Ten games into the 2024 campaign, the Social Circle Lady Redskins have yet to lose standing at 10-0 overall. On four of those occasions, Social Circle did not surrender a single goal. 

Sophomore center back defender Kambrie Morrow summed up how the defense has shut opponents out — Communication. Fellow center back defender, Claire Ray, a junior, concurred.

“We’re communicating well,” Ray said. “I just feel like we’re not giving up and we’re not getting defeated when we do something wrong and just get back and fix it.”

Familiarity among teammates has been a factor in the communication, too, according to Morrow. 

“I think we’ve just learned to work together more,” Morrow said. “Last year, we did good, but this year we just know each other really well.” 

Social Circle began the season with a 9-0 victory over Lake Oconee Academy on Feb. 6. The next shutout win came 10 days later at Newton, 10-0. On Feb. 27, the Lady Redskins won 2-0 over Winder-Barrow. 

The latest shutout was just last week against Walnut Grove in a 5-0 victory at home. 

Another aspect of the Lady Redskins’ defensive prowess has been goalkeeping. Leading the charge in that department has been sophomore Gentrie Mobley. 

In 520 game minutes, Mobley has 52 saves, which is a 5.2 saves per match average. 

Mobley has concentrated on improving one area of her game this season. 

“My eye work. Just watching the ball and movement within the goal,” Mobley said.

Close games are not foreign to this year’s squad, though. 

At halftime of Feb. 9’s match at Athens Academy, Social Circle was down 2-0 before storming back for a 5-2 win. 

The closest match the Lady Redskins have endured to this point in the year was on March 4. It was the team’s Region 5A-Division I opener at Oglethorpe County. 

That match was not decided in regulation but, instead, went into overtime where Social Circle ultimately prevailed 5-4. 

Ray shared why that particular match stands out in her mind.

“Oglethorpe was one of my favorites, because it was very tough and I feel like that’s where we really found how to fix our weaknesses as a team,” Ray said. “Because, for a little bit during the game, we were kind of angry and broken down. I feel like, since then, we’ve worked on all those problems.”

Social Circle’s overtime victory was the first of three region wins from March 4-8. The Lady Redskins also downed Jasper County 6-2 and Prince Avenue 4-2 on March 5 and 8, respectively.. 

In addition to region and the aforementioned shutout wins, Social Circle has also downed other non-region squads. 

On Feb. 13, it won 7-1 over Monroe Area and enjoyed a 5-1 victory at George Walton Academy on Feb. 23. 

Morrow credited the team’s non-region schedule as a benefit to the team’s region success. 

“Most teams, when they play lower teams, they’ll play down with them,” Morrow said. “And playing a higher team, we just build up to their strengths and it just really helps us win.” 

Senior Peyton Brooks leads the Lady Redskins with 27 goals coupled with a team-high 14 assists. Junior Alana Ferguson has 10 goals, too, with 12 assists followed by junior Faith Young’s nine goals and five assists. 

Seven other players have netted goals so far this season, too, to help on the offensive end of the field. 

The Lady Redskins are the reigning, defending Region 5A-Division I champions. In fact, since being in that specific region, they have never lost a region match. 

Social Circle is also coming off a 2023 season in which it advanced to the Final Four of the Class A-Division I postseason run. 

Next up, the Lady Redskins will finish out their region slate. On March 19, Social Circle will travel to Jasper County followed by a home match versus Prince Avenue on March 22. The region finale will be on March 27 vs. Oglethorpe County. 

Among the region home stretch are other non-region matchups against Jackson County, Eastside, ACE and Dutchtown.

With the Lady Redskins’ defensive prowess plus their offensive production, the players are confident they can make another playoff pursuit. 

“I think, if we keep doing what we’re doing,” Ray said, “we can make it to the end.” 

Sports editor Garrett Pitts contributed to this story.