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Archbishop Spalding Women's Soccer
Bobssoccer
1179 Jeffrey Drive
Crofton, Maryland
21114
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Wednesday, October 17
IAAM A Conference News
JOHN CARROLL TOPS SPALDING, 1-0
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Late first-half goal pins first loss on Cavaliers since 2005 title match; earns top post-season seed for the Patriots; see video highlights below.
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By Mike Buchanan
Kayla Curry was in the right place at the right time, tapping in a rebound off the crossbar with one second left in the first half for what would prove to be the game-winning goal, as John Carroll defeated Archbishop Spalding, 1-0, in a premier IAAM A-Conference soccer match yesterday, in Bel Air.
It doesn’t get much better than this when it comes to girls’ high school soccer. The tale of the tape: Spalding ranked No. 1 and John Carroll No. 2 in the metro rankings; the Cavaliers No. 1 in Region IV and No. 5 in the Nation, the Patriots No. 4 and No. 23.
Although a match of teams both prolific offensively, it figured that defense would prevail on this day. At the highest level, defense almost always prevails. Few players or fans would have been surprised to see a one-goal game – and that is exactly what they got.
There was not much flow to the opening 10 minutes, as each team was warily sizing up its opponent, like two heavyweight boxers cautiously looking for an opening, an edge, an opportunity. The host Patriots finally got the upper hand in the last eight minutes of the half, going on the offensive and controlling possession.
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John Carroll got off numerous shots on goal, one after another just wide or saved by Spalding goalie Karen Blocker.
Then, on Senior Day, a pair of underclassmen gave their senior teammates a great parting gift – the game’s lone goal.
With exactly nine seconds left in the half, sophomore Mel Lookingland hit a bender off a free kick from the left wing, a crossing shot that floated tauntingly toward the goal and just missed, hitting the crossbar. The carom rebounded out and junior Kayla Curry was in the right place at the right time, tapping in the rebound with one second left.
As for the goal, Curry said, “It was a great shot by Mel, I was right in front, but Grace Gaeng did a great job of keeping the keeper from getting to it so I could tap it in.”
John Carroll took that 1-0 lead into the break and then made it stand up in the final half. Both teams had several scoring opportunities in the second stanza.
One came 10 minutes in when JC’s Gaeng drilled a perfect cross that nailed the center of the crossbar and came straight down – but not in – just missing an insurance goal that would have made the Geico lizard proud.
At the 14:06 mark, John Carroll’s Jenna Quaranta was pushed in the box and awarded a penalty kick, but Blocker guessed right as Quaranta tried to go left corner, and came up with a huge save, keeping it a one-goal game.
As time began to wind down and inch closer to single digits, the Patriot defense got tougher as the Cavalier offense got more desperate, looking for any opening to tie the game. Being Senior Day, Coach Gary Lynch played both goalies. It’s the first time I’ve had two seniors as keepers, and Sarah Mosier and Tori Ripple both did a great job.” A look at the scoreboard supports that statement.
Lynch acknowledged the play of all the seniors, especially the play of Allyson Carey. He also noted the excellent defensive performance of senior Krista Fassio, who marked All-American Christine Nairn.
“We went through our roster as to who would match-up best on Nairn, and Krista, even with the torn ACL and torn meniscus, said ‘I will do it,’ and she stepped up big time and did a great job,” Lynch commented.
The loss was the first in a long, long time for the visiting Cavaliers, since losing to John Carroll back in the 2005 title match. Spalding had since gone 19-0-2 last season and 15-0-1 this season, a combined record of 34-0-3. When asked about the win, Curry exhaled and said, “It feels awesome. We’re pumped now, it was a perfect win, and especially for our seniors.”
With the win, John Carroll remained unbeaten in the IAAM at a perfect 9-0 (15-2 overall). Spalding dropped to 7-1-1 (15-1-1). Both teams have one league game remaining. The Cavaliers travel to Mercy on Friday, while the Patriots visit Institute of Notre Dame at Meadowood Regional Park on Thursday. Lynch, in obvious pride of his team’s effort, said “They knew how big a game it was and they rose to the occasion. Spalding has very, very good soccer players who know how to play the game; we have very good athletes who are still learning how to play the game.”
Their learning curve took a significant step up on Tuesday. Don’t be surprised to see these two meet again in the finals.
John Carroll 1, Archbishop Spalding 0
Goals: JC-Curry. Assists: JC-Lookingland. Saves: AS-Blocker 7 JC-Mosier 3, Ripple 2.
Half: JC, 1-0.
