Alexander

After suffering their first loss of the season on Tuesday at home Alexander tightened the GR Division 1 race back up handing Pembroke their first loss of the season with a 2-0 win in Pembroke on Thursday.  Holley picked up a win over Attica meaning that both Holley and Alexander have 3-1 records and Pembroke is 2-1-1 (Pembroke beat Holley and tied Bergen earlier in the season).  Both Pembroke and Holley have beaten Kendall (who sits at 2-2) and Alexander will play Kendall next week.

Alexander came out quick in the 1st half and got on the board early as Junior Keeper Hannah Wilson hit a booming punt that landed past midfield, bounced over the head of the sweeper, and streaking Sophomore Midfielder Julia Pettys ran onto it, took a couple dribbles and beat the Pembroke keeper low into the left side of the net for the 1-0 lead.  Alexander nearly made it 2-0 when Senior Forward Anna Dominick hit an excellent shot that was stopped by a diving save.  Junior Midfielder Tessa Bigelow hit the cross bar on a shot just before halftime again nearly doubling the lead.

Alexander continued to attack in the 2nd half and again nearly found the net to make it 2-0 as Junior Forward Morgan Mattice found Dominick in front of the net but her first time shot was stopped by the keeper again.  Alexander had another cross that Dominick nearly got on the end of but the keeper punched it away.  Finally with 11 minutes left in the game Dominick found Mattice on a cross at the top of the 18 and Mattice finished with her first touch chipping the keeper who was out challenging the play.

Alexander's defense was strong and organized throughout the game with Senior Leah Johnson, Senior Jamie Neth, Freshman Gabby Kwiatek, and Junior Amber Finan doing most of the marking and Junior Sweeper Savannah VanSon keeping things organized in the back.  Junior Goal Keeper Hannah Wilson made 7 saves in picking up her 3rd shutout of the season.  Freshman Midfielder Abby Shilvock had a great game on the outside marking one of Pembroke's quickest and most dangerous attackers.

Alexander is off until next Wednesday when they are home against Notre Dame.

Alexander suffered their first loss of the season Tuesday at home 2-1 to Holley.  Alexander held a large advantage in shots (12 to 6) but the only thing the matters is the final score line and that was in favor of Holley.

Alexander got off to a quick start putting a large amount of pressure on the Holley net but was unable to get one in the back of the net.  Around the 10 minute mark Holley got their first good push down the field and Alexander Goalkeeper made an excellent diving save on the first shot that was hit, but a crashing Holley midfielder cleaned up the rebound and it was put in the net for a 1-0 Holley lead.

Alexander nearly tied it 5 minutes later as midfielder Autumn Atkinson hit a great direct kick from 19 yards but Holley keeper Julie Brooks made a great diving stop and the rebound was knocked away by Holley to keep it at 1-0.  Alexander looked strong possessing the ball throughout the remainder of the first half but couldn't put the final pass together or get the finish around the front of the net that they needed.

The 2nd half started in a similar fashion to the 1st half for Alexander as they immediately went down the field and put pressure on Holley.  However 3 minutes into the half Holley came down the field and had a quick give and go in the middle of the field that resulted in Holley's midfielder Emily Troup putting a ball in the net for the 2-0 lead.

Alexander continued to control the ball but still struggled to complete the final dangerous pass or get a shot on frame (several were sent over and wide) to get back in the game.  With 20 minutes left Forward Morgan Mattice found Forward Anna Dominick who beat 2 defenders and stuck the ball in the net to make it 2-1.  Alexander continued to push forward but the bad play in the final 3rd continued and they fell by a 2-1 score.

With the loss Alexander drops from 1st to 3rd in the GR standings.  Pembroke beat Kendall 1-0 and jumped to 1st while Holley moves into 2nd.  Alexander faces Pembroke on Thursday in Pembroke.

Alexander played at Attica Wednesday night and came away with a strong 7-0 victory.  Alexander took a bit to get going but once they took control of the game they didn't slow down.

