the middle of the penalty area. A Jays defender knocked the ball down, but it slipped away from his feet before he had a chance to clear. Hickman’s Alex Holliday bullied his way onto the loose ball, cut immediately toward the middle and let go a sliding shot that screamed past the hands of Jefferson City goalkeeper C.J. Loehner.

“I just slid and hoped it was going in,” said Holliday, whose second goal of the season gave the Kewpies a 1-0 overtime victory. “It’s good to get a W. We worked really hard. We’ve got some stuff to work on, but I think as a team, we needed that.”

A loss would have been tough to take for Hickman (2-1-1), even early in the season. The Kewpies had possession of the ball for approximately two-thirds of the first 80 minutes but had few good scoring chances to show for all their time spent in the opposing end.

“I just didn’t feel like we really executed all night,” Hickman Coach Adam Taylor said. “I wasn’t disappointed in our play, but I just didn’t think we were sharp.”

It was a continuation of the sluggish offensive performance that befell Hickman in last weekend’s season-opening Quincy Notre Dame Tournament in Quincy, Ill. Taylor’s team totaled three goals in three games against Illinois schools Maine South, Francis Parker and Danville.

The young Jays (2-1) had a foot in keeping the Kewpies from generating more opportunities or converting the ones they had.

“For our inexperience and our youth, I thought we did a decent job of limiting the real dangerous chances they had,” said Jefferson City Coach Eddie Horn, who started as many freshman — two — as he did seniors on a team that lost 10 starters from last season. “There’s no doubt they had the ball in our half more, but as far as real, real quality shots at goal that our keeper had to make plays to keep us in it, how many do you think they had?”

With just over nine minutes left in the opening half, Jefferson City’s Nick Anglen caught up to a through-ball up the middle with a full head of steam and worked into the penalty area. He tried to flick the ball over goalkeeper Spencer Mills, who was charging off his line. The ball bounced off the post and was eventually cleared.

Freshman Aaron Crane had a breakaway in the first minute of the second half, but Mills, again charging forward to meet him, smothered the ball before a shot was fired.

Hickman did have to withstand a more steady assault from Jefferson City in the final 10 minutes of regulation.

“If we give up the ball in the attacking third, it comes back to the defense, and they’re already being pushed,” Holliday said. “That’s what happened toward the end. We couldn’t get anything together in our attacking third, and our defense was getting pounded, so we need to get our heads up. We need to know what we’re doing when we’re going toward the goal instead of just giving the ball up.”

Taylor was happy his team could get that lesson in a victory, in a match both coaches agreed provided a good indicator of their progress early in the season. He was not happy to see his Kewpies collect three yellow cards in the second half in the process.

“We let the emotions get the best of us,” Taylor said. ... “I was a little bit embarrassed and upset by that. You never hope that that happens, because we want to be a respectful team, but unfortunately, it did tonight, and we’ll readdress that.”

Reach Steve Walentik at 573-815-1788 or e-mail swalentik@columbiatribune.com.


Slide Show: Hickman Soccer v Jefferson City photos by Joshua A. Bickel

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Driving Directions

  • WAYNESVILLE : Take 63 South Towards Jeff City. Take US-54 W thru Osage Beach to Camdenton. Take MO Hwy 5 South to Lebanon , MO.Continue on MO Hwy 5 South to I-44 E towards Waynesville, MO. Take Exit 156, toward WAYNESVILLE/FORT LEONARD WOOD. Turn LEFT onto HIGHWAY H/I-44-BL/MO-H. Continue to follow I-44-BL.Turn RIGHT onto MO-17/W I-44-BL.1001 HISTORIC 66 W.
  • QUINCY TOURNAMENT IN QUINCY ILLINOIS: From Columbia Take 70 West to Kingdom City. Take 54 North to Mexico and then 54 east and north (54/19) to Laddonia. From Laddonia take 19 North to New London and then 61 North to Hannibal. When you get to Hannibal, you will need to take a right at the sign that says Quincy or to Illinois or to Springfield which is hwy 72 across the river. You will then pick up Highway 172 north to Quincy. In Quincy take the Broadway exit and go left.The fields we are playing on are located on State Street. The streets in Quincy that run West to East are numbered streets. The Mississippi River is to the West and the street numbers get higher the further East you go. When you enter from highway 172 the first street you will see is 48th street. Go left. At State St turn right and the park is a few blocks on the right. The Paul Dennis Complex is located on State between 36th and 48th street.
  • JEFFERSON CITY- 179 SOCCER PARK: Take 63 to Jeff City. Across the river take Hwy 50 toward Sedalia. Take the hwy 179 exit and turn right onto 179. The soccer park is about 3 miles on your left.
  • DESMET High school from CBC High school (about 3 miles): leave CBC and turn left (east) onto N Forty Dr. Turn right onto Conway Rd. Follow Conway Rd to left at S New Ballas Rd and it is about 1.2 miles to the high school at 233 N. New Ballas Rd.
  • CBC High school in St Louis: about 1 hour and 50 minutes. Take I-70 east to US40E/US61S just past Wentzville. Head toward Chesterfield/Forrest Park. About 23 miles to Mason Rd exit. Take S Mason Rd north back over the highway. Turn right on N. Forty Dr and the high school is on your left about a mile at 1850 De la Salle Dr.
  • CAMDENTON: Hwy 54 out of Jeff City to Hwy 5 in Camdenton. Turn left (east) on to Hwy 5. Continue on Hwy 5 for 5 or 6 blocks and can see the school campus on your left (north side of road). Turn on to Dare Blvd and the stadium is a block or two behind the schools.
  • SMITHTON TOURNAMENT: I-70 west to Booneville. Exit on Hwy 5 south. From Hwy 5 take Hwy 50 west. Go to Hwy W and turn south. Follow Hwy W into Smithton. Turn east on to E. Washington St. (I think this is a continuation of Hwy W), Turn right (south) on to Myrtle Ave and the school is 550 Myrtle Ave. Games are at the school.
  • ROLLA: Hwy 63 out of Jefferson City. Continue on Hwy 63 into Rolla. Turn left (east) on to 10th St. Continue on 10th St about 8 blocks to N. Cedar St. High School is at corner of N. Cedar and 10th St. Soccer field is behind the high school.