‘Cats go 1-2 against D-1 schools

Florida State University, University of Florida and Clemson University were on the agenda for the Georgia College & State University Bobcats when the team traveled to Columbus, Ga. for the National Intercollegiate Recreational Sports Association soccer tournament.
The NIRSA Regional Tournament plays host to numerous club teams from across the eastern part of the United States. Big name colleges that attended this tournament included University of Georgia, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt University and Georgia Tech. Even with such well-known schools, Head Coach Robert Parr insisted that intimidation was not a factor.
On the first day of the tournament, the Lady Bobcats took on the FSU Seminoles. The Seminoles netted a goal in each half to win the game, 2-1, despite being out shot by the Bobcats 16-13.
The second day of the tournament pitted the University of Florida Gators against the Bobcats. The Gators scored in the first minute of play but the Bobcats responded notching a goal later in the half. Unfortunately, the Gators ran away with the game by scoring four goals in each half to win 8-2. A bright spot in the game was Joni Frei scoring her goal late in the second half.
“They were a very good team. They were a little faster than us at most positions, and they had some really good playmakers and finishers,” said Parr. “Is this the outcome I expected? No — we could have, and should have, played them closer.”
The Bobcats shined against the Clemson Tigers. Missie Lewis scored her first goal of the season in the 68th minute. This goal turned out to be the winning one in a 1-0 game.
“We outlasted Clemson,” Parr said. “Both teams had chances and there was a lot of midfield play. As time wore on, we got better and I think a lot of the players were determined to plug away until we finally got that opportunity.”
After Lewis scored her goal, the team did a great job of holding onto the lead.
“Once we got the lead, the team was very good at holding onto it,” said Parr. “We managed the ball really well and it frustrated Clemson.”
The team played well in the tournament and all this was accomplished without the aid of star Goalkeeper Michelle Parr.
“She is not eligible. The club rules for the regionals and nationals are different for Division I, which is different from Division II,” said Parr. “Her eligibility has been fine for all our exhibition games but she wasn’t eligible for regionals and won’t be eligible for nationals.”
With Michelle not being able to direct plays and stop shots, the Bobcats relied on Lauren Grimes and Kelli Murphy who split time in the goal. Grimes was previously a goal keeper in seven games, while this was Murphy’s second game in front of the net.
The team played well in the tournament and bounced back from a defeat by the Gators, kept a jocund mood and came away with a victory later in the day. Look for the team to frustrate their few remaining opponents with their fortitude.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 31 2003. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry