All-City Selections

Three Heritage Christian players were honored for their play this season by making the All-City Honorable Mention Team. Seniors Connor Richards and Evan Link made the team along with Sophomore Anders Rotto. This is a nice honor for the boys!

2a East. vs. West Senior All-Star Game

Seniors Connor Richards and Evan link both both participated in the 2a East vs. West All-Star game on Saturday, November 6th at Park Tudor. Both of the boys represented Heritage very well during the game. Evan made many quality saves in goal and Connor helped anchor a defense that was kept busy through out the entire game. Although the boys played well, their team lost 4-0.

I talked with both Connor and Evan after the game, and they both enjoyed playing in the game. The game was their last high school game, and it was obvious that both of them were enjoying themselves during the game. Both of them finished their high school career on a positive note, and it was fun to watch!

Connor and Evan continued the tradition of having Heritage players being selected to play in the game. Hopefully this will continue, and we will have many more players selected to play in future all-star games!

Heritage Ends Regular Season with a Loss

The eagles fell to University High School 4-0 on Monday, October 4th. University scored three minutes into the game, and the boys were not able to recover. At halftime, the eagles were down
3-0. The second half was better for Heritage. The boys were able to posses the ball, and scored a goal that unfortunately was called back. University would end up scoring their fourth goal off of a free kick.

The loss brought the eagles' regular season record to 6-7-4. The boys open sectional play against Lawrence Central on October 9th. The boys will use the next few days to regroup, and prepare to mount a charge for sectional play.

City Tournament Run Ends

The eagles lost a tough game against honorable mention all state Covenant Christian in the semi-finals of the city tournament. The first quality goal scoring opportunity of the game went to the eagles, but Covenant's goalie made a nice stop. Covenant broke through with their first goal ten minutes into the game. At halftime, the eagles found themselves down 3-0. Covenant would tally another goal in the second half making the final score 4-0.

I was pleased with our effort against Covenant. The boys played hard and never quit. Hopefully, we will learn from our mistakes, and use this loss as motivation as we finish out the year.

Coach Nelson

Heritage Reaches Semi-Finals of City Tournament

The eagles faced an inspired Washington team in the first round of the city tournament. Sophomore Graham Allgood gave the team a 1-0 lead with his sixth goal of the year. He was assisted by sophomore Anders Rotto. The eagles added to their lead when freshman Luke Peduto scored off a cross from Graham Allgood. At the end of the first half, Heritage led 2-0. Unfortunately, the start of the second half was not kind to the boys, and they gave up two quick goals. The second half ended 2-2, and the two teams then prepared for overtime. After two seven minute periods, the game was still tied. The game would then end with a penalty shoot out. Senior Connor Richards, Anders Rotto, sophomore Sam Hall, senior Blaine Roberts, and sophomore Parker Campbell all stepped up and buried their penalty shots. Washington's shooters did just the same, and the shoot out moved to sudden death. Goals from Graham Allgood and sophomore Jake Huff would be needed, and fortunately for the eagles, Washington's 7th shooter missed his penalty shot wide.

The eagles returned an hour and a half later, and defeated the 3rd seeded Scecina 2-0. The boys dominated Scecina with possession, and were finally able to break through in the second half with a goal from freshman Malik Roberson. The game was put away a few minutes later when senior Brad Giannini scored off a cross from Malik Roberson.

The eagles will get a rematch against the 2nd seeded Covenant Christian on Monday, September 27, at 7pm. This should be a great game, and the boys are looking forward to the game. This marks the third time in four years that Heritage has reached the semi-finals of the city tournament.

Go Eagles!

Coach Nelson

Eagles Tie Park Tudor 0-0 on Senior Night

The senior class, led by captains Evan Link and Connor Richards, was determined to not allow Park Tudor to score. Evan Link played very well in goal, and Connor Richards and Daniel Shake anchored a defense that earned its fifth shut out of the season. Seniors Brad Giannini, Zander Faidley, and Joey Winkle also contributed with positive minutes. The offense had a few quality opportunities to score, but the back of the net could not be found.

I am very proud of how our seniors played. The seniors were dialed in for this game, and it was apparent that they were determined to not lose. Our younger players played well in honor of the seniors. Overall, it was a good result against a quality opponent.

