Dalton High School’s bid for a third consecutive state championship in boys’ soccer was thwarted Friday night, when Lassiter rallied from an early deficit to win 3-1 in the GHSA Class AAAAAA title match.
Dalton’s Yahir Paez sent a shot home after a nice give-and-go play with Pablo Castillo 17 minutes in for the early lead, capping a strong start for the Catamounts in which they put up four early shots in Macon.
The game turned, though, when Dalton keeper Israel Soria was called for a penalty after catching a high pass in front of the goal just past the midway point of the first half with Dalton still up 1-0. The cause of the penalty was not clear – and it frustrated the Cats moving forward – but it led to Max Albertson’s penalty kick goal against Dalton’s backup keeper.
The 1-1 tie didn’t last long as Colin Nedblake scored off a crossing pass just more than two minutes into the second half. Dalton’s frustration grew as the more physical Trojans (19-2) consistently denied the Cats (17-2-3) any lengthy possessions and won the majority of balls in the air.
The physical play, however, did not lead to penalties. Ten minutes after Nedblake’s goal, Dalton’s Pablo Guerrero, a key playmaker, was injured on a hard tackle and did not return. Moments later, a Dalton player was shoved in the back and out of the Mercer University end zone after a contested pass, again with no call.