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.

News for the Week of September 29, 2014

Program Notes for the Week of 9/29/2014:


Schedule for the Week of 9/29:
Monday, Sept. 29th
     Game 14 vs. St. Joe's Academy - JV 5:00/V 7:00 pm
Tuesday, Sept. 30th
    Training at Troy from 3:30PM-5:00PM
Wednesday, Oct. 1st
    Training at Troy from 3:30PM-5:00PM
    Game vs. Magnificat - JV only 7:30 pm
Thursday, Oct. 2nd
    Training at Troy from 3:30PM-5:00PM
Friday, Oct. 3rd
     Recovery Day
Saturday, Oct. 4th
      Off day - Homecoming Dance
Sunday, Oct. 5th
      Off day


Game Recaps:
Here is a summary of our 11th game against Lakewood:

AL vs. Lakewood  9/20/14

AL 0   Lakewood  0

Goalies:
AL - Elise Duvall - 3 saves

L -  Laura Sharkin - 1 save

Game Summary:
It is always interesting to see what will happen when a high scoring offense meets an impenetrable defense. In the case of Lakewood vs. Avon Lake it means the game ends in a 0-0 tie. The Lady Rangers came in averaging 5 goals a game and the Shoregals defense just posted 4 consecutive shutouts. Oddly enough, there was a paucity of shots on goal from both teams during the match.   Lakewood was able to manage just three shots on goal while Avon Lake only had one shot on goal, but the ‘Gals had the better scoring opportunities on the afternoon.  The first one came just 11 minutes into the game when Mila Zunich took a crossing pass from Mariela Lopez which pulled the goalie out of position, but Zunich’s shot went just slightly wide of the far post.  Then in the second half with 9 minutes remaining, Kayla Kress took a pass from Mae Quinn which got her behind the Lakewood defense and once again with the goalie out of position the ball just missed the inside of the far post. Outside of those two great chances, the AL offense was frustrated by a well executed offside trap defensive scheme which caused 10 offside penalties to be whistled against the ‘Gals.

The highlight of the game as it has been recently is the Shoregal defense which recorded its fifth shutout in a row covering 451 minutes of game time or 7 ½ hours without yielding a goal.  Simply amazing and now historic as well!! In the 22 year history of Shoregal soccer never has there been 5 consecutive shutouts.  Surprisingly, 4 shutouts in row have happened a number of times, but never 5 and never this many minutes of field time without a goal.  So major congrats to goalie Elise Duvall who has registered 6 clean sheets (shutouts) this season and the main defensive core of Rada Zunich, Kellie Norris, Addy Poole, Lauren Anthony, Mae Quinn, Esther Killius, Olivia Hall, and now Maggie Moore as well.

In JV action, the Shoregals continued their undefeated season with a 9-0 shipwreck of the Lady Rangers. The Avon Lake JVs record now moves to 8-0-3 on the year.  Scoring goals for the ‘Gals were Casey Baughman with 3 goals, Ashley Nally & Paige Hood with 2 goals, and Stephanie Carr & Danielle DelGiudice with one each.  Contributing the always important assists were Olivia Hall with 2 and Morgan Carlin, Ashley Nally, Paige Hood, & Stephanie Carr with one each. Danielle DelGiudice was in goal for AL.  

Here is a summary of our 12th game against North Ridgeville:

AL at North Ridgeville  9/22/14

AL 1   North Ridgeville  0

Goals:
AL - Olivia Siko

NR - None

Assists:
AL - Esther Killius

NR - None

Goalies:
AL - Elise Duvall - 3 saves

NR - Bri Casement - 6 saves

Game Summary:
The Shoregals continued their tour of incoming SWC schools with a visit to North Ridgeville on Monday and managed to produce a 1-0 result.  The Lady Rangers proved to be a pesky foe as they were continually able to make a defensive play either to block a shot or win possession close to their goal.  Finally, midway through the second half Avon Lake was able to breakthrough when Esther Killius had a throw in pass to Olivia Siko which she turned on and put a high shot from distance just under the crossbar and just above the goalie’s hands to score her 6th goal of the season.

