Sports

Ranger women’s perfect season comes to a close, fall 1-0 in Sweet Sixteen

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On Nov. 21 the number three ranked Ranger women’s soccer team, riding high on a perfect season, fell to eleventh ranked Grand Valley State University early in overtime, 1-0. It was a valiant effort on the end of the Ranger women, who could have given up at least six goals, but fought to keep them from the back of the net.

The game opened up unusually for the Ranger women, with the team being more on the defensive for the majority of the first half. Grand Valley St. controlled much of the tempo, but that didn’t stop the Rangers from attacking whenever possible. Neither team was superior, but the Lakers seemed to have the edge early and often. Senior Midfielder Kelsey Armour took the best shot of the game for the Rangers with twenty seven minutes left in the first, kicking the ball out of the reach of the keeper, but slightly above the post. Later in the first, Grand Valley was threatening deep in the box, keeper Mallory Geurts got slightly out of position and a Laker put a good shot on goal, but Defender of the Year, Senior Karley Mecko came up big, deflecting it out of bounds, keeping the score knotted at zero going into the half.

The second half started out much like the first, with the Lakers attacking early throughout, and the Rangers attacking on any opportunities that presented themselves. The game got very physical, with a lot of pushing and shoulder blocks for both sides (a GVSU player was carded with twenty four minutes left). GVSU got deep into the box on a few occasions, but First Team Member Goalie Mallory Geurts kept them in front of her; the game went into overtime still tied at zero.

The overtime period went back and forth for what seemed like a few moments; that was until the game ended on a header off of a corner kick by a GVSU player, propelling Grand Valley State into the Elite Eight, and leaving the Ranger Women defeated.

The Rangers were undefeated throughout the season, collecting the regular season and conference titles on route to a sweet sixteen appearance. The team landed six players on All-GLVC Teams, and three individual awards (Karley Mecko was Defensive Player of the Year, Bailey Reed was Freshman of the Year, and Troy Fabiano was Coach of the Year). The game was also the finale for four great Ranger careers, Kelsey Armour, Karley Mecko, Ashley Meyer and Emily Konior. In their four years, the Rangers made it to the NCAA tournament four straight times, appeared in two sweet sixteen games, and put up an astonishing record of 32-2-6 at Wood Road Field.

We at The Ranger News want to once again congratulate the UW-Parkside Women’s Soccer Team on a banner season, and on being not only one of the most dominant teams this year, but consistently achieving excellence year in and year out. You are our champions, ladies.

Article by Jalen Perry

Women’s Soccer ready for postseason run at a National Championship

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This year’s women’s soccer squad is one of the most dominant teams in school history. Not just running the table for the second time in school history, but sweeping the GLVC Regular Season and Tournament championships.

The strength of the team was their defense, not allowing two or more goals on the entire season (outscoring their opponents 48-5 on the year including the GLVC Tournament). They came an award away from also sweeping individual awards this year with six players on All-GLVC teams; Seniors Karley Mecko (who also won Defensive Player of the Year), Emily Konior, Niekie Pellens and Sophomore Mallory Geurts all landed on First Team All-GLVC, Sophomore Jillian Hetfleisch was selected Second Team, and Freshman Bailey Reed was Third Team (also winning GLVC Freshman of the Year).

Coach Troy Fabiano picked up his fourth GLVC Coach of the Year Award, and in an interview says that the girls make him look very smart. He credited the award mostly to the girls, saying that “it is up to them to perform at the end of the day.” I asked him to reflect on the season so far and he said that the girls have pretty much accomplished every goal that they set at the beginning of the season, and then some. They aimed to not only to win their division, but to win the outright GLVC regular season championship, they emphatically accomplished that goal. They wanted to host the GLVC tournament and win it in front of their home fans, also accomplishing that. He says if it wasn’t for the senior leaders keeping the team on track and reminding them to keep their eyes on the prize day in and day out, then this season wouldn’t have been possible. Now, they prepare for their fifth straight NCAA Tournament; they are ranked third, first in the Midwest, and will host opening and second round games at Wood Road Field. Once again, the wily veteran coach didn’t take my bait in trying to get a prediction. He said that they are going to take it a game at a time because anything can happen in the tournament. They are going to stay prepared because they are now being hunted. But Rangers are never scared of a challenge.

Let’s rally behind our women’s team; they are the real deal and are about to put the country on notice once again. Their first game is Sunday Nov. 16 at 1:00pm against either Ohio Dominican University or Saginaw Valley State University. Go Rangers!

Article by Jalen Perry

Our top seeded Ranger Women win GLVC Soccer crown 4-1

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Nov. 9 2014. Naturally, this was one of the tougher challenges defensively the Rangers felt all tournament, with seventh ranked Cinderella team Missouri S&T pressing a lot during the game. But in the end, it was a seventeenth win for the undefeated and now undisputed conference champion, UW-Parkside Rangers.

