|April 2006| WSA Sends 9 Squads to President's Cup WSA will be well represented this weekend at Oklahoma's third annual State President's Cup (formerly the Director's Cup).  While a repeat of last year's performance, when two champions were crowned, and six teams advanced to finals weekend, may seem unlikely, teams are hoping they come into top form by this weekend.  Teams competing include the 94 girls, 94 boys, 93 girls, 93 boys, 92 boys, 91 boys, 90 boys, 89 girls, and 88 boys. [4/28/06]  WSA Teams State Ranked! Four WSA teams will find themselves on the current GOTSOCCER.COM ranking board this week.  The following teams are ranked in the top ten in the state of Oklahoma based on tournament points accumulated in 2005-2006: WSA 88 boys # 3  Regional ranking # 56 WSA 89 girls # 4   Regional ranking # 43 WSA 94 girls # 6   Regional ranking # 46 WSA 92 boys # 9  Regional ranking n/a [4/16/06]    WSA Teams Reach Semis of Thunder Cup   Only two WSA squads participated in Thunder Cup this year, but both squads represented the West Side Alliance Soccer Club very well.  The WSA 94 girls and WSA 88 boys both competed in the "Gold" divisions in their respective age divisions and both teams reached the "semifinal" stages of their tournament field which included several top flight teams. WSA 88 boys continued their streak of unscored on minutes from last weekend's WSA Cup by opening their tournament with 0-0 draw with host club Thunder.  They then beat NOKC Padova Navy 3-0, and tied Topeka Wolves 1-1, advancing as the group champion to play nationally ranked NOKC Padova Red in the semifinals. WSA's unbeaten run came to an end as they dropped the match by a respectable scoreline, 2-0, to the 6 time Oklahoma State Champions.  NOKC Padova Red went on to beat Hurricane 88 3-0 to win the tournament.   The WSA 94 girls proved they belonged in the "Gold" division of the Thunder Cup as they drew their first match with TSC 94 2-2, beat Wichita Attack 3-1, then lost a physical battle to NOKC United 3-1 to round out their first round.  The team finished 3rd of the 8 teams in the Gold division on points.   Congratulations to the young men and the young ladies of both WSA teams!   [4/16/06]     Dutch 4 v 4 Event Huge Success!   The first annual Dutch 4 v 4 event was played in uncharacteristic chilly temperatures with some occasional drizzle, but that didn't keep over 60 young participants from having a great time in the inaugural event on Friday evening, April 7th.   The tournament included 8 matches of 10 minutes in length played in a 4 v 4 format.  The catch was that at the end of each match players were reassigned teams by random draw.  It may have been as much won watching the kids play as run quickly to their "assignment board" and find their next field assignment.  The only rules were that there was no coaching and players were requested to "have fun" while playing.  A practical and certainly not novel concept that seemed to work magnificently on this night.   Players received individual points based on the following: 10 points every time they were on a winning team, 5 points every time they were on a tying team, one point for every goal a team they were on scored.  In the end champions were crowned in the following age divisions:   Age Division Player Name Points Overall Champion Ricky Jones 76 U11 Boys Champion Ricky Jones 76 U10 Boys Champion Alan Armstrong 66 U10 Boys Runner-Up Rachel Widoes 61 U10 Boys Runner-Up Matt Speed 59 U9 Boys Champion Aaron Hines 60 U9 Boys Runner-Up Jack Smejkal  51 U10 Girls Champion Lauren Harrington 55 U10 Girls Runner-Up Bailey Harrington 48 U9 Girls Champion Merideth Carlson  64 U9 Girls Runner-Up Tatum Wagner 51 U8 Girls Champion Brooklyn Davis 37 U8 Girls Runner-Up Charlie O'Carlo 33 [4/16/06]  WSA 90 Boys Grab Runner-Up WSA Cup Runner-Up Trophy   The WSA 90 boys have become known across the state as one of the more difficult teams to score on.  An uncanny discipline, attention to detail, and organization that filters through the team, is the reason the team has always been in contention for tournament trophies.  This year's WSA Cup tournament was no different.   En route to the championship match the 90 boys almost managed another perfect goals against outing.  The team blanked their first two opponents, United 90 1-0, and Blitz 91 4-0, before defeating Extreme '90 3-1, conceding their lone goal of the first round.  The team went unscored on in the CASA Invitational earlier this Fall in Arkansas in three first round matches, only to miss the finals on a tiebreaker.  No tiebreaker was necessary this time.  WSA was the clear group winner.   WSA met Spring high Select who came out of the other group after managing to outdo Tulsa Nationals 90 on points.  While most of the championship match was played scoreless it was Spring high who eventually found the back of the net.  That one goal proved to be enough as Spring high flexed it's defensive muscles recording it's fourth shutout of the tournament.   WSA 90 boys will next compete in the State President's Cup. They are currently unbeaten in league play.  Congratulations boys on a great spring season so far!   WSA 90 boys are coached by Scott Peavler and the team manager is David Duffy. [4/16/06]     WSA 93 Boys Bring Home WSA Cup Runner-up Trophy   The WSA 93 boys were so close in Arkansas to grabbing their first tournament trophy at the Ft. Smith Invitational that they could "taste it".   