Dani California’s Preseason Top 10 for 2008

[soccerfix]

Chillicothe has to jump to #1
Waverly still undefeated stays #2. Chilli plays Waverly the 20th.

TAKE OVER FROM HERE DANI.

[LHS soccer fan]

Maybe danicalifornia's predictions will need another look later this week...a good match Thursday Sept. 11, when Marietta comes to Logan for their first meeting this season.....on the turf field at the new stadium. Logan beat Marietta last year for the first time in 18 years, during regular season, and then went on to beat them again during the SEOAL day of champions. Logan is coming off of a hard fought 0-0 tie with Lancaster, played this past Thursday. Will be interesting to see what happens Thursday night!

[Bucknuts]

I think my top 6 from Aug 17th (Chilly, Marietta, Warren, Logan, Athens, and Waverly) still looks pretty close. I would also throw Jackson in that mix.

I put the "Goals For" and "Goals Against" for Chillicothe and Marietta on their 3 common opponents; Warren, Jackson, and Gallia.

1a Chillicothe GF 8 GA 2
1b Marietta GF 15 GA 5

1c Waverly Waverly and chillicothe have just one common opponent, Unioto. Waverly beat them 6-3 at Unioto. Chillicothe defeated Unioto at home 4-0. Waverly has a very impressive 44 "goals for" and only 9 "goals against" for the year. When taking only their top 3 opponents (Burg, Unioto, and Minford) that drops to a 13 to 8 ratio. Not quite as impressive.

Waverly and Marietta have no common opponents yet.

Chillicothe has Waverly and Marietta away in the same week. (Sept 16 & 20) That week should say a lot about where all 3 teams stand with each other at the season's midpoint.

4a Athens
4b Logan

Athens looks to be struggling a bit to score, but they play tough and are very stingy on defense. Chillicothe plays Logan twice but does not play Athens. (Unless in the Districts)

Logan is solid again this year. Good result with Lancaster. One goal loss at Chillicothe. Tie at Jackson.

6. Jackson (only loss to Chilly by a goal. Good draws with Warren, Logan, and Marietta)

7-10 Wheelersburg, Fairfield Union, Warren, Minford.....in no particular order.

That being said I think that any of the above teams can beat the others on any given day. Very balanced Southeast this year among the better teams. No standout "powerhouses".

[danicalifornia]

Either next Sunday or Monday.

[danicalifornia]

A few thoughts so far though.

Marietta will remain #1 until they are knocked off, but they have two outstanding clubs beating at the door(Chillicothe and Waverly)

Jackson is better than expected, after losing a good number of seniors and their long time coach.

Unioto, Eastern Brown, and Zane Trace all are in downswings(although, ZT posted a convincing beatdown of Eastern on Saturday)

LHSSoccerFan- That is a big matchup! Logan looked good in the preseason and haven't disappointed so far, I look for them to be in every match this season and I can see them getting the W on Thursday.

[soccerfix]

CHILLICOTHE IS 5-0 WAVERLY IS 6-0 MARIETTA IS 3-0-3 I THINK THEY HAVE BEEN KNOCKED OFF. VINCE SAID "A TIE IS LIKE KISSING YOUR SISTER"...MARRIETA IS ABOUT TO BE ARRESTED.

[LHS soccer fan]

Logan will have to be at their best Thursday night to score the win. Logan's defense was struggling at Chillicothe, but was at their best so far this season against Lancaster. Senior Cody McGhee leads the defense, and junior Ethan Whalen has a strong presence in the backfield. Sophomore Jared Rutter adds strength and size. The defensive line is rounded out with junior Mason Illiff and sophomore Ben Moore seeing a good bit of PT. Sophomore GK Derek Montgomery is coming off of two shut outs against Zanesville and Lancaster. The offense is led by seniors Michael Meadows and LJ Funk. Scoring has come from Meadows and some of the underclassmen: juniors David Dunn and Kurt Geiger, and sophomores Patrick Bachmann and Ryan Cassady. Ethan also scored one in the Gallia game. Several of Logan's players were on club teams in the off season...more than in past years and it's starting to show on the field.
I appreciate your vote of confidence for Logan this Thursday, danicalifornia!
What can we expect from Marietta?
I'll post an update after the game.

