The Lady Tigers traveled to Wisconsin on Friday to face Maranatha Baptist Bible College.  Three first half goals dimmed hopes of GBC taking away a win on the Crusaders’ home field.  To the credit of the players, the ladies rallied to a much improved second half as the final scored showed 4-0 in favor of MBBC.  Possession strongly favored the home team as they outshot GBC 22-0.  Kerie Rudd and Martha Huizenga-Hegg split time in net for the Tigers.  Rudd ended with 17 saves and Huizenga-Hegg made one save in the second half.

“Each week we learn more about these great girls.  They are improving day by day and we are pleased as a coaching staff with the progress we can see,” commented Coach Heger.  The girls struggled with the fast pace of the first half and were unable to recover.  “We were lethargic at the beginning of the match but there was an obvious change of attitude and play in the second,” said Coach Vissia.  “We are stressing that this growing process will not come over night.  We are focusing on continuous improvement throughout the season.”

Joanne Coffey looking to distribute

There certainly were bright spots for the Tigers.  Laura Vinton established herself nicely with controlled play at the midfield, Joanne Coffey added an intense defensive performance in the second half, and Kerie Rudd stoned the Crusader offense repeatedly to keep the final tally close to the halftime score.  “True, there is work to be done but we are gaining ground,” added Coach Yon.  “This group of young ladies is willing to learn and they take instruction well.”