Nine Katy ISD seniors recently were awarded 2008 Soccer Depot I-10 Shootout scholarships. The recipients were as follows by school: Cinco Ranch – defenseman Stephanie Brown, Kayla Blincow and Valerie Whitt; Katy Taylor – goalkeeper Natalie Strabala (also the District 18-5A Defensive Player of the Year) and Juliana Bortka; Katy – Amanda Mikeska and Erica De La Fuente; Seven Lakes – Marissa Anselmo; Morton Ranch – defender Damaris Alvarez. Cinco Ranch’s girls won their eighth consecutive district championship in 2008, and both Katy and Katy Taylor advanced to the Region III-5A semifinals. Additionally, the field for the 2009 I-10 Shootout has been announced.

  Being a soccer goalkeeper is not easy.

    {mp3}TOP 10-Cinco Ranch 20080616{/mp3} The Cinco Ranch boys soccer team should have been forgiven April 5 if after their regional final victory, thoughts turned to their state semifinal game five days away. After all, coaches almost unanimously preach not enjoying wins too long and enforce dissecting the task at hand as much as possible. But after the Cougars upended perennial power Kingwood 3-2 in the 5A-Region III final at Deer Park, coach John Crow cautioned his players several times to enjoy the moment. “We’ve never been this far and we’re not going away,” the Cougars’ Preston Davis said.

  Three Cinco Ranch boys soccer players and three Cougars girls were selected to the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches all-Region III teams, and two area coaches received top honors on the teams released this week. Cougars boys Josh Reicks (defender), Juan Fernando Nino and Preston Davis (midfielders) earned all-state and all-region honors after guiding the team to its first state tournament appearance. Cougars girls honored were junior defender Jaimie Leake, senior midfielder Kaitlyn Eidson and senior forward Riley Canfield. Katy girls coach Dianne Loftin and Strake Jesuit boys coach Bill McDonald earned Coach of the Year honors.

  Cinco Ranch soccer player Josh Reicks has committed to play college soccer at the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y.   Reicks has been an outstanding player for the Cougars for his four years of high school and was instrumental in the Cougars making their first state tournament appearance.

  Two Cinco Ranch boys soccer players were named to the University Interscholastic League’s State Soccer All-Tournament Teams, as selected by the Texas Association of Soccer Coaches. The list was released Monday. Cougars senior midfielder Juan Fernando Nino and sophomore defender Reagan Haisler were honored.

  Cinco Ranch’s historic season is over.   The Cougars took the lead just two minutes into their 5A boys soccer state semifinal Thursday, but defending champion Lewisville Flower Mound Marcus tied it shortly thereafter and took the lead with 20 minutes left to defeat Cinco Ranch 2-1 at Round Rock ISD Stadium.   It was the first loss of the season for the Cougars (22-1-6), who were playing in their first state tournament.    Cougars forward Ryan Silveira scored in the second minute off a Josh Reicks header, but about three minutes later Marcus’ Randy Wright tied it off a crossing pass from Sam Garza.

  Forget “ying” and “yang.” In the soccer world, players are either “piano carriers” – those who do the dirty work – or “piano players,” the talent that benefits from the grunt labor. Cinco Ranch defender Josh Reicks has the Cougars broken down into those groups entering this week’s state tournament, the school’s first. Reicks, who plays both defense and midfield, is a carrier. His co-captains, midfielders Juan Fernando Nino and Preston Davis, are players. “You have to have the right mix of each in order to be a great team, and (they) definitely are players,” Reicks said. The undefeated Cougars (22-0-6) won’t call themselves a great team at this stage, one day before their 5A state semifinal against defending champion Lewisville Flower Mound Marcus (24-3-3) at Round Rock.

  It wasn’t that the Cinco Ranch boys soccer team didn’t dare to dream. But three months ago, the last thing a 3-2 win in a scrimmage against perennial power Klein portended was a possible run deep into the postseason. Now the only things separating the two from ending their seasons against each other are state semifinal victories. Cinco Ranch (22-0-6), making its first state tournament appearance, meets defending champion Lewisville Flower Mound Marcus (24-3-3) at 4 p.m.

