Lions Beat Norcross On The Road
Senior Ladies Step Up as Lady Lion’s Win 2-1
Lions Defense Shines, Men Win 1-0
The Varsity Lions took to the road on Friday night to play the first of their seven 2012 Region VII matches. Neither team would be disappointed as both came away with the Victory. Both teams are now tied for first place in the Region. The Lady Lions, on strength of some strong freshman goalkeeping and senior leadership in the attacking third, won their match 2-1, while a timely goal and a strong Lion defense led by Goal Keeper Daryl Sack earned a 1-0 victory in the men’s contest.
“Every year our objective is to win the Region,” said Lady Lions Coach Bill Holleman, “and we can only do that one game at time. This year, the Region is wide open. There is parity across the teams. We need to bring it every game, and tonight we did that. We had some good looks early, but couldn’t convert. When that happens you have to settle in and figure things out.” noted Holleman.
Shelby Jennings would finally find the key that opened the Norcross goal when her set piece shot from 22-yards out was ripped top shelf past the Blue Devil keeper. “In games like this, especially Region VII contests, you need your team leaders to come through, and Shelby did that. It was a great shot,” said Holleman. The Lion defense was superb in the match, with Katey Lippitt, Jennings, Graham Green and Kayla Thomas shutting down the Blue Devil attack in the final third. “Kayla had a great game. On more than one occasion she was the loan mark on some strong attacking players and she shut them down each time. We needed that. Shelby and Katey controlled the middle and did a good job of stepping forward to break up plays. Graham played exceptional too. That is what we need in Region games,” Holleman continued.
The play in the middle was a battle, with both teams subbing in fresh legs from time to time to keep the flow going. Strong play was turned in by Macey Raines, Katie Fitton, Jordyn Missel, Esther Cano, Courtney Miller, Phoebe Palmer, Amanda Ferry, and Ashley Balmforth.
After the Blue Devil’s tied the score on a scramble in the box after an initial save by Lion Cosette Morche, the senior leaders on the team stepped up. Jennings broke up a Blue Devil attack and looked up to see senior forward Alanna Dineen making a run between the two Blue Devil middle defenders. Jenning’s pass was timed perfectly, as she put Dineen in on goal 1 v. 1 with the keeper. Dineen’s initial shot was stopped but her follow up allowed her to skip pasted the keeper and slot the ball into the back of the net for the 2-1 lead and eventual game winning goal.
The men’s match was another high stakes region VII contest. “We had some early looks,” noted Lion Coach Ryan Sutton, “but we seemed to just miss connections. That kept the contest close. The Norcross team is a strong counter attacking squad, so you have to finish when you get the chance.”
Kevin Zuluaga, Juan Herrera, and Evan Pantels would have good looks in the first half, but the Norcross keeper was in the right place. “Both goal keepers played well, and we were just missing on our combinations up front. The result was the tie game at the half,” continued Sutton. Lion Goal Keeper Daryl Sack has had a strong campaign, but this night he was truly special. His reaction was incredible and his leadership kept the defense together. The Blue Devils created 4 quality scoring opportunities that led to 1 v. 1 shooting solutions. Sack stood tall on each, giving no ground to the Norcross attack. “Daryl had a great game,” Sutton said, “but we put him in a situation where he shouldn’t have been. We have to do a better job in front of him.”
The Lion’s finally broke through in the 64th minute when a Daniel Rodriquez corner kick was headed back across the goal by Kevin Zuluaga. Junior Raul Diaz would head the ball into the back of the net for his first goal of the season. “Raul gave us the lift we needed as Kevin once again played a beautiful ball,” said Sutton. With the lead, the Lion’s would withstand a late charge by the Blue Devil’s to secure the 1-0 victory.
Next up the Junior Varsity Lion’s entertain Duluth at home on Monday, March 19th in another region match. The Boy’s have the early contest at 5:45 p.m. and the Girl’s drop the ball on their match at 7:30 p.m.
The Varsity Lion’s continue region play at home when they take on the Collins Hill Eagles on Tuesday night, March 20, 2012, at Lion’s Stadium. The game is also Teacher Appreciation Night and Youth Night. All Players wearing their club jersey get in free, with the first 50 jersey wearers receiving a free Lion's T-Shirt. The Lady Lion’s match begins at 5:55 p.m. and the Men’s match starts at 7:45 p.m.
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