The Boyd-Buchanan boys’ soccer team stresses two things, among others: Start halves off well, and finish them well.
Friday afternoon against Christ Presbyterian Academy — ranked second in Tennessee in Class A/AA — the Buccaneers did both.
Boyd-Buchanan scored a goal in the first 10 minutes of the contest, then chipped in two more in the last five minutes of the half and rode that momentum to a 4-1 victory to advance to today’s semifinals of the eighth annual Chattanooga Christian Tournament.
The Bucs (6-0) will face Science Hill, which defeated Livingston Academy 9-0 in another quarterfinal, at 11 this morning.
“This was the best team we’ve played so far,” Boyd-Buchanan coach Dustin Walker said. “We haven’t seen a team that played with that speed, and it took some getting used to. I thought we adapted well and played well in the second half.”
Taylor Shull led the charge with two goals, the first off a perfectly placed throw-in from Michael Bowen nine minutes into the game and the second off a feed from Mason Wortman in first-half stoppage time. CPA had tied the game at 1 when Murphy Mulvihill put away a header from Sam Crenshaw.
Joey Glisson added another Bucs goal in the final moments of the half, outracing the CPA defense down the side and finishing a shot right in front of the goal.
“Those two goals gave us a burst of energy,” Walker said. “It did a lot for our psyche to get a couple in right before the half.”
Drew Zumbrun added the final goal on a penalty kick in the second half.
Now Boyd-Buchanan has a semifinal battle against the Class AAA Hilltoppers (2-2), who showed no mercy against the Wildcats.
“It’s a challenge that we welcome,” Walker said. “We want to play competition; we want to see where we are, and playing tough teams will give us an opportunity to see what we need to work on.”
Chattanooga Christian Tournament
BOYD-BUCHANAN 4,
CHRIST PRESBYTERIAN ACADEMY 1
Halftime score: Boyd-Buchanan, 2-1. Goals: Taylor Shull 2, Joey Glisson, Drew Zumbrun (BB); Murphy Mulvihill (CPA). Assists: Michael Bowen, Mason Wortman (BB); Sam Crenshaw (CPA). Shots: Boyd-Buchanan, 12-8. Saves: Luke Roman 7 (CPA); Jake Lockert 4 (BB). Records: Boyd-Buchanan 6-0; CPA 3-3-1.
SCIENCE HILL 9, LIVINGSTON ACADEMY 0
SHELBYVILLE 3, SWEETWATER 2