Nightmare at A.W. Mumford; Season Finale Spoiled

At A.W. Mumford Stadium on the night of scares and screams galore, the Lady Jags soccer team hosted conference foe Jackson State for the season finale. Coming off conference losses, the team looked to end the season on a high note with a win.
However, the Tigers of Jackson State had different plans. They rolled onto the field and spoiled the Lady Jags’ season with a 3-1 win. The Lady Jags were outshot for the fifth straight game as well, 11-7. Jackson State’s scoring started early in the match, with their first goal coming in the 13th minute. They followed that up with their second goal in the 15th minute. The Lady Tigers proved to be very efficient as well, scoring two goals on five shots.
The Lady Jaguars did show some fight, holding Jackson State to only one goal in the second half, coming in the 78th minute. The theme of the last couple of games injuries.
With injuries to a bevy of skilled players, the Lady Jags were forced to play a starting lineup that was compiled of five freshmen. On the positive side, early experience for these true freshmen could spell for a dangerous team in the coming seasons. The Jags only made one substitution in the entire duration of the game.
With injuries to important players, important role players were forced to into the starting lineup. That made an already thin bench spare; and an already battered roster more beat up. It seemed that the Lady Jaguars ran out of gas. With no more players to shuffle around for game plans for certain opponents the team was exhausted. With no more substitutions or rotations, the team was tired from the previous hard fought games played before. That showed as a result of the early goals scored by Jackson State within the first twenty minutes.
The last five, difficult SWAC games wore the Jaguars down. When Jackson State came into town, an already fatigued team was forced to expend far more energy to compete in the season’s final game.
When asked about her thoughts on the final game of the season Head Coach Courtnie Prather said, “Well we’re definitely not pleased with the outcome. We got bitten by the injury bug and still had lingering certification issues which hurt us down the stretch. The one positive is that freshman and some of the younger players are getting minutes and taking advantage of opportunities. We look forward to getting players back and healthy for Thursday against Prairie View in the first round of the conference tournament. Hopefully, we’ll get the outcome we’ve been working so hard for.”
Now that the regular season is over, the team has time to rest. They have time to get players back from injury, get them healthy, and in game shape. They have time to bring back a rotation filled with important skilled players. The Lady Jags have enough time to retain all the firepower they once had in the beginning of SWAC play. They have enough time to make a run in the SWAC Tournament.