By Michael A. Lough

The Sports Report

centralgasports@gmail.com

          In the first meeting, GMC was without a starter serving a red-card penalty from a non-region game.

          In the second meeting, GMC tried a new formation that got off to a good start and then watched the game slip away.

          ACE was steady and consistent in both meetings, region matchups, and won, to finish first in Region 7A Public.

          In the third meeting, and the biggest, the Bulldogs sort of combined a little bit of what worked in the first two meetings and turned up the defense. And made sure Ethan Tolentino was in uniform.

          The senior showed a bolt of energy late and scored twice in a little more than three-minute span in the first overtime period to lead GMC to a 2-0 win over ACE in the GHSA Class A Public boys state soccer finale at Mercer's Five Star Stadium.

          Tolentino almost came out for a spell in the first overtime, but rethought that offer and stayed in, he and teammate taking advantage of ACE wearing down a bit.

          "During halftime and after regulation, our coach was telling us they're tired, players were cramping, gasping for air," Tolentino said. "I remembered preseason conditioning, all that hard work, sweat, tears. It really paid off in the end."

          GMC finishes 12-6 and ACE 17-5-2 after their third meeting of the season, the first two in region play, won by the Gryphons 4-1 and 4-3 about two weeks apart.

          The Bulldogs were able to hand the Gryphons their first shutout since the program's first year, an abbreviated one, in 2018.

          There was plenty of action, if not a bunch of serious shots on goal. GMC was credited with 16 shots overall, three more than ACE, which had one more save.

          GMC was stronger in the first half, and came up empty, which is how ACE played in the second half. The Bulldogs, though, had an edge defensively, and were sharp in blocking and deflecting passes, in the vicinity of the goal or in the middle of the field preventing fast breaks.

          "The first half, they had all the momentum," ACE head coach Robby Jones said. "The second half, we had all the momentum, all the chances. We were trying to get corner kicks set up to head it in. We just couldn't quite capitalize. Were really, really close."

          The game featured two of the top players in the state, GMC's Tolentino and ACE's Tanner Moreau. And neither defense gave the pair much breathing room, helping to wear down the stalwarts a little.

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          Nobody else was able to get much going in their stead.

          Then it happened. The ball was on the far end, and booted downfield. After some bouncing around, it found some room in front of GMC's Colin McCabe on the run.

          He pushed it to Tolentino, who hit fourth gear really quick, pulling away from Jake Prather. Goalkeeper Tate Turner came out to challenge, but Tolentino calmly left-footed it in past him for the game first goal, at the 4:17 mark of the first overtime.

          "Once Colin turned with the ball and he was attacking the space, and Ethan was getting wide, I knew that ball was going in," GMC head coach Bobby Jaworski said. "I knew it."

          A few minutes later, after a flurry at midfield, McCabe again got it to Tolentino, who this time was on the right side of the field and fairly alone.

          He almost kicked it too far ahead, nearly far enough for Turner to snag it. But Tolentino got possession just in time as Turner went to the turf after getting there a hair late, and left-footed the ball into an open goal at the 1:55 mark.

          And the clocked ticked toward GMC's second straight state title, second one at Mercer, and second one in overtime. Two years ago, the Bulldogs got a game-tying goal from Logan Steinmeyer in regulation and the game-winner from Dylan Smith in overtime for a 2-1 win over Lake Oconee.

          One big difference: the game two years ago was interrupted by weather for awhile, and Friday night was perfect weather.

          The game and opponent and weather were all different. The result was the same.