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Response regarding running up the score
As past President of the North Central Soccer Association (NCSA),I was disappointed when one of the 8 areas of the NCSA pulled out of our recreation based league. This league, comprised of nearly 2,300 recreation players grades K through 8th, consisted of players from Argos, Bremen, Culver, Fulton County (Rochester), Knox, LaVille, Oregon Davis, & Plymouth, offering a feeder program to many of their high school programs. 3 years ago, Oregon Davis opted to pull out of the NCSA. In referencing Mark Bradford's comments on running up the score, I can only say that OD's non participation in youth soccer has lead to a weakened high school program.( I presume that this is the 21-0 loss to Argos you are pertaining to). Aren't the parents of that community concerned that their youth are not playing recreation soccer prior to entering high school? If they want a stronger high school program, then they need to get youth soccer back into the community. In regards to runnin!
g up the score, every player scored and many were told not to. Before you challenge a coaches integrity about a score, maybe you should speak with them first and research the organization. Otherwise, don't have  A.D.'s schedule varsity games against such strong and established opponents. In my opinion, Mr. Bradford owes the Argos Coaching staff and players an apology for questioning their integrity.
Mark Gordon, Coaching Coordinator, NCSA/
 Argos 8th Grade Boys Soccer Coach
email: [email protected]

Mark bradford replies-
I appreciate your comment. The 21-0 score was not the only score I was referring to. Other talented teams had run up similar scores against less talented teams. And, I have nothing but the highest respect for the Argos soccer program and coaching staff, as I am sure Mr. Van Duyne and Mr. Alcorn know. However, my comment about techniques for holding down the score is still my opinion, good or bad.
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Note from Mike Knesovich--Regional Radio Sports Network

Hi Mark, Great job on the new format for the website! Things are starting to heat up in the 200 soccer season. I sent you the conference and independent standings in Northwest Indiana (as far as we know and I know you know how that is), through the Labor Day weekend. I will also be working on giving you updates on top player performances, etc. right now, it looks like things are wide open in Northwest Indiana. Chesterton and Munster have the rule of the roost on the boys side, while Valparaiso, and Chesterton are off to good starts on the girls side. However, Portage, Valparaiso, Andrean, and Boone Grove are all playing great soccer on the boys side, while Lake Central, Andrean, and Crown Point could mount challenges for the girls.

Ryan McMahon of Munster is on fire in the early going, while Ken Christensen and the Trojans of Chesterton are holding down the fort defensively for Ismail Attallah at Chesterton. Mark Korba of Portage is bidding for his second consecutive player of the year award for Portage. Looks like we get to pack the suitcase this year and you get the comforts of home for the boys semistate. We look forward to keeping in touch. Mike Knezevich
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

From Mike Knesovich to Mark Bradford

Tim, please post this information on our soccer website. Also, Allison, please include these standings in the September Sports Report. If you can not add these standings because of space limitations, then type set all of the standings for the October Sports Report. I will e-mail to you updated standings as the deadline for the October Sports Report arrives. Thanks.
 
 
 

Results through September 4, 2000:

            Boys Soccer Standings
       Duneland Athletic Conference

   TEAM     CONFERENCE     OVERALL

  Chesterton Trojans    2-0-0          5-0-1
  Portage Indians     2-0-0          6-1-0
  Valparaiso Vikings    1-1-0     4-2-0
  Merrillville Pirates    1-1-0     4-2-0
  Hobart Brickies     1-1-0     2-3-0
  Crown Point Bulldogs   0-1-0     0-5-0
  LaPorte Slicers     0-1-0     0-1-1
  Michigan City Wolves   0-2-0     0-4-0
 

        Lake Athletic Conference

  Highland Trojans    3-0-0     4-3-0
  Munster Mustangs    2-0-0     5-0-1
  Lowell Red Devils    2-1-0     4-1-1
  Morton Governors    2-1-0     3-1-0
  Griffith Panthers     2-1-0     3-2-0
  Andrean 59'ers     2-1-0     3-2-0
  Bishop Noll Warriors   1-2-0     2-2-0
  Clark Pioneers     0-3-0     1-3-0
  Gavit Gladiators     0-3-0     0-4-0
  Hammond Wildcats    0-3-0     0-3-0

         Independents

  Boone Grove Wolves         4-0-0
  East Chicago Central Cardinals       3-1-0
  Mishawaka Marian Knights        3-1-0
  South Bend St. Joseph's Indians       3-1-0
  Wheeler Bearcats          4-2-0
  Elkhart Memorial Chargers        3-2-1
  Michigan City Marquette Blazers       1-3-0
  Kankakee Valley Kougars        0-3-0
  Lake Central Indians          0-5-0
 

        Girls Soccer Standings

        Duneland Athletic Conference
  Portage Indians     2-0-0     5-2-0
  Chesterton Trojans    1-0-0     5-0-0
  Hobart Brickies     1-1-0     3-3-0
  Merrillville Pirates    1-1-0     3-1-1
  Valparaiso Vikings    0-1-0     5-1-0
  Crown Point Bulldogs   0-1-0     2-1-0
  LaPorte Slicers     0-1-0     1-2-0
  Michigan City Wolves   0-2-0     1-3-2
 

        Lake Athletic Conference

  Andrean 59'ers     3-0-0     4-5-0
  Highland Trojans    2-0-0     4-2-0
  Clark Pioneers     1-0-0     1-0-0
  Bishop Noll Warriors   2-2-0     2-4-0
  Munster Mustangs    2-1-0     4-4-0
  Griffith Panthers     1-1-0     2-3-0
  Gavit Gladiators     0-1-0     0-1-0
  Morton Governors    0-2-0     1-2-0
  Lowell Red Devils    0-3-0     0-4-1
 

         Girls Independents

  Mishawaka Marian Knights        5-0-0
  Lake Central Indians          3-1-2
  Wheeler Bearcats          2-2-1
  South Bend St. Joseph's Indians       3-3-0
  Boone Grove Wolves         2-4-1
  Kankakee Valley Kougars        1-3-0
  Elkhart Memorial Chargers        1-6-0
  Oregon-Davis Bobcats         0-1-2
  Michigan City Marquette Blazers       0-5-1
  East Chicago Central Cardinals       0-4-0
  Westville Blackhawks         0-2-0
 
 
 
 

From an old friend of the Indiana Soccer community
I appreciate your comments in the article on running up scores.  I rarely had to temper that problem with Memorial and am now on the opposite end of the spectrum.  I am working with a team that returned 3 and my predecessor recruited two (one of which would struggle to make most N. Indiana varsity squads).  I was able to convince a good GK to come to Kansas and he is currently our saving grace.  The remaining nine players on the roster were picked up during registration!  It will be a long year and a struggle again next year I'm sure.  I am now coaching a team that celebrated in having possession in the opponent's half twice the last game.  The comments you made in the article were on the money and I wish I had a reporter like you to cover me out here.  We deployed a "bunker" defense and made no effort to hide the fact that scoring was not in our game plan yet the opponent persisted in running up the score.  Although we have been outscored 10-0 in our first two games we have b!
een extremely fortunate that it isn't 20-0.  My heart always goes out to those in a similar position and hope to reverse those fortunes as soon as possible in my case.  In our day of BCS college football and running up scores to improve our standing we need a watchdog to chastise the coaches or teams that deploy those tactics.  Keep it up Mark!

Rick Nussbaum

email: [email protected]
email_to: [email protected]
 
 
 
 

This is a response to mark bradford's I'm mad as hell article below (received 8/21/00)

u can learn from 10-0 games when u win u learn how to defeat teams that wont let u take 20-30 shots it teaches u how to take the ball to the corners and cross the ball and how to finnish like how to hold back ur power on shots and how to use your left foot or take one timmers better weel those r just some of my suggestions so e-mail me back and tell me what u think

brian from MHS
email: [email protected]
 
 

By MARK BRADFORD
For his own website
 

OK. I’ve had it.

The running up of the scoring in high school soccer has to stop.

This week, I have had to enter scores on my website of 15-0, 14-0 and an amazing 21-0
score (I chose to ignore this score)

Amazing in two ways.

One is, it seems to me practically impossible to score 21 goals against kids of similar ages,
unless something is totally out of whack.

The second way it is amazing is that the winning coaches allow it.

I have coached at the lower levels on both ends of the spectrum. I have had teams beaten
by more than 10 goals and I have had teams capable of running up the scores on other
teams. In the former instance, the only result of the score is some kids on the losing team
losing faith both in themselves and the coaching staff. (other than the burning deisre I felt
to go over and box the winning coaches ears for drilling us so badly, especially the guy
who kept pouring it on after three of my 8-year old girl players left the field in tears).

In the latter instance, where my club was so superior that we had the advantage, I
always(and I repeat always) found a way to hold the score down. There are at least five
easy ways to do it and any coach can figure it out after the seventh goal.

And I am not the only coach to do it. Three years ago, one of the local high school
powerhouses was up 8-0 at halftime on a team which had exactly 11 players, including one
overweight girl who obviously had never seen a soccer ball before. During the second half,
the powerhouse passed the ball at midfield for 38 minutes while the other team chased it.
With two minutes to go, they took shots on goal.

I cannot think of a good reason why anyone would run up a soccer score of 10-0 or more.

The teams that do it are obviously the more experienced teams and the teams that lose that
badly usually suffer from a struggling program where the coach has a tough time getting
11 kids to play, let alone field a presentable team. Imagine, as a 17 year old kid,  going
back to school the next day and having to tell your classmates you got whacked 21-0.

If the coaches are doing it to improve their team’s statistics, then I think I should quit
putting the scores and the scorers on my website. The statistics go from being meaningless
to ludicrous and downright mean in that case.

To the coaches who say they are teaching their kids to be aggressive by continuing to play
to score, I say “Bull....” Nothing is learned after a 10-0 score. Other than making the other
team feel stupid and the winning coach look like a jerk.

I realize I am going to ruffle some feathers by writing this, but I am more concerned about
the game of soccer than I am about any individual team or relationship I have with any
coach
.
The coaches of struggling coaches deserve a break from the coaches of the powerhouses.