In the 13th minute Senior Defender Jamie Neth took a pass from fellow Senior Defender Leah Johnson and sent a high shot over the keepers head for the 1-0 lead.  5 minutes later Senior Forward Anna Dominick headed a corner kick from Junior Defender Savannah Vanson to make it 2-0.  Junior Forward Megan Schmieder made it 3-0 in the 27th minute (assists to Junior midfielders Autumn Atkinson and Kylie Bank).  3 minutes later Freshman Forward Abby Shilvock made it 4-0 (assists to Dominck and Bank).  A mere 2 minutes later Neth had her 2nd of the game (unassisted) to make the halftime score 5-0.

In the 2nd half Alexander continued to control play but wasn't getting the ball to the front of the net until Junior Midfielder Claire Hartl won a 50/50 ball and scored in the 31st minute (unassisted).  With 90 seconds left in the game Dominick had her 2nd (assisted by Atkinson) making the final 7-0.

Junior Goalkeeper Hannah Wilson made 3 saves for her 2nd shutout of the season with a strong help from her defense of Neth, Johnson, VanSon, Freshman Gabby Kwaitek, Junior Taylor Antinore, and Junior Summer Bliss.

Alexander moves to 2-0 on the season and is off until they face Holley at home next Tuesday.

Highlights(from Alexander's perspective) from Alexander's 1-0 win over Byron-Bergen last Friday.

Byron-Bergen visited Alexander Friday evening in the opening game for Alexander and the 2nd game of the season for Byron-Bergen.  BB entered the game with an 0-1 record after suffering a 3-0 loss to Kendall earlier in the week.

Alexander came out hot in the beginning moving the ball down the field and creating a couple scoring chances that didn't find the net.  After the first 10 minutes BB settled in and controlled the play for the remaining 30 minutes of the first half with some excellent short passing and ball control.  Despite their large advantage in possession time BB struggled to create any dangerous scoring chances.  The most dangerous scoring chance in the first half was created by Alexander when Senior Forward Anna Dominick sent a cross from the left side of the field to the back post where Junior Forward Morgan Mattice was making a great back post run but her sliding attempt at goal was wide and the score remained 0-0.  Tessa Bigelow hit a great shot from 25 yards out but Amanda Brown made a diving stop to keep Alexander off the board a few minutes later.  BB had a cross to the front of the net late in the first half but the volley was put over the bar.

The 2nd half was more of the same with BB controlling the play but not creating much as far as scoring chances.  Dominick had a great chance midway through the 2nd half but Brown again came up with a diving stop.  Alexander had another great chance with 10 minutes left in the 2nd half when Junior Autumn Atkinson sent a direct kick to the back post and Junior Claire Hartl headed the ball just wide.  BB's Stacey Maskell had a breakaway late in the 2nd half but was challenged by Junior GoalKeeper Hannah Wilson and was unable to get a shot off before Wilson pounded on the ball.

In OT Alexander settled down a bit and began to move the ball around.  Sophomore Julia Pettys had a great run at the start of the 2nd OT but was unable to get a shot off as the last defender took the ball off her foot.  BB looked to have the game's first goal with under 5 minutes left off a corner kick but Junior Amber Finan headed the ball off the goal line just as the ball was about to find the net.

With under 30 seconds in the left Alexander finally found the net as Freshman Abby Shilvock sent a cross from the right side of the field into the center of the 18 yard box where Dominick beat 2 defenders and the goalkeeper with a shot low in the right corner of the net.  Alexander killed off the last 30 seconds of the game and the final was 1-0 in favor of the home team.

With the win Alexander is now 1-0 on the season while Byron-Bergen falls to 0-2. 

Alexander has finished up their scrimmages with a trip to Newark last Saturday and hosting Holley today.  On Saturday Alexander traveled out to Newark to scrimmage Marion, Bloomfield, Naples, Newark, Pal-Mac, Gananda, and Rush Henrietta in an 8 team scrimmage.  Alexander played Marion first and scored a goal (Amber Finan from Anna Dominick) and didn't allow any in the 2 25 minute halves.  Alexander faced Pal-Mac next and in the first half Pal-Mac scored while Alexander didn't.  Then the weather turned nasty and the rest of the scrimmage had to be cancelled.  Alexander looked strong in their 2nd scrimmage of the pre-season creating many scoring chances but failing to capitalize on all but one.

