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Sports
GC SOCCER LOCKS IN FOR FINAL STRETCH OF THE SEASON
Soccer dominates in Senior Night showdown
Bailey Clark Contributing Writer
The GC soccer team held their Senior Night Saturday, Oct. 16. The Bobcats dominated Young Harris College, picking up a 3-0 victory. GC took the lead early in the first half, knocking in their first goal in the eighth minute of the game. Senior Alyssa Bergamini scored a dominant-foot goal from the 18-yard box. Twin sister Alexis picked up the assist as she possessed the ball on the right-wing for the cross to Alyssa inside the box. “When I got the cross from Lex and I saw the spacing between me and the defender, I knew I had to get the shot off,” Alyssa said. “I felt the ball off my foot. When it comes off your foot right, you can tell if it has a chance to go in, which it did.” The twin-tandem goal marked the second time the twins have been involved in the same scoring play. The first instance came in the 2021 spring season, also on Senior Night, against conference foe Georgia Southwestern University. Alyssa also scored off of an assist from Alexis on that occasion. “I was going to shoot the ball, but I read the defense and heard Alyssa call for the ball,” Alexis said. “She had the better spacing, so I passed the ball off.” The soccer IQ among the sisters is impressive, to say the least. The Bergamini twins excel at reading opposing defenses and their speeds, and they often judge the placement of goalkeepers to facilitate passes and shots. The GC offense caught fire on Senior Night as two other Bobcat goals came in the match. Senior Cassie Balzano scored the team’s second goal in the 32nd minute. Balzano received the pass from fellow senior Becca Morris. Morris, a defensive midfielder, captured a 50/50 header around the midfield mark to finesse the defense and get the pass to Balzano. With that play, the Bobcats surged ahead 2-0. Not even five minutes later, the third and final goal also came off the foot of Balzano. The senior soccer star is on the cusp of making history as she inches closer to second all-time in goals at GC. Balzano received the ball from speedy freshman Aralyn Everett for the scoring kick. Everett got the ball around the 50-yard mark on the right side of the field and dribbled downfield to get the pass off to Balzano. The goal put an exclamation point on a successful Senior Night outing as GC clobbered the Mountain Lions in a one-sided 3-0 victory. The dominant Senior Night win was extremely important to the seniors, and it could not have happened without Adams and her defense. Adams made her presence known in every aspect of the game, getting steals and eliminating the spacing between opposing forwards, as well as rifling off two shots. Morris also made her presence known throughout the match as she won a majority of her 50/50 balls in the midfield, helping the Bobcats to dominate time of possession. On top of her assist, she also had three shots and took the pressure off of her forwards. Senior Ryann Smith led the Bobcats on the defensive side of the ball as the home team held Young Harris to six total shots. Smith constantly patrolled right outside of the GC 18-yard box to eliminate spacing and apply pressure to the Mountain Lion offense. “Senior Night was such a good environment,” Alyssa said. “We played as a team. We played for each other, and that made all of the difference in the world. Being able to score in one of my final matches as a Bobcat was amazing, especially since Alexis was on the assist. It just meant so much.” As the season comes to a close, the Bobcats’ next game will mark the last time the GC seniors suit up in the blue and green and play together at home. “The energy was so much fun to play in,” Alexis said. “Everyone on the team was positive and cheering for each other. Our parents were there, and it was an amazing night.” The Bobcat seniors have bright futures ahead of them. Alyssa plans to attend postgraduate school to get a master’s degree in Kinesiology. Meanwhile, Alexis will use her extra year of eligibility to play a fifth year at GC. She plans on earning a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health with a minor in Management Information Systems.
Courtesy of GC Athletics GC senior Cassie Balzano hustles during her two-goal outing on Senior Night Saturday Oct. 16.
-Alyssa Bergamini
Bobcats stumble in shutout loss
Hayden Flinn Staff Writer
The GC soccer team took their fifth loss of the season in a home game against Clayton State Wednesday Oct. 20. After falling to Lander 2-1 this past week, they currently sit as the sixth seed in the PBC with a record of 8-6.
The Bobcats started the game strong. Although possession of the ball proved fairly even to start, the Bobcats had good looks at goals early with a couple of shots that either just missed or were saved by the opposing goalkeeper.
Defensively, the Bobcats started the game off strong. Clayton State had a tough time penetrating the home team’s back defensive line early, which set up opportunities for GC.
As the game progressed, Clayton State chipped away at the Bobcat defense as they found an opening midway through the first half.
The Lakers scored in the 18th minute of the first half after a cross to the middle of the field set up a strike for an oncoming forward.
The Bobcats almost responded right after with two chances of their own. Shots from senior forward Alyssa Bergamini and senior forward Cassie Balzano just missed the mark.
While GC had possession of the ball longer than their opponent in the first half, the Bobcats found themselves trailing 1-0 heading into halftime.
Clayton State made the most of their limited opportunities as they were able to do the one thing the Bobcats couldn’t do all night: finish.
During their losses, finishing has proven a big struggle for the Bobcats. They gained plenty of opportunities throughout the game but could not seem to punch it in when they needed it most.
To open up the second half, Clayton State came out strong after scoring an early goal to go up 2-0 on the Bobcats. The score came off of a free kick where players were scrambling in the goalie box trying to get the ball out. With a few GC players out of position, the Lakers found an opening and punched it into the back of the net.
During the second half, Clayton State did a good job preventing the Bobcats from setting up plays. The Bobcats could no longer control the ball like they wanted to as the Lakers put pressure on them all over the field.
Eventually, frustration started to settle in for the Bobcats.. By the end of the game, the two teams were extremely physical with one another.
The contest saw multiple cards given out, players leaving early due to injury and free kicks, as well as a penalty kick for the Lakers which they converted to move ahead 3-0.
By the end of the game, the Bobcats simply seemed tired. The Lakers had done a great job of wearing their defense out all game long. As the matchup neared its conclusion, the Bobcats moved away from their style of play in an effort tot pull off a crazy comeback. Unfortunately, the team could not do so as they fell to Clayton State 3-0. “I think we’re in the depths of the season, so it’s just all about coming out and playing 90 minutes each game,” said junior team captain Brooke Adams. “We have to make sure we come fully prepared for each game.” Throughout the game, the referees made a few questionable calls that affected the focus of the players. “I think we were just in our heads too much today, and we were our worst enemies tonight,” said head coach Tinna Gallagher. “We just got frustrated over things that we can’t control, and that hurt us, so we need to do a better job being mentally tough.” With two games left on their schedule, the Bobcats look to end their season on a good note. Their next game comes Wednesday, Oct. 27 against Queens in their last home game of the regular season.
Courtesy of Marissa Marcolina
Senior forward Alyssa Bergamini makes a play for the Bobcats against Clayton State Wednesday Oct. 20.