But the real story of the game once again was the Shoregal defense holding yet another opponent scoreless.  History continues to be made as this amazing scoreless streak has reached 6 consecutive matches and 531 minutes of game time.  Elise Duvall made 3 saves to earn her 7th shutout of the season – by the way the team record is 12.  The back line was capably handled by Rada Zunich, Maggie Moore, Addy Poole, Kellie Norris, Esther Killius, and Lauren Anthony and withstood significant pressure from the Lady Rangers in the closing minutes of the game as they pushed forward trying to get the equalizer.

A few other notes about the game – the ‘Gals were able to put 7 shots on goal – two by Siko and one each by Jackie Rush, Maggie Moore, Mila Zunich, Rada Zunich, & Kayla Kress.  Six of those shots were saved by North Ridgeville goalie Bri Casement who played another outstanding game against the Shoregals and has only given up one goal in two years against AL despite having 24 shots on goal put at her in those two games.

Here is a summary of our 13th game against Amherst Steele:

AL vs. Amherst Steele  9/24/14

AL 1   Amherst  Steele 0

Goals:
AL - Mila Zunich

AS - None

Assists:
AL - Addy Poole

AS - None

Goalies:
AL - Elise Duvall - 9 saves

AS - Lizzie Keller - 0 saves

Game Summary:
The 13th game of the season proved to be lucky for the Shoregals and boy did they need some luck in their 1-0 victory over Amherst.  It looked as if luck was not going to be with Avon Lake on this night as just 16 minutes into the game a Red Card was shown to Olivia Siko.  That meant the ‘Gals were going to have to play with only 10 players for the remaining 64 minutes.  Added to that was an injury to defender Rada Zunich a few minutes later in the first half.  So, Avon Lake lost their leading scorer to a red card, a key defender and team captain to injury and had to play a girl down the rest of the game.  An unlucky turn of events and hardly the recipe for a successful result.

But then the Shoregals, as they have been doing over the past few weeks, just found a way to make things happen.  First, it was Mila Zunich who scored a shorthanded goal with 13 minutes left in the first half.  Mila took a throw in from Addy Poole that the Amherst defense didn’t challenge very robustly and let get to Zunich’s feet. From there Mila had just enough space to send a blast into the Lady Comet net.  It would be Avon Lake’s only shot on goal of the night and they made it count. Then the defense took over as they continually foiled Amherst scoring opportunities despite being backed into their defensive half as the Lady Comets moved 9 or 10 players into the AL half trying to get the equalizer. The Shoregal defense was able to pull off another shutout to secure the win and in the process move their record breaking shutout string to 7 in a row and 611 minutes of game time. Amherst was able to manage 9 shots on goal all of which were defended by Elise Duvall who recorded her 8th shutout of the season.

A remarkable effort by the 19 girls who played in this game which took a combination of luck, smart play, grit, determination, and the sheer will to win to produce a result.  

In JV action, the ‘Gals continued their amazing undefeated season with a 2-0 victory over the JV Comets.  AL took control of this game early on as they scored two goals in the first half led off by Casey Baughman’s 14th goal of the season from an assist by Paige Hood.  Then Anna Robinson struck off an assist from Morgan Carlin which was part of an 18 shots on goal attack by the Shoregals. Danielle DelGiudice made two saves to earn her 7th shutout of the year.  


Cudos Corner:
We like to recognize those individuals who do a little more for the program throughout the season. This week we would like to recognize Rob Hall and the staff at Premier Custom Flooring that have made the soccer signs that we currently have in use for each of our players. They made an entirely new set of 50+ signs last year to replace the 20 year old signs which understandably had become worn.


Shorty Sez:

Be a positive influence. Make a difference.

Don't embrace excuses, embrace solutions.