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Wednesday, October 17
Q & A Blocker - The Sun
Q&A // Karen Blocker, Archbishop Spalding, soccer Archbishop Spalding goalie Karen Blocker recorded her 53rd career shutout in the Cavaliers? 2-0 win over No. 3 McDonogh last week. (Sun photo by André F. Chung / October 12, 2007) By Pat O'Malley | Sun Reporter October 17, 2007 Karen Blocker of top-ranked Archbishop Spalding is considered the area's premier girls soccer goalkeeper. The All-Metro goalie recorded her 53rd career shutout in the Cavaliers' 2-0 win over No. 3 McDonogh last week. Blocker has given up less than a goal a game (0.26) this season and 0.53 for her four-year career with the Cavaliers. She allowed six goals as a junior last year, recording 103 saves and 16 shutouts to lead the Cavaliers to the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference title and a 19-0-2 record. Blocker has picked up where she left off last season, leading the Cavaliers to a 14-0-1 record through last week. Related links High school athlete Q&As She is ranked 21st in her senior class of 273, has a weighted 4.61 grade point average and scored 1,890 on her SAT. You've got the perfect last name for a goalie, don't you? I guess it was meant to be. My teammates all play around with my name - Blocker, blocker [teammates say]. It's all fun. How good is this year's team as you and your teammates attempt to repeat as A Conference champions? This should definitely be our best team in my four years. We have a lot more depth on the bench. How old were you when you started playing soccer? Were you always a goalie? I started playing soccer when I was 6 or 7 years old but didn't play keeper when I was 9 or 10. I started out as a forward. When I was in intramural league, they needed a goalkeeper for a game, and I switched and I loved it. So, I kept playing goalie after that. How much pressure do you feel as a keeper? Yeah, there is a lot of pressure, but initially you don't think about that. You just think about stopping the ball. My team is really supportive. They don't turn to me immediately. We win as a team, and we lose as a team. What is your approach? Do you try to anticipate what the striker or forward is going to try to do? Sometimes, you can read their body language on where they're going to place the ball. But most of it is instinct coming from practice and training. You just react. On penalty shots, you read the body more than just reaction. There are certain stutter steps or different types of strides that you have to read, and you can typically tell what side they're going to head to. What are your plans for college? I'm looking at different colleges. I'm looking at the University of Pittsburgh, Liberty University and Boston University, and hopefully I can play at the school I choose. What do you feel you have to work on to succeed at the next level? I definitely have to work on my vertical. I am a short person for a keeper at 5-6. For a goalkeeper, it's a lot of space to cover. And I will be working on my reaction time. What will be your major in college? Nursing. It will be real hard, especially with playing a college-level sport. What piqued your interest in nursing? I'm on the National Ski Patrol, and that deals with all the first aid on the mountain and ski resorts. I love it. We go through courses, and you have to do 80-hour course and time on the mountain with first aid. You deal with ambulances and all that stuff. And my mom [Mary Beth] is a physician's assistant, so I've been around [medicine] for quite a while. How much has Spalding helped in your development? Spalding has a really good academic program and pushes you to work hard. I take AP and Honors courses. It's hard work, but a lot of fun. The people are great there and you couldn't ask for a better soccer team. What do you like to do for fun? Go to the movies. I enjoy going to the pool and beach, rock climbing and snowboarding. Do you have a hero or idol? My brother Woody. pat.omalley@baltsun.com More articles Copyright © 2007, The Baltimore Sun
Friday, October 12
IAAM A Conference News
A FOR ALLEN, SPALDING |
Senior scores twice as Cavaliers pass key IAAM A girls soccer test against McDonogh
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by Derek Toney
Archbishop Spalding High School girls' soccer coach Bob Dieterle said Chelsea Allen's responsibility is simple.
"Her normal role is get wide, get the ball and attack," said Dieterle, "and you know she'll come back on defense."
The senior midfielder performed her duties almost to perfection Thursday afternoon at McDonogh School. Her two goals were the difference as the Cavaliers defeated McDonogh, 2-0, in a key IAAM A Conference contest.
In extending its unbeaten streak to 53 games, Spalding (14-0-1, 7-0-1) kept pace with first-place John Carroll as the teams are set to collide Tuesday afternoon in Bel Air, with the winner likely securing the No. 1 seed for the upcoming postseason tournament. The Cavaliers' last setback came against Bishop O'Connellon September 10, 2005.
Allen gave the defending champion Spalding all it would need in the early moments of the second half knocking in a pass from Erica Page off a corner kick. In the 11th minute, Allen converted a corner kick from Teresa Doyle, placing the ball in the left corner of the net. The pair of scores advanced her season total to five, which is third overall for the Cavaliers behind Christine Nairn (23 goals, 9 assists) and Erica Page (16 and 10).
"We've been expecting things like this out of Chelsea," said Dieterle, whose team is ranked No 5 nationally by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and No. 7 by StudentSports.com. "She's had a great season. This is the first game she's been back full speed."
"I'm really excited we got the win and I contributed," said Allen. "It's a pleasure to play with all these talented girls. We've been working hard and this is one of the tough games we've been looking forward."
Dieterle said Allen has been recovering from an injury sustained the Cavaliers' tie with St. Vincent Pallotti several weeks ago. Dieterle also said his team was "a little beaten up," coming into Thursday's pivotal match after many of his players had a long weekend playing in club tournaments. But the Severn school was able to answer the challenge from McDonogh (11-4-3), which was looking for revenge for last year's 1-0 regular season decision. Senior goalie Karen Blocker posted her 52nd career shutout for Spalding.
"It was a typical Spalding-McDonogh game, a lot of action, real fast pace and the ball moves around a lot," said Dieterle. "If you look at the speed of the game, we were playing very past and we thought that was going to be the key. We wanted McDonogh to work, we wanted to pressure them."
