Effingham edges out champion Lady Bears

Cat Hall’s conversion of a wide crossing assist from Makenzi Rogers in the second half was enough for Effingham County High, a No. 4 seed from Region 3-AAAAA, to upset Region 2-AAAAA champion Houston County High Wednesday 2-1 to open the GHSA 5A girls soccer playoffs.

Each side played with a determined effort, but the Effingham Lady Rebels – with 10 wins on the season visiting from north of Savannah – overcame the quick strike of Houston’s Breanna Gomez that provided a one-goal lead for the program that won region for the first time ever.

Effingham tied the match on a first-half penalty kick. The game-winning goal was certainly earned as the rest of the match featured dynamic play in net by Houston County’s Marissa Molnar and Sydney Martinez of the Lady Rebels.

Gomez, a senior, did not give up on a soccer ball rolling down and headed for out of bounds on Effingham’s side at the right corner. As she was chased in her own pursuit of possession, Gomez did catch up with the prize and struck what was basically a corner kick. That shot hit the back of the net on the left side of the goal and put Houston ahead 1-0.

It was at 36:23 of the first half when Gomez scored. But Effingham was not out of contention and drew a yellow card foul at 35:34. The free kick was about 35 yards away, but the ball was claimed by Molnar. Her defenders stood up to their challenges in a team effort shown by Riana Greene, Val’Dazia Todd, Georgia Bostic, Jasmine Westbrook and Emily Burgess.

They allowed Molnar to run down more soccer balls in the penalty box without difficulty, and Effingham got one shot off from a corner at 26:29.

At the 21-minute mark of the half, offensive momentum shifted briefly to Houston County. Freshman forward Stevie Rigby, at 20:45, took a close-in shot saved on a dive to her left by Martinez. Westbrook’s defense led to a chance to Jamya Spivey, but the Lady Bears couldn’t convert. The ball went back to Effingham’s side, and Molnar showed good concentration to catch a left-angle try of 20 yards (18:47).

Not long after, Bostic’s defense helped Molnar with a stop on the ground. Molnar, still a couple of minutes later, had Effingham’s free kick from a corner. At 12:50, Effingham’s forward beat her marker, but Molnar dived to save the shot.

A major reason Houston wasn’t getting as many clean looks at the net was sweeper MacKenzie Stewart, who was at a height disadvantage against players like Rigby. But she could get from one striker to another to mark whoever had the soccer ball. Rigby, at 11:17, took a one-on-one shot saved. Burgess took on Stewart but shot high at 9:55.

Leading up to the Lady Rebel leveling point, Westbrook put on a defensive stand in the box. As the visitors recovered the ball, there was a foul called at 3:29. The penalty kick was good for 1-1, but it was not the end of the half.

Even with three seconds on the clock, it was not the end of the half. On Burgess’ throw in, Rigby worked her way to a shot in the box saved by Martinez at the buzzer.

Molnar opened the second half claiming territory and the soccer ball at the top part of her penalty box. Her support was steady from Bostic, Greene and Westbrook. Eight minutes into this half, Stewart made her first impact on the Lady Bear offense. The first real save from Molnar, on a low ball, came at 30:50.

For the next couple of minutes, Houston initiated all sorts of action on its end starting with Spivey’s blast from the left side. This led to a leaping catch in net at 28:25.

Only a few players were involved when Rogers had the ball to the goal’s right and made the diagonal pass to Hall. Her open look counted at 21:31.

The urgency for Houston picked up, and Martinez played two soccer balls at the top of her box before Rigby charged from the left and passed to Bostic. That led to a major plea for a penalty on Effingham that didn’t come. It was just another stop for Martinez with less than 15 minutes to play.

More action from Rigby led to back-to-back corner kicks. Effingham escaped trouble there, but Walsh and Todd broke up the ensuing Lady Rebel push. At 8:23, Effingham disrupted another attack in the box.

Molnar suffered an injury diving on a ball at 7:41. Houston tried to catch the Lady Rebels off guard as play resumed and had a corner at 6:10. Todd’s rebound shot was cleared, and Effingham countered with two more attacks involving Stewart.

The final serious attempt to tie the game was at 2:15, and it was Bostic’s crossing pass to Spivey. She hit the ball hard, point blank and low at Martinez, but the save was made.

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