Another clash for Chattanooga took place Friday night when McCallie’s men’s soccer defended their home turf against Baylor. After a hard fought 90 minutes, the Blue Tornado would take down the Red Raiders 3-0. To top it off, the game would honor McCallie’s seniors for all their hard work. This would mark a consecutive win for McCallie and a rare home win in this matchup. The emotions were high, and the players were ready. The only thing left to do was take care of business, and McCallie did.
“It was really sweet,” Said Ryan Rodriguez. “I really don’t even remember the goal or how it happened. I just remembered Mikael getting it through to me and finishing it. This year we thought we were going to be a weaker squad, but with everyone putting pieces together and doing their job, I think we can put together a great team. A state championship winning team. I love beating Baylor. They probably love beating us. Just not today.”
The first half showed a lot of promise from both teams. Every player was giving their all to keep possession and hype the fans up. While the first goal didn’t come for several minutes, the action was at a continual peak. Players were getting into each other’s faces and talking back and forth. The hope for McCallie was to let Baylor know that they were on their turf. That message was given clearly when McCallie’s Eliott Arnold scored 20 minutes into the half. Brooks Hilger would swing the ball wide and Elliot Arnold would take the shot quickly from the outer edge of the box.
The second goal of the half would be scored by Ryan Rodriguez with only five minutes left in the half. After a goal was taken away for offsides, the Baylor keeper would give the ball right back to them on the freekick. Ajejandro Dominguez started the attack working quickly with Mikael Wallasvaara. The passes back and forth show beauty and creativity. Wallasvaara sent the ball across goal, right to Rodriguez’s feet. He tapped it in to secure their lead even more.
“Obviously it means a lot,” said Eliott Arnold. “There is a lot of emotions going on with a rivalry game. We knew it was not going to be an easy win. We were going to have to work hard, and we executed right. It is awesome to win. Any rivalry game, especially against Baylor, is just super exciting. You make plays and your fans bring you up. It just adds more energy to the team and honestly helps you play better. This team is definitely very special. Last years team was obviously amazing. Number one in the country and won a state championship. Something about this team is also extremely special. We have got a lot of good guys. It’s a different culture from last year which I like. If we keep learning and progressing we are going to have a real shot at the state championship.”
Not long after halftime, McCallie scored their third and final goal to seal the win. McCallie was awarded a corner kick. Arnold took the kick as usual sending a great ball into the box. After a couple attempts to score, the ball deflected off a defender for Brooks Hilger to score. After this, Baylor spent the rest of the half trying to find some sort of attack. Unfortunately, it would be of no use. McCallie had their defense locked down, making sure they would win 3-0.
“I was so proud of our guys for how they played in the first half,” said coach Cushenberry. “We just moved the ball well. We played beautiful soccer which I was really proud of. That was a huge statement for us, the way we came out and played the first half. These seniors were part of it last year. They were part of that championship team. They were not just going to let the culture drop. We are going to extend the work. So I’m proud of them for that.”
Game Summary
Baylor 0 0 --0
McCallie 2 1 --3
Goal scorers:
McCallie- Elliot Arnold, Ryan Rodriguez, Brooks Hilger.
Assists:
McCallie- Brooks Hilger, Mikael Wallasvaara.
(Contact Alex McElyea at alexmcelyea26@gmail.com)