Pirates all Set to Battle the CNU Captains

A non-conference weekend has the Pirates battling the Christopher Newport University (VA) Captains at 5:00 PM tomorrow at home. CNU is in town to get a taste of the top Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) soccer as they also will head to Trinity University for a match on Sunday at 11 AM in San Antonio.

The Pirates had an break from rigors of the season as they had Monday and Tuesday off to catch up on classes and academics. After a great opening SCAC weekend with two victories versus Hendrix and Rhodes, the Pirates got some rest for two days and then had a very hard training session on Wednesday afternoon, where fitness was the theme. A combination of endurance and exhausting sprints saw the grass flying and the ground sounding like a stampede of cattle.

This evening the Pirates were relaxed and in good spirits as the squad played 11 vs. 11 on the game field and sorted out some set piece attacking plays.

Even though it is an off weekend for SCAC play, the atmosphere will be more like a conference game. CNU is a solid squad, with wins over strong teams such as the College of New Jersey and a regionally ranked Roanoke side. They took a 4-1 defeat to nationally ranked #3 York (PA) but the Captains are ranked #7 in the NSCAA South Regional poll. CNU is 6-2-1 on the year and will be a tough test for the Pirates.

Pirates Open SCAC Play with a Bang

The Pirates returned home from Conway and Memphis with 2 victories and 6 points and atop of the SCAC standings after the first weekend of conference matches with a 1-0 win vs. Hendrix and an 8-2 pounding vs. #7 NSCAA regionally ranked Rhodes College.

On Friday evening, in the SCAC opener for Southwestern, the Pirates faced a new Hendrix team that saw 9 of the 11 starters for the Warriors being freshmen under new head coach, Doug Mello. The Pirates once again dominated play but struggled to find the net.

Preston Hollis (Austin, TX) was a threat all night as the senior forward ran around the defenders for the entire match. Hollis recorded three shots and had his best chance of the evening when he got loose to beat a defender about 20 yards out and then got inside the six where he tried a toe poke that was just deflected by the Hendrix keeper to preserve the tie. For the second match in a row Alex Keller (Houston, TX) was involved in the game winning goal. This time at the 78:52 the Pirates won another throw in in the attacking third. Keller stepped up to launch a throw inside the six just inside the post, where the Hendrix goalkeeper decided to try and catch it at the peak of his jump. The ball hit his hands and slipped through which ended up going across the line and in the back of the net to be the game winner. The Pirates out shot the Warriors 10-6 and had the advantage 10-4 in corners. Senior Ryan Tasin recorded his second shutout (being credited with 2 saves) of the season in the 1-0 victory. (Picture below: the Pirates enjoying the win after the match)


Saturday the Pirates chartered into Memphis and had a chance to check out the Lynx facilities. As Sunday rolled in, the Pirates were looking to improve upon Friday night and finish their chances right away. The Pirates were up to the challenge and made the Lynx want to hit the showers early.

Just 11 minutes into the match JR Nathan Shaw-Meadow (San Antonio, TX) played a ball over the top of the back four to an on running David Lozano (Austin, TX). Senior Lozano rounded the keeper and slotted the ball into the net for the first goal of the match. Fourteen minutes later Lozano scored his second goal of the match, Alex Keller pushed a ball through for where Davi hit a breakaway finish past a diving keeper to the far post.

Then Rhodes answered with a goal just under two minutes later from a defensive miscue but Senior Preston Hollis decided to take matters into his own hands after he received a big diagonal ball from Shaw-Meadow who was credited with his second assist of the match. A minute later after their goal, Hollis took one touch and shot it past the goalkeeper for a 3-1 lead and also recorded his first game winning goal of the season.

The Pirates then scored another 4 goals to end the half at 7-1. Nathan Shaw-Meadow got into the goal column as Alex Keller served a ball across the box where senior Josh Spencer (Huntsville, TX) was able to track it down, he layed it off to Shaw-Meadow. Nathan, on top of the 18, chopped the ball once to his left and then again onto his right foot where he slapped a ball on frame in the upper right corner to make it 4-1. At the 34th minute, sophomore Tim Hord (Kingwood, TX) then took another diagonal ball behind the back four from Shaw-Meadow (his third assist of the match) where he took a touch to spin the defender and took a left footed shot that got deflected off the keeper but the save was not good enough to stop as it found its way to the net.

