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Truman FC's Season Comes to an End

Columbia, MO - Despite recording a 1-1-1 record in round-robin play at the Region IV NIRSA Tournament, Truman was unable to advance this past weekend.

Truman took on OU (Oklahoma University) Friday night and after suffering a goal within the first 5 minutes, forward, Frank Oude Avenhuis, was able to make the most of a penalty kick and even the score up going into half-time. OU was unable to penetrate against Truman's defense in the second half and through the poise of Oude Avenhuis, he was able to score a his second goal for the game winner in the final 15 minutes off a beautiful cross given by forward, Tyler Payton.

Truman played Mizzou (University of Missouri) on Saturday and started the game off with what seemed to be a penalty kick opportunity for Truman. After discussing the placement of the foul, the referee stated that the fouled was outside the box and a PK would not be rewarded. Truman and Mizzou were in a head-to-head battle throughout the game and it wasn't until the last 3 minutes that Mizzou struck the back of the net with a game-winning goal.

Going into the final round-robin game against KU (University of Kansas), Truman needed a victory if they wanted to advance to the semi-final match. Through 70 minutes of intense soccer and 6 corner kick opportunities for Truman within the last 10 minutes, Truman came up short with a tie. Through the round-robin rules, Truman had the same record as Mizzou, but lost to them in head-to-head play, forcing Truman out of the tournament.

Truman FC was able to make the Region IV NIRSA Tournament for the first time in 3 years and despite falling short, Truman FC finished their season with a record of 6-5-2, their best record in 4 years. Truman will practice once a week indoors through the Winter and begin practices for the Spring 2011 season in late February.

Truman FC Purchases New Jerseys

Top Row (from left to right): Ian Oiler, Sean Parker, Corey Kretzmer, Matt Kupiszewski, Alistair Kwenin, Evan Laudel, Frank Oude Avenhuis, Curt Ooton, Tyler Roper, Fran Makarewicz, and Nick Landmann.

Bottom Row (from left to right): Mike Manougian, Brad Hansell, Andrew Goodrich, Austin Werths, Mike Pierro, Rich Scully, Marten Hofland, Matt Garcia, Nate Lightfoot, Andrew Piotter, and Tyler Payton.

Truman Heads Into Postseason Play

Kirksville - After completing the weekend with a tie and a win, Truman FC takes their 5-3-1 record and looks to put their successful season to the test.

With two weeks of training before the Region IV Tournament, Truman looks to add a few extra practices as well as a scrimmage before entering the tournament. President, Tyler Roper is also contacting the Truman Men's Varsity coach, Duke Cochran, about setting up an exhibition game this week in preparation for the tournament. Truman will have a tough time taking down last years national runner-ups, University of Missouri, but with the next couple weeks to prepare, Truman looks to become the "team to beat".

Truman will play the University of Missouri, University of Kansas, and Oklahoma University in pool play for the Region IV Tournament coming up on October 28th.

Truman to Play at Regional Tournament

Kirksville - The Truman Men's Club Soccer team received acceptance into the Region IV Tournament that will take place in Columbia, Missouri the weekend of October 28th.

After earning a 3-3 conference record and an overall 4-3 record, Truman solidified their place into this years Regional Tournament. Truman has not played at the regional tournament in three years, despite being invited as a wild card pick last year and Mike Manougian, co-captain of the squad, says that this tournament will be the standard for upcoming years.

"I've said it all year long and I will say it again, our team can play with any team in the country and we will prove it at regionals," says Manougian.

Truman will start their preparation for the tournament by facing off against Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville and the University of Kansas this weekend. They also look to add in an exhibition game against Truman's Varsity squad next week.

Truman scores 6 against Northwest

Kirksville - Truman shows off their offensive abilities by scoring six goals in route to a 6-0 victory over Northwest Missouri State putting them at 4-3 on the season.

After suffering an own goal by Northwest, Truman followed up with goals by Matt Garcia, Ryan Mosby, and Andrew Piotter just before entering halftime. Truman was able to work the ball around a little better in the second half and focus on ball posession rather than high-paced and reckless offense. Rich Scully and Curt Ooton put balls passed Northwest's keeper and added to the score to make it 6-0 by the end of the game.

