ATHENS, Ga. --- Georgia soccer signee Laura Eddy was named the 2009 Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Georgia, as announced by the organization this week.

With being named the Georgia Player of the Year, Eddy, of Marist High School and an Atlanta native, is in the running for the National Player of the Year honors, which is scheduled to be announced next week.

Gatorade State Players of the Year are selected on the basis of outstanding athletic excellence accompanied by high standards of academic achievement and exemplary personal character demonstrated on and off the field.

“We are thrilled that Laura was recognized as the 2009 Georgia Gatorade Player of the Year, especially when you consider how many talented young ladies there are throughout the state,” Georgia head coach Patrick Baker said. “She and the Marist team had an amazing spring that concluded with another exciting state championship. Her game has matured throughout her senior year and we look forward to her joining us this fall. We feel very fortunate to have Laura as one of our newest Bulldogs.” more

Eddy named state's top player

Marist senior Laura Eddy, a Gwinnett resident, was named the Gatorade Georgia Girls Soccer Player of the Year on Tuesday.

Eddy, the War Eagles' three-time leading scorer, had 34 goals and 18 assists this season and scored the game-winning goal in a 4-3 state finals win over Whitewater. The Georgia signee also maintains a 3.49 GPA.

Parkview players had won the previous two Gatorade state awards - Ashley Baker in 2008 and Marah Falle in 2007.

Flowery Branch  fall to Spalding, finish playoff bid

GRIFFIN -- The Flowery Branch girls soccer team was defeated by Spalding 4-3 on Friday night in Griffin in the Class AAA quarterfinals. The loss finishes the Lady Falcons' playoff run.

Flowery Branch's head coach Katie Scali was happy her Lady Falcons made it so far.

"I told the girls after the game that no one expected us to be there, except us. We played well and I'm proud of them."

Spalding scored four minutes into the game. Flowery Branch's Cassidy Elrod tied things up six minutes later.

The scoring was back and forth, with another goal by Elrod. Spalding entered the second half leading 3-2. Lady Falcon Lindsay Porter tied the game again, six minuted into the second half. But one minute later Spalding scored on a long free kick and Flowery Branch was unable to regain a lead. more

Harbrueger Earns Player of the Week Again

Georgia State senior Kay Harbrueger was named CAA Co-Player of the Week for her efforts against North Florida and Birmingham-Southern.

Recording three goals and two assists against UNF and BSC, Harbrueger led the Panthers to their best start in school history at 5-0-0. Harbrueger accounted for both game-winners on the weekend.

Her seven goals, 17 points, and three game-winning goals lead the CAA for the season.

Harbrueger has also charged up the Georgia State annals this year. Kay sits in seventh place in school history with 23 career goals, sixth in career assists with 18, sixth in career points with 64, and fourth in career game-winning goals with eight. more

Women’s Soccer Loses Home Opener 2-1

Statesboro, Ga. - The Georgia Southern Women’s Soccer team fell short against Charleston Southern 2-1.

“We did not seem to gel well out there. Charleston Southern is a good team and they gave us trouble today,” said Coach Hart.

The Buccaneers scored first. Briana Murphy knocked the ball into the net during the 22^nd minute of play.

The Eagles responded right away. During the next minute of play Ashley Toussaint (Warner Robins, Ga.) scored off a pass from Danae Kaimuloa (Escondido, Calif.). more

Georgia Soccer Players Of The Week: Week 3

ATHENS, Ga. --- Despite two difficult losses to talented teams last weekend, head coach Patrick Baker and staff thought the efforts of two players deserved recognition with this week’s team awards.

The Georgia Soccer Player of the Week is junior goalkeeper Michelle Betos, who played two phenomenal games in goal for the Bulldogs and made several outstanding saves in the process. Making 22 saves during the weekend, the Flushing, N.Y., native helped a maturing team be competitive with some of the best teams in the nation.

“On such a talented team, this award is an honor that I can only attribute to playing behind such a great back line; the stats don't always give them enough credit,” she said. “The losses were tough, but I think they prepared us to get some great results in the games we have in our near future. We learned a lot about ourselves as individuals and as a team.” more

Coastal Carolina Tournament Canceled

CONWAY, S.C. –  Coastal Carolina University cancelled the Coastal Carolina Tournament set for Sept. 5 and 7 at the Coastal Carolina Soccer Field due to the impending landfall of Tropical Storm Hanna in the Carolinas. 

