Colquitt soccer blasts Camden in rematch
Published 6:31 pm Saturday, March 10, 2018
- From Colquitt County Region 1-7A soccer play Friday at Packer Park vs. Camden County: Josie Sellars with the ball, watched by Lady Packer teammate Hannah Goodno.
MOULTRIE – The pre-match conversation with Colquitt County High soccer coach Jimbo Jarvis centered around the significance of region losses. Jarvis said his team’s priority is to take care of its own business and not leave matters up to things like goal differential or goals allowed.
On Friday at Packer Park, Colquitt’s boys not only got even in the regular season Region 1-7A series with Camden County High, but also blew away any head-to-head tiebreakers. Both Raymon Garcia and Abrahm Sanchez scored twice in a 7-0 rout of the Wildcats, which was a much better margin for the Packers than Camden’s 2-0 win in Kingsland back in February.
Camden never came seriously close to notching even one goal in Colquitt’s allowed column. It was Colquitt’s second straight shutout win in Region 1-7A after the 1-0 overtime blanking of Tift County the week before. They will try to keep that allowed total at two Tuesday at Lowndes.
In the current five-match winning streak, the Packers have 36 goals.
To start things out Friday on Camden, the Packers had an early corner kick where the ball was played out and taken by normal defender Penuel Rodriguez. His shot was saved. Rodriguez went to the opposite end and broke up Camden’s try at a crossing pass inside.
Colquitt was earning more and more corner kicks, like on the 20-yard bash by Sanchez. Garcia settled the ball on the opposite end and passed to Juan Pascual. This brought another chance to kick from the corner, but Camden cleared it, all this within the first five minutes of play.
Goalkeeper Blayton Duncan got help from defender Wes Smith in stopping a rare Wildcat rush before the first 10 minutes were up. At 28:49, Pascual slid near the baseline to keep a ball in play. Garcia received the next pass and scored (1-0).
It didn’t take long, 27:30, for Colquitt to match Camden’s output from the previous encounter. Off yet another corner kick, the ball deflected off the Wildcats to the net (2-0).
Rodriguez caught up with Camden’s charge inside 23 minutes before the half and gave the Wildcats’ their first chance at a corner. Eric Leon headed the ball away to where Camden got to set up again. Duncan, Leon and Carlos Landa were on this effort sending it away.
Jarvis had said Colquitt was called for offsides time and again in Kingsland; that only happened about three times midway through Friday’s first half. To gain the edge in margin on Camden, Sanchez won a 50-50 and found Pascual outside. Becoming a master at the crossing pass, Pascual sent the ball in the box to Ruben Gonzalez, who connected at 18:17.
The work of Jose Moreno and Pascual got Colquitt more corners, but Camden saved the shots of Gonzalez and George Barber. Inside of six minutes before the half, Pascual’s cross to Garcia was called offside, so they tried again. That would be Garcia’s second goal for 4-0 Packers at 3:54.
Duncan saw some action in those last three minutes, catching a 25-yard free kick and slapping away a corner kick forced by Rodriguez’ play.
Early in the second half, Colquitt attacked in the Wildcat box with the ball going from Moreno to Landa to Gonzalez, who hit the top bar. Colquitt tried a rebound header saved, but Sanchez reclaimed the ball and put his team up 5-0.
It was also a half full of cards, Camden receiving the yellow at 35:44 and Colquitt getting one a minute later. Moreno drew a foul playing a pass outside the box from Gonzalez, so Moreno set up for the 21-yard free kick. That sailed into the net for 6-0 Packers.
More attacking from Colquitt came from Landa’s pass to Sanchez saved (31:30), Gonzalez’s laser shot deflected and Moreno’s pass on the run to Gonzalez – with some leaping involved – for a high shot (25:15). There was another yellow issued to the home team at 27:57, but with Leon and Barber taking charge on the defensive end, Pascual got off a shot missed high (21:26).
Moreno’s steal and dribbling drew Camden’s next yellow at 11:33. Colquitt also got corners from shots by Gonzalez and Garcia, then Sanchez notched his second goal at 7:30.
The Packers received one final yellow at 4:43, and while Garcia was denied on a one-on-one charge against Camden’s keeper, Duncan made his first real save at the 46-second mark.
• Colquitt County High’s girls soccer team fell to Camden County and speedy striker Olivia Simpson 6-0 Friday at home.
While there were all those goals for the Lady Wildcats, there were plays made by Colquitt goalkeeper Julia Warnock as she blocked a shot up top of the box four minutes in. She got help from Lexi McDaniel, who headed away a corner kick. While Camden recovered, Warnock caught a shot taken at a right angle. At 34:30, Warnock did a sliding stop two times when Camden had the ball in open space.
It was at 26:58 when Simpson first hit an open net for 1-0 Lady Wildcats.
Hannah Goodno also gave some strong efforts on the defensive side using her head. Warnock’s next block was at 23:15, and at the 22-minute mark defender Jami Kling blocked Camden for an easy Warnock catch.
Most of Colquitt’s offensive attacks were broken up short of the penalty box. The visitors did that to Danielle Brown, Reagan Young and Branda Velasquez, then did a quick push the other way Warnock stopped at 16:30. Velasquez was also helpful on the defensive end with clearing kicks.
The match stayed 1-0 through the rest of the first half as, with eight minutes to go, Warnock’s one-handed save followed Camden’s goal kick win. McDaniel and Ragan Harden tried to send lead passes the other way, but Camden’s defense was too quick to the ball. Simpson tried to score twice in the last minute, but missed wide and saw Warnock fall on the ball.
Though Kling blocked her first try of the second half, Simpson dribbled by everybody earning her team a corner kick. She punched the ball in off the keeper’s hands for 2-0.
Warnock was on two more plays up to 33:30, but at the 32-minute mark Camden’s Sarah Boria scored to make it 3-0. Simpson popped in two more goals at 19:43 and 14:37.