News for the Week of September 7, 2015

Program Notes for the Week of 9/7/2015:

Schedule for the Week of 9/7:

Tuesday 9/8
3:30PM-5:00PM Training @ Troy
No bus will be provided.  Please make arrangements to have yourself transported to Troy.

5:00PM-6:00PM Team Dinner @ Troy hosted by Freshmen Class
Make sure to remove your cleats before entering the building.

Wednesday 9/9
5:00PM JV Away Game vs Valley Forge High School @ Byers Field in Parma

7:00PM Varsity Home Game vs SWC Opponent North Ridgeville @ ALHS Memorial Field.

JV wear Away Kit.  Varsity wear Home Kit.
Bus will depart from ALHS at 3:30PM.  Captains make sure water is available.

Thursday 9/10
3:30PM-5:00PM Training @ Troy

Sunday 9/13
3:00PM Team Building Activity @ Dorlon Golf Club (see calendar for address)
$8.00 Per Player.  Bring a Ball.
5:30PM Team Dinner @ Las Cazuelas
Player Paid.

Game Recaps:
Here is a summary of our 4th game against Lakewood:

AL vs. Lakewood  9/2/15

AL 1   Lakewood  0

Goals:
AL - Allie Heschel

L - None

Assists:
AL - Kellie Norris

L - None

Goalies:
AL - Elise Duvall - 2 saves

L -  Rachel Lowell - 9 saves

Game Summary:
This season featured another evenly played match between these two lakeshore communities.  Last year’s game ended in a 0-0 draw; however, it was different this year as the Shoregals were able to notch a goal early in the second half for 1-0 victory.

It was Allie Heschel’s birthday on this game day and while some people like to celebrate with cake, ice cream, and presents – it was Heschel who delivered a present to the Shoregals as she scored the only goal of the game which turned out to be a game winner.  With about 7 minutes gone in the second half, Heschel took a pass from Kellie Norris which she shot towards the Lakewood goal. The goalie was able to make a play on the ball, but was not able to field it cleanly.  Heschel alertly kept following up on her shot and when the goalie bobbled the ball, Heschel was right there and managed to steal it away and put it into an empty net.  This goal was a vindication of sorts as Heschel incurred a yellow card earlier in the match for running into the goalie on another play where she was following up on a shot.

Once again, the Shoregal defense was able to make this goal stand up as they recorded their third shutout in a row.  To give some perspective on how well the defense has played, in the last 19 matches played, 13 of them ended in shutouts by the Avon Lake defense and they have only given up 8 goals in that stretch.  That is simply superb soccer!  So major congrats to goalie Elise Duvall who registered the 12th shutout of her career and the main defensive core of Kellie Norris, Addy Poole, Maggie Moore,   Lauren Anthony, Mae Quinn, Olivia Hall, and Kelly Spitz as well.

In JV action, oddly enough the Shoregals won by a score of 9-0 which was exactly the score of the JV game from last year.  The JV Shoregals now move their record to 2-1-1 on the season.

Shorty Sez:
We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports
https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom


Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.

Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems.

Don't let your last big accomplishment be your last big accomplishment.

Be a voice, not an echo.


Kudos Korner:
We would like thank both Brian Spitz and Matt Litzler for posting game pics to a Shutterfly account.  You may find the account at:

1. https://avonlakeshoregals.shutterfly.com/

Once there, you will need to create a sign in for security purposes and then you can browse, download, or purchase the pics that you see. There will most likely be an album for each game.  See a sample pic below of goalie Elise Duvall getting ready to make a save vs. Avon.....

News for the Week of August 31, 2015

Program Notes for the Week of 8/31/2015:


Schedule for the Week of 8/31:

Monday 8/31
3:30PM-5:00PM Training at Troy

Tuesday 9/1
3:30PM-5:00PM Training at Troy
5:00PM-6:00PM Team Dinner at Troy (Sophomore Class Hosting)

Wednesday 9/2
5:00PM JV SWC Match vs Lakewood
7:00PM Varsity SWC Match vs Lakewood

Thursday 9/3
3:30PM-5:00PM Training at Troy

Game Recaps:
Here is a summary of our 2nd game against Elyria:

AL vs. Elyria  8/24/15

AL 8   Elyria  0

Goals:
AL - Allie Heschel -2; Mae Quinn, Kellie Norris, Olivia Siko, Paige Hood, Jackie Rush, Kelly Spitz - 1 each

E - None

Assists:
AL - Lindsay Butler -2, Paige Hood - 2, Addy Poole-1, Amber Achladis - 1

E - None

Goalies:
AL - Elise Duvall - 2 saves; Danielle DelGuidice - 0 saves

E -  Sabrina Johnson - 13 saves



Game Summary:
The Shoregals got off to a somewhat slow start against Elyria, but once they got going the goals started flying in left and right in a 8-0 victory over the Pioneers.  The Shoregals have not scored as many as 8 goals in the past 100+ matches dating back to the 2008 season when they beat Lorain Southview in a playoff game by a score of 11-0.

Leading off the scoring in a most fitting manner was #1 Paige Hood who scored the first goal of the game and of the season on a pass from Lindsay Butler midway through the first half. Then 10 minutes later, Kellie Norris headed a corner kick from Hood to give Avon Lake a 2-0 lead at the half.

In the second half, it was anchors aweigh for the Shoregals as they scored 6 goals led off by Allie Heschel assisted by Amber Achladis. Next up was a header by Olivia Siko off a corner kick by Addy Poole. Heschel scored again on a pass from Butler, then Kelly Spitz lit up the scoreboard on a pass from Hood.  Rounding out the scoring were unassisted goals from Jackie Rush and Mae Quinn.

In goal for the Shoregals were Elise Duvall and Danielle DelGuidice who combined for the shutout while Elyria goalie Sabrina Johnson faced 21 shots on goal saving 13.

In JV action, the team that forgot how to lose actually did lose snapping a 30 match unbeaten streak dating back to the 3rd game of the 2013 season.  As Elyria is not able to field a JV team this season, Strongsville was invited in and prevailed with a rare victory over the Shoregals by the final of 1-0.

Here is a summary of our 3rd game against Avon:

AL vs. Avon  8/26/15

AL 2   Avon  0

Goals:
AL -  Jackie Rush, Olivia Siko

Av - None

Assists:
AL - Mariella Lopez

Av - None

Goalies:
AL - Elise Duvall - 3 saves

Av -  Maggie Beatty - 2 saves


Game Summary:
It was Déjà vu all over again when Avon and Avon Lake play echoing the words of the famous quote from famed baseball player Yogi Berra.  Once again, as it has been in the recent history of this rivalry, the teams were equally matched and deadlocked in a scoreless tie.  Last year it was the Sectional championship game where both teams played to a scoreless draw through regulation time and then Mariela Lopez sent a crossing pass to Jackie Rush who netted the dramatic game winner in OT.  This year the game was an evenly played scoreless match through the first 60 minutes and then Lopez found Rush again with a great pass that Rush drilled into the back of the net to break the Eagles hearts yet another time. Then two minutes later Olivia Siko took a free kick from 25 yds. out and placed it perfectly just under the crossbar to put the game out of reach.

