By Jeanne Sager
JEFFERSONVILLE – November 12, 2002:

Overall record: 4-12-2

League record: 1-5-2 OCIAA Division V

Team leaders: Seniors Kayla Peters and Kelly Mullally led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring this season.

Season highlight: “Probably the biggest challenge for the girls was playing the toughest schedule they ever played, moving up to Class B and being the smallest school,” said Coach Mike Mahoney.
“The biggest difference was going up against athletes who played soccer 10 months out of the year versus those who play soccer two-and-a-half months a year,” he continued. “But the season was very competitive.”
The girls, he added, rose to the challenge and fared well against the bigger, more experienced teams.

Season lowlight: Back-to-back losses against the Goshen team, which knocked the Lady Bulldogs out of the running for sectionals, seemed to bring down the season.

Other comments: After combining three campuses together last year to make a unified Sullivan West girls soccer team, the Lady Bulldogs were challenged again this year with the jump to Class B.
But, said Mahoney, it’s a testament to the girls that they took to the field with confidence and a good work ethic.
“A number of our seniors accepted the challenge and stepped up and improved,” he noted. “And it was definitely a learning experience for our sophomores and juniors.”
A number of first year players were “thrown into the proverbial pond,” Mahoney said. “and they swam really well.”
The girls kept up a good, positive attitude all season and recognized that this season was full of new challenges, he added.
“All in all, what seemed to be a disappointing season was a very good stepping stone,” Mahoney concluded.