11/26/01 @ Gilbert HS

The Mustangs surrendered an early goal but answered a minute later to tie the match.  Going in to the half-time break tied 1-1 with a very much improved Gilbert squad the Mustangs came out in the second half and tallied four goals to put the game away.  Alissa Oldenkamp scored three goals and freshman Alena Ihle tallied one assists while freshman Nicky Morris added two of her own to lead the Mustangs to an opening season victory at Gilbert HS.  Ashley Emmons scored along with Kim Demelio to give the Mustangs the victory.  Stephanie Jones was solid in the net and made seven saves on the evening for the Mustangs.  Next up for the Mustangs are the Aztecs from Corona del Sol.

11/28/01 Home vs. Corona del Sol

The Mustangs were looking to go up 2-0 on the season but the Aztecs had different plans on this evening.  Corona took an early 1-0 lead but the Mustangs equalized minutes later when Alyssa Shangraw found Ashley Emmons on a free kick to tie it up.  Unfortunately Corona would tally two more goals before the half and then opened up the second half with another goal.  Dobson would get their second goal of the game late when Ashley Emmons served a ball into the box that Freshman Alena Ihle would knock to Alissa Oldenkamp for the final goal of the evening.  Dobson will look to rebound on Monday against North Canyon in the opening game of the Fiesta Bowl Tournament.

12/03/01 North Canyon

The Mustangs were looking to rebound from the heart-breaking loss to Corona and did so by defeating the North Canyon Rattler 4-0 in the opening match of the Fiesta Bowl tournament.  Christine Shoffner had two goals for the Mustangs and Brooke Banister tallied two assists in the first half to lead Dobson to a 2-0 halftime lead.  In the second half, Dobson was able to put a little more pressure on North Canyon with Kim Demelio scoring her second goal of the season while Ashley Emmons notched one more for the season.  Overall the game was very sloppy and the Mustangs had trouble possessing the ball against the feisty Rattlers.  Tuesday the Mustangs will take on Paradise Valley in the second match of pool play.

12/06/01 Paradise Valley

After a two day break due to rain, the Mustangs came out fired up to play.  With numerous scoring chances in the first half the Mustangs should have been up big but the Trojans would have none of this and kept the score knotted at one going in to the second half.  The Mustangs seemed to have corrected most of their first half problems but still couldn't buy a goal.  Then with both teams preparing for a shootout, Ashley Emmons got in behind the Trojan defense and buried home the game winner with a minute left on the clock.  Ashley finished up the game with both goals while Alyssa Shangraw and Emily Lundeen tallied the assists.  Next up is Desert Vista who beat the Mustangs in a preseason scrimmage earlier in the year.  The winner of this match advances to the semifinals of the Championship while the loser will play in the Consolation semis.

12/07/01 Desert Vista

This match would pit the two unbeaten teams in pool "A" of the Fiesta Bowl Tournament.  Desert Vista was able to find the back of the net early in the match when the Thunder got behind the Mustang defense and scored off of a beautiful cross to open up the game.  Both teams played pretty even the rest of the half and went in to half time with DV leading 1-0.  Desert Vista was able to score another early goal in the second half to go up 2-0.  With 10 minutes left in the match, the Mustangs came to life and began to pressure the DV defense on numerous occasions.  Senior Lauren Thomas would score the Mustangs first goal off of a beautiful serve from Ashley Emmons.  Then with only five minutes left, Ashley Emmons scored the games last goal to tie the match and force the game into penalty kicks.  The Mustangs were denied twice in the shootout and  failed to advance to the Championship semis.

12/08/01 Desert Mountain

This game pitted old foe Desert Mountain against the Mustangs in the semi-finals of the consolation bracket.  Dobson opened up the scoring early on a goal by Alyssa Shangraw with the assist going to Alissa Oldenkamp.  In the second half the Wolves were able to capitalize on some poor passing by the Mustangs and a very questionable goal that was offside.  Sophomore Kelly Schmitz played exceptionally well and the score does not reflect how close the game really was.  The Mustangs will look to rebound against Central who placed third in the Carl Hayden tournament this past weekend.  Kick-off is slated for 6pm.

