Norbert-Grinnell Game

Tied 0-0 at half.

Norbert has had a few more serious chances than Grinnell but haven't put anything on goal yet. Ben is only playing "ok"...he tends to disappear for stints then comes back into th eplay out of no where.

I've been really impressed with Nick Hren of St. Norbert. He cut up Mullens like four times in one stint in the corner. Mullens is just not the good. Not sure why he gets so many conference honors through the year, but their best player is JP Prouty...and i don't think it's even close. (speaking defensively)

I think Norbert is going to take this one, they are outplaying Grinnell in most aspects. Too bad grinnell plays 11 behind the ball and never attacks with more than 5 players...bizzare attacks.

Hren is causing all sorts of problems for Grinnell. Kevin Jones just got a Yellow for tripping...Rosenberg is hurt but looks like he staying in the game.

Mullens had a great read on a give and go, took the ball up the field, almost received a through ball but was called offside. He hurt the keeper in the process but the keeper is remaining in the game.

Perhaps Mullens' pony tail or red ribbon in his hair slowed him down?

Mullens takes a guy down in the 18, no call. Brutal no call by a pretty good referee crew.

3 minutes left in regulation 0-0

header by Stephenson directly at the keeper...six yards out...i have no idea how he missed that.

1 minute left, norb corner----shot high

five seconds left...Vanden Avond with a shot from 35 yards out...

blocked by the wall

grinnell just missed a golden chance. ball rolled accross the box but no one got a foot on it. the keepr was way out of position the entire sequence...not sure what he was doing.

#7 on norbert got taken down 20 yards out....direct kick happening now....

blocked by wall. Well place shot, nice play on Exarhos

hren almost skinned another grinnell defender...he's one of the few having a good game on either team's attack.

first overtime is over 0-0

#7 rips a shot off a cross from Sanchez. Great save by schemper on the near post...that would have ended it.

IMO...neither team has superior athletes in their attack. They cannot get passed even the mildly athletic but still big defenders. Stephenson is a good athlete but not great...same goes for Sanchez on the other side. 5 minutes left, this is going to PK's.

sanchez gets a cross from Vanden Avond, touches past the back line and strikes it right at Schemper for the save. Ball was blocked back into action where #7 barely ran it down earning another shot ----blocked...ball still in play and ran down but later stripped.

That shot will haunt Sanchez if they lose this in PK's

half a minute left

PK's...I'll post all shots as they happen

Rosenberg up first against Schwartz

shot low and left, Schwartz guessed wrong...goal

Grinnell 1
Norbert 1

Vanden Avond ---
close to down the middle, schmper guessed wrong...goal

G2
SNC 2
koester shoots left, schwartz gets a hand on it...goal

Conrath fires right...goal

Grinnell 3
SNC 3

Prouty buries it right---schwartz guesses wrong
Ducett fires right...goal -----schemper guesses wrong

Grinnell 4
SNC 4

Sahel first right...Schwartz guesses wrong
Natwick first right....goal

Grinnell 5
SNC 5

S Craig shoots left window
Sanchez, buries it right side netting - schemper guesses right, coudln't get a hand on it

Grinnell 6
SNC 6

Stephenson down middle - schwartz guesses wrong
Jones, right side netting - schemper guesses right

Grinnell 7
SNC 6

Kohut - right side netting
Schmidt - saved by schemper

Game over.

SNC was denied one pretty clear cut penalty and then had another placed at the edge of the box even though the foul occurred inside. Grinnell didn't really deserve to win, but that's how soccer works sometimes I guess.

I don't know that Grinnell didn't deserve to win...they certainly deserved to tie. I think their coach is a joke...he basically says, stay wide on top and look for our clears. They defend with 6 players at all time, including their keeper...to me, that is a ****ing joke. It's a college team, let them play. It's like they want to see Prouty sit on his hands all game long when he is one of the better mismatches in the league.

Their coach needs to go, otherwise they are a pretty solid team.

anyone know a Beloit player that wants an interview before tomorrow? I don't know any beloit players...

Fair point on Grinnell's game plan for today. I guess I'm a fan of attacking soccer, and when a team sits back like they did and only really goes forward with two or three guys, I don't really call a shootout win deserved. To be fair they did have a few chances to score (that point blank header especially), but SNC was a lot more positive in their attacking. Either way, a win is a win which is all you can ask for at the end of the day.

And if you get an interview with a Beloit player, be sure to ask them who sent the letter laced with swine flu to Craig.

losing craig was killer. We could barely field a team before he went down...it was ridiculous seeing all the starters and first set up subs in street clothes.

As for your other point...i'm surprised you are cool with Grinnell's style. You are an offensive player...usually your sort prefers the higher scores...or at least a score at all.

It's hard for me to say who deserved to win the game. Sanchez biffed his shot from eight yards out and no opposition but Schemper had a really nice game taking away some nice shots. He's a pretty imposing keeper...not to mention the save on the seventh shooter.

I just can't get over Grinnell's style...talk about packing it in..and it's not like they don't have attackers; rosenberg, stephensons and Prouty are good players...WTF?

Like I said, I don't like to watch a team play defensively, but I realize sometimes that's what you have to do. That's why I felt SNC deserved to win, because they attacked and didn't sit back.

To be honest nobody on Grinnell stood out to me (or anyone I was watching with). We had to look up what number Stephenson and Rosenberg were because everyone looked pretty pedestrian.

Rosenberg can look pedestrian if the ball doesn't go his way enough times. He's a solid player but really does require others to work well around him, he's not dynamic in that sense.

I was not at the game but usually Stephenson puts on a pretty good show. It looks like neither team deserved the win or loss in either match today. It's got to be a horrible feeling for Carroll and St. Norbert having to swallow such a lousy way to lose.

It's not the match up I wanted to see but tomorrow's game should be pretty good.

Beloit 2
Grinnell 0

Grinnell Digs in to Win

If you were fortunate enough to watch the first game between these two teams, you were in for a treat. Grinnell, known for getting behind the ball and big defenders, brought their "A" game and took it to St. Norbert. St. Norbert did not come to play that day but had to know they were going to meet Grinnell again.

Today was their day for redemption. It was their day to prove that should have not only won earlier this season but the season prior when Grinnell sent them packing in the first round of the 2008 conference tournament.

As the game got underway, there were no surprises. Grinnell pitched their tent in their defensive third, choosing only to attack with five players, keep their forwards wide, looking for crossing runs to do the work. They defended their back line like dogs. St. Norbert would continually bring numbers at them in an effort to break their line but rarely could they get by All-Conference defenders Andrew Mullins and JP Prouty. Despite multiple attempts at goal, St. Norbert could not put a long range shot on frame.

The Pioneers would get their chances but they were not nearly as threatening as their counterparts. Planting forward Mark Rosenberg wide right, they tried to pepper balls in his direction where he would look for fellow forward Andrew Stephenson to build their attacks. It didn’t work like they had hoped. Their offense compiled a total of seven shots in the match and only a handful were even close to the goal’s frame.

Every time St. Norbert brought their numbers forward, they were forced to look at an entrenched defense that looked to be playing for the tie. Norbert sent cross after cross but without a true game changer in their attack, they were unable to get any serious opportunities until late in the game.

Once the overtimes got underway, St. Norbert took total command. In a sequence late in the second overtime, a ball was sent from the right wing to Adam Sanchez. Sanchez brought the ball down twelve yards off the goal line with amazing touch; he not only took it down as if it were passed to him from three yards away but he was able to touch it just past Mullins opening himself for a wide open shot with goal keeper Ben Schemper. What seemed like an eternity, Sanchez stared down the goal keeper. Picking out his corner to finish one of their greatest rivals, Schemper was at the mercy of the shooter. Sanchez struck the ball with the instep of his foot with good enough power to make the shot if it were placed anywhere but the middle. Unfortunately for anyone wearing yellow and green, the shot was right down the middle. Schemper merely fell forward smothering the shot into the ground.

With time winding down, both teams prepared for a shootout. Similar to the game prior, both team’s shooters brought the skill and accuracy one would expect from two teams with only three conference losses between them.

The two teams exchanged goals like they were trading baseball cards. Neither Joe Schwartz nor Ben Schemper could guess correctly, let alone get a hand on a ball. The shoot out had seen thirteen players come and go, every one of them sinking their shot as if there were no keeper in their way. St. Norbert was in the second position, down 7-6, sending Greg Schmidt to the line. Schmidt has been a consistent starter for St. Norbert, tallying three goals and one assist on the season. Knowing that somebody was going to miss at some point, Ben Schemper guessed to the shooter's left and was right.

Grinnell won the shoot out having made every shot placed before them.

The Grinnell Pioneers will face the Beloit Buccaneers in the conference championship game tomorrow at 4:00pm.

I sort of know a lot of people on all sides of today's games. They were really well played matches and congrats to both teams who won. Good luck tomorrow and represent us well in the NCAA tournament.

Nobody deserves to lose in such fashions as shoot outs but there does need to be a winner and today, Grinnell and Beloit were the better teams.

Again; good luck tomorrow.