Sylacauga sweeps Lincoln to claim 2026 Talladega County Soccer Titles

LINCOLN, Ala. - The Sylacauga Aggies swept the 2026 Talladega County Soccer Tournament championships in Lincoln on Monday night, March 2, defeating the Lincoln Golden Bears in both the girls and boys finals.

The matches, originally scheduled for last Thursday, Feb. 26, were postponed due to the threat of severe weather and rescheduled.

In the opening game, Sylacauga's girls built a 2-0 halftime lead behind a brace from sophomore Natalie Perez.

Lincoln responded in the second half, scoring twice to even the match at 2-2 by the end of regulation and force a penalty shootout.

In the shootout, Sylacauga senior goalkeeper K'La Tinsley delivered a commanding performance, saving three of Lincoln's spot kicks. Perez converted her attempt for the Aggies, and junior Alyssa Pruitt sealed the championship with the decisive penalty.

The boys final followed with even more drama.

Late in the first half, Sylacauga senior midfielder Casey Malone was shown a straight red card after a dangerous challenge on Lincoln's goalkeeper, leaving the Aggies to play the entire second half down a man.

Despite the disadvantage, Sylacauga struck first in the second half when freshman Peyton Wheeler capitalized on a misplayed pass by Lincoln's back line to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead.

Lincoln answered midway through the half as freshman Coleman Hamrick unleashed a powerful strike to level the score at 1-1.

Sylacauga's defense, anchored by center back Eathen Brown and goalkeeper Cole Wright, withstood sustained pressure from the Golden Bears. Brown disrupted several attacking runs, while Wright made multiple key saves to keep the match tied.

With the game seemingly destined for a tense finish, senior Joe Gaspar delivered the decisive moment, scoring on a no-look finish to put Sylacauga back in front, 2-1.

The Aggies then packed their defense in the final 10 minutes, holding off Lincoln's late push to secure the victory and complete the tournament sweep.