"McDonogh came out on top in the first 20 minutes of the game, and we just held our ground," said Nairn, a senior forward. "To come out with this win is amazing, and there's nothing more you can ask."
Especially from Allen, who gives the talent-laden Cavaliers a tough edge. In the 18th minute of the second half, she was given a yellow card, only to respond minutes later with a goal.
"She's the total team player. There's so much to say about her, but you can't put it into words," said Nairn. "If she continues to do that, I think we'll continue being successful."
Allen has given a verbal commitment to play soccer at Wake Forest University. She said soccer wasn't the lone selling point of the Atlantic Coast Conference program to her.
"I didn't want to go to a huge school," said Allen, a four-year varsity performer. "All the girls on the team stay really connected, and it has everything I want. North Carolina is a big state, and I'm ready to get out of Maryland."
Before Allen starts a new chapter in her life, she wants to close another with a second consecutive IAAM A crown. The Cavaliers will be on the road the remainder of the regular season including matches with Frederick County powers Thomas Johnson (Monday evening) and Tuscarora before starting its title defense.
"She's very skilled, fast and aggressive to the goal," said Dieterle. "She was in the right place at the right time, I don't buy the luck aspect. Good players seemed to be in the right place at the right time."
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Thursday, October 11
Capital News
Girls Soccer Roundup:
Ramirez's two scores keep Spalding perfect
Published October 10, 2007
Senior Chrissy Ramirez punched in two goals and assisted on another to keep the top-ranked Archbishop Spalding High School girls soccer team undefeated with a 5-0 win over Catholic last night.
The Cavaliers are 13-0-1 overall and 6-0-1 in the IAAM A Conference, behind only John Carroll in the standings.
Emily Griffith, Caitlin Aversa and Maggie Morrison had the team's other goals while goalkeepers Karen Blocker and Kelly Grace stopped two shots, apiece. Christine Nairn produced two assists.
Catholic (3-9) 0 0 - 0
Spalding (13-0-1) 3 2 - 5
GOALS: AS - Ramirez 2, Griffith, Aversa, Morrison. ASSISTS: AS - Nairn 2, Ramirez, Doyle, Grace, Maley. SAVES: CA - Huff 7. AS - Blocker 2, Grace 2, McCoy. SHOTS: CA - 4. AS - 19. CORNERKICKS: CA - 0.AS - 4.
Tuesday, October 2
Baltimore Sun
Spalding girls meet challenges, seek to have fun in processMilton Kent | On High Schools - October 2, 2007
The Archbishop Spalding girls soccer team members affectionately call assistant coach Bob Wagner "Bob-O," but Nostradamus might have been more appropriate Friday.
In the wake of last Tuesday's 1-1 double-overtime tie against St. Vincent Pallotti, the Spalding coaching staff gave the players the next day off with a practice Thursday leading into Friday's game against Severn. Wagner, who coached the team in the absence of head coach Bob Dieterle who was away tending to family matters, knew precisely what would happen Friday and said as much to the referee.
"Anytime you give them a day off, they come back brain-dead," Wagner said. "I told the ref before the game, 'I'm not going to say a word to the team for the first 20 minutes of the game. Not one word. I'm going to let them iron it out and do what they need to do.' And I didn't [say anything]."
As if Wagner had a crystal ball on the bench next to him, the top-ranked Cavaliers looked listless initially, falling behind 2-0 on two goals from Severn sophomore Jordy Bathras in a 90-second span 10 minutes into the match.
"It kind of seemed unreal, like we had never been down by two goals. It was rough," senior goalie Karen Blocker said.
Coming from behind certainly wasn't a sensation Spalding was familiar with, having trailed for a total of only 10 minutes all season. The Cavaliers' defense didn't allow a goal for the first 769 minutes of the season, covering their first nine games.
But, as in the Pallotti match, when the Cavaliers fell behind, Spalding rallied behind senior midfielder Christine Nairn. Nairn, a two-time first-team All-Metro performer, righted the Cavaliers, scoring four straight goals as Spalding connected on six unanswered goals to win, 6-2.
Nairn, who has committed to playing at Penn State, scored three times in three minutes, nearly immediately answering Bathras' goals. The go-ahead score came on a brilliant shot from the left side from about 20 yards out and was the kind of thing seniors do when their teams are in trouble.
"We play for each other each and every game," Nairn said afterward. "I think when they scored those two goals, it just motivated me and the rest of the girls to get that extra step and push and take the win."
Midfielders, by nature, are orchestrators, and few things happen on the field for Spalding without Nairn being in the middle of them. The eyes are drawn to her as she deftly directs traffic and moves easily from offense to defense and back.
Said Wagner: "She's the best player out there, so we want to make her the focal point. She makes all the other kids better players. She knows when to send the ball for them to run on to [and] do something good with it. She's got great field vision and she can put a pass on a dime. She can shoot like a rocket, so, yeah, she's our focal point. She's a joy to watch."
The Cavaliers (9-0-1), who host Seton Keough tonight, have a talented group of underclassmen beyond the eight seniors on the roster. Junior forward Erica Page has a solid combination of skill and speed, while freshman Maggie Morrison, who scored the final goal against Severn on a dazzling end-to-end run with a shot from the right side that blazed through the goalie's legs, shows promise.
