Game Changes: The two games originally scheduled for Thursday, April 19th have been moved to Monday, April 17th. The schedule is as follows:

Game #2 vs. South Atlanta (Girls only): Monday, April 16th @ North Atlanta 5 PM (game moved from 4/19)

Boys vs. Southside (Boys only): Monday, April 16th @ 7 PM.

These games will be our last and only home game. They will also be our Senior Night for both teams.

Game #3 @ Riverwood- Tuesday, April 17th. Girls @ 5 PM, Boys at 7 PM

The games for the Region Consolation have been set up:

Game #1 @ Dunwoody- Girls will play at Dunwwody HS on Thursday, April 12th at 5 PM. The Boys will play Friday, April 13th at Dunwoody HS @ 5 PM. Because Dunwoody doesn't have lights, we had to schedule on two separate days.

Game #3 @ Riverwood- Tuesday, April 17th. Girls @ 5 PM, Boys at 7 PM

(3/24/07) The North Atlanta Warriors Boys Soccer Team had a busy week, playing three games in five days. The Warriors won two of the three games, beating Mays 13-0 and Douglass 6-0 but losing to arch-rival & Sub-Region opponent Grady  0-3 . The win over Mays clinched this season's annual Intown Cup competition, this year being competed for by Mays, Southside and North Atlanta. The week's three wins brings North Atlanta's record to 5-8 overall, 0-6 in Region Play.

Also significant was the breaking of one school record and the tying of another. Felix Martinez scored five goals vs. Mays, breaking the previous school record of four in one game set in 2001 by Carlos Palma (2000-2003), brother of current Warriors Ariel and Gabriel. Ivan Garcia equaled a school record versus Mays, notching 6 assists in the match, which tied him with Nikola Jankovic's one-game total vs. Westlake in 2004.

2/19 vs. Mays: The Warriors took control of this game early getting three goals in the first seven minutes, Felix Martinez scoring two of those in the first two minutes. The team would add three more before the end of the first half, taking a 5-0 lead into halftime with Almoshabi Miraj and Altair "Zurdo" Garcia scoring their first goals of the year. 

The second half saw more of the same play as NA scored six goals in the first fourteen minutes of the second half. During this time, Felix scored three more goals, breaking the school record for goals in one game with five. Francisco Lorenzo, Jose Nunez and Ivan Garcia each scored as well, taking the score to 11-0 by the 55th minute. Five of Ivan's six record-tying assists came during this run. Gabriel Palma and Nunez scored two more goals in the last fifteen minutes to complete the 13-0 rout.

3/21 vs. Douglass: The Warriors did not follow up Monday's win vs. Mays with an equal performance against Douglass. The team dominated possession in the first twenty minutes but only forced Douglass to commit one own goal on a goalkeeping mistake by the Astros' goalie. Gabriel Palma finally broke open the scoring for NA when he received a pass from Felix Martinez, chipped it back over the head of his defender and one-timed it home. The second twenty minutes of the first half saw the Warriors lose a lot of their intensity as the team lacked the crisp passing displayed early on in the match. The Warriors took a 2-0 lead going into halftime, but everyone knew that the lead should've been greater.

The second half was a little better for the Warriors as Ivan Garcia and Gabriel fired up the attack. Gaby and Felix would score two goals in the first six minutes of the half, the team finally showing the determination lacking in the first half. Felix would score two more goals in the 57th and 62nd minutes (assisted by Ariel Palma and Gaby, respectively), completing his hat-trick and bringing his goal total to 11 on the season. The game finished 6-0, with Emory Daniel earning his second shutout of the season.

3/23 vs. Grady: The Warriors have had a hard time starting off the first half in a strong manner all season and unfortunately for the Warriors, Friday was no different. Grady dominated the first half and scored two goals in the first seventeen minutes. The first one came off a cross in the 13th minute to an unmarked Grady player in the box who slotted it home. The second came four minutes later and was a bit of luck as Grady's right-mid crossed the ball towards the goal and found the upper lefthand corner of the goal, an unintentional goal that 'keeper Emory Daniel could do little about. The half ended 2-0 with the Warriors not getting a single shot off on goal.

The second half was better for the Warriors as they came out with more of a purpose. The Warriors were able to create a lot more chances offensively and finally had some shots on goal. Felix Martinez had NA's best chance in the 55th minute when he received a ball on the 6 yard line but took a shot directly at the 'keeper who made a clean save on it. Ultimately, NA was unable to find the goal and Grady put the game away in the 60th minute when Grady's #10 received a ball up the right side and drove towards goal. He took a laser shot across the face of the goal, past a diving Emory Daniel and inside the far netting, a great goal that became the game's final score.

