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News |
Michael D. Chason |
IMMEDIATE AUGUST 17, 2006
FIRST GAME FOR WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM AUGUST 26
TIFTON- The first ever women’s intercollegiate soccer game at Abraham Baldwin College will be played on Aug. 26 when the Fillies take on Georgia Military College at 2 p.m. at Optimus Park in the E.B. Hamilton Sports Complex.
Head coach Jimmy Ballenger has 17 players ready to begin the soccer season.
“The team has been having three-a-day practices for the past three weeks,” Ballenger said. “I have to commend the team for being there at every 6 a.m., 10 a.m., and 2 p.m. practice each day.
“The girls are ready to start playing games,” Ballenger said. “They have a great amount of pride knowing that they are the first women’s soccer team the college has ever had and realize they are the team that is setting the standard for others to follow.”
The team has a definite
goal they would like to achieve for the first season. “Our goal is to make the
playoffs,” Ballenger said. “In the region there are a total of 10 teams; five
in north
Ballenger also said that he wants his team to have the best academic grade point average of any team at ABAC. And of course, Ballenger hopes to keep his players injury-free during the season. “That’s hard to do in a sport like soccer,” Ballenger said.
“It’s a great feeling for me to start a program, but the biggest moment for me was walking to the field at 5:50 a.m. on the first day of practice to see all the players there,” Ballenger said.
The Fillies will play 14 games in the 2006 season, seven of those at home. Plans are now underway for a soccer field to be constructed on the ABAC campus in time for the 2007 season.
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