WJC Men's & Women's Soccer Win Regular Season Openers

The William Jewell College women's team won 9-0 over Culver Stockton College on September 1st. The William Jewell College men's team won 2-1 over University of Sioux Falls on September 4th.

Photo: WJC junior forward Forrest McCurren (far left) looking at the ball he just headed in the goal for the game winner. Troy Green (upper left) supplied the assist. WJC men won their home opener 2-1 over University of Sioux Falls.

FIRST LOOK: 2011 William Jewell College new uniforms

Action from Final Four: Orange Beach, AL

Blogging 'Bout 'Bama: WJC Women Finish Fantastic Season in Elite Eight...WJC Men Advance to Final Four!

Jefferson: Yesterday (Thursday) was a day of mixed emotions. WJC women lost in the Elite Eight. The women had a fantastic season and it's always disappointing when something so good comes to an end...but what a great season!...At the same time I was with the men's team at the Final Four banquet (and unable to be with the women's team)...Although the Final Four banquet was another very good experience...I wish I had been with the women's team.
On Wednesday the men's team had another thrilling win in the Elite Eight. Final Four game is at 6pm today (Friday). Very focused.

Blogging 'Bout 'Bama: 100% Pure Adrenaline...WJC Men Win!...WJC Women's Elite Eight Game Postponed to Thursday at 9am

Jefferson: "100% pure adrenaline"...Not only is that a line in the movie Point Break, but it's also a perfect description of the last 24 hours in Alabama.

The WJC men had a thrilling 3-2 win over Oklahoma Baptist on Tuesday night. After the game Cissell gave a strong speech to the men before leaving for an overnight trip back up north to meet up with the WJC women. Cissell arrived in Decatur at 2am. Not long before the women were supposed to kickoff (11am) their game was postponed to Thursday (9am kickoff). After a good morning meeting with the women, Cissell, WJC athletic trainer Jess Gracia and Dr. NightRider (see earlier blogs) headed back to Orange Beach. They should arrive around 4pm today (Wednesday). WJC men kickoff their Elite Eight game at 5pm.

p.s. My mobile phone's touch screen has not been working the past 3 days. I can receive calls and call out, but I can't return text messages. So sorry that I haven't been texting back. However don't hesitate to keep the texts coming. I'll get back to you soon!

Thanks for all your support! WE CAN FEEL IT!!!

Blogging 'Bout 'Bama: WJC Women: Rematches...Fabulous People of Decatur...Team Bonding

Kathleen Hunter: It’s a rainy Tuesday night here in Decatur, Alabama and we are all gathered with our wonderful parents in the conference room of our delightful hotel watching the boys whoop up on Oklahoma Baptist. Since we have been here we have been kicking some a$&! The fields are wet and soggy, but we can play on anything, even gravel! We took Kansas Wesleyan out on Monday morning and tomorrow we take on Baker! Coincidently, we are sharing a hotel with them. What are the chances of being in a hotel with a huge rival from home?! We have been plotting various ways to sabotage them, but, don’t worry, the mischief will stay in our minds, of course. We have found that the tournament sucks at breaking up teams from the same area. We have travelled all the way to Alabama to play 2 teams we have already played this year. We want to play someone new! Other than the sexy soccer we have been playing there is not much news. Decatur is not a very big city however Decatur does have Burlesque! The movie was packed with all the fabulous people of Decatur…okay, maybe just the Jewell soccer team, including Brad and Pops, and a unsuspecting family that had to endure all of our commentary. Some of us have now decided to learn all of the songs and dances from the movie, move to L. A., and become famous Burlesque dancers! So basically, we have gotten in lots of good team bonding since being here in Sweet Home Alabama. Can’t wait to play Baker Wednesday morning!

With love from room 330

Blogging 'Bout 'Bama: Madri Gras....LA...Dr. NightRider...Women Win!

Jefferson Roblee: Since our last conversation a lot has happened...all exciting and memorable. So the question is...Where do I begin? Let's start at the men's National Championships parade and banquet. The men had a Mardi Gras style parade (Mardi Gras started in Mobile by the way...at least that's what we've been told 100 times...the people here in LA ((Lower Alabama)) are very proud). By the end of the parade every player had beads around his neck...and moods seemed to be very good. The banquet, like most banquets, had it's blend of awkwardness and joy but in the end it's a rich opportunity for all the teams to take a look at each other... Kind of like a pre-fight press conference for a title fight.

