MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Midway through its Class A/AA state quarterfinal matchup against Alcoa, the Chattanooga Christian soccer team forgot about revenge against the team that ended the Chargers’ season a year ago.
It became more about survival.
The top-ranked Chargers took care of that Tuesday, getting a second-half goal from Adam Ryan to ease past the Tornadoes 1-0. CCS will play Kingsbury today at 8 EDT in tonight’s semifinals at the Richard Siegel complex.
Seeing as many as nine defenders back at times, the CCS offense had to search for a way to penetrate the Alcoa defense. Coach Shawn Brower encouraged the team to start working the ball to right wing Will Taylor, who got open on the edges most of the contest.
“Will was really dangerous on the edge,” Brower said. “We started talking to the guys about going back to him.”
With 15 minutes remaining in the contest, Taylor and the Chargers finally broke free. The sophomore wing drove the end line before crossing the ball into Ryan, whose one-touch slid past Alcoa keeper Tyler Reed for a 1-0 lead.
Ryan had a couple of opportunities earlier — including one that bounced off the crossbar — so scoring the winning goal served as vindication for him.
“I just had to stay composed,” he said. “Will had the drive and played it in solid, and I was able to get one past the keeper.”
Equally as important as getting the goal was keeping an eye on Alcoa forward Derrick Brodus, who created a few dangerous opportunities early on but mainly was held in check by the Chargers.
“We just had to stay on and know where he was at all times,” CCS center back Roy Anderson said. “We knew he was going left, so we didn’t let him beat us and stayed in front of him.”
Brower credited backs Josh Womack and Matthew Johnson with marking up on Brodus.
“Before the game, coaches I talked to said that if we stopped him, we wouldn’t lose,” Brower said. “He’s their go-to guy.”
Finally getting a win at the state tournament after first-round defeats in 2006 and 2009, Brower admitted he felt as if the “monkey was off their back.
“I think we can play more free now,” he said. “It’s going to be a battle from here on out. It’s state, so it won’t be easy for anyone. Records mean nothing now.”