{mosimage} There's no doubt Preston Davis is going out in style. Davis, a senior midfielder on the Cinco Ranch boys soccer team, added an extra gear to his game in the regional tournament, scoring one goal in the semifinal and two in the championship to ensure the Cougars their first regional championship. For his accomplishments, Davis is the Athlete's Connection's CollegeBallorBust.com Athlete of the Week. To hear him tell the story, he simply was in the right place and capitalized on his teammates' acumen. {mosimage} But to listen further, one hears that Davis isn't planning on furthering his soccer career beyond this week.

      The Cinco Ranch boys soccer team felt like it had at least one edge entering Saturday’s 5A-Region III championship against Kingwood. Not only did the Cougars play two hours earlier than Kingwood in Friday’s regional semifinals, but the Mustangs played a physical 100 minutes in their overtime win against Strake Jesuit. “You could tell they were worn down from playing at 7:30 (p.m.

      With about six teammates and defenders surrounding her, Bri Cagle couldn’t recount how she scored the winning goal in Saturday’s 5A-Region III girls soccer championship game. All Clear Lake’s senior defender knew was she finally finished a header off a corner kick at a most opportune time. A play the Falcons had tried without much success the entire season finally worked with 5:34 left against Kingwood, when Cagle scored off a header following Theresa Halle’s assist at Deer Park ISD’s Abshier Stadium and gave Clear Lake a 2-1 victory and a berth in its first state tournament. “Honestly I really don’t know what happened,” said Cagle, the only usual senior starter on a team featuring six freshmen and seven sophomores.

  Judging from the level of play displayed at the 5A-Region III girls soccer Friday at Deer Park ISD's Abshier Stadium, it was evident that a state berth was on the minds of all the participants.   So setting the tone early in games would be on of the key factors to victory.

  Having tied its 5A-Region III semifinal minutes earlier, the Strake Jesuit boys soccer team felt more than a subtle boost of confidence Friday night when with 11 minutes to play, it gained a one-man advantage on a red card. But Kingwood, veterans of the tournament that they are, instead ended up getting the proverbial shot in the arm. The Mustangs survived the last 10 minutes, 48 seconds of regulation after Vincent Martinelli got a red card for stomping on Strake Jesuit’s Jamie Garcia-Prats, then Blake Shannon scored the game-winning goal halfway through the first overtime to oust the Crusaders 3-2 at Deer Park ISD’s Abshier Stadium. It was the Crusaders’ first loss of the season (21-1-5). Strake Jesuit goalie Jorge Ibarra made two spectacular saves in the first three minutes of overtime, but Shannon snuck the winner to the top right corner of the goal 4 minutes, 37 seconds in. “We had the ball across the right side, they got a great ball through to me and when I got it I shot it through the right side and we got (a goal),” said Shannon, a junior defender.

    The crowd that greeted the Cinco Ranch boys soccer team following its 2-0 regional semifinal victory Friday night acted like it got lost on the way to a U.S.

        Two days of relatively emotionless practices had Katy girls soccer coach Dianne Loftin hoping the Tigers were reserving their fire for Friday’s 5A-Region III semifinal against Clear Lake. Problem was, the Falcons never really let the Tigers off the mat. Clear Lake’s stifling defense took center stage Friday afternoon at Deer Park’s Abshier Stadium, limiting the Tigers to less than a handful of scoring chances – almost none after halftime – in a 2-0 victory. “They won the ball everywhere on the field,” Loftin said.

  The Cy-Fair and Cypress Woods girls soccer team each took two of the top honors on the All-District 17-5A teams released Wednesday. Cy-Fair’s Jayne Jahnke was named Offensive Player of the Year, and teammate Sydney Curry was co-Midfielder of the Year with Audrey LaLanne of Cypress Creek. For Woods, Joceline Quiceno shared co-Newcomer of the Year honors with Jasmine Alzate of Cypress Springs.

      “Killed two birds with one stone” is what Katy girls soccer fans might say after Tuesday’s 2-1 double-overtime win against Cinco Ranch in a 5A regional quarterfinal at Seven Lakes. The Tigers defeated Cinco Ranch, a feat never achieved in the schools’ history.

