Jackson, MS-The Belhaven women's soccer team recently completed the 2009 season that saw a number of solid team and individual accomplishments. The Blazers had eight seniors who helped anchor the offense and defense while providing leadership for the younger players.

Belhaven opened the year on August 22nd at NCAA Division I University of Louisiana-Monroe and fell 5-1 to the Warhawks. However, the Blazers battled toe to toe with ULM through the first half and trailed by only a goal at 1-0 after the first period. Unfortunately, the Warhawks were able to pull away in the second half with four goals to take the win. Despite losing to ULM, the match helped prepare Belhaven for the tough competition they would see the rest of the season.

Following an exhibition match at the University of Montevallo, the Blazers reeled off wins in four of their next five matches including a 2-0 victory over Mississippi College. Belhaven also won decisions against Louisiana College, Texas College, and NCAA Division II Delta State University. The only non-win in the five game stretch was a 0-0 2OT draw at cross town rival Millsaps.

The Blazers then hit a bit of a rough spot dropping three of their next four matches of the season that were all decided by just one goal. Belhaven lost 2-1 at Martin Methodist College, fell 1-0 at Bethel University, and then were edged out at Shorter College 2-1. The Blazers picked up a 2-2 2OT tie GCAC play at Spring Hill College during the four game stretch putting Belhaven's record at 4-4-2 on the year.

Belhaven had a few days off before their next match due to a pair of contests at Lyon College and Central Baptist College being cancelled due to inclement weather. The Blazers came back strong with a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference win at home over LSU-Shreveport followed by a 3-3 2OT tie at NCAA Division II Christian Brothers University. Belhaven then recorded consecutive victories over the University of Mobile in GCAC play and then topped NCAA Division II Harding University 3-0.

The Blazers closed out the regular season at William Carey University with a 4-0 loss as the Crusaders went on to claim first place in the GCAC. Belhaven held the number two seed for the GCAC tournament after finishing the regular season at 7-5-3 overall and 2-1-1 in conference. The Blazers hosted Mobile in the semifinals thanks to a second place conference finish.

Both teams played solid defense through the first 90 minutes of play sending the game into overtime with a 0-0 score. However, with just over six minutes gone by in overtime, the Rams won the game on a goal by Christy Lachappelle which put Mobile into the championship match against William Carey.

The good news for the Belhaven is that the season continued with a trip to the NAIA unaffiliated regional tournament with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament. The Blazers were matched up with Bellevue University out of Nebraska and lost in the opening round 2-0. Despite being outshot by Belhaven, the Bruins scored two first half goals and made them stand up for the rest of the match in route to a 2-0 win. With the loss, the Blazers finished the 2009 season with a 7-7-3 overall record.

Belhaven was represented well on the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Team with seven players named to the team in 2009. Nicole Trawick, Sarah Benson, and Mallory Hodges were all named to the First Team while Jessica Eggold, Dana Sullivan, Christin Kaim, and Evelyn Torres were all Second Team selections.

Trawick, a senior forward from Willing Boro, NJ, led Belhaven in goals during the 2009 season with 12, which included three game winners. Trawick also paced the team with 25 points. Benson, a senior midfielder from Baton Rouge, LA, had a goal and two assists for the Blazers this season and helped on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Hodges, a senior defender from Baton Rouge, LA, round out the first team selections by helping lead the Blazer defense in holding opponents to just 1.3 goals per game this season which was second in the GCAC behind only William Carey.

Eggold, senior goalkeeper from St. Louis, MO, started all but one match this season and compiled an overall record of 7-6-3 in the next this year. Heading into the NAIA Unaffiliated Tournament game against Bellevue University, Eggold had made 60 saves and allowed just 16 goals all year. Sullivan, a senior forward from Birmingham, AL, was third on the team with four goals and had one assist in 2009.

Kaim, a sophomore forward from Niceville, FL, helped lead the offense ranking second on the team in goals with seven and 16 points respectively. Kaim also had three game winning goals during the season. Torres, a senior defender from Houston, TX, was solid defender during her four seasons in a Belhaven uniform. Torres helped to anchor the Blazer defense once again this season making it tough for opponents to find the back of the net.

“The big accomplishment this past season was for us to reach the NAIA Unaffiliated Regional Tournament in Dallas and be one of the top 5 teams out of 16 schools from 4 different unaffiliated conferences,” said Belhaven Head Coach Josue Sabillion. “We also finished second in regular season conference play and placed three players on the First Team All-Conference team and four on the Second Team All-Conference team which was also another improvement from last year,” adds Sabillion. “Since we are losing eight seniors for next year, it will be a whole different team next season. I'm looking forward to working with our new recruits that will be replacing our seniors. I'm confident that can continue to bring the experience, tenacity, and passion for a successful Blazer future.”

Overall, the 2009 season was a success and with a number of new and talented players returning next year there are a lot of pieces in place to build on for next season.