Kings Men's Soccer

The Kings JV team had a difficult week in the FAVC, dropping two games to tough opponents Walnut Hills and Lebanon, and also drawing on the road to Talawanda.

The Knights started their week on Tuesday on the road against the Talawanda Braves. The Knights came out a bit sluggish, having a difficult time possessing the ball against the hosts. Kings certainly had the lion’s share of the chances, but were unable to put any away as they head into the half, tied in a scoreless draw. Unfortunately, it was more of the same in the second half—chances came and went, but the score remained the same. The visitors would have to settle for the 0-0 draw, despite outplaying the Braves throughout the match.  The play of the game was made by goalkeeper Robby Frye who made a very athletic save to keep the Knights’ shut out in hand, with just under five minutes to play. The TOOT’S Player of the Game was sweeper Alec Paulson.

The Knights were back at it again on Thursday night, hosting Walnut Hills. The game started about 20 minutes late which, in turn, lead to a lethargic start by the hosts. They conceded a goal less than a minute after the match started, and a second about fifteen minutes in. After this unsettling start, the Knights picked themselves up and played quite well for the remainder of the half, looking like a new team. But it looked to just be one of those days for the Knights as, despite their newly discovered zeal, they conceded yet another goal to the Eagles before the half. The Knights would get a goal back through forward Zach Guerriero after halftime. The Knights conceded a penalty after a handball in the box, but goalkeeper Joey Craig made a great save to keep the Knights down only two. But despite this save, the Eagles would tack on a fourth before full time, thus ending the match 4-1.

The Knights were better than the score line, but the two opening goals were just too much to overcome. The TOOT’S Player of the Games was Chris Minotti, who played a very effective right fullback, despite the outcome.

The Knights ended their week on Saturday morning against county rivals Lebanon. The Knights again had a slow start, which seems to be a recurring theme for Coach Mount’s squad. The Warriors struck ten minutes in, beating freshman goalkeeper Joey Craig, who injured his hand on the play. The visitors then went up 2-0 after a counterattack caught the Knights off guard. The Knights fought back as forward Mathis Terrier earned a penalty, which was effectively taken by midfielder Pierson D’Enbeau, scoring his first goal of the season. This energized the hosts, who never stopped fighting all day.

Unfortunately after the Knights cut the deficit to 2-1, a controversial call by the linesman resulted in a third goal for the Warriors. This goal seemingly deflated the Knights who, again, played better than the score line showed. They fought hard in the second half, but were unable to make up any ground on the tough Lebanon defense. The game ended 3-1. The TOOT’S Player of the Game was Chris Burroughs.

The Knights (3-7-2) have only three games remaining, at home against Milford (10/7), on the road at Anderson (10/9) and ending the season at home to Glen Este (10/14).

After tallying two wins last week, the Knights JV team drew Little Miami 1-1 on Saturday and lost away to Turpin on Wednesday, 3-0.

On Saturday, the Knights came out looking as strong as they had all season. The first twenty minutes were dominated by the hosts, as they were able to possess the ball with ease. The Knights’ crisp play was rewarded in the 12th minute when freshman forward Zach Guerriero found the net, scoring his second goal in as many games.

Shortly after the goal, the Panthers answered with a score of their own, albeit, against the run of play. Kings conceded their only corner kick of the half and the Panthers cashed in. After the visitors leveled the match, the Knights continued their strong play with more scoring chances. But despite several decent opportunities, including numerous corner kicks, they couldn’t put another one away. The referee’s halftime whistle blew and the score was 1-1 at the break.

Unfortunately, those missed chances would come back to haunt the Knights. Despite having more opportunities after the interval, the Knights had to settle for the draw. This was certainly the best the Knights had looked all season, both in terms of team chemistry and ball possession, but regrettably the result did not reflect it. The TOOT’S Player of the Game was Alex Brammer.

Four days later, the Knights traveled to Turpin and, unfortunately, were unable to reenact their previous performance. Right from the opening whistle, the Knights were on the back foot, defending what seemed like an endless Spartan attack. Robby Frye and his defense were able to protect their net for the first twenty minutes, but inevitably Turpin put in the opening goal midway through the half. The Knights were able to keep the deficit to 1-0 through the first 36 minutes.

The Knights put forth a better effort in the second half, but Turpin was just the better team on this day. The Spartans put in two more goals before the end of the match, one on a well-taken corner kick and another on a rebound, after a nice save from substitute goalkeeper Joey Craig. The Knights tried to muster a few attacks, but were just unable to break down Turpin’s tough defense. The match ended 3-0. The TOOT’S Player of the Game was Robbie Guiliano.

This was a tough defeat for the Knights (3-5-1) after three successive quality performances. They will try to get back to their winning ways on Tuesday, September 28th at Talawanda.

