Soccer teams seek revenge in road playoff games

MT. VERNON -- If Brewton-Parker College's soccer teams hope to qualify for the Georgia-Alabama-Carolina Conference postseason tournament semifinals on Nov. 8, both the Barons and Lady Barons will have to first avenge earlier road losses - again, away from home.

Both Brewton-Parker teams play their first-round matches either Nov. 4 or 5, with the semifinals set for Nov. 8 at the University of Auburn-Montgomery (Ala.). The championship matches are Nov. 9.

As Barons coach Ben Moore expected, his team's 2-0 setback at North Georgia College and State University on Oct. 22 offered a preview of the teams' first-round match-up.

That match also determined that the Nos. 4 and 5 seeded teams would play the rematch back in Dahlonega, but with what Moore hopes will be a different result for his Barons that finished GACC play at 1-4.

"We've worked all season for the next game," said Moore, who was pleased with what he called the Barons' best all-around effort of the season Saturday despite their taking a 1-0 loss to William Carey College in Biloxi, Miss.

"I told them they need to eat, breathe and sleep North Georgia. If we play as we did Saturday, I think we can take it to them. We're starting to click and coming together."

The Barons (3-12-1 overall), despite playing three players short and the long trip, held William Carey to just a first-half goal off a penalty kick and missed a match-tying goal off the crossbar.

"This was the best result we've had against William Carey," said Moore, thinking the closest previous margin was four goals against the perennially tough Crusaders -- ranked No. 22 in the NAIA last week after reaching the No. 7 spot earlier in the season.

The Lady Barons (4-13 overall) finished the regular season with a 4-0 defeat to North Georgia on Oct. 22 in Dahlonega and in a tie for fifth place at 2-5 in the eight-team women's GACC standings with Reinhardt College.

Reinhardt forged the tie for fifth when the Lady Eagles defeated Emmanuel College 4-0 at Franklin Springs on Saturday.

Because Reinhardt defeated Brewton-Parker 4-0 in Waleska on Sept. 7, the Lady Eagles earn the No. 5 seed and the Lady Barons are the sixth seed.

The result for the Lady Barons is a trip to Rome, Ga., to play No. 3 seeded Shorter College. The Lady Hawks defeated Brewton-Parker 5-1 on Sept. 17 in a match Lady Barons coach Jeremy Aven said was closer than the score would indicate.

"We will use the time off to get some nagging injuries healed, although we'll have to make sure we stay in shape," Aven said.

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