Infinity players in the Herald Journal representing their respected high schools

Much better start for MC
By Jason Turner
Published:
Friday, September 11, 2009 2:37 AM CDT

HYRUM — In its previous Region 5 match, the Mountain Crest girls soccer team got off to a horrid start, allowing three goals in the first nine minutes to Bonneville.

Needless to say, the Mustangs were determined to rectify their early-game struggles two days later, and they did just that.

Mountain Crest put relentless pressure on Box Elder in the opening 10 minutes and it paid off with a Randi Kendrick goal at the 4:15 mark, which propelled the Mustangs to a 2-0 victory Thursday at Lynn R. Miller Field.

“It was very important that we started off strong because we felt like we kind of gotten taken advantage of (by Bonneville) because we were flat-footed, but we did really well coming out really strong today, and we knew we had to prove a point that we don’t play like that,” MC wing Mindi Beckstrom said.

In the first 10 minutes alone, the Mustangs (6-1, 3-1 Region 5) peppered Bees goalkeeper Natasha Litchfield with six shots on goal and earned four corner kicks. Litchfield narrowly punched out attempts by Beckstrom and Juliette McCann, but couldn’t stop Kendrick’s powerful shot from the top of the 18.

Kendrick received a pass from Beckstrom and fired a right-footed shot at Litchfield, who got her hands on it but couldn’t stop it from tucking inside the near post.

It was all the offense Mountain Crest would need as the hosts dominated the possession battle the majority of the game. The Mustangs unofficially outshot the Bees (1-5, 0-4) 28-7, but the visitors were able to get behind the MC backline on a few occasions.

The Mustangs recovered in time to break up most of the plays, but keeper Janelle Shorts had to make an aggressive play off her line in the first half, and Box Elder’s Quinnce Johnson missed a wide open look after halftime.

“We’ve got to make sure that our D-line keeps dropping so they don’t get behind us,” said MC center back Shelby Rudd, who made several good plays in the attack. “We need to stay close to them all of the time.”

Defenders Randi Edvalson and Karlee Campbell both took some big hits and were shaken up a bit, but should be OK, MC head coach Dennis Giles said.

“We’re banged up, beat up and thrashed a little, but we’ve just got to step up and play, and I think they will,” Giles said. “I’ve got some young kids who can come in, but they’re inexperienced.”

The Mustangs got an insurance goal in the 55th minute when Beckstrom rebounded a shot by Jessica Hoskin from about six yards out. Mountain Crest took 16 shots after the break, but only put three on frame.

“We’ve got to finish, we’ve just got to finish,” Giles said. “And that just comes with time, we need more time. We may run out of time, but the kids are doing great and they’re getting in there (in dangerous scoring positions), and that’s what I like.”

Mountain Crest could have easily dented the scoreboard a few more times in the second half. For starters, Makelle Eggleston (pictured above) pinged a point-blank pass from Hoskin off the crossbar, and Beckstrom misfired on a penalty kick in the 65th.

Litchfield dove to deny a shot by Cassidee Nelson in the first half. Morgan Olsen set up the attempt by dribbling right through the heart of the Box Elder backline.

“We had three or four point-blank shots that should have went in, but we’ll get it,” said Giles, whose squad notched its third shutout of the season. “Like I’ve said, one day this is all going to come together. One day, but I hope it’s sooner than later.”

Bobcats 4, Tigers 1

After spotting Ogden (4-3-1, 2-2) a 1-0 lead five minutes into the match, Sky View (6-4, 2-2) made the most of its trip to Weber State’s home pitch.

“It was just a speed bump, really, because we did a great job of just controlling this match,” SV head coach Doyle Geddes said. “It was a beautiful field, great venue ... and really, I think it gave us an advantage. ... We were able to spread them out, ping the ball around and when we started figuring out that our best scoring chances would come by putting the ball across the face (of the goal) from the wings, we ended up with some really nice goals out of it.”

Stacy Bair played a big part in three of Sky View’s goals, converting on a penalty kick in the 24th, and then delivering a pair of textbook crosses from the wing, which were headed in by Krista Whittle and Jessica Clements, in the second half.

“I know she was frustrated (in the last couple of matches), and so it was really good to she the ball go through her a bit more,” Geddes said of Bair. “And I think she helped the process by being very unselfish, and so the balls that she gave up came right back to her.”

Jessica Brooksby scored the Bobcats’ other goal on a great through ball from Robin Hansen in the 18th, said Geddes, who also singled out the play of reserves Shakiah Saltern and Jaden (J.D.) Larsen.