Starters: (Little Miami) GK—Frye; DEF—Brammer, Paulson, Hacker, Masencamp; MID—Romo, Hovis, D’Enbeau, Kratz; FWD—Poling, Guerriero

(Turpin) GK—Fyre; DEF—Brammer, Hacker, Paulson, Smith; MID—Guerriero, Hovis, D’Enbeau, Romo; FWD—Terrier, Poling

The Kings JV squad tallied their second win of the week on Thursday night, as they defeated the Wilmington Hurricanes 2-1.  It was the same score line as Tuesday’s match at Harrison, but the goal scorers were different. Freshman Zach Guerriero and sophomore Matt Nelson got into the book, each with their first goal of the season.

The Knights came out looking sharp in the first half, possessing the ball for the majority of the half, which led to a number of good chances. Central midfielders Mathis Terrier and Matt Hovis were able to thread the ball into dangerous spots on the field, but the Knights were unable to find the net, due in part to multiple high-quality saves from the Wilmington goalkeeper. On the other end, the Knights’ freshman goalkeeper Robby Frye and defenders Alex Brammer, Alec Paulson, Chris Hacker, and Blake Masencamp, along with substitutes Austin Smith and Chris Minotti, stymied any attacks the Hurricanes tried to throw their way. Despite dominating ball possession throughout the first 36:00, the Knights had to settle for a 0-0 halftime score.

The Hurricanes made a change in the net at halftime and brought in a new goalkeeper. This proved to be a turning point in the match, as the Knights would score both of their goals within the first fifteen minutes of the second half. The first, a forceful twelve yard strike off the foot of Guerriero, hit off the goalkeeper’s fingertips and into the back of the net. The second came just minutes later, following a free kick award by the referee. Nelson approached the ball from 35 yards, saw that the goalkeeper was not in a good position, and decided to go for glory. It proved to the correct decision, as he unleashed a strong shot into the left-side netting and extended the lead to 2-0 .

The Hurricanes did get a goal back with about ten minutes left to make it 2-1, but the deficit proved to be too much for the hosts to overcome. The Knights hung on, with substitute goalkeeper Joey Craig at the back, to get their third win of the season. Matt Hovis was the TOOT’S Player of the Game.

The Knights (3-4-0) will end a busy week on Saturday as they will host the Little Miami Panthers at 5 p.m.

Starters:

GK: Frye
DEF: Paulson, Brammer, Hacker, Masencamp
MID: Guerriero, Hovis, Terrier, Gitau
FWD: Poling, Nelson

The Kings JV team fought their way to a 2-1 victory Tuesday night on the road at Harrison High School. Mathis Terrier tallied both goals for the Knights.

The Knights came off the long bus ride a bit on the flat side, conceding a goal mid-way through the first half on a counter attack goal by the Wildcats. Neither team had been around the net very often, but Harrison put away their chance when it presented itself. Unable to answer with a goal of their own, the Knights went into halftime with a 1-0 deficit.

After a lackluster first half, the Knights looked like a new team at the start of the second. After some patient build-up play, the Knights were able to spread the field and set up Terrier for the equalizer in the 40th minute. Kings continued to enjoy more and more possession of the ball, but were unable to break through the Wildcats’ defense. Their moment finally came with just under eight minutes left in the match, as Terrier slotted his second goal into the bottom left corner. Goalkeeper and captain Robby Frye, along with his back four defenders and midfielders Pierson D’Enbeau and Matt Hovis, was able to keep Harrison out of the net and seal the win. Terrier was the TOOT’s Player of the Game.

The Knights (2-4-0) will play two more games this week, first at Wilmington on Thursday, then on the road again Saturday against Little Miami.

Starters:

GK: Frye
DEF: Masencamp, Paulson, Hacker, Brammer
MID: Romo, Hovis, D’Enbeau, Guerriero
FWD: Nelson, Poling

The Kings’ JV squad continued their run of bad luck on Tuesday night with a lightning-shortened 1-0 loss to Bishop Fenwick. The Falcons got their goal in the 14th minute, thanks to a header directly from an in swinging corner kick. This goal came on the heels of the Knights’ best chance of the match, a breakaway by forward Drake Poling whose chance just sailed wide as the goalkeeper closed down the angle and applied great pressure. Just moments after the Falcons’ tallied their goal, the referees whistled for the teams to take cover, as lightning was spotted in the distance. The teams were in their respective locker rooms for roughly an hour before the game got back underway.

There was 18:59 left on the clock when the teams retook the field, both of whom knowing that the end of the first half would be the end of their match. This made for an exciting end to the match, with Kings pushing players forward seeking a goal, and the Falcons defending to keep their clean sheet. Unfortunately for the Knights, Bishop Fenwick was successful in their objective, shutting out the Knights for the remainder of the match. Blake Masencamp was the TOOT’S Player of the Game.

