TIFTON – There comes a point in some athletic contests when there’s no time to be technical.

Colquitt County High’s girls soccer team scored two goals in the final eight minutes of regulation – one in fact in the final eight seconds – to tie Tift County High Friday in the opening Region 1-7A soccer match of the 2017 season. When 10 minutes of overtime play didn’t decide the matter, there was a penalty-kick shootout, and there Trey Jones’ Lady Packers out-did the Lady Blue Devils 3-2 to take away the victory.

But in a mode that could be described as frantic and even ‘helter-skelter,’ Colquitt County found those two goals. First, it was freshman Chloe Gould, already establishing herself as a bona fide scoring threat on the pitch. She got into the box and ended Tift County’s shutout bid with eight minutes remaining in the second half.

With the score 2-1 Tift, the Lady Packers still had work to do, first keeping the soccer ball inbounds to preserve precious seconds, and to prevent the host Lady Blue Devils from answering the Gould point. Tift, not long after that goal, had a free kick in the 30- to 40-yard range caught by goalkeeper Julia Warnock. Warnock later beat a Lady Blue Devil to the ball near the top of her penalty box.

Then it became a matter of desperation. Reserve player Ny’Kearian Green was in position to hit a ball that ricocheted off Tift’s defense and over the line, technically called an own goal. Eight seconds showed on the moving game clock when the celebration noise began.

“We put the pressure on … didn’t quit,” said Jones. “We got the momentum, and I can’t be more proud of them.”

The first part of high school soccer overtime is 10 minutes of continued play divided into two halves. In the first half Gould had Colquitt’s only shot two minutes in (saved) and Warnock made a key catch with, again, eight seconds left.

In the second overtime Tift had a great opportunity at 1:21 with a player loose on the right side with a wide angle cross towards an open net. This actually happened twice in the last two minutes, and the second time the ball avoided the striker at the 25-second mark.

For the penalty kick shootout, where each team gets five shots looking to come out with the higher score, each side missed in the first round. Warnock saved the ball with her hands. Lexie McDaniel scored No. 2 for Colquitt, but Tift countered. Ragan Harden went top shelf to score No. 3, and Tift’s wide miss gave the visitors an edge with two rounds to go.

The Lady Devils drew even 2-2 after the fourth round, but in round No. 5 Addi Yost scored for Colquitt and Tift hit the top bar.

“Shootouts are tough,” said Jones. “It’s sweet for us, but tough for Tift. Hats off to them. They gave us a run for our money.”

Penalty kicking was a factor in regulation play Friday, but as the match started each side had a good saving play in the first four minutes. McDaniel had Colquitt’s first shot saved. Tift owned early possession advantage against the defense of Yost, Hannah Goodno and Mary Jacobs.

At the 10th minute, however, the Lady Packers were called for a foul three yards into the box. Tift made the penalty kick count for 1-0.

Harden attempted to generate offense from Gould over the next five minutes. Gould took one shot tipped away for a corner kick. They also earned a free kick of about 25 yards (22:30), but it was caught near the goal.

With under 19 minutes to go, Jacobs defended Tift’s fast break, and Colquitt pushed the other way for another corner kick. The ball was headed out to Gould, but the keeper fell on her shot.

Down to under 15 minutes, the Lady Blue Devils charged one-on-one, but an extra tap on the ball allowed Warnock to pounce on it. At 12:15 Tift broke loose towards the Colquitt net again, and moving the ball towards the middle led to an open net and score for 2-0.

Warnock recorded a save two minutes later, and made a catch helped out by Yost’s defense and the work of Jami Kling playing for the first time since recovering from a concussion.

As the match moved into the second half, momentum did belong to the Lady Packers with numerous 50-50 wins and a steal from Daliza Gachuz. Harden’s ensuing pass to Gould was shot wide at 34:25. Warnock’s first significant play, diving on a charge, came four minutes later. Colquitt’s other main stop on the defensive side was Jacobs coming away with a corner kick at the 14-minute mark.

Sugeili Gachuz suffered an arm injury during the first half of play and did not return to the field.