October 27, 2009

Lady Tiger soccer season comes to an end

In what was a successful season in the second-year of the Cowley College women’s soccer program, the Lady Tigers had a disappointing ending in the Region VI Quarterfinals Monday in El Dorado.

 Playing the third-seeded Butler Community College Lady Grizzlies, the sixth-seeded Lady Tigers were expecting a close game considering they had lost only 3-1 in its previous match up. However, Butler scored its first goal just one minute and five seconds into the contest and never let up in defeating Cowley 16-2.

“We did not bring the intensity we needed and were not ready from the get go,” Cowley head coach Dane Straight said.

Cowley would trail 7-0 before getting a goal from sophomore Amber Hernandez with 11:39 left in the first half. The Lady Tigers trailed 9-1 at the end of the first half. The lone bright spot was Hernandez scoring two more goals to finish the season with 29 and 55 for her magnificent career.

“To have somebody with that type of foot speed and foot skills is a rare find,” Straight said. “She will be missed on the field and as a captain of the team.”

Cowley finishes the season with a record of 9-8. The eight sophomores that have been a part of each of the program’s first two seasons, leave with a record of 17-17 overall and two Region VI playoff appearances.

“They came in not knowing what to expect and had no sophomore leadership to help them,” Straight said. “They helped set the standard high for the future players that will come into the program. They put their heart and soul into it and will be missed.”

Butler was led by Cindy Benitez’s five goals, while Sade Humphrey chipped in with three goals. The Lady Grizzlies (15-5-1) will play second-seeded Barton County on Saturday.

Cowley made strides in its second season despite playing without all-conference midfielder Carol Rodrigues and stalwart defender Ana Borjas for the majority of the season due to injury. Rodrigues could possibly redshirt and play again next season.

“We lost a couple of big pieces which made a difference in how we played, but we still took a step forward, just not as big as we would have liked to have seen,” Straight said.

Cowley will say goodbye to sophomores Amber Hernandez, Brittany Griffin, Amara Saucedo, Viri Sanchez, Ciara Corboy, Brittany Newbolt, Katie Ybarra, and Ana Borjas.

“They are a good group of young girls that certainly improved their level of play,” Straight said.