Game Summary: CA Blue MS Soccer @ Cary Christian May 08, 2008 Lost 1-2 in Overtime

The Chargers lost a heartbreaker in overtime to a strong Cary Christian squad on their field tonight.  The loss ends the season for the blue team, but not after a tremendous season of working hard, putting together a great string of wins, and really bonding as a team.  After the first half, the Chargers grabbed some water to discuss the 1-0 deficit and the methods we would use to tie and hopefully win the game.  Midway through the second half, center midfielder Kelsey Miller perfectly placed a direct kick in the top, right corner of the goal just out of the goalkeeper's reach and the match was tied.  After sixty minutes, both teams scrambled to make overtime plans, and with only twenty seconds left in the second overtime stanza, the Cary Christian team scored off a corner kick, and an emotionally draining game came to an end, unfortunately so did our season.  As much as the team wanted to win tonight, we proudly celebrate a collective family-like connection that was so beautifully present on our team and a consistent show of sports(wo)manship that was superior to every team we faced. 

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Game Summary for girls MS blue soccer at home vs. Grace on May 02, 2008: Win 5-0 

The regular season finale was a solid 5-0 win in preparation for the tournament next week.  Eleven minutes into the game, and as we practiced the day before, Connor Roebuck drove the ball down the left wing and beautifully crossed the ball to Emily Aarons who put it away.  After several advances on the Grace Christian goal, we settled for a 1-0 lead at halftime.  Once again, the Chargers took over the game early in the second half with a perfect give-and-go from Abbi Eder to Emily for her second goal in the game and the most goals for the season at 13.5!  A few minutes later, Kelsey Miller penetrated the defense and passed to her co-midfielder, Jen Kenyon for a great goal.  Just two minutes later, Connor scored on a perfectly placed corner kick that could not be stopped by the goalkeeper, and then to finish the scoring, Daniella Ochoa converted a great lead pass from Emily.  After the win, the team celebrated a great season going 9-3-2 by going to (welcome to) Moe's.

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MS girls blue soccer result April 29, 2008 at home vs. East Wake Academy: 5-0 Win! 

The Chargers were sluggish out of the gate at home tonight against East Wake with Emily Aarons scoring from a great pass by Jen Kenyon in the only goal of the first half at the twenty-five minute mark.  A much more motivated CA team took the field in the second half and six minutes into it, Emily struck again unassisted, and then earned her second hat trick of the season with a third goal assisted by Kourtney Dworsky.  Reagan Atkins and Sydney Branson split goalkeeping duties to record a shutout!  In the second half, Abbi Eder penetrated the East Wake defense handily with a sweet pass to Sydney who scored her fifth goal of the season.  With only a minute left in the game, two Charger defensive strengths, Caroline Woronoff and Juliette Parks paired up to give Caroline her first goal of the season.  Daniella Ochoa and Kourtney led the team tonight as captains in our win.  Our season finale is Friday at home before the conference tournament next week.

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CA Blue MS girls soccer result from April 25, 2008 @ Ravenscroft: Win 5-1 

In an effort to win the season series from Ravenscroft, the Chargers traveled there on another beautiful night for soccer.  Three minutes into the game, however, the Chargers gave up the game's first goal on a well-executed play, but for the remainder of the game, Reagan Atkins kept every shot out of her net to earn her second strait win in goal.  Aliza Weintraub was also on a mission as she scored on a perfect feed from Emily Aarons just fifty seconds after the Ravenscroft goal to tie the match.  At the seventeen minute mark, Emily and Aliza switched roles and Emily scored on a nice pass from Aliza.  A few minutes later, Aliza struck again on a great penetration pass from Abbi Eder and the Chargers took command of the game.  To end the half, Aliza got a long lead pass from Tyler Powell on defense and grabbed some water at the break already having scored a hat trick and an assist.  In the second half, and after playing two games primarily at midfield, Kourtney Dworsky sent a nice pass to Aliza to earn an assist and give Aliza her fourth goal of the game!  The Chargers dominated tonight from every aspect and collectively played the best game of the season.  Our defense was anchored by Caroline Woronoff, Tyler Powell, Alli Jones, Carrie Hartsfield, and Juliette Parks.  We are proud to have won our third game this week and we look forward to continued success with two weeks left in our season.

