8th ANNUAL ALUMNI GAME

The Lady Vikings Soccer Program will host the 8th Annual Alumni Soccer Day on Saturday, January 2nd. The festivities will start with the Women's match kicking off at 11:00am and the Men following around 12:30pm.

The Matches will be played at Doskocil Stadium on the campus of Nolan Catholic High School.

For more information contact Pat Pierret in the NCHS Alumni Office at alumni@nolancatholichs.org.

In Memory of Henry Smithey

Henry Wilson Smithey, 72, of Fort Worth passed away Saturday, Dec. 19, 2009.

Service: 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at Restland Funeral Home in Dallas.

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the
American Heart Association.

Henry was well known and respected in the insurance field for over 50 years. He was a very devoted and loving dad who was involved in all his children's lives and activities; he was especially devoted to daughter and LVS Forward, Annie's soccer teams.

He may be best remembered for his gift of making friends with everyone he came in contact with. His family and friends loved him and will miss him very much.

He was a great man and we thank him for the support of the LVS Program. He will be missed. Our prayers are with Annie and her family.

Click her for more information and to sign the guestbook.

Survivors: Wife, Gail; daughters, Whitney and Annie of Fort Worth and Sloane Bush and Anissa Smithey of Richardson; grandchildren, Frankie, Avery and Blake; and brother, Danny of Arlington.

Lady Vikes Back on Track

After going on the road and falling to Ursuline by a score of 3-0 on Wednesday night, the Lady Vikings are back on track as they defeated Bishop Lynch 3-0 on Saturday night. Emily Grider adds her 11th goal of the season while Makenzie Koch was credited with the game-winner in the 5th minute off an assist from Annie Smithey. Maygan Ditucci also had 1 goal of her own. The Lady Vikes move to 8-2-0 on the season and will take a break from district play until they return from Christmas Break on December 5th as the host John Paul II at Doskocil Stadium.

National Top 25 News and Notes

Girls' Soccer (Winter) Top 25 Rankings
Preseason National Rankings

Unlike winter boys' soccer, where it was difficult to find a strong No. 1 candidate, the girls' soccer scene seems loaded with talented teams this season.

Coppell, the defending Texas 5A state champion, gets the early nod thanks to a loaded roster and demanding schedule. The Cowgirls will compete in the Nolan Showcase against some of the top programs in the country.

Meanwhile, Melbourne (Fla.), last year's FAB 50 national champ, will start No. 2 as it returns most of its roster. Melbourne has an easier road to a state title than does Coppell, yet a second straight undefeated season may result in back-to-back FAB 50 titles for this Florida power.

In California, San Clemente and Long Beach Wilson are expected to challenge for the Southern Section Division I crown, and with it usually comes a very high FAB 50 ranking.

Even FAB 50 preseason No. 5 McKinney Boyd (Texas), with a pair of Oklahoma-bound stars from the Dallas Texans, had a case for preseason No. 1.

With Coppell at No. 1 and the Texas season not starting until early January, the top spot will not change until mid-January, at the earliest.

The preseason rankings are based largely on which players are expected to return. Like the winter boys' scene, some elite high school-aged players may skip the season to focus on club soccer. However, it does not appear that the girls' game is affected as much as the boys' teams.

Preseason Top 25 Rank with Notes/Comments

1 Coppell (Coppell, TX)
Missouri-bound Alyssa Diggs, Spayne Avant and youth national team member Chioma Ubogagu highlight the roster. Coppell returns 10 starters from last year's state title team and picks up Katie Bass, who has committed to SMU, after she sat out last season to injury.
2 Melbourne (Melbourne, FL)
The list of returners is quite impressive for this defending state champion: Kristin Grubka (32 goals, 15 assists -- and played some keeper), Nicole DiPerna (26 goals, 18 assists) and Rachel Price (24 goals, seven assists).
3 San Clemente (San Clemente, CA)
Last year's section champ figures to reload in 2010. The team returns all-section first-teamer Frannie Coxe and second-teamers Shelby Chamber-Garcia and Greer Zerboni.
4 Woodrow Wilson (Long Beach, CA)
West Virginia commit Emily Dillon highlights a roster that includes three other returning all-section honorees: Kaitlin Hellmann, Kim Marshall and Brittany Vaughn.
5 Boyd (McKinney, TX)
Oklahoma commits Emily Reid and Kelley Monogue highlight a talented Boyd roster. In addition to the major prospects, the team brings back all-district performers Lauren Katada and Megan Streight.
6 Xavier College Prep (Phoenix, AZ)
Sam Cummings and Annie Graham return after earning first-team all-state honors last year. Xavier College Prep took its only losses in California last season, and this year's team should be stronger with eight returning starters.
7 Ursuline Academy (Dallas, TX)
Ursuline graduated two superstars in Sophie Campise and Alina Garciamendez, but returns 19 players from last year's state title-winning team. Jana Jeffrey is the highest profile player.
8 Westview (San Diego, CA)
Despite the loss of UCLA signee Courtney Lovelace, Westview gets the slight nod over Torrey Pines as No. 1 in San Diego. Westview returns first-team all-league picks Niki Rendler and Cassie Collins, along with second-team picks Sarah Adams and Shannon Hardy from a section championship-winning team.
9 Santa Margarita Catholic HS (RanchoStMargarita, CA)
Junior standout Lauren Bohaboy returns for this perennial Southern California section challenger. The team also brings back all-section honoree Leigh Edward.
10 The Woodlands (The Woodlands, TX)
Kylie Cook returns following a 27-goal, 13-assist junior season. The Woodlands will be favored in the Houston area.
11 Los Alamitos (Los Alamitos, CA)
Ari Carillo and Shannon Ward are back for this Southern California power. Los Al and San Clemente will clash in league play.
12 Carondelet (Concord, CA)
Kory Lamet is the top returner for a team that brings back almost its entire starting lineup from last year's FAB 50-ranked squad. Carondelet is the coaches' pick as section favorites in Northern California.
13 Castro Valley (Castro Valley, CA)
With almost its entire lineup back, Castro Valley is labeled a serious section title challenger this year. Senior Micaela Castian received second-team all-area honors last year, the highest honors among the returning group.
14 Ponte Vedra (Ponte Vedra, FL)
With an influx of players from the Ponte Vedra club soccer team, the high school squad could be in for another state title-winning season. Jackie Hellett returns after scoring 31 goals. Ashley Nicol, Jessica Stephens and Emily Vergo return after earning all-area honors.
15 Nolan Catholic (Fort Worth, TX)
Nolan Catholic, the perennial state runner-up to Ursuline Academy, will be in the title chase again this year. The team's showing at the Nolan Showcase will play an important role in their future rankings.
16 Amador Valley (Pleasanton, CA)
Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick, one of the nation's top prospects and a youth national team member, highlights Amador Valley's lineup.
17 Buchanan (Clovis, CA)
Kacey Held, coming off a 19-goal, 13-assist season, returns for this perennial section challenger. Held has committed to Cal Poly.
18 Torrey Pines (Encinitas, CA)
Led by junior standout Allie Bailey, Torrey Pines figures to be in the section title running again this season. Taylor Sims also returns for this perennial San Diego power.
19 St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park, FL)
Carson Pickett and Sarah Voigt, a pair of national recruits, could lift St. John's Country Day to a lofty national ranking in 2010, if both play high school soccer. Pickett had 26 goals and 30 assists last season. Voigt, a youth national team keeper, allowed only six goals in 25 matches.
20 Boca Raton Community (Boca Raton, FL)
Boca Raton returns the area's large-school player of the year in keeper Caitlin Woody, along with Kelly Costopolous (14 goals, 16 assists) and Alex Major.
21 San Ramon Valley (Danville, CA)
San Ramon Valley pulled off a major upset last year to claim its fourth straight section title. The team returns seven starters and brings in four freshmen from club national champ Mustang FC.
22 James Martin (Arlington, TX)
Martin is this year's Texas wild card. The team returns the section's Attacker of the Year along with three other first-team all-district performers.
23 Esperanza (Anaheim, CA)
Esperanza graduated a talented senior class, which included signees to Southern Cal and Tennessee, among others. However, Katie Gallenes and Erica Mazeau return after earning all-section honors last season.
24 Burlingame (Burlingame, CA)
The two-time defending section champ returns all-area pick and Division I recruit Taylor McCann at forward and defenders Sarah Fraser, Cassie Root and Allison Daley.
25 George Jenkins (Lakeland, FL)
This Lakeland power won a state title in 2008 and gave it a good run in 2009 with a very young team. Despite the graduation of current Florida freshman Kayla Bala, George Jenkins remains a title challenger.

Nationally Ranked Top 15 Teams Face Off on Wednesday

Nolan Catholic is #15 and Ursuline is #7 and they are set to face off Wednesday night at Jesuit College Prep for a 7:30pm kick-off. The 2 teams are no stranger to the cold weather as the winter weather always seems to come in when the 2 teams meet each other. Ursuline defeated the Lady Vikings earlier in the year when they scored in the last minute of play to win 1-0.

Last year the Lady Vikings beat the Bears 1-0 at Jesuit, marking the first time in program history the Vikings have won on the road against the Bears and the first time they have shutout the Bears as well.

The 7-1-0 Vikings hope for the same result as they will have a full squad for the 1st time all season as the Viking players have had club commitments throughout the year. In the previous match against Faith Christian, a double OT shutout win, the Lady Vikings only had 4 players on the bench and were without 5 starters.

