Summer is Here

With the temps reaching up near the century mark it must be time to start training with some urgency. We have 3 weeks to get everyone ready for our first tournament, the Rush Cup. I would like for us to play back-to-back weekends following up the Rush Cup with the City of Enchantment tournament in Lake Jackson, then take off Labor Day weekend to rest and get ready to start our fall season. If you have not already done so, please get all your paperwork turned in to me at training this Tuesday or Thursday along with the down payment for the season. I will be tracking payments a little different this year by sending you an E-mail with all your payments. I hope this will make it easier for everyone to track and keep me from falling behind. I am looking forward to this season as most of our players have reached their senior year of high school and many of you are looking to play at the next level a short year from now. For some of you this will be your last season, so lets not waste it... play hard and have fun!

Off to a Soggy Start

With all the rain and wet weather we are finding it hard to get in a few practice sessions. I hope everyone has their tickets for the Man U vs MLS All-Star match tomorrow evening. We will try again on Thursday if the sun will come out for a little visit

Keep your eyes open for a goal keeper and I will see everyone soon.

Select Remain Unbeaten through Week 4

Week 4 of the 2010 President’s Cup would match the Quest girls against the Lamar Lady Lightning. Again numbers would be low and the fields at Zube would be very hard and dry as the dust kicked up with every step. However, this would not dampen the spirits of the Select girls as goal keeper Elyssabeth would record a clean-sheet while making several quality saves throughout the match. The Quest defense would keep the Lamar girls frustrated all afternoon led by Lizzy, Elyssa, Nikki and Jordan. However, it would be the central midfield play from Carlee, Haleigh, Brittney and Jordan that would turn the match. The first half of play was pushed onto the Lamar side of the field and in the 22nd minute the pressure would cause the first big mistake of the match. About 20 yards from the Lamar goal the foul was called for handling which would set up Jordan with the free kick and she would not disappoint, driving the ball over the head of the keeper and putting Quest up 1-0.

The match would remain 1-0 into the second half but it was the attack of the Quest girls that would prove to be the difference in this one. Strikers and outside midfielders Analise, Christina, Erin Y and Brittani would push the pace of the match for the entire second half creating several goal opportunities throughout the match. However, the game was put out of reach in the 34th min, when Christina would chest trap a crossed ball and drive it into the Lamar net from 19 yards out securing the 2-0 win and keeping the Select girls undefeated in the bracket.

President's Cup Week 3

Week 3 found the Quest girls taking on Houston Express in a very exciting match. We were a little low on numbers as we took the field with 13 players, but the low number did not reduce the amount of excitement. The match was back and forth until the 14th min when Jordan lined up a free-kick after a foul about 25 yards out. It was a very nice shot as the ball would sail over the Express keeper and into the back of the net. The Quest defense was solid, led by sweeper Lizzy, outside backs Elyssa and Nikki. The midfield would move the ball well as Quest would push the pace throughout the first half of play; holding mids Carlee, Jordan and Haleigh were there to destroy every attack before it would get started. While outside and attacking mids Christina, Erin Y, Brittney, Erin W and Brittani would control the ball and keep the Express defense on their toes. Striker Analise made so many attaching runs that the Express defense could not keep up with her, which led to a great through ball in the 45th min past the defenders and left Erin W wide open with the keeper. Erin would make a nice little touch sliding the ball past the keeper and into the back of the net just before the end of the first half.

The second half would open with Express finding some new life and a lot of pressure. In the 11th min, the Quest defense would concede their first goal during play for the tournament after a strong buildup by the Express attack. With the lead cut in half and Express pushing the pace Quest goalkeeper Elyssabeth would make several very nice saves to keep Quest in the lead. However, after a minimal contact foul in the 34th min Express would even the match on a 20 yard shot. The final 10 min of the match would not disappoint as both team would push for the tie-breaker but in the end the match would end in a 2-2 draw.

