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NEWS - 2009 |
| Record-setting foot feat
By Tom Rackers sports@newstribune.com March 8, 2009 It took 30 seconds for Shawn McCue to set the record. It took 3 1/2 years to make it official. A passion for soccer led him to the mark. Persistence got him the record. “It’s all balance, timing and ball control,” McCue said. In high school, McCue developed a talent of quickly dribbling a soccer ball off his foot. As an adult, the Jefferson City High School assistant soccer coach used that talent to earn a Guinness World Record. “I had a great passion for soccer, I just played and played,” said McCue, who attended Sedalia Smith-Cotton High School. “It’s great for balance, timing and ball-control as a practice tool.” The process started about four years ago. McCue was doing research on the Internet for another project and ran across the listing of the record. “I thought, ‘Wow, I used to do this in high school and I was about that fast,’” the 42-year-old said. “I hadn’t done it for years, so I went out and tried it.” In practice, he found he could beat that mark. On July 13, 2005, McCue dribbled the ball 155 times in a 30-second span, then sent the required materials, which included a video, to Guinness officials in London. When you bounce a ball off your foot an average of 5.2 times per second, you really need a video. “It goes pretty quick,” McCue said. “It’s so fast and with such a small space between your foot and the ball, you need a camera in the right place to tape it.” McCue waited for confirmation of the record. And waited. And waited before finally receiving official notification late last month. “I had to make some amendments to the application, then I had to send them another video,” McCue said. “And they lost it when they moved to a different building. “Even the last minute, they sent the wrong certificate.” McCue’s wife, Jennifer, was pregnant with the couple’s son, Carter, at the time he set the record. “I thought this would be something neat for my son to take to show-andtell someday,” McCue said. McCue, who teaches “at-risk” students at the Simonsen Ninth Grade Center, has carried that lesson to the classroom. “Anything you want is attainable,” he said. “In my classroom, we talk about goals all the time and doing something you’re passionate about. It will make you happy and you’ll be better at it. Set a goal, work for it.” McCue has shown the video to his students. “They were all excited when I told them,” he said. “It’s neat to see them get excited and that I can show them that all you need to do is try. You never know what you can accomplish if you just try.” By the time McCue received his certificate, he no longer held the record. He had it for a little more than a year, with the current mark of 164 set by Mathias Jensen on Oct. 5, 2007, in Bud, Norway. “I did practice and I’ve beat that,” McCue said. “But this took so long ...” This is where passion and persistence come back into the picture. “I feel like I need to try and get the record again,” McCue said. |
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| Shawn McCue, Lady Jays assistant soccer coach, demonstrates the foot skills that earned him the Guinness World record for the most touches of a soccer ball in 30 seconds. He set the mark at 155, which has since been broken.
Deborah Cote/ News Tribune |
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| Time well spent
Lady Jays use spring break for extra work By Tom Rackers, News Tribune 3/23/09 Spring break can be a time for rest and relaxation. And soccer practice two-a-days. “Normally, spring break is our first game of the season,” Jefferson City girls soccer coach Matt Stacey said. “But we’ve had more time to focus on the little things.” And hopefully it’s time well spent. The Lady Jays will open the season Tuesday against Visitation Academy in the Bi-State Shootout at St. Louis, then they will face Edwardsville, Ill., in the same event Wednesday. “We’ve got to be as prepared as possible,” Stacey said. “If we’re not, it could get ugly.” It’s been a productive offseason for the Lady Jays. “The girls all spent a lot of time working on fitness and on their games,” Stacey said. “We all have positive attitudes and are focused on our goals, which are high this year.” Stacey and his staff have stressed working hard at every practice. “Give us 110 percent,” Stacey said. “If they leave exhausted, but confident that they accomplished things, then good things will come.” With the entire starting defense returning, the Lady Jays have a solid base to build around, including all-state selection Emily Downing. “It takes a lot of pressure off with that many starters back, because you always worry about your defense,” Stacey said. Downing will be joined on the outside by Kelsey Coffman. Abby Campbell and Katie Evers will hold down the middle of the field. Mariah McClain, who finished with 12 shutouts last year, returns in the goal. With so many veteran players, the Lady Jays have a jump on the season. “We’re at the point now where we were just getting to at the end of last season,” Stacey said. Slated to play in the midfield are Kinsey Shouse, Jenna Foster, Kara Steiner, Cassie Wiler and Abbey Rhea. Steiner is moving from a forward spot. “She wants to play the middle of the field and she brings a lot of energy with her,” Stacey said. “She can make a lot of things go.” Forwards include Kelly Strope, Molly Cowley, Katie Kelly, Corine Mullarkey and Destiny Galbreath. In the past few years, the Lady Jays have relied on nowgraduated Kelsey Sanders for a lot of their scoring. “It’s always nice to have that go-to player,” Stacey said. “And you always worry about getting the ball into the back of the net.” But instead of one, the Lady Jays may rely on a lot of different players for the scoring. “We have a lot of players who are very capable of scoring goals,” Stacey said. “It’s just a matter of them stepping into those roles.” That will carry over to the entire roster. “I like the team dynamic,” Stacey said. “It’s hard to say how good we can be, since we’ve just been practicing against each other. But these have been three productive weeks in the preseason.” The Lady Jays will open their home schedule Tuesday, March 31, against the Camdenton Lady Lakers. |
