Jefferson Boys Soccer

J-Hawks blank Davenport North in boys soccer

DAVENPORT -- Brothers Ali and Esam Al-Yassery scored goals and Andrew Patience once again excelled at keeper to lead Jefferson past Davenport North, 2-0, Tuesday at Davenport North.

Ali Al-Yassery, a junior, scored an unassisted goal from a corner kick.  From the right side corner Ali sent a ball into the six yard box but due to his spin and the wind it hit off the back post and went in directly from his corner delivery.

Senior Esam Al-Yassery scored his goal from a ball that started with a deep throw in from Jake Schmidt. Mohammed Al-Jabr flicked it into the center of the field to the top of the box to a running on Esam Al-Yassery. He placed it into the near post for the second goal.

The goals gave the J-Hawks (1-2) a 2-0 halftime lead.

The second half had many opportunities for the J-Hawks to add to their lead but found many shots wide or deflected by a great set of saves by the Davenport keeper.  The J-Hawks had some struggles when the wind was against them and found themselves defending a more offensive push from Davenport.

Jefferson Coach John O'Connor said he thought his team showed signs of playing better after a pair of losses to ranked foes Johnston and Urbandale last weekend.

"Overall the J-Hawks played an aggressive game that had many moments that were showing our growth into our new system," O'Connor said. "But we also continued to
allow easy play over and through our back line of defense.  Keeper Andrew Patience had another strong game making two key saves to record his first shutout of the year."

Jefferson 2, Davenport North 0

Goals -- CRJ: Ali Al-Yassery, Esam Al-Yassery. Assists -- CRJ: Mohammed Al-Jabr.

Young J-Hawks run out of gas, find Patience

Jefferson ran out of gas in its second game of the day against No. 7 Johnston in its 3-0 loss at Kingston Stadium Saturday.

Coach John O’Connor said he could see the J-Hawks' fitness start to become an issue in the first game of the day, a 2-1 loss to No. 11 Urbandale.

"Our first game today, we came out of the gate really well and moved the ball very efficiently and as we got tired we stopped doing those runs," O’Connor said.

So when the J-Hawks had to take the field again about two hours later, they were still dragging a little.

"We were tired from the first whistle and when you are tired, your passes aren't there, your runs aren't there and since we are learning a new system on top of that we looked very unorganized there for a while," O’Connor said.

But the tired play from the J-Hawks also gave new starting keeper Andrew Patience a chance to shine, making several acrobatic saves and keeping Jefferson in the game until Johnston snuck in two goals in the final 12 minutes for the final 3-0 margin.

"Andrew Pactience is a great goal keeper,” O’Connor said. “He is one of those guys I don't have to worry about as far as spending time in practice teaching him positioning. He is very acrobatic, he is not afraid to come out of the box and use his feet."

While that willingness to come out of the box aggressively sometimes makes coaches and teammates alike nervous, Patience knows what he is doing outside of the penalty box. Last season, when Patience was the backup keeper, he was a valuable player in the field for the J-Hawks.

"Really, he could play any position for us as a starter,” O’Connor said. “He has tremendous ball skills, he understands the game and what each position's job is, but for us he is our goalie."

Game 1
Urbandale 2, Jefferson 1

CRJ goal -- Esam Al-Yasseri.

Game 2
Johnston 3, Jefferson 0

Faster J-Hawks discover new identity in soccer

Cedar Rapids Jefferson hopes the adage "speed kills" turns out to be true this season.

The J-Hawks, traditionally known for being one of the biggest and most physical teams in the Mississippi Valley Conference, have a little bit different skill set this season.

“We have played a similar style of game for the six years that I have been here, because it has been good for the players we’ve had, which is physical players that might not have all the football skills of somebody who plays all year,” said Coach John O’Connor. “So we have tailored our system around that with tough-nosed defense, and we look for certain opportunities on offense.

“This season with the speed we have, I look to make some definite changes with the way we attack the game," he said. "We are still going to be known for our defense. That’s something I live by. But I think that we will open up the offensive side a little more.”

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