Oklahoma,

the state that launched one of the most famous musicals

of all time, hosted the Region III soccer championships

recently. Fayetteville's AFC Lightning 83 Gold team, the

Georgian U16 Boys champions, traveled to Edmond, Okla.

with dreams of winning big.

Their first

match was against the Tulsa Thunder. The game was

scoreless until right before the half. George Sheppard

received a pass from Casey Magner and slid it into the

net, giving the Lightning a 1-0 edge at halftime. Magner

scored 15 minutes into the second half to give the

Lightning the 2-0 lead. Goalie Michael O'Mahoney stopped

a penalty shot to preserve the shutout.

The

Lightning faced WES Heat from Arkansas Saturday. George

Sheppard scored the first two goals for the team and was

followed soon after by two goals from Robert Cooper. Matt

Miller scored the last goal as the Lightning went on to

win 5-1. The team would have to face Charlotte FC,

formerly known as Park Sharon, Sunday to wrap up group

play.

The

Lightning struck first during Sunday's game. Casey Magner

received a beautiful pass from Stephen Wilson and buried

it in the net. Charlotte tied the game with 10 minutes

left when the Lightning scored an own goal. The tie was

good enough for the Lightning to win their group and get

them into the semifinals.

In the

semifinals, the Lightning faced the Texas Longhorns.

Texas scored two goals very quickly but the Lightning's

Brandon Gish fought back to tie the game at two apiece.

Texas scored with two minutes left in regulation, sending

themselves to the finals and sending the Lightning home.

The

Lightning finished third in the Southeastern region.

<!--##############