Second Half Surge Sends Georgia Impact to WPSL Championship

WOODSTOCK, Ga --- After a semifinal round plagued with weather delays, the WPSL South Region Final between Georgia Impact and Pensacola FC played out without issue. The home side, Georgia Impact, delivered a dominant performance, securing four second-half goals past the Gulf Coast Conference giants. This victory secures Georgia Impact's place in the WPSL Championships, taking place in Kansas City.

While the Impact and Pensacola come from different divisions, they are not complete strangers to one another. Sisters Roxi and Angel Fowler from London, England, were slated against each other in this match. Both Fowler sisters played defense and started for their respective sides.

Played in front of a crowd of roughly 100, the match at Wolverine Stadium in Woodstock, Ga., was contested in temperatures well into the 90s. Both sides had also played their quarterfinal matches the day before, yielding tired legs for both sides.

Pensacola, who barely scraped by in their quarterfinal round against Arlington SA in a 4-2 penalty shootout, would show the most signs of fatigue in the Georgia heat.

The match began with a long spell of Impact pressure, but no opportunities arose until after the hydration break. After the pause, the Impact would find a shot off the post and a sequence that required a narrow goal-line clearance from Pensacola.

Throughout the course of the match, Pensacola's few attacking opportunities would exclusively come from counterattacking runs by Lainey Farabaugh. One of her attempts yielded a diving save from the Impact keeper. Despite a long spell of pressure from the Impact, the score remained even at halftime.

After the halftime break, Pensacola's keeper, Karla Guzman-Ortiz, was tested immediately, making two crucial saves that kept the Florida side in the match.

In the 53rd minute, the Impact would find their first goal of the match after Sarah Houston made a run past the defensive line. Her shot would be blocked by Guzman-Ortiz, but the ball found Callie O'Connor, who struck the ball confidently to bring the first goal of the match for the Impact.

The Georgia Impact midfield and attacking players were methodical in forcing turnovers and making strong runs past the Pensacola defensive line. This occurred once again only three minutes later when Maria Howell gained control of the ball, passed to Sarah Houston, led to a faceoff with the keeper, and found the back of the net to bring the score to 2-0.

Another goal-line clearance and a diving save from Guzman-Ortiz prevented the scoring until the 67th minute when the Impact's Brooke Hart made a strong run down the right side. She crossed the ball over, beating the keeper, and slotted the ball for the third goal of the match. The last goal of the match would come from Ines Obradovac, who also made a run up the right side, skillfully passed two defenders, and found the fourth and final goal for the Southeast Conference representatives.

Despite the scoreline, Pensacola's keeper, Karla Guzman-Ortiz, had a phenomenal performance. She stifled the Impact's attack on many occasions, but could not prevent the consistent piercing runs through the defensive line.

Georgia Impact had a strong performance, dictating the flow of play, forcing turnovers, and slipping through the back line.

Following this win, Georgia Impact continues to the WPSL Championships semifinal on July 18 in Kansas City. The Georgia side is set to play the winners of the East Region, New York Athletic Club. Saturday's semifinal will be played at 9 a.m. CDT / 10 a.m. EDT at Riverside Stadium, the home of Kansas City Current II.