The play of the defense was also reminiscent of last year’s 9 consecutive shutouts as they held Avon scoreless and only allowed 3 shots on goal.  The Shoregal defense was led by Maggie Moore, Mae Quinn, Kellie Norris, and Lauren Anthony with subs Addy Poole and Olivia Hall also playing key roles.  In the goal was senior Elise Duvall who recorded the 11th shutout of her career.

In JV action, the Shoregals battled to a 1-1 draw with the JV Eagles. The Avon Lake goal was scored by sophomore Ashley Nally.  The JV Shoregals record now moves to 1-1-1 on the season.

Shorty Sez:
We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports
https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom


Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

“Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.” - James A. Michener

After each game, I want to be able to say: I gave it all I could, I gave it my best.

Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first step to succeeding. - Jim Valvano


Kudos Korner:
We would like to thank Holly Spitz for volunteering to coordinate the concession stand this season.  That is a big job and we appreciate her stepping forward.

News for the Week of August 24, 2015

Program Notes for the Week of 8/24/2015:

Schedule for the Week of 8/24:
Monday, August 24th
5PM JV vs Strongsville JV
7PM Varsity vs Elyria
@ ALHS Stadium.  Arrive "dressed and ready to play" 45 minutes prior to the noted "kick off" time.  Wear our white home kit.

Tuesday, August 25th
3:30PM Training at Troy.
Bus will depart ALHS at 3:05PM from the North Parking Lot.  Be there "on time".  You will be able to change into training gear at Troy. Store your gear in the Girls Locker Room prior to 1st period. Make sure anything you need for the school day is NOT in your bag since you will not be able to retrieve anything until after school.

5PM Domino's Pizza Fundraiser
EAT PIZZA!  A portion of all sales will be split between our program and the Boys program.

Wednesday, August 26th
SWC Contests!
5PM JV vs Avon
7PM Varsity vs Avon
@ ALHS Stadium.  Arrive "dressed and ready to play" 45 minutes prior to the noted "kick off" time.  Wear our white home kit.

Thursday, August 27th
3:30PM Training at Troy.
Bus will depart ALHS at 3:05PM from the North Parking Lot.  Be there "on time".  You will be able to change into training gear at Troy. Store your gear in the Girls Locker Room prior to 1st period. Make sure anything you need for the school day is NOT in your bag since you will not be able to retrieve anything until after school.

5PM Team Dinner @ Troy hosted by The Sophomore Class

Friday, August 28th
The Weight Room at ALHS will be open for student use right after school. I wanted to support Mrs. Achladis's request to promote team lifting as an option for "player driven" improvement during the season. I think this is a great idea. I suggest a 3:15PM to 4PM session each week.  I will be there this Friday to walk through a program for improving strength which the 'Gals can manage on their own for the remainder of the season and beyond.


Game Recaps:

Here is a summary of our 1st game against Oregon Clay:

AL vs. Oregon Clay  8/21/15

AL 0   Oregon Clay  3

Goals:

AL - None

OC - Jenna Kulwicki, Ashley Vartorella, Karleigh Clere

Assists:

AL - None

OC - Marissa Brezvai

Goalies:

AL - Elise Duvall - 4 saves; Danielle DelGuidice - 1 save

OC -  Olivia Hornyak - 3 saves; Shawnee Canada - 1 save

Game Summary:

It was a unique night in Shoregal soccer history as Avon Lake participated in the inaugural Friday Night Futbol match.  We had the pleasure of being able to host state power Oregon Clay and we were much too gracious of a host as the Shoregals dropped a 3-0 decision to the Eagles. However, it was a very spirited and well played game throughout the first half and had the feel of a playoff game.  Clay was able to break through with 15 minutes left in the half when Marissa Brezvai sent a rocket of a shot towards Elise Duvall who was able to deflect it, but right at the feet of Jenna Kulwicki who put it in the back of the net.  The Shoregals had a number good looks at goal led by their freshmen forwards Amber Achladis and Allie Heschel whose shots managed to go just wide of the net.

In the second half, it was all Clay as they were able to get an own goal deflection off an AL defender from a shot by Ashley Vartorella just five minutes into the second half.  Then a minute later Karleigh Clere dribbled the ball up the right side for about 30 yards and was able to get shot past the outstretched hands of a diving Duvall.  After this, the Shoregals had two more solid scoring chances on a free kick by Duvall and a shot by Achladis, but could not get the ball in the net.

In goal for Avon Lake was senior Elise Duvall who made 4 saves and soph. Danielle DelGuidice who had one save.  For Clay, Olivia Hornyak was credited with 3 saves and combined with Shawnee Canada (1 save) for the shutout.

The Chronicle-Telegraph article on this game can be found at:

http://chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2015/08/22/girls-soccer-avon-lake-freshman-shine-in-loss-to-oregon-clay/

In JV action, Avon Lake pulled out a hard fought 1-0 win in their first game of the new campaign.   Liz Murdock took a beautiful leading pass from Erica Wetzler and buried it in the net as the two freshmen combined for the only score of the contest in the first half.  Goalkeeping duties for the Shoregals were shared by sophomore Danielle DelGuidice and freshman Elaina DeMerritt who combined to blank the JV Eagles.

Don't forget the Pizza......

A reminder to everyone that once again this year Tuesday night will be soccer pizza night for the Shoregals as Domino's will hold a fundraiser for both the girls and boys soccer programs on Tuesday 8/18 & 8/25.  A portion of each pizza sold all through the day will be contributed to the two programs. So give Mom a break and dial up some Dominos!!

Shorty Sez:

We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports

https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom

Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

Success isn't something that just happens - success is learned, success is practiced and then it is shared.

Are your habits today on par with your dreams for tomorrow?

Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best. -Tim Duncan


Kudos Korner:
We would like to thank Jackie Butler and Julie Achladis for putting together the post game food for the visitors from Oregon Clay. I sure they enjoyed stuffing themselves with pizza, fruit, & cookies on the trip back to Toledo after their games.

