At the halfway point, the Lady Panthers are 9-3-0 overall and 5-2-0 in Region 4-AAAAA. They sit ranked 16th in the state, a spot that head coach John Bowen feels could be better. Every one of their three losses was by one goal.
“We dropped some games we shouldn’t have,” Bowen said, referring to the 2-1 loss to Northgate in overtime on March 11.
On a waterlogged Monday evening, the Lady Panthers took the lead 1-0 against the Vikings in the first half but were quickly matched three minutes into the second. With both offenses playing slow from the wet conditions, the game pushed into overtime where Northgate capitalized on a missed shot by junior forward Molly Moroney with 1:36 to go and scored.
“We should have taken better care of the ball,” junior captain Sarah Yoss said. “We just have to forget about it and keep moving forward.”
They also lost to Whitewater on March 5.
“It was a tough game because we knew we should have pulled it off,” junior midfielder Jenna Currin said.
On a dry Tuesday night, the Lady Panthers were on the losing end of another overtime battle, 2-1. The game was pushed into penalty kicks, and the Lady Panthers lost, 4-1.
“We didn’t come out fast against them,” Yoss said. “It was a slow game for our offense.”
The close losses are a trend the team doesn’t want to get used to, Yoss said. Going into a region battle against Ola tomorrow, they expect a victory.
“We’ve been building chemistry all season,” Yoss said. “It’s getting better everyday.”
The Lady Panthers are led by Yoss, Currin, Moroney, and sophomore goalie Paige Betsill. Freshman forward Lauren Yoss leads the team in goals with eight.
“We play and do things as one and I’m blessed to have the opportunity to represent these girls,” Sarah Yoss said.
Bowen is pleased with the way the team responded to his new coaching style after coming here from McIntosh.
“It’s been the best team response I’ve ever had,” Bowen said. “We just have to keep getting better.”
In the season-opening scrimmage against Collins Hill in Suwannee, the Lady Panthers took home a hard fought 1-0 win. The Collins Hill attack found holes in the defense throughout the game, but the Mill’s backline of juniors Ariana Przybyszewski, Claire Williams, Kaytlyn Keown, and sophomore Chayla Park held strong.
In their regular-season opener, Harrison got the best of the Lady Panthers on the Hoyas’ turf, 1-0. They would bounce back from the tough loss the following week with a 3-0 victory against Carrollton in which Sarah Yoss scored the opening goal eight minutes into the match.
“I was happy to get my team going early on,” Sarah Yoss said.
In the home opener and the first Region 4-AAAAA game, the Lady Panthers had a blowout 10-0 win over Drew. All three starting forwards had at least one goal, including the only senior on the team, Tori Shonk.
The Lady Panthers would continue their win streak with a 2-0 victory against St. Pius in which the backline defense of juniors Rachael Catlett and Keown allowed the offense to score two straight goals late in the game.
In a March 1 powerhouse match up against East Coweta, the Lady Panthers needed a come-from-behind victory to beat the Indians 3-2 in overtime. After falling 2-0 into the second half, Betsill made a hand save over the crossbar that shifted the momentum back to her teammates. A quick goal by sophomore Carly Pressgrove and a longshot by Currin pushed the game into overtime. A solid defensive stand by Betsill and a clean shot by sophomore midfielder Kayla Feiganbaum sealed the Panthers’ comeback victory.
After the 2-1 loss to Whitewater, a 10-0 blowout against a young Mt. Zion team gave the Panthers confidence going into a tough battle against Northgate, which ended in the 2-1 loss.
A 3-0 win last Tuesday night against Union Grove resurrected the Lady Panthers’ playoff lives. Feiganbaum had two goals in a span of 10 minutes late in the first half. Another 10-0 blowout, this timeagainst Mundy’s Mill last Thursday night, gives the Panthers their third consecutive region win.
With a 2-1 victory over the Newnan Cougars last Friday, the Lady Panthers have their eyes set on a fourth consecutive region victory as they travel to face Ola tomorrow night at 5:30 in a varsity doubleheader.