Marshfield Blue Jays Soccer

October 4, 2011 – Marshfield:  The 12th  game in 2 weeks with basically church days off and playing an emotional overtime game against Camdenton the day before can wear you down.  The snap in their steps that was evident the night before must have gone with Cinderella as the clock struck midnight.  There were very few offensive chances this night for the Jays.  In the 6th minute, a free kick by Christian Harden from midfield was sent into the box, but cleared out by the defense.  In the 15th minute, a deep throw in by Taylor Presson was headed by Harrison Jones but to the keeper.  The lethargy of the team was evident as 4 goals were scored by Bolivar in the first half.

In the second half, the problems were compounded by half of the stadium lights being non-functional.  4 more goals were scored in this half by Bolivar, as the tired Marshfield players finally left the pitch.  Keeper Nic Yonter had 20 saves.

The J.V. had a slightly better game, losing only 1-4, with Josh Bell scoring the lone Jay goal of the night. 

Our next game is Thursday, October 6th at 5:00 p.m. at HOME against Branson.

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES OF THIS GAME

October 3, 2011 – Marshfield:  5 – 5 – 5 dollar foot long. It seems like we are now in a Subway commercial.   For the, yes you will be reading right, 5th time this year, the Jays went into overtime.  The game started relatively calm with nice defense and midfield play that kept the action mostly away from the penalty areas.  In the 13th minute, there was one of those now famous mad scrambles in front of the Laker net that comes up empty.  In the 14th minute, a long range shot by Harrison Jones was cleared by the defense.  In the 18th minute,  a free kick from midfield by Nicholas Harden went deep into the box, but was corralled by the keeper.  In the 22nd minute, a nice cross by Hunter Heape to Cuyler Obermaier was cleared by the defense.  In the 23rd minute, a free kick by Nicholas Harden into the box caused another mad scramble in front of the goal that was unsuccessful again.  The first half ended in a scoreless tie.

In the second half, Camdenton's offense had a sense of urgency, but was thwarted as Jays defense and Keeper Nic Yonter controlled the penalty box area.  In the 59th minute, Juan Vasquez of the Lakers finally got behind the defense to open up a 1 goal lead.  In the 71st minute, a 30-yard rocket by Taylor Presson tied the score at 1.  Halfway through the first overtime, the Lakers' Kyler Moore ended the game with a golden goal: 2-1 Camdenton.  Marshfield Keeper Nic Yonter had 18 saves on the night.

The J.V. had a rough night, with the final score of 1-5.  Cole Wiggington had the goal for Marshfield.

Our next game is Tuesday, October 4th at 5:00 p.m. at HOME against Bolivar.

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES OF THIS GAME

September 30 – October 1, 2011 – Camdenton:  Three games in 19 hours is just a lot of soccer, even for teenagers (and their families).  The first game was Friday night against Osage and their goal-scoring machine, Robbie Mueller. Mueller came into the game with 23 goals and left with 27 goals.  Mueller had 3 goals in the first half and one in the second.  Other than a nice run by Sean McCorkle that was cleared by the defense in the 64th minute and a pass from Sean McCorkle to Taylor Presson that was sent inches high in the 79th minute, there was not much offense generated by the Jays.  Final score – Osage – 4, Marshfield – 0.

The second game was against Rockwood Summit.  After playing in the 8 p.m. game, the Jays had to come back for the 9 a.m. game the next morning.  The tiredness of the scheduling showed as the Jays fell behind by 3 goals in the first 26 minutes.  After the defense utilized the offside trap, the scoring threats were minimized greatly.  Other than 2 shots by Taylor Presson in the closing minutes, there were really no other offensive threats.

The third game was against Lebanon.  An advantage of having two games with only 2 hours in between (and being the visiting team both games) is the enormous savings on laundry expenses as the same uniform can be used.  Well, this game had a much different look than the others.  Marshfield did very well possessing the ball, moving the ball around and pressuring the Lebanon goal all game.  In the 5th minute, Taylor Presson had a smash that hit the side netting.  In the 8th minute, Lucas Cheeney had a nice cross that was cleared away by the defense.  In the 10th minute, a pass from Harrison Jones to Taylor Presson was headed toward the goal, but knocked away at the last second by the keeper.  In the 14th minute, a shot by Shane Shingleton was just wide.  In the 21st minute, a run by Koty Jones ended in a shot by Joseph Huber that was saved.  In the 23rd minute, the Yellowjackets got behind the Marshfield defense to take a 1 goal lead.  In the 26th minute, a mad scramble in front of the Lebanon goal came up empty for the Jays.  In the 29th minute, a free kick by Nicholas Harden from midfield went into the box, but was cleared away by the defense.  In the 32nd minute, Sean McCorkle made a run into the box, but the defense collapsed on him.  In the 39th minute, a shot by Cuyler Obermaier inside the box was knocked away.  In the 40th minute, another mad scramble in front of the Lebanon goal did not result in a score.

