Wildcats fall in PKs to Blue Devils
Published 3:10 pm Thursday, March 20, 2025
- Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times Jose Garrido celebrates his first-half goal for the Wildcats. Teams were tied 1-1 through regulation and overtime before it was decided in penalty kicks.
TIFTON — Valdosta’s Wildcats came so close to getting not only their second victory of 2025 Tuesday, but also their first Region 1-6A win over Tift County.
Tift won 2-1 in extended PKs. Earlier, the Lady Wildcats fell to the Lady Devils, 8-0.
The finish was even more dramatic than the score, which was decided in penalty kicks after overtime failed to produce a winner. The first phase of PKs saw both teams score three times. From there, it went to soccer’s form of sudden death: If one team scored and the other did not in a round, the game ended.
The sixth, seventh and eighth players for each team scored. Valdosta went first in round nine.
Cohen Barrow, making his first start of the season — and his first shootout — got a leg on a shot, which ricocheted off the underside of the crossbar and somehow went out. That set up Oscar Peña Martinez. If his shot was good, Tift had the win. Peña Martinez did not miss.
Tift scored in the first minute of the contest, Jordan Lopez coming through when the Wildcats could not clear. Valdosta tied it with 14:49 on Jose Garrido’s goal.
The teams went into the half tied 1-1. The second half was much the same, both teams looking like they could break through at any moment. Neither could, however.
Lopez was high on a corner kick. Valdosta’s keeper, Nathaniel Haugabrook, made two huge saves of Lopez and on Cristian Salazar rebound.
Becky Taylor/Valdosta Daily Times
Valdosta’s Michael Pompa and Dillion Gonzalez play keep-away from Tift County’s Cristian Salzar.
Barrow was strong in the box, helping out teammates by fielding anything in his direction. Tift County had sprinted to get in two quick corners in the last minute, but could not get a clean look.
Valdosta also hustled in the last minute of the first overtime on a free kick, but saw it headed out by Preet Patel as the clock struck zero. Overtime No. 2 was quiet as well.
The teams went to penalty kicks tied 1-1. Barrow saved the first shot sent his way and the Blue Devils quickly jumped ahead 1-0 on Caesar Angeles’ goal. Through the five rounds, though, it was 3-3, as Haugabrook saved one and Barrow another, with Tift’s attempt sailing high.
Tate Woods and David Olguin scored, then Leandro Vasquez and Gio Rivera, and Jose Gomez and Patel. Kicks were 6-6 and neither had missed in their last four turns. But Barrow made the stop and Peña Martinez buried a shot.
Valdosta is set to host Valwood Friday night. Lowndes will be over March 25.