News for the Week of August 17. 2015

Program Notes for the Week of 8/17/2015:

Monday, August 17
Training at Troy
3:30pm to 5pm

Tuesday, August 18
Training at Troy
3:30pm to 5pm

Wednesday, August 19
Scrimmage vs Bay at ALHS
5pm JV / 7pm V Kick Off

Thursday, August 20
Training at Troy
3:30pm to 5pm

Friday, August 21
Game 1 vs. Oregon Clay at home
4pm JV / 6pm V Kick Off



Friday Night Futbol:
Friday night marks the first installment of an initiative started by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) called Friday Night Futbol.  Basically, it is a statewide event designed to bring attention to the sport of high school soccer before the first weekend of high school football gets under way.  If this goes over well and there are more than 150 schools participating this year, I think you will see this become a more popular HS soccer tradition in future years. Avon Lake will be participating in this event with a home game against state power Oregon Clay.  JV game starts at 4:00 pm and the Varsity starts at 6:00 pm.  It should be a great night of soccer/futbol - even the marching band will be performing.  Come on over to ALHS and check it out!!

Dad got Pizza?? - That's crazy!!
A reminder to everyone that once again this year Tuesday night will be soccer pizza night for the Shoregals as Domino's will hold a fundraiser for both the girls and boys soccer programs on Tuesday 8/18 & 8/25.  A portion of each pizza sold all through the day will be contributed to the two programs. So give Mom a break and dial up some Dominos!!


Shorty Sez:
We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports
https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom

Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

Success is not counted by how high you have climbed but by how many people you brought with you.

Winners don't wait for chances, they take them.

Reality is a product of our dreams, decisions & actions.

Confidence is everything. From there, it's a small step to winning.

Nothing is ever wrong. We learn from every step we take. Whatever you did today was the way it was meant to be. Be proud of you.

News for the Week of August 10, 2015

Program Notes for the week of 8/10/2015:

Monday, August 10
Scrimmages vs Strongsville in Strongsville at Foltz Field
5pm JV / 7pm V Kick Off
Wear Summer Jersey, Black Shorts, White Socks
Captains arrange for water with trainers
Bus departs ALHS at 3:30PM

Tuesday, August 11
Training at Troy
3:30pm to 5pm

Wednesday, August 12
Training at Troy
3:30pm to 5pm

Thursday, August 13
Uniform Distribution at ALHS Stadium
9am to 10am

Training at Troy
3:30pm to 5pm

Saturday, August 15
Team Photos at ALHS Stadium
7:45am to 9am

Lorain County Soccer Coaches Association Preview

Game Times will be forwarded later this week

Alumni Game:

Another installment of our annual Alumni Reunion Game was held on Sunday 7/12.  Once again, this year we joined with the Boys team to have a combined Alumni afternoon at ALHS stadium.  This year we had 18 girls come out to play and the Alumni came back from a 1-0 deficit to prevail 2-1 behind two artistic goals from Kailey McClain and Cheyenne Lukstein.  The Alumni had not visited the win column in a few years, but they are back on top now!

The Alumni squad was made up of the following:

Lindsay Harris - Class of 2005

Halle Orlinski - Class of 2009

Kaylee Donegan - Class of 2009

Bridget Lyons - Class of 2010

Ali Kenny - Class of 2010

Mary Donegan - Class of 2011

Sarah (Hudson) Market - Class of 2011

Melanie D'Angelo - Class of 2012

Cheyenne Lukstein - Class of 2012

Rachel Gates - Class of 2012

Dana Strimbu - Class of 2012

Jillian Strimbu - Class of 2012

Christine Gates - Class of 2013

Kailey McClain - Class of 2013

Cara Dannemiller - Class of 2014

Molly Maloney - Class of 2014

Ali Robinson - Class of 2014

Esther Killius - Class of 2015

Alumni Game Pics:

Shorty Sez:

We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports

https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom

Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

You need to work as hard to be a great teammate as you do to be a great player.

Work hard in silence; let success make the noise.

You gain confidence and grow stronger by every experience in which you really push yourself to do something you didn't think you could do.

Big things are accomplished only through the perfection of minor details.

Admit to and make yourself accountable for mistakes. How can you improve if you’re never wrong?

Strive to be the one who makes a difference.

News for the Week of July 6, 2015

Program Notes for the Week of 7/6/2015:

Schedule for the Week of 7/6:
Monday, July 6 ~ 7:30AM-8:45AM @ Troy / Conditioning
Tuesday, July 7 ~ 7:30PM-8:45PM @ Troy / Injury Prevention, Technical Training & Open Play
Wednesday, July 8 ~ 7:30AM-8:45AM @ Troy / Conditioning
Thursday, July 9 ~ 5:00PM-6:30PM @ Troy / Injury Prevention, Technical Training & Open Play

Remember, spend every moment together preparing to win!  Are we working harder than our opponents?!?!


Alumni Game:
The date for the Alumni Game & Picnic has been set for Sunday July 12th at Avon Lake HS stadium. Once again this year we will be combining with the Boys for a joint Alumni Day.  The Girls will be playing at 3:00 p.m. with the Boys Alumni game at 4:30 pm.  Afterwards, we will have a picnic dinner. Everyone is invited and will be playing - both undergrads and Freshman.  Watch your e-mail and pass the word to other Alumni and mark your calendars now for an afternoon of soccer, food, & fellowship!!


Women's World Cup:
The Women's World Cup is now completed and the US are Champions!! The US overwhelmed Japan in the final by a score of 5-2.  You can follow all the action at the FIFA website which can be found at:

http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/

The results for the United States Women's team is as follows:

June 8th vs. Australia W 3-1

June 12th vs. Sweden T 0-0

June 16th vs Nigeria  W 1-0

June 22nd vs. Columbia  W 2-0

June 26th vs. China  W 1-0

June 30th vs. Germany W 2-0  Semi-final

July 5th vs. Japan  W 5-2  Final

You can visit the Fox website for more World Cup info. at:

http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/fifa-womens-world-cup

You can also follow the Women's National team at:

http://www.ussoccer.com/womens-national-team

Congrats to the Women's National team on their third World Cup championship!!  This will be another huge boost to women's soccer here in the US.


The Multi-Sport Question:
Should you or should you not play multiple sports while growing up?  This is a hotly debated topic and below find an article from USA Today about the World Cup champion US Women's team and their experiences as young athletes.  Some food for your thought....

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/soccer/2015/07/03/abby-wambach-morgan-brian-lauren-holiday/29665797/


Soccer Training Videos:
The offseason period is a great time to work on soccer skills and to assist with that we will be posting training videos and this week we have one entitled "How to do a Single Scissors". Watch the videos and then go out and practice and refine your technique.  The videos are put together by an outfit called Epic Sports.  They have a website that you can visit as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvtpFtZCdS8&feature=player_detailpage


Shorty Sez:
We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports
https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom

Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

You were not born a winner, and you were not born a loser. You are what you make yourself to be. – Lou Holtz

Adversity can make us better. We must be challenged to improve, and adversity is the challenger. – John Wooden

Today’s preparation determines tomorrows achievement.

