Saturday, December 30, 2006

What is the NCAA III?


As I recruit for Maranatha, I hear this question alot. I thought I would post a little information about the league in which we participate. The NCAA Division III is made up of over 450 public and private colleges nation-wide. In D III, all athletes are non-scholarship. Some athletes receive scholarship money, but the scholarships are tied to to academics or courses of study. There are many players who have had opportunities in D I or D II, but have chosen to attend a DIII school. I estimate that there are 10 to 20 players in the Northern Athletics Conference alone who could have competed at the DI level. Some of those players have played at Maranatha. Why would a player who is being scouted by D I teams chose to play D III? Here are some reasons:
- commitment to a particular course of study
- commitment to earn a Bible college education
- the opportunity to dominate rather than sit the bench
- sometimes the costs are the same, even with a scholarship at a bigger school
- an athletic scholarship comes with a high price tag: TIME - most D I teams have 20 hrs of workouts every week, even in the offseason
- relationship with the coaching staff
- proximity

Here are a couple of interesting stories about soccer players who are in the NCAA DIII:
Banghart Plays for the U-20 National Team
Harrison Tries Out for the Crew

At Maranatha, we seek to provide rigorous academics, consistent discipleship and high level athletics. Are you up for the challenge? - C

Soccer Camp Brochure


Here is our first ever Soccer Camp brochure. This is the first time that we have been able to design one that is only for soccer camp. If you would like a hard copy mailed to you - feel free to contact me. - C

Monday, December 25, 2006

Merry Christmas from C, Mrs. Coach and E's!

Here is the Christmas letter that we sent out this year. I was lazy and just posted the one that Sarah wrote. I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas from the Maranatha Soccer family. I am excited about what the coming year will bring as you grow in the Lord. - C

Dear Friends and Family,
This past year has been full for our family. The Lord has been abundantly gracious to us, and has blessed us beyond what we could ever deserve.
Josh is still working at Maranatha Baptist Bible College, now full-time as the Assistant to the Director of Development. Although we are thankful for the benefits and stability of this position, his heart is still on the soccer field. He also coaches both the men's and women's soccer teams, and thoroughly enjoys the opportunity to impact his players' lives.
After staying home with the girls for the past few years, Sarah was offered a position as a part-time 2's/3's teacher at a small daycare. She is able to take the girls with her, and still get home in time for naptime. :-) It is a wonderful addition to our income--and allows Josh to be home more often!
Elise just turned four this month, and is slowly starting to grow up. She loves attending preschool, and is improving in many areas. She thinks she is Cinderella, and loves all things "girly". Eliana is 2 1/2 and definitely in the "terrible twos". She has a hilarious personality, and makes us laugh (most of the time). She stays busy trying to keep up with her older sister. They will be joined in March--Lord-willing-- by a baby brother. We are all excited about the addition of a boy to the family!
We had a busy summer, full of travel and soccer camps. It was nice to be together as a family--the girls are good little travelers. We were able to visit Florida, as well as many of the states in between here and there. In November, we made a trip to Idaho, to visit with Sarah’s family. Christmas time will be spent with Josh’s family in Wisconsin.
The new year holds many changes.... We are thankful for a God that lovingly guides and protects us every day. We pray that each of you will know the joy of following Him in 2007! Keep in touch.
Love--Josh, Sarah, Elise & Eliana

Sunday, December 24, 2006

NCCAA II All-Americans


I received a pleasant surprise earlier this week. Two players from the women's team were named to the NCCAA II All-American squad - Angela Fenstermacher and Melissa Nichols. Both players are very deserving of the honor. They are both domininant players in their positions. Angela was named a player of the week during last season when our defense held the opposition to one goal in three games. Melissa commands double teams everywhere she goes on the field. Even though she struggled with injury this season, she scored 7 goals and led the team with 7 assists. Angela and Melissa were also named Northern Athletics Conference All-Conference Honorable Mention. I believe that both of them deserved to be on the first team. We hope to add a recruit or two who can take attention away from Melissa so that she can really become a force on the pitch. -C

