Willough Davis and Suzanne Arafa teamed up for both goals as the Buccaneers bested Grady 2-1 in a surprisingly difficult first round of the state playoffs Thursday. It was the first playoff win in girls soccer in the three-year history of the program.
Allatoona won the Region 7-AAA title during the regular season and entered the game with a record of 17-1. Grady came in at 9-9 and was the fourth place team out of Region 5-AAA.
“We learned a lot tonight,” said Allatoona head coach Bill Perry. “We learned that even though Grady was a four seed, they didn’t play like one. They came out in the second half looking for our heads on a platter.”
Find out what's happening in Acworthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Allatoona scored both of its goals in the first half and held a 2-0 lead at the break, but Grady was the clear aggressor in the second half and Allatoona had to fight defensively to hold on for the win.
“We try to play our game instead of backpedaling when we get ahead, but they had us on our heels in the second half,” Perry said.
Find out what's happening in Acworthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Grady finished with 20 shots on goal, compared to just six for Allatoona, but quality bested quantity in this one. Grady shot several times from long distance, while both of Davis’s goals came on first-half breakaways where she essentially had a clear path to the goalie. And she capitalized both times.
“She’s got some speed up top, and she got one-on-one with the keeper a couple of times and made them both count,” Perry said. Arafa assisted on both goals.
The fledgling program now has its first taste of postseason success. The team made the playoffs last season, but lost in the first round to Marist.
Allatoona will host the winner of Thursday’s Lagrange-Chestatee matchup on Tuesday. They time of that game has not been determined.
