Lady Eagles Soccer Make History, Advance to First Ever Region Championship
(10/30/09) Coon Rapids, MN - The Faith Baptist Bible College Lady Eagles Soccer Team opened the North Central Region Tournament with a 2-0 victory over 10th ranked Providence College. The temperature at game time was in the mid-40s with a gusty wind and periods of moderate rainfall. The Lady Eagles lost the coin toss at the beginning of the game and played the first half facing into the wind. Faith’s defense, led by junior sweeper Jesse Kurtz and goalie Rachel Worman, played with strong determination and kept Providence from scoring. “Our defense came up big in this game,” commented Head Coach Mark Stupka. “Our defenders played intelligent soccer, and our mid-fielders controlled the ball with good communication and passing, even against that wind.”
Fifteen minutes into the second half junior mid-fielder Joanna Augsburger gave the Lady Eagles a 1-0 lead when she scored from 10 yards in front of the goal on a nifty assist from freshman Stephanie Carleton. That gave the team the boost it needed to take control of the match. Ten minutes later, the Providence goalkeeper was called for a foul when Carleton charged the goal on a breakaway opportunity. Augsburger converted the penalty kick for Faith and gave the team a 2-0 lead. Unfortunately, Joanna suffered a knee injury shortly afterwards and was sidelined for the rest of the tournament. The Lady Eagles went on to win the match 2-0 and advanced to the regional championship match for the first time in school history.
In the Region Championship, The Lady Eagles faced the 8th ranked North Central University Rams. The Lady Eagles had been defeated by the Rams twice during the regular season, both times by a score of 0-3. Faith knew that they would have to play their best game of the season in order to win the championship. Adjustments were made in the lineup because of the injury to Joanna Augsburger. Freshman mid-fielder Jessie LaFleur joined the starting lineup for the first time this season, and senior Beth Javaux was shifted to a defender to boost Faith’s defense. Both players contributed greatly to a strong defensive effort. North Central managed only 4 shots on goal in the first half. Unfortunately, one of these shots was for a goal at the 29 minute mark of the match.
Faith was able to hold the Rams without another goal for the remainder of the match, and in the meantime the Lady Eagles set up several scoring opportunities. Mid-fielders Liz Moore and Allison Jones took shots on goal, but saves were made by the Ram’s goalkeeper. North Central came away with a 1-0 victory. Faith ended their season with a record of 2-9-1. Congratulations to the Lady Eagles for a fine season!
The Lady Eagles placed four players on the All-Region Team. These players were Rachel Worman – goalkeeper, Jesse Kurtz – defender, Joanna Augsburger – mid-fielder, and Allison Jones – forward.