With a win Wednesday night the Vikings will pull even with the Bears at the top of the table.

Lady Viking, Alex Rios at Camp with Mexican National Team: Daily Journal

Alex Rios #13

Tuesday, November 17th
It’s the day. The day I leave for Mexico for two weeks. I’m nervous. That’s natural right? I know it’s the last tryout for a while. This is for the world team. So, yeah…being this nervous could only be natural. I finished packing my things and got to airport where I met Lauren. We both wanted the same thing, to make this team. We sat together on the plane and did homework (we both got a lot). We didn’t talk much at first. All was silent the whole plane ride here. When we got to the Mexico City airport, we got off the plane with our heads held high. We went through customs to the other side of the airport where a taxi driver was waiting for us. He took us to our destination. The place is called Conade. This is where all national athletes for Mexico stay when in training. Other sports representing Mexico were here with us. But, of course the pressure is on us. Soccer is the most popular sport in this country. We walked up to the counter and got our room numbers, and begin to settle in. My roommates are Crystal, Alexandra (Alex or Duran as we call her), and Tanya. Lauren was on the other side of the building with her roommate Alejandra (Ally or Ale). They are all very nice. They showed us around and gave us the rundown on the schedule. They were very welcoming. At 5:00 pm that night, we got ready for our first practice. We get on the bus to go to a place special for just the Mexican National team to practice. We get there, and we put our stuff on. Lauren was good at hiding her nerves. I, however, was no good at it. I was trembling all over. I got to the field, and still shaking, did the warm-up. We began to play. I made a few mistakes at first. Coach Leo calmly told me that I need to relax and play my game. He’s seen me play before. He knew what I could do. The rest of the practice went by slowly as I struggled with the altitude and my asthma. By the end, I was tired, hungry, and homesick. I wasn’t sure whether I could last two weeks. This was going to be the hardest two weeks of my life. I wasn’t sure I would make it. I called my mom that night and put on a fake smile. I had my doubts, but my parents told me they would be proud, no matter what happened these two weeks. Then, is when I realized that I was going to do my best to make it happen, and I would strive to make this team, but most of all, I would have fun.

Wednesday and Thursday, November 18-19th
These days went by the same. Two-a-days. One running practice in the morning, and a scrimmage in the afternoon. These were long of course. I couldn’t breathe with the altitude. There is a lot of competition. It was hard to keep up at first. Strength and determination were the only tools I needed to turn on my game. The skill came by itself after that. All was well on the 19th. Everything got a lot better. I started to feel like I was stronger, faster, and in better shape. In between practices, our group of six did our homework mostly. Only at night would we start a party. This night in particular, Crystal hid in the closet and jumped out to scare people. We took video on Crystal’s and Ally’s computer’s too. It was really fun. We always thought that we would be panicking into the next week about our homework. We would just laugh at the idea. There is a good social scene here as well as a good soccer atmosphere. It was a good balance of the two.

Friday, November 20th
Today was a one day practice. We practiced once in the morning. It was intense running the first half. The second half was about the shape of the offence. We went back to Conade, and some lunch. We relaxed the rest of the day. The next day was a huge test of skills. We would be divided into two teams and play two separate games. We did homework the rest of the night. Ally and Lauren slept over in our room that night. There were the only two in their room at the time. Their roommates would show up later in the week. So today passed slowly with little activity. It wasn’t very exciting. We went to bed early that night to be ready for the games in the morning.

Saturday, November 21st Rios - 3rd from right
The two games were today. They weren’t bad teams either. Lauren was on the first team that played. They did ok. They tied 1-1. We were the next team to play. Butterflies were flying around in my stomach the entire time we warmed up. It was hard to concentrate at first, because I was to busy wondering what would happen if I made a mistake as a defender. I had nothing to worry about. Our team did much better than the first. We won 3-0. It was a good game. It was very competitive between the two teams. The coach only had good things to say about our team. Lauren ended up playing both games. She was the most tired of the six of us. After the games, we went back to camp and we all fell asleep before dinner. At dinner we were all very hyper. We also, found a love for Nutella chocolate on bread. We kept going back and forth through the line to get more chocolate. Together, the six of us finished three jars of Nutella chocolate. And, as expected, we were so hyper that we didn’t go to bed until almost midnight. That’s late here considering the intensity of training. We just sat there and talked all night about anything random. We also sang songs from Ally’s and my IPods. That was our night, full of fun and not enough sleep. We knew that we would pay for it in the morning for the next set of games.

Sunday, November 22nd
We woke up just in time for breakfast. We were all really tired. We had those dark bags under our eyes. We weren’t sure that we were ready to play. Actually, we knew we weren’t ready. We were terrified to play, because we knew we would do poorly. We got on the bus and tried to prepare ourselves mentally for the game ahead. We get there, and we find out that we wouldn’t have to play that day. The team from yesterday didn’t have to play the game. Excluding Crystal, we went to another field to play a couple of games of soccer tennis. It was a good thing that we didn’t have to play, because we were so tired. We were really happy. We did promise ourselves that we would sleep well that next night. However, after that game, we did have something else to worry about. They began to make cuts from the team that played that day. They would be going home the next day. I was shocked at some of the girls that got cut. They were really good players. I was worried about my spot on the national team. We have yet to find out if anyone else is going to get cut. Now every time that the six of us step out on to that field, we terrified of being pulled over to the side and told that there would not be a spot for us on the Under 17 national team. I would just have to wait to see how the rest of the week was going to pan out for myself and my new friends. To relieve our worries, a dad of one of the girls signed us out so we could go to the mall for a while. It really was a relief. Tonight, we actually felt normal. For once in these two weeks, I didn’t feel so homesick. I had fun. When Crystal, Alex, and Ally went to movie, Tanya, Lauren, and I went shopping. Lauren and I didn’t spend as much as Tanya did. She spent about 700 pesos ($70 U.S. dollars). We walked from store to store looking and the many different things that weren’t in the U.S. We were even rushing to get back before curfew. We were having so much fun that we lost track of time. We struggled to pack six of us into two cabs and back to Conade in time. We made it with a minute to spare. We got back to the room, all out of breath, and we laughed about our adventure to get back. For a moment, we forgot all about the cuts, and we were relaxed again.

Monday, November 23rd
Today was a single practice day again. It was some more intense running and some skill work. It wasn’t a hard practice overall. It was just the fear of being cut that made practice hard. We all didn’t want to mess up at all. After practice was over, no one was cut. So we ate lunch in peace. We had a few hours in between before treatments would begin. We weren’t exactly sure what treatment was. All the coaches told us was to bring extra clothes, sandals, sport bras, and sliders or short shorts. We went back to the place where we practice, and sat in the locker room that was so professional looking. It was amazing. There we stripped down to our shorts and bras and began treatments. Treatments consisted of a steam room for 15 minutes (it got so hot and it felt disgusting to sweat like that), a 15 minute hot tub treatment, (which felt amazing), a massage (for injured or hurt players first), then a hot shower (times varied depending on the girl). It was a good treatment. My legs didn’t feel so tight after, and my body felt more rested than ever before. It was perfect timing in the week. It was about half way through tryouts, and right before our game against Trinidad and Tobago. We all were a little more relaxed now about the cuts. Before dinner, Saul (one of the coaches of the team) clarified some tactical points on defending. It made me feel a little better about the trials and hopefully I’ll get a spot on the team. I’m not a worried as I was this morning, but there’s no stopping now. Any girl would want my spot, and I’m not about to give it up after coming so far. Hopefully what I’m giving is good enough. I guess we’ll find out later this week.

Tuesday, November 24
Today, at breakfast, there were only three of us present. Ally, Alex, and I were the only ones of our six not feeling under the weather. The others (Crystal, Lauren, and Tanya) were all sick from some food from the vending machines. We knew that they shouldn’t practice for the day. They wanted to push the two-a-day anyway. Turns out, Doctora (our team trainer) wouldn’t let them practice the first practice. By lunch, everyone was feeling somewhat better. We had a couple of hours before the second practice. The three sick ones slept the entire time, while Ally, Alex, and I did homework in the next room. We did a good amount before it (Rios - Left) was time to go. We’ve been saying all week that we would spend one day on homework to get it done. But, it never happened until today. So as we left for the second practice, the sick three were feeling much better, and they practiced. It was a good practice about shape. It was still intense, but it wasn’t that bad since we are all used to the air by now. At practice, there was a new girl who came in that morning. Her name was Christina. She’s from California. We welcomed her in, and she stayed with us for the rest of the night. She ended up becoming our next roommate. There were now seven of us crammed into a room meant for four people. But, we didn’t care. We were all close friends by now, and we all didn’t mind having many people sleep in one room, because we are all good friends.

Wednesday, November 25
Today was an easy practice day. Today was very exciting, because everyone still standing on the field today has made the team! It’s mind blowing to be part of this team. It can’t be described in words how I feel. Those feelings are covered up at the moment from my nerves. Our first game as a team is tomorrow. And to be completely honest, I’m not sure who we’re playing, and I don’t care who it is. All I know is that I need to show this coach even more of what I’ve got. I have to play well. I’m not trying to put pressur on myself, but it comes naturally to me. I just know that doing my best should make the biggest difference in the game. It’s just the nerves that could stop me from doing my best. As much as I want to be here, and as long as I living my dream, Nothing can stop me now. I’ve worked much too hard to give it up now. I’m not ready to give up. I’m not ready to go home without a national player title.

