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Alcovy girls soccer is playoff bound, first time since ‘17
AHS Soccer playoffs
Zariah Strozier (4) is the Lady Tigers leading goal scorer as a freshman. She, along with teammate Tania Mechaca, scored two goals in Thursday’s win. - photo by Phillip B. Hubbard

JONESBORO, Ga. — Six years have passed since the Alcovy Lady Tigers could say four words: “We made the playoffs.”

Alcovy’s postseason berth was secured last Thursday in a 7-2 win against Jonesboro at Tara Stadium. 

Thursday’s win was, indeed, a team effort.

Freshman Zariah Strozier — Alcovy’s leading goal scorer this season — and junior Tania Mechaca piloted the ship scoring two goals apiece. Then, freshmen Jasmyne Boney, Valerie Alvarez and Natalie Alvarez each netted a goal to assist in the victory. 

It was a long, winding road for the Lady Tigers to reach the playoff mark. 

Actually, the match against Jonesboro was originally scheduled to be played at home on Monday, March 27. After a wave of rain and storms rushed through the area across March 26 and 27, the game was postponed to Thursday. 

The season leading up to that, though, was an up and down one. 

Alcovy opened the year with back-to-back losses at Locust Grove 7-0 and at Forest Park 3-0. But a huge bounce back 10-0 win over non-region opponent McDonough on Feb. 7 got the Lady Tigers in the win column. 

The first Region 3-AAAAAA victory came on Feb. 13 against Morrow at home where the Lady Tigers won 7-1. 

Fifteen days later, Alcovy endured a highly contested match at Mundy’s Mill. After 100 minutes of action across regulation and two overtime halves, the Lady Tigers suffered a 3-2 loss. 

At the midpoint of the 2023 season, Alcovy stood at 2-3 overall with a 1-2 record in Region 3-AAAAAA. 

The Lady Tigers evened out its region record on March 6 after they returned home and downed Rockdale County in a defensive battle. 

Alcovy picked up a commanding non-region triumph beating Salem 11-1 — it was the second straight year Alcovy beat Salem, too. 

On March 20, the Lady Tigers earned their first shutout win of the season by defeating Lovejoy 7-0 on the road. 

Not long after that, Alcovy suffered a 10-0 loss to the eventual Region 3-AAAAAA champion Woodward Academy. 

The Lady Tigers’ regular season ended last Thursday with a 6-4 overall record and a 4-3 record in Region 3-AAAAAA. When all was said and done, Alcovy found itself in a three-way tie along with Rockdale County and Forest Park. 

After the dust settled, the Lady Tigers had done enough to make them playoff bound.