FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — In frigid conditions, the Eastside Lady Eagles went on the road to Flowery Branch and defeated the Lady Falcons 2-1.
Eastside struck first in the matchup on Friday, Feb. 18.
Lauren Davis found the back of the net off an assist by Mallory Shurtz just over six minutes into first half action.
Davis’ goal was the lone score by halftime.
When the second half came around, the Lady Eagles kept badgering Flowery Branch’s goalkeeper with numerous shots on goal. However, the Lady Falcons’ keeper kept Eastside from doing any more damage.
That was until Lizzie Teasley created a long-through ball assist that saw Davis win possession of the ball from a host of Flowery Branch defenders. Davis proceeded to fire a shot that went into the far post of the opponent’s goal to double Eastside’s lead 2-0 with 23:41 left to play.
Head coach Joel Singleton highlighted Davis’ play afterward.
"Lauren Davis was the difference-maker in this game,” Singleton said. “She played hard and physically and it proved to be the difference.”
A little over four minutes later, Flowery Branch ended the shutout with a goal of its own. But the Lady Eagles kept the Lady Falcons’ offense at bay for the rest of the match.
Singleton commended his team’s defensive effort, too, as a deciding factor in the final outcome.
"Another solid effort tonight,” Singleton said. “Our defense continues to improve in their consistency and we controlled possession for much of the match."
The 2-1 victory pushed the Lady Eagles record to 4-1-1.
Eastside Eagles
Meanwhile, the Eastside Eagles made the trip to Chestatee High School to play sixth-ranked 4A Chestatee. In a similar freezing atmosphere, the Eagles trailed 3-1 at halftime. Tanner Beam scored the Eagles' only goal. Chestatee (4-3-1) went on to win 6-1. With the loss, the Eagles fall to 1-5-0.
Both Eastside soccer squads play their first Region 8-AAAAA games Friday night at Homer Sharp Stadium when the Walnut Grove Lady Warriors and Warriors come to visit.
(Cale Coggins contributed to this report)
