Women of the North Slay Dragons: North Oconee-2 Jefferson-0

With a second place finish in region 8-4A up for grabs and the climatic roller coaster topping out in the hot zone, the Lady Titans traveled to Jefferson last Wednesday to engage the Lady Dragons of Jefferson High School. Both teams came into the game knowing that this contest was a make or break opportunity to establish their position within the region and set themselves up for post season success. The importance of the match and the strength of each squad was evident from the outset as the battle was hotly and physically contested mostly in the middle third. Only occasionally could one side or the other break through for a run at the goal. While opportunities were limited, North Oconee made the most of what they earned. Only 6 minutes into the tilt, Lilah Turk fought through the Jefferson defenses drawing the Dragons in only to lay out a gentle pass for an oncoming Callee Maughan who stroked the ball past the charging goalie for the score putting the Titans on top early on. Struggling against the heat and tenacious defense, neither team could find the net for the remainder of the half. The second half brought more of the same, but as the period wore on, there seemed a subtle shift in favor of the Lady Titans. After a throw in by Piper Cyterski deep in Dragon territory, the ball found its way through the scrum in front of the goal and into the reach of Hannah Weeks who drilled it in for the Titan's second score. Down 2-0, the Dragonettes could never recover and slowly wilted as play settled on their half of the pitch. The 2 hard won goals were all North Oconee would need to take the victory and the shutout.