Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy
The Southside girls and boys soccer teams both came away with wins in the first round of the Class 6A state soccer playoffs last week.
The Lady Panthers (16-3-2) defeated Cullman, 4-1, on April 28 at Barney Hood Stadium. Ziniah Hardy’s direct kick gave Southside the lead for good at 1-0, while Alana Morton scored off a corner kick from Cam Davis and Davis scored on a long shot. The Lady Panthers closed out the scoring on another Davis-to-Morton corner kick and goal. Anna Kate Welch had one save in goal for the shutout.
Southside travels to Randolph today (May 2) for a second-round match.
The SHS boys had a tougher time of it against Decatur on April 29, as the Panthers (12-4-2) needed two overtime sessions and a penalty kick shootout on the way to a 3-2 victory at Barney Hood Stadium.
All five Southside shooters scored during the shootout, with senior Bo Parker netting the game winner. Jake Bell (pictured above) had four saves in goal.
The Panthers opened scoring in the eighth minute when Brandon Ayala headed in a cross from John Doster.
The Black Bears answered with two straight goals, forcing Southside to make several player adjustments to add more offense. That strategy paid off when Caleb Ogle found Cameron Thompson with a pass with less than 18 minutes remaining to tie the game at 2-2.
Southside visits Fort Payne on Tuesday, May 3, for a second-round match.