As nervous as we all are, we are all still pretty calm. We thought of a cheer for tomorrow. We’ve all shared our feelings about what needs to happen. I know that this team is good and that we could win. I’m ready to show what I got. I’m calm, and I should be ready. I’m confident in myself and my teammates to get the job done.

Today continued with more relaxing and more homework…or atleast an attempt. Ally and I made a huge dent in the work that we had. My other roommates weren’t as fortunate. They didn’t get much accomplished. Tonight for dinner, we order some food for some local place. It wasn’t any better than the food in the cafeiteria all the athletes eat from. We were very disappointed. We were laughing while eating outside in the cold. You see what had happened was that we were the only one’s that ordered in. we didn’t want to get attacked by the other girls for the food, so we had to seek around the campus to get away from our teammates. Everywhere we went, there were people and we had to run away from them. We just decided to eat outside in this little corner by ourselves. So, after that, the rest of the night was devoted to homework for me atleast.

Thursday, November 26
This is it. Today is game day. I’m a little nervous. I still wasn’t sure whether I would start today, but I was ready to start if I needed to. We got to the locker room. I was still nervous as I sat at my locker, and I gazed at my uniform. I was picturing myself wearing the uniform before I put it on. Before we got ready, we took pictures on the field. I still wasn’t sure how the game was going to go. We put on our shorts, went outside to warm-up. Being one of the starting eleven, I did a special warm-up. We went to go change, and I was still nervous. The feeling wasn’t going away. While I was putting on that jersey, I said a little prayer asking God to help me. I was hoping he would come through for me. We walked out onto that field, and I was still praying to God to help me. Turns out, it wasn’t that bad. We all played a very good as a team. I didn’t expect to play the whole game. But, I did and I was so tired. Trinadad and Tobago wasn’t a bad team. But, it was just a quick, good practice for us. We did good overall. After the game, I said another prayer, thanking God for getting me through and for helping me play well. We got back on the bus, and I called my family to wish them a happy Thanksgiving. Mexico doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving like Americans do. So what the Americans did today was that we got together at the same table, and we gave thanks to the chicken and the meat being served in the cafeteria that day. Everyone stared of course, but we didn’t care. We just sat there together and were thankful. After that meal, I took a shower and slept well that night. We all did because we were so tired. All was peaceful and well.

Friday, November 27
Today we had a light practice. We have another game tomorrow. I’m not as nervous about it as I was. I don’t know if I’ll play tomorrow. The girls who played the entire game, like the entire defense, shouldn’t play. We are all really tired. Today we were playing soccer tennis while the rest of the team that didn’t play had an actual practice. We went back to Conade and relaxed the entire time until dinner. Today was one of the girl’s 15th birthday, so we got cake. It was good to have some food with some fat for once. But, other than that, today passed quickly and calmly. I finished my homework today, so I don’t have to do anything on the way back, and I can relax. I’m glad I came, but I’m ready to go home. I’m homesick. But, I only have one more day starting tomorrow. And, tomorrow is a game. So, I’m ready to go home and see my family, my friends, and NEW MOON!!!

Rios - bottom right hand corner

Saturday, November 28
Today was another game day against Trinadad and Tobago. It was the same team. I didn’t play today. He wanted to try out other girls. It wasn’t pretty at first. We were losing 2-0 at half time. After half time, everything settled down, and they played well. We ended up winning 5-2. It was a good game after the second half. The coach, Leo, told me that I didn’t have to worry about my playing time. He didn’t play me, because my back flared up again in the last game. I was ok with that of course, nut I was still a little sad that I didn’t get to play. The bus ride back to Conade was so fun. Lauren and I had our taxi ride to the airport set up for the next morning. When we got on the bus, there was a party going on. We rode back to Conade, and I’m pretty sure that I was smiling the entire time. We had fun. One of the dad’s on the team bought flowers from a street vendor and we all got flowers. They were beautiful roses. We got back and I started packing. It was sad to say bye to everyone who was leaving today. But, there are still some of us here tonight. Lucy, of the remaining Americans, bought us real food from Mexico. She got us real tacos, and they were really good. So, now I’m getting ready for bed, reflecting on the week, and I was glad that I came, but I’m ready to go home. I miss my family and my friends so much. I can’t wait to get up at 5:45 tomorrow morning to get ready to go back home. Hopefully, I sleep well at least.

JV GAME TIME CHANGE - Wednesday, Dec. 2nd

The Wednesday, Dec. 2nd JV Game at Home vs Parish Episcopal has been moved to 6:30pm from 5:30pm.

NOLAN SOCCER LIVE ON JATOTV: Tuesday, December 1st at 6:25pm

Live Broadcasting by Ustream CLICK HERE TO VIEW FULL CHANNEL

ESPN Pre-Season National Rankings Released

Who's No. 1?

With the fall season in the books, it is time to shift the focus to winter high school soccer. Today, we release the preseason Top 25 boys' and girls' teams. MORE

HAPPY THANKSGIVING from LVS

6 Goals; 6 Different Players

The Lady Vikings move to the top of the standings with a victory over Bishop Dunne Monday night at Doskocil Stadium. Six different players found the back of the net in the 6-0 result. Maygan Ditucci highlights the group with the game winner at the 19 minute mark and later added 3 assists. Makenzie Koch, Elizabeth Cottrell, Emily Grider, Emily Baker, and Annie Smithey all scored moving the Lady Vikings to 6-1-0 in district play with 18 points. Baker scored her first goal of the season off a corner kick from Grider - the first goal to come off a corner all year.

The first half of district play comes to an end and starting next week the Lady Vikings will begin the 2nd half with a home match against Faith Christian at home on Tuesday, December 1st at 6:30pm.

Season Statistics to Date (Team)...
Goals: Nolan 21 - Opponent 2
Shots: Nolan 143 - Opponent 43
Shots on Goal: Nolan 103 - Opponent 26
Corner Kicks: Nolan 31 - Opponents 11
Fouls: Nolan 28 - Opponents 22
Saves: Nolan 24 - Opponents 82
Shutouts: Nolan 5 - Opponents 1
Goals Against: Nolan 0.28 - Opponents 3.00
Goals For: Nolan 3.00 - Opponents 0.28

The Lady Vikings will head back to California for the Tri-Valley Classic where some of the best teams in the country come to play representing schools from California, Nevada, Hawaii, and of course, Texas.

The Lady Vikings have a long history with the event as they attended every year of the event except for last year. The Tri-Valley Classic began in 2002 after it used to be just a 4-team round robin showcase hosted by Carondelet Catholic. See article on first year of event - CLICK HERE.

Nolan Catholic looks forward to the trip again: they are slated to play the following nationally respected teams…

Acalanes (NCS DFAL)
*2009 record (13-6-4)
*Lost in the second round in NCS Championship.
*4-0 in 2008 TVC Silver
Berean Christian (NCS DVAL)
*2009 record (13-8-2)
*Lost in second round in NCS Championship.
*1-2-1 in 2008 TVC Gold
Bishop O'Dowd (NCS HAAL)
*2009 record (14-4-4)
*Finalist in NCS Championship.
*1-3 in 2008 TVC Invitational
Francis Parker (SDS Coastal South)
*2009 record (14-3-5)
*Finalist in SDS D4 Championship

The Tri-Valley Classic will be held in Walnut Creek, CA, Dec. 20-22, 2009. For more information on the event CLICK HERE

Hats Off to Grider

The Lady Vikings stay even at the top of the table with the help of a Hat Trick by Emily Grider, her first hat trick of her high school career. Nolan avenged last years loss to John Paul with goals in the 9th, 10th, 22nd, and 29th minutes for a 4-0 victory at John Paul II High School Athletic Complex in Plano.

Grider also added an assist to Annie Smithey, who got her first goal of the season. Katlynn Koch had 2 helpers, as did Haley Spotts and Smithey.

The Lady Vikings improve to 5-1 and have outscored opponents 15-2 in those 6 matches. Goalkeeper's McKenzie Sauerwein and Alissa Reed combined for the shutout.

The JV remain unbeaten with a 4-0 win over John Paul as well and move to 3-0-1.

Lady Vikings Continue to Roll

Emily Grider get another one, while Makenzie Koch scores her first goal of the season as the Lady Vikings roll to a 2-0 win over Plano Prestonwood at Doskocil Stadium. Koch took a pass from Annie Smithey with her back to goal, spun the first defender and scored from the top of the 18 in the 3rd minute. In the 13th minute, Grider scored her 6th goal of the year in 5 games.

The Lady Vikings took 30 shots, 22 of those were on goal, hit the bar 4 times and keep the ball very well. Annie Smithey and Alex Rios got their first points of the season with 1 assist each.

Nolan will head to John Paul on Wednesday for a 7:30pm kick-off. The JV will open the night at 6:00pm.

JV Competes at Varsity Tournament

The Lady Vikings JV team will participate in the Liberty Christian Varsity Tournament starting on Thursday. The same tournament that they made it to the semi-finals the year before.

2009 Schedule...
10:05am vs Oakridge Field #2
12:15pm vs FW Christian Field #2

Friday - 11/20
9:00am vs Tomball Field #1
11:10am vs Tyler Field #1

Saturday - 11/21
9:30am Semi-Finals TBA
1:30pm Championship Field #1

Home & Away for the Lady Vikings

The Lady Vikings host Plano Prestonwood on Monday night at 6:30pm at Doskocil Stadium and then travel to John Paul on Wednesday night for a 7:30pm match. The JV will play the first match at 6:00pm on Wednesday. The Lady Vikings split with John Paul II last year and defeated Prestonwood by a combined score of 14-0. Prestonwood defeated Lynch earlier this year in OT, 2-1, but fell to Ursuline 2-0, Faith 3-1, and TCA 5-2. John Paul on the other hand lost to TCA and defeated Faith, Lynch, and Dunne.

Lady Vikings Too Much for TCA

The Lady Vikings moved to 3-1-0 on the season with a convincing 2-0 win over TCA on Friday night - both goals were scored by Emily Grider. Alex Perez and Makenzie Koch added helpers on the night. The JV had an impressive night as they defeated the Lady Trojans 5-0 earlier on that night.

LVS LIVE on JATO TV at 7:30pm CT

Join us tonight for the first high school women's soccer broadcast on JATO TV – the match will mark the first of a series of selected match ups that will come to you live this season. CLICK HERE FOR LIVE ACTION AT 7:30pm CT

Live TV : Ustream

State Champs: Do it Again to LVS

One of the all time quality matches was played this past Wednesday evening - Nolan...Ursuline.... who is it going to be this time?? Ursuline is ranked number #3 in the Nation by ESPN and they proved that they know how to win but it took all 79:15 minutes of the game for the first goal to be scored and it was Ursuline's, Natalie Huggins that scored the game-winner for the Lady Bears.

The game was a back and forth affair that saw many chances from both teams pushed aside by quality goalkeeping and defending.

The play was mostley in the midfield.

Lady Viking, Emily Grider hit the bar and Emily Baker missed off the rebound; Katlynn Koch saw her chance go over the bar from about 12 out.

Ursuline also had several attempts at goal but Nolan GK, Mckenzie Sauerwein was up to the task.

Ursuline improved to 3-0-0 and Nolan dropped to 2-1.

Up next for the Lady Vikings is TCA as the Trojans come to town on Friday for a 7:30pm kick-off. The JV will kick-off at 6:00pm. The varsity tilt will be broadcast LIVE on JATO TV - CLICK HERE FOR LINK.

LVS Opens at Home: Lone Goal is Enough

Emily Grider gets the only goal of the evening for the Lady Vikings and it proves to be enough as Nolan improves to 2-0 and Bishop Lynch drops to 0-3. The Lady Vikings inconsistency was sandwiched but quality soccer - the first 5 minutes and last 10 minutes was all the Lady Vikings needed to stay unbeaten in district play. The Lady Friars were very organized defensively and sat most fo their team behind the ball. The Vikings struggled to unlock them defensively but toward the end of the game they got into a good rythme and were able to come out with a good result.

Up next for the Lady Vikes...Ursuline comes to town on Wednesday night for an 8:00pm kick-off. Both the Lady Bears and Lady Vikings share a 2-0-0 district record.

Busy Week for LVS: Home Opener

Lady Vikings Soccer sees action 3 out of the next 5 days starting on Monday versus Bishop Lynch at 8:00pm at Doskocil Stadium. Ursuline comes to town on Wednesday and TCA visits Fort Worth on Friday as well. Nolan Catholic brings their 1-0-0 record into Mondays match as Lynch is 0-2-0 with opening week loses to Plano Prestonwood and Ursuline.

New this season for select matches, fans not able to attend, can follow all the action LIVE on JATO TV brought to you by JATO Media. Play-by-play analyst Chris Blake will call the matches. Log-in information and broadcast schedule coming soon.

Video Highlights: Game 1 @ Faith Christian

Opening Night: LVS Strikes 6 Times

The Lady Vikings get on the board early but a scrappy and organized Faith Christian didn't make it easy for the Vikes. The Koch sisters combine early as Katlynn scores her first career goal on an assist from big sis, Makenzie. Just 5 minutes later big sis playes little sis in behind and she gets taken down in the box and puts the Lady Vikings up 2-0 on her 2nd goal of the evening.
The score remained 2-0 through the half as Faith continued to put the Vikings under tons of pressure and had a couple good chances. Emily Grider played on both sides of the field and up front and was too much for Faith as she added 2 goals of her own.

Faith cut the Vikings lead to 4-1 with about 10 to play but the Lady Vikings answered immediately with 2 more goals - Lindsay Murray and Elizabeth Cottrell added the first goals of their young high school careers.

Up next for the Lady Vikings is the home opener against Bishop Lynch on Monday, November 9th at 8:00pm at Doskocil Stadium. The JV will play before at 6:30pm.

FINAL ROSTER SELECTIONS

Congrats to the following players for being selected to the 2009-2010 Nolan Catholic Lady Vikings Soccer Program...

Junior Varsity Players

Evangeline Branden

Melissa Brodnicki

Maddi Carter

Olivia Chamness

Ericka Dickenson

Ali Ditucci

Lauren Eller

Erin Fisher

Maddie Flynn

Kelsey Hattersley

Mary Heidt

Jenny Heidt

Aimme Hernandez

Margaret Jow

Maggie Kleiser

Allaire Langdon

Gaby Larson

Kayleen Negron

Sarah Orand

Rachel Robinson

Lauren Wagner

Varsity Players

Alyssa Reed

McKenzie Sauerwein

Emily Baker

Maygan Ditucci

Alex Rios

Presley Smith

Haley Spotts

Emily Grider

Elizabeth Cottrell

Megan Billingsley

Annie Smithey

Lauren Gonzalez

Lindsey Murray

Sara Chandlee

Katlynn Koch

Paige Harris

Kathleen Keoughan

Ashley Fischer

Makenzie Koch

Alex Perez

Coaching Staff

Head Coach - Jay Fitzgerald

Assistant - Todd Fitzgerald

Assistant - Marty West

Assistant - Jamie Creevey

Player Selection - Roster Adjustments

Roster adjustments will be ongoing through Monday, Oct. 26th and then the rosters will be finalized on Friday, Oct. 30th.

Countdown Top 10 LVS Moments/Players

Top 10 Nolan Women's Soccer Moments...

#10 Won the Lewisville Cup by defeating National and State 5A Powerhouse, Plano.

On January 24th, 2004, the Lady Vikings defeated the Farmers 1-0 by way of a 2-1 shootout win. This was the first time a private school won the Lewisville Cup and the first time the Lady Vikings have won a tourament by way of shootout. The shootout was the dribble-up format from 35 yards out. Laurel Faulhaber and Heather Ulliman scored in the shootout. In route to the championship the Lady Vikings defeated Frisco 5-0 and tied Plano East 1-1 and Flower Mound 0-0.

Top 10 Nolan Lady Vikings Players...

*These players have helped build this program into one of the top high school women's soccer programs in the country and have made a difference on and off the field through their hard work, dedication, respect, leadership, and attitude.

#10 Margaret Taraba ('03) Texas A&M

Margaret stormed onto the scene her freshman year as the teams leading scorer with 24 goals and 4 assists for 52 points. She was a very intelligent player with a nose for the goal. She was in the right place at the right time. She had extreme presence in the box and was not afraid to mix it up. Margaret had an incredible work ethic and helped lead this program to many highs during her successful high school career. Even though Margaret missed about 70% of the season her junior year due to a knee injury she still played over 80 matches for the Lady Vikings scoring 54 goals and 15 assists for 123 points. Margaret played club soccer for D’Feeters ’85, Texas Image ’85 and ’82, and JATO Image ‘84.

1999-2000 25-24 mp-ms 24 g 4 a 52 pts
2000-2001 22-14 mp-ms 14 g 5 a 33 pts
2001-2002 16-4 mp-ms 6 g 1 a 13 pts
2002-2003 18-16 mp-ms 10 g 5 a 25 pts
Totals 81-58 mp-ms 54 g 15 a 123 pts

