ACE boys win battle against Social Circle 3-1 to advance to Elite Eight

As the clock wound down in ACE’s playoff game against Social Circle in Macon on Wednesday, the Gryphons appeared to be in danger of losing their slim 2-1 lead.

Social Circle had, after a rough start, played a tough second half, and the Redskins got several chances to tie the game in the final five minutes that narrowly missed.

Then Sohan Patel called game.

The sophomore striker, a force of nature for ACE all season, got a great pass from Cole Fritz inside the final third and converted it into a goal with just about 30 seconds left. The score dealt a death blow to No. 15 Social Circle and advanced No. 2 ACE to the Elite Eight of the GHSA Class A-Division I state tournament with a 3-1 victory.

It’s the Gryphons’ first trip to the second round in four seasons, when the current seniors were freshmen.

“I’m over the moon (for them), because after last season we graduated pretty much every player up the spine of the field — center back, center defensive mid, attacking center mid, center forward. Everybody up the middle was gone. Normally you put the strength of your team there,” ACE head coach Robby Jones said. “These kids, I think they didn’t know any better, and they’ve impressed us tremendously. A lot of freshmen have stepped up.”

Patel’s goal felt like a backbreaker, but also a weight lifted off the Gryphons’ shoulders — the forward had multiple chances to extend the lead that missed the goal by inches or clanged off the posts.

“Sohan is attacking in the final third, people are late to him and they foul him left and right. He got beat up all night,” Jones said. “But still, he just needs a little crack in the door to get in and he can punish you. His leg’s powerful.”

Patel had also been fighting through an ankle injury that forced him to exit the game for a stretch near the end of the first half.

“It felt ecstatic. I was waiting to get one in after I got fouled. They’re gonna talk and foul me, but all I can do is score and get the win for our team,” Patel said. “I think as a school we surprise a lot of schools. We came in thinking that it was gonna be an alright season, and we’re dominating. I just want people to know that, hey, we’re here now.”

ACE’s defense stood out just as much as its offense. Anchored by Henry Carter — a senior who also netted a goal early in the first half — the back line made play after play in a tight second half that held Social Circle’s late attacks at bay. Goalkeeper DJ Fanning had a solid night in the net, corralling some strong shots.

“Henry Carter is strong, big-bodied back there. He’s not afraid and he plays with a lot of confidence,” Jones said. “He’s a senior, so he knows the last few years we haven’t won a lot of playoff games. … He wanted it really bad. J.D. (Walters) at center back is really fast and athletic. I thought Alden (Sammons) at right back had a really good game.”

It was necessary, as Social Circle made up for a lack of size with quickness and solid control of the midfield.

A quick start made all the difference for the Gryphons. Patel scored his first goal of the night about ten minutes into the match, hitting a celebration made popular by Arsenal finisher Viktor Gyökeres afterwards. 

“I just like the celebrations. I didn’t do much of those during the regular season, just kind of ran back, but it’s the playoffs. Felt like I had to bring a little extra energy,” Patel said.

Carter followed with his goal barely five minutes later to make it 2-0 quickly, but after that, Social Circle dusted itself off and got back into the game. After putting the ball in the box a handful of times, Bryce Murphy finally finished a cross with a header to put Social Circle on the board and make it 2-1 about 10 minutes before halftime.

The vast majority of the second half was a defensive struggle. Social Circle kept the ball on ACE’s half of the field much more often than it did in the first half, but they rarely got chances close to the net as the Gryphon defense disrupted their sequences.

Both teams got a flurry of opportunities in the last 15 minutes or so. Patel made some incredible moves to weave past Social Circle defenders, but his runs came up empty when there was no one to pass to or his shots went just wide.

Social Circle had its fair share of shots as well, including one with about three minutes left that was gut-wrenchingly close off the foot of Cohen Chambers but missed to the left, earning an exasperated groan from the decent group of Social Circle fans and a sigh of relief from the ACE crowd.

After that close call, the Gryphons wrapped things up when Fritz fed Patel a great ball in the final third for the climactic goal. 

ACE will face No. 7 Armuchee, which defeated No. 10 Dodge County 10-1 on the other side of the bracket, in the Elite Eight at home on Tuesday.