Rock Bridge soccer earns shutout in win over Kewps

Rock Bridge midfielder Danny Baird, right, dribbles through midfield as Hickman midfielder Connor Hollrah, left, attempts to sweep the ball away during the first half of the Bruins’ 4-0 victory against the Kewpies Tuesday night on Sells Field.
By Nick Snow
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Coach Kyle Austin said his Rock Bridge boys soccer team didn’t play its best.
Soccer
Rock Bridge 4, Hickman 0
That’s a little hard to believe, considering the Bruins (17-4) had just beaten Hickman 4-0 on Sells Field to sweep the regular-season series.
“It feels good to beat them,” Rock Bridge midfielder Ty Griggs said. “I play with a lot of those guys on a club team, so this gives me a chance to represent my school. There’s always a little bit of a rivalry, but that’s what makes it fun. We enjoy beating Hickman.”
Hickman (15-5-1) flexed its muscle early, attacking with a fury over the first 10 minutes. But the Bruins weathered the storm with a couple of great saves by Brady Wulff.
“Brady is our senior captain for a reason,” Austin said. “Not only is he very vocal, he leads by his play. Any time we have him back there, we know its going to take the other team’s best effort to win. He’s playing at another level, and I know assistant coach Alex Nichols — who works with him in practice — has been very impressed with the way he has played.”
After getting stuffed by Hickman goalkeeper Chuck Wilson earlier in the half, Matt Kelly got Rock Bridge started by blasting a free kick into the upper right corner.
The Kewpies had a couple of chances late — including a shot through the box by Andy Atkins — but with 8 seconds left, Eli Sherman found Kelly for a breakaway to give Rock Bridge a 2-0 halftime lead.
“That was a huge goal at the time,” Austin said. “It was a great job by Eli, and it allowed Matt to slide into position. That goal really changed the game. We were able to take that and build on that momentum at halftime.”
Wilson couldn’t haul in a bouncer in traffic with 33:38 left in the game. From there, Rock Bridge’s Ryan Taylor was in the right place at the right time, knocking the ball into the net on the rebound.
“We’ve been flopping back and forth between Spencer Mills and Chuck all year,” Hickman Coach Adam Taylor said. “Tonight, it was Chuck’s turn. He’s a senior, so I wanted to give him one more chance to beat Rock Bridge.”
The Bruins tacked on one more with 15 minutes left. With several defenders on him, Griggs took a shot while falling down. Somehow, the ball squirted through the defense and into the net.
“Eli Sherman worked hard to get the ball to Trevor Davis,” Griggs said. “Trevor gave me a great pass, and I just took a shot and hoped for the best. We know that Hickman is going to come back hard if we see them in districts. We just have to keep looking forward.”
Rock Bridge will host Waynesville tomorrow, while Hickman will travel to Lincoln Prep tomorrow.
“We’ve got to go back to work,” Taylor said. “We’ve got about a week and a half before districts start. We really didn’t play that bad. Hopefully, this will make us more intense for the rest of the season. We know that now is the time to push ourselves.”

Rock Bridge and Hickman soccer players friends and competitors

Tuesday, October 12, 2010 11:25 p.m. CDT; updated 12:17 a.m. CDT, Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Rock Bridge's Danny Baird jumps to steal the ball from Hickman's James Griggs, left, and Alex Holliday in the ruins' 4-0 victory Tuesday over the Kewpies. ¦ CLINT ALWAHAB/Missourian
BY Blair Weaver
COLUMBIA — The players on the Hickman and Rock Bridge boys soccer teams are competitors on the field, but are close friends off the field.
Rock Bridge seniors Brady Wulff, Ryan Taylor and Danny Baird have been close friends with Hickman's Andy Atkins, Colin Janicek and Alex Holliday for about five or six years. They all play on the Columbia Pride, a club team in Columbia.
“It’s a lot different playing against them,” Taylor said. "I have a lot of respect for them on and off the field. I have to get it out of my mind that we’re friends when we play against each other."
They talk to each other a little on the field, but for the 80-minutes of the game, the focus is on bringing their school a win. Rock Bridge prevailed Tuesday night securing a 4-0 victory over visiting Hickman. Matt Kelly had two first-half goals for the Bruins, while Taylor and Ty Griggs scored in the second half.
“It’s a pain playing against them. They’re great guys to play with, but when you play against them, you know that they’re going to give 100 percent,” Atkins said. “We all go hard, it’s the same intensity, but I’m more cordial to them than any other player. It’s definitely nice to talk to them before and after the game though.”
The players know the ins and outs of how the other plays, which works to their advantage both as teammates and as opponents. They’re not just another player. They're players that they’ve cheered on, encouraged and traveled to out-of-town tournaments with.
“It’s definitely more competitive on the field against them. Once the season is over, there’s always bragging going on about who won during the season,” Taylor said. “It’s business on the field, but jokes off the field.”

