Three Northeast Georgia teams punched their tickets to the Elite 8 after taking wins on Monday in the Georgia High School Association state playoffs.
Class A Division 1 top-ranked Commerce edged out Atlanta International School, 3-2, at home and now will await the Claxton-Bleckley County winner in next week's quarterfinals. The Lady Tigers (18-1) are looking to get back to the championship game for a second straight season.
In Class 3A, White County moved into the Elite 8 with a dominating 7-2 win over Sandy Creek on the road. The ninth-ranked Lady Warriors (14-5) will stay on the road traveling to sixth-ranked St. Vincent's Academy (12- 3) in Savannah on Monday.
And in Class A Division 2, sixth-ranked Towns County, a semifinalist last season in Class A Public, rolled past No. 8 Portal, 8-3, on the road as well. The Lady Indians (6-5-1) will ttravel to No. 4 Hawkinsville (9-0) next week.
But it was end of the line for a pair of ranked teams on Monday. No. 2 Buford dropped a heartbreaker to No. 3 Walton, 2-1, in Marietta in Class 7A.
In Class 3A, No. third-ranked Lumpkin County (12-2-1) lost to No. 4 Bremen, 5-1, on the road. Bremen (15-5) was a semifinalist in Class 2A last season and is looking to get there in 3A this season.
Three more huge road matches are on tap for Tuesday for area teams. In Class 5A, No. 7 Jefferson (12-1-1) heads to No. 2 Midtown (17-1). Both teams were state runners-up in 2022, with Midtown losing in the Class 5A finals and Jefferson falling in the Class 4A finals.
Cherokee Bluff has a huge test in Class 4A. The fourth-ranked Lady Bears (16-2) travel to 10th-ranked Lovett (13-6) on Tuesday. The Lady Lions are the two-time defending Class 2A state champions and have won 16 straight at home going back to the 2021 season.
Union County (5-7-2) will go for its second straight road upset, traveling to No. 6 Mount Paran (11-3-1) on Tuesday. The Lady Panthers are looking for a second consecutive trip to the Elite 8.
(Check below for scores and the second-round schedule for Northeast Georgia-area girls teams.)
GIRLS SOCCER PLAYOFF SCORES, 2nd round, Monday, April 17
Class 7A
Walton 2, Buford 1
Class 3A
Bremen 5, Lumpkin County 1
White County 7, Sandy Creek 2
Class A Division 1
Commerce 3, Atlanta International School 2
Class A Division 2
Towns County 8, Portal 3
GIRLS SOCCER PLAYOFFS, 2nd round, Wednesday, April 19
Class 5A
Jefferson (R8, S2), at Midtown (R5, S1), 6 p.m.
Class 4A
Cherokee Bluff (R8, S2) at Lovett (R5, S1), 5:30 p.m.
Class 2A
Union County (R8, S3) at Mt. Paran (R6, S1), 5 p.m.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2023/4/1178942/girls-playoff-soccer-commerce-white-co-towns-co-move-into-elite-8-3-more-look-for-wins-on-tuesday