News for the Week of Sept. 22, 2014

Program Notes for the Week of 9/22/2014:

Schedule for the Week of 9/22:
Monday, Sept. 22nd
     Game 12 at North Ridgeville - V 7:00 pm
Tuesday, Sept. 23rd
    Training at ALHS from 4:30PM-6:00PM
Wednesday, Sept. 24th
    Game 13 vs. Amherst - JV 5:00/V 7:00 pm
Thursday, Sept. 25th
    Training at Troy from 3:30PM-5:00PM
Friday, Sept. 26th
     Recovery Day
Saturday, Sept. 27th
      Off day
Sunday, Sept. 28th
      Off day


Game Recaps:
Here is a summary of our 7th game against Berea-Midpark:

AL vs. Berea-Midpark  9/10/14

AL 3   Berea-Midpark  0

Goals:
AL - Olivia Siko, Kayla Kress, Mae Quinn

B-M - None

Assists:
AL - Lindsay Butler, Jackie Rush

B-M - None

Goalies:
AL - Elise Duvall - 1 save

B-M -  Jena Herold - 3 saves

Game Summary:
In a night that was fit for a Shoregal or more likely a duck, Avon Lake sloshed its way to a 3-0 victory over Berea-Midpark.  The game was started in a light rain which steadily progressed into a torrential downpour which flooded the field and necessitated the match to be called with 28 minutes remaining to give the Shoregals their second win of the season.

Before that however; Avon Lake put 3 scores on the board. Mae Quinn started the scoring with her first Varsity goal off a deflected shot from Jackie Rush that she buried into the back of the net.  Next up, Kayla Kress took an excellent crossing pass from Lindsay Butler to make it 2-0 at halftime. Olivia Siko capped the scoring early in the second half with a blast that slid off a diving goalie’s hands into the goal.  The Titans only managed one shot on goal and Elise Duvall provided the save.

In JV action, the Shoregals dropped anchor on the Titans with a 13-1 victory.  Scoring goals for AL were Casey Baughman, Stephanie Carr, Olivia Jedlicka, & Megan Sanders who had two each. Single goals were netted by Margaux Duvall, Paige Hood, Mackenzie Jacob, Ashley Nally, & Anna Robinson.  Assists went to Ashley Nally with 4 and Stephanie Carr, Margaux Duvall, Ally Harper, Anna Robinson, & Kelly Spitz with one each.

Here is a summary of our 8th game against Sylvania Northview:

AL vs. Sylvania Northview  9/13/14

AL 0   Sylvania Northview  0

Goalies:

AL - Elise Duvall - 4 saves

SN - Kathleen Duwve - 4 saves

Game Summary:

“Deadlock, impasse, stalemate” are all words that could be used to describe the recent series between Avon Lake and Sylvania Northview.  In 2012, the teams played to a 1-1 tie and in both 2013 and this year the teams played to 0-0 draws.  So, in the past three years the two teams have managed a grand total of one goal against each other.  It does not get any more evenly matched than that.  

In this year’s game, Northview had the much better scoring opportunities, but clutch goalkeeping from Elise Duvall preserved the tie for the Shoregals. The Ladykats best scoring opportunity of the match came about midway through the first half when Allison Rieger was awarded a penalty kick. The save rate in these situations is extremely low, but Duvall was able to smother a direct blast from Rieger to keep the game scoreless.  Another great chance for Northview came late in the second half when Morgan Lutz sent a shot towards the AL goal which took a high bounce off the turf and forced Duvall to deflect the ball off the crossbar to prevent a possible game winning goal.

Avon Lake was only able to manage two shots on goal – one by Kellie Norris off a free kick and the other by Mae Quinn both of which were handled by Northview goalie Kathleen Duwve.  Shoregal goalie Duvall recorded her third shutout of the season while the Avon Lake defense has only allowed 9 goals in 8 games.

The JV game was also a closely contested match which was scoreless until Kelly Spitz was able to collect a ball in a mad scramble in front of the Northview goal and poke it into the back of the net with 5 minutes remaining.  The win kept the JV side undefeated on the season and earned goalie Danielle DelGiudice her fourth shutout of the year. 

