SPORTS
Women’s soccer suffers tough quarterfinal loss to Ivnchburg, 2-0
WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM
By Robbie Fisher
Staff Writer
Unfortunately, Saturday afternoon was
not the celebration that the Guilford wom
en's soccer team was looking for, as they
were sent home by Lynchburg College
in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference
(ODAC) tournament.
In the first half, the Quakers proved their
ability by staying neck and neck with the
fourth seeded hornets.
Their defense was smothering and held
strong. Every minute was a contested battle
and the ladies took the Hornets into half
time tied, 0-0.
"Saturday's first half performance was
probably the best that we have played
defensively all season long," said defender
Ashlee Dieck. "As a defense, we really
focused on keeping Lynchburg scoreless
during the first and last five minutes of the
half, which really boosted our confidence
when we were tied 0-0 at halftime."
The strong first half by the Quakers kept
them in the game, and gave them confi
dence going into the second period of play.
"We dominated all over the field in the
first half, but could not get any shots on
goal," said junior Caroline Hemeter. "After
this 45 minutes of quality play, you could
sense the anxiousness and fmstration of the
Lynchburg team."
However, a scoreless first half wouldn't
hold up, as Lynchburg came out with
increased energy and urgency to score.
"The second half began with a complete
ly different tone than the first," Hemeter
said.
"Lynchburg seemed to have regained
their energy and stepped up to compete
with Guilford."
Lynchburg's two second half goals were
scored by Ashley Hoath in the 52nd min
ute of play, and by Audrea Hamby in the
56th. Though the Quakers suffered a tough
defeat, the score is certainly not a fair rep
resentative of the game's character.
Guilford never vanished, but rather
stayed right with Lynchburg the entire
game.
They proved to be contenders, and
if the little bit of luck that went Lynchburg's
way had gone theirs instead, we may have
seen them move on instead.
"The tone of play was generally com
posed overall, which led to some great
opportunities up top," Dieck said. "We
just couldn't put the ball in the back of the
net."
Saturday afternoon was certainly a dis
appointment, but even more poignant is
the loss of four seniors: Micki Boulineau,
Morgan Jones, Sarah Rohan, and Jacquelin
White. The loss aside, these seniors were
part of so much more.
Although they didn't go out with a vic
tory, they were more than proud of the com
mitment they've made over the past four
years.
"Of course saying goodbye to organized
sports, which has been a part of my life
since I was eight, was not easy," Rohan
said. "With that being said, there was a
sense of pride and accomplishment that
accompanied the completion of my last
intercollegiate game. And while my senior
season may not have been record breaking
or newsworthy, I am happy with the legacy
that my fellow senior teammates and I left
behind."
Morgan Jones, one of the team's captains
felt similar.
"Collegiate soccer was not something I
had planned for myself, but once I became
involved with the Guilford College wom
en's soccer team, I knew that it would be
one of the most exciting aspects of my col
lege career," Jones said. "Now that soccer
is over it is difficult to imagine what col
lege would have been like without it. On
Saturday when the final buzzer sounded it
was similar to the feeling you get when you
finish reading a really good book, you are
glad to have accomplished the task but wish
that it was a few chapters longer."
Saturday was a day of sad goodbyes. A
hardworking team said goodbye to their
championship hopes, with a hard fought
loss. Even sadder, four dedicated seniors
said goodbye to their coach, their team
mates and friends, and a sport they love.
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Men’s soccer ends season at ODAC tourney
By EJysa Polovin
Staff Writer
As the temperature dropped and
leaves began to fall, the Guilford
men's soccer season came to an
end Sunday. Despite a loss, players
look back on it as a positive experi
ence.
"We're really talented and per
sistent; we haven't given up the
whole season," said first-year
Mark Mazzone. "We got through
the tough times and turned them
into something positive."
This year's team consisted of
fifteen returning letter winners
and eight newcomers from Coach
Jeff Batson's first recruiting clc^s.
Throughout the season, the team
focused heavily on how to work
* '
together.
"It's been a year full of learning
how to get better, how to com
pete, and how to play the game,"
Bateson said. "It's been a building
process."
Despite losing their final game
of the season on Oct. 23 against
Roanoke College, the Quakers
qualified as the eighth seed in the
Old Dominion Athletic Conference
(ODAC) tournament for the first
time since the 2004 season. They
finished the season with five wins,
twelve losses, and one tie, as they
prepared to take on the topped
ranked Virginia Wesleyan.
"We hope for a win in the play
offs, but most importantly we need
to play well, like we're capable
of playing," Bateson said before
their tournament game. "When
we reflect, we've grown a lot this
year."
After a long and testing season,
the Quakers came together for their
first ODAC game.
"We agreed as a team that no
matter what happened during the
game, in victory and defeat, we
would play as one," said senior
Neil Meguid. "And that is exact
ly what we did. We played with
pride, and stood our ground for
ninety-eight plus minutes and gave
absolutely everything we had.
On Sun. Oct. 28, the Quakers
squared off against the Virginia
Wesleyan Marlins, who have won
16 of 18 games this season and
are ranked 17th in the nation for
Division HI.
"The players went to the game
with the right attitude and played
very well," Bateson said. "They
had a chance to win and certainly
need to be proud of the effort
they gave."
Guilford fought until the end,
losing 2-1 with only 1:40 left in the
overtime period. This game dem
onstrated immense improvement
for the Quakers after their previous
8-0 defeat against the Marlins.
"After a harsh loss with them
earlier in the season, the fact that
we lost in overtime shows what
our team can do when we're men
tally in the right place," said junior
Sam Huff.
The ODAC tournament gave
the team an opportunity to bring
together everytfdng they've been
working on throughout the sea
son.
"It's been a very up and down
season. We beat some good teams
and lost to some bad teams; we just
haven't put it all together yet," said
Assistant Coach, and former four
year starter for the Quakers, Zane
Campbell.
For the team's seniors, their last
game may have been a loss, but it
was one they will remember in a
positive light.
"After the defeat, I looked around
at my teammates and I knew that,
without a doubt, they gave every
thing they had for our seniors,"
Meguid said. "And as a result of
their efforts, I am so proud of my
last game in a Guilford College
uniform."
The Quakers headed to the ODAC tournament for the first time since 2004, seeded in 8th place with a record of 5-12-1.
Jeremy Bante/Guilfordian