Last week was a mixed bag for the Giles County boys soccer team as they started the week with a big district win, battled to a hard-fought tie against a tough opponent, and ended the week with a tough district loss.
GCHS defeated Marshall County 10-3 on April 15, tied former district rival Page 2-2 on April 16, and lost 4-2 to Tullahoma last Friday.
With the result, the Bobcats are now 5-4-2 overall and 2-2 in District 8-AA.
The match against Page on April 16th will be pulaski citizen live Access it on-demand by downloading the Mixlr app and searching for “PCL GCHS.”
The Bobcats were scheduled to host Franklin County last night as a make-up contest originally scheduled for April 9th. The results of that contest were not available at the time of this article.
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On April 16th at Rotary Soccer Park, the two former district rivals battled under the lights, ending in a 2-2 draw.
This was a fiercely fought match, with momentum fluctuating wildly throughout the 80 minutes.
The early stages of the match were a back-and-forth affair, with neither team creating many scoring chances. The contest remained at a stalemate for the first 15 minutes or so, although each team continued to trade possession and jockeying for position in the attacking zone.
However, Giles County broke the deadlock around the midway point of the first half. Esteban L'Engle took a pass from Christian Saenz and fired a shot into the bottom right corner of the goal, giving GCHS a 1-0 lead.
Page began to find its footing offensively late in the first half and eventually scored with freshman Connor Fish scoring the tying goal just before halftime.
However, the Patriots' momentum didn't last long as Giles County captain Chase Cardin took a shot from the midway line shortly after kickoff.
Page goalie Zach Ahrendts misjudged Cardin's shot and sprinted back to make the save, but the shot ended up in the back of the net for a dramatic goal late in the first half.
The game became more physical throughout the second half as GCHS led 2-1.
Both the Bobcats and Patriots put pressure on their opponents offensively, but it was ultimately the Patriots who scored the only goal of the second half.
With just minutes left in the game, Patriots forward Aiden Pierpoint wiggled free and fired a shot over the outstretched arm of Bobcat goaltender Alvero Cabrera.
The late goal meant neither team really had a chance to score, and the former district rivals settled for a 2-2 draw.
In addition to L'Engle and Cardin, the Bobcats also had strong offensive performances from Carter Britton and Jamison Smith. Defenders Pearson Collier and Smith Collier fought valiantly at the back end for the Bobcat defense against a strong Class AAA Patriots team.
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The Bobcats earned a coveted district win against rival Marshall County in Lewisburg.
GCHS scored three points in the first half, including two in the first 11 minutes of the game.
Leading 3-0 at halftime, the Bobcats added their fourth goal just two minutes into the second half. Marshall County scored back to make the game 4-1, but GCHS scored his four goals in quick succession over his next 15 minutes.
Leading 8-1, the Bobcats allowed two more goals to MCHS, but tied it in the 75th and 77th minutes, forcing the game into a 10-3 final.
Christian Saenz and Esteban L'Engle had great nights for the Bobcats' offense, scoring seven of their 10 goals. Saenz and L'Engle also had three assists each.
For GCHS, Patrick Holt scored two goals and Carter Britton added another. Chase Cardin and Britton had the final assists for the Bobcats.
One of Holt's goals was beautiful. L'Engle drove the ball deep into the Marshall County corner, turned and delivered a cross, which Holt, with momentum, matched and sprinted towards the goal.
Freshman Alvero Cabrera had four net saves in over 70 minutes of action for the Bobcats. Sophomore Landon Hulse played the final moments of the game for GCHS, making one save and allowing one goal.
