TIFTON — After many close calls, Tift County’s Blue Devils earned their first Region 1-6A victory of 2025 Tuesday night, 2-1 over invading Valdosta. The Lady Devils had a pair of hat tricks as they won 8-0 over Valdosta to make it a sweep.

“We’ll take it, we’ll take it, we’ll take it,” said head coach Bobby Earls.

The finish was even more dramatic than the score, which was decided in penalty kicks after overtime failed to produce a winner. The first phase of PKs saw both teams score three times. From there, it went to soccer’s form of sudden death: If one team scored and the other did not in a round, the game ended.

The sixth, seventh and eighth players for each team scored. Valdosta went first in round nine.

Cohen Barrow, making his first start of the season — and his first shootout — got a leg on a shot, which ricocheted off the crossbar and somehow went out. That set up Oscar Peña Martinez. If his shot was good, Tift had the win. Peña Martinez did not miss.

“I thought he played great,” said Earls. “He had a job to do tonight and he did it.”

Tift scored in the first minute of the contest, Jordan Lopez coming through when the Wildcats could not clear. Valdosta tied it with 14:49 on Jose Garrido’s goal.

The teams went into the half tied 1-1. The second half was much the same, both teams looking like they could break through at any moment. Neither could, however.

Lopez was high on a corner kick. Valdosta’s keeper, Nathaniel Haugabrook, made two huge saves of Lopez and on Cristian Salazar rebound.

Barrow was strong in the box, helping out teammates by fielding anything in his direction. Tift County had sprinted to get in two quick corners in the last minute, but could not get a clean look.

Valdosta also hustled in the last minute of the first overtime on a free kick, but saw it headed out by Preet Patel as the clock struck zero. Overtime No. 2 was quiet as well.

The teams went to penalty kicks tied 1-1. Barrow saved the first shot sent his way and the Blue Devils quickly jumped ahead 1-0 on Caesar Angeles’ goal. Through the five rounds, though, it was 3-3, as Haugabrook saved one and Barrow another, with Tift attempt sailing high.

Tate Woods and David Olguin scored, then Leandro Vasquez and Gio Rivera, and Jose Gomez and Patel. Kicks were 6-6 and neither had missed in their last four turns. But Barrow made the stop and Peña Martinez buried a shot.

LADY DEVILS 8, VALDOSTA 0

Head coach Irvin Alvarez said the Lady Devils got hat tricks from both Jordyn Shivers and Sigrid Martinez. Diana Reducindo and Marely Cruz each played a half in goal. Neither faced much pressure.

Alvarez sees a chance for the state playoffs out of Tift, which is currently in fifth place. “We need to steal a win from Camden or Lowndes,” he said. They will play at Camden Friday night, and at Lowndes April 10.

Tift is 2-5 in Region 1-6A. Colquitt County, whom they have split with, is 3-3 for fourth place. The Lady Devils are 5-6 overall.

In between is their second meeting with Valdosta, which will take place April 1 at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.