| Sticking with it
Hard work finally pays off for Lady Jays in win over Camdenton April 1, 2009 By Tom Rackers sports@newstribune.com The offensive opportunities were plenty for the Jefferson City Lady Jays. It just took awhile for one to finally pay off. Kara Steiner’s liner with just over 14 minutes to play got the Lady Jays on the board Tuesday night as Jefferson City blanked the Camdenton Lady Lakers 1-0 at the 179 Soccer Park. “I don’t think we can be considered playing well offensively unless we score goals,” Lady Jays coach Matt Stacey said. “You can say we controlled the pace of play and things like that, but it comes down to putting balls into the back of the net.” Steiner’s blast eased a little bit of the offensive frustration. The junior lined a shot into the upper corner of the net to set off a mini-celebration. “Kara’s got a battery on her back, she never slows down,” Stacey said. “It was a great individual effort by her. It should be a big confidence booster.” Not that it mitigated all of the frustration. “As many chances as we created in this game, one goal is not acceptable,” Stacey said. What was more than acceptable was the play of the Lady Jays’ defense, which limited the Lady Lakers to just two shots on goal. Camdenton (3-1) had scored 28 goals in three games this season. “Defensively, we’re solid,” Stacey said. “That’s one part of the game where we’re structurally solid.” Mariah McClain got the shutout in goal for Jefferson City. The Lady Jays had a knack for winning 1-0 games last season. At least in the early going, they may need that particular talent again this year. “I hate to say that, but for now, that may be the way we’re going to have to win games,” Stacey said. “But we really needed a win, that’s the most important thing.” The Lady Jays (1-3) are back in action Saturday against Timberland. The JV game will start at 11 a.m. at the 179 Soccer Park, with the varsity contest to follow around 12:45 p.m. In Tuesday’s JV game, the Lady Jays opened the season with a 5-0 win over the Lady Lakers. Jordan Burford, Ellie Busch, Arielle Williams, Jade Conner and Claire Turner scored goals for Jefferson City. Lindsey Clark and Kelsey Vaught shared time in goal in the shutout. |
| Lady Jays drop soccer opener
Thursday, Mar 26, 2009 MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. - The Jefferson City Lady Jays dropped their season opener 1-0 on penaltiy kicks to Edwardsville in the opening round of the Bi-State Shootout on Wednesday. The Lady Jays held a 4-2 edge on shots on goal over Edwardsville but the scored remained tied after regluation and overtime. Edwardsville was able to outscore Jefferson City 2-1 in penalty kicks to secure the win. The Lady Jays will take on Visitation in the Bi-State Shootout on Thursday. |
| Girls Soccer: Visitation 2, Lady Jays 1
March 27, 2009: MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. - The Jefferson City Lady Jays couldn't make a one-goal halftime lead stand up and fell 2-1 to Visitation Academy on Thursday in the Bi-State Shootout. The loss dropped the Lady Jays (0-2) into the Black Division's fifth-place game, which is set for 4 p.m. on Friday. Jefferson City will play Granite City, Ill., which lost 4-3 to Francis Howell North on Thursday. |
| Girls Soccer: Lady Jays fall
March 28, 2009: MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. - The Jefferson City Lady Jays dropped a 1-0 decision to Granite City, Ill., on Friday in the fifth-place game of the Black Division of the Bi-State Shootout. Granite City scored the game's lone goal at the 15-minute mark of the opening half. Jefferson City (0-3) will open the home portion of its schedule against Camdenton at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday at the 179 Soccer Park. |
| From Springfield Soccer, April 1, 2009 Jeff City Jays - 1 , Camdenton Lakers - 0 The defending District champions opened their newly remodeled soccer facility Tuesday with a strong message, emphasized by their attacking midfielder Kara Steiner in the video below, that they are ready to return to the winners circle. They were led this evening by junior Kara Steiner who scored the lone goal in the 67th minute, finally getting past sophomore goal keeper Sandra Shore with a cheeky little chip from just outside the 6 yard box to the far post. Up to that point, Shore had kept the Lakers close despite being out-shot 6-0 in the first half and 8-1 at the end. The Jays offense begins with Steiner as she roams between forward and attacking midfielder depending on circumstances. The best opportunities were created when junior Molly Cowley or senior Destiny Galbreath were making runs into the corners, creating space for their teammates and sending quality crosses into the box. Galbreath came closest in the 1st half when Cowley’s cross was brought down at the far post by Jenna Foster and Galbreath smacked a quick shot that Shore stopped at point blank range (pictured above). The Lakers rely on junior LaTea LaRue who is very strong and tireless, working both ends of the pitch this evening. Assisted by Hayley Baker and Chelsey VanHook in the middle, the Lakers have a strong midfield that will allow them to challenge in District 10. The challenge against the Jays was penetrating a strong defense, featuring a pair of smart and fast central defenders in Katie Evans and Abbey Campbell. With speedy outside backs such as Emily Downing (SBU-bound) and Kelsey Coffman, teams will not score too many counter-attack goals. Stephanie Kirvan will get her share of goals this season but I’d recommend teams spend extra time on their set pieces prior to a game against the Jay’s this season. |
| Bi-State Tournament, March 26-28 |
| vs. Camdenton, March 31 |
| vs. Timberland, April 4 |
| Lady Jays blank Timberland, 2-0
