EPSC February 2024 Newsletter

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2023- 2024

NEWSLETTER

NEWSLETTER Passion, Respect, Excellence

2023

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Accomplishments 04/05 Girls NPL National Champions!!

The 04/05 Girls NPL team won the MN Cup and advanced to the National Championships in Denver Colorado 2 YEARS IN A ROW! Not only did they get to attend the National Championships 2 years in a row, but they WON and brought home the gold medal 2 YEARS in a row!

Such a great accomplishment for the players and coach Jeremy Kaeding!

Congratulations!

Teams in all of our age groups had great success in tournaments this past year! Thank you to all the players and coaches for always representing our badge well!

2008 Girls NPL MN Cup Champions!

2023

RECAP

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2023

RECAP THE EPSC GIRLS COLLEGE SHOWCASE JUST RAN ITS 13TH EDITION IN EARLY DECEMBER WHERE WE HAD 10 HIGH LEVEL GIRL’S TEAMS SHOWCASING IN FRONT OF MORE THAN 25 COLLEGIATE COACHES FROM AROUND THE MIDWEST. FROM NCAA D2 PROGRAMS TO NAIA PROGRAMS, IT IS A FULL DAY OF COMPETITIVE ACTION AT THE EPHS DOME. PICTURED ARE THE EPSC TEAMS THAT PARTICIPATED

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2023

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EPSC HAS A RICH HISTORY OF PLAYERS PLAYING AT THE COLLEGIATE LEVEL AND HAS CONTINUED THIS TRADITION WITH DOUBLE FIGURES PROGRESSING TO THE NEXT LEVEL FROM THE EPSC 04/05 NPL TEAMS LAST SEASON.

Congratulations to these players for continuing to play at the next level

2023

RECAP

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8-12U WINTER 1 TOPICS • DRIBBLING-PROTECTING THE BALL • DRIBBLING - 1V1 SKILLS • PASSING-TECHNIQUE/COMBINATION • SHOOTING & FINISHING

Winter 1 Sessions These sessions were about learning new skills

Winter 1 (November-December) was a blast and saw a record amount of players register and participate. Go into the dome on a Tuesday at 6pm and it may seem like craziness, but a busy dome is a good dome and there is a method to the madness. The soccer schedule in Minnesota is difficult and makes for long stretches inside and without competitive games, however, the good thing is that it affords us plenty of time to focus on the technical skills of the players (Technical Skills = All aspects of the game that involve the ball at your feet - Dribbling, Passing, Shooting, Skills, etc.).

It is also a great chance for Staff Coaches, AGDs, and some of the top coaches at the club to work with different players throughout the club. All coaches are given the same session to run with their groups, which follows the EPSC Curriculum and focuses on topics we believe are important for the development of soccer players.

• TURNING

THE 8-12U GROUPS WERE TAUGHT A "SKILL OF THE WEEK" FOR THEM TO MASTER (ASK YOUR PLAYER TO SHOW YOU THESE SKILLS) · SIDE STEP PUSH OR SCISSORS · INSIDE CUT/OUTSIDE CUT . DRAG BACK AND CRUYFF TURN · RONALDO CHOP · V-TURN · MARADONA

13-19U WINTER 1 TOPICS (TECHICAL SKILLS FOCUSED, BUT A LITTLE BIT MORE ADVANCED) · DRIBBLING - 1V1 ATTACKING · RECEIVING - USING THE BACK FOOT · PASSING - WEIGHT OF PASS · PASSING - PASSING FORWARD · ATTACKING SPACE

2023

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TCSL REPS TCSL Reps is a squad made up of the top talent from the Twin Cities Soccer League and will represent their age group in different Local, Regional, and National events.

The following players were chosen to attend the TCSL Reps Trial in this past fall, which is a big deal!!

Jacobo Garces, Andrew Boulay, Zina Mohamed, Elise Hoffman, Marley Ruetz, Allie Lawler, Abby Bye, Nolan Coffey, Charlie Strehl, Brady Gaffin

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Congratulations to Jacobo Garces and Charlie Strehl for making the Reps Squad & to Andrew Boulay and Brady Gaffin for making the Reps Pool EPSC 05/06G Red Coach Jeremy Kaeding - was also selected as the Head Coach of the 2010 Boys Reps Team.

Congratulations Jeremy!!

2023

GROWTH

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EPSC Growth!

EPSC participation continues to grow with our player participation!

We now have more licensed coaches than ever and in the Fall 2023 season we saw the team count grow well above Fall 2022. The present and the future are bright at EPSC We have seen the biggest growth at the younger ages which bodes well for the future of the club. Player retention has also been increasingly high and that stat is also very pleasing as it means players are returning to EPSC the following season which is obviously key to all that we do.

2024

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LOOKING AHEAD

IMPORTANT DATES! EPSC Spring Break Camp - March 18th-20th Spring/Summer Season CDP 6U-7U - May-June 8U Program - May-June 9U-12U Program - Mid April-June 13U-19U Program - April-June *More details on website EPSC Summer Camp - June 10th-13th EPSC Intro Camp - June 17th-19th EPSC Club Night at MNUFC Game - June 22nd EPSC Summer Skills Camp - July 8th-10th EPSC Try-Us-Outs - July 15th-18th EPSC Tryouts - July 27th-28th

2024

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LOOKING AHEAD

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAMS AND WHAT TO EXPECT FOR THE SPRING/SUMMER SEASON, CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE! APRIL TRAINING SCHEDULES WILL BE RELEASED NEAR THE BEGINNING OF MARCH!

