In+the+News

=In the News= =11-15-07=
 * 3 All-Howard County selections from our Reservoir Gators:**

//Daniel Koch (Junior) registered 131 saves and 6 shutouts this season with 4 shut-outs in-county and allowed only .8 goals per game in-county (the second best Goals Against Average in the county). Daniel was the first goalkeeper in the county voted to the First Team All-County! Daniel is also the first Reservoir Gator to be voted First Team in the history of the program!

Brian Boring (Junior), co-captain, showed tremendous leadership abilities, won a significant numbers of headers and 50-50s in the middle of the field, and was quickly identified by opposing coaches as a very strong and versatile midfield presence. Brian added 2 goals and 2 assists and was voted Second Team All-County!

Daniel Windsor (Senior), co-captain, was highlighted by opposing coaches as a very difficult player to mark due to his speed, quick shot, and ability to shield players off of the ball. Daniel led the Gators with 5 goals and 4 assists and was voted to Second Team All-County!//

Please join me in congratulating these Gators for their deserved post-season recognitions! I am extremely proud of these team members...these are incredibly meaningful honors as they were voted on by the opposing Coaches in-county. Congratulations Daniel, Brian, and Daniel!!! [|Email this story to a friend] || Reservoir's John Earl, right, fights for possession of the ball with River Hill's Justin Cohen during their Oct. 16 game. River Hill beat Reservoir, 1-0. || Boys soccer Sometimes seeing is believing. Through the mistakes and bad breaks over the past two seasons that had equated to consecutive winless county records, Reservoir had kept telling themselves that they were close. They had kept their heads up and kept working toward that breakthrough win. And apparently, one win was all it took. On Sept. 28, the Gators picked up a convincing 3-0 victory over visiting Howard and ever since have been playing like a completely different team. "Once you've felt that winning feeling, you don't want to go back," junior co-captain Brian Boring said. Reservoir (3-3-3, 5-4-3) hasn't gone back, compiling a 2-1-2 mark since that game against the Lions, including a two-goal win over previously unbeaten Marriotts Ridge Oct. 9. The team's only loss in the past 2 1/2 weeks came Oct. 9 against River Hill, 1-0, and even in that game the team was a missed penalty kick away from earning a tie. "Sometimes it takes those one or two wins, or even ties, to change the mentality, but, I tell you what, this is a team that believes it can beat anybody in the county right now," Reservoir coach Ivan Croft said. Marriotts Ridge coach Kevin Flynn can attest to that new and improved mentality. "They're significantly better than they were last year, and they're hungry and confident now," Flynn said three days after losing to the Gators. "When you go out there and play confident, you can make a lot of breaks happen for yourself, and they seem to be doing that." The Gators have shown the ability to win games with their offense, scoring two or more goals in shutout wins over Howard, Atholton and Marriotts Ridge. Promise Ebinum, Daniel Windsor and Boring have all been leaders offensively. But more frequently, Reservoir's done it with its defense, having allowed its opposition to score more than one goal only twice all year. With Dan Koch in goal, along with the backline of Ryan Konstanzer, Dillon Barnett and Stephen Warren, teams have found it tough generating chances against the Gators this fall. "This year we are an actual team, not just a bunch of individuals out there kicking the ball around," said senior Sean Dooley, who's been a big part of the midfield unit. "We're moving the ball really well and our possessions have been a lot stronger, which at the end of the day is helping us win."
 * **Reservoir hitting on all cylinders** ||
 * 10/18/07
 * //By Brent Kennedy//**
 * //By Brent Kennedy//**
 * [[image:http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/573/images/news/hsBoysSoccerClr37808.jpg caption="external image hsBoysSoccerClr37808.jpg"]] ||
 * =FRIENDS -- UNTIL THEY MEET AGAIN= ||

//River Hill coach Matt Shagogue and Reservoir's Ivan Croft swapped details of their victories on Tuesday night -- but not too many. Their teams face off next Tuesday in Howard County League action.//
||
 * **by Lem Satterfield**

Three years ago, River Hill boys soccer coach, Matt Shagogue, was an assistant at Reservoir High, guiding the Gators' junior varsity program.

One of his good friends was Ivan Croft, the Gators' varsity head coach.

On Tuesday night, the pair had something else in common: Each enjoyed the thrill of victory in Howard County League action.

While Shagogue's Hawks narrowly avoided being handed their second conference loss, escaping with a 2-1 victory over a struggling squad from Atholton (1-7-1 league ), Croft's Gators scored a 2-0 shutout -- considered an upset -- over previously unbeaten Marriotts Ridge.

River Hill improved to 7-4 overall, and, 6-1 against the county with one goal each from junior Rick Cantore and sophomore Jon Talbot, and assists from Malcolm Manswell and Matt Fontaine.

Reservoir, meanwhile, received goals from senior Daniel Windsor and sophomore Brian Boring.

Marriotts Ridge entered the game with a 6-0-1 record in the league, according to Croft. the Gators' two goals came against junior goalie Paul Killian, who had registered six shutouts coming into the week.

Although Croft viewed forward Josh Stover and midfielder Phil Martinelli as the Mustangs' most dangerous players, "We never man-marked either of them," instead relying on steady, heads-up play out of his 3-5-2 formation.

The Gators (5-2-2 overall, 3-2-2 in the league) are 3-0-1 in their past four county games.

In addition, the Gators have yielded only four goals in seven county contests, "fewer than anyone else has allowed in the league," said Croft.

Against Marriotts Ridge, the Gators' junior goalie, Daniel Koch, made eight saves.

And he did so behind an underclassmen-laded defense comprised of freshman Ryan Konstanzer, sophomore Dillon Burnett and junior Stephen Warren.

River Hill plays host to Marriotts Ridge on Friday night, so not long after Tuesday's games had ended, Shagogue and Croft were sharing details on the telephone.

But not too many details.

For on Tuesday, the duo will be on the same field, yet again.

But this time, they will be on opposite sidelines.

"We play them on Tuesday," said Croft. "It's going to be a good game."

Reservoir made a huge statement on Oct. 9 by defeating Marriotts Ridge, 2-0, on the road. It was the first loss of the season for the Mustangs and it improved the Gators to 3-0-1 in their last four games. The team's recent stretch includes a 1-1 tie against Wilde Lake and a pair of 3-0 victories over Atholton and Howard.Against Marriotts Ridge, Daniel Windsor gave Reservoir a lead in the first half off a cross from the right corner by Promise Ebinum. The Gators defense held that advantage deep into the second half when Brian Boring converted a penalty kick to seal the win."We're not only winning, but we have one of the county's best defenses right now and that's something the kids are really priding themselves on," Reservoir coach Ivan Croft said of his unit that has allowed only four goals in seven county games. "It seems that with every game the team is coming closer together and the confidence is continuing to grow."First-year goalie Dan Koch has been a big key for the Gators on defense, making seven saves in the games against both Atholton and Wilde Lake and then eight stops against Marriotts Ridge. The group in front of him has also been stellar, with freshman Ryan Konstanzer, sophomore Dylan Barnett and junior Stephen Warren leading the way.The boost in scoring production lately is helping too. Ebinum, Luke Malcolm and Paul Engelkemier each scored against the Raiders, while John Earl provided the offense against the Wildecats. Wilde || Reservoir (0-10, 1-11-1). For a team that never broke into the win column, the Gators were as competitive down the stretch as anyone in county competition. With eight starters back, this season should be the one where Reservoir makes its move."We're excited to get going and I think it's something where the guys started seeing the progress at the end of last year and are ready to build on it," coach Ivan Croft said. "We are fortunate now to have those guys with varsity experience that now know what to expect and it should pay off."The team's three captains, Daniel Windsor, Sean Dooley and Brian Boring will all play big roles. Windsor, a transfer from Kennedy High School, will combine with senior speedster Promise Ebinum up top.Also look for sophomores Ryan Jackson and Chris Martinez in the midfield and goalie Daniel Koch, a foreign exchange student from Germany, to be strong contributors.
 * =**Howard County Times- October 11. 2007**=