Friday March 29th, 2024 10:58AM

(VIDEO) Playoff soccer: Lady Falcons storm past Kell, 8-2

FLOWERY BRANCH — After an undefeated regular season and region championship, it would have been easy for the Flowery Branch girls soccer team to take a four-win Kell team lightly in the first round of the state playoffs.

As the Lady Falcons showed on Tuesday, however, their eyes are very much on the prize as they tore through Kell for a 8-2 victory in the Class 5A bracket at home.

"We have a fairly young team, so they actually came in a little nervous," Branch coach Anel Lilic said. "We were not going to overlook this Kell team because so many of our younger players have never been here before."

The Lady Falcons (19-0), who featured three freshmen and two sophomores in their starting 11, looked like anything but newbies as they rolled into the second round -- where they will play host to Riverwood on May 1.

"Once we scored the first goal the pressure was off, and you could see them really get into the flow," Lilic said of his team. "They're starting to realize the expectations and standards we set earlier in the season. They're starting to believe in themselves and how good they can be."

Madi Shewbert kicked started the rout with the first goal almost 10 minutes into the contest. From there Larsyn Reid tallied a hat-trick, while Anna Grady scored twice and McKenzie Kent and Glorismel Chavez each nabbed one goal.

Beyond scoring, Shewbert's speed and eagerness on the right wing helped pull the Lady Longhorns (4-13-1) defense apart, as she lofted a dangerous cross that just eluded teammates seconds after kickoff. And, while it took the Branch just some time to break the deadlock, once Shewbert bagged the opener the goals began to rain in for the Lady Falcons.

Shewbert's opener came off a pass from Kent, who picked her teammate out inside the Kell penalty area and watched as Shewbert scooped a 16-yard shot into the net despite falling over in the process.

One minute later Caroline Wysocki drilled a shot off the crossbar, but Grady didn't miss with 23:09 remaining, scoring off a cross from Shewbert to make it 2-0.

Shewbert's menace on the right flank brought more success for the Branch when she let fly a cross-turned-shot that Lady Longhorns goalkeeper Sarah Cortez could only palm into the pat of Reid. The freshman made no mistake, making it 3-0 with 20:08 left in the first half.

Reid claimed her second with 17:35 remaining in the half, and again Shewbert got things going, with a low cross that Kell failed to clear. Reid was the grateful recipient, pouncing on the loose ball for a close-range goal to make it 4-0.

Kent produced an impressive mix of determination and skill to make it 5-0, displaying tight control to battle past two Kell defenders before breaking into the Longhorns penalty area and rolling a 17-yard shot into the far corner with 11:44 remaining in the half.

After barely seeing the ball, however, the Lady Falcons defense finally came under pressure just before the interval, as Kell striker Mackenzie Franklin ran on to a long ball and cut her way into the Lady Falcons' penalty area. Franklin then unleashed a curling chip that eluded Hannah Pimentel's outstretched hands and settled into the net to make it 5-1 just 8 seconds before halftime.

The Branch was far from stunned, however, and the Lady Falcons stormed out of the interval with two quick goals, Reid and Grady each striking to make it 7-1.

Reid completed her hat-trick, banging in a loose ball just 1:16 after the restart, while Grady headed in a Wysocki corner kick with 36:04 remaining. Chavez then made it 8-1 with 31:38 left on an 18-yard chip.

Kell's Aisling Cummins produced a spectacular 28-yard goal to make it 8-2, but it was far too late to deter the Lady Falcons, who faced just two shots on goal during the entire contest.

"I'm sure it'll be a lot different next week (in the second round)," Lilic said of facing a Riverwood team that won 10-0 in the first round and that fell to the Lady Falcons 1-0 in the first round last season. "We know it's going to get a lot tougher. But we are playing with a lot of confidence."

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