12/10/01 Central

Central decided that it would not be best to play the Mustangs so they cancelled early this morning.  This type of cowardice should be dealt with by the AIA but we will have to wait and see what happens.

12/12/01 Highland

After having the Central game cancelled the Mustangs were anxious to get another game under their belt.  Alissa Oldenkamp would open the scoring by striking a terrific ball from 25 yards out and beating Highlands keeper.  Soon after Dobson would again score when Ashley Emmons got in behind the defense and put the Mustangs up 2-0.  There was more of the same in store for the Hawks in the second half as Alyssa Shangraw was moved from sweeper to striker and quickly netted two goals of her own to give Dobson a commanding 4-0 lead.  Then Ashley Emmons would end the scoring on the night by taking a pass from Lauren Thomas and beating Megan Cyr for her second goal of the night and her team leading 8th goal of the season.  Lauren Thomas tallied three assists on the night and sophomore Kelly Schmitz played exceptionally well.  This was by far the best game of the season for the Mustangs and other than a late goal by the Hawks they dominated almost every phase of the match.  Dobson will begin region play next Wednesday against Mountain View.

12/19/01 Mountain View

In the first region game of the season the Mustangs and the Toros fought through two-overtime periods and were not able to declare a winner.  Dobson opened the scoring when Alissa Oldenkamp served a ball in from he flank and found freshman Alena Ihle for her first goal of the season.  The Mustangs went in to the half up a goal and pretty much dominating the match.  The second half would be more of the same except for one small problem, the Toros found a way to score.  After the first Toro goal, Ashley Emmons was able to convert on a penalty kick to give the lead back to Dobson.  Unfortunately Christmas came early for the Toros and Dobson (much like the referee) felt like handing out gifts.  The Toros took advantage when Shawna Cozens scored to tie it up.  The final unofficial stats had Dobson outshooting Mountain View 38-12.

1/2/02 Yuma Criminals Dobson Soccer Locker Tournament 1st Round

The Mustangs opened up play in this years Dobson Soccer Locker Classic by defeating he Criminals 5-0.  Alissa Oldenkamp led the way with four goals while Chrystal Clark scored her first varsity goal of her career. Dobson dominated most of the match and if they had been able to finish, the score would have been much worse for the Criminals.  Hopefully the Mustangs will find their finishing touch before too long.

1/3/02 Mesquite Wildcats Dobson Soccer Locker Tournament 2nd Round

Dobson came out of the gate looking to dispatch the Wildcats early but Mesquite held tough and never let Dobson score.  Unfortunately for Mesquite, they would score an own goal that would send the host Mustangs into the semifinals of the tournament yet again.  Dobson outshot Mesquite 38-4 on the day and had ample scoring chances but yet again the would be denied by themselves.  Friday at noon the Mustangs will take on defending tournament champion Cactus.  In the other semi, Corona del Sol will look to defeat a very tough Ironwood squad.

1/4/02 Cactus Cobras (Dobson Soccer Locker Tournament Semi's)

Dobson and perennial 4A power Cactus clashed for the 2nd time in three years today in the semifinals of the Dobson Soccer Locker Classic.  It was a hard fought match with both teams generating numerous scoring chances throughout the match.  Cactus was first to score with a beautiful shot from 40 yards out just before the end of the first half.  The Mustangs played one of their better games of the season and remained patient in the second half and were able o equalize with 10 minutes left in the game when Alyssa Shangraw found Lauren Thomas who buried a terrific shot past the Cobra goalkeeper.  It was a shame to see this game go to kicks but the Cobras held tough and were able to advance to the finals by defeating the Mustangs 5-4 on penalty kicks.  Next up for the Mustangs is a rematch with Corona del Sol who lost to Ironwood in the other semi.