The second half of the Lebanon game, the Jays had some additional offensive excitement.  In the 41st minute, Christian Harden had a nifty run that ended with a shot that was saved.  In the very next minute, a corner taken by Joseph Huber was placed right where Cuyler Obermaier could head the ball in for his first varsity goal as well as the equalizer.  In the 46th minute, Christian Harden had another smash that was saved.  In the 50th minute, a corner from Joseph Huber again ended up as a header from Cuyler Obermaier, but it was cleared away by the defense.  In the 69th minute, a corner from Joseph Huber was headed by Taylor Presson, but just slightly too high.  

As the second half ended, the teams were informed that the tournament rules were that the game went directly to penalty kicks.  After Christian Harden, Taylor Presson and the 2 Lebanon shooters made their kicks, the PK tally was 2-2.  The next Lebanon shot was saved by Marshfield Keeper Nic Yonter.  Harrison Jones made his kick to give the Jays a 1 point lead.  The next Lebanon kick was again saved by Nic Yonter.  At this point, the 4th Jays kicker, Koty Jones only had to be successful on his kick to end the battle early — which he did!  The Jays won the PK portion 4-2, and the game technically 2-1.

Marshfield Keeper Nic Yonter ended the tournament with a total of 28 saves, giving him 1,023 for his career.  making him not only the 4th member of the 1,000 save club nationally but also placing him ahead of Shane Saylor {Wood River East Alton-Wood River, Illinois (2000-03) – 1,016 career saves} for third all-time for career saves in the nation.

Our next game is Monday, October 3rd (yes, we actually get a day off) at 5:00 p.m. against Camdenton at HOME. 

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES OF THIS GAME

September 29, 2011 – Marshfield:  It seems like old hat on the Blue Jay pitch:  defensive battle with a district foe, minimal scoring (if any), first overtime, second overtime, PK's.  For the second home game in a row, the Marshfield Blue Jays did just that as they faced the Republic Tigers this night.  Koty Jones, Lucas Cheeney, Nicholas Harden and Christian Harden kept the Tiger offense away from the goal most of the night.  The game was played mostly between the 18's with a few adventures beyond.  In the 4th minute, Christian Harden took a free kick at midfield and sent it into the penalty box, but the defense cleared it out.  In the 11th minute, a pass across the goal from Robert Norton to Shane Shingleton was directed toward the goal, but saved.  In the 13th minute, another free kick by Christian Harden was placed nicely into the box and cleared away by the defense for a corner.  Joseph Huber placed the corner to Shane Shingleton whose shot was cleared away.  The 19th minute looked incredibly promising as 5 Blue Jays were stuffed into the box with many defenders, numerous kicks, a bouncing ball – but alas – the first of three such scrambles around the Republic net produced no score.  In the 35th minute, another mad scramble in front of the waiting, empty Tiger net produced nothing but a cheering opportunity for the fans.

The game continued in similar fashion in the second half.  In the 42nd minute, Taylor Presson had a nice shot that was knocked away for a corner.  Joseph Huber placed the corner right where Taylor Presson could head it toward the goal, but it was saved by the keeper.  In the 56th minute, a cross from Christian Harden to Harrison Jones was headed just wide.  In the 76th minute, a promising opportunity by Cuyler Obermaier was stopped by the defense.  In the last minutes of regulation, 2 far-post crosses by Nicholas Harden found nothing but grass.  

Still scoreless, the game went into the first of potentially two 10 minute overtime "golden goal" periods.  In the 89th minute, the game seemed sure to near its end as the third Blue Jay scramble in front of the Tiger goal somehow had the same ending as the first two – no goal.  The second overtime was also mostly uneventful until the last of the 100 minutes of traditional playing time.  Just as the ref was taking a breath to exhale into his whistle, Cuyler Obermaier worked through the defense, drew the goalie away from the goal, and blasted a shot far post.  The crowd was on their feet, itching to let out a rebel yell, but could only muster an, "Ah, man!" as his shot literally missed by inches.  With the scoreless tie at this point, each keeper was credited with a shutout.  Marshfield Keeper Nic Yonter had 13 saves, and he and the defense had their third shutout of the year.

