MACON — The Johnson boys soccer team will forever wonder what might have been after Saturday's Class AAAA championship against St. Pius.
What if star Fabian Abarca does not garner a red card just 16 minutes in? What if two defenders don’t slip on two Golden Lions goals? What if two Junior Gonzalez shots that could have tied the game find the net and not the post and crossbar?
In the end, it all added up to a disappointing 3-0 loss to the Golden Lions at Five Star Stadium at Mercer University.
The red card certainly changed the mood of the match and gave fuel to a St. Pius team that had been on the defensive the previous five minutes. The red card came six minutes after Abarca and a St. Pius player were warned for aggressive play.
“I didn’t see what happened so I can’t really comment on it,” Johnson coach Brian Shirley said. “It was unfortunate for him and for us but you have to keep going. I thought the guys did that.”
With the Knights down a man, St. Pius went on the attack.
After managing just two shots in the first 15 minutes, the Golden Lions seized the momentum and produced seven shots in the next nine minutes, capping the barrage with a Henry Penter goal off a Austin Fain assist for a 1-0 lead with 7:49 left in the half.
“They just came at us hard after the card,” Shirley said. “It’s a disappointing way to end it but this was a great group with great leadership.”
It may have still have been tied if not for a Johnson defender slipping on the play to help Penter get an opening. But the Knights never got much momentum going the rest of the half as they were outshot 10-1 over the final 24 minutes.
The game was still within striking distance for the Knights (20-1-1) with 25 minutes left in the match when senior Junior Gonzalez had a chance to change the momentum. But two point-blank shots after St. Pius keeper Jake Beyer mishandled the ball hit the upright and then crossbar within seconds that would have tied the game.
Unfortunately for Johnson, it would be their last legitimate scoring chance.
“I think that if one of those goes in we would have won it,” Gonzalez said. “As soon as he dropped it I just tried to steer it toward the opening but I just missed on both. It’s disappointing but it’s also an accomplishment in that we were one of the last two teams left. We wanted to win it, but....”
As the Knights had to stay on the attack despite a man down, the Golden Lions counter-punched when possible. They were able to essentially put the game out of reach with 15 minutes left.
Fain took a long bouncing pass and serpintined his way through the Johnson defense and found JR Cozine on a crossing pass for a 2-0 lead. A pair of Johnson defenders slipped on the play allowing Fain some space to find Cozine.
They left little doubt on staking a claim to their fourth straight state title five minutes later when Cozine, on a nice run down right side, deked Johnson keeper Cooper Bowen and crossed to Kyle McLaughlin for an easy open net goal for the final score with 10:19 left.
Johnson had chances late getting behind the Golden Lions defense but could not muster legitimate shots as they sailed wide on three different ocassions.
Shirley said after the initial shock of losing their star player wore off, his squad never quit.
“They battled for 70-plus minutes a man down. I can’t say enough about their effort,” he said. “Junior (Gonzalez) played his tail off. This is a better team than the one in 2014 and we have a good core group coming back.”
