VISITING
AUTHOR/EDITOR ARTICLE
NOVEMBER
2009
SOCCER SCHWOB MAKES GOOD
From
Carpathia Club Donauschwaben
Forwarded By
Renita K. Botsch and Ingrid Dorr
Talan's
Persistence Powers Ike
By
John Hetzler, Macomb Daily Sports Writer
LAKE ORION — After concussions sidelined him from the sport he loved
for more than a year, Nick Talan made sure to make the most of his
return to the soccer field. Playing in just his seventh game this
season, Talan scored the game's first goal to spark Eisenhower to a 2-0
victory over Flushing on Tuesday in a Division 1 regional semifinal game
at Lake Orion High School.
"I worked my
butt off to get back," said Talan, a senior who endured three
months of physical therapy and missed the final two months of school
last spring as he tried to recover from concussions suffered on the
soccer field. Now he has helped Eisenhower return to the regional
championship game for the third time in five years.
Senior Brent
Schmid also scored late in the second half, and goalkeeper Kris Weiss
picked up Ike's ninth shutout of the year as the Eagles improved to
18-2-2 overall and will take on Rochester Adams in the regional final on
Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. at Lake Orion.
"It feels a
lot better this year because when I was a sophomore I did not have as a
big a role," said Schmid, who played on Eisenhower's regional
championship team in 2007 and is now a co-captain for the Eagles.
"It's such a fun group of boys to play with."
Eisenhower
overcame Flushing, the champions of the Big Nine who finished with a
13-4-2 overall record and had the program's best season in a decade,
according to Raiders coach Kavoos Siavoshnia.
"It wasn't
one of our best games," Siavoshnia said. "At the same time, we
made some mistakes, and they hurt us.
"We played a
very solid team, both tactically and technically," Siavoshnia said.
"But I enjoyed the competition, and the boys did, too."
Talan broke up a
scoreless game when he scored with eight minutes and 19 seconds left in
the first half. Talan took a pass from junior forward Joey Tinnion
and got the ball past Flushing goalkeeper Josh McIntosh. Talan's initial
shot hit the post, but he fired the rebound into an empty net to give
Eisenhower a 1-0 lead.
"I thought I
was going to get wrecked," Talan said. "He (the goalie) was
trying to hold me down. But I wasn't going to let him."
"He's one of
the kids who will work his butt off on the field," Schmid said.
"His goals may not be the prettiest, but he works his butt
off."
Talan's
persistence put Ike ahead at halftime, and Eagles coach Josh VanHouten
urged his team to keep pushing in the second half.
"That goal
really got the momentum on our side," VanHouten said. "I told
the guys to play like it was 0-0."
Eisenhower's
defense held up as Flushing tried to tie the game, and Schmid gave the
Eagles some breathing room with his blast from 25 yards with 4:05 left
in the game.
"It was just
instinct," Schmid said. "I hoped for the best, and the best
happened."
Eisenhower
celebrated after the final horn sounded, and Talan - who received a
yellow card and had to sit out the final 7:37 of the game - was one of
the happiest players. He said he had moments he doubted if he
would ever receive another chance to play soccer, a sport he had played
since the age of 4.
"There were
always those moments, but I did my best to come over it," said
Talan, who wore protective head gear during the game. "I worked
together with my family and doctors. They helped me push to get over it.
"It's great
to be back on the field with my buddies. It's great. We're just blessed
to be back here."
Below
is a link to an article about Nick Talan from Detroit and his soccer
team.
A
Schwob makes good!!!!!!!!
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