The final moments of a season – when the finality begins to set in – are among the toughest for a competitive athlete to endure. It was even more difficult for the University of South Carolina Beaufort women's soccer team to swallow the end to its 2015 campaign, which came while the Sand Sharks could do nothing to stop it.
USCB's season came to a close Wednesday, when the Sand Sharks missed out on a spot in the six-team Sun Conference Tournament – finishing in a three-way tie for fifth place but losing out in a tiebreaker after Webber International and Southeastern each earned clinching victories Wednesday.
"It was a heartbreaking end to the season, scoreboard watching and hoping for something to fall our way," USCB coach Ed Heberling said. "Although the season didn't end the way we wanted to, our team showed some resilience and fight in conference play."
The Sand Sharks rallied after an 0-8-1 start to win four of their next five games, including a three-game winning streak, and put themselves in the thick of the playoff picture. A win over Johnson & Wales on Senior Day set up USCB well for a playoff run, but the Sand Sharks came up short in their final two contests and were left in the uncomfortable position of needing help from others to punch their ticket to the postseason.
When that help did not come, USCB missed the postseason for the first time since its inaugural season in 2011 – despite matching program-bests for conference victories (5) and final standing (T-5th).
It also brings an end to the careers of four Sand Sharks – four-year letterwinners Alexa Muffley, Pascale Rocca, and Emily Mentrup, and two-year standout Alexandria Radue. Muffley finishes as USCB's career leader in goals (16) and points (36), and Radue had a sensational senior season with eight goals, six assists and 22 points, all of which rank second on USCB's single-season lists. Rocca was a solid contributor in the field for her first three seasons and part of her senior year before moving to goalkeeper and helping revive the Sand Sharks' season this year, and Mentrup was a key contributor in the back line throughout her career.
"It's not the way we would like to send out our seniors, who worked extremely hard and were a major part of our turnaround," Heberling said. "Pascale, Alexa and Alex all played extremely well throughout conference play, and getting Emily back at the end of the season was great for some much-needed depth.
"Our focus now moves to next year," Heberling added. "We return eight starters from this season and will look to bring in a very strong recruiting class."