Unfortunately, I can’t to anything about it except write this column.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Soccer previews prepared on August 10, 2000
By Mark Bradford

 There will be another gigantic battle for local soccer supremacy this fall as the boys
season kicks off next Monday.
 Returning state champion Penn expects to have a target on its back and won’t
have to go very far to find teams willing to take their best shot. Mishawaka Marian,
ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 9 nationally at the end of last year’s regular season is
primed for their chance at a state championship trophy while Adams comes back loaded
with experience and St. Joe is home to the next area superstar player. And don’t forget
Clay, a team which has traditionally been just a goal or two away from joining the ranks of
the leaders.
 Tony Bauman’s Kingsmen understand that last year is over and with the exit of
bona-fide superstars Mike Erickson (IUPUI), Ryan Marques (Butler) leaves some hard-to-
fill holes. However, the Kingsmen have five returning seniors who played in the final four
in Mike Sullivan, Matt Parrott, Patrick Miller, Steve Wojcicki, and Andrew Trail as a base
on which to build. “We will be ready by sectional time,” Bauman said. “We want to win
every game we can in the regular season, obviously, but we also know that the tournament
is the real goal.”
 Mishawaka Marian is still stinging from last year’s overtime sectional loss to Penn
and the team has the horses to overcome the obstacles this year. Head coach Ben
Householter uses the loss to Penn as a motivator for his team. “You know, we had all the
rankings but we didn’t really win anything,” Householter said. “I think sometimes the
players get tired of me saying that.” Marian lost only three starters from last year. Ian
Spindler will replace goalkeeper Jason Ditsch. Andy Bathrick, a transfer from St. Joe, will
replace Roger Klauer, and there is still a battle to repalce midfielder Joel Dossman. An
impressive array of seniors including Rick Sotebeer, Ryan Brady, ben Brasseur and juniors
Andy Blum and Andrew Sfreddo will need to come through if they are to make the drive
to Indianapolis in October.
 The Adams Eagles bid goodbye to long time head coach Jim Tallman last fall and
new coach Alberto Verteramo has a squad which could jump right in and meet or exceed
last year’s visit to the semistate. “Coach Tallman and I coached together for a long time,”
Verteramo said. “I highly doubt I will change much but I do expect to make changes when
I see something we aren’t doing well. Our key will be to play solidly at
defense.”Goalkeeper Paul Phair and defender Dan Wolfson will anchor the defense while
Rhett Zych, Jordan Price, and Richard Treijo will add scorking punch. “A nice feature
about our team is that we will have interchangable midfielders and forwards, and they all
know how to finish,” Vwerteramo said
 “Awesome” is the word St. Joe coach LeRoy Krempec uses to describe budding
sophomore superstar Brian Murphy. Murphy scored 17 goals in 13 games last year as a
freshman and provides the Indians with a unique combination of speed, footskills and
competitve drive. Building a team around Murphy is the key to the Indian hopes of getting
downstate and Krempec has the players to do it. Krempec will rely on Mark McNeil and
Danny Curry to step up and is hoping that a fierce competition at goalkeeper between
Donnie Hill and Allan Chamblee improves that position. “We have kids who like to play
soccer,” Krempec said. “And that is a key to a great season.”
 George Lund rarely forgets a key play in any soccer match and he believes that this
year’s team can take advantage of some of those breaks to move to the top of the area
scene again. “Last year we were 7-3-1 in our last 11  games and those losses were to
Valparaiso, St. Joe and Penn,” Lund said. “We should be an attractive team to watch this
year because we are talented and we have great chemistry. These kids love to play the
game with each other and are just fun to coach.”  Lund will be couting on Nathan Hyde,
Adam Ponder, Ken Miekls-Adachi, Justin Rupert, John Lehman,and Jon Wasner, to
improve on last fall’s 8-7-3 record.
 The LaSalle Lions welcome new coach Francois Bayangana, a former national
team player with Ruwanda, to its ranks. After departing coach Larry Pozgay led the Lions
into respectability, Bayangana faces the task of getting players onto the field after a
controversial release of Pozgay. Once the players do show up, however, they may be in
for a real treat for rarely does anyone with as much technical ability as a national team
player end up coaching at the public school level. “We hope to get at least 14 players
committed to play, and that includes JV,” Bayangana said.
 Dennis Jay’s Mishawaka Cavemen. lost only three players from last season’s aquad
and have the goal of doubling last year’s win total to eight. “I really think it is a realistic
goal,” Jay said. “We  have better technical skills and are really working hard in practice”
Senior twins Nick and Paul Watkins, along with seniors Gianfranco Wright, Chris
Blaisdell, and David Garman will lead the team although Jay expects big things from
another set of twins, sophomores Travis and Grant Canfield. “Both of them play junior
irish,” Jay said. “They are the real McCoy.”
. New Washington Panther head coach Robert Raker has a full cupboard of
exoerienced players this year coming back from a 6-8-1 1999 campaign. Five juniors, Aldo
Huitzil, Michael Chlebek, Kipp Donlon, Mitch Dudeck, and sweeper Elvis Linares are
poised to take the Panthers to the next level, according to Raker. “We have always had
trouble playing the full 80 minutes,” Raker said. “This year we have enough talent to
actually have some good players come off the bench and we came into practice
well-conditioned.”
 Riley’s Jim Zielasko will welcome all of his defenders back but none of his scorers
from last years team. The return of junior Josh Cottrill at goalkeeper after sitting out last
yer with a torn ACL should help anchor a defense behind sweeper Jeff Gates and stoper
KC Wiseman. Junior Chris Noonan will try to jump start some scoring punch. “I really
don’t like the season starting this early,” Zielasko said. “I still have kids on vacation who I
can’t get to practice so we will be developing our team as the season goes on.”
 