Leading the offensive with two assists, Alistair Kwenin, says that the team felt comfortable on the ball and were able to not only be creative and develop chances to score, but finish the chances when the opportunities were given.

They play away against SIUE at 1PM next Saturday and finish the season with a home game against the University of Kansas at 2PM on Sunday.

Alistair Kwenin cuts past a few Varsity players in a match where Truman FC beat Truman Varisty 1-0.

Truman Takes 1 of 2 Games

Kirksville - Leading the offense, senior forward Curt Ooton (Man of the Match) scored 3 goals to help Truman take down Saint Louis University on Friday night.

An early first half goal by Freshman defender, Brad Hansell, set the tone of the game on Friday night. Hansell scored off a lower right corner shot from 25 yards out after transitioning the ball quickly from the defensive end. Ooton scored minutes later after a stunning on-ball turn and rapid release of the ball that struck the back of the net from 25 yards out as well. Ooton had two second half goals to complete his "hatrick" for the evening. Explosive offense and impenetrable defense helped Truman finish off conference rivals SLU.

Following their 4-0 home victory over SLU, Truman matched up against Washington University (5-0-1) on their home turf at Stokes Stadium.

What seemed to be a cross to another forward by Washington University, floated just over the hands of Sophomore keeper, Evan Laudel, and into the net to put Washington University up 1-0. After several accounts of physical play and a yellow card given to junior captain, Mike Manougian, Truman was determined to pick up the pace.

Truman consistently pressured the backs of Washington University's defense during the second half of the game, however, Truman was unable to put one past the keeper and the score remained 1-0 after regulation play.

Truman will play a friendly home match against Northwest next Sunday beginning at 2PM.

Truman FC Starts Off Season 2-2

Kirksville - After playing 4 conference games, Truman sits at third place in their division and in the Kansas-Missouri Soccer League.

After a season opening victory at Wichita state where junior midfielder Mike Pierro wrapped up a goal and an assist (Man of the Match), Truman lost two in a row to the top two teams in the league; the University of Missouri and Washington University. Following their pair of losses, Truman was able to bounce back and earn a 3-0 victory against SIUE for their season's home opener.

Truman looks to "hit their stride" in this weeks' home matches against SLU and Washington University. The games will be played on Friday at 7PM and Sunday at 1PM located at Stokes Stadium.

From left to right, Brad Hansell, Tyler Payton, Austin Werths, Andrew Piotter, Mike Manougian, and Marten Hofland warming up for their game at Washington University last Friday evening.

Fall 2011 KMSL Schedule

Our home games are in bold.

Sep. 10th (Saturday) @ WSU - 2:30PM
Sep. 16th (Friday) @ Mizzou - 6:30PM
Sep. 23rd (Friday) @ Wash. U. - 7PM
Sep. 24th (Saturday) vs. SIUE - 1PM
Sep. 30th (Friday) vs. SLU - 7PM
Oct. 2nd (Sunday) vs. Wash. U. - 1PM
Oct. 9th (Sunday) vs. Northwest - 2PM
Oct. 15th (Saturday) @ SIUE - 1PM
Oct. 16th (Sunday) vs. KU - 2PM

Regionals will be held at Mizzou from Oct. 28th-30th. Hope to see everyone at our home games this season!

Truman FC adds 9 players

After completing the fall tryouts, Truman FC has added 9 players to the roster. Here are there names:

• Austin Werths
• Tyler Payton
• Martin Hofland
• Frank Oude Avenhuis
• Brad Hansell
• Francois Makarewicz
• Andrew Goodrich
• Mike Pagan
• Ian Oiler

Fall '11 Tryouts!

Fall tryouts will begin next week so start running and getting some solid touches on the ball. Here is the schedule for the week...

Sun. (8/28): Informational Meeting (8PM-West Campus Lobby)
Tue. (8/30): 1st tryout day (8-10PM at Stokes Stadium)
Wed. (8/31): 2nd tryout day (9-11PM at Stokes Stadium)
Thu. (9/1): Last tryout day (5-6:30PM in the Recreation Center Multipurpose Gym)

We have quite a bit of spots open just like every year, but be sure to bring your A-game because usually we have 30+ guys at our tryouts. Hope to see you all soon when tryouts begin!