Today Alexander hosted Holley in a different type of scrimmage.  The teams played 6v6 for the first 75 minutes of the scrimmage in 3 25 minute periods and then played 9v9 for the final 25.  Both teams looked very good as these two teams should be two of the strongest teams in the GR.  There were 4 returning GR All-Stars on the field with both goalies (Junior Hannah Wilson from Alexander and Junior Julie Brooks from Holley), 9th grade forward Abby Shilvock from Alexander (who was an all-star defender last season) and Midfielder Emily Troup from Holley. 

Alexander opens up the season on Friday at home against Bergen while Holley opens up next Wednesday (the 9th).

Finishing out our Alexander player bios:

Junior defender Taylor Antinore - played on the JV team last year as the sweeper will move to an outside defender this season and is expected to be a big time contributor on Alexander's back line.  One of the fastest girls in the GR during indoor and outdoor track, her speed allows her to run almost any player down if she does get beat.  An indredibly tough player both mentally and physically.

Junior Midfielder/Forward Kylie Bank - played on the JV team last season as an outside midfielder and a forward.  Has a great cross and a powerful shot and is a very experienced player.  She has seen time on the varsity field during both her 9th and 10th grade season in sectionals and will contribute some key minutes off the bench this season.  Has 54 club goals and 26 club assists in 278 club games.

Junior Defender/Midfielder Summer Bliss - played on the JV team last year as a central defender.  Will play several positions off the bench this season including central and outside defense and all 4 midfield positions as well.  A very physically strong player who is excellent out of the air and has the ability to get forward.  A very strong player on set pieces and had 2 goals on corner kicks this summer on the 16 and under team.  Has 214 club games primarily as a defender.

Junior Forward/Midfielder Megan Schmieder - played on the JV team last year primarily as a forward.  A great ball handling forward who has excellent touch on her shots from distance.  A very strong passer and above average out of the air.  Is expected to contribute some important minutes up front and in the midfield this year.  Has 76 club goals and 34 club assists in 377 club games.

Sophomore Midfielder/Forward Julia Pettys - spent most of the season on the varsity team last season where she had 2 goals and 4 assists primarily as a forward.  Will play both outside mid and forward this year.  Is an incredibly fast player who can handle the ball, distribute the ball, and is one of the better finishers in and around the net on the team.  Despite her size she is very good out of the air and is a very physical defender.  She has 102 goals and 21 assists in 221 club games.

Freshman Midfielder/Forward (and defender) Abby Shilvock - was a starter on Alexander's defense last year as an 8th grader and earned all-league honors in that position.  Is a great ball handler, strong finisher, and has great touch on her short passes.  Strong with both of her feet and has begun to step up her physical play and play out of the air.  Has the ability to play several different postions including an outside defender, outside midfield, and forward.  Has the potential to be an all-league player at all 3 positions as well.  She has 66 goals and 9 assists in 92 club games (she played for Holley Soccer Club this summer).

Freshman Defender Gabby Kwiatek - started every game but one last season as an 8th grade defender and is a physical presence on the field as well as being one of Alexander's best 1v1 defenders.  Strong out of the air, can play the ball with both feet, has great touch on her short passes, and is a very hard worker during games.  Played on 3 teams this summer (U14 girls, U14 boys, and Women's team) and has improved a great deal.  Has the potential to be a great shut down defender in the very near future.  Has played 139 club games primarily as a defender.

Thats the varsity team, I will profile a few JVs that will see some varsity action before our first game.