The Warriors return to action next Thursday as they face the #1 team in the State, Westminster, at 5 PM at NA Field.

Tuesday vs. #4 Druid Hills @ NA: The Warriors had one of their poorer performances of the season, losing 0-2 in a game that could've been a 4-0, 5-0 type finish were it not for the great goalkeeping of Andrew Deihl. Druid Hills first goal came in the 16th minute when a defensive mixup allowed for Druid Hills #7 to go through the center of the field into the penalty area, blasting a shot into the upper-right hand corner. The second goal for DH also came from #7 off a penalty that was awarded right before halftime.

In the 2nd half, the Warriors looked more organized defensively, but lacked the sustained ball possession needed to seriously threaten Druid Hills. Neither team scored in the 2nd Half, ending the game with a 2-0 scoreline.

Thursday @ #3 Dunwoody (N. DeKalb): The Warriors bounced back on Thursday, playing a much better match against Dunwoody. Dunwoody opened up the scoring in the 26th minute and took a 1-0 lead into halftime. The Warriors controlled the game during the 2nd Half and were rewarded in the 61st minute. Gabriel Palma intercepted a ball deep in Dunwoody territory and sent a through ball on the ground to Felix Martinez on the right side. Felix slotted the ball to far side of the net, getting his third goal of the season. However, three minutes later, Dunwoody would regain the lead off a similar shot, making a 2-1 lead. The last ten minutes saw a furious attack on the Dunwoody goal by the Warriors, but the boys were unable to find the back of the net again. Andrew Deihl once again gave a strong performance, making several improbable saves to keep the team within range of tying the game. Also having strong performances were Ivan Garcia and Altair "Zurdo" Garcia, boh of whom covered a lot of ground in the midfield both offensively and defensively.

The Warriors return to action next week with three games- Monday vs. Douglass, Wed. vs. Mays and the big rival match at Grady on Friday.

(3/8/07) The Warriors split two games this week, losing on Tuesday at home to Riverwood 0-1 and winning on Thursday at Southside 11-0. The two games bring NA's overall record to 3-5.

Tuesday, 3/6 vs. Riverwood Raiders: The Warriors went into this match needing a win to stay in contention for a Region playoff spot. The team came out focused and looked a lot more motivated than last Friday vs. Blessed Trinity. NA created several opportunities over the first 40 minutes. However, they were unable to find the back of the net and the half finished 0-0. In the second half, the Warriors played even better and looked to be rewarded in the 49th minute when Ivan Garcia was fouled inside the penalty area and earned a penalty kick. Captain Gabriel Palma took the kick, however, Riverwood's Goalkeeper made an amazing diving save to keep it tied at 0-0. The Raiders scored the only goal of the game when in the 59th minute the ball was crossed from the left side to the right midfielder beyond the far post. The midfielder headed the ball back towards the left post, beating a diving Emory Daniel in the bottom left-hand corner of the net. Despite pressing hard for the last twenty minutes, the Warriors were unlucky and dldn't find the equalizer, largely due to the stellar play of Riverwood's 'keeper. Once again, the Warriors dominated possession and played attractive soccer but were unable to capitalize on it.

Thursday, 3/8 vs. Southside: The Warriors were finally able to see some positive results in front of the net as ten different players scored in the 11-0 rout. Led by Gabriel Palma's two goals, the team also got goals from Felix Martinez, Carlos Mendoza, Ariel Palma, Omar Carillo, Elliot MacKinnon, Joe Heath, Tinashe Wertz, Chad Watson and Ben Lai. Also impressive about the win is that 8 of the 11 goals were assisted on, showing the unselfishness of the team's play. Even goalkeeper Andrew Deihl got some time in the field and was able to pick up two assists. Rene Martinez, last season's Offensive MVP, made his first appearance of the season after suffering with back injuries for the first month of the season.

The Warriors return to action next Tuesday vs. Druid Hills at NA (7:30) and at N. DeKalb vs. Dunwoody on Thursday.

(3/4/07) North Atlanta split a pair of games this week, winning 1-0 at Clarkston on Tuesday and losing at home to Blessed Trinity 3-0.

