POWDER SPRINGS, Ga. — Oftentimes, history will repeat itself.
Such was the case for the Jefferson girls in their bid against two-time defending champion Oconee County on Wednesday in the Class 3A championship match. However, this time it also changed sides.
After a near-flawless defensive performance in regulation, Oconee’s Maddie Cass pounced on a Lady Dragons turnover inside their box, maneuvered keeper Ella Sellers out of position, and then buried a 5-yard shot into the empty net in the first overtime to give the Lady Warriors a 1-0 victory at Cantrell Stadium.
It was a similar play that allowed the Lady Dragons to beat Oconee County 1-0 during the regular season.
“They made one little mistake in the first game during the season, and we scored off of it. We make the same kind of mistake tonight and they score on it in the same way,” Jefferson coach Molly McCarty said. “I hate it for these seniors, because now they’ve been runners-up twice. But, hey, 60 other teams didn't make it here.”
Jefferson was hoping the third time was the charm to capture its first-ever state title in girls soccer but it was not meant to be.
The Lady Dragons had a golden opportunity to tie the match midway through the second overtime but Ava Rodriquez's shot inside of 15-yards sailed just high of the goal. The Lady Warriors were able to hold on the rest of the way.
Jefferson had two golden chances in regulation to take the lead in the first half. One Sellers save resulted in a quick Jefferson counter that ended in a Gabby Garnett 35-yard blast that forced Oconee keeper Alison Winters to make a diving save in the 7th minute.
Garnett again nearly gave Jefferson the lead in the 20th minute when her bending left-footed blast from 25-yard yards bounced off the left upright.
But both defenses turned it into a midfield battle for most of the contest.
Oconee County pushed the attack early, producing three quality chances in the first five minutes. But Sellers made two nice saves as Jefferson was able to weather the initial storm.
In the 10th minute Jefferson defender Arielle Vermillion took on two attackers inside the box to keep Oconee from getting off a shot. Four minutes later Winters was forced to make an acrobatic save on a one-timer from Lily Gaddy off a cross from Ava Rodriquez.
Winters made one more save in the 38th minute and Sellers answered with a diving save on a 25-yard blast from Cass in the final minute of the half.
“We really weren’t able to get into a good offensive rhythm,” McCarty said. “I don't think we found the balance we were looking for. As the game went on, we adjusted, but we just couldn’t get anything consistently going.”
In the second half, both offenses had chances but could not convert. In the 51st minute, Vermillion again thwarted an Oconee attempt, denying an open look inside the box. In the 53rd minute, Garnett just missed wide right for Jefferson on a 20-yard shot.
Winters denied Garnett on another shot in the 57th minute and four minutes later Sellers made a huge diving save off the foot of Cass after a long bouncing ball into the box.
It was a tough ending for a Jefferson defense that had allowed just 9 goals all. However, three goals came in the final two rounds of the playoffs.
The Lady Dragons are still looking for their first-ever state title and have lost three championship matches since 2017.
