FLOWERY BRANCH — The Flowery Branch girls soccer team had no reason to expect history in 2017.
In fact, after back-to-back seasons without a playoff appearance, the Lady Falcons did not even mention the postseason as they prepped for the upcoming campaign.
"Every other year we talked about that sort of thing as one of our goals, but this year we just had a different focus -- and we wanted to focus on the process rather than the results," Flowery Branch coach Katie Scali said.
The results of that decision have been nothing less than spectacular. The Lady Falcons will play in the state semifinals for the first time in program history on Tuesday, joining four other northeast Georgia programs in their respective classifications' "Final Four".
And like a number of the area squads set to play for a championship berth tonight -- among them the Buford and Jefferson girls and the East Hall and Gainesville boys -- few had reason to believe something special was in store in 2017.
"The focus on smaller things has just added up to something bigger," said Scali of a squad that includes nine seniors, six of whom start on a regular basis. "Every year is different, and we certainly have expectations to do well, but this year has been special. We started playing well and peaking right before spring break. Also I normally have to fight to keep the girls focused at the end of the year. I have not had to worry about that at all this season."
Each one of tonight's semifinalists have shown impressive determination, with each building on a special set of circumstances to reach this point.
(NOTE: Scroll down for a complete schedule of state soccer semifinal contests as well as a quick scouting report on each contest.)
- The East Hall boys are looking for redemption at home versus Pace Academy after falling in last year's Class AAA championship game -- but are doing so after graduating one of the most talented players to come through northeast Georgia in goal-scoring-machine Leo Toledo and entering this postseason as a No. 2 seed.
- The Buford girls are gunning for their first-ever title game shot when they play host to No. 1 Whitewater but do so with an extraordinarily young roster that has stoked the run.
- The Gainesville boys are back in the semifinals for the first time since finishing as Class AAAAA runners-up in 2012 (and winnning a Class AAA crown in 2010) and are under a new head coach in Elie Viviant -- though Viviant was an assistant under Rick Howard for the '10 and '12 runs.
- And the Jefferson girls are also making their first-ever semifinal appearance when they travel to face Marist. The Lady Dragons do so despite entering the playoffs as a three seed and making three straight road trips.
While most of northeast Georgia's programs enter tonight's showdowns as underdogs, their playoff momentum and combined self-belief are more than reason to believe that something special may be in the works.
"Being the underdog takes the pressure off," Scali said. "I've just told the girls to have fun and not to be afraid or nervous because the team they're playing has had success. We look at it as a challenge, and we like to have a challenge.
"The girls are so excited, and the community support we've had and from the school administration has been great. We were supposed to have honors night for the school (on Tuesday), but they moved it for our game. And coaches and players from other teams around the area are wishing us success. We couldn't be more grateful, and we're thrilled."
STATE SOCCER SEMIFINALS PREVIEWS
Class AAAAAA
DALTON at GAINESVILLE BOYS
-- WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
-- WHERE: City Park, Gainesville
-- DALTON (20-1, No. 1 seed, Region 6-AAAAAA): Defeated Cambridge 4-1 in quarterfinals; Catamounts ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAAA
-- GAINESVILLE (18-2, No. 1 seed Region 8-AAAAAA): Defeated Centennial 3-1 in quarterfinals; Red Elephants ranked No. 3 in Class AAAAAA
-- NOTABLE: Gainesville features one of the stingier defenses still playing in the postseason, yielding just 15 goals so far (0.75 per game). The Red Elephants face a stout test, however, against a Dalton attack with 117 strikes on the season (5.5 per game), and 6 per game in three postseason wins. Yet the Red Elephants have shipped just seven goals in 12 home games all season. Something will have to give ... Gainesville enters the contest with 67 goals scored (3.35), while Dalton has given up 21 (1 per game). ... The Catamounts defeated three opponents during the regular season that are now fellow state semifinalists -- Region 6-AAAAAA rival Allatooona, McIntosh (Class AAAAA) and Southeast Whitfield (Class AAAA). ... Dalton owns four state championships (2003, '13, '14 and '15). Gainesville has two state crowns (1998 and 2010).
Class AAAAA
WHITEWATER at BUFORD GIRLS
-- WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
-- WHERE: Buford High
-- WHITEWATER (19-0-1, No. 1 seed Region 3-AAAAA): Defeated Decatur 5-1 in the quarterfinals; Lady Wildcats ranked No. 1 in Class AAAAA
-- BUFORD (16-2-2, No. 1 seed Region 8-AAAAA): Defeated Veterans 3-1 in the quarterfinals; Lady Wolves ranked No. 2 in Class AAAAA
-- NOTABLE: The two teams enter the contest with eerily similar stat lines. Buford's defense has yielded just 16 goals this season (0.8 per game) and has scored 109 (5.45 per game). Whitewater, meanwhile, enters the contest with just 17 goals allowed (0.62 per game) and 116 goals scored (5.5 per game), so fans may expect a finely-balanced contest. ... Both teams also come in red hot. Whitewater has not lost all season, tying Class AAAA semifinalist Marist 1-1 for its only non-win. Yet Buford's only setback since February came in a 2-1 defeat to Class AAAAAAA semifinalist South Forsyth. The Lady Wolves also tied Class AAA semifinalist GAC, 1-1. ... The Lady Wolves are looking to break through to the state championship game after falling to St. Pius in last year's Class AAAA semifinals. Pius also knocked out Whitewater in last year's quarterfinal round -- each game featured 3-1 scorelines.
