McCallie advanced to the men’s DII-AA East Region soccer final after beating Baylor 3-2 in an epic comeback. The game took place at McCallie’s home field. There McCallie had already beaten Baylor previously this season 3-0. Baylor sought to get their revenge, and despite taking the lead twice, they fell just short of the mark. Still an impressive effort from both sides in one of the greatest rivalries in Tennessee soccer.
“Coming into this game, we were ready to fight,” stated Brooks Hilger. “They brought it from the start. They definitely gave it to us in those first twenty-five minutes. At the end we were just trying to get one goal before the half. I was just thinking I have to get up here. They played a looping ball and I was honestly just trying to head it back across. But it ended up going in so that was a little lucky. It was nice to get that one back before half. We lost to CCS in the regular season and from then on we said we were not going to lose another game. Going down one and then another one just shows how hard this team can fight. When we bring the team together and come together, I don’t think there is a team in the state that can beat us.”
The game kicked off and both teams instantly made some changes to their lineups, ensuring they were ready for the battle ahead. Finding rhythm proved to be difficult at first for Baylor and McCallie. The defense messed up every game plan in sight. Then, out of nowhere, Baylor scored from a free kick and shocked the home crowd. Baylor’s Carter Weekly lined the kicked up, placing perfectly in the box for Philippe Laforge to find it with his head. McCallie, scrambling to find an answer, took their chance. With only seconds on the clock, Ezra Centurian placed a ball in the box from the wing. Brooks Hilger headed it towards goal with and the ball arched over the keeper and in to tie it.
With the game level at half, it was easy to see both sides were full of energy, ready to take control. Unfortunately for the boys in blue, Baylor would strike first again with nineteen minutes on the clock. A beautiful flick from Laforge set Antonio Basan perfectly in front of goal to place in the corner and give them the lead again. The Baylor fans were ecstatic, but only for a short moment. Less than a minute later and McCallie scored again. This time from a direct freekick by Elliot Arnold. Arnold leveled the score for a second time and brought hope back to his team late in the game.
The battle was in no way close to being done. The game, tied at 2-2, needed a victor. As fate would have it, a penalty would be given to McCallie after a clear foul from behind in the box. The pressure was high and the fans on the edge of their seats. Hilger stepped up to take it, placed it towards the bottom right corner, and put it past the keeper. McCallie took their first lead of the night and kept it until the final whistle.
“We felt like we started off on the wrong foot,” said McCallie Head Coach Chris Cushenbery. “Then we got the game back in our control late in the first half. To score right before halftime is huge obviously. The first half we were a little soft, and I challenged them in the second half to be gritty and be tougher. Don’t worry about calls, just be tough. To keep battling. We were much more resilient the second half. To come back and score twice is great. We didn’t like how the CCS game went the first time, and we are pretty committed to making sure it goes different this time.”
McCallie will play CCS in the final this Saturday. The details for that game should be announced later this week.
Game Summary
Baylor 1 1 --2
McCallie 1 2 --3
Goal Scorers:
Baylor- Philippe Laforge, Antonio Basan; McCallie- Brooks Hilger 2, Elliot Arnold.
Assists:
Baylor- Carter Weekly, Philippe Laforge; McCallie- Ezra Centurian.