After a clutch goal late in the first half of GCSU soccer’s game against Georgia Southwestern State University, senior forward/midfielder Sara Schultz was named the Zaxby’s Player of the Week.
The Bobcats were looking to clinch a four-seed spot in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament with a win over Georgia Southwestern on Nov. 2.
Not only did the Bobcats want the win to improve their playoff chances, but it was also Senior Day at Bobcat Field, where 13 players were honored in their last guaranteed home game.
Coming into the game, the Bobcats had a record of 7-6-3 and a win streak of three games, having outscored their opponents 12-2 in those games.
While the score sheet was silent between both teams, the Bobcats scored the game’s lone goal after 40 minutes.
Fittingly, Schultz put the ball in the net for the Bobcats off of an assist by junior forward Ali Amrozowicz.
The Bobcats ended the day with 10 shots, seven of which came from senior athletes.
While Schultz made the big goal of bringing playoff soccer back to Bobcat Field for the first time since 2015 possible, seniors have been a prominent portion of the success of Bobcat soccer this year.
“This win gave our team confidence going into the first round of the tournament with a four-game winning streak,” said Chloe Markey, a senior defender.
Leadership is a big part of any sport, and having so much talent and experience to offer will influence the future of GCSU women’s soccer. This Bobcat team is full of seniors and graduate students, so this win was emotional for many players.
“I’m focused on soaking up every moment and giving everything I have to make it count,” Schultz said.
Schultz’s goal and the GCSU win were no fluke. The Bobcats were on an impressive hot streak to close out the regular season.
“It’s the first time since I joined that we’ve won five straight games,” Schultz said.
This win also meant a lot regarding playoff placement for the Bobcats, as they clinched the fourth seed in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament.
With the help of Schultz’s one goal and a team of many seniors, the Bobcats took home the victory on senior night, allowing them to accomplish something that GCSU soccer has been unable to do for quite some time.
“I mean, coming from Taylor Salvaggio and me, we’ve been here for five years, and we’ve never hosted a tournament, so once we got that fourth seed, and we were able to host the first round tournament […] we felt that we were on top of the world,” said Grace Phillips, a graduate midfielder.
The Bobcats took full advantage of their home-field playoff advantage, eliminating Clayton State University from the tournament with a score of 2-1.
The team’s playoff run would unfortunately come to an end after a 2-0 loss to Columbus State University in the semifinals of the PBC tournament, but they set a new standard for the program and left it on an upward trend.
