Despite a valiant effort, the
Bucks’Women’s Soccer team
dropped to 0-4 on the season
with a loss to Burlington
County College in their first
home game.
Bucks came into the second
half down 4-0. The team
picked up its play and
held the powerful
Burlington County
offense to just two
goals, one of which
was a simple break
down between the
defense and the
keeper.
“This game was not very
important, Burlington was a
non-conference opponent. It
was like a preseason game to
us,” Coach Kinsley Donaldson
said.
Burlington County College
is in a conference in which
teams are able to offer scholarships
for soccer, thus attracting
more talent.
Donaldson has been coaching
Bucks’ soccer teams for a
while now. Prior to this 2009
season, Donaldson coached the
men’s soccer team for six years.
“When we play a team like this
we try and learn from their style
of play and build off of it,” Donaldson
said. “I felt like we played
very well in the second half.”
Injuries were few in the game
for Bucks. Early
in the first
half Defenseman
K a t e
Kaufelds
went out
briefly, apparently
due
to a minor thigh
strain. In the second, Katy Paulits
went down after tweaking her
knee, but was able to walk after
the game.
Despite the final score of 0-6,
the Bucks team remained optimistic
about the outlook of the
2009 season.
“It doesn’t really matter who we
play,” midfielder Elizabeth Jensen
said. “We go out there and try our
hardest.”
The game did feature some
spectacular play by Bucks. Goalie
RoxanneWilson made several impressive
plays, including saving a
breakaway shot.
On defense, Midfielder Katie
Derby and Defensemen Kasey
Boyd played aggressively. On the
offensive side, Midfielder Cheylene
Brodie played a noticeably
strong game.
“Hopefully we score next time,”
Forward Regina Smith joked.
“We’re a good, young team; I’m
not bothered by our start this season.”
After losses to Camden, Brookdale,
Reading, and now Burlington
the team looks forward to the
next couple of games.
They are currently preparing for
games against Montgomery,
Gloucester, and Mercer to close
out the month of September.
Coach Donaldson is stressing the
need for “fitness.”
“We should win,” Donaldson
said, looking forward into the season.
“The girls need to work on
their fitness, not only during practice
but on their own time as well.
When I say ‘fitness,’ I mean they
need to be running, in practice and
on their own. That will really help
their stamina.”
The women’s soccer team features
a roster of 19 girls. They
have five defensemen, nine midfielders,
four forwards, and one
goalie.