The scoring did not end there, in the last 11 minutes of the half the Pirates added two more goals. Sophomore Tom Holleman (Houston, TX) rifled a ball in the box that had a small deflection which popped the ball in the air. Josh Spencer out jumped the keeper to head hit home for a 6-1 lead. To finish off the scoring in the first half, the Pirates earned a throw in, where first year Ryan Staten (Round Rock, TX) was able to control it and move past a defender where he passed the ball to first year Althorp Arandela (Corpus Christi, TX) along the top of the box. Arandela turned to find Shaw-Meadow towards the left side of the box and ripped a left foot shot to the near post for a 7-1 lead after 45 minutes of play.

In the second half, the Pirates ended the scoring for the eighth goal at the 51st minute, as Josh Spencer found Preston Hollis on a through ball where Hollis was able to run at the keeper on a breakaway. As the keeper came out Hollis played a nifty chip that sailed over the goalkeeper just hitting off the crossbar. David Lozano followed up the ball as he was unmarked and able to head the ball in on the goal line for an 8-1 lead. The Pirates gave up an own goal that still gave them an 8-2 SCAC victory and another win in SCAC play.

David Lozano ended up with a hat trick and that gave him his fourth goal of the season, as well as Nathan Shaw-Meadow having a career day with 2 goals and three assists for 7 points. Hollis added a goal and an assist, as well as Alex Keller chipping in 2 helpers along with his game winning goal vs. Hendrix for the weekend.

It was the first time that Southwestern has defeated Rhodes College on their field in Memphis. Congratulation to the seniors and the team for this accomplishment.

The Pirates now sit tied for first place atop the SCAC at 2-0 with 6 points and with a 3-5 overall record.

Your Pirates will again be action at home Friday, September 26 for a non-conference opponent in Christopher Newport (VA) at 5:00 PM.

Check out the Pirates press release at http://southwesternpirates.cstv.com/sports/m-soccer/spec-rel/092308aab.html

Pirates Reserves Down the Saints

Yesterday, the Pirates Reserves downed the Our Lady of the Lake (NAIA) reserves 2-1.

The Saints jumped out to an early lead but the Pirates fought back to tie it up at 1-1 going into half. Senior Juan Carreon scored on a thunderous volley from outside the box. Just off to the right side of the 18 yard box, Carreon turned to his left as the ball was bouncing in the air, Carreon then aired it out on the full volley making solid contact which had the ball fly over the jumping goalkeeper and just dip under the bar for the goal.

The second half the Pirates displayed some good movement of the ball and FY Brad Lawrence (Temple, TX) found fellow FY Stephen Adams (Houston, TX) for the game winner. As Stephen Adams made a slashing run from the right edge of the box to the middle, Lawrence found his feet and Adams was able to smash a shot to the upper corner for the game winner.

The Reserves continue to show improvement as a whole and with individuals starting to elevate their play as they get acquainted with the pace and strength of the collegiate game. FY Morgan Knobel had an outstanding performance up front for the Pirates in his ability to check into space, hold the ball, as well as looking to combine with teammates in the attack. Putting in another solid performance in the back line was FY Kyle Crockett (North Richland Hills, TX). Crockett displayed great decision making and was able to clean up anything that looked dangerous in the back to fend off attacks by the Saints.

The Pirates Reserves will again be in action next Tuesday, September 30, as they head up Interstate-35 to take on the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor at 4:00 PM in Belton.

SCAC Play to Get Underway

Pirates conclude a short week of training and will be heading out today to Conway, Arkansas for the first leg of opening weekend of SCAC play.

After splitting matches in St. Louis, the Pirates went back to the training grounds on Monday to improve upon their attacking and solidify their shape in the defensive third.

Last night the Pirates played a fun and high spirit 2 vs. 2 Bombaso competition (pictured above) and finished with 11 vs. 11 play.

Series Notes:

The Pirates will take on the Warriors of Hendrix on Friday, September 19 at 6:00 PM. Last season the Pirates handed the Warriors a 6-0 loss at Southwestern, which also was Coach Gregory's 100th collegiate victory (all victories at SU). The current Pirates of David Lozano, Preston Hollis, Alex Keller and Josh Spencer all chipped in to score goals, while Hollis also added an assist on the day.