Here is a summary of our 9th game against Midview:

AL at Midview  9/15/14

AL 0   Midview  0

Goalies:

AL - Elise Duvall - 7 saves

M - Alyssa Adkins - 6 saves

Game Summary:

The Shoregals continued their impressive scoreless streak with a 0-0 draw at Midview.  The ‘Gals have not given up a goal since the first 30 seconds of the Brecksville game – a span of 291 minutes. That is almost 5 hours without surrendering a goal. Great work by our defenders Rada Zunich, Kellie Norris, Addy Poole, Mae Quinn, Esther Killius, and also Lauren Anthony.  This group has only given up 9 goals in 9 total games so far this season.

Avon Lake was able to manage 6 shots on goal and their best scoring chance happened midway through the first half when Mae Quinn sent a long pass to Kayla Kress which sprung her on a breakaway towards the Midview goal; however, their goalie was able to make the save and thwart this opportunity.  The Middies put 7 shots on goal and their best opportunity happened about 6 minutes into the second half when Molly McGuire sent a corner kick into the box that Madison Filipiak got a solid boot on, but Shoregal goalie Elise Duvall was equal to the task preserving her 4th shutout of the season.  Duvall made a total of 7 saves on the evening. For Midview, goalie Alyssa Adkins recorded 6 saves.

In JV action, the Shoregals remained undefeated on the season with a 5-0 victory over Midview. After carrying a 1-0 advantage into halftime, Avon Lake broke the game wide open in the second half and launched a jaw dropping 45 shots on goal for the game. Scoring goals for AL were Stephanie Carr, Olivia Hall, Casey Baughman, Paige Hood, & Kelly Spitz. The JV Middies managed only one shot on goal during the contest which was saved by Danielle DelGiudice who earned her 5th shutout of the season.

Here is a summary of our 10th game against Westlake:

AL at. Westlake  9/16/14

AL 1  (3-5-2)   Westlake  0

Goals:

AL - Mae Quinn

W - None

Assists:

AL - Olivia Siko

W - None

Goalies:

AL - Elise Duvall - 6 saves

W -  Lauren Kriaris - 2 saves

Game Summary:

Consider the situation, the Shoregals were without 3 of their top 12 players due to injury and another two starters have been out for almost the entire season while Westlake was at full strength.  The Shoregals were playing games two days in row both on the road and in Westlake versus an opponent in which we have had little success against over the past 22 years.  Consider the situation…….against that backdrop the ‘Gals pulled off a wonderfully improbable victory against the Lady Demons by a 1-0 score.

That lone game winning goal came from Mae Quinn who took a long pass from Olivia Siko and raced down the right side of the field toward the Westlake goal on a breakaway.  As the goalie came out to cut down the angle, Quinn was able to lift a ball over the goalie and into the upper part of the net in the 24th minute of the first half.  After that, the Avon Lake defense took over led by goalie Elise Duvall who made 6 saves on the night for her 5th shutout of the season.  The Shoregal defense continued its amazing scoreless streak with its fourth shutout in a row and 371 consecutive minutes without surrendering a goal – that is over 6 hours!!  On this night, the defensive heroes were Rada Zunich, Addy Poole, Lauren Anthony, Olivia Hall, and Esther Killius.  The ‘Gals have only given up 9 goals in 10 games thus far this year.   This was our first win against Westlake since 2010 and a special victory in Shoregal soccer history considering the situation….. 

In JV action, the Shoregals remained undefeated on the season but had to settle for a 1-1 tie with Westlake.  AL struck first in the first half on a goal by Casey Baughman off a free kick.  However, Westlake was able to find the equalizer in the second half to earn the draw.  In goal for Avon Lake was Danielle DelGiudice who made 7 saves in the contest. The JV Shoregals record now moves to 7-0-3 on the season.  

Cudos Corner:

We like to recognize those individuals who do a little more for the program throughout the season. This week we would like to recognize our parents that help with the scorekeeping. Colleen Robinson & Dan Robinson manage the JV stats along with assistance from Holly Spitz.  Chip Killius helps with the Varsity stats when needed.  This is a great help to the coaches to keep things accurate.


