Lafayette boys’ season stopped at Cherokee Bluff
The Lafayette Ramblers began the 2021 varsity soccer season with a new head coach and a very young roster, while beginning play in a brand new region.
However, none of that seemed to faze the Orange-and-black as they finished third in the nine-team region and earned a spot in the state playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Unfortunately for the Ramblers and their fans, that playoff run would come to an end with a tough loss in Flowery
Branch this past Wednesday.
With wind playing a significant factor, especially in the first half, the Bears of Cherokee Bluff — the No. 2 seed from Region 7 and the No. 8-ranked team in the classification — jumped out to a big halftime lead and went on to a 6-1 victory.
The Ramblers, playing with heavy gusts in their faces in the first half, had the wind taken out of their sails by four firsthalf tallies from the hosts before a Daniel Lopez goal late in the half cut the gap to 4-1 at intermission. However, the Bears would tack on two final goals in the second half and kept Lafayette off the board the rest of the way.
Lafayette ended its season with a 7-5-1 overall record.
Region 6-AAA went 1-1 in first-round matchups against Region 7-AAA on Wednesday as North Murray, the No. 2 seed, held off No. 3 seed and No. 9-ranked West Hall, 1-0, in a close contest in Chatsworth.
The other two matches saw top-seeded and No. 4-ranked Coahulla Creek shut out fourthseeded Gilmer, 7-0, while fourthseeded Murray County fell 6-1 at top-seeded and No. 5-ranked White County.