… Another PK shootout.  Perhaps using the north goal this time would yield a different result.  The very enthusiastic crowd did all they could to infuse extra energy into the penalty shootout.  In the round of five, Christian Harden, Joseph Huber and Koty Jones scored for the Jays.  Keeper Nic Yonter had two saves to give Harrison Jones a chance to win the game for the Blue Jays.  All Harrison had to do was make his kick — which he buried upper 90 — the crowd went wild as the Jays had won in PK's 4-3.  Technically it is a 1-0 win.  

Wow, who says soccer is not exciting!  Certainly none of the fans that have been coming to the Marshfield games lately.  Thanks to all for their support.

The J.V. lost their game 1-4, with Cole Wigginton scoring his fourth goal of the year on a PK.

We now travel to Camdenton for the 2011 Laker Shootout (Varsity Only).  The full schedule is posted below.  Our first game is on Friday, September 30th at 8:00 p.m. against Osage.  We will then celebrate the first day of October by playing two games:  9:00 a.m. against Rockwood Summit and 1:00 p.m. against Lebanon.

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES OF THIS GAME

September 27, 2011 – Springfield Catholic:  On Google's 13th birthday, the luck of the Irish buried the Jays, 0-10.  Nic Yonter had 20 saves.  The J.V. did not fare much better at 0-6.  It is best to just move on.  

Our next game is Thursday, September 29th at 5:00 p.m. against Republic at HOME.  Let's get that mojo back from last weekend!

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES OF THIS GAME

September 24, 2011 – Bolivar Tournament:  … And you thought that inter-league baseball was over.  This was actually the 5th place game at the Bolivar Tournament, the Marshfield Blue Jays and the Clinton Cardinals.  The Jays put the peddle to the metal on offense for basically the entire ballgame.  In the 4th minute, Harrison Jones' pass to Sean McCorkle was shot just wide.  In the 5th minute, Taylor Presson had a good run and shot that was saved.  In the 7th minute, an impressive header/reverse volley pass combination from Harrison Jones had some possibilities, but was cleared y the defense.  In the 13th minute, a free kick by Joseph Huber into the box was shot by Taylor Presson, but cleared by the defense.  In the 14th minute, a cross from Robert Norton into the box was cleared.  In the next minute, a rocket from Taylor Presson was wide.  In the 17th minute, a cross from Harrison Jones was cleared.  In the 21st minute, a deep throw in from Christian Harden into the box was cleared.  In the 22nd minute, Harrison Jones had a good-looking shot that was blocked by the defense.  In the 23rd minute, a powerful cross from Sean McCorkle to Cuyler Obermaier was almost tapped in.  In the 25th minute, a free kick from midfield by Nicholas Harden into the box was headed by Christian Harden toward the back post, but was cleared away by the defense.  In the 32nd minute, a great run by Christian Harden toward the baseline ended up in a nice pass across the 6 to a waiting #6, Robert Norton, who gave the Jays a much deserved 1-0 lead.  4 minutes later, Harrison Jones jumped on a loose ball and buried it in the back of the net to double the Blue Jay lead: 2-0.  In the very next minute, Harrison Jones crossed the ball into the box to Joseph Huber, who flicked it to Sean McCorkle, who was ready to redirect the ball into the goal, but was stopped by the keeper.  So ended the first half.

The second half turned more into a time of using up the clock with possession for the Jays and more offensive opportunities for Clinton.  Fortunately, the Jays' defense stood strong.  Marshfield did have its share of offensive opportunities in this half.  In the 45th minute, Harrison Jones had a long range shot that was slightly off target.  In the 46th minute, Joseph Huber took a corner that was cleared by the defense.  In the 47th minute, a pass from Joseph Huber to Christian Harden resulted in a rocket toward the goal that was blocked out for a corner.  In the 50th minute, a cross from Harrison Jones to Cuyler Obermaier in the box looked destined to be a score, but the defense collapsed on him to knock it out for a corner.  This corner was taken by Joseph Huber right to Christian Harden, who headed the ball in for a 3 goal Marshfield margin.  In the 54th minute, Shane Shingleton had a good cross into the box to Harrison Jones, but the defense cleared it away.  In the 56th minute, a nice run by Sean McCorkle into the box was stopped by the defense.  In the 62nd minute, a cross by Christian Harden into the box was cleared by the defense.  The clock ran down without too much more excitement.  Keeper Nic Yonter ended the game with 15 saves and his second shutout of the year.  Final score, Marshfield – 3, Clinton – 0.  With the win, the Jays take 5th place in the tournament.

