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.