The past two seasons the Lynx have played spoiler in the Pirates plans to take the SCAC. Two scoreless draws on Southwestern's field have been hard to handle due to the Pirates dominating in all aspects of the game. Last season, the Pirates outshot the Lynx 12-8 and had the advantage in corners 5-4. Two seasons ago the Pirates outshot them 26-5 and took the corners 9-2. The Pirates will face off with the Lynx in Memphis at 12:00 PM on Sunday, September 21.

Secret Revealed as Pirates Get First Win of 2008

As Hurricane Ike was making landfall, the Pirates headed north to St. Louis to take part in the Washington/Fontbonne University Classic in a four team tournament that included Denison University from Granville, OH.

The Pirates flew to St. Louis on Thursday afternoon where they arrived at the Sheraton in Clayton, MO to catch some rest after a day of travel. Early the next morning, the Pirates had a quick run through on Washington University's field to get a feel for the turf and had a chance to relax as they toured Wash. U.'s campus and ate lunch.


That evening the Pirates took on a tough opponent that reached the NCAA Tournament Elite 8 the previous season. Again in the new system of play, the Pirates looked dangerous early and often but n a defensive miscue the Bears scored on a header which had the Pirates going into the half at a one goal deficit. Early in the second half the Pirates again were pouring it on through systematic possession of moving up the field, yet could just not generate anything on net. Again, two more lapses defensively and the Pirates were down 3-0. The score stayed the same throughout the remainder of the match. The 3-0 scoreline was not evident of how the Pirates played but again answered some questions on the field of how we need to come together and put both parts of the puzzle together.

On Saturday, the Pirates took in some sight seeing as the headed down town to check out downtown and the 'Arch'. Even thought he mood was fun , you could tell that there was some business to take care of as they were focused in looking for redemption and the first win of the season.

Feeling good and knowing that the team is coming together the Pirates again were extremely successful in going on the offensive. Seniors Preston Hollis and David Lozano were lethal at running at the defenders and looking like their old form, along with senior Josh Spencer and sophomores Tim Hord and Alex Keller. The Pirates were able to keep the ball the majority of the match and fend off all counterattacks the Griifins launched. Even though the Pirates struggled to find the net. In the first half, Alex Keller had a shot deflected that bounced right in front of Josh Spencer who tried to hammer it home yet smashed into the crossbar to keep it scoreless. Having many chances throughout the match, it stayed a 0-0 stalemate. Another great chance came with 10 seconds remaining in the second half. Alex Keller revealed his secret weapon of a long throw in and as it entered the box it got bunked around where the keeper was able to just get a hand on Preston Hollis' touch to just run out the clock to forge overtime.

In overtime, it was evident that the Pirates were not going to let up. With less than five minutes in the first session of OT, the Pirates won another throw in the attacking third where Alex Keller launched a throw in the box that was about two yards inside the near post. Fontbonne's goalkeeper rushed onto and misjudged the ball, the ball slipped through his outstretched hands to an on-rushing David Lozano who tapped it in for the win. This was Lozano's first goal of the 2008 season.

The Pirates are now 1-5 on the season but the chemistry is continually building and the spirits are high. The Pirates will have a quick week of training before they head into the first contests of SCAC play against Hendirx College and Rhodes College on September 19 and 21.

Pirates Reserves show well vs. the Lonestar 91 Academy team

Last evening, Southwestern University welcomed the elite of Austin soccer to Georgetown, where the Pirates hosted the Lonestar 91 Academy team. In a tight match, the Lonestars knicked a late goal to hold on to a 3-1 win.

The Pirates competed with the best youth team in Austin, TX. The Lonestar 91 Academy has been training together since June and under the tutelage of Bruce Talbot has formed into a very solid squad with some players already committing to NCAA Division I soccer programs.

The pace of the match was very fast and throughout the night the Pirates showed moments of cohesive play. FY's Austin Britt (Massena, NY) and Kyle Crockett (North Richland Hills, TX) were pillars in the central defense and Althorp Arandela (Corpus Christi, TX) and Brad Lawrence (Temple, TX) secured the middle of the park. While they led the way, FY midfielder Tyson Collins (Robinson, TX) had his best performance as a Pirate, playing very inspired on the right flank. Splitting time in the nets were FY goalkeepers Matt Elliott (Temple, TX) and Nick Pierce (Houston, TX).

