MOULTRIE – Uziel Garcia-Diaz didn’t score a goal or convert a penalty kick in Colquitt County’s victory over Tift County on Friday at Packer Park.
But Packers coach Colby Simpson credited his team’s captain with providing plenty of inspiration in the key Region 1-6A victory.
With the game tied 3-3 in overtime, Garcia-Diaz had a big goal line save to force the match into penalty kicks.
Simpson said Garcia-Diaz “exhibited all the characteristics on the pitch to motivate his team to continue battling and stay focused.”
It was the second time in a week that the Packers had prevailed in the shootout.
On February 14, Colquitt defeated Thomas County Central in PKs after the game was tied 2-2.
Friday’s victory was even bigger as it allowed the Packers to remain unbeaten after their first two region matches.
The Colquitt boys are 4-0 overall.
“We had plenty of possessions and opportunities to score,” said Simpson.
The Packers led 2-0 when right before the half, a mistake led the Blue Devils to a score and cut the Packers lead in half at the break.
Tift score again early in the second half to tie the game 2-2.
“We met them with another goal to go up 3-2, but another timely mistake and a resilient Tifton capitalized again to tie and force overtime,” Simpson said.
Lady Blue Devils 2, Lady Packers 1 OT
The Colquitt County girls suffered a disappointing 2-1 overtime loss to the Lady Devils in Friday’s frigid first game.
Tift County scored midway through the first half and while the Lady Packers played well, they were not able to convert until about 90 seconds remained in the match.
Freshman Dru McLeod, who started the season on the junior varsity squad, launched a shot that the Lady Devils keeper could not corral.
As the ball bounced away, Judith Moctezuma, another Colquitt County ninth-grader, punched into the net.
The play of the two ninth-graders did not surprise Bautista.
“Every time we put a freshman in, they have given us results,” he said.
But Friday was ultimately not to be the Lady Packers night.
In the first half of overtime, Tift delivered a free kick to a player who headed the ball into the net to provide the margin of victory.
“We felt like we were beating them in every aspect of the game,” said Lady Packers coach Carlos Bautista. “We had more possessions, more shots, more passes completed.
“We did everything right. We just didn’t score.”
Bautista said he wants to guard against the loss having an adverse effort on the season.
“It was a game we felt like we should have won,” he said. “But I’m proud of them. The were down for more than half the game, but they were still fighting. They didn’t give up. We still have a chance to do something special.”
Bautista was especially proud of the play of junior Jasmine Grijalva, who played about 100 of her team’s 120 minutes.
“I’ve coached her for three years and this was the best game of her career,” Bautista said. “She was on it all night.”
The Lady Packers are now 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the region.
The Lady Packers and Packers will travel to Thomasville for a pair of non-region games beginning 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
On Friday, they will make the long trip to Richmond Hill to continue Region 1-6A play.