Hickman soccer team net road win

Monday, October 11, 2010 11:44 p.m. CDT
BY Missourian staff
The Hickman boys soccer team beat Fatima 2-0 on Monday night in Westphalia.
Colin Janicek and Taylor Ray claimed goals for the Kewpies (12-5-1). Goalkeeper Spencer Mills earned the shutout.
Hickman is set to play Tuesday at Rock Bridge.

Rockhurst outlasts Hickman soccer team in overtime

Thursday, October 7, 2010 9:57 p.m. CDT
BY Missourian staff
The Hickman boys soccer team lost to Rockhurst 1-0 in overtime Thursday evening in Kansas City.
The game-winner came from Rockhurst freshman forward Cole Stevenson with 1:30 left in the first overtime period.
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Hickman (11-5-1) plays next at 5 p.m. Monday at Fatima.

Hickman soccer edges Troy Buchanan in shootout win

By Nick Snow
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
It took 100 minutes and a couple of heart-stopping penalty kicks, but the Hickman boys soccer team finally snatched victory away from Troy Buchanan last night on LeMone Field.
Boys soccer
Hickman 0, Troy 0 (5-4 PK
Goalkeeper Spencer Mills recorded back-to-back saves, including the stop on Troy’s Alex Williams that gave Hickman the edge in penalty kicks needed to win the game 0-0 (5-4 PK).
“I just made sure I went the right way,” Mills said. “That last shot went right down the middle, and I stuck with it. We knew coming in that they were going to be a tough team, but we’re really happy with the win. A lot of that credit goes to the defense.”
After Eric Pekkala, Hickman’s fifth kicker, tied the score at 4 with a shot that ricocheted off both posts before crossing the line, Mills slid left just in time to catch Alex Martin’s blast — sending the match into a second round of penalty kicks. From there, Adam Brenner sent a laser into the back of the net before Mills came up with the stop to win the game.
“It’s always good to get into a situation like this,” Hickman Coach Adam Taylor said. “We handled adversity really well. We got down early in penalty kicks, but Spencer came up with a couple of huge saves.”
Hickman (10-4-1) had several chances to keep the game from going into overtime, especially late in the first half. But every chance Alex Holliday and Andy Atkins had, Troy goalkeeper Chris Wood was there to keep the Kewpies off the board.
With just more than two minutes left in the half, Troy had a 5-on-3 breakaway after Hickman got caught trying to generate some offense. However, Adam Kopriva and Thomas Pekkala combined to dilute the threat and keep the game scoreless at the half.
Play got more physical in the second half, as both teams started to push a little more. After spending a majority of the half around midfield, Conner Hollrah’s shot hit the crossbar with 7:54 left in regulation, sending the match to overtime in a scoreless tie.
Troy used its speedy forwards to get an open look halfway through the first overtime, but Ben Lehmkuhl’s shot rolled just outside the right post.
Holliday brought the Hickman fans to their feet, hauling in a long pass from Brian Willcox and blistering it into the back of the net for what looked like the game-winner. Instead, Holliday was ruled offside and the goal was waved off.
“This was a very physical team,” Taylor said. “A game like this should help prepare us for districts, because those opponents like to muscle up.”