[brutally honest]

LOL. You make it seem like Logan's keeper is good. He probably isn't in the top 5 in the league.

[LHS soccer fan]

I never said that he was top GK in the league...he's young and still needs more experience, but he's clearly improved since last season, when he got a good bit of playing time following the loss of starting GK Sam Miller, who ended up with a broken leg six games into the season and was not able to return to the position . I just feel the team is coming together as a whole..they looked their best for the Lancaster game....the team, as a whole, will be tested over the next 2-3 weeks. Games against Marietta, Warren, a couple non-league games against Pickerington North and Athens ( Athens will be played following the regular season), and rematches with Chillicothe and Jackson will tell the story where Logan stands when compared with the other teams in the SEOAL. One player doesn't make a team...it takes both the offense and defense to make a winner.

[LHS soccer fan]

Brutally honest (or anyone else who wants to get in on this post).....how about your take on the rankings of the GK's in the league???? How many have you really watched? Or feel free to include other GKs in southern Ohio that have caught your eye. Stick to current ones, that are currently playing.

[brutally honest]

Sorry to come off a bit condescending and arrogant. I misinterpreted what you said but I will still answer your question.

I haven't seen Marietta's keeper yet but I have seen the rest of the SEOAL.

1. Jackson's keeper
2. Gallia's keeper
3. Warren's keeper
4. I guess your keeper would be in the top 5.
5. One of whoever is left.

Out of the area:

1. Fairfield Unions' keeper
2. Athens' keeper
3. Jackson's keeper

After that it would go back to the SEOAL list.

If we were going best of the state, none of these players would even compare. I love to talk goalkeeping though, so more input would be nice from others.

For the record: I am impartial to teams so I'm not playing any favorites.

[LHS soccer fan]

I did take it as somewhat sarcastic...that's the way it seemed. The whole point of my post wasn't concerning any individual member of the team, but how the team has evolved since the preseason. In spite of saying that you aren't partial, you have listed Jackson twice...at the top of the SEOAL and then again in your "out of the area" list. We tied Jackson 1-1, so why is their GK at the top billing? Gallia's GK? I would, by all means, put her at the top of a list for receiving a medal of courage...I give that keeper credit for being able to face all the varsity boys teams and handle herself so well! I haven't seen Warren this year, yet, but will next week, so can't comment on them until next Tues. night. And what about Marietta with no losses yet?
I do agree with the comment concerning GK's and how far behind southeastern Ohio really is...when you see teams from Columbus, Cincinnati, and similar areas, the best GK in this part of the state doesn't measure up to them. Many are playing on select teams much of the year.
I'd like to hear from others out there. And I'll look for danicalifornia's update on Top 10 soon!

[brutally honest]

I don't really credit scores because that's the defense's doing as well. I'm really impartial but I've seen the most out of Jackson's keeper. As for my ranking of Gallia's keeper being above yours, I've seen her make better saves than I have seen your keeper make. I haven't seen a great deal of all the keepers but I have friends that give me insight as well. That might lead to a flaw in my logic, LOL.

[goldentoe]

Marietta's goalie is best in the league and maybe best in the whole district.

[brutally honest]

Really? What sets him apart from the pack enough for you to make that statement? I haven't seen him so I can't make that call, so I am curious.

[soccernut]

I don't know that you could say he is the best in the league, but he does make very good decisions in the box. He is also very aggresive.

It's hard to judge goalies. The defense can make them look good and not so good sometimes. Marietta has four sophmore starters in the back field. Two of which played as freshmen.

We will see how good they are tonight against Logan!!!

[LHS soccer fan]

Logan 2
Marietta 0

Goals by Kurt Geiger and LJ Funk.

[soccerfix]

MARIETTA HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN KNOCKED OUT OF #1. NOW MAYBE CHILLICOTHE WITH A HEALTHY TONY.

[Bozo]

Zane Trace is 4-2 overall after they lost to Groveport by a score of 5-2 on Thursday night.

[pcohio]

I guess I would give the edge to Chillicothe (despite their one loss) over Waverly based on their level of competition, but it will be decided on the field September 20 when Chillicothe travels to Waverly!