Gator Alley played host to a county matchup between the Portal Panthers and Bulloch Academy Gators on Thursday evening. The Gators were able to come away with a sweep as both teams won by multiple scores. The Lady Gators defeated Portal women's varsity soccer team 3-0 to give them their first loss of the season. The Bulloch Academy men's team took control early and kept piling it on in their 6-0 win.
The Lady Gators Give Portal Their First Taste of Defeat
Portal entered Thursday's game with a 10-0-1 record and a clinched regular season region title. Bulloch Academy have not played as many games and were underdogs despite having home field advantage.
A goal by Addie Becker put the finishing touches on Bulloch Academy's win over the Panthers. The Gators played a great game and made Portal work for everything. They took control early and never let their foot off of the gas despite having a lead. Bulloch Academy played every second like the game was tied.
Entering the 2nd half with a 1-0 lead, Bulloch came out prepared to stop Portal's rally. The Panthers have built a reputation for being able to put points on the scoreboard quickly, but tonight they couldn't do it. The defense of the Gators swamped the Lady Panthers' attack. A goal by Rylie Ann Claxton gave the Gators a 2-0 cushion with around 25 minutes remaining in the game.
Becker's goal in the 2nd half was her second score in the game. She broke the seal on the game with a goal in the opening minutes.
Bulloch Academy Head Coach, Caitlyn Cofer, was very excited after her team's win. "We have had a couple of losses, so we are very excited on our home to turf to show up and show out." Cofer said.
"I think we started the game and played the whole game with a lot of tenacity and a lot of energy," Cofer said. "We kept the throttle up the whole game."
The win improves Bulloch Academy's record to 4-3. Portal's record falls to 10-1-1. This is only times these two teams will meet.
Gators Rout Panthers 6-0
In the nightcap of the doubleheader, the Gator men picked up right where the ladies left off. They continued to pile on goals on their way to a 6-0 blowout victory.
The Gators carried a 2-0 lead into the half and scored 4 more goals to run the score up. Angelo Periera scored a goal in the opening minutes of the 2nd period. He was ran over to a family member in the crowd to celebrate. Even with a 3-0 lead, Periera and Gators were not done. Sammy Mendez joined the party with a goal shortly after.
Periera and Artem Huggins put the final nail in the coffin with two goals in the final 10 minutes.
Portal couldn't get into a good rhythm offensively. There were several times when one of their players were having to deal with several defenders with no outlet to pass to.
Portal has lost their second straight game as their record falls to 6-4. The Gators record improves to 4-2 on the season.
This is the first meeting of two between the Gators and Panthers. They will meet again on Tuesday, April 9.
UP NEXT:
Portal will go on the road to take on Swainsboro on Tuesday, April 2. The women's game will start at 5:00 p,.m. and the men will start shortly after its conclusion.
Bulloch Academy men's will not play again until Tuesday, April 9 when they have a rematch against Portal. The Lady Gators do not play until Friday April12 when they play against Frederica Academy.
