The Spartans pounded Decatur 4-0 in Oakwood, while East Hall -- the No. 3 seed from Region 7-AAA -- traveled to Roswell and knocked off fourth-ranked Blessed Trinity, 1-0.
Also in 7-AAA action, St. Pius defeated Dawson County 5-0 in Atlanta, while North Hall fell to Woodward Academy 2-1 in Gainesville. Elsewhere, Riverside Military routed Bremen in Class AA, while fellow Region 8-AA competitors Rabun County and Union County also moved through the first round. Also, Lakeview Academy suffered a 3-1 defeat to Pinecrest Academy in Class A.
Second-ranked West Hall (15-2) pounced on Decatur thanks to Alejandro Zamora's scorching opener, as he launched a 30-yard free kick into the upper right corner of the Bulldogs' goal.
Cesar Villa then pounced on back-to-back assists from Omar Castillo to make it 3-0 before Sammy Coto finished off Decatur with a putback goal.
"The key was that we just shut down their best players," West Hall coach Andrew McCain said. "We picked out their best guys and in the one-on-one battles we won. There was a lot of passion on display for us out there tonight."
West Hall moves on to Wednesday's second round, where the Spartans will play host to Oconee County.
"Right now I feel like we're playing at our optimum level," McCain said. "There's always room for improvement, but we're continuing to ride the crest of our potential."
EAST HALL 1,
BLESSED TRINITY 0
The Vikings (11-3-1) shocked the home-standing Titans thanks in part to a Julio Avila goal just nine minutes into the contest. Jason Mendoza provided the assist.
East Hall goalkeeper Emmanuel Andrade made four amazing saves to preserve the win for the Vikings.
East Hall will next play at North Murray on Wednesday.
WOODWARD ACADEMY 2,
NORTH HALL 1
The North Hall boys soccer team's season came to an end at the hands of the defending Class AAA champs in Gainesville.
The Trojans (9-4-2) took an early 1-0 lead but could not hold on as Woodward Academy rallied for a 2-1 win at The Brickyard.
Jake Stephens gave North Hall a 1-0 lead midway through the first half. But the Bulldogs tied the game just before halftime.
Woodward Academy pulled ahead on a breakaway goal midway through the second half.
Abraham Elias had a solid day in goal for the Trojans recording 10 saves.
FRIDAY'S FIRST ROUND PLAYOFF SCORES FOR AREA BOYS SOCCER TEAMS
*Scores made available
CLASS AAA
West Hall 4, Decatur 0
East Hall 1, Blessed Trinity 0
Woodward Academy 2, North Hall 1
St. Pius 5, Dawson County 0
Cartersville 7, East Jackson 0
CLASS AA
Riverside Military 9, Bremen 0
Rabun County 5, Jordan 0
Union County 10, Chattahoochee County 1
CLASS A
Pinecrest Academy 3, Lakeview Academy 1
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