The Knights (1-4-0) will be back at it again on Tuesday, September 14th at Harrison High School to take on the Wildcats (1-4-1).

Starters:
GK: Frye
DEF: Masencamp, Paulson, Hacker, Brammer
MID: Romo, Hovis, D’Enbeau, Kratz
FWD: Poling, Guerriero

The Kings JV team hit a tough skid this past week, losing a couple of games to very solid opponents. On Thursday, the Knights traveled to Loveland, where the Tigers defeated them 2-1. The defense conceded two goals in the first half, but was solid in the second half, shutting down the Tigers’ seemingly constant attacks. On the other end, Matt Hovis tallied the Knights’ lone goal with about 6 minutes left in the match, but it was too little too late as the Tigers were able to cling to the lead and take home the victory. Mathis Terrier was the TOOT’S Player of the Game.

On Saturday, the Knights took on the Aviators of Sycamore High School. The visitors came out firing, scoring within the first 10 minutes on this extremely windy afternoon. The Knights were never able to get back on track after this opening goal, and went on to concede 6 more goals in this tough defeat.  The hosts, on the other hand, were unable to find the net in this match. This is the first time they have been shut out since their opener at LaSalle. Forwards Chris Burroughs, Drake Poling and Mathis Terrier tried to link up for a goal a number of times in the first half, but were unable to produce one. The brightest spot for the Knights in the 7-0 defeat was goalkeeper Joey Craig, who came into the match midway through the second half to make five saves, conceding only one goal.  He was the TOOT’S Player of the Game.

The Knights (1-3-0) will try to right the ship on Tuesday as they will take on another tough opponent, the visitors from Bishop Fenwick.

The Kings JV team got on the winning side of things Monday night at Northwest High School with a score of 1-0. The Knights went ahead with 8 minutes left in the match, thanks to a diving header from forward Mathis Terrier, with the assist coming from striking partner Drake Poling.

The Knights came right out of the gate looking to score, after being shut out at LaSalle late last week. Chance after chance was created though the first twenty minutes, but the Knights were unable to take the lead despite hitting the goalpost on two occasions. Their break came, or so it seemed, in the 22nd minute when forward Matt Nelson looped a free kick over the goalkeeper’s head from 30 yards out. However, the referee disallowed the goal, claiming it was an indirect free kick and was untouched by another player. The Knights continued to threaten with good chances, but went into the half tied 0-0.

The Knights came out in the second half just as they did in the first, aggressive and determined to score. First year midfielders Nick and Robby Guiliano each tried their best to beat the Northwest goalkeeper early in the half, but each had chances sail just past the posts. The Knights’ moment finally came in the 64th minute, as Poling dribbled around a defender and crossed to Terrier who headed in the squad’s first goal of the season. Freshman Nick Kratz tried to double the lead shortly thereafter, striking from 12 yards out, but the goalkeeper deflected the shot onto the crossbar and away from danger.

The defense was strong with Alec Paulson, Kris Hacker, Alex Brammer and captain Devon Zinn solidifying the shutout for goalkeeper Robby Frye. Defenders Austin Smith and Chris Minotti also contributed in their respective stints at the back. Midfielder Zack Guerriero was the TOOT’S Player of the Game.

The Knights’ (1-1) next game will be Thursday at Loveland.

Starters:

FWD: Poling, Guerriero
MID: Kratz, D’Enbeau, Terrier, N. Guiliano
DEF: Zinn, Paulson, Hacker, Brammer
GK: Frye

2010 JV Squad

The Kings Knights JV squad opened up their season with a 1-0 defeat on Thursday against LaSalle. Although the Knights held their opponents scoreless through the first 68 minutes, the Lancers broke the deadlock with only four minutes remaining in the match.

The Knights’ defense was under pressure for much of the evening, especially early on in the first half. Despite a number of decent chances, the Lancers were unable to beat freshman goalkeeper Robby Frye, who made multiple saves to keep his team level through the first 36 minutes. On the other end of the field, the Knights best scoring chance came off the foot of freshman Zack Guerriero, whose attempt zipped over the crossbar in the 20th minute.

The second half was more positive from the Knights, who enjoyed more time in their attacking half than in they did in the first. But despite more possession, they were still unable to create many scoring chances. After the Lancers finally found the net on a counterattack goal, the Knights’ best chance of the match came in the dying minutes on a corner kick by Nick Kratz. The ball found its way through the LaSalle defense, however the Knights were unable to put it away for the equalizer.

