The Putnam County girls soccer team continues to show signs of growth this season, even after a narrow 2-1 loss to Jasper County on Friday, March 13.
The defeat came after a strong stretch for the Lady War Eagles, who entered the game riding a two-game winning streak — their first victories of the season after opening the year with seven straight losses.
Putnam County broke through with a 4-0 win over Towers and followed it with a commanding 9-0 victory against Utopian Academy for the Arts. The back-to-back region wins marked a turning point for a team that had struggled early in the season, giving the Lady War Eagles momentum and confidence heading into the remainder of their schedule.
Putnam County has also started to find its offensive rhythm, scoring 14 goals over its last three matches after being shut out and outscored 40-0 through its first seven games.
Putnam County head coach Michael Abney is high on freshman Giselle Chavez.
“Giselle is leading the team in goals scored this year with nine as a freshman,” Abney said. “This is also with her missing four games due to injury. She is averaging a hat trick over the last three games and playing really great soccer.”
During that same three-game stretch, the Lady War Eagles have also tightened up defensively, allowing just two total goals.
Senior Jamie Maria is one of the team’s leaders and helps open opportunities on both ends of the field. Her effort creates offensive chances for Chavez and supports junior Erika Sanchez and senior Luisana Araque on defense.
Senior goalkeeper Alexa Hernadez has also shown improvement in the net.
“Alexa is playing great at keeper and keeping most games extremely close for us, allowing us to pressure on offense more freely,” Abney said.
Abney said the improvement has come from his team’s willingness to compete and continue executing what they work on in practice.
In the matchup against Jasper County, Abney felt his team matched its opponent’s physicality and remained competitive throughout.
“We were playing physical,” Abney explained. “It was going back and forth. We were competing. Had some opportunities on both sides that didn’t go our way.”
After a scoreless first half, Putnam County scored on a play the team had spent significant time preparing for during the week.
“We had worked on that exact play for about three hours this week,” Abney said. “So it was good to see it kind of come into fruition.”
On the scoring sequence, a Putnam County attacker battled the opposing goalkeeper for possession, knocking the ball loose before finishing into an open net to give the Lady War Eagles the lead.
Although Jasper County ultimately rallied to secure the 2-1 win, the performance reflected the progress Putnam County has made since the start of the season.
For a team that began the year 0-7, recent wins and competitive efforts against Jasper County are promising signs as the Lady War Eagles continue building confidence and momentum.
Putnam County (2-8) will face Lamar County on Tuesday in Barnesville before returning home to take on Social Circle this Friday. Next week, the Lady War Eagles will host rematches against Towers and Utopian Academy for the Arts, looking to build on their recent momentum.