Soccer fights for playoffs at 3-5 in PBC

The 2011 women’s soccer season’s “rebuilding” year is nearing its conclusion and still holds the potential for a postseason. The 4-11 Bobcats, 3-5 in the Peach Belt Conference, are statistically having a bad season, but finding positives in every minute of their games.

“Every coach knows that we may be 4-10, but we are no 4-10 team, so people don’t take us lightly as far as that goes,” Head Coach Hope Clark said.

The Bobcats were at home on Oct. 8 in a conference game against the Columbus State Cougars. Georgia College entered the game with a 2-2 in the conference in hopes of earning a winning record. After scoring their first and only goal in the first half, the Bobcats could not handle the Cougars, who rattled off two goals in the second 45 minutes for a 2-1 victory over GC.

Freshman midfielder Ashley Veilleux, who is leading the team in assists, continued to show her awareness of the field by orchestrating the offense early. Receiving the ball at midfield, Veilleux worked the ball past the CSU defense and found freshman Tatum O’Keefe for the goal.

“We won a ball in the back and then (Veilleux) penetrated and took her space,” O’Keefe said. “I made a slashing run and she played me an absolutely perfect, I couldn’t ask for better, diagonal ball. I split the outside back and center back and took a one-time shot.”

O’Keefe landed a deep shot from the left side into the right upper 90 for her first collegiate goal.

“I was absolutely ecstatic,” O’Keefe said. “We’re really strong on counter attacks and that’s what we pride ourselves on.”

The Bobcats lost something in the second period when CSU broke through their defense on the right side and netted the equalizer.

“It was expected to be a really hard game,” sophomore midfielder Taylor Yee said. “We were playing really well in the beginning and then I think after the first goal and just towards the end for some reason we let down.”

In just under 11 minutes, the Cougars worked past the defense once more. A blasted shot, deflection off the goalie and successful CSU rebound led to the game’s deciding point, placing the Bobcats in a losing record in the PBC at 2-3. Columbus State outshot the Bobcats 21 to 13.  Freshmen Annie Stephens and Taylor Cornelius split time in the net for GC combining for nine saves.

Wanting to even its record, GC traveled to University of North Carolina at Pembroke to play the Braves in a close conference match.

“They were really close to us in conference and so we needed to beat them,” Yee said.

Freshman midfielder Lindsey Knott ensured the even record by scoring the first goal of her young career. The first half was quiet on the field from both sides, but the Pembroke fans made sure the Bobcats knew they weren’t at home.

“They were the worst fans I’ve ever seen,” Yee said. “But we still did good; nobody let them get in their heads or anything.”

Knott used the crossbar to ricochet the game’s lone goal. Knott blasted three shots in the match, helping GC outshoot the Braves 20-13 for the 1-0 win. Stephens went the full 90 minutes in the net stopping the five shots Pembroke had on goal. The timely win put the Bobcats at 3-3 in the conference just before a four game home stretch, starting with North Georgia.

“I think we’re coming out flat and we’re not always ready,” Yee said.

On Oct. 4, the Bobcats gave up a goal to Northern Alabama in the opening 45 seconds. At one minute and 37 seconds into the game, the conference leading scorer Emily Dover put the Saints up early 1-0. At 29 minutes Dover delivered again for North Georgia scoring her second of the game. Maintaining composure, sophomore midfielder Brittaney Borror found Veilleux to cut the deficit in half.

“I made a run, diagonal, and took one touch and hit it low to the left of the keeper,” Veilleux said.

The Bobcats went into halftime down 2-1, but knew the night was not lost.

Taylor Yee was recently told she will need a fourth surgery on her knee after the season. She continued to play because the doctor “can’t tell her no,” Yee said.

Yee proved she was healthy enough to score from 40 yards out when she ripped the tying goal off the crossbar for her second of the season. The Saints got the deciding goal in an unfortunate reoccurrence for the Bobcats. North Georgia’s Cicely Taliaferro’s shot was deflected in the box off her own player, Kayla Croom, for the winning goal. The Bobcats’ Stephens and Cornelius split time again in goal, saving eight.

“We played the number one team in the conference and we can still battle back a full 90 minutes,” Stephens said. “With this conference, anybody can beat any team on any given day.”

On Oct. 19, No. 18 in the nation Armstrong Atlantic State University came to Milledgeville for “Think Pink” night at Bobcat Field. Collecting donations, selling pink T-shirts, and auctioning off the pink jerseys the Bobcats wore during the game, the women’s team is donating all the proceeds towards the Athletic Department Administrative Assistant Patti Weimer who is fighting breast cancer.

The Pirates entered the game 7-0 in the conference and verified their strength in the first half, controlling the ball through the midfield. Stephens started the game between the pipes and was under fire for the majority of the half. Armstrong forward Jordan Otto penetrated the defense with 20 seconds left on the clock. She won a deflection in the box off of a GC defender and shot a low ball to Stephens’ left to score the first game’s goal with 15 seconds left in the first half.

The Bobcats rallied off nine shots to the Pirates 15, their best coming from Veilleux with 4:50 left in the second half. Veilleux took a shot from 35-yards-out and ricocheted it off the post and goalie.

The ball rolled out of the box ending GC’s best chance at a score. The Bobcats fell to the conference favorites 1-0 in another game where the young team was competitive for the entirety of the contest.

The team is young in years, but aged in skills that they hope will foretell future seasons.

“We’ve got a hell of a team,” O’Keefe said. “We know how to play; we’re gelling together really well. We’re strong, we work hard, we believe in ourselves and each other and we have not once got on to each other.”

The Bobcats continue their home stretch in a non-conference match against Rollins College on Oct. 23 and face USC Aiken and Flagler College in two must-win conference games.

Posted by Taylor Lamb on Oct 20 2011. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.