PLAYOFF BOUND
Lions beat Bears for 4th seed from Region VII
The Varsity Lions secured a place in the 2012 GHSA State Playoffs with a convincing 5-2 win over the Mountain View Bears on Friday evening. The win was their 10th of the season against 5 losses, as they finished Region VII play with a 4-3 record.
“Many of the best teams in the state are in Region VII,” said relieved Coach Ryan Sutton, “so in a way we have been in the state playoffs for the last few weeks.” At the beginning of the evening, three teams were still challenging for the third and fourth seeds from Region VII, while Mill Creek and Collins Hill locked horns for the Region title. At the end of the night, the stage was set: 1. Collins Hill 2. Mill Creek 3. North Gwinnett 4. Peachtree Ridge. Astonishingly, strong teams like Duluth, Meadowcreek, and Norcross – probably capable of making the playoffs in many other regions, will be watching this year’s playoffs from the stands. “There is just no weakness in the Region right now. You have to bring it every single night. If you are off your game even a little bit, these teams will eat you alive,” noted Sutton.
The Lions are finally settling into a formation that seems to be working as Sutton has had to deal with a rash of player issues that saw nine different players start in the defensive back four. “Tonight, our defense played extremely well. They are coming together at the right time, and their efforts are starting to contribute to our offensive production. In the offensive third, we combined more tonight which led to more chances. Overall we are pleased with the performance,” added Sutton. The defense was led by senior Michael Valenzuela, junior Grayson Guldenschuh, senior Lucas Raposo, and senior Kevin Zuluaga. Raul Diaz had an exceptional game at holding mid, where his efforts frustrated the Bears all contest, and Sahil Mahajan played with great passion in his midfield role.
It was combination play that led to Lion’s first three goals when senior forward Juan Herrera found junior forward Jeremy Rector at the top of the 18 yard line with a great pass. Rector beat two Bear defenders on the way to his first of three goals during the contest. Just a few minutes later, the tides would turn as Rector made a strong run down the right sideline, eventually finding Herrera in the box with a solid cross. Herrera’s snap header was buried in the back of the net for his sixth goal of the season and the Lions found themselves up 2-0. Just before halftime, defender Kevin Zuluaga would challenge a Mountain View clearance and make a strong run through the Bear midfield. He eventually slid a pass to Herrera at the top of the box, who flicked the ball into space behind the bear defense to the speedy Rector. As the Bear keeper charged the play, Rector was able to side step him and put the ball in the net for a comfortable 3-0 lead at half time.
The Lion’s started the second half strong, when freshman midfielder Ryan Fitton played a perfectly timed square ball across the midfield onto the foot of a striding Zuluaga. Zuluaga’s first touch put him even with the Bear defense. With a defender on either side of him challenging for the ball, Zuluaga was able to beat both and nail his shot passed the keeper into the far netting for the 4-0 lead. The Lion scoring was completed when Valenzuela played a beautiful ball to Rector, who was able to control the ball with his thigh and then his head to get behind the Bear defense. His rocket beat the Mountain View keeper for his third goal of the contest, giving the Lions a comfortable 5-0 lead. A few minutes later, the Lions just missed their sixth goal of the match when Keeper Daryl Sack’s long punt was challenged for by freshman Junghyun Nam. Nam fired a missile that caught the far post and bounded away.
The Lions got good work from Lion keeper Ryan Breon, who faced a flurry of activity from the Bears in the final 15 minutes – making two key saves. Jack Winfrey, Markuus Reese, Jordan Davis, Taylor Williamson, Daniel Rodriquez, Joey Bittner, and Evan Pantels each turned in solid performances, helping to secure the eventual 5-2 victory.
Next up, the Lions take on the Habersham Central Raiders on Tuesday night, April 17th. The Girls have the early contest at 5:30 pm, and boys go at it at 7:30 pm. Be there!
Tag(s): Lions News
