Lady Braves look good yet again

By Melina Savage
Staff Writer

As another season starts and new beginnings take place, the Lady Braves soccer team takes on competition at its most intense level. With the season opener game on August 26, 2004 at Belmont Abbey College, the Lady Braves were ready and willing to give this their best shot.

The Braves played an excellent game defeating Belmont Abbey in overtime 1-0. Sophomore Kelly Jones scored the winning goal with approximately 26 seconds left in the first overtime. The team was very satisfied with their win and is confident about the many games to come in this upcoming season. This accomplishment added, “heat to the fire” of adrenaline that the Lady Braves possessed, according to Head Coach Lars Andersson.

Game two for the Lady Braves was on September 4, 2004 at Pfeiffer University. The Braves had another successful victory of 1-0, with Junior Captain Katie Stokes scoring the goal. With another win under their belt, the Lady Braves are on a destined path for victory.

The Lady Braves swept through game three against Saint Andrews Presbyterian College. With muddy fields and water soaked uniforms, the soccer team managed to maintain a three game winning streak, winning by a score of 2-0. Great Defensive skills played a key factor in their third win, allowing the Knights not to score any goals.

The Braves consist of 22 young women who all play a key role in the team’s success. Past honors for the team include Coach Lars Anderson being honored last season as the Peach Belt Conference Coach of the year; Sopohomore Jamie Clarke was named an All-Conference Player and the 2003 PBC Freshman of the year last season, also. Simonae Taylor, a senior, received the same award as Clarke in 2001. The Lady Braves pre-season pick was to finish fourth in the conference. Last season the Lady Braves finished 5th in the Peach Belt Conference, having a record of 13-5. That record was one of the best records in the school’s team records.

Senior Captain Crystal Lanoza said, “The team has a lot more leadership than last year and the players on the bench are just as good as the players on the field.”

The next game is scheduled for Sept. 18 at Lander University at 1 p.m. Their next home game will be on Sept. 25 against Clayton College & State at 3:30 p.m on the soccer field. This is looking like another winning season for the Lady Braves soccer team.