Maybe that experience of playing in a big game paid off, because when opportunity presented itself again the 93 boys were ready.    The team went through their first round matches with a tie to Highlanders 93, 1-1, a 3-1 loss to Hurricane 93 Cordozo, and then a 3-1 victory over Thunder 93 boys. The 3-1 win over Thunder was the match that clinched the team's place in the finals.   The squad put together an organized attack and a disciplined backline that helped the team reach new heights as a team.   In the finals WSA would revisit their first round opponent, Hurricane 93.  While WSA and Hurricane had come out of the same group, the two teams each won their "semifinal" match to land their spot in the championship.   Reaching the championship match and getting into trophy contention has been a three year goal for the 93 boys and the opportunity to play for the trophy is certainly a credit to the boys work rate and continued dedication.  The team battled hard in the finals, putting together stretches of very good soccer, but Hurricane's savvy midfielders proved too difficult for WSA to contain the entire match.    WSA 93 should be proud of their recent tournament successes, and their current unbeaten mark in league play.  Congratulations boys!   WSA 93 boys are coached by Billy Wallace and the team manager is Mr. Ken Elmore. [4/16/06]     89 Girls Lose Heartbreaker in Finals of WSA Cup; Exemplify HEART!   The WSA 89 girls have been no stranger to adversity or having the odds stacked against them.  The weekend of WSA Cup was no different, and in some adverse conditions the squad battled to the end in an effort to defend it's 2005 WSA Cup Championship title.      Suffering from the "injury plague" and also managing "prom weekend" the team played only one of their four matches with substitutes, and saw the healthy half and non-prom half of their roster deal with tired legs due to playing as many as four other high school tournament matches on the same weekend.   The team only used one guest player in one match, and managed the rest of the weekend on a "who can show up and play" policy that was spearheaded by the team's 2006 motto: "heart".  In 3 of their 4 matches the team competed without subs, and in one match they even managed a win with only 10 players.  The team won their opener over Thunder 88 1-0 on a goal in the dying moments, then won 3-0 over Nationals 88 Red playing down a man a large part of the match, and then lead top-seeded Nationals 88 black 1-0 until 10 minutes from time when Nationals equalized on a free kick.  The game would end in a draw and WSA would go through to the finals on a tiebreaker, and on some very tired legs.  WSA would face TSC 89 in the finals, and after managing to get to halftime scoreless, the team capitalized on a free-kick 20 minutes into the 2nd half when Brittany Hooper bent a near post ball past the TSC goalkeeper.  Battling fatigue and sheer exhaustion the team continued to use counterattacks to spring loose but could not quite manage a second goal.  With three minutes to play a ball bounced over the backline of WSA and a TSC forward got on the end of it and tied the game.  Following two overtime periods the match was settled in dreaded penalties, and WSA saw yet another tournament championship match, in which they seemingly had control, vanish, at the dreaded "spot kicks".  Last year the team lost the State Director's Cup Championship in a penalty kick shootout. But the WSA 89 girls team had nothing to hang their heads about. It marked their second tournament trophy of the year, and includes four straight tournaments (not including exhibition showcases) in which the team has won a trophy.  It also included their third straight WSA Cup finalist appearance. Congratulations ladies on an outstanding performance!    WSA 89 are coached by Roger Bush and Jamie Davis.  The team manager is Mrs. Garner. [4/16/06]     WSA 88 Boys Bring Home WSA Cup Championship   The WSA 88 boys brought home their second WSA Cup Championship trophy after going four games unbeaten and unscored on in the 2006 WSA Cup tournament at Valley Park, April 1-2.    The squad captured the tournament crown by beating Spring high from Springfield, MO, 1-0, Tulsa Highlanders 1-0, and Select Strikers from Kansas, 2-0, in the first round.  The team's stingy defense centered around organization and empowered by hard tackling stretched the shutout run through the full 90 minutes of their championship game against Spring high on tired legs and behind some heroic saves by goalkeeper Irving Peralta.  WSA took a 1-0 lead to halftime against Spring high and built the lead to insurmountable by capitalizing on goal scoring chances in the 65th and 71st minutes.    The trophy is WSA 88's second trophy of the season after finishing runner-up at the MC United College Showcase in November in St. Louis.  The squad is currently ranked 5th in the state of Oklahoma.  WSA 88 is coached by Josh McElroy and the team managers are Steve and Margaret Kuehler. [4/16/06]     WSA Advances 7 Teams In WSA Cup 2006; 3 Champions, 3 Finalists   WSA can claim WSA Cup as "their event" in more ways than one.  