MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- The high school soccer season came to a heartbreaking end for Boyd-Buchanan on Tuesday night in the Class A/AA state tournament.
The Bucs battled defending champion Christian Academy of Knoxville for 120 minutes before their state quarterfinal match advanced to a shootout tied at 1-1.
The first round of PKs ended in a 4-4 tie, but when Boyd-Buchanan missed its second sudden-death attempt and the Warriors made theirs, CAK earned the victory with a 6-5 advantage.
"I thought we actually controlled the majority of the game," Bucs coach Dustin Walker said. "Our guys battled for 120 minutes and deserved to win. We had more scoring chances, but unfortunately we came up short in PKs. When you go to PK's you feel like you're just rolling the dice."
Hayes Wood gave the Bucs an early lead when he scored on a ball from Jeremy Borders 14 minutes into the match. The Warriors equalized in the 31st minute with a goal from Trace Helfrich, but neither team could connect during the second half, or any of the overtime periods.
Each team missed one PK in the opening round of the shootout, but a missed attempt in the second sudden-death round ended the Bucs’ bid to knock last year’s champion out of the tournament.
Boyd-Buchanan finished the year at 16-6-1 with District 5 and Region 3 championships and a No. 5 state ranking.
"We couldn't be more proud of the way our guys played," Walker said. "Even though we didn't win, the coaching staff couldn't be more proud to be associated with Boyd Buchanan soccer. Our guys played like champions tonight. CAK is a great team and has a great coach. We wish them the best of luck."