Baylor's Sam Stewart (7) and McCallie's Campbell Young (2) collide while battling for possession of the ball during the Division II-AA East/Middle region soccer match held at Baylor's home field Friday evening.The McCallie soccer team had a motto the past couple of days, leading up to its match against top rival Baylor: "Believe. Battle. Breathe."
The fifth-ranked Blue Tornado did the first two and as a result can now do the third thing.
The teams battled to a scoreless tie Friday at Baylor, in a match that was controlled for the most part by the fourth-ranked hosts. The Red Raiders had a considerable edge in terms of the possession, and the shot count favored them 5-1, with a lot more attempts sailing wide or high.
"We competed tonight, and I'm proud of the guys for competing tonight," McCallie coach Tony Meyers said. "We were able to dodge some bullets tonight."
The bullets came in waves from the Red Raiders attack, with three solid opportunities in a three-minute span. Kyle Johnston had two very good shots on goal, as did Ramsey Seagle, who nearly scored on a set piece in the 25th minute.
"Sometimes you just need the ball to bounce your way," Baylor coach Curtis Blair said. "We had better goal-scoring opportunities, but we need to do a better job of finishing."
The Red Raiders (11-3-2, 3-1-1) had a few more opportunities in the second half, including a shot by Robert Stagmaier that sailed just high of the goal. McCallie started working the ball out wide to Timi Coker, who was able to create some pressure on the Baylor defense.
Hunter Brock had McCallie's lone shot on frame.
"We did a good job on some counters and had space to go at them," Meyers said. "There is a lot of pride on the line in this game, and we competed, so I can't be more proud."
Scott Grody had four saves for the Blue Tornado (6-5-3, 3-2-2).
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6311. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.