You can either throw in the towel or use it to wipe the sweat off your face.

Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.

News for the Week of June 29, 2015

Program Notes for the Week of 6/29/2015:

Schedule for the Week of 6/29:
Monday, June 29 ~ 4:30PM - 6:30PM @ Troy - Dutch Soccer Camp
Tuesday, June 30 ~ 4:30PM - 6:30PM @ Troy - Dutch Soccer Camp
Wednesday, July 1 ~ 4:30PM - 6:30PM @ Troy - Dutch Soccer Camp
Thursday, July 2 ~ 4:30PM - 6:30PM @ Troy - Dutch Soccer Camp

Remember, spend every moment together preparing to win!  Are we working harder than our opponents?!?!


Alumni Game:
The date for the Alumni Game & Picnic has been set for Sunday July 12th at Avon Lake HS stadium. Once again this year we will be combining with the Boys for a joint Alumni Day.  The Girls will be playing at 3:00 p.m. with the Boys Alumni game at 4:30 pm.  Afterwards, we will have a picnic dinner. Everyone is invited and will be playing - both undergrads and Freshman.  Watch your e-mail and pass the word to other Alumni and mark your calendars now for an afternoon of soccer, food, & fellowship!!


Women's World Cup:
The Women's World Cup is now under way. The host country is Canada and the matches will be at various locations throughout the country.  You can follow all the action at the FIFA website which can be found at:

http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/

The results for the United States Women's team so far is as follows:

June 8th vs. Australia W 3-1

June 12th vs. Sweden T 0-0

June 16th vs Nigeria  W 1-0

June 22nd vs. Columbia  W 2-0

June 26th vs. China  W 1-0

June 30th vs. Germany a 7:00 pm  Semifinal

If the US beats Germany then the Final is on Sunday July 5th.  The games will be televised this time on the Fox network which is channel 8 in Avon Lake. You can follow the schedule at the Fox website at:

http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/fifa-womens-world-cup

You can also follow the Women's National team at:

http://www.ussoccer.com/womens-national-team

I would highly encourage the girls to watch as many matches as possible to continue to observe and learn the flow of the game.


Soccer Training Videos:
The offseason period is a great time to work on soccer skills and to assist with that we will be posting training videos and this week we have one entitled "Top 5 Soccer Training Drills to Improve". Watch the videos and then go out and practice and refine your technique.  The videos are put together by an outfit called Epic Sports.  They have a website that you can visit as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=8C1P1AlKvkE


Cudos Corner:
We would like to thank all those parents who volunteered to work at the Duck Tape Festival and especially Jackie Butler who served as our coordinator.  It was another successful year for us and we have a nice stipend to put in our account for the girls.


Shorty Sez:
We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports
https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom


Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

Tomorrow's victory is today's practice.

Every single day you should wake up and commit yourself to becoming a better person.

You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them. - Michael Jordan

Courage is the commitment to begin without any guarantee of success. – Goethe

In order to be a winner, you have to look for ways of getting things done and not for reasons why things can’t be done.

News for the Week of June 15, 2015

Program Notes for the Week of 6/15/2015:


Schedule for the Week of 6/15:
Monday, June 15 ~ 7:30AM-9:00AM @ Troy / Conditioning
Tuesday, June 16 ~ 5:00PM-7:00PM @ Troy / Injury Prevention, Technical Training & Open Play
Wednesday, June 17 ~ 7:30AM-9:00AM @ Troy / Conditioning
Thursday, June 16 ~ 5:00PM-7:00PM @ Troy / Injury Prevention, Technical Training & Open Play

Remember, spend every moment together preparing to win!  Are we working harder than our opponents?!?!

Duck Tape Festival:
Once again this year we will be working the Sales tent at the Duck Tape Festival on June 19-21. We will need about 40 volunteers for the weekend to work 2 hour shifts.  The sign-up sheet can be found at:

www.SignUpGenius.com/go/9040549ADA62BA75-duct1/


Alumni Game:
The date for the Alumni Game & Picnic has been set for Sunday July 12th at Avon Lake HS stadium. Once again this year we will be combining with the Boys for a joint Alumni Day.  The Girls will be playing at 3:00 p.m. with the Boys Alumni game at 4:30 pm.  Afterwards, we will have a picnic dinner. Watch your e-mail and pass the word to other Alumni and mark your calendars now for an afternoon of soccer, food, & fellowship!!


Women's World Cup:
The Women's World Cup is now under way. The host country is Canada and the matches will be at various locations throughout the country.  You can follow all the action at the FIFA website which can be found at:

http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/

The results for the United States Women's team group play is as follows:

June 8th vs. Australia W 3-1

June 12th vs. Sweden T 0-0

June 16th vs Nigeria at 8:00 pm

The rest of the schedule will be dependent on how group play turns out for the U.S.  The games will be televised this time on the Fox network which is channel 8 in Avon Lake. You can follow the schedule at the Fox website at:

http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/fifa-womens-world-cup

You can also follow the Women's National team at:

http://www.ussoccer.com/womens-national-team

I would highly encourage the girls to watch as many matches as possible to continue to observe and learn the flow of the game.


Soccer Training Videos:
The offseason period is a great time to work on soccer skills and to assist with that we will be posting training videos and this week we have one entitled "3 Moves to Beat a Defender".  Watch the videos and then go out and practice and refine your technique.  The videos are put together by an outfit called Epic Sports.  They have a website that you can visit as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=TCyAeqrqyHM


Shorty Sez:
We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports
https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom

Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

Wake up with DETERMINATION. Go to bed with SATISFACTION.

Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself.

Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.

No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave. -Calvin Coolidige

It's amazing what happens when you just won't give up.

News for the Week of June 8, 2015

Program Notes for the Week of 6/8/2015:


Parent & Player Meeting:
There is a Parent and Player meeting scheduled to review the Try-Out Process and the Summer Calendar on Monday June 8th from 8:15pm - 9:15pm in Room 114 at Avon Lake High School.


Duck Tape Festival:
Once again this year we will be working the Sales tent at the Duck Tape Festival on June 19-21. We will need about 40 volunteers for the weekend to work 2 hour shifts.  The sign-up sheet can be found at:

www.SignUpGenius.com/go/9040549ADA62BA75-duct1/

Alumni Game:
The date for the Alumni Game & Picnic has been set for Sunday July 12th at Avon Lake HS stadium. Once again this year we will be combining with the Boys for a joint Alumni Day.  The Girls will be playing at 3:00 p.m. with the Boys Alumni game at 4:30 pm.  Afterwards, we will have a picnic dinner. Watch your e-mail and pass the word to other Alumni and mark your calendars now for an afternoon of soccer, food, & fellowship!!