South Bend City Girls Ready for Prime Time
 

It is a well known fact in the sports world that parity of talent prevents dynasties.
 The past few years on the local high school girl’s soccer scene has proved that
adage beyond a doubt. And this year will should be no exception.
 For many years, you could almost automatically pencil in the St. Joseph’s Indian
girls team to make it to the state finals. However, the dramatic growth of  soccer as a
sport of choice among young girls has yielded a competitive level in which virtually
anything can happen in  given game.
 Such will be the atmosphere as the season opens on Monday. Expect coach Johan
Kuitse’s Indians  to still be in the thick of the battle come tournament time in mid-October,
but also expect no less than four local teams to be right there with them.
 Kuitse’s team faces a murderous schedule, including its own tournament early in
the season which will feature eight top-20 squads playing three games apiece. “We will
ahve lots of holes to fill from graduation and also three players who either moved or left
soccer to concentrate on other sports.” Last year’s scoring leader, Lauren Danielson,
moved to Colorado where she promptly made all-state there during the spring soccer
season.
 Perhaps the strongest team on paper in the area will be coach Tim Killilea’s
Marian Knights, who suffered only one defeat last year and that was in the semistate
tournament. Killilea lost only two starters from last year’s 17-1-3  squad and this year’s
senior class could be the strongest in school history. Killilea prefers to downplay his
team’s chances, deferring to the overall quality of play in the area. “To repeat last year’s
semistate appearance would be a real accomplishment, given the quality of play locally,”
Killilea said. The teams two leading scorers, Lindsey Walz and Noel Ware return as do
Gina Simeri, Jennifer Concannon, and Lindsey Wanecke. Defensively, Cecily Brasseur
played sweeper last year as a freshman and logged the most minutes of anyone on the
team.
 The Penn Kingsmen figure to spend some of the early season finding themselves as
they lost 13 players from last year’s sectioanl championship team. Head coach Tom
VanMeter’s squad very well may repeat last year’s slow-start quick-finish performance as
they they face five straight statewide powers to open the season. “I’m just glad the other
coaches think we are good enough to schedule them,” VanMeter said. “Despite our
graduation losses, we really have a strong core of players to build on, including goalkeeper
Sarah Parrott, who has improved dramatically over the summer. The Kingsmen will also
lean heavily on veterans Sheila Bennett, Gretta Nagle, Chelsea Ferrie, and Kristin Boles.
 South Bend Adams will again feature a balance of veteran players and newcomers
and veteran coach Caryn MacKenzie knows that senior leadership is the key to her team’s
hopes. “I have had teams with seniors who showed little leadership and temas with strong
leadership, and it is much better if we can get a group to focus on team team, team,”
MacKenzie said. The Eagles returnsix starters from last year’s team which lost to marian
in the sectional finals.Laura Clifford, Betheny Kueper and Sheila May will be counted on
to lead the club. “May, in particular, has improved so much over the last couple of years,”
MacKenzie said.
 Ron Zielinski’s Clay Colonial team  showed last year it could play with the bigger
teams, defeating St. Joe for the first time in the club’s history. “We climbed the mountain
the last couple of years,” Zielinski said of his 9-5-3 team. “The question is now, can we
stay there?” The influx of six players from a U14 Junior Irish team travel team gives the
Colonials some highly talented freshmen to balance the experience of Jamie Temple,
Rachel Brogle and Rachel Kroll.
 Jim Lavers’ Riley Wildcat squad could also surpise some teams this year. His team
lost five starters from last year when they were one of only three teams to tie undefeated
marian during the regular season. “We always get up for Marian,” he said. “The problem
is to focus the same amount of intensity on every game as we do against Marian. We need
to stay injury free, do more offensivlely than we did last year, and keep our defensive level
where it was last year to move up,” Laver said. He pointed to Kelly Czarnecki, Gretchen
Lemmers, Mo Warter, Missy King, Kate Miller, and Abbey Lahey as key returnees.
 Mishawaka coach Kerry Wilson hopes to improve on his team’s best ever season
(4-4 NIC and 5-10 overall) last year which included a stunning win over Penn. “The key
to us will be fitness and getting an good start,” Wilson said. “Our talent is the best I have
ever seen it and I think we have a chance to give some of the better teams a run for their
money. Last year we had several games where we played the first half well but lost our
legs in the second half. This year  we are working on fitness and running alot. Right now,
I’m not the most popular guy on the practice field.” Key players for Mishawaka include
Hillary Sebastian, Megan Morse, Sarah Eastburn, Stacey Tepe, and Atiai Perkins,
 A change of head coaches may give the LaSalle Lions a new direction. Last year,
the Lions were winless and several games could not fill out an entire field of players, let
alone a JV squad. This year, Mansour Eid hopes to begin a rebuilding program and has set
the goals high for his team. “We want to win more than half of our games this year,” Eid
said. “To have a winning program is a reasonable goal for this team.” LaSalle hopes to
build on the backs of senior Kay Gammage and sophomore Bridget Gorman.
 South Bend Washington coach Dave Ferency
 

