George Georgiev couldn’t have picked a better time to become a scoring machine.
The Allen Community College sophomore scored a pair of goals within the first 10 minutes of Sunday’s key Region VI matchup with visiting Independence.
The early tallies allowed the Red Devils to coast from there in a 3-0 victory.
The win lifts Allen’s overall record to 7-6 and its Region VI mark to 5-4. With 15 points, the Red Devils are in sole possession of fifth place in the Region VI standings.
“We played really well early, got a little sloppy in the middle and picked it up again at the end,” Allen head coach Doug Desmarteau said.
Georgiev teamed with fellow sophomore Ben Loflin to stake ACC to the early 2-0 lead.
Loflin served up perfect throw-in feeds that Georgiev poked into the goal from the air.
“George is great in the air,” Desmarteau said. “It always helps to get an early lead and to not let up. That’s been our challenge this year.”
Georgiev, meanwhile, credited his teammates, for his recent scoring success.
“They’ve done a great job,” he said. “I just do what comes naturally when the ball’s in the air.”
Even after getting the early lead, Allen kept up the pressure against the Pirates’ defense.
The Red Devils racked up 15 shots on goal, compared to Independence’s five.
The ones the Pirates were able to get close enough to at net were easily handled by ACC goalkeeper Victor Ortega.
Brett Rex poked in the final goal after Oscar Maruffo deflected a corner kick his way in the 63rd minute.
“We’ve had solid defense all year, and we have Vic and Chase (Tonkin) to get the save if we need them,” Desmarteau said.
Sunday’s game marked the regular season home finale for the Red Devils, who travel to Neosho County Saturday to wrap up the regular season.
