The Walker Valley boys’ soccer team did not win a game in district play during the 2015 season, but it wasn’t from a lack of effort or opportunities. The Mustangs outshot every opponent they faced in District 5-AAA, but an 0-6 record had them as the No. 7 seed in the tournament.
Saturday afternoon, they had similar chances, and although they missed their fair share, they made the one that mattered.
The last-place Mustangs (6-9) won 1-0 over second-seeded Ooltewah, which had beat them 5-1 in the regular season, in one of the quarterfinal matches. That put Walker Valley in the district semifinals for the first time since 2009.
They’ll play tonight at 6:30 at East Hamilton, which won the regular-season matchup 4-1.
“We’re a capable team,” Walker Valley coach Tom Bayliss said. “We’ve played good soccer, but it was like we were missing layups all season. It was tough, but I knew this team was capable.”