East Bladen Eli Padilla on a 1v1 with her defender.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
East Bladen Molly Evans sprinting towards a 50/50 ball.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
The Lady Eagles sitting on the sidelines.
Alex Brooks | Bladen Journal
ELIZABETHTOWN-The East Bladen Lady Eagles received the Gold Level Award from the US Soccer Coaches Association for sportsmanship and team ethic. The USSCA selected 37 schools around the nation for displaying fair play, spotting behavior, and adherence to the law of the game.
The committee split the award in three categories for platinum level, gold level, and silver level based on the accumulation of yellow cards throughout the duration of the season. The USSCA committee calculated the percentage of total cards from players and coaches before dividing the percentage from the total of games played to determine what category teams fell under. The Lady Eagles fell into the category of the Gold Level and were amongst seven other schools to be given the Gold Level. East Bladen and Cary were the only NC schools that were named on the list to receive the sportsmanship award out of the 37 selected.
“That’s all on the ladies,” said East Bladen head coach Jay Raynor. “Just proud of the girls and all they have accomplished, on and off the field.” This is the second postseason team award the Lady Eagles have received in the last few months for their excellence on and off the field.
“The ladies received the Academic Team Award from United Coaches Association earlier and now the Ethics and Sportsmanship Award,” said Raynor. “They are competitors who get it done on and off the field while holding themselves to high standards in regards to ethics and sportsmanship.” This is the second consecutive year the Lady Eagles have received the sportsmanship award and it adds yet another achievement to their extraordinary ‘23 season.