MELBOURNE, Florida – Despite yesterday’s win, the Trailblazers from Lewis and Clark Community College were unable to make their way past the pool round of the NJCAA Women’s Soccer National Tournament – but still ended their season on a high note.
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Today, the girls faced the Bears of Phoenix College, the tournament’s top seed, and took a hard 2-0 loss. The Trailblazers fell behind at 20:01 of the first half when Phoenix managed to get one past goalkeeper Katie Hudson.
The rest of the game was an evenly fought battle, with the Trailblazers maintaining possession for most of the second half. Despite several shots on goal, the Trailblazers were unable to tie the game. The Bears' second goal came with just 0:48 left in the contest.
“The first half, I really thought they had most of the possession,” said L&C Head Coach Tim Rooney. “The second half, I really thought we had most of the play. We had those chances, but it just wasn't meant to be.”
The Bears will move on to the semi-final round of the tournament. The 10th ranked Trailblazers end their season with a record of 18-3.
Coach Rooney’s last season was a stellar one. The women earned Regional accolades, including freshman forward Audrey Andrzejewski, of St. Charles, Missouri, being named Player of the Year, and sophomore Katie Hudson, of Rolla, Missouri, being named Goalkeeper of the Year. Several other players were named to the All Region 24 Team, including Senate Letsie, a freshman forward from Maseru, Lesotho (First Team); Rebekah Tonks, a freshman defender from Southampton, England (First Team); Taylor Hansen, a freshman defender from Edwardsville, Illinois (Honorable Mention); Kassidy Louvall, a freshman forward from O’Fallon, Missouri (Honorable Mention), and Megan Pierce, a freshman defender from St. Charles, Missouri (Honorable Mention).
Another of Rooney’s highlights this year came early in the season with the men’s team – marking his 400th win, a 6-0 victory Thursday, Aug. 31, over Lincoln Land Community College. He hit win No. 400 with the women during the 2016 Region 24 playoffs.
He will retire as the winningest women’s soccer coach in NJCAA history.
