After his McMinn County soccer team held on to a 1-0 victory over Soddy-Daisy Thursday night, first-year coach David McDonald finally took a deep breath.
His Cherokees needed an offside call that waved off a Trojans goal in the final seconds of the District 5-AAA game.
McDonald wasn’t happy, however, with the lack of composure by McMinn (4-3-1, 3-0), which had two yellow cards in the second half.
“I felt we should have been smarter with a 1-0 lead,” he said. “We didn’t possess well and panicked for awhile; we couldn’t get possession back. We had a couple sent off in the second half; we must be able to overcome possession and maintain that mental toughness.”
McMinn, which dominated possession for large portions of the first half, scored with under 10 minutes to go in the period on an unassisted goal by Zach Myers, who ripped a shot from the right side of the 18.
The Trojans (4-4, 2-1) picked up the intensity in the second half, and with under 30 seconds remaining, a free kick was served into Trent Sanders, who headed in what was thought to be the tying goal. Sanders was called offside on the play, though, and moments later the game ended on a sour note for the Trojans.
“With a 1-0 lead, it’s easy to get on your heels,” Soddy-Daisy coach Moises Drumond said. “We picked up the pressure and started driving balls deep, which got them on their heels. We gave ourselves a chance in the second half by outworking them and getting to the second ball.”
McMinn will take the weekend off in preparation for a Tuesday clash with another district foe, Cleveland.
“I think right now, we know where we stand and what we have to do to get better,” McDonald said. “So far, we’ve played tough competition and that’s helped, but we played these games so tight that we’ve worn down.
“I think these games will prepare us for the long run.”