But beyond what she does on the field, Nairn is the cohesive force that bonds together what could be a special team. Besides advancing its unbeaten string to 49 matches, dating over two seasons, Spalding received a reminder via Severn's initial challenge that the Cavaliers will get every opponent's best effort.
And while the tie to Pallotti knocked the Cavaliers out of the national No. 1 ranking given them by studentsports.com, the high school arm of rivals.com - the Cavaliers are No. 8 in the latest poll - being the best in the country isn't their top goal. That's because Nairn, who now has 20 goals, has them focused on something larger than winning games.
"We want to have fun," Nairn said. "It's our last year all playing together, No. 1 for us. But No. 2 is definitely coming away with a championship. But mostly [our goal is] to have fun, because this is our last year that we're ever going to play for Spalding and play for these girls. We'll try to make memories and hopefully make friendships that will last a lifetime."
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Copyright © 2007, The Baltimore Sun
Tuesday, September 25
IAAM A Conference News
IT'S THE BEST VS. THE BEST |
Senior Karen Blocker, with a school-record 49 career shutouts, anchors Archbishop Spalding in today's game at St. Vincent Pallotti, whose senior keeper, Amanda Carta, has 16 shutouts over the past two seasons. The game is a rematch of last year's IAAM A Conference title game won by the visiting Cavaliers, 1-0. |
by Lem Satterfield
Christine Nairn scored twice, Chelsea Allen, Emily Griffth and Erica Page all had a goal and an assist, and Courtney Hoyes added an assist as Archbishop Spalding won its ninth game without a loss, 5-0, over the previously unbeaten Potomac of McLean, Va. on Monday.
The Cavaliers (9-0 overall, 3-0 league), who netted all of their goals in the first half, now have out-scored their rivals by a combined, 38-0, as they enter today's game at Suplee Field, the home of IAAM A Conference rival St. Vincent Pallotti (5-0-1, 3-0).
St. Vincent Pallotti, last year's league runner-up to the Cavaliers after a 1-0 loss, has out-scored its opponents by a combined, 18-3, with four shutouts.
Archbishop Spalding, the defending IAAM A Conference champion, is rated No. 1 nationally by studentports.com in association with its umbrella group, rivals.com.
"St. Vincent Pallotti has been a very strong program the past two years. And being that we're the team that beat them last year, and the fact that they know where we're ranked, and the fact that it's a league game -- we know they're going to give it all that they've got," said Cavaliers' coach Bob Dieterle.
"All of our league games are very tough games," Dieterle said. "Pallotti is traditionally a very strong team, and, under the circumstances, I wouldn't expect anything less from them than their best game."
Since the Cavaliers' 2005 IAAM A Conference runner-up finish to John Carroll was deterimined by a shootout, it does not officially count as a loss.
That means that the Cavaliers have an official 43-0-4 unbeaten streak dating back to a 1-0 loss to St. John's of Washington, D.C., on Sept. 9 of 2005.
Nairn, a two-time All-Metro and Parade All-America selection, has scored 15 goals and five assists. Page, a junior forward, has 10 goals and five assists.
Cavaliers' goalie, Karen Blocker, who registered her school-record 49th career shutout in 57 career wins, called Potomac (2-1) "a really difficult team with excellent skills."
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Potomac entered the game ranked No. 10 by The Washington Post.
"Our defense was amazing, and our forwards and midfielders were connecting all over the field ," said Blocker, a senior returning All-Metro selection who is being recruited by Boston College, Pittsburgh and Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.
Blocker credits the play of sophomore sweeper Kristen (Kirby) Frank, sophomores Olivia Tomoff and Chloe Constants, juniors Avery Newman, Jena Gerbrick and Molly Brimmer, and freshmen Michelle Boivin and Dani Beard.
"We knew Potomac would be a good team, but we came in and we were relaxed for the game," said Blocker, who has 24 saves in eight games. |
| Archbishop Spalding goalie Karen Blocker (above), who has 48 career shutouts in 56 career wins, will be opposite St. Vincent Pallotti's Amanda Carta, who has 16 shutouts over the past two seasons. The battle of unbeaten teams is a rematch of last year's IAAM A Conference title game, won by Archbishop Spalding, 1-0. |
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Blocker, today, will be matched up against another player who is considered among the area's premiere goal keepers in St. Vincent Pallotti's Amanda Carta, who also was named to The Baltimore Sun's All-Metro first-team.
Carta, who transferred from Good Counsel for her junior season at St. Vincent Pallotti, registered 12 shutouts last year to anchor the Panthers to a 16-2-1 record while allowing only nine goals.
"We were both finalists. It's definitely going to be a hard game," said Blocker. "They're the home team and no one wants to lose on their home field. We just have to be prepared to play at our best."