Infinity players in the Herald Journal representing their respected high schools

Kendrick powers MC
By Jason Turner
Published:
Wednesday, September 2, 2009 3:16 AM CDT

Logan's Hillary Dodd, right, heads the ball as Mountain Crest's Randi Kendrick (10) defends during their match Tuesday night in Logan. (Eli Lucero/Herald Journal) Click here to view more photos from the match.

As fast as Jessica Hoskin is, it’s really easy for opponents of the Mountain Crest girls soccer team to focus on containing the senior forward.

That’s when players like Randi Kendrick have been able to rise to the occasion so far this season.

Kendrick scored two goals in the final 10 minutes of the match, propelling Mountain Crest to a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Logan in the Region 5 opener for both teams Tuesday night at Crimson Field.

“We’ve been working on that for quite some time ... because we know they’re keying on Jess because she’s fast, and they were watching her and they were doubling her,” MC head coach Dennis Giles said. “And here Randi steps up the way she did, and that’s what we need. And we’ve got a lot of kids capable of doing it, there’s a lot of them out there.”

The Mustangs have indeed proven they have a lot of players who can be dangerous in the attack, and that’s a big reason why they are now 4-0 on the campaign. Seven different players have already scored for Mountain Crest.

“Every single person on our team wanted to win,” Kendrick said. “This is a big game for us and our first region game, so we just came together as a team and everybody said they were going to work their butt off and just do their part.”

As for the Grizzlies (2-4, 0-1 region), it wasn’t the ending they were hoping for, but they improved substantially after setbacks to Morgan and Springville last week.

“I think we did a lot better,” LHS goalkeeper Taylor Anderson said. “In our practices lately, we’ve been focusing more on making it harder for each other and pressuring each other more, and I think our unity is getting better.”

Anderson was certainly a big reason why it was anyone’s match when the 70th minute rolled around. The senior was outstanding, coming off her line on a handful of occasions, with no regard for her body, to thwart dangerous Mustang attacks.

“That’s what we’ve been talking about is ... owning the goal, and no matter who’s shooting at you, you are telling yourself you are going to deny them that goal,” LHS head coach Mitch Peterson said. “It could be your teammate in practice, it doesn’t matter who it is. I mean, you have to take ownership of (the goal), and Taylor did that tonight.”

Unfortunately for Anderson and the Grizzlies, Kendrick was also up to the challenge. Logan spent the majority of the final 25 minutes or so chasing Mountain Crest, and Peterson felt his players got a little winded.

As a result, Kendrick was able to get behind the Logan back line on a through ball at the 71:35 mark. Kendrick’s initial shot was stopped by Anderson, but No. 10 stuck with the play and scored.

With less than two minutes to go in the game, Kendrick settled a pass from Hoskin and buried an absolutely perfect shot into the upper 90 of the far post.

“Logan, they were much better than I thought they were going to be,” Giles said. “... They’ve got some great players out there. I’m impressed with them, and they’ll be coming at us again, I’m sure. They put it together and they did well, but we finally came through and got our timing down and got them in the goal.”

Mountain Crest’s first goal was equally as impressive as the last. Kendrick tracked down a corner ball on the right side of the pitch, laid it back to Hoskin, who immediately crossed it to Mindi Beckstrom. Beckstrom then one-timed a volley just inside the far post.

The Mustangs were controlling the possession battle until the 21st. That’s when Maddie Daines headed a ball to Tonya Anderson behind the MC backline, and Anderson fired a shot past keeper Kjersty Cook from 12 yards out.

Logan then proceeded to win the possession battle for the rest of the opening half.

“I think all it did was give us the little confidence that we needed, and the realization to slow down and get back into our game,” Peterson said. “... Right then, we realized, ‘Oh, OK, we are in this thing.’”

Like her counterpart, Cook was solid in goal. The junior made four saves, including two in which she had to dive to deny well-driven shots by Sam Emmett.

Logan welcomed back senior Jordan Hartman, who had missed the first five matches recovering from surgery on her left arm.

Lakers 3, Bobcats 1

Take away the first 20 minutes and visiting Sky View outplayed the defending 4A state champions, SV head coach Doyle Geddes said. However, a trio of goals by all-staters Ally Shaw and Jaiden Thornock in that timespan proved to be too much to overcome.

Shaw and Thornock have now scored 14 of Bonneville’s (4-1, 1-0) 17 goals this season.