Tuesday, 2/27 @ Clarkston: North Atlanta was looking to avenge last season’s loss to Clarkston. Clarkston, a quarterfinalist in last season’s AAA State Tournament, returns a solid squad for the 2007 season. The Warriors controlled the play of the game for large stretches, but were unable to score in the first half. NA’s best chance to score came late in the first half when a ball was sent into the penalty box to Felix Martinez. Martinez connected with the ball on a one-timer that just missed going into the back of the net.

The second half saw Clarkston play a little better than the first and they were able to challenge NA’s defense. However, freshman Goalkeeper Emory Daniel had a fine performance and came up with several saves to keep the game scoreless. The Warriors were finally rewarded for their strong play when Francisco “Chico” Lorenzo sent a ball down the right sideline that got behind the defense. Ivan Garcia caught up to the ball and sped towards the goal. The Clarkston ‘keeper came out to stop Garcia, but Ivan was able to put a shot up over the goalie in the upper left hand corner of the goal. 1-0 for the Warriors. For the next ten minutes, Clarkston looked for the equalizer but was unsuccessful. NA was able to salt away the last five minutes by passing the ball around and wearing out the opposition. The game would end 1-0 and would give North Atlanta its first real win of the season (the first win being a forfeit). The win was a great team effort as the defense, the midfield and the forwards all worked in unison to produce the best performance of the season to date.

Friday, 3/2 vs. Blessed Trinity: The Warriors did not bring their “A” game into this match vs. the Titans. BT scored in the 2^nd and 9^th minutes to take a quick 2-0 lead. For the first thirty minutes, NA posed very little threat to the BT goal. In the final five minutes of the first half, the Warriors were finally able to challenge the Titan defense. Midfielder Julian Rainwater, was able to run onto a deflection off a cross and take a shot into the left-hand corner. Unfortunately, the ‘keeper for BT laid out and made a great diving save to keep his shutout intact.

The second half saw an improvement in the Warriors’ play, but they were still unable to pose a serious threat to the Titans. Blessed Trinity was able to get a late goal in the 76^th minute when long ball was sent to the right hand corner of the penalty box. The forward for BT on that side collected the pass, took on two defenders and hit a wicked shot that looked to be going over the crossbar but dipped and fooled NA ‘keeper Andrew Deihl. Despite the goal, Deihl was able to keep the Warriors in the game. The score would end 3-0 in favor of the Titans, dropping NA to 2-4, 0-2 in Region play.

The Warriors return to action with matches at North Atlanta this Tuesday, March 6^th vs. Riverwood at 5:30 and at Southside on Thursday, March 8^th at 5:00. 

(2/26/07) North Atlanta dropped two games last week, losing at #2 Chamblee 4-0 and at Kingswood Lane Park (home of North Atlanta) on Thursday to Sequoyah. The losses moved NA to 1-3 overall, 0-1 in the Region. Despite the losses, the Warriors showed strides in the right direction and seem to be finally hitting their stride at the right time.

Tuesday at # 2 Chamblee: Chamblee, currently ranked #2 in AAA, showed why it made the Finals of AAAA last season. The team exhibited a lot of quality play and was very efficient in its passing and organization. The Warriors were able to hang with Chamblee for the first 25 minutes, however the Bulldogs would score off a free kick in the 26th minute. On the next play after the goal, one of the Chamblee forwards quickly stole the ball from NA after the restart and broke away from the NA defense, slotting it past 'keeper Andrew Deihl. The third goal, coming only three minutes later, was scored on a Penalty Kick after a questionable foul was called on Chad Watson. Watson would suffer an injury on the play and would not be able to return. The second half ended up being much better as the Warriors regrouped and played very hard. Andrew Deihl had a great game for the Warriors, making several fine saves and keeping the game within range. Two more injuries to Elliott Mackinnon and Jose Nunez would force backup players Tinashe Wertz and Julian Rainwater into action; both players brought an energy to the game and helped thwart the Chamblee attack. North Atlanta had a couple of great scoring chances in the last 20 minutes of the match, largely through the tireless effort of Senior co-Captain Felix Martinez. However, he was unable to find the back of the net. Chamblee would score one more late goal, finishing the game off with a 4-0 scoreline.

Thursday vs. Sequoyah: North Atlanta started this game off poorly, as Sequoyah jumped on North Atlanta and created several scoring opportunities. However, freshman Goalkeeper Emory Daniel proved equal to the task and made some fantastic saves to keep the scoreline at 0-0 going into halftime.