Georgia Southern was slated to face Charleston Southern and Coastal Carolina in the tournament.

The Eagles have made arraingments to still play Charleston Southern on Sunday the 7th in Statesboro.

Falle Scores Two Goals In Debut, Georgia Edges Utah 2-1

SALT LAKE CITY --- The No. 19 Georgia Bulldogs concluded their two game road trip by splitting its games after a 2-1 win against Utah Sunday in Salt Lake City.

Sophomore Marah Falle scored both goals in her first game of the 2008 season, and an improved defensive effort were the differences in the game, coach Patrick Baker said.

“After an embarrassing loss on Friday night, I thought our young ladies responded very well today,” he said. “It was great to have Marah Falle back and I thought she brought individual dimensions that we needed in the starting lineup. The back line did a nice job and Megan Tomlinson was her stellar self at center back.” more

Georgia State Rolls 4-0 Over Winthrop

Apryl Goodwin, Kara Vezza, Kari Quinn, and Kay Habrueger each scored to lead Georgia State over Winthrop 4-0 Sunday.

The win moves Georgia State to 3-0-0 on the year. State will have the week off and prepare to host North Florida on Friday, September 5th at 3 p.m. The 3-0-0 start enjoyed by the Panthers is the first in school history.

The Panther perpetual goal-scoring machine continued to beat opponents into submission by registering four goals. Georgia State has beaten their first three opponents by a combined score of 13-1. more

Georgia Southern Falls to Northern Illinois 2-0

DeKalb, Ill. - The Northern Illinois Huskies (2-0) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the 12^th minute and were able to hold on for their second win of the season.

The Lady Eagles (2-1) put up a valiant fight with half their shots coming on goal, but were unable to get the ball past the Huskies' goalkeeper, Lindsey Curnock.

Niki Lepper (Carmel, Ind.), Audrey Brown (Fort Worth, Texas) and Sara Oland (Evans, Ga.) all had a shot on goal for the Lady Eagles.

Ashley Toussaint (Warner Robins, Ga.), Holli Finneren (Lake Orion, Mich.) and Michelle Berard (Kennesaw, Ga.) all had one shot in the game.

Lauren Santos (Berwyn, Ill.) played the whole game in the net again more

Panthers Shut Out Jax State, 4-0

Seniors Kay Harbrueger and Kara Vezza each scored a goal to lead the Georgia State Panthers over Jacksonville State 4-0 Friday afternoon. Apryl Goodwin and Emily Dover also contributed with goals of their own. Harbrueger and Caitlin Smith each registered their first assist of the season.

In goal, sophomore Heidi Blankenship and freshman Kellianne Collins combined for the shutout.

The win moves the Panthers to 2-0-0 on the season. They travel to Rock Hill, S.C. to face the Winthrop Eagles Sunday at 1 p.m.

“It was another nice win,” Coach Domenic Martelli said. “We had all 24 girls play a lot, which gave [the coaching staff] a good opportunity to gauge where we are, and how we need to improve.” more
 

Georgia Southern Defeats Northern Iowa 2-1 in Two Overtimes

DeKalb, Ill. – The Georgia Southern Women’s Soccer team improved to 2-0 with a win against Northern Iowa (0-1).

Preseason All-SoCon member, Ashley Toussaint (Warner Robins, Ga.), scored the game winning goal in overtime off a pass from Niki Lepper (Carmel, Ind.).

The Eagles struck first, when Jenny Anderson (Birmingham, Ala.) scored off a pass from Ashley Toussaint.

"We started out well. Jenny scored a great goal. We didn't finish the half well, but I was proud of how we came out of the half," said Coach Hart.

Toussaint finished the game with eight shots, a goal and an assist.

"Ashley played well and I was proud of how she finished the game," said Coach Hart. more

No. 19 Georgia Loses To No. 18 BYU

PROVO, Utah --- Georgia’s weekend trip to the state of Utah got of to an inauspicious start Friday, as the No. 19 Bulldogs dropped a 4-1 contest to No. 18 BYU.