Shorty Sez:

"Winners focus on winning, Losers focus on Winners"

News for the Week of September 8, 2014

Program Notes for the Week of 9/8/2014:


Schedule for the Week of 9/8:
Monday, Sept. 8th
    Training at Troy from 3:30PM-5:00PM
     Junior Varsity Match vs Parma @ Troy from 5:00PM-6:30PM
Tuesday, Sept. 9th
    Training at ALHS from 3:15PM-5:00PM
Wednesday, Sept. 10th
    Game 7 vs. Berea-Midpark - JV 5:00/V 7:00 pm
Thursday, Sept. 11th
     Recovery day
Friday, Sept. 12th
     Training at ALHS from 5:00PM - 6:30PM
Saturday, Sept. 13th
       Game 8 vs. Sylvania Northview - JV 1:00/V 3:00 pm
Sunday, Sept. 14th
      Off day


Game Recaps:
Here is a summary of our sixth game against Brecksville:

AL at Brecksville 9/3/14

AL 0   Brecksville  1

Goals:
AL - None

Br - Chauntel Houk

Assists:
AL - None

Br - Abby Lydey

Goalies:
AL - Elise Duvall - 9 saves

Br -  Jennifer Farwell - 5 saves

Game Summary:
If you were not in your seat at 7:00 p.m. sharp then there was a good chance that you missed the most important play of this match.  Brecksville scored within the first 30 seconds of the game on what proved to be the game winner. The Lady Bees’ Chauntel Houk took a long diagonal pass from the left side of the box that went entirely across the mouth of the goal from Abby Lydey and poked it in the right corner of the net. After this, the two teams would battle evenly the rest of the 79:30 of the match which ended in another tough loss for the Shoregals.

Avon Lake was able to manage 5 shots on goal with 2 each by Olivia Siko and Mariela Lopez and Bri Carlin chipped in with one shot of her own.  Brecksville launched 10 shots on goal of which Elise Duvall was able to save 9.  In goal for the Lady Bees was Jennifer Farwell who recorded 5 saves in the shutout.

In JV action, the Shoregals battled the Bees to a 0-0 draw to keep their undefeated record at 3-0-2. Danielle DelGiudice recorded her second shutout of the season. Great overall team effort against a traditionally powerful JV team from Brecksville was led by AL defenders Olivia Hall, Kelly Spitz, Lucy Lemanowicz, Ellie Lemanowicz, Izzy Caputo, Allie Harper, Mackenzie Jacob, & Tessa Lubertozzi.  


Cudos Corner:
We like to recognize those individuals who do a little more for the program throughout the season. This week we would like to recognize our concession stand volunteers for the season - Jane Baughman, Dawn Carlin, Colette Lubertozzi, and Jackie Butler.  We appreciate the time they put in to provide snacks and refreshments for our fans.


Shorty Sez:
When you encounter disappointments in life - don't get bitter, get better!!

News for the Week of September 1, 2014

Program Notes for the Week of 9/1/2014:

Schedule for the Week of 9/1:
Monday, Sept. 1st
    Off day
Tuesday, Sept. 2nd
    Training at ALHS from 3:30PM-5:00PM
Wednesday, Sept. 3rd
    Game 6 at Brecksville - JV 5:00/V 7:00 pm
Thursday, Sept. 4th
     Training at Troy from 3:30PM-5:00PM
Friday, Sept. 5th
     Off day
Saturday, Sept. 6th
      Off day
Sunday, Sept. 7th
      Off day


Game Recaps:
Here is a summary of our third game against Wadsworth:

AL at Wadsworth 8/20/14

AL 1   Wadsworth 2

Goals:
AL - Olivia Siko

W - Hannah Studenic, Jordan Taylor

Assists:
AL - None

W - Jordan Taylor

Goalies:
AL - Elise Duvall - 6 saves

W -  Sophia Fortner - 1 save

Game Summary:
Sometimes during a soccer match, one player is able to make a significant impact and sometimes it is from a player that you did not expect.  Such was the case against Wadsworth as freshman Jordan Taylor came off the Wadsworth bench to record an assist and then strike the game winning goal during the second half in a 2-1 victory by the Lady Grizzlies.

