May 22, 2021
The No. 13 East Central Lady Warrior soccer team closed out the 2020-21 season May 22 with a tough 1-0 loss to the No. 7 Jones College Lady Bobcats in the MACCC/NJCAA Region XXIII semifinals in Perkinston. The unique spring season, due to COVID-19, was a historic one for the Lady Warriors as the team picked numerous big wins, battled their way into the national poll for the first time in program history, and only suffered losses to top-10 teams. ECCC finished 11-3-2 on the season.
Saturday's contest with Jones was gritty and played mostly in the midfield as the two talented clubs jockeyed for position throughout the night. The lone goal of the contest came off a Jones corner kick just 11 minutes into the match.
"This was a fantastic performance against an excellent opponent in Jones. They were well prepared and we knew a set-piece such as a corner could separate the two teams," said ECCC head coach Ryan Joiner. "We're proud of our effort and how we played tonight, even though the disappointing loss hurts."
Despite trailing, the Lady Warriors continued to pressure the Bobcats for the remainder of the contest and got some quality shots on goal, unfortunately, none found the back of the net.
All though the season came to an end, coach Joiner and the Lady Warriors know the impact their effort and season will have on the Lady Warriors soccer program for years to come.
"We've made tremendous strides in building a program that has finished with 11 wins, three losses, and two draws, made the colleges first appearance in the rankings, all the way up to No. 13, and have continued to graduate 100 percent of our players while sending four more student-athletes to careers at universities and four-year schools," said Joiner. "We're already looking forward to next year in a few short weeks, but this one will definitely sting a little and motivate us to continue building."
Soccer was the final sport to begin play in the 2020-21 school year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sport is typically the first to get started each school year. As of now, the 2021-22 school looks to have normal scheduling, meaning next year's soccer season is just two months away with an August kickoff.
