JONESBOROUGH — The lightning held off long enough for a thunderous 3-2 victory by Tennessee High in Thursday’s District 1-AA soccer championship at David Crockett High School.
The homestanding Pioneers (13-4-2) struck first with Diego Silva’s strong boot from the left side in the 25th minute. Silva barely missed on a second goal in the 33rd minute with a chance to extend the lead.
Tennessee High (8-6-2) evened the score in the 38th minute when Ryan Fish scored off a deflection. It meant the teams were tied 1-1 at the intermission.
The Vikings pulled ahead in the 55th minute as Keegan Olson took advantage of Josh Lewellyn’s placement in front of the net. His goal came just four minutes after he looked to score a go-ahead goal only to be ruled offsides.
Lewellyn was at the right place at the right time seven minutes later. He was in front of the net to push a straight-ahead shot past Crockett goalkeeper Adam Gonzales in the 62nd minute. Tennessee High was able to clear the ball a couple of times with the 3-1 lead.
Battling to the end, the Pioneers’ Noah Eaves scored with a header out of a scrum in the 69th minute. Two minutes later, Lucas Verble barely missed on a shot wide left. The Pioneers came up short on two other shot attempts as time wound down.
NEXT UP
Crockett will go on the road against the winner of Friday’s match between Greeneville and Volunteer in the Region 1-AA semifinals. Tennessee High will host the loser of that contest in another semifinal.