Hickman soccer outlasts Troy Buchanan in penalty kicks

BY Sean Leahy
COLUMBIA — It took two overtimes and two rounds of penalty kicks, but the Hickman soccer team finally got its victory.
Kewpies goalkeeper Spencer Mills stonewalled Troy Buchanan forward Alex Williams in the second round of penalty kicks and Hickman scored a 1-0 victory over the Trojans on Tuesday night at Hickman.
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“I stuck with it on that last one,” Mills said. “I just got the feeling he was going straight down the middle.”
Moments earlier defender Adam Brenner gave the Kewpies the lead after the first round of penalty kicks ended tied at 4.
When Mills cradled Williams’ shot in his chest, Hickman had survived for the win.
“I was thinking, ‘Thank goodness I stopped that ball and we got the win,’ ” Mills said. “We definitely needed to come up on top.”
Hickman coach Adam Taylor praised both his goalkeepers after the victory.
“We’ve got two keepers that are playing quite a bit,” Taylor said. “Spencer and Chuck (Wilson) are both giving us opportunities to win ballgames. It was Spencer’s turn tonight, and he did everything we asked him to do.”
The two teams battled for 100 minutes before going to penalty kicks. The Kewpies and Trojans both scored on their first penalty-kick shots, but Hickman’s second shot went just above the top crossbar.
A few shots later, the teams were tied at 4 when midfielder Alex Martin had the opportunity to give the Trojans the win. Mills stopped his shot, which pushed the game into the deciding second round of penalty kicks.
Up to that point, Hickman was fighting to get on the scoreboard with no results to show for it. Zeros may have occupied the scoreboard, but the Kewpies had their chances to take the lead.
With two minutes left in the second overtime, forward Alex Holliday’s goal was disallowed by an offsides call. With eight minutes left in regulation, midfielder Connor Hollrah’s shot hit off the top crossbar.
“We battled all night,” Taylor said.
The Kewpies (11-4-1) play next Thursday at Rockhurst in Kansas City.

Hickman boys soccer takes consolation championship

Saturday, October 2, 2010 6:44 p.m. CDT
BY Missourian Staff
The Hickman boy's soccer team beat Springfield Catholic 1-0 Saturday, winning the Gateway City Soccer Classic consolation championship.
Brian Willcox scored the lone goal in the 43rd minute, knocking in Andy Atkin's shot that had deflected off the goalkeeper's hands.
Goalkeeper Spencer Mills picked up the shutout for the Kewpies.
Atkins picked up two goals in Hickman's 4-0 second round victory over Fort Zumwalt South earlier in the day. Kewpie goalkeeper Chuck Wilson picked up the shutout.
The Kewpies (10-4-1) host Troy-Buchanan at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

Rock Bridge's narrow soccer victory no surprise against Hickman

BY Blair Weaver
COLUMBIA — With a crosstown rivalry, it’s not just your ordinary mid-season game; it goes much deeper than that.
“There’s just a different feel of the game, it feels just like a state game,” Rock Bridge boys soccer coach Kyle Austin said. "The kids get so over-hyped that I have to calm them down.”
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The crowd gets sufficiently larger. The feel of the game just isn’t quite the same. Emotions come into play, and with two high schools in the same town, your rivals aren’t always complete strangers.
“There are a lot of emotions. You have to learn how to suppress them and I don’t think we did that tonight,” Hickman coach Adam Taylor said. “But besides the rivalry, it’s still the same game. Eleven players, one ball.”
The Bruins defeated the Kewpies 1-0 Wednesday night at Hickman’s Robert M. LeMone Field. Rock Bridge junior Kory McDonald scored the lone goal in the second half. After having two assists this season, McDonald, a defender, scored his first goal Wednesday from about 30 yards out, the ball spinning right through the Hickman keeper’s hands.
The close game was not a surprise with Rock Bridge (10-4) and Hickman (8-3-1) boasting similar records.
“With games like these, the final score is expected to be 1-0, and that’s exactly what happened,” Austin said.

Bruins' hard work results in fortunate goal

By Steve Walentik
Thursday, September 30, 2010
It would have been easy think the Hickman boys soccer team unlucky after a seemingly innocent shot squirted through the hands of goalkeeper Chuck Wilson and trickled across the goal line.
Slide Show