Alexander played in a 4 team scrimmage today at Cal-Mum with Cal-Mum, Alexander, Bloomfield, and Wheatland-Chili all taking part.  The team played 4 20 minute scrimmages with Alexander giving up no goals over the full 80 minutes and picking up 2 goals of their own.  Both goals were scored by Freshman attacker Abby Shilvock on rebounds from shots by Senior attacker Anna Dominick.  The first Dominick beat the goalie and hit the post with Shilvock finishing it off from inside the 6.  The 2nd Dominick beat the goalie and hit a hard low shot on net that the keeper kicked and Shilvock cleaned up the rebound again.  Alexander headed a corner kick off the bar (Tessa Bigelow) and had a couple other great chances just miss.  Junior GK Hannah Wilson had a quiet day making only 3 saves over the full 80 minutes as the defense played strong.

Alexander's JV team also pitched a shutout over the 4 20 minute scrimmages and found the net once as Freshman midfielder Maria Dominick scored the teams lone goal.  The JV team looked solid despite only have 13 players at the game many of which were seeing their first action above the Jr. High level.

Alexander is back in action Saturday at the Newark 8 team scrimmage.  Newark, Pal-Mac, Gananda, Rush-Henrietta, Naples, Bloomfield, Marion, and Alexander will play in a mini-tournament style scrimmage Saturday from 11 to 5pm.

Some more player profiles for Alexander:

Junior Midfielder Tessa Bigelow - Tessa made her first varsity appearance as an 8th grader and played in 6 games her 8th grade year.  Her entire 9th grade year was lost to an ankle injury suffered in the first scrimmage of the year.  Last year as a 10th grader she was a full-time starter as a center midfielder and that is the position she is likely to man this year.  An incredibly strong player who is good with the ball, has good vision and is strong out of the air she will help direct much of the Alexander attack.  She had 2 goals and an assist last year on the varsity team.  Tessa has 64 club goals and 44 club assists in 325 club games.

Junior Midfielder Claire Hartl - Claire was a starter in a few different positions as a Sophomore last year spending time as a defender, an outside midfielder, and as a central midfielder as well.  An incredibly smart player who is very strong out of the air and is one of the tallest players on the team as well.  Despite growing up as a full-time defender she has developed into a central midfielder with great vision.  Claire has played 361 club games, primarily as a defender.

Junior Midfielder Amber Finan - Amber made her debut on the varsity team as an 8th grader and played in 6 games.  She spent the majority of her 9th grade year on varsity as well and her entire 10th grade year as well.  Amber is a very versitile player who can play all 11 positions on the field (including goalie).  She has started games at forward, midfield, defender, and has also seen some time in goal during her varsity career.  She figures to be primarily a midfielder this year but is sure to see time at other spots on the field as well.  Amber has 3 goals and 3 assists in her varsity career.  She has 69 goals and 36 assists in 326 club games as well.

Junior Forward/Midfielder Morgan Mattice - Morgan made her varsity debut late in her 9th grade season and is an excellent ball handler and fantastic out of the air around the front of the net.  As a sophomore she saw actional as a central midfield player in addition to her natural position as a forward.  Morgan had 2 goals and an assist last year as a 10th grader.  Morgan has 45 goals and 32 assists in 270 club games.

Junior Defender Savannah VanSon - Savannah started every game and played nearly every minute as a Sophmore last year in the center of Alexander's defense.  Savannah is a solid all around defender and plays the last man role in Alexander's defensive scheme.  She is an above average player out of the air and strong with both feet.  Her "traffic directing" from the back has come a long way over her career.  Savannah has 325 club games over her career, all as a defender.

Junior Midfielder Ashley Szymanski - Ashley made her debut on varsity midway through her 9th grade season as a JV callup to fill in for injuries.  She split her time as a sophomore between the JV and Varsity team.  Ashley is a very versitile midfielder who has the ability to play all 4 midfield positions in Alexander's scheme and is solid with both of her feet.  She picked up an assist her 9th grade year on the varsity team.  Ashley has 26 goals and 23 assists in 289 club games.

I will post the remaining 7 players soon...