Michiana Area Girls Improve again
 
 

The overall qualty of high school girls soccer in the smaller communities should once
again take a resounding step forward this year as the season opens Monday. As the
community club soccer programs improve, the product of youth soccer is now beginning
to filter into the high school programs. While it still may be a few years on the girls side
for them to catch up to the juggernauts in the bigger schools, look for a few upsets this
season as players begin to come into the games with equal skills. The best team in the area
may hail from the little town of Argos, where coach Jon Alcorns team returns nearly
everyone but the team manager from a 15-3 sectional championship team.
 At Goshen, head coach Chris Weaver is looking to replace eight graduating
seniors. “It is really hard to know what to expect this year,” Weaver said. “The good news
is that the club soccer programs are beginning to take effect at the high school level and so
our players are coming in with the skills and experience they didn’t really have before. I
have a aggressive group of players this year, so that is a big plus, also.” The Redskins will
look to seniors Erin Mueller (sweeper) and Monica Larimer (midfield) for leadership while
junior Katie Nafziger also earned comment from Weaver
 Concord coach Rob Miller hopes to get past the semistate berth his team earned
last year but suffered havy graduation losses. The team will consist of 4 freshmen, eight
sophomores and eight upperclassmen. “We will be young but our team has lots of travel
team experience,” Miller said. He is going to move last year’s all-conference goalkeeper
Bethany Miller out into the field and let sophomore Jenna Bargahn tend the nets. “Bethany
gives us much more athleticism in the field,” Miller said. His team will rely on senior Dana
Charlesworth and juniors Elizabeth Clark amd Kara Fromer for leadership.
 At Northwood, coach Jill Demitruk lost seven starters from last year’s 8-6-1 team.
“Numbers are a problem this year for us,” she said. We only have 14 coming out so we
won’t field a JV team. The real problem is we lost alot of speed with our departing
seniors.”  Seniors Tara Collins (forward), Jamie Brock (goalkeeper) and junior sweeper
Tiffany Forte will try to stabilize the Panthers.
 Culver Community coach Greg Combs returns all eleven starters from an 8-6-3
squad and will be concentrating on match fitness early in the season. He lists his key
players as senior forward Ashley McCune, senior fullback Nicki Loehmer, senior
goalkeeper Takesha McClane sophomore forward Stacy Stevens, junior fullback Amber
Looney, and freshman forward Ashley McCune. A quick start will be important because
Culver will play five ganmes, including two at the Mishawaka Invitational during the first
week of school.
 Elkhart Central head coach Eric Jantzen hopes to rebound from his first ever losing
season as head coach of the Blazers. (5-9-2). “We gave up a lot more goals last year (33)
than we ever should to be a winning team. Last year we weren’t very fast but that will
improve this year and we need to be attack minded. Jantzen hopes to get good
performances from seniors Emily Hilliard and Courtney Jolgren, as well as sophomore
Randi Osterloo, one of six sophomores expected to play major roles on the team.
 Argos coach  Alcorn has been like a kid anticipating Christmas Day all year as he
has 15 returning lettermen (who accounted for 65 of the team’s 66 goals last year) for his
15-3 sqaud which won its first ever sectional. Sophmore Alyssa Bailey may just be the
best scorer in all of northern Indiana (21 goals, 8 assists last year) while sophomore Becca
Cripe and junior Danielle Stayton will help at midfield.  Co-captains Kiara Wagoner and
Nicole Avery will be called on to provide leadership. “We would like to step up a level this
year,” Alcorn said. “But we will need contributions from several players to do so.”
 Plymouth Rockie coach Tom Scott will have a senior dominated team which he
hopes will take the next step and win a sectional title. . “At this point, I think it is
psychological,” Scott said. “We have the talent (last year his team as 13-4-1),a dn i hope
this year our seniors are ready to lead us over the top.” Kelsey Beckham, Jenny Van
Vactor, and Laura Smith compromised an all-senior backline while Nicole Cox, megann
larger, and Mindy Poor will help out at midfield and forward.
 
 