  Having seldom trailed in 25 games this season, the Strake Jesuit boys soccer team never lost its composure or sight of its goal in Tuesday’s 5A regional quarterfinal against Elsik. Indeed, the Crusaders had little reason to be flustered.

      Entering Tuesday's 5A regional quarterfinal, Katy ISD schools Mayde Creek (16-6-2) and Cinco Ranch (20-0-6) have already faced each other twice during the regular season and both games ended in a tie.

  (Seven Lakes VS.

        Four years ago, Cinco Ranch and Memorial's girls soccer teams competed in the early rounds of the playoffs and with five minutes to go in the game, Cinco Ranch was down 1-0.

        The Katy Taylor girls soccer team scored two goals in the first half Friday night, which was enough to give them the win and move on to the regional quarterfinal round of the 5A girls’ soccer playoffs. The Mustangs defeated Stratford 2-0 at the Berry Center by doing what they had practiced all week.

        Almost from the moment he stepped off the team bus Thursday, Mayde Creek boys soccer coach Mike Latta reveled in the stiff southerly wind. The Rams used it to their advantage in their 5A area playoff game against Westside, scoring two goals into the wind and keeping the ball on the ground like an option football team in a 3-0 victory at Seven Lakes. “When you have the wind in your face like that, you have to keep control of the ball and keep control of the game,” Latta said.

  At a conservative estimate, 60 percent of the first half of the Stratford-Madison bi-district girls soccer playoff game Tuesday night was played in front of the Madison goal. Perhaps anticipating a scoring onslaught from the Spartans, who sought their 22nd win of the year, the Marlins packed the field with defenders in an often-successful effort to keep the game close. But Stratford’s counter was too much for Madison to contain. The Spartans switched to a three-forward look after halftime and broke the game open, scoring five goals to rout the Marlins 7-0 in a 5A game at Delmar Stadium. Michie Mandell and Ashley Davis scored two goals apiece to lead Stratford (22-1-3), which earned its first tournament win in five years.

              Many have heard the cliché ‘third time's a charm,’  but in most situations this scenario doesn’t present itself.

      Twice Tuesday evening, the Lamar girls soccer team tried to run the play that eventually earned it a first-round playoff victory. The Redskins drew a foul the first time. The second time was the charm, snapping nearly 68 minutes of soccer and sending the Redskins to the area round. Brittany Nelson fed Claudia Martinez with an almost-perfect pass and Martinez converted from in front of the net with 12:19 left, clinching Lamar’s 1-0 victory in a 5A bi-district game at Delmar Stadium. Nelson knocked the ball through the defense and found a sprinting Martinez in the center of the field.

            Houston Lee kicked off the playoffs with a 1-0 win over MacArthur Monday night in a bi-district game at Butler Stadium.

          The Strake Jesuit boys soccer team remained undefeated this season after winning 3-0 against Cypress Creek in Tuesday night’s 17-5A match up.   The Crusaders (16-0-4) clinched the district championship with their 12th district win last week against Cypress Falls.

        The Memorial girls soccer team is one way away from a perfect district season. And the Mustangs still don’t know whether they’ll be champions by themselves. Memorial’s 2-0 win against Nimitz in a 19-5A game Tuesday night at Tully Stadium improved the Mustangs to 11-0-2 in the district.

      The Nimitz boys soccer team is getting hot at the right time, and it’s contributed to a breakneck rise through District 19-5A. Jesus Renteria and freshman Nathan Ariay each scored a goal Tuesday night to pace the Cougars past Memorial 2-1 at Tully Stadium. Nimitz, which entered the game three points shy of MacArthur for the district’s fourth and final postseason berth, won its fourth straight game after a six-game losing streak at midseason. Tuesday was the third straight late-game victory for the Cougars (8-8-5 overall, 5-6-2 district), who finish the regular season Friday against Eisenhower. “I just told the guys to keep fighting.

    The Cinco Ranch and Katy girls soccer teams met for bragging rights Friday night at Rhodes Stadium in their second meeting of the season.

          After a two-day postponement, Cinco Ranch and Mayde Creek's girls soccer team finally played their District 18-5A game.

  The St. Thomas boys soccer team and St. Agnes and Duchesne Academy girls teams combined to place seven players on the TAPPS Division I and II First Teams released Tuesday. St.