2024

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LOOKING AHEAD

2024

PARENTS

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FROM THE SIDELINES: "Thank you for all your support and everything that you do for your son/daughter as playing soccer can be a big commitment! Overall, the EPSC sidelines are a positive place and you do a great job of cheering on your soccer player. However, there is always room for improvement and here is a good reminder of the philosophy we have at EPSC of 'Let-Them-Play'.

What is 'Let Them Play'?

Allow Players-to-Play, Coaches-to-Coach, and Referees-to-Ref. With a continued commitment to good sportsmanship, we encourage you to pull your chairs back from the sideline, relax and enjoy watching children do something they truly enjoy!

If you do not normally use a chair at games please consider doing so, it creates a relaxed atmosphere for all compared to a pacing parent.

How Do We Do This?

Creating a positive environment where players can make mistakes.

As former long time EPSC Coach Teague Mitchell always said, the best way to cheer is in the past tense.

For example “Great Shot” instead of “Shoot”. “Brilliant pass” instead of “Pass it to her”.

We can set a great example to each other and our area clubs by watching the game from a chair and having a positive sideline.

Why Do We Do This?

By taking the pressure off our young players we can help them become better players who are willing to try things and not be afraid to make mistakes.

This is not to take the fun out of being a soccer parent, far from it, but more to create a positive sideline that we as a club can be proud of.

You will see the majority of EPSC Coaches sit in a chair during games, remaining calm, and giving encouragement/instruction at the right times.

Compare that to the coach screaming and shouting, moving up and down the sideline, and telling players exactly what to do. Which one do you think is more effective?"

Chris Bagshaw - Director of Coaching

2023-2024

SHOUTOUTS

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Congrats to the following EPSC Coaches for completing the following Coach Education Courses Robert Liebelt - USSF D License Jamie Peltier - 7v7 Grassroots License Pawel Mroz - 7v7 Grassroots License Gordon Walsh - 7v7 Grassroots License Nick Romano - 9v9 Grassroots License Glenn Lobo - 9v9 & 11v11 Grassroots License Alsu Johnson - 7v7 Grassroots License Angel Dominguez Reyes - USSF D License Ruairi Barnwell - 9v9 Grassroots License Marian Kolb - 11v11 Grassroots License Brandon Hunt - 11v11 Grassroots License Suad Suljic - 9v9 & 11v11 Grassroots License Moses Egbi - 7v7 & 9v9 Grassroots License Kyle Spresser - 7v7 Grassroots License

EPSC also offers its own In-House Coach Education where coaches will view, participate, and run sessions, analyze games, collaborate on ideas, and improve their coaching abilities so they can be the best coach possible for the players at EPSC!

2023-2024

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SHOUTOUTS THANK YOU TEAM MANAGERS!

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for all that our team managers do for our teams. Your dedication, commitment and efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Your time spent organizing tournaments for the team, coordinating parent on duty for practices and facilitating check-in for games is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your selfless contribution to the team. You are invaluable, and we are incredibly grateful for your hard work and dedication.

Next time you see your team manager, be sure to thank them.

Bonni Hendley Ross Lange

Chris Lobsinger

Pham Nguyen Carolyn Wieland Krysta Hammrich

Amanda Lawinger

Jen Christiansen

Susan Peters Jason Rice

Sarah Fahning Jessica Just

Aprilynn Hartung

Chris Stedman

Sujith Sasidharan Tom Booth

Matt Coffey

Jessica Willey

Megan Miller Grant Klinsing

Brigette Price

Ayan Osman

Petra Lodder

Jenn Penney

Anne Leba

Stephanie Smiley

Antonio Herrero

Akash Chandarana

Emily Brustad

Jen Missling

Amanda Peterson Julie Peyer

Seannah Duchscerer

Karen McGillic

Lisa Reed

ARong Hanson

Chem Mellema

Jen Stedman Lucile Boutilie

Alex York

Amy Ruetz Erin Novotny

Katie Klein

Tamiko Hongo Loam

2023-2024

SPOTLIGHT

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EPSC is dedicated to developing individuals to their full potential on and off the field. Some key people that strive to make sure players are exceling and having fun, are our Age Group Directors.

AGDs oversee all aspects of the age group; mentoring and educating with coaches, working with individual players and team, and being the face of the age group(s) to assist in anyway.

2024

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DIRECTOR MESSAGES KAISHA BENSON

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS “Thank you to everyone that is a part of the EPSC community, for a fantastic year!

As Directors, it is our goal to provide an environment for players to grow on and off the field, and that is something we will continue to strive to accomplish in the new year. The new year brings exciting changes, room for continual growth, and opportunity for players to be challenged to get to the next level.

I am looking forward to seeing what the players and teams will accomplish in 2024!"

2024

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DIRECTOR MESSAGES CHRIS BAGSHAW

DIRECTOR OF COACHING “"Thank you for all your support in 2023, it has been a great year for the club and I excited to see what 2024 brings!

The soccer landscape is ever-changing, but one thing that is consistent is that EPSC is a community club and it serves to give kids in the community the best soccer experience possible. We are so proud of being part of the community since 1986 and we hope to continue this for a long time.

I want to recognize our brilliant crop of coaches and all the work that they have put in throughout the year. We have a great mix of experienced coaches, new coaches, former EPSC players coming back to coach, male and female coaches, young and older coaches, but one thing that remains the same is their Passion, Energy and Care for the players.

Thank you and see you on the field!"

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2023- 2024

NEWSLETTER

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