Squad's strong season ends in first round
Women's Soccer
Patrick Gocklin
Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: Sports
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The Mocs knew they could have beat North Alabama, and North Alabama knew that as well when they went into halftime down 2-1. Both teams had great respect for each other due to the fact that they had reached the regional tournament.
North Alabama came back to win in the second half by scoring two unanswered goals to win 3-2.
The squad finished their season 12-8-1 and third in the Sunshine State Conference.
"We all went into the game against UNA fairly confident that if we played our best and we showed the other team enough respect that we would win it," sophomore midfielder Holly Bennett said.
The team knows that it made some errors on the field but they did not stop playing hard. However, that did not do anything to hold back their disappointment.
"It's sad to see our season end, but for our team to have made it into the tournament is tribute to the love that my teammates share for the game and for each other," Bennett said.
The Lady Mocs have grown this past season and shown their motivation and dedication to staying focused.
"I believe that we have grown used to each other as athletes and as friends that made us closer on the field," junior forward Princess Haley said. "The entire season, including the tournament, has been a learning experience and a great opportunity for people to learn other's strengths and weaknesses."
The Lady Mocs had higher goals set for this season then attending the regional tournament. The Lady Mocs felt if they had played their best they would have been able to win the entire tournament and move on to the National championship.
"It's definitely not what we expected," junior defender Ashlie Haas said. "It was a good season but we didn't meet all of our goals, and we are disappointed with that because we know we should have met them."
The Lady Mocs felt their head coach, Ben Strawbridge, focused on the positive aspects of the season instead of the disappointments after the regional loss.
The Mocs plans for the off-season are to stay conditioned by running and lifting weights. Other achievements the Lady Mocs can boast include three players being named to the SSC All-conference team this past season. Princess Haley, Jackie Bachteler a junior mid-fielder, and Alex Hoover, a sophomore forward all earned conference honors.
The Lady Mocs will be losing two players to this year's squad. Seniors Renee Heacock, a defender, and Therese Dahlskold, a senior midfielder, will be graduating.
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