The Putnam County girls soccer team took a big step forward during the 2026 season, returning to the playoffs after missing the postseason the year before.
Head coach Michael Abney said he was proud of the progress the team made, especially considering the challenges the Lady War Eagles faced along the way.
“Overall, I was pretty happy,” Abney said. “We went from the year before not making playoffs to qualifying for playoffs. We finished fourth in our region.”
Putnam County had several close games that could have gone either way. Putnam suffered a 2-1 loss to Jasper after holding a lead late in the match and fell 3-1 to Lake Oconee Academy despite creating several opportunities to push the game into overtime and potentially come away with a win.
“We had some heartbreaks,” Abney said. “There were several games where we kept it close, but we just weren’t very efficient at putting the ball in the net.”
The Lady War Eagles also battled through some off-field adversity last season, including illnesses that limited the team’s depth. In one match, Putnam County only had 12 players available, giving the team just one substitute.
“We only got mercy-ruled one time,” Abney said. “We had a lot of sicknesses. We only showed up with 12 players, so we only had one sub most of the rest of the time. They did pretty well.”
Putnam County earned a spot in the postseason, but the Lady War Eagles were dealt a difficult first-round matchup against Thomasville, the eventual state champion.
“We got a tough draw in the playoffs,” Abney said. “We matched with the number-one team in the state, who finished the year 23-0 and won the state championship.”
The Lady War Eagles will have to replace several key contributors from last season, including midfielder Jamie Maria and goalkeeper Alexa Hernandez. Still, Abneyy believes the program has a strong foundation moving forward.
“We lost a good group of seniors,” he said. “We lost Jamie, who was a really big midfielder for us, and probably one of the best goalkeepers in the region in Alexa Hernandez. We lost a lot of experience and knowing the game.”
Hernandez and Maria were also recognized for their performances during the season. Hernandez was named to the All-Region First Team, while freshman forward Giselle Chavez also earned First Team honors. Juniors Erika Sanchez and Vanessa Sanchez were selected to the All-Region Second Team.
Chavez was one of the biggest bright spots for the Lady War Eagles, leading the team in scoring during her freshman campaign. Abney said Chavez’s transition from middle school soccer to varsity competition was impressive.
“It’s hard to come in from middle school where you’re the biggest, strongest and fastest, and then go against seniors who have been doing this a lot longer,” Abney said. “She adjusted well and did really well.”
Looking ahead to next season, Putnam County will rely on a strong returning group along with younger players stepping into bigger roles.
Abney said several middle school players are expected to help fill some of the spots left open by graduating seniors.
“We’ve got some of the better middle school players coming up that are going to be able to fill some of those positions,” Abney said.
The Lady War Eagles also return a strong senior group that Abney hopes will provide leadership as the program continues to grow.
“We’ve got a really strong junior group that is now seniors, and we’re hoping that leadership carries over,” Abney said. “The goal is to make it to the second round. We made the first round this year, so our goal is the second round next year.”
After making its return to the playoffs in 2026, Putnam County enters the offseason with confidence and momentum as the program looks to take the next step.