Lambert's 1 goal enough to sink Pats

SUWANEE, Ga. -- In a matchup of two stout defenses in the Class AAAA state soccer playoffs, the visitors from Conyers let one ball slip through, signaling the end of a playoff run.

Heather Lacy scored with a little more than two minutes left in the first half for the only goal as Lambert defeated Heritage 1-0 in a second-round game Wednesday.

Lambert (16-3-1), a second-year school in Forsyth County ranked No. 3 in Class AAAA, moves on to its first quarterfinal in school history, while Heritage had its five-game winning streak snapped and finished the year 13-5-1.

"(It's) very emotional. More emotional that it hit home, (that) this is the last time," Lady Patriots coach Chad Suddeth said. "I told them to hold their head up. I'm very pleased with the effort. This bunch of girls is very special."

The first half was a struggle for both offenses. Heritage had two early shots by Sydney Smith and Courtney Hodges that went wide, and with 6:25 remaining before halftime, Ally Silvey had a great chance with a one-on-one opportunity 20 yards out, but instead passed and the ball was knocked away.

"I thought she should've pulled the trigger (but) Ally's a very unselfish player," Suddeth said.

The Lady Patriots' defense and goalkeeper Maddy Carter faced several shots from Lambert in the first 40 minutes. Emily Wilhelm had three shots on goal, including a shot that banged off the crossbar and another that Carter knocked away with 5:52 left.

The Lady Longhorns broke through with 2:08 to go in the half when Lacy made a nifty move past two defenders and beat Carter with a goal from 10 yards out to give Lambert a 1-0 lead. It was the first goal Heritage had allowed since April 1 against Flowery Branch.

"They had one great scoring opportunity first half; we did too. They converted, we didn't," Suddeth said. "(Lacy is) a good player, she made a move and got in behind. She dribbled through us a few times."

Heritage had a shot on goal in the first minute of the second half when Hodges' chance was stymied by Lambert keeper Taylor Hammond. Meanwhile, the Lady Longhorns had several opportunities to build on their lead. With 37:33 left, two Lambert players had scoring opportunities in front of the net, but couldn't convert.

At the 35:28 mark, Kenzie Winn's shot was stopped by Carter. Lacy had two attempts -- one at 21:07 that was high, and another with 10:38 to play that hit the cross bar.

Carter, a freshman, made nine saves after leading Heritage to a victory in penalty kicks last week in a first-round win over Chamblee.

"We wouldn't be where we are today without (Carter) in net," Suddeth said. "She has responded."