With a large crowd on hand to celebrate Senior Night, the Statesboro girls’ trio of seniors made it a soccer game to remember.
    Statesboro couldn’t find the net throughout most of the game, but Marley Burke scored with 23:02 to go. Reagan Thomas and Taylor Sarratt combined for three insurance goals as the Lady Blue Devils took a 4-0 win over South Effingham on Tuesday at Womack Field.   
    “This was a great win for us,” SHS coach Brian Thomas said. “It was close early, but we came through. (Monday) night, we spoiled Lakeside’s Senior Night. I know that our girls didn’t want to see that happen to our seniors.”
    The win keeps the Devils (7-4 overall, 6-3 in Region 2-AAAA) squarely in the hunt for a spot in the Class AAAA state playoffs.
    Greenbrier leads the Devils’ sub-region and Glynn Academy is on top in the sub-region to the south, but the Blue Devils feel that they have the confidence and talent to make a late charge.
    “Right now, it’s us and Evans right there for that third seed,” Thomas said. “Hopefully, we can take care of business and maybe even challenge for that (No.) 2 seed.”
    After easily handling the Lady Mustangs in their first meeting this season, Statesboro struggled to gain the upper hand Tuesday.
    The Devils notched some early shots and spent plenty of time in the attacking zone, but a solid Mustang defense prevented any good scoring opportunities. Tori Thompson’s left-footed strike with 5 minutes to play was the only shot on target the Devils managed in the first half.
    “South Effingham outhustled us in the first half,” Thomas said. “I told our girls that we couldn’t afford to play like we did for the entire game. I think that they really stepped things up in the second half.”
    Statesboro’s offensive struggle continued into the second half before the Devils finally caught a break.
    Burke took a lead pass and dribbled into the Mustangs’ 18-yard box. Solid defense forced a low-percentage shot by Burke, but her strike had enough spin to get through the grasp, and legs, of South Effingham' goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead.
    At the 9:32 mark, freshman midfielder Reagan Thomas tracked down a ball that bounced just outside of the Mustang 18-yard box. Thomas lifted a high-arching shot that curled into the top-right corner of the net to double the SHS advantage.
    With the lead in hand, Sarratt was moved from defense to forward. The senior worked her way into the box and scored at the 5:42 mark, then sent a missile into the back of the net two minutes later.
    “It was great to be able to get Taylor a couple of goals,” Thomas said. “All of our seniors played wall. Taylor and Laura were huge for us on defense all game. Makayla made a great save early and really stopped a lot of opportunities.”
    Tuesday’s game was the last region home game and the final time both teams will play at home the same night.
    The Lady Devils go out of region for a game with Savannah Country Day at Womack Field on Tuesday.
   
    Statesboro 3, South Effingham 1
    Statesboro's boys also celebrated Senior Night as Devin Budgett, Cody Francis, Zach McClendon, Allen Rodriguez, Joseph Vives and Jeremy Webster all took part in pregame festivities.
    Statesboro took a 2-0 lead into the half and cruised to a 3-1 victory over South Effingham. The Devils remain in fourth place in the region.
    “This was a big win for our seniors and for the entire team,” SHS coach Nick Thrower said. “It’s great to get a win on Senior Night for these guys. They have been great leaders all through the year.
    “(The win) also puts us where we want to be. With another win or two, maybe we can start thinking about the state playoffs and possibly move up in the seeding.”
    Francis put Statesboro on top with a penalty kick midway through the first half. Another first-half goal gave the Devils a cushion, but the Mustangs halved their deficit early in the second half.
    Not wanting to spoil his own Senior Night, Rodriguez responded with a goal midway through the half to seal the victory.
    Statesboro can go a long way toward clinching a spot in the state playoffs Friday as it travels to Lakeside to try to complete a season sweep of the Panthers.
   
    Mike Anthony can be reached at (912) 489-9404.