The Bucs soccer team lost in overtime to the University of Furman, 2-1, Sunday afternoon at Liberty Bell Soccer Complex.
“Something to say about the team is guts, desire, determination,” said coach Heather Henson of her team’s Sunday’s performance.
“[We] never gave up, we got scored on, and less then two minutes put one in the back of the net. That is a true test of what this team is made of.”
The score remained blank through the end of the first half, but it wasn’t from a lack of action.
Furman had a total of 11 shots in the first half and kept the Bucs defense on its toes, but Heather Sanden and the rest of the ladies were up to the challenge.
“They were the champions last year, and are picked this year; to take them into overtime is hard to lose,” said Henson.
“Even when the world outside of ETSU, the SoCon coaches and teams, think that you are supposed to lose this game, the girls know they can win, and that is where their perseverance comes in.”
The Paladins kept the pressure up in the second half as well, and created many opportunities to score. Furman pushed the ball hard, and had two corner kicks and took 13 shots.
The Bucs were also creating opportunities themselves. They forced five fouls and two corner kicks, which helped them generate six shots on goal.
The first score came in the 62nd minute when the Paladins’ leading scorer, Emily Turgeon, blasted a shot from 30 yards out and Bucs keeper Heather Sanden tried to punch the shot away, but the shot ricocheted into the net.
The Bucs answered right back on the insuring kick off. Twenty-five seconds later, junior Katherine Gentry crossed a ball into the box and freshman Alexandra Schwark got her first goal as a Buc.
“Most conferences are not going to have a team who goes undefeated into the conference tournament,” said Henson.
“We’re going to change some things, but we are still driven, and we’re still going to push.”
The Bucs kept pushing all the way into the first overtime, when Kat Kelly scored her fourth goal this season for the Paladins and beat the Bucs.
In soccer, the first one to score in overtime takes the win.
The senior duo of Heather Sanden and Andrea Brown continued to be the soul of this year’s Bucs team.
“Those two have matched up against them five times, and they knew that it was time, and that it would be a different game,” said Henson.
“Who is taking it the hardest? They all are, but especially those two. They know that the ball could have been in the back of the net here, instead of the counter attack there.”
Henson said that the team need to work on possessing the ball.
“We are losing position in the middle of the field,” said Henson.
“We are getting better every time, but sometimes we settle a little panicked, or a little rushed and take one touch too much, or pass it off to the other team.”
The Bucs continue their season this week with two conference games home games against the Citadel on Friday night at 7 p.m., and Sunday against Georgia Southern at 2 p.m.

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