Bobcat offense struggles in second home tournament
The GCSU soccer team hosted the First Little Feet Invitational this past weekend and came away with a tie and a loss in its two games. The Bobcats (2-3-1) drew their first game of the tournament against Lincoln Memorial University on Friday night. Although GCSU looked to be the more dominant team, neither squad was able to score in the first half.
When the second half began, GCSU continued to play aggressively and managed to keep the ball near the Railsplitters’ penalty box for much of the period. Though multiple scoring attempts were made, neither team was able to find the back of the net.
“I think that we finally showed what we have to offer,” senior defender Morgan Cobb said. “We laid it all out on the table, the page turned and I feel like we did excellent.”
Because neither team had scored, the game went into overtime. After two exciting 10-minute overtime periods, neither team was able to break the deadlock and the contest finish, 0-0.
“Sometimes soccer’s a cruel game, you do everything to win it and you deserve to win it,” head coach Juan Pablo Favero said. “But I’m very proud of the girls for their attitude and performance and we can build on this.”
After the game, players and fans stuck around to view an impressive fireworks show put on by the GCSU athletic department in memory of Sept. 11, 2001.
“We weren’t doing so well in the beginning (of the season),” junior midfielder Kayla Emerson said. “But now we’ve connected and gotten better at staying together, passing and making plays.”
The Bobcats’ second game of the weekend was against the Carson-Newman College Eagles on Sunday afternoon.
The game got off to a similar start to Friday’s game. Although both teams had scoring opportunities, neither of them managed to score in the first half.
In the second half, GCSU appeared to be headed toward its second scoreless draw of the weekend. However, with less than 30 seconds on the clock, GCSU hearts were broken.
A shot from Trenna Howell on a rebound off the GCSU goal post found its way into the Bobcat net and enabled Carson-Newman to pull out a 1-0 victory.
“I think we were pretty evenly matched, they had their moments we had our moments,” freshman defender Jamie Colcord said. “We fought hard, it was just unlucky in the end.”
For the GCSU defense, all-conference junior goalkeeper Mary Rob Plunkett, who was out for the first four games of the season due to an undisclosed illness, seems to be on a speedy recovery. Plunkett managed to play the entire second half of Friday’s game and the first half of Sunday’s game.
“It’s something that we’ve been building up to. I’m not all the way there but I can make it through a half,” Plunkett said. “The heat and the conditions are a little bit more strenuous, but overall I’m comfortable and confident.”
GCSU is on the road this weekend as it travels to face the University of West Georgia tonight at 7 p.m.
The Bobcats then return home to face the Barry University on Sunday at 1 p.m.
“We need to work on (the same things) we’ve been working on,” Favero said. “We need to work on finishing and try to get us a goal or two here soon.”
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Sep 18 2009. Filed under Sports.
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