Recap: 7v7 spring shootout
Michaela Gleed, Staff Writer
Graphic courtesy of Michaela Gleed.
In the first annual North Greenville University 7v7 spring shootout championship, Young Harris 1 and Furman University white played into the first five-minute overtime of the tournament. With a score of 3-3, the two teams were playing for purple supremacy. Two minutes and 24 seconds into overtime, Young Harris claimed victory with a fourth goal.
The energy on the field was ecstatic throughout the championship game. �It was a wild game. I did not expect this,� said Annie Miller from North Greenville University women�s soccer team.
To commemorate both Young Harris and Furman University white�s success, each team took home a trophy from Cowart Awards.
Teams began to pull into North Greenville University�s Pepsi stadium at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday April 9, 2018 to compete in the 7v7 spring shootout. There was a total of 18 teams competing from 11 different universities, including NGU, and a local college club team.
Each team competed in three games of pool play where they could earn their team three points for a win, one point for a tie and zero points for a loss. If there was a tie in team points, it would come down to the goal differential to decide which team would move into bracket play.
The first kick-off time was at 8:30 a.m. and the championship game was scheduled to play at 5 that evening. A game consisted of two 15 minute halves with a two-minute half time. Between games, teams had the opportunity to shower, play soccer tennis, watch other teams compete and bond.
�This day was so much fun, I hope we do it again,� said Annie Kate Hodge who played for Anderson Universities gold squad.
For North Greenville University this is an opportunity to rally good competition during the off-season and to get better and gear up for the following fall season. The 7v7 spring shootout is also an opportunity that NGU women�s soccer program would like to turn into a tradition. Head Coach Andy Robinson would like to continue the tournament and make it better each year, bringing in more teams and a larger fan base.
North Greenville University women�s soccer program is also a largely fundraising based program. �If we continue to make it better and cheaper for players, while offering good competition, I imagine this could turn into a big fundraiser for our program,� said Robinson.