The Pirates lone goal came when FY forward Morgan Knobel (College Station, TX) dashed through on a diagonal run where he received it and got the ball towards goal and with help from SR Juan Carreon (Houston, TX) continuing the ball on net FY defender Colin Smith (Houston, TX) was able to clean up the situation and stick it in the back of the net.

The match provided a great opportunity for more experience and added opportunity to creating team chemistry on the field and for Pirates fans to experience good soccer on a beautiful evening.

The Pirates Reserves are again in action next Monday, September 22, where another competitive side will be in town. The Reserves will play Our Lady of the Lake, an NAIA athletic scholarship institution from San Antonio, TX. Match time is set for 4:00 PM.

Pirates Head to the 'Gateway to the West'

After a solid week of training, the Pirates will travel to St. Louis, MO to compete in the Washington University/Fontbonne Classic to be held on Washington University's campus at Francis Field.

Another week of training sessions continues to bring cohesiveness to a mix of veterans and rookies on the 2008 Pirate squad. Many first years are impacting the side by starting or seeing a lot of action as the Pirates are forming a dangerous attacking style of play.

A switch in formation and system proved to be a lethal experiment in the Hardin-Simmons match. Although the Pirates lost a hard fought battle in overtime to the Cowboys, the energy was evident that the Pirates can be very dangerous in attack and opponents will have a tough time defending many creative and speedy players. The second half the Pirates just came up short in putting the Cowboys away but were able to dictate the tone and have the majority of possession throughout the half. This weekend will be another great test as the Pirates take on two very seasoned opponents with rich NCAA Championship experience.

On Friday at 8:00 PM, the Pirates will challenge the Bears. Washington University is coming off another Elite 8 NCAA Tournament appearance and have been to the dance 18 times. Last season, the Pirates showed well in which the score did not. The Pirates lost 3-0 to #11 Wash U. down at Trinity in a early match up on September 14, 2007. The Bears out shot the Pirates 24-10 and gave up three goals in the second half. The corners edge was much closer where SU had the advantage 6-5.

The next day, the Pirates will have another good opponent in matching up with the Griffins of Fontbonne University. This will be a first in Pirate Soccer history since there has been no previous meetings. The Griffins are another seasoned NCAA Tournament team in which they have made 5 trips to the show, with the most previous one coming in 2006.

Schedule:

Friday, September 12 @ Washington University @ 8:00 PM
Saturday, September 13 @ Fontbonne University @ 8:00 PM

Reserve Match Scheduled

The Lonestar SC Academy team will be in town on Monday, September 15 to take on the Southwestern Reserves. Kickoff is slated for 6:00 PM.

The Lonestar SC Academy is part of the of the U.S. Soccer’s Development Academy, which U.S. Soccer will kick off its second year this weekend with the continued mission of providing players with a superior environment to improve their development and achieve their potential as elite soccer players.

This will be a great opportunity to play host to a U.S. Development team and allow our Pirates to compete against the elite youth soccer players in the country.

Pirates Reserves Win 2-1

The Reserves beat the 91 Lonestars SC yesterday with two goals coming from FY Morgan Knobel (College Station, TX) and SR Juan Carreon (Houston, TX). Not having much time together as a unit on the field, the reserves started slow but found their rhythm throughout the match.

Morgan Knobel scored on a breakaway chip beating the keeper in the first half off an assist from FY Misha Paltiyevich (San Antonio, TX). The second half saw a much different side and a much different story as the Pirates gained momentum and Juan Carreon slotted a ball past a diving keeper into the far post side netting that made the difference and proved to be the game winner. FY defender Kyle Crockett (North Richland Hills, TX) had a solid game in the back for the Pirates as he led the way along with FY GK Nick Pierce (Houston, TX) to help fend off a late flurry by the Lonestars who were pressing for the equalizer.

The Pirates reserves might again be in action next Monday...the details are still being figured out but as of now the next scheduled reserve match will be September 22 at home vs. Our Lady of the Lake an NAIA institution from San Antonio, TX at 4 PM.

Please check back for updates on the reserve schedule.

The New Pirates Blog

Pirates Soccer is excited about the new blog that will be our avenue to update parents, family, friends, alumni and Pirates Soccer Fans all about the Southwestern University Men's Soccer program. We hope that this will be useful in adding more insight into the program, as well as be entertaining with photos, video and more access to the Pirates that are behind the scenes and rarely seen.

Please join us on a daily basis to get your fix of Pirates Soccer....

GO PIRATES!