Boys soccer playoffs: Big 2nd half carries Knights into Elite 8; 5 other area teams all fall

OAKWOOD, Ga. — With just two senior starters, the 2024 version of the Johnson boys soccer team, despite winning back-to-back state titles and riding an 11-game postseason win streak, really are a work-in-progress.

Which is why a three-goal second half in a 3-0 win over Druid Hills in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs Friday night at The Dungeon could very well be a turning point as they chase the rare three-peat.

“You have some guys that maybe weren’t there last year (in terms of the playoffs) but who are surrounded by a bunch of young veterans and they’re finding ways to win,” Johnson coach Frank Zamora said. “The second half was as complete a half as we’ve had in a while. When they finish the opportunities they get, they see that it’s a totally different game. This group is hungry and they’re working hard every day to accomplish their goals.”

After the teams battled to a scoreless draw in the  first half and into the second, the Knights finally broke through when Daniel Trujillo took a beautiful feed from Junior Castillo and buried a shot past Druid Hills keeper Wyatt Bennett in the 54th minute for a 1-0 lead.

From there, the Knights offense came alive with Castillo getting a goal of his own when he gathered in a long ball and beat Bennett with a blast into the top corner. Just over a minute later Trujillo found Edgar Vazquez, who drilled a shot past a diving Bennett for a 3-0 lead with 12:50 left.

The Red Devils never recovered.

Castillo, a sophomore, said he feels the offense is beginning to find its way in the playoffs.

“We’re trying to build chemistry and I think we’re starting to connect a lot more in the front,” he said. “Things are starting to click for us now.”

Johnson (16-1-1) kept several ridiculous streaks alive with the victory. The Knights have now won 12 straight postseason games overall, 16 straight postseason games at The Dungeon, and have won 13 straight on the season. They will put all three on the line again on Tuesday when they play host to Whitewater in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal showdown at The Dungeon.

“(Whitewater) won 5-1 (on Thursday) and they’re a very good team, similar to us,” Zamora said. “We’ll celebrate this one tonight and start looking at them (on Saturday).”

Early on, it was the Red Devils (12-6-1) who were on the attack, getting a pair of direct kicks in the opening six minutes. But the Knights were able to weather the storm and began using their ball control offense to create chances of their own.

In the 8th minute a 20-yard blast from Alex Gonzalez was negated by a diving save from Bennett.

Johnson produced two corners in a three-minute span but failed to get off a shot. In the 17th minute the Red Devils’ Mason Martz had a 35-yard shot stopped by freshman Johnson keeper Benjamin Villatoro.

Villatoro had a solid first half making six saves to keep Druid Hills off the board. But Johnson also had nearly as many legitimate scoring chances in the first half but were not able to finish.

Castillo said that is a key area the Knights will need to improve on moving forward.

“We started off really slow and we didn’t finish,” he said. “We had a bunch of chances that we should have put in the back of the net but we didn’t. Once we figure out how to finish better, the offense will really take off.”

(Check the full scoreboard below of boys games on Thursday and Friday.)

Johnson's Alex Gonzalez (8) battled a Druid Hills defender during the Knights' Class 4A second round matchup at The Dungeon on Friday.

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