● Soccer: Rock Bridge 1, Hickman 0
Fluky or not, the goal off the foot of Rock Bridge junior Kory McDonald proved to be the difference in the Bruins’ 1-0 victory last night on LeMone Field.
But the match itself was actually more heavily skewed in Rock Bridge’s favor.
“They did everything that they wanted to do tonight,” Kewpies Coach Adam Taylor said. “I thought they played extremely well. … We got beat in every aspect of the game, bottom line. Anyone who watched this game — even if you don’t know much about soccer — could see they just basically beat us, and it started in the middle of the field. They hammered us there early, often and all night.”
Taylor’s coaching counterpart, Kyle Austin, actually thought his Bruins began the night a little shaky, perhaps evidence of some nerves that came with facing their crosstown rivals for the first time since they ended Rock Bridge’s season in last year’s district semifinal. The match wasn’t 12 minutes old when Hickman senior Andy Atkins got loose on the right wing after McDonald misplayed a cross. Senior goalkeeper Brady Wulff charged hard off his line to challenge the upcoming shot, and Atkins fired high over the goal.
That would be the best opportunity the Kewpies (8-3-1) had, as the Bruins (10-4) settled down soon after. They began to possess the ball and mounted one attack after another into Hickman’s end of the field. Only a few produced quality scoring opportunities in the first half, but they kept Taylor’s team on the defensive, and Wilson had to come up with six saves just to keep the match scoreless at intermission.
Rock Bridge kept pressing in the second half. Junior Matt Kelly pounced on the ball after Eric Pekkala gave it away deep in Hickman territory and nearly notched his 15th goal of the season in the 47th minute.
It was about two minutes after Kelly’s chance that McDonald left the field with a bloody nose after catching an inadvertent elbow. With cotton plugging his right nostril, he returned just in time to deliver the biggest strike of the night with 27:59 left on the clock.
Atkins and Ryan Schmidt were battling for a loose ball when the ball rolled back toward McDonald, pinching in from the backline.
“It just found me,” said the junior, who quickly settled it some 30 yards from the goal. “I just decided to take a shot from out — just pepper the goalie. I hit it well. I didn’t hit it in a great spot, but it just found the net.”
First, the ball passed over traffic in front and through the hands Wilson, who seemed to be handcuffed by the spinning orb.
“My assistant coach,” Alex Nichols, “and I have preached to them all season, there’s no such thing as a bad shot,” Austin said. “Things can happen — it takes a deflection, something happens like with Kory’s shot tonight. … It wasn’t the prettiest of goals, but I tell them it doesn’t have to be pretty. It still counts on the score sheet the same.”
Rather than awaken Hickman’s attack, McDonald’s goal actually seemed to open up the field so that Rock Bridge could generate even more opportunities.
The Kewpies did manage a few scoring chances of their own while countering the Bruins’ advances over the final 28 minutes, but none really tested Wulff, who never had to leave his feet while making five saves.
Wulff might have preferred some more work, but Austin wasn’t complaining.
“If Brady never gets dirty, it’s a good game for us,” the coach said. “We have a solid keeper. I honestly believe he’s the best keeper here in Mid-Missouri. I tell our defense, ‘Let’s let him just sit back there and read a book.’ On nights like tonight, he was there. He’s a presence back there, but he didn’t have to come up with any huge saves. But there’ll be a point in the season, and we have faith in him that he’s going to make that save.”
Austin would like his Bruins to capitalize on a few more opportunities at the other end so that every save isn’t so important, but Hickman’s backline did a good job withstanding their pressure last night.
“Give credit to our guys. For as well as they played, we kept in it, we fought all night, and we only lost by a goal and goal that really we maybe could have got back somehow,” said Taylor, whose team hadn’t been challenged nearly as much while outscoring its opponents 20-0 during a three-game winning streak. “It’s early in the season still. We’ve still got plenty of time to work, and hopefully, this will put our guys back to work.”

Hickman boys soccer team earns shutout

Thursday, September 23, 2010 9:53 p.m. CDT
BY Missourian staff
COLUMBIA — The Hickman boys soccer team picked up a road victory by shutting out Smith-Cotton 2-0 Thursday in Sedalia.
Chuck Wilson picked up the shutout in goal for the Kewpies, who received goals from Taylor Ray in the 13th minute and Andy Atkins in the 69th minute.
The Kewpies improved to 8-2-1 and will host Rock Bridge on Wednesday.

Hickman shuts out Smith-Cotton

Taylor Ray and Andy Atkins scored to lead the Hickman boys soccer team to a 2-0 victory over Smith-Cotton yesterday in Sedalia.
Ray scored from 10 yards out off a pass from Chris McCoy in the 13th minute. Atkins added the insurance goal in the 69th minute for the Kewpies (8-2-1). Chuck Wilson earned the shutout in net.

Hickman soccer team scores eight in rout

By Nick Snow

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Four touches.

That’s all the action Hickman boys soccer goalkeeper Spencer Mills saw in the Kewpies’ 8-0 rout of Kansas City East at LeMone Field yesterday.

