MOULTRIE – Shootouts, just by their nature, are dramatic. It would be hard, though, to match the drama of last weekend’s Colquitt County boys soccer PK shootout victory at home against Camden County.

The Packers tried, however, and while it wasn’t nearly as close, it was still a victory in Region 1-7A.

Juan Pascual, Josh Aviles and Jason Gallardo notched three penalty kicks in a row, and visiting Tift County only made one – on its first try by Chris Banda. Afterwards, Colquitt goalkeeper Tony Jimenez followed up his three-save performance in the Camden shootout on Feb. 22 with a hand save against Lance Martinez and then saw the kicks by Armando Garcia and Alexis Espinoza hit posts. The last bang off the top bar ended it 3-1 in the Packers’ favor and continued both the 1-7A winning streak at two and the overall streak at 10 matches straight.

Both overtime and the shootout were the result of Tift County notching the leveling goal against a 1-0 Colquitt lead with 5:23 remaining in regulation. Much like the contest against Camden County, this was an evenly fought match between the neighboring rivals, the Blue Devils keeping the Packers from the high point totals of late like Monday’s 12-goal outburst at Brookwood School.

The first half in fact ended just as it began, 0-0. Coach Jimbo Jarvis had numerous defensive standouts such as Daniel Carriche, who won the first second-half battle in Tift’s attacking zone to get a goal kick. Colquitt County earned the half’s first corner kick at 37:30, but Tift’s own strong defender, Raul Delgado, cleared that away.

Possession flipped often – the Packers certainly not getting the 80 percent domination Jarvis described in Tuesday’s win at Ware County. Ulisis Malagon and Ruben Gonzalez broke up the next Blue Devil challenge, and when action moved over to the opposite end, Colquitt County finally ended the deadlock. From a throw-in near the right corner of the goal, the freshman Gallardo punched the ball in past Rosendo Ramirez, not only the Blue Devil goalkeeper but also their football placekicker.

With the score 1-0 and still 34:51 to play, Gonzalez – more than two minutes later – sent a ball from the middle to Gilbert Velasquez on the right. They looked for a foul, but no whistle came.

Ramirez played a major factor in the field shifts with his ability to send the soccer ball past midfield. That made more work for the likes of Malagon, Humberto Aguilar and Carriche. Gonzalez, with the time under 30 minutes, got it away from the Tift strikers and went end to end.

Ramirez then, at 27:30, made a remarkable catch against Pascual’s 40-yard free kick. But Jimenez had a few plays to make in regulation as well, including a head-shot catch with 24 minutes to go.

Closing in on the halfway mark, Carriche played one of Ramirez’ punts for a Blue Devil corner kick. Malagon cleared the ball two times. Carriche ran step for step with an ensuing Tift charge bringing about another corner try the Packers were able to head away. The first yellow card of the match would then go to the Blue Devils at midfield.

Neither side could take advantage of corner kicks over the next five minutes, and Aldo Miranda of Colquitt passed to Gonzalez in the middle for a shot deflected at 13:15. Just under the 10-minute mark, the Blue Devils put a combination of passes together for a wide shot Jimenez was able to grab.

Pascual was using his head to clear away visiting corner kicks, and he charged at the seven-minute mark on Colquitt’s next corner. His head attempt here went wide.

The tying point was upcoming as the Blue Devils earned a free kick near the right corner. The ball went into the penalty box, and Jimenez blocked the initial strike. Tift players were there to rebound, though, and connect for a 1-1 tie.

There were no close calls for the remaining five minutes save a yellow card issued to Colquitt at 4:41. The 15-minute overtime period was also a lot of back and forth ball movement with the best shot coming from Gallardo. The laser blast went right to Ramirez at 1:55.

When the first half began, nobody was pacing themselves, instead going full-speed ahead. Jimenez caught the first ball hit his way, and Ramirez dove to stop the ball from a sprinting Velasquez. Still in the first five minutes, Jimenez slapped away the attempt by Espinoza of Tift County for a corner. Colquitt’s Abram Sanchez cleared that ball from the box.

Ramirez smothered Miranda’s cross set up by Sanchez at the 30-minute mark. Tift was able to establish some possession, but Bobby Ussrey was among those Packers shining on the defensive line.

On Colquitt corner kicks, Velasquez took a header just off the mark midway through the half. Tift County, with under 14 minutes to go, had a 45-yard free kick Carriche played out with his head. At 11 minutes, Miranda’s crossing pass to Enrique Salgado was denied by Ramirez’ foot save. A couple of minutes later, John Reid Jarvis – having just checked into the fray – found a shot amid confusion in the box but missed high.

With Sanchez and Aguilar continuing the pace the defense and Miranda pushing the ball to Colquitt’s attack zone, Salgado had the best chance at a point at the four-minute mark but hit the side of the net.

GIRLS MATCH GOES TO TIFT

Still shorthanded, the Colquitt County High girls soccer team did get Chloe Gould back in the lineup Friday for Region 1-7A play against Tift County. Though Gould had two goals, first-year coach Will Phillips was still missing Ragan Harden, Chloe Sumner and Mary Jacobs.

Tift County’s Maggie Clark scored twice to lead the visiting Lady Blue Devils to a 4-2 win on the Packer Pitch.

For the Lady Packers, it was a matter of fighting off numerous chances by Tift. Goalkeeper Julia Warnock timed a high-arcing ball and knocked it away seven minutes into play. Lexie McDaniel had key moments on defense with a lot of work done by Reagan Young, Karina Martinez, Jessica Castro, Joy Del Angel, Ryley McCoy and Bella Sellers.

Warnock caught a 25-yard blast at 26:05. At 16:20 she body blocked Clark’s breakaway strike. At 8:30, Clark spun with the ball and had two shots blocked, then hit a ball high with Del Angel defending.

The Lady Blue Devils would soon get a corner kick, and Clark headed in the match’s first goal at 7:14.

The Lady Packers drew fouls charging with the ball during the first half, but had nothing to show on the free kicks. Gould tried two times to lead late charges, and she had her team’s first real shot on goal saved with eight seconds on the clock.

Gould maintained that pace of play for the second half, winning 50-50 balls and getting help from a steal by McDaniel. Clark was then able to break loose for a one-on-one attack and score her second goal at 34:08.

Warnock recorded a kick save at 30:05. Play was even for about 12 minutes until Tift County scored again as Macie Merritt arced the ball in from 22 yards away (17:39).

Merritt was the main defender against Gould, and at 16:11 Gould out-ran her on the right off a good set-up by McDaniel. That ended the shutout at 3-1 Tift.

But the Lady Blue Devils matched it at 12:02 on Amber Anderson’s break down the right side.

Del Angel set up Gould’s second goal at 5:15.