FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — For the Flowery Branch boys soccer team, Wednesday’s Class 5A first-round playoff matchup against Cartersville was all about composure.
And they had it when they needed it in taking a tough 2-0 win over the Purple Hurricanes at Falcon Field.
Over the previous four playoffs for the Falcons, it had been hit-or-miss. They made the Elite in Class 4A in 2021 but also suffered first-round exits in 2018, 2019, and last season.
First-year Falcons coach Billy Johnson hopes this will be the catalyst for putting inconsistent playoffs behind them.
“We talked before the match about just keeping our composure,” Johnson said. “We knew this would probably be a tough matchup. (Cartersville) has more talent than their record shows.
“We didn’t play our best, and Cartersville made it tough for us. But the kids kept their composure and found a way to win like good teams should be able to do.”
Flowery Branch (10-5-3) moves on to play the winner of the Villa Rica-Cambridge match next week at home. After a 1-4 start, the Region 8-5A champion Falcons have gone 9-1-3 since.
The first half was a midfield battle with both teams trying to counter. Branch had the better early chances with a pair of shots within 20 yards in the opening four minutes. In the 11th minute, Aiden Baker’s shot from inside the box was stopped by Cartersville keeper Collier Parker.
The Hurricanes didn’t get their first official shot until the 15th minute on a shot by Edgar Abeja, but Falcons’ keeper Christian Guerra made the stop. Two minutes later, Cartersville had a direct kick from 20 yards, but Marvel Velasquez’s shot just missed wide left.
The teams traded corners and two more shots each without success until the Falcons finally broke through.
Hayden Alavrado slammed in a rebound off a save from Parker to give Branch a 1-0 lead with 3:41 left in the first half. The play was set up by a beautiful pass from Avian Lara to Alvarado through traffic.
It went to the half that way.
Cartersville went on the attack in the second half, but Guerra and the Falcons' defense were able to limit the opportunities.
The Hurricanes' best chance came in a four-minute flurry with three corners. In the 65th minute, a Cartersville corner resulted in a header that hit the crossbar and bounced back into play. Guerra stopped a subsequent rebound, and Jaydin Kijanski cleared the ball off the line to keep it a 1-0 Branch lead.
Cartersville had another corner in the 68th minute, with Guerra making another save, and in the 69th minute, a Hurricanes shot sailed high.
In the 74th minute, Tyler Galasso sealed it with a goal with just 6:42 left. Guerra made one more nice stop in goal before the Falcons were able to dribble out the final seconds.
“This was a big win for this group,” Johnson said. “They didn’t have any real playoff experience, so it was nice to see them handle it.”
