The Long County Blue Tide boys soccer team hosted the Savannah Arts Academy Panthers in the first round of the AAA state playoffs on Wednesday, April 13. It was a tightly contested matchup that went to overtime, but ultimately saw the Tide on a late header in the second overtime period.
The Tide came into the game 11-3-1 and looking to avenge last year’s Sweet Sixteen loss to the Panthers. They took the first lead of the game on a shot from senior Orlando Tellez-Baltazar, who took advantage of a deflection.
Despite taking the 1-0 lead in the 24th minute, the Tide were outshot by the Panthers 5-2 early in the game. Just a few minutes after he scored for the Tide, Tellez-Baltazar went down with a foot injury that kept him out of the game.
With one of the major senior leaders out, the Tide struggled to get much going offensively, getting outshot 3-1 in the final 15 minutes of the half.
The Panthers were able to tie the game up on a Kaleb Drabek shot from outside the box, about 15 feet from the midfield line. The score remained tied for the remainder of the regulation period.
There were no shots taken for the first 10 minutes of the second half before the Panthers shot was just high over the crossbar. Senior Gael Franco had an open look in the 55th minute, but it just sailed left.
The Panthers were hit with a yellow two minutes later as Chris Ortega set up for a free kick just outside the box. His shot was tipped away, however.
Ortega was not done though as he took the ball and weaved in and out of Panthers to get a look from just outside the keeper box. His shot looked good, but it was corralled by keeper Ryland Summers.
Ortega saw an open Franco a minute later, but the pass was just too far ahead as it sailed out of bounds. Once again it was Ortega with the fancy footwork as he looked for sophomore Reyvin Contreras-Hernandez, whose shot was just a little too high.
The young Contreras-Hernandez had another good look from inside the box, but Summers was able to make the stop with 11 minutes left in regulation.
The Panthers finally got another look, but keeper Kamdyn Gramsch-Milliken made a risky diving stop to keep the game tied as the clock hit triple zeroes.
Three minutes into the first overtime, senior Carson Futch got awarded a penalty kick after a foul inside the box. His attempt was just a little too high and to the right as the score remained tied.
Senior Benjamin Ayala got a look just a minute later and it looked like he scored, but the shot bounced out off the inside of the right post.
The Panthers were able to take a lead off a deep throw in near the corner. The header from Josh Diaz just dribbled in past Gramsch-Milliken as the Panthers went up 2-1 with five minutes left in the second overtime.
The Tide were never able to get another good look in the final few minutes as the time ticked off and the Panthers held on to win.
With the loss, the Tide finish the season 11-4-1 and now lose nine seniors as they look to enter a new region in the 2023 season.
For the Lady Tide, they fell to the Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets 6-0 earlier in the day on Wednesday. With just two seniors on the team and a crop of talented players coming up from middle school next year, the Lady Tide will look to compete in 2023.