Freshman Crowder Leading The Georgia Offense
It had never happened before in the history of the women’s soccer program at the University of Georgia.
An eight-game winning streak! It began in the season’s second game, rebounding from a 2-0 opening loss to Texas. Eight straight ran the record to 8-1-0.
Freshman Marion Crowder (Madison, Miss.) scored her team-high seventh goal of the season, and redshirt senior Laura Eddy capped the scoring with her first goal in three years to hand the #17 ranked South Carolina Gamecocks a 2-0 loss.
That victory came at home in Athens before a crowd of 2,452, fifth largest in program history.
The rookie and the veteran provided the offense to extend this streak, but it has been the Georgia defense that has been most impressive in the eight-win run. In those games the Bulldogs have allowed only one goal.
[show_disconnected][show_to accesslevel=’Subscriber’] “What a win for us,” said head coach Steve Holeman after the USC victory. “First of all, credit South Carolina. They came in as one of the top-ranked teams in the country and they played like it. For a large part of the game, they had control of the run of play.”
Eddy, who was the 2009 Georgia State Player of the Year out of Marist HS in Atlanta, spent the past two seasons watching from the sidelines. Both seasons she went down with a torn ACL. The first, as a sophomore in 2010, came in the preseason.
Crowder was named SEC Freshman of the Week after scoring five goals over a weekend sweep of Long Beach State and the College of Charleston. Four of those came against the Cougars. She is the first Georgia player to score four in a game since 2003.
The Bulldogs have spread the scoring around this season with eight different players scoring goals in the first nine games. Maddy Barker (Atlanta, GA) and Rachel Garcia (Duluth, GA), each with three goals, are the other two who have scored more than one.
Other than the two goals allowed in the Texas loss, senior Caitlin Woody (Boca Raton, Fla.) has allowed only one goal to be scored in the last eight games.
Prior to this season Woody has seen little time in goal, playing behind All-American Ashley Baker. Now that the job is finally her’s, she has been impressive with a gawdy 0.33 goals allowed average and seven shutouts.
Holeman acknowledged his defense in his postgame comments.
“Obviously at halftime we went in with a two-goal lead, and we figured we would have to weather a storm out there in the second half and we did,” he said.
“The defense played outstanding. We had a pretty good game plan, and we did a fantastic job of keeping the ball and creating good chances.”
Eddy’s Return To Action
Eddy spoke about being sidelined for two years before taking the field against the Longhorns in the opener.
“It’s surreal right now,” she said. ‘Looking back on it, it feels like longer than two years. I love it every day and can’t wait to get back out there.”
Well, she’s back and is now on the scoresheet with a goal. During those two years off the field, she never really left the team.
Despite not being able to play, her commitment never wavered and she was a leader on the sideline. She received the SEC’s 2012 Sportsmanship Award without playing a single minute.
“That’s probably one of the coolest awards I’ve ever won,” Eddy said. “It’s awesome to get recognized for my attitude and dedication. Even though I wasn’t on the field or scoring goals, I was trying to help in other ways.”
“She brings us leadership and she is a fantastic midfielder,” Holeman said. “While she was a captain last year, it’s a little more difficult to lead watching from the sideline. Now she can be a on-field leader.”
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