Flagler keeps Bobcats struggling to score

Published 8:39 am Tuesday, October 1, 2024

The second half of September wasn’t too productive for the offensive side of Georgia College & State University women’s soccer. Not only did the Bobcats go 0-3-1 in matches played, but only scored one goal in the 1-1 tie against Auburn-Montgomery.

Otherwise, it’s been shutouts, the latest coming Sunday morning (rescheduled from Saturday afternoon) in a Peach Belt Conference match with the Flagler College Saints. GCSU dropped to 3-3-1 overall and 0-2 in the Peach Belt after the 2-0 final.

The Bobcats of coach Jack Marchant played a strong match in all other areas Sunday but placing the ball in the back of the net. The opportunities were there with eight corner kicks and 16 shots attempted, six of which were on goal. Flagler had the same number of corner kicks but doubled up the number of shots on goal with 12.

Starting goalkeeper Ella Hayes, a freshman from Watkinsville, was credited with eight saves. She and the Bobcat defensive group had to contend with the speed on the wings from Flagler. Hayes made her first save at about five minutes into play when the Saints made their first sprint towards her goal.

Flagler got its first corner kick attacking on the opposite side almost a minute later. Adriana Duque, a senior, headed the ball away. Samantha St. Pierre, herself a senior from Connecticut, made a turnaround move for a scoring shot at 38:58.

Down 1-0, Georgia College’s first attack saw Morgan Amrozowicz, senior, cross the ball in to Duque, but the Saint keeper fisted that ball away.

It was then Flagler maintaining possession and displaying the speed of Spain’s Andrea Fernandez. She out-ran players only to miss her first shot wide. At 35:40, the Saints got a 40-yard free kick, but Hayes caught it. Right away, Abbey Eison tried to show some speed on the outside but couldn’t get the ball past the visiting keeper.

Down to 31:15, Flagler went to the left and blasted a ball that hit the posts. From a corner kick at 30:29, there was a lot of action by the posts and GCSU played the ball away. Flagler took one more kick from the corner only to see the Bobcats clear it again.

Eison, Amrozowicz and Emily Agi tried to generate Bobcat attacks while Chole Markey controlled her sweeper position with numerous clearing kicks. Eison penetrated on the left with a pass in to Amrozowicz. The Bobcats got a corner kick at 26:10, and Sarah King and Duque worked the ball to Sarah Schultz for a shot saved. Shultz missed another attempt wide at the 25-minute mark.

Anna Claire Smith marked Fernandez giving the Saints another corner at 22:30. Again, the home club worked the ball away from point-blank range. Markey also executed a textbook tackle on Fernandez after a turnover.

There was a physical nature to the match, Flagler committing a foul inside of 40 yards at 19:50 (nothing on Eison’s free kick). Mackey made more strong clears for the defense, and Hayes made a save against Fernandez on the ground at 12:50. Her next save was at 6:50, and then she caught a long effort at 4:38.

From Duque’s steal, Kate Phillips took a Bobcat shot saved with less than two minutes in the half. Ava Martin’s pass to Grace Phillips was another saved attempt with 21 seconds on the clock.

Right into the second half, the Bobcats were looking for that leveling point. Agi got help from the Amrozowicz sisters in shot saved two minutes in. Duque, with Agi helping keep possession, only found the post on an attempt at 39:35.

Flagler’s first big chance of the half came almost nine minutes in, and Hayes and Taylor Salvaggio, now at sweeper, stopped effort. Shultz, Martin and Amanda Dewey moved the ball inside for a shot saved at the 32-minute mark. Agi and Martin instigated a lot of action in the box, but was only able to shoot high.

From the intense action, the Bobcats committed a foul two yards outside their box. Hayes caught the Fernandez free kick.

Aralyn Everett entered the match for the first time, helping the hosts get three corner kicks over a two-minute span. While nothing happened for a shot on goal, the ball went the other way, where Salvaggio defended the charge.

As the Saints maintained the ball, Fernandez found Germany’s Cisel Akguel in a two-on-two break to get their second goal at 21:04.

Down 2-0, GCSU got a long effort from Ali Amrozowicz saved (15:22) and saves from back-up keeper Maddie Drake. There were three more corner kicks by the Bobcats in the last eight minutes, but Martin, Schultz and Sarah Mason couldn’t get anything on goal.