MACON – Duluth coach Adel Mohsen was convinced this season was destined to be a rebuilding year for his program. Luckily, his Wildcats didn’t believe him.
Duluth got goals from Daniel Arnstein and Alexander Garuba and shut down defending champion Brookwood in a 2-0 victory Saturday in the Class AAAAAA state championship game at Mercer University. It’s Duluth’s first boys state soccer championship. Not bad for a rebuilding year.
“We thought we were going to be as good as last year or better,” Arnstein said. “And look where we are now.”
Arnstein said he made eye contact with teammate Jose Linares to set up his goal that opened the scoring with 1:20 left in the first half. Lined up just outside the goal box on a steep angle, Linares fired a waste-high ball that Arnstein got just enough of his outside foot on to re-direct it into the near corner of the net to give Duluth a 1-0 lead.
Garuba, one of the team’s top playmakers all season, sealed the win with a header into an empty net with 3:28 to play. The celebration began shortly after, with the Wildcats running across the field to share in the fun with their fans and immediately donning championship hats and t-shirts.
“Unbelievable,” Mohsen said. “These guys have something a lot of teams don’t have, that passion for the game.”
The Wildcats entered the playoffs averaging nearly five goals a match. They had relied on their explosive offense to win Region 7-AAAAAA. But Duluth turned to its defense and a new goalkeeper to complete their championship run.
The Wildcats’ defense fended off every Brookwood threat Saturday. The Broncos were looking for their second straight state championship, but couldn’t score again Duluth goalie Edgar Mozo and the Duluth defense, anchored by Hector Peralta, Mitch McCurry and Jack Sweney. Mozo had played midfield for the majority of the season, before moving into goal to start the playoffs. It was the right move at the right time for the Wildcats, who outscored opponents 16-4 in their playoff run.
Duluth is the fourth straight Gwinnett County team to win the state championship in the highest classification. This all-Gwinnett County final had plenty of storylines. Mohsen spent eight years as an assistant at Brookwood, where his son Andrew Mohsen still suits up for the Broncos. The game was Brookwood coach Daniel Klinect’s last with the Broncos. Klinect is headed to coach rival Parkview next season.
Brookwood overcame an up-and-down regular season that was hampered by injury and illness to reach its second straight championship game, but couldn’t crack the Duluth D.
“We just weren’t clicking tonight,” Klinect said. “The first 20 minutes we were all over them and had them on their heels, but we just never really got it back after that. I’m more proud of my guys. I know they’re disappointed now, but when they go back and reflect on the season and look at all the adversity that we had, to go from almost not making the playoffs to reaching the final.”
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