BYU got on the board early with a goal in the eighth minute. Forward Lauren Anderson played a ball into open space where Hermann Trophy candidate Katie Larkin had a breakaway and slid a touch shot past Bulldog keeper Michelle Betos to give BYU a quick 1-0 lead.

Georgia (1-1-0) was quick to respond. In the 14th minute, Georgia’s own Hermann Trophy candidate, junior forward Carrie Patterson, scored off a corner kick from the left side of the net to tie the score. The tie was short lived, however, as Kassidy Christensen would get add another Cougar goal to make the score 2-1 heading into intermission. more

Georgia Southern 2008 Season Outlook

STATESBORO, Ga. - The 2008 Georgia Southern women’s soccer team has its sights set on the Southern Conference tournament.  Though finishing 2007 just one win shy of advancing to the league tournament with the hopes of bettering their 2006 semifinals appearance, the Eagles are optimistic.

 “Our big goal is to make sure we are competing in the conference tournament at the end of the year,” said head coach Ashley Hart.  “Then we want to make sure we establish a system of play and a role for each player on our team, to make sure everybody understands their role, and accepts that role.  So, if we can make sure everybody accepts that role and does what they are supposed to do, we will be successful.” more

ATHENS, Ga. --- Junior forward Carrie Patterson is one of 18 players selected to SoccerBuzz Magazine’s Preseason All-America Team, which was released Wednesday along with the magazine’s preseason top 30.

Patterson’s 13 goals and 32 points during her sophomore season have earned her several 2008 preseason honors, including being named to the preseason All-SEC team and named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List. Patterson is just eight goals and 17 points away from owning the program records in those categories.

“The preseason honors are always exciting to get,” she said. “We have only played one game, so we still have a lot to prove. It is an honor to be noticed by a prestigious publication like SoccerBuzz, but it still comes down to the team. My goal is to try to help the team in any way I can. I'll try to use it as motivation for this season.” more

Harbrueger Named CAA Player of the Week

Senior Kay Harbrueger was named CAA Co-Player of the week for her outstanding performance against Tennessee Tech.

Harbrueger led the Panthers to a resounding victory by depositing two goals in Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Tennessee Tech.

The first goal opened the game, and the season for the Panthers, as Harbrueger pushed the team to an early lead just four minutes into the contest. Senior Kara Vezza delivered a pass that Harbrueger struck beautifully into the top right corner of the net. Her second came on a long assist from sophomore goalie Heidi Blankenship. more

Georgia Southern Defeats Gardner-Webb 2-0

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Georgia Southern women’s soccer team opened the season with a 2-0 victory over Gardner-Webb.

Georgia Southern attempt only four shots, compared to Gardner-Webb’s 14, but made the most of them by placing two in the net.

Danae Kaimuloa scored the first goal of the game off a pass from Ashley Toussaint. Kaimuloa took the pass and kicked it into the right corner of the net, giving Georgia Southern a 1-0 lead in the 16^th minute of play. She finished the game with two shots, a goal and an assist more

Freshman Miller Nets Two Goals In Bulldog Victory

ATHENS, Ga. --- In her first game in a Georgia Bulldog uniform, freshman Ashley Miller may never forget the night she had.

Miller scored the only two goals of the game for the Bulldogs, while the Georgia defense held Mercer to only five shots as the No. 18 Bulldogs defeated the Bears, 2-0, on opening night of the 2008 season at the UGA Soccer Stadium.

“It was an awesome start,” Miller said. “This team has been so supportive and welcoming to the freshman class and making us feel at home. Playing for Georgia was something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. It’s great to be here and the fan support tonight makes it really enjoyable.”

In the fifth minute, junior Carrie Patterson threatened to score her first goal of the 2008 season, but Mercer keeper Jean Worts stopped her initial shot, but the rebound caromed to Miller who buried a left-footed shot into the net from 12-yards out to give Georgia a quick 1-0 lead.  more

Ashley Toussaint Named to the SoCon's Preseason All-Conference Team

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Ashley Toussaint (Warner Robins, Ga.) was named to the Southern Conference's preseason all-conference team. 

Toussaint is a senior forward and has had a stellar career at Georgia Southern and currently ranks ninth in goals scored for a career in Georgia Southern history. 

She was also named second team all-Southern Conference last year, because of her outstanding performance, which included starting all 16 games and leading the team in points (12), goals (5), assists (2), shots (48) and shots on goal (26).