This may be the year that the mouse finally roars back.
 The boys soccer scene, long dominated by the bigger schools, may see the
beginning of a shift in power this year as several smaller community schools may be close
to fielding their best teams ever. Gary Weaver’s Goshen Redskins  and Todd Woodwirth’s
Northridge Raiders may challenge the bigger schools this year for tournament supremacy
and expect Tim VanDuyne’s Argos Dragons to be in the thick of things wehn the
tournament begins.
 Elkhart Memorial head coach Vince Ganzburg may be new to the Crimson
Charger program but he certainly isn’t new to the coaches in the area. Ganzburg has been
very active in club soccer as well as coaching several teams in the recent past, including a
stint as Bethel’s women’s coach. Ganzburg knows that if he can start off on a good foot
that his team is tralented enough to again be a major factor in the meat grinder called the
Penn sectional. “We have a nice blend of youth and experience,” he said. “I would love to
establish a very strong program from here on out at Memorial.” Outgoing coach Rick
Nussbaum, who accepted a small college coaching position, left behind a talented crew of
players, including senior Sean Broderick, sophomore goalkeeper Brian DiPiro, Nate
Stemm,  and junior John Slabaugh.
 Elkhart Central second year coach Ryan Leniski hopes to see improvement over
last year’s 7-7-3 record. Transitioning a program from the highly successful Dale Stoltzfus
last year, Leniski said that this year he sees more ownership of the program as his players
begin to settle into his style of play. “I really don’t like to point out any players as being
key players prior to the season,” Leniski said. “Last year we almost beat Marian in the
sectionals and I hope that we can instill that type of intensity and attitude into every
practice and game this fall.
 Northridge lost seven starters off last year’s 13-5-2 sectional championship team
but thanks to a strong club program in Middlebury, there are some ready and able
replacements moving up from the JV ranks to fill the holes. “We lost all four of our
defenders,”coach Todd Woodworth said. “But our JV team only lost one game last year
(to Penn) and if we can get some senior leadership, we will be fine.” Marc Brilliandt, who
set team season and career recods last year with assists and Mike Daly will be counted on
for senior lerdership. Sophomore goalkeeper Kyle Klunder begins his second year in the
nets.
 Goshen coach Gary Weaver is hoping 2000 is a breakthrough season for his
Redskins. After bolting out to a 9-0 record last year, the Redskins ended at 11-4-2 and a
disappointing loss to Bethany Christian in the sectionals. “We have to work on our minds
this year,” Weaver said. “The kids have come into practice in the best shape we have ever
been in and we should be competitive.” His squad will rely on senior Mike Weaver and
junior Saul Mejia, both all-conference last year for leadership as well as Kyle Yoder, Kyle
Green, Junior Medina, and Aaron Apple.
 At, Northwood, Brian Duerkson  looks to replace 6 starting seniors from last
year’s 7-9-1 squad. “We came on strong at the end after having a poor conference
record,” Duerkson said. “This year we have a huge junior class and only three seniors but
I think we will be able to compete for the NLC crown.” Seniors  Ben Myers (stopper) ,
Ulises Martinez (Midfielder) , and Casey Lehman (goalkeeper) will be counted on for
leadership.
 Plymouth coach Chuck Dewitt has a bright future at Plymouth as the Rockies are
in the middle of constructing a million-dollar soccer complex just north of the school.
Perhaps more interesting, however, is the return of sophomore Jacob Aguiar, who wowed
the soccer community as a freshman with his quickness and nose for the ball. “Jacob broke
his foot and will miss some early games,” Dewitt said. “But he has grown 2-3 inches and
that will help him with the physical part of the game.”
 LaVille coach Jay Sauer loses nine players from last years team, including six
seniors and three girls, who have joined the new girl club team. . “Our goal is to have a
winning record this year,” Sauer said. “And to be honest, we want to be a team to be
reckoned with come tournament time, even though we are in one of the toughest
sectionals in the state.” The Lancers will look to senior goalie Kevin Christy,  senior Jesse
Pippenger and two juniors, Nathan Sauer and Randy Hanson, a transfer from Plymouth
 
 
 

April 30
 

Pozgay leaves laSalle
 In the movies, the good guy rides off into the sunset wearing a white hat.
 In real life, the good guy sometimes get eaten alive by well-meaning
administration-types.
 Larry Pozgay, one of the good guys on the local soccer scene, was fired as coach
of the LaSalle High School Boys soccer team.
 After five years as head coach, Pozgay was notified last December in a letter from
LaSalle athletic director Nan Tulchinsky that he was released. That action was finalized in
March by the school board. In the end, Pozgay fell victim to his own enthusiasm and
outspokenness. What he called trying to help the kids, the administration saw as
insubordination.
 Pozgay had been  a major force in getting soccer started as a varsity sport at
Dickinson Middle school. When the concept was finally approved by the school board last
spring, the 47 year old former LaSalle grad saw great things coming up for his struggling
high school program.
 Instead, what he got was a Dickinson School administration which took to the new
sport the way a cat takes to getting tossed in a pool full of water.
 All Pozgay wanted was a field, a ball, a medical kit, some uniforms, some referees,
some scheduled games, and some recognition for his team. Just the basics.
 He got none of those. Actually he did get a ball (one ball for 19 players), and
someone did schedule six games (as a club sport, Diickenson played 12 games plus a
tournament).
 Pozgay himself ended up arranging for and paying officials, securing a practice
field, and watching while the soccer team was not allowed to wear their uniforms (which
were purchased through  Adams High School’s AD Jim Kowalski and the South Bend
Community Schools Alumni Foundation) on school spirit day, nor were they included in
any team photos.
 With the middle school program in disarray, Pozgay was also facing major
problems at the high school level. A practice field which was supposed to be ready for the
fall season was not only progressing behind schedule, but was also outright dangerous,
being populated with rather large stones and guarded by a family of at least three pit bull
dogs. He, and the girls soccer team, were left to practice on a field half the size of a
regular field, situated between some new tennis courts and a practice football field which
he was told they could not use because “soccer tears up the sod.”
 Pozgay knew the sports programs at LaSalle for the most part are notched below
those of other area schools. But he also knew his team was on the upswing, having won
six games in 1998 Those six wins were than all other fall LaSalle teams combined and
included a win over a ranked team in Michigan.
 Finally, in early October 1999, Pozgay could handle it no longer. After a
scheduling debacle at the middle school cancelled a game at Argos, Pozgay wrote a letter
to the Dickinson soccer parents, criticizing the Dickinson administration for their lack of
support.
 It is not a good idea to bother bureaucrats, apparently. Finally jolted into action,
the Dickinson administration did the only thing they knew how to do, which was arrange
for Pozgay’s departure. He was notified in a letter dated December 1, 1999 from
Tulchinsky that he was being released on the grounds of insubordination. After talking to
the school board, Pozgay was notified by mail on March 1, 2000 that he was, indeed
terminated.
 Where this leaves the soccer program remains yet to be seen. LaSalle and
Dickinson administrations issued a “no comment” statement when asked about the
situation and have hired Pozgay’s replacement. The LaSalle girls team, which barely
fielded enough players last year to fill one roster, let alone a JV team, summarily release its
coach, Colleen Loucks, also.
 Pozgay remains somewhat bitter from the esperience. Stating that since he is not a
teacher that the corporation doesn’t really care, Pozgay will spend some time
re-evaluating his position. His passion for the game of soccer remains strong, as does his
desire to coach young men.
 But these days in the South bend Community School Corporation, apparently that
iisn’t enough.

