In a game that Baylor’s defense won, it was fitting that a Baylor defender scored the winning goal Friday night.
Senior back Alex Cannon scored on a free kick in the 35th minute and played a major role defensively as the Lady Red Raiders won their first Division II-AA state soccer championship since 2004 by defeating St. Agnes 1-0 at GPS.
Junior defender Paige Elliott was named the game’s most valuable player, as she and Cannon did a remarkable job defending the swarms of attack brought by the Lady Stars.
Baylor finishes the season with a record of 17-0-2.
University School of Jackson 2, St. George’s 1: In the Division II-A final, Honeye Heydari had two goals, including the deciding one in overtime, as the Lady Bruins (16-3-2) defeated the 2009 champions. Tori Fitzgerald scored for the Lady Gryphons (10-11-3).Division II-AA state final at GPSBAYLOR 1, ST. AGNES 0Halftime score: 1-0. Goal: Alex Cannon. Shots: St. Agnes, 8-6. Saves: Katherine Rodgers 3 (B); Sandra Paris 2 (SA). Other standouts: Paige Elliott (MVP); Teni Butler, Hannah Edmonds (B). Records: Baylor 17-0-2; St. Agnes 13-3-2.
“We remembered how last year felt,” Elliott said of Baylor’s 1-0 loss to St. Agnes in the 2009 final. “After we got the goal, they kept running No. 7 [Bethany Bunker] on my side. As a team, they’re fast and quick, but we did a good job of keeping them in front of us.”
Along with the two backs, defenders Teni Butler and Hannah Edmonds cleared out any dangerous balls that got into the teeth of the defense, and goalkeeper Katherine Rodgers had three saves – including a quick-reaction stop on a Danielle Pirozzi shot right in front of the goal in the first half.
St. Agnes (13-3-2) tried everything, including bringing an extra forward into the attack in the second half. Bunker and forward Camilla Buoni had some solid runs but were unable to get any dangerous attempts on goal.
“We defended very well tonight,” Baylor coach Jimmy Weekley said. “St. Agnes is the only team we played this year that we couldn’t get into the flow; I thought they had the better of the play.
“Our defense came up big for us in a lot of ways tonight.”
None were bigger, however, than the senior Cannon, who played forward her freshman year before moving to the backfield. Her kick screamed toward the goal and was mishandled by Lady Stars keeper Sandra Paris.
“When I saw she dropped it, I couldn’t believe I had just scored,” an emotional Cannon said. “It’s just such a great feeling to score in my last game.
“It’s a feeling I can’t describe.”
The win ends a string of six consecutive state tournaments without a title for Baylor.
“It’s such an honor to get to this point,” Weekley said. “We’ve been so close to winning. I’m very excited for the girls. It’s well-deserved and they’ve worked hard for this.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6311. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/gh3sports.