“We just had a lousy 20 minutes,” Geddes said. “Once we settled in, the game looked really nice, but that first 20 was absolutely ugly ... and you can’t do that against a team like Bonneville.”

The Bobcats (4-3, 0-1) trimmed the deficit to 3-1 in the 22nd when Robin Hansen scored on a pass from Megan Payne. Unfortunately for Sky View, it had a handful of near misses that would have changed the tide of the match.

For example, Stacy Bair and Shaylee Saxton both took shots that found the woodwork, while Haley Voeller narrowly misfired on a shot from about six yards away.

“We got one (goal) back,” Geddes said. “We could have gotten eight or nine back, but they have a solid keeper. It could have been a 5-3 or 6-3 game for us after our wake-up call.”

Infinity players in the Herald Journal representing their respected high schools

MUSTANGS 6, BEARS 0

Thursday at Hyrum

Bear River 0 0 — 0

Mtn. Crest 3 3 — 6

First Half

MC — Morgan Eggleston (Mindi Beckstrom), 19:95

MC — Jessica Hoskin (Juliette McCann), 24:35

MC — Hoskin (Cassidee Nelson, Makelle Eggleston), 38:47

Second Half

MC — Nelson (Randi Kendrick), 56:05

MC — Karlee Campbell, 66:20

MC — McCann (Hoskin), 69:10

BOBCATS 3, MINERS 0

Thursday at Smithfield

Park City 0 0 — 0

Sky View 0 3 — 3

Second Half

SV — Stacy Bair (Jessica Brooksby), 42:00.

SV — Bair (Meagan Payne), 77:00.

SV — Brooksby (Haley Voeller), 79:00.

Infinity players in the Herald Journal representing their respected high schools

Logan 1, Morgan 2

"The Grizzlies initially scored the equalizer late in the first half on a well-driven Maddie Daines (pictured to the left in yellow) free kick from 19 yards out, which tucked inside the near post. Nicky Bennett was ruled to be fouled just outside the box — the Logan faithful was hoping for a penalty kick — setting the stage for Daines."

“We had some great, great play from Sam Emmett, Ali Noorda came in off the bench and played very solid for us the second half.

Mustangs 5, Jayhawks 2

The Mustangs (2-0) struck quickly against the host Jayhawks (3-2), scoring in the 6th on a 25-yard free kick by Mindi Beckstrom, and the 9th on a point-blank shot by Juliette McCann. Jessica Hoskin assisted on the play.

Kasandra Anderson gave MC a 3-0 halftime lead when she buried a 30-yard shot off of a pass from Cassidee Nelson.

However, goals by Morgan Eggleston — assisted by Randi Kendrick — and McCann made sure Mountain Crest was never seriously threatened.

Giles raved about McCann’s second goal. Morgan Olsen dribbled to the end line and crossed it to McCann, who used the back of her foot to beat the St. Joseph’s keeper from inside the 6.

Read entire article here: http://hjnews.townnews.com/articles/2009/08/26/sports/sports01-08-26-09.txt

Infinity players in the Herald Journal representing their respected high schools

Brooksby propels Bobcats
By Wade Denniston
Published:
Thursday, August 20, 2009 2:40 AM CDT
Sky View’s girls soccer team didn’t let the loss to powerhouse Alta keep it down very long.

The Bobcats bounced back less than 24 hours later.

Freshman Jessica Brooksby scored the first two goals of her career, as well as added an assist, to lead the Bobcats to a 3-1 road victory over the Orem Tigers on Wednesday afternoon.

“It was a really solid game for us, a consistent effort and it was really good for us to not have a letdown, especially after playing a real tough one with Alta at (Real Salt Lake’s) Rio Tinto (Stadium),” said Sky View head coach Doyle Geddes, whose team fell to the Hawks 2-1 on Tuesday night.

“... It was a good bounce back for us.”

Brooksby gave Sky View (2-2-0) a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute when she scored her first goal of the match. Sophomore Stacy Bair had the assist.

That duo hooked up again 10 minutes later when Bair, who was on the receiving end of a Brooksby pass, found the back of the net for a 2-0 lead.

“(Brooksby) returned the favor,” Geddes said. “... There’s a nice, kind of invisible thread between the two of those players.”

Brooksby, on an assist from Mia Felts, made it 3-0 in the 62nd when she scored her second goal of the match.

The Tigers (3-1-0) avoided the shutout courtesy of a Megan Sackett goal in the 75th.

For Orem, this was its second match in as many days. The Tigers are also in action today against Lehi in their region opener.