McINTOSH at FLOWERY BRANCH GIRLS
-- WHEN: 5:30 p.m. Tuesday
-- WHERE: Falcon Field, Flowery Branch
-- McINTOSH (13-6-2, No. 2 seed Region 3-AAAAA): Defeated Grady 2-0 in the quarterfinals; the Lady Chiefs are ranked No. 3 in Class AAAAA
-- FLOWERY BRANCH (13-6-1): Defeated Starr's Mill in penalties (6-5) after 1-1 draw through open play in quarterfinals; The Lady Falcons are ranked No. 4 in Class AAAAA
-- NOTABLE: Flowery Branch makes its first-ever semifinal appearance on the heels of some strong defensive work. The Lady Falcons have allowed just one goal this postseason and keeper Kelsey Mathis has faced relatively few shots on target. For the season, the Branch has allowed 32 goals allowed (1.6 per game). They have scored 73 (3.65 per game). The Lady Falcons have won 9 of their last 10 games. ... McIntosh is looking to defend its 2016 Class AAAAA title, which it won with relative ease -- a 3-2 second round defeat of Gainesville and a 1-0 quarterfinal defeat of Cambridge being the exceptions after winning its other three contests by a combined 13-0. ... This season, the Lady Chiefs have allowed just 17 goals (0.8 per game), with 13 shutouts, including five straight. McIntosh also has scored 99 goals (4.7 per game). The Lady Chiefs own a regular season win over Class AAAAAA quarterfinalist Harrison and a draw with Class AAAA semifinalist St. Pius.
Class AAAA
JEFFERSON GIRLS at MARIST
-- WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
-- WHERE: Atlanta
-- JEFFERSON (13-3-1, No. 3 seed Region 8-AAAA): Defeated LaGrange in penatlies (3-2) after 0-0 draw through open play in the quarterfinals; the Lady Dragons are ranked No. 4 in Class AAAA
-- MARIST (15-3-1, No. 1 seed Region 7-AAAA): Defeated Spalding 4-0 in the quarterfinals. The Lady War Eagles are ranked No. 1 in Class AAAA
-- NOTABLE: Jefferson gets it done with defense, defense, defense. The Lady Dragons have 11 shutouts this season, including three in the playoffs. They enter the contest having allowed just 10 goals all season (0.58 per game). ... Offensively, Jefferson has netted just 52 goals on the season (3.0 per game). They face a Marist defense that is plenty stingy in its own right, having allowed just 15 goals (0.78 per game). ... The Lady War Eagles have scored 72 goals this campaign (3.7 per game). ... This will be Jefferson's first state semifinal appearance. Marist fell to arch-rival St. Pius in last year's Class AAAA championship game. The Lady War Eagles own 10 state titles, the first in 1989 and the last coming in 2014.
Class AAA
PACE ACADEMY at EAST HALL BOYS
-- WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday
-- WHERE: East Hall Stadium, Rabbittown
-- PACE (14-7, No. 2 seed Region 5-AAA): Defeated North Murray 2-1 in the quarterfinals; The Knights are ranked No. 3 in Class AAA
-- EAST HALL (17-4, No. 2 seed Region 7-AAA): Defeated Tattnall County 6-0 in the quarterfinals; The Vikings are ranked No. 2 in Class AAA
-- NOTABLE: East Hall has dominated this postseason, winning its three playoff games (over Stone Mountain, Crisp County and Tattnall) by a combined score of 17-2. Since falling 1-0 to eventual 7-AAA champ Greater Atlanta Christian on April 14, the Vikings have scored 24 goals in five straight wins. ... East Hall has racked up 82 strikes as a team this season (4 goals per game), making up for the graduation of star striker Leo Toledo from last year's Class AAA runner-up finish. ... The Vikings defense has also played well allowing just 21 goals (1 per game). ... Pace Academy has seven defeats, but five of those losses came against teams still alive in their respective classifications' postseasons. ... The Knights are also solid defensively, yielding 26 goals (1.2 per game). Offensively, however, they have struggled to score in bunches with just 48 total goals (2.2 per game). ... The two teams' one common opponent, Dawson County, also reveals a close battle ahead, with East Hall winning 4-1 in 7-AAA play (to deny the Tigers a region title) and Pace 4-0 in the first round of the playoffs.