President's Cup Week 2

The Quest Select girls have started the 2010 President’s Cup right where they ended the fall season. In the opener after going down 2 goals in the first half, the Quest girls pushed their limits in dramatic fashion, scoring 3 unanswered goals in the second half and securing the opening win 3-2. After a little break for Easter, the girls took the field this past Sunday on a hot day in Katy Park.
The match would open with Quest taking early control of the ball and keeping possession for extended periods of time. After several good attempts Quest would strike first with a solid build up followed by a great shot from Analise from just over 20 yards out in the 16th minute. The ball was simply too well hit for the keep to get to it. Quest would continue to pressure the Sugar Land with outstanding play from their forwards Mika and Analise, as well as outstanding play in the midfield from Carlee, Haleigh, Christina, Brittani, Theresa, Erin, Brittney and Erin.
The second half would open with Sugar Land pushing a little harder, after winning a free-kick inches from the 18 yard line, Sugar Land would pull the match even at 1-1 on a deflection in the 11th min. After allowing this opportunity the Quest defense would lock down the Sugar Land attack lead by Elizabeth (Lizzy), Elyssa (EL), Nicki, Jordan and Quest goalkeeper Elyssabeth (E). These girls worked together as a unit closing down the field and every attack from Sugar Land for the rest of the match. With the defense leading the way the Quest midfield and strikers went back on the offensive, pulling back in front only 8 min later. This time after a great buildup out of the midfield it was Brittani with the strong shot from over 20 yards out deflecting the ball off the back post and into the Sugar Land net. The match would slow down a little as the hot Texas sun worked on the girls, but in the end Quest would close out the match to secure their second win of the President’s Cup.

2009 STYSA Super II Champions

The phrase “its not a destination, it’s a journey” has never been more appropriate for a soccer team than it is for the Quest Select Under 18 girls this season. It began back in the spring with this group of girls wanting to just play, and have some fun. Now here we are in December and this group of girls has really experienced their ups and downs. After finishing the fall season with a record of 6 wins, 2 ties against a single loss; these girls are now U18 Super 2 State Champions.

The first match in the state finals would match the Quest girls against the number 1 seed from the Western District, AC Tigres-Storm. It would be the Storm that would strike first in this match in only the 8th minute on a break-away the Storm striker’s first shot was saved but she recovered her own rebound and finished the follow up attempt. The Storm girls would extend their lead in the 32nd minute on a very hard shot ball out of the mid-field which found its way into the Quest net. This would be the last goal conceded by the Quest goal keeper, Shelby, for the duration of the weekend, as her level of play would rise up to this challenge. Down 2-0 and with their backs against the wall the Quest girls would dig deep and strike back 10 minutes later. In the 42nd minute Haleigh would break out of the pack and take a great shot from 28 yards out lifting the teams’ spirits and cutting the Storm lead in half as the match would reach the halfway mark. The second half would prove to be a different story completely as the Quest defense led by Theresa, Elyssa, Elizabeth (Lizzy) and Nikki would raise their level of play and shut down the Storm attack. This would allow the Quest mid fielders the time and space to control the flow for the remainder of the match. Outstanding midfield play from Kelli, Haleigh, Carlee, Tiffany, Christina, Brittney, Erin Y., Brittani and Erin W. would keep the pressure on the Storm defense for most of the second half and allow several goal scoring opportunities for Select. In the 17th minute of the second half Select would pull the match level on a corner kick sent across the face of the goal by Theresa, deflected back across the goal by Carlee and driven home by Erin W. After several additional attacks led by strikers Analise, Christina and Kelli the Quest girls set up for another corner kick in the 29th minute. This time it was a great ball driven across the six yard box that deflected off the goal keeper’s hands and another defender before falling into the Storm goal. With their first lead of the match the Select girls would close out this match with good ball possession and tenacious defense.

