SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. — A late offensive surge by the Social Circle boys propelled the Redskins to a 2-1 victory over the Lake Oconee Academy Titans at home Wednesday.
In the matchup, the Redskins did something in the final three minutes that they couldn’t do in the first 77 minutes: score goals.
Trailing 1-0 with 2:17 remaining in the match, Social Circle drew a foul in the penalty box awarding Aidan Garner a penalty kick. Garner converted the penalty kick to tie the game 1-1.
Chaos ensued thereafter.
As the closing minutes ticked away, it seemed like the match would go into overtime. However, with just 29.5 seconds left, Social Circle’s offense stormed down the field after a long clearout pass by its defender. A host of Redskins pressured LOA’s goalkeeper and he mishandled the ball.
Then, the goalkeeper lost possession altogether and the ball rolled toward an open goal. Jude Nelson then followed the ball in for the go-ahead goal.
Just like that, a Redskins offense that couldn’t find the back of the net for the majority of the match netted two goals within a couple of minutes.
Though the Redskins couldn’t find a score for most of the match, they had their opportunities throughout the contest.
Whether it was a save by LOA’s goalkeeper or a bad pass by Social Circle, something would always seem to derail the Redskins’ offensive attack. But the Redskins persevered and found a way to pull out a win.
Head coach Jim Corasaniti was visibly overjoyed after the come from behind victory.
“It’s unbelievable,” Corasaniti said. “That’s a great win for the school. It puts us in a great place to maybe be region champs. So, it was a good night.”
As a result of the win, the Redskins are now tied with LOA for first place in Region 8A-Public with a 10-1 region record. Should the two teams remain tied at season’s end on April 1, LOA would claim first place due to its 3-0 win over Social Circle on March 5.
Lady Redskins 5, Lady Titans 0
Another dominant performance by the Lady Redskins drove Social Circle to a 5-0 win over the Lake Oconee Academy Lady Titans on Wednesday.
It did not take long for Social Circle to put a goal on the scoreboard either.
Less than three minutes into action, the Lady Redskins were awarded a penalty kick after a handball violation by LOA occurred in the penalty box. Tess Preston took the penalty kick for Social Circle and converted.
Fifteen minutes later, Alana Ferguson doubled her team’s lead with another goal giving Social Circle a 2-0 advantage. Ferguson scored her second goal of the match a few moments later to extend the lead 3-0.
The fourth goal of the match came off a corner kick. Taylor Wright crossed the ball from the corner and found Preston for her second goal of the match. That made Social Circle’s advantage 4-0 with three minutes left before halftime.
Preston’s two goals on Wednesday gives her 51 on the season, which now leads the Lady Redskins.
Peyton Brooks, who entered the match with 49 goals, increased her total in the second half, too.
With 8:16 remaining in the match, Brooks maneuvered her way through the Lady Titans’ defense and netted a goal of her own. Brooks’ goal places her in the 50-goal club along with Preston.
The fifth and final goal of the match solidified Social Circle’s win, improving their place atop Region 8A-Public with a 10-1 region record.
Wednesday’s win marked the 11th shutout for the Lady Redskins, which includes four straight shutouts. It improves their overall winning streak to 12 straight, not having lost since Feb. 7 at Commerce.
But, according to head coach Heather Richardson, she feels like her team is peaking at the right moment with just three games remaining on the schedule.
“We’re at the point in our season where we’re hitting our stride,” Richardson said. “We’re playing really well, moving the ball around and I feel like, tonight especially, we had some really pretty goals. That’s fun to watch.”
Next up for Social Circle are matches at Washington-Wilkes on March 25, hosting Washington-Wilkes on March 29, and at Towns County on April 1.
