The GC women’s soccer finished regular season play and is now preparing to play in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament against Columbus State University.
The Bobcats finished the regular season with an overall record of 8-7-2 and a conference record of 3-5-1. GC is fresh off a huge upset win against No. 1 Catawba College in a non-conference match at home on Oct. 25.
The Bobcats took down the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, per the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division II Top 25 poll, with a final score of 2-1. Junior forward Sara Schultz scored a goal with just a little over four minutes remaining in the game, proving to be the difference maker in the match.
GC started the game firing out of the gate, with a goal occurring just 67 seconds into the game. The first goal came from sophomore forward Abbey Eison on a ball that went through the legs of the Catawba defender and found its way into the net for the early 1-0 lead.
The lead did not last long, however, as just four minutes later, Catawba would score an equalizer off of a penalty kick after a Catawba player was fouled inside the box.
With two goals scored in less than five minutes, most people would have expected the game to be a high-scoring shootout. However, the score remained 1-1 for the next 80 minutes of the game.
With 4:33 remaining in the game, junior midfielder Morgan Amrozowicz played a successful pass to Schultz, who got by the defender and hit the ball into the left side of the net. This clutch goal gave Georgia College the 2-1 lead, which they were able to hold onto and win the game with.
“We have had a lot of accomplishments this season,” said Sarah Charney, a sophomore goalkeeper. “But the team’s biggest one was definitely beating the No. 1 team in the nation, Catawba.”
GC played one final game after their huge win against Catawba, against Lander University on Oct. 28. Unfortunately, the Bobcats were not able to keep up with the momentum from their previous game, and they were outscored by the Bearcats 3-0.
While this was not the way the Bobcats were hoping to end the regular season, they still performed well throughout the rest of the season to place them seventh in the PBC. This allows them to continue play into the PBC Tournament, where only the top eight teams in the PBC move on to the tournament.
The Bobcats will travel to Columbus, Georgia, on Nov. 6 to take on Columbus State, who are ranked second, in the first round of the PBC Tournament.
The PBC pre-season poll ranked the Cougars No. 1 going into this season after they made it all the way to the NCAA DII final four last season.
“Coming into the tournament, I’m looking forward to being the underdog,” Charney said. “We have beat a higher-ranked team before, and I plan for us to do it again.”
If they are able to win that game, they will play in the semifinal on Nov. 10 against the highest-seeded team remaining in the tournament.
