Trio gets set for Hoosier Cup

Three of the area’s high school teams will be involved in this year’s prestigious Hoosier Cup, which takes place in Bloomington this weekend.

Providence and Christian Academy of Indiana boys’ varsity squads will be joined by Floyd Central girls at the tournament, which will be held on Friday and Saturday at three locations and will feature 48 teams from Indiana and Kentucky.

All will face tough opposition in their respective divisions, none more so than reigning sectional champion Providence.

The Pioneers will be pitted at Karst Park against Brownsburg on Friday, before taking on South Bend Adams and Washington — ranked 14th in the latest Indiana Soccer Coaches’ Association poll — on Saturday.

Providence is 1-1-1 after a 2-2 tie with Floyd Central last week and hopes to add to the win column ahead of the Hoosier Cup with a victory at Jennings County tonight.

Christian Academy of Indiana will face Madison at Edgewood High School on Friday night, and it then will take on Edgewood Saturday morning, before finishing out with a matchup against Vincennes, both at Karst Park.

CAI is 3-1-0 this season, following its first defeat on Saturday, a 2-1 loss to Jeffersonville. The Warriors will be hoping to bounce back with a victory at Silver Creek at 6 tonight.

Another of our sectional champions, the Floyd Central girls’ team, will play the current ISCA team to watch Guerin Catholic of Noblesville on Friday evening. The Highlanders will then play Edgewood and Richmond on Saturday. All games will be at Karst Park.

The Highlanders moved to 2-1 on the new season in the past week after a 2-0 defeat at Mercy Academy of Louisville last Thursday, followed by a 3-0 victory over South Dearborn on Saturday. It will prepare for the Hoosier Cup with a game at Jasper this evening.



Brothers in arms! All set for the Hoosier Cup, which takes place in Bloomington this weekend, are Providence’s three sets of brothers (from left): Cody (freshman) and Weston Schrank (junior); Pierce (freshman) and Zev Crawley (senior); and Trent and Wade Brown (both juniors). Says Zev Crawley, “l like playing with Pierce because when I tell him to do something on the field, I don't have to sugarcoat it. He knows I love him regardless. As for playing with the other brothers on the team, it is fun to see how each one reacts when I tell them the other brother is playing better!”

Youth Soccer Month is here

Today (Sept. 1)is the first day of the seventh annual Youth Soccer Month and there are many local activities planned throughout September.

One of the highlights to look out for is Youth Soccer Day at Community Park in New Albany on Sunday, Sept. 13.

The event will feature mini-clinics and friendly matches led by Southern Indiana United coaches, as well as a yard sale of soccer items with nothing costing more than $5. You can still drop off donations for the yard sale at Community Park the day before the event (Saturday, Sept. 12) from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

There also will be a soccer fair on the day with information on proper nutrition and hydration during games, refereeing and coaching and prevention and treatment for common soccer injuries.

Another highlight of note is the SIU club night with the University of Louisville men’s soccer team at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11 at Cardinal Park.

The Cards will play their first regular-season home game that night against SIU-Edwardsville, and SIU’s coaches will get the opportunity to sit in on the pre-game talks, while the U12 girls’ team will retrieve the balls during the game.

Its U9 Academy will participate in the “Little Kickers” program and will be walking out with the team to be recognized. All youths (18 and under) wearing their SIU jersey will be admitted free.

Other activities throughout September include a number of “Wear Your Jersey to School” days, a Gatorade hydration day, and youth soccer nights at local high school games, which youth soccer players can gain free entry to by wearing their club jersey.

“This is such an important initiative to help make our communities more aware of the impact youth soccer brings throughout Indiana,” said Shannon Stuart of Indiana Youth Soccer. “We want to emphasize the fun, fitness, family and friendship elements of our sport.”

A proclamation has been signed by New Albany Mayor Doug England in which he encourages all citizens of the city to observe Youth Soccer Month.

For further information on events, log on to www.siusoccer.com. If you want to help out with activities, contact Debbie Webb at 812-945-5627 or 502-523-4382.