ELLISVILLE — The Jones County Junior College Lady Bobcats were close to making the MACJC soccer playoffs last year.

This year, they fully intend to qualify for postseason play.

“We would be very disappointed if we settled for anything less than the playoffs,” said third-year head coach Dolores Deasley. “That is definitely a goal this year.  I hope we can take each game as it comes and not get complacent.”

The Lady Bobcats went 11-4 in 2009, which was a school-record for victories. They just missed out on the playoffs when they fell to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in a shootout in a play-in game.

Deasley said the Lady Bobcats have performed well during preseason workouts.

“It’s been going very well,” she said. “I could not ask any more from them, to be honest. The sophomores have really stepped up and have done a very good job of being leaders. The freshmen are just following right along and doing what is asked of them.

“We have a good bunch of kids.”

The Lady Bobcats will be young this season. Of the 20 players on the roster, only seven are sophomores.

Returnees from last year are Bridget Dennis of West Jones, Mallory Cowart of South Jones, Madison Central’s Aubrey Weems and Arlette Cochran, Jamie Miller and Dana Ivey of George County. Danica Roberts of Liversedge, England, is a sophomore transfer student.

Dennis is a forward, while Cowart, Weems and Roberts are defenders. Cochran, Miller and Ivey are midfielders.  Dennis and Ivey have been elected as captains by their teammates.

“All of the sophomores got votes for captain,” said Deasley. “That shows we have good leadership all the way around. But Dana and Bridget have done a really good job.”

Freshmen on the roster include forwards Macey Endris of Madison Central, Jade McLeod of Greene County and Brandee Kovacevich of D’Iberville, along with defender Trahrissa Monroe of Long Beach. Freshmen midfielders are Leah Shams of Northwest Rankin, Leslie Masters of Horn Lake, Audrey Borchardt and Britnee Kovacevich of D’Iberville, Sarah O’Quinn of Oak Grove and Chelsea Wooten of Madison Central. Freshman Michelle Brumfield of Theodore High School in Mobile, Ala., is the keeper, while freshmen Courtney Purvis of Northeast Jones and Casey Gill are being redshirted.

“Audrey is doing really well in the center of the defense,” said Deasley. “She is a strong figure in the back. Jamie Miller has really stepped up her game this year. Arlette is like a new person from last year. She is just a machine. She has dropped weight and has worked very hard on her fitness level. Her movement and agility is so much better, on and off the ball, and she is leading by example.

“Michelle is doing very well as a keeper. She has gotten better everyday. She has good hands and is definitely the strongest keeper we have had here.”

Deasley added that the level of play has picked up during her tenure at Jones. She said the program has improved dramatically since her first year on campus.

“Our starting 11 players today are very solid,” she said. “But we have been able to add more depth the last couple of years and that is important. We have the ability now to where we can actually play a game of possession.”

Deasley said the improvements to the Bobcat Soccer Field and its facilities should be a major factor when it comes to recruiting. This will be the second year for the team to play at the on-campus field.

“We are going to add lights and we are putting a fence around the field,” she said. “We are going to build a pavilion, which will have a concession area, storage and restrooms. We will also be adding a parking area.”

The Lady Bobcats already know a little bit about their team. They traveled to Jackson to scrimmage Belhaven on Aug. 18 and came away with a 2-2 tie.

“We started off well and had a good first half,” she said. “We had a lot of positives happen to us in that game.”

In the South Division, Deasley points to Gulf Coast and Pearl River as being top contenders.

“You never want to take those two teams lightly,” she said. “Those are always good teams and you need to be at your best against them.”

JCJC opens the season at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Itawamba Community College. JCJC will play their home opener at 2 p.m. on Aug. 31 against Northwest Mississippi Community College at the Bobcat Soccer Field.