April 4, 2009, By Tom Rackers sports@newstribune.com Work in the offseason paid off Saturday for Abby Campbell. The Jefferson City senior back spent a lot of time practicing on free kicks in preparation for this spring’s soccer season. “She’s kind of popped out of nowhere with her free kicks, but she’s very, very dangerous and that’s very good to have,” Lady Jays coach Matt Stacey said after Campbell’s early goal sparked Jefferson City to a 2-0 win over Timberland at the 179 Soccer Park. “She spent gobs of time on them over the summer and that time was well spent.” The Lady Jays were aggressive at the start of Saturday afternoon’s game, quickly working the ball deep into the Lady Wolves’ end of the field. On a free kick, Campbell lined a shot into the opposite corner of the net to give the Lady Jays the lead less than three minutes into the contest. “That was a huge goal, obviously,” Stacey said. “Anytime you can get a score early, it takes some of the pressure off.” Jefferson City got some breathing room later in the half on a score by Kelly Strope on a loose ball in front of the Timberland net with less than 10 minutes remaining. “We probably should have put a couple of more in than we did,” Stacey said. While the first half was full of good offensive runs and strong defensive play from the Lady Jays, the start of the second half was the exact opposite. “We kind of get into a comfort zone when we score a goal and that’s one thing I didn’t like about this game,” Stacey said. “You can’t take your foot off the gas. “The only time we should be comfortable is when the 80 minutes are done and we’ve won the game.” The Lady Wolves never had anything dangerous in the second half, but were able to mount repeated rushes into the Lady Jays half of the field before being turned back. “We have these talks at halftime about staying focused, but I’m not sure the girls listen all the time,” Stacey said. “We have to put together a full 80 minutes to be successful at the level we want to achieve and we’re not there yet.” Mariah McClain got the shutout for the Lady Jays, her third of the season. Jefferson City (2-3) is back in action Tuesday at Moberly. In the JV game, the Lady Jays improved to 2-0 with a 2-0 win over the Lady Wolves. Arielle Williams scored both goals for Jefferson City, while Lindsey Clark and Kelsey Vaught shared time in goal in the shutout. |
| vs. Moberly, April 7 |
| vs. Quincy, April 9 |
| vs. Quincy Notre Dame, April 11 |
| Heartbreaker
Lady Jays fall in overtime April 12, 2009 By David Owen, News Tribune It’s been a rough start to the soccer season for the Jefferson City Lady Jays, and Saturday afternoon’s game with Quincy (Ill.) Notre Dame was no different. For the third time this season, the Lady Jays found themselves in an overtime battle. It ended on a little scrum in front of Jefferson City goal when Alex Reis got the rebound and tapped the ball into the back of the net to give Notre Dame a 1-0 win at the 179 Soccer Park. “It’s a heartbreaker for the girls right now,” Lady Jays coach Matt Stacey said. “It’s been a perplexing season, because we’ve been in almost every single game.” Jefferson City (2-6) played back on its heels most of the game against a quick-attacking Notre Dame squad. But the Lady Jays were able to hold off the attack for 87 minutes. “I can’t fault the girls’ efforts,” Stacey said. “They played tremendous against a solid Quincy Notre Dame team.” Mariah McClain was one of those who elevated her game. The all-state goalkeeper had six saves in the game and came up to put an end to two breakaways in the second half. “Mariah came up huge with some great saves,” Stacey said. “That’s why Mariah is one of the top keepers in the area. She’s always focused on the game.” But in the 88th minute, McClain got caught in a scrum in front of the goal and fell down, which allowed Reis to break free and tap in the rebound for the win. “It was a little goal-mouth scramble,” Stacey said. It was the only letdown in a game where the Lady Jays were outshot 7-3. “Coming into this game, (Notre Dame) had 11 goals in three games,” Stacey said. “They’ve got a lot of players who can score. “I thought we defended real strong.” Jefferson City’s best opportunity came in the 74th minute, when Molley Cowley got a rebound just outside the goal box off a corner kick. But the shot sailed just over the crossbar. Despite the slow start to the season, the Lady Jays aren’t finished tweaking the roster as they try to find the right balance between scoring and defending. “We’re staying optimistic, we haven’t lost sight of what our main goal is at the end of the season,” Stacey said. “We’re going to keep plugging away.” Jefferson City’s JV team played to a scoreless tie to move its record to 4-0-1 on the season. |
| Quincy 2, Lady Jays 0
News Tribune, April 10, 2009 QUINCY, Ill. — The Jefferson City Lady Jays had 12 shots on goal but none of them got through in a 2-0 loss to Quincy, Ill., on Thursday. Quincy scored both of its goals in the first half on counterattacks and held off the Lady Jays in the second half for the win. Jefferson City (2-5) is back in action Saturday at home against Quincy Notre Dame at 12:45 p.m. In JV action, Kelly Higgins and Jade Connor each scored a goal in a 2-0 win to move the Lady Jays to 4-0 on the season. |
| Moberly 2, Lady Jays 1
News Tribune, April 8, 2009 MOBERLY — The Moberly Lady Spartans got past the Jefferson City Lady Jays 2-1 in penalty kicks Tuesday night. Katie Kelly scored the goal for the Lady Jays off an assist from Kelly Strope. Jefferson City (2-4) plays at Quincy, Ill., at 6 p.m. Thursday. |