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Thursday, September 20
Go Girls #1 in the USA
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by Sheldon Shealer of StudentSportsSoccer.com
1. Archbishop Spalding (Md.) 6-0-0
2. Downingtown West (Pa.) 7-0-0
3. St. Anthony's (N.Y.) 3-0-0
4. Montgomery (Calif.) 8-0-0
5. Sachem East (N.Y.) 3-0-0
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Wednesday, September 19
Baltimore Sun
Spalding girls soccer keeps perfect record
NotebookBy Pat O'Malley Sun Reporter - September 19, 2007
The top-ranked Archbishop Spalding girls soccer team started this week at 5-0, but that was expected.
What's even more impressive is that all five victories were shutouts, as the defending Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference champion Cavaliers have outscored their opponents 21-0.
Senior midfielder Christine Nairn, a two-time All-Metro and Parade All-America selection, has scored nine goals and has three assists. Junior forward Erica Page has six goals and three assists.
Goalkeeper Karen Blocker has 14 saves in the five games. The defense, led by sophomore sweeper Kirby Frank and juniors Avery Newman and Jena Gebrick, has made things easy for Blocker thus far.
Blocker credits the team's 41-3-2 record since 2005 and a 26-game unbeaten streak to coach Bob Dieterle.
"Bob Dieterle is an amazing man, an awesome high school coach," said Blocker, who owns a school-record 45 career shutouts. "He works so hard for us. He plans preseason at Deep Creek, a four-day trip up there with three-a-day practices and fun activities for us. Then, right after that, he plans a trip up to New York and New Jersey and we play three strong teams. And he takes us into the city to shop, go to a water park, and there is a lot of team bonding."
Update: 8-0-0 with 33 goals for and 0 against in the 2007 season. The real unbeaten streak is 46 games at 42-0-2 since 9-10-05.
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Wednesday, September 5
Karens Radio Interview
Karens interview
Thursday, August 30
Baltimore Sun
Power of three has Cavs No. 1
Archbishop Spalding appears poised to defend its IAAM A Conference title
By Glenn Graham | Sun reporter - August 29, 2007
The heavy shot that came off the foot of Archbishop Spalding senior midfielder Christine Nairn two weeks ago in practice was like so many others over her high school career: Cleanly struck, low and knuckling, and quickly headed to the back of the net.
The only difference was that in the way was the Cavaliers' senior goalie, Karen Blocker, who, also like so many other times in her career, was in the right place to turn it aside.
"Christine has a crazy shot - it's awesome," Blocker said. "You can't even hold onto it most of the time. You just have to try to punch it out, do anything. It's a rocket shot."
Nairn and Blocker, along with junior forward Erica Page, give the Cavaliers an All-Metro trio that firmly places them at No. 1 in The Sun's poll and makes them the favorite to successfully defend their Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championship.
What's it going to take?
"Winning the championship last year, every team is now going to be out to get us. So we're going to have to train that much harder because they'll all be trying to meet our level," said Page, who finished with 12 goals and 13 assists to earn second-team All-Metro honors as a sophomore.
Nairn, the program's all-time leading scorer with 43 goals and 23 assists, and Blocker, who holds all the team's goalkeeping records including 40 career shutouts, want to close out their four-year careers like the seniors did last year - with a conference title.
For the Cavaliers, there is no shortage of talent and familiarity. All three players, as well as senior midfielder Chelsea Allen, play for the highly touted Freestate Shooters club team out of Bowie.
"I think it definitely shows in our play," said Nairn, an under-17 U.S. national team pool player. "Our relationships - we're all best friends - so that definitely comes out when we're playing together. We know where each other is going to make our runs, when the crosses are coming. It just works out so well."
That is, unless you're an opponent trying to stop Nairn and Page or get a ball past Blocker.
"To be a very good team, you really need at least one player to be able to go to, and that's pretty much at any level, whether it's high school, college, professional or even international play," John Carroll coach Gary Lynch said. "With Spalding, you multiply that by two and you back it up with one of the best goalkeepers I've seen. You've got a real wall there. Not only do they have two players to go to, but they also have a goalkeeper that can keep them in every game all by herself. That's just hard to handle."
Along with the cannon shot that finds its mark from 30-plus yards, Nairn also pinpoints passes to open teammates and draws constant attention from defenses.
Blocker, who went 19-0-2 with 16 shutouts last season, is not only a terrific shot blocker, but she also precisely directs a defense led by sophomore sweeper Kirstin Frank.
Page goes from one speed to the next in a flash to shake off defenders, and has a knack for finding open corners when finishing scoring chances. All three were participants in the prestigious Nike Premier 50 camp.
Spalding coach Bob Dieterle said one of the biggest values of the three standouts is that they make the rest of a quality group of players want to get that much better.
"What it does for a team is it brings varied experience, a certain level of confidence that says, 'We've been there before. We've played at a very high level and have lived to tell about it,' " he said. "When you have players like that practicing with you every day and you're a good player yourself, you want to strive to play up to that level. And there are things that they can do that makes it possible for them to do things that they couldn't have done before."
Something Nairn, who will play at Penn State next year, had never done before July was score a goal for the U-17 national team. Traveling to Germany and England last month, the U.S. team came away with wins over England and Denmark in two friendlies. Nairn got the start in both games and scored the middle goal in a 3-0 win over Denmark.
"Definitely starting for my country was a dream of mine and scoring was a big accomplishment. It was exciting," she said.
