Late goal pushes Soccer Ads past ’16 state champs
Farragut High School’s boys soccer team is no stranger to adversity or to facing tough opposition. On Thursday, March 23, the Admirals battled both. But in the end, they persevered.
The Ads nabbed a 3-2 comeback victory over defending Class A/AA state champion Christian Academy of Knoxville before a spirited crowd at Farragut Soccer Stadium.
Austin Bihlmeyer scored his second goal of the match in the 75th minute to break a 2-2 — despite the Admirals [5-0-1 after the win] being down a man for most of the game.
An FHS player received a red card for a tackle in the penalty area in the ninth miute
The Warriors then took a 1-0 lead when Matt Zaczyk converted the ensuing penalty kick.
The Ads were short-handed for more than 70 minutes and early on CAK (1-1) held the territorial advantage.
FHS head coach Ray Dover has seen his teams penalized before but said he was pleased with how his squad handled things against CAK.
“This is a high character group and I remember being in a game where we were down a man, and it’s not easy,” Dover said. “But this is all on the kids. They won the game.”
The Warriors held the slim one-goal edge until the 34th minute. It was then that Wes Jeter scored the equalizer when he beat Warriors goalkeeper Isaac Shoutko with a left-footed shot.
And the match didn’t stay even long. Austin Bihlmeyer put the Admirals up 2-1 less than a minute later when he took a cross from Jeter and promptly banged it past Shoutko and into the back of the CAK net.
“Austin Bihlmeyer and Wes Jeter made it happen tonight, said Dover, who saw his team take a 2-1 lead into halftime intermission.
CAK pulled even on a marker by Davis Clothier in the 52nd minute.