2009-2010 Regular Season Schedule

November 16th vs Plano Prestonwood* V Nolan Catholic 6:30pm
November 18th @ John Paul II* JV/V John Paul II 6:00pm/7:30pm
November 19th Oakridge^ JV Liberty #2 10:05am
November 19th FW Christian^ JV Liberty #2 12:15pm
November 20th Tomball^ JV Liberty #1 9:00am
November 20th Tyler^ JV Liberty #1 11:10am
November 21st Semi-Finals^ JV TBA 9:30am
November 21st Final^ JV Liberty #1 1:30pm
November 23rd vs Bishop Dunne* V Nolan Catholic 7:00pm
December 1st vs Faith Christian* V Nolan Catholic 6:30pm
December 2nd @ Bishop Dunne* V Bishop Dunne 5:30pm
December 2nd vs Parish Episcopal JV Nolan Catholic 5:30pm
December 9th @ Ursuline* JV/V Jesuit 6:00pm/7:30pm
December 12th @ Bishop Lynch* JV/V Bishop Lynch 3:30pm/5:00pm
January 2nd Alumni Match V Nolan Catholic 11:00am
January 5th vs John Paul II* V Nolan Catholic 6:00pm
January 6th @ All Saints JV All Saints 5:30pm
January 7th ESPN/Red Bull Showcase# vs Carroll CANCELLED
January 8th ESPN/Red Bull Showcase# vs Taft 10:30am
January 9th ESPN/Red Bull Showcase# vs Odessa 12:00pm
January 12th @ TCA* JV/V TCA 6:00pm/7:30pm
January 15th St. Stephen’s$ V Austin CANCELLED
January 15th Monterrey Mexico$ V Austin CANCELLED
January 18th @ Parish Episcopal JV TBA 4:30pm
January 19th @ Plano Prestonwood V Prestonwood 6:30pm
January 21st Mansfield% V Mustang-Panther 8:00pm
January 22nd Rockwall% V Colleyville Heritage 8:00pm
January 23rd Plano% V Mustang-Panther 1:00pm
January 23rd Final vs Plano West% V TBA 5:00pm
January 26th vs Paschal JV/V Nolan Catholic 6:00pm/7:30pm
January 27th vs John Paul II JV Nolan Catholic 6:30pm
January 28th vs All Saints JV Nolan Catholic CANCELLED
January 28th @ Plano West V Clark Stadium East CANCELLED
January 29th @ Bishop Dunne V Bishop Dunne 5:30pm
January 30th vs St. Stephen's V Nolan Catholic 11:00am
February 2nd vs Marcus JV/V Nolan Catholic 5:30pm/7:15pm
February 4th vs Houston Christian! V Nolan Catholic 5:00pm
February 15th vs Austin St. Michael's! V Nolan Catholic 11:30am
February 19th vs Antonian! V San Antonio 11:00am
February 20th TAPPS State Championship 12:00pm

* - District Match
(S) – Scrimmage
^ - Liberty Christian Varsity Tournament
# - ESPN/Red Bull Showcase
$ - Austin College Showcase/Camp
% - CHHS Allison Horn Showcase
! – TAPPS Playoffs

Nolan Catholic Among the Girls' Soccer National Stat Leaders

Girls' soccer national stat leaders
By Sheldon ShealerESPNRISE.com(Archive)

The following are the nation's top reported performances for the 2008-09 school year.

TOP GIRLS PERFORMANCES
(2008-2009 school year)

TEAM PERFORMANCES
Consecutive Wins (Minimum 18)
34, Lenape (N.J.)*29, White Oak (Jacksonville, N.C.)*26, Broad Run (Ashburn, Va.)25, Sierra (Manteca, Calif.)22, St. Pius (Atlanta, Ga.)*21, Bethlehem (N.Y.)21, Foothill (Pleasanton, Calif.)19, Union-Endicott (N.Y.)*19, Wheat Ridge (Colo.)18, East Islip (N.Y.)18, Pennington Prep (Pennington, N.J.)*18, Waterville (Maine)**-active streak

Consecutive Games Without A Loss (Minimum 20)
59, Waubonsie Valley (Aurora, Ill.)58, George Jenkins (Lakeland, Fla.)48, Broad Run (Ashburn, Va.)*47, Acton-Boxboro (Mass.)41, St. Francis (Sacramento, Calif.)*39, White Oak (Jacksonville, N.C.)*35, Leesville Road (Raleigh, N.C.)*35, St. Ursula (Cincinnati, Ohio)*34, Lenape (N.J.)*31, Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)31, Robinson (Fairfax, Va.)28, Portage Central (Portage, Mich.)*28, Sierra (Manteca, Calif.)27, Kingwood (Humble, Texas)27, Reagan (San Antonio, Texas)26, Service (Anchorage, Alaska)*25, Austin (Fort Bend, Texas)25, Clovis (Calif.)25, Miami Springs (Miami, Fla.)24, Clear Lake (Houston, Texas)24, Melbourne (Fla.)*24, John Jay (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.)*23, Woodbury (Minn.)*22, Noblesville (Ind.)*22, St. Pius (Atlanta, Ga.)*21, Bethlehem (N.Y.)21, Centerville (Ohio)21, Foothill (Pleasanton, Calif.)21, McDonogh (Owings Mills, Md.)20, Chatfield (Littleton, Colo.)20, Montgomery (Skillman, N.J.)*-active streak

Most Goals Scored, Season (Minimum 100)
156, White Oak (Jacksonville, N.C.), 22 matches146, Sierra (Manteca, Calif.), 29 matches146, Virgil Grissom (Huntsville, Ala.), 29 matches144, Lake Norman (Mooresville, N.C.), 25 matches143, Melbourne (Fla.)141, St. Pius (Atlanta, Ga.), 22 matches137, Lee's Summit North (Lee's Summit, Mo.), 28 matches125, Richmond Hill (Ga.), 21 matches122, Marvin Ridge Waxhaw, N.C.), 23 matches121, T.C. Roberson (Asheville, N.C.), 27 matches117, East Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, N.C.), 25 matches117, Whitewater (Fayetteville, Ga.), 21 matches116, Mountain Brook (Ala.), 23 matches116, Sandia (N.M.)114, Cardinal Gibbons (Raleigh, N.C.), 23 matches114, Lakeside Evans (Evans, Ga.), 17 matches113, Swansboro (N.C.), 27 matches112, Decatur (Ala.), 28 matches111, Yucaipa (Calif.)110, Emmaus (Pa.)109, St. Francis (Sacramento, Calif.)108, Forbush (East Bend, N.C.), 26 matyches108, Glynn Academy (Brunswick, Ga.), 20 matches107, Kings Mountain (N.C.), 26 matches106, Charlotte Catholic (Charlotte, N.C.), 23 matches106, Nolan Catholic (Fort Worth, Texas)106, Salem (Conyers, Ga.), 22 matches104, Greenbrier Evans (Evans, Ga.), 20 matches104, Marist (Atlanta, Ga.), 22 matches102, Greater Atlanta Christian (Norcross, Ga.), 22 matches100, Randolph (Huntsville, Ala.), 22 matches100, Service (Anchorage, Alaska), 23 matches100, Topsail (N.C.), 19 matches

Most Goals Scored, Game (Minimum 11)
18, Fargo North (Fargo, N.D.) vs. Devils Lake (N.D.), April 21, 200917, Kennedy (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) vs. Warerloo East (Warerloo, Iowa), May 26, 200915, McLean (Va.) vs. Wakefield (Va.), March 12, 200915, Waterville (Maine) vs. Brewer (Maine), Sept. 5, 200813, Yucaipa vs. Banning (Calif.), Dec. 4, 200812, Sacred Heart (Ky.) vs. Whitfield Academy (Ky.), Oct. 20, 200811, Sandia (N.M.) vs. Santa Fe (N.M.), Oct. 23, 200811, Sierra (Manteca, Calif.) vs. Ceres (Calif.), 2009

Most Shutouts, Season (Minimum 15)
23, Yucaipa (Calif.)22, Noblesville (Ind.)22, Sierra (Manteca, Calif.)21, Reagan (San Antonio, Texas)20, Broad Run (Ashburn, Va.)19, Nolan Catholic (Fort Worth, Texas)19, San Clemente (Calif.)19, White Oak (Jacksonville, N.C.)18, Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.)18, Melbourne (Fla.)17, Leesville Road (Raleigh, N.C.)16, Clear Lake (Houston, Texas)16, Wheat Ridge (Colo.)
Most Shutouts, Consecutive (Minimum 8)22, Noblesville (Ind.)14, Portland Jesuit (Portland, Ore.)11, White Oak (Jacksonville, N.C.), March 12-April 2510, Sierra (Manteca, Calif.)8, Nolan Catholic (Fort Worth, Texas)8, White Oak (Jacksonville, N.C.), May 4-May 30

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES
Most Goals Scored, Season (Minimum 35)
65, Morgan Marlborough, Lee's Summit North (Lee's Summit, Mo.)59, Mar Rodriguez, Santa Ana Valley (Calif.)59, Sam Scalf, Bartram Trail (St. John's, Fla.)55, Victoria Burnell, Liberty-Madera (Calif.)53, Amy Grow, Deer Creek (Okla.)53, Kate Maguigan, Page (Franklin, Tenn.)53, Nicole Vanni, Sierra (Manteca, Calif.)50, Chrissy Gratz, Archbishop McCarthy (Fla.)50, Stephanie Rose, White Oak (Jacksonville, N.C.)50, Aimee Vasquez, Ruidoso (N.M.)49, Tabitha Padgett, Orange Park (Fla.)48, Emily Gray Powell, Heritage School (Ga.)47, Jordan Pellerin, Waterville (Maine)46, Demi Hamilton, Selma (Calif.)44, Kodi Lavrusky, Yucaipa (Calif.)43, Tishia Jewell, Satellite (Satellite Beach, Fla.)43, Brooke Thigpen, Bolles School (Jacksonville, Fla.)41, Jenny Hernandez, American (Miami, Fla.)41, Caitlin Landis, Milton (Hershey, Pa.)41, Katie Stengel, Viera (Melbourne, Fla.)40, Ceci Colon, Westminster (Fla.)40, Monica Lozano, Mater (Fla.)39, Shareen Sutherland, Edgewater (Orlando, Fla.)39, Jenci Villaverde, Bayside (Fla.)38, Taylor Addison, Cardinal Spellman (N.Y.)38, Jeanne Canto, Coral Gables (Fla.)38, Kori Hamm, Edmeston (N.Y.) 38, Kathleen Murphy, Santa Fe (Fla.)38, Tatiana Penagos, American Heritage-Delray (Fla.)37, Brittany D'Addio, Pope John Paul II (Fla.)37, Andrea Rohrschieb, West Broward (Fla.)37, Vanessa Skrumbis, Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)36, Alicia Blose, Tamalpais (Mill Valley, Calif.)35, Meghan Gilley, Emmaus (Pa.)35, Kat Nigro, Livingston Academy (Tenn.)35, Becky Patton, Collegiate (Richmond, Va.)35, Taylor Schram, Canon-McMillan (Pa.)

