June 10, 2007
Four named All-Region
SIKESTON -- Four Sikeston girls were honored with all-region selections by area coaches recently. Junior Jordi Ferrell was named first team all-region as well as offensively player of the year in the region while sophomore Abbi Keefer was named first team as a forward...
SIKESTON -- Four Sikeston girls were honored with all-region selections by area coaches recently.
Junior Jordi Ferrell was named first team all-region as well as offensively player of the year in the region while sophomore Abbi Keefer was named first team as a forward.
Also, junior Katie De La Rosa and sophomore Ashley Angle were picked for second team defenseman.
The quartet helped lead the Lady Bulldogs to a 14-10-1 record, marking the most wins in a single season by the girls soccer team.
Ferrell had 27 assists and 22 goals for the Lady Bulldogs this year as area coaches took notice of her skills.
"Getting offensive player of the year -- that's a real big deal," said Sikeston coach Derrick Long. "he couple girls she beat out had really great years. She was actually the only midfielder in the group. Forwards are usually the ones scoring goals."
One of the players Ferrell beat for the honor was DeSoto's Samantha Carder, who tallied more than 40 goals this season.
But Ferrell's main position as a midfielder allowed her to control things in the middle, giving her fewer shots, but at the same time setting up teammates such as Keefer with scoring chances.
"Those are pretty big numbers for a midfielder," said Long. "In the all-region meeting we had, every coach was commenting on how Jordi controls the game for our team. I just tell the team to get it to Jordi and let her distribute it. She's like our quarterback out there. We just let her control our offense. She's just a force in the middle.
"Anytime you got somebody that can control the action in the middle of the field you've got an advantage. But it's nice when you got somebody like Abbi Keefer that when you make great passes to them, she can finish."
Keefer led the team with 23 goals while recording 12 assists.
"She had a great season, despite being hampered by injuries," said Long. "She missed five out of our first six games and there were a few other times she played with nagging injuries. It just shows how great a player she is. I'd like to see what kind of numbers she could put up in a whole season."
Long said Keefer's athleticism and deft moves on the pitch is what sets her apart from other players.
"She's fast, but she's got deceptive moves out there," said Long. "She has a lot of different moves she puts on defenders and she's able to shake them and then beat them with her speed. She had a great season putting the ball in the net this year."
De La Rosa and Angle were Sikeston's last line of defense before the goalie.
"We probably have one of the fastest defenses in the area with those two girls leading the way," said Long. "Most people have their fast girls up top and we neutralize them with Katie and Ashley back on defense. Those two girls really stepped up and kept the ball out of the goal for us this year."
Besides Angle and De La Rosa's obvious talents on the field, Long said it's the pair's intangibles that he likes.
"If anybody watched our games this year you would see the passion and non-
stop intensity that they play with," said Long. "They both have great speed and they play with a lot of heart out there. Katie played with a broken nose and that just shows her toughness. That's what I want out there. I want players that play with intensity and heart."
Long also pointed out that Angle was selected to the all-tournament team in Carbondale this year, making her the first Sikeston girl to ever make the team in six years playing in the tournament.
Sikeston made it to the district tournament semifinals this past season before falling 1-0 to St. Vincent.
The Lady Bulldogs graduated just one senior, Emily Taylor.
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