| Lady Spartans earn thrilling victory against Jeff?City after Cooksey nails a PK Moberly Monitor-Index Wed Apr 08, 2009 Sometimes getting mugged can be a good thing. Especially when the perpetrators happened to be your teammates gathering around you in a joyful manner. Shaylyn Cooksey experienced that moment last night. Tuesday’s varsity home varsity soccer match between Moberly and Jefferson City High School could not be decided in regulation. Nor could it be won during the first or second overtime. Players from both squads were forced to use penalty kicks to warrant an end to last night’s epic battle while fans from both schools were kept on edge a little longer in anticipation. After both schools had made four out of six penalty kick attempts, Moberly fans received a sigh of relief watching Jeff City’s seventh PK?strike the goal post giving the Lady Spartans an opportunity to make good on its next try for victory. Cooksey’s PK was perfect against lady Jays’ goalkeeper Mariah McClain to deliver Moberly a thrilling 2-1 win and the Lady Spartans’ junior was jubilantly swarmed by her teammates. “It was an absolute eruption for a big celebration. This was really a special win for us because Jeff?City has been that dark-horse of a team, kind of like that elusive unicorn that our program has not captured before,” said Moberly varsity girls soccer coach Robbie Murray. “Jeff City is a very solid, skilled and fast team and we proved to ourselves that we can play with the best of them. This was a huge confidence building for our girls and it was such a great soccer game played by both teams as well.” Last night’s non-conference win improved Moberly’s record to 4-1 as the Lady Spartans enter tonight’s makeup game hosting North Central Missouri Conference rival Boonville, and come Thursday they play at Mexico. Jefferson City (2-4) was first to score when Katie Kelly lofted her shot some 30 yards away that went over the out-stretched arms of Moberly senior keeper Brittany Price. That goal held through halftime as the Lady Spartans never got a shot on-goal. |
| vs. Columbia Rock Br., April 14 |
| Bruins come up with scoring burst
Rock Bridge nearly doubles goal total. By Tim Davis , Columbia Tribune Wednesday, April 15, 2009 Count this as a scoring frenzy. After playing just more than 500 minutes of soccer with three goals, the Rock Bridge soccer team scored twice within 15 minutes during the second half last night. The outburst lifted the Bruins to a 2-1 victory at home against Jefferson City, giving Rock Bridge consecutive wins against rivals. “Last night really pumped me up because we really played well as a team,” sophomore Sarah Humphrey said, referring to her team’s 1-0 double-overtime win Monday against Hickman. “Especially in overtime, we had to bring a little bit extra. I think we were confident in ourselves playing tonight.” Humphrey got Rock Bridge (3-4) going. In the 49th minute, Humphrey took a pass inside the box and shielded the defender as she dribbled to her left and toward the center of the box. From there, the sophomore blasted a left-footed shot into the net as she spun to the ground. “That was just the way the shot set up. I don’t think I could’ve made it with my right foot,” she said. “I do like leading with my left foot because I feel like it’s more accurate sometimes.” The goal not only gave the Bruins a 1-0 lead early in the second half, it helped them start playing with a newfound confidence. Sophomore Carrie Levy has been solid in the net all season, and the Rock Bridge defense was playing some of its best soccer. “She is just so steady. I feel so confident with her in the back. She has kept us in the game,” Rock Bridge Coach Mark VanDover said. “Beau” Reiske “and Morgan” Pitchford, “Adrian Kelly — all three in the back — they all had good games. Our defense kept us in the game. ... They started the attack for us.” Playing with a lead, the Bruins offense continued to attack. Rock Bridge had a scoring threat with 23 minutes left when a corner kick set up a header, but Jefferson City goalkeeper Mariah McClain thwarted that threat. The Bruins threatened again with 18 minutes left before Kelsey Whittet punched another goal home with 16 minutes to go. “We kept pressuring the goalie and just kept putting it on them and sending balls in,” Whittet said. Whittet took a pass deep in the right corner of the box and made a move that crumpled the defender to the turf. With just McClain between the ball and the goal, Whittet quickly collected herself and sent a shot sailing into the far corner of the net for a 2-0 lead. The defender “came on really hard, so you just have to cut in,” Whittet said. “You just kind of play off the defender’s position.” The Jays cut the deficit to 2-1 with Kinsey Shouse’s goal with 11 minutes left, but the Bruins defense clamped down to seal the win. “There’s nothing I didn’t like” about the second half, VanDover said. “I thought they gutted it out. We came out in the second half with a strong focus. We wanted to get the ball out to our wings, we have decent speed out there. Our touches were good.” |
| vs. Columbia Hickman, April 21, 2009 |
| QHS girls soccer team rebounds with shutout win Published: 4/10/2009, Quincy HERALD-WHIG Resiliency is becoming the trademark of the Quincy High School girls soccer team. Two nights after a humbling 5-0 loss to Quincy Notre Dame, the Blue Devils responded with what QHS coach Travis Dinkheller dubbed a "complete effort" in a 2-0 victory Thursday night over Jefferson City at Flinn Stadium. Quincy (4-3) has bounced back from each of its three losses with a victory. "That's what we keep stressing -- believe in what we're doing and believe in each other," Dinkheller said. "This victory was affirmation that what we we're teaching and what we're telling them can work." Hayley Womack scored two unassisted goals, one in the sixth minute and the second in the 33rd minute. The sophomore forward leads the team with 10 goals and nine assists. However, Dinkheller said the performance of junior forward Taylor Nell was pivotal in creating scoring chances. "She kept pressure on their wing backs," Dinkheller said. "She caused countless mistakes by their wing backs and allowed us to win a lot of balls and keep the attack in their zone." Quincy sophomore keeper Kelsey Kipley made 10 saves for her third shutout. "We weathered the storm," Dinkheller said. "They threw a ton of numbers at us in the second half, but we handled it. The girls did a lot of smart, good things." |
| vs. Mexico, April 22, 2009 |
| Capitol City Tourn., April 24-25, 2009 |
| ‘Smart’ soccer