Most Goals Scored, Game (Minimum 6)
8, Jordan Pellerin, Waterville (Maine) vs. Brewer, Sept. 5, 20087, Andre Cardenas, Coachella Valley (Calif.) vs. Imperial, Jan. 5, 2009

Most Assists, Season (Minimum 20)
39, Jessie Palacio, La Salle (Fla.)33, Hilary Zenuk, Highland (Gilbert, Ariz.)30, Sarah Granda, Dade Christian (Fla.)30, Stephanie Whitten, Waterville (Maine)27, Brittany D'Addio, Pope John Paul II (Fla.)27, Michaela Scott, Sierra (Manteca, Calif.)26, Dallas Carter, Miami Springs (Miami, Fla.)26, Sarah Lenhart, Wellington (Fla.)26, Paula Zuluaga, Miami Springs (Miami, Fla.)25, Vonnie DesJarlais, Service (Anchorage, Alaska)25, Rachel Montoya, St. Pius (N.M.)25, Amunique Scott, American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)23, Alex Burton, Reagan (San Antonio, Texas)23, Jill Holdsworth, Satellite (Satellite Beach, Fla.)

Most Assists, Game (Minimum 4)
4, Kaylie Winston, Pasco (Wash.) vs. Davis (Wash.), Sept. 13, 2008

Most Shutouts, Season (Minimum 15) 22, Kelsey Wys, Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)21, Moriah Fallon, Sierra (Manteca, Calif.)21, Ashley Szalwinski, Noblesville (Ind.)20, Caitlin Hunter, Broad Run (Ashburn, Va.)20, Kathleen Messinger, Aliso Niguel (Aliso Viejo, Calif.)19, Mikaela Barboza, American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)19, Tiffany Corder, San Clemente (Calif.)19, Haylee Shoaff, Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)18, Carolina Garcia, Lourdes (Miami, Fla.)17, McKenzie Sauerwein, Nolan Catholic (Fort Worth, Texas)

TOGETHER: We Play as One

JATO Media Production

IT's OFFICIAL - Season Begins

The LVS Season has officially begun. Players met after school today to discuss the upcoming season. Off-Season begins at the crack of dawn on Monday at 6:00am and continues through October 19th, which is when try-outs will be held. The first game is a district match vs Grapevine Faith on Tuesday, November 3rd. District matches continue through the month of November and December.

The 8th Annual Alumni Soccer Match kicks-off the New Year on Saturday, January 2nd at 11:00am at Doskocil Stadium.

The Red Bull Nolan Showcase featuring the nations top high school women's teams will take place on Jan. 7-9. The Nation's best teams will come to Fort Worth and Southlake from California, Florida, Louisiana, Arizona, Nevada, and of course, Texas. The field tripled in 2009 as Southlake Carroll co-hosted the event with Nolan Catholic. ESPN and NIKE have expressed interest in supporting the event. ESPNU has interest in televising a game or two.

The Lady Vikings will continue the following weekend at the Austin Showcase hosted by the St. Stephen's Soccer Academy and then come home to another week of non-district games until they compete once again in the CHHS Allison Horn Memorial Showcase.

A couple weeks until the playoffs begin as the Lady Vikings look for a long run at another State Championship.

LVS Summer Team Camp - July 27-29

The Nolan Catholic Women's Soccer Program will conduct its annual Team Camp Monday, July 27th through Wednesday, July 29th from 7pm-9pm each evening at Doskocil Stadium. The LVS program has set new goals and looks to set a new foundation to win a State Championship. In the past decade LVS has finished 2nd in State 8 times, been Nationally ranked, hosts one of the country's most competitive showcases, and has traveled the country gaining the respect the program deserves. The Program looks to build a new foundation to stay on top. The Team Camp is $50. Please send confirmation email to Head Coach and Director of Soccer Jay Fitzgerald.

Nolan Catholic All-Sports Banquet Awards Annonuced

This past Sunday the Nolan Catholic Athletic Department and Vikings Club held there annual All-Sports Banquet for the 2008-2009 season. The banquet was rescheduled from a couple of weeks ago but went off without a hitch.

LVS Winners Announced...

Offensive Most Valuable Player - Morgan Ulliman

Defensive Most Valuable Player - Kaytee O'Brien

Player of the Year - Mallory Baum

"T" Award - Lauren Gonzalez

2009-2010 District Schedule Announced

1-5A District Schedule

November 3rd @ Faith Christian V Faith Christian 6:00pm
November 4th @ Bishop Dunne V Bishop Dunne 6:00pm
November 9th vs Bishop Lynch JV/V Nolan Catholic 6:30pm/8:00pm
November 11th @ Ursuline JV/V Jesuit 6:00pm/7:30pm
November 13th vs TCA JV/V Nolan Catholic 6:00pm/7:30pm
November 16th vs Plano Prestonwood V Nolan Catholic 6:30pm
November 18th @ John Paul II JV/V John Paul II 6:00pm/7:30pm
November 23rd @ Bishop Lynch JV/V Bishop Lynch 6:30pm/8:00pm
December 1st vs Faith Christian V Nolan Catholic 6:30pm
December 2nd vs Bishop Dunne V Nolan Catholic 7:00pm
December 9th vs Ursuline JV/V Nolan Catholic 6:00pm/7:30pm
January 5th vs John Paul II JV/V Nolan Catholic 6:00pm/7:30pm
January 12th @ TCA JV/V TCA 6:00pm/7:30pm
January 19th @ Plano Prestonwood V Prestonwood 6:30pm

Fitzgerald Featured on TopDrawerSoccer.com

Thinking ahead is a key to advancing as a player. So says Jay Fitzgerald, director of the Western division at Sting Soccer in the Dallas-Fort Worth area... ESNN (Elite Soccer News Network)

2010 NOLAN SHOWCASE DATES

The Red Bull Nolan Showcase Presented by JATO has announced the 2010 dates. The 2010 Showcase will be held on January 7th-9th. This is an INVITATIONAL EVENT. Invitations will be sent out shortly. We added a Platinum Division in 2009 and it was a success and will continue to add teams to that division. If you are interested in our event please email Jay Fitzgerald or call the JATO at 817.460.JATO (5286).

WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL SOCCER REBORN

Just 10 years after USA's momentous victory in the 1999 World Cup in front of 90,000 fans, which helped spawn the ill-fated Women's United Soccer Association, women's professional soccer is now back.


JATO Media was at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA for the Inaugural Match of Women's Professional Soccer. A new era in women's soccer was reborn where US National Team star, Abby Wambach and the Washington Freedom came into town to kick-off the Women's Professional Soccer League (WPS) against 3-time FIFA Player of the Year, Marta, and the Los Angeles Sol.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO MATCH TRACKER

Messi Stars in Barca Rout

Barcelona thrashed Bayern Munich 4-0 at the Nou Camp. The Spanish league leaders rampant strikeforce did the damage in a completely one-sided first half.

Liverpool Face a Bridge Too Far

Chelsea took a giant leap towards the Champions League semi-finals by beating Liverpool 3-1 at Anfield. Fernando Torres scored first but goals from Branislav Ivanoic (2) and Didier Drogba turned the game on its head to leave Rafael Benitez's men with a mountain to climb.

Last-Gasp Mariano Goal puts Porto in Position

On a night of high drama at Old Trafford, FC Porto fought back to earn a 2-2 at Manchester United FC thanks to an 89th-minute equaliser from substitute Mariano.

Adebayor Acrobatics Give Arsenal the Edge

Emmanuel Adebayor's brilliant overhead effort cancelled out an equally spectacular strike from Marcos Senna to put Arsenal FC in a strong position in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Villarreal CF. Arsenal 1 - Villarreal 1

UEFA Champions League Facts and Figures

All you need to know about this week's first legs in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals. What's the history between the two teams and who has the edge from past contests? Which sides are looking to overturn the weight of history? Who's performing well on the domestic front? Find out below.

Manchester United FC v FC Porto
• United are unbeaten in 21 matches in the UEFA Champions League and enter this contest also aiming to extend a run of 19 games without defeat at Old Trafford in the competition.

• Porto have never won in England, where ten of eleven visits have ended in defeat, although the one occasion when they did avoid defeat – a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in the 2003/04 first knockout round second leg – eliminated United from the competition.

• This is United's 15th quarter-final tie in Europe's élite club competition and their record is: P14 W10 L4.

• Sir Alex's men beat AS Roma at this stage in both 2007 and 2008 and are now seeking a third consecutive semi-final appearance – a first for the English champions.

• Porto have won three of their five quarter-finals in Europe's premier club competition and have triumphed in two of the clubs' three previous two-legged contests.

Villarreal CF v Arsenal FC
• This tie is a repeat of the 2005/06 semi-final, won 1-0 by Arsenal thanks to Kolo Touré's first-leg goal in the last European match played at Highbury – although the London club needed a last-minute penalty save by Jens Lehmann from Juan Román Riquelme in the second leg to escape El Madrigal with a goalless draw.

