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Battle between number one girls teams ends in a draw

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

Unless you were an impartial party like this reporter at the soccer game between McIntosh and Starr’s Mill on Friday, nobody was happy with the 3-3 tie in the girls game.

Starr’s Mill was unhappy because they had a 3-2 lead with just under two and a half minutes to play and McIntosh wasn’t happy because they knew they came out sluggish, allowing two goals in the first seven minutes. There will not be a rematch until next year, so players and coaches will just have to stew about this one and set their sights on winning their region and a championship in their classification.

The game started 30 minutes late and with two parents manning the lines for the referee. The second official didn’t show up until late in the half. Starr’s Mill struck early in the game with Lucy Martin scoring just over a minute in the game off an assist from Kelley O’Hara. O’Hara netted her own goal a few minutes later after an assist from Sarah Capati.

Starr’s Mill was winning balls and outhustling the Lady Chiefs for much of the first half but McIntosh appeared to wake up towards the end of the half. Katie Schulz scored with just over seven minutes in the game off of a solid cross from Kelsey Quinn and McIntosh entered the half trailing by one.

Quinn started the scoring eight minutes in to the second half and McIntosh was putting all the pressure on Starr’s Mill. Jessie Lenze just missed a goal eight minutes later and Starr’s Mill countered on the next play as O’Hara nabbed her second goal with Martin getting the assist. Play got more physical between the two teams and with just over two minutes to go, Lenze got a cross up and Monica Hogan knocked in the equalizer.

“We didn’t play to our potential,” said McIntosh coach Marcia Clark. “I’m not happy with a tie, not tonight.”

“Fans certainly got their moneys worth tonight,” said Starr’s Mill coach Greg Shifflett, who was disappointed that his team lost a lead with so little time left on the clock. His players were disappointed too.

“I’m glad they’re ticked off,” said Shifflett. “It shows this means something to them. They really wanted this one.”

In the boys game, McIntosh finally earned their first win over the Panthers, defeating them 2-0. After a scoreless first half where both teams had their chances, Nader Jarun scored a little under five minutes in to the first half off of a kick. With just under 15 minutes remaining, Andy Summerville headed in a ball from Michael Mateos. The Chiefs would threaten to score again but Starr’s Mill kept them off the board. McIntosh’s fans stormed the field after the game, celebrating the team’s first victory over Starr’s Mill.

“Our goalkeeper Matt Rogers played outstanding,” said Coach Bunky Colvin, who also cited good play from Patrick Murray and Karl Waasdorp.

In other games over the weekend, Fayette County’s Lady Tigers defeated Jonesboro 3-0. Allie Peterson scored a goal assisted by Staci Pugh, while Jenny Ross got assists on goals by Jordan Brown and Kira Cooper. In the boys game, Aleksejs Baranovs scored off a corner kick by Mark Francissen with five minutes remaining to get a 1-1 tie with the Cardinals.

Whitewater’s boys and girls got wins over Chapel Hill. The boys won 3-2 and the girls won 2-1. On Saturday, the Lady Wildcats tied North Gwinnett 1-1. Bailey Powell and Elizabeth McLaughlin scored in the Chapel Hill game and Kayla Emerson scored on Saturday with Brittany Vining earning the assist.

Whitewater hosted Sandy Creek last night.