"A win's a win -- but we have some things to work on," Wood said. "We did not play our game tonight, and we were a little lucky to win."
The Lady Falcons (8-4, 5-1 Region 7-AAA) never found their rhythm against the Lady Knights (7-5, 5-2), despite an impressive first-half goal from Lindsay Porter.
In what proved to be the game's only strike, Porter broke through the Johnson defense and chipped a shot over Lady Knights goalkeeper Peyton Owen midway through the first half.
Despite the early blow, Johnson battled back, fighting Flowery Branch to a standstill in midfield -- though neither team could manufacture many scoring opportunities as the half waned.
"Johnson came to play," Wood said. "They really kept us on our toes."
Yet the Falcons began to take control early in the second half, putting the Lady Knights' goal under pressure from the start of the period.
Porter proved particularly hard for Johnson to contain, creating two shots in the first four minutes of the second half -- though neither were on target.
Johnson regained its composure midway through the half, however, and nearly equalized with 28 minutes remaining when Erica Aviles beat Flowery Branch goalkeeper Torey McDowell to a long pass in the Lady Falcons penalty area. But Aviles fired wide from 16 yards.
Though Johnson managed two more shots on goal during the contest, Aviles' attempt was the closest the Lady Knights came to scoring in the face of strong defensive work from senior co-captain Delana Thomas.
In the midfield, Flowery Branch's Jenny Josman battled for control with Johnson's Blanca Arias and Kayleigh Durden -- though neither team managed to stamp its authority on the contest.
"The past few games, we played really well," Wood said. "Today, it just wasn't clicking."
Wood and the Lady Falcons have a few days off to get things clicking before embarking on a three-game road trip next week, as Flowery Branch travels to East Hall (Monday), Northview (Tuesday) and Lumpkin County (Friday).
"It's going to be tough," Wood said.
Meanwhile, Johnson travels to Gainesville at 5:30 p.m. Friday.
Flowery Branch's Brittney Fleeman (No. 23) battles Johnson's Erica Aviles (No. 19) for possession of the ball in the Lady Falcons' 1-0 win on Tuesday at Flowery Branch.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2008/3/208382