Alcovy senior forward Houston Kent scored two goals in the first half, and goalie Paul Rothe made several key saves in the second half, as the Tigers hung on to defeat the Woodland (Stockbridge) Wolfpack 2-1 in a non-region match on Senior Night at Homer Sharp Stadium in Covington.

Alcovy improved to   6-10 for the season, while the Wolfpack fell to 12-5.

 “Senior Night is about the seniors. It’s always good to get a win,” Alcovy coach Chris Edgar said. “Woodland is a good program. They’re going to the playoffs. We’re going to the playoffs. So, it’s a good night and good prep for next week.”

Defense was the name of the game early in the match, as both sides were strong in their defensive zones.

Co-captain Kent broke through with 28:56 left to play in the first half, putting Alcovy up 1-0.

After Woodland kicked the ball out of bounds, Alcovy had a throw-in that went to fellow senior Jordan Adair. Kent took a pass from Adair and drilled the ball past Wolfpack keeper Jalen Ferguson for a 1-0 lead.

Woodland had opportunities to tie the match, but both Zahmyre Harris and Riley Able hit the post with their shots, missing a chance to even the game before halftime.

Kent struck again with a little more than five minutes left in the first half as he gathered in another Adair pass at midfield, sprinted past the Woodland defenders and beat Ferguson for his second goal of the match.

Kent’s second goal gave the Tigers a 2-0 halftime lead.

As Edgar said, Woodland proved its mettle in the second half and the Wolfpack came out strong in the final period of play.

Forward Trey Salmon put Woodland on the scoreboard at the 22:37 mark of the half, cutting the lead in half, 2-1.

However, the second half belonged to Alcovy goalie Rothe.

The German exchange student had several outstanding saves as he denied Wolfpack forward Chris Velez at the 19:27 mark, and stonewalled Salmon with 15:00 left to play.

Meanwhile, Edgar implored his Tigers squad to “have the possession” they had in the first half when they dominated Woodland.

It wasn’t Alcovy’s best half, but Rothe kept the ball out of the net and allowed the Tigers to squeak by with the victory 2-1.

Next up for the Tigers is a first-round road playoff match against Harrison High School Tuesday in Cobb County.

First kick is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.