In 2006 the club saw six teams of the 11 teams that participated reach the final stages of the tournament and an academy team that brought home a trophy.  It marked the second year in a row that the club brought back some serious hardware.  In the 2005 event the West Side Alliance Soccer Club captured six trophies, two of the golden variety.  This year the club found itself center stage for three championship cups, three finalist cups, and one semifinalist team.    The club's champions this year included WSA 88 boys, WSA 94 girls, and WSA 98 boys.  The finalist teams included WSA 89 girls, WSA 90 boys, WSA 93 boys.  And the WSA 92 boys reached the semifinals.    The next big stage for competition for the WSA squads will be the President's Cup and the State Cup.  About a dozen WSA squads are preparing to compete in one or both of those events this spring.  Good luck and congratulations to all WSA teams! [4/16/06]     WSA Cup 2006 at Valley Park an Enormous Success!   The 2006 WSA Cup Tournament turned out to be an enormous success!  The event was staged on April 1st and 2nd at one of the Midwest region's premier soccer facilities, Valley Park Soccer Complex, in conjunction with US Youth Soccer, US Club Soccer, the Oklahoma Development League (ODL), and Oklahoma Soccer Association.  In total over 130 teams participated, including hundreds of volunteers, coaches and referees, and over 2,000 players. The tournament crowned champions in 12 older age divisions, u11 thru u19 boys and girls, and 6 academy age divisions, u8 thru u10 boys and girls.  Most importantly the tournament was played in a sporting manner and in the friendly environment that has become the WSA Cup trademark.  Enduring a storm on Saturday night Valley Park's fields came through in terrific fashion on Sunday morning and were ready for championship matches Sunday afternoon.  Thankfully none of the tournament guests were injured in the tornado which caused a scare by striking tournament headquarters' hotel Saturday evening.    This year's event featured several regionally ranked and prominent clubs and teams including Hurricane 94 girls, Nationals 92 boys, TSC 96 girls, Edmond Soccer Club, Spring high Soccer Club, several of WSA's regionally ranked teams, among others.  Competition in many age divisions was fierce for places in the finals, and several finals were decided in overtime or penalties.   The tournament included the Lil Alliance Challenge Cup which was co-hosted for academy teams in the u7 thru u10 age divisions.  This event was one of a kind for an Oklahoma tournament and received rave reviews from those who participated and those who watched soccer's future compete.  In addition the tournament began the preliminary stages of a college showcase event as a handful of college scouts appeared from such places as St. Gregory's, Northern OCC, Oral Roberts, Sterling College, and Bacone College.  The WSA Tournament committee headed by Mr. Walt Hansmann, tournament director, cooperating with WSA Cup founder, Michael Butler, were applauded for their efforts to put together such an event in spite of several obstacles which prevented advertising until after the first of the year.  In spite of the obstacles WSA Cup 2006 grew by 50 teams this year.  Thanks to all participating teams and all volunteers for making the 2006 WSA Cup a terrific experience for all.  You make it happen!       Check back here for results and championship photos! [4/16/06]     Wintery Weather Delays But Doesn't Stop WSA Spring Break Camp The 4th annual WSA Spring Break Camp was held the week of March 21st and in spite of freezing temperatures, rain, and yes even snow, the few, the proud, and the brave, showed up for a small but successful week of soccer instruction.  While two days of the clinic were forced to be rescheduled, the camp, which included academy training, was hosted on Wednesday and Friday, in between several inches of snow and a rainy drizzle.  Instructors included Academy Director, Joey Kennington, and WSA Director of Coaching, Roger Bush.    The picture shows the camp participants at the end of Friday's session just as the sun began shine on Oklahoma's Spring. [4/16/06]        WSA 94 Girls CHAMPIONS - WSA CUP 2006!!!   The girls have clearly shown that this is THEIR tournament, winning it for the 2nd straight year in a row. They are currently 2 out of 2 for tournaments in 2006, winning the Hurricane Cup and now the WSA Cup. They are participating in the Thunder Cup this coming weekend and are very excited that they have been put in the Gold Bracket, and will be facing the top teams in Oklahoma and surrounding states. GOOD LUCK LADIES!!   Congratulations to the SEVEN WSA Cup finalist/semifinalist teams from last weekend: Lil Alliance 98 boys, WSA 94 girls, WSA 93 boys, WSA 92 boys, WSA 90 boys, WSA 89 girls, and WSA 88 boys.  The 92 boys went out in the semis, the 89 girls, 93 boys, and 90 boys each brought home runner-up trophies, while the 94 girls, 88 boys, and 98 boys each brought home CHAMPIONSHIP HARDWARE!    Thank you to all volunteers helping with the 2006 WSA Cup and special thanks to Mr. Hansmann once again for all of his work as tournament director!   Results   [4/11/06]

Contents Copyright © 2000-2007 WSA Soccer Club For problems or questions regarding this web contact [Webmaster] Last updated: 10/09/08.