Lakeside’s Isabella La Madrid (in green) goes up in a crowd to make a save off a Dunwoody corner kick. She had seven saves as the Lady Vikings knocked off Dunwoody 3-0 to reach the state playoffs. (Photo by Mark Brock)
A 3-0 victory by the Lakeside Lady Vikings over the Dunwoody Lady Wildcats combined with a 2-1 North Atlanta win over Riverwood propelled them into the state playoffs.
Lakeside needed two win by two goals over Dunwoody to have the chance to make the Class 6A state playoffs. The Lady Vikings (8-7, 2-4) went up 1-0 when Eleanor McLaren converted a penalty kick after being fouled with 20:30 left in the first half.
The score remained 1-0 at the half as Lakeside keeper Isabella La Madrid made three saves in the final 10 minutes to help keep it a one goal lead.
Lakeside came out in the second half and score two goals in the first 10 minutes to go up 3-0. The first score came in the first 58 seconds after the half as Tristan Linscott found Olivia Losken in front of the goal after a long throw in to push the advantage 2-0.
Losken benefitted from a loose ball with 30:18 to play to tap it in behind Dunwoody keeper Ruby Frohman to extend the lead to 3-0.
Dunwoody got a few chances to cut the lead but the Lakeside defense was up to the challenge making plays in front of their keeper. La Madrid also picked up two more saves along the way to keep the advantage at three goals.
Lakeside had to wait to see the outcome of the North Atlanta-Riverwood game needing a North Atlanta win to create a three-way tie 2-4 in Region 4-6A play with Dunwoody and Riverwood. North Atlanta survived a late charge by Riverwood after building a 2-0 despite Riverwood scoring what looked like a game-tying goal that was waved off by an offsides call.
The Lady Vikings advance to play the Region 3-6A No. 1 seed in the opening round of the state playoffs scheduled for April 13.
Dunwoody defender Eduardo Ramos (12) gives chase as Lakeside’s Brayan Zetina races up field. Dunwoody won the hard-fought contest 1-0. (Photo by Mark Brock)
BOYS
Dunwoody 1, Lakeside 0
Playoff seeding was also on the line in the boys’ game as Dunwoody knocked off Lakeside 1-0 with a late second half goal to take the No. 3 seed out of Region 4-6A.
Dunwoody (9-6-1, 4-2) and Lakeside (6-6-3, 3-3) battled to a 0-0 tie at the half with Dunwoody keeper Yefry Roblero battled through the half against the Lakeside pressure making four saves to keep the game at 0-0.
The pressure flipped in the second half with Dunwoody pressuring Lakeside’s defense and keeper Troy Butler. Butler made four saves including one just four minutes into the second half.
Lakeside’s only real scoring chance in the second half came with 14 minutes to play as Roblero let a Viking player get too close and kicked the ball off him and it popped back over his head. He recovered to somehow bat the ball away before it could get to the goal to keep the score at 0-0.
Just over three minutes later Dunwoody’s Shama Sasha got open on the left wing and sent a shot into the right corner past Butler to put the Wildcats up 1-0 with 10:52 to play in the game.
Dunwoody was able to keep the ball mostly on the offensive end as Butler and his replacement, Jose Navarette-Jimenez, made saves in the final 8:45 that would keep the game within one score.
A final Dunwoody shot with two seconds to play was knocked away by Jimenez as the horn sounded to end the match.
Dunwoody is now the No. 3 seed with Lakeside taking fourth out of Region 4-6A. They will take on the Region 3-6A No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the state playoffs scheduled for April 14.