The team's record now stands at 3-5-4. The next game will be on Thursday, September 23rd at Greenwood Christian. With a solid effort, the boys should be able to put another win in the win column.

Coach Nelson

Eagles Down Rockets 4-1

The varsity team traveled on Saturday, September 18th, to take on the Broad Ripple Rockets. The eagles had some quality opportunities to take an early lead, but were unable to find the back of the net. Towards the end of the first half, the eagles had a break down which allowed for the Rockets to score. The boys were able to regroup, and sophomore Graham Allgood was able to break through the Rocket's back line and slot a ball past Broad Ripple's goalie to tie the game. The score was 1-1 at halftime.

As the second half began, it was clear that the eagles were not happy with their first half play, and the team came out on a mission. Sophomore Anders Rotto buried a direct kick from 20 yards out to give the eagles the lead. Sophomore Graham Allgood found the back of the net again to make it 3-1 moments later. The eagles kept the pressure on and were rewarded with a penalty kick. Senior captain Connor Richards ripped an upper ninety shot giving the eagles a 4-1 lead.

I was very pleased with the second half effort. The field conditions were very tough, and it was good to see some of the players step up and lead.

The varsity's record is now 3-5-3. The eagles will take on Park Tudor for senior night on Tuesday, September 21st. This will be a big test for the boys, and I am looking forward to watching them step up and work hard to send the seniors off with a win!

Coach Nelson

Heritage and Chatard Battle to a Tie

On a windy, chilly, Thursday evening, the varsity boys took on Bishop Chatard. The eagles' defense held strong for the first twenty minutes, but unfortunately gave up a goal on Chatard's first shot of the game. Chatard took a 1-0 lead into half time. The boys came out to play in the second half, and were rewarded with a penalty kick. Senior captain Connor Richards calmly beat Chatard's goalie to tie the game 1-1. The goal gave a boost to the boys, and for the next 20 minutes, the Chatard keeper was peppered with shots. Their keeper, along with their defense, held strong though, and the game ended 1-1.

We made a lot of progress against Chatard, and it was a good result against a good team.

Coach Nelson

Heritage Ties Greenfield-Central 0-0

The boys played very well against a good Greenfield-Central team. The game was very physical and both sides created scoring chances. Senior goalie Evan Link made some fine saves, and the back line held strong. The offense had some great opportunities but Greenfield's goalie made some great saves.

Our record is now 2-5-2. We are back in action on Thursday, September 16th against Bishop Chatard.

Coach Nelson

Heritage Routs Metropolitan

The boys came to play against Metropolitan and ended up winning 8-0. The offense came alive giving the team a big boost. Senior Connor Richards and sophomore Sam Hall led the way with two goals a piece. Senior Zander Faidley, sophomores Graham Allgood and Anders Rotto, and freshman Luke Peduto each tallied a goal. The back line was solid and did not allow any serious scoring chances. Sophomore Jon Harman and senior Evan Link combined for the shut out in goal.

The boys are now 2-5-1 and will play Greenfield-Central next. Greenfield will be a good challenge for our young team and I am expecting it to be a fun game to watch.

Coach Nelson

Hoosier Cup

The boys played very well at Hoosier Cup. In the first game, we jumped to a 1-0 lead thanks to a goal by Graham Allgood. Anders Rotto recorded the assist. Bedford North Lawrence tied the game off of a rebound to make it 1-1 at halftime. In the second half, we limited BNL to two shots on goal but unfortunately the second goal went in. We pushed numbers forward but were unable to get the tying score which caused us to lose 2-1.

We rebounded very well against Providence. Anders Rotto hit the crossbar ten minutes into the game and we had other quality opportunites. Evan Link played very well in goal making some big saves to keep us in the game. After eighty mintues, neither of us could find the back of the net. This resulted in a 0-0 tie.

In the last game, Richmond scored an early goal to go up 1-0. We almost responded with a goal five minutes later when Sam Hall played an amazing through ball to Graham Allgood. Graham had a tough break away opportunity but was unable to find the back of the net. Richmond would lead 2-0 at the half. Unfortunately Richmond put a third goal in ten minutes in the second half which killed a chance at a comeback. I used this time to get players minutes, get a look at the future, and gave Seniors Connor Richards and Daniel Shake some time at forward. Richmond would score two more goals during this time making the final score 5-0.

