SOCCER: East Laurens takes two tight ones at home to sweep Bleckley County

East Laurens’ soccer teams closed the week with a couple of huge region wins as they hosted their lone matchup of the season with rival Bleckley County Friday night. 

The Lady Falcons 10-2 (5-0 region) remained in command of the 2-High A race with a 2-0 shutout. East’s boys (5-7, 3-2 region) completed the sweep in overtime, getting the last word in a 5-4 final, to stay with twice-beaten Jefferson County and once-beaten Dodge in a three-team scrum that remains in hot pursuit of 4-0 region leader ACE in the standings. 

Both teams visit Washington-Wilkes in a non-region match Tuesday night. 

The East Laurens girls broke a scoreless tie with two decisive goals in the second half to pull away from another defensive stalemate. 

Maggie Foskey knocked in the first with 28 minutes left to play, and Yessica Lopez assisted Jameria Walker on the second to to make it a decisive 2-0 lead with 6:55 to go. 

The shots hit home back and forth throughout a dramatic boys match that saw Matt Brantley strike for the first and last Falcon goals of regulation, his opener 10 minutes into the match and the last to even the count – and ultimately force OT – with only 4:14 to go in the second half. 

Bleckley got a quick header to go for an early 1-0 lead just two minutes in before Brantley’s first goal tied the score. Another by Cristofer Vasquez-Aquino, assisted by John Thang at around the same point after halftime, leveled it at 2-2. Vasquez-Aquino’s side-footed assist led to the Brantley blaster to bring things square for a third time. 

The Royals, once again, went up early in the first extra period. But Drew Robinson answered on a penalty kick to make it 4-4.

Thang’s high-velocity shot, teed up by a Brantley touch from the side of the box, won the match with 6:55 left to play.