• Villarreal's record against English clubs is: P9 W3 D5 L1. At home their record is: P5 W2 D3 L0. In those five past meetings with English opposition at El Madrigal, they conceded just one goal scored, curiously, by a Spaniard – Everton FC's Mikel Arteta.

• Arsenal have lost three European finals to Spanish opposition. They lost 5-4 on penalties to Valencia CF following a goalless draw in the 1979/80 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final and succumbed 2-1 to Real Zaragoza in the final of the same competition in 1994/95 before a 2-1 defeat by FC Barcelona in the 2005/06 UEFA Champions League final in Paris.

• That defeat by Barcelona was Robert Pirès' final appearance for Arsenal after six seasons with the club, during which he won two Premier League titles and two FA Cups. Voted the English Football Writers' Player of the Year in 2002, he made 284 appearances, scoring 84 goals, before moving to Villarreal in summer 2006.

• Villarreal have kept only four clean sheets in their last 30 matches in all competitions having managed six in their opening nine games this season. In contrast, Arsenal have kept clean sheets in six of their last eight Premier League games, and have conceded only four league goals in 2009 – all away from home – fewer than any other side.

FC Barcelona v FC Bayern München
• Bayern and Barcelona are the joint-highest scorers in this season's competition with 24 goals each from eight games. In Barcelona's case they have also conceded the most goals of any of the last-eight participants – eleven – and have still to keep a clean sheet on home soil.

• The visitors are looking to improve on a recent record of three consecutive defeats at this stage of the UEFA Champions League – in 2002, 2005 and 2007.

• Bayern have won three of the four previous meetings with Barcelona but the Liga leaders boast an impressive run of form against German opposition having won ten and drawn one of their last eleven matches against sides from the Bundesliga.

• Coaches Josep Guardiola and Jürgen Klinsmann were both in action when Barcelona and Bayern met for the first time in the semi-finals of the 1995/96 UEFA Cup. The teams drew 2-2 in Munich before Bayern – with Klinsmann again present, but Guardiola absent – advanced to the final with a 2-1 success at Camp Nou.

• Thierry Henry's next goal in the UEFA Champions League will be his 50th in the competition.

Liverpool FC v Chelsea FC
• This is the fourth time in five seasons the teams have met in the knockout stages, following semi-final contests in 2005, 2006 and 2008. On each previous occasion the team playing the second leg at home progressed.

• Five-times European champions Liverpool can take heart from home-and-away wins against their opponents in the Premier League this season – not to mention an unbeaten home run in the UEFA Champions League that stretches to ten matches, including qualifiers.

• Both teams have formidable recent records when it comes to surmounting this particular hurdle: Liverpool won quarter-finals in 2005, 2007 and 2008, while Chelsea advanced in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008.

• Chelsea have not won any of their last six away matches in the UEFA Champions League, while Liverpool are unbeaten in five home meetings with Chelsea and won the last Anfield encounter 2-0 in February thanks to Fernando Torres goals after 89 and 90 minutes.

• Liverpool have won four of six previous two-legged contests against English sides in UEFA club competition. In addition to their UEFA Champions League successes against Arsenal FC in last season's quarter-finals and those Chelsea ties, they beat Tottenham Hotspur FC on away goals in the 1972/73 UEFA Cup semi-finals following a 2-2 aggregate draw.

WPS Inaugural Match Fox Soccer Highlights

Find more videos like this on Women's Professional Soccer

Los Angeles Sol defeat Washington Freedom, 2-0, in WPS Inaugural Match

CARSON, Calif. (March 29, 2009) - The Los Angeles Sol officially kicked off the 2009 Women’s Professional Soccer season with a 2-0 victory over the Washington Freedom in front of 14,832 fans in the WPS Inaugural Match at The Home Depot Center on the campus of California State University – Dominguez Hills Sunday afternoon.

The first goal in club and league history was recorded in the sixth minute of the match, when Los Angeles defender Allison Falk out-jumped a crowd of Freedom defenders in the penalty area to head in a free kick from Japanese national team star Aya Miyama.

“It was a great ball from Aya. I just went for it – I didn’t think I was going to get to it, but I did and it went in,” said the rookie from Stanford. “It was a very surreal experience … very exciting."

Sol midfielder Camille Abily (France) tallied the second of the afternoon in the 87th minute, taking a short pass from three-time defending FIFA World Player of the Year Marta, and chipping the ball over the hands of Freedom keeper Brianna Scurry.

“We’re really happy with the victory,” said Los Angeles Sol Head Coach Abner Rogers. “We dodged a few bullets and we came out with a good victory … it is only going to get better.”

Lady Vikings Head Coach, Jay Fitzgerald will be sending live Tweets from the WPS Inaugural match at http://twitter.com/jatoathletics. Also,follow Midfielder Aly Wagner at http://twitter.com/alywagner?team=la and LA Sol General Manager Charlie Namo at http://twitter.com/LASolGM?team=la as they tweet live from the WPS Inaugural Match (Sun Mar 29).

Nolan Catholic Video on ESPN.com

Women's Soccer League to Allow In-Game 'Tweets'

The new Women's Professional Soccer league will allow selected players to post short Twitter notes, called "tweets," during its inaugural game between the Los Angeles Sol and Washington Freedom on March 29, league communications director Robert Penner said.

General managers from the new seven-team league approved the idea in a conference call Friday. Depending on fan response, league officials are considering allowing players to tweet during games all season.

They still must work out some of the details, including which players will tweet and when they'll be allowed to do so; starters, obviously, likely would be limited to pregame, postgame and halftime.

Marta Set to Star in the WPS with Flair

Wednesday, March 25, 2009
By: Hillary Read

The first time a women’s professional soccer league launched, it pinned its hopes largely on the girl-next-door appeal of U.S. superstar Mia Hamm.

Don’t look now, but there’s a new league at hand and a new superstar at the fore. And she ain’t your mamma’s Mia.

A quick search on YouTube will give budding soccer fans all they need to know about the new face of the sport: Los Angeles Sol forward Marta Vieira da Silva, known throughout the soccer world simply as Marta, the 23-year-old Brazilian whipsaw with three FIFA World Player of the Year awards to her name and a world-class collection of embarrassed defenders in her wake.

“She may be the one star in L.A.,” Sol General Manager Charlie Naimo said of the woman who can list Kobe Bryant among her many admirers, “who is, inarguably, the very best at what she does.”

Try to get her to admit that, though – if Marta, who made her first real inroads into U.S. soccer consciousness by single-handedly destroying the U.S. in the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup semis, shares a quality with Hamm, it’s her determination to put team first.

“I came here to be one piece of the puzzle,” she said, speaking through an interpreter (she speaks Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish, and her English is rapidly improving). “My objective is to be one member of the group, working hard to do all I can to achieve positive results. I didn’t come to be a star.”

Marta is determined to put her team, the Los Angeles Sol, first.“Everywhere we go, people know who she is. But after one week, she had fit in. She’s exceeded all expectations,” Naimo said. “She’s very humble. You just watch her compete – her facial expressions, the way she attacks – and you think she’s pretty tough, but she’s embraced by everybody. There’s no jealousy. Because she’s such a good person, everybody just wants to support her.”

She may be doing her best not to stand out, but as her highlight reel attests, she’ll have to tie her legs together to avoid it. Her breathtaking blend of speed, vision, agility, and creative fury blazes a neon trail on every field.

“You don’t need to know all the nuances of the sport to appreciate her gifts,” WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci said. “It’s fun to watch her confuse and destroy defenses; she’s really, at this point, two clicks ahead of most of the competition chasing her.”

For a fledgling league trying to get a foothold in a turbulent economy, the pressure would seem to be on its most decorated star to perform. But Marta, who’s had enough to do trying to get used to life in L.A. and the dynamics of her new team, isn’t letting on.

“The pressure will always be there, whether it’s from outside people or people within the league,” she said. “But after all is said and done, we just have to face them head-on and do the best we can to succeed.”

“If anything, I think the pressure might be reduced for her,” Antonucci said. “She’s not playing a limited number of do-or-die games for her country in the Olympics or World Cup; she’s here to play a full season of soccer throughout the spring and summer, to win a championship for L.A. and entertain the fans. I think she may even take more chances out there. She’s got 20 games to test out some new moves.”

That WPS boasts Marta as one of its featured attractions, alongside U.S. stars like Abby Wambach and Kristine Lilly, underscores the game’s international momentum, which has come a long way from the WUSA’s heavy reliance on home-grown talent.

“Marta, Kelly Smith (England national team/Boston Breakers), Formiga (Brazil national team/FC Gold Pride) – it’s so important to have these guys in the league, to let the rest of the world know we’re serious,” Naimo said.

“It was league-defining to get her signed, especially since we’re advertising ourselves as the world’s best women’s soccer league,” Antonucci said. “And although the U.S. has traditionally dominated with athleticism and skill, there’s something else going on now; you see fans getting excited about the growing creativity and free nature of the sport. I think this infusion of international talent can bring more rhythmic attack and flair to the U.S. game.”

Flair will be on full display in Sunday’s WPS opener between Los Angeles and Washington, with bruising Freedom frontliner Wambach providing a neat counterpoint to Marta’s flash.

“I think it says a lot about the quality of the league that each of the teams has players who play at a very high level, players from all over the world,” Marta said. “This has been a time of getting to know each other, getting used to everyone’s game. And it’s been going well so far.”

