The District 5-A/AA coaches voted Boyd-Buchanan goalkeeper Anna Beasley player of the year recently.
If there was any questions as to why, Beasley answered a lot of them Wednesday.
The keeper finished with 17 saves — some simple, some spectatular, but all of them key — and Boyd-Buchanan made a first-half goal by Allie Keasler hold up as the Lady Bucs advanced to the Region 3-A/AA championship game with a 1-0 upset of eighth-ranked East Hamilton at the Redoubt Soccer Complex.
Boyd-Buchanan (12-4-2) will travel to McMinn Central, a 3-1 winner over Arts & Sciences, for the region championship today at 3:30.
“Going into the game, pretty much nobody gave us a chance, so we decided we had nothing to lose,” Beasley said. “We’ve come a long way, and are trying to reach our preseason goals — first to glorify God in everything we do, and secondly to play as long as He will let us.”
Said Boyd-Buchanan coach Dustin Walker: “It was one of those things where we talked about how we’ve been the underdog all year, so we had no pressure. We decided to have fun and play soccer.”
The Lady Buc defense played a large role, as they dropped as many as nine defenders back on defense in hopes of stopping the East Hamilton attack that had averaged four goals a game this season.
“We got frantic because there were so many blue jerseys there,” East Hamilton coach John Millard said. “Their game plan was to get behind the ball, and we weren’t as patient as we needed to be.
“We needed to do a better job of being content dropping the ball back, spreading out and finding another point of attack, but that’s easier said than done when you’re playing catchup.”
When the Lady Hurricanes did have opportunities, Beasley was there to clean them up. Yinka Ladapo had a turnaround shot on frame that Beasley pushed over the bar, and on East Hamilton’s most dangerous opportunity in the second half, Beasley got a hand on a header by Kaitlin Waters after the Lady Hurricane junior was left unmarked on the back side.
“That was just reaction,” Beasley said. “My first thought was to hit the ball up, but then I realized I was able to get under it.”
Said Boyd-Buchanan assistant coach Jacob Campbell, who coaches the Buc goalkeepers: “Anna just dominated the box tonight. I’m so proud of her; she’s put in a lot of hard work to be MVP.”