By Chip Arial

Special to The Post-Searchlight

 

The Bainbridge High School Bearcats varsity soccer teams travelled to Albany Tuesday with both the girls and boys squads returning home with region victories over the host Albany High School Indians.

The Lady Cats (6-4, 5-1) picked up a 3-0 victory behind junior midfielder Summer Boyd’s two goals.

In the 8th minute, Boyd converted a penalty kick for a goal following a handball by Albany in the penalty area. The shot was a low powered to the left side of the goal, which proved to be the only goal of the first half.

In the 60th minute of the second half, Boyd sent in a corner kick that the Albany Goal Keeper made a play on, but could not handle cleanly with the ball spinning into the goal to give the Lady Bearcats a 2-0 lead.

The final goal came in the 75th minute as Bainbridge junior midfielder Aida Diaz sent in a corner kick that was weakly cleared into the path of senior Derrical Williams who quickly shot and scored from 16 yards out to giving Bainbridge a 3-0 lead.

Bainbridge goalkeeper Grace McIntosh was credited with the win, in 35 minutes in goal, but she shared the shutout with Boyd and sophomore defender Mary Mercer Reynolds, who each had over 20 minutes of scoreless action.

Defensively for Bainbridge Williams, senior central defender Alicia Stubbs and sophomore back Lacey West made several defensive stops in the contest.

In the boys’ contest, Bainbridge (5-3-1, 5-1) raced out to a 3-0 first half lead, but had to hold off an inspired Indians squad in the second to record a 5-2 win.

Bainbridge began the scoring in the 2nd minute, as Bearcat forward Angel Munoz received a ball at the top of the Albany penalty area, and sent a pass to teammate and fellow freshman forward Caleb Harris, who tapped the ball forward and scored from 17 yards out.

Senior forward Jesus Contreras scored in the 4th minute, for the second Bainbridge goal, as he took a throw in from Harris and quickly turned and shot, scoring from 20 yards to give Bainbridge a 2-0 lead.

In the 12th minute the Albany defense committed a foul, with a handball just outside their penalty area. Contreras then calmly lofted free kick over the Indian defensive wall and into the goal from 22 yards out to give Bainbridge a three-goal lead.

But Albany came out strong in the second half as an Indian forward ran outside the Bainbridge flanks and sent a well driven shot from over 20 yards, in the 46th minute, that crossed into the back corner of the goal to cut the Bearcat lead to 3-1.

Bainbridge Junior Forward Jose Padron scored for the Bearcats, in the 59th minute, as he received a crossing pass from Harris and shot outside the back post from 12 yards out, for a goal, increasing the score to 4-1 for Bainbridge.

Again the Indians attacked the Bearcat back line, in the 71st minute, as they intercepted a clearing pass and lofted a shot from 16 yards out to cut the Bearcat lead in half at 4-2.

Contreras closed out the scoring in the game in the 73rd minute, as Harris sent a pass back to the top of the Albany penalty area, that Contreras quickly controlled, turned and shot for a goal from 18 yards away.

Bainbridge Senior Goal Keeper Bryce Williams was credited with the win, but Senior Bearcat Spencer Shreves also gave Bainbridge an experienced presence in relief.

Both squads will host Dougherty High Schools’ teams Tuesday at Centennial field.