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Noel Wolf clearing a ball -
Chase Burrell gets a goal off a header from Zach Cline's corner kick
The Maroon Devils boys varsity soccer team hosted the Smoky Mountain Mustangs on Thursday, March 11 in a non-conference matchup. The Mustangs came into the game in second place in the Mountain 6 2A conference, so the Devils knew they could be facing a tough game to wrap up their regular season.
The Mustangs would get on the scoreboard first just 10 minutes into the game.
The 1st half would end with the Devils down 1-0. The Mustangs would add to their lead 3 minutes into the second half when they would score their second goal taking the 2-0 lead.
The Devils would respond just three minutes later when senior Zachary Cline would find Landon Matz for a goal. The Devils would add another goal when senior Chase Burrell would complete a goal off a header off a corner kick from Cline. With 14 minutes left in the game, Matz would add one more goal off a pass from Cline. The Devils would take the 3-2 win.
"I was very proud of how well the team responded to being down and making the comeback," said head coach Scott Cline. "This was a big win for our soccer program. Smoky has a great soccer program and a great soccer team that has seen a lot of success this season."
On defense, senior Anthony Reyes led the way with 7 clears/steals. He was followed by junior Levi Trantham with 6, senior Booth Bassett and junior Lucas Trantham each with 5. In goal, senior Noel Wolf had 10 saves.
The Player of the Game for the Devils was Wolf.
"Noel played a great game. He saved us numerous times in getting the ball cleared out," said Coach Cline. "We were very proud of the way he stepped up in the game."
The Devils finish the regular season at 9-1 in conference and 10-2 overall. In the MaxPreps rankings, the Devils finish the regular season as the number 13 team in the state. Senior Zachary Cline finishes the regular season as the number 1 player in the state across all classifications (1A-4A) in assists with 21. He is averaging 1.9 per game. Sophomore Landon Matz finished the regular season as the number 2 player in the state at the 1A level in goals scored. Across all classifications, he is number 4 in goals scored, averaging 2 goals a game.
The playoffs will start on Tuesday. Swain, ranked 7, will compete against Thomas Jefferson, ranked 10.