Downing’s goal in second half lifts Lady Jays to victory By Tom Rackers, News Tribune The Jefferson City Lady Jays got a do-over after a poor first half. And they did something with it in the second. “We just needed to play smart,” Lady Jays coach Matt Stacey said after Emily Downing’s blast from outside the top of the box with seven minutes remaining Tuesday night lifted Jefferson City to a 1-0 win over the Hickman Kewpies at the 179 Soccer Park. “It was really that simple.” Downing hit a great shot to account for the game’s lone goal. The senior found herself wide open and curved a liner over the goalie’s outstretched arms for the score. “She just cracked it,” Stacey said. “The ball came out and Emily ran up and just cracked it.” It was Downing’s first goal of the season. “She plays left back, but we like to think of her as an attacking midfielder,” Stacey said. “Every season, she racks up assists and goals and for a back to do that says something about her ability. Hopefully, there’s more of those to come.” The Lady Jays have struggled to score goals this season. “Everything that can go wrong in front of the net has gone wrong for us this year,” Stacey said. “We haven’t been catching any breaks on balls in front of the goal this season and we finally got one here. “Hopefully, this can be the beginning of something good for us.” The only thing even about Continued from p.1 the game in the first half was the score. “The first half, they completely outworked us,” Stacey said. “We weren’t doing what we were supposed to do. The girls knew what they were doing wrong, it was just a matter of correcting it.” Mariah McClain picked up her fourth shutout of the season for the Lady Jays (4-8). “We’re not focusing on our record, we’re putting it aside and being positive,” Stacey said. “We know what our main goal is at the end of the season.” The Lady Jays will play Wednesday at Mexico before hosting the Capital City Invitational on Friday and Saturday. Jefferson City will open the Invitational against Fort Osage at 7 p.m. Friday. Hickman is now 4-6. In Tuesday’s JV game, the Lady Jays (5-1-1) blanked the Kewpies 2-0. Lindsey Clark and Kelsey Vaught shared time in goal for Jefferson City. Claire Turner and Kelly Higgins scored in the win. |
| Lady Jays 6, Mexico 2
News Tribune: MEXICO — The Jefferson City Lady Jays scored three goals in each half and cruised to a 6-2 win over Mexico on Wednesday. Kelly Strope led the Lady Jays with two goals and two assists. Jade Connor, Molly Cowley, Kara Steiner and Kelly Higgins had one goal apiece for the Lady Jays. Kinsey Schouse, Cassie Wiler and Steiner each had one assist. Jefferson City (5-8), which won the JV game 7-0, will open up the Capital City Invitational at 7 p.m. Friday against Fort Osage. |
| One’s enough
Lady Jays top Rolla 1-0 By Tom Rackers, News Tribune Sometimes, one is enough. “Great corner kick, great finish,” Lady Jays coach Matt Stacey said Saturday afternoon after Jefferson City blanked Rolla 1-0 in the thirdplace game of the Capital City Invitational at the 179 Soccer Park. “I think we’ve been dangerous on corner kicks all year, we just haven’t capitalized on enough of them.” The eventual game-winner came with about eight minutes to play in the first half. Molly Cowley took the corner kick and centered it in front of the Rolla net. Kelly Strope was waiting and knocked it into the net for the score. “She’s a great finisher in front of the goal,” Stacey said. “That was a great near-post volley.” It was the third game in 24 hours for the Lady Jays, who kept the Lady Bulldogs out of the net and away from the goal the remainder of the contest. “The last of the tournament, a game is going to look like this a lot of the time,” Stacey said. “We were drained, we were tired, we were exhausted, but we did a great job of hanging with it and finishing the job.” Mariah McClain got the shutout in goal for the Lady Jays, her sixth of the season. The win could have implications down the road for the Lady Jays, with the Lady Bulldogs a potential district tournament opponent. “This was a good one for us to get,” Stacey said. The Lady Jays fell into the third-place game with a 4-0 loss to Pattonville on Saturday morning. “We just were never in it,” Stacey said. “But playing them was a good experience for us. They’re a great team and we need to play teams like that for us to get better.” The Lady Jays (6-9) are back in action Tuesday at Sedalia Smith-Cotton. Lee’s Summit West defeated Pattonville 1-0 in overtime in the championship game Saturday. Lady Jays advance Jefferson City blanks Fort Osage to open up Capital City Invitational By Tom Rackers, News Tribune The bottom line was the Jefferson City Lady Jays defeated the Fort Osage Lady Indians. “We got a win, we got a shutout,” Lady Jays coach Matt Stacey said after Friday night’s 2-0 blanking of the Lady Indians in the opening round of the Capital City Invitational at the 179 Soccer Park. “We’ll take it.” But ... “We took our foot off the gas again,” Stacey said. “We’ve got to develop a killer instinct. We can’t take situations like this for granted, start looking ahead to the next game.” It was a very good first half for the Lady Jays, who peppered the Lady Indian net with several dangerous scoring opportunities. The Lady Jays got on the board midway through the half on a score by Kelly Strope. “She’s always creating things and is a great finisher,” Stacey said. The Lady Jays picked up an insurance goal with about five minutes to go in the half. Kara Steiner had the ball in the corner of field and centered a pass to the top of the box in front of the goal. “Steiner has made a lot of pretty passes into the box this season, unfortunately, we haven’t been able to finish all of them,” Stacey said. Abby Rhea was waiting in front of the Fort Osage net and chipped it over the head of the Lady Indian keeper. “She deserves a goal,” Stacey said. “She has stepped up her level of play since the start of the season and she’s getting more playing time, which she deserves. “She’s done a great job.” With a two-goal lead, Stacey thought the Lady Jays lost focus in the second half. “It didn’t seem like we were playing with a lot of intensity,” he said. “But it was a shutout, we’ll take it. It was a win, we’ll take it.” Mariah McClain got the shutout in goal for the Lady Jays, her fifth of the season. Jefferson City (5-8) will face Pattonville, a 2-1 first-round winner over Springfield Catholic, in the semifinals at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Lady Jays will then play for first or third place at 3 p.m. Fort Osage (7-8) will take on Springfield Catholic at 9 a.m. in the loser’s bracket semifinals before playing for fifth or seventh place at 1 p.m. |
