MOULTRIE – Two times East Coweta High found an open soccer net to score goals in Wednesday’s GHSA Class 7A opening round match at Packer Park. The most back-breaking one came after Colquitt County High dwindled the Indians’ three-goal lead down to one.

So with 5:52 remaining in regulation, East Coweta squashed the momentum built over 13 minutes of the second half and eliminated the Region 1-7A No. 1 Packers 4-2.

The Packers and Indians from Sharpsburg and Region 2-7A staged a tight, intense battle with clutch defensive moments from both sides that flipped possession time and time again.

Colquitt was the team taking more offensive chances early on from Raymon Garcia’s steal off the whistle to a corner kick cleared away just three minutes in. When East Coweta took its first free kick from 45 yards away a couple of minutes later, Wes Smith claimed the ball, and a shooting combination from Abrahm Sanchez to Jose Moreno was caught in net.

For the Packer defense over a five-minute span in the first half, Daniel Carriche helped his keeper, senior Blayton Duncan, on a stop, and Penuel Rodriguez used his head to clear the ball.

On offense, Moreno took three long efforts that were on target but short of the mark. At 19:43, defender Emmanuel Rodriguez pushed the ball the other way and blasted a shot wide.

With 18 minutes remaining, the Indians earned some free kicks and a corner, but only took one chance on the goal from the top of the box wide.

P. Rodriguez and Carlos Landa, off coach Jimbo Jarvis’ bench, attempted to create scoring chances over three minutes. Moreno took one more shot high at 12:25. When the visitors were hit with a yellow card at midfield, Juan Pascual, who had been playing some defense, found Sanchez on the weak side. His shot was knocked away for a corner at 8:45.

Possession was in Colquitt’s favor as the half wore on, but then East Coweta sprinted with the ball on the left side and passed to an open man, he put it in net on the left post for 1-0 Indians at 6:13.

The Packers would be called for offsides at 4:03, and it took the Indians less than a minute to capitalize, get the keeper out of position and go up 2-0 (3:07).

Colquitt’s attempts to score over the last two minutes came from Pascual, his 20-yarder high, and from Garcia on the dribble.

Garcia tried to create three minutes into the second half chasing a loose ball into a corner. He got help passing to Landa, but the shot was saved.

East Coweta earned a free kick on the left of the box, but P. Rodriguez made the block and clear. E. Rodriguez, at the 30-minute mark, ran alongside a breaking opponent and forced a shot off the post.

The defense was aggressive, but then it lead to a penalty kick try for the visitors at 25:43. The PK gave East Coweta a 3-0 lead.

Smith drew a foul for Colquitt on the right of the box, but Ruben Gonzalez and Sanchez had their efforts up close blocked. The Packers also had a corner at the 18-minute mark cleared.

The big momentum builder for the Packers was at 16 to go and a foul on the Indians against Moreno in a corner. He scored off the free kick for 3-1.

The speed of Gonzalez and Moreno almost created a shot at 14:21, but then the Indians were called for a handball at 12:10. E. Rodriguez followed the near 45-yard free kick in to score using his head.

With the score 3-2, the visitors prevented goals at 9:54 and 8:15, and Garcia missed wide from a corner. It was off that play that East Coweta moved the ball in the opposite corner, and as Duncan joined the defense, the net was open for the goal making it 4-2.