Now, the goal for the three is to bring home another IAAM A Conference championship. The Cavaliers will prepare with another challenging out-of-league schedule and then get league tests from John Carroll, McDonogh and St. Vincent Pallotti among others.
Assistant coach Bob Wagner said the team's strength and endurance tests during the preseason were improved from last year's title team. Dieterle believes one of the biggest challenges will be mentally preparing for teams that have the Spalding game already marked on their calendars.
After losing the 2005 championship game to John Carroll on penalty kicks, the Cavaliers were hungry to claim the program's first title last fall. Does the hunger remain?
"Definitely," said Blocker, who is considering Pittsburgh, Liberty and Boston University. "Last year, we sent the seniors off with a championship and now we want to be sent off with a championship."
Sunday, September 23
Keith Mills Report re AACC Tournament Game
Nairn's Skills Give Spalding Special Kick
By: Keith Mills
For nearly 60 minutes, the Broadneck girls soccer team played Archbishop Spalding as well as they possibly could. The girls ran hard, marked well, played smart, pushed and shoved and did just about everything possible to keep the Cavaliers' scoring machine in check.
And then in a lightning-quick, 10-minute span it was all over.
Junior forward Erica Page scored the first goal with 23 minutes left in the game, All-American midfielder Christine Nairn scored the next two, and junior defender Erin Maley finished it up as Spalding won 4-0. The Cavs thus took all three games of the Pioneer Shootout last weekend at Anne Arundel Community College and cemented their reputation as the area's best girls team.
In fact, the Cavaliers are among the best teams on the East Coast, featuring one of the best 17-year-old players in the world, senior Nairn, who showed why she's such a dangerous player in a 20-minute stretch of the first half.
• 20:04: Broadneck goalkeeper Melissa Orgera made one of her eight saves on a shot by Page after a great pass from Nairn.
• 12:52: An explosive Spalding run down the right sideline ends as Nairn misses just wide from 15 yards out.
• 6:28: Page misses another goal as Nairn makes a great crossing pass before Broadneck clears in front of Orgera.
• 5:20: Off a Spalding throw-in, Nairn settles, turns and fires from 25 yards out. The shot just misses the crossbar though the explosive left-foot shot draws some "oohs" and "ahs" from the crowd.
• 2:59: Again, Nairn creates space in front of the goal but shoots high from 18 yards out.
The half ended scoreless, though Nairn, Page, Emily Griffith and Caitlin Aversa continued to pressure the Bruins defense in the second half, finally ending the scoreless tie at the 23-minute mark.
"Great players can have a tremendous effect on the game," said Spalding coach Bob Dieterle. "But they can't be the whole game. Christine actually enhances the ability of the other players on the team. She can do things on the field that other players simply can't."
That was obvious Saturday night at Broadneck. Page, an extraordinarily gifted striker, made life miserable for Broadneck's defenders with one electrifying run after another, while goalkeeper Karen Blocker and the Cavs' defense remained impenetrable.
Nairn's mere presence in the middle of the field, her incomparable foot skills and remarkable vision are the keys to Spalding's area dominance.
On the ball, she is unstoppable. Instinctive with her first touch and explosive off the dribble, she is also strong enough to keep opposing defenders at bay the way a strong rebounder would be in basketball.
Off the ball, she's like a traffic cop, directing her teammates on both ends of the field and setting them up with an impressive arsenal of long balls and short passes that comes with the confidence of being one of the best young women's soccer players in the world. Nairn is a member of the Under-17 U.S. national team and has represented America in soccer-crazy countries such as Germany and England.
"The girls are big in Germany and England," Nairn said. "And they don't like the United States. The atmosphere is so much different over there. Little girls come up and ask for autographs. You almost feel like a celebrity."
Despite that international notoriety, Nairn is anything but a celebrity at Spalding, where she takes pride in being just one of the girls and cherishes her time with her teammates. Over the summer, Dieterle took the Cavs to Deep Creek Lake in Western Maryland for a four-day training session and then to New Jersey and New York City to play against some of the best teams in the country and “enhance their educational experience."
"It'll always be, 'Hey, we won the championship, or we did this, or we did that,' " Dieterle said, "But when you get past the wins and losses it has to be about the relationships and the friendships you make. I think they really like each other as a team and enjoy themselves."
They certainly play like it. Broadneck, coached by John Kamm and led by Grace Burger and Erin Dellorso, played an inspired game and took it to Spalding Saturday night. But slowly the Cavaliers’ talent and relentless pace wore down the Bruins and Spalding scored four goals in the last 23 minutes to secure the win.
"We weren't really worried at halftime," Dieterle said. "Broadneck played us very tough. A lot of teams come after us and play us like that. But these girls love the challenge."
The Cavaliers won the IAAM A Conference championship last year, finishing the year 19-0-2. With Nairn and Page back to pressure opposing defenses, the Cavaliers are the team to beat again, though it's their air-tight defense led by Blocker, sweeper Kristen Frank and backs Emily Delbalzo, Chloe Constants, Oliva Tomoff and Avery Newman that makes the offense much more dangerous.
