News and Notes

High school soccer season is in full swing as postseason competition is already upon us! Here is a sampling of some of the top news and notes from Sporting Kansas City Juniors players in the area...

• Check out the video below of Garrett Pulliam's goal and celebration in Blue Valley West's win over Bishop Miege.

• Derek Schrick and Jacole Turner each earned spots on the ESPNHS Starting XI as top high school players in the state of Missouri, and were also named to the top 150 college prospects for the Class of 2012. Fort Osage High School's Billy Vigil also received recognition on the list.
• Speaking of Schrick, ESPNHS talked to him and his Rockhurst teammates about the team yoga sessions they take part in. Check out the video and story here.
• Sporting Kansas City Juniors players Nate Opperman and Clay Stewart have been influential for Olathe South this season as they won the Summit League.
• Also in Kansas, Shawnee Mission South head coach Travis Gatewood credited SKC Juniors player David Leichty for his leadership on the team this season.
• At Blue Valley Northwest, two SKC Juniors are captaining a team with state ambitions as Chris Tuso is leading the team in goals and Eric DeJulio is anchoring the defense.
• Check out the news feature below on Liberal High School's 11th straight Western Athletic Conference title, courtesy of SKC Juniors player Eduardo Moreno's OT goal in a 1-0 win over Dodge City.

• On the local college scene, congrats to the UMKC duo of Jordan Rideout and Michael Oakley, who were both named to TopDrawerSoccer.com's Top 20 Players to Watch in the Summit League. Rideout scored his third goal of the year in the Roos 1-1 draw at Oral Roberts on Saturday, while Oakley has started all but one game in defense as a freshman.

U13's Video/Photo Recap

The Sporting Kansas City Under-13 Juniors are the only team in the Midwest Development League with four wins through their first four matches, after picking up two victories in Chicago last weekend. Check out the video below and click here for a photo gallery to see the U13's in action.

Video a collaboration between Peter Wilkinson, Chris Bihuniak & Gerry High

Former Juniors Roundup

Sporting Kansas City has several Juniors academy products continuing their soccer careers in college programs across the country. Click here to see the full list from August with background information on each player and then check below for the latest update on some of the top performers thus far in 2011...

• Tom Adams (Oral Roberts) -- Scored in 83rd and 88th minutes of 4-0 victory over UNO earlier this month. Now has three goals, second most on squad, in 12 games played.
• Christian Duke (San Diego) -- Recorded three assists in back-to-back wins over Penn and Manhattan in September. His three assists are second most on the team in 12 games played. Click here to see a postgame interview with Christian.
• Brandon Fricke (Butler) - Defender scored game-tying goal for Bulldogs to help them win the Dayton Marriott Classic in September. Has one goal and one assist in 12 games played.
• Konner Knoll (UMKC) -- Scored first career collegiate goal in 3-1 win over Eastern Illinois on Saturday. He now has one goal and one assist in 12 games played.
• Raymond Lee (SLU) -- The Billikens' leading scorer has four goals and one assist, and has started all 12 games for Saint Louis.
• Kyle Miller (Rockhurst) -- Has one assist in 11 starts for the Hawks.
• Paul Oliver (Oral Roberts) -- Has two assists in 12 games played for the Golden Eagles.
• Peter O'Neill (Northwestern) -- Has started all 14 games for the Wildcats, recording three assists.
• Jordan Rideout (UMKC) -- Started all 12 games for the Roos and leads team with two goals, including a free kick from 40 yards out on Saturday in their 3-1 win.
• Jimmy Simon (UMKC) -- Teammates with Knoll and Rideout, Jimmy has one goal in 12 games played this season.

U13s Remain Atop MDL Standings

The Sporting Kansas City U13 Juniors extended their winning streak to 10 straight matches this weekend and remain in first place in the Midwest Development League after two wins in Illinois.

On Saturday, the U13's earned a 2-1 win over Sockers FC Chicago on goals from Oliver Bihuniak and Memo Carrasco. Goalkeeper Diego Alanis withstood the windy conditions in net for the victory.

With eight goals scored in their first three MDL matches, the U13s nearly doubled their offensive output on Sunday with a resounding 7-0 win over FC United. Dorian Hernandez led the way with two goals, and head coach Matt Trump touted the midfield unit of Evan Carlisle, Roman Knox, Patrick Wilkinson, Edson Murguia, and Chase Bromstedt for controlling the match throughout.

The U13's lead all MDL teams with the maximum 12 points from their first four matches and will resume League play on October 29th against BVSC at the Overland Park Soccer Complex.

Recap: U14s win big in MDL

The Sporting Kansas City U14 Juniors picked up their first win in the Midwest Development League in convincing fashion on Sunday, earning a 9-0 victory over FC United in Glenview, Illinois. Four different players -- John Leisman, Dominick Parry, Absolom Solario and Payton Brown -- scored twice for Sporting, while Trevor Cissell was also on the scoresheet.

The victory improved their record to 1-2-1, after falling 1-0 on Saturday against Sockers FC Chicago in windy conditions in Schaumburg, Illinois. Despite controlling most of the match according to head coach Dustin Ottesen, the home side scored late in the second half to steal the three points.

"We now look forward to two weeks of training before out next league game against Sporting BVSC," Ottesen said. "We are hopeful to get almost everyone back from injuries by that game."

Opperman receives Bob Gansler Award

Congratulations to Nate Opperman, recipient of the 2011 Bob Gansler Award given to the most outstanding Sporting Kansas City Juniors player. Nate received the award at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park on Saturday, before the club's big win over the New York Red Bulls that clinched a playoff spot for the senior team!

Opperman, a senior at Olathe South High School, played in 23 games for the Sporting Kansas City Under-16 Juniors during the 2010-11 US Soccer Development Academy season, leading the team with eight goals against the top club teams in the Central Conference. He also scored four goals at the U17 Generation adidas Cup and has started three matches for the Sporting Kansas City senior team in the 2011 MLS Reserve League to date.

Opperman is verbally committed to beginning his college career at the University of Evansville.

Juniors in action in Illinois

The Sporting Kansas City under-13 and under-14 Juniors will travel North this weekend to take on Sockers FC Chicago on Saturday and FC United on Sunday in the Great Lakes Division of the Midwest Developmental League. Sporting KC U13's are currently in a three way tie for the lead in the NPL Midwest League's Great Lakes division with the Chicago Magic and Chicago Fire Academy. With only three games remaining on this month's schedule, this weekend's games will be vital for their championship hopes.

U13's Schedule:

• Saturday, October 15th vs. Sockers FC Chicago at 12:00 p.m.
• Sunday, October 16th vs. FC United at 9:00 a.m.
• Saturday, October 29th vs. Blue Valley SC at 11:00 a.m.

U14's Schedule:

• Saturday, October 15th vs. Sockers FC Chicago at 2:00 p.m.
• Sunday, October 16th vs. FC United at 11:00 a.m.
• Saturday, October 29th vs. pm Blue Valley SC at 1:00 p.m.

Follow @SKCJuniors on Twitter for all the latest news and information.