“I think what Orem did is they kind of looked past us because they open their region (today),” Geddes said. “I was surprised they even played us.”

Guided Discovery

By Sam Snow, US Youth Soccer Technical Director

The traditional way sports have been taught is with the coach at the center of attention. The coach told the players what to do {command style} and expected them to produce. With the command style, the coach explains a skill, demonstrates the skill and allows the players to practice the skill. In contrast to 'reproduction' of knowledge in the coach-centered approach, the guided discovery approach emphasizes the "production" of new talents. The approach invites the player to think, to go beyond the given information and then discover the correct skills. The essence of this style is a coach-player connection in which your sequence of information and questions causes responses by the player. The combination of information and question by you elicits a correct response, which is discovered by the player. The effect of this process leads the player to discover the sought tactic or technique. Guided discovery simply means that you raise questions and provide options or choices for the players, guiding the players to answer the questions for themselves because they become curious about the answers. The novice player in a command style setting thinks too much about what they are trying to do, a form of paralysis by analysis. Instead if you guide the players in a player-centered training environment then they gradually become capable of holistic thinking in their soccer performance.

Holistic thought is opposed to the analytical type of thinking. Analysis means to divide the whole into parts which can be studied more closely. Holistic thinking considers the thing as a whole. Soccer performances {training sessions and especially matches} are better suited to holistic than analytical treatment because they involve an integrated set of movements which must all happen at the same time. There simply is not enough time during a match to perform each of the movements separately and then string them together. Holistic thinking has been linked anatomically to functions carried out in the right hemisphere of the brain. The brain has both a right and left hemisphere connected by a bundle of nerves called the corpus collosum. The right hemisphere coordinates movements and sensations associated with the left side of the body and the left hemisphere does the same for the right side of the body. In addition, the left hemisphere is known to control analytical thinking, which includes verbal expression, reading, writing and mathematical computation. The functions associated with the right side of the brain are nonintellectual ones or those having to do with sensory interpretation, coordination of movement, intuitive or creative thinking and holistic perception of complex patterns. This hemisphere can grasp a number of patterns simultaneously.[i]

Sports tradition has emphasized left-side brain functions to the exclusion of the other. We acquire pieces of knowledge one at a time. In soccer, the traditional coach teaches separate points of technique, ignoring the 'flow' needed in actual performance. Some coaches use the holistic approach. In soccer we draw upon right-hand brain capabilities of holistic perception, rhythm, spatial relationships, and simultaneous processing of many inputs. Left brain functions are largely uninvolved. Novice players often go wrong in trying to control their movements with a constant, specific internal awareness. They engage the left-brain functions of analysis and sequence to interfere with holistic coordination of physical movement, which is a right-brain function. Obscuring a player's awareness with too many instructions {over-coaching} will make him or her so preoccupied that he or she can't 'chew gum and run at the same time!' It's called 'paralysis through analysis'.

It is often argued that effective coaching is as much an art as it is a science. Guided discovery in coaching soccer is a balance of the two. In a broad sense our coaching style of the American soccer player must move away from the 'sage on the stage' to the 'guide on the side'.

""I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.""
Confucius

CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON THIS

July Coaches Meeting Agenda & Powerpoint Presentation

To view agenda click the following link: http://docs.google.com/View?id=ddp5t87f_116cp6kfqcb

To view the power point click the following link: http://www.infinitysc.com/page/Powerpoint--july-28th-2009.aspx

When viewing the power point please click each image as many of them have videos linked to them.

Infinity SC fares well in Utah's State Cup

By Jason Turner
Published:
Sunday, May 24, 2009 2:33 AM CDT
It wasn’t the ending they were hoping for, but a pair of youth girls soccer teams from Cache Valley took a significant step forward in challenging the best clubs in the state.

Locally-based Infinity Soccer Club had two teams advance to the championship round of a prestigious state tournament. The two-week 2009 Spring State Cup concluded Saturday in Orem, and it’s the first time a local club — girls or boys — has ever played for a State Cup title.

“It’s kind of a neat thing because we kind of made history here in Cache Valley,” said Sherri Dever, Infinity’s director of coaching. “... It’s a great accomplishment.”

Unfortunately for Infinity’s U11 and U12 squads, they struggled a bit against a pair of teams from the renowned Utah Avalanche club in the finals.

The U11 Infinity SC 98 Premier team was defeated by Avalanche 98 Premier, 6-1, while Infinity SC 97 fell to Avalanche 97 Premier Black, 3-0.

