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Dawson County girls claim Region 8-AA soccer title
Region championship first for girls in school history
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Four minutes is all it took for the Dawson County girls' soccer team to post the game's only goal Wednesday.

The score came off an assist from the Lady Tigers' Riley Cox to freshman McKay Shively early in the first half to put the Lady Tigers (14-2) on top 1-0, and eventually win the Region 8-AA title game by the same score against North Oconee (8-6) in Dawsonville. The goal marked the 20th on the season for Shively, a freshman.

"Riley Cox passed it to me and I was just able to tap (it) into the right post," Shively said. "It feels great.

"It's an honor to play on this team. We all play as a family. It's a great experience to be a freshman and play with my teammates."

The region title marks the first for the girls program in school history.

"Man, I thought it was awesome," Dawson County coach Jed Lacey said. "We have worked so hard this year. "We never expected to be as good as we are right now.

"Our kids are overachieving and hungry to win."

With the win, Dawson County will play host to Sonoraville to open the playoffs on May 4 in Dawsonville.

On Wednesday, Dawson County's defense took over after the Lady Tigers' score and allowed only one shot on goal keeper Kenna Seitz in the first half.

North Oconee turned up the pressure in the second half and attempted five shots, but Dawson County was never seriously threatened.

"Defensively we were great," Lacey added.

The Lady Tigers pressured the North Oconee defense for the first 40 minutes. Dawson County placed six shots on goal.

The Lady Titans last chance came with 1:40 to play.

On the attempt, Seitz came up strong and smothered the ball to preserve the Dawson County win. The shutout marked the 13th on the season for the Lady Tigers.

"We would have lost so many games without our defense," Seitz said. "They are just so strong in front of me."

North Oconee played most of the game without Georgia Southern University signee Emily Hirano, who is nursing an injured leg.