SOCCER: East Laurens sends out seniors with sweep of Dublin

Senior moments were abundant for the East Laurens Falcons in a sweep of Dublin, as their program sent off its 12 upcoming graduates in the Class of 2024 with home victories over their crosstown rivals. 

A combined five goals between Lady Falcon seniors Madison Johnson and Madison Cheek headlined a 7-0 win. Senior Riley Senn had one of two goals for the East boys in their 2-0 result. 

Both Falcon teams take a week off for spring break before returning to action next week. Dublin will host Jones County in a non-region match on Friday. 

Johnson scored first for the East Laurens girls, about two minutes in, as a Lady Falcon advance right up the middle caught Dublin’s back line a little flat footed. She drilled her way directly in and landed a shot from a few yards out. 

She built on the 1-0 East Laurens lead with just under four minutes to play before the half, when the Lady Falcons flipped the field on a long ball that found Jayla Givens. She won a solo sprint down to the right post, and crossed it for the wide open Johnson on the left side for the score to make it 2-0 at the break. 

Cheek opened up the second-half scoring with a goal at 31:28, as East won the battle for a punt near midfield after Dublin keeper Jerrica Charleston speared a nice-looking shot from the right. The Lady Falcons rolled it back over toward Cheek in the left corner, and she buried a no-doubter from about 15 yards out. 

Cheek scored again five minutes later after a bluff shot leaked over to the left on a deflection, and got the Irish defense confused. Cheek was there to finish. 

Givens added on another at 14:31, off an Irish goalkick that the Lady Falcons took charge of. 

Givens found it on the right side and outdueled three defenders, also luring Charleston several steps out of goal before a shot into the left side of the net. 

Johnson completed the hat trick with about 12 minutes left on some similar action, except this time the ball went to the left side for Cheek to collect on a pass to Johnson, who would line one inside the left post. 

Erin Northcutt capped the scoring at the 8:00 mark as the Irish initially succeeded at cutting off a Falcon break, but she took control of one high on the right and dribbled it a solid 40 yards, navigating about six defenders, and kept it away from every one of them – including a diving Charleston – to punch the ball home. 

Scoring was limited for East against the scrappy Irish boys in the second match of the night, though the Falcons had no issue controlling possession for most of the match. 

Dublin, able to produce few shots on goal, came up empty on its best chance at scoring late in the match on a penalty kick via handball, but East keeper Carson Smith made a spectacular save to keep the shutout.

Senn opened the Falcon scoring with the only goal before halftime, at 27:22 to go, as Tyler Scott fed one his way on a curl into a crowded box. Senn’s soft spinner went in on the right side for the score. 

Juan Carlos Pacheco had the second for the Falcons eight minutes after the break, off a long ball that Senn ran down on the right side before unloading a shot that was blocked by Dublin’s keeper. 

The ball spilled out of his grasp as senior Hunter Selby came in from the left side to control it, and fire it in off Pacheco’s deflection as the Irish goalie unsuccessfully tried to recover footing in time.