The second half was the best half of soccer that the Warriors have played this season as the team took over the match and displayed some excellent passing and individual moves. Spearheaded by the play of Ivan Garcia, Gabriel Palma, Felix Martinez, and Jose Nunez, the Warriors were putting on a passing clinic and constantly threatened the Sequoyah. Unfortunately for the Warriors, the 'keeper for Sequoyah was in fine form and made some amazing saves. With North Atlanta looking prominent to score and win the match, a harmless ball was cleared upfield by the Sequoyah defense in the 72nd minute. However, the ball would slip past the NA defense and one of Sequoyah's forwards was able to catch up with it and slot it home for a 1-0. With NA pushing up in the final minutes looking for the equalizer, Sequoyah would score a late goal off a counter-attack in the 78th minute, making it a 2-0 match and the final result.

Despite the loss, the Coaching Staff was encouraged by the play of the team in the second half and hope that this is only the beginning of the attractive play that was shown in the 2nd Half.

(2/18/07) North Atlanta's Season Opener vs. South Atlanta ended up in a forfeit victory for North Atlanta due to South Atlanta not showing up for the match. The reasons for them not showing up are unsure at this point, but we don't plan on making up the game.

On Friday, NA took on AA powerhouse Lovett, ranked #4 in the State. The Warriors controlled the possession throughout the first half and were rewarded by a goal from Felix Martinez, assisted by Gabriel Palma. The Warriors took this 1-0 lead into the 2nd Half. The lead, however, would be short-lived as Lovett scored five minutes into the 2nd Half. NA would lose all three of its starting defenders during the match- Chad Watson, Ben Lai and Elliott MacKinnon, to injuries and Lovett was able to capitalize by adding three more goals after the game tying goal. The match would end 4-1, but NA was able to really control large portions of the match offensively and prove to be an even match for Lovett despite the final scoreline.

This week the Warriors return to action on Tuesday at North DeKalb Stadium vs. Chamblee, finalists in last year's AAAA Tournament. Chamblee has already won two games, beating Grady 3-1 and AIS 5-2 and look to be as good as they proved to be last season.

On Thursday, Sequoyah visits North Atlanta in a non-Region match. Last season, NA visited Sequoyah and earned a 1-1 draw.


In other news, Coach Massar has a new addition to the family, Olivia Yasmin Massar. She was born Friday, February 16th at 7:15 PM (during the Lovett game, which he missed).  Everything went well and mother and daughter are at home resting.

http://www.georgiasoccersource.com/Massar.html

(2/10/07) The Warriors opened up the pre-season in the Union Grove Jamboree in Henry County on Saturday. In the three thirty minute exhibition games, the Warriors tied host Union Grove 0-0, lost 0-2 to Atlanta International School and beat Lithia Springs 3-2 in the last game.

Game #1 vs. Union Grove: The Warriors tied the Wolverines 0-0, largely due to stellar defensive play from newcomers Sweeper Chad Watson and Goalkeeper Andrew Deihl. The Warriors started off slow offensively but were able to create several scoring opportunities in the last fifteen minutes through the play of midfielders Gabriel Palma, Ivan Garcia and Jose Nunez. Unfortunately, the Warriors couldn't capitalize on the chances and the game would end 0-0.

Game #2 vs. Atlanta International School: The Warriors were unable to create as many scoring opportunities as they had in the Union Grove match. AIS had strong midfield play and while NA did a good job of stopping many of their efforts, AIS was able to get two goals off defensive lapses in the last 15 minutes of the match.

Game #3 vs. Lithia Springs: The Warriors would finish off the night with a 3-2 victory over Lithia Springs. The first goals were scored by Ivan Garcia and were both off crosses from forward Felix Martinez. The last goal came Felix Martinez from a blast to the upper corner that went through the goalies grasp and into the top of the net. With less than two minutes to play, the Warriors slightly let up and Lithia Springs would pick up two quick goals, but the Warriors would hold on to win the match.

(12/1/06) The 2007 Schedule has been revised since originally issued in October. The game vs. Baldwin County on March 26th was cancelled due to the distance between the schools (over 100 miles) and a game versus Douglass was added for March 19th.

(10/3/06) The 2007 North Atlanta Boys Varsity Soccer Schedule was released today. The move down to AAA provides the Warriors with a very tough sub-Region schedule. Included in our sub-Region are five teams that made the State Tournament last season, including AAA State Champion Westminster, AAAA Finalist Chamblee and traditional hated rival Grady. For the non-Region schedule, North Atlanta will once again face some heavy challenges in Lovett, Clarkston, Sequoyah and Sprayberry.   It promises to be a very challenging year but will have the team battle-tested come State Tournament time.