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Girls MS Blue Soccer Result at Wake Christian Academy on April 24, 2008: Win 4-0 

The Chargers traveled to Wake Christian Academy for a splendid night for soccer.  At the nineteen minute mark in the game, Daniella Ochoa opened the scoring with a solid shot past the goalkeeper off of an assist from Abbi Eder.  In the second half, Emily Aarons sent a pass over to Jen Kenyon who confidently blasted the ball into the back of the net.  A few minutes later, Emily scored one of her own with Abbi getting another assist, and toward the end of the game, Sydney Branson put the game away scoring off a rebound from another shot by Emily.  Reagan Atkins was credited with eight saves solidifying herself as a terrific goalkeeper with a shutout.  The Chargers travel to Ravenscroft on Friday for a big game where Reagan and Kelsey Miller will again be our captains after stellar play in their respective positions tonight!

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MS Girls Blue Soccer Result vs. Magellan on April 22, 2008: win 2-0 

The Chargers played an outstanding game defeating Magellan 2-0 on our home field.  Team captains Sydney Branson and Emily Aarons did their respective jobs on the field nicely with Sydney allowing no goals for a shut-out and Emily converting a penalty kick twenty-two minutes into the game to open the scoring.  Shortly thereafter, Kelsey Miller scored on a well-placed corner kick with an effective screen of the Mariners' goalkeeper by Abbi Eder and we took a 2-0 lead to halftime.  The second half was scoreless, but did include heavy rain that cooled everyone off toward the end of the game.  The Chargers' midfield control and hustle was once again a decisive factor in a huge win. 

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Girls MS Blue Soccer vs. Cary Christian at home 4/18/08: Lost 4-3

Playing on the stadium field, the first half was a battle of control until with only thirty seconds left in the half, Cary Christian found the net to take a 1-0 lead to halftime.  In the second half, however, the Chargers stormed out to a 3-1 lead with quick goals by Emily Aarons (assisted by Aliza Weintraub), Abbi Eder (assisted by Emily), and Emily again (assisted by Abbi) to take a commanding lead and control of the game.  With only ten minutes left to go, the seesaw battle shifted back in the favor of Cary Christian who was able to muster three goals and salvage a win.  It was a very tough loss for the Chargers, but we know we played very well and hope that we have an opportunity to play them in the tournament at the end of the season.  Another huge conference game vs. Magellan at home will be this Tuesday, and then away games on Thursday and Friday.

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008
CA vs. East Wake Academy    6 - 1 

The Chargers beat the East Wake Academy squad 6-1 at home on a perfect evening for soccer.  Tonight's captains led the team from their respective ends of the field as Dina Albukhary scored a goal and had an assist on offense, while Alli Jones played stellar defense with multiple clearing plays throughout the game.  The other goals were scored by Sydney Branson (assisted by Caitlin McGuire), Connor roebuck (assisted by Dina), Kelsey Miller on a perfectly placed direct kick, and two goals by Aliza Weintraub with assists by Kelsey and Emily Aarons.  The blue team dominated the game and gained confidence for our rematch this Friday on the stadium field vs. Cary Christian - a team that we tied 2-2 earlier in the season.

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April 10, 2008
CA vs. NRCA  Overtime Tie 1-1

The girls enjoyed a magnificent evening and a terrific crowd in their opportunity to even the series against a strong, well-coached NRCA squad.  After falling 2-0 in their season opener at NRCA, the Chargers were anxious to see how much progress they had made this season setting us up for what was a thrill to watch.  As in the first match up, the first half was scoreless, but sixteen minutes into the second half, Aliza Weintraub assisted a ball into the goal mouth allowing Abbi Eder and Emily Aarons to simultaneously kick the ball into the net for what we all agreed was the first-ever "shared goal" by two people for our team.  With eight minutes left in the game, NRCA tied the score with a nicely executed one-timer off a corner kick.

Finally, after two overtime halves, the teams settled for a 1-1 draw.  Our Chargers put forth an amazing effort giving 100% for every second they were on the field.  Carrie Hartsfield and Tyler Powell exhibited tremendous leadership in their rolls as team captains nearly playing the entire game.  Sydney Branson was once again phenomenal in goal.

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April 08, 2008
CA vs. Wake Christian Academy   5 - 1

The Chargers busted out of the gate twenty seconds into the game with a quick goal by left winger, Abbi Eder from an absolutely perfect penetration dribble and center by speedy right winger, Aliza Weintraub.  Two minutes later, team captains Emily Aarons and Caitlin McGuire put together another great passing sequence to give Emily her first goal of the game.  Left midfielder Jen Kenyon added a third goal and her first of the season unassisted taking us to a 3-0 halftime lead.

In the second half, we gave up a goal to bring the Wake Christian squad within striking distance, but before any momentum could swing their way, Abbi gave Emily a perfect pass to notch Emily's second goal of the game.  Before the whistle blew, offensive-minded fullback, Juliette Parks was credited with an assist to give Emily Aarons an admirable hat trick for the game.  The team played well tonight with a controlling effort level and determined attitude.