However, both teams made plenty of noise at the tournament before bowing out. For starters, both squads were dominant during pool play. The U11 squad outscored the opposition 18-3 over the course of three matches, while their U12 counterparts didn’t allow a goal in three pool games and found the back of the net an eye-popping 19 times.

“The girls worked very, very hard,” said Robson Chaves, who coaches both teams. “They pushed it to the limit, their parents too, and look at the results. It’s very exciting.”

In the quarterfinal round, the U11 squad beat Hobble Creek Storm 98, 5-3, and then edged Sparta 98 Premier, 2-1, for the right to play for all the marbles. There were 14 teams in the U11 bracket.

It should be no surprise the 11-year-olds made it to the finals, considering they won the regular-season title with a record of 8-2 and had two of the top three goal scorers in the league.

Demi Lopez and Takesha Saltern netted a combined 31 goals during the regular season, with Lopez leading the way with 17. Other team leaders for Infinity SC 98 Premier are goalkeeper Samantha Loosli, defenders Brianna Sims and Berkley Hellstern and midfielder Hannah Anhder.

Evidently, the U11 team also displayed good sportsmanship at the Spring State Cup as none of the players were issued yellow or red cards.

As for the U12 squad, it rolled over Avalanche 97 Premier White, 5-2, in the quarterfinals before pulling out a 3-2 overtime victory over LaRoca Premier — one of the state’s most respected clubs — in the round of four.

Unfortunately for Infinity SC 97 Premier, it couldn’t replicate its strong play in the finals against the Avalanche team — a squad the local girls beat at home 4-3 during the regular season. In fact, this Infinity squad is 4-2-1 against Avalanche Black over the past two years, Chaves said.

When talking about the U12 team, Chaves gushed about the play of offensive leaders Erin Richenbach, Alexis Sims, Annalee Davidson and Hayley Oldham, midfielder Madison Siddoway and backline stalwart Katelyn Whipple. Sims also logs in some minutes in the back, while Viridiana Gomez and Rebecca Jenson shared the GK duties.

The U12 squad went 6-2-2 during the regular season and competed against 15 other teams at the Spring State Cup.

And while a chance at capturing that elusive State Cup championship will have to wait a little while longer, the possibility certainly became that much more realistic.

“The teams from smaller places can beat the teams from big places with proper training and proper technique,” Chaves said. “... I think we showed that this season ... and it’s a big thing for Cache Valley.”

For more information about the tournament, go to www.uysa.org and click on the Tournaments State Cup link.

Winning is Great, but it’s Not the Goal!

By Pam Richmond Champagne, MCC, The Sports Parenting Coach

Recently the parent of an aspiring athlete told me it seemed “almost un-American” to say winning is not the goal. In fact, many would say we compete in a “win-at-all-costs” environment. Is this helping or hurting our kids’ performances and lives? Naturally we all prefer to win, but this is a critical distinction: winning is a byproduct or a consequence, not a goal.

Paradoxically you increase your odds of winning when you place 100% attention, not on
winning, but on the process – the learning and development, the continual movement toward mastery. During competition this means having a moment-to-moment, concentrated focus on executing skills and maintaining a positive attitude.

John Naber, a four-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming, exemplifies this vital concept. He shares, “My goal was never to win a race. My goal was to be the best I could be that day.”Disturbing news stories and studies show a focus on winning can produce un-sportsmanlike behavior, outright dishonesty, and unethical use of dangerous drugs.

Focusing on the outcome also decreases performance. It leads the performer away from the power of the present moment and creates performance-lowering tension by putting attention on something not under a player’s direct control.

I vividly recall one of my tennis matches that is a perfect illustration. In a close three-set final, I was just one game away from winning my match when all of my attention went to the outcome – winning the tournament. My strokes fell apart, I made a series of dumb errors, and the championship title slipped away.

As a parent you can help your child stay focused on the process. How? Be interested in
what she’s learning about herself and what skills she’s developing. Find out what he enjoys about his sport. Most importantly, model this process orientation for your child. You certainly don’t have direct control over how well your athlete performs, but you do have control over how calm you are during and after your child’s performance, what you say, and how encouraging you are. Next time you find yourself getting frustrated or annoyed at your child’s performance, ask yourself, what am I trying to control that I don’t have control over? Then zero in on what you do control. And remind yourself the winning focus is on the learning and the fun!

Pam’s Point: There’s a huge gap between loving to win and having to win, between
competing to do our best and competing to be “the best."

Infinity SC '92 Premier Girls Vs. Impact Black