Our next game is Tuesday, September 27th at 4:30 p.m. at Springfield Catholic.  Let's keep up the intensity!

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES OF THIS GAME

September 23, 2011 – Bolivar Tournament:  Ya know, you kept hearing, "History repeats itself," you don't believe it, history repeats itself, this time and next, and you still believe it won't happen the next time …  Well, for the third year in a row, the Jays played two very tough teams in the first two games of the Bolivar Tournament, played some of their best soccer of the year, and lost both games by one goal. The Marshfield Blue Jays faced the Camdenton Lakers in this special edition of "Friday Night Lights."  Most of the first half was played between the 18's with some nice possession.  In the 13th minute, a free kick by Joseph Huber was sent too high over the goal.  In the 14th minute, Kyler Moore smashed a ball into the opposite corner that barely eluded the keeper for a 1-0 Laker lead.  In the next minute, a free kick from Koty Jones from midfield found the box, but was cleared by the defense.  In the 16th minute, a pass from Joseph Huber to Sean McCorkle looked promising, but was saved by the keeper.  In the 17th minute, a nice run from Christian Harden into the box was collapsed on by the defense.  The first half ended without any other scoring.

The second half was relatively quiet until the 61st minute when a free kick by Joseph Huber to the 6 was nicely headed by Sean McCorkle and looked like a goal, but somehow was cleared by a couple of defenders who seemed to drop out of the sky.  In the 74th minute, Sean McCorkle ran under a long punt from Nic Yonter, shot it far post and just as the Jays fans were about to cheer, the keeper barely tipped it away.  In the last 4 minutes of the game, the Jays had 3 deep throw ins, but all were cleared away by the defense.  So, the 14th minute Laker goal would stand as the lone score of the game.

Marshfield Keeper Nic Yonter ended the game with 18 saves, giving him 947 for his career, and placing him ahead of Brian Siebrasse {Malta, Illinois (1977-79) – 936 career saves} for fourth all-time for career saves in the nation.

Our next game is Saturday, September 24th in the 5th place game at NOON against either College Heights or Clinton in the 2011 Bolivar Liberator Fall Classic Varsity Tournament.

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES OF THIS GAME

September 22, 2011 – Bolivar Tournament:  The Marshfield Blue Jays had a very tough draw in the opening game of the 2011 Bolivar Liberator Fall Class:  The 9-0-1 Warrensburg Tigers, who had previously beaten Bolivar 3-1.  Since the Tigers came into the game having scored 21 goals while only giving up 5, it was not surprising in the first half they applied constant pressure against the Jays goal.  Other than 2 corners (20th and 24th minutes by Joseph Huber) and a cross by Cuyler Obermaeir  in the 32nd minute, there was minimal offensive migration by the Blue Jays.  However, the continuous offensive attacks were thwarted by some great saves by Keeper Nic Yonter, and clears by the defenders. especially  Koty Jones, Josh Bell, Christian Harden, and Nicholas Harden.  The half ended in a scoreless tie.

In the second half, Marshfield improved greatly from the 20% possession of the first half.  In the 42nd minute, Taylor Presson had a shot that was wide.  In the 44th minute, Taylor Presson had a nice cross into the box that was cleared away.  In the 45th minute, another cross from Taylor Presson into the box was about to be taken by Harrison Jones, but the keeper caught it over Harrison at the last second.  The game was relatively calm for the next 20 minutes.  In the 67th minute, Harrison Jones had a promising cross into the box, but it was cleared away by the defense.  In the 68th minute, a free kick taken by Koty Jones from about 38 yards out  was placed nicely in the box, bounced around, and was eventually cleared out.  In the 70th minute, a defensive clear took a tough bounce to an unmarked Tiger, who gave his team a 1 goal lead.  The Jays tried to answer two minutes later as Joseph Huber took a long range rip that was saved by the keeper.  In the 75th minute, a free kick just outside the 18 near the baseline was taken by Joseph Huber into the box, and Sean McCorkle had a beautiful diving header that tickled the onion bag to tie the score at 1.  The game went into overtime and ended in the 82nd minute as Warrensburg scored the "golden goal" to make the final score 1-2.

Marshfield Keeper Nic Yonter continued his march up the National Record Book with 23 saves, giving him 929 career saves.  This moves him ahead of Jeff Slack {Hallowell Hall-Dale, Maine (1979-82) – 912 career saves} for fifth all-time for career saves in the nation.

Our next game is Friday, September 23rd at 6:15 p.m. against Camdenton in the 2011 Bolivar Liberator Fall Classic Varsity Tournament.  

CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES OF THIS GAME