1/5/02 Corona del Sol  (Dobson Soccer Locker Tournament 3rd Place Match)

The Mustangs and the Aztecs tangled for the second time this season in the 3rd place match of the Dobson Soccer Locker Classic.  After both teams had lost in the semis on Friday it seemed that neither team was really ready to play if you looked at the way both teams warmed up.  In the 10th minute of the game a quick restart by Lauren Thomas found Alyssa Oldenkamp who darted in towards the Corona goal and made a quick serve to the right side of the field and found Kelly Schmitz who knocked the ball in for the first goal of the match.  Both teams were led by their defense and it looked to be a pretty evenly matched game.  With 18 minutes remaining in the match, a Corona player went down with a back injury that postponed the game for 45 minutes.  When play resumed, the Aztecs came out and played with a new emotion not yet seen today and equalized when Jamie Harris scored a beautiful goal off a serve from Nicole Tiggs.  Then with both teams looking towards potential overtime, Lauren Thomas found Alyssa Shangraw who struck a well placed volley past the Corona keeper for the game winner.  I just want to say what a pleasure it was to watch such a hard fought match and it seems that both teams should do well in State if they can play with the passion and intensity seen today.  In the finals, Cactus defeated Ironwood 1-0 to claim yet another tournament title.

1/7/02 Hamilton 6pm

In the first meeting between the two schools, Hamilton was able to score the first goal of the match 7 minutes into the game.  Dobson was unrelenting in the early minutes of the game but Hamilton was able to counter with a quick strike.  Dobson responded by scoring the next four goals to go into halftime up 4-1.  Much like the first half, the Huskies came out and converted on an early penalty kick to make the score 4-2.  Alyssa Shangraw would then score the last goal of the night with the assist going to Lauren Thomas.  L.T. would finish the evening with a goal and two assists while Ashley Emmons had another three goal performance.  Dobson will resume region play Wednesday against Red Mountain at home.

1/9/02 Red Mountain

Red Mountain came into the contest leading the East Valley region but the Mustangs have plans of their own as to who will hang this years banner.  Both teams came out a bit sluggish but Dobson began to take the play to Red Mountain and generated numerous scoring chances.  Red Mountain as arguably one of the best keepers in the state an she was instrumental in keeping them in the match.  Dobson would get on the board first when Ashley Emmons got in behind the defense on the left flank and served a fantastic ball far post that Sophomore sensation Kelly Schmitz was able to get a head on and walk into the goal.  The second half saw the action get a bit more heated as the Mustangs came out to prove a point about who the best team in the region is.  Midway through the second half a minor scuffle ensued and a Red Mountain player was shown the red card for fighting.  Late in the match with Red Mountain trying to get an attack going down a man the Mustangs were able to score the second goal of the match by Ashley Emmons.  For the Mustangs to win the title outright, Red Mountain must defeat Mountain View on Monday evening or Mesa must beat them Wednesday.

1/11/02 @ Mesa

Dobson came out a little flat and the Jackrabbits came out celebrating senior night with a reckless abandon that gave the Mustangs all that they could handle.  Dobson was able to finally get on the board when Lauren Thomas received a ball from Brooke Banister and beat the Mesa goalie from 30 yards out.  Then just before halftime, LT would score a beautiful goal off a corner by Ashley Emmons by heading the ball past the Mesa defense.  LT would finish the scoring on the night with her third goal by beating a Mesa defender to a poorly played ball and slipping it past the keeper on the breakaway.  Not the greatest performance by the team this year but it was good enough to shut out the host Jackrabbits and gain yet another victory.  Dobson outshot Mesa 20-4 with Kaylan Olds recording her 4th shutout of the year.

1/14/02 Westwood

The Mustangs welcomed the Warriors to Dobson for senior night and the game was not quite what anyone wanted.  The outmatched Warriors were able to get off four shots on the night but senior goalkeeper Kaylan Olds was not forced to make a save.  The Mustangs were able to get goals from 14 different players and many of the girls who had worked so hard to be a part of the tradition at Dobson were able to log numerous minutes.  With Red Mountain defeating Mountain View 2-0 the Mustangs only have to beat Skyline this Wednesday evening to claim the number 1 seed in next weeks region playoffs and another East Valley region crown.

1/16/02 @ Skyline

The regular season came to an end for the both teams this evening with the Mustangs winning the East Valley Region Championship for the first time in three years.  The host Coyotes played a determined game bidding farewell to their seniors but the Mustangs were just too much to overcome and pounded Skyline 10-0 behind the scoring of 8 different players.  The Mustangs will now take a much needed break before the region tournament championship which is slated to be played on Friday January 25th at 6pm on the campus of Dobson HS.  

