Gilmer High soccer opened region play with a home victory.
The Bobcats hosted the White County Warriors last Tuesday, and after a slow start, Gilmer’s offense came alive for a 5-0 runaway victory.
GHS ended the week Friday at home versus Cherokee Bluff. After losing to the Bears 9-1 a season ago, the Bobcats notched a 1-0 win in overtime to improve to 2-0 in region play.
Against White County, GHS head coach Simon Phipps noted the Bobcats looked “disinterested” and “unorganized.” However, they got an inspired run from Julien Withrow that reversed their fortunes.
“After eight minutes, Julien picked the ball up on our 26-yard line from a defensive clearance and ran it 74 yards down the field and scored one of the best individual goals I have seen in eight years at GHS,” Phipps said.
“We started to look a little better after that, but our play was still not as fluid as I would like.”
In the final minutes of the half, Domingo Reynoso-Loarca sent the ball into the box from 44 yards out and it found its way into the net for a 2-0 halftime lead.
“We had a good team meeting at halftime and made a few adjustments tactically, and we came out looking better and playing better football,” Phipps noted.
GHS moved ahead 3-0 10 minutes into the second half when Connor Seim scored a header on a well-delivered corner kick from Withrow.
Seim took a threatening shot that could not be secured by the Warrior goalkeeper, and Bobcat Camden Lyles knocked in the rebound. The goal gave GHS a 4-0 advantage with 16 minutes to play.
Withrow added a final GHS goal eight minutes later as the Cats claimed the win in their region opener.
“We have some really tough games ahead of us in this region, and it is going to be difficult for us,” Phipps said. “All we can do is keep trying, play some football and score some goals.”
It took more than 90 minutes for a goal to come against Cherokee Bluff, and it prompted a celebration on and off the field as the Bobcats’ efforts finally paid off.
“In my time at GHS, I have never seen that kind of reaction from a team or the fans in the stands. It was truly amazing and something that will stay with me for a long time,” Phipps said.
“(Assistant) Taylor (Johnstone) and I are very proud of how the boys played and how they stuck with the plan and fought and battled for every single ball. It was their will and determination that won that game, and they just refused to be beaten.”
Following 80 minutes of regulation and the first 10-minute overtime, Withrow scored less than a minute into the second overtime period.
Withrow sparked the play when he got his foot on a Bear pass 40 yards away from goal. After popping the ball in the air, he started his run toward the goal. Seim won the ensuing header, and flicked the ball ahead to a charging Withrow. He knocked the ball down as he raced past a defender before tucking the ball inside the near post from 9 yards out.
GHS held off Cherokee Bluff over the final nine minutes for its second region win.
“When I saw Julien get that assist from Connor, I knew he was going to score, and at that point, all we had to do was pull everyone back and defend as the game depended on it,” Phipps said.
The momentous goal came after Gilmer had some good scoring opportunities in the first half but could never put the ball in the net.
“I feel like we had a lot of possession in the first half and were unlucky not to get a goal. We made some adjustments at halftime and spoke about what we would do if we conceded a goal,” Phipps said.
“We came out strong at the start of the second half, but you could tell that both teams were getting tired the longer the game went on and the play started to get a little sloppy.”
Some tactical adjustments in the second half enabled GHS to finally break through and preserve its win.
“We made a couple of substations and played around with the formations on the field, switching from our 4-5-1 into a 4-3-3, and finally into a 4-4-2, and this final move helped change the outcome of the game,” Phipps said.
“When we got to overtime, I told the boys we had to win it there and then, and they knew they had to get it done as they nor I wanted the lottery of penalties.”
GHS is 6-2 overall and returns to the field Friday at West Hall for at 7 p.m. kickoff.