Friday, December 22, 2006

All-Conference Freshman



This year, two young men made the All-Freshman team in the Northern Athletics Conference: Mike Knepp and Brett Hollenbeck. Mike is from Pennsylvania and played for a strong soccer program at Pocono Mountain East HS. Mike is one of the most physically gifted players that I have ever coached and I am excited about his future in our program. Brett is also from a strong soccer program here in Wisconsin - Faith Christian School in William's Bay. Brett surprised me this year, because I didn't think he possessed the physical characteristics to have great success at this level. However, I underestimated his skill with the ball and he adjusted to the speed of play very well. Both players are a part of an outstanding 2006 freshman class that includes Zach Rabenstein (Muncie, IN), Joel Smith (Salisbury, MD), Dan Campbell (Bolingbrook, IL) and several others who will contribute in the future. I also have high hopes for the 2007 class. I believe that many of them possess the talent that when combined with the experience of the rest of our squad, could make us a contender in the coming year.- C

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Jules


Please pray for Julie Muse. She had surgery to correct a problem with her heels earlier this week and is stuck in the house for quite a while. Pray that her pain is not too great and that she will make a full recovery as soon as possible. Julie has been an integral member of our team for the past two seasons. She has had 12 goals and 11 assists in her first two seasons, been a soccer camp counselor and was a member of our mission's trip to Germany. If you get a chance, give her a call, send an email or just leave a comment on this post. - C

Sign Up for Soccer Camp!

Details for the 2007 Maranatha Soccer Camp are now online. Plan to register as soon as possible! The price for this year's camp has been raised to $220, however if you register before June 1st you will receive a discount of $30. Lord willing, instructors for 2007 will be Jennifer Adam, Tim Ashton, and Andrew Swift. The addition of Swifty will allow us to increase our focused goalkeeper instruction. Campers will receive instruction in conditioning, core strengthening, technical skills, finishing, defending and decision making. Our camp format also makes discipleship a major focus of the week.

We strongly invite coaches to attend our camp. It is a bargain $50 - for the entire week - room and board. We only ask for a little "crowd control" from time to time. We have an informal coach's symposium already in operation during this week. Eventually, we would like to include more formal instuction. Coaches have access to our staff during meals and rest times and are able to observe training sessions up close. Our staff seeks to be a resource for coaches, especially Christian school coaches. Coaches will also have access to our college library that holds current books, periodicals and DVD's designed to help improve soccer training abilities.

You can view pictures of soccer camp in the July/August archives of this blog. If any campers have any additional pictures from camp that they would like me to post, please send them to jcaucutt@mbbc.edu. - C

Friday, December 15, 2006

2006 Women's Photo Album

Here are pictures from the women's season. If any of you would like electronic copies for your own files, just email me. 2006 Women's Soccer - C

2006 Men's Photo Album

Photos from the 2006 Men's Soccer Season have been posted at Men's Photos
-C

2006 NCAA DI College Cup

I was able to attend the Men's Soccer NCAA DI Final Four in St. Louis this year. It was a great trip even though the weather was pretty bad. I was able to attend a coach's symposium for the NSCAA that was going on in conjunction with the games. The matches were outstanding. Here is a picture that proves I was there:
Can you find me? Hint: I'm not the goalkeeper. - C

End of the Year

The end of the soccer season is always a disappointment. It is so much fun to spend time with the teams in practice and games. Many of the players enjoy the extra time for homework and work, but after a couple of days with no practice, they are ready to get back on the field.

In each of the last three years, we have held an End-of-the-Year Reception. It is just an informal time to look at pictures from the past year, hand out gag awards and gives me a chance to talk about the players one last time. This year, Justin Martinez, who was injured in a motorcycle accidenter early in the season was able to attend. It was a great blessing to see him back on his feet.

One of the most important awards that we hand out each year is the Four Year Player award. I traditionally give a jersey with their name to every player who has been a part of our soccer program for four years. It is a great accomplishment to play soccer at this school for four years. The academic rigor, the financial challenge and the physical toll discourage many, but those who make it through are some of the toughest people around. If anyone out there is looking for a faithful employee who has a positive attitude, demonstrated creativity and is self-motivated, the first place they should look is on the list of four year players for Maranatha Soccer. Here is this year's list:

Steven Dow

Erik Eloe

Sarah Beardslee

Angela Fenstermacher
- C