“We possessed the ball really well,” Hickman Coach Adam Taylor said. “Scoring that many goals shows that we had a lot of opportunities offensively. In this game, our best defense was our offense. We had to clean up a few touches at halftime, but I thought we played very well.”

Hickman (7-2-1) jumped to a 3-0 lead by halftime on goals from Brian Willcox, Connor Hollrah and Chris McCoy. Meanwhile, the defense of Thomas Pekkala kept East from registering a shot on goal.

In the second half, a cross from Alex Holliday landed at Spencer Miller’s feet, allowing Miller to blister the ball into the top left corner of the net with 34:09 remaining in the game. Miller had a chance at a second goal two minutes later, but the ball clanked off the post.

Perhaps the biggest cheer from the sparse Hickman crowd came at the 20:51 mark in the second half. All night, Taylor Ray had plenty of chances to score, but East goalkeeper Jesus Torres was there to deny Ray time after time. Thanks to a nearly perfect cross from Connor Hollrah, Ray blasted the ball into the bottom corner of the net for his first goal of the season.

“He had been unlucky for most of the game,” Taylor said. “The ball just bounced right to him and he was able to score his first goal of the season.”

Holliday and Nathan Wikle also got involved in the offense, scoring goals less than a minute apart. Seven players scored, with Hollrah scoring twice.

“We love to get everybody involved in the offense,” Taylor said. “You know you’re working the ball well when you have that many players score a goal.”

This article was published on page B3 of the Wednesday, September 22, 2010 edition of The Columbia Daily Tribune with the headline "Best defense is strong offense Kewpies score eight in rout.."

Photo by Don Shrubshell
Published September 22, 2010

Hickman’s Alex Holliday, right, scores past Kansas City East goalie Jesus Torres in the second half. Seven players scored as the Kewpies won 8-0 Tuesday night on LeMone Field.

Hickman soccer team rolls

Tuesday, September 21, 2010 | 8:04 p.m. CDT; updated 9:41 p.m. CDT, Tuesday, September 21, 2010
BY Blair Weaver

COLUMBIA — The Hickman boys soccer team defeated Kansas City-East 8-0 on Thursday at Hickman.

“I think we’ve really improved from last week. I’m happy as long as we’re getting better week by week,” Hickman coach Adam Taylor said.

Connor Hollrah scored twice and Brian Willcox, Chris McCoy, Spencer Miller, Taylor Ray, Alex Holliday and Nathan Wikle all had single goals for Hickman (7-2-1).

“We had so many opportunities that I would’ve liked to see go in,” Taylor said. “We missed a few here and there, but at least we are getting these opportunities.”

The Kewpies play next on Thursday against Smith-Cotton High School in Sedalia.

Injury can't slow Hickman soccer player

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 | 9:28 p.m. CDT; updated 10:16 p.m. CDT, Tuesday, September 14, 2010

BY LAUREN OMAHEN

COLUMBIA — Thirteen stitches were not going to affect his game. The way Grahm Meyer sees it, it's just a few scratches on his forehead.

Despite the stitches, Meyer, a junior on the Hickman soccer team, led the Kewpies with three goals in Tuesday's 10-0 victory over visiting K.C. Northeast.

A large X can clearly be seen on the top right side of Meyer's forehead as he explains how he suffered the injury. The wound is stitched-up, but dried blood still remains, slightly covered by the sweat dripping off his light brown hair.

"This happened in our game against Jefferson City," explained Meyer about the Kewpies' 1-0 overtime victory last Tuesday. "I entered the game after the first 15 minutes, and he (a Jays player) and I were going in to head-butt the ball — we collided."

Meyer said he doesn't really know what happened to the other player because he was immediately rushed to the emergency room.

This Tuesday, was Meyer's first time playing middle wing for the Kewpies. Meyer usually plays left and right wing, but Tuesday night he was ready to try something new.

"This was not too much of a transition for me," Meyer said. "But it was interesting to get an entirely new perspective of defense."

Hickman's defense was strong, rarely allowing its opponent into Kewpies' territory.

Hickman coach Adam Taylor seemed nonchalant about the big win.

"We did not come out with the energy and intensity that I would have liked," Taylor said. "Northeast is a fairly new soccer program, only about 5 to 6 years old, so the game went mostly as expected. Tonight, we focused on the basics, and this was an opportunity to improve on some of these basic skills."

The game had finished 20 minutes early because of the score. Hickman will play again Friday at Smithton High School.