| Lady Jays blank Waynesville
News Tribune WAYNESVILLE — The Jefferson City Lady Jays scored three times in the first 15 minutes Friday night and blanked the Waynesville Lady Tigers 3-0. Kelly Strope, Molly Cowley and Kelly Strope all had a goal and an assist in the victory. Mariah McClain got the shutout in goal, her eighth of the season. The Lady Jays (10-10) will play Monday at Kickapoo. In Friday’s JV game, the Lady Jays were 2-0 winners. |
| The shot by Shouse
Lady Jays make the most of scoring chance to beat Helias, 1-0 By Tom Rackers, News Tribune It was the defensive battle everyone expected. It just came down to who could take advantage of a good scoring chance when it presented itself. The Jefferson City Lady Jays did, the Helias Lady Crusaders didn’t. “If you’re talking about super, super scoring chances, there weren’t many of those for either team,” Lady Jays coach Matt Stacey said Wednesday night after Jefferson City topped the Helias Lady Crusaders 1-0 at the 179 Soccer Park. “This one was played in the middle of the field.” The Lady Crusaders had a handful of opportunities to get on the scoreboard, but just couldn’t find the back of the net. “We had some chances and you have to capitalize on them,” Helias coach Matt Hicks said. “It was there for us, we were knocking on the door, we just have to bang it open.” Jefferson City had a great chance to score just three minutes into the game, only to have a shot bounce off the crossbar. “I think we’ve done that more than we’ve actually put the ball in the net this year,” Stacey said. The Lady Jays got the game’s lone score midway through the half. Destiny Galbreath knocked a corner kick to the front of the goal, where Kinsey Shouse was waiting to head the ball into the net. “Kinsey came through,” Stacey said. The Lady Jays spend a lot of time practicing corner kicks. “They are a vital part of our game,” Stacey said. “When it gets into district time in a couple of weeks, those may be your only chances.” Hicks said the Lady Crusaders spent practice time Tuesday working on defending against corner kicks. “I thought their best chances to score could come of a corner,” he said. “It was just one of those times where we needed to come out and compete. “We couldn’t have been more prepared for this game. It’s just execution and competitiveness, mental toughness.” Helias had a couple of good chances to score late in the first half. With about five minutes left, Jefferson City keeper Mariah McClain was able to tip a ball away from the corner of the net over the end line. That set up a Lady Crusader corner kick. McClain dove to stop one shot, but Helias could not get to a rebound to convert into an empty net. “On corner kicks, you should never leave your feet,” Stacey said. “If there’s a scramble in front of the goal, you’ve got to be on your feet.” Stacey said the Lady Jays were a little fortunate to have the lead at intermission. “Helias outplayed us in the first half,” he said. “They had us on our heels, it seemed like they were winning every ball. They came to play hard.” The scoring chances were even fewer in the second half. Helias’ best opportunity to tie the game came with about four minutes left, but McClain dove and with her arms fully extended, she was able to deflect away a shot that appeared destined to be an equalizer. “When I saw that shot, I didn’t know if Mariah would get to it,” Stacey said. “But she’s a gamer.” The outstanding save capped a frustrating offensive game for the Lady Crusaders “We had some chances and you have to capitalize on them,” Hicks said. “It was there for us, we were knocking on the door, we just have to bang it open. “I don’t care how we do it, we’ve just got to put it in.” It was the final home game of the season for the Lady Jays (9-10), who will play Friday at Waynesville. “We got a win and we’ll take it,” Stacey said. Helias (6-8) returns to action Thursday at Kirksville before hosting St. Francis Borgia on Saturday. Wednesday’s JV game finished scoreless. |
| vs. Helias, May 6, 2009 |
| vs. Waynesville, May 8, 2009 |
| vs. Rolla, May 4, 2009 |
| Late goal sends Lady Jays past Lady Bulldogs
By Tom Rackers, News Tribune Good things come to those who wait. “You have to think eventually good things are going to happen,” Lady Jays coach Matt Stacey said Monday night after Jefferson City edged Rolla 1-0 at the 179 Soccer Park. “But after you get chance after chance after chance, you have to hope they don’t get that one chance and put it in. “You hope that doesn’t happen, but that’s what has happened in a lot of our games this year.” It didn’t happen Monday. “Everybody played a top game,” Stacey said. After a scoreless first half, the Lady Jays turned up the pressure in the final 40 minutes. But despite getting good chance after good chance, the game remained scoreless. The Lady Jays broke onto the scoreboard with just over five minutes left. Emily Downing served the ball to the front of the Rolla net and Molly Cowley was able to knock it past the keeper for the game’s lone goal. “It was a 50-50 ball and Molly just kind of poked it around the keeper and into the net,” Stacey said. On the other end, the Lady Jays did a good job of keeping the Lady Bulldogs away from the net. “Rolla always has a dangerous player up top,” Stacey said. “We did a great job defensively, not only as a unit, but as individually. All it takes is one mistake, but we played well and didn’t let that happen.” It was the sixth shutout of the season for Lady Jays keeper Mariah McClain. This was Jefferson City’s second 1-0 win over Rolla in the space of 10 days. The other between the potential district tournament opponents came in the third-place game of the Capital City Invitational. “This was a better reflection of both teams,” Stacey said. “The third game of a tournament, you don’t always have the energy you would want.” The Lady Jays had the energy Monday night. And Stacey hopes that it carries over for the remainder of the season. “We create lots of chances, eventually things are going to start turning our way,” he said. “We’ve been rolling with the punches and now it’s time for it to start paying off by going our way.” The Lady Jays (8-10) will play host to the Helias Lady Crusaders (6-7) on Wednesday night. The JV game will start at 5 p.m., followed by the varsity contest around 6:45 p.m. Monday night was Senior Night for the Lady Jays. Honored before the game were McClain, Downing, Jenna Foster, Abbey Campbell and Destiny Galbreath. |