The Knights will be on the road again on Monday, August 30, at Northwest High School to try an even their record to 1-1. The TOOT’S Player of the Game was goalkeeper Robby Frye.

Lineup:
FWD: Guerriero, Poling
MID:  N. Guiliano, Hovis, Terrier, Kratz
DEF: Brammer, Hacker, Paulson, Zinn
GK: Frye

Kings versus Anderson

Score 5-1

More later

Kings versus Mason

Player of the Game Conner Brown

Score 0-4

Summary

Kings was down several players versus recent rosters so a defensive
shell in the back was employed. This worked well for the first
33 minutes of the match. Mason (unfortunately) was able to score
three goals in the last three minutes of the half (the first goal was
very, very questionable as Mason appeared to be offside but the
side referee was out of position and allowed play to go on).

Kings also gave up a goal in the very first minute of the second
half but held Mason in check thereafter.

Kings vs. Little Miami
Score                1-2
Goals                Mesones
Assists             Rowley
Shots on Goal   Little Miami held a large advantage.

Summary

Little Miami controlled the initial possession from the outside and was much more aggressive than Kings, winning virtually evey ball that was put into the air. Kings persisted in putting virtually every goal kick into the air as well as every free kick in the general vicinity of the goal. The end result was that every one of these opportunities was essentially wasted.

Kings did score first on a counter resulting from a 1-2 and through which Leo Mesones took control of and buried. Unfortunately this did not result in an energetic response by Kings. Little Miami took the initiative and scored on a through ball which questionalby was or was not onsides. The second goal resulted from a scramble wherein control was not ceased by the Kings keeper and Little Miami capitilized.

The second half was scoreless with Little Miami again being much more aggressive. King’s wasted several excellent opportunites for other 1-2 and throughs by holding the ball too long wherein our forwards found themselves to be offsides on at least 3 occasions.

Little Miami still had more chances on goal although Kevin Archbald hammered the right post on a fine opportunity with the LM keeper finding himself well off the line.

Kings vs. Edgewood

Player of the Game Erik Barnes

Score 3-2

Goals Abreo, Rowley, Beckert

Summary

Kings took a 1-0 lead early in the game and maintained majority of possession throught out. Kings came out flat in the second half and Edgewood evened the match off a corner.

Edgwood scored on another corner, putting Kings down 1-2 with about 13 minutes left.Rowley came through for Kings with 9 minutes to play to even the match.

Beckert scored off a scramble with 3 minutes left and Kings held
on for the victory.

—————————————–

Kings vs. Harrison

Player of the Game Lucas Abreao

Score 2-1

Goals Abreo(2)

Summary

Kings controlled possession of the ball from start to finish, scoring early in the game. Harrison scored on a counter with a beautiful strike which went upper ninety. This may have been one of two opportunities they
had in the first half.

Kings put the game away with a goal early in the second half and
continually pressured Harrison.

Eric Barnes played particulalry well in his first game at sweeper.
Eric was never challenged with regards to Harrison “putting the
ball over the top” which appeard to be their preferred method of
generating chances up front.

Player of the Game Erik Barnes
Score 6-1
Goals Byrd (2), Burkert, Rowley, Barnes,Abraeo
Assists Too many to recall
Shots on Goal Did not keep track. Had to be around 20

Summary

Rowley started the scoring off a nicely centered ball. Abraeo
and Byrd followed. Wilmington scored a questionable goal that
appeared to be fully in control of Conner Brown.

Byrd followed with a second goal. Barnes and Burkert finished
the scoring off early in the second half. The coaches called a halt
to shooting on goal and a possession game was ordered.

More to come.

Match 1 at Talawanda

The Knights’ significant edge in possession resulted in a 3-1 win to start the season. Max Burkett and Brandon Byrd scored goals, along with an own goal, to put the Knights up 3-0 at the half. Several opportunities to put the ball in the net went by the wayside in the second half. Max Burkett was named player of the game and every player on the sqad saw significant playing time.

Match 2 Northwest at Kings Stadium

Kings dominated Northwest on all sides of the ball. Connor Brown recorded his first shut out as a Kings goalie. Killian Campbell, Player of the Game, dominated the middle of the field and Northwest had little chances of scoring. Chance Rowley and Kenny Palmer scored for the Knights. Play up front was also started from the middle.

Match 3 at LaSalle

LaSalle dominated the game early as Kings had trouble initially adjusting to LaSalle’s “over the top” game plan. LaSalle scored first. Kings scored off a nice “Set piece” involving their “triangular philosophy”. The goal was scored by Max Burkert after it was played by Lucas Araeo.

LaSalle scored a second goal late in the second half and held off a furious ending as Kings’ superior physical conditioning was evident by game’s end. Brandon Byrd was named Player of the game.