Tell all your friends to come out and give it a shot!

Spring '11 Marks Best Season

After beating Truman's Varsity team 1-0 last week, the club team placed 3rd in the Kansas State Ed Chartrand Tournament.

Truman FC started the tournament by winning 2 games and drawing 1 going into the semi-final match. Although holding Kansas University to a shutout in the semi-final match, they lost in penalty kicks 5-3. However, taking 3rd place in the tournament doesn't quite tell the real story to Truman FC's spring 2011 season.

After 5 games this spring, Truman FC outscored its opponents 4-1 and held a record of 3-1-1. What seemed to be a disappointing end to a great season turned out to be a successful test for Truman FC at the Ed Chartrand Tournament. With only 2 subs at the tournament and a couple injuries, taking 3rd place was a solid finish and has now set the bar for Truman soccer.

I want to thank Thomas McIntyre for his 5 year run on Truman FC and his great contributions in the defense that will definitely be missed, Jez McGowan for attending Truman this year as a foreign exchange student and his great passion for soccer which kept us in many games, and Martin Klapperich for his short but awesome performance in the game vs. varsity this season! Great work guys.

Truman FC will start back up again around September 5th for fall tryouts. Get in shape this summer and be prepared for a great fall in the Kansas-Missouri conference!

Truman FC defeats Truman Varsity 1-0

In a grueling match-up between an on-campus rivalry, Truman FC was able to to defeat Truman's Varsity squad for the first time in their fifth annual match.

The Truman varsity squad came out strong and seemed to dominate with ball possession, but could not convert for a goal. As things started to settle down for Truman FC, they were able control more of the ball and connect solid passes through the midfield. The game went into the half tied 0-0 and that's when Truman FC made a move.

Truman FC came into the second half with more confidence on the ball and in the 70th minute, exchange student Martin Klapperich played a ball that split the defense and Brock Mashburn beat the goalie to the ball to tap it in for a goal. For the last 20 minutes, the varsity threw everything they had at Truman FC, but nothing seemed to work. Frustration and anger started to show on the faces of the varsity squad as time winded down and as the clock struck 00:00, the score remained 1-0 in favor of Truman FC.

Strong defense lead by Thomas McIntyre and Mike Manougian paid off in the end for Truman FC. They were able to convert the opportunities they had on offense and a special goal by Brock Mashburn will be remembered for years to come.

Truman FC looks to use the confidence they gained from defeating Truman's Varsity squad and direct it towards their upcoming games in Kansas State University's Ed Chartrand Tournament this weekend.

From left to right, Curt Ooton, Tyler Roper, and Brock Mashburn celebrate after Mashburn scores the game winning goal during the 70th minute vs. Truman's Varsity squad.

Spring '11

It's been a very productive spring so far and we're on a great track in preparation for our first match. We will be playing the Truman Varsity team on April 13th (time TBD) for the 5th straight year. This is a huge test to see how we match up against one of the top DII teams in the nation.

After our match vs. the varsity squad, we will be driving over to Kansas on April 16th to play in our annual K-State tournament to play some of the best teams in our region. Until then, we will be practicing every Tuesday and Thursday from 8-10PM under the lights of Stokes Stadium. Also, I would like to congratulate Ryan Mosby and Evan Laudel for becoming the new members of our club team. We look forward to seeing what they have to offer.

Sophomore Mike Pierro shows off his foot skills during a cold March practice. His dedication this spring has paid off so far and he looks to contribute strongly in the midfield.

Off-Season Work

Hope everyone had a great winter break and is ready to train for our spring '11 season! For the next month or so we will be practicing indoor on Tuesday and Wednesday from 6:30-8PM. Anyone who is willing to put in the work, is welcome to join us in the rec center's multipurpose gym at these hours! If you are thinking of joining club soccer in the future, you can call me on my cell @ 314.856.5583, email me @ mjm1482@truman.edu, or contact our president, Tyler Roper. As soon as I receive our Spring schedule, I will post it up on this blog.