| Lady Jays Win Regular Season Finale SPRINGFIELD — The Jeferson City Lady Jays closed out the regular season by edging Springfield Kickapoo 2-1 on Monday. Kara Steiner and Molly Cowley scored goals for the Lady Jays (11-10), while Kelly Strope had two assists. Jefferson City is back in action Monday in the Class 3 District 10 semifinals at Waynesville. The Lady Jays, the No. 1 seed, will play either Lebanon or Waynesville. |
| vs. Springfield Kickapoo, May 12, 2009 |
| Lady Jays advance
WAYNESVILLE — The Jefferson City Lady Jays blanked Lebanon 2-0 on Monday in the semifinals of the Class 3 District 10 Tournament. The top-seeded Lady Jays (12-10) will play Rolla for the district title at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Rolla advanced with a 2-1 win over Camdenton in penalty kicks. Jefferson City led 1-0 at the break on a goal by Molly Cowley off an assist from Kelly Strope. In the second half, Cowley assisted a goal by Abby Rhea. |
| vs. Lebanon (District Semi-Final), May 18, 2009 |
| District champs
Lady Jays blank Rolla for soccer title WAYNESVILLE — Heading into Wednesday night’s Class 3 District 10 soccer championship game, the Jefferson City Lady Jays had defeated the Rolla Lady Bulldogs twice this season by identical 1-0 scores. The third time was the sweetest. Molly Cowley knocked home a goal with just over two minutes remaining to lift the Lady Jays to another 1-0 win over the Lady Bulldogs. “Molly truly hit a bomb,” Lady Jays coach Matt Stacey said. “She crushed it.” With the win, the Lady Jays (13-10) advance to Tuesday night’s sectional game at the 179 Soccer Park. Jefferson City will face the District 9 winner, either Troy or Rock Bridge, at 6 p.m. The District 9 title game is Thursday night. Cowley’s goal, assisted by Kara Steiner, went into the upper corner of the net from about 25 yards out. Stacey said he was concerned about having to beat Rolla a third time this season. “We had a long talk about beating them in the regular season, but that this is the game that counts,” he said. “We knew Rolla would play their best game of the year and they really took it to us in the first half. “But in the second half, we played extremely well, we moved the ball around the field.” Mariah McClain got the shutout in goal for the Lady Jays, her 11th of the season. Jefferson City, which has won consecutive girls soccer district titles for the first time in school history, has won 11 of its last 13 games. |
| vs. Rolla (DistrictChampionship), May 20, 2009 |
| Getting it done again
Lady Jays advance to quarterfinals with another 1-0 victory By Tom Rackers, News Tribune The Jefferson City Lady Jays have had their share of 1-0 games this year. “It’s too many,” Lady Jays coach Matt Stacey said. “Maybe 20.” Actually, it’s only 12. But one-goal games can do funny things to a coach’s memory, especially when it’s half of the games his team has played. “1-0 games are no way to make a living,” Stacey said. Unless that 1-0 win comes in the Class 3 sectionals. That happened Tuesday afternoon, when the Lady Jays topped Rock Bridge by that score at the 179 Soccer Park. “It shows character when a team can win 1-0,” Stacey said. The Lady Jays are just 6-6 in 1-0 games this season. But they’re 5-1 in their last six games decided by that score. “We’ve shown what we’re made of,” Stacey said. With the win, the Lady Jays (14-10) advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals against Glendale (18-7-1), a 9-1 winner over Joplin in its sectional Wednesday. Game time is 2 p.m. at Missouri S&T in Rolla. The Lady Jays got the game’s lone goal early in the first half. Kara Steiner controlled a 50-50 ball near the top of the box and broke free toward the net. Rock Bridge keeper Carrie Levy came out of the net to cut down on the angle of Steiner’s shot, but the Lady Jays junior calmly dribbled a low slow shot into the opposite corner. “We’ve worked a lot on composure in front of the net,” Stacey said. “We’ve had a lot of those this year we’ve missed, especially early in the season.” The Lady Jays defense made that score stand up. “Anytime you can get a team on their heels early, that’s very important,” Stacey said. “We’re a team that defends well enough we can play a 1-0 game. We did a good job of keeping numbers behind the ball.” It was the 12th shutout of the season for Lady Jays keeper Mariah McClain, who was celebrating her birthday. Rock Bridge (11-14) had defeated Jefferson City 2-1 midway through the regular season. “We were excited about playing them a second time,” Stacey said. “We didn’t play our best the first time. I don’t know if we played our best this time, but it doesn’t really matter because we won.” It’s just the second time the Lady Jays have advanced to the quarterfinals in the history of the program, joining the 1998 team. Jefferson City has never advanced to the girls Final Four. |
| vs. Rock Bridge (Sectional), May 26, 2009 |
| Glendale soccer tops Jefferson City to advance to final four