This brings the teams record to 1-5-1.

Heritage vs. Lebanon

The boys lost a hard fought game 3-1. There were plenty of goal scoring opportunities but we were only able to score one goal. Sam Hall buried a volley from about twenty yards out to make the score 3-1. The Tigers scored on two set pieces and on a broken play. There were strides made in this game and the boys are looking forward to Hoosier Cup to get back in the winning column. The team record is now 1-3

.

The Junior Varsity won in dramatic fashion. The boys led for the majority of the game thanks to a first half goal from Chris Sato. The Tigers tied the game with minutes to go in the game. While it would have been easy to be disappointed and settle for the tie, the boys rebounded and Nate Clodgo scored the game winning goal! The team record is now 1-1-1.

Heritage Gives Back

The soccer team came together and volunteered at Rebuilding the Wall this past Saturday. Some of the tasks were cleaning floors, edging and painting sidewalks and curbs, and digging holes to find pipes. I was proud of how well our guys worked. It was also encouraging to see the future leaders of our soccer program working so well together.

For more information about Rebuilding the Wall, please click on the following link:

http://rebuildingthewall.org/

Covenant Christian vs. Heritage Christian

The boys' soccer team came up against a top opponent in Covenant Christian and lost 6-0. The team continued to play hard to the end and never gave up. There were positives to take from the game and we now know things that we have to work on. I am hopeful for a few days of good practices and am expecting the boys to bounce back in a big way against Lebanon.

Coach Nelson

Heritage vs. Tech

The boys netted their first win of the season with a 4-0 victory against Tech. Sophomore Sam Hall led the way with two goals. Seniors Zander Faidley and Brad Giannini also scored for the Eagles. Goals were assisted by Brad Giannini, Sophomore Anders Rotto, and Senior Connor Richards. The defense, anchored by Daniel Shake and Connor Richards, shut down Tech's attack. Senior goalie Evan Link recorded his first shut out of the year.

The win brings their record to 1-1. The Eagles will visit Covenant Christian next Tuesday.

Heritage Falls in Home Opener

The boys came up against a tough and talented Plainfield team and ended up losing 2-0. The boys worked hard through out the entire game but just could not find the back of the net. After falling behind 2-0, there was a great scoring opportunity as Blaine Roberts' free kick from thirty yards out hit the crossbar.

There were lots of positives to take away from the game and I am looking forward to watching the boys progress each game. Our next game is Thursday, August 19th against Arsenal Tech.

Coach Nelson

Heritage vs. Union County Scrimmage

The boys took a positive step forward with a win against Union County. The score ended up

5-0 with goals coming from Brad Giannini, Zander Faidley, Jake Huff, Blaine Roberts, and Sam Hall. Evan Link and Jon Harman combined for the shut out. The defense, lead by Connor Richards and Daniel Shake, did a nice job of limiting scoring chances for Union County.

The Eagles open the regular season at home on Tuesday, August 17th against Plainfield High School. Come out and support the boys as they look to start the season with a win.

Coach Nelson

Important Dates

The varsity brunch will be held on August 6th at the Richards' home. This is a tradition that recognizes the achievement of making making the varsity soccer squad. Therefore, this is for varsity players only. The boys will head over to the Richards' home after the morning the training session for some good food and fellowship.

After the evening training session on August 10th, we will be going to the state fair as a team. This trip includes the junior varsity team. We will look to return to Heritage at 9:30 p.m.

The kick-off party to the season will be held on August 13th at the Sato's home. The Satos have graciously offered to host the party. This is a time for the entire soccer program to come together and fellowship. After the meal, there will be a parents meeting that will cover the upcoming season.

There will be more information coming concerning the above events.

Two-a-day Schedule

Practices will become mandatory on Monday, August 2nd. Players should bring cleats, running shoes, shin guards, and water.

8/2 through 8/11

8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The two-a-day schedule will end on 8/11.

Practice times will be from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m on 8/12 and 8/13.

Pool Party

The boys had a great time at the Richards' home after their training session on July 8th. A big thank you to the Richards family for opening their home to the boys. The pool was refreshing and Shawn Richards made the boys very happy with a delicious lunch.