Before the men's banquet had ended WJC Assistant AD Joel Lueken (a.k.a. "The Transporter") drove me out of Orange Beach. Our destination...classified. WJC Athletic Director Dr. Darlene Bailey (a.k.a. "Dr. NightRider") was waiting for us at a secret rendezvous point. Dr. NightRider completed the drive to Decatur, Alabama...arrival time: 1:30am. In a few hours I would be having breakfast with the WJC women.

Game Day (wooo!): Breakfast with the women was good. The players had their game faces on early...it was going to be a good day. The WJC women kicked off at 10:00am vs Kansas Wesleyan University (a team we beat 3-0 earlier in the season). Setting: The championship field was soft, the weather was a bit cold and there was inconsistent wind. We were victorious 1-0 over Kansas Wesleyan in a game we had to battle. Senior defender Sarah Williams scored our only goal from a free kick from distance. Freshman goalkeeper Kelli Sontag had a strong performace recording the shutout...including making a brave save in the final second of the game. Every player gave a determined effort in a satisfying victory over a strong KWU team. I could go into a lot more detail about the game...but from all the text messages, calls, voice mails and emails the team has received it's clear that everyone reading this blog was either at the site in Decatur, Alabama (we had awesome fan support at the stadium) or was cheering us on from the watch party in the cage at WJC (see earlier blog) or was watching via the internet. TO ALL WJC FANS....THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT! The coaching staff was very proud of the players and we're all excited about advancing to the Elite Eight and progressing on our Alabama Adventure.

Coach Cissell, WJC Athletic Trainer Jess Gracia, Dr. NightRider and I were all planning on having lunch with the women after the game in Decatur however the purchasing of championship merchandise delayed the women's lunch plans and forced us to hit the road before we could eat. We needed to be in Orange Beach by 7:30pm...we arrived at 6:54pm.

Blogging 'Bout 'Bama: WJC Women Train in Rend Lake, Illinois; Dinner at Corky's in Nashville!

Blogging 'Bout 'Bama: WJC Men...Orange Beach...Florida Found...Buddy!

Josh Howard: Saturday (Nov 27): We have arrived at our destination for the next week. And I think I am going to become comfortable here at the Perdido Beach Resort. Though this was another travel day, there were good times, stories and food shared by all. After introducing Coach Roblee to the wonderful deli that is McCalister's we ate in a locally owned pizza parlor, Lillian's. Interestingly we ate in the Sunshine State (Florida) as it is only a 10 minute drive to the state border. Lillian was nice place with several delictable specialty pizzas, friendly staff and good atmosphere. I must stop reading Zagat's before trips. The story must be told that this humble voluntary coach wooed the owner, Lillian, into comping breadsticks for the whole team prior to our meal. At dinner the aforementioned Executives sat together and went through several riddles stomping the underclassmen with surprising regularity. The frustration level of the guys was hilarious and those that figured it out only furthered the torment of those still in the dark. Speaking of dark, I suspect that several members of the men's soccer team found out where the ocean was tonight, as well as its temperature if you catch my drift. I must also mention that the stereotype of southern hospitality has been further as all people that we have encountered working in the service industry have been great to us. Today was another relaxed day and it was easy to see the excitement on the boys' faces. Tomorrow morning we begin zoning in on the mission of the National Championship! Can't wait to get this thing started and watch the boys play some high level soccer this week. Keep the good faith back home as we know you're rooting for us and are here in spirit.
Buddy!
Old #4"

Blogging 'Bout 'Bama: WJC Women Get Send Off Party "Love Bread" Included and "Pops" is Back!

Brad Anderson: Saturday (Nov 27): As the coach who will be with the women for the duration of the trip I guess it is up me, the rookie keeper coach, to keep the blogosphere up to date with what is happening to our women on their trip to Decatur, Alabama and their quest for a National Title.

So we're off with the women of William Jewell's soccer squad. It was a spectacular early morning send off. A large contention of parents braved the cold weather to send their daughters off to Alabama. These parents were not going to let their offspring depart without the necessities. We were inundated with bagels, cream cheese, peanut butter, apples, bananas, cookies, candy, "love bread", Gatorade, water, goodie bags, necklaces, motivational signs, and t-shirts urging the ladies to play another 360 minutes of soccer. The girls took time to take pictures and film their clip to be shown at Hanging of the Green. Cissell had some great words to share but what was special were the words from Jamie's father, making a few players emotional in the process.

Our first chick-flick of the trip was none other than Sweet Home Alabama. Most of the women drifted back to sleep as Cissell and I were glued to our monitors. Many hoots and hollers came from the executive seat next to mine. (With Jefferson on the men's bus I got promoted to executive seat #2. With my usual seat being occupied with the aforementioned goodies.)

A big surprise to the bus was the addition of bus driver "Pops.". Pops has been a staple to the William Jewell soccer programs, he was with the women when they went to nationals in 2007. He is very excited to be with us again and we are excited to have him with us again. He will be one of our biggest fans while we are in Alabama.


That's it for now. We're going to watch The Blind Side, a choice Cissell and I are very excited about.


Brad

Blogging 'Bout 'Bama: WJC Men: Holdaway Says Hello

Micah Holdaway: Saturday, November 27th:

After a well needed stop in Memphis, Tennessee, we are on the final leg of our journey; destination: the beach.

When we first realized that we were staying the night in Memphis, one thing crossed our minds: BBQ. Brett Lewis grew up in Memphis, and constantly tells tales of extraordinary BBQ and warm, southern folk. So, we ate at a Memphis favorite, Corky's BBQ-voted #1 BBQ in Memphis the past 24 years. Brett's stories were not mere tales of folklore; this place was good. The BBQ was superb (2nd best to KC BBQ, naturally), but the conversation at dinner was better. Some of the guys told Corky's it was Jefferson's 21st birthday, so they brought out an ice cream and brownie dessert. We have a picture for proof. I think this will become a regular at every meal.
But not everyone had a good experience at Corky's. After being gone from our table for a good 20 minutes, we began to worry about where Justin Beck was. Later we found him heaped over in the parking lot, throwing up his recently finished meal. Luckily it was just an upset stomach...he's feeling better today.

With bellies full of good barbecue and our first 8-hour trek behind us, we were all tuckered out and decided to go to bed (after a couple hours of FIFA, of course). Note: the hotel beds were double-sized mattresses, not queen-sized. We all got very close as a team last night.

We woke up this morning at 7:30 for our early morning run. (Howard and Jefferson made their best attempt to stay with the team) Then it was La Quinta's continental breakfast, and now we're on our way. And what better way to start our last leg than the epic, final battle scene from The Patriot? Yep, nothing. We're ready to play.

#4

Blogging 'Bout Bama: WJC Men Go on Morning Run; WJC Women Alabama Adventure Begins!

Jefferson Roblee:Blogging on Bus Saturday (Nov 27) morning: After a satisfying meal at Corky's on Friday night we made our way to our hotel...LaQuinta's (say LaQuinta's again...I know you want to). Almost immediately as Howard and I walked through the sliding front doors the clerk at the front desk told us that "someone cancelled your rooms"...she wasn't kidding but she wasn't accurate.Although we were pretty sure no one actually cancelled our rooms I think what she was trying to communicate to us was "Oh no! I gave away your rooms and I shouldn't have!" "Someone cancelled your rooms" may have been an attempt to deflect blame from herself however it didn't help our situation.After some clever reorganizing of our already pre-trip arranged room assignments everyone had a bed and was informed we would all meet bright and early for a 7:30am run. ...Josh Howard shared room 516 with me. We stayed up late discussing world politics and solving life changing puzzles like: Which is more effective to wake someone up..cell phone alarm or hotel wake-up call? Experiment followed. Results from the experiment came in at 7:15am...both methods were effective...however the wake up call is somewhat dependant on the clerk who has to set the wake-up call (I had to call-in two 7:15am requests because the clerk said "OK, 7:50" then hung-up after my first request.

Our 7:30am run went very well. The guys ran for approximately 2 miles at a decent pace. Howard and I ran in the back and wouldn't have been able to provide the pace that the players needed. The guys were focused and fast in their morning run.. Thanksgiving and travel has not decayed our fitness...we are strong.

