TSSAA Spring Fling 2019: ECS soccer caps unbeaten season with DII-A state title

MURFREESBORO — Kuku Kumtor was embarrassed when CPA shut out ECS in the state soccer quarterfinals last year. He said it gave the Eagles the motivation to take their collective game to the next level. 

'We all said to each other this is not going to happen again," said Kumtor. "We’re not losing next year. We’re beating CPA."

And the Eagles (20-0-4) got the job done. They claimed this year's DII-A state title with a 3-0 victory over CPA in the championship game Thursday. 

"They’re one of the best defenses in the state," said midfielder Brandon Brackett. "We had to get a goal quickly. And then the first goal comes in and the floodgates opened."

The Eagles, who won their third state title, scored their goals in a seven-minute span of the first half. Kumtor scored on an unassisted attack from the left side of the box. Evan Stookey followed up with a score off of a corner kick. And Brackett punched in the third goal off a pass from Branden Rodgers. 

"What I’ll remember the most is them being able to rise to a physical occasion," said coach Jordan Thompson. "That team brought crazy, crazy pressure and tons of contact and we rose up to it." 

When asked what meant more, winning the title or finishing unbeaten, Brackett couldn't choose. 

"Both. They go hand and hand. It's an honor. It puts a lot of respect on our program. Coach Thompson does a really good job day in and day out," said the junior midfielder. "To not lose a game is something we’ve got to look back on this year and be happy with ourselves, but next year carry it over."

Thompson said the win was a celebration of the work that the team put in all year. Kumtor said he'll remember the process of transforming into a championship-caliber team more than the game that made him a champion. 

"I don’t think I’ll remember this game very much. I’ll remember spending time with my family over here. These guys are my family," said Kumtor. "I'm just going to miss that atmosphere."

And as his teammates took turns kissing the trophy, slapping hands and posing for photos, Kumtor couldn't help but feel that this was the way his high school soccer career was supposed to end. 

“It just feels right," he said. "It feels amazing.”