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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

SYLACAUGA – After taking the fight to the Sylacauga Aggies in the opening 40 minutes of their Class 5A first round playoff matchup, the Montevallo Bulldogs suddenly found themselves on the defensive.

Having given up the momentum they fought hard to win in the first half, Montevallo soon saw its 1-0 lead evaporate when Sylacauga broke through for a 62nd-minute equalizer.

However, with last year’s first-round heartbreak in the back of their minds, the Bulldogs responded to the adversity and put themselves back in the driver’s seat.

Christian Diaz’s 65th minute goal helped Montevallo secure a 2-1 win on Thursday, April 24 at Sylacauga High School, a win that came in the program’s first-ever playoff game as a member of Class 5A.

Montevallo got a couple of solid early chances in the game, most notably a seventh-minute overhead ball that just missed a friendly head and a 14th-minute rolling shot which was collected.

Sylacauga tried to get the opener on a set piece with a 20th-minute corner kick, but it was headed out to the near post.

The Bulldogs turned on the jets from there and started pushing the counterattack to secure a string of quality chances.

Montevallo got a pair of big chances in the 24th minute with a ball that was just ahead of Irving Choto and a wide shot by Alexis Lopez mere seconds afterwards off the goal kick.

From there, Enrique Chavez had two shots miss the goal over the course of the next two minutes as the momentum continued to snowball. Lopez also had a 29th-minute shot blocked out for a corner that sailed wide.

For all of the strength the Bulldogs showed in open play, a set piece provided the breakthrough.

In the 32nd minute, Lopez sent in a rocket of a deep free kick right the Sylacauga goalkeeper’s chest. The ball ricocheted right off and into the waiting feet of Choto, who was perfectly positioned to collect for the wide-open tap-in and the 1-0 lead.

Choto nearly doubled up the lead a minute later with a blistering breakaway that led to a wide-left shot. With the Aggies on their heels, Montevallo kept pushing for the final five minutes and got a pair of chances to prevent the hosts from getting impactful possessions for the rest of the half.

Sylacauga came out of the halftime huddle stronger as it neutralized the Bulldogs counterattack runs and forced a much more even start to the half.

However, as the play intensified, multiple lengthy stoppages made it hard for either team to get consistent momentum. Sylacauga’s coach got a yellow card in the 49th minute for extensively arguing a foul call on a right-wing run before another extended stoppage two minutes later.

The Aggies also briefly got into it with the Bulldogs in the 53rd minute after a counterattack and received a yellow for their confrontation. However, a minute later, Montevallo got its own yellow for dissent that led to a dangerous ball at the far post that was cleared.

Sylacauga continued to work the wings to try and find an equalizer, but Montevallo largely defended them well until the 62nd minute. That was when the Aggies found the back of the net and tied the game up at 1-1.

Emboldened by the goal, Sylacauga took the fight to the Bulldogs and tried to keep the momentum on their side. Montevallo recognized the urgency of the moment though and fought back.

In the 65th minute, Choto sent a shot to the keeper, but the initial effort trickled back out of the box. However, Christian Diaz crashed in and sent home a follow-up roller, which went right into the bottom left corner to restore the one-goal lead just three minutes after giving it up.

The Bulldogs kept the Aggies at bay for the final 15 minutes, but not without some fireworks on either side. Montevallo managed a couple of shots on the break, including one that went wide in the 71st minute.

The true nail in the coffin came in the 75th minute when Sylacauga got upset over a foul that did not give the Bulldogs a yellow card for a denial of a goal-scoring opportunity in addition to the free kick. One player’s repeated dissent earned him a second yellow and forced the Aggies to play the final five minutes with 10 men.

From there, Montevallo saw out the 2-1 win and secured the historic victory in its first-ever Class 5A playoff game.

The Bulldogs will face the winner of Indian Springs and Valley in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs. That first-round matchup will take place on Friday, April 25.

As for the girls, Montevallo lost 1-0 to Sylacauga off a fourth-minute header. That goal came about from a corner kick that the Aggies won off a forward ball which forced the Bulldogs to come out and defend it.

Montevallo tried to generate chances from open play but couldn’t get past the Sylacauga defensive line to get shots off the counterattack, ending the Bulldogs’ first campaign in Class 5A with a tough playoff test after a runner-up finish in area play.