Lady Colonels win region opener, Cass boys fall at Southeast Whitfield

March 3, 2026

Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com

The Cass Lady Colonels dominated on the road Tuesday night, defeating the Southeast Whitfield Lady Raiders 4-1 in a Region 7-AAAA girls soccer matchup in Dalton.

The Lady Colonels struck first in the opening half, with Amy Villanueva netting the game's opening goal off an assist from Ryland Piatt with 32:49 remaining before halftime. That 1-0 lead held into the break, setting the tone for a strong second-half performance by Cass.

Cass exploded for three more goals after the intermission. 

Nat Hughes doubled the advantage with 36:27 left, again courtesy of a pinpoint assist from Piatt. Zoe Bailey made it 3-0 at the 17:34 mark, finishing off a feed from Villanueva. Vanne Garcia capped the Lady Colonels’ scoring with 4:31 to play, converting a pass from Chloe Hunt to push the lead to 4-0.

Southeast Whitfield managed a late consolation goal with just 2:00 remaining, but it was too little, too late.

Cass coach Kyle Calandra commended the back line that was impenetrable for most of the contest. Hayleigh McGeehan, Shania Hernandez, Willow White, and Fatima Lopez turning in a solid defensive effort. In midfield, Gracey Nash, Jillian Silva, and Gisselle Sanabria controlled the tempo, winning key battles and distributing effectively to fuel the attack.

“It was a balanced team effort,” added Calandra. “Tonight was a true collective win built on strong defense, creative midfield play, and some nice finishes up top.”

Southeast Whitfield slipped to 1-7 overall and 0-1 in region play.

Cass (2-3, 1-0) hosts Cartersville on Friday at 5:30 p.m.

SOUTHEAST WHITFIELD 5, CASS BOYS 1

The host Raiders took an early 2-0 lead and held off the Cass Colonels for a 5-1 Region 7-AAAA victory Tuesday night in Dalton.

Southeast Whitfield scored in the 9th and 15th minutes to build a 2-0 advantage. Anthony Diaz scored off an assist from Tabo Mwandu with just over ten minutes remaining in the first half to narrow the margin to 2-1 at the break.

The second half belonged to the Raiders, however, as they added three more goals to pull away. 

Southeast Whitfield improved to 6-1 overall and 1-0 in region action.

Cass (3-2, 0-1) hosts Cartersville for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff on Friday.