Chris Ferguson, Campus Carrier Asst. Sports Editor
This past weekend was quite eventful for both men’s and women’s soccer teams. Both teams have endured tough losses throughout the season but their performance this past weekend has shown improvement. Both teams traveled to Tennessee and Arkansas to compete against Rhodes College and Hendrix College.
The men’s team defeated the Rhodes Lynx and the Hendrix Warriors 2-1 and 6-0, respectively. The assistant coach for the men’s team, Konrad Jacobs, said that the team played very well this past weekend, and is ready for the rest of the remaining season.
“We have been playing well throughout the season, but we have finally been able to finish our scoring chances, which has made a big difference,” said Jacobs. “If we keep scoring our chances and try to score the first goal, this momentum will be able to carry us to a strong rest of the season.”
Senior Caleb Ford also agrees with his assistant coach.
“We had a similar number of shots as some of our previous games but we were actually able to finish our chances this game,” said Ford. “Our 6-0 win against Hendrix has boosted morale and will help carry this generated momentum.”
Senior Grant Wall said these wins are a turning point in the season as the team celebrated Head Coach Richard Vardy’s 200th win this past weekend.
“These wins really picked up where we left off at the start of the season and will allow us to make a run at the conference tournament,” said Wall. “Coach Vardy also got his 200th career win this past weekend, so I think he is ready to take on the rest of this season with a full head of steam.”
The girl’s team also secured a victory against the Hendrix Warriors, beating them 1-0. The girls have broken a short losing streak and are preparing for their next game against Birmingham Southern College. Senior Hannah Parker said the team executed well this past weekend, despite a change in their field formation.
“This past weekend, we changed up our formation and took advantages of our opportunities to shoot the ball,” said Parker. “We took way more shots than we usually do which led to us securing the win.”
Senior Michala Bibbins thinks the win was well deserved and that it will translate to the rest of the season.
“I feel like this whole season has built up to this victory and I think we really deserved it,” said Bibbins. “I don’t think our past scores have reflected us as a team and this win will boost team morale for the remainder of the games this season.”
The men’s team now holds a 5-5 record with a 2-2 record in conference. The women’s team also continues to push through the season, although they have a losing record. Despite this, they still have two shutout wins on the season.