The Long County Blue Tide soccer teams are getting ready to wrap up their 2025 regular seasons and on Friday, March 28, they played their last home games. They hosted the Jeff Davis Yellow Jackets with the girls coming out on top 3-0 for their eighth straight win and the boys falling 4-1 after a hard-fought first half.
In a game against the Lady Yellow Jackets, who are ranked sixth in the state in A-Division I, a win would go a long way in helping the Tide clinch a top eight spot in the state playoffs.
The Tide controlled the ball for most of the 40 minutes and outshot the Lady Jackets 5-0, but could only push one goal in before halftime. That goal came in the 17th minute as Macey Higgason pushed a ball into the keeper’s box and Myjah Fedon finished by tapping it in to put the Lady Tide up 1-0.
Ten minutes into the second half, the Tide struck again as Makailah Quintero crossed a pass to Ruby Garcia, who finished to put the Tide up 2-0.
Lester knocked away the Jackets got their first shot on goal of the contest and pushed it up to Higgason. The junior leader took it all the way up the sideline to find an open look at the goal to put the Lady Tide up 3-0 in the 56th minute.
Higgason had a chance later on a breakaway, but her shot banged off the crossbar.
The Lady Tide moved to 12-1 with the win and have secured at least a first round home game in the state playoffs. A top eight spot in the state will guarantee two home games in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
The boys took the field knowing that every game is important from here on out after a 4-5 finish in region play.
Senior Chris Contreras was fouled just outside the box and a yellow card gave him a free kick. His kick went into the goal, but it was waved off after an apparent inadvertent whistle gave the go-ahead to play. His next kick was stopped to leave the score 0-0.
Taejuan Allen had two breakaway opportunities on the goal in the 32nd and 33rd minutes of the first half but both were turned away.
The Jackets finally broke the tie with less than two minutes until the break as a shot from about 20 yards was good as the Jackets took a 1-0 lead to halftime.
Contreras tied the game at 1-1 after he was fouled in the box and converted the penalty kick.
Allen immediately broke away to start the second half but his shot was saved to keep the Jackets on top. Brown had a look in the 45th minute but it was just off the right bar of the goal.
In the 57th minute, the Jackets set up a free kick and it was punched in to give them the lead back. Three minutes later, the Jackets took a corner kick and it was banged in off a header to give them a 3-0 lead with 20 minutes left in the game.
In the 66th minute, another corner kick led to another goal for the Jackets as the shot was banged off a Tide defender to make the score 4-1.
With the loss, the Tide are now 8-6 and will need to make their last two games count.
Both teams play at South Effingham on Wednesday, April 2 before having a week off for Spring Break. The girls will play at St. Vincent’s on Wednesday, April 16 before the team’s close out the regular season at Wayne County on Friday, April 18.