Chris Wright
Staff Writer
She shoots, she scores! This was a very popular phrase Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014 for Parkland Women’s Soccer Team as they battered and bruised Lincoln College in an 8-0 beating.
Parkland had an astonishing 20 shots on goal in the first half. The win against Lincoln gives the Cobras their first win of the season against a conference team and their second win for the season overall. Starting off undefeated is not a surprise to the team or to Women’s Soccer Coach Joshua Alford, but with some tough opponents lurking in the future, the Cobras will have to bring their “A” game.
This is especially true when they go up against the number one team in the nation Iowa Western Community College. Iowa Western received all eight first place votes in the August 13 poll and is also off to a 2-0 start for the season.
This season should be exciting to see how far the Cobras can make it, although it will not be an easy journey. The team has three games against opponents ranked in the top 20 for the Women’s Soccer Division 1 national poll.
“We are very excited this year after returning several key players including Captains Jacie Spate and Emily Bushue, and just plan to keep getting better as the season progresses,” Alford said.
The Cobras were only two wins away from making it to the National Championships last year and have high expectations this year. Alford has come very close three times, as he has taken his teams in recent years to the playoffs three out of the six years he has coached here.
“My goal for our team this year is to finish strong, I was a little disappointed with the way the team ended last year,” Alford explained.
Fatigue may have played a role in last year’s loss that kicked them out of the playoffs and ended their run for making the National Championship Tournament.
Along with a good squad of talented players to watch, Parkland Soccer also has a new field this season with more comfortable seats and an all-around better venue to make it more enjoyable for fans to root their beloved Cobras on in victory.
The new soccer field is located where the old track used to sit, right across from the M6 parking lot near the baseball/softball fields.
The Cobras will play their next home game on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014 against Lewis & Clark Community College, which is the number 17 ranked team in the nation currently.
To find out more information on Parkland Women’s Soccer, please visit http://bit.ly/1rSE1Mf.
