Home Field Advantage: Bainbridge Soccer Ready for High-Stakes Showdowns

Published 11:50 am Thursday, April 24, 2025

By codymarmon

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With the first round of the state playoffs approaching, excitement is mounting for both the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams. Coach Brian Hill understands the significance—every ounce of effort they’ve put in leads to this pivotal moment.

Centennial Field will be the site of two big matchups this week—the girls take on Stone Mountain Thursday at 5:00 p.m., while the boys host West Hall on Friday night, starting at 6:00 p.m.

Boasting two of Class 3A’s top ten goal and point scorers. No. 13 midfielder Angel Bonilla-Ortiz leads the classification with 26 goals, while No. 10 forward/midfielder Jose Bonilla-Ortiz ranks seventh with 17. Angel sits second in total points with 67 and is also second in Class 3A with 15 assists, while Jose holds the ninth spot with 40 points.

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For the Bainbridge Bearcats boys soccer team, which seized the sixth overall spot in the Class 3A state rankings with an overall record of 11-4, the road to the postseason has been a battle. A crushing 7-0 victory over Dougherty proved their dominance, but the narrow 2-1 loss to Cairo was a stark reminder of the challenges ahead. Despite the setback, Hill believes his players are learning from it.

“One thing I always say is when you lose, you’ve got to get something out of it,” Hill explained. “You learn from it, you get exposed in areas, and you find ways to fix those problems so they don’t hold you back down the road. Hopefully, we recognized what we need to improve and worked on it, so we’re ready for that first-round match.”

One of Bainbridge’s biggest lessons from Cairo? Ball possession.

“To make a deep playoff run, you have to control the ball, make smart passes, intelligent runs, and play solid defense,” Hill said. “Cairo exposed some areas where we need to improve, and now it’s about making those adjustments.”

The Bearcats finished the season locked in an intense three-way tie for the region title with Cairo and Peach County, all sitting at 8-2. But Bainbridge emerged victorious due to their commanding point differential.

“We won the region,” Hill said. “We split with both teams, but when we won, we won big, taking down Cairo 5-0 and Peach County 6-1.”

Now, the boys shift their focus to West Hall, a formidable opponent in the first round Friday night at Centennial Field beginning at 6:00 p.m. 

“They’ve played some tough teams this season,” Hill said. “I don’t know a ton about them, but I do know they’re high-quality. We’ve got to bring our best if we want to win.”

Meanwhile, the Bainbridge girls have been dominant, earning the 5th overall ranking in Class 3A with an impressive 12-3 record, highlighted by an 11-match winning streak. They’ve dominated their competition, but Hill knows the importance of staying locked in.

“We’ve focused on improving ball possession and making sharper passes,” Hill said. “Earlier in the season, we struggled with that, but our adjustments worked against Cairo. Now it’s about carrying that momentum into the playoffs.”

The BHS girls’ soccer squad is led by senior forward and midfielder No. 3 Addison Hill, who leads Class 3A girls’ soccer in points with 103, ranking second in 3A with 42 goals and fourth in assists with 19.

The girls capped off the regular season in dominant fashion, closing it out with an 11-1 and 5-1 victory over region opponents Dougherty and Cairo. With their next challenge against Stone Mountain looming, confidence is high, but the team remains grounded.

“The win streak is great, but once playoffs start, anyone can take you down,” Hill cautioned. “You have to stay focused and keep playing high-quality soccer.”

Perhaps the biggest victory for Bainbridge soccer is the opportunity to host the first round. Both teams earned the right to defend their home turf—a rare accomplishment in program history.

“This is only the third time ever that both teams have won region,” Hill said. “When you don’t have to travel, everything is easier. Long travel can wear a team out, but playing at home gives us an edge.”

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