Fall 2010 Season Recap

After completing another season in the Kansas/Missouri Conference, we want to thank everyone who came out and watched our home games @ Stokes Stadium! Following last year's disappointing 1-4-2 record, we were able to finish this season at 3-3-3. In a rebuilding year, we were able to make major improvements on the field and were invited to regionals @ Texas Tech, but had to respectfully decline the offer due to the short notice.

As we enter the offseason, we strive to practice on a weekly basis and enter our Spring season with confidence. Special recognition goes to our seniors that just completed their final semester on the team; Mike Santangelo, Zach Brendel, and exchange student Andre Meisel! You guys made direct impact on the team and it will be hard to replace you all. Stay tuned for an upcoming interview with our English exchange students Gerard McGowan and Rich Scully!

Season Opener

It's been busy times for the FC Truman. Tryouts have been completed and the first week of practice is in the books. Now, it's time for the real thing:

Sunday, 1 pm, @Kansas.

Next week we have our first two home games, both scheduled for 1 pm:

Saturday vs. Wichita State
Sunday vs. Wash U

Look for a list of the newest members of the club in a post very soon.

Fall Tryouts

The fall 2009 tryout schedule has been finalized:

Monday, August 31: 5pm at the C-Hall Field

Tuesday, September 1: 8pm at Stokes Stadium

Thursday, September 3: 5pm at the C-Hall Field

On behalf of FC Truman, I look forward to seeing everyone out next week!

Northwest Friendlies Scheduled for Fall and Spring

FC Truman has scheduled a friendly with the newly formed soccer club at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, MO. The match will take place on Sunday, October 25 at 1:30 pm in Maryville. In addition, the two teams will play a "return leg" in Kirksville during the spring season.

With two empty weekends separating Truman's final game on the KMSL schedule and the Region IV Tournament, this friendly will provide a great opportunity for a tune-up heading into regionals (pending qualification, knock on wood).

Player Spotlight: Curt Ooton

For the first player spotlight, Curt Ooton agreed to let us reveal some intimate details about his life, passions, and hobbies. It was an interesting Q&A via text message. I have opted to include a word-for-word transcript.  Special thanks to Adam Hoskins and Mike Holly for helping me with the questions.

Facebook Personals

Age: 19
Height: 6'0"

Hometown: Kansas City, MO

High School: St. Pius X

Relationship Status: Single
Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Soccer Credentials
Preferred Position: Striker

Been with Truman FC since: Fall 2008

Current Club (back home): Queens Park Rangers U19
Favorite players: Robbie Keane (Tottenham), Arjen Robben (Real Madrid), Henrik Larsson (Helsingborg), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)
Favorite Clubs: Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, QPR
Favorite USMNT player: Clint Dempsey

Q&A (via text message)

Collin Koenig: First question: what player do you most look up to?

Curt Ooton: Is this on the team or of all pro players?

CK: One of each dude.

CO: For truman club team its you and for professionals its robbie keane...both because of the great leadership you show on and off the field and because of the excitement you get out of playing the game.

CK: Nice. Second question: if you could be any animal, what would u be?

CO: A lion for sure...its aggressive and powerful but smart and sly at the same time.

CK: What do you consider to be your greatest on-field attribute?

CO: Field awareness...knowing who's around me, how much time I have, where my teammates are, and what action should be taken next (pass, dribble, shoot, cross).

CK: What are your hobbies off the field?

CO: Fifa for the xbox360, facebook (yes that's a hobby), baskeball, reading, royals games, wizards games, playing cards, hanging out with friends.

CK: If you could be one deceased political figure who would you be?

CO: Benjamin franklin because he was a political figure and inventor

CK: Toilet paper: wad it or fold it?

CO: Gotta fold it

CK: Favorite classic rock band.

CO: Boston for classic rock...and machbox twenty for other rock

CK: Nice. What do u wanna be when u grow up?

CO: A physical therapist but a dream job would be a professional socer [sic, it's not like it's the sport we play or anything] player or sports anchor/broadcaster

CK: Me too on the broadcasting dude.

CO: It would be hella interesting and you'd get to be at all those games.

CK: Yeah man for sure.

Alright, well that wraps it up for the spotlight.  Thanks again to Curt for being the guinea pig. I hope to continue this segment in the near future.