MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - There were few scoring opportunities in the Class A state semifinals Wednesday at the Richard Siegel Soccer Complex, but Signal Mountain found a way to take advantage of one of its chances.
Arts & Sciences wasn't as fortunate.
Jimmy Johnson's first-half goal was enough for Signal Mountain as the Eagles beat Franklin Grace 1-0 and advanced to the championship match for the first time in program history. They will face Gatlinburg-Pittman - which prevented an all-Chattanooga area final with a 1-0 win over CSAS in the other semifinal - for the title at 11 a.m. EDT Friday.
Signal did a solid job of controlling possession against Franklin Grace and kept the Lions, who beat Douglass 10-1 in Tuesday's quarterfinals, from creating any dangerous opportunities. The Eagles (15-6-3) were able to create one of their own, though, and Cadyn Huddleston was able to get around the corner and send a cross to Johnson in the 18th minute.
"They are an extremely talented team," Signal coach Richard Northcutt said of the Lions (19-3). "One of the better things that happened is that we didn't give them the ball a lot. We kept possession and moved them side to side like guards in basketball. It could have gone either way.
"We've had a couple of tough matches, but we've done our best to keep it more interesting. Now we just have to go out there and do our best."
The Eagles outshot the Lions 6-4, and Signal keeper Joseph Galea was credited with four saves.
CSAS (13-7-2) ended up on the wrong side of Wednesday's result after Luis Ortiz found the back of the net for Gatlinburg-Pittman (12-9) in the 67th minute.
Though trailing, the Patriots were able to create some scoring opportunities. Avery Hardekopf's in the 75th minute was blocked, and a shot by Ben Harrison sailed high.
"Both teams had opportunities. They just converted on one of theirs," CSAS coach David Poss said. "If you look at the season we've had, the difference is that we stepped up during the season and won games we maybe weren't supposed to win. That is the difference between a state team and a good team that has its season end in district.
"I really think our team can build from this, and they will be back. I look forward to the finals next year."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.