The game started out perfectly, within the first two minutes of the game, sophomore midfielder Taylor Schiffer-Jander scored on a breakaway goal, her seventh of the season, giving Parkside an early 1-0 edge on the Miners. After that goal, the Rangers continued to press on throughout. Later in the first half, seniors Niekie Pellens and Kelsey Armour connected on another corner kick, similar to a play the game before against Truman St., with Pellens getting the assist (14th) and Armour heading it in for her fifth goal of the year. With all of the scoring Parkside was doing early, the upstart Miner team did get a few chances, as they played freely, pressing on all chances they got. Goalie, First Team All-GLVC member Mallory Geurts made a beautiful save with seventeen minutes left, but on the corner kick that followed, Missouri S&T broke through, scoring; Parkside was still leading 2-1 going into the half.

Parkside came out of the half with a new fire in their eyes, being much more aggressive trying to score the ball. Second Team All-GLVC member, Sophomore Forward Jillian Hetfleisch scored eight minutes into the second half for her seventh on the season, extending the Ranger lead to 3-1. Then, just three minutes later, Third Team All-GLVC member and Freshman of the Year, Bailey Reed scored, placing the ball perfectly on the outside, high post just outside the reach of the Miners goalkeeper for her fifth goal of the season, furthering the Ranger lead, 4-1. Coach Troy Fabiano began to take his seniors out one by one, as the Rangers won their fifth tournament championship (2003, 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2014).

The girls finish the season 17-0-3, winning the regular season and now tournament championships. This has been a historic and banner year for the Parkside Women’s Soccer team. Now, heading into the NCAA tournament, our Rangers have to be one of the favorite’s to bring home a National Championship. It is a great time to be a Ranger, present or past.

We here at The Ranger News want to say congratulations to everyone on the team, players and coaches, etc. We will continue to support on through to the NCAA Tournament as well. Go Rangers!

Article by Jalen Perry

UW-Parkside Women’s Soccer advances to conference championship with 2-0 victory

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On Nov. 7 the Ranger women continued their journey to an undefeated season with a 2-0 shutout victory over Truman State. The game was back and forth for stretches, but overall the strength of the team, the defense, kept the ball on our side of the field for the majority of the contest. Both goals, assisted by sophomore defender Niekie Pellens, came off of corner kicks. Though the girls couldn’t seem to get calls to go their way, they toughed through it and persevered, just like we Rangers do.

The first half was dominated by the Ranger women, other than a few spurts by the Bulldogs (two shots on goal in first half); we kept the ball on our side of the pitch and controlled the tempo. There seemed to be a lot of chances late in first half to score, but the girls failed to pull the trigger on many of them. The first goal came with twenty minutes left in the first; Niekie Pellens served up a beautiful kick, and sophomore midfielder Lauren Bialas, who had literally just checked into the game, came soaring for the header goal. Wood Road Field came unglued as the fans felt the girls inching closer to the title game. The first half ended with the Rangers up 1-0.

The second half felt like an encore of the first, with the Rangers controlling the tempo and threatening early and often (finishing with five shots on goal for the day). The game started to get physical as Truman State got a lot of the calls; the girls were visibly getting flustered (two of our players picked up yellow cards), but they kept their composure and struck again. With thirty one minutes left, another corner by Niekie Pellens was headed in by senior midfielder Kelsey Armour. That was all the girls needed to capture their sixteenth victory of the season, shtting Truman St. out 2-0.

The women play in their second straight GLVC Championship game against Missouri University S&T on Sunday, Nov. 9 at noon. Location: Wood Road Field/Ranger Central. Come out and support on what should be a memorable ending to this historic conference season.

Go Rangers!

Article by Jalen Perry

Garrett’s Fight: fighting for a cause

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Garrett Holeve is a Mixed Martial Artist out of Florida. He has talent, charisma, and the cool ring name “G Money.” Oh yeah, and he also has Down Syndrome. Garrett doesn’t let that define him, though, and he’s launched his own campaign for inclusion into the world of MMA. Although he’s faced plenty of opposition, his story is one that’s sparked a lot of interest on both sides of the spectrum. Before Garrett fights his first sanctioned match against David “Cerebral Assassin” Steffan on Nov. 8, I caught up with Garrett and his dad Mitch to learn a little bit more about his story.

ML: How long have you been doing MMA? When did you start?

G: I got started after, we were talking at a sports bar. It started five years ago. I have been training very hard.

ML: It looks like you have a fight coming up in a week or two?

G: Yeah I’ve been training. It’s November 8th. Next week. So I’ve been really focusing on that.

I’ve been focused on my training too. It’s what I’ve been thinking about.

ML: How would you say the sport has impacted your life?

G: It’s been very good. My career has been competing in tournaments definitely and I’ve been very good.

ML: What challenges have you had to overcome in the sport?

M: The biggest challenge has probably been getting you a fighter.

G: Just getting a fight.

ML: Would you say that has a lot to do with having Down Syndrome? 

G: I think…do you want to jump in?

M: Do I want to jump in? I think that’s been the biggest challenge over the last year and a half, that he hasn’t been able to compete. And it’s probably held him back a little bit from his growth as a fighter. Him not being able to compete, and you know just facing the discrimination that happens behind closed doors and trying to get the fight. I think that’s been really the biggest obstacle that he’s had.

Why do you think that he’s running into so much opposition? 

M: I don’t know factually why, I think my own opinion is that it’s ignorance. People will label him just based on a genetic diagnosis that they don’t know very much about. Either in Down Syndrome as a whole, or especially Garrett as an individual. And I think that’s really what it comes down to.

I guess this question is for either of you. What would you say to someone that doesn’t think people with Down Syndrome should fight?

MH: Again, the people that say that just label people with Down Syndrome. I mean, I don’t want to be, you know. It’s like saying that women shouldn’t fight. A few years ago Dana White said that women can’t fight, and I think that he’s eating his words now and he’d be open to admit that. So, for somebody just to flatly say that somebody is not able to fight is just wrong. I don’t care if they have Cerebral Palsy, have been injured in the war, or lost a limb due to a disease, they should be given that same opportunity. They shouldn’t have arbitrary limits put on them, basically get discriminated against.

ML: If rules change and mixed martial arts was accepted in the Special Olympics, do you think that’s good enough? Or do you think that more should be done?

M: We would welcome mixed martial arts in the Special Olympics. I mean I kind of know it’s not going to happen because we’ve spoken to them and they’re supportive of the sport, they just don’t feel…quite frankly I think it has more to do with numbers than anything else right now. I don’t think that they could field a complete tournament and what not with MMA fighters. So if and when that day comes that would be awesome, but in the mean time, you know, our hope is that more guys with adaptive abilities, more of the adaptive athletes, get involved. That there’ll be more and more opportunities for them to fight if they want to.

ML: So how does it feel I guess, that there’s this stigma that people don’t want to fight G because they either don’t want to step into the ring with him and hurt him or they don’t want to lose to someone with Down Syndrome? I mean how does he handle that?

M: I don’t, I don’t think that’s a stigma at all because first of all it’s not going to happen. I mean with MMA, Garrett’s not going to step into the cage and have a sanctioned match with somebody that is not of equal ability. And that’s really what the sport is all about, is about competing with people of equal ability, whether they’re an adaptive athlete or not. That would be the first criteria. So I kind of can’t even buy into that. And as an aside, we’ve had plenty able-bodied people contact us saying that they would be willing to do a match with Garrett on an exhibition level, acknowledging the fact that there’s a difference in ability, which happens, but that’s not really what he’s interested in. He wants to compete. He’s kind of had his fill of exhibitions, and that’s why this November 8th match is so important.

ML: Maybe a little bit of a lighter question. Where did he get the nickname G Money?

M: You can handle that one.

G: I got it by my friend Eric. I’ve known him since school. And I call him E Money, so he calls me G Money.

M: I think it started in high school actually. They were friends since middle school, right G?

G: Yeah, in middle school.

M: And they played basketball…it just kind of stuck with them through time.

G: I retired from that.

M: He retired from basketball.

ML: So where do you see yourself going? What do you hope to accomplish in your career as a fighter?

M: Answer it the way you’re going to answer because I know how you’re going to answer it. Tell her, right now what are you focusing on? (pause) Hey Maggie, right now, and it’s probably as much me and that’s one of the reasons I’m kind of giggling, he’s really focused on the fight. He’s 10 days out, and he’s really focused. That’s why I was laughing, because I was getting ready for him to tell you that he’s just really focused on the fight. And he really is. I’m sorry. I was just sitting here thinking to myself, too, it’s interesting to see his change in attitude the last few weeks because he’s really starting to put his fight face on. Let’s me try it this way. After this fight do you want to keep fighting? Or do you want to take a vacation?

G: I do.

M: Yeah, he wants to continue to fight, but we’re just going to kind of see where it goes. I will tell you that he has plans in April…We have a Jiu Jitsu tournament set up in New York City in April, so he’s going to compete in that for sure. I’ve been recently contacted by a promoter. We’re trying to get a fight here next year in Florida. I mean that would really be the next thing that we would like to do, whether it’s David or somebody else. Have a fight in his own backyard so his friends can see him fight. That would be the next goal for G.

Mitch went on to tell me that watching Garrett’s transformation over the past few weeks has been fascinating. As someone who has trained other athletes, living with one is a completely new experience for them both. Garrett’s story is an incredible one filled with tenacity and heart. His motivation is something that anyone can admire (and some students might need to call upon during finals week). Hopefully this is only the beginning of Garrett’s long and successful career. It was a real pleasure to do the interview, as Garrett and Mitch are two extremely nice people.

The Ranger News will keep everyone posted on the results Garrett’s fight. Do me a favor, Garrett, don’t forget about this small-time reporter when you become a big-time star. Good luck on Nov. 8, G Money.

Anyone interested in learning more about Garrett’s story can visit his website, garrettsfight.org.

Article by Maggie Lawler