The Long County Lady Blue Tide soccer team played 15 of their 18 regular season games on the road during the 2026 season. They played one more in the first round of the Class AAA state playoffs, but as the home team.

On Tuesday, the Lady Tide hosted the Monroe Area Hurricanes in the first round with the game being played at Liberty County’s Donell Woods Stadium. Despite having the home field advantage and being the higher seeded team, the Lady Tide fell to the Hurricanes 6-0.

The Tide came into the first round as the number 11 seed after finishing the regular season 14-3 and as the Region 3-AAA runner-up. However, they also came into the game missing three starters due to season-ending injuries.

This came into play for the Lady Tide as they could not get much going on offense, getting no shots on goal until the second half.

Midway through the first half, the Lady Canes struck first off a free kick. McKinley Davis found the back of the net to give her team the 1-0 lead with 16 minutes left in the half.

Kayleigh Wells pushed one past Tide keeper Safeara McGhee two minutes later to give the Canes a 2-0 lead for the first of her five goals on the day.

The Tide seemingly answered the Canes’ fast start as Reese Davis pushed a ball up to Kaitlynn Contreras and she scored a few feet from the net. However, an offsides call wiped away the goal.

Wells broke away and had an open shot just two minutes into the second half as the Canes took a 3-0. Wells was there again on another breakaway as she scored to complete the flawless hat trick and give her team a 4-0 lead.

Wells added two more goals in the last 20 minutes of the game.

Monroe Area came into the game as the number 22 seed, but the Canes were 12-5 coming into the postseason and in arguably the toughest region in AAA.

Region 8 features three-time state champion Oconee County and Jefferson, who lost to the Warriors in the state championship game 1-0 in 2025. The Warriors entered the playoffs as the number one overall seed and the Dragons were number seven.

All four teams from that region, including number 18 Cherokee Bluff, won their first round games.

The Lady Tide will look to the 2027 season as they move up to AAAA and welcome new region opponents Harlem, West Laurens and New Hampstead.