Bobcats bounced from tourney

Despite a disappointing loss to Armstrong Atlantic State University in the first round of the PBC Tournament, all signs pointed to improvement for the GC&SU woman’s soccer team in their second year of competition.

This years’ squad had almost twice as many wins as last year (this year 9-6-2 overall, last year 5-10-2 overall), improved on its Peach Belt Conference record (this year 3-3-2, last year 1-5-2) and upped its standing in the PBC to sixth, three places higher than last year.

So what’s the difference? One word – offense.

“It was our main focus in the off-season,” said Head Coach Robert Parr. “We did a much better job putting shots on goal.”

Last years team was shut out nine times; seven of those came against PBC opponents. The Lady Bobcats lost four 1-0 games last season, including a 1-0 overtime loss in first round of the PBC Tournament to last year’s conference champions Francis Marion.

This year’s squad matched last year’s total of 16 goals in only the seventh game of this season while in the midst of a seven game winning streak, the longest streak in GC&SU’s woman’s soccer history.

GC&SU ended the season with 36 goals and 34 assists, good enough to rank third in the PBC for goals per game and second in assists.

“We came in (to games) thinking we were going to win,” said freshman Hayley Ferrell. “Once you start to win, you get used to it.”

Ferrell was the team’s second leading scorer and is the first player in GC&SU woman’s soccer history to be named to the All-Peach Belt Conference Women’s Soccer Team. Of her eight regular season goals, Ferrell managed to notch four game winners.

Junior forward Meredith Moran led the offense with 11 goals of her own. Moran also put 23 of 33 shots on net, good enough for a .697 SOG percentage.

“I like being the playmaker,” Moran said.

Last year Moran only scored one goal as a midfielder. Coach Parr decided to move her to forward after an extraordinary showing in that position in the spring.

“I want to go back,” Moran said. “Up top you feel helpless because you can’t go back to help (the defense).”

Moran was named to the 2005 Peach Belt Conference All-Tournament Team.

Every soccer player on GC&SU’s team lives with, or will live with next season, another soccer player. They hang out together, study together, eat together and live together.

“The team is so close,” Ferrell said. “My best friends are all on the soccer team.”

And with an improved offense in place, Coach Parr turned to a familiar and reliable source of Bobcat defense – his wife.

“There were a number of games where she made clutch saves,” Coach Parr said. “It allows the offense to play comfortably.”

Michelle Parr, last years PBC leader in saves, ended the season ranked second in the PBC in saves, fourth in goals against average and recorded four shutouts.

Parr received help from All-Conference nominee Erin Krueger.

Krueger’s defensive play improved over last year, and Coach Parr would almost always hand her the team’s toughest assignments on defense. She is known as the team’s best marker, a term used to describe coverage of the opposing team’s player.

“Defense is thankless work,” Coach Parr said. “They don’t keep stats on good defense.” Coach Parr said that Krueger was “the most consistent defender two years running in the conference.”

Team chemistry, a newly founded powerful offense and a continued consistent defense leave a lot to look forward to next season.

This year the team will graduate only three players -Michelle Parr, Mindy Crow and Tami Pissott.

Coach Parr said not to worry about the graduates.

“We want to lose players to graduation,” said Coach Parr.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 11 2005. 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