COVINGTON, Ga. — The Eastside Lady Eagles, still ranked No. 5 in Class AAAAA after a tough week that saw them tie with North Oconee (No. 2 in Class AAAA) and then lose to Woodward Academy because they could not finish on numerous scoring opportunities, returned to the Homer Sharp pitch Tuesday night with a vengeance against visiting Locust Grove.
Lauren Davis scored the game-winning goal 40 seconds into the match after receiving a long ball from Jordyn Jones and speeding down the left sideline before cutting in to shoot. With 29:36 on the game clock, Aralyn Everett scored to make it 2-0 off a thru ball from Lizzie Teasley. Everett scored again just over a minute and a half later off a double assist from Bailey Love and Teasley to put Eastside up 3-0.
Davis scored off an assist from Everett, followed by Everett's goal on a long ball from Teasley that Everett fired off the Lady Wildcats keeper and into the net, before Davis scored again. The barrage of goals came within a two and one-half minute span to record hat tricks for both Lady Eagles just over halfway through the first half.
Love added her name to the scoresheet with 17:54 left in the half off a pass from Gina Leal to make it 7-0. Everett netted her fourth goal with 12:31 on the clock off of yet another assist from Teasley. Teasley completed a fantastic first half performance of her own when she netted her first goal of the season off an excellent cross from Everett to send the Lady Eagles into halftime with a 9-0 lead.
Due to the score, the second half was shortened to 20 minutes.
Locust Grove forced Lady Eagle goalkeeper Anna Shelton to make her only save of the match with 16:07 on the clock. Everett would end the game at 10-0 when Lauren Gates sent a long ball into the scoring area that Everett touched over to Mia Mostek, who passed it right back to Everett, who fired the ball into the net from just inside the 18-yard box with 7:38 remaining.
Lady Eagle head coach Joel Singleton was pleased with the outcome.
"We came out and jumped on them early and never really let up," Singleton said. "After a tough loss on Friday that was good to see. I thought Lauren Davis played her best game on the offensive end. Multiple players scored and our defense kept Locus Grove out of any real scoring threats."
The Eastside boys' team was up next. The Eagles would win 8-1.
Ethan Manley scored the first Eastside goal. Hunter Kersh led the attack with a hat trick, including the eventual game-winner that put the Eagles up 2-0. Next, Kersh had an assist on Demba Fofana's goal that stretched the lead to 3-0 before scoring on a long shot to make it 4-0.
Locust Grove scored its only goal of the night in the final minute of the first half to make it 4-1.
Kersh secured his hat trick early in the second half, giving Eastside a 5-1 lead. Fofana assisted on Wayne Warren's goal and Liam McGiboney scored off of a Tanner Beam corner kick to make it 7-1 halfway through the 2nd half. Eastside's Christian Lane scored the final goal to put the Eagles ahead 8-1 with 16 minutes left on the game clock.
Both Eastside teams improve to 4-1-1 with the wins. Friday night, both teams will visit Walnut Grove for their first Region 8AAAAA games of the season. The Lady Eagles kickoff at 5:30 pm while the Eagles start at 7:30 pm.
The Walnut Grove Lady Warriors are 3-2-0 having lost to two undefeated 4-0-0 teams, Class AAAA No. 5 Jefferson and Class AAA No. 3 Oconee. Looking forward to the Walnut Grove matchup, Singleton said: "It's time to get into region play and I look forward to taking that one game at a time and seeing how we can improve as a team."
