Women’s soccer begins PBC with win after pair of losses

Beginning last weekend’s games with a questionable red card foreshadowed the weekend’s finish for the women’s soccer team in the Tampa Tournament at the University of Tampa. 

The Bobcats (2-6) returned home after the rough weekend and knew their job when the Peach Belt Conference play began.

In Tuesday’s home opening conference game against Montevallo University, Georgia College asserted dominance with a 4-0 shutout. Before their first conference victory came, the women’s team struggled in Florida.

Facing Barry University, the Bobcats were out-shot for only the second time this season 20-9. Junior mid-fielder Olivia Holden earned a red card on a late challenge for the ball in the first half, setting the fate for the Bobcats.

Barry netted its first goal with 31 minutes remaining in the first half off of a corner kick to go up 1-0. GC fought hard despite being down a player for the majority of the game, but Barry’s Melissa Madrid sealed the game delivering two goals with minutes left. The first came off a Madrid header with four minutes left, and her second was a successful breakaway two minutes later.

Head Coach Hope Clark rotated her arsenal of goalies to see different girls. Freshman Annie Stephens had four successful saves and one goal in the first half, and classmate Taylor Cornelius saw her first collegiate experience in the second half saving four and allowing two.

Defeated 3-0, GC found more trouble with tournament host Tampa. Sunday morning continued the brutal non-conference schedule for the women’s team as they lost 2-0 to the Spartans. GC entered the half down 1-0 after Samantha Kay’s 18th minute goal. After the second half’s commencing whistle, the Bobcat’s continued to work against Tampa, but allowed the second and final point of the match, putting Tampa up 2-0 for the win.

Tuesday’s saturated conference opener was a much needed win for the Bobcats.

“We definitely needed this (win),” mid-fielder Karen Bonilla said. “I was actually telling Olivia (Holden) that our win was cringing up and we finally got it and knew it was going to be tonight.”

A strong warm-up of ball possession and movement had the Bobcats communicating and recognizing each other well in pre-game. Taylor Cornelius earned the starting spot in goal and allowed no goals in her second game.

Three minutes after the half GC struck, junior defender Jamie Colcord ripped a 30-yard shot from the left side of the box finding freshman forward Abby Dalton for the first goal.

On top 1-0, GC continued to blast shots in the first half, and on a breakaway from freshman Tatum O’Keefe,- another goal landed.

In the 26:00 minute O’Keefe one-on-one w ith the keeper, deflected one off of the keeper.

Following the deflection was freshman mid-fielder Ashley Veilleux who one-timed the ball into an open net to go 2-0.

Things worsened for Montevallo after earning a yellow card and continued to get shut down by the Bobcat defense.

Owning the game’s confidence and scoreboard, the Bobcats pushed on in the pouring rain.

With nine minutes left, Veilleux was taken down in the box by Montevallo’s Kaitlin Thomas who earned a yellow on the play. Veilleux sunk her penalty kick for her second goal of the day.

“I saw her coming out and she came out sort of far,” Veilleux said. “It was instinct to take a touch around her and then she followed me. On the PK I knew I wanted to go right and tapped it in.”

To add insult to injury, Bonilla split the defense in the 88th minute receiving a through pass from Veilleux, scoring the fourth GC goal for the 4-0 victory.

“We had a tough go I would say with 1-5, but we’ve played some incredible competition,” Clark said. “That was to prepare us for tonight and I think the girls came out and handled that well with a 4-0 win. That’s tough to do in our conference so we’re really pleased with the girls.”

Next the Bobcats head south to Americus to take on Georgia Southwestern.