MORGAN COUNTY
The Morgan County boys soccer team heads into its final stretch of the season this week, with four matches left on its 2023 schedule before the Class AAA state playoffs start in April.
The Bulldogs entered the week with a 6-2-2 record and a 6-1 mark in Region 4-AAA play. They only played one match last week, a non-league contest against Apalachee in Winder.
Morgan County battled the Class AAAAAA Wildcats, but the match ended in a 0-0 draw.
Bulldog head coach Aaron Paul attributed the result to Apalachee playing “some tough defense.”
“I thought we played pretty well against Apalachee, despite the tie. We didn’t have a lot of shots on goal. In fact, we had the fewest amount of shots on goal probably taken all season,” Paul said. “From a defensive and midfield standpoint, I thought we played pretty well.”
In the tie, the Wildcats took a significant amount more shots than Morgan County did, although sophomore keeper Blake Downs was able to hold his own and not let any get by.
“They put the heat on our goalkeeper, who did a fantastic job by making some highlight-worthy saves,” Paul said of Downs. “But, I thought our communication was better, and that’s what we’ve been really trying to work on with each other throughout the season.
“Overall, I was pleased because Apalachee is always very physical and very fast. (They are) always a good, tough matchup,” he added. “That is why we scheduled them this year.”
Morgan County’s four remaining games are against Eastside, Harlem, Clarke Central and Ola. The Bulldogs faced the Eagles (3-7-1) on Tuesday at Bill Corry Stadium for Senior Night. They will then face region rival Harlem on Thursday (past print time) on the road Thursday.
Paul’s squad currently sits at No. 2 in the region standings behind Harlem. The Bulldogs of Columbia County narrowly defeated Morgan County 2-1 in double overtime on Feb. 28.
The Bulldogs are hoping for another region championship under Paul and he wants that, too. However, at the same time, he also wants his team to finish strong heading into the playoffs.
“Our mentality since losing that last match to Harlem has been focusing on ourselves and getting better,” Paul said. “It’s really been also about reducing the number of mistakes and also increasing our offensive productivity. So, increasing shots on goal, increasing our crosses, increasing our finishing ability and trying to get those percentages up versus goals scored. We have also been focusing on increasing our communication in practice a lot.”
Morgan County will heavily rely on senior and leading goal-scorer Scott Chamberlain in the next few weeks. The Bulldogs will also look for fellow veterans Gianluca Corrias, Alex Anderson and Mckaylan Williams, among others, to lead throughout the last four games.
Two weeks ago, Morgan County swept Region 4-AAA opponents Salem (10-0) and Hephizbah (6-3). The 10-goal win over the Seminoles was highlighted by Chamberlain’s hat trick. Also, Williams, Alex Ortiz and Omar Lizarde all also scored shots on goal in the win.
Bulldogs’ mid-fielder Brandon Lopez also got hot in the 6-3 victory over the Rebels on March 9. The talented freshman had a hat trick in one of his first appearances at the varsity level for Paul. Also, Lizarde and Anderson netted goals for Morgan County against Hephzibah.
Paul hopes for a better result against the Bulldogs of Harlem in the season recap against them. Luckily, either way, his team should be in good standing heading into the Class AAA playoffs.
“Luckily, the region games are the only ones that matter, but we want to win the others, too,” Paul said. “They are the ones that have the most implications for us down the stretch, but (in the non-region games) we are going to see if we are communicating, are we crossing the ball from our corners. Are we using our wings or getting stuck in the middle a lot? What we don’t want to see is a regression in the things we’ve gotten better a lot.”