TIFTON — The Blue Devils are on the verge of breaking through in soccer. Head coach Bobby Earls can feel it.

“We’re there. We’re almost there,” he said. “We just can’t get over the hump.”

Tift County was swept Friday by Colquitt County on the pitch. The Lady Packers won a 3-0 finish and the Blue Devils, for the second time this year, took Colquitt to overtime before falling in penalty kicks.

The Devils never have to worry about reaching an extra level against their arch-rival from across the Ty Ty Creek, but this saw them step up even more.

“We showed some character,” said Earls. “We could’ve dropped our heads and gone through the motions the last three minutes, but we didn’t.”

Colquitt scored first, a goal at 23:53 in the first half. Brock Harden answered at 20:43 off a Cristian Salazar free kick set up by a Packers handball.

No one scored for the rest of the first half, and the second half went scoreless as well. Tift County jammed up the inside well and the Packers had to settle for deeper shots.

Neither side did much in the first overtime, the biggest play being a Braylon Samuel save 90 seconds in. The Blue Devils almost had a goal 3:30 in the second overtime, Colquitt needing to make a leaping tip save on Osvaldo Silos’ free kick.

It was trouble when Colquitt found an opening in front of the net at 4:42 and went up a goal. Time was short and Tift needed something, anything for the game to continue. A minute later, the Packers kept them from getting a good look on a free kick. One minute after that Jordan Lopez could not quite square up a header.

Time was flying by. Tift kept on the offense. They finally got their break when a Packer defender kicked a ball out near the net instead of trying to clear. That gave the Devils a corner kick and by some remarkable feat Raul Castillo, in as a substitute, headed that kick for a goal at 1:13.

“He made it happen,” said Earls of Castillo’s heroics.

The game was tied again and going to penalty kicks. Four Blue Devils, Caesar Angeles, Salazar, Omar Acosta and Harden, made their kicks. Unfortunately, the Packers were good on all five to win.

Earls went through his lineup, issuing praise everywhere. Gio Rivera, Juan Rodriguez were also among those singled out for an outstanding night.

LADY PACK 3, TIFT 0

Colquitt scored one goal in the first half, coming at 26:40. Amy Deleon had a shot blocked later in the half and was barely left on another try, Caroline Dotson, who blocked multiple shots near goal, had a kick high with 2:15 to go.

Diana Reducindo kept Colquitt from getting a key goal to start the second on a one-on-one opportunity. The Lady Packers, though, added goals at 31:41 and with 5:00 remaining.

Deleon, Jordyn Shivers and Aaliyah Rodriguez had shots in the second half. Rodriguez nearly got a header in off a corner kick.

Tift teams host Crisp County Tuesday in non-region matches before hitting the road Friday for their longest trip of the regular season, to fellow 1-6A school Richmond Hill. They will play their last home region match March 18 against Valdosta.