After Wadsworth had scored first in the match off a goal by junior Hannah Studenic, AL soph. Olivia Siko netted her first goal of the season on a powerful strike from distance which knotted the game at 1-1 going into halftime. In goal for Avon Lake, junior Elise Duvall made 6 saves. For Wadsworth, freshman Sophia Fortner recorded one save to pickup the win.

In JV action, the Shoregals remained undefeated at 2-0-1 with a 3-1 victory over Wadsworth.  Leading the way for Avon Lake was junior Casey Baughman who scored two goals.  Freshman Stephanie Carr scored her first goal of the season.  In goal for AL was frosh Danielle DelGiudice.

Here is a summary of our fourth game against Elyria:

AL at Elyria 8/25/14

AL 6   Elyria 0

Goals:
AL - Olivia Siko -3, Kayla Kress, Mila Zunich, Olivia Hall

E - None

Assists:
AL - Elise Duvall, Nichole Nally, Paige Hood

E - None

Goalies:
AL - Elise Duvall - 3 saves

E -  Sabrina Johnson - 20 saves
     
Game Summary:
There was an explosion in Elyria on Monday afternoon, but luckily no one was injured except perhaps the back of the Elyria net. The Shoregals went off for 6 goals in a dominating 6-0 victory over the Pioneers.  Avon Lake has not scored that many goals since the 3rd game of the 2012 season – a span of 34 games – in a 7-3 victory over Berea.  AL bombarded the Elyria goal with 28 shots on goal and 10 corner kicks.  The Shoregals got the fireworks started off early as Olivia Siko scored a penalty kick from a handball in the box in the 2nd minute of the game.  Siko would go on to score two more goals in the match for her first Varsity hat trick.  Also scoring for the ‘Gals were senior Kayla Kress with her first goal of the season which was assisted off a long punt by goalie Elise Duvall, Mila Zunich, and sophomore call up Olivia Hall who scored her first Varsity goal which was assisted by freshman Paige Hood.  Nichole Nally also picked up an assist on the third goal by Siko.

In goal for Avon Lake was junior Elise Duvall who made 3 saves on the way to her first Varsity shutout. Also, seeing action was freshman Danielle DelGiudice.  The defense was led by Rada Zunich, Addy Poole, Mae Quinn, Kellie Norris, and Esther Killius.


Here is a summary of our fifth game against North Olmsted:

AL vs. North Olmsted 8/27/14

AL 0   North Olmsted 1

Goals:
AL - None

NO - Maddie Johnson

Assists:
AL - None

NO - None

Goalies:
AL - Elise Duvall - 1 save

NO - Emily Patterson - 9 saves
     

Game Summary:
During the course of a soccer match there are numerous throw ins to the point where not a lot of attention is paid to them.  It was exactly this momentary lapse of attention that proved to be the undoing of the Shoregals vs. North Olmsted. About 6 minutes into the second half, Danielle Yasenchack of the Lady Eagles threw in a ball that bounced around among players from both teams until Maddie Johnson of NO stepped up and made a shot that barely eluded the AL defense to go over the goal line. But it was enough to score the only goal of the game in North Olmsted’s 1-0 victory over the Shoregals. GK Emily Patterson literally saved the game for the Eagles as she stopped all 9 of the Shoregal shots including excellent scoring chances from Kayla Kress and Olivia Siko as NO only had 2 shots on goal in comparison.

In JV action, Casey Baughman exploded for 4 goals and Paige Hood & Ashley Nally also chipped in with a goal each in a 6-0 victory by the Shoregals.  Anna Robinson contributed 2 assists along with one from Stephanie Carr.  Danielle DelGiudice recorded her first shutout of her HS career as the JVs remain undefeated on the season.