After 3 and a half days of preseason the Alexander girl's soccer team is coming along quite nicely.  Despite the abnormally hot weather this week (and the shocking lack of rain) a lot of work has been put in by the girls.  Both the JV and Varsity teams are coming into form nicely thus far.

There are just 33 total players out for the teams this year which is way down from the numbers that we usually have, but it appears that both teams should be very strong this fall as practice has been spirited and a lot of strong play has been shown.

The varsity squad returns 10 starters from last year's team including 2 all-league selections in GK Hannah Wilson and Defender Abby Shilvock.  In all likelyhood Abby will be moving back to her more natural role as an attacker this fall but don't be surprised to see her on the defensive line in some big games this year as well.  Despite the face that the team will only have 3 seniors there is loads of varsity experience with 12 juniors, 1 sophomore, and 2 freshmen on the team.  Both of the freshmen were starters last year as 8th graders.  The sophomore was a starter for a majority of the year as a 9th grader as well.  All of the 12 juniors have seen action in a varsity game prior to this year and many of them have been on varsity for more than one season already.

Here are 5 player profiles (I will give a rundown of all the players on the team over the next few days).

Senior Defender Jamie Neth - Jamie returns to the team this year after and ACL tear during March of 2008 kept her off the field last fall.  Jamie has varsity experience during her 9th and 10th grade years as an injury call-up and has seen time in sectionals during both her 9th and 10th grade seasons.  Jamie trains with the team year round and has amassed 182 offseason games over the past 5 years.

Senior Forward Anna Dominick - Anna returns for her 4th full season as a varsity forward and will be one of the central points of the Alexander attack this season.  Anna saw action her 8th grade year on varsity as well and has been a mainstay on the Alexander varsity team since her 9th grade season.  Anna is the school record holder in assists (which she broke last year) with 25 and currently is 6th in goals with 27.  She is only 9 goals behind 2nd place entering this season.  She had 7 goals and 8 assists last season.  Anna trains year round with the team, has played 162 games the last 5 years, has scored 97 goals and has 39 assists.

Senior Defender/Midfielder Leah Johnson - Leah was a contributor to an exteremely young defense last year for Alexander and is versitile enough to play a few different positions.  She has an incredible work rate on the field and is a very strong and physical on the ball defender.

Junior GoalKeeper Hannah Wilson - Hannah was an all-league selection last season after posting 9 wins, 7 shutouts, and picking up 169 saves on the season.  She has seen action in her 8th and 9th grade years on varsity filling in for injuries and other situations on the varsity team.  Hannah trains with the team year round and holds every goalkeeping record for the Alexander Soccer Club.  She has played 439 club games over the last 5 years (which is the club record) and made over 3000 saves, has nearly 200 wins and 150 shutouts in that same time period.

Junior Midfielder Autumn Atkinson - Autumn has been a member of the varsity team since early in her 8th grade year.  She has the ability to play several different roles in the midfield and can fill in as a defender if need be.  She has 5 assists and 2 goals in her varsity career.  She also takes many of Alexanders set pieces and is very accurate with her corner kicks.  She trains year round with the team and has played in 423 total games the last 5 years (2nd only to Wilson) and has amassed 59 goals and 73 club assists in that time period (she is 2nd in career assists for the club).

To be continued...

It was the first day of soccer practice in Alexander...who ordered the heat?  Despite the heat 31 girls took to the field nad worked out this morning from 8-11am and will return tonight from 5-7pm in what looks to be similar hot circumstances.  Alexander's teams look to be small in numbers this year with only 18 players coming out for the varsity team and 14 for the JV team.  However there is a lot of experience coming back to both teams.

Alexander will have only 3 seniors this year (Anna Dominick, Jamie Neth, Leah Johnson) and then a whole bunch of underclassmen (12 Juniors, 1 sophomore, and 2 freshmen).

Despite the heat the girls looked good in our first workout of the season.  Both the U16 and U14 RDYSL teams won division titles this summer and the Women's team finished 2nd and was promoted up a division as well.

I will post some player bios as the week goes on and keep a running blog of practice throughout the August practices.