Lakeside girls, Greenbrier boys win region in soccer
Teams from both schools met in finals
After a 16-game schedule, the Region 2-AAAA girls and boys soccer championships came down to the final game of the season for both Lakeside and Greenbrier.
The Wolfpack and Lady Wolfpack came into Thursday night's showdown at Lakeside with the upper hands. The Greenbrier boys were ranked No. 1 in AAAA, while Greenbrier's girls brought a No. 7 state ranking and undefeated region record of 6-0.
Lakeside's Lady Panthers overcame the odds and the rivalry to earn their second region title in three years with a 1-0 win over Greenbrier.
"We were an underdog, but this is what we worked for all year long," Lakeside junior Renee Reddington said.
Reddington made the difference Thursday by scoring the game's only goal - a shot that found the right corner of the net with 16:48 left in the first half.
"They always say the first 10 minutes and the last 10 minutes are key, but that goal came right in time for us when we could have been down," Lakeside goalkeeper Emily Brandenburg said. The Lady Panthers never let their guard down. Brandenburg led the charge for a Lakeside defense that shut out Greenbrier, a team that came into the contest averaging 5.8 goals per game.
Brandenburg made nine saves while holding a one-goal lead for more than 45 minutes of play.
"When it's Greenbrier/Lakeside you have to play the full 80 minutes," Brandenburg said. "Tonight it came down to who wanted it more. If we did anything, it was for our pride."
The Greenbrier boys' squad was also playing for pride Thursday night. One week after falling to region rival Evans, the Wolfpack rebounded with a 2-0 win over Lakeside to claim the Region 2-AAAA championship for the second straight season and the third time in four years.
"We took care of business," Greenbrier coach Chip Warren said. "That loss (against Evans) sets us up for the playoffs."
Junior Brooks Duff and sophomore Pieter James each scored a goal in the win over Lakeside to finish the regular season at 17-1-0.
The Wolfpack will begin the state playoffs with a first-round home game on Wednesday against Americus-Sumter (7-9-2).
The Lady Wolfpack will face Thomas County Central (9-5-4) at home on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Lakeside's girls will take on Americus-Sumter (7-8-2) at home at 5:30 p.m. today.
Lakeside's boys finished the season as the region's No. 4 seed and will travel to Ware County (12-2-0) today.