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Girls Soccer / Sports / Top Stories
Lady Bears deserve credit for persevering through obstacles
Thursday, March 11, 2010
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If you look up the word perseverance, there should be a picture of the Bastrop Lady Bears soccer team.
Perseverance is defined as a steady persistence in a course of action in spite of difficulties, obstacles or discouragement.
That’s the Lady Bears in a nutshell.
The girls have shown tenacity as they have fought through constant adversity amidst the controversy that surrounded the team after the dismissal of star player Gracy Mansfield.
The most recent challenge was an anonymous letter sent to the University Interscholastic League accusing Bastrop of playing players not living in the Bastrop Independent School District boundaries — by all rights, a serious violation.
The UIL sent the report to Bastrop athletic director Gerald Perry for a self-investigation, which is normal procedure.
After the in-house investigation, the players in question were determined to have established residencies in the Bastrop school district, therefore not in violation of UIL rules.
Another bullet dodged and the persevering Lady Bears are for sure heading to the playoffs.
You have to give the team a lot of credit, They fought through every barrier and proved a lot to themselves, the community and the rest of District 25-5A.
After Westlake snuck out of Bastrop with a 3-1 shootout win on Feb. 26, Lady Chaps head coach Rennie Rebe, who dubbed Bastrop the district favorite at the beginning of the season, was still impressed with the Lady Bears and told the Westlake Picayune the team got better without Mansfield.
“I expected Bastrop to be a better team without Mansfield,” Rebe told the
Westlake Picayune. “When (a problem) is removed, the whole becomes more dangerous than the individual.”
The Lady Bears haven’t really missed a beat on the field.
In the 11 games prior to the infamous Westlake game on Feb. 2, Bastrop was outscoring its opponents 38-6 and had a record of 9-2 with Mansfield.
In the 10 games after Feb. 2, the Lady Bears are outscoring their opponents 31-17 and are 5-2-3 without her.
And there is one more chance awaiting the Bastrop girls soccer team.
The Lady Bears will take on Bowie Friday night at BISD Memorial Stadium to close out the regular season.
The Lady Bears (14-5-3, 7-3-3 District 25-5A) are currently two points behind second place Bowie and Austin High, who are tied with 27 points.
A win over the Lady Bulldogs, accompanied with a tie or loss by Austin High against Anderson, would put Bastrop in second place for the playoffs.
What would a second place finish mean to the Lady Bears? Everything.
For starters, Bastrop wouldn’t have to play No. 1 San Antonio Reagan — again — or No. 3 Smithson Valley in the first round of the playoffs.
It would also be the perfect ending to a very difficult season off the field for the Bastrop girls soccer program.
Even without a second place finish, to succeed on the field with everything that has happened off the field is a testament to the character of every player on that team and to head coach Angelia Watson, who made one of the gutsiest calls a coach can make and still keep her team focused.
It might not have been the way Bastrop wanted their final season in Class 5A to go, but it is still a success.
And the scary part, this team is loaded with freshmen.
Look out Class 4A.
File photo by Larry Overall/ Kara Edwards, left, is one of six seniors that will play in their final regular season home game Friday night.
I just have to stay, I am SOOO happy to see that you finally acknowledge that the Lady Bear Soccer Team is full of talented girls with heart and soul for the game. They have fought a long HARD fight and have perservered to the playoffs for the 4th straight year. As a parent of a senior who has played her heart out, it is GREAT to see after all the mess this year. Other than the parents/families and a few classmates, I believe NO ONE in Bastrop thought it could happen. My heart goes out to each of these fine talented girls, and your right look out 4A…
This season would be nothing without coach watson. She brought us up when times were bad and held us togther when bonds were unattached. And in the end one decision had to be made for the best. Many thought it was impossible to proceede in the season on a high note but we proved we could. But we didnt play to prove someone wrong, we didnt play for parents, or the colleges watching us, we played for the reason we play this game in the first place. we dedicated this season to Brittany Meuth and the love we have for the game we call soccer.We brought this team together with a bond that we have never seen before which we call Family. When we step on that soccer field everyone around us is gone. We have eachother, coach watson, and the opponent which we still had a good attitude towards after the battle. We learned Impossible was really nothing to us. And that if anyone of us got knocked down we knew we always had someone to bring us back up. We faught through this year for us. Through the tears and smiles and in the end not to prove to the ones that looked down on us. We as a team this year will always have a bond that cant be replaced. Through thick and thin, through being knocked down and then on top. Weve seen everyside of diversity. And now all we say is “bring it on.”
From the player that lost her chance to play early in the season but from the side line saw a family in the making.
love you guys.
Congrats to the team on carrying on the winning traditions of Lady Bear Soccer. Good luck in the playoffs!!
Go all the way, Lady Bears!
“When (a problem) is removed, the whole becomes more dangerous than the individual.”… Problem ? I’ve kept my mouth closed through everything, every rude comment left, after every article and I think its time I say something now that its all said and done. First off, for anyone out there that thinks I have an “attitude” problem because I have the urge to win, because that’s why we play sports, If you or your child has never had an attitude then give yourself a pat on the back. I have a feeling there won’t be much patting. Do you really think removing myself and Heather from the team would stop all these “problems”, because we all know it didn’t. I could sit here and list a couple of these “problems” of the top of my head that have gone on since Heather and I were removed… But I understand, no one is perfect and problems always occur.. Yet, Heather and I had to sit out a season because of it. Maybe the “team” seemed better at first, but that didn’t seem to last very long. Now did it? Funny how jealousy works. So, I apologize to everyone out there that I scored 38 goals last year and Michael Adams put me in the newspaper because of it; because that’s what seems to be the bigger deal.. But did I ever brag about it ? Not one time.. So maybe now I should rub it in your faces that I got player of the week 6 times in a row or that I was offensive player of the year and that I was on the front cover of the sport section and not you or your child
.It’s feels good to let that out, I mean it really doesn’t matter now does it ? I wouldn’t change one single thing. I can promise you that. And as for the Westlake coach… Yes, I was a problem, that must be why you triple marked me every time we played you, huh?
I had something taken away from me that I can never get back- my senior season. It was unjust and I didn’t deserve it.
Gracy
I’m new to the team and unlike the other people to comment I haven’t seen the team play in the past years. But from my point view there is no way Lady Bears Soccer could have done any better. With 7 freshman who are totally new to the field, 2 expulsion from the team, and one major injury I believe the Lady Bears did wonderful this year and no worse than last year. People keep making Ms. Mansfield’s expulsion a big deal, but one person doesn’t make a team. Whether or not the Lady Bears would have gone farther with Ms. Mansfield and Ms. Greene still remaining on the team is irrelevant. We should all give the Lady Bears props for making it through all the challenges they have faced and making it all the way to the play-offs. I’m so PROUD of my team and how they’ve came together throughout all odds. The first words that should come to mind when one hears Lady Bears Soccer is PERSEVERANCE and RELENTLESSNESS.
From the view of a freshman Lady Bear soccer player.