Columbus Men's Soccer established themselves as the best team in the city last week, defeating the St. Anne-Pacelli Vikings 3-1 this past weekend.
This was the team's 6th victory in an already historic season. Going into the match, the Devils were ranked #1 in 4A, #4 in Georgia across all classifications, and #6 in the nation.
Coach Torres spoke on the historic season leading up to the match, "While our results speak for themselves, this is a must win game for us in order to cement our place as the absolute best team in Columbus."
Although the Devils were the visiting team Friday night, their fanbase made the short trip to Deimel Field to support them.
"The support that came from the CHS family was truly something we needed to win that game," expresses Dante Johnson (12), "To know that everyone including parents and staff support us lets us know that we have the city behind us."
An early goal put the Vikings up 1-0 going into halftime. The Devils had to recuperate and strategize for the second half.
"My message to the team was that they were in control of the match, and they just needed to do everything a little bit faster and a little bit sooner," reveals Coach Torres, "I believe that the players’ confidence and trust in each other allowed them to take more risks and we were rewarded for that."
The boys were a new team coming out of halftime. They stormed back from the 1-point deficit, putting up 3 goals in the second half.
Timaj Lester (10) tied the game early in the second half, then Jacob Entlich (10) put the Devils ahead with a 30 yard goal on a free kick.
"[Coach] Torres said to me, 'Just give us a chance,' and I heard my dad yelling "SHOOT IT!" describes Entlich, "What went through my mind was what would happen if I scored, and it pushed me to make the shot."
After pinning the ball in the far corner of the net, the young sophomore ripped his jersey off and "celebrated like crazy" with all his fans and teammates.
Michael Wood (12) sealed the game later in the half, securing the Columbus a 3-1 victory.
"Winning this game declared us the best team in the city," explains Wood, "beating your rival is also always a great boost of team pride and confidence."
The Blue Devils hope to continue this historic run next week against Troup County and Calhoun, with their next home game scheduled for March 21 against Carver.
"This is definitely a historic season for our program and I’m proud of the team for the work they’ve put in and the resilience they’ve shown to achieve what we have so far," expresses Torres, "We intend to keep our sights set on our goal, winning a state championship, and always play to win. "