MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - After losing in last year's TSSAA Division II-AA state semifinals, the Baylor boys' soccer team's rallying cry this season was revenge tour.
The Red Raiders had run through quality competition this year, losing only to Georgia state power Dalton and drawing with rival McCallie, a result they rectified with a 3-1 win over the Blue Tornado in Wednesday's state semifinals.
But it couldn't truly be revenge unless the Red Raiders took out the reason for that need, meaning they'd have to defeat Father Ryan, the team that beat them in a penalty kick shootout last year at the Spring Fling.
On Thursday, that revenge tasted sweet.
Baylor rallied from down a goal twice to defeat the Irish 4-2 in a shootout and win the program's sixth state championship and first since 2018. The title match went to penalty kicks after finishing regulation and overtime at 2-all.
"We've been fighting for this all year," said goalkeeper Zach Ubamadu, who made two saves in the shootout. "We knew this was our game. We never put our heads down. It was a game like it was meant to be from the start. We knew we were going to win this game; the fact that it came down to this, it was just written in the stars or something."
Anthony Weekley and Mohammed Wumpini were credited with the Red Raiders' goals, with the latter tying it at 2 in the second half. Baylor (18-1-1) then went 4-for-5 in the shootout against Nashville's Father Ryan (9-5-5), with Riley Shankle's left-footed shot finding the back of the net and clinching the title.
"This is what we wanted," Baylor coach Curtis Blair said. "This is about our kids. I felt so bad for them last year, not accomplishing the goal of winning a state championship. We wanted an opportunity, and we created that opportunity for us to come back and get it done, so we're excited for them.
"We're excited for the Baylor family, and this day is for our school and our community."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.