Georgia Southern was picked to finish tenth in this year’s preseason coaches’ poll.    

The Eagles finished 9^th last year and are looking to improve on that performance. more

State Faces Tennessee Tech Saturday at Panthersville

The Georgia State women’s soccer team opens play at Panthersville this weekend as they host the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 23rd.

The stands should be packed full for the women’s home opener. Georgia State will provide shuttle service from the University Commons to Panthersville from 12:15 until after the game. 

The first 50 fans to arrive will receive a free t-shirt courtesy of the Georgia State Office of Student Health Promotion.

The Panthers lead the all-time series 5-0-0, with the last meeting resulting in a 3-2 win for Georgia State in 2007.

For the Panthers, 2008 looks bright as a bevy of experienced seniors lead a fresh crop of talented newcomers. more

Georgia Southern Defeats North Georgia 2-0

STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern traveled to Dahlonega and defeated North Georgia 2-0 in exhibition play, Sunday.

Georgia Southern got on the board in the 21^st minute, when Danae Kaimuloa (Escondido, Calif.) scored off a pass from Abby Wheeler (Bozeman, Mont.).

Candace Marshall (Bridgewater, Mass.) put the game out of reach in the 87^th minute. Marshall picked up a loss ball and was able to get it past the goalie.

“Overall I thought our team played well.  We started a little slow but finished the first half well.   We saw some good things from many of our players.  I thought several of our freshman also stepped up in critical roles for us.  We still have a few things to work on but overall I was pleased our effort. Exhibition games are a great chance to see exactly where we are as a team.  Overall a good start to the season,” said Coach Hart. more

Patterson In The Running For Nation’s Top Player

ATHENS, Ga. --- Junior forward Carrie Patterson is one of 47 players named to the Hermann Trophy watch list. The Hermann Trophy is given each year to the top women’s soccer player in Division I. It is the first time any player from the University of Georgia has been named to the prestigious award’s watch list.

Four other players from the SEC were named to the watch list. Florida’s Lauren Hyde, LSU’s Malorie Rutledge and Tennessee’s Jaimel Johnson and Kylee Rossi joined Patterson on the list. Other players who will compete against Georgia this season include Marisa Abegg and Kelley O’Hara of Stanford; Yael Averbuch, Tobi Heath and Casey Nogueira of North Carolina; Katie Larkin of BYU; Nikki Krzysik of Virginia; Lorraine Quinn of Duke; and Ashley Nick, Kristin Olson and Amy Rodriguez of USC. more

Bulldogs Open Regular Season Against Mercer Friday

ATHENS, Ga. --- Following the most successful season in program history, the No. 18 Georgia Bulldogs open the 2008 season against the Mercer Bears, which was selected second in the Atlantic Sun preseason poll. Mercer finished the 2007 season with a program record 11 wins, including a program-best nine conference victories, and made it to the conference tournament championship game. In 2008, Mercer returns All-Conference performers Kacie Hudson and Meghan Castaldo and also adds the conference’s top recruiting class.

With a win, the Bulldogs will move 10-1-2 in season openers. The Bulldogs have faced the Bears six times, once previously to open the season, and have won all six contests. Under head coach Patrick Baker, the Bulldogs have defeated the Bears twice, including a 1-0 victory last season. Prior to his arrival at Georgia, Baker’s Florida State team defeated Mercer, 4-1, in 1999. more
 

Bears Get Off On The Right Foot With 2-1 Exhibition Win

Mercer got its 2008 season off to a winning start, taking a 2-1 decision over Murray State in a muggy afternoon meeting at Bear Field. Heather Manting scored the winner in the 73rd minute, coolly dispatching a penalty kick past Racer goalkeeper Katrina Goscha after Emerald Phillips had been brought down in the area.

Katheryn Hurst opened the scoring for the Bears in the seventh minute, before a curling shot from Rebekah Clay in the 64th minute put the visitors on level terms.

“Overall, I am pleased with our performance today,” said head coach Grant Serafy. “We played a quality team and we won on our home field. I think the main positives for me would be that we demonstrated the depth that we have this year, and it was good to see some of the freshmen show their quality as well.”more

Davidovicz Added to Bobcat Soccer Coaching Staff

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia College & State University soccer team and head coach Juan Pablo Favero announced the addition of Chris Davidovicz as graduate assistant coach.

