Diana Lewis
For The Times

Maury Ibarra found the back of the net on a backheel pass from striker Sergio Turcios, a connection that would carry the East Hall Vikings to their first region victory in a 3-0 win over Fannin County on Friday.  

It was a difficult start at Valhalla as the Vikings failed to find a rhythm in the opening minutes of the match. The Rebels knocked on the door more than once and tested East Hall goalkeeper Daniel Carrillo early.  

Averen Samuels opened the scoring with 20 minutes into the half and got things going for the Vikings, with Ibarra formulating the attacks from the center of the pitch.  

The Ibarra-Turcios duo continued to bring the heat, as the two seniors have been partners on the pitch for the past four year and have created a specialty of splitting defenders with almost every possession. 

“We keep our connection going by just training really hard at practice and having fun during scrimmage” Ibarra said. “We’re friends on and off the field, so we know each other pretty well.”

As Carrillo denied the Rebels from their best chance at goal in the second half, the Vikings sprung into a counter attack and the duo struck again. This time, it was Turcios who would receive a perfectly weighted ball by Ibarra for an easy tap past the goalkeeper. 

“Our focus is all about region now, we’re ready to get these two other region wins before spring break and then get ready for the end of the regular season,”  Vikings coach Chris Horton said. 

On Tuesday, East Hall hosts Lumpkin County in Gainesville at 7:30 p.m. 

EAST HALL GIRLS 2, FANNIN COUNTY 0: Rosa Montes and Nayeli Zamora both scored for the Lady Vikings (4-2-1, 1-1 Region 7-3A). 

East Hall hosts Lumpkin County at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.