Hickman soccer takes second in Francis Howell tournament

Saturday, September 11, 2010 | 8:23 p.m. CDT; updated 9:50 p.m. CDT, Saturday, September 11, 2010

BY MISSOURIAN STAFF

Hickman boys soccer placed second in the 22nd annual Francis Howell School District soccer tournament.

On Friday, Hickman beat Francis Howell 2-0 on goals by James Griggs and Alex Holliday. Brian Willcox assisted on both goals, and Spencer Mills earned his third shutout.

Hickman beat Howell North 2-1 on Saturday. With 15 minutes left, Hickman scored twice in less than a minute. The first was a header from Holliday, which Willcox assisted. Connor Hollrah scored the second after dribbling past two defenders and putting in a shot just under the goalie.

Hickman then fell to Francis Howell Central 3-1. Howell Central scored 11 seconds before the half on a shot that glanced off Mills. Holliday tied the game on a volley over the goalie’s head from 25 yards out with 14 minutes left. But Howell Central’s Tim McCormack scored off a penalty kick with five and half minutes left and again off a corner kick with one minute left.

Hickman is 5-2-1. The Kewpies face Kansas City East at 4 p.m. on Tuesday at home.

Hickman soccer player excels in many fields

Thursday, September 9, 2010 11:20 p.m. CDT; updated 12:08 a.m. CDT, Friday, September 10, 2010

BY Blair Weaver
COLUMBIA — Hickman boys soccer player Andy Atkins not only has talent on the field but off, as well.

In the Kewpies' game Thursday night against visiting Raymore-Peculiar, Atkins, a senior midfielder, scored on a penalty kick in the beginning of the second half to send Hickman on its way to a 4-1 victory.

This summer, Atkins was invited to spend a week in Washington D.C. representing his state at Boys Nation.

Boys Nation gives two high school boys from every state but Hawaii the opportunity to represent their state at the annual event. All 98 boys act as delegates and participate in “senator simulation” by gaining experience and education about the federal government.

Not quite every high school athlete is given such an opportunity. But Atkins isn't the usual high school athlete.

Besides being a captain on the soccer team and taking part in Boys Nation, Atkins also has been class president for the past three years, is starting up a poetry society, is a part of his high school’s mock trial organization where he has met several lawyers from Columbia, is a member of the school academic team, and is a member of the National Honor Society and the National Spanish Honor Society.

Atkins was first nominated for Boys Nation by Columbia city counselors and made it through an interview process before being selected.

“I loved getting to meet everyone from all the different states. Any preconceived notion I had about what people were like was blown out of the water,” Atkins said.

While in D.C., not only did the boys get to meet the Supreme Court, spend time in the Library of Congress, sit in on senate sessions and meet both state senators from their state, but they got to visit the White House and meet President Obama, as well.

“I’m interested in a law degree. I met a lot of staffers with law degrees, I love foreign language and international affairs interests me, as well,” Atkins said.

It is clear Atkins not only has his focus on soccer.

“It’s not easy balancing both soccer and school. It is a lot of work,” Atkins said. “I seem to be more productive in season. I can’t afford to be lazy.”

Photo: Hickman soccer player Andy Atkins watches from the sidelines in the Kewpies' home game Thursday against Raymore-Peculiar. ¦ EVE EDELHEIT/Missourian

Hickman soccer team defeats Raymore-Peculiar

Hickman soccer team defeats Raymore-Peculiar
Thursday, September 9, 2010 | 9:07 p.m. CDT

BY Missourian staff
COLUMBIA — Three second-half goals propelled the Hickman boys soccer team to a 4-1 victory over Raymore-Peculiar on Thursday night in Columbia.

James Griggs scored for Hickman in the first half before Raymore-Peculiar tied it up heading into halftime.

The Kewpies moved ahead quickly in the second half, getting goals from Andy Atkins, Connor Hollrah and Adam Kopriva.

Hickman plays next game Friday against Francis Howell North in St. Charles.

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

Hickman boys soccer ties first game in tournament

Friday, September 3, 2010 8:24 p.m. CDT

BY BLAIR WEAVER

COLUMBIA - The Hickman boys soccer team tied 1-1 against the Maine South Hawks in the Quincy Notre Dame Tournament on Friday.

Connor Hollrah scored the Kewpies' only goal from the top of the box, about 22 yards out.

The Kewpies’ next tournament game is tomorrow at 9 a.m. against the Danville Vikings.