The Lady Apps' women's soccer team will open its first-ever Sun Belt Conference tournament at 5 PM today when they challenge the No. 4 seeded Georgia Southern Eagles in Mobile, AL. The Mountaineers earned the No. 5 seed.

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Final 1 - 0 GaSouth

Lady Apps played very, very well. Just couldn't get the back of the net.

The Apps' Julia Holz played the game of her life. If she's not an all-SunBelt player--then one one is! She's been robbed! And it was her last game as a collegian!

The Apps also appeared to have been robbed. Coach Strickland attempted to question a no-call on a first-half play in which the Apps shot, hit the cross-bar with the ball being deflected straight down--apparently on/over the goal line. The center ref waved it off, turned his back on Strickland and trotted quickly away. He never acknowledged her presence. My opinion? It was a 1 - 1 contest from that point. But,, noooooooooooo...the fix was on.

I was a college and amateur adult league soccer ref for 10 years. That is a tough call and there is no replay like the World Cup. Normally the assistant referee should be in position to make that call and the referee should look to him/her for assistance. If any part of the ball touches the goal line before it is cleared ....then no goal. The referee is not going to discuss it with a coach as play was continuing.

Rekdiver wrote:I was a college and amateur adult league soccer ref for 10 years. That is a tough call and there is no replay like the World Cup. Normally the assistant referee should be in position to make that call and the referee should look to him/her for assistance. If any part of the ball touches the goal line before it is cleared ....then no goal. The referee is not going to discuss it with a coach as play was continuing.

Dang-it; you're trying to kill my great conspiracy theory. I was sure the match was fixed.

Actually, I was a referee at a somewhat lower level for many years--but it's been more than 10 years ago. I worked NCYSA state tourneys, out-of-state tourneys--usually classic/select team level and above. Some ODP when I had a free weekend.

In the game yesterday, the ball clanged hard off the cross bar; was deflected downward and hit the GaSouth keeper in the shoulder or neck and then hit inside the goal. Watching it on TV and from a wide shot, I could not swear whether it hit the goal line or not. It would have been close one way or the other. I would have called it an own-goal--because it hit the keeper and then went into goal mouth. The keeper quickly picked up the ball and punted it away from inside the box. She wanted it outta there. As I mentioned, the center ref just waved to play on. I was biased, but I didn't like the call or the wave-off with attitude. Neither did Coach Strickland--even though she was calm and highly professional through it all.

All in all, it was a typical Appalachian soccer match. Our women played a smart and spirited match; they actually out-played GaSouth all over the field, all evening. Even the announcer conceded that point. They forced more corner kicks and had a variety of near-goal opportunities. They kept constant pressure on the Iggles' back line--but for the one occasion mentioned above, they didn't get the back of the net.

Sad to see It end the way it did for our seniors...Julia Holz, Nicole Steyl, Leah Drawdy, Jenna Caudle and the five other gals. They deserved better. Congrats to the GaSouth iggles. They get regular season champ USA next. That should be a war.