Jacksonville State soccer draws with West Georgia, 2-2, in the first Spring exhibition match under new head coach Sean Fraser on Saturday.
“We prepared really well, we actually probably over prepared,” Fraser said after the game. “In terms of the game that we coached, we were just disappointed with two or three things.”
The game would ensue with a lot of screaming and communication from both teams. The two teams would start off slow, getting last season's rust off. Around the eighth minute of play the Gamecocks would set up their offense, moving the ball down the field with great efficiency.
Ball control was an issue for the Gamecocks as they would commit multiple errors, leading to many turnovers. The passing, however, made up for the dribbling as the Gamecocks played keep away with Junior defender Aayanna Minott. Seniors Kylie Wells and Vanessa Mejia were the driving force for the Gamecocks offensively as they pushed the ball down the field.
JSU’s defense seemed to be made of steel with the way they were able to stop West Georgia from getting quality looks at the back of the net. Freshman goalie Bailey Dean was an on-field coach helping the team's defense remain strong, she had six saves in the game. At the 77-minute mark Dean would deflect two goal shots back-to-back from the Wolves. The Gamecocks would hold the Wolves to just six shots on goal for the entire game compared to their15.
Unfortunately, a crack in their armor would show as the Wolves would score two corner kick goals with under 2 minutes left in the half. The Gamecock starters would play the entire first half with no substitutions and no breaks.
“We were limited in numbers, we had four or five players that were not available today,” Fraser said. “I still wanted to try to build a little bit of continuity and give the players a good amount of minutes on the pitch.”
“We had four or five corrections to make because the girls were flat at halftime,” Fraser said. “They were more shell shocked because of the two goals before the halftime, so I felt like I had to get their heads up and lift them up.”
After halftime, the Gamecocks would come out all cylinders firing as Sophomore Allessandra Romano would score two goals off assist by Freshman Camyrn Davis, making the score 2-2.
The offense was rolling after the two goals. The ball remained on the Wolves' side of the field for most of the second half, and those corrections made at half were really starting to show. The Gamecocks would have eight shots at the net in the second half but could not secure a goal. The Gamecocks tried with all their might to win the game in the final 40 minutes of play but could not secure the win, ending the game with a 2-2 draw.