Jae Ardoin

Junior Gavin Vu fights for possession against a Troup player. Starr’s Mill controlled the ball for a majority of the first half, but had to fight in the second half to regain momentum and secure the win, 4-1.

In their second region game, varsity boys soccer defeated Troup County, 4-1.

“We stuck to our game plan pretty well,” head coach Aaron Buck said. ”We played more fluid throughout.”

From the beginning of the game, Starr’s Mill maintained control of the ball and the pace of play. Senior Simon Ruiz scored the first goal of the game.

For the remainder of the first half, Starr’s Mill worked together and encouraged one another. Toward the end of the half, junior Grant Ferron increased the Starr’s Mill lead to 2-0.

“We connect well as a team,” Ruiz said.

Going into the second half, things slowed down. Starr’s Mill lost momentum as Troup was allowed more control of the ball. This led to senior Caleb Lynd scoring Troup’s first and only goal of the game, cutting the Panther lead to 2-1.

“We let off intensity-wise in the second half and got punished,” Buck said. ”We had to fight back into it.”

Ruiz led the fight, scoring again and helping the Panthers go back up by two goals.

With the game coming to a close, junior Gavin Vu scored to put Starr’s Mill up 4-1 and secure the win.

“We let them get some momentum,” Vu said. “But then we fought back and came out on top.”

The Panthers play again tonight at Lagrange at 7 p.m. in a game that started on March 8 but was suspended at halftime due to field conditions. The teams are tied 0-0 and will begin play at the start of the second half.