MACON — A distraught Leo Toledo very simply summed up No. 1 East Hall’s stunning 3-2 loss to No. 5 Decatur Thursday in the Class AAA boys soccer finals at Five Star Stadium.
“They prepared well and we didn’t,” he said after being held to just one goal for the first time in the playoffs. “We just couldn’t get much going after halftime.”
However, Vikings coach Chris Horton admitted there was a very good reason for their obvious lack of energy in the second half despite holding a 2-1 lead at halftime.
“We had about four of our main guys get heat sickness at halftime and we had to change our formations and strategy. It’s unfortunate but it is what it is,” Horton said.
Before the game Horton said his top-ranked group seemed ready for the biggest match in program history. The Vikings were looking for their first state soccer title and first team state title in any sport other than basketball.
Early on it looked like the moment was going to be too big for them as the Bulldogs scored first just five minutes in when the ball ricochet off an East Hall defender’s heel after a shot off a corner kick hit the crossbar and bounced straight down for an own goal.
The goal marked the first time since losing to Class AAAA No. 1 Johnson that the Vikings (21-2) had trailed at any point in a game.
Decatur was inches away from adding another just two minutes later but Art Enloe’s header was deflected over the bar at the last moment by Vikings’ keeper Amir Solias.
That seemed to wake up the East Hall offense.
Carlos Castrejon started a nice run down the middle with a pass to Toledo, who blasted a shot off Bulldogs’ keeper Emiliano Warren. But Oscar Gonzalez was right there to clean up the rebound finding the back of the net with Warren out of position to tie the game at 1 with 31:49 left in the first half.
Both teams counter-punched over the next 20 minutes with both teams missing out on solid scoring chances.
Toledo and Diego Ramirez failed on point blank shots off a corner while Decatur missed on three free kicks. The Vikings' Bryan Galvez thwarted a Decatur attempt in front of the net with 19 minutes left.
The Bulldogs defense frustrated Toledo much of the first half. He only had three solid touches and only one shot in the first 25 minutes. He did just miss out on gathering a ball inside the box that would have been an easy goal with 14 minutes left as Warren was able to beat him to a long pass from Castrejon.
And almost as if on cue, after a Decatur turnover at midfield, Sergio Turcios lofted a sweet pass over the top of the Decatur defense that Toledo was able to gather in this time and the slide a shot past Warren for a 2-1 lead with 11:21 left first half.
Things were looking very positive.
"We felt good getting that second goal," Horton said. "We were doing a better job of playing our game."
Decatur’s Enloe just missed on two scoring chances in the final five minutes of the half, one wide right and one sailing just over the crossbar. A Turcios give-and-go with Gonzalez with two minutes left just missed that would given the Vikings a huge two-goal lead.
The Vikings halftime troubles made any sustained attack, which had been their bread-and-butter all season, almost non-existent in the second half. Defensively, they were on their heels almost from the second half kickoff.
Solias was put to the test quickly as the Bulldogs came out aggressive forcing the senior to make two diving kick saves to maintain their lead in the first two minutes. The Bulldogs controlled the ball for more than 75 percent of the time in the second half.
East Hall’s best chance early came after a Owen Tumperi foul on Toledo at midfield. Galvez blasted a 50-yard shot on a free kick that resulted in a corner after Warren punched a shot behind the goal. Warren, however, snared the ensuing corner kick to deny any further attempts.
But despite the Vikings makeshift lineup, they were able to hold the 2-1 lead the first 22 minutes of the second half. Then things began to unravel as the Bulldogs relentless attack took its toll.
Decatur tied the game at 2 with 17:17 left when Devin Olson flicked in a shot off a cross from Tuck Rodi past a diving Solias.
The Bulldogs got the eventual game-winner on Olson’s second goal six minutes later off a pass from Lucas Ryter.
East Hall tried to mount a late attack with Turcios and Castrejon leading the charge but the Bulldogs defense swarmed Toledo at every opportunity. The Vikings managed to coax a couple of corners in the final two minutes but could not get a quality shot on goal.
The Bulldogs stole a late pass and were able to dribble out the game and any hopes of an East Hall title.
Despite the heartbreaking finish, the future looks bright with all but five players on the East Hall roster returning in 2017.
“(Decatur) played a good game and they were able to limit what Leo and the offense were able to do,” Horton said. “The beauty of this is that now the guys believe they can beat anyone and play with anyone. And we’re really a young team overall. Hopefully this is just the beginning for us.”
Toledo, who will play his college soccer at Five Star Stadium after signing with Mercer in February, said the seniors are leaving things in good hands.
"A lot of good young talent. I think they'll back here next year," he said.
