Northeast Cobb Soccer Players Help Win Titles

Stephanie James, a graduate of Kell High School, and Amber Raney, a graduate of Sprayberry High School, have something in common-they are members of Armstrong Atlantic State University's women's soccer team and helped the Lady Pirates win dual Peach Belt Conference titles.

The Savannah, Ga. school captured not only the Peach Belt Conference regular season championship, but with a thrilling last-minute goal in the 2011 Peach Belt Conference tournament championship match on Nov. 6, also won the 2011 Peach Belt Conference Tournament championship.

The double win is a remarkable accomplishment for a program that began in 2005. The lady pirates have a solid home record of 23-3 amassed over the first three years, and since 2008 the squad has maintained a perfect streak at home through the end of the 2011 regular season. Eric Faulconer, head coach for the Lady Pirates, has fostered home-game domination from the inaugural season.

"I think every program wants to create a home field advantage and when I came here, I wanted to make it a priority to create a tough environment for visiting teams to play in," Faulconer said. The atmosphere includes everything from the pre-game music to the PA announcer to the flying of the skull and crossbones Pirate flags.

"Probably the best idea we came up with is playing the 'He's a Pirate' song from the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movies after each goal we score," Faulconer said. "It gets our players really pumped to hear it, and I have been told by visiting coaches that every time they hear that song they think of Armstrong soccer."

The home field advantage that buoys not only the Lady Pirates soccer, but also the rest of the Pirate sports, has led to a remarkable season this year in which four teams – soccer, volleyball and women's and men's tennis – are enjoying the best ever streak at home. This accomplishment is not lost on the coaches.

"Savannah has a strong soccer community, and its support since day one has been great," Faulconer said. "The local clubs really come out and support our team, and it is especially nice to see a lot of young soccer players in the crowd at our games. We currently have five local players on our team, and many of their former coaches and teammates are very supportive and still come out to watch them play as well."

Armstrong Atlantic State University, part of the University System of Georgia, was founded in 1935. The university offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate academic programs in the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Science and Technology, the College of Education, and the College of Health Professions. Armstrong Atlantic serves more than 7,600 students at its main campus in Savannah and a regional center in Hinesville.