The second match of the finals pitted the Quest girls against the Lady Dragons from Western District. Being the second match of the day and with the rain continuing to fall the pace of the match wouldn’t be as fast or crazy as the opener, however it would still prove to the a very exciting match. The first half would be closely contested for every ball and every play as each team both had opportunities and strong defenses. With the match entering the second half of play and the score still tied 0-0, the Quest girls would assume control of this match and keep the Dragon defense on their heels for the majority of the second half. Quest goal keeper Shelby would record a clean sheet as after several good saves some outstanding defense from Nikki, Lizzy, Elyssa and Jordan. The Quest attack was led by strikers Analise, Kelli, Megan (Red), Haleigh and Christina who would combine to keep the Dragon keeper busy for most of the second half. With the midfield being dominated by the Quest central players including Carlee, Theresa, Erin Y, Brittney, Tiffany, Brittani and Erin W the Dragon attack was almost nonexistent throughout the second half of play. With several very good opportunities to break the tie late in the second half the strong Quest attach simply could not find the elusive goal and this match would end in a scoreless draw.

Sunday would bring some excitement to the field as the Select girls would be looking to avenge their only loss of the season against the top seeded Klein Pride from Houston. It would not take long for this match to really heat up as both teams came out very physical challenging every loose ball. It would be in the 12 minute of the opening half that would prove to be the turning point in the match. After a foul, about 25 yards from the Pride goal, Theresa would send a very hard driven ball across the goal area deflecting off the keeper who would then try to clear the ball with her feet. The loose ball was picked up by Christina, who would take a very nice first touch then drive the ball into the back of the Pride net. The goal was not allowed to stand as the AR was struggling to see the Pride defenders marking each of the post and the official ruling was offside. However, from this point on in the match the Quest girls would dominate play and keep the Pride girls on the heels. The match would eventually end in a scoreless draw, with Quest Select finishing with enough points to secure first place in the Under 18 Super 2 bracket.

This article would not be complete without mentioning two girls that have made enormous contributions to this team. The first is Elyssabeth “E”, E played goal keeper for us this fall season, unfortunately she suffered a concussion in our last season match and was not able to participate in the final weekend. The second is Jenna, Jenna has been playing defensive holding midfield for us all year. Unfortunately, she re-aggravated an injury to her hip just days before the state tournament and was not able to play this weekend. Without these two girls we would not have been at the state competition, however they did not miss a match as they stayed on the sidelines and provided advice and encouragement throughout all three matches.

Quest Girls Claim Eastern District Seed into STYSA Playoffs

The Quest girls ended their regular season with a very damp, cold match against the Houston Express. Quest started the match slowly, however strong play by goal keeper Elyssabeth (“E”) throughout the match kept Express from scoring more than a single goal in the first half. The wet field and a sleepy AR did not help as the Express girls made several strong attacks again our girls early. Express did break through in the 19th min, but the Quest defense picked up the pace and did not allow any additional opportunities for the remainder of the half.

The second half was almost like a different team as the Quest girls came out strong putting a lot of pressure on the Express defense early and often. After a pass-back was called on the Express keeper Quest capitalized on the free kick with a dropped ball assist from Jordan and a strong shot by Jenna putting the ball in the back of the net in the 22nd min. The pressure would not end as the Quest girls again found themselves in a free kick situation in the 27th min. This time is was a direct shot from deep in the Express defensive third as the bending ball off Jenna foot hit the far post side netting putting the Quest girls up for the first time in the match.

The match would then turn very ugly as the referee would make a huge impact throwing cards on both teams, delaying the match in the rain to send off a parent and letting the half go well over 50 minutes. It would be in these extra minutes that the outcome of the match would change. In the 51st min Express would go on a breakaway, draw a foul and receive a PK to pull this match level.

However a draw was good enough as the point secured Quest into the number two see for the STYSA Fall Championships this weekend in Austin. Congratulations to all the girls as each and every one of them have made great contributions in every match. Join me in personally congratulating Jo, Lizzy, El, Nikki, Theresa, Jenna, Carlee, Haleigh, Red, Christina, Erin Y., Erin W., Tiffany, Brittney, Brittani, Analise, Kelli and “E”.

We will see you at the state playoffs!!