Women's Professional Soccer is Back

Where are you watching your favorite WPS Inaugural Match? Will you be at home watching Fox Soccer Channel? Will you be with friends and fellow fans at a viewing party in your hometown? Or are you lucky enough to be in a WPS stadium?

No matter where you are on game day, we want to hear about it! Take a picture, record a video, or write a message that captures the excitement of your WPS Inaugural.

Send it all to: inaugural@womensprosoccer.com

UEFA Champions League Update

UEFA Champions League holders Manchester United FC will take on 2004 winners FC Porto while Chelsea FC and Liverpool FC are matched again in the quarter-finals after the draw for the remainder of the competition was made today in Nyon.

United Bid

United were beaten by Porto when the Portuguese side won the competition, with the English titleholders aiming to become the first team to successfully defend the trophy since the UEFA Champions League was introduced in 1992/93. The winners of that tie will play the side that emerges from the tie involving Villarreal CF, the only surviving team never to have reached a UEFA Champions League final, and Arsenal FC, the club that defeated the Spanish outfit at this juncture three seasons ago.

Rivals Rematched

Chelsea and Liverpool have faced off in the semi-finals in three of the past four campaigns but they meet a stage earlier this time round. The last-four opposition for the winners will be FC Barcelona or FC Bayern München, the two leading scorers in the competition this term with 24 goals apiece.

Dates

The quarter-final ties will take place on 7/8 and 14/15 April and the semi-finals on 28/29 April and 5/6 May. The final will be held at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome, on Wednesday 27 May.

For full draw details, including dates, click here.

UEFA Champions League Quarter-Finals

1st leg: 07/08 April

2nd leg: 14/15 April
1 Villarreal CF (ESP) v Arsenal FC (ENG)
2 Manchester United FC (ENG, holders) v FC Porto (POR)
3 Liverpool FC (ENG) v Chelsea FC (ENG)
4 FC Barcelona (ESP) v FC Bayern München (GER)

UEFA Champions League Semi-Finals

1st leg: 28/29 April
2nd leg: 5/6 May
Winner quarter-final 2 v Winner quarter-final 1
Winner quarter-final 4 v Winner quarter-final 3

UEFA Champions League Final

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Wednesday 27 May

USA FALLS IN PENALTY KICKS TO SWEDEN IN 2009 ALGARVE CUP FINAL

Boxx’s goal came after an intense second half of searching for a tying goal to answer Lotta Schelin’s tally in the 18th minute. The Americans finally got it with seconds left in regulation time.

Carli Lloyd slipped past a player in midfield with a nice cut move and played a perfect ball into the left side of the penalty area to the streaking Natasha Kai. The Hawaiian ran the ball down at the end line, but was knocked down by a retreating Swedish defender. From a sitting position, Kai managed to knock the ball back to Megan Rapinoe in the left side of the penalty area. Rapinoe struck a hard cross on the ground through the goal mouth to Boxx at the far post where she slammed it first-time into the net from two yards away.

The dramatic goal, the USA’s second 90th-minute score of the tournament, led to an even more dramatic penalty kick shootout.

Sweden’s Louise Fors started her country out with a hard shot into the lower left corner. Boxx answered with a perfect blast into the upper right corner. Lisa Dahlkvist also found the lower left corner, setting the stage for Rapinoe, whose driven shot was almost directly at Swedish goalkeeper Kristin Hammarstrøm and she batted the ball away.

Linda Sembrandt hit her shot off the left post and in, followed by Lloyd tucking her chance away into the left corner as well to make it 3-2 Sweden after three shots each. The USA then got new life as Anna Paulson skied Sweden’s fourth shot over the bar. The Americans didn’t take advantage as Christie Rampone clanged her shot off the inside of the left post and behind the Swedish ‘keeper, but it didn’t cross the goal line.

Schelin then stepped to the spot on her team’s fifth kick with a chance to win the match, but Solo acrobatically pushed her shot away with a full-extension dive to left post. The miss meant that late substitute Tina DiMartino had to convert the USA’s fifth kick to send the shootout into sudden death. DiMartino’s shot was seemingly saved by Hammarstrøm with a dive to the left post, which would have ended the game, but somehow the ball squeezed through the goalkeeper’s hands and rolled across the goal line.

Emelie Ölander then blasted her shot over the goal and incredibly, Sweden had missed its fourth, fifth and sixth kicks, giving 88th minute sub Angie Woznuk a chance to win it for the USA. Unfortunately, Hammarstrøm guessed correctly and pushed Woznuk’s shot away with a dive to the left post.

Stine Segerstrom then finished smartly into the lower left corner on her team’s seventh penalty and Heather Mitts cracked her shot off the left post and out to give Sweden the victory.

Mitts earned her 100th cap for the USA in the match, becoming the 25th female player and eighth defender in U.S. history to reach that career milestone.

The Americans had gifted Sweden the lead off a give-away in USA’s defensive third by Boxx, who hit her back-pass too lightly to Rampone and created a 3-v-1 situation. Caroline Seger swooped in to control the ball, dribbled hard at Rampone and then played a pass to her left to the wide-open Schelin. The lanky Swedish striker had plenty of time to pick her corner and rolled her shot into the lower right corner past the charging Solo. It would be the last time Schelin would beat Solo, her former teammate on the Swedish club side Kopparbergs/Goteborg, although she had plenty of chances.

In the 24th minute, Sara Thunebro got around the left side of the U.S. defense and cut a cross back to Schelin who was making a hard run to the top of the six-yard box. She swiped at the ball from almost point blank range, but somehow Solo, who was moving across the goal, stuck her foot out and saved the shot. The rebound bounced off the fallen Schelin and over the end line.

In the 52nd minute, Schelin was back terrorizing the U.S. defense as she tussled with Boxx on a through ball. Boxx went down, giving Schelin another one-on-one with Solo, but the U.S. ‘keeper flung herself at the ball and gobbled it up as Schelin tried to dribble around her.

In the 67th minute, Schelin got behind the U.S. defense once again, but this time Solo held her ground and timed her challenge perfectly, stealing the ball right off her feet.

Sweden was certainly the better team in the first half, attacking with fervor and creating a few chances that were either saved by Solo or scrambled away by the defense, while exerting intense defensive pressure in the midfield that precluded the Americans from developing any sort of rhythm. Sweden forward Victoria Svensson did a great job of finding the space between the U.S. midfield and backline, then combining with her teammates, but the U.S. backs held strong after giving up that 18th minute goal.

Sweden’s goal marked the only one allowed by the USA in the tournament.

The Swedes may also have done enough to win the match in the second half, but the U.S. team never gave up its search for an equalizer while playing much better in the final 45 minutes.

Sundhage sent on forward Amy Rodriguez at halftime and moved Rapinoe to the left midfield slot where she created all kinds of danger. Boxx also moved into more of a midfield role.

The USA started to make a real push midway through the second half, and Rampone’s run from the back in the 63rd minute almost produced a goal, but her bending ball behind the defense from the left side of the penalty area was just a bit too far for Rodriguez.

Three minutes later, Rapinoe slipped a pass through the Sweden defense to the streaking Rodriguez, but she fired her breakaway chance at Hammarstrøm who pulled off the kick save.

Three minutes after that, the USA sent a looping ball into the penalty area that bounced hard over the onrushing Hammarstrøm and a defender had to clear it out of the six-yard box with an overhead kick.

In the 75th minute, Rapinoe was taken down above the left side of the penalty area, but Lloyd ripped her free kick right at the Swedish ‘keeper from 30 yards away. Lloyd had another chance two minutes later as she played a short corner to Rodriguez, got it back as she dribbled centrally and ripped a shot that a Swedish defender headed out of the hands of her own ‘keeper at the left post.

Solo had to come up big again with five minutes left as Sweden’s counterattack continued to threaten. The U.S. ‘keeper flew to her left to snag a shot from Madelaine Edlund that could have snuck inside the left post. Solo’s phenomenal performance in her three starts at the Algarve Cup earned her Best Player of the tournament honors. It was first time in 14 Algarve Cups that a goalkeeper has won the award.

The USA only had one or two good chances in a lackluster first half, but one came right after Sweden’s goal as Lloyd found a bit of space to win a long throw-in into Sweden’s penalty area. She got a good strike on the ball, but hammered her shot off the legs of Hammarstrøm from about 10 yards away.

The match marked the USA’s seventh straight Algarve Cup championship game. The USA won the tournament in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008, but fell in penalty kicks to the Germans in the 2006. The USA won the Algarve Cup for the first time in 2000.

The U.S. played without starting defender Lori Chalupny, who missed her second straight game due to illness, but Rachel Buehler filled in admirably at left back.

In the other Algarve Cup placement matches, Poland reversed a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Wales in the final match of Group C play to defeat the Welsh 2-1 and take eleventh place. Norway defeated Austria, 2-0, to take ninth. Finland and Portugal tied 1-1 after regulation before the hosts fell 4-2 in penalty kicks and China PR downed Iceland, 1-0, to take third. A 43rd minute goal from Julie Rydahl Bukh gave Denmark a 1-0 upset win against Germany in the third-place match.

The U.S. players now head back to United States to join their WPS clubs in final preparations for the inaugural season that opens March 29 as the Washington Freedom visit the Los Angeles Sol. The U.S. team will not come together again until this summer for matches that will be announced in the near future.