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Two Thomasville players received red cards in a game filled with questionable calls, resulting in his team playing nine guys as opposed to 11 for the Eagles. Despite the setback against the No. 6 team in the state, the Bulldogs played with heart, falling just short by a 3-2 margin.
“I am not going to blame the ref’s for the loss, but they got a lot more calls and we played almost 60 minutes a man down,” Thomasville head coach Huey Turner said. “I am as proud as I can be, especially for the outcome to have been what it was.”
THS took its only lead six minutes into the game with star player Hector Canales finally hitting his stride. Fresh off a six-goal performance the night before against Chatham Central, Canales planted the laces against the ball with his left foot from 30 yards out that scored top shelf past the keeper.
Over the next 14 minutes, the two teams shared scoring chances in sloppy conditions, but the ball stayed out of the net.
In the 21st minute, though, the feel of the game suddenly took a turn.
East’s Eddie Reza got free behind Thomasville goalie Rogaciano Aguilar and was sure to score a goal in the open net. In a desperate attempt to stop him, Aguilar pulled Reza down by his jersey to force a penalty kick. But by rule, obstructing a sure goal results in an automatic red card and disqualification. Carlos Hernandez knocked home the free kick past backup goalie Erik Orellena to tie the game at 1-1, but the Bulldogs would have to play the rest of the way a man down.
Thomasville held even the rest of the half, but the Eagles got the go-ahead goal in the second half on a corner. As the ball bent inward towards the goal, Orellena was there and appeared to have it secured. But the wet conditions caused the ball to slip out of his hands, and Hernandez tapped in his second tally of the night.
The night got even longer for Thomasville with 13 minutes left to play as yet another red card was handed out, leaving the Bulldogs with nine men to play. Showing plenty of heart, Thomasville earned a penalty kick of its own that Izzy Escamilla drove home, tying the game at 2-all with 10 minutes to play.
Hernandez had saved his best stuff for last, though, twisting a ball on a set piece just outside the box around a Thomasville wall for the game-winner.
With under two minutes left to play, Orellena was served up a yellow card by the referee, drawing the phrase of the night from Turner who was running out of goalies.
“Waterboy, get ready,” he said. “You may be next.”
Thomasville drops to 2-1-2 on the year, but Turner expects the game in Biscoe to go much better.
“We came in and proved tonight that we are better than the No. 6 team in the state,” Turner said. “This hurts us in the conference right now, but I think it will be different when we go there.”