Bearcats soccer shines on senior night as they continue to dominate 2023

Published 9:05 am Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The 2023 Bainbridge High School Bearcat soccer teams are continuing to make noise and are not only becoming one of the best teams in their Region, but in the entire state of Georgia. The Lady Cats sit currently 12-3-1 overall with an undefeated 6-0 record in Region play, while the boys team sits at 13-1-2 overall with a 5-1 Region record as they have won seven straight games with both teams’ most recent victory coming Friday against Shaw. 

For the Lady Cats, their eight game win-streak has been impressive on both sides of the ball. Defensively, it starts with goalie Destiny Woodard. In their eight consecutive victories, Woodard has earned shutouts in seven of those wins and only allowed one goal in their March 3 tie against Shaw. Woodard currently sits with an impressive 0.909 goals against average as the Lady Cats defense continues to be a point of emphasis for Coach Brian Hill. 

“Our girls have been playing good defense as of late,” said Hill. “We work on it and emphasize it every day. We just need to keep doing what we’re doing, get better each practice and each game and by the end of the season make sure we’re playing the best soccer we can.”

Email newsletter signup

On the offensive side, the Lady Cats are led by sophomore Addison Hill who has been stuffing the stat sheet, despite having to transition in between an offensive and defensive role throughout the season due to injuries. This season, Hill currently leads the Lady Cats with 79 points, notching 34 goals and 11 assists on the year. In their most recent win against Shaw, Hill earned five points by scoring two goals and notching an assist. Her speed, smarts and athleticism have made her a force for opponents to handle. 

Along with Hill, Nicole Tyre, Dallis Thompson and Brennyn Timmons have all been vital pieces to the teams success in 2023. Tyre is second on the team in points with 24 as she has notched nine goals and six assists on the season. Timmons also has earned 24 points on the year as her eight goals and eight assists have helped kick the Lady Cats offense into another gear. Junior Dallis Thompson’s offense has also ignited the Lady Cats as she has racked up 20 points on nine goals and two assists. 

The Lady Cats will wrap up the regular season this week as they face rival Cairo on Tuesday night before traveling to Columbus to take on Hardaway for the final game of the regular season on Thursday, March 30. 

For the Bainbridge High School boys soccer team, their season has been equally as impressive as the Lady Cats. The Bearcats have won seven straight, allowing zero goals in those consecutive wins. With a 5-1 Region record, this upcoming week is extremely important for the Bearcats as they have a chance to separate themselves in first place. 

In the past three games, the Bearcats offense has exploded, combining for 25 goals in the wins. In their most recent 5-0 victory against Shaw, the Bearcats freshman stepped up and lit a spark for the Bearcats offense as freshman Henry Vanstone notched three goals and freshman Jose Bonilla-Ortiz notched two goals in their victory. 

Just like Coach Hill does with the Lady Cats, the emphasis on defensive play and physicality has been just as prominent with the Bearcats. Dax Willis has been a strong presence at goalie as he currently sits with an impressive 0.798 goals against average, notching shutouts in 11 of their 13 wins. 

On the offensive side of the ball, junior Brock Williams has been a standout for the Bearcats as he has earned 66 points on the year, scoring 29 goals and 14 assists with a 1.6 goals per game average. After his offseason work in Tallahassee, Williams is poised to keep being a standout for this Bearcat soccer program. 

Freshman Jose Bonilla-Ortiz has also been an impressive piece for the Bearcats as, despite being just a freshman, Bonilla-Ortiz is second on the team in points with 52 as he has notched 18 goals on the season and leads the Bearcats with 16 assists on the year. 

The Bearcats will also wrap up the regular season this week as matchups with Cairo and Hardaway could potentially see the Bearcats take home first place in the Region.