MT AIRY, Ga. — Habersham Central boys soccer coach Rick Wallace says the showdown for the Region 8-6A title will come down to his team's defense against the No. 5 North Forsyth offense. I expected it.
But it was the offensive counterattack in the second half that produced the controversial penalty, with senior Juan Lara scoring the only goal of the game and a nail-biting 1-0 victory Tuesday night at Raider Stadium. I got it.
They got revenge for their 1-0 loss to North Forsyth in their first match last month.
“The players decided to leave spring break until the end to work on their plans for this game,” Wallace said. “You saw last week's preparation pay off. They executed it perfectly.”
Based on the region's point system, Habersham Central (13-2, 11-1 Region 8-6A) must win a game in regulation or overtime to win the title. There was a need. Had North Forsyth won or Habersham won in penalties, the title would have gone to North Forsyth.
The first half ended in a scoreless draw, and with 20 minutes remaining neither team was able to find the back of the net, and it looked like the game would go into overtime. However, a high kick by a North Forsyth defender inside North Forsyth's box gave Habersham a late penalty. Several North Forsyth players protested the call, but it was ultimately upheld. Lara didn't waste that chance.
“I practice taking penalties every day, but I knew where I was going before I even got a penalty,” Lara said. “It means a lot to us to bring home the (regional title) trophy. It's been a while.”
It's Habersham Central's first regional title since 2019 and will take the No. 1 seed into next week's Class 6A playoffs.
Despite the low score, both teams had many chances.
Both teams created opportunities in the first half, but were unable to find the back of the net and the game ended scoreless.
Habersham Central's first chance came three minutes into the game when Lara took a 20-yard shot through traffic. But North Forsyth keeper Landon Merritt made a diving save.
North Forsyth responded right away with a beautiful cross into the box. Less than a minute later, Austin Chavarria headed the ball into the left corner of the goal.
The next 20 minutes were a battle in midfield and it was difficult to get through both defenses. North Forsyth had another chance in the 23rd minute, but the 34-yard free kick was brought down inside the box.
Brodie Tyree nearly put Habersham in danger in the 26th minute with a powerful 50-yard shot from a direct kick, but again Merritt made the save.
In the 36th minute, Habersham's Xavier Lopez sent a shot just 25 yards to the left of the goal, and North Forsyth had one more chance with two minutes left, but his header on a tip went wide in the box. The ball was hit hard to the left.
In the second half, North Forsyth (16-1, 11-1 Region, 8-6A), which entered the game averaging 4.25 goals per game, began to attack. North Forsyth had a shot in the 42nd minute and two more in the 49th minute on a furious move, the second of which forced Habersham keeper Everett Rudesiel to make a diving save.
In the second half, Lara had Habersham's first chance in the 55th minute, but Merritt was able to thwart it with a 30-yard shot. Chavarria gave North Forsyth another solid chance in the 59th minute with a 20-yard shot, but the shot just missed the right upright.
There Habersham started a counter, leading to a penalty. Despite needing to win in regulation, this was one of the few real offenses by Habersham.
“North Forsyth is a very dynamic offensive team, so we wanted to stick to our defensive plan as much as possible,” Wallace said. “Fortunately, we took the opportunity and were able to make it. They've been waiting their whole lives for this, so it's great to see them get it.”
Both Habersham and North Forsyth are scheduled to begin the playoffs on April 19th with first-round playoff games.
“We're going to go out and start preparing for whoever we're playing against,” Wallace said. “I think our region as a whole has a very good chance of winning some games in the first round. It's a tough region.”