ATHENS, Ga. — Eastside could not come away with a win against Clarke Central under the rainy Friday night lights. 

While the girls had much better weather than the boys, they still ended with a similar result. The Lady Eagles fell 4-1 before the Eastside boys’ squad was defeated 3-1.

Eastside’s girls fell behind early, conceding a first half hat trick to Clarke Central’s Bella Yelton.

Ultimately, Yelton’s hat trick served as the decider in the match, as the Lady Eagles could not stop the Gladiators’ hot streak, winning six of their last eight matches.

The Lady Eagles were able to find an answer early into the second half, making the score 3-1. 

Unlike the first half, the girls were able to press and get into the final third of the field repeatedly throughout the second half. However, Eastside could not put any more shots past the Clarke Central goalkeeper en route to a 4-1 final score. The girls fell to 3-5 on the season with nine games left to play.

When the boys came out and the opening whistle sounded, the rain did, too.

The Eastside boys got off to a strong start behind a goal from Alexis Vieyra. 

A yellow card was issued to a Clarke Central player midway through the first half, and momentum seemed to build in the Eagles’ favor. Despite that, the Eagles could not stop a goal from the Gladiators late in the first half.

The second half was all rain and Gladiators. The Eagles conceded two more goals in the second half and lost 3-1. The Gladiators improved to 10-0-1 on the season, while Eastside’s boys fell to 6-3 on the season.

Both Eastside soccer squads will look to bounce back in their matches on March 12 and March 15 this week against Dutchtown and Jefferson, respectively.