Echo 94 Girls White (Eclipse)
Springtime Again in Granger
Following a good rain a couple of days before, the Eclipse took the field on Saturday against the Southwest Michigan U-12 girls team. Playing on a field once again tinged with shades of green, the Eclipse played refreshing soccer and earned a 2-0 win with goals by Stacie S. and Carly M. Another well-played match that saw the Eclipse edge out their rivals to the northwest. A strong effort in goal by Cati K. and by Katie L. who spelled Cati K. late in the game and good attacking soccer helped seal the shutout.
Home Home on the Range
Last spring it was the frozen tundra in River Oaks. This time it was the dried out plains of Prairie Vista that challenged the Eclipse. In their second game, the Eclipse tied the Kalamazoo U-12 Girls team (the Zoo Crew). Playing on a drought ridden field, the girls thought they were playing indoors the ball ran so fast on the hard ground. Fortunately no one was tackled by flying tumbleweed and the ball never hit the roof! The Eclipse scored first on a long shot by Alicia B. that found the back of the net. A well-played match that saw both teams have opportunities ended in a tie. The Kalamazoo team scored with minutes left for the tie.
A Trip to Holland Nets A Win
For the very first game of the season, the Echo Eclipse (aka Echo U-12 Girls White) travelled to the "old country." In their first trip to Holland, the Eclipse barely took time to smell the tulips before getting to work on the Fall 2005 season. Down 1-nil early, the Eclipse bounced back to tie at 2 and secure the win 3-2 against a West Michigan Fire team. Goals were scored by Mallory C., Heather M. and Carly M. Starting a little slow (perhaps looking for the tulips on the pitch), the team improved its effort in the second half and saw positive results from the increased effort. On a very hot day, finishing stronger than we started is a credit to the girls' desire (although the coach was heard to plead for starting strong and finishing even stronger).
U-11 Girls Win on the Frozen Tundra
The U-11 Echo Inkas defeated the River Oaks Gold team 2-0 in a game that could have been played at Lambeau Field. With a "brisk" wind, cold temperatures and a steadily increasing driven snow, the Inkas fought the cold and River Oaks. Grace Maginn scored on a rocket into the side netting to establish the Echo lead. Abby Toth scored later on a feed from Mallory Conrad to seal the win. Cati Kral fought the cold, making some good stops to earn the shutout. While everyone improved their "first to" skills, Abigail Ivaldi played very well in the defensive and middle thirds, consistently getting to the ball first and keeping the ball on the offensive third.
Echo U-11 Girls Win Season Opener
The U-11 girls team (the Echo Inkas) opened their season in the U-11 Girls "A" division and their home opener at their new field by defeating the previously undefeated SW Michigan girls team. The final score was 2-1. Abby Toth opened the spring 2005 scoring for Echo with a sure strike into the back of the net. SW Michigan later tied the game at 1, but the Inkas were undaunted in their efforts to be successful regardless of the score. Both sides had opportunities to score throughout the game with Cati Kral in goal for Echo making some good stops. Late in the game with only minutes to play, the Echo Inkas scored following a corner kick. Grace Maginn sent the ball into the 6 with a good corner. The goalie came to make the play on the ball, but Staci Schulman smartly played the ball away to an open Emily Rompola who sent the ball into the net. The Echo Inkas withstood a furious assault in the final moments to preserve the win. Congratulations to the Echo Inkas on a great start to the 2005 season. The team mascot was heard to say "Inka, inka, can do!"
