Here in the SoccerPlus Office in Farmington, Connecticut we are already hard at work preparing for the Summer of 2009, in fact, we are now accepting early registrations for next summer. Register before December 1st and save $50 (Early Registration Information). But that's not all we're getting ready for, in the next few weeks we will be formally announcing the beginning of our Winter/Spring Clinic Schedule. We will be dispatching our directors to run these around the country. If you are interested in having SoccerPlus come to you, contact us at tkl@goalkeeper.com.


 

Survivor Dribbles 550 Miles to DC For AIDS Awareness

On August 20, 2008 Survivor: Africa Winner, Television Host, Co-founder of Grassroots Soccer and former Vassar Goalkeeper and former SoccerPlus Goalkeeper School student Ethan Zohn began his 500-mile Dribble Campaign. Dribbling a soccer ball out of the New England Revolution game in Foxboro, Massachusetts, Ethan Zohn will continue his journey down the East Coast with a ball at his feet the entire way. His trip will take him through New York City, Philadelphia and other stops and exciting events all the way to Washington, D.C. raising awareness and educating people about the issue of AIDS and what Grassroots Soccer is doing to combat this pandemic.

Last month, Ethan and his crew stopped in Farmington, Connecticut to visit SoccerPlus and some of the members of FSASoccerPlus FC, a premier club. PHOTOS

Ethan wrote about the event, "By the end of the night, everyone was pumped about Grassroot Soccer and they all showed their support by purchasing some of our great Grassroot Soccer UNITED gear. Every penny counts and SoccerPlus sure helped out. Another night, another event, another success. Thanks SoccerPlus!"

Read Ethan's Blog at: vtsports.com/dribble/blog.
 

Former SPGS Student and Survivor: Africa winner Ethan Zohn dribbles more than 500 miles to support Grassroots Soccer.

facebook: If you were a member of the SoccerPlus facebook group, you would've been one of the first to know about the Early Registration. Don't miss what's coming next - join SoccerPlus on facebook today.
 

Fall Camper Updates

Tony,
My name is Tom Giglio and both of my daughters (Adrienne and Gabby) attended the SoccerPlus Camp at Colgate University this past July.  I was actually one of your first students, having completed the SoccerPlus program back in 1984 in Whitewater, Wisconsin.  The training both of my daughters received while at Colgate was exceptional.  They have come back with a better attitude, more skills and greater confidence. In fact, Adrienne's team won the FC Milwaukee Invitational and the Chicago Magic/Kohl's Best of the Midwest tournament, thanks in part to her play in goal with three shutouts on the final day.  These tournaments are regarded as two of the best in Region 2. I have attached a picture of her with the championship trophies.

Gabby is becoming a leader of her team by practicing hard and taking charge in match conditions.  She will complete her Junior year this spring and she is beginning to look at colleges.

Again, many thanks for offering a great program with dedicated coaches who take a sincere interest in the students.  We plan to be able to go back east next summer.

Regards,
Tom Giglio


Tom,
Thanks for your kind words. We always love to hear about multi-generational SoccerPlus stories (our family is one too). One of our favorite things is finding out that our students are finding success in (or outside) the game. The girls sound like they've learned that when you work hard, you earn the right to play well. Keep up it up ladies!

Thought you might like to see what keeper shirt my son decided to wear at his first match of the season.

He had an excellent experience this year at Colgate, again, and came home exhausted and totally energized, again. THANK YOU!

Kay Davis
Soccer Mom of Ben Davis
NTC Colgate '08


Kay, Thanks for sending the photos along.
Ben, Thanks for wearing it proud.

Nicole’s confidence in her game really showed after her training in San Diego.  Attached is a story about her team.  Nicole was the goalie all four games.

FCMG93 Blue Encintas Rotary Cup Champions 
The FCM Girls 93 Blue team scored an impressive tournament championship win at this weekend's Encinitas Rotary Cup. Motivated by their teammate, Morgan, who was diagnosed with Leukemia this week, these girls were determined to "Win 4 Morgan".

They came out fired-up in their first game against Fallbrook Fury (LaChat), winning 6-0. Saturday afternoon they played LaJolla Impact (McDonald). They scored in the first minute of play off a corner kick. LJ Impact was a strong opponent, but not strong enough to overcome the determination of these 14 teammates playing for "Captain Morgan". They won this second game 4-0.

Sunday afternoon they played Notts Forest Goossens. They got off to a slow start with a 0-0 half time score. But after a motivational speech by Coach Greg Gay, the girls were ready to "clear the (Notts) Forest" scoring another shutout - 4-0.

The championship game was against the Orange Junior Soccer Club Premier Black team. This was a tough team. No less than 50 minutes of play went by before the only goal of the game was scored. This came off a direct kick by Renee S. five yards outside the box. Players on both sides of the field were in tears, but for different reasons. The FCMG93 Blue players were in tears for what they had done in honor of their teammate. Great job ladies...


Nicky, What a great story! I'm sure Morgan appreciated it.

Specialization Works for Cameron 
By Anders Larson

Soccer isn't always a year-round sport at Grandview Heights High School. The boys team, which has had some success at the Division III level, typically has to share its athletes with other sports during the off-season. Unlike most Division I teams, most of these players aren't spending nine months out of the year playing on club soccer teams.

But there's also no rule against putting in some extra time, particularly for those wanting to earn a starting spot. For junior goalie Alex Cameron, winning that spot was his mission during the past 11 months. When he arrived late in July for tryouts, his teammates, and perhaps more importantly, coach Brian Neidenthal, could tell. "I think most people could pick up on it," Neidenthal said.