Springfield News Leader ROLLA — The Glendale High School girls’ soccer team stamped its ticket to the first state final four in team history with a 2-0 victory over Jefferson City in a Class 3 quarterfinal today at Missouri S & T. Molly Brewer scored what proved to be the game-winner for Glendale, heading in a corner kick from Emily Jordan in the 62nd minute. Emily Cline added an insurance goal seven minutes later, volleying in a perfectly-placed cross from Katie Brewer. Glendale improves to 18-7-1 with the win and will face either Nerinx Hall or Incarnate Word Academy in a Class 3 semifinal match Friday in Fenton. Jefferson City ends it season 14-11. Something had to give on Saturday: Glendale came to Rolla averaging just under five goals per game in postseason play, and Jefferson City had yet to surrender a goal since the start of districts. In the end, Glendale’s arsenal of attacking options won out over Jefferson City’s stingy D. The Lady Falcons kept the ball in Jefferson City’s end for the majority of the first half and took six shots to Jefferson City’s one, but the game was scoreless at intermission. Undaunted, Glendale kept attacking. The Lady Falcons got a handful of good looks in rapid succession starting with a corner kick in the 55th minute, and they finally were rewarded when they broke through on Molly Brewer’s goal in the 62nd. Not to be overshadowed by Glendale’s postseason offensive prowess, goal keeper Jacinda Lemons and the Lady Falcons’ defense recorded their third shutout in four playoff games and 12th overall this season. Jefferson City had a handful of promising trips into Glendale’s end, but the Lady Falcons’ defense prevented the Lady Jays from possessing the ball long enough to bring significant numbers forward, and Glendale allowed Jefferson City just one shot on goal all game. |
| vs. Glendale (State Quarterfinal), May 30, 2009 |
| Lady Jays fall in quarters
JC News Tribune ROLLA — The Glendale Falcons scored twice in the final 15 minutes Saturday afternoon to defeat the Jefferson City Lady Jays 2-0 in the Class 3 girls soccer quarterfinals at the University of Missouri S&T. “They’re good,” Lady Jays coach Matt Stacey said. “They deserved to win. They outplayed us, no doubt about it.” One of the goals came off a corner kick, the first time an opponent has scored on a set piece against the Lady Jays this season. Stacey said the Lady Jays had a couple of “good” scoring chances in the first half, but struggled to get much going against the quicker Falcons. “We knocked it around a few times, but they just play so fast,” he said. “We did a good job in the middle of the field, but they were winning every second ball and getting a lot of numbers forward.” The Lady Jays, playing the quarterfinals for just the second time in the history of the program, end the season at 14-11. Glendale (19-7-1) advances to the Final Four on Friday and Saturday at the Anheuser-Busch Centre in Fenton. |
| Lady Jays to meet Glendale with Final Four spot up for grabs
By Tom Rackers, JC News Tribune, May 30, 2009 The fate of the season was up in the air. The Jefferson City Lady Jays had just dropped a 1-0 overtime decision to Quincy Notre Dame at the 179 Soccer Park and the high hopes of the preseason were being overshadowed by a 2-6 record. “That was a heartbreaker,” Lady Jays coach Matt Stacey said. “Their goal wasn’t a beautiful thing, it came on a scramble in front of the net.” Stacey was worried about his team’s future. “I thought it was the type of game where we could starting pointing fingers at each other, blaming each other,” he said. “Instead, it was the exact opposite.” It took a couple of games, but the Lady Jays turned things around and will head into Saturday afternoon’s Class 3 quarterfinal against Glendale as winners in 12 of their last 14 games. “The girls really stuck with it, continued to work hard and it’s paid off,” Stacey said. “It’s not like we were playing badly, we were just not finding the net.” Defense has been the backbone of the Lady Jays (14-10) this season and that figures to be tested by the high-scoring Falcons (18-7-1). Glendale stuffed Joplin 9-1 in its sectional, piling up 22 shots on goal. “They’re a phenomenal attacking team.” Stacey said. “They can move the ball around, possess the ball, get a lot of numbers in the attack.” Glendale scored five times in the final 20 minutes of the first half to take a 5-0 lead into intermission. Emily Cline led the attack, scoring four times. “They score lots of goals, that’s their strength,” Stacey said. “Our strength is that we’re a pretty good defensive team.” Jefferson City keeper Mariah McClain has recorded 12 shutouts this season. Senior defenders Emily Downing and Abbey Campbell, along with juniors Kelly Strope and Kelsey Coffman have been strong in front of McClain. Downing recently missed time with pneumonia and junior Grace Vanderhaar and sophomore Emily Mantle stepped in. “They were phenomenal,” Stacey said. “We didn’t miss a beat.” The junior trio of Molly Cowley, Kara Steiner and Kelly Strope all have six goals to lead the Lady Jays in scoring. Kinsey Shouse, another junior, has been strong on set pieces. “We’re getting better and better in front of the net,” Stacey said. “We’re capitalizing on more of our chances now, where early in the season, we weren’t on any of them.” Jefferson City and Glendale have not met this season. Last season, the Falcons topped the Lady Jays 3-1 in the Kickapoo Tournament. “We had a good chunk of the play, I don’t think that score showed the way we played,” Stacey said. The Lady Jays have won consecutive district titles for the first time in the history of the program. And Jefferson City has advanced to the quarterfinals just one other time in school history. At a team meeting last November, talk of advancing to the Final Four for the first time began. “We always talk about winning a district,” Stacey said. “But we’re never going to do better if we don’t set our standards higher. Why not us? Why can’t we get to St. Louis? “They all agreed and we worked harder to get there. St. Louis has been on our minds since then, our ultimate destination.” And with one more win, that goal will be achieved. “We want to put this season into the history books,” Stacey said. “This team is set on leaving a legacy.” Game time is 2 p.m. Saturday at Missouri S&T in Rolla. |
| Emily Downing of the Jefferson City Lady Jays sends the ball down the field during Tuesday’s Class 3 sectional against Rock Bridge at the 179 Soccer Park. (News Tribune) |
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| Kelly Strope of the Lady Jays heads the ball during Tuesday’s Class 3 sectional games against Rock Bridge at the 179 Soccer park. Deborah Cote/News Tribune |
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| 2009 Season |