The Jones College women’s soccer team wasted no time reminding everyone of how dominant they are, defeating two nationally-ranked opponents in Indiana.
Coming off a championship year, the expectations for the Lady Bobcats are through the roof. Their trip to Indiana seemed to be an early test, but the team picked up right where they left off.
In the first game of the season, they faced off against #16 Northeast, winning 1-0. The team was led by Sherline King and Graison Holder. King had 6 shots as well as the winning goal. Holder also helped with the attack by having an assist on the goal and 3 more shots in the game. The shutout was kept by freshman Sara Kate Jefcoat, who had 2 shots, saving both.
In the following game, the Lady Bobcats won in an impressive victory, defeating #8 Schoolcraft College 3-0. As it looked to be an even match with the first half ending 0-0, King broke the tie in the 50th minute to give the team the lead. In the 84th minute, Tereza Perez scored the second goal of the game, and seconds later, King scored again to give Jones a 3-0 lead. Despite having 7 shots taken on her, Jennifer Huerzeler managed to save them all, preserving the clean sheet.
“It’s very early days as far as what it means for the rest of the season, but we are delighted with such a strong start,” said head coach Dolores Deasley. “This was a big trip for us with lots of travel, so when we invest so much time and resources, it is super important for us to get results.”
Deasley said the players viewed the investment as a business trip, wanting and succeeding in securing these two wins against nationally-ranked opponents early.
Freshman goalkeepers Sara Kate Jefcoat and Jennifer Huerzeler stepped up and maintained impressive shutout wins. Deasley explained these two, along with Raegan Van Buren, are three outstanding goalkeepers who compete for that spot between the posts every day in training.
“It takes the whole squad, though, to get the shutouts,” Deasley said. “Our keepers were outstanding, but so was our entire backline of defenders. We were delighted with two shutouts on the weekend.”
The Lady Bobcats play at home next against National Park College Saturday, Sept. 6 at noon. Tickets can be purchased online for $7 on the Jones website.
by Jackson Vella
