Two thrillers highlight win streak

The GCSU soccer team played a pair of overtime games last weekend and came away with a victory in each.

The first victory for the Bobcats came Friday night at the University of West Georgia. GCSU took the lead early in the contest when a shot from senior defender Kara Teresi found its way into the Wolves’ net. The goal, with the assist from junior midfielder Ally Treat, gave the Bobcats a 1-0 lead.

Shortly after, a goal from sophomore forward Megan McAlpin with the assist from freshman midfielder Amanda Veillon gave GCSU a two-goal cushion.

Although the Bobcats had a 2-0 lead, the Wolves responded by scoring two goals of their own to tie things up at 2-2 and send the game into overtime.

The contest was still tied in the second period of overtime, when Teresi struck again, scoring her second goal of the game to earn her team the win. The assist came from freshman forward Anna Wierzbicki and McAlpin, giving the Bobcats a 3-2 victory.

In defense for the Bobcats, junior goalkeeper Mary Rob Plunkett had six saves. Freshman goalkeeper Taylor Mulryan relieved Plunkett for 30 minutes and allowed one goal.

This victory marked head coach Juan Pablo Favero’s 100th victory as a women’s soccer coach. Prior to coaching the Bobcats, Favero spent time coaching at Missouri Baptist University and Newberry College.

“I’m not big about personal accomplishments,” Favero said. “I’m happy to have done it with this group, but obviously I would be remiss if I wasn’t thankful for my previous teams.

Following the victory, the Bobcats returned home to face Barry University. However, instead of playing at their usual field on West Campus, the game was moved to the Old Capitol Soccer League Complex due inclement weather.

The Buccaneers struck first when Sarah Wolfer scored on a breakaway in the 16th minute of the game.

GCSU tied the contest just six minutes later. Senior forward Lyric Burnett, assisted by McAlpin and Wierzbicki, scored to tie things up at 1-1. Neither team let up for the remainder of the second half, sending the game into overtime.

“I think we had a rough middle, but we’re really starting to connect more of our passes,” Burnett said. “We’re being more patient and playing our soccer and not being affected by the other team.”

Just three minutes into the first period of overtime, senior forward Jamie Nevin was fouled inside the Barry penalty box, giving the Bobcats a penalty kick. Nevin stepped up to take the shot, but it was saved. Fortunately for the Bobcats, the rebound was recovered by freshman defender Jamie Colcord who shot over the goalkeeper and into the net for the 2-1 victory.

“I think we’re connected more and getting on the same page,” Colcord said. “We just need to score more goals when we have the opportunity and not give them away like we have been.”

The goal was Colcord’s first as a Bobcat.

For the GCSU defense, Plunkett played her first full game of the season as goalkeeper. Previously out with an undisclosed illness, she made four saves, only allowing one shot to reach the back of the net.

Following the two exciting triumphs, the Bobcats ran their winning streak to three games with a Wednesday night win at Georgia Southwestern State University. GCSU shut out the Hurricanes 2-0.

Both teams went scoreless in the first half, but GCSU pushed the offensive pace early in the second half. The first goal of the game came in the 51st minute, when senior midfielder Daria Owen kicked a powerful 35-foot shot that found its way into GSW’s net. Owen’s goal was assisted by Treat.

Less than four minutes later, the Bobcats struck again when freshman Anna Wierzbicki earned her first goal as a Bobcat, with the assist from McAlpin.

The Bobcats are back in action Sunday as they face the University of Tampa in Savannah.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 25 2009. 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