"It's a pleasure to watch them play," Dieterle said. "They're obviously highly skilled and they can do some things where you say, 'Did I just see them do that?' "
And the Cavaliers follow Nairn's lead. She is the rock in the middle whose international experience gives her an air of confidence that opponents just can't penetrate. She first received the call from representatives of the U.S. national team when she was 13.
"They called me on my cell phone," Nairn said. "I answered it and they asked me if I wanted to come try out for the national team. I said, 'Why not?' "
The tryout became a permanent position in the youth national pool and finally a spot on the Under-17 team, along with another Baltimore area player, Julia Bouchelle of Notre Dame Prep. Unfortunately, Bouchelle will miss NDP's game with Spalding on Monday and the rest of the year with a torn ACL.
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Nairn was 8 when Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Brandi Chastain and Michelle Akers led the U.S. to the now famous 1999 World Cup win over China before 90,000 fans at the Rose Bowl. It is Akers, a strong midfielder and soccer Hall of Famer, who Nairn patterns her game after. But she credits her two brothers -- 23-year-old T.J., a former player and now assistant coach at Salisbury State University, and 19-year-old Kevin, who plays at Anne Arundel Community College -- with helping her develop her game.
"I began playing when I was 4," Nairn said. "We were always playing. It was very competitive."
Known as "Teeny" around the Spalding campus, that competitive fire is obvious on the field, but she's just as proud of her work in the classroom and her role as a team leader. Nairn will attend Penn State next fall.
"We have pasta parties," said Nairn, who also plays basketball for the Cavaliers. "We went jet-skiing last week. We really do enjoy being around each other and I love it."
"She really has things in perspective," Dieterle said. "She likes to goof around and be one of the girls, but she also knows what's really important -- her family, her friends."
And how long did it take Dieterle to realize that Nairn was a special player?
"Oh, about a couple of minutes."
Thursday, August 30
IAAM A Conference News
ARCHBISHOP SPALDING SOCCER: HOPING RECENT HISTORY REPEATS
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"Now, you have to challenge the players: Can you continue to play at the highest level?" said coach Bob Dieterle, whose Cavaliers are defending IAAM A Conference champs. "It's going to be a challenge not only for Christine [Nairn] and Karen [Blocker], but for the rest of the players." |
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by Lem Satterfield
During the moments after Archbishop Spalding had scored the eventual game-winning goal of last year's 1-0 IAAM A Conference championship victory over rival St. Vincent Pallotti, Kristen Nairn and Karen Blocker admitted having considered the same possibility:
That of losing.
"That was something that was definitely in the back of your mind. I got real nervous," said Blocker, 17, now a senior goalie, who overcaame her anxiety to register her remarkable 16th shutout 21 games. "I was nervous because of what had happened in the finals the year before, when we were also winning against John Carroll but then we didn't come away with that [victory]."
Blocker was referring to the Cavaliers' runner-up finish to the Patriots during her sophomore year. That's when Nairn scored the go-ahead goal off a penalty kick against John Carroll, which scored the equalizer and, eventually, pulled out the win after overtime and a shootout.
What should have been celebrated as a milestone accomplishment -- the Cavaliers had reached the IAAM A Conference title game for the first time in their program's history -- wound up being a bittersweet end to a 17-3 season.
"I know I can speak for Karen and just about everyone when I say that game replayed in our heads over the next couple of months as far as what we could have done differently," said Nairn, a Penn State-bound senior who turns 17 in late September.
"That was devastating after having worked hard all year to get there," Nairn said. "But, looking back, it was that extra step that we needed, and that extra push that we needed for motivation to accomplish what ended up doing last year."
The Cavaliers' response was last year's 19-0-2 mark, capped by their 1-0 title-game shutout of St. Vincent Pallotti. It was a season during which Blocker allowed a miniscule five goals behind a defense anchored by then-freshman Kirstin "Kirby" Frank, who returns to the sweeper position as a sophomore.
Junior Avery Newman and sophomore Olivia Tomoff will join Frank on defense. Junior Jena Gerbrick will play stopper after having missed all of last year with a knee injury, and senior Chrissy Ramirez returns to the defensive midfield.
"For the level of play that we've achieved the last couple of years, I'm very proud of what we've accomplished," said sixth-year coach Bob Dieterle. "But now, you have to challenge the players: Can you continue to play at the highest level? It's going to be a challenge not only for Christine and Karen, but for the rest of the players."
The Cavaliers certainly seem to have the ingriedients to complete yet another remarkable run.
Archbishop Spalding graduated just three starters, including Molly Schaefer, who scored the lone goal to beat John Carroll. Nairn, Blocker and senior midfielders Chelsea Allen and Emily Griffith are among the veterans of a program that has gone a combined record of 23-1-2, with a mark of 18-0-2 in non-tournament league play.
Blocker, a returning Baltimore Sun All-Metro performer who is considering a collegiate career at either Boston, Pittsburgh or Liberty universities, has 40 shutouts over the course of her 48 career victories. Nairn has 43 career goals to go with 24 career assists.
Junior forward Erica Page has 21 career goals and 16 assists -- this, despite having played "75 percent of her freshman year as a defender, and half of her time last season as a midfielder," according to Dieterle.
