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Ricky Jackson and Laura Cure Earn GBC September Athlete of the Month Honors

PIKE CREEK, Del. – Sophomore Ricky Jackson of the men’s soccer team and freshman Laura Cure of the women’s tennis team have been named Goldey-Beacom College male and female athletes of the month for the month of September.

Both of these athletes have had tremendous impacts on their respective teams. Jackson, sidelined with an injury for the first seven games of the season, has come back to lead the Lightning to two consecutive wins, and Cure is unbeaten in singles and doubles play through seven matches this year.

Cure, a native of Maracaibo, Venezuela, was 5-0 at No. 5 singles and 5-0 at No. 3 doubles in the month of September. Among her five singles wins were much-needed 6-0, 6-1 and 6-1, 6-0 wins at Holy Family and at home against Philadelphia University. Both of those singles wins helped the Lightning eek out wins over the Tigers (6-3) and Philadelphia (5-4). In doubles play, Cure and her partner sophomore Vanessa Leon have dominated at the third doubles flight. They teamed up for a 5-0 record during the month and they are 6-0 on the season after the match today.

A business administration major, Cure has earned Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference weekly honorable mention twice, in back-to-back weeks (Sept. 13 and Sept. 20). She led the Lightning to a 6-0 record in September and a 7-0 start as of Oct. 1. The Lightning are tops in the league standings and have won 11 straight regular season conference matches. They go on the road to take on Dowling on Sat. at 1 p.m.

Jackson, a LaPlata, Md. native, has had a major impact on the men’s soccer team in just a short amount of time. While sitting on the bench with an injury and watching the Lightning drop their first seven games to start the season, Jackson paid close attention and anticipated what he needed to do when he finally made it out on the field.

In his first action of the season against CACC foe Caldwell with the score knotted at one goal apiece, Jackson subbed in for senior Erlin Rodezno in the 72^nd minute. The Lightning were slowly moving the ball up the field when suddenly a pass found junior midfielder Rob Cann’s feet in the middle of the field in open space. With time, Cann turned and played a perfect ball across to the far side of the field to a streaking Jackson, who then beat his defender and poked a shot past Caldwell goalkeeper John Londono for the winning goal.

One shot, one goal and one victory for a previously struggling Goldey-Beacom squad…and that was just the beginning for Jackson.

Two days later, Jackson was in the starting lineup as the Lightning hosted non-conference opponent Washington Adventist on a rainy Mon. afternoon. Not two minutes into the action, Jackson drilled home a rebound off of a Cann shot that was deflected by the goalkeeper and scored on his very first shot of the game.

Just 41 seconds later, Jackson avoided a defender who slipped on the wet field and took a strike from about 18 yards out for his second goal of the day. GBC went on to win, 3-0.

Three shots, three goals, and two consecutive Lightning wins.

Jackson, a Business Administration major, came to Goldey-Beacom from La Plata High School where he was a prolific scorer and earned Southern Maryland Athletic Conference First Team, Offensive Player of the Year and County Player of the year honors his senior year while leading his team to a regional championship. For his career at GBC, he has four goals and two assists.

The Lightning, currently on a two-game win-streak, are now 2-7 overall and 1-4 in the CACC. They host Felician in the second game of a double-header on Sat. afternoon at Nancy Churchman-Sawin Field.

Previous Winners: