Women’s soccer hits bumps

With a tough schedule remaining, the 5-8 team has a chance to go .500

By Chelsi de Cuba | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Photo by Katherine Huber

PHOTO CAPTION: Freshman goalkeeper Kaitlyn Goffe makes a save in goal in a recent match. The women’s soccer team has been adjusting to the Div. II competition. With more than half of the season gone, the team is struggling for wins and is well under .500.

Flagler College’s women’s soccer team is halfway through their season and continues to stay competitive despite a tough schedule that has them with a 5-8 record.

The team’s schedule was put together in anticpation of a move to the Sunshine State Conference.

However, Flagler College Athletics is now applying to the Peach Belt Conference.

“Our goals are just to be competitive with our schedule with the recent [planned] move to Peach Belt. Things have kind of changed because most of our teams are Sunshine State,” Coach Teddy Meyer said.

The lack of post-season play has been the most challenging thing for the team for the past two years.

“It’s hurt us in the sense that we don’t really know what we are playing for,” Meyer said.

Though the absence of post-season play has hindered the team in the past, the women continue to work hard both on and off the field. When it comes to academics, the women show that it is their priority.

The average grade point average was a 3.1 last year and grades have never really been a major issue of concern.

“We have a lot of girls who work really hard and because of that we’ve gotten some good results this year,” Meyer said.

Meyer, who played at Flagler under men’s Coach John Lynch, is in his fourth year coaching the women.

One thing he is working on with the team is their ability to score goals and their awareness on the field, which they have struggled with in the past.

“I hope to improve our awareness on the field. We seem to struggle during parts of the game not knowing what the best decision is,” Meyer said.

Team chemistry, as well as a hard work rate, has proven to be the team’s strong points this year. For the future of this season they look forward to competing in the Peach Belt Conference and making it to the conference tournament.

Their goal is to stay competitive in the region every week and hopefully get in the national rankings as well. Tiffany Urquhart, who is now going on her third year on the women’s soccer team, believes team chemistry is their weapon on and off the field.

“I think that our strongest point as a team is definitely being so close like a family. On the field and off the field we are always there for each other. We just have great team chemistry and it shows on and off the field,” Urquhart said.

The Flagler College Women’s soccer team has five wins with eight losses, and five games left in the season. Next up is Barry at home on Nov. 18 followed by South Carolina State away on Nov. 20.

They will go on to play the NCAA Div. II Championship Tournament, which will start on Nov. 14.

“All the games have been close and all the teams we have played are beatable. I think once we get that final piece into place, we will start winning games the way we should be,” Urquhart said.