Women's World Cup:
The Women's World Cup is now under way. The host country is Canada and the matches will be at various locations throughout the country.  You can follow all the action at the FIFA website which can be found at:

http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/

The schedule for the United States Women's team group play is as follows:

June 8th vs. Australia at 7:30 pm

June 12th vs. Sweden at 8:00 pm

June 16th vs Nigeria at 8:00 pm

The rest of the schedule will be dependent on how group play turns out for the U.S.  The games will be televised this time on the Fox network which is channel 8 in Avon Lake. You can follow the schedule at the Fox website at:

http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/fifa-womens-world-cup

You can also follow the Women's National team at:

http://www.ussoccer.com/womens-national-team

I would highly encourage the girls to watch as many matches as possible to continue to observe and learn the flow of the game.

Soccer Training Videos:
The offseason period is a great time to work on soccer skills and to assist with that we will be posting training videos and this week we have one entitled "How to Shoot Penalty Kicks".  Watch the videos and then go out and practice and refine your technique.  The videos are put together by an outfit called Epic Sports.  They have a website that you can visit as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=p9iv8uhxjYY


Shorty Sez:
We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports
https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom


Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

Admit to and make yourself accountable for mistakes. How can you improve if you’re never wrong?

A word of encouragement after failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success.

Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.

G reatness
R equires
E ffort
A ttitude
T oughness

News for the Week of May 25, 2015

Program Notes for the Week of 5/25/2015:


Parent & Player Meeting:
There is a Parent and Player meeting scheduled to review the Try-Out Process and the Summer Calendar on Monday June 8th from 8pm - 9pm in Room 114 at Avon Lake High School.


Duck Tape Festival:
Once again this year we will be working the Sales tent at the Duck Tape Festival on June 19-21. We will need about 40 volunteers for the weekend to work 2 hour shifts.  Watch your e-mail and our blog for more details to come.


Soccer Training Videos:
The offseason period is a great time to work on soccer skills and to assist with that we will be posting training videos and this week we have one entitled "How to Cross a Soccer Ball".  Watch the videos and then go out and practice and refine your technique.  The videos are put together by an outfit called Epic Sports.  They have a website that you can visit as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pSCHoV2JQuA


Shorty Sez:
We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports
https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom

Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

Winners make goals, losers make excuses.

Losers say what they'll do; winners do without saying.

The best athletes never started as the best athletes.

The breakfast of champions is not cereal, it's the opposition.

You can't make a great play unless you do it first in practice.

News for the Week of May 18, 2015

Program Notes for the Week of 5/18/2015:

Memorial Weekend and Prom:
A big weekend ahead and we wish everyone a safe and funfilled Memorial Day weekend and to those Shoregals attending Prom - enjoy your night and be safe!!


Mattress Sale:
This is the week!!!  Once again this year, the girls team in conjunction with the boys team will be holding a mattress sale fundraiser.  The sale will be one day on Saturday May 23rd from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm at the Avon Lake High School Commons. See the attached flyer below.  This is a great way to get a mattress at a discounted cost and you will be helping out the ALHS soccer program!!  Pass the word to family and friends....

Soccer Training Videos:
The offseason period is a great time to work on soccer skills and to assist with that we will be posting training videos and this week we have one entitled "How to Bend a Soccer Ball".  Watch the videos and then go out and practice and refine your technique.  The videos are put together by an outfit called Epic Sports.  They have a website that you can visit as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUTPb36k9SE&feature=player_detailpage


Shorty Sez:
We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports
https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom


Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat.

L. ive
E. veryday to
A. chieve your
D. reams

Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement. - Matt Biondi

Winners, I am convinced, imagine their dreams first. They want it with all their heart & expect it to come true. - Joe Montana

I just bring the determination to win. - LeBron James

News for the Week of May 11, 2015

Program Notes for the Week of 5/11/2015:

Happy Mother's Day:
I would like to wish Happy Mother's Day to all our Shoregal moms who really make this program work and have given me a lot of assistance over the years.  I came across a post on a soccer blog that I would like to share with everyone by an individual named Jack Heffron:

Say Thanks to Soccer Mom

By Jack Heffron on May 11, 2012.

The soccer mom. We all know her. She’s the frazzled-looking gal wheeling the minivan or SUV into the parking lot next to the fields behind the school. As the door flings open and a handful of kids tumble out, she shouts things like “Don’t forget your water bottle” and “I’m taking your sister to her practice and then I’ll be back.”

According to the stereotype, she’s sort of dull and conventional. Her life is mostly a matter of quickly prepared dinners and frantically rushing around the neighborhood dropping off and picking up kids at their games and practices.

It’s a stereotype so pervasive that we know longer actually see these real-life women in their countless variety. Nor do we appreciate enough all the things they do to keep the youth sports wheels turning. Without them, in fact, those wheels surely would grind to a halt. They take care of their own kids and keep an eye out for every member of the team. They can be counted on to cheer, to provide post-game snacks, to make sure the kids are hydrated and safe and happy. They keep score. Some are coaches. All are invaluable.

With Mother’s Day coming up, I thought we should take a few minutes to truly see these women and to say thank you.  On Mother’s Day, thank the Soccer Moms who you know. It’s not always a fun job, and gratitude is rarely part of it.

Mattress Sale:
Once again this year, the girls team in conjunction with the boys team will be holding a mattress sale fundraiser.  The sale will be one day on Saturday May 23rd from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm at the Avon Lake High School Commons. See the attached flyer below.  This is a great way to get a mattress at a discounted cost and you will be helping out the ALHS soccer program!!  Pass the word to family and friends....

Shoregal Alumni in the News:

From time to time we like to update everyone on various accomplishments that have been achieved by our Shoregal Alumni.  This week we have some news about Hilary George who was recently named as the Head Coach at the University of South Carolina - Aiken.  Aiken is a NCAA Div. II school and this is her first head coaching job, so congratulations are definitely in order.   Here is a short bio on her:

Hilary could be considered the greatest goalie to ever play for the Shoregals.  During her high school career, she recorded 30 shutouts and is our all-time leader in that category.  She played 4 yrs. on the Varsity from 1996 - 1999.  

After high school, she was awarded a scholarship to Gardner-Webb Univ. in North Carolina which is a Div. 1 college.  She played on the Varsity from 2000 - 2004 and during her time she recorded 14.5 shutouts which ranks second all-time at the school.  She was also named a first team All-America selection by the National Christian College Athletic Assn.  Hilary completed both a bachelor's and master's degrees at Gardner-Webb.

