Habersham Central High School’s varsity boys soccer team picked up its third win Tuesday night with a 2-1 home victory over Tallulah Falls School.
The Raiders (3-1, 1-0 Region 8-AAAAAA) were gifted an own goal by the Indians (4-1, 1-0 Region 8-A Division I) midway through the first half for an early lead.
Despite being able to control the ball most of the game, it took until just inside the final 10 minutes of play to find an offensive goal for HCHS.
A ball played through the middle and down to the right half of the 18-yard box led to a perfectly weighted pass to Camden Meads for a tap-in on the backside.
Despite the win, Raiders Head Coach Ric Wallace said the Tallulah Falls game plan made for a tough night for his team.
“Tough night, just different that what we normally see,” he said. “They sat 10 guys behind the ball in a low block all night. We were probing all over the place trying to find ways through. We’d be off just a little bit and have to go reset when they’d clear it out of there and try to go back again.”
Wallace gave Indians’ keeper Kelton Reynolds praise for making “a bunch of good saves” as the Raiders attacked his goal.
With the 3-1 start to the season, Wallace said his team is in a good place with a stretch of important games coming up.
“Promising start (to the season) and we’re in a good place. It’s always good to get this win,” Wallace said. “We’re 1-0 in the region right now and we’re heading into a big string of region games. Right now, we’ve just got to do better in the final third and that’s what we’re spending a lot of time on in practice right now.”
Defensively, Wallace said he didn’t remember the Raiders giving up a shot all night to the Indians, which would make two-straight games with such a performance.
“Our team defensive shape has been really good,” Wallace said. “We’re not giving up a lot of chances. We’ve got to continue to be solid defensively and create chances and put them in the back of the net.”
HCHS will host a region matchup against Lanier at 8 p.m. Friday before going on the road the following Tuesday to Jackson County and then Shiloh on March 1.
From here, the Indians will play a region match at home against Athens Christian on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
