THOMASVILLE — In a match that was rescheduled twice this season, the Thomas County Central Yellow Jackets defeated the Thomasville Bulldogs on the soccer pitch Friday in both the girls and boys games.
It was the end of a perfect 16-0 regular season for the girls as they defeated Thomasville 8-0. Meanwhile, the boys went down early, but bounced back, scoring five unanswered goals to take a 5-1 win.
The girls got things started off quickly, keeping the ball in their offensive zone and putting the pressure on Thomasville’s goal keeper. Addie Vickers was the first to strike, scoring a pair of goals within the first 10 minutes.
Just a few minutes later Bailey Maroney would find Vickers, who put toe to leather, and sent in her third goal of the game into the back of net, securing a hat trick in less than 20 minutes.
Maroney then got in on the fun, scoring off an assist from Mikayle Voyles in the 15th minute. Two minutes later, Paige Parkerson knocked one in and Jordan Tillman followed that up with a strike of her own. As the final seconds of the first half ticked away and the horn sounded, Central was up 6-0.
The second half saw less scoring, but was no less dominant for the Lady Jackets.
Maroney found the back of the net for her second goal of the game and the Jackets’ defense was lights out. Any opportunity Thomasville had was quickly shut down by Central’s back line. The Lady Jackets ultimately took the 8-0 win and completed a perfect season.
The boys game spelled trouble early for the Yellow Jackets as Farid Gonzalez sent a header past the keeper off a corner just three minutes into the game. Central was down, but not out and, in the 21st minute, Dillon Taylor sent a laser-like strike bending into the goal from outside the box for the equalizer.
The score remained tied until the final two minutes of the first half when Lee Duvergel drew a penalty and earned a PK. He sent the ball screaming past the keeper for the go-ahead goal. After they took a 2-1 lead, Central and Duvergel never looked back.
The senior striker would send in another goal to extend the Yellow Jacket lead and, just a few minutes later, scored again to secure a hat trick.
Central continued to pour on the pressure and were able to put another goal in the back of the net before it was all said and done. As the final horn sounded, Central took the win 5-1.
The Yellow Jacket boys finished their season with an impressive 10-3-2 record, finishing second in the region.
Thomas County Central will now go on to host the first round of the state playoffs. The girls will host Riverwood on Thursday and the Central boys will host St. Pius on Friday.
Thomasville had a successful season on the pitch as well. The girls came out ahead of the pack at 8-6-3, securing second place in the region.
They will host Harlem in the first round of the state playoffs on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Thomasville boys, who finished an impressive 10-6-1, also finished second in the region allowing them to host Harlem in the first round on Wednesday.