Opening the boys’ soccer season with an all-out battle, former district rivals who both advanced to the 2018 state tournament went at it for 80 minutes on the David L. Boyd Field turf Tuesday night.
Under its home lights, Boyd Buchanan provided the difference in a 3-1 victory over Arts & Sciences with a 45-second scoring spree led by senior Lipscomb signee Hayes Wood and junior Seth Highfield in the first half.
With roadrunner-like speed and extreme focus, Highfield gained possession at midfield and broke down the right sideline and cut in to split two Patriots defenders before finishing a long run with a booming kick to the back left. Following Wood’s lead, Highfield’s goal created a 2-0 lead in the 21st minute.
“We are very fortunate to have a few guys who can create on their own and get behind you at any moment,” Boyd Buchanan coach Dustin Walker said. “Seth, Hayes and Sam Bruner all did that tonight. They are players who can change the game at any moment.”
In a testy match for both rivals, CSAS did not throw in the towel at halftime in a battle of teams that combined for 30 wins and just nine losses last season.
In the 50th minute the Patriots turned to senior Cole Avery on a free kick just outside the top right of the 18-yard box. With a wall of Buccaneers defenders in front of him, Avery bent a hard shot around them that whipped with a mean curve just into the right side of the net.
“Cole’s shot was beautiful,” Patriots coach David Poss said. “He bent it like Beckham just right inside the pole. Opening the season against Boyd Buchanan is great for us, because I want our guys to play deep into May.”
Hayes placed a penalty kick into the back left with ease for the 3-1 lead in the 62nd minute. Key stops late by defender Ben Hauke and keeper Harrison VanEaton (six saves) helped seal the victory.
The Bucs have won district and region championship for four consecutive seasons. Last year they fell 2-1 in the state semifinals to Lausanne, which then won the Division II-A championship for the second year in a row.
“We are excited for what God has in store for us this season,” Walker said. “We want to think about how can we get better each day. We are not looking ahead to the postseason, because when you do that you miss a lot of chances to improve.”
With 16 seniors, CSAS looks to have a strong chance to get back to the Class A state tournament.
“Last year we were kind of like the Atlanta Braves. We did a little better than we thought we would,” Poss said. “This year is the year we have been looking forward to all along.”
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.