"He's certainly developed as an athlete, and obviously we've seen him develop specifically as a goalie. It's pretty easy for the staff and the kids to know who worked on their game in the offseason."

During the winter, Cameron played indoor soccer with several classmates from the Grandview team, and in the spring he played with the Santos FC club team instead of playing baseball, as he had in the past. In July, Cameron attended a SoccerPlus Goalkeeper School camp at Ohio Wesleyan, something he had never done before.

For the remainder of the summer, he and the rest of the team trained together on a much more consistent basis than they had in the past. "This year, I really got focused," Cameron said.

"I really wanted to start playing well, and the whole team thinks we can have a very good team, and I wanted to contribute. This year, it's been a whole team effort, actually. We've all been playing pick-up games together."

The turning point, though, seems to have been the camp at Ohio Wesleyan, where Cameron got a week of goalie-specific instruction from current and former college goalies

Junior defender Chase Tarrier, one of Cameron's best friends, said that after the keeper came back from that week at camp, there was an obvious change in his game. "He came back from that camp, and there was a huge difference," Tarrier said. "It was a noticeable difference in his abilities. We recognized it instantly."

Cameron's efforts have allowed him to earn that starting spot. He split time with senior Caleb Baker last season, but through the first three games this season the junior had played every minute in goal for the Bobcats. Although it's early, he has made the most of his time on the field so far.

The Bobcats allowed just two goals total in their first three games, and Cameron posted his first shutout Sept. 2 in a 2-0 win over Whetstone.

Cameron, who has played almost exclusively in goal since he began playing soccer in elementary school, said improvements in his technique have allowed him to take his game to another level. "I have something natural in me that makes me think I was meant to play goalie," Cameron said. "And I'm pretty athletic, so I could make the saves, but I wasn't very technical. I've really worked on the technical part."

For the rest of the team, having an improved Cameron in goal has been a nice security blanket. Junior sweeper Alex Wolfe said he's able to play with more confidence knowing that he has a solid keeper behind him. "It's so nice to be able to have somebody like him behind me," Wolfe said. "You always know he'll make up for most of the mistakes that you make."

It hasn't only been the defense that has benefited from Cameron's improved play. Tarrier said the keeper also has made things easier for the offense because of a more powerful punting leg he has developed.

"He can punt to about the other (35 yards from the opposing goal), so we're starting our offense there," Tarrier said. "That's all the way from the goalie up to the forwards, it's already up there. The punting is really good because it starts our offense that quick."

With a huge junior class expected back next season, the future certainly looks hopeful for Grandview, which was 1-0-2 before playing Delaware Christian last Tuesday. Cameron said he doesn't really see a ceiling on what this group can achieve by the time he graduates.

"This year, I think we could win the Central District, which would be a good goal for us, and then maybe next year, state champions," Cameron said. "I think we can do it. That's a goal for a lot of us.

Have a story or an article to share with us? Sent it to tkl@goalkeeper.com.

Staff Coach Update: Julie Hanley
Hanley Named to TopDrawerSoccer.com's
National Team of the Week

LAWRENCE, Kansas (October 21, 2008) - Junior goalkeeper Julie Hanley has been named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com’s National Women’s Team of the Week for her efforts over the past weekend. Hanley, a junior from Indianapolis, Ind., blanked 6th-ranked Texas A&M with three saves on Friday – her fourth shutout of the season. The junior goalkeeper has a season goals against average of 1.30 to go along with a .708 save percentage.
 

Tony's Bookshelf:
Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
by Lee Iacocca

RetroLine (Issue 121, Sept/Oct '98):
Quick Save: Preparing for the Weather
by Shawn Kelly, Goalkeeper Coach, Central Connecticut State University Women; Director, SoccerPlus Goalkeeper School

For those of you playing in the northern half of the country this time of the year you will start to see some very inconsistent and increasingly colder weather. Here are some things to remember:

GOALKEEPING

• The cold weather will force you to maintain focus on your technique - with any bad conditions keepers must be sure to get their hands behind the ball in order to be successful

• Ground Conditions - if the ground is hard or even frozen from the cold, try to think about how the ball will react, see different services in your warmup to see how high a ball may bounce after a long service over the top of your defense, or is the ball sailing on corner kicks, does the ball feel hard and more difficult to kick, is it slick and harder to catch, if the ground is hard and slick, back passes will become more dangerous - all things to consider BEFORE you start the match. Again, these rules apply to any adverse conditions - not just cold weather

STAYING WARM

• Extend your pre-game warm-up to ensure that you are "warm" for the start of the match.

• If the weather gets really cold and you are doing a lot of standing in your area, try to stretch and stay mobile to increase your body temp. Stuffing a pair of long pants in your bag isn’t a bad idea in the colder weather even if you don’t like to wear them. Never get caught with your hands on your hips!

GEAR

• Wear a climate specific undershirt under your game jersey - these shirts are designed to keep moisture from sweat away from your body and also keep you warm. Avoid the regular tee-shirt made of cotton which will absorb sweat and keep you wet and cold.

• Wear a separate jersey for pre-game warmup. This way you can change into a fresh (dry) jersey for the start of the match. It would also help to bring another jersey to change into for halftime.

• The weather will produce a variety of surface conditions, try to bring several types of footwear i.e. molded cleats, turf, screw-ins, etc.

• A lot of glove manufactures make a glove for colder weather if you are into those gimmicks, hey anything to gain a psychological advantage.

• Be safe and bring anything you think you may need with you to the game, you might want to change into those pants at half time.

REMEMBER - these rules also apply if you are going to play in the rain, wind or other bad conditions - technique, tactics and your gear!

Tim Howard contends with both his opponent and the snow in this match in Europe. ©ISI Photos.