Maybe rust from a two-week layoff between competitive matches caused the McCallie soccer team to play below its lofty standards Saturday afternoon.
Maybe the two-goal lead midway through the first half made the Blue Tornado a little lackadaisical.
Either way, what was seen was not at the usual level for the top-ranked team in Tennessee Division II-AA and the No. 6 team in the nation according to the most recent poll released by MaxPreps on Friday.
Still, it was enough to survive and advance. The Blue Tornado received two goals from Princeton-bound senior David Bowman and overcame a pair of penalty-kick goals by St. Benedict's Luke Parker to advance to their first state tournament since 2012 with a 3-2 win.
Next up for McCallie (16-0-1) is the winner of Saturday's match between Montgomery Bell Academy and Memphis University School in the semifinals of the Division II-AA state tournament at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex in Murfreesboro on Wednesday.
"It certainly wasn't our best performance, but we got the win and fought through two PKs," Bowman said. "I'm proud we pushed through some unlucky touches and a lack of cohesiveness, and I'm looking forward to the semifinals."
Bowman was fed for his first goal in the seventh minute by future roommate Wesley Brown. He added his second goal in the 26th minute.
Up to that point, McCallie basically had dominated play, but the Eagles were able to cut into the deficit late in the first half when the Blue Tornado were called for a foul in the box. Parker netted the ensuing penalty kick to make the halftime score 2-1.
"They say that 2-0 is the most dangerous lead in soccer," Bowman said. "I think we weren't staying focused and thought it was going to be easy at that point, but when they squeezed that PK in, we knew the second half would be a battle. But I couldn't be more proud of our team for getting this win."
The Blue Tornado recaptured their two-goal lead early in the second when Marshall Martin fed Drew Viscomi for a score from the left side in the 55th minute, but eight minutes later a handball in the box led to Parker's second PK and a 3-2 score.
Goalkeeper Emerson Brock and a McCallie defense that hasn't allowed a goal within the flow of the match since March 21 held strong over the final 17 minutes, and the Blue Tornado head back to the state tournament searching for their second TSSAA championship.
They won the other in 1999.
"We're 16-0-1, and we still have a chance to do something special," McCallie coach Chris Cushenbery said. "Hopefully we can have a couple good practices this week and be better on Wednesday."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.