BUFORD — The Buford girls soccer team did more than just advance to the second round of the Class AAAA state playoffs with Wednesday’s 10-0 blowout win over Fayette County at home.
The Lady Wolves (16-2) had a pair of players set school records and displayed to the rest of the classification that they are more than just the Elexa Bahr show.
Five different players tallied goals for Buford, led by Bahr’s hat trick. Her three scores pushed her over the career 100-goal mark and she set a new school-record with her fourth 20-plus goal season.
Ambria Shutts had a pair of goals to go with two assists, giving her 21 assists on the season, which is also a new single-season mark, breaking the old one set by Buford’s all-time leading scorer Maria Petroni.
Buford coach Drew Eager found plenty to be positive about.
“We got everyone in the game, Ambria and Elexa set some records, and we showed that we have a lot of different players that can score for us,” Eager said. “Our focus has been to share the ball and make teams have to defend everyone on the field. The girls are doing a really good job of that.”
It took the the Lady Wolves until the second half to invoke the mercy rule but they came out showing little mercy for the Lady Tigers (9-9) right from the opening kickoff.
After a series of passes, Bahr just missed on a low shot in the opening two minutes and then a minute later she hit the post after creating a quick counter breakaway.
Fayette County answered that flurry with its only threat of the game with a long ball counter that netted a shot on goal on Lady Wolves’ keeper Caliegh Rowan, who made the save on the weak roller.
One minute later Buford finally broke through a 9-in-the-box defensive strategy when Shutts found Bahr through a seam in the Lady Tigers defensive wall and Bahr buried a shot into the net for a 1-0 lead less than five minutes into the game.
The Lady Wolves continued to pressure the Lady Tigers with four more shots, including two off of corners, in the next two minutes. Morgan Smith made it 2-0 with a goal off a rebound on the second corner with 31:36 left in first half.
Shutts and Bahr traded spots three minutes later with Shutts netting a goal of her own off a beautiful flick pass from Bahr for a 3-0 lead with 28:19 left.
Brie Smith, who did not start because of a broken hand, came in on a mass substitution and promptly scored on the second assist of the day from Shutts for 4-0 lead with just over 24 minutes left.
Bahr got her second goal of the match on a pass from Brie Smith for a 5-0 lead five minutes later. Five minutes after that, Vanessa Arroyo scored after a beautiful feed from Shutts for a 6-0 lead with 14:11 left in the first half.
“They have learned how to really share the ball and that just makes us a lot more dangerous,” Eager said. “Ambria and Elexa make things happen out there but our subs did a great job as well.”
Buford wasted little time in the second half. The Lady Wolves needed just 13 seconds to push the lead to 7-0 when Morgan Smith took the opening kickoff the length of the field and blasted a shot past the Fayette County keeper before many of the fans had returned from the concession stand.
Bahr and Shutts hooked up for a third time four minutes later with Bahr feeding Shutts with a nifty pass and Shutts sliding a shot under the arms of the keeper for an 8-0 lead with 35:59 left
Bahr got the hat trick four minutes later with a wicked left-foot shot while falling down that she buried into the upper corner for a 9-0 lead with 30:11 left.
Arroyo invoked the 10-goal mercy rule with just over 13 minutes left scoring on a penalty kick after being brought down in the box.
The Lady Wolves will await the Westover-Spalding winner in the second round next Wednesday at home.
“We really don’t much about either one of those teams but for us its really more about just working on ourselves,” Eager said. “This team is very motivated right now and I think that is a good thing when you get to the playoffs.”
NOTES: Fayette County came into the match having won won 5 of its last 6 matches overall, including three straight on the road. ... Buford ran its win streak to 16 straight. ... The Lady Wolves’ defense pitched its ninth shutout of the season. It was the 13th time in 15 matches they have allowed 1 goal or fewer. ... Buford is trying to get back to the quarterfinals for the third time in the last four seasons.
