By Laura Swallows
Student Contributor
The men’s and women’s soccer teams are having successful seasons this year. Both teams have been working very hard in practices and demonstrating their hard work and determination in games. Both teams are also setting a tone for the continuation of their successful seasons.
The men’s team has an overall record of 6-5. They are 3-3 at home and 3-2 away this season. The team is 1-3 in AAC play. Team members Matt Rice, Stefan Hatfield, and Hassan Abdulrahman believe that their team really came together in their most recent game against Bluefield on October 10. They explain how having new players takes time for the whole team to adjust. In their opinion, Saturday’s game set the tone for the rest of the season. Against Bluefield, they worked together as a team and were comfortable with the way each of them played. Matt, Stefan, and Hassan agree that everyone plays an important role on the field, which contributes to their victories. They explain no individual can win a game by himself; it is a team effort in a team sport.
The women’s team has an overall record of 5-5-1. It is 4-0 at home, 1-5 away, and 0-0-1 at neutral sites. Its conference record is 3-1. As members of the team, Kelly Stanton and I were able to discuss our team’s overall performance and success this season. We believe that the team has been moving the ball well and winning individual battles on the field to contribute to the team as a whole. We are starting to see our hard work in practice pay off in our victories. We still have a lot to work on as we head off to nationals, but we feel that if we continue with the hard work and determination we will make it there. We both believe that the team is setting a high standard of performance that includes playing with a lot of heart and giving 110%.
The women’s team has six more games in the month of October. The next two games are October 15 at 3:30 p.m. at Shorter College and October 19 at 2:00 p.m. at Union College. The men’s team also has six more games in the month of October. The next two games are October 17 at 4:00 p.m. against Virginia Intermont College and October 19 at 4:00 p.m. at Union College. Both teams hope to finish out the season with a victorious record.
