The Boyd-Buchanan soccer team had plenty of opportunities to score Thursday, but its potent offense did just enough to seal the Region 3-A/AA championship with a 2-1 win over East Ridge at Camp Jordan. Will Boyaton scored both goals for the victors.
Boyd-Buchanan will host Region 4 runner-up in Saturday's sectionals. East Ridge will visit Central Magnet in Murfreesboro with the hope of making a return trip to that city next week.
The Buccaneers certainly did not hold anything back, firing 26 shots, with 16 of them coming in the first half. Five of those were in an early scramble.
John Beasley sent a long throw-in into the box, where his team teed off but found nothing but East Ridge's legs, as shot after shot was deflected before the ball finally was cleared. That would be the story for the Bucs, as many of their chances were met by an East Ridge defender, a goal post or the hands of goalkeeper Tony Acuff, who racked up eight saves.
"We just told our guys to be patient," Boyd-Buchanan coach Dustin Walker said. "It's about the process. If we do the process right, we'll find the result, and we felt the result would come."
The Bucs took the lead on a brilliant header from Boyaton flying in to meet Ayden Otero's cross toward the top of the box. They held their 1-0 edge through halftime, but early in the second half East Ridge pushed back.
The Pioneers found a couple of opportunities countering out of their defensive stronghold. Alejandro Vicente slid one shot just wide, and moments later Adam Adem took a long pass ahead and drew a penalty kick.
Just like in their semifinal victory, Hunter Schobert stepped in with a confident stroke to put it away.
"It's clutch, it really is," said East Ridge coach Jeremy McIntyre. "It's awesome. Adam is able to create those opportunities because he's so creative with the ball."
It was a fresh start for both teams, as East Ridge had found a way to equalize, and Boyd-Buchanan hit the reset button. After being quiet for most of the half, the Bucs started to assert their dominance again on the offensive end with long possessions.
"That penalty kick was kind of a light switch for us," Walker said. "We started off kind of slow, and that woke us up. We were able to create some gaps to get into. I'm proud of our guys for coming out and getting a win. That's what it's all about this time of year."
Boyaton again was able to finish a cross, this time sliding in with his feet doing the damage. The assist came from Jeremy Borders, who gathered the ball and used his speed to get down the sideline and make a clean pass into the box.
"He's so good at finishing," McIntyre said of Boyaton. "Both times we just left him unmarked. We had a game plan and just didn't execute when we needed to, but we hung with one of the best teams in the state."
Contact Idris Garcia at sports@timesfreepress.com