    For the second straight year, St.

      MacArthur's two second-half goals carried the Generals to a 3-1 lead against Memorial Tuesday night in a District 19-5A boys soccer game at Tully Stadium. Most of the first half was played on Memorial's end of the field because MacArthur came out aggressive.

            Strake Jesuit defeated visiting Jersey Village 3-0 on a breezy Friday night in a District 17-5A boys soccer game.

  Wednesday was a special day for the Cinco Ranch girls soccer program, as a school-record four seniors signed their National Letter of Intent to play soccer at the collegiate level. The players are: Stephanie Brown, Stephen F.

    First, the Memorial-Stratford boys soccer game was an hour late starting Tuesday night. Then because of a series of unfortunate circumstances, it never finished.   A start full of penalties and harsh attitudes led to at least two fights in the game at Grob Stadium, leading the referees to call the game in a scoreless tie. The game didn't start until 8 p.m., an hour after its originally scheduled start time, because one referee was late. Both teams brought fierce competition even though the wind was brutal.

            Katy girls soccer coach Dianne Loftin knew as well as anyone that six games in the first two days of the I-10 Shootout had ended in scoreless ties. Loftin wasn’t afraid to admit she was tired of the trend, especially because her Tigers were involved once and had another 1-1 game. But shootout victories against Langham Creek and Friendswood got Katy to Saturday’s East Bracket final, and one of the Tigers’ several contributing underclassmen took it on herself to score. Freshman forward Kayla Walker scored both Katy goals in a 2-0 victory against Cypress Woods, the first of four pool championship games Saturday at Rhodes Stadium. “We’ve been struggling the last two games not scoring,” Loftin said.

    The 3rd Annual I-10 Shootout got underway Thursday as 32 teams formed four brackets known as North, South, East, and West.

            The Third Annual I-10 Shootout began Thursday and concludes Saturday for 32 teams compete in four brackets - North, South, East, and West. The defending North champions, Cinco Ranch, faced Cypress Creek at home and lost 4-1 in the second game of the day. The two Cougars teams met last year at the regional tournament in the quarterfinal game.

    The Memorial Mustangs girls soccer team defended their 2007 title Saturday afternoon with a 6-0 win over Elsik in the championship game of the Spring Branch ISD tournament. The Mustangs scored three goals in the first half, a vast improvement from their morning game versus Fort Bend Kempner.

  {mp3}080111-BSOC-KleinOak{/mp3}       The 2008 Showcase of Champions boys’ soccer tournament is being held this weekend at Klein High School.

    The 2008 season is starting out a lot like 2007 did for the Memorial girls soccer team. Much of that is because the Mustangs graduated only two seniors and return six, but the road is similar in other respects, too. Memorial, which won 18 games a year ago, improved to 2-0 this season by breezing past Spring Woods 5-0 Thursday night in the first round of the Spring Branch ISD tournament at Grob Stadium. The Mustangs scored four goals in the last 20 minutes of the first half and rarely put goalie Anna Booth in pressure situations. “We played three scrimmages last weekend back-to-back-to-back and we struggled scoring.

  The way its fortunes are going, three goals might be enough for the Memorial girls soccer team if it wins the Spring Branch ISD tournament this weekend. The Mustangs are more than familiar with 1-0 scores, whether in wins or losses. Memorial defeated Stratford 1-0 in the Spring Branch tournament championship game last year, lost to Katy Taylor by the same score in the area playoffs weeks later, and opened this season with a 1-0 victory against Katy Tuesday night at Tully Stadium. With its defense apparently not having lost an edge, the Mustangs enter the Spring Branch tournament as arguable favorites. Memorial, which won 18 games last year, plays a hopeful Spring Woods team at 5 p.m.

      As the sun set Tuesday night, wintry weather arrived back in Houston just in time for the Memorial-Katy varsity girls soccer game at Tully Stadium. The soaked Astroturf didn’t stop either team from performing at their best, as both teams fiercely competed for the win.

          After watching his team face off against Deer Park in a preseason soccer match up, it didn’t take long for Spring Woods coach Wadey Yaya to realize that this team has a good thing going.

The 14th Annual Texas Warm-Up Cup was underway today at Meyer Park out in Spring, TX.

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