Tough week for Bobcat soccer

    The GCSU soccer team returned home from Savannah on Saturday, much to their relief.  The week was not a fun one for the team, as they lost two road games by one goal each.  The 2-1 loss to Lander University last Wednesday and the 1-0 decision against No. 11 Armstrong Atlantic State University were perhaps the toughest results the team will take this season, because the Bobcats were in position to win both games.
    In the Lander game, the Bobcats went up 1-0 on junior forward Hayley Ferrell’s eighth goal of the season, a header off of a corner-kick by classmate Beth Coughlin, but saw their lead disappear a few minutes later when the Bearcats scored on a corner-kick by Jannica Finnberg that was finished with a header by Jessica Skowron.
    “It was disappointing to have the lead on the road and give it up like that,” head coach Robert Parr said.
    Lander would add a goal in the second half, another Finnberg/Skowron corner-kick combination, and held off the Bobcats until the final whistle.
    “We had several chances late to tie, and just couldn’t capitalize,” Parr said. “The game was not an unfair result, Lander played well enough to deserve that win.”
    Parr did not feel the same way about Saturday’s game against AASU.
    “I thought we played much better against (AASU), we dominated until they got the set-piece goal and they could play defensively,” he said. “It was frustrating to see the team get so many chances and not finish. We certainly have to work on that.”
    The goal Parr is referring to came from the Pirate’s feature striker Kristin Burton, her thirteenth goal in nine games this season, on a header off  of a free kick.
    One interesting fact about the AASU game was that the Bobcats did not allow a corner-kick, the always-dangerous set play, which is truly rare.
    Even in defeat, Parr remained optimistic about his team.
    “I feel good about playing that well against a team ranked that high,” he said. “We still have five conference games left, and they will all be competitive.”
    The Bobcats could get a huge boost this week. Six of the team’s final eight games are at home, with the first coming Saturday night against Shorter college.
    “We have spent a lot of time on the road,” Parr said. “We are looking forward to coming home for six of eight. I hope we can take out some frustration on USC-Aiken.”
    Parr also talked about why the Bobcats are glad to be back on familiar grass.
    “The home-field advantage in soccer is bigger than in most other sports,” he said. “When you go on the road, the fields are often tough to play on.”
    Parr went on to mention that fields with strange grass and crowns in the middle can act as hidden opponents in soccer.
    One thing that continues to be a bright spot for the Bobcats is their fitness level, which allows the team to take risks defensively and recover quickly, as well as push the pace of games as time winds down. This should bode well for the team as they continue their march through conference play and beyond.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 5 2007. 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