After college, she served as assistant women's soccer coach at Armstrong Atlantic State Univ. in Savannah, Georgia for 6 years.  She then spent the past three years as assistant coach at the Univ. of South Carolina - Beaufort. Hilary is also a certified strength & conditioning specialist.  

It is great to see that Hilary continued her playing career while getting an education and has now experienced success in the coaching ranks as well.  A great role model for young Shoregals!!

Soccer Training Videos:
The offseason period is a great time to work on soccer skills and to assist with that we will be posting training videos and this week we have one entitled "How to Curve a Soccer Ball".  Watch the videos and then go out and practice and refine your technique.  The videos are put together by an outfit called Epic Sports.  They have a website that you can visit as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3Y8uz05MHX0


Shorty Sez:
We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports
https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom

Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

The 4 A's of Success:
  1)  Academics.
  2)  Athletics.
  3)  Attitude.
  4)  Achievement.

Nothing will work unless you do. - John Wooden

You are successful the moment you start moving toward a worthwhile goal.

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.

News for the Week of May 4, 2015

Program Notes for the Week of 5/4/2015:


Friday Night Futbol:
There is an exciting concept in the planning stages for this Fall season.  Friday nights in high school is the traditional time for gathering for football games.  Well, what if we added soccer to the Friday night mix also???  Plans are currently being made for a Friday Night Futbol game this year. The game will be held on Friday August 21st at home in Memorial Stadium against Oregon Clay and it will be the girls opening game of the season. This night will be designated as ALSO youth soccer night which means that all youth soccer players will have free admission to game and there will be prizes and raffles, etc.  We want to get a large crowd for the game and we are working to get the ALHS Marching band to play as well.  It should be a real memorable event for the girls and a lot of fun also. Watch for more details as the summer progresses.


2015 Season Schedule:
Speaking of the schedule - please find below the schedule for the 2015 season. There may still be some changes, but this will be pretty much what to expect.  This year's schedule provides a variety of competition including Oregon Clay which was 15-1-2 last year; the 4 new members of the SWC in 2015 in Avon, Lakewood, Midview & North Ridgeville which makes the conference schedule consist of 9 games now; and three private schools in Padua, Elyria Catholic, & St. Joe's.  It looks to be a schedule that we can be very competitive with.

Opponent           Date 

Scrimmages:
Nordonia           8/5/2015   Scrimmage   Away 5 JV/7 V

Magnificat         8/7/2015   Scrimmage   Home  5/7

Strongsville       8/10/2015  Scrimmage   Away 5/7

Bay Village       8/19/2015  Scrimmage   Home  5/7


Regular Season:
Oregon Clay             8/21/2015  Game   Home  4 JV/6 V

Elyria                        8/24/2015   Game  Home   5/7

Avon                         8/26/2015  SWC Game  Home   5/7

Padua                        8/31/2015  Game   Away  5/7

Lakewood                 9/2/2015    SWC Game   Home   5/7

North Ridgeville       9/9/2015    SWC Game   Home   5/7

Elyria Catholic          9/14/2015   Game  Home  5/7

Amherst                    9/16/2015   SWC Game  Away  5/7

Shaker Hts.               9/19/2015   Game  Away  1/3

Wadsworth               9/21/2015   Game  Away  5/7

Berea-Midpark         9/23/2015   SWC Game  Home  5/7

Olmsted Falls           9/28/2015   SWC Game  Away 5/7

St. Joe's Academy    10/1/2015   Game  Home  5/7

Westlake                   10/5/2015   SWC Game  Away  5/7

Midview                   10/7/2015   SWC Game  Away  5/7

North Olmsted          10/14/2015 SWC Game  Home  5/7

Mattress Sale:

Once again this year, the girls team in conjunction with the boys team will be holding a mattress sale fundraiser.  The sale will be one day on Saturday May 23rd from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm at the Avon Lake High School Commons. See the attached flyer below.  This is a great way to get a mattress at a discounted cost and you will be helping out the ALHS soccer program!!  Pass the word to family and friends....

In Memoriam:

We have some sad news to report this week as Rod Braye passed away unexpectedly on April 27th. Rod was the father of graduated soccer players James & Megan Braye.  As you can read in the attached obituary, he was quite an accomplished man as well as a military veteran.  In soccer, he helped the girls program in a number of ways, the most notable of which was that he prepared scouting reports for the coaching staff. In fact, I still use his template for scouting reports to this day. We thank him for his contributions to our program and will miss his presence at games.

http://obits.cleveland.com/obituaries/cleveland/obituary.aspx?n=roderick-dale-braye&pid=174774586

Soccer Training Videos:

The offseason period is a great time to work on soccer skills and to assist with that we will be posting training videos and this week we have one entitled "3 Soccer Kicks That You Must Know".  Watch the videos and then go out and practice and refine your technique.  The videos are put together by an outfit called Epic Sports.  They have a website that you can visit as well.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=17ZrGdbGdIQ

Shorty Sez:

We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports

https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom

Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

Decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage to say no to other things.

Don't let perfect get in the way of progress. The key to moving ahead is following through.

Talent wins games, but teamwork & intelligence win championships. - Michael Jordan

The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning. - Pele

Never let a win go to your head, or a loss to your heart.

News for the Week of April 27, 2015

Program Notes for the Week of 4/27/2015:

Schedule for the Week of 4/27:
This week there will be meetings for both players and parents as follows:

Player Meeting ~ Wednesday, April 29th at 3:30 PM in Room 114 @ ALHS


Parent Meeting ~ Wednesday, April 29th at 8:30 PM in Room 114 @ ALHS


Shoregals in the News:
From time to time we like to recognize the accomplishments of our Shoregal soccer players.  During the Winter sports season two of our soccer players were on the Varsity Basketball team.  Juniors Casey Baughman and Maggie Moore played on a very successful team with a 16-7 record.  Maggie Moore garnered All SWC Honorable Mention and All Lorain County Honorable Mention awards.

Freestyle Soccer Video:
Soccer is not just about training and games and tournaments - it is meant to be fun and it should be fun to play.  Along those lines, we have been posting freestyle videos and this week we have one which shows some moves in slow motion .  Challenge yourself to see if you can do some of these skills - you might even be able to use them in a game some time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6dx--8x-K8&feature=player_detailpage


Shorty Sez:
We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports
https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom

Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

Don't let perfect get in the way of progress. The key to moving ahead is following through.

You've got to be able to adapt from game to game and year to year. Something in your game has to improve.

Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up.

You can either throw in the towel or use it to wipe the sweat off your face.

There are 2 types of athletes: Those who truly desire success and those who are trying to avoid failure. Which one do you want to be??

News for the Week of April 20, 2015

Program notes for the Week of 4/20/2015: 


JV Record:
This past 2014 season, the Shoregal JV team compiled an undefeated season with a 13-0-3 record. So the natural question that would arise is if this was the best JV record ever.  JV records are notoriously difficult to track down because they tend to get lost in the shuffle rather quickly. However, we have made a reasonable attempt to search back through the 22 year history of the Avon Lake program to uncover JV records from past seasons.  So, with reasonable confidence we can say that last year's team did have the best JV record in program history.  Congrats to the girls and Coach Caleb Reutter on such an impressive season!!  There was another undefeated team in 2008 which finished with a 11-0-5 record - very good, but not quite as good as this year.  Here are JV records from the past few seasons:

Year         W    L     T         Pct.
2007 11 2 2 0.800 
2008 11 0 5 0.844 
2010 9 5 2 0.625 
2011 11 4 1 0.719 
2012 9 5 2 0.625 
2013 10 1 5 0.781 
2014 13 0 3 0.906 

I think this shows that the future of our program should be very bright indeed......

Women's World Cup:
We will remind everyone again this week that the Women's World Cup will be held this summer running June 6th through July 5th - less than 50 days from now.  The host country will be Canada and the matches will be at various locations throughout the country.  You can follow all the action at the FIFA website which can be found at:

http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/

The schedule for the United States Women's team group play is as follows:

June 8th vs. Australia at 7:30 pm

June 12th vs. Sweden at 8:00 pm

June 16th vs Nigeria at 8:00 pm

The rest of the schedule will be dependent on how group play turns out for the U.S.  I am sure that these games will all be televised on one of the ESPN channels.

You can also follow the Women's National team at:

http://www.ussoccer.com/womens-national-team

I would highly encourage the girls to watch as many matches as possible to continue to observe and learn the flow of the game.


Parent Corner:
This week we will post an article on an interesting topic - could turf fields pose health hazards to players?  This particular article comes from USA Today by author Thomas Frank.  While there is no definitive answer at this point, it certainly gives you something to think about. I would think a prudent strategy would be for proper bathing and washing of soccer kits after practices and games to mitigate some of the inherent issues with turf fields.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/03/15/artificial-turf-health-safety-studies/24727111/


Freestyle Soccer Video:
Soccer is not just about training and games and tournaments - it is meant to be fun and it should be fun to play.  Along those lines, we have been posting freestyle videos and this week we have a compilation of several girls.  Challenge yourself to see if you can do some of these skills - you might even be able to use them in a game some time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsToOd9PVuk&feature=player_detailpage


Shorty Sez:
We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports
https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom

Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

You can stand tall without standing on someone. You can be a victor without having victims.

A determined person doesn't find it hard to succeed; they find it hard to stop trying.

What comes easy won't last, what lasts won't come easy.

Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.

How you make others feel about themselves, says a lot about you.

Play like a champion. Train like an underdog.

News for the Week of April 13, 2015

Program Notes for the Week of 4/13/2015:


Women's World Cup:
Just a reminder to everyone that the Women's World Cup will be held this summer running from June 6th through July 5th - just 55 days from now.  The host country will be Canada and the matches will be at various locations throughout the country.  You can follow all the action at the FIFA website which can be found at:

http://www.fifa.com/womensworldcup/

The schedule for the United States Women's team group play is as follows:

June 8th vs. Australia at 7:30 pm

June 12th vs. Sweden at 8:00 pm

June 16th vs Nigeria at 8:00 pm

The rest of the schedule will be dependent on how group play turns out for the U.S.  I am sure that these games will all be televised on one of the ESPN channels.

You can also follow the Women's National team at:

http://www.ussoccer.com/womens-national-team

I would highly encourage the girls to watch as many matches as possible to continue to observe and learn the flow of the game.


Women's Professional Soccer
Another reminder that the Women's Professional Soccer is back again this year.  The National Women's Soccer League began play over the past weekend. You can follow the league at its website:

http://www.nwslsoccer.com/

The league consists of nine teams and its season runs from April to September followed by playoffs. The nearest team to us would be the Western New York Flash which is based out of Rochester, NY. Their website can be found at:

http://wnyflash.com/home/

It might make for a nice weekend family outing to catch a game.  There is plenty to do in the Rochester/Buffalo area.


Parent Corner:
The never ending debate is whether to specialize in a sport or to play multiple sports. We have Shoregal soccer players who both specialize and play multiple sports. There is no right or wrong, black or white answer. It really depends on the aspirations of the individual player and what they are comfortable with.  Below you will find an excerpt form the book Positive Sports Parenting by Jim Thompson that lends some insight to this topic.

http://t.co/ozWwHSvulY


Freestyle Soccer Video:
Soccer is not just about training and games and tournaments - it is meant to be fun and it should be fun to play.  Along those lines, we have been posting freestyle videos and this week we will feature another one with English freestyler Sheuneenio.  Challenge yourself to see if you can do some of these skills - you might even be able to use them in a game some time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuZKcY7aDeQ&feature=player_detailpage


Shorty Sez:
We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports
https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom

Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

Resolve never to quit, never to give up, no matter what the situation.

Life is meant to be a challenge, because challenges are what make you grow.

The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.

The main purpose of a team is for the strengths of the whole to offset the weaknesses of the individual.

Trying times are not the times to stop trying.

The discipline you learn and character you build from setting and achieving a goal can be more valuable than the goal itself.

News for the Week of April 6, 2015

Program Notes for the Week of 4/6/15:

Happy Easter to all our soccer family and friends!!  For the Avon Lake players and families - have a safe and fun filled Spring Break!!


SHOREGALS RECEIVE POSTSEASON HONORS
Before we move forward to our new season we would like to formally close out the past season.  A short recap of the season including the numerous awards earned by the girls is as follows:

The Shoregals soccer team made history during the 2014 season for their amazing defensive exploits while compiling a 7-7-4 record. They set a school record for goals scored against them in a season with only 12 given up in 18 games. They also compiled a streak of 9 consecutive shutouts which was also a school record and encompassed 814 minutes of field time or 13½ hours – Wow!!! The shutout streak also ranked 7th all time in the state of Ohio.  Best wins of the season were 1-0 over Westlake, a 1-0 victory over Amherst where the girls played over 60 minutes of the game down a player, and a 2-1 overtime playoff win vs. Avon.  Not to be outdone, the JV team compiled a 13-0-3 record and may have been the only undefeated JV team in program history.

Several Avon Lake girls soccer team members were awarded All-Ohio status by the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association, All-County status by the Lorain County Scholastic Coaches Association, All-Conference status from the Southwest Conference (SWC) coaches, and All Greater Cleveland recognition for their performance from the just concluded season.  Those receiving awards are as follows:

All Ohio Second Team - Rada Zunich (Sr.)

