Game Review: Papillion-La Vista South vs. Millard West (Girls) – 4/1/21

A classic spring soccer game night was the scene for #4 Papillion-La Vista South and #9 Millard West. As warmups progressed, the temperature stayed relatively mild giving spectators false hope that the evening would be the same. As the action picked up on the field, the temperature plummeted. Ah spring time Nebraska soccer, what a concept. 

The play on the field made the coldness forgettable for large portions of the game. This was a hard fought, intense, and exciting match from beginning to end. The importance of this game could be observed as coaches, players, and spectators embraced their respective roles throughout the game.

Papillon-La Vista South began the game incredibly focused and effective. Their shape, movement, fight, and communication gave them an edge for the first half of the game. A 3-0 halftime lead for the Titans demonstrated their control over the first half of the game. Millard West did have their opportunities and bright spots during that time period, but none were converted. 

However, if anyone expected the game to be over at that point then they truly do not understand this Wildcat program nor have they much knowledge of Coach Tevis-Butler. The Wildcats took the halftime break to regroup resulting in a much more balanced second half. Two Millard West goals early in the second half created some much needed drama. 3-2 would be the closest the young Wildcats would get in this match.

Coach Watson and his players responded to this adversity in a true demonstration of composure and experience. Mia Lang, Dylann Ehegartner, Allie Napora, and Laina Souerdyke took control and put the game away for the Titans. 

Two wonderful free kick conversions, as well as two noteworthy finishes, highlighted the night. 

Game Result – Papillon-La Vista South 5     Millard West 2

Woman of the Match – Dylann Ehegartner (Central Defender & Drake University commit)

NEST Quick Hits 

  • Papillion-La Vista South is a legitimate contender for the Class A title this year. They have the necessary mix of top end talent and squad depth. Their playmakers influence the game at every level making it is hard to find a weakness. Perhaps most important, the entire squad plays with a great understanding of the game and their style of play.
  • Millard West is a young team with a very bright future. Featured in the Wildcats starting lineup were seven players listed as freshmen or sophomores. These youngsters are growing with every game and the potential is apparent. In particular, Giuliana Gagliolo, Ally Stoneburner, and Alyssa French caught my eye with their play. The pieces are there for Coach Tevis-Butler and the Wildcat program. 
  • Laina Souerdyke is a name that will become well known within soccer circles in the near future. This sophomore midfielder for Papillion-La Vista South is a natural on the ball. Her dribbling and passing abilities were wonderful to observe. Pair that with a nose for the goal and you have a top player in the state. 
  • The quality of set pieces this year has been insane. Game after game there seems to be a free kick opportunity that makes everyone go WOW. There were two such moments in this game. If you missed them, go take a look at our twitter thread of the game.

 

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on TwitterInstagram, or listen to our podcast.

 

Lincoln North Star – Class A Team Preview (Girls)

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Lincoln North Star

Head Coach – Ed Meitzen

Year Record
2019 7-9
2018 8-10

Players to Watch – 

  • Taylor Cumblidge (University of Missouri-Kansas City soccer signee)
  • Kate Jones
  • Kyler Hahn
  • Maram Hadi
  • Jaycee McFadden
  • Madison Burback
  • Smar Khudidah
  • Alexis Simmons

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell

NEST Analysis – A very exciting season could be on the horizon for Lincoln North Star. During the 2019 season, a losing record was the final result. Look for that to change as North Star should be favored in many of their match-ups, especially at home. A plethora of talent will occupy the field wearing the blue and burgundy. Taylor Cumblidge will provide a dominating presence in the midfield for the Navigators. Cumblidge occupies a spot on our preseason players to watch list as she is a top 20 talent in the state. Coach Meitzen will have plenty of options as he develops his starting eleven, as you can see from our above list. This is an up-and-coming program that could make unexpected noise at the state tournament in 2021. While they fell just outside of the Top 10 for Class A, Lincoln North Star is a Team on the Verge in our pre-season list.

 

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on TwitterInstagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.

 

Fremont – Class A Team Preview (Girls)

Previewing an upcoming season is never an easy task. To do so properly takes countless hours of emails, observations, statistical research, conversation, and reflection. Adding onto that difficulty are challenges, such as a cancelled 2020 season and lingering COVID restrictions, making our preview preparation feel almost impossible.

Despite these obstacles, the approaching 2021 season and its participants – whether that be players, coaches, fans, or families – deserve some semblance of normalcy. Soccer in Nebraska and all those who participate deserve to be promoted. Over the course of the next several weeks, NEST will overview EVERY high school soccer program in our state. This was done to the best of our ability using all of the information we could collect.

Nebraska Soccer Talk is here to support many fantastic teams, coaches, players, fans, and referees that make our game possible. One mission of this venture is to discover and centralize newsworthy information. This can only be done in collaboration with individual programs. As a whole, our sport must better promote itself in order to grow the player and supporter pool. We encourage every team to proudly and consistently advertise itself to us and the general public. The more information available, the more our game will grow. Soccer is a game historically left behind to linger in the background in the United States. That circumstance is changing, but that change will not happen automatically. Growing and covering all aspects of our sport will take effort from all of those who love it.

Disclaimer – To prepare for these articles, a questionnaire was sent to every school’s head coach and athletic director. Many of these questionnaires were returned in a timely fashion, others were not. Nebraska Soccer Talk prides itself on equal and in-depth coverage, but cooperation is needed to meet that goal. Please consider this to be our reasoning when it comes to article length and accuracy.

Fremont

Head Coach – Charlee Wiese

Year Record
2019 3-10
2018 5-11

State Status – Front Runner, Contender, Dark Horse, Up-And-Coming, Building, Too Early To Tell 

NEST Analysis – The 2021 outlook for Fremont is yet to be determined as there is simply not enough information to make an informed analysis. What can be said is that Fremont is a community that cares deeply about its soccer culture. Fremont Soccer Club provides a myriad of opportunities for local athletes to improve upon their skills. In the program’s recent history, the records have not been favorable. However, in sports all it takes is one year to change the narrative. A concentrated effort from Coach Charlee Wiese and the Tiger players will be needed to progress the program. An opportunity is there for the taking for the older players on the team: leave a legacy of care, determination, and improvement for future classes to build upon. This may be a multi-year project and we look forward to watching this evolution. The Fremont community will embrace a pride-filled program, and that momentum could carry over for years to come.

 

Thank you for reading and being a part of our new community. A like, share, comment or recommendation of content would be greatly appreciated. In order to financially support our efforts, sponsorship/partnership opportunities have become available. Sponsors will receive vast exposure to the Nebraska soccer community through different media avenues. The sponsorship process is easy and reasonable.

Contact us on our website or email @ nebraskasoccertalk@gmail.com.

Connect with us on TwitterInstagram, or listen to our podcast on Spotify.