Clarke Central High School girls varsity left winger Camila Vergara Socarra, a senior, challenges a Cedar Shoals High School girls varsity soccer player for the ball during the Classic City Championship on Feb. 13. Despite the eventual 6-2 win, CCHS attacking midfielder Bella Yelton felt the team needed to improve their team chemistry. “As a team, (we) struggled to work together, and that might just be because we have a pretty young team and aren’t super familiar with each other,” Yelton said. “Over time, hopefully, that will get easier and we will be able to build as a team and play as a unit.” Photo by Grady Dunston
The CCHS girls varsity soccer team won 6-2 against Cedar Shoals High School on Feb. 13 in Billy Henderson Stadium.
The Clarke Central High School girls varsity soccer team won 6-2 against their crosstown rivals, the Cedar Shoals High School Jaguars, in Billy Henderson Stadium on Feb. 13.
The Gladiators had only played two games before the match, winning 7-0 in a scrimmage against East Jackson High School and winning on penalty kicks against South Gwinnett High School after finishing 1-1 against the Comets in normal time. Given the two positive results, CCHS head girls varsity soccer coach Gillen Schecter anticipated success in the Classic City Championship, her first as head coach, but was underwhelmed by her squad’s preparation.
“In the past couple (of) years, we have done very well against them, (so) we came into (this) game too lazy. We underestimated how hard they were going to come out,” Schecter said.
Clarke Central High School girls varsity attacking midfielder Bella Yelton, a senior, dribbles the ball during a game against Cedar Shoals High School on Feb. 13 in Billy Henderson Stadium. Yelton, who has been on the team for four years, scored 4 of the Gladiators’ 6 goals. “(Yelton) hit a couple (of) very clutch goals for us, but once we were up 6-2, she started laying off the ball to her teammates,” CCHS coach Gillen Schecter said. “She probably could’ve continued to put the ball in the back of the net, but I appreciate her trying to get her teammates involved.” Photo by Grady Dunston
Despite the poor preparation, CCHS attacking midfielder Bella Yelton, a senior, scored the first goal early on in the first half, setting a precedent for the rest of her evening. Yelton would go on to score three more goals in her final Classic City Championship appearance.
“It’s always an exciting (match) being a rivalry game,” Yelton said. “I’m happy with my performance overall. I came out with four goals, and (I) feel like, aside from that, (I) played well with my team.”
“I think we struggled a little bit in the first half of the game, but (in) the second half, we really came together and started to work as a team,”
— Farrell Hyde,
CCHS girls varsity wingback
CSHS junior Zulma Valdivieso-Gutierrez leveled the scores with a long-range strike shortly after the Gladiators’ opener, but shortly after, Yelton scored twice, putting the Gladiators up 3-1. Wing-back Farrell Hyde, a junior, then landed the Gladiators their fourth goal before halftime. This seemed to motivate the rest of the team, who began communicating with one another more actively and arranged coordinated efforts to get past CSHS’ defense.
“I think we struggled a little bit in the first half of the game, but (in) the second half, we really came together and started to work as a team,” Hyde said.
Both teams tacked on goals in the second half to make it 5-2 before CCHS striker Cameron Mojock added a final flourish to put the Gladiators ahead 6-2 at the final whistle, giving the team their third win in a row. Nonetheless, Schecter felt disappointed with the initial lack of communication between players and hopes it will improve in their away game against Athens Academy on Feb. 17.
“Everyone wanted to be a superstar instead of working with their teammates. We could have done a lot better had we decided to pass the ball around a little bit more,” Schecter said. “As we start playing (regional) teams, we’ve got to play more as a team and less as individuals.”