Page, who contributed 12 goals and 13 assists last season, will be joined up front by strikers Courtney Hoyes and freshman Maggie Morrison, a sophomore and freshman, respectively, said Dieterle.
But the Cavaliers' premiere player is Nairn, a two-time All-Metro selection by The Baltimore Sun and Under-17 National Team player whose scholarship offers included those from "all of the ACC schools," according to her mother, Danamarie Nairn, as well as those from UCLA and Santa Clara, Calif.
"We want to get back to the championship, but our collective mindset has to be that we can't think too far into the future," said Nairn, who carries a 3.8 grade average, and will likely major in psychology. "Of course, we have long-range goals of getting back to the championship game, but right now, we're focusing on the hard work needed to win our next game."
And Cavaliers' schedule is replete with difficult games. "It's a long season," said Dieterle, "starting with our first week."
Of the Cavaliers' 20 games, 14 are on the road.
On Friday, Dieterle said, "Well do a training session in the morning and one at night with a trip to a water park in sandwiched between."
On Saturday, however, the Cavaliers with close with three games in a day versus New Jersey powers Carney, West Orange and Morris, Dieterle said.
"Trips like this are very important for the girls to get to know each other and have fun learning," said Dieterle. "It's important for them and, hopefully, they'll have good memories for years to come."
The memories will be fonder still if they involve winning another championship, said Blocker.
"For us seniors, yeah, having done it last year, the championship is something we want to repeat," Blocker said. "I think if we lost a game, that would be disappointing. But not going undefeated wouldn't completely destroy us. Winning a championship, even getting to the finals, we know will be hard work. But we don't want to let down again."
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Thursday, August 30
IAAM A Conference News
BOUCHELLE AND NAIRN TWO OF FIVE IAAM PLAYERS ON FREESTATE CLUB SOCCER TEAM
PAIR ARE ALSO MEMBERS OF U.S. U-17 NATIONAL TEAM, ALONG WITH SANDIFORD
Two names that can be found on the current roster of the U.S. Under-17 National Soccer Team are IAAM players Julia Bouchelle and Christine Nairn. They are also two of five IAAM players that play for the Freestate Shooters, a Premier U-17 club team that plays out of Bowie.
Bouchelle (Notre Dame Prep) and Nairn (Archbishop Spalding), both rising seniors, are two of the top players in the IAAM's "A" Conference. Fellow teammates on the Freestate team include senior Chelsea Allen and junior Erica Page, both from Spalding, and Colby Rhea, a junior from McDonogh. These five comprise a quarter of the 20-player Freestate roster that includes a diverse group from 10 different counties in Maryland.
Freestate competes in the WAGS, Region 1 Premier league, and also participates in Premier Tournaments and College Showcase events. The Shooters were Maryland State Champions in 2004 and finalists in 2005 and 2006. This spring, they won the Las Vegas President's Day Tournament and the Championship Division of the Jefferson Cup. Freestate finished first in the Southern Division of the Region 1 Premier League, and third overall. Soccer America ranks Freestate at No. 12 in its list of the nation's Top Twenty club soccer teams.
As well as being key members of the Freestate team, Bouchelle and Nairn also play for the U.S. U-17 team. A third IAAM player, McDonogh's Chante Sandiford, is also on the team. Sandiford plays her club ball for the Bethesda Rapids, ranked No. 13, just behind Freestate. The U-17 team had a recent training camp in Sunrise, Florida, with 24 players attending. Bouchelle and Nairn were two of the nine midfielders, and Sandiford was one of the three goalies invited.
The three IAAMers are part of a current pool that totals 46 players. According to the ussoccer website, "Head Coach Dean Duerst will, for the most part, use this pool of players for training camps and matches in 2007. The pool is constantly evolving, with new players being added and called up. Numerous players from the U-16 Girl's National Team may train with the U-17s, and numerous U-17s may train with the U-20 Women's National Team."
The training camp finished with a match against the University of Miami on April 17th, which the U-17 team won, 4-1. Bouchelle and Nairn were both starters in that game. The team then played a local U-15 Boy's Coalition team on April 21st. That match ended in a scoreless draw. Bouchelle, Nairn and Sandiford were all starters in that match.
Bouchelle was First-Team All-IAAM last season, leading Notre Dame Prep, and was named Second-Team All-Metro in 2005. Her sister, Zoe, was a four-year star for the Blazers, and was named Sun Player of the Year in 2003. Zoe currently plays for Penn State and was a two-time Parade All-American in high school. She, like her younger sister, also played for various US Youth National Teams, including the U-19 ODP East Regional Team.
Nairn's soccer resume is jam-packed with accolades and awards. She was an All-IAAM selection in 2005 and 2006 and was All-County, All-Metro and All-State. She was a Parade All-American and was named Gatorade Maryland Player of the Year last year after leading Spalding to the "A" Conference championship. She had 19 goals and 11 assists in leading the Cavaliers to a record of 19-0-2. Nairn was a 2006 NSCAA/adidas High School All-American. She and Bouchelle were both All-State selections by the Maryland Association of Coaches of Soccer (MACS). Nairn tacked on to her award's list the MVP of the Nike Premier 50 Camp in 2006.
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