After the run everyon had about an hour to chill-out (Arsenal vs Aston Villa was on ESPN2)get cleaned up, packed up and enjoy a continental breakfast. We all got on the bus and on our way soon after 9:00am. We have been on task/time during this adventure...Memphis was good to us...looking forward to reaching Orange Beach sometime tonight.

Note: Coach Cissell text me that the WJC women had a great sendoff party at WJC! The women left Liberty at 8:00am this morning...they will be in Decatur, Alabama tonight! See you soon ladies! Go Jewell!

Blogging 'Bout 'Bama: WJC Men's Soccer Visit Corky's BBQ in Memphis, TN

Jefferson Bloging: Late Friday/Early Saturday (from Mempis hotel) Above is the photo I talked about in my earlier blog. WJC campus minister Jeff Buscher took video of the WJC men's team moments before we got on the bus and started our Alabama adventure. Jeff is a great person and a big fan of the WJC soccer teams. He led the team in prayer on the bus prior to our departure and will also MC the watch parties in the cage (see previous blog).

Note: The team had a fun dinner at Corky's BBQ in Memphis. Corky's is like Gates or Arthur Bryant's in KC...World Famous for BBQ and just as famous for unique atmosphere. We had a memorable dinner and someone even celebrated a birthday! The executives (See earlier blog) all shared a table.

Extra Note: Kudos to the staff at Corky's. We called over an hour before arrival and they did a fantastic job of sitting us at tables only 10 minutes after we arrived (the normal wait at Corky's =1 hour +. We received VIP treatment! FYI: Corky's is used to a lot of VIPs...the place is blanketed with photos of celebrities, politicians and professional athletes who have visited Corky's). A lot of pictures were taken and no one had room for dessert....so good times were had and the food was great.

Got to go to bed now...We have a team run at 7:30am. Talk to you soon. Go Jewell!

Blogging 'Bout 'Bama: WJC men adventure begins...Donovan joins WJC team for trip

Jefferson Roblee: November 26:(Blogging from the Bus) The WJC men's soccer team had a good practice this morning. Before we got on the bus headed for 'Bama all the players and coaches took time to sign multiple soccer balls that will likely be raffled at upcoming National Tournament watch parties on WJC campus in the Cage...Cardinal folk know the Cage...For those that do not know...the Cage is in the lower level of Yates (WJC student union)...after everyone signed their autographs on some soccerballs all the players made a video message to the college (might get a photo of this posted later). Head Coach Chris Cissell and Goalkeeper Coach Brad Anderson are still in Liberty. They will train the women's team tonight and then leave with the WJC women tomorrow morning (destination Decatur, Alabama). Volunteer Assistant Coach Josh Howard is travelling with me and the WJC men's team to Orange Beach, Alabama.Note: Coach Cissell and I will be at both the women's and men's first games in Alabama.More Notes:
I feel confident about my preparations for this trip (soccer and non soccer related)...part of my non soccer preparations was purchasing a "nook". The nook will probably keep me busy during all of my travel during the next week...however for now all it has done is serve as a tool for Josh Howard to polish his ches skills(Josh beat the nook in his first chess battle and reactd like WJC just won a soccer match (hopefully we see that type of emotion more during the trip)...Setting: I'm sitting in my usual first seat in the front-on the right. Josh Howard is sitting across the asile(on my left...where Cissell usually sits). Senior defender A.J. Shinabargar is sitting behind me...senior midfielder Brett Lewis is sitting behind Josh Howard.Seniors Justin Beck and Micah Holdaway take up the third row...these three rows make up the executive suites of the bus...although there's enough room that everyone is riding in luxury.Driving the bus: An experienced drivre we know only as...Donovan.Donovan (relation to USA National Team standout Landon Donovan is suspect) claims he has an undefeated record while driving for us...He also uses good 10 oclock-2 oclock hand techniqueon the steering wheel at all times...so everyone feels good about the trip and how we are getting to our destination (Memphis tonight...Orange Beach on Saturday). Talk to you soon. Go Jewell!

Blogging 'Bout 'Bama: WJC women & men at 2010 National Championships

2006 Photo: WJC men celebrating their second victory leading to the Final Four at the 2006 National Championships in Daytona Beach, Florida.

*WJC Men's & Women's Associate Head Coach Jefferson Roblee (photo) and WJC players will be blogging about the WJC women's and men's Alabama adventures at http://www.wjcsoccer.com/ .

*The WJC women will play their second round game vs Kansas Wesleyan at 10am on November 29th (Monday) in Decatur, Alabama.

*The WJC men will play their second round game vs Oklahoma Baptist at 5pm on November 30th in Orange Beach, Alabama.

For live match updates or live match video go to the National Championship pages at http://www.naia.org/ .

William Jewell Men Win 3-1 in National Championship Tournament. Advance to Orange Beach, Alabama

William Jewell College men win 3-1 over Concordia-Oregon in the first round of the NAIA National Championship Tournament. WJC advance to the National Championship Round of Sixteen vs Oklahoma Baptist on Tuesday, November 30th in Orange Beach, Alabama.

WJC Women Score 8 Goals in National Tournament 1st Round Win

William Jewell College women win 8-4 over Ashford University in the first round of the 2010 NAIA National Tournament. Sarah Franklin scored 5 goals, Annie Shepard scored 2 goals and Kate Beaver scored 1 goal in the win. WJC advances in the National Championships to the Round of Sixteen vs Kansas Wesleyan in Decatur, Alabama on Monday, November 29th.

WJC WOMEN & MEN SELECTED FOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: HOST 1st ROUND ON NOVEMBER 20th at WJC

William Jewell College women's team (14-2-2) and men's team (17-2) have each been selected to the NAIA National Championships. William Jewell College will host both a women's and men's 1st round game on November 20th. The WJC women will host Ashford-Iowa (15-4-2) at 4pm. The WJC men will host Concordia-Oregon (16-2-1) at 7pm.

Justin Beck: HAAC MVP; Chris Cissell: HAAC Men's Coach of the Year; WJC Men & Women Lead HAAC in All Conference Selections

2010 Heart of America Athletic ALL CONFERENCE selections:

WJC Men (2010 HAAC Men's Conference Champions)
1st Team Forward: Troy Green
1st Team Midfielder: Justin Beck*#
1st Team Defender: Micah Holdaway
2nd Team Midfielder: Brett Lewis
2nd Team Midfielder: Mo Ramahi
2nd Team Defender: Peter Nechvatal
2nd Team Goalkeeper: Kyle Heiman
3rd Team Forward: Cole Prather
*Justin Beck named HAAC Conference Offensive Player of the Year
#Justin Beck named HAAC MVP
>WJC Head Coach Chris Cissell Named HAAC Men's Coach of the Year

WJC Women (2010 HAAC Women's Conference Runners-Up)
1st Team Forward: Sarah Franklin
1st Team Midfielder: Danielle Doerfler
1st Team Defender: Sarah Williams
2nd Team Forward: Sali Stout
2nd Team Goalkeeper: Kelli Sontag
3rd Team Forward: Annie Shepard
3rd Team Midfielder: Mallory Malone
3rd Team Defender: Jamie Skahan

WJC Men: 2010 HAAC Conf CHAMPIONS; WJC Women: 2010 HAAC Runners-Up

Sophomore winger Mo Ramahi (Blue Valley HS/KC Wizards Jrs) scored the first goal of the game (Mo's eigth goal of the season) in WJC's 4-3 win over Avila to clinch the Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) regular season championship on November 3, 2010.

The men finished their conference season with a record of 8-1 (HAAC Champions) and an overall regular season record of 16-1 (#4 in National RPI rating). As the HAAC #1 seed the WJC men will host the winner of Graceland vs Lindenwood in one of the HAAC post season tournament semifinals on November 11 at WJC (7pm kickoff).

Senior forward Annie Shepard (Notre Dame De Sion HS/KC Dynamos) scored the first goal of the game (Annie's 4th of the season) in WJC's 2-0 win over Avila to clinch 2nd place in the HAAC conference on November 3, 2010.

The women completed their conference season with a record of 7-1-1 (HAAC Runners-Up) and completed the regular season 13-1-2 (#13 in National RPI rating). As the #2 seed the WJC women will host the winner of Missouri Valley vs Benedictine in one of the HAAC post season tourament semifinals on November 10 at WJC (7pm kickoff).