|
JECKYLL ISLAND SOCCER COMPLEX, JECKYLL ISLAND, GEORGIA |
3 |
Friday, March 7th, 2003
|
 |
||
|
5 |
Saturday, March 8th, 2003
|
 |
||
|
2 |
Saturday, March 8th, 2003
|
 |
||
|
||||
| Pinecrest girls’ soccer coach Lorna Martin took her team to Jekyll Island, Ga., last weekend with two objectives in mind. The first was to win the so-called Get Some Balls Tournament and the second was to bond as a team. Amidst some team-building fun and a couple of ghost stories, the Patriots won two of three matches to finish on top of the otherwise all-Georgia field of eight teams. During a break from a Tuesday morning practice, junior defender Krystal Haas talked about what she learned about her team from the excursion. “I think when it came down to it, it showed we have heart,” she said. “And I didn’t realize until we played against some of the best teams in Georgia, how much potential we have. “In the beginning, we were kind of individuals, but we really came together and worked together. We got to the point where we could pass and move and we were connecting — and being where we needed to be on the field.” Twenty-eight players, coaches Martin, Ray Blatz and John Buchholz, and a contingent of about 30 family members made the trip. The Patriots, now 3-2 for the season, won the Friday afternoon contest 3-0 over The Walker School. Lauren Broderick scored twice off assists by Katie Fields and Anne Brannon. Katelyn Burwell recorded her second shutout in the goal. Friday evening, the team had dinner together and then played a version of the Newlywed Game back at the hotel. “We paired upperclassmen with underclassmen to see how well they knew each other,” Martin said. “In the process, everybody got to know them.” Because of state rules limiting the number of high school games a player can compete in on a given day, Martin split her squad for the two Saturday games. The Patriots were the only team to play twice on the same day. With Catlynne Arreguin in the net, the Patriots took a 3-0 first-half lead over Jonesboro in the morning match on two goals by Toni Giangrande and one by Ann Fields. By early in the second half, it was 3-3, but Fields completed a hat trick with a pair of goals to clinch the 5-4 victory. In a physical late afternoon fray, Sprayberry defeated the Patriots 3-2. The Atlanta-area team scored first, but a goal by Katie Fields off an assist by Erin Cooper tied the game at 1-1. The Pats trailed 3-1 when Haas connected off a Brannon corner kick cutting the lead to one with about four minutes left in the game. Under the tournament format, a team got six points for a victory, one for a shutout and up to three points for goal differential. The Patriots left the hotel for a movie that evening not knowing where they would end up in the final standings. Haas took over the bus microphone just as she sometimes did during the long ride from Southern Pines. This time she told a ghost story. “I take drama – and I guess I’m the clown of the team,” Haas said. “I do little skits and monologues to try to keep people from being bored.” The story was about how a bus was haunted by a hobo who boarded with a black bag — containing what? A luggage compartment with a broken latch containing a bag loomed ominously above the storyteller. Later, Molly McGahey, Holly Thompson and Lora Smith, who did not attend the movie, returned with the bus to pick up the others. McGahey assumed the Haas role. Taking the microphone, she said. “We have another ghost story for you.” Smith opened the luggage rack and there was the same duffle bag. McGahey took it down and handed it to the quivering Thompson. On cue, the bus driver flashed on the inside lights. “Laura, Holly and I pulled the trophy out,” McGahey said. “The whole bus was screaming for at least five minutes.” A tournament representative had dropped the trophy off at the hotel while the team was out to dinner. Martin said that her team finished tied in points with Sprayberry. But the Patriots were awarded first place on the basis of facing tougher opponents. Next Wednesday at 7 p.m., Pinecrest begins the defense of its 2002 Mid-Southeastern Conference title at Richmond County. Erin Cooper, one of the team captains, reflected on the meaning of the chilly weekend by the beach. “There was a lot of good competition there,” she said. “It showed the real level we can play at and I think it will help when we play in the state tournament. We’re starting to work better together and we’re getting used to each others’ styles of play. I think we are more confident now and that helps.” Final Tournament Standings 1. Pinecrest 2. Savannah Country Day 3. Sprayberry 4. The Walker School 5. Jonesboro 6. Brookstone 7 & 8 Tie. Savannah Christian and Bradwell <-Previous 3-3-03 at Lee County (W, 1-0) 3-21-03 vs Richmond County (W, 1-0) Next-> |