Blog

By Jim Wieners

Prior to celebrating a 50-year anniversary as a Christian School on Sept. 1, the boys high school soccer team at North County Christian School opened the 2012 season with four wins in August and has their eyes on a second straight Missouri Christian State Athletic Association championship on Oct. 20 in Joplin.

Last year NCCS rebounded from a second-place finish in the Twin Rivers Christian Activities Association Tournament (won by Christian Academy of Greater St. Louis) and a 2-4 record in TRCAA regular-season games to win MCSAA state. The Crusaders were 13-7-1 overall but did win the Christian Fellowship Tournament, Sept. 30-Oct 1 in Columbia Mo.

NCCS lost only three players from last year so the Crusaders are on a mission. It began Aug. 24 in Cape Girardeau with a 3-1 win over Eagle Ridge Christian as John Worth scored two goals and Kyle VerMehren stopped six shots. It was the only road game in August and will go back on the road Sep. 8 when the Crusaders head to Columbia for a 12 noon game against Christian Fellowship.

NCCS began the first of thee home games the last week of August when the Crusaders, Aug. 27, edged a St. Louis Public High League school, Metro, 2-1. Worth and Tony Lanzone each scored a goal but Metro goalkeeper kept the Crusaders from further damage with seven saves. Tommy Shults had for saves for NCCS.

The next day, Aug. 28, NCCS won another home game as the Crusaders edged Mississippi Valley Christian, 3-1. Worth scored two more goals and Shults had six saves.

The week ended before the 50th anniversary, as well as the arrival of remnants of  Hurricane Isaac, NCCS poured it on at home on Aug. 30. Governor French Academy, based in Belleville, Ill., came to NCCS but the Crusaders rolled to a 10-0 shutout in a game that was called with just over two minutes to go in the second half due to the 10-goal margin rule in the second half.. Eight players each  had an assists including Lanzone, who scored three goals while Collin Elliott scored twice. Shults played 65 minutes of goalkeeping then Worth came in to play 13 as keeper before the Crusaders scored the 10th goal in the 78th minute as the referee called the game over

Prior to hosting St. Louis United on Sep. 6, NCCS began TRCAA play Sep. 4 with a home game against Collinsville (Ill.) Christian. Those home games started at 6 p.m. The Crusaders, last year, defeated Collinsville Christian three times including the TRCAA Tournament but lost three times to Christian Academy of Greater St. Louis, including the TRCAA tournament championship game. NCCS also lost twice to Tower Grove Christian in TRCAA play but the Crusaders defeated Tower Grove, Oct. 22, 2011 in Joplin in the MCSAA Championship game.