Feb. 16 2000

By MARK BRADFORD
Tribune Sports Writer
 The unproclaimed godfather of Northern Indiana Soccer paused for just a minute
outside the door of the Adam?s Eagle athletic director last Tuesday afternoon. Taking a
deep breath to still his thoughts and emotions, he opened the door and moments later
walked back out the same door, having officially resigned as head coach of the John
Adams Eagles.
 Thus ended the coaching career of Jim Tallman, the man who not only started the
Michiana Soccer Association, but also started the high school leagues, and eventually had
a major hand in helping it become an IHSAA recognized sport.
 When Tallman met with a group of 15 soccer players in his basement in 1978,
there were no soccer fields in South Bend available for public use. Twenty-one years later,
over 4000 Michiana youth play soccer in several different outdoor and indoor leagues.
.The 1990?s have truly seen a soccer craze, with fields popping up everywhere and
weekends formerly spent at lake cottages now reserved for games and tournaments.
 Tallman, however, won?t admit to having  any more influence on the sport than
just wanting to play and coach it. That first meeting was just one to get some kids
together to play soccer, Tallman has said. ?Then we needed to play other teams so we
formed a travel league and then we got tired of travelling so MSA got bigger locally and
then we needed something for the high school kids to do so we formed the Northern
Indiana Soccer league and then we needed a goal so we created the Northern State Cup so
they had something to shoot for,? he said
 Through it all, he has mentored two NSCAA All-American soccer players (Kurt
Roemer in 1984 and David Klotz in 1991), won three state cup championships (1984,
1986, and an undefeated season in 1991).  Tallman also coached Adams to the 1994 state
championship game, the first year that soccer was an IHSAA sanctioned sport.
 ?Jim had a lot of influence on the game state-wide,? said his long time assistant
Alberto Verteramo. ?He has friends all over the state and he almost had them convinced to
let the sport remain a spring sport, but the club coaches convinced the IHSAA to put it in
the fall so it wouldn?t interfere with their spring seasons.?
 Tallman was named to the Indiana Soccer Hall of Fame last year, an unexpected
award which left the personable coach nearly speechless for one of the few times in his
life.
 Perhaps what is most remarkable about Tallman?s career is that his recent teams
have been populated by players of less skill than Marian, St. Joe, Penn, and Elkhart
Central, yet Adams somehow survived. He is the ultimate tactician and motivator,
according to Mark Thompson, a member of the undefeated  1991 squad and now a
volunteer coach for the team. ?Jim always had a great knowledge of the game but his real
strength is in his ability to motivate young players, not only for a particular game but for
the entire season,? Thompson said. ?The real neat thing to see, and the reason I came back
to help coach this year while I go through medical school, is to watch how he takes soccer
and applies it to every day living for the players. He is easily the best example of a role
model, a gentleman, and a motivator. He is basically everything you would want in a
coach.?
 Tallman?s reign will be ever tied to the annual series of games played against St.
Joe. The Indians and Eagles series has been said to be a benchmark for the progess of
soccer in and around South Bend. The series, which began in 1981, saw the Eagles go
17-15-6 against their neighborhood rivals over the 19 years. In one phenomenal week in
1986, Adams at first lost to St. Joe in a 10-overtime game (on a goal with less than a
minute left in the final five-minute OT) and then come back a week later to play in front of
the largest crowd (estimated 4,000) to see a boys soccer game in South Bend. That game
was for the Northern State Cup, the equivalent of the state championship. Adams won
that game.
 Tallman will remember the last Adams-St. Joe contest better than some others
also. With the score at 0-0 and 25 seconds to go in last year?s sectional final , senior
co-captain Kevin Stiver dribbled 3/4 the length of the field, around at least three defenders
and netted a most remarkable goal. That win eventually led to a heart-breaking loss a
week later to No. 2 ranked Fort Wayne Concordia, who scored the tying goal with 28
seconds to go and eventually won it in overtime.
 ?I guess turnabout is fair play,? Tallman would say later about the goal which
effectively ended his career.
 Another remarkable part to the Tallman story is that his teams kept winning the
entire time that the soccer demographics moved away from South Bend and toward
Granger. ?Our teams are sometimes like a United Nations meeting,? Tallman once said.
?We have kids on the team from all facets of life and socio-economic groups.
  In an ironic twist which furthers still the Tallman legacy-legend, the year that the
South Bend Community school corporation threatened to close down Adams High was
the same year they advanced to the state championship game
 ?We sometimes didn?t have the innate skills the other teams had,? Verteramo said.
?But Jim had  a way of getting kids to exceed their limitations. A good example is a young
man named John Croy, who played for us in the early 1990?s. When he was a sophomore,
he couldn?t walk and chew gum at the same time. But Jim saw how big his heart was and
how much he wanted to play. Croy took it upon himself to make himself better, often
going to Boehm Park with just a sack of soccer balls and practice kicking the ball into the
net. The result of all that work is that he still holds the Eagle record for goals scored in
consecutive games at 25.?
 Tallman refers to his retirement in unclear terms. ?I really don?t know what the
future holds,? he said. ?The Adams AD offered me a leave of absence option but I don?t
think that would be fair to the incoming coach. I am going to see how it feels this fall to
just sit and watch. After all, 20 years is a long time. Right now, I can?t see myself out of
the game totally because i love it so much. It just won?t be at Adams, even though I
couldnt ask for a better place to have coached for 20 years.?
 In the meantime, Tallman will simply have to abide by his own words in a speech
he gives at the end of every  season. ?He always tells his seniors that the sun will come up
in the morning and they will have to go on,? Verteramo said. ?That they can?t live in the
past and to accept that this part of their life is over and to make the most of wherever they
go from there.?
 Tallman leaves a legacy as an innovator and a leader in the South Bend soccer
community. He will continue his postion at Stanley Clark and will continue to run his
highly popular summer soccer clinics.
 To Tallman, it is simply time to say  in traditional soccer vernacular. ?Well done,
Jim. Tallman?  And in response, for the rest of the soccer community, it is simply time to
say ?Play on.? After all, as Tallman always said, the sun really will rise tomorrow.
 
