43-degree air, frequent gusts of wind and a constant drizzle are conditions more resembling a match in London than Brooklet — but those were the conditions at hand during Monday’s soccer games with Southeast Bulloch and Windsor Forest.
    The unfavorable weather dictated not only the pace of play, but the quality of soccer as well. A number of throw-ins and kicks slipped or shanked away on account of a slicker ball. It forced both teams to adapt to the soggy conditions, and in the end it was Southeast Bulloch ladies who played better in the cold rain.
    In spite of bad conditions, SEB’s ladies picked up the 6-1 win over Windsor Forest — a key region game and one of the three head coach Kristin Barnhill had circled on her calendar at the beginning of the season.
    “Even though Windsor Forest is down this year, they still have some kids that can play,” Barnhill said. “I still don’t think we played our best today and we still came out big.”
    The girls were riding momentum from tying South Effingham on Friday — a tough team from the 5A ranks who took Statesboro to penalty kicks a week ago. However it wasn’t so much the momentum as the defense Windsor Forest was playing that allowed SEB to win in such dominating fashion.
    The Knights opted to play only three players on their back line of defense, leaving gaping holes open down both sidelines for Sarah Clark and the hot-shooting Emily Barnard. The ensuing offense was simple for SEB: send the ball down the sidelines and let the strikers do the rest.
    Clark shined early on in the game with a number of threatening runs down her left side of the field. After a few threats she’d eventually net the first score of the game for SEB off a through ball from Barnard — putting the count 1-0 in the 11th minute.
    “That’s the Sarah Clark we need every week,” Barnhill said. “If we can get her going like that every week we will have a good shot come the region tournament.”
    That would only open the floodgates for the SEB’s two biggest stars: Barnard and Cole Robertson. The 24 minutes following Clark’s inital score saw both teams struggle to find any rythm in the dreary rain until Barnard stole a cross from right underneath the keeper to make it 2-0.
    She’d kick off the second half with back-to-back goals in the 46th and the 47th minute off passes from Robertson and Blair Chapman -- giving Barnard her second hat-trick of the season.
    “Emily has become a dynamic scorer for us,” Barnhill said. “Anytime we have a goal she seems to be involved with it.”
    Come the 60th minute the West Georgia signee Robertson would finally get her paydirt with back-to-back goals in the 60th and 62nd minute. It was an unexpected offensive onslaught for such poor soccer conditions, but smart execution against a flawed 3-5-3 formation allowed for a generous scoring output.
    The game not only stands as a momentum generating win for the ladies but it also sets them up nicely for the region tournament. If things hold today in the region, SEB’s girls will be the No. 3 seed behind Savannah Arts and Islands.    
    If Islands winds up the No. 2 like Barnhill thinks they will -- she believes her girls have a legitimate shot at snagging a home playoff game if they can beat the Sharks.
    “I think this for sure guarantees us a No. 3 seed,” Barnhill said. “If we can get another shot at Islands I think it sets us up good for a home playoff game.”
    SEB (5-4-1, 3-2) will take a break from region play Friday when they travel to Long County for a game set to kick at 5:00 p.m.

Boys fall to Knights
    The bad weather from the girls game carried over to the girls game — if not worsened with nightfall at a 7:00 start time.
    What was a pitter-patter in the girls game turned into a healthy stream during the boys game, which didn’t help with a very good Windsor Forest team coming to town.
    Southeast Bulloch fell 5-0 even at full strength, which had been the problem in the first ten games of the season. The Yellow Jackets had dealt with injuries all year to key players like Andrew Kalaani and Mason Canicotti, and Monday night was supposed to be the showcase for a fully developed squad.
    “The weather didn’t help us, and I thought the first 30 minutes we played really well,” said head coach Jonathan Graham. “They’re at the top of the region, so we knew they’d come in this good.”
    For the first 30 minutes of the game it appeared os if SEB had taken the next step, absorbing shot after shot by a Windsor Forest team who controlled possession from the opening tip. Even with majority possession, Windsor Forest was unable to get off quality looks on account of SEB’s back line consistently being in the right position.
    Windsor Forest’s first goal came off pure class when CJ Flores dribbled down the endline and slotted a goal to the near post — making the save near impossible for SEB keeper Max Muellner.
    But even down 1-0, it seemed SEB’s defensive efforts had paid off when they earned a free kick off a foul on a counter attack, but Danny Healy’s shot — while well struck — was carried just wide right of the goal by the wind. It wasn’t four minutes later Windsor Forest scored their second goal off a shot outside the box — making it 2-0 Knights right before half.
    “The game just got away from us at the end, I won’t know what exactly went wrong until we watch the film,” Graham said.
    The second half saw the floodgates open for Windsor Forest, as they’d score three goals near effortless goals in the cold rain. The loss makes it where SEB has been outscored 18-0 in losses this season.
    SEB (2-5-2, 2-3) will join their female counterparts on the road Friday when they face Long County at 7 pm.