Davidovicz will work primarily with the Bobcat goalkeepers, his area of expertise both as a player and coach.

He most recently served as the head coach for the Nation Ford High School men’s squad, in Fort Mill, S.C., also working as the head coach of the Charlotte United Futbol Club. No stranger to working with Favero, Davidovicz was his assistant at Newberry College as well for one school year. more
 

Georgia Slips In Lone Exhibition Game of Preseason

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. --- Friday afternoon marked the first and only exhibition match of the 2008 season for the Georgia Bulldogs in a preseason tune-up with Florida State

The preseason contest was designed a little differently than normal with three, 30-minute periods making up the usual 90-minute contest. In between the first and second periods, the teams practiced set plays and corner kicks, with coaches on or near the field to help coach their teams, further adding to the scrimmage style of play.

Each segment was scored separately with Florida State winning the first 30 minutes, 1-0, the teams battling to a 1-1 tie in the second period and Florida State taking the final period, 2-0.

Florida State opened the scoring in the scrimmage with the only goal of the first period off a corner kick. Marrissa Kazbour crossed a ball into the six-yard box that Seminole Erkia Sutton got past Bulldog keeper Michelle Betos to give FSU the 1-0 first period advantage. more

Women's Soccer Trains for the 2008 Season

The Georgia State Panthers women’s soccer team trains in top gear during the month of August. Players reported on the 6th, and preseason practice has already become second nature. With the schedule packed full, the Panthers sweat their way through weight training, aquatic training, and important on-field conditioning.

Luckily for the Panthers, offseason discipline translates into success early in the season. “This year we’ve done a great job in the summer to not only prepare our upperclassmen, but also to prepare our freshman,” said Coach Domenic Martelli.

“Having a better conditioning level allows us to do more than we would normally do during preseason, and to avoid focusing on conditioning. Hopefully, that work the team put in during the summer will help us come out of preseason as healthy as possible.” more
 

Georgia Soccer Picked Third In SEC East Preseason Poll

ATHENS, Ga. --- The Georgia soccer team was picked to finish third in the SEC Eastern Division in the preseason poll voted on by league coaches, it was announced by the Southeastern Conference. For the 11th consecutive year, Florida was picked to win the league title.

The Bulldogs, which won a school record 18 games and finished second in the league a year ago, earned 52 total points and two first place votes. Florida, which returns five starters in 2008, earned 59 points and seven first place votes to top Tennessee’s 55 points and three first place votes.

South Carolina was picked fourth in the East ahead of Vanderbilt and Kentucky.

In the West, LSU was first followed by Auburn, Ole Miss, Alabama, Arkansas and Mississippi State.

Points were complied on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for each division, and each coach was not allowed to vote for their own team. The 12 coaches also voted for one team as overall conference champion.

The Bulldogs, ranked 18th in the NSCAA preseason poll, open the season at home on Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. against Mercer. more
 

Getting to Know...Coach Hart

1.) What have you been up to this summer?
Nothing too exciting we just finished soccer camp last week and we’re preparing for camp. We’ve been doing a little bit of recruiting and personally I’ve been working out.


2.) The camp is for 10 to 18 year old girls and coordinated by you and some of the GSU players?
Yes this is the first year we’ve split things up and had two camps. On Sunday we just finished our individual camp. In a couple weeks we have what’s called team camp so we have teams who will come in and train for a few days. more
 

Patterson, Corless Named To Preseason All-SEC Team

ATHENS, Ga. --- Junior forward Carrie Patterson and sophomore defender Kelli Corless were both named to the preseason All-SEC team Wednesday.

The preseason All-SEC team was selected through a vote by the 12 conference coaches. Each coach voted for three forwards, three midfielders, three defenders, one goalkeeper and one at-large player. Ties were not broken.

Patterson, who was named to the All-SEC preseason squad last season, was one of two unanimous selections; Tennessee forward Kylee Rossi was the other. Patterson enjoyed one of the most successful individual seasons in Georgia soccer history, scoring 13 goals and accounting for 32 points for the Bulldogs last season in route to being named a Second Team All-American by SoccerBuzz and the NSCAA. During her freshman year in 2006, she became the first Georgia player to be named SEC Freshman of the Year. more