BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — As the unexpected upstarts facing one of the state’s top programs on the road, the Opelika High School boys soccer team looked to shock Montgomery Academy and put the remaining contenders on notice.
Instead, two set-piece goals scored in the final six minutes doomed the Bulldogs (13-7-1) in a 3-1 loss to the Eagles (11-8-2) at McLemore Field on April 29 in the first round of the 7A playoffs.
Despite the heartbreaking conclusion to a season that saw OHS make the playoffs for the first time since 2023, head coach Derek Hovell applauded his team’s scrappy nature and the fight they showed across the entire season.
“I’m so proud of the fight and the spirit that they had to continue to thrive through all these crazy things that happened,” Hovell said. “Last night was the first time in my career I’ve ever had a lightning delay go over to the next day. So, there was lots of adversity for these guys. And the seniors have faced and battled through a lot of adversity the past three years. We weren’t supposed to be here, and we at least made it [to the playoffs].”
After MA opened the scoring less than 10 minutes into the first half before the weather delay on April 28, David Cruz equalized with just over five minutes left before halftime.
After a long kick from goalkeeper Foster Hulsey deflected off an Eagles defender, Cruz went on a winding run that featured a perfectly executed spin move and rifled the ball into the net with a powerful finish.
However, outside of one promising chance midway through the second half, that was the last real goalscoring opportunity OHS had the rest of the game.
“It was really hard to get through the middle of such a perfectly sloped field where it’s really hard to play on the outside,” Hovell said. “We really like to play out wide and, unfortunately, it was just packed in the middle, and there wasn’t enough room to get through.”
With the clock winding down and the game seeming destined to go to overtime, MA struck twice with goals from a long throw-in with 5:48 left to play and a direct free kick with 4:21 left to end the Bulldogs’ season.
