Blue Devils advance to 2nd round after win over Marietta

Published 11:00 pm Wednesday, April 13, 2022

TIFTON – Mike Taylor swatted away Marietta’s final penalty kick attempt Wednesday night and the Tift County Blue Devils survived the first round of the Class 7A state soccer tournament.

Tift won, 5-4, also outscoring the visiting Blue Devils on penalty kicks, 5-4. They will host Alpharetta in the second round. The Raiders defeated Berkmar Wednesday, 4-0.

“It ain’t if you win,” began head coach Bobby Earls to his team after the victory, “it’s ‘Did we win?'”

Survive and advance is perfectly fine with Earls at this stage of the season. Twice his team was a goal down in the final 15:30 of the 2nd half and twice they responded.

“I’m thrilled to death,” said Earls, whose team also made the sweet 16 in 2021. “We have so much heart and character. I’m super proud of them. They’re a great group of kids.”

Down 2-1 six minutes into the 2nd half, Anthony Palomares cleaned up after Isai Mendez slipped while trying to get a shot off in front of the net.

Though only 15:24 were left on the clock at the time of Palomares’ goal, Marietta needed less than two minutes to go back ahead, 3-2, on a kick by Andy Sullins.

Still, the Devils kept competing. A free kick by Beto Aguirre was on frame. Two Marietta players missed heading it out and Alex Cardoso slipped past them to tie the contest at 3-3 33 minutes into the half.

Kevyn Lopez and Gabe Rodriguez just missed on a cross into a header. Taylor made two tip saves as the contest went to overtime.

Eli Harden had a big clear for Tift in the first overtime session, which was going quietly until Cardoso was fouled en route to the goal. He was awarded a penalty kick and scored with 1:08 remaining in the initial extra session.

The Blue Devils attempted to ride the second overtime, staying on the defensive and clearing as they could, but Marietta found an opening and Sullins took it, tying the score at 4-4 with 5:19 left.

Palomares had a shot saved and Taylor again had to be on the spot with more saves. Neither side scored again, setting up penalty kicks.

Tift went first on PKs, Jayden Arzola scoring in the right side of the net. Marietta countered with a goal, and did three more times, after RaJae Mickins, Daniel Gomez and Jonathan Salazar put the Devils ahead.

Cardoso gave Tift the advantage again on fifth penalty kick. That set up a necessity for Marietta, score or go home. Taylor came up with a diving save, ending the Mariettans’ campaign.

“I was so worried when we drew Marietta,” Earls said. Tift faced them earlier this year and won, but it also went to overtime. He said the northern Blue Devils are much better than their record. Two of their players, he said, had signed Division I scholarships.

Arzola scored the first goal, doing so as he has done several times in 2022, crashing in on a free kick.

Aguirre took the kick after Tift was awarded it on a Marietta handball. The kick went slightly right of goal, where two Devils had been given cushion by Marietta’s defense. Arzola ended up with it and had enough room to turn and bury the ball in the net 12 minutes into the 1st half.

Marietta squared it at 1-1 with 6:49 left in the half on Sullins’ first goal. 

“I never would have dreamed we would have given up four goals,” said Earls. But at the end of the night, Tift had one more, all that mattered.

Palomares’ goal was a series of fortunate events by Tift. Aguirre sent a goal kick deep, where Gomez’s pressure forced the ball out of bounds of Marietta. Gomez threw in to Harden, who sent a cross to an open Mendez.

Ben Vigdorov scored Marietta’s other goal, giving them their initial lead of the match.

Tift was the sole survivor for Region 1-7A, for boys and girls. All seven other teams were eliminated in the first round of state. Should the Devils win their second round match, they would be home again April 26, against either West Forsyth or Campbell.