Monday, May 16, 2011

Gwinnett County goes 0-4 in soccer title games

The 2011 soccer season will be looked back on as a year of what could have been in Gwinnett County. The Greater Atlanta Christian School boys and girls, Collins Hill boys, and the North Gwinnett girls all reached the state finals in their various classifications but all came up short of bringing the title back to Gwinnett County. In the Class AA boys final, GAC managed to tie up Westminster 1-1 in the second half on a Denzel Clarke goal, but the Spartans could only watch Westminster put the game-winning goal into the net with seven minutes to play to clinch the title.

Meanwhile Collins Hill was attempting to pull off a three-peat but the bid was spoiled by Walton in a 2-1 loss. Dominic Bonilla put the Eagles up in the 32nd minute; however Walton was able to tie the match at 1-1 several minutes before halftime. Walton score in the 52nd minute and then turned into a bit of a shell defense, preventing Collins Hill from scoring a game-extending goal. The loss snapped Collins Hill’s 14-game winning streak and ended a potential three-peat for the program.

The North Gwinnett girls were seeking a second straight title, but Harrison scored an early goal in the seventh minute and then held on for the 1-0 win. The Lady Bulldogs suffered a crucial injury during the game, as star Abigail Groth went down, forcing a host of lineup changes for North Gwinnett. Despite two scoring chances in the second half, North Gwinnett could not muster up the equalizer against the top-ranked Hoyas. North Gwinnett finished the year 19-4.

Finally in what might be the most painful loss, the GAC girls lost 1-0 on a controversial PK in the second overtime period. The Lady Spartans were called for too much contact in the box with less than three minutes remaining in the second OT, and Blessed Trinity took advantage, knocking home the go-ahead score. GAC managed five total shots on goal.

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