Wednesday, July 21, 1999 |
Lightning
83 play gold ball and finish bronze By MICHAEL
BOYLAN Oklahoma, the state that launched one of the most famous musicals of all time, hosted the Region III soccer championships recently. Fayetteville's AFC Lightning 83 Gold team, the Georgian U16 Boys champions, traveled to Edmond, Okla. with dreams of winning big. Their first match was against the Tulsa Thunder. The game was scoreless until right before the half. George Sheppard received a pass from Casey Magner and slid it into the net, giving the Lightning a 1-0 edge at halftime. Magner scored 15 minutes into the second half to give the Lightning the 2-0 lead. Goalie Michael O'Mahoney stopped a penalty shot to preserve the shutout. The Lightning faced WES Heat from Arkansas Saturday. George Sheppard scored the first two goals for the team and was followed soon after by two goals from Robert Cooper. Matt Miller scored the last goal as the Lightning went on to win 5-1. The team would have to face Charlotte FC, formerly known as Park Sharon, Sunday to wrap up group play. The Lightning struck first during Sunday's game. Casey Magner received a beautiful pass from Stephen Wilson and buried it in the net. Charlotte tied the game with 10 minutes left when the Lightning scored an own goal. The tie was good enough for the Lightning to win their group and get them into the semifinals. In the semifinals, the Lightning faced the Texas Longhorns. Texas scored two goals very quickly but the Lightning's Brandon Gish fought back to tie the game at two apiece. Texas scored with two minutes left in regulation, sending themselves to the finals and sending the Lightning home. The Lightning finished third in the Southeastern region.
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