Moving on: Locals bury first round competition in soccer playoffs

More local teams moved on in the state playoffs with first round wins on Wednesday night.

The Lady Wildcats of Whitewater hosted Loganville and won 5-0. The first goal came less than three minutes in and they kept the pressure on the Lady Red Devil defense all night. Erin Emerson scored two goals, while Jewelia Strickland, Taylor Marks and Jenni Loveless each scored one. Whitewater will host Sequoyah, 3-2 overtime winners over Chamblee, next week. The winner will play the winner of Thomas County Central and a team to be determined (Lakeside, Evans or Statesboro).

Whitewater’s boys played Wednesday night at Heritage and won 6-0, advancing to the second round of the Class AAAA playoffs where they will face third-ranked Lakeside, DeKalb. The two teams faced off on Apr. 13 and Lakeside, DeKalb won 1-0. Scoring for the Wildcats on Wednesday were Matt Herget (2), Justin Mier (2), Griffin Gainer and Milan Nagy. Ethon Barnard and Kelson Van Gunst each had two assists and Chase Sullivan and Nagy each added one. Vincent Easterbrook recorded the shut out.

Starr’s Mill’s girls found themselves in a heated battle with Winder Barrow (the two teams were tied at 2-2 with 20 minutes left) but a late offensive surge of three second half goals gave the Lady Panthers the win. Lauren Swany and Kelli Davis each had two goals, while Mandy McCalla added one. They will travel to take on eighth ranked South Paulding next week. The winner will take on the winner of Evans and Lee County.

McIntosh’s Lady Chiefs played at sixth ranked Heritage before the Whitewater boys game and won 4-0. Katie Cameron wasted no time putting the Lady Chiefs ahead as she finished Erin Pincombe's flick to the back post beating the keeper to the ball for the 1-0 lead just two minutes into the match. Emily Lecomte powered a shot home to the back post on an assist by Gabby Seiler for a 2-0 lead at the half. Cameron created the third goal as her corner found Christine Villanueva who headed home perfectly at the back post before Seiler finished the scoring with a lightning quick shot after the Heritage defense failed to clear a cross.

The Lady Chiefs defense again held the opposition in check with their 14th shutout of the season. Keeper Nikki Atkinson got the clean sheet with a solid effort by defenders Brittany Schmidt, Hannah Hartman, Danielle Gray, Kaitlyn McBride, Taylor Cook, Erica Barnhill, and Corinne Wooten. The win puts McIntosh at third-ranked Marist next Wednesday night. The winner will face the winner of Glynn Academy and Upson Lee.

Northgate’s Lady Vikings, the fourth seed from region 5-AAAA, toppled fifth ranked Salem 3-0. They will play at Rome next Wednesday. The winner will meet the winner of Harris County and Wayne County.

In Class AAAAA, East Coweta’s Lady Indians beat Houston County 3-1 and will play at Greenbrier, Evans next Wednesday. The winner will face the winner of Walton and Kennesaw Mountain.

Newnan’s Lady Cougars also won their game, defeating Colquitt County 3-1. They will host Union Grove next Wednesday and the winner will face the winner of Parkview and Lassiter.