 
 

NOTRE DAME WOMEN IN NCAA FINAL FOUR
By MARK BRADFORD
Tribune Staff Writer

 The pressure is off first year Notre Dame head women's soccer coach Randy Waldrum.
 Well, mostly off anyway.
 There is only one "minor" job left...to defeat the two best soccer teams in the nation and win the national championship this weekend.
 Notre Dame (21-3) returns to the NCAA Final Four after a one-year absence when they face coach Jerry Smith's top-ranked Santa Clara Friday night in the semifinal round in San Jose, California. The game will be broadcast at 10:00PM on WHME, Channel 46.
 Waldrum faced a daunting task coming into this year. Stocked with enough quality players to create a national team, expectations were high despite the fact that Waldrum had never met most of the players on his team until he was named to replace coaching legend Chris Petrucelli in Februaury.
 "Most of the pressure I faced was really my own," Waldrum said. "The administration never even mentioned  any expectations and the players have all been extremely supportive since Day One, but I guess the entire coaching staff was a bit self-conscious about trying to maintain the tradition."
 They were successful. After being eliminated in the quartfinal round last year, fifth-seed Notre Dame upended fourth-seed Nebraska last Sunday in a shootout to earn a shot at the National Championship. Should they upset Santa Clara, they would face the winner of North Carolina and Penn State Sunday for the trophy on Sunday afternoon.
 Notre Dame lost to Santa Clara, 4-2, in the regular season but gave up all four goals in the first 20 minutes. "Most of what we have to do to get ready for Santa Clara is psychological," Waldrum said. "We can't spot a team like Santa Clara four goals and expect to win  The two teams are quite similar, actually. Both teams play the same system and we are both filled with national-team quality players."
 Santa Clara (23-0-0) is led by seniors Mandy Clemens (24 goals, 23 assists and Player of the Year in the Western Atlhletic Conference three years in a row) and Jacqui Little (21 goals, 8 assists). Clemens is a finalist for the Hermann award, given annually to the best soccer player in the NCAA.
 The Broncos have outscored their opponents 108-9, despite playing the top teams in the nation including North Carolina (a 1-0 win in the Duke Classic), Nebraska (a 2-1 win at Palo Alto) and Connecticut (3-0 win in the quarterfinals .
 Junior goalkeeper Crystal Gordon shares time with sophomore Alice Gleason with Gordon recording an impressive .15 goals against average.
 Waldrum thinks his team is playing well right now. "The coaching staff has talked about just when this team would actually feel like it was our team, and not Chris's old team, and that has really taken place during the Stanford and Nebraska game. This entire squad was recruited by Chris and played for him, so we expected that. But the girl's have been great about the transition. To be honest about it, it hasn't really sunk in that we are going to the Final Four, there is just so much to do until we gert there.
 One of the players making the transition is former South Bend Adams star Lindsey Jones, who has adjusted well to a new position instituted by Waldrum. Jones, a defender in the new system, is also expected to take an offensive role when the situation requires. "We don't really have any outside midfielders in our attack," Jone said. "And I am good at getting the ball forward so it works well with me."
 Jones was one of the players who went through the coaching change. "Coach Petrucelli and Coach Waldrum really are two completely different coaches," Jones said. "But they are both excellent. All I know is playing the the Final Four will be the most exciting soccer game I have ever been in."