SIU win Jackson Thriller

Southern Indiana United's U-16 boys had a thrilling start to the season when coming out victorious in the Jackson Purchase Invitational in Mayfield, Kentucky last week.

Drew Starck's team got off to a flyer, winning 2-0 against Blue Fire (Mayfield, KY) with goals from Tyler Butler and Francisco Bravo. It then doubled its win count for the day with a 2-1 victory over Croatian Eagles Blue (Milwaukee, WI), courtesy of goals from Bravo and Brandon McLaughlin.

When SIU suffered a 5-0 defeat to a bigger and stronger Owensboro United outfit in its third game, it seemed like they were going to have to settle for second best in the tournament.

However, when the sides met in the championship decider, SIU put up a much improved performance, running out 4-2 winners.

In the first game against Owensboro, SIU found itself 2-0 down after five minutes and 4-0 down by the end of the half. In the championship decider, it got off to a much better start, taking an early lead with a Bravo goal, his third of the tournament.

Weston Schrank then extended SIU's lead with hard work and determination when he followed up a ball played through the middle.

Owensboro pulled one back with just 20 seconds of the first half remaining but Mitch Brinkworth helped SIU regain a two goal lead halfway through the second half when capitalizing on a ball played down the wing. He cut into the middle before firing one past a helpless Owensboro defense.

Owensboro pressed hard in an attempt to get back into the game but SIU kept its composure and stayed strong on the ball, while keeper Adam McDermont made a couple of fine saves.

Then, in the 62nd minute, Mitch Brinkworth found the back of the net again to seal the deal. Owensboro pulled one back with just two minutes left on the clock, but it was scant consolation.

"I was so proud of these guys all weekend," said coach Drew Starck. "Especially when our opponent (Owensboro) thought they were just going to roll over us on Sunday afternoon. We came out with an amazing amount of energy and heart. Any team that can lose 5-0 in the morning and come back to win that same day is a very determined team. These guys earned it."

SIU will now look forward to its spring campaign in Division 2 of the Kentucky Select Soccer League, where it will face opponents such as Lexington, Thoroughbreds, Southern Kentucy (SKY) and Madison United Flyers.


Above: Southern Indiana United U16s, who won the Jackson Purchase Invitational at Mayfield, Kentucky. Front row (from left): Francisco Bravo, Christian Grindrod, Anthony Scifres, Jon Rogers, Tyler Butler, Nathan Greenwood, Weston Schrank, Mitch Brinkworth. Back row: Matthew Steggeman, Denton White, Austin Grover, Danny Hartman, Adam McDermont, Matt Duncan, Sean Simpson, Brandon McLaughlin, Sean O'Connor, coach Drew Starck.

Red is the color . . .

Does your soccer team wear red? If not, you might want to have a word with the coach about changing the color of your strip.

Two English universities - Durham University and the University of Plymouth - have just come to the conclusion that red is the most successful team strip in soccer.

Researchers at the colleges analyzed data on English league results since the second World War. They found that red, in nature, is often associated with male aggression and display.

"It is a testosterone-driven signal of male quality, and its striking effect has even been harnessed by soldiers in the past," said the report.

It concluded that supporters are subconsciously more attracted to a club wearing red, so the club develops a bigger resource base within its community, while there is also a positive psychological boost from wearing red that is reflected on the field of play.

So the success that Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal have had down the years is due to the color of their strip - not the billions they've spent on players.
And why the likes of Derby County and Bolton, who wear white, are languishing down the bottom of the Premiership table at the moment.

Incidentally, the least successful colors are yellow and orange, which probably explains why Holland has never won the World Cup.

Above: Man Utd players celebrate after hearing the news that their success is down to wearing red

Fun new approach for young players

When I was a young tyke getting up to no good on the dirty streets of Dublin, the first opportunity I got to play organized soccer was at U10 level.

Now, there are clubs that offer U4 programs, while closer to home, SIU is introducing a new training approach at the U5 and U6 recreational levels.

Last Thursday, there was a meeting at New Albany High School for the parents of young players to inform them of what to expect.

The new approach is adapted from the academy style programs and involves coaches working together as a team when teaching players how to play soccer.

These changes will help to improve the program by creating an environment that is fun and keeps it a game for all children.

It will also make it easier to teach parent-coaches who are new to coaching soccer, and it is hoped that it will generate a greater desire among children to continue playing the game.

Speaking at the meeting was Dutch Vigar, SIU's director of coaching (check out previous 'Academy' interview with Dutch in archives), while club president Jim Kotowski discussed the game format and general SIU policies.

For further information, check out the club's website at: www.siusoccer.com.

Chemistry is high for Mavericks

The Mavericks can certainly be described as independent in thought as they get ready to take on the state's elite.

Southern Indiana United's U14 team has been training hard in preparation for its first spring campaign in the prestigious Indiana Soccer League.

They will be joined by SIU's U15 and U17 boys, as well Net-Surfers U14 girls, who were all recently accepted to play in the league, considered the state's best, and a precursor to the Midwest Regional League.

Mavericks coach Mike Vejar said its off-season conditioning program was very well attended, and should have prepared his troops well.

"Most of the boys played on the same indoor team, so chemistry should be high," he said. "Ultimately, I see my job as simply preparing them for the next level - that being high school and ODP teams. If we happen to win a few games and a few tournaments along the way I'm happy for them and most of all, proud of them."

Amongst Mavericks' opponents in a nine team Division One will be such power houses as Columbus Express, who it faces in its first game on April 5; Indy Burn, Fishers Force and FC Indiana.

Vejar said competing in the ISL will stand them in good stead when it come to competitions such as the Indiana Challenge Cup towards the end of the season. Last year, the boys fared well in the preliminary rounds of the competition, losing to the eventual runner-up. This year, they hope to emulate the SIU U14 team which won the Challenge Cup.

"I don't like to put a lot of undue pressure on these kids," said Vejar. "After all, they're 13-14 years old, but if they focus like coach (Bruce) Rigsby's team did last spring, they can compete with any team in the state.

"In the ISL, we'll be continually pitted against the teams we'll be facing in this tournament. Our talent level is there, our players are more mature, and their motivation to enter high school next fall as Challenge Cup champions is already a point of discussion among them. So, do I think we can bring the trophy back to Southern Indiana? Yes, I do."

Vejar saluted the area's three other teams selected to play in the ISL this spring.
"It's a great deal for our local clubs to get four teams in the league," said Vejar. "It is far more balanced and tougher than the Kentucky Select Soccer League, where most of our clubs have been playing."


Photo (above) Mavericks are ready for action in the Indiana Soccer League.