1/25/02 Red Mountain

The Mustangs would take on Red Mountain for the Region Tournament Championship and the game would not lack of excitement.  The game would be marred by many controversial calls and the Mustangs would be on the short end of most of them.  After taking a 1-0 lead in the second half, the Mountain Lions would tie the score on a breakaway which Kaylan Olds couldn't stop.  Dobson would respond with another goal but with time running out, Red Mountain would score the equalizing goal with two seconds remaining.  As the first overtime period began, the center official made yet another horrible call and gave Christine Shoffner her walking papers with her second yellow card of the evening.  Shortly after the expulsion of Dobson's sweeper, Red Mountain would score the game winner off a nice goal which was flicked in far post and beat the Dobson defense.  Playing down a player did not hurt the Mustangs as much as one would think, but Red Mountains keeper came up with numerous saves in overtime to notch their first region tournament championship.  Dobson will resume play on Monday as they host the Central region's #3 seed Desert Vista.

1/28/02 Desert Vista

The Thunder came into Mustang Stadium for the second time this season and for the team's third match of the season with Dobson.  Desert Vista would open up the scoring when freshman defender Nicky Morris made a great play on the ball near the endline but was unable to stop the ensuing serve which was beautifully shot  past Kaylan Olds to the far post.  Dobson had come close in the first half to scoring on four different occasions but one thing or another prevented the host Mustangs from knotting the score at 1.  With only 40 minutes left in the Mustangs season, the team came out and scored three goals in three minutes to open up the half.  Ashley Emmons would open up the scoring only to be outdone by L.T.'s two second half goals.  Desert Vista would score their second goal of the game on a questionable penalty kick and with pressure mounting on the Dobson defense, the team stood tall and erased the horrible last minute memories of Red Mountain by winning the match 3-2 and advancing to the second round where they will face Yuma at 6pm on Wednesday in Yuma.

1/30/02 Yuma

The Mustangs traveled to Yuma today to take on the Metro Region's number one team in the second round of the State Playoffs.  The host Criminals came into the game pretty fired up and the grueling four hour drive took a lot out of the Mustangs.  Dobson came out a little flat and the Criminals were able to put together a fantastic defensive game in the first half.  The Mustangs would hit a cross-bar and a side-post and missed numerous chances during the half.  The second half would see the Mustangs come out a bit more fired up and quickly tally two goals to give Dobson the insurmountable lead.  Ashley Emmons and Alena Ihle would get the first two goals and give the Mustangs some breathing room.  Later in the half, Kim Demelio would score and shortly after that Ashley Emmons would tally her second of the game.  The game became quite physical and Dobson emptied the bench with around twenty minutes left to get the starters a much needed break and allow some of the reserves a chance to gain some valuable experience.  Dobson now advances to the quarterfinals in state for the second time in three years.

2/1/02 Salpointe

Dobson traveled to Tucson to take on the second ranked Salpointe Lancers in the quarterfinals of the state playoffs.  Dobson came out a bit flat and the Lancers were ready to go.  In the 18th minute the Lancers were able to take the lead 1-0 when they would score off of a long throw-in which found the back of the net after being redirected by Mallory Miller.  Minutes later the Mustangs would respond when they found Kelly Schmitz streaking in on the Salpointe goal all alone but her touch was a bit too far out in front and the Lancers keeper was able to get off her line and smother the opportunity.  The second half would not be kind to the Mustangs as the Lancers were able to score two more times and the Mustangs were not able to generate much offense.  Kaylan Olds played the best game of her career and thwarted numerous attempts by the Lancers that would have put the game well out of reach.  The officiating was extremely one sided as one can expect when heading into Tucson but it had no real bearing on the game other than the three red cards issued to the Mustangs while the Lancers escaped without a single card.  I really hope the AIA will look into this but I'm not going to hold my breath.  Overall the season was quite a success and I just want to thank all of my seniors who have given four years of their lives to this program.  Thank you!!!!