Observer Sports Blog

Okay, no live blog. The Turner Stadium internet is not so much functional right now. Here’s the schedule for Turner Stadium today, adjusted by one hour from the original times:

1 p.m. The Woodlands College Park 10, Humble 0
Not much to report on this one – it went about how you would expect. It was 7-0 at halftime, and Humble looked very, very improved in the second half.
3 p.m. Cy Woods 4, Atascocita 3
The first half was an incredible disappointment, as Atascocita looked disjointed and unmotivated and fell behind 2-0. The Lady Eagles looked much better in the second half, although they fell behind 4-1, then scored two goals in the final two minutes to lose 4-3. A healthy lineup and a regular goalkeeper would be big boosts for Atascocita. Kayla King, Julie Lackey and freshman Amber Brady scored for Atasocita.
5 p.m. Kingwood 2, Cy-Fair 0
I thought Kingwood looked good in this win. I’m sure new head coach Rennie Rebe will have her sticking points, but I was pretty impressed. The Lady Mustangs have a lot of experience, and senior Hope Ward and junior Amanda Essay looked terrific in the central midfield. Ward set up Essay for the first goal, and Kingwood put the game away with a late goal when senior Rachel Turpin set up senior Taylor Padia.
7 p.m. Burleson 3, Houston Westside 1

I got over to Kingwood Park as soon as I could after the Kingwood game. I caught a few races of the swim meet – Kingwood Park breezed past a bunch of teams that included Humble, Spring Dekaney, Aldine Eisenhower and Huntsville – and a wee bit of the K-Park girls game. Here’s what happened in the Panther Challenge today:

2 p.m. Girls – Santa Fe 3, Lumberton 1
4 p.m. Boys – Houston Sharpstown 6, Santa Fe 0
6 p.m. Girls – Kingwood Park 6, Houston Reagan 0
Lady Panthers breeze to first win. Brooke Harper and Madison Harvey each scored twice, while Nicole DiSevo and Payton Harvey each scored once. DiSevo and Jodi Russo each had assists, while Andrea Ivey notched the shutout. K-Park faces a much bigger test tomorrow at 8 p.m. against Santa Fe.
8 p.m. Boys – Kingwood Park 4, Nederland 1
I had a blast watching this game. I know head coach Ryan Smith was worried about Nederland, but the Panthers really came out blazing and had three shots on goal in the first minute. Nederland got back in the game, however, and it was really entertaining. I got to sit with campus athletic coordinator Jim Holley, girls coach Dean Herbs and some others during the game, and it really was a pleasure.
On the field, the young Panthers were impressive. Even with several players who have hardly practiced due to basketball commitments and one player with wet hair fresh from the pool, Kingwood Park looked good. Not surprisingly, the most impressive part was the central midfield pairing of sophomore Juan Castillo and freshman Cody Lofgren. Love watching those two play together.
Nederland scored first in the 19th minute, aided by the slick field. Smith had started Lofgren on the left, then subbed him out. After the goal, he put him in at center midfield, and the response was swift. A Lofgren corner found Castillo at the back post, and his powerful header was blocked on the goal line, only to see Castillo stab it home. Three minutes before the half, Lofgren and sophomore Casen Hunger jarred the ball loose on the top left side of the box, and Hunger curled a perfect shot into the top right corner of the net. Quite a goal.
With the lead at the half, Kingwood Park was rarely troubled in the second half while playing most of its roster. Six minutes in, Castillo found a loose ball at the top of the penalty area and simply blasted it into the top right corner off the underside of the crossbar. This was almost as good as Hunger’s goal. Really a great strike.
Sweeper Matt Nolan, who stays way the heck back except when he comes up for corners, put the game away when the Nederland keeper spilled a Lofgren corner.
Great start for the K-Park boys, but a tougher test looms tomorrow at 4 p.m. against Houston Sharpstown, which won its opener, 6-0.

Other scores from the first day of soccer season:

Boys
New Caney 2, Beaumont West Brook 0
Kingwood 6, Belton 1
Cy Woods 3, Atascocita 0
Spring 2, Cy Springs 0