subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Sun, May 18 2008 

Published: October 29, 2007 11:29 pm    print this story   email this story  

After 6-win season, Cougar women optimistic of future

By Dan Stillwell
Register-Herald Sports Writer

Mountain State University’s rollercoaster of a first women’s soccer season hit its high 19 minutes into its match Friday against Asbury.

The Cougars, beaten 6-0 by the Eagles in a previous meeting, took a 1-0 lead on an Erica Alderman goal in the opening game of the KIAC Tournament.

“We were able to take it to them and we scored first,” coach Kelly Borck said. “The look on Asbury’s faces was absolutely priceless.”

While the Cougars did fall 2-1 in double-overtime to the eventual champions, the season-ending loss could not curb their high spirits.

“It wasn’t a ‘loss’ for us,” Borck said. “It was a win to score first, and seeing how we had improved was a big deal for us.”

MSU (6-10), playing its first season of collegiate soccer, opened the campaign with six consecutive losses.

Undeterred, the Cougars rebounded to capture its next six matches.

“Teams always underestimated us,” Borck said. “That was a big motivator for us to take it to them.”

The team began to jell, particularly after it was joined about a third of the way through the season by Manuela Acosta from Bogota, Columbia.

“Manuela’s capabilities and work ethic really helped us out,” Borck said. “She and Paige Butcher supported Erica in the finishing chances we had. She was a huge addition.”

Alderman, a sparkplug freshman from Woodrow Wilson High School, scored 22 of the Cougars’ 27 goals.

“Erica has come a long way,” Borck said. “She began to mature as a player as a person.

Alderman, goalkeeper Christina Baker and midfielder-defender Jessica Hupp earned all-KIAC first team honors.

Butcher and Acosta are on the second team.

A 3-1 victory over Bluefield College Oct. 10 gave Borck a personal goal she’d been shooting for — one more win than the men’s team had recorded last year in their first season.

“The girls wanted it as bad as I did to prove a point,” Borck said.

MSU hit a tough stretch following the six wins, dropping its final three regular season matches.

That made it important to finish on a high note in the KIAC tournament.

“We went into the game with Asbury knowing we had absolutely nothing to lose, and (with an) opportunity to show we’d improved,” Borck said. “I don’t think I had ever seen the girls as excited for a game as they were for that one.”

The entire team will return next season, and Borck is looking to recruit at least 10 more players.

The future looks bright for the Cougars.

“The girls say they want to finish at least second (place) in the conference,” Borck said. “That’s a big goal since they’re adding two schools (Cincinnati Christian and Midway College).”

print this story   email this story  



More from the Archives section

Families remember life before state park

monster
wheels

Premier Guide
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide

Find a job! Find a Home! Find a car!

Premium Jobs

UNDERGROUND FOREMEN & ELECTRICIANS
Wanted underground Foremen and Electricians. Excellent pay and benefits. 10 hour shifts, Monday through Friday. Send res...>MORE

UNDERGROUND MINING POSITIONS - POCAHONTAS COAL
Pocahontas Coal Company is seeking the following positions: Experienced Underground: • MINER OPERATORS • ROOF BOLTER OP...>MORE

INSURANCE CALL CENTER POSITIONS
Beckley’s top rated insurance call center. $7 - 14 / hour based on experience and licenses. Paid training,
advancem
...>MORE

PRE PLANT ELECTRICIAN & PRE PLANT SUPERVISORS
Experienced Prep Plant Electrician. Pocahontas Coal Company is seeking Experienced Prep Plant Supervisors for our East G...>MORE

UNDERGROUND COAL MINER OPENINGS
Underground Coal Miner Openings. Winchester LLC, an operating affiliate of Magnum Coal Company, has immediate openings f...>MORE

MACHINISTS
MACHINISTS. Gear Case Mechanics, Fabricators and Welders. Phillips Machine Service, Inc. is accepting applications for q...>MORE

UNDERGROUND MINING POSITIONS - SPEED MINING LLC
Underground Mining Positions. Speed Mining LLC, an operating affiliate of Magnum Coal Company, has immediate openings f...>MORE

MINING ENGINEERING TECH
Pocahontas Coal Company is seeking a Mining Engineering Tech who will be located at the Engineering Office in Beckley, W...>MORE

JOB FAIR - MASSEY ENERGY
Massey Energy subsidiaries are seeking experienced underground applicants that have a good work ethic. Our operations ar...>MORE

HEAVY EQUIPMENT OPERATORS, DOZER OPERATORS, ROCK TRUCK DRIVERS
Exceptional opportunity with a growth oriented company. International Coal Group (ICG), a major coal producer with mine ...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Jobs

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2008. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index

rc