Four area soccer teams continue playoffs this week

Four area soccer teams, two boys and two girls, are still alive in their respective state playoff races.

The Pacelli and Spencer boys get play started in the second round of the GHSA Class A and 3A playoffs, respectively, on Tuesday. The Calvary Christian girls are in the GICAA Division I semifinals on Tuesday, and the Columbus girls in the GHSA Class 5A second round on Wednesday.

Here’s a look at each of the upcoming matchups.

Spencer boys vs. Sonoraville, 6 p.m. Tuesday at Kinnett Stadium

The Spencer boys knocked off Westside-Augusta in their first-round game, giving them their first ever playoff victory in program history. Their excitement over the victory had to be shortlived.

Sonoraville went 15-4 this season, knocking off defending Class 3A champion West Hall in the first round of the playoffs. That serves plenty of notice to the Greenwave that this is a challenging matchup no matter what.

With that said, coach Marvin Broadwater has stressed to his players that they are in the position they are in, hosting a second-round playoff game, for a reason.

“Each team you play in the playoffs has a chance of being a state champion,” he said. “We just strictly want to be the better team on that particular day that we set foot on the field, simple and plain.”

Spencer relies on its seniors, like Darrell Johnson, Cristian Amable, Jhovani Leon-Perez, Yoshua Morris-Wharton and Isaisis Sterling, Broadwater said that their hard work will directly correlate to Tuesday’s result.

Pacelli boys vs. Savannah Country Day, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Pacelli

The Vikings lost nine seniors off of last year’s team, but has still put together a solid season so far.

At 10-3-3, they earned the top seed out of their region and a bye in the first round of the Class A playoffs. Now, they’ll host Savannah Country Day in the second round.

Six underclassmen either start or get significant playing time for the Vikings, including freshman Danny Duran and sophomore T.J. Fick, who have combined for 34 goals. Coach Nick Fusco said that seniors Manuel Duran and Josh Hammonds have been key for leadership all year as well.

What the Vikings will get in Savannah Country Day (9-4-1) is a seasoned program that always figures into the playoff conversation. Like Pacelli, though, they are young with a handful of key players who can cause damage if given the chance.

“The challenge for us will be to remain consistent and play up to our ability,” Fusco said.

Calvary Christian girls at Creekside Christian, 5 p.m. Tuesday

It’s been a turnaround season for the Lady Knights, who ended the season in second place in region play with a 5-1 record. Their success has come from a number of places, but particularly from some of the young players like eighth-graders Amanda Woolbright (17 goals) and Madi Osborne (5 goals and 4 assists).

More seasoned players like Sydney White and Taylor White have also impacted the team’s turnaround.

Calvary Christian coach Samantha Lucas said that Creekside will be a bit of a mystery to them on Tuesday, but that the important thing is for Calvary to focus on itself.

“The girls need to be able to keep the ball and pass in the midfield to create goal-scoring opportunities,” she said.

Columbus vs. Alexander, 7 p.m. Wednesday at Kinnett Stadium

The Lady Blue Devils are the Lady Blue Devils. Talented as ever, they have weathered the storm of one of the state’s most difficult schedules to date. Now, they are trying to use that experience to help them make a deep playoff run.

This week, they’ll get Alexander, a talented team from a talented region that can utilize its team speed and defense to overcome the opposition. Columbus coach Rusty Oliver said that the biggest challenge for Columbus has been learning from the losses against quality opponents and playing up to its potential.

It will need to on Wednesday.

Despite some injuries, Columbus has proven to have one of the best defenses in the state, Oliver said, and it will try to continue that play to advance.

“We have a game plan for Wednesday, and I believe our kids will execute it,” he said. “I expect it to be a low-scoring game, which works in our favor. … No one wants the season to end, but we have to prove it on the field Wednesday. No one is going to give it to us.”

This story was originally published May 2, 2016 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Four area soccer teams continue playoffs this week."