The Portal Men's soccer team hosted the Lincoln County Red Devils on Wednesday in the first round of the GHSA State Playoffs. The Panthers put together a rally to win 3-1 and advance to the next round of the GHSA state playoffs.
Portal's Nehemiah Lovett made the goalkeeper miss to put the dagger in the Red Devil's season. His third goal put the finishing touches on a good performance by the Panthers. His second goal came with 22 minutes left in the game. Reshaun Jones put the moves on defender before sending a pass to Lovett to set up his shot.
Portal looked locked in as soon as the second half started. They dialed their aggression up to 11 and put pressure on the Lincoln County defense the entire half. The Panthers nearly doubled their shots on goal in the second half.
"We finished the regular season not the way we wanted to," Head Coach Deena Scarborough said, "The boys really pulled it together tonight."
The game was tied at 1 a piece going into the second half. The Panthers surrendered a goal in the opening minutes, but Lovett responded with a goal of his own in the 13th minute.
This win for the Panthers breaks a 4-game losing streak. They haven't won a game since March 19 against McIntosh County. Head Coach Deena Scarborough spoke on the team's struggle to close games. That was an emphasis for his team going into the second half.
"We had to finish," Scarborough said. "We've had a hard time finishing lately. Our defenders stepped up and held the line and that allowed for our goal Nemo (Nehemiah) to get the job done tonight."
UP NEXT:
The Panthers will go on the road to take on the Echols County Wildcats on Wednesday, April 24.
