BROOKLET — With the Southeast Bulloch boys already through to the second round of the Class AA state soccer playoffs, the Lady Yellow Jackets will try to make it a clean sweep through the first round.
    Today at 5:30 p.m., SEB, the No. 2 seed out of Region 3-AA, will host Morgan County, No. 3, Region 4-AA, in an opening-round game. Due to the ongoing construction of SEB’s new football-soccer facility, the game will be played at Statesboro High School.
    The Jackets (9-4-1, 9-3) are looking to build on last season when, as a No. 3 seed, they were able to pull a first-round upset and move into the Sweet 16. This time around, both the sights and expectations are set a bit higher.
    “Last season, I’m not quite sure what we thought of ourselves,” SEB coach Kristen Barnhill said. “We were just happy to make it to the playoffs and we were really excited to get a win in the first round. This year, I think that we expect more of ourselves. We’re confident and we expect to win games.”
    After years of trying to keep up with arch-rival Screven County for a spot near the top of the region standings, the Jackets finally came out ahead. As the Lady Gamecocks rebuilt with youth, the Jackets used another year of experience from a veteran squad to push forward.
    Southeast Bulloch swept the season series from Screven, and even though Dublin clinched the region championship and a No. 1 state playoff seed, the Jackets are able to stay at home for their first-round matchup.
    “It’s definitely nice to stay here,” Barnhill said. “It’s a big advantage to just have a normal day leading up to the game and not have to worry about a long bus ride before we play.”
    The Jackets will need to save up all of that extra energy as they take on an upset-minded Lady Bulldog squad.
    Morgan County (8-3-1, 6-3) sports a similar record to the Jackets and is 3-0 against schools in higher classifications this season. The Bulldogs are a tough-luck No. 3 seed, having lost three region games by just one goal each before losing out to Putnam County in a tiebreaker for a No. 2 seed and a first-round home game.
    The Bulldogs have a formidable offense, averaging just over five goals per game and having been shut out just once this season. Conversely, the Jackets have scored five or more goals just twice in 2012. Still, there are plenty of similarities between the two teams.
    “We’re both very physical teams,” Barnhill said. “I expect that it’s going to be a fight. Both of us have a lot of talent and it’s going to be the team that wants it more that comes out on top.”
    With plenty of weapons — both offensive and defensive — to rely on, the Jackets are hoping for a repeat of last season’s first round success.
    “I really think that we’re a more balanced team than last season,” Barnhill said. “This isn’t a team that depends on one or two people and that gets in trouble if they don’t produce. We have a defense that has shown it can play very well and five or six girls that can score for us. We have a lot of ways that we can win and if everyone plays their best, I think we can keep moving forward.”
   
    Mike Anthony may be reached at (912) 489-9404.