The Portal Lady Panthers made a statement Tuesday night as they blanked Dooly County 9-0 in the second round of the Class-A soccer state playoffs and advanced to the Elite-8.

The Panthers jumped out to a 6-0 halftime lead and cruised on for the victory. Colby Stewart was a goal scoring machine as she came through with six goals while Olivia Brown, Hilda Reyes and Serenity Willaims scored as well. Big assists came from Maggie Brannen who had four and Anahi Sanchez-Reyes.

“I think the game went great and we were much more prepared than the last time we played,” said coach Johnnie Sanchez. “We knew their plan from the start, and we shut it down. The girl’s worked hard from the start and I feel like it was a great team effort.”

Sanchez was particularly impressed by the play of junior Colby Stewart, who had six goals and Maggie Brannen with four assists.

“You could tell how hard she was working out there as she had to come off a little bit with cramps in her legs,” Sanchez said. “She is lightning quick and really knows how to finish. She is closing in on 100 goals for her career and already has 94 and she is only a junior. I also loved the play of Maggie Brannen who assisted on some of those goals. She has come a long way from only started playing four of five years ago.”

The victory puts the Lady Panthers back into the State Class-A Elite-8 as they will travel to Lake Oconee Academy for a 6:00 start May 5.