STATE SOCCER MATCHUPSTodayClass A/AABoyd-Buchanan vs. Madison, 5:30Chattanooga Christian vs. Alcoa, 6WednesdayDivision II-AAMcCallie vs. Memphis University School, 8:30
“Unselfish” is a frequent term when Chattanooga Christian soccer player Adam Ryan is mentioned.
“I just want to play the game to show people how thankful I am for the opportunity,” the junior forward and midfielder said as the Class A/AA top-ranked Chargers prepared for this week’s Spring Fling state tournament in Murfeeesboro.
“There are times when I could be selfish, when you see what type of attention goals get — and everyone likes scoring goals, but I also like assists. It’s a great feeling to see the scoreboard light up for your team.”
He has been one of the team’s leading assist guys the past two seasons, but he has done so while playing defense, midfielder, forward and even goalkeeper upon necessity.
“Adam just does whatever role the team needs,” CCS coach Shawn Brower said. “Everything flows from his faith. He has God first and everything else after that. It’s not about personal accolades to him.”
That fact became more evident when, after the Chargers’ Region 4 championship win over Notre Dame, Ryan walked up to a reporter and asked that teammate Corey Wilson receive first-team Best of Preps recognition.
The person he nominated Wilson to replace? Ryan himself.
“That doesn’t surprise me at all,” Brower said when told of the gesture.
Said Ryan: “Corey is one of my best friends. I know him and his heart. He battles and has great vision on the field, and there’s a void on the field when he goes out of the game. He has everybody’s respect on this team and is always a voice on the field.
“I was hurt at the beginning of the year and started slow, so I thought it was a good thing to do.”
He expects to stay at midfield as CCS faces sixth-ranked Alcoa in the first round of the state tournament, starting today at 6 p.m. EDT at the Richard Siegel complex. The same teams met in last season’s first round, with Alcoa winning 6-5 on penalty kicks.
Ryan’s penalty-kick attempt was deflected by the Alcoa keeper. That, plus the way the game ended (CCS held a one-goal lead), left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Chargers and their following.
“The guys are excited about this opportunity,” Brower said. “They know they let the game last year slip away, and it stung for awhile to lose in penalty kicks.”
Added Ryan: “It’s not even about revenge with us. We just didn’t feel that we got to show them the team that we were. It was like we were almost star-struck — caught up the travel and not understanding what it means to come and play.
“Alcoa is a great team with great players, so we’re going to have to step up on defense as well as offense.”
The 19-1-2 Chargers have found themselves again three games away from a state title. Ryan looks at it slightly differently.
“I told the guys in the locker room that we are four hours from a state championship,” he said. “I asked them, ‘How much do you have?’
“At this point, we’re all excited and everybody is ready to play their part to get there.”