Senior Leadership

The senior class has done a remarkable job of being leaders this summer. The work ethic, desire to improve, and attitude demonstrated by these guys are what every coach wants. An example of this can be seen in the picture above. The team had accrued six minutes of extra sprinting from their Zone Training. Senior Evan Link was given the opportunity to cut the punishment in half for the entire team if he could do 80 perfect form push ups in a row. Evan took the challenge and proceeded to knock out the push ups with everyone watching in amazement. To date, Evan is the only Heritage athlete that has been able to do 80 push ups in a row! More importantly though, Evan demonstrated that he was willing to sacrifice for the betterment of his teammates.

USA vs. Slovenia

The team watched in shock as the United States fell behind 2-0 against Slovenia. What turned out to be an exciting start to the game ended up being a silent time in my living room. Thankfully the United States came out to play in the second half and the boys went crazy after Landon Donovan's goal. The frenzy continued to build and it was a great time. Sadly, we were left with a devastating call from the referee that stole a win for the United States. In the end, the boys had fun discussing events of the game which was fun to listen to.

USA Vs. England

A huge thank you to the Sato family for hosting the boys! We had a great time of fellowship as we all cheered on the United States. Wait, I take that back. Most of us cheered on the United States. For some reason, Connor Richards would refer to England using words such as "We" or "My"! Also, even though he wasn't there, Coach Bryce predicted a win for the Three Lions. As you can see, we had fun bantering back and forth during the game!

The next outing will be at my home as the United States takes on Slovenia on June 18th.

Zone Training

Zone training has been going very well. The guys are working hard and will reap the rewards from their hard work this fall. Hoffacker Fitness has reviewed the individual assessments and have put together a plan of action to improve our boys in their areas of weakness. As a whole, we are weak in the category of recovery. This is also an area of weakness for most programs at Heritage. I am confident that if our attendance stays strong, all of the boys will experience tremendous improvement in their ability to recover before the season begins.

Senior Lunch

All seniors are invited to have lunch with Coach Nelson on Thursday, May 27th at Wild Buffalo Wings. The guys should meet at noon at the Wild Buffalo Wings in Carmel. Contact Coach Nelson with any questions.

Wild Buffalo Wings
2510 East 146th St.
Carmel, IN46033

Summer Training Schedule

The boys soccer team will start training on June 1st. The training days will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00 am to 10:30 am. For more information, contact Coach Nelson at landon.nelson@heritagechristian.net or at (317) 501-7605.

Hoffacker Fitness Meeting

There will be a meeting on campus this Friday night at 6 pm concerning the change to using Hoffacker Fitness. The meeting should last around a hour. Please be in attendance to hear what Steve Hoffacker and our athletic department has to say about the program. The meeting will be informative and should provide a picture of what the program will look like.

Coach Nelson

Call Out Meeting

There will be a mandatory meeting during lunch on Thursday, April 22nd for returning players. This meeting is also open to any guys interested in playing soccer next fall. The meeting will be in Mr. Schnake's room which is H36. Students should leave at their respective lunch time and bring their lunch to the meeting. If there are any questions, please contact Coach Nelson.

Team Outing

Junior Brad Giannini is organizing a team outing for Thursday, February 11th after school. This is open to all players in the soccer program. Players should meet Brad after the early dismissal in the high school gym lobby. The boys will be going to a local fast food restaurant near Heritage. The meal should be finished by 1:30. This is a great opportunity for the guys to spend some time together and enjoy the company of teammates. Players should seek out Brad or Coach Nelson if there are any questions.

Off-Season Lifting and PASS

We will start off-season lifting and PASS on January 11th. PASS is being offered on Mondays and Fridays from 3:30 to 4:30. The guys should bring warm clothes for PASS because it will be outdoors weather permitting. We will lift as a team on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:30.

While lifting and PASS are not mandatory, both provide great avenues for athletic growth. PASS allows our athletic teams to stay a step ahead of most 1A and 2A schools and helps us compete with larger schools. Lifting will help prepare the boys for the physicality of high school soccer. Lifting together also allows for players to step into leadership roles and for bonds to be made before our season starts.

As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Coach Nelson