Heritage School passes test at Holy Spirit
by Staff Reports
ATLANTA — Had it been a classroom setting, The Heritage School girls soccer team would have barely passed the midterm on Wednesday in a key Region 1-AAA game at Holy Spirit Prep.
But the Lady Hawks aced the final with flying colors.
Scoring twice in the second half to grab all the momentum in a scoreless, yet one-sided game in Holy Spirit’s favor, Heritage School rode a splendid defensive effort and the goalkeeping of sophomore Lillie Smith en route to a 2-0 victory that kept the Lady Hawks unbeaten and atop the 1-AAA standings.
“We were thoroughly dominated in the first half, we were beaten to every ball. Outworked. Outplayed,” admitted Heritage School head coach Ron Rineer. “But we had a bend, but don’t break attitude. When we scored that first goal it seemed to shift all the momentum in our favor. The thing I’m most proud of is that we were resilient.”
It took a goal from sophomore Sara Brillianti off a cross from freshman teammate Calista Eckert in the 48th minute to finally shift the game in the Lady Hawks’ favor.
Holy Spirit and Heritage School entered Wednesday as two of the three remaining unbeaten teams in 1-AAA along with Atlanta Girls School. The win vaulted the Lady Hawks into a share of the lead with Atlanta Girls at 6-0 and 4-0 in the region.
“This was our first true test,” Rineer said of Holy Spirit. “We struggled in the first half. A lot of that was due to them. The second half we gained an edge and we slowly started to turn the tide.”
Heritage School plays Atlanta Girls (2-2, 2-0) on Tuesday in a game that will be played at Silverback Stadium in Kennesaw.
The Lady Hawks — who entered the season with two seniors and a junior returning — have now outscored opponents by a 45-1 margin.
HAWKS SURGE TO ANOTHER WIN: On Monday, the Heritage School boys soccer won its fourth game over its last five matches by defeating Lafayette Christian 4-2 at home.
Coach Mike Johnson’s Hawks received three goals from senior midfielder Daniel Johnson and another from sophomore striker Joey Lucas in the victory.
With the win, Heritage School improved to 4-2 overall heading into today’s Region 1-AAA game at Holy Spirit (2-0, 2-0). The Hawks are 1-2 in region play.
