After falling to Tift County in a scrimmage match in the previous week, the Worth County Rams soccer team returned to Milt Miller Field last Tuesday evening to take on the Americus-Sumter Panthers in the first game of the regular season. This was an unusual game for the Rams because the Panthers do compete in Region 1-AAAA, but due to the restructured region this year, this first game against Americus will not count towards the Rams region record. However, the game would serve as a good indicator as to how the Rams should fare when region play begins.
In a complete turnaround from the scrimmage against Tift, the Lady Rams took the field first and decimated the Lady Panthers, 9-0.
Then, the boys took the field as the bitter cold began to set in once again. Still, the Rams looked much more confident and aggressive against the Panthers than they did in the previous week. The Worth team was keeping the AS goal keeper busy with the ball in shooting range and the offense swarming around the goal. Still, Americus scored first as they slipped one into the net halfway through the first half.
With under a minute remaining in the half, Hunter Jones was charging towards the goal and looked ready to score when the Panther goal keeper came out of the box and tripped the Worth junior. Though he got up hobbling and obviously in pain, Jones scored on a penalty kick with 30 seconds left, and the teams returned to the field house for half time, tied at 1-1.
Both teams put up another point in the second half, and the game continued into double overtime. However, Worth scored the winning kick and prevented a shootout to claim the 3-2 victory of the Panthers. Following the game, Head Coach Colby Simpson stated he was pleased with the play of both of his teams, and his plan was to simply continue working hard as they move forward into the season.
On Friday, the teams traveled to Valdosta to take on the Wildcats. While the girls fell to the Lady Cats, 4-1, the boys put on another hard fought contest. Neither team scored in the first half, then both teams scored in the second half to send the game into overtime once again. With less than a minute remaining in the first overtime period, Valdosta scored again and claimed the victory, 2-1.
Region play begins this week, as the teams travel to Dougherty on Tuesday to take on the Trojans. Then on Thursday, the soccer teams will return to Albany to face Monroe. Next Tuesday, the teams return home to face Albany.
