AHS girls a win away from state

Riley Ridgeway, Kaitlyn Wise and Miranda Hudleston each scored in the first 17 minutes as Athens cruised to a 4-1 win over Southside-Gadsden in the first-round of the 5A state soccer playoffs.

Ridgeway opened the scoring for Athens inside five minutes when she dribbled from the right sidelines to the center of the box and calmly placed the ball low in the corner from 18 yards out.

Ten minutes later, Kate Morgan played played a perfectly-weighted through ball across the box to Wise, who tapped it past it the keeper from the penalty spot.

Huddleston scored the best of the three with chip from a near-impossible angle. Hudlestone stole the ball from a defender and then sent what looked like a cross to the far side of the box. The lofting ball floated over the keeper’s head and into the side netting to make it 3-0.

Southside pulled one back two minutes later with a chip shot from all of 35 yards from goal.

Ashley Ward put any hopes of a comeback away with 20 minutes remaining off a cross from Kate Morgan to make it 4-1.

Athens advanced to the quarterfinals where they will play Fort Payne Saturday. The time and site for this game is yet to be determined.