Friday Features: National tourney awaits MC after month-long layoff
By Maurice Patton
For veteran women’s soccer coach
Darryl Longabaugh and his
Mississippi College team, the good news was that the Lady Choctaws would compete in the
National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Tournament.
The bad news was that the team would have a full month off between its final regular-season game – a 2-1 loss to visiting Gulf South Conference rival North Alabama – and its pool play opener in the eight-team national event in Kissimmee, Fla.
“It’s been tough,” Longabaugh said as the top-seeded Lady Choctaws managed their down time and prepared for Monday’s matchup with Trinity Lutheran. “You don’t have any games to play, you’re losing fitness, you’re trying to give the kids some days off, account for the weather and get on the field. It’s somewhat welcome at the beginning, but it becomes a nuisance.”
Mississippi College is eligible to compete in the NCCAA tourney because of its status as a transitional member of NCAA Division II and the GSC. The team was ineligible to participate in the conference tournament despite a regular-season record (7-3-2) that would have earned fifth place in the league. However, the team’s 12-3-3 overall performance earned them the No. 1 seed in its first national tournament appearance.
“It’s exciting going to nationals, but it’s been like going through the preseason all over again,” said senior defender
Meghan Dodge, one of two players to start every game for the Lady Choctaws and one of the team’s assist leaders with seven."
“Staying motivated is the hardest part, the mentality. We’ve got to work on our fitness; we’ve dropped in that a little bit. The best part has been getting the rest, but resting too much kinda slacks off the motivation. That’s what happened with me. But we worked really hard this season and we earned this No. 1 spot. We’re all excited about it.”
While the time off has been a double-edged sword for Longabaugh and the team, the upside has been an opportunity for some players to get back to full strength after dealing with minor injuries over the course of the season.
“It seemed we’d get one healthy and another would get hurt,” Longabaugh said. “We had six starters off the field against West Florida (in a 2-0 loss). When things were going well for us, we had most of our starters on the field. It’s been a hard year because we’ve had so many injured, but to lose to two teams down the stretch that went to the NCAAs with some starters out, I’d say that’s pretty good."
Tops on that injury list is freshman
Jess Davenport, the team’s top scorer with 11 goals and 25 points. Hampered by knee and hamstring issues, Davenport played in just 11 games and made just five starts.
“It’s been frustrating, especially after the first (hamstring) injury; I got myself healthy and I strained my MCL,” Davenport said. “It’s tough to sit and watch the team play, but we have a lot of good girls. The last month gave me time to sit back and relax with my leg, let it heal without rushing back. I’m working it back in now.”
Though Longabaugh expects the program to be eligible for the GSC postseason tournament in 2016, this upcoming opportunity isn’t one he expects the team to take for granted.
“We’re champing at the bit right now; we’re ready to play,” he said. “The girls needed some time off from the season, but finding out we’re the No. 1 seed has us excited and ready to go. We’re ready to go prove we deserve to be the No. 1 seed.”
“Nationals are a huge deal,” sophomore defender
Caitlin Hayes (15 points, seven goals) said. “The school’s made a huge deal of it. We want to go and do well. We’ve been very successful because of the hard work we’ve put in and we’ve gotten better and better throughout the season, and now we just have to prove how good we are.”
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