High School Playbook

 You could feel the excitement and the intensity in the air an hour before the game started.  Fans and players from both New Albany and Floyd Central came wearing their "Passionately Pink" shirts in support of our effort to raise money for breast cancer research.  It was impressive to see the two arch rivals come together for a higher cause and it was a success for the first annual Passionately Pink, Kick for the Cure event.  Final totals won't be in for a few days but the fans stepped up for the cause donating $165.00 in cash,  We also sold approximately 25 t-shirts and will receive 1/2 of the gate receipts.  All going directly to the charity.

Thanks need to go out to New Albany Girl's Soccer coach Julie Deuser for getting this event off the ground.  Without her vision to get the girls involved in something worthwhile this event would not have happened.  A lot goes on behind the scenes to make an event like this successful and we hope to make this an annual event and grow it each year.  New Albany High School is proud to say Zesto sponsored the Lady Bulldog game jerzeys.

Floyd Central printed addtional fan shirts that were sold before and during the game.  Volunteer parents from both schools manned the Passionately Pink spirit table and I'd like to thank them for giving up their time to make a difference.  The fans proved to be charitable as well stuffing the Pink donation bag with $165.00.

The Game!  If you came to the game thinking it would be a hard fought defensive battle you were not disappointed.  A little blood was even spilled by both teams.  Thankfully the injuries were not too serious and both players should be ready to go for their Saturday games.  The two teams traded offensive runs in both halves but the defense continually turned away all threats.  Only a lone goal in the second half by FC sophomore Lauren Haley was the difference.  Give kudos to both defenses and both goalies for thwarting any attempts at making this a high scoring game by either team. 

The two teams traded victories last season with NA wining the regular season game and FC coming back to win the sectional title.  Time will tell how a second meeting comes out this year.  I they meet in the sectional it should be another epic battle.

Passionately Pink, Kick For The Cure was a success and depending on which side of the field you were on the game was a success too.  Thanks to all the girls for showing good sportsmanship throughout the game.  Good luck in your upcoming games.  FC travels to defending state champion Evansville Memorial while New Albany will make the trip to Columbus East on Saturday as well.  Let's hope both teams can come back with victories over the weekend.

Look on this site for video and game comments from Taylor from WLKY.com.  He was at the game and I thank him for coming out to give the event some media attention.  Maybe soccer will grow on Taylor and he'll come to more events like the upcoming Sectional in October.  See you there Taylor. 

 When the 2009 Girl's soccer season started the sky was the limit for this the New Albany girl's soccer program.  Coming off an impressive campaign under first year head coach Julie Deuser the Lady Dogs hoped to improve on their 15-4 season and capture that elusive Sectional title.

We have a great core of returning seniors:  L Hack, M Nash, K Robinett and W Smith with Robinett the 6th leading scorer in the state during 2008 and currently leading the state in scoring.

Returning juniors:  K Cole, K Graeter, D Hutchinson, S Riggs and A Snyder.

Along with our 9 returning upper classmen we have a talented group of sophomores that got plenty of playing time as freshmen and are ready to go.  Sophomores are:  T Briscoe (keeper, currently ranked 7th in the state), K Cole, M Hutchison, M Klueppleberg, T Little and Rachel Novack.

To bloster the lineup we've also added three talented freshman to the mix and they have been getting valuable playing time early in the season.  Freshman are:  P Bauer, K Blessinger (keeper) and T Marcum.

We have big expectations and our two major goals are to win the Hoosier Hills Conference title and to dethrone three time defending sectional champion Floyd Central.  If we reach both of our goals anything can happen once you get to the one-game regional which was one by power Columbus North last year. 

We aren't suprising anyone this year.  We bring out talent and desire to the field and take on all comers.  Through the first 8 games this season we are 7-0-1 and looking forward to playing our rival Floyd Central this Thursday and then Columbus East on Saturday.  This week will be a true test of our teams ability to focus on the task at hand and not think ahead.

All we can say is BEWARE OF THE DOGS!

Sacred Heart's soccer team is back in the final four.

The defending state champions moved on after defeating Manual 3-to-2 Wednesday night.

The teams took the field ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in Kentucky. 

It was scoreless in the first half when Emma Brown got the pass and kicked it over the goalie's head to put Manual on the board 1-to-0. 

The Valkyries responded later in the half when a corner kick by Andrea Distler and a header by Jackie Hafele tied it at 1.

Sacred Heart beat Manual 3-to-2 and advanced to next week's final four.  

They face Greenwood at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Toyota Stadium in Georgetown. 

Highlands and Woodford County are the other two teams still in the hunt for the state championship.

Sacred Heart defeated Woodford Co. for the title last year.

The championship game is set for Nov. 5 in Georgetown.

2008 Valkyries Soccer Schedule

 It was a cold and chilly night but that didn't stop Nelson County and John Hardin fans from coming out to the John Hardin soccer dield to watch the Cardinals and Bulldogs play against each other in the 5th Region semifinal. The Bulldogs stayed strong throughout the game and scored three points compared to the Cardinals one point. John Hardin makes its way back to the Region Title Game with this 3-1 win. (October 21, 2008)

 On Tuesday September 23, the John Hardin Bulldogs took on the Meade County Greenwaves on their home field. It was a tough game for both teams. There were some close goals but neither team was able to make it onto the scoreboard until the end of the second game when John Hardin made a goal and put the score as 1-0. With little time to come back, the Meade County Greenwaves were defeated and John Hardin won the game with a one point victory. (September 23, 2008)

 On Saturday, September 27, the Central Hardin Bruins went against Daviess County in a soccer match. The Bruins played hard and scored one goal during the game, but they were no match for Daviess County. Final score: 3-1.

 It was clear as soon as I walked up to the Oldham County Lady Colonels Field that they were a team to beat.

Watch the Story

Although their field was damaged by a water pipe break connected to one of their sprinklers, the game went on without delay.

Most of the game was spent in Shelby County territory, as the Lady Colonels played a very tough offense. Their efforts were matched with a stout defense from the Lady Rockets.

In the second half, the Lady Rockets were exhausted and slipped their defensive grip too many times.
All in all, the Oldham County Lady Colonels obtained a substantial victory over their regional rivals and will progress to the next game with their heads held high. 

Lady Colonels won the game 2-0.

 On Tuesday September 23, 2008 Manual and Mercy met on the soccer field at Manual Stadium. This night was an important night for the seniors on Manual's soccer team...SENIOR NIGHT! Coming out with a 9-0 win over Mercy Academy, this defeat of #2 ranked Manual was a good one. 

 After going down 1-0, Scottsburg got physical in an attempt to get back into the game.  Despite their increased effort, they were overmatched as Christian Academy came away with a 2-0 victory, scoring their second goal on a penalty kick.