MURFRESSBORO, Tenn—Baylor rolled into town with high hopes of retaining its state title in DII-AA soccer—but they were met with a formidable opponent in the Big Red of Montgomery-Bell.
Baylor played in its usual 3-4-3, but with its outside mids and wingers dropping deeper than usual, making it a 5-4-1 at times as it tried to feel its way into the game.
Montgomery-Bell played a 4-2-3-1 with a focus on pressing high and making Baylor uncomfortable in possession. The Big Red’s work rate all game was a thing of beauty. Even when Baylor’s skill seemed to take over parts of the game, MBA consistently subbed in high energy forwards and midfielders for five-minute periods simply to put pressure on the Red Raiders.
Baylor had trouble adjusting. Still looking to play out of the back, it was caught in its defensive third more than a few times leading to several half-chances for the Big Red and giving MBA the slight advantage through the first 40 minutes.
Despite this high octane start—Montgomery-Bell never found the missing piece in the final third and the half ended nil nil.
Coach Curtis Blair petitioned his team to play quicker on the ball—one to two touches and then pass—to try to work around the high press. As the second half began, screaming for his team to play forward rather than side-to-side or back became a common theme.
The Red Raiders picked it up in the second—looking more like the team everyone had pegged to repeat as champs at the beginning of the tournament.
Baylor looked the better team after the break—with their inverted wingers finding more space and finding the chemistry they were missing with striker Mohammed Wumpini. The Red Raiders couldn’t find the final pass though—leading to another scoreless half of soccer.
Not helping was that the second half shaped up to be a battle of the goalkeepers—with Senior Zachary Ubamadu and Sophomore Graham Smith putting on a show. Not to be outdone by the other, it seemed that each time one would make a game-saving stop the other would respond with an equally jaw-dropping moment.
Extra-time was needed and both teams regrouped and refocused for 20 more minutes of play.
Star winger Phelipe Spielmann looked determined to take his team through—finding a second gear and taking on defenders with ferocious and progressive runs. Outside of his spark, there was nothing of note in the extra periods and the game moved swiftly into penalties.
Physically exhausted—both teams lined up to engage in the mental and emotion battle of spot-kicks. The sidelines—standing room only as spectators poured in to observe.
The goalkeeping powers that once were seemed to evaporate in the summer heat as both teams scored their first three PKs. All of them calm, cool, collected no-doubters as if this were a mere Sunday league friendly and the pressure of a spot in the championship wasn’t on the line.
The fatal notch in Baylor’s prestigious armor came when Senior Mac Hickman stepped up to the spot. A stalwart on defense all game—and all year, for that matter. Hickman went left but didn’t hit it right and the shot went waist high into the gloves of Smith.
Three kicks later junior Gabriel Ramon hit top left bins to finalize the result as a devastated Baylor squad fell to the ground.
Montgomery-Bell goes on to face Christ Presbyterian tomorrow for the state title. Baylor returns to Chattanooga with a final record of 17-4-1.
Scoring Summary:
BAYLOR 0 0 0 – 0
MBA 0 0 0 – 0 (5-4 penalties)