Injuries foiled the state playoff run for the First Presbyterian Christian Academy girls soccer team.

On April 22, the Lady ’Landers were at Darton State College in Albany where they faced Deerfield-Windsor in the second round of state. Deerfield-Windsor won 9-0.

“We played 10 players in about 25 minutes,” Highlander coach Tom Sukaratana said, adding that in addition to injuries, mental mistakes hurt the team.
He said normally consistent players either had a bad day or succumbed to injuries.

“They are a good team, don’t get me wrong,” he said about Deerfield-Windsor. “But we missed some simple stuff, like trapping the ball and one-on-one opportunities.

“We missed 3 one-on-ones,” he said. “The score could have been much different. And then eight minutes into the game we lost Ausett (Gibbs) to an injury.”

Gibbs was just one of the Lady ‘Landers who ended up sitting the bench. With injured starters and a small roster, the game didn’t go FPCA’s way.
Sukaratana added the Deerfield-Windsor team is cohesive. He said the girls play together year-round, in high school and on the same soccer club squad during the offseason.

He said that makes a big difference.
But Sukaratana said he will have a strong team next year with several juniors and seniors.

“We did great this year,” he said. “But I think next year being a senior year for a lot of them. And I’m starting on work now for next year. I think we’ll do better.”