No. 8-ranked Putnam County boys’ soccer hadn’t been challenged much this season until Friday night at home on Al Reaves Field when it faced Toombs County in the first round of Class AA state playoffs.
However, the War Eagles battled the Bulldogs until the end and came away with a win in penalty kicks. They dominated in crunch time, outscoring Toombs County 4-2 to advance to the Sweet 16.
Putnam County head coach Michael Taylor said he was extremely proud of how his squad handled the pressure.
“We did have a battle,” Taylor said. “We played against a No. 4 seed and they pushed us right to the very end.”
Putnam County relied on five seniors during the dramatic part of the match. Jermaine Nelson, Marco Owenby, Brandon Reeves and Bernabe Meraz all netted goals during penalty kicks.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Preston Wilson had let the Bulldogs put only two balls past him at that point. He made two important saves late in the penalty kicks stage to send Toombs County home with the loss.
“I’m extremely proud of our team. They’ve had a pretty easy time for most of the season. They have not been pushed since the very beginning when we tied both Morgan County and Lake Oconee Academy,” Taylor said. “So, I’ve been worried about when we would finally face a little bit of grit from another team, I was wondering how we were going to handle it. They buckled down and really pulled through in the end. They were all pushing each other to play their very best.”
The War Eagles grabbed a lead early as Owenby scored their only goal of regulation in the first half. However, the Bulldogs got one past Wilson later in the half to tie it up at 1-1.
In the second half, both teams traded blows up and down the pitch but with no scores. The two overtime periods were more of the same, with the time of possession for each team being about equal. Those three scoreless periods led to Putnam and Toombs going head-to-head in penalty kicks.
“This is the first year I’ve gotten to work [with this senior class]. What I have noticed the most is that they’ve all worked well together,” Taylor said. “They have played together in school or club for a long time, but also work well with our younger guys. They know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, which I think has really helped in terms of continuity on the team. We’ve got a great group.”
Putnam County is in the second round for the first time in two years when this senior class was in 10th grade. The War Eagles hope to move on to the Elite Eight with another win this week after they face No. 3 seed Rutland on Thursday.
The Hurricanes upset No. 2 seed Jeff Davis last week in the opening round. The Putnam vs. Rutland game is set to begin at 5:30 p.m. April 20, again at Al Reaves Field in Eatonton.
“We couldn’t have done this without the entire team, but especially without my assistant coach, Jared Coronado,” Taylor said. “He’s one of the main reasons why we are in this position right now.”