All Lorain County First Team - Rada Zunich (Sr.)
All Lorain County First Team - Elise Duvall (Jr.)
All Lorain County First Team - Olivia Siko (So.)

All Lorain County Second Team - Lindsay Butler (Jr.)
All Lorain County Second Team - Kellie Norris (So.)

All Lorain County Honorable Mention - Clare Adams (Sr.)
All Lorain County Honorable Mention - Addy Poole (Jr.)

In addition, the following Seniors were selected to play in the Lorain County All-Star game which was hosted by Avon Lake in Memorial Stadium:

Clare Adams
Rada Zunich


From the Southwest Conference:
All SWC First Team - Rada Zunich (Sr.)
All SWC First Team - Elise Duvall (Jr.)
All SWC First Team - Olivia Siko (So.)

All SWC Second Team - Kellie Norris (So.)

All SWC Honorable Mention - Clare Adams (Sr.)
All SWC Honorable Mention - Lindsay Butler (Jr.)


And from the Greater Cleveland Scholastic Soccer Coaches Assn:
All Greater Cleveland First Team - Rada Zunich (Sr.)

All Greater Cleveland Second Team - Elise Duvall (Jr.)

All Greater Cleveland Honorable Mention - Clare Adams (Sr.)
All Greater Cleveland Honorable Mention - Lindsay Butler (Jr.)
All Greater Cleveland Honorable Mention - Kellie Norris (So.)
All Greater Cleveland Honorable Mention - Olivia Siko (So.)

In addition, the following Seniors were selected to play in the All-Greater Cleveland Senior All Star Game

Clare Adams
Rada Zunich

All-Greater Cleveland All Academic Team (Seniors):   
Clare Adams
Esther Killius
Kayla Kress
Sarah Nasr
Rada Zunich


All-Greater Cleveland All Academic Team Award:        Fall 2014 Varsity Roster

Congratulations to these Shoregals on their well deserved awards!

In addition, the Shoregals were once again awarded Team Academic All-America status for the 2013-2014 school year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).   This is the highest academic honor that high school soccer teams may receive in the country.   Avon Lake was one of only 194 teams nationwide (about 4 per state) to receive this prestigious award and the team GPA was an excellent 3.42!

Also, Avon Lake was the only Lorain County school to be awarded Team Academic All-America status.  To qualify for the award, a team must have a minimum grade point average of 3.25 for the entire academic year.   The way that this award is figured is based on the fact that a number of states play Spring soccer only and in order to include all states the NSCAA waits until after the Spring season is completed to determine the award winners.  That is why the award for last year was just announced in late November of 2014.  This was actually last year's team that won the award and would include last year's 9 graduated seniors.

This year's team is also on track to receive Academic All-America status again for the current academic year in November of 2015.  That would mark the 6th year in row that the Shoregals have received this award as we have now earned it in 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, & 2008.

2015 Shoregals College Prep Guide: 
Just another reminder that once again this year we have put together a relatively comprehensive guide regarding what is involved in college soccer and how to prepare to play at the next level.  It was e-mailed to our player families already and we have posted it here also under the Pages section on the right hand side of the blog.  Hope you find it useful.


Freestyle Soccer Video:
Soccer is not just about training and games and tournaments - it is meant to be fun and it should be fun to play.  Along those lines, we have been posting freestyle videos and this week we will feature English freestyler Sheuneenio.  Challenge yourself to see if you can do some of these skills - you might even be able to use them in a game some time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUOegdz8KoA&feature=player_detailpage


Shorty Sez:
We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports
https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom

Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

"With every passing minute is a chance to turn it all around" - from the movie Vanilla Sky

Let your dreams be bigger than your fears and your actions be louder than your words.

Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.

There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.

There isn't a person anywhere who isn't capable of doing more than they think they can.

One good wish changes nothing. One good action changes everything.

News for the Week of March 30, 2015

Program Notes for the Week of 3/30/2015:

The Blog is Back!!!!  It is time to start making plans for the 2015 season and passing along all types of information out to players, families, and friends.


OHTSL Scholarship:
Just a quick reminder that The Ohio Travel Soccer League (OHTSL) is offering a scholarship program for the girl's and boy's division of OHTSL. Four (4), $1000 scholarship will be awarded in each division. Please see the cover letter for eligibility requirements. The completed application must be post marked by April 3, 2015. Recipients will be announced on the web site after May 2, 2015 and presentation of the scholarship will be at the OHTSL All Star game on May 16, 2015.  The OHTSL website may be found at http://www.ohtsl.com/ then go to the OHTSL scholarship box.

Cover Letter - http://www.ohtsl.com/scholarship/file212.doc

Application - http://www.ohtsl.com/scholarship/file213.doc

Please direct any questions, to Debbie at treasurer@ohtsl.com

On a side note - an Avon Lake girl has received this scholarship in three of the past four years.  So, it is very winable for our players.


2015 Shoregals College Prep Guide: 
Just another reminder that once again this year we have put together a relatively comprehensive guide regarding what is involved in college soccer and how to prepare to play at the next level.  It was e-mailed to our player families already and we have posted it here also under the Pages section on the right hand side of the blog. Hope you find it useful.


Southwestern Conference Update:
Remember that this is the year that the SWC expands to 10 teams. Brecksville has left to join the Suburban League in 2015.  That created an opening which will now be filled by North Ridgeville and they will join Avon, Lakewood, & Midview who had previously committed to join the SWC. The new SWC will field 10 teams in Fall of 2015 as follows:

Amherst
Avon
Avon Lake
Berea-Midpark
Lakewood
Midview
North Olmsted
North Ridgeville
Olmsted Falls
Westlake

Looking at this new lineup for girls soccer, it should be a very evenly matched conference and one that Avon Lake should be in a position to compete for a conference championship every year. Welcome to the new schools entering the conference!


Freestyle Soccer Video:
Soccer is not just about training and games and tournaments - it is meant to be fun and it should be fun to play.  Along those lines, we have posted a freestyle video this week and will continue to put some more up in the upcoming weeks.  Challenge yourself to see if you can do some of these skills - you might even be able to use them in a game some time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsToOd9PVuk&feature=player_detailpage


Shorty Sez: 
We continue with our collection of motivational sayings coming from the Twitter sites called Women Love Sports and Coach K which may be found at:

https://twitter.com/Women_Sports
https://twitter.com/CoachKWisdom

Once there, here are some selected examples of tweets over the past week. Hope you find something that inspires you here:

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

Do something to move yourself toward your major goal every day.

Leaders think and talk about the solutions. Followers think and talk about the problems.

Failure is a detour, not a dead-end.

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.