The Lady Tigers put forth a strong effort against Camden County Tuesday night before falling, 1-0.
According to Bradwell Institute coach Lindsay Guyett, she knew the game against Camden would be a challenge for her squad.
Offensively, the Lady Tigers finished four or five crosses from midfielder Sarah Wells. Bradwell had several shots on goal against Camden but could not take advantage of some of the mistakes of the Wildcats’ goalkeeper.
“We didn’t crash the box like we should have. When you play a quality team, you can’t afford to not finish your scoring opportunities,” Guyett said.
Goalie Bekkah Smith proved to be the bedrock of the Bradwell defense. She was able to defend several shots and clear the ball. One mistake in defensive coverage resulted in the winning goal for Camden.
Bradwell falls to 4-3 in region play. The team is 6-3-1 overall. The Lady Tigers will host Savannah High School today and Groves High School next Tuesday. If the Lady Tigers win the next two games, it should allow them to make the playoffs.
The Wildcats beat BI, 4-0, in the boys’ match. Coach Tommy Oglesby knew his team would be young this year, and the growing pains have continued midway through the season.
Despilte the loss, Oglesby said that his team continues to play with heart.
“We are extremely young this year. The majority of my starters are sophomores and freshman. They are playing against very strong teams where the majority of the players are juniors and seniors,” Oglesby said.
Oglesby said he was very proud of the effort of Will Davis and Ethan Ewing in the way that they pressured Camden’s back line of defense.
The play at the midfield allowed the Tigers to get the ball down the field to have scoring opportunities.
“However, we have to continue to work on keeping the ball at our feet to control the pace of the game,” Oglesby said.
Defensively, the Tigers struggled to clear the ball on opponents’ set plays and corner kicks, according to the coach.
“The best thing I can say about this group of boys, at least in the game against Camden, is they didn’t give up. They are continuing to improve in all areas of the game,” Oglesby said.
“We will continue to work on the fundamentals of the sport until we get it right. Yes, it has taken a little longer than I want as a coach, but I will not sacrifice the beauty of the sport just to win games.”
The Tigers drop to 2-6 in Region 3-AAAAA and 2-8-1 overall. They will host Savannah High School tonight.