The senior keeper stopped everything that came his way, including two acrobatic, heart-stopping saves in the final minute, to preserve a nail-biting 1-0 win over Class AAAA sixth-ranked Habersham Central on Tuesday night at Falcon Field.
Teran finished with 15 saves on the night, almost half coming from point-blank range as the Raiders peppered him for most of the second half. But Flowery Branch coach Jeremy Purdy said he never felt better about his team's chances against an opponent that has won seven straight region titles.
"Luis is very versatile and can do a lot of things on the soccer field," Purdy said. "But I feel like he is our best guy in goal and gives us a chance to win every time out. He was fantastic (tonight)."
Teran said he felt good going into the game and knew he would have to be on his game.
"They are a great team but I wanted to be back there," Teran said. "I just felt I had some help with me and that nothing would get by me. It feels great to get a win over those guys."
The game started like it had a chance for the offenses to shine. Both teams had several quick scoring chances in the opening minutes but neither could get a shot in the net.
The Falcons finally broke through nine minutes into the game when Adrian Lagranda started a rush at midfield after a Habersham turnover and then found Thomas Davis on a nifty pass who then blasted a shot past the Raiders' Nicolas Ramirez for a 1-0 lead.
Purdy said he never thought one goal would be enough.
"They are a strong team with a lot of tradition and we knew it would be a fight to the finish," he said. "But I honestly did not think one goal would win it. The guys did a great job. This is a big win for us."
Teran's first big save came with 12 minutes left in the first half during a furious rally by the Raiders inside the Flowery Branch box. He punched away an initial shot and then stopped a point-blank shot seconds later on a rebound.
In the second half he stopped another point-blank shot off a corner kick with 23 minutes left, then stopped a one-on-one breakaway shot four minutes later. Ten minutes later Teran tipped away a long looping shot at the top of the goal on a direct kick.
With just over three minutes left Teran made a diving stop on a low screaming shot and then on a Habersham corner kick in the final minute he stopped a another point-blank shot to preserve the win.
With the win Flowery Branch (9-4-1, 6-1 Region 8-AAAA) took over sole possession of second place in the region. Habersham Central (6-3-1, 5-2) dropped to third place, just one game ahead of both Apalachee and Clarke Central.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2012/3/246925