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April 07, 2008
Girls MS Blue Soccer at Grace Christian  3 - 0  

The Chargers were led onto the field by tonight's team captains Reagan Atkins (goalkeeper) and Aliza Weintraub (right wing).  CA immediately took the lead five minutes into the game when Emily Aarons penetrated the defense and dropped a sweet pass to Abbi Eder who beat the Grace Christian goalkeeper.  Emily continued to mount an attack scoring our second goal unassisted a few minutes later.  With just five minutes left in the half, Juliette Parks, who normally plays defense, proved her offensive capabilities off a corner kick putting CA up 3-0 at halftime.  The Chargers dominated control of the ball throughout the game and hit the goal post four times during the second half but did not add to our lead.  Fortunately, we kept the ball out of our defensive zone for the most part and preserved our first shut-out of the year.  For tomorrow's home game at 5:30 vs. Wake Christian, Emily Aarons and Caitlin McGuire will be team captains and we are excited to welcome Blythe Lane as our new and much needed team manager.

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April 03, 2008
Girls MS Blue Soccer: Home game vs. Ravenscroft  3 - 1

The Chargers played a phenomenal game against a 4-2-1 Ravenscroft team comprised of twenty players including eight ninth graders.  After giving up a goal in the first half and taking the 0-1 deficit to halftime, we confidently huddled to discuss our strategy for how we would win the game.  Reagan Atkins debuted in goal and played wonderfully giving our other goalkeeper Sydney Branson an opportunity to play offense where she scored two goals, each assisted by a speedy Aliza Weintraub.  Our third goal was scored by Abbi Eder off a rebound, solidifying our win.

The entire game was played well by an extremely determined and collective group of eighteen teammates.  The proverbial game ball would go to the whole team for an enjoyable display of soccer.  Along with Reagan's terrific job in goal, Caroline Woronoff defined the position of "sweeper" when she saved a shot at the last moment with a fantastic clear.

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Tuesday, April 1, 2008 
Girls Blue MS Soccer: Final Score 2-2 @ Cary Christian

The Chargers charged out onto Cary Christian's field HUNGRY for a victory led by motivated team captains Kelsey Miller and Caroline Woronoff.  Our collective intensity and effort level was absolutely awesome for the entire first half as left winger Abbi Eder scored two goals assisted by Kelsey Miller and Aliza Weintraub.  It was, by far, the best we have played together and a promise that we are headed in the right direction!  For the second half, however, the Knights took over their home turf and tied the game with superior hustle.  We played two overtime periods without another goal scored and settled for a 2-2 tie.  The Chargers learned a valuable lesson about letting off just a little when you have established a lead.  It will not happen again!

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March 27, 2008
CA @ Magellan 0 - 1

The team's second game team captains, Juliette Parks and Abbi Eder lead them out with an extremely aggressive effort, which was sustained throughout the game by the entire team.  The Chargers noticeably controlled the game, and our collective desire to "click" as a team happened today.  Once again, the first half ended in a scoreless tie, and as the second half was underway, we gave up a goal to Magellan.  With six minutes left to play, an extremely determined Dina Albukhary blew by several Magellan players up the left wing eventually facilitating an awesome shot by Caitlin McGuire that hit the back of the net, but unfortunately, the ref called a questionable offsides on the Chargers, and the goal was disallowed. 

As the lady Chargers tried feverishly to find the elusive equalizer, the whistle ended the game, and a disappointed Charger team had to accept defeat.  As it is all about how one (in this case: ALL) responds to adversity, we are more motivated than ever!  Moreover, we outplayed that Magellan team, and we are anxious to have an opportunity later this season to earn revenge.

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March 25, 2008
CA vs. North Raleigh Christian Academy 0 - 2

The Chargers took the field in their first game at North Raleigh Christian Academy yesterday ending in a 2-0 loss.  After the teams played a well-matched, scoreless first half, the Knights finally scored the game's first goal in the thirty-eighth minute.  As the Chargers fought to try and tie the game by pulling the defense up with just a couple minutes to go, they gave up another goal with just one minute to go, and the game ended.

Sydney Branson provided superior goalkeeping for the Chargers as she and Jen Kenyon were the team captains.  It's back to practice for the next five days where two most apparent issues will be worked on: AGGRESSION and short, one-time passes with control.  We were a bit rusty after eleven days of break and we do have some work to do.  I was most proud of our team unity and dedication.  The next game is next Thursday at Magellan.