GHSA State Bracket
DACULA, Ga. - It was a memorable night for the No. 3 Hebron boys soccer team after the Lions took down No. 4 Bremen 3-1 in the GHSA 3A semifinals. The Lions improve to 15-1-2 while the Blue Devils finish the 2024 campaign with a 14-5-2 record.
The Lions were the first to get on the board in the first half with a goal from
Mason Luke off a pass from
Benji Gunji in the 16th minute. The Blue Devils answered with a goal in the 36th minute off a throw-in. Heading into the locker room, the game was tied up 1-1.
Coming out of the half, both teams had great possessions, but it was the Lions who would prevail.
Samuel Carlson headed the ball into the net after a corner kick taken by
Aiden Kanclerz in the 14th minute. The Lion defense kept Bremen out of the net after Cameron Elben had six saves on the night. Elben also had help from defenders
Daniel Jacob and
Adam Locke on the backline.
Benji Gunji had the final goal with less than a minute remaining. Gunji dribbled past the Bremen goalkeeper and had nothing but space. He hit the ball into the right corner of the net to seal the victory for the Lions. This sent the crowd and bench into celebration with four seconds remaining in regulation. This is the first time HCA has advanced to the GHSA 3A State Championship since 2013.
"This moment is unbelievable. It was a first class atmosphere tonight by our student body, faculty, and staff, it just felt like a Friday night football game, which is awesome. That is a testament to this school and testament to this community. I'm just so proud of our young men and coaching staff for just fighting and battling to get to this moment. A culture we try to create everyday is to just compete not just in sports, but in life. I'm just proud of these guys fortitude and their grit. They were just tough, mentally and physically," said head soccer coach, Chad Griffin.
HCA plays in the GHSA 3A State Championship game against No. 2 Columbus (16-3-2) on Wednesday, May 8. Kickoff begins at 7:30 p.m. at McEachern High School.
