Gilmer High School soccer was in West Hall last Friday for region matches.
The girls teams played first, and the GHS Lady Cats were continually on the attack and came away with their first region win, 3-2. The Bobcats were up next, and they endured their first region loss of the season to the Spartans, 2-1.
The Lady Cats played from behind to start as WHHS scored the match’s opening goal. The Spartans attacked right down the middle of the field with a through ball and led by a goal after less than four minutes of play.
Gilmer’s Yesica Tercero evened the score with 11:40 left in the half. Yenifer Lopez’s corner kick finally fell to Tercero, and she was there to score from 8 yards away when WHHS could not clear the ball.
The score remained tied until 13 minutes into the second half. Lopez sent a 30-yard pass from the left wing to find a charging Faith Goodwin. She calmly sent a 9-yard shot past the goalkeeper for a 2-1 advantage.
Gilmer’s offense produced its third goal 3 1/2 minutes later. The Lopez to Goodwin connection came through again. This time Lopez launched a cross from the left wing and Goodwin headed the ball in from 8 yards out.
The Spartans netted the match’s final goal on a breakaway with 23:45 still left in the half, but they would not get any closer.
The Bobcats scored in the 15th minute to take a 1-0 lead. Domingo Reynoso-Loarca launched a 55-yard pass from Bobcat territory that was corralled by Jason Perez, who scored from 13 yards out.
“Possession went backward and forward until the end of the first half,” said head coach Simon Phipps. “We spoke at the half about not being able to defend a 1-0 lead, so we made some changes to improve goal-scoring opportunities.”
This opened up the field for WHHS, who had more success attacking and completing passes over the match’s final 40 minutes. West Hall tied the score with 26:45 left on the clock when a Spartan forward weaved in and out of GHS defenders for a close-range goal inside the near post.
The Bobcats got caught on a counter attack 11 minutes later. A long through ball down the left flank found a surging Spartan for the game’s final goal.
“We were having to defend really hard and look for a chance to counter,” Phipps said. “They had some good shots on goal, and Talyn Curtis made some fantastic saves that kept us in the game and the score down.
“The boys never put their heads down and battled to the end. Coach Taylor (Johnstone) and I are proud of the effort and resilience they showed.”
The Bobcats are 6-3 on the season, and the Lady Cats are 3-6-1. GHS will celebrate its senior players Wednesday between the boys and girls matches. The Lady Cats are set to kick off at 5 p.m.
Gilmer will travel to East Forsyth Friday to take on the Broncos with matches beginning at 5:30 p.m.